I've been to Iraq and am currently in Afghanistan. Moral is a lot higher than you think. Soldiers are trained to do a job and trained very well. The moral comes from brigade, battalion, company, platoon, squad, team and individual esprite de corps. Almost all of us would rather be home with out loved ones but that doesn't change out effectiveness or morale much. Our job is here or there, its simple, we go and do. Our morale isn't dictated to us by political leaders or the general public. We all joined knowing this is what we were trained for and could end up doing.
2006-11-02 20:51:16
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answer #1
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answered by Anonymous
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Considering I have two friends over there, both Marines, and a third getting ready to go there in a couple weeks!! The morale of the troops and from what they tell me is pretty low morale, although they try to stay positive, and just get the task at hand accomplished ... its really hard because they say the Iraqi's yell at them telling them to leave their country. They were greeted better by the Iraqis when we first invaded their country .... now, they say no iraqi...man...woman...child..greets them well, or with open arms. * The chances that your going to get shot, ambushed, anything.....are much greater especially from 1 of my friends who has been In the Alan bar Provence of Iraq and through Baghdad already , and in Tikrit has said they get assaulted or hit with small arms fire .daily, more and more! You tell me if your morale would be high???
2006-11-02 20:42:44
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answer #2
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answered by Blondie* 4
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USAF retired. I was based in the United Kingdom and our base supported attacks on Qaddafi in 87. Our morale was higher during action than during routine. One reason was the weather. Most U.S. folks don't take well to 10 months of wet weather so there was always a struggle with depression.
The overall morale of a fighting force depends on many factors that we wouldn't expect to have an effect. Constant jeers by civilians would definitely put a damper on my feelings about serving there, but we have to recognize that Arab and Persian nationals have a much different perspective including thinking in terms of mellenia and value of life doesn't come into their equation. So, given that we serve with the understanding that we are not there to please nationals (even if that would benefit the mission) but to protect our own, then if the commanders and religious supporters can direct the troops to keep a perspective of understanding the circumstances, things can seem better than the civilians' perspective would assume. No it isn't putting on rose colored glasses. Its keeping in mind the real reason you're there, its setting aside the natural reactions of the nationals, and its remembering why you volunteered in the first place.
http://judgeright.blogspot.com
2006-11-02 21:32:29
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answer #3
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answered by Anonymous
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The morale of the military overall has been maintained, but it also declined, somewhat. That is because of the deaths of these soldiers' comrades in arms & the fact that we are not providing enough body armor protection for the soldiers. Their overall sense, though is that they believe in duty to our country, the United States of America. Our soldiers, though, have their dignity & they are fighting in both Iraq & Afghanistan because they love America & will do anything to make sure that no tyrant ever invades this great land of ours.
2006-11-03 06:09:35
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answer #4
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answered by RHD100 2
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My Dear Sir,
If you were in Iraq right now, hiding in a fortress, Trying to dodge missiles, Expecting a roadside bomb to blow the s h i t, otta ur butt, any minute, finding it difficult to even pee without getting into a gunfight, and living with the noise of bombs and guns, smelling cardite and gunpowder, thinking that an A s s h o l e of a president got you into a war that had nothing to do with you, wondering if you could go back to girl as a hero or be packed off in a body bag where you wont be worth even keeping as a sovienier, Would your morale be high, ?
Well I think 99.99% you would have as low a morale right now as Saddam Has, and if someone says that thier morale is high in such conditions, I am sure he is a pathetic looney and a sadist.
On second thoughts, Yes theres is Abu graib prison for entertainment, You can sodomise Iraqis and have all your sexual fantasies realised, or you can just walk into some house with an 81 year old man with his grandchildren and some women in the house, and shoot all you like, use the best of your machine guns on 6 and 4 year olds, They are all terrorist, so what if u are the occupiers, kindergartens these days arent very educative, they should teach children that the US is the mother of all saviours, and they have come to Iraq to protect its people, These 4 and 6 year olds are arrogant and dont know it, the 80 odd year old guys too are prospective terrorists, they can carry surface to air missiles tomorrow or they can Go to the UK and hatch a plot to blow up planes between Us and the UK, women are dangerous, they can prepare dishes with too many chillies, very hot, missile types, so kill them all for fun, save the world, boost your morale, so they deserve to be butchered, slaughtered, taught a lesson,
so the question of marale coming down if you look at the entertainment aspect, is simply non existant,
2006-11-02 20:40:58
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answer #5
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answered by Anonymous
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Lots of new Democrats coming back from Iraq.
2006-11-06 08:20:22
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answer #6
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answered by iknowtruthismine 7
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Surfer940, I respect and appreciate your service. I have to disagree with you on this though. It's hard for me to believe that the random 19 year old kid from rural America has high morale about right now. That kid is in an alien place, risking his life day in and day out, for a lost cause. I'm sure there are plenty of Iraqi's who want the U.S. to remain and protect them from those savages. Were I them, I would feel the same way. But let's be realistic about this, there is not a chance in Hell that Iraq will hold together when we leave. After the election, the president will be forced by congress to draw up plans to withdraw.
2006-11-02 20:40:59
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answer #7
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answered by chad 3
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Have you noticed that the people who state that morale is good are the people who have actually been there? The people who think that our morale is low seem to be people who have never served.
I have been there and morale is high.
2006-11-03 01:50:03
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answer #8
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answered by MikeGolf 7
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Depends on the unit.
The ones that have bad leaders, or have been extended will have lower morale than most but on the whole I would say it is good.
2006-11-02 20:38:15
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answer #9
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answered by MP US Army 7
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good to go, about the same since we first got to iraq, in 2003. we are just doing our jobs.
2006-11-02 20:31:54
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answer #10
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answered by Anonymous
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