Dawn Patrol w/o MSM

IRAQ

Barbarism -- [One Hand Clapping - Donald Sensing]
Al Qaeda says Zarqawi’s successor personally beheaded two American soldiers
According to Maj. Gen. Abdul Aziz Muhammed-Jassim, head of operations at the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, the two American soldiers found dead last night in Yusifiyah had been tortured and “killed in a barbaric way.” Pfc. Kristian Menchaca and Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker had been tortured by their captors, according to Iraqi officials

International Outrage over US Trooper Deaths -- [Celetial Junk Blog - Canadian Troops]
As news reaches us that two US troopers were “slaughtered” by Islamo-fascist terrorists, we must brace ourselves for the inevitable Mainstream Media outrage, human rights organization fury, and overall international do-gooder annoyance. It’s going to be quite something as page after page of editorials from BBC to NYT scream headlines like, “US Troopers Denied Geneva Rights”, or, “Islamist Crime Evidence that Freedom Fighters are Just Terrorists”. Daily KOS will launch into days of angry profanity filled rage against the Islamist thugs who committed the crime, and even Al Jazeera will bemoan in giant headlines, “Islam Slandered Once Again by Islamist Extremists.”

My Opinion: When Our Soldiers Are Murdered -- [GreyEagle - Balding Eagle - husband of GreyEagle in Iraq]
I am outraged. I confess it. Politically correct or not, I have grown weary of throwing our soldiers to the political wolves in order to appease the Iraqi’s and world community. These are the same Iraqi’s who have barbarically slaughtered their own, as well as our soldiers. No, not everyone is an insurgent. But in 24 hours we had 8,000 soldiers, helicopters, aircraft, and unmanned drones searching for the soldiers, and not one Iraqi citizen seemed to know anything that could have possibly preventing their fate. In reading of the torture and brutal way our soldiers, who were taken captive, were treated, tortured and murdered, I am no longer deeply concerned about the incidents that make the headlines and making our soldiers scapegoats for very incident that occurs in Iraq.

Mr. Stokely Responds To Missing Soldiers Found -- [Thunder Run]
Thoughts by Mr. Stokely
Rueters reporting that the two abducted US Soldiers were found dead and that the head of Al Qada in Iraq is showing their throats being slit on the internet. The bodies were reportedly found near Yusufiyah – which is where Mike died. Such events are deplorable and depraved. We must hunt these dogs down and eradicate them from the face of this earth.

al Qaeda raids in Iraq continue -- [Security Watchtower]
On Monday, coalition forces launched a raid near the city of Baquba, killing 15 terrorists and detaining six others, including a high-ranking al Qaeda leader involved with the facilitation of foreign fighters into Iraq.

Iraq’s National Security Adviser: The Way Out of Iraq -- [Austin Bay]
A must-read essay by Mowaffak al-Rubaie in today’s Washington Post (another signal that the new Iraqi government will continue its post-Zarqawi political offensive).
The lede:...

Iraq: al-Rubaie lays out road map for US troop withdrawals -- [QandO Blog - McQ]
I love the fact that on page A17 of yesterday's Washington Post, this little gem lay buried:
...4 down and 9 more almost there. 13 out of 18 provinces ready or near ready for a transfer of power from coaltion to Iraqi security forces (ISF). Seems to coincide with the DoD report I cited the other day, doesn't it?
And what does that mean for US troops?

A Video of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s Wedding Celebration -- [sugiero]
A Video of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s "Wedding" Celebration in the City of Zara’a, in Jordan, on the Occasion of His Martyrdom is being distributed to password protected jihadi-sites. Apparently the video (no link available so far, only the picture below) was recorded with a cellular phone.

Haditha "Reporter" and Zarqawi Lieutenant, Related? -- [BlackFive - Froggy]
Maybe I'm wrong, but there is an interesting "coincidence" occurring that involves the Haditha "massacre" story and an Al Qaida in Iraq Lieutenant who was killed today near Youssifiyah. According to media reports, Ali al-Mashhadani is the name of the al Reuters "reporter" who broke the story to TIME Magazine that several Marines violated ROEs and killed 24 Iraqi civilians following an IED attack. Mansour Suleiman Mansour Khalifi al-Mashhadani is the name of a top terrorist leader killed today in a Coalition airstrike.

Haditha News -- [Hugh Hewitt]
Haditha Report to fault oversight, officials say
The general charged with investigating whether Marines tried to cover up the killing of 24 civilians in Haditha has completed his report, finding that Marine officers failed to ask the right questions, an official close to the investigation said Friday.
...See what I mean about the backtracking and corrections on Haditha getting lost in the mix?

The War -- [The Corner - Michael Ledeen]
Here's a story that probably won't make the evening news because of the bad news in the last graph:
...I mean, what's the point of reporting that women and children were treated well by our troops?

B36 News - 20 Jun 2006 -- [bandit.three.six - home on R&R from Iraq]
B36 News is going to be undergoing some changes while I'm on R&R. To compensate for the cool Google Earth function I'm going to be posting additional stories of success from Iraq.
Little-Known Facts of Victory...

Notes on Iraq from Retired Flag Officer Conference -- [ROFA Six]
Note: This is from a recent "Retired Flag Officer Conference " recently held at Ft. Carson. Some of the comments and observations will not be news, but some of them will be. All of it is very interesting and has been released by the author for posting. I think you will be glad you gave it a gander.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MGen Butcher has approved relaying this email. His quote "------is just too important not to pass on." Although many of us have had suspicions about the true situation this provides us with hard no spin evidence from officers who have "had their feet on the ground". Paul

The day I had to shoot the humvee… -- [Grey Eagle - in Iraq]
I think everyone will understand when I say the words, “Command Maintenance” or “Turn in” out here. Yes, I was tasked to do both….and let me tell you it was funny. First I had to go around and bribe, barter and steal to get doors put on for my two vehicles. That was fun. Luckily, I found some great guys in a shop that had no problems with helping me. As I am getting one set put on, I went back to get the second vehicle only to find out that it was dead. Yeah… dead. I just wanted to cry at that moment. I was so excited to have made all the right connections. I mean, You have to see the whole picture to know how much trouble I went to get this set up.

Insurgent attacks no match for Marines’ resolve -- [One Marine's View]
HAQLANIYAH, Iraq- In the afternoon of June 3, outside the Marines forwarding operating base located in the violent city of Haqlaniyah , three insurgents armed with automatic rifles and wearing face masks opened fire on Marines working in front of the barrier-laden base.

Satan’s Son vs. 1,000lbs of American Love -- [Justice Soldier - in Iraq]
Greetings from the far side of the world! As all of you should know by now, the Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab Al Zarqawi was killed a few days ago; after the Special Forces task force (cannot say their name) hunting him followed his “spiritual adviser” to a safe house just down the road from here.

Summer in Iraq -- [Dave's Not Here - mil. contractor in Iraq]
...To allow you to imagine what 130 feels like, imagine walking outside and having all of the moisture on your eyes dry out instantaneously. Imagine the surface of your eyes feeling like sandpaper, as you blink, because there is so little moisture that your eyelids can't move smoothly.

Shocker: Good News Makes a Difference -- [Andi's World]
The results of a new Pew Research Center survey are both heartening and depressing.
Americans are now more positive about the way things are going in Iraq than in the past few months, following the killing of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and President Bush's brief visit to the country. Optimism about the U.S. achieving its goals in Iraq, which sagged in the spring, has rebounded. But this has resulted in only a slight boost in President Bush's overall approval ratings, and last week's congressional debate failed to engage the public or improve the GOP's standing on the issue.

AFGHANISTAN

Taliban Use Children as Shields -- [Media Blog]
Ed Morrissey makes an absolutely critical point after reading news reports that the Taliban "used women and children as human shields as they tried to escape into the mountains of Afghanistan." Morrissey writes:

Kabul to Qalat -- [Counterterrorism Blog - Bill Roggio in Afghanistan]
Haji, our Afghan driver and guide. Click to view.
After arriving back in Kabul on a U.S. Air Force military C-130 transport from Kandahar, I met up with my friend Tim Lynch, the Afghanistan country manager for World Security Initiatives, a private contracting firm. WSI is located off of Jalalabad road, the main artery between Kabul and the eastern city of Jalalabad. The road is a rough ride and heavily populated with construction companies. Like most places in Afghanistan, the ride is always adventurous

The Recruit of Militia Forces in Afghanistan -- [Afghan Lord - Afghani in Afghanistan]
The Afghan Government has announced that it will recruit tribal militias to boost security in their areas. This decision has not been welcomed by most Afghans. On one hand the government carried out the disarmament program to disarm the militias, but on the other hand the government arms irresponsible people. We know that without security and peace it is impossible to make progress. In every country the security forces are organized under the formation of ministry of defense, ministry of interior, and intelligence forces and our government also has these three organizations and we don't need militia forces to ensure security for us.

Brown Sand Sailor Sees the Sights -- [Miserable Donuts]
The Miserable Donuts Naval Attache in Basra sends:
"Saladins' Fort"
Driving through southern Iraq, one comes across some odd things, like picked clean T-72s or BTs (all that's left will be the frame, the rest has been stripped off for scrap). But I thought this picturesque building (Fort? Gangster compound? Militia HQ?) pretty cool. In the picture it looks like something out of French Foreign Legion days, or Suleiman's march toward Jerusalem. As we drove by we saw men with AKs at the front gates, and they flew a green flag, so they ...

12:47 pm - Back to normal -- [Pyjama Samsara - Aid worker in Afghanistan]
As I drove from the airport to my office, I searched for evidence of the recent Kabul riots on 29 May 2006. But there were none. The streets were no quieter. People seemed no different. Kabul was its normal busy bustling self! Amputees and women with children were still begging. Fruit-sellers were still selling their bruised and blackened bananas in wooden carts.
But as I pulled into our street, there was a difference. Our organisation is no longer signposted. No longer does a proud banner say who we are and what we do. A legacy of having been attacked and looted.

US AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

NEW ORLEANS, "POLICE STATE" -- [Michelle Malkin]
I'm fascinated by the goings-on in Mayor Ray Nagin's Chocolate City. The National Guard has descended on the violence-plagued city at Nagin's request and with Gov. Kathleen Blanco's blessing. Humvee convoys rolled into the Convention Center area today

Headline: U.S. weighs shootdown of N. Korea missile -- [EagleSpeak]
The Bush administration is weighing responses to a possible North Korean missile test that include attempting to shoot it down in flight over the Pacific, defense officials told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Denials in the Horn of Africa -- [ThreatsWatch - Marvin Hutchens]
Islamist Deny Terror Ties and Ethiopia Denies Incursion
After taking control of portions of Somalia in early June, the Islamic Courts Union has continued its efforts to solidify support in the nation while inciting increased tensions between Somalia and its neighbors. The ICU has instituted its variant of Islamic courts in Mogadishu, continued to spread its span of control, denied claims of ties to international terror organizations, rejected proposed peace-keeping forces and claimed foreign incursions into Somalia.

Central Asian gas -- [Peace like a River]
At the SCO summit last week, Iran proposed a joint gas venture with Russia, but today the Russian Foreign Minister denied there was any plan to create a "gas OPEC."

TERRORISM

THE SAUDI 9/11 SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM -- [Michelle Malkin]
This is not a joke: Saudis Offered Scholarships for Aviation Courses in US.

The Irritating, Intrusive Irregulars -- [Strategy Page]
On the Internet, the battle against terrorists is often a private affair. There are several loosely organized, unofficial, anti-terrorist groups out there, as well as individuals. These irregulars stalk pro-terrorist Internet users, often feeding useful information to police and intelligence agencies, but also taking action themselves. Some of the action is of questionable legality, or definitely over the line.

MILITARY

Amazing Re-Enlistment -- [Blackfive]
Two stories of committment in a row. First, Major Walsh (previous post) and now SSG Caldwell.
...This is pretty damn amazing - file under "Where Do We Find Such Men?" I'll post the whole the story of SSG Caldwell in the Extended Section.

Iraq War May Add Stress for Past Vets -- [Outside the Beltway - James Joyner]
WaPo fronts a report that Vietnam vets have been really stressed out since the Iraq War started.
More than 30 years after their war ended, thousands of Vietnam veterans are seeking help for post-traumatic stress disorder, and experts say one reason appears to be harrowing images of combat in Iraq. Figures from the Department of Veterans Affairs show that PTSD disability-compensation cases have nearly doubled since 2000, to an all-time high of more than 260,000. The biggest bulge has come since 2003, when war started in Iraq.
...Cori Dauber notes that it’s not the war, it’s press coverage of it, that’s increasing the vets’ exposure to war stress. Blue Crab Boulevard agrees, adding, “Maybe the veterans are watching the media trying to do the same thing that was done to them 30 years ago. Maybe they are sickened by watching the media and the left trying their best to lose this war like they lost Vietnam.”

Proposed Military Pay Chart Change -- [The Stupid Shall Be Punished]
Back in March, I said that I didn't like the proposal being floated by the Defense Advisory Committee on Military Compensation to defer retirement payments until age 60 for future military retirees. (Soldier's Mom also mentioned it over at the MilBlog Ring HQ.) The committee's complete report came out earlier this month (you can download all 182 pages of the report here) and they've got a new bombshell -- changing the military pay chart from one that pays you based on "time in service" to one that uses "time in grade". It doesn't seem like that big a deal for officers (who will normally get promoted within 1 year, plus or minus, of the "standard" promotion flow point) but it could be a really big change for enlisted men and women. Overall, the proposal is revenue-neutral for all the services, but each service's total payroll would change, ranging from +0.78% for the Army, to -0.96% for the Air Force.

1LT Watada -- [Homefront Six]
1LT Watada,
I read your letter in the Honolulu Advertiser and, as a military spouse whose husband is set to deploy in the next few weeks to do the job you so conveniently have chosen not to do, I feel it is my duty to point out a few discrepancies in your arguments. I would not want you to go to trial with such a lacking defense. You might find yourself with a one way ticket to uptown Fort Leavenworth and that would be unfortunate.

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS OR NOT

The Miracle Marine -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany - MaryAnn]
"Would you like to come meet my patient?", one of the ICU nurses asked us.
Mrs. G and I were in the Landstuhl ICU restocking the hand/foot warmer shelf and bringing some thank you cards for the staff.
"Sure", we said. "What's the deal with him?"
"He was shot in the eye by a sniper. But aside from losing the eye, he's basically fine."

Results for Valour-IT -- [Soldiers' Angels New York]
Results of the Valour-IT blogburst last week, from Fuzzilicious Thinking:
Total raised: $18,265 - That's 2.5 times more than the goal!
Even better, that total does not include at least one new sponsor and six additional laptops that have been donated.
Laptops distributed since August 2005: 500.

Eidolons Out, Guidons Forward -- [Fire and Ice - combat artist]
I've set up another blog. It's called Eidolons! Since returning from Iraq postings here at Fire and Ice have been increasingly political and confrontational in nature. Someone recently emailed me with a good-natured play on my last name-they addressed me as Warrant Officer F(r)ay. I don't imagine, in light of the current political situation and approaching mid-term elections, that I will avoid passionate comments confronting what, in my humble opinion, are fifth columnists amongst us here at home. I do not suffer fools gladly, so expect further fire for effects and rounds continuing to go down range.

THE MEDIA

Media Falls for Apparent Al-Qaida Hoax Message -- [Counterterrorism Blog - Evan Kohlmann]
This morning, various media outlets began reporting that Al-Qaida had issued a statement claiming that newly designated Al-Qaida commander in Iraq Abu Hamza al-Muhajir had personally executed two U.S. soldiers kidnapped from a traffic checkpoint in Al-Yousifiya several days ago. That statement gained credibility when the U.S. military found the bodies of the two men, apparently mutilated as described in the online claim. There are two key points that must be made regarding this would-be Al-Qaida document...

They Have It All Figured Out -- [NewsBusters]
The Vice President of the Washington Post, Ben Bradlee, has the solution to the problem of MASSIVE declining newspaper circulation all figured out:

PBS’s ‘Frontline’ Airs Cheney Documentary Tonight Called ‘The Dark Side’ -- [NewsBusters]
A new documentary about Vice President Dick Cheney is set to air this evening on PBS. It’s called “The Dark Side,” and based upon a review published in today’s New York Daily News, it doesn’t appear to be very flattering.

BLOGGING

Kos - Armstrong Blogola Scandal -- [Outside the Beltway - James Joyner]
Dan Riehl has done some digging and found that myDD’s Jerome Armstrong received rather significant payments from his work as a political consultant on Jon Corzine’s successful campaign for NJ governor. While Tim Worstall has a point when he observes that, “with the amount of cash that swills through American politics, they actually look like very small sums,” they’re pretty hefty for amateur consulting services. (A recent MSNBC story has Armstrong describing his role in the Mark Warner campaign as handling “anything that deals with the Internet or technology, especially with the strategic decisions that are made early on in terms of the vendor relationships, the people we bring on.”)

POLITICS

A quick note on amnesty for insurgents and national reconciliation in Iraq -- [TigerHawk]
Via Glenn, Mickey Kaus points to a "stunningly cynical" move by Senate Democrats to discredit discussions of amnesty for insurgents in Iraq. What have the Democrats done now? They have proposed the adoption of the following resolution:

L over Dmax...or How The Dems Lost Their Lift -- [My Sandmen - Major Mike]
Open Figure 4.12...keep it handy.
Figure 4.12: Coefficients versus Angle of Attack
During my Aviation Indoctrination (AI) in Pensacola, FL, in the late fall of 1978, I was exposed to the first of the weeding out process that all potential aviators and Naval Flight Officers must get through to go on to fly Naval aircraft. This six to seven week course (as I recall) included classroom instruction centered around the topics of aerodynamics, propulsion, and air navigation. AI also included a hefty dose of PT (physical training), aviation physiology, water survival…the Navy version of water torture…and land survival.

IN MEMORY OF...

Remembering the 2,996 -- [Soldiers' Angels New York]
2,996 is a tribute to the victims of 9/11.
On September 11, 2006, 2,996 volunteer bloggers will join together for a tribute to the victims of 9/11. Each person will pay tribute to a single victim. We will honor them by remembering their lives, and not by remembering their murderers.