First Polish soldier killed in Iraq

[PeZook]

Granted, it's a short report, but it's making quite a fuss over here.

Our troops were pretty lucky so far...and most of them lucked out this time, too, I guess.

CNN Report

And a slightly longer one one on BBC News

[TrailerParkJawa]

The first few deaths probably have more impact than deaths later on. How do the Poles feel about it?

[PeZook]

To be honest, I smell a Jessicha Lynch. The tabloids are already trying to make him some sort of a national hero (with pretty disgusting sensationalist methods, I might add), and our president declared he is going to "honor his heroic death". On the internet portals, it's either that or idiots basically saying "fuck you" to his family and the rest of our troops in Iraq. So, I think that Poles are overreacting.

While it's nothing to shrug off, and the man certainly needs to be honored as any soldier who was killed during service, I personally feel the need to conduct an investigation and make the road he died on more secure instead of pointless feasts. From what I've gathered, it's not the first ambush that has been organized there, and troops are regularly moving on that road. Excuse me if I'd prefer to get our people home alive instead of having to honor more dead.

At least he didn't leave behind a family that would be unable to sustain themselves. His daugher is 21, so they have some chance to manage.

[Vympel]

The problem with security in Iraq is there aren't enough troops to do it- you need well over double the troops that are there now to have enough troops to reliably and consistently patrol the roads and both clear IEDs and prevent the planting of new ones. It's also great for fighting off ambushes.

[PeZook]

The problem with security in Iraq is there aren't enough troops to do it- you need well over double the troops that are there now to have enough troops to reliably and consistently patrol the roads and both clear IEDs and prevent the planting of new ones. It's also great for fighting off ambushes.

So true. And the problem with that is that most eastern countries have a conscript military, with most of the troops simply not trained well enough to do it and not get killed in a first serious ambush. So, in our case - we've sent carefully screened volunteers out, only from the units that are reformed already (so, there weren't many troops to choose from) - promising extra pay and additional benefits. But it was hard to scrounge enough of them for the current contingent and the force that's to rotate in place of it later. Not to mention paying for the equipment, base facilities, additional training...

Heck, even the americans have trouble paying for their presence, and their economy is stronger than all the eastern bloc countries combined

[Sea Skimmer]

The problem with security in Iraq is there aren't enough troops to do it- you need well over double the troops that are there now to have enough troops to reliably and consistently patrol the roads and both clear IEDs and prevent the planting of new ones. It's also great for fighting off ambushes.

Twice the troops would accomplish little actually because most of the forces would be tied up simply protecting themselves and there supply convoys which would remain vulnerable.