Right Voices

Obama made the following statement in last nights debate:

OBAMA: You know, I’ve heard from an Army captain who was the head of a rifle platoon ” supposed to have 39 men in a rifle platoon. Ended up being sent to Afghanistan with 24 because 15 of those soldiers had been sent to Iraq.

And as a consequence, they didn’t have enough ammunition, they didn’t have enough Humvees. They were actually capturing Taliban weapons, because it was easier to get Taliban weapons than it was for them to get properly equipped by our current commander in chief.

Immediately, people started asking questions, and the story has opened a can of Obama is ignorant worms. Stephen Spruiell spoke with Obama advisor David Axelrod to get clarification on the statement:

AXELROD: That was a discussion that a captain in the military had with our staff, and he asked that that be passed along to Senator Obama.

Chris G made this comment at Flopping Aces:

What a crock of outright lies and BS!!!! Platoons are not split up along theater level lines. A Platoon is the smallest tactical element commonly employed. Normal Squads, which make up Platoons, do not go out alone unless covered by something big (Tank/Infantry squad teams for example).

Units are not halved for combat!! Units in Afghanistan were not used in Iraq and the two events occurred almost a year apart!! 10th Mountain went into Afghanistan fully manned. 10th Mountain was not used in Iraq. Also, all units have organic vehicles. Divisions are not stripped of vehicles for another theater operation. We have APS fleets to cover this (pre-deployed assets in Kuwait)!!! Obama should know about this as funding for the APS fleets are in the appropriations bills.

So on this aspect: FLAT OUT LIE by Obama!!!!!!

Now, as for Obama’s military skills, exactly WHAT captain leads a platoon?????? 2LTs lead platoons with a few 1LTs who might lead one as the senior platoon leader in a company, COMMANDED by a captain. Maybe this was a captain who lead a platoon You know, I’ve heard from an Army captain who was the head of a
rifle platoon ” supposed to have 39 men in a rifle platoon. Ended up
being sent to Afghanistan with 24 because 15 of those soldiers had been
sent to Iraq.

And as a consequence, they didn’t have enough ammunition,
they didn’t have enough Humvees. They were actually capturing Taliban
weapons, because it was easier to get Taliban weapons than it was for
them to get properly equipped by our current commander in chief. years ago, however, Obama’s lack of knowledge betrays him. Even if Obama is not slandering/making up a story by the officer, it will be the first anyone I know of has heard about this lack of equipment and ammo issue.

Now as for weapons. No kidding we use the enemy’s when we can. The same is true for the initial invasion of Iraq. Ammunition is always a sought commodity, but there was no shortage of transports getting it to Afghanistan. HOWEVER, in the midst of a fire fight, ammo runs low and many Soldiers/Marines know how to use the AK series (AKM/AK-74 and SVD). Since a majority of US Military Members are gun owners/shooters and many are NRA members, we tend to learn all we can about weapons and teach those who are not hunters/shooters in our ranks. A light infantry unit can only carry so much ammo on extended missions. Air resupply is not always available while in combat (helicopters draw enemy fire for some reason) and ground resupply is not always able to get up the goat trails that comprise Afghanistan.

However, I know a captain who commanded in 10th Mountain in Afghanistan during the most intense fighting there and he NEVER had problems with lack of men, equipment, or ammo. But then, I am an Army officer who, like a VAST, near total majority of us, supports the war so my opinion is unwanted by the left.

The more Obama speaks, the more he digs holes.

Jack Tapper at ABC tried to shed light on the story, but as failed, as the AP points out:

He underscored his point in the Democratic debate Thursday by telling a story about a rifle platoon in Afghanistan that allegedly didn’t have enough soldiers or weapons to do its job, leaving the platoon to scrounge for weapons from the Taliban:
The captain said [to ABC], however, that the unit did not go after the Taliban for the purpose of getting their weapons, but sometimes used those weapons when some were captured.
Obama said the platoon was supposed to have 39 soldiers. A platoon does not have to consist of 39, but can have between 16 to 40 soldiers, according to standard Army unit organization. It is also commanded by a lieutenant and not a captain.

According to Michael Goldfarb, Senator John Warner sent a letter to Barack Obama. Please take the time to read the letter, but here is a synopsis from Michael:

Warner refers to Obama’s comments as “a disturbing framework of factual allegations.”

According to Jake Tapper’s report earlier today, the unnamed captain to whom Obama attributed the account was deployed to Afghanistan in the summer of 2003. Warner was, at the time, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. As such, he explains that he has “a responsibility to establish where in the military chain of command rests the ‘accountability’ [for the shortfalls], depending of course, on the accuracy of the facts.”

Warner informs Obama that he is working with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs to determine the facts of the incident described in last nights debate, and that he intends to raise the issues next Tuesday when Secretary of the Army Pete Green and General Casey appear before the committee.

Further, he asks Obama to provide the “essential facts of when- the dates- the unit was deployed, to which brigade combat team, or other unit it was assigned, the name and current location of the captain, or other military personnel who shared the alleged facts with you, so that the committee staff can debrief them.”

This comes just hours after Reuters reported doubts within the Pentagon as to the veracity of Obama’s account.

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