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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 visits Logar province, hears voice of the people -- [CJTF-82 News]
Gen. David Petraeus, commander of United States' Central Command, met with U.S. and Afghan Soldiers, as well as Baraki Barak Sub-Governor Mohammed Lodin and local businessmen at Combat Outpost Baraki Barak, Oct. 30.
Petraeus removed his body armor and made his way out the gate into the bustling marketplace (without his protective equipment). He shook hands, waved to children and invited shoppers down the block to a local bakery for bread and chai. Once seated, with Lodin standing nearby, Petraeus spoke to several locals about their government.
...Before leaving, he made a point of letting the people know he realized many issues were emotionally charged.
"As we used to say in Iraq, 'it's okay to talk ... it's even okay to shout, it's just not ok to shoot," Petraeus said.
5 British soldiers shot dead in Afghanistan -- [CNN]
Five British soldiers have been shot dead in Afghanistan by a "rogue" Afghan policeman they had been training. The soldiers had been living and working for the past two weeks with the man who killed them.
Great Britain Loses one of its Finest -- [Michael Yon]
...Courage is as common as boots among these soldiers, but Olaf stood out even in that company. You could tell that Olaf knew his business from mean experience, and that he was ready for battle. His mind was very quick.
Soldier Aaron Deans shot by Taliban but refuses to fly home -- [Helmand Blog]
A SOLDIER who was shot in the back during a Taliban ambush in Afghanistan refused to fly home, because he wanted to end his tour of duty with his friends this coming weekend.
At his base in Helmand province, Trooper Aaron Deans, 19, said being shot was like "getting hit with a sledge hammer".
But he still managed to drive his colleagues to safety before blacking out.
Medics face 'awe-inspiring' task -- [BBC]
Col Peter Gilbert, from Rochester, is in charge of the main field hospital at Camp Bastion in southern Helmand.
He said some injuries were worse than the NHS would ever see, including regular cases of lost limbs.
"We are seeing injuries here on an almost daily basis that nobody in the health service will ever see," he said.
US backs Karzai's Afghan poll win -- [Al Jazeera]
The US president has congratulated Hamid Karzai on his re-election as Afghanistan's president, but Barack Obama also told him that he must be "much more serious" about tackling corruption.
US Gives Karzai Six-month Ultimatum to Stem Afghanistan Corruption -- [The Times]
President Karzai has six months to sideline his brother and reduce corruption or risk losing American support, Afghan officials have told The Times. Senior palace insiders said that President Obama delivered the ultimatum when he congratulated Mr Karzai on his re-election on Monday. Top of his demands was action against corruption, the appointment of "reform-minded ministers" and several high-profile scalps to prove Mr Karzai's commitment to cleaning up his Government.
Exclusive: U.S. drafts Afghan 'Compact' it hopes will bolster new Karzai government -- [McClatchy News]
The Obama administration has been quietly working with U.S. allies and Afghan officials on a package of reforms and anti-corruption measures that it hopes will boost popular support for President Hamid Karzai and erase the doubts about his legitimacy raised by his fraud-marred re-election.
Abdullah: Karzai victory 'illegal' -- [Al Jazeera]
Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC) declared Karzai the winner on Monday following Abdullah Abdullah's withdrawal from the November 7 runoff after his conditions for holding "free and fair polling" were not met.
"This decision does not have any legal basis and a government which takes power based on such a commission's decision cannot have legitimacy," Abdullah said on Wednesday in his first public appearance since the announcement.
"Such a government which lacks legitimacy cannot fight corruption.
"A government which comes to power without the people's support cannot fight phenomena of terrorism threats, unemployment, poverty and hundreds of other problems."
Abdullah rules out joining new Afghan government -- [Reuters]
Technocrats and some existing ministers will be appointed to Afghan President Hamid Karzai's new government, a spokesman said on Wednesday, but his main rival branded his re-election illegal and ruled out taking any part.
Lone Airman at Combat Outpost Keating recounts enemy attack -- [Bagram Airfield - in Afghanistan]
...From his perspective on the ground, Sergeant McMurtrey believes that the close air support was what turned the tide of battle.
"Once air support showed up, they started bombing everything... the blasts through the door from the bombs being dropped almost knocked me over," said Sergeant McMurtrey.
After more than 10 hours of bombing and strafing from an Air Force B-1B Lancer and F-15E Strike Eagles, nearly 100 militants were killed by the combined response that included Afghan soldiers as well as U.S. air and ground units. Eight Americans and three Afghans were killed, while nine Americans and 11 Afghans were wounded, according to CJTF-82 officials.
"There is no doubt that without the incredible air support we received, it would have been a much worse day," said Army Lt. Col. Robert Brown, 3-61 Cavalry commander from the 4th ID. "Your ability to keep a steady flow of aircraft and ordnance on the enemy turned what could have been a terrible defeat into a hard fought victory."
US military suffers first casualty of month in Iraq -- [San Jose Mercury News]
Twenty-year-old Pfc. Lukas Hopper was just two weeks away from the end of his deployment in Iraq when his Humvee rolled over Friday in a noncombat crash. ...
Brigade Prepares for 'Advise, Assist' Mission -- [Defense Link]
As the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Brigade prepares for its fourth deployment to Iraq, its soldiers are getting lessons in the art of leading from behind as they help to set the stage for the eventual drawdown of US forces in Iraq. The "Raider Brigade" was part of the initial US invasion into Iraq, and returned for two more deployments, in 2005 and 2007. Now, Army Col. Roger Cloutier, the brigade commander, calls it fitting that his soldiers will serve as one of four new "advise-and-assist" brigades tailored specifically to support Iraqi security forces.
Marines, Sailors Shut Down Major Base in Iraq One Area at a Time -- [DVIDS]
Marine Corps participation in Operation Iraqi Freedom is drawing to a close as Marines, Sailors and equipment make their way back home or to other parts of the globe. As part of the departure, one of the Marine Corps' largest bases in the country is on its way to being in the hands of the Iraqi government once again.
Iraqi logjam over vote law has U.S. anxious -- [Washington Post]
An impasse over a law crucial to organizing next year's Iraqi elections is illustrating more starkly than ever the United States' dwindling ability to shape Iraqi politics and settle disputes.
U.S. and U.N. officials have grown increasingly worried in recent days as Iraqi lawmakers have continued to put off a vote amid bickering over how to hold elections in the disputed city of Kirkuk. Because the stalemate threatens to delay the elections, and ...
Whatever Happened To Iraqi Oil? -- [National Journal]
...The country boasts the world's fourth largest oil reserves, with 115 billion untapped barrels, but is just the 13th largest producer, according to the Energy Information Administration.
What's The Holdup?
A lack of foreign investment has been the primary problem. Baghdad has been slow to award contracts, and potential investors have been scared off by corruption, a lack of established law governing the industry and poor infrastructure.
And what's really retarded the industry's growth, experts argue, is the hard bargain Baghdad is driving with foreign oil companies.
Iraq to Award Oil Field To ExxonMobil, Shell -- [Wall Street Journal]
Iraq is expected to award its giant West Qurna-1 oil field in southern Iraq to a consortium comprising Exxon Mobil Corp. and Royal Dutch
Iraq Swears by Bomb Detector US Sees as Useless -- [New York Times]
Despite major bombings that have rattled the nation, and fears of rising violence as American troops withdraw, Iraq's security
..."I don't care about Sandia or the Department of Justice or any of them," General Jabiri said. "I know more about this issue than the Americans do. In fact, I know more about bombs than anyone in the world."
Tourism returns to Iraq as country takes delegation to World Travel Market -- [Daily Mail]
It may not make it into a list of the world's most hotly-tipped travel destinations, but Iraq has set its sights on marketing itself as an
A Year of Combat MEDEVAC -- [Far from Perfect - in Iraq]
So I finished up my last scheduled duty cycle this morning. No more flying MEDEVAC in Iraq for this tour. We are almost done for this round. The new replacement unit is on the ground, they are almost ready to stand up and take over the mission, and I am off to another country in a few days to watch over all our stuff until its headed home.
Female Pilots Train Iraqi Males -- [You Served]
In a sign of times - and the progress American forces have brought to the nation of Iraq - female troops are invading the male dominated world of the Iraqi military. Historically, women have not been permitted in the military and their place in society has been reduced to education and other menial positions.
However, women are training the Iraqi military just as much as the men are. And it's working!
Army Corps moves to protect New Orleans from flooding -- [Washington Post]
Mindful that the West Bank of New Orleans has regained its pre-Hurricane Katrina population and is primed for growth, the Army Corps of Engineers is launching a $1 billion effort to protect the area from the next storm.
New Orleans's population plummeted by 300,000 after Katrina, but residents quickly returned to the west bank of the Mississippi River, many under the mistaken impression that the area was safer. The fact that it didn't flood after the hurricane was mainly chance, however.
Japan 'has no time' to meet US -- [BBC]
Plans for a Washington meeting this week between Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have been dropped.
Japan's government said the talks had been cancelled because of an inability to co-ordinate schedules.
Brave Iranians Hold MASSIVE PROTEST Against Regime - Chant "Obama, Obama Are You With Regime Or With Us?" (Video) -- [Gateway Pundit]
HOPE, CHANGE, AND PEACE IN OUR TIME -- [One Free Korea]
Kim Jong Il announces that he's reprocessed another 8,000 fuel rods, enough to make at least one more bomb. Thank goodness Chris Hill came along in time to end this d*ck-measuring contest with the give-and-take of compromise. Thank goodness our president isn't afraid to talk to his enemies. Now please send Philip Goldberg to freeze the bank accounts of Orascom, Koryo Tours, and the Korean Friendship Association.
Russia 'Simulates' Nuclear Attack on Poland -- [Weekly Standard]
The timing here is beautiful. The exercises reportedly transpired during the 70th anniversary of the Russian invasion of Poland... also the same day that President Obama killed plans for Polish based missile defense.
The [Russian] armed forces are said to have carried out "war games" in which nuclear missiles were fired and troops practised an amphibious landing on the country's coast. Documents obtained by Wprost, one of Poland's leading news magazines, said the exercise was carried out in conjunction with soldiers from Belarus.
Poland is scared, and for good reason. After decades of repressive Soviet occupation, the Poles invested everything in tightened defensive ties with NATO and the United States. Now the Russian Bear is once again pounding down their door, and -- after Poland loyally committed whole battalions to both Afghanistan and Iraq -- America is nowhere to be seen.
Muslim spying will boost terrorism -- [Guardian]
Kim Howells's weasel words about increasing surveillance on 'certain communities' are unwelcome and counterproductive
Kim Howells's call for British service personnel to be withdrawn from Afghanistan will be welcomed on the streets of Britain, most notably because people have realised that Tony Blair's support for George Bush's "war on terror" has cost so many lives, including those of British soldiers, without any real results - other than the fraudulent election victory of President Karzai and the fragmentation of al-Qaida's Afghan core into other countries.
Wants Congress to change Patriot Act -- [Bellingham Herald]
Members of the House have introduced the USA Patriot Amendments Act, reforming the Patriot Act. Unlike the Senate bill, the House bill will institute much ...
US Congressmen want to designate Venezuela as a state sponsor of terrorism -- [The Examiner]
Two South Florida congressmen introduced a resolution yesterday to officially designate Venezuela as a state sponsor of terrorism
Soldiers' Angels Volunteers Vow to Shave Heads for $100,000 -- [Soldiers Angels Network]
Members of Soldiers' Angels' volunteer leadership have raised the stakes on this year's online Valour-IT Veterans Day fundraising competition, which helps provide America's wounded soldiers with voice-controlled laptops and other technology that supports their physical and psychological recovery.
Friends, colleagues memorialize fallen soldier -- [FOB Tacoma]
One on of the last missions before he died, Spc. Kyle A. Coumas was tasked with carrying the extra ammunition for his squad. The extra 120 pounds of gear wore on the California native's body as he marched through southern Afghanistan.
He fell again and again. He waded through waist-deep water. He carried the equipment for miles. At one point, he fell 20 feet and plunged into the Arghandab River. His comrades had to pull him out.
"His face was beat up and bloodied," said Staff Sgt. Chad Brinkley, his former squad leader. "His clothes were covered with mud. Yet once he made it to the top, all he said was, 'Put my assault pack on my back please, and hand me my rifle.'
"Not once did he quit or complain."
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has now embraced Twitter.
Individual administration pages:
http://twitter.com/VeteransHealth
http://twitter.com/VAVetBenefits
http://twitter.com/VANatCemeteries
Wounded Warriors and Caregivers need your HELP Today! -- [Wounded Warrior Project]
YOUR ACTION IS NECESSARY FOR SENATE TO PASS A STRONG BILL TO HELP OUR MOST SEVERELY WOUNDED WARRIORS AND THEIR FAMILIES
The Family Caregiver Legislation that Wounded Warrior Project has been strongly advocating for has been merged into a larger Veterans Health Care Bill. This larger bill is now referred to as Senate Bill 1963 (S.1963), the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2009.
Please continue to call and email your Senators asking that they support S1963. Our most severely wounded warriors and their caregivers need your help today!
Recommended holiday mailing dates released for Afghanistan -- [Bagram Airfield - in Afghanistan]
The U.S. Postal Service announced its recommended mailing dates for delivery by Christmas to U.S. military servicemembers serving overseas at APO/FPO addresses in Afghanistan.
Holiday mail send via First-Class Mail and Priority Mail for servicemembers stationed in Afghanistan should be sent by Dec. 4, 2009 for arrival by Christmas, according to Postal Service officials. The deadline for Parcel Airlift Mail is Dec. 1, 2009, Space Available Mail is Nov. 21, 2009 and Parcel Post is Nov. 13, 2009. Express Mail cannot be used to mail packages to Afghanistan, however Priority Mail is available.
VA secretary promises help for homeless veterans -- [AP]
Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki on Tuesday unveiled a plan to end veterans' homelessness in five years, saying that without action the improvements of recent years could be lost because of the bad economy.
Shinseki said the VA will spend $3.2 billion next year to reduce homelessness among veterans and is working to strengthen partnerships with other government agencies and service organizations. He said he recognizes that a goal of zero homeless veterans is ambitious but that he wants a high target so that everyone puts in their best efforts.
Veterans in Alaska nursing homes caught in dispute over meds -- [The Anchorage Daily News]
Military veterans living in the state-run Alaska Pioneer Homes are losing out on free or low-cost prescription benefits they are entitled to for serving their country because two medical bureaucracies can't seem to figure out how to get VA drugs to them.
The problem -- mostly about the packaging the medicines come in -- affects those veterans who need help from staff to take their meds.
Instead of pill bottles, the Pioneer Homes want the medicine to come in blister packs
Program teaches amputee vets the game of golf -- [AP]
David Flowers knew his right leg was gone as soon as he stepped on the mine.
"I saw this leg come off," he said. "It came up and flew over me and splattered me with blood everywhere."
"And this one," he added, pointing to his damaged left leg, "one bone was sticking out from the leg that way and one the other way, and everything was shredded."
Flowers recalled the violent day while holding a golf club at the driving range on a gorgeous, peaceful autumn morning at Woodmont Country Club, not from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He has been at Walter Reed for six months, ever since triggering a booby trap while trying to clear a weapons cache in what he described as "a little crappy house" near Bagram, Afghanistan.
Flowers and about a half-dozen other amputee veterans from Walter Reed took swings at the driving range for about an hour, then played a couple of holes in the afternoon as part of a program called "First Swing."
Stop Loss Special Pay, Round Two -- [Karaka Pend]
here's some relevant information about Stop Loss Pay:
If you served on active duty between Sept. 11, 2001 and Sept. 30, 2009 and were stop-lossed, you should be eligible for special or retroactive pay.
You must file a claim yourself; this isn't an automatic process. The claim must be filed with the appropriate documentation indicating your stop loss activation.
Your claim must be filed by October 21, 2010. The stop loss program is very short, so do it ASAP.
Retired/separated servicemembers and family of deceased servicemembers can apply for the program with the appropriate documentation.
Servicemembers who are already receiving Stop Loss special pay from fiscal year 2009 are not eligible for this program.
Reserve members keep active under Stop Loss were made inactive in August/September of 2009. The goal is to do the same for the standing members by January 2010.
There is ...
Army reduces 'Stop Loss' numbers as Pentagon begins payments -- [army.mil]
As the Defense Department begins to compensate military members forced to serve beyond the expiration of their contracts, the number of those still serving under "Stop Loss" has been greatly reduced, a Pentagon official said.
The Army, the only service still using the program, still has 9,600 Soldiers serving involuntarily beyond their resignation or retirement date, Sam Retherford, the Defense Department's director of officer and enlisted personnel management, said during an Oct. 29, "DoDLive" bloggers roundtable.
That compares to 16,000 servicemembers on Stop Loss in 2005, he said.
The Navy and Ready to Launch Satellites -- [Information Dissemination]
The Commander of the United States Strategic Command, General Kevin Chilton, USAF, gave a speech this week in which he presented the view that he would give up state-of-the-art space systems in order to swell the number of satellites the military could launch as the need arises. I rise in support of the General's view, and I would suggest that the Navy has a role to play here.
Students bond with Marine -- [Explorer News]
He got a surprise welcome-home party at Copper Creek Elementary School. Last year, Valora and the rest of Marine Wing Support Squadron 371 were "adopted" by
Amarillo VA to hold Welcome Home Rally -- [KFDA]
Amarillo, TX -- Veterans Affairs in Amarillo will hold a Welcome Home Rally from 10am - 2pm on Saturday, November 7th.
Free Speech on the Cheap -- [Outside the Wire - in Iraq]
I'm at a little outpost in northern Iraq, fresh back from a patrol where we met with a local Sheik. The previous day I had rode with US Soldiers to a logistics base on a resupply run and while there picked up a few back issues of Stars and Stripes where I read the story.
In the story, a previous graph has a quote from University of Delaware Journalism Professor Ralph Begleiter one of the above mentioned free speech advocates. Begeleiter said, "Taking pictures of the returning casualties to Dover is a measure of the human cost of war. Do you want the government ultimately to have control over what we see or not see? Or do you want independent observers, an independent press or media, relaying those images?"
Mr. Begleiter if you really want to understand the human cost of war, don't stand on a fucking tarmac, get embedded and see the human cost of war up close and personal where the price is actually paid.
But many of the free speech advocates have no desire to put themselves at risk to tell the stories of the women and men who have willingly put themselves in harms way.
They want to do it on the cheap, ...
Secret copyright treaty leaks. It's bad. Very bad. -- [Boing Boing]
The internet chapter of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, a secret copyright treaty whose text Obama's administration refused to disclose due to "national security" concerns, has leaked. It's bad. It says:
...That ISPs have to cut off the Internet access of accused copyright infringers or face liability. This means that your entire family could be denied to the internet -- and hence to civic participation, health information, education, communications, and their means of earning a living -- if one member is accused of copyright infringement, without access to a trial or counsel.
* That the whole world must adopt US-style "notice-and-takedown" rules that require ISPs to remove any material that is accused -- again, without evidence or trial -- of infringing copyright. This has proved a disaster in the US and other countries, where it provides an easy means of censoring material, just by accusing it of infringing copyright.
Army Technology Live Launches -- [Army Live]
Army Technology Live is officially live today. We welcome you to the blog on behalf of the Commander of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, Maj. Gen. Paul S. Izzo, and the RDECOM team of more than 17,000 people around the world.
Our goal for the blog is to enable a conversation that helps us achieve the RDECOM vision: Keeping the Army on the cutting edge of technology. That conversation will include news about the technology that makes our Warfighters safer and more effective, the team that creates and maintains that technology, the places and organizations where they work and the educational and other outreach the Army engages in to help create the its own high-technology workforce of the future.
That means blog is not going to be limited to RDECOM. The Army's technology efforts are far-reaching and yet interdependent, so we will tell as much of the story as we can.
'V' aims at Obamamania -- [Chicago Tribune]
Imagine this. At a time of political turmoil, a charismatic, telegenic new leader arrives virtually out of nowhere. He offers a message of hope and reconciliation based on compromise and promises to marshal technology for a better future that will include universal health care.
The news media swoons in admiration -- one simpering anchorman even shouts at a reporter who asks a tough question: "Why don't you show some respect?!" The public is likewise smitten, except for a few nut cases who circulate batty rumors on the Internet about the leader's origins and intentions. The leader, undismayed, offers assurances that are soothing, if also just a tiny bit condescending: "Embracing change is never easy."
So, does that sound like anyone you know? Oh, wait -- did I mention the leader is secretly a totalitarian space lizard who's come here to eat us?
Republicans win key US elections -- [BBC]
Republicans have scored victories in two key US elections for governor, one year after Barack Obama was voted in as president.
In Virginia, Republican candidate Bob McDonnell won by a comfortable margin, while another, Chris Christie, ousted the Democrat governor in New Jersey.
...Correspondents say the gubernatorial defeats are a setback for Mr Obama, who had campaigned in both states for his party's candidates, as he tries to reform healthcare, pass a climate change bill and rally support for his handling of the war in Afghanistan.
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