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

Can we forcast our Future now ? -- [A Free Writer - an Iraqi in Iraq]
After all bad times that hit our country Iraqi people are hoping to have a good future of peace , spreading love in community , no mor conflicts , no more terror and blood , no kidnapping , no political or religious conflicts .Iraqi need peace to amend their infra structure ,for rebuilding the country ,for finding jobs, to raise children in a good and peaceful environment and let them reach advanced modern world in science and technology and construction.
Every normal Iraqi in Iraq, ...

Martyrs -- [365 And A Wake Up - in Iraq]
Yesterday on an empty spit of road, on the broken edge of a town you will never see, a woman?s life came to an end. In another Iraq this woman might have been a teacher, patiently nurturing wide eyed children. Or maybe she would have managed a small import/export business, using her natural affinity for languages to sell and trade goods and support a small but happy family. But that Iraq doesn?t yet exist, and when it does come into being Adele will not be there to see it.

Yesterday's loss, today's fire and tomorrow's constitution? -- [Iraq the Model - an Iraqi in Iraq]
I left home this morning hoping to find the roads were opened as yesterday I couldn't reach the clinic; actually I was in the middle of the road when I was faced by crowds of pilgrims heading to Kadhimiya and I had to turn back.

Texas Tough -- [Who's Your Baghdaddy - in Iraq]
The following story that appeared in the Austin American Statesman is about one of the soldiers injured in last week's mortar attack. I do not know the soldier, but based on his comments in the article I admire his tenacity. I have added emphasis to a couple of his quotes that caught my attention. As I have said many times before...it's all a matter of perspective.

My First Few Missions -- [WarriorsVoice - in Iraq]
I'm sure many of you have heard that I'm now in Ramadi, west of Baghdad, for my deployment. It is the provisional capital of the Al-Anbar Province. As the lovely warriorswife might have told you, I've been very busy getting settled in and going on my first few missions. I'm not attached to the National Guard but I do work for them for the most part. The great thing is I get to pick and choose the operations I want to go on. So I usually go on the ops that will most likely need my ANGLICO team. The first mission I went on was ...

Hosting another reporter -- [Phil and Becky - Phil's in Iraq]
...We are hosting a reporter from the L.A. Times right now, but I have done almost nothing in my capacity as the unit public affairs bubba. Since I am virtually tied down to the TOC, my role in situations like this is basically limited to finding out what I can about the reporter and then, after he or she leaves, looking for what he or she wrote. If there is something questionable or something that we don't like, then, if the boss so desires, I write a snippy letter to the editor. :) ...

Saudi TV Interview with Sunni Sheik Al-Dhari -- [ROFASix]
Watch this video from Saudi TV or read the transcipt here. The TV host asks a surprising series of blunt questions to Sheik Hareth Al-Dhari, Secretary-General of the Sunni Clerics Council in Iraq. While the responses did not surprise me much, they served as a reminder of the power plays and tribal connections that pervade Iraq. The interview provides telling insight into how reason and logic will not play well with the Sunni?s who see the world as they would run it. That is the only plausible rationale for some of the statements Al-Dhari made in the interview.

NPR: Few shoulder the burden of war -- [A Healthy Alternative to Work]
I found this interesting article on NPR.org. NPR is widely-derided among conservatives as being the mouthpiece of some sort of left-wing cabal, but I've found that they run enough stories highlighting both sides of the political spectrum to at least please my own libertarian tastes.

But anyway -- back to the article, titled "The Inequity of Wartime Sacrifice," by NPR's Ron Elving:

K-9 takes a bite out of insurgency in Al Anbar - [Live in Iraq]
CAMP RIPPER, AL ASAD, Iraq (1 Sept 2005)-- As the Marines with Regimental Combat Team-2 detain a known insurgent, one service member can?t help but drool over the chance that the detainee might flee -- giving him the opportunity to chase him down and sink his teeth into the challenge.

Email I Received From a Soldier Coming Home -- [A Soldiers Angel - Holly Aho]
I received this email from a soldier I write to, and thought I would share part of it with you.
...Coming home at DFW Airport, 2 firetrucks shot wa
ter on our plane as we taxied to the gate, as a sign of welcome home and lets wash off the desert from you. There were'nt many of us on the flight and we were rushed through customs. Just before leaving the terminal there were about 80 or so volunteers that applauded us and greeted us, gave us a handshake, bags of goodies etc. It was all overwhelming and I wanted to cry, some guys actually did cry.

MSM REPORTS ON IRAQ

Rumsfeld To Drop In On Letterman -- (USA Today)...Unattributed
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will make his first visit to The Late Show with David Letterman. The show airs Tuesday at 11:35 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

U.S. Teams Stay Embedded In Iraqi Combat Units -- (Washington Times)...Rowan Scarborough
The U.S. military will maintain human tethers inside Iraqi combat units, even those out on their own, because they do not yet have resupply and intelligence capabilities needed to fight independently.

US jets destroy insurgent target near Syrian border -- (Houston Chronicle)...AP
BAGHDAD, Iraq ? US Marine jets destroyed a train station in a town near the Syrian border today because insurgents were storing weapons there, the US ...

US Clout Seen To Weaken Amid Clash Over Iraqi Constitution -- (Boston Globe)...Farah Stockman
The firestorm over the Iraqi constitution -- and whether it will be adopted over the objections of the Sunni minority -- has underscored just how little control the United States has now over the rapidly changing political events in Iraq.

Antiwar Groups Hope To Pack 100,000 Around White House -- (Washington Post)...Petula Dvorak
From the Ellipse to Lafayette Square, including the streets and sidewalks in between, the public parks encircling the White House can hold about 100,000 people, according to the National Park Service.

U.S. Defends Shooting Of Reuters Employee -- (Los Angeles Times)...Times Wire Reports
The U.S. military confirmed that its soldiers killed a Reuters journalist in Iraq but said their action was appropriate.

New Iraqi Air Force Runs First Military Mission -- (Jerusalem Post (jpost.com))...AP
Iraq's nascent air force carried out its first military mission when it flew two battalions of Iraqi troops into a troubled zone in the north of the country, a US military spokesman said Thursday.

Too soft for a new kind of war? -- (Washington Times)...Victor Davis Hanson
Not long ago, Lt. Col. Erik Kurilla, an authentic American hero, was shot three times in Mosul, Iraq, as he led his men into a terrorist enclave.

AFGHANISTAN

The Battle for the Border III -- [The Fourth Rail - Bill Roggio]
The Battle for the Border continues. On the heels of last Friday and this Tuesday?s air strikes and tribal fighting, Marine attack aircraft pound a train station being used as an al Qaeda weapons storage depot and headquarters last evening. Marine Captain Jack Pool emails ?Over the past two days, numerous reliable sources have observed approximately 50 Al Qaeda (AQIZ) terrorists staging weapons at a train station to be used in continued attacks against local Iraqis and coalition forces.? According to the military press release, ?Marine F/A-18 jets dropped precision-guided 500 pound bombs on the target after "numerous reliable sources" saw about 50 al-Qaida-linked insurgents using the facility.?

Flintstone Gets its Own Page -- [Fortunate Son - in Afghanistan]
There's been so much interest shown in Operation Flintstone, that I gave it its own page to help keep track of everything. I've created a new email address as well:
The official press release.

Photo: Afghan Security -- [Where I Stand]
Just sharing some of my photos. I hope you enjoy.

MSM REPORTS ON AFGHANISTAN

Raids 'Not Al-Qaeda's Work' -- (London Financial Times)...Peter Spiegel
US and allied intelligence agencies believe that the recent surge in violence in Afghanistan is not related to a reinvigorated offensive by the remnants of the al-Qaeda and Taliban insurgency but rather is the work of "disparate elements" that are unconnected and uncoordinated.

Afghan gunmen kidnap Briton in roadside ambush -- (The Guardian)...Declan Walsh in Karachi
Gunmen kidnapped a Briton and his Afghan interpreter in a roadside ambush that killed three policemen in western Afghanistan yesterday. | The kidnappers opened fire on an armed convoy escorting constr

KATRINA

Those people are in our thoughts and prayers -- [Iraq the Model - an Iraqi in Iraq]
It seems that we were pretty much occupied with the bridge tragedy in Baghdad that we didn't keep track of the news elsewhere till last night when I discovered the magnitude of the humanitarian crisis in the hurricane affected areas in the US.
I wish there was a way I could offer some help but there's nothing but prayers I can give from where I am.

Katrina Comes to Keesler - Part III -- [Iraq War News]
Two Power Point shows this time

Open letter to President Bush -- [The American Thinker - Russ Vaughn]
Mr. President,

As I write this I am listening to the voice of a brave nurse, named Jerrilyn, marooned in Charity Hospital in New Orleans. She and a number of other physician and nurse providers have volunteered to remain in the hospital to provide what services their limited resources permit. They are quickly running out of food and medical supplies. ...

Help wanted -- [Mostly Cajun, All American and Opinionated - in SW Louisianna]
Serious?
We have serious need for journeyman-level and higher skill levels in electrical power distribution. We need people who can conduct and supervise all phases of power distribution equipment including transformers, cables, switchgear, protective relays and large rotating equipment. If you know your way around an MCC, a switchgear room or an electrical substation, we need to talk? I?m looking for ?resources?.

E-mail me at tanker(at)mostlycajun.com.

Thursday, September 01, 2005 -- [An American Soldier]
I seriously almost had a heart attack this morning as I watched the pump roll past 75.00 to fill up my gas tank. I would understand if I had a suburban or even a big truck, but I drive a Grand Cherokee. I had no choice but to pay 3.29 a gallon for premium, because that?s all that was left on the 15 mile drive to work, and I was running on fumes. All the morons here in Columbia made a run on gas yesterday because they were afraid either the price would go up or the stations would run out of gas? and prices did go up? and they did run out of gas at most stations.... which almost makes me the moron, but it?s not worth the ten bucks I would?ve saved to sit in line for an hour.

Creative Solutions For Temporary Housing -- [Froggy Ruminations]
The International Council Of Shopping Centers (ICSC) has put out an email to its members appealing for shopping center owners with vacant space to contact the Department of Homeland Security. Empty big box stores, like old Wal-Marts, are proposed to be used to house gulf coast refugees. This is the creativity of American business at its best.

National Guard Soldiers! -- [Jack Army]
Via AKO email newsletter:
Important Announcement for all AKO Users:
Click Here to Visit the AKO Hurricane Katrina Information Center
AKO is coordinating with Army organizations and federal agencies to provide the most up-to-date information on Hurricane Katrina to the Army community. Please check the AKO Hurricane Katrina Information Center regularly for the latest resources and news.

Announcement:...

Hurricane Katrina survivors need help -- [PhotoJournalism - husband of "Iraqi in America"]
On the ground
Although I didn't get to New Orleans, I did get to the front lines across the lake from New Orleans, inside the hurricane's path. Let me add that the police officers and state officials have been unusually accommodating to media thus far and need to be commended for their assistance under crazy circumstances.

Here's the situation:

Time For A Reality Check -- [Alenda Lux]
The cable news stations have been parading people in front of their cameras all day criticizing the government for not getting the refugees out of New Orleans and for not getting enough rescue workers into the city to help those who are still there.

But then, even under normal conditions, New Orleans is the 8th most dangerous city in which to live in the country.

HELP WANTED....... -- [ArmyWifeToddlerMom]
I have met a woman from my little blog here, she is a daughter of a veteran, a writer, a Christian...And a Mom. I popped in her blog yesterday and mentioned she might want to sign a few books and auction them off for Katrina relief, with proceeds going to Soldiers Angels. UPDATE: Suzanne also let me know she is a former Navy Wife 6 years.......

Google Maps to the Rescue? [Winds of Change - 'Cicero' ]
Just a thought. It appears as though the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency has post-storm imagery of the affected areas in the Gulf Coast. It would be very useful if this data was inserted into the Google Satellite mapping system

A Tragic Storm --[SoldierLog]
Dear Friends,

Jason reported today for active duty with the 769th Engineering Battalion of the Army National Guard. Although officially excused from service - he was about to return to classes at Widener University - he chose to voluntarily report so that he could offer assistance to his beloved Louisiana.

He asked me to update his blog while he's away,

An Open Letter To Louisiana ?Terrorists? -- [A Soldiers Perspective]
Okay, people. You think this kind of stuff is funny? You want to be treated like the guys shooting at us in Iraq? You want the full force of the government to descend upon New Orleans and take care of things our way?

Let me tell you something; it ain?t nothing...

Katrina II -- [Hurl's Blog - in Iraq]
The way news has been reported about Katrina is almost as astonishing as the event itself. The MSM has been days behind in covering this enormous catastrope - one that I believe is much worse than 9/11 (but that's for another post).
In my previous post I just decided to start listing the reality of what was going on without commentary. At the time I posted that, I had been watching this whole thin unfold for over 24 hours, yet there wasn't a PEEP from the MSM. All my info was coming from blogs, many right ther in NO and surrounding areas who were somehow able to gain/maintain internet access. Some were compiling eyewitness accounts from people on cell phones. Yet major media was virtually silent.

Check this out: The Coast Guard is now taking SAR requests online. -- [Tidewater Musing]
The service has had the Homeport site for a while. It was first developed to help the CG interface with the maritime community. It served as a portal for maritime professionals as they worked through the requirements of the recent Maritime Transportation Safety Act. Within

More Pictures -- [Keep My Soldier Safe - Blue Star Mom - Michael's in Iraq]
I just wanted to share a few more pictures that were taken on Monday during Katrina. We still have no lights, no water and our phone service is off and on. I am at work today, just to charge up all of our cell phones, laptop and video cameras. We have had no luck in finding a generator so far. I mainly wanted the generator to keep my freezer cool, but we are told that if we have not had a generator recharging it by now, that we should not attempt to try to save anything in it at this time. I am still searching for one, but only to possible stay cool with a small window unit.

MSM REPORTS ON KATRINA

New Orleans Slides Into Chaos; U.S. Scrambles To Send Troops -- (Los Angeles Times)...Ellen Barry, Scott Gold and Stephen Braun
The rushed mobilization of federal troops to the storm-desolated Gulf Coast was outpaced Thursday by New Orleans' rapid descent into chaos. Sniper fire threatened hospital evacuations and a mass bus caravan to Texas, corpses were found outside the city's decaying convention center and weakened refugees collapsed amid enraged crowds on city streets.

Bush Says Relief Results 'Not Acceptable' -- [Breitbart.com]...AP
President Bush, facing blistering criticism for his administration's response to Hurricane Katrina, said Friday "the results are not acceptable" and pledged to bolster relief efforts with a personal trip to the Gulf Coast.

"We'll get on top of this situation," Bush said, "and we're going to help the people that need help."

US Sends Mixed Signals On Accepting Aid From Abroad -- (Boston Globe)...Farah Stockman
The offers of foreign aid keep pouring in: helicopters from Canada, cash from Japan, tents and military aircraft from France -- even oil from Venezuela, a political foe. At least 25 countries have offered humanitarian assistance to the United States to recover from Hurricane Katrina, one of the worst natural disasters in US history.

Hunger and rage -- (New York Daily)...TAMER EL-GHOBASHY
American city becomes a Third World nightmare
NEW ORLEANS - A great city has descended into chaos.
In much of New Orleans yesterday, food and water remained in short supply. Medical help was nowhere to be found. And answers were impossible to come by.

Washington Sends More Troops, Begs For Patience -- (Houston Chronicle)...Julie Mason and Michael Hedges
As bedlam spread in New Orleans, federal officials dispatched thousands more National Guard troops into the angry fray Thursday and begged for patience against allegations that relief from the deadly conditions often has been invisible.

Carrier Truman Joins Hurricane Relief Effort -- (Norfolk Virginian-Pilot)...Jack Dorsey
The Navy?s contribution to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts has grown to more than seven ships and 10,000 sailors from Hampton Roads alone, including the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman, which left Thursday carrying helicopter fuel.

NRO Director Says Spy Satellites Supporting Relief Operations -- (Defense Daily)...Nathan Hodge - missing link
The agency that operates the nation?s spy satellites has focused assets to support relief operations along the hurricane-stricken Gulf Coast, the director of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) said yesterday.

D.C. Retirement Home Opens Doors To Evacuated Veterans -- (Washington Post)...Debbi Wilgoren
The cheering started as soon as the buses rumbled up the driveway of the District's Armed Forces Retirement Home. Military officers and enlistees mixed with civilians in a two-sided receiving line, waving small American flags and clapping for the elderly veterans who had survived World War II, Korea and, now, Katrina.

Explosions Fill New Orleans Sky With Smoke -- (Washington Post)...ALLEN G. BREED
An explosion jolted residents awake early Friday, illuminating the pre-dawn sky with red and orange ...

The Racial Dimension -- (Washington Post)...Wil Haygood
'To Me, It Just Seems Like Black People Are Marked'
...While hundreds of thousands of people have been dislocated by Hurricane Katrina, the images that have filled the television screens have been mainly of black Americans -- grieving, suffering, in some cases looting and desperately trying to leave New Orleans. Along with the intimate tales of family drama and survival being played out Thursday, there was no escaping that race had become a subtext to the unfolding drama of the hurricane's aftermath.

A City Of Despair And Lawlessness -- (Washington Post)...Sam Coates and Dan Eggen
...In Washington, President Bush and his aides said the government acted as quickly as possible and announced a range of stepped-up response plans, including promises of thousands of extra troops and billions of dollars for recovery and rebuilding efforts. Congress returned early from its summer recess to consider emergency legislation for immediate aid. Late Thursday night, the Senate approved $10.5 billion in assistance, and the House will meet on Friday.

Desperate Victims Turning Combative -- (Washington Post)...Ann Scott Tyson
Coast Guard rescue swimmer Scott Holway has answered hundreds of pleas to save citizens from murky New Orleans floodwater in recent days, but on Thursday for the first time, a shoving match on a high balcony led to an urgent call for backup from a fellow lifesaver.

FEMA Head: Lawlessness Not Anticipated -- (Washington Post)... AP
The head of the federal disaster relief agency said Friday it's "heartbreaking and very, very frustrating" to witness the virtual anarchy in hurricane-ravaged New Orleans and defended the Bush administration's response.

Why was Big Easy left so vulnerable? -- (Indianapolis Star)
Our position: Authorities in time must explain how a modern American city was allowed to descend into chaos. The raw power of a ...

Troops Head Home To Another Crisis -- (Washington Post)...Ellen Knickmeyer
The 3,700 Louisiana National Guard members in Iraq will begin heading home within about a week as part of normal troop rotations, but there are no mass Guard movements back to the United States planned to aid hurricane relief, U.S. military officials in Baghdad said Thursday.

TERRORISM

Tales of the Tape -- [The Fourth Rail - Bill Roggio ]
A video of the purported leader of the London 7/7 attacks, Mohammad Sidique Khan, has surfaced, and was aired on Al Jazeera. In the tape, Khan blames "democratically elected governments" for inciting the jihadis, and vows the jihadis will continue to conduct acts of terror until the West surrenders; "Until we feel secure you will be our targets. Until you stop the bombing, gassing, imprisonment and torture... we will not stop this fight. We are at war and I am a soldier."

What al-Qaida Really Wants -- [PebblePie - Blue Star Mom]
First read The Wide Awakes
If there is anyone who might possibly have an inkling as to what al-Qaida are up to, it is the Jordanian journalist Fouad Hussein. He has not only spent time in prison with al-Zarqawi, but has also managed make contact with many of the network's leaders. Based on correspondence with these sources, he has now brought out a book detailing the organization's master plan. An Islamic Caliphate in Seven Easy Steps In the introduction, the Jordanian journalist writes, "I interviewed a whole range of al-Qaida members with different ideologies to get an idea of how the war between the terrorists and Washington would develop in the future." What he then describes between pages 202 and 213 is a scenario, proof both of the terrorists' blindness as well as their brutal single-mindedness. In seven phases the terror network hopes to establish an Islamic caliphate which the West will then be too weak to fight.

MSM REPORTS ON TERRORISM

London Bomber Appears in Farewell Tape --(The Guardian)...SALLY BUZBEE (AP)
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - One of the four suicide attackers who bombed London's transit system on July 7 made a dramatic farewell in a videotape broadcast Thursday that also included a warning of more bloodshed from al-Qaida's No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri.

Terrorist Known Before 9/11, More Say -- (New York Times)...Thom Shanker
A Defense Department inquiry has found three more people who recall seeing an intelligence briefing slide that identified the ringleader of the Sept. 11 attacks a year before the hijackings and terrorist strikes, Pentagon and military officials said Thursday.

MILBLOGGING

My Soldiers and Their Blogs - [Hello Iraq]
Every day I log onto my blog and go to the military blogs of some of my favorite sites and find out how they are doing. What's new with our troops in Iraq! Occasionally, one or two, sometimes several, will not have a post. I don't get too worried when this happens. I know sometimes a soldier may not have had time to post anything. So even when more than one hasn't added anything new, I know that isn't usually a "big deal!"

Military bloggers -- [thejman021 - in Iraq]
Since starting my own blog site, I have noticed that there is an entire community of military bloggers, and blog readers. The bloggers struggle to share their experiences overseas as best as they can to the rest of the world, while keeping in the back of their mind that the rest of the world is watching with a restless eye. In most cases this is a good thing, as positive feedback usually comes in, and both the blogger and the reader gain from unique perspectives and experiences. The blogger however, has to keep in mind that the enemy is always watching. Then there are those sites that endlessly search for? They find military blog sites, and gather up these unique experiences, along with those from other veterans, and share them with the rest of the world.

CONGRATS

CPT Eddy -- [My Experience during OIF - in Iraq]
I hope this finds you all well. It is Sep 1st here and today I got promoted to Captain. I've been waiting on this for a little bit. The list came out in March and since then it's been a waiting game for my month to get promoted. There isn't a change in my job or anything like that, but I am getting paid a little more and have a little more rank to try to throw around. I just wanted to take a second to write because I really haven't been good about it lately. I have to run but hopefully I'll have a good story soon.

The Captain's Wife . . . -- [Reasoned Audacity]
We got a formal wedding invitation . . . with no date on it. Instead, it said they'd let us know when the groom could be home for the ceremony.

HUMOR

Lack of Bush Eloquence Imperils Hurricane Victims -- [ScrappleFace]
Fears increased today among hundreds of thousands of refugees from the hurricane-ravaged gulf coast as they faced a Labor Day weekend with little hope of an eloquent speech from President George Bush.

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