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2007-08-28 Iraq

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Posted by Mike 2007-08-28 13:07|| || Front Page|| [7 views ] Top

#1 Breaking through cultural molasses to find the hard working and respectable individual underneath is never easy.

You can't just tell them a better way, and show them a better way, then see if they can do it that way--it's not enough. If you turn your back on most people, they will go and do it the way they are used to doing it, even though they have seen and done it a better way. This befuddles many American trainers, who are used to American trainees doing it right once they know how.

You have to keep at them. Only with endless repetition, doing it right endless numbers of times, and catching them trying to do it the old way when they don't think you are watching, and correcting them on it, will you finally get through to them.

And their leaders have to be just as persistent as you, once you leave, in insisting they do it the right way, not the cultural way. Even at that point, it still takes generations of training to get it through to the culture as a whole. It is amazingly difficult.

On the plus side, for generations, parts of the Iraqi military will be like odd reflections of the professionalism of the Army, Marines and other US personnel who trained them. Osmosis from the Americans to parts of their military culture not in conflict with the old ways will be profound.

To their last day in uniform, there will be Iraqi officers and senior NCOs who will push hard to do things the American way in every way the Iraqis can. Literally thousands of things that both matter and are just decorative will be integrated into the Iraqi military way of doing military business.

Posted by Anonymoose 2007-08-28 13:53|| 2007-08-28 13:53|| Front Page Top

#2 He paused for a long time [A Zen moment?] and answered very carefully.

Posted by gromgoru 2007-08-28 16:26|| 2007-08-28 16:26|| Front Page Top

#3 Our new recruits recently complained about having sore feet during a march. When they noticed our female soldiers are in better shape than they are, they never complained again. Also, when we first had them try on our body armor, it nearly broke their spines. They want to be physically capable of wearing it, too.

Pretty typical the world over when looking at soldiers vs western soldiers. Despite our soft lifestyle, our solders are well trained, physically fit and highly motivated.

Posted by DarthVader">DarthVader 2007-08-28 17:45|| 2007-08-28 17:45|| Front Page Top

#4 Despite our soft lifestyle, we generally accept whatever pain and injuries that result from a freely made choice as the cost of doing business. Mr. Wife is walking around these days with probable stress fractures in the fingers, hand and wrist bones of his right hand. He tried to punch through one board too many ten days ago at his Tae Kwan Do belt test... and he isn't nineteen any more. One of these days he'll go to the doctor to have it x-rayed, but in the meantime he wears his old wrist brace, takes some Tylenol, and looks forward to getting the new belt.

Posted by trailing wife 2007-08-28 18:39|| 2007-08-28 18:39|| Front Page Top

#5 Moud has just reportedly said that Iran is ready to step into any power vacuum in the ME left by the weakening USA - IOW, there will be no democratic Iraq, no "Iraq for Iraqis", etc. only an extension/proxy of Iran.

Posted by JosephMendiola 2007-08-28 20:47|| 2007-08-28 20:47|| Front Page Top

23:59 Mike N.
23:49 Zenster
23:36 Zenster
23:33 Halliburton - Jihadi Pacification Division
23:29 Zenster
23:11 Frank G
23:02 Ol Dirty American
22:55 Barbara Skolaut
22:54 Zenster
22:48 Barbara Skolaut
22:46 KBK
22:43 Zenster
22:41 Frank G
22:38 Zenster
22:34 Pappy
22:32 Zenster
22:19 Pappy
22:14 Zenster
22:06 Zenster
22:06 Ptah
22:02 Ptah
21:56 Zenster
21:52 Zenster
21:52 Ptah