02 Apr 2003 20:10:33 GMT
US Troops resent derogatory labels
By Peter Kincaid
Basara, Iraq, April 2 (Reuters) - PFC Desmond Morgan is with the 101st Airborne Division’s 3rd Brigade surrounding Basra in southern Iraq and has the unenviable task of manning a checkpoint that is frequently used by Iraqi civilians. A sea of humanity swarms around this station and it is a sea that is fraught with extreme danger for the young soldier.
“We have no way of knowing who’s with us and who’s against us, they all dress like civilians” says Morgan, wiping sweat off his brow in the sweltering desert heat. “Sometimes we have to just shoot into the crowd and hope for the best.”
As if to demonstrate, Morgan suddenly raises his weapon and fires several rounds over the heads of the terrified civilians, who throw themselves violently into the hot sand.
“Good thing I didn’t ‘miss’” he says, with more than a hint of sarcasm in his voice
Morgan represents a chillingly common attitude amongst US troops in light of devastating and demoralizing suicide and guerrilla attacks on his unit in recent days. 17 American soldiers have been wounded or killed by Iraqi soldiers using various unconventional tactics against the occupying coalition forces.
Earlier, Morgan was witnessed firing his weapon randomly into a crowd of horrified Iraqi civilians causing several injuries and deaths.
“Saddam made me do it” said an unrepentant Morgan, who took under 10 seconds to place a fresh clip in his weapon and take aim and fire at an elderly Iraqi woman. “She could be Uday for all I know”, referring to one of Saddam Hussein’s sons, known to be a master of disguise.
When informed that several of his victims were, in fact, young children who posed no threat whatsoever to the heavily armed coalition forces, Morgan grinned sheepishly and pushed his kevlar helmet back. “Heck, don’t go calling me a ‘babykiller’ now,…either you’re with us or you’re against us!”
In fact, the chillingly accurate epithets of “murderer” and “babykiller” upset the troops surrounding this ancient city. The troops feel that attaching these provocative terms to their necessary duties merely clouds an otherwise clear situation
“Saddam wouldn’t leave, therefore we got some killin’ to do” said one marine. “Heck, if we weren’t liberatin’ them, they’d be developin’ weapons of mass destruction and shit”
"When in doubt, do it!" Fatty Arbuckle
US Troops resent derogatory labels
By Peter Kincaid
Basara, Iraq, April 2 (Reuters) - PFC Desmond Morgan is with the 101st Airborne Division’s 3rd Brigade surrounding Basra in southern Iraq and has the unenviable task of manning a checkpoint that is frequently used by Iraqi civilians. A sea of humanity swarms around this station and it is a sea that is fraught with extreme danger for the young soldier.
“We have no way of knowing who’s with us and who’s against us, they all dress like civilians” says Morgan, wiping sweat off his brow in the sweltering desert heat. “Sometimes we have to just shoot into the crowd and hope for the best.”
As if to demonstrate, Morgan suddenly raises his weapon and fires several rounds over the heads of the terrified civilians, who throw themselves violently into the hot sand.
“Good thing I didn’t ‘miss’” he says, with more than a hint of sarcasm in his voice
Morgan represents a chillingly common attitude amongst US troops in light of devastating and demoralizing suicide and guerrilla attacks on his unit in recent days. 17 American soldiers have been wounded or killed by Iraqi soldiers using various unconventional tactics against the occupying coalition forces.
Earlier, Morgan was witnessed firing his weapon randomly into a crowd of horrified Iraqi civilians causing several injuries and deaths.
“Saddam made me do it” said an unrepentant Morgan, who took under 10 seconds to place a fresh clip in his weapon and take aim and fire at an elderly Iraqi woman. “She could be Uday for all I know”, referring to one of Saddam Hussein’s sons, known to be a master of disguise.
When informed that several of his victims were, in fact, young children who posed no threat whatsoever to the heavily armed coalition forces, Morgan grinned sheepishly and pushed his kevlar helmet back. “Heck, don’t go calling me a ‘babykiller’ now,…either you’re with us or you’re against us!”
In fact, the chillingly accurate epithets of “murderer” and “babykiller” upset the troops surrounding this ancient city. The troops feel that attaching these provocative terms to their necessary duties merely clouds an otherwise clear situation
“Saddam wouldn’t leave, therefore we got some killin’ to do” said one marine. “Heck, if we weren’t liberatin’ them, they’d be developin’ weapons of mass destruction and shit”
"When in doubt, do it!" Fatty Arbuckle
on a bull, utterly useless."
