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

Who's Fighting For You: 1 -- [T.F. Bogs - in Iraq]
My first interview is with a fellow soldier from my platoon. His name is SSG Newton and he is a squad leader and overall great guy. What follows are a few questions I asked him so that you guys could get a better idea of who is fighting for you. This is the first in what I hope to be a series of interviews.
...Q: This is your second deployment correct?
A: That’s right. Voluntarily.
Q: Why did you come back for a second time?...

And speaking of Iraq...-- [The Patriette - Blue Star Wife]
...It helps that I support what he's doing and why he's doing it. I don't feel like we were tricked, duped, or forced onto this path in our lives. I don't feel angry or hurt. Yes, I am disappointed that he will miss the birth of our first child, but I am NOT disappointed with him or with the Army or with our country. I know he is over there for our daughter and for me - for his family, friends, and fellow soldiers. He is over there to do his part to finish the mission that was started by others -including several friends- who have given life and limb to get the job done in Iraq. My husband feels as though he owes it to them to try to help finish what they started. If not my husband, then it would be someone else's father, brother, son, daughter, sister, mother, etc. in Iraq.

Deployed Day +119: Post from Chad -- [Tales From the Front - in Iraq]
Hello, I first want to thank each and everyone of you for the support we receive here. It means a lot to some soldiers here to know that some people actually care about why we are here. Some people think we should just leave, well from my point at first I said the same thing. My response was, its not our fight. Well I was wrong. If we, the American Soldiers don't step in then there would be no justice at all here. Since the US took part in this battle the Iraqi people have come a long way. If you don't know by now this is my second tour here. Since the last time I was here things have changed dramatically. I hate the fact of being away from my family, but this is my job.

IRAQ: Whatever You're Looking For -- [Strategy Page]
March 6, 2006: As Iraqis increasingly fight each other, there has been a sharp decline in American casualties. There were 6,790 U.S. troops killed and wounded last year, compared to 8,837 in 2004. That's a drop of 23 percent. But so far this year, the casualty rate for Americans is down 62 percent from 2005. Given that the main goal of the Sunni Arab terrorists is the expulsion of foreign troops, why the sharp reduction in attacks and casualties among the American forces? One of the least reported reasons is that U.S. troops have been winning the tactics and technology race with the terrorists.

Notes on Anaconda and butt kicking Col's -- [Murphy Around The World - in Iraq]
...We have Iraqi officers assigned with us now and they fly on some of our missions, accompanied by interpreters. One of them is a Colonel (P) who lit into some Jundee at one of the depots we visited last week. The Colonel started barking orders in Arabic as they walked into the depot and everyone jumped to their feet. He grabbed one of the Jundee’s (private) rifle and field stripped it in front them, ran his hand along the inner parts which came away black and he lit into them a whole bunch more. Our Major K was with them, one of the guys on our team and he was dumbfounded about how upset the Col was, he just stood out of the way while he ranted at them. They obeyed him immediately and then he complained to Major K that we were being too soft on them.
I don’t think we’re going to slip into a civil war here, there’s a lot of Iraqi’s standing up now like this Colonel and taking responsibility and those are very positive steps. Many good Iraqi’s have died standing up to be counted or taking a leadership position and they are truly heroes to us over here.

Glesne at War: Foot Patrol -- [War & Political Honesty - in Iraq]
On the 2nd of this month another Marine, an Army officer, myself and a squad of Iraqi soldiers pounded some ground on a two-hour foot patrol.
We took a look inside and around the huge United Nations Oil-For-Food compound located nearby. After spending a little over an hour there we made our way to the Ministry of Industry and Minerals compound also located nearby. After those stops we hooked around our Iraqi Army compound and searched through a scrap metal yard before completing our perimeter patrol and heading back in.

The Government Center -- [Wordsmith at War - in Iraq]
...I’m sitting in the back seat of a fully armored HMMWV, peering out at the world through thick bullet proof glass, scanning down countless alleys and on rooftops for anyone with a weapon, or anything that looks like a threat. By weapons I mean RPGs, grenades, AK-47s, land mines, suicide vehicle IEDs, you name it and it’s possible in Ramadi. I see children playing, adults standing around, and women walking down streets in groups of two or three. Most people watch us as we pass, a convoy of armored vehicles flying down the streets aggressively. SGT C is on full alert. Having the best vantage point as gunner, he's constantly re-adjusting his position as SPC T steers around obstacles. Out on the interstates, civilian vehicles see a military convoy coming through and they know to pull off on the shoulder, giving you a wide berth. But downtown, the streets are narrower, and there are more obstacles. When you approach intersections,...

After the search -- [MREater]
This photo shows a scene right after a knock and search of this Kirkuk home. It was a couple of days before the Constitutional referendum and we were searching in neighborhoods around polling places.

See to Believe Video! -- [2006 Tour of Duty - in Iraq]
Please click the link to watch an impressive video.

1/7 Marines arrive on the Syrian border -- [Marine Corps Moms]
1/7 Marines have landed in Iraq and are settling in for seven months on the Syrian border. First reports are encouraging according to my Marine son who called this afternoon - no IEDs when they toured the town in their LAVs.
Each platoon will be working directly with an Iraqi Army platoon. By the time 1/7 leaves next fall, these soldiers will have gained invaluable skills from our Marines - the best trained and most revered fighting force in the world.

Iraq and terror -- [Wizbang]
Yesterday, I heard a guy on the radio saying that there is more terrorism in Iraq now than when we invaded. In fact, he might have gone so far as to say that there "was no terrorism" in Iraq under Saddam.
It struck me as a common thread among some anti-war factions, and it got me thinking.

Collection for Iraqi school children in Abu Ghraib -- [Pepple Pie - Blue Star Mom]
I cannot ask for anything for myself here, but our brigade is collecting for elementary school children in Abu Ghraib. Abu Ghraib is not just a prison, it is a very large neighborhood in our area of operations. The Iraqi Army in cooperation with the 1st Bragade, 10th Mountain Division will be distributing. As common as they are in America, most of these items are not so easily found here

G. Gordon Liddy -- [Marketing in Iraq? - in Iraq]
So, I get tasked with a mission not too long before it's time for me to go home today. It's not anything too bad though, so I wasn't upset about it. It turns into a bit of a "goat rodeo" shortly after though. First, I have to give up my humvee to another soldier in the unit (and of course my keys) and take a different vehicle of journalists to over to our offices. Again, not a big deal...but as we were getting close to our area, one of the journalists doesn't seem to have any ID. Bear with me here, cause I wasn't upset at all...in fact, it was quite entertaining. The woman is Monica Delta, who happens to be quite famous in Peru.

Fire Stations in Iraq -- [Grandma - in Iraq]
Yesterday I went on a construction site visit to a fire station. This is the first fire station I’ve visited, so I found it rather interesting.
I want my grandchildren to know that Grandma didn’t slide down the fire pole — Yes, I admit, I was tempted, but I wasn’t sure how much weight my body armor added and I didn't want to break the tile at the bottom of the two-flight descent.

MSM REPORTS ON IRAQ

Envoy To Iraq Sees Threat Of Wider War -- (Los Angeles Times)...Borzou Daragahi
...In remarks that were among the frankest and bleakest public assessments of the Iraq situation by a high-level American official, U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said the "potential is there" for sectarian violence to become full-blown civil war.

Majority In U.S. Fears Iraq Civil War -- (Washington Post)...Richard Morin
An overwhelming majority of Americans believe that fighting between Sunni and Shiite Muslims in Iraq will lead to civil war, and half say the United States should begin withdrawing its forces from that violence-torn country, according to the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Most Americans see Iraq civil war as likely: poll -- (Reuters)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Eight in 10 Americans believe that recent sectarian violence in Iraq has made civil war likely, according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll released on Monday.

Iraqi Tribes Strike Back At Insurgents -- (Washington Post)...John Ward Anderson
...Tribal chiefs in Iraq's western Anbar province and in an area near the northern city of Kirkuk, two regions teeming with insurgents, are vowing to strike back at al-Qaeda in Iraq, a Sunni Arab-led group that is waging war against Sunni tribal leaders who are cooperating with the Iraqi government and the U.S. military.

EXCLUSIVE: Iraq Weapons -- Made in Iran? -- (ABC News)
U.S. military and intelligence officials tell ABC News that they have caught shipments of deadly new bombs at the Iran-Iraq border.
They are a very nasty piece of business, capable of penetrating U.S. troops' strongest armor.

Iraq: The Untold Truths -- (New York Post)...Ralph Peters
Among the many positive stories you aren't being told about Iraq, the media ignored another big one last week: In the wake of the terrorist bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samarra, it was the Iraqi army that kept the peace in the streets.

U.S. Is Seeking Better Balance in Iraqi Police -- (NY Times)...EDWARD WONG
As the threat of full-scale sectarian strife looms, the U.S. is scrambling to weed out religious partisans from the Iraqi forces.

UK troops to quit Iraq by 2008, general says -- (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
| Britain plans to pull out nearly all its soldiers from Iraq by the summer of 2008, with the first withdrawals ...

Al-Jazeera Airs Tape of 3 Hostages in Iraq -- (AP)
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Arab television on Monday broadcast a brief and silent videotape showing three of four Christian peace activists abducted in Iraq and said the men asked their governments to work for their release. It was not immediately clear who among the four hostages was not in the video, which carried a Feb. 28 date superimposed on the tape aired on al-Jazeera TV.

AFGHANISTAN

My First Orphanage Trip -- [Army Girl - in Afghanistan]
...Afghanistan was not a country of suicide bombers and ied's. The people who are doing these things are not Afghans. Some of them would even be insulted if you said so. The simple fact is that it could be anyone. After seeing the protests at soldiers' funerals in the news back home, anyone could be an extremist. We have many of them in our own country.
We gave the children some drops to rid them of worms, and passed out blankets, clothes, socks, shoes, toys, and back packs. I will tell you that it is very well known that the children here love one thing above all others. So much so that they will rip them from your uniform if you are wearing them. Anyone want to take a guess? (Shshs those of you who have been here!) We also received 20 small soccer balls which are also hot commodities, however the ONE pump that was supplied had a broken needle. Apparently, this is a common occurrence. So the children got no soccer balls.

AFGHANISTAN: Taliban Overtaken By Drug Threat -- [Strategy Page]
March 7, 2006: Although the Taliban gets the most foreign media attention, it's the drug gangs that pose the greatest danger to the government and democracy. While the Taliban have a few hundred hired guns wandering around southern Afghanistan, the drug gangs have over 100,000 armed men on the payroll. Not all of these are out there looking for a fight, but they are all prepared to resist government programs or interference.

LOST VOICES, DYING MOTHERS AND CHILDREN -- [Afghan Reality - an Afghani in Afghanistan]
Afghanistan's development must be assessd based on its ability to deal with this crisis. Maybe, it is time for us to learn more about Afghanistan than simply being bogged down by the news of ongoing bombings and military operations.
It is a humanitarian crisis in every sense - one that is largely neglected.

Tracking violence
-- [Misadventures of a Not-So-Intrepid Development Practitioner - Aussie in Afghanistan]
Following discussion of cultural violence last week, I was heartened to hear that our friends at UNIFEM have now launched their database to track violence against women (VAW).
Currently, there is limited evidence of VAW in Afghanistan, apart from the anecdotal. According to UNIFEM, this limited data has led to a limited understanding of the root causes of violence in Afghan society.

MSM REPORTS ON AFGHANISTAN

Afghan Threat Played Down -- (Washington Post)...Ann Scott Tyson
The commander of NATO forces said yesterday that rising attacks in Afghanistan will test NATO troops as the alliance expands into volatile southern regions of the country this summer, but he stressed that al-Qaeda and Taliban rebels lack the ability to reignite a major insurgency.

Afghanistan Defends Terrorist Intelligence -- (AP)
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- A rift between Afghanistan and Pakistan deepened Tuesday as Afghan President Hamid Karzai's office said intelligence about Taliban and al-Qaida fugitives allegedly hiding in Pakistan was "very strong and accurate."...

AFGHANISTAN: FIFTH SEASON OF REFUGEE REPATRIATION FROM PAKISTAN UNDERWAY -- (AKI)
The United Nations refugee agency's fifth season of the repatriation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan to Afghanistan has begun amid some uncertainty and indecision among refugees. A total of 77 Afghans were repatriated in the first three days of the operation that began last Wednesday in the UN High Commissioner for Refugees’ final year of voluntary repatriation under the current tripartite agreement with the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The operation had been suspended over winter, when the number of people returning to Afghanistan typically dwindles.

OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

The Rise of Talibanistan -- [The Fourth Rail]
The strike in Danda Saidgai, suicide bombing in Karachi & fighting in Miranshah make Pakistan's “miscreant” problem difficult to paper over
The Taliban and al-Qaeda provided an embarrassing scene for Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf as President George Bush visited the country last week. Eager to demonstrate Pakistan’s commitment to fighting the Taliban and al-Qaeda in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas on the border with Afghanistan, the Pakistani military launched an offensive against a terrorist camp in Danda Saidgai, North Waziristan.

India and Pakistan - The War That Did Not Happen -- [TigerHawk]
President Bush has just returned from an extraordinary diplomatic mission on which others surely will report more intelligently than I. Or they may not. We will see. But Bush visited Afghanistan, India and Pakistan, landing directly in Osama's backyard, and did business in a place which most would agree is extraordinarily important to our future.

MSM REPORTS ON OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Most Controversial - Most Powerful - ‘Bush The Great’ -- (Scoop)
...Because of the controversial nature of George Bush, he has to face great opposition and hatred in most of the countries. Why do the common people hate his figure at the time when the presidents of the host countries are giving, a red carpet reception to the most powerful ruler of the world? Why do people burn his effigies, insult him and call his name with abuse at every place?
In the last few days, ‘the most powerful’ George Bush traveled south Asian region, considered to be the axis of terrorism, which is India, Pakistan and Afghanistan

WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

Congressional Hearings on Terrorism Issues Soon -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
Several committees in the U.S. Congress are planning hearings this spring on a variety of terrorism-related issues. The committees averaged 2-3 hearings a week last year, until Hurricane Katrina absorbed most of the attention and resources.

Bangla Bhai Arrested in Bangladesh -- [The Fourth Rail]
Fresh on the heels of the arrest of Abdur Rahman, Bangladesh nabs the other most wanted terrorist in the country

The Themes of al-Zawahiri's Latest Tape -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
My colleague Andrew Cochran noted that al-Qaeda deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahiri released new audio and video tapes on Saturday. Since a large component of the global war on terror is the battle of ideas, it is important to understand how al-Qaeda is attempting to sell its cause and ideas in the Muslim world. Before analyzing al-Zawahiri's new message, it is worth noting that the video of al-Zawahiri's message was again aired by al-Jazeera.

MSM REPORTS ON WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

Mideast Investment Up In U.S.-- (Washington Post)...Paul Blustein
Middle Eastern investment in the United States is once again picking up steam, showing big gains since the tense period following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. And while some takeovers are triggering alarm --
...On Thursday came news that yet another Dubai acquisition is drawing Bush administration scrutiny because of the national security risks -- this time of plants in Georgia and Connecticut that make precision components used in engines for military aircraft and tanks.

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

Support-our-Troops action outside Ramstein Airbase -- [stefan-prystawik.de - in Germany]
just to update you on the good news of the day:
We now have the ‘all clear’ by officials in writing.
As announced before, our
Support-our-Troops action outside Ramstein Airbase will go ahead as planned: We will gather at the new ROUNDABOUT OUTSIDE the WEST GATE

Support Our Troops in Ramstein March 11-- [Soldiers' Angel Germany]
We're on!
Here's the information for the Support the Troops event countering Cindy's anti-military, anti-victory, anti-German/American partnership protest in Germany:

Post Office Renamed -- [Soldiers' Angel New York]
The US Post Office in Scio, New York, is going to be renamed for Marine Corporal Jason Dunham, who died on April 22, 2004, from injuries he received while serving in Husaybah, Iraq, with the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, Kilo Company. Corporal Dunham was credited with saving the lives of fellow Marines after throwing himself on a grenade.

Cold but Happy Night at Walter Reed -- [Gunn Nutt]
...Code Pink's numbers are dwindling to the point that they've had to drag out a tiny, elderly woman in a wheelchair to fill out the ranks. Then they subject her to the most heinous torture of listening to tone-deaf Perry (guitar man) serenading her all evening!

Soldiers' Angels Visit the 108th -- [Miserable Donuts]
The good people of the Illinois division of Soldiers' Angel's paid the 108th Sustainment Brigade a visit on Saturday morning. They brought all sorts of good stuff for our soldiers to enjoy. We strategically

Patriot Guard Riders -- [God Bless America]
Video of Patriot Guard Riders in support of US military. The Riders show respect to fallen patriots and shield their families from inappropriate protestors.

MILITARY

Case Closed: Supreme Court Upholds the Solomon Amendment; Campuses Must Allow Military Recruiters or Lose Federal Funding -- [Bobby's World - in S Korea]
In a "slam dunk" 8-0 decision, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Solomon Amendment, which mandated that universities allow military recruiters equal access to civilians on campus or lose federal funding. The Solomon Amendment was controversial with liberal critics of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy (implemented by the Clinton Administration), and this led some universities to ban the presence of military recruiters entirely.

The Romeo Legacy -- [Dadmanly]
I’m talking about Ground Surveillance Radar (GSR) Operators and Sergeants, who I first came to know very late in my military career. Little known outside of some select infantry or intelligence communities, the GSR, military occupational specialty (MOS) 96R, are a very rare breed of fighting man.
I first wrote about the first Romeos I met in the following posts, The Single Best Component and Profile: The NCOIC. Without any reservation, the Romeos who went to Iraq with our Intelligence

MSM REPORTS ON MILITARY

Court Upholds Campus Military Recruiting -- (AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday that the government can force colleges to open their campuses to military recruiters despite university objections to the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays. Justices rejected a free-speech challenge from law schools and professors who claimed they should not have to associate with military recruiters or promote their campus appearances.

At 61, Answering Uncle Sam's Call -- (Philadelphia Inquirer)...Tom Infield
Steven Silver has been working on his push-ups. He's up to 30.
That's a dozen more than he will have to do to pass his Army physical.
Not bad for a guy who will be 61 next week.
Silver, a psychologist at the Coatesville veterans hospital who served as a Marine Corps flight officer in Vietnam 36 years ago, is expecting final word that he has been accepted as a recruit in the Pennsylvania National Guard.

Tillman Inquiry Extends To Possible Army Cover-Up -- (Arizona Republic/ AP)...Robert Burns
The Defense Department will investigate allegations of an Army cover-up in the shooting death in Afghanistan of Cpl. Pat Tillman in addition to a criminal investigation into the 2004 killing of the former NFL star, the department said Monday.

POLITICS

Cindy Sheehan Wants The Man To Let Her Go! -- [My Right Wing Conspiracy]
I might as well just put in a javascript for all my posts here at MVRWC to just redirect to Sweetness & Light.
Anyways, Cindy Sheehan, the anti-war activist whose son was killed in the Iraq war, was arrested in New York….AND THE SUN WAS THERE! Well, somebody with a camera, anyways. See Cindy drug away in a very satisfying, entertaining way.

A Common Cause -- [LewRockwell.com Blog - Cindy Sheehan and Sam Bostaph]
Three years ago, President George Bush ordered United States military forces to invade and occupy Iraq. Since that invasion, which was unconstitutional, illegal by all international standards, and immoral by any just-war theology, the world has watched as the Bush administration has directed the killing of tens of thousands of Iraqi soldiers, civilians, and insurgents at a cost of hundreds of billions of dollars. It has watched as over 2300 U.S. troops have been killed to date and almost 18,000 more wounded or maimed for life.

Amputees for Bush (EDITOR'S NOTE: Warning, count to 10) --[LewRockwell.com Blog]
It's the same sappy, frolicsome story--over and over. Soldier gets sent off to fight the Empire's war. Soldier gets his limbs blown off. Soldier, however, feels he did the right thing--he fought for freedom! Soldier has a great attitude. Soldier is happy. So it's all ok! CNN interviewer is happy. We all should be happy. So we are all told by the dullard media heads.

STREISAND: BUSH IS DUMMBE; ESSAY FILLED WITH SPELLING ERRORS -- [Drudge Report]
Barbra Streisand has launched a new spelling error-ridden dispatch on the Internet -- a dispatch that mocks President Bush for being a "C student!"
In her February 28th, 2006 essay, Streisand flubs 11 words, a personal record.

Bird Flu: A Rumsfeld Plot -- [Outside the Beltway]
The Frontier Post has uncovered another sinister plot hatched by the Whitehouse;
“The government and media should play their role in creating awareness among the masses regarding this international conspiracy against this country’s poultry industry,” implored Dr. Saeed, president of the Poultry Doctors Association at the Peshawar Press Club.
He was flanked by the president of the Poultry Farm Association, Fazal-e-Malik. “The rumors of bird flu are being spread by an American company owned by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, to boost U.S. sales of costly medicines,” the two said.

MSM REPORTS ON POLITICS

Peace activist Sheehan arrested in NY protest -- (Reuters)
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Cindy Sheehan, the anti-war activist whose son was killed in the Iraq war, was arrested with three other protesters in New York on Monday after a rally with women from Iraq.

Rumsfeld Skis Vail With Disabled Vets -- (Denver Post/ AP)
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld skied with a group of disabled Iraq war veterans and said they will be an inspiration to others.

S. Dakota Legislation to Ban Most Abortions -- (AP)
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - A near-total ban on abortions in South Dakota has been signed into law, a measure the governor called a "direct frontal assault" on the U.S. Supreme Court decision to legalize the practice 33 years ago. Supporters and opponents of abortion rights had been gearing up for a showdown even before Gov. Mike Rounds added his signature to the bill Monday and both sides expected a lengthy battle.

Hill Democrats, GOP Moving on Ports Issue -- (AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Congressional Democrats are using the uproar over an Arab company's planned takeover of some U.S. port operations to paint Republicans as faltering on the GOP's signature issue - national security - and accuse them of ignoring port safety in the past....

THE MEDIA

CBS' The Unit: HOLY SHEEMOLY! (My Review) -- [Tanker Brothers]
As you read in this post, I was asked by CBS Media Relations to review the pilot episode of "The Unit", a new action drama that premieres tomorrow night at 9pm Eastern/8pm Central Time.
The pilot is only one hour long, but "Oh, what an hour"!

Zalmay Dismayed -- (Slate)
The NYT fronts the U.S.'s seemingly desperate attempts to de-militia-fy the Iraqi police. Quotas have been set to pump up the numbers of Sunni recruits and police commanders who have allowed Shiite militia in their ranks are being "fired." The Times doesn't really explain how the U.S. has the power to do all that, or what the interior minister thinks, particularly considering he himself has been linked to militia.

MILBLOGGING / BLOGGING

See you later -- [Donald Sensing -- One Hand Clapping]
With regret, I am announcing an indefinite hiatus. Writing this site has always been only a hobby for me, and hobbies by definition are pastimes that are less important than other activities. I am parking the hobby because of personal and professional obligations that must take priority.

CONGRATS

Faith-and-I-are-married!!!. -- [OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM - home on R&R from Iraq]
Faith and I tied the knot yesterday in W-S, NC. Right now, I'm waiting to board a plane to Kuwait so I will post more pictures later when I reach the middle east. I know this might be a surprise to some of you but Faith is the only one I ever loved (and will ever love). I can't imagine going back to Iraq without knowing that we will be together someday.

A Love Undeniably Divine -- [Tyler Hernandez - home from Iraq]
...My whole year in Iraq I was forced to turn to the Lord as I was stripped of many meaningful and intimate connections. In my loneliness, I prayed for God to bring me a woman I could love and that I could give my “everything” to. Although, in the humility that was given to me by the Lord, I had come to terms with the fact that it might be God’s plan for me to live life as a single man.
...So, you might ask, “What’s next?” I guess it might be a good thing for me and Natalie to get engaged before we get married. No worries as this will happen sometime sooner than later on a date that I have decided and she has yet to know about.

IN MEMORY OF...

Drifter 5 still on the net -- [Team Med-fah - in Iraq]
...Sgt Dunlap was a great Marine. Outgoing, gregarious, would give a fellow Marine the shirt off his back. He was a Marine reservist like so many of us, a crash/fire/rescue medic, I believe, from California. He was a little older (who of us isn’t), unmarried, and our sister team’s duty weapons expert. Our teams were separated when we got into country, they going to Mosul while we went to Habbaniyah.