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POPS Veterans Day 2009: Thank you
They are casualties of war… and as far as I’m concerned, Sergeant Kimberly Munley, who took their cowardly attacker down, is a veteran today. The terrorist enemy doesn’t have a formal chain of command that can sign an armistice, they don’t muster on clearly defined battlefields, and they’re quite happy to benefit from the efforts of deranged fanboys. If we don’t stand behind our professional soldiers, and give them the tools to do their jobs now, we will all become soldiers before this enemy is defeated. Somewhere in the world tomorrow, an American soldier will ring in the eleventh hour of the eleventh day with gunfire. Another will arrive home after an honorable tour of duty, perhaps passing brothers and sisters in arms saying farewell to their families. A mother’s tears will fall on a letter from the far side of the world. Old veterans will spend a beautiful afternoon watching children play beneath the flag they raised at Anzio, Guadalcanal, Incheon, or Khe Sanh.
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POPSProject Valour-IT USMC Birthday Edition Blatherings Blog offers a Birthday Toast from former Commandant General Louis H. Wilson. Right Pundits salutes our Marine of the Day, Corporal Jason Dunham: You can see a photo of Jason below, and watch the moving video of President George W. Bush awarding the Medal of Honor to Corporal Jason Dunham, USMC, posthumously. Courtesy of Dr. Melissa, Bob Parsons, CEO of GoDaddy.com gives a shout out to his fellow Marines. No Sheeples has General Conway’s Birthday message. The Marines have given a lot for us. Ercille has thoughts on how you can pay it forward. Michelle Malkin rocks!!! Mike the Marine’s Birthday video from 2008. See also: Drew at AoSHQ has a USMC birthday post up, as well. Coalition of the Swilling weighs in on that long, unbroken line. .Remembering Cpl. Jason Dunham: Blatherings Blog has a tribute to Jason Dunham and video, too! Read the following
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POPSWhat Americans owe to those who serve "Each November we are asked to pause and honor them, which is, or should be, an honor in itself. After the events of the last week at Fort Hood in Texas, with their reminder of the sacrifices that the men and women of the military make for us, Veterans Day will hold special meaning this year."
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POPS'The Axis of Idiots' - note from a Retired Marine You want to run from Iraq and abandon the Iraqis to murderers just as you did to the Vietnamese. Iraq, like Vietnam, is another war that you were for, before you were against it. John Murtha, you said our military was broken. You said we can't win militarily in Iraq. You accused United States Marines of cold-blooded murder without proof and said we should redeploy to Okinawa. Okinawa, John? And the Democrats call you their military expert! Are you sure you didn't suffer a traumatic brain injury while you were off building your war hero resume? You're a sad, pitiable, corrupt and washed up politician. You're not a Marine, sir. You wouldn't amount to a good pimple on a real Marine's butt. You're a phony and a disgrace. Run away, John.
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POPSUS Marines facing reality
They ought to read this blog, they and their inept and idiotic political masters. I had a US former Marine Sgt work for me in Namibia. He could not understand that his two year enlistment did nowhere equate to that of a 15 year regular soldier. Very few of the lessons in soldiering can be gained from the library of military literature. They are gained in the field, from those who have experienced all that service has to offer. The British made an enormous mistake when, after the Falklands, the major slice of experienced senior nco's were forcibly retired. That single instrument allowed second class senior officers to kowtow to their political masters, with disastrous procurement of everything essential from personal weapons to food, through footwear to transport. When General Jackson and his cronies were feathering their pension pots, the skills and loyalty of the squaddie were evaporating on a maelstrom of political correctness and Health & Safety. I heard not a beep out of th
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POPSUSS New York Sets Sail: Commissioning Ceremony in November --photos, slideshow, video The USS New York will soon be defending freedom and combating terrorism around the globe, while also ensuring that the world never forgets the evil attacks of September 11 and the courage and strength New Yorkers showed.” This morning, the ship departed the Mississippi River to make her first journey. The ship departed from Avondale this morning at 7:00 a.m. and headed for the Gulf of Mexico. The ship’s journey has been met with fan fare, salutes, and glorious praise. Beginning with a New Orleans style farewell, the ship passed through Gretna and was met by firefighters and a police honor guard who sowed their honor and respect to those who died heroically on 9/11. As the ship continues to make its way to New York, she will be greeted by those who choose to remember and honor the nearly 5,000 who tragically lost their lives on September 11, 2001. The ship’s motto is “Strength Forged Through Sacrifice. Never Forget.” View photos-slideshow and videos at website
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POPSObama to Meet High-Powered Aides for Afghan Review were the top ranking civilian officials expected for a bracing session on a war some supporters fear could swamp Obama's presidency. War commander General Stanley McChrystal, who warned in a leaked report that the conflict could be lost within a year without more troops, was also due to to take part, either in person or by video link-up, the White House said. Other top military brass included were General David Petraeus who heads US central command, Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Director of National Intelligence Admiral Dennis Blair. CIA chief Leon Panetta was also due to take part, along with Richard Holbrooke, the US envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as the US ambassadors to Islamabad and Kabul. Obama warned after meeting NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Tuesday that the United States could not fight the battle in Afghanistan alone, in remarks apparently aimed at European partners.
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POPSThose Who Ignore History... History didn't listen to us," said Tabeyev, who's now 81. "All our efforts to restore peace in the country . . . this was a flop in the end." The fundamental problem in Afghanistan is that it isn't a country in the way the West thinks of countries, said retired Lt. Gen. Ruslan Aushev, who did two tours there and left as a regimental commander. "There has never been any real centralized state in Afghanistan. There is no such nation as Afghanistan," said Aushev, who's a former president of the Russian Caucasus republic of Ingushetia and now heads a veterans group in Moscow. "There are (ethnic groups of) Pashtuns, Uzbeks and Tajiks, and they all have different tribal policies." As a result, any occupation force will spend much of its time propping up a government that has little relevance outside Kabul and trying to corral disparate ethnic groups and tribes into a national army that's often unwilling to fight, Aushev said.
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POPSAfghanistan is not Iraq, Viet Nam, or Cleveland Seems as though we have to learn and relearn the most common of military lessons. Seems someone has not even watch the iconic Eastwood flick "Heartbreak Ridge" on how to survive and win "You're Marines now. You adapt. You overcome. You improvise," says Eastwood's character. As several marines, one US and one Aussie, advised about the same topic: Trust the terrain, not the map. The plan calls for training Afghans to fight the fight we want them to fight and the way we would fight it. People who care about each other, innovate, adapt, and overcome win - or at least don't lose because they took the advise of someone 10,000 miles away with no eyes on the ground and butt on the line.
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POPSStop Begging Obama and Get Mad
The right wing is not wrong. It is not the problem. We are the problem. If we do not tap into the justifiable anger sweeping across the nation, if we do not militantly push back against corporate fraud and imperial wars that we cannot win or afford, the political vacuum we have created will be filled with right-wing lunatics and proto-fascists. The goons will inherit power not because they are astute, but because we are weak and inept. Violence is a dark undercurrent of American history. It is exacerbated by war and economic decline. Violence is spreading outward from the killing fields in Iraq and Afghanistan to slowly tear apart individuals, families and communities. There is no immunity. The longer the wars continue, the longer the members of our working class are transformed by corporate overlords into serfs, the more violence will dominate the landscape. The slide into chaos and a police state will become inevitable. The soldiers and Marines who return from Iraq and Afghanis
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POPSObama Policy Causes Death of American Soldiers Once again the Obama administration has shown whose side he is on in our fight against terrorism around the world. No it is not the side of America or the American soldier but rather the side of those who wish us harm. Current Rules of Engagement in Afghanistan have hampered our efforts to rout out Taliban insurgents bent on killing American soldiers. The sooner we rid our country of Islamic sympathizers the better off we will be in the end. Is it too soon to call for IMPEACHMENT of this present administration?
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POPSAP Shows Lack of Respect for Military, Family And I hear from those with family in Iraq and Afghanistan that what the US media reports has little to do with the actual truth of what is going on over there, and how the local people are receiving it. Sad.
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POPSAfghan US Embassy Guards Party Down It wasn't that long ago that all our embassies had 100% US Marine guards. That was before the liberals thrust political correctness upon us. I recently paid a visit to our embassy in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, and found the guards there local, surly, slovenly, and with poor English. I felt much less secure in there then when we had Marines on duty. The other despicable items inside were portraits of Obama and Clinton on the wall - those images fit right in with the guards.
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POPSNavy Destroyer Named After Marine Medal Of Honor Winner Jason L. Dunham In a solemn ceremony punctuated by talk of courage, service and sacrifice, the mother of a Marine corporal on Saturday christened a warship honoring her son, who died after covering an exploding grenade to protect his comrades in Iraq. After composing herself and taking a deep breath, Deb Dunham smashed a bottle of champagne over the bow of the 510-foot warship Jason Dunham, then held the bottle aloft before a cheering crowd of more than 1,500 people. She was joined by the Marines who served with her son, by her husband, Dan Dunham, and their daughter Katelyn Dunham. Two other Dunham boys also were in the audience. Retired Gen. Michael Hagee, a former Marine commandant who was with the Dunhams when their son died at Bethesda Naval Hospital days after the explosion, said Jason gave the “gift of valor.” Hagee said the warship will serve as a reminder that freedom “is paid for by the men and women who wear the cloth of this nation.”
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POPSRemains Identified as Navy Captain Michael Scott Speicher Acting on information provided by an Iraqi citizen in early July, US Marines stationed in Al Anbar Province went to a location in the desert which was believed to be the crash site of Captain Speicher’s jet. The Iraqi citizen stated he knew of two Iraqi citizens who recalled an American jet impacting the desert and the remains of the pilot being buried in the desert. One of these Iraqi citizens stated that they were present when Captain Speicher was found dead at the crash site by Bedouins and his remains buried. The Iraqi citizens led US Marines to the site who searched the area. Remains were recovered over several days during the past week and flown to Dover Air Force Base for scientific identification by the AFIP’s Office of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner. The recovered remains include bones and multiple skeletal fragments. Positive identification was made by comparing Captain Speicher’s dental records with the jawbone recovered at the site.
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POPSPakistan rejects US surge David Killen said that Pakistan must not become involved if the action in Afghanistan was to have any chance of success. The US have chased `high value targets` over the border and voila - another mess. pah
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POPSA Soldier's Story Part I Return to Tarawa to discover a battlefield covered in garbage and human waste, and the unspeakable disgrace of having hundreds of fallen American heroes " including a man posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor " buried under parking lots and septic tanks. There are somewhat graphic images, and a few moments of salty language " but this is something I would encourage you to watch with your families, simply because it is so heartbreaking. If we do not often remember the cost of our freedoms, we will surely lose them. Listening to what these boys did for us " and that’s what they were: teen-aged boys, for the most part " brought home to me the debt we owe these remarkable men. It is the very least we can do to listen to their stories. They are amazing stories, funny and tragic and full of wisdom, and I mean to tell as many of them as I can, from World War 2 up through the present.
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POPSPrepare for USMC Boot Camp “Prepare For Boot Camp" is a strategical breakthrough to Boot Camp, and is an incredible tool. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this guide should be read by every young person going into the Marines...”
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POPSIgnorance is Strength The "hero" of the American media, is a bloody terrorist, a.k.a. the Butcher of Beirut. I thought the US was supposed to pretend to be fighting terrorists, not supporting them? Oh well, it wouldn't be the first time.
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POPSThe Latest From Iran What should President Obama do about Iran? He can do what he does best: Talk. He should roll out the TOTUS and give the Iranian mullahs and moguls an old-fashioned spanking. Complete with direct quotes from the Koran. Alas, this will not happen. Dr. Charles Krauthammer this week said of President Obama: “All hangs in the balance. The Khamenei regime is deciding whether to do a Tiananmen. And what side is the Obama administration taking? None.” Ouch. I feel the pain not for the target of Dr. Krauthammer’s words, but for the rest of us. 53% of the nation gave 100% of the world a leader of the free world someone who, when danger comes, dares to vote " present. Such a timorous approach to adversity is decidedly James Buchanan-like, as opposed to Harry Trumanesque or John Kennedyesque. There is much intelligence in not taking unnecessary risks. There is greater ignorance in trying to avoid all risks at all times.
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POPSBlackpool Conservatives choice 3. Finally, our elected representatives should demonstrate leadership and refuse to travel First Class. Not only would this result in significant savings it would more importantly acknowledge that they understand the concerns of the electorate regarding public spending and the need to “tighten our belts” something that they seem well able to preach yet unable to practice. At the end of the day what all elected representatives, and I obviously count myself in this number, must acknowledge is that we exist to serve the people that voted for us, they are our true bosses and they are most certainly not here to serve us. Unfortunately, I sometimes feel that this important fact is often forgotten or worse conveniently ignored. I bet he never cleared this piece with Councillor Ian Fowler. And there is a whole group of former regular Royal Marines who would dispute the last statement. As both a Bootneck and a devout Conservative, I find this choice of candidate worrying. Needless to say I
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POPS United States Army, 234th Anniverary The 234th anniverary is celebrated at Fort Belvoir. It’s also Flag Day, with the adoption of Old Glory by the Continental Congress 232 years ago today. *OK, the US Navy, Marines, Air Force and allies from many free nations helped, too.
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POPSWhat a dirtbag. NEVER SERVED ANY SERVICE ! Self serving liar. A real discredit for those of us that did serve. People like him need to be hog tied and shipped to a war zone, dropped right in enemy territory.
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POPSLand of the Weak and Home of the Wussy
Most of us bitch about taxes and pay little attention to the fact that our nation is deeply mired in two wars. We refer to our military personnel as heroes (for fear of not seeming patriotic?) but want nothing to do with the consequences of those wars. I agree with the author on some points and not on others. He speaks a realization that few of us want to face, for instance: the lie that we fight the terrorists there so we don’t have to fight them here. I also agree with this statement: we Americans have been living off the rest of the world's misery. We are stealing oil from the people of nations like Iraq and Nigeria. We know our toys, our electronic devices and our fancy name-brand running shoes are being made by people who cannot afford to buy them themselves. We know that for decades we have been overthrowing elected governments and propping up fascist dictatorships to keep the exploitation going so that we can buy cheap goods and extract cheap resources.
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POPS"Rumsfeld's renegade unit blamed for Afghan deaths" continues (full at source): His surprise appointment has prompted speculation that commando counterinsurgency missions will increase in the battle to beat the Taliban. MarSOC was created three years ago on the express orders of Donald Rumsfeld, US defence secretary at the time, despite opposition from within the Marine Corps and the wider Special Forces community. An article in the Marine Corps Times described the MarSOC troops as "cowboys" who brought shame on the corps.
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