thedrifter
07-03-07, 10:57 AM
Command Sergeant Major Ciotola on Harry Reid - MUST READ of the DAY
Posted By Blackfive
This is about as tough a chops bustin' as you will hear in the papers. Can't believe they printed it.
The Command Sergeant Major (top enlisted soldier in Iraq) is sick and tired - like you - of defeatist politicians, throwing whole countries, their own troops, and the best interests of this country, under the bus to serve their political needs.
First, a General reacts to them. Now, a Command Sergeant Major. I sure hope the Senate has their ears open today.
This story from the Newark (NJ) Star Ledger is making the email rounds this morning. The ending line by the Sergeant Major is priceless - right up there with "Stuck on Stupid."
Read it. Print it. Email this to everyone you know. The reporter, Wayne Woolley, has an email address listed at the end of his article. Shoot him an email for printing the reaction of the CSM.
A tough man for a tough job
U.S. troop safety is the duty of a Jerseyan bent on winning
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
BY WAYNE WOOLLEY
Star-Ledger Staff
The troops fighting in Iraq usually keep quiet when they hear critics say the war is going poorly.
Command Sgt. Maj. Neil Ciotola is a notable exception.
The 49-year-old Elizabeth native, who is serving as the top enlisted soldier in Iraq, had a visceral reaction in May when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said "this war is lost."
Ciotola described his reaction to a reporter from the Tampa Tribune this way: "I felt compelled to pull out my sidearm," using military parlance for an urge to pull his gun.
In a wide-ranging phone interview from Iraq yesterday, Ciotola said his choice of words, which are extreme even by battlefield standards, came because his "emotions got the best of me." But Ciotola said his words were guided by his continued belief that military failure in Iraq is an option America cannot afford.
"How dare anyone say we've lost when we've lost more than 3,600 young men and women here and had another 27,000 wounded," Ciotola said. "To say that's been for naught is simply wrong. Don't tell me we're losing. Don't tell me we've lost."
Taking combat losses personally is part of Ciotola's job.
As the command sergeant major for Multi-National Corps Iraq, he has the primary responsibility for the safety and discipline of all enlisted soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines in Iraq. He's also a principal adviser to Lt. Gen. Ray mond Odierno, the day-to-day commander in Iraq and a native of Rockaway. Their leadership team is about halfway through its 15-month tour in Iraq.
The fact that two guys with Jersey accents and Italian surnames have such high profiles in Iraq isn't lost on the troops, who make their share of Sopranos jokes, said Cio tola, who was born in Elizabeth and later lived in Union and Springfield. He enlisted in 1976, after graduating from Thomas Edison Vocational Technical School.
While Odierno sets broad war policies and meets with top officials in Iraq's government, Ciotola's job is to focus on the welfare of the grunts in the trenches.
To that end, Ciotola spends at least four days a week outside Camp Victory, the heavily fortified American military headquarters on Baghdad's western edge. The former tank driver recently joined an infantry unit for a house-to-house hunt for insurgents in Baquba. He's also spending an increasing amount of time in the hundreds of combat outposts the American military has set up in and around Baghdad as it shifts thousands of troops out of remote bases and into urban areas as part of the troop "surge."
Ciotola said the aim of his fieldwork is to collect as much information as he can about the things that are killing American troops and come up with recommendations to counter them. In addition to the roadside bombs, Ciotola said the newest emerging threats are from snipers and the troop surge it self. "It creates a target-rich environment for the bad guys," he said.
As the number of American troops has increased this year, so have the number killed. In May, the death tally reached 126, and in June it was 101, two of the highest months since the war began.
To Ciotola, however, the strategy of more troops ultimately represents the best hope for curbing the violence in Iraq. That's because when more troops are in intimate contact with ordinary citizens, Ciotola believes the Iraqis will come to the conclusion that Americans care more about their welfare than the insurgents.
"As soon as you look these people in the eyes and you smile, it melts barriers," Ciotola said.
In addition to greater stability in Baghdad over the past six months, Ciotola also sees other signs of progress. In addition to improvements in the performance of the Iraqi Army and police, he also sees the Iraqi government begin ning to show competence in tasks like stringing electrical power lines and laying water and sewer pipes.
Other hopeful signals come from business startups in Baghdad, including what appears to be a re bound in the nation's agriculture industry, especially its export of dates, which once generated international sales of $1 billion each year.
Ciotola said that the troops he meets every day are the ones who often point out those signs of progress to him. He said none of the troops he talks to believe the war is being lost. And that's a good thing.
"I will not permit a defeatist at titude to raise its ugly head in this command," Ciotolo said. "We are going to win this son of a *****."
Wayne Woolley may be reached at wwoolley@starledger.com or (973)-392-1559.
Ellie
Posted By Blackfive
This is about as tough a chops bustin' as you will hear in the papers. Can't believe they printed it.
The Command Sergeant Major (top enlisted soldier in Iraq) is sick and tired - like you - of defeatist politicians, throwing whole countries, their own troops, and the best interests of this country, under the bus to serve their political needs.
First, a General reacts to them. Now, a Command Sergeant Major. I sure hope the Senate has their ears open today.
This story from the Newark (NJ) Star Ledger is making the email rounds this morning. The ending line by the Sergeant Major is priceless - right up there with "Stuck on Stupid."
Read it. Print it. Email this to everyone you know. The reporter, Wayne Woolley, has an email address listed at the end of his article. Shoot him an email for printing the reaction of the CSM.
A tough man for a tough job
U.S. troop safety is the duty of a Jerseyan bent on winning
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
BY WAYNE WOOLLEY
Star-Ledger Staff
The troops fighting in Iraq usually keep quiet when they hear critics say the war is going poorly.
Command Sgt. Maj. Neil Ciotola is a notable exception.
The 49-year-old Elizabeth native, who is serving as the top enlisted soldier in Iraq, had a visceral reaction in May when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said "this war is lost."
Ciotola described his reaction to a reporter from the Tampa Tribune this way: "I felt compelled to pull out my sidearm," using military parlance for an urge to pull his gun.
In a wide-ranging phone interview from Iraq yesterday, Ciotola said his choice of words, which are extreme even by battlefield standards, came because his "emotions got the best of me." But Ciotola said his words were guided by his continued belief that military failure in Iraq is an option America cannot afford.
"How dare anyone say we've lost when we've lost more than 3,600 young men and women here and had another 27,000 wounded," Ciotola said. "To say that's been for naught is simply wrong. Don't tell me we're losing. Don't tell me we've lost."
Taking combat losses personally is part of Ciotola's job.
As the command sergeant major for Multi-National Corps Iraq, he has the primary responsibility for the safety and discipline of all enlisted soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines in Iraq. He's also a principal adviser to Lt. Gen. Ray mond Odierno, the day-to-day commander in Iraq and a native of Rockaway. Their leadership team is about halfway through its 15-month tour in Iraq.
The fact that two guys with Jersey accents and Italian surnames have such high profiles in Iraq isn't lost on the troops, who make their share of Sopranos jokes, said Cio tola, who was born in Elizabeth and later lived in Union and Springfield. He enlisted in 1976, after graduating from Thomas Edison Vocational Technical School.
While Odierno sets broad war policies and meets with top officials in Iraq's government, Ciotola's job is to focus on the welfare of the grunts in the trenches.
To that end, Ciotola spends at least four days a week outside Camp Victory, the heavily fortified American military headquarters on Baghdad's western edge. The former tank driver recently joined an infantry unit for a house-to-house hunt for insurgents in Baquba. He's also spending an increasing amount of time in the hundreds of combat outposts the American military has set up in and around Baghdad as it shifts thousands of troops out of remote bases and into urban areas as part of the troop "surge."
Ciotola said the aim of his fieldwork is to collect as much information as he can about the things that are killing American troops and come up with recommendations to counter them. In addition to the roadside bombs, Ciotola said the newest emerging threats are from snipers and the troop surge it self. "It creates a target-rich environment for the bad guys," he said.
As the number of American troops has increased this year, so have the number killed. In May, the death tally reached 126, and in June it was 101, two of the highest months since the war began.
To Ciotola, however, the strategy of more troops ultimately represents the best hope for curbing the violence in Iraq. That's because when more troops are in intimate contact with ordinary citizens, Ciotola believes the Iraqis will come to the conclusion that Americans care more about their welfare than the insurgents.
"As soon as you look these people in the eyes and you smile, it melts barriers," Ciotola said.
In addition to greater stability in Baghdad over the past six months, Ciotola also sees other signs of progress. In addition to improvements in the performance of the Iraqi Army and police, he also sees the Iraqi government begin ning to show competence in tasks like stringing electrical power lines and laying water and sewer pipes.
Other hopeful signals come from business startups in Baghdad, including what appears to be a re bound in the nation's agriculture industry, especially its export of dates, which once generated international sales of $1 billion each year.
Ciotola said that the troops he meets every day are the ones who often point out those signs of progress to him. He said none of the troops he talks to believe the war is being lost. And that's a good thing.
"I will not permit a defeatist at titude to raise its ugly head in this command," Ciotolo said. "We are going to win this son of a *****."
Wayne Woolley may be reached at wwoolley@starledger.com or (973)-392-1559.
Ellie