August 13, 2008

From the Front: 08/13/2008

News and Personal dispatches from the front and the home front.

In their own words:
Charlie Foxtrot: Foresight is 20/200 - After getting off shift today, I went over to the US morale area to poke around, and see what might be on AFN. I happened upon a copy of the 2007 'Man of the Year' edition of Time Magazine. Given the events this week, perhaps this would be a good time to review that decision. Now Time does throw out the caveat that "TIME's Person of the Year is a clear-eyed recognition of the world as it is and of the most powerful individuals and forces shaping that world—for better or for worse", but I remind people once again that they had a chance to pick this man. Maybe this year he will get recognized for his actions in 2007. Other notable items from a look back at the Putin spread: (READ MORE)

Cheese's Milblog: bad day - Sorry it's been so long, but I had something that I had to write about, but couldn't until now. Plus, much of my writing has been devoted to the Brigade Command Climate Survey, where we write what we think of brigade and battalion leadership. It took me three days and about two pages, but I think I got my point across. "Scathing" doesn't begin to describe it. I'm beginning to wonder if putting my name on it was the right decision...Have you ever said something that you wish more than anything you could take back, even though it wouldn't change anything other than how you feel? Well, the other day I was sound asleep for the first time in days. We had been running day and night missions for a while and I was looking forward to sleeping in. As happens quite regularly, I woke up to my platoon sergeant's footsteps and rolled onto my side. (READ MORE)

Paul Fanning: Partners in Afghanistan's future - More than 1,000 residents of Ud Kheil village were treated by Afghan medical staff and received medicine, vitamins and personal items through a joint assistance operation on Aug. 7. This is the latest project in a growing partnership between the community and its closest neighbor – Camp Phoenix in Kabul, home of Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix - and Afghan National Security Forces and coalition allies. The operation was held at the girls’ school, a project completed along with the boys’ school in the spring. That work is part of Camp Phoenix’s ongoing outreach efforts and support to the Afghan government and its people. (READ MORE)

Fearless 1st Marines’ blog: Knowledge, skill, will: 1/2 Marines hit ground running - CAMP HABBANIYAH, Iraq (August 10, 2008) – Since June 28, 2004, when the Coalition Provisional Authority officially transferred sovereignty to the Iraqi Interim Government, Marines have done their part to assist the Iraqi people in building a unified Iraq with the political and economic stability needed to govern itself. Marines with Task Force 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, have hit the sands of Camp Habbaniyah with a passion for their mission. The battalion officially took control of the area from 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, Aug. 10. Inheriting an area of operations in an increasingly peaceful Iraq, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines will conduct partnered operations and build civic and Iraqi Security Force capabilities to enable a self-reliant and legitimate local security and government apparatus that facilitates transition and provincial Iraqi control. (READ MORE)

Fobbits need ice cream too: Out here grindin' - Not much significant to report since my last post. The breastmilk formations continue daily and my platoon struggles with ways to frame people from other platoons or the Cav troops in the squadron we are attached to. The punishment for this "offense" is now an Article 15, so if people weren't going to confess before, they definitely aren't going to now. I imagine this will continue until we pop smoke on this place. We sat on standby again because of a lack of trucks to take south. Our hit time was 2130 and we sat until 0500 when they called it. The LT in the push behind us from one of the other companies told the movement control NCOIC to pound sand and to that I say, bravo sir. I wish we had an NCO or officer in our crew that would tell these shitheads that we're here to move trucks and if they don't have trucks to call it early. Sitting for 8 hours to not do a mission is a total waste of manpower. (READ MORE)

Bill Roggio: Bombing on Pakistani Air Force bus kills 13 in Peshawar - The Taliban have taken credit for a deadly bus bombing on a Pakistani Air Force bus in Peshawar. Thirteen Pakistanis, including ten security officials, were killed and more than a dozen were wounded after a bomb was detonated as the bus drove over a bridge in the provincial capital of Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province. The Taliban immediately took credit for the attack. "[The] Taliban Movement has warned that we would react across the country" if operations were not halted in Swat and the tribal agency of Bajaur, said Mullah Omar, the spokesman for the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan. During previous threats, the Taliban said it would set the provinces of Sindh and Punjab "on fire." (READ MORE)

One Marine's View: A time with warriors - Although we arecontinuingto do great work in country our time here is limited. We continue to disrupt the enemy and keep the area safe. At some point we will begin the hurry up and wait procedure out of country and make the transition towards home. We ran into a few Georgian soldiers that were making their way back home due to the situations in their country. With broken english, Marines talked with them about what was happening in their home land. Organized and ready, they departed Iraq, making only small talk heading back home to do their work there. That night, I sat and enjoyed a nice Padron 1929 vintage cigar sent by a great supporter. A couple Marines came by and asked what I was smoking as I handed them one to enjoy. The Marine Corps is an unique organization where young Marines can sit and talk with seniors at times. We talked about the daily events and how things were going. What they planned on doing when they got home and what was next for them. (READ MORE)

Rocinante's Burdens: Update - I'm going out more. A lot more. I spent most of yesterday driving around Iraq. Our IA battalion has a very large sector and the commander wanted to show it all to me in one day. A lot of it was like Kansas. Wide open nothing for as far as the eye can see. Flat. Hot. I learned that the irrigation nearby were put in by the British some time around 1920. We eat two or three times a week with the Iraqis. Their food is really quite good. Chicken, rice, vegetables, and fruit for dessert. They are a generous and hospitable people. The US Army has rules that prevent me from being equally generous and hospitable. I have not had any of the expected intestinal problems as a result of eating with them. (READ MORE)

ManryMission: Kuwait - Dale arrived safely in Kuwait this morning. He expects to stay in Kuwait for several days. During his time in Kuwait, he will sleep on a cot in tent city, watch the Olympics in the MWR tent, and spend all his change and pogs on coffee and junk food. He will then fly to Fort Benning, Georgia to turn in his gear. We expect him to arrive home in Virginia early next week. During his time in Virginia, he will sleep in his own bed, watch the Olympics in his own living room, and drink coffee from one of his many cups. We will be thrilled to have him home. (READ MORE)

Big Tobacco: For the Boys - I wrote this while smoking an El Rey Del Mundo and a La Gloria Cubana Corona Gordo Maduro. I am sitting outside smoking. In the distance, I can hear the mid-afternoon Muslim call to prayer. I like this time of day. It’s still too hot for the privates of lesser constitution to leave the air-conditioning. So I am usually alone as I sit on my porch and contemplate things, compose essays for the blog, or read a book. It's Itzahk's fifth birthday today. I scroll through his pictures on my laptop. Itzahk when he was born, covered in goo, slightly blue from the umbilical cord that was wrapped around his neck. Itzahk on his first birthday, crying at all of the attention. I missed that one, spending it at a checkpoint in the desert, drinking tea with the local police. (READ MORE)

Kate Norley @ Blackfive: Back to Iraq- Norley and the Sheiks - Who’s the pink elephant in the room? Oh yeah- that was me today. The blonde haired, blue eyed, American woman right smack in the middle of an Iraqi Council meeting? Yes, that’s me. After getting an early start, I rolled over to a Nahia Iraqi Council Meeting in style via stud infantrymen. Exiting the dropped back hatch of a Stryker vehicle is the only way to make a grand entrance. The focus of today’s meeting was not only to touch base with local government officials and update one another on events of the past week, but to address the building of a new IP (Iraqi Police Station) and local irrigation system. It didn’t take long before I noticed the level of comfort and professionalism demonstrated by all in attendance. (READ MORE)

Shawn Bryan @ Blackfive: Back to Iraq- Iraqis handling their own business - Now we are cooking with grease. After what seemed an eternity I am now with the 10th Mountain Division. What a bangup bunch of soldiers. They are headquartered at Camp Victory and operate a lot of the southern Baghdad AO. WOW. What else can I say. We started today off meeting with different leadership elements of the Div. Maj Dan Elliot is one of the PAO's and once we talked shop for a few began getting me busy for the duration of the trip. He disappeared for a few and came back told me to grab my stuff that the CG General Buchanan was willing to see me......bitchin, face time with a General....I'm in. The General comes in sets down takes out his M4, that's right HIS M4 and starts cleaning it while we talk. (READ MORE)

Erik Swabb @ Blackfive: Back to Iraq- Erik Swabb on bomb-sniffing dogs - Seven years after September 11, the Long War has clearly transformed the U.S. military, creating important new capabilities. Here at Camp Victory in Baghdad, the Army’s 67th Engineer Detachment, 5th Engineer Battalion from Fort Leonard Wood, MO is a prime example of this transformation. This joint unit handles bomb-sniffing dogs that are uniquely suited for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. These dogs can search off the leash, giving greater flexibility and protection to troops on patrol. Any armed force fighting an insurgency becomes intimately familiar with two types of operations: IED sweeps and arms cache searches. When I served in Iraq back in 2004-2005 with the Marines, we had only three ways of finding these bombs and weapons: (READ MORE)


News from the Front:
Iraq:
For some Iraqis, it's first-class flights home - As Americans complain about rising air travel costs, cramped planes and miserably long check-in lines at airports, some Iraqis are enjoying free travel in the prime minister's jet, all part of the Iraqi government's drive to bring people back to their war-torn homeland. The first of what the Iraqi government says will be regular flights bringing refugees back on the A300 normally used by Prime Minister Nouri Maliki arrived Monday afternoon in Baghdad. The first sign that this was no regular flight was the stairway wheeled out to the airplane door. It had a red carpet. (READ MORE)

Operations undermine networks known for attacking Iraqis (Baghdad) - BAGHDAD – An alleged al-Qaeda in Iraq leader in the Northern Belts around Baghdad is in Coalition custody, and four additional suspected terrorists were also captured Wednesday in Baghdad and Mosul. Coalition forces captured a wanted man and a suspected associate during an operation in Baghdad. The wanted man is reportedly a longtime member of AQI and allegedly coordinates terrorist operations in the Northern Belt around Baghdad, which includes Tarmiyah. (READ MORE)

Kata’ib Hezbollah propaganda expert turns on brother; both detained - BAGHDAD – Coalition forces captured two suspected propaganda experts affiliated with Kata’ib Hezbollah during operations in the Mansour district of Baghdad Wednesday morning. Acting on intelligence information, Coalition forces tracked down a suspected propaganda expert for Kata’ib Hezbollah. The individual is suspected of assisting the group with uploading videos of attacks against Iraqi and Coalition forces to websites. (READ MORE)

Southern Kirkuk Civil Service Corps established - KIRKUK, Iraq – The official announcement of the establishment of the Southern Kirkuk Civil Service Corps was made during a commencement ceremony held at the Kirkuk Convention Center, Aug. 11. The 12-month program is funded by Coalition forces and will employ 500 Iraqi citizens from four districts in over 20 villages within the Kirkuk Province. Those selected during a previous application process include 250 former members of the Sons of Iraq: (READ MORE)

Tip leads IPs, U.S. Soldiers to railed rockets in Karadah - BAGHDAD – A tip led Iraqi Police officers and U.S. Soldiers to find and destroy two rockets on rails in the Karadah district of eastern Baghdad Aug. 12. After confirming the location of the rockets, Iraqi Police officials secured the site and called in explosive ordnance disposal personnel. (READ MORE)

MNF-W Marine killed in SAF attack (Anbar Province) - AL ANBAR, Iraq – A Multi-National Force – West Marine was killed when his unit was attacked by an enemy force in Anbar Province Aug. 10. The unit was performing clearing operations in a village southwest of Tikrit, Iraq, when it came under small-arms fire from an enemy force. Two other Marines were wounded in the attack. (READ MORE)

Culvert bridge opens, links two sides of Numaniyah - BAGHDAD – A culvert bridge opened in Numaniyah Aug. 8 during a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The opening signaled the end of the first stage one in a two-phase project. Soldiers of El Salvador’s Battalion Cuscatlán managed the initial phase, which began April 19 and cost approximately $70,000 and was paid for by the 214th Fires Brigade’s Commander’s Emergency Relief Fund. (READ MORE)

Operation Signals Progress of Iraqi Army - FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU — Iraqi Army Soldiers led the way in Operation Leros, an early morning house and cache clearing operation, Aug. 5, in the Shaka 5 region, resulting in the detention of five personnel. “We raided the different homes to find caches and to find people on the Iraqi Army’s high value target list,” said IA Maj. Ahmed Majeed, commander of Company D, 3rd Battalion, 31st Brigade, 8th IA Division. (READ MORE)

Iraqi Soldiers Train to Keep Roads Safe - CAMP MEJID — Protecting Coalition forces from hazards on the roads in Iraq is an enormous task that is undertaken everyday, but now it has become a little easier. Marines with Route Clearance Platoon, Company A, Third Combat Engineer Battalion and with the Iraqi Army Seventh Infantry Division Military Transition Team have been training Iraqi Army engineers to effectively conduct independent route clearance missions throughout Iraq. (READ MORE)

Handicap Center Opens in Numaniyah - FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA — The Numaniyah Handicapped Association celebrated the opening of a new facility, Aug. 8. The facility, which was built with coalition funds, will be used by the association for administrative purposes, and will also have rooms dedicated to therapy. (READ MORE)

Tiger Cubs Arrive at Baghdad Zoo - BAGHDAD — After traveling more than 7,000 miles, two Bengal tiger cubs have finally settled into their new home in Iraq. Amid much fanfare and excitement, Hope and Riley were introduced to the Baghdad Zoo on Aug. 8. The tigers were a goodwill gesture from the North Carolina Conservators’ Center, a breeding sanctuary for endangered species. (READ MORE)

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