Stars and Stripes, August 31 - Sept. 6

There are several interesting letters this week. I've posted just a few. Troop frustration is high, morale low.

http://estripes.com/article.asp?section=125&article=17402

August 31

Yearning for substance

As a soldier deployed in Baghdad, I look forward to the three- and four-day-old copies of Stars and Stripes that my unit gets for news and current events. Being detached from modern news mediums is part of the job, and I expect Stripes to be abreast of the world’s happenings.

In the Aug. 11 issue there were multiple articles on serious international issues in Liberia, Jakarta, Iraq and on the Israelis and Palestinians. But I was more than disappointed to see that the most important thing to Stripes wasn’t these issues. It was the story “Air Force back on track for fitness test” (Aug. 11). It was about the Air Force’s new physical training program.

Does anyone really care so much about the Air Force getting a new PT program that it should overshadow world events, including American soldiers in combat? Since Stripes caters to servicemembers, does Stripes really think they want to read about airmen running laps or current events shaping the world around them?

Most soldiers tolerate Stripes because it’s the only media we can get ahold of. But I think Stripes’ values need to be reevaluated. Deployed soldiers yearn for substance in Stripes. Instead, it’s filled with human interest nonsense that doesn’t affect anybody except apparently the Air Force.

So when Stripes’ editors get together and decide what to print and where to place it, they should please keep in mind the readers who want newsworthy articles instead of pages filled with airmen on treadmills.

Spc. David C. Ratliffe
Baghdad, Iraq


Reserve your criticism

On behalf of all Reserve and National Guard soldiers and airmen serving on hardship tours around the globe, I’d like to thank the writer of the letter “Don’t like it? Don’t re-enlist” (Aug. 13) for sharing his low opinion of us and his disdain for our individual concerns. His extemporaneous wit and well-placed sarcasm, depicting our civilian lives, families and careers as nothing more than “frat parties” and “Mr. Bean’s sociology midterm exam” really showed us the error of our ways.

To answer the writer’s questions: Yes, we all signed up for military service because we thought the money was good. From my own personal experience, the military is a great source of supplemental income to my part-time civilian job shoveling animal excrement at the local zoo. It really helps when it comes time to pony up my share when our frat hosts another kegger.

After having served or watched colleagues leave to serve in Bosnia, Kosovo, Haiti, East Timor, Somalia, Desert Shield/Desert Storm and in other contingencies, it perplexes me that we were all so shocked to be asked to serve in Afghanistan and Iraq, too. I guess we should have taken the past 15 years of conflicts as a hint that another round of deployments might be around the corner. I can’t explain how we were all so naïve as to believe that this time the Pentagon would pardon us from the obligation we agreed to fulfill.

I’d also like to express the shame and guilt we all now feel for placing our families in this situation. Since I feel my soldiers should share the same self-control and foresight as the writer, I’ve ordered all my married soldiers to file for divorce when they return home. This will allow their spouses to remarry people outside the military who can better provide for their families, lest we get deployed again. I’ve also ordered all of my married and unmarried soldiers to lead lives of celibacy from this day forward to ensure that they will not again place a dependant in a situation in which they don’t have at least some control.

I hope these ideas catch on in other units and in our sister services so that in the near future the military will appear to the casual observer as nothing more than a bunch of nuns and monks running around with assault rifles and machine guns.

I’d like to thank the writer again for so aptly illustrating how meaningless our civilian lives really are. His opinion has been heard! From the writer’s position in Misawa Air Base, Japan, where he’s allowed to wear civilian clothes, enjoy running water, shop at the local post exchange/base exchange, take in a ball game or get a beer with his buddies and sleep comfortably in his own bed at night, he of all people has earned the right to criticize.

1st Lt. Charles Unger
Camp Speicher, Iraq



September 3

Not complaining

This is in response to the letter “Quit sniveling” (Aug. 12). I’m a 23-year veteran of the active duty Army and National Guard. I’ve been deployed to Bosnia and places I wish to forget. I agree with the letter writer that as noncommissioned officers we need to stop complaining and whining. We need to act like leaders.

I’m stationed in northern Iraq. The writer is missing out on all the fun here. Too bad he’s at Camp Doha, Kuwait. Where else in the world can one sleep on dirt or wooden floors and watch insects crawl across the floors, tent mates and ourselves? But I’m not stating a grievance.

Air conditioning? Not around here. We have electric fans that move hot air around when the power is on. We’ve gone through six generators. It’s something about the dust and heat that’s caused them to stop working. Again, I’m not criticizing.

I spend quality time with my troops. We stand in line to eat, shower, use the latrine and shop at the post exchange. I wouldn’t miss it for the world. And if we don’t feel like eating in the dining facility, we can go over to Burger King. Oh, I forgot. We don’t have a Burger King. My mistake. But we do have sun-baked Meals, Ready to Eat. Oh, what a treat. But I’m not complaining.

I look after the morale of my troops. I make sure they call home when the phone is working or e-mail loved ones when the system is working. Both the telephone and e-mail are great devices when they work properly. I’m not whining either.

The local population entertains us with nightly mortar attacks, sniping and ambushes. They go through a lot of trouble to do that. But I’m not complaining.

The mail? Well, let’s not beat a dead horse. Once more, I’m not grumbling.

Live like a civilized human being? The thought never entered my mind. We have it so great here in Iraq that I feel bad for the letter writer. And to think we get paid to do this. But I’m not finding fault.

Did I mention the lovely aroma of burning waste? It makes my eyes water to think about it. The Korean rice fields have nothing over it. Again, I’m not being a grouch.

As I said, we NCOs need to support our chain of command by holding them accountable to correctly find out when redeployment is going to happen, inform the troops and then make it happen. We NCOs are the backbone of the Army, and this backbone is hot, sweaty and worn out. But once more, I’m not complaining, criticizing, expressing dissatisfaction, finding fault, or bellyaching at all.

Sgt. John Epperson
Camp Anaconda, Iraq


Telephones

I’d like everyone to know about AT&T and the military. I’m currently assigned to the 253rd Transportation Company from Cape May, N.J., that’s serving in Iraq. While in Mosul I was able to use the telephones to call my family in the United States. Now AT&T has removed those phones and put in a new tent with phones. But these phones have connection fees. With a 100-minute phone card I’m only able to make a six-minute call. We don’t make a lot of money and shouldn’t have to worry about phone fees.

AT&T doesn’t help soldiers. Instead, it’s running a business as usual. Unfortunately, we don’t have a choice of which phone company we can use.

We’re doing an important job here by keeping our freedom and fighting for the greatest country in the world. But we don’t have good sources of communication when we want to call our loved ones.

Spc. Orlando Miranda
Iraq



Retention

I’d like to comment on the letter “One-year deployment too long” (Aug. 5). The writer had the courage to write what the majority of us are feeling here in Iraq. He is absolutely correct about retention. When my contract expires, I’m gone. I know I don’t plan to let the Army take another year of my life. Six months can be forgotten, but a year will never be forgiven.

I want the writer to know that he indeed feels the true pulse of the troops. I appreciate the fact that someone does. I can only hope that he’s not punished for telling it like it really is.

2nd Lt. Nicholas Bradford
Iraq


We're prisoners

I’ve been in the National Guard since 1977. This is my first deployment. I always thought that when we were activated we became regular Army — an “Army of one.” I received mobilization orders on Feb. 10. These are the only orders I’ve been allowed to see. I know we have orders to be in country because one of my soldiers had to get medical help back at Camp Arifjan and he was given a copy of his orders. I’ve asked my commander and first sergeant about these orders and have been denied. I’ve had several other problems with them and have been denied to see my command sergeant major and inspector general.

My men ask me for guidance and I’m limited because my senior leadership has failed me and my men. Here at Tallil Air Base in Iraq, the National Guard units are run by politics, just like back home. The Army has rules to keep politics out. But the Army of one doesn’t apply to the National Guard.

I want to go home. My wife sent a letter to our governor back home, and I have a letter in response. The response says that there’s no stop loss. Yet when my men’s expiration, term of service is up, they’re not allowed to leave.

We’re prisoners here. I haven’t been allowed even one day off since I’ve been deployed. All we want is a date — something to look forward to. My wife also wrote to senators and even to President Bush. None of these people seem to care about our fate.

Sgt. 1st Class Michael Cranfill
Tallil Air Base, Iraq

Bush and Rummy are the jail Keeps, not the Iraqis.

pretty powerful statement.