82nd Airborne's 2nd Brigade (Fort Bragg) is going to Kuwait

[lebkuchen]

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has signed orders that will send the 82nd Airborne Division’s 2nd Brigade to Kuwait shortly after the new year, senior defense officials said Tuesday.

The decision to send the unit was first reported earlier this month. The soldiers, who are based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, are expected to be deployed to Iraq early next year, and the move could be part of a short-term surge of troops to the battlefront to quell the ongoing violence.

The 82nd Airborne unit — which would include as many as 3,300 soldiers — will replace the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which had served as the reserve force based in Kuwait but has been deployed to Iraq.

http://stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=42411

Rummy and Cheney said the war would be short-term, a "cakewalk."

[Hubert Flottz]

1. "Six months at the most"

Six years at least! They lied many times in order to start a war, before they finally invaded Iraq. They promised "Rose Petals" and delivered thorns.

The 82nd could be thrown into Iran from Kuwait. We have a crew of Atomic Chimps at the controls! Beyond Crazy!

[lebkuchen]

6. Did you see the latest Esquire cover?

Friends of mine went to Landstuhl to visit a wounded friend flown in from Balad. He was not even conscious when his wife found out that a general was in the building passing out Purple Hearts. She had to slap him to so he would at least have some awareness when the medal was placed on his chest. So perfunctory. So sad.

[Hubert Flottz]

7. Bush supports Bush.

The troops are just more collateral damage in Bush's world wide political war with the American people. We the people are Bush's real "Enemy" the way he sees it. Bush don't support the troops, the country, or 98% of it's people, Bush takes care of his closest cronies and the rest are "The Enemy" to him and his bean counters. So cowardly he has to spy on the American people.

Bush is just about what you'd expect, when you place a deserter in charge of your country.

[madokie]

9. You pretty much wrapped it up right there

its all about bush, oil and money.

[lebkuchen]

13. As Condi herself said, these deaths are "investments"

and she considers the deaths worth it.

I still don't understand why the Iraqi people are our enemy.

[Hubert Flottz]

15. I thought we went there to "LIBERATE" the Iraqi people not to

steal their country and kill them all? Even the kids!

[lebkuchen]

16. If we don't get a presidential trial out of this debacle

then the US is destined to repeat and stir, which is the path we've been on since Nixon.

[Hubert Flottz]

18. If Ford hadn't been a wuss and had done his job and jailed Nixon

for Nixon's high crimes, things would have been MUCH better! Ford chickened out and played partisan politics to the hilt and we ended up with Rummy and Cheney and Bush I & II, because of Ford's weakness under fire. Even back then, the GOP all stuck together and covered each other's butts, even when they knew beyond a doubt, that someone in their party had done great WRONG.

The GOPers get on TV campaigning and brag about how many poor people they're killing on death row. People who can only afford the worst inept lawyers who even sleep through their trials. Bush II smirked and bee-bopped around on TV like a clown, when asked about the people he'd killed in Texas by lethal injection. The GOPers use their record of killing people on death row to score points in their political campaigns and then they let GOP murderers and war criminals go Scott free and even allow them to come right back and invade(re-infest)our government again later, from some of the highest offices of our government. Poppy pardoned Reagan and himself Ford pardoned Nixon...does the GOP ever have a man leave office, who was not or is not, some type of a criminal? I hope God isn't lazy and partisan enough to pardon Ford!

We'd still be in Vietnam if the people hadn't stepped in. The people are going to have to stand up to Bush, or we'll NEVER leave Iraq!

[lebkuchen]

20. That sums up what John Dean said in his book

"Conservatives w/o Conscience," that the people would have to step in, and that we're very close to having fascists in a democratic govt.

He also said that Cheney lost the election for Ford, but didn't elaborate. It's sickening seeing Dick's and Rummy's smiling faces as they cuddled up to Ford.

[trumad]

2. WOW!

That's a hell of a unit to be sticking into Iraq. These are some of the finest fighting units in our Army. They make the National Guard look like Boy Scouts.

This is a major escalation for sure.

[lebkuchen]

5. Looks like the 2nd brigade was involved in the initial assault

From what soldiers are saying upon returning to Germany from their second tour, things were a lot -worse the second time around--much more dangerous. The 2nd brigade needs to be prepared for the deterioration of conditions since their first tour.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._82nd_Airborne_Division#Operation_Iraqi_Freedom:_Iraq

The 2nd brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division took part in Operation Iraqi Freedom in early 2003. The brigade returned to the US by mid-February, 2004. The 3rd brigade of the division deployed to Iraq in the summer of 2003, redeploying to the US in Spring, 2004. The 1st brigade deployed to Iraq in January, 2004. The last units of the division left Iraq by the end of April, 2004. During this initial deployment thirty-six soldiers from the division were killed and about 400 were wounded, out of about 12,000 deployed in total. The early days of the 82nd Airborne's participation in the occupation were chronicled by embedded journalist Karl Zinsmeister in his 2003 book Boots on the Ground: A Month with the 82nd Airborne in the Battle for Iraq.

[Hubert Flottz]

3. A little bump for the troops!

:kick: the AWOL CiC out of the Army, ASAP!

[sarcasmo]

4. A massive ground push is not far on the horizon. I was stationed at Bragg and think that a strategic

move like this can only mean a big ground push. Moving this many troops is not just for show. The only other thing that makes sense is they are securing Iraq prior to the Iran bombing.

[Imagevision]

8. Bush wants to escalate the war, - so do the defense contractors...

Remember what happened to JFK when he threatened to start bringing the troops home from Viet Nam, then Johnson the following January sent -->50,000 more troops into Nam.

[lebkuchen]

14. 4 more Germany-based US troops were killed the other day

Three from Schweinfurt and one from Baumholder. Bush is getting his wish.

[Contrary1]

10. Anybody see this story on any of those Liberal news sites?

Australians know more about what is going on in our country than we do.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20981307-23109,00.html

[JanusAscending]

11. I heard it on one of the cable news networks this AM(Wed.)

It is now Thurs. AM. My ears picked up on it because I found out over the Christmas Holiday that my 18 yr. old Grand daughter is being sent to Kuwait on or about Feb.15th. She is a Navy Medic (reg. Navy) who just finished her training at Bethesda in MD. I am so scared for her, but she is excited. This is what she wanted. When she saw the injured troops on TV she said she wanted to be there right on the front lines to help them. I'm praying that they hold her in Kuwait to care for injured brought there!! Better yet , that when the Dems take over we END THIS GOD AWFUL SLAUGHTER OF OUR CHILDREN!!! NO MORE!! Let bush send his kids over there. Think he'd shed a tear or two if something happened to them?? Lord, forgive me, but I hate that man!!! Please DEAL WITH HIM !

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. As a medic it takes guts to do that

but she is in for a shock. But chances are they will nto send her to babyseat marines... and all of that is because of her gender

Keep her head low

[formercia]

17. I hope the Iranians can keep their cool

and not fall for the provocation. That's all Fearless Leader needs as an excuse.

[leftchick]

19. I wonder how new anti-war Rep. Walter Jones (R) feels about this

this is his district in NC and he wants the troops home. :(