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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.
US makes progress in Iraq's `triangle of death' -- [AP]
ISKANDARIYAH, Iraq (AP) -- When the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division arrived in Iraq's once infamous "Triangle of Death," violence there and in neighboring Baghdad was so intense that hundreds were dying every day and the country was virtually in a state of civil war.
Now as the division heads home at the end of May, the region stretching south from Baghdad and across central Iraq has become a showcase for what the U.S. military hoped to achieve in Iraq.
"When we first arrived here 15 months ago there was nothing but sectarian violence, al-Qaida, Shiite extremists," the division commander Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch said as he wrapped up a tour of an industrial complex.
Al Qaeda Discusses Losing Iraq -- [Straregy Page]
May 27, 2008: Al Qaeda web sites are making a lot of noise about "why we lost in Iraq." Western intelligence agencies are fascinated by the statistics being posted in several of these Arab language sites. Not the kind of stuff you read about in the Western media. According to al Qaeda, their collapse in Iraq was steep and catastrophic. According to their stats, in late 2006, al Qaeda was responsible for 60 percent of the terrorist attacks, and nearly all the ones that involved killing a lot of civilians. The rest of the violence was carried out by Iraqi Sunni Arab groups, who were trying in vain to scare the Americans out of the country.
Fall in violence lures Iraqis home -- [USA Today]
BAGHDAD — One year ago, Sahba Shukry hid her tears from her daughter as the family fled their home in Baghdad's violence-wracked Saidiya neighborhood. When they returned home last month, the only tears in the family came from her daughter Sama, 3. The little girl was impatient because her mother was too busy hugging neighbors and downing celebratory glasses of orange slush to help unpack Sama's toys.
"Your toys will stay unpacked this time," Shukry, 31, told her daughter, who was tugging crankily at the folds of her dress. "We're done moving around."
The Shukrys are one among many Iraqi families who, emboldened by the fall in sectarian violence since last year's U.S. troop increase, have returned to homes they left behind. The number of returnees may be growing, although it represents a small percentage of the more than 5 million Iraqis who have fled their homes since the war began in 2003. According to the latest figures available from the Iraqi government, about 30,000 Iraqis had returned home through Mar
Iraqi booze sellers unfazed by threats -- [NewZealand News]
After living in fear for months, liquor store owners in Baghdad are proudly displaying everything from Iraqi Asriya Arak to Johnnie Walker Blue Label whisky, a sign that peace and stability may return.
Bombings, shootings and hand grenade attacks by suspected Muslim militants forced many alcohol salesmen to shut down but a security crackdown by US and Iraqi forces have made it possible for them to re-open along one of the capital's busiest streets.
Baghdad Zoo Making a Comeback -- [Nick News]
It goes without saying that living in Baghdad is probably pretty stressful.
But more and more Iraqis are finding a refuge from the war at the Baghdad Zoo.
According to the Associated Press, 8,000 to 10,000 Iraqis now visit the zoo each week, on average, now that there's less violence in much of Baghdad.
Bin Laden Message A Surrender In Iraq? -- [Yankee Sailor]
There’s been an intriguing series of events playing out over the past few weeks that appear to be forming a pattern. If you recall the happenings in Iraq from two years ago, Abu Musab Zarqawi was said to be demoted from his position as the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq. That ambiguity was removed with the death of Zarqawi in 2006 and he was succeeded by Abu Ayyub al-Masri.
Al-Masri made his public debut to much fanfare in jihadi circles, but his leadership has proven quite ineffectual, to the extent that the U.S. has slashed the reward for his capture from $5 million to a paltry $100,000 over the course of the last year.
FIFA Suspends Iraq, Putting a Hero Team Out of the Olympics -- [NY Times]
FIFA announced today that it has suspended Iraq from all international soccer competitions for one year after last week’s decision by the Iraqi government to dissolve its national Olympic committee. Iraq was already facing a suspension from the International Olympic Committee that could prevent its athletes from going to Beijing, but with FIFA’s suspension coming first, it now means that the Iraq men’s soccer team cannot appear in the Games.
FIFA said that if Iraq reinstates its Olympic committee before 2 p.m. London time on Thursday, it will lift the suspension.
The Bon Jovi IED -- [Kaboom - in Iraq]
O Dark Thirty. Memorial Day weekend, not that any of us were really aware of that at the time. Patrolling up and down Route Daytona, the highway stretch that serves as the logistical spinal column for the massive American body draped across this part of Iraq.
“Gravedigger 1, this is X-Ray.” My entire vehicle groaned along with me. Radio calls at this time of night rarely bring good news.
Insurgent Get OWNED By His RPG While Trying To Shoot A US Military Humvee In Iraq
"Failed RPG Attack At US Military Humvee"
"BTW The Insurgent Killed Some Of His Insurgent Team Also By His RPG"
Iraqi Special Forces capture Special Groups commander in Baghdad -- [LWJ]
Iraqi Special Operations Forces have captured a senior Mahdi Army Special Groups leader in the Shula neighborhood in the Ghazaliyah district in northwestern Baghdad. The Shula neighborhood has been a target of US and Iraqi forces over the past several weeks as the fighting in Sadr City has largely subsided.
The Iraqi Special Operations Forces captured what Multinational Forces Iraq called a "mid-level Special Groups leader" along with two associates during a raid on May 25. The commander, who is "affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps," is thought to lead a 300-man battalion of Mahdi Army fighters.
GEN Petraeus on Muqtada al-Sadr and How Iraqi Troops Saved Basra
Cat’s Out of the Bag: Onwards to Maysan -- [Talisman Gate - Iraqi Blog]
Well I guess enough people are openly discussing this now in Baghdad that it’s okay for me to write about it. Mind you, all the following is classified under the category of gossip:
The Iraqi Army and the Marines are preparing for a major campaign against Mahdi Army and Iranian targets in Maysan Province (‘Amara). Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki may even put the entire elected leadership of ‘Amara—many of whom are Sadrists—out of a job, by flexing his authority under emergency powers. There is even talk of air strikes against military targets—weapons depots, transportation vehicles and individuals—on the Iranian side of the fence; these are targets that are arming and otherwise supporting the Special Groups throughout Iraq.
Outside the wire -- [James Aalan Bernsen - in Iraq]
On a mild Spring morning a while back, I climbed into an armored vehicle and took up my seat. With my body armor wrapped tightly around me and my Kevlar helmet firm about my head, I took my seat inside what is known as a Rhino - a fortified bus. But this was no ordinary morning commute. At a final stop before passing through our gates, we were told to load our weapons.
‘Forbidden pleasures’ return to Mosul -- [Middle East Online]
Weddings, park visits, coffee shops and restaurants back into circulation as Al-Qaeda melts away in northern Iraq.
Taha and his fiancee took advantage of the offensive against Al-Qaeda to don their wedding finery and head for the so-called "Forest Park" where newlyweds traditionally pose for pictures surrounded by friends and family.
Frightened residents deserted the park in north Mosul after radical Al-Qaeda militants imposed their extremist view of Islam on the city.
But since the local campaign against Al-Qaeda began residents have been returning in force to celebrate weddings in the park, especially at weekends.
Sen. Lindsey Graham asked GEN Petraeus what sparked the remarkable turnaround in Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Gates Says Lack of Patience Could Cost Victory -- [Defense Link]
U.S. strategic objectives “are within reach” in Afghanistan and Iraq, but a lack of patience could doom those prospects, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said last night.
Gates spoke to the second Special Operations Forces International Conference at Tampa, Fla., the home of U.S. Special Operations Command.
Afghanistan and Iraq are the most important battlefields in the fight today, the secretary said, and his priority has been “getting us to a point where our strategic objectives are within reach in those two countries.”
America’s best opportunity to discredit and deflate the extremist ideology is in Afghanistan and Iraq, Gates said.
Progress in Iraq: Security 2008
See how and why the surge worked; watch Iraqis talk about the safety they experience now and hear the untold story of how Iraqis stepped up to the plate and made the surge work. No one should argue for or against Iraq until they educate themselves with this video.
Iraq News (27 May) -- [LT Nixon - in Iraq]
The Good
Muqtada al-Sadr might be trying to brush up on his studies and boost his theological credentials according to WaPo, but the LA Times reports that the Mahdi Army is losing popular support in the Shi'ite district of Sadr City due to its racketeering and thug-like tactics.
The U.S. Presidential hopefuls may address the women in combat issue. Haha, silly politicians, military women are already in combat roles, get with the times!
Reuters reports that major heads of the state-run oil industry have been replaced, which is most likely an attempt to curb the corruption that has plagued the Iraqi oil industry.
Six young boys, who were being trained to be utilized as suicide bombers by a Saudi foreign fighter, have been rescued by Iraqi security forces in Mosul.
Memorial Day -- [One Marine's View - in Iraq]
...This Memorial Day as 3 others that I have spent on a deployment I ponder of the warriors who came before us, the ones we try to emulate. It’s an unwritten rule, that we try to fulfill the expectations of those that have gone before us and have changed the world. WW I, WW II, all the wars and battles before and after, one constant theme has been in every one, American men and women have volunteered to stand for the country and keep the wolf at bay. Some returning home, many paying the ultimate sacrifice.
'Ayatollah will not allow US-Iraq deal' -- [Press TV]
Iraq's most revered Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has strongly objected to a 'security accord' between the US and Iraq.
The Grand Ayatollah has reiterated that he would not allow Iraq to sign such a deal with "the US occupiers" as long as he was alive, a source close to Ayatollah Sistani said.
Is Sistani Promoting Attacks on Coalition Forces? -- [Weekly Standard]
While this certainly isn't beyond the realm of possibility, I have spoken to several US intelligence sources who think this is highly unlikely. The primary reason is that one of the groups cited in the article, the Jund al Marjaiyah, which means the Soldiers of the Religious Authorities or Army of the Marja, essentially serve as "the Shia version of the Swiss Guard for Sistani's religious circle." This means their purpose is to protect the religious sites and the senior leadership of Sistani's circle. If the Jund al Marjaiyah starts to conduct attacks on Coalition forces, this would invite reprisals and directly endanger the senior leadership and religious sites.
Andrew Sullivan celebrates Memorial Day with Iranian propaganda -- [Protien Wisdom]
Excitable Andy relays — without the slightest hint of skepticism — an anonymously sourced piece from PressTV claiming that Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has strongly objected to a ’security accord’ between the US and Iraq.
PressTV is an arm of Iran’s state broadcasting apparatus. As Michael Goldfarb notes, it is an outlet that seriously reports on claims that the Holocuast was “scientifically impossible.” While it is possible that Sistani is taking a more aggressive stance toward the US presence in Iraq, his general philosophy of quietism runs against getting involved in politics (and thus against the general philosophy of the Iranian mullocracy). So it is also entirely possible that the anonymously-sourced piece is pure Iranian government propaganda, gullibly lapped up by the BDS crowd in the way they lapped up Sadrist propaganda about Sistani last month.
A Year in Iraq
Some videos and pics of my year as an advisor to an Iraqi Commando unit.
Memorial Day Memories -- [Courage Without Fear - in Iraq]
Once again I'm celebrating a Memorial Day from the desert. This marks the second time I've been in uniform, overseas for Memorial Day. Even though I hate to say it, I don't think it'll be my last. After 9/11/01 it's a different world we live in.
...Many of my soldiers here on this tour wear bracelets etched with the name of a soldier. Many of them personally knew the Soldier whose name is engraved on that piece of metal. They were friends, comrades, Brothers. Even after they leave the service and continue their lives without the Army, they'll keep those bracelets.
Chicken feed and city council, working civil affairs in Iraq -- [IN Iraq - Jim Foley in Iraq]
Captain Carlstein Lutchmedial, originally from Trinidad, asks a ton of questions. When the village catfish farmer tells him he only has a thousand fish in his pond at one time, Lutchmedial asks why he can’t breed more. When the water plant operator says he needs more gas to keep the generators going, Lutchmedial asks how much more he needs. When Tikrit city council members say they want a new clinic, Lutchmedial asks them to recall what happened to the last clinic. He asks about rent, cost of living, fuel and jots their answers down in his green book.
Iraqi Heroes.
I made this before people were making them. A British Muslim helped me create it.
Iraqi orchestra stages rare concert -- [Middle East Online]
BAGHDAD - Iraq's national symphony orchestra staged a rare concert in Baghdad in what organisers said was an effort to preserve the nation's cultural heritage despite years of warfare.
A repertoire of Arabic, Kurdish and classical Western compositions was played on Wednesday to an audience of 400 people including UN officials, diplomats, military officers and Iraqi lawmakers, according to the UN organisers.
The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq said the concert, held to mark the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, was intended to "remind the world of what Iraqis can offer and to preserve the country's cultural heritage."
Thank you Pakistan....... -- [Miserable Donuts]
Seems our Friends in Islamabad have made another deal with the Taliban in the western wastelands. "We will leave you alone if you just play nice". I have always been convinced that Afghanistan's stability has never been the goal of her neighbors. Here is more proof. With the Pak Army backing off, the tribes are allowed to continue their fight across the border. Attacks are already up 300% in the eastern ISAF areas and so are casualties on both sides, and those caught in the middle. Negotiation without Strength = Appeasement. This has been proven again and again. Take notes Obama, lets see how this works out.
Following the Marines Through Helmand III -- [The Captain’s Journal]
Take particular note of the words of town elder Abdul Nabi: “We are grateful for the security. We don’t need your help, just security.” Similar words were spoken at a meeting in Ghazni with the U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan: ““We don’t want food, we don’t want schools, we want security!” said one woman council member.”
Again, similar words were spoken upon the initial liberation of Garmser by the U.S. Marines: “The next day, at a meeting of Marines and Afghan elders, the bearded, turban-wearing men told Marine Capt. Charles O’Neill that the two sides could “join together” to fight the Taliban. “When you protect us, we will be able to protect you,” the leader of the elders said.” The narrative emerging is not one of largesse, roads, education, crop rotation, irrigation and all of the other elements of the soft side of counterinsurgency. To be sure, these elements are necessary and good, but sequentially they come after security.
Afghanistan Campaign Gripped by Confusion -- [The Captain’s Journal]
In Command Structure Changes for Afghanistan we discussed the possibility that Secretary of Defense Gates would demand changes in the strategic alignment of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Promotion of General Petraeus to Commander of CENTCOM without a realignment of U.S. troops to his direct command (they currently report to NATO command) removes the possibility for any strategic changes needed to make the campaign successful.
There are further developments in the potential realignment of forces, and General McNeill has made his position known.
In Pictures: Eastern Afghanistan's most wanted -- [LWJ]
Shortly before the Combined Joint Task Force-82 transferred authority to the incoming 101st Airborne Division on April 10, CJTF-82 shared a list of the most wanted insurgent operatives' active in the areas under Regional Command East with The Long War Journal. The list is separate from the 12-most wanted Taliban list drafted up by the US military in October 2007. The current list includes a plethora of regional, provincial and district level insurgent commanders and criminal kingpins wanted for facilitating attacks against Coalition and Afghan National Security Forces. The list marks the first glimpse into the ground-level hunt for key insurgent commanders in areas such as Logar and Laghman provinces.
U.S. Soldiers in Afghanistan Love Their Job
Busy ,Busy, Busy -- [48th Combat Support Hospital - in Afghanistan]
...Remember a couple of months ago I wrote a post about "Sad Faced Children"? Well, I must admit...we just discharged a patient that was a young boy and he was always smiling. He had been struck by a vehicle and had received a bad burn to his lower leg. The doctors were amazing with the care they provided as was the rest of our staff. This boy had a smile that could lighten up the entire room. He thought much of what we did was funny and his smile would warm your heart. He loved throwing ball. We didn't have an actual baseball (probably best for safety reasons), but we had a plush easter egg and a baseball glove. We would throw the ball with him and he would set there in his wheelchair and throw forever. He loved it any time the staff would miss and get hit with the ball. He would do one of those "belly laughs" where you can hear the laugh come from deep within. I am so glad that he is better but hate to see him go. We should be able to keep pre-packaged muffins stocked no because that boy could really tear into some blueberry and chocolate muffins.
Other than that, its basically business as usual here at Salerno.
New from MEMRI TV: VIDEO -- [MEMRI Blog]
The Emir of the Pakistani Taliban Beitullah Mahsoud: Pakistan Should Use Its Nuclear Weapons to Challenge the Enemies; Five Percent of Fighters in Afghanistan Are Our Men
Making life a little better -- [Voices from the War - in Afghanistan]
I'm SSG Frank Broncato from Buffalo, and I am Humanitarian Aid Coordinator in the Civil Military Affairs Section of 27th Brigade Combat Team, CJTF Phoenix VII Kabul, Afghanistan.
I keep track of all incoming and out going aid supplies. I distribute clothes, toys, food and school supplies, which are desperately needed here. We are opening up a lot of schools for the children of Afghanistan.
Breaking point -- [Sun reporter | David Wood in afghanistan]
As fighting in Afghanistan intensifies, Marines battle an ever-present enemy: combat stress
GARMSIR, AfghanistanIn - In the dying sunlight, the day's heat radiates from a farm compound's baked adobe walls, which enclose Marines slumped wearily against their rucksacks.
Here in southern Afghanistan, where the men of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit are battling Taliban insurgents, life comes in a simple equation: There are men out there who will kill you, unless you kill them first.
Out here, you've got to figure out how to handle the stress of that exhilarating and awful equation.
Bust it or park it, use guesswork or patchwork or whatever works. Suck up the heat, the dust, the physical exhaustion, the fear, the loss. Help is a long way away.
I’m sorry -- [From the ’stan - in Afghanistan]
I just read a comment on one of my stories about the Court of Inquiry from someone who was offended by the fact that I was able to go to Afghanistan since my husband is there. He also said my husband should not have eaten meals with me because his Marines didn’t have that option.
In light of that, I just wanted to apologize to any of you who are or were upset and/or offended by me going to Afghanistan. I know we are all under a lot of stress when our loved ones are deployed, and I certainly did not want to cause any additional stress for any of you. As I mentioned early in the blog, I did discuss that issue at length with my editors and we determined that our readers were better served by me going and writing about what life and work is like over there than by me staying home.
John Bolton to be target of citizen's arrest at Hay Festival -- [Telegraph]
John Bolton, the former US ambassador to the United Nations, faces a citizen's arrest when he addresses an audience at the Hay Festival in Wales this evening.
George Monbiot, the journalist and activist, is planning the action because he believes Mr Bolton is a "war criminal".
He said he was surprised that Mr Bolton would be allowed to "swim through the politest of polite soirees – which is of course Hay."
Israel: Carter Offers Details on Nuclear Arsenal -- [Reuters]
Former President Jimmy Carter said Israel held at least 150 nuclear weapons, the first time a current or former American president had publicly acknowledged the Jewish state’s nuclear arsenal. Asked at a news conference in Wales on Sunday how a future president should deal with the Iranian nuclear threat, he sought to put the risk in context by listing atomic weapons held globally. “The U.S. has more than 12,000 nuclear weapons, the Soviet Union has about the same, Great Britain and France have several hundred, and Israel has 150 or more,” he said, according to a transcript. The existence of Israeli nuclear arms is widely assumed, but Israel has never admitted their existence and American officials have stuck to that line in public for years.
Amid Middle East Peace Talks, Political And Military Problems Cause Domestic Uncertainty In Israel -- [Threats Watch]
The recent announcement by Israel, Syria, and Turkey concerning the advancement of indirect negotiations on the Golan Heights has diverted attention away from some significant developments in Israel and the Middle East region. More damaging evidence against Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on corruption charges has been temporarily muted by the Golan announcement, as has the outcome of talks in Qatar between various factions of the Lebanese government. Hizballah now has veto power over decisions made within a new national...
Oil Hysteria Driving Price More Than OPEC Supply, Global Demand -- [Threats Watch - Steve Schippert]
America’s greatest strength in wartime has long been its economic and industrial might. Record oil prices are damaging this capacity. Yet the cause for the sustained spike in oil prices has less to do with increased global demand or fluctuations in supply than most acknowledge. Rather, an irrational market panic is by far the greatest variable in the economic equation. Nevertheless, we continue to look to address the problem by cajoling or even intimidating the suppliers. Regardless of what one...
Media and Intel Community Caught by Apparent Al-Qaida Nuke Message "Prank" -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
As of early this evening, ABC News and the Drudge Report are running a headline claiming that "al Qaeda operatives will post a new video on the Internet in the next 24 hours, calling for what one source said is 'jihadists to use biological, chemical and nuclear weapons to attack the West.'" The ABC News report quotes FBI spokesman Richard Kolko as acknowledging that "there have been several reports that al Qaeda will release a new message calling for the use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) against civilians."
For the record: there is no indication whatsoever that Al-Qaida's As-Sahab Media Foundation is preparing to release anything in the next 24 hours. There has been no notification posted on the usual channels, there are no glitzy advertisements, and there is no credible electronic chatter, period. Rather, the intel community appears to have (once again) fallen victim to poorly researched open source news reporting.
Video Urges Nuclear Jihad Against US [UPDATE: "Code" Threatens September 2008 Attack?] -- [Jawa Report]
The most popular jihadi web forum has posted an "unofficial" video urging Muslims to use nuclear weapons against the U.S. and the West. The video is titled "Nuclear Terrorism". By unofficial they mean that it was produced by forum users, and not by al Qaeda's official video production arm.
The lengthy video uses reports popular in the Arab and European Leftist press that the U.S. used chemical weapons in Fallujah as justification for using WMD against the United States. The star witness is Jeff Englehart.
Al Qaeda Supporters' Tape to Call for Use of WMDs -- [ABC News]
Intelligence and law enforcement sources tell ABC News they are expecting al Qaeda supporters will post a new video on the Internet in the next 24 hours, calling for what one source said is "jihadists to use biological, chemical and nuclear weapons to attack the West."
"There have been several reports that al Qaeda will release a new message calling for the use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) against civilians," FBI spokesman Richard Kolko told ABC News in an e-mail.
Osama Bin Laden Located in Himalayan Mountains? -- [Gateway Pundit]
UPDATE: Top Pakistani Taliban official Baitullah Mehsud announced that Osama Bin Laden is dead.
UPDATE 2: Then there is this other report from today claiming that Osama is hiding in northern Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan.
TERRORISM: AL ARABIYA, BIN LADEN IS ON K2 -- [AGI News]
(AGI) - Cairo, May 26 - Osama bin Laden is hiding on K2: Dubai's sat tv 'Al Arabiya' claimed that a vast military operation carried out by US secret services is being conducted there to capture the leader of al Qaeda. According to the arab channel, which quotes anonymous military forces, the imminent military operation is being readied at the base of the second highest mountain in the world in a tribal area of northern Pakistan where Bin Laden has been living for some time under the protection of pashtun populations. In order to prepare the operation US secret services and army officials met in recent days in a military base in Doha, Qatar. The meetings have allegedly been attended by US general David Petraeus who is leading American forces in Iraq and the US ambassador in Islamabad Anne Peterson. News of the possible raid against bin Laden, yet to be confirmed by other sources, arrives at the same time as an al Qaeda announcement requesting for attacks against US interests in Yemen. An announcement "attributed" to al Qaeda and posted on the 'al ekhlaas' website, the terrorist organisation asks its "brothers in Yemen to undertake attacks such as the one against the USS Cole or the one against French tanker 'Limburg'" because "only attacks of this kind can be considered effective these days".
Sri Lanka 'will defeat terrorism' -- [BBC News]
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has vowed "not to stop until terrorism has been defeated".
He was speaking after at least eight people were killed and more than 70 injured in a bomb attack on a packed commuter train on Monday
Religious Frictions In The Moslem World -- [Strategy Page]
May 27, 2008: The West, and non-Moslems in general, aren't the only ones suffering from the effects of Islamic extremism. It isn't just the violence of terrorists, it's the threats and harassment. Moslems suffer from this the most, and that has led to a strange revival of Christianity in Moslem nations. In Algeria, for example, the local Christian community has grown from a few hundred, to over 30,000, in the last 25 years. Moslems are looking for a change, and those that cannot get out, try and find solutions closer to home. This in spite of the fact that Islamic extremists are particularly hostile to Moslems who convert to any other religion.
521 Soldiers need adopted -- [Soldiers' Angels]
Adopting a Soldier:
To adopt a soldier you must commit to sending a card or letter each week and a minimum of 1 or 2 care packages a month. This is one of the most important things we can do to help bring home a healthy hero--It is so very important for each of them to know that we care and support them, and your letters and care packages will do just that.
Heart Full of Soul Being Sent to Military Hospital -- [Soldiers Angels Network]
Jewelry Sprout is sponsoring the Proud Of Our Troops drive. They are asking everyone to please support and uplift US troops who are patients at Walter Reed military hospital in Washington, DC by sending them the inspirational book by American Idol winner Taylor Hicks. The autobiography is titled 'Heart Full Of Soul.' Jewelry Sprout is accepting both the hardcover and the audio versions of the book. Show your love and thanks to the troops and give them something that will lift their spirits and give them enjoyment during the time that they are recuperating at the hospital. The goal for this drive is to have a book for each inpatient at the hospital. There are approximately 270 patients at Walter Reed hospital.
Vandals Deface Welcome Home Display For Marine -- [WCSH6.com]
WINTERPORT (NEWS CENTER) -- A Winterport woman's "Welcome Home" message for her fiance, a Marine who has been serving in Iraq, was vandalized Friday.
Brittney Ginn put up a display along North Road in Winterport to welcome her fiance, LCPL William Shibles, home from Iraq. But vandals all but destroyed the display. They ripped flags off and stuck them upside down in the ground, slashed the banner with a knife and drove a vehicle over it, leaving tire marks.
The vandalism has shocked and angered Ginn's family and friends. Ginn has fixed the display and added a message for the vandals.
"We washed it back up and put it right back up there and put another one," said Ginn. "'Respect those who serve,' that's the key word, respect those who have gone."
Turning Our Backs on the Gold Star Families -- [Thunder Run]
Most of America just doesn’t get it.
In point of fact, only a select few know what it’s really about.
To most of America, Memorial Day is the beginning of summer, the start of vacations and days at the pool, of sales and parties and friends all together to kick off the biggest party of the year…summer. A time when backyard parties occur for no reason other than everyone was available, the beer is cold and the sun still shines on warm summer evenings, but to some families Memorial Day still holds true to its original intent, a day set aside to honor their loved ones - who fell in combat.
Have we ever considered what a slap in the face it is on Memorial Day to the families of those whom gave the ultimate sacrifice? To see consumerism run amuck, sales and discounts and an extra 10% to active duty military when their loved one couldn’t take advantage of any discount even if they wanted to - because their loved one is dead. Yes dead, I said it, the word that scares so many people.
Charlie and the Troops -- [The Corner - David Freddoso]
As a Golden Domer, I cannot help but draw attention to Charlie Weis's words at the White House yesterday, on his trip with other college football coaches to visit the troops in Iraq in celebration of Memorial Day:
We went over there to help motivate the morale of the troops -- but I think we came home probably more inspired than even they were. I mean, it was just an unbelievable experience to watch the enthusiasm and the pride and the teamwork over there…
David Hardt on PTSD & Courage -- [Blog-ah]
I opened the paper the other day and read that the government has started to implement a one-stop shop to possibly cure or at least help those of us who have PTSD. When I first read this it was almost like a joke. I commented to my wife, “Hey, from what I am reading, they’re going to treat us all the same, sit us in a circle like we are in AA, and we will just talk it all out.” My wife looked at me and laughed, “You in a circle talking it out; that would be entertaining.” In an effort to write responsibly, I have to admit that for some talking it out will suffice, and for others, listening to a recording of ocean waves crashing down will do the trick. But on a serious note, let’s be real about it. Some of us are far beyond that.
...Since I am included in these numbers, I have a front seat to what is really going on, and let me tell you, what I am seeing and experiencing is angering me and slowly discouraging me.
Father Travels To Iraq To See Where Son Was Killed
An American father traveled all the way to Iraq just to see where his son was shot dead by an islamic insurgent sniper.
Shitbags and Thieves -- [Toby Nunn]
For the past month people have been looking at me pretty hard trying to find something to get at me with. Proudly its easy to keep the wolves from the door when you don't have a steak hanging on your door knob. It was apparent that some leaders not all where going to use things against me if given the opportunity so I had to with hold some posts from publication. Here is one that was written a few weeks ago and had to sit on the burners but is worthy of publication still because I will have no reason to be ashamed of my feelings. This post will not affect the future of the men like had been threatened so without further adue, I give you Shit Bags and Thieves:
Does The U.S. Military Use The Wrong Bullets On This ‘New’ Enemy? -- [Pat Dollard]
US uses bullets ill-suited for new ways of war
WASHINGTON - As Sgt. Joe Higgins patrolled the streets of Saba al-Bor, a tough town north of Baghdad, he was armed with bullets that had a lot more firepower than those of his 4th Infantry Division buddies.
As an Army sniper, Higgins was one of the select few toting an M14. The long-barreled rifle, an imposing weapon built for wars long past, spits out bullets larger and more deadly than the rounds that fit into the M4 carbines and M16 rifles that most soldiers carry.
“Having a heavy cartridge in an urban environment like that was definitely a good choice,” says Higgins, who did two tours in Iraq and left the service last year. “It just has more stopping power.”
Strange as it sounds, nearly seven years into the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, bullets are a controversial subject for the U.S.
Missing the Real Point Of Military Blogs?!?! -- [The Marine Corps, Social Media and Millennials]
I’ve been pretty busy since my last post in which I requested some feedback on Blogger X and I’ve also been doing some thinking and further researching on the phenomenal of Military Blogging.
A Different View of Military Blogs and Social Media
What’s intrigued me in my research thus far, is that no one is really looking at military blogs or the military using social media as a recruiting and retention tool. All the focus is on the potential security risks…and the harm of blogs on official military operations.
To me this is due to complete lack of understanding of Social Media by the military. Blogger X is an attempt at using blogging for social media purposes but unfortunately, it’s not properly implemented.
Families welcome soldiers home from Iraq -- [ABC7Chicago]
Sunday brought a happy homecoming for soldiers in one Illinois National Guard company. The group has returned home after nearly one year in Iraq.
More than a dozen members of the National Guard's 3625th Maintenance Company out of North Riverside were greeted by their loved ones.
It was a long day for the Chicago area soldiers that began with a flight from Ft. Hood in Texas to Springfield. There, soldiers had a parade and welcome-home ceremony, after which they boarded a bus to North Riverside. The trip was delayed, however, after the unit's bus broke down, but finally, late Sunday afternoon, the soldiers arrived home.
Marine gets welcome home from Iraq -- [Southtown Star]
Sixty-nine-year-old grandmother Carolyn Dean last rode on a motorcycle 50 years ago.
At that time - a memory she doesn't recall with too much fondness (she alluded to an "accident") - she was six months pregnant with the first of what would be eight children.
On Saturday, she finally got back on the horse - after all, it was a momentous occasion.
Her grandson, Marine Corps Pfc. Kenneth Stoots, returned home from Iraq last week, and for his big welcome party, several local motorcycle rider organizations escorted him from his house to the party spot at American Legion Post 1160 in Chicago Ridge.
Another... MAJOR FOREIGN POLICY GAFFE By Obama Campaign -- [Gateway Pundit]
Barack Obama Is Going to Open New Channels Of Diplomacy With Iran
Barack Obama believes that:
"We have not exhausted our non-military options in confronting the Iranian threat; in many ways, we have yet to try them.
Barack Obama- Is ready to offer the Iranian Regime membership into the World Trade Organization:
But, Oops!... There appears to be a problem with this plan.
Amir Taheri at The Wall Street Journal has some critical information that was missed by Obama's staff of foreign policy advisors
Exclusive: McClellan whacks Bush, White House -- [Politico]
Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan writes in a surprisingly scathing memoir to be published next week that President Bush “veered terribly off course,” was not “open and forthright on Iraq,” and took a “permanent campaign approach” to governing at the expense of candor and competence.
• McClellan charges that Bush relied on “propaganda” to sell the war.
• He says the White House press corps was too easy on the administration during the run-up to the war.
The eagerly awaited book, while recounting many fond memories of Bush and describing him as “authentic” and “sincere,” is harsher than reporters and White House officials had expected.
McClellan was one of the president’s earliest and most loyal political aides, and most of his friends had expected him to take a few swipes at his former colleague in order to sell books but also to paint a largely affectionate portrait.
Instead, McClellan’s tone is often harsh.
Obama admits reference to Auschwitz was wrong -- [Reuters]
Democrat Barack Obama admitted on Tuesday he was wrong to say his uncle helped liberate the Nazis' Auschwitz concentration camp after Republicans said Soviet troops freed the camp.
Obama's campaign said the candidate meant to say that his great-uncle, Charlie Payne, had helped liberate a part of the Buchenwald camp, not Auschwitz.
Senator Lieberman compares generals Petraeus and Odierno to Patton and Eisenhower, Grant and Sherman:
Lieberman called Petraeus’ assessment of the Basra offensive and Maliki’s efforts “nothing short of thrilling
Petraeus/Odierno Brief War Progress to Media Blackout -- [Amy Proctor]
Did you know LT GEN Ray Odierno and GEN David Petraeus appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday in Washington, DC? Neither did most people because the MSM ignored the briefings designed to promote the generals, Odierno to Multi-National Force-Iraq commander and Petraeus to CENTCOM commander as they sought approval for those positions before the Senate committee. Both were nominated by President Bush.
The MSM had good reason for not covering the hearings, which weren’t even live on C-Span. The news from both commanders about progress and security in Iraq are irrefutable and contradict the logic for withdrawal that has been flaunted by Democrats for the past several years and we all know how liberals in the media want this war to end. Even Democrats on the committee were docile, agreeable and non-confrontational. Violence in Iraq is at a 4 year low. B-O-R-I-N-G. The Obama/Clinton campaign fiasco is so much more important than how the troops everyone supposedly supports are doing in combat.
Why Memorial Day is a Double-Whammy for Me -- [Middle East Online]
On this Memorial Day, remember, too, to look at the pictures of Iraqi children being lifted out of rubble after their homes have been bombed by US jets, says Cindy Sheehan.
Memorial Day is a double-whammy for me.
You see, my son Casey was born on Memorial Day 29 years ago.
...Seeing all the flags and the battered vets paying homage makes my stomach turn and my heart break for all the broken families that have had to pay needlessly high prices for this war, and other imperial wars, like Vietnam.
...With a presidential election season upon us, we need to recognize the militarism of each candidate and realize that their positions on war and empire are not so different from each other.
We need to rededicate our lives to opposing empire, war and unbridled presidential power so that Memorial Day is not grief-soaked for thousands more families to come.
I know I will never experience Memorial Day as a holiday again.
Hamas : US President Clinton Would Speak With Arab Leaders While Having Sex With "The Jewish Monica
It Was a Bogus Story 2 Days Ago... But, Who Cares?... TIME Mag Throws It Out There Anyway -- [Gateway Pundit]
TIME Magazine followed the AP in reporting the same bogus story on Ayatollah Sistani in Iraq.
Two days ago the AP reported that Iraq's moderate and popular Ayatollah Ali Sistani was issuing fatwas for Iraqis to go out and kill US soldiers.
Iraqi-American blogger Nibras Kazimi at Talisman Gate quickly dismissed the report as a "Red Herring Fatwa."
Sure enough, after a few hours the Iraqi website Iraq Alalaan disputed the shocking report by the Associated Press.
The Huffington Post's Memorial Day: Bush Is a Murderer -- [NewsBusters]
When the national political conversation turns to excessive nastiness, will the media remember The Huffington Post? On Bush's last Memorial Day as Commander-in-Chief, Democratic activist Bob Geiger posted an article titled "Dead Troops Remembered by President Who Had Them Killed." Bush is a murderer? Geiger says yes: "Make no mistake about it, George W. Bush is as responsible for the deaths of those men and women as if he himself had fired the bullet or set the IEDs that ended their lives."
CBS: 'Substance Abuse'? People Think McCain War Injuries 'Funny'? -- [NewsBusters]
The night after ABC's World News raised the possibility John McCain's POW ordeal caused "psychological damage," on Friday's CBS Evening News Dr. Sanjay Gupta thought it noteworthy that the release of McCain's medical records ignored the Senator's "mental health," any "mention of post-traumatic stress disorder" or of "substance abuse." Oddly, Dr. Jon LaPook asserted that "people" notice McCain is "not able to raise his arm" and think "'doesn't that look funny?'" Who thinks McCain's limitation, caused by an attack on him after his plane crashed in North Vietnam and he was denied medical care, looks funny? In what circles does CBS's doctor travel?
Will Media Report Obama Seeing Dead People in Memorial Day Audience? -- [NewsBusters]
The gaffes continued this holiday weekend for the media's presidential candidate.
Having mispronounced the name of the Florida city he was speaking in on Friday, as well as erred about what president was in the White House when Hugo Chavez took over Venezuela, Barack Obama talked about seeing dead people in the audience during a Memorial Day speech in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Note: The Obama website scrubbed the "dead people in the audience" from his speech:
Circulation Arcana [Media Blog - Kevin D. Williamson]
One of the worrying things about the publications we turn to for honest reporting is that they are not always all that strictly honest when reporting things about themselves, especially when reporting their circulation/readership numbers to advertisers. News publications do all sorts of things to artificially pump up those numbers, in order to command higher advertising rates. One of the things they do is give away, or practically give away, lots of copies for public spaces — doctors' offices, business lobbies, shopping malls, even parking garages.
Mediaweek reports that ABC, the big daddy of circulation auditors, is changing the way it counts those copies:
(Need more? Dawn Patrols Archives are here.)
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.
Don't Let The Memory Of Them Drift Away -- [IraqWarHeroes.org / AfghanistanWarheroes.org]
Last Update May 26, 2008. 4653 USA Names
Dedicated to our deceased Heroes that have served in Iraq & Afghanistan
If you have photos, statements, tribute pages for any of these heroes that will help others remember them, Please Email me.
I prefer Large photos. Many of the small photos on this website are links to larger photos. Thanks.
I'm a 1 person operation. Due to the amount of missions I've been on lately, I'm far behind on emails
MAJ GEN Hertling: Support the Troops with More than Just Your Words this Memorial Day
Everyone says they support the troops, but America is at war; Americans are at the mall. MAJ GEN Mark Hertling, commander of Multi-National Divison North in Iraq, described it on CNN’s Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer saying soldiers often feel like we are an Army at war, not a nation at war.
"Mike" -- [Greyhawk]
Life is hard when you lose a child; you have children and you think of them burying you and not the other way around. But war brings a nw perspective to the parent child relationship, for the parent is put in a position that they are unable to fulfill a basic parental
Mike Stokely Slide Show
Medal of Honor Citations: Vietnam War and Iraqi Conflict -- [Medal of Honor Recipients]
A complete and official catalog of the 242 United States Medal of Honor Citations issued during the Vietnam War.
Bush Confers Highest Military Decoration on Fallen Navy SEAL -- [Navy News]
President Bush posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor April 8 to Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor, a Navy SEAL whose mortal sacrifice in Iraq saved the lives of two fellow SEALs and several Iraqi soldiers.
...Monsoor, a 25 year-old machine gunner with SEAL Team 3, was providing security at a sniper lookout post on Sept. 29, 2006, in Ramadi, Iraq, when a fragmentation grenade hit his chest and bounced to the floor. Positioned next to the single exit, only Monsoor could have escaped harm.
Instead, he threw himself onto the grenade. Monsoor used his body to absorb the blast and shield two nearby SEALs. The SEALs and eight Iraqi soldiers survived, some with wounds, others unscathed. Monsoor died a half hour later.
Michael Monsoor awarded the Medal of Honor
Parents dedicate Marine's Medal of Honor to all service members
he Medal of Honor awarded Jan. 11 at a recent White House ceremony belongs to all service members, according to the parents of the man who earned the honor.
Cpl. Jason L. Dunham of Scio, N.Y., posthumously received America's highest military decoration two years and nine months after succumbing to a mortal brain injury while fighting in Iraq. He served with K Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, based in Twentynine Palms, Calif.
"We're accepting this honor for Jason, but we're also accepting this in all the servicemen and women's names," said mother Debra Dunham.
On April 14, 2004, in Iraq near the Syrian border, the corporal used his helmet and his body to smother an exploding Mills Bomb let loose by a raging insurgent whom Dunham and two other Marines tried to subdue.
The explosion dazed and wounded Lance Cpl. William Hampton and Pfc. Kelly Miller. The insurgent stood up after the blast and was immediately killed by Marine small-arms fire.
After the grenade exploded under Dunham's helmet, he lay face down with a few tiny pieces of shrapnel lodged in his head. The hard, molded mesh that was his Kevlar helmet was now scattered yards around into clods and shredded fabric. Dunham never regained consciousness and died eight days later at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., with his mother and father at his bedside. He was 22.
Cpl. Jason L. Dunham
Andrew Olmstead's Final Post
"I am leaving this message for you because it appears I must leave sooner than I intended. I would have preferred to say this in person, but since I cannot, let me say it here."
G'Kar, Babylon 5
This is an entry I would have preferred not to have published, but there are limits to what we can control in life, and apparently I have passed one of those limits. And so, like G'Kar, I must say here what I would much prefer to say in person. I want to thank hilzoy for putting it up for me. It's not easy asking anyone to do something for you in the event of your death, and it is a testament to her quality that she didn't hesitate to accept the charge. As with many bloggers, I have a disgustingly large ego, and so I just couldn't bear the thought of not being able to have the last word if the need arose.
Rafael Peralta - Home of the Brave -- [Greyhawk]
Rafael Peralta was not born in America, but he died defending her.
It’s the stuff you hear about in boot camp, about World War II and Tarawa Marines who won the Medal of Honor,” said Corporal Rob Rogers, one of Peralta’s platoon mates.i
A Mexican immigrant, Peralta joined the Marines the day he received his green card. His love for America was no secret; it showed in everything he did. Even the walls of his bedroom were a testament to his patriotism. On them he had hung a picture of his boot camp graduation and replicas of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights.ii
...The very day he became a legal resident, Rafael Peralta enlisted to become a United States Marine. In so doing, he joined the long, proud history of the United States Marine Corps. In all he did, it was that lineage, that long line of all the heroic Marines who had come before him, that Peralta strived to honor—especially that fateful day in Fallujah, Iraq.
...When Sergeant Peralta’s body was returned home to the States, he would receive a hero’s funeral. The event would be emotional. Indeed, the explosion from the blast had been so violent that his family members had to rely on the tattoo on his shoulder in order to properly identify him.xv On Nov. 23, 2004, Peralta, 25, was buried at the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego, California, following a moving funeral Mass at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot.
For his marine brothers, it was a time for grateful reflection and remembrance. “He saved half my fire team,” said Corporal Brannon Dyer, 27, of Blairsville, Georgia. Platoon mate Corporal Rob Rogers, 22, of Tallahassee, Florida agreed: “He’d stand up for his Marines to an insane point.”xvi
Memorial Day 2007 - [Outside the Wire]
that time -- [Learning to Live - Gold Star Wife]
It is that time of year again . . . I sort of want to just escape but don't. It really irritates me that so many businesses use this 'holiday' to promote sales. Of course I will probably take advantage since Texas is offering tax free on many energy star products (even light bulbs) this weekend. I mean what is so happy about this upcoming day. I did get an email from a store in McKinney that I am on their mass email list and at least they had a sentence it there to remind people to take a moment to remember the sacrifices our military members have made . . . first one and think I will shoot them an email back thanking them for remembering. Not sure if I will post much but I will be remembering Sean and the thousands like him especially those who I have met or our lives have crossed.
In Memory of SPC David Lee Leimbach -- [Michael Yon]
CSM Jeff Mellinger is out there still "Walking the Line." He did the longest continuous tour in Iraq that I have ever seen: about 2.5 years without a break except for normal leave. And he was seriously out in the red zone. I drove about 4,000 miles with him within Iraq checking on our servicemen and women, Walking the Line, and that was a tiny fraction of the work he did. And so he came back to the United States and is stationed in Washington D.C., but CSM Mellinger's duties have taken him back to Iraq and Afghanistan. I got an email from CSM Mellinger this morning from Afghanistan. He was remembering SPC David Lee Leimbach, the latest Great American to give his life in Afghanistan fighting dark forces that wish to do us great harm. CSM Mellinger had written a private tribute to SPC Leimbach, and I immediately asked if I may publish it so others may see. Just a few minutes ago, I spoke with CSM Mellinger on the phone. He's in Afghanistan Walking the Line right now, and says we are taking the fight to the enemy.
Sergeant Merlin German, USMC -- [NewsDay]
Sgt. Merlin German, Marine burned in Iraq, dies
More than a year after Sgt. Merlin German nearly died in a roadside bombing in Iraq, his hands burned into nubs and his body in a wheelchair, he resolved to walk into his San Antonio church on his own two feet.
His mother, Lourdes German, who had been "his hands and feet" since that day in February 2005, worried but knew it would be so. "Everything he did, he did himself," Lourdes German, 54, said. "That parish was just overjoyed. The pastor even stopped preaching to welcome Merlin."
Her vigil over her son ended April 11, when German, 22, died unexpectedly in San Antonio after a surgery to graft skin onto his lip. "Even with pain in my heart, I have to keep putting one foot in front of the other," she said.
German, a Marine who grew up in Washington Heights, had become a guiding light to the rest of the service members in the burn unit at the Brooke Army Medical Center, where he spent 17 months as an inpatient and underwent more than 100 surgeries, his family said.
Body of U.S. Marine returned to Liberty -- [Beaumont Enterprise]
Burris died Oct. 8 in the Al Anbar province in Iraq near the Syrian border.
A roadside bomb detonated under a patrol vehicle he was driving. He survived the blast and pulled two other Marines out. He had gone back to the vehicle to get their equipment when a second bomb went off, killing him.
He was 22.
Burris is the 10th area service member to die in the war in Iraq.
Update] Memorial Day 2008 -- [A Soldier's Perspective]
Update: I wanted to add a few things to this post since it has to do with something LTG Caldwell wrote on his blog. Please check out his tribute to CPL Jeremy Allbaugh and also this video tribute to him.
I was going to write an awesome Memorial Day post when I received the following from LTG William B. Caldwell, Commanding General of the Combined Arms Center, Ft. Leavenworth. (of which, I'm not a member by the way):
Jeremy Burris' Blog
MySpace.com - Jeremy - 23 - Male - LIBERTY, US - www.myspace.com ...
his name Jeremy Burris he died a week ago in iraq he was a marine that was not only ... Jeremy Wade Burris, you're my best friend, you're my brother.
Moment of Valor - Spc. Ross McGinnis
December 4, 2006, Spc. Ross A. McGinnis' vehicle was attacked by an insurgent who threw a grenade in the hatch. Spc. McGinnis jumped on the grenade in the cockpit to save his comrades. For his selfless act, he was awarded the Silver Star, and was nominated for the Medal of Honor.
Operation Puppy Love - Bringing DJ Home -- [BlackFive]
First up is Staff Sergeant Christopher Moore who was born 14 June 1978 and raised in Bakersfield, California...Next is Sergeant Jean Medlin was born 26 July 1979 in Alabama...Third is SPC David Behrle who was born 06 March 1987 and raised in Tipton, Iowa...This is Specialist Joseph Gilmore who was born 8th of August 1980 in Plant City, Florida...Say hello to PFC Travis Haslip who was born on 21 March 1987 in Pontiac Michigan, and raised in Tennessee...PFC Alexander Varela was born 29 January 1988 and raised in California.
To know more about the character of the men in the squad, you should know about one of their patrols in Ameriyah, Iraq. From an official report:
An Iraqi man, Mohammed, was running towards the American patrol holding a small bloody child in his arms. A 7.62 round had fallen out of the sky and struck her right temple. The round had passed along the side of her face and buried itself in her neck. She was blue and her eyes were cloudy.
Without any hesitation the soldiers of First Platoon rushed Mohammed, his wife, and the toddler’s grandmother into the back of a Bradley Fighting Vehicle.
While on the base, the soldiers had trained a dog to help with protection of the base. The dog had puppies and the combat soldiers couldn't help but take care of them, as well. ...A few weeks later, on May 19th, 2007, all six men were killed in Baghdad when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle while on patrol.
Thousands Take Part In Matt Maupin's Funeral (Video) -- [WLWT5]
CINCINNATI -- It may not have been the largest crowd to fill Great American Ball Park, but it was likely the most heartfelt gathering in the stadium's history.
Spc. Chad Highland Memorial Day Greeting from Iraq
Major Mathew Schram's Memorial Day -- [Blackfive]
On Memorial Day, May 26th, 2003 at approximately 7:00AM, Major Mathew E. Schram was leading a resupply convoy in Western Iraq near the Syrian border. Major Schram was the Support Operations Officer for the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment (out of Ft. Carson, Colorado). He had responsibility for organizing the logistical arm of the regiment - ensuring that the Cavalrymen never ran out of food, fuel or ammo.
...I was at my desk at work on Tuesday, June 3rd. The phone rang. I looked at the caller ID to see that it was a call from Ft. Leavenworth. I picked it up.
It was John, a friend of mine and Mat Schram's. We had all served together years ago and had stayed in touch. He told me to sit down. I did. He told me that Mat had been killed in Iraq.
Salute to a Memorable Marine -- [WaPo]
The turnout seemed entirely fitting for a Marine who was described -- with little apparent hyperbole -- as the toughest guy in the house. More than 1,000 mourners, from generals to civilians, packed the Naval Academy Chapel in Annapolis yesterday to honor Maj. Douglas A. Zembiec, who was killed last week outside Baghdad.
About 40 enlisted men gathered under a tree, telling stories about their former commander. Some had flown in from as far away as California, prompting one officer to observe: Your men have to follow your orders; they don't have to go to your funeral.
Major Zembiec's Funeral -- [OPFOR - Lt Col P]
Folks, you may have read about Major Doug Zembiec in the pages of Blackfive recently, with heartfelt and glowing praise from his Marines, especially his First Sergeant, now Sergeant Major Skiles, and the sniper's sniper, Sergeant Ethan Place. One of my fellow Marine field historians, Major Joe Winslow, had the chance to sit down with (then) Captain Zembiec and (then) First Sergeant Skiles in late summer 2004, when their battalion was headed out of Iraq. Today Joe attended Doug Zembiec's funeral and asked me to post this for him.
Why we fight: Because "all of humanity is our tribe" -- [Soldier's Angel Germany]
The following is a response to this post showing footage of a medevac mission carried out after members of Chosen Company, 2-503rd PIR, 173rd ABCT were ambushed in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan.
1LT Matthew C. Ferrara, SGT Jeffery S. Mersman, SPC Sean K.A. Langevin, SPC Lester G. Roque and PFC Joseph M. Lancour of Chosen Company and Marine Sgt. Phillip A. Bocks were killed in the attack which occurred while returning to their outpost from a meeting with elders in a nearby village.
...I understand from one of Matthew's brothers that Matthew is under consideration to be awarded the Silver Star.
Woburn native killed on patrol in Iraq -- [Daily Times Chronicle]
WOBURN - Word circulating around the city last Thursday that a soldier with ties to Woburn was killed in Iraq was confirmed Friday morning by the U.S. Department of Defense.
...Word that Callahan had been killed this week while in Iraq began circulating Thursday, but a representative of U.S. Rep. Edward Markey's office said the protocol is to first inform the family and then allow a 24-hour period before making the information public.
Callahan's family is from the South End of Woburn where he leaves his mother, three brothers and two sisters.
Officials from the city's Veteran's Services office said a sister is also serving in Iraq.
Sgt. First Class Keith A. Callahan, 31, died Wednesday, Jan. 24 "of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated while he was conducting a combat patrol south of Baghdad, Iraq," the Department of Defense release stated.
Guest Book for Sgt. 1st Class Keith A. Callahan
I spent close to 3 months with SFC Callahan in Ranger School. It had to have been one of the most difficult times in our lives, but I can tell you that SFC Callahan always kept us smiling and motivated. He was a tremendous leader and good friend. I still think we were the coldest two Rangers in the class even if we were the "Boys from Boston".
Army Specialist Casey Sheehan - Someone You Should -- [BlackFive]
...He enlisted in the Army when he was twenty years old. He decided to be a mechanic. He would undergo Combat Lifesaver training - a class on how to give IVs and treat trauma only second in intense learning to combat medic training. He was also certified to assist with giving communion to soldiers while in the field.
Specialist Sheehan re-enlisted in the Army in 2004 knowing full well that he could be sent into a combat zone.
...Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment were ambushed with RPGs and pinned down and dying.
Casey Sheehan's Sergeant asked for volunteers. Sheehan had just returned from Mass. After Sheehan volunteered once, the Sergeant asked Sheehan again if he wanted to go on the mission. According to many reports (and according to his own mother), Casey responded, "Where my Chief goes, I go."
Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith
Sgt. 1st Class Paul Ray Smith will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously during a White House ceremony April 4, 2005.
...In January 2003, Sgt. 1st Class Smith returned from leave to prepare his men for rapid deployment to Kuwait as part of the 3rd Infantry's Divisions buildup for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Smith took a strict approach to training his men, ensuring that his platoon was proficient in handling weapons and prepared for urban combat.
Bravo Company crossed the border on March 19th and traveled more than 300 kilometers in the first 48 hours of the war as part of the lead company in support of Task Force 2-7 Infantry. Passing through
the Karbala Gap, Smith and his men pushed through the night of of April 3, 2003, towards Baghdad Airport where Bravo Company, 11th Engineer Battalion of Task Force 2-7 were involved in a firefight with Iraqi forces. Sgt. 1st Class Smith's heroic actions and tragic death are described in more detail in the battlescape section of this website and in his Medal of Honor Citation.
Sgt. Smith Medal of Honor
This is the true story of Sgt. Paul Smith, and his actions that earned him the Medal of Honor in Iraq.
Female medic, 19, earns Silver Star in Afghan war -- [USAToday]
Army Spc. Monica Lin Brown saved the lives of fellow soldiers after a roadside bomb tore through a convoy of Humvees in the eastern Paktia province in April 2007, the military said.
After the explosion, which wounded five soldiers in her unit, Brown ran through insurgent gunfire and used her body to shield wounded comrades as mortars fell less than 100 yards away, the military said.
Travis Wayne Nixon - Silver Star
A son of Pine City died Saturday while serving in Afghanistan. Those who
knew him say he died because he gave more than was asked of him — the ideal that defined his life. Staff sergeant Travis Wayne Nixon, 24, was nearing the end of his third overseas deployment with the United States Army when an enemy ambush surprised his squad while on patrol near Lwara on the Pakistani border. “My understanding is that he was squad leader; he died making sure his squad got to safety in an ambush,” said Frank Watson, Nixon’s high school football coach and teacher. “I was not surprised Travis would do that. If his job was to lead his men, he would lead his men the best way he knew how.” He said he believed that when she got the call telling her that her son was the 23rd, or whatever number, American fatality in Afghanistan this year, she responded, “He’s not going to be a number.” Watson said, “That wasn’t (a number) that was killed. That was Travis
Nixon, and he was one of ours. “He was more than a number.” n A memorial service is scheduled to remember Travis Nixon on Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Kenova Grange in Pine City. Also on Sunday, there will be a military service in Raleigh, N.C., where Nixon will receive the Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals posthumously.
Photo presentation honoring the first fifty Oregonians to die while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan accompanied by Jeff Buckley's magnificent rendition of Hallelujah.
Lt. Michael P. Murphy Awarded The Medal Of Honor -- [Flopping Aces]
I’ve written multiple posts on the heroism of these Navy Seal’s (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, and Part 8) and now one of these brave men is being honored with the Congressional Medal of Honor:
Lt. Michael P. Murphy
Navy Cross Citation for Danny P. Dietz -- [Home of Heroes]
Danny P. Dietz Gunner's Mate Second Class, United States Navy. For Services as Set Forth in the Following. Citation: For extraordinary heroism in actions ...
Navy Cross Citation for Matthew G. Axelson -- [Home of Heroes]
Matthew G. Axelson Sonar Technician Second Class, United States Navy ... Petty Officer Axelson demonstrated extraordinary heroism in the face of grave danger in the vicinity of Asadabad, Konar Province, Afghanistan
Green Berets Recount Deadly Taliban Ambush -- [CBS News]
It took an hour and a half for O'Connor to reach Fuerst and Binney. From a rooftop, Master Sergeant Thom Maholic was single-handedly holding down a group of advancing Taliban who were threatening the rescue operation.
"They were coming to take that compound that Thom was holding. And he would stop them by killing them or wounding them. And eventually they gave up their assault," Ford explains.
"Did Thom make it possible for you to get out?" Logan asks O'Connor.
"Absolutely," he replies.
To Live with Honor - [NRO - Joseph Morrison Skelly]
Mike Spann and the meaning of Memorial Day.
My son died with honor.”
These words struck this writer like a bolt from the blue. Captured by a television news crew, they were spoken with quiet dignity by Johnny Spann to reporters at the front gate of his home in Winfield, Alabama, upon learning of the death of his son, Johnny Mike Spann, the first American to die on a foreign field of battle in the War on Islamic Terror. Mike, as he was known to his friends and family, was killed on November 25, 2001, during a combined al-Qaeda–Taliban uprising at a temporary prison in Qala-i Jangi, not far from the town of Mazar-e Sharif in Northern Afghanistan. He was 32 years old. He is survived by his wife, Shannon, and three young children.
Jason Cunningham awarded the Air Force Cross
13 September 2002 at Kirtland AFB, NM
Senior Airman Jason D. Cunningham, a pararescueman who lost his life in Afghanistan while saving 10 lives and making it possible for seven others who were killed to come home, was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross here Sept. 13.
The Air Force Cross is awarded for extraordinary heroism while engaged in action against an enemy of our nation. It is second only to the Medal of Honor.
"We gather to salute his bravery and to reward his heroism," said Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James Roche. "We gather to pay tribute to an airman who, on the field of battle, not only gave his life serving his nation, but also gave his life serving his fellow Americans."
Army Staff Sgt. Robert James Miller -- [North Shore Journal]
iller found himself willingly leading a team of Afghan National Security Forces and Coalition soldiers Jan. 25 during a combat reconnaissance patrol in Kunar Province near the Pakistan border. Insurgents hiding in a structure attacked Miller’s team. A fellow teammate called for close-air support to drop ordnance on the insurgent position, disrupting their attack. When the combined patrol moved toward the structure to check for any remaining enemy threats, insurgents again fired using heavy weapons.
Miller’s team captain was seriously wounded within the first minutes of the attack. While his commander was moved to safety, Miller returned fire. At great personal risk to himself, Miller remained at the front of the patrol and continued to lay down suppressive fire on multiple insurgent positions, allowing his wounded commander to be pulled out of the line of fire, ultimately saving his life. Miller’s personal courage under intense enemy fire enabled the entire patrol to gain cover and return fire. Even while injured by direct enemy small-arms and machine gun fire, Miller continued to employ his M249 Squad Automatic Weapon and grenades to suppress enemy fire and protect his teammates.
‘We pledge allegiance’: 44 service members earn U.S. citizenship on Memorial Day -- [Castle Argghhh!]
Welcome, Americans!
BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (May 26, 2008) – The poem inscribed on the Statue of Liberty beckons “Give me your poor, your tired, your huddled masses longing to be free,” but on this Memorial Day, quite the opposite was true as 44 members of the U.S. military marched forward to become America’s newest citizens.
USS Cole Remembrance Ceremony
Sailors from the USS Cole (DDG 67) pay their respects to recently buried Cole crew members at
Arlington National Cemetery on Nov. 11, 2000. Cole sailors were invited to take part in Veterans
Day receptions and ceremonies at the White House and Arlington Cemetery. The Arleigh Burke
class destroyer was the target of a suspected terrorist attack in the port of Aden, Yemen, on October
12, 2000, during a scheduled refueling. The attack killed 17 crew members and injured 39 others.
Soldiers' Angels Needs You to Adopt a Hero -- [Soldiers' Angels]
Soldiers' Angels is reaching out to America to let them know that their volunteer services are much needed to provide comfort, support and hope to the American service members that rely on the reputation that Soldiers' Angels has built regarding the mission of the organization. "May no soldier go unloved. May no soldier walk alone. May no soldier be forgotten. Until they all come home."
"As more troops deploy, some on their 3rd and 4th tour in the Global War on Terror, Soldiers' Angels mission becomes even more critical. Soldiers' Angels has never let our troops down, but now, more than ever, we need help from Americans like you.", says founder Patti Patton-Bader.
What Soldiers' Angels means to me -- [Soldiers Angels Network]
You know, you hear it all the time from various inspirational stories printed online or emailed around via chain letters and such — "one person can make a difference." I can honestly say that I never FULLY believed that until I joined Soldiers' Angels. I can honestly say that this is the most rewarding and humbling experience. I'm constantly wow'ed by the awesome men and women in our military that I've spoken to and corresponded with over the past year.
This Memorial Day honor a loved one with a gift in support of our troops and get a Free 3'x5' American Flag -- [USO]
On patrol at the Front: it’s lonely... desolate... and still far too dangerous for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. They continue to risk their lives in defending all that we stand for. So, at the USO, we have a mission...
To deliver a welcome “touch of home” to these courageous men and women and show them they have not been forgotten.
Without your support, our mission may fail, so please be as generous as you can. And as a special thank you, we'll send you a free 3'x5' American Flag to hang proudly this Memorial Day.
Memorial Day Video: Baseball Hero Saves American Flag -- [NewsBusters]
One of the greatest plays in Major League Baseball history occurred on April 25, 1976, when Chicago Cubs centerfielder Rick Monday stole the flag from a couple of anti-American wackos looking to set fire to her in front of a huge crowd at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles:
NOT!
The Sunburn Song (WARNING for Memorial Day)
I went to the beach for memorial day
cause memorial day is the time for beach play (yah-uh-ya).
got a towel, got a bucket, got a spot in the sand.
don't ...
Editor's Note: This a perfect example of what Memorial day is NOT about.
The Medal of Honor -- [americal.org]
The Medal of Honor is the highest medal awarded by the United States. It has only been awarded 3428 times in the nation's history.
Local Pearl Harbor veterans recall day of infamy -- [Army News]
Sixty-five years ago today, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, creating a defining moment that would go down in history as the event that caused America to ..
Memorial Complete Casualty List - Pearl Harbor
Memorial Day Parade Wantagh NY 2008
