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05/24/2004: The last word....
on the conservative belief that to criticize the war is to fail to support the troops. From Gen. Anthony Zinni:
Zinni, who now teaches international relations at the College of William and Mary, says he feels a responsibility to speak out, just as former Marine Corps Commandant David Shoup voiced early concerns about the Vietnam war nearly 40 years ago.
“It is part of your duty. Look, there is one statement that bothers me more than anything else. And that's the idea that when the troops are in combat, everybody has to shut up. Imagine if we put troops in combat with a faulty rifle, and that rifle was malfunctioning, and troops were dying as a result,” says Zinni.
“I can't think anyone would allow that to happen, that would not speak up. Well, what's the difference between a faulty plan and strategy that's getting just as many troops killed? It’s leading down a path where we're not succeeding and accomplishing the missions we've set out to do.”
Len on 05.24.04 @ 12:12 PM CST
Replies: 1 comment
on Monday, May 24th, 2004 at 11:22 PM CST, bryan@dumka.com">Bryan said
During the "unpleasantness" in Southest Asia we used to haul in cartons of Hoppe cleaning solution and oil for M-16s. They apparently don't like the desert any better, even though they have been limited to 3-round bursts from full-auto that was available in 'Nam.
If the military doesn't go public, nobody knows.