 |  |
| Monthly Archives | [-] |
Prev|List|Random|Next |
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.
Thanksgiving at the Kandahar Air Field hospital -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
The other day, PFC Zachary Nemeck and several others in his squad were wounded in a bomb blast in Afghanistan. He is currently being treated in the hospital at Kandahar Air Field. Two of his friends sustained more serious injuries requiring medevac to Landstuhl.
Zachary's father Erik contacted us yesterday because Zachary and the rest of the guys back in Kandahar were so worried about their buddies here and wanted us to pass along their message of love and concern.
Happy Thanksgiving!! -- [Charlie Simpson's War - in Afghanistan]
Today I'm thankful for a warm bed, sunshine, GoreTex, and a mostly functional internet connection. I'm thankful to enjoy a meal with those who serve. I'm thankful for lots of friends, a ridiculously large family, and all of their love and support. I miss you all v. much.
Thanksgiving Day and Eid -- [Doc H's International Adventure - in Afghanistan]
It was a nice slow low key day here at Camp Spann. The almost continuous winter clouds did not open up and rain today. I did a tiny bit of work today
...Finally we come to Eid. The Afghans have started a Holiday as well; Eid e Qurban قربان عيدThis is known as the Eid of Sacrifice. It commemorates Abraham's offer of sacrifice of his son Ishmael from his second wife Hagar according to Muslim beliefs. It starts with the end of the Hajj حجto Mecca(tomorrow). Most Afghan businesses and nonessential government work has stopped.
A Strong Rough Cut -- [Inside The Wire - in Afghanistan]
...On this Thanksgiving Day we think back into our minds to remember those nouns we're thankful for. Spending this holiday in Afghanistan I can't help thinking how problematic the memory can be when it comes to war. My own mother was diagnosed with PTSD simply because of growing up on the same island as me, and a few of my other relatives have also been diagnosed with mental illness. I'm thankful today that I've been able to avoid the psychologist since I was 17 as not to be diagnosed with something myself.
Don't Turn Your Back -- [OPFOR]
A Friend of mine just sent me this message and link. He is a Gold Star father.
This is clearly a Time Sensitive video that needs to get to the masses today. I do not have to tell you guys that people sitting around their Thanksgiving dinner table need to be aware of what's going with our kids abroad, while the Obam Administration is partying despite the fact that our children are dying. A few of us have put our heads together to produce this piece in an effort to bring awareness to the ongoing indecisiveness in conflict abroad. Please disseminate widely as you deem both necessary and appropriate. This video represents, amongst many others, an East Coast Marine, and a West Coast Navy Corpsmen, both recent KIA's due to inaction, and overly restricted ROE's. I have been in constant contact with both fathers of the two KIA's, getting the green lite due to the nature and sensitivity of the photos. This video will have zero impact next week if/when Obama does finally announce a strategy for Afghanistan...the time is now...
Content -- [HERMANEUTICS: AFGHANISTAN - in Afghanistan]
...The collage below was taken today in our Aviation DFAC (Dining Facility). I had the honor to serve meals to the Soldiers for the first hour, but the real workers are behind the scene. I supervise the Warrant Officer and NCO in charge of the whole operation and was impressed by their efforts. Imagine trying to cook for 1800 Soldiers, all served within 3 hours! Here are some facts on the food imported just for Thanksgiving. Amazing.
Happy Thanksgiving!
The Turkey Feast -- [PRT-Kunar - in Afghanistan]
The Thanksgiving feast was prepared by contractors from the U.S., as well as local chefs from Afghanistan. The cooks started working on the meal at 3 a.m. and served almost nonstop from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. The menu included traditional turkey, ham and prime rib, as well as fresh bread and heavy desserts. Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Contractors and locals all ate together throughout the day and into the night remembering to be thankful for friendship and fellowship.
Bagram celebrates Thanksgiving with parade -- [Bagram Airfield]
Airmen witnessed a bunch of turkeys roaming around Bagram Thanksgiving Day. Also some kite flyers, a mock F-16 Fighting Falcon and even jolly ol' St. Nick.
The cast of characters were part of the first Thanksgiving Day Parade at Camp Cunningham, where the majority of Airmen stationed here live and work. Thirteen decorated vehicles stood in for the balloons and floats at the recreation of the famous annual New York City event.
The teams had four weeks to create their entry during their downtime.
Marines of Charlie Company in Afghanistan Have Much to be Thankful For -- [Los Angeles Times]
For the Marines of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Regiment, this Thanksgiving in Afghanistan brought one overriding thing to be thankful for: They're about to go home. Within days, the Marines will return to Camp Pendleton after a seven-month deployment that included engaging in firefights with the Taliban, dodging roadside bombs and trying to breathe life into a moribund local government. Although four members of the battalion have been killed in action, Charlie Company has had no fatalities. "I'm just thankful that all my Marine brothers in Charlie Company are going home to their families," said Sgt. Sal Sanchez of Riverside, who added that his holiday thoughts were with his wife, Maggie, and their children, Brandon, 3, and Julien, 1. Whereas Marines at smaller outposts in this onetime Taliban stronghold enjoyed a Thanksgiving meal of turkey, ham, cranberry sauce, gravy, rice and Gatorade on Thursday, here at the larger Combat Outpost Cherokee, plans for a special dinner went awry. Three words: frozen pot roast. A military mix-up meant that the cook was never alerted that a helicopter had brought two brick-hard, 80-pound roasts. Sgt. Sean Ross, the cook, said that by the time he was told about them, it would have taken until 1 a.m. today to thaw and cook the meal, at which time the temperature would be in the low 40s - not especially the most festive ambience for a holiday meal.
Holiday in Afghanistan -- [Washington Post]
The Marine Corps Osprey, an unwieldy, gray contraption that flies like an airplane but lands like a helicopter, raced through the sky before it slowed to a hover and alighted several hundred yards from this tiny village. Several hundred Afghans raced out of low-slung mud houses to catch a glimpse of the strange aircraft carrying the Marine commandant, Gen. James Conway. He'd come from the Pentagon to offer Thanksgiving greetings to about 50 Marines manning one of the primitive bases here. For the Marines at the Golestan base and some three dozen other small outposts and patrol bases scattered throughout surrounding Helmand province, the Thanksgiving holiday offered a brief respite before President Obama unveils his new strategy for Afghanistan next week.
What Does The Taliban Say... -- [Afghan Quest - in Afghanistan]
When they've killed 13 people and wounded 42 more in a botched rocket attack?
Afghan Taliban Chief Rejects Talks With Government -- [VOA]
A statement attributed to Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar is again rejecting a call for peace talks aimed at ending the country's eight-year-old war.
Taliban leader says U.S. faces defeat in Afghanistan-- [LA Times]
Mullah Mohammed Omar scoffs at an expected U.S. troop increase and urges Afghans to reject Hamid Karzai's government. President Obama is to announce his war strategy in a televised speech.
Taliban Open Northern Front in Afghanistan -- [NY Times]
Far from the heartland of the Taliban insurgency in the south, this once peaceful northern province was one place American and Afghan officials thought they did not have to worry about.
Talking to the Enemy -- [World of Troubles]
So how does a military intelligence gatherer know if an informant's lying?
"A lot of times you don't know if someone's lying," Chief warrant officer Edward Strauss, head of a Human Intelligence team based out of Jalabad, said in a phone interview. "Sometimes they outright tell me the wrong name. A lot of times we have other intelligence signals- (satellite or drone) imagery, that will give us 'contrary' information."
"One thing we cannot do," Strauss said, "we can't do an operation based on what one person says. Nine times out of 10, (an informant's motivation is based) on a tribal feud. You don't go in on one person's word."
"The hardest part," Dan, one of Strauss's enlisted soldiers, said, "is to corroborate and vet the information we get. When we hear a specific high-value target is moving in the region, we note it. When we get two or three sources saying it, then we move to find someone who has had direct contact with the target."
But ...
Afghan withdrawal would be folly -- [Guardian]
...The McChrystal counter-insurgency is already being implemented, and showing signs of working particularly here in central Helmand. Roads are being secured, clinics and schools opened, courts and local councils set up. Communities are swinging from Taliban loyalty to supporting the government, but after nearly 50 years of war and violence they're hedging their bets. Almost all generalisations from the pundits and panjandrums in London, Washington an all points north seem vapid before the complexity of the facts here on the ground.
This struck most forcibly when yesterday I visited Nawa, between Lashkar Gah and Garmsir. It's not so much a one-horse town as a one-ditch town, with its bazaar strung out on a dirt and tarmac track alongside a slow-running, but remarkably clear irrigation ditch.
In Afghanistan, Real Leverage Starts with More Troops - [Washington Post]
The president will soon announce the deployment of additional US forces to Afghanistan, in a speech likely to emphasize the importance of political progress there. Legitimacy is the most important outcome of a counterinsurgency strategy, not, as some have suggested, an input. It is unfortunate that much of the debate has ignored the role that additional military forces can play in building legitimacy and effective government in a counterinsurgency. Adding forces gives us leverage; military forces are vital to the success of any political strategy because they contribute directly to improving governance as well as to improving security.
Soviets' Afghan Ordeal Vexed Gates on Troop-Surge Plan -- [WSJ]
The future of the war in Afghanistan was on the line as Gen. Stanley McChrystal met with Defense Secretary Robert Gates in a secret rendezvous at a Belgian airbase in August.
Gen. McChrystal, the top Western commander in Afghanistan, pushed for more U.S. troops to roll back the spreading Taliban-led insurgency. Mr. Gates, officials say, was skeptical.
Commitment -- [Neptunus Lex]
The US news media, when reporting on military action abroad, has a tendency to fetishize the Vietnam War. But when comparing the current battle for the human terrain in Afghanistan, a far simpler and more apt comparison comes to mind. Certainly it was in the mind of SecDef Robert Gates, who - as a CIA player in the mujahadeen war against the Soviets - knows a thing or two about the hole in the world map representing by the Af.
McChrystal saying little about delay on troops -- [Washington Post]
...Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), in a telephone interview from Afghanistan, said that McChrystal declined to criticize Obama's nearly three-month review of the general's request to send up to 40,000 more troops to the war-torn nation. Instead, McChrystal -- whose opinion many Republicans have treated as sacrosanct -- told the group that U.S. forces could still achieve the goal of routing the Taliban.
"He believed that the mission was accomplishable," Price said after meeting the general and other top U.S. officials in Kabul.
NATO Chief: Allies Must Send More Troops to Afghanistan -- [AP]
NATO's secretary general says NATO member states must follow the lead of the United States and send more troops to Afghanistan. Anders Fogh Rasmussen told reporters in Berlin Thursday it is critically important that a US announcement of additional troops is followed by similar announcements from US allies in NATO. Rasmussen says he is contacting NATO members and pressing them to commit more soldiers. He made the comments after talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The White House says President Barack Obama will announce his long-awaited strategy for Afghanistan on Tuesday night in a speech at the US military academy at West Point in New York. News reports say Mr. Obama is most likely to call for the deployment of at least 30,000 more US troops.
German General Quits Over Airstrike -- [NY Times]
The chief of staff of the German armed forces resigned Thursday over accusations that the military withheld information on a deadly airstrike in Afghanistan in September that killed civilians as well as insurgents.
Afghan National Security Forces Get Pay Raise -- [ISAF]
Afghan Ministries of the Interior and Defense introduced a set of quality of life pay raises and benefits implemented for members of the Afghan national security forces.
Minister of the Interior H.E. Mohammad Hanif Atmar announced a salary increase of $45 a month for all police. This same increase is also applied to soldiers of the Afghan national army. The ANP and the ANA will begin receiving longevity pay, which means service tenure will allow for salary increases throughout a police officer or soldier's career.
Prosecuting American 'War Crimes' -- [WSJ]
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed "great regret" in August that the US is not a signatory to the International Criminal Court (ICC). This has fueled speculation that the Obama administration may reverse another Bush policy and sign up for what could lead to the trial of Americans for war crimes in The Hague. The ICC's chief prosecutor, though, has no intention of waiting for Washington to submit to the court's authority. Luis Moreno Ocampo says he already has jurisdiction - at least with respect to Afghanistan. Because Kabul in 2003 ratified the Rome Statute - the ICC's founding treaty - all soldiers on Afghan territory, even those from nontreaty countries, fall under the ICC's oversight, Mr. Ocampo told me. And the chief prosecutor says he is already conducting a "preliminary examination" into whether NATO troops, including American soldiers, fighting the Taliban may have to be put in the dock. "We have to check if crimes against humanity, war crimes or genocide have been committed in Afghanistan," Mr. Ocampo told me.
Thanksgiving in Tikrit, Iraq -- [Outside the Wire - in Iraq]
Over the Tigris river, through the desert and through a rough neighborhood where people occasionally throw RKG-3 anti-tank grenades at US military vehicles......we drove.
Not to Grandma's house--but one of Saddam's old palaces for Thanksgiving Dinner at the old FOB Dagger.
Thanksgiving -- [Ramblings from a painter - in Iraq]
Happy Thanksgiving to one and all! I hope you have a wonderful holiday. I got to sleep in this morning, a very rare treat. Then a group of us went on a "One Lap of VBC" sightseeing tour. We treated ourselves to some cappuccino and a little Cinnabon, paid homage to SFC Smith, who earned a Medal of Honor in a small courtyard near my old building, and visited Flintstone Village again. A few months ago, a group of soldiers worked with the Iraqi Boy Scouts and Girl Guides to paint over the graffiti in several of the rooms, but the graffiti is back in spades. We finished up with lunch at Sather Air Force Base, which is part of the Victory Base complex. In typical fashion, the Air Force has the best DFAC on the entire complex, at least in my opinion. I just went for a jog, and will do some painting here in a few minutes. This evening, the command is going to have a lamb roast outside. Should be a lot of fun.
Thankful in Iraq -- [The Life - in Iraq]
This Thanksgiving, there is so much to be thankful for. I would like to begin by thanking each of you that read this for your interest in our cause.
We are also blessed by the support of family, friends, and the American people as we struggle to bring the tenets of democracy to a nation of people so long oppressed. Sectarianism and political violence, though still present, are losing popular support.
The leadership in today's military does an outstanding job in supporting the common soldier's welfare and well-being.
I Won the Race--Story in the New York Times "At War" Blog -- [In Iraq Now (at 56) - in Iraq]
Among the hundreds of things I miss about home during my year in Iraq is the Turkey Day bike race in Lancaster County, Penn. This unofficial final race of every season draws 50 or more racers from around the county, and it shows which cyclists kept up with their fitness routines since the end of the season in September. So when I finally got a chance to organize a bike race on Tallil Ali Air Base after six months here, I wanted it to be on Thanksgiving Day.
As far as anyone on the base knows - and there are civilians who have been here since late 2003 ...
Rough Week -- [In the NARMY - in Iraq]
I had been asleep for about an hour last Thursday when one of my guys woke me up and said he heard a rumor that one of our vehicles was in an accident. While I assumed it was minor, I got in uniform and went into work to see what was going on. The office was eerily empty. The only person in the office, our dispatcher, sat in silence. He didn't have to say anything, I knew it wasn't good. I told him if any calls came for this base, Camp Buehring, I would handle them until everyone got back from the accident, so they could concentrate on what was going on there. I then called my supervisor to let him know I was holding things down here. He then gave me the news I was denying. While traveling to Camp Virginia for a routine patrol, a car passing a convoy on the wrong side of the road, came through a blind hill and struck their vehicle head on. MA2 Brian Patton had been killed and MA2 Dave Morgan was in the fight of his life. I rounded up what troops were left here to give them the news. Unfortunately, work still had to be done, I ended up working from 9am that morning until 8am the next. It's been a long week.
Troops celebrate what could be last Thanksgiving in Iraq -- [USA Today]
As the U.S. military prepares to dramatically scale down its presence in Iraq beginning next spring, with a goal of leaving completely by the end of 2011, Rogers and many other troops gave thanks that their days here seem to be numbered.
"I think this will probably end up being my last Thanksgiving in Iraq, and that wouldn't be such a bad thing," said Rogers, 36, of Lumberton, N.C., who has deployed three times to Iraq and once to Kuwait since the war started in 2003. "It's been years since I've had a chance to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family. I miss that."
Iraq Starts a YouTube Channel -- [Newser]
(Newser) - Iraq's government has launched an official YouTube channel designed, according to Nouri al-Maliki,
South Korea Admits Civilian Killings During War -- [New York Times]
In the opening months of the Korean War, the South Korean military and the police executed at least 4,900 civilians who had earlier signed up - often under force - for re-education classes meant to turn them against Communism, the country's Truth and Reconciliation Commission announced Thursday. The government killed the civilians out of fear that they would help the Communists who were invading from the north and forcing South Korean and American forces into retreat during the first desperate weeks of the war, the commission said. Although the panel has reported on similar civilian massacres in the past, the announcement Thursday represented the first time that a state investigative agency confirmed the nature and scale of what is known as "the National Guidance League incident" - one of the most horrific and controversial episodes of the war.
Iran Censured Over Nuclear Program by UN Watchdog -- [NY Times]
The United Nations nuclear watchdog castigated Iran for blocking inquiries into its nuclear program in a resolution passed overwhelmingly on Friday that demanded the country freeze operations "immediately" at a once-secret uranium enrichment plant.
For Thanksgiving Barack Obama Demands Release of 1,000 Terrorists -- [Gateway Pundit]
President Obama wants the Israelis to release 1,000 terrorists...
The naive American President urged Israel today to release 1,000 terrorists in exchange for "peace" with the Palestinians.
Arutz Sheva reported, via Israel Matzav:
Key Official On Guantanamo Closing Resigns -- [Riel World]
For family and personal reasons? Yeah, I think I might question the timing just a bit. h/t Danger Room on Twitter.
A key official in the Obama administration's effort to remake detention policy and close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay has resigned.
Phillip Carter, who was appointed deputy assistant secretary of defense for detainee policy in April, said in a brief telephone interview that he was leaving for "personal and family reasons" and not because of any policy differences with the administration. He tendered his resignation Friday, Pentagon officials said.
Carter, a lawyer and Iraq war veteran, was responsible for coordinating global policy on detainees.
Enabling the Next Fort Hood? -- [Washington Post]
The news from Fort Hood shocked the nation: American soldiers shot on American soil. Thirteen dead and 38 injured. It was almost too terrible to believe. Almost. Unfortunately, the Fort Hood rampage was not the first time that our military personnel have been murdered in the United States this year. In June, Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad shot and killed an Army private and wounded another soldier at a military recruiting station in Little Rock. In both cases, the loss of these young soldiers was compounded by a disturbing reality: The assailants had been under investigation by the FBI. In the more recent case, it would be easy enough to point fingers at the FBI.
Trees for Troops to honor military families in our area -- [Toledo On The Move]
In celebration of the holiday season and in honor of military families, customers are encouraged to purchase an extra tree this season to donate to the
1490 Heroes Waiting for Adoption -- [Soldiers Angels]
very Soldiers' Angels volunteer who adopts, joins a team or assists a project helps ensure "No Soldier Go Unloved." Angel volunteers support the troops in two main ways:
Associate Angels participate in the group activities and projects that do not involve personal information about soldiers or families. The tireless work and generosity of these patriots is the foundation of many important Soldiers' Angels projects.
Hundreds watch troops parade in Hounslow -- [Hounslow Chronicle]
Huge crowds turned out to welcome home heroes from the Second Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. Hundreds of people lined the streets on Thursday
Marines get emotional welcome home -- [FOX Toledo]
Bobbie thinks of her son every day, and Wednesday, she did something she never got to do with her own son - wrap her arms around him and welcome him home.
Smackdown of the Day: The Taliban at YouTube -- [Jawa Report]
The next time the Taliban kill an American, thank Google's YouTube service for helping spread their vile propaganda. Remember, this YouTube channel purports to be an official outlet of the Taliban.
President vs. party on troop increase -- [Washington Post]
President Obama will reveal his new Afghanistan war strategy in a speech Tuesday evening to cadets at West Point, but his most skeptical audience is likely to be the powerful Democrats on Capitol Hill who oppose a troop buildup.
(Need more? Dawn Patrols Archives are here.)
