Afghanistan Today, the GWOT Hotspot (The Afghanistan Scandal?) Sat. 8/16/14 (137 days to go)

I am still shocked and saddened at the death of Marine sniper Sgt. Rob Richards, found dead in his home Wednesday. May he rest in peace.

 

 

Afghanistan Today, the GWOT Hotspot (The Afghanistan Scandal?) 8/14/14 Th. (139 Days to go)

139 days to go for US troops in Afghanistan.

Why didn’t Gen. Amos, Marine Commandant worry about the safety and welfare of the Marine snipers and their families and get them treatment for combat stress and battle fatigue instead of wanting to “crush” them as other Marines are reported as testifying under oath that he wanted to do to them?

Now one of the scout snipers was found dead in his home. Sad, sad, sad.

Links from around the GWOT:

Link:

1.) Although demoted to Corporal, I still say, RIP SGT Richards:

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20140814/NEWS/308140051/Marine-sniper-involved-controversial-video-found-dead

Afghanistan Today, the GWOT Hotspot (The Afghanistan Scandal?) Sun. 9-4-11

Another Sunday in the US for Americans to worship at whatever church they choose. Or they can choose not to worship. God bless our troops who protect our freedoms who serve in Afghanistan this day, often not able to attend religious services. Pray for them. Pray for victory and peace through Christ. Links from around the GWOT:

1.) U.S. troops wounded in war face a long road back to health. Photo shows Marine who lost a leg in Sangin, Afghanistan. Link:

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/lifestyles/2011/sep/04/tdmain01-war-wounded-face-long-road-back-ar-1284617/

Afghanistan Today, the GWOT Hotspot-10-7-10-Thurs.

Marines are still in Marjah, Afghanistan, facing a full-blown insurgency. Read the story at link #1.

1.) Marines still in Marjah, Afghanistan face full-blown insurgency, may God bless them with victory so they can some home soon. Link:

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2010/10/ap-marines-fighting-insurgency-in-marjah-100710/

Afghanistan Today, the GWOT Hotspot-8-10-10-Tue.

The mosque at Ground Zero is in the news al lot, I heard it discussed on Glenn Beck on the radio and on his TV show today.

In the meantime, US troops are endangered in Afghanistan. The headline screams out for our men:

“Afghans who are undisciplined endanger U.S. Marines in Marjah.”

See the link at #1.

1.) Afghans who are undisciplined endanger U.S. Marines in Marjah:

Marine Corps Eagle Globe and Anchor at Camp Lejeune, NC-At the top it reads: "Semper Fidelis"-often shortened to "Semper Fi"-meaning "Always Faithful". As a country let's contact our elected officials after reading this story and tell them our Marines are "Always Faithful" in battle in Afghanistan, and our politicians and Commander-in-Chief, and the generals and officers need to be "Always Faithful" to the men they lead. Endangering them like this doesn't see to be "Always Faithful" to me. Let's REALLY be ALWAYS FAITHFUL to our Marines in battle in Afghanistan

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2010/06/marine_ana_062110w/

2.) Afghan who killed two U.S. Marines was under Afghan control. Read the last line, it states that the Marines complained for months about these undiciplined Afghans putting their life in danger. Are we being ALWAYS FAITHFUL to our finest, the U.S. Marines? Link:

RIP Marines:

Eagle statue outside Marine building in Missouri: RIP Marines, you fought for us, may we not let you down, may you now fly with Eagles-RIP

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2010/08/marine_detainee_escape_081310w/

Afghanistan Today, the GWOT Hot Spot-Wed. 7-21-10

It’s hot in Afghanistan as U.S. troops work to secure victory. Pray for our troops, and contact your elected officials about this undeclared war, I suggest telling them: LET THEM FIGHT OR BRING THEM HOME.

This link at #1 is the web site of Gold Star father John Bernard, a retired Marine whose Marine son was KIA in Afghanistan in 2009.

Link below to stories around the GWOT.

1.) Excellent information at the LET THEM FIGHT OR BRING THEM HOME WEB SITE:

http://letthemfight.blogspot.com/

2.) More excellent stories at this link, by Diana West:

http://dianawest.net/

3.) Female American troops teach female Afghan soldiers:

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/07/19/americans-empower-women-taliban-kill-women/?icid=main|htmlws-main-n|dl1|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.politicsdaily.com%2F2010%2F07%2F19%2Famericans-empower-women-taliban-kill-women%2F

4.)  North Carolina hit hard by combat deaths, I noted one vehicle hit an IED and 4 soldiers were killed. The US needs to fight this war to WIN! Link:

http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/07/20/589074/nc-is-hit-hard-by-troops-deaths.html

Afghanistan Today, the GWOT Hotspot-4th of July 2010-Sun.

Another Independence Day spent in Afghanistan by U.S. troops who are at war, while many in the country and upper echelons of the political and military class seem to be “at the mall.” (Or on the golf course).  The best way to WIN this war is with a quick VICTORY. Get some generals off the golf course, pull some back from retirement, and think of plans to WIN. Don’t let Gen. McChrystal retire with four stars, as I read in stories it is required to serve at least 3 years in that position before you can retire at that rank. Put him to work the next two years if he wants to retire at four stars, by presenting and coming up with plans to win the war, besides the losing counterinsurgency plan he followed the last few years. For the sake of our warriors, the politicians AND generals, and other officers who want to move up, MUST have a CULTURE OF VICTORY they can instill in the troops they lead.

I have also heard many quotes, even today on CNN by Rep. Duncan Hunter, and I like him a lot, that the U.S. “won” the Iraq War. I have written my representative and two senators and sent a fax to President Obama at the White House to PLEASE issue immediately for all who served honorably in Iraq, the IRAQ VICTORY MEDAL. This should be done ASAP!

Links from around the GWOT:

1.) Maybe new rules for VICTORY should be issued to American officers too:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704699604575343603185954846.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

2.) Vermont National Guard soldier murdered in Afghanistan. Has the murderer been arrested and held accountable:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/07/03/afghanistan.soldier.death/?hpt=T2

3.) China invests in Afghanistan:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g8SC2Cv9tmF8F3ikTseBTnL_apEAD9GO0EO01

Afghanistan Today, the GWOT Hotspot 6-22-10-Tue.

General Stanley McChrystal is in all the news, on the news channels, and all over the internet and print media. This story at #1 from MSNBC, their post of the Rolling Stone story explains it all. Link below.

1.) MSNBC link to the Rolling Stone story which may cause Gen. McChrystal to use his job. The part which concerns me is that the troops are dying due to restricted rules of engagement. The troops did speak their mind to McChrystal about this policy which is getting them killed. Link:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37847841/ns/us_news-military//

Afghanistan Today-The GWOT Hotspot-Mon. 6-21-10

The war in Afghanistan continues on, more articles are coming out with questions as to the leadership in the war and other questions. There are several stories which point out what I have been saying for months:  LET THEM FIGHT OR BRING THEM HOME. Links:

1.) ROLLING STONE magazine article about Gen. Stanley McChrystal. It states McChrystal voted for Obama. Link:

http://rr.com/news/topic/article/rr/7392520/14590924/Top_general_in_Afghan_war_US_envoy_betrayed_me

2.) Undisciplined Afghan troops endanger Marjah Marines:

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2010/06/marine_ana_062110w/

3.) Letter by American defense article states that ALL troops support counterinsurgency, and reveals in print that this policy of “winning hearts and minds” is how Obama plans to disrupt, dismantle and defeat the enemy. I believe the writer should serve time on the front lines and with some NCO’s such as quoted in George Will’s latest article, or in above Marine Corps Times article, see how these plans are working on the battlefield, as they are not working and endanger U.S. troops, and will not “dismantle, disrupt and defeat” the enemy. I have also been writing my representatives and the President, as I keep hearing “The Iraq surge worked,” and asked that our troops who served honorably in Iraq then receive an IRAQ VICTORY MEDAL.

From this letter, COIN revealed:

From the president to our troops and civilians on the ground to all of us in between, we are clear and unified on our goal in Afghanistan: to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaeda and its network through a counterinsurgency campaign that will ensure Afghanistan does not again become a haven for violent extremists.

Link:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/20/AR2010062003173_pf.html

4.) George Will article with input from NCO on how terrible the policy in Afghanistan is now:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/7062168.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+houstonchronicle%2Fedtoutlook+(HoustonChronicle.com+–+Viewpoints%2C+Outlook)

Afghanistan Today, the GWOT Hotspot: 6-19-10-Sat.

The Afghan war rolls on, with US troops involved in a counterinsurgency policy that can’t result in victory. If the troops were fighting a war the US military can win ANY WAR IT WANTS TO. But we are not doing that after 10 years. Our warriors are paying the price. Story at #1 about medevac helicopters and medical crews working at a pitched rate, set to increase even more. Last night on O’Reilly Factor Col Hunt and Lt. Col. Ralph Peters (both retired) gave an excellent rundown of how the counterinsurgency cannot work. If it is posted or on You Tube I will try to put a link here, if not, look it up, interesting and truthful description of what is going on in Afghanistan. Peters even said the Afghans will fight to the death to live in squalor. The USA has no money, it is all borrowed from China, how much longer can this go on with the injuries and killings of U. S. troops almost daily? The cost of replacing a soldier or Marine, then the care for the injured troops is staggering.

Where are the Iraq Victory Medals for our warriors? I have written my representatives about this and suggest you do the same. The politicians keep saying “the surge worked” and “counterinsurgency worked in Iraq” SO LET’S GET OUR TROOPS WHO SERVED HONORABLY THERE the IRAQ VICTORY MEDAL THEY DESERVE!

Links from around the GWOT:

1.) Another hard to believe story, but after 10 years, the US medical teams are treating more US troops than ever:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/13/world/asia/13medevac.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y

2.) Afghan prisoners given cell phone, swear off violence-why aren’t we giving this chance to U.S. troops at Ft. Leavenworth who are there for battle related incidents? Let them swear off violence and give them a cell phone like our enemy combatants who may have killed U.S. troops. Link:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/13/AR2010061304374_pf.html

American flag flies high in Overland Park, Kansas 6-19-10: remember our troops who are sent to secure our national security, freedom & liberty-contact your representatives, I say: LET THEM FIGHT OR BRING THEM HOME!

3.) So now the enemy in Afghanistan has surface-to-air capacity? And, why “fly over insurgents” and not bomb them??? How much longer must we be here on defense as retired Col. Hunt and Lt. Col. Peters said on FOX News O’Reilly Factor last night? LET THEM FIGHT OR BRING THEM HOME!!! Link:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/09/AR2010060901071.html