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February 17, 2009
Obama OKs Additional Troops for Afghanistan
Obama approves Afghanistan troop increase
President Barack Obama has approved a significant troop increase for Afghanistan, Pentagon officials told CNN Tuesday.
The new troop deployment is expected to include 8,000 Marines headquartered from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, as well as 4,000 additional Army troops from Fort Lewis, Washington.
"This increase is necessary to stabilize a deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, which has not received the strategic attention, direction and resources it urgently requires," Obama said in a written statement.
"The Taliban is resurgent in Afghanistan, and al Qaeda supports the insurgency and threatens America from its safe-haven along the Pakistani border."
Obama added that the troop increase in Afghanistan would be made possible in part by the impending troop drawdown in Iraq.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said the original mission in Afghanistan was "too broad" and needs to be more "realistic and focused" for the United States to succeed.
"If we set ourselves the objective of creating some sort of central Asian Valhalla over there, we will lose, because nobody in the world has that kind of time, patience and money," Gates said during a recent Senate hearing.
About 38,000 U.S. troops are currently serving in Afghanistan.
The new forces represent the first installment on a larger influx of U.S. forces widely expected this year. Obama's decision would get several thousand troops in place in time for the increase in fighting that usually comes with warmer weather and ahead of national elections in August.
The additional forces partly answer a standing request from the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. David McKiernan, who has sought as many as 30,000 additional U.S. forces to counter the resurgence of the Taliban militants and protect Afghan civilians.
The new units are a Marine Expeditionary Brigade unit from Camp Lejeune, N.C., and an Army Stryker brigade from Fort Lewis in Washington state.
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Wild Thing's comment.........
I put the second write up because the first one made it look like well it was just to kissing up to the freak Obama and he has been begged to send more troops to Afghanistan well not begged but sure as hell requested and he would NOT do it.
How many months or years does it take to respond to a commanders request for surge troops?
I want the credit to credit to go to Gen. David McKiernan where it belongs! God bless our troops and keep them all safe.
Also let us not foget the the ONLY cut made in the stimulus hand out socialist bill was the cut by 10% of our Military budget. What a great leader to cut the budget of our military ......NOT!
Obama who never servered a single day in uniform, Obama who even faked his Selective Service registration.
Posted by Wild Thing at February 17, 2009 06:55 PM
Comments
What I don't understand about "selective service" or the draft ishow come the so called "anti-war" democrats are all for the draft but against war. Unless it has something to do with flooding the Military with recruits who are especially undisciplined and even rebellious and it impedes the Military Effort from increasing the size and capabilities of the Military in preference to just meeting a set quota and battlefield tenacity be damned. In that Case I'd rather be in a Platoon of 40 Highly Trained and Disciplined Troops (everybody is getting training in tactics that were originally reserved soley for Infantry it's now quite routine to have a Mechanic Kicking Down a Door in a Raid or a clerk manning a .50 Cal on a Convoy) facing 300 enemy insurgents than 500 ate-up sh!tbags against the same 300 enemies. In other words Quality Over Quantity.
Posted by: JohnE PFC U.S. Army at February 17, 2009 10:28 PM
I've also been thinking of going Active Duty and re-classing to a different MOS, I know The 11 Bang Bang sounds really stupid but I'm considering it.
Posted by: JohnE PFC U.S. Army at February 17, 2009 10:40 PM
The draft produced some great soldiers. It also produced enough of the others to give us an undercurrent of dissent in the Army and Marines. LBJ's social experiment of putting several hundred thousand misfits in the Army was a real catalyst for disciplinary problems.
JohnE. Go for it if your heart tells you. There are other things to try for. Ranger and SF are other options if you qualify. I got on that kick and could not stop until I earned my Green Beret and flash. Also, don't be ashamed of anything lesser, whether it is a track mechanic, cook or aircraft crew chief. Remember that you are already starting out at the top one half of one percent of Americans just by serving in any capacity. Good Luck.
Posted by: TomR at February 18, 2009 12:35 AM
JohnE PFC U.S. Army , I agree with Tom. Do what your heart tells you to do.
Posted by: Wild Thing at February 18, 2009 06:30 AM
Wild Thing, had the missions to fly mujahideen rebels from Islamabad Pakistan to Andrews AFB (area military hospitals) during their war with the Soviet Union. After the rebs were treated with artificial limbs, they told us during the return trip to Islamabad months later in mid-80's..."My friends, we want to go back to KILL Russians!" I never forgot this nor the looks in their eyes, nor their...body odors! Now these same islamos are killing US in CONVENTIONAL jihad with RULES OF NON-ENGAGEMENT....These islamo guerillas are as fierce as Lord Temujin's - Genghis Khan's - Mongols! They know every nook, cranny, mountain ridge, cave, tunnel and GOAT!!
Posted by: darthcrUSAderworldtour07 at February 18, 2009 08:16 AM
I've just learned that my old unit, 4th Bn 23rd Inf (Stryker) is one of the units scheduled for Afghanistan. I pity the bottom feeding goat screwers who get into a firefight with the Tomahawks because they literally kick butt. HOOAH!
Posted by: cuchieddie at February 18, 2009 10:42 AM
cuchieddie, oh wow that is awesome, thanks for sharing about that. GO Tomahawks!!!!!!!
Posted by: Wild Thing at February 18, 2009 07:15 PM
