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.
You're advertising here, we should get an ad at your place...
*********************************
Via Heidi's Mom, a bit from the KGW (Oregon) Afghanistan Blog by their embedded reporter Scott Kesterton on the difficulties of Coalition Warfare.
Near the end of February, the clinic was finally opened. Lacking the promised Dutch funding, the US Special Operations Civil Affairs team took matters into their own hands. Using a limited amount of funds that were available to them through US channels, as well as their own labor and labor donated by the locals, the majority of the clinic was completed. The finishing touch came one afternoon with the arrival of a contracted supply truck that had been dispatched by the Afghan government with over $50,000 US worth of supplies for the clinic. Where the Dutch had failed, the Afghan government had come through.Examples like this remain an ongoing problem here in Afghanistan for US command. While NATO and ISAF forces have deployed here, many of the promises and commitments made to the US are not being upheld. As one US soldier stated, "NATO and ISAF are unwillingness to accept risk, but are more than willing to accept credit for the work done by US forces." In this case, it's unclear who will officially get credit for the medical clinic at Oshay, even though the credit rests solely with the efforts and accomplishments of the US Special Operations Civil Affairs team lead by Stew and Suss. As for the the Dutch officers comment about trust and promises, it appears that they have a ways to go to fulfill their commitment.
Read the rest here, it's worth your effort.
Changing tack, CAPT H points out the *real* reason Prince Harry is being sent to Iraq...
This just in:
Fuzzybear Lioness on the dangers of getting your news solely from the headlines... and she thinks she knows *exactly* the answer to the question, "Where do we get warriors like that?"
I'm inclined to agree. -the Armorer
**********************************
Get some, flyboys. It's nice when it's this cut-and-dried - especially when the bad guy doesn't hide amongst the innocent. -the Armorer
**********************************
Last night there was a mini Castle Blogmeet near Boston. SangerM was in town and we got together over a pizza. Thanks to John, I have met some very interesting people......Maggie
**********************************
Really need some advice, gang.
The madness starts here and the latest rendition of it is here
I have never desired to be back in the military so much in my entire life as today.The complete casual disregard by every single person at the insurance company, my employer and the client has been a complete shock. At least in the Army (Walter Reed or no Walter Reed) you knew that someone was going to try to help you. be it JAG, Sick Call, First Shirt, or Commander, someone was going to help you get the ball rolling.
This, on the other hand, borders on pathetic, to me anyway.
-BloodSpite
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 (oops, can't call 'em UAVs anymore - they're now Unmanned Aerial Systems... some Colonel got his Legion of Merit for that change...), er, um UAS's 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".
5 Comments