Comments on: Reflections http://www.gallireport.com/2007/08/11/reflections/ better than news any day Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:35:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: EJ http://www.gallireport.com/2007/08/11/reflections/#comment-100 EJ Mon, 24 Mar 2008 05:26:38 +0000 http://www.gallireport.com/2007/08/11/reflections/#comment-100 The use of ad hoc civil affairs soldiers is not unique to Iraq. In Afghanistan the Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) which had been commanded by Civil Affairs officers are now literally being led by submarine drivers and bomber pilots. It is bad enough that mere lip service to the importance of civil affairs leads to shake and bake civil affairs soldiers, but taking persons who aren't even affiliated with a ground force is insane. Granted, some of these commanders are surely doing a great job, but on average will you get better commanders if you use civil affairs officers or if you use a sailor or airman in need of command time. This is all part of a drug deal where an undermanned and resourced Army begs borrows and steals lawyers, accountant, engineers, mechanics etc...from the other services and offers up wartime command positions to these service without regard to the impact on the mission. I served on two Afghanistan PRTs between 2002 and 2005 and would jump at the chance to command because I feel obligated to put my experience to use even though it would effectively destroy what is left of my civilian career. However, the Army is not too inetersted in my experience. The use of ad hoc civil affairs soldiers is not unique to Iraq.

In Afghanistan the Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) which had been commanded by Civil Affairs officers are now literally being led by submarine drivers and bomber pilots.

It is bad enough that mere lip service to the importance of civil affairs leads to shake and bake civil affairs soldiers, but taking persons who aren’t even affiliated with a ground force is insane.

Granted, some of these commanders are surely doing a great job, but on average will you get better commanders if you use civil affairs officers or if you use a sailor or airman in need of command time.

This is all part of a drug deal where an undermanned and resourced Army begs borrows and steals lawyers, accountant, engineers, mechanics etc…from the other services and offers up wartime command positions to these service without regard to the impact on the mission.

I served on two Afghanistan PRTs between 2002 and 2005 and would jump at the chance to command because I feel obligated to put my experience to use even though it would effectively destroy what is left of my civilian career. However, the Army is not too inetersted in my experience.

]]> By: Phil http://www.gallireport.com/2007/08/11/reflections/#comment-80 Phil Sun, 30 Sep 2007 21:37:18 +0000 http://www.gallireport.com/2007/08/11/reflections/#comment-80 Richard, I don't have to tell you that this is deja vu all over again! More makeshift incompetence orchestrated by our over-zealous and arrogant political leadership. Despite what some might think of as your brutal honesty, I think you are too kind in your assessment. I disagree with you when you say that our country has "tumbled" into this mess. We didn't tumble, stumble or bumble into this mess, we created this mess, all by ourselves. Let's not forget recent history, which includes two wars and over ten years of severe sanctions during which time we continually bombed Iraqi infrastructure destroying power grids, water and sewage treatment plants, communications systems and what had been one of the best health care systems in the region, to say nothing of the untold numbers of people (many of whom were children) who died in the process. And now we give the impossible task of cleaning up the mess to our naive and unsuspecting youth. We do them a disservice. Trusting, courageous and dedicated as they may be, they can't heal a sucking chest wound with a bandaid. As my aunt Martha Emma used to say, "if the shoe don't fit, don't force it". Richard,
I don’t have to tell you that this is deja vu all over again! More makeshift incompetence orchestrated by our over-zealous and arrogant political leadership. Despite what some might think of as your brutal honesty, I think you are too kind in your assessment. I disagree with you when you say that our country has “tumbled” into this mess. We didn’t tumble, stumble or bumble into this mess, we created this mess, all by ourselves.
Let’s not forget recent history, which includes two wars and over ten years of severe sanctions during which time we continually bombed Iraqi infrastructure destroying power grids, water and sewage treatment plants, communications systems and what had been one of the best health care systems in the region, to say nothing of the untold numbers of people (many of whom were children) who died in the process.
And now we give the impossible task of cleaning up the mess to our naive and unsuspecting youth. We do them a disservice. Trusting, courageous and dedicated as they may be, they can’t heal a sucking chest wound with a bandaid. As my aunt Martha Emma used to say, “if the shoe don’t fit, don’t force it”.

]]> By: Gordon http://www.gallireport.com/2007/08/11/reflections/#comment-34 Gordon Wed, 15 Aug 2007 09:11:56 +0000 http://www.gallireport.com/2007/08/11/reflections/#comment-34 As a Registered Nurse, Army Reservist (from Rhode Island) who was drafted into Civil Affairs I cannot agree with you more. I've been here 5 months, have done nothing medically, and I am totally unprepared to re-enter my career as a nurse. There is a fair amount of blame to be leveled here, but I can say the Army has done an injustice to the individual solider by thrusting them into areas they are unprepared for, the Civil Affairs community for giving them untrained/unprepared soldiers and the Iraqi people. As a Registered Nurse, Army Reservist (from Rhode Island) who was drafted into Civil Affairs I cannot agree with you more. I’ve been here 5 months, have done nothing medically, and I am totally unprepared to re-enter my career as a nurse. There is a fair amount of blame to be leveled here, but I can say the Army has done an injustice to the individual solider by thrusting them into areas they are unprepared for, the Civil Affairs community for giving them untrained/unprepared soldiers and the Iraqi people.

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