Embedded reporter on patrol in Iraq

Skunk · 10-30-2003, 09:43 PM

"Embedded reporting" was the media buzzword during the original invasion of Iraq, bringing juicy pictures of action and 'thrilling' audiences with tales of heroism, courage and success.

But, when the battle was over the 'embedded reporters' returned to their comfortable newsdesks and hotels and forgot all about it.

However, one journalist (Nir Rosen) returned and 'embedded' himself with the US 3rd Armoured Calvelry regiment. The result is a 5 part series of articles chronicalling their activities.

It makes for an interesting read:

'This is the wild, wild west'
"With the intel we've been getting, it's probably a house full of nuns," complains an acerbic First Sergeant Clinton Reiss. After a few minutes of banter the ride out into the rising sun is silent. Bandit troop is hunting an invisible enemy who shoots at the Americans daily. Back home at Fort Carson, Reiss's wife waits for him with their 13-year-old daughter who is angered by teachers who say the war is over.

Why we are here
Two-week-old copies of Stars and Stripes newspaper get passed around like porno. The US military authorized paper provides much of the soldiers' news, and they are not well informed about debate back home over the Bush administration's justifications for the war. Anyway, they don't have time to dwell on such things, but rather "believe, and hope, that our leaders sent us here for the right reasons".

The locals
"They hate us," the soldiers often say about the Iraqis they believe they liberated. And the soldiers get shot at whenever they enter the bleak townscapes of western Iraq. Yet not all the patrons of a cafe in the city of Subeida are bitter. They now have more freedom. But the word that is most often heard in discussions about the US occupation is "disrespect".

Operation Decapitation
One non-commissioned officer is surprised by the high number of prisoners Apache has taken. "Did they just arrest every man they found?" he asks, wondering whether "we just made another 300 people hate us".

Three days after the operation, a dozen prisoners can be seen marching in a circle outside the detention center, surrounded by barbed wire. They are shouting "USA, USA!" over and over.

"They were talkin' when we told 'em not to, so we made 'em talk somethin' we liked to hear," grins one of the soldiers guarding them. Another gestures up with his hands, letting them know they have to raise their voices. A first sergeant quips that the ones who are not guilty "will be guilty next time", after such treatment.

The wrong Ayoub

The soldiers of 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment are fighting a losing battle. Intelligence officers who cannot speak Arabic and are not familiar with Iraqi, Arab or Muslim culture, send them out on the basis of spurious information, and the troops in the field, despite their best intentions, end up creating enemies instead of eliminating them. Nir Rosen accompanies a frustrated Apache Troop, with their tanks, Bradleys and Humvees, on a mission to capture the not-so-deadly Ayoub.

Chewbacca · 10-31-2003, 02:25 AM

I almost find describing these peices of journalism as an 'interesting read' to be an understatment. IMO This is must read material for anyone who cares about what is happening in Iraq.

Skunk · 11-02-2003, 07:51 AM

The pressure on occupying troops in Iraq is growing - not only have the Iraqi's figured out how to stop an M1 Abrams tank, but now they have brought down a Chinook causing the the loss of 13 lives

.

Meanwhile, we are told that progress is being made and 'not to worry'.
Question is, who is making the progress?

[ 11-03-2003, 09:48 AM: Message edited by: Skunk ]

Deejax · 11-03-2003, 07:43 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Skunk:
how to stop an M1 Abrams tank,

Um, skunk, where did you want this link to point to?

johnny · 11-03-2003, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Deejax:

quote:
Originally posted by Skunk:
how to stop an M1 Abrams tank,

Um, skunk, where did you want this link to point to? [/QUOTE]He's offering you a free UBB, don't you get it ?

Skunk · 11-03-2003, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Deejax:

quote:
Originally posted by Skunk:
how to stop an M1 Abrams tank,

Um, skunk, where did you want this link to point to? [/QUOTE]

Thanks for pointing out the error. The link was supposed to go to here:
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/031029/323/eciit.html
anyway I correct the error. Cheers!

[ 11-03-2003, 09:55 AM: Message edited by: Skunk ]

Deejax · 11-04-2003, 06:38 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Skunk:
Meanwhile, we are told that progress is being made and 'not to worry'.
Question is, who is making the progress?

Good question.

I'm afraid that these examples will only encourage more people to try and take on the american soldiers. It is a worrying scenario I see ahead.

I wonder how many groups in iraq have the resources to make these attacks. I know there are countless firearms in the area, but how about rockets and explosives?

All I know is that this war isn't over yet.

Skunk · 11-09-2003, 08:26 PM

Al Jazeera has just broadcast and published a news article on the way that US troops tie up women and children during house searches.

While I can understand the need for security during a house search, the need to use plastic handcuffs on a child of (how old would you say that the girl in the pink dress below is, 6 or or 7?) is not justified. There is no reason why the kids can not be segregated and held in another part of the house (or outside) without the use of restraints.

Images like this will stay with that child *forever*, and it sure as hell won't win "hearts and minds" in either Iraq or the middle-east at large.

11-09-2003, 09:30 PM

c'mon, skunk, you'd have to be uninformed and naive as hell to think that hearts and minds is anything more than empty rhetoric. it's sposed to make the american people feel good, or at least ease their consciences, about what is being done in their name. but a real program of cultural closeness? laughable.

Timber Loftis · 11-10-2003, 01:17 AM

I disagree, Sultan, I think "hearts and minds" or a version thereof is laudible. Regardless of the reasons to go to war (questionable at best), I think we owe it to Iraqis to "explainify" democracy and self-government, as well as true freedom, in a way to make it accessible to them. Not everything in life is dictated by "do I have running water" (though that, too, is important). It is the ideal of self-determination we need to instill in the people of Iraq, and some inherently "get it" and some don't, as a dictator is all they've (some of them) known.

Caveat: I did not read all the links, but I promise I will.

10-31-2003, 02:25 AM	#2
Chewbacca Zartan Join Date: July 18, 2001 Location: America, On The Beautiful Earth Age: 50 Posts: 5,373	I almost find describing these peices of journalism as an 'interesting read' to be an understatment. IMO This is must read material for anyone who cares about what is happening in Iraq. __________________ Support Local Music and Record Stores! Got Liberty?

11-10-2003, 01:17 AM	#10
Timber Loftis 40th Level Warrior Join Date: July 11, 2002 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 11,916	I disagree, Sultan, I think "hearts and minds" or a version thereof is laudible. Regardless of the reasons to go to war (questionable at best), I think we owe it to Iraqis to "explainify" democracy and self-government, as well as true freedom, in a way to make it accessible to them. Not everything in life is dictated by "do I have running water" (though that, too, is important). It is the ideal of self-determination we need to instill in the people of Iraq, and some inherently "get it" and some don't, as a dictator is all they've (some of them) known. Caveat: I did not read all the links, but I promise I will. __________________

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10-30-2003, 09:43 PM	#1
Skunk Banned User Join Date: September 3, 2001 Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands Age: 62 Posts: 1,463	"Embedded reporting" was the media buzzword during the original invasion of Iraq, bringing juicy pictures of action and 'thrilling' audiences with tales of heroism, courage and success. But, when the battle was over the 'embedded reporters' returned to their comfortable newsdesks and hotels and forgot all about it. However, one journalist (Nir Rosen) returned and 'embedded' himself with the US 3rd Armoured Calvelry regiment. The result is a 5 part series of articles chronicalling their activities. It makes for an interesting read: 'This is the wild, wild west' "With the intel we've been getting, it's probably a house full of nuns," complains an acerbic First Sergeant Clinton Reiss. After a few minutes of banter the ride out into the rising sun is silent. Bandit troop is hunting an invisible enemy who shoots at the Americans daily. Back home at Fort Carson, Reiss's wife waits for him with their 13-year-old daughter who is angered by teachers who say the war is over. Why we are here Two-week-old copies of Stars and Stripes newspaper get passed around like porno. The US military authorized paper provides much of the soldiers' news, and they are not well informed about debate back home over the Bush administration's justifications for the war. Anyway, they don't have time to dwell on such things, but rather "believe, and hope, that our leaders sent us here for the right reasons". The locals "They hate us," the soldiers often say about the Iraqis they believe they liberated. And the soldiers get shot at whenever they enter the bleak townscapes of western Iraq. Yet not all the patrons of a cafe in the city of Subeida are bitter. They now have more freedom. But the word that is most often heard in discussions about the US occupation is "disrespect". Operation Decapitation One non-commissioned officer is surprised by the high number of prisoners Apache has taken. "Did they just arrest every man they found?" he asks, wondering whether "we just made another 300 people hate us". Three days after the operation, a dozen prisoners can be seen marching in a circle outside the detention center, surrounded by barbed wire. They are shouting "USA, USA!" over and over. "They were talkin' when we told 'em not to, so we made 'em talk somethin' we liked to hear," grins one of the soldiers guarding them. Another gestures up with his hands, letting them know they have to raise their voices. A first sergeant quips that the ones who are not guilty "will be guilty next time", after such treatment. The wrong Ayoub The soldiers of 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment are fighting a losing battle. Intelligence officers who cannot speak Arabic and are not familiar with Iraqi, Arab or Muslim culture, send them out on the basis of spurious information, and the troops in the field, despite their best intentions, end up creating enemies instead of eliminating them. Nir Rosen accompanies a frustrated Apache Troop, with their tanks, Bradleys and Humvees, on a mission to capture the not-so-deadly Ayoub.

11-02-2003, 07:51 AM	#3
Skunk Banned User Join Date: September 3, 2001 Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands Age: 62 Posts: 1,463	The pressure on occupying troops in Iraq is growing - not only have the Iraqi's figured out how to stop an M1 Abrams tank, but now they have brought down a Chinook causing the the loss of 13 lives . Meanwhile, we are told that progress is being made and 'not to worry'. Question is, who is making the progress? [ 11-03-2003, 09:48 AM: Message edited by: Skunk ]

11-09-2003, 08:26 PM	#8
Skunk Banned User Join Date: September 3, 2001 Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands Age: 62 Posts: 1,463	Al Jazeera has just broadcast and published a news article on the way that US troops tie up women and children during house searches. While I can understand the need for security during a house search, the need to use plastic handcuffs on a child of (how old would you say that the girl in the pink dress below is, 6 or or 7?) is not justified. There is no reason why the kids can not be segregated and held in another part of the house (or outside) without the use of restraints. Images like this will stay with that child forever, and it sure as hell won't win "hearts and minds" in either Iraq or the middle-east at large.

11-09-2003, 09:30 PM	#9
sultan Guest Posts: n/a	c'mon, skunk, you'd have to be uninformed and naive as hell to think that hearts and minds is anything more than empty rhetoric. it's sposed to make the american people feel good, or at least ease their consciences, about what is being done in their name. but a real program of cultural closeness? laughable.

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