That's a pretty explosive charge - which doesn't seem to be getting much attention. Were he a Republican saying that about a Democrat President, the Mainstream Media would be all over him to prove it.
UPDATE: It appears that ABC News talked to the officer in question, and says Obama's story is confirmed. But Ace of Spades says not so fast...
Having served, I tend to side with Ace. Units often deploy and operate under-strength, and sometimes (more than sometimes!) the equipment you need isn't there when you need it. But a good officer or NCO knows what to do in cases like that, and follows the old rule: "change, adapt, overcome." If that means mounting the DShK you have if you can't find an M-2 in time, you do it. Then you execute the mission and you move on.
Stephen Ambrose used to say that what made the American military so good was the ability of our personnel to adapt and be creative in a given situation. When we ran into the hedgerows in France in 1944, our soldiers didn't complain that Roosevelt had sent them into battle ill-prepared, they figured out how to weld up teeth to the front of tanks to cut down the hedgerows. And they took the metal for those teeth from German anti-tank barricades.
More than anything, what Obama mentioned illustrated that the ingenuity and level of professionalism of the soldiers in today’s Army remains that of the Greatest Generation. That, and the fact that there are always complainers in the military - even officers.
UPDATE "Walker," a veteran of Iraq in 2004-05, has left an excellent reply in the comments section. Well worth reading.
22 February 2008
Obama: Army Having To Capture Weapons To Fight.
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Folks,
If you are short of everything except the enemy, you must be in a combat zone!!
(Murphy’s Law of Combat)
The platoon was sent to Afghanistan with 24 men.
"We should have deployed with 39," he told me, "we should have gotten replacements. But we didn't. And that was pretty consistent across the battalion."
Cry me a river!!!! I served in Iraq (OIF II/III) during the 2004-05 timeframe with the 256 Brigade. I served in the ONLY Task Force in theater without a support platoon (42 soldiers). I was a part of a 3-man team doing the job of logistics for 400+ US forces, not to mention one operation that included 3800+ Iraqi soldiers. Short 15? Suck it up and drive-on soldier, I was short 39!!!!!!
At Fort Drum, in training, "we didn't have access to heavy weapons or the ammunition for the weapons, or humvees to train before we deployed."
Most units, especially active component units, are authorized personnel and equipment based on a Table of Organization and Equipment. Perhaps his unit was not authorized a 50 cal. Most platoon-sized units are issued the M240 (Machine Gun) or M249 SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon). These weapons are more than likely the ones assigned, and the weapons of choice- “50 cals” cause too much collateral damage. As for ammo, unless they are qualifying for record, most training in the US calls for BLANK ammunition. Since when do we have a shortage of blank ammo? As for the Humvees, yes, all the up armored Humvees are in theater. So, grab a “softtop” (unarmored humvee) and start training. If you want it more realistic, give me a gun and I’ll start shooting at your sorry #$%!!!!!!
These people forget the Louisiana Maneuvers of the late 1930’s. Back then, our soldiers trained with Model “Ts” labeled “TANK” and broomsticks labeled “Machine Gun”. If I recall correctly, even with inadequate training equipment, we still won WWII !!!
They also didn't have the humvees they were supposed to have both before deployment and once they were in Afghanistan, the Captain says.
That’s because the policy is to fall in on the equipment left by the previous rotation.
We should have had 4 up-armored humvees," he said. "We were supposed to. But at most we had three operable humvees, and it was usually just two."
Really!!!! “We SHOULD HAVE HAD” vs “But at most we had three OPERABLE humvees, and it was usually just two”. This sounds like a unit maintenance issue to me. So get out your “Echo’s” (equipment inspection sheets), and start inspecting your equipment for faults because “Mr. Goodwrench” doesn’t deploy with the US Army!!!!!
Is this what West Point produces now?
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