Category Archives: Troops

Fifth helicopter downed

Posted on February 7, 2007 | Comments Off on Fifth helicopter downed

Conflicting reports on whether the CH-46 Sea Knight with seven aboard was brought down in Iraq by ground fire or mechanical problems. If the former, the enemy is getting better at an unfortunate time.

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Posted in Iraq, The War, Troops

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The surge

Posted on February 6, 2007 | Comments Off on The surge

"US says it is on. Maliki Government says it isn’t."

Not very inspiring, are they? Let’s hope the coordination, such as it is, gets better. I also hope the miscaptioned photo at the link, of the American troops of the 2nd ID, is a long lens effort that’s compressing them into each other. Because not spreading out is a sure way for all to get taken out with one RPG or even one grenade. 

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Posted in Iraq, The War, Troops

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Unresponsive, so far

Posted on February 6, 2007 | Comments Off on Unresponsive, so far

Unresponsive.JPG

Invading, however, really isn’t necessary, according to American historian Arthur Herman. Air strikes and naval attacks from the Persian Gulf would be more than enough:

"Almost 90 percent of the mullahs’ oil assets are located either in or near the Gulf. So is the nuclear reactor that Russia is building for Iran at Bushehr. Virtually every Iranian well or production platform depends on access to the Gulf if Iran’s oil is to reach buyers. Hence, the same Straits by means of which Iran intends to lever itself into a position of global power present the West with its own point of leverage to reduce Iran’s power—and to keep it reduced for at least as long as the country’s political institutions remain unprepared to enter the modern world."

Worth a read. 

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Posted in Iraq, The War, Troops

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Patrolling

Posted on February 5, 2007 | Comments Off on Patrolling

Night raid with the Jundi, i.e. the Iraqi army, and Marines, reported by freelance embed Bill Ardolino:

"On the plus side, they’re motivated and brave. Lt. Col. Fisher believes that aggression is a good problem to have, citing the old Marine saying, ‘it’s better to have to reel them in than have to push them out the door.’"

With photos.

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Posted in Iraq, The War, Troops

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Let Arkin pick on his peers

Posted on February 2, 2007 | Comments Off on Let Arkin pick on his peers

Not a 21-year-old soldier, says Don Surber, in this good rebuttal piece on why the WaPo’s Arkin is a mouse not a man.

"Arkin is a media bubble boy. He does not realize how wrong he was for dumping on a soldier in Iraq who dared — when asked directly — say, hey, you protesters are not helpful."

Arkin is no journalist, no Ernie Pyle, just a flaming lefty who likes nothing better than to sneer, call names ("mercenaries!") and tell other people what to do and think. People like him are one reason why the Left is so marginalized in America, even if they do have the big megaphone of the media, which, increasingly, is despised for providing it.

Instead of listening to the WaPo’s resident douchebag, help the troops do one nice thing for Afghanistan and Iraq.

UPDATE  Malarky Arkin is still at it, this time complaining that he’s being demonized. He, he maintains, is the true martyr here. Tough cookies, Malarky. Looking at his thumbnail picture, I realize that he really needs shave. Yeah, I know, it’s fashionable to look like a bum. 

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Posted in Afghanistan, Iraq, The War, Troops

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WaPo reporter drops mask

Posted on February 1, 2007 | Comments Off on WaPo reporter drops mask

William M. Arkin is the WashPost’s homeland security writer. What a hoot. Then they gave him a blog and he decided to let loose his anti-American spleen on the troops: 

"Through every Abu Ghraib and Haditha, through every rape and murder, the American public has indulged those in uniform, accepting that the incidents were the product of bad apples or even of some administration or command order…[recent report troops are upset about opposition to the war is] an ugly reminder of the price we pay for a mercenary – oops sorry, volunteer – force that thinks it is doing the dirty work."

So the elite blogosphere went ballistic, here, here and especially these milblogs here and, for the profane version, here. Actually, I think we owe Billy a round of applause. He’s dropped the "oh-so-objective" pose he learned to do in journalism school, and told us what he and his media buds really think. And it’s ugly and sneering which, of course, fully explains their negative reporting on the war and the military itself. Something tells me your editors won’t like being exposed like this, Bill. Write when you find another job.

UPDATE  Arkin had already made a name as the Greenpeace alum, far left, anti-military activist  "military affairs" writer for the LATimes. So maybe his WaPo editors won’t care after all. They knew what they were getting when they hired him.

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Posted in Iraq, The War, Troops

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Has Bush shot himself in the foot?

Posted on January 29, 2007 | Comments Off on Has Bush shot himself in the foot?

One of Lyndon Johnson’s big mistakes in the Vietnam war was insisting on personally clearing every bombing mission and target beforehand. But even LBJ didn’t turn his troops over to the command of the South Vietnamese government. President Bush appears to have given the Iraqi government control of our troops in his new struggle for Baghdad, which may have doomed it from the start. The story, picked up by the likes of conservative blogger Hyscience, is in Salon, the Lefty digital newsmagazine that is not my favorite source of information. Maybe it’s bull. Sure hope so. But it fits right in with various tactical stupidities of the past four years, such as allowing the Shia thug Mookie Sadr to live, and playing catch-and-release with Iranian agents whose explosives were killing American troops. But, so far, the dumbest thing of all has been the continuation of two sanctuaries for the enemy’s recruitment and re-supply, in neighborhing Syria and Iran, almost exactly what happened in South Vietnam with North Vietnam and Cambodia. If somebody doesn’t wise up pretty soon we’re going to lose this thing.

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Posted in Iraq, The War, Troops

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