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Soldiers talk of bureaucracy on battlefield
LINCOLN, Neb. Soldiers in Iraq are encountering a difficult obstacle that doesnt have anything to do with their enemy: bureaucracy on the battlefield.Two of about 30 members of the Nebraska Army National Guard who met with Sen. Ben Nelson on Monday told him that before striking targets in Iraq, they had to make phone calls to get permission first. If I see a target out there, I cant shoot it, Lt. Col. Martin Apprich, of Papillion, told Nelson. I have to make a phone call first. Apprich was commander of a unit that defended a joint Air Force and Army logistics base while in Iraq from March 2006 until June. We have many ... roadblocks precluding us from what we couldve done over there, he said. In one case where Apprich said his unit detected somebody installing what appeared to be an improvised explosive device outside his patrol area, he felt obligated to bypass protocol and sent out soldiers without seeking permission. Another soldier shared similar stories with Nelson, who appeared taken aback. It doesnt make any sense, Nelson said. Later, the senator said he would pass the concerns along to military leaders. Nelson will travel to Iraq next month with Sens. Max Baucus, D-Mt.; Ken Salazar, D-Colo.; and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine. Its Nelsons fourth fact-finding mission to the country. While Nelson, a Democrat, doesnt support a set date for withdrawing troops, he said he supports setting a date for a transitional mission that likely would mean fewer troops. About 615 Nebraska Guard members remain in Iraq, 15 in Afghanistan and eight are heading to Kosovo, Army National Guard spokesman Kevin Hynes said late last week. Some soldiers at the meeting Monday said they are concerned that there arent adequate support services for troops once they return home. Soldiers who dont live close to a major base are sometimes left in a lurch as they seek services to segue back in to civilian life, they said. Im still not confident were getting all the support services our returning veterans deserve, Col. Tom Schuurmans said. Hynes said problems cited by veterans arent keeping people from signing up with the guard, Weve got the second or third highest enlistment rate weve seen in decades, Hynes said. And he said 400 of the guards 3,600 soldiers have volunteered to go back for second tours. Posted by: Cromert 2007-08-31 |
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