Shout Out To Lithuania
Yon praises Lithuanians, and gets flak for it, from Lithuanians. What was intended as an off-the-cuff, friendly “Borat” remark didn’t go over well.
Hell’s Angels — Lithuanian Style:
U.S. and Afghan soldiers in Zabul Province give high marks to the Lithuanian Special Forces, who like to ride these captured Taliban motorbikes to sneak up on, and chase Taliban fighters. The “LithSof” are on their way to becoming living legends: Both Afghans and Americans report that the Taliban are afraid of the Lithuanians. Stories about them are filled with dangerous escapades and humor.
Americans say that the Lithuanians are sort of a weaponized version of Borat, who think nothing of sauntering around a base in nothing but flip-flops and underwear. “They look like mountain men. They never shave, sometimes don’t bathe, and often roll out the gate wearing nothing but body armor and weapons. Not even a t-shirt,” an American soldier told me. The Lithuanians may be a little bit nuts, but the Americans love to have them around because Lithuanians love to fight, and when you need backup, you can count on them. That contrasts starkly with many of the NATO “partners.” Maybe when your country spends almost a half-century with the Soviet boot on its neck, its first generation of free soldiers know what freedom is worth — and that you sometimes have to fight for it.
Yon’s letter to the Lithuanians:
The words I wrote about Lithuanian Special Forces were meant as the highest praise. Yet I understand that those words have been widely misinterpreted in Lithuania.
…
Sir, I think the real Borat here is me.
It is great Lithuanians are stepping up to the plate, and setting an example for the rest of the world.
Historical note re Lithuanian soldiers. The Germans liked ‘em, too. A lot. That tragic Baltic history is complicated by what was fundamentally an intense Lithuanian anti-Soviet stance on the upside … Stalin, though eventually an ally of the United States and Britain, was a friend to no one in his own neighborhood or beyond … and historically devastating Lithuanian anti-Semitism on the downside. Any recounting of the history of the Baltic states has to note they were effectively written off by the West, along with the rest of eastern Europe, although many Baltic refugees became stalwart Cold Warriors.
At the end of the day, 60-some years later, it’s too bad we can’t get today’s Germans to do anything as useful as Yon reports today’s Lithuanians are doing. Too bad we can’t get the Russians to do anything that useful, come to think of it.
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 9:54 am on Friday, December 19, 2008
4 Responses to “Shout Out To Lithuania”
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December 19th, 2008 at 10:56 am
The Lithuanian SOF sounds likes an ideal unit to go after the Taliban. Don’t reel them in, issue them more ammo!
December 19th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
As Honest Abe would put it; find out what they’re drinking and order more for us.
December 19th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
This is a test
December 19th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
Surely They are not consuming the same substance the Germans’ are!