Iraq by Administrative District

I broke out the progess in Iraq summarizing by administrative districts here

There are 102 Administrative Districts in Iraq.
9 are either under provincial Iraqi Government Control or scheduled to be within 30 days
39 are under Iraqi Army control answering to the Iraqi Government or scheduled to be within 30 days
30 are "In the Lead" under coaliton control
--
78 Administrative Districts have ISF In the Lead as Cat II or better.

24 Administrative Districts are left with Coalition "In the Lead"

NATO just culminated. Did you see it?

Yesterday was not a good one in Mons. General Jones called all of NATO together to ask for some more troops, heck just the ones that were promised earlier, and what did he come up with?

Nichts, rein, non niente, niets, nada, ingenting. Nothing.

McMaster's Influence

Berms outside Baghdad?

GunBlogger Rendevous.

Don't forget the Gunblogger Rendevous in Reno, Nevada, October 6-8. Today is the last day to register and get rooms at the group rate!

The Master and Mistress of Argghhh! will be attending this event, going to a blogmeet in the West this year, vice the one we went to in the East last year - and you only need an interest in guns and blogging to have an interest in this event - you don't have to be a gun blogger per se! C'mon, visit the website (that link up there) and see if ya don't really wanna go! We'd love to see old pals and meet new ones! Check the right sidebar at the Rendevous website to see who else is going to be there. We aren't up there yet - but hey, it say's it's incomplete...)

Snerkiture...

From the WashTimes today:

The U.S. Armed Forces will meet wartime recruiting goals for the fiscal year that ends in two weeks, military officials said yesterday.

Despite Washington's heated political debate on the worthiness of the Iraq war, frequent overseas war deployments and daily casualties, officials say a sufficient number of young men and women are signing up with the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps in fiscal 2006 to maintain an active-duty force of about 1.4 million.

The Army, which has suffered the largest death toll as the chief provider of troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, reports that it has exceeded a goal of 70,200 recruits by signing up 72,997 as of August. Officials say they expect to meet a Sept. 30 goal of 80,000 for the fiscal year.

And hey, the Army has had to make *changes* man. Real sacrifices, in order to make it happen!

Hitting the mark in a time of war has cost the Army more money -- and style. In June, it raised the maximum age for recruits from 38 to 42, and says it has attracted scores of veterans. And it relaxed tattoo rules. Now, body art can extend above the neck. "We learned more and more teenagers have tattoos, so we relaxed the tattoo policy," said Maj. Nathan Banks, an Army spokesman at the Pentagon.

The kids just aren't getting the message, are they (hat would be the anti's message)? Why? Because we aren't advertising accurately! Lookit the unfair kinda stuff we do (well, this is *actually* the Guard...) to sucker these kids in - no dead bodies, no ruined villages, nothing. No amputees scuttling around like maimed beetles. Because, lord knows, the VRWMC (Vast Right Wing Media Conspiracy) has been hiding all that bad news... well, that and we're letting 'em have tattoos, even if it makes the Sergeants Major apoplectic...

by Sgt. Jim Greenhill September 6, 2006. High school students from around the country ride down the Missouri River in a raft built by North Dakota Army National Guard Soldiers from 957th Multi-Role Bridge Company during Lewis and Clark Youth Rendezvous activities. This photo appeared on www.army.mil.

Meanwhile, over in Navy Land... they're ripping off the Coast Guard for their ad campaigns...

As Frequent Commenter, Proud Coastie Dad, and supplier of Coastie Content Larry K observed:

There is a Navy Ad ( I believe it is appearing in Popular Mechanics at least) that looks like this…

Compare it to this picture and caption:

NEW ORLEANS (Aug. 30, 2005) - Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Shawn Beaty, 29, of Long Island, N.Y., looks for survivors in the wake of Hurricane Katrina here today. Beaty is a member of an HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter rescue crew sent from Clearwater, Fla., to assist in search and rescue efforts. U.S. Coast Guard photograph by Petty Officer 2nd Class NyxoLyno Cangemi

Google the name Shawn Beaty and click on images and you can see this image is out all over as a USCG picture.

Of course, then there is *his* Navy ad...

For shame, sailors. For shame!

(by the way, just go to the Coast Guard website, click on the "Photo's and more" link, login (instructions provided) do a search on "Beaty" and that photo shows up... to include the fascinating first name of the photographer!

;^D

Cross-posted at my place, along with other stuff you might find interesting.

Cigars, Soldiers and the FReepers

Cigar International honors all three. Keep clicking "next" on the slideshow.