Wanna Go to Afghanistan?

Kentucky Woman, over at "Little Drops....," is going to Afghanistan.....want to join her? I am. It seems that two Air Force journalists are taking a 3o-day swing through the country and documenting their trip. You, too, can sign up for updates and "virtually" tour the country with them. They're posting on Facebook and on the ISAF website. Here's what KyWoman says about the effort:

Now the why... So many of 'Our Guys' and 'Gals' have spent a good portion of their lives in the past 8 years working, fighting and paying the ultimate price with their life for our freedoms in the land called Afghanistan. There are many negative images of the country, people and the reason we're there and what we're doing. This 30 day trip being videoed by these two Airmen will perhaps give everyone who is curious and questioning a better understanding of what our soldiers see everyday. It's like taking a trip without ever leaving your home. Not quite how I like to travel, but sure beats reading the newspapers accounts and opinions.

Now isn't this a great idea, and a wonderful way to support those young men and women who are still serving?

President's Plan

So, President Obama finally made a decision. He's going to send 3o,ooo more troops to support our operations in Afghanistan. Good. It's about time. I hope that President Obama's plan to "finish" the Taliban, Al Qaeda, and their extremist allies works. I'm not sure that President Obama is being realistic....but I can still hope. I am, however, extremely concerned by the "deadline" President Obama has set for leaving Afghanistan. Not only does a "deadline" give those extremists hope...all they have to do is wait for us to leave before restarting their plans...but a "deadline" may not be realistic. I fear that President Obama will become so entrenched in the idea that he has to leave by the deadline he set, that he will ignore military realities that may exist at the time. Anyone who has served in the military knows that no plan lasts beyond first contact with the enemy. My fear is that President Obama, and his advisers, will become so entrenched in the politics of supporting their plan that they forget those military realities.

PBS's Frontline & "Obama's War"

The PBS show Frontline has posted a great video on their website. Click here to go to the site. The video, titled "Obama's War," follows Echo Company of the 2d Battalion, 8th Regiment as they moved into Helmand Province in July and the efforts the Company has taken to hold Combat Outpost Sharp (named for a member of their Company who was lost the first day of the push into Helmand). The video is extremely well done and discusses the strategy behind counter-insurgency and what the Marines of Echo Company are asked to do to implement the strategy. The video is actually part 1 of a series that Frontline will air on October 13th. Good stuff and a "must watch," particularly for anyone with a loved one fighting in Helmand.

News

Those of you who follow this blog know that two of my children are currently serving overseas, my daughter in Iraq and my son in Afghanistan. Well, I have some news. Florida-girl, my wonderful daughter-in-law, called me this morning. She let me know she had received a phone call from my son earlier in the morning. She said he sounded wonderful, and apologized for not being able to call on their Wedding Anniversary, which was earlier this week. She said he was his normal self....joking around and teasing her. It was great news! But then she told me that a little bit later in the morning, she received a call from HQ Marine Corps, with a "casualty report." They told her that my son had been knocked unconscious by an IED a couple of days ago, and medevac'ed to a medical facility with a serious concussion and that he was under observation with headaches and nausea. Of course, he hadn't told her any of this news earlier, probably in an effort to protect her, not knowing that the Marine HQ would call. (He's like that....he told his grandmother and I not to watch the news while he's gone; even though he knows we will.) Florida-girl was upset, of course, but she said the worst part was the Marine who called used the term "casualty report" and not something more innocuous like "injury report." She said her stomach had hit the ground, before she realized what the Marine on the phone was trying to tell her. Can't say I blame her. My stomach is still near my ankles. Good thing is that he seems to be OK....at least he was able to call his wife and joke around with her; even if he didn't let her know about his concussion. Gotta love protective men.......their heart's in the right place, even if you want to kick them in the backside for not giving you information!

America's Battalion

The Marine's 2d Battalion, 8th Regiment is fighting in Afghanistan as a part of the "surge" into Helmand province. The 2/8 is called "America's Battalion" and has a storied history, having served at Guadalcanal, Tarawa, and Okinawa in World War II as well as service in Iraq and other places around the world. Now they're in Afghanistan, doing what Marines do best, taking the fight to the enemy. Check out the 2/8's Official Website for some great information about "America's Battalion."

Although for some reason the "mainstream media" seems to think it more important to report on the death of and memorial services for a suspected pedophile and confirmed strange, weird, sad man, there are some excellent reports on "America's Battalion" and the "surge" in Afghanistan on the internet. National Public Radio has been following the 2/8's deployment into Afghanistan and has been reporting on the 2/8's efforts, as well as the impact of the deployment on families and loved ones. Unlike some of NPR's reporting, this series seems to be pretty balanced. Check out the series articles on NPR's website. Pat Dollard also has a post about the 2/8 Marines on his excellent website.

Pink Boxer Boy's Job is Safe!

Did you see the story that ran a week or so ago? The one about the Army Specialist who was asleep when the Taliban attacked his outpost in Afghanistan? Apparently, he grabbed the most important gear (his helmet, body armor, and weapon) and jumped into the fight. What made the story interesting was that a NYTimes photographer just happened to be around, just happened to snap a picture of the firefight, and just happened to catch 19-year old Army Specialist Zachary Boyd fighting the Taliban wearing flip-flops and his pink "I love NY" boxer shorts. And of course, the picture just happened to end up on the front page of the NYTimes the next day. The best thing about the story (other than Specialist Boyd's courage and commitment) was Boyd and his parents' sense of humor about the whole thing. Boyd's dad told a TV reporter that this son called and told him he might be on the front of the NYTimes; but he didn't mention that he'd be there in his undies. Later Boyd told his dad that he might not have a job, if his boss (the Commander-in-Chief, President Obama) was unhappy with his attire.

Well....Specialist Boyd's job is safe. Secretary of Defense Gates has gone on the record saying that he wants to meet Specialist Boyd and shake his hand. According to Secretary Gates, "Any soldier who goes into battle against the Taliban in pink boxers and flip-flops has a special kind of courage." Secretary Gates also wondered how the Specialist Boyd's unique uniform impacted the Taliban. He mused, "just imagine seeing that: a guy in pink boxers and flip-flops has you in his crosshairs. What an incredible innovation in psychological warfare." Wait a minute.....there's a thought.....pink boxers as an issue item....might work.....well, on second thought....might not be such a great idea....

"It was a good day for the Marine Corps."

Military.com had an article on November 18th that described how a group of 30 Marines held off an insurgent ambush in Shewan, Farah Province, Afghanistan and, after an 8-hour battle, defeated about 250 insurgents. It's a great article, but the description of the battle is so good, I'll quote it here.

“The day started out with a 10-kilometer patrol with elements mounted and dismounted, so by the time we got to Shewan, we were pretty beat,” said a designated marksman who requested to remain unidentified. “Our vehicles came under a barrage of enemy RPGs (rocket propelled grenades) and machine gun fire. One of our ‘humvees’ was disabled from RPG fire, and the Marines inside dismounted and laid down suppression fire so they could evacuate a Marine who was knocked unconscious from the blast.”

The vicious attack that left the humvee destroyed and several of the Marines pinned down in the kill zone sparked an intense eight-hour battle as the platoon desperately fought to recover their comrades. After recovering the Marines trapped in the kill zone, another platoon sergeant personally led numerous attacks on enemy fortified positions while the platoon fought house to house and trench to trench in order to clear through the enemy ambush site.

“The biggest thing to take from that day is what Marines can accomplish when they’re given the opportunity to fight,” the sniper said. “A small group of Marines met a numerically superior force and embarrassed them in their own backyard. The insurgents told the townspeople that they were stronger than the Americans, and that day we showed them they were wrong.”

During the battle, the designated marksman single handedly thwarted a company-sized enemy RPG and machinegun ambush by reportedly killing 20 enemy fighters with his devastatingly accurate precision fire. He selflessly exposed himself time and again to intense enemy fire during a critical point in the eight-hour battle for Shewan in order to kill any enemy combatants who attempted to engage or maneuver on the Marines in the kill zone. What made his actions even more impressive was the fact that he didn’t miss any shots, despite the enemies’ rounds impacting within a foot of his fighting position.

"I was in my own little world,” the young corporal said. “I wasn’t even aware of a lot of the rounds impacting near my position, because I was concentrating so hard on making sure my rounds were on target.”

After calling for close-air support, the small group of Marines pushed forward and broke the enemies’ spirit as many of them dropped their weapons and fled the battlefield. At the end of the battle, the Marines had reduced an enemy stronghold, killed more than 50 insurgents and wounded several more.

“I didn’t realize how many bad guys there were until we had broken through the enemies’ lines and forced them to retreat. It was roughly 250 insurgents against 30 of us,” the corporal said. “It was a good day for the Marine Corps. We killed a lot of bad guys, and none of our guys were seriously injured.”

Good job, Marines, good job!