Major K.

Bad apples

There are many things that I have to post about, but this is the elephant in the room that I must get out of the way.  We have apparently found evil in our midst.  I cannot comment on the ongoing investigation save to say that I am disgusted by the actions of a few that have tarnished the good work of so many others.  I am not involved in this situation, and for that I am thankful.  Morale has taken quite a hit, but the NightStalkers will bounce back, and be stronger and better for it.   The Battalion is currently under a microscope, and many people have been relieved or moved.  I, although not involved, got moved as well.  I think that someone found out there was an infantry officer in charge of the intelligence section when there should be an intelligence officer doing that job - something I have been saying for over a year.  I have been moved to a MiTT - Military Transition Team, where I will be training members of the new Iraqi Army.  This is much more in line with my infantry skill set.  I know that this is important work, but I would rather be hunting arhabi personally.  Additionally it has required me to relocate to a different FOB, so that I am away from the rest of the NightStalkers.  Several people have told me that I am lucky to not be there in the midst of the current turmoil, but that is exactly why I feel I should be there.  I hate not being there while this is going on...

I'm fine

Thank you to all of you have expressed concern for my welfare.  I am well and in good health.  Things have been tumultuous lately to say the least.  I will catch up on blogging in a day or so.  I will elaborate then.  Until then...

Dust

It is everywhere.  It clogs air filters, coats everything from furniture to vehicles and hangs in the air like a thick fog.  It was over 120 degrees yesterday in the shade.  It's going to get worse.  I have not posted recently as I have not really felt like it.  I will catch up soon.  Big things coming...

London

I have been feeling rather British over the past few days.  My heart goes out to the people of London after the unspeakable barbarism unleashed upon them by the arhabi scum.  My brother and sister-in-law were just there on vacation, luckily returning to the USA just before the bombings.  The Brits continue to be America's greatest and most consistent ally.  Watching the coverage on CNN, I was thinking two things.  First, I was glad to be here, as I'll be damned if I'm going to give this country back to the arhabi as a training base.  Second, I wondered how long it was going to be before the Iraq war was named as the cause of the bombing.  Unfortunately, I did not have to wait very long.  The press is all over the idea that by fighting terrorists, we have offended them so badly that they attack us.  WHAT!?!  Zarqawi was here before we were.  There is an old terrorist training camp about 20 miles south of my location right now.  It is no longer functioning because we are here.  It was bustling with activity when Saddam was in charge.   Most of the guys that we hunt are the Al Qaeda affiliates - the same kind of scum that hit New York and now London.  As America rallied after 9/11, the British "stiff upper lip" is showing itself proudly. 

Christopher Hitchens, whom I disagree with 90% of the time, understands the issue of terrorism like very few in his political camp do.  His latest is spot on.  Hat tip: Hugh Hewitt.  I also enjoyed reading about how he dismantled Ron "Daddy's Coat tails" Reagan on the air during his MSNBC show.  Bravo Mr. Hitchens. 

Meanwhile, we carry on our piece of the fight here.  We continue to make progress, slowly but surely.  We make mistakes sometimes, but they are few.  We don't bomb infrastructure.  We build it.  More Iraqis are coming forward to report the arhabi among them every day.  This is going to be a long war, and it will involve much more than just Iraq.  No one said it would be easy.

Dry Holes

We got another "hot tip" from our higher headquarters the other day.  An arhabi big shot was supposed to be meeting with several lieutenants at a location in our AO - Area of Operations.  We happened to have already hit this location before, and recently.  We informed the folks upstairs about this and while they raised their eyebrows, they insisted that the location was good.  I complied as I am a Soldier and that's my job, and also because the way the arhabi move around to avoid capture, there was a very remote chance that this informant's information was good. We rolled our eyes and told the Company Commander about the mission.  He rolled his eyes, griped, and made his preparations.  We went to the location with the Iraqi Commandos that we work with frequently.  Again, we found the same family, the same single AK-47, and not much else.  We stuck to the 3 P's and after a very thorough check that the arhabi that we were looking for were not there, we apologized and departed.  Dry holes are part fo the deal here.  You are lucky if less than 50% of operations result in dry holes, but you seldom have the annoyance of going on a mission actually expecting one.  As it turns out, our informant needs some map reading lessons.  Another day down...

Our lives, our fortunes, our sacred honor...

Happy Birthday America!  It is July 4th here, and other than some decorations and a fancy cake in the chow hall, it is just another day in the sandbox.  I plowed through piles of intelligence reports, drove around Baghdad with my security team, met with a new informant, and inspected the security layout for a major infrastructure facility.  This is one of my favorite holidays.  It is right up there with Thanksgiving, but not quite as important as Memorial Day.  I look forward to spending the next one at home.  Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day are my favorites among the national holidays because they are so deeply meaningful.  I still dig the too-much-food-and-drink combined with a long weekend aspect, but always remember the importance of the day.  We were hoping that today, as a special celebration, that we could actually fly the colors outdoors.  (Yes, that's right, We can't fly Old Glory on our flagpoles here, but it is tacked up to the wall of about every room on the FOB.  The concern is apparently that flying our nation's flag here makes us look too much like a conquering occupier.)  I suppose the request was denied, because I have not seen it flying anywhere.  Anyway, LFB has what I think is a great tradition to add at gatherings on the 4th of July.   He suggests reading aloud from this wonderful document known as the Declaration of Independence.  I think it's a great idea:

Or...perhaps friends of the spirit of independence who attend Fourth of July get-togethers could establish an annual tradition of reading aloud from the Declaration of Independence? (The cousin with the best speaking voice could be roped into doing it.) It's a reasonable suggestion given the ostensible purpose of the occasion; people will go along with it; and they'll do an inspiring double-take when they hear about all the "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" stuff. "So that's what all this hoopla is all about? Hmm...maybe I should be a little less rabid about getting handouts from the government and a little more concerned to protect the rights on behalf of which those guys pledged their lives, sacred honor and whatnot!"

July 2, 1776 is the day Congress resolved to separate from Great Britain. John Adams thought that this was the day that Americans would celebrate. As he wrote in a letter to his wife Abigail Adams on July 3, 1776:

The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward, forevermore.

Instead we celebrate July 4, the day the final version of the Declaration of Independence was formally adopted.

I plan on adopting this custom in my family.  Have a great holiday.  May all of your fireworks be safe.

How low can they go?

To anybody who still may have doubts about who the bad guys are here, I direct your attention to this little piece of overlooked news:  The arhabi have actually attacked the water supply to the city about 10 days ago.  I guess attacking the oil and electricity infrastructure wasn't enough.  It was obviously not designed to hurt us, because our FOB's are self-sufficient.  In fact, we found ourselves scrambling to not only fix the damage to the pipes but to find a way to get alternative sources of water.  We even diverted the water trucks that supply our FOB and sent them into Baghdad.  The scumbag arhabi cut off the water to half of Baghdad when the temperature is over 105 every day and getting hotter.   These are the "freedom fighters" that Michael Moore loves so much?   Even our Chaplain is starting to grow disgusted, and he came here with the most open heart of any of us.  Back to work - More scumbags to find...

Sound and Fury, Signifying nothing...

The satellite dish that sits on the roof to the TOC has finally been fixed and I now get CNN and FOX News on the TV in my office adjacent to the TOC.  They come via AFN - The Armed Forces Network, and are beamed to us from bases in Europe.  Lately, there has been a lot of footage and hoopla about the Live 8 concerts.  While I am sympathetic to the plight of so many of the nations in Africa and their people, this type of stuff really annoys me.  I wonder how many of these musicians have even been to Africa other than Bono and Bob Geldoff.  The idea of a bunch of obnoxiously wealthy, overpaid, pampered pop stars holding concerts to raise money from John and Jane Q. Public for African famine relief seems so hypocritical, especially when they spend so much time reveling in ostentatious displays of their own wealth and fame.  I would be more impressed if these same musicians put down the microphones, and picked up a pen and opened their checkbooks.  The fact that they are lobbying the G8 governments is doubly irritating.  Apparently they fail to realize that the source of these governments' money is those same people that they are charging to hear them sing. 

One only needs to look at countries like Sudan, Zimbabwe and Rwanda to see that the problems on the African continent involve a lot more than just money.  The halting of genocide and the introduction of some basic human rights should be a little higher on the priority list than the balance sheet.  So the minstrels will play, and the people will dance.   The politicians will make speeches, and a great deal of money will be wasted.  Very little will change if anything.  I pride myself on not being pessimistic or cynical, but I take greater pride in not being a fool.  So I put the TV on mute and go back to doing what I can to help where I am now, instead of singing and demanding that others do something.

Fled to Mexico

Another one of Fabian Urrea's relatives has been arrested for helping him escape to Mexico.  I hope he is not able to hide there in impunity the way other murder suspects have.  Apparently, A Current Affair has picked up the story, and I am told that America's Most Wanted will be profiling the case on Saturday night.  I hope he is caught and brought back ASAP.  To all of those that blame Diana, and talk about what a great guy that Fabian is; there are two facts that render all of that irrelevant.  Fabian showed up with a pistol (premeditation/intent), and he fired 3 rounds into Jorge's chest and abdomen(Murder).  Jorge was a good man, and is missed here.  In addition to what he did to Jorge, Fabian now has two of his family members suffering in jail for his crime.  Scumbag.

What's a blogathon?

I'm not quite sure.  However, it benefits a good cause.  MoltenThought's "Rear Echelon" Blogathon to support the Armed Forces Relief Trust is nearly upon us.  I had to post a link.  It apparently involves carpal tunnel syndrome...