Dawn Patrol

IRAQ

The Devil's Foyer [Michael Yon - in Iraq]
Mosul, Iraq
...Separately, in an undercover operation, the Iraqi police detained four men whose kidnaping cell had abducted the 28-year-old wife of a Mosul journalist. This group was known to behead their victims, holding the world vicariously hostage with their crude cinemtography. This raid was interesting; information had recently come in that the terrorists were plotting to kill a journalist here in Mosul, and some officers believed the target was me. There is an interesting aside about a spy that Deuce Four detained who was actively trying to persuade me to visit what he described as a "safe" place in Iraq. While he is now in Abu Ghirab, I am still with Deuce Four, both of us "safe" for the moment.

No "official religion" was mentioned in the constitution of Al-Medina. [Iraq the Model - an Iraqi in Iraq]
Iraqi blogger Samir Hassan (Arabic) raised a very important point that apparently most Muslims had forgotten; it's the important fact that the in 1st constitution written for a dominantly Muslim society (and by no less than the prophet himself) there was no mention of Islam as the official religion of the state!

DIFFERENT WAYS TO DEFINE SUCCESS [Kevin Kelly - Dixie Sapppers - in Iraq]
...I?m exhausted both physically and mentally. This morning we headed out on a mission into a village. The thing about this mission was it started several days ago that required a lot of extra time and attention to things on my part to help the soldiers in the line platoons. I know that the internet was shut down yesterday so no one could say anything about the mission. It isn?t fun when they shut it down, but it is the only way to make sure our soldiers are as safe as possible.
We met up about 3:00 this morning and started getting ready to go.

The Plate and the Bruise: Body Armor Works [Jack Army]
Yeah! He got shot in the chest and lived. We talked about it here and here. Saw the video here. Well, he had something to say about it:...

Squaring Bob away [The Makaha Surf Report - in Iraq]
Well I made it to Kirkuk. Lots of Helicopter flights were involved, but here I am, safe and in one piece. I was catching up on the blogs and came across this interesting post courtesy of BLACKFIVE. Apparently Bob is a tad bit concerned that every member of the military is plain evil.

It's 130 degrees and they open a coffee shop... [Sic Vis Pacem, Para Bellum - in Iraq]
As the heat slowly dies away, they march single file towards the approaching helicopters. They came in low and fast descending from the skies above, birds narrowly escaping the rotor wash. For a moment it seems if if they will slam into the tarmac yet at the last second the pilots raise the nose of the birds and nearly simultaneously touch down. Clouds of dust obscure my vision only for a moment, the sounds of the rotors rips through the air every second breaking the sound barrier with a whipping sound that pierces the night air. The whine of the engines decreases for the moment, as the soldiers deplane

The sweatbox ... um, sandbox Ryan and Christy's place - [Ryan's in Iraq]
Whew. It's 120-plus degrees over in Iraq. I've never know any heat that compares to that, nor do I ever wish to. Sadly Ryan does now, though he said once that he thought the heat/humidity in Mississippi last summer was worse. Did he say that in a heat-induced stupor? I don't know.
<...>
Sgt. Robert Bonnett, 32, said a nearly 135-degree day last week caused a bag of microwave popcorn in his Humvee to pop on its own.
Sadly, I bet butter wouldn't last a minute over there.

Finally and Fully Back! [Dadmanly - in Iraq]
It is a pleasant idea that the process of the Army sending Soldiers home on R&R (Leave) reflects an admirable expediency. Policies, processes, and the core mechanics of the task favor the departing Soldier and gaining him or her maximum advantage in reaching final destination (home, vacation spot, whatever). Less pleasant is that the gathering back in of returnees is anything but.

Email From Iraq [Southern By Blog]
The SPC from 2/299 sent me an email last night. I must admit that I enjoy receiving them. No matter if it's a short note just letting me know he's got the latest package I sent or one where he takes the time out of his 18-20 hour day to give me some small tidbits about life where he's at, the messages always make me feel proud to be able to support the soldiers defending me and my family. My last email to him, I'd asked if he had seen the items called Misty Mates which are getting some rave reviews on a couple of Mil-Blogs I read. If your sending packages to soldier take a look at their website, they offer a discount for those sending to soldiers serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. The email:

MSM REPORTS ON IRAQ

Off Course in Iraq (NY Times)
For those of us holding onto the hope that the war could bring freedom and equality to the citizens of Iraq, this week brought disheartening news on multiple fronts.

Survey: Morale Improving Among Soldiers In Iraq (Washington Post)...Josh White and Ann Scott Tyson
Morale among U.S. soldiers in Iraq has improved since the start of the war in 2003, and the soldiers' suicide rate dropped by more than half last year, according to an Army mental health survey released yesterday.

Deadly Attacks Fail To Deter Iraqi Recruits (USA Today)...Rick Jervis
Less than an hour after a suicide bomber detonated an explosives vest outside an army recruiting center here Wednesday, killing at least six people, Iraqi security officials were talking about the next working day.

Killings Will Not Derail Constitution, Iraqis Vow (Philadelphia Inquirer)...Hannah Allam
The writing of Iraq's permanent constitution will be finished on time by mid-August, despite the unsettling assassinations of two Sunni Muslims involved in drafting the document, key Iraqi officials said yesterday.

Across Iraq, A Small Tribute To Victims Of Suicide Bombings (Philadelphia Inquirer)...Tini Tran, Associated Press
Iraqis stepped from their cars, emerged from shops, and stood under the blazing sun yesterday in a moment of silence to honor victims of suicide attacks - believed to be the first such memorial in this war-ravaged nation.

Her mission in Iraq (Philadelphia Inquirer, PA)
To her daughters, Minnie Hiller is a "tough cookie." To the soldiers with whom the grandmother of six works, Hiller is more like a mom. The 50-year-old sergeant first class will have to play both roles when she arrives in Iraq later this week with the 50th Main Support Battalion of the New Jersey Army National Guard.

Score one for the 48th, Iraqis [The Atlanta Journal-Constitution - 48th Goes to War]
Forward Operating Base Mercer, Iraq ? The Iraqi soldiers were two minutes from letting a detained driver continue on his way.
The soldiers had stopped the blue Opel sedan because the driver tried to avoid a military checkpoint and didn?t have registration papers for his vehicle.

RECOVERING

Update 20 July [From My position - at Walter Reed]
Of course, we are moving forward as far as Chuck's recovery, but we still have many unkowns and "what ifs" that we can't do anything about... except wait. So wait we shall. Alice was also a military spouse. Chuck's dad was enlisted in the Army for 17 years (and was medically retired due to non-hodgkin's lymphoma). So Alice can more than identify with the feelings I have as a military spouse. Military families do not often have control of their lives... where they will be stationed... when will the soldier deploy and for how long... will we get to live on post or have to find a place off post... and the list goes on. So of the FEW things we CAN control in our lives, we take hold and run like the wind! Then we have times like these where we have to revert back to that sense of not being in control and we fight our way through it (or cry or laugh or scream our way through it - usually all of the above).

AFGHANISTAN

Democracy was only an afterthought (The Guardian ...Sidney Blumenthal)
The situation in Afghanistan is one of barely managed chaos
On the day of the London bombings, President Bush proclaimed: "The war on terror goes on." Through the 2004 campaign, his winning theme was terror. He achieved the logic of a unified field theory connecting Iraq to Afghanistan by threading terror through both, despite the absence of evidence. He insisted that if we didn't fight the terrorists there, we would be fighting them at home.

Big Windy over lake @ 10,000 ft. MSL [The Siegrist Blogs - in Afghanistan]
This flight was thru the highlands in central Afghanistan. This lake is located at 10,000ft MSL. This country has a lot to offer the outdoor type, now we just need to clean up the mines and kick the TB to the curb.

Taliban Working to Seize Power in Afghanistan [Outside the Beltway]
The Taliban has stepped up terrorist operations in Afghanistan, in hopes of destabilizing the Karzai government and seizing back power.
Karzai under siege from Taliban in run-up to polls (Independent)

Next Step In Helping Iraqis: Set A Withdrawal Date (Christian Science Monitor)...Helena Cobban
...Some Americans seem not to understand how deeply, in most postcolonial societies, including Iraq, the fears of foreign domination still linger. So long as President Bush refuses to set a date for withdrawal, these fears will continue to multiply.

MSM REPORTS ON AFGHANISTAN

Six killed in Afghan blasts (International News)
| KANDAHAR: Four Taliban militants were killed when a roadside bomb they were laying blew up prematurely and a blast under an army truck killed two soldiers, officials said on Wednesday. | Meanwhile, ... (photo: U.S. Marine

OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

BRITON NAMED AS BOMB PLANNER; MET WITH BIN LADEN [Drudge Report]
Terror investigators hunting the London bombing mastermind are to question a suspected Al Qaeda planner held in Pakistan.
British-born Haroon Rashid Aswad was seized at a religious school with a suicide bomb belt, explosives and GBP 13,000 in cash.
Security sources in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, claim he had up to 20 telephone conversations with London bombers Mohammad Sidique Khan and Shehzad Tanweer. One of these is believed to have been just hours before the blasts.

Huge Riots in Yemen [Ladies of the Cotillion]
Twenty dead, hundreds injured, no photos allowed
via email:
We are all worried. Things may get out of control. In my neighborhood and around it today, there was a total loss of control. Nothing held people except that they all view the gov as the enemy. In other areas, things went differently. Demonstrators smashed cars, signs, and glass windows. They ransacked some gov buildings, banks, and other key buildings.

Yemeni Riots. (pics) [WILLism]
The political situation is heating up in Yemen. Freedom House notes that the Yemeni people cannot change their government democratically:

Give a nod to the "Good Germans" [CDR Salamander]
For those who missed it, today is the 61st Anniversary of the best attempt, albeit late, by the German military to take out Hitler before he took Germany down with him...

MSM REPORTS ON OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Explosions reported on London tube, bus -police (Washington Post -Reuters)
LONDON - Up to four explosions hit London's transport system on Thursday, exactly two weeks after more than 50 people were killed in blasts on underground railway trains and a bus.
No one was reported injured in the blasts that caused major disruption and shook the nerves of an already jittery city.

Sudanese Guards Rough Up Rice Delegation (My Way News ...(AP))
KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice held a congratulatory round of meetings with officials of the new unified Sudanese government Thursday, but expressed outrage after security forces manhandled aides and reporters accompanying her.

U.S. warns of Saudi attacks, bomb factory found (Red Nova ...Dominic Evans)
The United States warned its citizens in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday that militants were planning fresh attacks in the world's biggest oil exporter and security forces said they had found a militant bomb factory.
"The American embassy in Riyadh advises all American citizens living in Saudi Arabia that it has received indications of operational planning for a terrorist attack or attacks in the kingdom," the U.S. embassy in Riyadh said in a statement.

Schieffer Calls Troop Cut Unrealistic (Japan Times)...Kanako Takahara
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Thomas Schieffer expressed reluctance Wednesday over downsizing the forces in Okinawa, saying the U.S. military presence is strategically important to the U.S. and Japan, and to the stability of the region.

China's Zhu-Doo Diplomacy (Washington Times)...Don Feder
Late last week, Maj. Gen Zhu Chenghu of the People's Liberation Army forecast a nuclear first-strike against the U.S. if America interferes with China's plans to take Taiwan. Dismissing this as Marxist bravado would be a tragic mistake. China is preparing for a war with us and will not hesitate to use any means to achieve its strategic objectives.

MSM REPORTS ON TERROISM

Livingstone blames West for stirring terrorism (Sam Knight, Times Online)
Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, today blamed Western interference overseas for the growth of Islamic extremism and for creating the conditions to drive terrorists to commit acts such as the London bombings.

MILITARY ISSUES

Transformation, Death Spirals & the Pentagon [Winds of Change - Joe Katzman]
Those of us who pay close attention to military maters are seeing 3 really big things these days: [1] The attempt to transform the U.S. military; [2] The global war; and [3] Cost issues as a whole slew of weapons systems come due for replacement, and the US faces major affordability issues despite rising budgets. Some of us would add [4] A funding timeline for #3 that will begin to extend into the USA's demographic crunch, even as deficits have become an issue right now.
It's not a problem unique to the USA - but it's a big, big under the radar phenomenon. And it's rarely discussed as a coherent and linked set of issues.
I can't connect the dots for everyone today, but I'm going to throw out some links that cover each aspect and will make you think, hard....

New commemorative US Marine Coins [ A Soldier's Perspective]
The US Mint has created a silver dollar to commemorate the 230th Anniversary of the Marine Corps. Here?s what the Mint has to say about them:

POLITICS

THE SON, THE SMIRK, THE SICKOS [Michelle Malkin]
So, last night during the SCOTUS press conference, you may have noticed the facial expressions of President Bush and John Roberts' wife. Glenn Reynolds did.
So did the readers at Daily Kos.
Why the faces? Because John Roberts' adorable little son decided to break dance during the momentous event. Dirty Harry has the hilarious photos. Here's one:(*Update* Must-see video here.)

Ringside for History: John Roberts for Supreme Court [Reasoned Audacity]
This has been a great day for those of us who are accused of being idealists.
The President did what he promised to do. He nominated a man who appears to take the Constitution seriously. And he didn't cave in to gender politics. He didn't make the O'Connor vacancy into the "women's chair."

It Would Seem .... [Eric's Grumbles Before the Grave]
That there is still at least one issue that can jolt the average citizen out of their complacency and remind politicians who elected them. That is their own property. Apparently the Kelo decision has motivated a significant number of people to contact their local politicians and tell them that eminent domain for private to private transfer is unacceptable.

MSM REPORTS ON POLITICS

Wife of Nominee Holds Strong Antiabortion Views (LA Times ....Richard A. Serrano
WASHINGTON ? While Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts Jr.'s views on abortion triggered intense debate on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, there is no mistaking where his wife stands: Jane Sullivan Roberts, a lawyer, is ardently against abortion.

MoveOn's Brains Aim Straight for Heart (LA Times ....Mark Z. Barabak)
With their powerful advertising, the creative partners behind the online advocacy group energize Democrats and infuriate Republicans.
Smash! Crash! Crunch!
Bill Zimmerman and Pacy Markman have unleashed a band of marauding elephants on Washington, D.C., and they chortle merrily as their mischief plays across a computer screen in their Santa Monica office.

THE MEDIA

Sending Reporters To Do An Intelligent Person's Job [The Stupid Shall be Punished]
With apologies to the experienced, thoughtful military affairs reporters out there, I found another example of the dangers of having people with no military experience covering the military. Not that this one'll put any lives in danger or cause riots, but it's still an example of an easily checkable error making it through the newroom "editing" process.

BLOGGING

May the Source Be With You [Wayne's World]
Last night?s interview with Christopher Lydon was more like talking to a newly found cousin than to a radio host.
Broadcast from National Public Radio station WGBH in Cambridge, Open Source is an interactive radio-internet show that takes a flying leap into an ?unmistakable a border-crossing conversational culture.?

The Origins & Meaning of "Idiotarian" [Winds of Change - Joe Katzman]
While working to fix the Wikipedia article on the subject, I realized that no-one has really put this together. It's an important piece of blogosphere history, so let's begin at the beginning. Prof. Glenn Reynolds started the ball rolling when he said on Jan. 5, 2002:
"What bloggers are more than anything, I think, is anti-idiot.

CONGRATS

July 20, 2005 [Fourth Rail - Bill Rice]
Last Monday, my world changed. After some complications with the end of my wife's pregnancy it was decided it was best to encourage the labor early. At 8:48 pm, my dear sweet Catherine Elizabeth was born!
While I have been looking forward to being a father for a long time, words cannot explain the joy I felt with God's precious gift to my wife and me

Oh yeah.... It's my birthday! [American at heart - in Iraq]
What a birthday present, my internet is back in action. It had been MIA the last week for various reasons. Well, happy birthday to me.
This is the third year in a row that I've "missed" a birthday because of the military. I'm sure there will be many more, so i'm not too concerned. Great memories though...

IN MEMORY OF...

Frances Langford, Trouper on Bob Hope Tours, Dies at 92 (New York Times) HT: GreyEagleO6
Frances Langford, a mellow contralto who ventured into combat zones with Bob Hope's troupe during World War II and the Korean and Vietnam Wars to serenade tens ...