Comment of the day: An Army officer credits Shadid with saving the lives of his soldiers and of Iraqi civilians as well

Posted By Thomas E. Ricks Friday, February 24, 2012 - 10:11 AM Share

I just noticed this comment, posted the other day by "Hunter." I believe Anthony Shadid's ashes were scattered on Wednesday around his ancestral home in southern Lebanon:

Every night as we prepped for mobilization and deployment I read from Night Draws Near to my CO CDRs, 1SGs, and Staff. I have the dog-eared copy in my lap as I type right now.

His moving account was in no small part responsible for making it clear to my soldiers that the Iraqis are people too, just like you and I. Caught in the middle of something they really wanted no part of.

Nearly three million truck miles in Iraq over nine months with only 9 rounds fired in 5 escalation of force incidents ... but no one was ever hurt, coalition or Iraqi. 60 IEDs for our predecessors became 2 IEDs for us. No one was hurt on our watch....thanks in part to Anthony. RIP."

Hunter also gets off a good line in the discussion of Lt. Col. Danny Davis: "If you are going to bring the pain, you best have your ducks in a row."

JOSEPH EID/AFP/Getty Images

EXPLORE:MIDDLE EAST, NORTH AMERICA, AFGHANISTAN, IRAQ, MILITARY

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GIANGENTILE

4:10 PM ET

February 24, 2012

oh please

Are you really saying Hunter that by simply "understanding" the Iraqi people by the reading of one book on Iraq, that somehow this understanding produced a direct causative effect of fewer IEDs going off against your soldiers? Do you have proof of this causation? Did the Iraqis around you state that because your soldiers understood them better they therefore kept the IEDs down?

You sound like Sean Naylor a few years ago and his accusation in an Army Times article that a battalion in Harry Tunnel's brigade got hammered just because they didnt use FM 3-24 to prepare for deployment and because they were not free-basing McChrystal's coin guidance.

Is it really that simple, just be in Tom Ricks's Coin gets-it club and all things will fall into place?

And by the way, you can bash Danny Davis all you want but at least he had the moral courage to name names, whereas Yingling did not.

CHARLIEFORD

4:55 PM ET

February 24, 2012

GG, all due respect . . .

. . . but Hunter did say "in part." Does he "know," does he "have proof of this causation?" are fair questions, but let's leave them for the seminar room and the lecture hall.

This comment stood in for a eulogy--good words for the departed. Let's take them in that spirit.

STEVE C

5:15 PM ET

February 24, 2012

@GG

I believe the main thrust of Hunter's comment was to point to the lack of escalation of force incidents possibly resulted in fewer IED's.

Not beyond the bounds of possibility.

ZAC SCHMIDT

1:12 AM ET

February 25, 2012

hmmmm

COL Gentile,
Sir, I think you may be confusing Hunter's sentimental reflection on the recently deceased with the great COIN debate. It's ok to say nice things about those who die an unexpected and violent death. We shouldn't assume it is a vehicle for a debate on doctrine.

With that being said, perhaps Mr. Ricks shouldn't have made the connection to Hunter's other comments on a separate post.

Regards,
zts

RVN SF VET

2:23 PM ET

February 25, 2012

FOR HEAVENS SAKE!

He is saying that the man weote a book that gave his men some insight into the world they were entering. In a more stilted way, we distributed country handbooks to our troops prior to invasion in WWII.

Instead of know your enemy, this is know your environment. We have all read how Blackwater convoys behaved and maybe some US units behaved in the same way. Perhaps a predecessor unit fired numerous warning shots or drove people off the road. Maybe things along Hunter's route had just started quieting down. There are so many variables that we do not or cannot keep track in order to come up with empirically valid conclusions. What we do know is that this had nothing to do with COIN nor was it high diddle diddle up the middle. This is about getting the goods from point "A" to point "B" safely and on-time with minimum fuss and no muss.

Then there is the fact that Hunter commanded a National Guard unit. What was their average age? How long had they known one another? Did they come from the same part of the state? Were all his NCO slots filled with experienced NCOs? Most importantly - what did they do in civilian life? Guard and Reserve units can bring experience and maturity to a task that the Active Component sometimes cannot. It's the nature of the beast. Fight a few floods and clean-up a few tornadoes together and you form bonds and working relationships - or, relationships that work.

Maybe that did not apply to Hunter's unit - I just don't know. But, the Army focuses on outcomes and often credits leaders with achievements they were not responsible for - it's the nature of the beast.

I would rather have read the book than not. And, I would be damned grateful that things went well.

HUNTER

9:25 PM ET

February 25, 2012

Thanks gentlemen

I could say some things; but you've defended me far better than I could do so myself...and I reckon you got my point too.

BENPIPE

8:23 AM ET

February 26, 2012

thanks a lot

A soldier is the man of his word and he is the person who saves the lives of the other with no fear of his death.
water glass pipe

QUANG

12:40 PM ET

February 26, 2012

No _hit, Hunter

The Iraqis are people too caught in something they didn't want? Were the Vietnamese peeps too? And the Kuwaitis? How long are you serving as a reservist on active duty? For life? No doubt it was a very good book. Webb even said it. RIP.

KUNINO

6:43 PM ET

February 27, 2012

Paying attention

Founder of the FBI hostage rescue team Danny Coulson recalls seeing the movie The Battle of Algiers, which showed that urban terrorists/freedom fighters liked to open fire on French soldiers walking about in bunches. He ordered his own men not to bunch up. During his investigation of domestic terrorism, he apprehended one wanted man who recognized him and recalled his intention to bump Coulson off a few years earlier. He didn't try because he saw Coulson's colleagues weren't bunched up with him. Whether this felon had also seen The Battle of Algiers, Coulson does not report.

I also saw and noted the original Hunter post on the Shahid book. Further evidence that smart people read, learn, apply. Bless them all.

MAXIMB

4:50 PM ET

March 22, 2012

For one thing "land-locked"

For one thing "land-locked" means no water boundaries. Not to mention your weak reference to a somewhat justifiable statement regarding the Governor of a State that borders another Country. Keep talking, you are showing your ignorance!.

"Is rio orange war always forfait bloque inevitable ?"
MaximB

CHARLTONEDGAR

6:58 AM ET

March 23, 2012

Instead of know your enemy,

Instead of know your enemy, this is know your environment. We have all read how Blackwater convoys behaved and maybe some US units behaved in the same way. Perhaps a predecessor unit fired numerous warning shots or drove people off the road. Maybe things along Hunter's route had just started quieting down. There are so many variables that we do not or cannot keep track parentingblog in order to come up with empirically valid conclusions. What we do know is that this had nothing to do with COIN nor was it high diddle diddle up the middle. This is about getting the goods from point "A" to point "B" safely and on-time with minimum fuss and no muss.