Attitudes toward and opinions of U.S. troops

Re “Interpreting the Grunts,” Current, March 20

I am appalled by Nathaniel Fick’s “theirs is not to question why, theirs is but to do or die” attitude toward the enlisted ranks of our military. If 85% of our enlisted troops believe the war is retaliation for Saddam Hussein’s role in the 9/11 attacks, then rather than question our troops’ understanding of reality, Fick should question the civilian leadership that perpetuated this lie to lead us into war. This would serve his country and his troops much better.

TOM ARMOR

Los Angeles

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Granting Fick’s point that surveys of the troops in the field are no way to make policy, the only thing his take on the Zogby poll shows is that asking former Marine captains is not much better. He dismisses the “less-heralded finding” of 30% of troops complaining about lack of body armor as a low figure “given that media coverage suggests that the complaints are widespread among soldiers.” The fact that a third of our troops do not have the proper equipment required to wage this illconceived conflict should outrage a former Marine officer.

That 85% of the troops believe our mission in Iraq was to retaliate against Hussein for 9/11 makes a little more sense when you figure in that, until four months ago, the only opinion available to the troops was on the Armed Forces Network.

Asking the “grunts” is no way to form policy, but it is a telling indicator of the level of their morale and the faith they have in the mission’s goal. It shows that they have no more idea what it is than the people in Washington.

RICK PLEWA

Simi Valley