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Title: GI Special 4H22: " He Hated The Army". A compendium on and by U.S. Military Personnel and Iraq War Reports
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Published: Aug 22, 2006
Author: Thomas Barton
Post Date: 2006-08-26 16:38:40 by robin
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GI Special 4H22: " He Hated The Army". A compendium on and by U.S. Military Personnel and Iraq War Reports August 22, 2006 GI SPECIAL 4H22: [Thanks to Mark Shapiro, who sent this in.] “He Hated The Army” Sgt. Jeffery Brown’s Death In Iraq Brings Shock, Sadness To Trinity Center August 14, 2006 By Constance Dillon, Record Searchlight TRINITY CENTER: Ed and Diane Brown were at their home in Trinity Center on Sunday, waiting for the return of their son Jeffery. The last they heard, he had been transported to Dover, Del. Army Sgt. Jeffery S. Brown, 25, of Trinity Center had served his six years with the Army but officials extended his commitment. He was killed last week after his UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter crashed into a lake in Rubtbah, Iraq. With him was Sgt. Steven P. Mennemeyer, 26, of Granite City, Ill. Both men, assigned to the 82nd Medical Company Air Ambulance out of Fort Riley, Kan., had been declared Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown on Tuesday, according to the Department of Defense. Their remains were recovered Wednesday and Thursday. Army officials told Jeff's family last week that the young soldier would receive a Bronze Star and an Air Medal for his work aboard the aircraft. They told his mother that an investigation into the circumstances of the crash led them to believe that Jeffery had made a heroic effort. But Ed Brown, 58, doesn't believe it was right for the Army to have asked Jeff for more than he'd already given. "He hated the Army," Ed Brown said Sunday. "He was home here not too long ago and he called us about four days before he died." A retired fire captain with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and a Vietnam vet who came home from his tour of duty with wounds both physical and psychological, Ed Brown said he was having to work at controlling his anger. There was no way to stop the waves of sadness. "I know these things happen, but dads are not supposed to bury their sons," he said. He had been looking forward to the time when Jeff would be done with the Army and back in Trinity County with friends and family. "He was one of the most trustworthy guys and he loved trucks," Brown said. "We were going to buy a Chevy when he got home." Brown said he'd moved many times before having a family but his son Jeff never wanted to leave his friends. "That's just the kind of person he was." All four of the Brown's children, Michael, 27, Jeffery, Timothy, 22, and Kathryn, 19, attended Trinity High School. Jeff's father thinks he may be the first child from Trinity High School to die in Iraq. "They've lived their whole lives here," he said. Worry is now doubled for son Tim, who is in the Army and assigned to helicopters. Ed Brown said the two boys were as close as twins. "He is stationed in Germany," said mother Diane Brown, 48, a nurse at Mercy Medical Center in Redding. Members of the extended family are en route from places near and far to meet in Trinity Center and remember their loved one. Ed and Diane Brown had been planning a trip before their lives were irrevocably changed. "We got a trailer and we were going to go down to Mexico. It doesn't seem like traveling would be much fun now," Ed Brown said, his voiced strangled by tears. "It just hurts so bad." IRAQ WAR REPORTS Three U.S. Troops Killed In Anbar 21 Aug 2006 Reuters Three members of a U.S. Marine unit were killed in action in western Iraq on Sunday, the U.S. military said in a statement. The statement released on Monday gave few details of what appeared to be a single incident: "Two Marines and one sailor assigned to Regimental Combat Team 7 died from wounds sustained due to enemy action while operating in Al Anbar Province." U.S. Navy medics serve with the Marines in the desert province, where Sunni Arab insurgents are active. 8/21/2006 HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND NEWS RELEASE Number: 06-08-02CL BAGHDAD: A Multi National Division Baghdad service member died at approximately 1:30 p.m. today when the vehicle he was riding in was struck by an improvised-explosive device north of Baghdad. Mine Hits Hummer In Hit: Casualties Not Announced Aug 21 (VOI) A land mine blast that targeted an U.S. vehicle patrol in western Hit. A land mind planted near Ibrahim al-Khalil mosque went off at an U.S. vehicle patrol, said the eyewitness. "The blast inflicted damage to an U.S. hummer," the source added. REALLY BAD IDEA: NO MISSION; A U.S. military Stryker vehicle moves through Baghdad August 5, 2006. REUTERS/Asaad Mouhsin/Pool (IRAQ) Katyuhsa Attack On British Base In Basra Aug 21, (VOI) The British base in Basra international airport came under a katyusha rocket attack, a Multi-National forces source said on Monday. “A katyusha rocket attack targeted the British base in Basra international airport last night,” the media spokesman of the Multi-National forces in southern Iraq told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) by telephone. The attack did not result in any damage, the source added TROOP NEWS Marine Recruit Who Fled Torture During Training Will Surrender In Washington Since his Sergeant was doing a lot of the hitting, sometimes when drunk, Matt didn't dare complain to higher ups since he'd been told he couldn't skip over anyone in his chain of command. He even requested Iraq duty with another unit as a way of escaping this torture. August 20, 2006 Citizen Soldier Matt Solowynsky, 19, of Corona, California, will surrender at the Quantico, Virginia Marine base on Tuesday, August 22, 2006 in the late afternoon (He will be available for media interviews from 8:00 am on Tuesday). Solowynsky graduated from Marine Corps Basic in San Diego as the highest ranked recruit in September 2005. After Infantry School at Camp Pendleton, CA he was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines at Pendleton where he was subjected to "constant harassment" for nearly four weeks in January 2006. In addition to being hit, slapped and choked all day long, he was assigned 24 hour guard duty and denied weekend breaks. After he was twice given painful IV injections which caused heavy bleeding, Matt decided that he'd had enough. Since his Sergeant was doing a lot of the hitting, sometimes when drunk, Matt didn't dare complain to higher ups since he'd been told he couldn't skip over anyone in his chain of command. He even requested Iraq duty with another unit as a way of escaping this torture. Matt and his attorneys will meet with staff members of U.S. Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) on Tuesday to seek his support for his being discharged honorably. Louis Font, Matt's lead civilian attorney from Brookline, MA will then accompany the Marine and his mother, Suzanne, to the Quantico base. Font will defend him in any criminal proceedings that may follow. More info contact: Tod Ensign, As Bush Falls Down, Veterans Stand Up From: Ward Reilly, Veterans For Peace Brian Wilson and Ward Reilly of Vietnam Veterans Against The War, in Seattle to support Lt. Ehrin Watada who refused to deploy to Iraq, and Sgt. Ricky Clousing. Wilson lost both legs while trying to stop a U.S. munitions train headed for Central America in the 80's. Brian rode a specially designed bike that uses his arms to propel him all the way from southern Oregon to Seattle for the Veterans For Peace convention August 10-14. Reilly deserted the U.S. Army Infantry for 44 days, along with 3 other platoon members, in 1973, in defiance/protest of Nixon and his policies. Suzanne Swift was also at the convention and received much support as she talked about rape and sexual assault in the military Iraq War Vets’ Support for Lt. Watada Growing: “Our Mission Isn’t Clear, And Keeps Shifting. I Feel Like A Puppet” Lt. Watada backed by members of Iraq Veterans Against the War. (Photo: Jeff Paterson) 16 August 2006 By Sarah Olson, Truthout Report [Excerpts] Clifton Hicks was looking for a body. Specifically, the Army tank driver was fumbling about in the dark, looking for and failing to find the remains of the Iraqis who, moments before, had been firing on his tank. When Hicks's flashlight swept the ground around his feet, he realized he was standing in the remains of a man. Literally. His boots wedged between the rib cage and the pelvis, blood and human organs squishing out from beneath the soles of his shoes. It's this experience and others like it that made Hicks question the war in Iraq. It also compelled him to support US Army First Lieutenant Ehren Watada - the highest-ranking member of the military to publicly refuse to deploy to Iraq. The Army would like to depict Lieutenant Watada as a lone military voice of dissent: a renegade upon whom enlisted men and officers alike look with scorn and derision. But Clifton Hicks is joining a growing number of Iraq war combat veterans who support the Lieutenant. And, he says, for every veteran who supports Lieutenant Watada publicly, there are possibly hundreds more who feel they cannot speak out. Geoffrey Millard is a sergeant in the Army National Guard and has no problem speaking publicly or supporting Lieutenant Watada. He spent eight years in the military, and was in Iraq between 2004 and 2005. He says GI resistance is a growing trend. "American GIs are beginning to respect the Nuremberg principles. They are resisting orders; they are going to jail, going to Canada, and going AWOL. And they're talking about why they're doing it." Army tank driver Clifton Hicks says the military presence in Iraq is clearly not making a difference for the Iraqi people. "We didn't care about Iraqis, because we were conditioned to hate them." He says he knows from experience that Lieutenant Watada's belief that the war is illegal and immoral is the correct position. Hicks is haunted by his activity in Iraq. He talks about what he calls the "wedding party incident." His unit was on patrol when they heard shooting between US armed forces and what they thought were Iraqi insurgents. While Hicks prepared to go house to house in search of the enemy, what he discovered instead was a wedding. Some of the men had been shooting rifles into the air, as is customary during family parties and celebrations. Three people from the wedding were shot; a six-year-old girl was killed. When the platoon sergeant called the command center to report the incident, "all they said to us was 'Charlie Mike,' a stupid Army acronym for continue mission." No one spoke of the incident, and it was like it never happened. "What struck me most was just how callous we had become. I didn't even care myself. Sure some Iraqi kid had been killed; big deal. It's like seeing a dead dog on the side of the road." Hicks said he had no thoughts of shame or regret, no thoughts of the girl's mother or friends. "We hated them and were happy to have killed one. For as long as I can remember I've been taught to fear and mistrust Arabs. That's how those kids on the news were able to rape the 14-year-old girl, shoot her in the face, and kill her whole family. They just didn't care, they still don't care, they couldn't make themselves care if they tried. Every soldier on the frontlines is capable of that or worse." Hicks eventually filed for and received conscientious objector status. He wants the US to withdraw from Iraq immediately, and is convinced Lieutenant Watada is taking the only honorable and patriotic action available in the face of what he calls an unjust and illegal war. "The only way to be a patriot is to be against the war. Thomas Jefferson would pat me and Lieutenant Watada on the back." Indiscriminate violence is only one of the reasons Prentice Reid supports Lieutenant Watada. Reid was in the Army Infantry for one tour in Iraq, between March of 2002 and 2003. He was honorably discharged in May of 2005, and is now a student at Central Texas College near Ft. Hood, Texas. To Lieutenant Watada, he writes: "I only hope all of us can find the balls to stand up for truth when the time comes. You risked not only your reputation, but also potentially your freedom, for truth, and for this we all salute you, sir." Reid says he questioned the war from the beginning, but his doubts deepened when he arrived in Iraq. "The entire war was a sham from the beginning," Reid says. "There were no WMDs. No connection to Osama bin Laden. I'm over there thinking we have an enemy, but this is contradicted every day by what I'm seeing as I drive around." Reid was a truck driver in Iraq, and one of his responsibilities was to transport Iraqi prisoners to US-run prisons. "I would see how they were treated; there was so much abuse. There was no restroom for them, and they had to urinate and defecate on themselves." Reid says most were later released without charges having been filed against them. "The longer we were there, the more things deteriorated. There was tighter security, more check points. Things were not rebuilt. I wish I had had the courage and the platform to speak out," Reid says. "I have insomnia. I have nightmares. I feel guilt all the time about what I contributed." Reid says families and communities are destroyed due to the length of time troops are required to spend in Iraq, and their insufficient medical treatment when they return. He says he's put his own wife and daughter through hell. He doesn't want others to experience this type of trauma, and believes that leaders like Lieutenant Watada are taking an important and necessary step toward ending the war. He says that rather than feeling betrayed by Lieutenant Watada's actions, he feels encouraged and supported. An active duty Army specialist who has asked to use only his initials, DP, stationed at Ft. Stewart, Georgia, joined the Army in April of 2003. He was injured during training, but expects to join his unit in Afghanistan in February of 2007. At Ft. Stewart he's escorted war resisters to their court-martial and is generally sympathetic. But it's different for a Lieutenant to make this kind of stand, he says. "To see an officer who recognizes that something is wrong and who would take that kind of heat: I really respect that." When he joined the Army, DP believed in what was happening in Iraq. "When I learned there were no WMDs, I was pretty disappointed in the military intelligence, the analysts, and everyone who swore up and down that this was a necessary pre-emptive strike," he says. As the US armed forces mission in Iraq disappears, DP says new goals are put in place. The goal of finding weapons of mass destruction turned into the military overthrow of Saddam Hussein as the objective. After Hussein was detained, the military was to help stabilize Iraq. "Our mission isn't clear, and keeps shifting. I feel like a puppet." Over the phone, you can hear DP talking to his son. He and his wife are also expecting twins. He says that while he doesn't support the Iraq war, protesting isn't an option for him. "I don't have the financial freedom to protest the war. Lieutenant Watada is speaking for me." DP is the only member of his family with a paying job, and with twins on the way, he doesn't feel he can risk going to prison. But, DP says, the anti-war protests are important. "We in the military don't have free speech. If you've got a problem with the government you need to be able to tell them." DP says he got in trouble recently for talking about Lieutenant Watada. His commanding officers told him that as long as he was in the military and wearing the military uniform, he needed to keep a low profile, and not voice anti-government opinions. Geoffrey Millard, the 8-year Army National Guard veteran is quick to point out that not any single story is conclusive. Each member of the military has something to tell that folks back in the states can learn from. "Each of these stories means something," he says. The experiences and the expertise of Iraq war veterans are missing from the media coverage of the Iraq war. "When we turn on the evening news, we don't ever hear about a GI's experience." This leads to a skewed and unrealistic impression of the war. Millard says that if the Iraq war veterans' opinions and experience were valued, the Army would be forced to uphold Lieutenant Watada as a hero, rather than attempt to put him in prison. For now, there are dozens of members of the military who publicly support Lieutenant Watada. There are likely hundreds more who are watching anxiously in silence, waiting for an outcome in Lieutenant Watada's case. They all say they view him as a true war hero, and believe in his efforts to end the Iraq war. They say he is fighting for what they believe in, and for that they are grateful. In Army parlance, they might say Charlie Mike: continue mission. Do you have a friend or relative in the service? Forward this E-MAIL along, or send us the address if you wish and we’ll send it regularly. Whether in Iraq or stuck on a base in the USA, this is extra important for your service friend, too often cut off from access to encouraging news of growing resistance to the war, at home and inside the armed services. Send requests to address up top. PTSD Problems? August 20, 2006 The Washington Post Company As more veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan seek mental health treatment from the Department of Veterans Affairs, lawmakers, advocates and even some VA experts have raised questions about whether returning troops will get what they need. VA officials say there are enough staff members and resources to treat them, but critics say the VA is straining to keep up. A report that the VA gave to Congress in February noted a drop of nearly 20 percent in the number of visits with PTSD specialists per veteran from 1995 to 2005. "We are concerned that this . . . reflects a decrease in capacity at a time when VA needs to reach out" to veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, the VA report said. The VA has expanded its outreach with a program that aims to help returning veterans with stress disorders, officials said. But veterans advocates in some areas say they hear complaints of staff shortages and long waits to get care. Rep. Michael Michaud (D-Maine), a member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, cited the case of an Iraq veteran who gets 30 minutes of treatment a month for PTSD. "That's not enough," Michaud said. Court Expands Coverage For Navy Vietnam Vets [Thanks to David Honish, who sent this in. He writes: I'm sure that the Navy veterans who have still not yet died of cancer will appreciate this.] August 21, 2006 By Terry Howell, Military.com [Excerpt] The U.S. Court of Appeals for Veteran Claims has announced a landmark decision in the case of Haas v. Nicholson. This ruling could directly affect thousands of disabled Vietnam-era Navy veterans. The Court's ruling states that Veterans Affairs requirement for “boots on the ground” as the definition of “service in the Republic of Vietnam” is unreasonable, and does not align with the Congress's intent. In addition the law does not limit application of the presumption of service connection for herbicide exposure to those who set foot on the soil of the Republic of Vietnam. The Court cited that the law defines “service in the Republic of Vietnam” as including “service in the waters offshore, or service in other locations if the conditions of service involved duty or visitation in Vietnam.” According to court documents the unclear nature of the policy was further demonstrated when Secretary Nicholson was asked to apply the regulatory interpretation in the case of a veteran who served in the waters off of Vietnam, in water where his feet did not touch the seabed, versus a veteran who was in the waters where he was able to touch the seabed, he responded that neither veteran would be entitled to the presumption because the regulatory definition is limited to those veterans “who set foot on land, if you will boots on ground, not touching the ocean floor.” When later asked if there was a difference between the case of a veteran who served on a vessel floating up a river - which, according to the Secretary's argument, could be miles wide - who never touched land within the Republic of Vietnam, and a veteran who served on a ship within 100 feet of the shoreline who never touched the land, the Secretary simply responded, without rationale, that the latter form of service would not warrant application of the presumption of service. At Guantanamo, 6 Algerians Still Locked Up After Charges Found Bogus 8.21.06 Washington Post Six Algerians suspected of plotting to attack the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo were captured in sent to Guantanamo in 2002. The men remain locked up at Guantanamo, even though the original allegations about the embassy attack have been discredited and dropped. IRAQ RESISTANCE ROUNDUP Assorted Resistance Action 20 Aug 2006 Reuters & 8.21.06 (AFP) & Reuters A policeman and an insurgent were killed in clashes in the holy Shi'ite city of Kerbala, 110 km (68 miles) south of Baghdad, police said. A further two policemen were wounded Insurgents in two cars sprayed automatic fire on a military patrol in the al-Yarmuk neighbourhood of western Baghdad, killing three soldiers and wounding two more, he said Monday. Guerrillas killed two off-duty members of the Interior Ministry Intelligence Service on Sunday in Basra, police said. Two policemen were wounded when a roadside bomb went off beside their patrol in Iskandariya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, police said. Guerrillas killed two off-duty members of the Interior Ministry Intelligence Service on Sunday in Basra, police said. IF YOU DON’T LIKE THE RESISTANCE END THE OCCUPATION NEED SOME TRUTH? CHECK OUT TRAVELING SOLDIER Telling the truth - about the occupation or the criminals running the government in Washington - is the first reason for Traveling Soldier. But we want to do more than tell the truth; we want to report on the resistance - whether it's in the streets of Baghdad, New York, or inside the armed forces. Our goal is for Traveling Soldier to become the thread that ties working-class people inside the armed services together. We want this newsletter to be a weapon to help you organize resistance within the armed forces. If you like what you've read, we hope that you'll join with us in building a network of active duty organizers. http://www.traveling-soldier.org/ And join with Iraq War vets in the call to end the occupation and bring our troops home now! (www.ivaw.net) FORWARD OBSERVATIONS “Chicken Cheney” [Take Two] From: Richard Hastie "Chicken Cheney" The Great Hunter and Limousine Warrior. Mike Hastie “Why This Obsession With A Single Man Who Killed A Single Girl, Yet No Obsession With A Three-Year War Set To Kill 3,000 Of Our Own?” [Thanks to James Starowicz, Veterans For Peace, who sent this in.] Aug 21, 2006 by georgia10, Dailykos.com Allow me to introduce to you to Staff Sgt. Michael "Chad" Lloyd. His name is not John Mark Karr. He died recently while on foot patrol in Baghdad. His flight to the United States won't be in business class, and reporters won't scramble to sit next to him. His body's journey across the Atlantic won't be traced with flashy graphics or estimated time of arrivals. Flag-draped coffins, you see, aren't as sexy as murder suspects. Meet Trinette Johnson. Her name is not John Mark Karr. I doubt that her story will capture headlines in 10 years. Since returning from Iraq two years ago, she has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. "She's not the same mommy," her children say. No one, save her troubled family, really gives a damn what she had to eat today, or how she's dealt with her pain these years. No one is asking "Who is Trinette Johnson?" and no one, especially not the press, seems to give a flying fuck that there are thousands of Trinette Johnsons out there, living (if you can call it that) with PTSD. Meet U.S. Army Col. Dirk Spanton. His name is not John Mark Karr. He survived three tours in Iraq, only to come home and find out he has six months to live. Symptoms of his cancer were masked by the stress on his body in Iraq. No one, save those who have the honor of knowing him, are interested in the type of life he had growing up, the experiences that have shaped him into the man he is today. Meet Sgt. Steven P. Mennemeyer. His name is not John Mark Karr. He joined the armed forces after 9/11, and was killed in Iraq in August. He was 26 years old and is survived by his young son. He earned 13 military honors, including a bronze star that was given to his girlfriend at his funeral. There's 19,100 Google hits for this fallen soldier. There's 9,530,000 for John Mark Karr. Meet Pfc. Javier Chavez Junior. His name is not John Mark Karr. At just 19 years old, he married days before shipping off to Iraq, where he was killed. Seven others from his division were also killed, including Staff Sgt. Raymond Plouhar, who "left behind a poem for his family in the event of his death: 'I have given up many things for you to be free/Do not feel pity for me, for this is my choice.' I guess only ransom notes, not death notes, are worthy of wall-to-wall coverage. Memo to the media: I. Don't. Care. About. John. Mark. Karr. Like so many others charged with a crime in our nation, he's presumed innocent and he will have his trial. I don't care about his childhood, or whether he asked for an extra pillow on the damn plane, or what color his jail cells walls may be. I don't care what he was doing in Thailand, no matter how many reporters you place "on location" there. I simply don't care. Maybe our soldiers don't have big blue eyes and perfectly curled hair or the face of an angel. And, I suppose, in the conventional sense, their deaths aren't a "mystery." War killed them. Case closed. But what is a mystery, a mystery that needs to be investigated, is just why we let the victims of this endless war pile up, month after month, year after year. Or how about this great unsolved mystery: how can a room of so-called "journalists" sit back and yuck it up as the President makes light of war? How can they hear the President declare that we will stay in Iraq at least until 2009 without asking any follow-ups? And what mysterious ailment has turned the brains of these so-called journalists into a vast wasteland of nothingness, has rendered them incapable of uttering a single question of accountability, and has transformed them into vacuous stenographers of the Propaganda Presidency? Why this obsession with a single man who killed a single girl, yet no obsession with a three-year war set to kill 3,000 of our own? That is the thriller, the unexplainable, the infuriating, and the gravest social crime. And that is a mystery that only the press itself can solve. What do you think? Comments from service men and women, and veterans, are especially welcome. Send to contact@militaryproject.org. Name, I.D., withheld on request. Replies confidential. Pentagon Studying Its War Errors: [Boston Globe Headline] [Thanks to Phil G, who sent this in. [He writes: Let's see. Error number one, illegally invading sovereign countries.] Rules For Reporting August 15, 2006 Stephen Gowans, gowans.blogspot.com [Excerpt] Rule #1. The “who started it?” rule. It is always the Arabs who attack first, and always Israel that retaliates in self defense. The current Israeli assault on Gaza is attributed to the capture (called a kidnapping) of corporal Gilad Shalit, by a group of Palestinians who tunnelled under the border and attacked an Israeli watchtower. But the day before Shalit’s capture, Israeli forces crossed into Gaza and captured (that’s captured, not kidnapped) a Palestinian doctor and his brother. Israel has kidnapped 64 Hamas members, including cabinet ministers, mayors and legislators. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Rule #2. The terrorism rule. When Arabs kill Israelis, it’s called terrorism. Rule #3. The self defense rule. When Israelis kill Arabs, it’s called self defense. Rule # 4. The reaction of the international community rule. When Israel kills too many civilians all at once, the West calls for restraint. Israel pledges it will take care to limit civilian casualties, then goes about its merry way, blasting apart civilians, blaming the deaths on the militants. “We had to take out the civilians. They were in the way. But we didn’t mean to.” Rule # 5. The kidnapping rule. Palestinians do not have the right to capture Israeli soldiers, not even a limited number, not even one or two. Rule # 6. The war on terrorism rule. Israel has the right to capture as many Arabs as it wants. There is no limit. Israel doesn’t kidnap Arabs, it arrests them. This creates the impression of legality, and that Israel is simply carrying out a police action. Legitimate authority arrests “suspects” and “terrorists.” Criminals kidnap. Rule # 7. The David vs. Goliath rule. When you say Israel, never say “supported by the US and Britain.” Rule # 8. The destablizer rule. When you say Hezbollah, always add “supported by Iran and Syria.” Iran and Syria are a “destabilizing” force in the region, in the same manner Venezuela is a destabilizing force in Latin America. They resist the hegemony of the US and its subalterns. That’s why they’re destabilizing. Rule # 9. Things we don’t mention rule. Don’t mention the occupied territories, ignored UN resolutions, or violations of the Geneva Conventions. Rule # 10. Amplify the voice of the Israelis and minimize the voice of the Arabs. Let Israelis speak out as much as possible, so they can explain rules one through nine. OCCUPATION REPORT The Great Iraqi Troop Training Stupidity Rolls On: August 21, 2006 By Sean D. Naylor, Army Times staff writer [Excerpts] BAGHDAD: Some of the Iraqi Army units that are supposed to take over from U.S. troops are too undermanned to be effective, military officers say. U.S. officers in Anbar say the Iraqi army’s 3rd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 7th Division stationed in Rawah, is typical of units in the violent province. An Iraqi army policy that allows up to a third of a unit’s troops to be on leave, combined with the fact that troops do not sign enlistment contracts and can quit whenever they want, means the battalion has no more than 30 percent of its troops available for action, said Marine Maj. Tony Marro, the military transition team leader in Rawah. By U.S. Army standards, Marro acknowledged, the battalion would be considered “combat ineffective.” But that hasn’t stopped it from receiving a high readiness level rating. The Iraqi ministry of defense “sees this battalion as being able to operate semi-independently with coalition support,” Marro said. OCCUPATION ISN’T LIBERATION BRING ALL THE TROOPS HOME NOW! OCCUPATION PALESTINE/LEBANON Zionist Terrorists Shoot More Lebanese: [Thanks to J who sent this in. She writes: Israel is acting in Lebanon the same way it acts in Palestine. As God given master it acts as it wishes. Who will stop it as long as Bush supports and finances it. Hezbollah must hold to the truce but the super race can ignore it.] 21 August 2006 Aljazeera The Israeli army says it has shot three Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon as the ceasefire between Israel and the Shia group extends into its second week. It is unclear if the men were killed in the shooting which is one of the most serious incidents since a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah began on August 13. More than 250 Israeli troops, backed by about 30 armoured vehicles, were seen at nine positions within Lebanon, the AFP news agency reported on Monday. Israel has also insisted that all airlines which have resumed flights to and from Lebanon's war-damaged capital should be routed through Jordan for security checks. “One-Tenth Of The Israeli Tanks That Took Part In The Lebanon War Were Destroyed Or Disabled” Jta.org/ [Israel] One-tenth of the Israeli tanks that took part in the Lebanon war were destroyed or disabled, a military study found. According to Armored Corps data published Thursday, Hezbollah anti-armor missiles penetrated 20 Israeli tanks during the monthlong war, killing 17 crewmen. Another 13 crewmen were killed when land mines destroyed or disabled their tanks. The number of tank crewmen wounded was in the double digits. The high toll of the war on Israel’s Armored Corps was a shock to top military brass, especially given the fact that Hezbollah has no tanks. Some experts said the tanks dispatched to Lebanon were older, less protected versions of the locally made Merkava. Two Israeli arms firms now have speeded up work on a tank anti-missile system. “The Palestinians On Palestine Territories Have Suffered Under Decades, From Israeli Terror” August 16, 2006 Hayam Noir, Palestine Free Voice [Excerpts] During the past five weeks the world have been able to watch the full scale of Israeli capabilties of criminal terrorism - their havok of Lebanons fragile infrastructure - Television teams from every corner of the world have exposed from the frontlines every minute of the day. On the contrary the Palestinians on Palestine territories have suffered under decades, from Israeli terror under exactly the same conditions and even so much worse - with a few exceptions no TV teams have been reporting what the Zionists are capable of to the outside world. At the Sheikh Nasser hospital sourses report that Hasan Sha'ath 65, and his son Ibrahim 45, killed in the air strike, were totally dismembered when they were brought to the hospital and that the two injured are in a critical condition. Israeli F16 warplanes destroyed a three-floor building while some members of the Sha'ath family were still inside the house. The Ambulance crews and a civil defence forces rushed to the totally demolished building were they removed the two dead and the two injured. The search for survival under the rubble continues. Eyewitnesses reports that half the building's residents left before the F16 attacks, but several others were unable to get out in time.. The Israelis claiming that the building belonged to a member of the Al Aqsa Brigades, the military wing of the Fatah movement - so the attack was justified! [To check out what life is like under a murderous military occupation by foreign terrorists, go to: www.rafahtoday.org The occupied nation is Palestine. The foreign terrorists call themselves “Israeli.”] “The Feeling Of Empowerment Created By The Legend Of Bint Jbeil And Other Battlegrounds That Have Already Entered Popular Folklore” 11 August 2006 by Ghayth Armanazi, former Ambassador of the Arab League to London; Independent, Comment (UK) [Excerpt] In the past, every foreign force that has come in to Lebanon to "keep the peace" has left with its tail between its legs - and there is no reason to believe that the putative "multinational force" will fare any better. Beyond Lebanon , however, is the feeling that is spreading like wildfire across the entire Arab and Muslim worlds. It is the feeling of empowerment created by the legend of Bint Jbeil and other battlegrounds that have already entered popular folklore. It is an empowerment that eventually could seal the fate not only of Israel but of those governments of Arab countries who are seen by their people as having, for too long, "sold" them the false idea of Arab impotence in order to hide their own inadequacies and corruption. Those in Washington dreaming of a new Middle East will indeed be witnessing the birth pangs of such an offspring. They will be well-advised, however, to consider the shape and nature of this new creation. If they truly believe that it will fit the image of their fantasy agenda, they are indeed inhabiting a wonderland. DANGER: POLITICIANS AT WORK [Thanks to David Honish] SATAN AND HIS MESSENGER CONFER AT THE PENTAGON "The marines that I have had wounded over the past five months have been attacked by a faceless enemy. But the enemy has got a face. He's called Satan.” US Marine Colonel Gareth Brandl (August 14, 2006 REUTERS/Jim Young) Chinese Ambassador Tells Bush Regime To Shut Up And Keep Quiet [Thanks to Greathouse, who sent this in.] 08-17-2006 LONDON (AFP) China's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, throwing diplomatic language to the wind, has told the United States in no uncertain terms to "shut up and keep quiet" on the subject of Beijing's growing military spending. Responding to jitters within the Bush administration about Beijing's spiraling military budget, Sha said the United States itself accounts for half of the entire world's military spending. "The China population is six times or five times that of the United States," he said. "Why blame China? It's better for the US to shut up and keep quiet. It's much, much better." His voice rising, Sha continued: "It's the US's sovereign right to do whatever they deem good for them, but don't tell us what is good for China. Thank you very much!" CLASS WAR REPORTS Anniversary: Carl Bunin, Peace History Aug 21-27 August 21, 1831 Nat Turner, a 30-year-old man legally owned by a child, and six other slaves began a violent insurrection in Southampton County, Virginia. They began by killing the child’s stepfather, Joseph Travis, and their family. Within the next 24 hours, Turner and ultimately about 40 followers killed the families of adjacent slaveholding properties, nearly 60 whites, while freeing and inciting other slaves to join them. Militia and federal troops were called, and the uprising was suppressed with 55 African Americans including Turner executed by hanging, and hundreds more killed by white mobs and vigilantes in revenge. General Strike In Oaxaca: 80,000 Workers Participate In Stoppage To Support The Popular Movement March of Oaxaca union members on Friday. Photo: D.R. 2006 Nancy Davies August 20, 2006 By Nancy Davies, Commentary from Oaxaca, Narconews.com [Excerpts] The doomed “ex-governor” of Oaxaca, Ulises Ruiz Ortiz, has appeared on mainstream national Mexican television – both on Televisa and TV Azteca, the two major national networks. His grip on the spin is slipping. “Oaxaca is at peace,” “no pasa nada en Oaxaca,” are phrases no longer accepted even by the sycophants at Televisa. Events are curiouser and curiouser, or, leaving Alice behind in Wonderland, things are furiouser and furiouser. So I’ll start with the summary: repressions accelerate. Because of abductions and attacks by government thugs, the people got really pissed off. Ulises Ruiz Ortiz (URO) apparently thought that he could turn the people against the social movement by turning the screw. What URO doesn’t understand is that the social movement IS the people, and every time he ratchets up the repression the people get furiouser. On Wednesday morning, August 16, the teacher-led social movement called a statewide work stoppage for Friday, August 18. By Wednesday afternoon access to all the banks and ATM machines was blocked. The union of health workers declared themselves in sympathy with the movement and halted clinic services. Meanwhile, URO is maintaining a steady stream of attacks on the known persons in the movement, including the abduction and imprisonment of four, one of them a paraplegic. Four people have been killed since the teachers’ strike began more than 80 days ago. An attempt on another member of the APPO, Flavio Sosa Villavicencio, in nearby San Bartolo Coyotepec, was foiled by citizens who rushed to his defense. At least 20 organizations stopped work, allying with unions of the teachers, the road and airport workers, the health workers, local and national unions of Social Security (welfare) workers, malaria prevention workers, and the workers and employees of the Benito Juarez Autonomous University of Oaxaca, the state university where the students in alliance with the movement took over the radio station. At 6:00 PM the march of the unions set out from Llano Park to the zocalo. I estimated that about 10,000 participated in the latest people’s demand for URO to leave Oaxaca. The woman at my side assured me it was 70,000. Well, anyway, it was thousands. Out in the regions beyond the city, other protests took place, including blocking the main roads on a schedule of two hours closed, half an hour open. Reports of additional assaults and abductions perpetrated by the government thugs are coming in. During the Friday stoppage one teacher, Benito Castro Juárez, from Huautla de Jiménez, was shot at a roadblock, and another attack occurred closer to the city, wounding Professor Antonio Marcos Santos Sarmiento. The small businesses have declared their alliance with the movement, including the Benito Juarez market, which serves the center city and shut down for the work stoppage on Friday. I like the slogans in Spanish: la lucha sigue (“the struggle goes on”); and now we’re hearing the quotation from Che Guevarra, hasta la victoria siempre. There’s no turning back. GI Special Looks Even Better Printed Out GI Special issues are archived at website http://www.militaryproject.org . The following have posted issues; there may be others: http://www.williambowles.info/gispecial/2006/index.html; http://robinlea.com/GI_Special/; http://imagineaworldof.blogspot.com/; http://gi-special.iraq-news.de; http://www.traprockpeace.org/gi_special/; http://www.uruknet.info/?p=-6&l=e; http://www.albasrah.net/maqalat/english/gi-special.htm GI Special distributes and posts to our website copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in an effort to advance understanding of the invasion and occupation of Iraq. We believe this constitutes a “fair use” of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law since it is being distributed without charge or profit for educational purposes to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for educational purposes, in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107. GI Special has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of these articles nor is GI Special endorsed or sponsored by the originators. This attributed work is provided a non-profit basis to facilitate understanding, research, education, and the advancement of human rights and social justice Go to: www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml for more information. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. If printed out, this newsletter is your personal property and cannot legally be confiscated from you. “Possession of unauthorized material may not be prohibited.” DoD Directive 1325.6 Section 3.5.1.2. Contact: Thomas Barton
By Thomas Barton
Aug 22, 2006, 18:16
From Military Project
MND B SERVICE MEMBER KILLED BY ROADSIDE BOMB NEAR BAGHDAD
HOPELESS WAR:
BRING THEM ALL HOME NOW
Citizen Soldier
(917) 647-5676 cell
(212) 679-2250 office 
To: GI Special
Sent: August 21, 2006
Iraq Veterans Against The War announced that their membership has passed the 300 mark. 
The Empire Generously Grants You Counseling:
30 Minutes A Month
To: GI Special
Sent: August 17, 2006
There is not one man or woman in uniform,
who he has not betrayed.
Vietnam Veteran
August 17, 2006 
Analysts Assess Tactics In Iraq, Afghanistan
Units At 30% Strength Receive High Readiness Level Ratings
Then Demand All Aircraft Land In Jordan For Inspection
Nat Turner’s Rebellion
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#1. To: Ferret Mike, Jethro Tull, loner, Eoghan (#0)
ping
"If there’s another 9/11 or a major war in the Middle-East involving a U.S. attack on Iran, I have no doubt that there will be, the day after or within days an equivalent of a Reichstag fire decree that will involve massive detentions in this country." - Daniel Ellsberg Author, Pentagon Papers And new tag test.
another great post robin. these are the people who really do support our troops.
Thanks, I grabbed more than I meant to, but it's all interesting ;)
"If there’s another 9/11 or a major war in the Middle-East involving a U.S. attack on Iran, I have no doubt that there will be, the day after or within days an equivalent of a Reichstag fire decree that will involve massive detentions in this country." - Daniel Ellsberg Author, Pentagon Papers I think your tag is illegal.
Anbar province in Iraq is just like Danang in Vietnam. they used to it seemed have news stories every night about fighting in Danang. and now it's Anbar province anbar province anbar province.
All he wanted out of the army was out of the army.
According to smirk - it is. Bring it, chimperor.
#2. To: robin (#0)
Bookmarked.
#3. To: robin (#0)
#4. To: Red Jones (#3)
#5. To: lodwick (#2)
And new tag test.
#6. To: robin (#0)
#7. To: robin (#0)
"He hated the Army,"
I've already said too much.
#8. To: Hmmmmm (#5)
I think your tag is illegal.
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