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

Insurgents Turn Themselves In to U.S., Iraqi Troops -- [NPR]
Iraq's Salahuddin province has been known for years as a violent stronghold of Sunni insurgents, including al-Qaida. But lately it has been relatively quiet. U.S. military units there say that's because former rebel fighters are turning themselves in by the hundreds — including some who had been the most virulently anti-American leaders.

News from Iraq -- [Greyhawk]
Haider Ajina, via email:
Largest Public Works Substation Opens in Baghdad
BAGHDAD — Iraqi Security Forces, civic leaders, local townspeople and Coalition forces gathered in the Ameriyah community in Baghdad's Mansour district June 25 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to acknowledge the opening of the biggest public works substation in the Iraqi capital.

Trust -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
In Sadr City. - There are no words to express everything conveyed by this photo. To me, it represents the highest ideals of our country and our guys, and the hopes and aspirations of the Iraqi people.
This is why we fight.

General David H Petraeus: The general's knowledge -- [Times Online]
Since the ‘warrior scholar’ David Petraeus led the American military surge in Iraq last year, the body count has plummeted. Will he go down in history as the man who won the war, or is it all too little too late?
General David H Petraeus, the commander of US forces in Iraq, looked exhausted. A competitive miler who loves to challenge young field commanders to five-mile running races and push-up contests (which he usually wins), he appears fit as ever. But there are dark circles under his eyes. Leading this war has begun to exact a visible toll.

Operation Look South

U.S. and coalition forces providing humanitarian aid to Iraqis and searching for insurgent activities.

On the Menu In Baghdad, Fresh Hopes -- [Wapo - Saad al-Izzi - an iraqi]
Restaurant Shattered by Bombing Reemerges as Symbol of Normalcy
...Hashim was back at work because the blast walls and body searches made him feel safer, although, he said, still "not 100 percent" safe. He also felt he could help Baghdad revive.
"If I quit and the others quit, then there will be no life," explained Hashim as he deftly assembled one makhlamah after another.
The restaurant's name is the nickname of its owner, Abdul Qadir Ahmed Hussein, a cheerful man with close-cropped gray hair, a mustache and unshaven cheeks who inherited his savory recipes from his grandmother. She sold bagila bil dihin, a traditional breakfast dish made of flat bread soaked in oil and beans topped with an omelet, in the narrow alleyways of old Baghdad.

Ramadi rebuilds as region recovers from violence -- [Fearless 1st Marines’ blog]
Ramadi was regarded by many to be one of the most violent cities in Iraq for much of the last five years. The thought of rebuilding the troubled city during that time was improbable, the risks were too high. Now, Ramadi is much safer and rebuilding the city is no longer just an impossible idea but an everyday reality in the recovering region. The country is now transitioning from violence and fighting, to healing and freedom. The focus in Ramadi, and all of al-Anbar Province, is no longer on warfare but on reconstructing the region’s damaged infrastructure.

Iraqi Security Forces Five Year Plan: An updated projection -- [LWJ - DJ Elliott]
In August 2007, the Projected Iraqi Security Forces Five Year Plan (end-2012), a rough estimate of the end-state for Iraqi forces, was published. Additional information and details have since become available to clarify Iraqi Security Force (ISF) development and probable plans, however, the same rule applies: What follows is heavy on speculation, estimation, and extrapolations. If sixty percent proves accurate, the estimate will be considered good. Many of the decisions that affect what is being projected here have not been made yet.

Anbar Reconstruction

Relative peace in Baghdad remains fragile as troops carry out counterinsurgency plan -- [LWJ - Bill Murray - in Iraq]
It’s near noon on a Friday in Northeast Baghdad and the neighborhoods the U.S. military calls Muhallahs 535 and 734 are quiet. It’s the weekend, and many adults are at the local mosques for worship, leaving the streets filled with dozens of adolescent boys, yelling, kicking and raising minor havoc on bicycles, soccer balls and the unlucky stray dog.
As U.S. Army Specialist Luis Garza and 2nd Lieutenant Jonathon Logan patrol the neighborhoods, they remember these streets during a less docile time. Both men nearly died near here in the past two months, and the possibility of violence erupting in these environs remains in the front of their minds.
If this restive peace remains through the year, military and political developments that have caused attacks against Coalition troops to fall by 80 percent year-on-year will be viewed with success.

Soccer -- [Matel - Reconstruction Team Leader in Iraq]
The soccer field is in back of the kids. In Iraq, you don’t even get to watch the grass grow on the soccer fields. All they do is smooth out that dirt and put in a kind of a sub base. We are going to fix this soccer field up. The local kids are excited about it. When we got out of our cars, they all came running over.

Hazardous Work Sometimes -- [Matel - Reconstruction Team Leader in Iraq]
Recent deadly bombings around Iraq, one involving State colleagues, reminded us that this is still a dangerous place, despite the astonishing progress Iraq has made over recent months. I was reminded on a local level during a foot patrol.
...It is very important to go among the Iraqi people to show them we know they are not the enemy, that we are not afraid and that we want to hear what they have to say, sweet and bitter. I bet they will be talking about this particular engagement for a long time to come. The Iraqis present were also surprised and concerned over this man's anger. I believe our interpreter Sam and I did our duty representing our country in a favorable light and the Marines calmly addressed the situation. Nevertheless, this was a wake-up call about how fast a situation can deteriorate. We have reviewed our security procedures and our team members and I will be much more circumspect in the future.

AeroScout

Marines in Iraq as a special operation force.

Water, Water Everywhere but Not a Pipe to Link -- [Matel - Reconstruction Team Leader in Iraq]
The Regional Engineer of Rutbah is a modern man with little patience for religious extremists or excessive tribalism. He hates what Saddam Hussein did to his country. He told me that in some towns essentially no new schools were built between the end of the 1970s and the liberation, despite big population growth. As an engineer, he decries the general lack of maintenance. Instead of building infrastructure, Saddam bought expensive weapons systems from the Soviets, French & Chinese (the U.S. supplied only 0.47% of Saddam's stuff). The fruits of big buying spree litter the deserts around here, MiGs that never fired a shot in anger, tanks that never went anywhere. They decided it was better to abandon them than to fight a real enemy.
It was worst during the sanctions. When Saddam had less money, he spent what he had on palaces, but enough of the past.

Band of brothers in Samarra -- [IN Iraq - embed in Iraq]
...Brett Slaughter, 20, of Sullivan IN, shrugs when I ask him why he joined the infantry. He figured it would be the best way to be right up there in person. “It sounds cheesy,” he said, “but I always knew I wanted to come here (to the 101st Airborne) after watching Band of Brothers.”
But even in his most bad-a-- fantasies, it would have been difficult to imagine that he’d be fighting street to street in Samarra, a city that had been periodically cleared throughout the war, but never really taken from insurgents before Charlie Company of the 2nd/327th was able to stand up Sons of Iraq forces and erect T-Walls through out the city. Earlier this year Gen. David Petraeus called Samarra the most dangerous city in Iraq.

Makhmur Police Headquarters Visit -- [manrymission.com - in Iraq]
Today I visited one of our current projects rebuilding the police headquarters near the town of Makhmur. The original site was devasted by an SVBIED (car bomb) in May 2007.
...The quality of the construction and the professionalism of the contractors are very high in Erbil and Dahuk. I always appreciate the opportunity to visit their projects. Earlier this week, I went to a new project in the Sommer neighborhood of Mosul. We went early in the morning before the contractor had arrived to get a look at the foundation work. After we returned to FOB Marez, the contractor called Nazar, the project engineer, to tell him that the Iraqi Army wouldn’t let him work on the site that day. We had to make numerous calls to get things cleared up for the contractor to get back to work.
That’s why it’s so nice to visit Erbil and Dahuk. We generally don’t encounter the security problems there. But on the other hand, we do have to worry about picking out paint colors.

'Excalibur' owns the night -- [Regimental Combat Team 5 - in Iraq]
RUTBAH, Iraq - The Marines with Mike Battery, 3rd Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment, 2nd Light Armored reconnaissance Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 5, own the night.
The battery, known as "Excalibur," entered the town at night and searched a house here for a weapons cache to ensure the safety of the people and to defeat the insurgency.

Iraq News (30 June) -- [LT Nixon]
The Good: The security responsibility of Diwaniyah province is set to be turned over today from Coalition Forces to the Iraqis, which will make it the tenth. The security has been mostly provided by the Poles and other members of the coalition, and has seen some level of Shi'ite extremist activity from the Mahdi Army. Interesting story about a chaplain at FOB Falcon in Baghdad at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Ambassador Crocker is saying that more talks are possible with Iran, now that much of the illicit militia activity has subsided.

Iraq set for major oil deal

The world's oil giants Exxon Mobil, Shell, Total and BP are set to return to Iraq more than 35 years after Saddam Hussein nationalised production in the country's biggest oil deal since the invasion.

Sand is an equalizer. -- [Courage Without Fear - in Iraq]
Sand is an equalizer. When there are storms, none of us can see. Good guys, bad guys and other guys.
The local peoples are used to the sand. It's part of them. Their clothing, their homes, their animals, their possessions are all "sand-proofed" in a way that makes it easier to deal with the sand storms. I hesitate to say "easier." But compared to us and all our technology, machinery and moisture-wicking-flame-resistant-high-speed-low-drag-clothing, the Kuwaitis and Iraqis have it easier when dealing with the weather.
We always worry that when we're not moving, troops aren't getting the supplies they need and the bad guys are getting time to plot against us. But no, not so much. Every FOB and Camp "Up North" has several days worth of supplies on hand. Everyone knows that, its how we do business. And the insurgents, they don't like going out in the storms any better than we do.

Running on Fumes -- [Doc in the Box - in Iraq]
One thing that is good about being out at war is that I don't have to fork over a large pile of money to fill up my gas tank. That's all going to change before too long and I'll be back in the land of pumping gold into that tank. In fact, I'll be paying more then most because I drive a diesel.

Stonehenge -- [Miserable Donuts - in Iraq]
When living at Basrah COB (Contingency Operating Base) one sleeps in a "Stonehenge". The Brits took so much rocket fire at this base, even the beds are surrounded by brick and steel and sandbags... And yeah, it can be disconcerting to sit up in the middle of the night and whack your head against a steel plate...

Crisis grows in Iraq over U.S. raid that killed Maliki relative -- [McClatchy Newspapers]
BAGHDAD, Iraq — Senior Iraqi government officials said Saturday that a U.S. Special Forces counterterrorism unit conducted the raid that reportedly killed a relative of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki, touching off a high-stakes diplomatic crisis between the United States and Iraq.

"I'm leaving...And I'm taking the rat with me!" -- [James Aalan Bernsen - in Iraq]
Finally, at long last, the end came.
It took a while though. My last few days seemed to slow to a crawl. My work had been parcelled out to my colleagues and I was shifted from the night shift to days. My boss told me he only needed to see me once a day to prove I was alive, and outside of that, I was free.
Free? What does that word mean? At least in Iraq, it really means little. There are precious few things you can do to enjoy your freedom, and since all your friends are still tied to work, you're not really free to do anything but wander around the base alone and think. And with the weather topping off around 120 degrees, wandering around just isn't a good idea.

AFGHANISTAN

Pakistan and its Anti-Taliban Actions -- -- [A Major's Perspective - in Afghanistan]
For the past few weeks I have been writing about insurgencies and what they need to be successful and to grow and prosper. Within the Taliban and Al-Qaeda movement in Afghanistan the absolute decisive point of their operation is to be able to move back and forth across the border regions with Pakistan and enjoy a safe haven there within Pakistan. This safe haven within Pakistan gives them the opportunity to rest, to train more fighters, to recruit, to receive weapons and equipment and to broadcast their message of hate and intolerance to the world. President Karzai and numerous other leaders have made this a point in the past about this issue with the ill-managed Federally Administered Tribal Areas and North West Province of Pakistan. It seems that Pakistan may finally be taking steps in the right direction to dealing with this issue though.

In Pictures: Extremist leaders in Pakistan’s Khyber agency -- [LWJ - Bill Roggio]
A look at the senior leaders of Lashkar-e-Islam, Ansar-ul-Islam, and other groups operating in the tribal agency of Khyber, where the military is conducting an offensive.

No Afghan peace while Taliban have sanctuary: NATO -- [Reuters - Hamid Shalizi
]
KABUL - Afghanistan will not be secure as long as insurgents are allowed to operate freely in sanctuaries on the Pakistan side of the border, a NATO spokesman said on Sunday.
With international forces in Afghanistan struggling against what the U.S. Pentagon describes as a "resilient insurgency", Pakistan is coming under increasing pressure to stop militants operating out of remote enclaves in ethnic Pashtun border lands.
"We know that as long as the insurgents operate safely on the Pakistan side of the border, then there can not be security in Afghanistan,"

Islamabad blinks at Taliban threat -- [La Times - Syed Saleem Shahzad]
KARACHI - With grudging surprise, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has acknowledged the strength of the Taliban, illustrated by its repeated calls for more troops to be sent to Afghanistan, notably for the two important provinces of Kandahar and Khost.
There has even been speculation that these provinces might fall, significantly increasing the pressure on the US-backed government of President Hamid Karzai.
The NATO command reasoned the only response was joint operations with the Pakistani military along the Durand Line that separates Pakistan and Afghanistan, and Islamabad, under
Washington's pressure, this year began preparations to cooperate.
But the Taliban's regional command was quick to show its muscle in the Pakistani tribal areas

Taliban Pushes, Gets Shoved Back -- [Strategy Page]
In Pakistan, banned Islamic radical groups are reforming, often under new names, in the cities, especially Karachi. This is a challenge to the new government, which hasn't yet decided how to respond. Meanwhile, up in the tribal territories, the army continues to push the Taliban out of the Peshawar suburbs. Officers mentioned that an advance against the Taliban in the Swat Valley would be next. Meanwhile, the Taliban has suspended peace talks with the government, if only because the Taliban never had any intention of honoring any agreements they negotiated.

Heroes Of Helmand 1/3

CA projects helps rebuild Kohe Safi -- [Combined Joint Task Force - 101- in Afghanistan]
The Kapisa and Parwan Provincial Reconstruction Team civil affairs leader visited a few local villages in the Kohe Safi District and met with Community Development Council representatives, June 24.
The CDC, a body of elected villagers, is given special training to learn how to allocate funds and pick projects that are needed in each village.
Projects are funded through the National Solidarity Program, which works through the Ministry of Rural Reconstruction and Development. “The outreach that was involved in this mission was to get to meet some of the CDCs from nine of the targeted villages in the Kohe Safi District,” said Army Capt. Steve H. Kaiser, Kapisa’s and Parwan’s PRT CA leader. “With the information gathered we will start a Quick Impact Project.”

Diggers demand shoot-to-kill policy -- [Perth Now]
AUSTRALIA'S frontline troops are urging a new shoot-to-kill policy as they confront an increasingly hostile enemy in the war on terror.
Diggers in Afghanistan are facing a rising risk of casualties as they advance into enemy territory.
Defence chiefs have been urged to change the rules of engagement and allow frontline troops to take on the enemy instead of "waiting to be shot".

Heroes Of Helmand 2/3

Grim U.S. report sees Taliban getting stronger -- [SF Gate]
The Taliban have regrouped after their initial fall from power in Afghanistan, and the pace of their attacks is likely to increase this year, according to a Pentagon report that offers a dim view of progress in the nearly 7-year-old war.
Noting that insurgent violence has climbed, the report said that despite U.S. and coalition efforts to capture and kill key leaders, the Taliban are likely to "maintain or even increase the scope and pace of ... terrorist attacks and bombings in 2008."
The Taliban, it said, have "coalesced into a resilient insurgency." Meanwhile, the Afghan army and national police are progressing slowly and still lack the trainers they need.

Heroes Of Helmand 3/3

Taliban Set to Expand Violence -- [Captains Journal]
Army intelligence said that there would be no Afghanistan spring offensive by the Taliban not more than half a year ago. The Captain’s Journal said that there would be, and also claimed that it would be mostly asymmetric. In a stark admission and direct contradiction of the position of Army intelligence, the Department of Defense is saying that the insurgency will grow and expand the violence.

Taliban Aims to Control Rural Phones - [Washington Times - Sara Carter]
Taliban forces have discovered a novel tactic to move undetected through strongholds at night - blow up cellular telephone towers unless local officials turn off the networks from dusk to dawn. The strategy has been used widely in rural areas of Kandahar and Helmand provinces in southern Afghanistan midwinter, said US officials, who estimate that at least 50 towers have been attacked in Helmand province alone.

U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

3 Ways to Lower Gas Prices

Iran to ready thousands of graves for enemy soldiers -- [AFP]
TEHRAN — Iran is to dig 320,000 graves in border districts to allow for the burial of enemy soldiers in the event of any attack on its territory, a top commander said on Sunday.
"In implementation of the Geneva Conventions... the necessary measures are being taken to provide for the burial of enemy soldiers," the Mehr news agency quoted General Mir-Faisal Bagherzadeh as saying.
"We have plans to dig 15,000 to 20,000 graves in each of the border provinces or a total of 320,000," the general said, some of them mass graves if necessary.
Bagherzadeh said Iran was keen to "reduce the suffering of the families of the fallen in any attack against our country... and prevent any repetition of the long and bitter experience of the Vietnam War."

When It Comes to Nukes, Iran Is No North Korea -- [PJM]
In a surprise move, the North Koreans gave the US president what some believe is his second major achievement in his administration’s campaign against the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
After having convinced Libya to dismantle its nuclear weapons program in 2003, North Korea, after many years of negotiations, has now also decided to come clean about its nuclear program. Under a new deal, Pyongyang will now declare its plutonium based materials and facilities, something which it has hidden for many years.
To demonstrate their goodwill, the North Korean authorities, publicly and dramatically blew up the cooling tower of their nuclear facility in Yungbyon. This was to show that the site which many have suspected of producing weapons grade plutonium, will no longer be active, as per Pyongyang’s promise. In return,...

Korean Nukes: Don't Get Giddy -- [Family Security Matters]
We should not be overly jubilant about the apparent progress in disassembling North Korea's nuclear program and facilities, because the regime still operates many threatening, clandestine programs that the U.S. must uncover and deal with.

WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

Amid policy disputes, Qaeda grows in Pakistan -- [Herald Tribune]
Plan Allows Up to $400 Million for Activities Aimed at Destabilizing Government
Late last year, top Bush administration officials decided to take a step they had long resisted. They drafted a secret plan to authorize the Pentagon's Special Operations forces to launch missions into the snow-capped mountains of Pakistan to capture or kill top leaders of Al Qaeda.
Intelligence reports for more than a year had been streaming in about Osama bin Laden's terror network rebuilding in the Pakistani tribal areas, a problem that had been exacerbated by years of missteps in Washington and the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, sharp policy disagreements, and turf battles between American counterterrorism agencies.
The new plan, outlined in a highly classified Pentagon order, was designed to eliminate some of those battles. And it was meant to pave an easier path into the tribal areas for American commandos, who for years have bristled at what they see as Washington's risk-averse attitude toward Special Operations missions inside Pakistan. They also argue that catching Bin Laden will come only by capturing some of his senior lieutenants alive.

Diploma Mills Could Enable Terrorist Infiltration -- [Counterterrorism Blog - Michael Cutler]
Today’s edition of the New York Times reports on the nefarious activities of a “diploma mill” that has been successfully operating for some time, amassing huge profits while conspiring with its customers to provide anyone with the money, a worthless diploma that provides the illusion of academic achievement. These diplomas undermine the integrity of our workforce and may even undermine national security. As the article notes, visas can be issued to aliens who are able to document that they have degrees that would qualify them for employment in the United States, when in fact they have no such education and may have no intention of securing the job they apply for but simply desire to enter our country for other purposes.

British Warn of Ambulance Bombs -- [Jawa Report]
Britain's FBI equivalent, MI5, has issued a warning that al-Qaeda terrorists are suspected of planning to buy used ambulances, fire trucks and police cars to launch suicide bomb attacks in Britain.

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

Marines need our help -- [Tanker Brothers]
Everybody knows that our Marines are very capable of handling anything they encounter in the frontlines of the current war efforts. Late last week though, a unit of Marines lost everything they own. Lima company camp was totally burned and the Marines now have only the clothes on their backs. A call has gone out, and yes, Soldiers' Angels is involved, to get the most basic supplies to the Marines in a hurry. The list of things these heroes need includes:
Pillows, running Shoes (Sizes 9-12) with the most common size being 10 1/2, socks, green pt short, green t-shirts (military) disposable razors, hygiene items, snacks, hydration of any sort....really just ANYTHING YOU CAN SPARE FOR THESE HEROES!!!

Bismarck Tribune - Bismarck News - Army wife stranded in Bismarck -- [Soldiers Angels Network]
Lisa Lappi just wants to take her kids home. For now, she's stuck in Bismarck.
On May 5, she was on her way to meet her husband, Army Staff Sgt. Ronnie Lappi, at their home in Vilseck, Germany. She said her purse was stolen at Denver International Airport, effectively stranding her. Denver police are able to confirm that at approximately 8:30 a.m. MDT, Lappi was the victim of a stolen property incident there, although they are unable to determine any other details.
United Airlines is unable to confirm or deny the details of the incident.
"We're looking into the incident," said Jeff Kovick, United spokesperson.
Lappi's husband is stationed in Baghdad, and after nine months apart, he finally got some leave. With the two kids, Lisa Lappi had been in Bismarck for her grandfather's funeral and to support her family, she said.

MILBLOGGING

Elucidating the Obvious -- [Villainous Company]
One of the things I have tried to do, over the many years I've been writing, is not to post in anger.
There are times when that is not easy, especially when I feel as strongly as I do about what I have to say today. Pent up emotions tend to increase rather than decrease in intensity, and each time an opportunity to respond is declined only makes the next time more difficult. Over the years there have been quite a few times when I have reluctantly decided not to weigh in at all on stories that interested me. I have done so primarily when I didn't think I could distance myself sufficiently from the subject to give it what (according to my own standards, if not in always in the judgment of others) amounted to fair treatment.
Let me begin by noting that in an era where so many time-honored traditions have fallen by the wayside, the military has consistently remained the most respected institution in American life. But why is this so?

On DoD blogging policy... and rash subordinates bloggers. -- [John of Argghhh!]
Last week I brought up KaboomwarJournal and its... tactical pause. In hindsight, I'd have taken a different approach to how I said what I said, as the conversation didn't quite take the tack I expected.
It was a good conversation, though. And one that has spread a bit, over to Cassandra's place, where she elucidates the obvious (her title, not my snark).
...Because the way I wrote my post allowed the conflation of my points that Cassie refers to in her post. I stand by my assessment of the leader's action in this singular event in question - as an example of how not to do things. As far as I know he's a fine combat leader otherwise. Don't continually mis-read your subordinates, bully them into a corner where they may react badly (and ill-advisedly) and then get petty in response.

MILITARY/MILITARY LIFE

The first deployment is the toughest -- [Jacksonville Daily News - Molly Dewitt - military spouse]
Although I’ve been a Marine wife for almost four years I am lucky enough to have only been subjected to one deployment thus far — albeit a 13-month one.
I learned a lot during those 13 months and I’ve narrowed it down to a top 10 list:
10. The trash does not take itself out. No matter how long I let it sit there and pile up, it never got up and walked its happy self out to the trash can. And the trash can doesn’t roll itself to and from the curb either, just in case you were wondering.
...3. Never be more than five feet from your phone or you WILL miss his call. Anyone who has experienced a military deployment knows that contact from the deployee is precious, no matter what form it comes in, but phone calls are the most treasured. Missing a call is the worst feeling because you never know when you’ll get another chance to hear their voice. Sleeping with a phone on the pillow is normal.
...1. I can do this and I’m stronger than I thought I was. I gained a sense of self and independence that I didn’t even know I had when I lived on my own for the first time and survived this deployment. And that’ s what every deployment is and will be — a survival. But now I know I can survive, and I will next time.

CJCS Podcast - Stop Loss policy

An update from Admiral Michael Mullen on his recent visit to troops at Fort Stewart, Georgia.

Slow road home -- [Sergeant Grumpy]
Not sure if anyone is still following this, but....
I am still in the process of trying to get off active duty and back home to real life. The Army is sure taking it's time making sure we are healthy and sane enough to go home, but at least I am in my own State now. I have a few minor injuries I am waiting on Big Army to decide what they are going to do about, then I have to decide what I want to do when I grow up. Hah hah.

POV - Leaving the Wire -- [Tanker Brohers]
A professional soldier doing what he is called to do
Is hard to comprehend unless you are one of the few.
Some draftees felt the momentary flash of that desire
To save the world, help people, set an enemy on fire.
There is a young soldier, an old timer in that world,
Who is in the middle of a rush, fighting, all a-whirl,
Doing things he trained for, despite danger and all.
He lives a motto, to be all that he can, to stand tall.

IIN MEMORY OF...

Sacramento Host Breakfast -- [365 and a Wake Up]
...on October 27, 2005 Mike’s vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb and he was killed. In the face of such a stunning loss it is natural for your soul to grow weary, and for your mind to scream for what has been so violently ripped away. It would have been the easiest of things to let my heart turn as cold as death and pump my veins with venom. But Mike left me with parting gift, the realization that leadership is about being able to see beyond yourself and your own needs. So Mike’s legacy did not end there on that dusty ribbon of asphalt. Instead I took command of Alpha Company and spent the ensuing weeks and months leading my soldiers through those fire bright days. We started to adapt, leaving our armored HMMWVs behind and trudging through floodplains that were ancient when Abraham walked the earth. We paid visits to locals far removed from the road network and built on the foundation of trust Mike had crafted with the local tribes. By time we left the land of the two rivers we had slashed insurgent activity and laid the groundwork for local self government. Within a year of our departure the tribes we partnered with had formed the Hor Joeb Awakening Council, created their own police force, and forced Ansar Al Suna out of the region. What Mike started the council had finished.
I am proud of what my soldier’s accomplished in that small corner of Southern Baghdad, but when I think back to those sun bleached days my strongest memory was our first patrol after Mike’s death. As we pulled into the sandy village of Hor Joeb the local children rushed out of their school, surrounded the HMMWVs and asked "Where is Capt. Mike?". When they learned what happened they cried and wailed in that dusty street. It’s been more then two years now and sometimes I almost cry myself.

They Have Names - SSG Jason R. Arnette -- [A Soldier's Perspective - CJ]
I've got my mojo back. I'd like to introduce everyone to SSG Jason R. Arnette. Jason was killed on 1 April 2007 in Iraq and is the Hero of the Week on They Have Names. Please take the time to honor this young man's life and sacrifice by checking out his profile on They Have Names.

WELCOME HOME

Welcome Home 680th -- [Soldiers Angels New York]
The 680th Engineer Co, Army Reserves returned home to flags, cheers, applause, the roar of motorcycles, and best of all, to the arms of their families today. This is absolutely the best part of troop support, and this one picture says it all for me:

POLITICS

Ouch!... Major Eric Egland Blasts Al-Qaeda Supporter Bill Delahunt -- [Gateway Pundit]
Major Eric Egland, the founder of Troops Need You, responded to the outrageous remarks by Representative Bill Delahunt (D-Mass), who said on CSPAN that he was "glad (Al Qaeda) can finally see" a certain White House official. Egland says, "Our troops are risking their lives around the world to fight Al Qaeda, so our government should support them by taking the threat seriously."

Remind Congress that Al Qaeda is our enemy

Some on left target McCain's war record -- [Politico]
The highest voltage third rail of this presidential campaign may not be race, sex, or age, but Senator John McCain's military service. McCain's campaign Sunday issued a pair of outraged statements after retired general and Barack Obama supporter Wesley Clark said he didn't think that McCain’s service as a fighter pilot and prisoner of war was relevant to running the country. Obama has consistently praised McCain's service, and called him "a genuine American hero." But farther to the left—and among some of McCain's conservative enemies as well—harsher attacks are circulating. Critics have accused McCain of war crimes for bombing targets in Hanoi in the 1960s. Sunday, a widely read liberal blog accused McCain of "disloyalty" during his captivity in Vietnam for his coerced participation in propaganda films and interviews after he’d been tortured.

Yet Another Obama Flip-Flop Flagged, This Time on Iraq -- [NewsBusters]
Given how fundamental Barack Obama's former position was to his credibility as a candidate during the Democratic primaries, I'd say it's yet another a full-fledged, full-throated flip-flop, accompanied by a fundamentally flawed reading of the Bush Administration's current policy -- both of which we can be confident Old Media will try to ignore.
Hegseth explains (link to transcript added by me; other links are in original; bolds are mine):
Recent reports and rumors have indicated that Senator Obama plans to aggressively move to the middle on Iraq in the coming months.

Sen. Lieberman:

Band of Mothers Founder Takes on Congress, Again -- [Gathering of Eagles]
Our very own Blue Star mother, and Band of Mothers Founder Beverly Perlson, is heading back to the nation’s capital to turn up the heat on Speaker Pelosi and the rest of Congress. For several months now, she has stood on the corner in front of the Canon Office Building during high profile votes.
On 8, 9, and 10 July she will be back with patriotic music and signs telling Congress to do the right thing concerning our brave warriors in the desert. We are asking any of you in the D.C. area to consider giving up a few hours one of those days. We recognize that it is a Tuesday through Thursday, work days for those of us who pay for the machinery of the country. Bev will be out there from 0900 to 1700 hrs though come rain or come shine.

What will they do after Bush? -- [Stop The ACLU]
Update: Jonn Lilyea attended the event in Washington DC today…he has video and moonbat interviews. The event was scarce.
...The “GITMO = TORTURE!!!” meme is old and tired. I think I’ve stayed in motels crappier than Gitmo. What I really wondered about this story, though, had not a whole lot to do with yet another dumb protest of Guantanamo Bay. Yeah, yeah, we get it. We’re not treating the terrorist murderers nicely enough for you liberals. We should be welcoming them into the United States with open arms and absolve them of their crimes, no matter how horrible. Understood.
I saw the picture Van Helsing posted though, and the text gave me a thought. In case it’s tough for anyone to read, here’s what it says on the signs in the picture:
THE WORLD CAN’T WAIT! DRIVE OUT THE BUSH REGIME!
I couldn’t help but read that and wonder… what are these people going to do after Bush?

THE MEDIA

PURPLE HEART SOLDIERS QUESTION WAR COVERAGE -- [MSNBC] - HT: A Soldiers Perspective
A few days after the New York Times published a story detailing network reporters’ concerns about war coverage, three soldiers wounded in Iraq expressed a dim view of how they see the war depicted on television.
"You always hear about the explosions or people being killed, but you never really hear about how the people are being helped, or how much they appreciate it," Spc. Hein Tran, 28, of Milpitas, Calif., said after receiving a Purple Heart today at Walter Reed Army Medical Center for wounds suffered May 10 in an explosion northeast of Baghdad.

Seymour Hersh: Getting People Killed, One Article At A Time -- [Castle Argghhh! - Kat]
CNN calls Seymour Hersh an "investigative journalist". I can't believe this guy actually gets printed in the New Yorker or interviewed by any legitimate news organization, much less called an "investigative journalist". This guy is nothing more than a gossip columnist. Worse than that, he may be the modern equivalent of Lord Haw-Haw. Today he repeats his idiotic and dangerous claims that the US is infiltrating Iran with special ops forces that are handing out money and support to anti-regime forces. Iran has used such excuses to crack down on dissidents, throw them in prison and issue death sentences for...

Media and the War -- [A Major's Perspective - in Afghanistan]
About a month ago I wrote a post, Wheres the News, discussing the serious decline in news coverage of the war. A couple days ago this same sentiment was echoed by reporters in an article from the NY Times. (Link to NY Times Article) Within the article there was some very fascinating quantitative facts about the coverage amounts:

A interesting little nuggget from Fort Riley Public Affairs... -- [Castle Argghhh! - Kat]
Study on military spouses’ relationship with media reveals likes and dislikes
About 83 percent of the spouses in the study reported they thought there should be more positive stories and fewer negative stories. “There are some reporting the good going on. I mean it’s frustrating as a military spouse to see all the negativity with the war.” Another spouse said, “We don’t get the whole picture. I hear failures more often than I hear success. That’s not what I hear from the military guys.”
More than half of the respondents said there was too much focus on casualties, both Soldier and civilian casualties. “All you hear about is death tolls, attacks and suicide bombers,” one spouse said. Another spouse said, “They always capitalize on casualties, always.” Two more spouses said, “There’s more to Iraq than a body count,” and, “It’s like they just want to cover the death toll.”
About a third of the respondents said consuming news coverage caused them to feel angry, frustrated, scared, worried or stressed. “It’s filled with depressing news and it’s hard for me to be encouraging for my husband,” a female spouse said.

NY TIMES HIGH TREASON: LEAKING CLASSIFIED INFO AGAIN -- [Atlas Shrugged]
It is increasingly clear the left would throw their mother in front of an oncoming train if it meant our defeat in the war on the jihad. The left feverishly works for our defeat in Iraq, in Iran, in Afghanistan, at home ....
Bush may be angry at the latest NY Times act of treason but he has only himself to blame. Bush and his Justice department never pursued the obvious leaker (s)at the Pentagon and/or CIA. They dropped the ball on Sandy Berger.On the FISA leak and the wiretapping leak. This is but the latest outrageous leak in a long list of classified info dumped in the lap of the willing whore of our enemies, The Times. Bush never went after the lawbreakers Why? We are at war. These leaks jeopardize American lives. They should have been persecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Drudge is reporting:
SOURCES: BUSH ANGER AT COMING NEW YORK TIMES STORY DETAILING HUNT FOR BIN LADEN...

Patriotism in Time: -- [Grims Hall]
I have written more about patriotism in these pages than is easy even to link to; all of you know how to use Google if you are curious about what has been said. Still, I note with some pleasure this piece by Peter Beinart in Time Magazine. It attempts to compare what he calls liberal and conservative ideas about patriotism,

Neuharth: Raise Income Tax So Iraq War Hawks Will Become Doves -- -[Newsbuster]
Regretting that “few grownups are concerned about the $526 billion cost so far for the Iraq war without end” because “President Bush and his rich buddies have made sure most of the monetary burden will be borne by our children and grandchildren,” USA Today founder Al Neuharth, in his weekly column on Friday, recommended “a stiff income tax surcharge” to pay for the war. But Neuharth made clear his real motive is to turn those for the war against it: The surest way to jar us into realizing the unconscionable cost of the Iraq debacle is to

Google Shuts Down Anti-Obama Sites on its Blogger Platform -- [Stop the ACLU]
Perhaps it isn’t google, but Obamaniacs taking advantage of google’s faulty sytem. A commenter explains:
The problem with blogger is that a group of people with an ax to grind can report any blog as spam and after enough complaints, it’s automatically suspended until a real live human being can get around to examining it. If enough complaints are registered with blogger, you might get a response within 5 days but it takes a concerted effort. This is a huge problem with blogger and something google needs to get a handle on.
Regardless who is at fault, this shutting down of free speech is disturbing.
-Edit by WTH: If I can find a link to prove that it was a concerted effort by Obama supporters, I’ll post it.

L'Affaire Enderlin -- [Weekly Standard]
Being a French journalist means never having to say you're sorry.
So, in the case of Muhammad al-Dura-a 12-year-old Palestinian boy allegedly killed by Israeli fire during a skirmish in the Gaza strip on September 30, 2000-it was not really to be expected that the journalist who released the 59-second news report, Charles Enderlin, longtime Jerusalem correspondent for France 2 TV, would immediately admit having hastily slapped together sensational footage supplied by the channel's regular Palestinian stringer, and not checked whose bullets had, in fact, killed, or perhaps even not killed, the boy.
In the ensuing eight years, the small figure of Muhammad al-Dura cowering beside his crouching father became the defining image of the second Intifada. The "child martyr's" picture cropped up on posters, websites, postage stamps, and street names throughout the Muslim world from Mali to Indonesia, fueling lynchings and suicide bombings. The Israeli authorities at first took the French report more or less at face value and blandly deplored the child's death in a hasty release

HUMOR / SATIRE

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