A date that still lives in infamy

By Anthony W. Hager

Filed Under Military on Dec 7 

It seemed a normal Sunday morning for Oahu’s military contingents. Early risers were out for morning chow, Sunday services, or the beaches and golf courses. Some would sleep in, burdened by the lingering affects of a late night. No one awoke anticipating war on 07 Dec 41. But the plan of the day changed when the first Japanese warplanes swarmed over Hickam Field, Schofield Barracks, and Battleship Row.

Within hours, well-trained Imperial Japanese Navy pilots had decimated the Pacific Fleet’s battleships, destroyed hundreds of aircraft and buildings, and killed thousands of men. The attack drove a nation still reeling from a decade of economic depression to the edge of panic. Rumors swirled and West Coast residents feared a Japanese armada would appear on the Pacific horizon at any moment. In terms of national horror, only the War Between the States exceeds Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. Read more

Bin Laden Killing: How the White House, Pentagon and CIA Botched the Storyline

By Jason Wright, Editor

Filed Under Military on May 6 

FoxNews: Bin Laden Killing: How the White House, Pentagon and CIA Botched the Storyline

Long, but absolutely worth your time.

Bin Laden dead, does this help Obama?

By David Kaiser, Editor

Filed Under Foreign Affairs, Military, Obama News, POTUS, Race for White House 2012 on May 2 

After the initial reaction dies down, does the death of Osama Bin Laden at the hands of United States commandos help the flagging Obama administration?

Could this be the foreign policy victory he needs to jump start his reelection campaign?

What say you people out there in PD land?

Another update from the Afghanistan war front

By Jason Wright, Editor

Filed Under Military on Feb 8 

Enjoy this latest update from my cousin in Afghanistan. We can’t be reminded enough that a war is still going on, even if we don’t hear it on the evening news every night.

Another day, another $3.50, one step closer to emphysema from all the dust in the air, and one step closer seeing family back home. But I digress.

I wanted to start out by relating a story we all heard today at our pilot meeting. An Army Sergeant First Class came to visit us, and told of an experience he had in 2006 when the Tiger sharks saved his life and the lives of his team in the Tagab Valley just east of Bagram. He was out on a convoy enroute to visit with a local leader to work on cutting off Taliban supply lines in the area, and while enroute they came under attack six times. By the 6th time, they struck 2 IEDs and his convoy was simultaneously taking fire from both sides. They were out of 7.62, .50 cal, and running low on 5.56 ammo, with no way to get to the disabled vehicles and care for their wounded. Luckily, the battalion commander had insisted they bring an Air Force controller with them just in case they needed air. The sergeant said that he had fought his commander on it, but he has thanked him ever since.

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The war that will not end

By Anthony W. Hager

Filed Under Military on Feb 1 

Thirty-five years ago the last U.S. soldiers left Vietnam. Yet the war continues because Vietnam’s veterans returned home to contempt rather than appreciation. Even today a celebration in their honor–held near Ft. Bragg in Fayetteville, NC no less–can’t escape the longstanding divisions. Read more

Update from the front

By Jason Wright, Editor

Filed Under Military, Outside the Track on Dec 22 

Below is another update from my cousin in Afghanistan. I’ve posted these from time-to-time and thought this week might be especially interesting. Let us all be grateful on Christmas morning that there are good men and women like Derek all around the world defending America, her people, and her allies.

I’m sure he’d appreciate a short encouraging note if you had the time.

A large group of squadron members are sitting in our new lounge, watching Christmas Vacation and reminiscing of the last time we put up as many lights as Chevy Chase for Christmas. I think it the second or third time since setting up the lounge a couple of days ago, but the movie never gets old. Or maybe it does, but it allows us to think of any quirky trait of our families, of any funny relationship we have back at home, and the corny things that make those relationships worth what they are to us.

We have received the daily gifts for the 12 days of Christmas, and they have been awesome. There is something there for all of us, and we are excited to get the remainder of the goodies over the next 3 days. The only disappointment was when we found out that the ‘coal’ was really lava rocks painted like coal, serving little/no purpose in our fire pit.

While many units here in theater are taking a small break, we are not slowing down a bit. No days off, no down time, no break from our Groundhog Day routine. But that is OK, as we would prefer to be engaged in what has us far from home at this time, and to have a mission to focus on instead of what we are missing at home with family and friends. What that means for each of you is that the call home on Christmas may not be exactly at the optimum time, or may not be of the desired length, but all should have a chance to call at some point. So please don’t tie up the lines ordering us any last minute gifts. They are not necessary.

Our new building is working out fine, although it is just like anytime you buy a house. You start to move in the furniture, and realize that it looked much bigger empty than filled with your stuff. The building has indoor plumbing most of the time, with the occasional water outage. But that is OK, we have a ‘cadillac’ close by, which is a portable shower/bathroom trailer for our camp. I used it for the first time today, and when I went inside, I could only think of Ocho or Gofur doing a Chris Farley impersonation from “Tommy Boy” when he was trying to change clothes in an airliner bathroom. Pretty small working space. But they are still better than the outhouses, which smell great during the summer. For the rest of our building, some rocket surgeon decided that white was a good color for the walls, doors, and, well everything. They are now an uneven brown color from all of the dust here. We are looking at how we can cover the brown up with some art work or something.

As the type of flying has slowed down recently, we have had the chance to go to other parts of the country, and it is a shame that a booming tourist industry has not taken hold here. Sapper and I flew north just as the sun was rising, and we could see 18-22 thousand-foot peaks off to the east, all snow-capped an ominous, but beautiful. We overflew an area of canyons and mountain lakes that resembled the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, and the rough mountains of our own country, and it made us homesick. As we fly over some of these mountainous areas, we marvel at the agricultural fields at elevations above the state of Colorado, and wonder if those farmers struggling to eke out an existence even knew we were there, or if they just assumed we were just more Soviet Aircraft from the 80s. I’m sure none of them have ever seen the effects of electricity or a telephone, and I’d bet that despite the harsh living conditions, there is a level of happiness and simplicity that is envious. But I’ll keep my flush toilets, electric blankets, and the world wide web. I guess we have to find simplicity in other ways. Like dumb jokes, dark chocolate, and cigars for many.

We hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas time, or whatever this holiday season means for you. We miss each of you, but look forward to roasting a pig in April, and not returning to this place for some time to come. But for now, we still have some unfinished business. Until next time.

Holidays in Afghanistan

By Jason Wright, Editor

Filed Under Military on Dec 2 

Another insightful note from my cousin behind the lines. Paragraph two will break your heart.

I just watched the departure of a part of our aircraft and pilots, as they work their way west and home to their loved ones, and it was not without a bit of sadness to see them leave. I know, they will probably be home for the Holidays, be able to see their wives, children, friends and other family, but they were each fantastic Attack pilots, and we were honored to fly here in combat with each of them. They will be missed, as they did great work both in the air and on the ground, and the squadron will not be the same without them here. But I am happy that they will get to spend time with loved ones, enjoy the holidays, and in their moments of silence as they cannot sleep at night, secretly wish they were back here with us.

For those family members who still have quite a few months before you see your Tiger Sharks, let me share an occurrence that happened recently here, and is not for the faint of heart. Some coalition forces were patrolling an area here recently, and gave candy to some local children. After the coalition forces were gone, Taliban thugs swept through the town and found the candy wrappers, and proceeded to cut out the tongue of all of the fathers whose children had taken candy, and scalp the mothers. All for taking candy from soldiers. Evil like that has no place here on Earth, even 9,000 miles away from home where we could all ignore it and go about our merry way, focusing on our own lives. We cannot right every wrong, and save everyone from cruelty and tyranny, but here we have an opportunity to ensure that thugs like that have few days left on this earth. I miss my family terribly, and like a few others this will not be my first time away at Christmas, but if I can make even a small difference to allow Afghanis to determine their own future without the fear of the kind of awful brutality they have been used to, then there is no place I would rather be right now.

For those of us who are left here, we will continue to act according to Shark Standard, and make a difference here in Afghanistan. We appreciate the support, the emails, phone calls, cookies, and even the ‘clothing’ for Betty, as it all helps to make the time go faster, and reminds us of what we hold dear. I am continually amazed at how well the entire squadron is doing, the judgment, composure, worth ethic, and desire to make a difference each and every groundhog day. The routine can wear on you, but that has not lessened everyone’s commitment to making the best of things and do it right. There is no other squadron in theater that is more highly requested, and the guys never let the customers down.

Until next time, I hope you have a wonderful prep for the Holidays. Our “festive stick” is up and decorated, our fire pit is blazing, and we are all slowing getting sick off of chocolate. It is awesome.

Insider’s view of the war in Afghanistan

By Jason Wright, Editor

Filed Under Military on Oct 2 

From my cousin in Afghanistan. It’s a very interesting read.

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Here is a layman’s view of the war in Afghanistan, its status, and how we are doing.

When we toppled the Taliban, it was with the alliance of a number of warlords from the northern provinces who had never held much allegiance to the Taliban and they heavy-handed ways. The first successes were in the north around a place called Mazeri-Sharif, then down into Bagram and Kabul and the surrounding towns. When the A-10s first deployed to Bagram, the airfield was still a skeleton of a former Soviet base, with hulks of aircraft strewn about, surrounded by minefields, and regular snipers set on running out yet another invader. The first operations facility was the base control tower, still riddled with bullet holes from the heavy attacks of the current war and probably the war against the Soviets. The basement of the tower was rumored to be an old torture chamber, and believe me it looked and smelled the part even a few years later.

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US in talks to sell arms to Saudis

By Contributor Archive

Filed Under Foreign Affairs, Military on Sep 13 

If this doesn’t make your head spin on a Monday morning, I don’t know what will. Apparently our government has been in talks for a while with the Saudis. The topic of said talks is arms sales to the Saudis. The Wall Street Journal reported today that the talks are moving ahead.

I know techncially the Saudis are our “allies” but it’s only because they sell us a lot of oil. I like petroleum. I like driving my car and filling it with gas and having electricty and cosmetics and fabrics and styrofoam cups at a picnic — all of those things come from oil in one way or another. Oil is a part of modern life, and I have no desire what so ever in living a Little House on the Prairie life. So I’ll keep using oil. I just have to wonder though, if we were acutally using the oil we have in our own country and also using nuclear energy and other technologies would we need to be selling arms and weapons to people that hate us? Somehow I think not.

Finally, once upon a time the USA sold weapons and arms and planes that shoot things to a little country called Iran. At the time they were an “ally” but soon they became an enemy. Will the same be true of the Saudis? I hope not, but I’m planning on it.

When is burning books ever a good idea?

By David Kaiser, Editor

Filed Under Domestic Policy, Foreign Affairs, General, Military on Sep 9 

“It tells me, that goose-stepping morons like yourself should try *reading* books instead of *burning* them!”

- Professor Henry Jones as played by Sean Connery

Let me say first, that I completely understand that Rev. Terry Jones and his ilk have the right to burn copies of the Quran, just like the Muslim group in New York has the right to build an Islamic community center near Ground Zero.

It doesn’t make either a good idea.
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McChrystal out Petraeus in

By Contributor Archive

Filed Under Military on Jun 23 

Gen. McChrystal is out, and Gen Petraeus is in.

There has been a lot of buzz and chatter on this story since it broke. I find all of the opinions as to what should have been done, what will be done and so on very fascinating.

However, the question I have is this: is McChrystal’s resignation/firing because of what he said (Obama is not doing that great of a job at commander in chief) or that he said it, breaking the tradition of keeping your mouth shut in the military? Is this resignation/firing enough? I’ve heard some suggest that he should be charged with some sort of treason as well, or should he be allowed to ride peacefully off into the sunset?

What say you Derby fans?

This is transparency?

By Stephen Fountain, Editor

Filed Under Media Clips and Issues, Military, Policy, Whitehouse News on Apr 21 

Barack Obama promised the most transparent administration in history. In his Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government, he commits to “creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government. We will work together to ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration. Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government.” The full document on openness in government can be read at WhiteHouse.gov.

I guess that only applied back when Obama still believed everyone loved him. And it certainly doesn’t apply when one of Obama’s core base groups is protesting him! Didn’t they get the memo?

Americablog posted the below video of capital police closing Lafayette Park (next to the White House) to prevent reporters from covering a “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” protest.

So, when do we get to the transparent part?

Much ado about Mullah Barader

By Jon Cordeiro

Filed Under Foreign Affairs, Military on Feb 17 

Yesterday it was announced that a joint US/Pakistan task force picked up a High Value Target in Karachi. The name of this HVT is Mullah Abdul Ghani Barader – no relation to the elephant with a similar name. Barader is evidently the Taliban’s number two man in the area. His capture – last week according to some news outlets – is the most significant HVT capture in several years.

In years past, the question of what to do with this Mullah would have been easily answered. He would have been flown to Guantanamo Bay where he would have been interrogated and pumped for all the useful information in his Islamofacist Murdering Thug skull. Eventually he would have been tried before a military tribunal, found guilty, and (hopefully) executed.

Oh, wait. I forgot about Hope and Change.
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Rate the President

By Contributor Archive

Filed Under Foreign Affairs, Military, Policy, POTUS on Dec 1 

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that most of the folks on PD disagree with Obama’s plan for Afghanistan.  Instead of focusing on why you disagree, rate Obama on the following his delivery and content. Did he inspire confidence and did he articulate a clear plan?  However, if you do agree with his plan, I think we’d all be interested in your reasoning.

Obama uses Veteran’s day to slam the pursuit of “narrow self interest”

By Jon Cordeiro

Filed Under Military on Nov 12 

One of the many duties of the President as Commander-in-Chief is to honor those brave men and women who have sacrificed so much in defense of this great nation. Most presidents have understood that duty to include leaving personal ideology out of events and holidays set aside to render said honors.

Each and every soldier, sailor, airman, and marine has an individual reason why he or she chose to serve. It is, after all, an all-volunteer force. All Americans should be proud of and render all due respect an honor to those who choose to serve in uniform.

In pointing out the sacrifices made by the members of the Armed Forces, it is not necessary to demean and besmirch the character or honor of those who did not choose to serve. The One never got this memo. During his Veteran’s Day speech at Arlington National Cemetery, he took the opportunity to honor American Veterans by slamming the very people they work to defend. Saith The One:

In this time of war, we gather here mindful that the generation serving today already deserves a place alongside previous generations for the courage they have shown and the sacrifices that they have made. In an era where so many acted only in pursuit of narrow self-interest, they’ve chosen the opposite. They chose to serve the cause that is greater than self; many even after they knew they’d be sent into harm’s way. (Emphasis Added)

Thanks a lot, Barry. Why do you think these brave men and women are willing to go into harms way? What exactly is it they are defending? Here’s the short answer: They are willing to put themselves on the line so Americans can have the freedom to pursue their “narrow self-interest”. Soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines provide the blanket of freeedom underwhich Americans can follow their dreams – where ever those dreams may take them – up to and including the realization of a profitable capitalistic venture.

Without them, the “pursuit of happiness” envisioned by Jefferson would not be possible. Most Americans understand that pursuit to include their own self-interest. I guess you haven’t learned that lesson yet.

A few congressmen walk into a bar…

By Jon Cordeiro

Filed Under Military on Nov 10 

Actually, back in 1775 they were called “taverns”. But I digress.

On November 10, 1775, the Continental Congress met at Philadelphia’s Tun Tavern and approved a resolution forming the Continental Marines. Since that day, the United States Marine Corps has become what is arguably one of the world’s premiere fighting forces. They have been first in and last out of all their nation’s battles – from the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli.

Happy Birthday, Marines.

Semper Fi.

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Calling a spade a spade

By Jon Cordeiro

Filed Under Military on Nov 10 

I spent the first twenty years of my life as a tangential part of the United States Army. This means that from the time I was born, my home was where ever the Army said it was. Life as an Army brat is the one that I had, so until I was sixteen or so my address was always prefaced by the word “Fort” or “Presidio” or the ever present “APO”.

My background being what it is, the brave men and women who wear this nation’s uniform are and always will be family to me. I say this so perhaps you’ll understand my barely controlled anger at the slaughter perpetrated by Major Nidal Malik Hasan on my family members at Fort Hood, Texas this past Friday.

No sooner had Hasan’s name been made public than the Political Correctness police fanned out on the airwaves to make sure America didn’t make a “rush to judgment” based solely on Hasan’s ethnic background. Well, dear reader, I have reserved my judgment as long as I can stand it, so I will here declare solemnly and for the record something that should be obvious to anyone with enough intelligence to read:

Major Nidal Malik Hasan is an Islamofascist Murdering Thug who managed to weasel himself into a position of responsibility and trust within the ranks of the United States Army. He used the trust of his fellow soldiers as a weapon just as lethal as the pistols he wielded in the Ft. Hood processing center. His actions were aided and abetted by a culture of political correctness which prohibited those familiar with his increased radicalization from taking actions which would have prevented this massacre.

Perhaps you think me a bit extreme in my views. You have the right not to take my word as definitive on the subject. Thus I will give you a more authoritative source:
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The hard part of command

By Jon Cordeiro

Filed Under Military on Oct 29 

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I came across this picture and accompanying story early this morning. It gave me reason to pause as it gave me an impression I have not had until this morning. My singular thought looking at this picture was “this is the most presidential thing I’ve ever seen President Obama do.”

He flew to Dover Air Force Base in the early morning hours to render respect unto the most recent casualties returning home from Afghanistan. It was all together fitting and proper that he should do this. These were soldiers and DEA agents whose orders sending them into harm’s way bore his signature.

Command is a very lonely place, never more solitary than at times like the one pictured above. The time will soon come when a hard command decision will have to be made which will determine the outcome of this cause for which these and so many other men have given the last full measure of devotion. As I look at this picture now, I’m reminded of the final words uttered by Captain John H. Miller to Private James Francis Ryan in the closing scene of Saving Private Ryan:

Earn this.

Are we listening?

By Contributor Archive

Filed Under Foreign Affairs, Military on Oct 11 

We may have elected an American apologist and Nobel Peace Prize winner to the POTUS with the ability to lecture and mesmarize the world with his auditory and teleprompter skills, yet, the entrance of Barack Obama and the exit of George W. Bush is not enough to calm the thirst for American blood.

In a recent op-ed by Thomas Friedman, hardly a right wing bomb thrower, Mr. Friedman reminds us that the threat posed to us by Islamic radical fanatics has not seized to exist.

Thomas Friedman writes

”He didn’t want to wear earplugs. Apparently, he wanted to enjoy the blast. That is what The Dallas Morning News reported about Hosam Maher Husein Smadi, the 19-year-old Jordanian accused of trying to blow up a downtown Dallas skyscraper. He was caught by an F.B.I. sting operation that culminated in his arrest nearly two weeks ago — after Smadi parked a 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac, supplied by the F.B.I., in the garage of a Dallas office tower.

“Inside the S.U.V. was a fake bomb, designed to appear similar to one used by Timothy McVeigh in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing,” The News wrote. “Authorities say Smadi thought he could detonate it with a cellphone. After parking the vehicle, he got into another vehicle with one of the agents, and they drove several blocks away. An agent offered Smadi earplugs, but he declined, ‘indicating that he wanted to hear the blast,’ authorities said. He then dialed the phone, thinking it would trigger the bomb. … Instead, the agents took him into custody.”

Mr. Friedman continues…

If that doesn’t send a little shiver down your spine, how about this one? BBC.com reported that “it has emerged that an Al Qaeda bomber who died last month while trying to blow up a Saudi prince in Jeddah had hidden the explosives inside his body.” He reportedly inserted the bomb and detonator in his rectum to elude metal detectors. My God.

The full article: Still Not Tired

While President Obama accepts his prize for which he admits he has not earned others will continue to hate, plan, and implement ways to kill Americans and our allies. For those who wish us dead it is not about “party” politics or who wins and loses American elections. It is not about “tone” from our Dear Leaders or the swagger in their walk. It is not about being patronized with meaningless platitudes and apologies, as those devices only satisfy our so called “allies”. For those who wish us harm the only endgame is to win or lose.

The enemies of America are trying to tell us that the phrase “We will not waver, we will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail” goes both ways. We all recognize and appreciate President Obama’s ability to speak, what we have yet to recognize is his ability to listen. Let us pray he is.

Obama’s first “command decision”

By Jon Cordeiro

Filed Under Foreign Affairs, Military on Oct 6 

The past two months or so have not been exactly stellar for The One. His congress spent the summer being chased by angry town hall protesters wielding everything except torches and pitchforks to show they were less than enthused with the prospect of entrusting their healthcare futures to an administration that couldn’t even screen out 9/11 truthers and self proclaimed communists from the ever growing Czar staff.

The One thought he could defect his domestic difficulties with foreign policy victories in Europe and South America. First he stood tall in his defense of a justly ousted wanna-be Honduran dictator. Then he waved the white flag of appeasement at Russia and boldly deep sixed America’s missile defense program. The left applauded his acquiescence to their conventional wisdom. Those still able to remember 1939 began to feel a sense of déjà vu.

Meanwhile unemployment inched upward to 9.8%. Where was The One? Off to Copenhagen in hopes of sealing the deal for Chicago to hold the 2012 Summer Games. We all know how well that turned out.

While he was in Copenhagen – the land that gave birth to my marauding Viking ancestors – he somehow managed to carve out twenty-five minutes to meet with the man he appointed to oversee America’s operations in Afghanistan. This was the first time in some 70 days that the Commander in Chief had met or spoken with his battlefield commander.

Compare and contrast this communication style with the “other” president from Illinois. Abraham Lincoln, by many accounts, spent many a late night in the telegraph office pouring over dispatches from battlefields near and far. He also made several arduous and very inconvenient trips to the battlefield to meet with his commanders and discuss the best way to bring about victory. He took his duty to protect and defend the United States from all enemies – foreign and domestic – very seriously.

The jury is still out as to whether or not Barack Obama really wants to win the war in Afghanistan. In this day of modern telecommuincations, he can’t even pick up the phone and talk to his commander from the Big Chair in the Oval Office.
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