H&I Fires* 4 Aug 07

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...

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Over at The Nose on Your Face: Bush Takes Time Out From Stealing Oil, Killing Arab Babies To Wreak Havoc At Home

Bob Owens, at Confederate Yankee:

I'm pretty sure this is an exclusive.

Col. Steve Boylan, PAO to General David Petraeus, has made a statement regarding claims made by U.S. Army PV 2 Beauchamp/The New Republic.

The military investigation not only finds the claims impossible to corroborate, they have declared them false.

-The Armorer

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Ledger's comment on a previous post deserves to see the light of day (hey, I *am* an artilleryman, after all).

I see the Excalibur is being put to good use.

[MNF release]:

BAGHDAD ? The top target for al Qaeda in Iraq south of Baghdad was killed July 14 in Arab Jabour by precision-guided munitions, the Excalibur.

Shortly after 12 p.m., 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, received a call that Abu Jurah and 14 anti-Iraqi forces were meeting at a house in Arab Jabour. At approximately 1:12 p.m., the house was positively identified allowing 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery Regiment to fire two Excalibur rounds destroying the meeting house...

See: Precision-guided munitions kills top al Qaeda leader: Multi-National Division Center PAO

Ledger - via the Armorer

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My old high school chum Kevin sent this along:

David Bushnell lives!

Though, from the looks of their 'sub', these guys probably wouldn't.... (click here for story)

It does bear a startling resemblance to Bushnell's Turtle, and I'm curious as to how they set it up.

And, like me, I'm sure the local authorities are quite curious as to why they built this 'sub'.

And if there were provisions for a screw or spar torpedo.....

Tinfoil hat theory, this is a copy of the Islamist sub that blew up the bridge spars in Minneapolis....

Still, if it's all innocent... neato!

And, probably... blub, blub, blub, ala the ill-fated CSS Hunley.

I immediately checked to see where Bad Cat Robot was - I know she's *really* into private submersibles... turns out she has an alibi:

heh. Not only would I do a MUCH better job of fabrication and testing, *my* submarine would absolutely, definitely have Threatening Devices. Mad Scientist Union rules.

-the Armorer

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362d PSYOP CO Annual BBQ/Warrior Citizen Awards

The 362d PSYOP CO Annual BBQ/Warrior Citizen Awards will be taking place this Sunday

The BBQ/Picnic/Awards is August 5th @ 12:00PM at Veterans Park in Fayetteville, Arkansas

There will be food for everyone.

Come on out, make a Family Readiness Support Group donation and show your support of the troops no matter your political faction.

-BloodSpite

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Featured Operation YouTube Smackdown Aug 4, 2007:
Mujahideen IED a Armored Vehicle. - SwordofBaghdad

Sorry it's late but I had trouble logging onto about half the internet earlier. - Rickbert

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Continuing the Whatziss...

Keep at it, boys and girls. If you're new to this - start here.

Happy Birthday!

The United States Coast Guard is 217 years in service today. Bravo Zulu!

More often than not, they are the forgotten military service. But, as the Army song notes... "When we were needed, we were there..."

Ask the one million saved.

Or ask Marvin Perret, Coast Guard veteran. Jim Robbins did, for National Review:

A Coast Guardsman’s Tale
Semper Paratus.

By James S. Robbins

There are still many surviving veterans of the June 1944 Normandy Invasion. Also many who landed at Iwo Jima in February 1945. But how many can claim to have participated in both battles? Not to mention Operation Dragoon in southern France and the “Typhoon of Steel” at Okinawa? If he can, there is a good chance he was a member of the United States Coast Guard, which celebrates its 217th birthday this Saturday.

One such veteran is Marvin Perrett, a Coast Guard landing craft coxswain assigned to the USS Bayfield (APA-33). He joined up in 1943 when he turned 18 and was sent to Camp Lejune to train on a classic drop-front Higgins Boat landing craft (LCVP). Shortly thereafter he found himself on a rough sea voyage to Britain. At that time the Coast Guard had been seconded to the Navy and operated jointly as a Navy asset. The Coastguardsmen wore Navy uniforms, the only difference being a small shield on the sleeve. This became the object of sport for the sailors — during liberty at Glasgow they spread a rumor among the young ladies that the shield signified that these men had a social disease. “After a few bar room fights we straightened that mess out,” Marvin said.

He first saw action April 28, 1944, during Exercise Tiger in Lyme Bay off the southern coast of England. It was a warm-up for the Normandy invasion and was supposed to have tight security, but nine German E-Boats snuck into the training area and attacked. The E-Boats hit fast and furious then withdrew, pursued by much slower American rocket-armed boats, one of which was manned by gunners mate Yogi Berra. Over six hundred Americans were killed by enemy fire, and later several hundred more died from friendly fire in the live ammunition exercise. Ultimately there were more casualties in Exercise Tiger than there would be on Utah Beach on June 6.

Read the whole piece by clicking the link above.

Always Ready - a tip of the Armorer's helm to the lads and lasses of the United States Coast Guard!

H/t Larry K, whose son serves in the USCG which causes Larry to be our source for all things Coastie!

What famous movie/TV character is your boss?

One of the projects I'm working on is an analytical effort supporting Army experimentation that will take place over the coming year. One of the things you've got to get done early - and well - are setting your objectives, from that developing the issues, from that decomposing your essential elements of analysis, then your measures of performance and merit, etc. Parallel and in conjunction, all of that helps you define your venues, participants, and how you are going to generate and collect all your data. All of which wraps up into a product called the Data Collection Management Plan. Thank heavens I'm not in charge of it - but I'm on the team that's developing it. I'm also helping in the parallel efforts of scenario design and models and sims support.

All this means meetings. Meetings with smart, very experienced people of diverse backgrounds, from warfighter commanders and operators, to math geeks, to academics.

Meeting after meeting after meeting after meeting of smart, type-A personalities, each and every one of us capable of a detailed-in-the-minutiae discussion of how many angels will dance on the head of that pin.

I don't envy my colleague who has to herd these cats.

Some of this is *hard*. We'll sit there, seeming victims of a Harry Potter-esque "Stupefy" spell, all anxiously waiting for someone else to drag us back from the precipice. Well, that's early in the meeting. Later in the meeting you can hear the conductor in the background yelling "Boaaaard! Last call for the bus to Abilene!"...

Yesterday, in the DCMP meeting, we were discussing differences in commanders and how they gather, analyze, and act on information, and how that relates to what data they need and how it needs to be presented to them. We were talking about explicit and implicit knowledge, and where a commander's knowledge of his subordinates came into play in that context.

It was one of those precipice moments.

And one of us suggested (tongue-in-cheek) that the way to get to that particular element was to bring in a division commander and his brigade and battalion commanders... and run a seminar along the lines of "The Apprentice."

Whereupon someone else noted - "I worked for a commander like Trump - he'd point to you in a staff meeting and say, "You're Fired!"

Heh. After noting that I too had worked for a commander like that - I added that I had also worked for the Dread Pirate Roberts - a commander who said the equivalent of "Well enough for today John. I'll likely kill you in the morning."

So - what famous/infamous/funny cultural characters have *You* worked for?

H&I Fires* 3 Aug 07

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...

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Cry me a river. Not.

On this one, you can cry me a river. Not because of the conviction, but because of the failure of leadership that led to the ruination of several lives - not least the murder victim. -the Armorer

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Beachamp Investigation Concluded
Matt Sanchez blogs about the result of the Scott Thomas investigation.
After a thorough investigation that lasted nearly a week the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division has concluded that the allegation made by Private Thomas Scott Beauchamp, the "Baghdad Diarist", have been
"refuted by members of his platoon and proven to be false"
h/t The Corner....Maggie

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Continuing in that theme about TNR and Scott Thomas - Bob Owens at Confederate Yankee has more. -the Armorer

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Howdy. You may remember from the July 31 H&R a note from Denizen Steve about Operation YouTube Smackdown, going after YouTube for hosting jihadi videos. I'm happy to report John has authorized me to share a Daily Featured Smackdown with you. Each day I'll be posting a link to one of our Repeat Offenders, an uploader with a large number of jihad videos on his account, but one we haven't been able to get YouTube to close down (we've got dozens of videos and five accounts closed in our first few weeks).

You can click the link, and watch the video until you see something objectionable, then flag it. Typically under hate speech or graphic violence. As a rule, we won't put the worst up on our Daily Feature, so it'll be as 'work-safe' as this kind of jihad video can be. We've begun this over at Rachel Lucas' site, and yesterday we had an account with over a dozen videos taken down.

You can click on the link above to visit our site, where we have more how-to info, and a Daily Dozen of such links we're posting to make it easier for folks to find and flag these videos. We'll appreciate as much or as little time as you have for the effort. Today's Featured Smackdown video: Insurgent sniper video from iraq - by huz999

Thank you. - Rickbert
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The Armorer notes - we've signed on to help Rickbert in his quest because it's all a part of the emerging battle of ideas and cultures - and how we use and exploit the Internet. For those of you who participate in this - you are engaging in what the services term an "Information Operation," and are in fact doing something DoD would probably like to do, but faces some real legal challenges to do on their own. That said - remember when you are clicking links they are going to be real war videos, take into account where you are and who you are and who is around you.

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Given that the Armorer is a redleg, and given that the Canadian army rarely beats the U.S. Army to the punch, I found this piece at Jane's IDR quite gratifying:

The A2 version of BAE Systems' M777 Lightweight 155 mm towed howitzer was awarded Full Material Release by the US Army Tank Automotive and Armaments Command in July.

The M777A2 incorporates a software update enabling it to programme and fire the Raytheon M982 Excalibur GPS/INS-guided projectile, substantially increasing the howitzer's range and accuracy.

The US Army and US Marine Corps (USMC) have so far ordered a total of 591 M777s, of which approximately 250 have been completed. The majority have been M777A1 models fitted with the General Dynamics TAD (Towed Artillery Digitisation) fire-control system, but these were preceded by 96 baseline M777s delivered to the USMC with conventional optical sights as part of low-rate initial production.

The M777A2 version of the howitzer will be the version issued to all US Army and USMC units. Those army units currently operating the M777A1 will receive a software upgrade to bring their TAD systems to A2 standard, as will the USMC M777s.

...

The Canadian Army has so far purchased 12 baseline M777 howitzers through Foreign Military Sales and was the first to commit the weapon to battlefield operations, having had a battery of four M777s (since raised to six) in service in Afghanistan since February 2006. These have been modified with a bespoke Canadian-conceived digital gun management system (DGMS) based on the Selex LINAPS automatic gun laying and navigation system, in combination with a handheld ballistics computing terminal. DGMS allows the Canadian gunners to programme and fire Excalibur.

Actually, what amazes me about this story is that my country's Department of National Defence could actually come up with a customized gun management solution quickly enough to deploy it when we bought the guns from the USMC in the first place. Normally, that sort of thing takes years and years and years.... - Damian

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Let's have a whatziss!

Go ahead - guess away.

New correspondent from the box...

Slightly larger version available here.

In addition to Bill's Excellent Adventure, there is a Castle Reader and Contributor off in the 'Stan.

His contributions are the "Motivators" posters - his latest available above.

The good sailor in a landlocked-country is a busy man, but we've got some missives of his to give a flavor of the "Life of the Deployed."

Well it’s been a long trip but we are here. Kabul is an interesting place, at least what I can see from the compound. On the convoy in from the airfield the British Corporal in charge said to watch out for anything “unusual”. Of course that only works if you know what is “usual”. I just looked out for the kids, figuring that if people let their children out it should be safe for us.

The room I share with the two Poles is a little small, but as our old team leaves LTC M and I will take their cushy digs, which means I can actually unpack much of my stuff and also set up my computer and download my photos. The food however, is great, there is curry and kabob meat available at lunch and dinner, and I usually stick with that. The job is in a bit of transition right now, we are here as part of a Joint Forces Command experiment fielding some new planning tools. NATO is not sure if they want to use all or parts or none of the things we bring, but we are doing our best to lend an oar wherever we see a need.

Some quick impressions:

The Engrish: A large sign on the Afghan office announcing it the home of the “Sivil Aviation Bureau” and the slightly off grammar of most of the signs around. (Please not to put refuse in toilet)

Being briefed by a Lawyer from the Canadian Navy named LCDR Pierre-Noel and wondering if there was a Captain Santa Clause from Toronto somewhere.

Going to the Bazaar, where everyone is my friend (“hello my friend”) and has the lowest prices on the best quality in all Afghanistan, only for me.

More on that last bit in a future post. All I can say is - it's good for the Brady Bunch that the Armorer is *not* in Kabul, as the count of pre-1898 weapons in the US would *double* by the time I returned. My mailman would hate me for all the long bulky packages he'd be schlepping to the door.

Postcards from the Edgy.

Pity the poor Guardian Angels...

Between the weather, aircraft availability and mechanical problems, this week's training program has been a bust. Aircraft availability because they pulled everything that could fly and sent it into North Waziristan last week. *Huge* op going on there. [Anybody told Senator Obama 'bout that? -the Armorer]

Tuesday, forty terrs bailed out of three trucks approaching a Pak checkpoint and assaulted -- fifteen killed, two captured after the Cobras and checkpoint troops were finished with them. Eight more KBA when two carloads zipping away from a foiled IED-planting expedition tried to outrun a pair of AH-1s and four more scratched when they tried to kamikaze a Pak convoy and failed to look *up* before they made their move.

There are at least three suicide boomers laying low in Islamabad. Two of the ones that went off in mid-July had remote detonators stitched into their belts as "insurance" in case they weren't sufficiently motivated -- they were; cops found the remotes intact. The ISI guys think they were 15-to-17-year-old kids trained in the Lal Masjid who were launched on time-delay before the cops blockaded it.

The MSM here is wondering WTF is going through Barry Obama's brain with that "we'll send US troops into Pakistan" pronouncement. They're contrasting it with Cheney's "emphasis on Pakistan's status as a sovereign state" and his reminder that the US and Pakistan "continue to collaborate successfully in counterterrorism operations."

In other news, security in Shangri-La is getting tighter -- they're installing scanners in the usual locations, pairs of MPs are working the streets on Hondas and the guys manning the checkpoints are actually *behind* the sandbags instead of sitting alongside them. Brown sandbags=MPs, blue sandbags=cops. Last but not least, all foreign diplomats have been instructed to notify the gummint if they plan to go visiting outside their compounds so the gummint can provide gun truck escorts. The gummint also hinted that this would be an excellent time for all of them to stay in and catch up on their reading.

All of the above from the front pages of yestiddy and today's "The Nation"...

And the wireless has gone kerflooey. It keeps insisting the UserID and password it downloaded from its parent site during setup are "incompatible."

Damn ChiCom red plastic POS...

And while these aren't quite the right model of Cobra - this clip's for you, Bill - if that ChiCom POS will allow you to view it, ever.

Ya might wanna kill yer volume or wear head-phones - the music is pretty raucous.

Last bit on Boyda... for a while, anyway.

Aside from the more, shall we say, *committed* Republicans in my circle of people I consider friends (or, emailers driven by the blog), the overall tone of response to Representative Boyda's (D-KS) walk out during General Keane's testimony before the House Armed Services Committee last Friday is one of "I'm so disappointed in her, I had higher hopes for her."

There is a surprising feeling among the assorted right-wingers and centrists of my association that Democrat or no, she has, Iraq campaign votes aside, been pretty representative of the District and done more for the District than her Republican predecessor, Jim Ryun. I've not taken the time (I frankly don't have it at the moment - I'll leave it to others) to do a piece-by-piece examination of Ryun's legislative record vice Boyda's - what's important, especially in the political sphere - is the general consensus of opinion was a politcally-reluctant conclusion that Ms. Boyda was in general exceeding their expectations on most metrics if not the one that is not surprisingly most important among my highly-but-not-exclusively military circle of correspondents.

All of them feel kicked in the teeth, in a sense, by the events of last Friday, as reported. Some have taken a "Ah, she's showing her true colors!" attitude, shading into "She's parroting the Party Leadership, who are making her march to the drum" to - "Damn, she really needs a lot of education about the military if she thinks Jack Keane is a shill for anybody." And there's a real grumbling about she needs a lot of education about war, warfighting, and the difference between the role of Congress and the role of the President on the issue of who does what.

My own feeling is that Ms. Boyda thus far has been batting about .600 on my issues - that's an unweighted scale, mind you. Doesn't mean I'm going to support her for re-election, we'll have to see who the competition puts up. But while I'm reliably Right Wing, and I'm aware of the strategic issues involved in party politics, I decided long ago to eschew doing my bloviating from a purely partisan perspective.

I think it's paid dividends - I've far more access and with that I have *some* influence with Congresswoman Boyda's office than I *ever* did with Jim "Send 'em the standard boilerplate" Ryun. Influence in that I know my voice is heard, and my opinions respected - which is *not* the same thing as accepted... which is fine. But that approach to blogging and politics is why I bring this up - from the Congressional Record, Boyda's floor speech in support of the Accountability in Congress legislation - which she is a co-author of. Because Iraq campaign aside - she *is* doing good stuff, and she ought to get credit for that, too:

Chair: Pursuant to the order of the House of January 4, 2007, the gentlewoman from Kansas (Mrs. Boyda) is recognized during morning-hour debate for 3 minutes.

Rep. Nancy Boyda [D-KS]: Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of accountability in Congress. This year, taxpayers will pay the retirement benefits for Dan Rostenkowski, Duke Cunningham and Bob Ney. What do these men have in common? All are retired Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. All are convicted criminals. Each abused his office by committing fraud, bribery or conspiracy, and each was found guilty in Federal court.

Despite their convictions, these three representatives and over a dozen other former lawmakers remain eligible to draw taxpayer-funded pensions for their service. The exact amount of the payments vary, of course, but the average is about $47,000 per year. That's more than the average American makes. Let me tell you, it's certainly more than the average Kansan makes. Certainly a lot more than the average person in the Second District of Kansas makes.

Mr. Speaker, when the new majority was sworn into the House of Representatives, we had a clear mandate from Americans--End the scandals. Clean up Congress. We've already taken meaningful first steps toward reform. In our first days, we passed an ethics package that banned Members from accepting gifts from lobbyists. We blocked representatives from flying on corporate jets. And we prevented Congressmen from pressuring businesspeople to fire or hire for political reasons.

That last one to me is especially important. Before this Congress, our Congressmen were out there actually influencing people and saying, if you don't agree with my politics, we're asking you to hire or fire businesspeople. It was so wrong.

But our work is not done and it never will be done as long as convicted criminals can draw a congressional pension. Congress can and should revoke the pensions of convicted lawmakers. But for decades now, even as payments have totaled millions of dollars, this body has quietly ignored the problem. But no longer. Today, the bill we will consider this afternoon incorporates legislation that I authored to strip the pensions of these crooked lawmakers. The final bill also sets limits on the so-called revolving door of lawmakers who are turning into lobbyists, and it imposes financial disclosure requirements on the lobbying industry. Sunlight is the best disinfectant and we need a whole lot more transparency still.

Taken together, these changes represent the most significant ethics overhaul to pass the Congress in decades. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. By enacting these sweeping reforms, Congress can begin to recover from the long years of scandal and corruption. Congress can begin to earn back Americans' trust.

Key phrase is "Begin to earn back" Heh. One thing you learn as a leader - never assume trust, and *always* work to earn it. Don't work to *keep* it, that's coasting. Always work as if you are *earning* it - and you'll do fine.

H&I Fires* 2 Aug 07

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...

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Over at The Weekly Standard, John Noonan of Op-For asks a good question. Nice score, Noonan.

CAPT H points us to GOPublius, where you can read Senator Clinton's famous vanishing senior thesis from Wellesley. The one that was buried by the school during the Clinton Presidency but has now surfaced again in time to give us a peek into Young Hillary. I'd have to caveat this with the observation I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be terribly impressed with *my* writings from that era in my life...

From Green Mountain Politics comes this *gem*:

Subject: Manchester Republican Committee to Host Machine Gun Event

The Manchester Republican Committee (MRC) will hold its first Annual Machine Gun Shoot fundraiser on Sunday, August 5, 2007 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The public is invited.

One hopes that the Brady Bunch got their invitation, too! Read all about it here. -the Armorer

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There are probably a few civilian AND military types that wonder how Lt. Gen. Kensinger ends up holding the bag for with holding information or other wise covering up Cpl Pat Tillman's death. I believe, after sifting through almost 3000 pages of testimony, tests and other memoranda, I discovered why Lt. Gen. Kensinger was thrown under the bus. [updated: 15:55z]

The long and short of it is, he decided to re-interpret the regulations regarding family notification or, as I also suspected considering the number of regulations repeated like a Mage Shield in World of Warcraft sequence, he was trying harder to CYA than to take care of his soldiers. Everyone CYAs once in awhile, but, if you don't know when it's time to stop CYA and just do your duty, you are very likely no longer an effective officer or leader.

Right there, I don't blame the Tillman family for their years of trying to get the truth and not trusting the only people that can give it to you because they were not doing their jobs. I would be crawling up Rumsfeld's well protected hindquarters too since these officers were allowed to continue to act that way after two investigations without proper "re-direction".
-Kat [update: I apologize for the chopped up sentences and thoughts on the earlier posting. Learned my lesson, too. If you are in a hurry, you likely can't do the job right. A problem the Tillman investigation showed and I should have learned my lesson from. update to the update: forgot to mention, after much review and re-checking the source material, updated part I of the Tillman story with a more complete outline of the battle scene and an updated diagram. Apparently, I was looking at the scene in reverse. Tillman was on the north side and serial 2 coming from the east. My apologies for any confusion.]

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A Canadian serving with the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan e-mailed some photos and an interesting story to go with them - a story of incremental progress in local governance that you won't find in the MSM. - Damian

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I had a meeting on the Fort this morning, which prevented me from standing with a flag along the cortege route as I usually do when we bury a fallen warrior. We buried hometown Leavenworth loss Sergeant Courtney Finch at Fort Leavenworth today. The odious Phelps clan was present, with a new sign (to me) "Don't worship the dead!"

We don't worship them, you buffoons. We honor their service and offer our respect to the grieving. Something in short measure for you carrion-eaters, who feast on the flesh of the slain to sustain your warped view of the world.

The Armorer was bad. I gave the Phelp's a single-digit handwave as I passed their knot of pinch-faced small-spirited drones spouting their vileness. I regret the lapse that dropped me to their level of discourse. -the Armorer

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Once again - pressure works. The Army is going to do head-to-head testing of the M4 carbine against rifles critics charge function better in extreme environments. This is a good thing, methinks. The flip side, of course, is the whole Dragonskin foofaraw... -the Armorer

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I blame Bush. Well, Senator Reid does, anyway.

After I heard about the bridge collapse yesterday evening, I looked at SWWBO and said... "I blame Bush." Tongue-in-cheek commentary on what I expected to find at Daily Kos, were I to look. Sure enough, there it was.

But wait - there's more!

The Senate leadership of the majority party is already standing on the soggy bodies with his bullhorn.

Yes, this is a discussion that needs to happen - and has been needed for *decades.* Because politicians, such as the Senator from West Byrdinia, prefer to build new, so they can get their names plastered on them, rather than plan and appropriate, and yes, if needed, *tax* to support the infrastructure that already exists. In Missouri we have similar problems. But this is a problem that can be laid squarely on a *class* of people, not an individual or a side.

Senator Reid would have better served his broader constituency had he simply apologized for scoring political points in the budget process, and vowed to move forward.

Feh.

A pox on both your posturing houses.

Congresswoman Boyda and her now-famous walk.

Coming in to work yesterday was interesting - I had voicemail from Representative Nancy Boyda - mostly about our upcoming veteran's/military group meeting next week, but a little bit about her "walk-out" during the testimony of General (ret) Keane at the HASC committee meeting. Uncle Pavian over at West Neanderthal Drive has a wrap-up of the incident and the coverage it's received in the press, along with some... commentary on the subject.

Leavenworth Centurion, retired warrior, fellow rural denizen, and occasional commenter here was so fired up about it that he hit me up for contact information, which, with permission, I provided and his email chat with her staff resulted in a personal call to him from Representative Boyda.

The Centurion's email to me, full of the colorful imagery we routinely fling at each other is below:

John,

We have beaten to quarters, run out our guns, ported our helm, and are bearing up. I intend to rake her by the stern. I have the weather guage.

[Leavenworth Centurion]

My note is below. I will hit send before I go to lunch, your comments are welcome

Dear Doug, [This would be Ms. Boyda's Legislative Director, Doug Matties - a fine fellow in all regards, politics aside]

With your kind permission, I received your email address from a friend, John Donovan.

The Associated Press has quoted Ms. Boyda as saying by way of an explanation for walking out of a committee hearing during testimony by retired General Jack Keane, "there was only so much that you could take."

These are my sentiments exactly. But, what I can no longer take is the political rhetoric coming from the Leadership of the Democrat Party, and now from my own representative. Nancy may be tough, but if she is listening to Senator Reid and Speaker Pelosi, she is also profoundly ignorant of what is going on in Iraq at both the tactical and operational level. Like many in the retired military community, have friends, colleagues, and family who have served and are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan . I can sort the wheat from the chaff amongst the press reports, the official military releases and feedback from trusted and knowledgeable sources.

What Jack Keane said is what many of my ilk can also report. There is a profound change in the conduct and nature of the war at the tactical level. The signs are clear and unequivocal. The only way that the insurgents can achieve victory is if our politicians hand it to them on a silver platter. I have no doubt that is exactly what the Democrat Party intends to do. Their political strategy is transparent: profit politically by engineering a defeat for the United States . I am glad to know that Ms. Boyda is now a full participant in that strategy, for it will steel my opposition to her.

Many, including myself, have been sharply critical of the way that this war has been fought over the past five years, and the blame falls squarely on the shoulders of the President and the former Secretary of Defense. But, we cannot let their mistakes lead us to an even bigger mistake. Can anyone who advocates surrender (for that is exactly what a withdrawal short of our goals will mean) provide a credible and plausible scenario of the positive consequences of that action. If Ms Boyda can offer one up, she will be the first in her party to do so.

This war can be won, and we must show the political will to do so.

Respectfully,

[Leavenworth Centurion]

He later reported out on his conversation with Nancy, when she called him later that day:

Cordial, but not worth much. She apparently doesn't like criticism from people who appear before her committees. Jack Keane said that schools were open, markets are busy, and that people are going about their daily lives in Bagdhad. This she knows to be a lie. Exactly how she knows this, she did not make clear.

Says that she is just trying to have an honest conversation about what to do in Iraq. I believe that was my complaint - her leadership is doing exactly the opposite, refusing to have an honest conversation. So we talked past each other. Didn't impress me with either being well informed or well spoken on the issue. Cited Article 8 of the Constitution regarding Congress' role in regulating the Army and Navy - seems to think that warfighting is done by regulation and policy.

In her voicemail to me, she basically said "Let's not over-react to partisan political rhetoric."

My point remains - while Leavenworth Centurion and Uncle Pavian may not be in a part of the district electorate that she can really expect to win over as a Democrat, the views they express *are* representative of the chunk of the center of the electorate who gave her the victory last November, and who's sensitivities on the issues of Iraq and the larger GWOT she needs to be mindful of. Her hard-core base, who probably ate the stuff up, aren't the slice of her electorate that may switch back to a Republican candidate, if she's going to give us Daily Kos moments of political theater - whether it was her intention to do so, or no. In human interaction, perspective is reality, and an objective truth is essentially a philosophical construct (i.e., the "if a tree falls in the woods, and no hears it does it make a noise" example).

And the real crux, from the political perspective - is that the truth of the matter as she believes it to be matters not - as it's the appearance of the matter, as expressed in such mainstream media outlets such as the WSJ, WashTimes, and, more damaging for her in the district, the KC Star, not just the blogs. That's what the electorate are going to take away from this event.

I don't know if this will be an item of discussion in the formal meeting, as there are numerous veteran's and general military issues and such on the table, but I'm willing to bet, if her schedule has the time in it - it will at least get discussed off-line by the gaggle of retired senior leaders and at least one mid-level retiree-who-blogs - Jack Keane, as Leavenworth Centurion observes, is widely respected in the military community as a straight-shooter, not a political shill - and deserves a respectful hearing, even if it seemingly doesn't match your pre-conceived notions.

But Uncle Pavian is correct - her handling of this does constitute a test of her ability and political agility. It's interesting having a ring-side seat to the theater, to, um, badly mix metaphors.

Meanwhile, over in the sandbox...

U.S. Army Spc. Carlos Santos, of 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, surveys the streets of Jamia, Iraq, for insurgent activity July 29, 2007. DoD photo by Master Sgt. Brian L. Boone, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

Pressure works.

From the VA:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 30, 2007

VA’s Suicide Hot Line Begins Operations

Nicholson: “Help a Phone Call Away”

WASHINGTON – To ensure veterans with emotional crises have round-the-clock access to trained professionals, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has begun operation of a national suicide prevention hot line for veterans.

“Veterans need to know these VA professionals are literally a phone call away,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson said. “All service members who experience the stresses of combat can have wounds on their minds as well as their bodies. Veterans should see mental health services as another benefit they have earned, which the men and women of VA are honored to provide.”

The toll-free hot line number is 1-800-273-TALK (8255). VA’s hot line will be staffed by mental health professionals in Canandaigua , N.Y. They will take toll-free calls from across the country and work closely with local VA mental health providers to help callers.

To operate the national hot line, VA is partnering with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

“The hot line will put veterans in touch – any time of the day or night, any day of the week, from anywhere in the country – with trained, caring professionals who can help,” added Nicholson. “This is another example of the VA’s commitment to provide world-class health care for our nation’s veterans, especially combat veterans newly returned from Iraq and Afghanistan .”

The suicide hot line is among several enhancements to mental health care that Nicholson has announced this year. In mid July, the Department’s top mental health professionals convened in the Washington , D.C. , area to review the services provided to veterans of the Global War on Terror.

Too bad it *takes* pressure on a subject like this.

Kansas Casualties

Kansas Army National Guard:

KANSAS GUARDSMAN KILLED IN IRAQ

Staff Sergeant Travis S. Bachman, 30, a member of the 1st Battalion, 161st Field Artillery, Kansas National Guard, died today, August 1, 2007 at approximately 5:10 a.m. when an improvised explosive device exploded near his vehicle.

"My sincere condolences go out to Travis' family and friends," said Maj. Gen. Tod Bunting, the adjutant general. "He was a man who loved his country and loved being a Guardsman. He will be missed and remembered. This country was made great and remains so today thanks to valiant patriots like Sgt. Bachman."

Bachman, a resident of Garden City, Kan., deployed to Iraq with the 714th Security Forces in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He enlisted with the Kansas National Guard in 1993 while still in high school.

Bachman deployed for Operation Noble Eagle in 2002, providing security at military bases in Kansas.

He is survived by his wife, Amber, three children, and his parents, Rodney
and Connie Bachmann, Garden City.

1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley:

FORT RILEY SOLDIER KILLED IN IRAQ

Specialist Camy Florexil, 20, died July 24 in Baghdad, Iraq of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations July 23 in Baghdad.

Florexil was an infantryman assigned to 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division. His home of record is Philadelphia.

He entered the Army in September 2005 and began serving with the 1st Infantry Division in February 2006. This was his first deployment in support of the Global War on Terrorism.

To date, 119 Fort Riley Soldiers and one Airman have been killed while serving in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

Two more inbounds to Fiddler's Green.

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

H&I Fires* 1 Aug 07

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...

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Hey, when Big Government lovin' maple-syrup 'n beer swillin' Alan has a mildly conservative moment - how can I *not* link it? Especially a post that opens up this way:

What Next...No Butter Knives? by alan [5:01 PM July 31, 2007] I am not exactly a candidate for NRA membership but this bit of news about shutting down a Toronto university shooting range with a perfect track record smacks heavily of something very smelly:

To find out more - click here.

Moving back down south...

Given the, *ahem* good press the farm bill is getting right now - and our recent assumption of the mantle of "farmer," it seems appropriate at this time that though are at least two programs we could qualify for, SWWBO and I do not intend to apply for government largesse with taxpayer dollars to subsidize our dream here. We will, however, take advantage of the tax laws that favor our endeavor - and have already in terms of sales taxes on farming-related equipment and keeping the land in agricultural use so that the property is taxed at agricultural rates.

And we're providing money-making opportunities to *real farmers* in the management of our property.

Just thought I should say that. If I was *relying* on the farm as a primary source of income, I might well feel differently, but the programs I looked at that we qualify for seem to incentivize bad planning, with the possible exception of the crop reserve program - which I'm not applying to because I don't want to give the government even more reasons to tell me what I can, and can't do with the land than it already has. -the Amorer

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Larry K sent along this video - I haven't discovered where the secret tractor meets are in Leavenworth County yet - outside the county fair...

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What Tuttle Isn't Telling You

[For newer visitors to the Castle - Carborundum is Tuttle's Guardian Angel - an overworked creature if ever one existed. Yes, it's true. Guardian Angels, (GA's in Denizen-speak) *do* exist. - the Armorer]

Greetings, mortal humans. ANGSGT Carborundum here. The higher-ups saw Tuttle warming up the TINS generator and authorized me to release certain documents and transcripts, pursuant to providing a *complete* and accurate depiction of the situation at hand.

The following is a briefing transcript, shortly after the incident described here took place .......

All right, you lot, listen up! First, I'd like to commend the teamwork that went into the sandstorm operation. Not only did we keep Tuttle on the ground, we kept him distracted with the *possibility* of flying so he didn't get into more trouble. [sound of cheering] And then Calamitus and team redirected our sandstorm assets to help shield his car from that roadside explosives vendor looking for a target. Superior tactical thinking and adaptability, in the finest tradition of the GA Corps!

Now some efforts didn't pay off -- Crepusculum, the hot-sauce pizza with bacteria topping would have been a better idea if Tuttle didn't have the digestive system of a goat. I recommend you -- ALL of you -- review my notes from previous campaigns [stifled mutters and grumbling], especially the section headed "Cam Tranh and the Unfortunate Kimchee Incident". Did it ever occur to you geniuses that maybe, just maybe, us old guys TRIED THAT BEFORE and it DIDN'T WORK?

Now pay attention and wipe those smug grins off your faces! *Tuttle is going to fly eventually*, no matter how clever we are. [weeping and consternation] Why? Because life isn't fair, that's why! What kind of moth-eaten cherubs do you think you are? You are GUARDIAN ANGELS, chumps. They don't send us in for the easy ones. And when they do, most humans only need one. Think about that. Take a look around. Lot more than one on this cloud, ain't there. You think ANGCOM skipped the decimal point over by mistake? Twice? Think ol' Carbo was just giving you busywork with the wire-strike teams and the meteorite and lightning deflection drills and the cosmic ray decontamination manuals? Think I'm DEAF? That's the kind of thinking that can get you, your teammates, and our target in trouble. That. Will. Not. Happen. Got that? I've seen too many good GA's [choke, cough] .... this detail is hell. Pardon my French. Just remember Detrius, and remember he's one of the lucky ones. We brought him back, what was left anyway. Want to be like him, splashing red fingerpaint around in a room with rubber wallpaper? Just get careless. ONCE. *He* thought, "Oh, that's just a banana peel, I can handle that," when it was actually a banana peel covering a spherical pellet of compressed C-4 resting on a bed of experimental high-temp flash powder. In front of a cage with a defective frame that was full of gouty tigers. Take NOTHING for granted around Tuttle!

Assignments--I've changed you around a bit. Aphasia, you are on Paperwork, Permits, and Paraphernalia. Decimus, you've got Entropy Enhancement, Mechanical. Don't forget to do a full job on a component, we aren't supposed to be helping the enemy here. Keep him on the ground, OR flying safely. Nothing in between. Inflatius and team, Advantageous Random Weather. Review the "Sudden Updrafts in the event of an Imminent Prong" manual, and come up with some similar ideas. Vacuus, you're on Inter-Team Communication. Don't screw up. Please. The rest of you, check with your section leader for any updates to your missions. I'll be on general overflight, and with Busty the Wrench here, Jesus Nut Maintenance. [nervous laughter]

Any questions? Then MOVE OUT!

And may God have mercy on us all .....

Solving the Whatziss...

Casey and OFS get constructive credit on the main item, though they were only *close* not quite correct - in that their answer was correct, if essentially incomplete.

The items in the second picture of the Whatziss post are the *waterproof liner* and gasket for a mine horn. And yes, Casey, essentially they are little batteries-in-waiting, which, when crushed by contact with a ship, the chemicals mix to make a battery, setting off the mine. More specifically, this ship crushes the lead horn, which cracks the vial of sulfuric acid inside it, the acid then running down a tube and into a lead-acid battery which until that point contains no electrolyte. That fires up the battery, which detonates the explosive.

Earlier forms of this type of detonator had horns filled with sulfuric acid, surrounded by the mixture of potassium perchlorate and sugar. When the horn was crushed, the acid mixed with an ignited the perchlorate-sugar mix, and the flame exploded the charge. Here's the complete picture, minus the part (the actual horn) that I've used as a "Whatziss" in the past:

In complete context, so to speak (well, absent the whole lying on the sea-floor waiting for a ship to brush it thing) is a typical german naval mine - drop the thing from the minelayer, it drops to the sea-floor, and then releases the mine on a tether to float below the surface, waiting for that unsuspecting victim.

Now, the first item in the whatziss, that was just there to be there and not really intended as a challenge - it was similar to posting a valve spring from an engine all by itself and asking you to identify it. I'm not *quite* that mean... Bar shot? That didn't occur to me - not just because I knew what it was, but I've never seen bar shot with a valve on it before. MunDane, who made the only semi-serious attempt, offered up a condenser, possibly from a small steam engine.

It's a component (about 17 inches in length) of the pneumatic guidance system for a V1 "Buzz Bomb," that fell in the Kentish countryside in 1944.

No, I didn't expect anyone to get that. I looked hard, but there's nothing on the 'net that showed it - though I did find it in an exploded drawing I have in a book - well, that's not on the 'net, eh? That was just there because I thought it would be fun to put it up there and see how creative you guys go.

The *most* creative (yet predictable) answers were thankfully emailed me.

One Positive Aspect of Global Warming

Vitamin C tab the size of a quarter.

*gulp*

Name brand multivitamin.

*gulp*

Anti-malaria horse-pill.

*gulp*

Warning note on bottle: Avoid Prolonged Or Excessive Exposure To Direct And/Or Artificial Sunlight While Taking This Medication. Remind me to pass on all the tanning salons around here.

When I first got here (last week), the mosquitoes acted like they were WereKitty and I was a pole -- I took a cue from the locals and made a sorta Tuareg headwrap from an Army sling to keep the little bassetts out of my mouth, nose and ears. This, thought I, was not even going to be as much fun as Vietnam was -- at least we could bathe in malathion back in those days.

"Don't worry about the mosquitoes too much," said one of the mechanics. "They'll be gone soon."

"Why? Are the local bats gonna start doing their job?"

"No. In two days, banut garam. It will be too hot for mosquitoes."

Too hot for *mosquitoes*?

[Flashback to last month, Deep in Dixie: "Wow. The temp on the ramp is 40˚C? *That* can't be right -- but if it is, it's gonna limit our available power a *lot*. Lucky you'll be doing most of your flying at night, where you're going..."]

Banut garam happened two days later, just like the mechanic said. No mosquitoes. None. Soooo, what's too hot for mosquitoes, you ask?

Ummmm, I couldn't tell you about the temperature at noon (I was Avoiding Excessive Exposure To Direct Sunlight) but right around midnight, the temperature finally dropped down to a point we could read on the free-air temp gauge.

40˚C. Roughly 113˚ Fahrenheit. And, no, it's *not* a dry heat.

Just as an aside, they've improved the efficacy of the malaria pill since the last time I consumed massive quantities of 'em -- you still got malaria, sometimes, but the meds masked the symptoms to allow you to keep flying.

Now they've gotta work on the taste...

H&I Fires* 31 July 07

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...

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From MNF-I:

- General recognizes pilots for daring rescue mission

- 1-15 Inf. helps Iraqis during free heath clinic
- Robots roll into combat

- Balad F-16s destroy terrorist training camp

- Prime minister makes first trip to Diyala since taking office

- Operation Fardh al-Qanoon achieving good results

- Local residents lead Soldiers to huge weapons cache

Press Briefing, July 30:

Media Roundtable with Rear Adm. Mark I. Fox, Deputy Spokesman for Multinational Force-Iraq, and Maj. Gen. David Edgington, director, Air Component Coordination Element, Multi-National Force-Iraq, July 30, 2007.

Here's a MNF-I video to warm aviator's hearts.

While I suspect that some of the seeming delay in response is due to getting permissions and, perhaps more importantly, gathering intel, there is another aspect. I'm guessing these guys thought they got away with it, right before that Apache fired 'em up.

I can also think of some lessons learned I might glean from this - but I think I'll just keep those to myself. -the Armorer

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Speaking of posting videos - I got this missive this morning from Denizen NevadaDailySteve:

John,

I was over at Rachel Lucas' site and she had a posting there about the jihadists using You Tube to post videos of IED attacks against our people in Iraq. Apparently you can't be a conservative and post a video on You Tube but you can if you are a terrorist killing Americans.

Here's a like to Rachel's post and to Operation You Tube Smackdown, a group exposing this bull.

I thought the denizens might be interested in this. I know I was flabbergasted they allowed this crap on their site.

I viewed a few of the videos and I'm ANGRY. I'm going to get off the computer now and get me a half a dozen aspirin or so. I've got a raging headache and I'm shaking so hard it's next to impossible to hit the right keys.

Steve

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Coupla days ago, JTG sent me a note regarding seat belt extensions (a subject I got all hissy about in comments when Bill was jerking my beard). I hadn't looked at it this way...

Howdy do, J&B

If you look like you need one, but don't, actually, I think you should always ask for one when flying.

Nice to have a flail weapon ready to hand against dacoits and thugs etc., dontcha know.

Skinny A-rabs who ask for the things should get the jaundiced eye from the Stewards/esses.

Being a skinny blue-eyed white guy, I can't avail myself of such an advantage, but that's OK, I gave up flying commercial airliners back in '98, I think it was, when the odious "photo ID" was first promulgated.

Talk about an internal passport! Grr!

All the best from Wade, who really would like to restore The Old Republic, but does not think that's possible.

N.B.: The Armorer knows better than to refer to our helpful in-sky saviors as "Stews" or anything similar - that's JTG typing there!

I would note that I wear a broad leather belt with a heavy brass buckle on the end - a belt longer than a seatbelt extension (of course, I would have to take it off, which might cause an incident itself, what with hysterical blindness inflicted on people should my jeans drop to my ankles - but I ain't a commando). Nice, heavy brass buckle on it - that would leave, in reverse, "Observer-Controller" "Green Team" and a Scorpion in mirror-image on a jihadi/thug forehead... -the Armorer

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Put me in Jerry Pournelle's corner (hey, he's a former Redleg, what can I say. Oh, he also wrote some pretty good sci fi, too... ) H/t, JTG. -the Armorer

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First offering of the day: Keith Olbermann is an Idiot (and so is John Stoltz from VoteVets).

I really didn't want to do this, but it seems that the conspiracy theorists are hard at work still trying to extrapolate something out of nothing on Pat Tillman's actual death.

I actually have no idea why Stoltz was on the program beyond bolstering Olbermann's crazy conspiracies. I mean, is that even a news organization anymore? It's more like "The Enquirer" on cable steroids. I was actually trying not to laugh during the program. Of course, it's serious enough to be on national cable news, so I took it seriously and answered some of this claims. My favorites are always the details. Olbermann says the wounds Tillman suffered were caused by an M16. Funny thing, nobody had an M16 and nobody ever said what weapon's system made the wounds. Even the ME emphatically stated that the only thing they could extrapolate from the wounds was the probable size of the rounds. He had no significant fragments or intact rounds to do ballistic tests on. All rounds had exited Tillman's head. Somehow, everyone ignores the three weapons systems that were there that fired the same corresponding rounds as the mythical M16.

Also, I like the part where three of the men admitted to shooting into Tillman's position with at least 40 rounds or more, but somehow everybody ignores this in favor of the lone gunner taking dead aim and placing three rounds in Tillman's head with malice afore thought (or, maybe accidental discharge at close range though the ME emphatically denies that, too). Where were these folks when Kennedy was killed?

What you can know for certain is that none of these people have read any of the investigation. They are simply extrapolating and making conjectures from limited reports put out by the AP. And, honestly, if you wanted to make a conspiracy theory, there are many more interesting fubars and bizarre happenings to sink your teeth into.

On a final note, considering all the conspiracies, Kevin Tillman, Pat Tillman's brother, was in the same platoon that day. He was in the last GMV in section 2. It was the first GMV of section 2 that came out of the canyon and fired on Pat Tillman's position. Olbermann implies that there was no enemy firing on the American troops that day. Everybody else says there was. If they were not attacked by the enemy that day, don't you think Kevin Tillman would have come forward and said so by now? He has nothing to hide.

Unless Olbermann and Stoltz believe that Kevin Tillman is a brainwashed automaton who is conspiring to hide his own brother's murder in a bizarre twist of Cain and Able?

That conspiracy theory is just as sane as any others Olbermann and Stoltz floated. Which is to say, not very. (please note immediately, I am in no way implying or otherwise stating that Kevin Tillman murdered or conspired to murder his brother; this was complete sarcasm)

Anywhooo, answering Idiot Olbermann and some work on the trajectory based on diagrams and photos supplied by the CID.

Oh..and would you be surprised to learn that certain media organizations threatened to out one of the original investigators as a party to "the conspiracy" if he did not speak to them? Thus, causing said investigator to refuse to cooperate anymore? You know, interfering with an investigation?

I try not to beat up on the press and call them evil handmaidens of Satan too often, but sometimes they just beg a serious application of The Clue Bat(tm).
-Kat

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San Antonio Rose Lioness: I'll be in San Antonio on Soldiers' Angels/Valour-IT business this Thursday through Sunday, with lots of free time... not that anybody seems to care... *pout* Seriously, drop me a line if you're in the area (or if you're a night-owl in Las Vegas, haha). - FbL (Fuzzybear Lioness)

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Hey! Someone near Quantico go grab a camera and cover this! I want pics! -the Armorer

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Noah Schachtman needs your help - to help the Army re-brand the FCS program to something a little less, um, laden with baggage. I favor BOONDOGGLE, myself. - The Armorer

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Update: If you really can't get enough of the whole "how was Pat Tillman killed", the investigating general will give a review at 3pm EDT on the Pentagon Channel. I suspect he will know better than I what the report details. -Kat

Heh! Incoming! Waitaminnit - Friendlies! Friendlies!

I'm taking incoming. Me - good ol' mostly right-wing milblogger me - for something my congressional Representative, Nancy Boyda (D, Ks) did at a committee hearing of the Armed Services Committee.

That Washington Times has an editorial up today...

First paragraph:

A glimmer of hope in Iraq, and at home
The cracks in Congress' emerging Iraq withdrawal consensus are bound to show if people take the spate of recent positive developments on the ground in Iraq into serious consideration. There is substantial evidence that the surge is working, that terrorist "whack-a-mole" is not the inevitable state of affairs in Iraq, and hence that there is hope yet for a self-sustaining Iraq — as long as U.S. lawmakers do not cut off the war effort.

Last two paras:

We would also mention Washington Post columnist David Ignatius' contention that a safe withdrawal from Iraq "will be impossible if the necessary bargaining takes place against a backdrop of continual congressional demands for a faster withdrawal." In sum, "[I]t matters powerfully how we disengage."

As a moment in the politics of this Iraq debate, it would be beyond tragic if Congress were to cut off the war effort at the very moment that significant progress had finally gotten underway. We are at a moment when freshman Rep. Nancy Boyda, Kansas Democrat, feels justified walking out on retired Army Gen. Jack Keane at a hearing because she cannot stomach the general's positive assessment of developments in Iraq. Let us hope we will soon arrive at a moment when Mrs. Boyda can be regarded as histrionic and no more.

Cease firing! Friendlies! People, I have *access* which is *not* the same thing as influence. I'm on her Veteran's/Military advisory council - which is a forum for bringing her issues that span the gamut from health care to the war - but we *don't* craft her message or her policies.

This is her office's current official response explaining why she left the meeting:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Thomas Seay, 785-234-8111
July 30, 2007

REP. BOYDA: "CONGRESS MUST MAKE DECISIONS ON THE REALITY" OF IRAQ

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Nancy Boyda (Kansas Second District) today released the following statement about recent House Armed Services Committee hearings into the war in Iraq :

“We all hope and pray for good news from Iraq , but empty assurances of success are not the same thing as genuine improvement. At a Friday meeting of the House Armed Services Committee, I found myself hearing the same empty rhetoric and rose-colored interpretations we have listened to for five years. As I have said repeatedly, Congress must make decisions on the reality of the situation, not where we wish we were.

“Congress needs to hear a balanced description of the good and the bad so that we can make decisions on the best way forward.”

I would submit, ma'am, that using those words in the committee meeting would have all the effect you needed, without the drama of walking out on General Keane.

Heh. Nancy - I know you guys read the blog... so I'll say this publicly - this is not playing well in my slice of the electorate, however grand a piece of theater and gesture it may have been.

Remember - it's not the base you have to work to keep - it's the 1% and those around them that pushed you over the edge in the election you have to keep. As it's been reported thus far - that segment is a bit non-plussed.

If it's playing well at Democratic Underground... well, *that's* not really a recommendation, now is it?

I will post any further releases her office puts out on the issue. And I'll solicit your comments (IAW the Rulez, plz) which I will take forward to the meeting next week. Please do make a distinction in comments or emails as to whether or not you reside in the District (Kansas 2) please. If you'd like to contact Congresswoman Boyda's office directly - simply click here.

Anudder whatzis...

No, not this. That would just be cruel.

No, rather than that one, we'll go with this one - with which I have high expectations for some *very* low comedy. Remember the Rulez, plz. And this *is* a legitimate whatzis fully in keeping with Arsenal holdings...

This is my day for offering a platform - this time to Veterans in Mesa, Arizona.

A missive from Jacki - who has been a long-time and substantial supporter of Project Valour-IT:

John,

I wrote to you last year about driving in a Veterans Day parade. I had to beg for you to blog like this, but I know the Veterans of Mesa, and they deserve a million times better than this.

Mesa voters voted down a property tax or and cuts have been happening. The parade went off last year without city funding, and hopefully will again this year, but I'm begging for your help.

Mostly I'm bugging you because of one stupid comment on the article. It drove me to grovel. I hate grovelling.

I know you have a lot going on with the new castle and all. If you have too much going on, please let me know. I'll understand and beg elsewhere. I came to you first because of the Clue Bat. And because you wrote back.

Here comes the flagrant sucking-up: you have a loyal readership that can make some of the connections and bring in some of the support that the Mesa Veterans Parade Association can only benefit from. Other people might follow your lead and blog more, or donate, or volunteer.

I've already been recruited for parade duty. I'm all in. If you want me to write something about last year's parade, I'll do it. If you want me to do legwork in Mesa, I'll do my best. If you want me to buy you drinks at the Milblog Conf. next spring, I'll line them up. Say it.

Again, if it's a bad time, I can bug other people. I won't think anything other than that you're busy with the new home.

I'm enclosing the entire article, but must start with the comment left on the article:

Let them Eat Cake
"Two Veterans want to give themselves a parade?
Let them pay for it themselves!"

Veterans seek funding for Mesa parade
Jason Massad, Tribune
July 29, 2007
Private donations made sure last Veterans Day would be would be marked by the usual colorful floats, bands marching down Mesa's Main Street and throngs of people waving Old Glory.

Mesa had cut off funding for the annual parade to honor U.S. military personnel. It was among several city-sponsored community events that were stripped of funding after a round of budget cuts and staff layoffs.

Still, the parade went off without a hitch after a group of local veterans raised more than $15,000 to cover the loss of city dollars.

But it's becoming clear, the veterans say, that there won't be any money coming from Mesa this year. And maybe not even the year after.

This fall, the leaders of veterans groups will try to mount another campaign so they can have a proper parade on Nov. 12. But they face a roadblock, they say.

Many in Mesa don't realize the event was ever in jeopardy, said Frank Alger, a leader in the Mesa Veterans Parade Association.

"Ninety-five percent of the people I run into think that Mesa put it on," he said. "They have no clue that there's anything wrong."

The veterans group faces challenges this year in keeping the annual tradition alive.

Last year, a local Army veteran agreed to underwrite the entire event. In the end, the vet chipped in $2,000 to $3,000 after a successful fundraising campaign brought in most of the money for the event, Alger said.

There are no such promises this year.

The group has created a nonprofit organization to accept tax-deductible donations, and has already held two fundraisers. Organizers are planning a barbecue in August to boost the total, Alger said. So far, the organization has gathered more than $4,000 for the parade.

"This year we are all on our own," Alger said. "We're not a fly-by-night group. We want people to know that we're here to stay."

Jerry Walker, who's also involved with the parade organization, said the city should at least pitch in for security.

Last year, the veterans group paid more than $2,000 to hire Mesa police officers to provide security for the parade. City regulations require that police officers be paid for their service, and they can't volunteer, according to organizers.

Walker thinks the city should step up to the plate.

"They provide free police for the baseball team when they are here," Walker said, referring to Chicago Cubs spring training at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa. "It's not free, but they are already on salary."

The city might be too cash-strapped to put on a Veterans Day Parade, but they're backing it in spirit.

Mayor Keno Hawker issued a proclamation supporting the group, declaring September a month to recognize veterans.

For information about parade contributions call (480)-890-7469 or visit www.mesaveterans.org.

The Armorer has some experience with putting on parades (Leavenworth has more parades than anyplace else I've ever lived, and Rotary marshals one and participates in the others). The Master and Mistress of the Castle have made a donation. If you're in the area and can help directly, please do. If you're out of the area... well, do what your heart tells you to do.

This is only partially useful...

The question immediately that pops to my mind is... where is the equivalent program, focus, and highly-successful-career requirement for... the State Department, Justice, Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development, Homeland Security, etc?

All well and good that we encourage and reward military personnel for stepping outside of the confines of the Department - but it won't integrate Federal Government operations offshore if the only player training to that level is DoD.

New Joint Qualification System Enhances Officer Management

The Department of Defense announced today the details of a new joint qualification system (JQS), which will help to identify military personnel who possess the abilities needed to achieve success in the joint/interagency environment.This new program will allow DoD to better incorporate an officer's joint experiences and qualifications into assignment, promotion and development decisions.

Inherent in this new system is the ability to recognize the skills that aid U.S. military efforts to respond to national security threats, as well as interagency, combat operations and humanitarian crises at home and abroad.A four-level system serves to enhance the tenets of jointness set forth in the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act (GNA) of 1986 and will be implemented for all services on Oct. 1, 2007.

While officers may still earn designation as a Joint Qualified Officer, formerly known as a Joint
Specialty Officer, by completing the requisite joint professional military education and a standard-joint duty assignment, officers may also earn qualifications by accumulating equivalent levels of joint experience, education, and training.The experience-based system awards points in tracking the progression through successive qualification levels, while accounting for the intensity, environment, and duration/frequency of each joint activity.

The system encourages officers' career-long development of joint expertise because it recognizes experiences earned from commissioning to retirement.Earning these joint qualifications is vital for officers who wish to advance their careers to the highest level.As of Oct. 1, 2008, active component officers must have completed a full joint duty assignment and be designated a joint qualified officer in order to be appointed to the rank of general or flag officer.

The JQS also represents a "total force" approach that allows active and reserve component (RC) officers to earn the same joint qualifications.Recognizing that the reserve components lacked the opportunity to receive joint credit since the inception of the GNA in 1986, RC officers who served in qualifying joint assignments under provisions of title 10 U.S.C., chapter 38 that were in effect from Oct. 1, 1986, until Sep. 30, 2007, may be awarded joint duty credit.Additionally, all officers may self-nominate their joint activities for point recognition dating back to Sep. 11, 2001, enabling the recognition of joint experience outside of traditional joint duty assignment positions.

And, from the DoD perspective - there has to be some real effort to place officers *in* inter-agency positions, not just joint positions within DoD - which, among other things, means playing nice with others so that they're willing to let the uniforms in.

I would *also* note - in some respects, Ralph Peter's idea of using retirees in "Auxiliary Officer" positions might be useful in this regard, too.

Kansas Casualties.

First, a hometown soldier of the Kansas Army National Guard, Sergeant Courtney D. Finch, a non-combat loss:

...not that his loss somehow hurts less because it wasn't in combat.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sgt. Courtney D. Finch, 27, of Leavenworth, Kan., died July 24 in Qayyarah, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 714th Maintenance Company, Kansas Army National Guard, Topeka, Kan.

The incident is under investigation.

For more information related to this release, the media may contact the Kansas National Guard public affairs office at (785) 274-1192.

Second is Specialist Daniel Leckel, and Infantryman of the 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley.

FORT RILEY SOLDIER KILLED IN IRAQ

Specialist Daniel A. Leckel, 19, died of wounds suffered from enemy small arms fire July 25 in Baghdad, Iraq.

Leckel was an infantryman assigned to 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division. His home of record is Medford, Ore.

He entered the Army in January 2006 and began serving with the 1st Infantry Division in May 2006. This was his first deployment in support of the Global War on Terrorism.

To date, 118 Fort Riley Soldiers and one Airman have been killed while serving in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

Two more draws down in the 'Green, please.

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

H&I Fires* 30 July 07

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...

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Fuzzybear Lioness here, stepping up while John cares for one of my relatives...

Cdr. Salamander points us to an amazing article in NYT by members of the Brookings Institution who have been visiting Iraq: apparently the tide has turned in Iraq and this might just work. Somebody go check the ledges outside certain politicians' offices... UPDATE: Cassandra delivers some blistering commentary.

In more Iraq news, they have other reasons to celebrate. Be sure to listen to the second video; joy is pan-linguistic (if you listen carefully enough, you'll hear the announcer list the various Iraqi cities and sects that form the backgrounds of the team members).

Powerline points us to a survey of global opinion that contains very good news and kinda bad news. Bad being that Americans are apparently rather gloomy. The surprising thing is how partisan that gloom is--not only do political parties have different "facts," they now apparently have different realities entirely. - FbL

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Heh, Chief Justice Roberts takes a spill, and there's joy in the DU - or, in some cases, sadness that the fall wasn't severe enough. One sub-thread was deleted... one wonders, was it not bloodthirsty enough... or was it *worse*? Double-heh. The scariest part of this thread? These are the people most motivated to vote in the primaries. The right-wing equivalents, too (and c'mon, you know they're out there... though if the Left's characterization of them is to be believed, they're too stupid to manage the voting process...). Anyway - that's the state of Democracy on the Fringe. -the Armorer

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On The Differing Definitions of International Internet Connectivity

Dialup: Means you've got an extra jack in your room phone, which turns into a party line whenever there's a dust storm and requires the intervention of a Higher Power to get an overseas connection.

WAN/LAN: Means you've got dialup via a (bootleg) connection to the server in the -- ummmm -- establishment.

Wireless: Means you bought a phone made in China with operating instructions written in Urdu. But it's got a USB port.

FiOS: Lift the receiver, try to Find the Operator while Swearing under your breath.

Heh.

Dealing with a member of "the world's greatest deliberative body"...

On 22 May, at the height of the immigration kerfuffle in Congress, I wrote my RINO Senator this email (I was pretty frustrated):

Senator [RINO],

As a 53-year-old military retiree and resident of [our state], I am shocked by the Senate's most recent move to address the illegal immigration problem. If you vote for this bill, probably one of the most cynical and self-destructive pieces of legislation ever to be rushed through the Congress by Senators McCain and Kennedy, rest assured you will never, ever have my support for reelection.

I put my life on the line for 26 years for this country and to see how isolated from the people our elected representatives have become both frightens and angers me.

We, the people, may not display our Senators' rhetorical skills, be masters of "nuance" or otherwise look good in front of a camera, but we're not stupid, nor are we easily fooled. Apparently, many in the Senate would not agree.

Mark my words, Senator. Americans, of all backgrounds, rely on a society that respects the rule of law. What your colleagues are doing fundamentally, and I fear irrevocably, undermines that respect.

Whatever shred of trust I had for the Republican Party is evaporating. Your caucus is rapidly losing what little respect I had for it, [RINO Senator's first name]. Next to go is my vote.

Very Sincerely,
(Me), Col, USAF, Ret.

67 days later, I get what I consider a non-answer, of sorts...not surprising. Like all Senators, this guy is busy, he's an incumbent who hasn't been seriously challenged for reelection in recent memory, and one disgruntled constituent hardly constitutes a reason to pay much attention to same.

Here's what his staffer wrote 2+ months after the fact:
(NOTE: Not using the professional title a writer uses in his signature block in the return salutation, i.e., "Mr." vs. "Col." says one of two things, either the respondent consciously considers it to be inconsequential or irrelevant, or they aren't familiar enough with the fact that military officer titles do have some meaning among that cohort. Was I surprised? Nah. But it did get my attention.)

Dear Mr. (Me):

Thank you for contacting me. I appreciate knowing your
thoughts about immigration reform and border security.

I share your support for increased border security and voted
last year to pass the Secure Fence Act of 2006. This legislation
authorizes the construction of approximately 700 miles of double-
layered fencing at specified locations along the almost 2,000-mile
southwest U.S. international border with Mexico.

In addition to improving border security, I believe that the
status quo is not acceptable and that our immigration policies
should be updated in a comprehensive way to provide some
realistic resolution to the status of undocumented immigrants
living in this country.

On June 28th, unable to bring debate to a close, Majority
Leader Harry Reid pulled a bipartisan compromise immigration
proposal from the Senate Floor. At this point, it is unclear if the
Majority Leader will bring this measure back to the Floor for
consideration.

Again, thank you for contacting me.

Sincerely,

[RINO]
United States Senator

RINO's Initials/cga

I wrote back the same day:

Senator [RINO],

Thank you for your reply.

Re: Your second paragraph, can you tell me how many miles of fence have been built since the Secure Fence Act of 2006? Not what is proposed or on the schedule to be built, but how many miles actually exist as of 30 July 2007?

Re: Your third paragraph, what does "realistic resolution" mean precisely? Also, can you tell me the difference between an "undocumented immigrant" and an illegal alien?

Re: Your fourth paragraph, can you give me your thoughts on why Senator Reid had to pull the measure from the floor? I am under the impression that your colleagues' constituencies may have had a hand in that but I'd like your opinion.

Two other questions:

1) What is your position on re-instituting the Fairness Doctrine and, more specifically, its ability to withstand judicial scrutiny with respect to its impact on First Amendment freedoms?

2) Are you aware that Senator Biden, when asked during the CNN/YouTube Democratic Debate to speculate on a Republican he would theoretically include on his team, named you as a potential member of his Cabinet? I believe he thinks you would make a good Secretary of State in a Biden Administration, if he had to choose a Republican. Have your staffers looked into this or have you had any discussions with your colleague from Delaware?

I look forward to your responses to my questions.

Respectfully,
(Me), Col, USAF, Ret
[Town], [State]

I'll keep you posted on his response...if any. -Instapilot

The Whatziss... concluded.

I'm in a rush - I've got to get to the farm, collect S'mudge and take her to the vet, get her back out there and then myself off to work.

But I will answer the Whatziss that has vexed you all for the last week.

Part one. Calling it a manifold was remarkably close, in a sense. The center of that star contained... explosives, and the arms were...

...as we saw in the second picture - fuze holders, all of which were wrapped in...

...the item from the third picture, which was the shell of the...

WWI German discus grenade, which was thrown like a discus, and had all those fuzes on it to increase the likelihood of a successful detonation.

But in reality it's a pretty small, ineffective grenade that is typical of the inventiveness displayed as people were struggling with ways to get more and better ways to kill people in soldier's hands during the war.

H&I Fires* 29 Jul 07

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...

*********************************

Hard to believe I'm the first one here to set up the H&I post, all you folks to the east must be busy. Be sure to scroll down and catch Bill's note from the edge, and Kat's take on developments in the Pat Tillman story.
I'm going to grab a second cup of coffee, and head over to Andi's to read her second installment on those Worthless Military Wives / Mothers. She's just hitting her stride, too. Part one is here. - Barb

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Oops! As Bill properly points out in his comment below, today is the commander's Natal Day. Use the comments for your wishes and virtual gifts...
Happy Birthday, John! My gift is this heavy artillery wagon, complete with crew.
- Barb

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As was noted in the comments - the Armorer was busy today, getting the present he got himself... the new Assault Tractor of Argghhh! (armored cab sold separately).

Good thing I was gone, too - geez, you guys embarrassed me with the whole respect-based thingy in the comments. Sniff, sniff. Dang hydro fluid, gets in yer eyes sometimes.

Anyway - driving the new Assault Tractor is serious business - as you can tell from the look on the operator's face. Plus side - I may fire it up on cold winter days... just to smell the smell of diesel in the morning. It smells like... border duty.

As for reminding me of the closing percentage gap between Bill's age and mine... thanks, I guess...! 8^ ) -the Suddenly Auld Armorer

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John, since you enjoy playing Whatzis so much, here's a gift from Bill to puzzle over.

-the Adjutant

*********************************

FROM THE EDGE OF THE SANDBOX

[Coming to you via the Adjutant. – Bill]

As I watched the moon rise just before sunset (my sunset – you guys will see it in saw it [grabsnabbing dust] six or seven or eight hours later), I thought it was just about perfect – almost full and at least 92% ambient illumination. With that much light, flying with NVGs is almost like cheating.

So, we didn't fly with goggles.

And we didn't fly with bare nekkid eyeballs.

*sigh*

We didn't fly at all.

The monsoon clouds off to the east were moving south and the sky had been clearing all afternoon, so when the weather-guessers said that conditions were perfect for a dust storm from the west right after sunset and issued a Severe Weather Warning, I figured they were just being conservative (these folks lost an aircraft – with crew and pax – in a dust storm a while back and it made a lasting impression).

Note to self: the weather-guessers've been here a lot longer than you have, dummy.

Sooooo, about 2015, the other Cobra IP and I were leaning against the side of the hangar, twiddling our thumbs and watching the moonlight go to waste. I felt a sting on my cheek. Then a couple more. The moon disappeared five seconds later, the red "Please Don't Fly Into Me" lights on the cell towers three klicks west started fading *fast*, our Security Shadows popped out doorway defilade, gave us the Get Outta Dodge sign and joined us as we scooted toward the ramp where our transportation was parked.

When the driver hit his headlights, the whole world lit up in a bright amber glow. Problem was, the whole world consisted of a fifty foot bubble, with us in the center.

By the time we hooked up with our escort vehicle, viz was maybe thirty feet.

I didn't check the speedometer on the trip back – I was too busy marveling about how fast the exterior world was disappearing and how skillfully our driver managed to dodge the oncoming vehicles coming at us out of the murk -- and passing us on both sides.

I still think he found his way back by Braille.

And, for a short time, I had sandy brown hair again. And face, and hands, and shirt…

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Notes and Asides:

1. Most of the Scholarly Country Information in the Forty-Page Scholarly Dissertation I was given back in Fayetteville has proven to be about 30 years out-of-date. I showed it to one of the Shadows because he was curious about it – he started laughing when he started reading and was still in tears after he'd finished (he reads English a lot better than I read Urdu or Pashtun).

2. Folks here don't have the Middle/Near East taboo against showing someone the sole of your shoe. They'll sit cross-legged as readily as Americans will.

3. Cricket: For munchies during the next 'Ritamatic bash, drizzle some hot pepper sauce over a chapati, sprinkle with boiled, shredded chicken that's spent the week marinating in hot pepper sauce, add juliennes of hot peppers, cover with a couple of pounds of mozzarella cheese mixed with minced hot peppers, bake at 350 for 20 minutes, then dust with Parmesan and spritz with hot pepper sauce. Presto – Tandoori Pizza. Keep a bottle of hot pepper sauce on the side for those foolish souls who'll drench it without first tasting it. Make sure there's a charged battery in the camcorder.

4. A dust storm will bollix your internet connectivity in a heartbeat – see first paragraph. It'll also knock out your cable TV reception, or so the guy next door tells me. I haven't watched the tube in a week, so I can't verify that particular attribute, but I *can* verify that, if you've been out in one, your spit'll be brown for a good ten minutes. And I won't even mention what your handkerchief will look like after you've – never mind.

5. The guy in the striped shirt and cargo pants sitting next to you is just as likely to be a businessman as a post-grad student. Or a Shadow. Nothing against them, BTW (Hiya, guys! My treat for coffee and cookies later, same time, same place!), because they're 90% interested in keeping us alive and well and only 10% interested in reporting on our comings-and-goings. Which, in our case, are extremely limited and extremely coordinated.

6. Over here, olive drab is now a decorator color. We gained a massive amount of regional good will for that humanitarian assist after the 2005 'quake, and if Foggy Bottom plays that card the right way, al-Q will be in a world of hurt in the neighborhood regardless of how the various local power plays eventually shake out. If we do a unilateral strike on a target on their turf, we lose the PR war instantly.

6a. The Taliban's another matter entirely, even though most folks here disagree with their interpretation of Sharia. Hint: Pashtunwali. Google it. Interestingly, the various councils governing the South Asian madrassas are using peer pressure to convince the radical schools to join the mainstream – and some of them have, warily.

See everybody later. Thanks, Barb!

Death and Conspiracy in the Blogosphere

By Denizen Kat-

One thing that I am slowly but surely learning is the power of the blog. Particularly, well respected blogs with high visit counts. This can be good and bad. It can drive a story into the media or even force corrections of total misinformation. If a respected blogger puts something out to be read that then turns out to be incorrect or, worse, is base speculation that could be harmful to someone's reputation, it is just as egregious as any media story that does the same. Even after a retraction, the damage is already done.

In the case of Pat Tillman's death, there is already huge amounts of unfounded speculation and conspiracy theories. My favorites that I have heard or read so far are that President Bush had him murdered because of his political leanings and opposition to the Iraq "war". And/or, someone in his unit killed him because he had written in his now missing "diary" that he was going to visit Noam Chomsky. The simplest conspiracy theory is that he was killed during a friendly fire incident and that people, including the President and Sec. of Defense, purposefully covered up the details to present some sort of heroic facade to the public.

However, if there is one other thing I have learned, that is that the more people involved in an incident, the less likely it is to remain a conspiracy. Someone always talks. In fact, that did happen and it is why Tillman's family discovered the cause of his death before the final investigation was completed, barely a few weeks after the incident.

The media has not helped in these conspiracies because they continue to put out little of the actual investigation barring a few excerpted statements and base information about the event.

Then along comes a blogger that, from the least of information without having read the investigation, states they know who the shooter was and names names. He was perfectly serious too. Again, this is based off of minimal information provided by the media. Always dangerous to assume from that.

Having read several hundred pages of the investigation, the interviews and looked at the diagrams of the event, it is clear that this blogger's speculation was completely off base. It did not come anywhere near the reality of the investigation. In fact, someone in Tillman's platoon admitted to killing the AMF (Afghan Military) that was in Tillman's position and believes he was the shooter that may have killed Tillman. No names in the investigation because it is redacted. However, that person was clearly not who this blogger speculates was the shooter.

I just think it is interesting that bloggers have not learned the lesson that they have been caterwauling about against the "MSM". That being the danger of putting out information that is later retracted yet has already done the damage. People in glass houses and all that.

No, I am not going to out that blogger. You will know yourselves if you read enough. However, the main point is that blogs do have power, particularly when they are respected and trusted on certain issues. We should not forget that in our quest to be the best and improve technorati rankings, nor let past success go to our heads. In this one case where rumor and conspiracy theories abound, it is unthinkable to malign this poor man who appears to be still trying to deal with Tillman's death after all these years. He was in Tillman's position when it happened. Based on the interviews, he was pretty messed up at the time. I can't imagine if he read that someone believed he accidentally (or even purposefully based on the conspiracies abounding) killed his friend. Lord knows the real shooter is probably still suffering agonies over it.

If you don't already know the base story of the event, you can find it here along with links to the Army investigation documents and video:

Pat Tillman: Death and Conspiracy

The long and short of it is: bad things happen; people make bad decisions; equipment malfunctions; the enemy shows up and in the ensuing five minute (or less) fire fight, Tillman and an Afghan Military member with his unit is killed by friendly fire. Two others are wounded. Everyone feels horrible.

Still, the story of all that is interesting.

In regards to the conspiracy to cover it up or otherwise fabricate something stupendous, I'm getting to that. I'll let you know after some sleep and a shower how that goes, but I can see the parts that people are grasping to make it so.

Oh...one other thing. Pat Tillman is still a hero. As far as I can tell, he put himself in danger while under fire from the enemy AND his own troops in order to signal the others that they were firing on friendlies. That is how Pat Tillman died. His actions may have, in fact, saved the lives of many of his friends.

-Kat