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Title: American troops in Afghanistan losing heart, say army chaplains
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URL Source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/ne ... Afghanistan/article6865359.ece
Published: Oct 8, 2009
Author: Martin Fletcher
Post Date: 2009-10-08 09:57:15 by Horse
Keywords: None
Views: 8142
Comments: 240
American soldiers serving in Afghanistan are depressed and deeply disillusioned, according to the chaplains of two US battalions that have spent nine months on the front line in the war against the Taleban. Many feel that they are risking their lives — and that colleagues have died — for a futile mission and an Afghan population that does nothing to help them, the chaplains told The Times in their makeshift chapel on this fortress-like base in a dusty, brown valley southwest of Kabul. “The many soldiers who come to see us have a sense of futility and anger about being here. They are really in a state of depression and despair and just want to get back to their families,” said Captain Jeff Masengale, of the 10th Mountain Division’s 2-87 Infantry Battalion. “They feel they are risking their lives for progress that’s hard to discern,” said Captain Sam Rico, of the Division’s 4-25 Field Artillery Battalion. “They are tired, strained, confused and just want to get through.” The chaplains said that they were speaking out because the men could not. The base is not, it has to be said, obviously downcast, and many troops do not share the chaplains’ assessment. The soldiers are, by nature and training, upbeat, driven by a strong sense of duty, and they do their jobs as best they can. Re-enlistment rates are surprisingly good for the 2-87, though poor for the 4-25. Several men approached by The Times, however, readily admitted that their morale had slumped. “We’re lost — that’s how I feel. I’m not exactly sure why we’re here,” said Specialist Raquime Mercer, 20, whose closest friend was shot dead by a renegade Afghan policeman last Friday. “I need a clear-cut purpose if I’m going to get hurt out here or if I’m going to die.” Sergeant Christopher Hughes, 37, from Detroit, has lost six colleagues and survived two roadside bombs. Asked if the mission was worthwhile, he replied: “If I knew exactly what the mission was, probably so, but I don’t.” The only soldiers who thought it was going well “work in an office, not on the ground”. In his opinion “the whole country is going to s***”. The battalion’s 1,500 soldiers are nine months in to a year-long deployment that has proved extraordinarily tough. Their goal was to secure the mountainous Wardak province and then to win the people’s allegiance through development and good governance. They have, instead, found themselves locked in an increasingly vicious battle with the Taleban. They have been targeted by at least 300 roadside bombs, about 180 of which have exploded. Nineteen men have been killed in action, with another committing suicide. About a hundred have been flown home with amputations, severe burns and other injuries likely to cause permanent disability, and many of those have not been replaced. More than two dozen mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles (MRAPs) have been knocked out of action. Living conditions are good — abundant food, air-conditioned tents, hot water, free internet — but most of the men are on their second, third or fourth tours of Afghanistan and Iraq, with barely a year between each. Staff Sergeant Erika Cheney, Airborne’s mental health specialist, expressed concern about their mental state — especially those in scattered outposts — and believes that many have mild post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). “They’re tired, frustrated, scared. A lot of them are afraid to go out but will still go,” she said. Lieutenant Peter Hjelmstad, 2-87’s Medical Platoon Leader, said sleeplessness and anger attacks were common. A dozen men have been confined to desk jobs because they can no longer handle missions outside the base. One long-serving officer who has lost three friends this tour said he sometimes returned to his room at night and cried, or played war games on his laptop. “It’s a release. It’s a method of coping.” He has nightmares and sleeps little, and it does not help that the base is frequently shaken by outgoing artillery fire. He was briefly overcome as he recalled how, when a lorry backfired during his most recent home leave, he grabbed his young son and dived between two parked cars. The chaplains said soldiers were seeking their help in unprecedented numbers. “Everyone you meet is just down, and you meet them everywhere — in the weight room, dining facility, getting mail,” said Captain Rico. Even “hard men” were coming to their tent chapel and breaking down. The men are frustrated by the lack of obvious purpose or progress. “The soldiers’ biggest question is: what can we do to make this war stop. Catch one person? Assault one objective? Soldiers want definite answers, other than to stop the Taleban, because that almost seems impossible. It’s hard to catch someone you can’t see,” said Specialist Mercer. “It’s a very frustrating mission,” said Lieutenant Hjelmstad. “The average soldier sees a friend blown up and his instinct is to retaliate or believe it’s for something [worthwhile], but it’s not like other wars where your buddy died but they took the hill. There’s no tangible reward for the sacrifice. It’s hard to say Wardak is better than when we got here.” Captain Masengale, a soldier for 12 years before he became a chaplain, said: “We want to believe in a cause but we don’t know what that cause is.” The soldiers are angry that colleagues are losing their lives while trying to help a population that will not help them. “You give them all the humanitarian assistance that they want and they’re still going to lie to you. They’ll tell you there’s no Taleban anywhere in the area and as soon as you roll away, ten feet from their house, you get shot at again,” said Specialist Eric Petty, from Georgia. Captain Rico told of the disgust of a medic who was asked to treat an insurgent shortly after pulling a colleague’s charred corpse from a bombed vehicle. The soldiers complain that rules of engagement designed to minimise civilian casualties mean that they fight with one arm tied behind their backs. “They’re a joke,” said one. “You get shot at but can do nothing about it. You have to see the person with the weapon. It’s not enough to know which house the shooting’s coming from.” The soldiers joke that their Isaf arm badges stand not for International Security Assistance Force but “I Suck At Fighting” or “I Support Afghan Farmers”. To compound matters, soldiers are mainly being killed not in combat but on routine journeys, by roadside bombs planted by an invisible enemy. “That’s very demoralising,” said Captain Masengale. The constant deployments are, meanwhile, playing havoc with the soldiers’ private lives. “They’re killing families,” he said. “Divorces are skyrocketing. PTSD is off the scale. There have been hundreds of injuries that send soldiers home and affect families for the rest of their lives.” The chaplains said that many soldiers had lost their desire to help Afghanistan. “All they want to do is make it home alive and go back to their wives and children and visit the families who have lost husbands and fathers over here. It comes down to just surviving,” said Captain Masengale. “If we make it back with ten toes and ten fingers the mission is successful,” Sergeant Hughes said. “You carry on for the guys to your left or right,” added Specialist Mercer. The chaplains have themselves struggled to cope with so much distress. “We have to encourage them, strengthen them and send them out again. No one comes in and says, ‘I’ve had a great day on a mission’. It’s all pain,” said Captain Masengale. “The only way we’ve been able to make it is having each other.” Lieutenant-Colonel Kimo Gallahue, 2-87’s commanding officer, denied that his men were demoralised, and insisted they had achieved a great deal over the past nine months. A triathlete and former rugby player, he admitted pushing his men hard, but argued that taking the fight to the enemy was the best form of defence. He said the security situation had worsened because the insurgents had chosen to fight in Wardak province, not abandon it. He said, however, that the situation would have been catastrophic without his men. They had managed to keep open the key Kabul-to-Kandahar highway which dissects Wardak, and prevent the province becoming a launch pad for attacks on the capital, which is barely 20 miles from its border. Above all, Colonel Gallahue argued that counter-insurgency — winning the allegiance of the indigenous population through security, development and good governance — was a long and laborious process that could not be completed in a year. “These 12 months have been, for me, laying the groundwork for future success,” he said. At morning service on Sunday, the two chaplains sought to boost the spirits of their flock with uplifting hymns, accompanied by video footage of beautiful lakes, oceans and rivers. Captain Rico offered a particularly apposite reading from Corinthians: “We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; perplexed but not driven to despair; persecuted but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”
Poster Comment: “The many soldiers who come to see us have a sense of futility and anger about being here. They are really in a state of depression and despair and just want to get back to their families,” ...“They feel they are risking their lives for progress that’s hard to discern,”... “They are tired, strained, confused and just want to get through.”...“We’re lost — that’s how I feel. I’m not exactly sure why we’re here,” ...“I need a clear-cut purpose if I’m going to get hurt out here or if I’m going to die.”...Sergeant Christopher Hughes, 37, from Detroit, has lost six colleagues and survived two roadside bombs. Asked if the mission was worthwhile, he replied: “If I knew exactly what the mission was, probably so, but I don’t.”...sleeplessness and anger attacks were common....The men are frustrated by the lack of obvious purpose or progress....“We want to believe in a cause but we don’t know what that cause is.”...To compound matters, soldiers are mainly being killed not in combat but on routine journeys, by roadside bombs planted by an invisible enemy....“Divorces are skyrocketing. PTSD is off the scale. There have been hundreds of injuries that send soldiers home and affect families for the rest of their lives.”...“All they want to do is make it home alive and go back to their wives and children and visit the families who have lost husbands and fathers over here. It comes down to just surviving,”...He said the security situation had worsened because the insurgents had chosen to fight in Wardak province, not abandon it...two chaplains sought to boost the spirits of their flock with uplifting hymns, accompanied by video footage of beautiful lakes, oceans and rivers.
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#43. To: TwentyTwelve, christine, Jethro Tull (#40)
Thank you for the photo... This young man needs the thanks of all of us here and all Americans. He is finished in the military but he has a higher calling.
Also "I Saw Americans Fighting", referring to the general military uselessness of other NATO soldiers.
Thanks, christine. Never too late (I hope) to learn.
Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. Boy, when I fuck up, I really fuck up. He is very brave.
There will be the die hards that will want to crush this young man for standing up front and speaking the truth. The truth that Americans do not want to hear. We owe this young man big time, he has shaken the government more than we will ever know.
This is because the European countries delegated all warmongering to the Americans after WW II. That was really what NATO was and is all about. You can tell how lost this Satanic organization (NWO enforcement arm, basically) is by how far the Khyber Pass is from the North Atlantic. None of the yurpeens wants to be there to begin with. I don't blame them. They've observed Uncle Sam bankrupt itself with these useless trumped-up, inside job-generated wars for this entire decade. Why would they want any part of that? Most of Yurp knows 9/11 was an inside job anyhow.
“I would give no thought of what the world might say of me, if I could only transmit to posterity the reputation of an honest man.” - Sam Houston
. Recruiters report that they are seeing older walk-ins as a result of a battered economy. Changes in recruitment rules — the Army, for example, in 2006 raised its enlistment age limit from 35 to 42 — are also behind interest from older candidates. http://www.america.gov/st/peaces...0.1622583.html&distid=ucs We may finally exhaust our supply of boys and girls, older poor, jailbirds, and half-wits. We have also considered (don't know if implemented) recruiting foreigners with top of the list citizenship as bait. The depression is, of course, helping the recruiters now and will in future. The troops may be losing enthusiasm, but things are looking good for jingoistic, old-fart politicians and ambitious officers. The majority of the poor goobers over there joined for employment and/or BS training promises.
Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. Boy, when I fuck up, I really fuck up. I just saw a soldier praying until you pointed out his race. Obviously I need to sharpen my racial profiling skills.
Many feel that they are risking their lives — and that colleagues have died — for a futile mission and an Afghan population that does nothing to help them. 'Operation: DESTROY AMERICAN MILITARY MORALE' is working to perfection... Of course our guys realize they've been hung out to dry by the Commie Street Organizer who despises them. At least Dubya acted as though he cared about whatever the fake missions and stategery were, and actually inspired the troops. Let's put it THIS way: Barry Soetoro will NOT be serving Turkey in A-Stan or A-Rock this Thanksgiving. Oh...and the NWO continues to call ALL the shots...and have since 9/11.
This was arranged for the BRITISH media, not American, THAT TELLS US AND OBAMA MUCH. Photo was posed for maximum effect, hidden face, black minority, bibles in prominance for PARENTS AND WIVES TO SEE. This is the very bottom of the Army speaking the only way they know how. This has to shake Obama and the top of the military to the core. Note the AF and Navy are saying nothing, because they are not dying and bleeding. Niiiice analysis.
As Told By Bill Ayers Chapter I: Crushing an Economy Chapter II: Standing With Dictators While Democracy Protesters Die in the Street Chapter III: How to Kill Troop Morale Brilliant, brilliant post.
Plausible - even partially a reason for their presence in A-Stan, but I believe it's far more nefarious than that; IMO US troop are in A-Stan TO BE RIDICULED and chopped to pieces...(it sure doesn't help that they realize their mission may be that of merely protecting a drug industry.) This is Barry's and the NWO Elite's version of the Bataan Death March in order to neuter the morale and emasculate reputation of the US military - THE symbol of American Might.
There ya go. BINGO. QUESTIONS: IF/WHEN do the Patriots in high places within the American Machine realize their 50 pieces of Silver just aren't worth selling their souls over? Who will be the American von Stauffenberg?
As Told By Bill Ayers Chapter I: Crushing an Economy Chapter II: Standing With Dictators While Democracy Protesters Die in the Street Chapter III: How to Kill Troop Morale Are you implying Bush was a co-author??
I have more than a passing interest in photo analysis.
If you look closely you will see the black soldier has his arms wrapped around his face to ensure there is NO identification. That is NOT a normal posture for praying.
"The troops feel like sitting ducks." Ya think?? If Bush's RoE were unreasonably restrictive - and they were - the Street Thug-in-Chief's RoE are suicidal....BY DESIGN.
I took a break from my sewing a short while ago and was quite surprised to see a discussion on FoxNews regarding this article. Matter of fact, Judith Miller, who used to work for NY Times, specifically stated, "The President has to do something about this NOW." My, my ... and to think that came out of the mouth of a liberal!!! She further added that the POTUS had too often compromised on other decisions and hoped he wouldn't do so with this issue.
How so? Btw, I've just re-analyzed that photo.... The black soldier...the Bibles strewn in its pews...suggesting the responsibility of a "Christian" war against non-whites and non-Christians....and betrayal by his "real oppressors" - Whitey and his religion. The body language is demonstrating fear, shame, insecurity, and/or remorse....
One wonders how long MSM can ignore this story???? I look for a modified withdrawal of some kind, to obscure the bind Obama is in. There is no alternative. Tread water for a few months until the American rubes forget all about it. Plus roll a few heads in the military on the sly.
Lets just say from experience. The story would go nowhere without the photo. whoever set it up played all the angles and did a masterful job. to boot, one man has the courage to stand up and tell it like it is,Capt. Rico. Bless the peons.
Don't be fooled by any singular ambiguity by the Left... By "do something," Miller means "pull out of A-Stan YESTERDAY" and "Free Che!" I'm sure those "other decisions" Miller alluded to were ALL liberal/Left issues like as I mentioned: Pulling out of A-Stan and I-Rock on January 21, 2009, closing down Gitmo on the same day, indicting Cheney for "War Crimes," not appointing a Gay Marriage Czar, the elimination of "Don't Ax Don't Tell," 0bamaCare, and the rest of his Leftist Agenda.
I dont think any thinking person is fooled. MSM has ignored this story all day and now must acknowledge what cannot be hidden.
They've ignored Tea Parties, 0bama ghost writer Ayers, Wright, Rangel, and ACORN....What make you think this is "worthy" of NYT "news"? There's NO story they have to "report" - especially not one that reflect badly on the Community Organizer and his cabal.
No, Lib ... she actually referred to the "number of troops requested" and hoped he wouldn't "comprosise" what was requested. As for the other issues, yes, they were liberal/left, but not all were.
I'm not in the business of judging prayer postures. I would say my impression is that of a childlike prayer posture. But there is no kneeler or back of a pew or a table either. Of course, I didn't even notice his hands were black or his hair African-curly so you can't go far by my observations. :)
I dont think anything, that is your opinion. The story and facts speak for themselves. The rest is up for you to decide.
No, no thinking person is fooled...but the MSM already knows they've lost them; It's the sheeple who must remain in the dark. NOT reporting the extent of the truth is still effective for them in a numbers-game.
When the photo is "staged" you should be. Do you recall the Pueblo years ago in North Korea???? Many people overlooked that in the first photo, two enlisted men had their hands on their knees and were giving the upside down finger to the Koreans???????
Yes, for US and "thinking persons." WE have already made our respective opinions known. It's the military who presents the Street Organizer and his perverse policy-makers his greatest challenge with respect to "the truth."
All of this was intended for the Pentagon and Oval office. It will bring the desired results. Like the lady said, Obama must do something NOW.
Really? Hey - If some Lefties are beginning to question the "wisdom" and judgment of Dear Leader, it may just begin opening their eyes on other issues.
If the pose of the picture was played straight, you may be right; But would President Ayers be affected by this?
Of course, I didn't even notice his hands were black or his hair African-curly so you can't go far by my observations. :) In 0bama-Land, we've been conditioned to question whether the night sky is "black" or African-American" or whether The Monkees were a racist group from the 60s ;-) Gone for most of us are the days when we saw "people." Are you telling me you haven't noticed that on most TV shows commercials, the "Boss" or "Captain," or Judge, or "Leader" is now black or female?
When names and statements such as Rico are appended, it was sent as a message. The General gave them a message a month ago, now the people at the bottom have spoken. The Pentagon is wondering if there is a thread linking the two, and if so, how strong. This has to send chills down the backs of the stalwart heros sitting safely in their easy chairs. Ayers??? I would suggest it goes well over and beyond his head, a warning to the entire system if you will. These men at the bottom have put their heads on the chopping block, they are at risk. The general can resign, walk any day and get a full pension. What do the peons have to look forward to??? My odds would be that the military will try to hang them either overtly are covertly, one way or the other.
Excellent. I recall the Hillary one. By the way, the men of the Pueblo were beaten when it came out in our media about the fingers and what they meant.
The General gave them a message a month ago, now the people at the bottom have spoken. The Pentagon is wondering if there is a thread linking the two, and if so, how strong. This has to send chills down the backs of the stalwart heros sitting safely in their easy chairs... These men at the bottom have put their heads on the chopping block, they are at risk. The general can resign, walk any day and get a full pension. What do the peons have to look forward to??? My odds would be that the military will try to hang them either overtly are covertly, one way or the other. From the bottom of the rung, this could certainly be their only card left to play before they are sacrificed on the "Altar of Bush's War." 0bama's Dims are HOPING to frame the debacle as "Bush's Fault" and "War" and at the same time destroy morale. For them it's a "Two-fer." The Dim-controlled media has covered up for the Kenyan from Chicago for as long as they could; Some leaks are springing, but in the past the MSM has been able to plug most of them up... The battle within the Pentagon and the strife between NWO-Commie moles vs. pro-sovereignty career Big Guys is intriguing; How many are willing to toss away their careers and golden parachutes over ideology is an unknown factor. Public or behind the scenes "hangings" for insubordination?? Too many witnesses. Too messy. MIA or coincidental "accidents" will send the same message.
Our good ol' media - ALWAYS on our side. /s Ernie Pyle would have kicked Geraldo's azz all over Iraq.
If you do not recall Pueblo, there were many people that said the men should not have given the finger to the Koreans. And the Navy tried to hang the Captain and some crew.
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#44. To: Horse (#0)
The soldiers joke that their Isaf arm badges stand not for International Security Assistance Force but “I Suck At Fighting” or “I Support Afghan Farmers”.
#45. To: christine (#34)
welcome back, iconoclast. it takes alot of character to admit error. ;)
I learned a good lesson though, never cast a vote based on hate and disgust
#46. To: Cynicom (#43)
This young man needs the thanks of all of us here and all Americans.
#47. To: TwentyTwelve (#46)
He is very brave.
#48. To: TooConservative (#44)
#49. To: Sam Houston, ALL (#37)
(Edited)
What this illustrates is that when you are living in a tyrannical empire, you should NEVER volunteer to be one of its storm troopers.
I learned a good lesson though, never cast a vote based on hate and disgust
#50. To: Cynicom (#17)
Photo was posed for maximum effect, hidden face, black minority, bibles in prominance for PARENTS AND WIVES TO SEE.
#51. To: Horse (#0)
American soldiers serving in Afghanistan are depressed and deeply disillusioned...
#52. To: Cynicom (#17)
There is MUCH to be gleaned here other than the intended message to Obama and this corrupt government.
#53. To: Jethro Tull (#28)
"How to kill a Great Nation and Its Military in 9 Easy Months," By Barack Hussein Obama.
#54. To: Sam Houston, all (#22)
The main reason they are there is to PREVENT the Taliban from once again engaging in wholesale eradication and destruction of the poppy crops. The hundreds of billions derived from the heroin trade are helping prop up what's left of the Western banks, plus the intel agencies are always taking a huge cut of the narco trade to fund black ops.
#55. To: Jethro Tull (#28)
#56. To: Jethro Tull (#28)
"How to kill a Great Nation and Its Military in 9 Easy Months," By Barack Hussein Obama.
#57. To: Liberator (#52)
Niiiice analysis.
#58. To: TooConservative (#50)
I just saw a soldier praying until you pointed out his race.
#59. To: TwentyTwelve (#40)
Captain Sam Rico, chaplain on the reason for low morale:
#60. To: Cynicom, All (#58)
#61. To: Cynicom (#57)
I have more than a passing interest in photo analysis.
#62. To: Phant2000, All (#60)
"The President has to do something about this NOW."
#63. To: Liberator (#61)
How so?
#64. To: Phant2000 (#60)
Judith Miller, who used to work for NY Times, specifically stated, "The President has to do something about this NOW." My, my ... and to think that came out of the mouth of a liberal!!! She further added that the POTUS had too often compromised on other decisions and hoped he wouldn't do so with this issue.
#65. To: Liberator (#64)
Don't be fooled by any singular ambiguity by the Left...
#66. To: Cynicom (#62)
One wonders how long MSM can ignore this story????
#67. To: Liberator (#64)
By "do something," Miller means "pull out of A-Stan YESTERDAY" and "Free Che!"
#68. To: Cynicom (#58)
That is NOT a normal posture for praying.
#69. To: Liberator (#66)
....What make you think this is "worthy" of NYT "news"?
#70. To: Cynicom (#65)
I dont think any thinking person is fooled. MSM has ignored this story all day and now must acknowledge what cannot be hidden.
#71. To: TooConservative (#68)
I'm not in the business of judging prayer postures.
#72. To: Cynicom (#69)
The story and facts speak for themselves. The rest is up for you to decide.
#73. To: Liberator (#70)
#74. To: Phant2000 (#67)
No, Lib ... she actually referred to the "number of troops requested" and hoped he wouldn't "comprosise" what was requested.
#75. To: Cynicom (#73)
All of this was intended for the Pentagon and Oval office. It will bring the desired results. Like the lady said, Obama must do something NOW.
#76. To: TooConservative (#68)
#77. To: Liberator (#75)
If the pose of the picture was played straight, you may be right;
#78. To: Cynicom, TooConservative (#71)
Many people overlooked that in the first photo, two enlisted men had their hands on their knees and were giving the upside down finger to the Koreans???????
#79. To: Liberator (#78)
(Edited)
#80. To: Cynicom (#77)
When names and statements such as Rico are appended, it was sent as a message.
#81. To: Cynicom (#79)
By the way, the men of the Pueblo were beaten when it came out in our media about the fingers and what they meant.
#82. To: Liberator (#81)
Ernie Pyle would have kicked Geraldo's azz all over Iraq.
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