RE: Rep. Bill Delahunt's remarks to Cheney chief of staff David Addington

Narco Killers Working In Phoenix, AZ

Daniel Garcia-Saenz, 24; Manual Garcia-Trejom, 25; and Rodolfo Madrigal Lopez, 19


Mexican Narco Killers took a contract out on this side of the border at 8329 W. Cypress St. Mark Spencer, President of the Phoenix Police Enforcement Association said the Narco Killers decked out in TAC-gear were armed with AR-15's killed Andrew Williams after firing over 100 rounds. Phoenix radio KFYI has some PFD docs here and some breathless reporting that claims the Narco Killers were Mexican Army. Well, radio will try to run with some more wild Katrina/type reporting again. Read to the bottom of the page and you find out that well, one of the suspects captured CLAIMS to have Mexican military training,( probably flunked out of boot,) and said he and his mates were ready to ambush Phoenix Police Officers except they run out of bullets. Yead, thats whats called real combat ready-freddy. PPO followed a Chevrolet Tahoe and arrested three suspects, all wearing body armor and carrying assault-style rifles. So they fired a hundred rounds and ran out of bullets? More breathless reportage from Fox here.

Not Giving Up:Haditha ‘Fiasco' prosecutors file Appeal Against against Lt Colonel Jeffrey Chessani

Not content with their miserable 0-7 record of prosecutions against the eight Haditha Marines, military prosecutors filed official notice they intend to appeal the June 17th decision of Military Judge Colonel Steven Folsom, USMC, dismissing all charges against Lt Colonel Jeffrey Chessani on grounds of unlawful command influence. The prosecution held over 25 conferences with officers and investigators that somehow included their leading witness. Judge Colonel Steven Folsom threw the case out and had some choice evaluation comments for the prosecution.

The CTC Sentinel Issue is Out and It's SAY WHAT!#@? Time

The June issue of the Sentinel for the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point is out and an article by Peter Mandaville "Engaging Islamist in the West" has my BP going out the roof. Excuse me but what part of Islamic Terrorism does Professor Mandaville NOT get. He talks about the Muslim Brotherhood as if they were the opposing debating team. I read the Muslim Brotherhood goals in the The Project for their global vision of taking over the world and I'll tell you there is nothing "nuanced" about how the Brothers intend to kick ass. What is this nuanced view point doing at West Point? Oh yead, I'm ready to believe these boys have "renounced violence".

LtColonel Jeffrey Chessani USMC: All Haditha Charges Dropped

Victory photo of LtCol Chessani and Mrs. Chessani with their dream team of lawyers from The Thomas More Law Center, former Marines Robert Muise, First Gulf infantry officer, and Brian Rooney Judge Advocate officer- two tours of duty in Iraq. In uniform are Lt Colonel John Shelburne, USMC, and Captain Jeff King, USMC , the duty military defense counsels.

The Orc King aka The Trickster Has Been Outed

From the MEMRI BLOG comes news that the Orc King's machinations have been sighted and are not wanted by the Shi'ites in Iraq. This what comes of Maliki's headlong rush into Basra and shining a light on the undercover activities of the Orc King who is only interested in paying anyone who will cause trouble for Iraqis.

Over Two Million Iraq Shi'ites Sign Petition To Stop Iranian Intervention

A sheikh attending a conference for solidarity with the Iraqi people in Iraq’s Diyala province said that so far over two million Iraqi Shi'ites had signed a petition demanding "the removal of the Iranian hand from Iraq, particularly from the southern provinces," and calling on Iraqi Arabs to keep an eye on the matter, lest "Iraq turn overnight into an Iranian protectorate."

The conference, on June 14, was held jointly by Iraqi tribal centers in southern Iraq and the Iranian opposition organization Mojehaddin-e Khalq.

Also at the conference, another sheikh warned that if Iranian intervention in Iraq is not stopped, Iraq is likely to turn into a catastrophe within a short time.

Source: Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, London, June 15, 2008

Flag Day

Stay In Touch II via Carl Because We're Here Boy, No One Else

Stay In Touch is Carl's Post today. On a trip to Germany he ran up against a Iraqi 'terp. They exchange yada, yadas, and war stories and soon the terp brings out the punch list. For those of you not in the trades--a punch list is a list of proofreading errors or in construction--a list of do-overs-honeydews jobs that are done after the entire job is done. Usually little jobs. Broken pane. A clipped tile. A screen with a hole. A door jamb that will not let the door close. Little crap that needs attention before the invoice gets paid. In the trades a savvy super will NOT pay the FINAL invoice until the honeydews have been fixed. Nothing personal. Just Business. If you are dumb enough to pay your invoice in full you will go to the end of the line when you present your "could you come back and fix the yada-yada?" Well, sweet Mary, Jesus, and Joseph OMG!---Iraq has a punch list. Live by the COIN-FM-3.24 and punch list by the COIN-FM-3.24. The Terp has a point. A big one.

CARL:"We were talking about various things to do with the conflict here and he said something very revealing about how cultural differences can have an effect upon the war."

"American military commanders and local police and Army commanders work very closely here; the closer the cooperation, the more both sides benefit. We have the firepower and logistics and they know who is who and where they are. The interpreter said the local police and Army commanders are very proud of their relationships with American Soldiers and Marines. The photo they have taken with their American counterparts they will display prominently on their walls and they will cherish (the interpreter's word) it."

"Then the American commander they worked with will leave at the end of his tour. And he won't keep in touch, no random e-mail, nor the occasional phone call. Normal for us, we work with somebody in a place on a job, and when we leave, we leave. Not normal for the local police and Army people. When the men they have worked with so closely don't contact them after leaving, they feel slighted. Their feelings are hurt."

Their feelings are hurt:
"When it comes to mobility I think Americans have it down cold. For Americans mobility is like the water in the gold fish bowl. Don't even think about it. Excuse me. How did we get here. Mayflower. Then boogie outside the city limits. Elbow room. Emigrant trail. Move on. However--- "mobility" is not the same for everyone. I discovered this on a fishing trip with a college classmate. At the lake where we were fishing I ran into a Marine from my unit in VN. The last time I had seen him was after the Tet Offensive which Walter "nose bleed" Cronkite said we lost. Recognized him right away. Four years or more since I had last seen his ass. No big deal. Say hey and like that. Who made it out. Who didn't. Who lost his ass. Who didn't. That kind of stuff. No biggie. I spilt my beers with him. We talked on forever. When it was time for us to leave--said see ya' and off we went back to the campus.

On the ride back , however, my classmate started started quizing with questions that said that "what was no big deal to you dummy is anomaly to the rest of us aka civilians." The big HUH? was written all over my face as I looked at him and wonder what strange bug had crawled up his tuckass. Excuse me, he says, but you talked to him like there was no time-no space-like it had been five minutes since you had last seen him-instead of the four or five years. Civilians, he said, do not react that way--veterans do.

Ok. Ok. No Problem. Put it on my punch list. STAY IN TOUCH.

Lt.Andrew Grayson: Not Guilty on all counts from Haditha Firefight

On Wednesday, First Lt. Andrew Grayson was found not guilty of lying to cover up evidence from Haditha and of attempting to get his DD214 separation from service papers while under investigation. Lt. Grayson was not at the Haditha firefight. The court martial panel found him not guilty of all charges. There were originally eight Haditha Marines, four enlisted and four officers, under investigation for various court martial charges. Five Marines have had charges dropped. The blotched Haditha investigation will continue with the trials of Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich,accused of ordering the killings, and LtCol. Jeffrey Chessani, of failure to investigate the deaths of Iraqi civilians. In the trial of LtCol. Chessani the prosecution has been accused by the court martial panel of attempting to sandbag the case against LtCol. Chessani. The panel has warned the prosecution that their attempts to gain a twofer reeks of evidence of the “mortal enemy of military justice.”: unlawful command influence. " aka their chief witness Marine lawyer Colonel John Ewers, was permitted to attend numerous, closed-session meetings in which LtCol Chessani’s case was discussed with the Generals and other legal beagles.

Medal of Honor to Private First Class Ross A. McGinnis, United States Army

The President of the United States of America, authorized by act of Congress, March 3rd, 1863, has awarded in the name of Congress the Medal of Honor to Private First Class Ross A. McGinnis, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Private First Class Ross A. McGinnis distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as an M2 .50-caliber Machine Gunner, 1st Platoon, C Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, in connection with combat operations against an armed enemy in Adhamiyah, Northeast Baghdad, Iraq, on 4 December 2006.

That afternoon his platoon was conducting combat control operations in an effort to reduce and control sectarian violence in the area. While Private McGinnis was manning the M2 .50-caliber Machine Gun, a fragmentation grenade thrown by an insurgent fell through the gunner's hatch into the vehicle. Reacting quickly, he yelled "grenade," allowing all four members of his crew to prepare for the grenade's blast. Then, rather than leaping from the gunner's hatch to safety, Private McGinnis made the courageous decision to protect his crew. In a selfless act of bravery, in which he was mortally wounded, Private McGinnis covered the live grenade, pinning it between his body and the vehicle and absorbing most of the explosion.

Private McGinnis' gallant action directly saved four men from certain serious injury or death. Private First Class McGinnis' extraordinary heroism and selflessness at the cost of his own life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

Marine Riverines A couple years ago....

Navy Riverines Today...

Navy Riverines took Lima Three-Four out Orc Hunting recently. Marine Cpl. Villagram filed this story on the day's slogging on the Haditha River. The pictures show rubber boats. What ever happen to the jet powered quad fifties armed boats? Water level that low?

Company L Marines conducted cache sweeps on islands located along the Euphrates River with the assistance of sailors with Riverine Squadron 3, Detachment 3, RCT-5.

“We conducted the sweeps in order to clear weapons caches or anything that the anti-Coalition forces might use,” said Sgt. Jason M. Hayes, 21, an infantryman with Company L from Carson City, Nev. “We started sweeping river banks and islands from Haditha Dam to the south.”

The Marines and sailors began the operation early in the morning. They convoyed to an entry point along the river and carried rubber boats off seven-ton trucks.

“Unloading the boats and loading them back up was rough,” Hayes said. “The engines for the boats weighed around a hundred pounds a piece.”

Once the boats were prepped and ready, the Marines and sailors went to work on getting them into the water. It was a difficult task due to the fact that they had to carry the boats down a steep embankment. Marines slipped and slid into mud and water with each boat. By the time all the boats were in the river, some of the Marines were drenched up to their waists.

Nonetheless, Marines began the search with the sailors, navigating the boats through the Euphrates.

“They drove us where we needed to go, and we’d get out at each island,” Hayes said. “They provided security for us on the river.”

The services operated together flawlessly to accomplish the mission.

“I was surprised with everything we got accomplished,” said Petty Officer 1st Class David L. Crutchley, 30, an engineman with Riverine Squadron 3 from Stevensville, Md. “(The Marines) were proficient with everything they did.”

As the day wore on, Marines not only had to conduct the searches, but had to cope with the unforgiving sun of Iraq. Their camelbacks were sucked dry and had to be re-supplied with water throughout the operation.

“It was really hot out there,” Hayes said. “The sun was radiating off the water and everyone was feeling it. Having all our gear on in the sun drains you.”

The scorching heat didn’t slow the Marines down, however. During the mission, they uncovered around 50 pounds of propellant, which is used in improvised explosive devices.

It was the first time the Marines with Company L, had operated with the boats, and they were pleased with how the mission turned out.

“It’s always a different experience working with new elements, but I thought it went well,” Hayes said. “It was the first time we were out in the (boats), but we adapted quickly and made it work.”