Advice to WWII Soldiers in Iraq Relevant Today

[JGeropoulas]

1943 Advice to WWII Soldiers in Iraq Relevant Today
National Public Radio
"All Things Considered"
8-9-07
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12637899

I heard this today and cringed at the disconnect between Lt. Col. John Nagl's seemingly genuine "humanitarian" viewpoint, and the brutal reality of the atrocities in Iraq. [I've added the bold emphasis and photos, some of which are graphic from Abu Ghraib]

During World War II, the U.S. Army published a book of cultural dos and don'ts for soldiers serving in Iraq. It's a simple instruction manual on Iraqi customs and culture that still has relevance 60 years later.

"One really wishes that we'd had this book in our breast pockets when we arrived in Iraq in September of 2003," Army Lt. Col. John Nagl tells Michele Norris.

Nagl wrote the foreword to the modern version of Instructions for American Servicemen in Iraq During World War II, and he requires that the soldiers he trains read portions of the 1943 book.

...But he says what he missed most from not having the manual with him was "the sense of who the Iraqi people are."

"I came to know them as very generous, very concerned for their families, very proud, and fiercely loyal to their families and to their tribes," Nagl says.

Nagl says he is trying to teach the soldiers he trains that the relationships they build "over cups of tea" with Iraqi partners are perhaps the most important component to eventual U.S. victory in the war.

"One of the quotes I found most appealing in the book was that 'Americans success or failure in Iraq may well depend on whether the Iraqis like American soldiers or not,'" he says. [oh boy, then "failure" would be a generous description]

The original book contains excerpts such as these:

But do not touch or handle an Iraqi in any other way. Do not wrestle with him in fun, and don't slap him on the back. Any such contact is offensive to his idea of good manners. Above all, never strike an Iraqi. [especially with "air strikes"]

...Keep away from mosques

...Don't under any circumstances call an Iraqi a "dog," a "devil," a "native," or a "heathen." These terms are all deadly insults to him. Pigs are "unclean" to Moslems. So are dogs. If you happen to have a mascot dog, be particularly careful to keep him away from mosques.

Moslems do not let other people see them naked.

Do not urinate in their presence. They do it squatting and dislike to see other people do it standing up. These things may seem trivial, but they are important if you want to get along well with the Iraqis.

...Never make advances to Moslem women or try to attract their attention in the streets or other public places. Do not loiter near them when they are shopping. If a woman has occasion to lift her veil while shopping, do not stare or smile at her. Look the other way. These rules are extremely important. The Moslems will immediately dislike you and there will be trouble if you do not treat women according to their standards and customs.

"USA RAPE AND SODOMIZATION OF IRAQIS WORSE THAN IMAGINED
Collusion with US based Jewish pornographers seen"
_http://www.aztlan.net/rape_of_iraq.htm

...Any advance on your part will mean trouble and plenty of it. Even when speaking to Iraqi men, no mention should be made of their female relatives. The Iraqi themselves follow this custom and would resent anyone, especially a foreigner, not doing the same.

To repeat – don't make a pass at any Moslem woman or there will be trouble. Anyway, it won't get you anywhere. Prostitutes do not walk the streets but live in special quarters of the cities.

Great book. A shame it was lost along with all the rest of America's highest ideals.

 

[Azur]

That last photo was unnecessary to make your point.

Your judgment is lacking.

 

[JGeropoulas]

Well, I did wrestle with that decision (and actually, chose the least offensive of the possibilities, if you can imagine that!). But thanks for sharing your opinion, and I've removed it out of consideration for you.

(Suggestion: try a less judgemental tone when expressing your opinion of another's "judgement.")

 

[Tigersoap]

Well, I did wrestle with that decision (and actually, chose the least offensive of the possibilities, if you can imagine that!). But thanks for sharing your opinion, and I've removed it out of consideration for you.

(Suggestion: try a less judgemental tone when expressing your opinion of another's "judgement.")

Hello JG, I did not get the time to reply to your post before you removed your picture but I do also consider that it was unecessary and rude.

You make it sound like you're doing a favor to Azur and thought about how to be less offensive but it wasn't.
What about considering everyone that could come here as well ?

I don't understand why you posted it in the first place, you did not even warn that it was an actual rape picture.
Although we need to know what's really going on in Irak, I don't think that it was considerate to do it, at all.

 

[anart]

I wholeheartedly agree with Azur and Tigersoap on this one. This is a public forum, not your own private message board where you can post whatever you like, that is extremely offensive to others. Such pictures have their place as documentation, but this forum is not that place.

Also, Azur wasn't being judgemental - he was simply stating a fact.