News and Personal dispatches from the front lines.
In their own words:
Kaboom: A Soldier's War Journal: The Oath - Below is the Oath of Office for commissioned Officers in the United States Army. I’ve taken it twice; the first the day I was commissioned, the second on the day I was promoted to First Lieutenant: "I, _____, having been appointed an officer in the Army of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of _____ do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God." Not that anyone who has taken that oath twice has the right to dabble in revisionist postscripts, but the only part of that I ever had trouble with was the “without any mental reservations” aspect. (READ MORE)
From an Anthropological Perspective: Ethnoarcheology and Contemporary Archeology - There is no set methodology yet for doing/ human terrain studies. Figuring out some of this methodology is part of my job and one of the reasons I joined the program. What a challenge! Fortunately I was exposed to all four fields in anthropology (biological/physical, archeology, socio-cultural, and linguistics). I took a graduate course in ethnoarcheology while a senior undergraduate at the University of Hawaii taught by two University of Arizona alums, both of whom studied under the the same advisor. This was the New Archeology of Lewis Binford et. al., who was the research advisor of my professors' professor. Yes, one of the two professors was my father. So you see there is lineage in the way we are trained. My socio-cultural training at the University of Illinois goes back to Margaret Mead, but that is a different post, perhaps. (READ MORE)
Tina Susman in Baghdad: IRAQ: Hey Buddy, Keep it Down!!! Please. - The scene was straight from a New York cafe, only this was Baghdad. Some coffee drinkers at one table were chatting to me about current events when a cell phone rang. It belonged to a man at a nearby table. He answered it and lapsed into the habit many people have while speaking on cell phones: bellowing down the line as if conversing with someone at the other end of a long tunnel. As the man's voice blasted through the cafe, drowning out even the bad pop music blaring from a radio, the people at our table looked at each other in amazement. "He's awfully loud," one said politely to nobody in particular. (READ MORE)
Tony Perry in Iraq: IRAQ: The anti- Berkeley - The news has been full of stories about the opposition of some residents of in Berkeley, Calif., to having a Marine Corps recruiting office in their city. The city of Dana Point, just north of Camp Pendleton, takes a different view of the Marines. Backed by the Chamber of Commerce, the city "adopted" the 5th Marine regiment in 2004. It has organized many events for troops and for the families of those killed in action. On Friday, the latest Dana Point gift boxes were distributed: two Humvees full of bags of home-baked oatmeal cookies, Bibles, blankets, and Nissin Cup Noodles. (READ MORE)
The Angry American: Leisurely Stroll - We made a turn on the road just before the one we were about to walk on. A bright spot light from a tank signaled the lead vehicle to stop. The unit in front of us was "interrogating" a possible IED. Communication between our convoy and theirs told us it would a moment until the EOD team planted a charge on the possible IED and detonated it in place. 30 minutes went by and we got the 5 minute warning. Some of us broke out our cameras and begin to video hoping to catch the explosion. I held mine up to my night vision believing I would film the bright flash. I stopped taping for a minute to conserve memory space on my camera and wouldn't you know it they blew that fucker. It was a pretty lack luster explosion and we weren't able to see a damn thing. (READ MORE)
Back Stateside but still writing about Iraq:
A Surgeon's Letters Home From Iraq: 15 FEB 2008 Wheelchairs for Iraqi Children - Today M. and I read a wonderful story about Brad Blauser, a American contractor who has organized to donate wheelchairs to disabled Iraqi children. As I watched the report, so many aspects resonated with things I had seen in Iraq. There are such poor services for handicapped children in Iraq. A disabled child is likely to live their life, tucked away from the world in a bed or on a couch. There is great value to the Iraqi culture's focus on the private life of the extended family. (READ MORE)
News from the Front:
IRAQ:
Al Qaeda Fighters Flee Cities, Head for Desert or Out of Iraq - A surge in military operations and a shift in local support in northern Iraq has driven many al Qaeda fighters out of cities that once provided them safe haven and into the desert, or even out of the country, a commander in the region said Monday. Citizens in the four-province region of Multi-National Division - North have begun shifting their support to Coalition and Iraqi forces in “droves,” and security gains are increasingly putting extremists on the run with no clear place to go to be safe... (READ MORE)
Barriers save lives after explosion in Sadr City - BAGHDAD – An automobile transporting munitions and explosives prematurely detonated reportedly killing two Iraqis and wounding 25 in Sadr City Feb. 14. At approximately 1 p.m., the Iraqi Police at the Sadr City Joint Security Station reported the detonation. The IPs and elements of the 3rd Brigade, 11th Iraqi Army Division, were on scene and providing security within 10 minutes of the incident. (READ MORE)
Coalition targets suicide bombing cell, IED network; three killed, 10 detained - BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces killed three terrorists and detained 10 suspects Thursday and today during operations to disrupt al-Qaeda networks operating in northern and central Iraq. During an operation in Mosul Thursday morning, Coalition forces targeted alleged associates of an al-Qaeda in Iraq senior leader and foreign terrorist facilitator. Reports indicate that one of the targeted individuals is a leader of a suicide bombing cell in the city and involved in attacks against Coalition and Iraqi forces in the area. (READ MORE)
Wolfhounds capture brigade’s #1 high-value individual - CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Elements of 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team “Warrior,” 25th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, detained the brigade’s number-one high-value individual and his brother early Feb. 14. The two are suspected al Qaeda in Iraq as improvised-explosive device facilitators and are allegedly linked to a fatal IED attack Jan. 29. (READ MORE)
Munitions cache found near Jurf as Sakhr - FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – Coalition Forces found a weapon cache buried in a large mound of dirt in Jurf as Sakhr, Iraq, Feb. 10. The cache consisted of 120 mm, 82 mm and 23 mm munitions and mortar fuses. Soldiers from 3rd Platoon, Company A, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division found the cache through intelligence from local residents. (READ MORE)
ISOF, SOF detain four extremist suspects in separate operations - BALAD Iraq – Iraqi Security Forces, with U.S. Special Operations Forces advising, detained four suspected extremists in separate operations Feb. 11 and Feb. 12. In Fallujah, an Iraqi Special Weapons and Tactics team, advised by SOF, detained three suspected extremists in a Feb. 12 operation targeting an al Qaeda in Iraq affiliated terror cell. Reports indicate, the terror cell is responsible for improvised explosive device attacks against Iraqi and Coalition Forces. (READ MORE)
Attack helicopters respond to small-arms fire - ISKANDARIYAH, Iraq – Attack helicopters responded to a small-arms fire attack on Coalition Forces near the town of Jurf al-Sukr during the early morning hours Feb. 15. The helicopters engaged one structure with rockets. (READ MORE)
Iraqi Civil Defense Directorate hands over rocket, other munitions - FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA, Iraq – Coalition Forces received a weapon cache of more than 2,000 rounds at FOB Delta Feb. 13. The munitions were collected by the Iraqi Civil Defense Directorate from the villages of Numaniyah, Suveira, and al-Aziziyah. (READ MORE)
MND-B Soldiers find large weapons cache - BAGHDAD – Multi-National Division - Baghdad Soldiers discovered a substantial weapons and ammunitions cache in northwest Baghdad Feb. 15. Soldiers from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, acting on a tip from a local Iraqi, discovered the cache consisting of 80 81 mm mortar rounds, 38 120 mm mortar rounds, 33 107 mm rockets, one 60 mm mortar round, 500 anti-aircraft rounds, 50 rockets sleds and components, 30 hand grenades, 10 rocket propelled grenade rounds, five RPG launchers, five mortar tubes, seven new AK-47s, five MP5 submachine guns and 150 200-round belts of 7.62 mm ammunition. (READ MORE)
Iraqi National Police engage criminal element in Sha’ab - BAGHDAD, Iraq – Four Iraqi National Police officers were wounded during a firefight with approximately 40 armed members of an organized criminal element linked to the Arkan Hasnawi Special Groups Network Feb. 10 in the Baghdad neighborhood of Sha’ab After opening fire on an INP convoy, the suspected Special Groups members reportedly approached the convoy and demanded the police officers drop their weapons and become hostages. The INP refused and a firefight ensued. (READ MORE)
Iraqi Security Forces, U.S. Special Forces Detain Seven Suspected Terrorists - BAGHDAD – Iraqi Security Forces, with U.S. Special Forces advising, detained seven suspected terrorists during an operation targeting insurgent groups affiliated with al-Qaeda in Iraq Feb. 13. According to intelligence reports, the suspects are believed to be responsible for multiple improvised-explosive device attacks against Iraqi and Coalition Forces. (READ MORE)
Soldiers and Citizens Stand Together Following Terrorist Attack - CAMP TAJI — Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers recently conducted a consequence management mission, visiting local leaders of Fourteenth Ramadan, northwest of Baghdad. The Company C, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team “Warrior”, 25th Infantry Division, Soldiers conducted the mission in response to the recent assassination of one of the town’s local leaders. (READ MORE)
First Iraqi Police Recruits Arrive at Furat Training Center - BAGHDAD — More than 1,000 Iraqi recruits moved through a security checkpoint near the front entrance of the FuratTraining Center, Feb. 10. “We are here to become Iraqi Police (IP) officers, to get a good job and we are here for our country,” said Jabbav Mitir, one of the more than 1,000 IP recruits who arrived at the Furat Training Center to begin their training to become Iraqi policemen. (READ MORE)
Iraqi Detainees Housed, Rehabilitated with Dignity and Respect - CAMP BUCCA — While the spiraled rows of concertina wire, countless watch towers, and endless miles of fencing resemble that of detention facilities throughout the world, for the more than 600 Airmen deployed to the Theater Internment Facility (TIF) at Camp Bucca, the mission is unlike anything they've ever done. The facility, nestled in the southeast corner of Iraq, appears much the same from the outside as any other detention facility; however, inside it is much different... (READ MORE)
Soldiers See Need, Donate Wheelchair to Disabled Iraqi Boy - FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU — Despite nerve damage in his legs that confined him to a wheelchair, 7-year-old Yasser Mahmed was always in good spirits, waving to Soldiers passing through his neighborhood in Arab Jabour. The Soldiers of Company D, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division noticed the little boy, who relied on the legwork of his 12-year-old cousin, Ahmed Sluman, to propel his chair around. The boys’ teamwork inspired Soldiers of Company D to reach out and make a difference. (READ MORE)
Students Receive School Supplies Donated by N.Y. Girl Scouts - CAMP BUCCA — Students at Safwan School, located near Umm Qasr, recently received a gift of supplies and athletic equipment from the 887th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron (ESFS), Moody Air Force Base, Ga. The Airmen delivered dozens of supplies to the students, including paper, coloring books, pencils, crayons and hand-sewn book bags, as well as a dozen soccer balls. Many of the items were donated by Girl Scout Troop 76 from Cornwall, N.Y.(READ MORE)
AFGHANISTAN:
Afghan children begin school in Oruzgan - BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (Feb. 12, 2008) — More than 100 Afghan children in the village of Oshay began their school year Feb. 10 with a visit by Afghan National Army commandos from the 201st Kandak and Coalition forces. The soldiers showed their support for the school, teachers and students by providing notebooks, pens, pencils and other school supplies to the students. (READ MORE)
ANA conduct emergency humanitarian mission in Herat - BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (Feb. 4, 2008) — The Afghan National Army’s 207th Kandak, assisted by Coalition forces, conducted an emergency humanitarian aid mission to Familia village in the Shindand District of Herat Province Jan. 24. The ANA force responded to Afghan citizens in Herat facing life-threatening winter weather conditions. (READ MORE)
Afghan doctors, Coalition troops assist villagers - FARAH PROVINCE, Afghanistan (Feb. 6, 2008) — Afghan national army medics, pharmacists and nutritionists from the Afghan Ministry of Public Health, assisted by coalition forces, provide free medical care to more than 400 villagers a week at a clinic near a combined military outpost in Farah province. (READ MORE)
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