SSG Matthew Sitton (1986-2012)
Below is an extraordinary, heart-stopping and historic letter. It is a letter SSG Matthew Sitton sent to U.S. Rep. C.W. "Bill" Young after his commanders in Afghanistan told him to "quit whining" about orders to lead patrols without objective "through, for lack of a better term, basically a mine field on a daily basis," as Sitton wrote. Twice daily basis, in fact. On August 2, 2012, Sitton and another US soldier were killed in one the IED-riddled field he spoke of. Eighty-one-year-old Rep. Young, who attends the same church in Florida as the Sitton family, this week announced he no longer supports the presence of US troops in Afghanistan and called for their withdrawal in advance of 2014. Young also held a hearing yesterday to ask the agency in charge of protecting troops against IEDs to explain why so many are still dying and suffering horrific injuries despite an annual budget of nearly $3 billion.
I support immediate withdrawal ("Let it go") and commend the Congressman's resolve -- all but unique among his hundreds of peers in the House and Senate, which is in itself a national disgrace -- but he is asking the wrong people the wrong question. This is a question of strategy that goes to the heart of the whole multi-billion-dollar nation-building endeavor predicated on a Big Lie that Islam and the West are compatible. It is time for Sitton's commanders and their commanders and on up the chain of command to be questioned, to talk to We, the People about who devised and signed off on this morally and militarily bankrupt doctrine -- counterinsurgency (COIN) strategy -- that patriots such as Matthew Sitton have paid for with their lives. It is time for Generals Petraeus, McChrystal, Allen, Dempsey, Admiral Mullen and many more to face us and explain. It is also time for former President Bush and his advisors and President Obama and his advisors to answer for the failure of their misbegotten and irresponsible policy of nation-building in the Islamc world, which COIN supports. This letter by Matthew Sitton, RIP, is the right place to start.
SIR,
Hello my name is SSG Matthew Sitton. I am in the 82{+n}{+d} Airborne Division stationed in Ft. Bragg, NC. I am currently deployed with the 4th Brigade Combat Team in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. I am writing you because I am concerned for the safety of my soldiers. This is my 3{+r}{+d} combat tour to Afghanistan so I have seen the transition in Rules of Engagement and Overall Tactics over the past 6 years.
I am only writing this email because I feel myself and my soldiers are being put into unnecessary positions where harm and danger are imminent. I know the threat of casualties in war and am totally on board with sacrifice for my country, but what I don't agree with is the chain of command making us walk through, for lack of a better term, basically a mine field on a daily basis.
I am in a platoon of 25 soldiers. We are operating at a tempo that is set for a full 35-40 man infantry platoon. We have been mandated to patrol twice daily for 2-4 hours each patrol on top of guarding our FOB and conducting routine maintenance of our equipment. There is no endstate or purpose for the patrols given to us from our higher chain of command, only that we will be out for a certain time standard. I am all for getting on the ground and fighting for my country when I know there is a desired endstate and we have clear guidance of what needs to be done. But when we are told basically to just walk around for a certain amount of time is not sitting well with me.
As a Brigade, we are averaging at a minimum an amputee a day from our soldiers because we are walking around aimlessly through grape rows and compounds that are littered with explosives. Not to mention that the operation tempo that every solider is on leaves little to no time for rest and refit. The moral and alertness levels on our patrol are low and it is causing casualties left and right.
Here is an example of how bad things have gotten. Our small FOB was flooded accidentally by a local early one morning a few days ago. He was watering his fields and the damn he had broke and water came flooding into our Living Area. Since our FOB does not have any portable bathrooms, we had to dig a hole in the ground where soldiers could use the bathroom. That also got flooded and contaminated all the water that later soaked every soldier and his gear. Instead of returning to base and cleaning up, our chain of command was so set on us meeting the brigade commanders 2 patrols a day guidance that they made us move outside the flooded FOB and conduct our patrols soaked in urine.
That is just one single instance of the unsatisfactory situations that our chain of command has put us in. At least three of my soldiers have gotten sick since that incident and taken away from our combat power because of their illness caused by unhealthy conditions.
I understand that as a commander you are to follow the orders of those appointed over you however there needs to be a time where the wellness of your soldiers needs to take priority over walking around in fields for hours a day for no rhyme or reason, but only to meet the Brigade Commanders guidance of you will conduct so many patrols for such an allotted time.
I'm concerned about the well being of my soldiers and have tried to voice my opinion through the proper channels of my own chain of command only to be turned away and told that I need to stop complaining. It is my responsibility to take care of my soldiers and there is only so much I can do with that little bit of Rank I have. My guys would fight by my side and have my back in any condition and I owe it to them to have their best interest in mind. I know they would and I certainly would appreciate it if there was something that you could do to help us out. I just want to return my guys home to their families healthy. I apologize for taking your time like this Sir, and I do appreciate what you do for us. I was told to contact you by my Grand Mother (name blacked out) who said that you had helped her son (my uncle) (name blacked) out many years ago. He also was serving in the military at the time. Thank you again for allowing soldiers like me to voice their opinion. If anything Please Pray for us over hear. God Bless
Very respectfully,
SSG Matthew Sitton
Replies
We have got to hold these so called leaders acountable.Our men and women in service to our country are not pawns in their ass kissing games.Get our men and women home now.
God have mercy on us.......we have a nation of leaders that are so focused on their own selfish agenda they force our lower ranking warriors to go to the politicians for help. My heart is full of shame for not being able to do what is needed to stop the slaughter of our military members, the pain heaped on families, and our constitution. They are at the mercy of a despicable commander in chief and gutless flag officer chain of command putting everything before the lives, families, and constitution.
I'm just sick with anger at the governing apparatus that displays such low level human thought toward those that secure their despicable self-serving lives......
This high ranking chain of command has forgotten their oath to our Nation.They act like they swore an oath to themselves.I agree Harry,this is worse than sickening.I just dont have the words.
Enough already! Pull out, and bring our soldiers home now. Then bomb them back to the stone age.
I am with Eric...Pull our treasure out of the shlthole....and bomb it back to the stone age...
What he was going through is almost as bad as what was happening in Vietnam during those war years. The pentagon was manned by former automobile company officials and everything had to be done on a daily basis so that the Generals could send home their reports showing how many "enemy" were killed daily. It was a war of numbers, rather than doing what was necessary to win over the hearts and minds of the people, which was supposed to lead to a time where the Viet Cong (South Vietnamese) would then turn away from their commanders and help stop the war. As a Special Communications Officer, it was our duty to watch the "back-channel) teletypes and to get important messages to the General in 7th Air Force who was in charge of that portion of the war. I do not recall exactly how many times I had to go to the General's "air-conditioned" trailer (Mobile home) to deliver critical intelligence to a General. And then, what was even worse, we had to send daily reports (usually over 20-30 pages) back stateside to their Chain of Command, which were couched in terms that made them look good to the higher Generals so as to get promoted upon their return to the States. And, everyone was getting Bronze Star medals until mid-1969, when all of a sudden, the powers that be decided to cut back on those medals and they then gave us Commendation medals instead. It was ridiculous in the extreme!
I am so enraged about what is happening in every direction in our country and to know that our soldiers are suffering too makes my blood boil. Bring our troops home and turn the Middle East into a sheet of glass!!!!!!
Ovomit is a closet muslim and crap is going to be hitting the fan soon in our country. He praised the Arab "Spring" and next will be the American "Fall."