BLACKFIVE: August 2009 Archives

George Will on A-Stan v. Uncle J on Baseball

Posted By Uncle Jimbo

Equally freaking worthless to anyone looking for intelligent, informed commentary. Up next Will on sub-machine guns and Uncle J on bow ties. Also for free, and worth the money Matthew Yglesias on anything.

August 31, 2009 • Permalink • Comments (5) • TrackBack (4)
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Welcome Home -- 445th CA Bn

Posted By Uber Pig

August 31, 2009 • Permalink • Comments (0) • TrackBack (0)
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Captain Darby Boudreaux - Someone You Should Know

Posted By Blackfive

"It's very real when I teach ... I take this extremely seriously. I realize what can happen. I always thought I had left something unfinished." - Captain Darby Boudreaux, severely wounded in Iraq in 2005, about his role during this tour in Iraq teaching others about IEDs.

Captain Darby Boudreaux (Baton Rouge, LA, US), 225th Engineer Brigade, is interviewed by a WAFB TV reporter about his reasons for going back to Iraq after being injured by an improvised explosive device. His current job is training Soldiers how to recognize and handle an IED.

More below on Captain Boudreaux's mission:

Soldier Returns for Unfinished Mission
225th Engineer Brigade]
Story by Lt. Col. Pat Simon
Posted: 08.19.2009 04:43

BAGHDAD – May 25, 2005, is a date that is burned in the memory of Capt. Darby Boudreaux, 225th Engineer Brigade.

On that afternoon, his platoon was conducting a route clearance mission near Ghazaliya in western Baghdad. The site was supposed to be clear, but wasn't. Chaos suddenly broke out.

"I got blown up by an [improvised explosive device] while we were dismounted, and we started taking direct fire ... getting shot at immediately after," said Boudreaux. "I knew that I was hurt really bad because of the amount of blood that I was putting out."

A minor artery in his right leg was severed. In just 30 seconds in back of medical Humvee, Boudreaux remembered a shocking site. He was lying in a two inch puddle of his own blood. His blood pressure dropped to 60 over 30. He was close to death and losing consciousness...

Continue reading "Captain Darby Boudreaux - Someone You Should Know"

August 31, 2009 • Permalink • Comments (4) • TrackBack (0)
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McChrystal's Report

Posted By Uncle Jimbo

Man it would be nice to read McChrystal's report and have the brain trust here at Blackfive looking at it rather than just reading about it in leaks to MSM outlets. Ya' know? I'm just sayin', man it would be nice. jimbo at unclejimbo.com

Or we can just trust the NY Times and the BBC to accurately characterize it.

August 31, 2009 • Permalink • Comments (7) • TrackBack (0)
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In honor of SFC Jared Monti

Posted By Blackfive

Last night on Pundit Review Radio (Boston's ABC WRKO), Jared Monti's father Paul, along with two of his best friends, in studio with Kevin Whalen and a liberal blogger from Blue Mass Group by the name of David Kravitz.

For the past two weeks, they have rallied local bloggers to put politics aside and raise money for Jared's scholarship fund. They were able to generate 35 donations totaling $3000.

August 31, 2009 • Permalink • Comments (0) • TrackBack (0)
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Before the Drop

Posted By Blackfive

U.S. Army soldiers ride in an Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft for the air-drop portion of a joint forcible entry exercise over Fort Bragg, N.C., Aug. 26, 2009. The soldiers are assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Robertson

August 31, 2009 • Permalink • Comments (3) • TrackBack (0)
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The Ugly of War

Posted By Blackfive

This is why grunts love medics...we also know that they pay a big price for what they do.

This is something that I think everyone should watch (warning: the descriptions are graphic), but it's not easy.

It's not easy at all...

After the jump, I'll post a piece that I think is from LTC (ret) Grossman's book "On Combat" that might allow some context. It's not a military story, though...

Continue reading "The Ugly of War"

August 31, 2009 • Permalink • Comments (17) • TrackBack (1)
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Kev leaves from leave

Posted By Uncle Jimbo

The TankerBabe went to see Kev off back to Iraq after his mid-tour leave. How sweet. I on the other hand maintain my strong disdain for the troops.

August 30, 2009 • Permalink • Comments (12) • TrackBack (0)
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North Korea shows clenched fist

Posted By Uncle Jimbo

Show a little love to Billy Clinton and you ought to be able to proliferate a little weaponry and make some scratch, eh? Apparently not.

Aug. 28 (Bloomberg) -- The United Arab Emirates has seized a ship carrying North Korean-manufactured munitions, detonators, explosives and rocket-propelled grenades bound for Iran in violation of United Nations sanctions, diplomats said.
The UAE two weeks ago notified the UN Security Council of the seizure, according to the diplomats, who spoke on condition they aren’t named because the communication hasn’t been made public. They said the ship, owned by an Australian subsidiary of a French company and sailing under a Bahamian flag, was carrying 10 containers of arms disguised as oil equipment.

Now this brings up all kinds of questions. How did the UAE find out? Did we know? Did we tell them? Inquiring minds want to know. Also how does this affect our global tyrant outreach project? Clenched? Unclenched? Hmmmm.

August 29, 2009 • Permalink • Comments (6) • TrackBack (0)
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Pirates fire at Navy chopper

Posted By Uncle Jimbo

h/t Mrs. G. I know all of you read the Dawn Patrol, right?

from DVIDS

Yesterday, at approximately 8:00 a.m. local time, Somali pirates aboard Motor Vessel Win Far, fired what appeared to be a large caliber weapon at a U.S. Navy SH-60B Helicopter from Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 49, embarked aboard USS Chancellorsville.

No rounds of ammunition struck the SH-60B. The SH-60 crew did not return fire. No personnel injuries resulted from the incident.

OK, I'll bite. Why the hell didn't the crew return fire? Why isn't this boat now an artificial reef? If it's crew is still on board as hostages, why aren't we rescuing them? Why do we allow these jackasses to get away with the shit they are? What in the world is the point in having a Navy if we allow these clowns to openly operate a pirate mothership? WTF? over.

August 28, 2009 • Permalink • Comments (34) • TrackBack (2)
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The Blog of War

"Grab it before the Pentagon orders it burned..." - Vanity Fair

"...nonpartisan patriotism is the common thread tying together these reflections, love letters and stories of combat. They make for riveting reading." - The Washington Post

Winner of the 2006 Gold Medal for Anthologies - Military Writer's Society of America

"This collection is an excellent introduction to an emerging form of war reporting." - Booklist

"...there is much to tell, and celebrate, in the tough, day-to-day work that our soldiers are doing in one of the most challenging environments any army has ever faced..." - The Philadelphia Inquirer

"...the collection is riveting...a worthy tribute." - The American Prospect

Click here for more information and list of blogger/authors

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The Authors

Blackfive
Former Paratrooper and Army Officer, "Blackfive" started this blog upon learning of the valorous sacrifice of a friend that was not reported by the journalist whose life he saved.
Email: blackfive AT gmail DOT com
Jim Hanson
Retired Special Operations Master Sergeant, Jim Hanson ("Uncle Jimbo") is now focused on writing about the military, politics, intelligence operations and foreign policy.
Email: jimbo AT unclejimbo DOT com
The Laughing Wolf
Writer, photographer, and raconteur C. Blake Powers is the Laughing Wolf. He is independent in politics and covers topics including journalism, military, weapons, preparedness, space, science, cooking, food and wine, product and book reviews, and even spirituality.
Email: wolf1 AT laughingwolf DOT net
Laughing Wolf's Amazon Wish List
Grim Beorn
Grim -- an Old Norse name that means 'one who wears a mask' -- blogs on issues of intelligence, information operations, and foreign relations.
Email: grimbeornr AT yahoo DOT com
Pinch Paisley
Instapinch Bill Paisley, otherwise known as Pinch, is a 22 year (ongoing) active and reserve naval aviator. He blogs over at www.instapinch.com on a veritable cornucopia of various and sundry items and will bring a tactical naval aviator's perspective to Blackfive. Readers be warned: any comments of or about the F-14 Tomcat will be reverential and spoken in low, hushed tones.
Email: wpaisley AT comcast DOT net
Mr. Wolf
Mr. Wolf has over 26 years in the Army, Army NG, and USAR. He’s Airborne with 5 years as an NCO, before becoming an officer. Mr. Wolf has had 4 company commands. Signal Corp is his basic branch, and Public Affairs is his functional area. He recently served 22 straight months in Kuwait and Iraq, in Intel, PA, and senior staff of MNF-I. Mr. Wolf is now an IT executive. He is currently working on a book on media and the Iraq war. Functional gearhead.

In Iraq, he received the moniker of Mr. Wolf after the Harvey Kietel character in Pulp Fiction, when "challenges" arose, they called on Mr. Wolf...
Email: TheDOTMrDOTWolfAT gmail DOT com
Deebow
Deebow is a Staff Sergeant and a Military Police Squad Leader in the Army National Guard. In a previous life, he served in the US Navy. He has over 19 years of experience in both the Maritime and Land Warfare; including deployments to Southwest Asia, Thailand, the South Pacific, South America and Egypt. He has served as a Military Police Team Leader and Protective Services Team Leader and he has served on assignments with the US State Department, US Air Force Security Police, US Army Criminal Investigation Division, and the US Drug Enforcement Administration. He recently spent time in Afghanistan working with, training and fighting alongside Afghan Soldiers and is now focused on putting his 4 year Political Science degree to work by writing about foreign policy, military security policy and politics.
McQ
McQ has 28 years active and reserve service. Retired. Infantry officer. Airborne and Ranger. Consider my 3 years with the 82nd as the most fun I ever had with my clothes on. Interests include military issues and policy and veteran's affairs.
Email: mcq51 -at - bellsouth -dot- net
Crush

Chris Carter is a former USAF firefighter and now civilian firefighter who covers military history, national security, and baseball. Find out more at his website.

Twitter: @CrushingChris
EMAIL: crushnik AT yahoo DOT com
Tantor

Tantor is a former USAF navigator/weapon system officer (WSO) in F-4E Phantoms who served in the US, Asia, and Europe. He is now a curmudgeonly computer geek in Washington, DC, picking the taxpayers pocket. His avocations are current events, aviation, history, and conservative politics.
Long Tab Sig O
Twenty-three years of Active and Reserve service in the US Army in SF (18B), Infantry and SOF Signal jobs with operational deployments to Bosnia and Africa. Since retiring he's worked as Senior Defense Analyst on SOF and Irregular Warfare projects and currently ensconced in the emerging world of Cyberspace.

The Authors Emeritus

Major Pain
Major Pain -- A Marine who began his blog in Iraq and reflects back on what he learned there and in Afghanistan. To the point opinions, ideas and thoughts on military, political and the media from One Marine’s View.
Email: onemarinesview AT yahoo DOT com
Froggy
Froggy is 21 year Navy SEAL corpsman and vet of the War on Terror. Follow Froggy on Twitter @FroggyRuminates
Driven
"Driven" is an OIF vet, Sergeant and team Leader in the 82nd Airborne Division...
Uber Pig
Uber Pig was an Infantryman from late 1991 until early 1996, serving with Second Ranger Battalion, I Corps, and then 25th Infantry Division. At the time, the Army discriminated against enlisted soldiers who wanted use the "Green to Gold" program to become officers, so he left to attend Stanford University. There, he became expert in detecting, avoiding, and surviving L-shaped ambushes, before dropping out to be as entrepreneurial as he could be. He is now the founder of a software startup serving the insurance and construction industries, and splits time between Lake Tahoe, Boonville, and San Francisco, CA.

Uber Pig writes for Blackfive a) because he's the proud brother of an enlisted Civil Affairs Reservist who currently serves in Iraq, b) because he looks unkindly on people who make it harder for the military in general, and for his brother in particular, to succeed at their missions and come home in victory, and c) because the Blackfive readers and commenters help keep him sane.

Email: enlisted swine (at) gmail (dot) com.
COB6
COB6 spent 24 years in the active duty Army that included 5 combat tours with service in the 1st Ranger Battalion and 1st Special Forces Group . COB6 was enlisted (E-7) and took the OCS route to a commission. COB6 retired a few years back as a field grade Infantry officer. Currently COB6 has a son in the 82nd Airborne that just returned from his third tour and has a newly commissioned daughter in the 4th Infantry Division.
Subsunk
Subsunk is a retired US Navy Submarine Officer.