News and Personal dispatches from the front lines.
In their own words:
Those Wacky Iraqis: I'm here, where's the beer? - OK. It's kind of weird now. No base. No uniforms. No weapons everywhere. No convoys. No PX. No DFACs. No women. Lots of sand and dirt. I knew it would be different but in a weird way I miss the action zone already. It's OK though. I actually got a day off the day after I arrived. Seems the Saudis have an inviolable law which states that no one works on Friday. This means that the country basically shuts down on Friday. A bunch of the other guys took off for Bahrain for libations but I stayed and slept. Anyway, I live on a compound that reminds me of a dingy Motel 6 but it's groovy to me. My own room, my own shower, a fridge and TV. Sort of cool but no AFN, just Saudi satellite TV. (READ MORE)
Kaboom: A Soldier's War Journal: Fiddler's Green - If you think and/or pray, please remember both 1LT David Schultz (1-31-08) and 2LT Mark Daily (1-15-07). I graduated with both of them from the Armor Officer Basic Course and the Scout Leaders Course in 2005. Both were capable officers and good men, who left behind young wives and loving families. 1LT Schultz left behind a baby son, as well. Personal feelings about Christopher Hitchens aside, he wrote an excellent article about 2LT Daily here, at Vanity Fair. http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2007/11/hitchens200711 If there is a more fitting tribute to Cavalrymen than the following poem, I am not familiar with it. Rest in peace, both of you, and see you on the other side. (READ MORE)
LT Nixon: Collegiate Look at Iraq, 2nd Amendment - I maintain the UCLA editorials pages up on my reader to understand what is on the collective mind across today's campuses of college students. If I paid taxes (my combat zone status excludes me), certainly I would be interested in what sort of teaching these youngsters were receiving. It's long been conventional wisdom that many state-run college institutions are Marxist breeding grounds, but I'm beginning to change my tune with this recent editorial about Iraq. A man named Darrell Carter, who happens to be a Marine veteran, pens this Op-Ed about politics and the war: (READ MORE)
LT Nixon: Iraq News (8 March) - The Good: With security improvements in the once troubled Anbar province, political progress is taking shape. The Awakening councils are vying for political power and the Washington Institute has an interesting policy paper on it. The tribal sheikhs of Anbar will definitely have a huge impact in the upcoming provincial elections. Iraqi President Talabani is visiting Turkey. Turkey is by far the most secular and most economically prosperous of Iraq's neighbors so playing nice with them is key. The big quandary is the terrorist group PKK bunkering down in the mountains of northern Iraq. Despite the EU, US, and Iraq labeling the PKK a terrorist group, WaPo glorifies them in this lengthy piece. Make sure you read tommorow's edition, where they laud the heroic terrorism of the FARC in Columbia to further muddy international diplomatic relations. (READ MORE)
ToySoldier: Stoicism: My Self-Destruction - Stoicism, a quality you find so often in soldiers. The proverbial stiff upper lip, the ability to roll with the punches, resilience. In the military line of work, this is a useful tool: schedules constantly changing, missions changing on the drop of a dime, the loss of friends; yet we keep driving on, this is a soldiers life. I've recently started to wonder if I've transferred the stoicism I associate with my job, to my personal life. It's not that I'm not a natural born stoic, I get that from my mother, but I seem to have added that stoicism that the Army has taught me, to have to the stoicism I learned in my civilian life. (READ MORE)
Charlie Foxtrot: Call of Duty - Well, the time has come...just a bit quicker than expected. Afghanistan, here I come.... I have known I would be deploying for some time now. However with a sudden change in training requirements, I am leaving home this week on only a few days notice. It is always fun telling your spouse that you are leaving in a few days, and won't be home for 10 months. (READ MORE)
M&M's Home Blog: Thoughts on a Somber Occasion - “Together We Go.” The MNSTC-I motto has drawn snickers from many as it does sound decidedly unmilitary. However, a sad event has caused me to ponder its true meaning, and how it affects us all. Today, we held a memorial service for Air Force Staff Sergeant (SSgt) Christopher Frost, who was killed in the line of duty four days ago. Memorial services are difficult by their very nature; the roll call drives the painful point home. “Staff Sergeant Frost!” Silence. “Staff Sergeant Christopher Frost!” Silence. “Staff Sergeant Christopher S. Frost!” The rifles fire, Taps is played, and our hearts quietly break. (READ MORE)
News from the Front:
IRAQ:
Soldiers Strengthen Relationships with Hamiyah City Council, Residents - FOB KALSU — There were no doors being kicked in and no shots being fired in Hamiyah during the March 1 patrol. Soldiers were geared up and prepared for anything. They had pockets full of toys and candy for children who approached them as adults greeted them with smiles. It was a typical day for Soldiers in Company A, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. (READ MORE)
Louisiana Soldiers Show Southern Hospitality to Iraqi Children - BAGHDAD — The 769th Engineer Battalion received items from their home State with the request that they distribute these items to the Iraqi people. So they recently traveled to the neighborhood of West Rashid, located in Baghdad, to present various types of gifts to the local Iraqi children. Soldiers of the 769th Engineer Battalion, from Baton Rouge, La., and the 35th Engineer Brigade, from Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., came fully prepared to do their part in assisting the children of this West Rashid Village. (READ MORE)
AFGHANISTAN:
Freedom Watch Afghanistan - Mar 7 2008 - CJTF82 Mission: In conjunction with the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (IRoA), joint, interagency, and multinational forces, CJTF82 conducts full spectrum operations to disrupt insurgent forces in the combined joint operations area, develops Afghanistan national security capability and supports the growth of governance and development in order to build a stable Afghanistan. (READ MORE)
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