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Old 10-23-2009, 07:53 PM
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Arrow Let Them Fight Or Bring Them Home

As everyone that is keeping up with the war in Afghanistan knows there is a huge discussion regarding COIN and ROE taking place.

The link I've provided here tonight is one very important side of that discussion. The comments below the letter posted on Let Them Fight Or Bring Them Home are worth reading also.

I will be adding other links as I go along to support the other side of the discussion please feel free to read and then comment...

The Letter that started everything...

Posted by

John J Bernard
1stSgt USMC ret
Owner of Let Them Fight Or Bring Them Home
Father of Lance Corporal Josh Bernard, age 21 years,
killed in action in Afghanistan on August 15th
while serving as a rifleman
with Golf Company Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines.
Josh was on his second combat tour....

So many of you have been so kind throughout all of this. When the AP release hit the net today I realized that most everyone who has been tracking the progress of this effort have never seen the original letter I wrote to our delegation in DC. The issue was important then and even more so today. Since then, dozens of men have died staying in compliance with the current COIN strategy and its ROE; including my Son.

Click on link to find the letter that started it all...


http://letthemfight.blogspot.com/2009/10/letter-that-started-everything.html
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Old 10-23-2009, 08:37 PM
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Arrow Jim Bennett covers the story of Lance Corporal Joshua Bernard

“A Marine, His Family, and One Gruesome Photograph”

By Jim Bennett

On Aug. 14, as his patrol was readying for a rumored Taliban ambush in Dahaneh, Afghanistan, Lance Corporal Joshua Bernard, just 21, was on point. The ambush erupted and a rocket-propelled grenade blew one of Joshua’s legs off, leaving the other leg severely injured. His comrades struggled with tourniquets and battlefield first aid while still under heavy enemy fire, but sadly, for this young, mortally wounded Marine, this attack would mean the end of his life a short time later.

For his comrades, this attack was a moment of sheer desperation as they tried to drag Bernard to safety. And for his parents, John and Sharon Bernard, back home in New Portland, Maine, this attack would come to mean the loss of their only son.

But for embedded photojournalist Julie Jacobson and her bosses at the Associated Press, this attack was a Kodak Moment. Jacobson captured a vivid and dramatic photograph of the scene: Bernard’s gruesome wound is shown in all its bloody detail, and his young face, sickly pale and blank with shock, is haunting. The article that Jacobson and AP reporter Alfred de Montesquiou filed stated that, as that young man was exsanguinating, the photographer “wrestled” with a “question”: Should she try to help save Joshua, or should she keep taking pictures?

follow link to continue reading:

http://thebloviatinghammerhead.wordpress.com/2009/09/04/mainstream-media-outrage-ap-exploits-marines-death-ignores-familys-anguish/
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Old 10-26-2009, 11:20 PM
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Arrow No Excuse: Marines Losing Legs In Now Zad

No Excuse: Marines Losing Legs in Now Zad

BY Herschel Smith
3 months, 3 weeks ago

In What Now Zad Can Teach Us About Counterinsurgency The Captain’s Journal ridiculed the decision-making for the campaign in Helmand and found the idea incredulous that the U.S. Marines in Now Zad would be under-resourced. They need more troops, as we have pointed out, and major combat action continues against Taliban fighters. These Taliban, it must be understood, have given us the opportunity for which we pray. They have separated themselves from the population and given us unhindered access to kill them. But the population-centric counterinsurgency advocates (we consider this to be similar to a cult) lament the fact that there is no population to woe and win, and so the campaign in Now Zad sees the Marines without enough troops.
Now Zad remains so dangerous that this is the only Marine unit in Afghanistan that brings along two trauma doctors, as well as two armored vehicles used as ambulances and supplies of fresh blood.

Please follow this link to the read the complete report:

http://www.captainsjournal.com/2009/07/07/no-excuse-marines-losing-legs-in-now-zad/


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Old 10-27-2009, 08:49 AM
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Arrow Lost Any Friends Lately?

Let Them Fight Or Bring Them Home.



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Old 10-27-2009, 09:46 AM
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Arrow Primers on Counterinsurgency & Counterterrorism

Produced by the Warrior Legacy Foundation:


http://www.warriorlegacyfoundation.org/?page=WLI



Primer on Counterinsurgency:





Primer on Counterterrorism:

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Old 10-27-2009, 09:51 AM
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Counterinsurgency Primer PDF Format:

http://www.warriorlegacyfoundation.org/resource/resmgr/wli_material/population-centric_coin_prim.pdf


Counterterrorism Primer PDF Format:

http://www.warriorlegacyfoundation.org/resource/resmgr/wli_material/pak.pdf

Both primers were produced by the Warrior Legacy Foundation:

http://www.warriorlegacyfoundation.org/?page=WLI
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Old 11-18-2009, 03:56 PM
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Arrow Bing West: Finishing Firefights Difficult in Afghanistan

This is the end result of all the cerebral ruminations on COIN. What say you?

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Old 11-18-2009, 04:02 PM
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Arrow The View From Man Bear Pig by Bing West

National Review 11/23/2009

The View From Man Bear Pig
By Bing West

Outpost Man Bear Pig

After the AK rounds cracked over the sandbags, Sgt. Robert Kightlinger, 23, of Jackson, Calif., muttered “Insolent bastards” and led a dozen Marines and Afghan soldiers outside the wire in pursuit. Leaving behind six Marines to guard this isolated outpost in Helmand province, they bounded across dry poppy fields and soon found cartridges dropped by the shooters. A kilometer farther on, their attackers stopped to fire from a mosque. The mosque was off-limits unless the Marines could positively identify an enemy holding a rifle. Instead of providing the Marines with that opportunity, the shooters slipped away.

As we walked back, Sergeant Kightlinger bumped into a prominent local farmer. “When those Taliban cut across your fields, they put your family in danger,” Kightlinger said. “Tell them to stay away or point them out to me — right now!”

“I can’t,” the farmer pleaded, drawing a finger across his neck before hurrying away.

Find the rest of the article here:

http://www.westwrite.com/action.lasso?-database=WWProducts&-layout=CGI&-response=articles_detail.htm&-recordID=33014&-token=%5bFMP-currenttoken%5d&-search


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Old 11-19-2009, 06:22 AM
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Modest Proposal: An International Women’s Brigade For Afghanistan
Posted By Ron Rosenbaum On November 17, 2009 @ 8:57 am In Uncategorized | 10 Comments
Okay I’m not the right guy to do this. Make this suggestion. First of all I’m a guy and what I’m suggesting probably should be proposed by a woman.
>>
Second, I believe that the Afghanistan situation is probably hopeless as it is.

What I’m suggesting is not likely to be a “solution,” but I can’t see any other paths to a “solution.” If we stay in, tens of thousands will die for people who don’t seem to want to fight the Taliban.>>

In some ways I’m glad Obama’s “dithering”: there’s a wall in D.C. with the names of 60,000 people, many of whose children and families probably wished LBJ had dithered a lot more before committing us to a hopeless mission and death for those on that wall. I agree that “dithering” is not good for the troops there, but maybe he’ll dither his way to a better decision than LBJ, and many more current and future troops will be grateful.>>

I think Obama’s looking for a fast way out because he knows there’s no way to win. He was trapped into mouthing John Kerry’s disingenuous campaign ploy: Iraq, Bush’s war, was the wrong war; Afghanistan was always the right one.>>

And then there was the growing group of Afghan war enablers, the best and brightest bloggers on the liberal left who were entranced by “the cult of counterinsurgency.” Even though almost all predicted the surge in Iraq wouldn’t work they seem to have been so stunned by its “success” and became cheerleaders for sophisticated counterinsurgency (or COIN [1]) tactics when General Petraeus seemed to use them to turn things around in Iraq. (Even though, as we now now, bribes and targeted assassinations played an equal or greater role than the brilliant COIN tactics and the “success” itself is looking more fragile).>>

But a kind of Boys Club of cheerleaders for COIN grew up around its evangelists and became enablers for the original McChrystal March master plan, now with its 40K troop addon, which Obama initially bought into and is now apparently trying to extricate himself from. With good reason.>>

But while I see nothing but tragedy and rising body counts in Afghanistan (as I’ve blogged here before), I still find the plight, and the pleas of the Afghan women, compelling. The girls’ schools being blown up by the Taliban out of their insane fear and hatred of women. Killing, stoning, and driving women back to the stone age of sharia law. It’s horrible.>>

That’s why I say I don’t favor either option, to favor either option is to favor a lost cause or the triumph of injustice. I see tragedy either way.>>

But what about this? Remember the International Brigades of volunteers, mostly leftists, yes, who sought to rescue the Spanish Republic from a fascist coup in the 30s? What about an in-international Brigade (or Brigades) of women volunteering to protect and rescue the women of Afghanistan? Forget the men. Let them fend for themselves and make excuses for their cowardice in the face of the Taliban. I bet women from armies around the world would want to join.>>

Might this not offer a glimmer of hope? What if women from all over the world, preferably those already trained in the use of RPGs, formed a volunteer army, like the International Brigades in Spain (only better at fighting and less free of ideological commissars)? What if the UN or NATO served to authorize and supply with arms an all-woman volunteer force that would protect girls’ schools, fight for women’s rights, and drive the woman-hating Taliban back to their caves with modern weapons and old fashioned shame.>>

Yes, i know it’s men’s responsibility for the horror of theocratic fascism, but the symbolic value of an all-woman, heavily armed force kicking Taliban butt would be electrifying.>>

Maybe it would shame the rest of the world into realizing that standing up for women’s rights shouldn’t be the sole decision–dithered over or not–of the U.S.>>
Wouldn’t it be inspiring to women everywhere who are being oppressed and put fear into the hearts of cowards who are doing it?>>

Men could be involved. As support troops under the command of a woman general. As cooks and bottle washers for the women’s brigade. But let the women take out the Taliban and you’ll change history forever.>>

It could happen. Well I can dream can’t I? Hey, maybe this is the role Sarah Palin was made for.>>



Article printed from RonRosenbaum.com: http://pajamasmedia.com/ronrosenbaum>>
URL to article: http://pajamasmedia.com/ronrosenbaum/2009/11/17/modest-proposal-an-international-womens-brigade-for-afghanistan/>>
URLs in this post: >>
[1] COIN: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counter-insurgency>>
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Old 11-22-2009, 10:45 PM
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Arrow You've Got That Right!

"Okay I’m not the right guy to do this" ~ Ron Rosenbaum ~

Then why bother Ron? You offer no real solutions and your piece not only shows your ignorance of the situation on the ground but it is both dangerous in its assumptions and an insult to all those that have fought and died in Afghanistan.

"I'm glad Obama's "dithering" ~ Ron Rosenbaum ~
While Commander In Chief's "dither" troops die.

"I think Obama is looking for a fast away out because he knows there is no way to win" ~ Ron Rosenbaum ~

Tell that to the Marines!

Heads up from "Major Pain"
at One Marines View:

http://www.onemarinesview.com/


Gang-

Its been a freaking whirlwind to date. Getting ready to deploy, staying, getting ready to deploy again etc, then finally departing. Flying, no shit, around the world stopping in every third world country then arriving in country and start moving again. Now we are somewhat stationary.

Mail has gotten better as has our way of life. We have improved from Wag-bags (burning poop) to port a johns and we get two hot meals a day…pretty damn good chow too. Living conditions are austere, no salsa nights here, just warriors patrolling their butts off and going where the enemy thought they owned terrain. The bad guys don’t like us very much, but on the contrary, the locals love us. Are we making a difference? Bet yer ass. Email is limited as you can tell by the amount of posts produced, been busy supporting Marines.

Your Warriors are doing freaking outstanding things! You won't hear much in the news but I can tell you they are not only putting the fear of God into the enemy & dealing with those that want to fight but at the same they are helping the locals up by the hand and I can tell you compared to my last deployment here in 2004, things are very different for the better.

Marines patrol non-stop and usually in deep mud and return soaking wet only to bear the cold nights. They are heroes, young studs going directly into danger with a grin on their face. You got to love them!

I have seen in the short time here the foundation that the Marine Corps stands for. It's beyond "no better friend, no worse enemy." It's built of honoring your word to locals, defending off hard core fighters that hate and intimidate the weak. Traits found in every conflict the Marine Corps has fought in are still solid today within our ranks. Wicked smart leaders, nail strong NCOs and they all have hearts as big as Texas that protect those weak and can turn into your worst nightmare with a flip of a switch to deal with insurgents. Discipline, dedicated professionals within all the ranks that have already made a difference in the short time here. I know all past/present Marines would be proud of them. I sure as hell am. More as time permits. Be proud of your warriors, the bad guys are on the run.


http://www.onemarinesview.com/
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