thedrifter
11-29-06, 07:16 AM
1/29/2006
Retired Marine major preaches resolve in Iraq
By CHARLES W. KIM
Register Citizen Staff
TORRINGTON - Even though there may have been many mistakes made during the war in Iraq, a retired major with the United States Marines believes we must stay the course.
"There are no shortage of mistakes (in Iraq)," Maj. Paul D. Greatsinger (Ret.) told about 60 members of the Torrington Rotary Club at its meeting Tuesday. "If we surrender Iraq to the dark forces, our grandchildren won't be able to safely go into a building again."
Greatsinger, a 20-year veteran of the corps, spent three months in 2003 with Gen. Tommy Franks and Central Command in Qatar helping to implement the operational plan for the war.
"(The war) was already well advanced in the planning stages (in February 2003)," said Greatsinger of the 800-page plan to start military operations. "It was really quite amazing."
The plan took into account Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's history, including invading two neighboring nations, burning oil fields and polluting the Arabian Gulf with oil and using chemical gas on his own people. A large concern for the military planners was that Hussein would use chemical or biological weapons.
"There was nothing he was not capable of," Greatsinger said. "We wanted to bring about the regime change as quick as possible."
One of the U.S. military's priorities was to stop Hussein from using communications during the invasion of Iraq, Greatsinger said. The aim was to knock out all of his command-and-control placements preventing him from ordering the use of such weapons or ordering the destruction of a dam that would flood large parts of the country, killing thousands of Iraqis, he said.
"We did things right," Greatsinger said. "The plan was built on speed using tempo as a weapon."
Greatsinger said the problem was that Hussein placed guerilla forces throughout the country that were able to meld with the population and later become insurgents.
"We should have stopped (our assault) to deal with them," Greatsinger said. "We probably should have dealt with them more methodically."
Military planners initially expected to reach Baghdad in 45 to 60 days instead of the two weeks it actually took, Greatsinger said.
Greatsinger also used his address to dispel certain "myths" regarding the war such as the lack of body armor for troops on the battlefield.
"Anyone in danger gets (body armor)," Greatsinger said. "Cooks and people using computers might have had them under their desks, but the troops in harms way had them."
Greatsinger said that all deaths in the war are tragic, but should be taken in the proper context.
"2,500 people were killed on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944," Greatsinger said, comparing that figure to the nearly 2,900 U.S. troops killed in Iraq since the 2003 invasion.
Greatsinger said we must give the country time to stabilize and that the war against terror will not be concluded quickly.
"Don't think this is going to happen quickly, it is not going to be solved in 3 to 7 years," Greatsinger said. "It is a fight we have to win."
Charles W. Kim can be reached by e-mail at torrington@registercitizen.com.
Ellie
Retired Marine major preaches resolve in Iraq
By CHARLES W. KIM
Register Citizen Staff
TORRINGTON - Even though there may have been many mistakes made during the war in Iraq, a retired major with the United States Marines believes we must stay the course.
"There are no shortage of mistakes (in Iraq)," Maj. Paul D. Greatsinger (Ret.) told about 60 members of the Torrington Rotary Club at its meeting Tuesday. "If we surrender Iraq to the dark forces, our grandchildren won't be able to safely go into a building again."
Greatsinger, a 20-year veteran of the corps, spent three months in 2003 with Gen. Tommy Franks and Central Command in Qatar helping to implement the operational plan for the war.
"(The war) was already well advanced in the planning stages (in February 2003)," said Greatsinger of the 800-page plan to start military operations. "It was really quite amazing."
The plan took into account Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's history, including invading two neighboring nations, burning oil fields and polluting the Arabian Gulf with oil and using chemical gas on his own people. A large concern for the military planners was that Hussein would use chemical or biological weapons.
"There was nothing he was not capable of," Greatsinger said. "We wanted to bring about the regime change as quick as possible."
One of the U.S. military's priorities was to stop Hussein from using communications during the invasion of Iraq, Greatsinger said. The aim was to knock out all of his command-and-control placements preventing him from ordering the use of such weapons or ordering the destruction of a dam that would flood large parts of the country, killing thousands of Iraqis, he said.
"We did things right," Greatsinger said. "The plan was built on speed using tempo as a weapon."
Greatsinger said the problem was that Hussein placed guerilla forces throughout the country that were able to meld with the population and later become insurgents.
"We should have stopped (our assault) to deal with them," Greatsinger said. "We probably should have dealt with them more methodically."
Military planners initially expected to reach Baghdad in 45 to 60 days instead of the two weeks it actually took, Greatsinger said.
Greatsinger also used his address to dispel certain "myths" regarding the war such as the lack of body armor for troops on the battlefield.
"Anyone in danger gets (body armor)," Greatsinger said. "Cooks and people using computers might have had them under their desks, but the troops in harms way had them."
Greatsinger said that all deaths in the war are tragic, but should be taken in the proper context.
"2,500 people were killed on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944," Greatsinger said, comparing that figure to the nearly 2,900 U.S. troops killed in Iraq since the 2003 invasion.
Greatsinger said we must give the country time to stabilize and that the war against terror will not be concluded quickly.
"Don't think this is going to happen quickly, it is not going to be solved in 3 to 7 years," Greatsinger said. "It is a fight we have to win."
Charles W. Kim can be reached by e-mail at torrington@registercitizen.com.
Ellie