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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.
Iraq’s Interior Minister Thanks U.S. Troops for Liberating Iraq -- [CNS News]
A top Iraqi official visited wounded American troops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Tuesday to thank them for their part in ending Saddam Hussein’s rule in his country.
“We have come … to express our gratitude and appreciation for the sacrifices made by these great warriors, soldiers, in freeing the Iraqi people and in helping us in Iraq recover from tyranny and dictatorship,”
Iraq can go to Olympics. -- [FOX News]
A last minute decision by the Internal Olympics Committee (IOC) allows Iraq to participate in the Beijing Olympic games after a previous ban of Iraqi athletes due to the suspension of Iraq’s new National Olympic Committee.
The IOC had insisted the old committee be reinstated even though four members were kidnapped two years ago. Their fates remain unknown.
Petraeus: Conditions on the Ground Should Drive Troop Reductions
From Counterinsurgents to Peacekeepers -- [Michael Totten]
“It's not the end of fighting,” they wrote. “It looks like the beginning of a perilous peace.” This is exactly right, but millions of Americans still have no idea. Coverage from Iraq has diminished as much as the casualty rates since General David Petraeus implemented an effective counterinsurgency strategy in early 2007. At least we’re finally seeing a media consensus emerge after a year and a half of looking at the data as though it were inkblots on a Rorschach. It’s nearly impossible to work in Iraq anymore and deny what has happened.
Even so...
In The Fight: Episode 17 Promo -- [DVIDS]
We now return you to our regularly scheduled blog -- [From the Halls to the Shores]
Tell you what though, Baghdad is a pretty quiet place all things considered. I only heard those couple thumps that I wrote about early on, and the only fire I saw was directly related to - get this - victories by the Iraqi National Soccer Team.
Suffering for their sins -- [Armed and Curious - in Iraq]
...They had tried to be the Hezbollah of Iraq trying to take care of the people instead of the government and the media gleefully reported on their efforts while ignoring that the money to do these things came from extortion, blackmarketing, kidnapping and sponsorship from Iran.
...It has been an honor to watch the emergence of a new direction and its just good to see the world starting to hear the truth of what is happening on these ancient streets, the fertile marshes, the mountains, the beautiful fields of wheat and the hot desert wadis.
`Martyrs' List' tallies Mahdi Army's troubles
Iraqis' hunt for insurgents in Diyala unearths only ghost towns and drought -- [Times Online]
A wild dog was the first sign of life as Iraqi soldiers, supported by US troops, ventured into a village northeast of Baghdad.
...the buildings stand empty, all inhabitants and their belongings gone. Further searches throughout the rest of Fatamia reveal that only three or four families remained. Six months ago there were 30 to 40 families.
This eerie scene has...
Operation Omens of Prosperity begins in Diyala -- [LWJ - Bill Roggio]
The rural northern and eastern districts are the likely target of the operation. Iraqi troops redeploy in Kirkuk, police detain three Ansar al Islam operatives.
Glad Tidings? -- [Collabman's Thoughts]
Well, you don't have to look very hard to see the news related to the Diyala province. It has been swirling around the net over night and today.
...Also in Diyala, read how Fires Squadron, 2nd Stryker Calvary Regiment is responsible for squadron level targets related to economics, essential services, and governorates in Diyala...and the challenges they have - Humanitarian crisis: Displaced in Diyala
Series of suicide bombings mark Shia pilgrimage to Baghdad -- [IN-Iraq - embed in Iraq]
At 8 a.m. this morning I was awoken by one of the largest-sounding explosions I've heard. Followed by gunshots. I looked out the hotel window of where I was staying and saw the security detail looking up, probably at the rooftop guards, but no one appeared too concerned. They knew we weren't the ones being attacked.
The neighborhood was being rocked by suicide attacks targeting Shias while they marched toward the Kadhimya shrine where one of their important Imans is buried.
But you said we lost? -- [Dude, where's the beach?]
...Now that we've come so close to Victory why hasn't anyone brought up the surrender proclamation these guys made last year? Why hasn't anyone made them account for their actions... for emboldening the enemies of the West, and for prolonging the battle?
I will never forget their attempt to initiate a cut and run policy that would have resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. They tried to abandon the Iraqi people, and they tried to surrender to the enemy.
Following -- [Playing in the Sandbox - in Iraq]
Of the many surprises I’ve had since arriving here, seeing how children react to our presence has been one of the more interesting. Driving through any of the nearby villages almost always yields small groups of kids standing on the sides of the roads, waving as we pass by. Waving back is one of the small pleasures I take from daily life here. I wish I knew exactly what was going on in their minds at that moment.
But driving by them is nothing compared to
New sheik takes stand against AQI -- [Fearless 1st Marines’ blog]
Amar Abdullah Husain al-Jumaili received his official appointment as a sheik, replacing his uncle, Sheik Ahmed Sarham, who was killed along with 20 other sheiks and three Marines after a suicide bombing at a meeting in Karma.
Auditor: Rebuilding Funding Should Cease -- [Los Angeles Times]
Rising production and skyrocketing prices could more than double the Iraqi government's expected bonanza in oil revenue this year, leading a top US government auditor to call for an end to American funding of Iraqi reconstruction projects. The Iraqi government had projected 2008 oil revenue of about $35 billion. But a
Is Victory in Iraq Worth the Damage? - [Los Angeles Times]
Today's question: Would victory in Iraq be worth the war's cost? Previously, Cirincione and Rivkin debated whether declining violence in Iraq signals a major turnaround for US forces.
Getting shot at.... Part II -- [THE CI-ROLLER DUDE - in Iraq]
...When we got back into the camp, the Marine sniper dude who was our over watch said: "Sorry, that dude shot at you, but I couldn't fire on him because there were woman and kids around him."
I was pissed...not at the Marines, but at the assholeIraqi who had shot at us. I wanted to go look for him. He missed, but he was trying to kill me. That really pissed me off...but I'm still alive.
This was the first and hopefully last time I was shot at... and I'm still pissed off that I couldn't go after the little terrorist who did it.
MilBlogs TV: Anbar Rising (part two) -- [Greyhawk]
Iraqi Army Scouts -- [Strategy Page]
...Iraqi commanders used their scouts they way they often rely on American troops.
...Each Iraqi division has at least one company of scouts. These troops have been available for several years now, and the terrorists and militias have tried to destroy them by attacking them or their families at home. Some scouts quit the army over this, and some were murdered (along with wives and children). Most scouts remained at their jobs, and the number of volunteers for scout training has increased.
Oh no, I am "Them" -- [Miserable Donuts]
I have had the most terrible realization in the whole time I have been here in Iraq. Since I moved up to Baghdad and began working for MNSTC-I, I have become one of the people at the "Puzzle Palace". I'm one of the guys at the Head Shed. I'm part of the "they" as in "they @#$%ed things up, back there in Baghdad" as spoken by people in the field (I know, I was one of 'em).
A Place For My Stuff -- [Brad's Excellent Adventure - in Iraq]
It’s kind of amazing how much stuff I accumulated in two years here. Even more amazing when you consider that my room is only about 7 ½ x 11 feet. But I’m sort of a packrat, I tend to overpack when traveling, and I like books and movies. So it’s no wonder I could barely turn around in here!
US Had Warning of Attack in Nuristan -- [A Battlefield Tourist]
...As an interpreter for US forces, Qourbon is seen as both a patriot and a traitor. In the mirror, Qourbon sees a man who helps those that are helping his country during some very dark times. Now that war was on the doorstep of his small mountain village, he knew he had to return home. His first thought is to help protect his family. A second thought is to warn the soldiers he’s committed to that a large scale militant attack on their base is imminent.
Marines Reach Out To Afghans
Taliban capture 25 Pakistani security personnel in Swat -- [LWJ - Bill Roggio]
A large Taliban force surrounded and overran a police and Frontier Constabulary post in northern Swat. This comes just days after Mullah Fazlullah held a high-level planning session with Taliban leaders and threatened to resume suicide attacks.
The Real Enemy Stays In The Shadows -- [Strategy Page]
The thing you have to understand about the violence in Afghanistan is that it isn't all, or even mostly, about the Taliban. The religious zealots of the Taliban grab all the headlines abroad, but the real causes are a long list of tribal feuds, plus
Earthquake shakes buildings in Southern California -- [AP]
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The strongest earthquake to strike a populated area of Southern California in more than a decade rattled windows and chandeliers, made buildings sway and sent people running into the streets on Tuesday. But there were no immediate reports of serious injuries or major damage.
Canadians aren't ready to welcome Khadr home -- [Calgary Herald]
CALGARY -- What to do with Omar Khadr?
Is he a child soldier who must be saved from the clutches of a U.S. military tribunal? Or is he a terrorist who is committed to fighting against western values and our very way of life?
I suspect it's the latter, but the recent release of a videotape showing Khadr being interrogated by CSIS agents has apparently sparked a fierce debate amongst Canadians, prompting many to call on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to intervene and bring Khadr home.
Bush Blasted by Pakistan PM - [The Australian]
Pakistan's Prime Minister lashed out at George W. Bush during talks in Washington yesterday, "reproaching" the US President over a US Hellfire drone missile strike inside Pakistani territory only hours before the leaders met.
Pakistani Intelligence Aiding Taliban and al-Qaeda -- [Jawa Report]
Not really too surprising since the Taliban are basically a creation of Pakistan's ISI service.
Intelligence, Pakistani Whispers and 'Fighting The War For Ourselves' -- [Threats Watch - Steve Shippert]
Pakistani Prime Minister Gilani’s demands that the United States hand Pakistan intelligence and allow the Pakistanis to exclusively “do the job” themselves has been irking me all day and into this morning. Again, here’s what he said right after meeting...
Strike on Iran Still Possible - [Los Angeles Times]
Bush administration officials reassured Israel's defense minister this week that the United States has not abandoned all possibility of a military attack on Iran, despite widespread Israeli concern that Washington has begun softening its position toward Tehran.
Chavez to U.S. Navy Humanitarians: Back Off! -- [Danger Room]
Two weeks ago the U.S. Navy reactivated the long-defunct 4th Fleet to oversea American warships in South American waters. It was part of the Navy's new emphasis on the world's former backwaters, Africa included. The idea? To use a little gunboat diplomacy, plus humanitarian missions and international exercises, to shore up security in developing countries and prevent simmering conflicts from becoming crises.
But Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez doesn't see it that way.
How Terrorist Groups End -- [Rand - Seth G. Jones, Martin C. Libicki ]
All terrorist groups eventually end. But how do they end? The evidence since 1968 indicates that most groups have ended because (1) they joined the political process (43 percent) or (2) local police and intelligence agencies arrested or killed key members (40 percent). Military force has rarely been the primary reason for the end of terrorist groups, and few groups within this time frame have achieved victory.
Iraq’s Interior Minister Thanks U.S. Troops for Liberating Iraq -- [CNS News]
A top Iraqi official visited wounded American troops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Tuesday to thank them for their part in ending Saddam Hussein’s rule in his country.
“We have come … to express our gratitude and appreciation for the sacrifices made by these great warriors, soldiers, in freeing the Iraqi people and in helping us in Iraq recover from tyranny and dictatorship,”
Former Landstuhl CSM releases statement on Barack Obama’s canceled visit to Ramstein and Landstuhl -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
Today, Command Sergeant Major Craig Layton, USA (Ret.)—who served as the Command Sergeant Major at Landstuhl—issued the following statement on Barack Obama’s canceled visit to Ramstein and Landstuhl:
Blackhawk Down Pilot Slams Obama For Ignoring Wounded At Ramstein - With Video -- [Pat Dollard]
I’ve spent time at Ramstein recovering from wounds received in the service of my country, and I’m sure that Senator Obama could have made no better use of his time than to meet with our men and women in uniform there. That Barack Obama believes otherwise casts serious doubt on his judgment and calls into question his priorities.”
Jerral's new ride (Video) -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
Jerral Hancock, former tank driver with the 1st Cavalry Division (and one of "my" favorite former patients), with his awesome new ride thanks to Phil Rush of Relaxed Customs and other great Americans of the Ventura County, CA community.
When Phil says that "people do actually give a damn about our guys and gals over there who get hurt", he means it.
Flag-raising Marine recognized as an American citizen -- [Stars & Stripes]
The flag raising at Iwo Jima has become an iconic American image, so federal officials were surprised to learn recently that one of the men was never fully recognized as an American citizen.
World Can't Wait and Their Quest for Relevance -- [C.H.U.D. Busters]
Description of Attack: World Can't Wait is struggling for relevance in the post-communist era. They have tried slapping more exclamation points on their website, and they penned a CHUDeriffic Op-Ed in the Berkeley Daily Planet on "Why I Don't Support the Troops". Now, they've jumped on the Code Pink bandwagon to protest the Marine Recruiting Station in Berkeley. Zomblog has captured the above CHUD propaganda with Abu Ghraib imagery, which has become a modern Neverending Story, fueling CHUD attacks for 5 years now.
Iraq War Vet “Spitter” Identified - Updated: MySpace Link - With Video -- [Pat Dollard]
The video of the “Peace Protester” spitting on an American Iraq War Veteran which we initially put up right here at PatDollard.com a little over a week ago, thanks to our friend Katie O’Malley from Human Events, from Matt Wolking at Wolking‘s World, and from the videographer himself, Iraq War Vet, and now good friend of mine Ross Nolan, has really made the Internet rounds and even landed Ross and Ryan McNicholas, of the UCSB College Republicans, a spot on Hannity & Colmes, click on the pic below to see that interview.
Demo -- [Acute Politics]
Tomorrow is the first day of “real training”- today and yesterday have been administrative-heavy with settling in to living quarters and sorting out the rush of confusion that accompanies shipping hundreds of men and tons of equipment to a base hundreds of miles away from home.
Dismissed Haditha Charges Appealed -- [AP]
SAN DIEGO - Prosecutors have appealed the dismissal of charges against a Marine officer accused of not investigating the killings of 24 Iraqis, a defense attorney said July 29.
Military prosecutors filed the appeal July 28 seeking to reinstate charges against Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, civilian defense attorney Brian Rooney told The Associated Press.
Lt.Col Jeffrey Chessani -- [Matel - in Iraq]
Please see below. I have no personal knowledge of this, but I do know Haditah and the Marines. The Marines I know are honorable. It was a difficult and confusing situation. I have never come close to experiencing what they did, but I saw some of what was left. I side with the Marines on the ground, which is why I am posting what I got in email today.
...We now have 20 days to file a response brief. Your donation now (click here) sends a message to all our combat troops that you will stand with them when they need your help.
DV EmbarkVII: The Other Side -- [FBL]
Breakfast was an interesting experience. The petty officer warned us that we would be cutting in line "because we're on a tight schedule." But the looks we got from the long line of sailors waiting their turn almost made me defy the PO for the second time that morning. As he instructed a sailor to make room for us, the small tightening of the sailor's expression made his opinion clear despite the quick accommodation. I turned to look at all the sailors who would be behind us and they all had similar expressions.
Air Force Officer Dead; Likely a Suicide -- [Danger Room]
The Air Force's bad year just got a whole lot worse. A general who spent nearly two years as the executive officer to the recently ousted Air force chief of staff has died in an apparent suicide at his home in Alaska, AP reports:
National Guard unit returns from Iraq to heroes welcome -- [Quartzsite Times]
"It is occasions like this when we can welcome home our troops and show them our support that makes all the work worthwhile, especially knowing how much it
The Obama Doctrine: Bringing Us Into Submission -- [Scott Ott]
Every time you hear Sen. Barack Obama say that Afghanistan is the central front in the war against terror, you should cringe, and then stock up on imperishable food, gold coin, jerry cans of diesel, and ammo…lots of ammo.
Obama is trying to adopt Afghanistan as his war -- [GulfNews]
"As far as he is concerned, this is Bush's war and must end in lack of success, if not actual defeat." Nevertheless, Obama knows that most Americans believe ...
Obama's Devastating 2006 Antiwar Performance-- Now on YouTube -- [Gateway Pundit]
Here is the devastating performance he gave in Chicago on how best to declare defeat and surrender Iraq to Al-Qaeda:
Obama. Hope and change doesnt work in Iraq
From the Fact Check Desk: Did Obama Say During the Debate Over the Surge That "There's No Doubt that Additional U.S. Troops Could Temporarily Quell the Violence?" -- [ABC Blogs]
Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, on January 10 2007 predicted (watch HERE) that the surge of troops in Iraq would fail.
...Four days later he told CBS's Face the Nation, that "we cannot impose a military solution on what has effectively become a civil war.
... "I know that there's that little snippet that you ran," referring to the MSNBC clip, "but there were also statements made during the course of this debate in which I said there's no doubt that additional U.S. troops could temporarily quell the violence.
Barack Obama will NOT end war. Troops must stay and fight.
Obama's War Party -- [Town Hall]
Barack Obama has joined the party of war.
Since it became clear that he would be the Democratic presidential nominee, Obama has left behind his peacenik rhetoric and seems eager to inform anyone who will listen that as president he would escalate U.S. military intervention -- in Afghanistan.
Click for larger image
(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.
REALITY SETS IN-- PETRAEUS WILL NOT BACK OBAMA'S HASTY RETREAT PLANS -- [Gateway Pundit]
Here's a major blow to the mainstream media and their non-surge supporting darling, Barack Obama...
General Petraeus is sticking with Bush and McCain and has decided to win the War in Iraq rather than withdraw US troops based on the latest popularity polls back at home.
AP Analysis: U.S. Winning Iraq War
Northern Iraq Burns -- [Strategy Page]
July 28, 2008: Turkish police believe that Kurdish separatists, not Islamic terrorists, were responsible for two bombs that went off in the capital yesterday, killing 16 and wounding over 150. No one took responsibility, which is a typical PKK tactic. Islamic terrorists are quick to claim responsibility, although of late al Qaeda has been calling for bomb attacks that kill fewer civilians. The attack in Turkey was directed against civilians.
Car bomb wounds Sunni Iraqi politician -- [Wa Times]
A car bomb on Sunday wounded a Sunni political leader and his son and killed two of his bodyguards, police said.
In a coordinated attack moments after the explosion, unknown gunmen opened fire on the house of Zaki Obaid Fayadh, head of the local branch of the Iraqi Islamic party in Fallujah, about 40 miles west of Baghdad.
The bomb went off as the driver started the engine and Fayadh and his son were approaching the car, police said.
Gunmen in Iraq kill 7 Shiites en route to shrine -- [AP]
Gunmen hiding in reeds in a Sunni town south of Baghdad killed seven Shiite pilgrims Sunday as they were marching to a shrine in the capital for a major holiday, officials said.
Military spokesman denies Shiite pilgrims killing en route to Baghdad Shrine -- [Aswat Al-Iraq - ]
Iraqi military spokesman on Sunday denied reports of Shiite pilgrims killing in a town south of Baghdad.
A Fish Story -- [Matel - in Iraq]
Fishermen near Hadithah are pulling bigger fish out of the Euphrates than anybody can remember. The fish got a chance to be so big because locals had been unable to fish during the late insurgency. Coalition forces had limited or banned river traffic to prevent terrorists from using the river as transportation and a way to get away. With the more stable situation, the ban was been lifted, but fishing did not return to its previous levels, despite the size of the fish population. Why not?
just a short one -- [THIS WE'LL DEFEND - in Iraq]
I have a few hours downtime here so a short post seems in order. Working with the Iraqi security forces certainly is a challenge. I am working on a longer post that will detail more, you all will just have to wait. Suffice to say, policeman are not allowed to charge "tolls" at checkpoints, especially when they charge only those who are a different sect of Islam. Anyway.......
What Do High Oil Prices Mean for Iraq's Future? -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
There are very few silver linings to the current record oil prices, but increased stability in Iraq is likely one of them. Today I have an article in the Middle East Times analyzing the effect that oil prices will have on Iraq:
Dust in the Wind -- [Miserable Donuts - in Iraq]
The picture doesn't quite convey how the very fine dust was everywhere. I woke up thinking I had caught a cold, when Iwalked outside it looked like a misty/rainy type day. A pity it wasn't.
Unfuck Yourself -- [The War on Big Tobacco - in Iraq]
...I never really had a reason for entering the military, of course, I always gave some bullshit response to an inquisitive sergeant, but in reality I kind of woke up one day and went to the recruiter’s office. Fast forward a year and there I stood with my head up my ass and a sergeant who looked as though he wished to replace it with the Humvee I couldn’t park. Durrr.
Hesitation will kill you in battle, he always says. Maybe it’s better to make decisions when you have no time to think them through, when you have zero room for error.
Applesauce Update -- [The War on Big Tobacco - in Iraq]
This morning my company did a four mile release run. Private Applesauce was the second female in the company and the first in my platoon to cross the finish line. She also beat about 20 % of the males.
You should have seen her smile in formation this morning.
Day 35 -- [Rocinante's Burdens - in Iraq]
More Pictures.
Just another typical downtown street. Notice the wires criss-crossing the street. Apparently, everyone here gets electricity, cable tv, satellite, internet, and telephone service by stealing it from their neighbors. They also have not figured out how to get it from their NEXT_DOOR neighbors and can only get it from across the street. Our tall vehicles tear these down all the time.
Peace or Quiet -- [Playing in the Sandbox - in Iraq]
The deep drone of a vehicle's engine just outside the door. Midnight artillery. Radio traffic. A thousand voices. Generators. Air conditioners. Islamic prayers through broken loudspeakers. Sometimes music. Always something. Ceaseless sounds strip silence from the surroundings.
The Tragedy of Ignorance -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
In the mountains of Afghanistan perhaps two or three of the elders of a village may be literate. Even that mundane capability contributes to the unlimited power they hold.
Who knows what they tell their people about us and why we are there? How much can even the "elders" know?
The answers to those questions are likely to vary widely. Some use their knowledge and power for good, such as those who harbored Marcus Luttrell. Others take a different path.
But the fact is, without knowledge, truth becomes a relative thing. Such is the tragedy of ignorance.
And the danger.
Obama's Sober Mood -- [Newsweek]
Wolffe: Based on what you've seen and heard on this trip, is there anything that has led you to review any policy, tweak things, rethink anything?
Obama: Our success in Afghanistan is going to be deeply dependent not just on getting more troops there, which we need, but also some sustained high-level engagement with Pakistan—something that I discussed before but I think is significantly more urgent than even I had imagined. Basically there doesn't appear to be any pressure at all being placed on Al Qaeda, on these training camps, these safe havens, in the FATA
AH-64 Viporize Taliban Fighters With Rockets And 30mm In Afghanistan.
US, Afghan forces beat back Taliban attack in Khost province -- [LWJ - Bill Roggio]
Between 50 and 70 Taliban fighters were killed after a force of 100 fighters assaulted a district center in Spera.
Baitullah Mehsud: The Making of a Terror State -- [The Captain’s Journal]
We have already covered the evolution of the Taliban from locally-, or perhaps nationally-oriented fighters, interested only in Afghanistan and the tribal and frontier regions to one of more global focus, a danger to Afghanistan, Pakistan and beyond (Nicholas Schmidle calls this new breed of Taliban the Next-Gen Taliban. Schmidle hit his target so hard and directly with his work that the Pakistani government kicked him out of the country after publishing on the Next-Gen Taliban).
Marine Expeditionary Unit MEU
...aaaaannnnd we're back. - in Afghansitan]
I never thought that I'd be even the least bit happy to be back at Phoenix. Don't get me wrong...the feeling is fading fast...but someone has developed the genius plan to leave returning soldiers in the POS “transient tents” at Bagram just long enough actually miss Phoenix. I feel so ashamed that it worked on me!
Families tied by war: Brothers in arms cross paths in Afghanistan -- [Combined Joint Task Force - 101]
“Of all places to run into your family -- on the other side of the world in Afghanistan -- how often does that happen?” said the Airman. “I felt a little closer to home when my brother came.”
Senior Airman Delgado is deployed to the 455th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron here. Even though he is scheduled to deploy to Iraq in 2009, he volunteered for this deployment.
“I wanted to do my part in the war against terror. I deployed here to [provide] force protection,” said Airman Delgado, who performs F-16 maintenance inspections at his home station, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base, Fort Worth, Texas. “I feel my mission is very important over here. We are the first line of defense for this base.”
Bush Meets Pakistani P.M., After U.S. Strike in Tribal Area -- [NY Times]
Mr. Bush, meeting with Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani at the White House, sought to minimize the administration’s concerns about Pakistan’s willingness to fight extremists along its border with Afghanistan.
Senior American officials, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice just three days ago, have publicly urged Pakistan to do more to deny safe havens to extremists and terrorists, like the one bombed on Monday.
The Bin Ladens of the Balkans, Part II -- [Michael Totten]
I met Shpetim Mahmudi at a covered outdoor cafe on a cold day in late spring in the ethnic Albanian region of Macedonia. Black clouds hung low over the city of Tetovo. Fat rain drops pelted the sidewalk and the awning over my head as I shivered in my light black leather jacket. “Let's go inside,” he said, “where it's warmer and drier.” We found a table and ordered coffee. He leaned in close to whisper when the waiter stepped out of earshot. “We are really in trouble here,” he said. “We are really in trouble with the Wahhabis.”
Egyptian Islamic Preacher 'Amr Khaled: Within 20 Years, Muslims Will Be Majority in Europe; Muslims in Europe Should Be "Ambassadors for Islam" -- [MEMRI]
"The Muslims Keep Having Children, While the Europeans Do Not – This Means That Within 20 Years, the Muslims Will Be a Majority"
Interviewer: "How do you view the Islamic scene in Europe?"
Amr Khaled: "The most important thing is that there are 25-30 million Muslims in Europe. This figure has many implications."
Interviewer: "There are 25-30 million Muslims in Europe."
"Iran Says These Are Their Latest Weapons..." -- [Jawa Report]
"...American F-14s?"
Disgraceful Cindy Sheehan Does Inteview With Iranian Tv -- [Markedmanner Blog] HT: Jawa
She sickens me... This from Irans Press Tv
Somalia: Except for the al Qaeda connection and the pirates - no one much cares -- [EagleSpeak]
How to win friends and influence people: Somalia Islamist warns U.N.,
The man who claims to be Somalia's new opposition leader promised Friday to pacify his shattered country through Islamic law, warning U.N. peacekeepers they will face attack if they deploy and support the government.
Injured vets tell pull Dick Cheney invitation over security demands -- [Daily News]
WASHINGTON - Vice President Cheney's invitation to address wounded combat veterans next month has been yanked because the group felt his security demands were Draconian and unreasonable.
...His staff insisted the sick vets be sequestered for two hours before Cheney's arrival and couldn't leave until he'd finished talking, officials confirmed.
"Word got back to us ... that this would be a prerequisite," said the veterans executive director, David Gorman, who noted the meeting hall doesn't have any rest rooms. "We told them it just wasn't acceptable."
Al-Qaeda weapons expert believed killed in Pakistan -- [AFP]
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AFP) — A top Al-Qaeda expert on chemical and biological weapons is believed to have been killed Monday in a suspected US missile strike in Pakistan's lawless tribal areas, security officials said.
Egyptian militant Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar, also known as Abu Khabab al-Masri, had a five-million-US-dollar bounty on his head and allegedly ran terrorist training camps in Afghanistan.
Officials earlier said that three Arab militants and three Pakistani boys were killed when missiles fired by a suspected US drone hit a house attached to a mosque in the South Waziristan tribal district bordering Afghanistan.
"We believe he was killed in this strike," a senior intelligence official based in the northwestern city of Peshawar told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Driver told FBI agents U.S. could have killed bin Laden -- [McClatchy News]
GUANTANAMO BAY NAVY BASE, Cuba — In his seventh of month of U.S. captivity, Osama bin Laden's driver told a pair of FBI agents that it was America's fault that the al Qaida leader was alive.
The message was, ''You had these opportunities, America. You didn't do anything,'' FBI agent George Crouch Jr. testified Friday at Salim Hamdan's war crimes trial.
The United States could have killed bin Laden in Khartoum, Sudan, before he moved to Afghanistan in 1996, Hamdan told his interrogators. They could have killed him after al Qaida's 1998 twin bombings at the U.S. Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. Or after the October 2000 suicide bombing of the USS Cole, at the port of Aden in Yemen, which left 17 U.S. sailors dead.
Instead, ''Bin Laden was emboldened.'' So he struck with the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, leaving nearly 3,000 dead.
U.S. Headed for 'Heightened Alert' Stage -- [ABC News]
Government officials have been quietly stepping up counterterror efforts out of a growing concern that al Qaeda or similar organizations might try to capitalize on the spate of extremely high-profile events in the coming months, sources tell ABC News.
My Country, 'Tis of Thee -- [Threats Watch - Steve Schippert]
Sweet Land of Liberty, Of Thee I Weep... And Plead
“This, we will defend.” It is a common refrain among brothers in arms. Yet, more pressing than the visible threat from terrorists and the states which sponsor them, we are at serious risk of losing sight of what “this” is while we call on those few dedicated men and women who defend it honorably and without hesitation. We appear at grave risk of losing our way. Right now.
Victories For Sale -- [Strategy Page]
July 28, 2008: The war on terror has cost nearly $900 billion so far. World War II cost, at the time (in current dollars) over four trillion dollars. At the time, the costs amounted to over a third of U.S. GDP. The war on terror is costing about one percent of GDP. So while war may appear to be getting more expensive, relative to the amount of money available, it's actually getting cheaper.
Flashback 1993 -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
For President Bill Clinton, the results of his policy decisions in Somalia came into sharp focus during a Sunday-morning visit to soldiers wounded in Mogadishu.
Reporters were barred from Walter Reed Army Medical Center during the Oct. 24 session when an uneasy Clinton met with some of the 77 Americans wounded during an Oct. 3 battle that marked the end of a covert operation to seize Gen. Mohamed Farrah Aidid.
...But the president's visit to the hospital was prompted by a call from an angry Walter Reed physician. According to hospital sources, the doctor called the White House. "He said these men have been here for three weeks, and no one had paid any attention to them," said a source informed of the exchange. "The White House called back and said, 'The president will be there tomorrow morning.' "
Not Fit To Lead -- [Castle Argghhh! - Kat]
...But, what are they getting from some of our politicians? "Thanks, but no thanks." You saw your buddies die or lose an arm or leg? You were wounded three times? You spent days eating crappy food out of a box accompanied by gritty dirt and swarming flies? You slept on a concrete slab with your body armor as a pillow in hellacious heat or frigid night air? You flew in to a hail storm of bullets and RPGs to protect troops on the ground surrounded by enemies or to rescue the wounded who had minutes to live? Crash landed in enemy territory? Had to hide in a ditch with a broken arm, an M-4 and four magazines to defend yourself for 45 minutes until rescue came?
Forsook your own safety to pull your fellow soldiers out of harms way? Or, grabbed wounded men, women and children, blown apart by a terrorists bomb, threw them in your Hum Vee and drove without consideration for your own safety just to save their lives? Went back to base, washed the blood out of your truck, ate some more crappy food, caught four hours of sleep, brushed your teeth with a bottle of water, washed your face with the same and then went out and did it again for another 16 or 18 hours?
Apparently, for some folks, these men and women were "suckers" for fighting in "the wrong war."
The Volunteers -- [One Marine's View - in Iraq]
...If you are unable to thank a vet, say thanks to either the parents or the spouse of a vet, because they are the ones, who worry the most, while the service member is away, protecting your freedoms.
Overheard at the USO -- [FBL]
A young Marine has returned from MCT (post-bootcamp training) and, seeing the spread laid out in the kitchen, asks with honest surprise in his voice, "Is this for us?"
When told that it is, he has another question. "How much? How much does it cost?"
Assured that it's free, his eyes widen and face breaks into a grin. "Wow," he exclaims with earnest enthusiasm, "you get out of training and everybody starts being nice to you!"
Suicide hot line got calls from 22,000 veterans -- [AP]
More than 22,000 veterans have sought help from a special suicide hot line in its first year, and 1,221 suicides have been averted, the government says.
According to a recent RAND Corp. study, roughly one in five soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan displays symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, putting them at a higher risk for suicide.
The Tanker Brothers 100 Most Inspirational People List 2008 -- [Tanker Brothers]
I recently read a list of the 100 Most Inspiring People of all time while desperately hunting for some inspiration for myself.
So as usual I headed to the Milblogs for a solid dose of inspiration...and then it hit me. What we need is a down to earth, real people only list of inspirational people. So I propose to all of you that we make this list and present it to the world for New Years.
The Tanker Brothers 100 Most Inspirational People List for 2008.
Marine thanks the Corps with service - [The Fighting Fifth Marines Blog]
...“The country was in such a horrible condition, but after the Marines came, she no longer heard or saw violence and death,” said Shin.
After the Korean War, his grandmother knew she had to become a United States citizen to be safe and raise a family. She saved up money, moved to America to live with her sister-in-law and applied for her green card.
When Shin was born, his parents abandoned him, so his grandmother took him in to her care. Since his grandmother raised him and told him her story, he established a love for the Marine Corps because of what happened to her and South Korea.
“I was motivated to join the Corps because South Korea was such a small nation that was invaded by its neighbors,” said Shin. “The Marines saved millions of lives and now the country is one of the most technologically advanced and richest countries in the world.”
Warriors...In Their Own Words
Warriors...In Their Own Words
Blue Star Moms Welcome Home a Son -- [First Coast News]
A First Coast Woman saw the need for an organization to support soldiers and their families when her own son went to fight in Iraq.
Now Judy Edwards son is back, and the organization she founded, the Florida Blue Star Moms is going strong.
Gov. O'Malley Welcomes Home National Guard Troops -- [WBAL TV, MD]
The soldiers have represented their state and their nation honorably, and now we are so proud welcome them home.” The soldiers honored in this ceremony
Elisa Preston: Waiting for my soldier -- [Savannah Morning News]
Greg Preston embrace at the Welcome Home Ceremony on July 3 for 130-plus soldiers who returned from a 14-month tour in Iraq.
...There were about 130 soldiers in six or seven buses, and they were accompanied by moving trucks and Military Police escort vehicles. The buses parked, and soldiers got off and stood in formation behind a very long row of very tall evergreen trees.
The Army Times and AP Use False Photo to Denounce "Obama Blew off the troops" email -- [Blackfive]
RE: Obama's visit to Bagram
At that Army Times post, part of their evidence is a photo of Senator Obama talking to troops at Bagram - the caption states "Presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama speaks to troops at Bagram Air Field on July 19.".
Here's the AP photo on the Army Times site:
Just one minor problem here - that's not Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. THAT'S CAMP ARIFJAN, KUWAIT.
The main problem here is that Snopes and the Army Times are claiming that the email was either a hoax or completely false. When I stated that I was reasonably certain it was legit, that was from a non-hoax point of view. I knew it was from a real soldier in Afghanistan. And my responses were based on the claims that it was not a real soldier in Afghanistan who sent the email.
So, here we have a patently FALSE photo in the Army Times from the Associated Press.
The Recruiter
ANOTHER Bogus Iraqi Slaughter Reported & Repeated By MSM -- [Gateway Pundit]
7 Shia pilgrims were supposedly ambushed and slaughtered on Sunday near Madain by gunmen hiding in reeds on their way toward a shrine in northern Baghdad for an annual event marking the death of an eighth-century saint.
USA Today reported:
The story was repeated no less than 490 times by the mainstream media.
...However, once again we find out later that this was just a bogus report and that authorities found nothing to back up the story.
Today the Iraqi military denied the reports of the ambush on the Shiite pilgrims.
"W." Bush Trailer Directed by Oliver Stone
Politics and the Military -- [A Soldier's Perspective - CJ]
With a highly politicized election year upon us, it's important for military members to understand and abide by the rules and regulations that govern our involvement in the political process. If we aren't aware of our boundaries, we can't exercise our rights as citizens of this great country. Military service does not equate to surrendering our rights to pass along our opinion of the topics or candidates.
Obama In Iraq's Quicksand -- [Commentary Magazine - Peter Wehner]
To listen to Barack Obama attempt to explain his views on Iraq and the so-called surge is becoming, for those of us who have followed his responses over the last 18 months, something of a spectacle. With every effort, it seems, he is compounding his mistakes in judgment with intellectually dishonest answers, ones which melt away under even minimal scrutiny.
The latest example is Obama's appearance yesterday on Meet the Press. During the interview, host Tom Brokaw played portions of an interview with Obama on January 10, 2007 – the day President Bush's so-called surge strategy was announced – when Obama said this
Be Afraid. Please. -- [NY Times - WILLIAM KRISTOL]
You really should be alarmed about a President Obama rubber-stamping the deeds of a Democratic Congress next year.
Senator John Thune Skewers Far Left Hee-Haw McCaskill -- [Gateway Pundit]
...Claire McCaskill proved that she is nothing more than a walking-talking Far Left nut.
McCaskill tried to pass out her loony Far Left talking points in a grown up discussion on FOX News Sunday... It was embarrassing. You almost felt sorry for her if she wasn't such a Far Left war loser who voted against the Bush Surge. ...Sadly, McCaskill, like Obama, still cannot admit that the surge was a great success despite the overwhelming amount of facts that are mounting against these antiwar libs.
Video: Trailer for Oliver Stone’s Bush movie debuts -- [Hot Air]
Via JWF, the soundtrack alone promises a film every bit as subtle, realistic, and restrained as “Natural Born Killers.” Given that part of the humor derives from the actors’ resemblance (or lack thereof) to the people they’re playing, this is shaping up to be the movie equivalent of one of those nutroots Bush/chimp photo comparisons.
Military Ghost Ride
Stupid husband tricks -- [Castle Argghhh!]
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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.
From Searching to Soccer -- [Up Country Iraq - in Iraq]
...Also from Iraq, which I assume you probably know about, the last of 550 metric tons of yellowcake was safely shipped out of Iraq to a firm in Canada. Yellowcake is the raw material from which nuclear bombs are made. A professor from Sussex University in England (Norman Dombey), estimates that the yellowcake shipped from Iraq was in large enough quantities to make 142 nuclear bombs. The presence of the material was kept very secret and it was shipped very quietly out of country to avoid any possibility of any of the insurgent groups getting their hands on it.
Key suspected terrorists surrender -- [MNF-I]
Since the beginning of July, three highly sought after suspected terrorists have surrendered to Iraqi Security and Coalition forces.
An emir of the Sinjar area Islamic State of Iraq, a front organization for al-Qaeda in Iraq, surrendered to the Iraqi Army for reconciliation in Kisik July 5, about 43 km west of Mosul. The suspect is reportedly involved in terrorist and foreign fighter facilitation and a leader of rocket and improvised explosive device cells.
Rusafa leaders give power to residents (Baghdad) -- [MNF-I]
BAGHDAD – Rusafa district area leaders gave power to Rusafa citizens when they conducted a ribbon-cutting ceremony, turning on micro-power generators in Muhalla 125 of eastern Baghdad July 24.
...“We defeated all the criminals around us, and now we are progressing,” Mohammed said. “Criminals are behind us, and we have to do something in favor of our neighborhoods.”
The Anbar Rising - Part 1 - narrated by Greyhawk
Victory in Iraq Creates Options -- [Matel - in Iraq]
I have lived in Anbar for awhile now and met people involved in the Awakening. They hate Al Qaeda with considerable passion and we certainly could not have defeated the bad guys w/o their help. But w/o our help, THEY could not have defeated the bad guys either. Our friends would have been isolated and killed individually or in small groups, along with their families, and others would have been intimidated into silence. I don’t have to speculate about this. We saw that such things happened in 2005 and we still could see them happening on a smaller scale even in the time I have been in Iraq.
Let me be as blunt as I can. ...
The Kurds Show The Way -- [Strategy Page]
July 24, 2008: The sudden collapse of al Qaeda operations in western Iraq was largely due to tribal politics. There are only a few tribes, or major clans, in western Iraq (Anbar province), and once U.S. commanders had finally convinced the tribes to switch sides, it was like hitting a light switch.
"Team ISF" -- [Newsweek - David Botti - embed in Iraq]
...“We really had to take a deep breath,” First Sergeant Brian Disque said of the time when the violence died down. “It was like turning off a switch. It stopped, it just stopped.”
Today things are relatively quiet in Team ISF’s area of operations. They’ve got the Internet, a few phones, bunk beds, and air conditioning but otherwise live a spartan existence packed in close enough that the option for privacy is totally absent.
THE BATTLE FOR BASRA - (pdf) -- [Institute for the Study of War]
Over the last year, operations by Coalition and Iraqi forces have made signifi cant gains against al-Qaeda in Iraq and other Sunni insurgents. As the threat from these groups has decreased, Coalition Forces and the Iraqi government have focused their attention on the problem of Shi’a militias in central and southern Iraq. Nowhere was this threat more evident than in the southern city of Basra. In the wake of the premature British withdrawal from the city center and transition to an overwatch capacity in late 2007, Basra became a haven for militia and criminal activity. Rival Shi’a militias were engaged in a violent and protracted power struggle as drugs, weapons, and oil smuggling rings thrived. In late March 2008, the Iraqi government launched an offensive to reclaim the city from the militias. Iraq Report 9 offers a comprehensive look at the battle for Basra, Operation Knight’s Charge.
Vancouver soldier returning to combat zone as an amputee
Anna Song has been tracking the progress of Sgt. Matt Braddock for three years now and catches up with him to talk about his plan to return to Iraq, where he lost a leg to a roadside bomb.
Fun With Factions -- [Strategy Page]
Seems like most Iraqis either want someone to tell them what to do, or want to be the guy issuing the orders and death sentences. A really rough neighborhood. And it's getting worse partly because of all the training American instructors have been giving to the new Iraqi army and police force. There are still plenty of incompetent commanders and troops, but about a third of the units are pretty good, The trouble is that most army or police units are led by officers who are loyal to one faction or another. The troops tend to share the loyalties of their officers. Iraq, like most of the Middle East, is a culture of Factions.
My Continuing HP Lovecraft Tour of Iraq -- [Miserable Donuts - in Iraq]
I felt safe here, even after my earlier encounter. I was in Baghdad, large and cosmopolitan. A city looking to the future, despite a long past... how was I to know what waited for me?
Getting out the 81st Bde vote -- [Blog -AH - embed in Iraq]
WA Sec of State Release – The Secretary of State’s Elections Division is coordinating a three-week project to help ensure that Iraq-bound National Guard soldiers are properly registered and designated as military voters before they leave Washington in August.
Iraq banned from Olympics CNN Report
CNN's Hugh Riminton speaks with Olympic historian David Wallechinsky about the Iraqi ban.
Crocker Says Insurgency is Pretty Much Done in Iraq -- [LT Nixon Rants]
Ambassador Crocker doesn't strike me as a guy prone to bullshit about Mission Accomplished, and last year he famously told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that one word summed up Iraq...fear. So when he recently talked with reporters about how the insurgency was just about done, there is reason for optimism
Mosul conflict ebbs after five-year battle between Coalition, insurgents for control -- [LWJ - Bill Murray - in Iraq]
Iraqi and US troops have gained the upper hand against al Qaeda and the insurgency in Iraq's second largest city
Chad Hunt photo makes the cover of TIME -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
Chad emailed last night to say one of his Afghanistan images has been selected for the cover of this week's TIME magazine. The photo was taken at a small outpost in the Korengal Valley during his embed with the 1oth Mountain Division in December 2006. The Soldier in the photo is 1SG David Combs, and you can see the full image here.
We both thought it was a bit ironic that it's taken almost 2 years for a magazine like TIME to need a good photo of Afghanistan, but whatever...
Video: al Qaeda Ally Using Children in Afghanistan -- [Jawa Report]
Here is the much discussed video from the Islamic Jihad Union showing children being trained for battle. The Uzbek jihad group trains in Pakistan and, like its allies in al Qaeda and the Taliban, raids NATO and Afghan forces across the Afghan border.
Islamic Jihad Union: Badr al-Tawheed (2nd half)
WARNING: The video, while not that graphic, does show the dead body of the child. Consider yourselves warned.
Pakistan cedes Hangu to the Taliban -- [LWJ - Bill Roggio]
Hangu is the latest settled district in the Northwest Frontier Province to fall under Taliban control.
Get Some Cheese -- [Dadmanly]
One of the great things about encouraging young soldiers to try out blogging, is when they take the plunge.
I'm been eager to read first hand reports from Afghanistan from one such soldier, blogging at Cheese's MILBLOG.
He got a scare this week
More U.S. troops may help but not solve Afghanistan -- [Reuters]
Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain and President George W. Bush all agree on one thing -- more U.S. troops should go to Afghanistan. But would they make much difference?
Many experts believe a boost in combat troops would help check worsening insurgent violence. Some are not convinced more troops are the answer and all believe that the problems facing Afghanistan require much more than military solutions.
Taliban Propaganda: Winning the War of Words? -- [International Crisis Group] Sabotage Detonates Explosives in Military Convoy, Killing 15 in Three ROK Marines Die in Pohang -- [GI Korea] Brotherhood Against Democracy [Counterterrorism Blog] Online Discussion on "The Challenges of International Terrorism -- [Counterterrorism Blog] Avoiding ‘CSI Kandahar’ - Will Democrats support our troops and fix Boumediene? -- [The Corner] Obama scraps visit to wounded troops -- [Breitbart / AP] Did Obama Snub Troops Becuase He Couldn't Bring Reporters Along? -- [Ace of Spades] Obama's "Inappropriate" Visit with the Troops -- [Weekly Standard] Lessons Of The Iraq War -- [Strategy Page] Are Homosexuals Superhuman? -- [Jawa Report] Free Welcome Home Banners -- [A Soldier's Perspective - CJ] Reno Army captain told to shut down blog from Iraq -- [Reno Gazette-Journal] HT: Castle Argghhh! Silent Posting -- [WaPo] HT: BlackFive Mitchell: 'Scuttlebutt' Says McCain Sabotaged Obama Military Hospital Visit -- [NewsBusters] Obama Whines that Troops Watch FOX News...VAST RIGHT WING CONSPIRACY! -- [Atlas Shrugs] CNN’s Amanpour ‘Surprised’ by Lack of ‘Euphoria’ After Obama Speech -- [NewsBusters] Bias By The Numbers -- [Texas Rainmaker] AP's Weird Way With Numbers: Hate Crimes Edition [Media Nlog - Kevin D. Williamson] Spot reports from the Politikal Frontkämpfern. -- [Castle Argghhh!] Baghdad, Berlin, Barack -- [WSJ] Shocker?... OK, Not Really... Obama Lies About His Opposition to Surge -- [Gateway Pundit] Obama Said The Surge Would Actually Worsen Sectarian Violence Hagel: Stop talking about surge, focus on 'New Order in the World' -- [AP]
The Taliban has created a sophisticated communications apparatus that projects an increasingly confident movement. Using the full range of media, it is successfully tapping into strains of Afghan nationalism and exploiting policy failures by the Kabul government and its international backers. The result is weakening public support for nation-building, even though few actively support the Taliban. The Karzai government and its allies must make greater efforts, through word and deed, to address sources of alienation exploited in Taliban propaganda, particularly by ending arbitrary detentions and curtailing civilian casualties from aerial bombing.
U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD
Iraq Iran -- [Ace of Spades]
Lovely base you 'ave 'ere, Guv'ner. Would be a shame if something were t' 'appen to it.
Details are only now starting to reach the outside world, and it looks increasingly like sabotage was responsible for devastating a military convoy as it travelled through Khavarshahar. The company responsible for moving the equipment, LTK, is owned by the Revolutionary Guards and is suspected of being involved in shipping arms to Lebanon’s Hizbollah Shia Muslim militia, which is trained and funded by Tehran.
...But what really concerns Iran’s leadership is that the incident is the latest in a long line of unexplained explosions.
Tensions have been running high in Tehran since Seymour Hersh, the respected American investigative journalist, revealed in the New Yorker magazine last month that President George W Bush had authorised up to $400 million to fund a major escalation in covert operations to destabilise the regime.
Having contended with Iran’s attempts to undermine the Iraqi government over the past five years, British and American military commanders are more than happy to undertake covert operations in Iran, and there have been unconfirmed reports that special forces "militants" are operating undercover in the country.
Here is something I think Koreans should show a bit of outrage about:
Three enlisted marines were killed Wednesday while standing guard at their base in the southeastern city of Pohang from what officials believe was the accidental collapse of a 38-year-old guard post.
WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM
Seven years after 9/11 the ongoing confrontation between the free world and the forces of Jihadism seems to be revealing another broader more dangerous dimension: the emergence of an undeclared solidarity between regimes and organizations which --despite their enmity for each other -- come together to destroy freedom and obstruct its spread.
As several studies have demonstrated, organized radicalization and recruitment (let alone training and the provision of funds and weapons) has long been central to the formation of a terrorist--that is, someone who is not only angry but willing to act on that anger in a violent manner. Today, that organizational function is in some cases carried out more passively via exposure to ideas and, perhaps more critically, a sense of belonging to a group of like-minded followers, on the Internet. But even among the increasing number of "homegrown" terrorists, European officials stress the importance of pre-existing personal vulnerabilities that serve as "push factors"as well as exposure to "radicalizers" - in person or online - over a period of time.
SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT
‘We don’t have to pass anything,” smirked Jerrold Nadler to Newsweek. “Let the courts deal with it.”
The key House Democrat seems ever ready to lend a terrorist a helping hand. Just ask Susan Rosenberg, the Weather Underground bomber he helped convince Bill Clinton to commute her 60-year sentence. But now it’s our troops — who Democrats are forever saying they “support” — who need a helping hand. So here was Nadler, giving his usual thumbs-down to a Justice Department plea that Congress provide them, and the nation, with something other than the usual empty words.
BERLIN (AP) - Sen. Barack Obama scrapped plans to visit wounded members of the armed forces in Germany as part of his overseas trip, a decision his spokesman said was made because the Democratic presidential candidate thought it would be inappropriate on a campaign-funded journey.
The spokesman, Robert Gibbs, said Thursday that Obama made his decision out of respect for the servicemen and women, but Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign immediately criticized the move.
"Barack Obama is wrong. It is never inappropriate to visit our men and women in the military," said Brian Rogers, a spokesman for the Republican contender.
Earlier I blogged about Obama canceling a scheduled trip to meet troops stationed in Germany. The reason given was his campaign was paying for this part of his trip so it was somehow inappropriate to visit the troops. As I noted, he could have avoided turning it into a political event by ditching the press.
Obama canceled a planned visit with U.S. troops in Germany because, his spokesman said, it would be "inappropriate to make a stop to visit troops at a U.S. military facility as part of a trip funded by the campaign."
But after a July 2 campaign event in Colorado, "Obama later paid a private visit to the U.S. Air Force Academy and Peterson Air Force Base and raised money for his campaign at a $1,000-per-person event at a luxury hotel."
That trip to Colorado was certainly "funded by the campaign". So how was that visit okay if visiting troops in Germany is "inappropriate"?
MILITARY
July 25, 2008: As the U.S. armed forces have done so many times before, they entered the uncertainty of a new war in 2001, and are now trying to figure out what they gained from it. Most of what went on during this war was unreported or misreported. This is nothing new. The important details, and lessons, of all past American wars were poorly reported, and what the military is trying to avoid is taking away the wrong lessons.
The problem with the whole debate over whether or not homosexuals should be allowed to openly serve in the U.S. military is that no one is willing to admit what we all know: men want sex. A lot of it. And with multiple partners
WELCOME HOME
[UPDATE] The program was tremendously successful. Buildasign gave away all 10,000 banners in just three weeks, helping families of the armed forces using the resources they had. Now that they hit the 10,000 free banner mark, Buildasign still wants to help out all the families going to their website looking for a banner for their "Welcome Home" celebration. They are offering 10,000 free customizable license plates now and 50% off the banners. The link is the same, www.buildasign.com/Troops
MILBLOGGING
Gallagher, a Reno native, announced June 27 that he had been ordered to stop posting to "Kaboom" because of his May 28 post: "The Only Difference Between Suicide and Martyrdom is Press Coverage."
...Boisselle said she knows Gallagher, who has eight months left in his deployment, still feels honored to be serving.
"He wants people to know that this is the choice he's made," said Boisselle, 22. "I hear it in his voice. Despite what he's said about the Army, he's proud of his men and his decision to join."
His family remembers what led him to do what he said "someone else's sons and daughters" do.
"But don't tell me 'I'm sorry,' or gasp an 'oh dear!' when you see me home on leave visiting my family, and you hear that I'm now in the Army," Gallagher wrote in his first entry. "Save your condescending prattle for yourselves. I chose not to indulge. I escaped for a reason.
With His Blog Kaboom, a Young Soldier Told of His War. Last Month, the Army Made Him Shut It Down.
...Word got around, and more and more readers closely followed the postings of 25-year-old Lt. Matthew Gallagher, with the site drawing tens of thousands of page views. By the time Kaboom went kaput last month -- Lt. G was ordered to take down his blog -- it had a following that would be the envy of many a small-town paper.
THE MEDIA
Are reporters in the business of reporting fact or rumor?
...Barack Obama's cancellation of plans to visit injured military members at bases in Germany has drawn considerable attention and criticism. On today's Morning Joe, Mitchell passed along an Obama-campaign inspired rumor that McCain used his Pentagon connections to sabotage the Obama visit.
This thumbsucker is unbelievable. Click below to watch the video of Obama complaining that the troops only watch FOX." Why is FOX always on? " Obambi whined. Major Garrett said, "they make the choice" " Obama replied "Is that the commander in chief's choice?" huh? What a frickin crybaby.
He implies its a Bush conspiracy. Just for knowing, American Forces Radio and Television Service offers all cable channels and mainstream media channels, the troops choose FOX.
It aint a conspiracy its called "remote control"! The troops can change the channel.
CNN’s chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour, reporting on Barack Obama’s speech in Berlin on Thursday’s “The Situation Room,” expressed her shock that the European crowd didn’t seem to have the same mania for the Democrat that the media has: “I did ask some people as they were leaving what they thought. Everybody said good, good. But I was surprised that there wasn't this sort of euphoria afterwards,
Face it, there’s a liberal bias in mainstream media. The actions of the New York Times this week in publishing an editorial for their darling, Barack Obama, while initially refusing to do so for John McCain is just the latest evidence. In addition, McCain is getting the standard election-cycle treatment by the media, enjoying 1 minute of coverage for every 3 minutes for Obama… to say nothing of the fact that much of that single minute is negative coverage to boot.
The Associated Press is reporting an increase in the number of hate crimes in Los Angeles:
So 125 hate crimes against Latinos and 310 against blacks: that's 435 of the 763 hate crimes reported, meaning that 328 hate crimes — the largest group — were suffered by people who weren't black or Latino. So, AP, who were they? Whites, Asians, Jews, Native Americans, homosexuals, what? Aren't they worth reporting
POLITICS
And while these are single-straw views of a much larger whole, and anecdotal, they deserve a hearing, too. We'll happily accept inputs from deployed personnel who were happy and impressed by Senator Obama, too.
...When his plane arrived (also containing Senators Reed and Hagel, but the news has hardly mentioned them), there was a "ramp freeze." This means if you are on the flight line, and not directly involved with the event in question, you stay where you are and don't move. For a combat flight arriving or departing, this takes about ten minutes, and involves the active runway and crossing taxiways only. For Obama's flight, this took 90 minutes, during which time a variety of military missions came grinding to a halt. Obviously, this visit was important, right?
Obama might have given Baghdad the same support he gave Berlin.
"But in the darkest hour," said Sen. Obama, "the people of Berlin kept the flame of hope burning. The people of Berlin refused to give up. And on one fall day, hundreds of thousands of Berliners came here, to the Tiergarten, and heard the city's mayor implore the world not to give up on freedom. 'There is only one possibility,' he said. 'For us to stand together united until this battle is won…. The people of Berlin have spoken. We have done our duty, and we will keep on doing our duty'." This, from a U.S. Senator whose consistent message to the people of Baghdad, a similarly besieged city, also dependent on America's protection, has been, in effect, to give up.
Today's Obama lie is brought to you from his interview with Brian Williams on NBC Nightly News
Power Line discovered this Obama lie.
Brian Williams asks Obama about the surge, and whether it has been a success. Obama answers that "even at the time of the debate of the surge, was if you put 30,000 troops in, of course it's going to have an impact."
Obama tells Brian Williams that he always said more troops would have an impact
"I am not persuaded that 20,000 additional troops in Iraq is going to solve the sectarian violence there in fact I think it will do the reverse.
OMAHA, Neb. — Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel, fresh from an Iraq trip with Democrat Barack Obama, said the presidential candidates should focus on the war's future and stop arguing over the success of last year's troop surge. Hagel mentioned both candidates, but his comments seemed directed at Republican John McCain. McCain, while Obama traveled the Middle East, attacked Obama for opposing the military escalation last year that increased security in Iraq.
"Quit talking about, 'Did the surge work or not work,' or, 'Did you vote for this or support this,'" Hagel said Thursday on a conference call with reporters.
HUMOR / SATIRE
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Iraq, Afghanistan, War, Terrorism, Military, Politics, Media, MilBlogs, dawn patrolMudville
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.
Pack your bags for Baghdad? Iraq looks to tourism -- [AP]
BAGHDAD (AP) — Someone had fun tinkering with the airline board at the old, disused terminal at Baghdad International Airport. It advertises a "special flight" on Japan Airlines from Basra to Sydney, Australia, while a flight from Baghdad to Mexico City is "delayed."
In reality, Iraq has been a no-go zone for most civilian aircraft for almost two decades. First, there were U.N. sanctions after Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in 1990. Then U.S.-led forces toppled the dictator in 2003, and violence engulfed the country.
Yet, now that insurgent attacks and sectarian bloodshed have ebbed over the past year, Iraq's government is beginning to promote tourism.
Basra - here's the good news story -- [Times Online]
The city is firmly under the grip of Iraq's new security forces, and normal life is returning
There is an interesting piece of graffiti on a bridge near Basra. A fleeing militiaman has scrawled “We'll be back”; underneath an Iraqi soldier has scribbled in reply “And we'll be waiting for you”.
Foreign Relations: Maliki and the US -- [BlackFive - Grim]
There is one final matter to make it real: our own influence. The Iraqis must see that their government is in fact theirs. It cannot be a puppet; it must be theirs in fact.
Here, then, is the concept: Iraq must appear to "win" in the negotiations with the United States. In public, Maliki must appear strong and confident, able to command even America within the bounds of Iraq.
TIME: The War Cannot Be Lost! -- [BlackFive - Grim]
...Greyhawk declared the war was won in the fall (and he was there -- I know, because I was there with him). Michael Yon declared it was won last week, which seems to have rung the bell for the major media. Suddenly, 'anybody knows' the war 'cannot be lost.'
This is an astonishing turnaround by the major media, and one they simply don't want to acknowledge. That very refusal is the issue with Klein and Sen. McCain. What Sen. McCain said to which Klein objected was that Sen. Obama would rather lose a war than a presidential campaign.
On Patrol -- [Ventura County Star - Scott Hadly - embed in Iraq]
...Then as we marched these guys out on a road we pass three fresh holes where IEDs blew up trucks including the one that day. It was a huge hole like 10 by 10. One of the detainees swirls his finger next to his head as if to say "that's crazy shit" and the other guy looses it. Starts panicing, and goes into convulsions. Falls into the road. We were all really, really beat nd close to heat exhaustion cause it'd been six hours or so of this. Anyway I think, oh shit he's going to die so I go over and start using the rest of my water to try and cool him off and then he starts doing this serious jerking around on the ground to the point where it was pretty clear he was faking.
"Get up mother fucker" they're yelling. "Get up or we're going to drag you." needless to say the guy got up and we made it to the MRAPs and turned the three over to the Iraqis.
I'm glad I'm not a soldier.
Alusi Survives Yet Another Assassination Attempt -- [Talisman Gate - Iraqi blogger]
Liberal Iraqi MP Mithal Alusi’s family home in West Baghdad's Hai Al-Jam’ia neighborhood was reduced to rubble this morning after terrorists had rigged the structure with explosives in an apparent assassination attempt.
...Is Senator Obama going to make time during his brief ‘fact-finding’ stopover in Baghdad today for the likes of
Alusi, who survives as a living testament to the tremendous sacrifices paid by Iraqis for the cause of democracy? Does Obama even know of Alusi?
Doubt it. I wonder how many Americans know of him either.
Obama's Fact-Fudging Mission in Iraq -- [Iraq the Model - Iraqi blogger]
...The state-owned Al-Sabah quoted a senior official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject, as saying: “The change in the prime minister’s position has to do with his own perception of the political developments in the United States…Maliki thinks that Obama is most likely to win in the presidential election and that he will withdraw his country’s troops from Iraq as he pledged in his campaign.” The official added that Maliki sees that “he’s got to take preemptive steps before Obama gets to the White House.”
Obama Admits Surge Worked, and DEMOCRATS Are Responsible -- [Flopping Aces]
What we have to do is to begin a phased redeployment to send a clear signal to the Iraqi government that we are not going to be there in perpetuity. Now, it will — we should be as careful getting out as we were careless getting in. I welcome the genuine reductions of violence that have taken place, although I would point out that much of that violence has been reduced because there was an agreement with tribes in Anbar province — Sunni tribes — who started to see, after the Democrats were elected in 2006, you know what, the Americans may be leaving soon, and we are going to be left very vulnerable to the Shi’as. We should start negotiating now. That’s how you change behavior.
Katie Couric In Amman Interviews Obama- McCain Weighs In
-Couric: But talking microcosmically, did the surge, the addition of 30,000 additional troops ... help the situation in Iraq?
-Obama: Katie, as … you've asked me three different times, and I have said repeatedly that there is no doubt that our troops helped to reduce violence. There's no doubt.
-Couric: But yet you're saying … given what you know now, you still wouldn't support it … so I'm just trying to understand this.
MEDIA IGNORES Al-Anbar Sheik's Warning to Obama -- [Gateway Pundit]
It's really strange how this warning was missed in most of the media reports today.
Funny how that happens.
Obama sips his tea in al Anbar as the brave sheiks from al-Anbar warn him of his dangerous plans for Iraq.
That Was Counterterrorism, Senator -- [Threats Watch - Steve Shippert]
Presidential Candidate Obama’s statements in and about Iraq in the past 24 hours have been nothing less than shameless and disgraceful. While we strive to avoid political discussion at ThreatsWatch, criticism of his words transcends rank political partisanship if for no other reason than his claims are simply and flatly untrue, made in a war zone, during a time of war and while running to become the Commander in Chief of US Military Forces. This simply cannot stand unchallenged.
Don't Call Us - We'll Call You, Al-Rishawi -- [Threats Watch - Steve Shippert]
The leader of the Iraq Awakening is still waiting for that call from an interested US broadcast news organization. Crickets.
Yesterday in That Was Counterterrorism, Senator, I directly challenged Senator Obama’s assertions about ‘The Surge,’ specifically as it related to what is today the Iraq Awakening: Iraqis who took to their own defense against al-Qaeda - and for some time, without our proper support.
As much as a splash as the senator’s words made throughout the media - whether praise, echoes or scorn - it should be striking that no one in the American media circus following him through Iraq and the rest of the Middle East were inclined to perhaps speak to the leader of the Iraq Awakening.
Was the War Worth It? -- [Comm. mag. - Peter Wehner]
...American irresolution emboldened jihadists, which is why if we prevail in Iraq after having sustained a very high cost in blood and treasure, it will be an achievement of enormous consequence -- a victory of American will and purpose as well as a key military victory.
"The Defeat Of Al Qaeda" -- [The Daily Dish - Andrew Sullivan]
...Whether we could have found a less traumatizing, expensive, fatal path past Saddam will be for historians to judge. But it is worth remembering, as Pete somehow omits, that the fundamental casus belli - the WMD threat from Saddam - was false. And we removed Saddam over five years ago. The war since is what we are discussing.
So then the next argument: ...
Obama flaunts his ignorance about the surge -- [Protien Wisdom - Karl]
Jake Tapper provides a nice money quote from Barack Obama’s interview with Terry Moran of ABC News:
In Baghdad yesterday, after a day spent witnessing the reduction in violence in Iraq, Obama was asked by ABC News’ Terry Moran if he was wrong..
“Here is what I will say,” Obama said, “I think that, I did not anticipate, and I think that this is a fair characterization, the convergence of not only the surge but the Sunni awakening in which a whole host of Sunni tribal leaders decided that they had had enough with Al Qaeda, in the Shii’a community the militias standing down to some degrees. So what you had is a combination of political factors inside of Iraq that then came right at the same time as terrific work by our troops. Had those political factors not occurred, I think that my assessment would have been correct.”
The problem with this answer is ...
Barack Obama Oversteps His Bounds in Iraq
Brown signals end of military role in Iraq -- [Financial Times]
British troops could begin their long-awaited withdrawal from Iraq early next year after Gordon Brown on Tuesday predicted “a fundamental change of mission” in the first months of 2009.
Troops must stay in Iraq 'to train its forces' -- [Independent]
Gordon Brown should abandon any hope of pulling all British troops out of Iraq before the next general election, MPs say in a report published today.
Baghdad Beauty Salons Back in Business -- [IWPR - Duraed Salman and Nasr Khadhim in Baghdad ]
Once the target of extremists, beauty shops are slowly re-opening in the capital.
In the heart of al-Salihiya, the most stable neighbourhood in Baghdad, a large sign reads, “Rasha’s Salon for Women”.
The salon is just four months old, a symbol of a new, more secure Baghdad. Business is buzzing, particularly after the owner, Rasha Amin, 28, advertised her salon with flyers and got neighbouring shop owners to help drum up trade.
Oil refinery fuels Al Anbar forward -- [Regimental Combat Team 5 - Lance Cpl. Paul Torres]
AL ANBAR PROVINCE, Iraq - As the doors of the K3 Oil Refinery open, so does the future of the Iraqi people. Members of the Al Anbar government gathered to celebrate the Haditha oil refinery's resumption of production for the f...
The Eye of Horus -- [Castle Argghhh! - CW4BillT - in Iraq]
...This morning I was heading for my shortcut through the blast wall between my hootch and the main drag -- I got two steps from the opening in the wall and a sparrow flew from behind the wall and landed in the opening. I got one step from the opening and a falcon appeared from nowhere, pounced the sparrow -- and then looked at me. He snapped his head up, our eyes locked for less than a second and he vanished back behind the wall. Those amazing black eyes had enabled him to see the mottled dust-brown sparrow against the mottled dust-brown earth from hundreds of feet away.
From G.I. in Afghanistan - "We got more thanks from the Dallas cowboy Cheerleaders" than from Senator Obama -- [BlackFive]
This is from a USAF friend in Afghanistan:
As the Soldiers where lined up to shake his hand, he blew them off and didn't say a word as he went into the conference room to meet the General. As he finished, the vehicles took him to the ClamShell (pretty much a big top tent that military personnel can play basketball or work out in with weights) so he could take his publicity pictures playing basketball. He again shunned the opportunity to talk to Soldiers to thank them for their service.
Taliban leader surrenders after he hears British special forces are 'closing in' -- [Daily Mail]
The most senior Taliban commander in Afghanistan's wartorn Helmand province has given himself up because he feared being killed by British special forces.
The news will be a massive blow to insurgent forces.
Mullah Rahim surrendered to authorities in Pakistan, the Ministry of Defence said last night.
Rahim - thought to be one of the five main Taliban commanders - is reported to have handed himself in to Pakistani police near the border and is being held in the town of Quetta.
Panjshir governor gives keynote speech at grand opening for his Alma Mater -- [Combined Joint Task Force - 101]
PANJSHIR PROVINCE, Afghanistan (July 22, 2008) — More than 600 villagers and students attended the grand opening of the 16-room Obdara High School, Wednesday, in Obdara, Anaba District, Panjshir. Gov. Hajji Bahlol, Panjshir's provincial governor, was the keynote speaker. Not only is Bahlol the Provincial Gover...
UNODC declares Konar province nearly-poppy free -- [Combined Joint Task Force - 101]
ASAD ABAD, Afghanistan (July 20, 2008) — The UN Office of Drugs and Crime recently declared Konar province to be “nearly-poppy free” in 2006 and 2007.
Peace negotiations begin with Taliban in Hangu -- [LWJ - Bill Roggio]
The Pakistani government indicates further operations, such as the limited Khyber and Hangu offensives, are in store. Tribal elders deny the Taliban are a problem.
Taking Great Care from the Air -- [Abu Muqawama]
Thomas Shanker writes today in the NY Times about the great pains taken by Coalition Forces in Afghanistan to avoid civilian casualties in planned air strikes.
It had taken the American military many days to identify, track and target the senior Taliban officer. But the risk of civilian deaths was deemed too high. Air Force commanders, working with military lawyers, aborted the mission. The Taliban leader escaped.
UK soldiers kill Taleban leader -- [BBC]
British forces are part of a campaign targeting the leadership of the Taleban
British troops in Afghanistan have delivered a "shattering blow" to the Taleban by killing one of its senior leaders, the Ministry of Defence says.
The New Taliban Tactics Have a Catch -- [Strategy Page]
July 22, 2008: The Afghan government believes that key leaders in the Pakistani army and intelligence service (the ISI) are still making deals, some of them secret, with the Taliban and Islamic radical groups, to make it easier for Afghanistan to be attacked, while providing Pakistan some immunity from terrorism. This kind of cynical arrangement is a staple of politics, especially in the Moslem world.
Now, I can retire... -- [THE CI-ROLLER DUDE]
When I was deployed to Bosnia, there was a person I was looking for. We found a few of his underlings, but I was always a little late on actaully catching the boss. I spent several months there and I failed...but I knew someday he'd be caught. Now that he's been arrested, I can retire from the Army National Guard in peace...the arrest of Radovan Karadzic, the former leader of Bosnian Serbs who is accused of war crimes, made my day.
Canada’s SHAME -- [So Crunchy]
Harper government deports US War Resister Robin Long
Against the wishes of Canadians and Canada’s Parliament, the federal government deported U.S. Iraq war resister Robin Long to the United States, where he faces punishment for refusing to participate in the Iraq War.
Robin is currently being held at the Buckley City Jail near Fort Lewis, Washington.
A Russian "Greenlight" to Attack Iran? -- [Confederate Yankee]
That is one intriguing interpretation of today's disclosure that Iran would be getting the long range Russian surface-to-air missile system known as the S-300PMU-1 (SA-20), and that the system would be deployable in as soon as six months from their expected September arrival.
U.S. Congressional Representatives' Stance on Jihad and the War of Ideas -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
Last week, there was an interesting development in the U.S. House of Representatives that will give Americans a clear view as to exactly where their individual representatives
Winning the War with Islamic Fanaticism -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
...The answer to terrorism—whether it is perpetuated by Palestinian Sunni Islamic fundamentalists, Lebanese Iranian-inspired Shiite fundamentalists, or the fanatic Iranian ayatollahs themselves—is to fight it vigorously, just like we fought the Japanese kamikaze pilots at the end of World War II. The allies didn’t flinch when attacked by the kamikazes—we didn’t call for, or agree to, a truce at that point. We fought with one goal in mind: total defeat of the enemy.
Terrorists In Los Angeles, Update III -- [Flopping Aces]
LA Terrorist Sentenced to 12 Years For Planning National Guard & Jewish Center Attacks
The members of the terror group Jamiyyat Ul-Islam Is-Saheeh attended the same Inglewood mosque allegedly conducted surveillance of National Guard facilities, the Israeli Consulate and several synagogues in the Los Angeles area as well as Internet research on Jewish holidays.
The Heroes of Wanat -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany - at Landstuhl]
Im Memoriam:
1LT Jonathan Brostrom
SGT Israel Garcia
SPC Matthew Phillips
SPC Pruitt Rainey
SPC Jonathan Ayers
SPC Jason Bogar
SPC Sergio Abad
SPC Jason Hovater
SPC Gunnar Zwilling
All Sky Soldiers of Chosen Company, 2/503 Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team.
I'd like to thank all of you who sent messages of support for these patients during their stay at Landstuhl, as well as all of our regular donors of quilts and many other items. Please know how much your support is appreciated by the guys, and that it does make a difference.
View from the 8th Floor -- [View from the 8th Floor]
Not for Nothing, A Follow-up on the Sky Soldiers in Afghanistan (the details you might otherwise miss...)
Angel Mary Ann has point in providing TLC for our wounded in Landstuhl. She also has kept a close eye on the Sky Soldiers of Chosen Company, 2/503 Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team who have been in Afghanistan for the last year.
It was Sky Soldiers that fought that pitched battle in Afghanistan last week and who lost 9 of their own before they prevailed. Some of their wounded have found their way to Landstuhl and MaryAnn.
Anthony's Birthday -- [Tragically Famous - in Iraq]
It's that day again. I just want to thank everyone for the support you have given my soldiers and I throughout this deployment. It means the world to us.
It's my birthday today - the 4th I will have missed in a row due to military requirements. Oh well! Anyways - if you'd like to do something in honor of my birthday I will ask a favor. If you have some friends, family, and/or coworkers that haven't read the Tragically Famous blog, that you would spread the word to them for me.
One of the greatest things I enjoy is knowing that people have read and enjoy my writing.
Grenade hero awarded George Cross -- [BBC]
A Royal Marine who threw himself on a grenade to save his comrades' lives is to receive the George Cross.
VIDEO: VC marine on Afghan heroics -- [BBC - YouTube]
A Royal Marine speaks about the day he threw himself on a grenade in Afghanistan to protect his colleagues.
It's so, so easy to get one.... -- [THE CI-ROLLER DUDE]
...So, lets say you got back from Iraq and you want to go party. How did you survive Iraq? With a good plan....and a good back up plan. Plan out your drinking. If you are going to drink ---any amount--- you are not going to drive. Have a designated driver. If you think that's a wusss thing to do, then think about the crash you're going to have if someone like me doesn't catch you first. Let's say you crash into another car with a family and you injure or kill some innocent kid or their parent. How are you going to live with that Hero?
Drink smart, or I'm going to come and kick your ass. The person you kill might be you... if that's what you want to do, don't do it in a way that might hurt others.
Remember, you came home a hero....one little slip, and then you're an asshole.
“But… That Never HAPPENED!” -- [Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler]
Remember the libtardian mantra that the spitting on returning heroes after and during the Viet Nam War never happened? We shan’t go into disproving that here, all it takes is a bit of Googling
...So I issue this Imperial Declaration: If I ever, EVER
Santa Barbara Anti-American Protest
The “Compact on Education Transition for Military Children” helps to ease the stress of a PCS for families with children. -- [Army.mil News]
Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri and Oklahoma have all ratified the compact on education, which will ease the transition between states and school systems for military children and families. Compact commissioners from all 10 states will work to reconcile variations in graduation requirements, course content, student assessment and eligibility for extra-curricular activities. The rules established by the commission will apply to any state which has signed the compact, and will provide continuity and peace of mind for military families on the move.
PETA vs the military -- [Foreign and Domestic]
PETA (people who eat tasty animals) tries to take on Goliath by telling the US Army that killing pigs in a medical exercise is wrong.
While PETA probably thinks that the Iraq war is bad because some camels may have been hurt by IED's, the purpose of this exercise is to save human lives. There is no substitute or simulator to show a medic what a massive hemorrage actually looks, feels, and smells like. If a few pigs have to give their lives to save a US soldier or two, then bring on the bacon. And it's also important to keep in mind that our medics treat everyone that needs it, so this training may just as easily save the life of an Iraqi citizen wounded by a suicide bomber.
Study: Black Officers Remain Rare In Military -- [CBS / AP]
Sixty years after President Truman desegregated the military, senior black officers are still rare, particularly among the highest ranks.
Blacks make up about 17 percent of the total force, yet just 9 percent of all officers. That fraction falls to less than 6 percent for general officers with one to four stars, according to data obtained and analyzed by The Associated Press.
I'm home -- [Doc in the Box]
and there is no place I'd rather be in the world right now and I think the picture speaks for itself. Thanks for the support.
Dragonslayers head for home -- [Regimental Combat Team 5 - Gunnery Sgt. Jason Bortz]
CAMP RIPPER, Iraq (July 14, 2008) -- After 15 months of service in western Al Anbar province, Iraq, the "Dragonslayers" of the 170th Military Police Company, Regimental Combat Team 5 are heading home to Fort Lewis, Wash.
Don't Call Us - We'll Call You, Al-Rishawi -- [Threats Watch - Steve Shippert]
The leader of the Iraq Awakening is still waiting for that call from an interested US broadcast news organization. Crickets.
Yesterday in That Was Counterterrorism, Senator, I directly challenged Senator Obama’s assertions about ‘The Surge,’ specifically as it related to what is today the Iraq Awakening: Iraqis who took to their own defense against al-Qaeda - and for some time, without our proper support.
As much as a splash as the senator’s words made throughout the media - whether praise, echoes or scorn - it should be striking that no one in the American media circus following him through Iraq and the rest of the Middle East were inclined to perhaps speak to the leader of the Iraq Awakening.
Obama Faking It -- [Town Hall - Maggie Gallagher]
NBC's Andrea Mitchell was the one journalist with the courage to name what she was actually seeing happen: Obama faking even being interviewed by the press.
"Let me say something about the message management. He didn't have reporters with him, he didn't have a press pool, he didn't do a press conference," either in Afghanistan or Iraq, noted Mitchell on the air. Instead Obama manufactured "what some would call 'fake interviews,' because they are not interviews from a journalist," Mitchell went on.
Andrea Blasts Obama 'Fake Interviews'
"He didn't have reporters with him, he didn't have a press pool, he didn't do a press conference while he was on the ground in either Afghanistan or Iraq. What you're seeing is not reporters brought in. You're seeing selected pictures taken by the military, questions by the military, and what some would call fake interviews, because they're not interviews from a journalist. So, there's a real press issue here. Politically it's smart as can be. But we've not seen a presidential candidate do this, in my recollection, ever before."
MEDIA IGNORES Al-Anbar Sheik's Warning to Obama -- [Gateway Pundit]
It's really strange how this warning was missed in most of the media reports today.
Funny how that happens.
Obama sips his tea in al Anbar as the brave sheiks from al-Anbar warn him of his dangerous plans for Iraq.
Bloomberg: Don't Worry America, to Arabs Obama 'Just an American With Muslim Middle Name' -- [NewsBusters]
Bloomberg news is acting as if they know how "many Muslims around the world" feel about Barack Obama. In Bloomberg's considered opinion, Obama is "just an American with a Muslim middle name" and won't "advance" the "interests" of Muslims.
Obama Love
'He's a gift from the world to us.'
Matthews Finally Sees Victory in Iraq but Calls Obama the 'Beneficiary' -- [NewsBusters]
For years Chris Matthews has been proclaiming defeat in Iraq, on an almost nightly basis, on "Hardball" but on Tuesday night he finally admitted the success of the surge that John McCain supported. However, the MSNBC host claimed it would be Barack Obama that would get to enjoy the spoils.
Obama Campaign Prints German-language Flyers for Berlin Rally -- [The Next Tight - Patrick Ruffini]
This is pretty extraordinary. A candidate for the American Presidency is using flyers printed in German to turn people out for his campaign rally in Berlin on Thursday. This flyer can be found on a bilingual page on BarackObama.com advertising the event:
So, this isn't just some sober, high-minded foreign policy speech, part of a foreign trip occurring under the auspices of his official Senate office. It is a campaign rally occuring on foreign soil. They are using the same tactics to turn out Germans to an event as they would to any rally right here in America. This after Obama's campaign said this:
HE'S NOT RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, he's running for President of Earth. " -- [Instapundit]
Obama Campaign Prints German-language Flyers for Berlin Rally."
Obama campaign: McCain flubs on Iraq timeline -- [AP]
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican presidential candidate John McCain says Democrat Barack Obama is wrong about the Iraq war.
But Obama's campaign says McCain was wrong about the war's timeline during a nationally televised interview Tuesday.
Same city, different outlook - The Awakening:-- [Lance Cpl. Casey Jones - 1st Battalion, 9th Marines (Fwd)]
This article details the experiences of five Marines that have previously deployed to Ramadi and their first hand accounts of the city prior to the changes and the rebirth the region is now undergoing during their current combat deployment.
...One of the major reasons behind the reduction in violence has been the Sahawa al Anbar, or the Anbar Awakening. The awakening began in 2006 with the murder of a highly revered sheikh. The killers, al Qaeda in Iraq, insulted and disrespected the sheikh’s family by hiding his body for three days so he could not be buried according to Islamic tradition. Their actions proved to be the breaking point for the locals, who were furious over the terrorist organization’s lack of respect for their culture and were exasperated with the endless violence. The local tribal leaders, led by Sheik Sattar abu Risha, declared themselves an enemy of al Qaeda and formed the Awakening Council.
“Before the Awakening, it was very kinetic,” said Maj. Jeff McCormack, the operations officer with 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, who was deployed to the province during the awakening. “We had IED attacks and firefights everyday. Within a week, we went from not being able to stand still for five minutes without being shot at to not having any attacks in the area.”
In addition to the Awakening, the surge of 30,000 U.S. troops to the region also proved to be pivotal in the turnaround.
McCain on the Surge -- [Weekly Standard]
John McCain is drawing criticism for the following exchange with Katie Couric:
I don't know how you respond to something that is such a false depiction of what actually happened. Colonel McFarlane was contacted by one of the major Sunni sheiks. Because of the surge we were able to go out and protect that sheik and others. And it began the Anbar awakening.
...Of course, the official "surge" ordered by President Bush in January 2007 was four months after the Awakening began. Some are pointing to this statement as proof that McCain gets "his facts all wrong", as Matthew Yglesias writes. But...
Obama Admits Surge Worked, and DEMOCRATS Are Responsible -- [Flopping Aces]
What we have to do is to begin a phased redeployment to send a clear signal to the Iraqi government that we are not going to be there in perpetuity. Now, it will — we should be as careful getting out as we were careless getting in. I welcome the genuine reductions of violence that have taken place, although I would point out that much of that violence has been reduced because there was an agreement with tribes in Anbar province — Sunni tribes — who started to see, after the Democrats were elected in 2006, you know what, the Americans may be leaving soon, and we are going to be left very vulnerable to the Shi’as. We should start negotiating now. That’s how you change behavior.
"Antiwar activists split over Obama's troop plans" -- [McClatchy]
Barack Obama's plan to build up U.S. forces in Afghanistan while keeping perhaps 50,000 troops in Iraq has triggered a deep rift among antiwar activists, a reminder of the difficult tasking facing the presumptive Democratic nominee as he tries to broaden his appeal.
Ali G: Iran vs Iraq
Obama Submission Rejected by Reader’s Digest -- [ScrappleFace]
(2008-07-22) — Just days after The New York Times declined to publish an Op-Ed piece by Republican presidential nominee John McCain, Reader’s Digest has rejected a Barack Obama submission to its Humor in Uniform section.
(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.
Iraqis underwhelmed by media circus for Barack Obama visit -- [Times Online]
...The circus was repeated outside Jalal Talabani's presidential compound, which sits just outside the green zone but is also formidably guarded.
The contrast with the attitude of ordinary Iraqis could not have been greater. Most were oblivious that the Obama visit was even taking place.
“Who is Mr Obama?” asked Muhammad Saed, 29, who owns a small supermarket in Baghdad. “I stopped reading the news after the invasion because it only talks about car bombs and people being killed.”
Maliki Feints -- [Commentary Magazine]
What is Prime Minister Maliki up to with his seeming endorsement of Obama's 16 month withdrawal timetable, followed by a quick backtrack by his spokesman?
...The Iraqi prime minister's seeming endorsement of Barack Obama's troop withdrawal plan is part of Baghdad's strategy to play U.S. politics for the best deal possible over America's military mission.
In other words, Maliki is not really trying to push U.S. troops out by mid-2010, as Senator Obama proposes. In fact he’s being careful to say that a mid-2010 departure is a “hope”—not a firm demand. (His spokesman explained today that “the government did not endorse a fixed date.”) He is playing politics—Iraqi politics.
Note on casualties -- [TigerHawk]
Make of it what you will, but only five Americans have been killed in action in Iraq in the 24 days since June 26.
When Obama Comes Marching Over -- [Newsweek - David Botti - embed in Iraq]
The biggest news on this particular day seemed to be that a coffee shop opened back at their main base to replace the one damaged by a deadly rocket attack in April.
After hearing of Obama's intended arrival, some said they simply didn't care about politics. Others, like 21-year-old Specialist Jeff Cole, didn't see how it would affect their day-to-day lives as a platoon of infantryman partnered with a unit of Iraqi National Police.
"It's good for his campaign, but it doesn't really matter for us," he said.
...Further up Charlie Company’s chain of command, First Sergeant Brian Disque also saw Obama’s visit as being primarily a opportunity for the candidate to educate himself.
“When I hear certain peoples’ interpretations of what’s going on in Iraq, it concerns me,” Disque said.
Obama Overflies Iraqi Mass Graves -- [Confederate Yankee]
Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama overflew the Iraqi cities of Baghdad and Najaf today, where the mass graves for an estimated 240,000 victims of sectarian violence killed since 2007 were visible even from altitude.
Iraqi leader meets Obama, calls for U.S. troops out by end of 2010 -- [McClatchy News]
BAGHDAD — After talks with Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki reaffirmed that Iraq wants U.S. combat troops to withdraw from Iraq by the end of 2010, a few months later than Obama had proposed.
Obama in Iraq -- [Greyhawk]
Maliki Walks Things Back -- [Baldilocks]
Says that the words about a concrete date for a pullout were misconstrued via the translation and that
In the Middle East, Diplomacy = Weakness -- [Iraq the Model - Iraqi blogger]
In a matter of just a few days several important developments have taken place in the Middle East, all likely to have negative repercussions on the already tense situation in the region. The first development was the awkward prisoner exchange between Israel and Hezbollah. Then there were the unprecedented decisions by the American administration to take part directly in negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, and reportedly to resume some level of diplomatic ties with the country. Finally, we had the White House agreeing to set a “time horizon” for troop withdrawal from Iraq.
For 'Surge' Troops, Pride Mingles With Doubt -- [WaPo]
Soldiers Leave a More Secure Iraq but Are Unsure if Hard-Won Gains Will Hold
...Wilhite said he leaves Iraq feeling enormously proud. But he worries that upcoming provincial elections could incite violence if Sunnis don't feel they have made adequate political inroads.
He said he was not the arbiter of the success of the "surge" strategy. "You'd have to ask the Iraqi people," he said. "You have to ask the Iraqi government that."
Gen. Petraeus Visits Samarra - [ubdumb]
THE OBAMA HAS LANDED... Barack Swoops Into Baghdad -- [Gateway Pundit]
Of course, he was able to fly safely into Iraq thanks to the success of the Bush Surge that was put into place last year. Barack Obama opposed the surge and would have allowed genocide in Iraq if it were his choice. Instead, today the War in Iraq is won and antiwar Democrats like Barack Obama are able to safely travel there.
...Today, Obama will meet with General Petraeus, a man he opposed and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a man he's frequently ridiculed.
Mullen- Iraq wouldn’t be where it is now without the surge
Banjo and the Colonel -- [OIF - Vince - In Iraq]
"Banjo and the Colonel are at the Hadditha Hospital in Western Iraq. Banjo was hoping to see some children but the type of visit was focused on the project. We will be constructing a new wing in place of one that was destroyed by a vehicle bomb several years ago. The project will also install additional equipment like a modern X-Ray machine."
Battlefield commanders act as judge and jury in dealing with former insurgents who have attacked U.S. soldiers -- [IN Iraq - Jim Foley - embed in Iraq]
In order to reconcile, former insurgents who are suspected of attacks against Iraqis must turn themselves in to the Iraqi judicial system. However if insurgents admit to only attacking U.S. soldiers they are "forgiven" according to battlefield commanders in Salah Ad Din province.
MND-B Soldiers, IA make effort to protect Iraqi children (pdf) -- [Warrior News - via Stryker Nrews]
...“At fi rst the people that we made contact with were apprehensive to talk to us,” said Sgt. 1st Class Steve Purvis, native of Lexington, N.C., and platoon sergeant with Company C, 1st Bn., 14th Inf. Regt. “But when they realized we were there to inform them and about recent ploys to exploit their children, and that we care about them and their children, they were more receptive and openly began to talk with us.”
Coalition forces capture suspected Hezbolla Brigades propaganda expert (New Baghdad) -- [MNF-I]
Coalition forces captured a suspected propaganda specialist of the Hezbollah Brigades early Monday morning in the New Baghdad district of Baghdad.
Based on intelligence information, Coalition forces targeted the location of a suspected propaganda expert affiliated with the Hezbollah Brigades in Iraq. Information taken from suspected criminals already in custody indicate that the man uploads web sites with imagery and video taken from attacks on Iraqi Security and Coalition forces.
Iraqi, US forces keep pressure on the Mahdi Army -- [LWJ - Bill Roggio]
A flurry of raids has gone unreported, but shows the senior Mahdi Army commanders continue to remain in the crosshairs.
MilBlogs TV - Episode One (Iraq, 21 Jul 08) -- [MilBlogs - Greyhawk]
Baghdad residents and businesses receive quality water -- [MNF-I]
Baghdad – Serving more than 2000 homes and businesses, two water networks at a cost of $2.6 million are almost complete in the Kadamiyah area of Baghdad. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region Division and the Baghdad Water Authority are working together to replace the old and damaged pipeline system in the Kadamiyah district to supply a better quality and quantity of water. According to the Gulf Region Central districts International Zone project engineer, Malath Al Rawas, approximately 17,000 linear meters of ductile iron water pipe was laid at each of the sites.
Upgraded Substation Provides Reliable Power to 300,000 in Al Kut -- [MNF-I]
FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA — The people of al Kut are receiving more reliable electricity, thanks to the upgrade of the Old al Kut substation 33kV switch gear, which increases the availability of power for transmission and distribution. Two sections of the antiquated substation were replaced and came online approximately two weeks ago. Government officials celebrated its completion during a ribbon cutting ceremony, July 16.
Whither 'Buck Sargent'? -- [AMERICAN CITIZEN SOLDIER - in Iraq]
"The Secretary of the Army has reposed special trust and confidence in the patriotism, valor, fidelity, and professional excellence of REDACTED [aka, "Buck Sargent"]. In view of these qualities and his demonstrated leadership potential and dedicated service to the U.S. Army, he is, therefore, promoted from Sergeant to Staff Sergeant ... effective 1 JULY 2008."
Any of you sons of Iraq calls me Staph Sargent... I'll kill ya.
The Tempest -- [Greyhawk]
In comments through the (currently ongoing) While America Slept Series, recently embedded Iraq reporter Nathan Webster and I have been discussing the relative merits of the troop increase ("the surge") and the recruitment of local citizens (Awakening Movements, Sons of Iraq, Concerned local Citizens groups, former insurgents, and a host of other names - your choice - I'll use any and all below) in the fight to stabilize Iraq.
I think this comment is a reasonable statement:
Lots to update… -- [Notes from Tommie - in Iraq]
After coming back I went inside and was told to go stand by the wall in the back of the room. Boy was I surprised when Col. Dewhurst came in and gave a service coin to me along with four other people. Basically it just shows appreciation for performing at the measure of excellence. (Considering I’ve only been in a year and: already have PFC, combat division combat patch (10th MTN), in the line up for a combat action badge, and recognized for good work I don’t think my military career is doing too badly.) Later on I’ll try and get pics of it up so you all can see what it looks like.
Running With the Devil -- [The War on Big Tobacco - in Iraq]
Hell, I’ll be the first to admit my failures. If you want to read blogs about soldiers who are in love with themselves,go over here. If you want a blog about a perfect platoon sergeant, go over here. But if you want to get in the truck with me, keep reading. It’s only going to get worse.
I had a choice after the PT test. I could accept the platoon that I was given, or turn them into the platoon that I want them to be.
Checking In -- [Sgt Hook - in Iraq]
Just a quick check in to let everyone know all is well. Busy as hell, but well. R&R leave was incredible and couldn’t have come at a better time. It has been full throttle since I’ve returned and I apologize for not getting on here more to write. Honestly, I’m not sure how often I’ll be able to as we fight through these final 5 months of the deployment.
Afghanistan Doesn't Need a 'Surge' -- [WSJ - ANN MARLOWE]
Afghanistan needs many things, but two more brigades of U.S. troops are not among them.
...In Afghanistan, the situation can differ radically in provinces just a half-hour helicopter ride away. There has been much recent hysteria about an incident on July 13 when nine American soldiers were killed in an insurgent assault on a combat outpost in Want, in Nuristan (mistakenly reported as taking place in Wanat in neighboring Kunar Province). This was the deadliest attack on American soldiers since 16 troops were killed in Kunar in 2005. It was a tragic event, but does not demonstrate that the American effort in Afghanistan is on the brink of disaster, as some commentators have risibly argued.
"RC-East has pushed up to new areas and the bad guys are pushing back there," a serving U.S. government official who requested anonymity told me.
Chaplain Bell Puts in "The Fix" at Bagram E/R
...looking at a picture that was recently sent me by the hospital Chaplain for TF Med, Bagram, I suddenly remembered that the author wrote about some wounded soldiers that the doctors felt were beyond their power to save. They would patch the patients up as best they could, then ask Father Mulcahey to "Put in the fix", as they called it. And these cynical, college-educated doctors would watch in awe, again and again, as wounded men survived for no reason that medical science could explain.
Soldiers recount deadly attack on Afghanistan outpost -- [Stars and Stripes]
..."It was some of the bravest stuff I’ve ever seen in my life, and I will never see it again because those guys," Stafford said, then paused. "Normal humans wouldn’t do that. You’re not supposed to do that — getting up and firing back when everything around you is popping and whizzing and trees, branches coming down and sandbags exploding and RPGs coming in over your head … It was a fistfight then, and those guys held ’ em off."
Stafford offered a guess as to why his fellow soldiers fought so hard....
MilBlogs TV - Afghanistan, 22 July 2008 -- [Greyhawk]
Ok, so I lied... -- [Cheese's Milblog - home on R&R from Afghansitan]
...The only downside to being home has been not knowing what's going on in Afghanistan. As I was walking into a movie with my fiance, I got a phone call letting me know that nine soldiers had died in Kabul. While that ended up not being exactly true I still spent much of the rest of the movie texting under my jacket, trying to find out the truth. Since attacks like that don't happen in Kabul, especially not without my company's involvement, I was pretty certain that the incident had involved people that I knew.
Commandos, SOF forces rescue kidnap victim -- [Combined Joint Task Force - 101]
A young Afghan man's prayers were finally answered July 17 when a team of Afghan National Army Commandos and U.S. Special Operations forces freed him from captivity after discovering him shackled near a Taliban jail in the village of Parmakan in Western Afghanistan's Herat province.
O Weighs In On Chai -- [Bill and Bob's Excellent Afghan Adventure]
...At the very last village in this particular valley we encountered some Afghans who really thought we were Russian. Their misinformation led them to believe that we were here to eat their children and disgrace their women. When we did no such thing it was a unique reaction. After the last building was searched and all was cleared so to speak, the Afghans spread out a blanket and insisted we eat lunch. All the while a fierce firefight was occurring a few thousand meters below us.
...We immediately embraced “Chai with a Bad Guy”, a term we repeated many times throughout our tour.
The Example of Musa Qala -- [The Captain’s Journal]
We have previously covered the secret negotiations between MI6 agents and mid-level Taliban commanders, the result of which was the agreement between British forces and one Mullah Abdul Salaam who had promised military help when British and U.S. forces retook Musa Qala late in 2007. The military assistance never materialized, and instead of engaging in the battle, Salaam and his “fighters” stayed in his compound in Shakahraz, ten miles east, with a small ...
Fort Lewis, Washington -- [Richard's MIL BLOG]
...Recently I met a group of Soldiers with whom I was deployed to Afghanistan, and after some polite conversation we all reluctantly revealed the same thought, "I wish I was still there, in Afghanistan, doing a job I loved with people I cared about." And this thought was expressed by a group of Army Reserve Soldiers, all of whom had good civilian jobs and happy families. If they feel this way, how much more do "full-time/career" Soldiers miss their recent deployments?
Mick's Soldier's Mom Posts... -- [MilBlogs - Chap]
Aaaaand here's a teaser:
Many portrayed the dismal conditions (apart from the one with the beach towel, Speedos and the blow up doll)
Sunday Breakfast with Obama in Afghanistan -- [Greyhawk]
Forget Obama's Afghan Dog and Pony Show; Listen to Our Military Commanders -- [The Conservative Voice Daily - Jim Kouri, CPP]
Nevermind what presidential hopeful Barack Obama is saying during his current campaign photo-op in Afghanistan. The people to whom Americans and congress -- both sides of the aisle -- should listen are our military commanders on the field of battle. To put it bluntly, Senator Obama is an "empty-suit" attempting to dupe American voters into believing he really knows what he's doing when it comes to warfare, national security and geopolitical strategy. And, with the help of the anti-military news media, he's succeeding.
Obama Vows 'vigor' in Terror Fight
Two U.S. airmen rescued after giant B-52 bomber crashes into the Pacific ocean -- [Daily Mail]
At least two U.S. airmen miraculously survived after a giant B-52 bomber crashed off the island of Guam last night.
Rescue crews were searching a vast area of floating debris for other survivors this morning, officials said.
The survivors' condition was not immediately available, a U.S. Coast Guard official said.
Pakistan -- [LWJ]
Thirty-three Baluchi rebels and nine Frontier Corps paramilitaries were killed during a battle in Dera Bugti. Five Taliban were killed during an assault on a PAksitani fort in Hangu while the fighting has spread to neighboring Kurram. The Taliban torched a school in Swat. Baitullah Mehsud ordered an investigation of an intra-Taliban clash in Mohmand Agency that resulted in 10 Taliban killed.
The Bin Ladens of the Balkans, Part I -- [Michael Totten - in Kosovo]
... the likes of Al Qaeda wanted to “help.” Representatives of Osama bin Laden approached a Brooklyn man named Florin Krasniqi and said they wanted to send men into Kosovo to fight a jihad against Serbs.
Krasniqi is an Albanian-American roofer who ran what he called the Homeland Calling Fund to raise money for the KLA back home. He raised 30 million dollars from Albanian-Americans and sent cargo planes stocked full of weapons and uniforms from the United States to Northern Albania where the goods were then smuggled over the border into Kosovo. “We were approached by fundamentalist Muslims from every direction
Somali Pirates Set to Kill Thousands -- [MilBlogs - Eagle1]
Usually pirates grab ships and ransom them and their crews while stealing valuables.
In the lawless state of Somalia one effect of piracy, if left unchecked, will be the deaths of tens of thousands of people.
The UN World Food Program can't find naval
Iran's insidious expansion campaign -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
...Interestingly, Saudi King Abdullah accused Shiites of trying to convert Sunnis and added that he knew exactly who was behind this campaign, clearly pointing his finger at Tehran.
Is Iraq the “Central Front” in the War On Terror? -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
somewhere along the way to establishing a utopian Islamic state and a fortified base for jihad in the Middle East, something went terribly wrong for Al-Qaida. Indeed, it can hardly be denied that, over the past two years, Al-Qaida has suffered a series of crippling setbacks in Iraq—marked by consistent and startling accusations from fellow Islamic militants of corruption, fanaticism, and even murder. Major Sunni insurgent organizations in Iraq, even former Al-Qaida allies, have adamantly distanced themselves from Zarqawi and his ilk, even going so far as to suggest that “the Al-Qaida network has actually made people here think that the occupation forces are merciful and humane by comparison.” When asked about the repeated, insistent demands by Al-Qaida’s Deputy Commander Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri for Sunni insurgents to join under the banner of Al-Qaida in Iraq, a spokesman for a dominant insurgent faction known as the “Al-Rashideen Army” countered,
Analysis of the Global War on Terror: Contentious Ground -- [Castle Argghhh! - Kat]
The question: Why did Al Qaeda fight in Iraq?
...If it is true that Al Qaeda only went to Iraq because the United States was there, implying that it was absolute and obvious, then why is it that only civilians knew this obvious knowledge? And, by implication, neither the military nor civilian government agencies planning the invasion knew? Nor planned for it?
Shifting fires -- [Neptunus Lex]
...While Jihad, inc. has not entirely abandoned making mayhem in Iraq, weak governments in both Afghanistan and Pakistan leaves the Pakistani FATA as a much more congenial place from whence to plan and execute terroristic savageries. The Iraqi people have seen the Qaeda vision up close and - ultimately choosing to believe that it could be defeated in an alliance of convenience with a coalition unwilling to cut and run - rejected it, opening up for themselves a brighter, more prosperous future. No matter how deeply the current of anti-westernism and anti-Americanism runs in the middle east, it has not escaped local notice that the Iraqi people - faced with the choice between violent and autocratically imposed sharia law and democratic self-determination informed by their cultural character chose the latter, often at hideous personal cost.
WOUNDED WARRIORS ARRIVED IN MISSISSIPPI -- [Keep My Soldier Safe]
The five Wounded Warriors. Three from the Wounded Warrior Project and two local veterans, Norris Galatas and Lex, the MWD. Some of the Mississippi Patriot Guard Riders also were on hand to welcome these Wounded Warriors to Pearl, Mississippi. I was told that this was a first for the Wounded Warriors on their road tour, for the Patriot Guard Riders to come and welcome them.
Angel Update - Louisiana Lap Blanket Campaign -- [Soldiers’ Angels Louisiana]
Blankets for our Veterans!
***Louisiana Lap Blanket Campaign - I f you can sew, knit, crochet or buy a blanket - great. We also need help distributing fliers to local hobby, yarn and fabic stores to get more people involved!!!
Download the flier for our lap blanket campaign and place it in your local fabric, yarn and hobby stores or public bulletin boards.
Soldier's Angels Could Use Some Help -- [BlackFive - Laughing_Wolf]
Right now, Soldier's Angels is:
• Helping people deal with events in Afghanistan
• Helping with Run for the Fallen
• Helping the families of Sergeant Alex Jimenez and Private Byron Fouty
• Provided flights to some special people for a special event when another organization fell through
• Providing more flights and other support to families of the fallen for an event this weekend
• Doing a special MWR event for wounded that will get them out of the hospital for a while
• Continuing their work at WRAMC, Bethesda, BAMC, and elsewhere
• Continuing to support the troops worldwide
Things are tight, and there is much to be done.
Infuze Marketing Partners With Soldiers’ Angels -- [Soldiers Angels Network]
Roseville, Calif., July 17, 2008- Local marketing and communications firm, Infuze Marketing, has joined forces with Soldiers’ Angels of Northern California in support of its efforts to launch the first annual “Thank You For Your Service” event for Veterans with physical disabilities. An open house of Paralympic sports and wheelchair softball games will be held on September 20 at River Cats Independence Field in Sacramento.
Loss of a close friend and a brother-in-arms -- [Bouhammer]
I am so sorry Fayez that you died the way that you did. You will be truly missed, not only by your Afghan family and friends, but also by your American brothers-in-arms. May Allah bring you in as a true martyr for your faith. You more than deserve it.
Local Soldiers Return Home -- [News 4]
It was a time for joy, a time for hugs, and a time for families to be reunited again. Ozark Police and the Patriot Guard safely escorted two dozen soldiers of the 164th Airfield Operations Group to Fort Rucker on Sunday
As the crowd waited for their arrival, emotions were running wild.
...While they were missed, the group was hard at work taking part in operation Iraqi freedom
Village Of Waverly: Welcome home, soldier -- [Morning Times]
A crowd of family and friends gathered in Waverly Glen Sunday afternoon for a homecoming party in honor of Sayre native Rich Wells.
Wells, 39, is a specialist in the U.S. Army and just returned from a yearlong deployment in Iraq. A member of the Second Stryker Cavalry Regiment - Regiment Support Squadron, he spent time in Baghdad before moving on to Camp Stryker and Camp Warhorse.
105 Va. Soldiers Returning Home From Iraq -- [WRIC, VA]
The National Guard says that 105 soldiers will be coming home Sunday evening, four days after touching down at a base in Wisconsin. The welcome home ... Guard unit from West Point returns Richmond Times Dispatch
Va. Guard unit returns from Iraq Daily Press
Welcome home service set for 296th soldiers -- [Brookhaven Daily Leader]
9, at the reserve center to salute, thank and welcome seven soldiers home from a year of serving in Iraq. First Lieutenant Fern Freeman, Staff Sgt. Emanuel ...
F-35 Chief: Boeing 'Pissing Us Off' -- [Danger Room]
U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Charles Davis, the Pentagon's top official in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, has accused aerospace giant Boeing of "spreading lies and half-truths" in the media about the $350-billion, Lockheed-built F-35. This according to Stephen Trimble at Flight International.
The Human Face of War -- [Melissa’s Musings]
I was reminded of Erin’s story when I read soldiers’ blogs (warblogs/milblogs) for class this weekend. Somehow these blogs capture the human face of war in a way that the mainstream media often fails to do. Sure, we hear about heroic acts, fallen heroes, and wartime controversies. But most of mainstream media’s coverage of Iraq seems to focus on the politics of war. And its coverage is always one-step removed - even an embedded journalist can’t provide the perspective of a real-life soldier.
...Blogs are one way to get the Iraq story straight from the main players - soldiers and Iraqi citizens. I’m not saying that soldier or citizen blogs do a better job of war reporting than traditional media. We can’t do without big-picture analysis. But I think the combination of mainstream media coverage with firsthand soldier and citizen accounts paints a more complete picture than we’d get from just turning on the nightly news.
Army Blogging = Horror Story Waiting to Happen? -- [Danger Room]
Two weeks ago Army Secretary Pete Geren told an audience of soldiers and defense contractors that the Army was falling behind jihadists when it came to using the Internet to share ideas. One solution he proposed, "Find a blog to be a part of."
But one long-time Army IT professional told DANGER ROOM that Geren "missed the boat." "Secretary Geren correctly states the problem, but incorrectly states the answer,"
Milblogs Conference Update -- [Greyhawk]
Panels for the 2008 Milbogs Conference are shaping up. Yes - the Greyhawks will be there. Hope you will, too!
Happy Trails To You, Until We Meet Again! -- [GM's Corner]
I have been blessed to be a member of a number of blogging groups including The Wide Awakes (Cao, are you out there dear friend?) and the South Park Republicans, a jolly bunch of misfits if there ever was one. I've made friends from the left to the right and all points in-between. I've engaged in spats, cursed, been cursed at, had thank you's and hosannas tossed in my direction as well as more than a few spitballs. And I've enjoyed every minute of it. And now the time has come to close a chapter for now. Well, maybe not forever, but for the nonce while I gather my forces, and think about where I want this blog to go and what I want it to look like.
Troops Angry At Media Bias and Laziness -- [Strategy Page]
...The troops are angry because, while the Taliban got lucky (such attacks are rare), the enemy did not succeed in taking the U.S. position, and fled the battlefield after suffering heavier casualties. The U.S. troops are much better shots, and know they killed far more of the Taliban. Moreover, they saw smart bombs and missiles hitting buildings that Taliban were firing from. From long experience, they know that people inside bombed buildings rarely survive the explosion.
The Origins of the "Terrorist Fist Jab" -- [Weekly Standard]
Christopher Beam of Slate explains how his original misleading report on the infamous phrase "terrorist fist jab" was amplified by the right-wing freak show Time, Politico, Andrew Sullivan and friends:
AP Stringer Detained Over Filming of Two Murders, Questions Remain -- [Jawa Report]
It looks like our story got some attention in Afghanistan. AP stringer Rahmatullah Naikzad was detained for two days after he filmed the brutal murder of two women by the Taliban accused of prostitution. The incident was first noted by us here and, as Fox News reports (hey, you guys don't know how to link?), "the AP has been following this case closely with some concern," after we raised several questions about Naikzad's relationship with the Taliban.
MSNBC Airs Video of Ledger's Joker After McCain Intro -- [NewsBusters]
Nope, there isn't any leftward tilt at MSNBC, is there? How could there be when MSNBC was introducing a John McCain clip during a "news" story and instead of the video of John McCain, up popped Heath Ledger as "The Joker."
NYT REJECTS MCCAIN'S EDITORIAL; SHOULD 'MIRROR' OBAMA -- [Drudge]
An editorial written by Republican presidential hopeful McCain has been rejected by the NEW YORK TIMES -- less than a week after the paper published an essay written by Obama, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.
Generation Kill – The Cradle od Civilization -- [OP-FOR - Richard S. Lowry]
In part two, The Cradle of Civilization, Ed Burns’ and Eric Wright’s credibility started to erode. While the series remained visually stunning and the characters seemed like real Marines, the story started to stray from the truth.
Team Obama issues dress code for female reporters -- [Hot Air]
The Barack Obama campaign wanted to make sure that the reporters traveling along with the presidential candidate on his foreign tour presented themselves properly.
...First, wouldn’t women traveling to the Middle East already understand at least some of this, especially the journalists? This gives more than just a faint whiff of paternalism, lecturing professionals about how they should comport themselves. All appearances to the contrary, the media entourage does not work for Team Obama. One might think that the women of the press would get offended by treating them like schoolchildren or idiots.
Obama Wants To Be President For 10 Years -- [Gateway Pundit]
Add this latest Obama gaffe to the growing list:
"The objective of this trip was to have substantive discussions with people like President Karzai or Prime Minister Maliki or President Sarkozy or others who I expect to be dealing with over the next eight to 10 years."
Congratulations SSGT! -- [MilBlogs - Chap]
McCain Backs Timeline to Get Obama Out of Iraq -- [ScrappleFace]
Republican presidential nominee John McCain today for the first time said he can now support a timeline to reduce the American presence in Iraq, specifically advocating the withdrawal from Iraq of Democrat presidential nominee Barack Obama, and several battalions of U.S. news anchors and reporters.
“It’s time to bring them home,”
(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.
Sounds of Freedom -- [Armed and Curious - in Iraq]
...What makes it the sound of freedom is the sound that was missing. Gunfire. You didn’t hear any explosions or weapons being discharged at all. We heard yelling and cheering. That’s a good piece of what democracy is about in my opinion. It is the victory of voices over guns and the clash of ideas over the clash of arms.
Finding Inspiration in Tears of Joy -- [Armed and Curious - in Iraq]
This is a different Iraq than the one I left two years ago in so many ways. I am constantly surprised this trip when something subtle points to such an obvious change. It is often only much later that you recognize the measure of what you have witnessed and often it’s the absence of things such as explosions and small arms fire in the distance that point to the progress having been made.
Iraqi Military Academy Graduation
A little photo essay of the US military around the world... -- [John of Argghhh!]
Iraqi children gather around U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Haggard for a group photo during Youth Outreach Day on Contingency Operating Base Speicher in Tikrit, Iraq, July 12, 2008.
SoI Members Receive Pay, Confirm Resolve -- [MNF-I]
PATROL BASE JURF AS SAHKR — More than 1,500 members of the Sons of Iraq program met Coalition forces, July 10 - 15, to discuss current security issues in Jurf as Sahkr and receive their monthly pay.
KFC in Fallujah
Marines visiting a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant. Scenes include troops walking inside the restaurant and KFC workers preparing and frying chicken and french fries.
Decrypting a Fraser Manuscript for Posting -- [Fraser - in Iraq]
There's a little downtime here, so I thought it would be interesting to post an example of an original manuscript as it comes off the teletype from the warrior out in the land that shall not be mentioned.
A Plan to kill everyone. -- [One Marine's View - in Iraq]
A sign on the door leading out of India Company’s Combat Operations Center says “Have a Plan to Kill Everyone You Meet.” For a fraction of second I thought it might be some kind of joke. But I was with the Marine Corps in Fallujah, and it wasn’t a joke.
I asked Captain Stewart Glenn if he could explain and perhaps elaborate a bit on what, exactly, that sign is about. “It’s pretty straightforward,” he said rather bluntly. “It means exactly what it says.” Welcome to counterinsurgency.
Al- Asad, Iraq -- [THE CI-ROLLER DUDE]
From the Soldier side: To continue with my adventures in Iraq... lets see I think our last story had us on a trip to Fallujah again. From there we took a very long convoy to Al Asad air base... We rode with the Navy See Bees again. The bad part of their convoys were they usually had to escort some old POS Iraqi gravel trucks that could only go about 25-30 MPH.
So you got a big A... knife... -- [THE CI-ROLLER DUDE]
...After so much of this, I asked him one day what his MOS was. He was a cook. He had no "Special Forces" patch or jump wings or anything else...so my next question was when did he work for Special Forces.... uhhh, then he got kind of flustered. (usually an indication of a person not telling the truth.) Finally he came up with: "Well, I served some of them food one time."
I haven't quite figure the IZ out yet... -- [Miserable Donuts - in Iraq]
OK, so I have been here almost a week, in the International Zone ("IZ" or what used to be called "the Green Zone"). It is an odd situation, to be sure.
Afghanistan: Not enough troops -- [Military Watch]
Tragically, that's the lesson of the battle Sunday during which insurgents overran a joint U.S.-Afghan base and killed nine Americans, among others.
U.S. troops are spread out thinly across eastern Afghanistan, in accordance with the counterinsurgency doctrine espoused by Gen. David Petraeus, the current U.S. commander in Iraq who will become chief of all U.S. forces in the region this fall.
That approach, along with other factors, has helped quell the violence in Iraq. But it is risky, as the attack on Sunday shows. And it requires many, many more boots on the ground.
24th MEU
Troop Surge for Afghanistan? -- [The Captain’s Journal]
Similar to the opposition to the surge in Iraq, the chorus of voices calling for a military stand-down in Afghanistan are growing. There is the classical “we can’t win” approach, analogous to the “insurgencies cannot be beaten” meme (regardless of the fact that the insurgency has essentially been beaten in Iraq). Then there is the “we must educate the extremists out of there extremism” approach.
US Pulls Out of Wanat; Base in Nuristan Not First to be Breached There -- [A Battlefield Tourist]
Leaving behind a handful of weapons for the Afghan security forces, paratroopers with Chosen Company, 2/503 have withdrawn from the area of Want, Nuristan Province, as they prepare to leave the country for a planned rotation.
As the Americans pulled out, Afghan forces withdrew to Kunar Province allowing militant fighters to move back into a town that will go down in history as one of the deadliest for US troops in this central Asian country.
Taliban/AP Use Same Cameraman? -- [Jawa Report]
A "new" video released by the Taliban's Ummat Studios shows two alleged American spies kidnapped in Afghanistan and then taken over the border and murdered by Pakistani Taliban sympathizers last month. The two were accused of helping the U.S. in an airstrike in Damadola, near the border, which killed several Taliban leaders. The crowed shouted Allahu Akbar.
However, the video released by Ummat Studios is identical to video released earlier by the Associated Press.
...I'm leaning toward #1: the Taliban simply stole an AP video then added some background music, some subtitles, and their own watermark. There's some other evidence on the video that suggests this (you'll spot it pretty quickly as soon as I get the thing up at Liveleak).
Marines in Helmand Speak
US Marines in Afghanistan speak about some of their experiences.
Say Goodbye to Afghanistan -- [The Satirist at War - in Afghanistan]
To all my friends and family who supported me and the other Sky Soldiers through this long ordeal away from the country and culture we hold dear: Thank you. I'm coming home.
Pilots for 9/11 Truth -- [BlackFive - Pinch]
Time to shine a light in the corner of the "9/11 Truth Movement" and watch the cockroaches scurry.
The aviation part of this wacky "9/11 Truth" soup sandwich is a coterie of idiotic moonbats who call themselves "Pilots for 9/11 Truth". Led by the head moonbat, a supposed former airline pilot named Rob Balsamo (below), this Rob_balsamob_4_220_jpg80 group of beyond-the-fringe whack-jobs claim the US government was behind the 9/11 aircraft attacks on the WTC and that the attacks on the Pentagon and the crash of United 93 in Shanksville never happened as advertised.
The Truth about March 14 -- [Michael Totten]
The “March 14” movement is a political vehicle for Lebanon’s liberals, democrats, free-market capitalists, human rights activists, and those who want an exit from the seemingly endless war with the “Zionist entity.” Unfortunately, that is not all it is. It’s also a political vehicle for hard-line Sunni Arab Nationalists and other political retrogrades who only oppose Hezbollah and the Syrian Baath regime because they hate Shias and Alawites as much as they hate Jews.
Victory As A Matter Of Opinion -- [Strategy Page]
Because al Qaeda doesn't have any real estate to call its own, much less a capital city to capture, determining who wins, or is even winning, the war on terror has always been subject to interpretation
...Here al Qaeda openly declared they were fighting a major war with their infidel enemies, and now just as openly admit they were beaten. Then there are the opinion surveys throughout the Moslem world showing the steady decline of al Qaedas popularity since 2003.
Law & Jihad with Andrew McCarthy -- [NRO]
Is there a way to balance war and the “rule of law”? McCarthy says simply that those we capture must be given “enough” justice — in particular so we can continue to maintain the cooperation of our allies — while the idea must be to win the war. And how well has the Bush administration performed at both administrating the law and prosecuting the war?
The latest in counterterrorism efforts: the Luxury Pod -- [Hot Air - Ed Morrissey]
How has the Pentagon spent counterterrorism funds? The Washington Post reports on one project funded through the CT appropriation that will certainly help keep America safe from al-Qaeda — or at least keep Air Force commanders comfortable during an attack. The Luxury Pod, officially called “comfort capsules”, contain plush chairs and full-length mirrors, both apparently necessities for top brass who cannot abide flying Coach:
Killing Bush = Art -- [Jawa Report]
What passes for art these days? Killing President Bush. No joke. An Iraqi professor at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Wafaa Bilal, is now displaying his latest 'work': a video game where the player hunts down and kills President Bush. Sound familiar? That's because it is. Wafaa's 'art' is simply a hack of a video game made by the Global Islamic Media Front GIMF), an online al Qaeda media support group, called...
Why Terrorists Quit: Gaining from al Qaeda's Losses -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
In recent months, there has been a spate of seemingly good news in the counter-terrorism arena, as former terrorist leaders and clerics have renounced their previous beliefs. Former Egyptian Islamic Jihad head Sayyid Imam al-Sharif (also known as Dr. Fadl), whose treatises al-Qaida often cited to justify its actions
False Reports of Jihadists "Quitting" or Abandoning Islamic Supremacism -- [Family Security Matters]
Americans should ask themselves how much of the American media became organizations with a focus to suppress the news when it comes to global Jihad.
Soldiers' Angels - Items Needed!! -- [Soldiers' Angel - Holly Aho]
The Soldiers’ Angels warehouses in NC & CA are a wee bit like Mother Hubbard's cupboard.... E-M-P-T-Y!
Please be aware that both warehouses send out MUCH needed items to the soldiers (male & female), wounded service members and all those in need.
Everyone understands the financial tightness going on now....but please... search your hearts and do what you can.
OIF and OEF Vets Outward Bound Opportunity -- [BlackFive]
the Sierra Club was generous is helping Outward Bound to exponentially grow its Veterans Expedition courses. Outward Bound seeks to serve Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans and still active service members to help them with their reintegration. All expenses are covered for up to 1,500 veterans over the course of three years. Registration is now open and Outward Bound is working diligently to get the word out to returning veterans about this great opportunity.
A warrior's reward: His own accessible home -- [Philadelphia Inquirer]
...From his wheelchair later, Robinson said, he wondered, "Can I have a job? Can I go to school? Can I have a family? Can I drive a car? Am I going to be able to eat normal? Can I get dressed?"
Yesterday, amid the din of banging hammers and whining saws, he and his wife, Sara, caught a glimpse of a brighter future as 100 volunteers held an old-fashioned house-raising in Florence.
The workers tomorrow expect to finish the exterior of the couple's dream home: a one-story house adapted to Robinson's needs, with wheelchair-accessible showers, roll-in closets, wide hallways and grade-level doorways.
David Hardt -- [Blog-ah]
...Some men have seen things that they can’t even describe, and when they describe it, they seem to instantly go back. When a man finally admits he has issues and takes that step forward, knowing damn well that there is a good chance that he is going to lose creditability or possibly his career, it is imperative that every mental health professional know that a good percentage of the men who are in front of you just didn’t wake up and come into your office. It took them a lot of time and possibly encouragement from loved ones.
Fort Bragg, NC protest -- [C.H.U.D. Busters]
Description of Attack: The controversial murder of SPC Touma in Fayetteville has sparked significant interest in the media, so a protest at the base could have been about any number of issues: PTSD, accountability of soldiers, women in the military, etc. As described by one local news outlet, there were "anti-military" protesters and counter-demonstrators consisting of Army wives. The "anti-military" moniker is a bit vague, and could not necessarily mean a CHUD outbreak. However, it turns out it was those fuckers
Wound vacs being tested on medevac flights -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
Wound vacs are a common sight in hospitals, but their use on long medevac flights could have big potential. Not only can they reduce the risk of infection and reduce healing time, but patients could also be spared the painful removal of gauze dressings upon arrival at Walter Reed or Bethesda from Landstuhl.
The way a wound vac works is that a special sponge is cut to the right size, placed in the wound, and then fitted with a plastic cover. A tube is attached to the cover which suctions fluid from the wound, keeping it clean.
Desertion Not As Fashionable As It Used To Be -- [Strategy Page]
...All of the services see desertion as a failure of someone to adapt to military life. For example, most of those who desert and say it's "because of the war" have never been in combat or been exposed to combat stress. They just don't want to be in the military anymore. It's long been a problem, even after the U.S. went all-volunteer in the 1970s.
Searching For SuperBoot -- [Strategy Page]
The U.S. Army, SOCOM (Special Operations Command) and the U.S. Marine Corps have turned to civilian hiking boots to replace the less sturdy combat boots the troops normally use. The troops need boots designed to survive use in Afghanistan. The Afghan rocks, and terrain in general, tear boots up. The U.S. Army desert boots, used without problem since their first major workout in the 1991 Gulf War, rapidly fell apart in Afghanistan.
Letter: Thanks for welcoming troops home -- [2TheAdvocate, LA]
Thank you, Baton Rouge, for the overwhelming turnout to welcome home the Louisiana National Guard 769th Engineer Battalion after a yearlong deployment to Iraq!
Taunton to welcome home Marines -- [Sommerset County Gazette, UK]
TAUNTON is to remember three Royal Marines killed in Afghanistan's Helmand province earlier this year.
...Mr Slattery said: "I want to ensure Taunton gives the Marines the homecoming they deserve in recognition of the sacrifices they have made in the course of their duty.
"Our soldiers risk their lives for the values we all hold dear and Taunton is proud to welcome them home.
Why I Feel Blogging By Military Members and Families is so Important -- [A Major's Perspective - in Afghanistan]
Blogging has given people the world over the ability to both stay in touch with family and to post their comments and perspective on current issues in the news. As Soldiers and Family Members of Soldiers I believe we have a very unique perspective on the current situation that we are in within the Global War on Terror. I firmly believe that we have a responsibility to the citizens of the nation to tell our story.
Not for Nothing, and Knowing It: A Special Thanks to Milbloggers (again) -- [View from the 8th Floor]
Whether it's because I want to have an informed opinion on proposed new strategies in Iraq or Afghanistan or Lebanon, or because I want to know how things are going where my "adopted" troops are deployed, or because I want more than a sound-byte about US casualties in Afghanistan, I turn to - without fail - milblogs.
Rather Calls Obama "Osama Bin Laden," Will Media Notice? -- [NewsBusters]
On this morning's "Morning Joe" on MSNBC, co-host Tiki Barber asked guest Dan Rather about his feelings regarding the recent Jesse Jackson imbroglio -- his "off mike" comments about Barack Obama. In the middle of praising Jackson, Rather referred to Barack Obama as "Osama bin Laden" -- and none of the four "Morning Joe" co-hosts reacted (nor did Rather).
Worshipping Media to Follow Obama on Iraq Trip -- [NewsBusters]
In a rare self admission, the media admits they are in the tank for Obama. IHT - Media stars will accompany Obama overseas
The Obama Iraq Documentary: Whatever the Politics Demand
TMG Editor's Note: One of my favorite videos that we should look at again in celebration of our sucess in Iraq
(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.
Is the War Over? -- [Michael J. Totten]
I’m reluctant to say “the war has ended,” as he did, but everything else he wrote is undoubtedly true. The war in Iraq is all but over right now, and it will be officially over if the current trends in violence continue their downward slide. That is a mathematical fact.
While America Slept (Part one) -- [Greyhawk]
...While I was there I had a different perspective than Mike Yon. I had a view of the bigger picture, knew how many missions were ongoing, knew where the fighting was, and knew how fierce it was. But a funny thing happened through the summer of '07: all the right numbers fell.
..."We've won the war" - I said back then. I even explained how we did it - and the shift in the narrative that was about to follow:
Bravo Company 2/6 Infantry Regiment Conduct Patrols in Suwayrah
The New Reality in Iraq -- [WSJ]
All of the most important objectives of the surge have been accomplished in Iraq. The sectarian civil war is ended; al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) has been dealt a devastating blow; and the Sadrist militia and other Iranian-backed militant groups have been disrupted.
Meanwhile,
A War of Convenience? -- [WaPo - Dan Froomkin]
President Bush and Vice President Cheney could have reacted to the 9/11 terrorist attacks in lots of ways. What they chose to do was launch a global war on terror -- potentially a war without end.
4ID Association
Early Reflections on Baghdad Today -- [Newsweek - David Botti - embed in Iraq]
With my first embed complete and my second about to begin in earnest, I’ve begun to notice similarities in the way people here view the situation in Baghdad. Everyone, from privates to captains, from journalists to civilians, seems to be experiencing a collective sigh of relief
...No matter what the future holds, or what the present reality truly is, the fact remains that for soldiers operating in Baghdad the worst seems to be over.
Dinner With the Sons of Iraq -- [Newsweek - David Botti - embed in Iraq]
....Salam is the founder and leader of his neighborhood's Sons of Iraq, a type of local policing force usually organized by prominent members of a community. Rank-and-file members generally receive $300-per-month directly from the U.S. military. Sons of Iraq units are showing up all over country, which the American commanders say has lead to a significant reduction in violence throughout areas of conflict.
British Briefing on Conditions in Basra
Hoedown At the Eyeraq Corral -- [Fraser in Iraq - in Iraq]
Hey. Yeah it’s another day on the ranch. Days around here really rotate around meals and missions. If you’re flying, the days seem like they only have about 12 hrs to shove into 24 hrs. If you hit a dry spell of missions, the days seem like they are 48 hrs long. We have weird sleep cycles that don’t line up with regular chow time, so we really only get two meals a day.
British Rules of Engagement and Brave Warriors -- [The Captain’s Journal]
It is intractable, this refusal to address offensive operations, and it is pathological, this notion that lawfare should hold such an esteemed and prestigious perch in the middle of combat. The Captain's Journal has worked tirelessly to knock lawfare off of this perch, but lives continue to be sacrificed to this nonsense. Britain apparently suffers from the same stupid ideas of lawyers sitting in sterile offices writing rules for warfare they have never experienced, and to which they will never risk their lives.
An Alamo with a Different Ending: Overwhelmingly Outnumbered Coalition Forces Repel a Complex Attack in NE Afghanistan -- [Jeff Emanuel]
International newswire activity spiked two mornings ago when word came from Afghanistan that nine U.S. troops had been killed in an attack on a remote coalition base.
...Reporters were quick to point out that this battle, which began in the wee hours of the morning on Sunday and lasted well into the day, resulted in the highest number of American casualties in Afghanistan since sixteen were killed when a helicopter was downed by RPG fire.
However, when the smoke of the battle cleared, and there was no mounting total of dead Americans to cover, news agencies lost interest, and moved along to cover other, bloodier developments in Afghanistan and elsewhere.
Military Effort Underway Along Pakistan And Afghanistan Border -- [The Strata-Sphere]
There have been tell tale signs that there will be a major effort to deal with the last major Islamo Fascist sanctuary in Pakistan’s Tribal region, which is where al-Qaeda and similar Jihad fighters have been massing since their defeat in Iraq. One sign was a recent visit to the region by a top level US military commander:
A Dangerous Situation -- [A Major's Perspective - in Afghanista]
...One of the reasons that many of these foreign fighters were able to enter Afghanistan against the Soviets was the support of Pakistan and the problems even then with the border. But now instead of going into Afghanistan and fighting a tyrannical regime that was whole-sale slaughtering their people; these fighters are coming for no other reason then the call to destroy a non-Islamic government, and to re-institute an extremist Islamic government. An operation being aided again by a safe haven in the border regions of Pakistan.
Interpreters Ensure Marines Aren't Lost in Translation
Afghan interpreters work with Marines in Helmand Province.
Faces of dedication and courage -- [Staying in Touch - embed in Afghanistan]
...I set up a phone interview with a young infantry soldier from Rochester with his hometown newspaper. He and other friends are volunteering to stay longer and be transferred to serve as security force members for Embedded Training Teams. They have been here since last September, pulling mostly guard duty. Now they want to go downrange and help the trainers and mentors. That's where the risk is. I thought the folks back in Rochester ought to know that young men like Specialist Sean Shillington, age 20, are here on the job and determined to do it.
My Son Goes Off to War in Afghanistan -- [Family Security Matters]
On Thursday I drove us to Chris's unit where he drew his weapon from the arms room and I noticed the somber mood of many of the other soldiers there as they had their pictures taken, kissed their wives and held their small children.
Within an hour, the order was given for everyone to bring their duffle bags and rucksacks a short distance away to a gymnasium for final instructions before departing to the airfield.
Two older gentlemen, wearing polo shirts and hats that identified them as members of the "Military Order of the Purple Heart," shook hands with many soldiers. Coincidently, I spied an off-duty soldier who was fumbling with the right pants leg of his bell bottomed jeans. Then I noticed his lower right leg was actually a prosthesis. He was also there to wish his fellow soldiers well.
Gen. Stalder’s comments about the 24th MEUposted by Jennifer Hlad on Jul 15 -- [From the Stan - Jennifer Hlad - embed in Afghansitan]
I recently interviewed Lt. Gen. Keith Stalder, commander of II Marine Expeditionary Force. He is getting ready for a change of command July 25, when Maj. Gen. Dennis Hejlik will become the commander of II MEF. I wrote this story based on the interview, but Gen. Stalder also mentioned the 24th MEU a few times, and I wanted to share that part with you.
Taliban Cross-Border Operations -- [The Captain’s Journal]
...Recently The Captain’s Journal said that the most recent deals with the Taliban made Afghanistan the sacrificial lamb while intending to maintain Pakistan’s stability. Almost as if on cue, a report comes to us on current Taliban freedom to roam to and fro about the border region.
Pakistani Taliban destroy paramilitary fort in Hangu -- [LWJ - Bill Roggio]
More than 250 Taliban fighters surround Frontier Constabulary fort, order personnel to leave, loot then destroy the outpost.
Legislation Introduced in Congress to Account for American Children in Radical Islamic Madrassas in Pakistan -- [Karachi Kids]
Responding to the release of the film the "Karachi Kids", U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) has introduced legislation seeking an accounting of how many American children in in radical Islamic madrassas in Pakistan. H.Res 1336 encourages "the United States Secretary of State to work with the government of Pakistan to secure the return to the United States of all American children being educated in madrassas in Pakistan."
Israel, Iran and the Bomb -- [WSJ - JOHN R. BOLTON]
Iran's test salvo of ballistic missiles last week together with recent threatening rhetoric by commanders of the Islamic Republic's Revolutionary Guards emphasizes how close the Middle East is to a fundamental, in fact an irreversible, turning point.
'Iran will not reject US call for talks' -- [Press TV]
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says if the US calls for dialogue in a fair atmosphere the Islamic Republic will not reject it.
An Abominable Blood-Logged Plain -- [Michael Totten - in Kosovo]
It’s European, but it isn’t Christian. It’s majority-Muslim, but it is not anti-American. Foreign soldiers are hailed as liberators and protectors rather than occupiers. Most Western countries recognize the majority-Muslim nation’s recent declaration of independence from Serbia, but not a single Arab country has done so – partly, perhaps, because Israelis as well as Americans are thought of as allies and friends.
Mueller: As FBI Turns 100, 'Threat Is Real' -- [ABC News]
As It Reflects on the Past, the Bureau Focuses on its Anti-Terror Plans
As the FBI prepares for its centennial celebration this month, Director Robert Mueller, the often taciturn leader of the law enforcement agency, sat down with ABC News for a rare interview. The FBI has shifted dramatically since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and Mueller reflected on the bureau's strides forward, its more regrettable moments and the direction he hopes to lead it in in the remainder of his 10-year term.
One Million Names? -- [Stop the ACLU]
The ACLU has claimed that the Terrorist Watch List has reached one million names. Aside from such blatant out and out lying which we have come to expect from the American Communists Lawyers Union, and fear mongering, which we also expect, is the fact that mathematically so few Americans are on this list as to make this almost a non-issue.
As one can see from the graphic here (click this) the actual number of people on the list is 60% less than the ACLU claim. What SHOULD be shouted from the rooftops is the following bit from this report;
Results Of Military Officers Survey -- [US Global Engagement]
On behalf of the Center for U.S. Global Engagement, the bipartisan polling team of Peter D. Hart Research Associates (D) and Public Opinion Strategies (R) recently conducted a survey among 606 commissioned U.S. military officers, including 499 active duty officers and 107 officers who retired after the 9/11/2001 attacks. The survey was conducted from June 24 to 30, 2008, and included a combination of telephone and Internet interviews. This memorandum highlights a few of the most notable findings that emerge from this unique and compelling survey, which explored officers’ attitudes toward the United States’ use of military and non-military tools to enhance our national security.
Gitmo Detainee Sobs on Video -- [Patterico’s Pontifications]
— But for Himself, Not from Remorse for the U.S. Army Medic He Killed
A Gitmo detainee cries that his interrogator doesn’t care about him, on video.
Well . . . we care about the U.S. Army medic he killed. That’s caring, right?
His family is a piece of work, too:
Two Great deals for Military folks to pass on -- [SandGram - in Afghanistan]
....I’m sending this to all of you who are among the troops I have supported, the troop supporters I know who will make sure the word gets out to their troops, and to those of you who work with the troops and those who have blogs and may want to investigate it further and write about the program.
Excuse me if you have already publicized it and I just wasn’t aware that you had!!
This sounds like an awesome program to offer our troops!!
Post-Iraq Psych Screening Account -- [LT Nixon]
Since the way military medicine and the VA handle PTSD after Iraq/Afghanistan deployments has become a political football, I thought I'd provide a frank account of the required post-deployment psych screening I had to get today at medical.
Aviation Brigade's torch party and more Second Brigade troops come home -- [WSAV News]
About 200 soldiers with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team came home to friends and family members at Fort Stewart's Cottrell Field. A 75-soldier torch party for the Combat Aviation Brigade was welcomed home at a hanger on Hunter Army Airfield.
Guardsmen Return Home After Deployment -- [Emmetsburg News]
There were cheers, tears and applause on Friday as members of the First Battalion Battery A of the 194th Field Artillery returned home to loved ones and friends after a year's deployment as peacekeepers in Kosovo.
Milblogging: How the Troops' Writing Affects Our View of the War -- [Netroots Nation]
Military blogs (milblogs) have played an increasingly important role in not only the dissemination of battlefield information in real time, but also in shaping how Americans view the troops and the wars in which they’re fighting. In recent years, milblogs both supportive and critical of the war effort in Iraq have sprung up across the blogosphere. Some, like VetVoice and Blackfive, have even evolved into online communities for troops and veterans. This panel will explore the implications of milblogs on military policy by discussing them with three veterans who blog and a traditional media military reporter.
Brit Hume Stepping Down as 'Special Report' Anchor -- [NewsBusters]
Following the November elections, Brit Hume, the longtime host of "Special Report" on Fox News Channel and one of its earliest big-name reporter will be stepping down from his post as anchor as well as his role as managing editor for the Washington bureau.
Winning in Afghanistan -- [Weekly Standard]
Obama sees problems; McCain sees a solution.
...By contrast, the McCain approach, as outlined in brief remarks this morning: three brigades, not two. A clear counterinsurgency strategy, modeled on the success of the surge in Iraq (a method that Obama still contends is a failure). A coherent campaign plan, synchronizing not just military but U.S. and NATO civilian
Now for the Hard Part: From Iraq to Afghanistan -- [Stratfor]
...What was important about the surge is that it happened at all. In the fall of 2006, when the Democrats won both houses of Congress, it appeared a unilateral U.S. withdrawal from Iraq was inevitable. If Bush wouldn’t order it, Congress would force it. All of the factions in Iraq, as well as in neighboring states, calculated that the U.S. presence in Iraq would shortly start to decline and in due course disappear. Bush’s order to increase U.S. forces stunned all the regional players and forced a fundamental recalculation. The assumption had been that Bush’s hands were tied and that the United States was no longer a factor. What Bush did — and this was more important than numbers or tactics — was demonstrate that his hands were not tied and that the United States could not be discounted.
In this segment Obama explains how surrendering in Iraq would bring victory
CAMPAIGN 2008-Poll Finds Voters Split on Candidates' Iraq-Pullout Positions--A new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds the country split down the middle between those backing Sen. Barack Obama's 16-month timeline for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and those agreeing with Sen. John McCain's position that events, not timetables, should dictate when forces come home,
Time for Some Campaignin' Jib Jab
Our latest election satire!
(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.
Success in Iraq -- [Michael Yon]
The war continues to abate in Iraq. Violence is still present, but, of course, Iraq was a relatively violent place long before Coalition forces moved in. I would go so far as to say that barring any major and unexpected developments (like an Israeli air strike on Iran and the retaliations that would follow), a fair-minded person could say with reasonable certainty that the war has ended.
Leaders Discuss Stability, Growth -- [MNF-I]
“It’s indisputable that the level of attacks is phenomenally low, and that’s great development,” Oates said during a Pentagon press conference at Camp Victory on July 10.
Sitting beside the American general, Maj. Gen. Ali Salih Farhood Oothman said he too is witnessing safer communities and an improved security force.
Is Iraq serious about a U.S. withdrawal timetable? -- [Reuters]
Iraq raised for the first time this week the prospect of setting a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. forces as part of negotiations over a new security deal with Washington.
Germany sends first minister to Iraq since invasion -- [Reuters]
...Germany opposed the invasion but his visit is the latest sign many foreign capitals are ready to upgrade ties with Iraq, where violence has fallen to a four-year low.
The 101st Airborne Division Help Iraqis Cool Off in Baghdad
Soldiers from 101st Airborne Division attending a pool opening at Zawra Park in Baghdad
The Lying Propaganda of the Islamic State of Iraq -- [Jawa Report]
To say that the al Qaeda front group known as the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) is full of liars is to repeat oneself. They do nothing but misinform, that is their mission.
The recent lengthy video release by the ISI, The Knights of Martyrdom III, reveals a couple of interesting things.
Anbar Waits -- [Abu Muqawama]
You may recall that late last month Anbar province, once the focal point for the Sunni insurgency and home turf of AQI, was supposed to be PIC'd (that is, pass from the Marines to "Provincial Iraqi Control"). Given Anbar's symbolic importance to the trajectory of the whole war, this is a big deal. Then there was a bombing. Then the Marines canceled the handover because of a sandstorm. Now . . .
Pressure on al-Qaeda in Iraq Increases, Networks Degraded -- [MNF-I]
BAGHDAD — Coalition forces detained two wanted men and 10 additional suspects Saturday while pursuing al-Qaeda in Iraq leaders and operatives in central and northern Iraq.
Sgt. Alex Jimenez~Update -- [GOE]
Body of missing Lawrence soldier found in Iraq
LAWRENCE - The body of Army Sgt. Alex Jimenez of Lawrence, who has been missing in Iraq for ore than a year, has been found.
Peaceful demo in Huweija demanding elections on time -- [Voices of Iraq]
Hundreds of Huweija residents on Monday staged a peaceful demonstration, calling on the government to hold Kirkuk's provincial council elections on time.
F16 Takes out Insurgents with a truck load of tubes
Prevent Israel from using Iraqi airspace in possible Iran attack, US told -- [Iraq Updates]
The Iraqi government has asked the United States to prevent Israel from using Iraq’s airspace in any possible attack on Iran, Gulf News has learnt.
IAF using Iraqi airspace? -- [Iraq the Model - Iraqi blogger]
The IDF and Iraq’s defense ministry deny that Israeli air force is using Iraqi airspace to prepare for attacks on Iran.
Taliban Assault Nuristan/Kunar; Nine Americans Dead -- [A Battlefield Tourist]
...This is the second time in a week where reports of civilians attacking Taliban militants. In northwestern Faryab Province, civilians killed two militants and chased ten more off when they tried to kidnap an aid worker. The dead included Faryab’s Taliban “shadow governor”.
Time for a surge in Afghanistan?
Troops in Afghanistan Need Help, Obama Says -- [NY Times]
Senator Barack Obama is proposing that the United States deploy about 10,000 more troops to battle resurgent forces in Afghanistan, a plan intended to shift the American military focus from the Iraq war to the marked rise in violence from the Taliban.
The Trouble With Pakistan -- [Strategy Page]
The Taliban and their al Qaeda allies are making a major effort to expand their influence beyond the Pakistan border and Helmand province (also along the border, but stretches inland to the city of Kandahar.) In the last month this has resulted in over a dozen suicide bomb attacks, which have mostly killed civilians.
Karzai opposes US use of Afghan soil against Iran -- [Reuters]
KABUL - Afghanistan opposes U.S. use of its territory for launching a possible attack against neighbouring Iran, President Hamid Karzai said in an interview broadcast on Monday.
Korea agrees in talks to disable nuclear reactor -- [AP]
North Korea agreed to disable its main reactor by the end of October and allow international inspections to verify its nuclear disarmament in a deal reached Saturday at the end of six-nation talks.
Ayatollah Emami-Kashani in Tehran Friday Sermon: "Oh Liar Israel! Oh Liar White House! If You Wish To Attack Iran, We Will Give You a Response That Will Make You Regretful" -- [MEMRI Blog]
several Iranian websites published an English translation of a Friday sermon given by senior Iranian cleric Ayatollah Mohammad Emami-Kashani. In the sermon, Ayatollah Emani-Kashani insisted that Iran posed no threat and would respond to an invasion.
Behind The Headlines -- [Strategy Page]
Iran is a mess. The economy suffers from growing inflation (over 25 percent) and unemployment (ditto). Jobs are more available to those who behave and avoid outspoken opposition to the religious dictatorship that has ruined the economy and made Iran an outlaw state in the world community. The government uses police state tactics to harass or imprison trade unions and media that speak openly about the incompetence and cruelty of the government.
The "Patch" -- [THE CI-ROLLER DUDE]
...So, while I was goofing off in the office, I looked up the web site for the US military in Kosovo (KFOR 10). I was having a really hard time trying to figure out why we were still sending troops there. Then I looked at the top leaders they have there.... they have no "Combat Patch."
However, Kosovo is a hostile/ hazard duty zone...tax free. So, I figured it out. This is
Kuwaiti Daily: Hizbullah Arming Missiles With Korean-Made Chemical Warheads -- [MEMRI Blog]
The Kuwaiti daily Al-Siyassa reported, citing a Syrian opposition party in the U.S., that Hizbullah is arming its short-range missiles with chemical agents such as mustard gas and nerve gas, obtained from North Korea.
Foreign Courts Take Aim at Our Free Speech -- [WSJ - ARLEN SPECTER and JOE LIEBERMAN]
Our Constitution is one of our greatest assets in the fight against terrorism. A free-flowing marketplace of ideas, protected by the First Amendment, enables the ideals of democracy to defeat the totalitarian vision of al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations.
That free marketplace faces a threat.
Military Courtesy Room Project -- [Emerald City Detachment, Marine Corps League]
We would like to make you aware of a special project that the Emerald City Detachment of the Marine Corps League has spearheaded at Syracuse International Airport. After noticing the large number of troops that were spending long hours waiting for flights, some even over night, two TSA agents, both Veterans, decided to do something about it. Coordinating with the Mayor's Office and the Commissioner of Aviation, a military courtesy room is being established at Syracuse's Hancock Airport. "The Gregory J. Harris Military Courtesy Room" will be official opened on July 29th with a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by the Mayor, the Commissioner of Aviation, a multi-force Color Guard and a P-3 Orion with a crew of 18 who will be the first active duty service men to utilize this special courtesy room.
MomentOfThanks.com.
Soldiers’ Angels is proud to announce its affiliation with Moment of Thanks, a national platform for people to personally thank America’s Armed Forces for their service and sacrifice. Harnessing the gratitude of a nation, the goal is to send 100,000 support messages via the website MomentOfThanks.com.
HeraldNet: Everett woman's boxes for U.S. troops are packed with care -- [Soldiers Angels Network]
EVERETT -- Jody Harnish was responsible for an ambush in Afghanistan that left five Marines laughing and soaking wet.She should know. She supplied the water balloons.Harnish, 50, of Everett, volunteers with the Soldiers Angels, a nonprofit organization that sends letters and care packages to servicemen and women worldwide. Volunteers adopt soldiers, sending them home-baked cookies and comfort food packed with the nostalgia of home or other items they need."I've sent them just about everything.
Twelve 173rd ABCT paratroopers receive valor awards -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
At a ceremony at the Korengal Valley combat outpost Admiral Mullen presented five Army Commendation Medals with valor devices, five Purple Heart Medals, one Bronze Star with valor device, and one Silver Star to the paratroopers of the 2-503rd PIR, 173rd ABCT.
Marines awarded for heroism -- [3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Fwd)]
Two Marines from Marine Light Helicopter Attack Squadron 367, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (fwd), earned Navy and Marine Corps Medals for their heroic actions during a January 2007 building fire at Forward Operating Base al-Qaim. Sgt. Scott K. Piccoli and Cpl. Joshua S. Ybarra received the medals during a ceremony here
An Army That Learns -- [WaPo]
The U.S. Army has done something remarkable in its new history of the disastrous first 18 months of the American occupation of Iraq: It has conducted a rigorous self-critique of how bad decisions were made, so that the Army won't make them again.
Westboro Baptist Church Plans Tony Snow Funeral Protest -- [NewsBusters]
Dear God, please let the Patriot Guard Riders know about this ahead of time. The Phelps gang is ready to strike, and this is their intent. Please pass this along to all who can get the word out so we can stop these fools. According to their site, this is when it's going to happen and why:
Remembering Tony Snow by LTG William Caldwell. -- [SWJ]
Yesterday our Nation lost one of our finest leaders, Tony Snow, who passed away at age 53 after a long struggle with cancer. Tony was a man who was deeply committed to his faith, family, and to his fellow man. Tony also passionately supported our men and women serving in uniform and was deeply moved anytime he had the opportunity to speak with them and hear the stories of their bravery and sacrifice...
MICHAEL DEBAKEY, REFUGEE FROM THE JIHAD, R.I.P. -- [The Astute Blogger]
Pioneering cardiac surgeon, medical scientist, and medical educator Michael Debakey is dead at 99.
He was born in the United States because his parents were refugees from the jihad. From the New Duranty Times obituary
Happy Birthday, Kile -- [Miss LadyBug]
Today would have been Kile's 25th birthday. It's been just over a year now since Kile was lost. I was able to meet his mother, Nanette, last night at The Dell Diamond before the Express home opener against the Oklahoma Redhawks. She and some of Kile's friends were going to be doing a couple of things to celebrate today. At the time of Kile's funeral, his family requested that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made into one of two memorial funds they had set up.
Back in the USA -- [James Aalan Bernsen - home from Iraq]
Well folks, I'm back. I plan a blog entry to tell you all about the redeployment experience, but well, now that I'm home, real life is too fun to sit around blogging. But I'll try to put something up in the next couple of days.
173rd Airborne starts coming home -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
The advance parties are already home, and now the bulk of the 173rd ABCT's six battalions are starting to return.
AP Stringer Stands by as Taliban Murder 2 Women, Gets Snuff Footage -- [Jawa Report]
We would remind the AP that the act of the Taliban inviting a reporter to the murder means they wanted this news out there. The AP was clearly being used as a propaganda outlet for the Taliban.
Does this make him an accomplice or only a witness to the crime?
...AllahP makes a great point about the AP violating their own ethical standards. Also note his point about the difference between anti-jihad websites showing these images and the *neutral* territory provided by the AP.
Grim anniversary -- [Don Suber]
A year ago today, the New York Times said we should surrender even if that led to genocide in Iraq.
Today marks the first anniversary of the New York Times’s endorsement of genocide in Iraq.
Exhaustive Research At Sacramento Bee Characterizes 0.018% of Military -- [C.H.U.D. Busters - LT Nixon]
...The New York Times tried this several months ago, and it was not well received. The Sacramento Bee is seeking a more political bent with their journalism, as the front page article negatively reflects on the military in Iraq by stating that low-life criminals have literally slapped a uniform on and dragged their ball and chain to the sandbox.
Beats Workin' -- [Greyhawk]
Two decades ago my father passed away from colon cancer that spread to his liver.
...But the Washington Post launched one of the most disgusting CHUD attacks I've ever seen, something I couldn't let slide.)
Classless AP Takes Cheap Shots at Just-Passed Snow -- [NewsBusters]
The AP's story (saved here for future reference in case the wire service is embarrassed into revising it; you might consider saving it too as Exhibit A on how far over the cliff the dinosaur media has driven itself) by Douglass K. Daniel, with Jennifer Loven contributing (it figures), gets in at least three cheap, fundamentally untrue, and totally uncalled-for shots at Tony Snow, who died earlier this morning.
Bob Gorrell shows that for dominant media coverage of Iraq, "No news is good news" means "Good news is no news."· -- [Polistat]
Though "news" should state relevant facts, the nature of facts they redact shows why he derides they way they decide to tell what is "news" in Iraq. This column's intended to serve some kudos to Bob for his verve to show how the news is skewed by their views that far from reality swerve
Uproar over 'Barack as terrorist' New Yorker cover -- [Doug Ross @ Journal]
The New Yorker says it’s satire.... [Sunday Afternoon, Obama was asked] “The upcoming issue of the New Yorker, the July 21st issue, has a picture of you, depicting you and your wife on the cover. Have you seen it?
News Blackout -- NYT Ignores Momentous Pro-Jewish Court Case Win in France -- [NewsBusters]
French media loses big court case proving Palestinian propaganda false, New York Times ignores shocking story... Why?
Pandora's Box -- [Greyhawk]
Start turning over rocks (or picking them up to throw) and you find all sorts of creepy crawly things.
...As it happens, another commenter on that resulting post opened another door quite wide on details of atrocities committed years ago. But in looking at his source (an LA Times article from 2006) I realized that therein could be found the names of at least two men who could answer a lot of questions about their part in the 30+ year cover-up of those crimes.
AFL-CIO mobilizing veterans to oppose McCain -- [AP]
The AFL-CIO is mobilizing union members who are military veterans to work against Republican presidential candidate John McCain and other office seekers it opposes, officials said Thursday.
TOM MANION FOR CONGRESS -- [Gateway Pundit]
Tom Manion lost his son in the Iraq War.
Thomas Manion, a Republican who recently retired as a colonel in the Marine Reserves, entered the Congressional race for the 8th District in Pennsylvanian in January. His opponent is nasty antiwar liberal Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.) who currently holds the seat.
OIF Vet Misrepresents Iraq on House Floor -- [Amy Proctor]
Democrat Patrick Murphy is a newly elected Congressman, representing the 8th District of Pennsylvania. He is also an Operation Iraqi Freedom vet and served with the 82nd Airborne Division in Iraq from 2003-04.
My husband served with CPT Murphy in Iraq.
Obama declines to campaign in Da Hood? -- [Greyhawk]
...“I’m having extreme difficulty getting the Obama campaign to commit to this event, and we do not understand why,” said Ms. Picard, whose husband is deployed in Iraq.
Reverend Jackson Wants To "Cut Obama’s Nuts Off"
Senator Obama: Mission Illogical? -- [The Tank - Joel Arends]
...With all the good news coming from Iraq, where’s this so-called “change we can believe in?” It’s becoming clear that facts on the ground, the strategy adopted by our top-level commanders, and the desire of our troops to complete their mission all undermine the whole purpose of your candidacy.
Q: How Does America's Only Muslim Congressman Celebrate the 4th of July? -- [Jawa Report]
A: By going to Kenya. He spent the day with Barrack Obama's grandmother.
(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.
Shiites and Sunnis hold joint prayer in Baghdad -- [Voices of Iraq - Iraqi news]
A Shiite Shrine official on Wednesday said a delegation of Karbala clerics and tribal chieftains held a prayer with Sunnis in Baghdad in a bid of sectarian unity after two years of revenge killings between the two denominations.
Hawijah drivers will no longer have to move aside for U.S. convoys -- [Stars and Stripes]
HAWIJAH, Iraq — U.S. leaders will soon begin notifying Iraqi drivers in this area that they no longer must make way for military vehicles, a step that is welcomed by residents and another sign that dangers have eased.
Iraq official: U.S. could be out by 2011 -- [CNN]
A deadline should be set for the withdrawal of U.S. and allied forces from Iraq, and the pullout could be done by 2011, an Iraqi government spokesman said Tuesday.
Iraq Wants U.S. Out...Maybe
Maliki's Withdrawal Card -- [WSJ]
A year ago, the conventional Beltway wisdom had it that Iraq was a failed state. Today, the same wisdom holds that it is less chaotic but still fragile, dependent entirely on a U.S. presence to survive.
Oberserving Change -- [Zen Traveler - in Iraq]
The security situation has vastly improved, to the point where violence is the exception and not the norm. Daily explosions and gunfire that could be heard throughout Baghdad is now a rarity.
Perceptions of Iraq -- [Matel-in-Iraq - in Iraq]
My ePRT is on the edge of the world. I realized this as we flew low to Baghdad in the Blackwater helicopter on the way to Baghdad. Marine Air flies higher and straighter, so I don't see as much, but there is not much to see anyway on my usual Western Anbar travels, just shades of dusty brown. As we flew toward Bagdad, I saw farm lands that were wider than a football field's distance from the river. Some of the land looked very green and rich. How different would my impression of Iraq have been if I had been somewhere else but Western Anbar?
A Father’s Grief Spurs a Life-Saving Invention -- [The Tank - Fred Schwarz]
In October 2003, Pfc. John D. Hart, of Bedford, Mass., was killed in Iraq when Saddam loyalists ambushed his convoy. Just a week earlier, in a letter to his parents, he had expressed uneasiness about going on patrol in a Humvee with no armor. After Private Hart’s death, his father, Brian, began a campaign to pressure military brass into putting armor on military vehicles, and overall to make sure that soldiers in the field get the equipment they need. Now Brian Hart has taken things a step further by developing a robotic vehicle that will disable and dispose of car bombs and IEDs.
Marines Capture Insurgents Who Tried to Lead them into an IED Trap
Simplicity -- [Playing in the Sandbox - in Iraq]
Recently a lot of people have asked me what Iraq is like. I've reduced it as best I can to this:
Iraq - Hot. Sand. Some people want to kill you. Some people don't.
Land of Palaces -- [Up Country Iraq - in Iraq]
...Biometrics is actually playing a large role in fighting the insurgency right now. Biometrics is the ability to establish an individual’s identity through a unique physical characteristic. There are uses of biometrics here in Iraq that we wouldn’t stand for in the States, but the people here are accepting of this intrusion because it is helping to track the bad guys and it is saving lives.
Desert Nights, American Days -- [Courage Without Fear - in Iraq]
In the deserts of Kuwait and Southern Iraq, the nights come quick. It’s as if you can watch the sun go down in a mater of minutes. It’s a quiet peaceful time. There may be trucks in the motor pool prepping for missions, and the constant drone of the camp generators in the background, but while watching the sunset on the front porch of
CF find weapons caches in cemetery south of Baqubah -- [MNF-I]
TIKRIT, Iraq – Coalition force Soldiers found two weapons caches in a Christian cemetery south of Baqubah, Iraq, July 7. The caches, together, consisted of two rocket launchers, rockets, seven rifle grenades, three AK-47’s with magazines and multiple other devices used to make improvised explosive devices.
Local Signs -- [Fraser From Iraq - in Iraq]
...Then my favorite so far is in the Chow Hall. A big sign over the kitchen where you line up to order eggs says “EGGS COOKED TO ORDER”, which is great you think at first. You wait in line for your turn to place your order with the guy that doesn’t speak English. Just when you think
3 Para in Lair-Raid -- [ROGUE GUNNER - British troop]
A Taliban suspect holds up his hands in surrender after a raid by British troops on a militant stronghold.
Our brave boys swooped on the enemy lair as part of a daring operation to round up a number of notorious rebel leaders.
Escalation in Afghanistan -- [Captain's Journal]
...There have been more U.S. and NATO troops killed in Afghanistan in June than in Iraq for the second straight month. But more to the point, many of the NATO troops aren’t allowed in kinetic engagements, so deploying more German troops doesn’t help if their mission is unnecessary. To comprehend the full force of the report, it should be realized that some troops are taking a disproportionate level of the burden (e.g., U.S. troops), and the Marines’ deployment to Afghanistan has been bloody.
Photos - [From the ’stan - in Afghanistan]
I am not sure if you noticed the newly posted photos on dvidshub.net, taken by Cpl. Randall Clinton. But I wanted to share them with you. They are all of this shower the Marines rigged up using a bucket, rope and some poles.
Fear Of Flying In Afghanistan -- [Strategy Page]
July 8, 2008: The Czech Republic, which has agreed to send five badly needed transport helicopters to serve with NATO troops in Afghanistan, found themselves with a pilot mutiny on their hands.
Artist Who Sang "Black National Anthem" Says Others Needed to Hear It -- [Gateway Pundit]
WHY DID YOU AGREE TO SING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM AND THEN NOT SING IT? WASN’T THIS DISHONEST?
...I wanted to tell them what I was going to do, but I couldn’t because I knew the answer would be ‘no’.
"Black National Anthem"
The Liberty Memorial's Eternal Flame Will Remain Lit For At Least Another Year! -- [The National Defense]
- Live from the "Save the Flame" event rally, we speak with some of the very generous individuals responsible for relighting the Eternal Flame atop the Liberty Memorial at the National WWI Museum in Kansas City.
Iran Test-Fires Long-Range Missile -- [WaPo]
Iran said today it had test-fired a long-range missile capable of reaching Israel and U.S. troops in the region, a step promptly condemned by the Bush administration as heightening tensions over the country's suspected nuclear weapons program.
What Terrorizes Terrorists The Most -- [Strategy Page]
...One of the more useful techniques is biometrics. That is, every time the troops encounter a "person of interest", they don't just take their name and address, they also use portable electronic tools to take fingerprints, a retinal scan and photos. All this is stored in a database, which now contains hundreds of thousands of records for Iraqis, Afghans,
Calling All Kaboom Readers... -- [Kaboom - in Iraq]
...After nearly seven months in Iraq, the Gravediggers’ luck had a momentary lapse. I regret to inform you that one of the Gravediggers is in dire need of prayers, thoughts, and support. On June 22, PV2 Hotwheels had an accident. The Gravediggers had returned from a mission and PV2 Hotwheels was refueling a generator.
Army Strong -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
Just sayin'.
Go, Alex!!!!
Warehouses are in need.......... -- [Soldiers Angels Network]
The Soldiers' Angels warehouses in NC & CA are a wee bit like Mother Hubbard's cupboard.... E-M-P-T-Y!
Please be aware that both warehouses send out MUCH needed items to the soldiers (male & female), wounded service members and all those in need.
HBO AND CORPORATE PARTNERS TEAM UP TO SEND DONATIONS AND SUPPORT U.S. TROOPS STATIONED IN AFGANISTAN AND IRAQ -- [HBO]
In honor of the Marines of Generation Kill, and all of our troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan, HBO and its partners are sending care packages overseas containing the items troops most frequently request. The troops have determined the items—YOU determine how many are sent.
CHUD Cornered On YouTube -- [LT Nixon]
Location of Outbreak: Youtube, Staten Island Madman's Video Comments
Description of Attack: The self-proclaimed Staten Island Madman, aka Mr. Hotshit 1960, has a video up dating from late 2006 expressing his modest dissatisfaction with the "Fuck the Troops" Myspace group.
After the Battle, Fighting the Bottle at Home -- [NY Times]
...With the rising awareness of the problem has come mounting concern about the access to treatment and whether enough combat veterans are receiving the help that is available to them.
War Torn -- [NY Times]
Veterans who return home with psychological damage may engage in self-destructive violence. About half the time, substance abuse is involved.NY Times in depth report
LOSS OF FAITH -- [Trying to Grok]
So I just wrote this morning about how safe and easy this deployment is. Now I'm going to write something mildly contradictory. CaliValleyGirl just pointed me in the direction of the I Should Be Folding Laundry blog. This blogger, Beth, sounds like the kind of woman I'd like to be. Everyone speaks glowingly of her. She lost her pregnancy (twins) back in February, and this is what haunts her now:
...And I often have the ridiculously morbid thought that "at least I won't be pregnant when the Army comes to the door and tell me my husband is dead." Because the only reason I can see for denying me the joy of a baby is to spare me the agony of raising the baby alone.
The Power to Make War Part I -- [Castle Argghhh! - Kat]
A country has refused to accept the neutrality of the United States in its ongoing conflict. It is attacking United States' merchant ships. It is sinking ships and taking prisoners. This country has closed ports to US shipping. This country's navy has actually followed and attacked US ships in US waters. ...
Paid to Blog -- [Castle Argghhh! - FbL]
Military Connection is looking for a part-time, paid milblogger and forum moderator. It's a new endeavor for them, so it looks like a chance to help choose the direction
Blogging Rules By Service Branch -- [Greyhawk]
At Stars and Stripes . (Your results may vary.)
A longer article at Stripes includes this fan-tucking-fastic quote from a certain Chuck Z:
Good plug for Military Bloggers -- [The SandGram - in Afghanistan]
...While I’m a big proponent of free speech, I really must consider a couple of things each time I write. First, will my rants jeopardize the lives of my friends, co-workers or myself? Believe me that the bad guys read our post as well! Second, is ...
Some leading military blogs at a glance -- [Stars and Strips]
Some popular military blogs and some of the authors’ thoughts: ...
...Meanwhile, the military is publicly supportive of blogging and has created blog sites such as the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center Blog and shipboard blogs aboard the USNS Mercy and USS Russell.
President Bush met with military bloggers in 2007 — some videoconferencing from Iraq — to discuss issues such as the war.
Liberty for the Iraqis is worthy of support -- [USA Today - Jim Hardin, USNR]
As someone who has recently returned from duty in southern Iraq, I'm saddened to see USA TODAY's editorial putting a damper on genuine gains made on behalf of the American people by so many in service ("Military success in Iraq masks failures on other goals," July 1).
Media Drags Out Token Atheist Soldier to Attack Military... Again -- [Gateway Pundit]
...The American Left sure doesn't want to see those soldiers praying when their lives are in danger. It would be offensive.
War Reporter Now Fighting Baby Drama -- [AOL News]
Lara Logan, the chief foreign affairs correspondent for CBS News, tells The Washington Post she is pregnant, and the father is a married federal contractor whom she met while stationed in Iraq.
McCain, Obama at odds over Iraqi withdrawal demand -- [AFP]...McCain, who says it is too early to leave Iraq, said US pull-backs must be dictated by security conditions, after Democrat Barack Obama said the Iraqi government now shared his desire for a timetable for withdrawals.
The Surge has Failed -- [This ain’t Hell]
Only a truly brain dead buffoon can keep chanting the “Surge has failed”; even the Messiah and that mouth-breathing, traitorous old fool Murtha can see it. But apparently not Arianna Huffington:
The Chuck Ziegenfuss for President
(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.
Another update from Joe Honan. -- [Castle Argghhh! - Joe Honan - in Iraq]
...The move to democracy has been interesting here as well. The people of Al Anbar (mostly Sunni) have learned a hard lesson about not voting. Whenever they complain about Baghdad I remind them that if they want the government to be responsive they need to vote. Unless they are involved in the process you can’t really expect to benefit from it. That’s something that I really think they’ve learned, and I look forward to seeing the turnout here this next election.
Soccer Tournament Celebrates Sunni and Shia Unity in Yethrib -- [MNF-I]
Shouket Ahmed Rahman, Mayor of Yethrib, Iraq, shakes the hand of a soccer player from Albu Faras during the opening ceremonies of the Yethrib nahi'a soccer tournament. For the first time since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, the Yethrib District is holding a multi-village soccer tournament to commemorate the substantial progress that has been made in regards to security and stability in the Salah ad Din province. For over half a decade, the Balad and Yethrib areas have been plagued with sectarian violence that has pitted rival Shiite Muslims and Sunni Arabs against one another.
Iraqi – U.S. memorandum of understanding for troops' withdrawal -- [Voices of Iraq]
BAGHDAD, July 7 (VOI) – The Iraqi Premier Nouri al-Maliki on Monday said that negotiations with the U.S. side are still underway, aiming at reaching a memorandum for U.S. troops' withdrawal from Iraq, or to draft a timetable for the withdrawal.
Iraqis lead final purge of Al-Qaeda -- [Times Online - Marie Colvin - embed in Iraq]
Last Friday I joined the 2nd Iraqi Division as it supported local police in a house-to-house search for one such bomb after intelligence pointed to a large explosion today.
Even in the district of Zanjali, previously a hotbed of the insurgency, it was possible to accompany an Iraqi colonel
Intermezzo -- [Belmont Club]
...Taken together these developments provide a rough, but fairly probable picture of what the situation will look like when the Bush Administration leaves office. Domestically, Al-Qaeda will probably have been reduced to insignificance, but remain dangerous within its dormancy.
Iraqi forces pursue Mahdi Army in Baghdad -- [LWJ - Bill Roggio]
...The move in Sadr comes one day after Iraqi soldiers closed the Sadrist office in the neighborhood of Shula, where the Sadrist maintain a strong presence. This is the second Sadrist office to be closed in Shula since May.
Roadwork -- [Greyhawk]
I suppose this is good news from Iraq:
...All from the same article, in which we also learn that "yellowcake alone is not considered potent enough for a so-called "dirty bomb"".
But that begs the question: if you had 500+ tons of nuculer material in storage in Iraq, would you tell the world?
AP Exclusive: US removes uranium from Iraq -- [AP - Seatle Times]
The last major remnant of Saddam Hussein's nuclear program - a huge stockpile of concentrated natural uranium - reached a Canadian port Saturday to complete a secret U.S. operation that included a two-week airlift from Baghdad and a ship voyage crossing two oceans.
The removal of 550 metric tons of "yellowcake" ...
Another Huge Blow to Democrats-- Iraqi PM Maliki Announces "We Have Defeated the Terrorists!" -- [Gateway Pundit]
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki announced on Saturday--
"WE HAVE DEFEATED TERRORISM!"
State Rep. USMC Staff Sergeant Jim Watson in Iraq: Interview Part 1 of 4
Iraq gains may allow pullouts -- [Jackson Sun]
"I believe the momentum we have is not reversible," said Jack Keane, a retired Army vice chief of staff who helped develop the Iraq strategy adopted by President Bush in January 2007.
There will be "significant reductions in 2009 whoever becomes president," said Keane, who regularly consults with Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq.
More Arabs recognize Iraqi govt as legit -- [Iraqi Mojo - Iraqi blogger]
More good news. Arab nations are finally beginning to recognize the legitimacy of the Iraqi government and are officially normalizing relations with Iraq.
Iraq, Humanitarian Assistance
One Tick Closer -- [Zen Traveller - in Iraq]
...Some came to this country out of a sense of duty, others for the money, most simply because this is where the military sent them. Nonetheless, there we were, in a makeshift coffee trailer celebrating the 4th of July all together; everyone with a sense of it was yet another day in Iraq, just one more tick closer to being home.
Looking for bombs -- [Up Country Iraq - in Iraq]
...While I was eating dinner last week, I was approached by a couple of lieutenants who informed me that they have used the Lessons Learned handbook on route clearance, but that this handbook, being two years old now, was outdated due to the rapidly changing enemy tactics and procedures.
Shabbat in the Sand -- [Big Tobacco - in Iraq]
...I look at my watch. It isn't Groundhog Day after all; it's Friday and almost 1830. If I were home I would be pulling on my dress pants and getting the kids ready to go to services. Instead, I'm pulling my body armor over my head and putting some last-minute information out to my squad leaders about the mission. I have no candles, but I can light two cigars. I have no wine, but I have purple Gatorade.
"And then we'll go to Temple...."
It's HOT!! -- [Brad's Excellent Adventure - in Iraq]
Well, yesterday was a record, at least for me. It’s been consistently hot here (115 -117 degrees F) since I came back from R&R, with only rare brief periods of respite (anything below 110 F feels relatively mild). But yesterday’s weather ...
"Part of me is going to stay here"- Indiana soldier reflects on his time in Iraq -- [IN-Iraq - embed in Iraq]
(Sgt. McCue pointing to Samarra where he's been deployed with 2nd/327th Infantry for nine months.)
Pakistan and the Taliban -- [A Major's Perspective - in Afghanistan]
Last week I wrote an article that discussed some of the new actions that Pakistan was taking against the Taliban and Militia elements within the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, and the North West Frontier Province. A gentlemen by the name of Jerjes Talpur from that area of Pakistan wrote in the comments
The Last Patrol -- [WSJ]
NARAY, Afghanistan -- It's 4 a.m., and a slender crescent moon casts a pale light over Spc. Sean Geer. He has nine bottles of water and 10 loaded rifle magazines strapped to his body armor. He has a bandana tied under his helmet to soak up the sweat. He has removed the pointer and middle fingers from his glove to give him a better feel for the trigger.
Marines in Helmand Transition from Combat Ops to Rebuilding -- [bravo61]
Escalation in Afghanistan -- [Captain's Journal]
Both the size of the ISAF and the insurgency are growing in Afghanistan, but the the rates of growth are disparate.
An Afghan Retreat - [bravo31]
Situated to the west of Kabul lies a site most people would not expect to see in Afghanistan, the Qargha resort.
AFGHANISTAN: The Civil War That Time Remembered -- [Strategy Page]
...The Taliban and al Qaeda are fighting a two front war, which is never a good thing. In Pakistan, which is supplying up to half the fighters for Afghanistan operations,...
National 9/11 Flight Crew Memorial dedicated July 4th -- [911 Families - Tim Sumner]
On Friday, just outside of Dallas/Ft Worth International Airport, the first national memorial to 9/11 heroes was dedicated. Shirley Hall, who is a Flight Attendant and the Vice President of the 9/11 Flight Crew Memorial Foundation, explained the memorial sculpture’s symbolism during the memorial’s July 4, 2008, dedication ceremony:
How the NutRoots celebrate the Fourth…The “Me Generation” strikes again…. -- [Amused Cynic]
What an embarrassing way to welcome 70 new citizens to our country. President Bush, addressing the new citizens just prior to their taking of the oath of allegiance, was interrupted by three or four Code-Pinko types, who come up with such original epithets as “war criminal” and “facist” to hurl at our soon-to-be former president. I’ve become immune to such a lack of classiness on their part, but ...
BUSH HECKLED AT 4TH OF JULY CEREMONY
The Syria Card by David Haimsky -- [Small Wars Journal]
The ongoing, peace talks between Israel and Syria have been relatively underreported in the news media, and are surprisingly seldom discussed in policy circles in Washington, despite the fact that their potential success will drastically change the political landscape in the Middle East in Washington's favor.
The River - Part II -- [Michael Yon]
There were informers everywhere. In the hotels, in the restaurants, near the docks and on the river. And so, in addition to the natural dangers of the journey, there were the dangers of the military junta.
The team would consist of eight people: seven Burmese and one American. I was supposed to be part of the team, but was stuck in Thailand after having been refused a visa.
Boyz To 'Men': Al-Qaeda's Youth Recruiting -- [Threats Watch]
CBS News is reporting an up-tick in al-Qaeda’s recruitment of young boys into its terrorist ranks. While not questioning the core point of the report (youth recruitment), it may be worth pausing to re-consider the context provided.
Europe's most dangerous terrorist released to house arrest -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
It isn’t every morning that you wake up and read in the newspaper that one of the worlds most dangerous terrorists has been released on bail but that is exactly what happened...
Definition of a C.H.U.D. -- [CHUD - Lt Nixon]
...a CHUD can be defined as an irrational citizen making threats or allegations against our fellow servicemembers on either the internet, at anti-war protests, in the media, or even in Washington D.C. It's best to keep your eyes open when you are hunting CHUDs,
To Heck With The Nuances, "Fuck The Troops!" -- [CHUD -- LT Nixon]
What better way to rail against "the establishment" than denigrating our beloved troops. Despite the fact that many soldiers currently in Iraq hadn't gone through puberty when the decision to invade was made, our troops remain targeted as symbolic of everything wrong with "imperiali$t AmeriKKKa". From the RAIM Denver, there are no semantics, no hidden agendas, just a simple "Why we Say...Fuck The Troops!":
Gold Stars -- [Greyhawk]
Here in the MilBlog community we're well aware that families deal with the loss of a soldier in many ways. Most, while never forgetting the fallen, go on with their lives.
...And today the AP introduces us to another Gold Star dad - with a different response to tragedy:
Operation Ward 57 -- [Gathering Eagles! ]
This is another way to support those young men and women who have sacrificed so much to defend our country. Take a look and buy a tee-shirt, or, better yet, send ‘em a few bucks!
Our warriors have taken care of us; now let’s take care of them!
Realistic PT For Combat -- [Strategy Page]
July 1, 2008: The U.S. Army is changing its physical training (PT) to more closely reflect the needs of combat. Instead of long distance running, sit-ups and push-ups, the new training emphasizes sprinting, agility and the kind of strength needed to carry weapons and equipment in combat.
Support Freedom of Speech -- [Iraq the Model - Iraqi blogger]
Our friends and readers remember the Arabic blogging tool that we helped develop nearly 4 years ago. It was a pioneer project in making blogging easy for Arabic speakers in the Middle East. It’s been a story of exceptional success in dangerous times. Only with the strong will of good Iraqis and Americans the idea became solid reality.
Important Name Change -- [Kaboom - in Iraq]
I had hoped to break this news sooner, but it seems certain readers have spoiled the surprise in their comments. LT G is no longer a lieutenant. On July 1, he was promoted to the rank of captain. Yes, despite the drama with the blog and his turning down the XO position, LT G is now CPT G. I suppose his pseudonym is sort of useless now, huh?
Free Welcome Home Signs -- [SpouseBuzz - Erin Rages]
Army Blogger Wife just alerted me to the free 3' x 6' Welcome Home signs. The one I just ordered is normally sold for $57.21, and all I paid was $7.31 for shipping and tax.
"That’s right — six exclamation points" -- [The Voice in My Head]
While on vacation, we are keeping one eye on the news back home.
So, what could be more exciting than news from the local airport?
...Robert “Pop” Mitchell , an 81-year-old former Navy man, cried just a little as he embraced his 21-year-old grandson.
Happy Birthday Mr. President -- [Flopping Aces]
President Bush celebrates 62nd Birthday enroute to Japan.
While flying to Japan to attend the G-8 Summit of Industrial Nations, President Bush was surprised aboard Air Force One with a coconut cake with a single candle.
For Him Before He Was Against Him -- [Bill Hobbs]
John Kerry says that John McCain lacks the good judgment necessary to be president. Four years ago, Kerry wanted McCain to be his vice president. Oh, and McCain was right on the war, as it is becoming blindingly obvious to all
A word from Robert Coram -- [Power Line]
Robert Coram is the author of American Patriot: The Life and Wars of Colonel Bud Day. He has forwarded a message related to our post "Setting the record straight on Bud Day, and CNN." Mr. Coram writes
Aljazeera: 'Obama's Muslim Identity Can End the Iraq War' -- [Amy Proctor]
In a fascinating AlJazeera article called Osama’s ‘Muslim Identity’: An asset for Iraq exit strategy, Naseem Jamali theorizes that a President Barack Obama’s Muslim background may give him an opportunity to successfully pull troops from Iraq without leaving behind the problems of instability which Republicans say will occur.
DEM SHOCKER!!... Speaker Pelosi Was Sending Messages to FARC Terrorists While Undermining Colombian Government! -- [Gateway Pundit]
New information reveals that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was indirectly sending messages to the FARC. The Marxist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) is designated as a terrorist group by the US government.
Michelle Obama's War Room? -- [Weekly Standard]
Prospective first ladies generally have a small staff on the campaign, including their own schedulers and hair stylists. Michelle Obama is no doubt the first to have her very own war room. I guess the campaign anticipates plenty more zingers from Obama's gaffe-prone wife, who has previously said she never felt proud of the country her husband longs to lead.
Photojournalist Banned by Marines in Iraq -- [BlackFive]
Zoriah Miller was an embedded blogger. He's a photojournalist who has posted a photo of Marine KIA and has earned the ire of the Marines in Iraq.
Why You Won't See Petraeus Lauded in the American Press -- [Castle Argghhh! - Kat]
...you will not see those in the American press, on American TV or anywhere near where an American might actually read that and think "victory". The main reason is...
Larry Elder on Media Bias On The Iraq War
What KDKA and CNN Kept Out of Their Murtha 'Surge Has Worked' Coverage -- [Newsbusters]
...What KDKA decided to keep from TV viewers is arguably at least as important as what the station showed.
In interview footage left on the cutting room floor, Murtha falsely claimed...
John Murtha Lies About Iraq, Praises Obama
Down Memory Lane With John McCain -- [Greyhawk]
The Left wing watchdog of the "right wing media" went on to note that The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Reuters all mentioned Bud Day without pointing out that he was a Swiftboater!!!!
And They Wonder in meetings Why Their Newspaper is Circling the Bowl.... -- [BlackFive - Deebow]
So, it came as no real shock to me that this ass-clown would write an editorial about the 4th of July and, in the process, impugn the character of our Founders (who were great men, but still human); as well as the character of most every American who believes the the 4th of July is not just another day for drinking beer and barbecuing.
Because July 4th is a Great Time To Hate America -- [CHUD - Lt Nixon]
Madison's Progressive Magazine is like most run-of-the-mill socialist rags. ... The editor, Matthew Rothschild, talks about how horrible it is to live in our neo-colonialist empire on the 4th of July:
10 Questions for Arianna Huffington
(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.
Independence Day 08 -- [Maj Pain - in Iraq]
America, you got to know your young Marines are on the cutting edge of it all. Maturity, discipline, education and health. They truly are the epitome of America and those who found this country, would still be proud of their Marines today as they were in 1776.
During this 4th of July holiday, when we celebrate the independence of our great country, take a second during the picnics, BBQs, patriotic music and fireworks and pay a few seconds of honor to those keeping our independence free.
July 4th in the Sand Box -- [Fraser from Iraq - in Iraq]
The holidays go by almost unnoticed, except for lack of emails. And that only reminds us that the people back home have something better to do than sit down at a computer and write us about how much fun they are having. Believe me we’re not upset hearing about the fun. We’re glad everyone back home is having a good time and not thinking about us for a couple of days. But we do miss the emails. Hell, we’d be having a good time back home also if we were there.
5,500 years of service -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
Baghdad: - Servicemembers from all over Iraq gathered here today in the Al Faw Palace rotunda on Camp Victory, to re-enlist and celebrate America’s Independence Day.
10,000 miles from home, the 4th of July is celebrated as enthusiastically as ever -- [Jeff Emanuel]
This video was taken by a regular digital still camera, so the sound of the guitar bleeds in and out as the "fireworks" go off. Specialist Alexi Scalco, radio operator for Charlie Company commanding officer CPT Buddy Ferris, is playing the guitar (which is plugged in to a radio amplifier and the Patrol Base loudspeaker system), and his fellow paratroopers are providing the sound and light show with a little help from a Special Forces team in the area.
How did you spend Independence Day? -- [Bob Krumm]
How are you spending your 4th of July holiday? While most Americans probably slept, 1,215 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines raised their right hands and committed to a combined 5,500 years of additional service during the largest reenlistment ceremony in the history of the American military. Beneath a large American flag which dwarfed even the enormous chandelier that Saddam Hussein had built for the Al Faw Palace, members of all services, representing all 50 states took the oath administered by Gen. David Petraeus, Commander of Multi-National Forces Iraq.
Change-- Iraqi President Shakes Hands With Israeli Minister -- [Gateway Pundit]
President of Iraq Jalal Talabani, left, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, right, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, center, speak during the 23rd congress of the Socialist International at the Lagonissi Grand Resort, ...Iraqi President Talabani's handshake with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has captured the attention of the Arab press.
...And, just think- A little over five years ago Saddam was actively funding the Palestinian terrorists.
Today Iraq is an open democracy.
Now, that's change.
Analysis: Sadr movement, Mahdi Army shrink under pressure -- [LWJ - Omar Fadhil - an Iraqi blogger]
Muqtada al Sadr's decisions to change the operations the Mahdi Army and withdraw the Sadrist slate from the upcoming election have serious implications for the future of the Sadrist movement.
Monday Drive -- [Playing in the Sandbox - in Iraq]
Yesterday I went out on my first combat patrol. The majority of it was an uneventful bumpy ride through the Diyala suburbs, parts of which lie along a river that brings a surprising amount of life to an otherwise dead region of desert. Some places might as well be Vietnam, complete with palm trees and untamed vegitation.
As we were driving, the lead truck spotted two guys with assault rifles who went running into the village somewhere. Of course, we had to dismount and go check it out. Watching the ramp at the back of the vehicle open to reveal the reality outside my armored shell caused my heart to skip maybe half a beat. Before I knew it I was running up to the front of the convoy surrounded on both sides by very curious local villagers.
Imagination Sand -- [Playing in the Sandbox - in Iraq]
I find that during the first few minutes of every day - before the Sun begins to scorch the earth - I can walk outside, cup my hands around the sides of my eyes, block my peripheral vision, look down at the sand, and pretend I'm at the beach.
76th Infantrymen lift wounded soldiers on their down time -- [IN-iraq - embed in Iraq]
...“We usually go over to the pad at 16:30 and stay until 22:30,” Fox said, “If we were the typical Army dudes chilling in our rooms I wouldn’t have met all these people. I used to joke about the Air Force, now I got a lot of respect for them.” Spc. Fox has logged about 76 hours volunteering, and Cpl Villegas over a 100 including time he spends helping in the Intensive Care Unit.
Jul 4, 2008 - Lunch -- [From the Halls to the Shores - in Iraq]
Steak, BBQ chicken, and lobster.
In Baghdad.
Cooked by Iraqis and dudes from Indonesia... I think.
Happy Independence Day, baby.
U.S. Troops Dying on Afghan Border With ... IRAN? -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
Allied combat deaths in Afghanistan surpassed those in Iraq for a second straight month in June. Meanwhile, New Yorker reporter Sy Hersh writes that U.S. covert operators are infiltrating Iran.
Afghans, Spanish Hit Taliban in Baghdis -- [A Battlefield Tourist]
25 Taliban fighters, including a local commander, were killed in Muqur district, Baghdis Province, by Afghan Security Forces (ASF) backed by Spanish International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops.
Afghan Army kills 25 Taliban after ambush in the northwestern province of Badghis -- [LWJ - Bill Roggio]
Taliban continue ambushes despite taking lopsided casualties. Seven Taliban killed in clash in Paktika.
24th MEU Extended in Afghanistan -- [A Battlefield Tourist]
The 2,200 members of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Force (MEU) will be in Afghanistan a month longer than expected and are now due home in November instead of October. That announcement came from Marine Colonel David Lapan to the Associated Press July 3rd. The confirmation follows weeks of rumors that the Marines would be extended.
Heat+Boredom= Tastless Humor -- [TheAngryAmerican - in Iraq]
WARNING: Tasteless humor ahead if you care to keep reading if you are offended by explicits about the human body and so on so forth or generally don't like MAD LIBS stop reading!
For those of you who are with me........ I've told you time and again about some of the boring mundane missions we have done, i.e. gas station duty, or gate duty, or maybe waiting around for a mission to go off that may or may not be tentative, other wise known as "Stand-By".
Why I Am Patriotic: A Love Letter to America -- [Villainous Company]
America is not a destination but a journey and in loving her, we must not become so firmly fixed upon the goal that we lose heart when we stumble a time or two upon the road. For stumble we will. After all, we are but human; all too imperfect clay with which to form the more perfect union our founding fathers envisioned.
I love this country because she was born in turmoil; baptized by fire and lighting; conceived from the highest aspirations of Enlightenment thinkers: words that ring as true today as they did over two hundred years ago:
Independence Day - the Pledge -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
Brendan Miniter's column in yesterday's Opinion Journal takes a look back at the Revolutionary War battles which took place in and around New York.
As a New Jersey native, the tragic retreat of General Washington's small Army through the state during the winter of 1776 was always very real to me. Many homes are historical monuments, and main throroughfares are marked with the sign "1776 Retreat Route". And then there's the Palisades along the Hudson River, where fortifications still stand. At that time the Army was in a critical state in every way. It lacked clothing, food, tents, and ammunition. It was composed chiefly of militia, and many of their terms of service were about to expire. The military force was on the point of dissolution, and faced the presence of a well-disciplined, well-appointed, and victorious enemy.
Red Skelton Explains the Pledge of Allegiance
Putting The Country First -- [John McCain]
Two of our greatest statesmen, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, took their last breaths on July 4, 1826, exactly 50 years after they presented America with our Declaration of Independence. They had been fellow revolutionaries, the closest of comrades, who went on to become bitter political rivals. Then, as the new era of the 1800s dawned, they reconciled, reminded of their old friendship and the momentous history they had made together. "Who shall write the history of the American revolution?" Adams asked Jefferson in one of the 158 letters they exchanged after they'd rediscovered their bonds. "Nobody," responded Jefferson, suggesting that while writers could understand the facts, they might never grasp the sacrifices.
Abu "The Doctor" Doha Freed on Bail -- [Jawa Report]
Via BBC: - A terror suspect said to have "direct links" with Osama Bin Laden has been freed on bail, the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Siac) has said.
...Regardless it seems that al-Qaeda's main recruiter and operative on Europe will be allowed to go free. Although he has been indicted in the US, we have declined extradition and prosecution. The UK refuses to deport him to Algeria for fear they may abuse him. So it looks like the British taxpayer will provide a flat and feed al-Qaeda's #1 operative in Europe for the rest of his days, Pending appeal of course.
Islamist Forum Member Suggests Using WikiMapia to Expose Locations of U.S., NATO Bases -- [MEMRI]
On July 1, 2008, a member of the Islamist Al-Ikhlas forum calling himself "Ozooo" posted a message in which he suggested using WikiMapia to expose "Crusader and Apostate" military bases in the Middle East.
Gap in Tracking Terrorist Financing Through Money Service Businesses? -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
The Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) appears to have responded to a published report of a potential gap in the pursuit of critical information needed for terrorist financing investigations.
That Deer in the Headlights Look -- [SpouseBuzz - SemperFi Wife ]
My week started off on Sunday with a get together for old friends. Pre-war civilian friends. Catching up with them was interesting. They're doing new things. Nobody asked what I was up to.
They all had a pretty good idea that whatever I was doing centered around military support and our wounded and injured in the hospitals but nobody wanted to know anything more than that. As a matter of fact, anytime the conversation looked like it was even maybe going in that direction, they would change the subject to something more "palatable" to their tastes. And they'd get that "deer in the headlights" look. I could almost hear them thinking,"Oh no!! SemperFiWife is going THERE"
Military breaking ground for new Walter Reed facility -- [CNN]
President Bush attended and spoke at the groundbreaking, which comes after The Washington Post exposed substandard conditions and treatment for some of the wounded veterans at Walter Reed in 2007.
"At this new center, wounds will be healed, medical knowledge will be advanced, lives will be rebuilt, and those who wear our nation's uniform will be reminded that they have the enduring gratitude of the American people," Bush said.
Celebrating Independence Day -- [Miss Ladybug]
Fans were invited to bring items for care packages to the troops. Inside the Home Plate gate, there was a large banner laid out on a table for fans to sign with well-wishes to the troops.
To good not to share -- [Soldiers Angels, Veterans — Greta ]
Many of our Troops have lost their lives and or been wounded, Overseas. Our Troops suffer in order that we in America can go on living and enjoying Freedom. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart, and I will continue to pray for you. You are fighting for God, Country, and your comrades-in-arms next to you. Everyday you hear horrendous explosions come your way, fighting on, come what may. You hear the cries of women, children, and your comrades, dying day after day. Each day you fight Street-to-Street, house to house and back-to-back against Terrorism, just trying to survive in-order to fight another day.
Have A Happy and Safe Independence Day -- [SOLDIERS' ANGELS TEXAS]
Hope each of you have a happy and safe Independence Day!! Don't forget those who are fighting and those who have fought so hard, for our freedoms!
Cyberthanks for our troops -- [NY Daily News]
It's the new YouTube for the troops.
A new Web site launches Friday to help New Yorkers - and anyone around the world - use the Internet to thank U.S. soldiers for their service.
Visitors can log on to MomentOfThanks.com and upload videos, photo albums or other messages for the men and women in the U.S. military. The site already features video clips from politicians, including Gov. Paterson, celebrities and soldiers' families. "It's important to remind ourselves that July 4 is Independence Day. ... It came because men and women lost their lives fighting in battles to preserve the great democracy that we've had for over 200 years," Paterson tells the troops in his video. "Now you are fighting overseas in Iraq trying to maintain that same democracy ... and we can't wait for all of you to come home so that you can be a part of it."
*Still* need emails for those Sailors, too! -- [View from the 8th Floor]
Send your email messages for the USS Russell to: letters@thinking-right.com
This ship has an awesome motto for a 4th of July activity:
"STRENGTH IN FREEDOM." The real strength of our country is that,for over 200 years, Americans have fought and died for the ideals of freedom anddemocracy. Hence, "Strength in Freedom."
Wounded Soldiers’ to get Gibson guitars -- [Soldiers Angels, Veterans — Greta ]
Giving the gift of music can only be a wonderful thing!
Louisiana Lap Blanket Campaign -- [Soldiers Angels, Veterans — Greta ]
Our Veterans in residential VA facilities across Louisiana, need a little extra love right now. We would like each of them to have a blanket on their laps by Thanksgiving time. Please help us in our efforts to let each of them know that others care about them!
How military honors the fallen -- [Seattle Post Intelligencer]
Sometimes Beck would linger in his vehicle in front of an American home, like that of the parents of Lance Cpl. Kyle Burns in Laramie, Wyo. Beck knew that, as Jim Sheeler writes, every second he waited "was one more tick of his wristwatch that, for the family inside the house, everything remained the same."
Beck -- now Lt. Col. Beck -- was a CACO, a casualty assistance calls officer whose duty was to inform a spouse or parents that their Marine had been killed.
...The nation, as Marine Sgt. Damon Cecil says, "has changed the channel." Still, Sheeler sees civilians getting glimpses of those who have sacrificed everything.
The glimpses come as the fallen are escorted home. When an airline passenger, noting an escort's uniform, asked if the sergeant was going to or coming from the war, he repeated words the military had told him to say: "I'm escorting a fallen Marine home to his family from the situation in Iraq."
Many local officers and deputies juggle military duties with law enforcement careers -- [Kansas.com]
For dozens of local law enforcement officers, one uniform is not enough.
Besides working for the Wichita Police Department or the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office, they serve in a branch of the U.S. military. b "I just went from one uniform to another," said Terence James, who is a patrol officer for the Wichita Police Department and a sergeant first class in the Army National Guard.
...The reasons for juggling two demanding professions vary from person to person, but one common theme emerges: service.
When There's No One To Welcome You Home -- [SpouseBuzz - Sarah]
...The last time my husband deployed, he was one of the last people from the brigade to come home, a full three weeks after the majority of our post returned. His best friend was single at the time and had left his vehicle at our house so he didn't have to store it for the year. I had to be at his Welcome Home ceremony to give him his keys back, and I was happy to see a friend after so long.
Thus I ended up in the crowd with no husband to welcome, and he ended up in the formation with no family to pick him up. After all the excited families went tearing across the gym, I made my way to the back of the crowd, where a small group of soldiers had gathered. These were the single guys, and since we were all stationed in Germany, they had no parents or girlfriends to shriek and hug them.
In this war, troops get a rousing welcome home -- [USA Today]
WARMINSTER, Pa. — The young soldier hadn't slept in 48 hours or bathed in 72. Now that he was finally back from Iraq, all Pfc. Justin Gindhart wanted was a hot shower and a soft bed. But these days, Gindhart discovered, a soldier's homecoming isn't always that simple. To his surprise, there was a troop of motorcycle-riding Vietnam vets to greet him at the airport; a police-escorted motorcade, past blocked-off intersections and highway entrances, that backed up traffic for miles; an appearance at a support-the-troops rally; a gathering of neighbors and friends, alerted by fire and ambulance sirens, outside his family's house. And the biggest shock of all — a reunion with a disabled comrade whose life he'd helped save in Iraq.
HERE COMES THE PIVOT! -- [Instapundit]
Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) promised primary voters a swift withdrawal from Iraq, in clear language still on his website: “Obama will immediately begin to remove our troops from Iraq. He will remove one to two combat brigades each month and have all of our combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months.”
Not anymore.
Pivotal Moment? -- [Greyhawk]
Hmmm... if memory serves me, saying things like this back in March ...would earn you a quick toss under the Obama campaign bus. (Of course, the Democratic nomination was still a contest back then.)
Americans Prefer Candidates Strong On Science -- [Daily Kos]
A new poll conducted by Scientists and Engineers for America indicates an overwhelming majority of voters prefer candidates who support research into science and technology, with emphasis on the three E's: education, environment, and energy. Nice to know, and in a sane world I'd be tempted to add a snarky "No shit?" But in the bizarro conservative fantasy world constructed by the Bush-McCain GOP, maybe it's we best count our few remaining blessings even as they vanish faster than dry ice on a hot summer day. Among the key findings
Giving Obama a Pass on Iraq -- [LT Nixon]
The Iraq war is dauntingly complex with the myriad of information that comes out of the country, diversity of the people involved, and the international interests at stake. It certainly isn't a cut n' dry issue like gun control or capital punishment, and it is best to adopt a pragmatic approach to the foreign policy involved with U.S. assistance to Iraq. That's why it's good news that the leading presidential candidate, Obama, has opted to change his tune on a rigid timetable for withdrawal and seeks to gain perspective from commanders on the ground.
Mullen Agrees with Obama on Iraq, Afghanistan? -- [Danger Room]
Did the country's top uniformed military leader endorse the Obama plan for Iraq and Afghanistan yesterday? In a briefing at the Pentagon, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen said he wants more troops in Afghanistan -- but can't get 'em until forces are taken out of Iraq:
Exclusive: Ex-Congressman at Center of Arms Deals Between Russia, Libya, Iraqi Army -- [Danger Room]
Former congressman Curt Weldon is helping broker deals between Russian and Ukranian weapons suppliers and the Iraqi and Libyan governments as part of his new job with a private American defense consulting firm, Wired.com has learned.
Weldon, who is currently being investigated by the FBI over alleged corruption during his time in office, visited Libya in March to discuss a possible military deal, according to a letter describing the trip from Weldon to Defense Solutions CEO Timothy Ringgold.
Courageous Journalists Needed -- [Matel - in Iraq]
I stay out of specific politics on this blog, but now that both candidates have come down to nuanced but similar policies of staying in Iraq as long (or as short) as the need exists, I feel a little freer to ask what the hell is wrong with the American media?
During the bad days in Iraq, not long ago, they were writing the American obituary. They had no trouble finding and quoting experts telling why we couldn't win in this sort of environment. Now they cannot seem even to notice success.
Will Anti-war Media Turn On Obama If He Flip-flops On Iraq? -- [Newsbusters]
With few exceptions, Obama-loving media have been very forgiving of the presumptive Democrat presidential nominee's recent campaign flip-flops.
They've called them nuanced, and good strategy by a young politician learning the ropes.
Will anti-war press members be so understanding if Obama changes his position on Iraq, and suggests that conditions dictate American troops stay there longer than he pledged during the primaries?
A Clarification -- [Iowahawk]
A Message to American Voters
By Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)
My Fellow Americans:
You may have read recent news reports that suggest I have modified my position regarding the redeployment of American military personnel in Iraq. Unfortunately, these reports have been the source of much confusion and anxiety among the millions of voters who have supported my campaign, and I would like to take this opportunity to address their concerns.
John McCain, meet William... -- [Laurie Kilmartin ]
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Iraq, Afghanistan, War, Terrorism, Military, Politics, Media, MilBlogs, dawn patrolMudville
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.
Reservists' Duty Costs City $65M -- [New York Post]
More than 2,000 city workers have been called up to serve in Iraq or Afghanistan since 9/11, costing the city $65 million, Rep. Anthony Weiner said yesterday. "It's time that the military reimburse New York for its sacrifice," Weiner said
Iraqi teenagers answer questions from readers. -- [NY Times]
Iraqi teenagers answer questions from readers.
“If you could see one man put on trial for his crimes, who would it be: George W. Bush or Osama bin Laden?”
What Iraqi Expats Are Saying Now -- [WSJ - NUMAN AL FADDAGH]
"I am from Fallujah" says one man – an art agent – with a cigar ever between his fingers. "We should make the most benefit from the Americans while we can. It is a moment of history. We either get a state now, or we will always be like this."
The New Baghdad
Baquba -- [Up Country Iraq - in Iraq]
...Although Diyala province is one of the more active northern provinces, I need to put that in perspective by pointing out that the enemy activity is down to a few of contacts per day between them and IP or US forces in that province. The situation is similar to Mosul in that the heavy presence of police and army checkpoints has severely limited the ability of the insurgents to plant IEDs or to move freely around the cities,
Nominal Degrees and Rising -- [Notes In The Eye of The Storm - in Iraq]
Most nights are uneventful. There have been very few mortar attacks on the base except for last night. Since one of my supervisors is on vacation I’ve been asked to fill in and provide tech support for a couple hours a night at a trailer compound that we provide internet service to...
New Guys -- [Fraser From Iraq - in Iraq]
Ok, New Guys have come to town, which means a few things. First it means that some old guys have rotated back to the normal world in the U.S. It also means that some more people are closer to rotating back to the normal world in the U.S. And it means there are now people here that don’t smell as bad as the rest of us. Their uniforms are new, their underwear are fresh, and they still smell like back home.
From The Frontline - July 1, Part 1
This edition features stories on Police Transition Team 8 performing security patrols, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment Golf Company performing personal security, and 937th Engineer Company 5th Platoon performing a route clearance. Part 1 of 3. Provided by Regimental Combat Team 1.
Cluebat, Meet Hezbollah in Iraq -- [Jawa Report]
The first clue that Hezbollah is operating in Iraq? A Shia insurgent group calling itself Hezbollah in Iraq.
The second clue? Here is a frame from a "Hezbollah in Iraq" video showing what the group claims is the firing rockets at the Green Zone. Note the symbol in the upper right.
Power
Building of new power plants in Iraq
COPS -- [Matel - in Iraq]
Meeting with Rutbah Police Chief
The Rutbah region that is his area of responsibly is vast and thinly populated. It includes the Syrian and Jordanian border areas and the POEs at Waleed and Trabil, the village of Akashat, Nukhayb as well as the Saudi border region and POE Ar-Ar. It takes a lot of police officers, vehicles and fuel to patrol a place like this. Unfortunately, Iraqi government resource allocation decisions are based on population w/o sufficient concern for area.
RAND Monograph: Prewar Planning and Occupation of Iraq -- [The Captain’s Journal]
...There were two failures here. The first was with Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz and their group think mentality in which they bullied generals to agree (or at least stay silent). What is indeed difficult to imagine is that men would have reached the age Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld and Cheney were and still have been unable to think critically. The second failure is with generals who are equally unable to think critically.
Pressing ahead with the mission -- [Staying in Touch - in Afghanistan]
...The question I have been getting recently from reporters is why is there an increase in violence? A little while ago a National Guard colonel from Texas completed a phone interview from my office, and I think his answer was on the mark -- desperation and the fact that there are upcoming elections in the U.S. and in Afghanistan.
He went on to explain that as we continue to penetrate deeper into the countryside and continue to build schools and wells and deliver support to the people, the Taliban loses influence. So they are fighting back, and they believe that through violence, terror and aggression, they can weaken the resolve of the people.
Helmand Province and the wider “War on Terror”. -- [Michael Yon]
T...o the Afghan population, the most visible sign of the Afghan Government is the Afghan national police. We must do more to get the police under control, because at the moment we are not doing anywhere near enough. The roads and security infrastructure that we have built are often used to make it easier for the police to rob people. The other day, I spoke to an interpreter I used 18 months ago in Lashkar Gah: he told me that a teenager ...
A Marine's letter from Afghanistan -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
USMC Lance Cpl. Andrew Whitacre sent this letter home to Portland in late April 2008.
...Just remember that all the men and women who are here — are here because at one point they took an oath to protect and serve YOU. The support of the citizens of the country we fight and die for is all that we ask. We don’t need, nor want to be treated like heroes, although I have seen many young men who are worthy of the title. All we need is to know that we have not been forgotten.
Italians Moving 500 Troops to Farah -- [A Battlefield Tourist]
Italian Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa says 500 Italian troops, presently stationed in Herat, will move to the turbulent southwestern Afghan Province of Farah. The move will coincide with the French take over of command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) from Italy in July.
RTF3 contact in afghanistan
Afghanistan Deadlier Than Iraq -- [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Militants killed more U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan than in Iraq last month, as they did in May.
Iran ‘seriously considering’ new international nuclear offer --[McClatchy]
Iran's senior diplomat said Tuesday that Tehran was seriously considering a new offer from six world powers to resolve the dispute over its nuclear program, and he praised the package as “constructive.”
On Canada Day we celebrate... -- [The Torch]
Bravo Zulu to all in uniform, and have a happy and safe Canada Day!
Ex-Guantanamo detainee suicide bomber fought at Tora Bora -- [LWJ - Bill Roggio]
Abdullah Salih al Ajmi, the former Guantanamo detainee behind the March 23 suicide bombing at Combat Outpost Inman in Mosul, Iraq, was a member of the Taliban who fought at the battle of Tora Bora
Terrorism: Al-Qaeda draws new recruits via Internet -- [AKI - Hamza Boccolini]
Al-Qaeda is using the Internet to recruit vulnerable young people to its terrorist network, according to a programme aired on Saudi Arabian TV late on Tuesday
Two Worrisome Trends -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
There are two stories today that point to ongoing problems and the future contours of the conflicts in which we will be emerged in coming years.
The first is the extensive New York Times piece on who lack of resources, bureaucratic infighting and lack of unified vision (coupled with a high tolerance for Pakistan's game-playing) has helped allow al Qaeda to regroup in the tribal regions.
Perhaps the most disturbing item in the piece, which chronicles numerous disturbing elements that show how much the inter-agency process is returning to its pre-9/11 mindset the further the memories recede, is the following:
Al Qaeda made movie of Mosul murder of Muslims by ex-Guantanamo detainee (no lawyers were harmed) -- [9/11 Families]
...Currently streaming across the Internet is the video of al Ajmi blowing himself up. As it is long and just another blah, blah, blah, two booms and some bodies al Qaeda B-movie, I’ll intersperse a non-graphic sequence of his departure (with 13 innocent Muslims in tow)
Honor Our Military -- [Washington Times]
As has been infrequently reported, as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan progressed, a number of members of our military became somewhat dismayed and disturbed by the almost complete lack of positive coverage printed
Soldiers' Angels, Patriot Guard Riders -- [NewsBlaze]
Soldiers' Angels and Patriot Guard Riders are two amazing volunteer organizations that support the troops. As of March 2008, Soldiers' Angels has 180,000 members and Patriot Guard Riders has 130,000. Both organizations work well together although they have different goals. NewsBlaze supports what both organizations do. In many of the stories listed below, NewsBlaze took video footage of Both organizations being interviewed by TalkingWithHeroes.com radio show host, Bob Calvert.
Blinded In War, But Still Serving -- [Philadelphia Inquirer]
...Not content with just staying in the Army, he is the only blind officer serving in the Special Forces - the small, elite units famed for dropping behind enemy lines on combat missions.
Bosses Delete Outspoken Army Blog -- [Danger Room]
...But in a posting on May 28, LT G later acknowledged, he went too far. His superior officers asked him to become the company XO, or executive officer. LT G demurred. The response: "an illogical backlash from higher, acting like a spurned teenage blonde whose dreamboat crush tells her point-blank that he prefers brunettes."
Finito -- [Fun With Hand Grenades]
After three and a half years of updating this blog I simply don’t know how to put my thoughts into words anymore. While on leave I learned that over the course of two deployments my ability for self expression has been shattered; apparently it applies to my writing as well.
Family Prepares For Triad Soldier's Homecoming -- [digtriad.com]
A Triad family is preparing to welcome home a soldier.
Army Spc. Lee Howerton will arrive in Greensboro Wednesday afternoon after his first 15 month deployment to Iraq.
Law -- [Greyhawk]
The New GI Bill becomes law: (video)
...along with some other items.
Details of the veterans education benefit here.
Comments from the White House:
Honestly, besides being tortured, what did McCain do to excel in the military? -- [America Blog]
It's not "nice" to ask the question, but it's actually a pretty good question. Yes, we all know that John McCain was captured and tortured in Vietnam (McCain won't let you forget). A lot of people don't know, however, that McCain made a propaganda tape for the enemy while he was in captivity. Putting that bit of disloyalty aside, what exactly is McCain's military experience that prepares him for being commander in chief?
"Dig it!": A short video about Barack Obama's friends -- [TigerHawk]
Paul Budline, a Princeton-based writer and producer of documentaries, got to thinking this afternoon about Barack Obama's friendship with Chicago radicals Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn. Out came this crisp little video, "Dig it!".
Barack Obama's friends
New York Times Asks Iraqis if Bush OR bin Laden Should be Tried for War Crimes -- [Amy Proctor]
In a New York Times series with Baghdad teenagers, the question from the NYTimes was:
“If you could see one man put on trial for his crimes, who would it be: George W. Bush or Osama bin Laden?”
Too bad for the NYT, but the Iraqi teens didn’t hesitate to answer “Osama bin Laden”.
Philly Inquirer Says No 4th For You, America is Evil, WOT is a ‘Scam’ -- [Stop the ACLU]
You know, I was wondering when this was going to happen, when someone in the MSM would say Bush has ruined July Fourth? The Philadelphia Inquirer didn’t disappoint by wallowing in the worst example of blame-America-above-all as well as the most extreme case of BDS that I’ve seen
The success in Iraq is real and the gains have been phenomenal. -- [Gateway Pundit]
Associated Press had to put their nasty spin on this wonderful news today...
Because, 5 years is just way to long to build a functioning democracy in the Middle East from a dangerous terror-coddling regime. ... It's no wonder Americans do not understand thay we are winning in Iraq.
Hume Correctly Predicts Only FNC Would Report Progress in Iraq -- [
...Tuesday, the administration determined “there has been satisfactory progress on 15 of the 18,” FNC's Brit Hume doubted “word of this progress is going to get through” to the public as he predicted:
Court to Mull Individual Right to Drill for Oil -- [ScrappleFace]
When the U.S. Supreme Court reconvenes on the first Monday in October, the nine Justices may consider whether the Constitutional preamble clause “secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity” guarantees an individual right to drill for oil.
(Need more? Dawn Patrols Archives are here.)
