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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.Refresh for updates.
Gen. Petraeus treated for prostate cancer -- [The Associated Press]
David Petraeus, the top US commander for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in February and has since undergone two months
Afghan, US troops kill 40 militants in east -- [AP]
Afghan and American forces killed 40 militants in 24 hours as they hunted mountainous eastern Afghanistan for insurgents behind one of the deadliest attacks of the war for U.S. troops, the defense ministry said Tuesday.
Ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi said 10 Afghan army troops were also killed in the same period around the country, most of them in Nuristan province's Kamdesh district, where eight Americans died Saturday after hundreds of Taliban militants overwhelmed their remote and thinly manned outposts.
U.S.: No more enemy body counts in Afghanistan - July 27, 2009 -- [CNN]
The U.S. military will stop publishing the number of Taliban and insurgents it kills in Afghanistan under orders from the senior U.S. military spokesman for the American-led coalition.
"Indicating the number of insurgents killed has little relevance to impacting the lives of Afghans. In fact, if that were the only purpose and metric, you would likely only extend the time it takes to bring about an end to the insurgency," Smith said in an e-mail to CNN responding to a query about the change.
The issue of publishing enemy body counts has been extremely sensitive to the U.S. military since the Vietnam War when the military regularly published large enemy body counts but seemed to be failing overall to make progress in the war.
Exclusive: Wounded U.S. Soldiers Refused to Leave Taliban Fight -- [ABC News]
Afghan Attacks: Darkness, Smoke Forced Medevac Doctors to Work by Touch
ABC News' Karen Russo was the only reporter to get to the scene of this weekend's bloody firefight between U.S. troops and hundreds of Taliban insurgents when she went in on a MEDEVAC helicopter. Here is her report:
Flying into the besieged Afghan base during a nighttime firefight this weekend was a harrowing mix of overwhelming noise, stomach dropping maneuvers and shadows hurrying through the gloom.
When the chopper lifted off moments later with three wounded soldiers, it left behind others who were wounded but refused to be MEDEVACED out of the combat zone so they could return to fight with their buddies.
Fighting raged at two remote U.S. outpostsnear the Pakistan border this weekend, that left eight U.S. soldiers dead and 24 wounded. The battle was fought from Friday night through Sunday as hundreds of Taliban insurgents and their allies tried to overrun the Americans.
During the fighting,...
We lost 8 of our own -- [Army Household6 - husband in Afghanistan]
I wanted to post really quick about this weekend's deadly attack in Afghanistan as I've received lots of phone calls, emails and IM's asking about SGT Daddy. As you probably have heard, this weekend 8 of our 4th ID , 4th Brigade soldiers gave the ultimate sacrifice in an attack from the Taliban(along with other groups) in Eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan Border. I do not believe that SGT Daddy was one of the 8 (i would have heard by now), I haven't heard from him yet either since the attack. In these types of situations, there is usually a communication blackout so that the families of our fallen warriors can be notified. I'm sure that is the reason for not hearing from him. As the details get released about the 8 soldiers, I will of course update as much as I can.
Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast --- [The Quatto Zone - in Afghanistan]
Here in Kabul, we are unburdened by the crushing weight of reality. Like the kites that ring our merry city, we are set free to drift on the winds of idle speculation or dark rumor. With our imaginative faculties thus exercised, we are able, like the Queen of Hearts in Wonderland, to imagine six impossible things before breakfast. Here are mine:
1. That there are honest and decent people in this world, and some of them wear military uniforms.
2. That sometimes, rather than shrewdly calculating the political utility of their every word, people mean what they say when they say it. Take, for example: "I think any decision to go forward [in Afghanistan] will not just be based on resources, it will be based on what are our goals. And I know people are re-looking what our goals and objectives are and redefining and clarifying those, and I think that's helpful. Once they do that, ...
US, Afghan troops beat back bold enemy assault in eastern Afghanistan -- [LWJ - Bill Roggio]
US and Afghan forces beat back a brazen assault on two joint outposts in the eastern Afghan province of Nuristan. The attack was led by Taliban commander Dost Mohammed and was aided by al Qaeda's Shadow Army. Eight US troops, seven Afghan troops, and an unspecified number of enemy fighters were killed during the fighting, which ended after US air and artillery pounded the fighters in a counterattack. The US military said the fighters launched the attack on the two remote outposts in the district of Kamdish, just 10 miles from the Pakistani border, after organizing at a nearby mosque and a village. More than 300 fighters were involved in the assault, according to Quqnoos, an Afghan newspaper. The fighting was said to be intense and lasted for several hours.
Deadly Attack By Taliban Tests New Strategy -- [Washington Post]
...The fighting came on a day when poor weather limited visibility. The insurgents struck from positions in a mosque, village buildings and hillside positions above the outpost, which is in the Kamdesh area of Nurestan province. Surrounded by enemy fighters and under heavy fire, U.S. soldiers called in ground reinforcements, along with attack helicopters, airplanes and surveillance drones. U.S. forces eventually repelled the attack while inflicting "a significant amount of casualties" on insurgents, Smith said. "Virtually everything that could be thrown at it was thrown at it."
Deadly Attack By Taliban Tests New Strategy -- [Washington Post]
US commanders had been planning since late last year to abandon the small combat outpost in mountainous eastern Afghanistan where eight US soldiers died Saturday in a fierce insurgent assault. The pullout, part of a strategy of withdrawing from sparsely populated areas where the United States lacks the troops to expel Taliban forces and to support the local Afghan government, has been repeatedly delayed by a shortage of cargo helicopters, Afghan politics and military bureaucracy, US military officials said. The attack began in the early morning hours.
After Deadly Assault, Questions Linger Over Afghanistan Strategy -- [Danger Room - in Afghanistan]
Coalition forces repelled a complex attack by hundreds of militant fighters, but reports suggest that one of the outposts was partially or nearly overrun. The Associated Press, quoting provincial police chief Mohammad Qasim Jangulbagh, said that insurgents flooded an Afghan-held outpost at the bottom of a hill, then attacked the American outpost on higher ground from several directions.
News of the attack comes as the Obama administration deliberates Afghanistan strategy. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. general in Afghanistan, has said he needs more troops to bolster security, but National Security Adviser James Jones told CNN yesterday that "Afghanistan is not in danger -- imminent danger -- of falling" to the Taliban.
HIGs are Pigs -- [Registan]
...For some reason, it takes Lori Hinnant five paragraphs to mention the attack happened in Kamdesh. Since everyone is probably going to compare this attack to the Battle at the Waigal district center in Nuristan from last year, it might be helpful to examine the context surrounding the attack.
...Probably the defining conflict in Kamdesh is not between locals and the U.S, but rather between two Nuristani ethnic groups, the Kom and the Kshto. Like almost everywhere else in Afghanistan, this local conflict is over access to natural resources (in this case, water rights), and the conflict serves as a convenient angle for outsiders to leverage influence and power. The Kom tend to be more friendly to HiG, but both communities support to varying degrees extremist mullahs advocating jihad against the U.S. forces in the area.
Strand wonders why the U.S. hadn't, in 2007, implemented a more robust counterinsurgency strategy in the area. A quick answer would be that it is simply too hard:
After the Attack -- [At War - New York Times]
...The weekend's events also highlight the difficult conundrum faced by military leaders when placing soldiers in dangerous areas. In the military, a common mantra is "mission first, men always." At first glance this remark seems blindingly obvious, but upon closer scrutiny one begins to realize that there are situations in which force protection and mission accomplishment can run counter to one another.
Forward Operating Bases provide security, but at the cost of minimizing closer soldier interaction with the populace. In contrast, an isolated combat outpost extends the reach of the U.S. military, but also exposes a greater number of troops to harm.
But is the strategic solution to such a problem to boost the numbers on the ground (Gen. McChrystal's plan) or is it to move soldiers out of these areas and instead rely on our technological superiority (Vice President Biden's plan)?
Don't tell me we've stooped to the "Domino Theory" -- [Wings Over Iraq - in Iraq]
I try to avoid making Vietnam comparisons in the Afghan debate, but sometimes it's unavoidable. Take today's post by Londonstani in Andrew Exum's "Abu Muqawama", in which Londonstani and British General Sir David Richards invoke the old "Domino theory" argument from the Vietnam era. Says Gen. Richards in the Telegraph: "He said: ;If al-Qaeda and the Taliban believe they have defeated us - what next? Would they stop at Afghanistan? Pakistan is clearly a tempting target not least because of the fact that it is a nuclear-weaponed state and that is a terrifying prospect. Even if only a few of those (nuclear) weapons fell into their hands, believe me they would use them. The recent airlines plot has reminded us that there are people out there who would happily blow all of us up.'" Cute, but hardly accurate.
Worst Losses for a Year as Taleban Storm NATO Outpost -- [The Times]
It began before dawn - a devastating, well-planned attack. About 300 insurgents swarmed out of a village and mosque and attacked a pair of isolated American outposts in a remote mountainous area of eastern Afghanistan with machineguns, rockets and grenades.
McChrystal Planned to Move Soldiers Killed in Afghan Siege -- [Christian Science Monitor]
One fundamental tenet of Gen. Stanley McChrystal's controversial Afghanistan strategy aims at avoiding precisely the kinds of attacks that killed eight American soldiers Sunday. In what is being described as one of the boldest attacks of the Afghan insurgency, an estimated 300 militants sustained a day-long siege against a coalition outpost in Nuristan Province - a place where the rule of law is so tenuous and the terrain so forbidding that it is seen as one of the likeliest hiding places for Osama bin Laden. It is also has fewer people than Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Beyond the request for more resources that has engrossed America, McChrystal's battlefield assessment proposes deploying American troops in a profoundly different way. Rather...
'Almost a Lost Cause' -- [Washington Post]
In recent months, the battle of Wanat has come to symbolize the US military's missteps in Afghanistan. It has provoked Brostrom's father to question why Jonathan died and whether senior Army officers - including a former colleague and close friend - made careless mistakes that left the platoon vulnerable. It has triggered three investigations, the latest initiated last week by Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. And it has helped drive a broader reassessment of war strategy among top commanders in Afghanistan, who have begun to pull US troops out of remote villages where some of the heaviest fighting has occurred.
Missing: The Point -- [Afghan Quest - in Afghanistan]
...Is it possible that it will not require a quarter of a million active duty soldiers for eternity? I think that the answer to the last two questions is, "Yes, it is possible... even likely." So let's put down that tired old meme.
Let's work on what's broken. You cannot build a house on shifting sands, but don't let the nebulous appearance fool you; Afghanistan had these structures which nurtured life and led tribes to live in relative peace. There is a reason why the Hazara have not been wiped out by the Pashtuns, for instance (although the Taliban tried.) The traditional structures worked. General McChrystal has this built into his plan, and the "civilian surge" is appearing (I see them, new ones, all the time.) The other plan is based on silliness and antiquated thinking. It's a built-in excuse for failure. It's really what we have been doing for nearly eight years, anyway. Calling it something new won't change that, and it won't fix anything... it'll only make it worse. Let's not be that small, especially in our heads. Everyone's got a silly old uncle... on Petticoat Junction they called theirs "Joe"... but that doesn't mean that his ideas had to go any further than some silly talk at the dinner table.
A Savvy Swat Strategy -- [Washington Post]
A visit to this battlefield of Pakistan's war against the Taliban left one indelible image - of a teenage boy's beaming smile of relief - that conveys what a successful counterinsurgency campaign is all about. Let me explain: When Pakistani troops regained control of Swat in a violent campaign this summer, they found scores of traumatized teenagers who had been forced to work as boy soldiers. About a month ago, the army opened a rehabilitation clinic for them
Give Us More Troops, British Forces Tell Bob Ainsworth in Afghanistan -- [The Times]
Bob Ainsworth, the Defence Secretary, faced direct calls for more troops, equipment and training from frontline forces in Afghanistan yesterday as he visited the country with Alan Johnson, the Home Secretary. The two ministers spent the day meeting British troops and local officials in southern Afghanistan before flying on to Pakistan last night for talks with their local counterparts today and tomorrow. It was the first visit by a British Home Secretary to the troops in Afghanistan.
Another week of mentoring... -- [3rd Time, New Country - in Afghanistan]
It's been about 10 days since I last posted to this blog. No big steps taken since the last entry but I can recap. Mostly it's been a normal week of mentoring with a few trips. Last Saturday, I went with Holly & Kelly to the pre-school/daycare at the Poly-clinic which is on the NMH campus. The staff at NMH can bring their children to the daycare while they are at work. There can be anywhere from 50 to 80 children per day. Someone had sent Holly a box of stuffed animals and school supplies, so I helped her carry it and distribute it. It is like Christmas, giving the kids the stuffed animals and school supplies. I stuffed a few of the smaller animals into my magazine pouches on my IBA and gave them out to the children as we saw them.
Downtown Public Hospital -- [Doc H's International Adventure - in Afghanistan ]
Of course most Americans who have never seen a struggling hospital in a third world country would probably have a very difficult time processing what we saw. But after a day to reflect on everything my partner Steve and I, who are sort of conneisseurs of third world hospitals, concluded that we have seen worse. Me in some parts of Asia, he in Africa. But for a country that is in the midst of a war and in temporary buildings for the most part it seems to be operating very well. It was depressing seeing the disparity between the Directors Office and the peeling paint and bare wires in most of the buildings. There is still a lot to do in this country.
One more word about the Afghan Health system....
I Was Ordered to Cover Up President Karzai Election Fraud, Sacked UN Envoy Says -- [The Times]
The head of the UN mission in Afghanistan has been accused by his former deputy of ordering a systematic cover-up to conceal the extent of electoral fraud by President Karzai. In an attack on the role of the UN in the elections on August 20, Peter Galbraith, who was sacked as Deputy Special Representative to the UN mission in Kabul last week, says that Kai Eide ordered him not to reveal evidence of fraud or to pass it to the authorities. As a result, he said, the elections had handed the Taleban "its greatest strategic victory in eight years of fighting the United States and its Afghan partners". He says that the UN collected evidence that a third of Mr Karzai's votes were fraudulent. If the claim was found to be true it would push Mr Karzai below the 54 per cent that the preliminary election results give him, necessitating a second round of voting. The attack by Mr Galbraith seems timed to counter indications that the US Government and international community have accepted the official verdict of the Afghan authorities and, with it, a Karzai Administration
Returning to camp -- [Afghanistan My Last Tour - in Afghanistan]
Alas! Our academic training on crew serve weapons had come to an end and we were scheduled to return to camp. The original plan was to meet up with another convoy at 7 am. This meant we had to start preparing vehicles at 6:30 am and further it meant waking at 5:30 am to shave, dress, eat, etc. Like clockwork we were on time and then the Captain received a phone call. The convoy would be delayed an hour. Also before returning to camp, we would escort my fellow teammates back to their camp. While driving to my former camp, my armored HMMVW experienced a mechanical problem. It wouldn't shift out of second gear into drive.
Two Firefights: One Video -- [Michael Yon - in Afghanistan]
In July, British soldiers and I boarded a CH-47 helicopter at Camp Bastion for the flight to FOB Jackson at Sangin where fighting is brutal. The helicopter was so stuffed with men, gear and supplies that the cargo was not even strapped down. We steadied the long stack with our hands and prayed that the pilots not begin flying violent evasive maneuvers. The tail gunner partially lifted the ramp to prevent bundles from tumbling into the skies, and that was it for securing the bundles. Just a week before, a giant MI-26 helicopter was shot down on final approach to this same landing zone. All aboard died in flames, as did two children on the ground. This is, interestingly, the same landing zone where I would make the photos for "The Kopp-Etchells Effect" dispatch, which was published in many languages around the world.
Partnership will define success -- [MNF -I]
With Iraqi Security Forces taking the lead in accordance with the Security Agreement, mission accomplishment is in sight for U.S. forces here, says the Multi-National Corps - Iraq commanding general. "We are not going to falter; we are going to complete this task; we believe that it is close at hand and we believe in our Iraqi partners," Lt. Gen. Charles Jacoby Jr. said. "We are going to continue our best efforts to finish this with success and honor."
U.S. forces have made many sacrifices to bring freedom, democracy and stability to Iraq. Success will be measured by the quality of the relationship between the U.S. and Iraq, he stressed. "In the end, those sacrifices will be validated, both for the Iraqi people and the American people, by an enduring strategic partnership that builds on our mutual trust, confidence and strategic interest."
Health assessments make us all crazy... -- [Castra Praetoria - in Iraq]
Currently we are in the midst of the glorious Post Deployment Health Assessment. This is to asses our state of health after deployment in support of military operations and to assist military healthcare providers in identifying and providing present and future medical care we may need. The information we provide may result in a referral for additional healthcare that may include medical, dental or behavioral healthcare or diverse community support services (this is pretty much all plagiarized right off the questionnaire). Some of the questions simply ask how you would rate your health, if you had been injured or sick during the deployment, and whether or not you have any emotional problems, etc. As America's 1stSgt filled out his assessment the building veritably shook with the deafening running commentary that accompanies nearly everything that goes on in the company office.
Threats in Southern Iraq Ahead of a U.S. Withdrawal -- [SWJ - Lieutenant Colonel John Johnson]
This paper provides a description of the three major threats in southern Iraq, identifies several unlikely wildcard events which could alter the security situation, and concludes that while violence in the south is quite low when compared to historical trends and compared to the rest of Iraq, there remains several areas where U.S. forces should focus their efforts to ensure violence remains low ahead of the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq.
Iraqi Security Force Update: October 2009 -- [Montrose Toast]
During September, the Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Interior held 23 course graduations. The emphasis in the Ministry of Interior is still on basic training of the backlog of untrained and already hired Iraqi Police. The emphasis of the Iraqi Army remains on support elements, with particular emphasis on engineer and indirect fires.
New school opens for girls in Erbil -- [MNF-I]
...Opening a school of this size and quality in a downtrodden neighborhood like Bnaslawa demonstrates to the people that the government really cares, according to Quinlan.
"This school will serve 1,600 females," said Quinlan. "The schools they [females] had before were the most in need of repairs."
Overcrowding had gotten so bad that the government had to contract private homes in the community to use as schools, according to Quinlan. "Day by day, the population of Erbil grows," said the mayor of Erbil, Hussein Katari. "We needed more schools."
This school shows the infrastructure in the city is growing to match the population. "This [school opening] is going to ease a lot of tension here," Katari said.
Flight Cancelled -- [In Iraq Now (at 56) - in Iraq]
I was supposed to be in a Blackhawk now flying to a couple of the nearby small bases, but the flight got cancelled. Somebody with a real mission got the seat, so I am labelling photos and getting ready to transfer them to an Army computer. This morning was the Ruck March half marathon. Since I was supposed to fly, I did not pick up my number. I suppose I could have walked, but I took some pictures of participants, then took a nap until the walkers were coming back in. On Monday, I sent the first issue of a new newsletter I am doing for the battalion (700 soldiers). It is a six-page newsletter that goes the soldiers and families in the states by PDF.
The demise of the dollar -- [The Independent]
In a graphic illustration of the new world order, Arab states have launched secret moves with China, Russia and France to stop using the US currency for oil trading -- In the most profound financial change in recent Middle East history, Gulf Arabs are planning
Iran Could Make an Atom Bomb, According to UN Report's 'Secret Annexe' -- [The Times]
Iran has the know-how to produce a nuclear bomb and may already have tested a detonation system small enough to fit into the warhead of a medium-range missile, according to confidential papers. The "secret annexe" to this year's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report on Iran summarises information submitted by intelligence agencies about the country's work on warheads, detonators and nuclear fuel enrichment.
Iran Agrees to Allow Inspectors on Oct. 25 --[New York Times]
The chief of the world's nuclear inspection agency said during a visit to Tehran on Sunday that the Iranian government had agreed to allow access to a newly disclosed nuclear enrichment facility on Oct. 25, and Iran said it would enter talks earlier about temporarily exporting much of its low-enriched uranium to be converted into nuclear reactor fuel. At a news conference, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, praised Iran for moving forward on agreements reached at a meeting last week with the United States and its allies, even while cautioning that his agency had "concerns about Iran's future intentions." "I see that we are at a critical moment," Dr. ElBaradei said. "I see that we are shifting from confrontation into transparency and cooperation."
GOP senators: US, not Israel, should attack Iran 'if necessary' -- [RAW Story]
Two senior Republican senators say the United States, and not Israel, should attack Iran if military action becomes "necessary." -- They also say a simple strike at the country's nuclear capability wouldn't be enough
New Post-Soviet Force Begins Military Exercises -- [Breitbart /AP]
Thousands of troops from Russia and four other ex-Soviet nations began military exercises in southern Kazakhstan on Friday, the first of its kind for the newly formed NATO-style rapid-reaction force. Moscow is hoping the force will help bolster the power and prestige of the seven-nation Collective Security Treaty Organization, which Russia is hoping will help counterbalance NATO but to date has been seen largely as a mere talking shop.
New Threat Message Warns: Al-Qaeda Will Attack Germany on a Sunday in October -- [MEMRI]
The Al-Falluja jihadist forum has posted a new threat message to Germany specifying that attacks will be carried out on one of the Sundays in October. It is titled "To the Infidel German Nation: We Bestow on You the Kindness, for the Third Time, of Specifying the Appointed Day!" The message, which is being heavily promoted by Al-Falluja, is the latest in a series of threats to appear on the forum [1] following the release of Al-Qaeda videos threatening attacks in Germany.
This message had a strange rollout. Early on October 3, 2009, a forum member called Abu Hamza 2005 wrote a post titled "Welcome to the new member Mou10ra11bitt18oun25!" He wrote that when browsing the Al-Falluja forum he had come across this newly-registered user, and that the username reminded him of "p2l0a0g8u9e," a member on the now-defunct Al-Ekhlaas forum who, in May 2008, posted a video threatening the destruction of the U.S. in a nuclear strike.
Detainees Face Severe Conditions if Moved to US -- [Washington Post]
For up to four hours a day, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the self-proclaimed mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, can sit outside in the Caribbean sun and chat through a chain-link fence with the detainee in the neighboring exercise yard at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Mohammed can also use that time to visit a media room to watch movies of his choice, read newspapers and books, or play handheld electronic games. He and other detainees have access to elliptical machines and stationary bikes. At Guantanamo, such recreational activities interrupt an otherwise bleak existence, according to a Pentagon report of conditions at Camp 7, which houses 16 high-value detainees. But even those privileges may soon vanish. The Justice Department has begun to hint in court filings that at least some of the defendants in the Sept. 11, 2001, case, as well as other prominent suspects, will be transferred to federal custody in the United States. ...And those conditions, it turns out, would be vastly more draconian than they are at Guantanamo Bay.
Keeping a lid on homegrown terror -- [Counterterrorism Blog
TERRORISM DRAMATICALLY regained the headlines recently, as US authorities revealed the details of three unrelated plots they foiled.
.......Of course, there are differences between the United States and Europe. The first is related to the significantly better economic conditions of American Muslims. While European Muslims generally languish at the bottom of most rankings that measure economic integration, American Muslims fare significantly better. Although economic integration is not always an antidote to radicalization, it is undeniable that radical ideas find a fertile environment among unemployed and disenfranchised youth.
1,681 HEROES WAITING FOR ADOPTION -- [Soldiers' Angels]
This is one of the most important things that can be done to help bring home a healthy hero; it is so very important for each of them to know they are loved and supported, and your letters and care packages prove just that. The length of each adoption depends on the branch of service your soldier is in and a number of other factors, but generally averages between six (6) months to twelve (12) months. On occasion, they can be extended, but this is the average.
Care packages do not have to be expensive: you can put together your own (we have a detailed list of the most-requested items for you--snacks, hygiene products, and games or magazines). We have also have some exciting themed care packages in the Angel Store (they are sold at cost and shipped directly to your soldier, complete with a personal note from you).
ARMY MAJOR GENERAL SHARES PERSONAL STORY TO BATTLE SUICIDE STIGMA -- [Bouhammer]
"In suffering, we either find ourselves or we destroy ourselves." Quoting from Oswald Chambers' devotional, Maj. Gen. Mark Graham, U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3/5/7, told the story of his family's personal experience with suicide and tragedy, and how they now share their past to help others. Graham and wife, Carol, agreed to share their personal story as a closing to Army Suicide Prevention Month, having lost their son Kevin to suicide in June 2003. Seven months later, the Grahams lost their other son Jeffrey, who was killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Khaldiyah, Iraq.
Everett surgeon gets vivid look at cost of war -- [Herald Net]
Five thousand miles from home, and working inside the unfamiliar, gray maze of the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, Dr. Jay Cook watched as an injured soldier was wheeled into the hospital's intensive care unit.
He remembers feeling an odd sense of familiarity, thinking: "They're just a few years older than my son. "These are just kids," he said. "They're doing what we asked them to do ... It hit home to me how important it is that we do the right thing by them."
VA - not always transparent or accountable -- [BurnPit]
Shame on the VA for hiding reports that will help us guarantee they are living up to their mission and responsibility.
Gen. Petraeus treated for prostate cancer
Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, has undergone treatment for prostate cancer.
A spokesman for Petraeus says the general was diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer in February. Petraeus underwent two months of radiation treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, and the treatment was successful.
Veteran Imposter charged with Faking Military Medals -- [KRDO]
Denver- Richard Strandlof, 32, was charged Thursday with claiming military decorations that he did not earn.
Strandlolf became an activist and campaigned for anti-war political candidates under the premise. He claimed that he was a Purple Heart and Silver Star recipient. The charges are the first time Strandlof has been accused of claiming a military medal.
Verternas had questioned whether Strandlof would face charges for misrepresenting himself. Earlier this year Strandlof admitted lying about being a war hero.
Saluting heroes: Town greets troops returning from Iraq -- [The Tribune-Democrat]
BLANDBURG -- This small northeastern Cambria County town near the Blair County border swelled with pride Saturday as residents held Operation Welcome Home to pay tribute to six area Pennsylvania Army National Guard soldiers who returned in September from Iraq.
FTC Publishes Final Guides Governing Endorsements, Testimonials -- [Federal Trade Commission]
...Under the revised Guides, advertisements that feature a consumer and convey his or her experience with a product or service as typical when that is not the case will be required to clearly disclose the results that consumers can generally expect. In contrast to the 1980 version of the Guides - which allowed advertisers to describe unusual results in a testimonial as long as they included a disclaimer such as "results not typical" - the revised Guides no longer contain this safe harbor.
The revised Guides also add new examples to illustrate the long standing principle that "material connections" (sometimes payments or free products) between advertisers and endorsers - connections that consumers would not expect - must be disclosed. These examples address what constitutes an endorsement when the message is conveyed by bloggers or other "word-of-mouth" marketers. The revised Guides specify that while decisions will be reached on a case-by-case basis, the post of a blogger who receives cash or in-kind payment to review a product is considered an endorsement. Thus
FTC to Regulate Blogging -- [FOX news]
The Federal Trade Commission will try to regulate blogging for the first time, requiring writers on the Web to clearly disclose any freebies or payments they get from companies for reviewing their products.
The FTC said Monday its commissioners voted 4-0 to approve the final Web guidelines, which had been expected. Violating the rules, which take effect Dec. 1, could bring fines up to $11,000 per violation. Bloggers or advertisers also could face injunctions and be ordered to reimburse consumers for financial losses stemming from inappropriate product reviews.
The commission stopped short of specifying how bloggers must disclose conflicts of interest.
Chicago Sun-Times Blames Olympics Loss On...Bush! -- [NewsBusters]
"President Obama could not undo in one year the resentment against America that President Bush and others built up for years."
So claim some famous and some notso famous Chicagoans is the reason the Windy City lost its bid for the 2016 Olympics Friday.
George Will: Obama Went to Copenhagen to Speak About Himself -- [NewsBusters]
On Sunday, ABC's George Will uttered an inconvenient truth about Barack Obama that his adoring media have been ignoring since he first threw his hat into the presidential ring in February 2007: his rhetoric is filled with constant references to himself.
To prove the point on the most recent installment of "This Week," Will counted the number of times Mr. and Mrs. Obama used the words "I" and "me" during their speeches in Copenhagen Friday.
The numbers are shocking making it likely in Will's view that the word "vain" is going to eventually attach itself to Obama (video embedded below the fold with transcript):
MSNBC Hypocrisy -- [Flopping Aces]
The media elites are so blind. Where were they on civility for the past 8 years? Oh, yeah: They were part of the contributing problem.
War advisers must be candid but discreet: Gates -- [Reuters]
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates called on Monday for patience and discretion as President Barack Obama decides how to conduct the war in Afghanistan, urging advisers to speak "candidly but privately" on strategy.
Gates did not single out anyone in his address at an Army convention in Washington, but his comments followed very public remarks by the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan as well as Obama's national security adviser.
..."So it is important that we take our time to do all we can to get this right. And in this process, it is imperative that all of us taking part in these deliberations -- civilians and military alike -- provide our best advice to the president candidly but privately."
Obama Furious at General Stanley McChrystal Speech on Afghanistan -- [Daily Telegraph]
The relationship between President Barack Obama and the commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan has been put under severe strain by Gen Stanley McChrystal's comments on strategy for the war. According to sources close to the administration, Gen McChrystal shocked and angered presidential advisers with the bluntness of a speech given in London last week. The next day he was summoned to an awkward 25-minute face-to-face meeting on board Air Force One on the tarmac in Copenhagen,
Clear Voice of Bush's Pentagon Becomes Harder to Hear -- [New York Times]
Gen. David H. Petraeus, the face of the Iraq troop surge and a favorite of former President George W. Bush, spoke up or was called upon by President Obama "several times" during the big Afghanistan strategy session in the Situation Room last week, one participant says, and will be back for two more meetings this week. But the general's closest associates say that underneath the surface of good relations, the celebrity commander faces a new reality in Mr. Obama's White House: He is still at the table, but in a very different seat. No longer does the man who oversees the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have one of the biggest voices at National Security Council meetings, as he did when Mr. Bush gave him 20 minutes during hourlong weekly sessions to present his views in live video feeds from Baghdad. No longer is the general, with the Capitol Hill contacts and web of e-mail relationships throughout Washington's journalism establishment, testifying in media explosions before Congress, as he did in September 2007, when he gave 34 interviews in three days.
Is Virginia blocking military personnel from voting? -- [Washington Examiner]
Is Virginia denying military voters the chance to vote in its state election this November? That's what I gather from this post from the Atlantic's Marc Ambinder and this post from Republican blogger Soren Dayton. There's some shabby history here. In 1944 Republicans and Southern Democrats in Congress ganged up to make it difficult for military personnel--about 12 million men at the time--to vote; Republicans believed that most G.I.s would vote for Franklin Roosevelt, and Southern Democrats feared that black G.I.s would vote and get into the habit of voting. In 2000 some Democrats in Florida tried to prevent military votes from being counted. They feared most would vote for George W. Bush. But what's going on in Virginia is unclear.
ACORN Hired People "Still In Prison" Convicted of Identity Theft For Canvassing Voters (Video) -- [Gateway Pundit]
Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller, a democrat, told Eric Shawn on FOX News that ACORN was hiring convicts still in prison -CONVICTED OF IDENTITY THEFT- for canvassing voters.
Ross said that by executing a search warrant at ACORN headquarters in Nevada the authorities were able to substantiate charges and have a very solid case against ACORN. They believe they can prove that it's not just a few bad apples it went much higher up in the organization. Ross believes that ACORN and the regional director should be held accountable for the criminal activity that took place in the state.
Sunday Funnies Surge -- [Flopping Aces]
[Ed Note: a large collection of political cartoons for this past week]
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