Some Spiritual and Caring Pages Warfare Needed

Posted By Blackfive

Partially because all of your thoughts, prayers and efforts, Evan Pertile is going through his last chemo treatment today!  This last chemo will be tough as his immune system is not working effectively.

You can go to his Caring Bridge Web site http://caringbridge.org/visit/evanpertile and leave him a note of encouragement. To register, enter an e-mail address and create a password.

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Mission: To protect and promote the reputation and dignity of America's Warriors.
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New and Old Americans

Posted By Blackfive

Read this story about more new Americans...be sure to pay attention as the money quotes are not from the Vice President (bold emphasis on quotes is mine):

Biden, Odierno Preside Over Naturalization Ceremony in Iraq
Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs RSS
Story by Donna Miles
Date: 07.06.2009

WASHINGTON - Vice President Joe Biden and Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, commander of Multi-National Force - Iraq, presided over a July 4 naturalization ceremony in which 237 service members deployed to Iraq became American citizens.

"You are the reason America is strong," Biden told the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines who hailed from 59 countries, including Iraq, during the ceremony in the rotunda of former dictator Saddam Hussein's Al-Faw palace near here. "You are the source of our freedom – you and all who come before you."

Biden said he could think of no greater show of commitment than to serve thousands of miles away from one's adopted home, in harm's way, before becoming a citizen. He noted the sacrifices the troops have made and will continue to make during their deployment.

"Here in Iraq, you have done your country, and this country, proud," Biden told the group, citing progress, including the movement of U.S. combat troops from the cities before the June 30 deadline. "You know better than I that there is still a lot of hard work left to do," Biden conceded, promising to ensure deployed troops have "every single thing" they need to carry the mission forward.

Biden said the nature of the mission will change as Iraqis take on increasing responsibility and the United States ultimately leaves Iraq. "Next summer, our combat troops will leave Iraq itself, and we will be on track to remove all U.S. Forces from Iraq at the end of 2011," he said.

Odierno praised the newest U.S. citizens for the role they have played in building Iraq's future. Pointing to their diversity, he called them "an example to the Iraqis of a country that welcomes men and women from everywhere."

Looking out over the group, Odierno said he'd be hard-pressed to describe them by the inscription on the Statue of Liberty, which begins, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses."

"To be honest, I'm not so sure that its legendary inscription is applicable to this group here today, because when I look at the men and women sitting out in front of me here, I'm having a hard time because I don't see them in terms of tired, poor or huddled," he said.

"If I had to write a description of the soon-to-be citizens in this rotunda," the general continued, "I would say, 'Give me your brightest and your bravest. Give me your warriors and your heroes who will enhance our great nation and strive to keep her safe.'" 

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Mission: To protect and promote the reputation and dignity of America's Warriors.
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A New Park In Hawaii

Posted By Mr Wolf

A new monument and park has opened near Diamond Head on Oahu, Hawaii.  This new park is in honor of those who died in Operation Red Wings in Afghanistan.

A couple of weeks ago I was talking to Blackfive, who was on vacation there and he commented on the new memorial not yet completed or dedicated.  I tweeted the question (twittered? twatted?? tooted??) and got a quick reply that, not 2 days after Blackfive was there, the park was completed- the monument was finished and the park had a dedication ceremony.  So Matt had an answer to his question- what was going on?

Continue reading "A New Park In Hawaii"

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Mission: To protect and promote the reputation and dignity of America's Warriors.
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Independence Day Message...

Posted By Blackfive

...from John in Arabia in 2005 - serving in Iraq.  It's an annual repost:

...The cynical among you may call me an idealist; but if I am, then I am in fair company. The Founding Fathers of the United States of America were idealists, and the country they built has stood as a light and inspiration for millions over the centuries; to call me such is an honor I will gladly accept, while bearing any burden to keep it so...

Check it out.

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Mission: To protect and promote the reputation and dignity of America's Warriors.
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US Coast Guard Rescues 33 people Near San Francisco Yesterday

Posted By Blackfive

B-roll of the U.S. Coast Guard rescuing 33 people from a vessel that is taking on water near Suisun Bay, San Francisco, California.
Video courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco.

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Mission: To protect and promote the reputation and dignity of America's Warriors.
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Girls with Guns

Posted By Blackfive

StrategyPage has a piece about female roles in the war zones.

...The marines also noticed that the female troops were better at picking up useful information in general. This is something Western police forces noted, in the last few decades, as women were allowed to work in all areas of police work, including detectives and crime scene investigators. Iraqi men were also intimidated by female soldiers and marines. In the macho Arab world, an assertive female with an assault rifle is sort of a man's worst nightmare. So many otherwise reticent Iraqi men, opened up to the female troops, and provided information. Women also had an easier time detecting a lie (something husbands often learn the hard way.)...

[H/T to reader Mark G.]

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The Black Watch Air Assaults Into Taliban Stronghold

Posted By Blackfive

Soldiers from 1 Platoon, A Company, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, deploy from a Chinook helicopter at the start of a operation.
[Picture: Cpl Rupert Frere, Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]

The 3rd Battalion (The Black Watch) of the Royal Regiment of Scotland is on the move...

3rd Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland Launch Massive Air Assault Into Taliban Stronghold
International Security Assistance Force HQ Public Affairs
Date: 06.23.2009

KABUL, Afghanistan – International Security Assistance Force soldiers have launched an assault on one of the last Taliban strongholds in one of the largest air operations in modern times.

Twelve Chinook helicopters, supported by 13 other aircraft including Apache and Black Hawk helicopter gunships, a Spectre gunship, Harrier jets and unmanned drones, dropped more than 350 troops from the Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland, into Babaji, north of Lashkar Gah, just before midnight, June 19.

The aim of the operation, called Operation Panchai Palang, which means Panther's Claw, was to secure a number of canal and river crossings in order to establish a permanent ISAF presence in the area, which has previously been a Taliban stronghold.

The troops were quickly followed by another company of soldiers from the Black Watch arriving by Viking armored vehicle plus royal engineers and counter-improvised explosive device teams who have spent the last two days building a number of checkpoints on the main routes in and out of the area to stifle any movement by insurgents. In total more than 500 troops took part.

A soldier from 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland deployed on Operation TORA ARWA in the Zhari district of Kandahar province.
[Picture: Sgt Chris Halton RLC, Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]

Over the last two days insurgents have launched a number of attacks against the Black Watch but each one has been repelled allowing the troops to secure three main crossing points: the Lui Mandey Wadi crossing, the Nahr-e-Burgha Canal and the Shamalan Canal.

In addition, on June 22 they also found 1.3 tons of poppy seed and a number of IED and anti-personnel mines before they could be laid.

Continue reading "The Black Watch Air Assaults Into Taliban Stronghold"

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OH HELL YES I'm STOKED...

Posted By Mr Wolf

They just announced that the new Spielberg/Hanks mini-series is due out March 2010, and the first trailer is out.

If this is any indication of how it may go, PLEASE send me the DVD's now- I can't wait.  Band of Brothers is something I could watch an episode of every day.  The BEST part, however, are the interviews with the men of the 506th at the end.  I HOPE they do the same with this series.

I can't see how they could make this end up sucking...  enjoy!

Wolf

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"It's the Tribes, Stupid"

Posted By Blackfive

““I’m a Marine and I don’t want other Marines or soldiers going into harm’s way without the full mental and cultural arsenal to back them up. They should know this and I want to get it to them—and to President Obama, all the way down the line. Policy and military strategy should NOT be based on misconceptions about reality-on-the-ground.” - Steven Pressfield

Steven Pressfield is one of our favorite authors around here.  Gates of Fire is one of the few books to truly capture the warrior spirit and is one that I continue to send to junior NCOs and officers, not to mention friends and colleagues.  Killing Rommel is on my list of next five books to read (I get to about two per week).

Pressfield has a video blog and he has created a series about Afghanistan titled, "It's the Tribes, Stupid".

Episode 1 is comparing Afghanistan campaigns from a historian's perspective.  While Pressfield is an impressive author and historian, keep in mind that he was also a Marine.  He posts this note about his ideas on this series:

This five-part series is about war in Afghanistan, ancient and modern. Each video is five minutes long. I'm not doing this for money. I have no political axe to grind. I'm a Marine and I don't want young Marines and soldiers going into harm's way without the full mental arsenal of history and cultural context.

What's my thesis? That the enemy in Afghanistan today (and in Iraq and Pakistan) is not Islamism or jihadism. It's tribalism.

The tribal mind-set (warrior pride, hostility to all outsiders, perpetual warfare, the obligation of revenge, suppression of women, a code of honor rather than a system of laws, extreme conservatism, unity with the land, patience and capacity for hatred) permeates everything in Afghanistan and its neighboring Islamic republics. For war-making or peace-making, it cannot be ignored.

Think of these videos as a crash course in tribalism. Start with Episode 1. I invite discussion. Tell me I'm crazy, tell me I'm out to lunch. If you agree, tell me too.

-Steven Pressfield

I'm posting the video from Episode 1 here.  Go to his site to see the others in the series.

Pressfield asks for comments on his site (you can leave them at each part in the series).

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Mission: To protect and promote the reputation and dignity of America's Warriors.
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New Ranger Up Gear

Posted By Blackfive

Not only are the exclusive provider of Blackfive and Warrior Legacy Foundation T-shirts, they came up with this Soldier's Memorial shirt that features the battlefield memorial, known by many, on the front and a poem by Father Dennis O'Brien, on the back:

It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.

It is the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves under the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag.

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Mission: To protect and promote the reputation and dignity of America's Warriors.
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