Dawn Patrol

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IRAQ

ESPN Outdoors -- [Lumber jack in the Desert]
ESPN has a great five page spread on me at ESPNOutdoors.com. Sam Eifling is the Author. Now everyone go nominate him for an ESPY

Regional Flux and the Long War -- [The Captain’s Journal *]
Published November 2nd, 2007 by Herschel Smith in Syria, The Long War, al Qaeda, Jihadists, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran |
Former Commander of CENTCOM General John Philip Abizaid, born to a Christian Lebanese-American father and fluent in Arabic and knowledgeable in Middle Eastern culture, coined the phrase long war to describe the conflict with extremist Islamic groups such as al Qaeda. This phrase was dropped by Admiral William J. Fallon, but the idea is the same and the conflict will not go away because the phrase isn’t used at CENTCOM any more.

Iraqi Islamic Party: “Al Qaeda is Defeated” -- [Michael Yon - in Iraq]
“Al Qaeda in Iraq is defeated,” according to Sheik Omar Jabouri, spokesman for the Iraqi Islamic Party and a member of the widespread and influential Jabouri Tribe. Speaking through an interpreter at a 31 October meeting at the Iraqi Islamic Party headquarters in downtown Baghdad, Sheik Omar said that al Qaeda had been “defeated mentally, and therefore is defeated physically,” referring to how clear it has become that the terrorist group’s tactics have backfired. Operatives who could once disappear back into the crowd after committing an increasingly atrocious attack no longer find safe haven among the Iraqis who live in the southern part of Baghdad. They are being hunted down and killed. Or, if they are lucky, captured by Americans.

Petraeus gets Feedback from Surge Troops -- [MNF-I]
BAGHDAD — Senior leaders from both the government of Iraq and United States Army came to visit Soldiers at Patrol Base Hawkes, Oct. 27, to get an assessment from troops on the ground.
Gen. David Petraeus, Commanding General, Multi-National Force-Iraq, Dr. Ahmad Chalabi, director of services in Iraq, and Dr. Safi Al-Sheik, director of the Iraqi national reconciliation committee, met with Soldiers and leaders of the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga., who are operating in the Arab Jabour area.

Joint Statement on Transfer of Security Responsibility for Karbala Province -- [MNF-I]
By Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker and General David H. Petraeus
on the Transfer of Security Responsibility for Karbala Province
The United States and Multi-National Force-Iraq welcome the transfer of security in Karbala Province to Iraqi responsibility as a positive step on the path to Iraq’s self-reliance. Karbala is the eighth province to be transferred to Iraqi security responsibility as the Government of Iraq and its security forces continue to develop and assume greater responsibility for governing and providing security for the citizens of Iraq. The first province transferred to Government of Iraqi security control was Muthanna in July 2006, followed by Dhi Qar, An Najaf, Maysan, and most recently Irbil, Sulaymaniyah, and Dahuk in May 2007. The transfer of provincial security responsibility is particularly significant because it includes the city of Karbala, a center of Shi’a Muslim worship, pilgrimage and religious instruction. Saddam Hussein once restricted religious observances at this city and non-Iraqi Shi'a were not allowed to travel there.

"The Longest Morning": The story of Heroism, Courage, and Loss in the Face of Impossible Odds -- [Jeff Emanuel ]
Six weeks ago in the Iraqi city of Samarra, four paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division became the object of a pre-planned, coordinated effort by dozens of al Qaeda to kidnap and slaughter American soldiers only days before General Petraeus's internationally televised testimony to the U.S. Congress on the state of the war in Iraq. Only two survived -- but, fighting like heroes, they succeeded in preserving the honor of their nation.

Screw the Bastards -- [Strategy Page]
November 1, 2007: It's all about trends. In Iraq, the trends are going against the terrorists. Take IEDs (roadside bombs). There are fewer of them, and more of them are being detected before they can hurt anyone. Thus U.S. casualties from IEDs are down 80 percent compared to last Spring. Overall American casualties have not been this low since May, 2003, right after the fall of Saddam's government. Iraqi military and civilian casualties are also down over 70 percent, compared to last Spring. Most of this was due to so many Iraqis finally taking control of their own security. Iraqis, particularly Sunni Arabs, have basically said "enough!" Over 60,000 Iraqis have volunteered to help with security.

Insurgents in Iraq become cops...in 8 days

Insurgents become cops Sunni tribesmen once fighting the U.S. military receive basic police academy training that they are expected to complete in 8 days.

Sunni and Shia Getting Along, Getting Together -- [Badgers Forward - in Iraq]
Iraq is incredibly complicated. As I mentioned here several weeks ago, one of the things I learned here was that it was not a 100 piece puzzle to put back together; more like a 1000 piece puzzle.
Many people at home think that by being able to talk about Sunnis, Shias, and Kurds they somehow are demonstrating a greater understanding of the social dynamics of Iraq.

Ramadi: Building on Success -- [ON Point]
Andrew Lubin This month last year I was embedded in Ramadi with 1st Battalion 6th Marines as they kicked in doors, fought insurgents, and began to clear the city block by block. It cost the lives of a lot of good Marines, most under age 25, but their efforts and sacrifice convinced a few local citizens that the Marines understood the difference between “Iraqi’s” and “Al-Quada” – and so the charismatic Sheik Sattar Abu Risha formed the Sons of Anbar, and began co-operating with LtCol William...

Nathan Ritzo: 'Taji Awakening' proof the surge is helping Iraqis -- [Union Leader]
The best thing about my job on the Baghdad Provincial Reconstruction Team is seeing ideas become reality and make a positive impact. It's rewarding to visit places that have benefited from the ideas and hard work of American service members and civilians in Iraq and to see Iraqis adapt to their situation the Americans' example of dedication to national unity against the forces of terrorism and tyranny.

Quiet Times in the “Triangle of Death” -- [A Battlefield Tourist]
US Troops in Successful Partnership With Iraqi Army
The Blackhawk landed hard, forcing the men inside to grab hold of something. “Go! Go! Go!”, broke through the night, above the thundering sound of the rotor blades overhead. The choppers quickly emptied as 10 Americans, 10 Iraqis, a translator and myself rushed toward the nearest home, surrounding it.

Rebuilding the Iraqi Air Force -- [Pinch - BlackFive]
Yesterday I had the opportunity to participate in a DoD-sponsored Blogger's Roundtable with U.S. Air Force Col. Michael Wobbema, Chief of Staff for the Coalition Air Force Transition Team. His job? Help rebuild the Iraqi Air Force.

US targets al Qaeda's al Furqan media wing in Iraq -- [LWJ]
Eight media cells and offices have been broken up in Iraq since the surge began in January 2007. US forces recently broke up al Furqan's Mosul cell and captured two leaders and two media specialists.

"Desperate People with Limited Skills" -- [Small Wars Journal]
Writing and Employing the Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual
In the current issue of "Counterpunch", anthropologist Dr. David Price continues his assault on social scientists assisting national efforts to succeed in Iraq and Afghanistan. This time he impugns the work of anthropologists who helped write Field Manual 3-24, the Counterinsurgency Field Manual that was published by the Army and Marine Corps in December 2006 and republished by the University of Chicago Press in July 2007.

Iranian Rockets Seized in Iraq Oct 27/07

Alleged Iranian rockets seized by U.S. Soldiers east of Baghdad. Scenes include shots of the seized rockets, the stands upon which the rockets sit and...

Whump, Whump, there it is! -- [Sergeant Grumpy - in Iraq]
The old team is gone and we have assumed responsibility for operations here (RIPTOA in army speak, or Relief In Place - Transfer Of Authority.) The outbound guys answered some last minute questions, hit some golf balls off the top of a bunker, and wished us well. We had an alert that there could be a mortar attack, and the guys who were leaving were anxious to get the hell out of here - Soldiers are superstitious about being in harms way when they're short.

Iraq Pictures -- [Iraq Pictures]
Suham Hassan wraps a sleeve over her leg at the Iraqi Army Surgeon General’s Prosthetic Clinic in the International Zone. Suham was fitted for a new prosthetic right leg at the clinic. Suham lost both of her legs in an insurgent mortar attack three years ago

AFGHANISTAN

A Taliban Tribe Switches Sides in Musa Qala? -- [Weekly Standard]
Have the Afghan government and NATO forces cracked the code with dealing with the Taliban-controlled district of Musa Qala in the violent province of Helmand? A report from the em>Telegraph indicates Afghan and NATO forces may have found a pro-Taliban commander and tribal leader willing to turn on the Taliban in Musa Qala.

VMO -- [ETT PA-C - in Afghanistan]
So, sometime in my recent past I was able to go on another village medical outreach about an hour from my new location. Turned out that it was a village surrounded by a refuge camp with approximately 12000 families. If you know anything about families in Afghanistan, that's like 10 dudes with 10 wives a piece and a few thousand kids running about the mine fields like no big deal! Anyway, two other PAs and I went out with SECFOR (security forces) with humanitarian goods and medical supplies for about 300-400 people.

Welcome Back to "The Suck" -- [Bill and Bob's Excellent Afghan Adventure - in Afghanistan]
The first day of the operation started with deceptive calm. Other than the fact that the firebase was chock full of more people than had ever been there before, the early hours of the morning seemed almost sleepy. The morning itself was a typical Afghan morning, clear and calm and becoming bright very quickly as the sun came up over the mountains to the east.

250 Taliban fighters surrounded, 50 killed and 16 captured near Kandahar -- [Live Leak]
ARGHANDAB, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan, U.S. and Canadian troops have surrounded a pocket of some 250 Taliban fighters who have commandeered people's homes in villages just outside Afghanistan's major southern city, officials said Wednesday.
Hundreds of Afghans — their cars and tractors piled high with personal possessions — were fleeing the battleground about 15 miles north of Kandahar city.
The provincial police chief said the combined forces have killed some 50 Taliban in three days of fighting. Three police and one Afghan soldier have also died, Sayed Agha Saqib said.
"The people are fleeing because the Taliban are taking over civilian homes," Saqib said. "There have been no airstrikes. We are trying our best to attack those areas where there are no civilians, only Taliban."

It's all treats at Salerno Hospital . . . -- [Richard's Deployment - in Afghanistan]
I decided not to put any names with these pictures (TOP has the address to use for all the promised payola)

Day 2 of the CMA and Happy Halloween! -- [6 Months in Kabul - in Afghanistan]
If yesterday was like drinking water from a fire hose then today was like drinking water from a fire hose that was connected to the Hoover Dam. I think everyone we saw yesterday told all of their family and friends to come today to be seen. It was like nothing I had ever seen. Around noon, after a very tiresome morning, I turned to the interpreter and asked how many more patients needed to be seen. The interpreter replied causally, "About 500." I smiled and shook my head. The people that we were seeing were the poorest of the poor.

U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Al Jazeera Reports that USAF Bombed Syria in August...with Nukes! -- [Ace of Spades *]
Israel has kept a pretty tight lid on just what happened in Syria back in August. The unofficial story is that the Israeli's conducted an impressive air assault on Iranian-sponsored nuclear facilities in Syria after disabling air defenses using teams on the ground.

52% of Americans support military strike against Iran -- [Tom Gross - Media Blog]
It seems that most Americans are coming round to the view that the world cannot afford to allow the Islamic Republic of Iran to acquire nuclear weapons.
Messianic Iran is not the Soviet Union. If the Islamic fundamentalists of Iran get nuclear weapons, they may very well use them – either directly or by giving a dirty bomb to one of the terror groups they sponsor, such as Hezbollah or Hamas.

North Korean Sailors Battle Pirates with Aid of US Navy -- [GI Korea]
It is a strange world we live in when North Korean sailors and the US Navy are battling pirates together. This incident will probably teach Somali pirates not to mess with North Korean sailors next time considering all North Koreans have mandatory military service and are trained with weapons.

Anti-Bush Song Clip Explodes In Popularity In Turkey -- [MEMRI]
As tensions grow between Turkey and the U.S., anti-Americanism in Turkey also reaches new heights. An anti-Bush song clip recorded last year by the popular Turkish singer Baris Akarsu, is now so much in demand that Turkish TV channels are broadcasting it multiple times every day.

Suicide attack in Rawalpindi -- [Peace like a River]
Rawalpindi is the seat of the military and intelligence services in Pakistan. It is just south of Islamabad. (Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was apprehended here. See also this.)
What could be more symbolic than an attack here. It also illustrates the difficulty in preventing such attacks. How do you stop a guy who just walks up to a checkpoint?
Here is a comment from this post at Metroblogging Islamabad:

WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

Jihad Website Promotes Killing of Americans -- [Jawa Report]
Marked Manner has all the contact details. Remember, Layered Tech probably does not know who they are helping here. Be civil, but help them understand what they are doing and how these websites are used not only for propaganda, but also to recruit new jihadis, and raise funds.

Homegrown Radicalism in the United States -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
More than six years after 9/11, it is clear the US still faces an serious terrorist threat. Recent reports portray a disturbing picture: The latest National Intelligence Estimate on the terrorist threat to the US homeland describes a resurgent al Qaeda based in NW Pakistan which is still determined to strike the US and its allies, and whose ideology continues to radicalize and inspire Muslim youth throughout the world. Similarly, a study by NYPD intelligence division on terrorist radicalization outlines the difficulties in developing profiles for potential future terrorists.

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

Project Works to Provide Voice-controlled Laptops for Wounded Warriors -- [Soldiers Andel Forum]
In recognition of the continuing need to supply voice-activated and adapted-technology laptops to severely wounded military personnel; Project Valour-IT is mounting its 3rd annual Veterans Day fundraising drive among military and civilian bloggers. Teams of bloggers with thousands of readers are aligning themselves with their chosen service branch—Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, or Navy/Coast Guard—in a friendly competition to raise $240,000 before Veterans Day.

Marine Dad victor in suit over fundamentalist church -- [On Point]
ON Point: Marine Father Victor in Suit Over Protests By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, 11/1/07BALTIMORE, Oct. 31 (AP) - The father of a marine killed in Iraq was awarded nearly $11 million in damages on Wednesday. A jury found leaders of a fundamentalist church had invaded the family's privacy and inflicted emotional distress when they picketed the marine's funeral.The jury first awarded $2.9 million in compensatory damages. Later, it awarded $6 million in punitive damages for invasion of privacy and $2 million...

The Book Tour: The Fisher House -- [Bouhammer.com]
As I walked across the Walter Reed campus with Garry, David, Shelly, Owen and Barbara; my mind was lost in thought. Thoughts of what I had just seen as far as technology helping mend the wounded, thoughts of a brave soldier trying to put a Lego model together, thoughts of what I was about to face in the Fisher House we were walking to. See I was worried how I would keep my composure in front of wounded warriors at Walter Reed, because I thought we would be touring the recovery wards. In fact, I had told my wife that I was not sure how I would act. I know these guys don’t want a whole bunch of emotional saps visiting them, they are trying to keep a positive outlook and the last thing they want is grown men crying over them. Since we didn’t walk the wards, I had escaped that situation even though I had really looked forward to it at the same time.

IN MEMORY OF...

A hail fellow, well met -- [CDR Salamander *]
Brig. Gen. Paul W. Tibbets Jr., the commander and pilot of the Enola Gay, the B-29 Superfortress that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in the final days of World War II, died today at his home in Columbus, Ohio. He was 92.

MILITARY

More on the Relevance of the U.S. Air Force -- [The Tank - W. Thomas Smith Jr.]
Yesterday, responding to a post by Jonah at "The Corner," I discussed the relevancy and absolute necessity of the U.S. Air Force in the modern world: a relevancy the American Prospect has called into question.

Shaken and Stirred -- [Strategy Page]
October 31, 2007: Not since the 1970s has the U.S. Army and Marines had so many combat veterans on active duty. There are nearly 200,000 of them, many of them veterans of two or more tours in Iraq or Afghanistan. This is leading to more concern about the aftereffects of combat. This includes brain injuries from roadside bombs, or other explosions encountered in combat, and combat fatigue (or PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder). Neither problem is new, but better diagnostic tools, plus political and media attention, are making it a lot more visible. This has resulted in better methods for dealing with it. But this has uncovered two particularly vexing problems. First, it's been difficult to get troops to seek treatment for subtle brain injuries or PTSD. Second, research, and practical experience, has shown that the best time to deal with both problems, is as soon as it shows up.

WELCOME HOME

Welcome Home: More Than 300 Soldiers Return From Iraq -- [WWNY TV 7]
More than 300 Fort Drum soldiers are back home with their families. The soldiers are with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team. They have been deployed to Iraq for the past 15 months.

POLITICS

H&I* Fires, 02 NOV 2007 -- [Castle Argghhh! *]
Of interest, the Democrats in congress are still trying to tell the President he has no authority to go to war with Iran without congressional support. Flying in the face of the War Powers Act and possibly hamstringing future Democrat presidents who, in the past, have not been exactly adverse to applying a little American Military force without declarations of war. The Dems are arguing among themselves about how to say the most while doing the least.

Biden Tells Fourth Graders President Blamed And Attacked Wrong People For 9-11-- [Pat Dollard *]
And what context do they have to analyze what he says?
...Biden compared the war in Iraq with the invasion of Afghanistan.
“Osama bin Laden set up camps there, and he was getting a lot of help from folks running that country called Afghanistan. And that’s where he planned an attack on America to bring the World Trade Towers down and kill all those innocent Americans. We had a right to, and we should’ve gone, to Afghanistan to try to get bin Laden and those people who’ve done very bad things to America,” he said.
“But the president, I think, he got a little confused,” he continued. “I think he thought the folks in another country, way, way far away, far from here, it’s also far from Afghanistan, called Iraq. He said, ‘The guy in Iraq he helped bin Laden do bad things to us,’ and he didn’t. He wasn’t a good guy, but he didn’t help. So we used that kind of as an excuse to attack Iraq.”

From the Desk of Donald Rumsfeld . . . -- [WaPo]
In Sometimes-Brusque 'Snowflakes,' He Shared Worldview, Shaped Policy — In a series of internal musings and memos to his staff, then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld argued that Muslims avoid "physical labor" and wrote of the need to …

"Make the American people realize they are surrounded in the world by violent extremists." -- [Althouse]
Rumsfeld's "snowflake" memos.
Is the WaPo "running a story based off of selective quotations and gross mischaracterizations from a handful of memos -- carefully picked from the some 20,000 written while Rumsfeld served as Secretary"? Or does this story "shed light on [the] brusque management style" of "a defense secretary disdainful of media criticism and driven to reshape public opinion of the Iraq war"?

THE MEDIA

Nickelodeon is trying to brainwash your children in the morning, or a leftist primer -- [ArmyWifeToddlerMom]
This Nickelodeon "news program", is not a news program. It is a leftist primer on how to be a "left-wing radical REBEL".
I am not a blind follower of our Government, and I also think that Government should be watched by it's citizens. It is our civic duty.
However this program led by Ellerby, is anti-war, anti- GWOT, anti-military.
This "news program" is not about people changing the World around them.
Ms. Ellerby uses leftist propaganda buzz words like "taking on the establishment".
She shows a group of "tweenagers" walking around in orange jumpsuits, hooded and yelling from a bullhorn. "We are not ok, with people being tortured by American soldiers!" "Are cooperation's priority over human lives?"

Twice NBC's Andrea Mitchell Confuses Iraq With Vietnam -- [NewsBusters]
In a great illustration of how many mainstream media journalists view the war in Iraq through the prism of the war in Vietnam, twice on Wednesday's NBC Nightly News veteran foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell said “Vietnam” when she meant to say “Iraq.” Offering a brief summary of how State Department foreign service employees are fighting a plan to involuntarily assign 40 of them to the embassy in Baghdad, Mitchell told anchor Brian Williams about a meeting held Wednesday:

The Guardian’s cartoon today again shows President Bush having sex with a goat-- [Tom Gross - Media Blog]
People outside the U.K. sometimes wonder how the BBC became so viciously anti-Israel.
One important factor is that the BBC news staff’s daily paper of choice is The Guardian, whose coverage of Israel has on more than one occasion verged on spilling over into outright anti-Semitism.

HUMOR / SATIRE

Day By Day

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