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Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce
Is that the same Gen Sanchez that did the Abu Ghraib report?
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Sanchez's first divisional command was 1st Armor Division for a short time (maybe two years). He was then promoted over everyone to become commander in Iraq (V Corp). Amazing how Rumsfeld could not find another General with experience necessary to command at the Corp level.
During Sanchez' tenure, Gen Miller brought torture from Guantanamo to two cell block in Abu Ghriad. Simultaneously, Sanchez was at war with Ambassador Paul Bremer who did almost as much as he could to create an Iraqi insurgency. Bremer and Sanchez would not even talk making solutions almost impossible and even resulting in today's situations. For example, the Marines were ordered into Fallujah to do what the Marines had no intention of doing. The Marines well understood the negative consequences of what would happen as a result of Fallujah. But they were talking to and represented in Washington by Sanchez who really never understood those negative consequences. Marines did exactly what they were told. The resulting disaster is now history.
Unity of command did not exist. Neither Sanchez nor Bremer ever made an effort to solve a massive management problem setup and directly attributed to George Jr's administration. A situation that Gen Jay Garner quickly identified as a prescription for failure, tried to tell Rumsfeld, and then realized the futility of saying anything.
Meanwhile, Gen Taguba was assigned to report on Abu Ghriad. For accurately making that report, Gen Taguba's military career was terminated by a revengeful George Jr administration. But others attribute blame for Abu Ghriad to Sanchez. It was initiated under Gen Sanchez' watch. There is no reason Sanchez 'did not know'. Abu Ghriad was a result of decisions and objectives defined by top commanders.
Two star general Sanchez was later replace by a four stars Gen Casey who brought massive experience. It was repeatedly obvious that Sanchez did not have sufficient experience to perform a job made only more complex by the micromanagement of Rumsfeld and by Washington politics 'blame game' who invented enemies like al Qaeda and Syria (rather than the insurgency, religious violence, a completely corrupt Iraqi government headed by weak leaders, and civil war) . Even worse, Gen Sanchez never had a strategic objective leaving division commanders such as Gen Odiero to only make the insurgency worse by inventing objectives as they operated. The long term objectives that would have focused divisional commanders to 'nation building' just never existed under Sanchez.
During this same time, some better and promising military leaders such as Gen Petreaus and Col McMasters were pigeonholed. While in those backwater assignments, both men took the opportunity to learn and define how an insurgency and civil war must be fought.
Back in Washington, George Jr decides to give the Freedom Medal to Amb Bremer and Gen Franks in Philadelphia. Top management (George Jr) had that little grasp of what he was creating in Iraq since the entire George Jr administration had no idea of basic military principles. Sec of State Powell was first isolated and then driven from power while extremists agendas advocated by Feith and Wolfovitz were implemented. Even Gen Myers - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs - was made Rumsfeld's puppy dog. Everyone in top management who might have helped Sanchez were even less knowledgeable.
A small snapshot of people and events that swirled around Gen Sanchez during his disastrous reign as commander of V Corp in Iraq.