Morale among US troops in Iraq said to be low

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http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_9-7-2003_pg7_50

WASHINGTON: With mounting casualties and no end to the American military occupation of Iraq in sight, morale among US troops deployed in the country is down.

US troops facing extended deployments amid the danger, heat, and uncertainty of the Iraq occupation are suffering from low morale that has in some cases hit “rock bottom”, according to a report in the Christian Science Monitor on Monday.

US President George W Bush has spoken of a “massive and long-term” undertaking in rebuilding Iraq, something that combined with other US military operations elsewhere in the world is “taking its toll on individual troops”. Some frustrated troops stationed in Iraq, according to the newspaper, are writing letters to representatives in Congress to request their units be repatriated. “Most soldiers would empty their bank accounts just for a plane ticket home,” said one recent congressional letter written by an Army soldier now based in Iraq. The soldier requested anonymity.

In some units, there has been an increase in letters from the Red Cross stating soldiers are needed at home, as well as daily instances of female troops being sent home due to pregnancy. “Make no mistake, the level of morale for most soldiers that I’ve seen has hit rock bottom,” said another soldier, an officer from the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division in Iraq. The report says “such open grumbling among troops comes as US commanders re-evaluate the size and composition of the US-led coalition force needed to occupy Iraq. US Central Command, which is leading the occupation, is expected by mid-July to send a proposal to Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on how many and what kind of troops are required, as well as on the rotation of forces there.” Multiple deployments around the world are already taxing the endurance of US forces, the Army in particular. Some 370,000 soldiers are now deployed overseas from an Army active-duty, guard, and reserve force of just over one million people, according to Army figures.

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