GI Special 4I28: Sadistic Freaks In Command - September 28, 2006

Thomas F. Barton

Out here in South Baghdad, also known as the "Red Zone," soldiers die daily. Many are working 16-plus hour days, odd shifts, and pulling details in between.How fair is it to impose upon a soldier the risk of getting flagged when he is doing dangerous work, being ripped away from his family for 12 or more consecutive months?The climate here is extremely hot and tiring. It is not possible to get a beneficial workout when you risk becoming a heat casualty. Even the coolest part of the day, 5 a.m., is almost 90 degrees. Some soldiers work nights and cannot get up at that hour to conduct PT.To run here is impossible, unless you want to sprain your ankle or break your leg. There are no paved or smooth runways. There is nothing but hard, bumpy rock everywhere, which can be hazardous even to walk around.

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GI Special 4I29: 60% Of Iraqis Say Kill U.S. Troops - September 29,
2006
Thomas F. Barton

As many as six in ten Iraqis say they approve of attacks on U.S.-led forces in their country. But almost as many say they also have an overwhelmingly negative opinion of Osama bin Laden.Support appears to be related to a widespread perception, held by all ethnic groups, that the US government plans to have permanent military bases in Iraq.About 61 percent approved of the attacks - up from 47 percent in January.A solid majority of Shiite and Sunni Arabs approved of the attacks, according to the poll. The increase came mostly among Shiite Iraqis.Three-fourths believe the U.S. intends to keep military bases in Iraq permanently.

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