"no longer a matter of making it home alive and in one piece...Just alive"

[sabra]

http://www.insidebayarea.com/sanmateocountytimes/news/ci_3245026

U.S. morale in Iraq is marked 'fragile'
Seeing friends die, injured is taking its toll on many American


FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq — A handful of Delta Company soldiers leaned against a barracks wall the other night, smoking. The subject of conversation: what limb they would rather part with, if they had a choice. On the door of a portable toilet a few feet away, someone was keeping the company death toll amid a scribble of obscenities: five KIA.

"When I first got here, I felt like I could actually do some good for the Iraqi people," Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Barker said. But the last six months had hardened him, he said. "We're not going to change the Iraqis. I don't care how many halal (Muslim) meals we give out."

...

"Morale is a roller coaster," said Lt. Rusten Currie, who has spent 10 months in Iraq. "We were all idealistic to begin with, wanting to find Osama bin Laden and (Abu Musab al-) Zarqawi, and bring them to justice — whatever that means. Now we just want to go home."

...

"We were the walking dead," he said, speaking of days after the attack. "It was no longer a matter of making it home alive and in one piece. Just alive would be fine."

http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/pa12_murtha/pr051117iraq.html

The Honorable John P. Murtha
War in Iraq

<snip>

Our troops have become the primary target of the insurgency. They are united against U.S. forces and we have become a catalyst for violence. U.S. troops are the common enemy of the Sunnis, Saddamists and foreign jihadists. I believe with a U.S. troop redeployment, the Iraqi security forces will be incentivized to take control. A poll recently conducted shows that over 80% of Iraqis are strongly opposed to the presence of coalition troops, and about 45% of the Iraqi population believe attacks against American troops are justified. I believe we need to turn Iraq over to the Iraqis.

[Maggie_May]

1. Somebody should send this to Schmidt

Then let her read this on the congress floor.

[sabra]

2. after it goes through her bs filter, the translation:

"soldiers morale is down, because the Dems are cowards"