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

Louisiana soldiers Iraq anxious as Katrina updates roll in [The 48th goes to war ajc.com - in Iraq]
...At the dining hall and recreational facility here, stunned soldiers have been glued to TV sets, following the death and destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina. They have watched as the rising waters submerged their hometowns and neighborhoods. With no news from friends and family at home, excitement over going home has turned to anxiety.

Sorrow and Joy -- [A Soldier's blog - in Iraq]
As some of you may have heard and read, three Soldiers from the 278th were killed two weeks ago. I always wait a while to write about KIAs, since families still need time to find out and start their mourning process. I will not get into details of how they died (even though all the news articles I read were incorrect) since I am sharing my thoughts on them personally, rather than being a media outlet. Of course the blogs sites end up being an information outlet, and that is fine. It is just not my purpose for blogging.

Shortly after the incident occurred, my platoon received the information that we lost three Soldiers from my fob. We were all in a state of shock and devastation. One minute you have those three troops, and the next minute they are gone.

A catastrophe -- [An Average Iraqi - in Iraq] (pics)
Although most of the roads today were blocked, I was going to a friend of mine, since his house is pretty near I didn't think the roads would be much of a problem, so my thought was to get to the main street and get a ride from there, but my idea was proven wrong when I got there, because the street was overcrowded, but there were no cars there, only people. Today is a big religious event for Shiites in Iraq, they would all march to a place in Baghdad called Kazimia.

The little things -- Ryan and Christy's Place - Ryan's in Iraq]
...The male character in the movie says to the female character at one point, "I think I'd miss you even if we'd never met."

I'll pause while all the men reading this gag and all the females swoon.

OK, back to business. The reason it resonated? The concept of missing something you don't know, or can't remember. For me, right now I'm missing things I can't remember about Ryan. The little things.

The sound of his voice escapes me sometimes. I try to play it, to remember it in my head, but it slips away.

I wonder what his face looks like when it's not blurred through the Web cam connection. ...

Relief in Sight -- [MREater - in Iraq]
It has been a 115 degrees (46 C) or hotter every day since I returned from leave in June. I have scanned the sky every day, looking for clouds, but have seen none. None. I had thought that we?d have a summer storm or two sweep through, but no. Just an unbroken string of cloudless hot days.

The last couple of days have been a little cooler, 112 or 113 F, but last night and today I saw a harbinger of relief on the horizon; clouds.

Feedback -- [Iraq Pictures]
No matter how things may look so wrong in the begining, at the end things will become clear. Finish your mission and the world will be much better. If Jesus wouldn't have been crucified, we would have written a different history

Sniper Action -- [Open Fire] (Video Download 17.5 MB)
This is a Blackwater & Coalition sniper operation which took place in Najaf, 2004. The city of Najaf was completely overrun by Islamic militants. A 12-man team used three MD530 Little Birds to insert upon a rooftop with a good vantage point. Days of fighting broke out and in the end, the 11 member Blackwater men along with air strikes, a handful of Marines and 1 sniper were able to hold off hundreds of enemy.

Show of Force -- [Open Fire] (Video Download 1.0MB)
This has great sound! Watch a nighttime ?show of force? in Modul, Iraq by a UH60-M Blackhawk.

DOD REPORTS

COALITION FORCES BOMB TERRORIST SAFE HOUSES -- {Centcom}
CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, AR RAMADI, Iraq ? U.S. Marines have launched precision air strikes on several Al Qaeda in Iraq positions during the past five days. All of the coalition strikes were directed against targets that were confirmed to have armed Al Qaeda in Iraq members present. These terrorists and their safe havens were threats to Coalition Forces operating in the area.

Additionally, Coalition Forces in Husaybah have confirmed that local Iraqis in the Husaybah-Al Qaim region are fighting against Abu Musab Zarqawi in western Al Anbar.

MSM REPORTS ON IRAQ

Iraq mourns as stampede loss overshadows war -- (Reuters)...Mariam Karouny and Mussab Al-Khairalla
BAGHDAD - Funerals for some 1,000 Iraqis killed in a stampede during a religious festival start at dawn across Baghdad on Thursday as the nation ...

Black Wednesday in Iraq -- (Tehran Times)
BAGHDAD (Agencies) - At least 816 people were crushed to death or drowned Wednesday in a stampede on a Baghdad bridge triggered by fears a suicide bomber was among vast

Reuters cameraman held indefinitely, another freed -- (Reuters)... Alastair Macdonald
BAGHDAD - A cameraman for Reuters in Iraq has been ordered by a secret tribunal to be held without charge in Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison until his case is...

Poll Shows 40% Back Iraq Troop Pullout -- (Los Angeles Times)...Associated Press
When asked what they would tell President Bush about Iraq if they could talk to him for 15 minutes, four in 10 Americans said they would urge him to get out ? the response given most often to a question asked by Gallup Poll

Insurgents Regain Foothold, Unleash Terror In Fallujah -- (Washington Times)...Pamela Hess, United Press International
...After five months of relative quiet, U.S. forces training Iraqi soldiers in Fallujah say the pace of attacks is increasing, but it is not clear whether this is the beginning of a new crisis or a last-ditch effort to derail security before the October constitutional referendum.

AFGHANISTAN

Looking Back: Last Year's "Parting Thoughts" from Afghanistan -- [Bobby's World]
A little more than a year ago, I was finally returning to the States after fourteen months of service in Afghanistan. You would have thought I would have been excited, happy, or at least relieved to be coming home. I wasn't. Ironically, despite obviously being quite eager to see Mercedes again-- and knowing that I had to attend the captain's course for professional growth-- the emotion that most dominated my feelings when I got on that flight at Bagram was an overwhelming sense of guilt. Guilt that I was coming home, while others would never be so lucky; guilt that I was coming home, after accomplishing so very little, while there was still so much to be done. Guilt.

Gratuitous Afghanistan Photo of the Day (71) -- [ Miserable Donuts]
An alley of metalworkers in Charikar. When I saw this, I immediately thought of a similar street I had seen in Sarajevo in 1997 (how is that for place-name dropping!). Both a bit Middle Ages-ish, in having similar hand-plied trades grouping together on a street or small area.

It?s All About the Money -- [Strategy Page]
Economic problems are probably a greater threat to the long term success of the new Iraqi government than the terrorism and Sunni Arab violence. The economy continues to be weak, and unemployment high. Public services ? electricity, sewage, hospitals, water, school ? are still spotty, good in some areas, but very bad in others.

MSM REPORTS ON AFGHANISTAN

Afghan And U.S. Forces Raid Taliban Hideout -- (New York Times on the Web)...Associated Press
Afghan and U.S. ground troops, backed by attack helicopters, raided a Taliban camp in the mountains of southern Afghanistan, killing nine suspected militants, officials said Wednesday.

Briton 'kidnapped' in Afghanistan -- (BBC)
A British engineer has been kidnapped in Afghanistan, reports quote Afghan officials as saying. | At least three policemen are said to have been killed when the convoy in which the engineer was travel...

OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Gitmo Detainees Promise to Die in Hunger Strike -- [ROFASix]
The AP is reporting that Guantanamo Detainees have started a new hunger strike.

The detainees claim the Pentagon reneged on promises to bring the detention camp into compliance with Geneva Conventions if they ended a hunger strike this last summer.

One of the lawyers for a detainee said, "Prisoners are now prepared to die in an effort to receive a fair hearing and humane treatment."

MSM REPORTS ON OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

U.S. Alters Rules For War Crime Trials -- (New York Times)...Neil A. Lewis
Pentagon officials announced procedural changes Wednesday to the military commissions created by the Bush administration to try terrorism suspects on war crimes charges at Guantᮡmo Bay, Cuba. The officials said the changes would not only make the commissions more efficient but also respond to international criticism that the trials were unfair.

Chinese Activist Warns Of Nuclear War -- (Washington Times)...Bill Gertz
China is preparing for nuclear war with the United States over Taiwan, and a conflict is likely in the near future because of divisions among Beijing's leaders, a Chinese democracy activist says.

KATRINA

Day of Prayer in Louisiana -- [Waynes World - Wayne's in Iraq]
Nearly 3000 soldiers from Mississippi?s 155th Armored Brigade deployed to Iraq with Wayne last January. Many soldiers left behind have now been activated for disaster relief.

Pics of damage from hurricane Katrina -- [Two Blue Lines]
I have posted some pics below of the storm damage from the hurricane that blew threw last night. The electricity went off and on. My daughter Jenny (19 yrs) and her husband were without electricity from 11 pm last night until late this afternoon. Many of our local schools suffered damage and were without power this morning. All the schools in our county were closed and the children got a day off.

The damage in our area of Mississippi was nothing compared to the devastation suffered by our neighbors in Biloxi and also in New Orleans.

Let's You And Cracker Spend Some Money -- [Florida Cracker]
As I've written before, whenever there's a disaster, the Humane Society of the United States sends out emergency response teams. The HSUS holds a formal agreement with FEMA and the Red Cross to provide disaster relief for animals, and works side-by-side with them.

If any of my readers send in a donation HSUS Disaster Fund, the ASPCA Disaster Relief Fund, the Louisiana SPCA, the Greater Birmingham Humane Society, or the Humane Society of South Mississippi; I'll match it. Just e-mail me the receipt they provide. When it gets to $1000, I'll holler.

Bloggers Unite To Make Donations
It has been extremely hard to watch the news reports on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. I can't even imagine the torment, suffering and hardships that have been placed on our fellow Americans in the Gulf Coast areas. Put yourself in their place. They desperately need our help.

CT Blog to Join Bloggers' Effort to Aid Hurricane Katrina Victims -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
Hurricane Katrina was the worst natural disaster ever to hit the United States. The victims need our money and prayers in abundance. So we're joining with other bloggers, organized by Glenn Reynolds, Michelle Malkin, and others, in urging our readers to give to a number of fine organizations. On Thursday, we'll join them in a special "Bloggers' Beg" by posting a list of organizations recommended by our Contributing Experts. Of course,

MSM REPORTS ON KATRINA

Hard New Test for President -- (New York Times)... DAVID E. SANGER
WASHINGTON, Aug. 31 - Not since he sat in a Florida classroom as the World Trade Center burned a thousand miles away has President Bush faced a test quite like the one he returned to Washington to confront this afternoon.
After initially stumbling through that disorienting day almost exactly four years ago, Mr. Bush entered what many of his aides believe were the finest hours of his presidency. But unlike 2001, when Mr. Bush was freshly elected and there was little question that the response would include a military strike, Mr. Bush confronts this disaster with his political capital depleted by the war in Iraq.

Waiting for a Leader -- (New York Times)
George W. Bush gave one of the worst speeches of his life Wednesday, especially given the level of national distress and the need for words of consolation and wisdom.

Bush Says Katrina Recovery to Take Years -- (LA Times)...GILLIAN FLACCUS (AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush pledged Wednesday to do "all in our power" to save lives and provide sustenance to uncounted victims of Hurricane Katrina but cautioned that recovery of the Gulf Coast will take years.

"We're dealing with one of the worst natural disasters in our nation's history," he said at the White House after breaking off his Texas vacation and viewing the devastation from Air Force One.

War on the Mississippi -- (Newsweek)...Howard Fineman
Can America marshal the resources to fight battles in Iraq and rebuild the Gulf Coast? A political storm is brewing.

Guard Is Doubling Its Deployment -- (Los Angeles Times)...John Hendren and Mark Mazzetti
The Army National Guard, already stressed by deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, is doubling the number of troops it plans to send to the Gulf Coast as it shoulders the massive relief burden for Hurricane Katrina, Defense officials said Wednesday.

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

ISS Ships Freezy-Pops to Troops in Iraq -- [Iraq Pictures]
U.S. troops in Iraq must deal with the constant threat of attack, separation for families and loved ones... and unrelenting, oppressive heat. Temperatures in Iraq regularly exceed 120 degrees Fahrenheit. To support our troops, ISS recently shipped 1,000 freezy-pops to Iraq. In response, Wayne DeAtley received the following email of thanks:

Picketing Military Hospitals -- [Smash]
FIRST it was Walter Reed, now they've started on Balboa.

POLITICS

Sheehan Departs Crawford, Vows Something -- [Targetcentermass]
Gold Star mother and leftist flavor-of-the-month Cindy Sheehan has left her ?60s reenactment in Crawford, Texas, hitting the road in an effort get the U.S. out of Iraq, meet (again) with the president, cry in front of more cameras and generally meander her way towards either a future as an obscure answer in a future Trivial Pursuit question or a train wreck before the public eye. In my opinion, had the journalistic treatment of the Sheehan matter been handled in a professional and balanced manner, the latter would have already taken place.

MSM REPORTS ON POLITICS

Corrections -- (New York Times)...The New York Times
The White House Letter column on Monday, about the prominent role of women in the debate over the Iraq war, incorrectly summarized comments by President Bush about Cindy Sheehan's protest.

THE MEDIA

MSNBC Anchors Praise Clinton, Slam Both Bush Administrations -- [Media Blog- NRO]
NRO readers are writing in after Chris Matthews and Andrea Mitchell attributed FEMA's preparedness to bold moves by the Clinton administration. At one point, according to an MB reader, Matthews said, "Imagine the help that would be available if we weren't bogged down in Iraq." Mike B. wrote:

MEDIA CULPA -- [AMERICAN CITIZEN SOLDIER - in Iraq]
...To read the major newspapers and watch the major networks (along most of the cable channels), one would be forgiven for failing to discern any accomplishments by the troops in Iraq other than the daily ritual of getting themselves killed.

In the stead of encouraging press accounts exist inane criticisms borne of supreme ignorance of military realities, gross misrepresentations of the all-volunteer force, and galling ingratitude toward those who have chosen a life of service over one of self interest.

CONGRATS

I'm Pregnant, I mean, My Wife Is -- [Hooah.net - The Milblog - formaly the Nat'l Guard Exp.]
Yeah, you're reading correctly. We're having another baby! I returned home this afternoon, and my wife broke me the good news. So, my little soldiers still work, even after a year in Afghanistan, ...

BOOKS BY MILBLOGGERS

Reserve your copy today! [American Soldier - back from Iraq]
The book is ready for pre-sale reservations. Head on over to LBF Books and get your copy for a special discounted price.

Did I mention that I'm also an aspiring science fiction writer? -- [Grahams Journal - in Iraq]
In case you haven't noticed the big-ass image link in the right column, I have another blogspot website that contains the entirety of my first science fiction book, The Seventh Day, an end-times novel. If you click over there, you can read my novel for free. The copyright is licensed under the Creative Commons License.

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