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Debka: Junior Officers and Enlisted Protest Against Ineffectual Command
A group of hundreds of officers and men of the crack Alexandroni Brigade hurled charges against the Chief of Staff, Lt. Dan Halutz at a meeting in Hadera. One carried a banner with the motto: You prevented us from winning.Halutz received them after signs of mutiny appeared among the brigades reservists the first ever staged by a complete Israeli combat unit against the high command. Brigade officers signed a letter in which they warned that if their willingness to fight for their country continues to be trampled on, there will be no one left to fight the next war. They spoke of a deep crisis of confidence and alienation between the officers and soldiers of the brigade and its commanders, the northern command and the general staff. The reservists repeated the grievances of other units that they were sent into battle without appropriate equipment, food or water. Worst of all, their orders were confused, contradictory and unrelated to what they found in the field. Tactical intelligence data was missing throughout the campaign, forcing them to fight blind. Last week, the brigades commander, Col. Shlomi Cohen, called the protesters impertinent and threatened them with court martial. When the chief of staff promised that every complaint would be thoroughly investigated, one of the participants at the showdown burst out: Who needs an inquiry government or judicial? The Lebanon fiasco is so glaring that it cries to heaven. We all know where responsibility lies - in the military and national leadership. They should all resign and not hide behind some probe else the crisis of confidence in the army will deepen. In contrast to the chief of staff, the Chief Infantry and Paratroop Officer, Brig. Yossi Maimon, admitted: We have sinned. He confessed to a deep sense of responsibility for failing to better prepare the army and reserve units for battle. Notwithstanding the heroism the army demonstrated in combat, we are left with a strong sense of missing out, he said. Posted by: Anonymoose 2006-08-21 |
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