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

Habbaniyah in the news -- [Team Med-fah]
While we were in Ramadi, there was a big recruiting push to recruit Iraqis from the al-Anbar province into the IAs and IPs. And holy @(*&, some of them have actually completed training and are about to hit the streets. Hopefully - in-sh'allah - some of them will go to 3-2-1. Go to the link below to see pictures.

Feedback from Another General -- [Dadmanly]
Wretchard posts a must-read at The Belmont Club, passing along comprehensive extracts retired General Barry McCaffrey’s trip to Iraq last April 13-20 of this year. As I would expect, Wretchard provides excellent commentary and valuable background to McCaffrey’s assessments, with reference to a 2005 McCaffrey trip to Iraq and his conclusions and predictions then.

Top 7 Insurgent Lies -- [Midnight in Iraq - in Iraq]
All of these are 100% actual, satisfactual verbal exchanges I have witnessed....

Iraq Pictures - 04 May 2006 -- [Iraq Pictures - in Iraq]
An injured Iraqi policeman gives a “thumbs up” to his co-workers after a ceremony in which wheelchairs were presented to wounded Iraqi policemen at the Baghdad Police Directorate headquarters.

On the decision to disband the Iraqi Army, etc... -- [Counter Column]
...Why did the Iraqis not want the Iraq army as it stood at the time of defeat? Officers were political animals. we're not talking about the political minded officers of our own military, we're talking the Nazi version where officers were not promoted based on their ability to lead. They were Ba'ath officers. They routinely abused their own soldiers. They were corrupt, taking money from their own soldiers in extortion scams (all the way from high command to NCOs).
Loyalty was definitely in question. Would you really want to give politically motivated officers with social connections to Sunni/Ba'athists access to tanks, artillery and other weapons without having attempted some vetting first?

A paradigm shift for an Arab Army - at least since the Brits left the region. -- [Argghhh!]
Students at the Iraqi Military Academy Al Rustamiyah conduct drill and ceremony during the April 26 graduation ceremony. Sgt. 1st Class Rick Brown Realize it or not - this has the potential to be Revolutionary for the Iraqis. No, silly, not the D&C, this

Your Soldier- Staff Sergeant Hall -- [Sgt Hook]
Meet one of your incredible Sodliers, SSG Willie Hall of Company B, 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, currently serving in Iraq.

Still Serving -- [ROFA Six]
The caption under the photo it too terse to really relate who this guy is. Robert Howard is an Alabama boy who served five tours in Vietnam. He is the only soldier in our nation's history to be nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor three times for three separate actions within a thirteen month period. Many say he deserved it for each action, but regulations allow the medal to be awarded only once to an individual.
He received a direct appointment from Master Sergeant to 1st Lieutenant in 1969, and was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Richard M. Nixon at the White House in 1971. You can read the citation here.

MSM REPORTS ON IRAQ

Rumsfeld Not Expecting Troop Exit Too Soon -- (New York Times /AP)
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Wednesday he does not expect U.S. commanders to make a recommendation for withdrawing forces from Iraq until after the country appoints ministers of its fledgling government, perhaps by the end of May. (THIS ARTICLE APPEARS ONLINE, NOT IN THE ACTUAL NEWSPAPER.)

Iraq: Get Out Now -- (Los Angeles Times)...William E. Odom
...Two facts, however painful, must be recognized, or we will remain perilously confused in Iraq.

Decoding the McCaffrey Memo --(Slate)...Fred Kaplan
If this is the cost of victory in Iraq, is America willing to pay it?
Good news and bad news on the war in Iraq: The good news is that victory is possible, our troops are the best ever, the Iraqi army is getting bigger and better, and most Iraqi people want a pluralistic government. The bad news is that it will take 10 more years to accomplish these successes—at least three years just to get the Iraqi military into shape.
This is the prognosis of a private seven-page memo that retired Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey wrote to the heads of the social science department at West Point, where he now teaches international relations.

Suicide Attack Kills 10 Iraqis -- (AP)
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- A suicide bomber attacked a crowd of people waiting outside a heavily guarded court building in Baghdad on Thursday, killing 10 Iraqis and wounding dozens, police said....

Rumsfeld Not Expecting Troop Exit Too Soon -- (AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Wednesday he does not expect U.S. commanders to make a recommendation for withdrawing forces from Iraq until after the country appoints ministers of its fledgling government, perhaps by the end of May....

16 Police Recruits Killed In Iraq; 34 Other Bodies Found -- (New York Times)...Richard A. Oppel Jr.
More than 50 Iraqis were killed or found dead on Wednesday, as Iraqi leaders struggled to fashion a unified government that they hope can diminish the insurgency and ease violence between Sunnis and Shiites.

Japan To Go Ahead With Iraq Exit -- (Japan Times)...Kyodo News Agency
The Defense Agency chief on Monday formally told the United States that Japan will pull its troops out of Iraq when British and Australian forces withdraw, but an air unit will remain in Kuwait for logistic support, a Japanese official said.

AFGHANISTAN

Kicking off the Op... -- [AfghaniDan - in Afghanistan]
Reaching back now to tell the tale of one's experiences through a big ol' operation will take some time, so here's one installment, dating back to the first half of April, before leaving the JAF

Afghan Images.....Continued -- [Fire and Ice - combat artist]
Afghan gardener pruning roses, Jalalabad
...Surveying IED site

MSM REPORTS ON AFGHANISTAN

U.S. Commander In Afghanistan Thinks Locally -- (Washington Post)...Pamela Constable
While the world may be wondering whether U.S.-led troops will ever find Osama bin Laden, Lt. Gen. Karl W. Eikenberry has his eye on smaller, more immediate tasks.

Iran, US Share Afghan Goals -- (Christian Science Monitor)...David Montero
...Even though the US and Iran are locked in an international struggle over Iran's alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons, the long-time foes have worked together well in Afghanistan, a place where they have common ground. Pushing Iran against the wall through sanctions or war could deal a setback to the recovery here, the first battlefield in the war on terror, some observers say.

OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

An interview with Mir Azaad Khan Baloch -- [Peace like a River]
I conducted an online interview with Mir Azaad Khan Baloch, who graciously answered my questions. My questions and the answers are presented here unedited.
Mir Azaad Khan Baloch is with the Government of Balochistan in Exile, and is known there as the Secretary General.
...For those unfamiliar with Balochistan, it is a province in southwest Pakistan. It shares a border with Afghanistan and Iran, and its coast is on the Arabian Sea.

Final Showdown For Camp Humphreys -- [GI Korea - in S Korea]
UPDATE #2: Here is an Oh My News report with lot's of pictures from the front lines.
Here is a picture from the school in Daechu-ri, that is a lot of riot police:

MSM REPORTS ON OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Britain, France Introduce Iran Resolution -- (AP)
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Over Chinese and Russian opposition, Western nations circulated a U.N. Security Council resolution that would demand Iran abandon uranium enrichment or face the threat of unspecified further measures, a possible reference to sanctions. Britain and France, backed by the United States, hope to wrap up negotiations on the legally binding resolution before a meeting of foreign ministers in New York on Monday. However, diplomats acknowledged that resistance from China and Russia may prolong talks well beyond that.

Cheney rebukes Russia on democracy -- (Reuters)
VILNIUS (Reuters) - Vice President Dick Cheney accused Russia on Thursday of backsliding on democracy and urged it to stop using energy supplies for "blackmail" in one of Washington's sharpest rebukes to Moscow.

WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

MOUSSAOUI: WRONG COURT, WRONG DEBATE... -- [Counterterrorism Blog - Walid Phares]
Should we be surprised by the watershed debate following Zacarias Moussaoui’s trial ending? Not really. The jury rendering of its recommendation is not unusual throughout the American legal war with Terrorism: For the five years court struggle to try al Qaida members and other terrorists in the US legal structure hasn’t been working. After the classroom, America’s court room is too alien to the conflict. In short Moussaoui’s case is not the only one to display a systemic crisis, all other cases did and will continue to do. My take on it, as an analyst of past and future terror wars, can be simplified: The terrorists are processed in the wrong courts and our debate on this legal process is the wrong debate.

Moussaoui Verdict Shows Terrorism Planners How to Cheat Death Penalty -- [Counterterrorism Blog - Andrew Cochran]
I invite everyone to carefully review the redacted jury verdict form (Acrobat file posted on the website of the U.S. Attorney for the case). The replies to the questions provide a roadmap to future terrorism planners to kill thousands of Americans but avoid the death penalty (at least in the Eastern District of Virginia). Here's how

MSM REPORTS ON WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

Gotta Watch 'Em Every Minute -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
...Monday was spent delivering items to the hospital with Mrs. G.'s van. We brought backpacks to Maj Harvey of the National Guard Liaison office, who had just run out. When we arrived, he said to Willie, "Wow, that was quick. I just sent you an email this morning!" We all laughed becasue she hadn't received it yet of course - she wasn't home.
Then we went to the Chaplains office to deliver a supply of hand and foot warmers.
...Your support of our wounded and ill soldiers transitioning through Germany is incredible. We want you to know how much everything is appreciated by the staff and patients and how touched they are to know you care.

No Trials For Key Players -- (Los Angeles Times)...David G. Savage
Government prefers to interrogate bigger fish in terrorism cases rather than charge them

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

On Shredding the Flag -- [ROFA Six]
The Flag on the Hill tells of a flag hung on a cliff face in memory of a fallen Marine. Then one day it was gone, ripped to shreds by Americans who detest the flag, America, and their fellow Americans who choose to fight as soldiers.

MILITARY

Natick Soldier (Systems) Center -- [Sgt Hook]
The labratories at the Natick Soldier (Systems) Center in Natick, Massachusetts are responsible for researching, developing, fielding, and managing food, clothing, shelters, airdrop systems, and soldier support items. And the good folks there do an outstanding job at that.
It seems though that while trying to come up with a better battery for use on your Soldiers’ high tech combat systems, they’ve stumbled across a promising treatment for cancer.

MSM REPORTS ON MILITARY

House Committee Approves Military Bill -- (New York Times/ AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A House military bill increases by thousands the maximum number of ground troops the military can maintain -- and sends a message to the Pentagon about lawmakers' concerns of adequate force levels in wartime.

POLITICS

MSM REPORTS ON POLITICS

Kentucky man pleads guilty to bribing lawmaker -- (Washington Post/Reuters)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Kentucky businessman pleaded guilty on Wednesday to bribing Louisiana Democratic Rep. William Jefferson in an African Internet venture, the Justice Department said.
...In a statement, Jefferson denied any wrongdoing.
"I have never over all the years of my public service accepted payment from anyone for the performance of any act or duty for which I have been elected," Jefferson said.
According court records filed in the plea deal

THE MEDIA

Army Bombers, Navy Tanks, and Media Deception -- [Periscope Journal]
Experts are more numerous than hair follicles. Take the garden variety academic appearing on television to comment on military affairs. More often than not the expert has no practical experience. They know the right terms to use but seeing through the thin veneer of expertise is simpler than in years past. One reason is the internet. It’s simple to check facts.

Iraq Attack Spin Job -- [Michael Fumento.com - indp. journalist embed in Iraq]
In an article in the print edition of the April 30 Washington Post, there's a line graph based on information from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. It's entitled "Insurgent Strikes," and declares: "Insurgents continue to launch a high number of attacks on Iraqi police and army troops." Two problems. The first requires a bit of background knowledge. There are far more Iraqi police and soldiers than just six months ago much less a year or more. Further, they are more and more being used in vulnerable positions rather than being allowed to hide behind fortifications and never come out. You'd expect a lot more attacks in these circumstances. BUT then there's problem number two. While the graph naturally shows peaks and valleys, it shows a clear DECLINE in attacks from the height in January, 2005 of 160 per month to only 120 per month in March of this year. This is like the activist groups who say, "People continue to die from AIDS," but never acknowledge they're dying at a fraction of the rate as formerly. Recently I blogged on how the Washington Post reported that the media have turned against the war, assuming they were ever for it.

One sided story? -- [Dispatches from Iraq - USA journalist embed in Iraq]
BAGHDAD – As an embedded reporter, I’ve had the unique opportunity of observing my craft from a remote vantage point.
It never takes much prodding for anyone in a uniform – from grunt on up to a commander – to corner me and tell me exactly what they think of the media’s performance in Iraq. I know when I hear, "Now don’t take this personally..." that I’m likely in for a long diatribe. If there’s no visible escape route, I settle in, listen to them vent and try to understand the origin of the hostility many in the military have for my profession.

...The Defense chief said he thought it had, and that embedded journalists were able to relay "a slice of what was actually happening," a "real reality." But, "More recently, very few people had been embedded," he said. "We’re still offering that opportunity, but there have been far fewer journalists who have stepped up to become embedded."
If that’s true, it’s not from lack of trying, according to one Baghdad-based reporter.

"Embedding is a valuable way for us to see parts of Iraq that we couldn't otherwise get to because of security," said Jonathan Finer, Baghdad correspondent for The Washington Post. "And covering the U.S. military is a hugely important part of what we do here. But the military has actually made it harder for reporters to embed than it was before."
"We used to just sign up and go," Finer said. "Now they often make us send clips of previous stories and biographical information and it is not uncommon for requests to embed to be rejected if they didn't like something someone wrote."

...The allegation that negative media coverage criticisms could actually cost the war for the United States is "potentially serious," according to Michael O’Hanlon, a foreign policy analyst at Washington-based Brookings Institution.
"By their reasoning, the only way we could lose in Iraq is if our national resolve falters, and the only way that could happen is if American’s gain an unfairly pessimistic view of trends within Iraq due to the media’s fixation on violence and other bad news," he said, adding that losing the war will stem from events on the ground.
"But is morale boosting really the role of media in a free society? ...

A National Tragedy -- [4 mile Creek - in Iraq]
There are few things as hard to watch as a child, raised by abusive parents in a poisinous environment, who turns on their parents with all the hate that they have inherited. It is a tragedy for all involved. Such a scenario unfolds in the pages of the Huffington Post yesterday.
...Bush could eat a baby on live TV and all you souless apologists would say, "Now just watch how the America-hating left is going to spin this one!" -proud2bindy
After giving birth to the Angry Left through media hatred of Bush, the media are no longer angry enough for their children. It's not good enough to fake a few measly papers in order to ...

MILBLOGGING / BLOGGING

Spokesman Review... -- [The Gun Line]
Frank Sennett, of the Spokesman Review, did an article on the effect that MilBloggers have on the Blogsphere, and how we help support deployed soldiers and the folks on the home front cope with deployments, especiually combat deployments. I can't link to the actual article, but Frank keeps a Blog, with supplementary information, found here...

WELCOME HOME

WELCOME HOME PARTY FOR THE 155TH -- [Keep My Soldier Safe]
Finally, the State of Mississippi has decided to throw that party that we were promised on December 22, 2005. Our Governor told us on the 22nd that one year from when they left for Iraq (which was January 2005)that they would have the biggest party ever. Well, I guess better late than never. That date has been set for June 4th, but the time will be announced I guess at a later date. If I had to guess, they will wait until the week before the party to announce the time.

IN MEMORY OF...

“Fiddlers Green”: A Lesson Learned -- [The Online Chaplain - in Iraq]
The 108th Armor Battalion took their colors, their personnel and headed for a much deserved rest and to the normalcy of their civilian lives. In about two weeks the great state of Georgia and Alabama will greet them and they will be home, at last. Our prayers go with them.
The 108th has bequeathed to the 125 FA (Strike) a number of things. They have left us with an area of Iraq that is more secure than when they arrived. They have left us with Combat Support Center that is well cared for, comfortable, and relatively secure, and many other blessings. All these things we are aware of, but they have left us with something else. They have left us with a reminder, a reminder of the cost of war.