The “Black Knights”
Of notable historic significance, this particular unit was an elite fighting force constructed in the 1800s of proven soldiers from many of the separate states that comprised the Union at that time. Its more recent mixture of armor and mechanized infantry units made it a tremendously effective force, and to its credit, 1-5 Cavalry was the first unit to conduct a ground attack on the Iraqi army during Operation Desert Storm. Currently the unit is involved in the “surge” within western Baghdad, and like every other unit there today, the “Black Knights” are carrying out their mission, which is to force Iraqi Crips, Bloods, Croods and Blips to forget about vengeance, Allah and wiring up explosives once and for all – – – to come together as one people and agree to having the oil services industry of the United States “help them” to nurse the deep wounds still open and dirty from the violent tyrannical reign of Saddam Hussein. Here are some words from some of the leaders of this outstanding unit about their mission:
CPT Brendan Gallagher: “Sometimes, we like to comfort ourselves when we are taking a lot of IEDs and casualties by saying that the enemy is desperate, they are doing this because they are scared. But how many times can they actually be desperate? I sometimes worry that this period will end up going down here as their surge, not ours.”
Staff Sgt. Mike Perez: “They tell us to come here and do a job. But we’ve got a pregnant beast and it’s opening up on us. It’s not getting any better, and I don’t see when it will.”
Sgt. Cyr: “I miss when the worst thing we had to do is go around this neighborhood picking up dead bodies. It’s sick, but true.”
What would these guys know. When discussing the war it is better to defer to guys with real experience, men like Cheney, Bush and Limbaugh.
or there are stories such as these
http://opinionjournal.com/federation/feature/?id=110010083
I would like to point out that the author of the story was only embedded 4 days (I really hope I don’t have to explain why 4 days is hardly enough time to get acquainted with a situation). Those are my fellow Texans out there and I respect what they say and I do not question what they feel. What I do see, however, is a shoddy piece of journalism that is in no way scholarly, thoughtful, or substantive about it. It is simply a pre-packaged, commercialized article that the LA Times could probably slap on their front page to sell newspapers (something they are already having a hard time doing). If you want a real picture of what is going on and what the troops think, go read Michael Yon who has spent months over there or Bill Roggio who details the days events every day and has been to Iraq numerous times. And I am not going to post again on this thread because I have far better things to do with my time than have conversations that will no less end up spinning in circles.
I hate going down this road, as it always ends up turning into a debate on bias, the media, etc…the crux of what started the discussion in the first place ends up obscured.
I’ll say this though bmili – – – you are always welcome to guest blog here and highlight something counter to what I present.
The quotes within this piece are real, and the facts have been checked. If either of those two assertions are not correct, I’d welcome the truth. My beliefs regarding this war are what they are, but my own bias doesn’t disqualify me from being able to recognize propaganda when I see it. I honestly don’t feel that this LA Times piece fits within that category.
im not sayin its propaganda (that in and of itself is totally different). we have differing opinions of the war and that is fine. but to me, and maybe this is just who i am, if i were to do a newspaper story, i would want the truth, the real meat of what is going on. i just dont think that 4 days can cover that (i guess i just dont really have deep respect for journalism). i just dont particularly care for i guess what you would call a feature piece in journalism, whether it be for a magazine (depends on the mag)or newspaper. I have taken a journalism class (hardly qualifies as an expert) but what the news is is actually quite shallow, beyond the 5 W’s and How; nothing else matters. Feature pieces/human stories are what sells newspapers (cause ultimately what else does your paper have that another doesnt news-wise). I don’t doubt those facts arent checked and the quotes aren’t real. The piece just doesn’t provide much depth or perspective to me. This goes back to the fact that i expect more out of journalism, if this were a study, a platoon of 19 (which provides a human element but quoting a few of the 19) is not a valid viewpoint of the army as a whole. That is why I respect Michael Yon so much, he goes over there on his own money, spends months at a time, shoots straight, has risked his own life (almost got kicked out for firing a weapon during a firefight), and you know what you are getting is the truth. I appreciate the offer to counterblog (it would be an honor) but I am pretty busy right now trying to do my own thing at the time. I guess what i am saying is that I just wish everyone dropped the talking points for once, whatever side of the aisle they are on, and just search for the truth. Cause ultimately, I believe that is what brings us together.