Roundtable: Aid Flight into Burma

Posted By Grim

We were lucky enough to speak this morning with USAF Captain Trevor Hall, who took the first US C-130 into Rangoon, Burma (Myanmar) to carry aid to the victims of the recent storm.  If you listen to the interview, you'll learn a lot about American air drop capacity, and a few things about American security and diplomatic efforts in the region.  As you know, the chief impediment to aid getting to the people has been Burma's own government.

That is starting to change.

We had extra heavy lift capacity in the area because of the Cobra Gold exercises.  Though it needs no introduction to anyone who has been involved with the Pacific Command since 1982, the Cobra Gold exercises are an annual affair.  Since 2004, they have included not just US and Thai troops, but troops from regional nations like the Philippines and Mongolia. 

Doing good works for the people wins their trust and friendship, and helps establish local authorities that can maintain law and education in poor regions.  This year, Cobra Gold focused part of its efforts on training for just such exercises by putting US and Thai efforts together to help build a school in Surat Thani province, southern Thailand.

This underscores the point made a few days ago:  No matter what good you want to accomplish, from disaster and poverty relief to establishing law in the place of war, the US military is a key element for the solutions to those problems. 

Here we see Americans joining with our friends in Thailand to teach each other about how to do good works, by actually doing good works; and then interrupting those good works to go do some more good works for those suddenly in need.  Both the United States and its network of allies are a force for good in the world.

The Right Firepower For Yemen Right Now

Posted By Laughing_Wolf

With so many things going on, it is hard to keep up with all the hotspots and problem areas. That is one of the great things about the blogosphere: you have experts who keep up with their areas of specialization for you.

The last few days, Jane Novak of Armies of Liberation has been bringing me up to date on some goings on in Yemen. Yemen, where the people behind the U.S.S. Cole bombing, the people who murdered four of our own, walk around free instead of being in jail as promised. Yemen, where blogs are most often banned, and a journalist -- Abdulkarim al-Khaiwani -- who has dared to tell the truth about this and more and dared stand for freedom is now literally on trial for his life. Well, not so much a trial (a farce long gone) as simply being sentenced for "insulting the president" and "demoralizing the military."

No matter what the lacy panty brigade at Foggy Bottom says (I am reminded strongly of a Retief novel brought to life, and not in a good way), the actions of Yemen in regards the murders of our sailors is at best a slap in the face. Add that to this farce of a so-called legal action, and...

Directing selected firepower is something the military does well, and while it is not yet time for live munitions, it is time for some firepower that has worked before. Send a Letter to the fine leaders of Yemen to ask that they stop the torture (real, not fantasy) of this man and his children. Shining a light on them, and letting them know we care, could make a difference. If not, well, we tried and have checked a needed box... So, fire for effect.

LW

Iraqi Army desecrates Mahdi bodies (graphic video)

Posted By Uncle Jimbo

Many like to smear the US and our troops as jack-booted thugs who routinely torture, kill and mutilate innocents; there could hardly be a more inaccurate portrayal. I have seen far too many examples of man's inhumanity to man and shockingly it was always someone other than our folks. This footage is revolting and the Iraqi government needs to take control of their troops. Parading the bodies of your enemies around may be a disgusting, ages-old tradition but we are destroying any number of ages-old traditions in Iraq. This should definitely be one of them. Video on LiveLeak in case YouTube ganks it.

UPDATE: Well YouTube ganked the vid and as if to show the difference LIveLeak featured it on their front page. Guess that solves my video host issue. The one thing about the comments in this thread and others where this is posted that bothers me is the common feeling that since these men were swine, treating them or their carcasses badly is fair game. I disconcur. I agree they are swine and I'm happy they are dead, I even did a dead tango dance prior to posting this, but once we kill them it's time to raise ourselves and hopefully our allies above them.

My concern is also more with the perception and the effect on our COIN efforts than any actual concern for the dead animals.

Roundtables: Life of the Mind

Posted By Grim

Last week, there were two roundtables on two different projects that both have something in common.  Both point to the way that the US military serves to harness the minds of America's true "best and brightest" to create good in the world.

The first was with Dr. Thomas Mahnken, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Policy Planning,  on the Minerva Project.  This project offers to rebuild some of the ties between the military and academia.  The military would provide funding and access to research materials; in return, they would appreciate aid in understanding the world's cultures, so that counterinsurgency efforts are both more likely to succeed, and better able to reach out to and protect the people among whom terrorists or guerrillas might try to hide. 

The other was on regenerative medicine.  We spoke with COL Robert Vandre, who shows the intense and almost boyish joy of the scientist at the progress his team is making in helping injured soldiers.

He's missing ears and the end of his nose. And, of course, that's -- we really expect to be able to do something about that in a couple of years, you know, because that's -- you saw the picture with the mouse with the ear on his back. And that technology just needs -- I mean, essentially we've just got to refine it a little bit more, and we should be able to give it a go.

Take a look at some of what they've been doing.

This is a point we've made here at BlackFive, and elsewhere, from time to time.  The military, its internal schools, DARPA, the defense contractors' research labs, these have served as a parallel structure to academia for the life of the mind.  It's a place of those who want to put that life into practice, making a difference in defense of their nation and to better the world. 

It makes sense that this should be so.  No matter what good you want to accomplish -- whether disaster relief or to prevent a genocidal war, whether at home or in some faraway land -- the US military is the single greatest instrument for good in the world.  It is the key element in many of the solutions to those problems, worldwide.

I asked Dr. Mahnken about the challenges involved in trying to rejoin the military thinkers with the academics.

Continue reading "Roundtables: Life of the Mind"

The crane that killed me

Posted By Uncle Jimbo

Just in case it happens here is the crane that killed me before if falls on me squashing me flat. The wankers building condos approx. 40 ft. from where I sleep and work decided they needed a 100 ft. tall crane w/ 40 tons of concrete counterweights, and that it needed to be right across from me. So sue the dog shite out of them if they get drunk this afternoon and drop their toy on my hooch.

Pelosi Shoots, Scores. No, Obey Blocks

Posted By Uncle Jimbo

GI Bill UPDATE: From someone who knows.

While it is true that the GI Bill expansion is a great idea, Senator Webb's bill ISN'T. Here's why: the benefits begin to kick in after- get this- 90 days. The Pentagon believes, and research confirms, that the retention effects of such a policy far outweigh the recruitment effects. In other words, your smartest, most motivated guys (who want to go to college) end up flushing the Army after one term of enlistment. The alternative bill, the McCain/Burr/Graham bill, has the max benefit kicking in after 6 years of service, largely dodging the negative hit on retention that the Webb bill has.

There is a real possibility that something like Webb (S22) would put a real strain on the all-volunteer force.

Just when I was about to give Nancy Pelosi some credit for recognizing their anti-victory stance wasn't helping the Democrats, along comes my state's David Obey to ensure the cause of  defeat stays in play.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Defying President Bush's demand to send him a clean war funding bill, House Democratic leaders unveiled legislation Tuesday that conditions the money on withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq and adds billions of dollars in domestic spending. Democrats unveiled legislation Tuesday tying war funding to a timeline for troop withrawal.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, D-Wisconsin, outlined a $183.7 billion package that combines money for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for the remainder of 2008 with additional funding requested by the administration to continue military operations through early 2009.

Democrats insisted that their bill stays roughly within the overall spending limit set by the White House, but they included two major domestic items -- unemployment assistance and a new GI Bill that expands college benefits for veterans -- that would cost about $12 billion.

While overall adding these domestic programs is BS, the GI Bill expansion is a great idea and W should make it clear that it is the only add on he will allow to remain. Pelosi wants to avoid reminding America just how many in her party don't consider victory important and in too many cases would actually prefer a defeat to hobble our imperialist desires.

This is a smart move politically as Americans have made it clear, while they would love to bring the troops home today, they don't want to do so short of victory. Nancy knows that the more of her team that agitates for immediate withdrawal, the tougher  it gets for the Messiah and all of her Blue Dog Dems. Even though her machinations would ensure the troops have the money they need, I don't want her to get away with back burnering her party's spineless position on Iraq and our greater counterinsurgency against jihadist Islam.

The big question is whether the anti-war crowd, which is deeply, religiously invested in withdrawal can put the chances of Barry O above their own simmering hatred. I kinda doubt it and can't wait for the Convention in Denver, Woo Hoo!

Miscellaneous Musings... Part 1

Posted By The Wolf

First off, welcome back, Matt!  It's good to see you back at the helm and having returned safely from the Imperial Kingdom.

I wanted to bring to your attention some VERY interesting developments in the literary world- books are coming out for the summer reading season, and they have every appearance of being quite interesting reading.

One book that has jumped to the top of my reading list is the forthcoming book by LTG Ricardo Sanchez, former V Corps Commander and senior leader in Iraq.  His book, Wiser In Battle: A Soldier's Story (HarperCollins) is coming out this month and was excerpted in TIME this past week.

In the memo, Rumsfeld stated that one of the biggest strategic mistakes of the war was ordering the major redeployment of forces and allowing the departure of the CENTCOM and CFLCC staffs in May-June 2003.

LTG Sanchez was referring to the movement of the CFLCC/CENTCOM staff elements back into Kuwait and Qatar shortly after the major battles into Baghdad, and just prior to the beginning of IED's becoming major threats in the theater, and the coalescing of insurgent forces throughout Iraq.  The EECP was brought back from Victory Palace (see photo) and repositioned/refitted in Kuwait at this time.  That was the forward headquarters for CFLCC.

LTG Sanchez makes some very, very serious accusations here- he details out some conversations that apparently never took place between the CENTCOM staff and Pentagon leadership.  I have some insight into this, given that I helped develop these staff layouts for Kuwait and Iraq.  I am extremely interested in the context of this material, so I've already ordered my copy of his book and will get this read (and commented on here) ASAP.  Stay tuned- this could be very interesting.  I've disagreed with some of the General's comments previously, and given what happened to him politically, his comments could be construed as sour grapes.

On the subject of Abu Ghraib, there are a couple of films that I'm going to review shortly- I just received a copy of The Ghosts of Abu Ghraib (Kennedy/HBO Video) and I intend on getting a copy of Standard Operating Procedures (Morris/Sony Pictures) just as soon as I can.  My gut tells me these may go way, way out of bounds on what actually happened at AG.  It will be interesting to see the context they put this event in.  I'm especially interested in how they characterize the way in which the story was broken.  They've not interviewed any of the key players (outside of some of the convicted participants) who investigated the incident.  MG Tony Taguba has not indicated to me that they approached him, either.

The NY Times (MTRIH) has been up to old tricks again.  It was interesting to see on ABC the other night where they covered some of the newly-released President Johnson tapes from his White House days.  In one segment they played, Pres. Johnson complained about the coverage in the Times on what was happening in the Vietnam war.  Good to know the Times is at least consistently stupid even decades later. 

Just this weekend the Times printed a selection of Op-Eds by various 'experts' on the best way for the US to  exit Iraq.  At first glance, I was ready to pounce all over them for what would likely be some outrageous comments.  But to my surprise, most were quite well thought out, and were devoid of the usual NYT-style rants against the administration.  For example:

The way forward in Iraq must proceed from the recognition that the surge, of which I was an early proponent, has stabilized central  Iraq, reduced violence overall and provided space for the Iraqi government to undertake important reconciliation efforts. - Frederick  Kagan

This is generally the tone of the 9 entries, with the exception of GEN Paul Eaton's, who is basically shilling for Gen Wes Clark and Amb Rich Holbrooke to come in and restore some semblance of order.  To me, that'd be like Obama asking Limbaugh to come in and fix his campaign communications team.  Right.

I've also added a PILE of books to get read (after Sanchez's), including HOGS in the Shadows, Naked in Baghdad, Yon's Moment of Truth in Iraq, Bing West's The March Up, and an especially dear read, From Baghdad with Love, which is about rescuing a Marine pup from Fallujah.  This was a gift from the Neesley family after their dog was brought to Michigan (and a hearty THANKS!! to them for it!)

AHSP, if you're tuning in, JSTHU in advance.  :)

-Wolf

COIN Roundtable- Iraqi Army rises & Somali Tango down

Posted By Uncle Jimbo

The first of a series on the Global Counterinsurgency we are fighting debuts with Bill Roggio and Grim discussing COIN with me. We have transitioned from the kinetic war in Iraq but we need to look at the rest of the world and have a plan to deal with Islamic terrorism wherever it happens.

We discuss the end of an evil man in Somalia and the state of the Iraqi Security Forces.

The Small Wars Journal still has an excellent piece as usual on Non-Lethal aspects of our operations in Iraq that details how these are the final keys to actual victory.

US Marines in a Fight (finally) in Southern Afghanistan

Posted By Deebow

And in other news, water is wet....

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.

Now don't get me wrong, the Danes, the Poles, and the British (certain units) I have fought with are doing a bang up job down there, but they just don't have the same issues with these guys that we Americans have.  And for the Brits at least, they are hamstrung by a crazy, socialist, leftist, elitist media that demonizes their every move, good or bad.  But we all know what I am talking about when I talk about negotiations with these guys.

But anyway, I watched Fox News today while spending my last day healing from my gall bladder surgery and found out some interesting facts from the reporting that I would like to share with everyone.

Many of the 2,300-member unit who conducted the operation are Iraq war veterans.

Many of the men in the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit served in 2006 and 2007 in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province in western Iraq. The vast region was once the stronghold of Al Qaeda in Iraq before the militants were pushed out in early 2007.

(Capt. John) Moder said that experience would affect how his men fight in Afghanistan.  "These guys saw a lot of progress in Ramadi, so they understand it's not just kinetic (fighting) but it's reconstruction and economic development."

Speaker Pelosi, Senator Reid, and Senator Murtha; I hope you had your pencils out.... 

Continue reading "US Marines in a Fight (finally) in Southern Afghanistan"

And they wonder why 73 plus percent of military members are registered as Republicans

Posted By Deebow

I want them to defend this...

I want them to defend using the video of the apparent death of American Soldiers while serving in Iraq to the religious zealot, gun nut, under-employed working class folk that probably have either served before, serve currently or have a family member who faces danger every day in the ITO.

I want them to defend using this video to make the misleading statement that we are "losing in Iraq."

Of course, the cowards respond according to the script:

Calls to the DNC for comment and for information about the footage went unreturned.

I don't want to hear anymore from the pompous gas-bags in the Old Media and the Code Pink turd-burglars about how they "Hate the war but support the troops"....  Where I come from, we say "that dog won't hunt."

But, since the media outlets are not showing it, out of respect for our comrades in arms, I would like to encourage everyone to tell everyone you know to go and see the ad and tell their friends too.

That way, whichever candidate is chosen by the Democrats, the American voters can ensure that the Democrats are headed for a McGovern style beat-down in November....

A beat-down that will sting for a couple generations....

Global Counter-Insurgency (COIN) -Petraeus to head CENTCOM

Posted By Uncle Jimbo

UPDATE: This seems like very good news in building a Global COIN strategy. Congratulations Gen. Petraeus and good luck.

Almost seven years into our active fight against al Qaeda and Islamic extremism, we still have difficulty characterizing exactly who and what we are fighting. We have twisted ourselves around in verbal gymnastics to avoid using the word Islam in the description of this war and I actually agree that is a good thing. Although our enemy is comprised almost entirely of Muslims, everyone knows that and consequently calling it a battle against Islamic anything doesn't add anything.

Our enemy is a stateless, amorphous, ad hoc group of Islamic religious extremists who are conducting a global insurgency of opportunity against us and all free societies. The one area of the world where we have had major success against them is Iraq of all places, and the reason for that was a complete change of strategy from top-down nation-building to bottom-up, grass roots counter-insurgency. We aren't fighting Islamic warriors who march into battle against the Great Satan flying the flag of jihad. No, we battle cowards who brainwash children with hate and strap explosives to mentally disabled women sending them to kill other innocents. Sadly they enjoy the support of far too many other Muslims and that is where we must fight them. If we only focus on sending jihadis to their hellish paradise, we will play an endless game of whack-a-mole. While killing terrorists must be part of our game plan, we must also use the strategy and tactics required to defeat this enemy on the battlefield of ideas.

America needs a Global Counter-Insurgency (COIN) plan to expand on the gains we have made in Iraq. It is not the current generation of Iraqis who will create the final defeat of al Qaeda there. It will be the youngsters who we have been giving medical care to, and building schools for, and at the most basic level, playing soccer with. They have known the evil of Saddam and the horrors of sectarian violence and terrorism. They have also seen that our forces now have shared their sacrifices and stood  back to back with them securing their own neighborhoods. Once the Iraqis believed we were on the front lines with them, their pride kicked in and they began to volunteer in droves to protect their families and friends. Now political progress is being made and the idea of victory is no longer foreign.

Those opposed to the war have often claimed that Iraq was a distraction from the greater fight and also that we have no comprehensive plan to fight Islamic extremism. It is valid to argue the efficacy of invading Iraq in 2003, it is folly to ignore the current state where al Qaeda consistently calls it the central front in their war on us. I again would agree that we have no coherent foreign and national security policy that addresses the enemy we face and that is why building a program that focuses all our resources in a Global Counter-Insurgency is vital. This effort must include our military, especially the Special Forces and Civil Affairs units trained for this mission, but also the State Department, USAID and other humanitarian organizations. Too often institutional differences have led to poor coordination and even working at cross-purposes. These same problems made it difficult for our Armed Forces to operate well together as recently as the first Gulf War in 1991. Since then virtually all missions are joint combining the best of all services in a common goal. The same integration is necessary between military and civilian agencies if a Global COIN strategy is to succeed.

This will require the abandonment of some pre-conceived notions. The left must understand that when dealing with bad actors, effective diplomacy happens best when the threat of military force backs up the words, and the right must accept that we will parley with our enemies and even make deals with them. Those efforts must be combined with humanitarian, civil and entrepreneurial assistance that shows our commitment to helping people live free, productive lives. Get all of those plates spinning and we just might win this.

Mike Yon, Professor, The Proof of the Unmentioned American Strategy

Posted By Subsunk

As my Differential Equations Prof used to say, "the proof of this theorem is left to the student, as the result is obvious to those with the knowledge to seek it".

Michael Yon's new book, Moment of Truth in Iraq, has been reviewed by the New York Post. In that review, the quotes selected echo the theme which has played itself out throughout the War on Terror and is the True underlying strategy behind the War on Terror, wherever it is fought by Americans today.

Those who visit Blackfive occasionally may find it vindicates certain points of view.

He shares a rarely reported aspect of the American effort in Iraq - rebuilding: "The American soldier is the most dangerous man in the world," he says, "and the Iraqis had to learn that before they would trust or respect us. But it was when they understood that these great-hearted warriors, who so enjoyed killing the enemy, are even happier building a school or making a neighborhood safe that we really got their attention."

Heard that somewhere before?

Press on. To Victory.

Subsunk

LA Times Staying Classy

Posted By Deebow

Evidently, the LAT ran out of material to run on Hillary lying about sniper fire and Obama and his association with Jeremiah Wright and have stumbled across this HUGE scandal with the McCain Campaign.

Seems that the LAT believes that McCain, as a result of being shot down, severely injured during ejection, and then held prisoner for 5 years, as well as tortured while in captivity is unfit to be the Commander in Chief because he receives a VA Disability Pension.  And it is tax free!!!

Oooohhh!  The Humanity!

Evidently, the big question the LAT thinks this raises is:

The fact that he is legally designated with a disability pension may raise further questions.

And then this waste of skin piped in...

"It is a legitimate question to ask about the commander in chief: Is he fit to serve," said Robert Schriebman, a senior Pentagon tax advisor and tax attorney who recently retired as a judge advocate for a unit of the California National Guard.

I want this lawyer (Shakespeare was right) to come down here and tell me, a disabled veteran who continues to serve that I am not fit to serve, or Captain David Roselle is not fit to serve.  I would put my foot in his, well, you get the picture....

We all know that Senator McCain is entitled to that benefit, regardless of whether or not he is Senator McCain, or Principal McCain at Abraham Lincoln High School, or CEO McCain of ABC MegaCorp. or Janitor McCain.  He receives that as a benefit of his honorable service to this country.  Any man who can survive the situation he found himself in is not only fit to be the CinC, but someone that would bring a unique perspective to the job.

As far as I am concerned these oxygen thieves at the LAT deserve to burn in, after watching their reserve cigar roll, for questioning whether or not McCain's disability pension takes away from his abilities.

But they may have gotten pwned and not even know it....

Paul Galanti, another former POW in the group, said that while McCain's injuries were serious enough to qualify him for disability, it would not affect his performance as president.

"I don't know of any physical requirements to be commander in chief," Galanti said. "He would have a nice car to drive around in and a nice airplane to fly in."

I think next they should check into whether or not Hillary's bad vision would keep her from reading the launch codes properly.  I mean, have you seen those glasses?

Like I said, what a bunch of oxygen thieves....

This just in...

Posted By The Wolf

I came across this wonderful blog the other morning while checking my Google News feeds- The full text is below the fold.  Its a wonderful support piece that deserves wide dissemination.  She obviously loves her soldier- even if she disagrees with the politics behind everything...

I also just returned from Kuwait/Iraq where I was on a quick trip to check up on things; I had a chance to talk with one of the Soldier's favorite morning DJ's- Linda, who's STILL on every morning in Kuwait on 99.7 FM.  She's still doing her show, and tells me she misses the calls from Soldier's who were ''all over Kuwait'' in 2003.  She relayed some stories of US troops, heading north to the border, listening to her show all the way.  She says you can hear her show nearly all the way to Najaf.  I won't comment on her music selection, but what a perky voice to be hearing out in the middle of the desert!

She asked that I relay a 'hello' to all those that listened to her over the years, and for all to stay safe...

Linda, better words never spoken...

-Wolf

Continue reading "This just in... "

National Heroes Tour- Coast to coast

Posted By Uncle Jimbo

After a chance to reflect I can say the Heroes Tour was one of the more amazing experiences of my life. I met more great people than I can even count and we definitely got the message out. Enjoy the video and know that plans are underway for another round of this later this Summer. More info to follow.

Ohh.... You think that YOU!! are the people out saving the planet....

Posted By Deebow

OOPS!!  My Bad.....

It looks like the Marines (or at least some Marines) have a battle plan...

Another Afghan Success Story....

Posted By Deebow

"The Americans are doing this"--Unnamed Taliban Butt-monkey

This is something that took awhile to report.  As with all success stories that paint what we are doing in a good light, it doesn't fit the template.

I was in country for the beginning of this project and the Washington Post is reporting on it now.  The WaPo gives it a surprisingly fair and equitable write up.

They make it look like I Jumped the Shark on this one a touch, but I have been following this story for awhile, if only to assuage my own skepticism.  I served in the 203rd Corps and when they told us about this plan and about how the Afghans were going to get American equipment and (it really did frighten me) American night vision equipment, I had a lot of very negative things to say about it.  I was not really shy about it.

I can tell you that I was having a hard time getting my Afghan guys to understand some basic maintenance concepts and the application of them.  I thought that if we gave the Afghans this equipment, that it was going to be broken, sold in the bazaar by noon, or generally inoperable before any major operation.

But, in the interest of full disclosure, I am glad that I turned out to be wrong about it.  I am glad that they are working out well.

In fact, I got an e-mail from MSG Ness from CJTF-82 and he had this to say about the Commandos...

The Commandos are working out very well.  They have been partnered with CJSOTF and outfitted like a US Infantry Company.  They are executing Counter Terror missions and have been very successful.  The Commandos are a success story we would like to spread more word about.  One of the challenges here is when US forces conduct CT missions they are met with dislike and derision by the locals.  Breaches of customs, accusations of civilian casualties and other situations seized upon by the AQ/TB IO Operations.  The Commandos seem to be immune from that.  Much like the grup-i-mutaharek, Massoud's "Mobile Group", they are seen by the Afghan citizens as an elite military force and are gaining great popularity with the Afghan people.

But the good stuff isn't just from CJTF-82....

Continue reading "Another Afghan Success Story...."

The Continued disrespect of our Armed Forces...

Posted By Deebow

and the perpetuation of a hoax to boot...

The best part of this story may be some of the quotes from some of the veterans of that battle...

Donald Mates, an Iwo Jima veteran, told the Business & Media Institute on April 17 that using that photograph for that cause was a “disgrace.”

“It’s an absolute disgrace,” Mates said. “Whoever did it is going to hell. That’s a mortal sin. God forbid he runs into a Marine that was an Iwo Jima survivor.”

Mates also said making the comparison of World War II to global warming was erroneous and disrespectful.

“The second world war we knew was there,” Mates said. “There’s a big discussion. Some say there is global warming, some say there isn’t. And to stick a tree in place of a flag on the Iwo Jima picture is just sacrilegious.”

But the trifecta for this little journey into libtardedness is the quote from Time managing editor Richard Stengel about what he believes the reporters and the news-room of Time Magazine need to do to be most effective in their jobs;

“I think since I’ve been back at the magazine, I have felt that one of the things that’s needed in journalism is that you have to have a point of view about things,” Stengel said. “You can’t always just say ‘on the one hand, on the other’ and you decide. People trust us to make decisions. We’re experts in what we do. So I thought, you know what, if we really feel strongly about something let's just say so.”

I believe that alcoholics call this "a moment of clarity."  Thanks Richard for admitting what we already knew was there...

And great job on that cover....

Chivalry and Women

Posted By Grim

(I rarely post both here and at Grim's Hall:  but today I will.  The "recent discussion" mentioned is in two posts, here and here.)

Two citations today, to inform our recent discussion. The first one is from the invaluable book The Archaelogy of Weapons: Arms and Armor from Prehistory to the Age of Chivalry by Ewart Oakeshott. The quote is from pp 186-7.

The inevitable development of what we might call the official knightly attitude towards women began to take hold in the middle of the twelfth century. It was given impetus by the poets of southern France, particularly after Eleanor of Aquitaine (one of the most glamorous women of the Middle Ages, who later married Henry II of England and became the mother of Richard Lion-Heart and John) came from Provence to Paris to become for a while the Queen of Louis VII of France. The mingling of the tongues of "oc" and "oui" in overseas expeditions strengthened it.

["Oc" and "oui" here refers to two major dialects of Middle French, in which the word for "yes" was pronounced one of two different ways. This was not the only difference, of course, just the one chosen as an easy symbol. In Ivanhoe, Richard the Lionheart offers to sing "a 'sirvente' in the language of 'oc,' or a 'lai' in the language of 'oui,'" but ends up singing a ballad in the English at the request of the Holy Clerk of Copmanhurst, that is, Friar Tuck. -Grim]

Henceforth the influence of women dominates chivalry, and religion and feudal loyalty take second place. Only war, a glorious and exciting pastime and a stimulating way of winning wealth, kept its high place as a gentleman's most cherished occupation; but the influence of love as the mainspring of warlike aspiration gave a much lighter rhythm to it, and to literature and life itself. Poets sing now only of their ladies' perfections, crave their pity and strive to merit their grace. The knight fights as hard as he ever did (he was not to be deprived of his business or his fun) but it is to win his lady's favors, and the word amoureux comes to mean more than it does today, for it covers the entire range of knightly virtue. The idea has prevailed that:

Hee never were a good werryoure
That cowde not love aryghte

"He who loves not is but half a man" and "pour l'amour des dames devient li vilains courtois."

The "influence of women" which "dominates" chivalry is not an oppressive influence. It liberated women and gave them a powerful voice in society, without either demeaning men or making them resentful of feminine power. Just the opposite: It is one embraced cheerfully by men of the sort who can tame horses and ride them to war.

Unlike the culture war sparked by the feminists of today, the situation provoked by Eleanor's court was a genuine improvement of the relationship between men and women -- one that, from the distance of the twelfth century, still inspires us, and seems almost to glow across the ages. It may mark the high point of the relations between the sexes in all human history.

That said, Eric is not wrong to say that the 19th century made a great deal out of this period, and a lot of our understanding has to do with what we inherited from them. Here is something you probably have not seen before: Sir Baden Powell's likening of life to the task, familiar to Scouts, of paddling a canoe in rough waters. Women represent a rock in the river: not a bad thing, as it adds to the beauty of the river and the glory of navigating it, but a hazard that has to be considered with a clear mind:

You will, I hope, have gathered from what I have said about this Rock "Women," that it has dangers for the woman as well as for the man. But it has also its very bright side if you only manoeuvre your canoe aright.

The paddle to use for this job is CHIVALRY.

Most of the points which I have suggested as being part of the right path are comprised under chivalry.

The knights of old were bound by their oath to be chivalrous, that is to be protective and helpful to women and children. This means on the part of the man a deep respect and tender sympathy for them, coupled with a manly strength of mind and strength of body with which to stand up for them against scandal, cruelty or ridicule, and even, on occasion, to help them against their own failings.

A man without chivalry is no man.

I would strongly suggest that "sexism" is a false star. Navigating by it leads us into errors and anger with one another that are needless and pointless. What is wanted is equality of opportunity, but not that men and women should be treated as if they were exactly the same: no one wants that, not the most sincere feminist, who at least believes that women have something special to offer. As indeed they have!

Women should always be treated with chivalry, with "deep respect and tender sympathy." Equality of opportunity aside, women and men are not the same -- it is good that a man should understand how they are different, and take pains to make women feel welcome and valued. He should showcase his valor in the way of the knights and poets of old: so that, in him, the entire range of knightly virtue is expressed through love.

A significant dead tango

Posted By Uncle Jimbo

The story of Operation Red Wing is very familiar here and Marcus Luttrell's book Lone Survivor is now being made into a movie. Here is a reminder what mission sent those men up in the mountains that day.

On June 28 2005, deep behind enemy lines East of Asadabad in the Hindu Kush of
Afghanistan, a very committed four-man NAVY SEAL team was conducting a reconnaissance
mission at the unforgiving altitude of approximately 10,000 feet of elevation. These SEALs, LT Michael Murphy, Petty Officer Danny Dietz, Petty Officer Matthew Axelson and a fourth SEAL operator had a vital task.  Their mission objective was to capture or kill a key militia leader, Ahmad Shah, aka, Mullah Ismail.  The mission was compromised when these SEALs were spotted by anti-coalition sympathizers, who immediately reported their presence and location to the Taliban.

The fourth SEAL was Marcus and hopefully he is sitting on his ranch enjoying a cold Shiner Bock as he contemplates the end of an evil bastard. Mullah Ismail bit it in Pakistan and pending Roggio-level verification we can all join in rejoicing at the death of this al Qaeda dog. He is reputed to have fired the RPG that took down the MH-47 in Afghanistan killing 16 of our finest. 

(CBS) This story was written by CBSNews.com's Tucker Reals in London, and Sami Yousafzai, reporting from Peshawar, Pakistan.
A senior Taliban commander who became a hero to Islamic militants for his role in shooting down a U.S. helicopter in 2005, killing all 16 special forces troops aboard, has been killed by Pakistani security forces, officials and Taliban militants tell CBS News.

Mullah Ismail, a notorious Taliban commander from the Afghan province of Kunar, was killed in a shootout with Pakistani police as he traveled with a kidnapped trader, a local police officer said Wednesday. He was apparently on his way into the lawless Northwest Frontier Province along the Afghan border.

Well done and good riddance.

Ex-Marine Murtha At It Again

Posted By Laughing_Wolf

Yep, there are indeed a few ex-Marines around, and John Murtha is one of the few I have seen formally repudiated in writing by his former brothers. Today, Soldier's Mom let me know that the venal (Abscam, pork) and possibly senile Blue Falcon opened his mouth on age. That is, he spewed forth that John McCain was too old to be the President; and, that he was younger and things were too much for him. He even took a shot at Ronald Reagan.

Well, I suspect that John McCain has kept himself in better shape than the porkmeister, and even has a brain and sense of honor that still work quite well unlike porky. I may not agree with McCain on a number of points, but that is a different matter. McCain may indeed be the elder, but the one that is old is Murtha. Is there anyone with honor and integrity that he won't throw under a bus for his own gain? Heck, anyone at all he won't screw over to benefit himself?

LW

The "Feel Good" Movie of the year...

Posted By Deebow

In direct contravention to the HollyWeird types, and the usual fair that they call "acting," there is a movie out there that premiered not long ago in Los Angeles that might put a positive spin on what kind of sacrifices were made in the War in Iraq.

So, presenting from Lucky Forward Films is This is War: Memories of Iraq. 

This movie is about the men of the 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry and their time fighting in OIF in Najaf and Fallujah in 2004 to 2005.  And they are not some high speed, low drag crack unit out of the SOCOM.

They are National Guardsmen, who serve not only their state, but their nation as well.

I am certain that the Code Pink operatives, the ACLU, ANSWER, and IVAW are probably not going to like the movie, but I know the movie wasn't made for them.

I know a few of these men, having served with them for some years now in the National Guard, both overseas and at home and at the risk of giving away some of my anonymity, they are all from Oregon.

The footage shot from this movie is not something that you are probably going to find in any movie coming out of HollyWeird because it is shot through the cameras and eyes of the men who lived it, at the time they were living it.

Here is some of the write up that came from our Guard Newsletter, The Sentinel:

The special screening of the film documenting their deployment was held during the 2nd Annual Cinema City Film Festival March 9-10, at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles, Calif. According to the event’s organizer, Suzanne DeLaurentiis, the showing was as much business as it was personal.

“After I watched the movie, I just fell in love with the guys,” she said. “They’re a great group of people and we’re so proud to have them here.”

Some of the celebrities who attended the event included Ed McMahon, Cuba Gooding Sr., singer Debora Gibson, Ed Lauder, “Good Times” star, Ja’Net Du Bois, and Christopher McDonald, who is best known for the character of ‘Shooter McGavin’ in the movie “Happy Gilmore”.

The entire article is here.  Additionally, the book The Devil's Sandbox by John R. Bruning, is the companion reader to this movie and is a chronicle of their actions while deployed there, from the rolling ambush after leaving Navistar to the "Card-board Coffins" to the Battle at the Jemalia Power Station (a "3 hour tour" that turned into an 18 hour plus firefight) and more.

Like I was saying, I know some of these men personally, and I have seen their videos uncut and unedited before we left for Afghanistan, as some of them volunteered (yes leftards, volunteered) and there was this one part, where my buddy Joe was wounded by some Mahdi dude and he...

Well, I won't spoil it.  I hope that video made it into the show....

I would encourage everyone to go and get a copy of the movie and see OIF through the eyes of men who lived it, and not from some stringer or Green Zone Ranger.

National Heroes Tour- Vets on the Hill

Posted By Uncle Jimbo

I meant to link this before but John Lilyea from This Ain't Hell had excellent coverage of the event and I got to finally meet him, great guy and an excellent blog.

The signature event of the National Heroes Tour brought 450+ Iraq and Afghanistan vets to Capitol Hill for a rally and then to meet with their Reps and Senators to let them know that the folks with the most accurate and real information about the wars in those places believe we can and must win. Defeatism in Congress was running rampant in 2006 and 2007. Things were not going well and the left/Dems thought they could hang a defeat on the adminstration and bring the troops home before they finished the job Congress gave them. The troops have spoken loudly and they say "Let us Win!". My audio for the event got hosed, so I borrowed some footage from a friend of Pete Hegseths who was there. John McCain has some stirring lines, but Lindsey Graham of South Carolina had the nicest bit of red meat saying " I know who wants you to come home from Iraq, al Qaeda. 'Cuz you're kicking their ass over there."  Your damn skippy Senator, we sure are.

Heed this, ye of little faith

Posted By The Wolf

Thou shalt not anger the wolf...

This upcoming week will likely be one of the most contentious we will see up until the November election- it may even surpass some of the shenanigans to go on during the conventions later in the summer.  Maybe not as visual, maybe not quite as dramatic, but certainly as important.

As you may remember, a certain General will give a certain report to a certain group of Congressmen this week, in order to report certain progress in Iraq.  Will it be all 'rosey' and full of sunshine?  Hardly.  But it will reflect the ground truth, it will most likely reflect how the Surge has helped conditions, and will help lay out what we will have to do in the upcoming months to further maintain security while the Iraqi government gets its act together.  What more can we really ask for?  Ok- surrender by all the insurgents and an immediate stage-left departure, but Mookie will eat a bacon and egg breakfast long before THAT will happen.

A recent intel estimate came out, giving what some call a 'too rosy a picture' of the situation.  To wit:

One Democratic aide said the latest report "is not inconsistent with public statements on Iraq" made in recent Bush speeches casting the war in a more positive light by highlighting security and political gains in Iraq.

A second Democratic aide criticized the intelligence estimate for not delving much further than recent news reports on Iraq, charging that it is "not a very useful or innovative intelligence analysis overall."

They cannot even decide among themselves what it really says.  I, for one, see this as a sign of things to come this week- these people cannot afford for this effort to look like its working, even when it is...

MUCH MORE HERE >

Continue reading "Heed this, ye of little faith"

National Heroes Tour- Ft. Bragg complete event

Posted By Uncle Jimbo

I haven't posted a full event yet and it was easier than actually editing it. So you can see Jeremiah Workman, Tom Parks, Kate Norley and Steve Russell do the full version of their talks. Nick & Dave from Ranger Up came out to fiesta as well as our own DefendUSA, another Uncle Jimbo's Bimbo and Eddie from Eighty Deuce on the loose Reader Kyrie was at the event and uploaded these photos. It has been amazing meeting all these B5 readers, thanks to all of you.

Uncle J chats w/ a Vet for Peace

Posted By Uncle Jimbo

This gentleman attended the Heroes Tour event at the LST Ship Museum in Evansville, IN. He asked one question about what constituted victory in Iraq, which Pete answered fairly. Then I caught up with him as he was entertaining the media.

National Heroes Tour- Uncle J takes the stage

Posted By Uncle Jimbo

We were running short of heroes when we hit Marshall, MO but they gave us such a welcome Pete wanted to make sure they got a solid show so he had me pinch hit. As I have mentioned they rode us in like royalty, participated in a great town hall and then fed us fried chicken and biscuits. It rivals the opener on the Midway for best stop on the tour. I apologize for the audio being less than stellar, I couldn't record from the PA. I know I was too far from the mic, but it sounded fine to the audience just echoed out from the room.

I have met so many B5 readers and cool bloggers I am seriously remiss in naming and linking, but I am trying to catch up. If I owe you a link about the tour or anything else email me and remind me. I have woken up two of the last three days not even aware what city I was in so help me out.

Jim Hoft, the Gateway Pundit, was at the breakfast in St. Louis and made a great report as usual.

Miss Ladybug reminds us about the American Veterans Traveling Tribute.

KAT Missouri visited on the magic bus and had me freefly a little.

Shia-dominated Iraqi Army whacking Shia militias

Posted By Uncle Jimbo

Sadr City — the Baghdad nerve center for the powerful Mahdi Army — is suddenly back on edge as the militia leader, Muqtada al-Sadr, and Iraq's government lock in a dangerous confrontation over clout and control among the nation's majority Shiites.

The epicenter of the showdown has been the southern oil hub of Basra, where clashes have claimed dozens of lives this week and al-Sadr's forces face a Friday deadline to surrender.

But a more finely tuned measure of the tensions may be found among the one- and two-story homes and shabby storefronts of Sadr City. As the crisis deepened, The Associated Press toured Sadr City on Wednesday to observe its rapid swing from relative quiet to a return of the Mahdi Army swagger before the U.S. military troop buildup in Baghdad last year

Here we have the press doing their usual spin trying to take what is actually a positive development and a necessary step toward lasting peace. Mookie and his organization are beaten and all this talk about their resurgence would be better described as the last gasp efforts of a dying power.

One of the complaints from the usual suspects is that the government and it's security forces have done nothing to stop the Shia militias. Now that they do, the narrative becomes the resurgence of the soon to be dead tangos Mahdi Army.

Continue reading "Shia-dominated Iraqi Army whacking Shia militias"

The show too dangerous for High Schoolers

Posted By Uncle Jimbo

If you missed the controversy about Forest Lake HS cancelling the Heroes Tour visit the info is here. It has been a PR bonanza for us as every news outlet in the country has picked it up. Heh. When the left is allowed to show it's true colors they always beclown themselves and this boomeranged completely. It is like they wrote us a half-million dollar check to promote Vets for Freedom and the National Heroes Tour.

5 Years On, And What Is The Only Subject They Got?

Posted By The Wolf

...a body count.  That's the sum total of most of the articles posted this last week.

Seems that they cannot get past this- and no, I'm not counting the 'grateful' articles that seem to be written just to say 'thanks' to those that have given the ultimate sacrifice in their service.  But I will say they have a nice write-up on Maj Olmstead.

No, given the sum total of the articles, all they can do is talk about ''its 5 years, we got 4,000 dead, and we are stuck in Iraq...''. 

For example: The only articles on Monday in my local RMN are about those that have died in the Iraq war.  Coincidence?  I think not- seeing as how the Denver Post, which is run by the same agency, was posting editorials like this one.  It is sad beyond belief when a father equates military service with becoming a drug dealer (and himself being a veteran.)  Yeah, I posted to both of them.  Seems no one around here wants to take me up on my free speaking engagements. 

In the NYT (MTRIH) their blog has been busy trying to make up 'lost time' and coverage in the rest of the rag by posting up numerous stories, again most are melancholy pieces decrying the tragedy of Iraq and service there.  None that I could find, outside FOX, were detailing the changes over time that have occurred that SHOULD be outlined.  Ones that who the evolving nature of this beast of a burden; comparing it say, to the changes from Pearl Harbor to the battle of Midway, just to make a point.  We've got a surprise for our blogging friends over there.  Stay tuned for this one.  Very tuned.

Others have pointed out that every time our press makes such statements, the insurgent media and online campaigns heat up and gain more readership and leverage.  Do you think Jihad Daily News has links to Huffington Post and the NYT?

We cannot give up; we cannot lose faith in those who've sacrificed so much will not have done so in vain.  My wife, who's seen far more horror in her short life than 99.999% of Americans could ever stand, vehemently stands behind the fight, and she's Buddhist, for goodness sake.  (and according to this article, has married very very well, I might add.)  Later this week, I'm off to meet the Marines and SEALs of San Diego, and get an update and some excellent footage on their training.  This, I'm stoked about.  (I'll blog it next week.) 

I cannot say it enough- we are in for one ugly 8 months.  Take this week as but a primer.  But the news is not all bad-  take a look at this one: our friends in the USAF cyber unit are being copied, it seems.

O Come

Posted By Laughing_Wolf

During my Christmas embed, Major Kirk Luedeke gave me this release which apparently never made it out. I had said I would post it, but kept looking for the right time. Today, Easter Sunday, seems to me to be the proper time to showcase this photo release and another that went out about the same time. What news will come from this day? I don't know, but I look forward to finding out.

BAGHDAD – Two young Christian girls pray during Christmas Morning mass at the St. George’s East Assyrian Church in Doura, Dec. 25. The church was heavily damaged by two vehicle borne explosive devices in Aug. 2004 but three years later, more than 300 worshippers filled the sanctuary to celebrate the holiday.
(U.S. Army photo by Maj. Kirk Luedeke, 4IBCT, 1ID)

Continue reading "O Come"