Asymmetric Military

I just posted about my time at FOB Speicher yesterday and today they found Scott Speicher's remains. RIP. Thank you.

I was testing my computer GPU temperatures with Google Earth (it really taxes your video processor) and decided to fly over to my old haunt, FOB Speicher next to Tikrit, in Iraq. Google has some fantastic new features where you can see comments and youtube videos relating to the site. When I zoomed into the soccer stadium, where I played soccer (very poorly), I clicked on the link and saw the following comments:

Yes, it is bombed out. One of the first things that the US did during the invasion of Iraq was to destroy the Iraqi Olympic program which included all pools and soccer stadiums.

and

Actually, one of the reasons this place is ruined is because it sits on the Iraqi Air Force Academy Grounds. It was built before the '91 gulf war and stood vacant during the years we maintained a "No Fly Zone" over Iraq. 15+ years of neglect and looting are miserable on that style of construction. It does however look like a bomb went off nearby as the interior is filled with rubble (I know cause I have walked around inside during my tour here). The rumor mill among soldiers on COB speicher says that the entire Iraqi Olympic Soccer Team was executed here for losing the olympics once by Saddam's brother or son.

Google Earth users

Speicher soccer stadium

Now, why would American's want to destroy the Olympic facilities? Really. Some people are willing to believe anything that fits in with their worldview or confirms their hatreds, in this case, the United States, it's military, or, at least, George Bush.

Somebody opposed to Saddam would be inclined to think that Saddam's brother killed a soccer team. That Saddam would do stuff like that makes it much more likely.