News and Personal dispatches from the front and the home front.
In their own words:
A Major's Perspective: Why I Feel Blogging By Military Members and Families is so Important - Blogging has given people the world over the ability to both stay in touch with family and to post their comments and perspective on current issues in the news. As Soldiers and Family Members of Soldiers I believe we have a very unique perspective on the current situation that we are in within the Global War on Terror. I firmly believe that we have a responsibility to the citizens of the nation to tell our story. To tell the citizens of the United States and also the citizens of the world what is really transpiring and to share all of the good news stories that are not normally reported in the regular media sources. I have talked about before how counter-insurgency operations demand one critical resource that is always in question. That resource is time. Counter-insurgency operations are not an operation that can be executed and done with-in a month or even a year. It is an operations that demands time to be done correctly. (READ MORE)
Caesar Ahmed: A slice of normality returns to Baghdad - It is a place tinged in nostalgia for Baghdadis of a certain generation. Many remember happy evenings strolling along Abu Nuwas Street, taking in the elegant homes, gardens and art galleries, and stopping at one of the many cafes for grilled fish, fresh from the Tigris River. The riverside street, named after a respected Arabic poet, used to be famous for its nightclubs, restaurants and bars. In its heyday in the 1970s and early 1980s, it was a favorite nightspot for tourists from the Persian Gulf region, who enjoyed visiting Iraq because of its relaxed attitude toward alcohol. (READ MORE)
Brad's Excellent Adventure: My Farewell From Kuwait - Thursday 17 July 2008 2100 - The Army has a tradition known as the “Hail and Farewell”. It is a way of welcoming new members of the command, and saying farewell to those who are leaving. When I was on active duty, we had a hail and farewell every month or two for the officers in our battalion. We’d go out to dinner at a nice restaurant someplace (the coolest one I ever remember was in a castle in the village of Rossbach, between Hanau and Giessen. (I liked that place so much that afterwards I used to ride my bike up there all the time). Anyway, it was a nice time to connect with the other officers and their wives socially, and to relax a little bit. The officers being hailed would get a chance to introduce themselves, and the officers being farewelled would make a few parting remarks (after being thoroughly roasted by their peers, of course). It was a lot of fun, and I looked forward to the occasions. (READ MORE)
Doc in the Box: My first feature length film - As my time draws to a close out here, I had one more project to complete. The book form cruise book fell though because we couldn’t get enough people to buy them to make it economically feasible. So, the cruise book staff voted to make another DVD and me, being the DVD guru with a brand spanking new laptop to handle it was put in charge. We had less then a month. First I needed to gather a game plan, we started brainstorming. All of the brainstorming somehow ended up coming out of my head for some reason, I had them gather up all of their personal pictures and video onto a cruise folder on the share drive, decide on a musical theme for their shop and teach them how to make movies so I could be more of a directing force behind them and focus on the extracurricular activities that I had filmed and taken pictures of, i.e., softball league, martial arts, field meets, etc. I would also go around the different shops and letting everyone from each shop give a greeting and intro. (READ MORE)
Sgt B: Updates… - Through the efforts of a patrotic American named Ryan, The Gun Line is back up and running… Been some changes over the past few months, some good, some bad, some unavoidable, some not… We have entered into the last Guard Annual Training, normally a two week camping trip, but now, this is pre-mobilization training for four weeks. I’m writing this in a big green tent amidst dust and wind of our company command post… It’s hot, but not as hot as where we’re going… I had thought that I was going to be tasked to gun for the company commander, but now, I have been tasked as the Tactical Operations Center Non Commissioned Officer. The learning curve went vertical for a few days, but I think I’m in the groove now… As long as things go right, the future is looking pretty good. (READ MORE)
Fearless 1st Marines’ blog: Same city, different outlook - Ramadi, Iraq (July 4, 2008) -- Ramadi, a mostly Sunni city with about 500,000 residents, was considered to be one of the most violent cities in the world during the early part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Today, locals are out shopping at the city’s bustling marketplace, known as the souk. Children are playing soccer in fields, and students are walking mostly worry-free to and from the province’s local college, al Anbar University. The signs of war have steadily declined as the city has embraced peace and the region is returning to normalcy, which is an unexpected but welcome change for Marines with 1st Battalion,9th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, returning to the region for consecutive tours. (READ MORE)
Fearless 1st Marines’ blog: The silent guardians of Ramadi - RAMADI, Iraq (July 15, 2008) – Throughout Operation Iraqi Freedom, insurgents have continuously adapted their tactics in efforts to destabilize the country’s developing infrastructure and inflict harm on individuals supporting the nation’s growth. The most recent and growing trend has been insurgents’ use of women to attack Iraqi and Coalition forces, particularly the use of female suicide bombers. To counter those attacks, Coalition forces are employing the services of local women searchers who have turned against terrorism and are disgusted with the violence in their region. (READ MORE)
IraqPundit: Time Horizons and Timetables - Mama Mia! as ABBA would say. How can the media resist reporting that President Bush caved to the pressure of the timetable. Never mind that the agreement was based on security conditions in Iraq. It's a win for the Democrats! "The White House offered no specifics about how far off any 'time horizon' would be," Bush caves! "with officials saying details remained to be negotiated." Hurrah! "Any dates cited in an agreement would be cast as goals for handing responsibility to Iraqis, and not specifically for reducing American troops, said a White House spokesman, Gordon D. Johndroe." Meanwhile, WaPo tells us that While most Iraqis don't want the U.S. troops to stay indefinitely, they "also view the U.S. military as a bulwark against Shiite militias and Sunni extremists, as well as the growing regional influence of Iran." (READ MORE)
Bill Roggio: Pakistan signs peace accord in Orakzai tribal agency - The Pakistani government has negotiated yet another peace agreement with the Taliban in the tribal agencies bordering Afghanistan. The latest agreement was signed in the Orakzai tribal agency, Geo TVreported. The agreement mirrors other peace deals that have been signed in the tribal areas and in several settled districts in the Northwest Frontier Province. The Taliban agreed it would not shelter "terrorist, criminal or foreign elements" or create a parallel administration. The Taliban also said it would recognize the writ of the government and end "the illegal occupation" of government buildings and schools. Information on the Taliban leadership in Orakzai is sparse. In November 2001, Dawn interviewed Akhunzada Aslam Farooqui, who was described as the "patron-in-chief" of the Taliban in the agency and a "close friend of Mullah Mohammad Omar." (READ MORE)
Omar: Najaf tribes to compete against religious parties in provincial elections - A large coalition of tribes in Najaf conferred and made a decision similar to that by the Anbar tribes last week. In televised interviews, tribal chiefs said they will join forces with technocrats and enter the upcoming provincial elections in slates independent from existing religious parties. The sheiks voiced their frustration with the outcome of previous elections in which religious parties prevailed. They also criticized the current political class for “ripping apart” the fabric of Iraq’s society, pushing the country to the brink of civil war and failure to provide services to the people. (READ MORE)
IN-iraq: Battlefield commanders act as judge and jury in dealing with former insurgents who have attacked U.S. soldiers - Salah Ad Din Province, Iraq -- Over 256 Iraqis have laid down their arms in the provincial capital of Tikrit. In Balad, over 500 former insurgents have pledged to stop attacks against the coaltion. In order to reconcile, former insurgents who are suspected of attacks against Iraqis must turn themselves in to the Iraqi judicial system. However if insurgents admit to only attacking U.S. soldiers they are "forgiven" according to battlefield commanders in Salah Ad Din province. Lt. Col. Robert McCarthy of the 1st/32nd Calvary out of Patrol Base Paliwoda, where the province's reconciliations started, said if former insurgents have committed Iraqi crimes they will get a court date. (READ MORE)
The Marching Camp: Non-stories - I'm sitting here on Al-Asad in the midst of a nonstory. At least, checking on the major news organs, there is little to say about Al-Anbar Province. There's been some sketchy and inaccurate reportage of an incident in Karmah where some Marines died for complacency. The continued efforts of Marines and Soldiers which have made this province dull and boring (as compared to the 'excitement' of my last tour) are not newsworthy. Few things in Iraq are newsworthy, or so it seems. CNN decided to creatively arrange facts in order to create a story that fits the narrative of failure they are increasingly desperate to portray. The news story claimed there was a problem maintaining MRAPs and many of them in-country are broken down -- "one in five" according to their story. (READ MORE)
Major John: I haven't quite figure the IZ out yet... - OK, so I have been here almost a week, in the International Zone ("IZ" or what used to be called "the Green Zone"). It is an odd situation, to be sure. Where I live is relatively nice, if a little bit crowded compared to where I have previously been. There are, ironically, very few services available. There is almost nowhere to do anything or get anything...but it almost doesn't matter. Why? The insane working hours. In the command I work for, people are basically 'at the office' all the time. We get in sometime in the morning, moderately early - and don't get out until quite late. On Friday, when everyone else is off in the morning, we are still in. Most other groups that work where I do don't put in the same hours, but I wonder what they do in the time they do have...? (READ MORE)
One Marine's View: Should I stay or should I go? - From a OMV visitor: "Hello, I looked at your web site and I need answers, so who better to ask but a Marine. My son who is 17 whats to join, I say NO, I have heard they are the worst of all branches. My father was a Naval Officer for 30 years, I would rather him join that. What are you thoughts?" (Should I stay or should I go-The Clash) Well let me tell you a story. While I finished High School my senior year, I received a Scholarship to go into the Air Force Academy, enlist into the Air Force in order to play football for them. That being said, my mother didn't want me to join the military out of my safety and showed it to me at the last minute just before the date on it expired. I chose not to go to the Air Force Academy for one single reason. I wanted to be a Marine. When you say the "worst of all branches" I'm going to assume you personally don't know many Marines. That is something as "a very worried mom" you should fix. (READ MORE)
Big Tobacco: The Reality Check in the Mail - I'm too tired to smoke right now. I'm looking at one of my squad leaders. I'm in my cot, facing her, too tired to even lift a Gatorade to my lips. She slumps in my chair staring back at me. We are empty. "Is it better to know it's coming?" I ask her. "Stop thinking about it," she says. She is wearing her PT shorts and I can see that she shaved her legs today. This seems like an odd thing to do after a convoy. Who is she trying to impress, or is she just trying to do something normal to counter a world of abnormality? "I didn't even see it until we were right up on it." I said. "I had like half a second. It was just... Just enough time to realize what was going to happen." (READ MORE)
Back but still writing:
CJ: Absurdity of the Anti-War Movement - “Are you pro-war or pro-peace?” was the first question that came out of the mouth of one of the war protesters as I explained that I was there to talk to them about their presence on a major intersection here in Huntsville, AL. I explained that I’m a Soldier, I hate war and love peace. But, I also recognize that peace comes at a price. It went downhill from there. Today, I went to corner of Airport Rd. and Whitesburg Dr. to interview the small gathering of three determined ladies in their quest to oppose the Iraq War. What initially drew my attention was the bright yellow sign held up by one of the protesters proclaiming, “Impeach Bush and Cheney”. The flip side read “Out of Iraq Now”. Naturally, I had to know what motivated a trio of women to sit on a street corner with a large white sign that read “PEACE” in large blue letters. The sign required two people to hold it and rose taller than me at about five and half feet high. (READ MORE)
Bouhammer: Loss of a close friend and a brother-in-arms - Last week I was online working as I always am, and a familiar name popped up on my instant messaging client. It was my old terp, and good buddy Jawed. If you ever read the blog entries that I wrote on here back in 2006-2007 that name should sound familiar. Jawed was one of the terps that spent a lot of time downrange with me. He and I got to know each other through hours of talking in the Humvee. It had been a while since I had heard from him so I was pleased to see his “hey Top, are you there” comment pop up. Of course I quickly responded and asked how he and all the terps were doing. Once he told me he was fine, me told me that he was just coming back from a 3 week mission so that is why I had not heard from him in a while. (READ MORE)
Matel-in-Iraq: Welcome Back to the Fight - Barack Obama is going to visit Iraq. This is a good thing. He is an honest man. After he sees for himself the progress we have made, he will have to come around to a more sensible policy on the subject. Let the dogs of the left howl. We have to look to the future. I get annoyed at all the pea-brained fools who want to relive the events of 2003. Yes, if we had it to do all over again we would make a different set of mistakes. I think it was a good thing to get rid of Saddam Hussein, but no matter what our opinions of the past, we live in the here and now. We can make decisions only in the present that affect the future. In the here and now we have an astonishing opportunity. The next president, Obama or McCain, will have options. This is what the success of the surge has achieved. (READ MORE)
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