Petrelis Files

Stars & Stripes: After Five-Month Delay, Elite Troop Arrives in Iraq

Let me make absolutely sure I've got this right.

The world's reigning superpower took five long, deadly months, to send an elite troop from Germany to fight in Iraq? Even though there were no tangible signs of decreased activities by the insurgents and barrels of blood -- American, Iraqi, UK, et al -- was flowing in the streets, "military leaders" thought it best to delay the Dagger Brigage's entry into Iraq.

The Stars & Stripes article does not say if those leaders are based on the ground or at the Pentagon, but regardless of their location, it seems like they seriously misread the conditions in May in the war-ravaged country. Good thing we don't have politicians in Washington dictating combat policy in Iraq, when "military leaders" are doing such a fine job, right?

Frankly, I'm starting to wonder if we did turn over military decisions to the politicians in Washington, how much worse could they do than Rummy?

Let's go to the story:

The Stars & Stripes
October 31, 2006
After five-month delay, Dagger Brigade arrives in Iraq

It may have been months later than planned, but the 1st Infantry Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team has finally made it to Baghdad.

The unit, known as the Dagger Brigade, is taking over U.S. operations in Baghdad from its fellow Germany-based 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Armored Division.

The move was five months in the making. In May, the 1st ID soldiers were told their deployment to Iraq was being delayed indefinitely because military leaders had concluded that the conditions on the ground had improved.

WTF? I sure would like to know what exactly had improved, considering Americans and Iraqis were still dying and by the end of May, Americans deaths had surged, according to the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count:




More from the Stars & Stripes:

The 2nd BCT finally got the call to head downrange in August, about the same time 2,000 1st AD soldiers were sent to the Iraqi capital to take part in the second phase of an operation to secure Baghdad from violence. [...]

Making the move into Iraq during the second and third weeks in October, the Dagger Brigade was “piecemealed out where it was needed, a company going here, a company going there,” said Maj. Wayne Marotto, public affairs officer, 1st Armored Division.

One of those units, the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, has already been hit hard by the move into Iraq. The 1-26 moved into Baghdad before the majority of the brigade, and has lost six soldiers since the beginning of September. The unit has a memorial scheduled Thursday in Schweinfurt for Sgt. Willsun M. Mock, who was killed by a roadside bomb on Oct. 22. [...]

Excuse me while I weep, and prepare to vote next week.