Dawn Patrol 11/18/2009
[Mrs Greyhawk]
Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs and various sources around the world. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. Hat Tips to the Dawn Patrol are greatly appreciated.Refresh for updates.
Support Our Troops, Read Their Stories
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AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN
Boondoggle -- [3rd Time, New Country - in Afghanistan]
I know I am a little late on posting to my blog, but I returned from a boondoggle out to Mazar-e-Sharif in the Northern provinces. I even have some pictures to post with this entry. First, let me recap last week. We did make a normal trip to NDS. It was actually a clear, cool morning which is a rarity here in Kabul. The pollution is so thick that it is very rare to see the distant mountains. So, here is a picture of the snow-capped mountains, west of Kabul. This picture was taken last Monday. I haven't seen the mountains since. Other than that, it was a normal week of mentoring. There are always little things to work on and improve in the OT. Friday was another violent day here in Kabul. The Taliban used a SVBIED outside Camp Phoenix a little before 0800. There were no American casualties, but there were injuries.
Clinton in Kabul for Karzai's inauguration -- [Foreign Policy - AfPak]
U.S. President Barack Obama reportedly told CNN today that he is "very close" to making a decision about whether to send more U.S. troops to Afghanistan and plans to make an announcement "in the next several weeks," after more than two months of deliberations (Reuters, Reuters). Obama is reportedly angry about the stream of leaks that has come out about his Afghanistan decision, telling CBS, "For people to be releasing info in the course of deliberations is not appropriate" and said yes when asked if that is a "firing offense" (CBS, Politico). Meanwhile
The war of leaks -- [Foreign Policy - AfPak]
The Obama Administration's social media prowess has been a novelty among latter day political media machines. It helped to crowd-source the campaign funding needed to put Barack Obama in the White House, and generated a populist gloss that was, at the time, convincingly fresh and transparent. What was equally admirable was its apparent internal discipline over when information made the transition from government secret to press release. Controlling the flow of data and keeping secrets secret is a challenge under any circumstance. Combine that with a predilection for Facebook and Twitter, and a hyperactive security officer might expect policy waters to muddy more quickly than they would under normal circumstances.
So when U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry's expressed his "discomfort" last week over a possible troop surge, via diplomatic cable to Washington, it's no wonder that the message ended up dominating headlines.
Ridding Afghanistan of Corruption Will Be No Easy Task -- [Los Angeles Times]
Afghans have a name for the huge, gaudy mansions that have sprung up in Kabul's wealthy Sherpur neighborhood since 2001. They call them "poppy palaces." The cost of building one of these homes, which are adorned with sweeping terraces and ornate columns, can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Many are owned by government officials whose formal salaries are a few hundred dollars a month. To the capital's jaded residents, there are few more potent symbols of the corruption that permeates every level of Afghan society, from the traffic policemen who shake down motorists to top government officials and their relatives who are implicated in the opium trade.
Afghan Minister Accused of Taking Bribe -- [Washington Post]
The Afghan minister of mines accepted a roughly $30 million bribe to award the country's largest development project to a Chinese mining firm, according to a US official who is familiar with military intelligence reports. The allegation, if proved true, would mark one of the most brazen examples of corruption yet disclosed in a country where the problem has become so pervasive that it is now at the heart of Obama administration doubts over Afghan President Hamid Karzai's reliability as a partner.
Vision for Victory, Part I -- [Washington Times]
The news from Afghanistan all year has been dispiriting, and the last few weeks have been especially tough in terms of the violence. Yet most foreign and Afghan officials and officers who I encountered on a recent weeklong visit sponsored by the U. military are guardedly optimistic about our prospects. How can this be so?
U.S. Turns to Local Guns-for-Hire to Guard Afghan Outpost -- [Danger Room - Noah Shachtman]
The U.S. military is turning to guns-for-hire to guard one of its outposts in Afghanistan. But Blackwaters of the world, take note: simply hiring former G.I.s or American cops or even Nepalese Gurkhas won't do the trick this time. At least half of the 50-man force has to come "from within a 50 kilometer radius" of the base, according to a contract solicitation issued by the U.S. Air Force. Over the summer, the American military signaled its interest in hiring an army of contractors to help handle security at as many as 50 outposts in Afghanistan. It's one of several efforts efforts designed to free up uniformed troops for combat and counterinsurgency work. Now, U.S. forces appear to be taking the first step towards building that country-wide private security force, by soliciting bids for a team that watch over Forward Operating Base Lightening, in Paktya province.
NATO Chief Confident Afghanistan Will Have More Troops -- [Voice of America]
The NATO secretary-general says he is confident the United States and other NATO allies will send more troops to Afghanistan, where insurgent attacks have surged in recent months. He spoke at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Meeting in Edinburgh, where Britain's foreign secretary outlined the strategy his nation would support.
Germany to extend Afghanistan mission another year -- [AP]
Germany will extend its mission in Afghanistan for another year, the government said Wednesday, despite the growing unpopularity of the war at home
Pakistani Successes May Sway US Troop Decision -- [New York Times]
A month after the Pakistani military began its push into the Taliban stronghold of South Waziristan, militants appear to have been dispersed, not eliminated, with most simply fleeing. That recurring pattern illustrated the problems facing the Obama administration as it enters its final days of a decision on its strategy for Afghanistan. Success in this region, in the remote mountains near the Afghan border, could have a direct bearing on how many more American troops are ultimately sent to Afghanistan, and how long they must stay. Pakistan has shown increased willingness to tackle the problem, launching sweeping operations in the north and west of the country this year, but
Where are Taliban and al Qaeda commanders, US media asks Pak -- [Daily News & Analysis]
Washington: A day after senior Pakistani army commanders claimed that their forces have captured all major towns and population centres of the extremist-ridden South Waziristan, Taliban and foreign militants appear to have disappeared and not been eliminated.
Pakistani Army Shows Off Captured Taliban Posts -- [Washington Post]
A toy car booby-trapped with explosives, chemistry textbooks and handwritten case files from a Taliban court were among the debris left behind by fleeing Islamist militants in this remote village in the conflicted tribal region of South Waziristan. The now-deserted village, which was retaken by Pakistani army forces two weeks ago and visited by Western journalists on Tuesday for the first time since, had been a stronghold of Taliban forces for nearly five years.
IRAQ
Iraqi Kurds Warn of Election Boycott in Dispute Over Seats - [Washington Post]
Kurdish officials threatened Tuesday to boycott the upcoming national election in the three provinces they control in northern Iraq unless more parliament seats are allocated to the region. The threat came two days after Iraq's Sunni vice president said he would veto the election law passed last week unless more seats are set aside for representatives of Iraqi refugees. The majority of Iraqis abroad are Sunni. Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi has until Wednesday to veto the law, which legislators approved after weeks of wrangling, primarily over how the vote would be held in the disputed northern city of Kirkuk. The two ultimatums underscored the deep divisions among Iraqi politicians and raised fresh concerns about Iraq's ability to hold a credible election by Jan. 18.
Iraq's national elections in jeopardy as Sunni VP issues veto -- [McClatchy News]
BAGHDAD -- Iraq's pivotal national elections were thrown back into turmoil and potential delay Wednesday after Vice President Tariq al Hashemi vetoed part of an election law and sent it back to parliament.
US has time to reconsider Iraq drawdown plan-Odierno -- [Reuters]
The US military does not have to decide until April or May whether to push back the end of its combat operations in Iraq due to...
A few words from medics for the 41st Brigade -- [The Oregonian]
I spent an hour or two last month with Oregon National Guard medics who are based at Al Asad Airbase, discussing a little of what they've observed since coming to Iraq this summer. The discussion, as you might think, covered issues in two categories: The physical and the mental. The Physical - CPT Scott Johnson of Newport, who is the highest-ranking soldier in the medical support unit at Al Asad, said that medics are seeing a significant share of orthopedic issues that stem from the heavy loads that soldiers carry. Even though the war has wound down considerably over the last few years, soldiers on convoys and at checkpoints still wear a lot of body armor and carry a lot of ammunition and weaponry, as much as 65 pounds or even more. Over time, even young soldiers experience increased stress on their joints from walking, running and jumping with that much gear.
Goodbye to Iraq, and thanks -- [The Oregonian]
The soldiers of Oregon's 41st Brigade are about halfway through their Iraq deployment, but I'm finally home after a gruelling passage through Kuwait and a misadventure or two. I said goodbye to my last acquaintance in the Oregon National Guard on Monday afternoon in Salt Lake City. SSG Tom McNeil of Central Point was peeling off to fly to Medford, close to his home in Central Point, while I continued on to Portland. Have a terrific Thanksgiving at home, Tom. Thanks to all the folks along the way, especially the soldiers of Oregon's 41st Brigade Combat Team, for the many kindnesses extended to me during my sojourn among them. This toast to you, and I'm starting with you two, since you challenged me to do this, Scott and Mike
U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD
US, China in Strained Diplomatic Embrace -- [Wall Street Journal]
President Barack Obama was set to leave China on Wednesday after an awkward summit with some achievements but a long list of unfinished business - a result that suggests challenges ahead for the US as it struggles to come to terms with Asia's increasingly assertive superpower. The president secured a far-ranging framework for cooperation Tuesday with Beijing. But that deal was announced as frictions between the two nations appeared to increase over human rights and economic policy. President Obama and Chinese leader Hu Jintao issued their ambitious statement on cooperation in a clumsy fashion - at a media "availability" where they took no questions, didn't address each other and exhibited body language that seemed to say they had been frustrated by the entire exercise.
Obama: 'We've restored America's standing' -- [CNN]
A little more than a year after his election, President Obama said his administration has laid the groundwork for success on global and domestic matters. -- "I think that we've restored America's standing in the world
Somali Pirates : Maersk Alabama Attacked, Fights Back -- [Eagle Speak]
On the early morning of 18 November 2009, 350 nautical miles east from the Somali coast, pirates attacked MV Maersk Alabama, a US flagged, Danish owned, 155 meter long, Container ship.
Iranian COS Warns Russia: Your Security Is Tied To Ours -- [Memri Blog]
Iranian Army chief of staff Hassan Firouzabadi has warned Russia that delay in the supply of S-300 missile systems could harm Russia because its security is tied to that of Iran.
WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM
Suspected Fort Hood Shooter Believed to Be Self-Radicalized -- [Wall Street Journal]
Some lawmakers briefed Tuesday on the Fort Hood shooting said the suspect, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, was most likely a self-radicalized extremist. The briefing for select members of Congress came as Republicans with oversight of national-security issues called on Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to open a full congressional inquiry into alleged government miscues in the case of Maj. Hasan. He is charged with murdering 13 people Nov. 5 on the sprawling US Army base where he served as a psychiatrist.
Guantánamo Won't Close by January, Obama Says -- [NY Times]
President Obama acknowledged for the first time on Wednesday that his administration would miss a self-imposed deadline to close the detention center at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, by mid-January, admitting the difficulties of following through on one of his first pledges as president.
SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT
No Man Left Behind -- [Knottie's Niche]
We've all heard the military quote "No Man left behind" But it wasn't until last weekend as I sat listening to a veteran Marine talking to an Army Sgt about how the Army helicopter pilot who saved him and many others in Vietnam by flying in a hot zone repeatedly to save men that it hit home. The words took on a whole new meaning to me. When Micheal was killed the Army did not leave us behind. It started with a visit to tell us the news and they did not leave until there was no more they could do for us in that moment. Then there was the email to let us know no one else had been hurt from one of the medics. The Army did not leave us behind when they assigned us a causality assistance officer who walked us through each step, even offering to go to the store for us at any hour of the day if we needed anything at all. Then the emails, calls and instant message conversations from the men who served with Micheal began.
LTC Tim Karcher Update -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
Wonderful update on LTC Tim Karcher, Commander of the 1st Cavalry Division's 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, wounded June 28 in Sadr City.
4 weeks later, after fighting for his life in Iraq, here in Germany, and at Walter Reed, the loss of both legs was the least of his problems:
Support SA while Christmas shopping this year! -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
Through Soldiers' Angels, patriotic Americans can do their Holiday shopping or planning and support the troops at the same time!
The easiest way to do this is shop online at all your favorite stores. If you stop by GoodShop and Shop to Earn before you start, you can visit all your favorite online stores, purchase anything you want at the usual great prices, and a portion of what you spend will be donated to Soldiers' Angels--at no extra cost to you! On GoodShop, be sure you select Soldiers' Angels as the charity you are "GoodShopping for."
Trees for Troops: Helping Military Families -- [AdAge.com]
Military families. Transportation. Tree growers. Logistics. These seemingly incongruous words provide a case study in cause marketing.
FOX 5 Special: I-Team VA Loans -- [FOX News]
A FOX 5 I-Team investigation uncovered allegations of a nationwide scheme by banks and mortgage companies to defraud U.S. military veterans. The scheme, spelled out in court documents, claims banks are overcharging veterans on home refinancing loans.
The question raised in a racketeering and class action law suit is how many of those loans involved banks defrauding U.S. military veterans.
MILITARY
Muslim discrimination in the U.S. military. Not. -- [Castra Praetoria]
I'm done listening to any more bellyaching about how Muslims have it bad in the American military. It's a lie.
At this very moment there are American Muslims serving in our armed forces with valor. Muslim interpreters work along side us daily who aren't even American citizens and they have proven themselves as well. All these pansies wailing and moaning about discrimination against them because they are Muslims are not doing anyone any favors. Take it from a guy who has served along side Muslim Marines and Sailors in combat; worked with Jordanian and Iraqi interpreters in country; trained with Iraqi-Americans who have contributed to the effort by working as role players and training our troops in culture and language classes.
Time to revisit firearms policies on military posts -- [Atlanta Journal Constitution]
Just as legitimate questions were raised following the mass killings on the Virginia Tech campus in 2007, both military personnel and civilian citizens
Army's Record Suicide Rate 'Horrible,' General Says -- [Washington Post]
Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli on Tuesday called the Army's record suicide rate this year "horrible" and said the problem of soldiers taking their own lives is the toughest he has faced in his 37 years in service. As of Nov. 16, 140 soldiers on active duty and 71 soldiers not on active duty were suspected to have committed suicide. "We are almost certainly going to end the year higher than last year,"
WELCOME HOME
Veterans' descendants welcome troops home to Fort Campbell -- [Clarksville Leaf Chronicle]
Their day concluded with the Welcome Home ceremony for 80 soldiers who returned from a year in Afghanistan. "We are descendants of our country's first
'Greywolf' Among First CAV Troops to Return Home -- [DVIDS]
Once the buses arrived at Cooper Field, chants of "move that bus" were heard from Families waiting to welcome home their Soldiers. Tommy Tatum, from Kempner
THE MEDIA
Where are Taliban and al Qaeda commanders, US media asks Pak -- [Daily News & Analysis]
Washington: A day after senior Pakistani army commanders claimed that their forces have captured all major towns and population centres of the extremist-ridden South Waziristan, Taliban and foreign militants appear to have disappeared and not been eliminated.
Army officials said that they have killed as many as 550 Taliban militants a month after the military began its campaign into the lawless territory, yet they acknowledge that hundreds, perhaps thousands more have melted away.
As the offensive into the area, considered to be a sanctuary of al Qaeda and Taliban militants gained momentum, Boston Globe said, "Vast numbers of Taliban and foreign terrorists had disappeared into the vast desert scrub and craggy hills surrounding their strongholds of Sararogha and Ladha".
"Where are they? That's what bothers me," New York Times quoted a senior American intelligence officer as saying.
POLITICS
Republicans Criticize Obama's Call to Delay Hill Inquiries on Fort Hood -- [Washington Post]
The Obama administration's request that congressional committees slow their investigations of the Fort Hood shootings sparked denunciations Tuesday from Republicans on Capitol Hill, who pushed for an immediate inquiry of any warning signs before the massacre. House and Senate Republicans, emerging from the most detailed briefings given to Congress since the Nov. 5 attack killed 13 at the central Texas Army post, said delaying investigations would put off legislative efforts to give military officials the tools to prevent similar tragedies in the future. They said such an effort would not interfere with the criminal investigation of shooting suspect Nidal M. Hasan, an Army major who was scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan.
Obama Approval Dips Below 50% For First Time -- [Quinnipiac University]
Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Support For U.S. Troops In Afghanistan Drops Below 50% -- President Barack Obama's job approval rating is 48 - 42 percent, the first time he has slipped below the 50 percent threshold nationally ...
HUMOR / SATIRE
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Another important disctinction is that the majority of cases would be classified as mild.
The few sensational cases will be no doubt played up strongly in the press. Likewise, as with many incidents involving "Vietnam veterans" the media will never recant when it turns out that the homeless guy/bank robber/wife beater they did the big lead story on yesterday was lying about being a vet.
The NEJM has a history of deceptive and ideologically driven reporting in its journal. That's not to say it isn't esteemed for 90% of the articles within, ubt some others have been heavily criticized. It's not what it used to be... like the Lancet, but not quite as bad.
Remember the '50% of all bankruptcies caused by medical bills' article that turned out to be junk science?
Ahhh.. but the numbers are legit. It's the spin that won't be. Expect lots of stories using that 1 in 4 figure, without specifying that's 1 in 4 of teh twenty percent that came in at all. Ditto that 10% with PTSD number. It's born to be a victim of lefty reality abuse.
Good job! Hard to keep the MSM honest.
I agree that the numbers in the article are misleading...
But your numbers assume that the 80% of veterans who did not go to the VA were not experiencing any of the afflictions mentioned. I don't think we can be so sure that there aren't undiagnosed or untreated cases of PTSD, depression or alcoholism out there.
Nice post. Lying with statistics is a pretty old game. Catching people at it - priceless.
Beautiful post, Greyhawk!
I remember the Media War Cry of Iraq suicides, parroted by Andy Rooney. Shot that down the day it was released and again the day Andy Rooney blathered about it.
Your post is that X's Ten!
Excellent. Thank you for the application of common sense and diligent research.
Cheers!
Jay is right; your numbers are probably too low, because it's not an apples-to-apples comparison.
You've certainly discredited the figures used in this article (which is your main point), but you haven't conclusively shown that the true figures for vets are actually lower than the population as a whole (although I wouldn't be surprised for most of them other than PTSD).
Jay is not right.
We are dealing with averages. Even if the 80% who do not go to the VA experience "average" problems with alcoholism, PTSD, etc, there is no increase among the Iraq, Afghanistan veteran population as compared to the population as a whole.
And what Greyhawk is pointing out is that even among the 20% who did show at the VA, the results were, in most cases, at or below the level of the same problems experienced by average Americans.
Thanks Greyhawk,
My daughter's teacher told the class about this report in their 8th grade Global Awareness (propaganda) class. When she told me after school I did some similar research and emailed the teacher to check his facts before teaching propaganda. Your research is much better. I have 16 years active duty and many of my daughter's teachers are learning to hate me. I teach my daughter to think for herself and to question everything.
The one thing you didn't comment upon is the old canard that VA benefits are being "cut". Actually, the 2005 budget shows a modest increase in VA benefits, not a "cut", as does the projected 2006 budget. The increase is less than last year's, and not as high as asked for, but it IS an increase.
Wow. Guess I am one of the lucky ones as well. Come to think of it, so are the other 6 guys I work with. What are the odds of that?
Jay, I see your point, but who is to say there are no civillians who are undiognosed or untreated out there?
The estimates for the civilian population are supposed to take undiagnosed cases into account, in theory.
The true numbers for the military population as a whole fall somewhere between the numbers in the article and Greyhawk's second set of figures. Where exactly they fall is hard to estimate; it depends on how closely correlated the condition is with seeking medical treatment.
For example: if this article had said that 20% of soldiers being treated have green eyes, it would be safe to assume that 20% of soldiers have green eyes, since eye color and hospital visitation are uncorrelated. But if this article had said that 100% of soldiers being treated have medical problems, this would not mean that 100% of all soldiers have medical problems, since having a medical problem and visiting the hospital are highly correlated.
So if I had to guess, I'd say that the true number of PTSD sufferers is closer to the low number (2%) while the true number of alcoholics is closer to the high number (9%). But that's just a guess.
Anyhow, these ranges fall at or below national averages; Greyhawk's point is proven. USA Today is basically lying to us.
Yeah, it's obviously a flawed story. But my problem with it is that they put it on the front page of the paper. This should have been a brief.
What is also no reported is that when ANY vet goes to a VA center, clinic or hospital and says "I just came back from Iraq/Afghanistan and I find my self getting pissed off alot more than I used to" it gets reported as a case of PTSD. This inflates the numbers and is used to justify more money for VA centers I would imagine. Not that they don't need the money to fo their job, but it looks like the MSM is just retredding the "Crazy Viet Vet" myth for modern consumption.
Well, this report may not be valid, but we vets will probably have to fight to keep our earned VA benefits, and keep them from being eroded. American politicians have short memories after the vets come home and the parades are over.
Here's my problem with the report. It claims that the numbers are rising, but it doesn't say how it's rising (raw numbers, proportion of vets checking in, etc.), or what it's rising from. What was the # before?
In other words, don't trust the media to report science accurately or competantly.
This is my issue with the related hype. It paints a broad picture that all returning vets are going to be psycho. As an OIF vet, I take very serious offense to that. As a medical type, I understand that folks react to different stress in different ways. I was never in any serious firefights, but I wasn't sheltered from death and gory stuff either. AND I'M FINE! As are the majority of vets coming home. As are the vast majority of the Vietnam Vets. Yeah, we have some issues, but to say we're all going to get PTSD is ludicrous.
Ouch! Beautifully organized.
Another difficulty is that PTSD is *much* more likely to be diagnosed in a vet than a civilian. Given two cases with identical histories and symptoms, a doctor would be much more likely to attribute the symptoms to PTSD in a vet than a civilian.
Of course, it really is impossible to glean any useful information from the article. Military types are a very different demographic than the population at large. I assume that overall there is less mental illness, less substance abuse, etc since they wouldn't be accepted in the first place. The best study would compare rates of disorders in combat vets and members of the military who have not seen combat. It would be relatively simple. However, even this would tell us nothing more than war is mentally stressful, which is not big surprise. Any way you slice it, this is not a story.
Well, I am sure that a couple of people here know from which they speak.
I am not including of course the people at MSM which know not of what they speak.
But I can speak a little about this subject (PTSD).
When I got back to the world in late 69 and after I got out of W. Reed in sprink 70, and after I had been able to get out of the house and get almost back to "normal" and consider getting a job (sometime in the late summer of 70), I thought that I was fine and dandy. Even if I had such a scar running from almost top to bottom in the left side of my back and numerous pieces of metal still trying to find their way out all over me, which gives new meaning to the words from a pretty girl, " what are all those red bumps"?
Any way to shorten this up by about TWENTY YEARS.
I stumbled, weaved, drank and screwed up my life until 1989, when my (sixth or seventh, I don't really know) ex-boss (he had just fired me as most of the other ones had) took me and a six pack to the Local VA Hospital (kinda local, 45 miles away).
Once deposited and introduced and all the thousands of pages of forms filled out by a helpful ex vet, I began my real homecoming and journey back to the world of the "normal".
I finished my tearing down and re-building of my soul sometime in the mid ninetys. It will never really be completed, you know..but brick by broken brick, it is being rebuilt and improved.
In 2001, the most expert and hard worker came into this world to help ol' Papa rebuild his soul and to help her grow up to be the most beautiful and light of his life. "Sweet Sarah", the little terror, the most beautiful Grand Daughter an old man could want, is giving me a new outlook and reason to continue on. To help her learn and grow into a young girl.
And if God permits, to be here when she is a young woman, on the way to the rest of her life.
Papa Ray
West Texas
USA