Pakistan Border - Everyone's Problem

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

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

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

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

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?

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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.