Real War News

This thread is here to correct the injustice that the jackals in the so-called "main stream" media perpetrate on the American people every day.

Those "high-minded" and "enlightened" jackasses ignore, bury, twist, spin, fold, spindle, mutilate, or out-right LIE about what is happening in OIF and OEF - what most refer to (inaccurately) as the "wars" in Iraq and Afghanistan....as if they were somehow "separate" wars.

Same enemy, different fronts.  Period.

I'll be posting links to news and articles, interviews and milblogs, but ONLY from REAL people who either ARE or WERE embeds WITH THE TROOPS, or who have or are currently serving.

Right here is where you can find the real news that you WON'T find on TV or in the papers.

The first article is from Bill Roggio's "Long War Journal".  He was "embedded with the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army in Iraq in 2005, 2006, and 2007, and with the Canadian Army in Afghanistan in 2006."

http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2007/10/al_qaeda_financier_a.php

It's a relatively short article, but nicely illustrates just how the front in Iraq IS in fact STILL the "War On Terror".

Thank you for the article, 02Cav91:

I think it is important for people to understand that we are fighting Al-Qaeda in Iraq. One of the arguments that I hear often is that we should leave Iraq because it has nothing to do with 9/11 or terrorism. Iraq is one of the most significant fronts in the war on terror.

"I cannot believe that people think that by the US being over there that terriorists won't come over here. In fact the most opportune time for them to strike here is while all our troops are over there. Our borders are wide open and our troops are spread out all over the world getting into other countries business. Where is Osama? Does Bush have dinner with him from time to time? They aren't looking for him. Every time that we hear his name, it because they are trying to distract us from the other issues. Perot and Branson almost had Osama until Bush and his cronies over there told them to get out. What's up with that?? I thought that was the original reason why the US was over there."

I got that far in that diatribe, then could take no more of the nonsense.

To the author - and the fellow-traveller who quoted her - I ask one simple question:

If fighting the terrorists over there constitutes "the most opportune time for them to strike us", why haven't they?

.....rhetorical, of course.......

More real news from Iraq.

 Pat Dollard used to be a cross-eyed, flaming liberalite koolaider - a self-described "Hollywood pimp" - until he spent some time as an embed with the troops and saw/heard/smelled the facts on the ground for himself.

Especially after he got blown up by an IED....

Since then, he runs a blog "Young Americans", where he makes it a point to post things from a sand-in-the-boots-level point of view.

Here's two videos from his site:

http://patdollard.com/2007/10/05/video-fox-iran-puts-up-bounty-for-capturing-americans/

After watching that, compare and contrast with the following:

http://patdollard.com/2007/09/05/ron-paul-iran-has-the-right-to-kill-americans-in-iraq/

It doesn't get much plainer than that, does it?

Looks like it'll be a "two-fer" tonight - the following is from Michael Totten's "Middle East Journal".  It shows a fairly typical day for the troops in Ramadi - AFTER the Surge made some MAJOR changes in what used to be the de facto "capital" of muj activities in al-Anbar.

Totten is another embed who has earned his credentials the hard way: sand fleas, dust storms, the whole nine yards as an embed with both the Army and Marines in Baghdad and al-Anbar.....

The following is a bit long - mostly because of all the pictures - but is entirely worth it, if for no other reason THAN the pix.

He documents one of the evolving missions of the troops in al-Anbar as the Surge transitions from "kickin' ass" to making sure the wheels get kicked for the Iraqis to start putting their lives back together after three decades of neglect and abuse:

http://www.michaeltotten.com/archives/001521.html

It ain't Hollywood.  It's real, and it's getting better.

$600M Vatican sized US embassy in Iraq opening delayed...but don't worry...it won't cost tax payers anymore money

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071005/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_iraq_embassy_7

americafirst said:

$600M Vatican sized US embassy in Iraq opening delayed...but don't worry...it won't cost tax payers anymore money

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071005/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_iraq_embassy_7

amfirst, if you're going to attempt to CONTRIBUTE to this thread, then at least make the slightest attempt to hold to the theme.

This is about REAL news from reporters who are NOT "Green-Zone Heros".

This ain't about "anonymous sources say" and "un-named government officials report", and it is most certainly NOT about jackass media like the alphabet nutworks, stale fishwrappers or syndicated propaganda outlets like yahell, dailykos, NYSlimes, WashPost or the rest.

This thread is about reporters who can say "I WAS THERE" and "I SAW THIS".

Got clue now, or should I peel the fur off for ya?

The first of tonight's entries is about the front in Iraq, of course, but more specifically, it's about some of the troopers who served there - some 2600 members of the Minnesota Army National Guard.

While there, their tour was extended to 22 months - more specifically, 729 days (the number is important) - but not for 730 days...which is the magic number for them to receive some extra benefits they SHOULD be entitled to.

Anyone who scans Drudge might have seen his link to the story: http://www.wcsh6.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=71741

But here's the part that ISN'T being reported - those troops are ALSO the ones who did the "...STUCK IN IRAK" banner photo that has become such a symbol of the left's indifference (or downright hatred) of the troops over there.

(h/t to Pat Dollard for picking this up)

http://patdollard.com/2007/10/06/video-national-guard-troops-who-created-john-carrystuck-in-irak-sign-denied-benefit/

Gee, I wonder if some left-leaning drone in the Puzzle Palace who was partial to jean-françois kerrì might have had something to do with the dates on those orders...?

Then again, given the mounds of regulations on that sort of thing - and the inevitable budget restrictions imposed by the penny-pinchers in Congress - that sort of shanking of the troops has been going on for...oh, only about 230 some-odd years, now.....

Those of us who have served know the drill on how THAT goes....

The next entry for tonight is a bit more straight-forward, showing point-by-point how a firefight and an airstrike in Baqubah can be folded, spindled, mutilated and spun by the various media - from cnn to All-Jizz to Bloomberg to ap to the BBC.  It was done by one of the members of ThreatWatch.org http://threatswatch.org/ - a former Marine named Steve Schippert, a Gulf1.0 veteran:

http://tank.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NTFiZmRkZThkNjgyNGRkNzY2YTVkMWY2N2EyMWNhODE=

Thus is the "news" reported - REGULARLY - in the so-called "main stream" media.

Is it any wonder I felt the need to create this thread?

One of the best indicators that what you're doing on the battlefield is REALLY messing up the enemy is when they begin to focus their attacks on a particular objective...not just a feint, but where they're really trying to hit back.

You know you've touched one of their vulnerabilities when they do whatever they can to make you stop.

http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2007/10/al_qaeda_suicide_bom.php

What that story tells me is that the "Awakening" - the rising of the tribal sheikhs AGAINST the terrorists - in al-Ansar, Diyala, Salah ad-Din and other provinces, as well as the increased attacks on the NPs, IA and the sheikhs who are working with coalition troops, has the muj's peein' in their exploding underwear.

Good.

AMEN! 02cav91 Said:

What that story tells me is that the "Awakening" - the rising of the tribal sheikhs AGAINST the terrorists - in al-Ansar, Diyala, Salah ad-Din and other provinces, as well as the increased attacks on the NPs, IA and the sheikhs who are working with coalition troops, has the muj's peein' in their exploding underwear.

Good.

Why don't more people understand the "make up" of Iraq as a country? Wasn't it the Brits who put these "3 tribes" together in the first place by drawing "lines in the sand" to designate separate "nations" in the early 20th century?

Finally the sheikhs are "shakin' off" the dust of confusion and seeing the terrorists for their REAL agenda!

Excellent thread, sorry I missed it before....each and EVERY POST of yours 02cav91 makes me even MORE PROUD than ever of our brave men and women fighting (anywhere they may be) overseas.

Thanks for the kudos, biotechbabe, but I don't write the stories - the men and women who still have sand in their boots are....aided by the very few reporters who have the balls to go with 'em and actually report what they see without twisting it to fit an agenda.

At any rate, back to the war:

I posted the following a short while back on another forum, but the blogger in question has arrived at his new posting and has resumed his blog posting.

>>>><<<<

The following links are from a milBlogger who calls himself "Badger 6". Although Boise isn't exactly IN the mountains, it's still part of the Northern Rockies - where the people are scarse and the griz are hungry - so I feel a certain "kinship" with his unit.

He is a Captain in the Army Reserves, and assumed command of Alpha Company, 321st Engineer Battalion in Boise, Idaho in February of 2006.

He and his unit performed what is called "route clearance" operations - these were the people who would go out and actively SEARCH for IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices), and disarm them if they could or blow 'em in place if they couldn't.

Not an easy job, particularly since they were assigned to patrol the areas around Fallujah and Ramadi - some of the meanest, most muj-infested, deadliest turf in Iraq.

"Team Badger" - at least the troops, anyway - are now safely back here in the States, while Badger 6 VOLUNTEERED to remain behind another 10 months to pass along his experience to a new unit and their commander in their area of operations in another part of Iraq.

Here is a brief blog entry where he tells of what Team Badger accomplished during their tour:
http://badgersforward.blogspot.com/2007/09/by-numbers.html

If you want to get some small sense of what it's like to be a "citizen soldier" and get an idea of what kind of work, dedication, and commitment these fine Americans have to do prior to deployment overseas, here's a taste of the cordite:
http://badgersforward.blogspot.com/2007/09/final-thoughts-on-our-mission-and.html

The man's dedication to the Mission and his troops is unmistakable and - believe it or not - NOT all that remarkable.
ALL good commanders are like that....and there are a LOT of good commanders.

This is where he writes just a bit about WHY he chose to stay on for another tour...even if it IS as a "FOBbit" - someone who doesn't leave the FOB (Forward Operating Base):

http://badgersforward.blogspot.com/2007/10/why.html

God Bless and GodSpeed, Badger 6.
Do your job and come home with all your favorite parts still attached.
Your hard work and dedication are making the world a better place.

02Cav91,

Thank you for this thread and your contributions to it. I encourage others to read this thread and the information that 02Cav91 has provided. Here is a link to the home page of the long war journal, there are many good articles on it.

http://www.longwarjournal.org/

God Bless our troops       

02Cav91 Said:

Thanks for the kudos, biotechbabe, but I don't write the stories - the men and women who still have sand in their boots are....aided by the very few reporters who have the balls to go with 'em and actually report what they see without twisting it to fit an agenda.

That is why this thread is SO IMPORTANT as well as your diligence in posting such great information- something the liberal media avoids like the plague......

Tonight's entry is from Michael Yon - once a Greenie Beanie, now an embed freelance reporter.

I won't go into his bona fides except to point out that he is a former Green Beret, and has been embedded with Army and Marine troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and has spent more time in Iraq than a lot of the troops.
...his reporting is the unspun, blunt and honest "warts and all" type you almost never see on the evening news.

Different news media buy his stuff, ranging from National Review to the NYSlimes, but he operates freelance, funded largely by reader donations.
He's not on anyone's payroll.

His most recent "dispatch" is an up-front experience with an aspect of the war that most people don't know about - or choose not to know about, unless they're attempting to use it to demoralize the voters in America:

http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/under-distant-stars.htm

Like I said, "warts and all".

It's real, it's often not pretty, but it's what American soldiers do.

Every day.

(edited to add:

I had some trouble getting the link at the bottom of the article to open - could just be my 'puter - but I finally got it to put it here

http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/gates-of-fire.htm

Kinda long, but well worth the read...you can almost smell the cordite.)

The true irony is that while far too many Americans can tell you the names of who's on "Survivor XXIIV - Escape from Reality", how many have ever heard of men like SFC Paul R. Smith?

http://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/smith/citation/index.html

...and if you get the chance, click on the "Battlescape" tab to get more of a feel for the action where SFC Smith earned the MoH.

So the next time you hear some civilian who doesn't even have a relative in uniform - much less been in one themselves - complaining about how they're "just so tired of the war", try not to deck 'em.

A salute to our men and women in uniform from ALL wars by Ben Stein.....absolutely priceless statements about our mililtary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbVaHAKm3MM

02Cav91.....this one's for you! Enjoy

Thanks for all the posts, this is a great place to for this thread.

A REAL HERO V. AL GORE AND A BIASED MEDIA.

I just wanted to write this artice in honor of Michael Murphy, a real hero, yet the media seems to be only talking about Al Gore, Al Gore is no hero and the media and every liberal in the US make him out to be. Now that he has won the Nobel Peace Prize, " means nothing", all you will hear is how great he is, let me tell you this man is a hypocrite, most of what he has said about global warming hasn't been proven. So enough about Al Gore.

A Navy seal from long island who gave his life to save three men under his command in Afganistan is recieving a postthumous Medial of Honor, the nations highest award, President Bush announced today.

Lt. Michael P. Murphy, who grew up in Patchogue, is the first to recieve the award in Afganistan, according to the navy statement.

The medal of Honor recognizes valor in combat against enemy forces. Murphy was 29 when he died, became the first Navy Seal to earn the award since Viet Nam, and the fourth seal ever to merit the distinction.

Murphy's four man team was on a mission to find a taliban leader in the mountains of the Hindu Kush region of Afganistan when they came under fire.

Murphy was wounded, but he managed to crawl to an open area where he would be able to radio for help. He was then shot down by enemy bullets. Two others were killed in conflagration. Due in large measure to Murphy's bravery. the fourth man survived.

Murphy's parents will recieve the Medial of Honor from President Bush on October the 22nd 2007.

We need to hear more about the sacrifices of real heros than those of a pretend hereo like, Al Gore.

WE SALUTE YOU MICHAEL MURPHY, AND MY GOD BE WITH YOU.

Excellent find, btbabe....I'd caught part of that interview with Stein, but didn't know it was on YouTube.

It's also good to post it at this time - given the current uproar over Blackwater.  Stein highlights some of what I call the "Tommy Syndrome", a malady that's infected far too many Americans.  People who have yellow ribbon magnets perched right beside anti-Bush stickers on their car bumpers.

I named "Tommy Syndrome" in honor of Kipling's poem:

http://www.web-books.com/Classics/Poetry/Anthology/Kipling/Tommy.htm

Stein's delineation of the hardships for the troops' families is where it ties in with the Blackwater hoopla.  Those boys doing private security work are basically performing the same job as when our troops are pulling convoy escort duty - but pulling down a (high) 5-figure paycheck, or, in some cases a SIX-figure paycheck....for a tour that averages only six months.

That tends to make for a certain amount of "resentment" - particularly among the lower enlisted whose families actually qualify for FOOD STAMPS!  Some of the lower field-grade officers - battalion commanders, mostly - have heartburn with Blackwater because of problems coordinating operations...and they're the ones who get bit when everything drops in the pot for the private sec boys.

Thus, the jackals in the media have zero problem finding troopers who are "unhappy" with Blackwater...despite the fact that nearly all of those private sec boys are former military themselves.

VERY good find.

Patriot, thanks for the good info on LT Murphy.

Here's a link - it was going to be one of my posts here tonight anyways - to BlackFive, where they list a whole slew of good links to more background intel on the LT:

http://www.blackfive.net/main/2007/10/navy-seal-lieut.html

Truly one of America's finest, and well-deserving of our highest military honor.

>SALUTE<

...and we know WHY the algore abomination has swamped the media - they all want to "touch the robe" of the High ArchBishop of Eco-Propaganda in the Church of Liberalism.  I refuse to even ATTEMPT to follow the illogical mental twists required to somehow equate political eco-terrorism with "encouraging world peace".

Next thing you know, they'll be awarding the next one to a real terrorist....oh, that's right....arafat already got one, didn't he?

They can all go perform anatomically impossible sex acts on themselves, for all I care, just as long as WE remember that it is because of the honor and sacrifices of men and women like LT Murphy that those idiots are safe to practice their insanity.

Irony is a real mutha, sometimes....