The short run, immediate propaganda and recruiting material for the jihadists along with the attendant deaths of Iraqis and American soldiers, was terrible and damaging.
On the other hand, ask yourself when people really started taking the idea of an "information war" seriously. What was the first major story that had milblogs, political blogs and personal blogs binding together to refute a terrible story? When did the US government actually start thinking about information warfare?
I can still remember the really horrendous Centcom website that was worse than a basic Blogger package and had all the user friendliness and packaging of an early 1994 geocities web page. It was rarely updated regularly and the videos were less than "B roll".
Rumsfield was still talking about dead enders as violence escalated. Zawahiri's letter had not yet been released (the one that talked about "half the battle field is in the media").
For others, Abu Graihb might have woke them up to the idea that the way they were fighting the war was counter-productive. Even if it took them a year or so more after the event to grasp the idea fully, it did begin a conversation, however one would wish it not to start that way. Maybe it was the only way it COULD start.
Somewhere in that calculation, it could be said that, in the long run, it may have saved American soldiers' lives by moving our discussion in the right direction and helping to change strategies and tactics.
Of course, I'm not proposing any medals for the perpetrators. A good cigar and a last meal would be more than they deserved for their part.
We have all participated in some recreational stupidity. It is my intention to continue such events in a quest of stalking the wiley bonefish down in the Bahamas next weekend. I don't think I'll be posting pictures of any missteps into the lagoon. (A case of being over served at the marina Tiki Bar last trip) But to try to find a small positive out of the massive injury perpetrated by those jerks is a little much.
Nobody got hurt here. No one was thrown out of helos, no one had limbs broken or any of the other events described by Ol' John Kerry in his infamous speech. They just gave the Media the biggest chance to smear the uniform once again. All the imbeds with all those hours of informing the American public what was really going on went down the tubes. And for what...a better set of Milblogs?
That was starting to happen anyway; if someone cared to find them. Family and friends of people in country were finding ways to inform each other of events and to coordinate support. My club and I discovered where our support needed to be applied...Phone cards, tickets home for Christmas for those from our state getting trained up for deployment, Building Homes for Heroes. We just didn't send candy bars and baby wipes.
But those dummys posted their deeds for the world to misread, misrepresent and use in ways that caused all kinds of aid and comfort. The military will be paying for that dumb move forever. They gave our enemies all the ammunition needed to unleash the New York Times and their ilk.
No...the little good has not in any way counter balanced what was caused.
Sorry for the rant...I need that rum drink now.
posted by Fishmugger on March 22, 2008 7:14 AM
Well, honestly, I wasn't "trying" to find the thought. It just popped in my head the other night and I meant to write it down to see if anyone had any thoughts on their own.
I understand the logic. It took much time to find the right blogs to dirrect support. As you can see I'm addicted but it's important to have good info so when discussions arise. A friend passed the hat at an up scale local bar we frequent just after passing around a note from a Captain of Special Forces. We collected $200 and a few interesting kisses from the ladies.
We bought provisions for the Captains troops. We kept the kisses however. Patriotism just goes so far.
posted by Fishmugger on March 22, 2008 10:34 AM
I don't know, but just for a minute, seeing the words "cigar" and "bill" in the same place gave me the willies. LOL
Iraq Economy: Light At the End of the Tunnel Part III
[Kat]
...all that we need is the existence of companies with materials and expertise because we have the money and fuel." - Minister of Electricity Karim Waheed
In response to a request, Haditha Dam. Also, great pictures of what passes for electrical wiring in Iraq. Old video, but an excellent review of Haditha and its potential. It is right now providing nearly 24/7 electricity to Ramadi and surrounding Anbar.
The fact is that Iraq's economy is growing, and large projects are underway to continue to improve the flow of electricity. Second to the Hydro-Carbon Law (development of oil infrastructure and revenue sharing), electricity effects the overall political and economic development of Iraq. While oil may bring in the money, electricity may be the gauge by which the security and future economy can be measured.
Many other electricity capacity building and sustainment projects are continuing and have picked up speed since the down turn of violence late 2007. However, many of these plants continue to be built with gas or diesel fuel burning turbines. This presents several additional problems including the continued lack of sufficient fuel to drive these turbines. Fuel is also costly with oil at $108/bbl. Even though Iraq is an oil rich nation, it still lacks the refining capacity to produce sufficient fuel with the necessary purity to keep these plants operating without costly damage.
Another problem is that burning fuel creates high corrosives and forces almost weekly maintenance on the turbine props and internal engine systems, taking these power plants off the grid. The decision to build fossil fuel plants was based on several factors, namely: time, money and expertise.
Compared to a hydro-electric or thermal plant that takes between two and five years to build, fuel burning plants can be built in as little as six months to a year. Iraqi engineers are more familiar with these plants since they have been the main electrical producers for over five decades. That means more available expertise to manage and maintain these plants. They are also less costly for initial build and set up (though more costly in maintenance). Since September 2007, the US has cut funding to these programs to hundreds of millions, barely a drop in the bucket compared to the estimated needs.
The Minister of Electricity recently gave a presentation that indicated the MoE would require $25 billion between 2008-2016 to rehabilitate, build and generally bring electrical production up to meet demand. The 2008 budget for the MoE is $1.5 Billion. However, he indicated that 2008 would be the year that many MoE projects would propel Iraq much closer to meeting its demands. These projects include:
"2008 will be the year of gatherers for the Ministry of Electricity in the projects that are currently implemented, such as the stations of: Samawah with a 90 Mega Watts, South of Baghdad steam station which is of two units each one with 50 Mega Watts, South of Baghdad gas station with a production capacity of 400 Mega Watts, North of Baghdad station with 60 Mega Watts, Al-Quds station with 250 Mega Watts and Al-Musayyib station with a production capacity of 400 Mega Watts.
Based on previous predictions and outcomes, this prediction may be too aggressive. However, one of the ways that this may be accomplished is by taking advantage of one of the other natural resources that Iraq has in abundance: natural gas. Besides stand alone natural gas pockets, there is an abundance of natural gas available from oil production and refinement. Most of this natural gas is "flared off" or burned into the atmosphere to reduce internal pressure from drilling. According to a report from the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), Iraqi oil production is flaring off enough natural gas to power all of Iraq's electrical plants and then some, decreasing its dependency on oil, gasoline and diesel fuels to power the country.
Most of Iraq's fossil fueled plants could be converted simply to burning natural gas. It would require installing pressurizing and delivery equipment at these oil production sites as well as developing delivery infrastructure. Some delivery infrastructure already exists along with pressurizing machinery, but has laid dormant and incomplete since the invasion. Iraqi engineers do not have the expertise to handle this project. It is one of the many projects, along with building privately owned electrical plants, that Waheed has called on foreign companies to tender for or invest in the development.
...all that we need is the existence of companies with materials and expertise because we have the money and fuel."
The development of this system will also require the assistance and cooperation of the Ministry of Oil. This ability and cooperation will depend on the future of the Iraq Hydro-Carbon Law that will layout the legal structure and protections for foreign investment to reconstruct and develop iraq's oil infrastructure.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel for Iraq and Iraqis. It's coming faster every day as security continues to improve and stabilize. What Iraq needs now are people and companies who are willing to invest in that future for this generation and the generations to come.
[I suggest reading this equally long, but highly informative report (Re-engineering Iraq) from the IEEE completed in November 2007 (based on the price of oil quoted and several projects noted). It gives a very good ground view of the challenges and improvements to Iraq's electrical production. The writer visits several electrical plants and substations throughout Iraq, including in Sadr City, speaking with engineers, army officers and many others about security, economics and engineering. There is a surprising (or not) section about a power plant with four GE turbines that were bought erroneously by the MoE with USAID money. The Iraqi engineers from the MoE misunderstood the phrase "duel fuel" and did not realize that it did not burn diesel fuel like the other existing turbines in the plant. Now, $350 million worth of equipment sits idle and in disrepair since 2004. These turbines could burn natural gas. Right across the street is the East Baghdad oil plant that has three stacks "flaring off" natural gas. According to the reporter/engineer, one stack could fuel the four turbines and double the production of the electric plant. The equipment for this was being installed prior to the invasion and now sits running to ruin. Right across the street.]
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).
*********************
Heh. At least it's a lot cheaper to feed...
A little more zen for the Gunner's soul...
PACIFIC OCEAN (March 18, 2008) The guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) fires her five-inch gun system during a live-fire exercise. McCain is one of seven Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers assigned to Destroyer Squadron 15. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Byron C. Linder
*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 had no idea we had a USS John S. McCain....
NO idea.
Have we ever had a sitting president with a vessel named after him? (yes, I'm looking into my crystal ball and imagining President McCain sitting at his desk in the Oval Office. It's a prettier picture to me than either President Osama Obama or President H. Clinton. *shudder*)
posted by AFSister on March 21, 2008 11:05 AM
It's named after his father, Admiral John McCain, AFSis.
posted by J.M. Heinrichs on March 21, 2008 2:22 PM
Does it do buttonholes?
posted by Murray on March 21, 2008 5:44 PM
ah... thanks!
posted by AFSister on March 21, 2008 10:00 PM
I learn something everyday thanks to the Castle:
The ship is named after John Sr. McCain, Jr. and John S. McCain, Sr., both Admirals in the United States Navy. John Sr. McCain Jr. commanded the submarines USS Gunnel and Demtuda. Subsequently he held a number of posts, rising to Commander-in-Chief of the United States Pacific Command before retiring in 1972. John S. McCain Sr. commanded the aircraft carrier Ranger (CV-4), and acted as commander of the Fast Carrier Task Force through 1944. They are respectively the father and grandfather of John S. McCain III, a US Senator representing Arizona and former Naval aviator Captain.
[and]
Armament: 1 × 29 cell, 1 × 61 cell Mk 41 vertical launch systems with 90 × RIM-66 SM-2, BGM or RUM-139 VL- Asroc-Asroc missiles
1 × Mark 45 2/54 in (127/54 mm)
2 × 25 mm chain gun
4 × .50 caliber (12.7 mm) guns
2 × 20mm Phalanx CIWS
2 ×Mk 32 triple torpedo tubes
Aircraft carried: 1 SH-60 Sea Hawk helicopter can be embarked. Motto: Fortune Favors the Brave
Real life, non-celluloid heroes. Specialist Monica Brown
Meet Specialist Brown. I'd say we need more like her - except in truth, we have them. They'll be there when the call comes. They almost always are.
Real-life hero: A Soldier’s Silver Star story
By Army Spc. Micah E. Clare
4th Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Heroes are made, not born.
And a hero like Spc. Monica Brown, 19, a Lake Jackson, Texas, native is no different. She is the second female Soldier since World War II to be awarded a Silver Star for her gallant actions during combat in Afghanistan in 2007.
She was presented her Silver Star by Vice President Dick Cheney during a ceremony here March 20.
It was dusk April 25, 2007, when Brown, a medic from the 782nd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, was on a routine security patrol along the rolling, rocky plains of Paktika’s isolated Jani Khail District when her convoy was attacked by insurgents.
“We’d been out on the mission for a couple of days,” said Brown, who at the time was attached to the brigade’s 4th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment’s Troop C. “We had just turned into a wadi (empty river bed) when our gunner yelled at us that the vehicle behind us had hit an (improvised-explosive device).”
They all looked out of their windows in time to see one of the struck vehicle’s tires flying through the field next to them. Brown had just opened her door to see what was going on when the attack began.
“I only saw the smoke from the vehicle when suddenly we started taking small-arms fire from all around us,” she said. “Our gunner starting firing back and my platoon sergeant yelled, ‘Doc! Let’s go.’”
Brown and her platoon sergeant, Staff Sgt. Jose Santos, exited their vehicle, and while under fire, ran the few hundred meters to the site of the downed Humvee.
“Everyone was already out of the burning vehicle,” she said. “But even before I got there, I could tell that two of them were injured very seriously.”
In fact, all five of the passengers who had stumbled out were burned and cut.
Two Soldiers, Spc. Stanson Smith and Spc. Larry Spray, suffered life-threatening injuries.
With help from two less-injured vehicle crewmen, Army Sgt. Zachary Tellier and Spc. Jack Bodani, Brown moved the immobile Soldiers to a relatively safe distance from the burning Humvee.
“There was pretty heavy incoming fire at this point,” she said.
“Rounds were literally missing her by inches,” said Bodani, who provided suppressive fire as Brown aided the casualties while injured. “We needed to get away from there.”
Attempting to provide proper medical care under the heavy fire became impossible, especially when the attackers stepped up efforts to kill the Soldiers.
“Another vehicle had just maneuvered to our position to shield us from the rounds now exploding in the fire from the Humvee behind us,” Brown said. “Somewhere in the mix, we started taking mortar rounds. It became a huge commotion, but all I could let myself think about were my patients.”
With the other vehicles spread out in a crescent formation, Brown and her casualties were stuck with no-where to go.
Suddenly, Santos arrived with one of the unit’s vehicles backed it up to their position, and Brown began loading the wounded Soldiers inside.
“We took off to a more secure location several hundred meters away where we were able to call in the (medical evacuation mission),” Brown said.
She then directed other combat-life-saver-qualified Soldiers to help by holding intravenous bags and assisting her in prepping the casualties for evacuation.
After what seemed like an eternity, the attackers finally began retreating and Brown was able to perform more thorough aid procedures before the MEDVAC helicopter finally arrived to transport the casualties to safety, Brown said.
Two hours after the initial attack, everything was over.
In the darkness, Brown recalled standing in a field, knee-deep in grass, her only source of light coming from her red head-light, trying to piece together the events which had just taken place.
“Looking back, it was just a blur of noise and movement,” she said. “What just happened? Did I do everything right? It was a hard thing to think about.”
Before joining the Army at the age of 17, the bright-eyed young woman said she never pictured herself being in a situation like this.
Originally wanting to be an X-ray technician, she changed her mind when she realized that by becoming a medic, she’d be in the best place to help people.
“At first, I didn’t think I could do it,” she said. “I was actually afraid of blood. When I saw my first airway-opening operation, I threw up.”
She quickly adjusted to her job, and received additional training both before and during her deployment to Afghanistan.
“I realized that everything I had done during the attack was just rote memory,” she said. “Kudos to my chain of command for that. I know with training, like I was given, any medic would have done the same in my position.”
“To say she handled herself well would be an understatement,” said Bodani, who quickly recovered from his injuries and immediately returned to work. “It was amazing to see her keep completely calm and take care of our guys with all that going on around her. Of all the medics we’ve had with us throughout the year, she was the one I trusted the most.”
Earning trust with a combat unit is not something easily earned, said Army Capt. Todd Book, Troop C’s commander at the time of the attack, but it was something Brown had taken upon herself to prove long before the Jani Khail ambush.
“Our regular medic was on leave at the time,” Book said. “We had other medics to choose from, but Brown had shown us that she was more technically proficient than any of her peers.”
Having people call her “Doc” means a lot to her because of the trust it engenders.
“When people I’ve treated come back to me later and tell me the difference I was able to make in their life is the best part of this job,” Brown said.
During her rest and recuperation in May 2007, Brown visited Spray in the hospital and met his mother.
“I almost cried,” Brown said. “Spray’s mother was so thankful and she hugged me. That was the moment that made me feel the best about what I did.”
Even though she felt proud when she was informed that she was going to receive a Silver Star, she considers her actions to be the result of effort put into her by everyone she’s worked for.
“While I’m not scared to get my hands dirty, I have to say that I never fully became a medic until I came over here and did it first-hand,” she said. “I just reacted when the time came.”
Due to her quick and selfless actions, both Smith and Spray survived their injuries.
080313-A-2013C-006 Army Spc. Monica Brown, a medic from the 782nd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, takes an Afghan boy's blood at the hospital in Forward Operating Base Salerno, Afghanistan. Brown is the second female since World War II to be awarded the Silver Star for her actions in Operation Enduring Freedom XIII. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Micah E. Clare)
Everyone should read this! I used to think women in service should never be in combat situations, only in clerical or other less dangerous positions. Reading about this and other valorous acts by female military has just about changed my mind! Way to go, Spec. Brown! We're proud of you!
posted by Ann Kendrick on March 21, 2008 11:25 AM
Heh. When someone taunts her kids with "Your mother wears Army boots!" the response will be "Yeah! And she can kick yer a$$!"
She has the opportunity to jump out of perfectly good airplanes and then hump her pack, med kit, and weapon over the countryside.
I just may start feeling sorry for the other side.
NOT!!!
Would just love to shake her hand. Maybe a little kiss on the cheek. I'm old...she won't mind.
posted by Fishmugger on March 22, 2008 1:16 PM
Wow, I love it when I hear good things coming from my beloved Army. This lady is a fine example of American pride. Darlin, thanks to you for all you do and THANKS to all soldiers and everyone else willing to lay it all down just so our families can sleep in peace at night and enjoy the life style we enjoy.
My oldest boy just went to Korea about 3 weeks ago and then is heading to Afghanistan after a 1 year stint.
Thank you all!
posted by Old 101st Screaming Eagle on March 22, 2008 8:58 PM
This fella, I'm happy to say, is a friend of mine, as is his wife and their wonderfully diverse family. I swiped a huge bit of his latest rant, simply because in this America, he gets to say things I can't... He does use rougher language than I allow 'round here - so when you go read the whole thing (and you should) be prepared for that - you'll see what I mean from the edits I made.
While speaking to one of my student interns the other day he asked me what I looked for in a president. Basically I told him, nothing, not a damn thing. I don’t want my president to do a damn thing, I don’t want he or she to say anything, I want them to just occupy the space, don’t f*ck sh*t up, don’t push any red buttons or try to fix anything. I want them to vacation hard and long. Bottom line; just keep you f*cken mouth shut and try not to do anything too stupid. Is that asking too much?
For as long as I can remember I have regarded the presidency as a middle management position basically because the smarter the president tended to be the more likely they were to f*ck sh*t up. [emphasis mine!]
I don’t want my president to fix health care, I don’t want my president trying to “create” jobs. That is not what they do. I don’t want my president trying to fix race relations, or trying to cure world hunger, or spreading democracy or being the world’s f*cken police.
What about Iraq, Snoop? (sigh). Well being in Iraq and the Middle East was inevitable. Being in Iraq is a necessary evil and folks on both sides of the political divide are on the same page about how badly it got screwed up. However, to appease the monkeys on both sides of the political animal cages politicians throw out withdrawal timetables on one hand while the other growls about “finishing the job” and “keep America safe.” We are in Iraq because we needed a place to park troops – To keep a closer eye on the oil and the many nut jobs in the region.
That's not enough for you to click through on the link at the bottom? Okay - mebbe this will get you interested..
So, I’ll muddle through this as best I can, but it will no doubt seem disjointed to some. You can blame it on the lingering effects of my a$$ kicking flu or my increasing irritation with the news media and America’s new found racial enlightenment all because Barack Hussein Obama was feeling the pressure of anti-American backlash because he decided to attend a church to give him street credibility while at the same time embracing an over the top whitey-America hating Pastor. Folks maybe it is just me, being a black dude, conservative minded, independent thinking, beat of thy own drummer cranky ranting f*ck who just sees the mud and dirt all over every damn aspect of American politics.
Naw, Mr. L, you aren't alone. The rest of you? Go check out PoliticalPartyPoop for the rest of this rant!
Politics isn't always the answer. Sometimes, just let the ball roll and it'll take care of itself. But when your only tool is a hammer - all problems look like nails. That's why the Founders created the Three Branches, with the ex-officio 4th and 5th - to provide some competition. Only the 4th and 5th aren't always pulling their weight.
What do I mean? When the press let's themselves get captured by their biases (many voices! many voices! that's the impact of blogs and talk radio) and we the people (#5) won't periodically cull that herd of 535 people in DC. They've got no entitlement to the job, they've got a much-better-than-average retirement package without having to put in the years the rest of us do - send 'em home to get real jobs every now and then.
John,
If you have a blogmeet, this dude needs to be there... !!
posted by AFSister on March 21, 2008 10:54 AM
I couldn't go there, John (I think it offends host country sensibilities), so I'm glad you shared what you did here. Thanks to your rulez, you are not blocked...
posted by Oldloadr on March 21, 2008 11:36 AM
As I read this, I see why I stay an Independent voter. John, as you always put it, "If you want to come to the 'Castle', you've got to play by the rulez." The same is true of that "Castle at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC." The rulez are for everybody, no exceptions.
Grumpy
posted by Grumpy on March 21, 2008 2:27 PM
Well, you must be special, John. The site wouldn't display that link or the main page. The error looked like it wanted a login. But I couldn't see how to get there. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks *loads* for that particular ear worm, Capt JMH.
Heh.
From the responses in yesterday's comments block, I may have an untapped fiduciary resource I have not previously considered (although I *have* appeared in some -- thankfully -- short-lived ARNG recruiting commercials). BTW, Pat, if your offer still holds, I figure you owe somebody a scad of cash for all the be-thonged appearances I *haven't* made to date.
Call it an ounce of prevention. Or extortion.
Eh -- puh-tay-to, po-tah-to.
Meanwhile, back in WhatzissStan, here's another clue for you:
... don't worry if it's not good enough... for anyone else to FREAKIN SEE BECAUSE IT'S SO DAMN OBSCURE EVEN A DEAD GIVEAWAY DOESN'T HELP... just thing... thing a thong......
BAH.
HUMBUG
posted by AFSister on March 21, 2008 10:56 AM
Thanks, John. There went lunch. LOL
posted by fdcol63 on March 21, 2008 11:31 AM
The Object in Question was manufactured by Russki Enterprises a wholly owned subsidiary of Stalin Incrumbrenated.
This 450th petrol tank, engineered to precision Soviet standards was found by the Soviet military to be the first which didn't leak. Realising something terrible was afoot, it was decided to convert it into an ammo holder in case the подполко́вник inspected it and suspected Capitalist pigdog manufacture.
After invading Afghanistan to conquer the valuable pet rocks of the region the Red Army decided to beat a hasty tactical withdrawal when 4 dusty men with Soviet made AK47s defeated three quarters of the Soviet tank arsenal. Apparently no resistance was offered until an errant tank (well let's say vodka driven) accidentally ran over a tea house.
In a case of rare military equipment misplacement, The ammo container was left behind.
Then of course the Americans came just to prove they could do better, and because the untapped pet rock resources of the region were still up for grabs.
Finding this sterling piece of Soviet manufacture it was decided private UselessLazyWorthlessScum must be ordered to paint it because the wholly undesirable Soviet poo brown must be converted to the glorious gloomy grey standard. Said private either rolled the tank in the dust or sneezed the paint on it enough to hide the brown and thus earn him the accolade of having actually done some work. Of course in another extremely unusual case of military misplacement the cap was lost. Mission accomplished, the container was donated to the Afghani military.
Today this Soviet manufactured petrol tank is serving the Afghani military being a store of ammo having only moderate chance of blowing up in your face when used. It was attached to a scooter in a high powered initiative of the logistics Department.
This is a true story, it happened to a friend of a friend of mine.
LT G recently wrote about Counterinsurgency doctrine (COIN) from the ground point of view. This morning, I got the chance to hear about it from the "big picture" perspective in a DoD Blogger's Roundtable. The guest was Colonel Daniel S. Roper, Director, U.S. Army and Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Center at Ft. Leavenworth, who recently spent time evaluating Counterinsurgency operations in Iraq. The center was set up by General Petraeus to be as COL Roper put it, "the focal point connecting all the different efforts developing and implementing COIN doctrine." The mission is to provide "oversight" for COIN integration, to improve the capability of the military to operate in a "full-spectrum COIN environment."
The Counterinsurgency Center has six objectives, or "lines of effort" in completing the mission: Integrating coin initiatives within and across government agencies and military branches, researching historical COIN efforts and practices, improving the COIN doctrine, educating the military about COIN concepts and techniques, advising leaders and organizations, and conducting outreach to military and civilian entities. The latter is considered "one of the extremely important areas." It is part of a broader--beyond military--effort. The Roundtable is included in this, part of the effort to communicate the methods and concepts of COIN to America and the wider world, such as academia, think tanks, and even international partners such as Canada, the UK, Germany, and France.
COL Roper spent a significant amount of time in Iraq last year from September to November, and his conclusions were the focus of his presentation before opening things up to bloggers' questions. He also provided a fascinating pdf for background, which shows how broad and integrated into military operations true COIN doctrine is conceived to be
In his second visit last fall (October and November), COL Roper reported that he saw a "noticeable increase" in momentum in COIN operations across Coalition forces, which he attributed only partially to the increase in force size due to the surge. He also reported a sense among personnel on the ground that al Qaeda was "off-balance," but headed for Mosul; they were gearing up for the expected operations in the Mosul area. He added that there was a great awareness that AQ has a history of "regeneration," and so this wasn't going to be easy.
Most importantly, COL Roper reported noticing a marked (but mixed) improvement in Iraqi army and military forces. Of particular interest to COL Roper was that Coalition forces--from the top-down--appeared to be focused on "success" rather than simple "win" or "lose." He said that win/lose is a politically-colored concept, but success is measurable and results-focused, so use of that term seemed to be an indicator to him that COIN concepts have infiltrated the perspectives of personnel at all operational levels.
One thing from his report that was encouraging is that the U.S. military in Iraq is finding that the insurgents and terrorists seem to be not so much ideologues as opportunists. The rank-and-file trigger-pullers are "not fully focused on re-establishing the Caliphate." Rather, they are more focused on protecting their families or making money. This jives with everything I heard in my interview with 3rd ID leadership--the turning away from AQ, the success of the CLCs on a local level, the detainee release program, and the military's focus on creating stability and building opportunity for average Iraqis.
The U.S. is relying heavily on the boots on the ground to accomplish COIN-based stability and rebuilding operations. As COL Roper puts it, "All politics are local... All politics and security are local... Guys on the ground are the ones we need to empower." He pointed out the areas of weakness or incomplete implementation of the COIN strategy, but overall seemed pleased with the ability of Coalition forces to implement COIN at the lowest levels of military activity. "Most impressive to me was that very junior leaders were true warrior-statesmen [who] spent more time passing out candy and playing with kids in the street than firing their weapons."
A number of bloggers in this roundtable had a history of embedding with the troops and were extremely knowledgeable, bringing up a variety of interesting related topics. Of particular interest was the extent to which NATO and other allies are working with U.S. COIN leaders to both learn from the US developments and share their own experiences/ideas. COL Roper describe it as Lieutenant Colonels through Major Generals of the various countries "copying each others' homework."
COL Roper also spent time discussing identification of the "tipping point" wherein military efforts are no longer productive in a situation and political considerations must take the lead. As he put it, the implementation of COIN strategy has yielded benefits in the security area, which is a "downpayment for potential political reconciliation." However, the military is frustrated with the slow pace at which the political growth and reconciliation is occurring. He drew on a great football analogy: The Offensive Line has opened a hole in the defense, and now the quarterback and running back have to take advantage of it; the hole can be held open for only so long.
My question was about the capability and issues COL Roper observed in the Iraqi Security Forces (local and national police, and army). He reported that when he saw them last Fall, the Iraqi Army was more reliable and successful than the police, with the capability to conduct complete tactical-level operations. Their big challenge right now is logistics. Because Saddam supplied units according to his whim rather than actual need, the concept of a military logistics system is "atrophied beyond description," especially from the point of view of someone coming from a Western military perspective.
On the Iraqi police side of things, corruption has been more a problem, with there being a greater difficulty identifying hard-core insurgents or hardened criminal elements. However, COL Roper emphasized that this is not an across-the-board description, as it varies widely by location--from city to city and even within bigger cities such as Baghdad.
Another big point in the questioning was whether or not the military was getting the support it needs from civilian government agencies. The short answer is "No." COL Roper described the Provisional Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) as "absolutely tremendous." However, there are "not nearly enough of them in order to bring their great skills to bear." The bright spot is that the Department of Defense, State Department and USAID recently signed on to a manual that suggests desire to work as an inter-agency team, but resourcing is the real issue. As COl Roper said, it's "hard to find people of the right training, attitude and expertise to excel in an environment where "you have to make a lot of it up on your own," and called it a function of the problem that the military is at war while the nation as a whole isn't. Also of note on the subject was COL Roper's mention of efforts to create joint training for Iraq PRTs, similar to the way MITTs train Iraqi military units.
Other topics covered were the reception of COIN doctrine at the highest levels of the military, and concerns about a "window of opportunity" closing in Iraq. I'll add the audio and transcript links as soon as they're up.
But what was Sigger's (ArmchairGeneralist) complaint. He always has one. ;) We do like you, J. You're just as chronically cranky as me it would appear.
Nice summary Fbl... you know something to consider is whether the government could/would roll all those Soldiers who are stop loss or wounded warriors and provide them the opportunity to work in State or Aid. It would require a degree of re-training, but I can't think of a whole lot better whole cloth from which to start from. It is probably also worth noting, if COL Roper did not, that there is a real effort right now to finish writing all the missing COIN doctrine (Joint, NATO, Tactical). Many are socializing the idea that we should update 3-24 now that we've seen it in action...
Live well and row
posted by Hacksaw on March 21, 2008 8:16 AM
Thanks, Hacksaw
Re: "missing COIN doctrine/rewriting," I don't think COL Roper really said that directly, but he seemed to allude to it when he talked a lot about brainstorming and mutual education happening with the countries I mentioned in the 2nd paragraph. It's all in the transcript I linked above.
And I like your idea! I remember reading somewhere that there are at least a handful of young veterans who are going the State Department route. I know one of them personally.
Commanders Intent:1. Prevent any serious injury to all covered personnel. 2. Facilitate unit mission success to the extent that it doesn't interfere with 1.
Mission: TF Carborundum detaches Team LAR to overwatch approaches upcountry from Kuwait and to secure Routes Will and Carrie from any IED or ambush activity, and to take up station with specified elements of [redacted] LAR+ [redacted], [redacted] LAR and to provide ANGCOM Protective Services during their deployment.
Execution: Summary executions for failure to perform are authorized. Otherwise, mission execution is left to ANGCOM personnel.
Service Support: You're kidding, right? This is ANGCOM.
Command & Signal: Command and control rests with CP Tuttle. Current SOI is in effect.
Sigh. I see the Good Idea Fairy has been visiting the Big Halos again. I can't thank you enough for all your help, ANGCOM. Really, words fail me. At least, the words I'm allowed to use. And now Tuttle has gone all thong-happy. Disaster looms.
posted by Carborundum on March 20, 2008 11:30 AM
Thank you. So much.
posted by Carrie on March 20, 2008 12:24 PM
Sounds like Carborundum has his hands full. Don't drop that ball, sir.
Mission: TF Carborundum detaches Team LAR to overwatch approaches upcountry from Kuwait and to secure Routes Will and Carrie...
Good idea.
And, since I got upcountry a month ago and can walk the route(s) from my hootch to the flight line blindfolded (*not* a good idea with all the MRAPs rolling through the area), I'll cover things from this end...
In response to a request, Haditha Dam. Also, great pictures of what passes for electrical wiring in Iraq. Old video, but an excellent review of Haditha and its potential. It is right now providing nearly 24/7 electricity to Ramadi and surrounding Anbar.
The fact is that it is growing, and large projects are underway to continue to improve the flow of electricity. Second to the Hydro-Carbon Law (development of oil infrastructure and revenue sharing), electricity effects the overall political and economic development of Iraq. While oil may bring in the money, electricity may be the gauge by which the security and future economy can be measured.
Baghdad receives approximately 6.5 hours (often less) of electricity per day while surrounding areas are receiving between 12 and 16 hours. Taking a page out of Saddam's political and economic use of the electrical power, many provinces have taken their power plants off the grid and reserved that energy for their own use. This has led to an increase in reconstruction in many of these areas, as well as a surge in political power for local leaders in the provinces. It has also allowed these provinces to use electrical power for political leverage against the Maliki government.
Today, average electrical output is meeting or beating the pre-war production, though 2007 was still under pre-war average generation by approximately 700 mega watts. Meanwhile average and peak demand has increased by over 1000MW.
The goal was to have average production exceed pre-war generation by 1500 MW up to 6,000 MW by the end of 2007. Production topped out at appx 4,800 MW. Over 2,000 MW are currently provided by owner/operators of private generators.
To meet these demands the USACE, the Ministry of Electricity, and various government and private sector organizations have been working to refurbish many of Iraq's existing plants, as well as seeking partnerships to build new plants to meet the demands.
"Iraqi companies are only rehabilitating the power grid, but not rebuilding it,"
Many engineers have left the country, and new technology has not been taught or managed by existing companies and engineers. They do have expertise in managing some of the existing plants. But, even in these plants, USACE and other organizations have been teaching the engineers how to manage the plant, do regular maintenance, and schedule outages that are less damaging to the overall performance of the systems.
The Minister of Iraq went on to announce that Iraq will be tendering six new projects in 2008 to improve electricity. Five in Baghdad and one in al-Maseeb, Babel province. This will allow better electrical output to Baghdad. Other projects include connecting Baghdad to external power grids from Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Iran.
According to the latest reports from USACE, they have overseen almost 2,000 projects for electrical capacity building in Iraq. Most have been accomplished by Iraqi contractors and engineers with the USACE providing assistance, guidance and funds. The EIA indicates that the United States has invested over $4.4 billion in the development of electrical production in Iraq. The responsibility for further development was handed to the Iraqi government and ministries in September 2007, though the USACE continued to manage several projects to completion and works in conjunction with the MoE to contract for repairs, training and other development.
The USACE is working in conjunction with the Ministry of Electricity and the Ministry of Water Resources to improve communications and develop a plan to improve electrical generation from the Haditha Dam. The current emphasis at the dam has been on irrigation and water management. The electrical management team has had difficulty getting attention to their problems and requirements for improving electrical production. The USACE has been facilitating talks between the groups and working towards budget allocations that will bring more stable electricity to over 160,000 people in al Anbar. The electrical management team also meets every two weeks with the Governor's Electricity Committee.
On January 29, 2008, construction began on an 11 kV electrical distribution network in Diwaniyah, the capital of Qadisiyah province. The project will cost 3.5 million and infuse approximately $500,000 into the local economy during the course of the project.
Work includes replacing the existing network, laying a new underground cable, and installing new indoor 630 Amp transformers, she said.
One of the many problems maintaining the steady supply of electricity and managing its delivery has been the inability of the MoE to monitor and control the operations of so many electrical plants on the grid. When a plant goes down due to maintenance or lack of fuel or sabotage, it automatically puts a strain on the rest of the system and major unscheduled blackouts occur. The USACE has worked with the MoE and private contractors to install a remote monitoring system (RMS). The system will also allow the ministry to better analyze performance and insure maintenance is done timely to prevent critical failures.
The Baghdad power grid is currently the weakest link in the power system. Not only have various provincial power plants gone off the national grid, but insurgent attacks have and continue to keep regular power supply from reaching the nation's capital. To improve the situation, the MoE has instituted a program to harden and strengthen power stations and towers, as well as place some power lines under ground to reduce the chances of damage.
In August 2007, the MoE reported that there were 17 high tension power lines going into Baghdad, but only two were operational. The MoE and contractors, with US forces and Iraqi police providing security, have been working to bring Baghdad back on line.
BAGHDAD (March 10, 2008) – Reconstruction of three 132-kilovolt high-tension power line towers in the region of Arab Jabour are near completion.
Iraqi Ministry of Electricity employees began work on the towers March 1. Once complete, another link of the southern Baghdad power belt will be fixed.[snip]
Sgt. Rod Elrifai, a power generation specialist with 2-3 Brigade Troop Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, said the belt is a series of 400-132 kv power lines and electrical stations which provide power to and encircle the capital city.
FOB KALSU, Iraq (Feb. 20, 2008) — With assistance from coalition troops and Iraqi security forces, ministry of electricity workers are rapidly reconstructing three high-tension power line towers in Sayafiyah, 25 kilometers south of Baghdad.
Soldiers of Troop A, 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, and members of an Iraqi police security detail are providing security for 130 workers from the MoE rebuilding the structures, which form part of Baghdad’s ‘power belt.’
“There is a 400 kilovolt distribution ring that goes around Baghdad and this (section) is the southern part of it,” said 1st Lt. Matthew Shoop, electrical projects engineer, 2-3 Brigade Troop Battalion, 2nd BCT, 3rd Inf. Div. [snip]
Hussein Lefta Mansoor, construction site manager for the MoE, initially told 2nd BCT leaders he and his workers could have the towers up in as few as 10 days. On day four of the operation, he cut the estimated completion time down to one week.
Shoop said once the towers are reconstructed and power lines put into place, the region could see a boost in their share of the power ration, which is metered out by the MoE
.
The surge in reconstruction was made possible by the troop surge in 2007. Since then, the MoE has been re-doubling its efforts to rehabilitate, reconnect and build anew Iraq's electrical grid that will help fuel private industry and, eventually, be a cornerstone for a peaceful, developing and resurgent economy.
[This is a three part series on electricity in Iraq based on information gathered for research to facilitate FbL's interview with Ambassador Reis from the US Embassy Baghdad. Additional Economic series may appear regarding Iraq's Oil Infrastructure, Water, Sewage and Banking. Also look for additional posts on other economy and reconstruction stories. To quote an unknown source in Glenn Zapotte's IEEE report (Institute of Electric and Electronic Engineers): "Never before has so vast a reconstruction program been attempted in the face of enemy fire or managed in the shadow of geopolitics."]
Good analysis! The only piece missing is that a lot of the power plants don't have an adequate supply of fuel (I understand that it's strange considering Iraq has vast oil reserve), because the Ministry of Oil and Ministry of Electricity have some disagreements.
Pakistan was the dry run for my current Extended Practical Exercise. I remembered what I figured I'd need but didn't and *did* need but forgot, so I packed the big-item gotta-haves and figured I'd visit the local BX/PX to pick up anything I'd overlooked. Or which happened to break in transit.
My soap dish was a casualty. No problem, I thought -- what's easier to find in a PX/BX than that quintessential item of military hygienic equipment, the plastic soap dish? Soooo, one month ago, armed with ID and a copy of my LOI declaring me Mission Essential *and* Emergency Essential to the Coalition Effort in Iraq, I proceeded to the FOB PX.
I hadn't considered the changes in military composition over the past five years. In my somewhat bemused wandering 'midst the aisles, I found I could purchase seven different types of hair conditioner, sugarless Power Drinks, five different flavors of beef jerky, Spandex™ running shorts in colors ranging from midnight blue to deep-infrared, caffeine-laced jelly beans, muscle mags, every X-box and Playstation game ever invented, every Danielle Steele bodice-ripper ever published, ankle holsters for protein bars, scalp razors, pregnancy test kits and -- ummmmm -- pregnancy avoidance kits.
But nary a soap dish in sight.
Lots of different soaps, though. All either liquid or gel. *And* in designer scents.
The nice lady who ran the place told me they got shipments of whatever made it up the road whenever it made it up.
I walked back to our office on the Iraqi side of the runway, dropped in on my entrepreneurial bud Sam. I gave him a pack of Big Red gum, we chatted a bit, drank a cup of tea, ate some cookies, watched a ChiCom copy of an Indian opera shot in Pakistan dubbed in Hindi with Arabic subtitles and, after accomplishing the mandatory pleasantries-before-business, I asked him if he could bring me a soap dish from his warehouse (which I suspect is the size of my toolshed, but extends into several additional dimensions).
Next morning, I had my soap dish.
The PX/BX got eight soap dishes in yesterday. Along with two boxes of designer thongs in designer colors [Cassie -- your e-mail about thongs had *nothing* to do with it].
*sigh*
Okay, R. Jewell and Ledger pretty much hit what I hinted at in the Huey II pic, so I might as well show it to everybody. The doorgun is decidedly *not* an M-60D. It's a PKM with the buttstock modified for an aerial gunner. Normally, we saw these things pointed *up* at us, which meant a Bad Day at the Office was just about to begin.
Oh, yeah -- there's one on each side. And, naturally, I got a good shot of the fiddly bits (the feed tray cover was a cinch to open), however, due to some photo-posting changes that took place while I was incommunicado, you guys will have to wait until Der Adjutant waves her magic wand over the Hi-Rez. Which won't happen until she wakes up. Which means you'll have to come *back* (I recommend doing that several times) to check.
I'm dissapointed, Bill.
You didn't ask Sam for a rubber ducky too?
man..... I guess I'll have to continue the fight from here. Those poor duckies. All they want is a chance to play in the shower with all you big, strapping men.... but do they ever get the chance?
NO.
DEEE-NIED...
It's no wonder they all look like they're about to cry.
posted by AFSister on March 20, 2008 8:51 AM
OK. So it's not a hardened hole in the sand.
How about a mount for a rotating gun, maybe a 50 cal or something?
The rubbed-off paint ring tells me something turns in there.
And since it's military, I'm guessing that something shoots something.
posted by AFSister on March 20, 2008 8:54 AM
jim b walks through just in time to watch AFSister coin a new name for this object... it's a swivel and shoot.... a cupholder for belt feds.
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).
*********************
Sgt. B checks in...
We finally found out why our shouts out of the Firebase Comm shack weren't going anywhere - seems the microphone wasn't plugged in... Any way, we're up and running, and I offer a continuing series of posts related to one National Guardsman's experiences as his unit ramps up in preparation for deployment in support of OIF. I also have a header contest, in which I hope you will honor me by participating... - Sgt. B
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CJ, who was one of the bloggers invited to the White House last September, has some observations for this, the 5th anniversary (CJ went across the border at 23:59 19 March 2003) - especially observations of the intent of some of the anti-war protestors in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
At the Pittsburg recruiting station the Pittsburg Organizing Group (POG) (more like Pogues) will be holding a torch-lit march “to a modern day castle of abominations,” the local military recruiting station. The group intends to “…evict it and everything inside of it, occupy the location, and transform it into something useful for the community. We’ll also be bringing a movable cage in which to confine military recruiters until they no longer pose a danger to our friends and neighbors.” Essentially, the group is planning to kidnap Americans and coerce them with blackmail in order to be released. I hope they’ve been to SERE. If you’re in the Pittsburg area, please show up to provide support. Bring whatever items you feel necessary to protect yourself.
Looks like a conspiracy to commit kidnapping to me. And in such a way as you might even be able to sweep it up under RICO. Good luck with that folks. Though I'm not sure the Federal Government would have the stomach to prosecute it to the hilt. CJ has some other advice for the soldiery this week, hopefully overwrought. Check it out here, Protesters’ Day of Joy - Iraqi Freedom Anniversary -the Armorer
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I think what I like best about this NPR piece is the implicit acceptance of the assumptions of global warming that permeate the article. The Mystery of Global Warming's Missing Heat. It's all about we just aren't finding the data we're looking for... -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."
Therefore, now is the time at Castle Argghhh! when we dance: In Memoriam of Sir Arthur C. Clarke, futurist, most excellent SciFi author, and Flight Lieutenant, Royal Air Force.
Many of you have probably seen this video of a Javelin missile being fired at a fully combat-loaded T-72 tank.
One of the things to notice is the little object that flies into the air above the smoke cloud. That would be the turret - the part normally containing guys like MajMike (Sorry, dude, hadta say that).
Continuing that theme - at 28 seconds into it, you see the tank get hit from a rear angle... at 37 seconds, you see a small eruption of dirt on the right side of the frame. That would be the turret landing...
All in all, the thing looks like this when the smoke clears.
note that no boot straps were injured during the filming of this presentation....
had stringy laces been used, they would surely have been torn asunder.
posted by MajMike on March 19, 2008 9:35 AM
So you're saying it won't be ready next week?
Bummer!
posted by KCSteve on March 19, 2008 12:57 PM
Holy Cow! That's pretty astonishing. Makes me glad I'm not a Soviet Tanker. I was expecting what you usually see- Warhead detonation followed by cookoff of ammo, fuel, crew, etc. In this case, every single thing went off immediately. I wonder how often that would happen on the battlefield?
posted by XBradTC on March 19, 2008 12:57 PM
Yup, yer Perfectly Safe (Tm) in a tank until somebody brings up an effective anti-tank weapon.
Then it gets like naval warfare, in which weapons sufficient to damage the hardware do horrible icky violence on the soft(pink)ware.
I mind a story I read about an M4 brewing up in the Second World War. After the fires went out, the hull glowed brightly enough to read by, for a while. When it cooled off enough to look inside, all that was left of each of the crew was a little puddle of congealed silver, consisting of the change in his pockets and maybe the fillings in his teeth.
19 Feb: Departed Philly for Atlanta, hooked up at ATL with the newbies I was to Father Goose into Iraq. Amused myself with fruitless attempts to access the "free" wireless net service.
20 Feb: Arrived Amsterdam, had a boring layover (terminal renovation in progress). Eight hours and four Time Zones later, arrived in Kuwait, got 90-day visa and hooked up with the LSA reps at 1830. Sent us to the USAF side to sit on concrete T-barriers for four hours, then got the bus for Ali al-Salem, which we could have caught from the terminal on the civilian side after spending four hours sitting in padded armchairs. Turned in 90-day visa and passport for outprocessing at Ali and got a tent for the next two days. Dust storm all night and most of the next day, tent canvas thumped like a clipper ship's sails in a gale – lucky me drew a corner cot so I received the full benefit of thwup-thoomp from two sides *and* the rogue fuh-WHAP charging through the storm flap without slowing one iota.
And that was the last entry in my ‘lectronic diary. The battery in this particular HP laptop is only good for about an hour – which I didn’t find out until *after* I brought it to Pakistan last year, but KtLW insisted it was a good deal (hey, it was on sale, and the Luddite Wife would buy Ebola-laced mouthwash if it was marked down 50%) – and I’d already shipped my transformer and adapter collection via DHL.
Meantime, aside from the week-late editions of Stars ‘n’ Stripes we get up here (mebbe a tad more than a week late – the Sunday edition features Calvin and Hobbes), I’ve been keeping up with the civil side of progress over here via a PAO-type at DA, of all places. I don't normally shill for the HeadShed, but these are some Big Picture Things you won’t get from the MSM:
-- The U.S. Army has rehabilitated and constructed nearly 1,100 schools, providing classrooms for more than 324,000 students.
-- By early 2009, Army projects will have completed 137 new primary healthcare centers that will serve a population of 5 to 6.5 million Iraqis.
-- An estimated 4.1 million more Iraqis now have access to clean, drinkable water that they didn't have before. [Two of my stoon'ts said they were surprised to find out that water was *supposed* to be clear]
-- Cities like Fallujah have their first sewage treatment plant. Before 2003, raw sewage in most of Iraq was discharged into rivers and waterways. [I can vouch that the one up here is operational]
All done? Okay, to continue: first, the Good News.
We got a new blast wall for our bunker!
Now, it may not seem like much to you, but it’s the simple, quotidian things that make a hootch a home.
Now, the Bad News.
We needed it.
Heh. No, I didn’t just give the dirtbags a free BDA, it’s been a while since I took the pic. I mean, you wouldn’t expect me to stay someplace that’s actually *dangerous*, would you? Besides, my Iraqi neighbors are a nice, quiet bunch who don’t throw loud parties after dark – I wouldn’t want them all upset by an increase in the local noise factor.
ANYway, you guys don’t come visiting just to see if I’ve developed a sudden case of common sense, so I’d better get down to something serious or John will dock my pay.
Again.
Sooooo -- Whatziss?
That oughta keep John off my case for a couple of hours. In the meantime, while he’s burning up bandwidth googling "thingies that have threaded receptacles,” meet Hubert, 21st Century version. The Huey II.
Despite the cosmetics, such as the radar altimeter, ECCM suite, wirecutters (sorry – I meant to say Wire Strike Protective System, which are those, uh, wirecutters top and bottom of the cockpit), GPS, upgraded nav-comm avionics package, Cobra engine, drive train and tranny, exhaust diverter, additional cooler intakes in the tailboom and IqAF desert cammy paint job, it’s the same plain-vanilla UH-1H that served as the foundation for most of my TINS.
BTW, if anybody (or anybody’s – * sigh * – dad) flew 68-16473 in the Land of the Two-Way Gunnery Range, that’s what the ol’ girl looks like today. Hi-rez here, for us fling-wing grognards.
Ooooops – short-term memory lapse alibi. There’s something * else * different (ever so slightly) from the RVN config. I’ll wait while you try to figure it out.
Come to think of it, I’ll wait until tomorrow.
If our sat-link doesn’t crap out.
Heh – it’ll give John *another* reason to hope the bottle rocketeers take the night off…
Mounted on a pintle just forward of the crew well.
In non-Aviator terms, sticking in front of the crewchief's bench seat (the area with all the kewl gear piled on it).
Easiest way to find it is in the Hi-Rez pic -- go straight down from the rotor head, then hang a slight left when you hit the opening the cargo door *isn't* covering because it's open.
Durn thumbnails turned out 'way smaller than I'd planned...
Hhhmmm......I was going to say they put the tail rotor on the wrong side....but that's a function of the AH-1 drive train. Other than a gun mount with something hanging on it, I can't figure out what Bill is talking about?
68-16473...UH'1H purchased 11/69....Arrived RVN December 1969 and assigned to A Co 123 Avn Bn, Americal Division.
473 remained with A/123 until November 1971, flying 2033 hours in RVN with no major incidents recorded that I can find.
She returned Stateside in January 1972 and went through ARADMAC for repair/upgrades.
August 1972 assigned to 6th Army at Ft. Carson and remained there with various units through 1975. In Jan 1976 she had flown a total of 2659 hours........last known duty station I can find is the 4th Inf Div at Ft. Carson, but she likely ended up with a Guard unit somewhere.
Gotta love a well seasoned airframe.....she's already cracked everywhere she's gonna....
posted by R. Jewell on March 19, 2008 9:02 AM
Bill,
Isn't that one of those "I stuck my head in the sand so long the sand turned to concrete" Code Pink/George Soros anti-American holes to hide in?
posted by AFSister on March 19, 2008 11:23 AM
Iraqi toilet
posted by kat-missouri on March 19, 2008 11:58 AM
Today, my Google-fu is weak. I've got some working hypotheses, but thus far, with the limited googling I've been able to do - no one has pics that show the part of the gizmo I'm looking for!
Of course, it could be a left-handed frammitz mount for the jeeberfloogle.
[Kat - this is a personal letter to our soldiers, veterans and, to some extent, their families on the anniversary of the beginning of the Battle for Iraq and nearly seven years after the invasion of Afghanistan]
Dear Soldier and Veteran,
Before I begin, I wanted to take this moment to thank you for your service on my behalf. I realize that these brief words cannot do justice to, nor express my feelings about, that service, your time a way from your family, the risks that you have taken, the exhaustion you experienced, the wounds you have suffered, the friends that you have lost or the conditions that you live in while you are fulfilling your oath to defend our nation. Yet, I wanted to say it anyway because I don't believe that you hear it as often as you should from your fellow citizens. So, thank you.
This letter, though, is more in the way of an introduction and an explanation. We have been at war now for almost seven years. It is one of the longest wars our nation has ever fought. The fact that we can still voluntarily muster so many fine men and women to take the oath, put on a uniform and take up the fight is a testament to the spirit of service that our nation has nurtured since the moment the first shot was fired in our Revolutionary War. The many long deployments in tough conditions is a also testament to the resilience and fortitude of people like you.
I am the one that sent you to war. No, I am not the president of the United States who ordered your deployment under the War Powers Act. Nor am I a member of congress who voted yea or nay to authorize that use of force. Neither am I the general who drew up the plans and signed the orders for you to be deployed.
It is not arrogance nor with any sense of guilt that I claim to be the one. It is simply that, as a citizen of the United States who enjoys the privileges and rights of our nation, defended through your service, I am also responsible for the policies and actions of our nation including the decision to send you to war. I feel it is important to say that because there is no dearth people who spend time trying to mitigate that responsibility in one way or the other.
Some people claim it is not their responsibility because they did not vote for this or that president or congress person. Or, that the person they voted for did not vote to send you to war. Or, that, their authorization to use force was abrogated by some nuanced political statement that would allow them to claim victory if it could be had or to disavow defeat, if victory seemed impossible. Some believe that, because they did not support the war from the beginning, or ever, they cannot be held accountable for its conduct, the losses or the outcome.
I believe that is wrong. We live in a representative democracy. It is a form of government that allows for the most voices of our nation to be heard while insuring that necessary decisions are not lost in the cacophony of opinions and, often, the selfish demands of a minority or the majority. It also means that, when a decision is made on our behalf, based on that representation, it is the decision of our nation. As such, it becomes the responsibility of every citizen who lives in and enjoys the privileges and rights of our nation.
Once our armed forces leave our shores and go into harms way, I believe there is no room for political nuance, no gray areas to exploit. It becomes black or white: victory or defeat; supporting the mission or not supporting the mission; supporting our troops or not supporting our troops.
Still, I cannot speak for everyone. It is the beauty of our system that everyone has a voice and that individual responsibility is the cornerstone, the building block of our nation. You would know best since, as a member of an all volunteer force, your service is the epitome of that individuality and responsibility. So saying, I can only take responsibility for myself and my beliefs. Therefore, I say only that: I am the one.
I am not asking for forgiveness, only your understanding. When you are responsible for the safety and the future of your family, friends and neighbors, you must make difficult decisions under less than desirable situations and often without the optimal information. I believe that is the reason and the conditions under which we made the decision to go to war. I believe I can ask you for that understanding because I know that you make those decisions every day and know that it is a heavy burden to bear for yourself and others.
It is one of the few burdens that we share, though unequally. It is the soldier in a war zone and a soldier's family that bears the most burden while I am a civilian living here safely and comfortably at home with my family. Thank you for giving me that safety and comfort.
I am the one that sent you to war, to paraphrase former Secretary of Defense Rumsfield, with the army we had. I believed that it was paramount that we respond to the attack on our nation on September 11, 2001, as quickly and decisively as we were able. I did not know exactly the condition of our equipment, your training or the availability of forces to carry out these many missions. After watching the losses on that day, I believed we could not wait to respond or allow another attack on our country and our people by anyone. That is not an excuse, but a statement.
I am almost four decades old. I can remember the day that the Berlin Wall was knocked down and the day that the Soviet Union collapsed. I saw the last major deployment of our forces in Desert Storm and the quick and nearly bloodless victory that our forces had won. It was a period of great joy and hope. It seemed that the great shadow of a terrible war was gone from our nation and the world.
I am the one that allowed our armed forces and the spending on equipment and training to be reduced. We called it "the peace dividend". Someday, when this war is over and you come home, I hope you will experience the same hope and joy of peace; that period in time when you believe you can make the world as you want it and wish it to be.
It is not an empty hope or an illusion. I believe that time will come again when we can turn the great energies we have expended at war towards developing technology, improving the lives of people and building relationships with other people and nations; towards discovering life saving drugs, building international space stations that bridge the differences of nations and believing again in the better nature of mankind.
Still, I am the one who did not see, even during this time of relative peace, that the shadow of war was coming. I am the one that disregarded the attacks on our armed forces, our embassies and our citizens in places around the world as the work of malcontents who were unable to attack our nation directly or cause us great harm. Once again, I do not ask forgiveness. I ask only that you take this lesson from my generation: that even a nation at peace must be prepared to defend itself, its ideas and its people when the time comes.
I do not wish to place an even greater burden on you by saying "when the time comes", as if war was the never ending story of mankind or our nation. I do not know what the future will bring. I only know that the story of mankind and our nation has been fraught with many such years as this and it may yet be generations to come before war has passed away from us, before man values the lives of others more greatly than his own desires or his own worst instincts.
Yet, as a soldier at war, I believe you understand better than most that there is a time to fight and a time for peace. Between the times of great strife, there is a time of peace when life should be lived to the fullest, dreams should be pursued relentlessly and love should be shared as if there were no tomorrow. It is these better times, sometimes all too brief, that we build upon and use to shore up against the worst of times. I hope that you have many better times to come in your future. Thank you for purchasing those moments of peace with your service.
This is one time I'll ask for your forgiveness. I apologize if this letter sounds maudlin or too full of self examination. You were probably hoping for something simple, funny or uplifting to make you forget for a few minutes that you were in a war zone, half a world away from home. I simply felt that, since you are there on behalf of our nation, on my behalf, someone should take responsibility and try to explain why. It seems there is a serious lack of people who are willing to do that these days or even acknowledge that we, you, are at war.
I am the one that sent you to Afghanistan with a small number of troops and limited, old equipment. I explained why I felt that we needed to act as soon as possible, even under those conditions. You did a fantastic job, with limited resources. You carried the message and strength of our nation to an enemy who had no regard for innocent life and continues to show that disregard every day against the people of Afghanistan. Thank you for taking up the fight for me and my family.
I am the one that has not always remembered you or sought out your story or worried about whether you had everything you need while continuing to struggle in a complicated and difficult theater of war. I am the one that allowed the little coverage in the media about your struggle to inform my decisions. I am the one that did not seek out the information that I should have had nor did I ask enough questions of my government, my representatives, about what we are doing for you or how we will work to bring that battle front to a close.
I am the one that has kept you there these many years because the same forces, the same conditions that had wrought such destruction on our nation and the people of Afghanistan have not yet been overcome and defeated. Thank you for continuing to carry out the struggle even when you felt I had forgotten you.
I am the one that sent you to Iraq. I made that decision based on fourteen years of knowledge about Saddam's regime in Iraq. It was not just because Colin Powell went to the United Nations and talked about the dangers of weapons of mass destruction. It was not because I believed that Saddam had colluded with or ordered Al Qaida to attack our nation on September 11, 2001.
I did not know then if he was involved, I only knew the history of that nation and the nature of the man who had murdered and massacred. After so many years of debate, the questions and answers to why and how we went to war have left the path of truth and reside solely in the domain of personal belief and ideology.
I did believe that he was still the open and mortal enemy of the United States. I did believe that, given the chance, with the United States weakened after the attacks and with our efforts focused on Afghanistan, that Saddam would use every weapon, every tool that he could provide to anyone that was willing to hinder our forces or attack us again. I did believe, and I still do, that we could not afford to leave Saddam in power. Thank you for going when you were asked, even as our country struggled over that decision.
I am the one that believed, and still do, that we could not leave Iraq to fester in its terror and murder, to become like Afghanistan, forgotten and abandoned to those same forces that had already wrought such death and destruction. I am the one that has kept you there these many years, fighting to save Iraq and to defeat those forces. Thank you for stepping forward, for serving so many tours away from your family, for doing what I asked, what I could not do and what many would not do.
I am the one that almost lost faith, who considered the cost of the war in blood and treasure and wondered if Iraq could be saved or was even worth it. I am the one that considered bringing you home even when you wanted to stay and finish the job. I am the one that could not see that you wanted your sacrifice and those of your comrades to be worth something, to have accomplished something, to mean something.
I am the one that debated while you sacrificed, fought and sometimes bled in a theater of war whose value I questioned. I finally realized that, if you could stay, if you could carry on the fight, even in the darkest hours, while we debated here, I could keep the faith with you. I am the one that sees that you have triumphed over your own fears, your own limitations and those imposed upon you by the very act of war. I am the one that realizes you have worked hard and brought a measure of peace to such a troubled country. You have done what many have thought, what I thought, was impossible. Thank you for showing me the spirit and strength of our nation.
I am the one that did not pay attention to our veterans' care or the care that your wounded brothers and sisters were receiving. I am the one that did not ask what our government was doing for these deserving citizens of our nation. I am the one that thought that our nation would take care of them and did not worry or wonder after their care. I was reminded, when the story broke, that I am the one that must ask, that must direct our government to its responsibilities because I am the one that the government represents, works for and listens to. Thank you for reminding me of my duties as a citizen.
I am the one that has not given you the support that you need or deserve while you are serving our country. Oh, I have done many things to show my support and send it to other soldiers like you, but they seem all too small and inconsequential in comparison to your service.
I do remember one rally for our troops where one of your fellow soldier's mom gave me a big hug, cried on my shoulder and thanked me for supporting her son who had recently been deployed. I found myself saying what every soldier says, "I am just doing my job." I believe that very much. It is what we are supposed to do when we send our men and women, our mothers and fathers, our brothers and sisters off to war. It is no great deed. In fact, it is painful to recognize that, that support may have been so lacking, that someone thought it was worth appreciating as if it was some great rarity.
I must humbly acknowledge, again, that, however much I will do, it will never equal what you have done for me. Writing this, though, it does not depress my spirits or make me unwilling to carry on. In fact, it has given me a renewed drive and strength to do more. Thank you for being my inspiration.
I am the one that has continued to go to work, to come home, to enjoy my family with sometimes too little thought to where you were, what you were doing and the stress it has placed on you and your family. I am the one that has watched bad movies, read many books, stayed on the internet too late at night, ordered pizza to be delivered, driven to the store for a late night snack and, generally, done all of the things that I have always done here at home; the things that you cannot do, without giving you a thought. Thank you for giving me that freedom from want, from fear and from care.
I am the one that sent you those Christmas cookies that probably arrived there hard as a rock and as tasteless as cardboard. I hope that they at least made good tree decorations and that they reminded you, just for a moment, that someone at home was thinking about you. Thank you for saying they were the best gift ever.
I am the one that stood at the back of the crowd of family and friends, snapping pictures as you prepared to depart. I am the one that you wanted to disappear so you could have that one more moment alone with your wife and children or your mother and father. Thank you for allowing me to share that time with you and your family.
I am the one that sat next to your wife in the restaurant, talking too loudly about the war, as if I knew anything really about it. Please, thank your wife for her patience with me and tell her that I appreciate her support for you while you have served our nation, her strength and her courage.
I am the one that stood in the cold, listening as the taps played for one of your brothers in arms. I did not know him, but felt that I should be there because I am the one that asked him to lay down his life for me, for my family and our nation. I am the one that had to turn away for a moment as his young wife cried and his family hugged each other. Not because I was embarrassed, but because I was ashamed that I had ever thought my own struggles and strife were so great or tragic. She will not remember me. I am the one that will remember her. When you see her again, please thank her for showing me what real courage, strength and sacrifice means.
I am the one that stood on the side of the road with a flag and waved as your bus drove by. I was a face in the crowd, someone you did not know. I am the one that watched you return, getting off the bus, standing in formation and finally being dismissed. You ran to your family and they ran to you, hugging, kissing and hardly believing that you were finally home. I am the one that was taking pictures. Again. Thank you for allowing me to share that love, that relief, the sheer joy of having you home again.
On this day, I am only one of many who will take the time to reflect upon the anniversary of our battle for Iraq. In that reflection, many will seek to discover some unknown truth, but, the truth is, we have traveled these paths before, in this war and others. There will be great speeches and many editorials that will ponder why we are at war and what we should do about it.
Some will no doubt claim some great knowledge that allows them the right to define this war, its value and the worth of your service. In many cases, they will find the value greatly diminished and will seek cynically, once again, to mitigate any responsibility. Others will, no doubt, claim a great victory is imminent and the struggle to be worth every moment. You will carry on as you have because that is what you do, because that is what you must do in the middle of a war and because I asked you to.
I just wanted to write to tell you I was thinking about you and to say, "thank you."
I took the liberty, of printing this post, and taking it to another Disabled Vet. He has 2 sons, one is an NCO w/SF, the other is getting an advanced engineering degree with plans to go into the Military. The father's brother, an uncle has made some kind of arrangement to pay off the student loan providing he went into the military for at least 2 tours. This was already in the young man's plans before the offer by the uncle. As, the uncle would put it, "This is my way to sacrifice to this GREAT Country!"
The "mind blowing irony" is this, the father feels like he is a failure! This letter helped him to start putting things away. I took the letter and hand printed the website address. I took a ruler and drew a line from Kat's name to an open space on the page. I wrote, "This is the writer, I do NOT have the brain to write this well." I then signed it, in agreement. I wish you could have seen his eyes light up. This was a really GREAT thing to see in a friend, since we were kids over 50 years ago.
Thank you,
Grumpy
posted by Grumpy on March 19, 2008 4:34 PM
Why in the helk was there NOT a Kleenex warning with this!
Sheesh
Oh, I *get it*, it was part of the five paragraphs....
Uh huh.
Yeah.
From one allergic (runny nose, weepy eyes....yeah, let's go with that.) Marine wife, this is an excellent letter. I will share this with MH this evening. I know he will appreciate your words, but then he'll say,"I'm just doing my job."
heh
Men.
0>;~}
posted by Sly2017 on March 19, 2008 5:03 PM
Thank you...Thank YOU! I - also - AM the one..And I never, EVER forget it.
Kat, I saw your reply and called him immediately! He has had a very "colorful past", from deep in the bowels of the unknown history of this Great Nation's Military. I went over, one of his sons answered the door. He simply said, "He's sitting in there, you better go in." I walked in and he's fussing with his compute, like none of us have been there. He turned to me, he had this really neat gleam in his eyes. He said, "Grumpy, THAT LADY GET'S IT!"
He also said, "Grumpy, tell BillT, I agree, she is most definitely a keeper!" I must agree, she is a real piece of quality work, She is a keeper!
The Defense Department has been pushing out a big story over the last two days--their debriefing of 48 prospective suicide bombers who were captured or who surrendered. As part of that, they made made Air Force Colonel David Bacon, Chief of Special Operations and Intelligence Operations, Strategic Communications for Multinational Forces - Iraq, available for a Blogger's Roundtable (audio file), of which I was a participant.
The 48 would-be suicide bombers form a fascinating demographic study of suicide bombers in Iraq. Surprisingly, the Associated Press has an article on the topic that tracks very well with what we were told at the Roundtable.
While al Qaeda in Iraq is composed of both foreigners and natives, the foreigners comprise about 10-15% of AQI, but the majority of that segment operate either as leadership or suicide bombers. The suicide bombers are over 90% foreign, and perform the most deadly and ultimately effective of AQI's attacks. Thus, understanding their behavior, methods and movement into the country are a high priority for the Coalition.
The terrorists of 9-11 were middle-to-upper-class and educated, but these recruits for simple suicide bombings are young, under-educated and often lonely or social outcasts. COL Bacon paints a picture of deception and manipulation on the part of al Qaeda recruiters, describing recruits as having been brought into "Jihad" by someone (usually not an Imam) who befriends them and offers to help "correct" their worship. These recruits end up radicalized, though they had not shown signs of it before. As I listened to the colonel, I was struck by the similarity of AQI's techniques to the methods used to suck young Westerners into cults.
Of course, suicide bomber recruiters paint a heroic picture of going to Iraq to help Iraqis fight the American "oppressors." They say al Qaeda is defeating the U.S., which is abusing the Iraqis. "Be part of a winning team," they say. Eager to prove themselves special in their large families and heroic among a society from which they feel cut off, they head out to Iraq.
COL Bacon reports that most of the prospective suiciders come into Iraq through Syria (all 48, in this case). And to the disappointment of their charges, their Syrian handlers are quite secular, entertaining them at discos and bars before shepherding them across the border.
Iraqis have come to distrust foreigners due to previous bombings, so AQI foreign fighters are hidden once they are in-country and are housed in very poor conditions. Their passports and money are taken, and suiciders are often isolated even from each other. This comes as a surprise to the recruits. A key point that the 48 recruits made was that they "came expecting to see Americans get killed...but they saw Iraqis getting killed and it bothered them." They were further disturbed to see their fellow recruits blown up in infrastructure attacks rather than assaults on Americans. Additionally, must recruits do not arrive in-country expecting suicide missions. They have to be pressured into it once there: "This is your duty. This is what we need you to do for the Jihad. You could be more useful… a martyr." After a few weeks of difficult living conditions and disillusionment, they reported simply "going into survival mode." They "felt relief when they were captured," reports COL Bacon, with some crying with relief during debriefings.
One participant asked whether these recruits were "evil" people or just brainwashed. COL Bacon said some were more ideologically-driven than others, but of the 48 profiled, most were youngsters looking for respect, friendship, or a sense of importance. They were ideological, but only after they met their recruiter.
The recruitment networks are paid for each recruit. While they seem to be focused on Iraq right now, they recruit for al Qaeda activities around the world--evidence that AQI is not separate from AQ itself, despite media efforts to paint it as such.
Colonel Bacon also spoke of efforts to break the supply lines and networks for suicide bombers through military and diplomatic means. He gave a surprising description of cooperative efforts from both Saudi Arabia and Syria, including things like Saudi Imams preaching that it is "not a righteous cause." These activities have severely restricted the number of suicide bombers and other foreign terrorists entering Iraq. According to captured records, during May and June of 2007, about 124 potential bombers entered Iraq. That number is down to about 50 per month, now. Currently there are 240 in Coalition custody, with an additional unknown number in Iraqi custody.
As on the "frontline" side of things, Mosul is a center of particular focus for those attempting to disrupt suicide bomber supply networks. And like the other military leaders I've spoken to, COL Bacon points out that greater economic opportunity and continued improvements in security both work to reduce incentive and support for militant activities.
One final note: on the subject of Mosul, COL Bacon used a phrase about the terrorists I've now heard from sources as diverse as reporters, to Senator McCain--"To win, they need Baghdad.But to survive, they gotta keep Mosul.” Baghdad is still hanging in the balance in many ways, but the terrorists do not currently hold it; in Mosul, they are fighting for their lives. Like the patchwork quilt I've seen on the economic side of things, there are obviously multiple kinds of fronts on the kinetic side... each one developing and strengthening one aspect of the fight. Stitch them all together eventually, and it'll be quite a quilt.
I find I've been holding my breath when I think of Iraq these days. So much is going right, but so much still hangs in the balance.
[I'll add a link to the Roundtable transcript when it becomes available. UPDATE: transcript (pdf) and video.]
Y'know... If we could do a little usurping of our own, we might be able to intercept these lads and give them a sense of empowerment a bit less destructive to the overall picture...
I recently read an article in the NYT (IIRC), about an organization that helps impoverished young Saudi men afford their marriage ceremony and furnish an apartment because this tends to reduce their radicalism.
Iraq Economy: Light At the End of the Tunnel Part I
[Kat]
Never before has so vast a reconstruction program been attempted in the face of enemy fire or managed in the shadow of geopolitics - Unknown
Continued follow-up on FbL's great Iraq Economy Series, this is a look at Iraq's electricity situation. The fact is that it is growing, and large projects are underway to continue to improve the flow of electricity. Second to the Hydro-Carbon Law (development of oil infrastructure and revenue sharing), electricity effects the over all political and economic development of Iraq. While oil may bring in the money, electricity may be the gauge by which the security and future economy can be measured.
In the United States, coal is the number one fuel for thermal electrical plants. Iraq is not a coal producing nation. It's main resources are oil and natural gas. A majority of Iraq's electrical plants are run on fossil fuels including gas, diesel and oil. Most of these plants date back to the 1950's, and the turbines (the engines that drive electrical production) are old Soviet models that were no longer in production at the time of invasion. Most were out of production long before the invasion.
Prior to the invasion, Iraqi engineers spent a lot of energy and money to have parts manufactured piecemeal from existing parts or old specs. Otherwise, they were forced to use parts that were close approximations that they then re-engineered to fit their needs. These electrical plants were already highly inefficient, and the "make do" engineering simply added to the problem. Most of this was due to the age of the equipment. Some of it was due to the sanctions that made obtaining certain equipment difficult, if not impossible, as it was on the list of "dual use" banned items.
Other issues included highly inefficient electrical transformers, and wiring that had also been in place for many decades and did not come close to most modern specs. All of this meant that, all along the production to delivery of electricity, power was being lost from the system before it ever made it to an end user. Even the end users contributed to the problem because there were little, if any, engineering and electrical regulations that required houses or buildings to be energy efficient or electrical wiring to meet defined specifications, causing an additional loss of wattage along the delivery line.
To combat these problems and keep the electricity on in Baghdad, Saddam had instituted a program that forced most of the power production to be delivered to Baghdad and cities where he held the most political and personal sway. That made these areas the economic centers of Iraq, as well as helped maintain his political power and alliances. The rest of the country was literally dark most of the time, meaning that they were also without any ability to develop an economy. That, in turn, kept them politically and economically dependent on Saddam's good will and hand outs, which were highly limited.
This is the condition of electricity that the United States Army Corps of Engineers inherited after the invasion. The insurgency and looting, leading to the destruction of electrical plants, transformers and electrical lines, simply made the existing terrible electrical problem worse. The EIA estimates that up to 1000 MW of power haave been lost from sabotage of the electrical grid around Baghdad, including 80 transmission towers from Baiji to Baghdad, interrupting power delivery to Baghdad. An additional 1500 MW are lost due to the lack of water and fuel for the hydro-electrical plants.
Insurgent attacks on oil and natural gas pipelines severely damaged the ability to deliver fuel to these generation plants. Smugglers and militia routinely tap into these pipelines to drain oil and gas for sale on the black market.
Add the current problems of people tapping into the electrical system with a hodgepodge of wiring and machinery (also not up to spec and highly inefficient), with new homes being built with little central planning or control of specs. The drain on power is tremendous, and the production and delivery ends are having to perform miraculous and heroic deeds to offset the losses and meet demands.
[This is a three part series on electricity in Iraq based on information gathered for research to facilitate FbL's interview with Ambassador Reis from the US Embassy Baghdad. Additional Economic series may appear regarding Iraq's oil Infrastructure, water, sewage andbanking. Also look for additional posts on other economy and reconstruction stories. To quote an unknown source in Glenn Zapotte's IEEE report (Institute of Electric and Electronic Engineers): "Never before has so vast a reconstruction program been attempted in the face of enemy fire or managed in the shadow of geopolitics."]
Awesome work, Kat! There was so much more I wanted to say about this stuff when I wrote about the interview, but it was such a gigantic mound of info. Thanks for tackling this; it needs to be out there!
The hydro-electric dam north and west of the city was reported to be close to breaching. Emergency repairs are trying to save it. That would be a huge loss. Do you have an update on repairs? My info via Fox News is a couple months old. I think they have a battalion size unit protecting it.
Fishmugger
posted by Fishmugger on March 18, 2008 3:43 PM
What I know right now is that the USACE is working with the both the ministry of electricity, the ministry of water resources and the dam's management team. Apparently, the focus at the dam has been in spending money and resources to develop its irrigation potential. Something that is very important to the economic survival of farms in the area.
Apparently, little resources or attention or even cooperation has occured on developing its electricity output. These three groups with the USACE are meeting with the provincial governor to come up with a plan to increase its output. It is supposed to be able to serve upwards of 160,000 homes on a sustained basis if it is in full operation.
In regards to any breach, that report, dated february of this year, did not mention any other technical or physical issues with the dam. I'll look for some additional information from the USACE and other resources to see what else is going on.
You can’t swing a dead cat in the milblogosphere without hitting some snark about the Air Force and its toys. But the film I posted yesterday made me think, “These guys probably won’t ever get it.”
Watching the Raptor is to watch the next quantum leap in military aviation technology. Moreover, it would be a serious mistake to think that the mind-boggling maneuverability of this thing is its greatest asset.
It is not.
This thing is a platform for a host of capabilities that few people appreciate just watching it fly up its own moveable burner cans. Take note of this word: sensors.
Aside from having a natural talent and set of skills in the cockpit, the reason Chuck Yeager (and I’ll wager most fighter aces) was so successful was his sensor package—20/12 eyeballs that saw the adversary before the adversary saw him. First sight usually puts you in a position, literally, to win the fight. Lose sight, and your chances of losing said contest increase astronomically. So, detecting threats—airborne or otherwise—and positioning oneself to avoid, neutralize, or destroy them is something the Raptor does to a degree most of us cannot fully appreciate.
I’ve heard that the Raptor’s radar is its least capable sensor.
Think about that.
What the helk else does it have? How is that integrated into the situational display systems? The fire control system? The overall interface between man and machine? The answers to these questions are both classified and impressive, even to the layman I’ll wager. Then there’re its IT capabilities. This thing is a flying server. It takes in information, not just data, and shoots it to less capable assets, in effect improving the capabilities of those with which it fights. When a Raptor pilot is out of missiles, his job isn’t necessarily over. I’ll leave it at that.
There is a standing joke about the Raptor guy who slips a note under the briefing room door of his adversaries for the next Red Flag mission. It’s just says, “You’re all dead.” The point being he can see, shoot and scoot before the “bad” guys can even get their guns out of their holsters. This is a good thing. Of course its not a magic jet, but it’s going to change the way we fight.
Nor is this thing necessarily going to be the star of any show any time soon. Fine. But smart strategists plan for the next war, not this one. Is it an anachronism already, i.e., a manned platform doomed to be replaced by a UAV? Perhaps. But not yet. It’s one thing to drill around as a recce drone or even as a kamikaze SEAD asset. It’s another to think, maneuver, defend, attack, watch, analyze, communicate, direct and otherwise do innately human stuff with a relatively inexpensive (and very cheap to manufacture) human in the seat. Will we be there someday? Maybe. Probably about the same time the infantryman is replaced by a more controllable version if the T-101 that isn’t as hostile to its creators.
As far as airplane things go, there was a lot of engineering conundrums tackled by LockMart, Boeing and PW.
Anybody can fly straight up these days, but doing it slowly is impressive. Anybody can go supersonic these days but doing it in a fuel-efficient way is impressive. Anybody can turn tightly these days, but rotating about the z-axis in a fixed-wing airplane is, well, just freakin’ weird when you first see it. When he can point his nose at you from damn near a hover in a supersonic-capable fighter loaded to the gunwales with “I-wish-you-were-dead” missiles, you’re in trouble.
These guys have solved:
- Sustained supersonic flight problems
- Keeping enough air flowing through the engines at high and low speeds
- Doing the above when the air isn’t coming straight into the intakes
- Keeping an air-to-air fighter stealthy despite weapon and sensor needs
- Man-machine interface issues with a machine that takes in gigabytes (terabytes?) of data
- Other stuff that you and I don’t have a need to know about
Note: one of the comments speculated that the jet would have a hard time in a close in fight. Um, no. That said, we are having some difficulty finding ranges big enough for the Raptor. It has zero to do with speed or turning-and-burning capabilities. The problem is one of not being able to exercise its true capabilities in detecting, sorting, engaging and destroying, and train pilots in how to maximize/fully exploit those capabilities, in training areas designed for the last generation of fighters.
In short, I’m impressed. And I’m sure I’ll get, “…’owls of derisive laughter, Bruce!” when I say I think we got a bargain.
But when are we FINALLY gonna get those UFO's we've been reverse-engineering since Roswell? LOL
posted by fdcol63 on March 18, 2008 8:13 AM
FD, Dude, I thought the Raptor WAS the UFO. LOL
posted by kat-missouri on March 18, 2008 8:57 AM
And here I just enjoyed the video for the sheer pleasure of watching a beautiful machine in the hands of a wonderful pilot. Excellent info and insight, Dusty. Makes me love the little beast even more :-)
This system reminds me of the old Clint Eastwood movie, the name of which escapes me... "Firefox"?
Here's to hoping our pilots don't have to think in Russian to get the interface to work properly. Or, as an aside to an earlier post, think in Alien, or, would that more properly be, Roswellian?
posted by Kevin on March 18, 2008 12:04 PM
The flying T-101 is already in development in the labs at MIT. This is a link to videos of testing an autonomous model sized aircraft.
I organized a trip to the US AF Museum at Wright Patterson AFB this past weekend (my feet STILL hurt, lol).
The Raptor is on display, and was a huge hit with the boys and their parents. It's an incredible aircraft, to be sure. Raptor fly-overs are chest-thumping, smile-inducing, ear-splitting experiences which should be taken advantage of every chance you get!!
In an email, I busted on him: Oh, we have time to surf the 'net for pics and stuff, and to engage in serial emails... but I can't get a post out of the slacker, noooo....
That drew him out of babe-ogling defilade:
Hey, we just stuck up a new sat-receiver -- plus I've been busy snapping oddball boom-tubes to edify the readers. Plus teaching Iraqi stoon't pilots esoteric aeronautica. Plus putting a class together to teach *all* the pilots in the IqAF instrument flight skills so there's no repetition of that Mi-17 crunch (the pilots didn't want to take off in the crud, but had -- ahem -- Field Grade pressure to get back. The FG also died in the crash, so that's a scalp that's already on the IqAF Air Ops flagpole). Plus teaching Iraqi ATC personnel Aviation English classes.
Only one of those services is in my contract, but WTF, it's not like I have a life over here.
Sooooooo, I'll have a post ready prolly tonight. If I can still get into MT. And Fototime.
The off-post booms have increased from one every two days to three or four a day (and night), so the 10th Mountain is either getting *real* good at finding and detonating the IEDs or AQI is ramping up. The 34,000 gallon oil tanker convoys now RON across the street from my hootch, so we're all crossing our fingers that the dillweeds launching the bottle rockets hit *us* instead of the truck park.
At my age, I can still take cover from flying debris behind a blade of grass, but I don't think I can outrun a 3,400,000 gallon fireball.
On the bright side, now that I've got bandwidth access, I might even be able to view all those Yoo-HooToob vids everybody keeps telling me are "must-see"...
...Bill and those-like-Bill didn't make the editorial cut...
Durn Youth Culture.
BTW, the Iraqis shown in the pix are neither student pilots nor pilot students, as the more perceptive among you have already guessed -- having pix of the kids appear online would be tantamount to handing them *and* their families to the local dirtbags.
Ah...the young and the crazy meets the old and the crazy.
posted by kat-missouri on March 18, 2008 10:53 AM
You need to remove the nose wheel cover, it is not serving any purpose without the main wheel covers in place. You are losing all your stealth, not to mention air speed in the FB-172.
posted by Spanky on March 18, 2008 11:35 PM
That's not a nose wheel cover, that's the fairing housing the teeny-weeny GAU-3B -- a miniminiminigun.
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).
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
May the road rise up to meet you and the wind be at your back
May the sun shine upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields
And may there always be a rainbow above you
Speaking of our British Allies, every St. Patrick's Day for the last few years, I think of my British friend Wendy. Sorry I was such a clod back then.
McCain just upped the ante. Wonder how long before Hillary and OB-Won get a clue? I know Hillary's been there more than once, but I don't think Obama has, ever. Still, long election season to go.
Sadr Ceasefire Over? I've been wondering that over the last few days when they announced the Katyusha missiles being fired into the Green Zone. Katyusha missiles being the favored Hezbollah weapon to lob into Israel. Hezbollah being supported by IRGC (Iranians). Etc, etc, etc
*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."
Hields said: “It turned out the bullet had smashed a rib and gone out of me again without touching any internal organs which was very lucky. It was just a flesh wound really.
HE'S INVINCIBLE!!!!!!!
posted by Tim on March 17, 2008 12:00 PM
Yeah. Liked that one, too.
posted by kat-missouri on March 17, 2008 1:46 PM
Anybody else get a bit sick and angry when reading that "shadow of death" story? He's obviously hurting and mourning, so I'm resisting the urge to say angry and unkind things about him. But I cannot read that and think highly of him.
Not relevant to any of the posted items, just something I thought y'all might want to be aware of:
Last night I saw a trailer for an upcoming movie. A movie about service in our Armed Forces. And about the damage that said service can wreak on the lives of those who perform it.
Three guesses as to its slant, and the first two don't count.
For five years Hollyweird has been churning out antiwar and anti-armed-forces movies. Every single one has been an ignominious flop. Yet they STILL haven't gotten the point. Boggles the mind, it does.
posted by wolfwalker on March 17, 2008 9:54 PM
Anybody else get a bit sick and angry when reading that "shadow of death" story? He's obviously hurting and mourning, so I'm resisting the urge to say angry and unkind things about him. But I cannot read that and think highly of him.
FbL...at first, when I read that, I thought the same thing. But, then, I realized that he wasn't just talking about his friend, or taking pictures of his friend. He was talking about doing all of these things without appreciation for the consequences, without appreciating that the pictures of the dead were not pictures of inanimate objects without relation to anything or anyone, but people.
It took the death of his friend for him to realize it.
I admit, when I read it, my first reaction was "welcome to the club". But, I refrained, because his reaction was no more or less than that of a man who had suddenly felt mortal and realized the people around him were mortal, too.
Seeing as how I'm in England (going to Fwance tomorrow), my time to elaborate is limited. I will do so ASAP. In the meantime, suffice it to say this airplane is the aviation equivalent to a cannon that can shoot around a corner. That is all -Attila
Aw sheesh- dang kerosene burners wit all the fancy-shmancy ee-lectronics and such. I could take it down with a Spitfire Mk IX or above... um, if it would hang around long enough.
Harrumph
posted by Neffi on March 17, 2008 9:05 PM
It would be interesting to see it (F22) in a dogfight with some vintage aircraft. Put the F22 in a relatively tight box (10 Sq Miles?) and see how that maneuverability helps/hinders.
Just a thought.
posted by LongTabSigO on March 17, 2008 10:16 PM
watched one of those flying in close formation with p-51s, f-86's, an f-4, f-16, f-15 and a-10s last weekend. practicing for heritage flight demos. i was sporting wood...
living here in tucson and driving by the boneyard everyday it always amazes me. we mothball better aircraft than the rest of the world flys active duty. and now this one. guess we'll be seeing the eagles in the boneyard next...
posted by dave on March 17, 2008 11:04 PM
*All* cannons can shoot around a corner.
They just do it the long way -- over the roof, into the troposphere and then back down again.
LongTabSigO, that's not saying much! :) After all, the Mitsubishi A6M was far more maneuverable than anything we Americans had for a long time, but they still got chewed up at prodigious rate.
The irony is that -for all the talk about dogfighting- virtually all WW2 US fighters emphasized speed and acceleration over maneuverability; mainly because America made the best radials around, and Rolls-Royce dominated the in-line market...
Zoom in, hit 'em hard, zoom out. Think Dodge Super-bee vs. turbocharged Civic. :)
BTW, I recently read over at Strategypage that they need to stack up at least six Eagles against one Raptor, just to give the Raptor driver a challenge. Whew.
Yes, that last bolt, unidentified until shown in it's bolt carrier - belongs to the Castle's Desert Eagle Mk VII in .357 Magnum.
I got that pistol back in the late 80's, I was just tickled at the thought of a gas-operated handgun. You have to give it the right fodder, and grip it firmly, or it won't function reliably - I'll say that much! No light loads. I'll do a Gun Pr0n expose' on that pistol sometime in the future, if life will slow down just a touch.
Okay - the "sausage maker" whatziss...
It isn't a kitchen appliance. It's a "powderless machine gun".
During WWI, the Army needed lots of weapons, fast. So, the word was spread that anyone with a design for anything remotely like a machine gun should bundle it up and submit it to the Army for evaluation. Every garage tinkerer had an idea - none of which would best John Browning's design, to be sure, but there were some oddities!
Meet the “Lombard Centrifugal Gun”, the invention of a Mr. Levi W. Lombard of Mattapan, Massachusetts. An article from the Repository, of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania reported in it's March 18, 1918 edition:
Powderless Machine Gun Tried
Boston March 8: A powderless machine gun that will fire from ten to fitly bullets a second, is the invention of Levi W. Lombard of Mattapan, and Earl E. Ovington, of Newton. The latter will be remembered as one of Boston's first aviators.
The gun is in effect nothing more than an enlarged slingshot. A company has been incorporated to manufacture them. The gun action is simple. It is a revolving disc, which emits bullets after they have traveled on its surface. The machine fires round bullets. Those used in the tests had steel bearings. The shot is fed into a hopper at the side of the gun and as the disk
revolves it throws the bullet at a terrific force through a slot.
The test was made at the Wakefield Police Range and the gun proved its effectiveness by piercing three-eighths-inch boiler plate at 200 yards, and cutting through a two-inch door from the same distance.
The first gun was operated by electricity. Its inventors, knowing that only a limited power can be obtained from this source, will operate it by steam at its next test.
More below the fold, in the Flash Traffic/Extended Entry.
Another article, this time in the Free Press of Easton, Pennsylvania on March 29 1918, offered up some more details:
Centrifugal Operated By Steam and cannot jam, Claim War Department Interested
A centrifugal gun which fires 33,000 shots a minute, declared to be the greatest death-dealing machine gun yet conceived, is the invention of Levi W. Lombard, of Boston, Mass. Tests have proved the machine’s efficiency, the inventor declares, and he has succeeded in interesting the War Department in the weapon. Its manufacture is being carried on under the utmost secrecy at a place not announced.
Lombard has worked on the gun for thirty-seven years, and he declares its accuracy amazes gun authorities who have watched it work. It has no barrel, operating on the principle of a sling. The latter operates under a disk, which revolves at tremendous speed. The ammunition is fed through a tunnel-like attachment from a tube, which leads into two veins beneath the disk.
The “veins” center upon an opening about two inches wide, and the bullets are thrown with terrific velocity. Steam is the source of energy.
The machine can be placed in a first-line trench and operated hundreds of feet in the rear. From there, it can be regulated to any angle. It is easily portable and “jamming” and heating, common to machine guns, are eliminated. In a recent test, the inventor says the gun was turned on sheets of steel plates, three-quarters of an inch thick hundreds of feet away. The bullets went through them like paper. The missiles are small steel balls similar to bearings.
Sounds pretty cool, no? But wait - there's a cloud on the horizon. A letter submitted by Charles Wirt on March 11, 1918, published by the Philadelphia Public Ledger on the 19th whizzed in the Wheaties...
Several Centrifugal Scoffs
To the Editor of Public Ledger:
Sir — I note the centrifugal gun has been invented again. This time at the rate of 33,000 shots per minute, able to pierce three-fourths-inch plate.
It is certainly discreditable to the American Nation, considering our achievements in engineering and application to science, that we have so many persons who seem to be agape to believe the unbelievable.
To fire 33,000 shots per minute, even supposing they are of approximately the same weight as standard infantry rifle projectiles, would require a horsepower somewhere about 6,000. If you look at the problem in another way, the highest speed which engineers know of is the rotor of the steam turbine, with a speed somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 feet per second. The speed of a rifle bullet for flat trajectory is 3,000 feet per second.
During the Spanish-American War the centrifugal gun was extensively discussed and exploited. The reasons for its uselessness should be apparent to a beginner in engineering. The perpetual motion or “unlimited-power-for-nothing” scheme has been a joke among engineers ever since it first appeared before the public, and yet [it] has been taken seriously by the Congress of the United States. It makes us squirm to think how episodes of this kind must make Americans look to the Germans. The only comfort one can get out of such a situation is the reflection that weeds will grow in rich soil and it is only American talk that we are ashamed of not American accomplishment.
This was the last that was heard in the press about the Lombard “powderless machine gun”.
The final blow came after the war was over when the Ordnance Department tested the centrifugal gun at Aberdeen Proving Ground. As recorded in Ordnance Committee Minute (0CM) Item 1215 April 12, 1921, a “Sub-committee consisting of representatives of the Ordnance Department and Using Services” considered the test reports and concluded in part as follows:
It was found that for all practical purposes the muzzle velocity was 10 percent of the r.p.m. of the rotor, that is 1,000fs. for 10,000 r.p.m. The angle of dispersion was about 30°. The rate of fire at 10,000r.p.m. was 1,141 rounds per minute... In an accuracy test, 2,000 rounds were fired at a screen at a range of 50 yards. The main group of hits formed a rectangle approximately 10’x 7’ and the extreme dispersion covered an area of 10’x21.5’, the greater axis being the horizontal.
The Committee is of the opinion that the centrifugal gun submitted did not show sufficient promise to warrant further investigation. In general it is believed, considering the physical limitations of such an arm and the mechanical difficulties of operating it, that further experimental work along this line should be discouraged.
So, why did I go to all this trouble? Well, it seems that the Centrifugal Gun is not DREAD, er, dead.
A gun that spits out ball bearings after spinning them to extreme speeds is being developed by a US inventor. The novel design has already caught the imagination of some defence industry experts.
The weapon, called DREAD, was invented by Charles St George, a veteran of the US firearms industry who founded the company Leader Propulsion Systems to promote the idea. He claims a major US defence company has shown an interested in developing it further and has produced a promotional video showing a prototype in action, which can be seen here (Quicktime). He says a new prototype will be developed in August 2005.
Heh. The more things change...
"The system seems absolutely feasible," says David Crane, editor of the website DefenseReview.com. The weapon could strike targets with “overwhelming and devastating firepower - we're talking about total target saturation," he wrote in an article posted to the site.
Terry Gander, who edits the defence industry journal Jane's Infantry Weapons, adds that similar concepts have been developed in the past. But Gander notes that these have had low projectile velocity and have been proposed as crowd control weapons. "It all depends on the sort of power source you have," he told New Scientist. "I'd be very interested to know what its range is."
But Abrahams finds the idea outlandish. "Anything that seems so far beyond anything else is worth a moment's thought before you completely gulp it down," he told New Scientist. "It is way out on the side of the scale that deals with high levels of imagination."
In response to John's Major Movie Star post and as it is Women's History Month, Carrie sends me this link about someone who knows how to wear her uniform right:
Former Lieutenant Commander Kraft spent nine years as a U.S. Navy Psychologist, and over seven months at a remote air base in western Iraq. The title for her new book, "Rule Number Two: Lessons I Learned in a Combat Hospital", comes from an episode from the first season of the M*A*S*H television series, "Sometimes You Hear the Bullet." In this 1973 episode, Hawkeye, a surgeon, realizes he cannot save an underage Marine. Henry says to Hawkeye: "In war Rule #1 is that young men die. And Rule #2 is that doctors cannot change rule #1."
Dr. Kraft held the hand of a dying marine, Cpl Jason Dunham, who was later awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for throwing himself on a grenade to save his friends and comrades. She wrote a rather famous piece that made its way around the blogosphere: Memories of Iraq: Good and Bad
The Good...
"Meeting a young sergeant, who had lost an eye in an explosion ... he asked his surgeon if he could open the other one ... when he did, he sat up and looked at the young Marines from his fire team who were being treated for superficial shrapnel wounds in the next room ...
"He smiled, laid back down, and said, 'I only have one good eye, Doc, but I can see that my Marines are OK.'
The Bad
"Ushering a sobbing Marine colonel away from the trauma bay while several of his Marines bled and cried out in pain inside. Meeting that 21-year-old Marine with three Purple Hearts, and listening to him weep because he felt ashamed of being afraid to go back.
A mother of two children, Dr. Kraft currently splits her work-time between two positions, as the Deputy Program Coordinator for the US Navy's Combat Stress Control Program (on a contract with SAIC) and as as a Clinical Psychologist, specializing in combat trauma, at the Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton.
COOL COOL COOL....
I'm adding this to my summer must-read list!
I remember her good/bad list very vividly, and am glad to see she took that, ran with it, and came out with a book.
Ironically, I'm listening to the audio version of "The Long Road Home", which is the story about the Sadr City ambush that killed 8- including Casey Sheehan- and wounded over 50 of our guys. It tears my heart out every time I turn it on.
posted by AFSister on March 17, 2008 12:43 PM
I'm going to read that book. I just found it while looking at Lt Cdr Kraft's book. I have a full reading list actually.
Just got to get some time to do it in.
posted by kat-missouri on March 17, 2008 1:13 PM
LtCdr Heidi Kraft is truely resplendent. She is an angel of mercy. Her beauty transcends worldly.
I learned to have special affection for Navy Doctors and Nurses waaaaaaaay back.
Um, editorial note. The money is being donated to the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund. There is a difference.
Jus' sayin'.
0>;~}
posted by Sly2017 on March 17, 2008 2:47 PM
Thank you Sly...sorry it took so long to notice your comment.
posted by kat-missouri on March 17, 2008 5:05 PM
Kat, all jokes aside, this is truly an OUTSTANDING member of our military. She is also beautiful on both an inner and outward ways. She even has a brain that fuctions, YEAH! I figrure she is extremely intelligent, like the top 1,2,3,4% for an I.Q. I had a Father and a Brother who were tested and were found to be in the top 1%. When they talk of high IQ, The one thing that really stood out was how close all three were in my view was their sense and type of humor. It speaks volumes.
America has never been built on the labor and the hard work of the cynic and the critic. Americans of the past knew how to sacrifice and they knew the difference between what was evil and what was good; who was a threat and who was harmless. Whether to live free or quit and die.
So, where do we go from here? What can Americans do at this critical hour? America must sacrifice today along with her men and women in uniform. We must be more than an army at war and a nation at peace. Here are some things that America can sacrifice on behalf of her soldiers: Sacrifice doubt. Sacrifice anxiety. Sacrifice any notion that allows us to come home from this war as losers.
It will not be enough to remember our service and our losses in this war on slabs of marble and national monuments on black stone. That is only remembering. And, it's not enough. If we want to honor those who will never come home; the true heroes who sacrificed their youth, their future, their ability to love; who will never raise a family in the very freedoms that their sacrifice purchased; or live to a ripe old age to see their grandchildren. That we must honor what they fought for and honor it with victory.
They are the true heroes that we honor tonight and we owe them no less.
Americans today are so apprehensive and we fret about so many things. But, the difference between what is good and evil has not changed, only our ability as a nation to identify it.
What: Townhall at The National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial: Vets for Freedom will participate in a townhall & forum event with a book signing from the Vets for Freedom Heroes to follow.
When: 6pm March 26th
Where: 100 W. 26th Street, Kansas City MO, 64108
Event is still tentative check back often for updates
I will be there with video camera and interviewer cap on if I get a chance to chat with them. Working on it. (PS..is it too late to nominate LTC Steve Russell for President?)
Another project for local supporters of the troops (or anyone else interested), I received a note from Soldiers' Angels Alert Team:
Missouri will have its largest deployment of NG (national guard) since WW I, serving under Global War on Terror orders. My boss at the Missouri Veterans Commission is the Commanding General over the entire contingent that covers 7 states (including NG from California)
We have created: Operation: Letters to A Peacekeeping Hero! and are hoping folks will help out by sending letters of thank you (no dates on them) just addressed to: Dear Soldier; Dear Hero; Dear Troop - so that we can gather in to 5100 letters in all and then we will send them to his Chief of Staff for disbursement.
We are working on an April 1 deadline to receive the letters at the address listed below:
Pat Rowe Kerr
State Veterans Ombudsman and
Director, Operation Outreach
Missouri Veterans Commission
205 Jefferson Street, 12th Floor
Jefferson City, MO 65101
Help us support our troops! We have had troops in Kosovo for over 10 years. After the Serbian death squads began ethnic cleansing, our troops were deployed to protect the innocent civilians and keep Europe from exploding again. We stay there because peace is still a tenuous thing. Recently, Kosovo declared Independence and Serbian nationalists were angered once again. These troops do hard work, have maintained security, treated the ill, built schools, built local governance, trained police and many other programs to help secure the peace and return Kosovo to a fully functioning country. Please support them by writing a letter and telling them that their service to our nation, wherever it is, whatever they do, is something to be proud of and something we appreciate.
Hmmmm, "Serbian Death Squads".... with no mention of the KLA terrorists who murdered, browbeat and ordered their own people out of "Kosovo" or else.
Not a peep of the 'ethnic cleansing' practiced by the KLA against the native Serbs and the destruction of practically every Christian church and monastery in that Serbian province.
This is madness that I simply cannot understand, as to why the Europeans and our Prez would set up the conditions for establishing a Greater Albania, as a Mafia-Muslim terrorist run 'nation'.
We have no business being in Kosovo, none. If indeed it is a problem, it is a European problem, not one of the United States.
Kosovo is the Serbian homeland and by setting the precedent for this artificial nation, wait a few years and see if parts of our own SW don't make the same specious claims that the Albanians made to get their own 'nation'. La Raza should be quite happy...
This folly will come back to haunt Europe and eventually, the United States.
posted by Kevin on March 17, 2008 6:11 PM
Dear Kevin,
Is that all you're going to say? A brief note about what I did or did not include as to the history of Kosovo and the Serbian conflict?
Whatever your beef with that, the post was to note the largest deployment of MO NG since WWII and ask for support during their service, particularly in a time of great unrest. We are sending our forces into a serious situation. They deserve our support. Full stop.
I do not subscribe to the theory that they only get our support when it is a war or deployment that we like.
I hope that you do not subscribe to that theory either and that you will see your way clear to the original intent of the message and send a letter of support to our troops.
How little you know. I am a former officer in the 35th ID. I set up the '2' shop for that Divisions DISCOM and one of the members now wasting his life away in that mudhole is a friend of mine and a former subordinate in that same shop. I brought him with me when I transfered units. He's a good man and he deserves better.
He, his new wife and their fledgling business has suffered because of this nonsensical deployment.
I support the troops, but I don't have to support the mission. I CAN make the distinction between the two.
Clinton and Bush have BOTH screwed the pooch on this one. And as I've stated, I can make the distinction between the two.
Supporting our Missouri National Guardsmen on this issue would be to bring them home ASAP and let the Europeans solve their own petty squabbles.
We don't have a dog in that hunt. End of story. I don't need headlines or accolades to highlight my support of my friends and fellow military personnel.
I want my Missouri National Guardsmen HOME, NOW! I will make NO apologies to anyone on that accord.
posted by Kevin on March 17, 2008 11:25 PM
It is only a letter, Kevin, not a political statement.
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 note from Lisa-in-DC, about Soldier's Angels:
Hi all!
Do you have five minutes to spare? You could help get a nice donation and some free publicity
(interview on The Today Show) for Soldiers' Angels!
Brandon - the Army soldier and son of Patti Patton-Bader who inspired his mom to start Soldiers' Angels - has nominated his mom for "Most Inspirational Mom" in AmericasFavoriteMom.com's 2008 recognition contests.
Brandon did the hard part, now all you have to do is create an account (just a couple minutes to
get a login and password) and then vote for Patti. If you have a spare minute ANY and EVERY day
until March 31st, you can vote once each day!
The little grassroots efforts of support for the troops and usually the mission, too, are popping up all over, such as this one, which has received little attention, true enough.
On March 1, 2008 a group of Veterans set off from the NC/SC line on a 16 day mission to walk to Washington , DC to raise support for our troops, the Military leadership, the mission and the "Resolve to Win".
The effort "Resolve to Win" is being co-chaired by the American Legion from Virginia and the VFW from North Carolina . In addition it has gained the support of the Gathering of Eagles, Eagles UP, Patriot Guard, Rolling Thunder and the Combat Infantry Association amongst others.
It's Day 16, which culminates this evening at the Lincoln Memorial. The Castle has been remiss (as in non-existent) in our support of this event. If you live in the DC area, and have the time - check out today's route and see if you can't go give some suport.
*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."
News you can use, for Veterans and their Families.
And that includes those still serving!
Linked below you'll find three documents. Below this is a table of contents. That's the list of the articles in the first .pdf. The second and third documents are the House and Senate legislation of interest to those of us who have served - and those who were serving right there with us, our families!
THIS BULLETIN CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES
== VA Disability Compensation [01] ------------------- (Heads Up!)
== VA Disability Compensation [02] ----- (S2674/HR5509 Impact)
== Anesthesia Awareness ------------------- (Waking Up in Surgery)
== VA Benefits Guide ------------------------------------- (2008 Issue)
== Mobilized Reserve 12 MAR 08 ---------------- (Net Increase 74)
== VA Travel Nurse Program --------------------- (Three-year Pilot)
== VA Rating Schedules [03] ------------------ (Right to Challenge)
== Prosthetic Limb Development ------------------------------- (Arms)
== VA Burial Benefit [01] -------------------------------- (Correction)
== Military Records/DD-214 [02] ------------------ (USAF Backlog)
== Florida Taxes ------------------------------------ (Summary)
== Diet and Exercise Myths ---------------------------- (Tips)
== Tricare in the Philippines ------------------- (18 FEB 08 Briefing)
== Family Care Giving ----------------- (Medicaid Cash Allowance)
== Agent Orange Stateside Use [01] -------------- (Banned in 1979)
== Pentagon Data Breach ----------- (A National Security Concern)
== PTSD [18] ---------------- (Policy Change Clarification)
== Nebraska Veterans Cemetery ------------------- (Bill Introduced)
== VA Health Care Funding [12] ---- (S.2639 Mandatory Funding)
== VA Homeless Vets [08] -------------------------- (21% Reduction)
== Veterans Disarmament Bill ----------------------- (No such Thing)
== Tricare Cancer Trials ------------------------- (Permanent Benefit)
== Tricare Hearing Aids [0--------------------- (Retirees)
== TSP [10] ---------------------------- (FEB 08 Losses)
== IRR Musters ------------------------------------ (MAR thru JUN 08)
== Medicare Hospital Discharge ------------------------------ (Rights)
== Medicare Insurer Status --------------------- (Primary/Secondary)
== VA Lawsuit (Lack of Care) [02] ---- (DoJ Arguments Continue)
== Medicare News [01] ------------------------- (RAC Goes National)
== Shad [05] --------------------------- (Chemical Exposed Vets)
== REAP [01] ----------------------- (Multiple Tour Eligibility)
== Military Retirement Plan ----------------------- (Options)
== VA Veteran Support [01] --------------------- (Benefit 2007 Stats)
== SS Taxation [05] ------------------ (NRA Green Card Exemption)
== Veteran Legislation Status 14 March 08 ------ (Where we stand)
Items 1 and 2, on the proposed changes to the VA Compensation Rating System are important - if you are currently receiving VA disability pay or a pension, or expect you might in the future - you need to read those, keep abreast of those, and make your opinion's known to your congressional delegation. Don't think you're safe just because you've been in the system or are already fairly elderly - the current proposals floating around right now are written such that you could find yourself caught short. You need to keep an eye on this - and, frankly, joining any of the veteran's organizations like the American Legion, VFW, MOAA, NCOA and many of the others is a Good Idea. I've included both of those items in the Flash Traffic/Extended Entry.
VA DISABILITY COMPENSATION UPDATE 01: Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), the ranking Member on the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, introduced "America's Wounded Warrior Act," S. 2674, last week to overhaul DoD's disability retirement system and modernize the VA's disability compensation program. These reforms are an upshot from last year's Dole/Shalala Commission recommendations and would impact veterans in varied ways dependent on their disability status. Some elements of the bill would:
• Reform the military disability retirement system and streamline the transition of disabled servicemembers from DoD to the VA. Basically, it would simplify the claims process by eliminating the need for duplicative DoD/VA ratings and disability examinations.
• Require DoD to determine a disabled servicemember's fitness for duty, and if found unfit, provide a lifetime annuity based on the member's rank and years of service. VA would then establish compensation for service-connected injuries, disease, or wounds. Under this proposal, the offset between DoD's annuity and future VA compensation would be eliminated.
• Revamped the VA compensation system into three elements - replacement value of average loss of earning capacity; a new payment for loss of quality of life; and a new transition payment provided to servicemembers who participate in treatment or vocational rehabilitation programs or who are within three months of their retirement from service.
However, the jury is still out on what the new DoD disability health care benefit and VA compensation levels would eventually look like. Currently, servicemembers who retire due to a 30% or higher military disability are eligible for lifetime family Tricare coverage (dependent children until majority age). However, the bill directs DoD to study and recommend to Congress new Tricare lifetime eligibility criteria under the new system. In the absence of a law change, the Secretary of Defense would establish eligibility by regulation effective the date of implementation of the new system. Additionally, the bill directs VA to study and provide a report to Congress within nine months and submit a proposal one year later detailing the new compensation and transition payment rate structure. Until the specific rate structure of the new VA compensation system is better understood, most veteran organizations and military advocates are withholding endorsement of this legislation. [Source: MOAA Leg Up 7 Mar 08 ++]
VA DISABILITY COMPENSATION UPDATE 02: The provisions of Senator Burr's America's Wounded Warrior Act (S 2674) and Representative Buyer's Noble Warrior Act (HR 5509), would drastically change the disability compensation system for America's veterans. These bills are loosely based on the recommendations of the President's Commission on Care for America's Wounded Warriors (Dole/Shalala Commission), but the USDR believes the specifics of these bills would do great harm to these veterans in the following ways:
• Will offset VA Disability Compensation by Social Security when the veteran ages 65.
• Applicable to all currently discharging veterans AND any veteran under VA's current compensation system who files a subsequent claim for additional benefits.
• Once under the new system the veteran cannot return to the current system.
• The present protection for ratings in effect for 10 or more years would no longer apply.
• Would require the VA Secretary to examine or consider:
(a) The extent to which disability compensation may be used as an incentive to undergo treatment.
(b) The appropriate injuries to be covered under the new disability rating system.
(c) Age as a determining factor when considering average loss of earnings capacity
• Amends the law to provide the Secretary with authority to adopt and apply a rating schedule for specific injuries. This provision would expressly limit VA authority over the Rating Schedule and places the authority in the hands of Congress. If the Congress can not correct the Sustained Growth Rate formula of Medicare Law how can it be expected the Congress would do any better with the much more complex Disability Rating Schedule?
• Provides for a quality of life payment, but only for those enrolled in the new compensation system.
• Allows or suggests: That VA "may take into account the effect on potential future earnings caused by the age of the veteran at the time a disability rating is assigned." This provision would allow VA to compensate an older veteran at a lower percentage of disability than a younger veteran for the exact same disease or injury. Is this not age discrimination?
• Provides that
(a) As frequently as [the VA] considers it appropriate, [the VA] must reevaluate and ... adjust the disability rating for any veteran receiving compensation;
(b) The VA must ... take into account any adjustments in the rating schedule that occurred since the last assignment of a rating;
(c) The frequency of reevaluations would be determined by an examining physician. This places physicians back in the rating business, allows for frequent adjustments to a veteran's rating based on perceived improvement, and further allows reductions based on a change in the rating criteria even when no improvement in the disability is shown
For these reasons, USDR is encouraging veterans to contact their legislators and strongly urge them to oppose S2674/HR5509 and any other legislation which is detrimental to and/or discriminatory against this nation's veterans. To facilitate doing this they have prepared a letter available at http://capwiz.com/usdr/issues/alert/?alertid=11114251&queueid=[capwiz:queue_id] which can be used as is or modified for forwarding to all legislators representing your zip code by the click of a button. [Source: USDR Action Alert 7 Mar 08 ++]
Any Veterans Legislation with the name of Rep Steve Buyer (R) Ind on it will be vehemently opposed by the American Legion for reasons too lengthy to go into here.
The American Legion's National Rehabilitation Commission will meet from 29 March through 3 April in Washington DC to be briefed on pending legislation by our National Staff, address this proposed legislation with lawmakers, and meet with the Sec VA on this and other issues.
posted by R. Jewell on March 16, 2008 7:33 PM
Anesthesia Awareness == (Waking up in surgery)
Did that -- scared hell out of the surgeon when he heard me say, "Geez, what a mess," and looked up to see me staring at my guts.
Prolly a good educational class for medicos, right after "Dealing With the Startle Reflex While Wielding a Scalpel."
Airman Vanessa Valez, three tours in three years, 120 convoys in Afghanistan, outside the wire
PFC Sarah Becker: “She’s constantly going on missions because she’s the only medic we have in the platoon. If we have two missions in one day, she has to go on both missions. We’ll come back from one and she’ll jump from one vehicle and go into the other. She never complains.”
I want to thank all of our men and women serving our nation today, their families and all those who support them. May we remain humble in the face of their sacrifices and thankful for the miracle of freedom that we enjoy, bought by the coin that they have paid in time, blood, sweat and tears.
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'
.
"The Iraqis don't want Saddam back - they want the
stability. But they want the stability without being
fed into industrial chippers."
.
-The Armorer, on Hugh Hewitt, 27 December 2006.
Project Valour-IT - Providing voice-activated laptops to wounded soldiers - 1,600 and counting! Click the graphic above for more information and to donate!
Every deployed military service member and veteran has one final, over arching mission: to come home as physically and mentally fit as possible. While we are quick to recognize that physical wounds occur in combat, we aren't always willing to look at our mental or emotional health, but it is imperative for completing the mission. By working together, we can make "coming home" a successful mission.
Please review the following mission information:
PTSD: Facts and Information
NCPTSD Fact Sheet: The Impact of Wars in Afghanistan and IraqReturning From a Warzone: Guide for Military Personnel for Transitioning Home
Families are part of the final mission and can assist in transition by being prepared with information:
Returning From a Warzone: Guide for Families on Transitioning Home
Where To Get Help
Dispensing Depleted Uranium for Truth, Justice and the
American Way!
Bill, the Rotorhead
Whatzis helicopter and why does it have a balloon on top?
Email Us!
Rude trash thrown out unread! (Yes, we're psychic) And all email sent us is presumed for publication unless you note otherwise. Not to worry, we hardly ever do that, except in the case of ranting trolls, and even then we'll give you warning.
Stories From the Front
Welcome to Castle Argghhh!
This site is in no way affiliated with the Department of
Defense, Department of the Army, the Department of the
Air Force, or the National Guard Bureau and nothing said herein should be considered to have any official sanction by those (or any other)
agencies. We're just retired warriors, fellas, and
all opinions expressed herein are mine or Dusty's or Bill's (and the odd guest-poster like Cassandra and the Wicca Pundit)
unless quoted from other sources. This site does *not* have
the Rumsfeld Gates Seal of Approval and we doubt he knows (or
cares) it exists! Though we *have* seen the Official Army Blog Training Brief, and we know that the *Counter-Intel* people know it exists... [Waving vigorously] "Hi fellas! How are ya?" However, we *do* know the blog is read at the White House. Because we got invited there. Kewl, huh?
The Following Castle Argghhh! Fighting Fusileers for Freedom! Support Project Valour-IT!
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Notable Quotes
"It's not difficult to understand why
somebody might pick up an AK-47 against us. Maybe we killed
his father in the first Gulf War, maybe in this Gulf War,
maybe he's just a dick.
~Sgt. Reginald Abram
Third Armored Cavalry Regiment in western Iraq.
Quoted in the Asia Times, Oct. 24"
Ex-Sgt Shep - a Canadian commenting on the deserters:
Time for these so-called "resisters" to go home and face the music. I don't want my tax dollars going to support these bozos who volunteered and then decided they didn't want to play by the rules they agreed to. I'd have a lot more time for them if they decided to make their stand without turning tail and without abandoning their oaths and their comrades (although I suspect their comrades are better off without them.)
We'll drive 'em to the border. You guys pick them up.
President Bush on terrorists in Iraq:
"They can't whip our militaries. What they can
do is get on your TV screens and stand in front of your
TV cameras and cut somebody's head off, in order to
try to cause us to cringe and retreat. That's their
strongest weapon." . . .
Joe Honan, Castle Afghan Correspondent Sez
Two things that were going through my mind were: Uncle Joe never went through this to bring his Luger back from the ETO, and what use was it voting for Republicans all my life if I can’t just mail a gun back from a war zone? Where are we, Canada?
Carrie Sez:
" Perhaps we should have another category of conservatives besides paleocons and neocons.
"Narcissocons" with the motto "We are always on our minds". If you happen to be one, you are not allowed to have or spend the older quarters because there's a MEXICAN EAGLE on the back. Oh the horror." . . .
Marc Danziger (Armed Liberal)
"As most of you know, I'm a liberal Democrat (pro-gay marriage, pro-choice, pro-progressive taxation, pro-equal rights, pro-environmental regulation, pro-public schools) who supported and supports the war in Iraq. As I tell my liberal friends, "Did I miss the part where it was progressive not to fight medieval religious fascists?"
Princess Crabby on Iraq:
" Maggie said:
"If you believed an incident such as this could change your mind then
you really weren't supporting OIF/OEF for the right reasons." " . . .
Red Ensign Bloggers - Fighting to Keep Canada Free from
the Yoke of Excessive Political Correctness!
© Pamela Bobik
