US Weapons:

1) The M-16 rifle: Thumbs down. Chronic jamming problems with the talcum powder-like sand over there. The sand is everywhere. Jordan says you feel filthy 2 minutes after coming out of the shower. The M-4 carbine version is more popular because it's lighter and shorter, but it has jamming problems also. They lack the ability to mount the various optical gunsights and weapons lights on the picatinny rails, but the weapon itself is not great in a desert environment. They all hate the 5.56mm (.223) round. Poor penetration on the cinderblock structure common over there and even torso hits can't be reliably counted on to put the enemy down.

Fun fact: Random autopsies on dead insurgents show a high level of opiate use.

2) The M243 SAW (squad assault weapon): .223 cal. Drum fed light machine gun. Big thumbs down. Universally considered a piece of shit. Chronic jamming problems, most of which require partial disassembly (that's fun in the middle of a firefight).

3) The M9 Beretta 9mm: Mixed bag. Good gun, performs well in desert environment; but they all hate the 9mm cartridge. The use of handguns for self-defense is actually fairly common. Same old story on the 9mm: Bad guys hit multiple times and still in the fight.

4) Mossberg 12ga. military shotgun:  Works well, used frequently for clearing houses to good effect.

5) The M240 Machine Gun:  7.62 NATO (.308) cal. belt fed machine gun, developed to replace the old M-60 (what a beautiful weapon that was!!)  Thumbs up. Accurate, reliable, and the 7.62 round puts 'em down. Originally developed as a vehicle mounted weapon, more and more are being dismounted and taken into the field by infantry. The 7.62 round chews up the structure over there.

6) The M2 50 cal heavy machine gun:   Thumbs way, way up. "Ma Deuce" is still worth her considerable weight in gold. The ultimate fight stopper – puts their dicks in the dirt every time. The most coveted weapon in-theater.

7) The .45 pistol:   Thumbs up. Still the best pistol around out there. Everybody authorized to carry a sidearm is trying to get their hands on one. With few exceptions, one can reliably be expected to put 'em down with a torso hit. The special ops guys (who are doing most of the pistol work) use the HK military model and supposedly love it. The old government model.45's are being re-issued en masse.

'8) The M-14:  Thumbs up. They are being re-issued in bulk, mostly in a modified version to special ops guys. Modifications include lightweight Kevlar stocks and low power red dot or ACOG sights. Very reliable in the sandy environment, and they love the 7.62 round.

9) The Barrett .50 cal sniper rifle:  Thumbs way up. Spectacular range and accuracy and hits like a freight train. Used frequently to take out vehicle suicide bombers (we actually stop a lot of them) and barricaded enemy. It is definitely here to stay.

10) The M24 sniper rifle:   Thumbs up. Mostly in .308 but some in 300 win mag. Heavily modified Remington 700's. Great performance. Snipers have been used heavily to great effect. Rumor has it a marine sniper on his third tour in Anbar province has actually exceeded Carlos Hathcock's record for confirmed kills with OVER 100.

11) The new body armor:  Thumbs up. Relatively light at approx. 6 lbs.and can reliably be expected to soak up small shrapnel and even will stop an AK-47 round. The bad news: Hot as shit to wear, almost unbearable in the summer heat(which averages over 120 degrees). Also, the enemy now goes for head shots whenever possible. All the bullshit about the "old" body armor making our guys vulnerable to the IED's was a non-starter. The IED explosions are enormous and body armor doesn't make any difference at all in most cases.

12) Night Vision and Infrared Equipment:  Thumbs way up. Spectacular performance. Our guys see in the dark and own the night, period. Very little enemy action after evening prayers. More and more enemy being whacked at night during movement by our hunter-killer teams. We've all seen the videos.

13) Lights:  Thumbs up. Most of the weapon mounted and personal lights are Surefire's, and the troops love 'em. Invaluable for night urban operations. Jordan carried a $34 Surefire G2 on a neck lanyard and loved it. I can't help but notice that most of the good fighting weapons and ordnance are 50 or more years old!! With all our technology, it's the WWII and Vietnam era weapons that everybody wants!! The infantry fighting is frequent, up close and brutal. No quarter is given or shown.

Bad guy weapons:

1) Mostly AK47's. The entire country is an arsenal. Works better in the desert than the M16 and the .308 Russian round kills reliably. PKM belt fed light machine guns are also common and effective. Luckily, the enemy mostly shoots like shit. Undisciplined "spray and pray" type fire. However, they are seeing more and more precision weapons, especially sniper rifles. ( Iran , again)

2) The RPG: Probably the infantry weapon most feared by our guys. Simple, reliable and as common as dogshit. The enemy responded to our up-armored Humvees by aiming at the windshields, often at point blank range. Still killing a lot of our guys.

3) The IED: The biggest killer of all. Can be anything from old Soviet anti-armor mines to jury rigged artillery shells. A lot found in Jordan 's area were in abandoned cars. The enemy would take 2 or 3 155 mm artillery shells and wire them together. Most were detonated by cell phone and the explosions are enormous. You're not safe in any vehicle, even an M1 tank. Driving is by far the most dangerous thing our guys do over there. Lately, they are much more sophisticated "shape charges" (Iranian) specifically designed to penetrate armor. Fact: Most of the ready made IED's are supplied by Iran , who is also providing terrorists (Hezbollah types) to train the insurgents in their use and tactics. That's why the attacks have been so deadly lately. Their concealment methods are ingenious, the latest being shape charges, in Styrofoam containers spray painted to look like the cinder blocks that litter all Iraqi roads. We find about 40% before they detonate, and the bomb disposal guys are unsung heroes of this war.

4) Mortars and rockets: Very prevalent. The soviet era 122mm rockets (with an 18km range) are becoming more prevalent. One of Jordan 's NCO's lost a leg to one. These weapons cause a lot of damage "inside the wire". Jordan 's base was hit almost daily his entire time there by mortar and rocket fire, often at night to disrupt sleep patterns and cause fatigue (It did). More of a psychological weapon than anything else. The enemy mortar teams would jump out of vehicles, fire a few rounds, and then haul ass in a matter of seconds.

Fun fact: Captured enemy have apparently marveled at the marksmanship of our guys and how hard they fight. They are apparently told in Jihad school that the Americans rely solely on technology, and can be easily beaten in close quarters combat for their lack of toughness. Let's just say they know better now.

Bad guy technology: Simple yet effective. Most communication is by cell and satellite phones and also by email on laptops. They use handheld GPS units for navigation and "Google Earth" for overhead views of our positions. Their weapons are good, if not fancy, and prevalent. Their explosives and bomb technology is TOP OF THE LINE. Night vision is rare. They are very careless with their equipment and the GPS units and laptops are treasure troves of Intel when captured.

Who are the bad guys? Most of the carnage is caused by the Zarqawi Al Qaeda group. They operate mostly in Anbar province (Fallujah and Ramadi). These are mostly "foreigners", non-Iraqi Sunni Arab Jihadists from all over the Muslim world (and Europe ). Most enter Iraq through Syria (with, of course, the knowledge and complicity of the Syrian govt.), and then travel down the "rat line" which is the trail of towns along the Euphrates River that we've been hitting hard for the last few months. Some are virtually untrained young Jihadists that often end up as suicide bombers or in various "sacrifice squads". Most, however, are hard core terrorists from all the usual suspects (Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas etc.). These are the guys running around murdering civilians en masse and cutting heads off.

The Chechens (many of whom are Caucasian) are supposedly the most ruthless and the best fighters. They have been fighting the Russians for years. In the Baghdad area and south, most of the insurgents are Iranian inspired (and led) Iraqi Shiites. The Iranian Shiia have been very adept at infiltrating the Iraqi local govt.'s, the police forces and the Army. They have had a spy and agitator network there since the Iran-Iraq war in the early 80's. Most of the Saddam loyalists were killed, captured, or gave up long ago.

Bad Guy Tactics: When they are engaged on an infantry level, they get their asses kicked every time! Brave, but stupid. Suicidal Banzai-type charges were very common earlier in the war and still occur. They will literally sacrifice 8-10 man teams in suicide squads by sending them screaming and firing AK's and RPG's directly at our bases just to probe the defenses. They get mowed down like grass every time (see the M2 and M240 above). Jordan 's base was hit like this often. When engaged, they have a tendency to flee to the same building, probably for what they think will be a glorious last stand. Instead, we call in air and that's the end of that more often than not. These hole-ups are referred to as Alpha Whiskey Romeo's (Allah's Waiting Room).

We have the laser guided ground-air thing down to a science. The fast mover's, mostly Marine F-18's, are taking an ever increasing toll on the enemy. When caught out in the open, the helicopter gunships and AC-130 Spectre Gunships cut them to ribbons with cannon and rocket fire, especially at night. Interestingly, artillery is hardly used at all.

Fun facts: The enemy death toll is supposedly between 45-50 thousand. That is why we're seeing less and less infantry attacks and more IED, suicide bomber shit. The new strategy is just simple attrition. The insurgent tactic most frustrating is their use of civilian non-combatants as cover. They know we do all we can to avoid civilian casualties and therefore schools, hospitals and especially Mosques are locations where they meet, stage for attacks, cache weapons, and ammo and flee to when engaged. They have absolutely no regard whatsoever for inflicting civilian casualties. They will terrorize locals and murder without hesitation anyone believed to be sympathetic to the Americans or the new Iraqi govt. Kidnapping of family members, especially children, is common to influence people they are trying to influence but can't reach, such as local govt. officials, clerics, tribal leaders, etc..

The first thing our guys are told is "don't get captured". They know that if captured they will be tortured and beheaded on the internet. Zarqawi openly offers bounties for anyone who brings him a live American serviceman. This motivates the criminal element who otherwise don't give a shit about the war. A lot of the beheading victims were actually kidnapped by common criminals and sold to Zarqawi. As such, for our guys, every fight is to the death. Surrender is not an option. The Iraqi's are a mixed bag. Some fight well; others aren't worth a damn. Most do okay with American support.

Finding leaders is hard, but they are getting better. It is widely viewed that Zarqawi's use of suicide bombers, en masse, against the civilian population was a serious tactical mistake. Many Iraqi's were galvanized and the caliber of recruits in the Army and the police forces went right up, along with their motivation. It also led to an exponential increase in good intel because the Iraqi's are sick of the insurgent attacks against civilians. The Kurds are solidly pro-American and fearless fighters.

Morale: According to Jordan , morale among our guys is very high. They not only believe that they are winning, but that they are winning decisively. They are stunned and dismayed by what they see in the American press, whom they almost universally view as against them. The embedded reporters are despised and distrusted. They are inflicting casualties at a rate of 20-1 and then see shit like "Are we losing in Iraq?" on TV and the print media.

For the most part, they are satisfied with their equipment, food, and leadership. Bottom line though, and they all say this, is that there are not enough guys there to drive the final stake through the heart of the insurgency, primarily because there aren't enough troops in-theater to shut down the borders with Iran and Syria. The Iranians and the Syrians just can't stand the thought of Iraq being an American ally (with, of course, permanent US bases there).

A family photo that shows a little girl beside her father and his fellow soldiers in uniform as they prepare to go to war has resonated well beyond the tight knit Bennethum clan.

Four-year-old Paige Bennethum really, really didn't want her daddy to go to Iraq.

So much so, that when Army Reservist Staff Sgt. Brett Bennethum lined up in formation at his deployment this July, she couldn't let go.

No one had the heart to pull her away.

The commanding officer allowed Paige to say goodbye as her dad prepared to ship off from Fort Dix.

Paige's mom Abby captured the moment with her camera and her aunt passed the image along to a Berks County, Pa. newspaper.

"I’ve had strangers looking me up online, sending me messages that they are touched by it … offering a lot of support," Abby Bennethum told NBCPhiladelphia.

The picture took on a life of its own online this week. Abby says that suddenly, people were knocking on her door. "Literally overnight, there's all these people that just want to do anything they can," she says. Though she says her husband hasn't seen any stories about his family yet, he expects to.

For her part, Paige still remembers how she felt that day in July. Looking at the picture of herself — her dad now overseas — Paige remembers, "I didn't want to let go of him."

She calls the work he does transporting supplies across the Iraqi border, "just nice."

But that doesn't change her feelings.

"I just miss my dad right now," she says.

Sgt. Bennethum, 30, is expected home next July. Until then, Paige plans to help her mom take care of her little sister and a new baby that's on the way.

Subject: French view
Military by Jean-Marc Liotier
 
American troops in Afghanistan through the eyes of a French OMLT infantryman
 
The US often hears echoes of worldwide hostility against the application of its foreign policy, but seldom are they reached by the voices of those who experience first hand how close we are to the USA.  In spite of contextual political differences and conflicting interests that generate friction, we do share the same fundamental values – and when push comes to shove that is what really counts. 
 
Through the eyes of that French OMLT (Operational Mentoring Liaison Teams) infantryman you can see how strong the bond is on the ground.  In contrast with the Americans, the French soldiers don’t seem to write much online – or maybe the proportion is the same but we just have less people deployed.  Whatever the reason, this is a rare and moving testimony which is why I decided to translate it into English, so that American people can catch a glimpse of the way European soldiers see them.  
Not much high philosophy here, just the first hand impressions of a soldier in contact – but that only makes it more authentic.
 
Here is the original French article,
http://omlt3-kdk3.over-blog.com/article-22935665.html  and here is my translation :
 
"We have shared our daily life with two US units for quite a while – they are the first and fourth companies of a prestigious infantry battalion whose name I will withhold for the sake of military secrecy. To the common man it is a unit just like any other.  But we live with them and got to know them, and we henceforth know that we have the honor to live with one of the most renowned units of the US Army – one that the 
movies brought to the public as series showing "ordinary soldiers thrust into extraordinary events".  Who are they, those soldiers from abroad, how is their daily life, and what support do they bring to the men of our OMLT every day?
 
Few of them belong to the Easy Company, the one the TV series focuses on.  This one nowadays is named Echo Company, and it has become the support company.  They have a terribly strong American accent – from our point of view the language they speak is not even English.  How many times did I have to write down what I wanted to say rather than waste precious minutes trying various pronunciations of a seemingly common word?  Whatever state they are from, no two accents are alike and they even admit that in some crisis situations they have difficulties understanding each other.

Heavily built, fed at the earliest age with Gatorade, proteins and creatine (Heh.  More like Waffle House and McDonalds) – they are all heads and shoulders taller than us and their muscles remind us of Rambo.  Our frames are amusingly skinny to them – we are wimps, even the strongest of us – and because of that they often mistake us for Afghans.
 
Here we discover America as it is often depicted: their values are taken to their paroxysm, often amplified by promiscuity and the loneliness of this outpost in the middle of that Afghan valley.  Honor, motherland – everything here reminds of that: the American flag floating in the wind above the outpost, just like the one on the post parcels.  Even if recruits often originate from the hearth of American cities and gang territory, no one here has any goal other than to hold high and proud the star spangled banner.  Each man knows he can count on the support of a whole people who provides them through the mail all that an American could miss in such a remote front-line location: books, chewing gums, razorblades, Gatorade, toothpaste etc. in such way that every man is aware of how much the American people backs him in his difficult mission.
 
And that is a first shock to our preconceptions: the American soldier is no individualist. The team, the group, the combat team are the focus of all his attention.  And they are impressive warriors!  We have not come across bad ones, as strange at it may seem to you when you know how critical French people can be.  Even if some of them are a bit on the heavy side, all of them provide us everyday with lessons in infantry know-how.  Beyond the wearing of a combat kit that never seem to discomfort them (helmet strap, helmet, combat goggles, rifles etc.) the long hours of watch at the outpost never seem to annoy them in the slightest.  On the one square meter wooden tower above the perimeter wall they stand the five consecutive hours in full battle rattle and night vision goggles on top, their sight unmoving in the directions of likely danger.  No distractions, no pauses, they are like statues nights and days.  At night, all movements are performed in the dark – only a handful of subdued red lights indicate the occasional presence of a soldier on the move.  Same with the vehicles whose lights are covered – everything happens in pitch dark even filling the fuel tanks with the Japy pump.
 
And combat?  If you have seen Rambo you have seen it all – always coming to the rescue when one of our teams gets in trouble, and always in the shortest delay.  That is one of their tricks: they switch from T-shirt and sandals to combat ready in three minutes.  Arriving in contact with the enemy, the way they fight is simple and disconcerting: they just charge! They disembark and assault in stride, they bomb first and ask questions later – which cuts any pussyfooting short.
 
(This is the main area where I’d like to comment.  Anyone with a passing knowledge of Kipling knows the lines from Chant Pagan: ‘If your officer’s dead and the sergeants look white/remember it’s ruin to run from a fight./So take open order, lie down, sit tight/And wait for supports like a soldier./  This, in fact, is the basic philosophy of both British and Continental soldiers.  ‘In the absence of orders, take a defensive position.’  Indeed, virtually every army in the world.  The American soldier and Marine, however, are imbued from early in their training with the ethos:  In the Absence of Orders:  Attack!  Where other forces, for good or ill, will wait for precise orders and plans to respond to an attack or any other ‘incident’, the American force will simply go, counting on firepower and SOP to carry the day.
 
This is one of the great strengths of the American force in combat and it is something that even our closest allies, such as the Brits and Aussies (that latter being closer by the way) find repeatedly surprising.  No wonder it surprises the hell out of our enemies.)
 
We seldom hear any harsh word, and from 5 AM onwards the camp chores are performed in beautiful order and always with excellent spirit.  A passing American helicopter stops near a stranded vehicle just to check that everything is alright; an American combat team will rush to support ours before even knowing how dangerous the mission is – from what we have been given to witness, the American soldier is a beautiful and worthy heir to those who liberated France and Europe.
 
To those who bestow us with the honor of sharing their combat outposts and who everyday give proof of their military excellence, to those who pay the daily tribute of America’s army’s deployment on Afghan soil, to those we owned this article, ourselves hoping that we will always remain worthy of them and to always continue hearing them say that we are all the same band of brothers". ]]> http://adkins9.net/wordpress/2010/01/03/a-french-infantrymans-view-of-american-soldiers/feed/ 0 http://adkins9.net/wordpress/2007/04/22/an-open-letter-to-senator-reid-on-his-declaration-of-defeat/ http://adkins9.net/wordpress/2007/04/22/an-open-letter-to-senator-reid-on-his-declaration-of-defeat/#comments Sat, 21 Apr 2007 19:15:01 +0000 Thomas http://adkins9.net/wordpress/2007/04/22/an-open-letter-to-senator-reid-on-his-declaration-of-defeat/ The following letter was written by Lt. Jason Nichols, a Naval officer who is currently serving in Baghdad. He is also the head of Appeal for Courage, a group of American active duty and reserve service personnel who are appealing to Congress to stay and finish the war.  

Senator Reid:  

When you say we’ve lost in Iraq, I don’t think you understand the effect of your words. The Iraqis I speak with are the good guys here, fighting to build a stable government. They hear what you say, but they don’t understand it. They don’t know about the political game, they don’t know about a Presidential veto, and they don’t know about party politics.

But they do know that if they help us, they are noticed by terrorists and extremists. They decide to help us if they think we can protect them from those terrorists. They tell us where caches of weapons are hidden. They call and report small groups of men who are strangers to the neighborhood, men that look the same to us, but are obvious to them as a foreign suicide cell.

To be brief, your words are killing us. Your statements make the Iraqis afraid to help us for fear we’ll leave them unprotected in the future. They don’t report a cache, and its weapons blow up my friends in a convoy. They don’t report a foreign fighter, and that fighter sends a mortar onto my base. Your statements are noticed, and they have an effect.  

Finally, you are mistaken when you say we are losing. We are winning, I see it every day. However, we will win with fewer casualties if you help us. Will you?

Respectfully,  

LT Jason Nichols, USN MNF-I, Baghdad

This picture has drawn a lot of comments from readers of the Nashville paper, The Tennessean, like the one below:
Dear Tennessean:
The Tennessean’s April 5 photograph of young Christian Golczynski accepting the American flag from Marine Lt. Col. Ric Thompson is one of the most moving and emotion provoking images I have ever seen.
I attended funeral services for Christian’s father, Staff Sergeant Marcus Golczynski, on April 4, along with my six year-old son, dozens of Marines, and several hundred others who came to pay tribute to this fallen hero.
As one would expect, many of your readers were touched by this incredible picture. On April 9 you published two letters from those who have used this image as a basis to criticize President Bush and the war in Iraq. These writers should know that Staff Sergeant Golczynski had previously served one full tour in Iraq. He wrote to his family, shortly before his death on March 27, 2007 that he had "…volunteered to do this a second time due to our deep desire to finish the job we started. We fight and sometimes die so our families don’t have to." Tragically, Staff Sergeant Golczynski had only two weeks remaining on his second tour. I look at the photograph of Christian every day. It is displayed prominently in our home. Our hearts ache for Christian and for all those who have lost loved ones in this controversial conflict. Our nation is at a historical crossroads. Do we call an end to the struggle in Iraq or press on? Staff Sergeant Golczynski eloquently told his son how he felt about giving up. Perhaps there is a lesson for all of us in this man’s life and the choices he made. He was undeniably a man of tremendous courage and conviction. America must now choose whether to complete the job. When I look at the face of Christian Golczynski, I am reminded that doing what is right is not always easy and doing what is easy is not always right. Christian’s dad knew that too.
James Drescher Franklin, TN

"I want all of you to be safe. And please don’t feel bad for us. We are warriors. And as warriors have done before us, we joined this organization and are following orders because we believe that what we are doing is right. Many of us have volunteered to do this a second time due to our deep desire to finish the job we started. We fight and sometimes die so that our families don’t have to. Stand beside us. Because we would do it for you. Becasue it is our unity that has enabled us to prosper as a nation." Staff Sergeant Marcus Golczynski, written a week before he was killed in action in Iraq.

Why isn’t this in the news?

    Following the article I sent about Bush’s national address and troop increase, I thought it was a good idea to let you all know what the perspective is over here. I’m tired of hearing the media’s skewed version, the politicians squabbling over what they read in a report, and the average ill-informed American ranting about things he knows NOTHING about.

    I’ve been over here a couple of months now, and I’ve learned more about this country than a year’s worth of watching CNN. I’ve sat in mission briefs with Colonels, talked with village elders, had tea with Sheiks, played with the kids. And I agree with the President. We need more troops and we need to take greater action.

    There are 3 major factions here. The Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds. The Shiites are in the majority, but Saddam was a Sunni, so he kept the Shiites in check. Everyone hates the Kurds, who are Christian and in the vast minority. The Kurds received the brunt of Saddam’s murderous tyranny. Now that Saddam is gone, the Shiites have taken control of Baghdad. The largely peaceful Sunnis are now the victims of radical Shiite terrorism. So the young Sunni men, who can no longer go to work and support their families, do what all young men would do. They join the Sunni militia and battle the Shiites. And thus the country sits on the brink of civil war.

    But this war is between them. They largely do not concern themselves with the U.S. troops. The insurgents who battle the Coalition Forces are from outside the country. And the biggest problem down here isn’t the insurgents. Its the politicians. The local politicians. Even though the country is controlled by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, downtown Baghdad is controlled by radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The Shiites follow al-Sadr and thus the Prime Minister does what al-Sadr says. Think of it as if a warlord controlled New York and blackmailed the President into diplomatic immunity.

    When 1st Cav (mainly 2/5 Cav) came here in 2004, they took downtown Baghdad (known as Sadr City) by force. It cost many lives, but after a year, we held an iron grip on the largest insurgent breeding ground in Iraq. The insurgents were afraid of the Horse People, and rightfully so.

    But when 1st Cav left, al-Sadr influenced the Prime Minister to kick out the Coalition forces from that area of Baghdad. He said the Iraqi military forces could hold the city. But all that happened was al-Sadr regained control of his city, and it is now a heavily guarded fortress.

    A place where insurgents and terrorists can train and stockpile arms.

    And we cannot go back in because the Prime Minister won’t let us. Our hands are tied.

    So where does al-Sadr get his backing? From Iran and Syria. Iran supplies him with money and Syria supplies the terrorists. The insurgents that battle the Coalition Forces are from Syria, Somalia and dozens of other places outside of Iraq. Iraq is literally a terrorist breeding ground. They have terrorist and sniper schools here. Why not?

    They train by teaching them to attack the military forces here. And they have an endless supply of these training tools. They have factories in Sadr City to build bombs. Both Iran and Syria have openly proclaimed their number one goal in life is to destroy the great Western Devil and the little Western Devil (America and Britain). Iran wants to control Iraq to further this purpose. Al-Sadr will get to "run" the country and live like a king, but in reality Iran will pull the puppet strings. Iran will have access to thousands of radical Shiites who will do whatever al-Sadr tells them to. And Iraq will be used as a breeding ground for terrorism. Terrorism that will be targeted directly at America and Britain. The Iraq Study Group advised we should let Iran and Syria help with rebuilding? Bravo to President Bush for striking that idea down and vowing to keep those two countries out of Iraq.

    So how do the Iraqi people feel about everything? Of course they don’t want the Americans here. But they would far rather have us here than the Iranians. My platoon visited an average Sunni village on a patrol a few days ago. Their only source of income was to farm, as they could not go to the city to work for fear of violence. Many of the young men had already run off to join the militia for no other reason than to feed their families. They had no school or hospital near them and the community was dying. The village elder’s granddaughter was very sick and I was able to treat her. Afterwards he invited me and my Platoon Leader to sit in his house and have tea with him, and we talked about the situation.

    The people want peace. The Shiites kill the Sunnis because al-Sadr tells them to do so. The Sunnis fight back because they have no choice. They are glad Saddam is dead (Sunni or not), but do not want to replace him with another dictator in a politician’s clothes (which is what al-Sadr will become). And they especially don’t want Iran in charge. Many innocent Iraqis will die if this happens. These are the words that came out of the elder’s mouth:

    "We do not want America here, and America does not want to be here. But you cannot leave because the militias control the country. America must use the might of its giant army and sweep through, root out and destroy the militias. Then Iraq can be free and you can leave."

    What appears to have happened within our diplomatic community, is that Prime Minister finally realizes that his days are numbered. If al-Sadr remains, he will be kicked to the curb. So hopefully he is about to allow us to reenter Sadr City, root out and destroy the enemy. A dramatic troop increase will allow us to do this. And the Horse People are back and ready to finish what they started over 2 years ago.

    If leave now, it will be a failure for democracy. Iran will control Iraq and the end result will be more terrorist attacks on America. The American people don’t want soldiers dying over here, but its better than American civilians dying over there. Do NOT forget 9/11. They will do it again. The moment we loosen our grip on the noose, they will do it again. And the only way to root out the evil here is to stop beating around the bush, increase troops and destroy the insurgents once and for all. The Iraqi government cannot do this on their own. The Iraqi security forces are inadequate for this task. We are the only ones who can stop al-Sadr.

    Feel free to share this with whomever wants a real soldier’s opinion about the war.

    SPC "Doc" Shurley
    2/5 Cav, 1st CB ]]> http://adkins9.net/wordpress/2007/01/21/mail-from-a-1st-cav-medic/feed/ 0 http://adkins9.net/wordpress/2006/12/11/my-own-iraq-study-group/ http://adkins9.net/wordpress/2006/12/11/my-own-iraq-study-group/#comments Mon, 11 Dec 2006 12:05:23 +0000 Thomas http://adkins9.net/wordpress/2006/12/11/my-own-iraq-study-group/             This morning, my wife started crying when we listened to the long-awaited findings of the Iraq Study Group.
            She said, “Just great! We have two sons in harm’s way, and they have a bunch of gray-haired old geezers with political agendas trying to influence how they will fight in this war, and none of them have a clue how to fight or win!”
            For some time now, I have been conducting my own Iraq Study Group, but I asked fellow Green Berets and former Green Berets working for the CIA who have lived with the Iraqi and the Afghani people, men of the US Army Special Forces, the highest trained military unit in the world, who are experienced at training people to fight their own battles. WE DO NOT NEED AN IRAQ STUDY GROUP. We need to use the resources we already have and do things right, and we will most definitely win in Iraq and Afghanistan.
            Based on my Iraq Study Group, this is how we should prosecute and will win the war:
            Tariq and Abdullah ran through the alleyway between the rows of high buildings in Baghdad not far from the Green Zone. One carried the baseplate for the 60MM mortar and the other, the mortar itself. They each carried an HE (high explosive ) round in their backpack. Tariq also carried a dead cat, with a high explosive IED inside. He carefully placed the cat’s body on a crate, making it look like the critter might be napping, and close to eye-level on a vehicle. Then he stretched a trip wire across the alleyway and tied it off to a pipe.  Moving away from the wire, and while Bayid, their friend, waited two blocks away in his multi-colored Nissan taxi with the engine running, they set up the baseplate, aimed it like they had practiced over and over, and quickly fired both rounds in rapid succession towards the armored cavalry headquarters located behind the high walls of an old presidential palace. Before the deadly rounds even hit, killing one American and wounding two more, the insurgents ran as fast as they could to the waiting car and sped to another part of town. Soldiers investigating shortly after would suffer two more wounded from the dead cat IED.  The attackers knew that their friend, Ayoob, who worked as an interpreter for an NBC News crews in the Green Zone would tell them later what kind of damage the two mortar rounds and the IED had caused.
             The story and names are fictional but the strategy is very real, but easy to overcome. One major solution is to move all military headquarters out of the cities and into the desert, so that insurgents firing mortars or rockets at the US military have to come at least one mile out of a town and expose themselves to fire their weapons. Then, we can pinpoint and eliminate them. Now the way it is, they have numerous concrete and glass caves and asphalt labyrinths to easily move through and hide in. Many Iraqi citizens are paid the equivalent of $ 20 US per month to act as lookouts or to simply look the other way as insurgents move through their neighborhoods.
            The other solution to this scenario is also common sense. By far and away, the largest percentage of our soldiers who are killed or wounded are the victims of IED’s, Improvised Explosive Devices. We were supposed to learn from the lessons of Vietnam, but we have not. The Vietnam War proved to us that the helicopter is a very useful tool. It is time to park and significantly limit all the wheeled and tracked vehicles and start using helicopters more. Additionally, Apache attack helicopters should accompany every major troop vehicle movement. That also makes attackers more exposed to our fire.
            In another fictional, but very typical anecdote, Special Forces Sergeant First Class Jones, serving in Basrah as a team weapons sergeant, had worked with one neighborhood in particular and was really getting to know the citizenry who were starting to trust him and were bringing him intelligence on a steady basis. It also helped that he and his teammates dressed like Iraqis and spent money in the struggling stores in the neighborhood.  One of those stores was owned by Muhammad who supported his family of 7 and his late-brother’s family of 5 and all lived in the same little house. He was a Sunni and his brother had been beaten and set on fire by Shiites. The A-Detachment members realized that the Sunnis and Shias have been killing each other for centuries, so they befriended both groups separately, learned how to interact with both, and did not ever try to force them to act like good friends.
            Then a new conventional armored US Army unit came into the neighborhood. Seeing the shabbily-dressed Green Berets, the commanding officer called the team commander, a young handsome West Pointer, in to his office.
            He said, “Captain, your unit is working OPCON to mine (Under Operational Control) and your men do not look like soldiers. They are to wear proper battledress from now and will be clean-shaven with haircuts that are high and tight. The ABC reporter we have imbedded with us could not believe it when I told him your men are Green Berets.”
            The captain argued with the colonel for five minutes to no avail. Then later that week, when Muhammad was ready to leave for work to support the 13 in his household, the armored unit got a report of insurgents in the neighborhood. They immediately sent two Abrams tanks to the opposite corners of the walled neighborhood, while a ground force worked its way towards them. The two tanks churned up the asphalt in the road, so Muhammad could not get his flimsy car to even drive down his own street to go to his own store. The long barrel on one of the main battle tanks, while the turret swiveled around, totally demolished the privacy wall built by Muhammad’s second cousin behind his house.
            Then, Muhammad  and his two teen-aged sons, who were working to help support the large brood as Iraqi police officers on graveyard shift,  as well as all other IAAM’s, (Iraqi Army-Aged Males) were rounded up and herded into the playground of the local school. The men understood this, but their little children did not when they were taken from their homes like prisoners. Then the US Army conventional unit spent the entire day thoroughly checking the ID’s of each of the men from the large neighborhood. The men understood that  was necessary to find insurgents even though it took money from their pockets making them miss work. What the men did not understand though, was as the weeks went on, this became a continuous process and the same men were repeatedly checked for proper identification papers, detained all day, and questioned.
            On top of that, the team commander got a call from his B-team commanding officer located in an air-conditioned office in the Green Zone. The Lieutenant Colonel chewed out the captain for not conforming to the rules set down by the Basrah commander. The captain argued his case, which fell on deaf ears, as the lieutenant colonel had just gotten an earful from a Marine general in charge of that part of the country.
            The solutions to these scenarios are also common sense and simple to execute. We spend millions of dollars to qualify and train each Special Forces operator (Green Beret). They are very well-trained to conduct a counterinsurgency war, plus are trained in direct action missions, as well as civil affairs and psychological operations. FOLLOW THEIR LEAD. Do not make them serve OPCON, or under operational control to a conventional unit that is not trained in counter-insurgency warfare. The entire country of Iraq should be divided up with an appropriate number of Special Forces Operational Detachment-Alpha, or A-Teams, who live and work with the civilian populace. Conventional commanders should report to them, not vice versa.
            Instead, use conventional forces as a Quick Reaction Force in the same way that the 5^th Special Forces Group used Mobile Strike Forces in Vietnam. If one town or area gets “hot,” the Quick Reaction Force for that area comes in immediately to reinforce whoever is already there fighting. The Conventional Force is also used for specialized joint operations where intelligence indicates a major enemy target.
             The US Army Special Forces proved their worth in Vietnam and ever since. They are not on trial, but are still wearing shackles and handcuffs. If you want to win the war, let our very best warriors lead the way. They have been the American military’s quietly professional stuntmen, for decades, but now they need to be the stars of the show. If you do that, you will not need to train more trainers, just deploy more Special Forces operators. That is what they are trained for. And DO NOT micromanage the war from Washington, MacDill AFB, or Fort Bragg. The commander on the ground must be trusted to perform his job, who sees what is going on around him and knows what is best at the time, not a Chairborne Ranger in headquarters miles or continents away. One of the best ways for him to see what is going on and control enemy movement in the cities, day and night, sniper teams need to be deployed on many, many more rooftops, especially with the “reach out and touch someone” long range .50 cailber Barret sniper rifle. Snipers in Iraq and Afghanistan have proven their worth.
             It is frequently mentioned that Usama bin Laden has become a non-factor in the Global War on Terrorism. No, I am sorry, he is not. He and al-Zawahiri are heroes to the jihadists who are totally bent on our demise. One of the most important psychological aspects to winning a war is the live action game of Capture the Flag. The “flag” in this war has two banners:  Usama bin Laden and al-Zawahiri. Both must be found and taken out, period. They have both sworn not to be taken alive. So let us happily give them their wish. They do not need to be in prison cells, waiting for their day in court, so we can prove we are civil, and they can play the world media. Kill them. That will knock the wind out of the al-Qaida. Those two are the symbols of hope and power to the al-Qaida.
             It is also incredibly important to “Know thy enemy.” The al-Qaida is not jealous of America. They hate Christians, and they hate Jews, and they will NOT sit down at a peace table with us someday or ever. We must accept that. They have a 7^th century mindset to capture and convert all countries to Islam, called Dar el Islam,  and to kill all Jews and Christians.
             They must be killed or conquered, period, and to that end we absolutely must fight to win the war, not friends. If a sniper shoots an American from a rooftop, level the building. If insurgents kill Americans then hide in a mosque, turn the mosque into rubble, and let a politician apologize later. And in doing this, we must understand an important principle. YOU CANNOT WIN A WAR WITH SUPPLIES FROM WAL-MART. This war will never be won by fighting on the cheap. Do what it takes to win quickly and decisively regardless of the price tag. The long term is the real drain on our resolve and our cash reserves.
            This includes no more Mr. Nice Guy with Pakistan. US Forces led by area-knowledgeable Special Forces teams must execute a massive search and clear operation with extensive use of helicopters, into the warlord-controlled tribal regions along the Afghani-Pakistani mountain corridor to find and eliminate al-Zawahiri and Usama bin Laden.
             Psychological operations  are a major part of the Global War on Terrorism, and the al-Qaida have learned very effectively how to play some of the US media like a cheap fiddle. If you are a decision-maker in a news organization, you must realize that the courage, sacrifice, and actions of the US military insures your freedom of the press. The al-Qaida wants to destroy that precious freedom by using it against you, against us, and they are succeeding in some quarters. Your first loyalty is not to the news, but to the country. Without our freedoms, your stories will be dictated to you by a man with a sword in his hand.
             And we have to start publicizing our successes in Iraq and Afghanistan and stop imbedding reporters with military units. The military’s primary job is to kill people, blow things up, and break the enemy’s back. We are there to fight and win, not protect CNN News, because “the public has a right to know.” The American public wants to know, but more importantly, they have a right to be protected, first and foremost.
            So many more men and women become general officers now with an eye on politics after their military careers end. They used to fade away, but now they run for office. If we want to win, there can be no more one-upsmanship with the US military. It has gone on for years and must stop now for the sake of victory.
            Additionally, Generals are only told whatever will keep the briefers from getting in trouble.  If you really want to know how to improve things to win, don’t ask a general, ask his sergeant major.
            We can, must, and will win this war in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and against terrorism. We simply have to learn from our mistakes in the past, follow the K.I.S.S. principle, and stop trying to win the Ms. Congeniality Award, and playing to the liberal elitists and naïve anti-war crusaders. 
             I spoke on the phone to a woman who was right there on the flight on November 27, 2006, when the US Airways incident took place with the 6 Immams. One sat in the front in first class, and one in the very back and, and the rest in between. Although neither the front or the back man was fat, both asked for seat belt extenders, which when used like a garrote could render a flight attendant unconscious in 8 seconds. When they supposedly prayed all 6 were shouting “Alluya Ahkbar!” which is what the hijackers on 9-11 were yelling before the planes crashed, and when they were thankfully removed, their attorney was already standing by ready to cry out about racism and unfairness and play the media some more. No matter what is said on the news, we were clearly being tested. We also must immediately seal our southern and northern borders. That is our Achilles heel, and it is where the al-Qaida can effectively infiltrate weapons and people, and strike us at home again. 
             Nobody ever tries to break into my house or steal my property, or even consider it, because everybody knows they will be shot and killed, period. No conversation, just double taps-center mass, and lots of blood to clean up. My country should always be regarded with that kind of respect, and if it is not, it is indeed our fault.

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(Commentary by Mathias Dapfner CEO, Axel Springer, AG)

Appeasement crippled Europe when genocide ran rampant in Kosovo, and even though we had absolute proof of ongoing mass-murder, we Europeans debated and debated and debated, and were still debating when finally the Americans had to come from halfway around the world, into Europe yet again, and do our work for us.

Appeasement generates a mentality that allows Europe to ignore nearly 500,000 victims of Saddam’s torture and murder machinery and, motivated by the self-righteousness of the peace movement, has the gall to issue bad grades to George Bush.  Even as it is uncovered that the loudest critics of the American action in Iraq made illicit billions, no, TENS of  billions, in the corrupt U.N. Oil-for-Food program

It is a conflict that will most likely last longer than any of the great military conflicts of the last century – a conflict conducted by an enemy that cannot be tamed by "tolerance" and "accommodation" but is actually spurred on by such gestures, which have proven to be, and will always be taken by the Islamists for signs of weakness.  Only two recent American Presidents had the courage needed for Anti-appeasement:  Reagan and Bush.

His American critics may quibble over the details, but we Europeans know the truth.  We saw it first hand:  Ronald Reagan ended the Cold War, freeing half of the German people from nearly 50 years of terror and virtual slavery.  And Bush, supported only by the Social Democrat Blair,
acting on moral conviction, recognized the danger in the Islamic War against Democracy.  His place in history will have to be evaluated after a number of years have passed.

Why?  Because we’re so moral?  I fear it’s more because we’re so materialistic, so devoid of a moral compass.