Two soldiers from the Polish Battle group, which operates in the area I once worked and operated in while serving in Afghanistan were killed this week in that area by an IED. There have been a number of Afghan Army and Police killed in that area, which is almost never reported, but since there is no visibility into that all we have to gauge the violence levels are the numbers of coalition forces killed.
Read the story here, http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/latest-world-news/2008/02/27/nato-soldiers-killed-in-afghanistan-bomb-attack-91466-20529520/
That number is scary and alarming because there have been around 21 coalition forces killed so far and the 2nd month is not even over yet. This is scary because this is the quietest time of the year as the enemy is not as adept to fight in the cold winter months. They typically hibernate their operations in the winter time and want until the spring to fall months when they can move and operate more freely. To have this many killed already is nothing but an omen to me and should be to the rest of the world as to what is coming this year.
Every year has gotten worse and worse, so I fully expect this trend to continue. I have talked about this subject several times on this and other blogs since I returned last year. I was also afforded the opportunity to spend a couple of minutes talking with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff about this exact subject back in December.
I have a vested interest since I spent a year away from my family living and fighting in Afghanistan, I currently have several friends over there now fighting and soon my son and hundreds more friends and fellow soldiers from my state’s National Guard Brigade will be there. I know there is a lot of concern over the rising civilian casualties in Afghanistan, but I think this (the concern) is directly attributed to the false sense of peace there right now. We are still very heavily at war there and until the government of Afghanistan, our own Government, and the people of our great country recognize and admit this fact, then our soldiers and the soldiers of our coalition forces will be held back on their abilities to take the fight to the enemy with extreme prejudice.
So my question to the American people is….are you ready for war?
As I was doing PT this morning, CNN played above me. There was a story about an “Airline Passengers Bill of Rights“. In other words, “hey, here’s another excuse for more government regulation”. Included in the story was a small quote by Kate Hanni, executive director of the Coalition for an Airline Passengers Bill of Rights.
“Incredibly, prisoners of war have more rights than passengers on a commercial airliner,” Hanni said at a press conference.
We are proud to be releasing our first video here on VA Mortgage Center.com, geared towards explaining some of the benefits on the VA Home Loan Program. Mostly we just wanted to create something that was unique and might help raise awareness of the benefits afforded to Vets and Active-Duty military in purchasing or refinancing their home.
Here it is, in all its glory. We hope you enjoy it.
I’ve written before about the role of K-9’s before in Iraq. I wanted to share this wonderfully written piece by Tina Susman of the Los Angeles Times:
Staff Sgt. Iron quakes with fear at the sound of explosions. He brawls with other soldiers. He whines when he doesn’t get his way and slows others down when he stops to relieve himself during patrols through hostile territory.
But nobody complains, because when it’s time to enter a building that might be rigged to explode, or cross a pasture that could conceal a minefield, Iron is at the front of the line, making sure it’s safe for those who follow.
If it’s not, Iron will bear the brunt of the blast, along with his best friend, Sgt. Joshua T. Rose, who ranks one level below him. It’s an honor Iron enjoys for the dangerous job he does. It also ensures that charges could be filed against Rose in the unlikely event he ever mistreated Iron — an 80-pound German shepherd.
[UPDATE] The media is trying hard to help clean up Obama’s mess during the debates. MSNBC is tripping over themselves to “fact check” and prove his gaffe. The story mentions that there are “specific gaps” in Obama’s story (presumably from the point he opened his mouth), but that “in whole….largely holds up.” Isn’t that kinda like saying, “I sorta, kinda think there may have been an instance of truth to the rumor that it’s possible something similar to happened at some point in time”? Let’s compare the major point of what Obama said with the “details” MSNBC found:
Obama said: “…they didn’t have enough ammunition” in Afghanistan.
MSNBC’s facts: “Yes, they did run out of ammunition, but that was in training, not actually during combat.”
MSNBC then goes on to say that “the overall story that was being told, what it was supposed to illustrate is still the same.” I’m sorry, but lying doesn’t illustrate anything except mistrust. You can’t illustrate a legitimate point with illegitimate arguments. That’s like me arguing for more money for the poor by illustrating that our transportation system is broke. Personally, I think the “Captain”, if he/she really exists, is crapping his/her pants right now, realizing that there’s no way to back up this story with truth. Where are the other Soldiers that were with this “Captain” in Afghanistan? I wouldn’t be surprised if he were a member of IVAW or some similar organization.
ABCNews similarly talked to “with the Army captain in question” and noted that the story is “quite credible”, even though it hasn’t been backed up by any other sources. In the intel world, we don’t (or we try not to) rely on ONE source as a basis for a decision. Bad things happen when we do that. Here’s what ABCNews unwittingly found out to contradict Obama’s public story:
Obama: “15 of those soldiers had been sent to Iraq.”
ABCNews “facts”: “..in ones and twos — 15 members of the platoon were re-assigned to other units.”
You mean to tell me that Soldiers get reassigned in the Army? Say it isn’t so. The “Captain” says he knows “for sure” that 10 of those 15 “went to Iraq” and only speculates that the other five did as well. That’s a flawed argument. Just because someone gets reassigned to another unit and that unit happens to get deployed to Iraq doesn’t mean they were plucked from Afghanistan and sent to Iraq as Obama claims. Obama also neglected to mention that half those Soldiers were “replaced” by the fall, “but not all 15.” Welcome to the Army, Captain! We all have manning problems and have since our budget and personnel strength was cut in the 90’s.
Obama: “they didn’t have enough humvees” in Afghanistan.
ABCNews: “As for the weapons and humvees, there are two distinct periods in this, as he explains — before deployment, and afterwards.”
So….the “Captain” DID have enough humvees in Afghanistan then!! Iraq was no consequence of something that didn’t happen. Yes, despite all these glaring contradictions, ABCNews finds that “Obama’s anecdote checks out.” Isn’t the News supposed to find the TRUTH? No, instead they just fall on their sword, ending the story with this little gem: “I might suggest those on the blogosphere upset about this story would be better suited directing their ire at those responsible for this problem, which is certainly not new. That is, if they actually care about the men and women bravely serving our country at home and abroad.” I might suggest that ABCNews actually talk to the military they feign to “care about”.
Last night, I had a very difficult decision to make: watch my new favorite show, Smallville, or watch the Clinton/Obama “debate”. For some unknown reason, I chose the debate. I’m glad I did, because the following story actually made me think I’d choose Clinton over Obama. In came in response to a question about Obama’s readiness to be commander in chief:
You know, I’ve heard from an Army captain who was the head of a rifle platoon — supposed to have 39 men in a rifle platoon. Ended up being sent to Afghanistan with 24 because 15 of those soldiers had been sent to Iraq.
OBAMA: And as a consequence, they didn’t have enough ammunition, they didn’t have enough humvees. They were actually capturing Taliban weapons, because it was easier to get Taliban weapons than it was for them to get properly equipped by our current commander in chief.
I have so many issues with this, I don’t know where to start. So, let’s start at the beginning. I’ve discovered the identity of this mysterious Captain… Continue reading this post…
The combined weight of the extremely large egos of Sens John Kerry, Chuck Hagel and Joe Biden were too much for helicopters carrying the Senators through the mountains of Afghanistan. Or, perhaps the pilots remembered that how “uneducated” they were according to Mr. Kerry and the thought occurred to them that may not really know how to pilot a helicopter under such circumstances!!
To play devil’s advocate though, the reality could have been that the cold Afghanistan winter could have caused unusual weather patterns when confronted with the combined hot air escaping from the liberal, military loathing Senators (yes, I know Hagel is a Republican). The resulting snowstorm overpowered the capabilities of our “uneducated” pilots and the helicopters themselves. They simply couldn’t continue mechanically!
One unconfirmed, nonexistent source close to the incident remarked that when it became obvious trouble was brewing, Kerry offered to sacrifice the other two Senators by throwing them overboard so he could live to protest their ill-treatment at the hands of the American military. Kerry was heard to complain that the pilots were “terrorizing the young Senators just as they did those innocent women and children in Iraq.”
In a statement that wasn’t released by Kerry’s office, he said “Bush was wrong about the helicopters flying in Afghanistan, wrong about the comfort of the seats inside them, and wrong about how beautiful this God-forsaken country really is.” He continued, “we’re creating enemies everywhere we go. Even the camels were spitting on me!!”
The good news is that the Senators were safely transported back to Bagram Air Base and continued their whirlwind trip to discredit President Bush, the United States, and the troops fighting for it. Senator Hagel was issued new earplugs to drown out the other two Senators’ whining.
The Army Times has opened nominations for the 2008 Nominate a Hero contest. It is actually not just Army Times, but all the different publications of the Military Times papers. So not only a Soldier of the Year, but also a Sailor of the Year, Airman of the Year, Marine of the Year, and Coastguardsman of the Year.
Anybody can nominate any serving member, regardless if they are active duty, national guard or reserves. The nominee does not have to be someone who saved a life, was wounded or even served in war. It can be anyone that any submitter thinks is a hero, and as long as the person can submit a good reason in 300 words or less. There are thousands serving that are probably very deserving of this honor, but only one can be awarded. However, if you don’t nominate that person who you feel is a hero how will you ever know?
But, Congress doesn’t seem to realize it unless they’re fighting about ending it prematurely or whether or not to fund it. Recently, the Senate passed legislation to close the terrorist loophole in the 37 year-old Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Specifically, the bill would modernize the critical FISA law while adding important liability protections for third parties who have stepped up to the plate in the interest of our national security.
The House decided only to extend the law that was set to expire last Friday instead of signing the bill for passage by the President into law. As usual, Pelosi tried to pass the blame back onto the administration and House Republicans. “The President and House Republicans refused to support the extension and therefore will bear the responsibility should any adverse national consequences result,” she said. Most Democratic Senators supported it, even sending Pelosi letters urging her support. Late last year, 21 state Attorneys General wrote to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) in support of the Senate’s approach as well
“Among other things, the bill would directly address the extensive litigation that communications carriers face based on allegations that they responded to requests from the government regarding certain intelligence-gathering programs. For a number of reasons, we support these carefully crafted provisions of the bill that the Intelligence Committee adopted on a bi-partisan basis.”
February 15, 2008 By You Served Editorial Staff
Posted in News
Today marks the release of the You Served Widget, a small include that readers can place on their website or blog that shows the 2 most recent posts from You Served.
It has a sleek look and patriotic design (this is a Military and Veterans blog after all!). We just thought it would nice for some of our readers to be able to drop it on their own sites and stay up to date with You Served.
Just in time for Valentine’s Day (or perhaps a belated Valentine’s Day gift), word has made it to You Served that there is a new initiative turning old military uniforms and fatigues into custom handbags for military spouses. The company is called Maeva Design and you can see an example of their product below. 10% of all profits benefit organizations associated with the military. Check ‘em out!
Thanks to our pals at VA Joe for sending this our way .
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