Pentagon Breaks Promise to Marines

uscitizen

uscitizen

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Pentagon Breaks Promise to Marines
By LOLITA C. BALDOR,
AP
Posted: 2008-07-03 19:13:18

WASHINGTON (July 3) - The Pentagon has extended the tour of 2,200 Marines in Afghanistan, after insisting for months the unit would come home on time.

The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is doing combat operations in the volatile south, will stay an extra 30 days and come home in early November rather than October, Marine Col. David Lapan confirmed Thursday.

http://news.aol.com/story/_a/pentagon-breaks-promise-to-marines/20080703153809990001?icid=100214839x1205134954x1200233047
 
"anyone who questions our goverment is an enemy of the nation."

-Sean Hannity

Seems fair and balanced.
 
When hostilities increase is not a good time to be bringing troops home. I imagine the five-pointed horse's bung was hoping the Afghan blow-up would subside when they made plans to relieve the 24th. But the blow up has not subsided, it has gotten worse. So more troops are needed - especially troops with experience and knowledge of the area and events.

Though I am sure many members of the 24th MEU are disappointed, I am also certain beyond any doubt they understand the situation far better than reporters sitting at home why they are staying.
 
And some will not re-up because of broken promises. good way to get more troops, abuse what you have.
 
What do you suggest. Bring them home in spite of the situation over there? Get few few more people killed because there were not enough left to cover their six?

It's war. We don't clock in and out according to some fixed time table. When shit dusts up, you meet it head on, not duck out and go home because of a schedule. The boys of the 24th know that. They are one of the best the USMC has to offer.
 
Good Luck said:
What do you suggest. Bring them home in spite of the situation over there? Get few few more people killed because there were not enough left to cover their six?

It's war. We don't clock in and out according to some fixed time table. When shit dusts up, you meet it head on, not duck out and go home because of a schedule. The boys of the 24th know that. They are one of the best the USMC has to offer.
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I have to agree with you. But once Iraq started up we took our eye off the ball in Afghanistan. We have been informed for months that the Taliban was back and getting stronger. We have been told for months that with the exception of Kabul the government there had no control of their country. I have heard ad nauseum how criticizing the Bush adminstrations handling of the war was not supporting the troops. How bringing them home early would mean that troops died in vain. The troops that died in vain were the ones that died to overthrow the Taliban government only to have us point the tip of the spear somewhere else and let this country turn back in to a shit hole. The problem is, Afghanistan really is a HARD place to fight and casulties would have been high there and the Bush adminstration wanted some place easier to fight so that it could say it struck back for 9-11.
 
Socrtease said:
I have to agree with you. But once Iraq started up we took our eye off the ball in Afghanistan. We have been informed for months that the Taliban was back and getting stronger. We have been told for months that with the exception of Kabul the government there had no control of their country. I have heard ad nauseum how criticizing the Bush adminstrations handling of the war was not supporting the troops. How bringing them home early would mean that troops died in vain. The troops that died in vain were the ones that died to overthrow the Taliban government only to have us point the tip of the spear somewhere else and let this country turn back in to a shit hole. The problem is, Afghanistan really is a HARD place to fight and casulties would have been high there and the Bush adminstration wanted some place easier to fight so that it could say it struck back for 9-11.
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I fully agree that taking on Iraq has screwed up our mission in Afghanistan. But that s not the point of this thread. The focus is about how the troops are being "abused" because they are not coming home "as promised".

And my response to that is the troops know more what is going on than a few reporters and arm-chair generals. I knew a lot of people in the Marine Expeditionary Force and they take their job seriously. Like I said, they will be disappointed in not being rotated back in October, but they will not view the situation as broken promises as the article and thread originator hint at. In war, circumstances change, and when circumstances change so do orders. That is the way of war.

It's better than the days when deployment lasted until the war ended, with the best to hope for was being pulled back to the rear for resupply, replacements, and (if lucky) a few days R&R.
 
Yeah in a real war.

And the pentagon has a history of even extending enlistments in Iraq.
Cutting short home times, etc. And some fools talk of doing Iran too...
 
Good Luck is a shitty american, as he believes it's fine to break promises to troops. There are ways to get more soldiers, like increasing wages and keeping promises. But that money is earmarked to be misspent with greedy contractors.
 
Yes, am a former Marine. 40 years worth. It does not mean I am "brainwashed"; but rather I understand what military life is about. Anyone who thinks duty and rotation schedules are "promises" does NOT understand what military life is about.

"Promise" is what the media calls them to sensationalize an otherwise unsensational story. Deployment and rotation are orders, and orders can be changed without notice according to need and circumstance, especially during war time. Soldiers understand that basic fact even if mindless conspiracy driven twits do not.

Now, there ARE promises being broken. Like adequate health care for the injured. Like reasonable disability pay for people with missing body parts. Like reneging on education benefits.

Our soldiers are being treated like shit when it really comes down to it. And the way military personnel are treated has been ongoing for FAR longer than the current administration. But this admin, for all their posturing and rhetoric to the contrary, is every bit as bad as any previous admin has ever been. (In my experience, LBJ's admin was the worst.)

Yes, when it comes down to it, the average U.S. soldier is taking it up the wazoo for having the intestinal fortitude to make this country's safety their job.

But a change in rotation orders is not part of that abuse.
 
Good Luck said:
Yes, am a former Marine. 40 years worth. It does not mean I am "brainwashed"; but rather I understand what military life is about. Anyone who thinks duty and rotation schedules are "promises" does NOT understand what military life is about.

"Promise" is what the media calls them to sensationalize an otherwise unsensational story. Deployment and rotation are orders, and orders can be changed without notice according to need and circumstance, especially during war time. Soldiers understand that basic fact even if mindless conspiracy driven twits do not.

Now, there ARE promises being broken. Like adequate health care for the injured. Like reasonable disability pay for people with missing body parts. Like reneging on education benefits.

Our soldiers are being treated like shit when it really comes down to it. And the way military personnel are treated has been ongoing for FAR longer than the current administration. But this admin, for all their posturing and rhetoric to the contrary, is every bit as bad as any previous admin has ever been. (In my experience, LBJ's admin was the worst.)

Yes, when it comes down to it, the average U.S. soldier is taking it up the wazoo for having the intestinal fortitude to make this country's safety their job.

But a change in rotation orders is not part of that abuse.
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We think it is. Your excuses are lame.
 
He does think pro-choicers are nazis.....but he does nothing about it! What a disgrace to the Marines!
 
Good Luck said:
Right.

If we fought wars the way vacuum skulls like you seem to think they should be fought, we'd be speaking German.
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Shut up fascist. You explain away lies to troops. Troops are underpaid and now lied to too,and you sit there complaining about money. A mere fraction of the money given to bungling and corrupt contractors would certainly motivate more enlistments and provide relief. You're a shitty american; i don't care how much service you have under your belt.
 
I'm with AssHat. The troops deserve great pay and education. That is comming from someone who never joined!
 
AssHatZombie said:
Shut up fascist. You explain away lies to troops. Troops are underpaid and now lied to too,and you sit there complaining about money. A mere fraction of the money given to bungling and corrupt contractors would certainly motivate more enlistments and provide relief. You're a shitty american; i don't care how much service you have under your belt.
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Still an idiot studying hard to be a moron, I see.
 
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