This Iraq euphemism bugs me: "duty in Southwest Asia"

[lutefisk]

Does Iraq have too many negative connotations? Are newspapers supposed to refer to Iraq as Southwest Asia? Is this preparation for occupation of other nations in the region?

Anyway, this whole article is just so sad and just pissed me off when I read it in a local paper. War criminals sending another 169 Americans to the Hell they have created:

Soldiers, families share emotional parting
1157th leaves Oshkosh for training, eventual duty in Southwest Asia

By Doug Zellmer
Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers

OSHKOSH — Pat Fenlon didn’t hold anything back. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he said goodbye to his brother, Jon, who left Saturday for military training and then on to support Operation Iraqi Freedom.

...

Oshkosh resident Kelly Nagorny held her 11-week-old son in her arms as she watched her husband, Bryan, leave the National Guard Armory on the city’s west side for what could be up to 545 days of mobilization, including training.

“It’s just sad to see him go, but he has a job to do,” she said. “He’ll miss a lot, but he’ll be back.”

...

http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060617/APC0101/60617010/1979

[Ravenseye]

1. Funny Story...

At an elementary school in Dallas. They classified me (an Iraqi descent Arab) as an Asian/Pacific Islander because in their minds I wasn't white or black or native american, and since the middle east is on the Asian continent...

Just sayin'. It was pretty funny.

[lutefisk]

2. Interesting- does that mean you can move to Tahiti?

But seriously, I wonder how the various government agencies are categorizing people these days???

[spag68]

4. Best way

to catagory people is "person" We all have the same dna

[Igel]

3. It doesn't actually say Iraq.

Just that they use "heavy equipment for supplying and transporting troops." They might wind up in Kuwait or Turkey, and the paper simply doesn't know. Op. Iraqi Freedom has bits and pieces outside of Iraq itself. Just a guess.

They might not have gotten their final destination worked out.

Could be cover, but there's no obvious build-up for an attack on Iran. The one on Iraq had a multi-month buildup, with fairly massive buildups, and there was concern about maintaining readiness once the buildup was nearing completion.

[lutefisk]

5. Good, rational points. Maybe I'm over-reacting because it's local

Seeing 169 more local people and their families (and babies) going through this to satisfy the wet dream fantasies of the safe-and-sound Cheney neocons makes me a little touchy.

[windbreeze]

7. vs SE Asia....

during "The Vietnam Conflict"??? Same thing...duty in SE Asia is what it was called...I guess that was the way to cover them all...Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos..(we felt the same way back then, as you feel now...some things never change)...
wb

[Irreverend IX]

6. Pretty soon this thing is going to spill over...

Into Iran, Syria, and Jordan. Best not to be too specific; before long we'll be at war with half the countries in the region.