Hot Air Mobile
Home The Vault Gear About
Hot Air -- get your fill


Hot Air Audio: CPT Aaron Kaufman, US Army, on the surge and whether we’re winning the war in Iraq

posted at 12:30 pm on November 14, 2007 by Bryan
Send to a Friend | Share on Facebook | printer-friendly

Captain Aaron Kaufman is the CO of Bravo Company, 177 Armor, 2nd Brigade of the US 1st Infantry. He spent the past year deployed in Baghdad and the past several months in command of a unit in Adamiyah in east Baghdad. It was his second tour in Iraq; the first was in Tikrit. In late October he and his unit returned to base at Schweinfurt, Germany. Today I interviewed him about the war, whether the surge is working and whether we’re winning.

The interview is about 40 minutes long, so I posted it in its entirety below but I’ve also pulled out a few sound bites. The first one deals with the question that’s probably on everyone’s mind: Are we winning?

CPT Kaufman followed the Scott Thomas Beauchamp saga, and says that Beauchamp’s characterization of American soldiers doesn’t match reality:

Films like Redacted and politicians like Rep. Jack Murtha consistently paint US troops as callous and even brutal. But CPT Kaufman says that such behavior is alien to US troops.

Here’s the entire interview.

You can download the mp3 file here.


Blowback

Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.

Trackbacks/Pings

Trackback URL

Comments

From the Stanford Review: How Are We Doing in Iraq?

bnelson44 on November 14, 2007 at 1:00 PM

Good interview. Thanks, Bryan. A BIG thanks to Capt Kaufman and all of those like him.

KelliD on November 14, 2007 at 2:02 PM

This is great stuff, Bryan. I’m still listening but so far it’s exactly the kind of debrief I would prefer to hear instead of having it run through the MSM food processor.

see-dubya on November 14, 2007 at 2:02 PM

US troops death lower by percentage during war than in peace. The sturdy compared 1981 to 2005. Done by the congressional research service. WOW. Just reported on Fox by Jennifer Griffin.

csdeven on November 14, 2007 at 2:10 PM

Oooops! Sorry guys, that was an off topic remark. Sorry.

csdeven on November 14, 2007 at 2:10 PM

thanks a lot Bryan doing the real reporting that the msm won’t do .

and a huge thank you to Captain Aaron Kaufman for his service.

Mojack420 on November 14, 2007 at 2:44 PM

thank you captain kaufman for your service.

C

pk on November 14, 2007 at 4:10 PM

From the Stanford Review: How Are We Doing in Iraq?

bnelson44 on November 14, 2007 at 1:00 PM

Thanks for the link!! Great article! I had almost given up on my alma mater. I just sent an email of congratulations to the author.

fred5678 on November 14, 2007 at 4:30 PM

I was sent this today. Sorry if it is long but I thought it was pretty cool.

“No arsenal, no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.”
– Ronald Reagan

Red Fridays.

Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing
Red every Friday. The reason? Americans who support
our troops used to be called the “silent majority.” We
are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for
God, country and home in record breaking numbers. We
are not organized, boisterous or overbearing.

Many Americans, like you, me and all our friends,
simply want to recognize that the vast majority of
America supports our troops. Our idea of showing
solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and
respect starts this Friday — and continues each and
every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a
deafening message that … every red-blooded American
who supports our men and women afar, will wear
something red.

By word of mouth, press, TV — let’s make the United
States on every Fr iday a sea of red much like a
homecoming football game in the bleachers. If every
one of us who loves this country will share this with
acquaintances, coworkers, friends, and family, it will
not be long before the USA is covered in RED and it
will let our troops know the once “silent” majority is
on their side more than ever, certainly more than the
media lets on.

The first thing a soldier says when asked “What can
we do to make things better for you?” is …”We need
your support and your prayers.” Let’s get the word out
and lead with class and dignity, by example, and wear
something red every Friday.

IF YOU AGREE — THEN SEND THIS ON.
IF YOU COULDN’T CARE LESS — THEN HIT THE DELETE BUTTON.

IT IS YOUR CHOICE.

WE LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE, ONLY BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE!!

peacenprosperity on November 14, 2007 at 5:13 PM

Excellent…!

Rugged Individual on November 14, 2007 at 6:25 PM

I would like to say thank you Captain Aaron Kaufman, Bravo Company and all who serve our country, May God Bless you and your families.

That was thorough debrief, un-rushed, no commercials and to the point of each question. Just the plain truth for all to hear.

Bryan, great questions, excellent interview. Well done! I’ve said it here in the comments and in emails dozens of times, y’all are the very best. Thank you for your hard work.

Zorro on November 14, 2007 at 7:30 PM

Thank you, Bryan.

Thanks to all our service men and women. God bless all of you.

and God bless America too, y’all.

JazzBass on November 14, 2007 at 7:33 PM


You must be logged in to post a comment.