Dawn Patrol

A Fork in the Road [Michael Yon - in Iraq]
Approaching Dohuk, a short drive north of Mosul, brings to mind the countryside in Italy. The war is over in Dohuk. After suffering perhaps a half century of fighting, the people have finally gotten the peace they wanted long ago. With the old Iraqi government vanquished, Dohuk is thriving. In fact, this Iraqi city appears to be doing at least as well as--perhaps remarkably better than--many comparably-sized towns in Italy. A visit to this place affords more than a break from the rugged routine of war; it also provides a postcard of a possible future for all of Iraq.

"Thanks Bush....." [Hurl's BLOG - in Iraq]
About 3 weeks ago the generator powering the internet caf頡t the al Taqqadum air base died. This isn?t a terribly unusual thing; the generators out here have run continuously for months or even years in a fairly harsh environment. It would be two weeks or so before a replacement generator would be brought in and hooked up. During this time email and internet access for people on the base was severely limited.

We Are Not the Same [Dadmanly - in Iraq]
We?re not the same National Guard unit anymore.
In thinking about our first year of mobilized active duty, that?s the thought I?ve had, more than any other besides how much I miss being home. We?re not the same individuals who left home, and we?re not the same unit, for a variety of reasons.

I Don't Understand It... [Ma Deuce Gunner -in Iraq]
Yesterday there was an IED attack in Kirkuk. Twelve CIVILIANS were wounded. One was killed, and it happened to be a two and a half year old child. I was at Kirkuk General Hospital, providing escort to a humanitarian mission when the incident occured. Minutes later, cars started pouring into the hospital, bringing injured for medical aid. Ordinary people who happened to be in the area of the explosion immediately sprung into action and began helping their fellow citizens. Some wounded made it to the hospital before the ambulances left the premises.

USASOC Soldier dies in Iraq [Jack Army]
A Special Forces Soldier based here died May 31 near Al Qaim, Iraq, after his unit was attacked with enemy small arms fire during combat operations there.
Sgt. 1st Class Steven M. Langmack, 33, a senior Special Forces communications sergeant assigned to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command here, sustained fatal injuries during the attack.

STAR WARS EPISODE 3 PLAYING AT FOB DOGWOOD [SFC Kevin Kelly's Dixie Sappers - in Iraq]
...We woke up early, early this morning to go start our road construction project. We didn't get the money bid, but we were told we could go ahead and do it for free. We left this early so that we could try to get through before it got to hot. Well, when you break out in a sweat at 5:30 a.m. because your wearing your IBA, you know it's going to be a hot one. We were traveling down the road and came up on our objective. There was one blue bongo truck coming in the opposite direction that had gotten caught up in the middle of our convoy when we stopped on the side of the road. We instructed him to drive on the side of the road until he got past the last vehicle. When he got to our tank, I noticed 2 guys in the front seat and about 6-7 women riding in the back. I don't know how the men do it here, but in Mississippi that would have been grounds for divorce.

Field Day [sappersgt's Journal -in Iraq]
...Some of you may have noticed in my personal information there is a disclaimer. I got to reading AR 600-20, which has some interesting information. I added that disclaimer and actually consulted up at JAG to ensure I'm not violating any ethical guidelines about serving soldiers and politics. Her opinion was that as long as I don't directly link my status as a soldier and my political opinions it's OK.

More Fobbloggin [Lance in Iraq]
Here are a few of our new washing machines donated by some very generous Americans.

America, the Beautiful: [Grim's Hall]
Though I think the last post points to a real concern, it should be noted that free speech is still very strong in America. The GeekWithA.45 found a good example, which I just love:

What a Difference a Year Makes [Neptune Lex]
While at sea, I managed to get access to this op-ed in the WSJ, written by Fouad Ajami - a writer whose clarity of thought i greatly admire.
In it, he notes that W has unleashed great powers of creative destruction in the Arab middle east:

Throw the bums out! [Counter Column]
...In the National Guard, echelons above battalion have long demonstrated a willingness to hang onto marginal soldiers or "ghost soldiers" and keep them fraudulently on the books in order to make numbers look good, preserve the unit's or the state's readiness category rating, and preserve full-time Guard and Reserve jobs.

Keel Laid for USS Freedom: US Navy's First Littoral Combat Ship [Word Unheard]
Ken Adams has been working on the team developing the US Navy's new Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) design. Surely he is quite proud that Thurday (02JUN05) the keel was laid for USS Freedom.
<...>
As incredible as the LCS design and the USS Freedom are, it's even better that such a man as Sergeant First Class Paul R. Smith is honored as its sponsor.

DEVALUED [trying to grok]
Since the end of OIF II, I have seen a lot of things happen with medals and badges and patches. I used to think it was cool when my husband collected ribbons, but now I am starting to see why Bunker said to throw 'em in a drawer and forget it. I've heard way too many stories about soldiers who deserved ribbons but didn't get them and soldiers who didn't deserve ribbons but got them. Platoon leaders and platoon sergeants spend an extraordinary amount of time not on deciding who deserves medals but working on the grammar and presentation of the citation. And I'm sure some have been approved over others just because someone's grammar was better. In just three months, I've become disillusioned with the medal process, which is sad because I think they should be something to be proud of.

2005 Marine Corps 230th Anniversary [Iraq Wae News]
This year, the United States proudly honors the Marine Corps and all Marines who have sacrificed and contributed in our Nation?s service. Public Law 108-291, signed August 6, 2004, authorizes the minting of a Silver Dollar to commemorate the 230th Anniversary of the United States Marine Corps.

And now for something completely different [Life in this Girl's Army]
(yes I like Monty Python) I wrote this post about one of my days at the ranges last week. I hope you all enjoy. (Feel free to critique. I am always looking to see how I could improve my writing.)