Inside the Ring�-�Nation/Politics�-�The Washington Times, America's Newspaper

Inside the Ring�-�Nation/Politics�-�The Washington Times, America's Newspaper

A couple of good quotes from service members in Iraq and their views on news coverage.


"The men over there right now are mission-focused, and from what I can tell the morale is pretty good. On a day-to-day basis, it is difficult to see progress, but if one looks back over the months that you are there, you can see progress, and it makes you feel good about what you have done.
"On the other hand, it is the news that ruins morale. It's watching the news and seeing everything negative and nothing positive that hurts morale.
"I personally believe that those politicians who are being public in their demands about the war are putting soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines at more risk because they give our enemies hope that if they hold out, if they kill a few more we will quit. And to be honest, it makes me sick. It doesn't make me feel any different about what we are doing in Iraq, but it does make me more cynical about those who will do and say anything just to try and achieve political goals."

My favorite of the two:
...two recent operations in western Iraq that U.S. press accounts said took place in areas where American forces "dare not go," the major said.
"Well, they should learn to never dare a Marine division," he said. "Both operations were executed almost flawlessly. Most of the enemy fled upon the arrival of the Marines, but a good number of them stayed to fight. Those that did quickly found out the 70 virgins they were promised for martyrdom was bravo sierra."

(Bravo Sierra: phonetic alphabet for BS.)