News and Personal dispatches from the front and the home front.
In their own words:
Bill Roggio: Suicide bomber strikes at Pakistani tribal meeting in Bajaur - A suicide bomber struck at a tribal meeting in the insurgency-wracked agency of Bajaur in Pakistan's northwest. Eight members of the Salarzai tribe were killed and more than 45 were wounded after a suicide bomber detonated in the middle of a tribal meeting. The Salarzai tribe has organized a militia to oppose the presence of the Taliban in their tribal areas in Bajaur. Tribal leaders claim to have raised more than 10,000 fighters to form a lashkar, or tribal militia. The Salarzai have been burning the homes of Taliban members and providing security for the region. The Pakistani military has been battling the Taliban in Bajaur since August. (READ MORE)
Scott Kesterson: View of the election from Afghan front lines - Eastern Afghanistan - From the outer walls of this fire base in eastern Afghanistan, you can see the mountains that mark the border with Pakistan. The Taliban rocket this base regularly, and move throughout the area with relative ease. The US soldiers here live with this threat, but are so restricted by the rules of engagement established by NATO and the Karzai government, that taking military action is difficult. This is a war that is now driven by politics and cultural sensitivity, rather than tactics and strategies that seek some form of victory. Soldiers are notoriously silent about their political views. By law they are committed to supporting the Commander and Chief. Yet this election has brought about deep feelings of distrust and uncertainty within their ranks. The perception of Obama for these soldiers is grounded in some simple realities that for them draws into question the President-elect’s intentions and core beliefs in the United States. (READ MORE)
A Battlefield Tourist: Attack in Nuristan Probably Planned Well in Advance - New information is out suggesting the attack on a small outpost in Nuristan July 13, which resulted in 9 dead paratroopers, likely had been in the works before the mixed US/Afghan detachment ever arrived in Want, where the attack occurred. An article from The New York Times claims a post-action report, made by an unnamed colonel, outlines the events that lead up to, and through, the four hour firefight in Nuristan’s Waygal Valley. The attack by more than 200 militants was launched at 0420, the first 20 minutes of which was intense, heavy grenade and rifle fire from ranges as close as 15 yards. Eventually US close air support, helicopter support and artillery fire helped break the assault. (READ MORE)
Annex B: Heading North...again - I’ll be on the road again this week. Ill be heading to Taji, one of the large bases that is just north of Baghdad. We go there all the time. Even though it’s not a new destination, every mission is unique in some way. The pictures here are soldiers preparing for the mission. For those who have just starting keeping up with this blog let me explain what it is I do. I am part of a Cavalry Squadron whose mission is to escort logistics convoys in Iraq. Usually we escort 30 or 40 semis full of parts, fuel, supplies and various other things to support the coalition forces based in and around Baghdad. These missions last for several days and span a few hundred miles. If you total all of the miles that our trucks have driven since we got here in April we’ve driven over 1,500,000 miles. That’s a lot of driving. Before a mission, extensive preparations are done. Then those preparations are checked. (READ MORE)
Bill and Bob's Excellent Adventure: Here's An Embed Who Got It - Steve Featherstone - Steven Featherstone’s article, “Human quicksand for the U.S. Army, a crash course in cultural studies,” in the September, 2008 issue of Harpers Magazine is a much more insightful piece of analysis than anything I’ve seen lately from journalists. Mr. Featherstone embedded with an HTT (Human Terrain Team) in Khost Province, Afghanistan in July, 2007 and came away with a valuable critique of our basic way of functioning in such an environment as Afghanistan. Mr. Featherstone begins with a quip about what it’s like sitting around an airbase in Kuwait, waiting to fly into country. His depiction of the mental amusement that teams engage in when stuck in a holding pattern is a peek into the world of military teams in travel. You will find discussions and amusements like this in nearly any team (unless it is dysfunctional) in the Army as they transit into a combat zone. He then launches into an examination of the foreign policy of President Bush and Condoleeza Rice to set the stage for why the U.S. Army is caught in the role of nation-builder. (READ MORE)
Dena Yllescas: Another update - A few more updates today...Overall, Rob's doing OK but definetly not out of the woods. He's become jaundice but the doctors feel it's from all the blood products he's received. To date, he's received over 100 units of blood. His urine output has also increased which is good but it is really dark. The doctor is very confident it is from muscle breakdown which is not uncommon in a situation like this. His lungs are not producing much output anymore so the chest tubes may be able to be taken out within the next few days. His temps have remained stable with the use of a cooling blanket. The blanket causes the shivering action so it's hard to tell if Rob is shivering or moving sometimes. The doctor did tell me tonight that if he does happen to wake up, he will mildly sedate him for 2 reasons: 1) he doesn't want him to pull out tubes and 2) to take the "edge" off. (READ MORE)
Dena Yllescas: We've arrived at Bethesda - Yesterday we flew from Germany to the states. Rob did fairly well on the flight. His temps continue to be high. The highest it got during the flight was 103.4. They were able to cool him off with IV bags put in ice and then put between his arms and legs. They also hung an American flag on the wall beside him. That meant a lot. Once we got to Andrews Air Force Base, there was a bus ambulance that transported us to Bethesda. I swear I aged during that trip. Rush hour traffic and a bus flying down the road with sirens and lights...... Once we arrived, we were met by Rob's 2 sisters, brother, and brother in law. We got settled into our room at the Fisher House and then met with the team of doctors in ICU. She asked me what I already knew about Rob's injuries. I listed them from head to toe. She looked surprised and asked if I was a nurse. Anyways, she said that the thing that concerned her was why Rob has not woken up or responded. (READ MORE)
Embrace the Suck: Hello, Mr. Polish Man, I Like Your Hat, Not To Mention Obama Won... - So I begin today with a little bounce in my step because I got to see Obama win this little election of ours. Nice... Makes me so very happy. Not to mention I get to sit here and give Pigpen a rash of shit about it for the next four years. And what does my friend Pigpen have to say about all of this. Well, he says, and I quote, "While you guys are having a love in, I am going to go and nuke a gay whale for Jesus." Apparently you cannot get any more right wing than that, and Pigpen is having a hard time dealing with his new boss. Ah, but before I get too far into this let me explain the title. "Hello Mr. Polish Man, I like your hat." Well this is in reference to all the Polish soldiers that are here with us waiting to go to Afghanistan. Now the US Army has a uniformity standard. We all have to look the same, all the time. Kind of a 1984 meets your wardrobe kind of thing. Apparently, the Polish army does not have such strict standards. (READ MORE)
Fobbits need ice cream too: Remember remember, the fifth of November - Welp, new president-elect. First African-American president and all that shit, I suppose. I don't buy into that whatever-American shit though. You're an American or you're not. My grandparents immigrated from Norway after WW I, but I don't call myself a Norwegian-American. Black people over here have to wear body armor and get shot at just as much as us white guys; ethnicity really means nothing in the Army. Anyways, I don't really care. New president? Can I go home today and get some beer and pussy? No? Don't care. Today was our first day off in weeks, in fact, about 30 hours off. 30 hours is a lot of time on this schedule. Our entire tent was sleeping and someone ran in yelling "The election is decided! New president!", which caused Jim to sit up and yell "GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW." The tumor on Jim's throat was found to be benign, so he is back and fortunately, back to his normal self. (READ MORE)
From the 'Stan: Welcome home, HMM-365 (Rein) - The aviation element returned yesterday! Click here to read the story I wrote for today’s paper. Click here to watch the video. And here are some photos taken by one of the Marines at New River Air Station. I know his name was O’Brian, but I am not sure of his first name. I’ll find out. Command element is coming home soon! (READ MORE)
Sgt B: And Now We Have Fangs… - Ever heard the sound of hundreds of soldiers loading magazines with bullets? Makes quite a racket… I kept looking for signs of trepidation, and found none. If any of these lads are worried about the future, they ain’t showing it… They converse with one another with ribald humor, trading off-color jokes and profane insullts, pausing only to lift the occasional suspect round to the light to verify its servicibility… And then it is loaded into the magazine with its fellows. Part of me wonders whether they will turn in these same rounds at the end of the deployment, or will fare decree that the operational parts of these rounds be launched downrange, to find its mark in the flesh of another human being… My inner Godzilla pushes that thought down and growls that if the bad guys don’y want bad things to happen to them, maybe they ought not to be pulling dumb stunts like attacking us… (READ MORE)
Jake's Life: A Close Look - This gives a good idea of what Sangin looks like east of the green zone. Notice the compound walls, some of them walling in nothing, some of them walling in small family farms that could be watered from wells dug deep into the ground. A lot of these compounds were empty, and even those that had homes in them were often abandoned due to the violence in the area. Those walls were usually 10-15 feet tall, and at least 1.5-2 ft thick. You would think that being made of mud they wouldn't be too sturdy, but I saw them stand up to many a heavy barrage. This is us operating in the green zone in conjunction with a British unit. Notice the canal and the compound wall adjacent to it. (READ MORE)
The Left Captain: Good Mood - It's November 5 now and I am writing from one of the smaller outposts I cover-- one I haven't been to since early September, and I feel pretty good. It was a quick flight on a Chinook—no more than 30 minutes out of the broad river valley where my home FOB sits and then down into a huge forested canyon system that gouges a path towards Pakistan. A corner has been turned and I seem to be able to see light through this thicket of months, weeks, days and hours. I've even started to ask myself if it was really that bad… how quickly I forget. (READ MORE)
Major (P) John: Headed Home - Sometime over the next couple of days, I will be landing in the good old US of A. I am sooooo ready to come home! Once I get home and settled a bit, I will post the appropriate thank yous and deep thoughts on the whole deployment. But for now, it is travel time! (READ MORE)
Notes from Iraq: Effects of War, Part I: A Landscape of Litter - Imagine you are driving along Williamson Road just past Preston Park heading toward the Roanoke Civic Center. Imagine all the shops on the right and left without glass in their windows, their exteriors scarred by munitions damage. In front of and around the shops lie trails of trash; open spaces are completely covered in debris. Piles of rubble from construction or ruins. Rusting frames of burned-out cars and trucks. Tires. The stinking detritus from a family's kitchen. It may be hard to imagine in Southwest Virginia, but that's what you see in the areas surrounding Baghdad. The landscape is covered with litter. The roadsides themselves are not a problem. Those are relatively clean because the U.S. military keeps debris away to eliminate potential hiding places for improvised explosive devices. (READ MORE)
Notes From Tommie: Just Another Week! - First and foremost I’d like to give all of my readers a few good updates, as well as a few not so positive updates and/or rumors that have been circulating on this side of deployment. 1) At this point I should be home in little more than a weeks time, depending on when I actually get my flight out of here and how long I spend stuck in Kuwait. 1a) That means that I should be home through turkey day! 1b) We will probably celebrate christmas while I’m home too. 2) My team leader told me just a day or two ago that I have been awarded with my promotion waiver that I’ve been waiting to hear news on for a while now. While I won’t be coming home a specialist, my promotion date is set for Dec. 1st - not bad for less than two years service. E-4. (READ MORE)
Peace and War Times: Moving From Bad To Worst - Time to be on the move again! This pilgrimage has turned into quite an ordeal since I left Ft. Dix, NJ back in Oct 10, 2008. I have traveled in military buses, commercial airliners, to military aircrafts and now, convoy all the way to another mud hole in Iraq. At first, we were scheduled to flight in a Black Hawk from Taji, but that plan was spoiled by the bad weather. Yes, we expend another night at the Toomers Inn. This time, was quite tough, with no access to my clothes or sleeping bag, since my bags were under a pile of other’s bags, inside a truck parked in a far away motor pool. Morning and evening came among us and it was time to move again, this time through convoy. Boy, this was quite a trip that felt like an eternity! (READ MORE)
Photography, Software, and Sand: Now in FOB Speicher - After a fun night of traveling and getting on the wrong helicopter I'm currently at FOB (Forward Operating Base) Speicher, a large and mostly empty base between Baghdad and Mosul. I've got about 10 people to train here before I board another helicopter tonight for my next destination. After my two-hour Blackhawk flight through the desert last night, I came to a realization that I thought would not be possible. I was... bored... on my flight. Yep. Bored. Sitting on a helicopter and not seeing any cities below you gets old pretty quick. If I wasnt sitting in an awkward position with the barrel of a .50 caliber machine gun sitting in my lap I might have actually taken a nap. I really need to get some daytime flights in one of these days. (READ MORE)
News from the Front:
Iraq:
Coalition forces kill two suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq terrorists - BAGHDAD – Coalition forces targeting Mosul’s al-Qaeda in Iraq facilitator and senior leadership networks killed two terrorists Wednesday. During the operation near Bariyah, which is 93 kilometers northwest of Mosul, a Coalition force helicopter came under fire as it approached a vehicle occupied by a suspected terrorist. The helicopter returned fire, killing the targeted individual and another man in the car. (READ MORE)
Al-Qaeda in Iraq networks dealt major blow with detention of 15 suspects - BAGHDAD – Coalition forces targeting multiple al-Qaeda networks during operations Wednesday captured two suspected terrorists and 13 additional suspects. Forces captured a man believed to be an AQI improvised explosive device and weapons facilitator in Baghdad. The suspected terrorist, who reports suggest has connections to AQI leadership south of Baghdad, was detained along with two other men. (READ MORE)
Elite engineer unit has new facilities, unique capabilities - TAJI - The Iraqi Army is standing up an elite unit whose mission will be to repair high-voltage power lines and oil pipelines in areas that are too dangerous for contractors and normal Ministry of Electricity and Ministry of Oil work crews. (READ MORE)
Female Students and Teachers visit the Iraqi Parliament - Parliament Building, Baghdad – On Sunday, students and teachers from the Al Elaff School for Girls participated in a tour of the Iraqi Parliament Building, the Council of Representatives and the U.S. Embassy – Baghdad. The visit was a direct result of a joint effort between CJ1, CJ9, NIAC and the Department of State. The girls attended the Council of Representatives session to see the parliament representatives engage in the democratic process. (READ MORE)
First Senior Non-Commissioned Officer course - TAJI - 44 Senior Non-Commissioned Officers from the Iraqi Army, Air Force, Navy, National Police and Special Forces started the Senior Non-Commissioned Officer Course on 01 Nov. at the Regional Training Center - Taji. The Senior NCO course is supported and designed by NATO Training Mission – Iraq in cooperation with Multi-National Security Transition Command - Iraq in order to provide Iraqi senior NCOs with an outline of duties, responsibilities, and operational and administrative leadership principles. (READ MORE)
Al-Qaeda in Iraq networks dealt major blow with detention of 15 suspects - BAGHDAD – Coalition forces targeting multiple al-Qaeda networks during operations Wednesday captured two suspected terrorists and 13 additional suspects. Forces captured a man believed to be an AQI improvised explosive device and weapons facilitator in Baghdad. The suspected terrorist, who reports suggest has connections to AQI leadership south of Baghdad, was detained along with two other men. (READ MORE)
MND-B Soldiers detain two suspected criminals - BAGHDAD – Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers detained two suspected criminals for disrupting the peace with small arms Nov. 4 in the Abu T’shir neighborhood of southern Baghdad. At approximately 2:30 a.m., Soldiers from Troop C, 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, MND-B, detained two individuals for allegedly shooting small-arms fire in a local community in southeastern Baghdad. (READ MORE)
Mosul mayor, NP commander meet to discuss services, security - MOSUL, Iraq – The Mosul mayor, Ameer Jihad, and Maj. Gen. Mohammed of the 3rd National Police Division met Nov. 3, to discuss common issues about municipal services concerns and joint efforts in the city. During a meeting and visit through the city, the NPs agreed to use engineer assets to assist with traffic flow in the city and also to conduct joint missions with the Iraqi Police. (READ MORE)
Coalition forces apprehend 11 suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq terrorists - BAGHDAD – Coalition forces continued to pressure al-Qaeda in Iraq networks Monday and Tuesday, detaining 11 suspected terrorists in the country’s central and northern regions. Coalition forces captured a suspected improvised explosive device cell member and detained another man assessed to be his associate during an operation Monday in Tikrit, about 160 km north of Baghdad. (READ MORE)
Combined Medical Expo Reinforces Hygiene, Disease Prevention - CAMP TAJI — Teaching children how to prevent diseases and the basics of proper sanitation can help break the cycle of diseases and help keep the people of Iraq healthy. Soldiers from Multi-National Division – Baghdad joined with local doctors, nurses, pharmacists, officials and Iraqi Army medics during a Medical Expo, Oct. 30, to teach the residents of Fahad Fadhil, northwest of Baghdad, how to keep themselves healthy. (READ MORE)
Volunteer Surgeons Correct Cleft Palate Issues, Train Iraqi Doctors - COB ADDER — Seven-year-old Baneen Haydar Enad came out of surgery just minutes before the provincial governor, Aziz Kadum Alwan al Ogheli, arrived. Ogheli was visiting Camp Dhi Qar, an Iraqi Army (IA) training camp and headquarters for the 10th IA Division, to meet patients recovering from cleft palate or cleft lip surgery Oct. 28. The governor lifted the spirits of Baneen, as well as the little girl’s mother, who said she was very pleased with the doctors’ work. (READ MORE)
Sons of Iraq Members Screened for Iraqi Police Force - CAMP TAJI — Soldiers from Multi-National Division – Baghdad (MND-B) hosted an Iraqi Police (IP) recruiting drive here at Combat Out Post Falahat for Sons of Iraq (SoI) members, Oct. 30. Since the government of Iraq (GoI) took control of the SoI, many of its members look to pursue positions with the local IP or elsewhere within the Iraqi security forces (ISF). (READ MORE)
Servicemembers Become U.S. Citizens on Election Day - CAMP VICTORY — On a day when Americans exercised an extremely important democratic right, 186 U. S. servicemembers from across Iraq became U.S. citizens during a naturalization ceremony here at Al Faw Palace, Nov. 4. Gen. Ray Odierno, commanding general, Multi-National Force – Iraq, presided over the ceremony and expressed his sincere appreciation for each and every new U.S. citizen, and the significance of becoming a citizen. (READ MORE)
Afghanistan:
Taliban asks Obama to end war in Afghanistan - ISLAMABAD: Hoping that a new era of peace will dawn with the election of Barack Obama as the US President, the Taliban has asked the President-elect to change his country's policies towards it and end the war in Afghanistan. (READ MORE)
Taliban release schoolboys - Pakistani Taliban militants have released unharmed a group of schoolboys they abducted on suspicion of spying for the security forces, police said. Police in the Swat valley, northwest of Islamabad, had earlier said about a dozen children, aged eight to 11, had been kidnapped from outside their school on Tuesday and authorities were negotiating with militants for their release. (READ MORE)
Korea holds Pakistanis accused of handling Taliban cash - South Korean police have arrested five Pakistanis over illegal cash transfers worth millions of dollars, including payments from Afghanistan’s Taliban for materials for heroin production. The five are accused of operating two “hawala” money transfer networks in South Korea since 2005, police said today, adding that 53 other hawala brokers including Koreans have been charged but not detained. (READ MORE)
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