President Obama insists he will not have “boots on the ground” in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), but the line between a combat and advisory role is blurry.
Obama plans to send more than 1,600 troops to Iraq as “advisers” to the military, and all of them could find themselves in harm's way.
About 800 of the troops are providing security for diplomatic personnel and property, including infantry soldiers and Marines. Although they do not have a combat mission, they are armed and prepared to defend themselves.
All kinds of combat distinctions are being blurred, including even the concept of "the front." That's why it's sort of silly to have a national debate on women in combat. Like it or not, they're already there. And they get their asses shot off just like everybody else, including "advisers."
Say, isn't that how we started in Vietnam, with "combat advisers"? How'd that one turn out?
