Troops in combat

[Vroom_C14]

So Obama (in 2010) says -
President Obama tonight delivered his second nationally-televised Oval Office address to herald the end of U.S. military combat operations in Iraq and to remind the American people of his pledge to bring the warto a close.

"Operation Iraqi Freedom is over," the president said. "The Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country. This was my pledge to the American people as a candidate for this office."

Mr. Obama's address, seven and a half years after President George W. Bush launched a U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, cast the milestone as a sign that America can prevail in the face of stiff economic challenges at home and fierce fighting abroad in Afghanstan.
"This milestone should serve as a reminder to all Americans that the future is ours to shape if we move forward with confidence and commitment," Obama said

Yet our commanders on the ground say -
The Pentagon conceded Wednesday that U.S. troops are in combat in Iraq after days of dancing around the characterization following the first death of U.S. service member in the campaign againstISIS.

"We're in combat," Army Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters Wednesday. "I mean, of course, this is a combat zone. There's a war going on in Iraq, if folks haven't noticed. And we're here and it's all around us."

The comments came after Master Sgt. Joshua L. Wheeler was killed last week in a raid to free hostages held by ISIS. They are in stark contrast to President Barack Obama's insistence last summer that "American forces will not be returning to combat in Iraq" while announcing the decision to assist Iraqis fighting ISIS.

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter also acknowledged later Wednesday that "there are American troops in combat every day" in Iraq, but he hedged his statement by saying that the overall U.S. role in Iraq is not to carry out a combat mission. Rather, he said, the U.S. mission to train and support local forces that does involve a combat aspect.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/29/politics/iraq-isis-military-combat/index.html

So according to this - Obama used his washable crayola's again to draw a line to only have it disappear again with the blowing sand. Simply put, he is a liar.

 

[thewop]

The only thing surprising is that it took someone this long to say anything. I believe I posted back in February that my brother-in-law (Army, Major) told us he was going outside the wire nearly every day in Iraq. he returned home about a month ago, and I hope he stays home for a while. For the record, he's not special forces, he was a "trainer/adviser."

It's a wasteland there. I think we either need to be all in, or all out. At this point all we're doing is sending our guys in there under-equipped and under-manned, with Iraqi forces who don't believe they can win (and they're up front about that).

 

[Vroom_C14]

The only thing surprising is that it took someone this long to say anything. I believe I posted back in February that my brother-in-law (Army, Major) told us he was going outside the wire nearly every day in Iraq. he returned home about a month ago, and I hope he stays home for a while. For the record, he's not special forces, he was a "trainer/adviser."

It's a wasteland there. I think we either need to be all in, or all out. At this point all we're doing is sending our guys in there under-equipped and under-manned, with Iraqi forces who don't believe they can win (and they're up front about that).

My cousin has been deployed 7 times (3 Iraq and 4 Afg)- his unit is getting ready for their 8th (to Iraq) after Xmas. They have done "active advising roles" as he calls them, essentially they advise the Iraq\Kurds while doing missions.

The Kurds they train are very good fighters, the Iraqis - not so much but getting better. They are out-manned on nearly every mission but still manage to return base in one piece with minimal medical needs.