Sgt Lawrence Larry Hutchins Conviction Dismissed: Marine Hutchins Conviction Dismissed

The conviction of Marine Sgt. Lawrence "Larry" Hutchins for killing Iraqi civilian, Hashim Ibrahim Awad, has been overturned by a military appeals court. The outcome is still unknown. According to the Sergeant's father, the charges may be dropped, he could be released from his 11 year prison sentence for time served or they could retry the case - a decision which the Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps must make within 30 days.

Sgt. Lawrence "Larry" Hutchins

The court ruled that Sg. Hutchins was denied a fair trial because his lead attorney was improperly dismissed from the case before the court martial, but Thad Coakley, a former Marine Corps judge advocate said he believes the government will appeal:

Coakley added that the court's "opinion makes no comment and therefore no judgment on the validity of the facts associated with this case. This opinion is focused upon a procedural error and a failure to maintain an attorney-client relationship."

But Hutchins' attorney, Marine Capt. S. Babu Kaza says he doubts that Hutchins will face a new trial, as:

"recent comments by the secretary of the Navy regarding Hutchins' case and that of seven co-defendants has highly prejucidiced any further legal action against him...

April 2006 Sgt. Hutchins' squadron allegedly shot and killed Hashim Ibrahim Awad, an Iraqi civilian, near the village of Hamdania.

After the conviction, Hutchins lost his rank and was busted back to 'private'. The court ruling could change that. Hutchins was based at Camp Pendelton, and is currently serving time at Ft. Levenworth, Kansas.

Ray Mabus USS John Murtha: Ray Mabus Chooses John Murtha for Warship Namesake

Well, this is certainly a development. What a reprehensible event it is that now puts our sailors serving aboard a warship named after deceased Rep. John Murtha (D-PA).

USS John Murtha

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus is responsible for choosing Murtha's name to grace a mighty defender of America. Does Mabus know anything about what is going on the real world? Obviously not, because if some pressure was being applied by some influential person...like...maybe Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi or President Barack Obama, Mabus apparently had a very convenient out, according to this: previous San Antonio class ships have been named for American cities -but didn't take it.

For those of you reminding me that Murtha is a decorated Vietnam Marine...let me save you the trouble.  I appreciate his service then. I don't appreciate his service in the House. What we once were, doesn't mean we die that way. Between Vietnam and today, a person can do a boatload of damage. (let us just sweep Murtha's various ethics violations under the rug of journalism).

After 19 terms in The People's House, without proof, Murtha told TIME magazine:

 "It's much worse than reported. There was no fire fight. There was no IED that killed thse innocent people. Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood. And that's what the report is going to tell."

 TIME claimed they had seen video taken by Human Rights Watch at the scene. That was not true. They issued a correction and then claimed the video came from Hammurabi and a
Haditha journalism student," working with Human Rights Watch. TIME also "regretted" reporting the specific content of a photograph that apparently didn't exist. Sweetness and Light has the story.

Murtha's accusations were a Liberal battlecry. We didn't hear any Democrat come out and savage Murtha for providing aid and comfort to Islamic terrorists and their sympathizers everywhere, and leaving a wake of destruction to swamp the lives of 8 Marines and all who loved them and cared for them.

Here's the message from the U.S. Marine Corp to the Congressman:

Graphic credit: DequalsS.com

Eight Marines were charged. Six have had charges dropped and a seventh was acquitted. Hopefully, the same will happen for the eighth.

In the first video you will hear Murtha claim a Marine commandant told him personally that murder was being covered up. When Charlie Gibson asked him specifically about the commandant claiming murder, Murtha walked it back a bit, but got angrier by the second. He tells Gibson not to make excuses for the Military. Of the guilt of the as-yet-uncharged Marines, Murtha said there is "no doubt in my mind."

The USS John Murtha is "designed to support embarking, transporting, and landing elements of a Marine landing force in an assault by helicopters, landing craft, amphibious vehicles, and by a combination of these methods to conduct primary amphibious warfare mission."

Congressman John Murtha left this world at age 77 in February 2010 due to gall bladder surgery complications.



Charles Gibson and John Murtha: Haditha Marines (video)   John Murtha: ...and they killed innocent citizens in cold blood (video)

Gen. James Conway: Heterosexual Homosexual Marines Will Not Room Together

General James Conway says no matter what happens to military policy, he will do everything possible to keep heterosexual Marines from rooming with homosexual Marines.

General James Conway

In an article on Military.com, Gen. Conway said the policy means "we have to build BEQ's [bachelor enlisted quarters] and have single rooms.

The Stars and Stripes published a letter by Army Lt. Gen. Benjamin Mixon asking military and civilians to write their Congressmen and urge them oppose repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. Mixon received a reprimand from Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and Admiral Mike Mullen said Mixon should considering resigning over his statement. This is a portion of Gen. Mixon's letter:

If those of us who are in favor of retaining the current policy do not speak up, there is no chance to retain the current policy...

Also on March 25, Pentagon chief Robert Gates announced new guidelines intended to make it more difficult to boot someone from the service under DADT, including elevating the grade of officers able to separate gay servicemembers to flag and general officers only. Previously, O-6s could separate members determined to have committed homosexual conduct, according to a Defense Department statement.

From Gen. Conway:

In this case, I would want to reserve the right of a Marine that thinks he or she wouldn't want to [share a room with a homosexual]. And again that's the overwhelming...number of people that say that they wouldn't like to do so.

In a Senate hearing, Gen. John Sheehan, a former senior Marine officer and Nato commander blamed "open homosexuality" in the Dutch Army for the failure to prevent the Srebrenica massacre in 1995. At the end of the cold war, the General said, there was:

...a focus on peacekeeping operation because they did not believe the Germans were going to attack again or the Soviets were coming back

The case in point that I'm referring to is when the Dutch were required to defend Srebrenica against the Serbs, he said, referrring to the UN peacekeeping force deployed to protect Bosnian Muslim civilians.

The battalion was understrength, poorly led, and the Serbs came into town, handcuffed the soldiers to the telephone poles, marched the Muslims off and executed them.

Senator Carl Levin, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee asked Gen. Sheehan if the Dutch leaders told him the failure to defend was because there were gay soldiers there? Sheehan said "yes," "they included that as part of the problem.

Levin as much as called the General a liar. The Dutch defense minister said Sheehan's claims were "complete nonsense."

Right Reading Round-up 2-21-10 at Maggie's Notebook

Have you received an American Community Survey (ACS) from your government? Snarky Basterd at Feed Your ADHD has. This is not the census, but he is ordered to fill it out and return it. The survey asks how much your rent or mortgage payment is, your retirement or pension amount and when you last married. There's much more, including a $5000 penalty if you do not comply. Read what Snarky plans to do, the message he plans to send, and let me know if you were also selected ordered to complete an ACS.

Daniel Greenfield, writing for CanadaFreePress says There is No End to Jihad, and the assault is not coming only from Islam. This is a hilarious and incredulous look at the mess we are in today, beginning with Joe Stack's attack on the IRS and the Tea Party movement, to the Atlanta Progressive News which fired a reporter for displaying objectivity in his writing, to Mitch Romney's 'vulcan grip" on the rapper, Sky Blu, and how a Palestinian official's sexual escapade is blamed on Israel.  And then perhaps the most important piece of news: the attempted corrupting of a U.S. Congressman by the White House. You can also read Daniel at his own blog, Sultan Knish.

Ron at TOTUS has an incredible video of Steve Reicher, a Marine sniper, who made a kill shot from over one mile away and takes out a terrorist. The History Channel recreated the important story.

Ms Sparky pays homage to Sgt. Klayton Thomas and his short and fatal struggle against lung cancer. His death occurred just two weeks after the military acknowledged a "probable link" between Iraq's "burn pits" and various respiratory illnesses shared by far too many of our military. Photo at right is Sgt. Thomas and his wife Mia in happier times.

Whoa! An Ol' Broad's Rambling says former Democrat Congressman, James Traficant, from Ohio plans to run for office again as an Independent. With a 7-year prison sentence behind him, he wants to get into your business yet again. Kate also has a fine essay up on the Second Amendment.

Reaganite Republican has a complete commentary on today's most important issues...through cartoons. James always has the best Sunday Funnies...and they always speak to reality. Instead of reading and weeping, you read, nod wisely and belly laugh. While I often link to this site's pithy work, I was honored this week to be The Reaganite Republican's Featured Blogger - complete with my very own beloved Liberty Bell Banner. Thank you so much, James.

Carole at No Sheeples Here warns of Obama's "rope-a-dope" strategy, and contrary to Carly Fiorina's famous campaign video, Carole shows us the real "demon sheep."

America's Watchtower reports on Harry Reid's miniaturized jobs bill, which he plans to force cloture on...then add back in, all the left-out, still-wanted Liberal measures to later bills. Deception by spreading it all out in several bits of legislation. This is happening tomorrow!

American Power points to The Narrative, which keeps Republicans "stuck in rearguard actions," and asks four tough questions. Here's one: Do Republicans actually disdain an ideal of justice that conjures up an image of well-fed and well-tended sheep?

Debbie at RightTruth caught Colin Powell resurfacing. The General is in defensive mode. She has a suggestion for him.

J.D. Longstreet, writing at FaultlineUSA warns that our tough times haven't yet arrived. Are we on a "primrose path" to destruction?

...I foresee a complete collapse of the American economic system. Something, I feel, that will be much, much, worse than the Dot-Com Crash back in 2000, or even the Sub Prime Credit Crash in 2008. No, what I feel is coming will be worse than both these two former crashes added together. In fact, it has, I believe, already begun.

Friend and contributor to Maggie's Notebook, Karen, The Lonely Conservative, went to CPAC for the first time this year. She invited me along, and for various reasons, I couldn't make it - DANG! Next year will be different. Anyway, reading Karen's coverage, I see she is as distressed as I that Ron Paul won the straw poll. She got a good shot of Newt Gingrich, and says after his speech, she might to able to forgive him for the "Dede Scozzafava debacle...at least for the day." Good coverage here with Andrew Breitbart videos. Scroll through The Lonely Conservative for more.

Smitty at The Other McCain interviews Katherine Jenerette, a GOP candidate for the U.S. House from South Carolina. Browse through the Other McCain for full coverage of CPAC. From Smitty:

She’s an Army vet, mother of four, and sounds like more of what the country needs. This blog supports tough veterans in the fight to reclaim the country from the clutches of Progressivism.

ChicagoRay has some excellent analysis on the media's "reverse psychology" on conservatism's chances in November 2010, along with a video of Rick Santorum's CPAC comments to FOXNews' Brian Wilson (my favorite new guy).

J at Uncoverage.net (thanks to The Other McCain for the introduction) has some great coverage of CPAC. This page for Day 3, in particular. Read the Ann Coulter one-liners and her closing remark: "You've been a great audience, you're all paid shills for the insurance companies, Keith Olbermann is a girl and GOD BLESS AMERICA.

DaTechGuy has video of the Tea Party Reagan Award winners. Here's your chance to put a face to one of your favorite bloggers. Look around at his many posts on other Reagan Ward Winners, and watch for coming CPAC posts, which he says will be coming this week.

Watch Andrew Breitbart confront Max Blumenthal - tell him he's a "punk" and says "racist" is the worst thing you can call someone. Larry O'Connor at Big Government finishes the con-versation.

Moshtarak Update: Three Months to Complete Marjah Mission

The fighting continues in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, as U.S. Marines and Nato forces try to move Taliban out of the village Marjah.

Operating Moshtarak

Six Nato soldiers died on Thursday, February 18th, along with one on Friday. Nato-led troop deaths now total twelve. A British commander in Marjah, Nick Carter, said "stiff resistance" remains from insurgents. "It will be some days before we can be completely confident that Marjah is secure."

Maj-Gen Carter said it could take another three months to determine how successful the operation had been.

The clean-up of Marjah, using a force of Afghan military, is the start of an offensive to provide secure population centers in Southern Afghanistan, but as suspected, Taliban have hidden in compounds where troops can see women and children on the rooftops in or in second or third floor windows, providing human shields and preventing Nato air strikes.

It is difficult for the Afghan army and Nato to storm Taliban-held areas because to do so may inflict heavy civilian casualties and there are still a lot of civilians in Marjah.

"Whenever they launch an attack, the Taliban take refuge in civilians' homes."

Operation Moshtarak has focused on Marjah, located about 360 miles southwest of Kabul, because agricultural opportunities are fertile there, and the hope is that with financial aid, farmers can be turned away from their poppy crops, to crops that provide not only a living, but security without Taliban interference.

Plans call for NATO to rush in a civilian administration, restore public services and pour in aid to try to win the loyalty of the population in preventing the Taliban from returning.

Norm Hooben noted that a CBS embedded reporter spilled the fact that an elite team of Marines were dispatched "behind Taliban lines...on Friday," and a Marine officer spoke "on condition of anonymity because of security concerns," confirmed the mission. As Hooben pointed out, if there are security concerns, why is anyone talking?

U.S. Marine Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson says Marines have taken control of main roads, bridges, markets and government centers in Marjah:<

I'd say we control the spine" of the town, Nicholson said as he inspected the Marines' front line in the north of the dusty, mud-brick town. "We're where we want to be.

Nicholson said they are taking fire from Taliban sharp-shooters, who they believe are not from the Marjah area, but some calm is beginning to come to the area. Against the advice of U.S. Marines, some residents returned to their homes, some markets opened in the open-air bazaar in the north end of Marjah, and some people ventured out to stock their pantries for the first time in a week, and Nato forces still face difficult challenges with the people:

"We couldn't do anything when one of them was forcing his way into our house. What could we do?" said Sayed Wakhan, a sunburned, middle-aged opium poppy farmer in northern Marjah.

But Wakhan, who spoke to reporters as he mixed mud to make repairs on his house, also said he didn't trust the government forces who now occupy his neighborhood. 

"I have suffered at the hands of police, and I don't like the international forces coming into our area," he snapped. His remarks were a reminder of the tough job ahead for NATO and Afghan authorities in winning over locals used to an uneasy peace under the Taliban.

War on Terror News has updates on Marjah resident's gratitude for Operation Moshtarak. Holger Awakens has good commentary on Marjah.

Moshtarak Taliban: Moshtarak Taiban Half are Dead or Gone: Marja Elders Help NATO Forces

Operation Moshtarak still continues slowly according to all reports out of Afghanistan's Helmand Province, with half of the Taliban either dead or gone. See video below.

 

Marines - Helmand Province

According to the NYT-Asia Pacific, on the third day of Moshtarak, Taliban fighters in the area have dropped by about half. At one time, it was thought as many as 1,000 Taliban might be in the village of Marja at the start of the Operation last Saturday, but today's estimate is 400, with about one-fourth of them now dead and one-fourth fleeing the area - to unknown parts.

Among the Taliban fighters still in Marja, American and Afghan officials said, morale appears to be eroding fast, in part because the holdouts feel abandoned by their leaders and by local Afghans who are refusing to shelter them.

“They cannot feed themselves, they cannot sustain themselves — that is what we are hearing,” Col. Scott Hartsell told a group of senior officers at a briefing near Marja that included Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the commander of NATO forces; and Abdul Rahim Wardak, the Afghan minister of defense. “They are calling for help, and they are not getting any.”

Commanders believe the combat phase of the Operation will wind-up with three or four days.

It has been obvious since word of the coming Operation was purposefully leaked, that many in Marja welcomed the NATO forces, but they also feared for their lives at the hands of the Taliban:

A Marja tribal elder, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that a local shura — or council — had assigned 10 local Afghans to assist American and Afghan military units.

“They are here to help us, and it’s our duty to help them,” a tribal elder said in a telephone interview, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “They might kill me for telling you this.”

A missile strike recently, inside Marja, killed eleven civilians. There is confusion about the strike as Military struggles to figure out what happened. First, American military said the rocket was designated for the house next the one actually hit. Yesterday, military sources said the rocket hit the house it was supposed to hit, but they were unaware that civilians were inside. The Marines on the ground, however, say they were "startled" by the missile strike, which a Company Commander requested earlier in the day, but permission was denied.

In the photo above, you can see the difficult terrain in Helmand Province. The series of canals and bridges were originally built by the U.S. military in the hopes of bringing agriculture to the area, which can also support livestock, fishing, forestry and horticulture. Instead, Afghans chose to grow poppies - from which 90% of the world's opium, used to make heroin is harvested, and provides 60% of Afghanistan's economy. An Afghan farmer, growing products to make cereals, makes only a pittance compared to a crop of poppies.

Here is a look from July 2009, at what it is like when the U.S. Marines show up in the Helmand - this time in the village of Nawa:

Before a battalion of U.S. Marines swooped into this dusty farming community along the Helmand River in early July, almost every stall in the bazaar had been padlocked, as had the school and the health clinic. Thousands of residents had fled. Government officials and municipal services were nonexistent. Taliban fighters swaggered about with impunity, setting up checkpoints and seeding the roads with bombs.

In the three months since the Marines arrived, the school has reopened, the district governor is on the job and the market is bustling. The insurgents have demonstrated far less resistance than U.S. commanders expected. Many of the residents who left are returning home, their possessions piled onto rickety trailers, and the Marines deem the central part of the town so secure that they routinely walk around without body armor and helmets.

"Nawa has returned from the dead," said the district administrator, Mohammed Khan.

 The article on the Marines coming to Nawa in July 2009 is here. It is a very good read.


Photo Credit: DOD US Army Photographer Staff Sgt. Gary A. Witte



U.S. Marines Enter Marja (video)

Op Moshtarak Largest Minefield Nato has Ever Seen: Doctrine of Courageous Restraint

Marine commanders say the area covered by Operation Moshtarak is the largest minefield Nato has ever seen. Today that minefield claimed it's first victim.

 

Afghan Soldier fires at Tliban insurgents

 There is breaking news this moment that two Nato troops have died along with one British soldier. One death was due to an IED, and at least one death due to small-arms fire. The Brit has been identified as LanceCpl. Darren Hicks. Hicks was married with a three year old son and a 10-month-old daughter. An Afghan commander said 20 insurgents were killed in the early hours of Moshtarak.

Troops will not hurry through the heavily-mined territory. The Helmand Province Governor, Gulab Mangal, says the Operation may take a month to complete.

Many insurgents are expected to blend in with the citizenry, perhaps conducting their own guerilla warfare against the Nato forces.

More reports are out, of Taliban refusing to let villagers leave before the assault began.

Taliban are preventing people from leaving because they can hide themselves behind people. The Taliban also know the foreigners will not attack or not drop bombs. They are also taking food from the people."

Governor Mangal said: "People were taken as hostages prior to our arrival. In the areas we now have under control, they are free to come and go."

Coalition forces have promised 34 local elders that Afghans, only, will search Afghans. Apparently these 34 will do the searching of specific "compounds." God help our Marines. What if one these elders has a son in the Taliban? My questions go on and on, but I have to believe the finest military on the face of this earth, knows what it is doing.

Update 2-13-10 2:30 CDT:

FOXNews' Rick Folbaum has just said one American has died in Moshtarak. No other verification available.

3:00 PM CDT: Gregg Jarrett, FOX News has confirmed that an American has died by small-arms fire. In this same report, they are saying 15 Brits were killed. Unconfirmed. Perhaps this is wrong.

Source: Ireland Online

Photo credit: U.S. Marine Sgt. Brian Tuthill

Taliban Prevents Marjah Families from Leaving ahead of Operation Moshtarak

A coalition of international forces in Afghanistan has announced the coming of Operation Moshtarak before it has even begun. The announcement was designed to get families out of the town of Marjah until the town can be secured, and the Taliban ejected. The Taliban, however, has their own plan and they do not include letting the citizens of Marjah to flee to safety.

 

US Marines - Helmand Province

Operation Moshtarak will utilize an "overwhelming force," and is considered the biggest battle of the 8 year old war in Afghanistan. Troops have been moving into position for several weeks.

Pentagon officials say this unusually public "shaping" of the battlefield has one key goal: while hundreds of hard-core Taliban are hunkering down for a fight, many more, along with thousands of residents, have fled Marja until the dust settles. That should limit civilian casualties and, they hope, lure some lukewarm Taliban over to the government side.

"We're not interested in how many Taliban we kill," Army General Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S., commander in Afghanistan, said Thursday. "We'd much rather have them see the inevitability that things are changing and just accept that."

I don't know. Maybe I'm looking at this wrong, but why wouldn't we want to kill the bastards who have no regard for their own people. For every Taliban left, there is one more to hunt our soldiers. Complete victory is the only answer. But then, what do I know.

U.S. and Afghan officials know that die-hard Taliban forces have been burying hundreds of improvised explosive devices around the town in recent weeks. "It's giving time and space to those who want to fight to dig in," says Ali Jalali, who served as Afghanistan's first post-Taliban Interior Minister and now works with the Pentagon's National Defense University in Washington.

"It could be very bloody, and that could affect public opinion in Europe and the U.S."

Yeah, well...let's kill the bastards.

The city of Marjah, is a large poppy producing community, considered a "den for narcotics traffickers and insurgents," and is the first major target to clear.  "Hundreds" or "thousands are said to have run to safety in the town of 80,000 before the Taliban crackdown. Officials believe Marja will be a turning point in the war.

The offensive, when it begins in earnest, will largely be conducted on foot. That's because the terrain surrounding Marja is latticed with canals built by the U.S. a generation ago to expand agriculture to 250,000 acres in the Helmand River valley. It also gave the region the nickname "Little America." The canals and ditches created a network of bridges unable to support armored vehicles and gives the Taliban good places to hide IEDs - the top killer of U.S. troops in Afghanistan - and snipers. They also turned the region into lush farmland that has proven ideal for growing opium-producing poppies. 

Afghan soldiers will be a frontline force, along with US Marines. General Stanley McChrystal says the Afghan forces "all have Marine haircuts right now."

Read more details of Operation Moshtarak in Helmand Province here, and keep our soldiers in your prayers as this critical offensive gets underway.

Photo credit: US Marine Corps, Sgt. Pete Thibodeau

Operation Moshtarak International Defensive: Overwhelming Forces Descend on Taliban

An large defensive of international forces will soon be launched against the Taliban. A British military spokesman says there has been a "conscious decision" to reveal the plan before the "push" begins.

 

USAF Afghanistan Air Drop

The call for Taliban to turn in their weapons and 'join community society' has been going out to insurgent forces for weeks now, but the most brutal of Taliban members will not be accepted.

''And if they choose to fight, as General Nick Carter, the general commanding the operation has said, they will be subjected to overwhelming force and will be defeated.''

Brigadier Gen. Larry Nicholson, commander of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Unit says Marja is "the only place left in the Marine" command area. He doesn't like the idea of announcing Operation Moshtarak, however, he says that some of the people of Marja are seeking out the Marines:

Because of the inevitability of the operation, people have decided that they want to talk. There's a lot of influential people, people of import or businessmen. They don't want to be on the wrong side of this thing when it flips," Nicholson said.

Nicholson says his troops will "dominate" and "overwhelm" the enemy.

SkyNews reports that the town of Marjah is already engaged in the assault and is the "biggest test...for the Afghan forces." The Brits are moving their command headquarters from Khandahar to Lashkar Gar. Fifteen thousand International troops are involved. Marja is big stakes. It must be taken successfully for Moshtarak to meet its end goal.

The town holds about 80,000 people, of whom up to 2,000 are thought to be Taliban, it is their last urban stronghold and said to contain the Quetta Shura Council and bomb making factories..

To get into the centre the attacking forces will have to traverse open ground, then cross irrigation channels and canals, and then go into the urban areas. The US Marines have brought in their Assault Breaching Vehicles to get through the defences, there is likely to be some sort of air drop. The attacking forces will have full control of the skies using helicopter gunships, fighter jets and unmanned drones. The Taliban will have laid IED's, booby trapped houses and have assault rifles, RPG's and machine guns.

The two major target areas for Operation Moshtarak (Together) are located in Central Helmand Province:

The areas will be cleared, military operations will be followed up by what is actually the important bit of this campaign which is the Afghans delivering security for themselves."

The operations you have seen over the last three or four years and the operations you are about to see are about bringing back legitimate Afghan governance to those areas that haven't had it for a while." 

Moshtarak will be carried out by thousands of US Marine and British assault groups, along with Afghan forces. Canadian soldiers are serving with Afghans, and have already moved to positions in the target zone, under the Operation Mentor program. Canadian helicopters are delivering International Forces to the Defensive area. I'll be keeping these men and their families in my prayers.

Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. Angelita Lawrence

Marines in Afghanistan - A Death Run Every Day: A Different War in Afghanistan

US Marines in Southern Afghanistan say there is something different about this war. Everyday is a death run across IED-mined poppy fields.

Awaiting the arrival of a large contingent of the 30,000-strong troop surge to their area, today's reality are heavily mined poppy fields, mud and thorny, cutting weeds - between the soldier and the Taliban's machine-gun fire.

"I pray in the morning and at night, hoping that someone up there is looking after me," says Lance Corporal Justin Blancas, serving with the Marines 1st Battalion, 6th Regiment Alpha Company's 2nd Platoon.

"I have already made my peace with God because this war is different, it's not conventional," the 23-year-old bespectacled Chicago native says.

"These Taliban have learned their lesson. They adapt as fast as we do, but we are bound by our strict rules. They are not," he adds, panting after a 100-metre dash for cover behind an abandoned mud house.

"It can be a death run like this every day."

While Karzai tries to woo Taliban leadership into the fold of community life with money, money, and money - this, known as a "political solution."

But the challenges on the ground are immense. Fields are littered with improvised explosive devices (IEDs) responsible for most of the deaths of foreign troops in Afghanistan, which hit a record 520 fatalities last year.

The Taliban are also entrenched in their strongholds holding sway over the population and setting up shadow governments across the country, meaning they have the local intelligence that the Marines desperately need.

Remember the Marine above said, "we are bound by our strict rules." This is certainly a different war in Afghanistan.

Scott Aiken is Last Marine in Iraq: Marines Exit Iraq: Hameed al-Ghadhban Demands Arms

The U.S. Marines are preparing their exit from Iraq. Col. Scott Aiken will be the last combat Marine in Iraq, as they "hand over" responsibility to the U.S. Army today.

So much about the Iraq war is historic, including the fact that for the Marines, their push from "Kuwait northward to Baghdad and eventually west to Anbar, was the most ground Marines have covered since their 1805 desert march across Egypt to what is today the republic of Libya - a feat recovnized in the reference to "the shores of Tripoli" in the Marines Corps anthem."

In 2008, the Marines reach their peak with 25,000 troops inside Iraq. Now they will be the first to leave, with remaining US Military leaving Iraq by the end of 2011, according to Obama.

Iraqi leaders want the Marines to go, but that's not all they want. They want the Marines to finish arming the Iraqi army:

I am happy that the Americans will leave, but they still have to complete arming the Iraqi army," Anbar tribal chief Sheik Hameed al-Ghadhban said. "They have some unfinished jobs to do, and the Iraqi army needs arms and equipment - they must supply us with them.

Now we'll see if these people can take care of themselves, boastful and arrogrant, as they are. Throughout the war, it has been apparent that from the leaders down to the people on the street, they are a demanding bunch, but they easily absolve themselves for never demanding peace and security from their oppressors.

American officers are more gracious than Sheik Hameed al-Ghadhban. General Rick Tryon, the commander in Iraq said:

The security and stability that exists here is well within the means of the Iraqi security forces to maintain...You don't need United States Marines to do this at this point. So it's time, and it's timely. Besides, he added: "Afghanistan is calling."

Much of Tryon’s mission since taking over last February has focused on helping Anbar officials attract foreign investors and build up city services such as schools, hospitals and new roads and bridges.

Of the approximately 3,500 U.S. troops killed in action in Iraq, at least 851 were Marines. Among the first troops in the country, they arrived to invade in March 2003. They saw duty in the most violent battles of the war: Fallujah and Ramadi. Marines remembered being awakened by a loud speaker calling for blood donations:

As a severely wounded Marine was flown in by helicopter, "We'd go down there and stand in line, waiting to give blood," said Sewell, 26, of N. Ft. Myers, Florida. "You'd see 200 people standing in line. We'd all stand there until the guy was stabilized or we gave blood.

The battle for Anbar Province, located in a vast desert area, stretching from the western outskirts of the city of Baghdad, to the borders of Syria, Saudia Arabia and Jordan, is where 40 percent of all coalition deaths occurred.

Col. Scott Aiken will remain to see the last of the combat units packed and shipped. God Bless our Marines, always.

Wednesday Hero: Cpl. Carlos E. Gil Orozco

Carlos Gil Orozco wasn’t a great student, but one goal pushed him to hit the books: becoming a Marine.

Cpl. Carlos E. Gil Orozco
23 years old from San Jose, California
2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force
September 10, 2007

"He was kind of a troublemaker, you know, he got bad grades and wouldn't do his homework," said his sister, Myriam Johanna Gil Orozco. "But he wanted to be a Marine. So he studied real hard, especially algebra. He'd stay up all night studying.


Cpl. Orozco's parents moved the family from Colombia to the U.S. when he was 8 years old, hoping to give their children a better education. They became frustrated when their son didn't do well in school and thought the Marines would be good for him.
"My dad was actually happy," Myriam said. "He'd rather have him be a Marine than out on the streets being in gangs or doing drugs."

Cpl. Carlos Orozco was killed while conducting combat operations in Ashraf, Iraq when the tank he was riding in encountered an IED. Also killed in the blast was Lance Cpl. Jon T. Hicks Jr. of Atco, New Jersey.

Cpl. Orozco leaves behind his sister, his parents, his wife and two sons.
All Information Was Found On And Copied From MilitaryCity.com

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Right Reading Roundup 1-4-09 at Maggie's Notebook

Always on Watch has a very interesting video on the Battle of Tours between the Christian Franks and the Muslim Moors in 732 AD. Watch how this war was fought and won against the Religion of Peace - because the battle had to be fought, and the battle had to be won - there was no other choice.

Sultan Knish on Mayor Bloomberg, unlimited wealth, and the "treasure chest of taxes and revenues that the political vultures base their careers on..."

Stop the ACLU has an beautiful story of courage in Support of Project Valour. A love story about two Marines, Corporal Aaron Mankin and Lance Corporal Diana Kavanek - both deployed in Iraq. A story of life and survival after an IED explosion:

Then, my girlfriend Diana’s face popped into my head. I was thinking, These are my last thoughts. She is my last thought. And I focused on her face, because if I was going to die in war, I wanted to die with the thought of something worth fighting for, something worth dying for.

Dr. Thomas Sowell on Dismantling America. Sowell talks about Czars and the long arm of this radical administration. Thanks to neighbor, Patsy, for this one.

Barack Obama has not only said that he is out to “change the United States of America,” the people he has been associated with for years have expressed in words and deeds their hostility to the values, the principles, and the people of this country.

National Review Online's Michael Graham looks at the lessons of NY-23 in northeastern New England, where he says:

It’s hard to describe to outsiders the hopelessness that potential Republican candidates feel living in a place like Massachusetts.

Gateway Pundit has the video of Barack Obama's half-brother's story of an "absent, abusive and wife beater" father - the father the two brother's shared.

The Other McCain writes his first-hand account of a visit to Doug Hoffman's headquarters. Hoffman's race was emotional for all conservatives. This gives the feel and flavor of what it was like to be Doug Hoffman, or to be among his staff on election night.

ChicagoRay on "Elementary Hitler Youth Epidemic: 11 Uncovered Indoctrination Videos Show School Children Praising to Obama." Information we need to know and do something about it.

Stanford at Blog@MoreWhat has a review of Obama's rookie year,  and one stand-out is a Rasmussen poll showing that 27% of voters think Hillary would be doing a better job as president, but 49% say she would be performing about the same. Stanfords equates that to about 70% believing Hillary would be doing "as well or better" than Barack Obama.

Holger Awakens has a story that...well, here's the lead-in:

The mental imagery of this is just too much! It's hysterical! Picture this...four islamic jihadis in Kashmir are on the run...they decide to hide out in a cave and chant their 'allahu ackbars' over a nice little campfire...the owner of the cave, a Himalayan black bear comes home...isn't too excited about the jihadis turning his cave into a mosque...mauls and kills two of the jihadis while the other two finally get their wits together and escape. hahahaha!

The Black Sphere is talking about the Tarnishing of Obama's Luster:

If the recent fundraiser for Massachusetts’s Governor Deval Patrick is any indicator, Obama’s luster may be wearing off. The event was nowhere near a sellout, and word on the street is that operatives were pimping tickets up to the very last minute of the event. Worse yet, they weren’t finding any takers.

Truth and Consequences - Sjourn's to the Heartland: Read about Jim Simpson's trip to Tyler, Texas to speak to Grassroots America - We the People. This northeasterner has some observations about being deep in the heart of Texas.

Passing by and saying hello to:

Ace of Spades, Al's Daily Word, America Power Blog, Atlas Shrugs, Another Black Conservative, Big Government, Big Hollywood, Bloviating Zeppelin, Blue Collar Muse, Bungalow Bill's Conservative Wisdom, Clay to Bronze, Collecting My Thoughts, Conservative Blogs Central, Dittos Rush, Do the Right Thing, FaultlineUSA, Fausta's Blog, Fort Hard Knox, Fousesquawk, Flopping Aces, Camp of the Saints, Gaius at Magic Negro Watch,  Gateway Pundit, geeeeeZ! GrEaT sAtAn'S gIrLfRiEnD, Hot Air, Jihad Watch, Jus Sayin', Lionheart, Michelle Malkin, Monkey in the Middle, My Voice on the Wings of Change, News Busters, Nietzsche is Dead, No Sheeples Here, Observations, Obi's Sister, Old Soldier, Pat Dollard, Patterico's Pontifications, Planck's Constant, Political Vindication, Power Line, Pundit and Pundette, Radarsite, Red State, Riehl World View, Right Truth, Sharkes Shakes, Simply Jews, Stephen Kruiser, Stix Blog, Sister Toldjah, Southern Sass on Crime, Storm'n Norm'n, Sweetness and Light, The Admonition, The Amboy Times, The Anchoress, The Black Sphere, The Jawa Report, The Lonely Conservative, The Long War Journal, The O Word, The Snooper Report, The Tygrrrr Express, Third World County, Thistle Patch Hill, Travel Light, Woman Honor Thyself

Beirut Lebanon Marine Barracks: Beirut Lebanon October 23, 1983 Where Terrorism Began?

What if American military had not pulled out of Lebanon after the bombing of the Marine barracks on October 23, 1983?

Beirut Lebanon Marine Barracks Bombing

Would the Khobar Towers bombings in Saudia Arabia on June 25, 1996 have occurred? The explosives used to kill 19 of our troops are believed to have come from Lebanon. The blast took down 6 high rise buildings. A crater 85' wide and 35' deep was left behind.

Would the bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen on October 12th, 2000 been possible? Seventeen Sailors were killed, many wounded.

Would September 11, 2001 have happened?

In "the largest non-nuclear explosion on the planet" we lost 241 Marines, Sailors and Soldiers on October 23, 1983.

Listen to former U.S. Military who survived the blast, and their thoughts about terrorism, in the video below.

Thanks to Always on Watch, Creeping Sharia  and The Beirut Veterans Blog.










 Beirut Lebanon Where Terrorism Began? (video)

Michael Burghardt is Iron Mike: Gunnery Sgt. Michael Burghardt

Gunnery Sgt. Michael Burghardt was a legend before he was blown-up by an IED in Ramadi, Iraq on September 19, 2005. This is an old story, but new to me. My friend David Lemon sent it via email, and it seems it has gone around the world many times. Burghardt's commanding officer at the time said the photo below demonstrates the "warrior spirit." This is my Sunday morning inspiration story:

Michael Burghardt is Iron Mike

On September 19th, 2005 this military hero stepped into an IED crater that had just killed 4 U.S. soldiers. Iron Mike chose not to wear a bomb protection suit, saying the suits are bulky, making it difficult to react to an explosion while wearing the protection. Burghardt, a bomb disposal officer, entered the 5 foot deep, 8 foot wide crater and saw the device that blew him out of the hole. A Senao base station with a wire leading from it was in front of him.

He cut the wire and used his 7 inch knife to probe the ground. 'I found a piece of red detonating cord between my legs,' he says. 'That's when I knew I was screwed.' 'A chill went up the back of my neck and then the bomb exploded,' he recalls. 'As I was in the air I remember thinking, 'I don't believe they got me.' I was just ticked off they were able to do it. Then I was lying on the road, not able to feel anything from the waist down.'

The USMC Gunnery Sergeant, miraculously, was not paralyzed and did not lose his legs. Within minutes he found he could wiggle his toes. He stood up, flipped the bomber the bird and thought "Ok, I lost that round but I'll be back next week." Then he walked to the medevac helicopter.

Sgt Burghardt's injuries - burns and wounds to his legs and buttocks - kept him off duty for nearly a month and could have earned him a ticket home. But, like his father, who was awarded a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts for being wounded in action in Vietnam , he stayed in Ramadi to engage in the battle against insurgents who are forever coming up with more ingenious ways of killing Americans.

This Marine is considered one of the foremost bomb experts in the military and was on his third tour of duty in Iraq. He said probing for IED is "a big game of chess:"

Burghardt shakes his head in wonder at the variety and evolution of the roadside bombs he has encountered and the relentlessness with which they’re planted.

Washing machine timers, cordless telephone docking stations, battery acid, shaped charges and artillery rounds seemingly scrounged from all corners of the globe are the insurgents’ currently preferred tools. Yet Burghardt said it’s only a matter of time before they move on to newer and deadlier devices.

Iron Mike was already a Bronze Star recipient for his second tour in Iraq where he disabled 64 roadside bombs and destroyed more than 1,500 pieces of ordinance. He is now retired from the United States Marine Corps as a Master Sergeant. The photographer of the above photo is Jeff Bundy. His day spent on that dusty Iraq road has made him famous and his photograph an icon around the world. Bundy was embedded from the Omaha World-Herald to document stories about Nebraskans serving in Iraq. He saw Burghardt step into the crater. Saw Burghardt pat the top of his head, which is the signal to soldiers behind him that more bombs were found:

"That's when Capt. Searcey grabbed me by the body armor and pushed me down," Bundy says. "As he did, the bomb went off."

Bundy describes Gunnery Sgt. Burghardt's actions as the "the ultimate act of defiance." We know our military, located around the world, perform acts of incredible bravery and defiance every day, most of which we will never learn about. My God's blessings attend our military and their families every second of every day. Photo courtesy of Omaha World-Herald

Joshua M. "Bernie" Bernard Marine Victim of the AP, Afghanistan War

Joshua M. "Bernie" Bernard was a Marine who was wounded on the battlefield, and later died on an operating table in Afghanistan on August 14th. The AP published a photo taken within minutes Bernard being wounded.

Lance Cpl. Joshua M. "Bernie" Bernard

Lance Cpl. Joshua "Bernie" Bernard was from New Portland, Maine. Bernard's father, an ex-Marine, asked that the photo not be printed. According to this report, Defense Secretary Robert Gates called the CEO of "the news service," and asked him to pull the photo - this quote from Secretary Gates:

Why your organization would purposefully defy the family's wishes knowing full well that it will lead to more anguish is beyond me. Your lack of compassion and common sense in choosing to put this image of their maimed and stricken child on the front page of multiple American newspapers is appalling. ...The issue her is not law, policy or constitutional right - but judgment and common decency.

Thomas Curley, the above mentioned CEO said he would discuss the request with his staff. He reported back to Gates with this:

[his] crew had “seriously considered the secretary’s concerns and the families concerns … but ultimately decided that they wanted to proceed with pushing out this image to their clients,”...

Joshua was 21 years old. He was assigned to 2nd Batallion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, in May of 2007. He joined the Marines in November 2006. According to Freedom Remembered, Joshua:

...was home-schooled from kindergarten to 12th grade b his mother, receiving his high school diploma from North Atlantic Regional High School. He was an active member of the teen youth group at his church, Crossroads Bible Church in Madison, and enjoyed gaming, hiking, snowboarding, shooting, was an avid reader and a big movie buff. ...A deeply religious young man, who felt that it was his duty to not only serve God, but his country, he was focused on his goals in life.... Joshua lived his life as a great example for Christ, earning the nickname "Holy Man' from his fellow soldiers.

Patterico's Pontifications has more. The comments there are worth a read as well. Take a look at comment No. 11 at Patterico's. I would not quote it here, of course, because this commenter is not my reader, but about the point he/she made, I'll just say this: during WWII it took a very long time for photos to reach home. News was not instantaneous. The photo of Lance Cpl. Bernard was released just after his burial.

David Hedrick is Marine Vet at Brian Baird Townhall

David Hedrick is a Marine Vet who had an important lesson for Congressman Brian Baird (D-WA-3rd) at his recent Townhall gathering. This is the lesson for politicians of both parties. See video below.

Brian Baird

God bless David Hedrick for serving our country and explaining the commitment to the U.S. Constitution to those privileged to serve us in Congress, in this case, Brian Baird. Watch as Conservatives cheer, but many, many Liberals remain seated. What is it that they did not get from David's message. How ignorant can a voter be? For an explanation of Brian Baird's "brown shirt" comment, see below the video.



David Hedrick, Marine Vet at Brian Baird Townhall (Video) Via The Astute Bloggers Via The Lonely Conservative From Clark County Conservative by Lew Waters, August 6, 2009:

Articles in multiple news sources today quote Baird’s expression of fear as he states, “extremists would have the chance to shout and make YouTube videos.”
In that regard, Baird then said, “What we’re seeing right now is close to Brown Shirt tactics. I mean that very seriously.”
Brown shirts, I’m sure you recall were a paramilitary organization of Germany’s Nazi Party that played a key role in Adolf Hitler’s rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s.
Instead of addressing constituents real and honest concerns over the proposed healthcare reform, he labels us Nazi’s, then ducks and hides.
Did we elect him for this? No!
In announcing a “secret schedule” for a telephone conference in lieu of a Town hall, should you be fortunate enough to be invited and actually be by your phone if called, Baird said, “There is this national movement in blogs and on the Internet to go to town hall meetings solely to attack people. One colleague of mine recently was hung in effigy at a town hall meeting. Others needed police escorts.”
Seems I recall no concerns over protesters who disrupted Town halls of Republicans around the country and liberals even applauded an Iraqi throwing a shoe at President Bush at a news conference there.
Brian, if it didn’t cross your mind, voters can hang you in effigy any time. We don’t need a town hall for that. That is what effigy is, an expression of opposition without causing any harm to the individual.
Then again, wasn’t hanging Sarah Palin in effigy during last years campaign an “expression of free speech?”

Transcript of video coming later today.

What a Difference!

By Findalis Notice the difference in the way George W. Bush and Barack Hussein Obama have been received by the US Marine Corps. Hat tip to The Real Revo

Different Presidents, A Different Corps View at YouTube

What a difference!

Semper Fi!

The War Politicians Don't Want to Talk About

The dedicate and hard-working group at ANEWTONE has announced surpassing it's ONE MILLIONTH hit for 2008 - and over THREE MILLION since the site fired-up in mid-2005. It's easy to see why ANEWTONE is having such tremendous growth - just read the piece below written by 


~Snooper~

War News The War Politicians Don't Talk About

American politics. At times, especially in recent times, can be an international embarrassment. In my short 53 years on this planet, I have been a keen observer of politics ever since I voted for that fellow from Georgia. You know. Him. The guy that hates Israel and loves terrorists and tries to convince people that he is sane. I figured out he was insane when he screwed the Shah of Iran and put into power those "nice religious people". He then accepted the Shah into the US for medical treatment and then had him ejected from the US because those "nice religious people" demanded it. Then, he gave the Panama Canal to the Red Chinese and had American military members killed in Iran on a rescue mission of the American hostages. He later claimed that if he had had one more chopper, he would have won re-election. Idiot. Alas, I digress. Getting back to American politics, I discovered many years ago that the vast majority of the politicians that wind up in DC don't give a hoot about the American People. All they care about is the Almighty Power they get to wield. Power is all that matters. Tenure in office is all that matters. Bribing constituents of their districts for votes is all that matters. Case in point is Murtha, the soon to be EX-Marine, hopefully, that disgraced his uniform and the Oath he swore at one time but tossed that solemn Oath out the window for political gain. He isn't the only one, either. The list is long and brutal. Why won't the current crop of contenders for the Presidency on the DNC ticket talk about what is going on at this moment in Iraq or Afghanistan? And, what about those 18 Iraqi Benchmarks they so whined about all of last year? For that matter, whatever came of "the war is lost"? For that matter, whatever came of the Democrat Party chant of "we are going to end this war"? Were those words and mantras merely to win an election? Certainly they would not stoop to such new depths as to lie their way into power, would they? Well, as it turns out, the answer is an astoundingly, resounding and rising crescendo of YES! In today's NY Post, Amir Taheri has an article addressing the various candidates and The Why they don't talk about Iraq much...they can't. It exposes them for being on the wrong side of the war for political gain and would have to admit that Bush was right. Even though he was and is right, they cannot rise above their self-induced quagmire of failure. They would also have to admit that Iran is indeed behind about 90% of the turmoil now in country, both in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hell, I knew that back before 91101. Surely they did as well. But, it isn't politically expedient to admit so. This is why American politics is so damn embarrassing. The entire world knows that Iran is behind the unrest. Only a fool does not. Please excuse me for stating the obvious to the oblivious. Political Correctness. Multiculturalism. Identity Politics. The cowards' rants of stupidity, self-imposed. A political quagmire of their own making. Perhaps they should redeploy? I will end this with a quote from George Orwell found at the American Thinker and discussed tonight at JPM's BTR show.

"We have now sunk to a depth where the restatement of the obvious is the duty of intelligent men" - George Orwell.

Sadly, there aren't many intelligent men left in this country. At least not many that are willing to speak out. Article End. Permalink: http://maggiesnotebook.blogspot.com/2008/04/war-politicians-dont-want-to-talk-about.html Trackback URL for this entry: http://haloscan.com/tb/maggiesnotebook/5255654999083579631 Technorati Tags: ANEWTONE,Snooper, U.S. Marines, Senator John Murtha, War Politics, Multiculturalism, Political Correctness, War on Terror, Jimmy Carter, Panama Canal, Shah of Iran, Iraq, U.S. Military,

Haditha Marines - One Still Facing Trial

Michael Reagan posted at Townhall.com yesterday on the "Haditha" Marines.

The important facts of the story can get lost in the details. Read Michael's concise accounting at Haditha: The Collapse of a Liberal Fiction.

IT'S NOT TOO LATE: If you want to let Congressman John Murtha know how you feel about his lies and his betrayal, if you want him to know that you consider his actions treasonous - designed to indulge the anti-war Left, including his boss, Speaker Pelosi, here's how to reach him.

Murtha's District Office: Congressman John Murtha, 647 Main Street, Johnstown, PA 15901
P:(814) 535-2642 - F:(814) 539-6229 - Toll-Free:(800) 289-2642

Murtha's Washington Office: Congressman John Murtha, 2423 Rayburn HOB, Suite 401, Washington, D.C. 20515
P:(202) 225-2065 - F:(202) 225-5709

If you want to cancel your issue of Time magazine, call the customer service line at 866-550-6934. Time Warner headquarters: Time Warner Company, 1 Time Warner Center, New York, NY 10019. Phone: 212-484-8000, Fax: 212-489-6183.

Some other Time Warner holdings: Fortune Magazine, All You, Sports Illustrated, Golf Magazine, Money, People, Entertainment Weekly, Cooking Light, Southern Accents, Sunset, Field and Stream, Outdoor Life, Popular Science, Ski, Real Simple, Yachting Magazine

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Soldiers Support .... Obama?
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Weblog: Blue Star Chronicles

Woman Honor Thyself - LightS ouT KidS!- EXCERPT: .”..Congress slipped into the recent energy bill a mandate that within four years the everyday incandescent bulb is to disappear from the...Excerpt:

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