Dawn Patrol

Iraq

Walking the Line IV [Michael Yon]
Baghdad, Iraq
I am supposed to meet CSM Mellinger in twenty minutes for a trip to "the cash." He visits hospitalized soldiers twice per week...

The doctors, nurses and other staff seem pleased to see Mellinger and eager to start guiding us to the patients. Our first stop is by the room of an American soldier. He?s got a bad thigh wound...

We head down the hallway and into a room with two patients; an Iraqi man who is unconscious and breathing erratically, and little Iraqi girl. A nurse says the girl is eleven. She is sedated, her face is very pink, her skin has been burned. She has no shirt and her chest and stomach are smooth and without injury. She breathes slowly and regularly but her hands are horribly burned, charred and cracked, covered in some kind of medicine. She?s been here for three weeks, a nurse explains, but the girl has a long way to go before she can be released.

The girl could have been blown to bits, but the flash of the bomb only burned her, searing her skin as if over a grill. Flash burns are common; soldiers often cut-off the fingers of their gloves for better dexterity, only to end up with charred finger tips, such as this little girl suffered on her hands and face. The mercy of her sedation doesn?t extend to her visitors, visibly upset to see one so little so badly hurt. The Australian slowly shakes his head.

?Where are her parents,? I asked the nurse. Her father is living at the hospital until his child can get skin grafts. The staff provides her father?along with any other parents of wounded children?rooms to live in, and meals while they stay and care for their children. The Australian sailor looks saddened as he puts a stuffed animal at the foot of her bed.

Laying in a bed close to the burned girl is a man who?s been shot three times in the torso. He?s an insurgent.

Chuck speaks!!! [From My Position]
Chuck wanted me to share a few things with you all. I told him how much you all miss hearing from him, so here are a few things he wanted to say:

...Yes, we met President Bush today. He is an AMAZING man! As human as we all are... and genuinely cares about the American people. I will not go into detail about what we talked about, that will be up to Chuck. Let's just say it was a day we will never forget. If you do not support Bush, that is your choice... please do not post your opinions (if they are negative) on this blog. I do not want a political debate. My husband met his Commander in Chief - and the honor was all ours.

President Visits Injured Troops [Washington Post]
President Bush expressed his gratitude to the nation's men and women in uniform yesterday, praising them for "laying the foundation for peace for generations to come."

Bush visited 37 soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan and being treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington.

"Every time I come here, I am struck by the remarkable resolve and courage of the men and women who are treated here," he said.

The Three Rules of War [Marine Corps Moms]
Letters home from our military heroes in Iraq and Afghanistan describe the reality of combat from those who experience it with stunning clarity. Col. Brett Wyrick, Commander of the 154th Medical Group, Hawaii Air National Guard, is currely deployed as a surgeon in Balad with the 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group. He recently wrote a letter home to his father, describing the valiant efforts of a top-notch group of medical professionals to save the life of a young soldier. Read the letter in full here.

Body of Evidence [LGF]
Stephen Hayes wrote a book about the links between the Saddam Hussein regime and Al Qaeda terrorists, and today he blasts the mainstream media?who are almost universally deceiving the American public about this important issue: Body of Evidence.

Afghanistan

Team of U.S. GIs Missing in Afghanistan (AP - Yahoo News)
A small team of U.S. soldiers was missing Friday in the same mountains in eastern Afghanistan where a special forces helicopter was shot down earlier this week, and U.S. forces are using "every available asset" to find them, a U.S. military spokesman said.

Accountability Update [Froggy Ruminations]
I am going to refrain from analysis on this report because the implications of it are clearly self evident. Coupled with this Army Times report, a possible scenario for the SR element is emerging although certainly not confirmed. Scott and I are aware that there are family members and friends focusing their attention here, and in light of that we think it would be wise to defer speculation on a whole host of issues.

Loss and Anger in Afghanistan [BlackFive]
I was on the Hugh Hewitt show last night with LCDR Smash (Navy Reserve), Col (ret) Austin Bay (Army Reserve), Michael Yon (former Special Forces Sergeant), and Matt Heidt of Froggy Ruminations (Navy Seal in the Naval Reserve). Hugh started the show with Marc Steyn. That's some amazing company I had. Unfortunately, we were discussing the downing of the MH-47 in Afghanistan

Supporting the Troops...for Real

1 Day Left Until the "Rear Echelon" Blogathon Makes the Karpal Tunnel Community's Day Molten Thought
MoltenThought's "Rear Echelon" Blogathon to support the Armed Forces Relief Trust is nearly upon us. A few short hours from now, WordGirl and I will arise from our respective underground lairs and take our stations before the virtual oars of the metaphorical Roman slave galley we'll be propelling for the next 24 hours.
Why do we row?
For the troops, of course

DoD Announces Increase in Death Gratuity and SGLI [Small Town Veteran]
The Department of Defense announced today a significant increase in the death gratuity for the survivors of service members killed in action and the Servicemembers? Group Life Insurance (SGLI) coverage for service members deployed to designated combat zones.

Protest

Boobs for Peace [Baldilocks]
Summer?s here and you know what that means! Folks taking their clothes off for anything for peace. And such people are a great bunch; always ready to help you in sticking to your diet by ruining your appetite.

Politics

Maxine Waters: George Bush 'a Liar,' Dick Cheney 'a Thief'
Using unusually intemperate rhetoric even for a Democrat, firebrand Congresswoman Maxine Waters is blasting President Bush and Vice President Cheney over their conduct of the Iraq war, calling Bush "a liar" and Cheney "a thief."
<...>
Waters' comments went unreported by the mainstream press, only to be picked up by the People's Weekly World Newspaper - a Communist publication.

Howard Dean on Sandra Day O?Connor [Outside the Beltway]
Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean had some kind words for retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's service. He then offered some advice to President Bush:

John Cornyn, Next Supreme Court Justice? [Willisms]
Hearing through multiple inside sources that President Bush is seriously considering Texas Senator John Cornyn to replace the outgoing Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court.

NANCY PELOSI SAID WHAT? [Michelle Malkin]
I know I'll be sentenced to Operation Respect: Don't Laugh at Me camp, but there is only one proper reaction to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's attempt to conceal her ignorance of the Kelo decision:

Snort.
Snort. Snort.
Guffaw.
BWAH-hah-hah-hah.

Presiden'ts Approval Plunges to 21% [USS Neverdock]
USS Neverdock: Reporting on Terrorism, Terrorists, Islam, and biased media
The President's approval rating plummeted to just 21% in a recent poll.

The Media

Iraq is not Vietnam [Balloon Juice]
Interesting piece on Iraq in the NY Times: IRAQ is not another Afghanistan. Notwithstanding what President Bush said in his...

MSM ignores NBC anchor's remarks while bloggers report and comment [John in Carolina]
Once again bloggers are covering an important news story MSM news organizations are ignoring. As with Eason Jordan and Linda Foley, this story reflects poorly on one of MSM's own.
In this instance, it's NBC anchor Brian Williams' remarks equating the leaders of the American Revolution with Islamic hard-liner and alleged hostage taker, Iran's president-"elect" Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The MSM Reports

General: Iraqi Police Stood Against Attackers In Mosul (Washington Times)
Iraqi police in the northern city of Mosul stood their ground during three attacks on their headquarters last week, a stark contrast from last fall when the same unit was routed by an insurgent offensive.

Why Victory Not A Matter Of Troops (San Francisco Chronicle)
It's called "cordon and talk," and it epitomizes everything that works and does not work about the American military presence in Iraq.

In Bid For Recruits, Military Has Allies In Nascar And Fans (New York Times)
...Now, every branch uses Nascar as a recruiting tool.

Congrats

Day 163 - Wayne's 22nd Birthday [Wayne's Worlds]
Probably the only one who cares more about a birthday than the one who celebrates is the mom who actually did the birthing.
I?ve thought a lot about the Virgin Mary today. Theology aside, you gotta hand it to the Catholics for honoring the Mother part of one of history?s most amazing women.

Here She Is! [Brown Hound]
Beautiful baby Photo