December 2006 Archives
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Delayed Justice in Somalia? Or Just Overdue Payback?
By Lt Col P
It is said that justice delayed is justice denied. In this case, however, if the report is true, a little delay might be overlooked for the delightful justice it would bring.
I saw this on Fox News: "Somali Troops Close in on 3 Wanted for US Embassy Bombings." The Somali government leader (?) had this to say, "If we capture them alive we will hand them over to the United States." Why, thank you, sir, you are TOO kind.
I can't verify or deny the truth of the reports, but it would be a very nice thing if our de facto allies were to hand us an unexpected New Year's present.
It's all part of the Long War, and in it are many fronts. "The U.S. government has a counterterrorism task force based in neighboring Djibouti and has been training Kenyan and Ethiopian forces." Looks like the training has been paying off. I for one will pleased to see these three checked into comfortable lodgings in Gitmo.
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Dustin E. Kirby Medical Fund
By Slab
Vincent of World Views got ahold of National Envelope Corporation before I did, so I'll just pull the address off of his post. You can send donations for Dustin and his family to the below address.
Dustin E. Kirby Medical Fund
c/o National Envelope Corporation
2989 Humphries Hill Rd
Austell, GA 30106
Please disseminate this as widely as you can.
Update: C.J. Chivers replied to my e-mail yesterday, and sent a different address for donations. Make checks payable to "The Dustin E. Kirby Medical Fund". You can take them to any Bank of America, or send them to this address:
Dustin E. Kirby Medical Fund
c/o Bank Of America
2765 Veteran’s Memorial Hwy
Austell GA 30168
I'd like to thank Mr. Chivers for his help.
Escalation
By Slab
So, obviously there would be bloggers out there who are opposed to increasing troop strength in Iraq. Apparently one of their strategies is to argue semantics.
OK, I'll play your little game.
We need to escalate our presence in Iraq. Sooner rather than later. One of the central reasons that this is going on with seemingly no end is that we are doing too much with too little. There was some talk of using Iraqi forces to increase troop strength, while keeping the U.S. numbers at their present level. Not gonna work. The ISF are not at a level where they can pull off wide-scale operations without significant U.S. support. I worked with one of their best battalions in Al Anbar province, and they were slightly less capable than the average American rifle company.
Lest any of our readers think of me as a "blogger on the right", let's make this clear: I have been to the Middle East four times since this war started, twice to Iraq. My friends and I will likely be part of any escalation that the administration orders. I already have one friend who found out not long ago that his brigade will deploy to Kuwait to be the theater reserve. I have a very personal stake in any "surge" or "escalation".
Christmas in Kuwait
By John
This war has a thousand faces. A couple weeks ago in Singapore, an opportunity arose to speak with a clutch of field-grade officers, most of whom were foreign veterans of the worldwide war. These officers were from countries such as Singapore, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, New Zealand, Australia and the United States. A common theme among our foreign allies is a concern that we Americans seem to think we are standing alone against a world teeming with enemies. Our military leaders of course know that we are not alone and that enemies do not lurk in every cave or under every rock. They know, too, that we have more allies than enemies, and even more who fit into neither category.
Damn good to have you back Mike.
Pink Floyd, War Poets?
By John
I told Blackfive about this and he told me to "put down the bong."
Read our header. We invoke Tennyson's Ulysses, partly because it aptly sums up OPFOR's raison d'être, partly because of our appreciation for military history, written (in all forms) and oral. That applies particularly to war-poets like Tennyson, the legendary British soldier-poets of The Great War, Homer, et al.
The tragedy of the 21st century is that we have no modern day Homer or Tennyson, men who can translate epic struggles into epic verses. Perhaps war films killed war poetry in the same way that video killed the radio star. Today there are so many other mediums in which to convey the horrors and glories of battle, I suppose calling poetry archaic would be accurate enough.
But that's precisely the reason that I was floored by Pink Floyd's "When the Tigers Broke Free," which served as Roger Waters tribute to his fallen father, who died on the Italian battlefield of Anzio. It wasn't included in Pink Floyd's original release of an epic of their own, The Wall, which I suppose is the reason that the song has escaped me all these years.
"Tigers" is a modern day "Charge of the Light Brigade" as far as I'm concerned, a powerful tribute to the courage of the common British soldier. Pink Floyd's anti-war stance is well-advertised, yes. But Tigers isn't about supporting war or about hating war. It is simply about war.
Beautifully chilling lyrics below the fold.
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Doc Kirby
By Slab
Some of you may remember Dustin Kirby, a corpsman with 2d Battalion 8th Marine Regiment who was the subject of a New York Times article and my entry, Corpsman Up! Pt II. The following comment was left this morning:
Doc Kirby was severly wounded by a sniper on Christmas. Please pray for Dustin.
Please keep Dustin in your thoughts and prayers.
Best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery, Doc.
Update: The New York Times has another article about Dustin. He is alive and should be arriving in Bethesda, Maryland sometime soon to continue his recovery.
The bullet struck the left side of his face while he was on the roof of Outpost Omar, the position his unit occupies in Karma, a city near Falluja in Anbar Province.His jaw and upper palate were damaged extensively, but after several operations he was conscious and on a ventilator in a military hospital in Germany, his battalion commander, Lt. Col. Kenneth M. DeTreux, said by telephone.
....
He was expected to arrive today at Bethesda Naval Medical Center in Maryland, where his wife, Lauren Kirby, and his parents, Gail and Jack Kirby, planned to meet him.
LtCol Detreux's account of Doc Kirby's conduct is no surprise.
Colonel DeTreux said Petty Officer Kirby began writing within minutes of being shot, when he jotted a note to his platoon before being evacuated by helicopter.In the first note he apologized to the company’s senior enlisted man for being wounded, the colonel said. He then refused a stretcher and insisted on walking to the helicopter.
“He’s tough,” Colonel DeTreux said. “He showed his character, walking onto the aircraft himself.”
Semper Fidelis, Doc.
Update #2:The Times article mentioned that National Envelope Corporation, where Dustin's father works, is collecting donations to help Dustin's family. I left a message for Kathleen Childs, the executive assistant who is helping to manage the donations. When I get more information, I'll make a separate entry. Stay tuned.
Sen Lieberman on Iraq: Let's Fight to Win
By Lt Col P
A truly outstanding op-ed by Sen Liberman (Ind., CT) in today's WaPo-- "Why We Need More Troops in Iraq." He correctly identifies that victory in Iraq is vital to our national interests, and properly places the campaign there in the context of the Long War. "While we are naturally focused on Iraq, a larger war is emerging. On one side are extremists and terrorists led and sponsored by Iran, on the other moderates and democrats supported by the United States. Iraq is the most deadly battlefield on which that conflict is being fought. How we end the struggle there will affect not only the region but the worldwide war against the extremists who attacked us on Sept. 11, 2001."
There are a few points I take issue with, but on the whole it says much of what needs to be said, and it comes at a particularly critical moment in our history, as we change parties in Congress. It talks of victory, and of the need for courage and steadfastness.
I leave you with this, which needs to be echoed and trumpeted throughout the country and especially in DC, "In Iraq today we have a responsibility to do what is strategically and morally right for our nation over the long term -- not what appears easier in the short term. The daily scenes of death and destruction are heartbreaking and infuriating. But there is no better strategic and moral alternative for America than standing with the moderate Iraqis until the country is stable and they can take over their security. Rather than engaging in hand-wringing, carping or calls for withdrawal, we must summon the vision, will and courage to take the difficult and decisive steps needed for success and, yes, victory in Iraq. That will greatly advance the cause of moderation and freedom throughout the Middle East and protect our security at home."
Complicating The Simple
By Lt Col P
“Close Adviser to Sadr Dies in US-Iraqi Raid,” reads the headline. A more accurate statement would be, “Was Killed in US-Iraqi Raid,” but we’ll leave it alone. It’s the last sentence of the first paragraph that gets me, describing the incident as “complicating an already tense relationship with the powerful anti-American leader.”
How exactly does it complicate things? I’d agree that it makes things uglier, but then again this baby is fairly ugly now and it’s not getting prettier on its own. On the contrary, I think it makes things less complicated, because it clarifies a position that needs to be crystal clear in order to be addressed.
Describing the U.S.-Iraqi government relationship with Muqtada al-Sadr abu-Fatty as “tense” is understating the obvious—he hates us. He’s about 99% of the problem and somewhat less than 1% of the solution. His Shi’ite “party” might command a sizable bloc of parliament, but it also represents a giant leap backward for Iraq, something that country (and ours) can ill-afford. If you could look up his size XXXL man-dress (not that you’d want to) you’d see an Iranian arm shoved up his ass working the levers of his mouth. He is an enemy, and should be treated like one. If his current position gives him a measure of immunity, then we can certainly target his lieutenants.
This operation is actually a tailor-made opportunity to score an IO point, a variation on the timeless theme we should be hammering away on—we can be your worst enemy or your best friend. Down one path is violence and discord; down the other past is stability and prosperity. Extremists and troublemakers get targeted; moderates and dedicated statesmen get supported. It’s that simple.
What a Great Idea!
By Charlie
Having not seen a woman (caveat: if a woman is wearing a uniform, it doesn't count. yet.) in quite a while, I thought this site was an idea whose time has come.
(Reasonably safe for work.)
I'll go one better: ladies, send ME your own pictures, and I'll make my own calendar.
/repressed
MOGADISHU Re-Re-Re-Conquered
By Charlie
MOGADISHU, Somalia - Jubilant Somalis cheered as troops of the U.N.-backed interim government rolled into Mogadishu unopposed Thursday, putting an end to six months of domination of the capital by a radical Islamic movement.Ethiopian soldiers stopped on the outskirts of town, after providing much of the military might in the offensive that shattered what had seemed an unbeatable Islamic militia. [when has an Islamic militia been “unbeatable?” –ed] Islamic fighters fled south vowing to continue the battle.
When Somalia fell to the Islamists, I was worried that another Taliban Afghanistan would emerge in the Horn of Africa. I think the Islamists failed to take into account how many different (diverse, even) groups of people they have provoked blood-feuds with. I’m sure there are plenty of groups across the world itching to get back at the repressive 8th century death-cult “revolution” that has been spreading like a cancer from the Middle East.
I’m sure the Christians in Chad and Sudan would appreciate some payback against the Janjaweed militias that have been slaughtering them for the past few years. The pro-government forces in the Philippines and Malaysia would love to roll back the jihad in the South Pacific, and Chechnya still pokes at the Russians. What happened in MOG could happen anywhere else there is encroachment of Islamic law: people picking up weapons and fighting back.
WWII was a global conventional war. What is developing here is a global counter-insurgency. The only question remaining revolves around the nuts and bolts of “what next?” We took Baghdad, and we’re still there. Ethiopia now has to deal with a similar situation. We’ll see how they compare to the world’s only remaining superpower.
To Surge or Not to Surge
By Slab
I'm sure most of you have heard the talk of "surging" troops to Iraq. The oft-quoted magic number is 30,000. Well, according to the Washington Post, Sen Joseph Biden (D-Del), the incoming chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, is going on record as being opposed to any increase in U.S. troop strength.
"I totally oppose the surging of additional troops into Baghdad, and I think it is contrary to the overwhelming body of informed opinion, both people inside the administration and outside the administration."
Opponents like to say that an increase in troop strength will delay the development of Iraqi Security Forces. I completely disagree. The resulting improvements in security will make it easier to turn portions of the country over to ISF.
Jack Keane and Frederick W. Kagan both feel that a surge is not only needed, but that it should last at least somewhere in the neighborhood of 18 months. They make some good points in their letter to the Washington Post.
...reducing the violence in the Sunni and mixed neighborhoods in Baghdad is the most critical military task the U.S. armed forces face anywhere in the world.
The United States faces a dire situation in Iraq because of a history of half-measures. We have always sent "just enough" force to succeed if everything went according to plan. So far nothing has, and there's no reason to believe that it will. Sound military planning doesn't work this way. The only "surge" option that makes sense is both long and large.
Sounds good to me. It is certainly a better proposition than anything the Iraq Study Group brought to the table.
H/t to Thunder Run for both articles.
Prince Harry Headed Somewheres East O' Suez?
By Lt Col P
If it's true, I think that's a damn good thing. Leadership, it's called. He could pretty easily skate out of the whole thing, but it looks like he's keen to go. Good for you, young man, and good luck. Give 'em hell.
Public Service Announcement
By John
If it was ice that almost killed me, snow saved my life.
I had just spent a fantastic Christmas day skiing in Steamboat Springs, CO. Normally I would have stayed the night, but I have to work tomorrow morning and needed to get home this evening.
So as the sun began to set, I massaged my sore calves, chugged a can of Red Bull, and started off on a 3 hour drive through the icy mountain roads of Northern Colorado. I did fine until I hit the Snowy Range on the Colorado-Wyoming border. There, WY-230 became treacherous, if not barely passable. Wind was blowing snow from the recent blizzard over the road, and mini-drifts were accumulating on the pavement. Going down made controlling speed and movement tricky. I kept it at 40mph, even though the limit was 60.
As I reached the base of the mountains, I thought that I was home free. The roads looked clear, the wind had died down, and I was starting to put the winding curves of the mountain path behind me. So I sped up a little.
I don't remember exactly what happened, or how it started. I felt my back tires start to slip, just a little. So I made a minute adjustment to the right and laid off the gas, hoping to straighten the truck. I clearly overcompensated. Now, not only was I sliding to the right, I was starting to lose control of the vehicle. And I was headed towards a guardrail. Nothing but black on the other side.
Now at this point, I had done everything by the book. I was still under the speed limit, I made the proper directional corrections, and my seatbelt was buckled. But that guardrail scared me, and losing control scared me, so I did something very, very stupid.
I slammed on the brakes. Not hit, not tapped. Slammed.
The brakes locked up the back tires, sending the truck into a vicious (and I do mean vicious) spin. I nicked the guardrail with my rear bumper, which did nothing to slow the truck's rotation. It's funny, for a few seconds I was spinning in a violent circle, sliding down a two-lane mountain road at 50mph, and yet for some reason, I felt a wave of inner peace sweep over me. The kind that Buddhist monks dedicate years of introspection and meditation towards attaining. Looking back, I think my mind was shutting down. Preparing for the inevitable.
Right before impact, I remember being surprised that my truck hadn't flipped yet. The Ford Expedition is one of the most rollover-prone vehicles on the road, yet it stayed upright. Then, SLAM.
I stopped.
As soon as the truck halted, I didn't check to see if I was hurt, I didn't jump out of the car to check for damage, and I didn't sit in the seat and shake. Instead, I clasped my hands together and prayed. I don't remember what I said, but it was a prayer of thanks straight from the heart. I was positive that I had a guardian angel riding shotgun with me this evening, and I wanted to let the proper authorities know that I appreciated it.
Prayer over, now I'm wondering why a sudden stop at 50mph was so gentle. Not only was I feeling okay, the surge of adrenaline that washed over me had cured a small bout of nausea that I was fighting. Didn't even feel whiplash.
I hopped out of the truck, waved to a motorist who had stopped, letting them know that I was okay, and went to check the damage. It was the snow that saved me. I entered a large drift back-end first on the opposite side of the road. The good news was, there didn't appear to be any serious damage to the truck (or me, for that matter). The bad news was that the drift was about four feet deep, and my truck's fat ass was stuck in right in the middle of it.
Thank God for the Ford Expedition. Not only is it a truck that consistently earns high safety marks, it's got a powerful V8 and four-wheel drive. I threw the thing into four-low and after a little fighting, had it back on the road. When I got out for a second damage inspection, I almost fell flat on my back. The road was sheer ice. Thankfully the only damage was my wrecked nerves and a little impact damage on the bumper, from when I hit the guardrail.
The public service announcement is this: take ice seriously. I was following all the rules, driving carefully, seatbelt fastened, but I still lost control of my vehicle. Had that snow drift not caught me or that guardrail not held, OPFOR may have been reduced a three man operation from here on out.
Keep it under the speed limit folks, alls I have to say.
Joy To The World
By Lt Col P
And Merry Christmas to all.
At the risk of slighting all other milbloggers, I'd like to call attention to our friend Andi. Go see her post here to learn how she's been keeping the holidays. And one more-- a long-overdue nod to Tom the Redhunter, who with other stalwarts, has been keeping watch o'er Walter Reed by night.
Update... And let me not forget two of our finest now overseas, LtCol Kurt Wheeler and Sgt Kris "King of" Battles. Both of them are with the Marine Corps History Division's Field Ops Branch.
Not to be overly religious, but the operative word here is JOY. It's one of the essential things that separate us from them. In America, the joy brought by this season is, I think, one of the reasons we have such a forward-looking and optimistic society. Not so in other places. (Just read what the Ayatollah Khomeini had to say on the subject, the vicious old heathen.)
Joy to the world, indeed! And thank God we live in a country where that really means what it's supposed to be mean, and we have the freedom to say it out loud. Let's spread the word.
Required Reading
By Slab
The below article, by MAJ Bill Edmonds of the United States Army, is one of the best written pieces I have seen on the war. Although a few blogs have picked this up, why it is not on the front page of every major newspaper in the country is beyond me.
Highlight of the article? "I have come to realize that we isolate our soldiers from the societies in which we operate. We airlift and sealift vacuum-sealed replicas of America to remote corners of the world; once there, we isolate ourselves from the very people we are trying to protect or win over."
The article is provided, in full, after the jump. Or you can read it here.
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Iraqi Units Continue to Step Up
By Lt Col P
Did anyone notice this interesting post by the indomitable Bill Roggio-- "The ROC: On patrol with 3 Company, 3-2-1 Iraqi Army in southern Fallujah"?
It struck a chord with my finely tuned memory. I seemed to remember that the 3-2-1 was the battalion that Team Med-Fah embedded with this time last year. So I asked one of the Marines on that team if that was correct and he replied, "Yes!" Here is (then) Major Erik Peterson's valedictory post on handing off to their relief.
It's good to see the results of many months of hard work by dozens of Marines and hundreds or thousands of Iraqis. And it's nice to be able to connect the dots.
THIS JUST IN: "MILBLOGGERS" HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY
By Lt Col P
From today's WaPo comes a David Ignatius piece on milbloggers, "Their Christmas At War." It's a stab at showing how the troops are dealing with holidays in a war zone, as told through milblogs. Being a charitable sort, I'll file this under "a good effort" and "backhanded compliments."
He begins with a nod to our good friend and oberbloggenfuhrer BlackFive, and mentions several other sites as well as milblogging.com. But he never seems to get what they're talking about. "Misery may love company," he writes, "but in the military, it keeps its mouth shut." Actually, no it doesn't. Throughout history the soldier's only right has been to complain, and he does it in a variety of ways. But he doesn't always complain; sometimes he pokes fun at his predicament. I suppose you have to be there-- or have been there--to understand. He continues:
"This holiday season, America is struggling through a searing national debate about Iraq. The horror of the war feels immediate, even to people who've never been near Baghdad, but less so the humanity of the thousands of American soldiers who are serving there. That's part of the Iraq disconnect: The war dominates our political life, but the men and women in the midst of it often are nearly invisible. We see them in thumbnail photos in group obituaries but not as real, living people."
WHAT?? You might see them that way, but the normal parts of the country, where these men and women come from, see them and hear them quite clearly. And you can get to know them a little more through milblogs, which you seem to have just discovered. You need to get out of the office, Dave. Get out of the office, say, and into an embed position somewhere out in Al-Anbar or up in Mosul. You'll meet plenty of real, living people.
Finally, one more thing boils me. He refers to a young man who died saving his fellow soldiers as, "falling on a grenade that was thrown into his truck." In the next sentence the man's platoon sergeant provides the real story, but Ignatius is too obtuse to realize his error. The soldier didn't fall on the grenade, he threw himself on it. Big difference, Dave.
Something tells me, though, that this is all falling on deaf ears.
Prompt Global Strike
By John
Ramjets, non-nuke ICBMS, and conventionally tipped Tridents....oh my.
It's all part of USSTRATCOM's bold new vision for "bolt-from-the-blue" weapon systems, called Prompt Global Strike. The goal: hit anywhere on earth in less than an hour.
Our friend Noah Shachtman has the story over at Defense Tech. And it's the cover story in this month's Popular Mechanics, which Noah also scribed. Read em both.
Progress
By John
The Coalition has just turned over the Al Najaf Province to Iraqi forces. Provincial handoffs are a big deal, and Al Najaf marks the third time we've done it this year.
DoD graphic of territorial handoffs to Iraqi forces.
We've got a long way to go, but let no one tell you that we're not making progress over there.
Priorities, People!
By Charlie
So I’m in the chow hall today, eating my KBR food, and minding my own business. Then, from out of nowhere, I was bombarded with the cable TV news feeding frenzy that spun around an American beauty queen who boozed it up, and the subsequent Donald Trump/Rosie O’Donald spat.
I cast a casual eye over to a nearby table, looking at some of my multi-national coalition partners, then to a table in the corner where our terps were avidly watching the anonymous lip-glossed blond chick reading us the breaking “news.”
So I thought to myself: is this really the image that America wants to project to the world? Flaunting the corruption of our youth for all to see, and celebrating the newfound “victimhood” of alcoholism (at 20?). We have displayed one of our “best and brightest” as nothing more than a frolicking harlot drinking herself silly, and she’s got the title “Miss USA.” Let me throw some caveats in here, lest you think I am being too harsh on Ms. Conner: two girls making out is hot, and there’s nothing wrong with underage drinking (in my opinion, if an 18 year old can enlist and fight for his country, he should at least be allowed to buy a beer –hell, he should get them for free.)
My point here is that America projects a negative image of itself to the people of the world. Instead of showing ourselves as hardworking people, caring people, or anything that may portray us positive light, we hold up the Tara Conners for all to see –an example of our opulence and self-absorption. When people from other countries and cultures see this kind of thing continually flaunted, obsessed over, and fawned over, they begin to form a very different picture of America from the one that we all currently know.
What we need is a PR Firm to sell the real America, like the one that put me here to make this place I’m stuck in better before I leave. All of the locals I meet here love Americans, because they know us personally: we’re individualized. The problem is that the individualization of the average American may be Tara Conner to many people who have never met an American. This is a bad thing.
We’ve got real problems to deal with in the world, and yet America is navel gazing at a beauty queen. How many soldiers risked their lives today? How many people were killed in the jihad in Sudan? How many lives were saved by doctors and emergency responders? Once we solve all of the pressing issues of our time, I promise that I will start to care about the plight of Ms. Conner.
Holiday Wishes
By Charlie
Hi folks,
Your friendly neighborhood staff officer reporting from abroad. First of all, I have to say that being in an infantry battalion is hands-down the best place to be as a young officer. My dealings with the folks up at brigade (only one echelon up) have proven to me that experience at a lower level unit is an absolute necessity. Lots of officers don’t get the opportunity to serve at my level. An officer of my rank at a division or above command would be relegated to “assistant to the chief coffee fetcher” or some other functionally bereft position. Here, I’m in charge.
So I count myself among the lucky ones. Anyway, the job is going well. The holidays, however, put a strain on not only us deployed soldiers, but our families back in the rear. Remember, the families are the ones who didn’t volunteer.
So now might be a good time to check out the “Support the Troops” tab at the top of our webpage, and throw some of that holiday bonus towards some worthy causes. I’m going to plug Soldier’s Angels because I’ve seen their work firsthand here, and random care-packages in the mail makes Joe happy, and keeps him motivated and his mind on the mission, instead of the suck. Of course, the USO is also a worthy cause to check out. Also, if you want to send me some holiday cheer, shoot me an e-mail. I’m very lonely.
Anyway, the next few days are a time for joy and cheer and such for most folks, but remember that there are soldiers in the field this Christmas. Hopefully next year, I’ll get to spend Christmas in America.
One Step Closer?
By John
Which team does Pakistan play for again?
And since when did the French need our permission to kill Bin Laden?
Hotel Tango to Allah.
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Get Ready
By John
Mike Yon is leaving Cambodia and preparing to embed in Iraq again.
I didn't start blogging until Mike was at the tail end of his last embed. Which means I missed the whole Gates of Fire phenomena, much to my chagrin. Of course I read it after the fact, but what's exciting about the new embed is that a whole new generation of bloggers and blog-readers (like me) will get to experience Mike's reporting first-hand, for the first time.
One of Mike's famous photos, from his widely lauded "Gates of Fire" post. It's one of my favorite shots, because -as the bullet induced dust cloud so clearly illustrates- it demonstrated Mike's willingness to follow a story into hell and back.
I was chatting with a friend the other day about Mike's work, and why I appreciated it so much. The bottom line is that Yon is one of the few reporters out there whose writing is completely and utterly unstained by ideological slant, right or left. A rare creature indeed, and one most worthy of our readership....since he is, after all, doing this independently.
Be sure to keep up with his blog these next few months, and look for him in Iraq very, very shortly. He could use the support, and we could all use the insight.
Open Season
By Slab
Excellent song by the band Stuck Mojo.
You can download copies of their songs for free at Stuck Mojo Media. You can also order copies of their CD and bonus DVD.
I, for one, hope that if we ever launch an Al Fajr-esque offensive into Ramadi, the PSYOPs guys will be blaring this from the loudspeakers as the good guys cross the Line of Departure.
Hat tip to Allahpundit of HotAir via BLACKFIVE.
WWII Moonbattery
By Lt Col P
For no reason at all, except that it's fairly amusing*, and that I suppose it illustrates that's there's nothing new under the sun, I'd like to share something I came across in John Masters's classic about the second Chindit campaign, The Road Past Mandalay. He and his brigade have just been forced to withdraw from their stronghold, "Blackpool," after a vicious fight against the Japanese deep inside Burma. Exhausted, soaked and hungry, they lie up for the night. Masters is about to go to sleep when a member of his comm section comes right up to him and says, "I think this campaign is a disgrace... I mean why we're here. To save the profits of the oil companies."
Pissed off, he wakes up.
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AFN- WTF?
By Charlie
Because we troops can’t be trusted with actual TV programs, we’re granted AFN. The Armed Forces Network broadcasts into our chow halls and work areas, carrying NFL games, sitcoms, movies, and other TV shows commercial-free. Almost.
The AFN commercials –some might call them propaganda- are cute at first, then annoyingly tedious, and after a few weeks, slightly hilarious. When I get back to the states and see actual brands being advertised during commercial breaks, I won’t know what to do with myself. Basically, AFN commercials break down into the following categories:
Safety: These commercials communicate a simple message: you are too stupid to carry out basic tasks, and must be constantly reminded of the impending consequences of every action you take! Remember: driving in a vehicle is the most dangerous thing you will ever do. Ever. Also, be sure to look both ways before crossing the street.
Alcoholism: Why AFN must continually broadcast messages about alcohol abuse to troops living under the prohibitionist General Order #1 confuses me greatly. Are there bars on the base camp that I just haven’t been able to track down yet? Is drinking and driving really that big of a deal in forward areas? Strange.
Unit Advertising: The 10th regional support under-command is here to serve you! The 119th Nocturnal Air Service Logistics Group puts in long hours to accomplish the mission! Re-enlist today! I just don’t get these.
Oddities: I saw one yesterday that urged me to “stop global warming.” Great -how? How can I stop something that may or may not even exist, and what can I do to stop it? What if I don’t want it to stop? It’s getting freaking cold here anyway! Why is AFN filling my brain with such things?
Also, for a military that must live under “don’t ask, don’t tell” rules, “Will & Grace” is on every night on AFN. Ponder that for awhile.
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The Last Snowflake
By John
From Lt.Cmdr Brook Dewalt:
In his six years in the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was infamous for his "snowflakes" -- memos that flew from his fingers giving various staff members and sections sometimes short-notice and short-suspense tasks. Today he sent out a final snowflake, thanking the men and women of the Pentagon for their long hours and multitude of missions. And he granted amnesty for all outstanding snowflakes.
Here's a copy:
**Update** Naturally, Blackfive beats me to it. He's also got a nice Rummy roundup posted.
The Latest Truther Moonbattery
By John
Pinch has got it and mmmm, it is stewed to perfection!
Last Day to Vote!
By John
And boy to we need it. This guy snuck out of nowhere and passed us by 20 some votes overnight. We're within reach everyone, you can vote once a day, so take this last day and vote OPFOR!
PS - and by "within reach," I mean within reach of passing a certain snarky First Sergeant who would prefer to have OPFOR "in his review mirror," heh.
Russia Resurgent?
By Lt Col P
First of all, apologies for my absence, I've been getting thrashed at work, in my office in the uhhh, Department of Agriculture... All I can say is that it's in a good cause.
With a Hotel Tango to Michelle Malkin—to whom I am always predisposed to tip my hat—I’d like to mention that some recent events mean nothing good for the U.S. Those events collectively signal a resurgent Russia.
In the summer of 1987 I took a course on Russian history at Roanoke College. One of the points the professor hammered home was an old saying that went like this—“Scratch a Russian and you’ll find a Tatar.” By extension of course, he also meant that if you scratched a Soviet you’d find a Russian. Names change, natures endure.
The recentralization of economic and political power in the Kremlin at the expense of liberty and free enterprise doesn’t signal so much a return to the good old days of parades in Red Square and forced labor in Siberian coal mines as it confirms the essential nature of Russia: authoritarian, expansive, distrustful of the outside world, and absolutely on its own program.
Russian moves in the Iranian nuclear power debate remind me very much of the Great Game, in which Persia was courted (and betrayed) more than once by both Russia and Britain. What is the Kremlin’s gain in a nuclear Iran? That, comrade, is for Russia to know and for us to find out. But I’ll bet that it won’t be good for the U.S. We’d best be paying attention, lest we find ourselves check-mated in this round of the Great Game. It ought not be viewed as separate from the Long War.
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Reconnect America
By John
This is why we at OPFOR love being a part of the Military.com family. We're proud to introduce Reconnect America, a joint venture between Military.com and The Military Channel.
(Silver Spring, MD) - The Military Channel, the only cable network to go "behind the lines" on military subjects, and Military.com, the nation's largest online military destination, and subsidiary of Monster Worldwide, Inc., today announced a joint partnership to support men and women in uniform and give voice to veterans and current servicemembers through Reconnect America. This new national campaign will help raise awareness for numerous national organizations that support the U.S. armed forces, veterans and families nationwide, giving citizens everywhere the information they need to get involved. Reconnect America unites 50 million Military Channel and Military.com viewers and visitors with more then 10 million Americans in military-focused organizations such as Operation Gratitude, the Armed Services YMCA, the National Military Family Association, the Fisher House Foundation, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors and many others.
Please consider our troops during this holiday season. Away from their families and fighting two tough wars, they need all the support they can get. Here's the Reconnect America link one more time, in case you missed it.
I've got a list of contacts for press inquiries, so email if you're interested.
Dennis Miller on Iraq, Al Qaeda, and President Bush
By John
I was a fan of Dennis Miller's long before he came over to the "let's fight this war" camp. Some of you may know that Miller, the former Saturday Night Live star, became a vociferous proponent of both the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq after the Sept. 11th attacks, changing his ideological leaning from Hollywood liberal to conservative Hawk. Below is a video bit of a Miller standup routine that is excellent in both delivery and message.
This quote will stick with me for a long, long time.
"If I didn't believe in this war, in public I would lie and say I did until all these kids were home. I really would. I just don't think our opinions matter all that much right now. We've got twenty year old kids....you know i love those kids, and I would never say anything that would make them feel like they're fighting a war that no one cares about over there."
Miller '08 anyone?
The Come-Back Blogger
By Charlie
Re-starting your blogging engine is pretty tough when you've been out of the loop for a while. I used to have my schedule down to a science. Get up, go to work, come home, PT, drink a beer, blog, eat dinner, drink another beer, go to sleep, repeat. Now with this deployment, getting the blogging back into my schedule has been rough.
Hours are long (longer than I thought) and getting up the energy to write a post has become more and more difficult.
That being said, I'm not crying in my non-alcoholic beer, here. At least, I'm not crying as hard as a group of artillerymen at the St. Barber's day dinner where they tearfully lament the loss of their tubes and their subsequent replacement with IO messages.
Anyways, getting back into the habit of writing on this blog is now a stated goal of mine (i'm stating it!)
So, with that, I'll be in touch.
-OP-FOR CMD POST (F)
Soldiers in Mosul speak out
By Slab
Wow, a hearty bravo zulu to these "Electric Strawberry" soldiers of the 25th ID. All of them were well spoken, despite Senator Kerry's assumptions about their education and intelligence. I particularly like the soldier who mentioned that every time we hear someone say that we can't win in Iraq, it feels like an expression of their lack of faith in us. I couldn't say it any better.
Why is it that the combat troops want to see this thing through, but the average American is tired of this war? What do you have to be tired of? Do you have any understanding of what it means to be truly tired? To patrol for hours in 120 degree heat wearing 100 pounds of kit? I'm sorry that watching images of Iraq on CNN has taxed you so greatly. No really, I am. That's ok, though, because I'm willing to share some of your load so that we can press on with the mission. Because that's what we do when we get tired.
Hat tip to Allahpundit.
Update: Another hat tip to Lex for the bit about war weariness.
Check Aim
By John
Iran: Israel will end like USSR
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has told a conference in Tehran questioning the Holocaust that Israel's days are numbered. "Just as the USSR disappeared, soon the Zionist regime will disappear," he said to the applause of the participants.
With a swelling youth population that hates his guts, a sputtering economy (despite Iran's vast oil wealth), and hundreds of thousands of coalition forces enveloping his border, you'd think Ahmmy would be more worried about himself.....
Voting Continues
By John
And boy could we use your votes for Best Military Blog. We're getting stomped!
Googling Intelligence
By John
Tell me this isn't an effective use of open source intel...
US Tries Google for Intelligence on Iran
When the State Department recently asked the CIA for names of Iranians who could be sanctioned for their involvement in a clandestine nuclear weapons program, the agency refused, citing a large workload and a desire to protect its sources and tradecraft.Frustrated, the State Department assigned a junior Foreign Service officer to find the names another way -- by using Google. Those with the most hits under search terms such as "Iran and nuclear," three officials said, became targets for international rebuke Friday when a sanctions resolution circulated at the United Nations.
Policymakers and intelligence officials have always struggled when it comes to deciding how and when to disclose secret information, such as names of Iranians with suspected ties to nuclear weapons. In some internal debates, policymakers win out and intelligence is made public to further political or diplomatic goals. In other cases, such as this one, the intelligence community successfully argues that protecting information outweighs the desires of some to share it with the world.
More at Defense Tech and Blogs of War
A Step Backwards
By John
Bummer. The Aussie Army has banned milblogging.
Adios, Rummy
By John
LT LtCmdr SMASH has superb account of Secretary Rumsfeld's final Town Hall farewell posted:
Donald Rumsfeld is not universally loved in the Pentagon. I'm told that he can be a tough, stubborn, and demanding boss. Rumsfeld is infamous for firing off short memos -- known colloquially as "snowflakes" -- asking next-to-impossible-to-answer questions or demanding revolutionary changes. He came to the building in 2001, promising to transform the Department of Defense from a Cold War force to a more flexible, agile military, better prepared to face the challenges of the Twenty-first Century. Almost six years later, that transformation is well underway, but not yet complete. Along the way, Rumsfeld has stepped on many toes, and slaughtered many sacred cows. Inevitably, he made some enemies, especially among the senior officers and long-serving bureaucrats who were heavily invested in the "old way" of doing things.But the troops, and a solid majority of the officers, love him. This is abundantly clear from the warm reception Rumsfeld receives as he walks up to the podium.
Since I couldn't get inside, I'm thinking about heading back to the office to watch the event on TV. But as soon as Rumsfeld starts speaking, I realize that I'm witnessing history. I'm there for the duration.
Highly recommended.
For God and Country
By John
A little birdie at MSNBC told me about their new documentary, "For God and Country," set to air Sunday evening at 8pm. Here's the description:
Marine Scout Snipers are some of the most elite fighters in the American military services. This program tells the extraordinary tale of Matt Orth, a 22-year-old war veteran whose job is to silently stalk the enemy in advance of the front lines, and identify and eliminate key enemy personnel. In bold detail and vivid photos and video Matt tells what it's like to kill and how it feels to come home and be called an "assassin." Matt goes to war eager to fight for his country in the days after September 11th, but returns with deep emotional scars from simply doing the job for which he trained.
They also sent a short video excerpt of the doc, which I uploaded to YouTube. From watching the vid, I don't get the feeling this is one of those "the military ruined my life" hit pieces that we often see, but rather Matt Orth in his own words. Appears, outwardly at least, to be a compelling, true-to-life account of a grunt in the box. I'll be watching tomorrow evening.
Camo Testing
By John
Glory be to John Donovan for this gem. The new Army BDU pattern seems to be quite effective, even in the most mundane of urban settings.
Hotel Tango to The Castle
2006 Weblog Awards
By John
A heartful thanks to those of you who nominated OPFOR for "Best Military Blog" in this year's Weblog Awards. As you'll see from the finalists, breaking into this category was not easy. For those of you who'd like to send some votes our way, you can vote once per day by clicking the link below.
Like I said, NOT an easy category by any stretch of the imagination. Sure could use those votes folks!
My personal picks below the fold:
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Never Forget
By John
This is really the Navy's day, so I'm going to let our Swabbie milblogging brothers do the talking.
Neptunus Lex
EagleSpeak
Smash
Bubblehead
Cdr. Salamander
Instapinch
No comments, send them to the other guys.
Silly String for Soldiers
By John
Well isn't that clever...
Serious Use for Silly String STRATFORD, N.J.
-
In an age of multimillion-dollar high-tech weapons systems, sometimes it's the simplest ideas that can save lives. Which is why a New Jersey mother is organizing a drive to send cans of Silly String to Iraq. American troops use the stuff to detect trip wires around bombs, as Marcelle Shriver learned from her son, a soldier in Iraq.
Before entering a building, troops squirt the plastic goo, which can shoot strands about 10 to 12 feet, across the room. If it falls to the ground, no trip wires. If it hangs in the air, they know they have a problem. The wires are otherwise nearly invisible.
Similiar efforts to use Play-Dough as plastic explosive have been less successful, however.
Iraq Study Group Report
By Lt Col P
FYI, here's the link to it...
http://www.usip.org/isg/
Stay tuned, we need to look it over and digest it. I skimmed it today but have no comment, except this one-- I'm not interested in "a graceful way to lose," as I heard it described on the radio. I'm interested in VICTORY, a.k.a. winning. We'll see what it says about that.
Two Birds..
By John
One stone.
Big War, Small World
By Lt Col P
Read his other posts too, and bookmark his site.
Happy St Barbara's Day
By Lt Col P
I have been negligent in my duties as Op-For’s Artilleryman in Residence, specifically in failing to wish all red-legs prompt greetings on 4 December, St Barbara’s Day. We frequently take comfort in knowing that we artillerymen lend a certain grace and refinement to what would otherwise be an unseemly brawl. It is more comforting to know that we have a extra measure of divine protection as well.
Live from Fallujah
By John
Bill Roggio reports from the box:
While waiting to manifest on the flight to Fallujah, CNN played a news segment of President Bush announcing there would be no “graceful exit” from Iraq, and that we'd stay until the mission was complete. Two sergeants in the room cheered. Loudly. They then scoffed at the reports from Baghdad, and jeered the balcony reporting.In nearly every conversation, the soldiers, Marines and contractors expressed they were upset with the coverage of the war in Iraq in general, and the public perception of the daily situation on the ground. The felt the media was there to sensationalize the news, and several stated some reporters were only interested in “blood and guts.” They freely admitted the obstacles in front of them in Iraq. Most recognized that while we are winning the war on the battlefield, albeit with difficulties in some areas, we are losing the information war. They felt the media had abandoned them.
During each conversation, I was left in the awkward situation of having to explain that while, yes, I am wearing a press badge, I'm not 'one of them.' I used descriptions like 'independent journalist' or 'blogger' in an attempt to separate myself from the pack.
I've long felt that the problems with the mainstream media transcend simple bias. The profound imbalance in positive vs. negative war reporting could be fixed with a simple two-pronged approach: unit bloggers and more embeds, more embeds, more embeds.
Right now the press is relying on stringers that are sympathetic to the insurgency, and doing almost all of their reporting from safely inside the wire of the Green Zone. They owe it to their patrons to roll up their sleeves, put on a kevlar, and get out there with the troops. All we're interested in is accuracy and balance. Nothing more, nothing less.
The Beautiful Sharpshooter
By John
Reminds me of The Sirens from Homer's Odyssey.
"How long did it take you to qualify as a sharpshooter in the IDF?"
"Oh, just my training period. I had a natural aptitude with the rifle. I started out at 15 meters, then moved up to 30, 50, 100, then all the way up to 300 meters."The "Sharpshooter" is an unbelievably beautiful young Israeli woman. Her dark creamy skin testifies to a Bukharin father and Yemenite mother -- a genetic mix I strongly recommend. She looks like the American supermodel Tyra Banks, only thinner, prettier, and more lethal.
Brings back memories of when I visited an IDF base outside Jerusalem. I noticed a small crowd of guys from our group bunched up around some IDF soldiers. Closer inspection revealed 3 stunning Israeli Army girls women, M4s and all, that had turned into an on-the-spot photo op.
Looking back, the IDF babes were the two-week trip's most popular attraction (no pun). At least for the guys.
Reflection
By Slab
OK, I said earlier that I wasn't going to comment further on the "IED Hunter" video, as it was not needed. After reflecting on it some more, I've decided to go back on that statement.
The more I think about it, the more ironic it is that I came across that video this week. Heading to my parents' house for Thanksgiving was a disaster, thanks for the most part to a policy put in place by II MEF that forces everyone in the MEF (basically a Corps-level command) to leave Camp Lejeune at the same time. I cursed the Marine Corps for the better part of the weekend, and tried to remember why I stuck around when my initial obligated service was up.
The Marines in the video answered that question. You have them in almost any command - the guys who can make you laugh your ass off and forget that you're standing outside in 40 degree weather and driving rain (or in 120 degree weather and in constant threat of getting killed or maimed by IEDs). They're also the guys who will keep their cool as the lead/air density ratio starts to climb, and through their calmness will help the others maintain cool as well. Forget the paycheck, forget all of the high-minded ideals like fighting for freedom, these are the guys that make this job worthwhile.
If you haven't watched the video yet, you're missing out. Scroll down and check it out.
Islam Demands Prayer Rooms
By John
Muslims Seek Prayer Rooms at US Airports (AP) --
Airport officials said Friday they will consider setting aside a private area for prayer and meditation at the request of imams concerned about the removal of six Muslim clerics from a US Airways flight last week.Steve Wareham, director of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, said other airports have "meditation rooms" used for prayers or by passengers who simply need quiet time.
A group of Somali clerics met with airport officials Friday and said they would attract less attention if they had a private area for prayer. Devout Muslims pray five times daily, facing the holy city of Mecca.
Give it to em. Putting them all in one place makes it easier to track and profile. That is of course if we have the collective will to monitor Muslims while they're in prayer.
However, if we lack the courage to break those PC lines, Muslims will have a private place to do all the weird stuff that got these 6 Imams kicked off of their flight. That incident also took place at Minneapolis-St.Paul, which has become an unlikely battleground in the war on terror.
All Your Garage Door are Belong to us!
By Charlie
Homeowners up in arms: U.S. military frequency jams hundreds of garage doors
Homeowners up in arms: U.S. military frequency jams hundreds of garage doors ROBERT WELLER DENVER (AP) - What do remote-control garage door openers have to do with national security? A lot, it seems.A secretive U.S. air force facility in Colorado Springs, Colo., tested a radio frequency this past week that it would use to communicate with first responders in the event of a homeland security threat.
But the frequency also controls an estimated 50 million garage door openers, and hundreds of residents in the surrounding area found their garage doors had suddenly stopped working.
"It would have been nice not to have to get out of the car and open the door manually," said Dewey Rinehard, pointing out that the outage happened during the first cold snap of the year when temperatures fell well below freezing.
Capt. Tracy Giles of the 21st Space Wing said air force officials were trying to figure out how to resolve the problem of their signal overpowering garage door remotes.
"They (military officials) have turned it off to be good neighbours," he said.
The signals were coming from Cheyenne Mountain Air Station, home to the North American Aerospace Defence Command, a joint U.S. and Canadian operation set up during the Cold War to monitor Soviet missile and bomber threats.
Technically, the air force has the right to the frequency, which it began using nearly three years ago at some bases. Signals have previously interfered with garage doors near bases in Florida, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
In general, effects from the transmissions would be felt only within 15 kilometres, but the Colorado Springs signal is beamed from atop 1,855-metre Cheyenne Mountain, which likely extends the range.
Holly Strack, who lives near the entrance to the facility, said friends in the neighbourhood all had the same problem.
"I never thought my garage door was a threat to national security," she said.
In Katrina, the only people that could talk were wearing green uniforms. I think this is a good idea, but you have to laugh at the side effects of the early tests...
IED Hunter
By Slab
It's been a busy week, training to drop bombs and whatnot. I see my post on women in ground combat arms has sparked quite a few comments, as it was intended to do.
Now for something on the lighter side. This video is hi-lar-i-ous. I will refrain from commenting on it, as these Marines have done such a great job that nothing else needs to be said.
Recommended Reading: Fire In The Night
By Lt Col P
I just finished reading for the third or fourth time Fire In The Night, the very good biography of Orde Wingate, who was both the founder of the Long Range Penetration Group in the China-Burma-India theater (better known as the Chindits), and the real father of the Israel Defense Force. Eminently readable and full of illuminating references and footnotes, the book sheds some critical but not unsympathetic light on that complex and controversial man.
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