Join the Air Force - Drive a truck in Iraq - Genius George goes to War

[mikelewis]

U.S. Air Force's Role Changing in Iraq

AN AIR BASE IN KUWAIT - U.S. airmen are increasingly on the ground in
Iraq, driving in convoys and even working with detainees — a shift in the Air Force's historic mission that military officials call necessary to bolster the strapped Army. The main aerial hub for the war in Iraq has 1,500 airmen doing convoy operations in Iraq and 1,000 working with detainees, training Iraqis and performing other activities not usually associated with the Air Force, said Col. Tim Hale, commander of the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing.

"Every one of us has learned that we are in a nontraditional state in our armed forces," he said, standing outside an auditorium at an air base in Kuwait.

The dangers of the new roles were highlighted when the expeditionary wing lost its first female member in the line of duty in Iraq. Airman 1st Class Elizabeth Jacobson, 21, was killed in a roadside bombing while providing convoy security in September near the U.S. detention center at Camp Bucca in southern Iraq.

"More and more Air Force are doing Army jobs," said Senior Master Sgt. Matt Rossoni, 46, of San Francisco. "It's nothing bad about the Army. They're just tapped out."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060102/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_air_war

There used to be a time when the Air Force actually flew planes but not under our brilliant commander. No, now even if you are a cook on a Nuclear Sub you'll pull a rotation in Iraq. Of course, that's not what you're trained to do but I guess when you aim high and miss, that arc lands you right in the fricken desert.

You know, if we actually do get into a real war, we're probably gonna get our asses kicked. I sure hope we're kissing China's ass real good right about now. You know, down on both knees and using a bit of tongue from time to time to keep it titillating.

[Inland]

1. I wonder if there's a reason we train people for jobs in AF and on

nuke subs.

If there is, I suspect that we should keep them in those jobs.

Of course, the real reason is that they can't find enough people to work Iraq, so they have to basically cannibalize other areas for people who had signed up thinking they would do something else altogether.

[opihimoimoi]

2. Not enough peeps??? Send Dummy and Rummy..they good at

carrying wood and shit...

[Divernan]

3. Do the drivers get to wear spiffy flight suits like the Clown Prince?

I have grown so sick of hearing pitiless repubs say of all the casualties in Iraq, "Well, they volunteered for the military - so they should have expected they'd get shot at." None of the people in the Air Force expected to be involved in driving trucks/guard duty in the middle of this clusterfuck Bush calls a war. The Air Force recruits very intelligent and capable people, and gives them extremely expensive training in high tech areas. So in addition to the tragedy of more dead US service men and women, Bush ups the ante by destroying the capability of the Air Force and increasing the training cost per casualty.

[mikelewis]

4. He's actually trying to replace the entire U.S. armed forces...

with private contractors. My nephew was given an early release from active duty so he could join Blackhawk security. They actually recruited him and a few others right out of his unit in Iraq. While the rest of the Army is still on a stop-loss order, anyone who wants to join the Merc's is given a honorable discharge and a huge signing bonus. Odd, don't ya think?

[ladjf]

5. Why haven't Bush's children joined the fight in Iraq?

[mikelewis]

6. Becuase they would endanger our troops by being there...

I understand the point but would you really want them in the Army? Their security would endanger a lot of our soldiers and I for one would not want them to be there. Let them get drunk like daddy and play princess all they want, keep them away from real Americans.