Re: Re: Ooooo Looky

Well Noonan, we have these guys , who are a Special Tactics team that frequently operates with Navy Seals, Army Rangers, and Special Forces in "direct action".

And these guys who go off base everyday to all the little villages surrounding the area. They've worked closely with the 332nd Civil Engineer Squadron’s explosive ordnance disposal flight to identify and dispose of weapons and explosives in the area. More on them here

And the Christian Science Monitor reported this a while back:

Because the Army and Marines have been stretched so thin in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Air Force, like the Navy, has been providing ground personnel.

About 5,000 Air Force personnel are doing traditional Army and Marine Corps jobs, such as driving or protecting supply convoys and disarming improvised explosive devices (IEDs) when they are detected. For that reason, the Air Force has added a couple of weeks to basic training to give recruits added lessons in ground combat skills and the use of personal weapons. That's a major change in the service's culture - and in the dangers that its ground personnel face.

Of 51 uniformed Air Force personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, 25 died in aircraft that crashed or were shot down. The rest have fallen to IEDs or other causes on the ground.

Here are some of those guys and more have joined them since then.

Re: Ooooo Looky

The Air Force has "front line combat troops?"

"exactly what the men and women defending us deserve"

Ooohhhh looky...

MARIETTA, Ga., Aug. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT - News) formally delivered the 100th F-22 Raptor air dominance fighter to the U.S. Air Force in ceremonies here today. The milestone aircraft (Air Force serial number 05-0100) will be assigned to the 90th Fighter Squadron at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska.

"The F-22 is a testament to the skills of engineers and technicians from more than 1,000 companies across America," said Lockheed Martin Executive Vice President and F-22 Program General Manager Larry Lawson. "This delivery marks a significant milestone for the U.S. Air Force and the F-22 program. The Raptor is providing top cover for America and our allies. We have developed the most capable fighter in the world, which is exactly what the men and women defending us deserve."

UNCLASSIFIED//

1. WE HAVE COMPLETED OUR ANNUAL REVIEW OF CURRENT SDAP AUTHORITIES AND CONSIDERED NEW AREAS FOR INCLUSION. BUDGET CONSTRAINTS NECESSITATED A MORE STRINGENT LOOK AT ALL RULES IN THE SDAP PROGRAM.
<...>
3. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF RULES ALREADY BEING PAID AT SPECIAL DUTY RATING SD-1, THE FOLLOWING SDAP RULES WILL BE REDUCED ONE SDAP LEVEL ($75 PER MONTH) EFFECTIVE 1 OCT 2007:

1- MILITARY TRAINING INSTRUCTORS, 3-COMBAT CONTROLLER, 4/5/6-24 SPECIAL TACTICS SQUADRON, 8-SERE, 9-ACADEMY MILITARY TRAINING NCO, 12-PARARESCUE, 16/17/18-TACTICAL AIR COMMAND AND CONTROL, 19-SDAP PROJECT 02, 20/21-SDAP PROJECT 01, 24-PARACHUTING INSTRUCTORS, 25-FREE FALL PARACHUTING INSTRUCTORS, 28/29-ALL OTHER RECRUITING ASSETS THAT DO NOT QUALIFY UNDER RULE 27, 30-AVTEG FT BRAGG, 31-FLYING CREW CHIEFS, 32 & 34-ENLISTED WEAPONS DIRECTOR, 36-FUELS SPECIALISTS, 37-COMBAT WEATHER FORECASTER, 38-TEST PARACHUTE PROGRAM, 39-PHOENIX RAVEN PROGRAM, 40 DEFENSE ATTACHE, 41-COMBAT WEATHER FORECASTER, 42/43/44-AF OSI AGENTS, 45-AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER, 46-AIR TRANSPORTATION, 47-FIRST SERGEANT, 48-COMMAND CHIEF MASTER SERGEANTS/CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT OF THE AIR FORCE.

NOTE: BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED THAT THE ENTITIES COVERED BY THE RULES MENTIONED IN PARAGRAPH 3 STILL MEET THE REQUIREMENTS AND INTENT OF THE SDAP PROGRAM, ENTITIES PREVIOUSLY PAID AT THE LOWEST SDAP LEVEL WILL CONTINUE TO BE PAID AT SD?1 LEVEL.

Friday Morning Blood-Boiler

Read it.

Mr. De Palma wants you to know what's really going on in Iraq.

"The movie is an attempt to bring the reality of what is happening in Iraq to the American people," he told reporters after a press screening.

"The pictures are what will stop the war. One only hopes that these images will get the public incensed enough to motivate their Congressmen to vote against this war," he said.

I found this part particularly interesting:

"IT'S ALL ON THE INTERNET"

Halfway between documentary and fiction, "Redacted" draws on soldiers' home-made war videos, blogs and journals and footage posted on YouTube, reflecting changes in the way the media cover the war.

"In Vietnam, when we saw the images and the sorrow of the people we were traumatizing and killing, we saw the soldiers wounded and brought back in body bags. We see none of that in this war," De Palma said.

"It's all out there on the Internet, you can find it if you look for it, but it's not in the major media. The media is now really part of the corporate establishment," he said.

Yes, De Palma - it's all out there on the Internet. Why don't you give it a more thorough scan? You could start with the frontline blogs from Iraq. You could move on to the frontline blogs from Afghanistan. It's all out there, but somehow I doubt you really want to see it "all."

"Very Vocal Army Wives"

We wouldn't have it any other way.

The Patriot Guard, along with a group of very vocal Army wives remained at the intersection, cheering for the troops and urging passing motorists at the busy intersection to show support as well.

Jerry Deon, Senior Ride Captain for the Patriot Guard Riders, said they had been tipped off by a posting on the Westboro website and he quickly emailed his group of riders to convene on the site and block off the protestors with their bikes and American flags. After what he called a “couple of uncomfortable situations” for the Westboro protestors they decided to leave.

An almost continuous din of automobile horns could be heard from the passing cars in response to the sign-waving group of Army spouses who turned out.

A Transition in the News

One last News of Afghanistan for me - hopefully some of my co-bloggers at my site will carry on - and a switch over to my new AOI - Iraq. See what I mean here