This just in from Sergeant Hess.

As I suspected, Sergeant Hess is inundated with offers to help. I sent him an email and asked him if he needed any help.

Here's his response:

Fox got fax wrong but the company did say what fox said. I was looking for flooring for a conference room and not for soldiers to sleep on. If you don't mind creating a draft email that says thank you for you support and everything is under control that would be great. I'm trying to email about 100 people in regards to what fox said but every time I get 5 out 3 come, fox is going to do a followup hopefully to make things straight. Thank you.

As you can see, the good Sergeant is not only busy fighting a war, he's now busy fighting his email, and all the good-hearted people who want to help.

Those of you who sent emails or left comments offering assistance - Sergeant Hess says, well, why paraphrase?

thank you for you support and everything is under control

Sergeant Hess is also a Sergeant at war, so I will cease forwarding him your offers of assistance - unless he needs something else and asks me to.

Let's let the young man do his job, eh!

But all y'all been really good about this - and I appreciate it, too.

If by chance, you have *no idea* what this post is about - start here.

A Tale of Two Testimonies

Washington Post: Petraeus Confident in New Iraq Strategy

New York Times: General Calls Iraq Situation ‘Dire’

(Senate Armed Svcs Cmte Page here)

UPDATE: Welcome Instapundit readers! Feel free to take a look at the rest of Milblogs or my own site for more high-quality drivel.

ISF Standing Up in Ramadi

via MNF-I

AR RAMADI, Iraq – The 2nd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 7th Iraqi Army Division officially took charge of independent operations in west Ramadi during a ceremony at Camp Ali Jan. 22.

This is the third battalion in the 1st Brigade, 7th Iraqi Army Division to assume authority over another area in the city during the past five months, signifying the continued progress of the brigade.

Two whom you should meet.

While the official release of the names of the casualties of the downed helicopter hasn't hit my email, we know the notifications have been made.

Castle Argghhh! was hard-hit in the crash of that aircraft - I'll let co-blogger Bill, who has some new ghosts on his shoulders, pick up the tale. -John of Argghhh!

About two months before we left Bosnia, our Task Force XO decided to play with his new CD burner and give everyone in TF Pegasus a memento; a disk recapping what we'd seen and done (and why) and including at least one picture of everyone in the unit -- planners, pilots, mechanics, our infantry squad, Bosnian interpreters, the schoolkids we'd scrounged pens 'n' paper 'n' such for -- everyone. He left before I got my copy, but he e-mailed me the whole thing a month later -- three megs at a time.

Took forever to download all 93 megs and even longer to reassemble it. I poked through it a couple of times last year just to keep the name-face links intact.

Somehow, I didn't really consider I might be pulling up pix from it for another reason entirely...

BAGHDAD — At least 19 U.S. troops were killed in a helicopter crash and insurgent attacks across Iraq on Saturday in the deadliest day for the American military here in nearly two years. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The day's deadliest episode was the crash of a Black Hawk helicopter northeast of Baghdad on Saturday afternoon, killing all 12 U.S. soldiers aboard. The military initially had said 13 were killed but revised it to 12 early today. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * U.S. military officials said the cause of Saturday's crash had yet to be determined, but Iraqi sources said it was shot down. A witness said he saw ground fire bring down the aircraft, and an insurgent group claimed responsibility for the attack in an Internet posting that could not be authenticated.

Aviation is the Two-Degrees-of-Separation Branch of the Army -- I no longer know most of the folks in it, but I know those who do. And at 3pm Baghdad time on Saturday, 21 January 2007, there were two fewer of them...

I'd like you to meet COL Paul M. Kelly, 29th Aviation Brigade, Virginia Army National Guard.

COL Kelly was our TF commander. There were five of us Viet Vet Warrant dinosaurs living in a cluster of SEAhuts somebody in IFOR had christened "Raziac Ranch" -- COL Kelly started calling it "Jurassic Ranch"...and it stuck. To show our appreciation, we made him an honorary CW2 and he griped that he'd spent enough time sitting around drinking coffee to qualify for CW3.

He was the only field grade commander I'd seen since 1972 who spent as much time checking on the troops' welfare as he did in his office. And he had the good sense not to be a squad leader while he was doing it...

I'd also like you to meet SSG Darryl D. Booker, 29th Aviation Brigade, Virginia Army National Guard.

Sergeant Booker was my Flight Ops / Tac Ops NCOIC and the only Minister I know who could cite the Old Testament to prove that Rap Music was one of the Ten Plagues visited upon the Egyptians. He kept the TOCettes in line, made sure nobody got less time off than the two of us did and we took turns watching the bottled water on our desks freeze solid after nightfall.

We lost touch after he took leave to visit his daughter -- I heard she'd gotten married and made him a grandpa, which was the one thing he really, really wanted out of life...

Now is the time at Castle Argghhh! when we dance: In Memoriam.

If I smell green tobacco when I'm on the path to Fiddler's Green, I'll know somebody's saved me a seat...

Cross-posted at the Castle.

ATTN Military Hardware Geeks.

Over at the Castle, co-blogger Bill has been doing some pro bono work at the New Jersey Militia Museum.

Where he found this:

You should come over and read that post - and then, after you've tried your hand at it - you should check out the answer to Bill's "Whatziss" - and see his new one.

And, in keeping with "Someone you should know" posts, here's a variation on that theme: Meet Elmer Lindsey.

TRICARE news.

Raising TRICARE fees - it's baaaaack! As we knew it would be. For what it's worth - though I don't care for more than doubling it overnight, essentially, the fact that the fee structure hasn't changed in 10 years is rather unrealistic. As I said before - I think lumping *all* officer retirees in one group is unfair to the company grade retirees. If *I* were "SecDef for a Day" I would make some breaks in the officer ranks, as we did the enlisted. Company Grade/WO1-CW2 - same cost as the senior enlisted (most of those guys retired pay is roughly equivalent to the Senior Enlisted retired pay band), Field Grade/CW3-CW5 - the current proposed cost, and Flag Officer - whatever, but more than the Field Grades are paying. That seems fair to me.

A Helpful Hint

If, to disclose information to a reporter, you have stay anonymous, don't do it!

General May See Early Success in Iraq

Like every active-duty officer and Pentagon official interviewed for this article, he asked not to be identified by name, noting the sensitivity of the situation as Petraeus awaits confirmation.

Even when such quotes are positive, they're never helpful. Because the next time Tom Ricks wants a quote, this time a negative one, oh, he's coming back to you, jerkoff.

If you dont back us, feel free to get in front of us.

If there has ever been a time when your support is crucial for the success for your troops it is now. Through different outcomes and events in theater, your troops are taking action that will make a difference in the near future. If you have been on the fence or have wavered, you had better cinch up and get on the team for the win. Support your troops!

Geopolitical Diary: Al-Sadr's Calculus

Some 25 U.S. troops in Iraq were killed in a single day this weekend,
making it the third bloodiest since the war began. Also, Muqtada al-Sadr
announced he was ending his boycott of parliament and that he was
therefore rejoining the political process. There is not a direct
connection between these two events, but there is a connection
nevertheless.