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

Iraq Report: Iranian EFP Cell Taken Down -- [Roggio Report]
An Iraqi soldier during operations south of Baqubah.Iraq has seen yet another relatively quiet day, with no major suicide bombings or large scale attacks. The most serious reported incident occurred in Mussayab, south of Baghdad, where three were killed and four wounded after a suicide bomber attacked a police checkpoint. The large scale attacks appear to be coordinated and meted out over regular intervals.

Framing Iraq -- [TigerHawk]
Anyone who is not trying to gain partisan advantage should think seriously about the best Iraq policy for the United States in the coming months and years. The purpose of this post is to propose a framework for considering both the Bush administration's policy and alternative policies offered by both the right and left. Toward that end, I offer a series of minimalist assertions, delightfully free of evidence and supporting linkage. Each assertion or question is numbered; please comment below with reference to the corresponding number. (Background note: Newer readers may want to look at the most recent edition of my "victory conditions" post, published about a year ago at The Belmont Club. It includes my basic thinking about the intersection of al Qaeda and rogue states.)

Salvation Council's Tough Stance -- [Desert Flier - in Iraq]
An interesting interview took place a few days ago in Baghdad with the head of the Anbar Salvation Council, Sheik Hamid al-Hais. He eludes to the surge in police recruits over the past few months in Anbar Province, and has some hard-hitting statements about our struggle with Al Qaeda in the area. We have the local and regional sheiks aligned with us, and the results are impressive and cannot be discounted. Critical daily incidents are down significantly in the area compared to a year ago, and the emergency response units we are guiding through training on-base are the reason.

Karma, Karma, Always Karma -- [Acute Politcs - in Iraq]
We took another trip up into Karma tonight. We patrolled up through the town and cut east, out through the area in which coalition forces recently took a bite out of al-Qaeda's anti-aircraft capability. One bomb crater nearly blocked the road in one spot- another was visible a short distance off the road. We spent four or five hours heading out to our turnaround spot, with dark clouds menacing their showers over the entire trip. Rainstorms are refreshing, once in a while, but they also mean more work spent drying and cleaning ammunition and weapons.

Seven days of searching in the Triangle of Death and beyond [Updated] -- [The Fourth Rail]
A soldier from the 101st Airborne searches for enemy activity on a highway near Mahmudiyah in early May. Click to view.
Nine detained in involvement of kidnapped soldiers, General Petraeus says information exists that two of the soldiers are alive
Seven days after al Qaeda in Iraq conducted a complex attack against an Army squad patroling the region west of Mahmudiyah, which resulted in 4 soldiers and an interpreter killed and 3 soldiers kidnapped, the search continues in the Triangle of death, and beyond.

Missing Soldiers Found? -- [Flopping Aces]
MEMRI is reporting that rumors are being passed around the jihadi blogs that two of our missing soldiers have been found decapitated.
...CNN is reporting that the US military is draining canals in Baghdad due to reports of decapitated heads floating in the water: ...

One Missing Soldier's Death Announced -- [MilBlogs - Chap]
I have received this public announcement from DOD
12 May was a hell of a fight. I'm very sorry to hear we've lost Sgt. Schober, one of four men reported missing from that fight.

Air, ground units continue search for missing Soldiers -- [MNF-I]
BAGHDAD — Soldiers continue 24 hour full spectrum air and ground operations dedicated to the search and rescue of three missing Soldiers, today.
Since May 12, pilots and Soldiers from 3rd “Spearhead” Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, – a UH-60 Black Hawk battalion – have been conducting air assaults and air movements of Soldiers and cargo around the clock supporting the search for the missing Soldiers

Baghdad: Iraqi Journalists Targeted by Militants -- [Counterterrorism Blog - Daveed Gartenstein-Ross - in Iraq]
The tragic kidnapping and killing of ABC News employees Alaa Uldeen Aziz and Saif Laith Yousuf last week brought the number of journalists killed in Iraq since 2003 to 104. While I was at the Coalition Press Information Center in the International Zone yesterday, I sat down for dinner with a couple of courageous Iraqi journalists. They provided me with some context of the situation that journalists face here, and it isn't a pretty picture.

FIVE IRAQI HOSTAGES FREED -- [MNF-I]
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Five Iraqis who were held captive and tortured by terrorists were freed Monday morning during a Coalition Forces raid on the site where they were imprisoned.
Coalition Forces targeted the building northeast of Karmah during continued operations to disrupt the al-Qaeda network operating in the area. After a thorough search of the building, ground forces found a padlocked room. Inside were four men and a boy who had been kidnapped and severely beaten with chains, cables and hoses. The four captives also showed signs of torture, and the boy stated the terrorists had hooked electrical wires to his tongue and shocked him.

Iraq Pictures 19 May 2007 -- [Iraq Pictures]
Soldiers from Company B, 3rd Brigade Support Battalion hold a prayer for a safe journey before the start of a mission to 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment.

"Reflections from my time in Iraq" -- [Citizen Soldier Sojack in OIF - in Iraq]
(Editor’s Note: Carol Vols deployed as a civilian volunteer for the 402nd Army Field Support Brigade communications group at Camp -Anaconda, Balad, Iraq, from Oct. 1, 2006 to March 15, 2007. She shares her thoughts from her experience.)
-People who haven't been in a war zone don't understand. I know I didn't.
-You can't make people who haven't been in a war zone understand.
-Seeing a two year old in the hospital that was shot in the head by insurgents is as senseless here as it is when a two year old is shot in -America. The "why" doesn't matter. It's a two year old.
-Seeing soldiers in the hospital and asking them how they are doing when you can see they've been burned, lost limbs, and have shrapnel wounds seems somewhat silly. But it's important to ask.
-Watching your friend play his mandecello at the hospital for the wounded is something to sit down, smile at, and enjoy.
-The extra money you get paid really doesn't seem like that much when you're laying on the ground during an alarm red/incoming attack.
-We are at war. War is not pleasant and our soldiers and civilians will die. But you cannot continue to walk away or turn your head, or I guarantee you the war will be on American soil soon.

Awesome Military Women! - HT Citizen Soldier Sojack in OIF - in Iraq

Women are often overlooked and not recognized for their roles in the military

It's Officially HOT -- [Mission Iraq - Round 2 - in Iraq]
There was a USO concert here on Sunday by the all female rock group named Bandshe.
...Objectively, they were a talented group who sang everything from the Allman Brothers to Christine Aguilera. They chatted up a couple guys from the audience in between songs. The keyboardist on the right is a 40 something school teacher from California...said she hoped her students would take some pride in their country and serve like we are doing now. Nice touch...she is leading her students by example.
The following photo was posted on the Multi-National Corps-Iraq website. We have a few organizations on base (not sure which ones) who make their way out to the community orphanages and local communities. Yet another example of Americans opening their hearts to the locals, making a difference, and you'll never see this on CNN or the liberal news media who only want to sabotage what we do.

Geen Zone - [My Desert Adventure - in Iraq]
This is a picture of a street in the Green Zone. For a Baghdad street, it is pretty clean. All kinds of people are out and about. Of course, you have Soldiers everywhere, but also embassy employees, contractors, Iraqis, private security guards. You name it-- a total mix.

Life in the Green Zone -- [The Will to exist]
Share This Categories: Citizen Soldier and Daily Life Tags: Citizen Soldier, Daily Life.
"Green Zone" is perhaps the worst possible name for the sector of Baghdad where the U.S. and Iraqi governments hold court. It should be called the Bullseye instead. Recent reports indicate that the Green Zone is taking lots of mortar and rocket fire. That’s nothing new.
During my year in the Green Zone, I lost count of the number of mortar attacks. Sometimes, they would come while I was in the shower. One time, a mortar landed close enough to my trailer that the concussion knocked the shampoo bottle out of my hand and pushed me against the wall.

Baghdad: Behind the Increase in Mortar Attacks in the International Zone -- [Counterterrorism Blog - Daveed Gartenstein-Ross - in Iraq]
While drinking my morning coffee today in a small courtyard outside the Coalition Press Information Center in the International Zone (IZ, also sometimes known as the "green zone"), an alarm rang out. An automated voice declared, "Incoming! Incoming! Incoming!" Indeed, the increase in deadly mortar attacks in the IZ has caught the media's attention of late.
...As is often the case, the media has done a terrible job of reporting on the deteriorating security situation in the IZ -- not necessarily due to any overt bias, but because reporters have been characteristically ignorant and lazy in pursuing this story. Some basic questions that need to be asked are:

Positively Medieval -- [The Adventures of Professor Lieutenant Soule - in Iraq]
the longer i stay here, the more the medievalist in me marvels at the parallels between the current state of affairs in iraq and the dark ages of the western world. i'm staggered that no anthropologists or medievalists have tackled it yet... at least as far as i've been able to divine. now, obviously, my contact with the local populace is severely limited (despite the fact that i live in closer proximity to the iraqis than any coalition forces other than those who actually walk the streets daily), so perhaps my perceptions are skewed, but there are simply too many correlations to ignore.
first of all, the hierarchy of authority is thus: islamic sacred law (sharia) takes precedence over all, followed by the dictates of one's tribal elder,

STORMTROOPERS and THE HOTEL CALIFORNIA -- [The One Wire - in Iraq]
So, in an attempt to find some levity in generally shitty situation, I'm always on the lookout for some interesting and comical photo opportunities. In my own perverse sense of humor...these two pictures top my list, for now. The first picture was taken on one of my most recent trips to one of the oasis spots in Iraq that I frequent. Note the sarcasm in the word "oasis". This young soldier was the left-side "door-gunner" on the helicopter I was riding in. He was diligent in his observation duties when I snapped his photo.

Arabian Gulf Sunrise -- [Those Wacky Iraqis - in Iraq]
An interesting issue in this part of the world is what to call international areas like waterways. What you routinely call the Persian Gulf is called the Arabian Gulf by the Arab nations so that they are not constantly reminded that at one time they were all subjected to the boot heel of Persian domination.

AFGHANISTAN

Catching up on May, Big doings this month -- [McNeilly's Perspective - in Afghanistan]
I haven't written anything for a couple of days as we have had a VIP in our area scheduled, and I didn't want to give anything away. President Karzai came to town to talk with the elders of the area about the recent fight in Zirco Valley. I was not present for the discussion, but he addressed well over a thousand people, and he asked them if they wanted the US / ISAF forces to be withdrawn from the area. They as a group said that they did not want that. They do want schools and hospitals, which we were in the process of building prior to the fight in April. Ironically, one of the buildings that were used as a firing point was the school that we built last August to the tune of 100k. It has some cosmetic damage, but is still serviceable.

Desperate Taliban Changes Strategy -- [Strategy Page]
May 21, 2007: Another Taliban ambush backfired, resulting in at least 25 dead Taliban. NATO and U.S. aerial surveillance, and a growing network of informants, puts the Taliban at an enormous information disadvantage. When the shooting starts, the Taliban have only vague idea of who is where, while their opponents are getting live overhead video of the action. That, plus smart bombs and better trained troops, usually results in a very lopsided outcome. As a result of this, the Taliban now says it is getting out of the countryside and moving the war to the urban areas. This would appear suicidal, because the Taliban has far more support in the countryside than they do in the towns and cities. But

Made it to Afghanistan -- [PARTAMIAN REPORT - in Afghanistan]
I am now in Afghanistan. The mountains are beautiful, but the FOB I am at is not as aesthetically pleasing as the base in Kuwait... and it wasn't really pretty in Kuwait. I saw Erika and Chris there. That was cool to cross paths with some of my buddies from home. I'll post some pictures later if I have time. The convoy to the FOBwas interesting. I saw kids playing (one gave us the finger)we saw some men with beards who looked pleased to see us, and others who looked not so pleased.

Arrival - [ATT PA-C - in Afghanistan]
We've arrived!!! In the land of plenty.......of what I'm waiting to see. At any rate, it was pooring down rain on arrival as it was when we arrived in Kuwait last week. Not much rainfall around here and both places we fly into get rain. HMM. I hope that's a sign of God's promise. Now where's that damn rainbow?

Faces of Afghanistan -- [A JAG in Afghanistan - in Afghanistan]
Wanted to share some photographs. Some I took, some I found on the shared drive at Phoenix.

U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

The Secret Weapon -- [Strategy Page]
May 18, 2007: Iran has obtained the open support of 56 Islamic nations, for its nuclear energy program. This support was limited to "peaceful use of nuclear energy," which is one reason why Iran insists it is not developing nuclear weapons, despite evidence to the contrary.

WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

Death Toll at 65 in Lebanon- Wanted Terrorist Among Dead -- [Gateway Pundit]
One of the men killed in Sunday's fighting, Saddam El-Hajdib, was a suspect in a failed German train bombing a sign that Nahr al-Bared refugee camp had become a refuge for militants planning attacks outside of Lebanon. In fact it had been reported that the Al Qaeda-linked group was in the advanced planning stages for spectacular external attacks against civilian targets in Europe and the America.

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

Operation Fresh Air Update -- [Villianous Company]
Things are shaping up for Operation Fresh Air, but we can still use your help if you want to donate or live in the DC area and can spare some time.
Carrie sends a progress report:
Dixie Bones of Woodbridge gave us a great deal on some fantastic food, so if you're in the area, drop by and let them know you appreciate their support for our wounded soldiers and Marines. You won't be sorry!...

Soldiers' Angels Comprehensive Care Package Suggestions -- [Soldiers' Angels]
One of the most common questions from new members to Soldiers' Angels is what to put into that first care package. We have put together a list of some of the most requested items from our soldiers for you. Now, obviously you don't have to send ALL of these items in your first care package. This is just to give you some ideas.

Rosie: U.S. Troops are Terrorists -- [Villianous Company]
Zut alors! In une fit du beclownerie journalistique Rosie O'Donnell has once again blessed the nation with her unique take on geopolitical events:
Thankfully, Kate O'Beirne knows who Elisabeth Hasselbeck is. From Hardball last night where Rosie refers to our troops as terrorists:

CONGRATS

Twins update # 3 ... -- [The Landlocked Sailor - in Iraq]
After several hours of trying it the old-fashioned way, the doctor's decided to perform a C-section on Karen after all. I was able to get through to the Operating Room on speaker phone just before the surgeon started to cut and ... at 6:41 PM (EDT) Patrick Andrew entered the world and his sister Bridget Grace joined him two minutes later. Both babies are doing great and mom is still finishing the C-section as I type (they kicked me out of the room after the babies were born). I'll get a chance to call her in about one hour where I can get some 'official' times, weights and measures. Thanks again for all your prayers. More to come.

WELCOME HOME

The First Week Home -- [Bouhammer Afghan Blog - home from Afghanistan]
Well I have been home for a few days and am still getting settled in. I have meant to blog more, but getting on a laptop and typing away just has not been making it to the top of my priority list. It also has not helped that I have already turned my laptop into Best Buy to get fixed. It has had a hard last year and needed some repairs done badly. The screen won’t stay up without resting against something, the CD/DVD-Rom drive won’t read any disks and the battery only lasts about 20 minutes. I have about 6 weeks left on my service plan for that laptop so I wanted to get it in and get fixed or replaced with a new one. Granted there is no shortage of computers in my house, but taking the time to sit down and start typing just has not happened as much as I thought.

MILITARY

Dragon Skin Debate Heats Up -- [Defense Tech]
Soldiers for the Truth and other Dragon Skin advocates have already begun dancing in the end-zone on this. But as many DT readers already know, the field of ballistic protection is not a simple one. There’s a lot more to this story than meets the eye.
Fortunately, we’ve got it. But under ground rules, we have been “embargoed” from publishing information that would – and in some cases already has – force Dragon Skin’s vocal backers to scratch their heads and wonder whether the miracle armor is all it’s cracked up to be.

Dragon Skin Body Armor Report (Part 1)

From the May 20, 2007 broadcast of Dateline NBC.

Dragon Skin vs. Army -- [Defense Tech]
The report shows test conducted by NBC that seem to prove the vest - as its proponents have claimed over the last several years - can take many more rifle shots than the Army's Enhanced Small Arms Protective Inserts.
But Army officials disclosed to Military.com that in a series of tests conducted by the service in May of last year, the Dragon Skin vest failed to stop bullets as well as the current Army armor. In fact, test results showed that bullets slipped through the vest as early as the second shot.

The Dragon Skin Show -- [Defense Tech]
Alright, so the NBC piece on Dragon Skin aired last night. Based on the contentious discussion on this board, I figured most DT readers have seen it.
So what do you think?
I caught a few things that concerned me. First of all, the Dragon Skin was clearly tested on a flat clay backing rather than a curved one – while the ESAPI was tested on a curved backing.

Dragon Skin® flexible body armor

Clinton, Webb call for body armor investigation -- [Raw Story]
Two Democratic Senators are calling on the Comptroller General of the United States to probe whether or not US soldiers have been issued "second rate" body armor.
"In light of recent media reports suggesting that a particular body armor system may offer better protection than the system currently being used by our servicemembers, Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and Jim Webb (D-VA) – both members of the Senate Armed Services Committee – today called on Comptroller General of the United States David M. Walker to initiate a Government

Let's Go Already! -- [Hard Soldier - training for Iraq]
Nothing makes a soldier move faster than when he knows that he is going home; well guess what ladies and gents? We are going home, well at least for eight days.
Aahh yes block leave for eight days. After 3 months of constant training and no days off we are being released back into the wild temporarily to say our final goodbyes to our loved ones. Marriages are going to happen, some guys are going home to empty houses because in three short months they found out their spouses or girlfriends just can’t cut it being a military wife.

Remember Jesse MacBeth? - [MilBlogs - Bubblehead]
The wannabe boot camp washout who "confessed" to being an Army Ranger who committed war crimes, and who got a big following among the gullible left before mil-bloggers (among others) outed him, wasn't forgotten by the criminal justice system. He was charged with two counts today related to his deception under a federal indictment unsealed in Seattle:

Armed Forces Day Security? [The Tank - W. Thomas Smith Jr.]
Just got back from Celebrate Freedom (an Armed Forces Day celebration at Fort Jackson, S.C.) where thousands of people — adults and children — were walking around, wearing "Go Army" t-shirts, drinking Cokes and eating corndogs, checking out static displays of helicopters and armored-vehicles, as flags waved, soldiers smiled, and martial music blared from loudspeakers. There were also lots of veterans — including a few retired generals and at least one Medal of Honor recipient — a few authors hawking books, defense contractors showing off their latest weapons-systems, and some military recruiters.

Marine Corps Drops Drinking Age -- [GI Korea]
Could this ever happen in the Army?
The Corps-wide drinking age has been lowered from 21 to 18 for Marines on liberty overseas and for leathernecks taking part in official on-base command functions — including the birthday ball.

POLITICS

Consider Yourself Slapped -- [Some Soldier's Mom]
The other day the House Committee on Veterans Affairs held a "Symposium" on PTSD. The speakers (besides all the members of the committee) included people from the Thought Field Therapy Center (ummm, tapping various pressure points on your body in a specific sequence and applied to a psychological problem the person is focusing on, "will eliminate the perturbations in the thought field, the fundamental cause of all negative emotions..." [ed. comment: including war??] and...

Priorities -- [Sgt Stryker]
...How can we seriously consider funding illegal immigrants, but refuse to fund our troops who are in harm’s way? The men and women who are putting their lives in danger in Iraq and Afghanistan deserve more than that. They deserve to be more than a political pawn, they deserve to be more than a budgetary weapon to use against the President. There should not be any talk about defunding a war when we still have troops fighting it. How is that blatant illogic of that statement not immediately obvious? Defunding a war when out military is still actively engaged in fighting the enemy is tantamount to abandoning our service members.

Issues -- [The Zeke - in Iraq]
Bear with me folks, this is a long one. This topic has long been a favorite of mine and I was waiting for the perfect opportunity. Well it has arrived. My home town paper printed this article.
That being the case, why do we gun owners need an assault weapon? Is it just for kicks? Isn’t it time we stepped up and told NRA to take the lead in calling for a ban on the manufacture of all assault weapons?
My lengthy response.
I am a soldier from Bemidji, writing from Iraq. This subject is a passionate one for me.
To the author of this article-owning guns and having been an avid hunter does not qualify you to speak on the subject of guns as you yourself have proven. “Assault weapons” have been around for years

Summary Of The Fine Print Read, And NZ's Easy To Use Text [NZ Bear]
— UPDATE: Be sure to check out N.Z. Bear's online version of the draft immigration bill which allows for section-by-section comments.

THE MEDIA

News Unfit To Print -- [Jules Crittenden]
More than a week of intensive operations, up to 6,000 troops, often on foot, presenting themselves as targets everywhere, and only two Americans reported killed in the search area as of last night, out of two dozen Americans killed in Iraq in that time. That’s remarkable.

PERSPECTIVE -- [Marine Historian - home from Iraq]
...Most members of the American public have not had the opportunity to put events in Iraq in perspective. They have not had the chance to see with their own eyes the progress that has been made, particularly over the past year and particularly in Western Iraq (which has been the epicenter of the insurgency for most of the war). While in Iraq I had the opportunity to compare media coverage to my own daily experiences and put it all in context. Since I have returned home, I have been shocked by the absolute lack of balance here on the home front. It comes as no surprise that atrocities are favored over stories about progress – the expression, “if it bleeds, it leads,” is well-known and true. More disappointing are the charged words and misleading images. The line between reporting and editorializing seems more blurred than I recall before deploying. Ever notice the images which run in the background during most cable news stories? Have you noticed that they use the same footage over and over? What you may not realize without perspective is that those images are months or even years old and don’t reflect the current reality in many cases. Images are very powerful… and sometimes powerfully misleading.

MILBLOGGING

The Shelbystani’s LOST -- [Northern Disclosure - training for Iraq]
...I do want to mention that there has been a lot of hoopla about milblogging and whether or not we are allowed to do it anymore. I want to dispel the myth that millblogging is dead by letting everyone read this post. We registered our blogs with the security officer and are in accordance with the new guidance. We had always been respectful and protective of the information that we hold and publish. The story I am telling is our soldiers and not the political and operational story. I hope that all you readers out there understand that and continue to support our team. Bad VooDoo is alive and well and we are still keeping the Shelbystani’s down.

HUMOR / SATIRE

Day By Day

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