Please watch this new video and $1 goes to Operation Homefront, a great charity for that assists our troops and their families, until they hit 30K. The song is from John Ondrasik’s Five for Fighting. The man portraying the pawn shop owner behind the counter is a Distinguished Medal of Honor Recipient from the Vietnam War, Fred Ferguson. http://www.whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com/videos/view/id/706270
Chief Warrant Officer Ferguson was commander of a re-supply helicopter monitoring an emergency call from wounded passengers and crewmen of a downed helicopter under heavy attack within the enemy controlled city of Hue during the Tet Offensive. He unhesitatingly volunteered to attempt evacuation. Despite warnings from all aircraft to stay clear of the area due to heavy antiaircraft fire, Ferguson began a low-level flight at maximum airspeed along the Perfume River toward the tiny, isolated South Vietnamese Army compound in which the crash survivors had taken refuge. Coolly and skillfully maintaining his course in the face of intense, short range fire from enemy occupied buildings and boats, he displayed superior flying skill and tenacity of purpose by landing his aircraft in an extremely confined area in a blinding dust cloud under heavy mortar and small-arms fire. Although the helicopter was severely damaged by mortar fragments during the loading of the wounded, he disregarded the damage and, taking off through the continuing hail of mortar fire, flew his crippled aircraft on the return route through the rain of fire that he had experienced earlier and safely returned his wounded passengers to friendly control.
Fred Ferguson joined the Arizona National Guard after earning the Medal of Honor on active duty.
Evan Vela is serving a 10-year prison sentence – but he may have been acting in the best interest of his country.
American sniper hung out to dry NY Daily News
On a mountain ridge in Afghanistan in June 2005, on a mission to capture or kill a Taliban commander, the four Navy SEALs were discussing … the American media. Three shepherds, including a 14-year-old, had crossed their path, and the SEALs had to decide what to do: kill them, or let them go and risk exposure to Taliban forces.
On elevated ground near Iskandariyah, Iraq, two years later, American snipers faced the same dilemma: kill or release two civilians who had discovered their hideout, Genei Nesir Khudair al-Janabi and his 17-year-old son, Mustafa.
The SEALs and snipers, facing stunningly similar situations, would make radically different choices – with radically different results.
In Afghanistan, fearful the media would report the killing of unarmed Afghan farmers and worried they might be charged with murder, the SEALs let the shepherds go. The shepherds then alerted the Taliban, who returned with about 100 warriors.
The four SEALs fought valiantly down the sheer mountain. Three, including Michael Murphy of Patchogue, L.I., died in the firefight.
Meanwhile, the Taliban downed a U.S. rescue helicopter carrying 16 special operations fighters, killing all aboard. Marcus Luttrell, one of the initial four, was the operation’s lone survivor, as he recounts in his book of the same name.
In Iraq, the snipers released Mustafa – but their section leader, Staff Sgt. Michael Hensley, considered it too dangerous to release the elder al-Janabi.
Hensley, worried that noise by al-Janabi would attract the possibly armed, military-aged men he said he saw about 100 yards away, ordered Sgt. Evan Vela to shoot al-Janabi. Vela did.
President Bush pinned a Navy Cross on Luttrell in July 2006. Vela was court-martialed. Last month, a military panel found him guilty of murder without premeditation; he has begun serving a 10-year prison sentence.
Americans should be deeply disturbed by the contrast. If Luttrell and his fellow SEALs had done what Vela did, they all probably would be alive today. The media and our military, with the latter quick to charge murder, are impeding the judgment, mission and survival of our fighters.
One of Vela’s court-martial prosecutors, Maj. Charles Khufahl, argued, “It was murder, plain and simple. United States soldiers do not kill unarmed, detained individuals.” But is it so simple?
The Uniform Code of Military Justice prohibits killing an unarmed civilian detainee – unless he represents an imminent threat. But how can we expect a soldier to determine, in a split second, what represents such a threat? Does a civilian who, if released, might bring back armed fighters qualify?
Yes, says the creator of the Navy’s counterterrorism SEAL Team Six, retired Cmndr. Richard Marcinko.
“I’d have killed them,” he said, referring to the shepherds in Afghanistan. He told me the code is “like the Ten Commandments, short and sweet and subject to interpretation.” And rules of engagement vary from theater to theater and according to mission, set by the commander for the overall operation.
Smaller units require more flexible rules because they cannot hold a detainee. Hensley testified at Vela’s trial that, under the rules governing them, the snipers were permitted to kill if they felt threatened. Yet Vela, Hensley and another sniper, Spec. Jorge Sandoval, were charged with murder.
Hensley, who ordered the kill and admitted to placing an AK-47 near al-Janabi’s body, was convicted of lesser charges, as was Sandoval. Their light sentences included short prison time or confinement and demotion.
“The strictly correct military decision would … be to kill them … because we could not know their intentions,” Luttrell writes in his book. But he feared “the liberal media … and the prospect of many, many years in a U.S. civilian jail alongside murderers and rapists.”
Most recruits are highly motivated to defend our country and way of life. They don’t sign up to be murderers. The media would have them always give civilians the benefit of the doubt. If only we would extend the same benefit of the doubt to our fighters.
On today’s battlefield, facing an enemy without uniforms and children who could be suicide bombers, our military deserves this understanding more than ever.
“The government has chased some of the finest men out of the army” by not supporting them, Vela’s father, Curtis Carnahan, told me.
Our military should have told the Iraqi government “that sometimes there are hard choices that have to be made” and that civilians will sometimes be killed, Vela’s attorney, James Culp, told me.
At the very least, Vela deserves the same light sentence given to Hensley and Sandoval.
Evan Vela made a wrenching but necessary decision. He is not a murderer.
Wild Thing’s comment……..
Our military brass makes me sick. They are willing to sacrifice the lives of 19 Americans so two Taliban sympathizers could go on killing Americans. Damned arm chair generals would rather see 20 of their own men die than kill one or two enemy sympathizers.
You can’t fight a PC war and expect to win.
Liberalism hamstrings our military, then liberals complain that their hamstrung military is in a “quagmire” and therefore must withdraw. It’s a crazy, vicious cycle, and it ultimately spells our doom. Hard decisions such as what Hensley made, instructing Vela to kill the unarmed father of a boy the soldiers had just released, are unfortunate. But they are many times necessary.
We MUST not fight a PC war.
We cannot, repeat cannot fight an antiseptic war with restrictions on ruthlessness and expect favorable results and minimization of casualties. The people putting in place these idiotic conditions have never looked at the evil in a foe’s soul as he trained his weapon on your upper torso. When it comes to combat, never give your enemy an even chance, never mind a substantial leg up.
Where the hell is our common sense as a people?
From another article that give a lot more detail about Evan Vela: Iraq’s Human Rights Minister attended the trial and made it clear what she expected:
Iraq’s Minister of Human Rights, Wijdan Mikhail Salim, however, does not see the case as either a justified kill or a horrific accident by an exhaustion-impaired soldier.
She was attending today’s proceedings, she told TIME, because, “I want to be sure that any American soldier who wrongs an Iraqi will go on trial. [Vela] killed an Iraqi man, an unarmed man. He must be punished.”
Interesting article from Capt. ED and Politico Politico has caught Barack Obama in another misstatement about his past, and this one goes right to the heart of his posing as a New Politics candidate. Working on a tip from opposition sources, Kenneth Vogel found a survey with Obama’s handwriting that he had previously denied handling. It shows that Obama himself established much more liberal positions on gun control, abortion, and other issues than he has admitted in his campaign:
During his first run for elected office, Barack Obama played a greater role than his aides now acknowledge in crafting liberal stands on gun control, the death penalty and abortion– positions that appear at odds with the more moderate image he’s projected during his presidential campaign.
The evidence comes from an amended version of an Illinois voter group’s detailed questionnaire, filed under his name during his 1996 bid for a state Senate seat.
Late last year, in response to a Politico story about Obama’s answers to the original questionnaire, his aides said he “never saw or approved” the questionnaire.
They asserted the responses were filled out by a campaign aide who “unintentionally mischaracterize(d) his position.”
But a Politico examination determined that Obama was actually interviewed about the issues on the questionnaire by the liberal Chicago non-profit group that issued it. And it found that Obama – the day after sitting for the interview – filed an amended version of the questionnaire, which appears to contain Obama’s own handwritten notes adding to one answer.
In 1996, Obama ran as a political unknown, although one with friends in high places — friends like Tony Rezko, William Ayers, and Bernadette Dohrn. He wanted the endorsement of Independent Voters of Illinois, a group in which he and his campaign manager had worked in the past. The survey was an important part of IVI’s vetting process, and Obama needed to make sure that it had the answers he needed for the endorsement.
So what were Obama’s positions in 1996, according to the questionnaire that bears his handwriting?
* Opposed to parental notification on abortions. He amended this to say that he might possibly support it for 12- or 13-year-olds, but no older.
* Flatly opposed the death penalty, a position he denied ever having.
* Supported bans on the sale, possession, and manufacture of guns, again a position he denied ever taking.
Those positions won’t even fly with a large number of Democrats, let alone in a general election. The Hillary Clinton campaign has already begun making the argument to superdelegates that Obama holds extremist views so out of touch with the American electorate that he can’t possibly win in November. The questionnaire will bolster that argument, especially on guns, where the Democrats had tried to soften their stance since Al Gore lost his home state of Tennessee in 2000.
The Obama campaign’s response to Politico has to be read to be believed:
Through an aide, Obama, who won the group’s endorsement as well as the statehouse seat, did not dispute that the handwriting was his. But he contended it doesn’t prove he completed, approved – or even read – the latter questionnaire.
“Sen. Obama didn’t fill out these state Senate questionnaires – a staffer did – and there are several answers that didn’t reflect his views then or now,” said Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for Obama’s campaign, in an emailed statement. “He may have jotted some notes on the front page of the questionnaire at the meeting, but that doesn’t change the fact that some answers didn’t reflect his views. His eleven years in public office do.”
This makes no sense at all. If Obama’s handwriting is on the survey, then he filled it out. If the answers didn’t reflect his views, why didn’t he change them when he “jotted some notes” on it? If the answers were wrong, Obama would have “jotted some notes” to that effect, rather than allow such mistakes to get transmitted to IVI. And the “eleven years in public office” defense might make sense if Obama hadn’t spent much of that time voting “present” instead of taking actual stands.
Once again, we have more evidence that Obama represents nothing more than the political winds. He has zero credibility, zero experience, and a penchant for telling people what they want to hear rather than any truth about what he actually believes. Either he lied to IVI or he’s lying now. In either case, it’s hardly the New Politics Obama has promised.
Wild Thing’s comment……..
I agree with Capt. Ed, there are some Democrats that will not lilke Obama’s answer on guns.
Obama promises the world to his sheep, but they better wake up and see what they are voting for.
The nightmare began on April 9th, 2004 U.S. soldier captured in Iraq Name: Keith Matthew “Matt” Maupin Branch/Rank: U.S. Army Reserves / Pfc – Spc – Staff Sgt Unit: Army Reserves 724th Transportation Company, Bartonville, Ill
The insurgents ambushed a convoy guarded by the 724th and took Private First Class Maupin, then 20, captive. The attack on Maupin’s convoy came Friday near the village of Abu Ghraib. They were ambushed by attackers using rocket-propelled grenades and small arms.
Arabic television station Al Jazeera broadcast a video tape that showed U.S. Private Keith Matthew Maupin held by masked and heavily armed guerrillas after being captured in an attack on a convoy last week.
“A group of mujahideen (holy fighters) has succeeded in taking an American soldier prisoner…and he will be treated in the Islamic tradition of treating prisoners and he is in good health,” one guerrilla read from a statement.
The poor-quality tape showed Maupin dressed in military fatigues sitting on the floor.
Something about Matt
By all accounts, Matt Maupin was a highly regarded young man in the small western Clermont County community.
“Matt is a great kid, and he comes from a great family,” said Dennis Ashworth, the principal of Glen Este High School, where Maupin graduated in 2001. “All of us here are extremely concerned about his well-being.”
The young man was a scholar-athlete in high school who maintained a 3.5 grade-point average while playing three years of football, mostly as a wide receiver.
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From October 31, 2005
Fort Drum Soldiers Search For Sgt. Maupin (only American soldier listed as captured in Iraq)
They kept low to the ground, their backs hunched, inching over the terrain. Some crept on hands and knees. They sifted sand in their fingers, overturned rocks and probed the scraggly bushes that survive in a desert.
The sun battered them. Out here, they seemed to move as slowly as the hours. They sought a scrap of clothing or a fragment of bone. Some really weren’t sure what to look for, but kept to the search, clinging to the faith that, somehow, when they saw it, they’d know it.
So it went Saturday, in the ceaseless search for Sgt. Keith “Matt” Maupin, a 20-year-old Army Reservist from Batavia, Ohio, who remains the only American soldier listed as captured in Iraq.
In April 2004, insurgents attacked Maupin’s convoy in the Abu Ghraib area west of Baghdad. Soon after, a grainy video turned up on the Al-Jazeera television network showing a man being held at gunpoint. The man identified himself as Maupin.
“I am married with a 10-month-old child,” he said, apparently reading from a sheet of paper. He was not heard from again.
To the soldiers of the Army’s 10th Mountain Division, who have studied his picture and read his story, finding Matt Maupin has become a quest that transcends war and peace; it is a mission that defines their values as soldiers.
“He needs to go home to his family,” said First Sgt. Joseph Sanford, 38, a native of Poughkeepsie. “. . . And there needs to be closure for his family. Those are the two things we’re trying to bring: closure to his family, and a way to send this young man home.”
Sanford’s Alpha Company of the 2-22 Infantry the “Triple Deuce” combed a stretch of land between two highways in the Abu Ghraib section. A recent tip suggested that Maupin’s body might lie here, so they parceled the tract into sections and moved systematically through them.
Thirty-two soldiers went out Saturday, 30 the day before, and 28 on the day before that. The soldiers formed a line and inched forward, scouring the ground for clumps of hair or bones or subtle mounds that might suggest movement of dirt 18 months earlier.
“The physical search is the key,” Sanford said. “It’s all hands-on. It’s picking up every rock, it’s looking under every bush, it’s turning over every piece of clothing or trash that we find out there. And we’ve found many indicators.”
They had dug 45 holes and bagged and tagged 10 items that could hold the answers to Maupin’s fate a scrap of military clothing, a clump of hair and several pieces of bones. Each will be shipped to a lab for analysis.
“They could be anybody. They might be Sgt. Maupin.” Sanford cited the Warrior Ethos, in which a soldier vows never to leave a comrade behind. Sanford said he learned the meaning of the creed from his sergeant, during the invasion of Panama in 1989.
“When it comes down to it, it’s not about fighting for your country,” Sanford said. “It’s not about fighting for their freedom over here. When it all comes down to it, it’s about the man on your left and the man on your right. It’s all about protecting their flanks and making sure they get home.”
“In the back of your mind, he said later, as the search wore on, “you’re always hoping. And the search does get stressful after you dig for three or four days, and every hole you dig comes up dry. But you keep going back. . . . You’re hoping that this is the one, and you’ll bring closure to his family and send this boy home.”
Sanford never knew Matt Maupin. He has never met Maupin’s family. Still, he thinks of them often. And among his men, most of whom are near Maupin’s age, the fate of their lost comrade is always in their minds.
Some say the tedium of the search mirrors the day-to-day grind of the war. “This is a very patient war,” explained Sgt. Bryan Hatfield, 27, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. “I mean, you may go 15, 20 patrols like we’ve been doing, and you may not see anything. Then comes that one time that you do. “
“So we may go out there day after day, time after time, scouring the grounds . . . Then comes that one time, you might find something, and it’ll be worth it. The hope is always there that, yeah, he could be here. So I’ll go and look.”
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March 5, 2006 ….more searching and with more troops
Marines assist in search for Army Sgt. Keith M. Maupin
Marines from 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, assisted recently in the search for Army Sgt. Keith M. Maupin remains. The recovery team consisted of U.S. Army and British soldiers.
Test results confirmed that several partial sets of remains that were recovered were not American. Still, Marines and soldiers were proud to take part in the search to recover Maupin.
“It is the noblest of missions,” said Gunnery Sgt. Brett A. Turek, a 37-year-old Mobile Assault Platoon commander from Hinsdale, Ill. “Fifty years from now, when we’re bouncing our grandkids on our knees and they ask what we did in the Marine Corps, we’ll be able to say this is what we did to make a difference.”
Marines searched several possible grave sites south of Fallujah. Maupin was taken captive by insurgents April 9, 2004, when his convoy was attacked near Abu Ghraib, south of Baghdad. He was shown on insurgent propaganda films and insurgents later claimed to have executed him, although the video was never authenticated.
“We exploit every single one as if it’s the one,” said Army Sgt. 1st Class James Haftmann, a 37-year-old from Charleston, S.C., assigned to Multi-National Corps Iraq’s Personnel Recovery Detachment. “But we don’t stop searching.”
The recovery team was comprised of Marines from 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Logistics Group, as well as soldiers from MNCI’s Personnel Recovery Detachment and British soldiers from the Joint Forces (United Kingdom) Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group, 32 Engineer Regiment. Maupin is the only U.S. servicemember listed as missing in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Navy Capt. Michael Scott Speicher is still listed as missing from Operation Desert Storm.
Efforts to find Maupin have been ongoing since June 2004, shortly after his capture. A total of 72 grave sites were excavated, unearthing remains. Still, the search for Maupin continue.
Haftmann said hundreds of servicemembers behind the scenes have been dedicated to recovering Maupin. Intelligence gatherers and analysts down to infantrymen and engineers pored over multiple sites, hoping each hole would yield the answers for which they searched.
British engineers 1st Lt. Chris Elworthy, Cpl. Iain Hammond and Lance Cpl. David Berry dragged a ground-penetrating radar over the protruding mounds of sand and confirmed that anomalies – disturbances – lay beneath the sand. This was the proof they sought that remains might actually lay beneath the ground.
Marine engineers were called in and began digging the sand away, scraping away the sand and shards of limestone. Marines and soldiers searched each bucket for signs of remains.
Nearly an hour into the digging, the first bones were unearthed. Marines and soldiers crowded closer, carefully combing through sand. The chugging of the diesel engines from the construction equipment nearly drowned out the Marines’ whispers and they bent closer, examining nearly every grain.
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August 9th, 2006….Matt Maupin Promoted
Keith “Matt” Maupin, the only soldier listed as captured in Iraq, has been promoted to staff sergeant, the Army announced Tuesday. Maupin was a private first class when he was captured.
The Army, in announcing Maupin’s promotion, said it is “unwavering in its commitment to find Maupin.
Until he is found, Maupin remains on active-duty status with all rights and privileges for pay and promotions, the Army said.
March 30,2008 Maupins Confirm D-N-A is from Body of Son, Missing Soldier Matt Maupin Fox News
Union Township, OH
Keith Maupin, the father of Matt Maupin, confirmed Sunday afternoon that the remains of his son, Matt Maupin, have been identified by the army in Iraq.
In a statement Keith said “We are proud of the continued efforts of the military and the army to return Matt to us. We must now work on efforts to return Matt.’
“Please keep the military and our family in your prayers.”
Carolyn Maupin, Matt’s mother said, “Thanks to everyone for their prayers and continued strength of the family.”
“It hurts after four years of hope and this is what happens it is like a let down for me and I’m trying to get thru that right now.”
“Pray. This is going to be very difficult and stay by our side in support.”
Keith says that the family was informed this afternoon about 1p-m by a three star general. The body was identified by the D-N-A remains.
From wcpo abc
n a Sunday evening press conference, Staff Sergeant Maupin’s parents Keith and Carolyn said they were told of the news around around 1 p.m. Sunday.
“My heart sinks, but I know they can’t hurt him anymore,” Keith Maupin said.
* Here is the website his parents have had * This is their Gusetbook where you can leave a message
Genghis Khan: The Greatest Happiness is to scatter your enemy and drive him before you. To see his cities reduced to ashes. To see those who love him shrouded and in tears.
Soldiers kill 12 criminals in separate operations
BAGHDAD Multi-National Division
Baghdad soldiers killed 12 criminals after a small arms and rocket-propelled grenade attack in northern Baghdad March 30.
At approximately 1 a.m., a 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division patrol was attacked, and Soldiers pursued the criminals as they fled. An air weapons team arrived on scene to provide support. After positively identifying the attackers, the air weapons team engaged and killed the 12 individuals.
“We are exercising great effort to protect the people of Baghdad,” said Lt. Col. Steve Stover, MND-B spokesman. “We are only targeting criminals and those acting outside the rule of law. We will continue to defend ourselves and the citizens of Baghdad.”
Soldiers kill 8 criminals in separate operations Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
Baghdad Soldiers killed eight criminals in separate operations late March 29 and early March 30.
While on patrol in northeast Baghdad, Soldiers from 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment encountered and engaged a three-man rocket-propelled grenade team, killing all three.
MND-B Soldiers later came under fire by a three-man gun team on a nearby rooftop. The soldiers returned fire in self-defense and killed the three criminals.
While manning a checkpoint in Kadhamiyah, soldiers from 1st Squadron, 75th Cavalry Regiment were attacked and called in a an Apache air weapons team for support. The air weapons team fired two Hellfire missiles and killed two.
“These criminals show how little they regard the lives of innocent Iraqis,” said Col. Allen Batschelet, chief of staff, MND-B. “We will continue, along with our Iraqi Security Force partners, to target individual criminals, criminal networks and anyone involved in violent crimes ignoring al-Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr’s ceasefire pledge.”
Soldiers kill 25 criminals Multi National Forces
Baghdad Soldiers killed 25 criminals in eastern Baghdad March 30.
Soldiers from 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, were traveling in a combat patrol to investigate a possible point of origin for an indirect fire attack when their Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device.
Immediately after the IED attack, Soldiers discovered a second IED in the area and attempted to secure it.
While attempting to secure the IED, they were attacked with indirect fire, rocket propelled grenades and small-arms fire from a house in the vicinity of the IED strike.
An aerial weapons team was called in to support the Soldiers on the ground. A mortar team was spotted on the roof of the house where the attack was coming from, and the AWT defended the Soldiers on the ground and killed 25 criminals.
One Soldier was injured in the IED attack.
“We will defend ourselves when attacked by armed criminals,” said Lt. Col. Steven Stover, MND-B spokesman. “We are not the aggressors, but we will defend ourselves and the Iraqi people with all resources available to us.”
Wild Thing’s comment…….. ” criminals “
Criminals? Ah that is one way to refer to them I guess, I can think of better ones though.
This must be how they are calling it now.
terrorist = al-Qaeda or Taliban
criminals = Moktada al-Sadar’s Madhi Militia
Wild Thing’s comment……..
People that are cowards show their true selves if we let them talk enough. This was said awhile back but I just now found the video that had the exact clip of what he said that I was looking for.
Of all the things about Obama that we have learned so far this tops it for me. His obvious hate for white people, to, his thinking Farrakhan is a great leader, his saying that the call to prayer for Islam is the most beautiful thing he has ever heard, his association to the Black Panthers and the list goes on and on.
What he said is no different then what Murtha said about the Marines, and what Hanoi Kerry said when he came back from Vietnam. This quote will be what should be tattooed on Obama’s forehead as a mark of the beast that he is. A quote that will stick with him for the rest of his life and into eternity. And this man wants to be President of the United States of America. God help us, America and our troops.
We have already seen in the video:
Barack Obama: There Will Be Bamboozling http://www.theodoresworld.net/archives/2008/03/barack_obama_there_will_be_bam.html
Notice the many things Obama has used from others speeches instead of coming up with his own. There is no harm in quoting someone else, but for his massive use of others quotes, speeches etc. it sure as heck shows he has no ability to discuss almost everything without the words of others. OH unless it is to call his Grandmother a “typical white person” or did he steal that one too maybe from Rev. Wright.
Great leaders, like Reagan, Chesty , Patton and others they have their own and have been handed down through the years with deep respect and admiration. This will never happen to B. Hussein Obama even his mantra of “Change” is a bunch of BS and certainly not original.
Paratroopers from the 173rd Special Troops Battalion and Afghan border police patrol the bridge between Afghanistan and Pakistan
By Sgt. Nathan Bowen, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service
173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team DOD
NANGAHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan
As part of their ongoing effort to enhance communication and cooperation, Afghan and Pakistani border security forces at Torkham Gate met with the 173rd Airborne Brigade’s Special Troops Battalion commander to address security and communication issues and the upcoming opening of the Khyber Border Coordination Center.
Preventing insurgent operations in the border area requires constant communication between the Afghan and Pakistan border forces, said Army Lt. Col. Jeffrey Milhorn, the battalion commander. He said he hopes to improve the chances of catching insurgents by supplying the Afghan and Pakistani border police with radio equipment so they can speak directly with each other.
The recent improvements at Torkham Gate, such as installing an X-ray machine to scan incoming cargo trucks and people who regularly cross the border into nationwide databases, are just some of the processes put in place to more efficiently regulate border operations.
Pakistan Army Col. Qaiser Alam stressed the importance of the Afghan and Pakistani border police and the U.S. military pooling their resources to combat a common enemy.
“A terrorist is a terrorist,” Qaiser said. “He has no nationality, no religion, no color.”
The meeting moved to the roof of the border checkpoint on the Pakistan side to take in a full view of the bustling Afghan border station across the bridge, and plans were discussed about future changes. Qaiser said he hopes for newer facilities on his side of the border, alleviating some of the burden from the Afghan side.
No paperless communication exists among the Afghan, Pakistani and U.S. forces, and although they’re only a few hundred feet apart, the checkpoints work independently of each other. Improving the forces’ cooperation ultimately will benefit both sides, officials said.
“Estimates by experts indicate that (Torkham Gate) has the potential to generate $350 million in revenue each year – money that could be put back into government projects,” said Army Maj. Scott Sonsalla, Special Troops Battalion’s executive officer. “Our goal is to improve the country through prosperity and security. Closing the border to illegal traffic does both.”
Pfc. Joe Piotrowski, with the 6th Iraqi Army Division Military Transition Team, 4th Infantry Division, dons his Improved Outer Tactical Vest March 14, before a mission in Baghdad. He said the new vest is more comfortable than the Interceptor Body Armor and has a better carrying system for his equipment. Photo by Spc. Aaron Rosencrans, Multi-National Division-Baghdad.
First Combat Test: Soldiers Field New Improved Outer Tactical Vests
Story by Spc. Aaron Rosencrans Multi-National Division – Baghdad Public Affairs
BAGHDAD
After stomping around for a few days with the new Improved Outer Tactical Vest (IOTV), 4th Infantry Division Soldiers reported both pros and cons about the new tactical gear. The new vest has several design differences and some added features, which keep the Soldiers in mind when they’re in times of trouble.
The first noticeable difference in the vest design is the way Soldiers don the IOTV. Rather than slipping into it like a jacket, as with the Interceptor Body Armor, they lift it over their head and pull down, which sometimes requires another person to help get the vest on properly.
Soldiers can also detach the fasteners on the wearer’s left shoulder, and slip into the vest from the side.
Another key design change is the addition of a quick release lanyard that reduces the vest to its component pieces, which allows the wearer to get out of the vest easily in case of an emergency situation.
Though the troops had mixed feelings about the new vest, they ultimately said they understand the IOTV is a new piece of equipment and they will work with it the best they can.
“I noticed right away how the weight is more evenly distributed with the new vest,” said Pfc. Joe Piotrowski, a native of Chicago, who serves as an infantryman with the 4th Inf. Div., Military Transition Team, Multi-National Division – Baghdad. “However, there’s more Kevlar on the inside of the vest, so it got twisted easily and made it uncomfortable.”
Piotrowski said he managed to fix the twisted Kevlar inside the vest and hasn’t had the problem since.
One of the perks of the new design was a flush front, where Soldiers have more room to attach accessories to carry weapon magazines and other necessary equipment.
“Tactically, it’s better because I have more places to put my magazine pouches to make them more accessible,” said Piotrowski. “Also, you don’t have two sides to worry about; you get to work with the whole front flap, which is nice. I like the built-in side plates as well. They’re a lot better than the other ones.”
Turner and Piotrowski both said the quick release system was a good feature to have in case of an emergency; however, it needed to be reworked to prevent it from pulling the vest apart when it wasn’t intended.
“The quick-release feature was a good idea…, but I hear it’s a pain to put back together,” said Piotrowski. “If something does happen where you’re submerged under water or something like that, it’ll be a lot better to take this vest off rather than the other one where you have to take it off like a jacket. The new system will just fall off of you.”
He added that the quick-release system should be modified so it’s not as easy to pull, just to ensure the vest doesn’t fall apart during combat operations.
Soldiers have added tape to the cord on the quick release system to prevent it from loosening accidentally.
Due to the added components of the IOTV, Soldiers now understand it’s not just their weapon and vehicle they need to properly maintain, but their armor as well.
Turner said it’s more important to perform preventative maintenance checks and services than with the old system. He explained how he had seen a vest malfunction on a Soldier while climbing into a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.
The IOTV was issued to Soldiers who initially received the IBA for their deployment and have 120 days or more remaining on their tour. For the most part, Soldiers are adapting to the new system, and they are working with the IOTV to make it better as the days go on.
Wild Thing’s comment…….
Hopefully these are more protective BUT not weigh a ton. The last I heard was that the weight of having all their gear on is around 85 pounds. Not sure what it would be with this new Tactical vest.
Dutch Parliament Member Geert Wilders has released a controversial film about Islam which some politicians in the Netherlands tried to ban. Wilders has called the Koran, Islam’s holy book, a “fascist” book that incites violence.
The film is called “Fitna”, a Koranic term sometimes translated as “strife”. In March 2006, Mr. Wilders told the BBC that he thought that 5-15% of Dutch Muslims were sympathetic to radical Islam.
“I believe we have been too tolerant of the intolerant. We should learn to become intolerant of the intolerant,” he said.
Because it is a Dutch film there is a focus on Theo Van Gogh and Dutch newspaper headlines. Wilders now requires a constant security detail due to threats to his life.
A Dutch judge is due on Friday to hear the petition of a Muslim group seeking an independent review of the film to see whether it violates hate speech laws. The petition, seen by The Associated Press Thursday at the Hague District Court, says the Dutch Islamic Federation “believes the situation of Muslims in the Netherlands today is comparable with that of our Jewish fellow-citizens in the 1930s.” The federation asked for a fine of €50,000 ($79,000) per day if Wilders airs the film, and a €5,000 ($7,900) fine for each future instance of an “injuring remark.”
The following is the two part interview that Wilders did with Fox News in January 2008:
Wild Thing’s comment……..
I hope this man is able to stay safe. I realize he knew the danger of what his film meant to himself but even so to stay silent is also a kind of death.
As long as Muslims applaud and tolerate those who commit terrorism and violence in the name of their religion, Wilders’ criticisms will continue to resonate with non-Muslims the world over.
Army Chief Warrant Officer Fred White, a Black Hawk pilot with 2nd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, demonstrates the preparations he makes before a flight March 18, 2008, at the 3rd CAB flight line in Baghdad. White lost two fingers in a 2003 roadside bomb blast and overcame his injuries to become a pilot. Photo by Spc. Emily J. Wilsoncroft, USA
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CAMP STRIKER, Iraq
March 21, 2008
When Army Chief Warrant Officer Fred White sits down at the controls of a Black Hawk helicopter, he looks just like any other pilot in his battalion. He wears the same flight suit, the same helmet and the same air of confidence – the only difference is that at the end of the day, his wrist might be a bit sore.
White suffered injuries that led to the loss of the first two fingers on his right hand in a 2003 roadside bomb attack in Iraq.
Now an aviator and communications officer with the 3rd Infantry Division’s 2nd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, White was not always a pilot. He enlisted in the Army in 2001 as a cavalry scout.
“I always wanted to be in the Army,” he said. “Cav scout seemed like a cool job. I knew I didn’t want to be infantry, but I did want to be in combat arms.”
During the second year of his enlistment, White’s unit became attached to 3rd Infantry Division for the initial push up to Baghdad from Kuwait in the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
“There was a lot of fear and uncertainty when we originally crossed the berm,” he said, “but after that, it became more of a daily routine.”
The routine included route clearance, convoy security, vehicle security, observation post setup and maintenance – “pretty much anything that needed to be done in Sadr City,” as White put it. On Sept. 5, 2003, the routine was disrupted.
“We were pulling security for the engineers that day,” White recalled. “We were on our way to the site, going down Highway 5.”
As the convoy passed under an overpass, it was hit by a remotely detonated 120 mm mortar round.
“It blew up my truck,” he said. “I was the gunner, and the blast threw me against the back of the turret. … My driver took shrapnel in the side of his neck; the (vehicle commander) lost his left thumb and his right eye.”
White — who was hit by shrapnel in his hands, legs, face and buttocks — lost his fingers as a result of the attack.
For many soldiers, that would have been the end of the road as far as a military career was concerned. But White, who fully recovered from his injuries after less than a year, decided he wanted to be a pilot.
White said that although the doctor had cleared him medically, the ROTC medic said he wasn’t fit for the Army. “So I (turned in) my warrant officer packet and was picked up for flight school.”
Although there were some who tried to tell White he wouldn’t make it through flight training, he said, his injury didn’t hold him back at all.
“Flying is more of a mental thing,” he said. “You have to be physically coordinated, but a lot of it’s in your mind. You have to think three-dimensionally to maintain control.”
One of the controls in the helicopter resembles a joystick, he explained, on the front of which is a radio control that functions through a trigger-type mechanism.
“I just sewed up the first two fingers on my glove and changed my hand position,” White said, demonstrating how he wraps his wrist around the control. “I was set on proving the people who doubted me wrong, and I adapted so I could succeed.”
White’s battalion commander, Army Lt. Col. Alex Covert, was quick to note the young warrant officer’s success.
“Fred is an above-average UH-60L Black Hawk pilot,” Covert said. “He has flown over 150 hours in combat under the harshest conditions flawlessly.”
Aside from White’s skill as a pilot, Covert also lauded his perseverance and devotion to his military career.
“I cannot describe in words what it takes for a young soldier, … wounded in combat, to not only continue to serve his country, but to take the initiative, become a warrant officer, an outstanding Army aviator and serve as a (battalion communications officer) in combat,” he said. “His selfless service is clearly an example for others to follow.”
White plans to stay in 2-3rd Aviation Regiment, based at Hunter Army Airfield, Ga., for at least the near future.
“All the experiences I’ve had in the Army have led me to where I am right now,” he said. “I have no regrets, no resentments. I know I’m lucky to still be here, and I appreciate that.”
Wild Thing’s comment…….
Thank you Army Chief Warrant Officer Fred White.
What a wonderful story of courage and dedication.
….Thank you Mark for sending this to me.
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