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

Human rights (I) -- [IBN_ALRAFIDAIN - an Iraqi in Iraq]
For me, as an Iraqi looking forward to a better future, whether the Americans intervene directly or keep a continuous pressure on the Iraqi authorities to adhere to human rights regulations, the most important thing is to maintain an atmosphere of protecting creative Iraqis. These will boost new way of thinking. One of the stark images of oppression, nowadays, is the almost daily killing of journalists.

Looking at the new government... -- [Iraq the Model - Iraqis in Iraq]
After five long months from the day we elected our representatives the government finally saw the light, though lacking two key members who hopefully will be named within a week.

Going north... -- [Murphy Around The World - in Iraq]
...There are two groups here, the killers who go out and kick in the doors making the towns safer because of their presence (Paul) and then our embedded soldiers (MiTT’s) that work and live with the Iraqi soldiers and teach them soldier skills. Both jobs are huge and both expose the Iraqi’s to all of our best traits as Americans. It also exposes us to the Iraqi’s so that we can understand what they need to do to be successful, the kinds of training they need as well as the tools.

Amir Taheri on The Real Iraq — and a look back to 2005 -- [Austin Bay]
First of all, read Amir Taheri’s essay in Commentary, The Real Iraq. I think my essay “Nervous in Baghdad” (in the July 25, 2005 issue of the Weekly Standard) will reinforce several of Mr. Taheri’s central points. Taheri has been back to Iraq since I have, but the significant, incremental, positive changes I noticed have continued. Iraq is a slow success– a messy success, but no quagmire and no disaster.

CSI: IRAQ -- [AMERICAN CITIZEN SOLDIER - in Iraq]
There exists an underreported but ever-present crossover between war and crime that has taken hold in the past year throughout the large metropolitan areas of Iraq. It may always have been a factor, but it has become even more apparent over time. A deadly mix of organized criminality and jihadist savagery has increasingly come to blur the distinctions between the acts of violent terrorists and that of common thugs.

Iraq's Defense Force -- [Celestial Junk Blog - Canadian Troop]
One common complaint by the anti-Iraq whining choir is that the United States dismantled the Iraqi Army and tried to rebuild it from scratch. Some pundits (who knows what the hell their credentials are) suggested that it would take ten years for the Iraqi Defense Force to be able to stand on its own.

Police Academy Follies -- [Counter Column]
The New York Times leads:
As chaos swept Iraq after the American invasion in 2003, the Pentagon began its effort to rebuild the Iraqi police with a mere dozen advisers. Overmatched from the start, one was sent to train a 4,000-officer unit to guard power plants and other utilities. A second to advise 500 commanders in Baghdad. Another to organize a border patrol for the entire country
Wow. That's interesting. Because of those twelve advisers in the summer of 2003, seven of them were pulled from my company alone, to work training police in Ramadi.

In and Around Ramadi -- [Wordsmith at War - in Iraq]
Today, I will venture to give you some description of my temporary home in the deserts of western Iraq — the weather, the surrounding area, and the general feel of living in Ramadi, where I have been stationed for the past 9 months.

Fear and Loathing -- [Strategy Page]
May 21, 2006: The new Iraqi government, finally assembled six months after the elections for the new parliament, finally gets to work. The long negotiations were a reminder, to both Iraqis and foreigners, that democracy isn't easy, and Iraqis don't come naturally to the give and take required to make it work. Americans in Iraq, especially those who go outside the wire to fight or aid in reconstruction, get a bit of culture shock once they see how Iraq functions in its natural state.

The Patchwork Insurgent Network Behind Recent Clashes in Ramadi -- [Counterterrorism Blog - Evan Kohlmann]
Yesterday, the U.S. military conceded that the deteriorating situation in the restive Sunni Iraqi town of Ramadi required a "significant number" of additional coalition troops to be dispatched as reinforcements. According to the military, there has been intense, nearly constant fighting in the region surrounding Ramadi since at least May 7. Interestingly, a variety of different insurgent and extremist groups are boasting of their roles in waging these "battles" in Ramadi with U.S. and Iraqi government forces--among them:

Not again! -- [Fun With Hand Grenades - in Iraq]
...And just like that it was over. After blowing through about forty or fifty rounds each the other gunner and I ceased fire, realizing that Haji was either dead, wounded or long gone. I kept my SAW on fire ready to shoot at anything that moved and I could feel my left leg shaking under my weight. Another close call with death… I was standing upright in the turret when the RPGs were fired. If one had hit my truck I would either be dead or lying in a hospital bed in Germany.

When it rains... - [Doc in the Box - in Iraq]
...This week has been a trial of bumps, bruises, cuts and broken bones. For my unit, the biggest enemy isn't insurgents, its accidents. Being in the medical field is like fishing; some weeks you don't get a bite and others you get a flood. That's what this week has been like, bike accidents, sprained ankles, chipped teeth, getting poked with sharp objects, you name it. Not one thing life threatening but the feeling is in the air. Everyone is walking around a bit softly, each injury means a small stack of paperwork about what happened, how medical fixed it and lost man hours which means someone has to take the slack.

Full moons, swimming, Insurgent dive bombers, and following mom’s orders -- [Justice Soldier - in Iraq]
...True to legend, the full moon brings out the crazys here in Iraq just as in the U.S. It was the same feeling I had as a Corrections Officer, Street Cop, and now soldier at war (well, at least a soldier in Iraq watching the real guys fight), coming in feeling the energy in the air and knowing that the forces of evil would step up their game- and they did. Their efforts failed as usual, but there was alot of activity to keep up with.
...Yeah, I am more scared of a damn pigeon than the enemy bombs we get everyday- I have determined that they are still firing with their eyes closed or something- silly little Jihadists these days….

Junkyards of War -- [Midnight in Iraq - in Iraq]
Last week I discovered the Camp Falluja junkyard. It was glorious.
...We came there with an agenda — to look for a specific piece for the turret of our HMMWV. We found it in one of the first mounds we perused. One of my marines pulled the HMMWV up to our position and lifted the heavy steel apparatus onto the bed. With our primary goal achieved, anything we could find beyond that would be icing on the cake.

Business As Usual! :) -- [Combat Medic - In Iraq]
Hello again- It's looks like the start to another warm day here in Mosul. Temperatures have been in the mid to high 90's for the last few weeks. The rainy season came to a pretty abrupt end and the summer heat is well on it's way. We have been conducting business as usual here and are doing a good job taking down big players in the insurgency game. I can't say who, or how many, but I can say that they are scraping the bottom of the barrel to get their top level leadership back up and running again.

Survived my trip -- [Across the Pond - in Iraq]
I made it back from Ramadi in one piece and with all my body parts. On a side note, I FINALLY got to fly in a Blackhawk. It is quite an experience flying in a Blackhawk compared to a Chinook or Sea Stallion. We flew real close to the ground, almost like a “map the earth” type flight. I also got to witness my first firefight from the air. It was wild watching tracer rounds whizzing around, although they weren’t anywhere near us. Besides that, the trip was relatively quiet.

What Was I Thinking? -- [A Female Soldier - Balding Eagle's spouse in Iraq]
...My story begins with not having heard from Grey Eagle over a period of time. My email went unanswered, and only a couple of quick 5 minute phone calls assured me that no physical harm had come upon her. But the lack of communication was unusual and I was slightly concerned for her stress level and emotional health.

Iraq Got Quiet and I Hadn't Noticed -- [Dave's not Here - in Iraq]
EOD has been detonating a lot of ordnance recently in an effort to eliminate explosives and equipment recovered in recent raids and other incidents. What this means is that throughout the day there are controlled detonations; some announced, some unannounced. I've been noticing that I've been flinching with these detonations when they are unannounced; noticing that they startle me once more.

MSM REPORTS ON IRAQ

The Most Dangerous Place -- (Time)...Michael Ware
On a harrowing trip inside Iraq's toughest city, TIME gets an up-close view of the U.S.'s daily battles against the insurgents. An eyewitness account reveals why the war remains as deadly as ever.

How Iraq Police Reform Became Casualty Of War -- (New York Times)...Michael Moss
...A year later, with the insurgency spreading with an unimagined ferocity, the United States military took charge of a second, broader campaign to reconstitute the police. On the ground, however, the military's plan for police units that could help restore order in Iraq would be no match for the forces tearing at the country in places like Basra and Baghdad. And along the way, it would help fuel some of those forces.

Iraqi leader vows to stop bloodshed -- (Boston Globe)
... only, despite the fact that we are going to use the maximum force in confronting ... will be able to persuade others in the religious United Iraqi Alliance to ...

Violence Tests New Cabinet -- (USA Today)...Rick Jervis
Insurgents launched a wave of attacks in the capital Sunday, killing at least 18 people and underscoring the challenges for the country's first permanent government since the fall of Saddam Hussein.

On A Violent Day, Iraq's New Leader Unveils Ideas For Tackling Security Challenges -- (New York Times)...John F. Burns
...After his first cabinet meeting, Mr. Maliki, described by American ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad on Saturday as "a very effective, hands-on, no-nonsense leader," appeared eager to distinguish his new, full-term government from the departing administration of Ibrahim al-Jaafari.

Death Shadows Life In Baghdad -- (USA Today)...Rick Jervis
For city's residents, each day is arranged to improve odds of making it to the next one.

US Troops Mop Up The Blood As Iraqi Sects Turn Violent -- (London Daily Telegraph)...Unattributed
The men of the 101st Airborne stationed in central Baghdad had been told they were coming to Iraq to help rebuild a country. Instead they find themselves reduced to the role of corpse collectors.

Iraqis Lack Faith In Leaders -- (Los Angeles Times)...Megan K. Stack
Weary from years of war and uncertainty, they see little hope government will ease nation's woes.

Who's who in Iraq's new cabinet -- (BBC News)
After five months of negotiations following December's general elections Iraq's parliament has approved a new government, including members of the main Shia, Kurd and Sunni parties.

Key profiles -- (Al Jazeera)
Brief profiles of prominent figures in Iraq's new government:

US facing irregular conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan -- (Dawn)
US forces in Iraq, locked in a war that cannot be won by military force alone, are facing a weapon that tends to favour insurgents — time.

An Iraqi Mother's Most Dreaded Mission -- (Washington Post)...Ellen Knickmeyer
...Searching for missing loved ones has become a common mission -- especially for Sunni families -- in Baghdad in recent months as sectarian violence has surged. Fahdriya and family members agreed to let a reporter accompany them for parts of their search.

How $45m secretly bought freedom of foreign hostages -- (London Times)
Documents seen by The Times show three countries paid ransoms in spite of denying it in public

AFGHANISTAN

Cambodia in '70......Western Pakistan in '06 -- [Miserable Donuts]
Fire and maneuver. Destroy the Enemy in his base. The Violence will not end until we actively pursue and end this poison allowed to fester along the Afghan/Pak border. They will go back and recruit the next class out of the madrassa mills. The media wants to depict this as out of control violence, the ANP did well and out of the 100 or so deaths 90 were Taliban.

The Inaccurate Taliban Offensive; Taliban military commander Mullah Dadullah reported captured -- [Counterterrorism Blog - Bill Roggio]
The news reports of a major Taliban offensive in southeastern Afghanistan are inaccurate, as Coalition offensives and Taliban attacks have been lumped together to give the impression of a coordinated Taliban assault in multiple provinces. A reading of the various reports indicates that while the Taliban has launched a major strike on a police station and government center in Helmand province and a small scale attack on a police patrol in Ghazni, as well as two suicide attacks against U.S. contractors in Herat and an Afghan army base in Ghazni, the fighting in Kandahar was initiated by Afghan and Coalition security forces during planned operations.

Fighting in Afghanistan, Talibanistan -- [Counterterrorism Blog - Bill Roggio]
The latest estimate of Taliban casualties during the fighting over the past few days is approaching 200, with 25 Coalition, Afghan security forces and civilians killed. The Daily Times of Pakistan reports the fighting around Kandahar City, which was initiated by two separate Coalition operations, resulted in an estimated 100 Taliban killed. The U.S. military reported up to 60 Taliban were killed in the fighting at Musa Qala, where the Afghan security forces thwarted a major Taliban assault.

MSM REPORTS ON AFGHANISTAN

AFGHANISTAN: AROUND 50 KILLED IN U.S. AIR RAIDS, REPORTS -- (AKI)
Kabul, 22 May (AKI) - Around 50 people have been killed in US military air raids in southern Afghanistan on Monday and according to witnesses, the casualties have been civilians, among them women and children. US military aircraft and helicopters conducted a night raid in the district of Panjwai in the province of Kandahar, the area which has seen violent clashes between US forces and Taliban fighters in the past few days. The US command has said that around 50 Taliban militants have been killed in the clashes but added that this could not as yet be confirmed.

Airstrike in South Afghanistan Kills 76 -- (AP)
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) - U.S.-led coalition aircraft bombed a rebel stronghold in southern Afghanistan, killing about 60 suspected Taliban militants and 16 civilians, an Afghan governor said Monday. The coalition confirmed the strike on the village of Azizi in Kandahar province late Sunday and early Monday and said about 50 militants were killed. U.S. commander Lt. Gen. Karl W. Eikenberry told The Associated Press the military was investigating whether some civilians had also died.

US Sets Up £215m Deal For Afghan Arms--From Russia -- (London Daily Telegraph)...Thomas Harding
American defence officials have secretly requested a "prodigious quantity" of ammunition from Russia to supply the Afghan army in case a Democrat president takes over in Washington and pulls out US troops.

NATO chief: Violence won’t deter Afghan mission -- (Army Times)
LISBON, Portugal — The NATO mission in Afghanistan will not be deterred by a recent surge in violence there, and opponents of nation-building will be defeated, the head of the alliance said Friday

The lessons the West won't learn -- (The Guardian)...Jason Burke
No one knows how Britain's Nato adventure in Afghanistan will turn out. Depending on who you listen to, it is one of the most dangerous policing roles of the new age of asymmetric warfare, or merely consolidates the post-9/11 achievements there of the international community. Military commanders who pick up Jason Burke's Road to Kandahar are likely to be persuaded that it is the former.

U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Tweaking Russia -- [Peace like a River]
Here is another item that could cause some tension at the G-8 summit later this summer in St. Petersburg. From Regnum:

Kim Il-sung the "Mild" dictator -- [GI Korea - in S Korea]
OhmyNews makes it sound like the former brutal dictator of North Korea, Kim Il-sung wasn't such a bad guy after all:
...I guess according to OhmyNews it is better in dictator terms to let the people suffer slowly before perishing. Here is more on the greatness of Kim Il Sung:

Workers Paradise? -- [Seaspook's Rants]
This a scene in a North Korean city. Note all the shacks clustered around apartment buildings where no one is allowed to live. This is the ultimate in Leftist utopia

MSM REPORTS ON U.S. OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

U.S. Is Proposing European Shield For Iran Missiles -- (New York Times)...Michael R. Gordon
The Bush administration is moving to establish a new antimissile site in Europe that would be designed to stop attacks by Iran against the United States and its European allies.

Political tensions must ease for oil to fall: Opec -- (India Times)
We feel that the governments of both the producing and consuming countries must do more to ease these political tensions. It is clear that prices will not fall until these anxieties abate,” said Mohammed Barkindo, of the OPEC

BALKANS: MONTENEGRO OPTS FOR INDEPENDENCE IN HISTORIC VOTE -- (AKI)
Podgorica, May 22 (AKI) - Montenegrins and Serbs woke up in two different states on Monday, after tiny Montenegro voted for independence in a record turnout of 86.3 per cent at a referendum on Sunday, a referendum marking the end of the former Yugoslavia. Montenegro was the only republic that remained in a state union with Serbia after the break up of former Yugoslav federation in 1991, but as one analyst put it “the unhappy marriage” definitely ended on Sunday.

WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

How Will State Department Personnel Changes Impact Counterterrorism Policy? -- [Counterterrorism Blog - Andrew Cochran]
Personnel selections can signal important shifts in policy and also have unforeseen impacts. Secretary of State Rice announced numerous personnel changes in personnel this week which will hopefully change recent one State Department trend in counterterrorism policy.

MSM REPORTS ON WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

Al Qaeda Agent's 9/11 Role Comes Into Focus -- (LA Times)
Ammar al-Baluchi, once considered a bit player, is alleged to have served as trainer and banker for several of the hijackers

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

Extracts from an excellent article on Basra and the British Army -- [The Cabarfeidh Pages -British Troop]
...It would be easy for them to feel forgotten. In the American hospital in Baghdad, the walls are covered in letters from the American public: 'We are so proud of you, thanks for doing such a great job.' Every soldier has been sent a freedom quilt. At the command headquarters, the boxes of home baking pile up as do, for some reason, toothbrushes.
By contrast, an RAF officer told me, without a trace of self pity, the British soldiers had to fight over a sole Valentine card.

Welcome to Canadian Angels -- [Canadian Angels - in Canada]
I started Canadian Angels because I felt there was a need for our Armed Forces to know that the people back home in Canada supported them. For years programs like this have existed in the United States, but for our brave Canadian men and women fighting in Afghanistan and stationed around the world, there has been very little.

MILITARY

Dealing With Private Intelligence Networks -- [Strategy Page]
May 21, 2006: In wartime, the U.S. Army has a tendency to let the troops improvise, and run with whatever they comes up with. This is causing some problems with those parts of the military bureaucracy that put order before effectiveness. Case in point is the battle going on between the U.S. Army intelligence "lessons learned" organizations, and the troops who are basically creating their own "lessons learned networks." The new, improvised "lessons learned" networks are faster, and to the troops, more useful, than the established ones. Because there's a war going on, the brass have not shut the troops down.

Training For 24/7 Operations -- [Strategy Page]
May 21, 2006: With several hundred thousand combat veterans, the U.S. Army is finding that some of its training customs are in need of changing. After all, it's hard to argue with combat experience. This sort of conflict is most stark at the NTC (National Training Center).

MSM REPORTS ON MILITARY

The Pizza Offensive -- (Newsweek)...Dan Ephron
Casualties were up. Recruitment was down. Then came a savvy ad campaign. How the guard got its groove back.

The Propaganda War -- (U.S. News & World Report)...Linda Robinson
Pentagon officials have just finished writing a document that they hope will help officials steer a path through contentious debates over how the military should handle communications, seen as central to the war on terrorism and, more generally, to the promotion of U.S. interests.

Harvey: Yearlong Rotations Staying Put -- (Army Times)...Gina Cavallaro
...His answer stayed the same -- the current one-year rotations are not likely to change until the violence subsides in Iraq, largely because shorter deployments would expose more soldiers to the most dangerous periods of the tours.

These Guns For Hire -- (New York Times)...Ted Koppel
There is something terribly seductive about the notion of a mercenary army. Perhaps it is the inevitable response of a market economy to a host of seemingly intractable public policy and security problems.
...So, if there are personnel shortages in the military (and with units in their second and third rotations into Iraq and Afghanistan, there are), then what's wrong with having civilian contractors? Expense is a possible issue; but a resumption of the draft would be significantly more controversial.

POLITICS

DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE WORKED TO DEFEAT NAGIN -- [Drudge]
**Exclusive**
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) secretly placed political operatives in the city of New Orleans to work against the reelection efforts of incumbent Democrat Mayor Ray Nagin, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

Video Captures Democrat Jefferson Taking $100,000 Bribe -- [Gateway Pundit]
"All these damn notes we're writing to each other as if we're talking, as if the FBI is watching."
US Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA)
To undercover FBI agents in government video
Despite his repeated claims of innocence, FBI agents have video of Jefferson taking a $100,000 bribe in $100 bills.

The value of privacy -- [The Will to Exist - in Iraq]
...Military life has given me a pretty good idea what to expect if we give government free reign over our lives in the name of “security.” If you aren’t famialiar with a “health & comfort” inspection, make a mental note now. In the military we experience them fairly regularly, depending on the type of duty status. These inspections are basically and excuse to rifle through the personal belongings of soldiers to ensure they don’t have any prohibited items.

Students Make A Stand For Their Rights, Defy ACLU And Judge’s Order To Censor -- [Stop the ACLU]
Hats off to Russell County High of ‘06! One thing is for sure, the liberals can’t say this was government endorsed. I applaud these young men and women for standing up for their rights, and setting the example for others. The ACLU filed suit on behalf of one student who felt offended that a prayer would be included in their graduation ceremony. U.S. District Judge Joseph McKinley granted a temporary restraining order sought by a student. Here is how the students responded to the attempts to censor them.

President Bush targets teeny-boppers to pay for war and burden of illegal aliens -- [The Gun Toting Liberal]
“To hail wiffem“, says President Bush. If they’re not going to sign up with the military to “pay the price of freedom” in Iraq with their blood, lives, and/or limbs; they’re DAMNED sure gonna pay the price with their wallets. The President, who, much like his father, had PLEDGED to never raise taxes, has damned sure raised the taxes on teeny-boppers between the ages of 14 and 17 who are aspiring to better themselves by attending college:

MSM REPORTS ON POLITICS

New Orleans backs mayor -- (London Daily Telegragh)
Ray Nagin, the mayor of New Orleans criticised for his reaction to Hurricane Katrina, has been re-elected in a dramatic comeback.

Disgruntled Generals' 'Whining' Is Self-Serving -- (Army Times)...Brig. Gen. Robert L. Decker, USA (Ret.)
After hearing a recent radio broadcast featuring retired Maj. Gen. John Batiste spout off ad nauseam against Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, I came away sick and saddened that once-respected generals continue to cast themselves with anti-war, anti-American scoundrels.

Edwards: Bush Worse than Nixon -- (ABC News)
2004 Vice Presidential Contender Blasts Bush and Readies to Run Aga
...In an exclusive appearance on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," the former presidential and vice presidential contender said of Bush, "He's done a variety of things -- things which are going to take us forever to recover from

Politicians Brave the Internet - With Help -- (AP)
LOL:) Look who's podcasting! No, it's not your teenager. It's your senator....

THE MEDIA

Prosecuting Reporters -- [Media Blog]
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales indicated yesterday that he will not rule out prosecution for the New York Times reporters who exposed the NSA's terrorist surveillance program

Polling by the Numbers -- [Serving the People of Iraq and Iran - in Iraq]
Some poll results vary widely by how the questions are asked, some are good indications of what the people of America think, and others are nothing more than a measurement of how well the media has been able to conceal its bias. Here's a breakdown of good and bad Iraq polling questions, and why it matters.

.....Ouch, A Response to My Op-Ed -- [Fire and Ice - back from Iraq]
Michael D. Fay's self-serving promotion of military opinion (which I consider to be subjective by its nature and the Uniform Code of Military Justice), at the expense of Larry Syverson and his alternate focus, wasn't worth all the extra ink ["Our soldiers who've been there know it: Iraq is worth fighting for," May 4].
He could have just as easily stated that America can't be fixed, and Iraq can, so it's best to spend out tax dollars over there instead.
It was also very disrespectful to speak of Mr. Syverson's three sons in Iraq without interviewing them while there and getting their unbiased opinions for his comment.
Gary T. Moore

Will Rather Leave CBS? -- [Newsbusters]
Have CBS and Dan Rather had it with each other?
In the aftermath of Memogate, Rather's relationship with his fellow CBSers completely disintegrated. Years of pent-up frustration at Rather's autocratic management style and personell control of CBS News came to an abrupt end as remnants of the old Cronkite guard and new-school suits coalesced to throw Rather from the anchor's chair and cast him as an occasional reporter on "60 Minutes."

MSM REPORTS ON MEDIA

Weak on leaks -- (LA Times)
Why prosecute two small-fry lobbyists but let the New York Times endanger national security?
LATELY, THE U.S. government has been leaking like the Titanic after it struck an iceberg. Every day seems to place a new and highly classified government secret exactly where it does not belong: before the public eye. What is the Bush administration doing about this inundation? Alas, precisely the wrong thing. Two contrasting cases tell the story.

Gonzales Says Prosecutions of Journalists Are Possible -- (NY Times)
The government has the legal authority to prosecute journalists for publishing classified information, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales said yesterday

CONGRATS

Happy Birthday JP --[Just Another Thunderhorse Roughneck! - in Iraq]
Today is my youngest son’s birthday. He’s an Armed Forces Day baby. He’ll probably grow up to be a service-member like his Daddy. Talk about Armed Forces Day, it didn’t mean we got the day off. Anyway, he turns 4 today. Boy is he growing up fast. It’s too bad I’ll miss his birthday. I wish I could be there with him.

WELCOME HOME

Murka -- [Shawn's (Highly) Motivated Life - home from Iraq]
So when I was at this bar earlier, I was sitting there thinking of all things I wanted to say to all of you, but now I got nothing. It's funny I think of this as "all of you" because a few months ago (and it feels like a lifetime really), I wrote this stuff for me. Sometimes I still do I guess, the angry things, the bitterness, the this is just overwhelming...that's for me.