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

"Why you sad, American soldier?" -- [via Soldiers' Angels Germany]
...As I lifted the tiny blankets, I became numb; ...disfigured and their bodies broken and mangled. I could not believe what I was looking at.
There was no semblance or the perception of a rough American soldier. I dropped to my knees and started to cry uncontrollably. All of the men, Iraqi Army and police, doctors and nurses all stopped to look at me
One of the [Iraqi] men came to me and said, in a voice totally filled with compassion and caring, "Why you sad, American soldier?"
They said it is a sad day in Iraq when an American soldier will fall on his knees and cry for children that are not American, but our own doctors will not come to help.

Practice Makes Perfect -- [GunnNutt - Semper Gratus! ]
The following is from an MP in Iraq. Minor spelling and syntax changes were made to the original
Oh, funny story for you and for you to share…the other day (we work nights so we were just waking up) we heard this BOOM….which well here is not unusual. It sounded close but we knew everyone here was in the wire. We found out later that 2 insurgents blew themselves up….get this…you ready… PRACTICING with their Suicide Vehicle Borne IED (SVBIED) !!!!!!!!!

RUBS #2 (Raw, Unedited and Barely Spell-checked) -- [Michael Yon - in Iraq]
This is the second installment of RUBS, a new way of posting information on the fly and overcoming obstacles to reporting that arc into the Iraq work space with uncanny timing and targeting. With no photos, and barely time for spell checks, RUBS streams at the speed of consciousness.

After Action Report -- [General Barry R McCaffrey (Ret) - in Iraq - via Michael Yons site]
General Barry McCaffrey (Ret) has just released a report of his Iraq trip and it is also published on the website. All his trip reports are excellent resources for helping one understand the true situation here in Iraq. The man is blunt, and knows his business.

Seeing a "Fiasco" in McCaffrey's Report -- [Weekly Standard Blog]
Retired General Barry McCaffrey visited Iraq earlier this month to meet with senior commanders and to get a better sense of the situation on the ground. McCaffrey was hardly a proponent of the president's new strategy, and in January went so far as to call the surge a "fool's errand" in testimony to the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, but McCaffrey's after action report explicitly endorses that strategy.

WaPo Accentuates the Negative in McCaffrey Iraq Report -- [NewsBusters]
As an NBC military affairs analyst, retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey is a familar face to many Americans. McCaffrey also serves as an adjunct professor at West Point, and in that capacity recently wrote an eight-page paper on the situation in Iraq based on a recent visit there.
In today's Washington Post, there appears an article by Thomas Ricks, WaPo's Pentagon correspondent, reporting on the McCaffrey paper. While Ricks does discuss some of McCaffrey's more optimistic findings, he emphasizes the negative while ignoring a number of the general's positive observations. Ricks' headline sets the tone: ...

Advising Indigenous Forces -- [Captain Ryan T. Kranc - SWJ]
As the Long War continues, reaching its tactical, operational, and strategic objectives requires training and advising the security forces of Iraq and Afghanistan to take control of their country from insurgents, sectarian violence, and lawlessness. General George Casey said in September 2005 that "The sooner we can shift [to Iraqi security forces] the better. A smaller U.S. footprint, that is allowed to decline gradually as Iraqi forces get stronger, actually helps us." The November 2005 National Security Council publication, The National Strategy for Victory in Iraq emphasized that point, quantifying victory in Iraq according to three distinct time metrics:
In the short term:...

Longer Surge Could Force Iraq Extensions -- [Defense News]
More troops could be extended in Iraq, and stateside units deployed sooner than expected, if the current “surge” of troops lasts beyond the summer — something the top U.S. commander in Iraq has already said he expects to happen.

U.S. Marines Launch Mortars In Fallujah Marked as: Mature

U.S. Marines launch mortars on Insurgents in Fallujah, Iraq.

AQ's Leadership Struggle -- [Defense Tech]
Here’s the latest passdown from the intel analysts over at Stratfor on the power plays going on in al Qaeda’s leadership. It’s interesting to note the analysis comes on the heels of our last post describing the stalemate in Iraq and other fronts in the GWOT as “spoiling” attacks.

New Hope for 5 Hostages? -- [Jawa Report]
These are the 5 contractors employed by Crescent Security Group who were kidnapped near Basra in November 2006, as seen in a hostage video released in January of this year. There has been no word on them since. But now there is new hope that their ordeal may be ending soon.

Short film of Zach Pentek, 1/506th, rated best Combat Video of 2006! -- [Michael Fumento]
An interview from an observation post in Ramadi with Sgt. Zach Pentek by Ritterby has been voted the best Combat Video of 2006 by the military. Although I wrote two articles about my embeds with 1/506th of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), part of Task Force Currahee, Zach's platoon in A Co. will always have a special place in my heart because we were all together in the manic dash I dubbed "the Ramadi Run." The video is

Al Qaeda suicide attacks: cause and effect in Tal Afar -- [The Fourth Rail]
Suicide bombings may have caused a police backlash, however the reporting is still in question
Yesterday's dual suicide strikes in Shia markets in Tal Afar appears to have been a major success for al Qaeda. The largely Shia city, which has been a model of governance and security in Iraq, had at least 63 of its citizens murdered. Al Qaeda, which has claimed responsibility for the attack, has struck at Shia civilians in the past in order to stir up sectarian violence. Yesterday's attack may have worked. While the news reports on this

Recon -- [The Calm Before The Sand - in Iraq]
Somewhere south of Baghdad, en route to As-Suwayrah, Iraq...
It's a balmy morning in southern Iraq, and I'm weighed down by sixty pounds of gear and ammo, getting ready for my first mission as part of Recon. The farmers' fields are shrouded in fog, and a hundred feet below me the countryside whips past the viewports. We're riding in a Polish Mi-8, a type of heavy transport helicopter. It's a Russian design, dating back to the Cold War, and a notable departure from the UH-60 Black Hawks that brought us down here.

Greetings from Scenic Stinking Baghdad -- [StrypGia - in Iraq]
Hello from FOB Rustamiyah, located on the banks of the Diyala River just east of Baghdad proper.
Still building our TOC from scratch, and settling in.
Got rocketed last night. That old familiar feeling. Back in Iraq alright.

More Deployment Souvenirs - Part 1 -- [Half a World Away - in Iraq]
The Stetson isn't the only accoutrement that can be earned while attached to a Cavalry unit. Another rite of passage is called a Spur Ride.
The details behind a Spur Ride vary by unit, it isn't an official Army sanctioned event so it is up to the unit to come up with something. The driving force behind the Spur Ride is unit morale, team building, and a tie back to Cav history. The 167 Cav held a spur ride on the 18th of March, and I was lucky enough to participate.

Soldiers exchange fire with insurgents in Baqubah Iraq 22/03/2007

JawBreaker 2 Delta goes to Baghdad, hilarity ensues.... -- [JawBreaker 2 Delta]
This is my first attempt at putting together a movie with pictures and video from my deployment on OIF III. The video begins with an IED that was meant for the third truck (mine) in our three truck convoy.
Before we ever left the FOB that morning, my team leader (CPT B-Rock, bald head, mustache, butt hovering over his head) got a call from a Neighborhood Council member in a village just down the road from Jisr Diyala and the Tuwaitha Nuclear Research Facility. I can't remember the name right now. The NAC member told us that some "Wahhabi's" (Iraqi slang for any badguy) had placed a bomb on the route that we had used once too often apparently. We took a back way to the meeting after we called EOD.

"Can you give me a lift to the airport?" -- [Badgers Forward - in Iraq]
... In Iraq though, getting a lift to the airport is a bit more complex.
Many of not most of us are on places where fixed wing aircraft do not land. Our options are are either to drive or do the Manhattan like thing and grab a rotary wing bird to the airport. That is what I was scheduled to do when I went on leave last month.

Sig Christenson: The danger of idle minds -- [MySA Blog - in Iraq]
Everybody's seen that old TV spot where the announcer says, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste."
But just as bad in these parts of the Sunni Triangle - or worse - is an idle mind.
...The Army is aware of the problem. Soldiers stay busy by virtue of putting in 10 to 12 hours a day. The higher the rank, by the way, the longer you work. Supervisors tend to give their soldiers one day off each week while most leaders get two days a month.
One NCO says that those 24 hours off a week gives troops time to think. I ask if time to think is bad. The answer: It makes time go slower.

AFGHANISTAN

28 Mar -- Wednesday -- [Air Force Afghanistan Mentor - in Afghanistan]
...Long story short; when you pull into a town for a meeting with the locals, everyone wants to come out and it gets crazy fast. Good SOPs for crowd control, security and trip pre-planning are a must. My team had inner cordon security and it was very hectic. I was dealing with locals, ANP (Police), ANA (Army), interpreters, my own team, language barriers, security, escort to the meeting, etc... I was plumb worn out by the end of the day. We did very well for our first major scenario and no one got lost, left behind and no one was killed.

What I work with -- [Bouhammer's Afghan Blog - in Afghanistan]
A lot of people have asked me what it is like working with the ANP (Afghan National Police) now versus the ANA. Well rather than write out a big, long blog about it I think this news story here can give you a good picture of the caliber of people I am mentoring now.
Granted these particular ANP are not the ones I mentor, but these are not far off or much different.

Afghanistan Fighting Women Marked as: Mature

For the first time in recent history, the women of Afghanistan's military are growing in numbers, and advancing in their roles as practical military soldiers. The women of Afghanistan are also gaining status and acceptance.
Under Taliban rule in Afghanistan, men abused women in the streets for simple infractions like not wearing a burka.
But there is no doubt that women here are making advances. Afghan women armed with the AK-47 assault rifle conducted their first live firing exercise this week. This historic occasion marks true progress in the Afghanistan woman's struggle to gain equality.

Winning Hearts and Minds Premiers on Blip TV -- [Fortunate Son]
Meet the men of US Army Civil Affairs in Afghanistan. Sergeants Kling, Reisz, Carrillo and Captain Corsten tell us about the Civil Affairs mission and take us into the communities of Afghanistan to see what it takes to rebuild a war-torn country...

Taliban preparing to launch BM rockets against an american post in Kunar Marked as: Mature

The rockets are cleaned with oil then sent on their way

U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Sanity for Iran from Iraq -- [Moderate Risk - in Iraq]
After accidentally visiting a living museum of revolutionary communists a few days ago, Michael Totten and I didn't know what to expect when meeting the alleged moderates also calling themselves a Komala. Michael was ready in case we were dropped into a bunch of space aliens to take pictures of livestock dissections, ask pointed questions about crop circle creation, and tactfully refuse probing. Anything was on the table.

Iran Refusing Offers to Mediate Hostage Crisis -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
Highly reliable sources report that officials in the government of a Scandinavian country have offered to mediate the Iran hostage crisis, but the offers have been refused thus far by the Iranians. Also, a well-placed journalist in Washington and a knowledgeable source in Istanbul cannot confirm press reports of a possible meeting between Turkish officials and the British hostages

Footage Of British Sailors Broadcast By Iran W/ Audio

The King Speaks -- [Strategy Page]
March 29, 2007: At the recent meeting of the Arab League, the king of Saudi Arabia got up and said out loud, what most Arabs and outsiders have known for a long time, "we have met the enemy, and they are us." Well, not exactly in those words, but close. The king bemoaned the lack of unity and cooperation in the Arab world. He could have also gotten into the corruption and lack of honesty (in journalism, or simply reporting accurately what you or your organization are doing.) But because of the corruption and lack of honesty, there was little mention of these issues.

Shoot for Fun -- [Brad's Place - in Kosovo]
I've been a bit busy the past two days. Yes, I am in what is considered a war zone, so we will be busy, but I have a desk job in an office. I'm not ashamed of that, especially on these days when we have frigid 40 knot winds whipping through the camp. That office is awful comfy at my age. Let the kids carry the heavy packs, they love that stuff.

Famine, Fear and Fizzled Nukes -- [Strategy Page]
March 29, 2007: North Korea is starving again, big time. The North Korean government has now admitted it, and says it will need at least a million tons of food in the next year, to feed its 23 million people. That's about 20 percent of total food needs. In the last few years, North Korea has been shutting down food aid programs by the UN and other foreign NGOs, largely in response to demands that distribution of food to the needy be monitored. Meanwhile, food donations to North Korea have shrunk because of mounting evidence that much of the food was diverted to the military or sold to raise cash.

WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

Iraqi ForMin Official: Al-Qaeda Using Adolescent Boys, Mentally Handicapped Kids for Suicide Ops Since 2005 -- [MEMRI Blog]
Referring to Al-Qaeda's use of children, Abd Al-Karim Al-Kanani, director of the special operations office of Iraq's Foreign Ministry, said that terror groups in Iraq had used adolescent boys and mentally handicapped children in extensive suicide operations as early as 2005.

Saudis Edging Away from the United States in Counterterror Efforts -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
Ties are seriously fraying between the Saudi royals and the Bush administration, largely because the Saudis appear to have abandoned any pretext of confronting terrorism and instead have returned full bore to the long-held tradition of co-opting or buying opponents.

Interviews with Karim al-Mejjati and Abqaiq Attacker -- [Globalterroralert.com]
(3/29/07): Al-Qaida's Committee in the Arabian Peninsula (Saudi Arabia) has recently released the first new issue of its official magazine, Sawt al-Jihad ("Voice of Jihad"), in nearly two years. Among other articles, the magazine contains lengthy interviews with Badr al-Humaydi (one of the Al-Qaida operatives who participated in last year's terrorist attack on the Abqaiq oil refinery in eastern Saudi Arabia) and Karim al-Mejjati (a.k.a. Abu Elyas al-Maghrebi), a most wanted Moroccan Al-Qaida commander who was killed in a clash with Saudi security forces in April 2005.

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

Soldiers’ Angels -- [SgtStryker]
The best time of the day for our troops stationed in Iraq is mail call. Letters from home and care packages from loved ones remind them that they haven’t been forgotten. Stationed in the desert or patrolling the streets of Baghdad, it can be too easy to feel cut off from life back home. This is especially true for the troops who don’t have someone writing them or sending them care packages. The men and women who get passed over time and again at mail call must face the danger of combat and the long, lonely days without the support of loved ones back home. One woman has made it her mission to make sure that all the men and women who serve our country know that they are appreciated.

IN MEMORY OF...

Bryan McDonough - We Won't Forget. [The Desert Excursion: a 24/7 Soldier Medic]
It's been over three months now and I still cry every time I watch this. I will never forget Bryan or any of our other soldiers for the rest of my life. No matter what you think of this war, just remember that good Men and Women are putting their lives on the line, and some pay with their life; it effects us all.

For the fallen... -- [The Zeke - in Iraq]
It doesn't hit home until it is one of your own.
He was not the first of our own on this deployment to leave us forever, but I hope he is the last.
He wasn't just another name on a list of thousands...he wasn't a number or a resource...he was a son to a proud mother and father, a brother to several sisters and brothers...a fiance' to one he loved...a fellow soldier and friend to us all. He brought a smile to our faces and was quick to laugh. I was proud to call him a fellow soldier, I was prouder still to have called him friend. My heart and deepest regrets go out to those that knew him.

WELCOME HOME

He’s HOME!! -- [Starryskye.org]
March 28, 2007 -Alan came home on Monday evening - 11pm in fact .. And Xander and I were there at the airport to greet him with our sign. I will post pictures later!

They are BACK!!!!! -- [Hooah !! ....545]
BOOTS ON THE GROUND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have waited a long time to feel the impact of those words... what a wonderful feeling!!! I am so elated!!...My babygirls feet are back on home soil, and it feels fan-damn-tastic. I havent had the joy of seeing her yet, but it wont be long now, as plans are already in the works for all the for all the families to re-unite with their soldiers. I will post pictures of our reunion ASAP... Its been a long hard 15 months, but Ive never been more proud

MILITARY

The Smallest Heroes -- [SgtStryker]
Children of service members have to bear the burden of military life just as much as their parents. With every transfer of duty station they must change schools, meet new friends, find new activities, start over. The life of a military child is not an easy one. With the fast pace of military deployments today, the challenges facing the children of our troops have multiplied. Now they must endure long deployments and cope with the absence of one of their parents for months at a time.

Wounded Soldier Re-Enlists -- [A Soldier’s Mind]
Staff Sergeant Andrew McMann wasn’t bothered by the fact that he was in the Air Force Theater Hospital in Balad, Iraq. According to him it gave him the free time he needed to re-enlist. SSG McMann didn’t mention bother mentioning the reason he was in the hospital; he’d just survived an IED explosion 48 hours before.

POLITICS

Senate OKs spending bill forcing troop pullout -- [Air Force Times]
Senate Democrats ignored a veto threat and pushed through a bill Thursday requiring President Bush to start withdrawing troops from “the civil war in Iraq,” dealing a rare, sharp rebuke to a wartime commander in chief.

Appeal For Courage

A campaign by active-duty troops asking Congress to drop plans for a withdrawal from Iraq. Lt. Jason Nichols, a 33-year-old naval projects officer who has been in Baghdad since mid-January, said the goal is to keep lawmakers focused on letting the military finish its mission in Iraq, and not prematurely declare failure...

This fight and where I go. -- [American Soldier]
...If certain people are successful at withdrawing us then I hope they can live with the fact that there will be another war. We will have to go again. However, this soldier will not. They will only cut and run when it gets rough again.
I will leave the service when I’m fixed and I will not be returning. A long vacation is in store for this soldier. One of the biggest reasons for leaving will be the people who will take resources from my fellow brothers in the war. There will be deaths due to lack of re-enforced armor, ammo, weapons, weapon attachments, etc, etc, etc. Soldiers will die and it will be on their watch.

Troop Reaction to the Democrats -- [Blackfive]
Previously, I had asked for and received a lot of email from troops around the world (but mostly in Iraq and Afghanistan) about the Democrat resolutions for retreat...especially, in the face of the surge and a new Commanding General that the Democrats unamimously approved of...

They Can’t Move On (Part 98567) -- [The Thunder Run]
...Anyway, over at The Huffington Post a thread titled “Tony Snow has Cancer” had to be shut down because so many of the tolerant left piled on and wished him all the best in his pending death that Arianna had to close the thread and remove it from view. Today R.J. Eskow writes in his post Can Americans Reconcile? With Best Wishes For Tony Snow:

Cindy Sheehan’s Crawford Peace House In Trouble -- [Sweetness & Light]
A nationally known anti-war group in Mclennan County has lost its corporate status with the state, and a former member is calling for an investigation.
Officials in the Texas State Comptroller’s office said the Crawford Peace House hasn’t handed in required paperwork in nearly a year.

THE MEDIA

Embedded Frustrations: Does the Military Know How to Win the Media War? -- [Bob Owens - NewsBusters]
March 29, 2007 - If you are a journalist or blogger who wants to embed in Iraq, good luck making it through the PAO system. As a pair of prominent bloggers tell us on the record, getting into Iraq can be all but impossible thanks to obstacles put in place by the U.S. military's Pubic Affairs Office, and once there, the PAO seems to delight in making the life of an embed a living hell.

Burns of NY Times on 'Today': 'No Limit to this Violence' if US Troops Removed -- [NewsBusters]
March 29, 2007 - 10:56 - Far be it from me to put in a plug for "Today," but I do hope Nancy Pelosi & Friends were watching this morning. Congressional Dems might be quick to dismiss what President Bush predicts would be the upshot of a date-certain pull-out from Iraq. But perhaps they would not so blithely disregard the observations of one of the most experienced and respected reporters on Iraqi matters . . . a New York Times staffer, no less.

Kitty Kelley Op-Ed Blasting Bush Family Ignores George P.'s Military Service -- [NewsBusters]
The Los Angeles Times and Harper's have a bit of egg on their faces.
The Los Angeles Times ran an op-ed by Kitty Kelley last week claiming that no one in George W. Bush's extended family -- daughters, nieces or nephews -- has served in the military since his father's service in World War II.
The Bush family's supposed lack of military service is the entire focus of the op-ed.

Don't You Dare Question His Patriotism -- [Banter in Atlanter]
It is remarkably easy to see why some people label Seyour Hersh a treasonous bastard.
Definition: treason
S: (n) treason, high treason, lese majesty (a crime that undermines the offender's government)...
...By the look of things, not much has changed with regard to Seymour Hersh's affinity for betraying his country and undermining it's government.

MILBLOGGING / BLOGGING

Just A Little While Ago, Just A Lifetime… -- [The Gun Line]
‘member when?
‘member when Neil Prakesh was penning “Armor Gedden”?
I remember that my morning routine was to hit his site, and then slide down to Castle Argghhh! to see what the happenings were. Then I’d cruise over to Lex’s to catch up on the Naval Lore of the moment

Far-Right Bloggers Invited To Iraq By The Pentagon. -- [Gun Toting Liberal]
While perusing the many Far-Right blogs that positively compliment the blogosphere (no really, this time that is not merely a disguised verbal assault; mockery will be placed aside), I came across a contribution I found to be very interesting.

Why we are going to Iraq -- [RedState]
It's time to stop criticizing war reporting, and start participating in it
Here at RedState, we have spent a great deal of time and energy debating the Iraq war and attempting to convey stories about the mission that can’t be found in the mainstream media. We've also criticized the quality of the MSM’s own reportage on events in the Middle East. We've pointed out episodes of anti-war bias, ignorance, and outright fabrications ad nauseam, all the while seeking to “correct the record” with a better reflection of events and developments as they actually are, rather than as they appear through the MSM’s anti-war, anti-Bush prism.

Bloggers: "Not Real Journalists"... -- [Blonde Sagacity]
There are two blogging issues I have been wondering about lately... The first is whether Bloggers will be given "press passes" to big events in the upcoming primaries and elections and at "press" events in general. The second is when and to what extent blogging will be able to be used on a resume...
The first question was unequivocally answered recently (at least as far as Lithuania is concerned):
"An Internet blogger in new EU member state Lithuania vowed Tuesday to fight a parliamentary decision refusing him accreditation on the grounds that he was not a legitimate journalist.

HUMOR / SATIRE

Iraq Pull-Out Bill Dumps Dems’ Image of Weakness -- [ScrappleFace]
(2007-03-29) — Democrats this week finally shed the image that they are weak on national defense when they aggressively rejected the president’s efforts to achieve so-called “victory” over Islamic terrorists in Iraq, according to a news release from NYT-PAC, a political action committee run by journalists at a leading New York newspaper

Democrat Bill Creates National Redeployment Holiday -- [ScrappleFace]
(2007-03-29) — Another little-heralded provision of the Iraq pull-out timeline bill would create a national holiday marking what Democrats said could be the “the greatest U.S. military achievement of the 21st century so far.”

Day By Day

Jump Master

What we Call the News [JibJab]

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