Saturday, February 18, 2006

"Combat Update"

Ok so I am not the most qualified to talk about this subject, and I welcome other soldiers to chime in here, but I thought it might be good if I wrote about what is really going on here as far as combat operations.

Concerning combat ops my experience is limited but one thing I do know is what I hear over the radio while I am driving and what I hear from other soldiers. I do not intend to divulge any important info but just generalities. Cut me some slack if I am too vague.

From what I pick up the Iraqi army and security forces are playing a much larger role in securing their own country. We (American Forces) are still helping out but the Iraqis are beginning to take the lead on a lot of missions. A lot of times I will hear that Iraqi and American military personnel are performing operations in a certain area that I am in. The general sense is not how we will fare, but rather, how quickly we will capture the terrorists. I kind of liken the operations here to operations in the CIA (another area that I am super qualified in ;). We do a lot of intelligence gathering and strike only when ready. When we do strike we get the job done while minimizing casualties and at the same time accomplishing our goal, or at the very least gaining some new intelligence. Terrorists are at times crafty and at their best good, but we are great at what we do. How I would loathe being a terrorist fighting against the U.S. military. It is only a matter of time until we catch and kill them.

I don’t really know what the media back home is showing about Iraq right now because I choose to ignore it and turn it off. I bet all of you guys would love to be able to do that and still get your news. I am sure you can do it to an extent but there is nothing like actually being here and then matching it up to what is shown on the news. Maybe I should start watching it just for that reason, at the very least I am sure it would give me more to write about.

If anyone has any questions let me know. I would be willing to look into any story and try to give everyone some more insight. Like I said my knowledge is limited but I do have a few resources. Nothing too confidential but just questions about things in general or things that have already happened.

Like I said before things are going well in Iraq, don’t let the media fool you. I feel a lot safer knowing the Iraqis are starting to take over a larger role in securing their own country. Under the tutelage of our military I am sure it is only a matter of time before they take over on their own and continue to kick some terrorist butt.

Here is some food for thought about the media. Remember during the Gulf War and news reports since about the “Elite Republican Guard” units in Iraq? Remember how they were going to give our military such a good fight and how they were trained so well? Well turns out, and I am not the first to report this by any means, that they were just better trained then they rest of the rag tag Iraqi army. I have heard from many guys that they still couldn’t shoot straight or fight well. The media gave them that name so that it would make their reports sound better. Don’t believe me? Check it out for yourself.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

t.f. as you know already, MSM doesn't do justice in their reporting as to the successes in Iraq including the fact that more and more the IA is taking control of parts of their own country, and taking the lead in some missions and ops. Most of us get the truth from Milbloggers like yourself.

Thanks for doing so, because without you and folks like Michael Yon (who is now stateside researching and writing his new book) we, the American public, would be in the dark.

MSM should be ashamed.

You take care and stay safe.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Tim,
We will pass this blog on to those who have an interest. :) You may be just one set of eyes and ears on the ground but we can depend on what you are saying to be true. I guess we Americans are a little like the CIA ourselves - -gathering a little good info here - -a little good ingo there - -and inteligently and rationally putting it together to get the big picture. You are doing a great job and and nobody else can fill your shoes in the hole you have been given to fill. Many will be glad to hear this report from you. Stay dry and well. Thanks Tim! Annie

T. F. Boggs said...

Now for a long comment. Pat-I am under the impression that most of the terrorists here are foreigners and have been for some time. I am in no way blind to the fact that some Iraqis also fight against us but definitely not in a leading role. When I was here for the beginning of the war I remember finding pamphlets and having them translated into english only to find out that they were a call to arms for all "true Muslims." Kind of a Pope Urban II type deal at the beginning of the crusades but instead of eternity in heaven, the pamphlets were offering money for dead soldiers. With this in hand a lot of poor people from neighboring countries, with little knowledge about jihad, came over to earn some money. As the war progressed "Muslims" found new reasons to come and fight in Iraq-the thought that we were invaders disrespecting them and their religion being a main one, (72 virgins being another). So I guess that was a long way to say that "Yeah I think the terrorists are overwhelmingly non-Iraqi."

Toni-Thanks for the link to Buck, I have been reading his stuff and am actually only about a half an hour away from him.

Thanks for the encouragement as always A&N. I have some more recent info for him too and I will email it soon.

Anonymous said...

Boy are they goin' to be disappointed when they get there! You are funny tfdad! A&N

Anonymous said...

Yeah a lot of disappointed suicide bombers and one busy 72 year old lady.
Tom Canterbury

Anonymous said...

anyone wanting to read up on some stuff going on around the world, mainly the topic of the prophet pictures and how its making everyone around thats not in the EU or US stir crazy.. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/nigeria_sectarian_violence

keep writing timmy...

Anonymous said...

Good one tfdad! I thought it was 72 Virginians. :)

Anonymous said...

Gypsy,
As a Virginian I can guarantee you that a terrorist could not handle ONE Virginian - -much less 72 of us. They would rue the day they made it to "Paradise"!
A&N

Praguetwin said...

T.F.:

I think what you are doing is great. There is no substitute for first-hand knowledge.

In the interests of accuracy, I wanted to put fourth the following quote...

"Foreign militants make up only a small percentage of the insurgents fighting in Iraq, as little as 10 percent, according to US military and intelligence officials."

If anyone has any evidence to the contrary, I'm very open minded.