Open Post

From the Front

If you had to rely completely on piss-poor reporting from third-rate news organizations for information this is what you'd get:

Two American soldiers were killed Thursday night when their helicopter was strafed by small arms fire and crashed outside Baquba, a Sunni Arab city just north of Baghdad that is a haven for insurgents, the military said.

The crash came as Iraq's Defense and Interior Ministers announced plans on Thursday to deploy 40,000 Iraqi security forces throughout Baghdad in a large cordon-and-search operation aimed at catching insurgents and restoring order to this largely lawless city.

<...I deleted several paragraphs about other things going on in Iraq here...>

The helicopter crash occurred at 10:50 p.m. in Buhriz, a southern suburb of Baquba. American soldiers on patrol on the ground came under fire and called to the helicopter, and one other, that were on routine patrol nearby, said Major Richard L. Goldenberg, a military spokesman.

The helicopters made several low passes over the area and both drew fire, he said. One helicopter received only minor damage and managed to land safely at an American military base nearby, but the other crashed, killing both soldiers on board.

And that's the end of that as far as the NY Times is concerned. The terrorists killed another couple Americans - if I didn't know better from personal experience I'd think we were losing.

Not just personal experience though - I've read the milblogger version of the story.

Within 30 minutes of the report that we had a flyer down, my Panzers we rolling out the gate en route to the crash site. One of my platoons (currently the battalion QRF) was rolling within 10 minutes to the crash site and was the first on the scene.) I did not know the pilots, but I knew their call sign. I worked with them the day before. (see Troops in Contact) It didn?t matter to me that they were outside of my AO. Or that it was close to midnight after a very long day. It didn?t matter to my men either, although most were all roused from their sleep to get rolling. Others were on their ?off? shift from guard duty. They knew that they would return from this mission and go right back out to the perimeter, their buddies having covered down on a double shift already. They rose to the challenge, transferred necessary equipment from their M1114?s to the tanks and BFVs, and we hauled ass (There?s no traffic after 2300, and everyone, I mean Everyone, gets the fuck out of a Tank?s way when it is on a mission.)

Want to ride along? Here's the keys - go read it all.

And welcome Chuck to the MilBlogs Ring.

Soldier's Angels

The folks at Soldier's Angels forwarded this email to me, I'm posting it without the author's name:

Dear Ms. Patton-Bader,

I just wanted to drop you a quick note of thanks for the work you and your volunteers are doing for all of the men and women in uniform. In the past two weeks, I have been inundated with letters and packages from all over the country, sent by "your" volunteers. I have tried to respond either by a handwritten note or an e-mail to every one. It is the least I can do. You probably do not need me to tell you how important it is to get mail from the States when you are lonely and halfway around the world. Having been in the Army for many years this was a lesson I learned when I first joined. Strangely enough, its even more important here.

We only hear what is broadcast on the media about what is going on back home, and how support for our efforts here have waned. It is easy to forget that these stories represent a minority opinion when they are the only thing you hear. The letters from the volunteers put everything back in proper perspective. The writer is one voice, but they describe how their whole community is involved in supporting our efforts. Maybe its only a small town, but when those towns are connected like a game of dots on paper, you realize that they make up the better part of America, and you are reminded why we came here in the first place.

Thank you for making my days a little brighter and for introducing me to some many friends across our great land. You are truly a saint for your efforts. May God bless you and your whole family and may God Bless America.

Take a look at this line again: "We only hear what is broadcast on the media about what is going on back home, and how support for our efforts here have waned." Media attacks on the military and the war on terror have two results - not only do they paint a false picture to the folks back home about what's going on at the front, they also distort the home front to the folks "in the trenches". I experienced this while I was in Iraq and as you can see from the words of the author of this email it hasn't gotten any better.

Fortunately I also had the benefit of care packages from Soldiers Angels, and it made a difference - there really is nothing like the simple pleasure of the troops opening a box of goodies from the States, and I can't thank the Soldier's Angels folks enough. If you've ever wondered what to put in a box like that, don't worry. The stuff will be shared by a group, and someone will appreciate something - you can't go wrong. If you ever wondered how to go about getting a care package to the front, or even to the wounded heroes recovering at various facilities around the world visit Soldier's Angels now.

MilBlogs on Tee-Vee

Blackfive and Buzz Patterson talk MilBlogs on MSNBC - video here. Your's truly was invited, but showing up on television could ruin my status as international man of mystery. Plus Mrs G is worried about the potential throng of groupies that would never give me a moments peace after such an appearance. I don't know how Buzz's and Blackfive's wives put up with it.

Sigh.

Memorial Day

Welcome to Memorial Day weekend, 2005. This is a time set aside to remember those who gave their all for their country. Celebrate that. If you're fortunate enough to live in the nation that remains the last best hope for freedom then do those things this weekend that bring you joy. Cook out. Travel. Be with friends and family. Eat, drink, and be merry. If you have a moment, a toast to those who've made it possible would be fine. You honor their sacrifice by living well.

This post will remain at the top through the weekend, with new entries added below. They won't all be "new" though - here at Mudville we'll be revisiting a few stories that shouldn't be forgotten, saluting those warriors who won't return from far off lands, who've moved on to other distant shores. In that spirit I offer again the lines of verse I wrote last Christmas in Baghdad. I think this was the holiday it was written for anyway.

While reading the posts in this series you may want to visit the comments section too. Relatives and friends of these heroes often leave a few words, and leave me humbled. They are heroes too, and to all who might pass by this way I salute you.

Tending Distant Fires

Far from hearth and home, watching
Cold alone but not alone
On distant shore and only wanting
Safe return and little more

What tales we'll tell
When that time comes
When tales can be told

When things grim
Seem far away
When other fires go cold

Some distant sunset, vision fading
Memories remain
And tired eyes gaze 'pon folded flags
While distant drums beat their refrain

Saluting fallen friends whose names
And youth will never fade
Here's to those on other shores,
for them live well, the price is paid

Sgt. Rafael Peralta

Another hero to salute this Memorial Day. Uncommon valor is still common in the Corps.

If you aren't familiar with Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta you should be - he's one of the many heroes of the war on terror, and if not already he should become a legend of the Corps.

You still here?

(Original post 2005-02-03 14:48:14)

Paul Ray Smith

Continuing our Memorial Day 2005 salute to the fallen, this post from February 2005 tells the story of Paul Ray Smith, the first American warrior to have his heroism recognized with the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq.

"Meet" Paul Smith and his buddy Greg Harris:

Smith was born in September 1969 in El Paso, Texas, and grew up in Tampa.

Harris, 32, met him at south Tampa's Corona Playground more than 20 years ago. They spent their time playing football, riding bikes and listening to Top 40 music on Q105.

``He was a straight-up, honest guy,'' said Harris, who doesn't recall Smith ever getting into trouble.

Smith was a pack rat, collecting marbles, screws, and other odds and ends. As an adult, he steered toward anything with bald eagles or Marilyn Monroe on it.

He was a curious youngster, too. He would take a radio apart and then put it back together. There would be parts left over, but the radio would work.

After graduating from Tampa Bay Technical High School in 1989, Smith enlisted in the Army. Harris drove him to boot camp. After that, Harris did not see him more than once or twice a year when he would come home on leave.

The reunions weren't all fun and games, however. During one, Smith spent three of his four days off putting cabinets in a new glass and mirror shop that Harris and his father had opened on Busch Boulevard.

Harris last saw Smith in November 2002 when their families went for a day trip to Savannah, Ga. Smith said he likely would go to Iraq if there was a war, and that he would be on the front lines.

<...>

Lisa DeVane, Smith's sister, said Army life suited her brother. To him, issues were framed in black or white, right or wrong. There were no shaded areas.

Smith served during the first Persian Gulf War, and it was a life-altering experience, DeVane said in an e-mail in June.

``I think it stripped him of any innocence he had left of boyhood, and he became a man of driven purpose,'' she said.

As he moved up the ranks, Smith drilled his troops incessantly on the need to be prepared, to be ready for any situation and to watch each other's backs.

Smith did not talk in detail about his first combat experience, but DeVane recalled one story he told her.

As the war began, thousands of Iraqi civilians began fleeing the country and were put up in tents. One of the refugees was a young mother who clutched her baby tight. After a few days, Smith realized the child was dead, and the woman could not bear to let it go.

``It broke his heart,'' DeVane said.

In the second Persion Gulf War, during the battle for control of Baghdad's airport, Smith's unit was attacked while building a holding pen for Iraqi POWs:

Paul Smith, with Bravo Company of the 11th Engineer Battalion from Fort Stewart, Ga., was helping build a holding pen for a growing number of prisoners when he climbed aboard an armored personnel carrier and manned its a .50-caliber machine gun to cover the withdrawal of engineering, medical and command troops.

Smith fired more than 300 rounds and the ceramic breast plate in his flak jacket was shattered as he took return fire from automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades.

Then,

Smith, 33, was hit in the neck by a single gunshot. He died less than an hour later.

Smith's actions allowed injured soldiers to be evacuated and others to escape the enemy fire, according to the Army's account of the battle.

He was the only American who died in the attack. And soon Smith's actions will been recognized with the Medal of Honor, the first such since MSG Gary Gordon and SFC Randall Shughart received posthumous awards for their actions in Somalia.

Lt. Col. Thomas Smith, no relation, Tuesday notified the soldier's wife, Birgit, that President Bush would present the nation's highest award to her and their children, Jessica, 18, and David, 10, at a White House ceremony, possibly in March.

No official announcement had yet been made by the Pentagon as of Wednesday. ``This is a guy whose whole life experience seemed building toward putting him in the position where he could something like this,'' Thomas Smith told the St. Petersburg Times on Tuesday. ``He was demanding on his soldiers all the time and was a stickler for all the things we try to enforce. It's just an amazing story.''

(Original post: 2005-02-06 16:17:03)

SFC Paul Ray Smith Medal of Honor

Continuing our Memorial Day 2005 salute to the fallen. In a fitting epilogue to this story, one month after the presentation of the Medal of Honor Paul Smith's widow Birgit became a US citizen:

...Wednesday, with her heart bursting with pride and sorrow, Smith took the oath of citizenship and then led 290 of her new fellow Americans in the Pledge of Allegiance. It was a poignant moment for the mother of two who said she was so moved by Americans' reaction to the death of her husband, Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul Ray Smith, she wanted to join them in citizenship.

See video of the presentation by President Bush here.

This Interactive Special Report is a must-visit.

Several more videos here including the scene of the battle, interviews with those who were there, and members of SFC Smith's family.

Coverage of the ceremony from the St. Petersburg Times:

Seated in the third row, behind the military dignitaries and politicians, Spc. Michael Seaman smiled broadly when President Bush used him as an example of how hard Sgt. 1st Class Paul Smith worked his men.

"Sgt. Smith's seriousness wasn't always appreciated by the greener troops under his direction," Bush said Monday at the White House. "Those greener troops oftentimes found themselves doing tasks over and over until they got it right."

But Seaman's expression turned somber as the president continued.

"Spc. Seaman," Bush said, "will also tell you that he and others are alive today because of Sgt. Smith's discipline."

Exactly two years ago Monday, Seaman, 23, was in a dusty courtyard outside Baghdad, inside an armored personnel carrier. Smith, a 33-year-old who grew up in Tampa, stood in a hatch, firing a .50-caliber machine gun to hold off a large force of Iraqi soldiers.

"Keep me loaded," Smith told Seaman.

(Original post 2005-04-05 15:33:26)

Memorial Day With Smash

A photo essay. Don't miss it.

Taps

(Continuing a Memorial Day weekend 2005 salute to the fallen. Bob Zangas served in Iraq first in uniform then later as a civilian working for the CPA. His blog was certainly not the most important thing he left behind, but I'm glad to see it's still on the web, so you can discover for yourself the sorts of people who willingly put themselves in harm's way so that others may have hope for a brighter future.)

An e-mail I didn't want from Smash:

Bob Zangas was killed last Wednesday in an ambush south of Baghdad. He was a Marine Corps Reservist working in a civilian capacity for the Coalition Provisional Authority.

Go read the final entry in his weblog, and pay your respects.

Hang on to your dreams!

Semper Fi, Bob.

Update: Story here

Robert J. "Bob" Zangas, 44, of Autumn Drive in the Level Green section of Penn Township, was one of the first two American civilians working for the Coalition Provisional Authority killed Tuesday in Iraq along with an Iraqi interpreter. They were gunned down near the town of Hillah, 35 miles south of Baghdad, by insurgents wearing police uniforms, according to news reports.

Zangas, who leaves behind a daughter, age 10, and two sons, ages 5 and 3, was the son of a U.S. Marine who grew up in various places and graduated from the American School of Isfahan in Iran. He also graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in journalism.

<...>

After Bob Zangas returned home from a military tour in Iraq in September, he had a burning desire to go back and help the Iraqi people rebuild their lives and their country.

"He genuinely liked helping people," said Brenda Zangas, a native of Butler.

He went back in December as a civilian to help them rebuild their newspapers and radio and television stations.

"I am doing something that will help the Iraqi people really get the democracy message out to the masses," he wrote on his Web site.

He also wanted to help members of the U.S. media understand the true story and described his duties as "feeding them stories when they think that the only thing happening here are ambushes and car bombs."

Zangas wrote: "I absolutely love it. And I am doing something that will help."

Nevertheless, he wrote, "I miss my kids very much."

Zangas said he wasn't the bravest man in the world but seemed to accept the fact that he was in danger every day.

One night in February, a mortar shell landed about 100 yards from his bedroom.

"What are we supposed to do? Pack our bags and go home? No. Cower under desks (even my new one) and hide? Not hardly," he wrote.

"I am not claiming to be Mr. Brave ... and I don't pretend to be unfazed by the events of last night. But what else are you supposed to do. ... Life goes on."

And if you're in the Level Green, PA, area, consider this from the message board on Bob's blog:

The funeral arragements have been completed. Please note that a previous posting for the Dobrinick Funeral Home phone number was incorrect. The correct number to the funeral home is 412.372.3111. There will be a viewing on Wednesday, 17 Mar 04 from 2:00 to 4:00 PM and from 7:00 to 9:00 PM. On Thursday, there will be a viewing at 10:00-12:00. The Memorial Service will begin at 1:00 PM at the Level Green Presbyterian Church. Light refreshments will be served directly after the Memorial Service in the Church's Fellowship Hall.

(Original post 2004-03-16 00:15:24)

Open Post

Memorial Day weekend edition part 2.

Marla Ruzicka

(Continuing a Memorial Day weekend 2005 salute to the fallen. The story of Marla Ruzicka always brought to my mind the line from The Lord of the Rings: Those who don't live by the sword can still die upon them. Originally from April 2005, this is another reminder of the price paid by those who would seek to help heal a wounded land; their light shines even brighter against the darkness cast by those who sow chaos and death.)

"In war, innocent civilians should not be hurt. It happens. Now we have to see what to do to help the families that were hurt."

- Marla Ruzicka, founder of CIVIC - the Campaign for Innocent Victims In Conflicts.

Why? Marla again:

"If we are fighting a war against terrorism, terrorism impacts innocent people, so we want to show them that we're against that, and that's why we need to help these families that are so desperate."

Marla's campaign led her to Afghanistan and Iraq, while bullets were still flying and explosions were part of the daily routine. A terrorist killed her last Saturday as she and Faiz, CIVIC's Iraq Country Director, traveled to visit an Iraqi child injured by a bomb. She was 28.

Please take a moment to listen to this NPR report.

In other terrorist news, a member of the Association of Muslim Scholars has suggested it would be a great idea for the US to release those terrorists it has captured thus far in Iraq:

BAGHDAD, April 15 -- A prominent Sunni Muslim cleric on Friday welcomed an amnesty offer for Iraq's Sunni-led insurgency and called on President Jalal Talabani to make it a general amnesty that would also apply to those in U.S. detention.

Talabani first aired the idea of forgiveness for guerrillas in his inaugural speech this month. He said Iraq's still-forming new leadership could end the anti-government, anti-U.S. insurgency within months if it reached out to Iraqi members of the resistance while keeping up the fight against foreign insurgents.

Ahmed Abdul Ghafour Samarrae, a moderate cleric in the influential Association of Muslim Scholars, was the first Sunni leader to respond publicly to the amnesty proposal -- and he welcomed it. Calling on the new transitional government to do "something remarkable for the people," Samarrae urged Talabani to expand his proposal to "a general amnesty for all."

Speaking at Friday prayers at the association's Baghdad mosque, Samarrae asked Talabani to launch the amnesty by obtaining the release of detainees in U.S. military custody at the Abu Ghraib and Camp Bucca prisons.

The 'influential' association to which the 'prominent moderate' cleric belongs is thought to be comprised of former regime loyalists, and has long been suspected of close ties to the terrorist organizations in Iraq. Odd that British newspapers aren't afraid to include that fact in their coverage, while the Washington Posts hides it in phrases like The Muslim scholars' group played a leading role in the Sunni boycott of the Jan. 30 national elections.

(Original post: 2005-04-18 18:41:32)

R I P

(Continuing a Memorial Day weekend 2005 salute to the fallen. This post, originally from November 2004 is a reminder of the price paid by those who would bring peace to a violent land, and the inhumanity of those who would have it otherwise.)

Western political leaders have united to condemn the kidnappers of charity worker Margaret Hassan after a video surfaced apparently showing a militant firing a pistol into the head of a blindfolded woman wearing an orange jumpsuit.

<...>

Hassan, Irish-born and with dual British and Iraqi nationality, was seized by gunmen on her way to work in western Baghdad early in the morning.

She headed CARE International's operations in Iraq and had lived with her husband in the country for 30 years.

"She dedicated her life to serving the Iraqi people. Please now, please return her to me," her husband said.

More here.

Update from Kathleen A:

Mrs. Greyhawk - Ladybird is an Iraqi living in the Netherlands. Mrs. Hassan was her English teacher when she lived in Iraq. The world has lost a gentle soul. Here's more information from Ladybird.

Mrs. Hassan speak s perfect Arabic and she has a heart of gold, she?s been kidnapped today killed by (men in pajamas), turn Iraq upside down and save her find them.

(Original Post 2004-11-17 14:35:10)

per liberte

(Continuing a Memorial Day weekend 2005 salute to the fallen. This post originally from November 2003 acknowledges what many would deny, the presence and sacrifice of our coalition partners.)

A look at a hero, from The London Times, November 14, 2003 (subscription required)

BRIGADIER Giuseppe Coletta, killed in Wednesday's bomb blast in al-Nasiriyah, believed that it was his God-given duty to help the child victims of war.

For the handsome Sicilian officer in the Italian military police, peacekeeping work was a way of mourning his son, who died three years ago of cancer at the age of 6.

He was one of 19 "simple heroes" lauded in the Italian press yesterday after an atrocity they dubbed "our September 11".

<...>

Brigadier Coletta, 38, who was due to fly home on Sunday, was described as a strong and generous man who had twice won awards for his courage in helping children. Two years ago he was given a military medal after saving a drowning boy in Kosovo. Last week he won a Shield of St Martin, an Italian humanitarian award, for his work in Bosnia, where he raised funds to pay for dental treatment for children in Sarajevo left disabled after the war.

In his last phone call home on Tuesday night Brigadier Coletta told his wife: "Don't worry, I'll be home in a few days", and spoke of his visit that same afternoon to a children's hospital armed with biscuits and chocolate.

The children were his new friends, he said, and he hoped to make one last visit to the hospital before returning home.

The story also notes that the attackers killed nine Iraqis, including a three-month-old baby. More recent reports put the death toll at 31.

Although prime minister Silvio Berlusconi supported the military campaign against Saddam Hussein, Italy did not contribute combat soldiers to Operation Iraqi Freedom. Italy sent troops after Baghdad fell to help in the reconstruction, and now has a 2,300-strong contingent in Iraq.

But will the cowardly murder of Brigadier Coletta and 18 of his countrymen convince Italians (like so many Americans) to turn tail and flee Iraq? Perhaps, according to New York Times reporter Frank Bruni in Rome:

...as Italians absorbed the horror of that bloodshed, it was clear that Mr. Berlusconi's commitment to helping the United States in Iraq would come under newly intense scrutiny and perhaps newly intense opposition here...

The story quotes Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's remarks to parliament: The New York Times:

"Our determination must be the same as that of the Italians in uniform who have brought honor to themselves and to the coalition that is committed to supporting Iraq's journey toward democracy."

"No intimidation will budge us from our willingness to help that country rise up again."

As you might expect, The New York Times is desperately trying to paint a picture of a nation divided, if not in outright opposition to its leadership:

But the depth and durability of that willingness, both inside and outside Mr. Berlusconi's center-right governing coalition, are unclear.

...says the NY Times article, which immediately contradicts itself at great length:

A majority of Italian lawmakers voted last spring to authorize an Italian military presence in Iraq, and many of Mr. Berlusconi's opponents did not wage much of a fight against it. That presence was framed as a humanitarian, not a combat, mission.

But the authorization expires at the end of the year, and it is expected to come to another vote in Parliament just before then.

One Western diplomat, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that while the bombing would certainly prompt dissent and debate, "I don't think that this dramatically shifts the equation."

The diplomat predicted that the Italian military presence would be authorized anew.

Several Italian political analysts and politicians agreed, saying that Italian lawmakers would not want to act in a way that made Italy seem fickle or easily cowed by terrorists.

Then follows what must be absolutely incomprehensible to a Times reporter:

For the most part, lawmakers in the opposition avoided partisan comments, saying that a debate about Italy's place in Iraq could wait while the country mourned.

Unable to find authentic Italian anti-Berlusconi quotes, our undaunted Times reporter composed his own, and included it in his report:

Even at moments when other Western European leaders recoiled from President Bush, Mr. Berlusconi embraced him, seemingly happy to have the hug to himself.

Bruni then reverted quickly to facts:

Some Italians said today that they were glad that Italy was playing a part in trying to build a democratic Iraq, and some said that Italy should help, however possible, in the American campaign against terrorism around the world.

Before triumphantly ending his story with a quote

But many other Italians said that being in Iraq made no sense and was not serving any purposes.

"It's useless to be there," said Valentino Valentini, a 27-year-old bartender here. Mr. Valentini said that he was enraged by both the Italian military presence and its bitter consequence, adding: "What we should do is send the politicians to Iraq."

It's certainly not difficult to imagine Mr. Bruni, who likely expected quotable outrage to be shouted from every street corner in Rome, dejectedly calling it a day and stopping off for one last drink before quitting time. What an unexpected lift he must have gotten from the expressed misery of his disgruntled bartender. I wonder if he left a tip?

Small wonder then, that The London Times notes in regards to our fallen hero that:

Yesterday the brigadier's colleagues cordoned off the street in the Naples suburb of San Vitaliano, which had been his home for the last 20 years, to protect his grieving wife, Margherita, and her infant daughter from the glare of television cameras.

Implying they let print reporters through?

Resto nella pace, Brigadier Giuseppe Coletta, rest in peace. Brave men die, their dreams live on.

(Original post: 2003-11-17 09:02:15)

Thoughts on Losses, More Casualties of War

Note: Originally from November, 2003, this tribute to the families of heroes is being presented as part of Mudville's Memorial Day weekend, 2005.

Here, take a look at this, compliments of Dean. Ponder the vastness of the universe we live in, the grandeur of the cosmos. Consider the infinite numbers on a line and the infinite points between any two of them...

What a world! One in which World Magazine reports that two enemy factions are taking very different approaches to the Muslim Holy month of Ramadan:

For U.S. soldiers in Baghdad, Ramadan began with cultural-sensitivity training. Central Command ordered all fighting forces to take a crash course on respecting Islamic customs during the month-long holiday. But Middle East militants, not Yankees, crashed the holiday, ending before it had barely begun the early quiet of the first day's fast with a series of coordinated and deadly attacks on the capital city.

Suicide bombers struck two Iraqi police stations nearly simultaneously early Oct. 27. Five minutes later, a man drove an ambulance laden with explosives into the headquarters of the Red Cross. Two more explosions, also at police stations downtown, followed only minutes after that. The attacks left 38 dead and at least 220 injured. The next day another police station bombing, in Fallujah, killed four Iraqis. Terrorists assassinated one of Baghdad's three deputy mayors in a drive-by shooting. Roadside bombs continued their toll on U.S. forces, with two killed on Oct. 29.

Speaking at a Rose Garden press conference, President Bush said he suspected the attacks were the work of foreign terrorists "trying to create conditions of fear and retreat."

"Iraq is dangerous, and it's dangerous because terrorists want us to leave," Mr. Bush said. "And we're not leaving."

<...>

To remedy insensitivity?both real and imagined?Central Command ordered U.S. soldiers to receive Ramadan training. Workshops, led in individual units by military chaplains, took place in the weeks leading up to the holiday, which this year runs roughly from Oct. 27 to Nov. 25. A coalition spokesman in Baghdad told WORLD each unit could carry out the training on its own timetable but the order came with standardized guidelines and a pamphlet "with basic information on the religious observance."

Now let's focus in on a smaller part of the world. Here's a look at one of the victims of those Ramadan celebrations; perhaps one who'd just finished her sensitivity training. Army Pfc. Rachel K. Bosveld, 19, of Waupun, Wis.; assigned to the 527th Military Police Company, V Corps, Giesen, Germany; killed Oct. 26 during a mortar attack on the Abu Ghraib Police Station in Abu Ghraib, Iraq.

Note the subtle difference in tone from the following two stories. The first from the local Wisconsin paper:

WAUPUN, Wis. ? The news of Rachel Bosveld?s death has brought the reality of the conflict in Iraq home to Waupun.

Bosveld, a member of the 527th Military Police, was killed Sunday during a mortar attack at a Baghdad police station.

As the word of the 19-year-old?s death filtered through the community, friends who knew the fun-loving brunette sought out one another to grieve and relive memories spent with their fallen friend.

Although Bosveld attended Waupun High School for only two years after transferring from Oshkosh West High School, it is clear that she made a lasting impression in the lives of those who knew her.

?She was energetic and always laughing,? said Krissy Beske, UW-Fond du Lac student and former classmate. ?When she first came to school, we just kind of pulled her into our circle and took her under our wing.?

<...>

?Because she had been away for so long, the news didn?t really hit me at first, but when we began looking at old pictures and wishing she was here, it came over us big time,? said Beske. ?(Rachel) was such a strong person and I looked up to her. She knew what she wanted and where she wanted to go in life. I will always remember that about her.?

And this, from the Associated Press:

WAUPUN, Wis. ? All Rachel Bosveld wanted was to come home.

She never complained, but after eight months in the sands of Iraq, barely surviving a roadside ambush and patrolling anti-American riots, the 19-year-old military policewoman from Waupun had had enough.

?More and more people want us to go home,? she wrote in a letter to her father. ?Believe me, we want to go home.?

Rachel Bosveld died Sunday in a mortar attack at a Baghdad police station, becoming the first Wisconsin woman killed in the Iraqi conflict and the fifth soldier from the state to die in that country this year.

Marvin Bosveld said he supported the invasion at first, but now he isn?t sure.

?That war killed her,? Marvin Bosveld said. ?I?m not so sure what I?ll support now.?

An excerpt from her letter, along with what appears to be the grieving father's answer to a question, although the question itself isn't in print. I could believe it was something like "Do you still support the war?" But who knows, perhaps they actually used the term 'invasion' when they asked.

I could be wrong, but I detect thinly disguised political opinions of the reporter insinuated into an obituary here. Draw your own conclusions. In my mind the first report caught the essence of this tragedy without beating me on the head with it. That such people are dying far from home is wrong enough. To abandon the cause they sacrifice their lives for would be unpardonable. To use their sacrifice to further their killer's cause is reprehensible.

Another Father/Daughter story brought to my attention today, via Sgt Hook:

Jessica Blankenbecler, 14, e-mailed this final letter to her father, Command Sgt. Maj. James Blankenbecler, at 1:29 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 3., two days after he was killed in a convoy in Samara, Iraq. The Herald is publishing it, in its entirety, with the family?s permission.

Hi Daddy,

Sorry I haven?t written to you in a while. A lot of things have been going on. I miss you so much. How have you been? Is heaven everything it says it is? I know it?s probably that and more. I can?t wait ?till I can come join you again.

I miss you so much ? just being here for me to hold your hand and you calling me ?princess.? But one day we can do this again. But it will be even better because Jesus will be with us.

I keep going in your office to see all your things and your awards that you have gotten over the years. You accomplished so much. I am proud you were my daddy; I would not have chosen anyone else. I like to go into your closet, too and just touch and smell all your clothes ... it gives me so many memories that I miss so much.

Sitting at this table I see your writing on a little piece of paper telling me and mom what e-mail and address in Iraq to write to you ... CSM JAMES D. BLANKENBECLER, 1-44 ADA. I love to just look at your handwriting so much.

I have your military ring on right now. It?s kind of big for my little finger, but it makes me feel you?re holding my hand when I have it on ... It?s been on since we found out the news.

I have your driver?s license with me, too, so I can just look at you whenever I want. You have a little smile this time. When we went to get them done in El Paso I asked you to just smile this time ... and you did it just for me. I also was looking at your car keys and that little brown leather pouch you always had on your key chain. It made me cry a lot when I picked it up.

Everything reminds me of you so much. When we pass by Chili?s I remember you sitting across from me eating your favorite salad. You always told the waiter to take off the little white crunchy things ... because you hated them. And when we drive by billboards that say ?An Army of One,? it makes me remember you in your military uniform. How you always made a crunching sound when you walked, and how you shined your big boots every night before you went to bed. I miss seeing that all the time. Little things that I took for granted when you were here seem priceless now.

One thing that I regret is when you wanted to open my car door for me, but I always got it myself. I wish I would have let you do it. And when you wanted to hold my hand, I sometimes would pull away because I didn?t want people to see me holding my daddy?s hand ... I feel so ashamed that I cared what people thought of me walking down the parking lot holding your hand. But now I would give anything just to feel the warmth of your hand holding mine.

I can?t believe this has happened to my daddy ... the best daddy in the whole world. It feels so unreal, like you?re still in Iraq. You were only there for 17 days. Why did they have to kill you? Why couldn?t they know how loved you are here? Why couldn?t they know? You have so many friends that love you with all their hearts and you affected each and every person you have met in your lifetime. Why couldn?t they know? When I get shots at the hospital I won?t have my daddy?s thumb to hold tight. Why couldn?t they know I loved for you to call me ?princess?? Why couldn?t they know if they killed you I would not have a daddy to walk me down the aisle when I get married? Why couldn?t they know all this? Why?

I know that you are gone now, but it only means that I have another angel watching over me for the rest of my life. That?s the only way I can think of this being good. There is no other way I can think of it.

All the kids at my school know about your death. They even had a moment of silence for you at our football game. A lot of my teachers came over to try to comfort me and mom. They all ask if they can get us anything, but the only thing anyone can do is give me my daddy back ... and I don?t think anyone can do that.

You always told me and mom you never wanted to die in a stupid way like a car accident or something like that. And you really didn?t die in a stupid way ... you died in the most honorable way a man like you could ? protecting me, mom, Joseph, Amanda and the rest of the United States.

In the Bible it says everyone is put on this earth for a purpose, and once they accomplished this you can return to Jesus. I did not know at first what you did so soon to come home to God. But I thought about it ? you have done everything. You have been the best husband, father, son and soldier in the world. And everyone knows this.

One of my teachers called me from El Paso and told me that when her dad died he always told her, ?when you walk outside the first star you see is me.? She told me that it is the same for me and you. I needed to talk to you last night, and I walked outside and looked up ... and I saw the brightest star in the sky. I knew that was you right away, because you are now the brightest star in heaven.

I love you so much, daddy. Only you and I know this. Words can?t even begin to show how much. But I tried to tell you in this letter, just a portion of my love for you. I will miss you, daddy, with all of my heart. I will always be your little girl and I will never forget that...

I love you daddy, I will miss you!!

P.S. I have never been so proud of my last name.

Sunrise - June 27, 1963

Sunset - October 1, 2003

Jessica and her father

There's much more to this story, of course, and you should read the whole thing. This man had just transferred to Ft Hood, and barely settled his family there before shipping out, then spent 17 days in Iraq.

The pain felt by Marvin Bosveld, Jessica Blankenbecler and a lot of other good people is nearly beyond my comprehension. I'm reminded of Mayor Rudy Giuliani's reply to the question how many dead?: "More then we can bear". His words were reasonable on 911; by a few days later they seemed forgivably excessive, given the efforts to evacuate the towers and strength of the American character. He wasn't looking this far forward, but was he right after all?

Perhaps so, for truly the dying hasn't stopped. And for a long time today, with the picture of Rachel Bosveld and the words of Jessica Blankenbecler fresh in my mind, I pondered the rightness of our presence in Iraq. Was it time to pack it in?

And after much thought and prayer I drew strength again from this conclusion: That such people are dying far from home is wrong enough. To abandon the cause they sacrificed their lives for would be unpardonable.

We live in an incredibly big universe. I'll never fully understand a fraction of it, but this I know: the strength of Jessica Blankenbecler, the simple courage of her convictions inspires me. I'll pray for the same for any who've suffered losses anywhere.

Samuel Adams:
"If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen."

(Original post 2003-11-02 20:25:13)

Moore Problems

Note: Originally from July, 2004, this post is intended to increase awareness of those who would use the sacrifice of heroes for their own personal gain. Few have profitted more from the death of American troops than Mike Moore. Fewer still have made more money from the Iraq war.

Last week brought this report:

The family of U.S. Air Force Maj. Gregory Stone was shocked to learn that video footage of the major's Arlington National Cemetery burial was included by Michael Moore in his movie "Fahrenheit 9/11."

Maj. Stone was killed in March 2003 by a grenade that officials said was thrown into his tent by Sgt. Hasan K. Akbar, who is on trial for murder.

<...>

The movie, described by critics as political propaganda during an election year, shows video footage of the funeral and Maj. Stone's fiancee, Tammie Eslinger, kissing her hand and placing it on his coffin.

The family does not know how Mr. Moore obtained the video, and Miss Gallagher said they did not give permission and are considering legal recourse.

<...>

The mother of the major labeled Mr. Moore a "maggot that eats off the dead."

This week we hear from those who can voice their own opposition to being used by the Iraq war's largest profiteer:

Afew days after Michael Moore's blockbuster documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 opened in theaters, a friend approached Roy Mitchell with a strange look on his face.

Mitchell, an Army staff sergeant, is a patient at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, where he is recovering from the loss of his left leg in an explosion in Afghanistan. As the friend approached him that day, he studied Mitchell's face, then told him something that shocked him.

"You're in that 9/11 movie," he said, then added: "Man, it doesn't make you look good."

Here's what Moore used:

In a brief film clip taken from an interview he did with the British television network Channel 4 in February, Mitchell appears in the physical-training room of Walter Reed, where he shared the following words about wounded soldiers:

"The ones that are covered are the KIAs - the 'Killed in Action.' I'm not taking anything away from those soldiers. They deserve that coverage. But there is also us. To say we're forgotten, that would be going just a little bit too far to say we're forgotten, but I'd say we are the missed soldiers of the Army."

Fortunately, SSG Mitchell is available to set the record straight.

Mitchell does not deny making the remarks. But he vehemently objects to filmmaker Moore's using them - without his knowledge - in a film he thinks undermines the military's mission in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he risked his life.

<...>

"The way they lead into my spot in the movie insinuates that I'm talking bad about the military," Mitchell said.

And other troops have bit parts in Moore's delusion too:

Apparently, Mitchell is not the only soldier to make an unwitting appearance in the movie, which is on the verge of earning $100 million at the box office.

The July 15 issue of The Enterprise, a Massachusetts newspaper, reported that Army reservist Peter Damon - also recuperating at Walter Reed after losing parts of both arms in an explosion in Iraq - was "surprised" to learn that an interview he gave to NBC this year is shown in the film.

John Gonsalves, the founder of Homes for Our Troops - a Massachusetts organization that builds homes for disabled soldiers - is constructing a new house for Damon and his wife, with whom he has talked extensively about the film.

"To do a movie that's clearly anti-war and totally against the Bush administration, and to put these guys in it without their knowledge, is morally wrong, and maybe even legally," said Gonsalves.

To say the least.

Meanwhile, this report from Amy Ridenour's National Center Blog brings additional outrage, but offers a cure:

Army Spc. Joe Roche has perhaps the harshest words yet for Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11, describing its impact on the morale of our troops deployed overseas as "devastating."

In typical Joe fashion, he did something about the matter. He made copies of this Independence Institute rebuttal of Moore's film (29 pages in small font, he says!) and distributed it widely among U.S. troops in Kuwait.

Which certainly sounds like the appropriate response.

People don't like being lied to. This is the one fundamental truth that Moore realizes and exploits; by convincing his (often eager) audience that they are victims of lies he can then exploit their rage at that victimhood. Have pity on them, they are suffering from Veritas Torquere, aka Moore's Disease.

The simple cure for Moore's Disease is to show the truth to those who may be temporarily afflicted (note: truth will have no effect on the willingly deceived) and as increasing numbers of Moore's victims speak out there will be increasing mounds of evidence to use against him. And therein lies the double edge sword of Mike Moore's twisting of reality; people don't like discovering they've been lied to. They will likely be torqued off, if you will.

And you should know where to find that cure, because the disease is coming soon to an AAFES (Army and Air Force Exchange Service) theater on a military installation near you, too.

AAFES won?t let a little controversy get in the way of acquiring copies of Michael Moore?s new documentary, ?Fahrenheit 9/11,? a spokesman said Monday.

The Army and Air Force Exchange Service is pursuing prints through one of the film?s distributors, Lions Gate Films, said Judd Anstey, a spokesman at AAFES headquarters in Dallas.

Whether AAFES pursues a movie depends entirely on its popularity in the United States.

?AAFES? motion picture policy is to screen films that are popular in the private sector,? AAFES Vice President of Food and Theater Richard Sheff responded via e-mail. ?AAFES? position will not change based on a single feature.

Free speech, even for Michael Moore, compliments of the US military.

Update: Moore from Smash and Blackfive

Update: Moore Truth, compliments of Toni in the comments section:

Australian artist and filmmaker George Gittoes has objected to American Michael Moore's use of some of his work in the controversial movie Fahrenheit 9/11.

Mr Gittoes said today Mr Moore had incorporated about 17 selections from his own documentary film Soundtrack to War into Fahrenheit 9/11.

They depicted American soldiers and their music in Iraq.

"I was concerned of course for my soldiers because their interviews were taken out of context," Mr Gittoes told the Nine Network.

"There are about 17 scenes from my documentary in his film. I wouldn't go so far as to say he lifted (them). Michael got access to my stuff and assumed that I would be happy for it to be in 9/11. I would actually have been quite happy for it not to be in 9/11."

<...>

"Mine's a better film. My film's balanced. I don't think there's a lot of balance in 9/11," he said.

Mr Gittoes said he had some contact with a company Westside Productions associated with Michael Moore but had no idea his work was in Fahrenheit 9/11 until it was screened at the Cannes film festival.

"When I finally discussed it face to face with Michael, I realised that no-one wants to be a spoiler. He's an artist and that's how he makes his work," he said.

"He doesn't go out to Iraq like I do and dodge bullets. He makes it from mainly archival footage and the stuff that other people shoot."

Ouch.

(Original post 2004-07-27 20:16:50)

No Gold Star For Non-Citizen Mom

This is not a great way to start Memorial Day weekend

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., May 26 -- Everyone agrees that Ligaya Lagman of Westchester, N.Y., is a Gold Star mother, part of the long line of women whose sons or daughters were killed in combat for the U.S. armed services.

Her 27-year-old son, Army Staff Sgt. Anthony Lagman, was killed last year in Afghanistan.

But the American Gold Star Mothers have rejected her for membership because -- though a permanent resident and a taxpayer -- she is not a U.S. citizen.

The group's national president, Ann Herd, said: "There's nothing we can do, because that's what our organization says. You have to be an American citizen." She added: "We can't go changing the rules every time the wind blows."

I really hope this is an example of bad reporting, but I have a sick feeling it's not. Full story here.

Update: Gold Star Mothers respond here.

Excerpt:

As to the accusation that Mrs. Lagman?s application was denied does not tell the complete story. The application for membership with American Gold Star Mothers was received by the Department of New York. It was not completed or signed by the applicant, nor did it have the required copy of the death certificate and the payment of the first years dues. There were several inaccuracies on the application as to the dates required. A certified letter was mailed to Mrs. Lagman requesting the application be completed in full and returned for approval. To date, we have not heard from Mrs. Lagman, nor have we received any form of communication to the status of her membership application.

To say that the application has been denied is not an accurate statement.

From the Wife of a Hero

Via email:

January 6, 2005

My husband, Rick Rescorla, was one of the 3,000 Americans murdered by terrorists on 9/11/01. Rick was Vice President of Security for Morgan-Stanley/Dean-Witter, the largest tenant in the World Trade Center. His heroic actions on the day of the attack, along with his extraordinary foresight and preparation, saved the lives of 2,700 people. His story has been told on television and radio - in newspapers and magazines - and in the book Heart Of A Soldier, by Pulitzer Prize winner James B. Stewart. Rick is also on the cover of another book, We Were Soldiers Once... And Young, written by General Hal Moore and Joseph Galloway. You see, 9-11 was not the first time Rick had distinguished himself. 9-11 was just the last heroic chapter of his heroic life.

I am so very proud to have had him in my life. I want so to have his legacy live on. Two years ago Rick's friends and I decided to establish The Richard C. Rescorla Memorial Foundation in Rick's memory, to keep present the magnitude of Rick's life and to promote the virtues Rick lived by ? duty, honor, courage, and patriotism. This is a non-profit foundation. All contributions will be tax deductible.

Our first project is to erect a life-size bronze statue of Rick at the new National Infantry Museum to be built at Ft. Benning, Georgia. We have commissioned a prominent sculptor, Edward Hlavka, to create this work. The bronze will take a year to cast and will cost approximately $100,000. We have already raised a third of the monies. We need the rest, and are appealing to all those who would like to see a true American hero have this honor. Your contribution would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Susan Rescorla

More about Rick Rescorla here

(Original Post: 2005-01-17 18:47:39)

Open Post

Memorial Day weekend edition.

Zarqawi: Shot in the Back?

Washington Post:

Insurgents said Wednesday in interviews and statements on the Internet that the leader of the group al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab Zarqawi, was struggling with a gunshot wound to the lung. One of Zarqawi's commanders said the Jordanian guerrilla was receiving oxygen, heightening suspicion that the groundwork was being laid for an announcement of his replacement or death.

If the "shot in the lung" bit is true, it sounds like Zarqawi took a round in the back, most likely while running as fast as he could away from Iraqi or American troops. He'll die the death of a coward.

Lt Pantano

Euphoric Reality, a blog run by two female veterans, has an interview with Ilario Pantano's defense attorney Charles Gittins.

Next week they'll have an interview with Pantano, and they're inviting readers to submit questions.

Milblogger, OIF Vet to Run for Congress

You've probably read Rusten Currie's blog, Sic Vis Pacem, Para Bellum, but if you haven't lately then you might have missed this announcement of how he'll be spending his time after re-deploying from Iraq

Sometimes the only way to change the system, is to become a part of it. I am a firm believer in a government that is run by its citizens. For the the purpose of preserving the rights of its citizens. The only way I think that I can help after my time here is to continue to serve. Essayons! I will try...

Of course, if he wins that means Maxine Waters will be seeking employment elsewhere.

More:

I will also be starting another blog off of this one. http://currierd.typepad.com/currie_for_congress/. I will no longer be associating my experiences in Iraq and the campaign on the same blog, I have and continue to think it in poor taste on my part to do this, so anything relating to Currie for Congress will be on the official website, (to be initiated this week), and any thoughts or comments relating to it will be on the campaign blog.

The new "greatest generation" is ready to lead.

Update: Maj K offers his endorsement here.

Open Post

Light posting for us but not for all.

Open Post

Spirit of America

Aside from Arthur's good news, Spirit of America , reminds us they also have plenty of good news and accomplishments to share with the Friends of Democracy Update and The America-Iraq School Partners Program. Also, Orphans Day is a success and Operation Cinderella mission is accomplished

Open Post

Late, but never too late

1st Annual Thank You, We Know You're Out There Support Concert And Rally Tickets Now On Sale!!!!!

Concert is this Saturday! If you’re anywhere near Maryland, please show your support for both our soldiers and the organization that help supports them, Adopt A Platoon. If you're not in the area, but want to support this cause, you can purchase tickets as a donation. Thanks for your support!

Warrior to Warrior

Vietnam veteran and author John Harriman returns to Mudville with the latest installment of his series Warrior to Warrior, letters from a Vietnam veteran to our soldiers in Iraq. See the intro to the series here).

Who's Stupid Now?

Dear Warrior in Iraq . . .

I wanted to write to you this week without sounding like the stupidest Army officer I ever knew.

This was a lieutenant colonel, my brigade executive officer at Ft. Jackson, S.C. I went to him as an Army captain to report that I had inspected a set of abandoned, deteriorating barracks that my company was ordered to move into. I told him that I'd found the barracks unfit for living. I asked him to see for himself and to recommend that the post commander find another, more suitable set of barracks for my troops.

His answer: "Back in the Korean War when I came here for basic training, we had to live in tents out there on the lawn outside this very building. Your troops ought to be glad they have a roof over their heads." That was the end of it for him. He didn't even get his hind pockets out of his chair to go see for himself.

I don't want to be that guy in my letter to you. But...

I recently got a letter myself from a friend. He enclosed a column from the Washington Post by Mark Shields, a piece titled, "Where's the Outrage?" Shields's own outrage--and that of my friend--is aroused first by yet another story of our troops going into battle in unarmored Humvees. And second by reports that a Marine Corps officer is being railroaded out of the service for complaining about the heavy casualties his unit took in fighting from these vehicles in Ramadi, Iraq last year.

Shields goes ballistic in his piece about the "cowardly callousness of this nation's civilian and military leadership," who are guilty of "betrayal." No lack of outrage there.

I don't want to be callous myself, especially where our fighting men become casualties, and their family members suffer for all their lives in the aftermath.

And since I first went to war in Vietnam in M-48 tanks, the heaviest armor available at the time, I didn't have the same problems as those now traveling in and fighting from Humvees. But I can say this with certainty: Even a tank wasn't enough armor for me.

Warfare is a history of evolution of violence. Pre-World War I, troops used to attack across the open in tactics we now call human wave, and overwhelm the rifle firepower of their enemies. The invention of the machinegun put the human wave tactic in the very back of the tactics closet. So troops fought from trenches where direct fire was not as lethal. Until the invention of the tank, which was impervious to the machinegun and could crawl over the trenches.

Which brought about the invention of bazookas and other shoulder-fired anti-tank weapons like the rocket-propelled grenade. The RPG was the tank killer in Vietnam and lives on today in terrorist armies in Iraq because of its lethality and portability. One terrorist can knock out a Humvee--or even a tank--with one well-placed shot, which is a very high payoff in the cost/benefit formula of terrorist warfare where the enemy is even willing to strap explosives to his own body.

In Vietnam against the RPG we evolved, too. We countered our lack of armor by hanging water cans, C-ration boxes, sections of track and clothing containers on the outside of our turrets. The extra few inches of standoff made the explosive much less lethal to tanks. Every armored personnel carrier in our unit used strips of scrap metal runway material or chain link fencing to do the same thing. The troops took to lining the floors of the carriers with layers of sandbags to reduce the effect of landmines. You talk about an excuse for outrage in the press. If it was there, I never heard it.

In any event, when he could, the enemy escalated to arming dud American bombs and using them as landmines, which defeated the sanbags. He also began shooting tanks in the engine compartment, where the fuel tanks were. In the M-48A2C, the fuel was gasoline, not diesel, and if ever there was a reason for outrage that was it. So we got the M-48A3, a diesel tank much less prone to burning.

And so on. And so on. And so on. (And aren't we a deadly and devious species?)

Look I don't want to debate here whether we should be fighting in Iraq at all. And I don't know the details of the cited incident about the Marine officer. But I do know this: If we ever decided in 1941 that we could not commit to a war until we had absolute certainty of victory against every kind of threat, including evolving enemy tactics without suffering casualties--and a five-year plan for postwar reconstruction besides, everybody in North America would be speaking Japanese today. Or German. The men who died in World War II for lack of preparation or equipment would populate several western U.S. states.

I wish that every American vehicle in Iraq was armored to the nines. And at times, I wish that Mark Shields was secretary of Defense. If both those things happened, all our men and women would be safe. Right?

Till next week . . .

God bless you and Godspeed.
____________

John is a veteran of two combat tours in Vietnam and a member of the American Legion. These columns are excerpts from an upcoming book. His current book, Delta Force #1 : Operation Michael's Sword is a fictional account of the 9/11 attacks and the early days of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Zell Miller

Lance at Red State Rant recently got he opportunity to interview outspoken Georgia Democrat Zell Miller. Lance was kind enough to share the opportunity with fellow bloggers, inviting several to submit questions. (I'm one - thanks Lance!) The interview is here.

Russ Vaughn's Poetic response to the MSM's fiascos

The Eagle and the Serpents

Such discord now ‘tween you and us,
Mainstream Media and populace:
You envenom all that we hold dear,
And revel in those things we fear.
You denigrate our national pride
Taking always now the others’ side.
A Media mamba, a poisonous pest
That lurks within our Eagle’s nest.

You arrogant adders puffed with pride,
We know truth’s on our Eagle’s side;
And care not what you snakes declare,
We’ve had it with your venomous fare.
Our Eagle soars above your wrath,
Your tortured, twisted serpents' path.
From your low crawl, you fail to see,
Our Eagle strikes have set men free

Now the Eagle from his lofty post,
Looks down upon your hissing host,
Who poison every good intent,
With noxious toxins you invent.
Like diamondbacks you loudly rattle,
Strike fear in those you deem but cattle;
But your cattle now look to the sky,
See the Eagle soaring, and know you lie.

Can you Media serpents win this fight?
Bring our Eagle down from newfound height?
No longer now caged up by you,
Only negative news to shape our view.
The Internet set our Eagle free,
Now we can hear, now we can see.
A Mainstream Media hissing lies,
Spitting blinding venom in our eyes.

Our Eagle’s spied you false purveyors,
Just negative fools and foul naysayers.
The Eagle knows now he is right,
That he’s with honor in this fight.
And despite your biting fanged attacks,
He’ll land upon your serpent backs;
An image that should give you pause:
A thrashing snake in Eagle’s claws.

Russ Vaughn

Open Post

And check out the New Blog Showcase too.

Shoot the Reporter

Sniper training reveals targeting guidance. Some excerpts:

Killing Doctors and Chaplains is suggested as a means of psychological warfare.

If you see a line of soldiers, kill the one you think is the officer. Then, shoot the communications officer - then the machine gunner - then the doctor - if he's there, you'll know by the red cross on his arm.

(Shoot)... the reporter carrying the camera. First because the camera can be used as binoculars; second, it is the most difficult thing to hide the death of a reporter in Iraq.

In light of the targeting journalist line we'll expect a lot of coverage of this in the NY Times, Washington Post, Newsweek, etc. No doubt Reporters Without Borders is preparing a thoughtful response even as you read this.

Oh, that's terrorist training? Never mind.

More at Fourth Rail and DefenseTech.

'Round the Ring

Sgt Mom on the latest craze sweeping newspapers: corpse photography.

Smash on Blood and Justice.

Those are two of the longest running MilBlogs around. Here's a brand new one from Chris Short.

The Word Unheard takes on Linda Foley's targeting journalists accusations.

On the Turning Away

A former news photographer explains why she isn't one now: "I don't hate journalism or journalists. But I hated myself as one."

Not everyone embraces the dark side. Hopefully doing so isn't the only ticket to "big time" reporting, but it certainly seems to smooth the path.

From Arthur

Arthur says: "Forget Newsweek, here's goodnewsweek"

Dear friends

The new "Good news from Iraq" is out - and yes, there are more things
happening in Iraq than suicide bombings - although, again, you wouldn't know
that, would you?

Chrenkoff

Opinion Journal

Winds of Change

Best regards

Arthur

News From Gitmo

Newsweek: "Since cutting short a trip to Asia on the weekend we published our account of how we reported the story..."

Guess that shortened trip to Asia explains the cover?

To their credit, Newsweek tells the US side of the Koran story:

According to Di Rita, when the first prisons were built for suspected terrorists at Guantanamo in early 2002, prison guards were instructed to respect the detainees' religious rituals. The prisoners were given Qur'ans, which they hung from the walls of their cells in cotton surgical masks provided by the prison. Log entries by the guards indicate that in about a dozen cases, the detainees themselves somehow damaged their Qur'ans. In one case a prisoner allegedly ripped up a Qur'an; in another a prisoner tore the cover off his Qur'an. In three cases, detainees tried to stuff pages from their Qur'ans down their toilets, according to the Defense Department's account of what is in the guards' reports. (NEWSWEEK was not permitted to see the log items.) The log entries do not indicate why the detainees might have done this, said Di Rita, and prison commanders concluded that certain hard-core prisoners would try to agitate the other detainees by alleging disrespect for Muslim articles of faith.

In light of the controversy, one of these incidents bears special notice. Last week, NEWSWEEK interviewed Command Sgt. John VanNatta, (MVG note: Command Sergeant Major) who served as the prison's warden from October 2002 to the fall of 2003. VanNatta recounted that in 2002, the inmates suddenly started yelling that the guards had thrown a Qur'an on or near an Asian-style squat toilet. The guards found an inmate who admitted that he had dropped his Qur'an near his toilet. According to VanNatta, the inmate then was taken cell to cell to explain this to other detainees to quell the unrest. But the incident could partly account for the multiple allegations among detainees, including one by a released British detainee in a lawsuit that claims that guards flushed Qur'ans down toilets.

In fewer than a dozen log entries from the 31,000 documents reviewed so far, said Di Rita, there is a mention of detainees' complaining that guards or interrogators mishandled their Qur'ans. In one case, a female guard allegedly knocked a Qur'an from its pouch onto the detainee's bed. In another alleged case, said Di Rita, detainees became upset after two MPs, looking for contraband, felt the pouch containing a prisoner's Qur'an. While questioning a detainee, an interrogator allegedly put a Qur'an on top of a TV set, took it off when the detainee complained, then put it back on. In another alleged instance, guards somehow sprayed water on a detainee's Qur'an. This handful of alleged cases came out of thousands of daily interactions between guards and prisoners, said Di Rita. None has been substantiated yet, he said.

In December 2002, a guard inadvertently knocked a Qur'an from its pouch onto the floor of a detainee's cell, Di Rita said. A number of detainees protested. That January, partly in response to the incident and partly to provide precise guidelines for new guards and interrogators, the Guantanamo commanders issued precise rules to respect the "cultural dignity of the Koran thereby reducing the friction over the searching of the Korans." Only chaplains or Muslim interpreters were allowed to inspect detainees' Qur'ans. "Two hands will be used at all times when handling Korans in a manner signaling respect and reverence," the rules state. "Ensure that the Koran is not placed in offensive areas such as the floor, near the toilet or sink, near the feet, or dirty/wet areas..."

Meanwhile, back in England, The Guardian publishes an AP report on documents they obtained via the Freedom of Information act:

There are scant references to allegations of abuse at the prison camp in the proceedings to determine solely if detainees are enemy combatants. One prisoner even calls the camp ``paradise'' compared to a Taliban jail where he was given little food and had medical problems.

To be fair, other prisoners quoted in the story did stick a little closer to the al Qaeda handbook. That sort of stuff appeals to certain groups, as events over the past weeks have shown. The Koran allegations will never be more than a "he said - she said" situation. But if the abuse claims are true one wonders why the US let the witnesses walk away at all when a simple shot to the head administered far from curious observers would have ended all questions. "Disappearing" state prisoners is the hallmark of brutal regimes, after all. In that regard the existence of those claiming brutality seems to be all the more affirmation of the claims of those describing relative "paradise".

Or perhaps that's the real cunning of we Americans? (Que X-Files theme music...)

Open Post

Weekend edition.

From the Sewer

Reporters from all over the globe today are setting up permanent base camps in toilets and sewers at Guantanamo, Cuba, and other prisons around the world desperately seeking evidence of Korans in those locations. Here's an update on their progress thus far.

1. Time magazine reporter Viveca Novak publishes Inside the Wire, a book about abuse of prisoners in Guantanamo. She gives coauthor credit to Eric Saar, a former military interpreter there. The book does not mention any incidents of Koran flushing, instead focusing on the use of female guards to embarrass the prisoners. However, this by no means shows that Koran abuse didn't occur. The publisher has already issued one correction/retraction to material it contains:

At pages 191-192, Inside the Wire: A Military Intelligence Soldier?s Eyewitness Account of Life at Guantanamo by Erik Saar and Viveca Novak, erroneously states that civilian interrogators hired through an army contract with CACI were in Guantanamo Bay. The book also describes the activities of two contract interrogators. CACI has unequivocally stated that it had no involvement in any interrogation operations at Guantanamo and that it had no relationship whatsoever with the civilian contract interrogators involved in the use of the interrogation techniques discussed in the book. The Penguin Press and the Authors acknowledge and regret the error. In addition, The Penguin Press and the Authors are taking a number of corrective actions, including inserting erratum slips in Penguin?s remaining copies of the book, providing erratum slips to Penguin?s accounts for ins