The Bunker

Took the Summer Off

2007-09-09T18:18:00.001-04:00

After toasting my brain over the war campfire for so long, I decided to splash into the depths of average life for the summer. More Bunker posts will follow soon.

SCHWACKING AFGHAN COPS - CRAZY AS JACK

2007-06-13T14:29:00.000-04:00

Our dudes schwacked a bunch of Afghan police Tuesday – green on green, wake the general-worthy blip on a computer chat room deep within the secure network of the task force headquarters in Bagram. It appears to have been friendly fire, a mistake.

LINK: http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2007/06/13/mistaken_ids_lead_to_deadly_gunfight/

The Afghan cops were at remote check post in Nangarhar province – which is the end of the god damned earth, really. They thought the US troops were Taliban. The US troops apparently thought the Afghan cops were the bad guys – fog of war, miscommunication, happens all the time.
When the local cop, one who survived tell the Associated Press he’s “very angry,” and that he and his lazy-ass, barely professional thugs in uniform are “here to protect the Afghan government and help serve the Afghan government, but the Americans have come to kill us." – well, that’s good news for the real Taliban, who are no doubt trying to capitalize on this for their propaganda machine.
Shut up Mr. Mohammad, you wanna-be cop. You wouldn’t even have a job or pay if it were not for America. War sucks and this is a war. It sucks that some US helicopter rockets bombed your buddies. But you don’t really have the right to say that you are the protectors of the Afghan government – not when Americans have been dying in your country for the past 5 years to prop up the fledgling Afghan government. Of course, dumb – stupid NATO public affairs officers on the “island of Kabul” they have no information. The “other” U.S.-led coalition spokesman said he was looking into the report. So, basically, put your head in the sand – don’t give the reporters anything resembling the truth – and wait it out – because the “coalition” is getting hammered for killing the wrong people these days, too many civilian deaths and now Afghan cops.

On Monday, our guys shot up a car full of civilians in Kunar province, nearby. They called it an ISAF checkpoint – but ISAF is merely a NATO acronym for the task force now – in Kunar it’s likely American operating.

That’s perfect propaganda fodder for the Taliban. No one outside Afghanistan cares, so wait it out – let it blow over and move onto some bullshit about re-building schools.

WHACKY JACK

The only “good” news is that crazy Tora Bora Jack Idema has “left the building” – Pol-i-Charki prison that is…Idema, a strange cat who I used to know from the Mustafa Hotel in Kabul, got 10 years for running his own jail for alleged terrorists. Karzai later pardoned him.

LINK: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Idema

His story is unique, and now doubt – Jack will go one telling it – to whoever will still listen.

The Libyan Escapee Shoots Off His Mouth

2007-05-31T11:18:00.000-04:00

So, this Libyan Al-Qaeda insurgent who escaped from U.S. detention in Bagram, in July 2005,lashes out at U.S. and its Saudi allies. The Associated Press bureau in Cairo often reports on these Internet video postings. A 45-minute rant on video by Abu Yahia al-Libi, was monitored by IntelCenter, a U.S.government contractor.
LINK: AP Wire Story
http://fe56.news.sp1.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070530/ap_on_re_mi_ea/al_qaida_saudi_video
“Al-Libi” which means “of Libya” - speaks out against the Saudi ruling family, the “House of al-Saud.”
He accuses the Saudi elites of seeking praise from the White House and allowing U.S. warplanes to launch attacks on Muslims. This Spring, the Saudi government rounded up dozens of “terrorists,” who are likely Wahabi islamic militants – who really seek to wrestle control from what they feel is an oppressive and corrupt government headed by Saudi Royals.
Al-Libi’s comments offer the enemy’s perspective – key to countering such elusive foes in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He even offers insights into how he observed U.S. troops who guarded him for years at Bagram.

LINK: More info on Al-Libi
http://siteinstitute.org/bin/articles.cgi?ID=publications186606&Category=publications&Subcategory=0

IntelCenter now says that al-Libi has become al-Qaida's most visible face on the Internet, more than Osama binLaden's second in command, Ayman al-Zawahri. He’s the spokesman, the dude who escaped from our jail – damn, we screwed up letting this guy go free – he’s become a hero for the insurgents and a black eye for us.
For more information on al-Libi, check out the April 2 posting on the Bunker: http://bunker-chatter.blogspot.com/2007/04/al-qaida-gets-their-message-outdo-we.html

Yet, because of his emotion – al-Libi’s lashing out at the Saudi Royals exposes a rift among Arabs and among Muslims that should be examined and perhaps exploited – should we ever truly seek success against global terrorism.
This sustained unpopularity that many Saudi people feel toward their oil-revenue wealthy rulers is fueled by the fundamental Wahabi movement – a clear and present threat not just to the Saudi royals, but to U.S. oil interests in the region.

LINK: Wahabism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wahhabi

Yet, how often do you hear about Wahabi insurgents on our news here in the U.S.? It’s hard to explain to average Americans what “wahabi” means. Just as difficult is discussing Hezb-Islami-Gulbuldin (HIG) fighting U.S. troops on Afghanistan or the Deobandi movement festering from Pakistani madrassas.

LINK: (HIG) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hezb-e-Islami_Gulbuddin

LINK: Deobandi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deobandi

These are some of the real roots of terror – yet, Americans are clearly overwhelmed by Iraq to take time and understand who are real enemy are. While in Afghanistan, I had been reading the Robert Baer book “Sleeping With The Devil.”

LINK: Robert Baer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Baer

Baer, a former covert CIA agent, details our relationship with the Saudis, dating back to the end of WWII – when we sent over oil rig experts to take the crude from Saudi land – creating fuel for America and enormous wealth for Saudi elites. This business relationship has dictated U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East for our country’s entire role as a superpower – to in clued defending Saudi Arabia in Desert Storm when we liberated Kuwait from Saddam. Most of all, our need for oil and the U.S. government and business relationships with the House of Al-Saud has the Islamic fundamentalists pissed off.

In late-2005, I had a coffee at Bagram airfield with an Iraqi-American analyst who worked for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). I asked him what he thought, “Are the Muslims fundamentalists more upset over U.S. support of Israel over Palestine or U.S. support of the House of al-Saud?”
The intel analyst paused, his jaw dropped. He said that very few Americans, if any, had ever discussed that topic – commonly known on the Arab street as the two main causes for terrorist hostilities.

And again, no one in America even talks about these problems.

How does this topic compare at the water cooler with American Idol?

Iraq Presentation In New Haven

2007-05-29T09:58:00.000-04:00

A fellow New Havener has also been covering the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Daniel Smith has gone over a few times and is planning another trip to Iraq. Before he goes, he’s holding a fundraiser here in New Haven – “Images of Iraq” on May 31.
Smith will speak about his “un-embedded experiences” in the war-torn country in a visual presentation.-accompanied by violinist Netta Hadari, playing music of J.S.Bach. Free food and wine. Proceeds support charities for the people of Iraq, including Daniel's efforts to bring medical equipment/funds.

8:00 PM Thursday, May 31st United Church on the Green
323 Temple Street (corner of Elm St) New Haven
For more information, call (203)901-7558 or visit danielwsmith.com

It seems like it might be worth checking out – if you live in the area. I will be there, not like I really need to see more images of Iraq – Lord knows I see them inside my skull each night with a much different soundtrack than Bach!

Memorial Day

2007-05-25T13:58:00.000-04:00

To those of us who did not make it back, from Afghanistan and Iraq and points along the way...
We've returned home to die civilian deaths, whatever accident or ailment comes our way.
You died a soldier's death.

As long as we draw breath, you will not be forgotten - our friends, our comrades, our brothers.

As we celebrate tonight, the first shot poured will be in your honor.

Information Operations In Iraq Spoils Media Coverage

2007-05-24T14:11:00.000-04:00

So, the Iraqi government is now limiting press freedom following enemy attacks. Afghans are also cracking down on media. And the U.S. is advising them both on information strategy in their newly formed “democracies.”

AP-Wire, Yahoo News - No photos allowed after Iraqi blasts
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070515/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_media_ban

This ban in Iraq will have the greatest impact on photographers, who will not be able to depict graphically the extent of attacks. Already, photographers are taking huge risks to obtain imagery in the aftermath of violent acts - so many risk their lives daily to cover the horror of war.
The reporters will then be forced later to piece together details – often relying on government-issued statements that have been vetted and prepared for public release. This limits reporters from recreating the reality of an event – and in turn allows the military and the government to control what information reaches the public.

Reporting in Iraq was always dangerous. On Jan. 18, 2004, while reporting for the Stars and Stripes, I covered a suicide car bomb attack on the Assassin’s Gate – the main entrance to the Green Zone, just block from the Tigris River. Dozens of charred bodies and wounded Iraqi filled the busy boulevard. U.S. soldiers arrived and created a perimeter, pushing reporters and grieving civilians across the bridge. My photographer and I ducked down some steps into an Iraqi neighborhood to remain near the blast site and get the story. Several times we had U.S. troops point their weapons at us, despite me yelling that we were American journalists from the Stripes. But we got the story, a compelling look at how our troops were attacked and their response.

Link: Stripes Story - CAR BOMB AT THE “MOTHER OF ALL CHECKPOINTS” (MOAC)
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=19145&archive=true

It has steadily become worse for those assigned to cover attacks and combat missions. Security is a word that the military and the government use – I don’t think that word even applies to places like Baghdad anymore – especially for civilian journalists trying to cover the news.

But more importantly, there is a campaign against the release of the truth in press reports.

Right now, the U.S. government and its contracted corporations provide advisors to government staff in both Iraq and Afghanistan. The public affairs and strategic communication professionals – if they are doing their job correctly – offer these emerging governments’ information tactics to control the release of sensitive information. Look at the company MPRI – which supplies many of these advisers – which is currently listing a position to fill for a “Mentor to the Chief of Information” for the Iraqi Defense Ministry. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that either the U.S. State Department or the U.S. military pushed for this ban behind the scenes.

Both the enemy and the U.S. government are extremely aware of information warfare and strategy. The insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan and our own counterinsurgency efforts rely on public support. Both the Insurgents and the U.S.-advised Iraqi and Afghan governments have a stake in what “bad” news gets reported through the press to the public.
Of course, in late 2005 the U.S. military faced a scandal when it was buying good news. Several press reports confirmed that the U.S. military paid newspapers to print strategically important news as part of its information operations (IO) campaign.

Link: 2005 Story on Iraq IO campaign – paying newspapers

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002654715_articles30.html
In fact, when I worked in media relations at the U.S. military’s top headquarters in Afghanistan I routinely interacted with IO officers who worked to sway information toward a favorable outcome – stopping short of allowing them to mislead or misinform the media for military gain – although they suggested that we add misinformation to press statements time and again. It did not happen in Afghanistan on my watch – we offered as much truth as security would allow.

Publicly, the military’s IO operators are kept in a dark corner and rarely discussed. They have limited information released to open source users about their tactics and strategy.
U.S. Military Information Operations

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_Information_Operations_Warfare_Command
The Interior Ministry argues that the ban is to preserve evidence – not sure how a few photographers snapping photos will hinder the evidence collection process – even if there was a criminal charge to purse, the footsteps of reporters would not jeopardize that process. In fact, they are more concerned about the published photos affecting the public and offering details to the enemy.

Sadly, this crackdown will likely remain in place and limit what audiences within and outside Iraq can learn about such attacks. The government has guns to enforce it. Even cavalier complaints by organizations such as Reporters Without Borders – whose fourth estate (media) ethics originate with Thomas Jefferson – will have little affect on the Iraqi decision to enforce this ban.

This is also why recent articles – such as Damien Cave’s coverage (A1, 5-23-07) in the New York Times about U.S. troops wounded and killed during the search for captured U.S. troops – tend to shock the American public. The grim reality presented with on-the-spot reporting and photography captures the reality of war – without the spin control and influence of military and government information operations.

Both Iraq and Afghanistan have a recent history – before U.S.-led intervention – of state-controlled national press and heavily-monitored international coverage. Do you think Saddam or the Taliban allowed free reporting – everything was managed and censored. Now, under U.S. guidance – both governments are struggling to contain the press. In Kabul the Afghan Interior Ministry cracked down on local news outlets – raiding offices of local TV and targeting reporters who wrote something against what the government wanted presented.

Link: Afghan Media Crack Down http://www.miamiherald.com/578/story/104999.html

Military strategists – especially those in information operations – seek to limit what locals know, certainly limit what the enemy knows and subsequently limit what people in the U.S. and other Western countries know. With public support waning at home and plummeting among people within the battle zone – bad news reinforces their dissent.

War Everywhere, from Tripoli to New Haven

2007-05-22T09:44:00.000-04:00

It seems like there is wars just about everywhere these days. just look at the carnage filtered to us from the streets of Tripoli through the front page of the New York Times Monday. Ramzi Haidar's photo of a fallen Lebanese soldiers and his comrades during a firefight with "islamic radicals" was amazing work. Haidar had to get extremely close to get that show - up close and dangerous. It captured a glimpse of battle that few of us ever see. Unfortunately, it gets a quick glance from the hundreds of thousands who read the Times - because so many don;t understand the conflict in Lebanon right now. So many times it's confused with last summer's Israeli offensive. It is really a brewing civil war - taking place within Lebanon's borders between the government and these cleverly labeled - Islamic Radicals - which sounds like a bad 1960's pop band from the Middle East. Is it really just a crackdown on "radicals"? Or is it something more. Perhaps to the radicals it is actually a holy war or even a struggle against on oppressive Lebanese government and their elite structure. For the government, it is clearly a power struggle to maintain order within their borders. Lord knows the Lebanese have their other problems to deal with, Hezbollah, Syria and of course, Israel.

LINK TO story and photo:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/20/world/middleeast/20cnd-lebanon.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

What can the U.S. do to influence this situation? Not much, we gave up out foothold in Lebanon two decades ago and have maintained a limited presence since. Perhaps, the State Department could ask Israel to lay off while the Lebanese sort this out. We have little or no communication with Syria and Hezbollah leaders to have them remain out of this conflict - because any support to the radicals could broaden the conflict into a larger war.

On the other end of the Islamic belt - way over in Pakistan - President Musharraf has a loose hold on power in his government and is losing support from the tribal elders in the the Northwest frontier (bordering Afghanistan) down to the country's largest deep water port, Karachi - where rioters killed 42 people earlier this month.

What can we do to affect change in Pakistan. Well, first of all we give them tons of cash - huge military support and contracts for the latest in military technology. Then we turn a blind eye to Islamabad's deals with our enemies in the tribal lands - which likely harbor the remnants of Al-Qaeda, the Taliban headquarters and likely Osama bin Laden - if he still lives.

If Musharraf's government topples, we must follow Sun Tzu's art of war and invade, striking at their weakest moment. In fact, we should have invaded Pakistan when they were weakened by their massive earthquake in September 2005. We had an entire airborne brigade from the 82nd Airborne Division based in eastern Afghanistan. That brigade could have been airlifted from Bagram and parachuted onto airports in Islamabad - other paratroopers could secure Pakistan's few nuke sites. Follow on forces from the Marines and Army could then land and control the city and major roads. From there and from within Afghanistan - U.S. and coalitions forces could squeeze the Taliban from both sides - add a military pressure that would force them to flee of succumb.

That is the only way we could ever show success from our foray into empire building in central Asia. We have fallen to a "classic blunder."

"Ha ha! You fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous is never get involved in a land war in Asia" - Vizzinni, the Sicilian strategist from the Princess Bride - 1987

Pakistan Border - Everyone's Problem

2007-05-18T10:03:00.000-04:00

Finding alternative sources of information on the war is critical. We have to invest our time to "go beyond the headlines of FOX and CNN.
Radio Free Europe – Radio Liberty – is a U.S. government-run service based in Prague. Their Afghanistan reporter, Ron Synovitz, used to cover our command in Afghanistan and continues to take his reporting to heights well-above the standard spin/slant/propaganda that is often heard on similar radio services.
He has an interesting interview with Amin Tarzi – an analyst with some good info on the recent border clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
This area is likely the nexus of the war on terror – should we ever get back to actually hunting terrorists rather than filling executives wallets in war-profiteering corporate America. The border region is where the Taliban and al-Qaeda have their safe haven. We lost a U.S. soldier there last week, when he was returning from negotiations on the Pakistan side.

LINK:
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2007/5/70A67EBD-B0D1-4BDC-9116-F0DF10AB417D.html

Sadly, the argument between Afghanistan and Pakistan along their border goes back to the establishment of the Durand Line – a dotted line drawn on a British map, so very long ago. This is our inherited problem from a previous empire that did not settle its own affairs. Remember, the British fought three wars in Afghanistan – losing terribly each time.
So what are our chances for success?
- Build schools to villagers, but the Taliban target them.
- Support Hamid Karzai – our puppet, who is losing support among the people. Raid villages while hunting Taliban, alienate the population with our tactics.
- Don’t staff or fund the fight in Afghanistan, because we are tied up and losing in Iraq. (We barely have enough helicopters in the Stan to supply the troops in remote locations)
- Support ideas of freedom, democracy and rights for people – our own values and principles. Then break those values time and again in very public ways, such as the killings and torture of prisoners. The Afghan people see that we often don’t practice what we preach. And what I know of Afghans, they are simple people, logic is basic. With them, trust must be earned and can be easily lost.

Any success we gain from this adventure will come from the efforts of young men of working class backgrounds – the boys who joined the Army for college money and a better life themselves. It’s the 19-year-old private who offers a “high-five” to a smiling Afghan kid – who may grow to become a future Afghan president or become a anti-Western insurgent – that will make the difference.

Warrior Returns On His Shield

2007-05-17T14:56:00.000-04:00

The story I read today in U.S New and World Report has me absolutely stunned. The article, about the writings and experiences of Staff Sgt. Darrell Griffin before he was shot by a sniper Mar. 21 in Sadr City, worsened my already somber mood. This is, by far, is the best piece of journalism about Iraq recently – trust me I read it all. If you are a soldier or a veteran, make sure you’ve got nothing else to do after reading this story – because it will fuck with your head.
Learning of SSG Griffin’s life – his philosophy on warfare and his personal courage – I was first struck by what a significant loss America suffers when a warrior like Griffin falls. Then I tried to grasp his family’s suffering. Finally, I became lost in my own thoughts of combat – how I wrote about guys like Griffin and also served my time in uniform beside troops of Griffin’s caliber.
This war is not over, for so many of us. For many around me here in the civilian world – the war never began.

Rest In Peace Staff Sgt. Darrell Griffin – like a Spartan, you returned on your shield.

LINK: US NEWS – Darrell Griffin
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070513/21soldier.htm

RIP Kate Webb

2007-05-16T13:16:00.000-04:00

An outstanding female war correspondent has passed away, Kate Webb - who covered everything from Vietnam to Afghanistan. In 1971, when Webb was with the UPI in Cambodia, North Vietnamese troops captured her and five other journalists and held them three weeks. The press reported she was dead - but she came out of it after 23 days captivity. She was also attacked by militia in Afghanistan.

She had an amazing run - it's worth checking out her story.

Here's the obit from the NY Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/15/world/asia/15webb.html?ref=media

Lots Of News From The Stan

2007-05-14T16:07:00.000-04:00

One headline after the other....Afghanistan surfaced this weekend as a major news item. But what does it all mean?
Carlotta Gall, one of the few correspondents who knows Afghanistan well enough to write beyond the official line of U.S. and NATO officials, went to a remote part of Western Afghanistan to cover a significant development in the fight against the Taliban insurgency. The U.S. handed over military security of the less-volatile Western region in early 2005 to NATO forces from Europe – mainly the Italian Army in Herat.
Recently, out special forces have been active in the area – to include calling in air strikes on suspected Taliban positions and raids within villages. The Times quotes villagers who say there were no Taliban – in fact, the villagers themselves claim responsibility for rising up against the Americans after U.S. forces allegedly went through several houses, shot some and arrested others.
So, by going after some bad guys – we created a whole new dynamic, one faced by every occupying force that ever fought in Afghanistan. Afghans are fiercely territorial and will defend themselves against all odds if they feel their lives or homes are in danger. Ask the British, whose might could not prevail over the “dushman,” (enemy) or the Soviets who lost to the rabble of “dukhi.” (ghosts)
Apparently, many civilians were recently killed in bombing raids. Civilian deaths following a March attack on a Marine convoy led to a senior U.S. commander apologizing and paying families. Karzai condemns civilian deaths routinely, and the U.S. State Department allows him to rant publicly to save face an maintain public support – although his tirades fall on deaf ears when it comes to the continuing of combat action that may endanger Afghan civilians.
Also, an Afghan troop shot a U.S. colonel and a U.S. master sergeant last week near Kabul. Now, some in the Afghan government are calling for negotiations with the Taliban.

NY Times Sunday: Losing Civilian Support In Afghanistan
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/13/world/asia/13AFGHAN.html?em&ex=1179288000&en=6e78c13b23e42517&ei=5087%0A

So, our return public relations tactic – publicly display the body of Mullah Dadullah – front page of the New York Times Monday (May 14). Out forces finally caught up with the one-legged jihadist and offered him a one-way ticket to visit Allah. Unfortunately, like when previous enemy commanders are killed, there are plenty of followers to fill his shoes – er, uh…shoe?

NY Times / Mullah Dadullah Dead:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/14/world/asia/14afghan.html

We lost a U.S. soldier coming back from a meeting just across the Pakistan border. No doubt some tribal militia loyal to the insurgency carried out the attack. The tribal region that straddles Afghanistan’s eastern border and the Northwest of Pakistan is clearly the heart of our problem fighting the insurgency – and perhaps the sanctuary for Osama bin Laden and the thriving remnants of the Taliban and al-Qaeda. (Think the border of Cambodia-Vietnam during the late 1960’s). If we had more troops on hand – rather than having them bogged down in Iraq – we could theoretically push into the region. Of course, that would mean jeopardizing our relationship with the Pakistani government. So the politicking along the border will continue – and so will the insurgency.

NY Times / Troops Attacked After Pakistan Meeting
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/14/world/asia/14cnd-afghan.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Marine Killings Reveal Failing Policy

2007-05-09T13:40:00.000-04:00

When Col. John Nicholson, commander of 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, briefed Pentagon reporters Tuesday (May 8) on the March killings of 19 Afghan civilians by a Marine Special operations unit, I expected for the blame to fall squarely on the Leathernecks. Following a suicide car bomb in March, the Marines sprayed gunfire for miles, about 19 Afghans, 50 wounded. They pulled the company out afterward.
Nicholson’s statement led with highlights of his unit’s achievements in eastern Afghanistan.

“We'd humbly suggest we're winning here in Afghanistan,” he said.

Good points all around, tough terrain, illiterate population, troops living in austere conditions, unclear enemy with challenging tactics. Nicholson represented his troopers as best he could.
But what made the press?
We paid off the families of the killed Afghans – sympathy payment - and also apologized.
Support of the civilian population is key in counter-insurgency operations. Even the Taliban has been trying to apologize lately when they kill innocent civilians – they need their support too.
Nicholson told the Afghans he felt, “deeply, deeply ashamed and terribly sorry,” and that this was a terrible, terrible mistake.” He added that people in U.S. are grieving with the Afghans for their loss – while so many Americans do not even know about this incident!

How many Americans have any clue about the U.S. military’s mission in Afghanistan?

Who are we fighting in Kabul?

2007-05-07T00:25:00.000-04:00

Bizarre news from Kabul Sunday. An Afghan soldier flipped and kills 2 U.S. troops outside Pul-e-Charkhi prison - just east of the capital city along the Jalalabad road. Two Of our guys were also wounded.
These dudes were apparently under Combined Security Transition Command, U.S. soldiers assigned the task of training and mentoring Afghan forces. Our guys were leaving the prison perimeter when the shooting started upon their convoy. The shooter was gunned down by Afghan forces from within the prison security detail.

No motive, so far.

This investigation must have things at Camp Phoenix hopping, Bagram too. Imagine if our guys began to lose trust of the Afghans they patrol alongside. That would create a challenge.

The press officer played up the cooperation with the Afghan Army continues slant - a hard sell consider two troops are headed home to be buried.

So who are we fighting in Kabul? Some Army officers still think it's the press...

Cracking Down On Soldiers' Blogs?

2007-05-03T12:31:00.000-04:00

Reuters reported Wednesday (May 2) that the Army is concerned about military information falling into the wrong hands by way of military bloggers.
Troops whose blogs are born from the battlefield must now consult with their superiors for OPSEC (operational security) violations.
In mid-2005, the task force I was assigned to in Afghanistan clamped down on military blogs and made us read and sign statements that we would not post blogs without prior approval from the command. Troops still did and I never heard of the rule being enforced through military law when the order was disobeyed.
Look around the Internet today, there are hundreds of military blogs out there – are they being targeted?
Somehow, as Reuters reported, the “Army's new regulation could affect service members who have returned from war zones and started blogs about their combat experiences.”

So that means this blog, The Bunker, could be subject to military authority? Good luck, boys, “Bring It On.” (I don’t see how they could stop discharged veterans from blogging about the war.)

This will not stop soldiers from blogging – it will serve as a tool to screw them if they are caught posting without military review of the content. What’s concerning about this apparently vague and hard to implement directive is that who is to say that the soldier’s supervisor is a good blog editor? Does that young officer or NCO charged with editing a soldier’s blog have the ability to understand security risks on a regional or theater-wide level? Who is to say that the supervisor’s personal bias might lead him to proofread and edit for content, rather than a security check? Could this be a veiled attempt to clamp down on soldier’s discussion of the war to prevent public understanding of inconsistencies of political rhetoric? After all, if Pvt. Joe Snuffy is seeing the war and writing in common language about his experiences – that goes a long way compared to the prepared prose of pontificating politicians.

Meanwhile, the Army in Baghdad has apparently embraced You Tube, with it’s on video channel – to highlight the hard fight undertaken by our troops in Iraq. These are voyeuristic glimpses into real battlefield situations – which show a reality that conventional news may not capture.

Here’s the link:
http://www.youtube.com/MNFIRAQ

Whatever the case, against blogging or for video clips on the Internet, the Army is taking notice of the Internet as a communication tool. Clamping down on the blogs mitigates information that may be damaging to the government position. Meanwhile, “reality” clips of war from Iraq may create a greater sense of pride among viewers who can have a better understanding of our soldiers and their fight.

The British May Have A Case Of Empire Envy

2007-04-30T12:06:00.000-04:00

Sadly, we are not the only empire to endure tragic times or bloodshed and misunderstanding. We must, however, recognize our place in the world as the prominent force.
Without doing so, we jeopardize our own future by mishandling foreign affairs.

“Remember, with great power comes great responsibility.”
- Uncle Ben, Spiderman

We must better understand the histories of previous empires – to see how we can make ours endure, we must examine what they did right and wrong. The Greeks expanding past their supply lines – Alexander took his men through Afghanistan to battle Indian battle elephants and was forced to withdraw because of logistics more than casualties. The English, a dominant force for much of the 18th and 19th centuries was defeated by Afghan tribesman on the plains north of Kabul, the desert of Maiwand and the infamous escape from Kabul to Jalabad, where only one doctor survived the slaughter of 5,000 by tribesmen with primitive firearms shooting from above in the tall canyons.
Then the Russians/Soviets who fought a war of idealism by supporting the communist student movement in the late-1970’s – which led to a 10-year war where thousands of their troops died and the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union due to over funding their military excursion and not supporting their economic development.
So now, we are forcing democracy onto an extremely illiterate population that have no concepts of Western philosophy that gave birth to our own Constitution. They raise their purple voting thumbs from under burqas for the news photographers. Meanwhile, their children play around landmines, women self- immolate – wanting death more than their miserable existence, their average life-span is 43 to 45 years old – they only live to see a few years of their new found freedoms – which is what we say.
When we build a school in a remote village, as I saw in the Tora Bora Mountains south of Jalabad in the Southern portions of Nangahar near the Pakistan border, the Taliban then target the “American-built” edifice to intimidate the locals into supporting the insurgency. Our good deed becomes a target.

“I would have been glad to have lived under my wood side, and to have kept a flock of sheep, rather than to have undertaken this government.”
- Oliver Cromwell

Still, the whining British May Have A Case Of Empire Envy. Their empire is small, old and soft now. Ours strong and finding it's way into all sorts of positions. So, their complaints may evolve from that envy. The Sun once never set on the British Empire - now they barely make it until tea time!

DARBY'S LIFE AFTER ABU GHARIB

2007-04-26T09:27:00.000-04:00

Everyone should watch this 60 Minutes piece on the Internet about Cpl. Darby, the guy who had the courage to unveil the torture at Abu Gharib in late 2003. You’ve all heard about the scandal and the details of the late-night photo shoots with naked Iraqis. What you have not likely heard is how Darby is adjusting to life outside the Army now.

(60 minutes has a series of clips online, together they amount to an entire news story, click on them in order and try not to get discouraged by the Blackberry commercials)

He and his wife were forced to relocate from their hometown. Townspeople, even family turned against him. Here’s a guy who stood by the Army values and apparently paid a heavy price that has changed his life forever.
Some say his actions emboldened the enemy and he should have stood by his fellow soldiers. He could have never said a word. The Iraqi prisoners – so many who were innocent simply dudes caught up in the post-invasion fervor that had our occupation troops hog-tying “curfew violators,” could still be locked up in Saddam’s version of Dachau, piled up naked each night with some dumb redneck troops pointing at their nuts.
Darby did the right thing, even when no one was looking. That’s honor. His values, our values, compelled him to walk a righteous path – even if it threw the politics of war into a tailspin.

It just sucks that his life got so screwed up in the aftermath.So many of us are in a similar looking boat.

60 Minutes
http://60minutes.yahoo.com/segment/61/abu_ghraib

TALIBAN PR TEAM FUMBLES ON BEHEADING

2007-04-25T11:38:00.000-04:00

The Taliban PR team might want to re-think some of their media output...
A reporter I know, Declan Walsh of the of the UK Guardian, wrote a story published Wednesday about a Taliban video that shows a 12-year-old sawing off some dude’s head.
Apparently UNICEF is condemning the act – so no Halloween quarters for Taliban kids this year!
Declan writes, “The baby-faced executioner kneels over the man and starts to slide the knife across his throat. Blood spurts and the cries of "Allahu Akbar" or "God is great" ring out. Then the boy triumphantly holds the severed head aloft.”The unfortunate head donor for this gory propaganda was a guy named Ghulam Nabi, a Paki who may have ratted out a Taliban commander killed in an air strike last year. The young killer says, “He’s an American spy, this is his fate.”

LINK TO GUARDIAN STORY:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,,2064910,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=12

The dude’s father said he was a committed Taliban fighter who has fought in Afghanistan – so I’m not so sure there is much sympathy for him. It’s the fact that such a young guy was featured killing in a video.

But this goes back to a previous discussion – the enemy has a voice, sometimes their media campaign is effective, even if this one is not. One public affairs officer I know used to always say – “The enemy has a vote.”
They have a say in what gets published in print and broadcast on TV and the Internet. Communication from the battlefield is steering much of this war – it should be at the forefront of the war-fighter’s mind.
Just last week, the Taliban made a great effort to NOT claim a bombing in Khost, because it killed many civilians - who they need for support. So many times, the local reporters in Kabul were getting satellite phone calls from the Taliban spokesman - while the U.S. military was sitting on information rather than releasing our facts.
If we don’t get our messages out – clearly, accurate and timely – the enemy can counter our efforts with their own strategic communication. They may want to return world civilizations to a primitive way – but they sure embrace modern mass communication well enough.

War fighting is a strange animal, getting stranger the deeper we get.

PIMPING OUR LEGACY TO POLITICS

2007-04-24T16:28:00.000-04:00

Argh! Why are we hinging success in both Afghanistan and Iraq on their ability to stand up their own armies and police forces? That’s how we win, betting that they will get their acts together?
Boy, are we the ever-wishful dreamers!
Obviously, the folks who planned out “success” in this war never really interacted with Iraqis or Afghans – because this is not a safe bet.
But a friend of mine who is an Army colonel put it this way, “What the hell else can we do? Either we stand up their Army or we get stuck there for the next 50 years. And no one wants to be stuck there that long. I sure as hell don’t”
So our bet is placed, deal with it.
But now we are so bent on selling the success stories of the Afghan National Army that we have minimized our own military efforts. We go to great lengths to build them up with the international press.
In a Pentagon press conference today (April 24) Col. Martin Schweitzer, commander of the 4th Brigade, 82nd Airborne told reporters from Camp Salerno (near Khost) that the Afghans are going to lead upcoming operations.
“I'd have never imagined that four years ago when I was here, never,” Schweitzer said. “And now I'm going to be subordinate to one of the corps here in Afghanistan for a series of operations, which I think is phenomenal.”

We are pimping our legacy to conform to political goals.

The 82nd Airborne – our elite paratroopers, the nation’s knife’s edge – the famed All-American Division, America's Guard of Honor – think Normandy, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Kuwait, Fallujah - and of course Afghanistan.

82nd Airborne Division:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/82abn.htm

And these paratroopers who have been above and beyond the call for the past five years of war – are now ready to be under Afghan command? And that's something to be proud of?

Now, that’s not phenomenal, colonel. It sounds plain sad.

Muslims OK With Attacks, Support Al-Qaeda and Want US Out

2007-04-24T15:55:00.000-04:00

A recent poll of Muslims suggests that many of them want America out of the Middle East and that many agree with Al-Qaeda. (Okay, let's go. Good luck to you)
The survey was conducted by Washington-based World Public Opinion and the University of Maryland. They conducted the poll in Egypt, Morocco, Pakistan and Indonesia. They did the in-home interviews with about 1,000 in each country, using the native languages. So, 74 percent want us to pull up stakes from Islamic countries. Apparently many think attacks on American troops are justified, from 91 percent of Egyptians and 69 percent of Moroccans. Of the Indonesians, 61 percent are against attacks on U.S. troops. The Pakistanis are divided 31 percent for attacks and 33 percent against.

Poll Results:
http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/home_page/346.php?nid=&id=&pnt=346&lb=hmpg1

NEWS STORY: http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN2332112320070424

All right, I’ve had enough trying to “help” the people of the Middle East and Central Asia with their so-called democracy and freedom, having my brothers in arms paying the price. Pack up boys, let move out.
We're not wanted? Attacking us is okay? Let’s just leave them to it. After all, we’ve been around their areas enough to have some detailed “target analysis” – let’s back off, let them build their “great Islamic democracy” based on outdated Sharia laws and see what happens. Inshallah, if God wills it – right? Well, good luck to ‘em.
(If things get too crazy afterward, we have the targets picked out for the Air Force to conduct surgery from the sky.)

But how can we get out now without losing face? Doesn’t it seem that withdrawal screws with our pride more than anything?

Still, Harry Reid is a punk, who doesn’t know us ass from a flak vest. He shouldn't be the one to declare the war is lost. He is the Democrats’ numb skull answer to President Bush, they are both quite uninformed about the reality of war and shoot their ignorant mouths off to TV cameras.

Sadly, with news agencies downsizing and coverage limited due to security reasons – we are not gaining a whole lot from the news about soldiers and their actual fight. That void is filled with political rhetoric from career politicians. Now, my mother doesn’t know who to believe. Amid the confusion and frustration, many Americans are either clinging to patriotic ideals and blindly supporting the war or pissed off – blaming Bush and tuning out.

So how long is this going to continue this way? What unique times we’re living in.

COMING HOME MOSTLY SUCKS

2007-04-23T12:57:00.000-04:00

At some point, it could be months after you get home, you stop seeing bad guys on rooftops and in open windows. You’ll see your unit re-deploy into the shit without you. You'll have a lot of people say that you need to go "talk to someone."
Your toned gut will pudge up from American-style eating, making you glance twice as you pass the bathroom mirror. Suddenly, you find yourself trying to commit to an exercise regimen - for the first time in your adult life you need a reason to stay fit other than being ready for war. On that first run, you’ll barf like you did in basic training and hack up phlegm alone on the course – cursing the winter’s cigarettes and other unhealthy indulgences.
Coffee still tastes right when cold and black. American girls look amazing after seeing women covered up for so long.
Each day you long to be back in the zone, where all you had to worry about was the mission. Now, you turn lights off to save on your electric bill. Curse the damn late fees after being a day over on your credit card payment. Watch the parking official nail you for $15, you fed the meter and even went back in time – but the little bastard got you anyways.

Suffer long days - commuter traffic, suit and tie, office without windows, computer and phone.
You will work your ass off for civilians, get paid more than you did in the military - and have very little to show for it - because the bills rape you each month and you end up breaking even with nothing. Oh, and you'll stress over the bills anyways.

The people you missed so much while overseas, you never see them now that you are home anyways. Your relationships are shot, get over them. She moved on.Even if you try, it’s not going to be the same. “These crimes between us grow deeper.”

Civilians expect you to become, well, civilians. Forget the war, forget what you did. Come back and be a day-to-day slob like them, slave to the grind, pay the bills, have nothing to show and bitch about everything – numb yourself with cable television before popping a Lunesta so the stupid green butterfly can put you to sleep. Trudge off each morning to get your fix at Dunkin Donuts, muddle through 8-10 hours of work well-below your ability, pop a Cialis or Viagra to get it up after all the stress and monotony kill your very will to procreate.
And now you are officially a bitchy, whiny veteran.
But the VFW and the American Legion are not for you. You’re mostly alone. You long for your time overseas, when at least there was something to do.
So enjoy the big adventure overseas, get the most experience you can from the war – because for many of us – coming home is the beginning of the end – the long and boring road that winds to our eventual death.

Sadly, this could be one of the best retention pitches for the Army – "stay in because life really does suck!"

ORDERED TO BURN TILLMAN'S CLOTHES

2007-04-20T16:46:00.000-04:00

The details about the aftermath of U.S. Army Ranger Pat Tillman's death have me shaking my head. The Ranger leadership at Camp Salerno in Khost in 2004 apparently ordered an NCO to burn Tillman's bloody uniform - good lord, once they found out he was shot by other Rangers.
Still, the knee-jerk reaction by the Army leadership unfortunately makes sense to me. Friendly fire killing your football hero is not good press for the Rangers. I've seen the Army do stuff like this before - "oh shit - bad news - hide it like hell so the press don't find out."
Bad news always becomes worse with time.
Plus, this compromised the integrity of several soldiers involved in the cover up - hardly the values instilled in U.S. soldiers. And Tillman's family have had a longer and likely harder time to reconcile with their loss.

The leadership should be ashamed.

Here's a link to the story from the AP:
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/04/20/america/NA-GEN-US-Tillman-Information-Clampdown.php

BRASS ON THE BATTLEFIELD, BRASS ON THE HOMEFRONT

2007-04-20T13:58:00.000-04:00

Isn’t it great to see the secretary of defense claiming a Fallujah dateline with his recent media availability. Look, it’s good to see the new guy taking a micro-viewpoint from the battlefield. I applaud his audacity to risk his hide in war zones to better see how we can handle things in Iraq and Afghanistan. We can only hope his leadership will be an improvement.
But it sounds like a public affairs tactic.
"Let’s talk to the press from Fallujah, so people can see we’re actually here on the ground assessing things."
But how much is Gates seeing, being escorted around by Gen. Petreus and more than likely a bunch of officer “hanger-ons”? In the transcript, they didn't say much. They got a tiny photo of him walking up some steps on page A-12 of the New York Times. The article focused on his visit to the Iraqi government, to tell Maliki and his boys that they have to clean up their shit and start fixing their own problems so we can say eventually say are strategy to support them has worked.
(I can't believe we are hanging our success on the Iraqis being able to get their act together - boy, are we some hopeful suckers! Iraqis I met wouldn't even pick up a broom and shovel to clean their own streets - they use the "Inshallah" (god-willing) attitude just to be lazy! If God wants the street clean, he will have me clean it. If not, he wants it dirty.)

When high-level officials are are coming, our troops are told to clean things up and say the right things before the brass roll through. Gates is certainly not likely to be out in the streets on patrol, interacting with Iraqis etc. So, he can only gauge the mission on what the senior brass are telling him. They are executive management – some are greater soldiers and great leaders too – but they are often removed from the reality of the battlefield because they are tucked within a headquarters surrounded by – well, other officers.

[I’ve been told often throughout my civilian and military career that my contempt for military officers often shows through. They are not all self-serving college-educated smug bastards on power trips. Some officers – especially those who were NCOs (sergeants) who went through officer candidate school are some of the best sellouts I ever served with!]

Joking aside, reports from within top headquarters reflect their perspective, not necessarily the ground truth.

Thankfully, Gen. David Petraeus is a straight shooter who is calling the success of the troops surge as he sees it – still a challenge with the bombings etc., but wait until June when all the extra boots are on the ground – to see how things pan out, he said - a realist, with a touch of optimism. I can handle that in a general.

Speaking of generals, one of the best moves following the Walter Reed scandal was for the military in March to assign Brig. Gen. Mike Tucker to be deputy commanding general at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
Tucker is a mustang – started as an enlisted private, rose to the rank of sergeant first class on tanks, then went to officer candidate school before going through the entire officer rank structure and now – he’s a general! I was in Baghdad with him in Spring ’03, when he was a full-bird colonel in charge of 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division. This is a man who knows the Army, knows soldiers and gets missions accomplished – a well-kept secret among the public – but to those who served with him – most would say that Tucker is like a sergeant major in officer's clothing. (That’s a huge compliment from the enlisted perspective)
In a recent speech, President Bush called Tucker a “bureaucracy buster.” As a deputy commander, he will have hands on role with fixing shit that has gone awry. He belongs on a battlefield, so maybe Walter Reed is just the right place for him now. There is no better man for the job.

Wash. Post. Article On Tucker"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/08/AR2007030801889.html

DOD CONCEDES: Reserve Troops Covered By GI Bill

2007-04-17T14:05:00.000-04:00

On Monday, an angry U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro of Connecticut joined Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal at Southern Connecticut State University to discuss U.S. Department of Defense officials "breaking the law" by failing to notify some reservists they qualify for education benefits.
The military has been lying to Reserve and Guard troops about their education benefits when they return from Iraq and Afghanistan. Many troops are told if they quit drilling they lose their GI Bill benefits.
Retention officers claim this to retain the numbers in Guard and Reserve units – to keep them in a deployment ready status.
These are benefits already earned by the veteran, they cannot be held over a veteran’s head for retention issues. The truth is that Guard and Reserve troops are eligible for their benefits – equal to the time they were activated, plus four months.
Since reporters pinged the DoD press office – they have now added new information to their website acknowledging the fact that Guard and Reserve troops are eligible for GI Bill – even if they stop drilling.
This was brought to light following the hard work and solid determination of Giacomo "Jack" Mordente, director of veterans affairs at SCSU. Mordente is continuing to press officials to make this more widely known.
Now, the DoD need to make every effort to inform returning Guard and Reserve soldiers the truth about their GI Bill. But what about those who were already turned away? They need to know too.

This is a national issue. The national press and local news around the country should consider reporting on this.

Here are some links to coverage of Monday's SCSU press conference.

WNPR broadcast
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wnpr/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1068381

New Haven Register
http://www.nhregister.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18218764&BRD=1281&PAG=461&dept_id=7576&rfi=6

New Haven Independent
http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2007/04/going_after_gi.php

More Smoke and Mirrors

2007-04-16T14:39:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, the DoD released the names of two paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne killed in Miri, Afghanistan (try to find that on a map, let alone understand the airborne’s mission there!)
An IED, or roadside bomb, hit their vehicle, the release said. They are Staff Sgt. Casey D. Combs, 28, of Auburn, Wash., and Sgt. David A. Stephens, 28, of Tullahoma, Tenn.
The news release was at least 48 hours after they died. (This is actually a quick turn around of information by the military’s standard.)
They were killed on Thursday(4/12). The so-called "NATO" press office released a statement Friday(4/13) that two "NATO" soldiers were killed, and third soldier wounded during two separate attacks on convoys.
The Reuters report actually states, “As part of a new NATO policy the alliance refuses to detail where attacks occur, saying that could identify the nationalities of the dead before families have been notified.”
The AP has their own disclaimer for not knowing more about the casualties….”NATO did not identify the killed and injured soldiers. Most of alliance troops in the east are American.”
So that’s 11 “NATO” troops killed in the past week in Afghanistan. Eight were Canucks, three were our guys. So what was the coverage? A couple of AP wire stories ran in North Carolina – home to the 82nd airborne – and more wire copy in the soldier’s hometowns.
Seattle PI: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/311758_tl116.html?source=rss
AP Fort Bragg WIRE COPY: http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070414/NEWS01/70414012

But there is more....Also on Saturday, the DoD released the name of another soldier killed in action - Sgt. Edelman L. Hernandez, 23, of Hyattsville, Md. They said he died April 11 in the Korengal Valley, which is way up near Asadabad in Kunar province. His unit, 1/32 infantry is part of the 10th Mountain Division. His death was not mentioned in any NATO statement or press report in the three days following his death.
On Monday, (April 16) the Washington Post wrote a local story about his death – in fact, Sgt. Hernandez, 23, was apparently under stop-loss from leaving the Army – under order to fight in Afghanistan, where he drown in a river. This was a veteran who had also served in Iraq. And he dies a nameless NATO soldier – a blip on the news radar and America will never know of his sacrifice.

WASHINGTON POST: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/15/AR2007041501044.html

There is a continuing effort to mask US casualties in Afghanistan, by avoiding discussion of the soldiers’ deaths, labeling them as nameless coalition troops under NATO. Now it’s common for NATO to not name the unit or even the area where the attack occurs, because reporter could decipher what nationality the troops are. The press are buying into this - saying, well it's the NATO policy. They don't even attempt to report around the restricted information, they take the NATO party line, report essentially nothing and move on to the next piece of insanity from Afghanistan. So NATO hides the truth and the press in delivering a cloudy message to the public.

So, why does NATO want to disguise the nationality of the troops killed? Why can’t we honor our fallen brothers in arms with the respect they deserve for their sacrifice? This is adding up to the ongoing smoke and mirrors that is the marketing of the war in Afghanistan.

Veterans Deserve a Better GI Bill

2007-04-16T10:39:00.000-04:00

While most of the focus on veterans' care has focused on the shortcomings at Walter Reed, we are overlooking a huge problem with veterans' education benefits. In the long run, this can severely hurt America's ability to recover from this time of war.
Troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan should be afforded every ounce of opportunity our country can squeeze to get them onto a college campus - the use the benefits that lured them into the service.
Yet, so many come home and have been falsely told by their unit retention NCOs that if they stop drilling in the Guard or Reserves that they will not get any education benefits. The VA will pay claims for benefits equal to the time a veterans was deployed, plus four months.
For example, a generator mechanic with the state national Guard deploys to Iraq and is away from home (and school) for 15 months. If he has completed his six-year commitment to drill with the Guard, he can return from Iraq and go to college - with his benefits, for 15 months+four months - a total of 19 months of GI Bill benefits.
The retention NCO is directed by the DoD to hang those already -earned GI Bill benefits over that veteran's head to get him to re-enlist and keep the unit staffed and ready for future deployments.
So, great - we kept a generator mechanic in the National Guard - in five years that person is going to be - well, a generator mechanic.
But perhaps he says, screw you - I've done my time and the Army lied to me. So screw the Army, screw going to school and heads for the nearest liquor store or grabs a bag of weed. Now, we have someone who could have gone to college - who should become a future leader and productive member in society - but we let him down.
Education and life around a college campus can be such a positive thing for a returning veteran - why would we chance the alternative route for someone who has honorably served in our wars?

This is just one topic in the highly-Greek language of the VA Gi Bill. There are legislators now who are looking to re-vamp the GI Bill to make it more like the one that made our grandfathers so successful after WWII.

Here's the beginning to a story about some other challenges vets face with the GI Bill. The article will be published by In These Times and the Vermont Guardian.
You can read it in full on on reporter Terry Allen's website. http://www.terryjallen.com/journo-subP/Vets%20GI%20bill.htm

By Terry J. Allen, April 2007, In These Times & Vermont Guardian
With his boyish face and soft tangle of curls, Matt Howard looks like he should have carried a fishing rod though a Norman Rockwell summer. Instead, the 26-year-old Vermonter lugged a gun through two tours in Iraq. Now, what the former Marine really wants to wield is a college diploma. But he and other returning veterans are finding it hard to collect the college benefits they expected when they enlisted in the military.That expectation was fueled by promises from military recruiters and the soldiers’ own financial commitment. All new recruits are given a one-time, use-it-or-lose-it opportunity to buy into benefits eligibility by paying $100 a month for their first year of service. Any benefits unused 10 years after they leave the military are forever lost, including the $1,200 "kicker." The almost 30 percent of active duty veterans who bought in and didn’t collect their educational benefits over the last decade effectively donated hundreds of millions of dollars to the U.S. Treasury.Many veterans who applied under the 1984 Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) say they faced black-hole bureaucracy and college costs that far exceeded benefits."I was so disgusted by how hard it was to get my college benefits, I just gave up," says Howard about his first experience enrolling in the University of Vermont (UVM), a relatively affluent state/private school in picturesque and progressive Burlington. "I volunteered for the Marines, served in Iraq and I appreciate the pat on the back and being called hero, but the military sells itself on money for college; it is the major recruitment tool. This is supposedly why I sold my soul to the devil."

What's in the Polls?

2007-04-12T23:18:00.000-04:00

Here is an interesting resource for polls on public opinion for the war against insurgents in Afghanistan:
http://www.pollingreport.com/afghan.htm

Frying Grunts For Killing Civilians

2007-04-11T13:14:00.000-04:00

Bob Burns from the Associated Press reported today that the military found Marines involved in a March 4 shooting spree in Afghanistan to have used excessive force. Now the case goes to NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) for investigation. So someone is getting screwed over this.
These Marines were part of a brand new special operations unit. They had been hit by a suicide car bomber somewhere in Nangahar. Then they started shooting at who they thought were insurgents. Apparently, many of the dead and wounded were actually civilians. So the military has now said that their response to the threat was overkill.
And the people in the area must now have some serious anger toward the U.S. military - not good for the hearts and minds mission to sway them away from supporting the insurgency and toward their new "democracy."
War sucks and innocent people always are hurt and killed. It’s an awful fact that does not go away with the punishment of these Marines. (Those guys will also come home one day as veterans and have to live with the fact that they pulled the trigger on innocent people.)
This was a bad thing, no matter how you cut it.
The special operations Marine company was ordered to leave Afghanistan after the incident. Now they will look for some heads to roll. It will keep up appearance and attempt to save face.
It’s easy for some officer to pass judgment from a clean office stateside – but only those guys know what really went down. They did relieve the commander, which points toward poor leadership as a cause for what appears to be a lack of fire discipline.

But that will not address the larger issue – that our guys in Eastern Afghanistan are attacked regularly and this is a real fight we have on our hands. Or that there’s no plan or exit strategy for Afghanistan – the forgotten front, as the press has called it. Because the mission in Afghanistan is overshadowed by the absolute hell of Iraq – this may barely make the headlines.

Afghan Lord blog

2007-04-11T10:01:00.000-04:00

Here is an interesting blog written by an Afghan in Kabul

http://www.afghanlord.blogspot.com/

Another Good American Falls Without Notice

2007-04-10T10:34:00.000-04:00

On Sunday, the “NATO” headquarters on the island of Kabul announced that a soldier was killed in a roadside bomb. No location or nationality. Another soldier was injured in the blast. But without specific information on this casualty – no newspaper or network in the US can give this attack in Afghanistan much play. (It’s hard enough to capture the news on a Sunday – especially when we lost at least 10 troops in Iraq this weekend – which makes the US headlines.)
On Monday, the U.S. DoD released his name, hometown and unit. He was Pfc. Conor G. Masterson, 21, of Inver Grove Heights, Minn., a soldier assigned to 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment. These are soldiers who normally play to role of the opposing force in training at the Combat Maneuver Training Center in Hohenfels, Germany.
Who was this good American?

PIONEER PRESS, MINN.:
http://www.twincities.com/allheadlines/ci_5630542

In the DoD release, they simply say that Masterson was killed in “Eastern Afghanistan” – no specifics – by and IED that hit his vehicle. Here they are again, dribbling out very unspecific information about the loss of a good American serving his country in a largely forgotten fight in Afghanistan.
If Mastersons’ death was lost in the news cycle, how can we differentiate this loss with the unfortunate vehicle accident that killed a Dutch soldier sergeant in Uruzgan Friday or the six Canadians killed by a roadside bomb this weekend?

And today, (April 10) the AP reports that two troops were killed and 14 wounded in a rocket attack along the Kabul/Kandahar highway in Zabul. And Afghan Army officer was quoted, but there is no mention of which nation in the “coalition” the troops belong to.

Afghanistan is not "turning" bad – it’s been bad. It’s continuing to be a difficult slog against the Taliban and other anti-Western insurgents. But why try to hide that news from the US public? ? The Canadians have some good coverage of their fallen troops in Afghanistan, but our go largely unnoticed. I have my ideas on why we are doing this….what are yours?

Also, a sidebar – the Afghan government has banned Al-Jazeera from local TV. So this so-called “democracy” we helped start in Afghanistan does not support opposing views of a free fourth estate. Al-Jaz is not my favorite news outlet, but they have their place – in fact, they have millions of viewers worldwide. Clamping down on them only makes them more intriguing to those who have doubts about the U.S.-back Afghan government. It’s the U.S. military that has had trouble with Al-Jazeera’s reporting slant in the past. The odd thing is that the Afghan Ministry of Information and Culture are blocking the English version of Al-Jaz – not many Afghans are fluent in our tongue.

Flags Are Burning, Flags In Tatters

2007-04-05T10:41:00.000-04:00

The Associated Press has a decent story about our troops in Zabul province. It’s disappointing to hear about guys in the same place, doing that same things as our guys did two and three years ago – with little apparent progress. And they are still largely forgotten in the reporting of the war. But this is a good read and gives a unique perspective of the fight in South Eastern Afghanistan.

AP Story – Men In Black, Zabul Province
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6532851,00.html

Meanwhile, the Yalies are burning flags here in New Haven. Guys their age are defending their right to do that…I don’t like to hear about our flag being burned.
But I also see many U.S. flags displayed in tatters. Each day I spot one. Often, I go into the store or gas station – some of the worst violators – and ask them to take torn flags down and replace them. It’s surreal to think there were so many flags posted after 9/11 and now they are worn and faded, separating at the seams so the stripes fly solo in the breeze.
Before you blast the Yalies burning the flag, start checking in your neck of the woods to see how people where you live are treating our flag. And never forget that the guys that die in Iraq and Afghanistan wear that flag as a patch on their right shoulder.

Yale Daily News
http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/20563

Yale Daily News - commentary
http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/20577

Afghan Political Opposition. How's that going to work?

2007-04-04T10:39:00.000-04:00

Ah, the march of democracy…apparently the "old gang" in Afghanistan is challenging President Hamid Karzai politically now through the Afghans fledgling democracy the U.S. propped up after we kicked out the Taliban.
The AP reports that former Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani, some former mujahedeen leaders and some old Commies have formed the National Front, a political opposition to Karzai. Many of these guys held power in the past and also crippled Afghanistan in the post- Communist/pre-Taliban era in the early 1990’s. And now they are back, joining the political fray with name recognition, persuasive abilities and power over may of Afghanistan’s regions and people.
They want more power for the Afghan parliament and direct elections for provincial governors – rather than Karzai-appointed governors. They see their political opposition as a the path toward peace against the insurgency.
Karzai only holds power because the U.S. wants him to. He lives and moves under heavy security. Educated Afghans from Kabul who I am still friends with tell me that there has been open frustrations with Karzai for a long time in the Afghan capital.
So who are these guys?
One apparently is the vice president, Ahmed Zia Masoud, a former Northern Alliance leader – who helped us kick out the Taliban. Others include power heavy figures like Dostum the Uzbek and Ismail Khan of Herat. They also have Mustafa Zahir, grandson of Zahir Shah, Afghanistan's last king.These men have a lot of influence. And using their new found form of democracy, they could sway elections in their favor.
How does that sit for the U.S. and its NATO allies? At some point, there will have to be another president other than Karzai – c’mon that is democracy, right?

But here’s the what if…could our support of Afghan democracy backfire in the same way that Hamas now has legitimate power in Palestine? Can the powerful men who once ran Afghanistan and nearly destroyed it – again hold legitimate power through elections?

INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE (AP):
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/04/03/asia/AS-POL-Afghan-Political-Group.php

And the News has moved on ...

2007-04-03T09:53:00.000-04:00

As suspected, the “NATO” casualties from a vehicle accident on Mar. 29 were in fact, U.S. troops from the 82nd Airborne.
On Monday, April 2, the DoD issued a news release.

They are Sgt. Edmund W. McDonald, 25, of Casco, Maine and Spc. Agustin Gutierrez, 19, of San Jacinto, Calif.

These good Americans were killed by accident during a convoy north of Kabul. They are not nameless coalition members – as initially released. Four days (96 hours) passed before the military released their names to the public – again, well past the average news cycle in today’s information age. (While I’m not a casualty assistance officer, I can guarantee it did not take that long to notify their families – the normal reason for a delay in release.)

SO, HOW WAS IT COVERED?

Kevin Maurer, a military writer for the Fayetteville Observer – the hometown paper to Fort Bragg where the 82nd Airborne is based – cranked out a story which was online by Tuesday morning (April 3).
Here is where you find that these troops are more than just nameless NATO troops who died in an unfortunate way in Afghanistan. McDonald served two previous tours in Iraq. He has a wife, a mother in Maine and other family who will miss him dearly. His commander called him one of his top non-commissioned officers, a dependable mechanic – literally the unsung nuts and bolts of our military who do their thankless jobs with pride.
In the small town of San Jacinto, Francisco and Elvira Guitierrez are now morning the loss of their teenage boy who died a world away.

And what do Americans know about this incident – and so many others that occur everyday in Afghanistan and Iraq?

This is not the pony express days of previous conflicts – this is the information age, where were should have the ability to access and understand combat situations in far off lands though our free fourth estate.
The few hits on the internet were simply AP wire copy – a regurgitation of the DoD news release. Yes, the local papers ran stories. The local reporters did their jobs, collected the DoD news release, the AP wire copy and then had the difficult task of interviewing the families. Their stories offer a glimpse of who these troops were.

But most of us don’t read their local papers four or five days after we may have heard that “NATO” coalition soldiers died somewhere in Afghanistan – because we never make the connection and the news has moved on.

Portland Press Herald
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/state/070331mcdonald.html

CBS San Jacinto
http://cbs2.com/topstories/local_story_092201538.html

Al-Qaida Gets Their Message Out...Do We?

2007-04-02T16:05:00.000-04:00

This Sunday, the AP in Cairo, Egypt, filed a wire story on the latest al-Qaida video – the attack on a U.S. base in Kunar province, Afghanistan.
Apparently is was produced by As-Sahab – the terrorist production company of choice. The four-minute clip – “Holocaust of the Americans in the land of Khorasan, (what the bad guys call Afghanistan) shows the insurgents in a firefight with our guys.
These videos are apparently are a big deal in other parts of the world – yet we may see a short glimpse on the news. Are these sites screened or filtered to limit our access to seeing their propaganda? One company, Intel Center, compiles and sells these videos – mostly to government I suppose, see link below.
Last Sunday, the AP in Cairo reported on an al-Qaida Internet video posting where this thug Abu Yahia al-Libi called for Somali mujaheeden to continue a third front with gang wars in Somalia.(See link below)
Al-Libi was one of the little bastards that took part in the great escape at Bagram in July 2005. I’ll never forget waking in the early hours to the PA system to “Sweep Your Area!” They did not want to announce that four prisoners had escaped from the detention center – adjacent to the U.S. headquarters and just 50 feet from the media cell office – so they just yelled out – “Sweep Your Area!” One of the guys in my hooch, Sgt. Jackson, donned his helmet and battle rattle - still in his boxers – and took a broom to port arms – “I’m ready to sweep,” he said.
It was only a few hours later that we learned that four al-Qaida insurgents not only got out of the detention center, but they apparently moved though the base at night, crossed the Hesco barriers and razor wire – though mine fields and escaped an extensive search by U.S. forces in the air and on the ground. Not only did Al-Libi make it out – he apparently is using his celebrity status from the escape to be the mouthpiece on al-Qaida videos.
Have you ever tried to find real al-Qaida websites or videos mentioned in the press? I seem to have no luck. At times, I saw the sites blocked. Others that might be terrorists sites are in Arabic and I only understand the basics of their script.
A Yahoo search turns up news and information about Al-Sahab. But what is their actual website? Apparently, the AP in Cairo knows – they seem to do all the wire service reporting on when and where an al-Qaida video breaks.

People in the Arab/Muslim world can see and hear Al-Qaida though the Internet and satellite TV. They get weekly updates from the Taliban, terrorists/insurgents, mujahedeen/holy warriors. The enemy has spokesmen and they are hard at work spreading their message in this war or words.

Here in New Rome, we're lost in a sea of cable TV - where we allow men in expensive suits to shout at us from a glowing box in our living room decide whether we hate Dick Cheney or Nancy Pelosi more - which likely lasts just a few seconds and then we click over to a re-run of "Everybody Loves Raymond."

AP Cairo story on Al-Libi:
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2980587&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

INTEL CENTER - http://www.intelcenter.com/

NPR – Story on As-Sahab (al-qaida media outreach)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5548044

WHY NOT JUST SAY NOTHING, MR. NATO SPOKESMAN

2007-03-30T09:57:00.000-04:00

Today we have another “no news” release designed to hide the truth about the war in Afghanistan.
A “NATO” soldier was killed Thursday and three wounded in eastern Afghanistan – where the majority of our U.S. troops are based. But again, the military public affairs officers do not discuss the nationality of the casualties.

U.S. casualties should not be considered nameless NATO coalition numbers - our troops deserve the honor and respect for their sacrifice - but because of current and shameful politics, they die largely unknown to America.

The Associated Press and Agence France Presse filed wire copy, which was picked up by only a few online sites. There was no mention of this combat or Afghanistan in my local paper or the New York Times.

The U.S. military used to say they would not name the soldiers, claiming that they were sensitive to the feelings of the family. Then, they would say, they do not want to release the casualty’s unit – because then a whole bunch of Army wives/families get freaked out when they hear the news at their home base. These are reasonable decisions, but the delay in information about a casualty can likely be release within 24 hours – because it does not take that long for the military to contact the family after their loved one was killed.

Now, things have progressed – we hide behind the idea that we’re ALL IN A COALITION – as if it does not matter to Americans, should the casualty be one of our own – because we’re part of NATO….
And because the journalists can guess on which country suffered the loss by the location of the firefight – now the “NATO” command in Kabul will not even discuss where the combat occurred!

“Somehow, someone died sometime somewhere in something that involved some others,” NATO spokesman said.

So, why not just say nothing at all.

LINK TO AP WIRE COPY:

http://news.bostonherald.com/international/middleEast/view.bg?articleid=191835

DO WE STILL HAVE TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN?

2007-03-29T12:03:00.000-04:00

Why is there NO MENTION of withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan in the House and Senate funding bills? Politicians are forcing Iraq to the forefront of the Democratic political movement against the Administration – when we are hiding our 30,000 troops in Afghanistan behind the NATO flag. The US mission is just as hazardous – our troops are enduring this operation – fighting and dying in Afghanistan against an elusive enemy – but there are no plans to create a time line for their withdrawal. If we continue an open-ended mission in Afghanistan, largely hidden from public view – then how will we measure success in Afghanistan? Most of all, what is the plan to wrap up that part of the war?

How is the US mission hidden behind NATO, you ask? Great example….NATO released that two soldiers died Wednesday in a traffic accident. They don’t give names, units or nationalities. They don’t even say where it happened, because the reporters in Afghanistan can decipher from the location which country the troops may be from. They release no details – why even issue a statement then?
By the time the investigation is complete and the country of origin – which could be the U.S. – release the names and units – the new cycle has passed. No one is really paying attention to the US mission in Afghanistan anyways – so this news becomes a mere blip on the radar. By the way – they guys in Afghanistan do not give a shit about who got kicked off on Idol last night!

Finally, the Taliban are demanding a prisoner exchange the release of four kidnapped Afghan health workers. This comes less than two weeks after the Afghan government released five Taliban prisoners to secure the release of an Italian reporter, Daniele Mastrogiacomo. Some will say – that’s why you never negotiate with terrorists – then they see it works and will kidnap more people for prisoner swaps. There is a culture of kidnap and ransom among the people in the Middle East and Asia - which they see as a successful way to negotiate – look at Iran snatching the Brits and how that is playing out…

DO AFGHAN POLICE HELP OR HINDER THE MISSION?

2007-03-28T09:46:00.000-04:00

It seems that the Canucks have their hands full with the Afghan police. An AFP reporter in Maiwand (famous for the 1880 defeat of the British there in the Second Anglo-Afghan war – link below) details how the Canadian Army is trying to prop up Afghan cops that look and act more like stoned out hippies.
“Colourful ribbons tied to their Kalashnikovs and opium flowers decorating a van, police in flip-flops,” she writes.

This is both Taliban and poppy country - a key place for security to take hold, obviously. But unfortunately its one of those places you rarely hear about in the U.S. press.

It’s common knowledge among U.S. troops that work alongside Afghan forces that the Afghan military are mostly scruffy, barely-trained guys in uniform. This week – the press reported that the Afghans have wrapped up their first full-scale military operation without U.S. or NATO forces…other than NATO-supplied air support, logistics etc.

I really wonder how much involvement foreign troops had in planning and executing Operation Nawrozi (New Year) in Helmand over the past week. Or is it just another PR tactic to put on an Afghan face?
You have to give the Afghan troops credit, they are serving their country. But they are surely less-disciplined that U.S. soldiers.However, they carry much less gear and can scramble up hilltops much faster than our guys – after all they have been scrambling up hills in high altitudes their entire lives. They would stay at some lonely observation posts on guard all day and night, with few gripes. And many appeared to want missions to succeed. Some want peace and security and many were proud to be soldiers for Afghanistan.

Others are thugs in uniform. One Afghan soldier, Janet Ghul, told me during a 2005 interview near Tora Bora that the Americans are okay because we bring aid supplies to the people – “But if the Americans ever start acting like the Russians – we’ll kick you out too.”
I nearly slugged this ungrateful shit – why the hell are we risking our lives out here – under the guise that we are establishing Afghan freedom and democracy – only to be judged by some uneducated Afghan trooper, likely paid with U.S. taxpayer money. (I could not use his comment in my story because I was writing DoD news/spin propaganda at the time. – see link below)

But he spoke the truth, as angry as it made me then – these rugged mountain people have banded together to force out two modern armies in the past 150 years – the British and the Russians – both who had power and technology well-advanced for their times. So, maybe his rant should be a warning.

Our guys never have a ton of confidence in the Afghan military – even less for the so-called Afghan police. I remember seeing them asleep on cots outside a mud hut – which was supposed to be a police checkpoint. One U.S. troop told me they called the Afghan police – “Klucks.” I’m not sure what that really meant, but it does not seem to be a term of endearment.

The AFP writes…The Canadians do not really expect this small post to do much to stop the Taliban. "Two or three guys in a hut, armed with rifles, could not do much if they were attacked. They could not even stop a vehicle," said one soldier.
The Canadian soldiers suspect the Afghan police are high from smoking opium. Thankfully, the drug has yet to become popular among U.S. and NATO troops – as it had been in the Soviet military by the mid-1980's when they were starting to get their asses severely beaten and morales hit bottom for Russian troops.

Frankly, I can’t imagine trying to fight a war stoned.

AFP STORY LINK:
http://www.france24.com/france24Public/en/administration/afp-News.html?id=070328023525.jf7s0ouv&cat=null

BRITISH DEFEAT AT MAIWAND:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Maiwand

US/AFGHAN TROOPS BACK AT TORA BORA:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=31529

Magazine Covers Say It All

2007-03-27T17:19:00.000-04:00

There's a blog out there that compares covers of TIME and Newsweek with their international editions. Everyone else can see Afghanistan for what it's really become - but not Americans.
I'm not sure who Beagley is - but he hits the nail on the head for this post. Check it out.

LINK to Beagley's blog:
http://beagley.livejournal.com/130026.html

Sam Provance, stood by his values...

2007-03-27T15:29:00.000-04:00

Sam Provance, a military intelligence sergeant who spoke out about the abuse in Abu Ghraib, another patriot who stood by his values...he told the truth as he saw it, in hopes that others could better understand what happened. Sam ended up getting screwed and largely forgotten in the mass of information about this war. But I know him - hell, his wife watched my baby daughter back in Heidelberg in 2004. This was a good troop, who deserved better from the Army.
Here's one he recently wrote about his return to civilian life:
http://www.consortiumnews.com/2007/032607b.html

Here's the story I wrote about him for the Stars and Stripes, shortly after the scandal broke:
http://stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=21598&archive=true

Sam, I wish you the best of luck.

Can We Allow Cpl. Tillman to Rest In Peace?

2007-03-27T11:44:00.000-04:00

The Pentagon Monday briefed the death of Cpl. Pat Tillman and the debacle which followed. The report is clearly an exhaustive effort to determine what was already known. Tillman, a great patriot who turned down an NFL career to become a soldier, died in a friendly fire incident in a remote part of Afghanistan in April 2004. His company commander decided to split his platoon to save a broken truck and continue a combat mission at the same time. They had poor communication. There was an elusive enemy who apparently attacked one squad. Tillman’s squad thought it could help – but ended up being targets for the squad under attack who mistook them for enemy fighters on a ridge.
Fog of war, sure.
Poor leadership decisions, bad communication and a bunch of tense and scared young men – who are well-trained to kill - getting fired upon while patrolling a remote Afghan landscape. But he didn’t die for freedom, democracy or 9/11.
He died serving as a Ranger, trying to do his best to keep himself and his buddies intact through some bizarre situation.
His leaders failed him. Then they tried to cover it up. They lied to get him a Silver Star. Then they held the truth from his family. These are not the Army values instilled in every U.S. soldier – the ones they are forced to wear on a metal plate around their neck with the dog tags that will identify their corpse.

WHAT AN EFFORT?
But why has the DoD made such an effort to determine what went awry? They spent millions on this, unlike all the other troops who are killed in uncertain situations - he was after all a NFL player. But it says something about our mission to fight terror, wanting to hide bad news - and most of all, how we corrupt ourselves in times of confusion. Parts of this war has us questioning the values we defend.
If you can find the time, read through the DoD transcript – as detailed as it is vague with military terminology that most will not understand. DoD Transcript Link:
http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=3917

SO WHAT'S THE STORY?
What hit me about the briefing - either this Brigadier General Rod Johnson is severely out of touch with Joe terminology in Afghanistan or someone needs to shoot the transcriber.
What we called jingle trucks in Afghanistan– the heavily-decorated Pakistani supply trucks that “jingle” from their ornate chains hanging down – are referred to as JINGA trucks (??) Or the “coast highway,” they refer to when there is no “coast” for a thousand miles. Then it hit me – they meant the Khost highway – the road that leads to the Afghan town of Khost – which should be pronounced with a throaty “kh” – like the Germans or Russians often use – but the transcription appears to make it the highway near the beach – good lord, how will this be conveyed through the press?

Apparently, the AP did some team coverage from the national desk – leading with Tillman’s family and their disappointment with the military.
LINK:
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/03/27/tillman_family_wants_congressional_probe/
There are some things that will not be explained…What was so damn important about saving this jingle truck at April evening in some forgotten corner of the world.

CAMP TILLMAN 2005, near Lwara, Afghanistan - the hills in the background are in Pakistan

Why split up a Ranger platoon – was recovering the truck or the “overwatch” mission in a nearby village critical to the U.S. mission in eastern Afghanistan? Why are the Rangers – the knife’s edge of the U.S. military – assigned these tasks along the Pakistan border?

It points to a flawed occupation strategy in Afghanistan that was relevant in 2004 and continues today. I’ve been on patrol in the area where Tillman died. It’s dusty no-man’s land where we keep border control points to disrupt the flow of tribal Pashtun fighters – ones we label Taliban or al-Qaeda, but they might be neither. We've en manning these remote border sites, because we cannot go into Pakistan and take out the real troublemakers/terrorists using the tribal borderlands as a safe haven - where they can train and plot against us. Isn't that the real reason we launched our troops into war?

Rest in peace Cpl. Tillman – up here we’re still trying to figure things out.

FIGHT DRUGS – NO, FIGHT TALIBAN

2007-03-26T10:39:00.000-04:00

So what's going on in Afghanistan?
The Daily Telegraph, a British rag, wrote a feature on how the good people of Ghowrak in Kandahar province, blasted a delegation of senior military officers during a local visit. It sounds like the locals are not too happy with the foreign military or the local government. The area is key for the military to disrupt Taliban supplies and operations. The Telegraph said the boys from the 82nd are on patrol there – but of course, you’ll only hear that “NATO” or “coalition” troops are there – towing the allied party line that this is not a US mission, but and Afghan-led NATO mission. Sometimes I wonder if they switched it to NATO to have the Afghan mission fade from US headlines or to have an international organization to blame should the mission not succeed.
Poppies – don’t destroy the poppies – the Afghans ask. The U.S. and its allies would rather see Afghans grow apples for pennies than have them make real cash from the opium trade. I don’t see that happening. In the Telegraph story, one 82nd paratrooper is pointing out poppy fields. "Do I care? I care about Taliban scouts."Meanwhile, the AP is reporting that 90% of the heroin in Britain comes from Afghanistan. Ah, “trainspotting.” The Brits always had a lead role in the anti-drug effort in Afghanistan. We had a British officer in our headquarters to coordinate efforts. He spoke with me often, friendly guy who wanted to know where the press were so his British pals could avoid them. We also had our press hooch right next to the boys from the DEA – again, good guys who wanted to avoid the press.

RUSSIAN FLYING?

A Russian supply plane overshot the runway Monday at Forward Operating Base Salerno in Khost. The AP reported that none of the five Russian crew members from the Antonov AN-26 turboprop was hurt. It seems we employ contractors with Russian planes and crew to re-supply our guys. We had a larger Russian-built planes crash in between Kabul and Bagram when I was over there. No one made it out of that crash. And the food never got delivered.

SOLID KILLS, NO MENTION
Scratch out 12 notches for the US troops fighting in Paktika Sunday. Insurgents attacked a base along the border. Our guys got 12 bad guys, with two of our guys wounded and two Afghan soldiers hurt. Too bad the Army hides the achievement behind the word coalition and does not name the base or unit involved. Although, the public affairs office did issue a release to the Afghan press written in Dari (Farsi). I got a copy from the Afghan translator in the press office.That warms my heart. I started that program – Afghan media outreach – in early 2005. Before that, the military had very little contact with the Afghan press and in turn the Afghan people – Now, at least there is some information for them. If we can build their roads and school, offer and cajole their new democracy and improve their security etc. – why wouldn’t we assist them in building a thriving fourth estate to inform the people of government activity? Sadly, a friend and photographer for the AP wrote me this week – saying that the US military at Bagram does not invite the press to cover much these days. Now, only the bad news will get out. When the Army stops telling its story – the press will cover what they can catch. Shit floats, it’s easy to scrape off the surface. The good stories remain at the bottom of the pool.

GREEK PENIS ARTIFACT
Finally, my friend from the AP shot these photos from the National Museum where my little Buddhist artifact now rests – apparently next to an ancient Greek dildo! The phallus dates from the time of Alexander. Check out this photo…

SMILE, PUT ON AN AFGHAN FACE

2007-03-23T10:38:00.000-04:00

NO NEWS IS STILL USUALLY NEWS
So what’s in the news about the war in Afghanistan today? Nothing in the New Haven Register, nothing in the New York Times…it must be just another day there.
Well, the press did report of another suicide attack on a convoy of “foreign forces” near Jalalabad Friday. Some nut-job in a car packed with explosives detonated his bomb about 20 miles from the city. Afghans said a child was killed. Any foreign forces in the J-bad area are likely to be US, but there was no release by the US military – again, we hide behind the NATO or coalition guise. (I’ve seen little coverage of this attack, just Agence France Presse and Iranian TV.)
“Foreign troops” cordoned off the area and prevented Afghan police from investigating, according to the AFP. Again, it’s step aside Mohammed – sure we’re making it sound like you are a trained police force – but we don’t want you messing with our investigation of how the bomb was constructed and detonated – if there is any evidence that could point our guys to who is launching these attacks. Surprisingly, the Taliban spokesman was not working the press on this one – maybe because the attack did not achieve much.
AFP also reported Friday that “NATO troops” shot and killed a 12-year-old Afghan boy in eastern Kabul. The boy was apparently in a car with his family. Poor little dude.
The “ISAF” troops – no nationality named – shot at the car because it was too close to them. The guys must be on edge after the suicide bomber hit the State department convoy earlier this week on the J-bad road. The traffic in that part of Kabul was often congested and there are no driving laws – it’s everyone for himself. Everyone drives erratically. So, who do you shoot and when do you shoot? Tough call.
It’s a frustrating predicament for our guys over there. On Mar. 4, our Marines lit up a bunch of civilians after a car bomb near J-bad. It’s clear that they are pissed off and frustrated. Only those guys know what went down, and unfortunately they will live forever with the memory of such an awful event – no one wants to kill innocent people, but war sucks and it happens. It’s the kind of memory that standard VA medication and some post-insanity-of-war-syndrome psycho-babble will be offered – but likely not help much.
And every time our guys fire up some locals – we lose ground on the battle to convince the average Afghans that we are there to help them foster in some new form of prosperity. Every time the Taliban spokesman wedges the insurgent’s statements into the press – we lose more ground.
Sadly, the U.S. military’s public affairs and even its larger strategic communication programs are in their infancy – they try hard, but rarely get their messages communicated to the masses. The hardcore infantry commanders never really saw that our piece of the war is the real fight. If we lose the information battle, we lose the end game. Tactically, the Taliban suck compared to our troops – no doubt. Infantry convince with hot metal – spokesman spit out the best truth.

SO WHY DON’T WE DEAL WITH PAKISTAN?

The AP reported Friday that Waziristan tribesmen in Pakistan are fighting foreign militants – to include Chechens and Uzbeks. I don’t claim diplomacy, but why do we allow terrorists/insurgents to fester in the border areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan? We had no problem funding the mujahedeen, through the Pakistanis, in the 1980’s in the same areas. It was only a years ago that Pakistan supported the Taliban – now Musharraf apparently has to place nice with the tribals or he’ll face tougher domestic problems. And, Pakistan has nukes – so we have to play by different rules. What a mess! We know the bad guys are in Waziristan, let's find 'em and fix 'em.(sorry Pakistani ISI, we gotta get in there to ferret out the snakes)

SMILE, PUT ON AN AFGHAN FACE

The current mission in southern Afghanistan, Operation Achilles, has been put into the press as an Afghan-led mission. We’re just helping out, apparently. And the reporters are buying that. (It’s okay, most Americans and likely many other foreigners don’t even access news from this obscure part of the world.)
Put an Afghan face on the mission. How many times did I hear that? We provide the bulk of support, logistics and leadership – but let the fledgling Afghan military take the credit – it’s a strategy to make it appear that Afghanistan has a functioning security force that is under control of Karzai’s central government. The truth is...US and other Western forces kick the shit out of the Taliban. Afghans troops help in their own way, but I was never sold on them as a fighting force.
So now here’s the kicker – “Afghan-led forces” killed about 70 Taliban in a “major operation” in Helmand, near Gereshk. If that’s true, great for them – but it appears like a clever public relations tactic – give the Afghans the credit. Let them even talk it up in the press. They are calling the first operation where foreign forces did not participate. If so, damn good – even publicized a hefty body count – and only 7 Afghan “police” martyred – as they say.
The U.S.-led and funded NATO-ISAF Coalition of Forces Against Evil-doers said that they were on the flanks, flying close air support and offering medical support.
The US has pledged more than 8 million in the coming years to better train and equip the Afghans. The Europeans have been shelling out cash for a while too. So what is the truth, is the press buying into an information strategy aimed at bolstering the image of Afghan security forces. Or are they really coming into their own as a fighting force?

Taliban tactics, are they effective?

2007-03-22T11:15:00.000-04:00

March 21 was Nawroz - the Afghan New Year
So, the Taliban are kicking off this Spring with some brutal tactics. They cut off the head of an Afghan truck driver in Zabul, along the main road from Kabul to Kandahar. The poor dude was one of hundreds of Afghans trying to make a buck by running supplies in these ancient “jingle trucks” to and from U.S. and NATO bases. Long supply lines plagued every army in Afghanistan since the time of Alexander. Unlike Iraq, U.S. forces do not provide convoy escorts for the jingle trucks as they make their long journey from the nearest deep water port in Karachi – where much of our supplies are offloaded. These guys travel along major routes and into the remote valleys where our troops have forward operating bases, (FOBs). Last week, insurgents in the Nuristan/Kunar region cut the ears and noses off three drivers supplying a US base. And apparently, the driver of an Italian journalist was beheaded in Helmand.
What does all this brutality mean? It has shock value in the Western press. It must also leave an impression on average Afghans. Educated Afghans – like those I know from Kabul – consider these acts just as barbaric as we do. Others, in the uneducated illiterate population may see this as just punishment for those assisting the infidels – just punishment carried out by holy warriors – a concept quite far from Western comprehension.
Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo gave Agence France Press and interesting glimpse into the insurgency when he described the warrior monks who held him captive.
He told of a near obsession with their weapons, “using them, cleaning them, revering them."
The insurgents, or Taliban, who captured him spent two hours a day cleaning their weapons. US infantry are also experts handling weapons, and I’ve seen some obsessive cleaners among them. But they are also addicted to Western trappings – Ipods, video games, DVDs and Internet chats with family back home. Getting their tour done and going home alive and in one piece is the focus.
Mastrogiacomo said the Taliban are between 20 and 25 years old, poor young boys, without culture or human, sexual, emotional or romantic experience. They are always on the move, only visit their families once in 40 days – but most of all have no salary, they live to fight for their cause. That’s powerful, when US troops fight to keep themselves and their buddies safe for their yearlong tour so they can go home.

Link to Story on Mastrogiacomo's release/ prisoner exchange
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/22/world/europe/22italy.html?em&ex=1174708800&en=6c5876ab328111c4&ei=5087%0A

Afghan artifact returned

2007-03-20T16:17:00.000-04:00

Hey, check this out...
In March 2002, I visited the Buddha statues at Bamiyan, Afghanistan - where I came across what looked like an ancient bronze artifact. (photo attached)
I brought it back to Kabul looking for somewhere to donate the item, a small metal triangle with an eyelet on the back and the carving of what looked like a little monkey on the front. I eventually brought it to the Museum of Natural History in NYC, who would not accept it.
Finally, I found Paul Bucherer, a Swiss man who was collecting Afghanistan's cultural artifacts. I drove from Frankfurt to Basel and on to a little village in Switzerland called Bubendorff. I donated the tiny metal thing - see attached photo - to the museum.
Dr. Bucherer had the item cleaned and examined. His experts found that it was likely a seal or stamps that Buddhists monks wore around their neck - perhaps 1000 years ago. Pretty cool.
(I told him to keep the piece, what good would it do in a shoebox in my basement!)
Now, it is back in Kabul, where it belongs - and that's a good thing.

Read the story:

http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2007/03/18/1423_afghan_artifacts_return_to_kabul/

Killing Us In The Press

2007-03-19T12:36:00.000-04:00

The Associated Press had a reporter at the suicide car bomber along the Jalalabad road, just east of Kabul Monday. That’s the road we always took from Kabul, turning right at the big Toyota sign before Camp Phoenix, to head north to Bagram. It’s a bumpy road, that is paved from time to time but is mostly worn out. We used to fly down the road, always wondering if/when the insurgents would figure out what an easy target out soft-skinned SUVs would be for a well-placed bomb. The Taliban got their say in, claiming to the AP that the attacker was a militant from Khost. Some of our security folks were hit, one seriously. It’s a busy road for the locals, no doubt that an Afghan teen was killed.
The Afghan police were pissed off that the U.S. security would not let them into the site. Sad fact is, that we claim to be growing their police force, but when it’s something serious – move over Hadji, let the pros handle this.
Add this current attack, which was not as significant militarily as it is a PR coup for the bad guys, to the suicide bomber that killed 23 people outside Bagram last month when Dick Cheney was “within earshot,” – the Taliban are effectively waging their communication strategy. They are not killing us in numbers, they are killing us in the press.

LINK -
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1600462,00.html

Veterans Day

2006-11-10T09:20:00.000-05:00

Education can be one of the most positive influences for veterans returning from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq .

Coming home is not easy.

When you come home from such an odyssey in far flung corners of the world, when you’ve endured hardships and loneliness, when you’ve witnessed wonders of foreign cultures and the excitement of the expedition, when you’ve felt stress and fatigue from patrols that seemed like they would never end, when you’ve faced combat and sorrow – the transition to the normalcy you once knew is civilian life is extremely challenging.
Back home, people are focused on downloading the latest ring tone for their new camera phone, the videos they can play on their Ipod and the mindless sitcoms on the 200 channels of cable television. Quite often, our fellow Americans only know about the war from the political campaigns, radio talk shows and the occasional blurb from the Internet. Yet, they form opinions about the war, pro and con, based on information told to them from a man in a suit behind a podium in Washington .

They never smelled the gunpowder, heard the screams or saw the horror.

Quite often, even your own family is more than ready to put the war behind them. They endured their own suffering and loneliness when you were away – and they don’t want to talk about it.
How often have I heard the phrase – “you need to go talk to someone.”

Talk to someone. Talk to someone.

They mean a shrink at the veteran’s hospital? By the way, the VA hospital automatically offers returning troops medication and only makes appointments during business hours.
So if you are trying to adjust to civilian life, get a job and take care of your family – don’t expect to a chance to “talk to someone” at the VA.
What would we talk about – if we could. What is it really like coming home?
It could be a simple as the sound of cricket outside your bedroom window that reminds you of the cricket you laid down beside on a hillside in Afghanistan .
Or scanning open windows and rooftops while walking though the streets of New Haven . Running from the roar of a passing dump truck, laughing as you convince yourself that it was not actually a rocket attack.
Live through a roadside bomb explosion, then come home watch an IED explosion on TV – sitting on the couch next to your three-year-old. Then wonder how the rest of your days is going to be.
Maybe it’s asking yourself why you feel more comfortable outside, alone with the warmth of a cigarette than inside with family and friends at the party.

Coming home is not easy.

But the fact is – and it’s tough to realize at times - Our war is over and we are home.
Some of us have returned to school, with the hopes of bettering our selves though education. Many schools, to include the university where I received my undergraduate degree, were not staffed to really assist veterans any more than shuffling their paperwork off to the VA. Others are now realizing that veterans will be a significant presence on their campuses and reacting by bolstering their programs.

Just recently, Jack Mordente the director of veteran's affairs at Southern Connecticut State University tracked down answers on new benefits for Reserve and Guard troops returning from the war.
When they were told they would lose their GI Bill education benefits if they left the Guard or Reserve, Jack pressed government leaders for accurate information – in fact troops are eligible after they stop drilling with the Guard or Reserve and are due benefits similar to the active duty troops they serve with during their wartime service.
He's continuing this effort by alerting veterans on campus, speaking with legislators about the problem and working with the press to get the word out.

When you come home, you feel like you have lost direction. You’re not the same person anymore and you never will be.
From sleeping in your dirty boots and uniform for days on end, to dry cleaned shirts and suits. From long patrols in enemy areas to long commutes in traffic. To the rush of military operations in a far away country to eight-hour days in an office without windows.
The memories of the war are fresh and reoccurring, closer to us now than the re-runs of last year's TV episodes that fill the glowing box in our living rooms.
We dreamt of returning to America , during the long and lonely nights. We joked among fellow troops about how long it would take a shrink to help us forget the terror. We missed our families desperately.

Now, we have come home – and coming home is not easy

Thank God for evening classes at the local university. I was surprised and very glad to find that in my graduate political science course there were at least three other veterans attending. We’re here for similar reasons – to better ourselves though education and to better understand the politics that brought our country into the conflicts in the Middle East and Central Asia . In class, we can open up in intelligent discussion, where our opinions matter and offer a unique perspective.
I was also impress to Arabic offered at SCSU– one of the few colleges around that has such a program. I enrolled immediately – even though it does not count toward my graduate degree.
I remember standing at a checkpoint late one night in Baghdad in early 2003 – we were saying to each other – Why were we never taught anything about this place, the people, their language, their faith, their culture? I promised myself to try and change that.

We must educate ourselves about the Middle East and Central Asia . Veterans who choose the path to education and improve ourselves with higher learning will no doubt be the leaders in our communities, in business and government.

I'm often asked to compare our current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan to the war in Vietnam . Obviously there are many differences. But when you look for similarities – I choose to focus on our veterans' perspective.
In previous American wars, society embraced the national cause behind the fight – armies fought and conquered. So many more people served in uniform that nearly everyone in America was affected in some dimension. And when the enemy was defeated, troops came home as recognized veterans. They took Berlin , crushed the Nazis, had their ticker-tape parades and got a factory job and told their stories.

We don’t have that. We filter back into civilian life - mostly unnoticed.

Veterans returning now are more like are uncles from Vietnam . We trickle back into society and get to watch the war on TV for the next few years as it grinds on. All around us, we hear people who were not over there complaining about politicians and the growing unpopularity of the war.

I often have people thank me, when they find out I served in Afghanistan and was also in Iraq . And I’m glad to see them take notice. Now I ask them to do more. Don’t just slap a support the troops sticker on your car and thank a vet if you happen to met them.

Take the time, to learn more about the conflict – read more books and from the Internet. Then talk to the retuning veterans, engage them, offer your friendship – you will benefit and so will they.

Coming home is not easy.

But having a university to attend, to expand our knowledge – to bond among fellow veterans on campus and other students interested in our experience