H&I Fires July 19, 2007

July 19, 2007 | | Comments (17)

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...

Haven't been around for awhile because I am extremely busy supporting our troops and telling others how they can do it, too. Tonight, I'll be at the Bonner Springs, KS Kelly Murphy Park for Music in the Park where I'll get a few minutes to talk to the crowd and then mingle for some chat and chew at the ice cream social. If you're around town and you want to come out and show your support, join us there.

One thousand two hundred marines from the 13th MEU were submitted to Soldiers' Angels on Wednesday. The Marines are looking for a few good men and women, but Soldiers' Angels are looking for a lot of good, patriotic citizens who would like to support some marines. Some of these marines are on their 5th tour.

Right after I posted that massive alert, I read that Harry Reid sent care packages to the Republican Senators including toiletries with a yellow ribbon and a note that said, "bring our troops home." To say that irritated me is an understatement. Sen. Reid was making a mockery of our real support for our troops. I have 1200 marines that could have used those care packages.

Hey, Harry! Why don't you support our troops and send some of that our way? Suggestion to Republican Senators that received Harry's generous gift, go to Soldiers' Angels Donate and send them to the Marines!
-Kat (disclaimer: the opinions expressed above regarding Sen. Reid are solely mine and do not represent an official position nor should reflect upon Soldiers' Angels which is a non-partisan, non-profit organization solely dedicated to supporting our troops - frankly, I just thought we could put congress' political shenanigans to good use)

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From MNF-I:

Iraqi Soldiers participate in first ever advanced infantry course

Iraqi Army cleans Baghdadi of insurgency

British nursing official praises personnel, level of care in Iraq

Iraqi troops lead joint medical effort in Hor Al Bosh

Medical Clinic to Benefit Iraqis for Years to Come

Iraqi Army Troops Lead Joint Medical Effort in Hor Al Bosh

Crocker, Petraeus condemn Kirkuk bombings

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Fuzzybear Lioness keeps an eye on the AP, who seemingly *still* don't understand how the Internet works. -the Armorer

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Faux-Farmer lesson #2: Hay get's "stickier" as it dries after being cut. As in, the 120 bales I schlepped yesterday produced a lot more "stick" wounds than the 50 we brought in the night before. And no, I wasn't wearing a long sleeve shirt in 95(F) degree weather.

Lesson #1? When hauling hay - plan for a party, to sucker other people into tossing bales with promises of booze and bullets! -the Armorer

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Google and eBay - two juggernauts that have dramatically altered the 'net. In this case... well, read about Voldemort-on-eBay here (no spoilers, Scholastic - you don't need to try to figure out my office number). [Link fixed - and wait! There's more!] -the Armorer

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Hey, Bill! Mebbe you should pick this up before you leave - give you something to tinker with when you get back from all the NVG training... start your own traffic reporting service or something. -the Armorer

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If you haven't read the NIE for yourself, it wouldn't be a bad idea to do so. Of course the Washington Post has joined its peers in reporting that completely distorts it. Powerline has the details here and here.

Blackfive and The Weekly Standard have a mission for the Milblogsophere. They are asking for input from those with contacts in Iraq to either verify or debunk anonymous "reporting" in the New Republic about what (if true) is despicable behavior by our American troops. - FbL

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For Sale: Mint Condition Vintage Enigma Machine! I'd buy it, but last time I looked bidding was up to 20K. via Slashdot, of all places ..
-bad cat robot
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Two news stories that caught my eye while I wait for the new CNO to be announced.
A federal judge dismissed former CIA operative Valerie Plame's lawsuit against members of the Bush administration
and
Retired Gen. Wayne Downing Dies at 67 (h/t The Corner).......Maggie

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

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

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

The UAVs (oops, can't call 'em UAVs anymore - they're now Unmanned Aerial Systems... some Colonel got his Legion of Merit for that change...), er, um UAS's we fly over Afghanistan and Pakistan looking for targets of opportunity are a form of H&I fires, if you really want to parse it finely. We just have better sensors and fire control now.

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

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17 Comments

By Carrie on July 19, 2007 6:57 AM
Kat, What are you wanting to put in the care packages?
 
By Maggie on July 19, 2007 7:39 AM
Disclaimer: The views expressed by Kat regarding Harry Reid are much nicer than anything I would say (he's a weasel) and much nicer than anything he deserves.
 
By emdfl on July 19, 2007 8:32 AM
"...hay gets sticker..", there's a reason why farmers wear jeans, denim shirts and denim jackets, heh.
 
By John of Argghhh! on July 19, 2007 9:04 AM
Oh, I had the denim pants - but fat boy doesn't wear long sleeved shirts (since all the ones I own aside from dress shirts are winter-weight) when it's hot and humid. I'd rather look like a cross-eyed junkie who poked himself with a needle 57 times before finally getting it where he wanted it. Besides, it's funnier this way.
 
By patti on July 19, 2007 10:45 AM
We couldn't do this without you all!! thank you, Patti
 
By Barb on July 19, 2007 1:21 PM
John - that story on the HP book cracks me up. Thanks for sharing. On the long sleeves versus short with the moving of the bales - it wouldn't make much difference unless you were wearing neoprene or heavy canvas - a typical shirt won't save you from the stickies you get from hay bales ;-)
 
By kat-missouri on July 19, 2007 1:43 PM
Carrie...anything and everything. shampoo, soap, toothpaste (not made in China), snacks (dried fruit, trail mix, nuts, jerky, etc) anything you can think of really. drop me an email and I'll send you a suggested list: kehenry1@hotmail.com
 
By Jon The Mechanic on July 19, 2007 2:33 PM
I just got off the phone with Sen Reid's office and the young staffer when asked if this was done without his approval, said that "Senator Reid's staff would not take an action like this without his consent". I told her that as a combat veteran, I felt that the Senator's action was nothing more than a cheap political play that was out of line and insulting to servicemen and women who believed in the current course in Iraq.
 
By Carrie on July 19, 2007 2:34 PM
Thanks, Kat. I'll share the list with Deb at Marine Corps Moms.
 
By kat-missouri on July 19, 2007 2:41 PM
You go John!
 
By John of Argghhh! on July 19, 2007 2:45 PM
Soldier's Angels aside - Kat's opinion does reflect the official editorial position of Castle Argghhh! Just sayin'.
 
By kat-missouri on July 19, 2007 2:50 PM
"Jon" I meant!
 
By kat-missouri on July 19, 2007 3:49 PM
And now I get to say, "You go John!" and have the right person in mind. LOL
 
By BillT on July 19, 2007 4:04 PM
... start your own traffic reporting service or something. Right. A G-model with timed-out main blades (and tail rotor, too, I'll betcha), a lunched engine, a possible crunched sprague clutch on the tranny, no logbook, and unspecified hard landing damage would be just the toy to occupy my declining years. How about we just weld the skids to the turret of an M3 and make a nice lawn decoration for the local VFW Post?
 
By John of Argghhh! on July 19, 2007 4:17 PM
...would be just the toy to occupy my declining years. Yeah, but think of the look on Carborundum's face!
 
By BillT on July 19, 2007 5:49 PM
Yeah, but think of the look on Carborundum's face! Has it grown back? Last time I saw him, he was still lookin' all Revenge of the Mummy from sticking his head into the exhaust stack so he could "see how the start fuel goes into the combustor"...
 
By bobbie on July 20, 2007 12:11 AM
actually 3,000 new soldiers, marines, airmen, and sailors needing angels landed on Soldiers' Angels this week. We certainly could use a lot of people who are sincerely interested in supporting our troops by adopting one or two of them for the duration of their deployment and sending weekly letters and monthly care packages. If anyone is interested go to www.soldiersangels.org and sign up for a hero or two. It is an experience you will never forget. Bobbie