Our blogs about
America's Wars
War on Iraq
War on Drugs
War on Afghanistan
War on Columbia
War on Philippines
War on Venezuela

MORE
Matrix Masters
Blogs
World Events
Katrina's Aftermath
US News
Bush Crime Family News
Science & Health
Earth News
Free Speech
News from Africa
News from Palestine
Bill of Rights Under Attack

Support Bloggers' Rights!

Lorenzo's
Random Musings
. . . about Chaos,
Reason, and Hope

Al Jazeera (English)
    Baghdad Burning Blog (by Riverbend, an Iraqi civilian girl)
            Dahr Jamail's Blog from Baghdad
                Imad Khadduri's blog "Free Iraq" (scroll down for English version)

Iraqi Civilian Deaths ... caused by Bush's unprovoked war

 

We're losing guys left and right
(Fisnik Abrashi, Associated Press, October 19, 2004)
At this Marine base, at the far west of the restless Anbar province only miles from the Syrian border, the news spreads quickly. . . . "We are losing guys left and right," says Cpl. Cody King, 20, of Phoenix, not hiding his anger. "All we are doing around here is getting blown up." . . . Most of the incidents these days, in this land of endless desert, dried-up river beds and winding dirt roads, include 155 mm artillery shells, mines and other sorts of crude homemade bombs. They make the Marines' enemy faceless and only heighten the feeling of vulnerability. The armor at their disposal is in short supply. . . . King and his fellow Marines from the weapons company of the 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, spoke between patrols, huddled together and sifting through their log book, venting their anger and frustration. They never talked of fear. . . . Among other things their green leather bound book lists are the number of times their company has been hit by homemade bombs since they arrived in the country two months ago. Also listed in book, in fine, careful print, are the names of those who were killed or wounded during those incidents. . . . On Sept. 3, a thunderous blast from a homemade bomb ripped through a group of Marines providing security for engineers repairing a bridge over the Euphrates River, near the town of Ubayd. . . . Four were killed and three were wounded. King escaped unscathed. . . . In recent months, Marine fatalities have exceeded Army deaths -- even though the Army has at least three times as many troops in Iraq. . . . "After you lose so many Marines, you just keep fighting to stay alive," says King, the son of a Vietnam veteran. . . . But for some of the Marines, lack of armor, few vehicles and too restrictive rules of engagement are partly to blame. . . . "We need more armor, more vehicles and more bodies," says King. . . . "All we are doing is getting Americans killed and we cannot do much about it," says King. The other marines in the room nod in approval. . . . Sgt. Ryan Hall, 27, says that a "50-50" chance of getting hurt or killed on patrol is a good bet among his troops. As he walks outside the compound, the Abilene, Texas, resident points to the damage that company vehicles have suffered. There are cracks in the armored windshield of their Humvees from flying shrapnel. There are also holes on the back and damage to its side. . . . Shortly after darkness fell in this distant base, another sound of the helicopter signaled what they all knew. . . . "You do not know whether he will survive," King says. . . . That night, only one made it. A suicide car bomber had rammed into their patrol near the town of Qaim. Two soldiers and one Marine died.

posted by LoZo 11:38 AM