- The left leg of retired Colonel David Hackworth still
carries a bullet that he picked up while fighting in the Vietnam War. Wounded
a total of eight times, he claims to be America's most highly decorated
soldier, his chest weighed down by honours such as eight Purple Hearts,
nine Silver Stars and eight Bronze Stars.
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- While no-one doubts Colonel Hackworth's patriotism or
service to his country, there are plenty of people who do not appreciate
what he has to say about the United States' occupation of Iraq and the
way it was carried out. Donald Rumsfeld is likely to be among his critics:
Colonel Hackworth, 72, described the US Defence Secretary as "an arrogant
asshole".
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- It is not just his outspoken comments and personal invective
that have established the swaggering retired soldier as a persistent thorn
in the side of the Pentagon. It is also because he acts as a lightening
rod for the complaints and criticisms of soldiers on the ground, for the
lowly grunts and GIs whose comments would otherwise go largely unheard.
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- These complaints gain wide exposure on Colonel Hackworth's
two websites, www.hackworth.com and www.sftt.org. Entries may discuss subjects
ranging from shoddy food and badly performing equipment to a lack of ammunition.
He says he receives up to 2,000 such messages a week from troops whose
anonymity he scrupulously protects. His website currently carries a letter
from a veteran helicopter pilot, discussing the recent attack that brought
down two Black Hawk helicopters.
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- The veteran's self-chosen role as the Pentagon's harshest
critic and a powerful, uncensored source of what American soldiers are
experiencing on the ground has never been more important. In the aftermath
of America's worst month in Iraq, when 79 of its soldiers died, Col Hackworth
this week received an email from a "combat leader" involved in
the firefight in the city of Samarra in which US forces claimed to have
killed 54 attackers. Local people insisted that only eight people, mostly
civilians, had been killed.
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- In his email to Colonel Hackworth, who he has known for
eight years, the soldier with the 4th Infantry Division wrote of Sunday's
incident: "Hack, most of the casualties were civilians, not insurgents
or criminals as being reported."
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- He added: "We are probably turning many Iraqi against
us and I am afraid instead of climbing out of the hole, we are digging
ourselves in deeper."
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- Speaking from his home in Greenwich, Connecticut, the
white-haired veteran said yesterday of the man who sent the email: "I
have known this soldier for eight years, since he first came into the US
Army and I have watched him develop and have full confidence in the validity
of his report."
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- Colonel Hackworth's assessment of the discrepancy between
the body-count claimed by US forces and locals rests with the Pentagon's
alleged desire to portray a positive view about a situation most independent
observers believe is spiralling into chaos. "It's the nature of the
beast," he said. "You try and paint the greatest face on it.
It happens in every war... in Vietnam it became an art form."
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- He said the units involved in any firefight drew up an
assessment themselves of what happened and how many of the enemy were killed.
"It's like students grading their own papers," he said. "If
you're a commander, are you going to say I was a dumb shit and we used
too much firepower and we killed a load of civilians, or are you going
to say that because of your brilliant command... we killed 54 insurgents?
You don't get promoted by striking-out.
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- "You get promoted by hitting a home run, even if
it's a mythical home run. During Vietnam there were lots of mythical home
runs."
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- The email from the battle commander has placed Colonel
Hackworth at the centre of one of the most controversial incidents in Iraq
since President Bush announced an end to major hostilities at the beginning
of May. Despite numerous eye-witness accounts to the contrary, a spokesman
for the 4th Infantry Division has stood by its claim of having killed 54
insurgents.
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- Most newspapers and media organisations have been forced
to retract initial reports that relied on the United States' claim about
the number killed.
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- "In an incident like this we have an initial assessment,
followed by more detailed assessments," the division's spokesman,
Lt Col Bill MacDonald, told reporters. "At this time we do not know
of any civilian casualties in the attack on our convoy. We are very confident
of our assessment. Commanders are responsible for providing timely, accurate
information."
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- As well as being the author of two best-selling books
about the US military, Colonel Hackworthhas written magazine articles and
appeared as a television pundit. He has long had a reputation for speaking
out. As long ago as 1971, when he was a serving officer, he said of the
war in Vietnam: "This is a bad war... it can't be won."
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- This has led him to be criticised by some veterans and
others, particularly during the war in Iraq when he criticised the Pentagon's
plan for the invasion as being too "light" and called for Mr
Rumsfeld to be fired.
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- "Hackworth is a washed-up windbag who can continue
making love in guest appearances with [chat show host] Larry King,"
wrote one critic. "That way, we know no one is watching. I salute
him for his service, but he is toast."
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- Others choose to mock his exploits and macho-style of
writing and reporting. In his book Hazardous Duty, which details his exploits
as a war reporter for Newsweek Magazine, he records one soldier saying
to him: "Goddamn. You're Colonel Hackworth. You're the hot shit dude
who tells it like it is."
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- John Rees, editor of the Armed Forces Journal, whose
readership is made up primarily of military personnel, said some people
tried to dismiss the colonel. But he added: "In the scheme of things
he serves a purpose for some of our younger troops, and when he speaks
he is listened to."
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- Samarra: Soldier's e-mail Devastates Pentagon's Account
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- "The convoy which was attacked while driving through
Samarra was not a supply convoy as reported, but was carrying large amounts
of new Iraqi currency to stock local Iraqi banks and US greenbacks used
to pay for goods and services the US forces need to accomplish their missions
in Iraq. This convoy was heavily guarded by Abrams Tanks and Bradley Fighting
Vehicles. It was akin to a huge Brinks Truck delivery.
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- The reports of 54 enemy killed will sound great on the
home front, but the greater story is much more disturbing and needs to
be told to the American Public. When we received the first incoming rounds,
all I could think of was how the hell did the Iraqis (most of these attackers
being criminals, not insurgents) find out about this shipment? This was
not broadcast on the local news, but Iraqi police knew about it. Bing,
Bing Bing, You do the math.
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- Of greater importance in the scale of the attack and
the co-ordination of the two operations. Iraqi Rebel Guerrilla Units elements
still retain the ability to conduct synchronized operations despite the
massive overwhelming firepower 'Iron Hammer' offensive this month.
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- Hack, most of the casualties were civilians, not insurgents
or criminals ... During the ambushes the tanks, brads and armored Humvees
hosed down houses, buildings, and cars while using reflexive fire against
the attackers. One of the precepts of 'Iron Hammer' is to use an Iron Fist
when dealing with the insurgents. As the division spokesman is telling
the press, we are responding with overwhelming firepower and are taking
the fight to the enemy. The response to these well co-ordinated ambushes
was as one would expect. The convoy continued to move, shooting at ANY
target that appeared to be a threat. RPG [rocket-propelled grenade] fire
from a house, the tank destroys the house with main gun fire and hoses
the area down with 7.62 and 50cal MG fire. Rifle fire from an alley, the
brads fire up the alley and fire up the surrounding buildings with 7.62mm
and 25mm HE rounds. This was actually a rolling firefight through the entire
town.
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- The ROE [rules of engagement] under 'Iron Fist' is such
that the US soldiers are to consider buildings, homes, cars to be hostile
if enemy fire is received from them (regardless of who else is inside).
It seems to many of us this is more an act of desperation ... We really
don't know if we kill anyone, because we don't stick around to find out
... the logic is to respond to attacks using our superior firepower to
kill the rebel insurgents. This is done in many cases knowing that there
are people inside these buildings or cars who may not be connected to the
insurgents.
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- The belief in superior firepower as a counter-insurgency
tactic is then extended down to the average Iraqi, with the hope that the
Iraqis will not support the guerrillas and turn them in to coalition forces,
knowing we will blow the hell out of their homes or towns if they don't.
Of course in too many cases, if the insurgents bait us and goad us into
leveling buildings and homes, the people inside will then hate us (even
if they did not before) and we have created more recruits for the guerrillas.
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- The Commander of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, Colonel
Frederick Rudesheim, said after this battle that 'We are going to continue
to take the fight to this enemy. This is the most significant contact we
have had to date in the city of Samarra. We are going to have to respond
accordingly.'
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- This is a great attitude for a combat commander to have
when fighting an armored force, but Colonel Rudesheim is not trained in
Counter-Insurgency and my soldiers are taking the heat. We drive around
in convoys, blast the hell out of the area, break down doors and search
buildings; but the guerrillas continue to attack us. It does not take a
George Patton to see we are using the wrong tactics ... Much of Samarra
is fairly well shot up. The tanks and brads rolled over parked cars and
fired up buildings where we believed the enemy was. This must be expected
considering the field of vision is limited ... Not all the people in this
town were hostile, but we did see many people firing from rooftops or alleys
that looked like civilians, not the Feddayeen reported in the press. I
even saw Iraqi people throwing stones at us, I told my soldiers to hold
their fire unless they could indentfy [sic] a real weapon.
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- Since we did not stick around to find out, I am very
concerned in the coming days we will find we killed many civilians as well
as Iraqi irregular fighters. I would feel great if all the people we killed
were all enemy guerrillas, but I can't say that. We are probably turning
many Iraqi against us and I am afraid instead of climbing out of the hole,
we are digging ourselves in deeper."
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- http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=470213
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