[December 21, 2014] In my many travels throughout the country of Iraq, I talked to many Iraqis from all levels of their society. Most importantly, I listened sympathetically to what they had to say. In their culture they were often very loyal to their tribe, regardless of religious origin. I also understood how much the culture of our Coalition partners influenced how they helped the Iraqis. But, I found myself in my own American cultural traps that affected me in how I carried out our mission.
Very much like General Creighton Abrams helping the Vietnamese, he said “I’m trapped in other ways because I’m an American.”1 There are U.S. military techniques, tactics, and procedures that I cannot change as well. Despite all our training and assistance to the Iraqis, to both their military and their government, and despite all the problems they had with terrorism, sometimes the Iraqis did not commit to our ways of doing things. I recognized their cultural traps … as well as mine.
What I was able to do was able to gain the trust and confidence of the Iraqis because, as they informed me later, I understood the difficult position they were in and was not arrogant in my dealings with them. This did not mean that I was easy on them, nor critical of their failures. What I did do was provide them with realistic advice on specific problems they had and did so in a constructive way where no Iraqi lost face in front of their tribe or in front of Coalition forces.
Citizens of the Iraqi culture, like many other cultures, are stanchly proud of the history of their country. For example, the City of Ur in southern Iraq is where Abraham – of the Bible – lived in 2,000 B.C. and his city was a thriving metropolis. And as they should be proud, they are trapped in Iraqi ways of doing things that are influenced by their ancestors and their religious faith. This information could only be obtained by going out into the field and talking to the Iraqis and that I did on a regular basis.
The American soldier differs from their Iraqi counterpart. U.S. soldiers are better equipped, trained, and led. Our logistical system and our firepower were far superior to their systems. When we worked together and the Iraqi soldier was backed by us, their accomplishments were great and they deserve our respect. Their high casualty rate in combat attests to their ability to stand up to an aggressive enemy that they fought then and now fight today.
Not everyone agreed with me on my assessments during my time in Iraq from 2004-2011, but the battles fought since then with ISIS has shown that my assessment of their abilities was true.
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[1] Thunderbolt From the Battle of the Bulge to Vietnam and Beyond: General Abrams and the Army of His Times. Lewis Sorley, 1992.