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

Sgt. D's IED Problem -- [JD's Blog - Faces from the Front]
By Sgt. Christi Prickett CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq(Sept. 28, 2005) -- Most Marines in Iraq consider themselves lucky when they walk away from one improvised explosive device attack, but two, or even three?

The Politics of Greatness -- [Training for Eternity - in Iraq]
Over the past few days there has been much in the news about the death toll in Iraq. Fox News, CNN, even AFN News are discussing and spinning the magic number 2000 to the point of nausea. Frankly, one is too many. But this is a war, after all. Blood will spill, lives will be lost, and families will mourn. It is the nature of what we do. The problem is that every news source that I have access to is focusing on our casualties. One of the results is that the American soldier is demoralized. Not because one or more of his buddies may have given their all, but because he feels like the American people do not really understand what he is doing and are therefore not truly behind them. There are two sides to every story, but the American people only seem to be getting half of it. A basic understanding of Operational Security (OPSEC) forbids me from divulging details of some of the things I've seen and heard. However, there are some things I can mention. ...

Iraqi children hold first pinewood derby -- [Peace like a River]
A co-ed International Scouting group formed this summer in Hasar held its first-ever pinewood derby Oct. 6 thanks to leaders? efforts and cars donated by families of 116th Brigade Combat Team Soldiers.

A Few New Pics -- [They Call Us, "Doc" - in Iraq]
Today, I met a very brave, young boy. He is the five year old son of an Iraqi Army soldier. His eye injury was caused by a horse and he had initially been treated by a local hospital. As of now,

Conclusion -- [Dadmanly - in Iraq]
I am no doubt down to the last few of any communiqu鳠I will generate as a soldier serving in a combat zone for Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) III.

I try to craft a rhetorical conclusion, a packaging of themes that sums up my time here, our time here, military web logging (blogging), or the entire mobilization experience.

MSM REPORTS ON IRAQ

Shiites to Stay Together to Contest Ballot -- (NewsDay)
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The alliance of Shiite religious parties that swept Iraq's historic election in January has agreed to remain together to contest the Dec. 15 parliamentary ballot,

Marines take over civilian homes -- (Concord Monitor)...Antonio Castaneda, Associated Press
...The Marines call it a necessary evil -- taking over houses and buildings for military use. For the Iraqis who become unwilling hosts to the Americans, it can be anything from a mild inconvenience to a disruption that tears apart lives...

US One Step Behind 'Iraqi Phantom' -- (London Daily Telegraph)...Adrian Blomfield
Some senior Iraqi officers call him a phantom. In certain western coalition circles, he is known as Macavity, the mystery Ba'athist.

Iraqi Forces Thrust Into Major Role In Haditha -- (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)...Antonio Castaneda, Associated Press
Two months after a crash course on the basics of soldiering, hundreds of Iraqi troops have been thrown into a bitter fight here ? tasked with helping keep the peace and restore local security forces in this restive Sunni Arab city.

Americans Won't Let Democrats Lose Iraq -- (Los Angeles Times)...David Gelernter
A FEW DAYS AGO, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) made a speech urging the U.S., in effect, to get out of Iraq the way we got out of Vietnam.

AFGHANISTAN

US EMBASSY SPITS ON FIRST AMENDMENT IN AFGHANISTAN -- [Cao's Blog]
US State Department tried to shut down the Afghan Newspaper that called for Idema?s release. NDS and FBI agents Seize 10,000 Afghan papers from Kabul printing press before this weeks issue was released with another story about Idema and Team, including US and Afghan government documents reprinted proving Idema innocent. Karzai government issues arrest warrants for Newspaper Publisher!

Gratuitous Afghan Photos Return XIV -- [Miserable Donuts]
This is a translation of a leftover leaflet from the earliest days of the Coalition coming in to hammer the Taliban. Blunt and to the point - I rather liked it.

Osama used to hang here -- [OrlandoSentinel.com - Blog]
KANDAHAR ? It?s no wonder this is a less friendly city that most in Afghanistan. After all, it was the Taliban?s stronghold for years -- and the home of Taliban leader Mohammad Omar. And Osama bin Laden liked to hang out here, drink some chai and talk politics and religion with the guys.

MSM REPORTS ON AFGHANISTAN

UN report highlights Afghan human rights concerns -- (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Escalating violence, torture and forced child marriages are some of the rights abuses still blighting Afghanistan four years after the removal of the fundamentalist Taliban government, the United Na...

HURRICANE RELIEF

Wilma Pictures -- [Right-Wing of the Gods]
Taken outside my back window around 8:00 a.m. as the winds were at their peak. It Shows my back porch right after the ficus went down. Shortly before, the neighbor to the left of the pic had a tree land in her backyard. Unfortunately this was the only pic taken during the cane that came out decent.

MSM REPORTS ON HURRICANE RELIEF

Power Slowly Being Restored in Florida -- (AP)
POMPANO BEACH, Fla. - Four days after Hurricane Wilma hit, simple tasks like buying gas, cooking food and turning on the lights got a little easier Friday as power had been restored to nearly half the homes and businesses that lost it during the storm.

Cuba Accepts US Offer Of Storm Relief -- (Boston Globe)...Anne Gearan, Associated Press
Cuba has unexpectedly agreed to a quiet US offer of emergency aid following Hurricane Wilma, and three Americans will travel to Cuba to assess needs there, the State Department said yesterday.

OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Jenkins Appears On 60 Minutes; Provides More Evidence of North Korean Abductions -- [GI Korea Blog - in S Korea]
Former US Army deserter Charles Jenkins recently appeared on 60 Minutes and provided evidence and testimony that North Korea has abducted more than just Japanese nationals over the years: ...

Iran's "clarification" is not accepted -- [TigerHawk]
Even Russia, Iran's friend and ally, has rolled over on Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's campaign to destroy Israel. The Iranian diplomatic corps is trying to repair the damage, but President Ahmadinejad will have nothing of it:

MSM REPORTS ON OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

U.S. Asked To Set Deadline -- (Moscow times)...AP
A top official in a regional security group dominated by Russia and China said Thursday that it wants the United States to set a precise deadline for its withdrawal from bases in Central Asia.

TERRORISM

New State Department Official on Bioterrorism, Threats from S.E. Asia & Latin America, and on Saudis (updated) -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
The new State Department Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Henry Crumpton, testified today before the terrorism subcommittee of the House International Relations Committee, chaired by Rep. Ed Royce. Mr. Crumpton has a long career in counterterrorism at the CIA and recently assumed the position held by Cofer Black until late last year. Mr. Crumpton made some news in response to Congressmen's questions:

MSM REPORTS ON TERRORISM

TERRORISM: INTERNET TERROR THREATS TO OMAR SHARIF -- (AKI)
Rome, 28 Oct. - Death threats to the Egyptian-born actor Omar Sharif have appeared in Islamist forums on the Internet, after Sharif's appearance as a Christian, Saint Peter, in an Italian biblical epic for television. A threatening message from user 'bachirma1' on one of the forums used by jihadi groups linked to al-Qaeda, reads:"In my view Omar Sharif is an infidel - enter here". Inside it continues; "He is a crusader who offends Islam and Muslims and is applauded by the Italian people. I give you some advice, my brothers, you should kill him."

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

The Valour-IT Fundraising Competition Is Coming! -- [Holly Aho - A Soldier's Angel]
Updated at the bottom...

A fundraising competition for Project Valour-IT is coming to the blogging world November 2! From Fuzzilicious Thinking - bloggers who would like to participate in this fundraising competition are encouraged to pick a team, teams divided along military branches, with civilians "up for grabs."

I will be joining the competition with my blog, and as a civilian I sat wondering which team I should add my voice to when I read this:...

Taking advantage of the hits -- [Courage without Fear]
...As aways I'm looking for stuff I can get my troops to help them do their jobs. Right now, I'm trying to come up with ideas for stuff for my Medics. If you have an idea, please post it. If you have a few bucks to donate, drop them in the Tip Jar on the right side of the page.

MILITARY

ABLE DANGER -- [Iraq Pictures]
NORRISTOWN - Senior Pentagon officials were warned not to let the USS Cole dock in Yemen two days before terrorists attacked the ship five years ago killing 17 sailors, according to Congressman Curt Weldon, who said the crucial intelligence was gleaned from the former secret defense operation, "Able Danger."

POLITICS

Fake Vigil -- [Red Hunter]
What these people claim to be doing is holding a vigil to "mark the death of the 2,000th reported U.S. military death in Iraq and to say that the country?s pro-peace majority wants Congress to stop the deaths by stopping the dollars that are funding the war."

MSM REPORTS ON POLITICS

Bush Stung As Miers Withdraws Nomination -- (My Way News)
WASHINGTON (AP) - In a striking defeat for President Bush, White House counsel Harriet Miers withdrew her nomination to the Supreme Court on Thursday after three weeks of brutal criticism from fellow conservatives. The Senate's top Republican predicted a replacement candidate within days.

Bush Appears Relaxed As Tension Mounts -- (AP)
WASHINGTON -- After weeks of anxiety about possible indictments in the CIA leak investigation, President Bush showed no signs of strain Friday, smiling and joking with aides as he left to make a speech on terrorism in Norfolk, Va....

Newsview: Withdrawal Shows Bush's Weakness -- (AP)
WASHINGTON -- Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers' sudden withdrawal underscores the strength of the social conservatives who form President Bush's political base and the weakness of a president buffeted by one political misfortune after another....

Source: Rove Won't Be Indicted Today -- (AP)
WASHINGTON - Karl Rove won't be indicted Friday as prosecutors and his lawyers try to resolve questions in the CIA leak investigation, two people close to Rove told The Associated Press. The White House still braced for an indictment against another top aide. In discussions Thursday, Rove's lawyer was told by Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald's office that investigators had not completed their investigation into Rove's conduct in the case and they would continue investigating, the people said, speaking only on condition of anonymity because of grand jury secrecy

MILBLOGGING / BLOGGING

Conference Report #2 -- [Adventures of Chester]
[I'm going to write a little at a time about the recent Media, Communications & Technology in the Age of the Blogger conference. So, a post here and there about it over the next few days -- with two caveats: first, I'm not a reporter and though I write a lot and interpret quite a bit, I don't report on actual events very often, so if something needs clarification or even correcting, please let me know. Second, I'm still in New York til Sunday and plan to see the City a bit with Mrs. Chester. So, I won't be doing any super long posts . . . but of course will pick up in full on Monday.]

How To Write A Military Blog -- [BlogCritics.org]
At Milblogging.com we claim to be the world's largest index of military blogs - searchable by a variety of attributes - providing an unprecedented depth of information necessary to find your favorite milblog. But we just don't allow any type of military blog to be added to our database - here's a list of rules we suggest all military bloggers live by...

HUMOR / SATIRE

Halloween Cavalcade of Horrors! -- [The Right Place]
I Know What You Did the Summer Before Last

Stars: Patrick Fitzgerald, Judith Miller, Robert Novak, Lewis Libby, Karl Rove, Joe Wilson, Valerie Plame

Spectres from the past come back to haunt those who couldn't keep a nonexistent secret and some seem sure to "get the hook."

Dems Urge Bush to Pick Reid's 2nd Court Choice -- [ScrappleFace]
In the wake of Harriet Miers' aborted Supreme Court nomination, Democrats have urged President George Bush to replace her with Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid's second choice for the high court.

CONGRATS

MUC - Wednesday, October 26, 2005 -- [In Iraq for 365]
It is with great pleasure and honor that I announce that my unit ? the 139 MPAD ? received the military?s Meritorious Unit Citation award for our service in Iraq. This is the highest award given to a unit of our size. Congrats all 139 padsters. We worked our butts off and deserve the recognition!

One Year Blogiversary -- [Adventures of Chester]
This whole time, I had thought that the 27th was my blogiversary. But it looks like I was off by a few days: it was the 22nd . . . that's ok, I'll celebrate today:

Today marks one year of The Adventures of Chester.

This And A Quarter Will Buy You A Quarter -- [Camp Katrina]
Check this out: Build yourselves a cake or something, Katrina Campers; this blog celebrates hitting ten thousand page views today. That's a paltry amount for some sites, but we're proud of reaching it in such a relatively short time.

WELCOME HOME

Oct. 24 -- [War, Beer, and Boots - home from Iraq]
Suppose i realized it was time to do something about what i had on this site. Just looking at this website and glancing at my previous entries while i was deleting them one by one was a reminder of alot of bad things. I am so glad to be home and completely terrified of getting called back up to "do my duty" or more of my duty I guess. Seeing video's and stories from Iraq keep a dark spot in my heart encased in glass with break in case of recall written on it.

Leave time -- [Phil and Becky - Phil coming home on R&R from Iraq]
Sorry for the light posting lately. I've been keeping busy making sure that everything was straight before I go on leave. But the time for preparing is over because tomorrow morning I will begin the hopefully quick but sometimes painful travel process home for my R&R leave break. I am one of three people on the very last group of soldiers in the battalion to go on leave. It was a long wait, but well worth it.

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