Joe writes:

> I dont have direct knowledge of what units are assigned to Iraq, but I would
>  like to point out, what I'm sure Wirt is aware of, that where a military
>  unit is assign and where all components of that military unit are
physically
>  located, is two entirely different things.

In this case, I suspect that the commanding officer can see all of his troops
by simply looking out his window. He is in charge of an Aviation Ground
Support unit and most likely has a rank somewhere between captain and colonel. The
unit's last combat duty was in Somalia.

During my eight year, semi-forced connection with the military as a civilian
scientist, but given the honorary rank of O-3 (captain in the Marines, Army or
Air Force, lieutenant in the Navy), it was my strong impression that those
people who had the least to lose and who were least at risk tended to be the
most aggressive in their pronouncements, to the point of being occasionally
nonsensically rabid.

But let me also say that during that time that, because of both my job and my
honorary rank, I ate dinner and lunch on an everyday basis with a number of
admirals and generals. What I was greatly impressed with is that they often
asked me my opinion, even though I was only approx. 25 at the time. I presume
they asked me simply because they wanted to get an independent opinion, something
told them by someone who wasn't saying what someone thought they would want
to hear.

Although this was during the height of the Vietnam War and the Cold War, a
time when generals were being portrayed as pigs and purveyors of megadeath, I
was consistently impressed with the military's capacity to choose among the best
of the candidates in its selection of its general staffs. I was very
impressed with the intelligence and humanity of the people who I met, and having met
those people 30 years ago, I've had a great deal of confidence in the American
military ever since.

But I was just impressed by the meanness and irrationality of those who knew
they were going to go no further in the military, especially those whose
highest rank was going to be colonel. These people either turned very bitter or
tried desperately to out-gung ho one another. I tend to put that particular
"message to the troops" in among the latter.

Wirt Atmar

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