Thursday, June 23, 2005
Military RhetIraq: Troops Working with Iraq's Charlie Company
Who: US Troops; Sgt. Rick McGovern & First Lieutenant Kenrick Cato
Iraqi Troops: Private Amar Mana & Corporal Ahmed Zwayid
Source: Boston Globe
Quotes:
''We can't tell these guys [Iraqi Security Forces] about a lot of this stuff [where they are going on a mission] because we're not really sure who's good and who isn't," said Rick McGovern, 37, a tough-talking platoon sergeant from Hershey, Pa., who heads the military training for Charlie Company.
''We're handling everything with kid gloves because we're hoping the Iraqis are going to step up and start taking things on themselves," McGovern said. ''But they don't have a clue how to do it." Asked when he thought the Iraqi soldiers might be ready to operate independently, McGovern said: ''Honestly, there's part of me that says never. There's some cultural issues that I don't think they'll ever get through."
''I know the party line. You know, the Department of Defense, the US Army, five-star generals, four-star generals, President Bush, Donald Rumsfeld: the Iraqis will be ready in whatever time period," said First Lieutenant Kenrick Cato, 34, of Long Island, N.Y., the executive officer of McGovern's company. ''But from the ground, I can say with certainty they won't be ready before I leave," he said. ''And I know I'll be back in Iraq, probably in three or four years. And I don't think they'll be ready then."
"We don't want to take responsibility; we don't want it," said Amar Mana, 27, an Iraqi private. ''Here, no way. The way the situation is, we wouldn't be ready to take responsibility for a thousand years."
''We fire 10 bullets and it [issued AK47] falls apart," he [Corporal Ahmed Zwayid] said. Zwayid patted a heavy machine gun mounted in the bed of the Humvee. ''This jams," he said. ''Are these the weapons worthy of a soldier?" He and others said it was a sign of the US lack of confidence in them." "We trust the Americans. We go everywhere with them, we do what they ask," he said. ''But they don't trust us."
Iraqi Troops: Private Amar Mana & Corporal Ahmed Zwayid
Source: Boston Globe
Quotes:
''We can't tell these guys [Iraqi Security Forces] about a lot of this stuff [where they are going on a mission] because we're not really sure who's good and who isn't," said Rick McGovern, 37, a tough-talking platoon sergeant from Hershey, Pa., who heads the military training for Charlie Company.
''We're handling everything with kid gloves because we're hoping the Iraqis are going to step up and start taking things on themselves," McGovern said. ''But they don't have a clue how to do it." Asked when he thought the Iraqi soldiers might be ready to operate independently, McGovern said: ''Honestly, there's part of me that says never. There's some cultural issues that I don't think they'll ever get through."
''I know the party line. You know, the Department of Defense, the US Army, five-star generals, four-star generals, President Bush, Donald Rumsfeld: the Iraqis will be ready in whatever time period," said First Lieutenant Kenrick Cato, 34, of Long Island, N.Y., the executive officer of McGovern's company. ''But from the ground, I can say with certainty they won't be ready before I leave," he said. ''And I know I'll be back in Iraq, probably in three or four years. And I don't think they'll be ready then."
"We don't want to take responsibility; we don't want it," said Amar Mana, 27, an Iraqi private. ''Here, no way. The way the situation is, we wouldn't be ready to take responsibility for a thousand years."
''We fire 10 bullets and it [issued AK47] falls apart," he [Corporal Ahmed Zwayid] said. Zwayid patted a heavy machine gun mounted in the bed of the Humvee. ''This jams," he said. ''Are these the weapons worthy of a soldier?" He and others said it was a sign of the US lack of confidence in them." "We trust the Americans. We go everywhere with them, we do what they ask," he said. ''But they don't trust us."
