Dawn Patrol

Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs and other sources around the world. 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.

IRAQ

Iraqi troops complete NCO course -- [MNF-I]
MAHMUDIYAH — The Iraqi Army has historically been top-heavy, giving leadership responsibility to officers and officers alone. But the “backbone” of the U.S. Army is the noncommissioned officer corps, charged with leading and caring for the troops and their well-being, while officers plan and execute operations.

Gunmen can’t stop medical operation -- [MNF-I]
AL TARAQ — Terrorists commonly use scare tactics to disrupt the everyday lives of others; however, their tactics were unsuccessful during a recent medical operation.

Hard Landing: US Kiowa Helicopter Goes Down -- [IraqSlogger]
Two Pilots Hurt; US Military Blames Mechanical Failure, Says Not Shot Down
The U.S. military says one of its Kiowa helicopters made a hard landing north of Baghdad today, with the two pilots sustaining unspecified injuries.

US Papers Thursday: "I Was Ramadi Target" -- [Iraq Slogger]
US Still Denies Soccer Field Bomb; Iran Talks Dissected
...In a phone call, Ramadi’s Raad Sabah al-Mukeilef told the Ernesto Londoño and Naseer Mehdawi of the Post that he believes that the bomb detonated in Ramadi on Monday, killing 16 children, was intended for him. “He came in a pickup . . . Instead of coming in my street, he (detonated the charge) in a small park for children,” after being stopped at a checkpoint, the shaykh said. The US still denies that such an attack occurred, insisting that the only blast in Ramadi that day was its miscalibrated detonation of explosives that injured at least 30. “There was no second blast, and there were not 18 children killed,”

Economic Agreement Is a Buy Sign in Iraq -- [Edward Morrissey - American.com]
With most of American politics focused on the troop surge and partisan maneuverings over its implementation, another story has gotten lost: The Iraqis themselves have made important progress in a basic economic issue that has fueled the sectarian divide.

Why the Stinger Unit Was Sent to Iraq -- [Strategy Page - James Dunnigan]
As part of the effort to give all marines an opportunity to serve in Iraq, the U.S. Marine Corps is sending the 1st Stinger Battery, Marine Air Control Group 18, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. The 130 marines and sailors in this unit normally provide dozens of Stinger teams, each using shoulder fired Stinger anti-aircraft missiles to take down low-flying enemy aircraft. But since the bad guys in Iraq have no air force at all, the 1st Stinger Battery will use their rifles to help provide security around air bases in Iraq.

Iraqi Tips Lead to Bomb Factory Discovery -- [GX Online]
Gharmah, Iraq — Tips that led to the discovery of a bomb-making factory in western Iraq demonstrate that the Iraqi people are fed up with terrorists operating in their midst and stepping forward to help remove them, said military officials in Baghdad.

Iran Recruits Own Militants in Iraq To Use Weapons: Analysts -- [Defense News]
Iran has recruited its own network of Iraqi Shiite extremists to use armor-piercing weapons against U.S. and coalition forces rather than against Sunni rivals, current and former intelligence officials say.

Another front on the Sunni-Shiite war -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
I just wrote a piece for The Examiner on the aggressive proselytizing going on in the Arab world.
Here is an excerpt:
While the media focuses on the aggressive Iranian expansion in the whole Middle East, another insidious campaign is being orchestrated by Iran to control the region. Proselytizing is the new name of the game.

AFGHANISTAN

Taliban Official: Bin Laden Is Alive -- (AP)
A senior Taliban commander says Osama bin Laden is alive and in contact with leaders of Afghanistan's Taliban insurgents, according to an interview aired on British television.

CIA: Bin Laden in Pakistan establishing new camps -- [Air Force Pundit]
Brian Ross and Z. Byron Wolf, ABC News Report:In the most definitive statement in years, America's top intelligence official said Tuesday Osama bin laden is in Pakistan actively re-establishing al Qaeda training camps. The newly appointed Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell made the assertion about bin Laden and his No. 2 man, Ayman al Zawahri, in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee.Referring to Pakistan's rugged tribal area, McConnell said "to the best of our knowledge that the senior leadership, No. 1 and No. 2, are there, and they are attempting to re-establish and rebuild and to establish training camps." Until now, U.S. intelligence officials had declined to publicly identify, with such certainty, the location of bin Laden although he has long been suspected of hiding in Pakistan near the border with Afghanistan.

Move Over, Omar -- [Captain's Quarters]
The Taliban have a new commander and a new public face for their terrorism. Mullah Dadullah has become the new rock star of the jihad in Waziristan, and his emergence could portend an especially tough spring for Afghanistan and its NATO defenders:

Alive in Your Mind -- [The Sandbox - CAPT B. Tupper in Afghanistan]
This is a story about two men. Both are brave, committed soldiers. Each has a long and distinguished military record. Both are likeable, selfless, and humorous. They are the kind of guys you'd want as a neighbor, a drinking buddy, a teammate on a sports team, or a brother. Both are stubborn in their onset of middle age. It would be dishonest to say they are perfect. We all have our character flaws, and these two are no exception. But the balance sheet on their personal and moral fiber weighs heavily in their favor.
They are good men pretty much every day, all day.

One is American, and the other is Afghan.

Green card quota for Afghan translators -- (Pajhwok Afghan News)
The US Congress is likely to sanction increase in green card quota for Afghan translators, who complete at least one year with the US armed forces.
The step will make easier immigration of Afghan translators to the "Land of Opportunities" - at least for the next three years.

U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Cuban Bio-Weps a Threat to US? -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
The Miami Herald reported Wednesday that a Cuban defector who was a Cuban army colonel in charge of their military medical services for ten years has now publicly stated the Cuban government is involved in developing and stockpiling biological weapons. The defector, Roberto Ortega, claims he has now gone public because he believes the US government has not acted sufficiently on the information he previously provided in confidence.

Russia Discusses Its Coming War With America -- [Strategy Page]
March 1, 2007: Russia is preparing for war with the United States and NATO. In theory anyway, according to their new official doctrine. Russia has come up with a new military doctrine, to replace the one published in 2000. Doctrine lets military commanders know what they should be preparing for, if the nation gets involved in a war with what appears to be the most likely opponents. One thing that has not changed between 2000 and 2007 is the official bad guys; it's still America and NATO.

Gulf stands on brink of all-out war -- (The First Post)
Saudis say they’ll fight for their fellow Sunnis if the coalition forces quit Iraq, says robert fox
While the Bush administration remains locked in argument with the consiglieri of the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group about what to do in Iraq, events on the ground are now moving ahead of them.

WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

"Global War" -- [Smash]
WHAT THE SITE SAYS:
We are a jihadist news service, and provide battle bispatches, training manuals, and jihad videos to our brothers worldwide. All we want is to get Allah’s pleasure. We will write "Jihad" across our foreheads, and the stars. The angels will carry our message throughout the world.

Cartoons for Kids ... Iranian Style -- [Celestial Junk]
While the Liberal Democratic West worries about obesity in children and how much homework is too much, Iran spins out cartoons like this for their youngsters:

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

Remember Me -- [HT: Soldiers' Angels Germany]

If you watch only one video today, make it this one created by Elizabeth "Lizzie" Palmer, a 15-year-old high school sophomore from Columbus, OH.

The Kid is Alright! -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
I wanted to bring to your attention the extraordinary industry and commitment of one 12-year old whose efforts dominated all my (generous) adult helpers.
...To make this work, Sarah negotiated bulk discounts with local merchants (dad made his fortune in the sales business…it runs in the family!) and then organized a mammoth packing operation at home. (If you haven’t done something like this, you cannot imagine how big this job really is.) Sarah’s dad brought everything to me, but it took three days to transfer everything. With everything that she and my other ‘helpers’ provided, we were able to make a substantial dent in needs for three infantry companies, a cavalry troop, and a field artillery platoon. Without Sarah, we wouldn’t have made anywhere near this big an impact.

Gag Order Imposed on Wounded Veterans, reports Military Times -- [On Point]
ON Point: Soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center’s Medical Hold Unit say they have been told they will wake up at 6 a.m. every morning and have their rooms ready for inspection at 7 a.m., and that they must not speak to the media. “Some soldiers believe this is a form of punishment for the trouble soldiers caused by talking to the media,” one Medical Hold Unit soldier said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. It is unusual for soldiers to have daily inspections after Basic Training. Soldiers...

THE FRAGMENTS OF WAR -- [1016th - in Iraq]
...These are Soldiers, fighting men and women, and civilians who have stepped up to the plate, and honored their commitment to their country.
Wars are not meant to be beautiful, loved, or perfect, but Soldiers still need our beautiful country to love us in a non-perfect world. The war has already begun, so stay unified in your hearts for us, FOR UNITED WE STAND DIVIDED WE FALL. Thank You for the continual support for YOUR Soldiers.

Wal-Mart Pays Tribute to Indiana Guardsman -- [GX Online]
It’s been said, “The world needs more heroes.” When we read about acts of heroism in the newspaper, or watch the evening news report about a passer-by who dove into icy water to save a total stranger, it reassures us that in times of challenge or extreme danger, the human spirit will rise to the occasion.

MILITARY

Meet March's Hero of the Month! -- [Iraq War News]
Sharon helped her son Da'Shawn write this email to nominate his Dad:
Hi my name is Da'Shawn I am 9 years old. Me and mommy and my brothers came across this web site,and I want to nominate my daddy,Tyrone J. C------- as Hero of the month. Our daddy is the best dad in the whole wide world, He is in Iraq and He works hard but still makes alot of time to keep in touch with us to let us no he is safe.

Music Videos at War -- [Strategy Page]
March 1, 2007: One of the little publicized icons of the war on terror are the music videos made by the troops. These are basically video material taken by the troops (some of it combat actions), with the music track coming, usually, from a current pop hit. Actually, a lot of the music vids use heavy metal tracks, which have their fans, but are rarely in the top 40, or rap tracks, which often are. Before YouTube came along, these military music videos (MMVs), were passed around the Internet, first among the troops themselves, and eventually leaking out to civilians. But in the last few years, especially because of YouTube, and many other sites that host videos, MMVs have been getting a lot more exposure.

POLITICS

Democrats new "battle plan" -- [QandO]
This gets more and more interesting (and pathetic) as time passes:
House Democratic leaders are developing an anti-war proposal that wouldn't cut off money for U.S. troops in Iraq but would require President Bush to acknowledge problems with an overburdened military.
The plan could draw bipartisan support but is expected to be a tough sell to members who say they don't think it goes far enough to assuage voters angered by the four-year conflict.
An "anti-war" proposal that continues to fund the war? Make sense? And all the President has to do is "acknowledge" that the military may be overburdened to get the funds?

Kent State jihadist professor exposed — the ACLU “free speech” and “racism” arguments to come -- [Stop the ACLU ]
Should this enemy of the people be fired, how much you wanna bet the ACLU will call his treason, yes treason and sedition, “protected speech.” After all, they DEMAND that our enemies (”Muslim scholar”) from overseas to vomit their love of global butchery and hatred for America right here in America. The ACLU actually argues that our foreign enemies have a First Amendment right to be here and that we do not have the right to deny them entry! What could possibly stop the ACLU from defending this piece of subhuman detritus?

Gates, Pace Call on Congress to Fund IED Research -- [Victory Caucus]
Defense leaders yesterday called on Congress to approve a further $2.4 billion to defeat the biggest killer of Americans in the Middle East: the improvised explosive device.

THE MEDIA

WND : Public Reax to Antonella Barba's Veterans' Memorial "Performance" -- [Jawa Report]
WorldNetDaily reports that Antonella Barba's antics at the National WWII Veterans Memorial won't get her booted off the show by Fox, despite the fact that many members of the public are none too pleased with her. They sample a few opinions from around the internet, including the following:

The Real American Idol -- [Opinion Journal]
Why the New York Times buried Maj. Bruce Crandall's Medal of Honor on page 15.
Amid the mad jumble that makes the news in our time, the White House on Monday held a ceremony for a Medal of Honor recipient. His name is Bruce Crandall. Mr. Crandall is 74 now, and earned his medal as a major, flying a Huey helicopter in 1965 in the Vietnam War.

Kerry & MSM Continue To Contaminate History -- [Democracy Project]
Hardly anyone pays any serious attention to John Kerry anymore, having repeatedly demonstrated his buffoonery.
However, John Kerry is still a United States Senator, holding powerful committee positions for the Senate’s majority party...

ABC's Joy Behar: Bush Administration 'Liars' and 'Murderers' -- [NewsBusters]
Left wing inflammatory comments continue on The View. On the February 28th edition, co-host Joy Behar lashed out calling the American people "to really wake up and understand that they [the Bush administration] are liars and they are murderers."
...The ladies discussed the Bob Woodruff special, To Iraq and Back, and shifted to the policy of not filming the arrival of coffins at Dover Air Force Base.

Cracking down on the media -- [Counter Column]
According to Editor and Publisher, the military has been cracking down on news media access to military personnel:

BS Detector: The Guardian's Breathless Iraq Report -- [IraqSlogger]
A Legit Big-Time Exclusive or Unabashed Yellow Journalism?
In a sensational Thursday page one British Guardian newspaper report headlined "US commanders admit: we face a Vietnam-style collapse" in Iraq, correspondent Simon Tisdall provides this striking lede graph:

BLOGGING

"Seven words you can never say on television"... but which are said on the Internet. A lot. -- [Gateway Pundit]
Talk about potty-mouths.
The Net's not always a kid-friendly place; there is plenty of foul language out there. And of course, the blogosphere is no different.
But how different are the Rightosphere and Leftosphere when it comes to "dirty" language? Which side produces the most profanity-laced diatribes? Via Instapundit, I happened upon this interesting challenge from InstaPunk:

HUMOR / SATIRE

Jihad

Military Cut Backs -- [Natural Family Blog]
My friend Joe sent me these pictures from Iraq today: He titled the email "Military Cut Backs"

Monkey Made -- [Mil Spec Monkey]
Got in some new fun morale stuff including Basic Food Groups patches, new airborne size Infidel Tabs, and Infidel Strong silicone bracelets. Infidel Strong patches are also in the making. I'm working on a military green color comparison project for ya guys too.

McCain Declares on Letterman, Releases Top 10 List -- [ScrappleFace]
(2007-03-01) — Sen. John McCain, R-AZ, who used an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman to announce he's running for president, tonight plans to release his Top Ten list of why Republicans should nominate him to head the 2008 GOP ticket.

(Need more? The previous Dawn Patrol is here.)