Shaffer
02-27-03, 12:44 PM
Camp Coyote, Kuwait -- John Koopman, Chronicle staff writer, is traveling in Kuwait with the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines.
Normally, when warriors prepare to do battle, they build up an intense hatred for their enemy. It's hard to kill another human being without it.
But in the desert of Kuwait, as U.S. troops prepare for a possible battle with Iraqi forces, a different emotion seems to be taking hold -- pity.
There are no derogatory names for the Iraqis. At least, not openly. And a lot of Marines at Tactical Area Coyote, where much of California's 1st Marine Division is located, say they have nothing against the Iraqis. They're just there to do a job.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/02/26/MN203196.DTL
Normally, when warriors prepare to do battle, they build up an intense hatred for their enemy. It's hard to kill another human being without it.
But in the desert of Kuwait, as U.S. troops prepare for a possible battle with Iraqi forces, a different emotion seems to be taking hold -- pity.
There are no derogatory names for the Iraqis. At least, not openly. And a lot of Marines at Tactical Area Coyote, where much of California's 1st Marine Division is located, say they have nothing against the Iraqis. They're just there to do a job.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/02/26/MN203196.DTL