• If you are having problems logging in please use the Contact Us in the lower right hand corner of the forum page for assistance.

War Assesment from one that Gave ALL!!!

A

Anonymous

Guest
Heres a couple of articles about the latest Montana killed- a young fella from Faster Horses country:
------------------------------------------

Soldier loved Army, gave frank assessment
Montanan co-wrote New York Times opinion critical of war

By The Associated Press

HELENA - A soldier from Eastern Montana killed in Iraq earlier this week was one of the authors of a high-profile New York Times opinion piece critical of the progress being made in the war.

Staff Sgt. Yance T. Gray of Ismay was remembered Wednes-day as a strong and friendly leader who loved the Army and dreamed of being a soldier his entire life. A member of the 82nd Airborne Division, he died Monday when the cargo truck he was riding in overturned in Baghdad.

Another co-author, 28-year-old Sgt. Omar Mora, also was killed in the crash.

The Times piece, called "The War As We Saw It," expressed doubts about American gains in Iraq. "To believe that Americans, with an occupying force that long ago outlived its reluctant welcome, can win over a recalcitrant local population and win this counterinsurgency is far-fetched," the group wrote. In the last line, the authors reaffirmed their own commitment: "We need not talk about our morale. As committed soldiers, we will see this mission through."

full Gazette story:
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/09/13/news/state/20-gates.txt

While we have the will and the resources to fight in this context, we are effectively hamstrung because realities on the ground require measures we will always refuse — namely, the widespread use of lethal and brutal force.

Political reconciliation in Iraq will occur, but not at our insistence or in ways that meet our benchmarks. It will happen on Iraqi terms when the reality on the battlefield is congruent with that in the political sphere. There will be no magnanimous solutions that please every party the way we expect, and there will be winners and losers. The choice we have left is to decide which side we will take. Trying to please every party in the conflict — as we do now — will only ensure we are hated by all in the long run.

In the end, we need to recognize that our presence may have released Iraqis from the grip of a tyrant, but that it has also robbed them of their self-respect. They will soon realize that the best way to regain dignity is to call us what we are — an army of occupation — and force our withdrawal.

Until that happens, it would be prudent for us to increasingly let Iraqis take center stage in all matters, to come up with a nuanced policy in which we assist them from the margins but let them resolve their differences as they see fit. This suggestion is not meant to be defeatist, but rather to highlight our pursuit of incompatible policies to absurd ends without recognizing the incongruities.

We need not talk about our morale. As committed soldiers, we will see this mission through.

This mission is done for two of them!! May God bless them in their next!

The full Times Opinion piece they wrote:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/19/opinion/19jayamaha.html?ex=1189742400&en=10c7f4155337e9ab&ei=5070
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
Yes. From my country. Know his family/ grandparents well. Wonderful people. Just wonderful. I am so sorry for their loss. I hope the grandparents can recover from this, as they are elderly and their family is their whole world.
 

MoGal

Well-known member
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/september2007/140907_send_message.htm

Were War Critic Soldiers Killed To Send Message?
 

Cal

Well-known member
MoGal said:
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/september2007/140907_send_message.htm

Were War Critic Soldiers Killed To Send Message?
okay, you're being the opposite of smart again.
 

Frankk

Well-known member
Cal said:
MoGal said:
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/september2007/140907_send_message.htm

Were War Critic Soldiers Killed To Send Message?
okay, you're being the opposite of smart again.

You may be the one being the opposite of smart.

While serving in Vietnam my company had two fellow soliders get in a fight. The loser came back later and killed the other, full twenty round clip in his chest. His home town newspaper reported he had been killed in action near Chu Lai. Where do you supose they got that idea?
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
MT Republicans are so grateful, too.

http://www.intelligentdiscontent.com/montana/attacking-the-dead-conservative-support-for-the-t.html
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
ff said:
MT Republicans are so grateful, too.

http://www.intelligentdiscontent.com/montana/attacking-the-dead-conservative-support-for-the-t.html

Dave Rye Says:

September 13th, 2007 at 10:08 am
Pardon my skepticism, and certainly no disrespect for the dead Montana soldier, but in my time in the Army I never heard such a word as “recalcitrant” escape the lips of any Staff Sergeant. I doubt if it’s spoken all that much in Ismay, either.

The soldiers had the help and probably the encouragement of a writer with an agenda, from a newspaper which has always had one. Its continually declining circulation now mainly consists of those who want desperately to consider themselves sophisticated as well as compassionate, even if that means always branding the U.S. as the chief villain on the world stage—-in fact, especially if it does.

I await the inevitable onslaught from outraged liberals. (Is there any other kind?)

So Rye thinks all soldiers are idiots-eh :???: What a dip :mad:

But it doesn't surprise me-- in 50+ years of following politics I have never seen the Montana Republican party at such a low spot...They were having problems--but the fiasco in the Legislature-when they tried to pull Bush arrogance and got it shoved down their throats really did them in...They can't even come up with funding now to hire a fulltime staff-must not be able to afford their website anymore, because when I try to go there it says it doesn't exist- and they couldn't find someone in Montana to lead the party--they had to choose one of Rehbergs Washington aides.....

Right now they can't even come up with a (worthwhile) candidate to run for Gov. or Senator against Baucus--except for one guy (Keenan) thats ran for every state office from dogcatcher on up--and I think lost them all-- and the nut that was the Repub leader in the house that got Montana all over the TV news and You tube again with his 4 letter expletive deleted rant against the Governor.... :roll: Complete nut--the only thing good the Montana Repubs have done is when the legislature ended, they kicked him out as party leader-- but the part that scares me is that they put him and Soupy Sales in there in the first place...

Can't say the Dems are doing much better either (except they are winning everything)--their new leader is a transplanted California lawyer :roll:
 

Cal

Well-known member
Frankk said:
Cal said:
MoGal said:
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/september2007/140907_send_message.htm

Were War Critic Soldiers Killed To Send Message?
okay, you're being the opposite of smart again.

You may be the one being the opposite of smart.

While serving in Vietnam my company had two fellow soliders get in a fight. The loser came back later and killed the other, full twenty round clip in his chest. His home town newspaper reported he had been killed in action near Chu Lai. Where do you supose they got that idea?
Intrigueing, but not on the same page as a continuing saga of far fetched Alex Jones conspiracies.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Oldtimer said:
Dave Rye Says:

September 13th, 2007 at 10:08 am
Pardon my skepticism, and certainly no disrespect for the dead Montana soldier, but in my time in the Army I never heard such a word as “recalcitrant” escape the lips of any Staff Sergeant. I doubt if it’s spoken all that much in Ismay, either.

The soldiers had the help and probably the encouragement of a writer with an agenda, from a newspaper which has always had one. Its continually declining circulation now mainly consists of those who want desperately to consider themselves sophisticated as well as compassionate, even if that means always branding the U.S. as the chief villain on the world stage—-in fact, especially if it does.

I await the inevitable onslaught from outraged liberals. (Is there any other kind?)

I didn't include that Dave Rye is a very well known personality in Montana-- as a long time Montana news broadcaster-- and has twice won the Montana Broadcasters Award as Broadcaster of the Year....He also ran as a Republican candidate and served one term in the Montana Legislature...

But is he catching it now--this comment insinuating that Army Staff Sgts- from Podunk Montana- and especially one that just died for his country-- are too dumb to know the word "recalcitrant" has been picked up by News Agencies and blogs world wide...Even saw it printed in one Georgia publication...The state papers and blogs are really having a hay day...

I think his case of "foot in mouth" disease has ruined much of his broadcast appeal-- and probably guaranteed he won't win dogcatcher next election....
He might be right about his opinion on the NT Times--but this is one he should have just punted on....
 

Latest posts

Top