Rumsfeld Set Up: Reporter Planted Questions with Soldier

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**Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter Edward Lee Pitts is embedded with the 278th Regimental Combat Team, now in Kuwait preparing to enter Iraq, and is filing articles for his newspaper. Pitts claims in a purported email that he coached soldiers to ask Defense Secretary Rumsfeld questions!

From: EDWARD LEE PITTS, Chattanooga Times Free Press military reporter

Subject: RE: Way to go

I just had one of my best days as a journalist today. As luck would have it, our journey North was delayed just long enough see I could attend a visit today here by Defense Secretary Rumsfeld. I was told yesterday that only soldiers could ask questions so I brought two of them along with me as my escorts. Before hand we worked on questions to ask Rumsfeld about the appalling lack of armor their vehicles going into combat have. While waiting for the VIP, I went and found the Sgt. in charge of the microphone for the question and answer session and made sure he knew to get my guys out of the crowd.

So during the Q&A session, one of my guys was the second person called on. When he asked Rumsfeld why after two years here soldiers are still having to dig through trash bins to find rusted scrap metal and cracked ballistic windows for their Humvees, the place erupted in cheers so loud that Rumsfeld had to ask the guy to repeat his question. Then Rumsfeld answered something about it being “not a lack of desire or money but a logistics/physics problem.” He said he recently saw about 8 of the special up-armored Humvees guarding Washington, DC, and he promised that they would no longer be used for that and that he would send them over here. Then he asked a three star general standing behind him, the commander of all ground forces here, to also answer the question. The general said it was a problem he is working on.

The great part was that after the event was over the throng of national media following Rumsfeld- The New York Times, AP, all the major networks – swarmed to the two soldiers I brought from the unit I am embedded with. Out of the 1,000 or so troops at the event there were only a handful of guys from my unit b/c the rest were too busy prepping for our trip north. The national media asked if they were the guys with the armor problem and then stuck cameras in their faces. The NY Times reporter asked me to email him the stories I had already done on it, but I said he could search for them himself on the Internet and he better not steal any of my lines. I have been trying to get this story out for weeks- as soon as I foud out I would be on an unarmored truck- and my paper published two stories on it. But it felt good to hand it off to the national press. I believe lives are at stake with so many soldiers going across the border riding with scrap metal as protection. It may be to late for the unit I am with, but hopefully not for those who come after.

The press officer in charge of my regiment, the 278th, came up to me afterwords and asked if my story would be positive. I replied that I would write the truth. Then I pointed at the horde of national media pointing cameras and mics at the 278th guys and said he had bigger problems on his hands than the Chattanooga Times Free Press. This is what this job is all about - people need to know. The solider who asked the question said he felt good b/c he took his complaints to the top. When he got back to his unit most of the guys patted him on the back but a few of the officers were upset b/c they thought it would make them look bad. From what I understand this is all over the news back home.

Thanks,

Lee

EDWARD LEE PITTS FILED STORY ABOUT greene.xtn.net/index.php?table=news&template=news.view.subscriber&newsid=117612**
 
Ok, guys. All you guys with military experience:

What’s the deal??

Yeah, my first thought is about this reporter: “What an a****le!!”

Let’s make the military look bad, let’s show the troops demoralized and divided!! Yeah, that’s great, isn’t it!!???

But secondly, Is this STORY correct?? If their ARE cheers from the enlisted, then there must be a problem. What’s the deal???
 
Don’t really know, just reporting here.

It is interesting, in every war the Army finds itself having to adapt to the enemy threat. In this war, we were setup with an Army to fight a conventional war with rear areas that the Hummers were to be stationed in. That is not the world we are finding oursleves in. The enemy finds weaknesses and exploits them. In WWII the Sherman tanks were being blown up left and right by the Panzers and Tigers, the tankers had to up-armor them as well. In those days, they did all kinds of things, even put logs and sandbags on their tanks to try to help deflect the Panzer shells (with little effect).

Here is a good humvee post.
 
The story is based on some fact, but I’m not sure how much. I’ll investigate some more.

One question that keeps floating through my mind, though, is that if this administration is so bad for the military, then why does the military love Bush to the extent that they support him nearly 4-1 at the polls?
 
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Jay74:
The story is based on some fact, but I’m not sure how much. I’ll investigate some more.

One question that keeps floating through my mind, though, is that if this administration is so bad for the military, then why does the military love Bush to the extent that they support him nearly 4-1 at the polls?
Click to expand...
Here is another article:
Armored Humvees Address IED ThreatsWASHINGTON, Dec. 8, 2004 – American industry is cranking out armored Humvees as fast as it can, but other initiatives already have saved lives in Iraq and Afghanistan, Defense Department officials said here today. Story

This administration is the one that has been trying to change the military from a cold war military ready to confront a large army in the planes of Europe to one that can fight a number of asymetric wars.

A good book on this topic is: The Pentagon’s New Map (written by a Catholic Democrat)
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Randy Harris

08 December 2004 615.313.0662 (office)

04-61 615.517.0984 (CELL)
Maj. Gen. Gus L. Hargett, Adjutant General of Tennessee

Statement on questions by 278th Soldier to Secretary Rumsfeld
  • SPC Wilson’s question is a legitimate concern.
  • Additional armor for vehicles in Iraq has been an issue since the beginning of the war for both active and reserve component soldiers.
  • The up-armored vehicles are being supplied to the troops in Iraq as soon as they are available from the manufacturer.
  • **I have been assured that no 278th soldier will go forward in a vehicle without at least “level 3” armor. **
  • According to my information, 278th Vehicles that are not armored will be trucked forward and will not be occupied by soldiers.
  • I am surprised by General Speer’s statement that he was not aware of the soldiers using scrap medal and used ballistic glass to up-armor the vehicles. I know that members of his staff were aware and assisted the 278th in obtaining these materials. Our own 230th Area Support Group from Dyersburg, now stationed in Kuwait also assisted in this effort.
  • We are all concerned for the safety of our soldiers, and I am comfortable that the command is doing everything possible to insure that they are not exposed to unnecessary risks.
 
A reporter may have suggested the question, but it was the soldier’s choice to ask the question.
 
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Catholicvegan:
A reporter may have suggested the question, but it was the soldier’s choice to ask the question.
Click to expand...
sure. And maybe good has come of it.
 
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