Here’s an email from a soldier I first corresponded with when he was a cadet at West Point. He’s legit – and his email is worth printing in full, I think. I’m not endorsing everything he says, but it’s worth hearing what a very bright and committed young soldier is going through right now:
Troop strength – I think we have consistently underestimated the number of troops it would take to pacify Iraq. Gen Shinseki’s original estimates were much closer to the mark. The fact that the 1st Armored Division (my unit) has now been extended for at least 4 months shows there aren’t enough troops – in order to deal with a fairly minor uprising we had to break the one-year-boots-on-ground pledge. If we had had a strategic reserve, this would not be necessary. However, the dirty secret is that there aren’t any more troops to be had – at least not the active-duty armor/infantry brigades and divisions requried to fight a tough enemy. Furthermore, the frenetic destruction that occured after the fall of Baghdad set us way back in terms of reconstruction – more troops could have limited if not prevented the extensive looting.
Sadir et al. – Although his uprising is seen as a ominious sign for the coalition, it does have an upside. His poorly trained and poorly equiped rag-bad militia is being chewed up by our army. His defeat and eventual marginalization will serve the coalition well. After one year of occupation, I think many Iraqis have come to see the army as rather toothless – we get blown up by roadside bombs or mortars and yet we continue to rebuild schools, enforce the laws, train police etc. Now because of Fallujah and what has been going on in Baghdad, our potency and resolve are on full display. My task force alone has killed many insurgents in the last two weeks – something that was not happening before. By confronting us in a conventional way, Sadir et al. are playing to our military strengths – and it isn’t going well for them.
Long term prospects – I have to admit that after one year here I am largely pessimistic. Iraqi society is sick in many ways. Sometimes it’s hard to tell if Saddam was the problem or the symptom. I just don’t know how a society so divided along ethnic and tribal lines, with no democratic or liberal traditions and almost zero respect for the rule of law can build any kind of society accept and autocratic one. I’m not ashamed that the US came here with good intentions and noble sentiments about the universality of our values – democracy, liberty, the rule of law etc., but I think all our efforts might be eventually futile. In essence, we have given the Iraqis an enormous gift, but they don’t seem to be seizing the opportunity. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink…
The Army – Most soldiers in my unit were pretty demoralized by the extension. We were promised a one year tour and now that promise has been broken. Retention will certainly suffer. However, we are facing a difficult time in Iraq and our continued presence is necessary. What I would like to hear and I think most soldiers feel the same way – is for someone high up to say “Look, we didn’t plan for this. Things have gotten screwed up and we need your continued sacrifice. This is why it is so important you stay.” Instead we have gotten vague comments about “managing the troop redeployment” – as if it were some little snafu or inconvenience. The truth is, our division is now getting ready for another bloody and hellishly hot summer that none of us expected to ever go through again.
Good and bad. But it’s only one year.
The Dish 