Why are we geting a butt beating from the Insurgents?

Question

7 troops were killed today and many more wounded. How can this be? We are so powerful. Anyone have any idea how defeat will taste? Just ask a Vietnam vet. They ate a lot of defeat.

Answer 1

Our troops in Iraq are even more hamstrung than they were in Vietnam. This is the problem of trying to conduct a more "humane" war...and one with cameras everywhere.

We will continue to build casualties until we finally leave.

Answer 2

Hate to burst your bubble...but the reason we are getting our asses kicked is because our ground troops are some of the worst in the world. America's military might lies with our Navy and Air Force. We control the seas and the skies, but guess what? Iraq is a desert and we've already done our bombing runs(which did what they were supposed to do-destroy the central government of Saddam Hussein). This is the reason why we got our asses handed to us in the Vietnam war and the Bay of Pigs. I think the biggest reason our ground troops aren't succeeding is simply because we don't do enough of all of that "morally wrong" stuff that's being so heavily preached against since the Abu Gharib prison scandal thing. America is too "ethical" when it comes to war. We're fighting a war against people who would rather fire-bomb an entire town full of civillians then fight hand-to-hand with a soldier, and that's precisely why they're winning. We have remorse, we are humane. War isn't humane, and no amount of hippie-bitching is going to change that. We would have been in and out of that place in months had our orders simply been "Ok, we're going to drop you off here-you're going to march into the nearest town, kill everyone, and then move on to the next town and repeat until you meet another group of Americans. GO!" But we can't do that because we're civilized.

Answer 3

I Don't know if it could rightly be called a butt beating, for one thing. In other wars the US has been, casualty lists of a couple thousand could be generated in minutes, rather than years. Yes, it is unfortunate that US servicemembers are dying there, and I have the highest sympathy for their families, but it's hardly a butt-beating. Now, here are some things to think about on the subject. For starters, if one aims to kill US military personnel in Iraq, many of them look different from the locals, and wear uniforms, and tend to operate in large groups. Let's face it, our boys are easier to spot thn the iinsurgents, who dress in street clothes and blend in with the populace. Additionally, our forces make a serious attempt at avoiding harm to innocent bystanders. The insurgents really don't care about this. Much of the violence in Iraq doesn't even have a thing to do with the US, it's against other Iraqis. It's Kurd versus Shiite versus Sunni and throw in a few different factions among that lot and things just get messy. The thing is, the bad guys don't care if they wipe out folks who aren't even trying to be in the fight. Yes, it's true that sometimes our guys, through ignorance or wrong-headedness, cause collateral damage, too. Have you noticed that when our boys do that it tends to become news and they get in trouble? That's because, while it is warfare, and war is an ugly thing that hurts civilians, it is not our policy to wage war on the innocent. The insurgents deliberately wage war on the innocent. Lastly, the US military has trained and organized for decades with a completely different sort of threat in mind than what is faced in Iaq today. Against a regular, modern force similar to our own, our forces will be better trained, better led, and better equipped than anyone fielding an army in this world. Remember, back in '03 (and also in the First Gulf War) when we faced forces similar to our own, we excelled. That's what we've trained for, what we're good at. There's the bad guys, let's go hurt 'em. Our very excellence in conventional warfare is the reason those who oppose us must turn to insurgency and terrorism to advance their causes.

Answer 4

Because the USA attacked the wrong country.
The USA should have allied itself with Saddam and put Iran out of business. All those Persians should have their Nuclear toys taken away from them and sent back to making their beautiful handmade rugs that are a benefit to mankind. So now, the USA is fighting a losing war and still facing the Nuclear threat from Iran and its ally North Korea. Up the creek without a paddle!!

Answer 5

Becaue you cannot woin a war oin a country that the emeny has the siuppport of the majotiy of th popuilation laql viet nam .
theyhide in homes then say thbIUS is killing oinocents as the attack uss from the hoems of the so called oincent what are pour troopssiupposed top od nothing letthe insurgetns lillthem
Yes thebwar was statigic and tactical blinder we attaked the wrong nation
Bush should have attacked Iran not Iraq .
they have WMDs andare te sourece of moist Isalmofacist terror

Answer 6

Something called asymmetric or 4G (4th generation) warfare.

Just like the British redcoat army got its butt kicked when they fought the minutement in our Revolutionary War, insurgents don't fight according to established rules of warfare.

In Iraq, they don't wear uniforms, so they look like ordinary citizens. They hide among women and children. They fight behind houses and keep their munitions inside of mosques (traditonal war rules respect hospitals and churches as off-limits.) They use Red Crescent vehicles to move their fighters around the city.

The US Army and Marines, being the most capable military in the world, have no choice but to fight according to international rules of warfare. They wear uniforms to identify themselves from civilians. They travel in armored vehicles, not in Red Cross trucks. They fight in the open, not inside civilian facilities like restaurants or shops.

For that reason, the US military must be somewhat restrained in how it responds, and take the higher level of casualties. It would be easy to drop BLU-82 Daisycutter bombs all over Baghdad, but the world outcry would be defeaning.

This is a very difficult war to fight, and it is going to require new tactics for fighting. By the way, the Israeli Defense Forces have the same challenges fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon.

I am not taking any sides - I am just describing the situation.

Answer 7

I think U are asking a very relevent question. I have met Arabs and they are MEAN motherfukkers and in business they are NOT to be trusted. ALot of them will screw you and if you think I'm racist towards them,,,well IM NOT. I think that being mean has helped them survive the harsh climate they are from, so they are born tough. That toughness along with a natural sworn enemy.. The Jews, along with a religious fervour means they can kick ***. Remember, they Know the US and Britain are run by many a Jewish banker, and to the Arab they are just fighting the same enemy. Unfurtunately little danny Hickman from South Carlolina is the boy sent to get the RPG..

Answer 8

When the US completed its invasion of Iraq and George Bush declared "Mission Accomplished!", US troops found a Iraqi warehouse with over 40 tons of RPGs, light arms and C4(over 3.5 tons!), the US kept this warehouse guarded with only one patrol, one day there was a major incident nearby and this patrol was sent to this major incident. The NEXT DAY, when this patrol returned to its guard duty on the warehouse, guess what, the warehouse was empty. 5 days later this insurgency started.

Answer 9

They fight dirty. We do not. We have killed 20 times to our 1 if not more. Don't get your panties in a wad. Why are you talking about defeat. Viet nam was along time ago and the circumstances were much different. This is a different foe. Believe me they will pay for today and the cost will be much. Don't be anti American and stop playing chicken little. The sky is not falling.

Answer 10

America is no longer a Superpower...i think they lost the right to call themselves a superpower when they lost the Vietnam war.America is approaching the whole thing in the middle east with the wrong attitude