U.S. Army: Troop morale falls in Afghanistan

[wuushew]

WASHINGTON - Morale has fallen among soldiers in Afghanistan, where troops are seeing record violence in the 8-year-old war, while those in Iraq show much improved mental health amid much lower violence, the Army said Friday.

Soldier suicides in Iraq did not increase for the first time since 2004, according to a new study


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33908828/ns/us_news-military/

[sarge43]

1. I wonder how much money Captain Obvious spent coming up with that blinding Duh.

"The floggings will continue until morale improves."

[dhpgetsit]

2. Could it be due to the fact that

We have no clear mission or exit strategy?

[sarge43]

3. No, simpler than that

Imagine yourself trapped in a rave club and the noise is cranked to rocket engine level. There's an angry stealthy snipper in the balcony. Every tenth black square on the floor is a land mine. Every so often someone near you hits the floor with a large ugly hole in his/her chest or head or is missing at least one limb and you're covered in their blood. One of the mines goes off and instant ground round. Once in awhile the noise turns down to jet engine level and you get a couple of hours of something resembling sleep, but BOOM! another mine does its thing. This time the poor bastard wasn't killed out right. S/he is screaming like a banshee. Oh yeah, the least of your problems, but the food sucks. This goes on for over a year.

After a third ride on this merry go round from hell, your morale probably isn't in the stratosphere and your brain is about one more twitch and giggle away from going bye-bye.

[Arctic Dave]

4. Unique analogy. It works though.

[sarge43]

6. Thanks. Someone asked an old timer and survivor how realistic

the Normandy Beach scenes in Saving Pvt Ryan were. He answered that they were pretty good, but no way the ghastly noise level and gut wrenching smells could be reproduced. Got me thinking.

[TexasObserver]

5. A long, pointless war with no end and many tours will do that.