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Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Mutiny, misfeasance?
For a military unit to function in combat, soldiers must follow lawful orders -- even at the risk of their lives -- or face severe punishment for failing to do so. And for a military unit to function in combat, officers must do all they can to ensure that soldiers are equipped to face the least possible risk in carrying out those orders -- or face severe punishment for failing to do so.
The obligation to obey orders falls on all soldiers alike, veteran, rookie, regular forces, Reserves or National Guard. The obligation to properly equip them falls on all officers alike, platoon sergeant to commander in chief.
The commanding general of the 13th Corps Support Command confirmed that the trucks were among the 20 percent of the unit's vehicles that had not undergone makeshift armoring since arriving in Iraq in February. The maintenance and condition of the vehicles are also subject of an official inquiry. The 18 men and women, including their platoon sergeant, who last week refused to report for duty for a hazardous transport convoy into Baghdad will be brought to account for their actions. So too must the officers who ordered them to drive some of the few remaining unarmored supply trucks through some of the most dangerous territory in that war-torn nation. So too must all those up the chain of command who have thrown our troops into combat with inadequate equipment -- from body armor to unarmored vehicles.
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