What do you do when the soccer balls you’re supposed to hand out to Iraqi kids arrive flat?
Frustrated, the soldiers asked their commanding officers what to do. None were sure. They kept calling their own superiors. Cassidy suggested that they order pumps and needles, which would arrive in about two weeks. The battalion colonel quickly tired of the whole discussion and said he wasn’t about to requisition soccer ball pumps. “He decided this was a waste of time,” Cassidy said. “His thought was, ‘Iraqis should be grateful.’ Not, ‘They will be grateful’ — ‘They should be.’” Finally, the lieutenant commanded the troops to deliver the balls to the children. “He was pretty much like, ‘Shut up and hand out these soccer balls,’” Reppenhagen said.
Mission deflated (Salon, via Histori-blogography)