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

Am I Supposed To Be This Bored? -- [False Motivation - in Iraq]
Yea, so it's been a little over a week since my last post, partly due to a crazy patrol schedule and partly due to a lack of anything to write about. I'm amazed at how bored I actually am, nothing is going on at all; I'm almost willing to bet that I could go running through my platoon AO without gear or my weapon and I'd be completely untouched.
I'm not the only one feeling the boredom, on one of our patrols we paid 4 donkey cart drivers to race, the stipulation, one soldier on the back of each donkey cart. My donkey lost, it tried to kick it's driver.
So is this what we've been waiting for in Iraq? Or is this silence just the prelude to more attacks and violence? In Baqouba I can say that I think this peace will last, at least while my unit is here.

Iraq News (18 April) -- [LT Nixon - in Iraq]
The Good: Sadr City operations are now involving Tanks N' T-Walls (Michael R. Gordon reports). Significant humanitarian assistance is going to be needed from the Iraqi government to coincide with this in order to avoid a "siege" mentality. This will also undercut support from poor Shi'ites for the militias and Iranian-backed goon squads that operate in the area. The Iraqi Accordance Front is talking about returning its ministers to the government after a months-long boycott.

The Two Wars in Iraq & Mistaken Republican Support for Obama -- [Jawa Report]
...This conclusion is inevitable when one comes to the same realization as me. There was a war in Iraq and there is a war in Iraq. In fact, we've had two wars in Iraq: Iraq War I & Iraq War II.
The war now is not the same as that war. The first war in Iraq was against Saddam Hussein, the second war is against Islamists of various stripes, but mainly al Qaeda.
Many of the arguments used by those who keep reminding us that Bush's decision to invade Iraq was a mistake are valid. While Saddam Hussein strategically supported groups linked to Osama bin Laden, there was not a substantial al Qaeda presence in Iraq prior to the invasion. Ansar al Islam, the main Sunni Islamist group in Iraq prior to the invasion that would eventually morph into al Qaeda in Iraq, operated nearly exclusively in the Kurdish north---a zone not firmly under Hussein's sovereignty.
All would agree that the invasion liberated Iraqis from the tyranny of Saddam Hussein. That was the First Iraq War.** It ended the day Saddam Hussein was captured.

Air Assault

The relationship between coalition forces and the Iraqi police continuing to grow while conducting an air assault mission in the Salah Ad Din province.

The Break Point: AQIZ Establishes the ISI in Zaganiyah -- [SWJ - CPT James Few]
Upon my arrival in Iraq in August 2006, Zaganiyah appeared to be a potentially shining example of democratization; a relatively peaceful, heterogeneous mixture of Sunnis and Shias, a robust security force consisting of both local police and Iraqi Army (ISF), and an adequate government representation in both the local Nahiya (County) and Diyala Provisional Councils (GOI). Furthermore, population samples indicated thriving economic metrics, moderate religious leaders, and marginal but improving essential services (A/5-73 Recon Operational Summary, August 2006).
Yet, in the shadows of this overtly optimistic US perspective, a storm of epic proportions brewed as tribal and sectarian differences clashed outside of the Coalition Forces' (CF) purview.

Sadrists vow to keep the Mahdi Army -- [LWJ - Bill Roggio]
A Sadrist member of parliament said the Mahdi Army would keep their weapons unless they were ordered to disband by senior Shia leaders. Sistani has said only Sadr can order the Mahdi Army to disarm.

2nd LAR Assumes Control of Western Anbar -- [DVIDS]
CAMP KOREAN VILLAGE, Iraq – Marines with 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 5, took the reigns from 3rd LAR Bn., March 31, to continue the mission of making a safer and better Iraq.
...The battalion will have several missions to conduct, but one of the most important is the continued transition from coalition forces to Iraqi security forces controlling the area.
“We are here to return the control of the country to the Iraqi people and to provide them with a self-sufficient and stable government,” said Maj. Stuart M. Harness, executive officer of 2nd LAR Bn.
Harness added the battalion’s other main goal is to bring everyone back home safely.

Town Hall opens in Jurf as Sahkr -- [Task Force Marne - in Iraq]
FOB Kalsu, Iraq, Friday, 18 April 2008 - Approximately 500 people gathered to commemorate the grand opening of the Jurf as Sahkr Town Hall April 15 in Jurf as Sahkr, Iraq.

Soldier re-enlists 340 feet off the ground -- [Task Force Marne - in Iraq]
U.S. Soldiers opt to stay Army on a daily basis. In an office among peers or outside a headquarters building are frequent spots for re-enlistment ceremonies.
One Soldier in the 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, wanted to make his commitment to the Army unique. Spc. Bobby Nieto, from Stonewall, Texas, chose the top of a 340-foot smokestack to raise his hand to re-enlist April 8.

Honoring those who "endure the unendurable" -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
Aloha Dragon Families,
We are approaching 5 months since we’ve left you, and though our rendezvous with destiny still continues our reunion with you still awaits. As many of you already know, President Bush announced his decision to return to twelve-month theater deployments. Unfortunately, this decision will not affect the Golden Dragons. It will affect units deploying after 1 August 2008.
I know that all of you held hope that there would be some reprieve bestowed onto our families, but what you need to know is – this decision was made possible by your Golden Dragon. It was by their hands that security improved in Tarmiyah, Iraq and the fruits of precious family time are given to others so they may RESET before return.

Marines invited to chill out in a Iraq's home while on foot patrol

Hawaii-based Marines help provide medical care to Iraqis -- [Fearless 1st Marines’ blog]
KARMA, Iraq – A convoy of humvees, 7-ton trucks, and mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles pull up to a sheik’s home. As they arrive, local citizens, already lined up, wait outside the gate to receive aid through the teamwork of the local government, Iraqi Security Forces and Coalition forces.
On April 12 and 13, Marines of 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, alongside Iraqi doctors, conducted a cooperative medical engagement to provide medical care to Iraqi civilians in the Gnather and Lahib villages.

3rd Bn., 6th Marines return to familiar territory in Iraq -- [Fearless 1st Marines’ blog]
...Almost like a homecoming for these Marines and sailors, the battalion is familiar with the area of operations around Fallujah. They have returned to some of the same streets and surroundings, local populace, mosques and tribal leaders.
“During our last deployment, there was significant progress during the (Anbar) Awakening,” said Maj. Mark Clingan, executive officer of the battalion, about the alliance that Iraqi tribes built with coalition forces to rid local neighborhoods of al-Qaeda (AQI) members last year. “Now that we’re back after seven months, we’ve seen huge progress and we’re anxious to continue the progress under our watch.”

Blackhawk Flight

An airman preparing for flight, the flight in a Blackhawk, a crew chief test firing his doorgun and arriving and walking through Talil Airbase.

The Gravediggers' Cache of Quotes (1) -- [Kaboom - in Iraq]
This is long overdue. Four months into the Suck, and some brilliant (or otherwise) quips have been uttered by me and my men – usually in the hazy, ambiguous hours after midnight and before dawn. Rip-It abuse can only carry a man so far. Here’s the initial collection of bodacious, quotalacious wisecracks; some of them were intended, but as is the case with something so repulsively serious as war, most of them were not.

Sons of Iraq lead MND-C Soldiers to weapons cache -- [MNF-I]
(Tameem) - BAGHDAD – Sons of Iraq led Multi-National Division – Center Soldiers from Troop C, 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, and Iraqi Policemen with 3rd Brigade, 1st National Police Division to a large weapons cache in Tameem, a town east of Baghdad, April 14. The cache was buried approximately 500 meters from the NPheadquarters in Tameem.

Headed to Baghdad/Sadr City -- [INDC Journal]
I'm going to Baghdad next week to embed with the 2/1 Stryker Cavalry Regiment operating in and around Sadr City. The showdown between the Mahdi Army and US and Iraqi government forces is currently the most important story in Iraq being covered (and miscovered) by the mainstream press, and I'd like to provide an accurate, on-the-ground perspective.

AFGHANISTAN

Bara bin Malek Front commander killed in Pakistani shootout -- [LWJ - Matt Dupee]
A senior leader of a Taliban splinter group known as the Bara bin Malek Front, one of the most dangerous insurgent groups operating in northeastern Afghanistan, was killed during a blazing shootout with Pakistani police in the Northwest Frontier Province earlier this week. Security forces opened fire on Mullah Ahmad Shah, better known as his nom de guerre Commander Ismail, after he failed to stop at a police checkpoint near the Afghan border. Ismail was attempting to smuggle a kidnapped Afghan day laborer back to an insurgent hideout on the Afghan side of the border, according to Pakistani security officials who spoke with CBS. Taliban spokesman Zabibullah Mujahid also confirmed the killing of a top Taliban commander in the area according to the same report.

From FOB Keating to COP Warheit with the 1-91st Cav and Marines ETT in Nuristan -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
...The outpost’s only "running" water is the melting snow. A platoon from Bravo Troop rotates monthly to COP Warheit along with a platoon of ANA Soldiers.
Just days earlier a large fight had taken place between Bravo Troop and the Taliban. FOB Keating was on high alert and extra vehicles were set around the perimeter with 50 Cal. machine guns and Mark 19 grenade launchers locked and loaded.

Taliban IED Team Targetted by Canadian TUAV

Taliban attacked by Unmanned aerial vehicle. Job carried out by Canadian Forces.

NATO Admits To Dropping Weapons & Supplies To Taliban -- [Jawa Report]
Update on "Coalition Accidentally Drops Weapons and Supplies" to Taliban
Nato had previously denied they had anything to do with the incident. Now it comes out a private helicopter company was contracted by NATO's International Security Assistance Force. Very interesting development.

Afghanistan - "Tribal Trickery" (April 2008)

"Coalition troops have set up outposts in Afghanistan's least accessible regions, taking the battle for hearts and minds right to the Taliban's doorstep. But with deployments both short and rare are they doing any good?" journeymanpictures

Special Forces bring Afghan, U.S. students together -- [Combined Joint Task Force - 101 - in Afghanistan]
BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – Elementary school children from the U.S. and Afghanistan met face to face last night, over video teleconference, facilitated by the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan, as part of a partnership program and cultural exchange.
CJSOTF-A has been working with village elders, teachers, parents and students of the Jan Qadam Elementary School, outside the gates of Bagram Air Field, to enable the school to become a more effective center of education. Coalition troops have been able to supply more than 1,200 students with notebooks, pens, pencils, backpacks, rules and glue to get them started on a good school year, with the help of Calvert City elementary School in Calvert City, Kentucky.

U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

NORAD Releases Mother Lode of 9/11 Tapes -- [Danger Room]
The Web site governmentattic.org says NORAD and U.S. Northern Command "have released a copy of their audio files, telephone conversations and situation room discussions, from the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001."
And governmentattic.org has posted them all to its site, in .zip files linked within a .pdf document

Police Find IED and Iraqi Cash in Stolen Car in New Mexico -- [Gateway Pundit]
The owner of the car was filling up his motorcycle when his stolen car pulled up for gas.
The FBI is now involved in the theft of a car after it was found in Los Lunas with an explosive device and Iraqi currency inside. FBI agents say that they have ruled out terrorism

Hijackings impede UN food deliveries in Darfur -- [Hot Air]
The UN has found it difficult to keep the “food pipeline” open to the people in Darfur, thanks to a lack of security along the roads and in the villages. The Sudanese government does not provide reliable escorts, and UN workers have had their trucks hijacked and their stations robbed. Thanks to the rainy spring, the crisis could escalate into a deadly famine — and all of this may sound familiar to Americans:

Chinese ambassador calls for closer ties with Iran -- [Tehran Times]
TEHRAN – Chinese ambassador to Tehran Xie Xiaoyan on Wednesday called for improving economic and political relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The Chinese ambassador made the remarks in a roundtable meeting held between the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s Institute for Political and International Studies (IPIS) and the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR).

Cables, dispatches and memoranda -- [Peace Like A River]
-AFP - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday proclaimed Iran the “most powerful nation” on earth as the country’s air force showed off its prowess at a time of mounting tension with the West.
-MEMRI - Pakistani Taliban have successfully held a two-day jihad conference at the shrine of 20th-Century local Islamic preacher Haji Sahib Turangzai in Pakistan’s tribal district of Mohmand Agency.
-Spiegel - Germany’s top security and law officials have agreed to a plan to enact new computer surveillance regulations. But Muslim leaders fear imams could face more scrutiny than their Christian counterparts.

WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

NEFA Foundation: Videos of Pakistan Terror Training Camp, UK Airline Bomb Plotters -- [Counterterrorism Blog - Evan Kohlmann]
Two new items have been added to the NEFA Foundation online multimedia library:
- Video footage of a terrorist training camp in northwestern Pakistan run by the Islamic Jihad Union (IJU). The video shows the production and testing of explosives, and the recruitment of young children as fighters. On May 25, 2005, the U.S. State Department announced the designation of the IJU as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). ...
- Excerpts from the "martyrdom wills" of of Abdullah Ahmed Ali, Tanvir Hussain, Ibrahim Savant, Arafat Waheed Khan, and Waheed Zaman. The five men—along with Assad Sarwar, Mohammed Gulzar, and Umar Islam—are currently on trial in the United Kingdom for plotting the destruction of several U.S. and Canada-bound commercial flights in August 2006.

Muhammad Nazzal, Hamas Political Bureau Member: If Al-Qaeda Wants to Come to Palestine, They are Welcome (Video) -- [MEMRI]
Interviewer: As you have heard, Ayman Al-Zawahiri talked about the role of Al-Qaeda in what is going on. He threatened that Al-Qaeda would intervene. Will you stand in the same trench with him and with his group?
Muhammad Nazzal: We support any effort against the Zionist enemy. One of the disagreements we have with several Islamic groups was that we believe that the resistance should be directed primarily against this Zionist aggression and occupation. We should concentrate our efforts in Palestine, and in the resistance against the Zionist aggression in Palestine and Lebanon, because this will result in great achievements for the nation. All Arabs and Muslims agree on this issue.
Interviewer: Muhammad, in short, what you are saying is that you are ready to support Al-Qaeda, right?
Muhammad Nazzal: If Al-Qaeda or any Palestinian, Arab, or Islamic faction wants to come to Palestine to fight the Israelis, we welcome this.

Al Qaeda's #2, Zawahiri, in New Audio Tape: "Fortress Iraq" -- [Jawa Report]
A new audio from al Qaeda's #2, Ayman al-Zawahiri, just hit the forums. It's called, "Iraq: Five Years Later".
It's an audio speech, and it's available only in Arabic. I expect an English transcript will be released in the next few days.
Which leads me, once again, to wonder: where the hell is Adam Gadahn, al Qaeda's chief English language propagandist? He's either dead, as I've been hearing, or alive, and very dangerous. Why so? Because if he's no longer in charge of propaganda then he's moved to the operational side of things. And that means al Qaeda has a Jewish kid from Southern California available as a human bomb.

Al-Zawahiri Calls On Muslims To Turn Mosques, Schools, Factories, Universities into 'Centers of Support for Jihad' -- [MEMRI Blog]
On April 18, 2008, Al-Ikhlas and other Islamist websites posted an audio message by Al-Zawahiri, produced by Al-Sahab, titled "Five Years after the Invasion of Iraq; Decades of Oppression by the Tyrant." Al-Zawahiri states that the Democrats in the U.S. are deceiving their voters when they promise to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq by forming an understanding with Iran. This understanding, he says, is meant to allow the Americans to focus on fighting Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan, but will in fact only "only serve Iran's interests in the region and add fuel to the fire."

Al-Qaida's Finances: Evidence of Organizational Decline? -- [Counterterrorism Blog - Matthew Levitt]
The latest issue of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point's excellent online journal, CTC Sentinel, was released today, inlcuding an article in which I present a snapshot of al Qaeda's continuing ability to raise funds through traditional methods, even as the al Qaeda core itself is reportedly short on cash. A reverse directional flow of funds from disparate al Qaeda cells back to al Qaeda senior leadership in the Afghanistan-Pakistan area may suggest a further degeneration of the al Qaeda core. There is no question that the al Qaeda core remains highly capable of spectacular attacks and continues to pose the single greatest terrorist threat to the West today. But if, over time, al Qaeda senior leadership continues to lack the funds necessary to train recruits, produce and disseminate propaganda, etc, it could lose the financial leverage that enables it to control the activities and direct operations of cells worldwide.

Recruiting Trends, Theirs -- [Jules Crittenden]
Know your enemy. Small Wars Journal and DoD offer up some recent findings, with an eye to combating enemy recruitment. We’ll start at Small Wars Journal with a study of foreign jihadi recruitment trends by Clint Watts, a former US Army Infantry Officer, FBI Special Agent and Executive Officer of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, now a private consultant:

AP’s Terror Operative Freed but Not Cleared -- [PJM - Bob Owens]
Iraqi terrorism suspect and award-winning Associated Press photographer Bilal Hussein was released from U.S. military custody on Wednesday after more than two years in prison. Various news outlets are reporting the release as the triumph of an innocent man, though that journalism community-based supposition is unsupported by known facts.
An amnesty committee reviewing the charges against Hussein judged neither the merits of the case nor his guilt or innocence, but instead looked “exclusively at the categorization of the charges relative to provisions of the Amnesty Law,” according to a U.S. military release.

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

Americans could get tax credits for supporting troops -- [HeraldTimes HT: Soldiers Angels Network ]
Indiana Congressman Baron Hill will introduce legislation today that would give Americans up to a $500 tax credit for their role in providing support to U.S. troops fighting in the Iraq war and their families.
The idea was conceived by Indiana University Kelley School of Business professor Catherine Dalton, whom Hill said has spent thousands of dollars sending care packages to troops overseas.
Hill is calling the two bills the Heroes Tax Relief Package.
Americans who send care packages overseas to troops for a designated period of time would be eligible for a $500 tax deduction.
The second bill would allow for a $500 deduction for those who donate at least 10 hours of volunteer service for four straight weeks to military families who have soldiers fighting abroad.

One Man and A Symbol of Freedom -- [Castle Argghhh! - Kat]
I can hardly write this post. I am equally angry, sad, proud, and filled with something I can't describe because it is all of these things and more.
I just watched a video over at Gateway Pundit. It seems the University of Maine put up, or should I say "down", an "art" display by laying down United States Flags all through the hall way for people to walk on.
One man, a veteran, came and tried to pick up the flags. They called the police and told him that he could not. It was property, just a piece of cloth, they said. He told them that he had fought for that flag. He stood in front of one of the flag with a sign: Disgraceful.

Disgrace of the Flag, at UMF

Al Qaeda in Iraq : When losing, flail away and kill as many as you can. -- [John of Argghhh!]
...Yesterday, I linked to Cassandra's crie-de-coeur over at Villainous Company, regarding her view of a rising willingness of the Usual Suspects to express their contempt of those of us who donned the uniform or support those who wear it. Oddly enough, they aren't as contemptuous when the Powers That Be send us off to do thing that the Usual Suspects approve of... well, they aren't as openly contemptuous, anyway.
I'm not reopening that discussion here, so much as I'm going to cherry-pick from her commenter who took issue with her, a Mr. Schwag.
You finally put it all together Casandy. The majority of Americans now feel contempt for the military.
Why is it that the "greatest military of all time" can't defeat a few thousand camel jocks?
Gas is now over $4 and all we hear is about how great are "heros" are.
You and your ilk have trashed our country and soon you will get a major domestic ass kicking.

MILITARY LIFE

difficult it is to say goodbye -- [Jake's Life]
...My family came down to Palm Springs for my graduation from School. It was a great time, but it was of course bittersweet. Upon saying goodbye, my little sister said that until that point she hadn’t let herself think that it was going to be the last time she’d see me before going to Afghanistan. It’s difficult in those awkward moments with your family when they are asking you if you are scared or nervous or any one of the other million emotions you could be feeling on the verge of heading back. To be truthful, it’s a cocktail of everything. I could quite honestly put any name on the gut feeling I have sitting in my stomach. The fact is that I’m going back and that’s why I signed up in the first place, so there aren’t any complaints on my end.

Chivalry and Women - [MilBlogs - Grim]
(Ah! I do still have the link to post here! Here is a post I think could benefit young soldiers, particularly: but also ladies, trying to understand the men in their lives.

About Those Recruitment Issues -- [Jules Crittenden]
They want a draft? OK, let’s have a draft. No problem. A couple of things, though. The last thing we want to do is screw with the world’s greatest professional volunteer Army. And there has to be an alternative for principled peaceniks. The Works Corps. Sounds harsh, I know. The W-word. Just wait till you hear about the Punishment Battalions.* It might sound a little more Stalinist than FDR, but hey, it’s what the lefties want. Let’s engage America’s youth in a great common venture.

Guidelines for the War Poetry Contest -- [Winning Writers]
Now in its seventh year, this contest seeks today's best poems on the theme of war. We will award $5,000 in prizes. Click here to read winning entries from the past.
Submission Period
Entries accepted November 15, 2007 - May 31, 2008 (postmark dates)
What to Submit
1-3 original, unpublished poems on the theme of war. Their combined length should not exceed 500 lines. Contestants may enter once per year.
Prizes
First Prize, $2,000 cash and publication on WinningWriters.com (over one million page views per year)
Second Prize, $1,200 cash and publication on WinningWriters.com
Third Prize, $600 cash and publication on WinningWriters.com
Twelve Honorable Mentions, $100 cash each and publication on WinningWriters.com
Entry Fee
$15, payable to Winning Writers.

3rd ID is full of warriors -- [TacOps Security]
The 3rd Infantry Division, headquartered at Fort Stewart, Ga., completed its fiscal year 2008 retention goal in less than six months, which most view as a phenomenal act.
This is unprecedented according to the division’s retention sergeant major. “I’ve been in this career field for 16 years, and I’ve never known of a division to meet its goal in such a short time,” said Sgt. Maj. Kelvin Raibon, the 3rd Infantry Division Retention sergeant major.
This is the division’s third deployment to Iraq since 2003, but its high operational tempo did not stop 4,000 Soldiers from re-enlisting. Even more troops will follow their lead, and by the end of March one battalion with the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, out of Fort Benning, Ga., will have met its retention goal twice.

Demise of the Green Berets? -- [Military.com]
For a glimpse into the future of Special Forces, read the Capstone Concept for Special Operations on the USSOCOM web site. Read through it carefully. Can you find the words "Special Forces" anywhere? Or "Special Forces group?" Can you find "ODA" (operational detachment - alpha)? Or "ODB" (operational detachment - bravo)? Or "Special Forces battalion?"
You can't find these words. We can read that as a strong signal that you won't be able to find Special Forces anywhere before very long. Many other signals suggest that the senior leadership in both United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and Department of the Army (DA) are working to do away with the Green Berets.

IN MEMORY OF...

Thank you, 1st Lt. Shaun Blue, for a life of integrity and service -- [CS Monitor]
Consequences of pulling out of Iraq
Five years after the start of the Iraq war, and a year after Blue's death on April 16, I feel we are obligated to the Iraqi people and the rest of the world to not hastily abandon what we have invested so much in. I truly believe America can be an agent for change. I have often asked myself: If we pull out, what type of future would we be allowing to come about?
Sometimes I feel alone in my reasoning. That day in Munster I did not. That day I was proud to be a marine and proud to be an American.
I like to think that if the streets of heaven are guarded by marines, as the Marines' hymn suggests, that 1st Lieutenant Shaun Blue is now forever walking the lines of the perimeter checking on the marines defending their eternal post.

Merlin's Miracle -- [Miss Ladybug]
I received an email earlier today from Haole Wahine about Marine Sergeant Merlin German. He was serving in Iraq in February 2005 when he was burned over 97% of his body when he did not have time to warn the driver of the Humvee of the IED he had spotted. He had been standing in the gun turret and was blown out of the Humvee. Doctors in Landstuhl said he would not survive. Somehow, he beat the odds, and became "The Miracle Man" to the staff at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. Merlin passed away unexpectedly on April 11th while recovering from his most recent surgery.
Merlin seems to have touched many people with his spirit and courage. He will be greatly missed by those who knew him.

WELCOME HOME

Loris soldiers receive a big welcome home -- [Myrtle Beach Sun News]
SC - Apr 17, 2008 - After serving for more than a year in Afghanistan, the troops arrived home to their friends and families a few months ago. Recently, Boucino finally got to ...

National Guard to get big welcome home -- [Pekin Daily Times]
IL- Apr 15, 2008- Welcome-home activities include complimentary pork chop sandwich lunches at 11 am at the American Legion hall for the families of the soldiers. ...

Update -- [OP-FOR - Slab - home from Iraq]
Well, another deployment down. I returned home to Mrs Slab this past Sunday, and have spent the past few days getting reacquainted with my lovely wife. The Missus spent the past seven months turning my former bachelor pad into a real home, and did an amazing job at it. She even turned the bonus room above the garage into a Man Den worthy of the name.
...I will be making a few posts in the upcoming days about my general impressions of the situation in Al Anbar, and a review of the MRAP. In the meantime, I look forward to becoming a more active member of the blogosphere again.

POLITICS

A Fred Smith Rally In Wilmington -- [Right Wing News]
...Next up, here's an interview I did with Will Breazeale, an Iraq Vet who's running for Congress and Benny - Bangin al Dosakee, an Iraqi interpreter who worked with Will in Iraq and is now an American citizen. You may particularly enjoy Will explaining how Barbara Boxer and Harry Reid got so frustrated because they couldn't understand what one of the generals in Iraq was saying to them, that they actually got up and walked out on the briefing.

MoveOn’s definition of “hurting the country” -- [Malkin]
Yes, it’s true. The left-wing anti-patriots at MoveOn.org, who didn’t think twice about handing jihadists potent ammunition the day before the sixth anniversary of 9/11 with their despicable attack on Gen. Petraeus, are now worried about actions that “hurt the country.”
Dangerous, perilous, damaging, harmful actions…like having a Democrat debate moderated by journalists who aren’t complete and total sycophants.

Rep. Myrick Calls for Former President Jimmy Carter’s Passport to be Revoked -- [Myrick (NC09)] HT: Glenn
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Rep. Sue Myrick (NC-9) called on Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to revoke former President Jimmy Carter’s passport. This is in response to the former President traveling to Syria to meet with Hamas, an organization officially designated by the United States as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
“Former President Carter has acted in contradiction of international agreements to isolate Hamas. He has acted in defiance of both United States policy and international policy. His actions reward terrorists, lend support, and provide legitimacy to their belief that violence will eventually get them what they want,” said Rep. Myrick.

MILBLOGGING

10 Surefire Ways to Get Your MilBlog Unwanted Government Attention -- [A Soldier's Perspective]
I learned an important lesson on April 1st - People are gullible!! I also learned that you can draw a lot of attention by saying the right (or wrong) thing on a military blog. Not long ago the military tried to crack down on military bloggers with new and improved regulations (we didn't take it lying down!). In an effort to prevent drawing unwanted attention by Big Brother, I humbly offer some rules to those military bloggers concerned about crossing the line (and how to avoid it).

THE MEDIA

Winning or Loosing -- [Guidons, Guidons, Guidons]
I am currently traveling across the USA in route to a short school I am required to attend. I've stopped for the evening in Baton Rouge, LA, not exactly a military town. After I had a bite to eat, I visited the local Barns and Noble Bookseller...front and center was this book - DEFEAT - Why America and British Lost Iraq
I guess the war is over and we lost...nobody told me and we were winning when I left last December...but I guess Jonathan Steele knows better than me.

The Anti-RAND Report -- [Gathering of Eagles: NY]
Yesterday a huge RAND report, “Invisible Wounds of War“, was released which claims that 20% of our veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan will suffer PTSD or depression. Among other myths this report perpetuates is “With the increasing incidence of suicide and suicide attempts among returning veterans, concern about depression is also on the rise.” Undoubtedly deep in the report they will cite other smears about our troops such as their increased propensity for criminal activity.
Doom and Gloom, the one sure product of the unhinged left is in full production mode today as news outlets around the world will trumpet this supposed scientific analysis as another hidden cost of the War on Terror.
As an avid reader of milbloggers and having talked with returning veterans about their experiences over there and back home, I have a different take on this whole depression subject.

Pentagon Study? Current Events in Iraq? Not so Fast... -- [SWJ]
Today's Miami Herald carries a story on page 3 titled Pentagon Study: War is `Debacle' by Jonathan Landay and John Walcott...
...The Miami Herald piece on a NDU "occasional paper" (Choosing War: The Decision to Invade Iraq and Its Aftermath), quoted alternately as a Pentagon or NDU study, raised some flags here at SWJ. So we asked the author, Joseph Collins, to provide some context. His reply:
...SWJ Editors Note: Unfortunately this is not the first instance - nor will it be the last – of highly selective use of source quotes and excerpts as well as distortion of context by members of the "mainstream media" in reporting on recent events and trends in Iraq…

Time Tramples Iwo Jima Image to Push 'War on Global Warming' -- [NewsBusters]
In our nation's history, there are few images more heroic, more sacred in a civil sense, than that of the Marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima. Time has now twisted, and enlisted, that image for its "war on global warming."

The Continued disrespect of our Armed Forces... -- [BlackFive - Deebow]
The best part of this story may be some of the quotes from some of the veterans of that battle...
Donald Mates, an Iwo Jima veteran, told the Business & Media Institute on April 17 that using that photograph for that cause was a “disgrace.”
...But the trifecta for this little journey into libtardedness is the quote from Time managing editor Richard Stengel about what he believes the reporters and the news-room of Time Magazine need to do to be most effective in their jobs;
“I think since I’ve been back at the magazine, I have felt that one of the things that’s needed in journalism is that you have to have a point of view about things,” Stengel said. “You can’t always just say ‘on the one hand, on the other’ and you decide. People trust us to make decisions. We’re experts in what we do. So I thought, you know what, if we really feel strongly about something let's just say so.”

Bush Depicted as Foul-Mouthed Frat Boy -- [Military.com]
Oliver Stone's new film,"W", portrays George Bush as a foul- mouthed, dried-out drunk with a baseball obsession and a difficult relationship with his father. Filming is expected to begin any day in Louisiana. The movie should be in cinemas before Bush leaves office next January.

Washington Post Publishes Terrorists [NRO Media Blog - Kevin D. Williamson]
The Washington Post published a column by Mahmoud al-Zahar of the terrorist outfit Hamas, arguing that this will help bring "clarity" to the discussion. LGF asks the obvious question:
How many times is the Washington Post going to use that excuse? They’ve published op-eds by Hamas terrorist Mousa Abu Marzook, CAIR, the Muslim Brotherhood’s front group MAS, and the spiritual leader of Hizballah, Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah, just to name a few of the terrorists and sympathizers who have graced their pages. And they host a permanent eulogy to the father of modern terrorism.
How much more clarity does the Washington Post need?
In the interest of clarity, here's Hamas in its own words:

L.A. Times: Cross Al Qaeda, Get Nasty Memo -- [Danger Room]
Yesterday's Los Angeles Times taps recently declassified al Qaeda memos to paint a picture of the bureaucracy that runs the terrorist organization -- and the memos (.pdf), at times, bring to mind Dilbert as much as death and destruction.

HUMOR / SATIRE

Day By Day

Hamas Backs Obama, Other 'Superdelegates' to Follow -- [ScrappleFace]
(2008-04-17) — The chief political adviser to the Prime Minister of Hamas on Sunday said the terror group would like to see Sen. Barack Obama become the next U.S. president because “he has a vision to change America.”
One Obama campaign insider said, “Getting this endorsement is tantamount to picking up a superdelegate vote. But with Hamas, Sen. Obama didn’t have to compromise his principles or positions, or make any commitments beyond what he has already promised.”

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