Missing soldier was 'new guy.'

[DemoTex]

NEAR YUSUFIYA, Iraq (CNN) -- One of three U.S. soldiers missing after a deadly Iraqi ambush had been chided by his comrades for being "the new guy," and another taught himself Arabic while in Iraq, their platoon leader recalled Friday.

The trio is the focus of an intense, day-and-night search by U.S. and Iraqi forces in the aftermath of a bloody ambush south of Baghdad that took the lives of four other U.S. troops and an Iraqi soldier Saturday.

The voice of 1st Lt. Morgan Spring-Glace fills with anger and pain as he remembers his four slain soldiers, including one who had just received a new baseball cap from his wife. (More at link..)

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/05/18/damon.missingsoldiers/index.html

Viet Nam redux. Beware the FNG and the short-timer.

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. Do you think they are still alive?

[DemoTex]

3. Tough call.

50/50 chance, at best. IMO. Bad scene, that.

[Monkeyman]

2. A CHERRY GEE

CNN a few minutes ago said they think one might not be alive but they do not know. They are going on the fact all three are alive

[davsand]

4. This brings up a lot of old pain for our Viet Nam vets, I think.

Not only is our country dealing with the loss and suffering happening right now, it occurs to me that there is an awful lot about this mess in Iraq that is probably dragging up a bunch of renewed pain and bad memories for our Viet Nam vets.

I'm sorry that terms like FNG and short timer are a part of our collective vocabulary again.



Laura

On a personal note, Mac, I'm glad to see you up and around!

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

5. It doesn't appear "short timer" is a valid Iraq term

--even when they've done with their duty, they keep getting sent back again, time after time after time after time.....

[Ezlivin]

6. It's called a Catch-22

“Is Orr crazy?”

“He sure is,” Doc Daneeka said.

“Can you ground him?”

“I sure can. But first he has to ask me to. That’s part of the rule.”

“Then why doesn’t he ask you to?”

“Because he’s crazy,” Doc Daneeka said. “He has to be crazy to keep flying combat missions after all the close calls he’s had. Sure, I can ground Orr. But first he has to ask me to.”

“That’s all he has to do to be grounded?”

“That’s all. Let him ask me.”

“And then you can ground him?” Yossarian asked.

“No, then I can’t ground him.”

“You mean there’s a catch?”

“Sure there’s a catch,” Doc Daneeka replied. “Catch-22. Anyone who wants to get out of combat duty isn’t really crazy.”

There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one's own safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn't have to; but if he didn't want to he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whisper.

“That’s some catch, that Catch-22,” he observed.

“It’s the best there is,” Doc Daneeka agreed.

Catch-22, pp. 45-46