Comments for H&I* Fires, 10 FEB 2007

H&I* Fires, 10 FEB 2007

2007-02-11T05:28:26Z

Open post for those with something to share, updated through the day. New, complete posts come in below this one. Note: If trackbacking, please acknowledge this post in your post. That's only polite. [Hey - trackbacks work again!]

You're advertising here, we should get an ad at your place...
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This ties into questions and comments in the comments section to the judicial matters post. I find it utterly silly. Making the Nazi Defense what Ehran Watada was trying to avoid---by inference---by tossing in the guy who actually is attempting the Nazi Defense. Oh, that’s classy.
ry

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The Dawn Patrol is back!

A venue for the MilBlog Conference has been announced and discounted onsite hotel rooms are available.

The media at large seems unable to correctly cover the IG's report on the Pentagon's pre-Iraq-war intelligence. Now it's the Washington Post caught with its pants down. Bigtime. Lex has some nice discussion on this (great headline, haha!), and here are some other snarky comments. - FbL

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While not traveling in the rarefied company as FbL, I thought I would toot my own horn and tell you I was published in the Kansas City Star's "Unfettered Letters" (letters to the editor) on Friday. Title: American Soldiers (sub-context - this ain't your daddy's army anymore).
-Kat

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Must-read profiles of three beautiful Americans. - FbL

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My peeps! -the Armorer

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]]> A term of art from the artillery. Harassment and Interdiction Fires.

Back in the day, when you could just kill people and break things without a note from a lawyer, they were pre-planned, but to the enemy, random, fires at known gathering points, road junctions, Main Supply Routes, assembly areas, etc - to keep the bad guy nervous that the world around him might start exploding at any minute.

Not really relevant to today's operating environment, right? But, it *is*

The UAVs we fly over Afghanistan and Pakistan looking for targets of opportunity are a form of H&I fires, if you really want to parse it finely. We just have better sensors and fire control now.

I call the post that because it's random things posted by me and people I've given posting privileges to. It's also an open trackback, so if (Don Surber uses it this way a lot) someone has a post they're proud of, but it really isn't either Castle kind of stuff, or topical to a particular post, I've basically given blanket permission to use that post for that purpose. Another term of art that might be appropriate is "Free Fire Zone".

Comment from BloodSpite on 2007-02-11

2007-02-11T13:38:08Z

Bah :)

Comment from Justthisguy on 2007-02-11

2007-02-11T09:52:19Z

Godwin's Law? You trying to shut off discourse or something? Are you some kinda Nazi?

Comment from BillT on 2007-02-10

2007-02-10T22:36:32Z

The Nuremburg Defense (which is no defense at all, as far as the lawyers are concerned) doesn't apply to LT Watada's case. The legality of a deployment order (or any other type) does not hinge on the particular status of the destination, but on whether the issuing office actually has the authority to issue the order. For example, Headquarters, 3ID has the authority to order LT Watada anywhere on the globe; Finance and Accounting, Fort Lewis, does not. An illegal (or unlawful) order is one which contravenes the UCMJ or which would be considered a violation of the Law of Land Warfare (the omnium-gatherum lumping the various Hague and Geneva Protocols together). For example, calling artillery on a church -- or a synagogue, or a mosque -- in order to kill or dislodge a platoon of enemy troops is not unlawful; doing it solely in order to cow the locals is. LT Watada did not refuse to obey an illegal order, he disobeyed a lawful order. Period.

Comment from FbL on 2007-02-10

2007-02-10T19:45:51Z

WTG, Kat! An eloquent and succinct response. I took at look at the commenters. A quick count told me that about 20% actually stuck to the topic. Interesting...

Comment from BloodSpite on 2007-02-10

2007-02-10T14:43:28Z

Thank Gawd for Godwins Law not that anyone but us old time techie's have heard of it anymore I think I have mixed emotions on the whole Watada thing. Not that what he did was right, because it wasn't. But rather with how it's being handled. And the argument of Double Jeopardy not applying grates my teeth, to say the least, as I have always been instructed that the Double Jeopardy basis does not and has never applies to military service members. Times change again I guess. I'm further annoyed because 3rd BDE 2ID was my last unit assignment before my discharge at Ft Lewis. (We were part of the whole upheaval when the Army transferred us from heavy weight to medium weight. Lost our Tanks and got LAV's. I was on Temporary Assignment pending discharge) He's betrayed my boys and I want to know why. As an officer you lead from the front, no matter what, in my book. You deploy, you make your arguments while serving with your men You make your stand with your chain of command while serving with your men By staying behind while your troops that your responsible for deploy......well I won't go on any further...my PRU is getting cranked up and I don't want that on a lovely Saturday morning.