Dry Skies and Thunder

You are looking at Iraq, from on high, a birds-eye view (but the bird is a satellite, so you've got a great view...)

Let's zoom in a bit and see what we can see... look - over there...

Coalition forces positively identified a foreign terrorist killed in an operation Tuesday in Musayyib as a senior al-Qaeda in Iraq member. Abu Usama al-Tunisi was in the inner leadership circle of Abu Ayyub al-Masri, the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq and was a likely successor to him. Al-Tunisi was the military emir of Baghdad’s southern belt and took over the role of emir of foreign terrorists when al-Masri became the overall leader.

Al-Tunisi facilitated foreign terrorists and helped equip them for improvised explosive device attacks, car-bombing campaigns and suicide attacks throughout Baghdad. Foreign terrorists conduct most of the high profile attacks in Iraq. Over 80 percent of the suicide attacks are conducted by foreign terrorists.

During an operation Sept. 25, Coalition forces targeted al-Tunisi and other al-Qaeda in Iraq leaders. Credible intelligence from several previous operations led Coalition forces to the location of a known al-Qaeda in Iraq meeting and supporting aircraft attacked the time sensitive target. Al-Tunisi and two other terrorists were killed during the attack.

Task Force Marne AH-64 Apache helicopters responded to an improvised explosive device strike Sept. 24, killing the four extremist militants responsible.

A concerned citizens group alerted Coalition Forces to the location of a weapons cache Sept. 25.

The concerned citizens approached Soldiers of Company C, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, who were providing overwatch along a main route, and told them they knew the location of a cache.

Soldiers followed the concerned citizens to the site. The cache consisted of two 60mm mortars, one Chinese rocket-propelled grenade launcher, one 57mm projectile, a Russian PG-7M infantry anti-tank launcher, three Iraqi OG-7 RPG launchers, seven rocket-propelled grenades, three blasting caps, 24 feet of yellow detonation cord, a spool of command wire, 4 ounces of PE-4 bulk explosives, two empty fire extinguishers, one four-foot steel pipe and a blue barrel for storage.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has installed and handed over to Iraqi authorities a compact water treatment plant in Dhi Qar Province in Southern Iraq.

The Iraqis "have signed for the facility and it's operational," said Navy Cmdr. Michael Lang, officer in charge of the Adder Area Office of USACE's Gulf Region South district.

Now we begin to zoom a little closer... closer... closer...

There, somewhere near the Iranian border you see something small. Drop in a little closer and you see it's two guys, sitting on a Pelican Case, waiting in the middle of the desert with weapons at the ready and their armor and helmets nearby. (One of them isn't me.) It is hot, and the wind is blowing without cooling, occasionally picking up dust from a few yards away and tossing it at their faces. They aren't easy targets, though. They see it coming, they casually turn their heads and wait for it to pass.

"Want to hear some music?" Asks one.

"You got an mp3 player in here?"

"iPod."

"Do it."

They stand. He flips the latches on the case and opens the lid, rummages for a minute inside, then pulls out the player and hands it to his partner. "You have speakers too, right?"

No answer, just a bit more digging, and out come the speakers. "If this doesn't bring them" he says, "nothing will."

They had been waiting for a helicopter, and had tried various rituals usually guarenteed to bring any awaited conveyence. They had lit cigars. They had gone to the port-a-potty. They had removed their armor.

All had failed.

Going to the trouble of setting up the portable entertainment system was close to their last hope. And sure enough, before the sounds of music even began the sound of distant rotors was heard.

"Well that worked." He put everything away. They quickly donned their armor and helmets and jammed in ear plugs as the now-visible birds circled the pad, kicked up dust, and landed. The gunners hopped out and opened doors for a handful of passengers who disembarked and headed to vehicles waiting on the side of a dirt road and drove off, raising more dust.

Now ready, the two would-be travelers stood and waited for the signal to board. It never came - the gunners hopped back on and the birds lifted off, circled again, and flew away. The noise faded.

Some locations have passenger services at their helipads, with people with radios who can sometimes tell you what's going on. Instead of all that, this one had dust.

One glanced at his watch. "That had to have been our ride. There couldn't be more flights out here today."

"What?"

They removed their ear plugs. "I said, I guess we'll hear some music after all."

"Wait - I hear rotors." He was right. Two more 60s flew into view. They did touch-and-go's for about 15 minutes, then go'd for good. As the noise faded, the wind gusted again, and dust blew.

They removed their armor and helmets and sat down again on the case, where the iPod remained. "By the way, I want to thank you for bringing your stuff in this case. Standing out here would suck." They drank warm water from clear plastic bottles. "How hot is it?" One asked. "It's only about 105. Funny, that really doesn't feel hot, does it?" "No." And it wasn't bravado - it really didn't feel hot. "Summer ended earlier this week, you know."

In the distance, rotors. They remained seated. The helos appeared as dots, then grew, then landed a few feet away on the pad. "They're going to shut down."

"What?"

"THEY'RE GOING TO SHUT DOWN. I CAN TELL BY WHERE THEY'VE LANDED. IF THEY WERE JUST GOING TO PICK US UP AND LEAVE THEY WOULD HAVE STOPPED OVER HERE."

The noise of the engines changed, grew quieter. The rotors slowed. They removed their ear plugs again.

"Hey, they're shutting down!"

"Don't worry. They're going to get lunch. (points to watch) It's lunch time. But this one's our ride." The DFAC, however, was a mile walk away.

The crew hopped out. "Hey, I know these guys. I'm going on out there." He wandered out onto the pad, where the crew had begun eating a picnic lunch beside the aircraft. "Gentlemen," he said, "mom says she'd appreciate it if you get junior home safely."

"I don't know man, an awful lot of dust blowing around out here... we can't see sh..."

"Naah, don't worry about it. There wasn't any dust 'til you guys got here and stirred it up." He lied, while the orchestra in his head began playing the theme to Lawrence of Arabia.

To one of the gunners: "How's flying?" The question was supposed to be
about flying conditions on that particular day, but the answer was about what it's like to fly the skies of Iraq every day:

"You know, it's not bad. We fly a lot, and it gets tiring some times. But I've seen things most people never will. The Mother of all Mosques, the crossed swords, the ruins of Babylon..."

He envied him that. Two trips to Iraq, and he'd seen none of them. he'd seen a lot of open desert, but none of the sites.

The crews finished eating, a fuel truck pulled up and fed the helos, and they loaded up and flew away.

To be continued here

Marine v Ex-Marine

- Round three:

WASHINGTON - A federal judge refused Friday to dismiss a defamation case brought by a Marine from Connecticut against Rep. John P. Murtha and ordered the Pennsylvania Democrat to give a sworn deposition in the case.

Marine Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, from Meriden, is suing the 18-term congressman for alleging "cold-blooded murder and war crimes" by unnamed soldiers in connection with the deaths of Iraqi civilians in the town of Haditha

The investigating officer overseeing the Haditha case is expected to recommend soon whether Wuterich should stand trial.

...did not set a date for Murtha's testimony but said she would also require him to turn over documents related to his comments.

"You're writing a very wide road for members of Congress to go to their home districts and say anything they choose about private persons and be able to do so without any liability. Are you sure you want to do that?" Collyer said, adding later, "How far can a congressman go and still be protected?"

Collyer said she was troubled by the idea that lawmakers are immune from lawsuits regardless of what they say to advance their political careers.

No comment from Murtha yet. However, earlier this month,

JEFF GANNON: In May 2006, you said that Marines killed innocent Iraqis citizens in cold blood at Hatitha. A year later, some of them have been exonerated. At some point are you going to apologize to these men?

REP. MURTHA: The trial's not over yet.

JEFF GANNON: You've spoken out before. You went on national television and called these men "cold blooded killers."

REP. MURTHA: The trial's not over yet.

And just cause it warms my heart to see my fellow GIs use him as a punching bag...

I'll never get tired of that one.

Dawn Patrol

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IRAQ

More Schisms Among Jihadists and Muslim Brothers in Iraq -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
The NEFA Foundation has translated a fascinating document from the main spokesperson for al Qaeda's Islamic State of Iraq (ISI).
The message of Abu Omar al -Baghdadi is striking because it consists almost entirely of attacks on other Muslim groups, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood. These are not merely passing shots or polite disagreements, fighting words and calls to executions.

Errors have been made. Others will be blamed. -- [Jason's Iraq Vacation - in Iraq]
The title of this blog comes from a list of quotes I have hanging near my desk.
...Well, I've officially started taking steps to reduce the amount of chaos and disorder I leave this place in. Construction is starting on a massive project on the eastern edge of the depot, and will soon start on the refurbishment and rebuilding of about 25 warehouses. Money has been allocated to bring in power lines, reducing our reliance on generators that only work about 60% of the time. Next month, a brand new life support area, to include living quarters and dining facility, will be complete for our Iraqi Army members.

Roll-on Roll-off Basrah berth turned over to the Iraqi Port Authority (PDF) -- [Army Corps of Engineers]
BASRAH, Iraq - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region South district has completed and turned over the Roll-on / Roll-off berth of Umm Qasr Port in Basrah Province on Sept. 25 to the Iraqi Port Authority.

Brig. Gen. Dorko to Team: ‘Doing Great, Great Work’ (PDF) -- [Army Corps of Engineers]
Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Dorko, standing, answers questions from military, government civilian, and contractor personnel
of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region South district in a dining facility at Tallil, Iraq. [USACE Photo]
...The general’s message while addressing USACE personnel during a visit to the GRS headquarters here was upbeat as he praised the entire team, including Iraqi associates, the private contractors who provide security and other services for USACE in Iraq, and the third country nationals who guard the GRS compound. “I’m overwhelmed by what you guys have done,” he said, referring to the whole team as family.

Coalition operations lead to death of al Qaeda terrorist

On September 25, 2007, a coordinated air strike by a USAF F-16 killed Abu Usama al Tunisi. Al Tunisi was one of the most important leaders within al Qaeda in Iraq and part of the inner circle of advisors to Abu Ayyub al Masri.
Al Tunisi was known as the Emir of Foreign Terrorists in Iraq, responsible for oversight of Foreign Terrorists moving into Iraq and their coupling with terrorist cells to conduct operations.
Like all members of Abu Ayyub al-Masri's inner circle, al Tunisia (from Tunisia), was a foreigner, not an Iraqi. (more)

Joint Statement by Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker and General David H. Petraeus on U.S. Embassy and Mult -- [MNF-I]
The full Iraqi-U.S. Joint Commission on U.S. Government Protective Security Detail (PSD) operations in Iraq is preparing for its first meeting in Baghdad.
The Commission Co-Chairs have already met.
The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and the Multi-National Force-Iraq (MNF-I) affirm their mutual solidarity and cooperation in these important discussions.

Maleki Rejects Senate proposal -- [ON Point]
BAGHDAD (AP) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Friday rejected a U.S. Senate proposal calling for the decentralization of Iraq's government and giving more control to the country's ethnically divided regions, calling it a ''catastrophe.''
The measure, whose primary sponsors included presidential hopeful Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., calls for Iraq to be divided into federal regions for the country's Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish communities in a power-sharing agreement similar to Bosnia in the 1990s.
In his first comments since the measure passed Wednesday, al-Maliki strongly rejected the idea, echoing the earlier sentiments of his country's vice president.
''It is an Iraqi affair dealing with Iraqis,'' ...

Pushing the bad guys out -- [MNF-I]
BAGHDAD — A year ago the area to the east of Ramadi was a haven for insurgents who attacked the city. These days much has changed in the surrounding rural lands of the east.
The once violent lands of the east are patrolled and guarded by the Abu-Bali Iraqi Police (IP) and Soldiers from Company A, 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment. Their latest mission was a joint operation, which gathered intelligence and pushed insurgents further from the city of Ramadi and its outlying towns.

Dronetek- From the Source: A US 1/6 Marine fires a SMAW in to enemy booby trapped building in Ramadi

A Us 1/6 Marine fires a SMAW in to enemy booby trapped building in Ramadi, Iraq.

The Horror!! 19,000 Dead Terrorists in Iraq -- [Gateway Pundit]
To the Horror of Democrats & Terrorist Regimes- The US Is Winning in Iraq
For the first time sine the war began the US military has released data on militants killed in Iraq.
Oh... And, the US military had their lowest number of fatalities this month than they have had any month all year.

Faces of Iraq--An Iraqi Policeman -- [Assad Baghdad - in Iraq]
If I can do anything while I am here, I hope it is to put a human face on Iraq for people at home--to make Iraq more than news clips of bombings and body counts. To that end, I'm starting to write a series called "Faces of Iraq". I hope that Faces of Iraq will bring more context to the war, and to the lives of Iraqis, than the American media or our policiticians seem able to. Ironically, in many cases, including today's post, for their own safety, I can't actually show you the face of the person I'm writing about.
To start, me tell you about Ali, an Iraqi policeman we met at a police station in the Rusafa district of eastern Baghdad during a normal security assessment visit.

Citizens Receive Honors for Volunteer Work -- [Defend America]
FALLUJAH, Iraq, Sept. 27, 2007 — Iraqi citizens who have volunteered time and effort to keeping their neighborhoods safe were honored during a ceremony at a schoolhouse here. Most of the volunteers had attempted to join the local police force, but were turned away because of the overwhelming number of applicants.

Putting Iraqis out front: U.S. Soldiers aid Iraqi Police with missions -- [MNF-I]
QAYYARAH — A joint Iraqi Police (IP) and Coalition forces operation recently netted a counterfeit document production facility in Qayyarah.

I Do Not Have Smallpox… I Swear! -- [Far From Perfect - in Iraq]
We went out on patrol the other night down in the South of our AO. We went out on a more or less “feel good” mission. The kind of mission where you interact a lot with the people, get to hand out toys to kids, eat Iraqi Chow (which I am eating more of than Army chow these days) and try to show everyone what great fellows the Coalition forces are. The officers spend most of their time shaking hands, kissing cheeks (and other body parts), drinking chai and politicking. Its not a bad thing to do as it tends to bring in leads and helps the people realize we are there to help them. The bad guys spend an awful lot of time in this area terrorizing families, intimidating Sheiks, and putting out anti-coalition propaganda.

Tuesday Thoughts -- [Dude, where's the beach? - in Iraq]
...Well, it was clear once we got into the shelter that the blast wasn't a rocket or mortar, but a VBIED exploding across town. Once you realize what it was, you're aware that countless innocent lives were just taken away when that blast went off, and you begin worrying and doubting your ability to help the Iraqis. If you think about it too long, and I'm guilty of this, things really start to get to you.
This morning was no different. Standing outside a security office to retrieve passes for some Iraqi Officers, another VBIED went off. This time I didn't run to a shelter because I knew exactly what it was. I knew what it was, and I knew that once again lives were taken because of some assholes who think killing innocent people will scare and terrorize the population, bending the country to their will.

An Experience in Baghdad -- [A Battlefield Tourist - embed in Iraq]
...I am not passing judgment on these soldiers because this is just one small slice of their daily fight for survival on these mean streets that have claimed their youth and their friends. There’s no way for me, or you, to judge a group of soldiers based on an eight hour day with them. To be fair, the soldiers only kicked down doors that weren’t answered in a quick fashion. They also always asked for the keys. In fact, the majority of kicked in doors were in abandoned houses that were locked up tight in the owner’s absence. However, the experience did make me wonder how you can convince a population to help if you cannot communicate with them, if you cannot cultivate a relationship with them, leaving the soldiers only an option of kicking in a door, clearing a home and then moving on.
This was clear to me when we encountered a family where a woman spoke descent, but broken English.

Backbone Of Iraqi Air Force Forms In Taji

In Taji -- [Iraq Partii - in Iraq]
I’m now settled into my new home-away-from-home, Taji. It’s another huge American base about 10 miles north of the Green Zone in Baghdad. Getting here on a nighttime helicopter mission was a little nerve racking though. I’m pretty sure that we came under small arms attack. I saw four or five intermittent flashes of light suddenly appear from this city we were flying over. The helicopter crew let out flares and got ready use their weapons but we were soon out of the danger area and really high up before anything could happen. That’s probably the only excitement I’m going to have during the nine or so months I’m here.

AFGHANISTAN

News from Afghanistan -- [John of Argghhh! - dispatch from Afghanistan]
Coda to Joe's tale of this trip to the Sandbox:
Well folks its been a fun couple of months but I will be on the plane home in two days. In fact I probably won’t be on this email again.
It’s been a fascinating, frustrating and fun time working in a NATO command. My roommate came up with a fitting description: “It’s just like an isosceles triangle, but it has four sides.”
...I still feel that’s the mission here and it’s a noble one. I don’t think anyone can “fix” Afghanistan but the Afghans themselves, but they can’t do that until the really evil people here who do like killing innocents either die or have a change of heart. We might not always do the right thing over here, or do it very well, but NATO’s heart is in the right place.

Freedom Watch Afghanistan - 28 September 2007

What can YOU do to help? -- [Those Wacky Iraqis]
One of my friends is the commander of a unit in Afghanistan and they are winning hearts and minds of the locals by being compassionate and caring. They have identified a group of Afghan children who are in dire need of winter clothing. I am including his info in the hope that some of you might understand that this is how we win. When we help a child they remember and maybe, just maybe, one of these children can make a difference in the future. Please help and while these children are Muslim the clothing is a fine, fine Christmas gift. There are 43 kids lsited here. You may not be able to help them all but i am sure you can help 1.

DIGGERS DEFEAT TALIBAN ATTACK IN HEAVY FIGHTING -- [Tanker Brothers]
In their heaviest fighting to date, Australian soldiers with the Reconstruction Task Force (RTF) in Afghanistan have successfully repelled a prolonged attack by approximately 50 Taliban extremists.

Contact With Taliban - Afghanistan

"Australian Soldiers from RTF-2 and American Soldiers worked side by side to prolong a attack from over 80 Taliban Extremists"

Red Cross workers kidnapped in Afghanistan -- [Herald Tribune]
KABUL: Four employees of the International Committee of the Red Cross, who had traveled outside of the capital to help negotiate the release of hostages held by the Taliban, were themselves kidnapped, the authorities said Thursday.
...But a Taliban spokesman said in a telephone interview that the militant group was not responsible for the workers' disappearance. "We don't know who arrested them," the spokesman, Qari Yusuf Ahmadi, said.

Four Red Cross staff abducted in Afghanistan (raw vid)

Four Red Cross staff, two of them foreigners, were kidnapped in the Afghan province of Wardak province on Wednesday.

U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Marines Help Djiboutian Villagers -- [Defend America]
NAGAD, Djibouti, Sept. 26, 2007 — The primary mission of the more than 250 Marines assigned to 3rd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion and Heavy Marine Helicopter 464 is to provide security for Camp Lemonier and to help stabilize the area.
...“Americans are very good,” said Daoud Omar Gousieh, a Nagad native. “They have been here for seven years, and they always give.”

Reports: Military junta cuts Internet access in Burma; Sniper reportedly killed Japanese journalist Kenji Nagai -- [Michelle Malkin]
As I noted the other day, Burmese bloggers have been crucial whistleblowers and eyewitnesses to history–supplying the world with round-the-clock coverage and photos of their oppressive regime’s crackdown. Now, just as the Western press is lauding their role, the military junta has reportedly cut off Internet access:

More on Burma -- [Weekly Standard]
Again, Andrew Sullivan, has the best coverage of developments in Burma. The Bush administration has imposed sanctions on the leadership in Burma...I'm sure that'll do a lot of good, especially given the fact that "China and Russia signaled last night that they would block any UN sanctions against Burma." Meanwhile, a friend of Reason blogger Kerry Howley wrote yesterday with this disturbing message:

Battles in the War With Iran -- [Strategy Page]
While there's been no invasion of Iran, there has been a lot of Information War type operations against them. For example, all the leaks and punditry over imagined plans to invade Iran have had an impact on the Iranians. Not just the published remarks by Iranian leaders and journalists, but the private, often coded (and decrypted), messages by Iranian officials that get captured by the NSA or CIA. This kind of "information operation" is an ancient tactic, and it's getting more blatant, and interesting with regard to Iran. The best example of that are the recent interviews of U.S. Air Force planners about work being done on, well, how best to attack Iran.

Iranian Soldiers in Lebanon -- [The Tank]
Here are some facts:
Between 2,000 and 3,000 members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (Pasdaran) are currently in Lebanon. Here, these Iranian soldiers are supporting Lebanese Hezbollah fighters — actual numbers are unknown — with weapons, military equipment, and cash. They are also training them in camps (at least five such camps in the Bekaa Valley and two or three in southern Lebanon) in a variety of infantry/commando operations and terror-bombing techniques.

The Faslane Peace Camp -- [In Training]
The Faslane peace camp (and, more recently the Faslane 365 crowd) has been a blight on the landscape of Helensburgh, Scotland comparable to the San Francisco parks from the 1960s - and just about as clean - since 1982. More importantly than that though, is what a horrible effect it has on the surrounding community and how they frankly just don't give a damn about anybody but themselves.

WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

GWOT: Developing Effective Strategic Communications -- [The Middle Ground]
...That theory reflects our current and future adversaries: the use of global communications and media, the concepts of distributed networks, dissemination of information and recruitment of "actors" and sympathizers disregarding global borders. In fact, adversaries over the ages have sought to accomplish their goals using all of these methods. More so since the development of global communications and media. Our strategy must take this into consideration and develop around this core idea.

10 Ways Online Terrorism Affects the Market -- [Jawa Report]
Pretty informative column from Jessica Hupp. Not only does she identify major threats coming from cyber terror attacks directed at businesses, she also identifies companies which may profit from the upsurge in attacks by providing added security.

The Short (but Notable) Career of Fatah al Islam -- [Strategy Page]
September 28, 2007: At the beginning of September, the Lebanese military announced it had cleared the Nahr al Bared refugee camp of the Islamic terrorist organization, Fatah al Islam ("The Victory of Islam"). In the four month long fight, the top leadership of the group was killed except for the emir (leader). This fellow, Shaker al Absi, was a personal friend of Abu Musab al Zarqawi, the late Al Qaeda in Iraq emir. Together they trained in Afghanistan where they formed a group of Islamic terrorists from Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria

Similar Threats, Similar Approaches: Improving Transatlantic Counterterrorism Ties -- [Countererrorism Blog]
A piece I wrote on how to improve transatlantic counterterrorism ties, which have been seriously tested over these past several years.
With U.S. government assistance, three "homegrown" terrorist suspects were arrested in Germany several weeks ago. Despite this success story, transatlantic counterterrorism ties have been seriously tested over the past three months:

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

Why She Carries This Flag"... -- [Jim Spiri - embed in Iraq]
...In my travels here in Iraq, the one comment all the troops have told me is that the only thing they need from those at home is their support while they are deployed. Nothing else is as valuable. NOTHING.
So I wondered about how to bridge that one request that I know would do more than anything I've written or photographed in the last five months. For my burden is to give to the troops whatever it is they ask. It came to me upon seeing this photo of Gracie Blackwell carrying the US flag with such dignity.
Yes, it is true, the entire nation seems to be embroiled in a perplexing situation called "The War in Iraq". However, I have witnessed and seen with my own eyes on a daily basis those we've sent here to do a job and what it is they do exactly. I've been there when times are very precarious and I've been there when times are melancholy as well. Time and time and time again, the troops long for only the support of what they are doing. As I have said in many previous posts, there will be plenty of time in the future to discuss the "details and the whys" of what is going on over here. But for now, it is important to take heed to support the troops, especially now, as the intensity of the mission increases. So what can those at home do in the meantime?

Limbaugh: Service members who support U.S. withdrawal are "phony soldiers" -- [Media Matters]
— During the September 26 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Rush Limbaugh called service members who advocate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq "phony soldiers." He made the comment while discussing …

MILITARY

Brookings: On Private Military Companies and Contractors -- [Grim - BlackFive]
Peter Singer of the Brookings' Foreign Policy institute wrote to ask us at BlackFive for a review of his new paper, "Can't Win With 'Em, Can't Go To War Without 'Em: Private Military Contractors." We're happy to oblige.
...I have a few minor complaints with it, but they fade away beside the overarching one. Every single complaint directed at Blackwater and company takes this form

Defense Department Examines Armor -- [PBS]
The NewsHour reports on Defense Department priorities for combatant body armor.

Sailors, Airmen and Iraq -- [Strategy Page]
September 27, 2007: The U.S. Navy and Air Force have become resigned to having over 5,000 of their personnel stationed in Iraq, providing support for army troops. The "in lieu of" sailors and airmen are given several weeks of ground combat training and sent off to, in theory, do combat support jobs the army doesn't have enough people for. But often, these non-army troops end up doing more dangerous security work, at bases, check points or, most dangerous of all, on convoy escort.
Complaints from sailors and airmen have worked their way up the chain of command, and now their generals and admirals are asking for a written agreement with the army, covering what these sailors and airmen would do (ideally, the technical jobs they were trained for) once they got to the combat zone.

Gay protection tacked onto defense bill -- [Washington Times]
The Democrat-led Senate yesterday adopted legislation giving homosexuals additional protections under federal hate-crime laws, attaching the measure to the defense authorization bill and daring President Bush to veto it as promised.
"The president of the United States has never vetoed, in the history of the United States, a defense authorization bill," said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat and chief sponsor of the amendment. "For this reason and for many others ... the defense authorization deserves to be passed [into law]."

POLITICS

How Petraeus Moved The Debate, Literally -- [Captain's Quarters]
How far has General David Petraeus moved the debate on Iraq? His testimony on the surge, and the effects of the surge itself, has made it much more difficult for Democrats to argue for withdrawal and defeat. In fact, at last night's debate, the leading contenders for the Democratic nomination couldn't even commit to a withdrawal -- by 2013:

Seriously? THIS is "a very big deal"? -- [Jeff Emanual - embed in Iraq]
According to the Associated Press, Josh Gaines is giving back his "Iraq War medals." This, says some "Students for a Democratic Society activist" in Madison, who helped organize some protest at which Gaines will formally "mail [his] Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and National Defense Service Medal to former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld," "will be a very big deal" to "many Americans."
Really?
First of all, when I read this story to the group of people I'm sitting with right now -- a Lieutenant, a Sergeant First Class, a Staff Sergeant, a Sergeant, and a Specialist in the active duty US Army -- and in the place I'm sitting right now -- in Samarra, Iraq, with a unit (which these gentlemen are members of) that has served 14 months of its 15-month tour here (and has lost twelve men during that time) -- the result was not horror, but laughter. Genuine, serious laughter that somebody would be such a publicity-seeking idiot as to do something like this at an orchestrated protest.
...Here's a minor detail for your consumption (and one which the AP writer, in his utter ignorance of all things military -- typical -- does not have the knowledge to point out): both of those medals are automatically given to every single person who goes to Iraq.

Unreal!... Democrats Redeploy Veteran's Benefits to Philippines -- [Gateway Pundit]
The democrats talked about helping veterans...
They just didn't say which country's veterans they were going to help.

America needs a "revolution in diplomatic affairs." -- [Strategy Page - Austin Bay]
Even the State Department's chardonnay and brie brigade suspects we have entered a new era of grimy, street-level foreign policy. It's an era where effective diplomacy starts with long days in bad neighborhoods, as culturally-savvy diplomats identify the hopes, fears and trends that seed future crises, and -- preferably -- create American-influenced opportunities to positively shape events.

THE MEDIA

Col. Gibbs: Beauchamp Recanted, No He Didn't??? -- [Weekly Standard]
The Pentagon's Blogger's Roundtable series featured Col. Ricky Gibbs this morning. Gibbs is the commander of the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Multi-National Division-Baghdad, and one of the 5,000 soldiers under his command is Scott Thomas Beauchamp. I asked Col. Gibbs whether the stories told by Scott Thomas Beauchamp in the New Republic were true, and whether his command was "stonewalling" and preventing Beauchamp from speaking to the media, as the New Republic claimed in its last statement on the case on August 10.
In response to the first question, Gibbs said that he had directed an investigation into Beauchamp's allegations and determined them to be false. "The incidents did not take place," Gibbs said. And Beauchamp "admitted that himself" to the investigating officer. For clarity, I asked Gibbs again, did Beauchamp admit the stories were false? "He did admit to the investigating officer that the incidents did not take place."
At the end of the call, Gibbs returned to the subject of Beauchamp's confession to say that "Beauchamp did not recant," but that "he does not stand by the story." This caused some puzzlement among the folks on the line.

Rathergate Twoofers -- [Flopping Aces]
These people are just insane. Here is Sidney Blumenthal (yes, shouldn't be surprised that this man is insane) on the Rathergate story:
Within minutes of the conclusion of the broadcast, conservative bloggers launched a counterattack. The chief of these critics was a Republican Party activist in Georgia. Almost certainly, these bloggers, who had been part of meetings or conference calls organized by Karl Rove’s political operation, coordinated their actions with Rove’s office.
Almost certainly? Man, you have us now Sidney. You finally figured out that the timing of the posts to FR could not be because someone saw something fishy in Dan's report.

We are the world -- [The Corner - Mark Steyn]
Before Katie Couric's confession that "saying 'we' when referring to the United States" makes her uncomfortable fades from the news cycle, two observations:

HUMOR / SATIRE

Edwards Takes Public Cash to Identify with Poor - [ScrappleFace]
(2007-09-27) — In a reversal of a previous decision, Democrat presidential candidate John Edwards announced Thursday that his campaign would accept public funding “as a matter of principle to demonstrate that I identify with the poor and downtrodden who live in the second America.”

Day By Day

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

Contest Time

A just-on-time nominee for the Ignorant Media Putz of the Month award.

Never heard of that award? I just invented it.

So, who's this guy's competition? (I actually have one in mind, I'll see if anyone else provides the same name...)

We could have a "congressional" category also, but it would be hard to pick a "winner". I suppose we could have a "Story of the Month" category too...

Dawn Patrol

Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs and other sources around the world. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. Hat Tips to the Dawn Patrol are greatly appreciated.

IRAQ

An Interview with Col. Richard Simcock, Regimental Combat Team 6 -- [ON Point]
As Col Simcock describes, Fallujah is a far different city today :
Q – What’s new in Fallujah since we last talked ?
A – I’m pleased to say that nothing is new. It’s the continuation of good news throughout my AO. We’ve just finished the last part of a ‘swarm’, which is like a small-scale surge into a district of the city, and now the last district in town is under control of the I/P’s.
Last week Gen Petraeus took Katie Couric into downtown Fallujah, and they walked down the street through the market. This wasn’t a John McCain photo op, this was a no-shit walk through the market, and she was absolutely amazed at how normal it was.

Owning the Night"... -- [Jim Spiri - embed in Iraq]
It's early in the morning here in Iraq. 0400-hours to be exact. I'm tired, my feet hurt, I'm pretty dirty and the chow hall is not open yet. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I'm on the southeast edge of Baghdad. I have just returned from a night air assault mission into perhaps some of the most precarious pieces of real estate in Iraq. I would be part of what is being called "Operation Marne Torch II". It was a very interesting night, as are all the days and nights I've spent on this journey.
There are times I have felt a responsibility to convey to those back stateside the historical accounts of what I've been a part of the past five months.
Tonight is for sure one of those times that I want to be able to explain in words the sights, sounds, smells, and footsteps to all those that are reading this. It is not an easy task. But for the moment, it is my task at hand, and I shall try my best to bring the readers into the experience of traveling with some troops from Ft. Richardson, Alaska, into the most dangerous parts of Iraq, at night. Although I am really tired, I must attempt to write while it is fresh in my mind.

Three Purple Hearts for One Stryker -- [Blog-ah]
CAMP STRIKER, Iraq – Imagine being a wife at home back in the states with your husband far away in a war zone. You go about your life filling every minute of your day with anything to keep your mind off of the inevitable, when suddenly you get a phone call. The voice on the other end says, “I’m at the hospital. I’ve been injured. Don’t worry I am fine.” Your heart sinks and you are helpless. There is no way to assure yourself that he is ok.
Sgt. Gregory Rayho’s wife has taken that dreaded phone call not once, but three times since July 2006.

Iraq Briefing 26 September 2007

Welcome to Baghdad! -- [Eighty Deuce On The Loose - In Iraq]
...The first dismount these guys even went on would be a night dismount. I had one of the guys from my normal team and one of the new guys. I knew he would need extra attention so I would have to make sure and keep an eye on him. We ended up dismounting and heading back into the alleyways. It was more packed than normal since Ramadan is in full swing and during the day people can't eat or anything, so the night becomes the time for eating, praying and socializing. Fortunately for us, thats all it has consisted of, at least at this point almost 1/2 way through.
Anyways, we were walking through this one busy alley when all of a sudden I see this kid that couldn't of been more than 6 years old come out of another alleyway with a gun in his hand.

The Anatomy of a Betrayal -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
More information has recently emerged about the killing of Abdul Sattar al-Rishawi (also known as Abdul Sattar Abu Risha), who led the Anbar Salvation Front. The Associated Press reported on Saturday:
...I spoke with a senior American military intelligence officer yesterday who filled me in on some of the details emerging from the investigation. He said that al-Barghouti had been in debt to some people in the car smuggling racket in Mosul who were affiliated with al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI). The men in the car smuggling racket had a deal with AQI: the terror group would allow them to operate, guaranteeing their security, and in return they would pass information to AQI about who was in debt to them.

Counterinsurgency in al Qaeda’s last bastion in Baghdad -- [The Long War Journal]
Camp Striker, Baghdad Province: Nine months after the announcement of the Baghdad Security Plan and the subsequent "surge" of US forces, the battle for Baghdad remains engaged. With the effort to secure Baghdad from al Qaeda in Iraq and the Mahdi Army alike, the southwestern security district of Doura has proven difficult to tame. The soldiers of the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Calvary Regiment are currently engaged in a heated battle against al Qaeda in Iraq in a corner of Doura.
Iran Supplies MANPADS to Insurgents
In a story that has some concern to me personally...
US military spokesman Rear Admiral Mark Fox told reporters in Baghdad that Iran was shifting sophisticated arms such as "RPG-29s, explosively-formed penetrators (EFPs), 240 mm rockets and Misagh-1 surface-to-air missiles" across its borders into Iraq.
Meanwhile back home, people are having discussions over tea with the leader of a nation(the same nation that is giving arms to people who are trying to kill me) that would kill all of them in a heartbeat if he could get away with it.
THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT.
Of course there are those that view this story with a skeptical eye, which is easy to do if someone is not shooting these things at you.
Mr. David Axe at the blog Danger Room points out that knockoffs of knockoffs are rarely effective (which is true enough in and of itself), claiming that the Misagh 1 is effectively a knockoff of a QW-1 which is in turn a knockoff of a SA-16.

Marines from Task Force Guardian Patrol Fallujah

Marines from Task Force Guardian patrol to keep the area around Fallujah safe.

A Soldier’s plea -- [Q and O]
We've recently had a spate of soldier written editorials such as the one written by 7 members of the 82nd Airborne Division which essentially supported redeployment.
Here's another sincere article from a National Guard officer who is working with a Provincial Reconstruction Team in the north of Iraq. As you will see, his experience has been tough but encouraging. He obviously understands the amount of work still required of this mission. His conclusion, however, says what needs to be said about as well and as elegantly as it can be said:
The reasons America got involved in Iraq may be suspect. But US forces are here, parts of the country are still broken, and regional security may hang in the balance if we don't stay and help the Iraqis fix it. The effort is succeeding in the north, and it can in the rest of Iraq as well. America's forefathers had help from other nations when the United States was born. Allow us to continue to help Iraq be reborn.

Marines guard Iraq's gradual transformation -- [Matt Sanchez - in Iraq]
In Ramadi, personality sometimes 'more useful than body armor'
HURRICANE POINT, Ramadi – If you head west from this small forward operating base located on Route Michigan, you'll reach a bridge that crosses a peaceful river. It would be easy to spend an afternoon walking along the riverbank, and many Iraqis do.

The Choice -- [Strategy Page]
September 26, 2007: Five months ago, only about 20 percent of Baghdad was considered under U.S. or Iraqi government control. Various Shia and Sunni militias held sway in the rest. Then the "Surge" began, in the form of some additional 10,000 American combat troops sent into the city. By July, about half the city was under control, with militias, gangster and terrorist groups forced into other neighborhoods, or out of the city. Now it's 54 percent under control, as U.S. troops prepare to go after the Shia militias in Sadr City (eastern Baghdad.) The major problem is corruption and a lack of police loyal to the government.

A bipartisan way out of Iraq -- [csmonitor]
Our troops have served our country courageously and brilliantly, but our engagement in Iraq has degraded our security, pushing our Army to the breaking point so that it cannot confront other pressing security concerns at home and abroad.
My military service as a three-star vice admiral – having led an aircraft carrier battle group in combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq and served as director of the Navy's anti-terrorism unit – convinces me that an inconclusive, open-ended involvement in Iraq is not in our security interests. Ending this war is necessary. But how we end it is of even greater importance for both our security and our troops' safety. These two considerations are the dual catalysts for a bipartisan discussion on this issue.

News of the 1st Division of Foot. -- [John of Argghhh!]
Sergeant Hook - not posting much, because he's been busy. Busy deploying his Combat Aviation Brigade to Kuwait, preparatory to them moving into Iraq.
...CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait - For two weeks, Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division Families tearfully bid farewell to their Soldiers.
Hours later, those same troops bid hello to Kuwait.
CAB Soldiers benefited from a shipping out procedure the Army has refined over several years. "It was long, but it was pretty well organized. If you've been deployed, it went pretty smoothly compared to previous deployments," said Spc. Brandon Graham, an Apache crew chief with Company A, 1st Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment.

AFGHANISTAN

The Franchise -- [Strategy Page]
September 25, 2007: The fighting has killed nearly 5,000 people so far this year. About two thirds have been Taliban, fifteen percent civilians, and most of the rest Afghan security forces. Taliban casualties have grown as the year went on, often reaching a hundred or more dead a week. There have been more cases of Taliban rounding up young children to use as human shields, to aid in escaping pursuing Afghan or foreign troops. The Taliban have two things going for them, to keep this violence going; tradition and cash. For thousands of years, the Afghan tribes have automatically fought any foreign troops, and that includes anyone claiming to be the government of Afghanistan.

Scores of Taliban die in Afghan clashes: U.S. military -- [EIN News]
... KABUL (Reuters) - U.S.-led coalition and Afghan forces killed scores of Taliban insurgents in ... separate battles in southern Afghanistan, the U.S military said on Wednesday. More than 65 Taliban ... reported by the Afghan government and foreign troops, calling them propaganda. Several provincial officials and ...

Meanwhile in Afghanistan -- [Q and O]
Afghanistan has its own set of problems, that's for sure. But a competent enemy doesn't seem to be one of them at the moment
...I bring this up because of a conversation I had a couple of weeks ago with one of our generals in Afghanistan who said that the level of competence among the Taliban had been severely degraded by the constant pressure both coalition and Afghan troops had kept on the Taliban. You remember the Taliban's promised spring offensive that never materialized?
That's because CF and the Afghan army went after them all winter
Winning in Afghanistan - [FrontPageMagazine.com]
Earlier this month, greatly underreported by the media but ground-breaking nevertheless, the Taliban signaled its readiness to start peace negotiations with the Kabul government, indicating a setback if not defeat. The Taliban’s preparedness to discuss peace, dropping its long-standing demand that NATO troops must leave the country first, came only two days after Afghanistan’s president, Hamid Karzai, said he was willing to hold talks.
“For the sake of national interests…we are fully ready for talks with the government,” Yousuf Ahmed, a Taliban spokesman, was quoted as saying.
This striking and significant breakthrough in the Afghanistan conflict came after last month’s “jirga” (tribal meeting) in Kabul. Described as a “peace jirga” by one observer, this important gathering was made up of hundreds of members of different tribes from both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Operation Chakush - The Royal Welsh Forces Fight In Upper Gereshk Valley

Welsh soldiers have been involved in a task force level operation to drive the Taliban out of the Upper Gereshk Valley, in Southern Afghanistan. Known as the ‘green zone’ in Helmand Province – the area is devoid of civilians, they have left the area knowing that the Taliban fighters are preparing for battle. The objective is to extend the influence and control of Afghanistan’s democratically elected Government as well as enabling vital reconstruction and development projects to gain a foothold in the region.

Warrior -- [One Marine's View]
As Afghan forces were pelting the five humvees carrying American soldiers without mercy, then-Pvt. Channing Moss took aim and fired back with the machine gun fixed atop one of the tanks under fire.
..."I looked down and saw the tailfins of the rocket sticking out of my left pelvic bone," Moss told The Times on Thursday. He had been hit by an RPG that had not detonated upon contact.

(Back) among the Nomads -- [Thomas' Myspace - in Afghanistan]
Following up on a promise we made to their elder last week, our medical team returned to the Kuchi village just west of our base on Tuesday. We came bearing medical care, again, but this time for them and their children, rather than their animals.
Since they had fewer people than animals, this operation was a bit smaller in scale than the one last week. It was also much more chaotic, owing in part to the fewer medical folks we had with us, but also the innate dislike Afghans have for lines or any type of gathering other than a mob.

Angry Wasps in Afghanistan....after explosion...amazing

A fallen rock was blocking a route in Afghanstan and EOD decided to blow it up. Camera captures a nest of wasps that were under the rock....they go crazy

How Can I Explain This? -- [Bill and Bob's Excellent Afghan Adventure - in Afghanistan]
...We operated from the firebase, meeting up with our Afghan counterparts for the missions that we did with them. We did missions daily with them, many of them now vehicle-borne. On some, we dismounted and patrolled areas as a presence, to gather any intelligence that might be available, or fight whoever wanted to fight.
One patrol took us down to the main town that The Valley is named after. It has the dirtiest bazaar I've ever seen, and until recently the bazaar itself and basically the whole town was under undisputed Taliban control. Major Stone Cold bought a goat, and the guy who sold him the goat also came back to the district Police station and slaughtered it for us.

SBS In Daring Afghan Rescue - [Rogue Gunner]
British special forces have taken part in a daring raid to rescue two Italian hostages in Afghanistan.
Operatives from the Special Boat Service became embroiled in a fierce firefight during the operation.
They flew in on board four Lynx helicopters and struck as the kidnappers left their compound in the province of Farah.Read It Here

U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Military brains plot Pakistan's downfall -- [Asia Times - Syed Saleem Shahzad]
...The aim of the takfiris now is to extend the current insurgency against the establishment in the North Waziristan and South Waziristan tribal areas of Pakistan into a large-scale offensive to bring down the central government or force the government to support their cause.
The US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and Pakistan's post-September 11, 2001, about-turn into the camp of the United States led to a marriage of convenience among the flag-bearers of Ibn Taymiyyah's ideology, zealots of al-Qaeda and experts in Giap's guerrilla strategy - former officers of the Pakistani armed forces who were upset with Pakistan's policy reversal, which included abandoning the Taliban.

RE: Former Pakistani Military Officers Aid Guerilla Efforts -- [The Tank - Steve Schippert]
Daveed directs readers to the always well-connected Sayed Saleem Shahzad's report on former Pakistani military officers aiding the Taliban-al-Qaeda alliance inside Pakistan. Since Daveed mentions the topic, I should share with interested readers of The Tank that I published this morning a somewhat broader analysis on the accelerating al-Qaeda insurgency in Pakistan and the Information Operation campaign against the Pakistani Army soldiers that helps inspire the current rash of Pak military defections.

Lee Bollinger's Case for War Against Iran -- [Weekly Standard]
Samantha Sault has an excellent round up of the reaction to Mahmoud Ahmadinehad's appearance at Columbia, and Lee Bollinger's introduction of him. But watching Bollinger's comments make me wonder how the Columbia president can be anything other than a strong proponent of forceful and aggressive action against the Iranian regime. Heck--he makes the case for war with Iran more forcefully than Norman Podhoretz:

WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

Terrorist Lawyer Lynne Stewart to Teach Legal Ethics -- [Stop the ACLU]
She faced up to 30 years for conspiring with a terrorist and got a slap on the wrist of 28 months in October of last year. So how is it that she is able to teach a class now? The judge said Stewart could remain free while she appeals, a process that could take more than a year. Is this still going on?
And of all things, she will teach a law school about ethics? What ethics?

Accused Swedish Militant Extradited to the U.S.-- [The Blotter]
A suspect sought by the United States for allegedly plotting to establish a terror training camp in the northwest United States was extradited from the Czech Republic to the United States, where he arrived today.
Oussama Kassir, a Lebanon-born Swedish citizen who is an alleged associate of Abu Hamza al Masri, the radical cleric currently jailed on terror-related charges in Britain, was arrested on Sunday in the Czech Republic after a court ruled there was no reason to refuse a 2006 U.S. extradition request.

Why Is New York's Governor Inviting Terrorists to Get a NY Drivers License? -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
You cannot control illegal immigration purely at our borders, but must also create an inhospitable environment for illegal aliens who succeed in entering and making their way to the interior of the United States. The immigration laws of our nation are clear that anyone who induces aliens to enter our country illegally or reside in our country in violation of law or conspire to do so are violating our laws. Section 1324 of the Immigration and Nationality Act is quite clear on this issue:

Al-Qaeda in Iraq Publishes List of Tribal Leaders It Intends to Assassinate Before 'Id Al-Fitr -- [MEMRI Blog]
The Islamist website http://www.elshouraa.ws/vb, hosted by SoftLayer Technologies Inc. in Texas, USA, has published a list of names, some with photos, titled "Pictures of the Infidels and Apostates Wanted by the Islamic State of Iraq." The message accompanying the list praises the September 13, 2007 assassination of Al-Anbar Salvation Council head 'Abd Al-Sattar Abu Risha by the ISI,[i] and threatens other tribal leaders who oppose Al-Qaeda: "We killed your leader and sheikh on the first day of Ramadan, as we promised you. You should know that the ISI will prevent most of your [other] leaders from offering up their holiday prayers [on 'Id Al-Fitr at the end of the month of Ramadan]. You will never see 'Id Al-Fitr, because [the jihad fighters] have turned [this] Ramadan into a grave for the apostates. [Abu Risha] is the first... dead hypocrite of this month – [the month of] jihad and mujahideen – and will be followed by many others."

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

Homes for Our Troops -- [A Soldier's Perspective]
We got an email recently from a patriot and friend who is also a member of the Patriot Guard Riders, Melanie Warwick, that I would like to share. Hopefully, there is someone within our readership that is in the area and able to lend a hand (or knows someone who can):
Thank you so much for your support of Homes for Our Troops and the Veterans we serve. In the past few years we have grown by leaps and bounds and it is in thanks to you. To date we have built 16 homes and have 20 more in various stages of construction all over the country. We have several corporate and repeat sponsors that help to make it so much easier to give to the Veterans who have given so much for us.
We are currently working on a home for SPC Fair in Coraopolis, Pa.

MESSAGE FROM HOME (WIVES DEDICATION)

by Lonestar

OPERATION: LOVE FROM HOME 2007 -- [Yikes]
OK, here we go again..... time to collect cards for our Heroes overseas!! Last year, thanks to all of you working together, over 20,000 (yes, that's TWENTY THOUSAND) Christmas/holiday cards were shipped to our troops in harm's way. Let's do it again this year! I know we can!!! Our heroes need us now more than ever -- let's show them our love & appreciation!

Durbin, Obama want VA to explain deaths at Marion hospital -- [Boston Globe]
CHICAGO --Sens. Dick Durbin and Barack Obama want the secretary of Veterans Affairs to explain how a surgeon with a history of malpractice complaints in Massachusetts was hired at a VA medical facility in Southern Illinois.

MILITARY

San Francisco "just says no" to the Marines -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
The City of San Francisco sure doesn't seem to have a problem closing off city streets to accommodate protests and demonstrations, but don't ask for permission to film a recruitment commercial for the Marines. The filming would have required one lane of California Street to be closed for a few minutes at a time during the morning rush hour on the anniversary of 9/11.

Terms of Art -- [Major Andrew Olmsted - in Iraq]
By popular request, a brief glossary of military terms and acronyms. This post will be updated as necessary as I think of additional terms.

Guess The Owner Of This Building
The U.S. Navy has decided to spend as much as $600,000 for landscaping and architectural modifications to obscure the fact that one its building complexes looks like a swastika from the air.
The four L-shaped buildings, constructed in the late 1960s, are part of the amphibious base at Coronado and serve as barracks for Seabees.

WELCOME HOME

Nostos -- [Desrt Flier- home from Iraq]
...Saturday morning landing in Cherry Point, North Carolina. The cheers and clapping bring the plane to a roaring good touchdown. Flight crew laughing and clapping right along with us. After un-loading and loading our gear several more times on the flight line, we board buses for the hour ride to Camp Lejune. Families are there waiting. We coordinate to make sure new Dads get off the buses first. And there we are: exhausted, soaked in sweat, and smelling up the bus like a petting zoo.
Nobody cares. Buses roll up. Wives are holding their cheeks, crying and trembling in their beautiful summer dresses. Dads rush off first with laughing and running children jumping into their arms. Moms join the fray. A few parents make it too, and they stand patiently in the back waving little American flags. I hang back a minute or so on the bus, just taking it all in. A Rockwellian moment comes to life outside my little bus window. And right here/right now: all somehow seems right in the world.

POLITICS

Hey there fellow Bigots! -- [MilBlogs - CDR Salamander]
I guess we have all failed to live up to all the Diversity training we take. At least, that is what Sen. Kennedy (D-MA) thinks.
On the Senate floor just a few minutes ago, Kennedy said a hate crimes amendment should be attached to the defense authorization bill because members of the U.S. military commit a significant number of hate crimes.

United in Defeat -- [Dadmanly]
In commentary published in the Christian Science Monitor, former three-star vice admiral and now Congressman, Rep. Joe Sestak (D) of Pennsylvania declares that ending the war in Iraq is necessary, as it has “degraded our security” and pushed the Army “to the breaking point.”
Rep. Sestak’s not the only pro-Dem military figure who’s spoken out against our efforts in Iraq, but he surely constitutes the most clearly partisan and political.

Whom Do You Trust? -- [Powerline]
No one, apparently. The Center for Media Research reports on a survey recently carried out by BIGResearch, which asked about the "trustworthiness" of various institutions; click to enlarge:
...At under 3%, Congress's "trustworthiness" standing is astonishingly low. It is noteworthy that bloggers edge out "the media," whose standing, at under 5%, is only slightly higher than that of the Congress. Alone at the top, with a lofty 14% trustworthiness rating, is the President.

Kyl-Lieberman Iran Amendment Passes By Huge Margin -- [Election Central]
The Kyl-Lieberman Iran amendment -- which ratchets up the confrontation with Iran by calling for the designation of its Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization responsible for killing U.S. troops -- just passed overwhelmingly, 76-22.
Of the Dem Presidential candidates, Hillary voted for the measure, Joe Biden and Chris Dodd opposed it, and Barack Obama missed the vote. On the GOP side, John McCain missed the vote.
The bill's backers had tried to mollify its critics by taking out some of its most incendiary language, particularly the idea that "it should be the policy of the United States to combat, contain, and roll back the violent activities and destabilizing influence inside Iraq of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, its foreign facilitators such as Lebanese Hezbollah, and its indigenous Iraqi proxies."

THE MEDIA

General Criticized Media Bias and Paper Proved Him Right -- [NewsBusters]
The definition of ironic? A media outlet that omitted positive information about Iraq...from an article that criticized the media for doing just that.
Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch commander of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, which is stationed in Iraq, spoke to reporters while on leave in the US. He denounced the media habit of omitting or downplaying positive news coming out of Iraq and then gave an example of the kind of news that is usually downplayed or omitted by the media (thnx NewsBusters reader).

Fallen Soldier Shuster Used for 'Gotcha' Game With GOP Rep. Blackburn Did Not Live in Her District -- [NewsBusters]
NewsBusters' Mark Finkelstein reports that the MSNBC reporter condemmed a GOP congresswoman for not knowing that fallen Army Pvt. Jeremy Bohannon lived in her district. Shuster threw it in her face as he defended MoveOn.org's Petraeus ad.
Trouble is, Pvt. Bohannon was from a neighboring district!
It now turns out that Army Private Jeremy Bohannon had not, contrary to Shuster's claim, lived in Rep. Blackburn's congressional district. As blogger Conservative Belle brought to NB's attention, and as she has written about at
her site, Private Bohannon lived in Bon Acqua, TN. Checking his nine-digit zip code reveals that he in fact lived in Tennessee District 8, represented by John Tanner, a Democrat.
SOURCES TELL NEWSBUSTERS THAT MSNBC WILL BE CORRECTING THIS MAJOR ERROR.

Couric weighs in on Iraq, Rather [The Examiner - Yeas & Nays]
— Her take on the news — Speaking at the National Press Club Tuesday evening, CBS "Evening News" anchor Katie Couric pulled back the curtain on her personal views of both the war in Iraq and former "Evening News" anchor Dan Rather.

Iraq: Winning, Disconnecting From the Matrix -- [Kat - Denizen of Argghhh!]
...In this war, history is still being written by the media. They create a narrative that equates to the knowledge of the masses and trickles down to the polls. Yet, somewhere amongst the narrative is the true story of the war, written in "0" and "1" bytes on the world wide web. It was hidden except to the few who knew that the narrative on the air waves did not match the whispers of communications from the front. And we searched for the real story among the bytes, flashing around the world at the speed of light.

The media's free ride in Iraq -- [WND - Matt Sanchez - in Iraq]
The New Republic published entries from the "Baghdad Diarist," a soldier who was supposedly reporting on the realities of being in Baghdad. The "diarist" was proven to be a fraud, while the liberal media claimed even if the story was fake, it could have been true and that's what counts. Discerning facts from fiction is an obstacle the media trips over daily.
If the media are the eyes, ears and voice of a democracy, our nation is currently deaf, dumb and blind.
The conflict in Iraq is complicated, and yet the media has dumbed-down that complexity by communicating in flashy breaking-news banners with "expert analysis" that is, in fact, amateur opinion given by activist glamour correspondents whose names are synonymous with their news programs.
Take the main issue in Iraq:

NPR Snubs Interview with the President, So It Airs on Fox News -- [NewsBusters]
Does National Public Radio have a nose for news? Or a nose that's offended by the scent of President Bush? NPR news boss Ellen Weiss has snubbed an exclusive interview opportunity with President Bush. Washington Post media reporter Howard Kurtz reported Wednesday that the White House offered NPR’s Juan Williams an interview on race relations, but NPR didn’t want it on its airwaves. So it aired on Fox News instead.

HUMOR / SATIRE

Day By Day

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

Commando: On the Front Line - UPDATED

Commando: On the Front Line is insight into the making of a Royal Marine Commando and, for the first time, follows the recruits onto the front line in Afghanistan.
Here's an opportunity for compare and contrast.

Blogger, "In Training", an American married to a Royal Marine Commando, critiques Episode 1, you can watch it at her site.

What I find intriguing is that the film-maker, Chris Terrill, didn’t just film these troops, he joined them, undergoing the same gruelling 32 weeks’ training , winning his green beret, before joining them in action. He followed the recruits to the front line in Afghanistan and right into the heat of battle.

While the other recruits wielded guns in Afghanistan, Chris sticked to shooting with his camera. “I was very excited about going to the front line. But the reality of what I was about to face really came home when I had to sit down and write what are called my ‘death letters’.

“These are letters to loved ones only to be read in the event of my being killed. Having to write to people that you love as if you’re dead is not easy and can be extremely upsetting. That’s when it hit me that this was not just another filming adventure.

“When I started going out on patrols it was a bit like being in a feature film. But when the bullets started to fly it suddenly got very, very real – especially when they whizzed past your ears.

Chris talks more about his grueling training here

The training was even more hellish than I expected: high rope climbing; abseiling; speed marching; “yomping”; lung-bursting underwater swimming; soul-destroying assault courses; and close quarter combat lessons that taught us how to tear windpipes out of throats and rip genitals from between men’s legs. This was in addition to increasingly demanding survival exercises in extreme conditions with limited rations and even more limited sleep. It was relentless and unforgiving: most of us were injured – many badly enough to have to leave. Some never came back. I got off lightly with a dislocated finger, a ruptured tendon in my left bicep and a rotator cuff and clavicle so badly inflamed that I have since had to have surgery. The fruit of my efforts and pain? Well, I am proud to say I won my green beret, now my most prized possession, but I would not have done so if I had trained in isolation. I only managed it because I became part of a band of brothers who willed me on, as I did them.

If Hollywoods types would undergo the rigorous training with our American troops or had the fortitude to spend just a small bit of time with them on the frontlines, we wouldn't have such trash in our theaters. But I suspect that would impede on their ugly anti-military, anti-American smear campaign.

Update: Uncle Jimbo has more

Camp helps kids grieve for a parent killed in war

FORT LEWIS -- Kaylee Sharp-Henderson had been silent much of the morning, and now she was avoiding, with all her 8-year-old might, directions to write down what made her feel sad. Or angry. Or scared.

Around the table, the other children in her group bent their heads over their construction paper and made furtive lists with colored markers.

When they were finished, Tina Saari, the group leader, handed each child a small tin of Play-Doh.

Kaylee wadded the clay into a ball.

"This is the Iraqi that killed my dad," she said, her voice rising as her fists pummeled the clay into a flat pancake. "I hate you, I hate you. I hate you."

The other children hammered at their own piles of clay, and in a flurry of pounding, they smashed out feelings of grief only the smallest casualties of war could know.

Each of them had lost a parent or a sibling in Iraq or Afghanistan. For some, like Kaylee, the loss was only a few months ago. And for many of them, this was the first time they had been able to share that experience with others who knew what it felt like. On Saturday, 62 families, most of whom had lost soldier sons based at Fort Lewis, gathered to share their emotions and look to one another for ways to survive the knock on the door.

The grief camp was organized by the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., that offers resources and peer counseling to grieving military families.

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Hugh Hewitt interviews Michael Yon

Michael Yon is headed to Basra to report how things are going since the withdrawal of the British. He has his thoughts on that and has high hopes for Iraq

He landed in Baghdad this morning

Michael also talks about an extraordinary man, CSM James Pippin who was shot in the tibia, shattered his tibia only four months ago, and he’s already returning to Mosul. Michael's first mission with James Pippin can be found here.

In February, CSM James Pippin wrote an open letter to the American people. It was shortly after that when Pippin was shot in the leg.

We win every time whenever they stay and fight. But mostly, they hit us, then run away and blend into the crowd. We’re winning a day at a time. And we are taking the fight to them.

I would rather fight them where they live as opposed to quit the fight here only to have it come back to my home. I also realize we may very well get attacked on our own soil while we fight here. That, I believe is imminent. But as long as we continue to stay engaged with terrorists in their home countries, we remain proactive instead of totally reactive.

Most Americans say, “I support the troops.” “Supporting the troops” is far more than sending a care package, or shaking a service member’s hand, or tying a ribbon on their lapel. Supporting the troops should also be backing ou