Originally posted by rpm
No, I was a Boatswain's Mate in the Coast Guard. TYVM. The job of guarding the installation would not have been a job for the 101st. It would have been a job for an MP unit. As I have said more than once (and apparently no one will admit checking) this was not an isolated incident. The units were not prepared to handled the rash of looting that occurred. I personally don't care how many of Saddam's tractor tires they made off with, but I am concerned about HE disappearing.
The 39th Brigade arrived at Camp Cooke in Taji to find looted ammo bunkers. Members of the 39th were killed and injured BY THE SAME MUNITIONS THAT WERE LOOTED. The CO said it was because after we pulled out we did not post any guard and insurgents were free to "One Stop Shop" from the bunkers. That was a command decision and a grievous error.
Okay, I can't expect a Coastie to understand this, but I'll explain it anyway.
The limited Iraqi road-net was bumper to bumper with combat units and essential logics. Where do you suppose the MPs were?
Far in the rear, securing towns and cities already captured.
The decision to guard ammo dumps is made no higher than the Division level. And trust me, Division was looking for chemical and biological weapons. High explosives can be gleaned from any explosive ordnance including artillery rounds, mortar rounds and the like. Were the combat units supposed to guard every piece of ordnance found on the battlefield?
During the first Gulf war, Iraqi ammo dumps were left unguarded by combat units too. Why? Because, THAT'S NOT THEIR JOB. They don't have time to stop and secure ammo dumps. Stopping puts soldiers at risk, because it allows the enemy the opportunity to reorganize. In an advance like that in Iraq, units keep going until the run out of gas, and then they get out and walk if need be. No field commander is going to reduce his combat power and effectiveness by detaching personnel to guard ordnance. God knows, they have enough delays with equipment breaking down and traffic jams in the rear preventing essential supplies from arriving in a timely manner. No one on earth expected the Iraqis to collapse like they did. No one expected to be advancing so fast that the REMFs couldn't keep up.
As it is, we do know that there were no high explosives found when the inspection teams caught up in early May. The odd are that the all of RDX and HDX had already been removed. Some 35 tons were already missing in early March, a month before the 101st got there. We also know that Hussein was moving munitions from bunkers in expectation that they would be hit by American aircraft if the war actually began. The CIA stated last year that Hussein had stockpiled weapons in remote locations in the event that a guerrilla war would be fought.
You have to apply common sense... I realize that those two words together is an oxymoron.
My regards,
Widewing
