WP: Army Chief of Staff Is Third Major Visitor to Troops in Iraq

[kskiska]

TIKRIT, Iraq, Dec. 26 -- Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, the Army's chief of staff, made a surprise visit to a small group of soldiers here at Forward Operating Base Danger and said in an interview that the war in Iraq was "going pretty well."

"Everybody I talk to has a balanced view and understands a challenge is ahead of us," Schoomaker said. "It's an important time. It's tough, it's a battle of wills, and we're going to stick with it."

In an unannounced visit, Schoomaker came to this city in northern Iraq late on Sunday and shared dinner with about two dozen soldiers who recently decided to reenlist. Schoomaker arrived at the base's mess hall after 7 p.m. to a band softly playing Christmas songs and soldiers eagerly awaiting to talk to him.

(snip)

Schoomaker, wearing the Army's newly designed all-purpose camouflage uniform, presented each of the soldiers he met with a commemorative command coin in the shape of a dog tag.

He said the dog tag symbolized "what armies are for. Armies are there to fight."

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27531-2004Dec26.html

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. Gee, I always thought the dog tags

were so they could ID you when you were dead. Merry Christmas, I suppose?

[TahitiNut]

5. Yup. They once had a notch in the edge ...

... so they wouldn't slip as you jammed them between the front teeth by slamming 'em with a rifle butt. (I still have my second set of dog tags. Unnotched. The first set were notched.)




Yes, they call this an 'urban myth.' I'm skeptical.

[Skittles]

7. supposedly that's not true

http://www.snopes.com/military/notch.asp

supposedly

[TahitiNut]

8. Did you miss my comment at the bottom?

:shrug: Like I say, I'm skeptical. With five uncles and a father in WW2 (father and 2 uncles in Pacific, 2 uncles in Europe, 1 in Iran), at least two of whom said this, I'm willing to give credence to the 'myth.' It's been about 35 years since they changed over to the notchless. In '61-'63 the 'myth' was regarded as fact at the USCGA when I had notched tags.

[tabasco]

2. This is the dummy Rummy had to pull out of retirement.

Not enough yes-men in the active ranks, so Rummy had to pull a spineless lapdog out of retirement. Very unusual.

I'm sure every decision Rummy makes, Schoomaker is there "great idea boss!"

Our soldiers are paying for this incompetence in blood.

[teryang]

6. Exactly!

The top Army leadership detested Rumsfeld and his amateurish and unrealistic notions of ground warfare. He couldn't find one general within the ranks that wanted to serve his outlandish plans.

[karlrschneider]

3. Shiny trinkets. How very fucking special.

:eyes:

[bemildred]

4. Full damage control mode, what with Dumbsfeldt stepping on his dick,

again, and soldiers being killed a dozen at atime in "secure" areas.

I suppose we may take this as an indicator of the state of morale too.
Handing out sheep in Sadr City and secret decoder rings to the troops.
I wonder what the "commemorative command coin" was made of? I
wonder where it was made?

[Historic NY]

9. Perhaps the C-in-C should go hang out on the front lines to help

improve the morale of the troops he keeps using up on a failed policy.