Dawn Patrol

The Dawn Patrol takes quite a bit of time to compose, so if you find something in the Dawn Patrol and use it, a Hat Tip would be appreciated.

IRAQ

Whats a nice girl like you doing in Iraq? [ROFASix]
Why would someone with no military background and a growing journalism career chuck it all and go to Iraq? She had the perfect set up. As a freelance reporter, she regularly worked for Aviation Week & Space Technology Magazine, Financial Times of London and Aviation Weekly. She had traveled to Iraq in 2003 wrote about aviation subjects. In Jun 05, she went back as an embedded freelance reporter. Now she is embedded with US Marines in Iraq?s Al Anbar Province and based out of Camp Hit.

A Weekend In Hadithah [MOAB -- Mother of All Blogs - in Iraq]
...The convoy began, like all the others, with our 7-ton embedded inside the line of Humvees. When we took our first turn, however, our truck pulled into the intersection to protect the dozen or more vehicles behind us as they made the turn. Once everyone cleared, our truck pulled into the last position, bringing up the rear. And once again, I was in the caboose, running through my head all the reasons why that was statistically the safest position.

BOOM!

First Female Iraqi Army Graduates Broll [DVIDS] (More video)
The first all female Iraqi Army Basic Training Class Graduates. Broll footage includes soldiers presenting arms to flag, Iraqi officials address troops in Arabic, soldiers taking oath.

1LT Lauren Rowe Feature [DVIDS] (Video)
First Lieutenant Lauren Rowe is one of the few women in the 3rd Infantry Division involved in combat operations. She serves as Platoon leader for 2-3 Brigade Troops Batallion Military Police.

Special Note Michael Yon - in Iraq]
Stand by: Next Dispatch is on the way.
Special Note: American experts who examined the 26 Surface to Air Missiles captured in "The Devil's Foyer," say 23 of those missiles could have been used to attack aircraft.

Iraqi women discuss the constitution [Iraq the Model - an Iraqi in Iraq]
Day by day and as the deadline for finishing the draft of the constitution approaches, we see more hot debates and more active public activities and more interaction with this historic event that will decide the future of life on the lands of Mesopotamia and it's interesting (yet not surprising to me) that daily-life concerns couldn't stop Iraqis from engaging discussions and debates when it comes to writing the constitution.

QRF [Phil and Becky - Phil's in Iraq]
...Tonight, after about 20 minutes on shift, we got a report of an IED strike just on the outside of our task force boundary. Technically, we didn't have to do anything, but we were the closest FOB and had the capacity to respond the fastest. Since we didn't know the severity of any injuries, we sent the QRF with medics to secure the site, assist in caring for any wounded and to make recommendations as to whether they needed additional combat power.

OPERATION GREEN ZONE BAGHDAD [THE MESOPOTAMIAN - an Iraqi in Iraq]
Hi, I have been trying to get down to tell you about this for some time now, but the pressure of trying to survive makes it difficult just to find the time.
You see, ?Operation Lightening? was a good start, but it was only a beginning and needed to be developed in the right way. Now it has rebounded.

Baghdad Barbarella [Lance in Iraq]
I can't decide whether to be angry about this or be overjoyed that she's accepting advice from Karl Rove:
According to the press coverage yesterday, Baghdad Barbarella is going on a cross-country bus tour next March to call for withdrawal -- i.e., retreat -- from Iraq.

Iraq: Facts vs Failure [The Fourth Rail - Bill Roggio]
The media?s portrayal of Iraq as a miserable failure proceeds apace. Dexter Filkins and David S. Cloud, in an article titled Defying U.S. Efforts, Guerrillas in Iraq Refocus and Strengthen,, declare the following about the insurgents:

MSM REPORTS ON IRAQ

Corrections (New York Times)...The New York Times
An article on Saturday about a federal judge's order regarding photographs and videotapes related to the Abu Ghraib prison scandal misstated a deadline and the response by Defense Department lawyers. The government was given until Friday to black out some identifying details in the material, not to release it. Defense Department lawyers met that deadline, but asked the court to block the public release of the materials. They did not refuse to cooperate with an order for the materials' release.

Sunnis Rejoin Iraqi Constitional Panel(The Guardian)... (AP) SAMEER N. YACOUB
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Sunni Arab members of a committee drafting Iraq's new constitution ended their boycott Monday, six days after they walked out to protest the assassinations of two fellow Sunni constitution framers.

CRUMBLING IRAQ Is the Country Heading for Civil War? (Spiegel Online)
From the outside, it seems like chaotic violence. But it's worse than that. In Iraq, Sunni Muslim suicide commandos are launching bloodbaths among the Shiites, gradually edging the country toward civil war.

50,000 Iraqi Insurgents Dead, Caught (Washington Times)...Sharon Behn
U.S. and Iraqi forces have killed or arrested more than 50,000 Iraqi insurgents in the past seven months, a former top general who has headed repeated Pentagon assessment missions to Iraq said yesterday.

Howard in secret Iraq dash (The Australian)...Dennis Shanahan
JOHN Howard made a lightning trip to Iraq last night, meeting Iraqi leaders in Baghdad and visiting Australian troops in the strife-torn nation.

Beyond bombs, traffic causes despair in Baghdad (Reuters)...Hiba Moussa
BAGHDAD, July 26 - Beyond the bombs, the shortages of power and water, and the constant threat of crime, there is another seemingly mundane affair that drives Baghdad residents closer to despair each day -- the traffic.

US Accepts Polish Withdrawal From Iraq (Sydney Morning Herald)...Reuters
The United States has accepted Poland's plans to pull most of its 1700 troops from Iraq at the beginning of next year, Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski said today

AFGHANISTAN

Our Shaky Position in Afghanistan [Cutler's Yankee Station]
I realize I'll get flak from friendly quarters for saying this, but I've never, ever, bought the idea of Afghan democracy. From a strategic point of view, it is a decades long task that isn't worth the effort [and judging by the British and Russian experiences, too risky, better a low profile]. Even if it was worth the effort, however, it would be unlikely to succeed.
This was inevitable...

About 1,000 protest outside main US base in Afghanistan after arrests 9 (China Daily)
More than 1,000 protesters on Tuesday chanted "Die America!" as they banged on the gates of the main U.S. base in Afghanistan to demand the release of three local villagers detained in a raid.

Good news, links and entertainment. [Going Down Range - in Afghanistan]
Good new from Afghanistan. Read all of this and you will know more about Afganistan than 99% percent of the world.
More links from soldeirs in A'stan

Mullah Omar Speaks [Andi's World]
Since the United States brought democracy to Afghanistan, nobody has heard from the ousted Taliban leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar. According to one report, he has just released a statement calling for supporters to continue the jihad.

MSM REPORTS ON AFGHANISTAN

Taliban On The Run But Far From Vanquished (USA Today)...Paul Wiseman
...Four years after they ousted the radical Islamic regime, U.S. forces are still locked in a deadly contest with Taliban holdouts in the badlands of southern and eastern Afghanistan. The ongoing war here, overshadowed by the chaos in Iraq, defies easy analysis.

Up to 50 Taliban said killed in Afghan fighting (Reuters)
By Mirwais Afghan KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - U.S. and Afghan forces killed up to 50 Taliban fighters in central Afghanistan, a provincial governor said on Tuesday after the latest burst of violence in the run-up to September's crucial elections

OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Should Korea Be Given Visa Waivers? [GI Korea Blog - in S Korea]
Here is an article from the Heritage Foundation that tackles the issue of if Korea should be entered into the US Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Here is why Korea currently is not eligible for the VWP:
The ROK is currently ineligible for the VWP because the refusal rate for nonimmigrant visas for its citizens exceeds the 3 percent maximum allowed under the VWP. The ROK?s refusal rate currently hovers just below 4 percent. [1] Because South Korea is not a VWP member, South Koreans must endure a complicated and protracted process to obtain a tourist or business visa, which has unfortunately contributed to growing animosity towards the United States.

MSM REPORTS ON OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

PM 'appalled' by imam's defence of bin Laden (ABC ONLINE)
Prime Minister John Howard has criticised the Imam of Melbourne, Sheikh Mohammed Omran, describing his defence of Osama bin Laden as appalling.
Mr Howard has accused some Islamic leaders in Australia of failing to denounce the latest terrorist attacks.

TERRORISM

Iraq not the root cause of terrorism [Madison.com - Uncle Jimbo]
...This stems from a misunderstanding of the difference between tactics and root causes. There are many complaints that the jihadis adjust according to current events but there is only one root cause for Islamic terrorism, Islamic terrorists attempting to restore the Caliphate, starting in the Middle East but eventually spanning the globe. If you don't want to take my word for it read Bin Laden.

See no Israel, hear no Israel [Chrenkoff]
Pope Benedict is getting his ears chewed off about leaving Israel off the list of countries recently hit by terrorism.
A few days ago, the Pope prayed for God to stop "the murderous hand" of terrorists who recently struck in "countries including Egypt, Turkey, Iraq and Britain".
Hey, at least the Pope mentioned Iraq, unlike Tony Blair who omitted both Israel and Iraq from his list.

MSM REPORTS ON TERRORISM

Tube bomber prepares to strike (Telegraph)... John Steele
It is the most mundane of scenes, one experienced by millions of passengers on the London Underground every day. A man with a rucksack stands near the double doors, apparently looking up at a Tube map. His fellow passengers pay him little attention. (pic)

SAUDI ARABIA: BIN LADEN FAMILY REQUESTS SURNAME CHANGE (adnkronosinternational)
Riyadh, 26 July (AKI) - The family of Osama bin Laden has asked the Saudi monarchy for permission to change its surname. The on-line newspaper Arabian Business reports that "the relatives of the 'sheikh of terror' no longer want to be recognised as belonging to the bin Laden family and have therefore asked to change the surname on their passports." The royal family is thought to have approved the request, according to the newspaper, which it describes it as "unprecedented".

Coke Fiend Bin Laden (New York Post) ...Dan Mangan - Subscription needed(LINK Via Fox News)
Osama bin Laden tried to buy a massive amount of cocaine, spike it with poison and sell it in the United States, hoping to kill thousands of Americans one year after the 9/11 attacks, The Post has learned.

How Osama bought bomb
Al-Qaida directs poppy cultivation under noses of U.S. occupation of Afghanistan
Osama bin Laden has spent billions of dollars on the successful purchase and development of nuclear weapons ? money his al-Qaida terrorist network earned by directing poppy cultivation in the fields of Afghanistan, right under the noses of U.S. occupation forces, reports Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.

Dear Osama bin Laden ... (Newsweek)...Malcolm Jones
Aug. 1 issue - It is hard to imagine an uglier coincidence: Chris Cleave's stunning debut novel, "Incendiary," the story of what happens after a bomb kills more than 1,000 people in a London soccer stadium, was published in England on July 7, the day of the London bombings. (The American edition is out Aug. 2.) No one seemed to know what to do. The publisher pulled its advertising but didn't recall the book; one bookstore chain ...

MILITARY

Purple Hearts pulled from ?Crashers? site [Patriot Voices]
WASHINGTON - Following complaints from a congressman, the producers of ?Wedding Crashers? on Monday yanked from the movie?s Web site a printable Purple Heart advertised as a gimmick to pick up women and get free drinks.

MSM REPORTS ON MILITARY

As Recruiting Suffers, Military Reins In Abuses At Boot Camp (New York Times)...Erik Eckholm
...Pentagon leaders reject the notion that training is aided by humiliation and hazing. And now, as the military struggles during wartime to fill its ranks, commanders appear to be more sensitive than ever to accusations of abuse.

POLITICS

Jane Fonda: Out of Iraq or my bus runs you over! (If it doesn't run out of oil first.) [GM's Corner]
Jane Fonda, who did a stint in Viet Nam, is calling for the withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Iraq and will kick off her "anti-war movement" with a national bus tour. In announcing her coming out, she said, "I have not taken a stand on any war si...

THE FUNERAL CRASHER: SORRY EXCUSES [Michelle Malkin]
I just got off the phone with Sal Sirabella, Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll's chief of staff. They are in the midst of drafting a letter of apology to Marine Staff Sgt. Joseph Goodrich's family, which I will post as soon as Sirabella faxes it over. Sirabella read parts of the letter on the phone, and it will include boilerplate pablum about how Knoll "supports the troops" and is "sorry for the misunderstanding" (as if the family is somehow to blame for misinterpreting her anti-war sermonizing at Staff Sgt. Goodrich's mass?).

MSM REPORTS ON POLITICS

Morning Papers ([Washington Post - Blog])
Good Morning.
The New York Times and the Washington Post focus on the continuing Roberts paper chase, with news embargoed until late last night (reportedly to avoid an instant Democratic response) that the White House will allow release of some documents (the early Reagan years, which newspapers are already mining) but not others, such as papers from Roberts service in the Office of the Solicitor General

SUPPORTS OUR TROOPS

Soldiers' Angels update [HoodAThunk?]
...After sending 2 letters and a care package, I was preparing to write a third and "scheduled" myself to have it done tonite. In today's mail, I found a small envelope with my name on it coming from my soldier. I had a huge grin on when I saw that and found that my efforts were, indeed, appreciated. My soldier had never heard of Soldiers' Angels, but he told me he's glad someone put him on the list. Toward the end he commented on it specifically:

See Your Soldier . . . Live [VFW NC WebCOM Network]
via MilitaryWebCOM.org is pleased to announce a brand new service designed to help military families communicate with their service members and military personnel via audio, video and text chat worldwide.
Posted by Blogmaster

Astros visit Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. (Houston Astros Press Release) HT: Peggy Schmitt
HOUSTON -- The Houston Astros players and coaches, joined by owner Drayton McLane, President of Business Operations Pam Gardner, and General Manager Tim Purpura, visited with injured soldiers today (July 22) at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Army hospital visit moves Astros (Houston Chronicle)...JOSE DE JESUS ORTIZ HT: Peggy Schmitt
WASHINGTON ? From one corner of the clubhouse to the other, the Astros kept talking about the impressive young woman. They invoked the reverent tones they usually saved for majestic home runs, impressive fastballs or acrobatic defensive plays.

They talked about grit, passion, heart.

The Astros visited Walter Reed Army Hospital on Friday and Saturday with the hope of cheering up wounded servicemen. They left the hospital in awe.

Many of the Astros returned to RFK Stadium for their game against the Nationals with vivid memories of the young woman who had her legs shot off when insurgents in Iraq shot through the bottom of the helicopter she was piloting.

"And she still landed the helicopter," said Phil Garner.

Update on the "Classy Protestors" [Parrot Check]
After doing some research of my own after being tipped off by Brian at the possible suspects of the protestors at a soldier's funeral, I have confirmed that it is not Leftards who are responsible for this atrocity. Yes. It is something much,

HEROS

A genuine hero [Combs Spouts Off]
Go read this. Be patient, it's a long page with lots of pictures (well-chosen and worth the wait). Go get the Kleenex while it loads.
This is the story of a genuine hero, the kind of story that, in a just universe, would be widely reported on the network and cable news shows and in the papers. It's the story of how Capt. Brian Chontosh earned the Navy Cross, our second-highest award for combat bravery.

THE MEDIA

"The four Seals had landed in a trap" US Navy Seals' Afghan disaster [Dude, Where's the Beach]
An interesting article that says very little on how so many Navy Seals died, yet goes in depth about how poorly the U.S. is doing in Afghanistan. Maybe it's just my interpretation, but coming from...

BLOGGING

New Alaskan Sub Blogger [The Stupid Shall be Punished]
WTFO is a new blog from submariner loddfafnir in Alaska. Not much content yet, but it looks like he's off to a good start. Stop by and welcome him to the fold!

Hugh Hewitt Gets Taken For a Ride [Froggy Ruminations]
Hugh, my friend, feel thou not slammed. Just a bit of constructive criticism, Froggystyle.
Hosting Hassam Aloush (?) the SoCal head of C A I R for the first two hours of his program today, Hugh unwittingly turned the keys of his radio show over to an organization that has a long track record of apologizing for islamic terror.

MSM REPORTS ON BLOGGING

Blogged up(New Hampshire Sentinel Source)
?There?s a good reason why American Soldier and other milbloggers keep pseudonyms: to stay out of trouble with military brass.? So writes Mark Glaser on the Annenberg School for Communication?s online review. Glaser is referring to members of the military in Iraq who have been posting their observations and comments online, for the most part anonymously. A sampling of this writing can be found on the Mudville Gazette Web site (www.mudvillegazette.com).

Aslam targeted by bloggers (The Guardian)...By a staff reporter
Rightwing bloggers from the US, where the Guardian has a large online following, were behind the targeting last week of a trainee Guardian journalist who wrote a comment piece which they did not care for about the London bombings.
The story is a demonstration of the way the 'blogosphere' can be used to mount obsessively personalised attacks at high speed.

Russia?s Biggest Spammer Brutally Murdered in Apartment (MosNews)
Vardan Kushnir, notorious for sending spam to each and every citizen of Russia who appeared to have an e-mail, was found dead in his Moscow apartment on Sunday, Interfax reported Monday. He died after suffering repeated blows to the head.

HUMOR

Bush Energy Bill: Defeat the Arabs, Take Their Oil [ScrappleFace]
The Bush administration today unveiled revisions to the energy bill, currently moving through Congress, designed to decrease U.S. dependency on foreign petroleum.