I'll take decisions that confuse me for a $100 Alex

[Schmedlap]

My unit was replaced in 2005 by a Brigade commanded by a notorious O-6, whose career has since ended. A Brigade policy that he implemented was that turret gunners would STAND in their turrets AT ALL TIMES. Brigade policy! Our "policy" (formulated at the lowest level) was that you remained low until the shooting started so as to make it a little more difficult to give the enemy the initiative. His rationale for his Brigade policy? I paraphrase: "We're American Soldiers and American Soldiers don't hide from the enemy!" Brilliant.

[jkm_101_fso]

My unit was replaced in 2005 by a Brigade commanded by a notorious O-6, whose career has since ended. A Brigade policy that he implemented was that turret gunners would STAND in their turrets AT ALL TIMES. Brigade policy! Our "policy" (formulated at the lowest level) was that you remained low until the shooting started so as to make it a little more difficult to give the enemy the initiative. His rationale for his Brigade policy? I paraphrase: "We're American Soldiers and American Soldiers don't hide from the enemy!" Brilliant.

I think I know who you are talking about. Yeah, he was a legend alright. Not the kind you want to be.

As for the Ban, I am glad this is finally over! For those of you that contacted me PM/email and let me know that you wrote or called your Senators/Representatives in regard to this, thank you for the support!

Maybe we helped, maybe not; but the endstate is where it should be. I hope those involved with the formulation and implementation of this policy are sorry and will someday publicly admit they were wrong.

I hope that no Iraqis were harmed because of this.

We may never find out.

[RTK]

My unit was replaced in 2005 by a Brigade commanded by a notorious O-6, whose career has since ended. A Brigade policy that he implemented was that turret gunners would STAND in their turrets AT ALL TIMES. Brigade policy! Our "policy" (formulated at the lowest level) was that you remained low until the shooting started so as to make it a little more difficult to give the enemy the initiative. His rationale for his Brigade policy? I paraphrase: "We're American Soldiers and American Soldiers don't hide from the enemy!" Brilliant.

Aside from the obvious force protection issues, that's in complete violation of every rollover drill protocol I've ever seen. Nametag defilade is the standard so that the poor truck gunner, tank commander, loader, Bradley commander or Brad Gunner don't get squished by the massive vehicle when it ends up track side up.

That's about 6 ways to stupid and not taking care of Soldiers.

[Cavguy]

My unit was replaced in 2005 by a Brigade commanded by a notorious O-6, whose career has since ended. A Brigade policy that he implemented was that turret gunners would STAND in their turrets AT ALL TIMES. Brigade policy! Our "policy" (formulated at the lowest level) was that you remained low until the shooting started so as to make it a little more difficult to give the enemy the initiative. His rationale for his Brigade policy? I paraphrase: "We're American Soldiers and American Soldiers don't hide from the enemy!" Brilliant.

Lemme guess ... a certain 101st commander who commanded a ranger company in Somalia?

[Ski]

Who has been the Chief of Training at FORSCOM post-BCT command? Hmmm....

[jkm_101_fso]

Lemme guess ... a certain 101st commander who commanded a ranger company in Somalia?

Exactly what I was thinking.

I wasn't in 3rd BDE...thankfully.

[Hacksaw]

The association of 101st AASLT alumni hereby waive all rights and claims to said commander... He was formed (oddly) well before his arrival in Clarksville...

[jkm_101_fso]

Written by Mike Breen, a friend of mine from FAOBC.

The debt we owe Iraqi interpreters
After the foolish mask ban, more protection is a must.
By Michael Breen

The Iraqi pointed at me, pointed at his watch, and mimed an explosion. He'd been shouting frantically since he arrived at our small forward operating base minutes before, but like most American soldiers, I didn't speak Arabic. Had he come to warn us or to threaten us? Car bomb? Another mortar attack? When and where? Looking around desperately, I spotted a young woman in her early 20s bounding toward us. Wissam, one of our Iraqi interpreters, had arrived. After a brief conversation with the man, she turned back to me and said, "He says there is an IED [improvised explosive device] on the main road to Haswa. Good thing you have me around, I think."

For a platoon leader on the streets of Iraq, a trusted interpreter can be the difference between a successful patrol and a body bag. At great personal risk, interpreters bridge the language gap, guide soldiers and marines through unfamiliar streets, serve as cultural advisers, and make crucial introductions. American strategy in Iraq hinges on building positive relationships between US forces and Iraqi communities, a task that would be impossible without dependable interpreters.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1209/p09s02-coop.html

[jkm_101_fso]

Ban was reversed sometime ago, but with caveats, apparently:

Iraqi Interpreters May Wear Masks
Pentagon Gives Battalion Commanders Discretion to Disregard Ban Policy
By Ernesto Londoño
Washington Post Foreign Service

BAGHDAD, Feb. 13 -- Iraqi interpreters working with the U.S. military in Baghdad are again allowed to hide their identity during certain missions, after a Pentagon decision to grant battalion commanders the discretion to disregard an earlier policy banning interpreters from wearing masks.

Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, disclosed the reversal last month in a letter to Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). But several interpreters and American soldiers in Baghdad said they were unaware that battalion commanders can waive the mask ban for "high-risk" missions.

Battalion commanders, who oversee between 500 and 800 soldiers, cannot delegate the lifting of the ban to junior officers. Wyden, as well as soldiers and interpreters, said they remain concerned that any restrictions preventing interpreters from shielding their identities put them at risk.

Some American soldiers, who often refer to interpreters as "terps," say they enforce the ban laxly or not at all. "Telling a terp that his country is safe when he doesn't feel it's safe is as pretentious as it gets," said an Army captain in Baghdad, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was criticizing his superiors. "The terp-mask thing is just the latest disconnect between what happens on the ground and what people want to be happening on the ground. We're in full-on dress rehearsal now. I think we're in such a hurry to get out of here, we're wanting this place to be safer than it really is."

Full story HERE

My obvious concerns are:
1. What constitutes a "high-risk" mission? High risk for who?
2. BN CDR cannot delegate to junior officers...aarrrggghhhh!!!

[1258dave]

Name a GO who has been held responsible for anything. A CPT loses a piece of gear, or a Soldier, there is a 15-6 etc, but if a GO is losing the war nobody appears to care.