Fed up with being in Iraq and demoralized by their role as peacekeepers in a risky place, a group of US soldiers aired their plight on US television today and said they had lost faith in the Army.
Told several times they would be going home only to havetheir hopes dashed this week, a small group of soldiers fromthe 3rd Infantry Division in Iraq, spoke of poor morale anddisillusionment with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
"If Donald Rumsfeld were here, I'd ask him for hisresignation," one disgruntled soldier told ABC's "Good MorningAmerica" show.
Asked by a reporter what his message would be for Rumsfeld,another said: "I would ask him why we are still here. I don'thave any clue as to why we are still in Iraq."
About 146,000 US troops are serving amid mountingsecurity threats in postwar Iraq. The death toll has nowequaled the number killed in the 1991 Gulf War.
Sgt. Filipe Vega, said they had expected to return homesoon after the fall of Baghdad on April 9. "We were told thefastest way back home is through Baghdad and that's what wedid. Now we are still here," he complained.
The 3rd Infantry Division was the first US unit to enterBaghdad after driving through southern Iraq from Kuwait.
Sgt. Terry Gilmore described a phone call with his wife,Stacey, when he told her he would not be coming home soon.
"When I told her she started crying and I almost startedcrying. I just felt like my heart was broken. I could notfigure out ... how they could keep us here after they told uswe were coming home."
Commenting on troop frustration, White House spokesmanScott McClellan said the president was grateful for thesacrifices being made by soldiers in Iraq. "We will continue tomake sure they have all the support and resources they need asthey do their job," he said.
A Pentagon spokeswoman said she understood the frustration,but said morale was still high. "It's obviously a frustratingsituation for some of them, but it does not represent theentire 3rd Division."
Appearing on the same show, Stacey Gilmore said US troopswere ill-prepared for the post-war phase. "They were told afterthe fighting ended they were coming home. All I know is thatmorale is low and they are just hanging in there, stickingthrough it."