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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 various 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 Trip Footage Gets Lost on Way -- [WaPo]
Some of the most important video of the Obama presidency went missing yesterday.
When President Obama made his surprise visit to Iraq, a CBS News crew acting as the pool for the networks shot footage of him meeting with U.S. troops. A CBS executive said Pentagon officials required the network to hand the tape to a military courier, who was to ferry it to a CBS representative outside the secure military zone so it could be transmitted to all the networks.
Hours went by; no tape. No one seems to know what happened. There was talk of sandstorms and a bungled handoff. The networks had to make do with Defense Department footage of less-than-top quality. The tape was finally located and belatedly handed off to CBS -- minutes before the 6:30 newscasts.
President Obama in Baghdad (Part two) -- [Greyhawk]
Here's the unedited video coverage of the President in Baghdad.
...Okay - as consolation for those who expected boos to greet the CinC - from the opening of video part one, guess what's on that card (I guess the teleprompter doesn't work on 220 circuits) he's reading?
That would be the names of the commands in Baghdad - "Multi-National Force-Iraq, Multi-National Corps-Iraq..." Seriously, those shouldn't be that unfamiliar to their commander.
Meanwhile,...
Iraq - We’re Winning!!! -- [A Second Hand Conjecture]
A funny thing happened on the way to Iraq, President Obama declared that we’re winning.
Anyone who’s been keeping up to date knows we’ve been making great progress, and I say, winning in Iraq. President Obama acknowledges the courage and sacrifice of our troops, while ignoring the sacrifice of the Iraqis, and the choices President Bush made to enable progress to be made.
Obama Makes Surprise Visit to Iraq, Sees ‘Progress’ (Update5) -- [Bloomberg]
...The president met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki at the base and said he pledged “an orderly, responsible transition” to Iraqi control during the planned withdrawal. Low clouds and dust prevented Obama from traveling into Baghdad by helicopter for the meeting.
“I communicated to the prime minister that we are strongly committed to an Iraq that is sovereign, stable and self- reliant,” Obama told reporters.
Biden: US will stick to Iraq pullout timetable -- [IC Pub./AFP]
The United States will stick to its timetable for pulling troops out of Iraq despite recent violence, Vice President Joe Biden said Tuesday as President Barack Obama visited Baghdad.
"I'm not worried about that at all. We will draw down along the timeline we suggested," Biden said in an interview with CNN, asked if an upsurge in attacks blamed on Al-Qaeda might derail the US timetable.
The Vicar of Baghdad. -- [Dum Spiro Spero]
Canon Andrew White has been working in Iraq, which he considers to be the most dangerous place in the world for Christians.
A video from the AFTH, summer '07 -- [Made A Difference For That One]
The author is Matt Blonde, a respiratory therapist and member of the critical care air transport team.
I think the video is incredible because it shows the journey into and back out of the hospital, step by step for an injured troop. What is amazing to see is how many different dedicated people have a hand in the care of each and every patient.
•April 5, 2009 -- [S4 at War - in Iraq]
Onto my favorite topic, the Sons of Iraq. Juan Cole has a guest post today talking about the Sons of Iraq being transitioned to Iraqi government control. Key quote:
And Tom Ricks (whats an s4atwar post without a Ricks link?) has some insight straight from the source, Col. Monsoor (Gen Petraeus’ Executive Officer during the surge), which at least gives me the confidence that people in the chain of command have considered the issue-even if there isn’t a surefire solution. He has something of a unique take on how the security agreement could exacerbate the problem.
Iraqi Court Reduces Sentence For Bush Shoe-Thrower -- [MEMRI Blog]
The Iraqi appeals court has decided to reduce the prison sentence of Muntazar Al-Zaidi, who threw his shoes at U.S. president George W. Bush in December 2008, from three years to one year, including the time he served prior to sentencing.
COIN: The Flipside -- [Afghanistan Shrugged - in Afghanistan]
There are always two sides to every fight. Often the side that’s most neglected here in Afghanistan is the battle we fight within our own forces. Overcoming the fear and xenophobic tendencies that quite a few of the soldiers deploying here posses is a decisive point in the fight that not many discuss.
...Some of the soldiers that have arrived here have previous experience working with indigenous forces. That experience is with the Iraqi Security Forces and I’ll borrow a line from my friend Troy at Bouhammer, “Afghanistan isn’t Iraq”. The Afghans are much different than the Iraqis. Troy, I’ll give the royalty check to Kesterson.
These preconceived notions get in the way...
Talking to the Taliban & Other Enemies -- [Outside the Wire - JD Johannes ]
...Warburton and others used the same technique Lt. Col. Steve Russell used in Tikrit--I can come here with the hand of friendship or with a pistol, the choice is yours. Or, as in the message Marine General Mattis is reputed to have sent to Iraqi tribal leaders: "I come in peace. I didn’t bring artillery. But I’m pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you fuck with me, I’ll kill you all." But, you must be willing to use the pistol. You have to back up your position of strength with lethality and effective COIN operations.
The Soldiers and Marines know how to do this, they have done it before. The component required for the President to fulfill is to employ enough combat forces on the ground and to back up the Soldiers and Marines with the same metal they display while outside the wire.
The enemy reads the New York Times, they watch CNN. They will take the President's measure and if it is lacking, if they think he will blink first, ...
'The war that has to be won': but will our soldiers be given the chance to win it? -- [National Review - Bing West]
...Progress? Our troops won in Iraq, al-Qaeda lost, and a democratic government emerged. That merits more than a nod toward "progress." The Marines respectfully listening were primed for the fight; they intend to kill Taliban, not to be killed. Warriors want to be praised for winning, not consoled for being battered. Asked after the speech what he expected the troops to accomplish, Obama replied that our goals were not clear and that a strategy was being devised: "We've seen a sense of drift in the mission in Afghanistan ... what kinds of strategies and tactics we need to put in place. I don't think we've thought it through."
...For the time being, Obama's leadership in foreign policy will revolve around Afghanistan--what he has called "the war that has to be won." Troops have been dispatched and a minimalist budget has been proposed. Obama has promised to unveil his strategy at the NATO meeting in April. What does Obama think "winning" means in this context? The ghost of Vince Lombardi will be listening with interest, as will 90,000 U.S. and NATO European soldiers.
Couple of "thank yous" from Afghanistan -- [Soldiers' Angel Germany]
I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting all of us serving our country. My heart stirs with pride each time I look at the U.S. flag flying right next to the Afghan flag here at our base and I am proud to be doing my part in helping to give these wonderful people the basic liberties and essentials that I took for granted in the United States.
These young kids, these soldiers, setting aside their X-boxes and college parties, sleeping in on Saturday mornings and designer clothes, these soldiers have traded them in for exhausting and dangerous duty,
Somewhere near Pakistan -- [Miserable Donuts - CSMBones - in Afghanistan]
Pouring a cup of coffee and I heard the distinct sound of incoming 107mm rockets. Couple in the FOB. Nobody hurt. Missed me again.
Listening In Kabul -- [RealClearPolitics - David Ignatius]
Try to picture the unlikely scene here Monday: A brash U.S. diplomat and America's top military officer are sitting at a conference table with a ferocious-looking delegation of bearded and turbaned Afghan tribal leaders, including one man who spent two years as a prisoner at Guantanamo Bay. And they are soliciting the tribal chieftains' advice on U.S. policy options in the Afghanistan war.
Poland to boost military presence in Afghanistan -- [Trend News]
Visiting Polish President Lech Kaczynski on Wednesday promised to send more troops to Afghanistan. "Yes, we are going to increase our troops to Afghanistan," Kaczynski told newsmen at a press conference after holding meeting with his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai here
We Told You: Taliban Decide Not to Kill Pro-Taliban Canadian Traitor -- [Jawa Report]
Seriously, what moron didn't see this one coming from a mile away? After "holding" the woman behind the pro-terror Jihad Unspun website for months and threatening to behead her if ransom wasn't paid, the Taliban have decided that maybe they won't kill Beverly Giesbrecht after all.
Thank you Canada for not caving in to the obvious ruse for Beverly, who calls herself Khadija Abdul Qahaar online, to help raise money for the Taliban.
Send in the SEALS -- [A Second Hand Conjecture]
Well, here’s a true foreign crisis to test the President with.
My response is noted in the title. And we should kill the pirates. In fact, after rescued the hostages, and killed the pirates, we should get all Jeffersonian with the rest of them.
...Denmark’s A.P. Moller-Maersk confirmed that the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama had been attacked by pirates about 500 km (300 miles) off Somalia and had probably been hijacked. The company said it had 20 American crew on board.
U.S. Official: Hijacked Crew Free -- [NPR]
Pentagon officials said Wednesday that the American crew of a U.S.-flagged cargo ship had retaken control from Somali pirates who hijacked the vessel far off the Horn of Africa.
...The U.S. Navy said that the ship was hijacked early Wednesday about 280 miles (450 kilometers) southeast of Eyl, a town in the northern Puntland region of Somalia.
U.S. Navy spokesman Lt. Nathan Christensen said the closest U.S. ship at the time of the hijacking was 345 miles (555 kilometers)away.
Trust Is Issue, Pakistan Tells U.S. -- [New York Times]
Two senior American officials came under withering public criticism from Pakistan on Tuesday, with the Pakistani foreign minister saying that “trust” between the countries was in question, particularly over the issue of American missile attacks in Pakistan’s tribal areas.
Pakistan Asks U.S. For 30 Billion Dollar 'Marshall Plan' To Stabilize Region -- [Washington Times]
Pakistani Ambassador Husain Haqqani called Tuesday for a $30 billion "Marshall Plan" for Pakistan and Afghanistan over the next five years to fight al Qaeda, blunt anti-American sentiment and secure Pakistan from extremists bent on destabilizing its civilian government.
Taliban advance on Buner -- [LWJ - Bill Roggio]
The local tribes in Buner gathered to devise a strategy to deal with the Taliban and formed a tribal lashkar, or militia, to halt the advance. More than 1,000 civilians and policemen are said to have taken positions to oppose the Taliban advance into Buner. The tribal leaders ordered the Taliban to leave the district or be forcibly ejected.
The Taliban claimed they are on a peaceful mission. "The Taliban said they meant no harm to the people of Buner, adding that they had come to make a peace deal with the people," Daily Times reported.
But just one day after moving into Buner, the Taliban attacked the tribal militia.
Iranian nuke plot vaporized in the city: NY banks unwittingly aided in material transfers, says DA -- [Daily News]
Chinese financier Le Fang Wei indicted in plot to send nuclear materials to Iran.
The Manhattan district attorney's office has smashed a sinister plot to smuggle nuclear weapons materials to Iran through unwitting New York banks, the Daily News has learned.
Reconciling The State Secrets Doctrine with Due Process in Terrorism Related Cases -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
A few weeks ago I wrote a short piece for Jurist commenting on US District Court Chief Judge Vaughn Walker's recent ruling in the Al-Haramain Oregon NSA wiretapping case. That ruling held that the court be allowed to review classified information relevant to the case in order to determine whether its availability for review by counsel is critical to due process and fairness in the proceedings. If so, Judge Walker ruled, opposing counsel must be afforded a conditional opportunity to view such evidence (see below).
Bad News: Fat Bastard Traitor Adam Gadahn in New Video -- [Jawa Report]
Word from IntelCenter that a new al Qaeda video featuring America's only indicted traitor, Adam Gadahn, is going to be aired on al Jazeera. The name of the video is, "So That the Gaza Holocaust is Not Repeated."
Video: Psychotically angry military veterans and the academics who must tolerate them -- [Hot Air]
A special treat from Penn State’s instructional series on how to cope with “Worrisome Student Behaviors.” It seems our heroine’s been saddled with one of those ill-educated military types and, try as she might to reason with him, his bestial rage keeps getting in the way. Whatever is she to do? Watch and learn, my friends, in case you too are confronted by one of these menacing ne’er-do-wells.
"I am under a lot of pressure to not diagnose PTSD" -- [Salon]
Unfortunately," McNinch told Sgt. X, "yours has not been the only case ... I and other [doctors] are under a lot of pressure to not diagnose PTSD. It's not fair. I think it's a horrible way to treat soldiers, but unfortunately, you know, now the V.A. is jumping on board, saying, 'Well, these people don't have PTSD,' and stuff like that."
Contacted recently by Salon, McNinch seemed surprised that reporters had obtained the tape, but answered questions about the statements captured by the recording. McNinch told Salon that the pressure to misdiagnose came from the former head of Fort Carson's Department of Behavioral Health. That colonel, an Army psychiatrist, is now at Fort Lewis in Washington state. "This was pressure that the commander of my Department of Behavioral Health put on me at that time," he said. Since McNinch is a civilian employed by the Army, the colonel could not order him to give a specific, lesser diagnosis to soldiers. Instead, McNinch said, the colonel would "refuse to concur with me, or argue with me, or berate me" when McNinch diagnosed soldiers with PTSD. "It is just very difficult being a civilian in a military setting." McNinch added that he also received pressure not to properly diagnose traumatic brain injury, Sgt. X's other medical problem.
Unicorn 6 this is COB6, WTF? Over. -- [BlackFive - Cob6]
This is what happens when your President is more interested in being a “citizen of the world” than being a G**Damn American! Naturally the MSM ignored the story but the Telegraph picked up:
White House officials travelled to France at the start of March to discuss a visit by Mr Obama to Omaha Beach, the site of the American Cemetery, established in 1944 just after D-Day and where 9,387 American personnel are buried. ..."It wasn't going to happen," said an American official in Washington. "We went through the motions to placate President Sarkozy but giving special treatment to France was not on our agenda.
...Mr. President, honoring our dead is not giving special treatment to anyone other than those men who earned it. As far as...
"LONE SURVIVOR'S" DOG EXECUTED BY TEXAS THUGS; SUSPECT ON THE RUN - UPDATED - [Third Wave Dave]
Last week, Edmonds and three of his buddies decided they needed to have a little fun. Fun for these assholes consists of killing dogs. That was their first mistake.
...One night last week at about 1:00 am, the four arrived at a private ranch. After exiting their vehicle and locating a dog, they executed it with a .357 handgun. Just for fun. The dog's name was DASY, and she belonged to Marcus Luttrell. (Editors Note: War Hero)
Marcus Luttrell's Dog Murdered by Punks in Texas
Today on Glenn Beck's show, he had former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell on to talk about what happened to him last week. You see it seems some dumb-ass punks were driving the Texas countryside, summarily executing dogs.
HEALING FIELD WILL REMEMBER OUR FALLEN MILITARY MEMBERS -- [Healing Feild]
Mikes Guardian Eagle Foundation and the Gold Star Families of Utah are excited to announce plans to present the largest Healing Field in history honoring our country's fallen military members. This event will include nearly 5,000 flags, displayed in the shape of the United States of America, in perfect rows spread across five acres of lawn. Each flag represents a military service man or woman killed during the current conflict in Iraq or Afghanistan and will bear the name and rank of the serviceman or woman, branch of service,and country of incident.
..."Please plan to join us from July 23- August 3 at the Weber County Fairgrounds, as we show our respect to those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom,states Bob Lehmiller, chairman of the event.
Why Do Soldiers and Veterans Seem Reluctant to Seek Help? -- [A Soldier's Perspective - Roman General]
I have thought about this for a couple of days and did not know what to say for a minute. But then I started thinking about why I was not persistent with receiving help. My initial help seeking came from the insistence from ex-wives, on a conscious level I did not believe that I needed help even in the face of my insanity. It took many years of my flailing about to become convinced of my need for assistance.
I believe the reason for many veterans reluctance to receive help, on the internet or in the office has to do with
Secretary Gates' Defense Budget Proposals -- [Austin Bay]
...Gates understands the importance of perseverance in war -- the weapon of spine, determination, will.
Osama bin Laden committed many strategic blunders, but one of his greatest was underestimating American will. References to America "fleeing" from Somalia litter captured al-Qaida documents.
Credibility of commitment -- the will to win -- is the psychological backbone of deterrence. A determined foe will scorn advanced weapons with near-magic capabilities if he believes you won't use them or that he can force you to fight on a battlefield where the weapons are not decisive. He wagers his will to win far exceeds your comfy, bourgeois fecklessness.
Credible commitment, Gates wrote, extends beyond winning the war of bullets to winning the war for long-term security, which requires
Gates: Champion Of Our Troops -- [NY Post - Ralph Peters]
God bless Bob Gates: Our secretary of defense can't be bought, can't be bullied and can't be fooled. And he values our men and women in uniform.
"This is a reform budget," the SecDef stated yesterday as he unveiled the Pentagon's new priorities. He insisted that we must "critically and ruthlessly separate appetites from real requirements."
Gates appears to have made the right call on every single issue. And, instead of beginning with a focus on big-ticket weapons, he started by highlighting the needs of those who serve.
This SecDef wants to stop cutting troops to "save" money, only to funnel the funding to well-connected contractors. The Army and Marines will get their promised end-strength increases, while the Navy and Air Force won't cut more sailors and airmen.
Bob Gates vs. the Congress: Who You Gonna Pick? -- [Abu Muqawama]
James Inhofe should be ashamed of himself -- not for saying the new budget is "gutting" our military and "disarming America" but for traveling all the way to Afghanistan on the tax-payer's dime and failing to discover that the kinds of weapons systems and skillsets needed for Afghanistan are exactly the kinds of weapons systems and skillsets privileged in the budget. Don't use the war in Afghanistan a cheap prop, Senator, if you're not even going to study the nature of the war itself.
But I am struck by something Thom Shanker of the New York Times said on the Diane Rehm Show a few weeks back. He said that if he had to place a bet on Bob Gates or the Congress winning the fight over the budget that he would put his money on Bob Gates. The great Bob Work of CSBA agreed.
From Afghanistan, Inhofe Responds to Obama's Defense Cuts Saying Obama Will "Disarm America"
Man portable "pain ray" under development -- [Ace of Spades - Purple Avenger]
Raytheon is working on downsizing the tractor trailer sized "pain ray" device the military has developed.
WTF? Home? Iraq had less problems... -- [The Intrepid Reporter - home from Iraq]
OK Dear and Gentle Reader, The Intrepid Reporter is back and has all sorts of 'fun from the home front' stuff going on. Needless to say, I made it home for my well deserved R&R (Rest and Relaxation to you civvies) or my historical fave, I&I (Intercourse and Intoxication) both of which I've been attempting at a new land-speed record. Household Six and the Chilluns have been thrilled to have me home, but nonetheless, there have been a few 'wrinkles' in an otherwise pristine time.
New York Times Front-Page Celebrates the Absolute Moral Political Authority of Our Troops in Iraq -- [Ace of Spades - Ace]
There are quite a few reasons to knock this as bias. The New York Times never seemed to think it was worthy of prominent announcement that The Demon Bush was warmly received by troops being the most obvious.
Another obvious bit of bias is the claim that Obama "won" the cheers of troops. Did he? In what manner? By what action? It seems more likely that Obama didn't "win" anything from the troops, rather that the troops had, as patriotic Americans and sworn defenders of the Constitution, given the commander in chief the reception they extended to all of their superiors. ... the NYT does not identify with the troops. The troops are not heroes in the NYT's narrative, making their own decisions based on their own psychologies and agendas and drives and wants. No, in the NYT's narrative, the troops are objects of the hero Obama's actions, chips for him to win in a high-stakes game of geopolitical poker. And in their headline, he wins them.
Who’s using the military as a “global propaganda machine” now, AP? -- [Michelle Malkin]
The Associated Press has really outdone itself. Just look at this headline:
Analysis: Obama achieves defining TV shot in Iraq
It’s a drool-drenched piece on Obama’s masterful “achievement” — manipulating a politically expedient photo op with the troops in Baghdad. The AP “analysis” — or rather, adjunct public relations release — praises Obama for creating an image that will help him politically:
O’Reilly Reports Anti-Bush Lawyer’s Terror Connection as Olbermann Ignores -- [NewsBusters]
On the Monday, March 30, The O’Reilly Factor, FNC host Bill O’Reilly slammed the New York Times for not reporting that an attorney in Spain, Gonzalo Boye, who is trying to have Bush administration members charged with war crimes in a Spanish court, himself has served eight years in prison for "collaborating with terrorists,"
US Senator McCain returns to wartime Vietnam jail -- [France 24]
US Senator John McCain leaned over a miniature mock-up on of the Vietnamese prison where he was held for years as a wartime prisoner.
"I'm trying to figure it out," he said, studying the scale model on a return visit to the prison site that is now a museum.
Then he found the spot.
"I was in this block here... which we called the 'Thunderbird'," he told fellow Senator Amy Klobuchar. "And I lived in this block, which we called 'Desert Inn'."
McCain, who lost his bid for the White House to Democrat Barack Obama in November, made the museum his last stop before flying to Beijing, his next destination on an official Asian tour.
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