Dawn Patrol

IRAQ

Our Coalition versus Theirs The Makaha Surf Report - in Iraq]
I was in the Corps DFAC this morning watching the news out of London when I looked around the DFAC and saw the most inspiring sight. In case people don't know Camp Victory is home to the MNC (Multi National Corps) Command structure, all nations of the coalition are represented here. I saw a grouping of people from the free world watching the coverage of the cowardly acts in London and there was anger on their faces. But what was truly amazing was how everyone was seated. American enlisted sat next to Polish officers, Korean NCOs and Australians sat together, Mongolians and Slovakians were together, as well as Albanians and Macedonians. I thought about last nights meal in the DFAC and I saw the same thing then too. The nations of the free world (those with the courage to stand and be counted) are so similar and so strong. Culturally we couldn't be more different, but the same ideals drive us and fill our hearts. All of us, Italian, Brit, American, Bulgarian, whatever country we are from, all of us would rather be with our families, but we are here at the front lines of freedom doing our duty.

Saturday, July 09, 2005 [Sgt. Humphries World - in Iraq] (pics)
The scarriest wake-up call in Iraq. A rocket landed too close for comfort. Thank God and KBR for these barriers. Can you tell they work?

Marines ' dog battle terrorism in Ar Ramadi [Live in Iraq]
...?Often when we?re patrolling through a street, the Marines will say, ?hey dog handler, come check out this car,?? he said. ?A lot of times it?ll be a vehicle that is a suspected car bomb. It?s nerve-racking when Kestor and I have to go up to it and inspected it knowing we could get blown up.

Kentucky Rides Again, and How to Fix an Iraqi Hose [IRR Solier - -in Iraq]
On to the Iraqi hose. I've noticed, since I've been working with the Iraqis, that they are a very resourceful bunch. They're completely comfortable with thinking outside the box. Not only in things like problem solving but also in law enforcement and human rights. My first glimpse at this was when they were trying to run some wire from one side of the building to the other. The building we live in is shaped like a "U" if you look at it from above. So from the hallway just outside of my second floor room I can look out the window and see the other wing across the courtyard. One day the Iraqis decided they needed to run a wire from our wing to the other wing. This does, on the surface, present a few problems. How do you get the wire across the courtyard, how do you get the wire from inside the hallway to the outside of the hallway, and once on the other side how do you get it back inside the other hallway?

After the Thugs, Marines from Bravo One Five Check out the neighborhood [The C-Square] (pics)
Major General William Webster Jr, commander of the Army's 3rd Division, said in Baghdad that thug operations are "mostly blunted".
These are some of the men from Bravo One Five that made Operation Lighting a success that had thugs scrambling for cover away from 2,500 check points, 500 midnight house raids, and netted 1700 "suspected" thuggies.

Science Question.... [Ma Duece Gunner - in Iraq]
Being the grunt that I am, and only having taken one semester of college, therefore having not reached the level of education warranting the taking of thermo-dynamics, I have a question.
We have a big chest freezer in our building. Since it is insufferably hot in this country, the entire freezer is dedicated to water bottles, with exception of the Otter Pops my wife sends me. We take frozen water bottles out on patrol with us so we have cold water throughout our patrol. Anyhoo...
I was checking to see if I needed to add more bottles. The freezer was moderately full. I picked up a bottle of water that looked clear to check the temperature. It was cold. When I squeezed it, it immediately

Iraqi Night [Jon Jivan - in Iraq]
Being the space geek that I am, the night time sky has always fascinated me, even in at home in Ohio when I?m lucky enough to pick out the Big Dipper through the light pollution. Out in the Iraqi desert, the stars multiply by the thousands, so I can?t help but take the occasional peek upwards between my guard duty scans. A starlit night, more than anything else, always hits me in the face with how beautiful, enormous, and awesome God?s creation really is. Take for example the Milky Way (which I photographed a small glimpse of above). Though very had to see in populated areas, here it stands out beautifully, providing a white cloudy glow stretching across the sky.

MSM REPORTS ON IRAQ

General Says Insurgency Weakened In Baghdad (Washington Post)...Andy Mosher
The U.S. commander of military forces in and around the Iraqi capital said Friday that insurgents apparently are no longer capable of carrying out more than sporadic attacks in Baghdad after a seven-week security crackdown.

U.S. Commander Says Enemy In Baghdad Blunted (Washington Times)...Rowan Scarborough
...Gen. Webster did not rule out an insurgency revival.
"I think in an insurgency, it's not helpful at all to talk about turning the corner or nearing the end," he said, noting the country's porous borders. "I don't think we can say this is a permanent solution, but I would say in the next couple of months we will not see sustained, long, bloody months in Baghdad."

IRAQ, BERLUSCONI: GRADUAL PULLOUT, NOT DUE TO LONDON (AGI)
Gleneagles, July 8 - Italy will begin its pullout from Iraq in September, withdrawing 300 soldiers, but this isn't due to the London bombing, said PM Berlusconi after the G8 summit in Gleneagles, once Reforms Minister Calderoli said he hoped for an immediate pullout. "We will stay on in the Iraqi mission, as we declared, and abiding by the Parliament's mandate. We will keep our promises, we don't leave things unfinished. Berlusconi reasserted that "in September, Italy will begin a partial pullout, withdrawing 300 soldiers" from Iraq, assuring that this reduction in the presence of Italian troops "will not lead to a drop in security", neither for the troops, nor for the local population.

The Bombings Elicit Shock And Shrugs From War-Weary Iraqis (Los Angeles Times)...Borzou Daragahi
...Iraqis reacted with shock but also shrugs at the London bombings, the kind of attack that has become as common to Baghdad as drizzle is to the British capital.

Iraq rebuilding fails to deliver (BBC News)
It was blown up by insurgents at the weekend. They knew exactly where to place the charge for maximum damage. It has taken out the water supply for more than half of Baghdad.
"We've been affected badly," complained one man in the area. "We don't have any water to drink. What are we supposed to do? Sometimes they cut the power as well. It's all the fault of the Americans."

AFGHANISTAN

More Progress In Afghanistan You're Likely To Have Missed [Captain's Quarters]
The Army News Service reports that eighteen top Taliban commanders have turned themselves over to the Karzai government for its amnesty program. The commanders come from the splinter Taliban group Hezb-i Islami, which often found itself at odds with Mullah Omar:

08 July 2005 2100z [Hokie.US - just back from Afghanistan]
The other half of my platoon flew up from Ghazni this morning; and after I gave them some time to settle in, we gathered in the battalion classroom for our platoon after action review. Basically, we sat around and talked about how things went this last year and a half. We brought up good points, bad points, things we could have improved on, and so forth. For me, a lot of what was said wasn't all that surprising, but it was still a good exercise because it allowed a lot of the younger soldiers to share their opinions about how things were done. The main goal of a session like this is to identify lessons learned and whatnot; but it also helps because it gives all of the soldiers an opportunity to say their piece and be heard. In a platoon setting, even in a close platoon, some people will inevitably hold back. My platoon is no exception. I know that there were a few issues that they didn't bring up. But I am proud for the ones who did speak their mind and saw this as a way to build on experiences instead of making it one big bitch session like some AARs tend to become. Either way,

Stung in an Afghan 'hornets' nest' [Jack Army]
From the BBC:
A routine mission for a small unit of US troops based here turned into a fight for their lives when they came up against a group of suspected Taleban militants along the border with Pakistan.

It did not make any headlines. It was just another incident among many in this volatile region.

MSM REPORTS ON AFGHANISTAN

Heavy Toll In Afghan Fight For Navy's Proud Elite (New York Times)...James Dao
It was a risky maneuver: sending a slow-moving helicopter during daylight into rugged mountains teeming with heavily armed Taliban fighters. But to Rear Adm. Joseph Maguire, head of the Naval Special Warfare Command, his special operations unit had no choice.

Afghan President Says Bin Laden Not There (Miami Herald)...Amir Shah, (AP)
...Also Friday, a purported Taliban spokesman reiterated a claim that a missing American commando was being interrogated by the Taliban and would soon be killed.

Taliban claims to kill ?captured? American (Reuters)
KABUL, Afghanistan - Taliban guerrillas said on Saturday they had killed a missing American commando they claimed to have captured in eastern Afghanistan last month, but the U.S. military said it had no information to support the claim.

LONDON

London Later on 7.7.05 [Reasoned Audacity - in London]
I have a lot to tell you about the events of this last week. My plan today was to write up my notes on the George Clooney appearance qua briefing; yesterday's afternoon protests in Edinburgh; the Wolfowitz speech on trade to the German Marshall Fund; and the mixed reaction I had to last night's Murrayfield Geldof/Bono concert. I will yet do those posts, but priorities suddenly shifted today.
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When we finally did reach London much later in the afternoon, a group of us jumped in a cab to try to reach the city, despite warnings that the roads were impassable. We sped toward the city on the M4 and the A40, however, without any difficulty. Those trying to get out of the city were not so lucky and faced bumper to bumper traffic.

A New Battleground [Hurl's Blog - in Iraq]
Like most, I have been following the latest in the global war against all infidels declared on August 23, 1996 by Osama bin Ladin. London is the latest ?battleground?, but most certainly won?t be the last?.
Will Britain quit like the Spanish and submit to irrelevance and dhimmitude? I certainly hope not ? and I doubt that they will. One thing I am certain won?t quit is the sniveling, whining sobs of the ignorant, naﶥ left ? calling for us to quit in Iraq while blaming all the problems in the world on America, Israel, Bush, oil, Haliburton, Jews, SUV?s, etc. etc. ad nauseum?.

Reaction To London Terror Attacks [GI Korea Blog - in Korea]
Over here in Korea, the South Korean government has condemned the terrorist attacks:
South Korea on Friday condemned the bombings in London and pledged to support an international drive to root out terrorism. The government also stepped up security around airports and other public facilities, and warned the 3,500 South Korean troops stationed in Iraq to maintain heightened vigilance against possible terrorist attacks.
With the APEC summit coming up in November Korea needs to begin a heavy security preparations to crackdown on any potential terrorist threats. Good police work, intelligence, immigration control, and security SOPs will do more to deter a potential terrorist attack here in Korea than sending in the Insurgent Rebel Clown Army. (see pic)

Londonistan Attacks London: Product of Accepting Non-Assimilation [The Word Unheard]
Let us be clear: This is not about al Qaeda. This is about an ideology.
To some extent, al Qaeda surely was involved in London's transit bombings. It will likely surface that this attack was not carried out by an al Qaida team, but rather by like-minded less-professional animals who immigrated without assimilation to London. The bus bombing was likely a mistake, as the tubes had been shut down before the bus detonation. A proud non-assimilated London Jihadi collected his virgins because he could not reach his primary target. At any rate, the persuit begins with a possible lead already.

MSM REPORTS ON LONDON

Tony Blair's Summit Meeting (New York Times)
Thanks largely to the foot-dragging of the United States, the summit meeting for the G-8 fell short of the world's expectations in important ways.

History's New First Draft (Newsweek)
More than ever before, citizen journalists provided some of the best coverage on Thursday's London bombings.
Even as the last shockwaves of Thursday?s horrible bomb blasts ripped through London, the first photographs and eyewitness accounts had begun to circulate. But it wasn?t through the mainstream media that many of these stories and pictures first gained traction. Through photo sharing Web sites like flickr.com and individual and group blogs,

TERRORISM

A Strategic and Tactical Analysis of al-Qaeda [Chaotic Synaptic Activity]
Or: What do the terrorists, the Japanese in WWII, cell phones, CAP actions in Vietnam and recent Army recruiting woes have in common...

Your Homeland Security Tax Dollars at Work [Alexander the Average]
Now this is an interesting use of your tax dollars.
Deep inside the cave-like laboratories of the legendary research center that created the atomic bomb, scientists have begun work on a Manhattan Project of a different sort.

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Analysis: The most powerful simulation in the world is not going to be able to account for human behavior. But, I see value in this program especially when I read this:..

THE MEDIA

Take The Log Out Of Your Own Eye Before You Complain About The Mote In Someone Else's Eye [GM's Corner]
The Imam's are "worried!" Oh please! You want to insure that there are no retalitory actions, then begin to police your own "Racist Right Wing" Islamo-fascists. Start a call from the pulpit against them. Issue a Fatwa or Twenty! Scream it from the Minarets that this is a perversion of Islam. Maybe then, maybe you can rest easy. Hypocrites!

From the Times Online:
MUSLIM leaders voiced fears yesterday that racist right-wing groups are already seeking to stir up hatred against their community after the bomb attacks.

MILITARY ISSUES

Strength" [Big Al's Army Life]
I had something pretty awesome happen to me this morning --- I opened up my email and a blog reader had written to me telling me that they admired my strength in this deployment - and that they were about two months into their deployment, and did I have any good tips or advice that I could give them so that the next year and a half wasn't the worst one of their life. Well, I wrote a small novel back to that gentleman - he is supporting his girlfriend who is a deployed soldier - and I thought that it might be a good thing to post my advice here for anybody else who might be dealing with a similar situation.

OPSEC Importance [Patriot Voices]
This is an excellent commentary by Col Stewart. Sometimes we don't realize the tid bits of information that we talk about can be used against us. Or as we called it when I was in the Air Force - Essential Elements Of Friendly Information (EEFI's). Discussing current or future operational issues was always a no-no. We definitely don't want to endanger our troops any more that what they already are.

CONGRATS

Good friends help [Big Al's Army Life - Husband in Iraq]
Yesterday was my 5th Anniversary with Hubby. So it was a bit of a low day for me, at least until evening when I was able to spend almost an hour on Yahoo messenger with him. I don't really feel like delving into yesterday, as even thinking of it seems to be bringing me down again.

Happy Birthday [365 and a Wake Up - in Iraq]
Happy Birthday my love. I wish that I could watch you blow out those candles...

BLOGGING

Hot Links [Florida Gator]
*Jeanene Garofolo is guest-posting over at WuzzaDem's. Her dissent will not be stifled! (Smear vasoline or any viscous, opaque substance onto your eyeballs before clicking.)
*Liberal Larry is offering sage advice regarding the tragedy in London:

HEROS TO REMEMBER

West Pointers, Baseball Players, heck, anybody who cares [Castle Argghhh!]
Greetings, Castle Regulars and those just passing through, Things like this pop into my inbox with a sad regularity.
The Department of Defense announced today the death of eight soldiers and eight sailors who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
...From that list above, Major Steve Reich, someone you should know...
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...Attached is an article written and published on ESPN a couple days ago about Steve ? he is one of the greatest baseball pitchers to ever play at West Point (he still holds the record for most wins at the school) and was heavily recruited to play major league ball. He turned them all down and eventually became a Special Operations helicopter pilot. He was on his fourth tour in the Stan when his bird was shot down.

07/09/05 [Siegrist Blogs - in Afghanistan]
For many years Ben Stein has written a biweekly column called "Monday Night At Morton's." (Morton's is a famous chain of Steakhouses known to be frequented by movie stars and famous people from around the globe.) Now, Ben is terminating the column to move on to other things in his life. Reading his final column is worth a few minutes of your time.

How Can Someone Who Lives in Insane Luxury Be a Star in Today's World?
A real star, the kind who haunts my memory night and day, is the U.S. soldier in Baghdad who saw a little girl playing with a piece of unexploded ordnance on a street near where he was guarding a station. He pushed her aside and threw himself on it just as it exploded. He left a family desolate in California and a little girl alive in Baghdad.

The stars who deserve media attention are not the ones who have lavish weddings on TV but the ones who patrol the streets of Mosul even after two of their buddies were murdered and their bodies battered and stripped for the sin of trying to protect Iraqis from terrorists.