U.S. Soldiers Complain of Low Morale in Iraq

Reuters
Wednesday, July 16, 2003; 10:24 AM

By Sue Pleming

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fed up with being in Iraq and demoralized by
their role as peacekeepers in a risky place, a group
of U.S. soldiers aired their plight on U.S. television on Wednesday and
said they had lost faith in the Army.

Told several times they would be going home only to have their hopes
dashed this week, a small group of soldiers from the 3rd
Infantry Division in Iraq, spoke of poor morale and disillusionment with
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

"If Donald Rumsfeld were here, I'd ask him for his resignation," one
disgruntled soldier told ABC's "Good Morning America"
show.

Asked by a reporter what his message would be for Rumsfeld, one said: "I
would ask him why we are still here. I don't have
any clue as to why we are still in Iraq."

About 146,000 U.S. troops are serving amid mounting security threats in
postwar Iraq. The death toll has now equaled the
number killed in the 1991 Gulf War.

Sgt. Filipe Vega, said they had expected to return home soon after the
fall of Baghdad on April 9. "We were told the fastest
way back home is through Baghdad and that's what we did. Now we are
still here," he complained.

The 3rd Infantry Division was the first U.S. unit to enter Baghdad after
driving through southern Iraq through Kuwait.

Sgt. Terry Gilmore described a phone call with his wife Stacey when he
told her he would not be coming home soon.

"When I told her she started crying and I almost started crying. I just
felt like my heart was broken. I could not figure out...how
they could keep us here after they told us we were coming home."

In Washington, a Pentagon spokeswoman said she understood the
frustration, but said morale was still high. "It's obviously a
frustrating situation for some of them, but it does not represent the
entire 3rd Division."

She added: "When you get down to the individual soldier level, you can
clearly see the dedication."

The wives of two of the soldiers appeared on the same show. "Just send
my husband home -- send all the soldiers home. They
have done the job they were supposed to do," said Rhonda Vega from
Hinesville, Georgia.

Stacey Gilmore said U.S. troops were ill-prepared for the post-war
phase. "They were told after the fighting ended they were
coming home. All I know is that morale is low and they are just hanging
in there, sticking through it." ((Writing by Sue Pleming,
editing by Jackie Frank; Reuters Messaging
Sue.Pleming.reuters.com@reuters.net)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp...nguage=printer

"Bring Our Troops Home" <bringourtroopshome@cox.net> wrote in message
news:3F15776A.392AE30@cox.net...
> U.S. Soldiers Complain of Low Morale in Iraq
>
> "If Donald Rumsfeld were here, I'd ask him for his resignation," one
> disgruntled soldier told ABC's "Good Morning America"
> show.

Don't be too hard on Rumsfeld.
Wolfowitz crying Wolf got him pumped up on invading Iraq.