Was found at leftist blog Crooks&Liars, where Nicole Belle links to a NYT Magazine article by Michael R. Gordon titled “An Army of Some”. The article focuses on the work our men and women in uniform are doing to get the Iraqi Army trained to handle their business.
After writing a sub-headline of “Winning Hearts and Minds” she posts the first paragraph of Gordon’s article:
The rules posted on the wall of the Marine base in Barwana concisely summed up the American predicament in Iraq: Be polite, be professional, have a plan to kill everyone you meet.
According to the list of USMC Rules for Gunfighting that I printed out and have posted on my corkboard above my desk, that is Rule #21.
I’m taking it that Ms. Belle didn’t read the article because, all things being taken into account, it isn’t that bad a report. Yes, it is taking longer than planned to get the new Iraqi Army trained up, but it is happening. And while Michael R. Gordon would like it done faster, and I think most everyone else would as well, the gist I got from the story was that it WILL happen because we’re committed to it happening.
But apparently, Ms. Belle finds the opening line objectionable and wants everyone who stops by C&L to know who the US in employing to establish an army in Iraq. To them, it sounds like we’re using cold blooded killers.
To me, it sounds like we’re using Marines.
Btw, I have posted a complete list of USMC Rules for Gunfighting below the fold for those who don’t have their own.
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USMC Rules For Gunfighting
1. Bring a gun. Preferably, bring at least two guns. Bring all of your friends who have guns.
2. Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Ammo is cheap. Life is expensive.
3. Only hits count. The only thing worse than a miss is a slow miss.
4. If your shooting stance is good, you’re probably not moving fast enough nor using cover correctly.
5. Move away from your attacker. Distance is your friend. (Lateral and diagonal movement are preferred.)
6. If you can choose what to bring to a gunfight, bring a long gun and a friend with a long gun.
7. In ten years nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance, or tactics. They will only remember who lived.
8. If you are not shooting, you should be communicating, reloading, and running.
9. Accuracy is relative: most combat shooting standards will be more dependent on “pucker factor” than the inherent accuracy of the gun.
9.5. Use a gun that works EVERY TIME. “All skill is in vain when an Angel ****es in the flintlock of your musket.”
10. Someday someone may kill you with your own gun, but they should have to beat you to death with it because it is empty.
11. Always cheat; always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose.
12. Have a plan.
13. Have a back-up plan, because the first one won’t work.
14. Use cover or concealment as much as possible. The visible target should be IN FRONT of your gun.
15. Flank your adversary when possible. Protect yours.
16. Don’t drop your guard.
17. Always tactical load and threat scan 360 degrees.
18. Watch their hands. Hands kill. (In God we trust. Everyone else, keep your hands where I can see them).
19. Decide to be aggressive ENOUGH, quickly ENOUGH.
20. The faster you finish the fight, the less shot you will get.
21. Be polite. Be professional. But have a plan to kill everyone you meet.
22. Be courteous to everyone, friendly to no one.
23. Your number one Option for Personal Security is a lifelong commitment to avoidance, deterrence, and de-escalation.
24. Do not attend a gunfight with a handgun, the caliber of which does not start with a “4.”
Interesting that “Your number one Option for Personal Security is a lifelong commitment to avoidance, deterrence, and de-escalation.” doesn’t get any airplay, isn’t it?
The rule of thumb for counter-insurgency campaigns is roughly a DECADE. This is never brought up in any news stories I’ve ever read, but that’s what the President and Defense Dept types, including those in uniform, are referring to when saying that it’s going to take a while.
I suspect that office holders are reluctant to put actual numbers on it because, like all things involving human beings, it’s not precise, and they don’t want to get pounded if the conditions aren’t right to pull out of Iraq in March of 2013. Actually, the same probably goes for the military folks too, although most of them will be retired by that point.
The big question is, if the American public were actually told that, would they have the patience for it?
Re: #9.5–
I saw this written in German on a wall in a car repair shop (specializing in Porsches). I think I copied it, and have regretted losing it. As Paul Harvey often says, (something to the effect of) “Some days, nothin’s gonna work out right.”