May 27, 2006
Memorial Day 2006 - The Funeral.
Continuing my Memorial Day series from yesterday.
Tony picks up the story:
All that follow is beside the point above and perhaps more for my sake than yours. However, I know friends have questions and I'll try to answer as best I can. I'll move on to what I'm sure is the number one question on your mind - how was the memorial in Culpeper?
I can't really explain this weekend without explaining a little about Culpeper. This is a place that still has a thriving Main Street. This is a place where banks still occupy Main Street corners with big stone buildings. This is a place where the magnolias are taller than the houses they shade.
A.P Hill is a local boy done good and very much alive in conversation and pride. Hooker, Stewart, and Davis are contemporaries that inspire with their prowess and ideals of loyalty and devotion to higher calling.
Main Street on Friday night is packed with cars...because that's what you do in a town like Culpeper on Friday night. It's a place where you stop your car in the middle of a country lane to help a turtle across the road and the 30ish lady behind you rolls down her window to tell you thanks. BTW - Yes I did and yes she did.
It's a place where the owners and workers of floral shops, bed and breakfasts, hotels, funeral homes, media recognize values and heroes. It's a place where a Virgie Atkins comes out from behind the counter to give your wife a hug and sit through some sobs with her.
Everybody knows everyone and family reputation is borne as a matter of honor through the generations. It's a place two 9/11 flight attendants called home; a home with the values of the vast majority of the American land mass. The limos taking us to the church didn't fly funeral flags - they flew American flags. People noted and took as a good sign a hawk circling the steeple.
The ceremony was a town event; hero falls in battle. The mayor (ex-Special Forces) had American flags lining Main Street a la Fourth of July. The Governor had the state flag at half mast for the week. People just flat bent over backwards to honor Leonard's name and his country's cause and his service.
I really don't know how many hundred people attended but the local paper's Saturday morning edition headline described the preparations...and the fact that they really weren't sure if the plan to run sound and video to the outside tents was going to work.
The rest is in the Flash Traffic/Extended Entry. Part 3, the Burial, is here.
Flash Traffic (extended entry) Follows... »
The afternoon was Southern-heat still but many attended the almost two-hour Episcopal ceremony standing in tents under the church's massive shade trees... as attendants offered bottled ice water. These men and women were in addition to the full church and congregation hall. I know I speak for the Cowherd's and the Cerri's all when I say the support at the ceremony was truly infectious.
This was tragedy and celebration writ large for those who knew Leonard - child to man, West Point Cadet to Armor Platoon Leader, single to married.
The minister and speakers distinguished themselves with moving acknowledgment of Leonard the man, the officer, the brother, and... the husband.
Military senior was General (Ret) McCaffrey and his remarks would have made Leonard happy. However, perhaps most significant were two 82nd Airborne PFC's in attendance. No one knew them and they left before we could talk to them - they just attended. There were dozens of Lieutenant's in attendance; from Korea, and Colorado, and Italy, and New Mexico, and Alabama, and North Carolina, and Georgia, and Kansas, and Texas, and Florida, and other points around the US and the world. The West Point and Virginia Women's Institute for Leadership Corps' alumni were present en masse.
And it was a righteous salve. Acceptance, pride, and promise filled us all as we departed the church.
And afterward? Well, the Lieutenants, and the Cowherd's, and the Cerri's
and et al went to a pub in downtown Culpeper. Amidst the open beams, the cigarette smell, and the dim lighting two guys with electrified acoustic guitars played songs like Tennessee Waltz, and Take Me Home to West Virginia and Whiskey for My Men and Beer for My Horses. We drank, and talked, and laughed, and yes - even danced a little. If you don't understand, what can I say.... We were there to tell Leonard-stories and family-stories and military-stories. And we cried and held each other when the need arose. And I looked those family members and Lieutenants in the eye and saw our nation's future - selfless, capable, proud, and determined.
And how is Sarah?
It is difficult to believe this is my daughter. 'Grace under fire' is a tired old cliché but I now certainly know its meaning. One of her VWIL buds paid her a compliment today that I hope you'll understand even a little as it says so much. She said, "Sarah, you are certainly a Mary Baldwin girl." Sarah has uncertain times ahead but this young woman, this warriors-wife has acted with a dignity and purpose that is surely based on love. She leaned back on my chest today during the viewing and whispered through her tears,
"Dad, I'm so proud of Leonard."
And one can't talk of Sarah without talking of Leonard's twin - Charles.
He is Sarah's strength and I think vice versa as well. The two of them have
brought us to a point where laughter is OK again. His memorial service remark about missing 'twin time' was telling but well balanced by not having to worry about Leonard. He, like the rest of us, is moving on.
And the Cerri's and the Cowherd's?
Frankly - beat. Thank God for sleep; the great elixir of life. Each day gets a little better. We have miles to go in this run but we know we're not alone and we're getting the hang of it. We are OK. Everyone has their own moments but mine happened when one of Leonard's friends slipped a CD in the funeral home's sound system today. Had two songs - The West Point Alma Mater and The Corps. Suddenly, there were thousands and thousands of the Long Grey Line filling that room. Generations of soldiers and leaders were striving to encourage and support. Those songs were written for and about Leonard.
A final observation and I'll be done. 5 hours ago it had been a week since that notification team walked down our path. Today was the most emotional since it was the day chosen for close family to actually visit with Leonard. As Beth and I were headed to the funeral home I stopped in a 7-11 for some water. Standing at the check out line I saw a picture that froze me in my tracks; three helmet-topped M16s with a soldier saluting. In this week, in this time - that picture could only come from one place on earth and for one thing only; it was the military memorial held by Leonard's unit. So many emotions ran through me. Those services are unlike anything else. Even now I'm getting a little empty space as I imagine what the Roll Call sounded like... If you've participated, you understand. If you haven't, imagine the simplest and most dignified ceremony specifically designed for soldiers to honor their fallen. It can be done anywhere but where ever it's done takes on the feel of Saint Patrick's Cathedral.
©NYT
I'd told the Cowherd family that this tradition would be upheld and now I had graphic proof. Point in passing, courtesy of a phone call from BG Hertling, the 1st AD ADC, tonight I know that this memorial in Iraq was on going within hours of the Culpeper service and that it had been attended by near a thousand. A young Specialist had spoken about 'his' Lieutenant. Imagine that Specialist's moxie and caring to address those hundreds of soldiers and you understand the honor this was for Sarah and Leonard's parents.
I looked closer and saw the picture was on the front page of the NY Times. This wasn't the Culpeper daily or the Richmond times. This was one of the most respected, global newspapers on earth. Hmm... I picked up a copy and read it. I found quotes by Leonard's Battalion Commander describing the action wherein Leonard had been killed and the completion of that action in a satisfying manner. I tucked a copy under my arm and checked out.
Viewings can be rough and this one was against my better judgment but Sarah can be hard headed... and was right. My daughter's final moments with the husband she hadn't seen in 5 months and with whom she'd only lived for 5 months ended sweet. She and Leonard's mother and Leonard's twin brother and all the rest of the extended families stayed long enough to get through all the emotions. Sarah, the Cowherd's and Beth and I were all truly the better for this final visit. But what about the NY Times?
About half-way through the viewing I went out to the car and brought the paper in. There, in that room, with Leonard with us, we made a connection with not only his unit and their actions but with the entire world. We were one. There was closure. Information from the war zone to a funeral home in rural VA and shared around the world. The story about the fight was just as important, if not more so, than the picture itself. I could physically see the Cowherd's relax just a little bit.
And as this first week was drawing to a close, one of Leonard's closest West Point friends came up to Mr. Cowherd and said, "Leonard will always be a hero." And so he will...
T
Tony Cerri
Leonard will be buried on Wednesday at 1100 at Arlington National
Cemetery.........
They shall not grow old,
As we that are left grow old,
Age shall not weary them . .
Nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun,
And in the morning,
We will remember them!
-- Lawrence Binyon

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May 26, 2006
Memorial Day 2006 - The Notification
Do not stand by my grave and weep ...
I am not there;
I do not sleep.
When you awaken in the morning's hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush of quiet birds circling in flight.
Do not stand by my grave and cry ...
I am not there.
I did not die.
-- Royster
I am the great-grandson of a soldier of the Civil War.
I am the grandson of a soldier of the Great War.
I am the son of a soldier of Korea, and Vietnam.
I was a "Brat".
I was a soldier.
I am still a soldier, albeit in the Retired Reserve.
In a different life, now seemingly long ago and far away, I answered a ringing doorbell. I opened the door, and there stood the Western Union man. I was 12. I knew this was Not Good. Mom came up. She saw the Western Union man. She froze. The Western Union man looked miserable. I took the offered envelope. Opened it. Mom was a statue, frozen in her own private hell. The Western Union man was fidgety, and downcast.
I opened the envelope. Read it out loud.
"The Secretary of the Army regrets to inform you that your servicemember, LTC Timothy H. Donovan, was wounded in combat in the Republic of Vietnam.
He was shot while flying in a helicopter. The a/c did not crash or burn."
That's it. Dad was wounded, not dead. Mom could breathe again. The Western Union guy was all smiles.
All smiles. Here we had definitive proof that Dad had been wounded in combat and that didn't strike any of us as a Bad Thing. Because we were giddy, too. Because it was a telegram, not a Notification Team.
No military sedan in the driveway. No somber-faced officer and Chaplain. Just the Western Union guy. But sometimes the Army screwed up - and it *was* the Western Union guy who essentially was the notification guy, hence the tension.
Now, over 2000 times since the crossing of the LD for Operation Iraqi Freedom, teams of officers have made visits like that one.
Only there were no giddy smiles and tears of relief, but rather tears of grief, fear, and not infrequently, anger.
Since the Founding of the Republic, some form of this process has played out 2,623,552 times, give or take.
America's Wars Total (Less conflicts after Gulf War 1)
Military service during war 42,348,460
Battle deaths 651,008
Other deaths in service (theater) 13,998
Other deaths in service (nontheater) 525,256
Nonmortal woundings 1,431,290
Joseph Stalin observed: "The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic."
Those are the statistics. Read now the story of one soldier, his wife, and his family and friends - the impact of the death of one man, a soldier, Leonard Cowherd, Second Lieutenant, United States Army.
I am starting Memorial Day today. There will be a key post each day through Monday - that chronicles how Memorial Day suddenly, sadly, explosively, numbingly takes on a wholly different texture for military families during a time of war. All of these posts will be long. But however long it seems for you, it's way too short for the body in the casket and a never-ending ache for those standing around the grave site. This is the story of 2lt Leonard Cowherd, Sarah Cerri Cowherd, and the Cowherd and Cerri families, as seen through the eyes of my Scorpion brother-in-arms, Tony Cerri, and in the final post, the Cowherds. This is a great country. And this is just one proof. This is the price of freedom, hope, and the fight for the future. As has been asked before - where do we find such men? Answer: look around you - they are everywhere. You just don't notice them. It is not my intent to exalt 2LT Cowherd above other casualties of this or any war.
It is just to let the story tell itself.
This is the story of two military families dealing with the death of a soldier. This is the story of bravery, fortitude, family, love. It is a story that plays out across all the services, the differences only reinforce the similarities.
It's real, it's true. It happened. And will happen again, as long as warriors have to man the ramparts and look outward to guard against what lurks in the darkness. As long as there is darkness.
Two years ago, a notification team made one of those visits to the home of one of my Army buddies, whose daughter's husband had just been killed in Iraq.
I have fought a good fight
I have finished my course
I have kept the faith.
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous judge,
shall give me at that day:
and not to me only,
but unto all them also that love his appearing.
-- 2 Timothy 4:7, 8
So, let it begin (and yes, I have the family's permission to share this with you).
Friends---below are a series of emails, edited only to delete all the headings, from my good friend LTC(R) Tony Cerri...His son in law 2LT Leonard Cowherd was killed last week in Iraq. Leonard's death puts a face on the growing list of young men killed in Iraq. I think you will find these emails will touch your hearts....
We will carry the torch for you, Leonard.
The story of two families coping with the death of a soldier is contained in the Flash Traffic/Extended Entry.
Flash Traffic (extended entry) Follows... »
Now to let the Army, then Tony pick up the tale:
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The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
2nd Lt. Leonard M. Cowherd, 22, of Culpeper, Va., died May 16 in Karbala, Iraq, when he received sniper and rocket propelled grenade fire while securing a building near the Mukhayam Mosque. Cowherd was assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 37th Armor Regiment, 1st Armored Division, Friedberg, Germany.
1st Platoon, C 1/37 Armor. 2LT Cowherd stands in front of the tank on the right.
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My son-in-law, 2LT Cowherd, was killed this morning in Iraq. He is the armor soldier currently being referred to in the news. Platoon Leader. USMA class of '03.
My daughter has been staying with us since Leonard deployed. I was with her when the car pulled in the driveway and she was notified by the team from Ft Eustis tonight. Surreal is not the word.
You can imagine that this is a numbing time for us.
We expect an onslaught of details and issues tomorrow. I will be at home until such time as we are settled.
I know you'll ask, "Is there anything I can do?" I appreciate and I will not hesitate to call should something arise.
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Sorry it has been so long since I've sent an update. Things have been busy. I also apologize that what will follow has the shape and sound of an FAQ and that's not the intent. However, I want to tell you what's going on and where we are and answer your questions; that just leads me to a particular kind of format. It's late and it's been a long day I apologize for grammar errors.
First - how are we?
We are as fine as can be expected. I realize that sounds trite and rote. However, it is heartfelt and rings true while living it. I have come to understand that we are on a journey of stages and phases and, all things considered, we are doing fine. We have gone through the initial moments of absolute shock, horror, disbelief, rage, and soul emptying sorrow. I classify the next large chunk of time as numbness.
Finally, and currently, we are in emotional, and sometimes physical, exhaustion. And all are exactly right. The initial notification and emotions are something I wish on no one. The numbness and exhaustion are welcome.
They allow us to get on with things and deal with the realities.
We are making decisions. There has been some degree of normalness return. There has even been some laughter and lightness in the house. We are fine.
How is Sarah?
My daughter is strong and has proven to be a warrior's wife but I ache for her. No one should be a war-widow at 23. While Beth and I experience ups and downs, she is more so. If we are at a 7, she is at an 8. If we are at a 3, she is at a 2. She comforts others as she is being comforted.
Although she's a brat, she did her serious growing up years right here. She has a large circle of friends and family that have reached out to her. Further, and to digress a moment, she attended the Virginia Women's Institute for Leadership and Leonard attended the United States Military Academy. Both institutions forge strong relationships amongst their graduates. Both institution's graduates have a respect and place in their hearts for their owns spouse. Sarah has had her hand held by people literally around the world; generals, lieutenants, civilians, male, female, serving, retired, her friends, Leonard's friends, their friends. She obviously grieves. She is proud of what her husband was doing and believed in. She wishes he had done something else. She understands he wouldn't have been Leonard if he had. Further, she has a special friend - Leonard's identical twin brother Charles. You've read and heard about twins. If my experience is normal, everything you've ever heard about twins is right.
Sarah, Leonard, and Charles were always the three musketeers. We kidded Sarah that she was actually getting two husbands. And she reveled in it. Charles is not and has never been Leonard for Sarah - he is Leonard's other half as Sarah was Leonard's other half for Charles. They are both missing something significant...and together they form a whole of sorts.
Charles is spending time with us and I couldn't ask for anything better for the two of them. Sarah is fine.
How is Leonard's family?
About the same as we...but no one should ever have to bury a child. Do NOT take that wrong. They are incredibly proud of their son and everything he believed in and stood for. We spent last night together after they drove down from Culpepper.
We celebrated Leonard's life.
There were no second guessings, misgivings, or hesitation. They miss their son and grieve for him and are going through the same stages as the Cerri's but are strong in their faith and the certainty that Leonard was doing what was important to him. They are comforted by the principles of a small town and a close knit family. Their 3 other children and an extended family are around them and providing both solace and support. I suspect they'd have no problem reading that I say they are as fine as can be expected.
Is there anything you can do?
Sarah, Charles and I have discussed this. We need nothing. We appreciate everything. However, if you want to 'do' something we have two requests. First - somewhere in your 6-degree circle of friends and family find a deployed soldier, sailor, airman, or marine. Talk to them. Send them an e-mail, a letter, or package. Tell them you're there. Tell them you care.
It doesn't have to be Iraq or Afghanistan.
We have folks around the world that are doing our business. Just reach out to one of them. One of Leonard's biggest concerns was the soldiers in his platoon who received no mail or support from folks outside the company. Our warriors shouldn't have this problem. Second - stand a little stiller, stand a little straighter the next time you hear the National Anthem. There are generations of warriors that have made that possible.
What happened?
Leonard caught a sniper's round in the chest. He did not suffer. As far as we know at this time, his platoon and company had been engaged in relatively heavy combat all day long in Karbala. Leonard died at around 1720 Iraq time on Sunday. We do not know if he was off his tank or if it happened while he was mounted. During the same period two other soldiers were wounded although they do not appear to have been with Leonard's platoon. Again, as far as we've been able to determine, the unit returned fire and carried the field. Some reports indicate they killed the sniper.
When will his body be returned?
We were notified that his remains were due to arrive in Dover today. It will take some 24 to 36 hours for the Army to finishing positive identification and other details at which time the remains will be released.
What are the plans?
At this point we are planning on a civilian ceremony in Culpepper, VA on Saturday with eventual internment at Arlington. The Culpepper ceremony will be in Saint Stephens Episcopal Church at 1400. Please note - this is a small church in a Middle America with ~100 seats. This is where Leonard grew up and he is a hometown hero. PLEASE feel welcome if you would like to attend but be prepared to stand outside, or in an aisle, or in a tent. The Arlington ceremony is yet to be nailed down. I will notify all when details are known.
What about flowers and such?
Sarah and Charles are still discussing this and are narrowing the field. Flowers already fill our house (and our thanks). They are discussing everything from donations to the USO (if you've ever deployed - you understand. Leonard constantly talked about how well the USO took care of him.), to establishing a history award at Leonard's high school (history was his thing, he was good at it, he believed in it), to establishing a scholarship to attend summer camp (Leonard was a camp counselor for many years and strongly believed that every child should be able to attend). Give them some time and they will sort it out.
How has the Army treated Sarah?
Wonderful. Dignified. Caring. You may know that I am retired Army. I always believed that the Army took care of its own. I now know it is true. We are in Yorktown but the unit is in Germany. Regardless, the Army has wrapped its arms around Sarah as only the military can do. The notification occurred as you've seen it in the movies or read about it.
The car pulled up in the drive way and two officers came down the walk. They were professional and Sarah-oriented. They had a horrible message but delivered it in a manner worthy of emulation and admiration. Those poor guys. The causality assistance officer is equally squared away and Sarah-oriented. He will be with her till all the details are finished. He's done his homework and has thus far been able to answer everything we've asked up to the point it is known. Again, the poor soul. He has drawn one of the most awful details any soldier could ever dream of. He has deported himself well and I couldn't ask for better. The Army will carry many, if not most, of the funeral and interment expenses. Sarah will continue to receive full military benefits. Some of the next details might raise an eyebrow or two but they are available on many web sites and I share them so you may understand. She was given a check today for $12K. This benefit is not a quantification of the value of a soldiers life. It is the Army's way of providing immediate help to a spouse. Sarah is young and living with us. However, if she was a Private's wife, on her own, or with children, the fund would be a god-send of help. She will receive the Serviceman's Group Life Insurance (SGLI) payment. She will not be wealthy but she will have time to think and plan. We have received offers of help from General Officers to Lieutenant friends. From local, to Korea, to Germany, to West Point, to points around America. The Army is closing ranks to take care of my daughter. I am proud and grateful.
They both went to military schools. What's going on there? Leonard is the first USMA '03 grad to die in combat. I'll just have to report that the Corps had a moment of silence and his company is holding a military memorial. The emotions behind these ceremonies can not be put in an e-mail. If you're curious, ask me when I get back or ask a grad. They are soul searing and will stay will the Corps forever. Sarah is the first VWIL grad to experience this - ever. Her military friends around the world have reached out and her civilian friends as well.
The Commandant and the Corps have been very much a part of all this.
When am I coming back to work?
I know, I know, I know - you didn't ask and every body and their brother has said to take the time I need. I will. However, I need to get on with things as well. As of this point, it looks like Monday next is as good day to shoot for as any. I'm sure I'll need to take some periodic time off in the upcoming weeks to help Sarah and the Cowherd's settle things but they'll taper off with time.
OK y'all...LONG e-mail and it's late and I need to hit the sack. However, this is what I know as of the moment and wanted to share. I'll keep you posted.
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Tomorrow - the funeral ceremony. Sunday, the burial. Monday - Memorial Day.
Note that through it all, the Cerris and the Cowherds were thinking of others. The living.
However, if you want to 'do' something we have two requests. First - somewhere in your 6-degree circle of friends and family find a deployed soldier, sailor, airman, or marine. Talk to them. Send them an e-mail, a letter, or package. Tell them you're there. Tell them you care.
I recommend you follow their advice.
Right now would be a good time.

The tale continues here.
« Secure this line!
by
John
on
May 26, 2006
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Something for the Soul
»
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»
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May 25, 2006
H&I Fires* 25 May
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...
Let's start with a little moment of Gunner Zen. Click here. -The Armorer
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OMFG, too funny for words! Your Air Force in Action! "Glad I already had that one concussion..." Kudos to all concerned for a professional demeanor, however. I suspect that Guidon Bearer had a rough rest of the day... -The Armorer
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I have a comment... For every story like that one there are dozens like this one, which won't make the MSM because it just isn't news to them. American troops saving people in the middle of a firefight isn't news because it's... normal? Whereas, American troops possibly shooting noncombatants *is* abnormal...
Coalition Forces Save Abandoned Boy
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces saved a young boy from imminent danger during significant fighting that resulted in the deaths of over 25 terrorists May 14th in Yusifiyah. In one incident during the course of the hours-long operation, several terrorists abandoned a two-year-old boy in an attempt to save themselves.
Upon initiating the attack, the troops immediately killed two terrorists in response to hostile activity emanating from a suspected safe house and an associated vehicle.
Only trying to preserve their own lives, escaping terrorists literally threw a toddler inside a vehicle near a burning van filled with ammunition and anti-aircraft rockets (the safe house and vehicle were previously struck by Coalition forces to neutralize the threat). The troops made the choice to save the child in lieu of pursuing the terrorists, rescuing the boy just before the rockets exploded.

The troops took custody of the two-year-old and provided him security for almost an hour before they could safely return him to his mother. The boy and his mother were residing in a nearby safe house from where the terrorists originally fled and had abandoned other women and children.
Coalition forces previously reported that three females - one child, one teenager, and one adult - were injured in the initial raid; the youngest only required on-site treatment, the two older females were medically evacuated. As troops transported the two injured females and an unharmed maternal escort to the hospital, the terrorists attempted to shoot down the departing medical sortie (there was no red cross, the helicopter was being used as a medical evacuation transport to expedite care).
The pilots averted the small arms fire and safely delivered the two injured females and their escort the 10th CSH where the wounded were provided further treatment. Both females received additional medical care and were released from the hospital May 15th.
Just sayin'. Story came from the CENTCOM website.
Additional info here. Cross-posted by the Armorer at Milblogs. -Kat.
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Sgt. Elijah Allen is one of the many milbloggers I met at the DC Conference who will remain in my mind and heart for many years to come. As a wounded Soldier, and recipient of a Valour-IT laptop, I was thrilled and honored to meet him. He's got an early Memorial Day post up that you should all read. Once you do, you'll understand why I stand here before you, John, Bill, Dusty, Sanger, Sgt. B, 1SG Keith, Jon, Lex and the many others I am forgetting, and simply say... Thank You. ~AFSis
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Hot Air covers two different governments dealing with the press
Howard Fineman worships at the altar of Gore. I don't care for Al Gore either way, but this seems to me like just a little too much lovin' - FbL
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Hit and run journalism. Under the headline, "Marine Corps to Probe Civilian Deaths," we learn that General Hagee fears "that some Marines could become 'indifferent to the loss of a human life.'" I don't know about you, but I heard the whisper "cold-blooded killers" in that opening paragraph.
In the fourth paragraph we finally get the "Indifferent to human life" phrase in context:
Many of our Marines have been involved in life or death combat or have witnessed the loss of their fellow Marines, and the effects of these events can be numbing," Hagee wrote. "There is the risk of becoming indifferent to the loss of a human life, as well as bringing dishonor upon ourselves.
Ah, I see. Instead of mechanistic killers trained for a horrible task "getting off their leash," it's a matter of hearts of flesh in danger of being hardened by horrifying experiences. To my mind, that casts warfighters in a very different light. But I'm not saying anything the readers here don't already know.
Overall not a bad article, considering what it could be. But then we get to the second-to-last paragraph:
On May 17, Rep. John Murtha (news, bio, voting record), D-Pa., a decorated former Marine, said...that U.S. troops killed innocent women and children "in cold blood." He said that nearly twice as many people were killed than first reported, maintaining that U.S. forces are "overstretched and overstressed" by the war in Iraq.
Maybe it's a sublte connection, but I see an attempted tie between the opening phrase of "indifferent to loss of human life" and "in cold blood." To say that leadership is (rightly) concerned that the horrors of battle not numb the combatants to their sense of honor and morality is a whole different ball of wax from calling those same combatants cold-blooded killers. And with the attendant connotations of that last phrase that would smear warfighters as a whole, I fear ex-Marine Murtha is going to be with us for a long, long time. Hey, Murtha! Thanks for handing our enemies within another club with which to beat our armed forces.
Update: General Hagee's full statement can be found here. - FbL
Flash Traffic (extended entry) Follows... »
*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 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 that particular topic. It's also an open trackback, so if (Don Surber uses it this way a lot) someone has a post they're proud of, but it really isn't either Castle kind of stuff, or topical to a particular post, I've basically given blanket permission to use that post for that purpose. Another term of art that might be appropriate is "Free Fire Zone".
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Y'know. We need a bandwidth waster.
I think this will do.
Lawyers should never ask a Southern grandma a question if they aren't prepared for the answer.
In a trial, a Southern small-town prosecuting attorney called his first witness, a grandmotherly, elderly woman to the stand. He approached her and asked, "Mrs. Jones, do you know me?"
She responded, "Why, yes, I do know you, Mr. Williams. I've known you since you were a young boy, and frankly, you've been a big disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, and you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you're a big shot when you haven't the brains to realize you never will amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you."
The lawyer was stunned! Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, "Mrs. Jones, do you know the defense attorney?"
She again replied, "Why, yes, I do. I've known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster, too. He's lazy, bigoted, and he has a drinking problem. He can't build a normal relationship with anyone and his law practice is one of the worst in the entire state. Not to mention he cheated on his wife with three different women. One of them was your wife. Yes, I know him."
The defense attorney almost died.
The judge asked both counselors to approach the bench and, in a very quiet voice, said, "If either of you idiots asks her if she knows ME, I will send you to the electric chair."
Marines may face a court...
...over what can only be called a war crime, if the events are as thus far depicted - remembering the defense has not been presented.
So let it be. If there's sufficient evidence, charge 'em and let them present a defense (since the case is already being tried in the media and halls of Congress). If their defense isn't a good one - they can come take long tours here at Fort Leavenworth, where they would belong. If their defense holds up... well, it won't make any difference to the Usual Suspects anyway, so screw 'em.
I have no problem with it. It *is* a major difference between us and our military foes, even if our political foes can't see that.
A dozen Marines may face courts-martial for alleged Iraq massacre
By Gayle S. Putrich
TIMES STAFF WRITER
A key member of Congress said he “wouldn’t be surprised” if a dozen Marines faced courts-martial for allegedly killing Iraqi civilians Nov. 19. Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., told Marine Corps Times that the number of dead Iraqis, first reported to be 15, was actually 24. He based that number on a briefing from Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Mike Hagee on Wednesday.
Hagee visited Capitol Hill in anticipation of the release of two investigation reports, which are expected to show that among the 24 dead civilians, five of the alleged victims, all unarmed, were shot in a car with no warning, Murtha said. The killings took place in Hadithah, 125 miles northwest of Baghdad.
At least seven of the victims were women and three were children.
“If the allegations are substantiated, the Marine Corps will pursue appropriate legal and administrative actions against those responsible,” said Col. David Lapan, a spokesman at Marine Corps headquarters.
“The investigations are ongoing, therefore any comment at this time would be inappropriate and could undermine the investigatory and possible legal process,” he said. “As soon as the facts are known and decisions on future actions are made, we will make that information available to the public to the fullest extent allowable.” Murtha, an outspoken war critic and retired Marine colonel, has maintained for several weeks that the reality of the Hadithah incident was far more violent than the original reports suggested.
Read the rest here, in the Marine Corps Times.
Let the chips fall where they may. In war, shite happens. And when it crosses an admittedly fuzzy, vice bright, line, then you deal with it.
I miss...
...getting paid to do stuff like this.

A U.S. Army soldier with the 1st Brigade, 29th Infantry Division fast ropes from a helicopter during a rapid-insertion exercise in Djibouti City, Djibouti, on May 18, 2006. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Nic Raven U.S. Air Force. (Released)
Defense Planners Eye Unified Medical Command Concept
This is a loooooooooooooong overdue idea. *However* The potential downside I've always seen to a consolidated DoD MEDCOM is HillaryCare-style thinking on the part of the politicians.
Where the DoD MEDCOM gets absorbed by the Public Health Service... and DoD users join the PHS customer base.
I suspect for many on the left side of the political spectrum, *that* represents a huge, fat, juicy piece of low-hanging fruit.
Defense Planners Eye Unified Medical Command Concept
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 22, 2006 – Defense Department officials are weighing the potential benefits of creating a single, unified medical command that would oversee all military health care as well as the training and education of military medical professionals and military medical research and development activities.
The concept, if adopted, would bring together the Army, Air Force and Navy medical medical departments and services, enabling DoD to provide better care while keeping costs in check, Dr. David Tornberg, deputy assistant secretary of defense for clinical and program policy, told American Forces Press Service.
The DoD medical community is generally supportive of such a realignment, which Tornberg said would make more efficient use of health-care assets and programs and eliminate redundancies. It would also boost DoD's buying power so it gets more goods and services for its acquisition dollars, he said.
While bringing the military health-care system new efficiencies, the plan "would also recognize that each of the services has service-unique requirements and cultures," Tornberg said.
The concept of a unified DoD medical command isn't new; in fact, it was first raised in 1942 and has resurfaced off and on over the years.
With Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld pushing "jointness" to new levels, along with his transformation efforts, Tornberg said there's a strong indication the idea of a unified medical command may move beyond the talking stage.
The rest is in the Flash Traffic/Extended Entry
Flash Traffic (extended entry) Follows... »
Defense planners are putting together options for implementing the concept, which they plan to present to the senior leadership within the next several months, said Tornberg, who co-chairs the working group that's developing the options. Once approved, the implementation plan for a unified medical command would be included in the fiscal year 2008 budget request, he said.
Throughout the process, the biggest litmus test will be how much it improves the military health-care system, Tornberg said. "No change would ever come at the price of quality," he said. "We are always striving to provide a higher-quality product, and this has the potential to help us."
Already, several examples of a unified approach to medical care are operating or in the works. DoD's health-care system in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan rely on the integrated capabilities of each of the military services. Also, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany operates as a joint medical facility.
The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure plan, with big changes to military medicine in Washington, D.C., and San Antonio, Texas, offers a snapshot of what's likely to be ahead, Tornberg said.
It establishes the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on the grounds of the National Navy Medical Center in Bethesda, while closing the existing Walter Reed campus in Washington, D.C. In addition, Malcolm Grow Hospital at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., will become an ambulatory clinic. Military medical research and development will combine efforts at Fort Detrick, Md., and Edgewood Arsenal, Md.
BRAC 05 also creates the joint San Antonio Regional Medical Center at Brooke Army Medical Center and makes San Antonio the training hub for all enlisted medical technicians.
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Afghan Violence Reflects Afghan Troops' Progress, Taliban Frustration
Afghan Violence Reflects Afghan Troops' Progress, Taliban Frustration
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 23, 2006 – The recent surge in violence in southern Afghanistan reflects the fact that Afghan security forces are extending their reach and that the Taliban, in desperation, are trying to stop them, a senior military official told Pentagon reporters today.
Army Brig. Gen. Carter F. Ham, deputy director of regional operations for the Joint Staff, called the "significant fighting," particularly in the south, a sign that the Taliban wants to stop "the expansion and the filtering of the reach of the Afghan national government."
"My suspicion is that the Taliban ... recognize that if they don't try to do something about that now, then they may not have a chance to do something about it later," Ham said.
"One of the reasons I believe that there are more incidents in the south is that the Afghan forces are going more places," he said. "They are going places where they didn't go before and certainly meeting some resistance."
Read the rest in the Flash Traffic/Extended Entry.
Flash Traffic (extended entry) Follows... »
Meanwhile, more NATO nations are contributing forces to Regional Command South, increasing the coalition presence there, Ham said. "And I think the Taliban see that to say if they don't do something to try to disrupt that transition to NATO control, then they may lose the opportunity to do that for awhile."
Three significant engagements over the past several days, including one yesterday in the Kandahar region that left up to 80 Taliban members dead, are part of Operation Mountain Lion.
Members of Combined Forces Command Afghanistan are on the ground today assessing the strike and looking into reports of non-combatant casualties, which Ham said the coalition takes "very, very seriously" and investigates "to the fullest."
"Having said that, it's also important to note that the Taliban knows that, and it's not unusual at all to see them operate in and among noncombatants, knowing the great measures we take to try to protect noncombatants," he said.
Operation Mountain Lion, which began in mid-April, has made solid strides toward disrupting insurgent activities, denying them sanctuary, and preventing their ability to restock. The ultimate goal is to extend the reach of the Afghan government so it can serve the Afghan people.
The offensive, which Ham said has now moved into the "stability and reconstruction phase," is designed to extend the reach of the Afghan security forces and, ultimately, the Afghan government.
Since the operation began with air and ground assaults in the Pech River Valley, an area notorious for terrorist activity, U.S. and Afghan security forces have conducted more than 650 patrols and discovered 12 major weapons and ammunition caches, Ham reported. He said it's "very good news" that many of those discoveries resulted from tips by local Afghans.
In addition, coalition forces met with local and district leaders throughout the region to explain the operations' goal and solicit their support for the Afghan security forces.
Coalition medical teams treated more than 8,000 Afghan men, women and children while operating in their districts and distributed more than 13,000 radios so people who never had them before can "receive news and stay connected with their central government," Ham said.
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May 24, 2006
H&I Fires* 24 May
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...
In local news - the guys who went on the POW rescue mission that was the subject of the movie The Great Raid, will be having a reunion near where I live next month! I'm trying to get permission to attend and talk (heh, mostly listen) to these guys.
Marsha Goff, a writer for the Lawrence Journal World whets my appetite thusly:
By the end of January 1945, as Allied forces advanced against Japanese positions in the Philippines, the writing was on the wall for any Japanese military leader who cared to read it.
But as American forces neared Japanese POW camps, circumstances became more dangerous for the men. That fact was demonstrated at the island of Palawan when more than 150 Allied POWs were herded into air raid shelters, doused with gasoline and burned alive by their captors to prevent them from being liberated.
Concerns grew about the welfare of 512 survivors of the Bataan Death March imprisoned in a camp at Cabanatuan in the Philippines. A daring raid by an all-volunteer force consisting of 120 members of Col. Henry A. Mucci’s 6th Ranger Battalion, a dozen Alamo Scouts and more than 200 Filipino guerrillas — led by Captains Juan Pajota and Eduardo Joson — was engineered to rescue the POWs. The camp was 29 miles behind enemy lines through rivers and across roads that carried heavy Japanese military traffic.
The intelligence capability and firepower of the Filipino guerrillas — designated to protect the Ranger force’s flanks and cover their return with the rescued POWs — and the aid and intelligence provided by Filipino civilians were essential to the success of the mission. Without a friendly civilian population, the raid would have been impossible.
You want to read the rest - right here. -The Armorer
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On this day in History, the British Battleship HMS Hood met it's fate.
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On this day and this blog, someone forgot to sign their work... in other news, someone who's *really* peeved with the VA (I already have a credit watch in place because Sears suffered a Rectal-Cranial Infarct so I'm ahead of the game) over the idiot data-analyst who thought that taking home all that personal data would be a Good Idea. Who? The Crusade - who came to the attention of the Army even, and made it into the Stand-To blog mentions. Congrats, Crusader! Bitter? No, he's not bitter. Not the least. Nope. Not at all... - The Armorer
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Flash Traffic (extended entry) Follows... »
*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 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 that particular topic. It's also an open trackback, so if (Don Surber uses it this way a lot) someone has a post they're proud of, but it really isn't either Castle kind of stuff, or topical to a particular post, I've basically given blanket permission to use that post for that purpose. Another term of art that might be appropriate is "Free Fire Zone".
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Whatziss, answered!
Old Fat Sailor - I name you Brainiac of Argghhh! You got it right.
If our Ozzie OFS hadn't gotten it, I would have offered up this as a clue today, followed quickly with this.
If that was insufficient (I'm thinking it would have been enough) - I'd have offered up this.
But I don't have to do that. Because OFS identified it - it's a stand of quilted grape.

In this case, a replica of Revolutionary War-era stand of quilted grape, in the six-pounder version. An early form of "Improved Conventional Munitions," grape was used against attacking infantry at greater ranges. Comprised of a wooden base, or sabot, with a wood rod protruding from it, they were stacked round with iron balls, held in place by the cloth and twine wrapping, which was then doped. The wrapping and sabot kept it all together for easy loading, and the paint helped waterproof it, prevent rot of the cloth, and provided some more rigidity.
The ones you find in museums have usually been painted black or red. This one is au naturel, to show the basic construction better. Made this way to speed loading (that infantry is looking pretty determined), the twine and cloth gave way upon firing, turning the gun into a giant shotgun. Grape, with it's larger balls, had a greater range at the expense of fewer projectiles. Canister is grape's short-range cousin, being smaller balls, usually lead musket balls, loosely loaded into a container (canister) and fired when the infantry had gotten annoyingly close and looked like they were still interested in killing artillerymen. Of course, once you started shooting this at infantry, the infantry became notoriously uninterested in taking prisoners, either... infantry sucks that way.
Why is is called a Stand of Grape? In fortress use especially, but also in the field, you stood them up on the wooden sabot, so they wouldn't roll around. Larger guns oft times fired grape made of larger iron balls held together by iron plates and rings, like this stand of 12-pounder grapeshot.
Troll-scat.
Providence! Here I am, groggy after two nights of crappy/no sleep, wondering what I'm going to put up this morning, since I'm kinda Jesse'd out. (There are things working behind the scenes to put together a process for vetting [ooo! a pun!] these guys, btw) Night before last we lost power for several hours - and since I use a CPAP there wasn't a whole lot of sleeping that night, and last night sucked, too. Like you all care. Moving on...
Oh, yeah - what's the Post of the Day going to be? Well, I open up the email to go through the overnight comments and find troll-scat in a bag on the apron of the portcullis, which a few late-night visitors stepped in because the troll musta broken out the light. Steve must have surprised the troll, because he forgot to light the bag, and the email got dumped by my spam-filter.
I stuck his missive [with my annotations] in the Flash Traffic/Extended Entry for your viewing pleasure. I deliberately altered the link to this troll's website because I refuse to allow dunderheads like that to use this place to try to capture some traffic.
As for the substance of the troll's post... I think that Pinch Sulzberger and Justice Ginsberg and Robert Rubin would be rather *shocked* to find themselves on a list of supporters of President Bush.
This is simply a list of prominent Jews, in government and out. And as useful as a list of prominent Catholics, or Irish, or African Americans. In other words, except as an indicator of the biases of the author, not useful at all.
Ergo, the prima facie evidence is simple anti-semitism, vice anything else useful. Not that the nick of "Imaginary Holocaust" wasn't an indicator.
I visited the website. Castle Argghhh! will not send traffic that way, nor do we support this form of Moonbattery. If this is all you've got, IH, please stay up in the rafters as a lurker. Don't soil the comment space with pointless drivel like this. But do wander through the pics of the collection. You'll especially like the well-marked Israeli Mauser and battlefield capture Arab pieces (with the exception of the Turk pieces, which aren't battlefield captures...)
Any further postings of this nature from this source will simply be deleted. Any further postings of this nature will simply be deleted. The only reason it survives is because it gives me a platform to make the statement that this space does not entertain this viewpoint, and is not provided to promote it. Oh, and please, as this space is private property and non-governmental, the First Amendment does not apply internally, only externally. Well, externally at least until John McCain has his way.
If you'd like to pile on this hoser, you may do so in the comments. *All* the rulez apply. If all you have to say is "#$%*^" or " #*$%^" or "!(@%^," just mutter it to yourself and move on... Oh, I'll allow mild personal snarkage if it's clever and witty. This is an exceptional case, I'll allow exceptional behavior. No spittle-flecked rants, please, unless you are going to clean up after yourself! Absolutely NO poop-flinging. It's expensive to clean the tapestries.
Flash Traffic (extended entry) Follows... »
[How apt. My spam filter dumped the email notification of this comment into the trash. The comment below (except where interspersed with comments contained in [brackets]) does not represent in any ways, means or form, the personal nor editorial policy of Castle Argghhh!. We reject the unifying premise.]
The Jews behind George W. Bush
[More accurately, a list of Jews, period. Which means you know where this is going... down the Road to Dachau. Oh, wait - Dachau was just a vacation destination for European Jewry established in the middle of a genocidal war by a benevolent German government. Oops. My bad. ]
1 .Richard Perle
One of Bush's foreign policy advisors, he is the chairman of the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board. A very likely Israeli government agent, Perle was expelled from Senator Henry Jackson's office in the 1970's after the National Security Agency (NSA) caught him passing Highly-Classified (National Security) documents to the Israeli Embassy. He later worked for the Israeli weapons firm, Soltam. Perle came from one the above mentioned pro-Israel thinktanks, the AEI. Perle is one of the leading pro-Israeli fanatics leading this Iraq war mongering within the administration and now in the media.
2. Paul Wolfowitz
Deputy Defense Secretary, and member of Perle's Defense Policy Board, in the Pentagon. Wolfowitz is a close associate of Perle, and reportedly has close ties to the Israeli military. His sister lives in Israel. Wolfowitz came from the above mentioned Jewish thinktank, JINSA. Wolfowitz is the number two leader within the administration behind this Iraq war mongering.
3. Douglas Feith
Under Secretary of Defense and Policy Advisor at the Pentagon. He is a close associate of Perle and served as his Special Counsel. Like Perle and the others, Feith is a pro-Israel extremist, who has advocated anti-Arab policies in the past. He is closely associated with the extremist group, the Zionist Organization of America, which even attacks Jews that don't agree with its extremist views. Feith frequently speaks at ZOA conferences. Feith runs a small law firm, Feith and Zell, which only has one International office, in Israel. The majority of their legal work is representing Israeli interests. His firm's own website stated, prior to his appointment, that Feith "represents Israeli Armaments Manufacturer." Feith basically represents the Israeli War Machine. Feith also came from the Jewish thinktank JINSA. Feith, like Perle and Wolfowitz, are campaigning hard for this Israeli proxy war against Iraq.
4. Edward Luttwak
Member of the National Security Study Group of the Department of Defence at the Pentagon. Luttwak is reportedly an Israeli citizen and has taught in Israel. He frequently writes for Israeli and pro-Israeli newspapers and journals. Luttwak is an Israeli extremist whose main theme in many of his articles is the necessity of the U.S. waging war against Iraq.
5. Henry Kissinger
One of many Pentagon Advisors, Kissinger sits on the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board under Perle. For detailed information about Kissinger's evil past, read Seymour Hersch's book (Price of Power: Kissinger in the Nixon White House). Kissinger likely had a part in the Watergate crimes, Southeast Asia mass murders (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos), Installing Chilean mass murdering dictator Pinochet, Operation Condor's mass killings in South America, and more recently served as Serbia's Ex-Dictator Slobodan Milosevic's Advisor. He consistently advocates going to war against Iraq. Kissinger is the Ariel Sharon of the U.S. Unfortunately, President Bush nominated Kissinger as chairman of the September 11 investigating commission. It's like picking a bank robber to investigate a fraud scandal.
6. Dov Zakheim
Under Secretary of Defense, Comptroller, and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for the Department of Defense. He is an ordained rabbi and reportedly holds Israeli citizenship. Zakheim attended attended Jew’s College in London and became an ordained Orthodox Jewish Rabbi in 1973. He was adjunct professor at New York's Jewish Yeshiva University. Zakheim is close to the Israeli lobby.
[Oops! Incomplete! Zakheim is *also* a Beltway Bandit!]
7. Kenneth Adelman
One of many Pentagon Advisors, Adelman also sits on the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board under Perle, and is another extremist pro-Israel advisor, who supports going to war against Iraq. Adelman frequently is a guest on Fox News, and often expresses extremist and often ridiculus anti-Arab and anti-Muslim views. Through his hatred or stupidity, he actually called Arabs "anti-Semitic" on Fox News (11/28/2001), when he could have looked it up in the dictionary to find out that Arabs by definition are Semites. [Which doesn't mean they can't be anti-semitic. Look at many prominent Democrats included in this list. They are anti-American...]
8. Lewis Libby
Vice President Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff. The chief pro-Israel Jewish advisor to Cheney, it helps explains why Cheney is so gun-ho to invade Iraq. Libby is longtime associate of Wolfowitz. Libby was also a lawyer for convicted felon and Israeli spy Marc Rich, whom Clinton pardoned, in his last days as president. [Shouldn't you update this now that Libby has been indicted? Geez, dude, how long have you been prowling the 'Net, shatting in people's blogs with this drivel?]
9 Robert Satloff
U.S. National Security Council Advisor, Satloff was the executive director of the Israeli lobby's "think tank," Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Many of the Israeli lobby's "experts" come from this front group, like Martin Indyk.
10. Elliott Abrams
National Security Council Advisor. He previously worked at Washington-based "Think Tank" Ethics and Public Policy Center. During the Reagan Adminstration, Abrams was the Assistant Secretary of State, handling, for the most part, Latin American affairs. He played an important role in the Iran-Contra Scandal, which involved illegally selling U.S. weapons to Iran to fight Iraq, and illegally funding the contra rebels fighting to overthrow Nicaragua's Sandinista government. He also actively deceived three congressional committees about his involvement and thereby faced felony charges based on his testimony. Abrams pled guilty in 1991 to two misdemeanors and was sentenced to a year's probation and 100 hours of community service. A year later, former President Bush (Senior) granted Abrams a full pardon. He was one of the more hawkish pro-Israel Jews in the Reagan Administration's State Department.
11. Marc Grossman
Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. He was Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources at the Department of State. Grossman is one of many of the pro-Israel Jewish officials from the Clinton Administration that Bush has promoted to higher posts.
12.Richard Haass
Director of Policy Planning at the State Department and Ambassador at large. He is also Director of National Security Programs and Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). He was one of the more hawkish pro-Israel Jews in the first Bush (Sr) Administration who sat on the National Security Council, and who consistently advocates going to war against Iraq. Haass is also a member of the Defense Department's National Security Study Group, at the Pentagon.
13. Robert Zoellick
U.S. Trade Representative, a cabinet-level position. He is also one of the more hawkish pro-Israel Jews in the Bush (Jr) Administration who advocated invading Iraq and occupying a portion of the country in order to set up setting up a Vichy-style puppet government. He consistently advocates going to war against Iraq.
14. Ari Fleischer
Former ( until 2003) official White House Spokesman for the Bush (Jr) Administration. Prominent in the Jewish community, some reports state that he holds Israeli citizenship. Fleischer is closely connected to the extremist Jewish group called the Chabad Lubavitch Hasidics, who follow the Qabala, and hold very extremist and insulting views of non-Jews. Fleischer was the co-president of Chabad's Capitol Jewish Forum. He received the Young Leadership Award from the American Friends of Lubavitch in October, 2001.
15. James Schlesinger
One of many Pentagon Advisors, Schlesinger also sits on the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board under Perle and is another extremist pro-Israel advisor, who supports going to war against Iraq. Schlesinger is also a commissioner of the Defense Department's National Security Study Group, at the Pentagon.
16. David Frum
White House speechwriter behind the "Axis of Evil" label. He lumps together all the lies and accusations against Iraq for Bush to justify the war.
17. Joshua Bolten
White House Deputy Chief of Staff, Bolten was previously a banker, former legislative aide, and prominent in the Jewish community.
18. John Bolton
Under-Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security. Bolton is also a Senior Advisor to President Bush. Prior to this position, Bolton was Senior Vice President of the above mentioned pro-Israel thinktank, AEI. He recently (October 2002) accused Syria of having a nuclear program, so that they can attack Syria after Iraq. He must have forgotten that Israel has 400 nuclear warheads, some of which are thermonuclear weapons (according to a recent U.S. Air Force report).
19. David Wurmser
Special Assistant to John Bolton (above), the under-secretary for arms control and international security. Wurmser also worked at the AEI with Perle and Bolton. His wife, Meyrav Wurmser, along with Colonel Yigal Carmon, formerly of Israeli military intelligence, co-founded the Middle East Media Research Institute (Memri),a Washington-based Israeli outfit which distributes articles translated from Arabic newspapers portraying Arabs in a bad light. [Um, MEMRI just translates the stuff, dude. The writing stands on it's own. It isn't MEMRI portraying itself in a bad light - it's the authors. Kinda *exactly* like you are in this piece of troll-scat you dumped here. Your Irony Meter is, well, *broken*]
20. Eliot Cohen
Member of the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board under Perle and is another extremist pro-Israel advisor. Like Adelman, he often expresses extremist and often ridiculus anti-Arab and anti-Muslim views. More recently, he wrote an opinion article in the Wall Street Journal openly admitting his rascist hatred of Islam claiming that Islam should be the enemy, not terrorism.
21. Mel Sembler
President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States. A Prominent Jewish Republican and Former National Finance Chairman of the Republican National Committee. The Export-Import Bank facilitates trade relationships between U.S. businesses and foreign countries, specifically those with financial problems.
22. Michael Chertoff
Secretary of ‘Homeland Security’ and he holds Israeli citizenship
23. Steve Goldsmith
Senior Advisor to the President, and Bush's Jewish domestic policy advisor. He also serves as liaison in the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (White House OFBCI) within the Executive Office of the President. He was the former mayor of Indianapolis. He is also friends with Israeli Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert and often visits Israel to coach mayors on privatization initiatives.
24. Adam Goldman
White House's Special Liaison to the Jewish Community.
25. Joseph Gildenhorn
Bush Campaign's Special Liaison to the Jewish Community. He was the DC finance chairman for the Bush campaign, as well as campaign coordinator, and former ambassador to Switzerland.
26. Christopher Gersten
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Administration for Children and Families at HHS. Gersten was the former Executive Director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, Husband of Labor Secretary, Linda Chavez, and reportedly very pro-Israel. Their children are being raised Jewish. [Um, and if one of them is Jewish and they've agreed to raise the kids Jewish, raising their children Jewish is surprising (or informative) for what reason? Oh! I see - Chavez must be Catholic (Hispanic, right?). Um, I'm CofE (actually, I'm undeclared, I was just raised CofE), my wife is Catholic, my son is... Catholic! Oh no! You're a Buffoon.]
27. Mark Weinberger
Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for Public Affairs.
28. Samuel Bodman
Deputy Secretary of Commerce. He was the Chairman and CEO of Cabot Corporation in Boston, Massachusetts.
29. Bonnie Cohen
Under Secretary of State for Management.
30. Ruth Davis
Director of Foreign Service Institute, who reports to the Office of Under Secretary for Management. This Office is responsible for training all Department of State staff (including ambassadors).
31. Daniel Kurtzer
Ambassador to Israel.
32. Cliff Sobel
Ambassador to the Netherlands.
33. Stuart Bernstein
Ambassador to Denmark.
34. Nancy Brinker
Ambassador to Hungary
35. Frank Lavin
Ambassador to Singapore.
36. Ron Weiser
Ambassador to Slovakia.
37. Mel Sembler
Ambassador to Italy.
38. Martin Silverstein
Ambassador to Uruguay.
39. Lincoln Bloomfield
Assistant Secretary of State for Political Military Affairs.
40. Jay Lefkowitz
Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Domestic Policy Council.
40. Ken Melman
White House Political Director.
41. Brad Blakeman
White House Director of Scheduling.
42. Carl Gershman
President National Endowment for Democracy
43. Edwin Feulner
President Heritage Foundation
44. S. Daniel Abraham
Chairman Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation
45. Joel Rosenthal
President Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs
46. Herbert I. London (Winner of the 2001 American Jewish Congress Award)
President Hudson Institute
47. Irwin Hochberg
Executive Committee Chairman Middle East Forum
The Middle East Forum, a think tank, works to define and promote American interests in the Middle East.
48. William Kristol
Chairman Project for a New American Century,
49. Bill Grinstein
Chairman World Affairs Council
50. David R. Segal
Center for the Research on Military Organization
51. Leslie Gelb
President Council on Foreign Relations
52. Abraham Lowenthal
Vice President Council on Foreign Relations
53. Myron Lieberman
Chairman Education Policy Institute
54. Jeff Cohen
Executive Director Fairness and Accuracy in Media (FAIR),
55. Michael Savage (born Michael Weiner)
Conservative talk-show host and apologist for Israel. [His readio show sucks, too, for my taste. He's mean-spirited, screechy and annoying, and he makes more money that I do at this pundit business, so mebbe he's on to something. What's that got to do with putatively being Jewish?]
56. Jane Friedman
Chairman Association of American Publishers
57. Jean Picker Firstenberg
Director and CEO American Film Institute
58. Marlene Kahan
Executive Director American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME)
59. Dan Stein
Executive Director Federation for American Immigration Reform
60. Diana Aviv
Chairman of the board National Immigration Forum
61. James D. Wolfensohn
President World Bank
62. Alan Greenspan
Chairman Federal Reserve [Oops. Need to update this one, fella. Alan retired.]
63. Nickolas J. Neubauer
Chairman Chicago Board of Trade
64. Charles H. Falk
President New York Board of Trade
65. Harvey J. Goldschmid
Commissioner U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
66. Stephen Friedman
National Economic Council
67. Lawrence Summers
President Harvard University
68. Richard L. Levin
President Yale University
69. Harvey Shapiro
President Priceton University
70. James O. Freedman
President Dartmouth College
(Quote: I dearly wish that my father, who had confronted anti-semitism in finding his early teaching positions, had lived long enough to see the installation of Jewish presidents at numerous Ivy League and Big Ten universities.") [Um, obviously your mileage varies...]
71. Jeffrey Lehman
President Cornell University
72. Henry Bienen
President Northwestern University
73. Richard Atkinson
President University of California
( Atkinson is a member of the Board of Directors of the avidly pro-Israel Koret Foundation, which features its "Israel Emergency Fund )
74. Isaac Stein
Chairman of the Board Stanford University
75. Michael Eisner
CEO Walt Disney Corporation, owner of ABC
76. Sumner Redstone (born Murray Rothstein)
Chairman and CEO Viacom, owner of CBS, MTV and Paramount Pictures
77. Arthur Sulzberger, Jr
CEO of the New York Times , The Sulzberger family also owns, through the New York Times Co., 33 others newspapers, including the Boston Globe, purchased in June 1993 for $1.1 billion; twelve magazines, including McCall’s and Family Circle with circulations of more than 5 million each; seven radio and TV broadcasting stations; a cable-TV system; and three book publishing companies. The New York Times News Service transmits news stories, features, and photographs from the New York Times by wire to 506 other newspapers, news agencies, and magazines. [A well known and documented supporter of this President! Snerk]
78. Peter R. Kann
Chairman and CEO Dow Jones & Company, Inc, publisher of the Wall Street Journal
79. Peter Chernin
President and CEO of Fox Group, owns Fox News
80. Michael Silverman
Managing Editor Associated Press
81. Lloyd Blankfein
President and Chief Operating Officer Goldman Sachs, world's biggest investment bank
82. Stephan Newhouse
President Morgan Stanley
83. Sanford Weill
Chairman Citigroup, owns Citibank, the world's biggest private bank
84. Robert Rubin
Chairman of the Executive Committee and Director Citigroup [Ah, yes, Clinton's Treasury Secretary, just falls all over himself supporting Bush's policies... why just the other day I heard him on Limbaugh, right after his appearance with Ann Coulter, and before he dropped in on G. Gordon Libby. I hear he's scheduled a segment with Ollie North, too.]
85. Henry Kravis
Investor, President of Kohlberg, Kravis and Roberts.
In 1997 Kravis joined with fellow billionaires Edgar Bronfman, Sr. and Lewis Eisenberg ( both jewish) to establish the Republican Leadership Council
86. Michael Dell
Founder and chairman of Dell Computer, head of the Bush technology panel [...and his firm built the computer I'm typing on. So?]
87. Michael Rubens "Mike" Bloomberg
Businessman and mayor of New York City [Ah yes, a Raging RINO who supports the President about as firmly as Senator Lincoln Chafee, (RINO) Rhode Island]
88. Ruth Joan Bader Ginsburg
US Supreme Court Justice [Who it's well known has voted in support of all this Administrations policies when appealed to the Supreme Court. Not.]
89. Stephen Breyer
US Supreme Court Justice [Another jurist well known to have voted in support of all this Administrations policies when appealed to the Supreme Court. Not.]
Izziss the best you've got? You're just a jew-hater, fella. Nothing more. It's not something to be proud of. Go away, and don't bother us again.
« Secure this line!
May 23, 2006
H&I Fires* 23 May
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...
1533 King Henry VIII declares marriage to Catherine of Aragon null & void. Ended up founding his own church, too. The Church of England, Well, the Anglican Church, really. Catholic Light, 1/3rd the guilt, More fulfilling!

1618 The Defenestration of Prague sets off the Thirty Years War. Toss a few politicians out a window into a dung heap, not hurting them, and start a war that lasts 30 years. And the Dems think we're over-reacting to 9/11? Oh, wait - these people weren't Democrat politicians, so only a police response is appropriate.
1775 Patrick Henry says "Give me Liberty or give me death!" [As Longwatch so gently pointed out, right guy, right speech, right year, right day... wrong month. D-oh!]

1873 Canada's North West Mounted Police force established - Happy Birthday to the Mounties! And my, how things have changed in the RCMP -but they still get their man... h/t, The Spectral Flea.
1958 Mao Tse tung starts "the Great Leap Forward" in China, millions
die. Just like just about any well-run communist dictatorship of the proletariat... millions die. But lefties don't give a flying flip. Because they 'meant well' so it's okay. They had good motivations. And its all Bush's fault, anyway. Shoulda been termed "The Standing Broad Jump Into The Grave." Boy, I'm grumpy this morning. Gotta quit reading the news, I guess.
1960 Israel announces capture of Nazi Adolf Eichmann in Argentina. I don't remember people squawking when they hung this mass-murderer, though. Oh, okay, I admit it, I wasn't really paying attention, I was kinda young. Betcha Bill was paying attention to it.
I'd be ever so much more impressed with her Brave Speaking Of Truth To Power if she'd use a Muslim icon...
Heh.
"Democrats say it is inevitable that, in a campaign that could return the former president to the White House, some voters would be concerned and even distracted by the Bill Clinton's political role and his potential for the kind of episodes that led the House to vote for his impeachment in 1998."
Oh for heaven's sake. That alone is reason to hope she tanks in the primaries. Not that I think she will. I'm just wishing. H/t, Drudge. -The Armorer
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Good morning. I couldn't resist a moment of "heh" when I read two articles in local papers about Phelps' group having to protest in a ditch at one funeral and getting a rougher reception down near Dodge City. As a legal and moral precaution for me and this blog, I do not advocate or condone violence against protesters, even vile ones. Defeat bad free speech with more free speech. Ask the Patriot Guard how it is done.
Want more "local" news? Find out about initiative to teach the blind about the symbolism of the flag and patriotism (no, not talking about the KOS kids going back to remedial American history) or the new "lighter, urban" war head for JDAMS (guess the Air Force doesn't want to be left filling "individual augmentee" billets in our new urban guerilla warfare paradigm)at my place. Oh, and a little something about information warfare, blogs and the Mushy Muslim Middle. - Kat
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How do you like your MacBeth? Chewy? Or quick-fried, to a crackely crunch? [humming to self] ...and, another one's gone, another one's gone, another one bites the dust! -The Armorer
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Over at Real Clear Politics, the boring story about Katrina that the media didn't find interesting. H/t, CAPT H. -The Armorer
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Flash Traffic (extended entry) Follows... »
*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 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 that particular topic. It's also an open trackback, so if (Don Surber uses it this way a lot) someone has a post they're proud of, but it really isn't either Castle kind of stuff, or topical to a particular post, I've basically given blanket permission to use that post for that purpose. Another term of art that might be appropriate is "Free Fire Zone".
« Secure this line!
Jessie's Balls?
From a nameless drudge who slogs in the cubes of the Few, the Proud, the Journalists, comes this cover of Rick Springfield...
Hiding down there in the Flash Traffic/Extended Entry.
Flash Traffic (extended entry) Follows... »
With full apologies to Rick Springfield...
Jessie is a friend
Yeah, I know he’s been a good friend of mine
But lately something’s changed that ain’t hard to define
Jessie’s got himself new friends and they’re lying all the time
Moonbats are watchin’ him on that blog
And they’re lovin’ him in that uniform, I just know it
And he’s holding up their hopes late, late at night
You know I wish that I had Jessie’s balls
I wish that I had Jessie’s balls
How can he keep a straight face like that?
Won’t play along with the charade
Can’t even put his beret on right
You know I feel so dirty when they start talkin’ war
He wasn’t anywhere near Fallujah or even Tal-Afar.
And moonbats are watchin’ him on that blog
And they’re eating up those lies, I just know it
And they’re wishing he was real, late, late at night
You know I wish that I had Jessie’s balls
I wish that I had Jessie’s balls
How can he keep a straight face like that?
And I’m lookin’ online all the time
Wonderin’ why they won’t believe in me
And I’ve been honest, I’ve been cool with the lines
Ain’t that the way truth’s supposed to be
You know I wish that I had Jessie’s balls
I wish that I had Jessie’s balls
I want Jessie’s balls
Where can I find brass balls like that
And who says they don't have a sense of humor...?
Heh. And gee, Greyhawk, I at least asked permission...!
« Secure this line!
A new Whatzis?
While we wait on some more clues from Murray for his offering, I"ll give ya this one.
1. The scale is off, on purpose.
2. It is a quintessential Castle Artifact.
That'll get ya started. More clues standing by as needed.

I won't be surprised if this one gets figgered out pretty quick, actually.
Project Valour-IT.
Fox News ran a webstory yesterday, dating from the Milblog conference, that highlighted Denizenne Fuzzybear Lioness' role in Project Valour-IT - the voice-activated laptops for wounded troops.
Fuzzy virtually denies it, and hides behind her fluttering fan here.
I left this comment on her post - which I am putting here because she *can't* delete it.
Heh. Don't believe her, folks.
Sure, Chuck Ziegenfuss and his wife Carren were involved. But Chuck said, publicly, that Beth was the force that made it happen. After all, Chuck was wounded, couldn't type that well and was on some pretty good drugs. So Fuzzy caught that lateral and took off downfield. Matt, Lex, and I made the mistake of being in her way.
She's the one who kidnapped Matt, Lex (who even as we speak is corrupting Denizennes Brab and BCR while whining and dining in Seattle) and I, took us to an undisclosed location, and tickled us with feathers and schmeared chocolate on us until we agreed to be her blogslaves and do her bidding for Valour-IT.
Matt and I just did what we were taught in SERE School - survive. Lex spilled his guts and cried like a baby.
Oh, sure, the Great Folks at Soldier's Angels were a big help, as were (and are) all the volunteers, whether live and in person, or fiscally and digitally via the blogs.
But Beth was the driving force, make no mistake.
And anything she says to the contrary is just embarrassing drivel designed to throw you off the scent.
She's the heroine.
Don't let her fool you.
Because when you watch the moving hand, the other one will slip into your heart and empty your wallet for Valour-IT.
That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.
BTW - when was the last time you dipped into your beer/chai money and sent some to Project Valour-IT? Memorial Day is coming up - that sounds like a ready-made holiday to use as an excuse.
Skip a 6-pack this weekend, and send that money instead to Project Valour-IT by clicking on the Cox and Forkum cartoon below. Or skip that Magnum of Mouton-Cadet you were thinking about. Or that keg. Have burgers instead of filets... you know what to do.

Doncha feel better already?
May 22, 2006
H&I Fires* May 22
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...
Ain't this pretty? And Bill is older'n both of 'em! If you liked that one - you'll really like this one (that's screen saver/wallpaper material there)!
Welcome to the dark side of war - where the bad guys hide among the innocent to better survive themselves. Events like this make for sleepless nights for the targeteers, and even worse nights for the pilots. But if you, as some would have it - totally abjure striking the enemy when he does this... then you might as well surrender and go home. Of course, that's exactly what some would have us do. For those among you who think the strike was illegal under the conventions - as long as the least force practicable was applied against a legitimate target, especially a target using protected areas as sanctuary, it's a legal strike.
Another corrupt incumbent who needs to leave Congress?
Chapomatic is spot on. Look to the small papers.
Heh. A Submariner takes on a "Ranger"... -The Armorer
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An open letter to Hilton Corp - FbL
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Carnival of the Recipes... Crockpot Edition! -The Armorer
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Since I'm home for lunch, and just about *everybody* who is anybody is blogging about Jesse MacBeth - I'll point you to this round up of posts about this poseur.
The only thing I have to add to this (and it's in no way definitive) - there are 7 MacBeth's in the AKO White Pages, which is supposed to have just about everybody in it - including retirees like me, and (unless he had an enlistment contract different from mine) soldiers whose active term ended and they moved into the IRR - like MacBeth claims to be. None of the seven in AKO are named Jesse, and none of them fit any of the other criteria. Just sayin'. -The Armorer.
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Commentary from the Sharp-Horned middle of the road - RINO Sightings are up at DANEgerus. -The Armorer
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Heh. Data on 26.5 *million* veterans, including name, DOB and SSN, were stolen from the home computer of a VA employee dipstick (and I only slam the 1 guy, *my* interactions with the VA have been generally favorable, if intially slow - the check arrives on time, however). The *home* computer of this cretin. Well, one can only hope that charges are pending, and that the only reason he hasn't been fired yet is because Due Process must be observed.
Even if the data is never used, there are several legal violations. You may press charges in my name.
Fortunately, because Sears Credit suffered a cranial infarct, a Fraud Alert for my name and SSN is already in place.
26.5 million? That's got to be pretty close to the entire veteran population of the nation.
The story is here. -The Armorer
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Fuzzybear made Fox News! Along with some other guys. -The Armorer
************************
Flash Traffic (extended entry) Follows... »
*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 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 that particular topic. It's also an open trackback, so if (Don Surber uses it this way a lot) someone has a post they're proud of, but it really isn't either Castle kind of stuff, or topical to a particular post, I've basically given blanket permission to use that post for that purpose. Another term of art that might be appropriate is "Free Fire Zone".
« Secure this line!
by
Denizens
on
May 22, 2006
|
General Commentary
»
Fuzzilicious Thinking links with:
Fuzzy on FOX (Ack!)
»
High Desert Wanderer links with:
Wallpaper material
Yo, MSM-bubbas!
Ry comments thusly on the Jesse MacBeth story:
THe pogue:
Makes me wonder what these reporters are doing. van Stanwyk has a point. Why aren't major news orgs tapping into the veterans for fact checking and the like on these types of stories? I wouldn't know to what to look into to double check the guys story either, but John apparently ended this whole thing in 3 minutes without having to do a photo analysis(like at B-5).
The fact that they don't makes me laugh SO hard when they talk about 'diversity in the newsroom'.
To which I reply:
...about the MSM, several reasons come to mind.
1. The story supported the reporter's conscious or subconscious thesis, so what checking is required? It sounded right, right?
2. The MSM is still leery of blogs that are not "their own kind".
3. Heck, the PAOs are leery of us. I got into a credentialing discussion with a PAO on just that issue. Who vets the milblogs? The PAO can blame Fox/MSNBC/CBS etc for their journalists. They can only blame themselves if they come to us.
4. That said, there are some milblogs that have good reps, certainly. It wouldn't hurt the MSM to ask. But let's face it - about the last thing they want to do is become beholden to us on the right - because then they'd get savaged from the left, a place many of them are more comfortable with.
That said - reporters are free to ask me for info on background. I can at least point them in whatever direction they ought to head for some fact checking.
I'm also available for photo analysis... of course the process I went through there might not give them too much comfort, since I changed my mind when I realized I had gotten target-fixated... of course, I publish my corrections a bajillion times faster than they do theirs...
The Da Vinci Code
Saw it yesterday, after I dropped SWWBO off at the airport. Haven't read the book.
The movie is Dogma without Jay and Silent Bob (returning to a theater near you in Clerks II!), and suffers for it. Well, there *is* the water walking scene... I'd say it poses about as great a threat to the Catholic Church or Christian Faith in general as Dogma did (i.e., slim to none). I left with my faith as intact as it was when it went in. Though I'd look good in a Templar Suit.
People whose faith is already twitchy or warped and not well grounded will find fodder, certainly. But they'd have found it anyway.
Just as West Wing, Seven Days in May, JFK and other movies of that ilk have not brought about the downfall of the US Gov, Pope Benedict can, I think rest easy.
It was not Hank's best performance, but it was certainly better than the snippets in the trailers I saw and the reviews led me to believe it would be. Jurgen Prochnow's talents were wasted, and Jean Reno did the usual workmanlike job he does in all the movies I've seen him in. Audrey Tautou is not my cup of tea, but she recites her lines well enough. Ian McKellen chews the scenery for my taste, but I've liked Alfred Molina as a villain since he played Satipo in Raiders of the Lost Ark - and who can forget Boris 'The Butcher' Blavasky of The Man Who Knew Too Little?
As for all the catcalls and hoots coming from the Chattering Classes at Cannes and elsewhere, I share Ron Howard's opinion - the movie going public will like it, and yet won't march on Rome to overthrow The Council and dismember Opus Dei, nor start a Mary Magdalen cult (beyond what may already exist).
Nor did I leave the movie thinking that albinos are freaks, easily manipulated and prone to self-flagellation (Some albino advocacy groups are annoyed with the movie). I left it thinking that Silas' life certainly sucked, and he really needed spiritual help (and counseling, lots of counseling) rather than shabby manipulation - but hey - they were Bad Guys doing the manipulating, whattaya expect?
But I'm sure the Chattering Classes thought that Hank's character's Act of Faith at the end of the movie was just amusing as all get-out - imagine that - Faith in something other than a Secular Hedonism, or some New Age Gaia worship (while in the same breath decrying the validity of Christian Spirituality as rank superstition). Oops. They should have been kewl with it, as it *did* involve pyramids and crystals... Actually, they should be all over this - it's a Chalice thing (in the way the story intends the meaning). If that last line didn't mean anything to you - read the book or see the movie.
Now, my good conservative Catholic/Protestant buds won't be thrilled with Hanks' acceptance of The Priory's premise... but then, again, so what? The Sekrit is Safe. And so is the Scion.
It's a movie, and a story, and not a bad yarn, with an intriguing mix of jumbled history. Check your prejudices at the door, grant Howard & Co the necessary Willing Suspension of Disbelief, and you'll enjoy the movie, with it's themes of redemption and belief, however different from current practice and doctrine they are. Don't go for instruction, nor good documented history.
Besides, like I said, I like the Templar Suits.
But I don't think the movie is worthy of all the angst.
I'll not be buying it on DVD, but I don't mind having paid $4 for the early matinee.
Update: Heh. Apparently I didn't see the same movie Michael Novak did. It looks familiar, but I just didn't see the vitriol and hate. Especially not hatred of Christ. A distaste for some aspects of Catholic history, and of a mythical element of the current Catholic Church, as envisioned in the movie, yes. The rest of it? Nope. I musta gone to the can during that segment.
National Maritime Day, Part 2, the Present.

National Maritime Day Proclamation 2006
A Proclamation
by the President of the United States of America
The United States Merchant Marine plays an important role in ensuring our national security and strengthening our economy. As we celebrate National Maritime Day and the 70th anniversary of the Merchant Marine Act, we pay tribute to merchant mariners and their faithful service to our Nation.
Since 1775, merchant mariners have bravely served our country, and in 1936, the Merchant Marine Act officially established their role in our military as a wartime naval auxiliary. During World War II, merchant mariners were critical to the delivery of troops and supplies overseas, and they helped keep vital ocean supply lines operating. President Franklin D. Roosevelt praised these brave merchant mariners for persevering "despite the perils of the submarine, the dive bomber, and the surface raider." Today's merchant mariners follow those who courageously served before them as they continue to provide crucial support for our Nation's service men and women. America is grateful for their commitment to excellence and devotion to duty.
In addition to helping defend our country, merchant mariners facilitate commerce by importing and exporting goods throughout the world. They work with our Nation's transportation industry to share their valuable skills and experience in ship maintenance, navigation, and cargo transportation. This past year, the good work and compassion of merchant mariners also played an important role in hurricane relief efforts. Ships brought urgently needed supplies to the devastated areas, provided assistance for oil spill cleanup, generated electricity, and provided meals and lodging for recovery workers and evacuees.
In recognition of the importance of the U.S. Merchant Marine, the Congress, by joint resolution approved on May 20, 1933, as amended, has designated May 22 of each year as "National Maritime Day," and has authorized and requested that the President issue an annual proclamation calling for its appropriate observance.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 22, 2006, as National Maritime Day. I call upon all the people of the United States to mark this observance by honoring the service of merchant mariners and by displaying the flag of the United States at their homes and in their communities. I also request that all ships sailing under the American flag dress ship on that day.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this nineteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirtieth.
George W. Bush

National Maritime Day, Part 1. The Past.

War Shipping Administration Press Release, Maritime Day 1945
Military Leaders Praise Merchant Marine
Holt Maritime 62 PR 2277 (W)
WAR SHIPPING ADMINISTRATION
Washington
ADVANCE RELEASE
Friday Afternoon Papers
May 18, 1945
Radio Release: 7 AM, EWT, Friday, May 18. Cleared and Released
Through Facilities of the
Office of War Information
Maritime Day tributes from the leaders of American armed forces to the men of the Merchant Marine for delivering the goods to the battlefronts have been received, the War Shipping Administration announced today.
These include statements from General George C. Marshall, U. S. Army Chief Staff; Admiral E. J. King, Commander in Chief, United States Fleet, and Chief Naval Operations; General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander; Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet and Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas; and Lieutenant General Alexander A. Vandergrift, United States Marine Corps Commandant.
General Marshall commented on the Merchant Marine's participation in war:
"America's Merchant Marine has carried out its war mission with great distinction, and has demonstrated its ability to meet the challenge of redeploying our full power to the Pacific."
The job being done by the Merchant Marine was praised by Admiral King who said:
"The Armed Forces, with the help of the Merchant Marine, have pushed the fighting 5,000 miles west. Together, they'll go the rest of the way."
Devotion to duty by the men at sea was praised by General Eisenhower:
"The officers and men of the Merchant Marine, by their devotion to duty in the face of enemy action, as well as natural dangers of the sea, have brought us the tools to finish the job. Their contribution to final victory will be long remembered."
The role played by merchant mariners over the globe was described by Admiral Nimitz as follows:
"The United States Merchant Marine played an important part in the achievement victory in Europe, and it is destined to play an even more important role in helping to finish off the Japanese. To move great quantities of war materials principal sources of supply across 6,000 miles of ocean to battlefronts in the Far East is the formidable task now confronting our merchant fleet. We are confident it will be done quickly and efficiently in keeping with the high standards of accomplishment set by the Merchant Marine in every war in our history."
General Vandegrift pointed out how the Marine Corps has been aided in its invasions by the Merchant Marine in saying:
"The men and ships of the Merchant Marine have participated in every landing operation by the United States Marine Corps from Guadalcanal to Iwo Jima - - and we know they will be at hand with supplies and equipment when American amphibious forces hit the beaches of Japan itself. On Maritime Day we of the Marine Corps salute the men of the merchant fleet."
If you want the details on the service and sacrifice of the Merchant Marine - click here.

May 21, 2006
H&I Fires* 21 May
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...
From CAPT H comes this anecdote from W.F. Deedes, writing in The Telegraph:
A locket found in the wreck of the Titanic has just been sold for £58,000. I don't altogether like the idea of snuffling, like pigs seeking truffles, for treasures in what in reality is a gigantic graveyard. But then again, as some readers of this column will know, I am prejudiced.
I was born a year after that disaster and I grew up with legendary tales of what went on that terrible night on the north Atlantic. It spanned the range of human behaviour - courage, cowardice, stupidity, carelessness and sacrifice. At the age of about eight, I can remember pulling a book about it off one of my father's shelves.
"Put it back," he said sternly. "The man who wrote that book jumped into a lifeboat while women drowned."
I grew up, too, with the psychological consequences of the Titanic disaster. We had been on top of the world, inventive, enterprising and learning how to conquer the air, inspiring Swinburne's line, "Glory to Man in the highest, for he is the master of things". The Titanic disaster made many wonder if that was true.
Indeed. Put that back. The residents of New Orleans should have considered that before re-electing the Empty Suit to the Mayoralty.
If retiring Representative Murtha is your jones for this election cycle, Diana Irey has been suggested as a replacement. (Since she's the only candidate opposing hm, that's rather a d-uh statement). It's not my direct fight (which isn't to say I won't contribute, but I'm pretty sure I'd be annoyed about a lot of out-of-district money suddenly trying to buy my local elections - yeah, I know, it happens anyway and we just don't see it. I'm a naif, I admit it.). However, I find it mildly distasteful that nowhere on her website does she mention her party affiliation. I know, I know, it's obvious enough - it's just a trend in politics that perturbs me. And should *really* perturb the parties. But I say - send some new blood to Congress. Of course, I think we should send new right-wing blood to Congress, too. Knock out the extremists (hey, define that how you like) in the primaries, especially in relatively safe seats. It's not like they aren't already the Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight. Keep the Right in power, but change the hands on the levers. -The Armorer
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Heh. Doc Russia makes his opinion of Representative Murtha clear. -The Armorer.
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My first gig as guest blogger... So sad to see Cassandra losing her judgement like that.
And an update on the Mayor of Tal Afar who wrote that beautiful thank you letter to the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. He's visiting the U.S. now and his gratitude hasn't faded. He expresses it in typical Iraqi fashion:
Al Jibouri, dressed in a black suit with a lavender tie, said he was glad to be back among them.
"Are you truly my friends?" he asked through a translator. "Yes. I walk a happier man because you are my friends. You are the world to me. I smell the sweet perfume that emanates from your flower of your strength, honor and greatness in every corner of Tal Afar. The nightmares of terror fled when the lion of your bravery entered our city."
Read it all. And don't miss the picture of regimental commander H.R. McMaster with Al Jibouri in
Powerline's observations, either.
Greyhawk has an excellent report on Tal Afar, too.
The Italian Embassy hosts a Friday night dinner for the wounded. They really rolled out the red carpet. More here, including a link to lots of pictures. [h/t Greyhawk on Milblogs] - FbL
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Flash Traffic (extended entry) Follows... »
*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 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 that particular topic. It's also an open trackback, so if (Don Surber uses it this way a lot) someone has a post they're proud of, but it really isn't either Castle kind of stuff, or topical to a particular post, I've basically given blanket permission to use that post for that purpose. Another term of art that might be appropriate is "Free Fire Zone".
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by
Denizens
on
May 21, 2006
|
General Commentary
»
Blue Star Chronicles links with:
Progressive Hypocrisy
»
Blue Star Chronicles links with:
Not Worthy of Respect
New Whatziss? Challenge.
In the tradition started by Owen, another guest "Whatziss" this time provided by Murray, of Silent Running.
Mind you - I'm clueless on this. Murray is a former soldier of New Zealand, who now works on the worthy goal of eradicating Gnomelessness. He's also working on a new house plaque for Castle Argghhh! which we anticipate will be rather kewl. Ah, our ego knows no bounds!
Anyway - here's the object in question:

Another view.
The gridded background in the shots are 10mm squares, btw.
And the rather cryptic clue Murray provided...
What is it, why did it cost $15,000 to replace and what sort of "wings"
did I earn doing it?
by
John
on
May 21, 2006
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General Militaria
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Stop The ACLU links with:
Sunday Funnies
I'll take two, please.
Via Coast Guard Dad Larry comes this! The Armorer can buy what passes for a Castle here in the States!!!

And while it *is* in New York, the Armorer could indulge himself by keeping an eye on those tricksy syrup-eating Canajuns, while at the *same time* trying to scarf up sufficient land on the Canadian side of this tract to build an Annex to hold Canadian early-spec deactivated weapons, which are *much* kewler and complete than their American counter-parts. Not to mention that you don't *have* to deactivate artillery and such up there, and stuff like that is a *lot* cheaper in Canada than in the US... so the holdings of the Arsenal could expand - *and* be displayed in... a Castle! Not too mention it's at the end of a 700 foot causeway, so the parties wouldn't disturb the neighbors. Too much. The shooting might... but we could build a range on the Castle grounds that would be safe enough, I think. Oh frabjous day!
Well, okay, the artillery would present a challenge, but the lake looks pretty empty in the pic, donnit?
There's just the problem of that dang lottery ticket, now.
Something you won't see in an Arab Military writing collection.
Thanks to the nature of the MSM - and it's consumer base, and, to a lesser extent blogging, too (we want traffic, boring-but-important-stuff doesn't generate traffic, it's just some of us don't care as much about traffic as others, thanks to Google), what we don't see, absent the pronouncements of the Generals and Secretaries (the post below) there is actually a *lot* of paddling going on under the surface. By those order-taking unthinking Myrmidons the left is so, um, well, you know what I mean. Anyway - here's something you won't see much of in Arab professional journals. No, not the subject matter - the author, and the whole underlying premise tied up therein. And *if* we make that change in the Iraqi military, we will have done some potential, long-term, society-changing good.
Such as this article, *featured* in the US Army Professional Writing Collection.
Winning the Nationbuilding War
While I was in Samac, Bosnia, an Assistant Secretary of Defense visited my unit- A Troop, 1st Squadron, 104th Cavalry, Pennsylvania Army National Guard. One of the things he said was, "We have gotten pretty good at killing people." In retrospect, this was an understatement. As Saddam Hussein found out, the United States can reach almost any corner of the world with real power. Unfortunately, it does not seem to be quite as efficient at nationbuilding.
Construction is more difficult than destruction, and nationbuilding operations can be long, complex, and expensive. America's mission in Bosnia has lasted several years, and no U.S. official has yet mentioned terminating operations. U.S. forces also are still in Afghanistan, and U.S. forces in Iraq have suffered more casualties since the end of major military operations than during initial operations.
As a Vietnam-era veteran, I doubt the United States has the financial capability or the political will to occupy large segments of the world semipermanently. Yet, the potential costs of not engaging in nationbuilding might be horrific. How can we shorten the commitment and reduce the cost of nationbuilding? How can the U.S. military be as efficient at nationbuilding as it is at killing people? The answer is to have the right tools, the right people, and the right processes for the job at hand.
Read the rest - and meet the author, Staff Sergeant George E. Anderson III, by clicking here.
Flash Traffic (extended entry) Follows... »
The Right Process
Before World War II, the Germans reorganized their army in a new way and, in doing so, changed the nature of war. The blitzkrieg was highly efficient and effective. Today, little doubt exists that the U.S. Army has the structure and processes in place for victory in any conventional conflict, but when the contest has less to do with destructive power than with winning hearts and minds, is the Army organized and manned in the most efficient, effective manner to win? The assessment made by many of those critical of the numerous peacekeeping operations throughout the globe is that it is not.
The military's role in peacekeeping is to maintain a safe, secure environment. Little else is asked. Nationbuilding is seen as a separate, distinct diplomatic enterprise. Given the current structure and manning of the military force, this seems like a rational division of responsibility.
Unfortunately, as former U.S. Congressman Thomas P. (Tip) O'Neill once said, "All politics is local!" Most human interactions during nationbuilding occur between members of the Armed Forces and the local community. Few Iraqis have encountered Coalition Provisional Authority administrator L. Paul Bremmer, but many have had interactions with U.S. soldiers. The millions of interactions Iraqis have with the Armed Forces create lasting impressions about Americans, and the impressions either support or diminish U.S. efforts.
The ultimate goal of nationbuilding is to establish a self-sustaining country friendly to the United States. To do so, the U.S. military must use all its assets effectively. The United States should structure, man, and employ forces to ensure the peace and optimize nationbuilding through quality interactions with civilian populations. Soldiers must go beyond being peacekeepers and become nationbuilders.
Up, Not Down
Ford's assembly line and the Army's rigid top-down command structure are good examples of the top-down approach to management that dominated the latter half of the 19th century and all of the 20th century. All organizational actions, down to the most elemental movements of the workforce, were controlled from the top. In combat operations, this type of management philosophy has proven highly effective.
Unfortunately, the top-down system has been less successful in nationbuilding. Top-down management encourages exaggerating good news and minimizing bad news. Run that tendency through several layers of command and the chance is slim of higher headquarters understanding what is important in any exchange between a nationbuilder and a civilian.
A Vietnam war story provides one example of failure of the top-down command structure. The command decided that building local schools would be a good hearts and minds thing to do. Military forces went into local villages and built schools. Ceremonies were conducted to celebrate the wonderful advance the new schools represented. Pictures were taken. Speeches were made. Officers congratulated each other. And, shortly thereafter, the Vietnamese burned the schools down.
The decision to construct schools was a top-down decision. No one asked the villagers what they thought about it. The villagers were not involved in the decision or the construction. As a result, they saw the school not as a benefit, but as a tool of repression.
During my tour of duty in Bosnia, my unit met an older gentleman who asked us for help. We went to his home where he pointed out a man-size pit in his back yard, which he believed was an unmarked grave. He asked for help to investigate the situation and hopefully bring closure to some family's grief.
I promised to see if I could get some help, and I reported the situation up my chain of command. I reported it four times, but I never found out any information for the villager. My superiors took no action or allowed me to do so; it was not a command priority. We did nothing other than embarrass ourselves.
Did the villager blame me personally? No, but he concluded that Americans had little interest in his concerns. The United States missed a chance to make a friend and an opportunity to shorten our stay in Bosnia.
Bottom-Up Success
The weapons harvest is a semiannual event in Bosnia in which the Stabilization Force (SFOR) attempts to remove militarygrade weapons from the civilian population. Different units take different approaches. My unit took a positive, supporting approach. The local authorities were in charge. We would help. They set the dates and locations for action and coordinated the effort. We did not threaten or intimidate the civilian populace, and by taking this approach, we secured several antitank weapons; hundreds of automatic weapons, grenades, and rocket-propelled grenades; and hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition.
Other SFOR contingents took a top-down approach. With minimal coordination with local authorities, SFOR soldiers searched local homes with or without owners' consent. One unit that had taken this intrusive approach confiscated only an old pistol and one hand grenade after several weeks of work. The skills required to conduct a successful military operation are not the skills required for nationbuilding.
The Small Hammer
When my unit arrived in Bosnia, we spent 2 weeks with the unit we were replacing to learn the mission. My predecessor told me he would introduce me to the mayor of the local village in our area of responsibility. He explained that the mayor was a difficult man who dodged meetings, did not like Americans, and only tolerated our presence. When we arrived at the townhall, a secretary informed us the mayor was in a meeting and would be unable to see us. My predecessor announced, "I am SFOR! The mayor will see me now!" We then stomped up the stairs and barged into the mayor's meeting. I do not speak Serbo- Croatian, but I could read the mayor's body language: he was quite unhappy with the intrusion. My predecessor's problem was less the mayor's dislike for Americans than his dislike for a particular American. However, my predecessor executed the mission the way he had been instructed. His only requirement was to maintain a safe, secure environment. Unfortunately, he acted more like a conqueror than a nationbuilder.
A few weeks later, I went back to the townhall and asked for an appointment to see the mayor at his convenience. Then I made sure I was there when he was willing to see me. I did so because it was good manners and because my unit would be both safer and more effective with the mayor as an ally, not an adversary. Eventually, the mayor and I were able to work well together. He was not anti-American. He simply wanted to be treated with the respect he deserved as the town's mayor. Good manners go a long way in any culture.
Uncommon task training
The skills nationbuilders need to be effective, which are not now in common task training manuals, fall into two categories: interpersonal communication skills and areaspecific knowledge. The ability to speak the local language is critical to the ability to communicate. The use of interpreters is a poor substitute for communicating directly. Speaking the language immediately confers a status far beyond simple communication and is the first big step toward trust. Communication skills can be learned. The sales industry has developed countless communication models that can be adapted easily to communication in nationbuilding. After all, the United States is attempting to "sell" some of its basic beliefs.
The Reserve Component contains a reservoir of uncataloged civilian skills. Making a living as an architect has little application in combat operations, but the same ability could have great application in nationbuilding. The Army should catalog and certify such reservist civilian skills and use them when appropriate.
The great Broadway show The Music Man opens with the musical number "You Gotta Know the Territory!" Knowing the territory is vital and entails more than understanding geography; it entails appreciating how the locals think of themselves as a group.
Not many people wake up in the morning and say, My culture and I are worthless and insignificant. People need to respect themselves, especially in uncertain times. Every group has some accomplishment it can point to with pride. The way to create support for nationbuilding is to respect, appreciate, and acknowledge the local people's historic contributions. Area-specific knowledge should include understanding local customs; cultural and political history; and the current political situation.
Understanding the current situation entails understanding people. Who are the significant players in the area who shape opinion-the employers, the clergy, the head of the local education system? Who is in charge of utilities, police, and insurance? Who controls the media? Where do they live? What are they trying to achieve professionally and personally? All politics is local. The discovery and effective handoff of such information is vital to nation-building.
My predecessor in Bosnia did as he had been taught. The transition briefing book he provided contained pictures of significant locations, the townhall, the police station, and local churches and mosques. Unfortunately, it contained not one word on the townspeople. In less than a week, I knew where every building was. Six months later, I was still learning about the people. One man had just lost his wife of 30 years. Another wrote poetry. One individual liked chocolate. Another was threatening his neighbors. An effective nationbuilder must understand people and relate to them, not buildings. The briefing book we gave our successors was 20 percent locations and 80 percent personalities. The book gave our successors a real resource on which to build in dealing with people. Unfortunately, I believe we were the exception rather than the rule.
The Army should develop current civil affairs units into highly effective, efficient nationbuilding units by building on their existing base of expertise and training them for region-specific nationbuilding missions, including training in the language, customs, culture, history, and significant individuals in their areas. These units would differ from today's civil affairs units in several ways. They would not be nationbuilders; they would be new units with a unique designation and unique uniforms, demonstrating to the world that the United States has moved from fighting to nationbuilding.
Unlike current civil affairs units that provide technical expertise, future nationbuilders would assist and provide governance. Soldiers need to know how to destroy targets. Nationbuilders need to know how to create good impressions and build formidable relationships. They are one part diplomat and one part soldier. We want first-line nationbuilders to be smart, educated, and capable of assessing situations and taking independent actions within the general guidelines set forth by the higher command. We want our nationbuilders to be open, approachable, and easy to communicate with. We want nationbuilders who understand and care about the locals. We want nationbuilders to dialogue first and rely on force only as a last resort.
We want our soldiers to have none of these qualities. The U.S. soldier should be the wrath of God, able to bring death and destruction anywhere at any time. Let the nationbuilder be the good guy and the soldier the bad guy. Attempting to have the same people in the same uniforms perform both roles confuses those around us as well as ourselves.
We must invest more instruction in cultural studies and communications techniques. We must recruit the type of individuals we want and retain them. At the end of combat operations, nationbuilder units would deploy to the country to take over first-line responsibility. Combat units would be kept in reserve for a period of time in case of emergency.
As nationbuilding progressed, the nature and size of reserve combat forces could be altered without any noticeable change to the level of engagement. Finally, as efforts matured, the nationbuilders would phase themselves out and local authorities would assume control.
The Benefits
A bottom-up command structure with properly trained, proactive nationbuilders would-
• Improve U.S. standing in-country.
• Increase the effectiveness of diplomatic efforts and the safety of the troops.
• Decrease the costs of operations and unit formation.
• Reduce engagement time.
• Improve the readiness of conventional forces.
History is full of examples of countries that have won the conventional war, but lost the nationbuilding war. In Vietnam, we learned that you do not win a person's heart and mind by kicking him in the butt. Unfortunately, we have yet to learn the most efficient way to win hearts and minds.
Nationbuilding's effect on a client state can be profound and more enduring than that achieved solely through diplomatic efforts. A properly trained nationbuilding force cannot supplant traditional diplomatic efforts, but it can greatly enhance them.
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We loooooooooove Nationbuilding now!
Those Brit generals are finally making some headway, though we'll never say so as such.
No Conflict Between Warfighting, Nontraditional Missions, Leaders Say
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 19, 2006 – Supporting nontraditional missions and humanitarian crises doesn't detract from the defense mission, but rather, builds important relationships around the world, strengthens capabilities and fills vital needs, top defense leaders said here today.
"When our nation sends its armed forces to tsunami relief in Indonesia (or) to earthquake relief in Pakistan, we are showing the very best qualities of this nation: our compassion, our concern for others, our willingness to reach out and help others," Joint Chiefs Chairman Marine Gen. Peter Pace said during a Pentagon town hall meeting. "That's a great thing for our armed forces to do."
"Arguably, what those forces did to help others understand this country, they did in a way that any number of divisions fighting on a battlefield could never do," Pace said. "So it is well worth our time and energy to do the good works of our nation."
The military's primary focus must always remain on warfighting and the ability to counter both conventional and irregular, asymmetric threats, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told the audience.
But when disaster strikes or a serious need arises, Rumsfeld said the military force -- with 1.4 million active-duty and 1.2 million reserve-component members - often brings capabilities no one else can match.
He pointed to Hurricane Katrina as an example, with 50,000 National Guard and 20,000 active-duty troops committed to the relief effort within days. "No other institution could have done that," he said.
Still Awake? The rest is in the Flash Traffic/Extended Entry.
Flash Traffic (extended entry) Follows... »
Similarly, following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the U. S. was faced with putting people into the airports capable of maintaining security, or shutting those airports down.
"Well, there wasn't any department or agency - federal, state or local - that could instantaneously put in those airports some folks who could on an interim basis provide that kind of security and assistance, and then transfer it over to the Department of Transportation," Rumsfeld said.
Rumsfeld called the decision "a rational use of taxpayer assets." With the American people's estimated $500 billion annual investment in its military, it's reasonable for them to expect the military to step in to support other missions as it's able, he said.
"We have a standing capability that has the purpose of deterring people form attacking and defending our country to the extent it is required," he said. "On the other hand, it's there, and there is no reason it ought not to be used from time to time for things that no rational person would have invested in just to have on standby, in case there's a Hurricane Katrina (that) comes along."
That's exactly how Rumsfeld said he looks at the newly announced National Guard border security mission. With the National Guard making up just 19 percent of the U.S. military force in Iraq, the Guard has the assets available to support the mission, he said.
"What is wrong - and I can't find anything wrong - with a plan that on an interim basis, temporarily, we would provide 6,000 out of 450,000 people who will do doing it on their active duty for training for two weeks?" Rumsfeld said. "They will go down there (and) do exactly what they do in their training. & They are not going to be out with guns, standing on the border, shooting at people trying to come across the border. They are not law enforcement."
Rather, Rumsfeld said, the guardsmen will support the U.S. Border Patrol as it beefs up its force and moves its own members from support to operational jobs. "The Border Patrol that are in the tail as opposed to the teeth end of the Border Patrol will be freed up to move into the teeth portion," he said.
A lot of misinformation is circulating around about the mission, the secretary acknowledged. "People imagine that we're going to go down there, stay there forever, (and) that it's a whole new role for the Department of Defense," he said. "It isn't. We're simply doing it on an interim basis, just like we do with firefighting."
When wildfires rage in the Western U. S., the military, primarily the National Guard, regularly answers the call for support, he said.
"People weren't recruited into the military to go fight fires," Rumsfeld said. "But by golly, the Guard and Reserve does that every year. They do it because somebody has to go do it for a short period of time, and there are people (in the military) who have those skill sets.
"So I feel good about it," he said. "I think it's the right thing to do."
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