Meet Agustin Aguayo

Another Ehren Watada.

FRANKFURT, Germany — Handcuffed and clad in camouflage fatigues, Army Spc. Agustin Aguayo arrived back in Germany on Tuesday after going absent without leave for 24 days and missing his unit’s deployment to Iraq.

Hanson and the Generals

Victor Davis Hanson weighs in on where we go from here, in a must read today, posted at Pajamas Media.

Only one excerpt, fire for effect:

At some point all these retired generals need to simply quiet down and think. In World War II, Nimitz or Eisenhower never blamed the Secretary of War or FDR for the mistakes on Iwo Jima or the Kasserine Pass. Instead, they called in their top brass, drew up a plan, followed it, and then presented a successful fait accompli to their civilian overseers. In other words, our four-stars need to summon their colonels and majors in the field, draw up a military strategy that ensures our political aims of seeing a stable consensual Iraq, and then win. Blaming Bush, or faulting Rumsfeld is a waste of time; figuring out as military officers how to achieve victory over a canny enemy is all that matters.

Off we go, into the Wild Blue Yonder...

The Air Force doesn't want it's troops wearing combat badges earned while serving with other services. (A crime some officials might see as akin to wearing a pledge pin on your ROTC uniform...) They are considering one of their own - but action on such matters is rarely swift.

But the Air Force isn't really concerned with troop morale or retention these days:

...attendance on the exhibition floor at the annual Air Force Assn. conference last week was sparse.
<...>
In one of the association's most somber gatherings in years, top generals joined with airmen, officers, defense contractors and military analysts to consider what could be the service's last big increase in spending for the foreseeable future.

The mood was further subdued in the wake of the Air Force secretary's decision to slash the number of airmen by 40,000, or about 12%, as a way to free up about $4 billion to help pay for new fighter jets.

"We believe it is our duty to make sure that if there is only one remaining airman, he will have the best equipment to fight the nation's fight,"

Looks like the Air Force Memorial is being finished right on time.

Why We Are Not And Should Not Be At War With Islam

Some bloggers, commentators and politicans are increasingly convinced we are at war with some kind of monolithic Islamic conspiracy. Such an impression, while understandable given the cirumstances, is utterly incorrect.

We instead face a grave challenge that is startling in not only its diversity of dangers and circumstances, but the sheer multitude of opportunities for cooperation, proxy conflict and success in a truly global and active global struggle against terrorists and their supporters. More here.

North Korea Announces It Will Conduct Nuclear Test

North Korea is at it again:

North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that “the field of scientific research” in the North will conduct a nuclear test in the future “under conditions where safety is firmly guaranteed.” The statement was published simultaneously via Korean Central Television Station, the North’s only nationwide TV network, the official Korean Central News Agency and Korean Central Broadcasting Station at 6 p.m. The ministry said the present situation, “in which the U.S. moves to isolate and stifle” North Korea has reached a stage “beyond extremity,” with the result that the North “can no longer remain an onlooker to the developments.” The statement says the U.S.’ “extreme threat of a nuclear war and sanctions and pressure compel [the North] to conduct a nuclear test, an essential process for bolstering its nuclear deterrent, as a corresponding measure for defense.”

It will be interesting to see what excuses the South Korean government comes up with next for the North Koreans. I'm sure it will be among the lines of, "It's all America's fault" and "Oh, yeah Japan too!"

Well here is what the US government has to say about this:

Marines in the Garden of Eden

We've got a special sneak peek of Marines in the Garden of Eden: The Battle of Nasiriyah up at OPFOR.

Richard S. Lowry, the author, was also kind enough to provide us with of his research photos from the battle.