Quote Originally Posted by MSG Proctor View Post
Please speak for yourself.



Some units were doing things differently than others.



MG Charles Swannack, All American 6
July 2004
Okay, I'll wade in. This is the sort of stuff where we got ourselves behind the bow wave.

From April to November 2004, I argue that we were not practising COIN. People may have thought that, but heck, we didn't even have an insurgency then .

We were practising SASO. SASO/SOSO and COIN are two different constructs, and this is where our doctrine, training, and execution failed us during our effort to OODA on just what hit us. That is why I use the analogy of one hand trying to find our ass. The other hand was trying to soothe the bruise from the whacking we were ABOUT TO GET.

MSG, I am b no means trying to play down the actions of you and your men. But reality is reality. For the fragile months following 3d Bn, 4th Marines' destruction of Saddam's likeness, we were not practising COIN in the classical, current, or any, sense.