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 Spokesman to U.S.: “Please Don’t Leave!” -- [War is Boring]
Yesterday the Office of the Secretary of Defense hooked up me and some other bloggers with Dr. Ali Aldabbagh, spokesman for the Iraqi government, for a quick chat. The good doctor had this to say …

Exclusive: Dr. Aldabbagh Interview -- [ON Point]
On Point: Last November and December, you and most responsible members of the government of Iraq were saying that you thought that an early American withdrawal would be “a gift to the terrorists.” But just last week, former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said that he wanted the American troops out soon. Does Allawi reflect the mood of the Iraqi government?

Caldwell: Can We Just Walk Away? -- [The Tank - Steve Schippert]
From today's MNF-I operational update with Major General William Caldwell, the bulleted points are particularly noteworthy, as is the appeal for a principled approach to the heated debate over an Iraq withdrawal. The bullet points serve as a (nearly) direct transcript of Caldwell's opening statement.

It's all about the Iraqi people: Their lives, their choices, their future, and their timeline -- [Accuracy In Media]
What the troops, and the Iraqi people, appear both to want and to need is to be given the support and the resources which will allow them to establish a free and secure state which can endure without an overt American presence

TRCNAK - Our Support is Working -- [Thunder Run]
TRCNAK sends us another dispatch and provides us with some much need insight into how our support affects the troops in theatre. He writes:
"Whether you realize the full impact or not, you are doing a tremendous job for morale. We need what you provide. On a larger scale, your readers need to do what they do best. Whether it is to support the troops with mail or donating computers, or whatever it is - IT IS WORKING!!"

The Best Ambassadors -- [The Weekly Standard]
How American troops are making some unlikely friends
Baghdad - OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM saw the advent of a practice that has revolutionized modern war reporting: the embedding of journalists with frontline combat units. This practice gave the media, the American public, and the world, unprecedented access to the soldiers on the front lines, as well as to the war itself. "We were offered an irresistible opportunity: free transportation to the front line of the war, dramatic pictures, dramatic sounds, great quotes," said Tom Gjelten of NPR. "Who can pass that up?"

CNN: al-Qaeda on the verge of collapse in al-Anbar

Looking for That Civil War We are Bogged Down in -- [Outside the Wire - in Iraq]
I've been out living among the Iraqi Police. Some people would say I was living among the Jaysh al Mahdi but I don't think the police are 100% JAM, maybe 10% JAM and 90% display the usual arab work ethic which is, uh, somewhere below the French work ethic.

Iraqis Observe Moment of Silence to Mark "Mass Graves Day" -- [Gateway Pundit]
What if you had a mass grave day and no Western media noticed?
Wednesday marked the day back in 2003 when the first mass grave was uncovered Mahaweel after the US liberated Iraq.

Iraqi Special Operations Forces detain suspected terrorist leader in Basrah -- [MNF-I]
BAGHDAD – Iraqi Special Operations Forces detained the suspected leader of an alleged terrorist cell during an early morning raid May 13 in Basrah. The targeted individual is alleged to be the leader of a rogue element of the Jaysh al-Mahdi (JAM) which is involved in extensive improvised explosive device (IED) attacks in the Basrah area. ISOF also detained five other suspicious individuals in the area during the raid.

Pockets of Resistance

Life with the Iraqi Police in Karmah (northeast of Fallujah, 40 miles west of Baghdad

Transition team advances Iraqi training -- [MNF-I]
BAGHDAD — New Iraqi Soldiers trained on essential skills at the “Lions Academy” Sunday and Monday.
Members of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division Military Transition Team conducted additional training on essential skills for Iraqi Soldiers who recently graduated from basic training.

Another Chlorine Attack - Well, Maybe Not -- [Armchair Generalist]
Almost thought we had the tenth chlorine attack in Iraq today -
...But the initial reports seem to be wrong. The doctors were confused - when they saw burns on the patients, they initially thought the injuries were chemical burns. Whoops! Our bad.

Latest Attacks in the Green Zone -- [The Tank - W. Thomas Smith Jr.]
AP is reporting:
Mortar rounds hammered the U.S.-controlled Green Zone for a second day Wednesday, killing at least two people, wounding about 10 more and raising new fears for the safety of workers at the nerve center of the American mission in Iraq.
Such attacks are a media-driven, fear-inducing tactic. They have no military value beyond terror and media coverage (the hoped-for result of the terror).
The terrorists blow up mosques and places where women and children might gather in an effort to keep the sectarian fighting hot.

2 Men Dressed As Women Arrested For Missing Soldiers

2 men dressed as women were amongst those arrested as 1000's of troops look for the 3 missing US soldiers. However, the identities of the missing soldiers is proving difficult due to the extent of the injuries the 5 killed soldiers sustained...

US Drops Leaflets Offering Reward -- [Iraq Slogger]
Tipsters Could Earn 200,000 USD For Information on Missing Soldiers

Iraq Report: More on the Search, Diyala, and Battling Mahdi -- [Roggio Report]
As we noted late last night, the search for the three missing U.S. soldiers has intensified in the "Triangle of Death," the region south of Baghdad, particularly in the areas near Yusifiah and Mahmudiyah. This region "has been divided into 35 zones of which 32 have been searched," according to CNN. Two suspects involved in the assault have been captured, a battalion commander involved in the search in the region told CNN's Arwa Damon. "They do not appear to be al Qaeda members, the commander said. They told interrogators they were paid by a middle man to take part in the attack."

The Iraq Chirac -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
Now I'm a law-and-order kind of person, and I've been more than disgusted at times with our over-restrictive ROE, but part of me can't help believing it's this type of thinking that has gotten Iraq - and the entire region - into the mess they're in today.
One the other hand, things are going well in Anbar, and he is our ally.
As the old saying goes, "yeah he's an SOB, but he's our SOB."

Tasha Got Blown Up -- [Americas North Shore Journal]
Tasha Gerken, one of the twins that I interviewed last month, survived
an IED attack. Her mom forwarded to me her description of the attack.
Ashely and Tasha’s mother sends the the following from May 10:
I am OK!
Just wanted everyone to hear my story before it gets blown way out of perportion.
Yes…I did get hit with a roadside bomb (IED)
Yes…I am ok. I only have a few little cuts and bruises
Yes…

T-Wall Paintings, Baghdad

Baghdad artists have spruced up the temporary "T-walls" near the city's Abu Nuwas fish market to reflect traditional scenes of Iraqi life.

Doha's older sister, Gofran -- [Desert Flier - in Iraq]
"She just can't stop smiling! I think she's even happier than her sister." Someone says as we play around and socialize with Gofran, Doha's older sister. She has the sweetest smile and I can sense her warm disposition as she looks down with a sheepish grin and plays with the fuzz off her new pink bunny. We just can't help ourselves when the children come in, and I ran to my "stash" to bring her a few more toys.

On Air Appearance -- [Dadmanly]
The local Fox Affiliate reached out yesterday for reaction to a reported military ban on soldiers accessing You Tube and MySpace via government computers on government networks.
This morning's interview is already posted online as well.
Both Greyhawk and Blackfive have weighed in on this, with some difference of opinion.
My take-away is that,...

On the blocking of You Tube, My Space, etc, by DoD. -- [John of Argghhh!]
This is their official position. I have, um, some specific and germane knowledge regarding this action on the part of DoD. Not the decision making process on this particular topic, but regarding the underlying data that helped feed this decision. Which is all I will say about it in a non-.mil domain.
And I support it. The fact that it does inconvenience deployed warriors notwithstanding, I fully support this action by DoD in managing their networks.

Turning a Battle Into a War Crime -- [Strategy Page]
May 16, 2007: One of the dirty little secrets about recent claims of massacres is that all too often, they really are not massacres. The latest case of this now appears to be Haditha, with testimony now emerging that shows that at least eight of the 24 "victims" were armed terrorists. If so, Haditha would have more in common with the 2002 battle of Jenin (also claimed to be a massacre) than it does with My Lai.

Justice for Haditha Marines? -- [PrairiePundit]
The Belmont Club discusses the changing nature of the evidence in the case.
The Strategy Page discusses the possibility that the "Haditha Massacre" may turn out to be a battle with a lot of civilian casualties. "With testimony now emerging that shows that at least eight of the 24 'victims' were armed terrorists ... Haditha would have more in common with the 2002 battle of Jenin (also claimed to be a massacre) than it does with My Lai."
...I think he is talking about the political consequences and not the military consequences. Militarily the consequences for troops who hesitate when fighting an enemy that camouflages himself as a civilian and uses civilian shields can be his units destruction. Even after the fact, it is not easy to sift the facts as this story demonstrates.

AFGHANISTAN

Afstan: Bad news, good news -- [The Torch]
1) Bad news: dissension (with some reason) within NATO:
U.S.-led troops in Afghanistan need to change tactics to limit civilian casualties and prevent a backlash from locals, Germany's defense minister said Monday, reflecting European unease about reports of high death tolls in incidents involving American units.

Week 17--The Summer Heats Up -- [Richard's Deployment to Afghanistan - in Afghanistan]
Well, the summer is definately heating up here in Khowst Province, Afghanistan. Our temperatures have been in the 90's, except when the thunderstorms roll through.
We had a big thunderstorm with lightening and hail last week. The hospital survived without any major damage, but a few Soldiers received minor scratches from grape-sized hailstones.

U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Another Hostage in Iran -- [Michael Totten - in Iraq]
Haleh Esfandiari is the director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars in Washington, and in December of last year she traveled to Iran to visit her ailing mother. In a statement on its website, the Wilson Center explains that in late December, “on her way to the airport to catch a flight back to Washington, the taxi in which Dr. Esfandiari was riding was stopped by three masked, knife-wielding men. They took away her baggage and handbag, including her Iranian and American passports.” Her visit to a passport office four days later instigated six weeks of interrogations. Last Monday, just over a week ago, she was arrested and taken to the notorious Evin prison, where she stands accused of being a Mossad agent, a U.S. spy, and of trying to foment revolution inside Iran

WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

Hamas Mistakenly Kill Five Of Their Terrorists -- [Sweetnes & Light] HEH
From a deeply saddened Associated Press:
Hamas mistakenly kills 5 of own fighters
Hamas gunmen kill five of own fighters in ambush of Fatah jeep as Gaza seems to be sliding into an all-out civil war with 41 Palestinians killed in four days of internal fighting between the rival factions
Associated Press
Hamas gunmen mistakenly ambushed on Wednesday a jeep carrying their own fighters, killing five of them, in the bloodiest day of Palestinian infighting since violence erupted in the Gaza Strip four days ago.

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

Tim McGraw Honors Fallen -- [A Soldier's Perspective - in Iraq]
On Tuesday, May 15th, the Country Music Awards will be broadcast on CBS. For those that don't listen to country music, stay with me. Tim McGraw will be debuting a new song that he released to honor our Fallen Heroes. He is flying family members of fallen troops all expenses paid to Las Vegas where the show is being taped. The families will be standing behind Tim as he sings the song, making it that much more special.

"Supporting" the troops---or patronizing them? -- [Winds of Change - neo]
The Democrats in Congress---and the few Republicans who agree with them---who've been pushing for a troop withdrawal continue to maintain that what they're proposing is not only in the best interests of the American people, but it's in the best interests of the troops themselves.

WELCOME HOME

Oregon National Guard Returning from Afghanistan -- [Gazing at the Flag]
Welcome Home!
Nearly 100 soldiers of the Oregon Army National Guard began returning to Oregon on Monday after a yearlong tour in Afghanistan. They are among the first to return from their tour of duty of about 950 soldiers who deployed.
The soldiers, members of the 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team headquartered in Tigard, began to mobilize for training last year in February and deployed in June.
While deployed, the 41st IBCT led Joint Task Force Phoenix in the critical mission to train the Afghan National Army. Because of their skill and expertise, the unit picked up the additional responsibility of training the Afghan National Police.
This was the largest wartime deployment of Oregon National Guardsmen since World War II.

Finally, The Complete Trip -- [Afghanistan Without a Clue - home from Afghanistan]
...Jancy and Elise met me at the gate, and finally, we were reunited. Everything after that was uneventful, and soon I was home again. There I will stop, and when I feel motivated, I will write about my adjustment to home life. Rat, Drew, and Mike are all home safely now, so I’m going to have to smoke that cigar soon.

MILITARY / MILITARY LIFE

Military Recruitments Shockingly High Despite War -- [Bottom Line Up Front]
Bottom Line Up Front: U.S. troops support the war effort in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Despite the war of words over “supporting the troops” in Iraq, the troops are speaking for themselves through recruitment and retention rates, which are through the roof. The Defense Department released yesterday it’s April 2007 Recruitment and Retention figures.

The waiting room… -- [American Soldier - injured in Iraq]
...The shiny tiled floor, reminiscent of the one I stared at a little over a year ago in another land. The bright lights and the annoying sound coming from an EKG machine. My brain feeling like it’s about to expand past the threshold of my skull. The pulsating pain that seemed to heighten with every heartbeat. I lay there wondering if this was the point in which things would slowly drift off into darkness. I have accepted my mortality and last night would have been a shitty death but we don’t really have that choice now do we? I close my eyes and think of things that make me happy. Trying to ignore the pain but it only lasts a few moments. A doctor comes in the room and talks to me. I am barely coherent and he begins to spout off like the teacher from Charlie Brown. My responses are grunts and subtle nods. My wife told him that I had a Traumatic Brain Injury. He gives me some anti-nausea medicine tab and puts it under my tongue.

The VA hospital to nowhere -- [Don Suber]
The ever-reliable Mary Wade Burnside of the Times-West Virginian in Fairmont reported that six months after the West Virginia Veterans Nursing Facility in Clarksburg was dedicated, it has yet to be used by one patient.

IN MEMORY OF...

Sergeant Major Bradley Conner -- [Jack Army - in Iraq]
I wrote about memories yesterday and today I was struck in the face with more memories.
Earlier in the day, I mentioned blogger Michael Yon to someone at my FOB. Since I hadn't checked his blog in a while, I decided to take my own advice and surf on over where I discovered the picture of someone from my past, SGM Brad Conner. As I realized why I was seeing his picture online, my hands dropped into my lap and I leaned back in my chair. I lost focus for a few minutes through the tears...
Brad and I served in C Co, 2nd Bn, 10th SFG(A) in the mid-90's. He was a great guy, personally and professionally. He took his job (18D) very seriously but he was always so cheerful, friendly and helpful. I remember laughing deep, hearty, belly-busting laughs with him and there haven't been many people that I've done that with in my life.

Remembering the Lion of Fallujah - Major Doug Zembiec -- [BlackFive]
Via Seamus, Sgt Maj Bill Skiles writes this message about his former partner and commander, Doug Zembiec. It'll give you a glimpse of the man being laid to rest today:

POLITICS

67-29 -- [QandO Blog]
As far as I'm concerned that says it all. Not only couldn't Democrats muster even a slim majority (which would then have allowed them to call Republican senators obstructionists who stand in the way of the "will of the people"), they couldn't even muster 1/3 of the Democrats to vote for defunding the war through Feingold-Reid.
Yes, that's right, 2/3ds of the Senate said now. Now where I come from, that's an overwhelming defeat.

Exchange rate -- [Foriegn and Domestic - in Iraq]
From my favorite source of materiel to post on, the StarTribune, comes an article about a speech by Senator Norm Coleman on Monday at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute. But I'm not going to take issue with the article. My issue is with Sen Coleman. Keep in mind, I voted for him.
Excuse me Senator? We are in the process of putting more troops into Baghdad right now, not pulling them out. And although 'sometime in 2008' could of course refer to December 31st 2008, I don't think that's the date he had in mind. More likely he's thinking prior to November 4th, 2008. That date may have some special significance.
Now, I've said before that Sen Coleman is in a tough spot, politically speaking. He generally supports the mission in Iraq, but he also represents a state that had 2600 Guardsmen extended in country.

Islam, Democrats, and the ties that bind. -- [The Marching Camp]
I'm beginning to like Raymond Ibrahim, especially his latest. He's a research librarian and author of the 'al-Qaeda Reader', a collection of translated religious and propaganda (how do you tell the difference, with Islam?) materials. His latest essay up on VDH's website is a sort of Islam 101, the basic dissection of why folks associate Islam with violence.

THE MEDIA

War on Terror -- [NewsBusters]
Contrary to Liberal Myth, Pre-War Media Were Fierce Critics, Not Bush Lapdogs
--Liberals are engaged in an amazing display of myth-building and revisionism concerning the establishment media’s performance before the Iraq war, trying to put for the notion that the American press wasn't sufficiently skeptical. That's nonsense, as anyone who has actually looked at the coverage would know. In the months leading up to the start of the war in March 2003, the much of the media — especially ABC — portrayed the Bush administration as aggressive, impulsive, pig-headed and even blood-thirsty, while routinely doubting the credibility of their public statements.

Congressional Dems' Approval Rating Falls, Will Media Report It? -- [NewsBusters]
--We've been hearing a lot about Bush's low approval ratings, but what about the new Democratic congress? Despite the fact that they won the 2006 elections, Democrats' poll numbers are actually lower than that of President Bush.

Dr. Laura Gets Educated -- Dr. Laura, meet the MSM: -- [Fuzzilicious Thinking]
Raging radio human relations guru Laura Schlessinger, in Salt Lake City on Friday [Military Spouse Day] to speak to Army families at Fort Douglas, said she was tired of hearing the complaints of lonely and overwhelmed military wives whose husbands are deployed.
"He could come back without arms, legs or eyeballs, and you're bitching?" Schlessinger asked before taking the stage at the base theater to host her daily program on ethics, morals and values. "You're not dodging bullets, so I don't want to hear any whining - that's my message to them."
Needless to say, voluminous amounts of anger and scorn were heaped by military families on Dr. Laura for her supposed comments. Left in the dust was the fact that her son is currently a deployed paratrooper, and that even I (who is not a regular listener) know enough about her to know that her attitude for decades has been that a mature person is responsible for one's own emotions and does not lay one's own burdens on those whose burdens are greater.

Exposing the Hidden War -- [Accuracy in Media]
What is the war of ideas? Is it a byproduct of the clash of civilizations proposed by Samuel Huntington? Is it the battle for the hearts and minds of the Arab street? In The War of Ideas: Jihadism against Democracy, Dr. Walid Phares exposes a very different war of ideas waged by Jihadist groups and authoritarian Arab states to obfuscate the West's understanding of both Jihad itself as well as the core strategies utilized by the Jihadists to confront Western civilization.

Defeatists Let Down Our Guardsmen -- [Thunder Run]
Our newest expert on all thing Military in the state of Maryland, Elizabeth Marsh Cupino: give me a break! Let me get this straight a “journalist” who has never once written about our National Guard or military is now an expert on national defense because she read a single little snippet of news that stated that the state employed guards at MEMA who are also National Guardsmen are being deployed to Iraq and a contractor would have to be brought in to cover their posts.

MILBLOGGING

One. Freaking. Million -- [Iraq War Today]
At some point today, this blog will register its one millionth visitor.
Wow.
Can't believe we're going to hit a million. Thanks to all of you who stop by regularly, and those of you who just pass through.

Brass Tells Troops: Defend Freedom, But Don't Exercise It -- [Paul Rieckhoff - Huffington Post]
Bullets were pinging off our armor all over our vehicle, and you could hear multiple RPGs being fired and flying through the air and impacting all around us. All sorts of crazy insane Hollywood explosions... I've never felt fear like this. I was like, this is it, I'm going to die.

New Blog Canival -- [Dave's Not Here]
...The first time I ever went to a carnival I ended up blowing my money on the carnival games. That hazard was learned in a harsh lesson when I had no tickets later to go on the rides. The following bloggers have made an effort this week to keep new bloggers from wasting time on the carnival and using the tickets where they really count - on the rides.
Rob is blocking the attempts of the hawkers with A Comprehensive Blogging Guide.
Joshua is trying to make sure you get the most out of your blogging time at the carnival with The Top 77 Mistakes New Bloggers Make.

HUMOR / SATIRE

Day By Day

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