A Year at War

In the upcoming days here at Mudville we're going to look back at the past year of combat in Iraq in hopes of answering the fundamental questions: Are we winning, and if so, why are so few people aware of it? The introduction to this series is here. This entry will provide brief background information on the situation on the ground in Iraq at this time last year.

The situation:

In March 2004 a convoy approaching Fallujah was attacked. The remains of four contractors killed in the ambush and displayed on a bridge were the first stunningly gruesome images to catch the public's attention from Iraq.

Marines rolled into Fallujah in April and engaged the enemy, but leading Sunni's protested and the battle ended as suddenly as it began. US forces withdrew and the city was turned over to Iraqi security forces - the "Fallujah Brigade". This hopeful attempt at "Iraqification" proved premature, and by mid June the situation was being described as a failure.

But the situation in Fallujah was just one part of a growing problem. That same April Muqtada al Sadr led a group of Shiite rebels in an uprising against coalition forces. By May skirmishes between Sadr's militia and US forces were common occurrence in Najaf. (The linked AP story also noted the increasingly widespread violence throughout Iraq.)

And as the BBC report on Fallujah also noted:

Meanwhile, a new opinion poll for the New York Times and CBS News suggested dwindling support among Americans for the invasion and occupation of Iraq.

Only 47% of 1,042 Americans questioned believed invading Iraq was the right thing to do, the lowest support recorded in the polls since the war began.

The "insurgency"

The elements that comprise the Iraqi insurgency are varied in composition, motivation, and determination. At this time last year they could be grouped as follows:

1. "Former regime loyalists" or "ex-Baathist elements" At the end of the initial US invasion the Iraqi regular army units had been issued weapons and ammunition and ordered to merge with the civilian population of Baghdad and fight the Americans*. The fall of Baghdad, collapse of the government, and loss of their command and control structure occurred much more quickly than anyone thought possible, but left thousands of armed soldiers to melt back in to the general population. An argument can be made that the US air war, focusing on destroying the enemy's ability to resist (communications, infrastructure, and command and control elements) rather than on enemy soldiers, led to this large pool of fighters being left intact. With time, what remained of their original command elements were able to establish some sort of order within these groups, leading to many "cells" of various size, sophistication, and inter-connectivity - with varying levels of ability and purpose. Additionally they would recruit more "soldiers" in the months after the fall of Baghdad. After this period of regrouping the "former regime loyalists" or "ex-Baathist elements" would begin to make their presence known - primarily in the Sunni triangle area of Iraq.

2. Al-Qaeda and the "foreign fighters". Abu Musab al Zarqawi rose from obscurity to lead the al Qaeda Jihad in Iraq. The influx of foreign fighters began before the fall of Baghdad.** Taking advantage of the long and porous border with Syria the invasion has continued since. Connections and interactivity between this group and the former government/military forces are subject to speculation, but it's reasonable to assume there is a high degree of cooperation and coordination between the two.

3. Muqtada al Sadr's Shiite militia. Comprised mostly of residents of the "Sadr city" area of Baghdad - a neighborhood that suferred greatly under the Hussein regime. Sadr has ties to Iran, and just as it's reasonable to assume the first two groups are united it's also evident that Sadr's group maintains independence from either.

4. Others without political motivations. Common criminals, kidnappers for profit, etc. Some elements of all previous groups probably are better described in this category. However, their crimes are often reported as work of the "insurgents". Other acts of violence in Iraq can also be attributed to long standing tribal feuds, and the motivation behind many attacks, killings, and kidnappings is often never truly determined.

An equally important and frequently overlooked group is the 80% - 90% of Iraqis who want to be left alone to get on with their lives in peace.

More to follow.

Notes:

*This tactic was designed to sow confusion and maximize civilian casualties. The comments of Information Minister Mohammed Said al-Sahaf at the time seemed humorous to many Americans, but his point was to deceive the citizens of Baghdad into believing they would be safe in the streets when in reality US Army forces were striking at the capitol. It worked. The resulting mix of armed combatants (often transported in small white trucks - or even ambulances) and civilians who were on the streets minding their own business resulted in numerous civilian casualties. The plan was likely to have resulted in accusations of atrocities being leveled at the Americans, but the fall of Baghdad happened much faster than Saddam anticipated. The quick thrust with armor, coming instead of the anticipated infantry attack and extended, house-to-house combat, caught the enemy off guard and the city fell not in a number of weeks, but hours. An excellent account of the situation, drawing on interviews with survivors of all sides of the battle can be found in the book "Thunder Run".

From the book:

Colonel Raaed Faik was riding with fellow Republican Guard officers on a civilian bus thirty-two kilometers northeast of Baghdad that morning, trying to obey an order to rush to Baghdad to join in the defense of the city. They were to help keep Highway 8 open for a counterattack. Faik was a senior signal officer in the Republican Guard, but he was dressed now in civilian clothes. The chief of staff had radioed an order for this division to fight without uniforms in hopes of mounting an effective guerilla war against the American forces on the streets of Baghdad. But some officers had not received the order, and they were still in their uniforms. They bickered with the plainclothes officers over how to dress for the battle.

Faik was disgusted. He took pride in being a member of an elite unit, but now they were like women trying to decide what outfits to wear. They were fools led by imbeciles.

Now, riding on the bus toward Baghdad on the morning of April 7, Faik was convinced he was being sent into the city to be slaughtered. For weeks, the military command had been preparing for a siege of the capital. Faik and other commanders had been told to prepare to fight street by street against American infantry units they expected to parachute in or unload from helicopters. They even named the units - the 101st Airborne Division and the 82nd Airborne Division. Iraqi forces would fight them from bunkers and rooftops and alleyways, taking advantage of the familiar urban terrain. A long siege would produce steady American casualties and the United States would be forced by American public opinion to negotiate a truce.

**Another passage from Thunder Run:

Just south of the spaghetti junction, beyond the row of greenhouses on the west side of the highway, Yusef Taha and his brother Ziad were huddled in the rear downstairs room of their two-story stucco home in the shade of the nursery awnings. The Taha brothers owned one of the greenhouses, which had been shredded by coax from the Rogue Bradleys two days earlier. They had stayed in the war zone to protect their house - not from the Americans but from the Syrian mercenaries who had arrived several days earlier to seize control of the entire greenhouse complex. The brothers knew that if they fled, the Syrians would have set up sniper's nests on their roof, drawing tank rounds that would have flattened their modest little home. So now they were hunkered down inside with twelve family members - aunts and uncles, in-laws and children - praying that the Americans would pass by quickly and leave their house intact.

Yusef was a heavyset forty-two-rear-old, with a thick mustache and the beginnings of a beard. Ziad was twenty-six, thin and handsome and had a trimmed mustache. The brothers had pleaded with the Syrians, begging them to find some other place to fight the Americans. But the Syrians said the greenhouses and nurseries occupied a strategic stretch of territory along the Hillah Highway - Highway 8 - controlling access to the airport and to the government palace complex downtown. They set up RPG teams inside the greenhouses, joined by Republican Guard troops in their dark green uniforms with distinctive maroon insignias. It seemed to the Taha brothers that the Syrians were in charge. They were certainly more fanatic and energized than the Republican Guards. They spoke often of jihad, of dying while killing American infidels. Some of them strapped packs of explosives to their chests and spoke of ramming suicide cars into the tanks and Bradleys. Some of them brandished swords, like Saladin, the Arab conqueror. The brothers did not particularly welcome the American invasion - and certainly not the devastating firepower brought to bear on their nursery business - but they resented the Syrians, who were invaders in their own right.

Open Post

'Gunner Palace' Helps Military

Update 2: This movie is not available in the Exchange here in Germany. Anyone seen it in stores stateside?

UPDATE: There just aren't any good new movie releases out this week except this one. And for every one sold thru Mudville we'll donate our proceeds to Fisher House too. (Yes - even those who pre-ordered weeks ago.)

From USA Today:

Most DVDs begin with a harsh anti-piracy warning from the FBI. Gunner Palace, a documentary that depicts the lives of young American soldiers in and around Baghdad, starts differently.

Released on video and DVD Tuesday, the film from director Michael Tucker greets viewers with a note of appreciation: "Purchasing this video helps military families."

<...>

Tucker and the film's distributor, Palm Pictures, have teamed up to support the Fisher House Foundation, a group that offers affordable lodging to more than 8,500 families annually when soldiers are being treated at major military and Veterans Affairs medical centers.

Greyhawk interviewed filmaker Michael Tucker here on the opening weekend of Gunner Palace. He talks about Iraq, the blogosphere, and controversy surrounding his movie.

Town Hall

Sec Def Rumsfeld and CJCS Gen Myers are currently hosting a worldwide "townhall" meeting (Q and A) with the troops. See the live online video here. (Replays will likely be avilable too.)

In response to an early audience member question Secretary Rumsfeld just mentioned "bloggers" as one source of alternative news to counter the negative spin of the traditional media.

Watch the interaction - see why Rumsfeld is appreciated by the troops. These guys are great.

Update: General Myers announced that Army recruiting is over 100% of goal for the month of June.

A great question from a female Lt Col who will be forced to relinquish much of her pension to her ex-husband (who earns more than she does) because of the Uniformed Services Former Spouses' Protection Act.

A Year at War

Representatives of the Iraqi government and US forces are meeting with "insurgents". Good. There are two ways to end protracted combat: 1 - Kill everyone on the other side (or at least enough to make further resistance useless) or 2 - Negotiate. Most wars in history were ended via option 2, with strong incentive for one side to avoid impending option 1 usually a catalyst. The question remains - in Iraq, who is negotiating from a position of power? And which side sees itself as close enough to being on the losing end of option 1?

According to Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, it's the US that is in danger of being destroyed:

"Things aren't getting better; they're getting worse. The White House is completely disconnected from reality. It's like they're just making it up as they go along. The reality is that we're losing in Iraq."

You can read Al Jazeera's coverage of Hagel's claims here. His remarks were also used by Moveon.org in a new advertisement supporting immediate withdrawal from Iraq. (Hagel also claims that he now "objects" to their use of his very publically made statement.)

If the warm reception his comments received from the opposition in the war on terror isn't sufficient enough wake-up call, there's also some circumstantial evidence in the form of ground truth from Iraq suggesting that perhaps it's Senator Hagel who needs a reality check.

The negotiations with insurgents are nothing new - Time magazine first broke the story last February, a period when insurgent attacks had lulled in the wake of their failure to halt or even disrupt the Iraqi national elections. Quite obviously the US and Iraqis were negotiating from a position of power. My comments at that time:

...the insurgents are on the ropes. Make no mistake about it - they are capable of killing people in large numbers, but their political effectiveness is virtually nil.

And falling.

I stand by those words today. Also note from the link that even at that time the US and Iraqi forces were stepping up operations in Al Anbar province, with Operation RIVER BLITZ providing a stick to contrast with the carrot that negotiations represented. This approach worked last year in quelling the Shiite group led by Muqtada al Sadr - his fighters in Najaf had lost any popular support they may have had and were being hammered by coalition forces, and a political solution was suddenly very attractive.

This week in Iraq Operation SWORD was launched - the latest effort to deny foreign fighters entering Iraq from Syria passage to the country's interior. The US and Iraqis are not negotiating out of weakness - far from it. And though the insurgents are still capable of killing large numbers of people in a spectacular manner their political effectiveness, once nil, has since dwindled.

Except for in the United States. A year of smashing coalition military successes, gradual improvement of Iraq's economy, free elections and an embrace of democracy by a people who had been denied it for most of their history has led a Senator to conclude that the US military has failed in it's mission - we're losing in Iraq.

Senator Hagel is wrong (as is this Cuban news source that shares his point of view). In the upcoming days here at Mudville we're going to look back at the past several months of combat in Iraq in hopes of answering the fundamental questions: Are we winning? And if so, why are so few people aware of it?

Hope you'll join the conversation.

(More to follow.)

Open Post

Keeping Score

James Taranto:

That Iraq is "another Vietnam" was a clich頬ong before the U.S.-led coalition even liberated Baghdad, but lately the drumbeat has become louder and more tired than ever. A Google News search for "Iraq" and "Vietnam" turns up more than 6,500 articles in the past month;...

Which calls for a trip back through time in the Mudville archives...

In April 2004, about one year after the fall of Baghdad, claims comparing Iraq to other military actions of the recent past began in earnest in the wake of the brutal murders of contractors in Fallujah. At that time we noted the google news "scores" for the following combinations:

Iraq quagmire: 286

Iraq Mogadishu: 880

Iraq Vietnam: 5740

A week later we checked again:

Iraq quagmire: 532

Iraq Mogadishu: 1460

Iraq Vietnam: 7210

So in spite of gains by "Mogadishu" and "quagmire", "Vietnam" was maintaining a comfortable lead.

Today's results:

Iraq quagmire: 1420

Iraq Mogadishu: 29

Iraq Vietnam: 6770

"Quagmire" has left "Mogadushu" in the dust, and though "Vietnam" still maintains a healthy lead it has actually dropped a bit, while "quagmire" is closing the gap.

There may have been a lull in such claims in the interim, so like tomorrow's suicide bomber what we're seeing today could be described as a "fresh wave" of attacks from an "increasingly bold and sophisticated" media. But yes, "louder and more tired" still seems correct.

MilBlogs Here, MilBlogs There...

I see MilBlogs everywhere.

Or at least in the Boston Herald and the Army Times.

More thoughts on the topic later.

Berlin Outrage: Checkpoint Charlie Monument to be Bulldozed July 4th

David's Medienkritik

We didn't think it could get much worse in Germany...well, it just did. Davids Medienkritik recently learned that the Berlin city government, made up of a coalition between the SPD (Gerhard Schroeder's Social-Democrats) and the PDS (former SED party that ran Communist East Germany), has decided to allow the razing of the Checkpoint Charlie monument by court order.

Every Day Hero

Marine pilot Capt. Joseph Bertagna came to aid of ambushed patrol in July 2003.

The butterflies in Marine Capt. Joseph Bertagna's stomach lasted for only a second. The bravery that replaced them will be remembered for a lifetime.

Bertagna, who grew up in Coopersburg, recently received the Distinguished Flying Cross medal for coming to the rescue of ground troops ambushed in eastern Afghanistan on July 19, 2003.

Bertagna drove the attackers away with cannonfire from his Harrier jet, then helped contact medical helicopters that evacuated three wounded soldiers. The men survived.

<...>

''The overriding thing that was going through my mind is that these guys need help, like, five minutes ago,'' Bertagna said. ''I realized that the only thing I could do to help these guys was to go down and find them.''

Using the road as a guide, Bertagna swooped fast and low into the area, defying the surface-to-air missile systems Taliban forces were known to have. The intent, he said, was to make himself visible so the ground troops could give him better directions.

It worked. The ground leader spotted the Harrier and gave Bertagna his bearings. Bertagna turned and launched an attack, firing 145 rounds of 25 mm ammo into the enemy position. As the attackers began fleeing, Bertagna emptied his cannon into their new position. It was the first time he fired his weapons in combat.

He then sent GPS coordinates to medical helicopters so they could ferry out the injured soldiers.

While protecting the helicopters, Bertagna saw what looked like muzzle flashes from a nearby ridge. He flew low over the ridge, without firing, in what Marines call a ''show-of-force pass.'' The signs of attack vanished.

''It's just, like, 'Hey, we're here. If you want to start anything, this is what's going to happen to you,''' Bertagna said of the flyover.

We have the best damn military force out there and I'm astounded daily at the heroism.

Don't Watch...

..the President's speech. But do write a letter to your local paper complaining about it.

In fact, you don't have to watch or write - because Moveon.org has already written the letter for you. Just send it to your local paper.

What better way to demonstrate what an open minded, free thinker you are.

Update: The Associated Press continues its tradition of reporting presidential speeches that haven't happened yet in the past tense. Mitch Albom was suspended for doing less.

Trust Me

I made my prediction on media response to Pew research revealing declining trust in media reports yesterday: My prediction for a media response: None. (With "self righteous denial" a close second.)

But I didn't realize that the AP had already responded:

Poll: Most Americans back media

WASHINGTON - Despite growing doubts about the news media's patriotism, most people still have a positive view of news outlets, according to a new poll.
<...>
While people are critical of the press, "there is an enduring support for what the press does," said Tom Rosenstiel, director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism, which co-sponsored the poll.

The AP also notes this:

While the public views much of the news media favorably, they are less inclined to consider those sources of news believable, according to the survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.

If I read that right, they view them "favorably" but don't believe them. And if anyone can explain that to me please feel free to do so in comments.

Remember though that this is a blog, and we have standards. Please don't support your explanation with bogus quotes.

Can't Win?

Senator Ted Kennedy last week:

After the hearing, Kennedy took to the Senate floor to press his point. ''It is time for Rumsfeld to take off his rose-colored glasses," Kennedy said. ''It is time to level with the American people instead of painting a rosy picture."

Citing some of Rumsfeld's assessments, Kennedy asked: ''What planet is he on? Perhaps he is still in the mission-accomplished world," a reference to the banner behind Bush in May 2003, when the president declared major combat operations had ended.

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld talks to host Chris Wallace days later on Fox News Sunday

WALLACE: I want to turn to another aspect of this.

When we announced that you were going to be on the program, I got a phone call ? unsolicited phone call, from a gentleman who had been a veteran of Vietnam, wounded twice in Vietnam, whose son is now serving in Iraq. And he said that he never thought that this country would fight another Vietnam, meaning send our troops over there without enough strength to win, but he said ? this is his argument ? that that's exactly what's going on in Iraq, that we are fighting another Vietnam in the sense that we don't have enough force to win. And then he said, the problem ? and I'm going to quote him now ? is, he said, "Rumsfeld tried to fight this on the cheap."

RUMSFELD: Yes.

WALLACE: What do you say to that patriotic but very concerned father?

RUMSFELD: Sure.

Well, I think you thank him first for his service, and then thank him for the service of his son. And then point out that this is not a decision I make; this is a decision that's made by the military commanders. General Franks, General Abizaid, General Casey have decided what those numbers are. They've recommended them to me. I've recommended them to the president. I agree with them. I think they're right.

I can understand some people would say, "Oh, there ought to be more," or, "There ought to be less." General Abizaid and General Casey are absolutely convinced, and said so publicly, that they would worry if there were more U.S. forces there, because it would require more force protection, more support troops, more targets, a heavier footprint, a more intrusive occupation force that would further alienate Iraqi people from the coalition forces and what they're trying to do.

Second, the implication of the question was that we don't have enough to win against the insurgency. We're not going to win against the insurgency. The Iraqi people are going to win against the insurgency. That insurgency could go on for any number of years. Insurgencies tend to go on five, six, eight, 10, 12 years.

Coalition forces, foreign forces are not going to repress that insurgency. We're going to create an environment that the Iraqi people and the Iraqi security forces can win against that insurgency.

So, I regret that he feels that way. I am absolutely convinced that the general officers in charge of this, who've made those decisions, are correct.

If they came to us and said they needed more people, as they have, we've increased them. For the last election, when the violence went up, we increased them to 160,000. They're now down to 139,000. Why? Because the generals sent people home, and said they would prefer to have fewer people.

Seems like some pretty candid comments - perhaps partly in response to those "what planet/rose colored glasses" accusations from a few days prior.

So how does the press report his comments? Here's one headline from the Seattle Times: Iraq peace may be 12 years away, Rumsfeld says

CNN was more optimistic: Rumsfeld: Insurgency could last decade

The people of Iraq will eventually defeat the insurgents - but other conflicts appear to be a no-win situation.

Open Post

You shouldn't be blogging, you should be listening to the Prez, shame on you.

Prayers Needed

ArmyWifeToddlerMom informs us that the Chaplain from the 39th Infantry is in desperate need of your prayers as is his family.

...This is a man of great character. The spiritual guidance he offered my husband, and other soldiers was a true blessing. Besides providing spiritual care for soldiers as a Chaplain, he is also the Pastor for the Second Baptist Church, with a large congregation. Please read a bit about this man, and please say a prayer for him, and his family!

ArmyWifeToddlerMom has the details on this fine gentleman and the tragedy that has struck him.

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).

The Real Folks Back at your Real Home

Dear Warrior in Iraq . . .

Lots of bad news these days on the national front. The comparisons to Vietnam. The self-flagellation over treatment of prisoners held in Cuba. New comparisons of our country to Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia. Demands that we set a date to bring the troops home. Surveys from abroad that tell of a lack of respect for America. Surveys from home that reveal that the relentless torrent of reporting bad news from Iraq is having the effect of turning more Americans against the war.

But I won't be writing about any of that today. Because I have news from Shelby, Montana.

In Shelby, a group of six Vietnam veterans got organized about nine months ago. Not to form a protest against the war, but to organize a show of support for Montana troops in Iraq.

They jointly signed a bank note, wrote a plan, secured a nonprofit status and started making phone calls and went looking for a hill.

Their mission was to build and raise a 100-ft. flagpole on that hill overlooking two major highways west of Shelby. The idea was to fly a huge 30- by 50-ft. American flag by July 4 in honor of all veterans but to dedicate the first flag to our soldiers in Iraq.

They announced their plan last November 11 on Veterans Day when all they had was to show for their effort at the time was one of the 30-by-50 flags, bought on that bank note. That alone was inspiring. Area law officers and more than a hundred veterans turned out to help unfurl the flag at ceremonies on the gym floors of the county's only two high schools.

On this, the week before the July Fourth holiday, the flagpole is ready to be planted, if it doesn't rain. And new plans are already being made to dedicate the flag monument on Sept. 11 in solemn ceremonies.

The group of veterans have exhausted their line of credit at the bank, but their mission was worth it because it will surely be accomplished. One of them, a Marine who was wounded in Vietnam (there's no such thing as a former Marine), has been welding pipe for weeks in his fabrication shop, on his own private mission to build that flagpole. One, a former soldier and a retired manager of the local electric co-op, was at the business end of a shovel this week, burying electrical cable for the lights he bought out of his own pocket. Another turned over his law practice to the mission of keeping the project legal and sound, so the community could have faith in it. A fourth worked his connections with government to line up FAA approval, city and county support and military participation in the ceremonies. The chief organizer worked the phones, workdays and weekends, keeping the team on track, keeping the mission in everybody's sights. Because of him and his crew of veterans, we will see that flag fly.

But the story is not about the veterans. It's about the people-your people back home. Your friends and neighbors and family back home in Montana. And a few strangers who care about you, people whose names you don't even know. Without them, the veterans group would still be churning away. With them, the project is about to become a reality.

For you see, from the moment of the public ceremony, people stepped up to throw a shoulder to the wheel and add their momentum. Some gave cash. A few gave thousands of dollars, but a lot of folks gave smaller amounts, including school kids.

One corporation donated the hill in the form of a 25-year lease. A family gave access land. The city and county governments chipped in with easements, insurance policy coverage, parks maintenance support. Seven corporations or individuals have agreed to buy one of the huge flags every year so the veterans can keep them flying. And when they must be taken down in windy weather, local law enforcement agencies have agreed to do that. Corporations have donated engineering, an estimated $20,000 worth, and steel pipe for the flagpole a like amount. The use of bulldozers and cranes are donations of time and operators. Newspaper space, donation. Concrete, donation. Concrete labor, donation. Electrical power and labor, donation. A professional singer cut a patriotic CD to sell with proceeds going to the project as a donation. Every time the group needs help, our people-your people-step up.

There's more to do here before you, our troops, come home, but no one doubts it will get done. With people like these, who can doubt it?

The veterans group and your people back home are planning the September ceremony in earnest. And hoping you'll be back in time to help celebrate it.

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.

Fire at FOB St. Michael - 48th BCT Needs Help

Our friend Banter in Atlanter alerts us that there's a fire at FOB St. Michael and the 48th BCT Needs Help.

The AJC's Dave Hirschman and photographer Curtis Compton are embedded with the 48th Brigade Combat Team, a Georgia National Guard unit. They've got a blog running at the AJCs site that's pretty impressive.

Yesterday's post brings some bad news though, some living quarters and a tactical operations center were overcome by a fire that spread from an adjacent chicken processing plant. Several soldiers lost personal effects as a result.

Banter at Atlanter has details here Soldiers Angels has already adopted the 48th BCT but could use our help.

@#!%*& Blogspot @#!%*& blogger

While on my Dawn Patrol I noticed several of my MilBloggers and many of the Friends of MilBlogs were experiencing a recent problem with Blogspot. Posts won't appear until sidebar ends.

The problem is that Blogspot changed how the posts are sent. What blogger is doing is inserting two DIV tags before and after the post.

These tags are inserted around $BlogItemBody$ now which has a style="clear:both". This is the reason the 2nd post won't appear before sidebar ends. Blogger has stated that they recognize the problem and they are working on it.

In the mean time others have come to the rescue. Special thanks goes to kousik at Blogger forum.

The solution is to have a TABLE around your $BlogItemBody$. In your template, where $BlogItemBody$ appears, surround it by <table><tr><td> and </td></tr></table>...which should partially correct the problem.

I'll update if I find any new solutions.

Iraq

Could we lose?

Maybe.

Here's how.

Americans Dissatisfied With Press Coverage of the Military

According to the latest Pew research the American public is becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the media coverage of the military.

Nearly half (47%) say that by criticizing the military, news organizations are weakening the nation's defenses; 44% say such criticism keeps the nation militarily prepared. The percentage saying press criticism weakens American defenses has been increasing in recent years and now stands at its highest point in surveys dating to 1985.

Read the whole thing here. I agree completely with this comment from Stephen Spruiell:

This rising dissatisfaction with press coverage of the military doesn?t mean, however, that the public wants the press to become a propaganda outlet for the Pentagon. A large majority consistently agrees that ?neutral? coverage of the war is better than coverage that is explicitly ?pro-American,? but the public simply doesn?t think it is getting neutral coverage.

My prediction for a media response: None. (With "self righteous denial" a close second.)

After that, follow the links in the update in this post from Michelle Malkin for a stunning example of bias run amok in Iowa.

Update: Would you still support the troops if they stopped a group of terrorists from splitting Ward Churchill's skull open with a machete?

Of course you would - we do that every day.

More Memorial News

From Jeff Jarvis.

Take Back the Memorial

In the email, from Tim Sumner, of 911 Families for a Safe and Strong America and Take Back the Memorial.

Greyhawk:

Please read and post on this, if possible. Here's some background on what appears below. You can use whatever you feel like as it is all verifiable. The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation asked Debra Burlingame to become a founding board member of the WTC Foundation. They were to raise the money, above the 300 million federal dollars in seed money, to build the 9/11 memorial and accompanying projects in line with the decisions the jury that came up with as a mission statement and design for the memorial. When the WTC and memorial are completed (scheduled for 2009), the LMDC is to be dissolved and the WTC Foundation will become the landlord for all non-commercial buildings on the site, meaning they will be in charge of the Cultural building (International Freedom Center & Drawing Center), the visitors info & services, the Tribeca theatre and dance theatre. Here's a recap of the people behind the IFC plans (from Debra's op-ed in the WSJ / OPJ):

- Michael Posner, executive director at Human Rights First who is leading the worldwide "Stop Torture Now" campaign focused entirely on the U.S. military. He has stated that Mr. Rumsfeld's refusal to resign in the wake of the Abu Ghraib scandal is "irresponsible and dishonorable."

- Anthony Romero, executive director of the ACLU, who is pushing IFC organizers for exhibits that showcase how civil liberties in this country have been curtailed since September 11.

- Eric Foner, radical-left history professor at Columbia University who, even as the bodies were being pulled out of a smoldering Ground Zero, wrote, "I'm not sure which is more frightening: the horror that engulfed New York City or the apocalyptic rhetoric emanating daily from the White House." This is the same man who participated in a "teach-in" at Columbia to protest the Iraq war, during which a colleague exhorted students with, "The only true heroes are those who find ways to defeat the U.S. military," and called for "a million Mogadishus." The IFC website has posted Mr. Foner's statement warning that future discussions should not be "overwhelmed" by the IFC's location at the World Trade Center site itself.

- George Soros, billionaire founder of Open Society Institute, the nonprofit foundation that helps fund Human Rights First and is an early contributor to the IFC. Mr. Soros has stated that the pictures of Abu Ghraib "hit us the same way as the terrorist attack itself."

Debra joined the WTC Foundation's board to be of service to her country (my words) and to ensure a fitting memorial to all those lost was built (her words). But she would not stand by and let an insidious plan by anyone -- in this case led by Berstein, Soros, et al -- to desecrate the memory of all those that fell and that hallowed ground who wanted to branding the site with their ideology.

In response to her op-ed and all the press, the LMDC, WTC Foundation's board, and the International Freedom Center's board all worked hard at dividing the 9/11 family members over this. The wedge they attempted to use was Debra Burlingame didn't lose anyone at the WTC on 9/11 even though her brother, a great American in his own right, was brutally murdered by terrorists aboard Flight 77 before they slammed it into the Pentagon. (I have a string of expletives I'd like to use here but I'll spare you them). Well, their plan didn't work. Tom Bernstein being on the board of Human Rights Watch has hit the AP. Their attempt to divide the 9/11 families is about to hit the AP. Our petition numbers are rising rapidly -- including over 1,000 9/11 family members -- and op-eds and letters are streaming out to the press.

After all that, today the major family groups responded with this (Bill Doyle is the most widely known spokesman for 9/11 family member issues) :

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, June 26, 2005

Fourteen September 11 Family Groups Respond to Pataki and Reaffirm Unity and Resolve to "Take Back the Memorial"

New York, N.Y., June 26, 2005 On Friday, Governor George Pataki held a press conference to address charges that cultural institutions selected for the World Trade Center Memorial site will include content and programming which will dishonor the victims of the September 11th attacks. We believe the governor's remarks demonstrate that he is not yet attuned to what the American people expect and deserve in a memorial at Ground Zero.

We are heartened that Governor Pataki likened Ground Zero to historic memorials such as those found at "the beaches of Normandy or Pearl Harbor," and that he affirmatively declared that the International Freedom Center (IFC), the Drawing Center and other institutions slated for the site "won't be there" without an "absolute guarantee," that they will respect the mission of the memorial. But he later sowed uncertainty and confusion by indicating that standards of taste and respect for the lost would be determined by the institutions themselves. While the governor may sincerely hope and even believe that the IFC and these institutions will observe the sanctity of the site, ultimately, compliance with appropriate standards will be, in the governor's words, "their call."

The governor's new plan to sanitize the IFC and Drawing Center and the other cultural programming is nothing more than an empty promise. The stated mission of these cultural facilities is irreconcilable to the memorial's own mission statement. Sadly, the governor's remarks confirm that the honor of those lost on September 11 will take a back seat to free speech and artistic expression as realized in works, exhibits and programming which is completely unrelated to the events of that historic day. We believe the solution is simple. The IFC and the Drawing Center must be removed from Ground Zero.

Also, it took a great deal of courage for Debra Burlingame to speak up in her Wall Street Journal opinion piece titled "The Great Ground Zero Heist." We have all experienced first hand the efforts the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation will take to discredit victims' families, divide and intimidate us and marginalize our concerns when we dare to disagree with the powers that be. This is not the first time this has happened, but it needs to be the last time. We will not let that happen to any victims' family member ever again. Together we stand united to "Take Back the Memorial" at Ground Zero.

We remain resolved that the IFC, the Drawing Center and all cultural programming unrelated to the attacks on the World Trade Center must be removed from Ground Zero. The history of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993 must be preserved for future generations. It must be told plainly, without distraction and with the respect that the victims and our country deserve. We are committed to achieving a proper memorial. We urge leadership in the state of New York to respond to our plea, but we will not allow inaction or indecision to deter us.

Please visit www.takebackthememorial.com to learn more and join in the effort to take back America's memorial.

Bill Doyle - Father of Joseph
Wtc tower1 101st fl.Cantor
http://www.joeydoyle.com
http://www.wtcufg.org
http://www.takebackthememorial.com/
http://www.911fsa.org
9/11 Families United to Bankrupt Terrorism

Mrs G adds:
Let us never forget what happened that fateful day. Here, in this tribute, is a perfect example of what this Memorial should resemble.
A Time, even though seemingly short, this country was united.
Thank You, GCS Distributing

Open Post

From Buzz Patterson

"Rightalk Radio" Sponsors Trip to Baghdad and Kuwait!

Friends and Fellow Americans

With the recent onslaught by liberals that Guantanamo Bay is a "gulag," that our military is akin to "Nazis" and America is the "terrorist" nation, the war of our generation hangs in the balance. "Politicians" such as Dick Durbin, Howard Dean, Ted Kennedy, Nancy Pelosi and Charlie Rangel are harkening to an old and tired ploy - America is wrong and our military is criminal. If we, as a nation, are not forearmed we will lose this war as we did in Vietnam. A just and noble cause will be squandered. The sacrifice and lives of American servicemen and women will have been in vain. It will be a tragedy of worldwide and historical proportions. Our national security will be compromised; millions of free and Democratic peoples in the Middle East will be foresaken for American politics.

Personally, I'm disgusted and angry.

Rightalk Radio Network, in conjunction with Move America Forward, is doing something about it! From July 8th through July 16th, 10 radio talk show hosts, two filmmakers, and two journalists are traveling to CENTCOM HQ in Tampa, FL, Kuwait, and Baghdad to report directly to you what is actually going on. The good news exponentially outweighs what CNN, the New York Times, or the Washington Post would have us (you) believe. Soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines will be asked to discuss their honor and commitment to our war on terror. You will hear them live from the front lines. They are the heroes next door. They are not Stalin's Soviets, Hitler's Nazi's or Pol Pot's murderers. They are proud and honored men and women from Everywhere, USA.

Please support our effort in whichever and whatever capacity you can. Move America Forward is asking for contributions for coffee, cookies and calling cards which the show hosts will deliver personally to our men and women in uniform. Personal messages will be taken straight from you to them. You can find the details at www.moveamericaforward.org. If you are able to contribute, please specify your contribution in the notes section at the website for the Iraq Trip - Voices of Soldiers Are Heard!

We will be posting the broadcasting schedule for all of the hosts on this site in the coming days. My schedule will be posted at www.rightalk.com under "The Buzz Cut." I'll be broadcasting and interviewing live from CENTCOM HQ, Baghdad, and Kuwait.

Thank you for your remarkable support and kindness over the years. If you are as outraged as I, please let me know. Your messages will be personally delivered by me to our CENTCOM personnel in Tampa and our deployed men and women in Iraq and Kuwait.

We cannot, for the sake of our country and for the citizens of Iraq and Afghanistan, surrender to the political expediency of a party so completely out of touch. They failed us in what was once a just and noble cause to fight Communism, they are miserably failing us again.

Our troops deserve so much better. Please let your voice be heard as you hear theirs!!

God bless America and God bless our men and women in this historic fight!

Respectfully,

Buzz Patterson

Trendy

Mudville, 15 June 2005:
Retention rates for second term and career soldiers are well above normal, in active and Guard/Reserve units (especially those that deployed to Iraq) - people are re-enlisting. Meanwhile recruiting new soldiers is becoming increasingly difficult. But the same explanation can be applied to this observation as to the previous: those with first hand experience in the matter have a decidedly different outlook than those who only know what they read in the papers and see on TV.

Mudville, 24 June 2005

The Senator can be forgiven if, like so many American's, he only knows of Iraq what he reads on the papers or sees on TV.

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, 26 June, on ABC's This Week with George Stephawhosiswhatsis:

MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Let's begin with this issue of the anxiety in the American public about the war in Iraq. When you were up on Capitol Hill this week, you heard a lot of senators saying they're worried about public opinion going south or reaching the tipping point. And our latest ABC News poll seems to bear out that anxiety. Let me show you some of the numbers here. It shows that a record-high number of Americans think the Iraq war was not worth fighting, that we're bogged down in Iraq -- 65 percent, and 65 percent believe we have no clear plan for getting out.

Now, I know that you and President Bush believe we have a clear strategy and we're not bogged down, and this was essential to U.S. security. So how do you explain the disconnect between what you see and believe and what the public sees and believes?

SEC. RUMSFELD: Well, I'd say several things. One, war is a tough, difficult, dirty business. And when it's reported, it leaves people with that impression, correctly, that it's a terrible thing. It's everybody's last choice, nobody's first choice.

The second, if one reads history, we know this has been true in the Revolutionary War, we know it was true in the Civil War, we know it was true in World War I and World War II. If all people know is what they see on television or read in the press, the negatives --

Kinda reminds me of this story...

Arthur's Mail

Dear friends

Just to let you know that the new installment of "Good news from Iraq" is
out - number 30 - complete with the opening quote from that neo-con
fantasist Kofi Annan:

Chrenkoff

Opinion Journal

Winds of Change

Best regards

Arthur

Chuck Up-Date

Dawn Patrol will be a little late this morning. I've been busy visiting a certain soldier.

Before you can visit a soldier you have to know their name and their birthday. At least that was what I was told. I of course knew his name but didn't have a clue what his birthdate was, but I thought I'd try anyway. I got to ICU and asked where Chuck Ziegenfuss was. Immediately, I had three people say Who are you. "I'm a friend, Mrs Greyhawk". A man passing out quilts to our wounded, was one of the three people, he says, "he's over here". The other two people were women, nurses I presume and were a little more thourough. One of them asks Chuck about me and she says "he doesn't know who you are." I'm humbled quickly, not that I think everyone knows who I am, but I thought and hoped one of my Ring members would. Now I was worried they weren't going to let me see him, then the other woman who was his nurse, and a damn fine nurse according to him, waved me in, and said come on in.

I introduced myself and then said "from Mudville". He looked at me in a quizzedly manner. Now I'm thinking, shit! he doesn't read Mudville, of course he doesn't read Mudville, he's been too damn busy fighting a war. But he relieved me of my stress when he said " OH, the Mudville Gazette". Then I asked the stupidest question, " How you doin, Chuck? " He says, "well I lost my left pinky and my ..., how are you?" Needless to say I was at a loss for words and thought, is he being his humorous self or is he serious? I'll leave that for him to blog about one way or another.

I proceeded to tell him that he has quite a following now. He said his wife, Carren told him that there were hundreds, even thousands of supporters. I informed him who all had linked him and that visits were in the tens of thousands. He was quite surprised and happy to hear that.

He remembers quite a bit of what happened. As he told me all the details which I'll leave for him to blog about I realized I was standing in front of a true hero, however I held back calling him the Hero I knew him to be because my gut feeling told me he would reject the label. Instead I just help him with a sip of water.

Something he did ask me to blog about was CPT Jason Spencer, Chuck's XO. Because Chuck was wearing heavy Kevlar armor, he went bottoms up in the canal, and was drowning, Jason dove into the canal to save him, only to find himself in the same predicament as Chuck and almost drowning himself, but he managed to muscle himself upward to then help pull Chuck ashore. This man is a hero and Chuck wanted me to spread the word on this.

The gurney arrived to transfer him to Walter Reed Medical, that was my cue that it was time for me to leave. He asked me if I had a camera, which unfortunately mine was dead, so the answer was "no". He wanted me to take his picture Note to self: always have camera charged. I did however, have for him a copy of "Heart of a Soldier", a book about a hero Rick Rescorla, autographed by Mrs Rescorla. Chuck was familiar with his story.

How did he look?, you may wonder. He was in good spirits. He has a black eye. His face is scraped pretty good, but nothing a bag over the head couldn't cure, I told him in jest. He had some difficulty in hearing me, which I hope isn't permanent. He said he will need some skin graft on his legs and probably more work on his left arm. Both arms were in a cast up to his shoulders. His thumb is still up in the air (no pun intended). It looked pink to me so I know that's a good sign, but time will tell and I'm sure Chuck will when he's able to blog again. I told him a pencil between the teeth might work but He said he wasn't sure what to blog about now. I asked, "how about the healing process?" There are many that would like to know your progress. I got the feeling that, as much as he wanted to go home to his family, he was somewhat wanting to be back with his men. But if any of you have read his blog that should not suprise you.

He seemed in good hands, the hospital was very nice and his nurse was looking out for him and making sure his needs were met. He had a quilt to keep him warm while he traveled and has a family waiting for him when he arrives at Walter Reed Army Medical center.

I do hope he continues to blog whether it's about the war, or about healing or about life in general, he has a talent that should not be wasted.

In the meantime, Carren seems to be able to blog rather well. Here's her latest update on Chuck.

Soldier's Angel, Holly Aho has more here

Intel Dump, Heading down range

Phil Carter's status has changed from veteran to active duty.

On Thursday, I received orders from the Army mobilizing me for Operation Iraqi Freedom. These orders followed an earlier set, cut on Tuesday, which transferred me from the Army's individual ready reserve into the 101st Airborne Division. I'm scheduled to report for active duty in a little under 3 weeks to Fort Campbell, Kentucky. After some period of pre-deployment training and preparation, I will deploy with my unit to Iraq.

Read the rest here.

We wish you the best and God speed.

Let's Do the Time Warp Again

Chester notes that insurgent leaders in Iraq and some members of the US Congress are currently singing from the same hymnal.

That song sounded familiar to me - and in fact there was a slightly different version being sung back in April 2004

Meanwhile, in Washington, leading Senate Democrats offered their encouragement to the troops:

Mr. Byrd, the chamber's senior Democrat, said yesterday that the Bush administration has "blundered" and that the United States should not be trying to increase troop strength. "We should instead be working toward an exit strategy," he said.

"Surely, I am not the only one who hears echoes of Vietnam in this development. Surely, the administration recognizes that increasing the U.S. troop presence in Iraq will only suck us deeper into the maelstrom of violence that has become the hallmark of that unfortunate country," the West Virginian said on the Senate floor.

His criticism follows that by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat, who on Monday called Iraq "George Bush's Vietnam" and said the situation has created a credibility gap between the president and Americans.

Byrd was recently praised for his longevity by fellow Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), who said the West Virginia Democrat, member of the Ku Klux Klan before taking office and opponent of the 1964 Civil Right Act, "would have been right during the great conflict of Civil War in this nation."

Back in Iraq, Kennedy's claim won support from Iraqi Shi'ite leader Moqtada al-Sadr, who took time out from leading his fanatical band of insurgents in combat with American soldiers to echo the comparison:

"I call upon the American people to stand beside their brethren, the Iraqi people, who are suffering an injustice by your rulers and the occupying army, to help them in the transfer of power to honest Iraqis," Sadr said in a statement issued by his office in the southern city of Najaf. "Otherwise, Iraq will be another Vietnam for America and the occupiers."

You may or may not remember Sadr. For those in need of a refresher, here's how the NY Times reported on him in April '04:

United States forces are confronting a broad-based Shiite uprising that goes well beyond supporters of one militant Islamic cleric who has been the focus of American counterinsurgency efforts, United States intelligence officials said Wednesday.

That assertion contradicts repeated statements by the Bush administration and American officials in Iraq. On Wednesday, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld and Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that they did not believe the United States was facing a broad-based Shiite insurgency. Administration officials have portrayed Moktada al-Sadr, a rebel Shiite cleric who is wanted by American forces, as the catalyst of the rising violence within the Shiite community of Iraq.

But intelligence officials now say that there is evidence that the insurgency goes beyond Mr. Sadr and his militia, and that a much larger number of Shiites have turned against the American-led occupation of Iraq, even if they are not all actively aiding the uprising.

<...>

The result is that the United States is facing two broad-based insurgencies that are now on parallel tracks.

<...>

The Bush administration has sought to portray the opposition much more narrowly. In the Sunni insurgency, the White House and the Pentagon have focused on the role of the former leaders of the Baath Party and Saddam Hussein's government, while in the Shiite rebellion they have focused almost exclusively on the role of Mr. Sadr. Mr. Rumsfeld told reporters at the Pentagon that the fighting in Iraq was just the work of "thugs, gangs and terrorists," and not a popular uprising. General Myers added that "it's not a Shiite uprising. Sadr has a very small following."

A few months later after being crushed by US forces in Najaf, Sadr agreed to surrender his weapons and stop fighting, thus ending the NY Times "broad-based Shiite insurgency".

Remember that one next time you read quotes from unnamed "intelligence officials" trumpeting defeat in the NY Times.

Or when next you hear US Congressmen being echoed by terrorists - or vice-versa.

Open Post

Signs of the Times?

Or signs of the end times?

If you went to a Baptist Church today you might have heard about this:

The annual meeting of the 16.3 million-member Southern Baptist Convention voted Wednesday to end its eight-year boycott of the Disney Co., with Baptist leaders saying the company has taken a turn toward producing more family-friendly entertainment and fewer morally objectionable films.

<...>

The Rev. Wiley Drake, pastor of First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park, Calif., a few miles from the Disneyland theme park, said a recently released Disney movie on DVD, "America's Heart and Soul," was a "good wholesome family movie" and that Disney even produced a Bible-study guide to go with it.

He doesn't believe Disney would be producing such family-oriented fare if it weren't responding to the boycott by evangelical Christian organizations. The American Family Association also recently dropped its boycott of Disney.

"They knew it was hurting their bottom line," said Richard Land, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. He noted that business journalists have detailed declining profits and stock prices that led to Disney's announcement of the impending departure of Disney chief executive officer Michael Eisner, who plans to step down this year.

"Disney's financial picture has been cloudy," Land said. "Mike Eisner didn't get his bonuses. Disney stores were closed down, disproportionately in the Southeast and Southwest, where Baptists are most concentrated."

..."We have cost them millions and millions of dollars," Drake said.

<...>

Michelle Bergman, a spokeswoman at Disney headquarters in Burbank, Calif., said the company had no immediate comment.

You can't please everyone all the time though - there are those among us who object to "more family-friendly entertainment and fewer morally objectionable films". For instance, AP movie writer David Germain seems disappointed in Disney's latest offering:

"Herbie" is made to order for families seeking something utterly wholesome for the entire clan, the Disney goodness slathered on like Miracle Whip on Wonder Bread.

<...>

The movie is as much an anachronism as a 1963 VW Bug still cruising the highways. It has not a trace of the irreverence or mild toilet humor common to family films today.

It's as though Herbie made a beeline from the '60s straight to the 21st century, with all his tapioca sweetness intact. In Herbie's world, a few people are bad, most are nice and a handful are extra-super nice. And in the end, you know the little car with a mind of his own will sort them out.

<...>

Lohan is at her most perky and least bratty, which makes her less interesting than the schemers and whiners she played in "Freaky Friday" and "Mean Girls."

<...>

Keaton clearly just wants to work these days. He makes a decent father figure, though it's fun to imagine him veering into old manic-madman ways and turning the Disney formula on its head, say in a hybrid sequel, "Beetle Juice 2: Herbie Goes to Hell."

<...>

"Herbie: Fully Loaded," a Disney release, is rated G. Running time: 101 minutes. Two stars out of four.

He did stop short of calling for a boycott.

In other Jesus news:

The first study of physician religious beliefs has found that 76 percent of doctors believe in God and 59 percent believe in some sort of afterlife. The survey, performed by researchers at the University of Chicago and published in the July 2005 issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine, found that 90 percent of doctors in the United States attend religious services at least occasionally, compared to 81 percent of all adults. Fifty-five percent of doctors say their religious beliefs influence how they practice medicine.

Dr. J. Edward Hill, president of the American Medical Association responds:

Hill said belief in a supreme being "is vitally important to physicians' ability to take care of patients -- particularly the end-of-life issues that we deal with so often."

However, nine out of ten doctors surveyed at Disney World said they thought the Love Bug was called Herpies.

Go ask...

Alice.

I got no friends 'cause they read the papers.
They can't be seen
with me
and I'm gettin' real shot down and I'm
feeling mean.

No more Mister Nice Guy,
No more Mister Clean,
No more Mister Nice Guy,
They say
he's sick, he's obscene...

Update: Chrenkoff's excerpts stopped just short of the best quote in the interview:

ANDREW DENTON: Have you considered for your stage show actually coming on in plus fours, chipping from a bunker, saying "Vote George W. Bush"? Wouldn't that be a shock show?

ALICE COOPER: You know what, it would be. And it would be a comedy. It would definitely be a comedy, because I don't see rock and roll and politics being in the same bed together. I just don't see it. When my parents started talking about politics, I'd run in the other room and put the Rolling Stones on at full blast. I didn't want to hear about tax forms, I didn't want to hear about who's doing who to what. I just didn't want to care about it. And to this day, rock and roll should be the escape from politics, not the answer to politics.

Update 2: Alice cred, from the Greyhawk collection of the finest international vinyls...

The three in the center hold up well. Any garage band that can't do "Eighteen" really needs to work on it.

Open Post

Light blogging for us but not for all

Chief Wiggles: Saving Babylon

I'd like to introduce some newer visitors to the blogosphere to an exceptional US Army interrogator. Chief Warrant Officer Paul Holton (perhaps better known in the blogosphere as Chief Wiggles) was one of the first (if not the first) Milbloggers from Iraq. His original blog (here) still contains his chronicles of the first year of operation Iraqi Freedom. The Chief is a 30-year Army National Guard veteran, and served as an interrogator/debriefer in Baghdad.

During his time there, Chief Wiggles launched Operation Give, the first organized, grass-roots effort to bring toys from US donors to the children of Iraq. His blog-based endeavor was lauded by President Bush during a National Prayer breakfast.

Our people in uniform understand the high calling they have answered because they see the nation and the lives they are changing. A guardsman from Utah named Paul Holton has described seeing an Iraqi girl crying and decided then and there to help that child and others like her. By enlisting aid through the Internet, Chief Warrant Officer Holton had arranged the shipment of more than 1,600 aid packages from overseas. Here's how this man defines his own mission: "It is part of our heritage that the benefits of being free, enjoyed by all Americans, were set up by God, intended for all people. Bondage is not of God, and it is not right that any man should be in bondage at any time, in any way." Everyone one in this room can say amen to that.

Now the Chief has written a book, called Saving Babylon. It's available from his website here.

Saving Babylon is the gripping story of Paul Holton and his soul stretching personal battles in the Iraq War as an Army Interrogator. His job was to interrogate the enemy. His job was to extract intelligence. His job was to crush the adversary. But something happened as Holton fulfilled his assignment that changed the outcome of Operation Iraqi Freedom. And it changed this soldier forever.

I don't have the words to adequately express my appreciation for the Chief. I've admired the man since I first read his blog, even before Operation Give became a reality. His reports from Iraq certainly helped me realize what it was really like - his faith and courage set an example and certainly his experiences were something I considered before deciding to volunteer to go myself. I'm looking forward to reading this book -I'm ordering my copy today.

Some quotes:

"A gripping, highly readable and surprising book?An inspiring volume, sure to become a classic"
?Joe Bauman, Deseret News

"COMPELLING...FASCINATING...Saving Babylon is a well-written story of a soldier's extraordinary experiences during the Iraq War. A must read for every American interested in the truth about the liberation of Iraq.
?Joe Weber, New York Times best-selling author

"Paul Holton provides an intensely personal account of war and its aftermath, something you'll never get from the legions of war correspondents who tried, and mostly failed, to cover this war."
?Glenn Reynolds, InstaPundit.com

The Mudville Gazette gets nothing from the sale of this book, and is not being paid to advertise. In fact, proceeds from the sales will go to fund Operation Give.

Order your copy today, visit SavingBabylon.com

(Original post: 2005-06-20 18:27:29)

Open Post

A toast to our soldiers.

News From Iraq (Part V)

Part I - No News is Good News

Part II - The More Things Change

Part III - Waving the Flag

Part IV - The Red Zone

*****

Part V - The Fool Court Press

The Washington Post takes a quick look at the situation in Iraq and declares it a failure:

"We don't want to take responsibility; we don't want it," said Amar Mana, 27, an Iraqi private whose forehead was grazed by a bullet during an insurgent attack in November. "Here, no way. The way the situation is, we wouldn't be ready to take responsibility for a thousand years."

That's quite a scoop - a private in any army anywhere usually never complains about anything.

The full article is, of course, a case of the Post looking at a glass and declaring it half empty. If they reported on the construction of a house the way they do on the training of the Iraqi army they would bemoan the lack of quality shingles at about the time the truck pulled up to pour the foundation.

But so far in spite of the best efforts of the largest newspaper in their nation's capitol the American GIs in Iraq won't quit.

*****

The above article prompted a letter to the editor from Michael Fumento.

Having read countless articles on the Iraq war and having just been an embedded reporter in Anbar province, I can say with some authority that the June 10 front-page article "Building Iraq's Army: Mission Improbable" is the most miserably biased piece I've seen on the conflict.

A recurrent theme was that the Iraqis get inferior and even downright dangerous equipment. For example: "The Americans drove fully enclosed armored Humvees, the Iraqis open-backed Humvees with benches, the sides of which were protected by plating the equivalent of a flak jacket." It continued, "As an American reporter climbed in with the Iraqis, the U.S. soldiers watched in bemused horror. 'You might be riding home alone,' one soldier said to the other reporter. 'Is he riding in the back of that?' asked another. 'I'll be over here praying.' "

Sorry, but when I rode through the improving but still hostile city of Fallujah, I also chose an open-backed Humvee -- horrifying nobody. Both types of Humvee provide protection against AK-47 rounds but are readily penetrated by rocket-propelled grenades and can be demolished by a decent-sized, improvised explosive device. The advantage of the open-backed Humvee is that if fired on you can instantly just pop up and fire back, without the need for the vehicle to stop (dangerous in an ambush) and without clambering out and exposing your whole body instead of exposing just enough to peer out and fire.

*****

As long as we're on the topic of armor for the umpteenth time over the past year, let's revisit Michael Yon. He's about to meet with Command Sergeant Major (CSM) Jeffrey Mellinger, the top enlisted person in Iraq.

As I approached, one soldier in particular took a step toward me in a way that spoke loudly and said, Alpha. In a synchronicity that still registers as bizarre to me, the soldier was Jeffrey Mellinger, the Command Sergeant Major for Coalition Forces in Iraq, the very man I most wanted to meet.

<...>

My passport was already opened to the page?I did not yet have an ID card?and I handed it over to him, saying I am an author and wanted to go to Tikrit. I asked if he was headed that way. "You aren't one of those journalists who will sit in a Baghdad hotel room and write about the war, are you?" It was as much accusation as question.

"Sergeant Major," I said, "I didn't come to Iraq to hang out in a hotel. I am trying to get to Tikrit."

"We're going to Mosul."

"Can I hitch a ride?"

The translation of his answer was "no," but it wasn't a complete shut out. He gave me his card, saying I should contact him if I wanted to get out and see what the soldiers are really facing out there. "I'll be in contact," I said, and I asked to take a photo and he okayed, then a soldier instructed me to wait while he covered the map.

<...>

Given that I came to Iraq to see what is really going on, the man I needed to meet was not a General, but CSM Mellinger.

Over the course of the intervening six months after our impromptu meeting in front of the mess hall, I sometimes contacted CSM Mellinger, asking if I could ride around Iraq with him. He is known to tool around Iraq much like Sam Walton tooled around in his pickup, only CSM Mellinger traverses the incredibly treacherous roads in a Humvee.

I contacted CSM Mellinger after successful Iraqi elections in January, figuring he might be in a good mood. The translation of his response was "no." Time went on, and I contacted him a few more times, always the same "no" embedded in his response.

Finally, while I was eating lukewarm food on the hood a Humvee in Mosul, all of a sudden . . . grace my eyes . . . I looked over my shoulder and saw CSM Mellinger again. I wasted little time making a personal request, and after LTC Kurilla, who was also standing there, vouched for me, I got a "maybe." More emails and more "maybes," until the day came . . . about five days ago . . . when CSM Mellinger had driven just near Mosul to Tal Afar?in his Humvee for chrissakes?to check out his soldiers who were fighting in the area. He happened to be passing through Mosul on the way back to Baghdad, so, finally, after six months of asking, he allowed me to tag along.

Sometime after getting that news, I learned that while I am the first "journalist" to travel with CSM Mellinger, I am not the first he invited. Two reporters to whom he extended similar invites around election time, both backed out when they realized they would be traveling in a Humvee.

You can read about that trip here.

*****

As the number of non-traditional "reporters" in Iraq continues to grow the ability of mainstream reporters to tilt the news to fit their (or their owners) requirements without anyone noticing will continue to rise.

But "spin" is one thing - and outright misrepresentation of quotes from those on the ground is another - an altogether different and completely unforgivable lack of professional ethics. That's why when I read the quotes of US military people ion the WaPo piece above I was reminded of a blog entry by CPT Chuck Ziegenfuss, at the time a company commander in Iraq:

The ?journalist? from the Boston globe who quoted me only included 1/100th of what I said.

Here?s the part where I?m quoted:

Last week, in the charred army headquarters in Abarra, Captain Charles Ziegenfuss, who commands a First Infantry Division tank company attached to the brigade, sat smoking for an hour with a tribal sheik. He was trying to persuade him to oust another man from an elected regional council for suspected arms trafficking. Sheik Adnan al-