WTH are US Commanders on the Ground Thinking?? Response to Tikrit Helicopter Downing.

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tnitsuj

Diamond Member
May 22, 2003
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F16's Turn Iraqi Families Against US

When someone first said that US forces were dropping 500 lbs bombs and destroying empty buildings around Tikrit after the shoot down of the helicopter on Friday. I didn't believe it for one moment. What purpose would that serve? Beating ones chest, and dropping bombs on places where the enemy isn't simply to make noise and "show our strength"???

It serves no usefull purpose other than making it look like they are doing something. The commanders on the ground need to realize that terrorism and insurgency is not a conventional enemy where victory can be measured in numbers killed and objectives taken. It is more like a disease that spreads with each incident, every Iraqi killed, humiliated or frightened, provides another potential enemy. What next a return to the body count??

Whoever ordered this should be taken out and flogged publicly for his stupidity.
Madness. Absolute madness.
 
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Wheezer

Diamond Member
Nov 2, 1999
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When someone first said that US forces were dropping 500 lbs bombs and destroying empty buildings around Tikrit after the shoot down of the helicopter on Friday. I didn't believe it for one moment.
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Ummmm where exactly do you think the terroists hide? Do you think that they go into an occupied home go up stairs and launch a SAM while the family is in the dining room eating? If no one is in there at the moment that is a good thing is it not? No one is killed and it destroys a future hide out for terroist to launch attacks. I don't really understand what the problem is here.
 
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tnitsuj

Diamond Member
May 22, 2003
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Originally posted by: Wheezer
When someone first said that US forces were dropping 500 lbs bombs and destroying empty buildings around Tikrit after the shoot down of the helicopter on Friday. I didn't believe it for one moment.
Click to expand...

Ummmm where exactly do you think the terroists hide? Do you think that they go into an occupied home go up stairs and launch a SAM while the family is in the dining room eating? If no one is in there at the moment that is a good thing is it not? No one is killed and it destroys a future hide out for terroist to launch attacks. I don't really understand what the problem is here.
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If they can prove that they were using a certain area for launching attacks that is one thing...but the dropping of bombs seems to serve no purpose other than to piss of the people.
 
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Gravity

Diamond Member
Mar 21, 2003
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These events are the cost of occupation. We need to finish our biddness and get out as soon as possible.

Gravity
 
Bulk Beef

Bulk Beef

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Aug 14, 2001
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I also thought it was BS, then I actually heard the "teeth and claws" comment on the radio. Seems counter-productive to me.
 
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tnitsuj

Diamond Member
May 22, 2003
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Originally posted by: sward666
I also thought it was BS, then I actually heard the "teeth and claws" comment on the radio. Seems counter-productive to me.
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exactly. Maybe someone doesn't realize that a full scale uprising could be very easily provoked.
 
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DealMonkey

Lifer
Nov 25, 2001
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Originally posted by: tnitsuj
F16's Turn Iraqi Families Against US

When someone first said that US forces were dropping 500 lbs bombs and destroying empty buildings around Tikrit after the shoot down of the helicopter on Friday. I didn't believe it for one moment. What purpose would that serve? Beating ones chest, and dropping bombs on places where the enemy isn't simply to make noise and "show our strength"???

It serves no usefull purpose other than making it look like they are doing something. The commanders on the ground need to realize that terrorism and insurgency is not a conventional enemy where victory can be measured in numbers killed and objectives taken. It is more like a disease that spreads with each incident, every Iraqi killed, humiliated or frightened, provides another potential enemy. What next a return to the body count??

Whoever ordered this should be taken out and flogged publicly for his stupidity.
Madness. Absolute madness.
Click to expand...

Your quote (above) serves as a perfect metaphor for the Iraq War as a whole. The U.S. can't just sit around on its hands post-Afghanistan, we have to LOOK like we're doing SOMETHING. Otherwise, the terrorists will think we're "weak." So it doesn't really surprise me that completely stupid exercises in futility occur inside Iraq on a weekly if not daily basis...
 
LunarRay

LunarRay

Diamond Member
Mar 2, 2003
9,993
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Originally posted by: Wheezer
When someone first said that US forces were dropping 500 lbs bombs and destroying empty buildings around Tikrit after the shoot down of the helicopter on Friday. I didn't believe it for one moment.
Click to expand...

Ummmm where exactly do you think the terroists hide? Do you think that they go into an occupied home go up stairs and launch a SAM while the family is in the dining room eating? If no one is in there at the moment that is a good thing is it not? No one is killed and it destroys a future hide out for terroist to launch attacks. I don't really understand what the problem is here.
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You don't think the bad guy is gonna say "Yup! It as an unoccupied house where us terrorists launch missles from." They will milk this for what it is worth. But, isn't that the idea? Rally support amongst the population against the 'invaders' is part of the objective, I'd think.

 
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Witling

Golden Member
Jul 30, 2003
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A couple points. First, doesn't the bombed house leave rubble? Isn't rubble a sufficient place to hide? The answer is "Yes," if you're having trouble with it.

Second, at the risk of being repetitive, reminds me of Vietnam. Three artillery shells at $500 each to blow down a bamboo structure that the Vietnamese can rebuild in two days. What do you think a 500 pound bomb and one hour of F-16 operation cost? The problem is, the U.S. is like a five year old with a hammer. You hammer everything, whether it's appropriate or not.
 
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tnitsuj

Diamond Member
May 22, 2003
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Originally posted by: privatebreyer
So what exactly did we hit?

I seriously doubt we would waste money to bomb sand.
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For the 500lbs bombs. Nothing. They were aiming at fields and stuff around where the helicopter was shot down as a "show of strength". Total waste and counterproductive.
 
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Bleep

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
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These events are the cost of occupation
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I am glad one of you admitted that we are a occupation force in Iraq. Bush says we are not Cheney says we are not, finally a mushroom that will admit what is the real truth.

Bleep
 
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VioletAura

Banned
Aug 28, 2003
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Originally posted by: Whitling
A couple points. First, doesn't the bombed house leave rubble? Isn't rubble a sufficient place to hide? The answer is "Yes," if you're having trouble with it.

Second, at the risk of being repetitive, reminds me of Vietnam. Three artillery shells at $500 each to blow down a bamboo structure that the Vietnamese can rebuild in two days. What do you think a 500 pound bomb and one hour of F-16 operation cost? The problem is, the U.S. is like a five year old with a hammer. You hammer everything, whether it's appropriate or not.
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This reminds me of when the allies bombed a monastary in Italy during WW2 because they thought the Germans were using in as a HQ, but they weren't. After it was reduced to rumble, the Germans moved in and used it as cover.
 
Miramonti

Miramonti

Lifer
Aug 26, 2000
28,653
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The US military is getting desperate.

They don't have targets so they try to freak people out with their weapons but instead piss innocent people off, creating a more difficult environment to gather intelligence. They can't use the same extortion and blackmail tactics that Israel uses to get info from the palestinians either.
 
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Witling

Golden Member
Jul 30, 2003
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PrivatBreyer, so, you like to joke with the board. You said,

"So what exactly did we hit?

I seriously doubt we would waste money to bomb sand."

I have personally seen the U.S. waste money -- and lots of it -- by bombing worthless targets. Did you read my post earlier in this thread about shelling bamboo structures to the tune of $1500 per shack -- and that was 1967 prices.
 
LunarRay

LunarRay

Diamond Member
Mar 2, 2003
9,993
1
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Originally posted by: Whitling
PrivatBreyer, so, you like to joke with the board. You said,

"So what exactly did we hit?

I seriously doubt we would waste money to bomb sand."

I have personally seen the U.S. waste money -- and lots of it -- by bombing worthless targets. Did you read my post earlier in this thread about shelling bamboo structures to the tune of $1500 per shack -- and that was 1967 prices.
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Hehehehe, I saw, on a number of occasions, a flock of A4's, F8's and F4's heading back to their bird farm having not released their payload of 250 lb bombs. They did drop them ALLon some sampans bobbing in the sea. I'd venture there was not a bit nor piece to be found of them sampans. Of course they were not even a target choice (primary or etc.) just something to drop ordinance on.

 
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Witling

Golden Member
Jul 30, 2003
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But, to give things their due, jets landing on a bird farm drop all the problematic stuff. Ah, those mornings in Vietnam, coming out at dawn to smell the JP5 (jet fuel) that the birds had dropped. I don't know about jets that land on earth. But carrying in extra fuel and bombs is bad for the jet's health.
 
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Witling

Golden Member
Jul 30, 2003
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As a matter of curiosity, the only guys I ever knew who used half cuts were far, far out at unpleasant places. We're they used closer to civilization?
 
LunarRay

LunarRay

Diamond Member
Mar 2, 2003
9,993
1
76
Originally posted by: Whitling
But, to give things their due, jets landing on a bird farm drop all the problematic stuff. Ah, those mornings in Vietnam, coming out at dawn to smell the JP5 (jet fuel) that the birds had dropped. I don't know about jets that land on earth. But carrying in extra fuel and bombs is bad for the jet's health.
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Yeah.. so when they miss the cables they can get off the deck again.. they do allow them to land with enough fuel for that eventuality.. but the bombs they gotta go. I guess the ocean is fine.. the poor sampanites, though..
The 'Spads' used Avgas and that I understand never got dumped cuz it would ignite at times.. I've been told.

 
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chuckieland

Diamond Member
Sep 30, 2000
3,148
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usa's problem is, they are been too nice.
if usa act like germany in wwii, then all this bombing problem would go away
but then of course, it will create a new problem.
 
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