As US troops rolled toward the Iraq border this week, they were given orders on two matters of decorum: no throwing of candy to Iraqi children and no displaying of flags -- regimental, state or even the American flag.
Military officials say that candy giveaways would draw swarms of children to the convoys, a dangerous proposition with thousands of trucks, Humvees and trailers barreling toward Baghdad.
As for the ban on flags, its effect was apparent in this camp on Wednesday, where no more than a handful of vehicles mustering for the invasion displayed any.
PHOTO: AFP
Officials say the flag could give the citizens of Iraq the wrong idea about the convoys of artillery, ammunition and soldiers. They are not, these officials say, an army of conquest, intent on claiming Iraqi land or treasure for the US, but a liberation force. They are concerned that streams of American flags would be seen as provocative.
"It's imposing enough that we're coming into another society," said Captain Frank Stanco, a commander with an artillery unit in the 101st Airborne Division. "I tell our soldiers we want to maintain our professionalism. We could be making history. I call it being quiet professionals."
In 1991, at the end of the Persian Gulf war, American military convoys entered Kuwait festooned with the stars and stripes after a quick rout of the Iraqi army occupying the country. Soldiers recall being greeted rapturously by the Kuwaitis.
On Wednesday afternoon, thousands of soldiers sat in long convoys, fully packed and waiting for orders to begin an invasion that would carry many of them 400 miles north to Baghdad. Only a handful of the vehicles flew American flags.
One of those was a "water buffalo" -- a truck towing potable water -- but the sergeant in charge of it shook his head and walked away when asked about the flag, which flew from a pole strapped to the side of the truck.
Another soldier waiting for the convoy to move, Specialist John Garcia, said he was ordered to take the flag off his Humvee for security reasons.
"They said it was because we would be an easy target," Garcia said. "It got me real upset. I had just bought that flag."
The no-flags order was passed along to the 101st Airborne by its commander, Major General David Petraeus, who said that the decision had been made by people higher up the command chain.
"It's the right thing to do," said Petraeus, a way of underscoring the American commitment to regime change for security and human rights, and not to the seizing of the country.
Spokesmen for the US Central Command in Qatar said on Wednesday that they were unable to provide information about the order.
The question of flag-flying provoked a small debate among artillerymen waiting to leave camp on Wednesday.
Garcia said he was angry that he had been ordered to take down his flag, and that so few countries were supporting the US and Britain in the military campaign.
"When they're in trouble, they don't call Russia, China, France, Turkey," said Garcia. "They call 911, the United States. That's why I put my flag on my Humvee."
Another soldier, Specialist Robert Bratton, said: "You can't blame them. You got a lot of Americans back in the states against it."
Sergeant Elmer Smith, said the US was seen as interfering in the affairs of too many countries.
Bratton said: "What's the reason we're fighting?"
Garcia answered, "I think Saddam Hussein got them weapons."
Bratton shook his head.
"I think it's oil," he said.
Smith offered his theory. "I think it's revenge for his father," he said.
To Stanco, who did not take part in the debate over the war's purpose, the flag issue reflected the complexity of the American task in Iraq. "We want to send the right statements," he said.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS