I’m having a difficult time writing this diary. I’m so frustrated with and disgraced by our current military system. It is a system that my husband has worked in for a long time now. He did it proudly, and the family made a lot of sacrifices with an air of pride too. No more though! Those days are so long gone I almost wonder if it was all just a long lazy dream.
I arose this morning to the story about our Army making up unidentified Iraqi sources to embellish its news releases with. In releases to two different attacks that were 11 days apart the Army also quoted almost identical quotes from an Iraqi who wished to remain unidentified on both occasions. In my opinion the unidentified Iraqi also appears to have been reading GOP talking points memos, what a sharp connected Iraqi the Army has here!
“Task Force Baghdad Public Affairs regrets the confusion regarding two press releases issued in support of our operations July 24,” said a statement Monday.
Although not referring to the quote in Sunday’s release, it said there was “a draft press release which, due to an administrative error, was mistakenly issued on behalf of the 3rd Infantry Division.”
Lt. Col. Clifford Kent, spokesman for the 3rd Infantry Division, also spoke Sunday of an “administrative error.”
Kent did not explain why the quote apparently was changed to apply to the latest attack.
Below are the two news releases from the U.S. military with the similar quotes:
From Sunday:
” ‘The terrorists are attacking the infrastructure, the ISF and all of Iraq. They are enemies of humanity without religion or any sort of ethics. They have attacked my community today and I will now take the fight to the terrorists,’ said one Iraqi man who preferred not to be identified.”
From July 13:
” ‘The terrorists are attacking the infrastructure, the children and all of Iraq,’ said one Iraqi man who preferred not to be identified. ‘They are enemies of humanity without religion or any sort of ethics. They have attacked my community today and I will now take the fight to the terrorists.’ “
If you guys would shake me awake when this is over I would be forever in your debt.