How poorly trained are U.S. troops in Iraq?

[Truth2Tell]

I recently received an email from a friend in the British military. Thought it was interesting enough to share some here:

Well ladies and gentlemen,

I have just returned from another FTX…

…after the FTX during debriefing I ran across a fellow who just returned from Iraq. He's done a tour in the first dust up, and the second, then a tour in Bosnia - a 22 year vet. His report is that the USA has totally fucked up the country, and that the blowback into the USA will be continuing for generations.

He also reports that the US army needs better training. For example, he queried this US soldier, "Is that the beretta 92F?", to which the US soldier replied, "yes it is" as he whipped it out and pointed the muzzle directly at my friend. Upon informing the yank that "we don't do that in the British army" he proceeded to gain possession of the weapon, and unload the magazine and the chamber. The Chamber!!!!! Where the hell was the damned training????? My friend then proceeded to completely field strip the weapon, and said, "now you can out it back together again!". Apparently, the yank couldn't, he'd never learned more than "shove the brush through the barrel". Sad! At any rate, the weapon was reassembled, the loose round placed into the magazine and the weapon returned sans a cartridge up the 'spout'.

Further to this, there have been several instances where US pilots have shot up British equipment, and the general rule of thumb is "don't walk in front of a yank!" This fellow is utterly disgusted with US practices in Iraq, and states that there has been little rebuilding if at all. Total disillusionment with whatever the government tried to do. So there!

By the way, as a general note, this fellow is a combat engineer and certainly had thoughts that the towers didn't come down by aircraft…

Of course this is a third hand account, but I've seen similar stories here and there. Is it really getting this bad?

[DS1]

1. oh horseshit

the M9 ( pistol in question ) breaks down in to five parts. anyone watching it come to pieces for the first time could put it back together again

and it's SOP to have a round in the chamber and the safety on.

[Truth2Tell]

2. I'll take your word for it

I know nothing of such things (which is why I posted this for feedback).

Maybe the Brits just hate us for our freedom? :shrug:

[Robbien]

3. The email just could be just one up manship

you know, we Brits are better than those Yanks kind of thing.

The training our military gets may be short shifted and some of our guys may be cowboys, but on the whole the military is professional.

[Squatch]

4. Troops in Iraq are at Arming Order 6

They carry a magazine in the magazine well and a round in the chamber. The last thing you want to do when the shooting starts is to have to load a weapon.