You know me - I’m not big on honoring politicians or celebrities when there are so many more worthy fallen troops that deserve the honors. However, Lieutenant General Caldwell, Commanding General of the Combined Arms Center at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, has a great blog post up remembering Tony Snow. Having met Mr. Snow when I visited the White House last year, I echo his comments.
Continue reading this post…
You know, I’m fed up with politics. By writing this post, I do not advocate nor support voting for or against either the subject of this post or his opponents (yes, there are more than one!). But, I can’t keep my mouth shut about the fact that a man that won’t accept the truth about the realities of combat may one day become my boss. Naturally, I’m talking about Barack Obama. And I’m talking specifically about his views on MILITARY-related topics. It is up to YOU to look at each candidate based the entirety of their views and choose accordingly. I simply offer my views as an American who happens to be in the military and will be greatly affected by the policies of ANY President. I criticize now as I will be unable to do so to President Obama without grave consequences.
Continue reading this post…
Go to http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7415315.stm and read this story. It is a prime example of how the Taliban and Al-Queda are trying to keep the people of Afghanistan back in the stone ages. I know the Ghazni province well as I spent many weeks during my tour in 2006-2007. Many of the blog entries I wrote during my tour were based on my time in Ghazni.
This is a place where I went into villages and was the first American they had ever seen, much less met. Even though we had been there for 5-6 years already, Afghanistan is so rural and spread out that the US forces had not gotten everywhere. In fact I am sure there are still places that US soldiers have not ventured into yet. There were even villages where they had never even seen a Afghan Army soldier or police officer before.
The only way that a country which I commonly say is “a week and a half out of the stone age” is going to move forward is to educate its people. Beheading teachers, burning schools, killing kids will certainly deter anyone from even trying to get an education. At one time when I was there, the Taliban typically only did this to schools that allowed girls to attend. Now it appears that the Taliban is afraid of anyone getting an education and is going after all schools.
The place is too big, and too spread out. We need a lot more soldiers there, we need to earn the trust of the people that we will protect them, the Afghan forces need to continue to grow and become more of a leading force and the people need to stand up for themselves as they have done here, http://www.afghannews.net/index.php?action=show&type=news&id=2922. This last story is a great one in the fact that it shows local afghans starting to stand up for themselves and fight for the rights they want and dream of. The right to raise their family in peace and lead productive lives. It has to start somewhere, and education seems like the right place.
Sadr City has long been a crick in the neck of US Forces and the Iraqi government. It was also a problem for Saddam. Why? Because that is where he kept the Shi’ites in poverty. The slums of Sadr City (formerly Saddam City, formerly Revolution City) has the highest rate of unemployment and worst housing in Baghdad. When Saddam opened his prisons populated by jailed and tortured Shi’ites, they fled and congregated in Sadr City. Like Mos Eisley spaceport in the Star Wars movies, Sadr City was a “wretched hive of scum and villany” (yes, I’m a Star Wars nerd). Every time I had to go into Sadr City (called Saddam City back then), I got into a firefight or had to fight through explosions. Al Sadr militia eventually obtained control over the city and exacted a brutal stranglehold over its population. Thanks to our brave troops and the brilliant surge strategy, Sadr’s militia has no power or authority in the area and Sadr City is no longer a lost cause.
Continue reading this post…
For most American, the 4th of July means BBQ, fireworks, vacation, and long weekends. It’s a time for catching up on “honey-do” lists, relaxing, and shooting bottle rockets at your neighbors. But, for some patriotic Americans, the 4th of July is a time to honor and welcome home troops returning from combat. Paulette is one of those patriots.
I know for myself this 4th of July was different from years past. I usually have my family over for a cookout and we have fireworks. This year though it didn’t happen. I’m not sure why, but it didn’t. I remember grumbling because it just “didn’t seem like the 4th.” It was a little disappointing. Even though I had 3 of my soldiers, my friend John, my kids and my husband with me..it just didn’t seem like the 4th.I’m not sure how I managed to do it, but I overlooked what I had been doing July 1st, 2nd and 3rd. It had slipped my mind that over those three days I had brought home several HUNDRED soldiers from Iraq. I had helped reunite all these families, yet it hadn’t occurred to me. It wasn’t until the night of the 6th that it all hit me. I, along with my other volunteers are standing on the tarmac waiting for a plane to come in. It’s about 10 PM and as clear a night as you could ask for. I can see the lights of the plane..here it comes. As if on cue, just as the planes wheels touch the ground off in the distance, miles away, someone is setting off fireworks. But they hadn’t been until the plane came. What an awesome coincidence!! A plane with 250 plus soldiers coming home from war and fireworks going off in the background. I was in awe.
Read the rest over at Paulette’s Rambling Mind. Please leave her a comment of appreciation.
I got this from Investor’s Business Daily:
Iraq: What would happen if the U.S. won a war but the media didn’t tell the American public? Apparently, we have to rely on a British newspaper for the news that we’ve defeated the last remnants of al-Qaida in Iraq.
London’s Sunday Times called it “the culmination of one of the most spectacular victories of the war on terror.” A terrorist force that once numbered more than 12,000, with strongholds in the west and central regions of Iraq, has over two years been reduced to a mere 1,200 fighters, backed against the wall in the northern city of Mosul.
The destruction of al-Qaida in Iraq (AQI) is one of the most unlikely and unforeseen events in the long history of American warfare. We can thank President Bush’s surge strategy, in which he bucked both Republican and Democratic leaders in Washington by increasing our forces there instead of surrendering.
We can also thank the leadership of the new general he placed in charge there, David Petraeus, who may be the foremost expert in the world on counter-insurgency warfare. And we can thank those serving in our military in Iraq who engaged local Iraqi tribal leaders and convinced them America was their friend and AQI their enemy.
Al-Qaida’s loss of the hearts and minds of ordinary Iraqis began in Anbar Province, which had been written off as a basket case, and spread out from there.
Now, in Operation Lion’s Roar the Iraqi army and the U.S. 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment is destroying the fraction of terrorists who are left. More than 1,000 AQI operatives have already been apprehended.
Sunday Times reporter Marie Colvin, traveling with Iraqi forces in Mosul, found little AQI presence even in bullet-ridden residential areas that were once insurgency strongholds, and reported that the terrorists have lost control of its Mosul urban base, with what is left of the organization having fled south into the countryside.
Meanwhile, the State Department reports that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s government has achieved “satisfactory” progress on 15 of the 18 political benchmarks — a big change for the better from a year ago.
Things are going so well that Maliki has even for the first time floated the idea of a timetable for withdrawal of American forces. He did so while visiting the United Arab Emirates, which over the weekend announced that it was forgiving almost $7 billion of debt owed by Baghdad — an impressive vote of confidence from a fellow Arab state in the future of a free Iraq.
But where are the headlines and the front-page stories about all this good news? As the Media Research Center pointed out last week, “the CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News and CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 were silent Tuesday night about the benchmarks” that signaled political progress.
The war in Iraq has been turned around 180 degrees both militarily and politically because the president stuck to his guns. Yet apart from IBD, Fox News Channel and parts of the foreign press, the media don’t seem to consider this historic event a big story.
Instead, we get headlines of small incremental US Soldier death tolls.
This is a story written by my higher command about They Have Names. I’ve edited out some identifying data that I don’t want some of the psychos that lurk here to know about me and Sue. The story was written by Tina Miles, PAO for my unit.
Continue reading this post…
Much like our own military, the NCOs of the Iraqi Army are quickly becoming the backbone of the Iraqi Army. Their NCO academy has already graduated thousands of Iraqi Soldiers who are on the front lines protecting their nation against insurgents and foreign fighters and influences.
Iraqi Soldiers demonstrate the new NCO Academy obstacle course during a recent ribbon cutting ceremony.
To emphasize the importance of the NCOs, there were no official speeches by the senior officers at a ribbon-cutting event commemorating a new obstacle course in Besmaya, Iraq at the NCO Academy. Instead an Iraqi Soldier read the Iraqi Soldier’s Creed followed by an Iraqi NCO who read the Iraqi Non-Commissioned Officer’s Creed:
I am an Iraqi Noncommissioned Officer
I lead soldiers
I am professional and highly experienced
I lead from the front
I am an example of discipline and high morals
I ensure (keep) the discipline of my Soldiers
I place the interests of my country and my soldiers over my own personal interests
I ensure that my soldiers are well trained and prepared to fight courageously
I work hard so the officers over me can accomplish their missions without having to accomplish mine
I obey those above me and work on gaining their trust
I will never compromise my integrity
I will never forget nor will I allow my brothers and colleagues to forget– that we are professional Noncommissioned Officers
I will always be loyal to my country, to the people of Iraq, and to the army of Iraq
I am an Iraqi Noncommissioned Officer
This is probably the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. General Petraeus is the man! There’s really no other way to describe it. He’s a natural leader and it’s an honor to serve in the same Army he does.
U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus, commanding general, Multinational Force Iraq, reenlisted 1,215 U.S. servicemembers from all over Iraq July 4, 2008, during a ceremony in the Al Faw Palace rotunda at Camp Victrory in Baghdad. Photo by MNF-I Public Affairs
Continue reading this post…
With the weekend, halfway through, I can’t help but think about what’s different about this Independence Day. Normally, we visit family for our annual vacation and spend the 4th of July watching parades, sitting beneath large fireworks displays, and enjoying the company of brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers. This year it wasn’t so. I’m probably not alone.
Continue reading this post…
You Served's Claire talks about the life of a military spouse - the hardships, the joys, and everything in between.
Join the discussion in our new Spouse and Family section to speak with Claire and hundreds of other spouses just like you.
