Totten In Fallujah: All Quiet On The Western Front

A sign on the door leading out of India Company’s Combat Operations Center says “Have a Plan to Kill Everyone You Meet.” For a fraction of second I thought it might be some kind of joke. But I was with the Marine Corps in Fallujah, and it wasn’t a joke.

I asked Captain Stewart Glenn if he could explain and perhaps elaborate a bit on what, exactly, that sign is about. “It’s pretty straightforward,” he said rather bluntly. “It means exactly what it says.”

But the sign's about a plan, not an intention, just reminding the troops that despite the fact that there's almost no violence in Fallujah anymore, there could be, and it's wise to have that plan. Another sign adds a caveat to the message "Have a plan to kill everyone you meet, but don't treat them that way."

Speaking softly but carrying a big .50 caliber stick seems to be working:

It has been months since the jihadists have been able to murder anyone in Fallujah. Only a few weeks before, however, a handful showed up on a street corner and handed out anti-American snuff films on DVD. Apparently they thought the local civilians would be impressed. They were not. They called the Iraqi Police, and the propagandists were taken away to the jail.

Whoops: It's old. Still, hey -- that sign.

posted by Ace at 06:16 PM

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