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. Hat Tips to the Dawn Patrol are greatly appreciated.

IRAQ

Bread and a Circus, Part II of II -- [Michael Yon - in Iraq]
...The American press that flooded in for the kinetic fighting in Baqubah left when the shooting stopped. Their interest waned for covering these aspects of counterinsurgency. They were gone and missing the real story. Nobody was even watching, but this play was not for the American journalists; it was for the Iraqi people. So with the drivers frightened and ready to abort, the mission could do worse than merely fail; it could backfire. (Like the entire war.)
The story in the Iraqi press might be that after 10 months of no food shipments to Baqubah, Arrowhead Ripper is launched, and . . . food shipments do not resume, and Baqubah and Diyala Province are abandoned by the Iraqi government in Baghdad. This would be a terrific media victory for al Qaeda and its push to deepen the civil war here.
Some drivers wanted desperately to go home. The Mayor of Baqubah, caught between his job and his fear, was having second thoughts. Clearly he was scared; everyone could see it. He was leaning on the abort button and his angst reinforced the fear in the drivers.
LTC Johnson bristled when he spoke to the collapsing convoy, telling them that that the future of Iraq would depend on the outcome of moments like this all over the country, where men either stand their ground or run away and give the day to the terrorists. Johnson’s words carried particular weight because of an encounter earlier that morning.

Ramadi: Open for Business -- [ON Point]
“This place is dynamic ! The people are working ‘round the clock, and it’s all positive,” said Kristen Hagerstrom, leader of the ePRT ( embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team ) based in Ramadi. Mrs. Hagerstom spent an hour talking with OnPoint Sunday about the economic and administrative successes in the city.
When 1st Battalion, 6th Marines left Ramadi in June, they’d successfully cleared the city of Al-Quada, and formed a successful partnership with Sheik Sattar al-rishi and his newly-formed “Sons of Anbar.” Long before terms like “The Surge” and “Clear-Hold-Build” entered the Pentagon and American public’s vocabulary;

The Iraqi Army clashes with insurgents in Ramadi

The Iraqi Army clashes with insurgents in Ramadi with the help of a US MITT team.

An Iraqi Interpreter’s Story -- [Michael Totten - in Iraq]
Iraqis who are not American citizens and who work as interpreters for the American military cover their faces when they work outside the wire. Mahdi Army militiamen and Al Qaeda terrorists accuse of them of collaboration with the enemy. They and their families are targetted for destruction.
Here is the story of one such interpreter who works with the 82nd Airborne Division in Baghdad. He calls himself “Hammer.”

General James Mattis -Attacking the al Qaeda "Narrative" -- [SWJ]
In his June 2007 State Department E-Journal article, New Paradigms For 21st Century Conflicts, Dr. Dave Kilcullen of General David Petraeus' senior staff in Baghdad called for, among other things, a "New Lexicon" for better defining and more effectively defeating enemies which subscribe to the faith-based mantra of "Death to America, the Great Satan".
In other public statements and in several Small Wars Journal postings, Kilcullen entered very slowly, very prudently into the virtually verboten realm of attacking al Qaeda-style Terrorism in Islamic religious context, rather than in Western secular terms only -- referring to the AQ terrorists as "munafiquun" (hypocrites to authentic, Qur'anic Islam) and pointing out that "they call themselves mujahideen" but are doing barbaric things which are anything but holy.

Once you feel at home... -- [Eighty Deuce On The Loose - In Iraq]
... and you begin to feel that you are safe and things are normal, the war comes and slaps you across the face. I don't know how to describe how or why that is, but it holds true. The second you begin to think "Hey this doesn't feel like a war" thats when it happens. Its like clockwork. Thats what happened to us the other day.
It was early in the morning. I had stayed up late, almost until daybreak and I had just gone to bed. I was sleeping good when I was awoken by a loud explosion and the rattling of the walls. I sat up in bed as the incoming warning sirens were blaring. Then another thunderous explosion. This one sounded like it had landed right on top of me. The concusion

Citizens oust terrorists from mosque, help uncover weapons cache -- [MNF-I]
BAGHDAD — Fed up with violent and indiscriminate terror tactics, a group of more than 80 residents of the Adhamiyah district, on the east side of the Iraqi capital, banded together Sunday to oust suspected terrorists from a local mosque.

Dora, Baghdad and the 1-4 Cavalry -- [Matt Sanchez - in Iraq]

I was with the 1-4 Cavalry, a spurge unit, out of the Dora neighborhood in Western Baghdad. The neighborhood is getting better but sometimes...

Can't Run, Can't Hide, Can't Make a Deal -- [Strategy Page]
August 8, 2007: There are now 162,000 American troops in Iraq, the most ever. The surge tactics, of constantly chasing after terrorist groups, has left more of the terrorist leaders vulnerable. This week, the guy who planned the two bombing attacks on the Shia Al Askaria (Golden Dome) mosque in Samarra was killed up north. In nearby Mosul, the local Sunni Arab community is becoming even more vicious, knowing that their politicians have been unable to obtain amnesty for the terrorist leaders who have been presiding over the bombers and death squads in the northern oil city.

UN rides to the rescue in Baghdad -- [BlackFive - Uncle Jimbo]
It really took me a bit to get past the sinking feeling in my gut whenever I contemplate the UN helping with anything. I have far too many first hand experiences with UN help to consider it even a net positive thing. But in Iraq, they would serve a purpose almost no other group could. Our loyal opposition has shown they are willing to take a victory from our troops and abandon the Iraqi people to a genocidal civil war, but will they throw the UN under the bus?

Children's engagement in Ghartan -- [Fightin 6th Marines’ - in Iraq]
Iraqi soldiers and police, with support from RCT-6 soldiers and Marines, do a lot of what's called "civil affairs" out here, which is handing out goodies to kids, providing medical attention to the locals (the Iraqi army units have medics) and helping with civic projects, such as enabling water, electricity and educational services.
Cpl. Bryce C.K. Muhlenberg recently wrote a dispatch (and took the simultaneously haunting and charming photo above) outlining a so-called "children's engagement." What I think is important about this story is the fact it addresses the fact that while, yes, these things are done out of a sense of "niceness," we also do them with showing the populace that we are not the enemy.

LSA Anaconda -- [Army Major Andrew Olmsted - in Iraq]
...One thing we're learning about Iraq is that it takes a lot longer to get anywhere than you would think looking at the map. When we planned our trip, we guessed it might take us two hours to get to Anaconda. Instead we rolled into the LSA some six hours after leaving our FOB. Even taking out the time we spent with our battalion and at the other FOB, that was a very long trip. Due to the threat of IEDs we travel pretty slowly, because that gives us the best chance of spotting IEDs, wires, or triggermen before they can hit us. It's a good technique, but it does mean that travel outside the wire takes far longer than you would expect, and it gets pretty tiring between the heat and the constant searching for a threat that may never appear.

Visuals -- [The Unlikely Soldier - in Iraq]
If you wanted to know what Baghdad looks like, watch the movie "Man On Fire". Towards the end, you see the neighborhood that "The Voice" lives in. Take that, and suck all of the color out of it. Keep the extended families living together.
Clearing a room. (pic) , Found this while searching a house. (pic)

"Route Clearing" -- [Jim Spiri - in Iraq]
August 8, 2007 FOB Marez, Mosul-Iraq
After a couple days of staying on the FOB taking care of some coordination of arrangements, I found myself linking up with Echo Company, 2/7 Cav. The ones that clear routes. These are the folks that are perhaps most critical to American troops safety, as it is their job to go find IED's, before the IED's find them. Prior to departing on this mission, I thought to myself, "I wonder exactly what the recruiter tells the prospective enlistee when he signs him up for this job...?"

Are you Ready? -- [The Gunner's World - in Iraq]
...In my travels as a historian I have had the opportunity to talk with hundreds of Marines and have seen things I will never forget. Doing an interview is mostly a one on one meeting between me and a fellow Marine, behind a closed door on most occasions. I have seen hard as nails combat veterans break down and cry when telling me about the loss of a fellow Marine or seeing a child killed; I am most likely the first Marine who has asked them to tell me their story, sometimes making them relive horrible memories. I have heard stories of incredible bravery and of self sacrifice to “Duty, Honor and Country” words that for some are not a cliché, but truly have meaning. Those moments are burned into my memory….Are you ready? I have tasted my own fear being outside the wire and riding in a convoy with weapons loaded and at the ready, the mental preparation for that is something to experience…Am I ready to do what may need to be done?…Is there an IED in the road? Will we take fire? Is there a sniper out to kill us? If it does happen what will they tell my daughter about her father?… Am I ready?

AFGHANISTAN

Reporting out from the 'Stan. -- [Dispatch at John of Argghhh!]
Well the first team is gone, and we are on our own. Not so bad so far, I moved out of the cramped box the two Poles and I were squeezed into, and into a slightly larger box that the last team had been in. (Pictures to follow) The mission is a little bit different than what we expected, but nothing earth shattering. Any time you step into a new job, the reality is going to be a bit different.

US Marine Encounters with Children in Afghanistan

Taliban Overshadowed By A Larger Threat -- [Strategy Page]
August 6, 2007: The Taliban have changed tactics, now they favor kidnapping foreigners and suicide bombings, to try and weaken the government. The traditional Taliban tactics, of war bands (of 50-100 gunmen) roaming the countryside, attacking the police and terrorizing villagers into supporting the cause, have failed. The Afghan police and army are too well trained and equipped (with radios, to call in NATO troops and airpower) to be defeated. The losses for the Taliban are very high, with a third or more the men in these war bands being killed. Many of the survivors are wounded, or captured.

RAF AFGHAN DIARIES

SAC Paul Goodfellow's Afghanistan diary - Entry 101 -- B Flight has managed to secure medical funding for an Afghan boy suffering from cutaneous leishmaniasis. Today they'll travel to the village and deliver the good news.

The Military Might? -- [Matt Sanchez]
....The media is already forecasting the "downturn in Afghanistan" and they're quick to point out the upturn in opium production. This unilateral blame America first will not take into account the multi-lateral support as evidenced by the rainbow village in Afghanistan. The ISAF (International Security Afghanistan Force and umbrella organization for Coalition forces) does not mandate a pro-active role in the eradication of the illegal (and rising) Opium trade. With so many chiefs and too few brave Indians it stands to reason that, in Afghanistan "legal" will never quite equal "logical".

Karzai Thanks Bush, American People for Support -- [Defense Link]
WASHINGTON, Aug. 6, 2007 – Afghan President Hamid Karzai today thanked President Bush and the American people for helping liberate and secure his country. (Video)
“I'm here today to once again thank you and the American people for all that you have done for Afghanistan, for our liberation first, and then for our stability and prosperity,” Karzai said in a news conference at Camp David, Md., following meetings with Bush. “We have gone a long way.”

Taliban Offensive

75 Taliban Attack Base

Taliban targeted in Helmand -- [ISAF]
Kabul, Afghanistan – Coalition forces in support of ISAF struck a large group of Taliban meeting in a remote area of Helmand province.
The mission was directed against two Taliban leaders present at a meeting of Taliban extremist senior leaders and fighters. Sources link them to IED operations and attacks on ANSF, ISAF and civilians. The group is known to be directly responsible for facilitating the movements of insurgents between central Hel

U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Navy Begins Diving at Minnesota Bridge -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
A Navy diving detachment and salvage team arrived early Tuesday morning to search for bodies stilll missing after the Minneapolis bridge collapse on Aug. 1.

Pennsylvania 9-11 Memorial Still Honors Hijackers -- [Gateway Pundit]
With last week’s final approval for the crescent design, the hijacker still has control of the cockpit.
...A crescent that Muslims face into to face Mecca is called a “mihrab,” and is the central feature around which every mosque is built. There are a dozen typical mosque features. Every one is realized in the crescent design, all on the same epic scale as the giant mihrab. (Is a 93 foot tall minaret/prayer-time-sundial epic enough for you?) These mosque features account for every particle of the design. The planned memorial is 100% pure mosque.

Iranian nukes: Bringing the Bear to bear and the Iraq endgame -- [TigerHawk]
...So, two diplomats, one European and one American, simultaneously leak a story that the Russians have decided to mess with Iran's Track B to a bomb (the Bushehr plant is the plutonium path, different from the Natanz centrifuge cascade for enrichment of U-235 that you hear about more often). This has actually been going on for some time. One cannot avoid suspecting the invisible hand of Condoleezza Rice, whom history may yet reveal to be a more subtle Secretary of State than the chattering classes now understand.
The interesting question is not that the Russians are squeezing Iran -- they have been doing that for centuries and are presumably delighted to keep squeezing so long as it does not appear to give advantage to the United States -- but that they are doing it now. A daring person -- and I am nothing if not daring, safe behind my pen name -- might suppose that the Russkies are pressuring Iran to accelerate the American retreat from Iraq.

Pakistan Is The New Iraq -- [Pat Dollard]
The AFP report below is an early indicator that the International Jihad Machine is cranking up an insurgency to conquer Pakistan for the IFIM ( Islamic Fascist Imperialist Movement ). What I refer to as the International Jihad Machine is the shadowy network of financiers, propagandists, recruiters, mercenaries, ideological warriors and other facilitators of the IFIM's military campaigns. When I first arrived in Fallujah and Ramadi, the military provided me copious evidence of the Machine at work in Iraq.

Something Is About To Happen -- [Strategy Page]
Starvation deaths in North Korea have returned to 1990s levels. That means over a thousand people a week dying from lack of food. Over a million people died during the 1990s food shortages. This time around, the shortages are caused by government refusal to allow in food that must have its distribution monitored (making it difficult for the government to divert the food to the army or private sale). The government also took its time with the current round of nuclear disarmament talks, delaying shipments of food from South Korea. These have just arrived and are being distributed.

WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

Neighbor Drops The "T" Word On SC Suspects -- [Riehl World View - HT: Jawa Report]
I'm not completely sure what to make of this, but following up on a post by Debbie Schlussel, I viewed a video news report from Tampa's Channel 10 here and edited it down to the most pertinent bits. I have a hard time believing the FBI used the word "terrorist" when interviewing the neighbor the way she claims. However, her description of events surrounding the location where one was living don't give a lot of comfort. See here and scroll here for my posting history

No surprises here: Adam Gaddahn in new Al Qaeda tape says “We shall continue to target you, at home and abroad” -- [LauraMansfield.com]
Those are the words of Orange County Adam Gaddahn, aka Azzam al Amriki, in a new hour-plus video message, announced Thursday by As Sahab, Al Qaeda’s media production group. In the 1 hour 17 minute video, which takes the form of a documentary, Gaddahn says that Al Qaeda will continue to target the US both at home and overseas. He singles out embassies and consulates as specific targets.

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

Looking Out for the Children……. -- [Soldiers' Angels]
"We are the children of Iraq and we dream like other children of the world," the boy read a poem in English with a perfect American accent, describing how Iraqi children only want what other youngsters around the world want; their toys, their families and their lives. It is the children who will lead the world to peace. Let us pray for the children in war torn countries who are suffering.
Operation SOS: KIDS

Tough Americans - The Inspiring Stories of Soldiers Wounded in Iraq -- [Michael Fumento]
In the film “Home of the Brave,” a soldier who lost her hand in Iraq is asked if she underwent physical rehabilitation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. “Yeah, Walter Reed,” she says. “Talk about tough Americans.” Tough Americans, indeed.

When I visited that same ward the first soldier I met was Sgt. Luke Shirley, who had stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED) blowing off his right side appendages and spraying him with shrapnel. “It kinda sucks not having an arm or leg,” he told me, “but it hasn’t bothered me like you’d think it would.” Just offhand, I would think it would have devastated him. I was dumbstruck. What kind of person is this?

That’s why I visited Walter Reed’s Orthopedic Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Ward in Washington, D.C, along with the surgical inpatient ward at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. (At Bethesda the men and women aren’t yet ready to be sent on to Walter Reed or elsewhere for rehabilitation.) I wanted to meet these tough Americans and tell some of their stories.
It was something I had long put off, because I go to war zones as an embedded reporter.

Home for a Hero Blog -- [Badgers Forward - in Iraq]
Alta Vista Homes is going to base their decision on who to award a home to a subjective decision by their board. They are going to look at the stories of the three Soldiers who are candidates and review comments on their blog.
From my review of the Soldiers' stories they are all worthy candidates, but of course I am biased in favor of Sergeant Hansen because he is my Solider. So read them here and then tell Alta Vista Homes why they should get that house.

Home Again -- [FBL]
What an amazing couple of days! I hardly know where to begin... so much running around in my head. I'll try to sort it out and tell the stories, but in the meantime, here's a taste:
My trip included a wonderful party at BAMC's Fisher Houses for several hundred people and the delivery of 78 laptops there (thanks to a gigantic donation from a local corporation), amazing soldiers and Soldiers' Angels with hearts as big and strong as Texas, people who are dedicated to getting out the "truth," networking in both directions, a retired Brigadier General who may have served with BillT, Sgt. X and family, an Army wife with the vision to care for her husband while simultaneously creating a charity to help wounded veterans and their caretakers train to earn money from working at home, perfect strangers who invited me to a Families United event and were the nicest people I met in San Antonio, a Marine lieutenant who started his speech with:

MILITARY

G.I. Gets 110 Years -- [Sgt Stryker]
On August 4, 2007 a 23 year old Army Private named, Jesse Spielman was sentenced to 110 years for the rape and murder of an Iraqi girl and her relatives for a crime that occurred in 2006. Along with Jesse Spielman, Sgt. Paul E. Cortez, 24 years old, Specialist James P. Barker, and Steven. D. Green were also charged in the attack. Both Specialist Barker and Sergeant Cortez pleaded guilty and received 100 years and are currently serving time in Fort Leavenworth. Steven D. Green is currently awaiting trial.
Now here is where the case gets interesting. Apparently, Jesse Spielman has been declaring his innocence from the beginning. Specialist Barker, and Sergeant Cortez both plead guilty, but also attested to the fact that Private Jesse Spielman was an unwilling observer who never participated in anything. He did not plead guilty, because he believed that the facts would prove his innocence and he would be cleared of all wrong doing- not so. In fact, Jesse Spielman received 110 years, where the two who admitted their wrongdoing received 100 years with the possibility of parole in 10. As you can tell, many people are scratching their heads trying to determine what is going on.

Phony war hero -- [Army Times]
Former soldier to plead guilty to bank fraud, falsely claiming Medal of Honor
A former soldier charged with felony bank fraud and two misdemeanor counts of falsely claiming military awards or decorations is set to plead guilty Thursday to two of the three charges against him, according to the prosecutor handling the case.

POLITICS

Against all enemies -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
Fascinating - and, frankly, depressing - WSJ editorial today from Lt. Gen. Ion Mihai Pacepa, the highest-ranking intelligence official ever to have defected from the Soviet bloc.
During the decades he spent scrutinizing the U.S. from Europe he learned that international respect for America is directly proportional to America's own respect for its president. Therefore,
Sowing the seeds of anti-Americanism by discrediting the American president was one of the main tasks of the Soviet-bloc intelligence community during the years I worked at its top levels.

Bash Bush -- [Jack Army - in Iraq]
I love the "head in the sand" routine... or is it "head in the clouds"? I forget which. I'm referring to this comment from this post:
Well, if Bush/ Rumsfeld/ Cheney/ Wolfowitz had provided the right equipment and troop strength in the first place we wouldn't be in this mess!
...It's been proven again and again that the President gave the generals prosecuting the initial invasion and all subsequent operations all the troops they asked for. Stop blaming Bush for there not being enough troops. Sure, there were those that said there wasn't enough, but they weren't in charge of anything in the war zone at that time, so their opinions aren't really the one's that counted, then. Please receive your first clue.

Winter Soldier Syndrome
The tale of Army Private Scott Thomas Beauchamp, the discredited “Baghdad Diarist” for the discredited New Republic magazine, is an old tale:
Self-aggrandizing soldier recounts war atrocities. Media outlets disseminate soldier’s tales uncritically. Military folks smell a rat and poke holes in tales too good (or rather, bad) to be true. Soldier’s ideological sponsors blame the messengers for exposing anti-war fraud.

THE MEDIA

Deceiver -- [Confederate Yankee]
In the New York Times this morning:
In an e-mail message, Mr. Foer said, "Thus far, we've been provided no evidence that contradicts our original statement, despite directly asking the military for any such evidence it might have," adding, "We hope the military will share what it has learned so that we can resolve this discrepancy."
And in the Washington Post:
But New Republic Editor Franklin Foer is standing his ground. "We've talked to military personnel directly involved in the events that Scott Thomas Beauchamp described, and they corroborated his account," Foer said. The magazine granted anonymity to the other soldiers it cited.
And also at WaPo:
Foer said the New Republic had asked Maj. Steven Lamb, an Army spokesman, about the allegation that Beauchamp had recanted his articles in a sworn statement, and that Lamb had replied: "I have no knowledge of that." Before going incommunicado, Beauchamp "told us that he signed a statement that did not contradict his writings for the New Republic," Foer said.
"Thus far," he added, "we've been provided no evidence that contradicts our original statement, despite directly asking the military for any such evidence it might have."
In both newspapers, Foer issued the statement that "we've been provided no evidence that contradicts our original statement, despite directly asking the military for any such evidence it might have."
That, gentle readers, is a deception.

Surprising change in surge reporting -- [Sgt Grumpy - in Iraq]
Well, maybe I shouldn't give up on the mainstream media just yet. While I have been getting frustrated by the disconnect between what on the ground journalists (such as Michael Yon and Michael J Totten and milbloggers have been saying and the drumbeat of defeat coming from the press and the Dems, something funny happened - the media is hesitantly starting to acknowledge what those who really understand counterinsurgency operations have been saying. Namely, the so-caled "surge", which much more than additional troops represents a radical change of tactics, is starting to have a noticeable impact.

HUMOR / SATIRE

Day By Day

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