My two cents

I read the article that I posted because I thought it was interesting. Sometimes, when I get bored and don’t have anything to do, I surf some of the newspapers Op-Ed sections, just to get a sense of what people are thinking back home. I really enjoy the New York Times, and the Washington Post. I even read Al Jazeera, The San Diego Union Tribune (Holy crap, me a conservative?) And the Las Vegas Sun. It’s always nice to get around.

So, I was surfing the Washington post when I stumbled on this editorial about staying the course. I thought it was really interesting that somebody was actually implying that we should be studying an increase in troop levels, instead of discussing a drawdown. I have to agree with that, I think we should be talking about an increase.

I am not sure how long ago it was, but in one of my rants, I talked about what happens when the Pentagon draws down troop levels. Well, in the article, it said that there are approx 150,000 troops in Iraq, and roughly 2.6 million people in the services. So, let me shed some light on these numbers, because as you read it, you think, well, damn, there are lots of people we can send.

First off, take 95% of the total strength of the Navy out of the numbers. Navy ships float off shore, fly in the sky above Iraq, and work in numerous specialty fields across the spectrum, but you can’t say that just being within 400 miles of the Persian Gulf counts as a troop movement. Most of these Sailors will never see the ground here, because the job they hold doesn’t bring them closer to the street. Yes, the Navy has certain personnel on the ground, but somebody has to be on the ships, subs, and other Navy related jobs around the globe. You can’t take the crew of the Carl Vinson and put them on security duty around Diwaniyah.

Next, eliminate 80 percent of the air force structure. The same problem exists here as it does with the Navy. It takes an estimated 3 hours of maintenance for every hour a plane is in the air, and it takes a small platoon of people to keep these birds running day in and day out. Remember, the Air Force is flying some of the most technologically sophisticated gear ever built by man, so keeping them running is a priority. Also, they your not going to see the Air Force guys in force, armed and attacking Objective Alpha, so you might as well remove that total.

So what does that leave you with? Naturally the Army and Marine Corps. The problem here is that it takes a lot of people to equip and prepare the modern infantry unit. More so now than ever before, you might need a battalion of men to keep an battalion of men in the field. Somebody has to bring the ammo, make the food, prepare the camps, supply, ship, and account for millions of dollars worth of equipment. I f I can stretch this out, almost 70 percent of the Army strength is focused on keeping the other 30 percent in a state of combat readiness. The similar thing can be said of the Marine Corps.


So, where do these extra people come from? It’s simple really, but as the armed forces become more technologically sophisticated, you need more administrative support and logistical support to run it. Basically, you need to put the fobbit on the street. (GASP!) Now, the incredible fobbit is the guy who lives on the Forward Operating Base. Typically, he is an administrative guy, or a staff guy, or a supply clerk, armorer, mail clerk and cook. These willing or unwilling warriors make up a huge number of people. Yes, some of them get off the camp and participate in patrols and stuff, but a larger number of these personnel don’t, and that is where you make up the difference. If you think about it, yes there are 150,000 people in the theatre, but maybe only 20-30,000 of them are actually combat arms guys. So, that leaves a significant gap that can be filled quickly. Finished with that report? You are on patrol. That vehicle not getting fixed today? OK, you’re on convoy today. Its not payday, so disbursing goes down to 50% and the rest, get your gear. You could add a significant presence on the street if you did this.

Now, I understand that these people are not completely trained for the streets, but that can be answered easily. Every unit has a training program, and every unit needs to use that element to train there people. I mean, that’s what we get paid to do, right? Fight and win wars. Imagine how much we could get done, if we had an extra 30,000 personnel on the streets. Imagine how we could control the streets, the crimes, the murders, if we had extra people.

We don’t need less people on the streets, we need more people. The drawdown is a mistake, a political decision to ensure the Republicans are in the White House and MSNBC has something to bitch about, in HD no doubt. What we need to do, is more efficiently use the forces we have. Fobbit’s be damned, its time to earn your paycheck.

Staying the Course

Staying the wrong course in Iraq
A troop drawdown would lead to less security and further the perception that the U.S. is losing.
June 28, 2006

FOR THE LAST three years, the Bush administration has pursued a policy of wishful thinking in Iraq, operating under the hope that some deus ex machina — either elections or the capture of insurgent leaders — would salvage a deteriorating situation. Well, Iraq has now had three successful nationwide ballots. Saddam Hussein has been captured. Abu Musab Zarqawi has been killed. And still violence continues to intensify in Baghdad and the Sunni provinces to the west and north.

The situation is particularly dire in Iraq's capital. In May, according to the Los Angeles Times, 2,155 homicides occurred in Baghdad, 85% of the national total. "The situation has worsened considerably in the last couple of months," blogger Alaa wrote at messopotamian.blogspot.com on June 16. A week later, the New York Times reported that the chaos was spreading even to the Mansour district, Baghdad's Beverly Hills. "It's falling to the terrorists," said one resident. "They are coming nearer to us now. No one is stopping them."

This dire assessment cannot be dismissed as knee-jerk negativity from media naysayers because it matches the picture painted by U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad. In a June 6 cable reprinted in the Washington Post, he reported that local embassy employees were finding it difficult to function outside the Green Zone amid rampant crime, fundamentalism and sectarianism. Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has launched Operation Forward Together in an attempt to regain control of his own capital. This crackdown is in only its second week, and it is too soon to tell if it will work, but there have been several terrorist atrocities since it started. The problem is that Forward Together relies heavily on police officers who are so sectarian and corrupt that they are part of the problem, not the solution. No extra American (or Iraqi) soldiers have been sent into Baghdad. Former viceroy L. Paul Bremer reported that Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez told him in 2004 that with two extra divisions, "I'd control Baghdad," but those extra divisions — 35,000 to 40,000 soldiers — have never been forthcoming.

Instead, news leaked out this weekend that a drawdown of U.S. forces may take place starting in the fall. It is possible that this withdrawal plan, like earlier ones, will be shelved, but this announcement sends the wrong message at a critical time. The message is that the Pentagon is more concerned with finding an exit strategy than a winning strategy: precisely the charge that Republicans level at Democrats.

IHAVE NEVER been a dogmatist on the issue of troop levels. I was not one of those who criticized the original invasion force in 2003 for being too small. There were enough troops to take Baghdad, and there were legitimate reasons to fear that sending too many Americans would cause a backlash. Better to have focused on supporting Iraqi security forces — except there were none to support. The Iraqi army was dissolved by the U.S., and no serious effort was made for a whole year to field a replacement force, creating a security vacuum that has never been filled. By now it should be obvious that the "light footprint" approach has not worked. It has increased, not decreased, resentment of the United States because Iraqis are aggrieved by the breakdown of law and order. Yet there appears to be no serious rethinking of this flawed strategy at either the Pentagon or the White House. The administration may think it doesn't have any more troops to send.

It's true that the armed forces are overstretched and need to be enlarged, but there are still just 150,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq out of 2.6 million in the active-duty ranks, reserves and National Guard. More soldiers could be found to police Baghdad if this were deemed a top priority.Some in the administration may think that increasing troop numbers, which may bring more casualties, would be political poison.

But what's really hurting Republicans politically is not the number of troops in Iraq, or even the continuing casualties. It's the perception that we're not winning. If a heightened troop presence could establish security in Baghdad, the president and his party would reap a reward at the polls.The fact that the administration continues to "stay the course" with a losing strategy suggests the need for a change of strategists. The president needs a new secretary of Defense — and possibly new generals — who would be more focused on finding a way to win rather than to withdraw.

Saw this in the LA Times

Saw this commentary in the Times Op-ed section

At war with Iraqi law

Killing Zarqawi robbed Iraqis of the chance to bring him to justice.
By David Luban, DAVID LUBAN is a professor at Georgetown University Law Center and has taught for the last year at Stanford Law School. His book, "Legal Ethics and Human Dignity," will be published in 2007 by CambridgeJune 13, 2006

LAST WEEK'S killing of Abu Musab Zarqawi may mark a turning point in the struggle against terrorism and the insurgency in Iraq. But the fact that he was killed by a pair of U.S. bombs, rather than captured and turned over to the Iraqis for trial, does no favors for Iraq in its struggle to establish the rule of law. Nor does it help that the bombing killed five others — maybe terrorists, but maybe innocent civilians.

Under the laws of war, Zarqawi was undoubtedly a legitimate target. Enemy commanders are fair game. And no one outside his family should shed tears for Zarqawi, who maimed and murdered hundreds with ruthless brutality. Moreover, there may have been valid military reasons to blow him up rather than capture him. According to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, military officials feared that going in on the ground risked Zarqawi's escape, even though U.S. and Iraqi forces had surrounded the house Zarqawi was in and, indeed, had taken over the entire village.

Nevertheless, there is something disturbing about targeted killing when capture is possible. Suppose that police in the U.S. surrounded the house of a domestic terrorist — let's say John Allen Muhammad, the Washington-area sniper. We would be outraged if the police simply blew up the house and everyone in it. Everyone knows that the police shouldn't act as Muhammad's judge, jury and executioner, and no one would accept the explanation of "collateral damage" for the deaths of the other people in the house. Ruby Ridge and Waco were disasters, not victories.

In an essay in "The Future of the Army Profession," Tony Pfaff (an Army lieutenant colonel and a veteran of the Persian Gulf and Iraq wars) explains that the professional morality of police and warriors differs sharply. In Pfaff's words: "Police are always looking to use the least force possible. But Marines and soldiers are trained to defeat enemies…. They are always looking to use the most force permissible." The gap between police ethics and warrior ethics creates tough decisions in Iraq, where U.S. troops function as both warriors and police, where some adversaries are enemies and others are criminals, and where innocent civilians are everywhere. Pfaff asks the crucial question: "Do civilians have a right to expect the kind of protection U.S. citizens would receive if the same kinds of operations were conducted in the United States?" On a traditional battlefield, the answer is obviously no. Combat is no place for search warrants, due process or proof beyond a reasonable doubt. And, although the traditional rules of warfare forbid intentionally targeting civilians, they do allow attacks that harm civilians, provided the military advantage is proportional to the harm. Human and civil rights don't vanish in wartime, but they shrink dramatically. The problem is that in the war on terror, it isn't obvious where the battlefield ends.

That problem extends far beyond Iraq, for the Bush administration insists that in the war on terror, the battlefield can be anywhere and the president can declare where the realm of law ends and the realm of war begins. That is why Jose Padilla, a U.S. citizen arrested in Chicago, could be declared an "enemy combatant" and held for years without trial. That is why hundreds are interned in the legal black hole of Guantanamo, perhaps indefinitely — and why, when three detainees there killed themselves Saturday, Guantanamo commander could proclaim their suicides an act of war and not the product of the despair of those without rights, without a future. In a war on terror that may go on for decades, the result will be a decades-long reduction of peacetime rights, with civil liberties debased to the level of battlefield rights.

To avoid that danger, we should opt for law whenever we have the choice. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Nuremberg trials, and we would do well to remember how they came about. Winston Churchill wanted to kill the top Nazis without a trial, and Josef Stalin wanted to kill the German officers as well. It was the Americans who insisted on using law where it had never been used before and giving the Nazi leaders fair trials. That decision heralded the human rights revolution and marked a decisive advance in the rule of law.

In Iraq, the capture and trial of Saddam Hussein, despite its flaws, represents the legacy of Nuremberg. By bombing Zarqawi rather than arresting him, we robbed the Iraqis of the chance to do justice to a mass murderer — and we proclaimed, once again, the supremacy of war over law.

OK, this is my section where I get to open my trap. Forgive me if it isn't as regal as Dr Ludan, I am tired from being in the heat all day. No, don't forgive me. I am to tired for sentiment. LOL


You know, it must be nice to sit in some air conditioned building, with a staff and nice job, and some 70,000 dollar luxury boat in the parking lot, and write about how you feel the use of a bomb to kill a terrorist is not in the best interests of the country. I know that sounds pretty common, somebody who blasts somebody else by saying “Must be nice to be on the other side.” Well, no matter how hard I try, I just don’t see where people get this stuff from, so I am going to use that opening.

On the one side, I am sure Dr Luban is a professional and does a lot of research before he puts pen to paper. I am sure he is well respected and highly regarded in his field, with many years of experience in ethics and civil rights, criminal justice, and the responsibility of lawyers. He writes with flair and purpose, his comments are direct and recommendations are very well crafted. I am sure Dr Luban is a master in his chosen fields, a brilliant professor, and a wonderful author. That being said, I am very sure that Dr Luban has never been on the wrong side of an RPG. Ever had an IED go off 20 feet from your head, Dr? Ever go up against Zarqawi’s evil minions firing AK-47’s on an open street? Ever wake up in the morning and wonder if today was your day to die? Probably not. So let me say a couple of things from this side of the street.

Dr Luban says that by killing Zarqawi, we have done no favors for the Iraqi’s struggle to establish law. I don’t believe this to be true at all. There is an overwhelming feeling among the average Iraqi citizen that there is no real laws. It’s difficult on a daily basis to establish order, not because it can’t be done, but because there is an incredible amount of corruption, at every level. Ministries, agencies, militias, religious groups all have their own agendas here, and it is impossible to tell where the allegiance of any one person may go from time to time. I believe that killing Zarqawi proves to the Iraqi people that the government means business. The Iraqi police were the first one on the scene (a VERY big thing here, because it appears to the local people that the attack was done with the help of the Iraqi police) and they were doing a good job at the scene. The people over here understand that the leader of Al Qaeda was killed, and that means that if you are a terrorist, sooner of later, we will find you and kill you. Now, had Zarqawi chose to give himself up freely, I am sure that the government would have been more than happy to put him on trial. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case, and the problem is that there really isn’t much of a law to go on. All things considered, the people (especially the Shia) are glad he is dead. The struggle to establish law will go on, and in time they will get it right. Zarqawi, however, will not be around for that glorious day. Pity.

That leads me to my next point. He assumes that when Donald Rumsfeld says that we had the village surrounded, he was completely surrounded and there was no way he was ever going to get out. Ever seen an Iraqi village on the map? There is a huge tactical problem involved in attempting to surround a village in this country. I have participated in sweeps that encompass entire sections of a village, and it takes a considerable amount of manpower to do that. Ever street corner, every building, every hole in the ground has to be covered, and still its even money that if you were dedicated, or you know the area, then you know where to go and can get out. Sure, we could go in and try to arrest or contain him, but the collateral damage involved if Zarqawi wanted to stand and fight would have been much more significant. Yes, it’s sad if anybody that may have been in the house was an innocent victim, but terrorists in this country don’t go to the houses of innocent people, take over, and spend the night. I would bet serious dollars that he was at a home of supporters, suppliers, or strategists who knew who he was. He wasn’t going to give himself up, and the Iraqi forces, regardless of what the higher ups say, are not readily able to take on the kind of task that would have been required to root him out. This isn’t the same as capturing Saddam, this guy was going to fight back. Easier to take him out of the equation with a bomb, than with a blowgun.

That made me think of another quick question? If we wanted to save him for Iraqi justice, would you be the guy to give him the subpoena? I will be more than happy to drop you off so you can go in and walk him out.

Dr Ludan asks the question "Do civilians have a right to expect the kind of protection U.S. citizens would receive if the same kinds of operations were conducted in the United States?" To answer, yes they do. I believe every government should provide the kind of protection that US citizens receive. The problem is that not every government is the US government. The police in the US don’t get rockets fired at them. The citizens in the US don’t get murdered in broad daylight because they were born a certain religion. The citizens in the US don’t get killed because they work for the government as a street sweeper. The citizens in this country do. You can’t compare the rights of the US citizen with the rights of the Iraqi citizen. In America you are born with those freedoms. In Iraq, you die because you used them. You simply can’t compare the rights and privileges the US citizen has to those of any other country. To do so assumes that those people in the other country enjoy the same freedom and protections that Americans do. Basically, you are comparing Canadians and Australians to Americans. Not much difference there.

There is something that needs to be understood here. If you are a criminal, at least in America, you have rights. Those rights are guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and if you are living in the US, you have the ability to draw upon them to protect yourself. If, however, you are an enemy combatant, you do not have those rights afforded to you. How ironic it would be if we captured Osama Bin Laden, then afforded him the same protection under the US law that he tried to destroy. If you are an American citizen, and you choose to make war against your own country, then you should not be entitled to its protection, and if you are Jose Padilla, aka Abdullah al-Muhajir (which means something like warrior who comes from a foreign land) well sorry buddy, you really should have listened to your mother when she said “Bad association spoils useful habits.” Better luck in your next life. If you are currently residing in a cell in Guantanamo Bay, because you were captured and you are/were/will be/was/continue to be a terrorist, and you decide to hang yourself (Muslims don’t commit suicide, they martyr themselves, which is a whole story in itself) well, I guess that’s just the way it is. The fact that you hung around this many years is still some kind of miracle. I guess you must have some story to tell that you haven’t told yet. The end state of this is that you can’t assign these people the rights and freedoms of the citizens, because these people have chosen to fight against those very same citizens. How many people were killed in the Trade Center attacks, the Pentagon? How many people were killed in a field in Pennsylvania? We can’t assign these people the rights that those who died, never got to use. I recall Timothy McVeigh died, and I didn’t see to many people crying about that.

You say “In a war on terror that may go on for decades, the result will be a decades-long reduction of peacetime rights, with civil liberties debased to the level of battlefield rights.” For the average American, even the average American prisoner, his rights will not be debased. That is because there are people who believe in the rights of its citizens so much that they would fight for years to get people to vote to pray in school, or not pray in school. That takes dedication, belief, and a sincere desire to do the right thing. The Nuremburg trials took place after the war. The trials were for war criminals, much like the trial of Saddam Hussein is now. Zarqawi is not a war criminal, he is a terrorist. He kills for the sake of fomenting fear, not for some government. Al Qaeda is not a government; it is, essentially, a corporation, run by a CEO, which needs money and supplies to continue operations. How do you destroy a corporation? You destroy the leadership. You cut off the supplies and the money. You stop buying the product. Maybe a couple of 500 pound bombs will keep the wannabe’s from going to the store.

Everything is a good story

Watching the news these past couple of days, I am yet again astounded by the audacity of the American news media. I have a question, and I am sure, as I sit around the table with my counterparts, that I am not alone in my asking.

Whose side are the media on?

I watch with total fascination, the circus surrounding the death of the terrorist I will call "Z." I mean, props to the media for feeding into the frenzy that was coordinated and conducted by the people at the Pentagon, but the stories the past couple of days probably surpassed anything the think tankers at Comedy Central (aka the Pentagon) could have ever dreamed up. I actually watched a story with the byline "DID AMERICAN SOLDIERS ABUSE THE BODY OF "Z?" Give me a break!!!! The network, who shall remain nameless (MSNBC) reported today that American soldiers reportedly jumped on the body of "Z" when he was brought out of the bombed out coffin he called a safe house. Now, forgive me if I am a little unsensitive, but do we really care? Is this news? I think the average American would have probably tossed him off the gurney, just to watch his head bounce up and down off the pavement. I am sure that a couple of the Iraqi's would have liked the Americans to bring him back to life, just so they could kick his ass again. This is a terrorist people!!! Who gives a crap what happens to him, as long as it ends up being six feet under. Does it matter that his picture was photoshopped so he looked presentable? That question was actually asked by a reporter. Does it matter that the Iraqi's were the first ones on the scene? Does it matter that he tried to say something before he died? Not to me, not to my guys, and probably not to the hundred or even thousands of relatives of the soldiers, Marines, Airmen and sailors who this guy has killed or hurt.

Another thing. Yes, what happened in Haddithah was unfortunate, and possibly even criminal. But its amazing that the only country that seems to care about it is us. Not a bad thing, mind you, because it shows that we have a system of laws and it works. But the people in this side of the world could care less. Funny, but if you abuse them, they get really offended and tend to riot, protest, or commit random acts of violence. Of course, if you just kill them, then they don't care to much about it. Not because they are soft, but I think its because that is what they know. Now, the reason I say this is because this country has always been ruled by the gun. He who holds the trigger, holds the power. These people have been oppressed, abused, mistreated and held at gunpoint for the better part of a couple thousand years, so killing is a way of life over here. Its what they know and understand, which is why I think that sometimes they are so unconcerned about dying. But we seem to hold court in the press, and the press is out to make these guys guilty before the trial, because thats what people want to see. In the end, I think, that if the press need blood and gore to fill the news and appease the corporate interests that pay them, well, there is plenty of it around here. My thought is that this will be news for a long time, and it will be swept under the table when the press finds something even bloodier to write about. So, guilty or innocent, its not my job to say. But the press seems to have already made up their minds.

I did notice that, instead of giving the people who did such a fine job finding and killing "Z" a heartfelt thanks, the press went straight for the blood shot. Well, let me say, for the hundreds of Iraqi soldiers I work with, a thumbs up and congratulations for a terrific job.

Now get back to work, and find that "O" guy.

A cold breeze, or a smack upside the head?

The heat was getting to be pretty unbearable this evening. We had set up a small raid, and we were having some problem trying to establish the right location of the house in question. We were looking for a white house, with date palms in the front, and a metal gate painted blue with what appeared to be an 8 pointed star on each door. We were pretty sure that this was the right house, and we were stacked on the gate, reading to bust in.

It’s funny to see how little things, small things, can make a simple play fall apart. We had been given some information from an informant, and it seemed to be solid information. We had pictures, names, dates, places, and exact locations. We consulted, over the next 24 hours, every asset we could in the arsenal of intelligence, in order to establish that the information we had was confirmed. We could place the insurgent at the seen of the incident (in this case, a vehicle bomb); we had his name and affiliations with other militant groups. It was a perfect package.

The Iraqi’s were pretty excited about it, because for some reason they were in a good mood and were a little edgy to get moving. We organized a raid force package, trained them as well as we could to re-enforce what we hat previously done. We practiced entry drills, alert drills, and action drills. This team looked sharp, and as good as they could possibly be. From a distance, they almost looked and moved like American forces, and I was very proud of them.

At H-hour, the Iraqi’s and the team, my guys, moved quickly and smartly onto the assault vehicles. They moved well, they had all their gear on, and they looked fantastic moving up and down the streets, quietly and effectively. When they arrived near the target site, they dismounted fast, got into formations, and moved down the street, covering corners, looking at danger areas, and protecting each other like true professionals. We arrived at the alleged house, stacked up on the wall outside the gate, weapons in one hand, a set of bold cutters nearby; waiting for the go command. In my head, I was pumped and ready to roll in. We were saviors, freedom fighters, warriors out to preserve justice and enforce the law of the land, and whoa to those who would stand in our way, lest they be crushed by the forces that god has created. Silently, in the heat, we waited for the word…

And waited….

And waited…

Nothing. No go signal. No smoke. No radio chatter. No hand signals. Nothing at all. I look over to the command cars, and see a lot of fingers pointing in all directions. I see lips moving, and the look of confusion on a lot of faces. This can’t be good. I stand up, and ease the tension. The Iraqi’s, so quiet and courageous, bust out cigarettes, take off helmets, and sit down. This is not what I had in mind. I walk over to the command car, to find out what is going on. It’s simple, I am told. This is not the right street. We are looking for street 18, this is street 16. Simple fix, I say, lets go to street 18, it should be 1 or 2 blocks south. Well, that’s the problem, I am told, the next street is street 9, and the one north is street 22.

So, I ask, basically, we are nowhere close to where we are supposed to be? I ask, with my eyes closed because the sweat is burning now.

“No, we will find it, but it’s going to take a bit longer.”

“Well, how much longer?” I grimace.

“In-sha’allah.” (God willing).

Shit.

So, for the next hour, we move up and down, left and right, house to house, looking for another white house, with date palms, and a blue outer gate. You know, its funny, but you never notice how few white houses there are over here. They are just never around when you need one. We repeated the drill 5 more times. Move, stack, look (heads shaking), move again, stack, look (heads shaking), etc. After two hours of it, we were done. My shoulders hurt, my knees hurt, my head is pounding, and my ego is crushed. The Iraqis, well they were smart, they quite 3 houses ago.

From all of this, the lesson I got was simple. I should say it was a reminder, because I knew this already, but I had forgotten it.

1. Never trust an Iraqi with a map. He can’t read it, especially if it’s in English. And even if it was in Arabic, which it isn’t, 9 times out of 10, it’s upside down. (Those of you who remember that mistake know who you are, and I won’t name names.)

2. A good plan, executed well, is better than a perfect plan. The longer you take to plan, the greater the potential for somebody to overlook something, because the plan gets naturally more complex and involved. Next time, bring the guy you caught. He knows where he lives.

3. If at first you don’t succeed, go home. Don’t spend hours looking for something when you’re not even close. The needle doesn’t get bigger in the haystack, but the haystack gets larger by the minute.

Now, I pride myself in my ability to manage the small details, execute plans, and come up with brilliant yet simple solutions to complex problems. Every now and then, it’s nice to get a slap in the face kind of wake up.

Media

Media Frenzy

I haven’t had much of a chance to voice my opinions as of late, but I have really REALLY been trying hard to accept the fact that this country is going to hell and we are driving the bus. Every day around here is another day surrounded by death and destruction, lives damaged and taken away. It was with that painful realization in the forefront of my thoughts, when I was pleasantly surprised to find out the National Public Radio has come out to do a little story on my bunch of Iraqi’s. At least, that’s what I was told by them. I thought, well, here is a chance to say what we have been doing, show what we are up against, and prove that the Iraqi National Police are trying their best to navigate their way through this swamp of a nation, to establish a little bit of order.

The story itself isn’t quite the same as the one that I had hoped. I mean, it’s not bad, but it’s not really good either. I spent almost 6 hours with these two guys, answering questions, feeding them information, and they didn’t use anything. As a matter of fact, they didn’t report any of the good things that were going on. Not one thing. Not one clip, not one fact, not one story. The story itself was part of a week work of clips, interviews and commentary about the situation with the Iraqi Ministry of Interior and the police forces in general. It was pretty much a copy of what was going on in the New York Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, and Time. Basically this was a crucifixion of MOI, and the American forces inability to control the situation. Its unfortunate that they missed a lot of the good things, but, of course, the good stuff doesn’t generate the rating like the bad stuff does. Well, I will let you be the judge.

The clip is at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5398078

King Rat

The bodies are stacking up around here like trash. I think we are averaging almost 6-8 a day. It’s disturbing now, because the Police are afraid to collect them, for fear of being shot at. There doesn’t seem to be any particular pattern to the murders. Shia or Sunni, man or woman, they all just seem to be targets of violence now.

I went on patrol the other evening, and was thinking just how far we have or have not come. The streets are filthy, even worse now than before. Trash is everywhere, and when the wind picks up the trash blows in the air like confetti during a parade. Some days, it becomes hard to see through it all. The smoke from fires is constant, either from burning trash or burning cars. During our night movements, the streets are empty. Even the dogs and cats that roam the city and outlying areas during the day seem to sense the danger of being out at night, and stay away from everything. As we walk through the empty marketplace, the only movement comes from the rats that seem to take over the area. You can see them as we move, with their glistening eyes and gnashing teeth while they dig through trash and rotting animal remains. At night, they own the streets

I was thinking as we moved through, how ironic it is that, as parents, we grow up and suffer things so that our children do not have to do the same. Yet, especially now, we find ourselves sharing the same stories with our parents and grandparents. During my vacation, I got to talk to my grandfather, and he spoke a little about his experience during WWII. He talked about the smells, the bodies, and mostly, the chaos and what people do to survive. When I first joined the service, I know he shared these stories and I thought, well, it’s a different world now; we don’t have to do those kinds of things. Now, as I recall his stories, I know exactly what he was talking about. I know the smells, the chaos. I think sometimes, as far as we have come, we have not come far at all.

I know that I hope to never have to share these stories with my children, and have them understand exactly what I was feeling.

As I was thinking this, we turned a corner and the sick/sweet smell of rotting flesh. At first, I think, it smells like an animal carcass. We move slowly, the Iraqi soldiers moving quietly in the darkness. They creep up to a man, sitting against a wall. In the heat of the evening, the smell gets stronger as we get closer. The look over him closely, and return. Shot in the chest 3 times, they say. Maybe yesterday, or early today. The rats have visited here...

A shout out to....

OK, so I have just arrived in Kuwait, and immediately can sense the change in the atmosphere. It’s nice to be around people who are energized by the work that they do. Being surrounded by military people, listening to their conversations, it’s almost impossible not to be motivated about the future. Everybody around me is talking about the latest news from the front, the goings on around the theatre. The capture of the Al Qaeda leader in Pakistan is good news, but they are not sure if it means a lot. Japanese troops are scheduled to withdraw from Iraq, which is good but not good. I mention this because it’s so different from being in the terminal in Atlanta. Here, in a dusty tent in the middle of the Kuwaiti desert, there are 13 TV’s and 12 of them are set to news channels.

Is it so different over here? Life goes on, I understand that, but why is the singing of the national anthem in Spanish such a major issue? Yes, it’s a very strange thing, but then, it’s the American Anthem, and any way you sing it, its still ours right? Yes it should be sung in English, but this is just another form of protest, and they have the right to do so, illegal alien or not.

The Clippers won the first round of the playoffs. That should start a mandatory investigation right away.

Another army soldier has been convicted for making gay porn. No comment.

And here is a gem. 6 out of 10 young Americans were unable to locate Iraq on the map. 1 out of 3 could not locate Louisiana.

Well, with all that is no wonder most Americans are distracted. I don’t know what most Americans are thinking, and apparently, neither do they…

Recent Updates

So I have been on leave for the last week or so, slowly traveling across the country with what little personal belongings I have. I got to spend three days with my kids in New Hampshire before setting out across the US. It has been a terrific journey, and I think will remember it as my passing from one life to another. For those of you who don’t already know, I finalized the last stages of my divorce, and it should be completed by the time I return to Iraq. I guess I could call this journey a type of cleansing experience. I know I did everything I could, and more importantly everything that I was supposed to do, and it didn’t work out.

I have seen a lot this time across the country, and it has been lots of fun. I am accompanied by Deanna, my new girlfriend, whose wisdom, complexity, and common sense seem to inspire me. We have seen New York City and stayed with friends in Long Island. We walked around Boston, Nashville, Albuquerque, a number of other small towns and cities. We have shopped for Kachinka dolls on the Continental Divide, visited the Presley’s, and viewed the largest Cross in the Western Hemisphere. (A strange sight, but inspiring.)

One of the places we visited, sort of on a whim, was the Oklahoma National Memorial. We had intended to go and spend an hour there, then get lunch. We ended up staying for the better part of a day, and by the time it was over, we were too drained for much more. The Memorial, at the site of the Alfred Murrah Center, was built to honor those who gave their lives and to those who fought to keep others alive, when the Government building was destroyed. It was a very moving and emotional tour. The pictures, displays, interaction, as well as the recordings, footage, and artifacts, really made you feel a part of the horrendous tragedy. There is a timeline on the building and dedication of the memorial, and its interesting to see how this memorial developed, and make some correlations to the current effort to develop the World Trade Center Memorial. I highly recommend this tour to anybody.

We spend a fun half day at Graceland. (I know, I didn’t really believe it either.) It really is a wonderful little place, full of musical history. I like Elvis and his music, and I actually had a wonderful time touring the house, the museums, and listening to his musical history. It was a delightful trip, but not one I could see people making some yearly pilgrimage to. We saw some guy from the Backstreet boys, who was also there touring, and Deanna was all excited but I couldn’t get her to go up and get a picture. She secretly snapped one or two while I wasn’t looking, though

I am getting ready to go back to Iraq, and really not looking forward to it. I guess, having been around real people for the past two weeks, I can see how people don’t understand what is going on in Iraq. Americans tend to live for the moment, and only seem to think that what is important is what is right in front of them. I was sitting at the airport in Atlanta, and watching the people walking by, listening to their conversations. It’s almost as if there really isn’t a war going on at all, just from the topics. Only one station in the airport is tuned into the news. The rest are set to ESPN. As I sit here in my cammies, I note that only one or two people seem to notice me, and so far, only one person has even bothered to acknowledge my presence. Not that it’s a bad thing, but a person in cammies tends to stand out, and you would think that I would be noticeable. One person did stop and say thank you for what you do, I thought that was nice. It just appears that not too many people say that any more.

A quick shot

It has been a very busy week out here, and I am all ready to take a vacation. I was thinking about what we have accomplished out here, and I haven't had any time to write about it, so I think, while I am sitting on the plane, I will go over the last few weeks talk about that stuff. I know, I haven't been updating as regularly as I should, nor have I been emailing like I should, so I promise (ya, right) to try and do it more often. There is so much going on in the world and out here, and its important that SOMEBODY comment on it, so it might as well be me.

OK, hopefully I will see everybody when I get home, even if it is for only a short time.

Spring is here

How can anybody sit like that for more than 2 minutes without getting cramps?

April fools? Who is the real fool here..

I have a few thoughts about this country...


It takes 10 minutes for the Iraqi to wash his face, but I have never seen one get in the shower

Could somebody please teach these people how to flush a toilet?

Give an Iraqi a fish, and you will feed him for a day. Teach an Iraqi to fish, and he will blame you for destroying his way of life with your infidel ways.

If women are supposed to be modest in typical Iraqi society, and are not supposed to attract attention of men, why is she wearing a Hijab with a slip up to her pelvis? And is that a micro-mini skirt underneath?

5 million cars in this country, and nobody ever taught them how to drive?

For such a religious muslim country, how come half the people we arrest are drunk?

In a country where time doesn’t mean a thing, who knew they observed Daylight Savings Time?

Putting bricks in the road is not considered a road block

Why would you hang your clothes from a clothes line to dry them, but burn trash upwind from the clothes?

If senators sent their sons and daughters off to war, would we still be here?

Random comments are good too!

Well, it’s been a while since I have had a chance to update. It has been really busy around here, what with the NON-civil war and all. I was reflecting with my interpreters just what that meant for them, and they didn’t quite think that a civil war as we define it, is the same as what they call it.

For us, a civil war is a generic term to describe one element inside a country to take up arms against another side. These sides can be divided along political or religious lines, or areas or the country, or a number of different things. In any case, a lot of people on both sides die, and it’s hard on everybody, because you are despised for who you are, or what you believe.

For them, for him, it’s not a civil war. He says that the people are not as bad as the press makes it out to be, and it’s not a civil war. He believes that the only reason that the Sunni and Shia are killing each other is because that is what they are told they need to do. I thought this was interesting, and asked him to explain. He says that it’s typically the militia that is killing the innocent people, and they are being told to do so by either religious or criminal leaders. I tried to say, but isn’t that against the religious beliefs of most of the people. He said, that most of the people have no idea what they believe, and that they believe in what they are told. So, if all you are told is that the Shia are evil, then you will go out and kill the Shia. If you believe that the Sunni are going to kill you, then you will kill them before they get you. It’s not a civil war, he says. He calls it a criminal war. The thugs are killing the people, and it’s not going to end until somebody kills the thugs.

All that said, I am tired of the bodies. The Shia and the Sunni are killing people at random, and dumping the bodies all over. I can’t understand how they could hate each other so much, and I know it goes way back to some religious thing. I don’t know how many we have found, or had to remove, but its frightening to think that people could hate so much. Our area is amazingly quiet, and we patrol the streets daily. We have gotten the Iraqi’s to meet and greet people every day to get information, and to enforce to the public that we (the Police) are here to provide protection and preserve the peace. I think we are doing a pretty good job, because wherever we go, people come up to us, talk with us, and tell us how happy they are that we are here. We go about our business, and then return to the compound. After we leave, there is some sporadic shooting, but its usually not in our area, but nearby. We have made some significant gains the past couple of weeks, and the police here are getting better very fast. Now if I could just get them to focus and plan properly, these guys would be in total control

Article from the Guardian

I cut these posts from the Brit paper, the Guardian. Thought it was pretty insightful. I guess mothers on both sides know the anguish of having their children die..


The Iraqi mother
'I heard screams, shouting and gunfire. My son was dead'Sayida al-Hassan, 27, a mother and widow who lives in Mosul
You want to know what the last three years has meant for me? It has been a confusing mixture of grief, humiliation and hope. I will first tell you about the grief. It was at the end of 2003. I remember I was outside in the yard washing the clothes.
I heard a commotion outside in the street. I saw a big American armoured vehicle, I don't think it was a tank, turning into our street. It was followed by lots of the local children, including my two boys, who were running, shouting and waving at the American soldiers. The soldiers looked very smart and I wondered who did their washing for them when their mothers were not around. Then the vehicle stopped and they got down and started handing sweets to the children.
They seemed very friendly. I called inside to my husband, Mohammed, who was as usual sitting there doing nothing. I told him to go and check on the two boys and while he was there ask the soldiers for a job. Mohammed used to be in the army in Saddam's time, but he spoke some English and I thought he could be of use.
To tell the truth I was fed up with him in the house all the time, giving me orders when I was the one who did all the work. Anyway, he grumbled and got off his chair and went down the street towards the soldiers. Then there was a bang like the end of the earth and the wall around my house fell like it was made of paper. I could see a big cloud of smoke and then I heard screams and shouting and gunfire. I knew it was a bomb. I raced out on to the street and saw Jassim, his face was black, running towards me crying. He said he was standing with his brother but he didn't know what had happened to him. I shouted for him and for my husband, but there was no finding them. Later my neighbour told me a suicide bomber had driven into the street - driven at the American vehicle. My neighbour told me that six children had been killed, including my Saif. He was only five. Also my husband was dead.
Since that day, our life has been so hard. It is very tough for a widow and a mother. Everyone forgets us. I am hopeful people will listen to women instead of pushing us around. It is Iraqi women who have suffered most. We have to keep our families together while mourning our dead.
When the bomb went off I was pregnant. Four months later I had a baby girl. I think when she grows up she will not have the problems that we have had. I will make sure she gets a good education.


The American mother
'Bush doesn't cry for our soldiers'Diane Santoriello, of Verona, Pennsylvania, lost her son, Neil, who was serving with the US Army's 1st Division near Falluja. He was killed in action on 13 August, 2004. He was 24
The day I heard that my son had died I heard the doorbell go and then I heard this horrible sound that I realised was my husband screaming. I came down and saw a minister, a police officer and a soldier. I think my mind just wanted to screen out the military uniform. I saw my husband and I thought his father had died. Then my mind cleared and I saw the soldier and I started screaming too. I knew if Neil had been wounded they would telephone. If he had been killed they would have sent an officer.
Neither of us has slept a good night's sleep since Neil died. It tested my faith in God. For a while I just could not pray. I had lost the idea of what to say to God.
Joining the military had always been an ambition of Neil's. I had raised my kids with the idea that it was a good thing to do service, to improve the world. That is what he wanted and I am very proud of him. He had a great feeling for the Iraqi people and I know he took good care of his men. I know he served with honour and he won medals for his bravery.
I have trouble looking at George Bush's face when I see him on the television. I just cannot bear to see his smirk. There is a song called 'Arlington'. It has the line: 'There's a big White House sits on a hill just up the road. The man inside he cried the day they brought me home'. Well, Neil is buried at Arlington and I don't buy that line at all. Bush didn't cry at all for our soldiers. He did not cry at all. It is us parents who do all the crying.

Fallen Warrior

Please say a prayer for SSgt Collado and his family, friends and comrades in arms. He was an advisor assigned to Iraqi units in Najaf. He was a good Marine, and a better friend. He will be missed. Two other Marines were injured during the attack. Our prayers go out to them as they recover.

Marine from Columbia, South Carolina killed in Iraq

31-year-old Marine from Columbia died on Monday following an attack on his vehicle in Iraq, the Pentagon reported Wednesday. Staff Sgt. Jay T. Collado "died from an improvised explosive device near Baghdad," according to a statement released by the Pentagon. The statement did not say when the incident in Iraq occurred.

Collado had been working with the Army's 4th Infantry Division in Iraq, but originally was assigned to a Marine unit based in Camp Pendleton, Calif., the release said.
Collado was assigned to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 267, which is part of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force from Camp Pendleton.

A little bit of violence is...

I can’t really begin to describe the events of the last couple of days. I think the press has been reporting, accurately and inaccurately, that the country is on the verge of civil war. I can say that the amount of civil unrest has increased, but it’s not in our immediate area. The people here are tense and cautious, but seem to be in generally good spirits.

There is a church in one of the districts near our area. It’s a small, brownish building, about three stories high, that sits on a busy street corner. It isn’t surrounded by walls or fences; it has large windows with broken glass, but no bars. If you walk across the street, there is a small store, where a vendor sells chips and soda to the people as they leave the church. 5 times a day, he told me, people come to the mosque to pray, and 5 times a day, he sells things to make a living. The minaret to the church isn’t really a minaret. It looks sort of like a steeple you would see on top of a church in Kansas or Kentucky. There is no bell, but there is a loudspeaker, where the Imam of the church, who I had met, has his younger leaders call to prayer, because he can’t sing the call anymore. The mosque itself is quite clean. The trash is nowhere is sight, and there is an air of reverence surrounding the mosque. In the small courtyard, where the Imam greets his attendees every day, there is a small garden, maybe 5 feet by 5 feet, and from it he grows onions and potatoes that he gives to the local people, as well as for himself. He tells me he eats the food from the garden every day, because to be one with the earth is to be one with god. He tells me that he has been the leader of this church for 25 years, and that his father was the leader before him, and his father before him. Its interesting to talk to him, he is wise and insightful in his own way. At moments, he even appears somewhat regal and dignified, as if he were some kind of monarch, although I do not think this is intentional. He is quiet and small, yet he commands the respect of his followers, and when somebody says something he does not like, he seems to straighten up and gives them a look that could crush rocks, and the unlucky object of his ire seems to melt.

The mosque I am talking about, this little place of solitude and reverence was burned to the ground two days ago. It was 800 years old.

I have not seen the Imam since the fire that claimed his home. I haven’t seen any of his younger acolytes, and only a few of his faithful come by the remains. I am afraid that he was killed inside the mosque, or else he was captured and will be found in a few days, handcuffed and shot on the side of the road. I can not even begin to imagine the age and history of some of the items that were inside the church as it burned. Our nation is only 200+ years old, and this building was here. Most of the nations on this planet did not exist, yet this church was here. Entire civilizations have come and gone, yet people came to this building to pray.

Today, as we moved by and stopped to survey the damage, I noticed the trash was everywhere. The vendor across the street is gone now; apparently he left since there were no more people. The garden, so meticulously maintained, was uprooted and stomped. It was covered with oil and grease, to make sure that it was never used again. I never knew if this mosque was Shia or Sunni, and to be honest, it didn’t matter to me. What matters to me is that there are people in this country that would resort to this kind of destruction at all. We are called infidels and hated for what we believe, yet these people who are supposedly so close to god, have no concern for the house of the very god they believe in. I am becoming more convinced that all these people know is violence and hatred, and they will always be that way, no matter what “civilized” people try to teach them. In their eyes, death and violence is the way life is. Just like the desert, the reality of this country is that you either survive, or you don’t. You hurt people to get what you want, or you get hurt. If a thousand years of history teaches them anything, it’s that there will always be killing and destruction.

Misunderstandings

Let me put it out there. Yes, there were many Army personnel that I worked with during the early days, and they were as valuable to the team as anybody I could have asked for. We lived, fought, and worked together, and they did an outstanding job. I will remember their names and faces for the rest of my life. I wish that those people were here now, to show these people here now, the way it should be done.

Thanks for reminding me...

Support for the Few

I got this article in the New Hampshire Union Leader. Our efforts as advisors are not without support!!!

Happy Valentines Day!

Kenney, NH senator, back from the war
By GARRY RAYNO Union Leader Staff

MANCHESTER – State Sen. Joseph Kenney, 45, of Wakefield returned to the Granite State yesterday after spending the last five months stationed in Iraq.
Greeted by friends, supporters and several people who held signs that read "Draft Kenney for Governor," he arrived at Manchester Airport yesterday afternoon dressed in his desert camouflage.
"It's good to be back," Kenney said. "I finished up my tour serving my country, now I look forward to serving the state of New Hampshire again and especially the people in (Senate) District 3."

Kenney was stationed in Baghdad and was a military advisor to the Iraqi ground forces command for five months, but has been away from home for six months.

"We're making steady progress, but it's a complex environment over there with lots of ethnic differences and in-fighting. The coalition led by the Americans is the glue keeping it all together," he said.

Kenney said his friends have been very supportive while he has been away. The Senate and House legislative staff and recreation group, or SHARC, sent him a Christmas tree and gifts during the holidays, he noted.

He was greeted by his wife and two children — the youngest, his daughter, was only two-months old when he left to go overseas.

Sara Brothers, the daughter of Department of Employment Security Commissioner Richard Brothers of Tilton, held a sign that read "Joe Kenney American Hero."

Brothers, who held a sign welcoming Kenney home, noted "(Joe) would make a great governor."
Kenney said he would be back at the State House chairing the Executive Departments and Administration Committee on Tuesday.

Kenney is currently serving his second term in the Senate after serving four terms in the House. He is vice chairman of the Health and Human Services Committee and is a member of the Public and Municipal Affairs Committee.

His colleagues in the Senate plan a celebration in his honor this week.

Kenney is a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Marines Corps and has served since 1980.

Happy Ahoura!!!

Over the last few days I have had the opportunity to watch the Ashura holiday. For those of you who don’t know what it is, it is the Shia holy day, where they celebrate(?) the death of the martyr Hussein in the 7th Century. I think most people, especially Americans, only know the holiday by the pictures and stories of the people beating themselves and bleeding all over their faces. I would agree that it seems a bit much to honor somebody by bleeding all over, but then, I never said I understood these people in the first place.

Needless to say, I had some interesting thoughts about it, while I was surrounded by thousands of people heading to Karbala for the ceremonies. A majority of these people that did not live in the city, walked to get there. I think some people walked 60 miles or more. That is some serious dedication, and it made me think about just how faithful I was. I mean, I like to think of myself as a good person and all, but would I, could I, walk 60 miles to celebrate the death of somebody by beating myself? Not only that, but I don’t think I know anybody who would do that. Yet, here, so far away from the “civilized” world, people think nothing of it. I am sure the government frowns on the practice, and I understand that a number of Arab governments don’t allow it. In Kuwait, they encourage the donation of blood instead of the self-flagellation. If the people here can get so frenzied about something, how can we even think to enforce controls on them?

As we moved up and down the roads, I was shocked at the number of people who were actually glad to see us. Our presence had to be a little comforting, as Iraqi Police, Army, and the coalition guys went about there business, mindful of the occasion but dedicated to the task at hand. I would like to think that the air was one of friendliness and cooperation; however, I know that isn’t entirely possible. I am sure that there were a number of people who were there to do harm, and create chaos, but I believe that our efforts made it impossible to do. Still, I was impressed that we got waves from all kinds of men, women, and children. Lots of smiles, lots of support. It really felt good to sit back and watch as the whole thing unfolded in from of me.

All things come to an end however, and I must say that the mission was successful. As of yet, no bombs went off, no one got killed. If this is progress, it’s a step in the right direction.

I am not impressed with some of my Army colleagues, and watching the whole operation take place makes me wonder how the Army gets things done. I can’t even begin count the number of suggestions, recommendations, and points I brought up to try to get things done the way that I think they should be done, but I am convinced that the Army isn’t really in this to get the job done. I am confused as to why the Army seems to want to play mentor to the Iraqi’s when we should be setting the tone and pace. Lead from the front is what I have always been told, but it appears that the Army has chosen a “Guide from the Rear” approach. Easier to recommend the proper solution and watch the Iraqi’s go the other way, then to take them by the hand and drag them to the right thing. Somebody told me that working with the Marines is great, but they are always so Gung Ho and Push Forward, that sometimes they rush in to things. That is nothing but wrong, especially in this business. If we don’t take the Iraqi’s in the direction we want them to go, they are going to go in the direction they are most familiar with, and that direction leads right back to where they were before. That is not what we want, and its not what we need for them, so the best way, I think, is to show them how to do it the right way, and let them move forward from that. Instead of asking them if they will do it our way, you must tell them. They are like children, and will only learn right from wrong if they are shown the difference.

I am not saying that we create an Iraqi Army, Police, or anything that is a mirror image of the US. I am saying that there is a right way to do things that work across the board, because it is simple, its effective, and it works. We know what that path is, but the Army command here seems very hesitant to cross it. It’s a shame, because there is so much progress that can be made, if people were only willing to put their skills to work.

OK, no more flowery prose. These Army guys are freaking morons. They don't want to listen, they don't want to get involved, they just want to collect their fucking Awards and NCO-ERs and go back to their regular jobs. I wish them well, because the sooner they leave, the better off we (I) am going to be. Good thing I have free medical, because these clowns are driving me to the loony bin.

Honoring a Warrior

I recieved this email and thought I would post it. It is from the funeral procession for Cpl Lundstrom, killed Jan 7 2006 outside Fallujah. He was from a Souix Tribe in South Dakota.



http://multimedia.rockymountainnews.com/slideshow/slideshow.cfm?type=DEFAULT&ID=012006lundstrom&NUM=1