Dawn Patrol

Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs, other blogs, and the mainstream media. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. (We have a daily "Open Post" too, if you have something on another topic you can link there.)

IRAQ

Proximity Delays -- [Michael Yon - in Iraq]
Mosul, Iraq
...The greatest paradox I have seen in this war results from "proximity delay." The proximity delay for me is caused by being embedded so closely with Duece Four soldiers that I often see things unfolding before they happen, and then I am in the thick of events as they occur. But then I am asked not to write about events.
Much of the censorship is self-imposed because I will not write anything that jeopardizes US, Iraqi or Coalition forces or civilians....

Fighting And Dying - Together -- [BlackFive]
An Iraqi medic (center-right), an American chaplain (left), and an American medic (far right) console Spc. Bryan Walczer at FOB Summerall's aid station following an IED attack which injured Iraqi soldiers on a vehicle Walczer was driving.(pic)

Contractors: Can?t live with ?em?.. -- [Six More Months - in Iraq]
One of my daily challenges is dealing with the multitudes of civilian contractors performing work on our camp. This article in the Tampa Tribune discusses some of the reasons that people decide to come to Iraq to work, and it focuses on the biggest; the money. Lots of money. The individual employees of these firms are making money hand over fist, and loving it.

A Terrorist Confesses: Excerpts From Iraqi TV -- [Austin Bay] -- HT: Adventures of Chester
This translation is from memritv.org. (I hope the link holds.)
I?ve read a couple two other confession transcripts ?one that was televised in Iraq earlier this year. This one is particularly grim. In 2001 the Kurds said that Ansar al-Islam was connected to Bin Laden. Saddam connived with Ansar to attack the Kurds. At one point the terrorist ?Ramzi Hashem Abed? says that Ansar ?is bin Laden?s group.?

From Al-Sabah: -- [Iraq the Model - an Iraqi in Iraq]
The residents of Fallujah are asking the authorities to increase the number of voters' registration offices in the city as the existing ones are not enough to finish the registration process of all eligible voters before the day of the referendum planned for October 15?.

An Average Iraqi Re-Fuelling -- [An Average Iraqi - in Iraq]
A few days earlier the old system of fuelling at fuel stations was changed, to understand the new system I have to talk about the old system. To shorten the length of the queue waiting to enter the station, which in some cases exceeds a kilometer in length. So the government decided to cut it in half by allowing only cars with even numbers to fuel in a day, and only cars with odd numbers to fuel in another, and by saying numbers I mean license numbers. But even this hasn't been of much help, because the queue always advances slowly, and it is known that the current production is not enough to meet up with the demand, along with other reasons, which don't have their place here. In most cases it is the duty of the National Guard personnel to make sure that only allowed cars enter the station.

FARMER CO-OP BOARD MEETING --[2005 Tour of Duty]
This is a board meeting of one of the farmer CO-OP's. There was one heated discussion about the use of a tractor. It seemed that the small farmer was upset about the big farmer always getting treated better as he used the tractor first...(PIC)

More CMOC kids -- [5th CAG"s Experience - in Iraq]
This was a recent day in which the chaplain came out to the CMOC to hand out toys and school supplies donated by the great citizens of the United States.

Playing Hard, To Forget -- [A Soldiers Perspective]
I remember mounting my HMMWV early each morning and setting out into Fallujah for the sole task of finding the terrorists. To find terrorists, you have to go where the terrorists live. The northwestern side of Fallujah was that place. Each day we?d set out, knowing we were going to get shot at or some other form of violence would befall us but we did it anyway. Then, after a long day of hunting, finding, interrogating, and reporting, we?d come home with our puppy and tend to our watermelon garden we had started. Every now and then, if we had the energy, we?d walk over to the lake and just jump in?with our full combat uniform on. We were too tired to change.

Iraq Pictures -Saturday, August 20, 2005 -- [Iraq Pictures - in Iraq]
Najaf, Iraq - Donkey cart, bicycle and the occasional jury-rigged car have dominated transportation methods in the bumpy, rugged rural Najaf Province for many years. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region South District (GRS) has been paving the way for modern asphalt roads in these areas in order to facilitate agriculture sales and to provide better routes to village schools and hospitals.
"GRS is currently managing the construction of two village road projects in the Najaf Province," said Mr. Art Bennett, GRS Transportation and Communication Sector project manager. "The roads serve small villages and local industries - in this case, cement and gypsum plants. The second project, or segment, parallels the Euphrates River."

An interesting conversation with an Iraqi -- [A Soldiers Angel - Holl Aho]
So what makes this conversation worth sharing? He's in Iraq. Not only that...he's from Iraq. A former First Lt. in the New Iraqi Army. Finding that out I of course had to ask him a few questions. Wouldn't you? Ok, his answers were surprising and interesting...and I think they should be shared. In fact, I think there should be a few more conversations like this that ALL Americans can hear.

Video: Operation Double Steal package [DVIDS VIDEO]
Soldiers from the 1-9 Field Artillery work on one of Baghdad's main roads to clear debris that can hide improvised explosive devices, talk to locals, and give aid to Iraqi's that survived a car bomb. Sound bites from Major Jay Sawyer, 1-9 Field Artillery Operations Officer, Major Criss Dizick, 1-9 Field Artillery Civil Affairs, Specialist Victoria Elrodi, 448th Civil Affairs Battalion, and Captain David Ahl, 1-9 Field Artillery Information Officer, Alos see "Operation Double Steal" b-roll in this section.

Rebuilding Iraq, One Providence at a Time -- [DVIDS - Danny McCormick ]
FORWARD OPERATING BASE NORMANDY, Iraq ? Coalition Soldiers are providing Iraqis with money to improve their way of life, and in order to ensure projects like the ones in Diyala Province are progressing on schedule, Soldiers conduct routine checks of these sites.

New City Emerges Thanks to Citizens, Coalition Soldiers -- [DVIDS - Sgt. Jennifer J. Eidson]
FORWARD OPERATING BASE NORMANDY, Iraq ? Coalition Soldiers are working to help Iraqis rebuild their country through rebuilding schools and forming a democratic government in Iraq.

MSM REPORTS ON IRAQ

3 Sunnis Promoting Vote Slain in Iraq -- (The Guardian)...ROBERT H. REID (AP)
| BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Masked gunmen killed three Sunni Arabs in front of horrified witnesses outside a mosque in Mosul on Friday, after grabbing them as they hung posters urging fellow Sunnis to vote...

Iraqis March Against Plans For Federal State -- (London Daily Telegraph)...Oliver Poole
With 72 hours to go until the latest deadline for Iraq's political leaders to agree a new constitution, tension spilled on to the streets yesterday with mass demonstrations and reports of gunfire.

Iraq insurgents plan wave of attacks - Video -- (MSNBC _ NBC News)...Jim Miklaszewski
Intelligence points to suicide bombings to coincide with draft constitution
WASHINGTON - U.S. and foreign intelligence officials tell NBC News they have credible intelligence that insurgents in Iraq have active plans to launch a massive offensive early next week ? timed to coincide with the possible draft of an Iraqi constitution on Monday.

Iraq's Kurds May Drop Secession Demand -- (Yahoo News)...AP
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Talks on Iraq's new constitution have stalled over the role of Islam and the distribution of the country's oil wealth, negotiators said Saturday. The leadership of the country's Kurdish minority said it may drop its contentious demand for the right to secede.

Top U.S. General Visits Korean Troops In Iraq -- (Korea Herald)...Unattributed
The top U.S. general in the Middle East visited South Korean troops in Iraq on Thursday in an effort to boost their morale, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Iraq 'needs federalism' to prevent civil war -- (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
| Iraq's national security adviser says the country would descend into civil war if federalism is not entrenched in the constitution. | "Without federalism it means that no community interest has been...

Now it's political -- (Asia Times )...Jim Lobe
"The United States will not relent in the war in Iraq and will hunt down insurgents one at a time if necessary."
- Vice President Cheney, addressing combat veterans at the 73rd national convention of the Military Order of the Purple Heart held in Springfield, Missouri

Next Time, Sunnis Intend To Be Heard -- (Los Angeles Times)...Edmund Sanders
Many regret boycotting the parliamentary election in Iraq. They say they won't repeat the mistake when it comes to a new constitution.

The Trillion-Dollar War -- (New York Times)...Linda Bilmes
...Even by this simple yardstick, if the American military presence in the region lasts another five years, the total outlay for the war could stretch to more than $1.3 trillion, or $11,300 for every household in the United States.

Hey, What's That Sound? -- (New York Times)...MAUREEN DOWD
Support for the war in Iraq is waning because the president remains too ensconced in his fantasy world to reassure Americans that he has a plan to get out.

British soldiers get germ-fighting undies -- (Boston Globe)...AP
British troops combating the heat and dust of Iraq and Afghanistan have a new weapon - germ-fighting underwear.

AFGHANISTAN

Email From A Team Member of the SEALS Lost June 28th -- [A Soldiers Angel - Holly Aho]
A fellow Soldiers Angel received this email from Michael Weiner, whose son is a team member of the SEALS lost in Afghanistan on June 28th. The email was written by his son, about his fellow SEALS, and is a must read.

Freedom and independence in Afghanistan -- [Afghan Reality]
August 18 celebrates the 1919 Afghan independence from Britain. The defeat of British in three wars and the subsequent bold resistance against the Soviet Union by the Afghan nation reflect Afghans' determinism and unity in upholding their soverignty, independence and freedom.

Different Sides of the Same Coin: Warfare, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad's 10 Simple Lessons from Afghanistan, and Intellectual Men of Action
-- [Bobby's World]
More than a few panels of the Combat Studies Institute symposium engaged upon Army Transformation, the War in Iraq, and the seeming conflict between linear and asymmetric warfare. Much of the literature seems to treat these two kinds of war as uniquely separate and distinct from one another-- two different kinds of coins-- and the construct of "third generation" (maneuver) versus "fourth generation" (asymmetric) seems to support this separation, even if the literature acknowledges that both can (and do) occur simultaneously.

$2.4 million will go toward projects in an effort to bring peace, prosperity and security to the region once known as a bastion of Taliban ideology. Projects include reconstruction of the area?s most prominent Mosque, a new high school, road repair and equipping the local police force with motorcycles.

MSM REPORTS ON AFGHANISTAN

Afghan Army Healthcare Improves With Clinic Openings -- {CENTCOM}
KABUL , Afghanistan ? The recent grand opening of the Afghan National Army?s Darulaman Garrison troop medical clinic marked the completion of the 201st Corps? third new soldier healthcare facility.

The other 201st Corps clinics, located at the Pol-e-Charkhi Garrison and the Kabul Military Training Center , were completed in August 2004 and February 2005, respectively.

Baghran Valley to receive $2.4 million for reconstruction -- {CENTCOM}
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan ? Baghran Valley , once home to Taliban leader Mullah Omar, will receive more than $2 million in U.S. reconstruction funds over the next six months.

Coalition Steps Up Raids As Afghan Elections Approach -- (New York Times)...Thom Shanker
...In interviews on Friday, senior American officers also said coalition troops and Afghan security forces were conducting raids against suspected Taliban staging areas at an accelerated pace. The commanders said this faster tempo would continue past the election, and through weeks of vote counting until the new Parliament is seated late this year.

Militants Kill US Marine, Afghan Soldier -- (Boston Globe)...Amir Shah, Associated Press
Militants clashed with coalition forces in eastern Afghanistan, killing a US Marine and an Afghan government soldier, as violence flared ahead of the nation's key legislative elections, the US military said yesterday.

Envoy Urged Osama's Expulsion Before 9 / 11 -- (New York Times on the Web)...Associated Press
A year before the Sept. 11 attacks, a U.S. diplomat assured a top official of Afghanistan's ruling Taliban regime that international sanctions on that country would be lifted if it expelled Osama bin Laden, newly declassified documents show.

U.S., Taliban bargained over bin Laden, documents show (CNN)
Declassified State Department papers detail 1998 meetings.
WASHINGTON -- During secret meetings with U.S. officials in 1998, top Taliban officials discussed assassinating or expelling Osama bin Laden in response to al Qaeda's deadly bombings of U.S. embassies in Africa, according to State Department documents.

OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Bush Taps New North Korean Envoy -- [GI Korea Blog - in S Korea]
Something else to piss Seoul off with:
Backed by a $2 million budget, a former adviser to President Bush will take charge of a high-profile effort to advance human rights in North Korea, even as negotiations on the country's nuclear weapons program enter a critical stage.

Thanks for nothing Mr. President. -- [Dirt Dart - in Iraq]
A picture can speak over a thousand words, and in this case this photograph speaks volumes. This is the result of American interference in the affairs of a sovereign nation (Israel) President Bush has consistently exercised bad judgment when it comes to the Middle East. As a soldier I am prohibited by military regulations from participating in any political protests. But as a Jew I cannot help but feel that this is just wrong.

MSM REPORTS ON OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Ships Vulnerable In Foreign Ports -- (Baltimore Sun)...Tom Bowman
The failed rocket attack on a U.S. Navy ship at Aqaba, Jordan, reflects the vulnerability of a well-armed warship sitting in a foreign port and the focus by terrorists on tourist-rich destinations on the Red Sea, military officers and defense analysts said yesterday.

Jordanians Find Rocket Launcher Used in Attack on U.S. Ships -- (New York Times)...AP
AQABA, Jordan (AP) -- Jordanian authorities found the launcher that fired three Katyusha rockets from a hilltop warehouse, including one that narrowly missed a U.S. naval ship docked at this Red Sea resort, Jordan's Interior Minister Awni Yirfas said Saturday.

SAS Naked And Bound In Training -- (The Weekend Australian)...Simon Kearney
AUSTRALIAN soldiers are being blindfolded, stripped naked and menaced by savage dogs for up to three hours in extreme training exercises to prepare them to resist torture.

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS

Move America Forward? Reporters Visit U.S. Central Command HQ in Tampa -- {CENTCOM}
WASHINGTON - Has the US public lost so much confidence in the George W Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war that its current strategy - to the extent one actually exists - is unsustainable?

In a special event called ?Voices of the Soldiers,? broadcast journalists visited USCENTCOM and troops stationed at MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Florida. Over 600 Americans and members of the Coalition attended the BBQ event, hosted by the ?Move America Forward? organization in appreciation of the troops supporting the Global War on Terror.

?Move America Forward? is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization committed to supporting the brave men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces and America?s efforts to defeat terrorism.

PTSD, the veteran and their family -- [Disgruntled Grunt]
PTSD is a very serious issue that some of our returning veterans must deal with. While only a professional can diagnose a case of PTSD we as family and friends can learn what some of the warning signs might be. Sometimes not even those affected by PTSD may know or understand what is going on, they just might need that hand.

Virtual Reality Therapy for Combat Stress -- (NPR News)
Using components from a popular video game, researchers create a "virtual" world to simulate sources of combat stress for use in therapy sessions to treat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

TERRORISM

Harassing Fire on US Navy Ships -- [EagleSpeak]
Three rockets is not a serious attack, but do serve as harasssing fire and to score PR points for the "holy warriors" - they can now say, "Look, Ali, we made the US Navy run away. We are such brave and powerful holy warriors."

In Bangladesh, terrorists signal their arrival -- [Winds of Change - Robi Sen]
The nationwide bombings were a small demonstration of their organisation.
The terrorists who set off explosions all over Bangladesh warned the American president and the British prime minister to get out of Muslim countries, asserting that 'their days of ruling over Muslim countries are over'. The terrorists think that setting of explosions in an already impoverished Muslim country, terrorising innocent people, a majority of who are Muslims anyway, will strike fear in the hearts of the United States and Britain. Taken at face value, it appears that the terrorists who carried out the attacks in Bangladesh suffered from both an overblown sense of self-importance and an extremely poor understanding of international affairs. The truth is, far from scaring the West out of Muslim countries, the attacks will further bolster the international perception that Bangladesh is on the brink of state failure

More Middlemen -- [The Fourth Rail - Bill Roggio]
Al Qaeda's middle managers continue to take a beating. Two senior commanders, one in Saudi Arabia, and one in Turkey, have been removed from action. The dismantlement of al Qaeda?s middle managers - its most senior filed operatives with extensive knowledge, training and contacts in the jihadi world - is crucial to reducing al Qaeda?s abilities to carry out mass casualty attacks.

MSM REPORTS ON TERRORISM

CIA Report On 9/11 Is Complete -- (Washington Post)...Walter Pincus
The CIA inspector general's report on the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks has finally been completed -- nearly two years after its congressionally set deadline -- but has yet to be sent to Capitol Hill because CIA Director Porter J. Goss is still deciding how to respond to its findings, according to administration and congressional sources.

Mother's choice: become a suicide bomber or your children will die -- (Times Online)...Jeremy Page
After almost a year in hospital, one woman tells the story of her decisive moments with hostage-takers
AFTER 11 operations and almost a year in hospital, Larissa Kudziyeva?s face is still severely disfigured, her injured arm too weak to work. ...

POLITICS

Victory Dance For Moses -- [Stop the ACLU]
Of course I have to post when we have a victory over the ACLU. Several emails from supporters so hat tips all around.

Military Not Required To Pay for Abortion of Nonviable Fetus Under Federal Law -- [Outside the Beltway]
Some stories are simply disturbing. And sometimes the law is wrong. From the front page of the Seattle PI (but almost no other coverage by using Google News and CNN), a Federal case has been reversed by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (San Francisco)

So Bush Lied? -- [The Neo Con Blogger(TM)]
Take a look at this post from a Vet in Kuwiat during the Clinton Admin:

This is more of a testimonial than an article. It is a reminder to the American public, which has forgotten the events I shall describe, but it is very important to remember....

UN-doing the U.N. - Why America Must Act Alone -- [GM's Corner]
Every once in a when I'm doing research, I'll discover a commentary that expresses a view and condenses arguments so well that it is worth sharing, even if it is a few weeks old. This happened yesterday when I found a recent analysis on the United Nations, in which the author pulled no punches about the problems of the U.N. and states that the United States must set its own course without U.N. approval

MSM REPORTS ON POLITICS

Roberts's Rules of Decorum -- (Washington Post)...Dana Milbank
No Hobnobbing With Celebs, and Absolutely No Michael Jackson
Now it's getting personal.

Last week, researchers found several memos from the summer and fall of 1984 in which future Supreme Court nominee John Roberts, working as a Reagan White House lawyer, argued against sending presidential thank-you notes to Michael Jackson for his charitable works. But it turns out this was just the beginning of what appears to be the young lawyer's concerns about the star. Three new memos uncovered by Post reporters show Roberts described Jackson as "androgynous," "mono-gloved" and a balladeer of illegitimacy.

THE MEDIA

Whose Moral Authority? -- [A Small Town Veteran]
I don't think Mark Steyn has ever written anything that wasn't well worth reading, but I found one of his recent columns particularly excellent.

MSM REPORTS ON MEDIA

TV Brings War From 'Over There' to Here -- (Fox News)...Catherine Donaldson-Evans
Peace generally prevails in television's fairy-tale world of sitcoms, soap operas and dramas.

But several TV shows are incorporating the War on Terror into their storylines.

CONGRATS

Kirtland AFB officer claims Powerball jackpot (KOBTV - News 4)
The winning Powerball ticket was worth a $93 million annuity or a $52 million lump-sum payment.

A Kirtland Air Force Base master sergeant is now $36 million richer after claiming New Mexico?s third Powerball jackpot.

Master Sgt. John San Cartier?s Powerball ticket?s numbers matched all five white balls and the red Powerball in the Aug. 10 drawing.

HUMOR

Day By Day? by Chris Muir.

(Need more? The previous Dawn Patrol is here.)