Lessons Learned: Ambush by 152 daisy-chain artillery rounds

Lessons Learned: A Company Commander's Thoughts on Iraq: "The ambush was initiated by seven 152mm artillery rounds hidden in the weeds on the shoulder of the roadway that paralleled the canal. They were daisy-chained together. The lead tank absorbed the bulk of the blast, shrapnel cutting through the main gun tube in several locations. The blast created a debris field of dust and asphalt, denser than any smoke screen I have ever seen. The truck in front of me stalled in the debris field. To my rear, one of my mortar tracks engulfed the narrow roadway. Then the small-arms fire started. We could not go forward or backward. We were in the kill zone, unable to move. Tracers flew over, under, in front of, and behind my truck. Every soldier in my truck returned fire. My supply clerk and .50-cal gunner laid down blistering fire, as the rest of us fired our M16s out the windows; aiming at the muzzle flashes from both sides of the road.

There is a time when training takes over your actions, and this was one of those times, which is why it is so important to train to standard all the time. I counted six separate muzzle flashes from the left side of the road, and four separate muzzle flashes from the right side of the road. With my magazine empty, I grabbed a fresh one and seated it firmly. An RPG flew over top. I shot at muzzle flashes until they stopped blinking. Then, as abruptly as it started, it stopped. The firefight lasted about 45 seconds: it was the longest 45 seconds of my life.

Grabbing the hand mike while yelling for a crew report, I learned that our S3 was wounded. I fed reports to the tactical operations center (TOC) while our team split into two separate columns. The wheels and the personnel carriers raced to the brigade aid station, and the tanks turned around at our rally point and moved in to secure the ambush site. Easy 14 and 16 responded to the ambush site with 14 rockets, once we were clear. I believe it was their rocket run that settled the hash of the NCFs for the remainder of the night.

The tank commander on B22 knew something was wrong. His tank lost turret power, so he lost the thermal imagery and the commander's independent thermal viewer. Still, he did not hesitate to move back in and secure the ambush site. He requested artillery illumination to aid observation. I will never forget his words over the net when he was told his request was denied: 'Illumination denied. I've lost turret power; I have my nods and my .50. Hooah. I will stay until relieved. White 2 out.'

Our battalion quick reaction force relieved the crew on B22 a couple of hours later. The rest of the patrol drove back to our forward operating base. The B Company commander and I reported to the battalion TOC and debriefed the battle captain and the battlefield information center. I volunteered to take the battalion XO out to the ambush site at first light. We were fortunate to only suffer one casualty, as the following day we learned several things about the techniques used by our enemies.

We discovered only four of the seven daisy-chained artillery rounds detonated. God was with me - my truck was beside one of the rounds that did not explode. My scout platoon found detonation wire and traced it back along a wall between two fields, out of sight from the road. We found a stake and a screwdriver. The device was most likely fired by a car battery, and the screwdriver was used to complete the circuit. From the position of the individual who initiated the blast, he must have been in communication with a cohort who had direct observation of the roadway, because he was unable to observe the roadway from his position.

On the left side of the road, the NCFs used a cinderblock wall for cover, and the canal as an obstacle. From the right side of the road, they used climbing rigs (used for harvesting dates) to shimmy up palm trees and engage us with direct fire, using a wire fence and depression as an obstacle. Once return fire became too hot, they dropped from the trees and fled through the groves, which have a floor 8 to 10 feet lower than the roadbed. Our rounds passed harmlessly over their heads.

We discovered a small cache of hand grenades, RPG projectiles, and explosive materials. We pieced together the daisy-chained artillery rounds that initiated the ambush and the RPG launch that signaled break contact. We questioned the local populace and found them all to be very upset by the massive amounts of fire power displayed a few hours earlier, but claimed ignorance as to who planted the improvised explosive device (IED) and who was responsible for the ambush.

We learned a few days later that, shortly after we departed the area, a funeral was held. We were unable to determine how many had 'died' the day or evening prior, or from what cause. A funeral may be for one or many. The local populace tends to keep to themselves; as during the Baath party rule, it was better to be ignorant of what your neighbor was doing for reasons of self-preservation."

Lessons Learned: A Company Commander's Thoughts on Iraq

Lessons Learned: A Company Commander's Thoughts on Iraq: "'Train your soldiers - all of them, even the cooks, clerks, and command drivers, on dismounted operations. Teach dismounted patrol, ambush, and counter-ambush techniques. Tankers, scouts, mortarmen, you will need to do this. Teach everyone how to react to ambushes - mounted and dismounted. You cannot take your tanks and personnel carriers everywhere.'

'Teach your soldiers how to clear houses. Set inner and outer cordons, and designate search teams to enter houses. Develop your techniques before you go to Iraq. Beat up your boss so you can train with tactical human intelligence teams and tactical psychological operations teams before you deploy.

'Train your first sergeants how to process detainees. Have military police and military intelligence soldiers teach you how to do the paperwork correctly to include witness statements. If the paperwork is incomplete. really bad people end up getting released.'

This Document is in the public domain and may be reproduced in whole or in part."

Iraqi Street maps now on GPS units: First LAR

Homeland Security Technology, Inc. Delivers GPS Units to U.S. Marine Corps: "'1st LAR is the first unit to receive these GPS models equipped with Iraq street maps for use in armored vehicles,' commented CEO Jeffrey Powers. 'This model based on the Garmin GPSMAP 276C is specialty loaded with the Military Grid Reference System (MGRS) allowing the Marines to read military grid coordinates and military maps on the screen. Supplied with the GPS models are external antennas to facilitate installation in armored vehicles or Hummvees.' 1st LAR will be testing these units for a period of thirty days. 'We hope to follow this delivery with a major order allowing the Marines to place the units in every armored reconnaissance vehicle,' Powers added."

VIA:Argghhh! Anatomy of an Ambush

Argghhh! has more details on the how and why 6 Army enlisted men, 1 female Sgt. were able to destroy utterly a fully armed thug ambush team (3 Army guys were immediately WIA at the first fire).
" Recognize what you are seeing here. The "good guys" are getting hit. But cohesion remains. People do their jobs. They help each other - but never lose sight of the mission. "Duty First, People Always" is a hackneyed phrase to many people... but what do you think about it now? The casualties they are taking could well have justifed a withdrawal. But they didn't? Why? I can't answer definitively without interviewing the troops - but I'll offer these hypotheses.

1. Body armor. People are hit, and wounded, but not taken completely out of the fight.

2. Combat lifesaving training. People know how to treat the wounded, and do so. That gives *everybody* confidence and a willingness to stick it out. It also returns troops to the fight... which isn't happening on the other side. Though - it's not as universal as you'd think, as is mentioned at the end. The bad guys are just getting ground down (their dead-to-wounded ratio supports that point) - and ground down by a smaller group than they are who just won't quit fighting... and the squads doing this fighting are *not* enjoying the traditional advantages of the defender. At best, this is a meeting engagement. At worst, it is an in-stride assault on a defended position by an inferior force. It doesn't get any harder than that guys.

3. Training. From training comes confidence. You'll see that mentioned later, too.

4. Leadership. Cool, and calm under fire. Leadership that directs. Controls. Leads. And we're not talking senior leaders. We're talking Staff Sergeant and Sergeant. The crucial link in any Army.

5. Trust & Confidence. Confidence that they can handle this fight - and turst that other people are busting their ass to get there and help out.

6. Discipline, discipline, discipline. Those of you who were in the Army during long periods of no-combat peace - remember how people bitched about load plans, and uniformity? Read on.

Meanwhile, the two treating the three wounded on the ground at the rear vehicle come under sniper fire from the lone house. Each of them, remember one is a medic, pull out AT-4 rocket launchers from the HMMWV and nearly-simultaneously fire the rockets into the house to neutralize the shooter. The two sergeants work their way up the trenchline, throwing grenades, firing grenades from the launcher, and firing their M4s. The sergeant runs low on ammo and runs back to a vehicle to reload. She moves to her squad leader's vehicle, and because this squad is led so well, she knows exactly where to reach her arm blindly into a different vehicle to find ammo-because each vehicle is packed exactly the same, with discipline. As she turns to move back to the trenchline, Gunner in two sees an AIF jump from behind one of the cars and start firing on the Sergeant. He pulls his 9mm, because the .50 cal is pointed in the other direction, and shoots five rounds wounding him. The sergeant moves back to the trenchline under fire from the back of the field, with fresh mags, two more grenades, and three more M203 rounds. The Mk 19 gunner suppresses the rear of the field. Now, rejoined with the squad leader, the two sergeants continue clearing the enemy from the trenchline, until they see no more movement. A lone man with an RPG launcher on his shoulder steps from behind a tree and prepares to fire on the three Hummers and is killed with a single aimed SAW shot thru the head by the previously knocked out gunner on platform two, who now has a SAW out to supplement the .50 cal in the mount. The team leader sergeant, she claims four killed by aimed M4 shots. The Squad Leader, he threw four grenades taking out at least two baddies, and attributes one other to her aimed M203 fire.

Note this:"The Medic who fired the AT-4, said he remembered how from the week before when his squad leader forced him to train on it, though he didn't think as a medic he would ever use one. He said he chose to use it in that moment to protect the three wounded on the ground in front of him, once they came under fire from the building." There is much more at Arg site. Check it out.
Argghhh! The Home Of Two Of Jonah's Military Guys..

VIA:BLACKFIVE: After Action Report - 10 Kentucky Reservists Break Ambush

BlackFive has the complete after action report on the 10 Reservists from Kentucky who took on somewhere between 40 or 50 thugs on a roadside truck convoy ambush. BF also has a film link with sound so you can hear and see the firefight until the first humvee arrives and I guess the cameraman beat feet. Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester was credited with the first kill of the thuggie ambush team. This item was of particular interest:"The sergeant runs low on ammo and runs back to a vehicle to reload. She moves to her squad leader's vehicle, and because this squad is led so well, she knows exactly where to reach her arm blindly into a different vehicle to find ammo-because each vehicle is packed exactly the same, with discipline...Those seven Americans (with the three wounded) killed in total 24 heavily armed enemy, wounded 6 (two later died), and captured one unwounded, who feigned injury to escape the fight.(must be the cameraman) They seized 22 AK-47s, 6x RPG launchers w/ 16 rockets, 13x RPK machineguns, 3x PKM machineguns, 40 hand grenades, 123 fully loaded 30-rd AK magazines, 52 empty mags, and 10 belts of 2500 rds of PK ammo. Read the rest at BlackFive.
BLACKFIVE: After Action Report - Raven 42 Ambushed!: "AFTER ACTION REPORT: Raven 42 action in Salman Pak
"

Thugs Plan for TWD Total World Domination w/a little Help from the French ( cheese eating surrender monkeys

Bat Ye'or 's new book, (required reading for warriors),Eurabia: The Euro-Arab Axis describes in devastating precise detail the three pronged war you will be fighting against :military, economic and cultural. American Thinker has a great interveiw with the author in which she outlines exactly how the war against America did not end with the death of Hitler but was continued, as a back burner, until 1967 when Isreal swept the battlefield. Read the interview here:
The American Thinker

In Fallujah, a thuggee complains about U.S. Marines Via: Inside the Ring -- The Washington Times

Some Marine units moved through Fallujah in November with Arabic translators. The infantrymen wanted to be able to eavesdrop on the terrorists' radio net.
A Marine told us that, roughly translated, one terrorist was heard to say: "We are fighting. But the Marines keep coming. We are shooting, but the Marines won't stop."
Inside the Ring -- The Washington Times

Brit's capture thug at Heathrow Airport VIA:Cynical Nation

12:48 PM
This hasn't hit the news yet, but my brother-in-law is sitting on a plane in Heathrow Airport as we speak, and there is apparently some action going on. It seems his plane was stormed by agents with machine guns, who seized a Middle Eastern passenger from my brother-in-law's row and removed him from the plane.

This is happening as I type this. The wonders of modern technology. More to follow,Cynical Nation

Armoured Wild Pigs Success Marker

The American Enterprise: In the Middle East, a New World: "'It's strange for me to say it, but this process of change has started because of the American invasion of Iraq. I was cynical about Iraq. But when I saw the Iraqi people voting, 8 million of them, it was the start of a new Arab world. The Syrian people, the Egyptian people, all say that something is changing. The Berlin Wall has fallen. We can see it.'

-Lebanese politician Walid Jumblatt, in the Washington Post"

Marine Reservists from Charlie Co. One/ Twenty Three Get Unexpected Welcome by Generals, Colonels,Sgt.Majors

VIA:Austin Bay Blog
Austin Bay, retired Marine Reservist, author and newspaper columnist, was attending a III Corps conference in Corpus Christi when the meeting was interrupted by

"a young officer walked into the hotel ballroom and announced that a US Marine Reserve company was returning to its home base in Corpus after a seven month-tour in Iraq." I’m not sure that anybody actually said “Let’s go,” but BG Troy and LTG Tom Metz (III Corps commander) and the rest of the senior staff (brigadiers, colonels, lieutenant-colonels, sergeant-majors, and master sergeants) instantly emptied the seminar room. To appropriate a colloquial phrase: we beat feet.

Traffic cops and a slew of passersby lined the sidewalk. A Coast Guard helicopter buzzed in from Corpus Christi Bay then banked .

We joined the crowd on the corner of Water Street and Peoples. We may have waited three minutes, at the most. Here came the convoy— a police escort followed by two buses filled with young Marines. We cheered, saluted and clapped as the company rolled by. (I feel certain the company belongs to the 1/23rd Marines. The 1/23rd is a Marine reserve battalion just back from Iraq—and I have friends in Central Texas whose sons serve in that unit. If I’ve got the Corpus Christi unit misidentified, post a comment or drop me an email and I’ll correct it.)

Most of us old codgers wore short-sleeves and slacks, so it’s a fair bet the Marine reservists didn’t know their former Corps commander and his senior staff were cheering with the home crowd. (Probable wisecrack if someone informed a lance corporal: “Hey, sarge—are those the guys responsible for all the dumb orders you didn’t like?”)

Actually, the Marines were smiling and waving—the one memorable face I saw framed in the bus window as it shot past was that of a delighted but obviously tired young man.

Jet lag or Iraq lag? Or lag from a week at the 29 Palms Marine base? Doesn’t really matter now– welcome home.

Thugmaster's Grand Strategy to defeat America via:TigerHawk

Michael Doran, Princeton University history professor, recently gave standing room only lectures on the thuggies strategy for success in taking over the world by defeating American forces. Doran was denied tenure because his politics are to the right and in support of Bush. Tigerhawk attended the lectures and you need to expand your military education by reading, thinking and digesting these ideas .
TigerHawk

500 Marines from the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion return home from Iraq. via:San Bernardino County Sun

The battalion is returning to the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center here after seven months of duty and not one visit, which left them to spend most of the major holidays, and a few minor ones, in an unfamiliar place plagued by wartime conditions.
San Bernardino County Sun - News:

When 4 Star Marine Generals Blog: This is what they say...on Posting to his Command and Control Blog

Via: Sgt Stryker


“The metric is what the person has to contribute, not the person’s rank, age, or level of experience. If they have the answer, I want the answer. When I post a question on my blog, I expect the person with the answer to post back. I do not expect the person with the answer to run it through you, your OIC, the branch chief, the exec, the Division Chief and then get the garbled answer back before he or she posts it for me. The Napoleonic Code and Netcentric Collaboration cannot exist in the same space and time. It’s YOUR job to make sure I get my answers and then if they get it wrong or they could have got it righter, then you guide them toward a better way…but do not get in their way.”

JAMES E. CARTWRIGHT
General, USMC
Commander, USSTRATCOM

Awesome.

Osama bin Laden :Number One Thugmaster gets a two year free do-not-go-to-jail pass by our very own American Ambassador to Pakistan

"Ambassador Nancy Powell, America's representative in Pakistan refused to allow the distribution in Pakistan of wanted posters, matchbooks, and other items advertising America's $25 million reward for information leading to the capture of Mr. bin Laden and other Al Qaeda leaders.according to Richard Miniter writing in the New York Sun, today. Ms. Powell, now serving at the State Department's Foggy Bottom headquarters in Washington D.C., declined to comment directly."
How a Lone Diplomat Compromised the Hunt for Bin Laden

“Don’t take ‘no’ for an answer,”

Maj. Mark Menotti, assistant head of the enlisted retention branch at Quantico says if you don't like the the reenlistment options you are offered don't sign up and send your concerns up the chain of command." “Don’'t take ‘no’ for an answer,"” Menotti said. “"We'’re willing to work for them in order to work something out"
.” Qualified Marines looking to reenlist don't need to play Texas hold them as the Corps needs Grunts to add muscle to the tip of the spear. The new re-enlistment options to grunts, intell, comm and War Pigs are of the restructuring plan by the Force Structure Review to kick thuggie butt according to the Marine Times, today. An additonal 7.5 million buckaroos have been added to the herd just to make sure your enlistment bonus package is exactly what your wife wants. Check it out before you walk. Some grunts might get as much as 35,000 yankee dollars, the article in the Marine Times stated, although the article was careful not to over play its hand by saying exactly which "retention-challenged infantry specialties" were the ringers. During the previous ice age when Delta-Mike was available for a re-enlistment bonus only computer nerds were given the $35,000 carrot! Today it's grunts!

Marine Corps Times - News - This Week's Marine Corps Times

The Good News is We are winning, American Media Clueless Iraqis Kicking Butt

Middle eastern intell reports thuggies are taking each other out as their plans to take over Iraq are falling apart, according to the Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Iraqi resistance begins to crack after elections
a Brit newspaper.
This is non-news to our American media dinosaurs still obsessed with defeating Dubya by refusing to write about any success in the war against thuggies. From the Aussies
we learn that the thuggies are killing each off as they begin to disagree on plans that will succeed against successful Iraqi dawn raids that scoop up hundreds of thuggies. Next week the Shi'ite holy city of Kerbala will host the mourning ceremony of Arbain, an obivious target for thugs. This morning, Iraqi police busted 131 thugs and captured 3 tons of TNT. Last week Iraqi commando raided a training camp for thugs and killed 85. This good news is on top Iraqi citizens themselves busting thuggie chops after 8 of them bad boys showed up at their shops with AK's determined to demonstrate the lessons of thuggie power. Six thugs were killed and the rest escaped.

Ten Kentucky reservists take on a 34 thuggie ambush and kick tuckus up the Kudzoo River

VIA the Times Leader Online
The high price of setting an ambush for fat and loaded 18 wheelers was paid by 35 thuggies who thought they were going for easy pickings off a supposedly defenseless convoy of truckers high balling down an a dusty road in Iraq, today. The thuggies, who are now settling accounts with their maker, sprang the ambush with light arms and RPG fire unaware the convoy was being shadowed from the rear by ten Kentucky reservists in three armored Humvees. The Kentucky back up threw themselves in between the thuggies and the convoy allowing the convoy escape the kill zone. The reservist then found the thug's escape route closed it and after a 45 minute fire fight killed 27, wounded 6 and captured 1. None were allowed to escaped.

Also ..."seized a large weapons cache, confiscating 22 AK-47 light machine guns, 13 RPKs (Russian-made light machine guns), 123 full AK-47 ammunition magazines, 52 empty AK-47 magazines, one full AK-47 ammunition drum, about 200 loose AK-47 rounds, 2,500 belted ammunition rounds and 40 hand grenades."

The Times Leader Online - Princeton, Kentucky

Time to Saddle Up the War Pigs?

The graybeards at Ankara, Turkey are considering granting a request by the US to use the Incirlik air base in southern Turkey as a base of operations for missions in Iraq and Afghanistan according to Defense News

Inquiring minds want to know Por Qua? When the Turkeys would not let the 4th ID thru at a critical time in the war how come now they wannabenice?
DefenseNews.com - Turkey To Let U.S. Use Base as Logistical Hub: Officials - 03/24/05 11:32

Thuggies want to Plead "Uncle"

Sunni Arab thuggies are looking for a manly way to say they give up w/out having to say they are sorry according FT.Com In exchange for the keys to the democratic nation of arab citizens the thuggies want assurances their noodnicks won't be cut off at the check point.

"Sharif Ali Bin al-Hussein, who heads Iraq's main monarchist movement and is in contact with guerrilla leaders, said many insurgents including former officials of the ruling Ba'ath party, army officers, and Islamists have been searching for a way to end their campaign against US troops and Iraqi government forces since the January 30 election.

“Firstly, they want to ensure their own security,” says Sharif Ali, who last week hosted a pan-Sunni conference attended by tribal sheikhs and other local leaders speaking on behalf of the insurgents.

Insurgent leaders fear coming out into the open to talk for fear of being targeted by US military or Iraqi security forces' raids, he said."

Come on in, thuggies, the water is fine! I think I can safely reassure all thuggies their nuggies are safe from harm on the part of US forces, I mean, the idea of harming a thuggie after he has decided to become a democrat is counterproductive, isn't it, and who wants to discourage all the undecided thuggies hiding out in back of the cave.

Thugmaster's Plan to Take Over the US of A VIA: The Jamestown Foundation

The Center of Islamic Studies and Research (AKA al-qaeda) has a new book out on how to cage the American Eagle and send all your War Pigs to the Happy Pig Home for the retired. Its a beaut. Appropriately titled "The Management of Barbarism". Keep up with your war education. Apparently, the thuggies " don't believe this big dog will fight when you rattle his cage or put a boot up your ass...it's the American way."

"By "Management of Barbarism" the author refers to the period just after the collapse of a superpower, the period of "savage chaos". It appears pointedly to be a method of not repeating the experience of Afghanistan prior to the rule of the Taliban, and of improving controls over the periods experienced, for instance, in Somalia after the fall of Siad Barre.

Contents

After ample prolegomena on Middle East history and the causes of the rise and fall of superpowers, the book substantially falls into five broad themes:

1) Definition of ‘Management of Barbarism'
2) The Path of Empowerment
3) The Most Important Principles and Policies
4) The Most Pressing Difficulties and Obstacles
5) Conclusion – demonstrating jihad as the ideal solution

Jihadi strategy

The ‘Path of Empowerment' theme constitutes the strategy of the mujahideen. In this the author further sub-divides into three distinct phases:

1) The Disruption and Exhaustion phase
2) The Management of Barbarism phase
3) The Empowerment phase

In the first "Disruption and Exhaustion" phase, the mujahideen are to a) exhaust the enemy's forces by stretching them through dispersal of targets and b) "attract the youth through exemplary targeting such as occurred at Bali, Al-Muhayya and Djerba."

At the "Management of Barbarism phase", the mujahideen are to "establish internal security, ensure food and medical supplies, defend the zone from external attack, establish Shari'ah justice, an armed force, an intelligence service, provide economic sufficiency, defend against [public] hypocrisy and deviant opinions and ensure obedience, and the establishment of alliances with neighboring elements that are yet to give total conformity to the Management, and improve management structures."

The "Empowerment" phase is an extension of the above. The policy is to continue Disruption and Exhaustion activities, at the same time establishing logistic links with the various Management zones. A conspicuous example of this phase is the series of events leading up to the September 11 attacks on the United States, which "destroyed the peoples' awe of America and of the lesser ranking Apostate armies." The fall of Afghanistan, the author explains, was either planned to happen, or was due to happen even without the September 11 events, and had as the result the multiplication of jihadi groups bent on revenge.

As for future targeting, this should be variegated "in all parts of the Islamic world and beyond it. For instance, in striking at tourist resorts frequented by Crusaders, all tourist resorts will have to be secured," with all the dispersal of energy and costs this involves. The same goes for Crusader banks in Turkey employing interest, or petrol installations near Aden, which will subsequently oblige security hikes for refineries, pipelines and shipping. "If two apostate authors are simultaneously liquidated in two different countries, it will require the security for thousands of writers in the Islamic world."

An important feature of this phase is the attention to be given to media and propaganda strategy, both for winning support and recruitment, and for deterring opposition. The media strategy should ‘target in depth middle ranking officers in the armed forces [of Muslim nations] to push them to join the jihad.' It should ‘aim at every stage to justify operations to the populous legally and intellectually … given that, assuming that our long struggle will require half a million mujahideen, getting such a number from a nation of millions is easier than from the ranks of the Islamic movement.'

Jihadi Tactics

The third theme, "The Most Important Principles and Policies," gives details on tactics. After discussing the necessity of establishing a proper chain of command, in both the doctrinal and military fields, the author outlines important military principles ("striking with the heaviest force at the weakest point; a superior enemy is defeated by economic and military attrition"). He further suggests four major reference sources: "The Encyclopedia of Jihad (prepared by the mujahideen in Afghanistan); the al-Battar magazine; the writings of Abu Ubayd al-Qurashi in the al-Ansar magazine, along with other works on the al-Uswa website; general works on military science, particularly on guerrilla warfare, provided the student rectifies the errors in them respective to Islamic law."

In the sub-section "The Application of Vehemence" subtitled "The Policy of Paying the Price," Abu Bakr Naji warns against the dangers of anything other than maximum violence as a deterrent, or as a response, even if the response should take years. The response, the author states, "is best done by other groups and in other countries than those suffering the act of enmity … to give the enemy the sense of being surrounded and his interests exposed … and to confuse him." An example of this method would be, say, in response to the Egyptians' imprisonment of mujahideen, an attack by mujahideen upon an Egyptian embassy in the Arabian Peninsula or the Maghreb, or the kidnapping of Egyptian diplomats, who should be "liquidated horrifically" if the mujahideen's demands are not met.

Stress is then laid upon the need to understand how international politics work. In the sub-section "Understanding the Rules of the Political Game" Abu Bakr Naji highlights how mujahid groups that refused to soil their hands with profane political calculations paid the price. The difficulty of reconciling Islamic legal propriety with pragmatic military interest is resolved, in the author's eyes, by recourse to the example set by [the 14th century jurist] Ibn Qayyim, who set Prophetic precedent as a preference, but not an obligation.

An important feature of this game, Naji illustrates, is the manipulation of the international media, and ensuring that the message gets through to the target, in its widest sense, and not just to the minority elite. "We must therefore set up an association whose purpose is to ensure the communication of our demands to people, even if this should expose them to dangers akin to the perils of combat … such as the taking of a hostage. After raising the hullabaloo concerning him we demand that media correspondents publish our demands in full in return for his release … Our demand might be a statement of warning or justification for an operation." An effective response to government media's demonization of mujahid actions is to prepare the ground by first demonizing the target as something Islamically forbidden or serving the economic interests of the enemy. Naji then gives an imaginary scenario of an attempt to adjust oil prices in favor of the people where a deadline is issued and an oil engineer or manager or journalist is kidnapped to ensure that the demand is fully publicized."

Points of weakness

The fourth major theme in the work covers "The Most Pressing Difficulties and Obstacles" that will face the mujahideen. These are listed as the diminution in the numbers of believers as casualties in war, the lack of sufficiently trained administrators (and the relative social distance many of these have from the rank and file) and the problems caused by over-enthusiasm in the behavior of some. Naji also highlights the problems that will be faced with old loyalties to other Islamist groups impeding administration in the new Management phases, or the threat of schism.

Importance of the book

The Management of Barbarism is one of the few works of jihadi literature devoted specifically to strategy. Jihadi literature is rich in works of doctrine and exhortation on the one hand, and specific pamphlets on military technology on the other. Tactical studies tend toward providing doctrinal clearance for particular issues such as the killing of prisoners, the problem of civilian Muslim casualties or dealing with the infidel. Strategy is less well represented. Other than the papers by Yusuf al-Ayyiri on the Jihad method, the closest work to this is the Tuhfat al-Muwahhideen fi Bayan Tariq al-Tamkeen (Gift of the Monotheists on the Way to Empowerment) by the same author as this treatise, which indeed may be considered an extension of it.

The importance of this work lies in the mapping, in the eyes of a mujahid, of the stages of a strategic program towards empowerment. This process is construed with a broad enough perspective as to make of individual reverses — such as Afghanistan — of secondary importance. While Naji illustrates how, for the mujahid, matters of doctrinal propriety carry great weight, he also introduces realism to the subject in his defense of pragmatism over legal literalism in matters relating to dealings with the enemy and its politics. But perhaps the most interesting emphasis is the role of the media. As an admission of the failure of the Islamist groups to build massive support, ample space is given to methods of combating government and western media control of information delivery. The number of attacks and threats of attacks by mujahideen on media offices and individuals in Iraq, demonstrates that the value of this arm of the strategy is well understood, and indeed appears to be following the textbook.

The Jamestown Foundation

VIA:Democracy in Iraq--These two years

Democracy in Iraq: "t has been now two years since the United States, UK and other countries invaded our nation. It has been two years since Iraqis have had to live with daily violent attacks and rampant terrorism. It has been two years since our nation began being turned upside down. It has been two years since the road to democracy began.

It has been a very hard two years. So many people have died, so much has been destroyed, so many drops of tears and blood have been shed, so many have been robbed of loved ones, and so many words have been spoken about Iraq, it's future, and this war.

Two years...seems like yesterday that I was awoken by bombs going off in Baghdad, and the realisation that my life and that of my country was going to change. That very day I remember being scared that my house might be destroyed by a bomb, or that my relatives who were forcibly put into the Iraqi army might be killed.

Two years since Saddam came on TV, and pledged that Iraq would never fall. Little did he know, he surrendered like a rat in a whole only months later. Two years since my father had a heart.

Two years is about 730 days. In those days what have I seen. My eyes have seen more than I had ever hoped, more blood, more death and more pain, then I ever imagined or hoped I would have seen.

In those days I have seen the worst of humanity, the animal that lives in all humanity, the ability of humanity to destroy at will others, and rob the life given to others by God almight himself.

So you ask me, Husayn, was it worth it. What have you gotten? What has Iraq acheived? These are questions I get a lot.

To may outsiders, like those who protested last year, who will protest today. This was a fools errand, it brought nothing but death and destruction. I am sheltered in Iraq, but I know how the world feels, how people have come to either love or hate Bush, as though heis the emobdiement of this war. As though this war is part of Bush, they forget the over twenty million Iraqis, they forget the Middle Easterners, they forget the average person on the street, the average man with the average dream.

Ask him if it was worth it. Ask him what is different. Ask him if he would go through it again, go ahead ask him, ask me, many of you have.

Now I answer you, I answer you on behalf of myself, and my countrymen. I dont care what your news tells you, what your television and newspapers say, this is how we feel. Despite all that has happened. Despite all the hurt, the pain, blood, sweat and tears. These two years have given us hope we never had."

Why Do we Need More Grunts?

Robert Scales, former Army grunt, Silver Star (Hamburger Hill) and retired Major General, has interesting insight into why Marine Tanks are being replaced by riflemen:"Scales thinks that the United States faces "generations" of smaller wars in the Mideast. And to fight them, it needs 100,000 more Army combat troops, 30,000 more Marines and 20,000 more Special Forces, plus a modernization of their equipment, a reorganization of their units and a much better training regime for small-scale urban combat and intimate contact with foreign cultures."....."Scales says, soldiers need better training, both military and cultural. As demonstrated by the recent mistaken shooting of an Italian journalist at a Baghdad checkpoint, he said, "tactical decisions made by sergeants and lieutenants can have as much strategic importance as those made by generals and admirals."

Attacks Down--Thugs Are Moving On

The C.O. of the First Marine Expeditonary Force, Lt Gen John F. Sattler, says thuggie attacks are down and their influence is sucking wind in this interview with the NYT.
The New York Times > International > Middle East > Insurgency Is Fading Fast, Top Marine in Iraq Says

8th Tank Battalion is History--New War Armored Reconnaissance Company To Saddle -Up in its place

“We need more trigger pullers is the bottom line. We need more guys with rifles,” said Major Mike Muller, 8th Tank Battalion.
The marines of Bravo company at Mattydale(New York) will find themselves attached to a light armored reconnaissance unit, based in California. They will continue to be headquartered here in Central New York. "

Via:Marine Corps Times -"Slap some BACON on that biscuit and lets Roll. We're burning daylight." John Wayne.

The CMC's wish list includes 104 million for 48 new, never been dented Wild War Pigs, 20 million for ammo and enough gear to saddle up two new infantry battalions as part of the new "don't- fight-your-daddy's-last-war" genetic code force structure changes to kill the thug-puppets.
Marine Corps Times - News - This Week's Marine Corps Times: "a request for $104 million to purchase 48 Light Armored Vehicles in various configurations to outfit two new Reserve light armored reconnaissance companies. It also would spend more than $20 million for ammunition to equip two new active-duty infantry battalions to be established as part of planned force structure changes to shape the Corps for the ongoing war on terrorism."

VIA Assumption of Command---WHO?!! is going to run your CheckPoint!

Mustang 23, an Army reserve C.O., has some good advice that cuts the BS on checkpoint engagement:

Assumption of Command: "First and foremost it is our job here to protect and defend ourselves and our fellow soldiers. The Iraqi population knows to stay far away from us while we are on the road. Most of the time, we don't even have to wave them away, they get out of the way on their own. On the road they don't want any part of us.
If you were in my shoes, I ask you this question:
If you know that the good people of Iraq know better than to charge their vehicle up to American checkpoints or convoys, who is the only people who would speed their vehicle at us?
If I feel my troops or my life is endangered, I will act appropriately and I expect my troops to do the same."


Roger. Copy.

Ricker For Two LAR via Greenville Sun

Lance Cpl. Ricker Now In Iraq Photo Special to the Sun U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Justin Ricker, right, a Greene County native, posed for the photo above with his brother, Joshua Ricker, after his graduation from United States Marine Corps “boot camp” at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Paris Island, S.C., in Dec. 20003. His unit went to Iraq last month. Source: The Greeneville Sun 03-09-2005

---

VIA:Major K. Iraqi Police Rescue US Convoy

Major K,an Army blogger, posts on four IPs who, at the cost of their lives, went to the rescue of a US convoy whose drivers were too green to live and allowed the aggressive thug-puppet to insert his vehicle in between the rolling convoy trucks. The TP was a VBIED.

The other day, I was sitting in the conference room of our headquarters building during a meeting with the Executive Officer and the rest of the staff. When we heard a loud explosion that was strong enough and/or close enough to rattle our building. We all paused and looked at each other and remarked that “that one was pretty close.” We waited a moment to hear if there were going to be any more explosions or gunfire as this would indicate that an attack was underway as opposed to merely a large detonation of captured explosives by our EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team nearby or an IED just outside the FOB. If there were any additional noises like that, we would have to gear up and get ready to fight. As it was, there were no additional explosions or gunfire and we continued our meeting.

This is what had happened: A short distance from our FOB, A US convoy was driving down the road. As they headed to their destination a civilian vehicle pulled on from a side alley and attempted to get into the convoy. Apparently, the convoy gunners were too green or some how did not perceive the car to be a threat. They did not wave the car off, throw anything at him, cut him off, or shoot to try and stop him. A nearby IP (Iraqi Police) SUV witnessed the intruding vehicle and immediately intervened. It pulled up to the rear of the convoy and tried to force the intruding vehicle off the road. The IP’s had successfully put themselves between the vehicle and the US convoy. Unable to deter the vehicle from approaching the US convoy or make it pull over, the IP’s fired at the engine of the encroaching vehicle. At this point, the driver detonated the IED inside his vehicle. Yes, this was a classic VBIED.

This suicide bomber killed himself and the four IP’s in the vehicle holding him at bay. The device was so powerful that the bomber’s vehicle was literally obliterated. The engine block was thrown over 25 meters. The IP’s vehicle was nothing but a burned out shell. All four IP’s inside perished in the blast, but not a scratch was inflicted on the vehicles or personnel of the US convoy. Had it not been for the exceptional bravery, valor and situational awareness of these four Iraqi Patriots, that day would have been bloodier, and we probably would have had another communications blackout at the FOB.

Pundits and soldiers alike have talked a lot of trash about the ISF (Iraqi Security Forces). But if they are even half as good as these four were, the future of Iraq is very bright indeed. I hope they are decorated with the highest honors their country can bestow upon their fallen. Their actions were as heroic as it gets if you ask me.

Major K.

Exercising the War Pigs---16 rules

These are Bob Parson's Rules. Bob Parson? You saw the Super Bowl commercial of Nikki, the babeasaurous, whose bra halter strap breaks while testifying before the congressional committee. Yead, thats his company commerical for Go Daddy.com. Sells domain names. BobParson is a VN Marine Grunt. And a multimillionaire. Pay attention Number One. Of course, he didn't write them for especially War Pigs but they can fit just about everywhere. Anywhere where you are running nine hundred thousand dollar War Pigs, several hundred "employees" schedules, deadlines, goals, morale, supplies, maintenance, and getting your weekend goals accomplished inside the 48 hour window.

1. Get and stay out of your comfort zone. I believe that not much happens of any significance when we’re in our comfort zone. I hear people say, “But I’m concerned about security.” My response to that is simple: “Security is for cadavers.”

2. Never give up. Almost nothing works the first time it’s attempted. Just because what you’re doing does not seem to be working, doesn’t mean it won’t work. It just means that it might not work the way you’re doing it. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, and you wouldn’t have an opportunity.

3. When you’re ready to quit, you’re closer than you think. There’s an old Chinese saying that I just love, and I believe it is so true. It goes like this: “The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed.”

4. With regard to whatever worries you, not only accept the worst thing that could happen, but make it a point to quantify what the worst thing could be. Very seldom will the worst consequence be anywhere near as bad as a cloud of “undefined consequences.” My father would tell me early on, when I was struggling and losing my shirt trying to get Parsons Technology going, “Well, Robert, if it doesn’t work, they can’t eat you.”

5. Focus on what you want to have happen. Remember that old saying, “As you think, so shall you be.”

6. Take things a day at a time. No matter how difficult your situation is, you can get through it if you don’t look too far into the future, and focus on the present moment. You can get through anything one day at a time.

7. Always be moving forward. Never stop investing. Never stop improving. Never stop doing something new. The moment you stop improving your organization, it starts to die. Make it your goal to be better each and every day, in some small way. Remember the Japanese concept of Kaizen. Small daily improvements eventually result in huge advantages.

8. Be quick to decide. Remember what the Union Civil War general, Tecumseh Sherman said: “A good plan violently executed today is far and away better than a perfect plan tomorrow.”

9. Measure everything of significance. I swear this is true. Anything that is measured and watched, improves.

10. Anything that is not managed will deteriorate. If you want to uncover problems you don’t know about, take a few moments and look closely at the areas you haven’t examined for a while. I guarantee you problems will be there.

11. Pay attention to your competitors, but pay more attention to what you’re doing. When you look at your competitors, remember that everything looks perfect at a distance. Even the planet Earth, if you get far enough into space, looks like a peaceful place.

12. Never let anybody push you around. In our society, with our laws and even playing field, you have just as much right to what you’re doing as anyone else, provided that what you’re doing is legal.

13. Never expect life to be fair. Life isn’t fair. You make your own breaks. You’ll be doing good if the only meaning fair has to you, is something that you pay when you get on a bus (i.e., fare).

14. Solve your own problems. You’ll find that by coming up with your own solutions, you’ll develop a competitive edge. Masura Ibuka, the co-founder of SONY, said it best: “You never succeed in technology, business, or anything by following the others.” There's also an old Asian saying that I remind myself of frequently. It goes like this: "A wise man keeps his own counsel."

15. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Lighten up. Often, at least half of what we accomplish is due to luck. None of us are in control as much as we like to think we are.

16. There’s always a reason to smile. Find it. After all, you’re really lucky just to be alive. Life is short. More and more, I agree with my little brother. He always reminds me: “We’re not here for a long time; we’re here for a good time.”

A special word of thanks.
I owe a special thanks to Brian Dunn. When I first wrote these rules down and was thinking about compiling them into a book -- that book, like most books I suppose, has been half-done for a while ; -- Brian read them and suggested a title. His suggestion was, “They Can’t Eat You.” I like Brian’s suggestion for two reasons: 1. It reminds me of my Dad. I sure miss him; and 2. It’s true. No matter how difficult things get, you're going to be OK. It's very important to realize that. Thanks, Brian.

Republishing my rules
Should you care to include all or part of this article (or any article in my weblog for that matter) in one of your publications you have my permission to do so provided that you credit me for the material, mention where itl was obtained and also my copyright. A suggested form might be "The above (or following) article (or rules for survival) is included with the permission of Bob Parsons (http://www.bobparsons.com) and is Copyright 2005 by Bob Parsons. All rights reserved."

Copyright © 2004 - 2005 Bob Parsons All rights reserved.
Posted by Bob Parsons in Hot Points

Bravo Company, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion embarked on a six-hour night convoy

Four LAR War Pigs had their monthly opportunity to get away from honey dew lists, messy diapers and exercise in the clean fresh country air, recently. VIA: dcmilitary .com

"On Feb. 25 Marines from Bravo Company, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion embarked on a six-hour night convoy from the Pfc. Raymond Flair Reserve Center to Camp Dawson to conduct their monthly Reserve training. The peaceful serenity of Camp Dawson's snow-covered West Virginia countryside was disturbed by a tactical procession of Light Armored Vehicles, 7-ton trucks and Humvees............."Overall, the weekend at Camp Dawson provided a good opportunity for Bravo Company to get away from Flair and back into the fold of employing their many formidable weapon systems and motivated Marines in the field--a mission that they have proven they are exceptionally capable of performing."

Bravo Company trains in 'any clime and place':

Marine Capt. Armando Espinoza, FAC First LAR Gets DFC

"Espinoza, a helicopter pilot who flew five combat missions into Baghdad in April 2003, evacuating 28 wounded Marines and an Iraqi family of seven, has been awarded the military’s fourth highest combat award. The captain already has two Iraq tours under his belt. Last year, he returned to Iraq as the forward air controller for 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion. The “Red Dragons,” meanwhile, are wrapping up a second deployment to Iraq and are expected to return home later this month."
Marine Corps Times - News - More News

Sean Huze, Two LAR Writes War Pig Play

Alert Reader notes I missed Scott Peterson's story on the return of Charlie Co., First LAR. Too right, I did. I have goggle nets out to catch anything on War Pigs but sometimes I flat out go blind. But here's a make up: The play: "The Sand Storm: Stories from the Front," is a series of monologues by 10 Marine characters. The play is based on playwright Sean Huze's experience in the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, which fought pitched battles in Nasiriya, Kut, Baghdad and Tikrit, earning the nickname "Destroyers" from the Iraqis they fought.
The Sand Storm is being produced with backing from Operation Truth, an organization of veterans from the Iraq and Afghan wars. It will be performed March 18 through April 23 at the Elephant Asylum Theater in Santa Monica, Calif."


Play about Iraq war opening in California - (United Press International)

iVia: INTEL DUMP -warrior-leaders and warrior-soldiers AKA POP UPS

In the battle against the Thuggies, there are two kinds of Iraqi forces coming out to do battle against the enemy: planned units and the pop-ups that appear overnight, like mushrooms on the front lawn, however, unlike mushroom these "pop ups" are better led, motivated and first class killers against the thugmasters seeking to take over their country. "Just show us where to go and we will eat the insurgents alive," an Iraqi in one of these units told Maj. Wales earlier this month when he tracked them down at a long-shuttered Baghdad airport."
"Greg Jaffe had an exceptional piece in Wednesday's Wall Street Journal (subscription required) describing the rise of "irregular" Iraqi units around the country, which were popping up on their own, raised by individual officers, funded privately, with little connection to the U.S.-led effort to raise an Iraqi army. Surprisingly (or maybe not so), these ad hoc units appear to be better led, better equipped, and more combat effective than their "official" brethren. And, perhaps more importantly, some U.S. officers are recognizing this, and figuring out how they might co-opt or work together with these Iraqi forces."


INTEL DUMP -

VIA World Tribune.com:Mattis There are the hunters and the hunted

General Mattis, in the World Tribune article by Pamela Hess, outlines your conduct and education via the commanders intent:

"There are hunters and there are victims. By your discipline, cunning, obedience and alertness, you will decide if you are a hunter or a victim. ... It's really a hell of a lot of fun. You're gonna have a blast out here!" he said, with marked glee. "I feel sorry for every son of a bitch that doesn't get to serve with you."

He is also icily clear with what he expects of the new Marines in the theater, who are much needed reinforcements and relief for departing troops.

"You must know the commander's intent: (Our motto) is 'no better friend, no worse enemy.' But I have added: 'First do no harm.' No harm to the innocent. No harm to a prisoner, ever. This is the Marine Corps," he barked.

Referring to the reserve soldiers who abused and humiliated prisoners at Abu Ghraib, Mattis said: "They were undisciplined, sorry-ass excuses for soldiers. We will not cost America one ounce of its moral authority," he said.

"How you treat people is very, very important. We're not gonna become racists. They (the enemy force) want you to hate every Iraqi out here. ... You treat those women and children the way you do your own. You make certain you don't do anything that would smear the Marine Corps.

"It is absolutely essential you know what I won't f--ing tolerate," he said, and related the details of a recent case in which a Marine administered an electric shock to a detaiinee he had in jail. He was swiftly court-martialed.

"He thought it was funny. It is, if you like five years in Leavenworth (prison)," Mattis said.

"You are free men. No one forced you into the Marine Corps. You are going to prove the enemy wrong out here," he said.

Mattis is as likely to mention a battle in ancient Rome as he is in Vietnam when making a point to his troops. Every conversation with his Marines seems an opportunity for some history and criticism, usually so subtly the Marine doesn't realize he has been corrected. He feels like he is changing his path on his own.

Mattis is thoughtful without being calculating, and includes his team — which includes me by sheer proximity from time to time — in on his leadership decisions.

While in Asad after a brief stop on the Syrian border, he learned of a coordinated and deadly mortar attack on his headquarters base at Blue Diamond. It seriously injured five. At least one — a well-loved sergeant — died from his wounds.

Mattis sat on the information for the duration of a solemn helicopter ride. When we landed, he gathered us together and broke the news.

"Now we're going to go in there like nothing is wrong. Cool and calm. Cool and calm," he said, imbuing everyone in the circle with responsibility for maintaining morale.


World Tribune.com: On the ground in Iraq with the U.S. Marines

VIA The State :Tankers to Ride War Pigs

Delta Company, of the 8th Tank Battalion, will be assigned 24 light armored vehicles to take the place of 14 M1A1 tanks, said Capt. B.M. Rodden, the unit’s commander.

Switching from M1A1 Abrams tanks to the smaller vehicles, known as LAV-25s, also will result in boosting the unit’s troop strength to 135 Marines from 117, Rodden said. More troops will be needed because the unit will have more vehicles.

As part of the overall reorganization of the Marine Corps, the reservists will be assigned to Fox Company of the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion.
The State | 02/20/2005 | Reservists to shed tanks for light vehicles

VIA The American Spectator: General Mattis and the Warrior Code

The American Spectator: "Gen. Mattis regularly showed up to speak with us. He would tell us colorful stories, offer tough-minded advice and counsel, and eagerly solicit our thoughts and questions. We loved him because we knew he loved us.

And Gen. Mattis didn't just talk the talk; he walked the walk. He led from the front. Indeed, on at least one occasion that I know of, the General was bloodied from a firefight or improvised explosive device while out on patrol with junior, enlisted Marines one-third his age. That's what makes Gen. Mattis such a great warrior: He truly respects and cares for his Marines.

'Guardiano,' he told me, 'I don't give a damn about the officers. If they don't like what they're doing, they can get on a plane and leave the Corps -- go back where they came from. But I do care deeply about those 18- and 19-year-old Lance Corporals out on the frontlines.' The General was telling me that, as an officer, I better be concerned with helping younger, junior Marines, not advancing my own career.

That's why all the liberal talk about Mattis being some sort of 'psychopathic killer' is so ludicrous. Nor is he, as the conservative talk-show set would have it, an inhumane 'fighting machine.' Psychopathic killers don't care for their men; and machines don't exhibit compassion for a liberated but frightened people.

Yet, I am absolutely convinced that whenever a Marine died or bled, a part of Gen. Mattis died and bled, too. And whenever an innocent Iraqi was intimidated, beaten or shot, Gen. Mattis was incensed and outraged. But because of our modern-day cultural depravity, we lack the basic vocabulary necessary to identify and understand, let alone appreciate and celebrate, warriors like Gen. Mattis.The American Spectator read

He Has Seen the Elephant

VIA Military.com

Well, I'm here in Iraq, and I've seen it, and done it. I've seen everything you've ever seen in a war movie. I've seen cowardice; I've seen heroism; I've seen fear; and I've seen relief. I've seen blood and brains all over the back of a vehicle, and I've seen men bleed to death surrounded by their comrades. I've seen people throw up when it's all over, and I've seen the same shell-shocked look in 35-year-old experienced sergeants as in 19-year-old privates.

"I've heard the screams - 'Medic! Medic!' I've hauled dead civilians out of cars, and I've looked down at my hands and seen them covered in blood after putting some poor Iraqi civilian in the wrong place at the wrong time into a helicopter. I've seen kids with gunshot wounds, and I've seen kids who've tried to kill me.

"I've seen men tell lies to save lives: 'What happened to Sergeant A.?' The reply: 'C'mon man, he's all right - he's wondering if you'll be OK - he said y'all will have a beer together when you get to Germany.' SFC A. was lying 15 feet away on the other side of the bunker with two medics over him desperately trying to get either a pulse or a breath. The man who asked after SFC A. was himself bleeding from two gut wounds and rasping as he tried to talk with a collapsed lung. One of them made it; one did not.

"I've run for cover as fast as I've ever run - I'll hear the bass percussion thump of mortar rounds and rockets exploding as long as I live. I've heard the shrapnel as it shredded through the trailers my men live in and over my head. I've stood, gasping for breath, as I helped drag into a bunker a man so pale and badly bloodied I didn't even recognize him as a soldier I've known for months. I've run across open ground to find my soldiers and make sure I had everyone.

He Has Seen the Elephant

Professor Ward Churchill on the dead from the 9/11 Twin Towers

Well, really. Let's get a grip here, shall we? True enough, they were civilians of a sort. But innocent? Gimme a break. They formed a technocratic corps at the very heart of America's global financial empire – the "mighty engine of profit" to which the military dimension of U.S. policy has always been enslaved – and they did so both willingly and knowingly. Recourse to "ignorance" – a derivative, after all, of the word "ignore" – counts as less than an excuse among this relatively well-educated elite. To the extent that any of them were unaware of the costs and consequences to others of what they were involved in – and in many cases excelling at – it was because of their absolute refusal to see. More likely, it was because they were too busy braying, incessantly and self-importantly, into their cell phones, arranging power lunches and stock transactions, each of which translated, conveniently out of sight, mind and smelling distance, into the starved and rotting flesh of infants. If there was a better, more effective, or in fact any other way of visiting some penalty befitting their participation upon the little Eichmanns inhabiting the sterile sanctuary of the twin towers, I'd really be interested in hearing about it.




Professor Ward Churchill on the dead from the 9/11 Twin Towers

Tighting the OODA Loops

Expect the Marine Corps to take up the slack in its OODA loops as the world war induced changes in combat are studied, analyzed and digested. A recent 30 day Force Structural Review conference came up with 60 initiatives to help you and the Corps carry the fight to the Thugees and their Thugmasters.

"These initiatives will create, disestablish and realign units throughout the occupational specialties affecting several thousand active duty and reserve Marines.

"We made some hard decisions," said Gen. Mike Hagee, commandant of the Marine Corps. "We are going to realign some force structure in order to increase our flexibility, adaptability and agility to respond to contingencies and the global war on terrorism."

High priority changes will include, but are not limited to, the addition of active duty elements such as two infantry battalions, three light armored reconnaissance companies, three reconnaissance companies, two force reconnaissance platoons, and one air and naval gunfire liaison company. Additions to the Marine Corps Reserve will include one anti-terrorism battalion, two light armored reconnaissance companies and one intelligence support battalion.


Marine Corps News> Changing world inspires structural adjustments

Three More LAR companies

The Stars and Stripes is reporting the creation of three Light Armored Reconnaissance Companies to be added to the active forces
European and Pacific Stars & Stripes

Jordan Untouchable :Vanderleun @ American Digest to Blogsphere.... 'Forget about It!!'

Eason Jordan has the THE diplomatic immunity pass to insult the U.S. military and gets a free pass for life from MSM criticism states Vanderleun and it is "disingenuous" of Blog Leader Hugh Hewett to be so ignorant of the dreaded MSM "Unwrittern Blacklist" whose prime directive is to "keep the MSM gravy train moving down the track.":

To take on an Eason Jordan and expose him would be a noble thing for a major journalist to do, but it would also put a large check mark against his name on the Unwritten Blacklist as a traitor. Even if Jordan were brought down, especially if Jordan were brought down, the journalists behind it would find their chances for other lucrative job offers, for advancement, and for invitations to all the right parties in New York, Washinton, and the Hamptons severely curtailed. Their actions against an Eason Jordan would be quietly noted by those in hiring and assignment positions higher up the media food chain. After all, to take on one is to take on all. It used to be the case that if you "struck at a prince" you had to be sure to kill him. Things are not that simple in the upper realms of the unelected powerbroker's of MSM. Now if you strike at a prince you have to kill all the others around them. Unless, of course, you don't care about appearing on cable news shows to sooth your vanity and pump your book, or care about landing that book deal to begin with, or care about someday having a show of your own, or care about advancing at your institution or receiving a better offer from another newspaper, magazine, television network. Strike at someone like Eason Jordon and all these things will, somehow, just not be offered to you. And, in their hearts, journalists and columnists understand this. Eason Jordan is a member of a caste system and that system punishes those who tell tales out of school by labeling them "untouchable." At the end of the day, nothing's going to happen with the Jordan story. The videotape will be lost and the transcript ...... .

Roger. Copy that. MSM bought and paid for.
Forget about it. EJ will apologize

Easongate: Bookmark New Website on Eason Jordan

The blogsphere is doing a turn and burn on Eason Jordan and his accusations of murder on the part of the U.S. military against journalists. The best of the blog chain has created a new blog watch here
EasonGate is being edited by Blackfive, Brian Scott, Chester, Bill Roggio, and Charles Goggin. Their mission statement:
Purpose

The Easongate blog has been created in light of Eason Jordan's recent statements at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he accused American servicemen of intentionally targeting and killing journalists in Iraq. These are serious charges that should not have been made without supporting evidence, which he did not provide. American servicemen and women are risking their lives daily and it is wholly inappropriate for a man of his stature and influence to make baseless claims in front of an international audience. As an experienced journalist, he fully understands the impact of his words and the effects on his audience. Mr. Jordan has a past history of making such statements.
The purpose of this blog is as follows:
· Act as a clearinghouse for information related to Mr. Jordan's recent and past statement concerning the United States military.
· Provide analysis and commentary on the developing situation.
· Advocate CNN to take real and meaningful disciplinary action against Mr. Jordan.
· Create a petition expressing the public's displeasure with Mr. Jordan's statements.
· Gather information on CNN's advertisers and make this information available to the public.

Our hope is that CNN will launch an investigation into Mr. Jordan's past and recent history, and take appropriate action. The staff of Easongate is not confident CNN will address this situation without external pressure, however, so we hope to provide the means for the public to place pressure on CNN to act.

Signed,

Blackfive from Blackfive
Brian Scott from The Blue State Conservatives
Chester from The Adventures of Chester
Bill Roggio from The Fourth Rail

Easongate

Ad Diwaniyah Responds to the Election

Via Friends of Democracy:

Mouhammad interviews citizens in the city of Ad Diwaniyah:

Mr. Khadir Khayat Khalaf Al Omar, 37: "Elections were good and honest and a real celebration."

Mr. Mouhannad Zaghir, 26: "Elections were good, free and honest without any problems. The turnout was excellent."

Mr. Yaareb Rahim Attiyeh, 34: "I have never seen anything like this in my life, clean with no violations."

Mr. Raad Aziz Al Omar, 37: "Elections were free, honest and honorable."

Mrs. Maysam Badr Al Omar, 21: "Elections were good and reflected the opinion of the Iraqi society after more than 40 years of tyranny. This is our answer to the elections of 1921 which were boycotted by the Shiites."

Mr. Hassan Al MAlki, 31: "Elections were of a high standard. They were a strong response in the face of Al Zarqawi, an indescribable joy, a celebration deserved by Iraqis. I have participated because it is a national duty."

Keeping Track of Entries:Jordan v. Mattis via Stones Cry Out and the Hostess with the Mostest La Shawn Barber's Corner

The Double Standard of the Dinosaurs in the mainstream media is exposed big time with their attempts to ignore the slanderous remarks of media Big CNN Chief Eason Jordan. Rick of Stones Cry Out has a great wrap up so does La Shawn Barber here.

Hugh Hewitt is a master of his craft and proves it with his description of the MSM's disparate treatment of Jordan and Mattis.

It took only 48 hours for four major newspapers to run stories on comments made by Lt. Gen. Mattis this past Tuesday (here, here, here, and here [HT: Hugh]). The General provided the MSM with a meaty sound bite, "It's fun to shoot some people" and they went with it.

But why the blackout of the apparently equally meaty soundbites provided by CNN Chief Eason Jordan? According to one blogger who was present during Jordan's remarks,

At first I was willing to cut the MSM some slack on this one. But they have now run out of rope."
-----------------------------------------------------------

Rick is way too generous. The DMSM should have been brought to task on 09/12 when they sanitized the film from the Towers.

Sergeant Brad Kasal is an American hero

VIA SFTT.ORG

One of the Marines Eason Jordan has slandered.

"U.S. Marine Corps First Sergeant Brad Kasal is an American hero. His story is a remarkable tale of bravery, sacrifice and savagery that adds another page to the great book of American military lore."

Still holding his 9mm Beretta, a seriously injured First Sgt. Brad Kasal is helped
from a Fallujah house on Nov. 13, 2004, after killing several Iraqi insurgents and
with his own body shielding a fellow Marine from a grenade blast.

Jack Kelly: Tip of the Spear In search of Eason Jordan

Jack Kelly, columnist with the Toledo Blade, writes a piece on the Media as Easy Marks. Thats right, the first crack in the blue wall of silence by the dinosaurs in the main stream media.
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Eight suicide bombers killed 36 Iraqis besides themselves. Of these, seven were foreigners (six Saudis and a Sudanese). The only Iraqi suicide bomber was a child suffering from Down syndrome. That is, as the Iraqi writer Nibras Kazimi put it, "eight against 8 million." And on what basis, one might ask, do the media call seven foreign terrorists "insurgents"?
The terrorists had to do something to revive their plummeting prestige. That they resorted to clumsy frauds is not a sign of strength.
Mr. Jordan's slander has created a firestorm in the blogosphere, but has yet to be mentioned in the "mainstream" media.

Gee, I wonder why not.

Jack Kelly is a member of The Blade’s national bureau.




toledoblade.com

The Plot to Take Over Spain by the Islamic Jihad

An alert reader of Melanie Phillips Diary
has pointed out an incredibly important change in Jihad straight that has slipped under everyones radar to date. As yet, the only reference to the change has occurred in a PBS Frontline film which aired January 25 called Al Qaeda's New Front available here

"

Now, it seems that the belief some of us held at the time that the Atocha atrocity was nothing to do with Iraq and everything to do instead with the aim of the Islamic jihad to retake Andalucia as part of a restored Islamic caliphate was correct. For another, subsequent plot to attack Spain has apparently been uncovered -- and this one would have dwarfed Atocha. According to the Front Line programme transmitted on January 25 by the American TV station PBS, in October 2004 Spanish police disrupted a plot to bomb multiple targets, including a skyscraper designed by the architect who designed the World Trade Center; the offices of anti-terrorism judge Baltasar Garzón; the soccer stadium where the Real Madrid club plays; and, once again, the Atocha train station. 38 suspects are now being held.

This horrific plot was being hatched after Spain had effectively thrown up its hands in surrender over Iraq. According to the programme, the driving force behind these Islamists was the desire to retake Andalucia as an important part of the medieval Islamic caliphate. Well, there's a surprise....the revelation about the October plot comes almost at the end...(of the Front line program)

Yet as far as I can see, apart from this PBS programme there has been virtually no reporting or comment about this. Is this part of the general fatuous -- and potentially lethal -- denial of the nature of the threat we face?"

What do you know? I thought the blue wall of silence around Eason Jordan's insulting lies about our military offing journalists was big enough here is Front line stating on film that world domination by Jihad is on the menu and no one has any comment. Ferris? Anyone. Anyone? Ferris?

Washington Times:How can CNN justify keeping on staff someone who maligns our troops with rumor and innuendo?

The Washington Times is the only main stream newspaper asking the questions that demand answers from Eason Jordan. Thus far, all others are in lock step don't ask, don't tell mode.
"At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, during a discussion on media and democracy, Mr. Jordan apparently told the audience that "he knew of 12 journalists who had not only been killed by U.S. troops in Iraq, but they had in fact been targeted," according to a report on the forum's Web site"

According to information on CPJ's Web site (www.cpj.org), between 2003 and 2004, 12 journalists were killed as a result of U.S. fire. None was from CNN. At least a few of those were instances of mistaken identity. In one case, Terry Lloyd of ITV News was in an SUV at the start of the war in March 2003. As CPJ notes, an investigative report in the Wall Street Journal cited accounts of U.S. troops who recalled firing upon cars marked "TV" since it was believed suicide bombers were using them to attack U.S. troops. It appears, however, that Mr. Lloyd's vehicle was caught in a crossfire. Aside from this one dubious case, none of the other reported deaths even remotely resembles intentional targeting by U.S. troops.
Doubtlessly, Mr. Jordan's unsubstantiated comments play well for CNN's international anti-American audience, who grasp at anything damaging to America's reputation. If the CPJ information is wrong, however, we'd like to see the evidence from Mr. Jordan. Otherwise, how can CNN justify keeping on staff someone who maligns our troops with rumor and innuendo?



CNN's line of fire - The Washington Times: Editorials/OP-ED - February 04, 2005

Roggio at Fourth Rail Declares Call to Arms on Eason Jordan

Bill Roggio wants the videotape and a transcript of Mr. Jordan's comments at Davos and has sent a reply to CNN following the receipt of a "canned" explanation of Jordan's weasel comments on the U.S. military shooting unarmed journalists. The back pedal statement from CNN:

Eason was attempting to speak out on an issue that is important to news organizations all over the world. Unfortunately, he was not clear enough in explaining his assertion. He was responding to an assertion that all 63 journalists killed in Iraq were "collateral damage." While the majority of the 63 journalists killed in Iraq have been killed by insurgents, the Pentagon has acknowledged that the U.S. military on occasion has killed people who turned out to be journalists. Mr. Jordan emphatically does not believe that the U.S. Military intended to kill journalists and believes these accidents to be cases of "mistaken identity."



Roggio's Reply: Hello CNN Administrator,

Release the videotape and a transcript of Mr. Jordan's comments at Davos, and I will be convinced. Until then your apologetic is unconvincing and insulting. Several bloggers in attendance heard otherwise, and based on Mr. Jordan's history, I am inclined to agree with them.

Mr. Jordan has a long history of demeaning the US military and accusing them of targeting journalists. As a former soldier I am personally insulted. Perhaps CNN should launch an investigation into his statements. Your association with Mr. Jordan can be very damaging to your credibility and reputation.

I have suspended citing CNN as a source of material in my weblog, which is viewed by over 1,500 people a day, until I am convinced CNN is honest in getting to the bottom of this story. My readers typically follow the links through on my posts to read my sources. I have copied other bloggers in an attempt to convince them to do the same. Hopefully this will create a noticeable impact on your site hits and give your advertisers pause.

Also, I have begun to compile a list of CNN advertisers and will put together a letter to make them aware of this situation unless I see results.
We demand the transcript of Davos and nothing less.
Kindest Regards,
Bill Roggio

CNN appears to be circling the wagons. Standard gutless defense.


the fourth rail

Dinosaurs at NBC think they scored a gotcha on General Mattis

This what NBC headline reads:Outspoken Marine Corps General Ordered To Watch His Mouth

Nice huh. Can't you just read the respect due a Lt. General. These aiders and abetters of world thuggery wouldn't know an order from a hole in the ground.

This is what the Commandant said:

Gen. Mike Hagee, commandant of the Marine Corps, said in a statement that "Lt. Gen. Mattis often speaks with a great deal of candor. I have counseled him concerning his remarks and he agrees he should have chosen his words more carefully." Hagee also said, "While I understand that some people may take issue with the comments made by him, I also know he intended to reflect the unfortunate and harsh realities of war."

What part of ORDER can you read in Gen. Hagee's statement?
NBC 4 - News - Outspoken Marine Corps General Ordered To Watch His Mouth

VIA Free Iraqi Blog :New Voters Kicking Butt and Taking Names

As Keith Toby Says: "Justice is the one thing you should always find You got to saddle up your boys You got to draw a hard line" and check out what the newly empowered voters of Irag have done to some bad boys for all the people to see:

Citizens of Al Mudiryiah were subjected to an attack by several militants today who were trying to punish the residents of this small town for voting in the election last Sunday.
The citizens responded and managed to stop the attack, kill 5 of the attackers, wounded 8 and burned their cars.
3 citizens were injured during the fire exchange. The Shiekh of the tribe to whom the 3 wounded citizens belong demanded more efforts from the government to stop who he described as "Salafis".

Ali comments:Well, it doesn't seem that they needed much protection!
This is such a good news and I never heard anything like it before. I consider it good even if the government forces were not there at the time to do something about it, because it shows that Iraqis are no longer paralyzed by fear from the terrorists and are able to organize themselves and defend their town when it's necessary. I believe that this is one of the good outcome of the revolution that took place in the great Sunday. Iraqis realized at that day that they're much stronger than this bunch of psychopaths that are standing in our way to democracy in freedom. I still wish the government work harder on rehabilitating the IP and building the Iraqi army."

We got too many gangsters doing dirty deeds
We've got too much corruption, too much crime in the streets
It's time the long arm of the law put a few more in the ground
Send 'em all to their maker and he'll settle 'em down
You can bet he'll set 'em down 'cause.Justice is the one thing you should always find

Keith Toby Beer For My Horses

Free Iraqi

Gen Mattis says its fun to shoot radical Islamic fascists who abuse women. CAIR has a hissy. Seethes

CAIR, America’s largest Muslim civil liberties group, called on the Pentagon to discipline General Mattis for his comments:

"Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight. You know, it's a hell of a hoot ... You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil. You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." The audience applauded the general's remarks.

LGF Comments on CAIR:

It’s mission is also to run interference for Saudi Arabia’s extremist Wahhabi agenda. Far from “encouraging dialog,” their goal is to stop all criticism of Islam by exploiting the weak-minded multiculturalism of the West.

General Mattis was very clearly saying that it is “fun” to shoot people who deserve to be shot—i.e., radical Islamic fascists who abuse women. Good for him.

Muslims Call For Pentagon Action Over General's Remarks

Captain Ed does a one man blog swarm dance on Eason Jordan's Tukus

The Skipper is doing a great job keeping Jordan's feet and tukus to the fire.

Captain's Quarters: "MSM Silence On Eason Jordan

The mainstream media has spent another news cycle ignoring the Eason Jordan scandal, where he has been discovered to have made repeated claims of atrocities deliberately committed by US troops against reporters. CNN felt that Eason's Fables could be so damaging that they took the unusual step of not only e-mailing a statement to those who e-mailed their complaints, but also to bloggers who posted on the story but never sent a complaint to CNN. (We believe they worked off of Hugh Hewitt's link list on the scandal.)

However, despite the obvious concern at CNN, they still have posted nothing on the story, not even their own statement. The Washington Post, where Howard Kurtz was rumored to have been working on this story, likewise has nothing on its pages or website this morning, more than 36 hours after it achieved national prominence from broadcast and bloggers. Likewise, the 'Paper of Record' managed to avoid recording anything on this story. The Los Angeles Times provides nothing on its West Coast pages.

What about CNN's competitors? MS-NBC gives us a goose egg. Ditto for CBS News, although that may well be a case of professional courtesy. ABC News gives Eason a pass. Even Fox carries nothing on the controversy.

Here we have the man running a major news organization who has accused the US military, on at least two separate occasions in the last three months, of atrocities specifically aimed at journalists -- and the news media remains completely silent about it? Does that make any sense to you, other than a deliberate media blackout? Hell, even Eason Jordan responded, if completely inadequately -- doesn't that make the newspaper or the web sites?

The MSM has circled the wagons. Don't let them get away with it.

UPDATE: Fox did have one mention on this from Monday night, when Brit Hume included it in The Grapevine, his blog, after apparently mentioning it on air. However, Fox has not mentioned it since, nor has it"

Eason Jordan , CNN Big Chief, Back Pedals on claim Military stalks and Kills Journalists

At a news conference in Portugal Jordan, who is making a career of claiming the U.S. military deliberately targets journalists, made this statement:

“Actions speak louder than words. The reality is that at least 10 journalists have been killed by the US military, and according to reports I believe to be true journalists have been arrested and tortured by US forces,” Mr Jordan told an audience of news executives at the News Xchange conference in Portugal."

Today, he is trying to weasel out of his statement by claiming at Carol Platt Liebau blog:

"that when he said that the journalists had been "targeted", he didn't mean to imply that the U.S. military realized that they were journalists. (That is, soldiers intended to shoot the people who were killed -- they just didn't know they were journalists.) Perhaps that's true. Perhaps. But why wouldn't he have made the point about mistaken identity clear in the original remarks?"

The blogsphere is on his case demanding chapter and verse citations to his allegations while the dinosaur old mainstream media is totally ignoring the story waiting for the smoke to blow away. Jordan's statements in Europe, to a room full of journalists who only want the very worse to happen to the United States, will provide ample ammunition to those who hardly need an excuse.

So what happened to the mother of all bloody Sundays?

Ralph Kenny Bennett on why the Thuggies were no show at the elections. Media hype and media ignorance and laziness. What a surprise.

The low level of terrorist violence came as a surprise to most observers, but in fact a combination of factors, many of them largely unreported or misreported in the mainstream news media, contributed to this happy turn of events.
"In the turmoil, through happenstance or dumb luck, they may achieve 'spectacular' hits like the possible downing of that British transport aircraft on Sunday. But their ability to have any strategic or tactical effect on operations in Iraq is gone. And millions of Iraqis, simply by walking up to ballot boxes all over the country, have removed any shred of legitimacy that may have been imputed to them by some fevered editorialists.
They are losers. Worse, they are brutal murderers and cowards, who skulked away when confronted by real freedom fighters -- men and women with smiles on their faces and ink stains on their fingers."

Hate Ideology, Anti democracy indoctrination and Fifth Columnist training now available at American Mosques and Islamic Centers

The Saudi goverment, our friends in the war against terrorists, has been busy sponsoring hate ideology in American mosques according to a report (PDF) by the Freedom House Center for Religious Life. Details in the report called "Saudi Publication on Hate Ideology Fill American Mosquess" indicate that the only reason for Moslems to be in the United States is to replace our constitution goverment with an Islamic society.

‘This theme runs through a work published in English by the International Islamic Publishing House in Saudi Arabia and apparently intended for Muslims living in the United States. Copies of this book were collected at the Al Farouq Mosque in Houston, Texas. Chapter 2, of To Be a Muslim [Document No. 31], “The Compulsory Nature of Islamic Activism,” asserts that all available political and economic systems and man-made laws are fundamentally anti-Islamic and “operate functionally to deny the wisdom of Allah on earth.” The book states that the responsibility to change these systems is “binding in principle, in law, in self-defense, in community and as a sacred obligation of jihad.” It is compulsory for every Muslim to establish an Islamic society “in every country on earth and to restore the Islamic way of life taught by all the prophets.” '

So how long before the dinosaurs in the Main Stream Media get over the shock of betrayal by the Saudi's, who are after all, our friends in the war on terror and start giving this report the attention it deserves? Don't wait. Don't hold your breath. After all, the MSM are the same people who sanitized all the film from the World Trade Towers of falling bodies crashing to their death. Doesn't do to disturb the citizens at their breakfast. Might get the idea that we are actually at war for our lives. Follow the link and read it yourself.