UK troops criticise American forces for 'ruining things'
As the Black Watch set up camp at their new base in the dangerous zone south of Baghdad yesterday, their soldiers voiced anger over their deadly new mission.
Commanders refused to confirm the exact location for the controversial deployment until the 850-strong battle group had secured its base of operations 30 miles from the capital. The area is a hotbed of Islamic terrorists, where rocket attacks, suicide bombers and kidnappings are common. Black Watch soldiers being airlifted north by Hercules C-130 transporters from their base in Basra were promised they would be pulled out of Iraq in early December after their 30-day tour.
But despite the pledge by Colonel James Bashall, chief of staff of the British-led Multinational Division in Iraq, many soldiers are upset. Private Manny Lynch, 19, from Fife, said: "I'm nervous and angry. I was supposed to be going home last Monday and I only found out I was being deployed four days before. It wouldn't have bothered me so much if I had been told when they first knew about it, but finding out just days before I was to go home is hard to take.
"We have heard a lot about the 'Triangle of Death', which makes everyone nervous because it seems much worse up there than it has been down here. We have controlled the situation down here while the Americans seemed to have ruined it up there."
Pte Ian Gordon, 19, from Edinburgh, added: "They are more hostile towards coalition forces up there. In Basra and the south, there is militia trouble but smaller numbers. We've been given extra training in different situations we may face, and different environments. The things we've been told to look out for are vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices and suicide bombers. I think we'll definitely be keeping our helmets on in the early days.
"My folks are quite upset that I'm not coming back and I was feeling pretty low when I first heard, but morale is higher now because we're heading out."
Ben Brereton, a 19-year-old craftsman in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, from Truro in Cornwall, said he was unsure why British troops were being moved. "I feel angry and wonder why we are going there," he said. "It seems we are moving up there to take over a piece of ground while the Americans push off.
"They have got so many more people over here, more than 10 times what we have, and we're having to go and help them out. I don't know how they justify it, but now we're on our way there's nothing you can do, so you just want to get it over with and get home. If they had told us sooner it wouldn't have felt so bad, but it was the fact that we were ready to go home that left us feeling gutted."
An Army spokesman said the advance group of the Black Watch and armoured vehicles had reached their unnamed destination without incident.
Source
It seems that those that have been saying there are not enough US troops in Iraq are being proven right
Re: UK troops criticise American forces for 'ruining things'
Sounds like "home sickness" which is quite understandable considering that they are just children.
Re: UK troops criticise American forces for 'ruining things'
The Black Watch are one of the elite Regiments of the British Army...
Hard Bastards... ask any MP :lol:
Re: UK troops criticise American forces for 'ruining things'
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Originally Posted by Rat Faced
The Black Watch are one of the elite Regiments of the British Army...
Hard Bastards... ask any MP :lol:
Since both of them lamented that they were ready to go home and were disappointed by the last minute change in plans, I thought these 19 year old hard bastards might be missing Mum and the little lady a wee bit.
Certainly quite understandable.
Re: UK troops criticise American forces for 'ruining things'
Well if you were there and had been due to go home and then 4 days before they tell you oops, no sorry you're not going home you're actually go to a major hotspot instead that you would have been happy about it?? :unsure:
Re: UK troops criticise American forces for 'ruining things'
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Originally Posted by DanB
Well if you were there and had been due to go home and then 4 days before they tell you oops, no sorry you're not going home you're actually go to a major hotspot instead that you would have been happy about it?? :unsure:
No, that is why I said it was quite understandable, twice.
The point is not really "Americans ruining things", but rather their disappointment. Such disappointment can lead to comments that come from frustration and not truly reflect the reality of the situation.
You need to see through the literal words to the true meaning.
Certainly "Americans ruining everything" is a much more eyecatching headline than, "Homesick soldiers disappointed at extended stay".
Re: UK troops criticise American forces for 'ruining things'
Re: UK troops criticise American forces for 'ruining things'
I think they are a little more upset, in the fact that they've used different tactics with the locals down there way, and had quite a lot of success in winning the "hearts and minds" (relatively speaking).
Now they are going into a place where the tactics have been "Shoot the crap outa anything that looks like it might be unfriendly".
OR:
As Bremner, Bird and Fortune put it:
Quote:
Your all used to not knowing who's friendly and who's an enemy, so we're making it simple for you. The Americans have made sure that everyone around you is an enemy, so you wont have to worry about that any more.
Re: UK troops criticise American forces for 'ruining things'
My first reaction to this was tuff shit, welcome to the war, boys. I got a little ticked off about the comment that there weren't enough US troops there. Maybe if there were more UK troops there the US troops wouldn't have to be doing two and three rotations, and there wouldn't be stop loss orders, and the US reservists could go home to their families..... but that was the former US Marine talking...
This just shows how out of hand it is, how much of a fuck up Bush started, and maybe the Brits (not Bush's prison bitch Blair, of course) will start talking about pulling their troops before their casualties start going up from 50 something to ??. What pisses me off is that this even has to be happening...
Ok... fire at will.... http://www.anywhichway.net/images/smiles/tomato.gif
Re: UK troops criticise American forces for 'ruining things'
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Originally Posted by the ratty named one
Quote:
Your all used to not knowing who's friendly and who's an enemy, so we're making it simple for you. The Americans have made sure that everyone around you is an enemy, so you wont have to worry about that any more.
Any troops that have been around a while longer than those 19 year olds and served in N. Ireland will see the point of that joke quite well.:(