Australian troops want to see real action in Iraq

DuH2 · #1 (**permalink**) 05-27-2008, 12:14 AM

Quote:

[SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian infantry troops are ashamed of their "second rate" role in Iraq and Afghanistan and want to see combat as well as protection and reconstruction roles, according to an army major who served in Iraq.

In an article titled "We Were Soldiers Once" in the latest edition of the Australian Army Journal, Major Jim Hammett, who served in Iraq, Somalia, East Timor, and Tonga, said some infantry soldiers were ashamed of wearing the Australian uniform.

"The restrictions placed on deployed elements as a result of force protection and national policies have, at times, made infantrymen ashamed of wearing their Australian uniform and regimental badge," Hammett wrote.

"(They) have resulted in the widespread perception that our army is plagued by institutional cowardice."

In a second article in the journal, Captain Greg Colton, second-in-command of Sydney's 3rd battalion, said troop morale had deteriorated because infantry were kept away from frontlines like "downtown Baghdad, Basra and Helmand province."

"There is a growing sense of frustration within the ranks of the infantry that regular infantry units are only receiving perceived second-rate operational taskings," wrote Colton.

Australia is a staunch U.S. ally and was one of the first to commit troops to the Iraq war. But it placed only special forces on the ground, not infantry, as well as supplying support forces, ships and aircraft.

Australia has almost 4,000 soldiers, sailors and air crews serving overseas, in Iraq, Afghanistan and seven other deployments. But it has only 500 frontline troops in Iraq, which it will withdraw later in 2008 and whose main role is force protection and training, and 300 special forces in Afghanistan.

Australia's former conservative prime minister, John Howard, who committed troops to Iraq and Afghanistan, said Australia's military contribution to the U.S.-led war on terror was crucial and any troop withdrawal would be a sign of defeat.

But Hammett said frontline troops dismiss Howard's claim.

"At the coalface ... such sentiments are dismissed as political rhetoric, as serving members from the United States, Britain and Canada lay their lives on the line in support of their governments objectives whilst the Australian infantry appear to do little more than act as interested spectators ...," he wrote.

The government policy of using special forces only for combat and keeping the infantry away from the fighting had exposed Australian troops to "near contempt" from other allied soldiers serving in Iraq, said Hammett, who interviewed infantry troops.

"In the opinion of many infantrymen, the lauding of their contributions to recent operations does not ring true," he said.

"The ongoing inaction (in Iraq) ... has resulted in collective disdain and at times near contempt by personnel from other contributing nations for the publicity-shrouded yet force protected Australian troops."

Hammett, now studying at the Australian Command and Staff College in Canberra, said Australia's infantry, which makes up about a third of the army's combat forces, had not been assigned major offensive actions since the Vietnam War.

In contrast, the United States, Britain and Canada which contribute the bulk of foreign troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, are using infantry troops for combat operations.

Hammett said a constant question being asked in Australian barracks and messes is: "Why, in an era of global operations and unity of purpose against common enemies, are Australian infantrymen conspicuously absent from the fighting, whilst our allies are engaging in sustained combat operations?

"Today's Australian soldiers have been imbued with the proud history of their forebears, their fighting spirit, their tenacity, their battle honors," wrote Hammett. "The infantrymen of today want to be proud of their own actions."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080527/...alia_troops_dc

Rather stinging rebuttal of the send some people to look good but don't let them fight mentality.

CrusaderRabbit08 · #2 (**permalink**) 05-27-2008, 12:54 AM

Quote:

Hammett said a constant question being asked in Australian barracks and messes is: "Why, in an era of global operations and unity of purpose against common enemies, are Australian infantrymen conspicuously absent from the fighting, whilst our allies are engaging in sustained combat operations?

This idiot major has some kind of a death wish. If I was in a combat unit, I'd welcome the chance to never see fighting. If he's so gung ho to see action, why doesn't he become one of those Blackwater mercenaries? Hell, they'll let him shoot anything that moves.

DuH2 · #3 (**permalink**) 05-27-2008, 01:11 AM

No he's a soldier.
He's also voicing the opinion of many Australian soldiers not just himself.

If you don't undertand his/their sentiment then you have likely never been in a unit thats focus was to fight.

CrusaderRabbit08 · #4 (**permalink**) 05-27-2008, 02:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DuH2

No he's a soldier.
He's also voicing the opinion of many Australian soldiers not just himself.

If you don't undertand his/their sentiment then you have likely never been in a unit thats focus was to fight.

I was a soldier too, so that first line doesn't fly. And I do understand the sentiment; I think it's whacked out. I always avoided those gung-ho types when I was in.

FTR, I never served in a field unit, nor did I ever have a desire to do so. Once I received notification that I would be transfered to a field unit and I managed to get out of it before the orders were cut. Another time, I actually received orders for transfer to a field unit and I pulled strings and had those orders rescinded. Playing GI Joe was not why I joined the Army.

DuH2 · #5 (**permalink**) 05-27-2008, 03:05 AM

Well then no you do not really understand their sentiment.

I cannot really explain it to you becasue you have a very base view of what they are feeling.

I'll just say...

I was in the military too. Never went to war but I did the same thing these guys do. To go to war and sit on your ass for all intents while your Allies go off to fight the enemy you where sent there to fight is embarassing. It does not instill confidence or anyhting. It makes them feel empty I guess is a way to put it.

I don't expect you to understand as you clearly do not understand them at all as you made abundantly clear.

As mentioned in the article-

Quote:

"There is a growing sense of frustration within the ranks of the infantry that regular infantry units are only receiving perceived second-rate operational taskings"

ABoyNamedSue · #6 (**permalink**) 05-27-2008, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrusaderRabbit08

This idiot major has some kind of a death wish. If I was in a combat unit, I'd welcome the chance to never see fighting.

John Kerry? Is that you???

Herkdriver · #7 (**permalink**) 05-27-2008, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrusaderRabbit08

I was a soldier too, so that first line doesn't fly. And I do understand the sentiment; I think it's whacked out. I always avoided those gung-ho types when I was in.

FTR, I never served in a field unit, nor did I ever have a desire to do so. Once I received notification that I would be transfered to a field unit and I managed to get out of it before the orders were cut. Another time, I actually received orders for transfer to a field unit and I pulled strings and had those orders rescinded. Playing GI Joe was not why I joined the Army.

So why did you enlist then?

I commend the Aussies for having an ethos of not wanting to run from the challenges of combat.

Makedde · #8 (**permalink**) 05-28-2008, 08:36 PM

I only heard about this last night, appraently our troops aren't doing much fighting over there and want to get a bit more down and dorty, so to speak.
I commend them for having the courage to speak out, I can't imagine myself being so brave.

CrusaderRabbit08 · #9 (**permalink**) 05-28-2008, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Herkdriver

So why did you enlist then?

Is everyone in the military in a front line unit? Haven't you ever heard of support units?

I joined to be a medic and to work in hospitals; not field units.

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