U.S. soldiers take complaints to new level

Critics of Iraq war see breakdown of troop morale
The Associated Press
Updated: 4:54 p.m. ET Dec. 10, 2004

WASHINGTON - Soldiers always gripe. But confronting the defense secretary, filing a lawsuit over extended tours and refusing to go on a mission because it’s too dangerous elevate complaining to a new level.

It also could mean a deeper problem for the Pentagon: a lessening of faith in the Iraq mission and in a volunteer army that soldiers can’t leave.

The hubbub over an exchange between Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and soldiers in Kuwait has given fresh ammunition to critics of the Bush administration’s Iraq policy.

It also highlighted growing morale and motivation problems in the 21-month-old war that even some administration supporters say must be addressed to get off a slippery slope that could eventually lead to breakdowns reminiscent of the Vietnam War.

Tip of the iceberg?For thousands of years, soldiers have grumbled about everything from their commanders to their equipment to shelter and food. But challenging a defense secretary to his face is rare. So is suing the military to keep from being sent back to a combat zone.

“We are seeing some unprecedented things. The real fear is that these could be tips of a larger iceberg,” said P.J. Crowley, a retired colonel who served as a Pentagon spokesman in both Republican and Democratic administrations and was a White House national security aide in the Clinton administration.

“The real issue is not any one of these things individually. It’s what the broader impact will be on our re-enlistment rates and our retention,” Crowley said.

Several Iraq-bound soldiers confronted Rumsfeld on Wednesday at a base in Kuwait about a lack of armor for their Humvees and other vehicles, about second-hand equipment and about a policy keeping many in Iraq far beyond enlistment contracts. Their pointed questions were cheered by others in the group.

The episode — the questions and Rumsfeld’s testy responses were captured by television cameras and widely reported — did not raise new issues. Complaints about inadequate protection against insurgents’ roadside bombs and forced duty extensions have been sounded for months. But not so vividly.

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