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

US military deaths in Iraq lowest in 14 months -- [Breitbart.com]
US military losses in Iraq for September stood at 70 on Sunday, the lowest monthly figure since July last year, according to an AFP tally based on Pentagon figures.
The figure also marks the fourth consecutive drop in the monthly death toll following a high of 121 in May. June saw 93 deaths, July 82 and August 79. The monthly toll in July 2006 was 53.

Tribal Members Join in Effort To Assist U.S., Iraqi Forces -- [Washington Post - Page A23 ]
30,000 Volunteers to Serve With Police and Military Units
More than 30,000 tribal members in Iraq have come forward to work with U.S. and Iraqi forces over the past six months, a phenomenon that is spreading beyond Anbar province to Baghdad and other regions of the country, according to U.S. commanders.
The Iraqi government, at the urging of U.S. authorities, this month ordered Iraqi army and police units to integrate the volunteers into their operations. "That is huge. This gives them the approval that we are looking for," said Brig. Gen. John F. Campbell, deputy commander of the U.S. military in Baghdad.

I Have Arrived -- [Sgt Hook]
Film at eleven… or whenever I get another chance to log on here. Sgt Hook out.

Al Shura Village -- [manrymission - in Iraq]
Last week, I went on a site visit to a project south of Mosul. The nearest town, Al Shura, is about 7 kilometers away from this water compact unit (WCU) that is being built. Although the site is only about 30 miles south of Mosul, the drive lasted about 2 hours. The trip there was worth it. This WCU is going to provide clean drinking water for 5 small villages in the area. The WCU draws water from the Tigris River, purifies it, and then pumps it into the water distribution network for the villagers. While we were visiting the site, there were some local kids swimming in the Tigris.

Stryker Sandwich -- [The Unlikely Soldier - in Iraq]
...We slowed or stopped or something, and all this dust started pouring through the hatches.
"Wow, that's a lot of dust," I thought, and I was immediately thrown in the direction of the front of the truck.
I stopped, pondered. Felt like I had ALMOST maybe been close to pulling a muscle in my arm, nothing more. So what the hell was that? Did we get blown up? Was I so disoriented that my mind processed the dust BEFORE it could grasp the impact or explosion or whatever the hell that was? Can't be, because it wasn't quite like that when we got blown up on top of that house... so what then?

Captured Iranian agent identified, 15 Special Groups operatives captured in Iraq -- [Long War Journal - embed in Iraq]
Task Force 88 captured 15 Special Groups operatives, as Multinational Forces Iraq names the Iranian Qods Force officer captured in northern Iraq. Multinational Forces Iraq also states Iran is providing shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles to insurgents.

Special Forces, Iraqi Style -- [Matt Sanchez - in Iraq]

The Peace Corps with Muscles -- [Michael Totten - embed in Iraq]
RAMADI, IRAQ – Now that major combat operations are finished almost everywhere in Iraq’s Anbar Province, the United States Army and Marine Corps are more like a United Nations peacekeeping force with rules of engagement that allow them to kill if they have to. “We’re like the Peace Corps with muscles,” is how one soldier put it when I left with his unit at 4:00 in the morning to deliver food stuffs and toys to needy families in the countryside on the edge of the desert.

The Surge – 6 -- [ON Point]
Andrew Lubin With all the excitement, recriminations, and bombast of the recent Petraeus – Crocker Hearings, there was a simple question that many of the Congressmen and Senators neglected to ask: Is the military aspect of The Surge actually working? To answer this question, OnPoint talked with three of the senior officers leading the action on the ground, and will be presenting their answers in today’s and Monday’s Features. BrigGen Mick Bednarik is the Deputy Commanding General for...

Fighting In Fallujah

Paranoia... -- [Eighty Deuce On The Loose - In Iraq]
Basically heres the deal. Right before people are about to go on leave they try everything they possibly can to get out of heading outside the wire. The reason for this is due to a variation of short timers paranoia. They are worried that something might happen right before they are getting ready to head home. For this reason people tend to snake out of patrols and missions that take place in the last few days before they are to turn in their weapons and go on leave.
The thing is this is not a totally unfounded idea. See there is a perfect example of this fear being manifested in to reality in an incident that I was involved with many months ago earlier in this deployment.

Beauchamp Talks -- [Weekly Standard]
Last week we heard from Scott Beauchamp's commanding officer, Col. Ricky Gibbs. Gibbs said that Beauchamp had admitted to the investigating officer that his stories for the New Republic were false--or, as he put it later in the briefing, that, while Beauchamp had not "recanted," he "does not stand by the story." Col. Gibbs also said that Beauchamp was free to speak with the press. The New Republic's last update on the matter (on August 10) had suggested that the Army was preventing them from speaking with their author.
Now one of the bloggers from Blackfive has sat down with Beauchamp in Iraq. He does not report the substance of his conversation with Beauchamp, but he does have this to say:

AFGHANISTAN

As I sit here in Afghanistan, I wonder how many people truly appreciate . . . -- [Richard's Deployment - in Afghanistan]
As I sit here in Afghanistan separated from my son, my family, and boyfriend, I wonder how many people truly appreciate the sacrifice that we as American soldiers and airmen make.
With so many people arguing that we need to pull out of Iraq and Afghanistan, you'd think they've forgotten what caused us to be here in the first place.

Life -- [ETT PA-C - in Afghanistan]
...We finally get outside the wire the last couple of days and had some great interaction with the locals in a fairly poor section of town next to one of our police check points. These kids came out of this makeshift medical clinic and we had the ANP hand out about 3 bags of stuffed animals and toys. It was so great. That's what its all about. We handed out paper, crayons and whatever else we had. I pulled out my medical bag and started to see people on the hood of my Humvee. The pic is of a little girl with a lacerated finger. Another is a girl that grabbed our hands and kissed them. It was breaking our hearts but it was so fulfilling to have and be able to give. Thank you all for sending what you have to give to these children who have nothing, literally.

Newsnight - report from Sangin valley, Helmand province, Afghanistan

President Karzai, negotiations and the UN -- [The Torch]
I think the Afghan president's offer is meant to express a simple desire for a reasonable peace--which I have no doubt he wants. Moreover the offer should help gain internal and international support. But note the conditions in the offer which the president clearly would not have expected the Taliban to acccept:

Dirty talk -- [Yellowhammering Afghanistan - in Afghansitan]
Outside of our own little piece of dirt here, dirt's role in Afghan life is even more evident. Afghans use the dirt to construct homes, villages, walls - virtually everything. There are brick kilns and those who use modern materials to build homes and buildings, but those are rare outside of downtown Ghazni. Dirt is the building material of choice in the majority of places here.
...But dirt tells another story here. The dirty faces, clothes and bare feet of children underscore the hard, poor life they lead. "Dirt poor" might be an applicable phrase here if one didn't get the feeling that it would be a step up in the level of poverty many of these children experience.

Dear all, -- [Mordechai Sorkin - in Afghanistan]
... Why do we allow ourselves to suffer because of foreign domestic problems? Why do we support this country when their security forces tip off the enemy before operations? Why do we work with corrupt politicians who lie to our faces? Why do we allow the host government to impose restrictive and dangerous rules on American forces? Why do we allow men who don’t shower, yet wipe themselves with their hands, to treat women and Hazaras like second-class citizens? Why don’t we just do the right thing for them, and force them to follow suit?
I’ll be honest: I didn’t joint the Army to make Afghanistan or Iraq into better places. I would like to help these countries, but that’s not why I’m here. I find some things about Afghans endearing, and there are parts of their culture that humble me. But I’m not an Afghan patriot. I am an American. I’m here to fight for the United States; to eliminate those people who would do us harm, and to prevent them from spreading their beliefs to others who would do the same.

Freedom Watch Afghanistan

Final Article -- [A JAG in Afghanistan]
Many members of the recently returned 1st. Corps Artillery faced hot combat against the Taliban on the battlefronts of Afghanistan during their yearlong tour of duty.
But among their ranks are three soldiers, all from Utah County, who fought against injustice on a different kind of battlefront — the courtrooms of Afghanistan

Afghan president offers Taliban a place in government for peace deal -- [Herald Tribune]
KABUL, Afghanistan: President Hamid Karzai offered Saturday to meet personally with Taliban leader Mullah Omar for peace talks and give the militants a high position in a government ministry as a way to end the rising insurgency in Afghanistan.

Taliban Rebuffs Karzai's Offer -- [SF Gate]
... for the militant group on Sunday said it will "never" negotiate with Afghan ... would not meet demands that foreign troops must first leave the country.

U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Shifting Targets -- [Seymour M. Hersh]
The shift in targeting reflects three developments. First, the President and his senior advisers have concluded that their campaign to convince the American public that Iran poses an imminent nuclear threat has failed (unlike a similar campaign before the Iraq war), and that as a result there is not enough popular support for a major bombing campaign. The second development is that the White House has come to terms, in private, with the general consensus of the American intelligence community that Iran is at least five years away from obtaining a bomb. And, finally, there has been a growing recognition in Washington and throughout the Middle East that Iran is emerging as the geopolitical winner of the war in Iraq.

The Losers Lament -- [Strategy Page]
September 30, 2007: The September 6 Israeli air raid in Syria has been a major setback for Russian arms sales. The Syrians had invested heavily in new Russian air defense systems, and the Israelis apparently brushed right by them. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Russians have been trying to rehabilitate the reputation of their weapons. Throughout the Cold War, whenever Russian and Western (especially American) weapons met on the battlefield, the Russians lost.

MASS SLAUGHTER IN BURMA!... Hundreds, Maybe Thousands, Dead! (Video) -- [Gateway Pundit]
There are reports coming from Burma that the slaughter of innocent democracy protesters and monks was massive.

The Real Reason for Normalizing Relations with North Korea -- [GI Korea]
If you are wondering why the Koreans have been trying so hard to have the United States normalize relations with North Korea well now you have your answer:

Clashes after Pakistan ruling

A Pakistan court has approved President Musharraf's nomination for re-election, amid angry protests.

WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

Wedges and Mauls -- [Cannoneerno4]
The Global War On Terror is misnamed. Terror is a tactic, not the name of an enemy. And it’s not really global. America is not at war with LTTE terrorists in Sri Lanka or Basque terrorists in Spain. Why can’t we name the was the ruthless old general Ne Win, branded his local juche as “the Burmese Way to Socialism.” Despite the regime’s nominally Marxist character, Burma remains devoutly Buddhist, and monks are still revered and highly sought for the exhange of alms for blessings. enemy and correctly name this war?
Why has America fought this war with both hands tied behind it’s back?
Why didn’t President Bush ask for a formal declaration of war on 9/12?
Why is the Middle East not a radioactive glass parking lot by now?
Why can’t anybody in authority answer these questions to our satisfaction and put our minds at ease?
Because the answers contain painful truths that few in authority care to voice.

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

Roddy Stinson: Passenger sitting behind soldier reports 'a very moving moment'
Last Wednesday, while flying from Phoenix to the Alamo City on U.S. Airways Flight 207, a San Antonio man, Gil Anderson, witnessed something memorable.
Shortly before takeoff, he overheard a flight attendant tell a young uniformed soldier sitting in front of him:

"A lady in first-class wants to switch seats with you." -- [MY SA]
The soldier accepted the offer and walked up to the first-class section.
"When the lady came back to our area, I had a tear in my eye," Anderson said when he phoned this column soon after his plane landed. "I gave her a little round of applause.
"Then, by golly, everybody in that area started applauding," he said in a voice tinged with emotion. "It was a very moving moment."

The price of service -- [Intel Dump]
...It's a story which is much bigger than PTSD, TBI, or the particular rigors of combat, although that's part of it. The bigger story has to do with the economic, social, and personal transition that soldiers must make when they leave the highly institutionalized world of the military for the competitive and often-unforgiving world of civilian life. It's a massive life change, and as one person tells the AP: "What the VA has to offer is insufficient economically to take care of the impact of what happens." Right. But how should we take care of veterans when they come home from war, or leave the service?

Eagle Scouts Assist the Wounded -- [Soldier's Angels - Medical Support]
One of my jobs at Soldier's Angels is to work with Eagle Scout candidates who want to do a service project to help wounded American Soldiers. A few facts about Eagle Scouts: only about 3% of boys who enter the scouting program earn the Eagle Rank. It takes over 300 individual requirements and several years to accomplish the necessary steps. The final, and one of the most challenging requirements is performing a service project to aid the community. The scout is responsible for planning, organizing and running the project, which can often run into hundreds of hours of work.

MILITARY

NORTHWEST CRACKDOWN ON FAKE VETERANS IN “OPERATION STOLEN VALOR” -- [UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE]
Phony Vets Scam more than $1.4 Million and Damage Image of Honorable Veterans
U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Sullivan today announced some of the results of “Operation Stolen Valor,” a year long effort to investigate and prosecute those who lie about their military service for financial gain or other reasons. Sullivan and Doug Carver, Special Agent in Charge of the Veteran’s Affairs Office of Inspector General detailed eight prosecutions in the Veteran’s Affairs Northwest Region in 2007.
...“The ‘phony war hero phenomenon’ plagues the American landscape and tarnishes the service of thousands of veterans who have served honorably. It strangles VA resources from providing critical care and benefits to deserving veterans returning from war,” said Douglas J. Carver, Special Agent in Charge of the VA Office of Inspector General, Western Field Office.

WELCOME HOME

... Life Continues -- [ Acute Politics - home from Iraq]
...I've been home for five days now, and I'm mainly occupying myself with beer drinking and lazing around. It's strange to have to contend with the realities of an "ordinary" life- making sure the bills are paid, looking for a new car, buckling up to ride in the car, getting my own mail, etc etc. I looked through some of my pictures and video with a couple friends tonight and felt what I can only describe as homesickness. I'll get over it, I'm sure.
I'm tired already of hearing the same questions from people: "So what's it like?"- you might as well ask an astronaut about the moon. The other standbys of "So are we winning?", "Did you kill anyone?" and "So how bad is it, really?" aren't any better. I realize that such questions reveal what is in many cases an honest desire to understand, but I still find it irritating to answer them over and over. Selfish and irrational, I know. I'm back, and ignorance and curiosity are in full swing.

POLITICS

Murtha must testify in defamation case -- [Powerline News]
WASHINGTON - A federal judge refused Friday to dismiss a defamation case against Rep. John P. Murtha and ordered the Pennsylvania Democrat to give a sworn deposition about his comments alleging “cold-blooded murder and war crimes” by unnamed soldiers in connection with Iraqi civilian deaths.
A Marine Corps sergeant is suing the 18-term congressman for making the charge, which the soldier claims is false. Murtha, who opposes the Iraq war, made the comment during a May, 2006 Capitol Hill news conference in which he predicted that a Pentagon war crimes investigation will show Marines killed dozens of innocent Iraqi civilians in Haditha in 2005.

Rush Limbaugh, phony soldiers, and the Left’s desperate need for its own “Betray Us” moment -- [Michelle Malkin]
So, word is that the Democrats will introduce a House resolution Monday condemning Rush Limbaugh for his remarks about phony soldiers. Brian Maloney points out that ABC News aired a report on phony soldiers and Operation Stolen Valor two days before Rush made his remarks. Asks Maloney: “Given the overwhelming evidence to support Limbaugh’s contention that he really was talking about phony soldiers who have faked their service, how does the left justify continuing this fabrication?”
Here is what this phony fiasco is really all about:

Gore In Iraq -- [Roger Simon - PJM]
...Yes, you read me correctly. Forget the Nobel Prize and the global warming Oscar, if Al Gore had been elected in ‘00, he’d be burning excess Air Force One fuel, jetting behind the lines to Anbar Province, dealing with an ornery (possibly antiwar) opposition party and doing his best to ignore wretched poll numbers, a hostile media and whacko Code Pink demonstrators (not to mention his quondam allies on the Moveon-Kos end of his party who by now would be calling for his impeachment).

THE MEDIA

Desperate for Bad News -- [Weekly Standard]
Today's Huffington Post cherry picks a four year old
quote from Atkinson's report on IEDs.The Washington Post today prints the first in a series of stories by Rick Atkinson on the IED threat in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Pentagon's response to it. The title of the piece: "'The IED problem is getting out of control. We've got to stop the bleeding.'" That quote is damning, but fortunately, it's also four years old:

The Sounds of Silence -- [The Tank - Pete Hegseth]
As the director of an Iraq & Afghanistan veteran’s organization, I follow the headlines from Iraq very closely. So, it’s always news to me when there is little news from Iraq…at least from the mainstream media.
Over the last few weeks, with the exception of the unfortunate Blackwater story, headlines from Iraq have been few and far between.
Why is this the case? There must be a reason. And I believe the reason is rooted both in what has happened and what has not.

NYTimes: Thomas Friedman Wants America to Get Over 9/11-- [NewsBusters]
Thomas Friedman thinks you are "stupid" if you still care about the atrocity committed against this country by Islamofascists in New York on 9/11/2001. He thinks "9/11 is over" and we all should just move on. Even worse, he has decided that we are no longer a great country, but are filled with seemingly meaningless "fear," that we have a dilapidated infrastructure, and that while America used to be "the gold standard," he believes "We aren’t anymore." Friedman is falling for the typical, leftist doom-and-gloom scenario and imagines that China is better than we are, Europe is more inviting, and we have become the new Rome after the fall. His closing line is "We can’t afford to keep being this stupid!" By contrast to Friedman, my opening line to him is "We can't afford to be this self-loathing!"

ABC Reported on ‘Phony Heroes' Two Days Before Rush Limbaugh Did -- [NewsBusters]
This is really hysterical, folks, and definitely requires all drinking vessels be properly stowed before continuing.
Just days before Rush Limbaugh was attacked by a number of press outlets for discussing "phony soldiers" on the air, ABC's Brian Ross did a segment on "World News with Charles Gibson" dealing with "phony heroes...scam artists...posing as the war heroes they never were, claiming credit for acts of courage in Iraq and Afghanistan."

HUMOR / SATIRE

Final Bow - [Cox & Forkum]
With mixed emotions I announce: John and I will no longer be producing editorial cartoons. John will continue posting his work at his blog, John Cox Art, and he and I will continue working together on various projects, but there will be no more regularly scheduled editorial cartoons. The Web site will remain running indefinitely, as a means to market our books and as an archive of our work.

Let me start by saying that quitting editorial cartooning has been one of my toughest decisions. Having such a creative outlet for expressing my opinions is immensely satisfying. It's an art form I've admired for decades, so I do not take lightly having the opportunity to work in the medium and to have that work seen by others. One of my proudest moments came soon after 9/11 when I held in my hands our first published cartoon. It was easy to feel useless, even helpless, in the weeks and months following the attacks. But to be able to fight in the battle of ideas was empowering.

Dem Rivals Call for Pull Out Now, Long Occupation -- [ScrappleFace]
The leading Democrat presidential candidates joined forces this week to immediately call for the eventual pull out of U.S. forces from Iraq on a time line that could have all of the troops home as early as the end of the second term of the president who succeeds the next one.

Day By Day

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