Afghanistan’s elite fighting force neutralize Taliban insurgents
Sure, it's simply publishing a CJTF-82 press release, just like news outlets publish AP press releases. At least with this - I'm clear on the biases of the local "stringers" feeding me the news - and it's obvious in the article, too. It may only be "one side of the story" but *whose* side is obvious, eh?
Besides, it's just kinda fun reading about Afghan National Army commando Specialist Mohammed Ali. At least for those of us of an age.
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – As he approached the aircraft in the darkness, the rotor wash whipped dust and dirt across his face. However, amid the noise of the rotor, Afghan National Army Spc. Mohammed Ali said all he could hear was his upcoming responsibilities whirling in his head, ‘Run from the aircraft towards the target, breach the door, and clear my sector.’
Ali, an ANA Commando with the 201st Commando Kandak was deployed to Helmand Province by the Afghan Ministry of Defense in response to the increasing attempts by Taliban extremists to terrorize Afghan citizens.
The commandos’ mission was to develop intelligence and conduct a surgical strike against key Taliban leadership and control in Helmand Province. In preparation for their mission, the troops conducted specialized training such as day and night live-fire maneuvers and multiple insertion techniques. Commando leaders examined the most recent intelligence and targeted key individuals for capture.
The mission was ambitious: conduct a night air assault against multiple Taliban command and control centers to capture or kill Taliban leadership targets deep within the Kajaki region. The commandos named the operation, “Say’Laab,” meaning “flood.”
Buses containing nearly 100 ANA troops clad in black body armor and specialized weapons made their way from the 205th ANA camp to Kandahar Airfield where numerous Coalition aircraft awaited with rotor blades churning.
As Ali boarded the aircraft, he said his pre-mission prayers as the high-pitched whine of the engines gave way to the formidable thumping of the rotor blades above. Moments later, a massive formation of transport and attack helicopters lifted off the runway together toward their targets.
As the strike force approached its objectives, Coalition helicopters dropped to just above ground level and increased their speed. Commandos pulled their night vision goggles over their eyes bringing the black ground to green life. In spite of the intense training and mission preparation, the Commandos understood the risks associated with this operation.
Pilots relayed their final checkpoints to the Commandos over radio communications, informed them to ready their weapons, and remove their seatbelts. Seconds later, the helos pitched into multiple landing zones. The Commandos quickly disembarked from their helicopters and quickly closed on their target compounds. As the roar of departing rotor blades filled the sky, Commando assaulters cleared four separate compounds in search of their elusive quarry.
Within minutes of insertion, Commando assaulters seized their intended targets and secured a foothold deep within the city. Despite the advantage of tactical surprise, a fierce battle ensued. The report of multiple weapon systems rang out as insurgents put up a futile defense against the elite Afghan force. Commandos quickly and accurately eliminated threats with small-arms and machine gun fire.
The speed, surprise and tenacity of the assault not only caught the enemy insurgents off guard, but also prevented the escape of a senior Taliban commander.
Throughout the operation, intense anti-aircraft fire filled the night sky. Attack helicopters swarmed over their targets, placing precision-guided munitions and intense machine gun fire on enemy fighting positions. Coalition aircraft flew in support of the Afghan troops aiding in the elimination of enemy caches and drug processing facility.
At mission’s end, multiple enemy fighters were eliminated. The Commandos quickly boarded their aircraft with 11 combatants in custody. On the ground, six enemy vehicles containing thousands of pounds of weapons and munitions, as well as nearly $8 million of illegal narcotics, was destroyed.
As the helicopter assault force lifted off toward Kandahar, Ali shook the hands of his brothers-in-arms with an undeniable certainty that the people of Afghanistan were safer this night
“The daring and complex operation highlighted the capacity of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to strategically deploy elite commando forces across the country to conduct surgical strikes in support of their national objectives,” said Army Capt. Vanessa R. Bowman, a Coalition spokesperson. “The success of Operation Say’Laab reinforced the esprit de corps and operational reach of the nation’s most dedicated warriors. Commandos continue to ensure no safe haven exists for the enemies of freedom and prosperity, and that a brighter future lies ahead for the people of Afghanistan.”
And it's no diss on the boxer Muhammed Ali, either. He took a stand and took his lumps and didn't run off to Canada or Sweden, etc. I can live with that.
If I were a snake eater contemplating a hike across the Durand Line, I would think an ANA Commando Kanak dressed up in Taliban suits might be handy to have. They could keep an eye on the Chieu Hoi impersonating the commander.
I'll admit right up front that I did not read all of Rubin's piece. Glancing through some of the quotes at B5 cut out from the report, my first reaction was incredulous that an officer was that open with information about his troops medical or mental conditions. The second reaction, having read Junger's piece (also linked), is to accept that these men have been up on a mountain side with little relief, for an extended period, with few amenities, under constant fire in conditions that most resemble stories from Vietnam (contrary to some folks visions of Iraq being "Vietnam", this is probably the story that reminds me of those stories the most).
The enemy is in the valley, in the villages, but the men can't just blow the village to kingdom come because its full of "civilians". The insurgents use the ROE effectively by continually intermingling with civilians, going to their fire bases to attack and then returning home. The soldiers at Firebase Phoenix have rigged concertina wire and claymores as a last ditch defense of the outpost. When I read Junger's story, I immediately had visions of the movie "Green Berets" with John Wayne in "Dodge City" examining the building of the base perimeter.
I know that "Green Berets" tried to distill down to the basics the story of counterinsurgency in Vietnam, many called it "propaganda". Maybe it had some truths for our troops who have to do this hard fight in Iraq AND Afghanistan, for the public that tries to understand it and the press that tries to cover it. Maybe it's thesescenes that even Mr. Junger, portraying the difficulty in building the base, is reluctant to examine. About a quarter of the way through this section, the Colonel (John Wayne) asks Beckwith what he is going to write when he goes back. Beckwith never answer's that question satisfactorily.
Our real-life Junger knew the answer. Though he mentions some of the issues with the troops on long deployments, in rough conditions and potential issues with PTSD and anti-depressants, he chose to focus on those things around the soldiers that both made their situation untenable and heroic at the same time. He saw their gallows humor and general "stuck in the suck" attitude for what it was and made it the part of the story that it deserved: brief moments of humanity in an insane world. Mr. Junger had been to war.
"I went to Afghanistan last fall with a question: Why, with all our technology, were we killing so many civilians in air strikes?"
They gave her the answer: in spades.
One full-moon night I was sitting outside a sandbag-reinforced hut with Kearney when a young sergeant stepped out hauling the garbage. He looked around at the illuminated mountains, the dust, the rocks, the garbage bin. The monkeys were screeching. “I hate this country!” he shouted. Then he smiled and walked back into the hut. “He’s on medication,” Kearney said quietly to me.
Then another soldier walked by and shouted, “Hey, I’m with you, sir!” and Kearney said to me, “Prozac" Serious P.T.S.D. from last tour.” Another one popped out of the HQ cursing and muttering. “Medicated,” Kearney said. “Last tour, if you didn’t give him information, he’d burn down your house. He killed so many people. He’s checked out.”
Seriously? One full moon night, all the crazies in camp "popped out"?
Pardon me for my insensitivity, but, just for a moment, a small laugh escaped when I read that part. By accident or design, it seems Ms. Rubin was played or played herself. I think she needs to make another trip or two or three because she obviously hasn't spent much time with a group of soldiers waiting for something to happen, having nothing else better to do than to let off a little steam.
Sadly, either way, I imagine that Capt. Kearney has got some explaining to do.
"Because I had seen those cells before at Stanford. The power is in the system. It's not bad apples, but bad barrel makers."[snip]
A "hero" at Abu Ghraib turned out to be a lowly private that called for abuses there to be stopped, according to the professor.
"Heroism is the antidote to evil," Zimbardo said. "Let's focus on justice and peace, which sadly our administration has not been doing."
Now you get it. Evil is the Bush Administration. Wow! No one has ever said that to me before. I'm convinced! Sign me up!
We here at Castle Aargghhh! take combat stress and PTSD very seriously. If any soldier believes he is suffering from these symptoms or any family member has a concern, please read the right hand side bar on this site under "final mission". Important information is available including a brief guide for the soldier and their families along with a crisis hotline. Every soldier has a "final mission". That mission is to come home as physically and psychologically whole as possible. From Castle Aargghhh to our men and women in the trenches, that's an order!
I hardly know what the make of the story... it sounds so bizarre, especially the part where the CPT tells her all those guys are on medications and openly says one of his men has committed war crimes. If he was serious, he'd be up to his eyeballs in trouble right now. If he was joking, shouldn't he be saying so, now? But then again, he's got a general for a father, so would people be afraid to hold him accountable for either breach of privacy or terminal stupidity? I just can't figure it out.
Look, Junger reports in his earlier story that there are some men on base who are suffering from PTSD and taking meds. That's it. That's all he said to that effect.
Thus, somewhere, that's likely true. As a matter of fact, I would be shocked to my toes if no one was suffering some PTS symptoms or the actual diagnosis. I would not be shocked to discover anyone was on meds. What I was shocked about was that, on this "one moonlight night", they all "popped out" while she and the good Captain were chatting and that he just reeled it off like he was discussing the conditions of lab specimens.
Something she said about Kearney early on kind of stuck with me:
"Kearney often calls himself a dumb jock, playing the crass, loudmouthed tough guy with his soldiers.
I kept thinking, this guy is a funny man. A bit of an actor himself. He likes to "play it up". So, some truth in this article? Yeah. Probably.
But either Capt. Kearney was desperate enough to get his men off the side of the mountain that he'd risk his career doing it (even though his dad's a general back at SOCCENT and he potentially has a direct line?) or he was having her on a bit.
Being somewhat "crass", having to deal with reporters who come with an agenda, maybe the Captain didn't feel the need or want to supply the punchline?
Like I said, Either way, I think the Captain has some explaining to do.
Oh...and FbL...the Captain is in the Korengal, far away from any main base and certainly no where he has any access to the outside world where he can read the NYT daily on the internet. Not Iraq (I know you know that, just the point of this remark). He probably has no idea what she wrote this soon and won't until someone at command reads this piece of $$%% and tells him to report back to head quarters for reasons he will have no idea about until he gets there.
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...
Time to add a new caveat, because from email it's not clear to some folks (mind you, if you don't read this it won't matter...) Being an open post, people (collectively, the Denizens) other than I post in the H&I. They sign their work (most of the time) - keep that in mind when you want to flame someone in email please - if it doesn't say "The Armorer" or "John" then I didn't write it! And honestly - if you don't like something said or posted... leave a comment, and hash it out (within the context of The Rulez which are clearly posted on the comment form, I would add).
**************************
A study in contrasts: Al Doura (Dora), Iraq. First up, Rolling Stone offers "The Myth of the Surge." Actually, a title more accurate to the author's apparent intention would probably be "The Myth of COIN," but their choice is revealing. Up next, "A Neighborhood, Reborn," in which a platoon leader returns to the neighborhood he once patrolled. Both articles discuss the same neighborhood, both were published this week. I don't know how to reconcile the contradiction. - FbL
**************************
Does Obama know how to laugh at himself? I'd say evidence is: no. Perhaps a riposte such as, "No, thanks. I'm sure Hillary's been using it for the last 10 years, and I prefer mine new," would've been more appropriate? - FbL
*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."
I've always liked and respected Mickey Rooney, this just adds to the reasons!
As for Obama Vs. McCain, I suspect some Euroweenies may still think Americans care what they think, so I am hoping they will throw their weight behind Obama. Almost guarenteed to push people to McCain. As for me, if Clinton wins the nomination, I might still vote for her over McCain, but I will never vote for Obama, no matter who he runs against--I'll vote for Nader as I did in 2000!
I will not vote for a candidate just because he's black, and aside from his color Obama has nothing of any value whatsoever to offer this country. He claims he's not using his race, but I say that's nonsense. He looks in the mirror every day and he knows full well his color is the only reason most people are willing to give him a second listen, just as his handlers know the surest way to keep people interested is to pretend his color doesn't matter.
For my part, I say Obama is a hypocrite for pretending he is not trying to capitalize on his color. What's really cool though, is how the democrats are tied up in knots by their years of playing at being politically correct. Clinton should absolutely be pointing to Obama and asking what besides his color makes him a worthy candidate. She can't go wrong, since she's damned if she does and damned if she doesn't.
I will not vote for Obama because he's black; I will not vote for Clinton because she's a woman; and I will not vote for McCain because he's a former POW! My prediction: McCain vs. Clinton, Clinton will win; McCain vs. Obama, McCain will win. Everyone get out there and vote for Obama in the open primaries!
If you *knew* the fact that LeftenantCornet Windsor was on the ground in Afghanistan was being with-held (and for good reason, it seems to me) and yet you just had to run with it...
Well, the term a$$hat comes to mind.
Good criminey, the entire Brit press can keep their yaps shut, and you go all funny in the pants breathlessly destroying OPSEC.
That was one of the most unrelievedly stupid things to do, from this blogger's perspective. Others may have more lenient views.
Of course, the bump in traffic you got from that one post (and the revenue associated with same), probably dwarfs my entire lifetime traffic - to include that I've not yet had.
Still.
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
Knowing the difference is the difference between wearing your little-boy shorts or your adult pants.
I'm with you, John. Whoever broke the story fits in the a$$hat category with me. We did NOT need to know it, and Prince Harry and his unit NEEDED to have the info held close. If Drudge broke it, he's a jerk.
Going to have to do a considerable climb to get up to the a$$hat territory; Drudge's post was from down where the pond slime would have pooped on it as it came up.
Prince Harry, what is there to say? Well done, sir, most well done.
...
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he today that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now abed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day. (IV, iii)
posted by htom on February 29, 2008 3:50 PM
John,
Great work on that dipstick. He has no judgment whatsoever. You should have a wider audience.
posted by JimC on February 29, 2008 3:50 PM
htom - if that's what Drudge did, catch it up off Australian media, meaning the Brit media was going to slip off the leash... then yeah, not quite so bad.
Still, the whole thing leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
And Drudge never answers my emails, either. [pout]
And I have a lot of sympathy for Harry. He obviously found a great deal of satisfaction in his deployment, having been so frustrated to be denied the opportunity to deploy to Iraq. And I have no doubt it expanded his horizons to be in such close quarters with people from such different backgrounds than his...
Really unnecessary. My understanding was that the Australian media reported it in January, but it caused barely a ripple, and didn't show up on any Jihadi websites, etc. After Drudge posted it, all sorts of exhortations and warnings went out on Jihadi sites. Near as I can tell, Drudge is single-handedly responsible for them having to pull Harry out.
Australia? I was referring to an actual pond, with actual slippery slimes living on the bottom, under the a$$hats. What they write about in Oz, I got no idea. Sorry.
From an on-line member of a forum I belong to --
Re: Prince Harry Outed
I, and his brother officers and colleagues serving with him out here in Helmand in the British/NATO/ISAF forces bloody well care.
Personally, I think it appalling that some ego-centric journalist - who at the end of the day has a right to freedom of speech ultimately protected by the very people willing to put their lives on the line for others - has so blatant a disregard for the individual, and such lack of understanding of the situation in their rabid chase for a scoop that they would do this.
Many of us have known he was here. None chose to break faith with a comrade. I think that speaks volumes. And yes, I am writing this from Helmand. So actually know what I am talking about.
posted by htom on February 29, 2008 4:33 PM
Your corrections are a lot faster and better than Drudge's!
When the news broke yesterday that Harry was in AFG, I was happy to hear it, and surprised that the Brit's would let it be known.
It all makes sense now, and yes, Drudge is a poopyhead for releasing information the British government wanted sealed.
SMACKAYOCHEEK, Drudge!
posted by AFSister on February 29, 2008 11:11 PM
I think I mentioned, over at Lex's place, that if Mr. Drudge got slapped, and said something like, "Thanks! I needed that!", well, I could put up with that.
However, Matt takes what should be public knowledge, see Lewinsky, and really makes it public.
After all, where would drug addled/sex addicted icon JFK be were Drudge around during his Presidency? Not to mention attempted Castro assasination brother RFK?
As far as Prince Harry is concerned, I’m certain the Taliban, on reading Drudge, immediately attacked all British forces in Afghanistan in order to kill the Prince!
I’m really disappointed when blogs I’ve read and supported for lo these many years, seem to lose all semblence(sp?)of rationallity and common sense."
Sure, the Talibs didn't rush right over and make a special effort because of Drudge.
But once they knew which unit he was in, and that he was there... were *I* a Talib commander, I would have made an extra effort to score the "Spare" of the House of Windsor.
If I didn't know, I wouldn't make any special efforts.
Like it or not, the Prince *is* a special target.
The Prince's presence in Afstan was a legitimate OPSEC concern. We maintain the same kinds of silence about unit and HVT deployments - hence, you don't read about the President and others really juicy targets being in Iraq or Afghanistan until after they've arrived - so you can't do any planning to do anything to take advantage of it.
What "need to know" on the part of the public was there of Prince Harry's deployment? That wouldn't have been served just as well by revealing it when he returned?
If you equate Harry in Afstan with Monica on her knees, I freely admit I don't see the connection.
And just because Drudge has done well in his career, doesn't mean he hasn't done something boneheaded.
And I get to comment on that. For the same reason I commented on Dan Rather.
I didn't call for a boycott of Drudge. I just said, on this issue, "asshat."
And I stand by that assessment.
I get *lots* of kewl stuff via work and contacts that I don't publish here - stuff which would not cost me my clearance and which would garner me some traffic.
But I run some filters. Filters other's don't. And they have more traffic than I.
That's the business, and since I'm not in business, I *really* have that luxury. And I know that.
Drudge in your hypothetical of Kennedy, and the actual of Clinton, is an example of brining insight into the character of the "most powerful person on earth" and, btw, didn't endanger anyone's life or the lives of those around them (unless you subscribe to the more fevered anti-Clinton fantasies).
In the case of Prince Harry, that's simply not true. While it *does* tell us something of Harry's character, and gives us insight of what his fellow warriors think of him - it was nothing that wouldn't have waited until his return.
Like I said up in a post that went up today (Sunday, 2 March) just because the Internet exists, doesn't mean that everything has to be posted on it, right now.
They want an initial total of 165,000 M4/M16A2s. The plan appears to be officers get M4's, NCOs and troops get M16's. On this side of the pond, I've noticed raised eyebrows, especially from the gun guys who believe the AK-47 is simply about the best weapon out there.
Why the hell would the Iraqis want to trade away what is pretty much acknowledged as the perfect weapon for crappy, ill-disciplined soldiers who like to "spray and pray" in combat? For a weapon many experts (to include combat experienced US troops) think is a piece of crap, the M4?
Personally, I can think of a lot of reasons. Especially if they're going to get subsidized help in buying them.
1. Iraq's current stock of AK's is pretty old and beat up - if you are going to start replacing rifles, now is the time to make a switch.
2. The same thing that make AK's attractive to third world armies -cheap and robust - work against them. They aren't that accurate at longer combat ranges, especially when not maintained well. The ballistics of the AK round aren't all that great. There's a reason the Russians went to a different round - and it wasn't just that we did.
3. Rationalizing the supply chain (and tying it into NATO) is a plus for us. There is potential goodness there, too - which Matt lays out at Blackfive.
4. Combat ID - until the majis collect a significant number of M16s, guys carrying AKs are bad guys (or, admittedly, locals who have been allowed to keep their weapons for personal defense - better not wander around in a firefight unless you're a participant).
4. Corruption-reduction. If we/they maintain decent accountability for the rifles, then when they show up in maji hands, you've got a place to start looking for where they leaked out of the system. Doesn't make corruption go away, just makes it harder, which will slow it down, if they've the gumption to really pursue it.
5. Since we're trying to rebuild the Iraqi army into a more westernized Arab army, part and parcel of that is professionalizing them to the point where they can master the marksmanship and the discipline of maintenance.
6. The M16/M4 series of weapons are lighter to start and far more versatile in terms of the useful extras you can load onto them, especially the M4, and keep the weight down.
7. And don't underestimate the power of example. Every time the Iraqis have faced an M16-armed army, they've had their collective butt handed to them.
The Arsenal contains a competently built, stamped-receiver AK clone made in Romania. There is also a Bushmaster-built M4 clone. I've shot M16's from the three-prong-suppressor M16 through the A1 and A2. I hadn't shot the M4 until I bought one.
I've shot a lot of AK's - military ones, commercial ones, milled receivers, stamped receivers. 7.62, 5.45 and 5.56.
With the AK, I've experienced pedestrian accuracy, bleah ergonomics, mediocre weapon sights, and the attachments, like the very nice scopes, don't hold their value as keeping a zero on them is a pain - and that's without carrying them around flexing that stamped receiver doing combat stuff, and let's face it - the Picatinny rail system is nice.
The M4? For me, it points like it's a part of me. I actually snap-shot a rebar in half. Hitting it that square is luck seasoned with experience - but I've never had that kind of accuracy with any AK I've shot.
AKs are popular - especially among shooters here in the US, where you can generally get them for about half the price of an M4, and scads of cheap ammo. But every time I spend an afternoon shooting both - I realize it's money well spent, that I spent on the M4.
And if I had a choice to hook into US/NATO logisitics, and trade up on my rifle (and I consider it a trade up, even though some will disagree), and as a side benny, have to make my troops better troops in order to use it - hey, if I've got that luxury, I think I'd take it up, too.
The question is - can they keep up the requisite level of professionalization, and what happens starting in late February of next year.
I would never underestimate the power of brand differentiation and brand identification. The new Iraqi army will be new, it won't look like the old Iraqi army or arab armies in general. Good Things. I think the psychology of this is more inportant than people realize. Why do kids wear the same brand shoes Shaq does? Right, to identify with Shaq.
This maneuver is one more step to wean the Iraqis away from Soviet era thinking and supply chains. Russian influence goes along with Russian weapons. It's important that influence goes away.
I am way past tolerance for people who see a herd of ponies and think, "There must be a pile of manure somewhere among those ponies."
posted by Fred on February 29, 2008 11:37 AM
... now if only we can wean the Iraqis away from that ridiculous, Monty Python-esque Russian goose-step they favor...
posted by Neffi on February 29, 2008 11:52 AM
I'm with Fred - by upgrading them to AR platform weapons they get to be a 'real Army - just like the Americans'.
The fact that their weapons will show whether or not they're capable of performing at that level is a plus.
From everything I'm hearing we are succeeding in building the new Iraqi Army as a professional Army - unlike pretty much every other Arab military.
posted by KCSteve on February 29, 2008 12:13 PM
If their tactical doctrine supports having two heavy riflemen in a squad, what are they going to carry?
RPKs? FN-FALs? a Vorgrimmler weapon?
If you define marksmanship as the ability of a troop to deliver accurate, lethal fire at 300 meters, either the AR or the AK can do it, when both weapons are maintained properly.
The key is depot-level maintenance of the weapons. If we don't leave good armorers behind, nothing we give them will last or improve the lethality of their army, no matter what you call it or what it wears for a cover.
If there IS good depot-level maintenance, then any standard assault carbine out there will fill the role. For my money, in 5.56 NATO, that would be the Steyr AUG and follow-ons, NOT the M16/M4 or AKM.
This is really a lot simpler than all the discussion above makes it sound: the Iraqis simply have no [sensible] choice. The issue is not the quality of the weapon or its usefulness to the soldier or any of that stuff. The issues are 1) who's paying for the new weapons, and 2) how many can Iraq get. Number 1 matters more than number 2.
Simply put, regardless of whether the U.S. is getting paid for its support (in cash, promissory notes, or oil futures), the U.S. *is* funding the up-armyization of Iraq, and there is just no way the U.S. is going to pay for AKs (or for any other weapon not produced by the U.S. or one of its economic partners). I can even envision a deal where the U.S. gives Iraq a grant (FMS-nonrepayable) to be used to buy the weapons, but insists Iraq buy the ammunition from U.S. companies, perhaps starting in 2010. Same basic deal as what HP offers because the money is in the ink, not the printers, and the U.S. is about nothing if its not about the money.
All of which is not say I see anything wrong with this. So what if some congressman pushed for this--that's his job. And so what if it benefits the U.S.? It's not like we're screwing the Iraqis by selling them the same weapons *we* use. More to the point, so what if the AK hits harder, is sturdier, or any of that stuff. All those AK's didn't help the Iraqis (or anyone else for that matter) kick American a$$, did they? The fact is, American rifles are the weapons of the strongest army on Earth right now, and they are plentiful, and they come with support and promises of more, and they are assuredly cheap. And even more important, for all their flaws, a soldier can carry far more 5.56 bullets than 7.62 bullets, and that means the odds of actually hitting something are even greater. Shoot enough of those little buzzballs, and you're bound to hit *something.*
And of course, all of this helps the U.S. in a number of ways, which is what the war is really all about, init?
[For people new to the Castle, Carborundum is CW4(Ret) Bill T's Guardian Angel, who has suffered for decades, since Bill flew Hueys in Vietnam, trying to keep Tuttle and the people around him alive. Since Bill is back in Iraq, teaching the Iraqi Air Force how to fly, Carborundum was recalled from his comfortable retirement to make sure the Castle doesn't lose it's funniest resident. So he periodically checks in with us, to keep us abreast of what Bill's up to. - the Armorer]
Greetings, mortals. Just checking in to let you know we haven't lost a GA all week, despite Tuttle's best efforts. The Surge really is working! Not that it's all manna and ambrosia, of course. I begin to suspect that T'u T'il means "come here, sandstorm" in the language of the djinn. And these misguided humans are *paying* him to corrupt the young! You'd think they would learn, or at least read the file that's thicker than the Oxford Unabridged Dictionary *before* hiring him. And why is it he always ends up in horrible climates? The jungle bottom-of-the-aquarium experience was bad enough (feather mites, and if I didn't air out my wings, mold) but here we get vast quantities of very fine, very sharp dust that gets down in my pinfeathers and itches like you would not believe.
And if all that wasn't enough, ANGCOM has been seized with a fit of just in time/ efficiency nonsense. Maybe there are GAs that get to think about what to do before their human gets in trouble, but this detail is ALWAYS "just in time". Fortunately. There were a few close calls, like the beer/spider/water buffalo incident, but we pulled through. With losses. So now they want us to analyze our response patterns to see if there is anything we can do to improve efficiency. I had lots of ideas, and they shredded every single one of them. Even keeping Tuttle in a body cast. The one idea I had that *did* improve our efficiency I can't tell them about--creating "pre-filled" AAR forms for recurring incidents. I've even got sub-categories for "Helicopter, malfunction, life-threatening" and "Helicopter, impact, in flight". No, ANGCOM doesn't know and doesn't need to. What they NEED is Good Idea Fairy repellent.
ObamaNation: Where People Will Be Taxed Out the %$$ and Love It
[Kat]
I was watching CBS evening news (by accident) where I just watched the first half of their program sucking up and the second half actually taking apart his history.
Then they showed a clip of Obama lambasting John McCain about taxes:
John McCain plans to make those tax breaks permanent!
The crowd went wild.
In the alternate universe of ObamaNation, people will be taxed out the %$$ and love it! Literally!
It was like watching a crowd of angry villagers with lighted torches getting ready to hunt down the imaginary monster. Everybody wants to kill the monster and screams for its blood, but nobody knows exactly what the "monster" did to be killed.
For the record, the repeal of the tax breaks would neither help me nor hinder me. I'm that nefarious, notorious "middle class" that gets very little breaks from anyone. I can't help but feel that little sense of dread go "tingling up my leg" when I hear people applauding wildly to raise somebody's taxes because it's me, here in the middle, along with the majority of the rest of America, that usually gets screwed next.
Just a suggestion previously made at Instapundit: for all those ObamaNation citizens who just insist that someone should be paying more to support your spending habits, open your wallet and/or write a check. Send it to the IRS. The government WILL accept more money from you than your regularly scheduled taxes.
Or, you could just wad it up, roll it around, set fire to it and smoke it! Not like you haven't apparently smoked everything else in the house and you'll probably get the same effect, too!
I seem to recall that the bottom 50% of the country pays about 4% of federal taxes. Not 40%, but FOUR.
Maybe, if more folks actually PAID for the government they get, they'd stop demanding that it spend more? (I know a few families that have a negative tax rate, despite having jobs, etc.)
This "hope" and "change" message isn't resonating with me as the best "hope" for the nation would probably be to slash and burn all these idiotic government programs that both Dems and Repubs have implemented.
Yes, no doubt that the first step would be to overhaul the idiotic tax codes and subsidies currently in place. Both sides of the aisle to blame for that. For Kat, I am surprised that you think that the Bush tax cuts have no effect on your life. Maybe you haven't noticed the fewer cops on the street, the libraries shutting down, and tremendous increase in the national debt that has only been lessened by foreign investments. It's not that we want someone else to pay for spending habits, it's that we expect the upper class to support society like the rest of us - and not just suck from it.
Did anyone see the similarity? Like Nuremburg rallies?
Just wondering.
posted by GM Cassel AMH1(AW) USN RET on February 29, 2008 6:49 AM
For those of you who may have missed Obama's speech in San Antonio: His definition of a rich family (married filing jointly) are those making over $75K/year. Anybody who calls that rich is a socialist, period.
For Jason: tax revenues actually went up with the Bush tax cuts (it really always works that way [as even JFK knew]). Of course, Bush agreeing to no child left behind, senior drug benefits and other entitlement programs, along with congress' delusional spending habits (bridges to no-where) negated that benefit. And BTW, I don’t use the public library, if I want to read a book, I wait for the paperback edition and pay for it. You see, I don’t mind paying for what I want/need and what my children want/need, but I resent the hell out of paying for somebody else’s wants/needs. While I’m at it, less cops is not a bad thing to somebody who believes in and exercises his/her 2nd Amendment rights; considering that violent crimes are only interrupted by LEOs less than 1% of the time (and that stat is from before the tax cuts).
posted by Oldloadr on February 29, 2008 7:02 AM
whoo-hoo!!!
i finally made it! i'm rich!!!!!
so now i'll at least be happy when i write out the college tuition checks and file my taxes and have macaroni and cheese for dinner tonight.
posted by MajMike on February 29, 2008 7:26 AM
MajMike - Yeah, when I heard Obama say that, I thought I should run down and join the local country club...
posted by Oldloadr on February 29, 2008 7:56 AM
Maybe you haven't noticed the fewer cops on the street, the libraries shutting down, and tremendous increase in the national debt that has only been lessened by foreign investments.
First, what one of the posters said above. Revenue went up under Bush. Unfortunately, so did the spending. I know everyone thinks we've been in a recession for seven years instead of one, but that is completely wrong. The Dow had risen over 4000 points at our highest post 9/11/01. And, all those "foreign" jobs were actually going to "foreigners" here in the United States. Just ask the conservatives who were complaining about all the illegal aliens coming into the country.
I have never heard so much horse hockey from either side, frankly, regarding our alleged situation. It's like you all live in some fantasy world. "Companies see our lower taxes and decide to open jobs in foreign countries." Even the logic of that is wrong. You simply do not grow GDP and and have unemployment at near record lows of 4.6 -4.9% in a recession or in a country where "all the jobs" are going over seas.
These folks have you all snookered. Of course, there's a big potential that will happen as soon as we start handing down massive taxes, pretend to give tax breaks to "patriot companies" and various other bad schemes.
It's not that we want someone else to pay for spending habits, it's that we expect the upper class to support society like the rest of us - and not just suck from it.
Holy Cow! I had no idea I was "sucking" from society. You know, shockingly, I don't get welfare, cash assistance, food stamps, have no children going to "head start" programs, getting free lunches, going to after school programs, etc.
How old are you any way, to believe that the wealthy, who pays over 36% income tax (considerably high state taxes), that turns out to be about 60% of the over all tax the government takes in, is "Sucking" off the government/society. Did they teach you those fuzzy mathematics in Revolutionary re-education camp?
Maybe you haven't noticed the fewer cops on the street, the libraries shutting down, and tremendous increase in the national debt that has only been lessened by foreign investments.
No, no and yes, but I think I noted the reason:
STOP SPENDING OUR MONEY ON BS!
Seriously, the area I live in has three libraries within 10 minutes or so. Each of them paid for by the taxes of middle class schmucks like me and wealthy philanthropists who like to give their money away to good causes (like providing free lending libraries to the communities). In fact, the library down town just got a fantastic make over a couple of years ago.
Maybe these libraries are closing down because they are in bad shape and people aren't using them like they used to because, here's a shock, the young who used to be the usual people to use these libraries the most, all have these lovely things called computers and don't need to run down to the library to read up on a subject. Nor do they want to.
If people aren't using the library, why would we keep it open?
As for the fewer police officers, forgive me if I suggest communities that believe they need additional police officers should look at paying additional local taxes for just those kinds of things. Or even implementing a state wide tax for the support of police or firemen?
Who said it has to be the national government that raises taxes and supplies this money to these necessary organizations? Why isn't the state providing these services the way they used to? Why can't it now?
Seriously, while the national government hands out some nice chunks to these programs, particularly under the guise of anti-terrorism funding, they are actually getting less than 30 cents on the dollar distributed, no one has control over what these departments buy or how much OT they just offer because they can.
Why are we talking about spending money just because we can, not because we need to?
If you really want to know, that is what actually got us in to this situation in the first place. We let the government spend like we spend our personal income. Spend it because we have it.
posted by kat-missouri on February 29, 2008 7:58 AM
WEll, if a family making $75k is "rich", as a single person with a certain income, I am probably "rich" in Obama's categorization, too. I knew we were about to get screwed.
That means, though, that Obama and his wife must be "mega wealthy". Why don't they open their wallets and pay more voluntarily. They might be able to support one whole after school program by themselves, comrades!
posted by kat-missouri on February 29, 2008 8:05 AM
Us "rich" people in the $75k bracket don't get handouts from people like Tony Rezko.
posted by fdcol63 on February 29, 2008 8:43 AM
And then there's this, which simply highlights Michelle Obama's blatant hypocrisy.
From Byron York, in a Corner blurb, talking about Michelle Obama's advice to young people to forego working in mean old "Corporate America" so they can work in the "helping industry":
... What she doesn’t mention is that the helping industry has treated her pretty well. In 2006, the Chicago Tribune reported that Mrs. Obama’s compensation at the University of Chicago Hospital, where she is a vice president for community affairs, jumped from $121,910 in 2004, just before her husband was elected to the Senate, to $316,962 in 2005, just after he took office. And that does not count the money Mrs. Obama receives from serving on corporate boards. She would have been O.K. even without Jack’s magic beans. ...
Lying Liars, and the Useful Idiots Who Love Them
posted by fdcol63 on February 29, 2008 9:36 AM
As a red stater living in a blue state it should be noted that we have state income, sales and real estate taxes and then pay Fed income, Social and Med taxes. I don't go to the library because the books there were chosen by the people running this blue state. Borders is right around the corner though; and I buy hardcovers for two reasons: one, I can't wait for the paperbacks to come out and two, I box up the hardcovers and take them down to our Vet hospital. Six cartons last year.
AND NOT ENOUGH COPS?? We have state, county, local and sheriff departments. Try cruising over the speed limit for a while and see what happens. I do support my locals and keep my "get out of jail free" card handy.
And yes...I won't be receiving a rebate check because I'm above the threshold but hey...64 days and a wake up will make me eligible for those Fed bennies everyone says are mine. And Beaufort SC is real nice with red fish and tarpon and this blue state can try and make it without me. And Mr Obama can try and find someone else to pay all those taxes I used to pay. All us baby boomers will be paying less taxes soon. How are them Dems going to fix that?
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...
Time to add a new caveat, because from email it's not clear to some folks (mind you, if you don't read this it won't matter...) Being an open post, people (collectively, the Denizens) other than I post in the H&I. They sign their work (most of the time) - keep that in mind when you want to flame someone in email please - if it doesn't say "The Armorer" or "John" then I didn't write it! And honestly - if you don't like something said or posted... leave a comment, and hash it out (within the context of The Rulez which are clearly posted on the comment form, I would add).
Up here in the glittering, frozen north, our opposition politicians, if they're not agitating for the withdrawal of the Canadian military from Afghanistan altogether, are attempting to put caveats on our participation that would put us on a par with the Germans or Italians. My skin crawls with the very idea, as does my co-contributor Mark's.
So today, I use a Digger engineer video to educate our remedial opposition politicians about the realities of fuzzy-wuzzy development and reconstruction in southern Afghanistan. - Damian
He had been on a training mission in the California desert on the night the Red Sox won the World Series, leaving his new bride from South Boston, Gina, and their dog, Teddy Ballgame, to watch the game by themselves on the base in Fort Irwin. So eight hours in an operating room yesterday wasn't going to stop a Milton kid, Philip Dow, not when Gina and his best buddy from BC High, Mike Viano, told him that the Sox were coming by the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
Armchair Generalist has a counterpoint up to my commentary on Senator Obama's musings on defense. As Jason is a sworn Obama fan, he speaks from a different perspective than I - but, as always, the amount of ground where we either agree, or are close enough to live with either result, is perhaps more informative, if less exciting for the news or juicy blogspatting. As I'm crashing on something, a response on my part will have to wait.-the Armorer
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Prince Harry has been serving in Afghanistan since December, and the news only broke now. That's not an easy one to keep secret, I'd imagine. - Damian
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Heh. Damian stole my thunder. Good on ya, Leftenant Windsor! -the Armorer
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Speaking of the prince's service at the pointy end of the spear, Chris Taylor has a fantastic post up about it. And as I see it, this line qualifies as Quote of the Week:
As far as I'm concerned, if MoD really wanted to burn some Islamist britches and destroy enemy morale, then HMS Ark Royal should be parked in the Persian Gulf with Elizabeth, Phillip, Charles, Andrew and Edward flying daily missions from her deck. That would make a great object lesson to hand down to the next generation of terrorists. "Your father was killed by an 82-year-old infidel Zionist-Crusader queen". "And did we shoot her down?" "No, she bombed your uncle last week."
*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."
We have to militarize space because they will whether we do or not. There are those that no matter how much chatting you do they're just going to go ahead and do it anyway. At least that's what they do on this planet.
posted by John Cunningham on February 28, 2008 12:19 PM
Another Medal of Honor. Someone you should know, but don't: Master Sergeant Woodrow Wilson Keeble
This one is a catch-up from Korea.
WASHINGTON (Army News Service) - During the final allied offensive of the Korean War, Master Sgt. Woodrow Wilson Keeble risked his life to save his fellow Soldiers. Almost six decades after his gallant actions and 26 years after his death, Keeble will be the first full-blooded Sioux Indian to receive the Medal of Honor.
The White House announced this morning that Keeble will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously in a ceremony scheduled for 2:30 p.m. March 3.
Keeble is one of the most decorated Soldiers in North Dakota history. A veteran of World War II and the Korean War, he was born in 1917 in Waubay, S.D., on the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Reservation, which extended into North Dakota. He spent most of his life in the Wahpeton, N.D. area, where he attended an Indian school. In 1942 Keeble joined the North Dakota National Guard, and in October that year, found himself embroiled in some of the fiercest hand-to-hand combat of World War II on Guadalcanal.
Guadalcanal
"Guadalcanal seemed to be on his mind a lot," Russell Hawkins, Keeble's stepson, said. "His fellow Soldiers said he had to fight a lot of hand-to-hand fights with the Japanese, so he saw their faces. Every now and then he would get a far-away look in his eyes, and I knew he was thinking about those men and the things he had to do." At Henderson Field on the South Pacific Island, Keeble served with Company I, 164th Infantry - the first Army unit on Guadalcanal.
"I heard stories from James Fenelon, who served with him there, and he would talk about how the men of the 164th rallied around this full-blooded Sioux Indian whose accuracy with the Brown Automatic Rifle was unparalleled," Hawkins said. "It was said he would go in front of patrols and kill enemies before his unit would get there."
The Sioux have a word for that kind of bravery, according to Hawkins - wowaditaka. "It means don't be afraid of anything, be braver than that which scares you the most." Keeble personified the word according to fellow Soldiers, and earned the first of four Purple Hearts and his first Bronze Star for his actions on Guadalcanal.
Korea
Keeble answered the call to arms again when war broke out in Korea. He was a seasoned, 34-year-old master sergeant serving with 1st Platoon, Company G, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Division.
According to eyewitness accounts, while serving as the acting platoon leader of 1st Plt. in the vicinity of the Kumsong River, North Korea, on or about Oct. 15. 1951, Keeble voluntarily took on the responsibility of leading not only his platoon, but the 2nd and 3rd Platoons as well.
In an official statement 1st Sgt. Kosumo "Joe" Sagami of Co. G said, "All the officers of the company had received disabling wounds or were killed in action, except one platoon leader who assumed command of the company." The company's mission was to take control of a steep, rocky, heavily fortified hill.
Hawkins recalled how the man everyone knew as "Woody," described the terrain. "We were driving through Colorado on a trip, and Woody was pointing at something out the window," Hawkins said. By that time, Keeble had suffered seven debilitating strokes and lost the ability to speak.
"I pulled over and realized he was pointing at a large, rocky cliff with an almost sheer drop. I asked Woody if that was what it was like during that battle in Korea and he nodded, 'yes,'" Hawkins said. "It wasn't quite a straight drop down, but you could get up the hill faster on your hands and knees than on your feet."
Sagami wrote that Keeble led all three platoons in successive assaults upon the Chinese who held the hill throughout the day. All three charges were repulsed, and the company suffered heavy casualties. Trenches filled with enemy soldiers, and fortified by three pillboxes containing machine guns and additional men surrounded the hill.
Following the third assault and subsequent mortar and artillery support, the enemy sustained casualties among its ranks in the open trenches. The machine gunners in the pillboxes however, continued to direct fire on the company. Sagami said after Keeble withdrew the 3rd platoon, he decided to attempt a solo assault.
"He once told a relative that the fourth attempt he was either going to take them out or die trying," Hawkins said.
"Woody used to tell people he was more concerned about losing his men than about losing his own life," he added. "He pushed his own life to the limit. He wasn't willing to put his fellow Soldiers' lives on the line."
Armed with grenades and his Browning Automatic Rifle, Keeble crawled to an area 50 yards from the ridgeline, flanked the left pillbox and used grenades and rifle fire to eliminate it, according to Sagami. After returning to the point where 1st Platoon held the company's first line of defense, Keeble worked his way to the opposite side of the ridgeline and took out the right pillbox with grenades. "Then without hesitation, he lobbed a grenade into the back entrance of the middle pillbox and with additional rifle fire eliminated it," Sagami added.
Hawkins said one eyewitness told him the enemy directed its entire arsenal at Keeble during his assault. "He said there were so many grenades coming down on Woody, that it looked like a flock of blackbirds." Even under heavy enemy fire, Keeble was able to complete his objective. Only after he killed the machine gunners did Keeble order his men to advance and secure the hill.
"When I first started hearing these stories I was amazed that a man of Woody's size (more than six feet tall and 235-plus pounds), could sneak up on the enemy without being noticed," Hawkins said. "So one day, I was out helping him mow the lawn, and I asked him how he did it. He just shrugged his shoulders.
"I joked with him and told him those soldiers must have been blind or old or something, because he would never be able to sneak up on a young guy like me." Hawkins said he continued to mow then was startled when Woody popped up from behind some bushes near him. "He could have reached out and grabbed me by the ankles, and I didn't even know he was there!" Keeble had slid on his back behind the brush. Although Hawkins was not positive, he believed Keeble might have used a similar maneuver when attacking the pillboxes.
Keeble's selfless acts on that rugged terrain in 1951 did not come without a price. According to Sagami and other eyewitnesses, he was wounded on at least five different occasions by fragmentation and concussion grenades. "His wounds were apparent in the chest, both arms, right calf, knee and right thigh and left thigh." Sagami cited blood at the wound locations as evidence.
Hawkins said 83 grenade fragments were removed from Keeble's body, but several others remained. "You could tell that the wounds bothered him sometimes, but he never complained."
Sagami wrote in his statement that Keeble did not complain on the battlefield either. "At no time did he allow himself to be evacuated during the course of the day. Only after the unit was in defensive positions for the night did he allow himself to be evacuated."
According to Hawkins, every surviving member of Co. G signed a letter recommending Keeble for the Medal of Honor on two separate occasions, once in November 1951 and then again in December that same year. On both instances, the paperwork was lost. Keeble was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross Dec. 20, 1952 for his actions in Korea, not the Medal of Honor his men believed he deserved. He also earned the Purple Heart (First Oak Leaf Cluster); Bronze Star (First Oak Leaf Cluster); and the Silver Star as a result of his heroics throughout his tour in Korea. He was honorably discharged March 1, 1953.
The rest of the story is in the Flash Traffic/Extended Entry
Even after his discharge, Keeble never severed his ties with the Army, Hawkins said, and was a champion for veterans and their causes. "He was always going to different veterans events and he supported the Disabled American Veterans organization. He would wear his uniform in parades, and was the first in line for any type of fundraiser."
Though Keeble knew of his unit's failed attempts to award him the Medal of Honor, Hawkins said he never sensed any bitterness from him. "Whenever someone would bring it up, he just shrugged. He wasn't there to get medals; he was there for his men and his country. He enjoyed the small things in life, and concentrated on what he had, not what he didn't have."
Those who didn't know Keeble the Soldier saw him as a kind-hearted, gentle man full of humility, according to Hawkins. "Woody was a very upbeat person. If you didn't know his war record, you'd think he was just a happy-go-lucky guy. His glass was always half full, never half empty."
In later years, Keeble fell on hard times and was forced to pawn all his medals. He had one lung removed, and in the months and years following the surgery suffered more than a half dozen strokes that Hawkins said eventually left him speechless. "But his mind remained sharp, and he was the same man inside."
Keeble's family was presented with a duplicate set of medals in May 2006, and they, along with his uniform and other memorabilia, are housed at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks.
Long Road to Medal of Honor
The family's battle to upgrade Keeble's Distinguished Service Cross to the Medal of Honor began in 1972, when both Woody and his wife, Dr. Blossom Hawkins-Keeble, were still alive. According to Hawkins, the family unknowingly started off in the wrong direction. "We thought the paperwork had been lost, but were unaware that it no longer existed. It didn't just get lost on the battlefield, it never made it off the battlefield." When the family finally realized this fact, they sought the support of the Sisseton-Wahpeton tribe and gathered recorded statements from the men who served with Keeble.
The team soon learned that since the statute of limitations for awarding the Medal of Honor was three years from the date of the heroic action, it would literally take, "An Act of Congress," to realize the goal. Beginning in 2002, the tribe involved senators and representatives from North and South Dakota. Armed with written evidence, eyewitness accounts and letters from four senators supporting the effort, tribe officials contacted the Army, which reviewed the evidence and concluded Keeble's actions were worthy of the medal. Finally, on March 23, 2007, North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan introduced a bill, cosponsored by Senators Kent Conrad (ND), Tim Johnson (SD) and John Thune (SD), authorizing the president, "To award the Medal of Honor to Woodrow W. Keeble for his acts of valor during the Korean conflict." Congress passed the bill in early December 2007.
Hawkins will represent Keeble in a White House ceremony March 3, where he will accept the Medal of Honor on his behalf.
"We are just proud to be a part of this for Woody," Hawkins said. "He is deserving of this, for what he did in the Armed Services in defense of this country."
Hawkins added that this victory is as important for the Sisseton-Wahpeton tribe and North and South Dakota as it is for Keeble and his family. "We are all extremely proud that Woody is finally receiving this honor. He epitomized our cultural values of humility, compassion, bravery, strength and honor."
He added that Woody was the embodiment of "woyuonihan," or, "honor," always carrying himself in a way so that those who knew him would be proud of him. "He lived a life full of honor and respect."
Hawkins said his feelings about Keeble echo those of all who knew him. "If he was alive today, I would tell him there's no one I respect more, and how he is everything a man should be: brave, kind and generous. I would tell him how proud I am of him, and how I never realized that all this time, I was living with such greatness."
Task Force King, ANA conduct joint artillery training in Nuristan
Peek-a-boo, I see you!
When I saw that pic, it just made me laugh, because all us Redlegs have done that, peered up the tube... Then I saw this one, and it made me curious:
After all, that elevation seems pretty high to be using a direct fire sight, though of course the guy could have simply been looking at the photographer, who was clearly standing on something nearby. But it was all made clear in the last photo - which is below the article.
Story and photos by Spc. Gregory J. Argentieri
173rd ABCT Public Affairs
NURISTAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Paratroopers from 4th Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, recently began training their Afghanistan National Army artillery counterparts in February at Forward Operating Base Kalagush in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan.
Approximately 30 ANA artillerymen assigned to the Field Artillery Company, 4th Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 201st Corps for will be learning to operate and fire the modern M198 155mm Howitzer the next several weeks from their U.S. Army artillery counterparts from 2nd Platoon, Alpha Battery, 4-319th AFAR.
One important area of focus for the ANA artillery training will be to come away fully capable and proficient at indirect fire in support of their troops on the ground. Indirect artillery fire is critical to success while fighting in the mountainous terrain of Afghanistan.
The Afghan Soldiers are excited about the opportunity to train with U.S. Soldiers.
“Everybody knows the ANA soldiers volunteer, so these soldiers are very interested in artillery, and are determined to use this opportunity to learn from the U.S. Soldiers and gain more knowledge,” said Field Artillery Company Commander 1st Lt. Abdul Nasir Ahmadi, from Kabul, “These are not new soldiers. They have been working for the ANA for four or five years, and have had lots of training.”
“The difference now is we have cooperation with the U.S. Soldiers,” said Ahmadi. “It is very important because hopefully in the future we will have a M198 Howitzer.”
Currently the ANA uses the D-30 Russian Howitzer.
“I really enjoyed shooting, and I want to have lots of training on the modern Howitzer,” said ANA Artillery Crew Chief, Sgt. 1st Class Falak Naz, from Jalalabad. “I have learned lots of things, different kinds of ammunitions, rounds, fuses, and how to direct fire for the modern Howitzer.”
Working side-by-side with the ANA provides the U.S. Soldiers with more than just a training opportunity, it also gives them a better understanding of the overall mission and the importance of Operation Enduring Freedom.
“When I first started working with them I wasn’t sure exactly what they would know and with the language barrier how difficult it would be to communicate with them, but since they came with interpreters and after I have been working with them, I have come to find out across the board artillery is artillery. So I think it’s just a matter of going from one gun to another,” said Staff Sgt. James F. Natiello, Section Chief, 2nd Platoon, Alpha Battery, 4-319th AFAR.
“It’s good to know these guys are here and they have experience. It gives us Americans confidence in people here to take care of themselves after we leave,” said Natiello, from Aston, Pa.
The Alpha Battery Soldiers are happy to share their experience with their Afghan counterparts.
“We are helping them learn better techniques on handling and loading ammunition, and our safety requirements and the things we do to be safe,” said Staff Sgt. Trenton R. Farris from Abilene, Texas, 1st Section Chief for 2nd Platoon, Alpha Battery, 4-319th AFAR. “Their motivation and attention to detail is much higher than we anticipated, and their discipline is much better than the ANA I’ve seen in the past. It gives me more hope for the future as far as them being able to take over in their role as artillery for their country.”
Artillery Section Chief, Sgt. 1st Class Wade A. Hunter, from Queens, N.Y., 2nd Platoon, Alpha Battery, 4-319th AFAR agrees that the training is important for the Afghans to properly defend their own country.
“As an artilleryman, artillery is the ‘King of Battle,’ and if these guys are proficient at artillery, and are looking at defending their nation and their citizens, this is something you want to be skilled at, something you want to invest in,” said Hunter, “It has been proven that artillery is an effective means of defending yourself from the bad guys.”
“For me this training is pretty exciting. It’s exciting enough training fellow Americans, but to do partnership training with someone from a different nationality, and see how they do business, you feel like you’re making a difference,” said Hunter, “The impact, the camaraderie, being exposed to another culture, and getting a chance to impart your skills and knowledge, it’s hard to explain, but it’s a good feeling.”
No matter what country you are from, artillerymen share a unique love for their job.
“When we were briefed on this mission, command told us these are our artillery brothers that are coming to train with us. I did not understand what that really meant until these guys got here. Just through this training alone, no matter what nationality you’re from, no matter what your cultural background, artillerymen are pretty much the same,” said Hunter, “The artillery company shows the same kind of attitude when it comes to shooting a round or motivation, their excitement for the mission, it’s just like looking at another American group, and that’s good to see. They do speak a different language but when it comes to body language and attitude, artillerymen are the same.”
“The plan is to have one-on-one training, to impart our knowledge to these guys. For a chief to learn a chief’s job or how he does business you talk to another chief. For a gunner to learn a gunner’s job the best person to talk to is a gunner, and these guys are hands-on and excited,” said Hunter. “The mission is to get these guys to a point where we all can be on the same sheet of music.”
No matter what country you are from, artillerymen share a unique love for their job.
Word! As for the use of the direct fire sight... well, they may well be shooting direct fire at those elevations in the mountains of Afghanistan.
If you'd like to see a larger version of that last pic - click here.
This is well-intentioned, heartfelt, and, of course, a little late - but better late than never, as I said when I forwarded this to my favorite Vietnam Veteran.
His response was not what I expected, though in retrospect, it doesn't surprise me. Truly the forgotten soldiers of a forgotten war. Here's what he said:
"Its never for most of those who served in an even bloodier and more uncomfortable although shorter war in Korea, who got about the same reception when they came home."
For the record, Colonel - you're one of my heroes, and always have been.
Now to Ms. Weaver's missive.
Dear Hero,
I was in my twenties during the Vietnam era. I was a single mother and, I'm sad to say, I was probably one of the most self-centered people on the planet. To be perfectly honest…I didn't care one way or the other about the war. All I cared about was me—how I looked, what I wore, and where I was going. I worked and I played. I was never politically involved in anything, but I allowed my opinions to be formed by the media. It happened without my ever being aware. I listened to the protest songs and I watch the six o'clock news and I listened to all the people who were talking. After awhile, I began to repeat their words and, if you were to ask me, I'd have told you I was against the war. It was very popular. Everyone was doing it, and we never saw what it was doing to our men. All we were shown was what they were doing to the people of Vietnam.
My brother joined the Navy and then he was sent to Vietnam. When he came home, I repeated the words to him. It surprised me at how angry he became. I hurt him very deeply and there were years of separation—not only of miles, but also of character. I didn't understand.
In fact, I didn't understand anything until one day I opened my newspaper and saw the anguished face of a Vietnam veteran. The picture was taken at the opening of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. His countenance revealed the terrible burden of his soul. As I looked at his picture and his tears, I finally understood a tiny portion of what you had given for us and what we had done to you. I understood that I had been manipulated, but I also knew that I had failed to think for myself. It was like waking up out of a nightmare, except that the nightmare was real. I didn't know what to do.
One day about three years ago, I went to a member of the church I attended at that time, because he had served in Vietnam. I asked him if he had been in Vietnam, and he got a look on his face and said, "Yes." Then, I took his hand, looked him square in the face, and said, "Thank you for going." His jaw dropped, he got an amazed look on his face, and then he said, "No one has ever said that to me." He hugged me and I could see that he was about to get tears in his eyes. It gave me an idea, because there is much more that needs to be said. How do we put into words…all the regret of so many years? I don't know, but when I have an opportunity, I take…so here goes.
Have you been to Vietnam? If so, I have something I want to say to you—Thank you for going! Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Please forgive me for my insensitivity. I don't know how I could have been so blind, but I was. When I woke up, you were wounded and the damage was done, and I don't know how to fix it. I will never stop regretting my actions, and I will never let it happen again.
Please understand that I am speaking for the general public also. We know we blew it and we don't know how to make it up to you. We wish we had been there for you when you came home from Vietnam because you were a hero and you deserved better. Inside of you there is a pain that will never completely go away…and you know what? It's inside of us, too; because when we let you down, we hurt ourselves, too. We all know it…and we suffer guilt and we don't know what to do…so we cheer for our troops and write letters to "any soldier" and we hang out the yellow ribbons and fly the flag and we love America. We love you too, even if it doesn't feel like it to you. I know in my heart that, when we cheer wildly for our troops, part of the reason is trying to make up for Vietnam. And while it may work for us, it does nothing for you. We failed you. You didn't fail us, but we failed you and we lost our only chance to be grateful to you at the time when you needed and deserved it. We have disgraced ourselves and brought shame to our country. We did it and we need your forgiveness. Please say you will forgive us and please take your rightful place as heroes of our country. We have learned a terribly painful lesson at your expense and we don't know how to fix it.
I saw The Wall for the first time last March. It was about six months after I had read this
hnn.us/articles/31400.html
Over the years I had suspicions something had gone wrong but wasn't able to put it all together. When I saw The Wall I thought I would get all weepy, but I didn't. As I went along the sidewalk and as it goes below street level and The Wall gets bigger and bigger I found myself getting angrier and angrier. When we left Vietnam we left them with a reasonable facsimile of a democracy and reasonably trained military. The democrat controlled Congress cut beans and bullets money and also fixed it so that we couldn't use our Air Force to give them air cover to knock out the tanks that the north used when they launched their chinese communist financed blitzkreig. They flushed down the toilet the efforts of 58,000 dead GIs. They stabbed them in the back. Basically South Vietnam ran out of ammunition and the democrats wouldn't spring for a few bucks to buy some more. Today they're trying to do the same thing by trying to stab those serving in Iraq in the back right to their faces. One would get the impression that they were in bed with the communists back then and it looks as though they're in bed with the islamofacists today.
At least that's the impression I get.
posted by John Cunningham on February 28, 2008 9:53 AM
This particular letter was written by a woman from Shelbyville, Indiana, to a member of American Legion Victory Post # 70 in Shelbyville. I know those folks.
It was first published (to my knowledge) last fall in Indiana's American Legion "Hoosier Legionnaire" by our Assistant Department Adjutant. I figured it would find its way onto the internet at some point.
Requests for replies were made in that article, but none have, to date, been published. I've tried several times to compose a reply to give to Ms Weaver in person, but come up short each time.
Her last line is the one that stops me every time I try.....
"we don't know how to fix it" she says
There is no fix, Ms Weaver, no easy solution to absolve those of you who blew it of your 'sins"
Personally.....I like it that way.
posted by R Jewell on February 28, 2008 11:23 AM
I had a nice email exchange with Ms. Weaver, when I asked for permission to post the letter.
John, as I read this letter from Ms Weaver, I see many things. The issues she raises is very important to the Viet Nam Vets, as well as today's vets. She has the courage to face her failures. What about the rest of us? I am a service connected disabled vet from that era. This woman's letter was a personal letter, not a political one. THE FAILURE IN VIET NAM WAS CAUSED BY BOTH PARTIES! The real problem was their REFUSAL to work TOGETHER!
Grumpy
posted by Grumpy on February 28, 2008 12:29 PM
It was democrat driven. Then they were committed to getting in the way of containing communism whenever and wherever we could. We had been out of the country for two years when they were finally able to put their two year threat to cut funding into effect. They succeeded in 75. During that two years the communists went over to Laos and Cambodia and reconstituted along the Ho Chi Minh thruway. The way you fix it is to not let the democrats do it again.
posted by John Cunningham on February 28, 2008 1:21 PM
Julie sounds like a sweet lady and I don't mean to be cruel to her but I question her standing to
speak for the general public. Most of them don't admit they blew it, few of them are worried about making it up to the Vietnam vets, and none of them have anything close to the pain the betrayed carry.
The general population does not feel the guilt Julie feels. The general population is incapable of shame, no longer remembers honor, hasn't learned their lesson, and doesn't really care about fixing it.
And they are going to betray the current generation of defenders.
Well, it seems this lady reached across the pages and the time and got her hand slapped off.
posted by kat-missouri on February 29, 2008 2:49 AM
kat-missouri, I hope no one thought anyone's show of emotion was anything like a slapping. I for one thought it very thoughtful on her part and I appreciate what she said. I can only speak for myself, but, I think other's will agree, when Vietnam is brought up it gets the juices going and what she said wasn't deserving of a "thank you very much". Some see today as somewhat of a deja vu all over again and want to hope since those up to their same old crap don't get away with it.
posted by John Cunningham on February 29, 2008 3:53 AM
Being self centered wasn't her crime. I think we are all a bit selfish. Being influenced was. Her reasons for being against the war were the politically correct ones being parroted in the media. Not a major deal...not like Jane Fonda or John Kerry. Around here, she is still referred to as Hanoi Jane. John Kerry
got his comeuppance.
While I grew up in a military family and have a different perspective than she did, she articulated very well the mindset of a selfish generation who thought war was evil because it interrupted their lives. And it cost her the relationship she had with her brother.
It takes courage to admit mistakes and why they were made and to try and be better. I don't think absolution is what she is after, but reconciliation and to never let it happen again.
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...
Time to add a new caveat, because from email it's not clear to some folks (mind you, if you don't read this it won't matter...) Being an open post, people (collectively, the Denizens) other than I post in the H&I. They sign their work (most of the time) - keep that in mind when you want to flame someone in email please - if it doesn't say "The Armorer" or "John" then I didn't write it! And honestly - if you don't like something said or posted... leave a comment, and hash it out (within the context of The Rulez which are clearly posted on the comment form, I would add).
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On the side bar and in previous posts here, we talked about "the final mission" that every vet has - coming home. Veterans Talk is a new blog by a Marine Veteran of Iraq.
When I got back from Iraq, I admit, I drank a ton. Now, with a more clear mind than I had back then I can see that I drank because it somewhat numbed my mind, it allowed me to be myself and not have to worry about 'maintaining'. I could get drunk with my buddies, or at home by myself and everything would be alright. I could tune down a bit from having to look over my shoulder everywhere I went, and forget about worrying about every piece of trash laying on the side of the road. It also helped me to forget the faces of the people that we hurt and put down.
I'm torn about this. Though we once had a long discussion in comments here about the fall of the USSR. I noted that the left claims the fall was inevitable due to bad economics and politics while the right claims that Ronnie's "peace through strength" spent them into oblivion. I always felt that both sides overlooked a very important aspect: the black market. Not just the underground economy that it spurred, but the things that people bought. Like Coca-Cola, Levi jeans and Michael Jackson music cassettes (back when he was somewhat "normal"). You really can't say "freedom" any better than American made products and American music.
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Remember last election cycle the news was about the Iraq vets who were running against the war? This cycle there are Iraq vets running who support the war. Iraq Vets For Congress. Jules Crittenden has more. -the Armorer
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With elegant understatement, Neptunus Lex takes a look at of some of the big names attempting to "advise" Clinton and Obama on foreign policy:
Together the three wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post intended to stiffen the spines of any presidential candidates - they know who they are - now running on an anti-war platform, but who might be toying with the notion of going all wobbly and governing responsibly once in office.
LT G has another must-read (you'll never see the kicker to the story coming). Heh. I should be getting royalties or something, considering all the time I spend trumpeting his excellent stories.
I don't know what gave him away... maybe it was the mile-wide grin on his face, or the way he walked so lightly in dusty boots recently unburdened of at least 50 pounds of gear, but the USO director instantly knew the broad-shouldered young soldier was home from Iraq.
And speaking of investments (title of the last link above), I've hooked a big one for the follow-up questions about investment and economic development in Iraq that came out of the interview with BG Cardon. I'll be interviewing "the highest American official in Iraq to be charged with economic issues" on Sunday night; if you have any suggested questions or areas of interest, please comment below or drop me a line. Thanks! - FbL
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Continuing the story - Army Chief of Staff General Casey testifying before Congress, speaks to Senator Obama's Army Captain:
"I have no reason to doubt what it is the captain said," Casey said. "This was 2003 and 2004, almost four and a half years ago. We acknowledge and all worked together to correct the deficiencies that we saw in that period, not only in Afghanistan but in Iraq. It was a period that we worked our way through."
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War is all about move, countermove, flex and adapt. The stupid die young, the smart die hard. Abu Muqawama on Taliban flexing and adapting. -the Armorer
********************************* Arms and Influence on the subject of Flag Hags. Color me in agreement with Kingdaddy on the subject. My own "school moment" was when I was "rulered" for not praying out loud. For a week. I don't mind school prayer all that much, really. I didn't then. I just wanted to do it my way, so to speak. And I wasn't bending on the subject, either, no matter how much Mrs. Rowland was going to beat me for it. When Mom and Dad found out about it (no, I never said a word) it got taken care of. On several levels. Did kill my taste for school for many years, I admit. -the Armorer
*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."
I for one, am all for independent contractors. Good for the entrepreneurial spirit of this country. Those New Deal Labor Laws requiring Closed Union Shops, suck. Way to go Fuzz!
posted by Boquisucio on February 27, 2008 11:02 AM
Jeez, Fuzzy- hold out for more than a shilling!
FX- (rapid footsteps diminishing-door opens and closes-car revs up and speeds away)
Buckley attended the National Autonomous University of Mexico (or UNAM) in 1943 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the US Army the following year. In his book, Miles Gone By, he briefly recounts being a member of Franklin Roosevelt's honor guard when the president died.
posted by JohnW on February 27, 2008 1:20 PM
JohnW beat me to it. WFB , according to the NYT obit, was in the Army '44 to '46. Said he "...managed to reach Second Lieutenant...". I can see it now, 2LT Buckley delivering a BUB or similar briefing in the manner of the cartoon from the other day.
posted by Hunter on February 27, 2008 2:01 PM
I've never read a biography of him, and my source (I thought) was impeccable.
One Sunday morning, the pastor noticed little Alex standing in the foyer of the church staring up at a large plaque.
It was covered with names with small American flags mounted on either side of it.
The seven-year-old had been staring at the plaque for some time, so the pastor walked up, stood beside the little boy, and said quietly, 'Good Morning, Alex.'
'Good morning Pastor, what is this?' he asked the pastor.
The pastor said, 'Well, son, it's a memorial plaque to all the young men and women who died in the Service.'
Soberly, they just stood together, staring at the large plaque.
Finally, little Alex's voice, barely audible and trembling with fear, asked...
One wonders if it's possible for a Democrat to conceive of a "proven" missile defense system, or will the goal posts simply keep moving as they have for Iraq. Of course, he said cut, not eliminate, so he's left himself wiggle room there.
Not weaponize space. Okay. I'm fine with that. S'long as nobody else does. Of course, several nations who's interests don't align with ours consider our satellite constellations to already have weaponized space. Going to take down the comms and recon satellites, Senator? Those are warfighting enablers that make the American way of war possible. And therefore, they are legitimate targets of people who wish us harm. Just thinkin' out loud, sir.
Slowing FCS is already happening. Welcome to the cart, Senator. Of course, he probably means "any future system developed for combat," not just FCS proper. One wonders if that would include the next generation of vehicles designed to better protect soldiers - even in "peace-keeping" missions. The devil is in them details. And soundbites do not good policy make.
Heh. Just what we need, another Board. Those functions already exist, Senator. Perhaps a tweak or two, rather than another layer? S'okay, sir. You get the job, there will be plenty of people who will brief you up on the stuff you don't know.
A world without nuclear weapons. Good luck with that. Nice words, tough genie.
Here's his issue paper on the subject:
Toward a Nuclear Free World: Obama will set a goal of a world without nuclear weapons, and pursue it. Obama will always maintain a strong deterrent as long as nuclear weapons exist. But he will take several steps down the long road toward eliminating nuclear weapons. He will stop the development of new nuclear weapons; work with Russia to take U.S. and Russian ballistic missiles off hair trigger alert; seek dramatic reductions in U.S. and Russian stockpiles of nuclear weapons and material; and set a goal to expand the U.S.-Russian ban on intermediate- range missiles so that the agreement is global.
This is another one of those things that's too complicated for a sound bite. And these are high-minded words without much substance, since (sanely) he's not proposing to do much unless everybody else agrees to do it. Good luck, Senator. Enjoy those briefings. Mind you - if you can get everybody to load 'em up and dump 'em somewhere, fine with me. I never liked the things, and you are writing me monthly checks because of 'em.
Global ban on the development of fissile material? Greenies are going to love that. Might have some trouble with those nations who *like* nuclear power, though.
Summation: Lots of high-minded fluff, not much substance. Such is what we can expect in a sound bite world. It's so amorphous he can do almost anything, and claim he's met the promise. Love to see his serious policy papers on the subject, when he gets them done. Here's his stuff for the military:
Building a 21st Century Military
The Problem: The excellence of our military is unmatched. But as a result of a misguided war in Iraq, our forces are under pressure as never before. Obama will make the investments we need so that the finest military in the world is best-prepared to meet 21st-century threats.
"The excellence of our military is unmatched." Can't be true if we've lost the war, sir, and need to come home immediately. If the latter is the case, then we've been over-matched by a melange of loosely organized militias, terrorists, hostile media and elites, supported by politicians hungry for domestic power, and your plan should suggest some concrete ideas about how we are going to totally re-structure our services in order to be able to succeed in that kind of environment. Not just tweaks and twiddles.
Rebuild Trust: Obama will rebuild trust with those who serve by ensuring that soldiers and Marines have sufficient training time before they are sent into battle.
More detail, please.
Expand the Military: We have learned from Iraq that our military needs more men and women in uniform to reduce the strain on our active force. Obama will increase the size of ground forces, adding 65,000 soldiers to the Army and 27,000 Marines.
I won't argue this, if we also do some restructuring in organizing for combat. And peace keeping. And peace enforcing. And foreign disaster relief. And nation building. And all those other things we like to send soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Guardsmen and Reservists to do... Or, we rationalize our mission sets, and, dare I say it, take an appetite suppressant on changing the world?
New Capabilities: Obama will give our troops new equipment, armor, training, and skills like language training. He will also strengthen our civilian capacity, so that our civilian agencies have the critical skills and equipment they need to integrate their efforts with our military.
So, again, that "unmatched military" is really poorly equipped, under-protected, badly trained? I'm with you on the language skills. Good luck guessing on which ones we're going to need 10 years from now. That's true for *whoever* sits in the Oval Office and the E-Ring. Mind you, I'm all for improvements, but we do have to remember that "Perfect is the enemy of Good Enough" and accept the fact that the bad guy always gets a vote. Therefore, if we're going to stay in the business of killing people and breaking things - the people we're killing and who's stuff we're breaking, are going to try to hurt us back. And they'll succeed. Mind you, this group has had less comparative success than about anyone else who's tried, though we just can't seem to get our minds around that concept. Additionally, trying to make it casualty-free for our side will cost you in other ways. So many other ways. Such as making it way too easy to go to war. But all that stuff is too much for an already long blog post.
Gonna take on the Civil Service! I'll sign up for that. Long past time it needed doing. Go to school on the changes DoD has made in the civil service. Mind you, I want *all* the candidates to sign on to this one.
Strengthen Guard and Reserve: Obama will restore the readiness of the National Guard and Reserves. He will permit them adequate time to train and rest between deployments, and provide the National Guard with the equipment they need for foreign and domestic emergencies. He will also give the Guard a seat at the table by making the Chief of the National Guard a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
...thus ineffectively making the National Guard a separate service. Sort of. But not really. I would argue for a rather more far-reaching look at the organization of the DoD from a more holistic perspective. But that's just me, a retired mid-grade officer, with no experience in the rarefied atmosphere of the Pentagon or White House. Though I did spend an hour there, once, as a invited guest.
We have been discussing this over at CDR Salamander's place, but we're kinda still in the WTF phase.
Part of me wants to say "Everyone needs to see this." After all, it's only 52 seconds long. However, the problem with that is comprehending it. Sure we get it. Especially with all the great resources we have here at the Castle.
But what about the majority of America? The part that would score under 50 on that civics test? They still get to vote. The only hope is that they would read your breakdown after viewing the YouTube vid.
Okay expect a counterpoint on this tomorrow. I will only give you a preview to say this: if the DSB and DPB aren't doing their jobs, and we know the 2006 QDR was a bust, then yes, we do need to fire those committees and charter one that will do the job of getting us out of the Cold War mentality.
Re: 21st cent military, no one (in Obama's camp) says we've lost the war, in fact we won the 2003 war. It's just that we don't appear to have a purpose in Iraq now other than to indefinitely sit between warring camps, and if our govt is unwilling to fully commit to the job and just trickle forces into the meatgrinder for the next 10-100 years, then yes, we need a new plan that continues the Army of Excellence.
Re: nukes. IT'S A GOAL, not necessarily a four-year plan. It may surprise you to know that the US govt is a signatory of the NPT, which includes THE GOAL of eliminating all nukes. Doesn't mean we have to get there tomorrow, but we do have to show good faith in the arms control agreements that the Senate has approved. This administration eschews treaties - got it - but perhaps we could do something crazy like join (and lead) the international community again.
Jason - don't over-read my position on nukes, if you skip the part that says I'm all for dumping 'em. I know Senator Obama's your guy, so I await your response.
Heh. I'm thinking we're in violent agreement on most of the 21st military piece... except the bit about "winning the 2003 war." We won the campaign. The war continues. Which is part and parcel of the problem. It's like saying we "won" the War in North Africa, but are now bogged down in Italy with no plan to go forward.
As for the new Defense Priorities Board - I'm reacting to what's in the piece - create a new board. Nothing about removing the existing boards. Lets be honest - as long as DoD is on an annual budget cycle, *nothing* is going to get fixed, and that's before you get to the politics. Create a new board. Yay. With what authority? More importantly, what power?
A board isn't going to make a bit of difference and is just going to be the illusion of progress.
It's the budget process, and the institutions of the President, SecDef, and "Congress, assembled" where lie the problem. A new board is going to be window dressing.
I am reminded of the Kennedy / Khrushchev match for Champion of the World back in the early 60's. After their first meeting, Khrushchev thought he had the measure of the young contender and started a worldwide effort to smack him around. Khrushchev's efforts ranged from authorizing the Berlin Wall to putting missiles in Cuba. Well, Kid Kennedy was good - or at least good enough - to stand off Khrushchev.
Now a rematch is being scheduled. If it is to be President Obama vs. Putin then the odds favor Putin. Obama is much less than JFK and Putin is much more than Khrushchev. Bambi vs. Godzilla comes to mind.
You have to live in the sure and certain knowledge that Putin WILL challenge President Obama immediately.
posted by Fred on February 27, 2008 11:23 AM
Fred. I agree completely. Not just Putin, though. A whole range of folks who are already challenging Bush will probably step up the game.
Kumbaya world just ain't going to get it. I think Obama's ideas are so idealist they don't look at the reality that is both the national interest of these other nations (which, like ours, they consider paramount to their continued or improved existence) nor at the real character of these people. Some of whom are not dictators of terrible tyranny just because the world isn't ordered in a certain way or because the US did or didn't do something. Many of these people are in it for their own power and their own, often twisted, ideologies.
Everyone keeps talking about Obama's "reaganesque" upbeat speech, but the difference is, Regean was willing to back that up with specific demands and he had a line in the sand when it came to tyrants and evil. Obama is saying there is no line in the sand and he's willing to make them legitimate players and equal partners just because they rule a nation.
I keep saying it because I have to: Nuts!
posted by kat-missouri on February 27, 2008 11:37 AM
As Lindsey Lohan's recent homage to Marilyn Monroe clearly denotes: The Global War on Good Taste (GWOT), has been won.
The War on Tuggy Feelings (WTF) on the other hand hand, has entered a terrible attrition phase.
posted by Boquisucio on February 27, 2008 2:25 PM
Quite frankly, Obama scares the heck out of me.
I don't think it's a coincidence that the end of Obama's (likely) presidential term ends in 2012.
The damage will be done, and the butcher's bill will come due.
posted by fdcol63 on February 28, 2008 9:38 AM
No, you're wrong. She's quite sane. Just incredibly taken-advantage-of in every way possible, and very decent about it.
Most women who'd been ardently pursued, then dumped, her formal wedding cancelled, and left financially liable for a home she didn't own and never lived in -- might have been vitriolic, or spilled the beans, on a radio interview still available on the Internet. But she wasn't, and she didn't.
So chill and take a deep breath, nephew dear.
posted by Plesk salla on February 28, 2008 8:40 PM
I don't know how many of the people they're trying to reach read blogs - but you read blogs, and might know some of these people. So, here 'tis. Me trying to help the IRS. Hope this will help next time I get audited.
Nah.
From an email:
We want to make sure active duty personnel, veterans and their families know about the stimulus payments that will begin in May.
We know that most people will not have to do anything other than file their 2007 individual income tax return to receive their stimulus payment.
But, the IRS is concerned that retired members and the families of survivors, who don’t have a requirement to file a tax return, know the only way they can get a stimulus payment is to file a return. Even those who have little or no tax liability may qualify for a minimum payment of $300 ($600 if filing a joint return) if their tax return reflects $3,000 or more in qualifying income.
We also want to make sure they know special rules apply to help them qualify. For the purpose of the stimulus payments, qualifying income includes veterans’ disability compensation, pension or survivors’ benefits received from the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2007.
Emphasis mine. More detail is available here. I'm guessing (hoping!) that not too many if any active duty types would *not* have to file, but, given the strong generational pattern of service, their parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents and cousins who once served might be in this situation.
Update: I sent the IRS a note, asking if they had considered going to the blogs as a way to get this information out to a targeted audience. The response was instructive: "As my signature block indicates, I work with the media and I am not the best source of information for individuals who have questions."
Clearly, we have a way to go with the IRS public affairs people. No matter. We stormed the walls of DoD and have breached them. I don't know if we'll put out quite that level of effort with the IRS, but heck, it's worth a rock or two from Murray's trebuchet to see if we can get 'em to think of *all* the media. Especially in a digital age, where the blogs are the nimblest, albeit not most efficient, method of content distribution. Dude. It's just an email...
Update: The did get back, and quickly. Good on 'em!
The letter to the editor discusses how the decision was made to discontinue providing one free meal to veterans who ride the bus to their appointments. The money was coming from a Volunteer Pool Fund. The head of the VA Volunteers decided to cut the program and made a recommendation up the line of command, so to speak. There is no indication of what condition the VPF is in financially or what the money that would be saved would be used for instead.
But, these sentences caught my attention:
This is truly an example of the adage win the battle, lose the war. It may be seen as a win for the Martinsburg VAMC, but clearly a loss for our veterans who rely on this service, as well as look forward to it.[snip]
By way of additional background, the majority of veterans who ride these vans do so as a last resort. They are on extremely limited incomes, and they do not have the luxury of having their kids or grandkids/friends to drive them to these appointments. In fact, several of them do not have living relatives to assist them in their time of need.
There are real benefits to these programs, though they do not show a direct positive impact through any statistics or accounting lines. Thus, its pretty easy to overlook those benefits and cut these kinds of programs through nothing more than "fiscal" considerations.
I believe that this VA and others like it should consider the purpose and benefits of these programs.
Last summer I delivered some Soldiers' Angels Vet Packs to the KC VAMC along with some other items to the Volunteer Coordinator. We had a long talk about what their program needed and how they used the items they received. One of the things that had noted as an important need was money for bus passes. They would give needy veterans two bus passes: one to go home on and one to return on. When they came back, they received two more passes for the same.
This money was available totally by funds provided through different charities and veterans' organizations like the American Legion. They provided these bus passes to insure that these veterans could make it to their appointments. Not all vets have access to DAV buses in the time frames that their appointments existed. By insuring veterans could get to their appointments for routine check ups, follow ups and treatments these veterans receive continuous care and help to maintain their over all health. The end result for the VA is a potential reduction in catastrophic illnesses through better preventative care. That's a direct benefit to the Vets and to the VA's over all budget, allowing them to provide other important care and services.
We talked briefly about how they used the Soldiers' Angels mugs through their home psyche outreach program as "incentives" to get vets to either come in for their treatments or to get them to see the outreach team when they come to their home. The entire program is geared towards getting vets the care they need now so they don't have to see them later for something worse or, in this case, the vets stop taking their meds or getting treatment so they can't take care of themselves and either end up in some institution or homeless.
So, I have a very good idea about what the "free meal" program was used for and exactly what benefit it really gave for both the veterans and the VAMC. That benefit isn't just some financially fragile vets getting a free meal. It has everything to do with insuring that these vets who, upon riding the bus, would be stuck at the VA for some hours waiting for their appointment and transportation home. If they don't have a meal in that time, some of them may decide that it's too much of a pain to come in at all. Others may be medically fragile and require meals at specific times. Diabetes is a huge problem with the aged veteran population and many are taking insulin that also requires regular meals.
As noted, many vets are economically fragile and may not be able to afford to eat at the cafeteria on their own funds. Or, out at a fast food place. That's if there are any near by or the neighborhood the VAMC is in is safe or, finally, if the vet can transport themselves to the restaurant. All of these things would actually have an impact on the decision making of a veteran who knows that a trip to the VA is going to be a long or all day event.
If they go, they might not get a meal. If they stay home, they'll get a meal, not be at the VA all day. Besides, many reason, they aren't feeling that sick. Maybe next time. Anyone who has dealt with the elderly at all knows that is exactly what happens in the decision making process.
The problem, of course, is that there is no direct accounting line between those "fringe" benefits of free meals and the end savings to the health of the veterans or the budget. That makes it easy to overlook those benefits and see them as nothing more than financial drains.
But, they do have real, tangible benefits that it would behoove this VAMC and others like it to consider when they are evaluating these programs.
Kat, I just want to echo, MajMike, "I pray for the Lord's blessings for you."
There is one thing, you put a spotlight on a real sore spot for me. I really wonder how some of these people would look at this issue if they had some blood investment in the Military. This is NOT true of all! But, the line, when it came time for him to serve was this, "I've got more important things to do!" WHAT, there is nothing more important to do! These vets have done their duty, especially now, this one benefit should stay, even if it mean the President and Vice President and their families take it out of their own pockets. Forget the Damn Libraries! Sell them and put the papers back in the Library of Congress. The artifacts should be sent to the Smithsonian Institution. These people work for us, therefore the papers and artifacts are property of the People of The United States of America.
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...
Time to add a new caveat, because from email it's not clear to some folks (mind you, if you don't read this it won't matter...) Being an open post, people (collectively, the Denizens) other than I post in the H&I. They sign their work (most of the time) - keep that in mind when you want to flame someone in email please - if it doesn't say "The Armorer" or "John" then I didn't write it! And honestly - if you don't like something said or posted... leave a comment, and hash it out (within the context of The Rulez which are clearly posted on the comment form, I would add).
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Canada's governmental schizophrenia on the subject of Afghanistan (and some well-earned asperity with other NATO countries) continues. More over at The Torch.
Quote of the Day:
“The reason that those of us on the fringe—libertarians, Greens, socialist workers, or what have you—do not have more representation in government is not because there is some structural problem with the American political system, like a lack of IRV or minority party candidates. The reason we don’t have more representation is that most people just don’t agree with us.”
I was going to do a post about the Army's bone-headed decision to pull the Reimer Digital Library behind a firewall (even though the markings on the available documents are "Cleared for Public Release, Distribution is Unlimited" for the ones that you can get to without an account. Said decision was rather rapidly reversed after the Old and New Media stormed the ramparts of a bewildered bureaucracy. Like I said, I was going to do a post... but Abu Muqawama has done one better than I would have: GOOD GUYS : 17, BUREAUCRATS : 1,278,436.
The answer is that we’re not smart about the way we divvy up and distribute what we’re purchasing with all that money. I can’t tell you how many times I saw a Fobbit walking around with a Gucci’d out M4 carbine – despite the fact that many never, ever left the FOB. (To “Gucci” a weapon means to outfit it with all kinds of extra gear, i.e. close-combat sights, infrared aiming lights, extra grips, etc.) Or how many staff officers I saw driving brand-new up-armored HMMWVs around their FOBs, which were never used for a single combat patrol. Or how many TACSAT radios I saw in the HMMWVs parked outside the division command post on FOB Speicher, in vehicles that rarely left the FOB – while I had to make do on long-range combat patrols with an unsecure Iridium satellite phone and Iraqi cellphone. Or how I traded Peet's Coffee (shipped by my family) with one unit for GPS transceivers, or bought pizza for an outgoing unit in exchange for their basic load of ammunition. Our troops in the field face situations like this every day because the U.S. military is inefficient and unwise about the way it allocates scarce resources. And at the end of the day, it's the men and women at the pointy end of the spear who suffer.
In light of my experience in Iraq, Sen. Obama’s comments last night are eminently believable. Sen. Obama is also absolutely right to use this anecdote as a critique of the administration's decision to go to war in Iraq. It is incontrovertible that the war in Iraq diverted scarce military resources (manpower, equipment, etc.) from Afghanistan to Iraq. The cost for that diversion was paid by America's sons and daughters, and our Afghan brethren, who continue to fight in Afghanistan against the Taliban and Al Qaeda. We owe our troops better.
A post you simply must read: El Borak's On Anarchists and Inherent Loserdom. What I think I like best is that the people described in the article, (who use the internet a lot, something that wouldn't *exist* if they ran the world) don't understand there's another word for what they are: parasites. Go, read, it's hilarious. They mock us, but they actually couldn't exist without us.
3rd Annual Gun Blogger Rendevous! I missed #2 because I was at Fort Benning playing BDE&HIGHER Ops and Effects Guy... Hopefully this year will leave Oct 9-12 open! The 1st GBR was a great time and I'm really sorry I missed the second one. -the Armorer
The Kurdish parliament met Tuesday in a special session and unanimously approved a measure authorizing the peshmerga to defend themselves and the Kurdish region if they were attacked by Turkish troops
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-Kat
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XM1028 Canister Round., for all your hunting needs. *Ouch*
Stay with it to the end... when it hits the target array. -the Armorer
Soldiers and dogs: it's Argghhh! - do you need a reason to go read? A tip of the toque to Kate at Small Dead Animals, who has apparently done "some design work for a group dedicated to the memory of Vietnam war dogs left behind after the US campaign there ended." - Damian
*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."
I disagree with Phil in a sense that its either "Iraq or Afghanistan". It's both. Whining about it is never going to change it.
I am basically trying to figure out which group is being the realists: me or guys like phil. I mean that, as in, having read so much history on war, including the multitudinous and various ways in which logistics, availibility, DoD (DoW) procurement, R&D, add in the spice of congressional oversight, causing, as Gunny Highway once noted: a cluster f@^k! has ever been new or more prevalent in one war or the other?
throughout our various wars, I have never, ever read anything that purports some masterful quatermastering of the various needs of our armed forces without the various insufficiencies of the system, overloaded bureaucracy and, as Phil actually describes, down right petty selfishness hasn't interfered in large ways and many, many small ways, with supplying the guys and gals on the front line.
Yes. Why are those incredible Humvees sitting around on base with those great radios inside? Did president Bush issue a direct executive order to maintain those lovely jeeps in pristine shape for fobbit officers? Or, was that directly because some officers saw the shiney new toys and decided they should have the best?
Exactly, wherin does that become an indictment of Iraq or the administration? Except in Phil's long standing opposition to both?
Or how I traded Peet's Coffee (shipped by my family) with one unit for GPS transceivers, or bought pizza for an outgoing unit in exchange for their basic load of ammunition. Our troops in the field face situations like this every day because the U.S. military is inefficient and unwise about the way it allocates scarce resources
Could phil be honest about why he had to do these things? Like, his unit wasn't originally designated through some military manual on unit requirements to have GPS transceivers, but, once in theater, their mission or area of operations makes it necessary? Or, maybe they are, but the latest and greatest were not available in enough quantities to throw around because the manufacturer only had X in the warehouse when the military decided that GPS receiver was "it" and he got back ordered for those instead of issued the old, less reliable ones that are stacked up in a warehouse?
Or, the QM just extremely poor witted at ordering the appropriate equipment in a timely fashion, not making the right priorities or maybe, he had other priorities like getting that 10,000 gallon fuel bladder replaced so it didn't leak all over the place and blow the ammo dump sky high?
Here's a question: Did anyone requisition them or were they expecting them to show up like magic beneath their pillow like the tooth fairy brought them?
Does he even know or is he satisfied with his supposition as the best and only explanation?
I mean seriously, that is the problem with all these anecdotes. People are whipping them out as if they represented the global "truth" as opposed to window in a moment in a place.
You've got DeeBow and various others who were in Afghanistan and Iraq discussing how they were awash in ammo and other supplies while Phil and Capt. Ahab talk about the lack thereof in Afghanistan.
I am highly sympathetic to the situation and part of me, when reading these stories, would like to fly in, grab the QM, various chain of command, on the ground officers and logistics, and shake them until their eyes were rolling around loose. However, the other part of me is pretty sure that, if I asked the logistics guys what the problem is, they'd just tell me about how its something else, explain to me about the thirty cargo air craft that went down for maintenance due to high utilization and age, a contract glitch, how some unit ordered 3,000 new uniforms accidently for their 300 troops causing a shortage for other units, etc, etc, etc. Maybe some other unit had a better power point presentation or requisition writer who could explain why their unit needed something better than another?
Yeah. I do feel for these guys who are trying to work it out, get the things they think they need and absolutely need to go out and take the fight to the enemy. And if we hear about it in real time, we ought to rattle some cages about it, even if it is some stupid glitch closer down the ranks than up.
But, Phil, et al, keeps acting like we can't do a two front war because the military logistics doesn't add up to his idea of supply and demand.
Maybe someone should write Lincoln and tell him that it's a bad idea to let Sherman march to the Sea through Georgia, far ahead of supply lines, deep in enemy territory while Grant pursues Lee and various other generals are alternately fighting in multitude of places or "departments" because, well, one or more of those armies or some unit might not be supplied adequately?
Or, hey, may be we shouldn't have been in the Philippines, Burma, North Africa, Sicily and eventually the rest of Europe in WWII because there is a likelihood that somewhere, someone, isn't supplied the way they should have been? In fact, according the the brilliant logic of these folks, we apparently should have called the entire war in the Pacific off.
In the end, there are two issues. One is perfectly legitimate to call out. That being, if our troops in one area are not getting the necessary supplies, we should be raising a rucous to get it resolved, whoever is responsible, because we should be perfectly capable of doing it.
The other, the idea that one front, Iraq, should never have happened or should be ended because some troops in another front, Afghanistan, aren't getting all the things they need or the shiney pieces that they want, is perfectly ludicrous.
Then there is that little voice keeps whispering in my ear: welcome to the suck!
posted by kat-missouri on February 26, 2008 11:11 AM
Heh. Carter's point is... from his perspective, with the DoD we've got today, it's Iraq or Afghanistan.
We are conducting Afstan as an "economy of force" operation.
The further point is the DoD is a creature of the Administration, for good or ill, and that the *conduct* of the war - to include logisitics (always sticky, yes) has not been well handled, especially for the guys out at the long end.
Aside from just keeping an open mind on things, one of the other reasons I link to stuff like this is to keep the discussion going, and to make the point that if we don't discuss it, it doesn't get any better.
The reality is, as discussed elsewhere here over the last week - we are asking the Army and Marines to fight at full tilt capacity... but not anyone else. For all the money we're spending.
Phil Carter is contemptible not because he pointed out the flaws and screw ups in the Army, but because he did so gleefully. His whole schtick is to get the baboons on the left howling in agreement with his slander of our military. When I was in the Army, it was one thing to complain and moan to your fellow soldier, but I always looked down on the weasly soldier who wrote their congressman or the IG to complain about something. Somethings should be kept in house. Carter has sold his honor because he knows that on the left side of the blogosphere he gets alot of accolades for being a veteran. He just needs to remember they like him because he tells them what they want to hear, not because they have any respect for his service or the unifrom he wore. That's great because he's obviously calculated it would be more advantageous to his career goals to be the critic than to stand with his fellow soldiers.
posted by vaildog on February 26, 2008 2:32 PM
I've used enemy weapons on ex.
After I hosed a hole with plastic fantastic I "found" a C9. This had a better John Wayne feature than my 20 round mag and I used it to hose the next two holes without all that tedious reloading.
Happiness is a belt fed weapon.
I also "found" an M79 and poped their bunker, its seemed like a fun thing to do at the time.
From Phil's bio:
"... he served as an adviser to the Iraqi police."
I don't think his recollections are as 'reality-based' as he might imply.
And his readiness to find fault with the current Administration has been a consistent feature of his Lessons Learned summations since he began blogging c.2003.
Cheers
posted by J.M. Heinrichs on February 26, 2008 3:03 PM
Supply chain problems are not the exclusive domain of the USA. During the 1990 timeframe, the Canadian Forces had 9 or 10 Inf. Btns, each with an 81mm mortar platoon. One battalion in CFB Lahr Germany had 80% of the entire CF spare parts inventory of mortar parts. On another occasion, my unit loaned out a LAV for gunnery trg. When the vehicle came back, the chain gun was broken. I ordered the part to repair the feeder, and the next day recieved a call asking if I really needed the part or was I trying to stockpile spares. None of that part had been purchased for spares. The chain gun had been in service for about 5 years by this point.
I must admit that I would never have expected that part to break either, under normal usage, but I suspect it may have fallen/ been dropped off the hull of the vehicle onto the concrete floor of the hangar. a 63 lb feeder mech is not designed to survive an 8 ft fall. :-(
posted by Pat on February 26, 2008 5:07 PM
Thanks a lot! I've already added you to "MY PERSONAL RECOMMENDATIONS" section. I look forward to hearing you and others...on your site and mine.
Take Care
posted by Damien Ison on February 26, 2008 7:59 PM
Just to save from confusion, sir armorer, I got a comment from Veterans Talk and jumped to his blog. He's home but trying to complete the final mission coming "all the way home". So, I left a comment that I would link to him in a post soon. He's starting out well.
posted by kat-missouri on February 26, 2008 8:09 PM
That was Damien's second comment of the day over here. He's learned the first lesson of blogging: "When you begin, comment everywhere, and leave a link."
I keep hearing the figure $10 billion a month being bandied about for the cost of the war, I think just the Iraq portion of it.
That's a big number. So, I was curious - how did that compare to the cost per month of WWII?
According to the WWII Museum, the cost of the war was $288,000,000,000.00 A nice round number.
What I don't know about it is if it includes costs from prior to December 1941, and after August, 1945, when Japan surrendered. I decided I'd just use from Jan 01, 1941 to Dec 31, 1945. That gives me 60 months (It's only 54 if you use whole months where the conflict was officially raging). Divide that $288bil by 60, you get $4,800,000,000.00, or $4.8bil per month, half the cost of Iraq.
Kewl.
Now go find an inflation calculator. I chose the one at Westegg. Load in the $4.8bil, set your years to 1945 and 2007 (last year the calculator has data for), and you get this number.
$56,017,361,958.99 or, $56Bil per month in inflation-adjusted dollars.
Check my math (not my strongest subject) and my methodology, please.
Just a sense of perspective when we talk about costs of the war and an indicator of level of committment to the war. Not a comment on the *value* of the war - and again, the gaping methodological flaw is that the 10 billion figure is the cost of the war - not counting Afstan and the regular operations of DoD, so it's still an apples/oranges comparison. But it's lunch time, and I don't have time to get much more in depth than that, and I thought it was an interesting start point.
It has a bad foundation and too many weak assumptions.
One thing that stuck out to me right away was the low cost in the link to the UK compared to the US. I am very suspicious of it's low value comparison. And where's the supporting data? They might as well have made the number up.
Inflation relates to the cost of generally purchased items. Wages, rebuilding and military inflation are not going to have the same numbers.
How much would inflation be if the US had not spent on the war?
If you include the rebuilding etc the cost per month would be diluted considerably.
Not this boy sugah. Except the cutie on the right.
Too bad about the duck poop and the sad uniform.
Where was I? Honesty in accounting? Don't be silly.
Not without more info. Not that I would apply or look for it. This is a black hole of maths and supposition if you ask me. Not that you are. eg stage 1 probably is getting an honest and accurate accounting of the cost of both wars. Good luck, the clock starts now.
Things like, how much is health care for the troops, how much is paychecks, how much is taking care of that amazing machinery, how much is humanitarian aid, how much is the stuff that the CIA and all SHOULD have been doing for decades and didn't?
Got to compare apples to apples, after all-- not sure how one can adjust the weapons or tanks or ships.
An interesting sidelight to the DC vs Heller (DC Gun Ban) case sitting before the Supreme Court. The state of Montana filed an amicus brief that essentially stated "When we joined the United States, it was essentially a contractual agreement, and in the contract, we said "We'll keep our guns, individually, thank you very much." Now there are some who see a veiled threat of Secession over the issue if the Supreme Court rules for a collective, vice individual right. Mind you, I'm not looking forward to the thought of the Balkanized States of America, but, without slavery as a rallying cry, based on the USGov's actions and stated intents about people yearning to be free... *could* the Federal government forcibly stop a succession by a state? Of course they could - but could they do it legally, without just tossing all those other nice words about self-determination onto the scrapheap of history? Me, I'm not looking for Montana to secede over the issue... I'm just posing a thought problem...
Well, hasn't the Federal Government already shown that secession is not an option? I believe 1861-1865 proved that a state may not secede -- legal or not. At least that is what my historian and politically active friends tell me.
posted by JimC on February 26, 2008 9:43 AM
Interestingly enough KDWill and I were talking about secession just this morning.
With the recent Tribal leader upheaval with Native American Reservations attempting to Secede from the US (which got shot down by the court ironically)
The ideal that states might secede due to current political climate, gun laws, restrictions, stem cell research taxes and otherwise, I hesitate to say it's a forgone conclusion that the idea of secession is not an imminent one.
As more states are looking to protect water rights, gun rights, personal property rights, and generally protect their states constitutions', I think, in fact if not practice a state declaration is in fact imminent in the next 5 to 10 years, versus just possible.
We were debating the factor of a major change in the governmental climate in the over all spectrum: ie is a revolution possible in the next 20 years? Spawned either from the left or right of the aisle? As majority conservative states continue to clash with majority liberal states regarding what they can and or can't do under Federal Law, at what point does the pot boil over from what citizens deem their rights to be, and what the law says their rights are? Toss in the personal rights reductions that have been encompassing our nation slowly (not just Patriot Act but things like gun rights for example) and I think the situation becomes more volatile in the long run.
Mix in a spatter of the Illegal Alien, and influx of aliens from other countries, both legal and illegal and the so called Melting Pot of America could lead to some pretty poor cooking in the long run.
Jim - based on the last 80 years or so, if we're going to rely on precedent, there is more recent verbiage on the part of government that would obviate against forcibly resisting secession. We're all about "self-determination" right?
That was why I put the slavery caveat in the post - the issue of slavery gives the Civil War the legitimacy that would be absent otherwise. Mind you - don't come back with all the exceptions and caveats regarding the start of the war... you know I know all that. I'm just saying that the issue of human chattel slavery gives the Federal position in the Civil War a standing that would be absent in the case of Montana seceding because they see the compact of the Bill of Rights as being broken by the Federal Judiciary.
posted by kat-missouri on February 26, 2008 11:26 AM
If conservative minded states were to secede and recall their delegation to Washington, who would be left in the Federal Gov't with the ba**s to stop the succession?
And John, even with the "moral high ground" of abolition, Lincoln barely got re-elected in 1864...
posted by Oldloadr on February 26, 2008 11:41 AM
Geez, get out of the weeds of the Civil War, people!
8^)
And I suspect Blue State Dems, seeing their power diminished, would be very bloodthirsty - for our own good, of course.
They would find some minority in the seceding states that would be harmed by the secession, and that would be all they'd need.
Their bigger problem might be the loyalty of the services, and the fact that a lot of combat power in the Guard and regular forces is stationed in Red areas, not to mention manned by Red people.
It would be ugly. As the lolcats say, "I do not want!"
And that's not just for political cya on fomenting rebellion. I truly do not want.
I only made the point on precedent because that is how the country works. With the last 125 years under our belts could any of our states actually be an independent country at this point? Well maybe California, but would we miss them? -- oh yeah we need the vegetables.
BTW, whatever happened to the Ultimate Resolution? The national debt crossed the target point some time ago that was supposed to cause 14 states west of the mighty Mo to secede.
posted by JimC on February 26, 2008 1:53 PM
My biggest concern over either of the current Dem pretenders ascending to the throne is that they have the greatest chance of inviting 'rooftop recalls'.
Like John, that sort of thing is something I do NOT want going on in my country.
John Ross's book Unintended Consequences is a long read, but it's a good one. I don't think that Hillery or Obama would deliberately do something to push people over the edge, I just think that they'd do a comination of things that would do the trick.
posted by KCSteve on February 26, 2008 2:09 PM
Heh, Steve, as a gun-owner, what you describe is one of my nightmares. Nothing like an a$$hole killing a President to inspire gun laws.
It's one of the things I worry about, not that I can do anything about it.
Jim - but recent precedent is supposed to overturn older precedent, right? Almost by definition, else Dred Scott would still hold water.
That said - what is this "Ultimate Resolution" you are referring to? I have a gap in my memory banks.
Hmmm. Can we _expel_ a state? I'm thinking Kali, and maybe NJ and Mass.
posted by Justthisguy on February 26, 2008 2:54 PM
Oh, I dunno, JTG, how about part of a state? The coast from San Fran to LA? Keep San Diego and the Inland Empire and the High Desert, the mountains and northern Cali. Hmm. Guess we'd want to give 'em Sacramento, too, mebbe.
Check with Bill about New Joisy, and Maggie about Massachusetts.
The Ultimate Resolution was an idea in the early Clinton years, as I remember, to secede from the US if the national debt exceeded 6 trillion. I think that 6 trillion is correct it might have been 5. It was resolved by 14 states west of the Mississippi. I seem to remember Montana among them.
It was a simple move - but can have a wide-ranging impact.
VA has announced that veterans who are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) while on active duty will now be recognized as having PTSD for VA purposes. Finally, a little rationality in the bureaucracy. This means a transitioning warrior with an existing PTSD diagnosis will not have to provide additional evidence of exposure to specific stressors during their service in order to establish their diagnosis of PTSD. Hey, because it's already been done, eh? The announcement came as a result of a question posed by Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI), Chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee. VA Secretary Peake directed the VA regional offices to no longer require such evidence but instead to immediately schedule examinations for such veterans in order to determine the severity of their PTSD for VA compensation purposes.
This is why your cards and letters to your elected representatives matter, folks. Really.
And I will happily leverage my contacts in Congress - so if you feel like your Reps don't listen to you, send 'em to me, and I'll get 'em to someone who will listen.
Doesn't mean that anything will happen as fast as this did... but it can make a difference.
Of course, we still have to keep the Administration's feet to the fire (including after late January next year) on funding the VA so that the treatment programs (not just the compensation) can meet the needs.
When the war ends/operational tempo drops - that's actually when the hard work will begin. Keeping those inconvenient vets in the public eye - and in the eye of a Congress or Administration that wants to spend money on other things.
*That's* when we'll find out if we really have any pull.
You are on active duty, flying in the war zone. You have some issues related to your marriage falling apart back home, and you get no help for those issues. Then one day you are seen at the O'club after a harrowing flight mission that you survived, and you are seen having a drinki-poo too many, dancing with go-go girls "lewdly" (in front of CinC/SAC).
Next, you get to see the friendly flight surgeon, who thinks you would benefit from a three-day pass, so he orders one, but you are removed from flying status for the three days.
Next time you are alone with your medical records (next time you rotate), you observe a note with a "P" on it.
You have to make an extra visit to the Human Reliability pshrink, who finds you healthy enough to babysit nukes.
Close call? You bet, it happened to someone I know well...
Jump with me now to the present. Take the above scenario but now you muster out off of active duty and back into the reserves, and that "P" note follows you, and when you get out, you are awarded a disability.
The next time you try to buy a gun, you are denied.
Still think it's a good idea, Major?
I don't.
My daughter doesn't, either (USMC E-5, Desert Storm, one of the few WMs who actually jumped off and went North when Shield became Storm). When she got back to her Reserve outfit, she was treated like a freak, so she gave up a VERY promising USMC career (and hasn't looked back).
Nope, standardizing labels in the case of PTSD doesn't help ANYONE, IMHO.
When an American convoy in southern Afghanistan suddenly came under small arms and rocket propelled grenade fire, Sergeant Dean immediately made contact with a flight of two US Air Force, F-15 Strike Eagle aircraft overhead. After the planes made their first strafing run, Sergeant Dean announced calmly over the radio that he’d been shot by insurgents in the stomach below his body armor. Despite his injury, Sergeant Dean continued to direct the aircraft, calling for battle damage assessments and additional strikes against the attacking insurgents. His parting words over the radio as the MEDEVAC helicopter came in were “make sure my guys get out of here.”
This is an odd war (well, since WWII), where the Air Force enlisted airmen have been suffering as many, and probably more, casualties than the officers who fly the aircraft.
And TSGT Dean is an outstanding exemplar of his service.
I'm just observing that unlike the wars of our era, where the Sergeants of the AF were *generally* waving at the officers as they went off to do the killing and dying, "This Kind of War" where there is no fight in the skies and the AAA threat is near-zero, it's the Sergeants who are taking the casualties.
There's nothing about cowardice in here, flyboy.
It's just about how in this war, who's taking the risks (other than those inherent in military flying) vice Desert Storm, the Balkans, and Vietnam.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Sorry if I stepped on a nerve I didn't know was out there.
1.Peake's
Visit Sparks Optimism Among Montana Vets. The Billings (MT) Gazette
(2/24) reports on Secretary Peake's recent visit to Montana
noting that Peake learned about the challenges faced by Montana veterans "in a crash course in
rural medicine last week." The Secretary received "instructive
insight from veterans who packed a forum in Billings to vent frustrations about VA health
care and disability compensation." However it is also commented that
"it's uncertain how much progress this secretary can make in a short
tenure," but "there's reason to expect he will try," as
"Peake worked 32 years as an Army doctor, the last four as Army Surgeon
General," and "is eminently qualified to lead the VA."
2.Changes Sought In
VA Healthcare Policy Restrictions. The
Citizen Of Laconia (NH) (2/25, Cook) reports,
"Veterans' groups in New Hampshire and Maine want the federal government
to ease tight restrictions preventing at least 5,000 New England veterans from
getting health care benefits." Many of the people "in question fall
into a Department of Veterans Affairs category known as Priority 8, reserved
for veterans never wounded in action and who earn more than $28,429
annually." In addition to the veterans' groups, state and federal
lawmakers also "believe the VA needs to change its eligibility
requirements." U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI), chairman of the Senate
Committee on Veterans Affairs, "held a hearing on the issue on Feb.
13." During the hearing, VA Secretary James Peake "said he'd be
willing to review the current policy."
3.Concerns
Expressed About Dental Care Costs Being Shifted Onto VA. CQ
(2/25, Yoest) reports on the recent interest in "the poor oral health of
reservists" in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
Veterans Affairs Secretary James B. Peake has previously pointed out that
dental care "deteriorates in the theater just because of the hygiene, the
Coca-Cola and everything else," but CQ says a conflict is brewing over who
should pay for the care. Indiana's
Steve Buyer, the top Republican on the House Veterans Affairs Committee,
"says the Army should -- or at least it should be paying for the dental
care it has foisted off on the VA." Army spokesman, Lt. Col. George
Wright, defended the Army, however, saying it "has not initiated any
practices intended to shift costs" to the VA. CQ adds, "The issue
appears destined for further congressional prodding."
4.Web
Chat Critical Of VA, DoD Information Exchange. Government Health IT (2/24, Buxbaum) reported, "The Defense and
Veterans Affairs departments are not exchanging information as well as they
could be, at least according to comments received by a Military Health System
Web chat on wounded warrior care." On February 14, MHS conducted its
"first-ever 'Web hall,'" in which "participants posted questions
and comments on a message board on the MHS Web site and several military
medical officials responded." In response to the comments posted,
"Dr. S. Ward Casscells, assistant secretary of Defense for health affairs,
wrote that among other initiatives, the Army's warrior transition units 'now
surround our wounded warriors with medical, nursing, and bureaucracy
help.'" Casscells also wrote that Defense is "working closely with VA
in improving the disability evaluation process, and upgrading our electronic
health records to make them more useful, private, portable, and
patient-controlled."
5.Electronic
Health Records Becoming A Priority For US Healthcare Systems. The
Reno Gazette-Journal (2/25, Hidalgo) reports,
"With the federal government setting a 2012 target for all Americans to
have manageable electronic health records, replacing the old paper record is
becoming a top priority for health care systems nationwide." Retired Army
Sergeant Jerry Gunnels "has seen a glimpse of the future with electronic
health records -- also known as EHR -- as a patient in the Veterans Administration
Sierra Nevada Health Care System," and now "the 63-year-old Carlin
resident is wondering how he ever managed without it." Proponents of EHR
"said the system offers several advantages," but implementing an EHR
system "comes with its set of challenges."
6.Effort
Made To Reach Out To Women Vets Facing Sexual Trauma. The
Tucson Citizen (2/25, Kornman, 28K) reports, "Women veterans
can get free counseling and psychiatric services if they experienced military
sexual trauma but many haven't asked for help, said Cathy Cosgrove, a
Vietnam-era Air Force vet and member of the Honor Society of Women American
Legion in Arizona." Cosgrove "organized meetings over the weekend in
southern Arizona
to reach out to such vets." The Citizen adds that Peggy McClafferty,
"the women veterans coordinator for the VA's regional office in Phoenix, encouraged women
vets who suffered trauma in the military to ask for help."
7.Plans
For New Super VAMC Bewilders Some New
Orleans Residents. The New Orleans Times-Picayune
(2/24, Moran) reports in an extensive story on the neighborhood called
Tulane-Gravier which "city, state and federal governments," announced
they intend "to demolish the neighborhood and build two teaching hospitals
in its place." Already, "political leaders praise the new medical
campus, which will be shared by LouisianaStateUniversity
and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, as a means to revive the crippled
health care system, reverse the exodus of doctors and inaugurate a new economy
based on medical research and education." However, "for all its
benefits, the project comes with significant collateral damage." Residents
of the neighborhood say "they have no plans to file lawsuits or otherwise
obstruct the hospitals." In fact many "support the ambitious
expansion of medical care, but they are angry and bewildered that the city, state
and the VA would make plans without calling so much as a neighborhood
meeting."
8.Orlando
VAMC Hold Celebration For Returning Veterans. The Orlando Sentinel (2/24,
242K) reports, "At least 300 veterans are expected to attend the 'Welcome
Home Celebration' today at the Orlando VA Medical Center, an outreach event for
veterans and active-duty soldiers who have recently returned from action in
Iraq and Afghanistan." The event "will provide veterans information
on housing, education, jobs, financial assistance, claims and health
care."
9.Partial
Proceeds From Film To Benefit Veterans Fund. The
syndicated "Sgt. Shaft" column, appearing in the Washington Times (2/25, Fales, 87K), reported,
"The American Film Foundation recently announced that 10 percent of each
ticket for Academy Award-winning director Terry Sanders' new documentary,
'Fighting for Life,' will go to the Bob Woodruff Family Fund, a charity that
assists those injured while serving in the United States Armed Forces."
The fund, which was founded by the family of journalist Bob Woodruff, who was
nearly killed in early 2006 by a roadside bomb in Iraq, "places special
emphasis on...traumatic brain injury and combat stress injuries, including
post-traumatic stress disorder." The column added that the documentary
"will open in New York
on March 7 with expansion to other cities to follow." In a related article, USA Today (2/25, Dugas, 2.28M) says
Woodruff is keeping himself "busy flying around the world on
assignments" for ABC News "and continuing to draw attention to the
signature injury of the war in Iraq:
traumatic brain injury." Woodruff "does not have his previous job as
a news anchor," working instead "with a team to produce more in-depth
assignments. He can better cope with longer projects because his traumatic
brain injury (TBI) caused" aphasia, "a language disorder that makes
it hard for him to come up with words." But even if Woodruff "is frustrated
when he occasionally can't find a word, his family and friends are elated by
his recovery."
10.Slippery
RockUniversity Receives Grant For Veterans
Activity Program. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (2/24, Barcousky,
229K) reports, "While older veterans with disabilities have been a
familiar sight on the campus of SlipperyRockUniversity,
they will be joined this fall by younger men and women." Slippery Rock has
received "a $25,000 grant for a student-led effort to introduce activities
like wheelchair basketball and rugby to veterans of the Iraq and Afghan wars." The
grant is from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation and "will support
an expansion of a recreation and physical activity that now works with older
patients being treated through the Butler VA Medical Center." In
particular the "program will concentrate on those who were wounded during
more recent conflicts"
11.Preparations Made To
Commemorate End Of WWI Generation. The Baltimore Sun (2/24,
Scharnberg, 252K) reports on the preparations being made to remember the WWI
generation once the last surviving veteran passes away. It is noted that
"the event will pay tribute to the 4 million American men and women who
answered the call to fight in the First World War," and "will honor
the families who sent young soldiers off to battle long before telephones or e-mail
allowed them routine updates on their safety." Currently
"107-year-old Frank Buckles, the sole surviving U.S. doughboy." Buckles
"remains in remarkably good health, still living at home and doing news
media interviews, still mentally sharp and physically mobile, still exercising
every day." Yet "when he goes, so, too, will a generation" and
"plans are being made at the National World War I Museum in Kansas City to
commemorate the end of an era." At the time
12.VA
Grant To Help Pay For Iraq
Vet's New House. The Burlington County (NJ) Times (2/25, Hayes) reports a
nonprofit organization called Homes for Our Troops will build a house in
Burlington County for 24-year-old Andrew Robinson, "a Marine who suffered
a severe spinal-cord injury...in Iraq." The "mission of Homes for Our
Troops, founded in 2004, is to adapt or construct housing for men and women who
return home from military service with serious disabilities and injuries."
Robinson "said he will sign over a $50,000 housing grant provided to him
by the Department of Veterans Affairs, but otherwise the organization will
complete the project through donations."
13.Paper
Highlights Services Not Covered By VA. In
response to a reader question in its "For Your Benefit" column, the Honolulu Star Bulletin (2/25, Kakesako) pointed out
that the Department of Veterans Affairs does not cover several benefits and
services, including abortions, health club memberships, and "hospital and
outpatient care for a veteran who is either a patient or inmate in an
institution of another government agency if that agency has a duty to give the
care or services."
14.Army
Opens New "Warrior Transition Units." The AP (2/24, Schreiner) reports, "Staff Sgt.
Gerald Gonzalez has seen plenty of changes in a special unit for wounded soldiers
since arriving at Fort Knox last summer with injuries from a roadside bomb in
Iraq." Currently, "barracks at the Army post in Central Kentucky are
being renovated for soldiers placed in the 'warrior transition unit,'"
designed to "help the wounded troops recover so they can either stay in
the Army or make a smooth transition to civilian life." Already the Army
has established 35 such units which were created after "treatment problems
were discovered at WalterReedArmyMedicalCenter."
15.Older Veterans Attempt To Aid
Veterans From Current Wars. The Quad-Cities Online (2/24, Donaldson) reports,
"Many veterans agree that readjusting to civilian life after serving in a
foreign land can be like a brand new battle." In particular, mental
conditions such as PTSD can be especially trying and difficult for recent
veterans to confront. Yet "the plight of today's soldier is much the same
as it was when they served, and, fortunately, there's more support available
for those who need it." Already older veterans are reaching out to newer
veterans in an effort to help them address such issues and facilitate a
transition back to civilian life.
16.VFW
Post Helps Homeless Vets. The Longview Daily News (WA)
(2/24, Pederson) reports, "With the grant money, the Longview Housing
Authority has teamed up with the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3017 to house 12
homeless vets so far." The VFW
Post 3017 estimates "there are 1,100 vets who are homeless or living in
transitional housing in CowlitzCounty. The voucher
program can serve 20 vets and eight people in emergency transitional shelter
with rent vouchers." It is hoped that the current success of the program
"will lead to the grant being extended."
17.FloridaVFW
Looks To Repair Poorly Maintained Graves. The Fort Myers (FL) News-Press
(2/24) reports, "The News-Press identified 68 graves of veterans in the
trash-strewn Woodlawn and Oakridge sections of the Fort Myers Cemetery."
Many of the graves identified "had old, tattered flags next to them. Some
were covered with mold that made reading the headstone difficult. And others
had broken and missing headstones." The condition of graves
"concerned Dale Mangione, Commander of the VFW
Fort Myers Beach Post, the largest in Florida
with more than 2,000 members." Now, Mangione said "that he and his
membership are willing to make it right," noting "we have funds
earmarked for things like that." He added that "money is no problem.
Manpower is not a problem. We just need to know where there's a problem, and
we'll fix it."
18.Vet Shot Down Over Vietnam
In 1972 Back On Active Duty. The Washington Times (2/25,
Smucker, 87K) reports, "Shot down over Vietnam on his first tour of duty
in 1972, 1st Sgt. James Spears is back in the USA Army -- one of hundreds of
retired soldiers whom the Pentagon has ordered to suit up and serve the nation
once more." Spears "said he did not expect to end up in a war zone
dodging bullets and rockets, and that such business should be the work of
younger warriors." The Times adds, "Retired in 1995 after 24 years in
the Army, Sgt. Spears felt the call of duty after watching the World Trade
Center's Twin Towers crumble in 2001 and picked up the phone just to let the
Army know he was there if he was ever needed."
19.Marine Organization Strives
To Help Fellow Marines. The San Jose Mercury News
(2/24, Hamilton, 231K) reports on Detachment No.1122 of the Marine Corps
League, "where heroism is not simply a concept. It is the guiding force
that inspires and drives every last person in the room." The league is a
volunteer organization of Marine veterans who "look after the needs of the
families of Marines who've fallen on hard times,...attend the funerals of
fallen Marines and visit wounded vets up at the VA Hospital in Palo Alto." Says one
member, "whenever a fellow Marine is in need, we get together and do what
needs to be done."
20.Illinois
Declares African American History Day. The Southern Illinoisian
(2/24, Testa) reports Illinois
has declared an African American Veterans Recognition Day. The proclamation
"came as part of the state Department of Veterans' Affairs efforts to be
celebrate Black History Month." Tammy Duckworth, directors of the Veterans
Affairs department, said "We honor and give thanks to all those who rose
above adversity and answered the call of duty when their nation needed
them."
21.Akaka Submits Budget
Recommendation. Blackanthem.com (2/24)
examines plans for the 2008 VA budget. U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI),
Chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee and other congressional leaders,
"submitted their views and estimates for the Fiscal Year 2009 Veterans
Affairs budget to the Senate Budget Committee." They recommended "a
$6.6 billion increase in overall discretionary funding over Fiscal Year 2008,
of which $4.6 billion would be dedicated to medical care operations."
Stated Akaka "Congress has an obligation to our troops returning from
combat now, as well as a long-standing obligation to the veterans of previous
wars," adding that the "VA cannot fulfill that obligation without the
necessary funding."
22.House Subcommittee Reviews
Expiring Veterans Programs. The Army Times (2/24, Maze)
reports, "As a House subcommittee reviews expired and expiring veterans
programs, veterans groups are urging the lawmakers to strengthen employment and
re-employment rights programs, extend an option for adjustable-rate veterans'
home loans, and restore a $100 cut in monthly payments for apprenticeships and
on-the-job training." While 13 programs are being re-evaluated, "the
one getting the most attention is a lapsed test program that had top government
lawyers involved in resolving employment and re-employment rights complaints
from federal workers who also serve in military reserve components."
23.Mikulski Asked To Help
Reinstate DAV Program. In an open letter to Maryland's
Senator Mikulski, the Cumberland (MD) Times-News
(2/24) derides, the "director approved MartinsburgVeteransAdministrationMedicalCenter decision to
discontinue allowing veterans who ride the DAV (disabled veterans) vans a meal
on the day of their appointments." The letter argues that "the policy
has been in effect at the VAMC for approximately 18 years. It has worked very
well and truly nothing was broken that required a fix." After describing
the circumstances of the programs termination the paper then calls on the
Senator to help get the program reinstated.
24.Iowa
General Assembly To Debate Veterans-Related Measures. The AP (2/24, Glover)
reported that this week, the Iowa House of representatives "will debate a
measure creating a new lottery ticket game, with the estimated $3 million
profits earmarked for the veterans trust fund." The fund, which is
controlled by the Veterans Affairs Commission, "provides money to veterans
for expenses such as travel for follow-up medical care as well as individual
and family counseling." The AP added that a proposed smoking ban is
scheduled for an Iowa Senate debate Wednesday, "and it's looking
increasingly likely the measure will land on Gov. Chet Culver's desk." The
Iowa House "approved the indoor smoking ban last week," although the
measure "would exempt...private veterans organizations."
25.VA Funding Heart Study.
The Buffalo News (2/25,
194K) reports, "Cardiac researchers at the University at Buffalo have
received a four-year, $512,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs to investigate how a common cholesterol- lowering drug increases
cardiac- muscle cells and helps to stem the progress of heart failure."
The goal of the research "is to develop pharmacological and cell-based
approaches to treat patients before advanced heart failure develops."
26.VA's Education And Training
Benefits Noted. The syndicated "Sgt. Shaft" column,
appearing in the Washington Times (2/25,
Fales, 87K), reported that the House Veterans Affairs Economic Opportunity
Subcommittee "recently heard testimony on a number of bills aimed at
improving education benefits for active-duty service members and members of the
National Guard and Reserve forces." The column, which said
"Department of Veterans Affairs education and training benefits provide
veterans and surviving dependents with the opportunity to improve their
vocational and financial status," then gave an "attaboy to Rep. John
Boozman, Arkansas Republican, for his support and reiteration of his
long-standing concern that only about 70 percent of eligible veterans take
advantage of the benefit they have earned."
27.Number Of Calls To Pentagon's
Hotline Up 40% Since 2004. USA Today (2/25, 1A,
Zoroya, 2.28M) reports on its front page, " The number of troops and their
relatives seeking help from a Pentagon employee-assistance hotline -- often linked
to war deployments -- has grown 40% every year since 2004, say Pentagon
officials and hotline operators." USA Today adds "the program
receives a thousand calls daily from military members and families and nearly
6,000 individual visits to its website, says Jane Burke, who supervises the
program for the Pentagon's Office of Military Community and Family Policy. ...
The increase in help calls underscores concerns raised publicly by military
leaders such as Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and
Gen. George Casey, Army chief of staff, that more and longer combat tours
strain troops and their families."
28.Mullen Hears Complaints From
Troops. U.S. News and World Report
(2/25, Mulrine, 2.03M) reports Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike
Mullen "said this week that it is a Pentagon priority to provide two years
of rest time for troops who serve in combat zones for one year or 15 months.
'But I don't see that happening in the next year or so,' he added." Last
week, at a town hall meeting Iraq
veterans "asked the chairman pointed questions about equipment in the
combat zone and about their vacation time, too. One marine wondered why the
officers above him were receiving new M-4 rifles but many enlisted grunts doing
regular patrolling in Iraq were not (they have the older M-16s). Another
pointed out that when he and some other members of his unit replaced their
uncomfortable boots with footwear they bought out of pocket, they were
threatened with disciplinary action for not wearing standard-issue gear. Still
another soldier asked why he was being charged vacation time when he came back
to the United States for his
two-week home leave from Iraq." Simulations
Teach Marines What To Expect In Iraq.U.S. News and World Report
(2/25, Mulrine, 2.03M) reports on a "new Marine Corps effort to not only
give its troops a heightened sense of the sights, sounds, and smells of Iraq
but also teach them some hard and fast lessons about ethical decision making.
As two Camp Pendleton-based marines face court-martial later this month in
connection with the 2005 Haditha killing of 24 civilians, including women and
children, the Marine Corps is increasingly aware of the importance of
preventing lapses in the moral judgment of stressed-out troops that can result
in the death of innocents and turn Iraqi families and towns against American
forces."
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...
Time to add a new caveat, because from email it's not clear to some folks (mind you, if you don't read this it won't matter...) Being an open post, people (collectively, the Denizens) other than I post in the H&I. They sign their work (most of the time) - keep that in mind when you want to flame someone in email please - if it doesn't say "The Armorer" or "John" then I didn't write it! And honestly - if you don't like something said or posted... leave a comment, and hash it out (within the context of The Rulez which are clearly posted on the comment form, I would add).
***************************************
Let us simply say - I feel your pain, Murray. Literally. Though never so bad I vomited. Indomethacin is your friend. Allopurinal has been very helpful, too. But I am not a Doctor, nor do I play one on television, so this is merely descriptive, not prescriptive. Just in case the FDA reads here. -the Armorer
Does anyone besides me think the picture of Senator Obama, published on Drudge, reputedly provide by the Clinton Campaign, was just a stunningly stupid thing to do? Is there anyone who thinks it was truly a useful thing to do? Full Disclosure however, I did the same thing with the Prince of Darkness.
But in my defense, that was personal. -the Armorer
*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."
1) Was it stupid for the Clinton campaign staff to disseminate the photo?
2) Was it stupid for Drudge to post it?
3) Was it stupid for Obama to pose for the photo?
I'm reminded of several such incidents, most memorable is the space center photo of Kerry dressed in what looked like a green Trojan, with the "special receptacle" tip. LOL
posted by fdcol63 on February 25, 2008 12:33 PM
The Clinton Campaign. Drudge is Drudge.
Posing for the photo? That's just part of the job...
I've been telling people they'll know that the Clintonistas are *really* desperate when one refers (publicly) to Obama as 'Hussein'. This almost qualifies...
HRC seems intent on self-destruction- though I wonder if she was at all consulted before this particular stunt hit the fan.
posted by Neffi on February 25, 2008 1:45 PM
Neffi - I'll guess we'll know it was unauthorized if they find a body on the Mena airstrip...*
*Tacky reference to fevered conspiracy theories from the 90's.
When people get desperate and paniced, they do things without thinking. The picture of Obama is such an event for the Clinton campaign. Clinton is trying to use fear, while Obama talks of hope, unless Clinton has something nasty on Obama, this may sink her campaign.
Staff Sergeant Iron and Sergeant Rose. Two soldiers you should meet.
"Trust in me, my friend, for I am your comrade. I will protect you with my last breath. When all others have left you and the loneliness of the night closes in, I will be at your side."
Senator Obama's "Army Captain" from the Texas Debates.
Over at Armchair Generalist, J. continues the discussion of Senator Obama's Army Captain. We've discussed that here, and here. Clearly, the battle of cherry-picked examples continues, and the only solution will be for someone to interview each and every platoon leader of an infantry unit who was deployed during that time frame. Someone break out the Excel. That said - J does get very close to the real point in this comment:
UPDATE: In Abu Muqawama's coverage of this issue, he accurately notes in the comments section that the real point is Obama's need for better familiarity of military issues. While Obama may want to do the right thing in Iraq/Afghanistan, McCain will outmaneuver him on defense topics in the debates unless the young senator from Illinois gets schooled quickly.
In structure, J. emphasizes this point: "...McCain will outmaneuver him on defense topics in the debates unless the young senator from Illinois gets schooled quickly..."
I prefer this take: "...the real point is Obama's need for better familiarity of military issues..." if he wants to be Commander-in-Chief.
Not that I'm trying to get the last word (unlikely), but if I were to extend and revise my remarks, I'd say:
"the real point is Obama's need for better familiarity of military issues for when he becomes Commander-in-Chief."
After all, a failure to understand military strategy certainly didn't stop Bill Clinton or George W. Bush from being elected. I'm reading "Masters of War", and it's just amazing how this book, published in 2000, reads like a rebuke to the pre-Iraq war planning. Maybe I'm reading into it (and that's where the Clausewitz comments came from), but I will highly recommend it for insightful readings on "things people sitting in the White House ought to be thinking about" before engaging in military warfare.
I'm quite looking forward to the first Obama-McCain debate. It will run like a repeat of the Kennedy-Nixon televised debate, with the same outcome.
The linked file is *not* my work, it's the work of a blogger who has been tirelessly (and successfully) flogging DoD to do a better job of letting America know about our heroes in the on-going war. I'm involved in that latter effort, as well.
Chuck Simmins, who blogs at America's North Shore Journal, has produced a small e-book on the three recipients of the Medal of Honor from the war thus far:
As Kathy Parker at WaPo and others are astutely pointing out, Obama's nascent rise reflects uncomfortably on who we are.."We are the change!"...as a nation, both the good -optimistic, reasonably messianic, idealistic, good-natured, generous, progressive - ....and the bad - pathologically narcissistic, spoiled, fatherless, rootless, undiscerning, selfishly pragmatic ("Hey, free health care? Sounds good to me! Why not?") Obama somehow manages to combine the two sides, with a very toxic result, where Americans ca(n) project onto him what()ever wish-fulfillment occurs in their self-absorbed minds.
I believe that hits the nail on the head. Obama's speeches are relatively empty of any real policies. They project largely "dreams" of a Utopian future, but are so generic (hope, change, we can) that people can pretty much interpret what he says to mean whatever they want.
While the commenter goes on about modern Americans and their narcissism, I have to say that this has been a problem with many people around the world who end up with some extremely good orators that can stir human passions and ends up destroying the nation. Unlike Chris Matthews who enjoys the tingling feeling he gets running down his leg when Obama speaks, what I feel is an automatic, unmistakable feeling of rejection and revulsion.
Without overstating it, though seemingly melodramatic, it reminds me of the feeling I had when a friend's husband asked me if I wanted to feed their pet boa constrictor a live mouse. I refused, but it didn't stop him from dropping a little mouse into the aquarium from a box of mice he'd picked up that day. I watched that little mouse freeze in the corner, mesmerized by the snake, finally squeezed to death and then swallowed. It was at once the most fascinating and most disgusting thing I had ever seen in my life.
I realized that this happens in nature, but for some reason, the idea that this mouse was raised and sold by the pet shop for this purpose, plucked randomly from the box and then placed in another box where it had no opportunity to escape from being eaten as it would in the wild, had an extremely profound effect on me. Actually, the worst part was the fact that the mouse didn't even try to run. As soon as it was dumped in the the aquarium, it froze, mesmerized by a pair of snake eyes.
I had never really cared for snakes before, but I really hated them after that. Conversely, I'd never really liked mice, even "pets", but, after that, I had some real sympathy for what it means to be both a pest and the meal of many larger predators.
I realize that sounds over dramatic, but it is the best words I can put together to describe the actual feeling when I hear him speak, hear the people shouting his name over and over again while people like Oprah Winfrey fawn all over him and Ted Kennedy et al pretend he is the second coming of RFK. Or, worse.
Its not just his policies or his politics.
I recall when I turned out for President Bush in 2004. I can't say how many people said some extremely nasty things to me, accused Bush of believing that he was messianic and that I had some how bought into that. Otherwise, a friend once told me, I would have stayed in my lane and continued to vote Democrat.
None of my acquaintances could figure out that it was the Democrats that had turned me off, not G W Bush that had turned me on. He certainly is no great orator. I'm slightly more liberal than many conservatives that helped to get him elected. I never took his pronouncements of faith to mean anything other than they were: guiding principles and somewhere to turn when he was in need of meditation or strength for some trial. I certainly never saw him as a savior.
I think that is the big difference between myself and others on the left that are turning Obama into some mythical savior of some mythically damaged nation in need of righteous righting:
I've never mistaken a man for a god.
I know, this topic has been done to death, but I can't help but have the same feeling every time I watch him speak at some rally and huge crowds shout his name.
I feel like I'm watching that little mouse get eaten by the boa constrictor.
Not wishing to invoke Godwin's Rule, but it seems to me the last time this sort of thing happened was in the early thirties...
posted by emdfl on February 25, 2008 4:58 AM
emdfl,
My thought exactly. I was reminded of this when I first saw photos of women at Obama rallies in an almost religious euphoria, fainting and swooning at the power of his "charisma" and his promises of "change" for the Deutsche volk.
The parallel between these photos and those I've seen of women's reactions at Hitler rallies was truly frightening.
I think we all need to seriously ask ourselves just how Obama has become so popular, so quickly, with so much of the electorate while offering so little in terms of real policies and ideas.
Change simply for change's sake is not necessarily a good thing ..... and something or someone that sounds too good to be true usually is.
posted by fdcol63 on February 25, 2008 7:13 AM
Whoops .... I see that I failed to change the word Deutsche to American above when I separated the 2 paragraphs, and gave the impression that Obama was making promises to the German people.
When you burst into a hut full of enemy soldiers, you must remember the drill involved for such occasions. Shoot the first person that makes a move, hostile or otherwise. His brain has recovered from the shock of seeing you there with a gun. He has started to think and is therefore dangerous. You must then shoot the person closest to you, because he is in the best position to cause you embarrassment. Then deal with the rest as you see fit. - Col. R. B. Mayne, 1st SAS, extract from "Col. Paddy" by P. Marinan
Therein lies the drill that has been taught to special forces for decades for close quarters combat and eventually becomes the drill that every soldier and marine has learned in MOUT (Military Operations in Urban Terrain). Even the training rooms for these operations have retained the name given to them in training for the first SAS regiment in World War II: Kill Houses.
The SAS (Special Air Services) is a unique military organization created by the British during World War II. The History Channel in the UK is showing a series of programs called "The Originals". "The Originals" refers to the 13 remaining original SAS in the third month of the first year of operation. Needless to say, the survival rate for the original SAS in the first year of their existence was lower than that of an average Tommy or Joe. Yet, their effectiveness against far greater forces was so extreme and destructive that Hitler wrote an order:
Captured SAS must be handed over at once to the nearest Gestapo group. These men are dangerous. The presence of SAS troops must be immediately reported. They must be ruthlessly exterminated.
Very rarely were SAS troops imprisoned. Even though they wore uniforms, most were either immediately executed or brutally interrogated before being killed. By the end of WWII, the SAS had killed or captured appx "12,517 enemy soldiers, destroyed 7 trains, cut 122 railways, destroyed 700 vehicles all for 161 casualties out of 2500 men." This rate of effectiveness drives modern day special forces to incessantly improve, select only the best and strive for ever more creative means of effecting the enemy while placing themselves in extraordinary, life threatening positions and suffering few casualties as possible. Yet, when such units do suffer catastrophe, it often includes the entire unit because no man will leave his brother behind.
Another surviving concept of the original SAS was the idea that an operating unit could be made up of many different ranks, yet no man was more important than another. It embodied the modern idea that rugged individualism, mental toughness and superior capabilities were paramount. David Stirling said that "the man is the regiment, the regiment is the man". The "padre" for 1 SAS was quoted:
Men were individuals and everyone mattered. It was not a large regiment, 350 strong at this time, but everyone knew each other and everyone seemed to be friends. There did not appear to be a great deal of discipline in the ordinary sense, but no unit in any army ever possessed a greater degree of loyalty to their CO or their regiment. - Rev. Fraser McCluskey MC DD
It is this closeness, the sense of camaraderie that special operations units like the US Navy Seals has fostered. The apparent casualness of any unit is belayed by the individual discipline of each member. Such ideas as mission leaders not necessarily being an officer or the highest ranking member of the team, but, in fact, the person most capable of performing and leading the necessary operations based on experience.
The three founders of the SAS embodied the very spirit and idea of the modern special forces soldier. David Stirling "the dreamer", Jock Lewes "the thinker" and Paddy Mayne "the fighter". Even today, the ideal special forces soldier will embody these concepts with the daring and will to carry out even the most extreme and risky missions.
Like the struggle to create the US Special Forces, the idea was not well received by the established British military. These groups were looked at as "mercenaries" and "private armies" that did not belong in the armed forces of warring nations. Many regarded them as little more than "uniformed terrorists" barely within the laws of warfare. The established military could not imagine the role of such organizations within the context of a conventional war.
The British Military had long memories. They had just concluded a bloody war with the Boers only forty years before and, while some British officers admired the sheer will and cunning of their opponents, others found the "commandos'" tactics to be ungentlemanly, un-chivalrous and dishonorable. Reflecting modern guerrilla warfare, the commandos would ambush whole columns, avoid frontal attacks and leave the British military little in the way of measuring, fostering or reporting military success.
The generals wanted decisive battles with decisive outcomes that could have a decisive effect on the outcome of the war. Special Forces and commando raids amounted to a waste of men and materials for little except harassment. But, for the British, the war was not going well. The United States had not entered in the war. Supply shipping to England was continuously harassed and in danger of breaking all together.
The British had suffered major set backs. In 1940, over 300k troops were evacuated from Dunkirk, France fell to Germany and Germany began the "Battle of Britain" by initiating attacks on British air fields, preparing for the invasion of Britain. The HMS Hood was sunk by the Bismarck in May 1941. The pro-Nazi French Vichy government had signed an agreement with Germany allowing Nazi forces to use Lebanon and Syria, two French "mandates" from the WWI Sykes-Picot agreement, in an attempt to capture the Suez Canal, cutting off shipments of basic materials and Middle East oil supplies. The danger to the survival of Britain and its commonwealth was immediate. Morale at home was wavering under the fear of subjugation by Germany.
When the war started, Stirling joined the Scots Guards as a subaltern, but soon volunteered for 8 Commando, named after it's commander Captain Robert Laycock as Layforce.[snip]
Young David Stirling got his first taste of this in Layforce which was dismantled in all but name prior to arriving in North Africa. Special Forces as used in North Africa seemed doomed by this unfortunate circumstance.
North Africa, 1941. Germany is winning the war. As bad news comes in from every front, three young soldiers chafe against military discipline. Each is, in his own way, extraordinary, but each is also a misfit: Jock Lewes, athlete and visionary, driven by an obsessive sense of destiny, impatiently executing futile commands of "superiors" still fighting the last war; David Stirling, son of a general but himself one step from court martial, gifted with irresistible charm but as yet unaware of its potential for anything but landing him in hedonistic scrapes and rescuing him from the consequences; Paddy Mayne, ferocious, courageous, confined to a prison cell for assaulting an officer.
Paddy Mayne had been mentioned several times in dispatches and had already shown his mettle in the allied campaign in Lebanon and Syria at Litani River where Mayne was credited with nearly single handedly capturing four machine gun nests and dragging injured men to safety while under heavy gun fire.
Jock Lewes, also an athlete, had a different start. He'd been in Berlin before the start of the war with a possibility of joining the foreign service through his uncle. According to letters Lewes sent home, he had fallen in love with a young woman who was a member of the Nazi party and was nearly seduced by the pomp, order and drive of the regime. But, he was in Berlin the night of Kristallnacht and was quickly disillusioned, writing home:
'I have been struggling to believe or rather retain my belief in German sincerity but only a fanatic faith could withstand the evidence they choose of their own free will to put before us,' he wrote to his parents. 'I have great faith in Britain and I swear I will not live to see the day when Britain hauls down the colours of her beliefs before totalitarian aggression.'
Lewes's disillusionment with Germany turned to bitterness. He broke off all contact with his fiancée. 'I shall willingly take up arms against Germany, almost gladly,' he wrote.
Each of these men are at loose ends, kicking around between units, trying to "get into the fight" with various success and little satisfaction. Stirling went to three different units before getting into 8 Commando and heading to North Africa. Mayne was in the brig. The argument with his commanding officer stemmed all the way back to Litani River when he felt that the use of his commandos as a frontal attack force was a misuse of their capabilities and had resulted in many wounded and deaths. Having completed their mission with success, they were now rotting away on Cyprus where his commanding officer seemed happy to be, the Army having yet to figure out how to use commandos effectively.
When Lewes is given a chance to train a small detachment of commandos, he is none too pleased to have Stirling as one of his charges, and Stirling does not take naturally to Lewes' gruelling training regimen. Things go terribly wrong, and the unit is disbanded...
Lewes is already developing the training that will be put in place for the future SAS. At one point, he scrounges parachutes and takes Stirling and other commandos up for a parachute drop, but they are using an old plane unsuitable for parachuting. The jump is unauthorized. Stirling is injured when his chute catches on the tail of the plane. He's laid up for two months in the hospital with a back injury. His time in 8 Commando and meeting with Lewes was not totally unproductive, though 8 Commando was being disbanded. He began sketching out the make up of a regiment of special forces, their training and their potential use.
His experience has shown that his command is not interested in utilizing these forces and are not open to changing their tactics and strategies. He decides to go right to the top, leaving the hospital on crutches and making his way Middle East command HQ. Military order is strict here and no one can get in to see a commander without having a direct order or appointment.
It took him rather by surprise but he was very courteous and he settled down to read it. About halfway through he got quite engrossed and forgot the rather irregular way it had been presented.
"When he finished the paper, he said, 'This is something we can use, this paper looks like real promise'. That was the beginning of the SAS."
If Stirling had been caught before finding General Ritchie, he would have been thrown in prison.
Instead he was promoted to captain and tasked with raising a special force of 65 officers and men, which he called "that band of vagabonds".
He went about selecting what he described as a group of "misfits, rogues and rule-breakers" who were to change modern warfare for ever.
"In a sense, they weren't really controllable. They were harnessable - they policed themselves."
Stirling, aware of the problems with the use of commandos, struck a deal that the SAS would report directly to HQ and that they would develop their own plans of operations in coordination with regular army. They were designated SAS Brigade Detachment 'L' to fool the enemy over their size.
Stirling set about recruiting the men and officers. One of his men suggested Paddy Mayne. Stirling used his new connections with HQ leadership to get Mayne out of the brig. Making Mayne promise that Stirling was "one officer he wouldn't hit." SAS 'L' instituted a tough training program:
This bunch of veterans indulged in a training regime that seemed frighteningly difficult to the new arrivals. ‘L Detachment’ would go for hikes in the desert with a full load of 75 lbs on their backs. Watching them depart on their marches terrified the watching Sappers who wondered if they were about to embark on some very tough military training and wondered at the wisdom of turning craftsmen and artisans into storm-troopers.
The camp at Kabrit was used to prepare troops for depth attacks on the enemy including seaborne landings that were being planned. The distances in the desert meant that any advance ran out of air cover. Plans were being hatched to seize airfields behind the enemy lines to improve the support to forward troops.
The first mission for the SAS (November 17th 1941) was to jump behind enemy lines and gather intelligence as well as harassing and tying up German forces while the
British mounted the offensive. It was a disaster. Because moral was high and the troops well trained, Stirling decided to jump despite terrible conditions. Many men never made it back, of the sixty-six who went only twenty-two returned. While disastrous, Stirling and his officers Lewes and Paddy Mayne learned much from the experience.
November 17 became the birthday of the SAS. One of the things that Stirling, Lewes and Mayne had learned was that parachuting into the unpredictable North African weather with a large force was dangerous to the mission. The SAS began to use land and amphibious methods to insert behind enemy lines though they later used parachute insertions into France during their missions with the Maquisards (French Resistance).
HQ was on the verge of disbanding the unit after the disaster, but Stirling, who had climbed a fence with a broken back to get his proposal heardwas not going to go quietly:
Without orders, he told his men to return to their camp secretly the following month to be transported behind enemy lines and resume their mission to disable enemy aeroplanes.
It was a resounding success with scores of Axis aircraft disabled in just one night, and it set a stunning precedent.
Night after night, Stirling and his men walked or drove into the desert, planted bombs on the German planes and escaped into the night while, back at HQ, top brass struggled to find out who was doing the good work.
He became known as the "Phantom Major" among German troops after destroying nearly 400 enemy aircraft as well as scores of fuel and ammunition dumps in attacks behind German lines.
It was this attitude that led to the SAS motto: Who Dares Wins. The unit held a contest to create their own SAS insignia. A winged sword on a crusader shield was actually created by Cpl Robert Charles "Bob" Tait. It was actually the sword "excalibur". The wings were added by Jock Lewes, originally meant to depict flames, represents their parachute capabilities and reflecting their creation in the Egyptian desert. The wings, like the sword, were changed by the original tailors in Cairo. They mirror the sacred Ibis wings of Isis. The Cairo tailors also mistakenly replaced "Excalibur" with a Roman gladius, but the design stuck though it has routinely been misconstrued as a winged dagger. Early on and throughout the war, the unit had been chastised for wearing an "unofficial" insignia, ordered several times to stop wearing it and, finally, after tenacious, long defiance, the insignia was recognized as an "official" designation.
During their training, Lewes had discovered that the bombs they were using were totally unsuited to the tactics and needs of the unit. The SAS were a "hit and run" squad. The conventional bombs they had would not stick to the air craft or cause enough damage. Lewes set about creating a bomb that would not only "stick", but ignite the fuel in the air craft wings and cause massive destruction. The bomb became known as the "Lewes Bomb" and its concept can be seen in use throughout the war. It was approximately 1lb in weight and one soldier could carry up to ten or more per mission.
The SAS also engendered another well known special forces attitude: Lead From the Front. Stirling, Lewes and Mayne routinely went on missions with their unit. Lewes was killed early on when returning from a mission, by a lone Messerschmitt 110 fighter. returning from a successful raid, the troops were riding in a lorry (truck) when the Messerschmitt spotted them and went on a strafing attack. Lewes was shot in the back as he and others jumped from the truck. He was the lone casualty of the raid. He has no grave, only his name on the memorial plaque at El Alamein.
Stirling later stated that Lewes should have received the recognition that Stirling had for the creation of the SAS. Some believe that Lewes' early flirtation with the Nazi Socialists Party had made it impossible for the MoD to recognize his contribution.
The SAS began to use Jeeps for their lightening fast strikes against the enemy. The jeeps were mounted with four Vickers K machine guns, originally scrounged from obsolete air craft. The machine guns were rugged and particularly suited to the tough terrain. Loaded with alternating tracer rounds, they were very handy for lighting up German air craft fuel.
The technique used by the SAS on these attacks was the "spear".
The first mass jeep raid took place in late July 1942, with eighteen of the vehicles attacking Sidi Haneish. First they approached the airfield in single file, then fanned out into line abreast formation and opened fire to kill and confuse the enemy guard force. A flare was fired and the jeeps changed formation again, driving onto the airfield itself in columns of two with the first three forming an arrowhead around the navigator's vehicle. They opened fire again, this time with all 68 machineguns(4 on each jeep), firing at 1200 rounds per minute each, and drove around the airfield. At least forty aircraft were destroyed and one SAS man killed.
"During the war, he led dozens of men, including me, on Robin Hood like dare devil raids, hundreds of miles behind enemy lines."
He would do outrageous things like wonder on to an air field with a satchel thrown over his shoulder full of bombs. Then he'd admonish the Italian sentry for not challenging him, "I MIGHT be a British Agent!" he told the startled sentry.
Leading from the front continued to have its dangers for the SAS leadership. Stirling was promoted to Lt. Colonel and given charge to build the SAS into a full regiment, rolling in several other commando, intelligence and paratrooper groups. In early 1943, the 1st SAS was working in conjunction with the 8th Army. As was their modus operandi, the SAS was far out in front of the front lines when Stirling's unit was over taken.
Later operations moved westward as the enemy retreated toward Tunisia. In January 1943 the SAS were far ahead of 8th Army and coming close to 1st Army, the Anglo-American forces which had landed in Algeria and were soon threatening Tunisia themselves. Stirling and a small patrol were trying to get through to 1st Army when they were surprised and captured by German armoured cars. They quickly escaped, but Stirling was picked up by an Italian patrol several days later.
The " Phantom Major " was destined to spend most of the rest of the war in POW camps. He escaped four times, but his 6 feet 5 inch height always gave him away; he ended up in the infamous Colditz castle, the place where the Germans sent persistent escapers.
The SAS was thrown for a loop, but not knocked out. Other officers stepped forward to lead the SAS like Stirling's brother Bill and Brian Franks. The fight in North Africa was almost over for the SAS, but their exploits in Europe were just beginning.
Watch the SAS: The Originals on the History Channel UK (for our British friends and those with extended satellite service in the US; the rest of you will just have to read about it here) -
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...
Time to add a new caveat, because from email it's not clear to some folks (mind you, if you don't read this it won't matter...) Being an open post, people (collectively, the Denizens) other than I post in the H&I. They sign their work (most of the time) - keep that in mind when you want to flame someone in email please - if it doesn't say "The Armorer" or "John" then I didn't write it! And honestly - if you don't like something said or posted... leave a comment, and hash it out (within the context of The Rulez which are clearly posted on the comment form, I would add).
J. of Armchair Generalist popped into Kat's post on Friday and crabbed a bit about the failures of the Administration (many of which I agree, *were* failures) as exemplified in Senator Obama's cherry-picked Army Captain (which I expostulated on in Friday's H&I Fires). J. seemed a bit miffed that I didn't write an extensive post on the subject and lectured me on Clausewitz, too. So, today, to balance Senator Obama's cherry-picked example, I will send you over to Blackfive, where Deebow posts his own, personal experience in the same era of the Afghan conflict as Senator Obama's Army Captain, as my counter-vailing cherry-pick. There. That means it all cancels out, right? Snerk. Of course not. It just shows you can cherry-pick, and policy should not be set by cherry-picked examples (see, Iraq, Invasion of, intelligence failures and the policy makers who made bad policy therefrom).
Denizen Bloodspite could use a prayer platoon. Gotta get some other posting done before I head off to Columbia to see my neice in Harvey... -the Armorer
*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."
I was only joking. If I didn't want people to read it I would not have posted it. Thanks for the link :)
posted by HomefrontSix on February 25, 2008 12:29 AM
FTR, I wasn't looking for a long explanation on why Obama's example was bad, just curious as to how one justified the charge that the "anti-war" crowd was criticizing the Repugs for not fully mobilizing re: Iraq war. Not sure that charge is accurate. I think there are two issues here, how either side would address a "global war on terror" (which I think we both agree is a ridiculous phrase), and how the current war in Iraq has been/is being handled.
Specific to Obama, who I support, yeah, he poorly explained (exploited) an anecdotal story that may be an indicator, but is not the standard. Not one of his better moments. But I am more annoyed by the right (Blackfire's blog in particular) assuming that Obama's story was false to begin with, instead of allowing time to see if in fact the administration's policies have in fact resulted in a second-tier standard for Afghanistan-bound troops.
Hey, bottom line, your blog, your views. I always enjoy visiting and participating in the discussion.
Heh. J. you just do this to annoy me, making nice!
We're mostly in violent agreement, in most aspects on this particular issue, I think, with the rough edges around the fact that I look at Obama and see my 401(k) shrinking to nothing, and my ability to contribute to it shrinking (or at least the gun budget drying up to pay the taxes), and not being able to retire anytime soon, as I so fervently desire.
I still think your side deserves Ralph Nader to balance Ron Paul.
First up was a planning meeting for the next Rotary year (starts in July) with the new board and incoming President, that shot the bolt for the morning. Good meeting, in that "all volunteer" board kind of way.
The afternoon, well, that was time for a little putting the Demesne to the purpose *I* had in mind when we bought it last summer - a place to exercise the Arsenal of Argghhh!
First up was the L1A1. I knew it was going to shoot low, the front sight post was extremely high, and I was right it shot low and to the right. More disturbingly, out of six rounds, at least three bullets tumbled, as you can see in this pic. I quit firing at that point. Milsurp weapons are always a crap shoot, and some, shoot crappy. I was using remanufactured ammunition, too - but it was the same ammo I was shooting in the M1A, however. I'm going to have to slug the bore and do some tweaking on the L1A1. Anyone with similar experience is invited to share their collected wisdom on the subject.
Since the center of the target was still available, I used it for the M1A. Shooting standing, supported, iron sights. Have I mentioned I *like* the M1A? If I were going to go shoot in the competition in Colorado in May, this would be the rifle I would take. Nine rounds, no flyers. The one in the lower right is one of the flyers from the L1A1. The M1A and I are tuned together.
This is from the Bushmaster ORC. I was aiming at the center of the cutout in the picture. 100 ft, standing, supported, with 2 power scope. 1st group is to the right. I adjusted the scope, yielding the center group. Adjusted again, and the 3 shot small group went where I wanted it, if by then I was getting a little impatient with my trigger pull. The 25 degree temp may have had something to do with it, too.
The pistols were just for plinking. I've not shot the P38 since I bought it. If it didn't shoot any better for it's previous owner than it did for me... I understand why it got captured. The Luger shot just fine, as it always does.
Take your FNFAL over to www.falfiles.com and ask your questions. The folks there will probably be able to diagnose the problem on the L1A1.
posted by emdfl on February 25, 2008 5:03 AM
I was in AIM Surplus some years back with $400 in my pocket to spend. I passed on a Century L1A1 and chose a CETME instead. The main selling point was that the price of it left me enough cash to buy a case of 7.62 NATO also, 80s South African surplus, if I remember right.
The CETME is a fine shooter, but I always wondered if I shouldn't have bought the FN instead. Now, seeing those tumblers from your's makes me feel a little better about that choice I made 6 or 7 years ago. :-)
BTW, that's some darned fine shooting with that M1A!
posted by Gun Trash on February 25, 2008 9:01 AM
Heh. I got the L1A1 because it was Brit and fit in the collection as a combat-used gun, this particular one, mebbe too much time on the range or at Goose Green.
Not that I have any provenance to suggest this particular weapon is one that made the trip to the Falklands.
I swear, with that M1A, the rifle improves the shooter.
What bullet weight ammo and what barrel twist in the L1A1?
posted by Cowboy Blob on February 25, 2008 10:43 AM
The quick answer, CB, is whatever the standard twist for the L1A1 (inch pattern FAL) is, and... since I'm not at home and I can't remember the details on the ammo, I'll check tonight.
The point you made about milsurps being a crap shoot is true more often than not. And unless it's totally shot out with no lands, I defy the non-gunsmith to look down a barrel and accurately declare its condition.
And like you posted, even a gunsmith would want to slug it before offering a professional opinion.
A non-professsional stab at it here... could a bad crown cause that?
I get a lot of email, with lots of good stuff. Heck, I rely on it. I can't keep my eye on everything, and if readers are sending stuff they find interesting... chances are other readers will too.
But, some of it isn't quite what it seems to the emailer. Like the one I got this morning.
Incredible footage!
Subject: SOF Mission First
When you hear the media's talk of war deaths from "friendly fire," or rage, or pure murder, you have to remember that war is not the one-on-one shootouts depicted in movies and TV. War is hell, ambushes, and often being overrun and out numbered. This video show the close air support provided by a USAF AC-130 supporting the extraction of a small group of commandos. Modern technology helps identify the good guys from the bad guys, but you can see how quickly the decisions have to be made. You will see several RPGs fired at the good guys only to have the person launching the RPG being sent to see his 72 virgins. I pass this on so that you can better appreciate the environment that our soldiers are subjected to. Were our members of congress and our senate personally involved with this the way o ur troops are I think that the troop support votes would be a lot different...
AC-130U Specter Gunship built by Lockheed, flown and operated by the USAF 16th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field , FL. Their motto .... "you can run but you'll only die tired."
Now this is how CAS is supposed to work! The person you hear talking to the crew is on the ground. He is with the British Special Air Service (SAS) Commandos in a firefight making their way to the Helo extraction point Landing Zone (LZ)
Only, it isn't incredible footage. It's a saved movie file from a game, Call of Duty 4. I'm not an AC130 pilot or gunner, but every video I've seen (important caveat) has a lot more chatter confirming targets than this one does. *Especially* in urban areas. That was my first thought when I saw it - then I just started paying attention to other cues, like the graphical similarity of the trees, the "bubble" effect in the RPG trails, etc. I've been involved, as a SME, developer, and player of military sims for decades so I notice things like that (not that it isn't darn good stuff here) But the clincher comes at 5:25-5:31... the "game saved" dialogue in the upper left hand corner, above the HUD text.
I admit - I may order the game. Here's a screen cap of the dialogue - click here.
Although, all I keep thinking is "why not a hellfire"?
At least twice, I would have let one off into the cars while they were nearby and gave them no exit route (since they kept running to them).
posted by kat-missouri on February 24, 2008 11:38 AM
The movie *is* from CoD4, a friend has it and those all-white target figures are a dead (heh) giveaway. It's a cool game but you need a fairly high-end system to run it properly as it's *very* resource hungry.
posted by Neffi on February 24, 2008 12:02 PM
I got the game for Christmas, and when I got to this mission I was speechless. It is the best part of the game, in my opinion. Definitely some "&(@#$! cool" moments. The Activision folks really did their homework here. It very closely models the "real" youtube video that came out a couple years ago.
posted by Brad on February 24, 2008 2:20 PM
I got the game for Christmas, and when I got to this mission I was speechless. It is the best part of the game, in my opinion. Definitely some "&(@#$! cool" moments. The Activision folks really did their homework here. It very closely models the "real" youtube video that came out a couple years ago.
posted by Brad on February 24, 2008 2:34 PM
LOL - Some people are SOOOOO gullible! Yep, this is COD4. I have it, and this was the easiest level for me, so far.
Awesome graphics, but geez, is this game intense. I finally just set it on "WIMP", and am still getting creamed. LOL Sometimes I have to go back to COD2 and MOH to repair my ego. LOL
posted by fdcol63 on February 24, 2008 5:15 PM
Get it. I loved the game, especially the "NBC-1"
report when the nuke went off.
The audio is interesting because somebody took the effort to add in snippets from the real Afghanistan video, i.e. every time you hear "strike". I doubt those are in the CoD 4 game, so somebody made a conscious editing effort to fool people.
posted by Chris Sandvick on February 25, 2008 12:10 PM
If cease fires in the name of peace actually produced peace the Middle East would be the most peaceful place on earth by now.
.
Mebbe it's just Clobbering Time.
.
Just sayin'
.
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stability. But they want the stability without being
fed into industrial chippers."
.
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