I think the last battle of Baghdad is probably underway now.

[Joe for Clark]

You know, it is Pearl Harbor day today. And I think this is just bizarre.

Guess this had to happen.

Joe

[jannyk]

1. Can you share a little more Joe

I didn't quite understand. I know your boy is over there, is something big going down?

[Joe for Clark]

2. Not much.

You can figure it out though, maybe.

You know, we had to weaken certain points to reinforce other points -

Watch just where the casualties are right now, I can say that. Maybe I know where they are falling a little faster.

It was going to happen anyway, I suppose -

We are going to be trying to sweep the capital. That is what is going on here.

I don't think they have a prayer - but they are gonna try.

And you know - its coming from officers trying to get promoted - and a press corp in lala land that makes it possible, really. I think they have a place in hell reserved for them. Bastards.

Joe

[brer cat]

5. Would I be too * like if I asked if your son is ok right now?

I understand he's serving but don't know where. It must be hell for you.
Please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers.

[Joe for Clark]

8. As of Saturday he was Ok.

He is in the 118th Company, engineers. He is in the 3rd Brigade of the 2nd Division.

Look, I don't think he lives thru this deployment - so my expectations are pretty low.

I appreciate your prayers - I really do.

I have been in this weird place a few times - as the son, as the brother - never as a parent til now.

You never ever wish this on any parent - at any time.

It is like this,

Joe

[brer cat]

12. We can never repay you and yours for your service,Joe.

Your family has given too much, and we are very grateful. Please accept thanks for your service, and our prayers for your son. It's too little too late, but I can only offer my 60-year old body in return, and it's just not worth much in this war.

[Joe for Clark]

15. You have done just fine -

We are american - our minds are worth an awful lot here - and I am proud to be standing along with yours.

Joe

[uppityperson]

38. I cannot imagine being a parent of a soldier in Iraq

wishing peace for you and yours and health.

[JNelson6563]

44. Words fail me

Joe, as a parent, all I can say to you is a gesture:

:hug:

Your boy is in my thoughts, I hope with all my heart he's home safe and sound soon. Please keep us posted.

Julie

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[jannyk]

9. You say it's just one brigade,

but you wouldn't know for sure if there were others - or would you?

Is this your son's unit? Are they still communicating with home?

You have every right to feel cynical and bitter - I can't imagine the frustration and fear of having a loved one over there.

I don't do prayer Joe, but whatever good vibes I can send are your son's.

[Joe for Clark]

11. If you ever make it to a basic grad class -it is kind of

interesting. You look into the faces. It will make an impression on anyone.

When the graduation is over - look again. Maybe half of the class had family show up for them - half didn't.

It was the day for them that an "authority" pronounced them men - and you know , in your mind, that is what they wanted to hear - where were their family??

SO half go off with their family - half disappear. God, it is so sad to me to this day.

Cause there is a reality there - they were all kids - good kids - and they just needed a validation.

I guess I really am a left wing christian - cause the first thing on my mind the first time I understood what was going on went to my understanding of the thing I believed christianity was all about = that the least on anyone is MY brother.

You should go to a grad class - puts things in perspective - and they are dogfaces - in a really good way. I know god blesses each and every one of them.

Joe

[brer cat]

16. They were good Christians, and so are you Joe.

The neo-cons have just destroyed our identity. Every soldier is OUR BROTHER. Let us never forget that, and we are the Christians, not the neo-com fristians.

[HeeBGBz]

13. Sending positive energy out

May you and yours be safe from harm. May all our soldiers come home soon.

[DemoTex]

3. Don't forget that tid-bit from Juan Cole a few weeks ago ..

A large group of former Sunni officers is putatively planning a Tet-like attack on the Green Zone.

[vogonity]

6. Thank you for your posts Joe

I make sure to watch for what you say every day. I know that you are not able to post everything that you know. I am glad you are continuing to post here.

[Ilsa]

7. This must be why Bush is trying to take the steam out of the Baker

Iraq Report: Bush is counting on the outcome of this sweep to improve the situation suffiently for him to claim everything is working fine and maintain the course. He doesn't care how many troops and civilians get killed over this mess.

[G_Leo_Criley]

10. k & r

Thank you and please keep on posting. Don't be alone through this. All here are with you.

:kick:

glc

[Joe for Clark]

18. What a really nice thing to say.

Joe

[QuestionAll...]

23. Here for you, Joe.

in my tiny way.

[No Exit]

14. Yeah--Dec. 10 is the date the 4 big oil interests will finalize their division of Iraq's oil

I seem to remember that Dec. 10 is a very significant date regarding the oil companies: Unocal, Royal Dutch, BP, and Chevron. I have a vague memory that this is the date they will finalize their division of the Iraqi oil.

Sorry I can't remember much about the article except the above. If anyone remembers, and can post an article, I'd appreciate it.

[Joe for Clark]

17. Oh - you give too much credit -

My dad ran an oil company once - He was a fighter pilot, too (in another time). My mother was an evac nurse. Man, all my family fought one war or another.

You start with a propostion that implies intelligence - they aren't so smart as you think.

In one way, anyway. I don't care about the other ways anymore.

Something wicked this way comes - it is coming right now. I didn't grow up reading all that crud for nothing, it appears. I really can pick the fly shit out of the pepper - from experience.

And I will not watch any more kids die without yelling my ass off, best I can.

It is like that.

Joe

[buddysmellgood]

19. Every soldier needs a parent like you.

[Joe for Clark]

22. I wondered if that was really a good thing.

I don't know.

I grew up in West PA - I expected to go to war - it was the way it was.

All these years later - I know, I do like those poor dumb kids - that went tru Ord, or Leonard Wood or whatever.

I honest to god do like those kids. And if I could, I'd adopt every goddamn one of them I could.

I cannot look into the eyes and think otherwise - can't do it.

Joe

[No Exit]

21. My uncle died in WWII.

And in recent years I find out that Pearl Harbor was anticipated... by US.

That sure made me feel great.

Anyway, I am not as familiar as some on here, with your personal situation. But I assure you, if you have a child in Iraq, I have been praying for him/her for almost 4 years now--every night, right after I thank God for the (albeit, agonizingly slow) disintegration of Bush/Cheney, and humbly ask God to continue their slow descent into hell.

I look forward to seeing all our troops come home.

[Joe for Clark]

25. Yeah, I have heard this - that somehow FDR knew Japan would

attack and all that - it is truly crap - of the worst kind.

Your uncle fought in the war? - You should be VERY proud of him.

Joe

[No Exit]

29. Thank you!

I wish the very, very best for your soldier!

(Let's just agree to disagree on the Pearl Harbor thing.)

[Joe for Clark]

31. Sure,

Joe

[Rex]

20. Maybe

I think we have a long way to go before the city is 'lost' and American troops are seen leaving in mass by choppers.

[QuestionAll...]

26. I don't think we know at all what's really happening there.

[Rex]

30. I agree with that.

We probably won't know for years to come. If ever.

[SaveOurDemocracy]

24. I wonder if your son knows how many here...

are rooting for him, and interested in his welfare.

Keep us posted Joe ... it's not easy picking the rat shit out of the pepper without a trained eye.

[ms liberty]

27. Please keep us informed - as much as you can - and know...

That we're here, and we're praying for you, your son, and all 'our' kids over there.

I don't trust these people. They don't know what the hell they're doing. And they're so effing arrogant that they won't listen to anyone. They wouldn't know a good decision if it walked up and slapped them in the face.

[Joe for Clark]

28. To my best ability I will do that.

They are all our kids - I pray for every single one.

Thank you for saying that.

Joe

[nadinbrzezinski]

32. If I may add

if you can share APO's we have taken care of troops before, and we will do it again.

I know HOW critical it is for these kids to get care packages, even from perfectly good strangers

And as a Navy wife, (hubby thankfully retired) I know them packages sometimes chase them across the world

[GreenZoneLT]

33. There was some fireworks the last two nights downtown

Wednesday night, it was celebratory gunfire about Iraq beating Malaysia 4-0 to move on in whatever soccer tournament they're in (Asian Games?). Not sure what last night was about, but sounded like popcorn, with some larger, grenade-launcher-style thumps. Probably another botched snatch raid on a death squad leader.

Don't anticipate any actual battles, though; the Mahdi Army got a taste of real combat in 2004 and they're not going to do anything other than shoot-and-scoot rocket and mortar attacks. And the Sunni insurgents are mostly just trying to stay alive and out of prison at this point; they do sniping and IEDs and that's about it. The only place there's all-out fighting is in the sticks where there's no significant American troop presence, mainly between local tribes and the Iraqi police.

That and Ramadi, but that's again mostly snipers and small fire teams; sort of a truck vs. puppy "battle," because the Marines call in tank support and blow up the buildings where the fire's coming from.

FWIW, the Iraqi Minister of Interior spokesman said yesterday that MOI and MOD are going to go house to house to EVERY house in Baghdad and confiscate every weapon. The previous policy had been to allow each household one Kalashnikov and a couple magazines for self defense. I'll believe it when I see it.

[nadinbrzezinski]

34. Thanks for that update

[Joe for Clark]

35. Keep your gun with you and keep you head down.

And then there's the "don't volunteer for a goddamn thing" line I give the kid periodically.

What makes you think this is gonna start in the southern part of the city?

We are gonna start it alright. Some Lt Coolnels are trying to make bird.

You be safe - and very careful.

Man, I understand the strange little agreements happening with Sunnis - I know what is going forward. Everything only lasts to a point, right?

I think 4 or 5 brigades are converging there - maybe more.

Joe

[GreenZoneLT]

36. I'm not sure you've got a clear picture.

The current trend is to turn stuff over to the Iraqis. We've been doing a clear, hold, build strategy in the city, and have cleared about half the neighbhorhoods already (of course, the bad guys just come back after we clear a place, since the police are half corrupt and half ineffectual). There's really not a "battle" to fight here. We might pick a fight in Sadr City, but the Maliki government really has a major say in what happens, and they're pretty much vetoing anything like that.

It sounds like you've got the impression we're about to pull a Fallujah in Baghdad. I haven't seen any indication that anyone is planning anything like that at all.

[Joe for Clark]

39. I understand everything you say -

Please understand - reputations will be made or broken right now. It is a hell of a thing.

Troy is maybe 10 miles south of you - and said largely what you just said. It is unusually quiet.

And I listened and I did not say what I was thinking. Not really. Only to the point that there was enough of a force there that they could get out of there if necessary. That was my concern.

Around you, right now - some of the best offensive units the US has ever put on a field are concentrating. Most of the 2nd is there - why do you think they are there??

I know the 3rd is up in force now.

What makes you think Maliki lasts the month?? Why do you think tacit agreements with Sunni groups hold??

Be careful.

Joe

[QuestionAll...]

37. one story is a people's story.

thank you for sharing yours.

[ellisonz]

40. Oh if only...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Baghdad_(1258)

Remember Indochina/Vietnam is really one long continuous multilateral battlefield from about 1939-1981. So that's 40 years of conflict to achieve geopolitical stability in a diverse vast landscape, with many complexities and horrific twists. Let's not get our hopes up for a short run!

:scared:

[DemReadingDU]

41. Keeping the troops in my thoughts

Just want them to get home safe, and soon

[democrank]

42. Thinking of you, Joe.

Please try to have hope. Take care.

[catmandu57]

43. I don't know if it means anything

but the Dixie Chicks Traveling Soldier popped up on the player when I was reading this thread, wierd. I hope your boy and all the others come through okay, and come home safely, something is going on right now though I can feel it, my thoughts go out to you and yours.

[HeeBGBz]

45. I didn't think I knew anyone in Iraq - until last night

A friend called me last night. We hadn't talked in a while. He told me a young man I used to work with is in Iraq, in Bagdhad. I had no idea he was even in the service. I just remembered him to be a bouncy, joking 15 year old. Now, I worry for him. Especially after reading this thread.

[G_Leo_Criley]

46. still with you...

and your son, Joe.


:kick:

glc