Michael Yon - I saw this massacre coming

[dilbert firestorm]

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012...murder-victims

[pantsontheground]

Shooting is inefficient. Why don't they just carpet bomb the entire middle east? Problem solved.

[LovingKayla]

Every solider I know says the same thing.

[joe bloe]

Originally Posted by pantsontheground

Shooting is inefficient. Why don't they just carpet bomb the entire middle east? Problem solved.

What we need to do is tell the Islamists that Israel is giving up. Have all the Jews in Israel completely evacuate. Move them all to America.

Then use nuetron bombs on the entire region. Nuetron bombs kill with radiation; they kill people but don't damage buildings. After all the Islamists are dead, move the Jews back in to Israel. Except now, the borders of Israel have been expanded to contain all the adjoining countries which are now depopulated.

Problem solved. Of course I'm kidding, but part of me does find the idea appealing.

[JD Barleycorn]

I'm thinking that we send over the swine squadron lead by General Maxwell (the Geico pig). We carpet bomb the muslims with pork. The muslims have to leave as the area is forever tainted and the non-muslims get to eat well.

Seriouly, the democratic and to a lesser extent the GOP have complained about how stretched our military has become but I did not see anyone of note trying to expand our military. Someone did the numbers of combat time seen during each of our wars. In World War II the combat time was about 180 days and a soldier did not see home for about 2 years or until the war was over. In Iraq and Afghanistan soldiers have seen combat approaching 1,000 days and even after a wound they can look forward to going back. Even our bombers had a mission limit during World War II. The idea of being a sitting duck while people on the ground shoot at you has to affect the nerves and mission performance. So after 35, then 45, then 50 missions you were rotated out of the war zone.

[dilbert firestorm]

is the army having retention problems necessitating longer deployments? or are they not properly rotating units out. I'm thinking this is poor managment. I've run across some comments where units never served in either Iraq or afghan theaters.

[Iaintliein]

I don't think it's just the number of deployments. These men and women are given an absolutely impossible job; build a nation where none has ever existed, of people who don't want one, for a regime that hates us. Then they're told to do it almost literally with hands tied.

I never thought I'd be in favor of "Cap and Trade" but that's the only alternative I can support vs just leaving them to their own devices. . . Cap Karzai and trade him for a friendly.

[CuteOldGuy]

I have an idea. Let's only send our soldiers to war on several conditions: 1. War is actually declared by Congress, 2. It's a war we want to win, 3. Victory is defined before we send anyone into harm's way, and 4. We intend to end the war as quickly as possible, using all means at our disposal to minimize American casualties.

The reason they are despondent is that there is no reason to be there.