Sunday, May 02, 2004
Iraqi prison torture: "Resourceful networking" by mercenaries threatens the lives ot the troops
As the blogosphere knows, the essential Billmon has published the online diary of a mercenary interrogator, one Joe Ryan, cached here (Hmmm.... Wonder for how long?)
Leaving out the golf, here's one vignette from a typical day in the life of a mercenary:
Thing is, that "LRS guys" seem to be military vehicle maintainers. So these are military HumVees, and, as we know, there aren't enough of those to go around. In fact, twenty percent of US combat deaths are due to lack of armored vehicles.
So, in Iraq today, armored HumVees are a zero sum game. If the mercenaries get one, soldiers don't. I wonder if any of the troops, who weren't so "resourceful in their networking" as Scott and Joe, got killed in an unarmored vehicle so Scott and Joe could have their "uneventful" trip?
If you had a son or daughter or husband or wife serving in the military, how would you feel about Scott and Joe?
NOTE Readers, I hope I've gotten the "LRS" acronym right. The diary doesn't expand the acronym. Reading it top to bottom, it still looks like the HumVee is a military vehicle. And even if it isn't, it should be. Who comes first? The troops or the mercenaries?
UPDATE The essential Billmon also has the interesting speculation that Israeli intelligence is deeply involved in what is starting to look like dirty war in Iraq (citing Hersh, the LA Times, Time, and the Guardian). Now that is a PR catastrophe in the making, eh?
Leaving out the golf, here's one vignette from a typical day in the life of a mercenary:
Today we had to make a run to BIAP/Camp Victory. Since we have gotten in good with the LRS guys, they loaned us an up-armored Hummer to make the run. The Marines who serve and the convoy escorts/big guns, were teasing us because Scott and I have been very resourceful in our networking and are better armed than the average traveling vehicle. The trip down and back was thankfully uneventful.
Thing is, that "LRS guys" seem to be military vehicle maintainers. So these are military HumVees, and, as we know, there aren't enough of those to go around. In fact, twenty percent of US combat deaths are due to lack of armored vehicles.
So, in Iraq today, armored HumVees are a zero sum game. If the mercenaries get one, soldiers don't. I wonder if any of the troops, who weren't so "resourceful in their networking" as Scott and Joe, got killed in an unarmored vehicle so Scott and Joe could have their "uneventful" trip?
If you had a son or daughter or husband or wife serving in the military, how would you feel about Scott and Joe?
NOTE Readers, I hope I've gotten the "LRS" acronym right. The diary doesn't expand the acronym. Reading it top to bottom, it still looks like the HumVee is a military vehicle. And even if it isn't, it should be. Who comes first? The troops or the mercenaries?
UPDATE The essential Billmon also has the interesting speculation that Israeli intelligence is deeply involved in what is starting to look like dirty war in Iraq (citing Hersh, the LA Times, Time, and the Guardian). Now that is a PR catastrophe in the making, eh?
