Yesterday, when I got the release from Jim DeMint about his request to Barack Obama for hearings on Afghanistan, my first thought had nothing to do with the substance of what DeMint was saying.
My first thought was, "Why’s he asking Obama that?"
And then it hit me: Obama is a United States senator. Not only that, he’s the chairman of a subcommittee on European affairs. I had momentarily forgotten the first fact, and I don’t think I ever even knew the second one.
Set aside for a moment the fact that it’s still a bit of a political stretch for DeMint to try to hold Obama, as European affairs chair, somehow accountable for some of our NATO allies not pulling their weight in Afghanistan — which, politically speaking, is what this challenge is about.
I’m still left marveling that it took me by surprise that someone was asking Obama to do some actual Senate work. We all have a bit of a tendency, don’t we, to think of Obama as this presidential candidate who’s more or less always (as far as we’re concerned) been a presidential candidate, rather than, say, a lawmaker.
Don’t know whether this is legit or not, but it is interesting. A friend sent me (without comment) the above video, along with the forwarded text below:
Before you click on the attachment, scroll down on this series of e-mails to read the narrative about what is going on in he attachment. It is incredible.
Scroll down and read the narrative before you watch the video…
Canadian Snipers in Afghanistan
This footage is pretty graphic and is the antithesis of the "Global Hawk"; one on one, enemy in sight, one at a time, etc. I guess the "technology" is in the weapon and the ammo and the "wonder" is in the personnel who use it.
They never saw, or heard it coming.
Canadian Sniper wiping out Taliban Snipers. In Afghanistan . These video shots are not made through the shooter’s telescopic sight… they are made looking through the spotter’s scope. The spotter lies right next to the sniper and helps the sniper to find and home in on thetarget.
The sniper is using a 50 caliber rifle. A 50 cal. round is about 7-8 inches long and the casing is about an inch in diameter. The bullet itself is one-half inch in diameter and roughly one and one-half inches long..
Pay close attention to the beginning of the video. A Taliban is laying on top of the peak in front of you… when you hear the shot fired…. watch what happens. The sniper is also about a half mile away… or more. A Canadian sniper in Afghanistan has been confirmed as hitting an enemy soldier at a range of 2,310 meters, the longest recorded and confirmed sniper shot in history. The previous record of 2,250 meters was set by US Marine sniper Carlos Hathcock in Vietnam in 1967. The Canadian sniper was at an altitude of 8,500 feet and the target, across a valley, was at 9,000 feet. Canadian sniper units often operated in support of US infantry units, which were grateful for their help.
The record lasted only one day, until a second Canadian sniper hit an enemy soldier at 2,400 meters (8000 feet).
The Canadian snipers fire special.50-calibre McMillan tactical rifles, which are bolt-action weapons with five-round magazines. The Canadian snipers were the only Canadian troops operating without helmets or flak jackets as they had too much other equipment to carry. Each three-man team has one sniper rifle, three standard rifles (Canadian C7s), one of them with a 203mm grenade launcher.
When you watch what appears to be debris see if it isn’t a body flying after being hit.
There’s no original source cited, so I don’t know that clip’s provenance. Nor do I know whether my friend who sent it thought it was horrible, or cool, or what.
But I did have some questions watching it, such as:
I knew that a .50-cal. sniper round packed a lot of energy, but can it really throw a human body that far?
If this is really through a spotter’s scope, why are the bodies or debris or whatever being thrown sharply to the left? Wouldn’t the spotter be close to the shooter? The sound of the shot (assuming that’s not dubbed) occurs far before the impact is seen, which suggests the shooter is right next to the camera. The movement of the target after impact makes it look like the shooter is far off to the right, maybe at the third angle of an equilateral triangle, which would mean we’d hear the sound AFTER seeing the impact.
And now you might have a question for ME, which is, if I have so many questions, why pass it on? Why, because it’s interesting, and intriguing. Also, who knows — y’all might have some answers to my questions.
FYI, here’s another clip that purports to be about Canadian snipers:
Kids have Christmas, and Lindsey Graham had his recent road trip with John McCain and Joe Lieberman to Iraq, the Mideast and Europe. To a foreign policy wonk, what could be better? I’d like to have been along myself.
Basically, he got to be at the elbow of the guy who, as he put it, has a 50-50 chance of being president
next time he talks to these foreign leaders, only under circumstances without all the formal bull you have to deal with traveling with an actual president.
Anyway, as this clip begins, he is giving his enthusiastic assessment (which now that I look back at the video, sort of stands in contrast to the merely polite description he gave of Gov. Sanford) of Nicolas Sarkozy of France, and goes on from there. This was near the very start of our meeting.
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile, This day shall gentle his condition:
And then, our own latter-day Harry expressing the same sentiment:
"It’s nice just to be here with all the guys and just mucking in as one of the lads."
Oh, well. The real Henry V might have said it much the same way, the Bard notwithstanding.
This morning, I turned out for a campaign announcement by John McCain, and realized when I got to the State Museum that I should have dressed better — or at least shaved. He was there with four admirals, representative of the 110 admirals and generals who are endorsing his campaign.
It wasn’t just the brass; there were some impressive people from the ranks as well. Command Sergeant Major James "Boo" Alford, formerly of the U.S. Army Special Forces and veteran of Korea and Vietnam, was among them. That’s him pictured below with Tut Underwood, P.R. guy for the museum.
Here’s video from the event:
And here’s an excerpt from the release (which you can read in its entirety here):
Today over 100 retired admirals and generals endorsed John McCain for President of the United States at a press conference in Columbia, South Carolina. These distinguished leaders supporting John McCain come from all branches of the armed services and include former POWs, Medal of Honor recipients and former members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
John McCain was joined today in Columbia by five distinguished military veterans: Admiral Leighton "Snuffy" Smith, USN (Ret.); Vice Admiral Mike Bowman, USN (Ret.); Rear Admiral Tom Lynch, USN (Ret.); Rear Admiral Bob Shumaker, USN (Ret.); and Major General Stan Spears, USA, Adjutant General of South Carolina.
"This nation is at war and we’d better damn well understand that fact," said Admiral Leighton "Snuffy" Smith, USN (Ret.). "John McCain understands it, and he is the only candidate that has not wavered one bit in his position regarding the importance of victory in the war against Islamic extremism or in his commitment to the troops who are doing the fighting. He has consistently demonstrated the kind and style of leadership that we believe is essential in our next Commander in Chief. Our nation faces a growing array of serious foreign policy challenges. John McCain is the ONE candidate who, in our view, truly understands the strategic landscape and is fully prepared to deal decisively and effectively with those who wish to be our friends and, importantly, those who wish us harm."
The event was held on the museum’s fourth floor. Sen. McCain and the admirals stood behind a twisted
steel beam from the World Trade Center — what you might call a way of focusing civilians’ minds on what’s important. (Inset, at right, you see Green Diamond opponent and McCain supporter Robert Adams and his kids by the beam.)
Anyway, when the event was over, I paused only to grab a quick coffee before going straightaway to get a nice short, regulation haircut. Next time, I’ll be ready.
Yesterday at Rotary, one of the preliminary speakers told an anecdote, the punch line of which was one I’ve heard a number of times recently: "If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you’re reading it in English, thank a soldier."
I can assure you there was no ill intent toward anyone in the mind of the person who said that Monday. He simply meant to express the obligation that all of us owe to those who have worn the uniform of our country, and I agree with the sentiment. As for the actual words… well, as tends to happen during meetings, my mind starting riffing on what I’d heard, and it launched on two tracks. The first was that it seems that I started hearing that bit about "reading it in English" repeated more often about the time illegal immigration became such an emotional issue in this country. I suspect that I’m wrong; I’m sure I just started noticing the phrase, and hearing vague xenophobic echoes that weren’t really there, at about that time. After all, the two issues have no actual connection. Then I went down the second track: Is there any soldier alive today who fought in a war that prevented a situation in which we were likely to be speaking any language other than English? I started running through all the wars in my mind. Certainly we’d still speak English if we’d lost in 1783 or 1812. Maybe the Southwest was changed by the war with Mexico, but those guys have been dead a century and more. Certainly the world would be wildly different had we lost in 1919 or 1945, or the Cold War, but I suspect we’d still speak English — although maybe the REST of the world wouldn’t have switched to the English standard…
Anyway, all this nonsense was swept away when the main speaker stepped to the podium. It was Sgt. José Muñoz, United States Army. (That’s him in the video above. I apologize for the quality; I shot it with my phone.) The first words out of his mouth were to beg forgiveness for his strong accent. He had been born in Mexico. He became a U.S. citizen earlier this year. He has done two combat tours in Iraq, and is about to go to Afghanistan. He joked that he joined the Army hoping to see more of THIS, his adopted country, but has seen little outside of Fort Bragg, while he has been all over Iraq, first with artillery, and later with convoy security.
Sgt. Muñoz was visiting us as part of the Pentagon’s "Why We Serve" speakers program. (That’s his official portrait below at left, much better than my phone version.) He said he didn’t fully understand at first why he was going to the Pentagon. He had never been there
before. They just told him to show up in his Class A’s, so that’s what he did.
There was no particular political message other than the usual grousing about how "the media" always tell you the bad stuff that happens in Iraq. I just sat impassive through that, the way I always do (something that’s made easier by the fact that I know exactly what he means, and I know it has nothing to do with me). He had just come to tell why he, José Muñoz, is a United States soldier. He told of how, when he went into Iraq in the 2003 invasion, the Iraqi civilians treated him and his comrades like rock stars. Specifically, he said he felt like Ricky Martin. Later, it was more neutral, he said — they were looked upon just as a fact of life.
He also wanted to let everyone know that despite the fact that convoy security is extremely hazardous, his unit did not lose a single soldier during that deployment.
In response to a question that seemed to lead in this direction, Sgt. Muñoz volunteered the fact that his family came to this country legally. So that pretty much spoiled any pious little sermon I might offer on the immigration issue, seeing as how the angry people all insist that they don’t mind immigrants as long as they have their papers, and probably believe that if Sgt. Muñoz didn’t have his papers, he’d be essentially a different person (a sort of thinking I don’t follow, but that’s why I don’t get why this issue is as hot as it is).
In any case, suffice it to say that Sgt. Muñoz received a standing ovation. All present seemed to feel privileged to be in his presence.
Maybe we should add a corollary: "If you’re reading it in English as a second language, thank a soldier." I certainly made a point of thanking Sgt. Muñoz after the meeting. To me, and I believe to my fellow Rotarians, he’s a much bigger deal than Ricky Martin.
It’s an ABC News clip about a Marine staff sergeant surprising his young daughters upon his return from Iraq. It’s an evocative piece of video, and it stirred Rusty DePass to share this with us:
I can sympathize. I got my boy back from Afghanistan yesterday for 2 weeks. Nothing quite so dramatic but we are glad to have him home. During the next 2 weeks I think his Momma is planning to celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, St. Patricks Day, and any other holidays she can think of.
Here’s wishing a joyful Chrismukkah, and many more such to come, to the DePass family, and my God bless all who serve, and their families.
Please join Senator John McCain at 5:00pm on Friday, November
2nd, 2007 in honoring the memory of Lance Corporal Joshua L. Torrence, USMC.
Joshua graduated from White Knoll High School in Lexington, SC where he made a
name for himself both in the classroom and on the football field. He was the
epitome of a leader and a true team player. Following his graduation in 2003,
Joshua selflessly answered the call to duty. He enlisted in the United States
Marine Corps and was deployed to Iraq. As those who knew Joshua will tell you,
it was no surprise that he volunteered to be transferred to Fallujah, where some
of the fiercest fighting of the war was taking place. Sadly, he lost his life
while on patrol on March 14, 2005.
Because of their love of Joshua and their gratitude for his
service and sacrifice, members of the White Knoll High School community have
united in a remarkable way. They have organized a massive grassroots campaign
in order to raise the $150,000 necessary to name the high school’s new field
house in Joshua’s honor. Senator McCain will be attending the November 2nd
ceremony which will take place prior to the White Knoll vs. Lexington football
game. Additionally, four of the 9/11 FDNY firefighters, who also play on the
FDNY football team, are flying to South Carolina to help honor Joshua’s
service.
Please join Senator McCain in supporting this
wonderful cause. Your financial support is much appreciated. This
event is non-political and 100% of the proceeds will go directly towards the
memorial field house. To learn more about Joshua and how to help the community
accomplish their goal, please visit the following:
News coverage about the effort: http://youtube.com/watch?v=9AshUXXQoQw
Which reminds me that I had meant to bring your attention to this editorial in the WSJ yesterday. It
was an editorial about the awarding of the third Medal of Honor in the war. It was presented to the family of Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy, a Navy SEAL who was killed in Afghanistan in 2005. An excerpt:
The SEALs were at a tactical disadvantage and became pinned down in a ravine. Lt. Murphy, already wounded, moved out from behind cover, seeking open air for a radio signal to place a rescue call. He was shot several more times in the back. He dropped the transmitter, picked it back up and completed the call, and then rejoined the fight.
Only one of the four SEALS in the team would get out alive. Lt. Murphy was not one of them. The Journal’s conclusion:
In Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. military is almost spoiled for choice when it comes to such instances of heroism and sacrifice. It is regrettable that these volunteers are too often rewarded with indifference by the U.S. political culture, where "supporting the troops" becomes nothing more than a slogan when there is a score to settle. The representative men in this war are soldiers like Lt. Murphy.
Thank God for Lt. Murphy and those like him. And may God send solace and strength to his family. Those are his parents, Maureen and Daniel, below, with Navy Secretary Donald Winter at left.
I’m weary of seeing news stories about wounded soldiers and assertions of "support" for the troops mixed with suggestions of the futility of our military efforts in Iraq. Why aren’t there more accounts of what the troops actually do? How about narrations of individual battles and skirmishes, of their ever-evolving interactions with Iraqi troops and locals in Baghdad and Anbar province, and of increasingly resourceful "patterning" of terrorist networks that goes on daily in tactical operations centers?
The sad and often unspoken truth of the matter is this: Americans have been conditioned less to understand Iraq’s complex military reality than to feel sorry for those who are part of it.
By BRAD WARTHEN Editorial Page Editor BACK IN the days of sailing ships, there arose a reassuring naval ritual: The captain would gather his midshipmen on the quarterdeck at the same time each day to “shoot the sun” with their sextants. The object was to establish the time — noon — and the ship’s location on the globe. It also fixed the positions of that captain and those aspiring officers in their societies and in history. At noon on the eve of the sixth anniversary of the attacks on America, I tried shooting The Associated Press for a fix on where we are as a nation. Searching for “9/11,” I got 23 hits within the past 24 hours. Here are a few of them:
Right here in Columbia, S.C., “First responders and relatives of victims of the 2001 terror attacks were to gather” for a ceremony in which they would sign a steel beam traveling the country. It would “be used in the construction of a museum at the site of the World Trade Center.”
Security improvements at the Pentagon have left it “less the office building it was and more a fortress. A burgeoning police force has been given state-of-the-art capabilities to protect against a chemical, biological or radiological attack. Stricter access is being imposed, with fewer vehicles able to drive or park close to the building. Structural improvements allow the building to better withstand blast and fire.”
Three photographs showed the wares of Afghan carpet sellers in Kabul who sell crudely woven woolen images of the planes crashing into the Twin Towers. The captions are wondrously vague, failing to make it clear whether the commemorations are sympathetic or celebratory: “An Afghan carpet seller chats with a friend, not seen, as a small hand-made carpet is seen on the ground featuring the attacks of September 11, 2001 on the World Trade Center….”
“Felicia Dunn-Jones, who died just five months” after she inhaled part of “the toxic dust cloud that enveloped lower Manhattan,” was for the first time about to be mourned officially as the 2,750th victim of the attacks. The story goes into the acrimony surrounding the treatment of those who fell ill after that day.
There was also coverage of a commemorative march, a psychology feature on how survivors of the attacks have become more “decisive” in their daily lives, a story that speculated whether Rudy Giuliani’s mob-busting resume was as important as his 9/11 image to his political future (no, said one expert), and some baseball linescores that happened to contain the numbers “9” and “11.” A group of midshipmen trying to reconcile these varied readings would have trouble finding their way. So as captain of this column, I decided to point my sextant at one point, and call it noon:
Under the rather oblique headline, “But Fear of Attack Persists,” I read that a new Washington Post-ABC News poll had found that “Six years after the Sept. 11 attacks, public opinion on terrorism is delicately balanced between confidence and caution.”
Some balance: “While 83 percent of Republicans say the U.S. campaign against terrorism is going well, only 37 percent of Democrats agree.” Finally, a solid, accurate reading. I know exactly where I am — drifting in the American homefront doldrums, where the state of the world is a matter of partisan interpretation, a place where “Just one-quarter say the nation is ‘much’ safer than six years ago, 15 percent express a ‘great deal’ of confidence in the government’s ability to prevent attacks, and 8 percent say the fight against terrorism is going ‘very’ well. By contrast, two-thirds worry ‘a great deal’ or ‘somewhat’ about major terrorist attacks.” I find I want to set all the canvas my masts and spars will bear, to sail this ship as far from this place as I can get, as quickly as it can go. And I’d like to take the rest of my country with me. When I contemplate the schizophrenic responses of my fellow Americans even on something so basic and simple and existential as whether they think they are “safe” or not, I think almost any point in time would be better than this noon in this place. For instance, I’d prefer to be in the United States of September 2001. At that time, with the shock of horrific events fresh, we were too wise to be partisan. We saw ourselves as having a shared destiny, which we did (and do). Then, the opportunities of the past six years had not yet been missed. We still had the chance to take our NATO allies up on a joint fight against terror. The president of the United States had a golden opportunity to enlist us all in changing our lives to meet this challenge, particularly with regard to our dependence on foreign oil. Osama bin Laden had not yet slipped away from us at Tora Bora. The various opportunities to secure Iraq quickly and early had not been blown. No one had stood before a “Mission Accomplished” banner. We had not heard of Abu Ghraib. The Golden Mosque was still intact. Most of all, Americans of both political parties were united with us independents in wanting our country to succeed on the foreign battlefields where our troops fight real battles, ones in which life and death are not metaphors, and are immune to political interpretation. Just above my search results I see a banner on The Associated Press Web site and I click on it: “Gen. David Petraeus went before a deeply divided Congress on Monday, the commander of 165,000 troops heckled and attacked by anti-war critics before he began to speak. ‘Tell the truth, general,’ shouted protesters as the four-star general made his way into the crowded hearing room.” My God. Check your sextants again, young gentlemen. How did we ever get this far off course?
By BRAD WARTHEN EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR BARACK OBAMA was right to threaten to invade Pakistan in order to hit al-Qaida, quite literally, where it lives. And as long as we’re on this tack, remind me again why it is that we’re not at war with Iran. OK, OK, I know the reasons: Our military is overextended; the American people lack the appetite; the nutball factor is only an inch deep in Iran, and once you get past Ahmadinejad and the more radical mullahs the Iranian people aren’t so bad, but they’d get crazy quick if we attacked, and so forth. I can also come up with reasons not to invade Pakistan, or even to talk about invading Pakistan. We’ve heard them often enough. Pakistan is (and say this in reverent tones) a sovereign country; Pervez Musharraf is our “friend”; we need him helping us in the War on Terror; he is already politically weak and this could do him in; he could be replaced by Islamists sufficiently radical that they would actively support Osama bin Laden and friends, rather than merely fail to look aggressively enough to find them; fighting our way into, and seeking a needle in, the towering, rocky haystacks of that region is easier said than done, and on and on. But when you get down to it, it all boils down to the reason I mentioned in passing in the first instance — Americans lack the appetite. So with a long line of people vying to be our new commander in chief, it’s helpful when one of them breaks out of the mold of what we might want to hear, and spells out a real challenge before us. Most of us believe that the baddest bad guys in this War on Terror have been hiding in, and more relevantly operating from, the remote reaches of western Pakistan ever since they slipped through our fingers in 2001. The diplomatic and strategic delicacy that the Bush administration (contrary to its image) has demonstrated with regard to the generalissimo in Pakistan has been something to behold. Now we see this guy we have done so much, by our self-restraint, to build up on the verge of collapse. We could end up with the crazy clerics anyway, or at least a surrender to, or sharing of power with, Benazir Bhutto. But even if all the conditions were right abroad — even if the mountains were leveled and a new regime in Islamabad sent our Army an engraved invitation along with Mapquest directions to bin Laden’s cave — we’d still have the problem of American political shyness. Same deal with Iran. In the past week a senior U.S. general announced that elite Iranian troops are in Iraq training Shiite militias in how to better kill Americans — and Sunnis, of course. So it is that the United States is asking the United Nations to declare the Revolutionary Guard Corps — less a military outfit than a sort of government-sanctioned Mafia family, with huge legit covers in pumping oil, operating ports and manufacturing pharmaceuticals — a terrorist organization. What is the response of the Revolutionary Guards to all this? Well, they’re not exactly gluing halos to their turbans. The head of the Guard Corps promised that “America will receive a heavier punch from the guards in the future.” General Yahya Rahim Safavi was quoted in an Iranian newspaper as adding, “We will never remain silent in the face of US pressure and we will use our leverage against them.” And the United States is engaged in debate with other “civilized” nations over what names we will call these thugs. The world’s strongest nation — its one “indispensable nation,” to quote President Clinton’s secretary of state — ought to be able to work up a more muscular response than that. If we hadn’t gained a recent reputation for shyness, all we’d really have to do with those muscles is flex them. The one thing I liked about George W. Bush was that he was able to convince the world’s bad guys (and a lot of our friends, too, but you can’t have everything) that he was crazy enough to cross borders to go after them, if they gave him half an excuse. This worked, as long as the American people were behind him. If only the next president were able to project similar willingness to act, and be credible about it. A saber rattled by such a leader can put a stop to much dangerous nonsense in the world. But does the will exist in the American electorate? Not now, it doesn’t. When Obama said his tough piece, the nation sort of patted its charismatic prodigy on his head and explained that he was green and untested, and was bound to spout silly things now and then. (Rudy Giuliani, to his credit, said Obama was right. Others tut-tutted over the “rookie mistake.”) While we’re thinking about who’s going to lead the United States, maybe we’d better think about whether America will follow a leader who says what ought to be said — whether it’s on Iraq, Pakistan or Iran, or energy policy. Will we follow a president who tells us we should increase the price of gasoline rather than moaning about how “high” it is? How about a president who says we’re going to have to pay more for less in Social Security benefits in the future? Winning in Iraq and chasing down bin Laden are not necessarily either/or alternatives. This nation is large enough, rich enough and militarily savvy enough to field a much larger, more versatile force. Can you say “draft”? Well, actually, no — within the context of American politics with a presidential election coming up, you can’t. Not without being hooted down. That crowd of candidates is vying to lead a crippled giant. And the giant, sitting there fecklessly munching junk food and watching “reality” TV, can only blame himself for his condition.
Southern Afghanistan 16 AUG 2007 Dear Family and Friends: Well, three months, 25% of the deployment has passed and Team Swamp Fox is doing very well and making measurable progress mentoring the Afghan National Police (ANP). Since we began combat operations in our AO we have only had one day off. There is a great deal of work to be done and much terrain to be covered. There has been so much that has happened since my last update I am finding it very difficult to begin.
What follows is a series of pictures from numerous missions over the past several weeks which illustrate the challenges the Government of Afghanistan (GoA) faces in eliminating Taliban and Al Qaeda without and the corruption within. I am encouraged each day by my fellow Swamp Fox teammates as well as my ANP counterparts. As you know from my previous emails the ANP is struggling to clean its house of those that would rape, steal and murder the population they are charged with protecting. One of the most encouraging signs developing here is the team of ANP “Regulators” that Team Swamp Fox is mentoring. This is only one of our many responsibilities working with the ANP.
The Regulators are established to receive additional specialized training to exemplify the high standards that should be present in the ANP and be the enforcement of those standards on other ANP throughout the Province at the direction of the Provincial Police Chief. We know that we, the US or ISAF, cannot bring about the necessary and sustainable change ourselves. It must come within the ANP itself. To see ANP officers correcting others and being proud of the uniform they wear and proud of their service to their country gives us all encouragement. Just as impressive to us has been the devotion that has developed in the Regulators for the members of Team Swamp Fox and us for them. When the Regulators finish their training, they will then train others and those will train others and those others and so on.
As you can see from these photos we have demanded a great deal from them and they have met the challenge with each mission and with each training day and as a result security is improving….
Burn baby burn… Millions worth of raw opium goes up in smoke. It took more than a day for it to completely burn. Had these drugs not been destroyed, they would most likely have been processed for sale in the UK and US and the proceeds of which would be used to support TB and Al Qaeda.
Stacks of counterfeit US $100 Dollar bills created in another nearby country unfriendly to US interests to be exchanged into Afghan currency and used to support the TB and Al Qaeda operations in Afghanistan….
Having ANP ANA and American and Romanian Soldiers descend upon your home early in the morning can be an unnerving experience no matter your age. With every action we take we accompany an Information Operation (I/O) campaign so that we communicate the “who,” “what” and “why” we are present. By performing the cordon and search with the I/O campaign we connect with the locals and communicate the importance of their help and we send a clear message to the enemy…
The Face of the Enemy… – One of the suspected Taliban fighters charged with
possession of illegal weapons, ammunition, rocket and bomb making material in his compound….
One of the best parts of the job is the kids. The first thing is they remind me of my own children at home and how proud I am of them. When seeing and
speaking with the children and knowing the environment they are growing up in how could you want anything else that for them than to have a secure and peaceful place in which to grow and learn. The girl’s school, which of course did not exists when the Taliban were in charge, is doing a fantastic job and the courses in both the boys and girls schools look very familiar and remind me of the challenges I had with such subjects as chemistry, algebra, physics and geometry. They are also being taught English and they are all too proud to share their knowledge as they point and say “bird” or “boy.”…
We all are privileged to serve our Country in this way. As do all who are deployed away from home, we miss our families and friends and we hope with each days work that it in some way merits the loss of our time with our families … that our work is making a difference. Even more so for those who have given all their tomorrows for this cause, we commit ourselves every morning to making sure that we leave this place better than we found it so that this place, Afghanistan, will never again be a place that exports the terrorism we saw visited upon our Nation on September 11, 2001. We have not forgotten why we are here.
He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust. Psalm 91 Cheers, J
Fridays are ridiculously busy and long in Editorial, so even though I had received this PDF file from our correspondent "MacGyver" operating out of Kandahar early this morning, I’m just getting to posting it now. To read all of it, with all the pictures, call up the full file. In the meantime, here are excerpts:
27 JUL 2007 Dear Family and Friends: I hope all is well. Here, this mission is proving to be all that we anticipated and more. Team Swamp Fox had been trained to serve as Embedded Tactical Trainers (ETTs) for the Afghan National Army (ANA) but when we got here we were tasked as ETTs for the Afghan National Police (ANP). Team Swamp Fox is spending most of its time training and mentoring the ANP to be able to defeat TB and Al Qaeda attacks and secure and maintain peace and security after we leave….
Our mission has moved into the execution phase in one of the most difficult areas in country and working with the most challenging indigenous force to mentor. Team Swamp Fox is one of the first mentor teams to work with the ANP in the 205th Corp area – otherwise known as RC South – Southern Afghanistan. A new man replaced the previously arrested Provincial Police Chief (PPC) by the name of Gen. Yacoub. Gen. Yacoub was formally an ANA Kandak Commander and has the military experience needed in the Province. He has tremendous challenges ahead and has a staff not of his choosing some of which has very close ties to the TB. Team Swamp Fox has traveled most of the province making assessments of the various District Police Chiefs and Ring Road (Hwy 1) Check Point commanders. I have sent photos of these travels in previous email photo updates. Essentially, we found some semi-good ones but many others who steal from the local population, kidnap and hold young boys as sex slaves, assist the TB with food, water and equipment, actively assist in emplacing improvised explosive devices (IEDs), assist the TB in hiding the weapons caches. As part of the insurgency the TB will commit atrocities on the local population in ANP uniforms to undermine the people’s support of the Government of Afghanistan (GoA). One of our challenges will be separating the good from the bad….
This MAJ Shay Pallan (translated his name means Lion Leopard) [Pictured above]. MAJ Pallan has been in combat for 25 years and formally a Mujahadeen Tank Commander. MAJ Pallan and I hit it off and got along real well almost right away. Despite his countenance in this photo, he has a great sense of humor and understands military discipline and its importance on the battlefield. Most importantly, he makes sure his policemen/soldiers have what the need. That brings me to another point… Although these guys are called policemen, the really don’t do police work like we understand it to be. The are no statutes to enforce and they essentially are a domestic security force that operates more militarily to defeat the TB – Al Qaeda insurgency – which is good for us because we are not policemen and can’t teach that but we can teach them military tactics to increase their survivability….
Civilians are always a primary concern for us and the TB all too often use civilians as a shield, a violation of the law of war…(not that such a violation would be a concern of theirs). In many cases they will fire upon Coalition and Government of Afghanistan (GoA) forces from buildings containing civilians. This young boy handled those sheep like a master – he was moving his sheep through the area we were operating and I took a moment to speak with him and provide him with a bottle of water….
I love the Sat-phone – anytime anywhere – well anywhere outside – because the antenna has
to be outside – I can call anywhere in the world… I think of my family who has fought in previous wars… and what kind of communication they have had or not have had… to be so far in the middle of no where and simply dial a few numbers and speak to your loved ones keeps you connected to home…
They were so proud when they returned – they turned on their blue lights and sirens and paraded through the streets of Qalat – they were very proud of their hard work and felt honored to be working with Americans… the ANP has been largely left alone without supervision or oversight and the increased focus on the ANP will replicate the ANA success of the past… The ANP seemed to be very devoted to the work and desirous of being a professional force… as you can see we have a lot of work to do … but they are ready for the hard work ahead…
[This goes with picture below] I told them how proud Team Swamp Fox was to be working with them but it is up to them to secure their country – they have to want it and be willing to give everything for it… we would be with them side by side as we were in this operation but if “Asadi” (Freedom) is what they want for their Country then it is ultimately up to them, the ANA and the people of Afghanistan…
Thank you for your continued prayers. The Team is doing very well and making a difference for the American and Afghan peoples. The Taliban and Al Qaeda cannot and will not be able to train and export terrorist activities from Afghanistan. As a soldier here, I hope that our nation will not wait and allow Pakistan to become the next Afghanistan.
While our work at times may involve direct action against the enemy, we achieve our biggest victories by building relationship with the people. And that takes time… lots of it….
A child’s heart is a loving heart… The children are always the first to great us and they have no doubt been conditioned a bit as US soldiers at times give treats while they pass but it always reminds me of my alma mater’s, the University of South Carolina’s motto – “Education humanizes the heart and does not permit it to be cruel.” I have never seen that pronounced so clearly and with such exclamation as when I pass each day and village and people here. And I believe the converse of that is true. A heart of hatred has to be trained and conditioned to hate… Those that would follow the Taliban and intentionally kill themselves and those completely innocent with them have to be taught to hate us and others like us. Despite our different languages and cultures and vastly different wealth… as peoples those things really important in life we share. The value of our families and our communities and a desire for the opportunity for our families to live and grow in a safe, healthy, peaceful and secure environment.
Here’s another of Capt. James Smith’s PDF updates to family and friends back home, from Kandahar Airfield, a forward base in the fight against the Taliban.
The photo above, taken on Saturday, shows him and "Ink" on the hood of his M114 Up-Armored Humvee.
From:James Smith Sent:
Thursday, June 14, 2007 10:24 AM To: Warthen, Brad – Internal
Email Subject: RE: Checking
in
Brad:
Thanks for the email — I have several
updates in the works – they seem to come in spurts as time
permits…
…
Its has been round 124 degrees these days — lots happening lately — and
definitely a lot to write about… Just saw some Portuguese commandos returning
from Helmand – they got ambushed on the road returning to KEF at a distance of
10 to 20 meters — one RPG round went through the passenger window – the tail of
the rocket glanced off the metal from the door frame redirecting the rocket
through the front window ballistic glass — shrapnel tore up the front
passenger’s face and neck and slightly wounded the driver – they will be ok…
yesterday [an ISAF soldier] was killed by a suicide bomber in Kandahar and a bunch of
other stuff that I am not sure gets back there — we have now deployed several
teams and more are heading out soon.
I have missed being at the House —
I look forward to returning — I think it will be hard… Hard to listen to
some of the same excuses for not doing so many of the things that need to be
done … could go through the list but you know them all…
Capt. James Smith of Columbia, with whom I spoke yesterday, is spending his off-hours in the hooch at Kandahar Airfield sending pictures and notes to family and friends back home, and is kind enough to include me on the list.
I will continue to share them with you,
as a way of helping us all remember what these guys are going over there for us. Chuck Crumbo is there covering the main body of the 218th at Camp Phoenix. I can’t hope to match that kind of immediacy from my desk in Columbia. But as long as Capt. Smith keeps sending them, I think his dispatches will provide a very different view of a very different mission.
Capt. Smith is a member of a small team that will be embedded with an Afghan Army unit near Kandahar — the place from which the Taliban conquered the country back in the 1990s, and a place the Taliban would like to have back. As I was writing this, the AP reported from Kandahar Airfield that a NATO helicopter had gone down, and the Taliban claims "credit." I wrote to Capt. Smith to see what was going on, and am still waiting to hear back. Keep him and all the men in Team Swamp Fox in your prayers.
Here are his most recent reports. As you can tell by the sheer frequency of them, he is very pumped to be there:
The lower level of the Carolina Coliseum is not the best place to receive a phone call from Afghanistan.
I was sitting near the door of a seminar room in the Journalism school there, waiting for Jack Bass to finish his presentation before I spoke to Charles Bierbauer‘s class, looking at my Treo trying to remember what I was supposed to be there to talk about, when the thing started buzzing.
I lunged out into the hall to answer it, and got nothing but an occasional blip of sound. One of the blips said "Smith," so I got out of the building as quickly as I can. With Assembly Street traffic in the background, I stuck a finger in my other ear and talked for about 15 minutes with Capt. James Smith, who was calling on his satellite phone from Kandahar Airfield. (What, if anything, is going through the brains of people who deliberately gun their motorcycles to max volume on city streets?)
I had nothing to write on — I lost connection with him a couple more times as it was, and didn’t want to lose the contact completely, so I was loathe to run back down and get something from my coat pocket. But the gist is that he’s finally in place at the base where he and a handful of others will be embedded with Afghan Army units opposing the Taliban in that region. They were supposed to do this in two-man teams (he would work with the noncom who underwent the special training with him at Fort Riley, Kansas), but that mission profile has been expanded to eight-man teams, which seems like a smart move to me.
Of course, he said, every time he turns around there, he is reminded that Afghanistan is not the "main event" in terms of U.S. military priorities right now, so he and his immediate comrades don’t always get what they need right away. For instance, the C-130 that was supposed to take him from Camp Phoenix, where the main body of the 218th is, to Kandahar was taken away for another mission several days back, delaying his arrival.
He’s eager and pumped about getting started, but sober about the challenges. As for his initial impressions of his surroundings, my memory is at least good enough to quote him as calling Afghanistan "a beautiful country… a tragically beautiful country." He’s very aware of the hundreds — he corrects me and says "thousands" — of years of suffering by the Afghan people, and he’s committed to doing what he can to improve their lot.
Needless to say, as an American, a South Carolinian, and a friend, I’m very proud of that guy, and deeply appreciative. I’m very proud of the whole 218th Brigade, it’s just that I know James.
If I were so honored as to be embedded with them like Chuck Crumbo, I would know a lot more of these fine soldiers, and it would be a tremendous privilege.
In lieu of that, I will from time to time share correspondence from Capt. Smith.
The event was held on the museum’s fourth floor. Sen. McCain and the admirals stood behind a twisted
attacks 
The Face of the Enemy… – One of the suspected Taliban fighters charged with
