American Infidel

DVIDS - Digital Video and Imagery Distribution System

nobody@vox.com(American Infidel) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 10:00:12 -0700

Militants Killed, Detained in Nimroz Province Courtesy Story Posted on 06.30.2008 at 01:43AM Adjust Font Size: By Combined Joint Task Force 101 BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan Several militants were killed and one was detained Sunday during a coalition forces operation to disrupt militant activities in Nimroz province. Coalition forces searched compounds in Khash Rod District targeting a Taliban leader known to facilitate suicide improvised explosive device attacks. Coalition forces identified numerous militants armed with AK-47s, rocket propelled grenades and hand grenades. Multiple militant groups engaged the force in a compound and in nearby areas. Coalition forces then killed them using small arms fire. Two additional groups of armed militants maneuvered against the force and were killed by airstrikes. The force discovered numerous AK-47s, ammunition vests, ammunition, RPG warheads, grenades and IED materials. The weapons, munitions and IED material were destroyed to prevent future use.

http://dvidshub.net/?script=news/news_show.php

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365 and a Wakeup

nobody@vox.com(American Infidel) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 08:57:29 -0700

It has been a very, very long time since I have had the opportunity to write in this online journal. Truth be told I have had the opportunity - I just lacked the ability. Although I wanted to bring some kind of closure to this journal it has always been - and will always remain - a war journal. And when you aren't immersed in the blowtorch reality of combat it can be a little difficult to write about the emotions those situations give birth to. Then early last month I was asked to put together a speech for the 82nd Annual Sacramento Host Breakfast, a gathering of California's Business and Community leaders. My tasking was straightforward, put together a short speech that would provide a glimmer of insight into the military before their recognition of California's Servicemen and Servicewomen. I am including the text of my speech below because it serves as an appropriate last posting.

http://thunder6.typepad.com/365_arabian_nights/

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Command and General Staff College Class 08-02 Section 4D Share Thoughts and Ideas

nobody@vox.com(American Infidel) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 08:52:53 -0700

I recently saw a news piece on a young man who is trying to join the Army and deploy to Iraq, nothing wrong with that; however, this young man made a bad decision when he was around 20 years of age and is a convicted felon. This young man has been DENIED enlistment based on his drug conviction. Lately this topic has been flying around: Should felons be allowed to serve in the Armed Forces? I am not sure why this question is even asked? In that, a felon (once his debt to society is paid) can resume a life and seek employment as a free citizen, just like you and I. There are exceptions – sex offenders cannot work in certain fields and must register their location with authorities and there are others. These convicted felons have served their time and are now “free” to pursue happiness within our society as productive citizens. Unfortunately, society doesn’t see it that way and many times “hamstrings” these folks by “blackballing” them; severely limiting their ability to get a job, a home, etc… This results in the current “revolving door” rates of about 75% or higher – these folks get out of prison, can’t find a place to live or a job and resort to crime and hit the “revolving door” right back to prison. Why does this matter? Well I have no issues with allowing felons in the military. They obviously made a bad choice; however, they have served their time and now want to become part of a professional, all volunteer military force – Good for them! They may be looking for direction and to become part of something bigger than themselves. More importantly, a successful tour in the military could provide them with the opportunity to rehabilitate: Getting a redirected set of values – Army Values; leadership training and experience; life and job skills; and a new outlook on life. Why not allow these citizens the opportunity to become a productive member of society and serve their country as a volunteer professional soldier? This certainly could serve to lower the return rate “revolving door” issue. Some will argue that it will only make a minimal impact, I would argue that any reduction no matter how small, is worth it.Any thoughts?????r/ Mick

http://cgsc-4d-forum.blogspot.com/

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A Major's Perspective: Happy 4th of July

nobody@vox.com(American Infidel) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 08:48:59 -0700

First off I would like to apologize to everyone. I feel like I have just left you all hanging. I left for the week thinking I was going to have much more access to the Internet then I have had, and sadly that was not the case. Today I was finally able to hop online and respond to some comments, tell you about an upcoming post when I get back Sunday, and wish all of you a Happy 4th of July.Jerjes made a very intelligent comment to my last post about Pakistan, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and the Northwest Frontier Province. Theres much to say about it, and I don't want it only in the comments section so I am going to write about that when I return, and can get back on a dedicated computer.I also was able to watch a little news last night, and Code Pink had some very interesting and insulting comments about war, John McCain, and veterans in general on the O'Reilly Factor. I am going to be addressing that also.To get back to what tomorrow is though, I would like to first wish all of you a very happy 4th of July. The 4th of July symbolizes for us as Americans the day that we stood with one voice and declared to the British Empire that we would not stand for tyranny anymore and would be our own country. (On a side note, I absolutely have the utmost respect and pride for our British Allies, but times were different then) As citizens of the world though it meant something much more. This was the first time that a colony had successfully risen up against its old world rulers. It also symbolized a people being oppressed that rose up and said no more. For people the world over, the rights of speech, religion, and general freedom to live as they choose were now entering the realm of possibility. The 4th of July is an American Holiday but all that it represents is not just American. The foundations of it are something that anyone can look to and hold dear. As I have said before America has been a beacon of hope to generations the world over, and tomorrow more then ever that hope is realized.I hope that all of you enjoy your time tomorrow. Have a great picnic, enjoy the fireworks, but just remember how many of our early citizens gave their lives for us to live in freedom and how those same fireworks represent a beacon of hope to many oppressed people the world over.God Bless AmericaBryan

http://majorsperspective.blogspot.com/2008/07/happy-4th-of-july.html

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Ministry of Defence | Defence News | Military Operations | Lance Corporal James Bateman and Private

nobody@vox.com(American Infidel) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 19:53:39 -0700

The access keys for this site are: ALT plus A links to this site's Accessibility Statement. ALT plus H links to the Defence home page. ALT plus C skips to an index of the contents of this page. ALT plus N skips to the navigation on each page. ALT plus T jumps to the top of the page.Additional accessibility information for Defence can be found in the Defence Accessibility Statement.

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/MilitaryOperations/LanceCorporalJamesBatemanAndPrivateJeffDohertyKilledInAfghanistan.htm

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A Major's Perspective: Argandab and the Taliban

nobody@vox.com(American Infidel) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 19:40:29 -0700

The news keeps on coming in from Afghanistan. From all of the AP Reports it seems as if the Taliban are standing their ground in the Argandab District and looking for a fight. (Link to NY Times Article) But there is a number of questions that remain in my mind that just do not add up. The first being the idea of the Taliban massing large amounts of insurgent fighters in one location is a dream come true. It makes the job easier to find them, to fix them in one location, and then to utilize the overwhelming firepower of the coalition forces against them. Ive only seen insurgents come together a few times, and whenever they did, it was under false pretense, or part of a larger plan that did not materialize until later. I am quite honestly perplexed by this move.Argandab District does give them many places to hide amongst the grape vines and pomegranate groves but it is a double edged sword. If they destroy these farm lands through their actions then they take away a food source for themselves, they take away food and income for the farmers, and they turn the people against them. Not that the Taliban have ever really cared about the common people in Afghanistan; but now it is imperative for them to have even a small amount of tacit support from some people so they can hide and receive supplies. If they fight there, I do not think they would even keep that. The devastation that would be imposed by their actions has the potential to be catastrophic on these farmers, and they would remember it.The fact also that the Afghan Army, Police, and the US and other Coalition Forces conducted a five hour patrol through part of the district and did not make any contact with Taliban forces is also uncharacteristic. Many of the Taliban operate under the Pashtun Code that in part says that not to attack an enemy if given the opportunity means losing face and honor amongst your men. I would not use this as evidence to support a hypothesis but it is a very peculiar point that I would want more information on. The two major questions that immediately spring to my mind are, 1. are the Taliban actually there? 2. could these be foreign fighters that have come in from Pakistan that do not follow this code?The next few days should provide answers to many of these questions, and I will be watching it closely and keeping you informed in addition to my regular posts, but I am waiting to see on this one as much as you. The one take-away at this point that I can say without any reservation is that Afghanistan needs more troops committed to it. I was quite pleased to see the UK stepping up and committing more troops, I don't think we have any better ally and friend then Great Britain. Ive worked with many of their soldiers to include the Royal Marine Commandos and I can not say enough about them. But Afghanistan must see a surge similar to the one in Iraq, and then we must sustain our operations there. To do anything less would be slighting our allies and our friends in both NATO and Afghanistan.God Bless AmericaBryanhttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/18/world/asia/18afghan.html?ref=worldPhoto is from the article, and taken by Ahmad Masood with Reuters.

http://majorsperspective.blogspot.com/2008/06/argandab-and-taliban.html

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Liberal Socialist in The House passed Amendment 56 to Censor our DoD (Freedom of Speech?) - Vox

nobody@vox.com(American Infidel) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:58:08 -0700

Losing The Information War With Amendment 56 The Democrats are angry. Despite investing enormous effort undermining the military, things are going fairly well in Iraq. General Petraeus and the surge have been a success, not that you would know that from the media coverage, which has been, to say the least, sparse. The anti-Bush themes of an "Iraqi quagmire" and "surge failure" were premature, and all the congressional show hearings, the choreographed Code Pink performance art and the MoveOn.org smears were for naught. The president and the military did it right, and the Democrats got it wrong. You can read the amendment in the comment section.

http://twana.vox.com/library/post/liberal-socialist-in-house-the-the-house-passed-amendment-56-to-the-defense-authorization-act-for-fy.html

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International Analyst Network

nobody@vox.com(American Infidel) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 19:29:33 -0700

A great website with links to abunch of terrorist watch sites.

http://www.analyst-network.com/news.php

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U.S. MARINES AND TRUTH - Vox

nobody@vox.com(American Infidel) — Fri, 30 May 2008 12:32:44 -0700

An article published yesterday in the New York Times, focuses on a crack group of leathernecks with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, who have been taking the fight hard to the Taliban in Afghanistan since landing in that country earlier this year. The Marines’ performance has been exemplary – in very tough environs I might add – as would be expected of America’s few good men.The Times cannot deny this fact. But the Old Gray Lady also and obviously cannot pass up an opportunity to get in its personal dig against U.S. Marines – or any other soldiers, sailors, or airmen who might give it the opportunity – even when the dig is based on an obvious untruth (at the very least, a public deception).Here’s what the Times says regarding the 24th MEU:“It was their first major combat operation since landing in March, and it stood in stark contrast to the events of a year earlier, when a Marine unit was removed in disgrace within weeks of arriving because its members shot and killed 19 civilians after a suicide bombing attack.”What the Times fails to explain in this piece (but to its credit, did mention in a Saturday piece), is that the Marines in 2007 – WHO WERE NOT REMOVED IN DISGRACE by the way – have since been exonerated. And there never was any proof — forensic or otherwise — that 19 civilians were killed.This is the kind of thing that shames me as a journalist (Far too many in our profession are too quick to publicly condemn – thus convict in the court of public opinion – and then fail to adequately retract the inaccuracies which have the potential of ruining peoples’ lives.) and boils my blood as a former Marine.In a statement released Friday, Lt. Gen. Samuel T. Helland, commanding general of U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Central Command, determined that the officers – including Maj. Fred C. Galvin, commander of Fox Company, Second Marine Special Operations Battalion; and Capt. Vincent J. Noble, special ops platoon commander — and the troops in the Marine convoy “acted appropriately and in accordance with the rules of engagement and tactics, techniques and procedures in place at the time in response to a complex attack.”Galvin’s Marines were ordered out of Afghanistan – far too hastily in my professional opinion – pending an investigation that dragged on far too long, and in which too much political correctness and perhaps (based on my own personal musing) a bit of inter-service rivalry were infused: Not to mention the fact that the word of the locals, and a human rights group that was not there at the time, was considered more believable than that of the Marines.The locals, whose stories often conflicted with one anothers,’ never could come up with a firm casualty count (though U.S. Army officers reportedly made cash payments to Afghans who said they were survivors or members of survivors’ families).Fact is, there is no proof – much less evidence – that any civilians were killed: No bodies or forensic evidence, except for that of the suicide bomber, were recovered.“No civilians were killed,” says Galvin’s mother, Toni Galvin, who along with her family and an entire network of Marine Moms, have been fighting to get their sons vindicated in the public eye. “Army Lt. Gen. Frank Kearney took the word of the area locals. Yet many of our guys withstood nearly a year of interrogation by the NCIS [Naval Criminal Investigative Service] trying to get them to break.”But truth can’t be broken.Maj. Galvin, Capt. Noble, and the other brave Marines who have had to endure this shabby treatment after serving our country honorably in one of the world’s most dangerous places, are the true victims: These young men deserve medals and promotions. Why aren’t those Americans who say they support the troops demanding that?Instead, most Americans reading the Times on Saturday would have simply picked up the paper, read about a Marine unit being “removed in disgrace,” shaken their heads (wrongly assuming the report to be true), had another sip of coffee, and gone on with their lives. Meanwhile, Galvin, Noble, the other Marines wrongly accused of “overreacting” in a firefight, were hung out to dry.Yes, the Marines were exonerated – as they should have been – which means they will not be sent to prison. But what about their careers? Their reputations? The one-plus year of hell they’ve had to endure? And what about the third-largest newspaper in the nation still reporting that they were “removed in disgrace?”— Visit W. Thomas Smith Jr. at uswriter.com.

http://longislandgirl.vox.com/library/post/us-marines-and-truth.html

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A spring offensive by any name | World news | guardian.co.uk

nobody@vox.com(American Infidel) — Wed, 28 May 2008 09:25:54 -0700

Yesterday, Reuters reported Colonel Johnson of the 101st Airborne Division as saying "there is no spring offensive" in Afghanistan. Colonel Johnson commands Task Force Currahee, which is responsible for security in six of the provinces along Afghanistan's eastern border with Pakistan, including Khowst, where I am embedded. The point here is, coordinated or not, it is still an offensive. The Taliban may not arrange their forces along the border and then charge, or plough through behind a wall of "shock and awe", but in their own way they most certainly do launch an offensive. Just because it doesn't fit with Johnson's definition does not make it any less real. Definitions must be adaptable in counter-insurgency, as shown by the newest military acronym for the insurgent: AAF, or anti-Afghan fighter, replacing last year's ACM, or anti-coalition militant. The very fact that these terms exist shows the US army understands it is not fighting a regular army, but a loose affiliation of disparate groups with different tactics and goals.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/may/21/spring.offensive#may11

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Article discusses Afghanistan/Pakistan eastern border issues - Vox

nobody@vox.com(American Infidel) — Wed, 28 May 2008 09:14:49 -0700

From My State Failure Blog - a blog for scholars and students of International Relations, primarily on Afghanistan The last salvo related to improvements in RC-E (embeds report from both sides) Not only to fire a last round, but writing with the intentional side-effect of once again directing attention to John D. McHugh's excellent writing, as well as to guide you to some more reading you shouldn't miss. For a warm-up, read this part of McHugh's diary telling you about the town of Writse, where both the ANA and the Pakistani Army go for some regular procurements, and which both countries happen to be laying claim to. Read of complications of the revealing kind, stemming from this. Meanwhile, this is all the information a U.S. unit could get out of tribal elders in the village of Mangritay on April 21, 2008 (excerpt from McHugh's diary). " The elder answered immediately, and told Adams the insurgents were behind the ridgeline that he had just been looking at; where the rockets were fired from. However, there is a problem: the land behind the hill is Pakistan. He goes on to say that many people had seen the insurgent training camps across the border. He tells Adams the insurgents had warned the tribes that if anyone cooperated with, or provided information to, the coalition forces, then they would "chop their heads". " The elder said as much, while a man near the conversing group was wearing a wristwatch showing Pakistani time (there's half an hour of difference from the left to the right of the Durand Line). I think this wouldn't be suspicious in and of itself, as that person might have crossed the border for all sorts of reasons, not only to practice asymmetrical warfare. But that man even behaved suspiciously. Then here McHugh writes of how on April 28 Mangritay was the POO (point of origin) for a rocket attack at the Malakshay COP (combat outpost), three miles from the Pakistani border.

http://longislandgirl.vox.com/library/post/article-discusses-afghanistanpakistan-eastern-border-issues.html

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Small Wars Journal

nobody@vox.com(American Infidel) — Sat, 24 May 2008 13:16:09 -0700

Small Wars Journal facilitates and supports the exchange of information among practitioners, thought leaders, and students of Small Wars, in order to advance knowledge and capabilities in the field. We hope this, in turn, advances the practice and effectiveness of those forces prosecuting Small Wars in the interest of self-determination, freedom, and prosperity for the population in the area of operations. We believe that Small Wars are an enduring feature of modern politics.We do not believe that true effectiveness in Small Wars is a ‘lesser included capability’ of a force tailored for major theater war. And we never believed that ‘bypass built-up areas’ was a tenable position warranting the doctrinal primacy it has held for too long -- this site is an evolution of the MOUT Homepage, Urban Operations Journal, and urbanoperations.com, all formerly run by the Small Wars Journal’s Editor-in-Chief. The characteristics of Small Wars have evolved since the Banana Wars and Gunboat Diplomacy. War is never purely military, but today’s Small Wars are even less pure with the greater inter-connectedness of the 21st century. Their conduct typically involves the projection and employment of the full spectrum of national and coalition power by a broad community of practitioners. The military is still generally the biggest part of the pack, but there a lot of other wolves. The strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack. The Small Wars Journal's founders come from the Marine Corps. Like Marines deserve to be, we are very proud of this; we are also conscious and cautious of it. This site seeks to transcend any viewpoint that is single service, and any that is purely military or naively U.S.-centric. We pursue a comprehensive approach to Small Wars, integrating the full joint, allied, and coalition military with their governments' federal or national agencies, non-governmental agencies, and private organizations. Small Wars are big undertakings, demanding a coordinated effort from a huge community of interest. We thank our contributors for sharing their knowledge and experience, and hope you will continue to join us as we build a resource for our community of interest to engage in a professional dialog on this painfully relevant topic. Share your thoughts, ideas, successes, and mistakes; make us all stronger. “…I know it when I see it.” “Small Wars” is an imperfect term used to describe a broad spectrum of spirited continuation of politics by other means, falling somewhere in the middle bit of the continuum between feisty diplomatic words and global thermonuclear war. The Small Wars Journal embraces that imperfection. Just as friendly fire isn’t, there isn’t necessarily anything small about a Small War. The term “Small War” either encompasses or overlaps with a number of familiar terms such as counterinsurgency, foreign internal defense, support and stability operations, peacemaking, peacekeeping, and many flavors of intervention. Operations such as noncombatant evacuation, disaster relief, and humanitarian assistance will often either be a part of a Small War, or have a Small Wars feel to them. Small Wars involve a wide spectrum of specialized tactical, technical, social, and cultural skills and expertise, requiring great ingenuity from their practitioners. The Small Wars Manual (a wonderful resource, unfortunately more often referred to than read) notes that: Small Wars demand the highest type of leadership directed by intelligence, resourcefulness, and ingenuity. Small Wars are conceived in uncertainty, are conducted often with precarious responsibility and doubtful authority, under indeterminate orders lacking specific instructions. The “three block war” construct employed by General Krulak is exceptionally useful in describing the tactical and operational challenges of a Small War and of many urban operations. Its only shortcoming is that is so useful that it is often mistaken as a definition or as a type of operation. We’d like to deploy a primer on Small Wars that provides more depth than this brief section. Your suggestions and contributions of content are welcome. Who Are Those Guys? Small Wars Journal is a private site. It is run by Small Wars Journal, LLC, a private company formed in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its principals are Dave Dilegge (Editor-in-Chief) and Bill Nagle (Publisher). We do this in our spare time, because we want to. McDonald’s pays more. But we’d rather work to advance our noble profession than try to super-size your order or interest you in a delicious hot apple pie. If and when you’re not flipping burgers, please join us.

http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/

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The SandGram

nobody@vox.com(American Infidel) — Mon, 12 May 2008 19:53:14 -0700

Dear Gang, Greeting from, Afghanistan. First of all I want to say Happy Mother’s Day to all you gals out there in Cyberland!! I can say that this is going to be a long tour. We travel around our city in armored Military vehicles and it’s a bit nerve racking, as we have to attend meetings in different spots. Crazy stuff.

http://www.thesandgram.com/

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Liberal Minded, You’ve Been Blinded » Conservative Blog: Urban Conservative 2.0 - Conservative Ne

nobody@vox.com(American Infidel) — Sun, 04 May 2008 18:17:40 -0700

If you’re familiar with old school hip-hop, you might recognize the title as being somewhat similar to the lyrics from “Criminal Minded” by KRS-One of Boogie Down Productions back in 1987. You might remember his comments a few years ago … “we cheered when 9/11 happened” and also blamed conservatives for the World Trade Center attacks. I thought it would be the most appropriate title for today’s post. So please, read on.

http://www.urbanconservative.com/2008/03/12/liberal-minded-you-have-been-blinded/

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THE TENSION: Combat Camera: Marines in Helmand Province, Afghanistan

nobody@vox.com(American Infidel) — Sun, 04 May 2008 13:51:58 -0700

Combat Camera Blog

http://thetension.blogspot.com/2008/05/combat-camera-marines-in-helmand.html

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BLACKFIVE: US Marines in a Fight (finally) in Southern Afghanistan

nobody@vox.com(American Infidel) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 09:46:25 -0700

I am certain that these Marines are violating some long standing NATO rule on not endlessly negotiating with these butt-monkeys before convening a meeting to decide when to give the Taliban their exact battle plan so that every one feels all "even" and stuff when they kick it off.

http://www.blackfive.net/main/2008/04/us-marines-in-a.html#comments

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Policy Papers - Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs

nobody@vox.com(American Infidel) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 22:19:10 -0700

Policy Papers A Tax and Budget Assessment of Oklahoma January 28, 2008 Based on the theory of pro-growth tax policy, OCPA reviewed Oklahoma’s tax system. Our analysis indicates that, while overall Oklahoma’s tax system is good, there are several key areas for improvement, especially in comparison to neighboring Texas and Colorado. Read More > Courting Trouble: Why the Teacher Union's 'Adequacy' Argument Belongs in the Legislature March 23, 2007 Last year the Oklahoma Education Association and three Oklahoma school districts filed an "adequacy and equity" lawsuit against the State of Oklahoma which would require the state legislature to spend an additional $1 billion each year on the operation and maintenance of schools and an additional $3 billion for capital improvements. In a new report released today entit... Read More > 2006 Oklahoma Piglet Book October 19, 2006 OCPA and Citizens Against Government Waste today released the 2006 Oklahoma Piglet Book at a press conference featuring Sen. Tom Coburn. Read More >

http://www.ocpathink.org/publications/policy-papers/

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Marines find Ramadi more welcoming than Berkeley

nobody@vox.com(American Infidel) — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 18:47:06 -0800

Editor's note: Reporter Matt Sanchez, who has been embedding with military units throughout both Iraq and Afghanistan, is providing WND readers with a glimpse into the war on terror most Americans have never seen. Posted: March 07, 2008 9:30 pm Eastern © 2008 WorldNetDaily Matt Sanchez Editor's note: Reporter Matt Sanchez, who has been embedding with military units throughout both Iraq and Afghanistan, is providing WND readers with a glimpse into the war on terror most Americans have never seen. By Matt Sanchez BERKELEY – "The Marines are unwelcome here." These weren't the comments of a banana republic dictator or the rantings of a religious radical. These were the words of Tom Bates, the elected mayor of Berkeley. It's difficult to match up the animosity of the residents of Berkeley, Calif., USA, with the residents of Ramadi, Anbar, Iraq. I met Ramadis who were so happy to have the Marines among them that they literally hugged and kissed them on the streets. Children made high-five signs when they saw Marines of the 3rd battalion 7th Marines on patrol and residents insisted they come in to drink chai and eat goats the hosts were willing to kill in their honor. One resident grumbled the Marines of the 2nd battalion 5th Marines never stayed long enough after dinner. Iraqis are very hospitable and dinner can last several hours and long into the night. Marine "inside the wire." The year before no one could remove their Kevlar (helmet) outside the building. Of course, Ramadi was no cakewalk. In 2005, the Marines told of having to run during the entire patrol. A moving, erratic target made it harder for an eager sniper to pick off a Marine. That was a tough time for the 3rd battalion 7th Marines Kilo Company, as told by Cpl. Tar Po. Po was born in Burma. His family fled that Southeast Asian nation because of the political situation. Thanks to an aunt, the corporal's parents moved the family to California when he was just five years old. Po sailed through the school system until he hit a few bumps in his teenage years. "I was hanging out with the wrong crowd," said the corporal, in his early 20s. He participated in the JROTC to join the Navy, but decided to join the Marine Corps after meeting a gunnery sergeant who impressed him. "He kept me out of big trouble," said Po, who later confessed that he wanted to join the Corps to "blow things up." His teenage years were turbulent and the corporal still regrets putting his parents through so much grief. He joined the Marine Corps on an "open contract" and eventually became a 0311, "a grunt", a rifleman. Like many young men and women recruited during a time of war, Po had no illusions. Most of the people I spoke to in Iraq and Afghanistan had joined after the start of hostilities. They signed up during a time of war.

http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view

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BLACKFIVE: Paratroopers Fighting in Afghanistan Need to Hear from You!

nobody@vox.com(American Infidel) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 23:42:02 -0800

Not too long ago, Blackfive readers, joined by thousands of readers from other blogs, sent over 30,000 emails of support to Marines in Iraq. The Marines had to shut down the email address because you all were causing bandwidth issues with the support we were sending. Now, as if the Taliban and Al Qaeda, bad weather, and lack of support here at home weren't bad enough, the New York Times has published a one-sided view of the paratroopers tour in Afghanistan. And so now we have cause to band together again and send massive support down range. Here's why: Even though spring hasn't officially arrived the snow line is beginning to move up the mountains in Kunar and surrounding provinces in Afghanistan. The Taliban have already begun attacking the KOP, Firebases and Observation Points where elements of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team from Bamberg and Schweinfurt, Germanicenza, Ily, are deployed. Almost 4,000 Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry (Airborne), 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry (Airborne) and 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry were deployed to Kunar and surrounding provinces in Afghanistan in May 2007 for a 15 month rotation. This region of eastern Afghanistan in the Hindu Kush mountains bordering Pakistan has been designated the most dangerous place on earth for military personnel. 75202 A Paratrooper from 2nd Platoon, Able Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne), navigates a steep incline during a patrol to Omar in Kunar province in Afghanistan Jan. 11. Date Taken: January 11th, 2008. Location: Kunar province, AF. Photographer: Sgt. Brandon Aird, Joint Combat Camera Center This winter has been particularly harsh. Many of the Soldiers are living in mud huts and tents with little or no heat, no running water, intermittent use of generators, supply drops via air to drop zones that require a hike of up to 40 minutes each way in order to retrieve the supplies, 30+ days out on missions at the firebases without showers or daily hot meals before rotating back to the KOP or Camp Blessing for hot showers, hot meals and the ability to communicate with their families and friends.

http://www.blackfive.net/main/2008/02/help-boost-mora.html

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A sprint towards normalcy: Iraqi children take on field meet - Vox

nobody@vox.com(American Infidel) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 12:25:06 -0800

AL QA’IM, Iraq (Jan. 27, 2008) – Children flocked from every corner of the village when the Marines and sailors from Company I of Task Force 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, rolled into town. The kids are always curious as to what Coalition Forces are doing in their quaint village at the T-1 pumping station in Iraq, but this day was different. This day was for them. Marines began setting up at the village soccer field for a long-day of food and fun dedicated to the children. Nearly 300 children began to fill the bleachers, gossiping to one another as to what was in store. The field meet kicked off, and cheers and laughter soon echoed through the village. Both boys and girls would participate in events ranging from a soccer challenge to a potato sack race. “If you were a kid, wouldn’t you just want to have fun while growing up and not worry about stepping on a mine while walking to school or having your school shot up because insurgents are using the rooftop,” said Cpl. Evan Van Nosrand, a vehicle commander with Company I of Task Force 3rd Bn., 2nd Marines. “It’s something we take for granted while growing up back in the states; to actually enjoy growing up.” The aroma from the barbeques permeated through the cool air as the first event was announced over the loud speaker. Children, broken down into various age groups of boys and girls, raced to the starting line for the 100-meter dash. The immense crowd’s chanting and the possibility of winning a prize were all the children needed to spark friendly competition. “I’m going to win,” said an excited 8-year old Iraqi boy. “I want to win a prize for my baby sister.” The event couldn’t have been possible without the local support of the Iraqi Police and the Iraqi Army.

http://fightingfifthmarines.vox.com/library/post/a-sprint-towards-normalcy-iraqi-children-take-on-field-meet.html#comment-6a00cd9734ca024cd500f48cfd56970001

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