A Navy Seal Speaks Out

[pinoybaptist]

I am currently reading "Lone Suvivor" in between calls here at work where the fluorescent lights make it easy to read.
It's the story of Navy Seal Marcus Luttrell of Texas, who was the lone survivor of SEAL team 10 in an operation in the mountains of Afghanistan, where he lost three of his teammates, one of whom was his best friend.
I cannot help but agree with this warrior when he said the following on pages 40-41 of his book, which I here quote:

Looking back, during our long journey in the C-130 to Afghanistan, I was more acutely aware of a growing problem which faces US forces on active duty in theaters of war all over the world. For me, it began in Iraq, the first murmurings from the liberal part of the USA, that we were somehow in the wrong, brutal killers, bullying other countries; that we who put our lives on the line for our nation at the behest of our government should somehow be charged with murder for shooting our enemy.
It's been an insidous progression, the criticism of the US Armed Forces from politicians and from the liberal media, which knows nothing of combat, nothing of our training, and nothing of the mortal dangers we face out there on the front line. Each of the six of us in that aircraft en route to Afghanistan had constantly in the back of our minds the ever-intrusive rules of engagement.
These are drawn up for us to follow by some politician sitting in some (air-conditioned room on a soft, ergonomic swivel chair...added by pinoybaptist) distant committee room in Washington DC. And that's a very long way from the battlefield, where a sniper's bullet can blast your head, where the slightest mistake can cost your life, where you need to kill your enemy before he kills you.
And those ROE are very specific: we may not open fire until we are fired upon or have positively identified our enemy and have proof of his intentions ((at which time someone or some human beings in your unit may lose his/their life/lives, or his/their limb/s.....by PinoyBaptist). Now that's all very gallant. But how about a group of US soldiers who been on patrol for several days; have been fired upon; have dodged rocket-propelled grenades and homemade bombs; have sustained casualties; and who are very nearly exhausted and maybe slightly scared ? (who cares man, the ROE's look good for the votes. worth a few soldiers killed every now and then, by PinoyBaptist).
How about when a bunch of guys wearing colored towels around their heads and brandishing AK-47's come charging over the horizon toward you ? Do you wait for them to start killing your team (that's what the ROE says, unfortunately. by PinoyBaptist), or do you mow the b*s*t*rds down before they get a chance to do so ?(you wait for them to shoot you first, can't you read the ROE ? Is it written in pig Latin ? [PinoyBaptist]).
That situation might look simple in Washington, where the human rights of terrorists are often given high priority. And I am certain liberal politicians would defend their position to the death. Because everyone knows liberals have never been wrong about anything. You can ask them. Anytime. (Heck, man, they even say God is in error about abortion and sodomy, so if they can correct God, they must be the ones who are truly omniscient, eh ? [pinoybaptist]

My heart goes out to these warriors, and my disgusted amusement goes to those who draw rules of engagement exposing their absolute ignorance about conditions in battle and what our men go through psychologically, psychiatrically, and emotionally.
Many of these politicians and liberal media's experience in combat have most likely been a simulated one at the video malls.
May there be someone with more sense soon who will revise the Rules of Engagement in favor of our guys.

 

[billwald]

My heart goes out to these warriors who were conned into getting themselves for the oil companies and dope distributers.

 

[billwald]

errata

should be "getting themselves killed."

 

[Salty]

My heart goes out to these warriors who were conned into getting themselves for the oil companies and dope distributers.

Bill,

do you know what % of the oil the USA uses comes from the Middle east?

 

[pinoybaptist]

their country and their government told them to fight, and they went and fought.
their government gave them unfair fighting rules, and they fought according to those rules, no matter how unfair.
whether it was for the oil companies, or for the druggies, is beside the point.
the point is they fought when they were told to.
how about getting that through your liberal skull ?
or would you rather be in Fred Phelps' crowd ?

 

[rbell]

My heart goes out to these warriors who were conned into getting themselves for the oil companies and dope distributers.

Nice. So you think our armed force members are stupid and gullible.

Well, that figures. You're off-base on pretty much everything else...why shouldn't you be on this issue?

 

[windcatcher]

Sometimes I think it would do 98% of 'our' representative and senators good to have to fight on the front lines before qualifying for office....... and the President too. Maybe then they'd be more careful in picking their battles instead of going off hot-headed into wars where the best of our young and old have no choice but to fight the battles set before them in the manner in which they are told.

 

[matt wade]

Nice. So you think our armed force members are stupid and gullible.

Well, that figures. You're off-base on pretty much everything else...why shouldn't you be on this issue?

You have to excuse him. He is only used to dealing with Unions, where it is customary for members to be stupid and gullible.

 

[Robert Snow]

Did these men and women join the military voluntarily? Did they know the dangers when they joined? Or, did some union member deceive them?

I appreciate their service, and the rules of engagement perhaps should be changed, but when you fight among civilians these types of rules usually apply. I would be happy if we brought all our troops home. Enough putting our own in harm's way; let these countries fend for themselves!

 

[pinoybaptist]

Sometimes I think it would do 98% of 'our' representative and senators good to have to fight on the front lines before qualifying for office....... and the President too. Maybe then they'd be more careful in picking their battles instead of going off hot-headed into wars where the best of our young and old have no choice but to fight the battles set before them in the manner in which they are told.

I don't think many of them will measure up to the majority of our men and women in the armed forces whether SEAL or Delta Force or whatever. Take this incident, for example.
In Luttrell's own words, page 270, paragraph 4, to page 271, paragraph 4.

.......and I turned to Mikey (the team leader, PB), who was obviously badly hurt now. "Can you move, buddy ?", I asked him.
And he groped in his pocket for his mobile phone, the one we had not dared to use because it would betray our position. And then Lt Murphy walked out into the open ground. He walked until he was more or less in the center, gunfire all around him, and he sat on a small rock and began punching in the numbers to HQ.
I could hear him talking, "My men are taking heavy fire....we're getting picked apart. My guys are drying out here...we need help." And right then Mikey took a bullet straight in the back. I saw the blood spurt from his chest. He slumped forward, dropping his phone and his rifle. But then he braced himself, grabbed them both, sat upright again, and once more put the phone to his ear.
I heard him speak again. "Roger that, sir". Thank you." Then he stood up and staggered out to our bad position, the one guarding our left, and Mikey just started firing again, firing at the enemy...........
Only I knew what Mikey had done. He'd understood we had only one realistic chance, and that was to call in help. He also knew there was only one place from which he could possibly make that cellphone work: out in the open, away from the cliff walls.

Heck, the majority of politicians' only concern is for number one. And the liberal media ? they'd lie, cheat, defame, libel, to get their ratings up there, never mind if it meant butchering the reputation of warriors par excellence like "Lieutenant Michael Patrick Murphy, son of Maureen, fiance' of the beautiful Heather" who "walked out into the firestorm".

 

[FR7 Baptist]

My heart goes out to these warriors who were conned into getting themselves for the oil companies and dope distributers[sic].

Not acceptable....

 

[pinoybaptist]

Did these men and women join the military voluntarily? Did they know the dangers when they joined? Or, did some union member deceive them?

I appreciate their service, and the rules of engagement perhaps should be changed, but when you fight among civilians these types of rules usually apply. I would be happy if we brought all our troops home. Enough putting our own in harm's way; let these countries fend for themselves!

In one of those rare moments in this fallen world, Mr. Snow, I agree with most of what you said.
I pray that our troops are sent back home here to their families, and I agree that others need to learn to spill their own guts and police their own countries, mine included.
However, men and women of the caliber of these men are in the armed services because primarily they are patriots.
They knew the danger, yes, and their pay is not that good but they're not there for the pay, either.
They're there, in Luttrell's words, because they love this country, and their state.
They have not been bamboozled into the service by unions, or thugs.
But just because they voluntarily signed up doesn't mean we shrug our shoulders and let pansyhands politicians send them to war with serious handicaps.

 

[billwald]

The Germans in Hitler's army loved their country and Russian troops love their country.

 

[billwald]

No, I didn't know how much Arab oil we import.

doesn't format well

http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/...ons/company_level_imports/current/import.html

Crude Oil Imports (Top 15 Countries)
(Thousand Barrels per Day)
Country Dec-09 Nov-09 YTD 2009 Dec-08 YTD 2008
CANADA 2,051 1,984 1,938 2,033 1,956
MEXICO 1,063 951 1,096 1,126 1,187
NIGERIA 1,020 948 771 869 922
SAUDI ARABIA 886 837 989 1,394 1,503
VENEZUELA 772 809 965 1,028 1,039
ALGERIA 336 219 277 235 312
IRAQ 325 458 448 519 627
ANGOLA 266 408 449 553 504
BRAZIL 181 261 294 208 231
COLOMBIA 179 216 254 148 178
RUSSIA 168 169 232 54 116
KUWAIT 160 287 185 194 206
AZERBAIJAN 147 74 75 78 73
CONGO (BRAZZAVILLE) 93 109 64 95 67
ECUADOR 86 150 174 252 214

 

[Crabtownboy]

Oil imports from OPEC countries:

OPEC*
1,884,084 2,086,462 2,039,288 2,013,603 2,182,607 2,179,305 1993-2008
Algeria
139,333 165,346 174,652 239,959 244,605 200,652 1993-2008
Angola
135,559 115,708 172,609 195,048 185,352 187,790 1993-2008
Ecuador
52,752 89,640 103,153 101,457 74,179 80,714 1993-2008
Iraq
175,663 240,191 193,987 201,866 176,709 229,300 1996-2008
Kuwait
80,208 91,540 88,729 67,355 66,185 76,986 1993-2008
Libya
7,410 20,520 31,896 42,801 37,834 2004-2008
Nigeria
316,522 417,152 425,440 406,662 413,932 361,659 1993-2008
Qatar
1,024 2,003 1,594 660 581 49 1993-2008
Saudi Arabia
647,666 570,137 560,823 534,143 541,987 559,750 1993-2008
United Arab Emirates
7,731 7,264 6,722 3,148 3,828 1,474 1993-2008
Venezuela
502,328 568,944 558,157 517,947 496,684 435,029 1993-2008

 

[pinoybaptist]

The Germans in Hitler's army loved their country and Russian troops love their country.

True, and in their time they were and are willing to pay the highest price they could because they're warriors, regardless of their ideology.
But that's something people like you won't understand, at all, because all you are is a limp wrist would be ideologue.

 

[targus]

Oil imports from OPEC countries:

OPEC*
1,884,084 2,086,462 2,039,288 2,013,603 2,182,607 2,179,305 1993-2008
Algeria
139,333 165,346 174,652 239,959 244,605 200,652 1993-2008
Angola
135,559 115,708 172,609 195,048 185,352 187,790 1993-2008
Ecuador
52,752 89,640 103,153 101,457 74,179 80,714 1993-2008
Iraq
175,663 240,191 193,987 201,866 176,709 229,300 1996-2008
Kuwait
80,208 91,540 88,729 67,355 66,185 76,986 1993-2008
Libya
7,410 20,520 31,896 42,801 37,834 2004-2008
Nigeria
316,522 417,152 425,440 406,662 413,932 361,659 1993-2008
Qatar
1,024 2,003 1,594 660 581 49 1993-2008
Saudi Arabia
647,666 570,137 560,823 534,143 541,987 559,750 1993-2008
United Arab Emirates
7,731 7,264 6,722 3,148 3,828 1,474 1993-2008
Venezuela
502,328 568,944 558,157 517,947 496,684 435,029 1993-2008

This doesn't really tell us much.

The percentage estimates of U.S. imports of oil from the Middle East are between 12 and 20% depending on whose numbers you use.

 

[rbell]

The Germans in Hitler's army loved their country and Russian troops love their country.

It would figure you would see no difference between the Nazi SS, the Red Army, and our men and women in uniform. It's not surprising that you can't fathom a difference betweeen the nations. A pity...but not surprising.

Fortunately, no one's walking that plank with you.

 

[Robert Snow]

...all you are is a limp wrist would be ideologue.

How Christian of you. Nothing like a lie based upon gossip to show the love of Jesus. And you consider this godly living. No wonder you don't believe in visitation. Good thing, too!

 

[Don]

I'm laughing at the "war for oil."

Someone feel free to correct me; as I recall, we went into Afghanistan first, chasing the terrorists who were behind the 9/11 attacks.

Anyone else notice which country is not on that list of oil-producing countries?

-----
Just spent the last year working with the Afghan National Army. Learned a couple of lessons, like: 1) Don't underestimate the Afghans--they're a lot more capable than we give them credit for; 2) People are the same everywhere; and 3) You want to know just how much people can do for themselves? Tell them "no" when they ask for stuff.

One of the several reasons we went into Afghanistan: They asked us to help them get out from under the tight-fisted rule of the Taliban. In other words, they wanted freedom.

I had a conversation one day with Major General Mehreb Ali, in which he stated that while he appreciated what we were doing, and hoped we would be there in his country for a long time to come, he was sorry for those that had went over there and shed their blood, and sorry for the mothers who lost their sons and daughters for a country that wasn’t theirs.

I told him that I hoped I spoke for all Americans when I say, if we are asked to help fight against tyrants that would inflict terror and take away individual freedoms, we would gladly stand shoulder-to-shoulder and shed our blood with those that value liberty.

Rosa khoosh.