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

A new oil policy. -- [Iraq the Model - Iraqis in Iraq]
While a few months ago we were hearing calls from inside the former government for giving a big role for Russian investments in Iraq's oil, now we're hearing a new and different tone; one that calls for opening the door for investments from countries that "stood with Iraq".

Tracking the Tip Line -- [Strategy Page]
May 24, 2006: In Iraq, as in all previous peacekeeping operations, order was not restored until the locals were doing most of the policing. Thus, as of the middle of May, Iraqi troops and police are involved with 80 percent of the 70 major operations (raids, cordon and search) that take place each day. Nineteen percent of these are conducted with just American or Coalition forces, and half of them involve both Iraqi and Coalition forces.

As The Front Gate Turns -- [T.F. Boggs - in Iraq]
...Another IA friend of mine is Hamid, a self-described 32-year-old happily married man, is as funny as he is hairy. One day we were joking around about suicide bombers driving up to the gate and he said in the case of a suspicious vehicle he would search it for me so that it was he that would get blown up and not I. He said that it was his job and that he would gladly do it to save my life. I reminded him that it was also my job and that if he was going to die that I wanted to be there with him. I told him we could go to Allah together and continue to be friends in heaven. He agreed and we made it final with a hug.

Thank you, Maya -- [Peace like a River]
I got the following two comments in a post I did on Captain Furat.
My son was with Captain Furat at Balad Airforce Base the day Furat left for our country. My son would volunteer at the hospital after his security duties because he is also a radiological technician. He would find Furat, wheel him outside and have a cigarette while telling Furat about me, (The young men talked about their mothers. I have a picture of Furat with my son, IVs still in Furat's arm, his smile so infectious.
... Furat told my son, "You are my brother and your mother is also My Mother."

Iraqi Government Forms; Recent Counterterrorism Ops -- [Counterterrorism Blog - Bill Roggio]
The establishment of the Iraqi government, after five long months of contentious negotiations, has dealt Zarqawi and al-Qaeda in Iraq's efforts to derail the political process. As Zarqawi stated in his 2004 letter to Osama bin Laden, once the Iraqi people begin to take control of the political and and security responsibilities, al-Qaeda's foothold in Iraq will become tenuous.

Combat Update - [ONE MARINE'S VIEW]
HUSAYBAH, Iraq – After three years without a police presence in this western Iraqi town of approximately 10,000, the community is beginning to see a fully-restored police force with the introduction of two new police stations.
With a new force of fully-trained police officers, many of whom are seasoned veterans from the previous police force, Iraqis here hope the added security forces will curb insurgent activity in the area, according to tribal sheikhs.

The Visit -- [Fire and Ice- back from Iraq]
November 16, 2005 is seared into my memory. It was a day of pitched battle, heroism and violent death.
We rose early that day and ate hurried meals of crackers and cheese, or PowerBars quickly washed down with weak lukewarm Gatorade. The night before word was passed that solid intelligence indicated a significant number of insurgents were cornered with their backs against the Euphrates River, and nowhere else to go. The blocking force, an Army National Guard Stryker unit, on the north side of river had seen to that. The Marines of 2nd Battalion 1st Marine Regiment had relentlessly...

Out of The Woodwork -- [Just Another Thunderhorse Roughneck! - in Iraq]
They came out of nowhere. I gave some candy to this kid this morning and all kinds of kids started coming out of nowhere. They were going wild! I thought, oh shit, what did I do? A few kids are ok but a crowd could be distracting.

“Bush Lied, People Died” -- [Daily Dispatch]
...One-by-one, an impressive list of Baathist insiders have testified to the persistence of Saddam’s pursuit of biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons. And their credibility has been enhanced by corroborating evidence from the recently-released archives of the Baathist regime.

AC/DC to the IZ -- [4 Mile Creek- in Iraq]
So, they have computers here in the IZ. Cool.
I caught a ride in with some CA guys. They are headed home next week, and are very happy. We listened to AC/DC all the way. Someone had figured out how to pump an IPod into the vehicle internal intercom. No one in the vehicle, except me, was over 25. That means that AC/DC had put out their first album before any of these guys were born. Probably a couple of albums. When Hiway to Hell came on, the TC asked me if I was okay with the music. I told him that I was at my first AC/DC concert when he was a baby, and that

Helos, Songwriters, and Arty -- [Green... Again - in Iraq]
...Now that I could hear what was playing on the iPod again, I continued my search. I was on a roll, and at every push of the button, the music seemed to fit: James Taylor, “Carolina in My Mind;” Led Zepplin, “Going to California;” 3 Doors Down, “Here Without You.” Unbelievable how songwriters do that. Write a song that seems to perfectly fit what’s going on in someone’s mind days, months, even years before the fact. Or is it that we just listen to the lyrics and make slight adaptations in our view of our situation to fit them? Who knows. Maybe I was just feeling a little more foolishly philosophical than usual.

When stress comes calling... -- [Doc in the Box - in Iraq]
Too much work and not enough play must have been adding up. So tonight when I walked outside of my office and saw the dead camel spider sitting on the ground. A light bulb blazed to life in my head and I swear I heard a devil giggling in my ear. I had found my outlet. The idea was a hodgepodge of blog posts about camel spiders and how I was always talking about grown Marines screaming like little girls. Tonight I will have proof!

There's A Tank In My Front Yard -- [The Babylon Blog - in Iraq]
Every now and then we here a rumble and the clanking of treads. I look out the front door and see the top of a turret and a 50 cal machine gun roll by behind our wall. The tanks are back.

Memoirs of a desk jockey -- [Midnight in Iraq - in Iraq]
It’s not often one would complain about being promoted to a higher-level position. However, in the military it’s the lower-level units (platoons, teams, etc) that actually conduct operations and most directly impact the war. Higher level commanders, while having much more responsibility, just don’t get outside the wire as often. They direct larger-scale operations and provide supervision to the units actually doing the grunt-work. This makes staff and support jobs undesirable to most Marines.

Iraq Pictures - 24 May 2006 -- [Iraq Pictures - in Iraq]
SGT Liam Vernon and his wife, SPC Naomi Rodela, were reunited in Baghdad after Rodela volunteered to stay an extra year in Iraq to be with her spouse. Pic: lLT Talon Anderson

MSM REPORTS ON IRAQ

Armed Groups Propel Iraq Toward Chaos -- (New York Times)...Dexter Filkins
...The headlong, American-backed effort to arm tens of thousands of Iraqi soldiers and officers, coupled with a failure to curb a nearly equal number of militia gunmen, has created a galaxy of armed groups, each with its own loyalty and agenda, which are accelerating the country's slide into chaos.

30 Iraqis Die In Attacks Across The Nation -- (New York Times)...Richard A. Oppel Jr.
More than 30 Iraqis died in car bombings, drive-by shootings, assassinations and other attacks on Tuesday, including 11 killed when a bomber riding a motorbike detonated his explosives at a falafel stand after dinnertime near a heavily Sunni area of northern Baghdad.

Bush Says He'll Reassess Troop Levels -- (Houston Chronicle /AP)
President Bush said Tuesday that he will make a fresh assessment of how many U.S. troops are needed in Iraq now that a new government has taken over in Baghdad.

Talks On Security Continue In Iraq, As Do Deaths -- (Los Angeles Times)...Megan K. Stack and Saif Hameed
Bombs and gunfire rattled Iraq on Tuesday, claiming more civilian lives while closed-door talks to appoint security ministers dragged through another day without resolution.

U.S. Urged To Stop Paying Iraqi Reporters -- (New York Times)...David S. Cloud
A Defense Department investigation of Pentagon-financed propaganda efforts in Iraq warns that paying Iraqi journalists to produce positive stories could damage American credibility and calls for an end to military payments to a group of Iraqi journalists in Baghdad, according to a summary of the investigation.

Iraqi Insurgent Gives Chilling Confession -- (Washington Post)...Nelson Hernandez and Naseer Nouri
An alleged agent of the group al-Qaeda in Iraq told a chilling story of hijacking, kidnapping and murder in the name of holy war Tuesday, a day after the Jordanian government announced his arrest in an operation carried out in Iraq.

Mutilated and killed, Iraqi boy is sectarian victim -- (Rueters)
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Baghdad's sectarian hit squads don't spare the young.
The family of 12-year-old Hani Saadoun has been traumatized by that reality since his tortured body, mutilated by electric drills, was found on Tuesday. They had been in a state of fear since he failed to return home for lunch a day earlier

AFGHANISTAN

Hiatus Corpus -- [Michael Yon]
Tooling around Urozgan in an unarmored Land Cruiser without guards makes thoughts of going home and becoming a farmer appealing. Earlier that day, when we’d visited a Provincial Reconstruction Team in Tarin Kot, a US Army lieutenant colonel mentioned there was intelligence that the enemy was trying to kidnap some foreign contractors. We didn’t need the CIA to tell us we were fair game, but the Army suspecting we might actually be the targets raised the concern meter. The military part of my mind suspected even that base could be overrun.

Taliban Offensive Shot to Pieces -- [Strategy Page]
May 24, 2006: The last two weeks have seen an ambitious Taliban offensive shot to pieces. As many as a thousand Taliban gunmen, in half a dozen different groups, have passed over the Pakistani border, or been gathered within Afghanistan, and sent off to try and take control of remote villages and districts. The offensive was a major failure, with nearly half the Taliban getting killed, wounded or captured. Afghan and Coalition casualties were much less, although you wouldn't know that from the mass media reports (which made it all look like a Taliban victory).

Afghanistan, Embed Updates -- [Counterterrorism Blog - Bill Roggio]
...Coalition forces continue to maintain the offensive against the Taliban in Southeast Afghanistan. A joint task force of Afghan and Coalition security forces encountered "organized armed opposition" from the Taliban during a joint operation near the town of Azizi in Uruzgan province. Twenty Taliban were confirmed killed, with up to 80 suspected killed after a combined ground and air assault on Taliban positions. This would put the number of Taliban killed in action over the past week between 220 to 280. In a separate raid, Mullah Mohibullah, the Taliban commander for Helmand province, was captured in a bazaar in Uruzgan province.

Leaving the Hotbox -- [AfghaniDan - in Afghanistan]
And now, a quick recap of my final days in Jalalabad Airfield before bouncing from there to Bagram to my previous station, FOB Salerno in Khost. What's old is new again for the AfghaniDan...

MSM REPORTS ON AFGHANISTAN

Karzai Orders Investigation Of U.S. Attack -- (New York Times)...Carlotta Gall
President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan ordered his security forces to investigate the American aerial bombardment of a village that killed at least 16 civilians, officials said Tuesday.

UK Faces Deadline To Halt Taliban -- (London Financial Times)...Rachel Morarjee
..."This year we need to be seen to be making a difference. It is a real danger that, if people do not feel safer in a year's time, we may lose their consent," Brigadier Ed Butler, the commander of British forces in Afghanistan, told the Financial Times.

U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

The real scoop on Katrina -- [Austin Bay]
In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina I recorded a commentary for NPR’s Morning Edition that assessed the National Guard’s rapid response effort. I contended only the US could respond as quickly and successfully to the destruction of a major city. That commentary drew loads of flak.

Elsewhere in Lebanon -- [Michael Totten]
Lebanon is the closest thing I have to a second home. It is the only country other than the United States where I’ve ever lived. It’s nice to be home in Oregon, but sometimes I’m homesick for Lebanon too.
Here are 32 photos of a country that (unnecessarily) frightens some of my fellow Americans, but is actually perfect for tourists.

Iran 'Reaches Out' With Shahab-3 Missile Launch -- [ThreatsWatch - Steve Schippert]
Iran Renews Call for Direct US Talks, Launches a Shahab-3 Missile Test as EU Set to Offer Nuclear Plants
With the backdrop of Israeli prime Minister Olmert’s visit to Washington and meeting with president Bush, Iran test-fired a Shahab-3 missile. The Shahab-3 is believed to have a maximum range of between 1,000 and 1,350 miles and capable of delivering a first-generation nuclear warhead with Tel Aviv within range.

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

Iran's president: U.S. will fail to provoke ethnic differences -- (USA Today)
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's president accused the United States and its allies on Wednesday of "hatching plots" to provoke ethnic tensions and destabilize Iran, a day after the government closed a state-run newspaper for publishing a cartoon that sparked riots by ethnic Azeris

Chinese Threat Is Expanding, Pentagon Says -- (Los Angeles Times)...Julian E. Barnes
A Pentagon report on Chinese military modernization issued Tuesday reveals growing American concern over China's ability not only to threaten Taiwan, but also to throw its power around throughout East Asia and confront other U.S. allies.

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

PGR to Lead Indy 500 Parade -- [Soldiers' Angels New York]
The Governor of Indiana has personally invited the Patriot Guard Riders to escort him in leading off the Indy 500 parade on Saturday, May 27. Twelve PGR members will ride along with Governor Mitch Daniels.
Thank you, Gov. Daniels, for your support of our mission, and for this honor you give us, which is only an extension of the respect you have for our military.

A Day in the Life of a Hero -- [The Gunn Nutt]
PFC Joshua Sparling represents all that is good and honorable in the U.S. Military. To say that he's been through the "wringer" is an understatement and he still has a long, hard road to travel before he can get back on his chosen path. Josh has survived the worst that terrorists in Iraq and anti-American scumbags here could throw at him without losing his amazingly generous nature and love for his brothers-in-arms.

MILITARY

Now There's A Choice: Bullets or Laser? -- [Strategy Page]
May 24, 2006: American troops in Iraq are being issued another "non-lethal" weapon. This one is an 11 inch attachment to their assault rifles, that projects laser light that can "dazzle," or temporarily blind and disorient, whoever it is aimed at.

Captain Brad Schwanz responds regarding his lawsuit to leave the service -- [The Will to Exist - in Iraq]
I recently wrote about Army Captain Brad Schwanz, who has sued to get out of the Army Reserve.
Well, he wrote me an e-mail:

Kosovodad: Proud to be a Soldier -- [Kosovodad]
...One of the obstacles to integrated strategic communications-from the public affairs standpoint-is getting the communications plans successfully integrated into the operational plans. If you're a PAO, you have had this happen: your higher headquarters in the public affairs chain will often call and say "hey, it'd be great if your unit could try to do this project, which will really help the Army's overall communications efforts." In all fairness, it usually is a pretty good idea-from their level.

MSM REPORTS ON MILITARY

Military eyes extreme sports -- (USA Today)
Air Force recruiters seek adrenaline junkies to join special operations troops. 1 in 3 succeed in training

Military To Aid With Storm Relief -- (Washington Times)...Audrey Hudson
Federal officials are employing numerous military resources in preparation for the 2006 hurricane season, with the hope of avoiding a repeat of last year's disastrous response to Hurricane Katrina that devastated the Gulf Coast.

POLITICS

Article of the Week: Heard the Good News? -- [Truth, Life, and Political Honesty]
Things are better than you think. Yes, I know, most Americans are in a sour mood these days, convinced that the struggle in Iraq is an endless cycle of bloodshed, certain that our economy is in dismal shape, lamenting that the nation and the world are off on the wrong track.
That's what polls tell us. But if we look at some other numbers, we'll find that we are living not in the worst of times, but in something much closer to the best. ...

The Pathologic Hate Continues -- [Celestial Junk Blog - Canadian troop]
I’ve often said on these pages that Bush-hate has reached the level of a mental illness. I was reminded of it a while back while sharing drinks with a group of successful business people. It was a post trade-show relax session, and the bubbly had loosened some tongues.
“That Bush is real scary… did you see him the other day in the news?” Betty stated.

“Yeh!” replied Ted, “I don’t know how they could’ve voted him!”

“My son says that Bush would invade Canada if he could… it’s our oil they want… he even looks like a dictator… the way he walks!” ...

MSM REPORTS ON POLITICS

Cheney In Town To Rally The Troops -- (San Diego Union-Tribune)...Steve Liewer and Dani Dodge
...Yesterday morning, the vice president drew whoops of welcome from an estimated crowd of 3,200 sailors and Marines from San Diego Naval Base at 32nd Street and Camp Pendleton as he mounted a platform on the flight deck of the Bonhomme Richard. Nearly all of the troops had returned in February from a six-month cruise to the Persian Gulf. Cheney's speech heaped praise on the service members while mounting a spirited and optimistic defense of the Bush administration's war policies.

THE MEDIA

Harry Smith Shocked: Iraqis View Americans Positively & Kid Says His Name is 'Bush' -- [NewsBusters]
Harry Smith, co-host of CBS’s "The Early Show," has spent the last few days reporting from Baghdad. On Friday, he reported the security situation was such that he couldn’t go out and get ice cream. But today, he decided to look for a success story. He found one, but he proved that while he can report a bad news story without mentioning any good news, he can’t report a success story without finding negative items to talk about. Reporting from Baghdad, Harry Smith began his piece, which profiled the work of the U.S. Army 4th Infantry Division’s work in the town of Sababor, talking about the violence in Iraq: "Yeah, good morning. I'll tell you what, just an illustration of how much bad news there is here. A friend of mine here in Iraq told me the other day 'the busiest people in this town are the terrorists.'" Later, he talked of a bombing in Sababor which occurred a month ago: "It hasn't been easy. Just a month ago, a bomb here killed 15 people."

US - Left wing media wolves -- [USS Neverdock]
So, you don't think the left wing media are a bunch of wolves, just waiting to attack the Administration at the mere thought of blood? Then check out this tid bit in the Washington Post.

Bentsen Obits Point Out Shallowness of MSM -- [Jawa Report]
The death of Lloyd Bentsen emphasized the lowbrow mentality of mainstream journalists, with virtually every media outlet referring to a contrived soundbite Bentsen delivered during the 1988 Vice Presidential debate:

MILBLOGGING / BLOGGING

'Milblogs' Present Iraq War From Military Point of View -- (FOX News/ KosovoDad)
As the war in Iraq and the national debate over it continue, military-themed American bloggers have been voicing their support for U.S. troops and, in most cases, the war itself.

CONGRATS

Just droppin’ in -- [American Soldier - injured in Iraq]
...He wanted to make a garden when he got home. We have done that. It’s nothing big, just an 8 x 10 raised bed with a few rows of our favorite veggies. He loves to go check on it and water it each morning.
And the best thing of all is that we’re having another baby! We had talked alot about it while he was gone. We both thought it would take a while but it happened right away. So needless to say we were both shocked and excited. So this will bring the number up to 5! He’s looking forward to having his own little fireing team.

IN MEMORY OF...

Soldiers' Angels Mourns 3 Fallen Heroes -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
The Soldiers' Angels family lost three Heroes last week:
Spc. Ronald W. Gebur
Lance Cpl. Hatak Yuka Keyu M. Yearby
Lance Cpl. Jose S. MarinDominguez, Jr.