Dawn Patrol

Iraq

Notification [Phil and Becky - in Iraq]
I performed one of the less than pleasant duties of mine this morning: notifying a spouse that her husband had been wounded in action.
First, some clarification. You might be asking yourself why I was conducting notification and not the Army system. The Army notification system is very good and kicks in automatically, but it depends on the degree of injury that the soldier sustained. In a sense, it is good that I could do the notification because it means that the injuries were not serious enough to warrant official notification

Routine but dangerous [Phil and Becky - in Iraq]
We took a casualty this morning. A soldier in one of our line companies sustained some shrapnel wounds from an IED strike that occurred while he was on a patrol.
The mission was routine enough -- route clearance of one of the major routes in our area of operations. We do multiple missions of this kind every single day. The patrol stopped at an Iraqi Army checkpoint and made contact with a civilian who said that he knew where an IED was placed and would led us to it.

Are We Winning? [Howdy's Blog - in Iraq]
Yes.
I know this is not a sports score but I get asked this question a lot. We are doing bigger things than winning on this one battlefield.
There is an Iraqi face at the front of every major offensive we undertake.
Widespread public support (which there never was any) for murderers and foreign thugs has never materialized.
Of course we read again and again how offensive it is to have my unclean infidel self in this land. Let me tell you how offensive we are.

We're losing? [Who's Your Baghdaddy? - in Iraq]
I ususally try to stay above the fray when it comes to voicing my opinions of the ongoing rehtoric about the war in Iraq. But I can't be silent after reading this article which quotes Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) as saying "that we're losing in Iraq."

Lessons Learned: IEDs in Iraq [Winds of Change -Trent Telenko]
Recently, I received this from one of our officers. Permission was granted for publication here based on certain conditions. Note the comments on combat driving, the media, IED attacks vs. hits, racial profiling, and the role of foreign terrorists like FARC in the Iraqi insurgency. I've also asked Joe to add it to Winds military lessons learned compilation post, available as a resource for troops deploying abroad.

Why is the good news only on Al-Jazeera? [Military Matters w/ Uncle Jimbo]
Riddle me this "A middle east news agency has recently been running stories showing the good deeds of coalition forces in Iraq.

Guarding Saddam - Pennsylvania National Guard Interviewed [Soldiers' Angel - Holly Aho]
Five soldiers from the Pennsylvania National Guard, who spent the last year guarding Saddam Hussein, were recently interviewed by GQ Magazine. In addition, two of them were interviewed on tv by the Sean Hannity Show (right side of screen). What particu...

Not a Good Time to Die: Untold Story of Operation Anaconda [ROFASix]
Author Sean Naylor is likely to end up being viewed after the end of the War on Terrorists, much like Joe Galloway was after Vietnam. General H. Norman Schwarzkopf once called Galloway "The finest combat correspondent of our generation ? a soldier's reporter and a soldier's friend." I expect that Sean Naylor will also be viewed in similar regard if his latest book is any indication.

The Army You Have [Andrew Olmsted]
Via John Cole I see that tales of Soldiers and Marines being required to buy their own gear for use in Iraq remain popular. While I can't speak for the Marine Corps, I am going to step up for the Army in defense of this type of claim. My entire car

Iran

The Iranian Student Union, Tahkeem Vahdat, calls for a boycott of the bogus elections, this regime is not reformable [Regime Change Iran]

Iran Press News:

The University Student offices of Tahkeem'eh Vahdat has sent out a bulletin reiterating it's stance: "based on an all points boycott of this bogus election and the immovability and unreformability of the regime ruling over Iran; we consider this fake election to be disastrous, highly restrictive and utterly ineffective and the office of the president should be castigated for this pathetic show of force." READ MORE

The US war with Iran has already begun (Al Jazeera)
Americans, along with the rest of the world, are starting to wake up to the uncomfortable fact that President George Bush not only lied to them about the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq (the ostensible excuse for the March 2003 invasion and occupation of that country by US forces), but also about the very process that led to war.

Iran bets the farm on fraud [The Makaha Surf Report]
I have to admit, I don't talk about Iran much as I am not very informed on the dynamics of the Iranian society, back when old SPEC 4 Caelestis was an intel analyst, I dealt primarily with the Arab states and North Korea. That aside, I have to say today's New York Post column by the always brilliant LTC(ret.) Ralph Peters is a grand slam. Registration is required to the post so I'll post the salient points.

Military Issues

Duo nabbed over ship hijack [EagleSpeak]
Sez hereTwo men, suspected to be accomplices of the mastermind behind the hijacking of a diesel-laden tanker off Langkawi last Tuesday, have been arrested. It is learnt that a special taskforce set up by the Kedah police arrested the duo in the ...

Many Doctors Refusing to Accept TRICARE Patients [Military.com] HT: EIMC
The TRICARE system stands a chance of becoming virtually unusable for many servicemembers and retirees because the payment rate to physicians continues to go down and is expected to drop another 4.3% in January, 2006. The major problem is that the statutory reimbursement formula for TRICARE and Medicare is flawed in that it does not accurately reflect the true cost of running a physician practice. This means that many physicians are unable to afford to provide care to TRICARE beneficiaries. Both the House and Senate have...

Military Life

Spc. Kevin Pannell - Someone You Should Know About [View From Tonka]
PM: Back From Iraq
This is not only an interesting story about Spc. Pannell whose endurance and spirit appear indeflatable but there's a good explanation on exactly how artificial limbs operate

If you see me on the evening news . . .
It's because I have killed a co-worker. And I'm not just talking a gentle killing - we're talking full on hand-to-hand assualt with a deadly weapon (ie. my heavy duty stapler or my good Fiskars scissors). I.AM.SO.SICK.OF.REGULAR.NON-MILITARY.PEOPLE.WHO.DON'T.UNDERSTAND.
THIS.BOINKING.SITUATION.
THAT.I.COULD.
SCREAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMM!

The Ritz, San Francisco [Nepunus Lex]
One does not, ordinarily, grow wealthy in the service of one's country. I exclude, for this discussion, supply corps officers. No - the best that one can hope for is a sort of shabby gentility, much like that which adheres to a respected university professor, for example. And while one may never challenge the Astors at shuffleboard, neither will one go looking for the next meal. It's a comfortable life, if not a routinely luxurious one. And too, they are not trivial, the rewards of service - just non-remunerative: There is the satisfaction of an important job, done as best as one can, often under difficult circumstances - these are the psychic rewards of service, and I wouldn't trade them for all the tea in China.

Not everyone in my immediate family feels that way though...

Quick story ... [Daisy Cutter]
Was in the office of a man yesterday. Noticed ... I couldn't help not ... the huge Marine Corps flag. "Were you in the Marine Corps?", I asked. No, he said. But his 22-year-old grandson from College Station, Texas is. He showed me pics. In his util...

Life in the Infantry, part two [Fun With Hand Grenades]
We took our turns sleeping in shifts for about two hours with random interruptions as military vehicles rolled past our position. Sometimes the grunts in the back of the truck would catch a glimpse of me getting a bit of sleep, and I had a bit of pity for them as I knew how exhausted all of us were. If I have one weakness when I'm in the field its sleep. I'm a night person naturally and despite working a day schedule since ...

Durbin Debate

Durbin ?Apologizes? (VIDEO) [Political Teen]
Senator Dick Durbin apologized today on the statement he made last week comparing the treatment of Gitmo prisoners to those of the Nazi?s, Soviet Gulags, and Polpot?s Cambodia. I wouldn?t call it much of an apology but it?s probably the best we will get.

Senator Durbin - Sorry About That [Balance Sheet]
Senator McCain blesses Senator Durbin's apology. Hey, we've all screwed up said McCain. Now we can put it behind us, said McCain.

Not so fast.

Durbin said...

The ?Real? Dick Durbin Apology [Calif. Conservative]
AP reports: ?Under fire from Republicans and some fellow Democrats, Sen. Dick Durbin apologized Tuesday for comparing American interrogators at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp to Nazis and other historically infamous figures.?

Let's Treat Terrorists Like Sunday School Children [GM's Corners]
Much has been made of Dandy Dick Durban's speech, including by your's truly. I guess the only thing that really bothers me (well, maybe not the only thing) is why these folks are at Gitmo in the first place. They weren't sunday school teachers, they weren't merchants trying to sell rugs or trinkits, they weren't even just ordinary folk walking down Main Street in Seattle, Washington. They were armed combatants, illegal armed combatants at that and they were taken trying to kill allied forces. Many of those who have already been released. Some, after signing pledges of non-violence have re-offended and again joined the forces of the islamofascists. Stories of such folk can be found here, here,, here,...

Humor - And So the Kinder, Gentler War on Terror Began... [Jack Army]
Russ Vaughn, our favorite Milpoet, sent along a link to a funny story:

"Men," growled Colonel Clueless, "there's no denying it: the Guantanamo Bay Ex-Detainee Reunion Party has clearly violated several Baghdad municipal ordinances, what with the mortar attacks and sniper fire and car bombs and all, and serious action will have to be taken."
The other officers at the Battalion staff meeting whispered to each other nervously. A captain's hand shot into the air. "Sir, does this mean we can start shooting bullets now?"

Still Not Enough (UPDATED) [Baldilocks]
At Senator Bill Frist's behest, Senator Richard Durbin "apologizes" again for comparing the US military to Germany's National Socialists, the minders of the Soviet Union's gulags, and Cambodia's Khmer Rouge.

Yawn.

"Excuse Me, But I Think I See Your Hypocricy Showing..." [Chaotic Synaptic Activity]
BFOs...I just had one about the end of the work day. That's a "blinding flash of the obvious."
Just to toss a little more fuel on the Dick Durban fire, but I think it's legit. What used to be the wonderful slogan the Democrats held up in our faces during the 2004 campaign and many times since then? Yep, it came back to me today...

"We don't support the war, but we support "OUR" troops."

Dick Durbin [Maduece Gunner - in Iraq]
Note: I try not to comment on political issues, or politicians themselves, but this had to be addressed.
...Now, doesn't that seem like it would soothe a bit better? I call for censure and or impeachment for his remarks, but I doubt it will happen. I hope that the voters in Illinois will recognize his idiocy, and ensure he never returns to a lawmaking body or any type of public office, ever.

Squelching the McCain-Jeb Rumor [Newsmax] HT: JammedGun
Washington is alive with the latest Campaign '08 rumor: a dream ticket of John McCain and Jeb Bush.
The thinking of D.C. insiders is that their favorite Republican - McCain - teamed with electoral-rich Florida's outgoing governor, Jeb Bush - would be an unbeatable ticket against Hillary or any other Democrat.

The Media

And a little something that bears keeping in mind [Cadillac Tight]
"The graveyards of this town (Washington, D.C.) are littered with the bodies of people who have underestimated George W. Bush."
Click here to ....

More on logistics [Counter Column]
Now we have a different take on the NETties: The Knights Who Say "NEE!" (Not Enough Equipment).
http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2005/06/21/marine_units_found_to_lack_equipment?mode=PF

Ok, first of all, we have a reporter here who doesn't even know the weapons...

The MSM Reports

No One To Demonize (Washington Post)
In the absence of an antiwar movement, the American people have turned against the war in Iraq. Those two facts, I suspect, are connected.

Senators Try to Help Immigrant War Widow
On their wedding day in 2003, Diana and Todd Engstrom, who met in the bride's native Kosovo (search), exchanged vows until death did them part.
Several months later, she gave him another solemn promise ? to raise his 12-year-old son Dalton if he didn't return from Iraq, where he was ...

Rethink Iraq Or Bring 'Em Home (New York Daily News)
Maybe it's the summer heat or maybe the White House got confused by the visit of Vietnam's prime minister yesterday. Whatever the cause, Team Bush suddenly seems determined to prove right those who say Iraq is another Vietnam.

Run, Dick, Run (NT Times)
In part because President Bush has no heir apparent, his second term is drifting aimlessly

Abu Ghraib, Rewarded (New York Times)
The Bush administration has not only refused to face the problem of prisoner abuse squarely, but it is also enabling a pervasive lack of accountability.

Corrections: For The Record (New York Times)
A front-page article last Wednesday about a suicide bomb attack in Kirkuk, a city in northern Iraq riven by political and sectarian tensions, misstated the view of a conflict-resolution specialist on who should govern the city. The specialist, Joost R. Hiltermann, director of the Middle East office of the International Crisis Group, said the White House should ensure that Kirkuk has administrative autonomy, not that the central Iraq government should run it.

Diplomatic Dance (Newsweek)
Condi Rice?s Mideast tour has been littered with a minefield of half-hidden hypocrisies. But its outcome could shape Bush?s legacy

Fighting A Hard, Half-Forgotten War (Washington Post)
...But in the three months since the battalion set up camp in this isolated, mountainous region of southeastern Afghanistan, Conlon has not had time to watch a single movie. Instead, the battalion has found itself at the center of a heated though somewhat forgotten war that is still underway 3 1/2 years after the extremist Taliban militia was ousted from power

Marines Concede Fault On Armor (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Two top Marine Corps officers acknowledged yesterday that they waited two months to issue a contract for armor kits to protect the undersides of humvees after promising to do so earlier this year.

Normalcy Amid The Violence (Los Angeles Times)
During a week when insurgents killed at least 15 U.S. troops across Iraq, four American soldiers on a foot patrol through the middle-class Karada district of the capital felt secure enough to stop at a kebab stand for shawarma sandwiches, greasy slices of chicken wrapped in pita bread.

In Memory

PFC Christopher R. Kilpatrick [Stryker News]
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

PFC Christopher R. Kilpatrick, 18, of Columbus, Texas, died June 20 in Tal Afar, Iraq, during convoy operations when...

Godspeed Lance Corporal John Mattek [Blackfive]
...Mattek was assigned to the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Regimental Combat Team-2, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force.
...On June 8th, Lance Corporal Mattek was in his position as gunner on his vehicle in Al Anbar. During combat operations, an IED exploded by Mattek's vehicle.

Final Roll Call
The Memorial Service for SPC. Anthony Cometa was held today at 1500 at the Chapel in Zone 1 at AJ.
Alot of other people from other units were there, alot of high brass was there too. They had the typical Rifle in the ground with Kevlar and Dogtags hanging from the buttstock. The service went with a singing of the national anthem and an opening prayer. Then the commander talked about Cometa.

Congratulations

The TADPOLE HAS ARRIVED [Froggy Ruminations]
8 LBS 10 oz 20 in thank you Lord!

Today is my birthday! [My Vacation in Iraq]
Yep I am now officially 27. Although this year my birthday came 9 hours early ha ha. Some of my buddies brought me back a piece of cake from the D-FAC and put some candles in it and sang happy birthday :) so that was...

Blogging

Censorship [All the King's Horses]
I initially posted the following as a comment on an article about military blog censorship. Upon proofing it, I became very pleased with myself for what I had written, so I decided to post it:

The End [Live from Iraq-Airborne Society]
Well, it is finally over. I intended to continue this blog throughout the deployment, but it was not meant to be. No, I am not dead. I just checked my email for the first time in about two weeks and was informed of some recent guidance regarding milblogs being maintained by personnel in Iraq. The Army felt the need to issue out guidance regarding blogs and after reading that guidance I have concluded that I must stop blogging.

crackdown! [Blog Machine City - in Iraq]
Castle Argghhh! posts about Multi-National Corps-Iraq's new policy letter regarding personal websites and blogs, and reaches much the same conclusion that I do: it's not much a big deal, at least not for the majority of blogs.
Basically, all the policy letter says is that a) personal web sites must be registered with your chain of command, who will in turn report them to the division level, who will in turn report them to MNC-I; b) your site is subject to quarterly review by the "commanders at the appropriate level," whatever that might be. The punishment for non-compliance is, ...

A New Dadmanly
Welcome to the new Dadmanly!
My friend and fellow Christian blogger Ella's Dad of Ragged Edges offered to create a masthead and new design look for me. I am delighted I took him up on his very kind offer. For regular visitors, don't you think?!