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February 20, 2007

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More Squalls Before the Storm

By Greyhawk

Video: The Pentagon Channel reviews Baghdad operations in 2006.

A pdf report on 2006 in Iraq here.

Confession: I'm linking without having read the document myself. I did run the video. Don't watch it if you're looking for a self-congratulatory exercise in back-patting.

*****

On NPR, a "look" (it's audio only, of course) at the Anbar Salvation Council:

In Iraq, Sunni Arab sheiks angry over al Qaida attacks in the insurgent stronghold of Anbar province are urging their tribesmen to join the local police forces. So far, the United States has trained three battalions.
...and Marines returning home.
About 300 U.S. Marines returned Saturday to Camp Lejeune, N.C., from Iraq. The troops had been fighting in Anbar province.
*****

Friday:

But now that congress has done their bit for al Qaeda and other killers in Iraq, it's time for them to return the favor. Expect their next best attempt at a Tet-like offensive soon...
Yesterday
BAGHDAD -- Insurgents launched a multi-pronged attack on a U.S. outpost north of the capital today, killing two U.S. soldiers and injuring 17, as violence in and around Baghdad left dozens of Iraqis dead.
<...>
Disjointed accounts of the 7 a.m. attack emerged in cellphone conversations with witnesses and law enforcement officials. An area police officer said the attackers came in three cars, at least one of them packed with explosives, and assaulted the downtown Tarmiya police station, used by U.S. forces as a base.

Insurgents opened fire with rockets mounted on a truck. Fuel tanks inside the base caught fire, setting off a huge explosion, said a police official and a Tarmiya resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

U.S. medical helicopters landed five times to evacuate the casualties. Two Iraqi civilians were also injured in the crossfire.

It's not the first assault on a U.S. outpost in Iraq, but such events are rare. Like all others, this ends with the attackers fleeing or dead. The tactical gain is negligible, the only forseable benefit being intimidation of the locals (aka "terrorism"), and perhaps some favorable press and even more strident calls for retreat from the usual suspects in Washington (none of either so far - thankfully).

I expected something more, (yes, more even than this), or something more innovative (our enemy is innovative, see 9/11 for example) - but I often did when I was in Iraq before the January, 2005 elections, too. The press always made more out of whatever did happen, but while phenomenally successful from a PR standpoint, invariably the attacks were - like this one - essentially innefective. (Yes, those killed might feel otherwise.)

But I suppose I still haven't learned my lesson. I still expect more.

*****

But I expect more of this, too:

Iraqi Army troops detain three after shooting

FORWARD OPERATING BASE YUSUFIYAH, Iraq — Small-arms fire near the Yusufiyah Joint Security Station led to the capture of three insurgents in a combined U.S. and Iraqi Army operation Feb. 16.

Soldiers of the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Iraqi police and troops from the 4th Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division observed two men with AK-47s northwest of the JSS. The Iraqi police and U.S. forces engaged the men from the rooftop.

An Iraqi quick response force from the 4/4/6 IA went to the JSS and conducted a patrol to kill or capture the anti-Iraqi forces. Three suspects were detained. The three suspects are being held for questioning.

Iraqi Army, MiTT team detain three linked to EFPs
KALSU, Iraq – An Iraqi Army quick reaction force with a military transition team from 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division found insurgents in the act of constructing Explosively Formed Projectiles and found EFP-making materials, an EFP transporting vehicle and 10 107mm rockets in a house in Hilla, Iraq Feb. 17.

The Iraqi quick reaction force established a cordon and searched the building and discovered two insurgents. The material for manufacturing the deadly roadside bombs was found there, while the two were in the process of assembling EFPs.

A third suspect was captured later in the day in connection with the cache. The three suspected insurgents have been detained for further questioning.

Wolverine Soldiers nab two, defeat roadside bomb
CAMP STRIKER, Iraq — A Multi-National Division – Baghdad patrol southwest of Baghdad found an improvised explosive device and detained two men Feb. 17.

Soldiers of Company A, 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, “Wolverines,” 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) spotted the roadside bomb under an overpass while patrolling the major Iraqi highway known as Route Tampa at approximately 7 p.m. The patrol stopped to cordon off the area and a civilian vehicle crossed the cordon.

Soldiers stopped the vehicle and conducted a search, uncovering two locked-and-loaded AK-47s, a 9mm pistol, a hand grenade and a forged weapons permit. The two men were detained for questioning and the weapons seized.

“Any time you capture logisticians or financiers, you effectively cut off their ability to conduct terrorist operations in the area,” said Capt. John Sirhal, squadron fire support officer for 1-89th.

The IED was destroyed in a detonation controlled by explosive ordnance disposal technicians.

Anti-aircraft weapon uncovered in cache find south of Baghdad
MAHMUDIYAH, Iraq — Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers teamed up with Iraqi Army forces and seized an anti-aircraft heavy machine gun and ammunition southwest of Mahmudiyah, Iraq, Feb. 18.

Soldiers with the 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) and the 2nd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division discovered the cache just 20 miles southwest of Baghdad during a combat patrol.

The cache consisted of a ZPU-1 anti-aircraft heavy machine gun, 20 30mm rounds, a tripod and three spare barrels. The weapon was in firing condition and configured for use.

The ammunition was destroyed during a controlled detonation conducted by an explosive ordnance team. The weapon was seized by MND-B troops.

Golden Dragons discover weapons cache
RADWANIYAH, Iraq — Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers uncovered a weapons cache southwest of Radwaniyah, Iraq Feb. 18.

Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment “Golden Dragons,” 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) found the weapons cache during a routine combat patrol 30 miles southwest of the capital.

The cache consisted of four 2.5-inch rockets and four 60mm mortar rounds.

The cache was destroyed during a controlled detonation conducted by an explosive ordnance team.

Troops detain suspect linked to roadside bomb attacks
RADWANIYAH, Iraq — Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers detained a suspected terrorist southwest of Radwaniyah, Iraq Feb. 18.

Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment “Golden Dragons,” 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) detained the suspect during a combat operation 30 miles southwest of Baghdad.

The suspect was detained after the Golden Dragon troops discovered improvised explosive device-making materials, to include crush wire initiators.

The suspect was detained for further questioning.

IA, 2-7 Cavalry partnership leads to one cache after another
MOSUL, Iraq – On Feb. 16, soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division once again teamed with troops from D Co., 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, and executed a raid against a possible cache of military ordnance in the Domiz neighborhood of eastern Mosul.

The operation was successful and the joint raid netted two 60mm mortar tubes, 20 60mm mortar rounds, 25 grenades and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher with 25 rounds. Ten miscellaneous vehicle license plates were also confiscated. No detainees were found at the scene.

The pairing of Iraqi army and Iraqi police units with Soldiers from 2-7 Cavalry has netted numerous caches in the past weeks, as well as precipitated a large number of suspected insurgents being detained with evidence of illegal weapons, smuggling or bomb-making materials.

*****

Speaking of Mosul, here's an entry I posted on MilBlogs a few days ago:

Regarding that Yon link in the "Large Battle" post, I don't think I need to point out the awesome job Mike's doing over there, but even if there's just one reader here who isn't aware I guess it's worth it.

I've been highlighting numerous MNF-I press releases here for the past several days, mostly because they're the sorts of stories seldom seen in the mainstream news. Maybe, near the bottom of a story headlining the death toll in Iraq you'll see a statement to the effect of "Elsewhere in Iraq, coalition spokesman claimed four alleged insurgents were captured during a raid in sometown."

I glanced back through those MNF-I press releases trying to find one that might correlate with Mike's Roughnecks story. It might be this one:

Coalition Forces disrupted explosives cells in Mosul and Baghdad during two raids Sunday morning, killing a suspected key vehicle-borne improvised explosive device cell leader and detaining five suspected VBIED terrorists.

The raid in Mosul targeted a terrorist who is believed responsible for the production of explosives used in attacks against Coalition Forces in Mosul.

Upon entering the targeted building, Coalition Forces encountered two suspected terrorists. One of the terrorists ignored Coalition Forces instructions and suddenly reached into his jacket. Coalition Forces responded with proper self defense methods in response to the perceived threat. The terrorist subsequently died from his wounds.

The other suspect was detained and is also believed to be responsible for the attacks. Two other suspected terrorists believed to have ties to the Mosul VBIED network were also detained during the raid.

It's entirely possible though that Mike's story came from some other raid in Mosul this past week. Read both accounts; both are factual and unembellished, but Mike's story adds the details and life that no press release can. Though sometimes you'll find a gem of a quote included like that in the third paragraph above, it's more often than not like the difference between reading the final score of a football game you hadn't seen and reading a full account by a reporter who did, and knows more than the score.

Worse, the mainstream press, for some odd reason, generally chooses to provide only the oppositions "score".

I'm not addressing that failure here - that's a given. I actually want to point out the magnitude of the failure. Over the past week I've collected not a handful, not a dozen, but 55 such press releases here - and there are others I simply didn't have time to add. Fifty-five stories that could have been told in the way Mike did; unembellished, un-hyped, and simply factual, but with the level of detail that a press release can't provide. Fifty-five stories lacking only the teller to be told.

But for reasons unknown - to me at least - the press won't provide.

This can't be because newspaper or magazine readers don't want this sort of material - I've failed to link Mike's work here recently because the past several times I've tried to do so his servers have been overloaded to the point I've been unable to access his site.

Fifty freaking five...

That was on February 11. If I haven't mis-counted, the total is now 86.

(You can verify my count, if you wish. Previous entry here.)


Posted by Greyhawk / February 20, 2007 9:06 AM | Permalink
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November 26, 2010


America@war
[Greyhawk]
I think anyone who's ever pondered the "comment" option - once only available on blogs and bulletin boards, now ubiquitous on almost any web site - will appreciate this:
The so-called faculty of writing is not so much a faculty of writing as it is a faculty of thinking. When a man says, "I have an idea but I can't express it"; that man hasn't an idea but merely a vague feeling. If a man has a feeling of that kind, and will sit down for a half an hour and persistently try to put into writing what he feels, the probabilities are at least 90 percent that he will either be able to record it, or else realize that he has no idea at all. In either case, he will do himself a benefit.

That's wisdom from the past, captured for posterity at the US Naval Institute, shared via the web on the institute's 137th anniversary.

From their about page:

The Naval Institute shall remain

INDEPENDENT - A non-profit member association, with no government support, that does not lobby for special interests;

NON-PARTISAN - An independent, professional military association with a mission, goals and objectives that transcend political affiliations; and shall encourage

IDEAS - Through its respected journals Proceedings and Naval History, its conferences, its books and its online content, in support of those who serve.

"The Naval Institute has three core activities," among them, History and Preservation:

The Naval Institute also has recently introduced Americans at War, a living history of Americans at war in their own words and from their own experiences. These 90-second vignettes convey powerful stories of inspiration, pride, and patriotism.

Take a look at the collection, and you'll see it's not limited to accounts from those who served on ships at sea, members of the other branches are well-represented.

I'm fortunate to have met USNI's Mary Ripley, she's responsible for the institute's oral history program (and she's the daughter of the late John Ripley, whose story is told here). She also deserves much credit for their blog. ("We're not the Navy nor any government agency. Blog and comment freely.") We met at a milblog conference - Mary knew (and I would come to realize) that milbloggers are the 21st-century version of exactly what the US Naval Institute is all about. Once that light bulb came on in my head, I mentioned a vague idea for a project to her - milblogs as the 21st century oral history that they are.

"Put that in writing," she said (of course - see first paragraph above!) - and here's part of the result.

Shortly after the first tent was pitched by the American military in Iraq a wire was connected to a computer therein, and the internet was available to a generation of Americans at war - many of whom had grown up online. From that point on, at any given moment, somewhere in Iraq a Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine was at a keyboard sharing the events of his or her day with the folks back home. While most would simply fire off an email, others took advantage of the (then) relatively new online blogging platforms to post their thoughts and experiences for the entire world to see. The milblog was born - and from that moment to this stories detailing everything from the most mundane aspects of camp life to intense combat action (often described within hours of the event) have been available on the web...

And et cetera - but since you're reading this on a milblog, you probably knew that. And you know that milblogs aren't just blogs written by troops at war, that many friends, family members, and supporters likewise documented their story of America at war online in near-real time, as those stories developed.

The diversity in membership of that group is broad, the one thing we all have in common is the impulse to make sense of the seemingly senseless, and communicate the tale - for each of us that impulse was strong enough to overcome whatever barriers prevent the vast majority of people from doing the same. Everyone at some point has some vague idea they believe should be shared - we were the people who, from some combination of internal and external urging, found and spent those many half hours persistently trying to write it down.

*****

But where will all that be in another 137 years? Or five or ten, for that matter. That's something I've asked myself since at least 2004 - when I wrote this:

Closing Blogs is nothing new. So many site's owners just give up on their own. They come and go, you know, these MilBloggers do. Like any other sort of blogger. Many post in the lonely down hours far from home, spill their guts for the world, then abandon their spots when the tour of duty is up. They have lives again somewhere in the world, and no need to share the details. So it goes.

Many are truly gone - no site left at all. "The page cannot be found." Other blogs remain, like abandoned defensive positions in shifting desert sands.

Membership in the ghost battalion has grown in the years since, and an ever growing majority of those abandoned-but-still-standing sites are vanishing. Have you checked out Lt Smash's site lately? How about Sgt Hook's? If you're a long-time milblog reader you know the first widely-read milblog from Operation Iraq Freedom and the first widely-read milblog from Afghanistan are both gone from the web. If you're a relative newcomer to this world you may never even have heard of them - or the dozens upon dozens of others who carried forth the standard they set down.

If you have a vague notion that something should be done about that, (a notion I've heard expressed more than once...) then you and I and the good folks at the US Naval Institute are in agreement. Preserving the history documented by the milbloggers is just one of the goals of the milblog project, the once-vague idea that we're now making real.

And it's a big idea, if I say so myself - too big to explain in one simple blog post, so stand by for more. Likewise, it's too big a task to be accomplished by just one person. So if you're a milblogger (and exactly what is a milblogger? is a topic for much further discussion on its own) I'm asking for your help. All I'll really need is just a little bit (maybe just one or two of those half hours...) of your time, and your willingness to tell the tale.

We've already made history, it's time to save it.

(More to follow...)




Posted 4:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

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The Mudville Gazette is the on-line voice of an American warrior and his wife who stands by him. They prefer to see peaceful change render force of arms unnecessary. Until that day they stand fast with those who struggle for freedom, strike for reason, and pray for a better tomorrow.
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The Mudville Gazette is written and produced by Greyhawk, who recently retired from 24 years of active duty in the US military, but will maintain this disclaimer: Unless otherwise credited, the opinions expressed are those of the author, and nothing here is to be taken as representing the official position of or endorsement by the United States Department of Defense or any of its subordinate components.

Furthermore, I will occasionally use satire or parody herein. The bottom line: it's my house.

I like having visitors to my house. I hope you are entertained. I fight for your right to free speech, and am thrilled when you exercise said rights here. Comments and e-mails are welcome, but all such communication is to be assumed to be 1)the original work of any who initiate said communication and 2)the property of the Mudville Gazette, with free use granted thereto for publication in electronic or written form. If you do NOT wish to have your message posted, write "CONFIDENTIAL" in the subject line of your email.

Original content copyright © 2003 - 2011 by Greyhawk. Fair, not-for-profit use of said material by others is encouraged, as long as acknowledgement and credit is given, to include the url of the original source post. Other arrangements can be made as needed.

Contact: greyhawk at mudvillegazette dot com

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*****

Tending Distant
Fires


Far from hearth and home, watching
Cold alone but not alone
On distant shore and only wanting
Safe return and little more

What tales we'll tell
When that time comes
When tales can be told

When things grim
Seem far away
When other fires go cold

Some distant sunset, vision fading
Memories remain
And tired eyes gaze 'pon folded flags
While distant drums beat their refrain

Saluting fallen friends whose names
And youth will never fade
Here's to those on other shores,
for them live well, the price is paid

- Greyhawk,
Baghdad,
December 2004