Air Force Voices

Grief and Compassion

UPDATE:  More details are emerging around this photo:

Major Mark Bieger found this little girl after the car bomb that attacked our guys while kids were crowding around. The soldiers here have been angry and sad for two days....

Read more at Michael Yon: Online Magazine

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The American soldier, sailor, airman, and marine are truly people of honor and compassion.  They do their duty day in and day out despite all the attacks and slants from those on the left.  The picture below commands your attention.

Niles Latham of the NY Post has an article featuring this picture.  Here is an excerpt (HT: Michelle Malkin):

May 4, 2005 -- This dramatic picture captures the awful human toll caused by latest upsurge of terrorist violence in Iraq — and the American effort to help.

This was the horrifying aftermath of a terrorist bombing attack on a U.S. military patrol in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul — but the victim, this time, was a little innocent child.

Taken on Monday by an Army photographer, the moving photo shows a gallant U.S. soldier, clearly distraught, cradling the dying child in his arms.

Pardon My English has a great tribute that should inspire every service man and woman.   

I simply do not understand how the MSM/DNC can continue to cheer for our enemies when they cause young children to die.  It makes me sick. 

However, I am very proud of our young men and women who are sacrificing every day to guarantee not only our freedom, but the freedom of the Iraqi people who lived under years of totalitarian rule.

God Bless the USA and God Bless our troops.

Update III: CBS Cameraman Arrested in Iraq

Greyhawk has an update (see previous posts) that asks some pertinent questions. 

The media defense of their actions generally takes some form of the argument that the public has a right to know all sides of the story. Here at Mudville we couldn't agree more with that sentiment. We don't shy away from covering all aspects of the War on Terror. With that in mind, we believe the public has the right to know:

How much does CBS pay it's cameraman? Do they pay a set salary or per video provided? Or only if the video is usable by CBS?

Were any American soldiers or Iraqi citizens hurt or killed in any of the attacks videotaped by CBS' cameraman?

Does he in turn pay the terrorists - or is he simply one of them? If so, how do the surviving family members feel about CBS funding the attacks on their sons, daughters, husbands, or wives?

If not, how do the surviving family members feel about CBS paying for video of attacks on their sons, daughters, husbands, or wives?

How do CBS' advertisers feel about their money supporting this effort?

Let's hope we get some answers.

Amen brother!  These are some great questions.

Iraqi Tet?

With pen and sword, Milbloggers in Iraq continue to win the information war. 

Mudville Gazette has an excellent post on recent attacks on American compounds with several links to other blogs.  Greyhawk asks the question: "What if They had a Tet Offensive and Nobody Came?"

It is an great question and points to the larger issues of winning the public opinion wars.  Here is my favorite passage:

"The terrorists earned media praise for a new level of cunning.  Wild claims of terrorist manpower numbering in the hundreds of thousands were trumpeted in the New Year as the Iraqi elections approached.  Tet was on everyone's mind - but the best the enemy could do was a series of car bombs that detonated without ever reaching their targets."

"Given the numbers of terrorists that were supposedly operating in Iraq, I was surprised each and every day that a thousand or so didn't rush the walls of my happy home, just to create a news story.  Obviously the numbers were inflated, but I could think of only two explanations for that. One - the opposition was never the force that the media made it out to be, or two - we had utterly crushed the insurgency, something I thought possible last October but confess I left as a question for fear of a jinx."

"What was increasingly obvious was that the reality of Iraq was significantly different from the picture presented to Americans at home.  Sure, insurgents can lob mortars over walls, or detonate truck bombs, or assassinate election officials, judges, and others - but where were the thousands wanting death to the point they'd charge the walls of the infidel strongholds? Every passing day it seemed less likely that such a force existed."

"Was that Tet? Was that all the bad guys could bring? Is something bigger coming in the near future?"

No one really knows what the future may bring.  The war clearly isn't over and our troops are at the ready.  I agree with Greyhawk...Milbloggers will be there to provide accurate accounts of what is really happening there. 

Remarkably, they are winning at both the tactical and strategic levels of war.  These soldiers make us all proud.

Berger Pleads Guilty

Former Clinton National Security Advisor, Sandy Berger is pleading guilty to taking classified documents from the National Archives.

FoxNews has the story (HT: La Shawn Barber). 

I remember the details surrounding this story well.  What I am most concerned about are the missing documents.  According to the FoxNews article:

"He returned most of the documents, but still missing are some drafts of a sensitive after-action report on the Clinton administration's handling of Al Qaeda terror threats during the December 1999 millennium celebration."

I thought there was more to the story then, and I still think there is more that is not being said. 

See Michelle Malkin and a previous post by La Shawn Barber for more detail.

Frankly, I don't like handling classified material due to all the rules, clearances, and signatures required.  To callously disregard all these procedures for seemingly political reasons is an outrage.

Is Mr. Berger cooperating with investigators to determine who ultimately stood to benefit from the loss of these documents?  Hmmm.

Unfortunately, I doubt an investigation will turn up anything...I could be wrong...we'll wait and see.

UPDATE:  The WaPo is reporting that (emphasis added):

"The terms of Berger's agreement required him to acknowledge to the Justice Department the circumstances of the episode. Rather than misplacing or unintentionally throwing away three of the five copies he took from the archives, as the former national security adviser earlier maintained, he shredded them with a pair of scissors late one evening at the downtown offices of his international consulting business.

The document, written by former National Security Council terrorism expert Richard A. Clarke, was an "after-action review" prepared in early 2000 detailing the administration's actions to thwart terrorist attacks during the millennium celebration. It contained considerable discussion about the administration's awareness of the rising threat of attacks on U.S. soil."

Enemy Websites

Some folks dismiss the power of the internet to shape public opinion and rally people to their cause.  Though I disagree...in this case I hope they are right...

Democracy Project has a great post (and an ominous warning) regarding enemy websites.  Winfield Myers' post links to an MSNBC article which:

"ought to remind everyone that the war on terrorists is still on, both at home and abroad. It's easy to push these thoughts out of our minds, with spring coming on and, so we assume, better things to worry about. But there are still people in this country and abroad who seek to do us grave harm here in America."

NOTE:  As part of my ongoing research, I was asked to explore the effect of these websites in both our country and around the world.  With my paper due in less than three weeks, it is difficult to say whether I will be successful or have to recommend further study. 

In any case, these websites are especially alarming!!  Is anyone else paying attention?

Iraq "insurgency"

Lots of great news coming out of Iraq.  Powerline links several articles on the shape of the Iraq "insurgency" and includes a great After Action Report featuring some brave soldiers in combat.

First, Financial Times Steve Negus reports from Baghdad on an "insurgent" exit strategy:

"Many of Iraq's predominantly Sunni Arab insurgents would lay down their arms and join the political process in exchange for guarantees of their safety and that of their co-religionists, according to a prominent Sunni politician.

Sharif Ali Bin al-Hussein, who heads Iraq's main monarchist movement and is in contact with guerrilla leaders, said many insurgents including former officials of the ruling Ba'ath party, army officers, and Islamists have been searching for a way to end their campaign against US troops and Iraqi government forces since the January 30 election."

Poweline also links to Austin Bay which offers more detail (read the comments).

Finally, there is a gripping After Action Report (AAR) on Blackfive featuring some "non-combat" troops who took charge during an "insurgent" ambush and rallied to save the day.  The event happened days ago and was reported...however, the AAR goes into more details.

Here is my favorite passage which quotes Col Buzz Kriessel:

"...one further comment that may explain why they were so successful...and deadly. Army doctrine and training teaches that, when ambushed, move directly into the ambush. Never away, always into it. Believe me, only highly trained and disciplined troops will do that. These are some remarkable soldiers. Their discipline and ability to use their weapons speaks volumes for the officers and NCO's who trained them."

Oh yeah, the AAR also mentions:

"Of the 7 members of Raven 42 who walked away, two are Caucasian Women, the rest men-one is Mexican-American, the medic is African-American, and the other two are Caucasian-the great American melting pot."

More detail (easier to read) on Winds of Change. 

GO ARMY...you make us all proud!  Hooah!

Iraq: Unfiltered News

Strategy Page has a great post from with news from Iraq.  (HT: Instapundit).

Here is an excerpt:

"March 17, 2005: Iraqi popular opinion has turned against terrorism in a big way. Apparently the key event was the revelation that Osama bin Laden had appointed Abu Musab al Zarqawi as "Emir" (leader) of al Qaeda efforts in Iraq and commanded him to go forth and kill big-time. But as suicide bombing attacks increasingly failed to reach American targets, and killed Iraqis instead, it appeared that a Saudi (bin Laden) was telling a Jordanian (Zarqawi) to kill Iraqis. This attitude never made headlines, but it slowly spread among Sunni Arab Iraqis over the last year ... Once the Sunni Arabs turned against terrorism, the terrorists found themselves operating in an increasingly hostile environment."

The rest of the article includes several entries which detail firsthand reports from the troops (via email, etc.,).  These entries further undermine what the MSM feeds us each day.  Biased reporting is evident based on the great news that Strategy Page chronicles.

Additionally:  Instapundit has even more related "gems" here (scroll down to read them all).  Lots of other good news regarding our troops serving in Iraq that you seldom hear about from the MSM.

Lessons in combat

Democracy Project posts a great account written by former Marine Captain Nathaniel Fick who served in Afghanistan and Iraq and knows something about roadblocks and checkpoints.  The article appeared in the NYT.  Here is the bottom line.

"Every combat unit learns its own lessons from hard experience. The important thing is that they be passed on so they are not continually relearned at the cost of innocent lives. Americans must understand that tragic mistakes in war are unavoidable, but that every legal, moral and strategic imperative demands that they be kept to a minimum. This is our obligation to Ms. Sgrena and to Mr. Calipari's family, to the thousands of Iraqi civilians who pass through military checkpoints each day, and to the Americans who must man them and live with their decisions."

That is true...I don't know much about operating a military checkpoint...but I do know the value of training, applying lessons learned, and passing on experiences.

You need to read the article.  I also recommend reading Winfield Myers' post at  Democracy Project which concludes:

"[Captain Fick] leaves the reader with a better understanding of just how much we ask of our men and women in uniform, and how unfair -- and dangerous -- it is to expect them to take even more risks than they already do."

God Bless our troops!

Update: No more ransom payments

Winfield Myers (Democracy Project) alerted me to the following link featuring Michelle Malkin's Washington Times Commentary.

Here is more depth on why ransom payments need to stop!

"Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported the Italian government gave $10 million to $13.4 million to free Miss Sgrena."

"Whatever the final tally, it's a whopping bounty that will undoubtedly come in handy for cash-hungry killers in need of spiffy new rocket-propelled grenade launchers, AK-47s, mortars, landmines, components for vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices, and recruitment fees. (To put this windfall in perspective, bear in mind that the September 11, 2001, plot was a $500,000 drop in the bucket for Osama bin Laden.)"

"Or maybe Italian advocates of this terrorist get-rich-quick scheme think the thugs will spend their money on Prada handbags and Versace couture."

This has got to stop.  Furthermore, the story needs to circulate more.  I wonder if this will get any attention on the Sunday news programs?

Nope!  Just checked the online listings...however, "This Week" on ABC will be honoring those killed in Iraq this week...it is always disheartening for good men and women to die so young.  We must honor their sacrifice.

Let's not make things any harder on the troops...no more ransom payments.

UPDATE:  Read what Captain Ed has to say...lots more detail.