Sgt. Stryker's Daily Briefing

2002-01-20T10:07:00.000-05:00

A Cheesehead is Me

Go Pack!

2002-01-20T09:30:00.000-05:00

A Cunning Warrior

An old friend of mine wrote something quite remarkable. Perhaps he should get his own weblog...

2002-01-20T08:30:00.000-05:00

Well?

I've been asked by several people just what exactly my political affiliation is. Liberal? Moderate? Conservative? Democrat? Republican? Libertarian?

To paraphrase my Dog Tags, I'm "American: Non-Denominational"

2002-01-20T08:09:00.000-05:00

Liliputians of the Cosmos

Steven den Beste writes this over at his weblog:

And then the earth bestirs itself and shows us who is really boss. Then we discover that we're passengers on a rock, an unimportant part of a thin layer of slime on the surface of a pebble floating in space, circling a third-rate star. We are nothing. If we are wiped out, the universe won't even notice that we are gone.

Oh, I don't know about that. Yes, scientists like to point out that because of their work, man has gone from being the center of the Universe to being a mere component of it, but I think they go too far in their assessment of our unimportance.

At the very least, we are the Universe made aware of itself. That's not something to take lightly and our extinction would be a very sad loss indeed.

2002-01-20T05:57:00.000-05:00

Woodrow Wilson, Scourge of Europe

Perry de Havilland from Team Samizdata critiques Steven den Beste's exemplary analysis of why American's dismiss European Advice. So, let me critique the critique, if I may.

As for Britain and France dictating its own terms, what about Woodrow Wilson's role in dismembering the Austro-Hungarian Empire and trashing all vestiges of the potentially stabilising old order?

"Stabilising old order"? You'll have to explain to me how a "stable" Empire could engulf the whole of the European continent in a horrific conflagration because a single archduke was assassinated. If that represented the old stable order, then I don't blame Wilson for trying something else. I refer you to his Fourteen Points, almost all of which reflected American principles that were seemingly incompatible with European thinking, and as a result were doomed from the start due to the efforts of the various Prime Ministers and their advisors during the peace talks. Wilson, as head of state, outranked the Prime Ministers and as a result could dictate the terms of peace in public, but the Europeans worked behind his back in private to make their own deals and sabotage his "naive" efforts in direct violation of Point I:

Open covenants of peace, openly arrived at, after which there shall be no private international understandings of any kind but diplomacy shall proceed always frankly and in the public view.

You need not look any further than all the private deals and backstabbing that went on between Britain and France over the Middle East. If they were carrying on behind Wilson's back in that matter, then it is logical to conclude that they did the same when it came to Europe.

Wilson was also a strong proponent of self-determination. He thought that the people themselves should decide what they wanted as outlined in Points V and X:

V. A free, open-minded, and absolutely impartial adjustment of all colonial claims, based upon a strict observance of the principle that in determining all such questions of sovereignty the interests of the populations concerned must have equal weight with the equitable claims of the government whose title is to be determined.

X.The peoples of Austria-Hungary, whose place among the nations we wish to see safeguarded and assured, should be accorded the freest opportunity to autonomous development.

These two points, along with questions dealing with the Poles and the Balkans, stemmed from Wilson's abhorrence of Empire and Colonialism. The Austro-Hungarian Empire, the former Russian Empire and Germany all held together various peoples of different ethnic origins. Wilson believed that if these various ethnic peoples were freed from what he viewed as "foreign occupiers" and given the chance to govern themselves as they saw fit, Europe would be the better for it. Was it not a Serbian nationalist, advocating a separate Serbian state, that had assassinated the archduke and started the whole mess in the first place? Perhaps Wilson believed that by removing the European sickness of colonialism and empire that had caused the war in the first place (from his point of view), another catastrophe could be averted.

Now, to continue with the rest of your statement:

America shares some of the blame for the instability in Europe in the 1920's and 1930's.

America's share of the blame is meager compared to that of the European Powers. From my understanding, the War itself was unpopular with many people, most notably the Socialists. Russia fell to the Communists, and Germany nearly so. The war destroyed monarchies and governments everywhere. I may be mistaken, but I think that there was no government that started the war that survived the war. Also, I'm sure you are more aware than I of the huge social, political, and philosophical upheavals caused by the war that persisted well after its end. America left Europe to its own devices after the disastrous Versailles Treaty (which I believe the Senate never ratified). If there is any blame for the instability left in the war's aftermath, then the vast majority of it is shouldered by the Europeans.

And the 'second time' was better for who? I don't think too many Poles, Czechs and Hungarians would agree with Steven as they ended up with nearly half a century of communist rule.

1. There wouldn't be any Poles, Chechs and Hungarians were it not for Wilson's supposed, "trashing all vestiges of the potentially stabilising old order."

2. You seem distraught that these peoples lived under 50 years of Communist rule; yet having them live under the rule of a foreign Hereditary Monarchal Empire is just fine with you because it would bring stabilization. Yet the Communists, for all the wrongs they committed, did stabilize Eastern Europe. All those Eastern Europeans were for all intents and purposes under the domination and influence of a non-democratic foreign power. So what, I ask, is the difference between Communist foreign domination and Monarchal foreign domination that makes the latter more pleasing to you and the former an abomination?

3. The Second Time was definitely better for Western Europeans, and by extension Eastern Europeans, because there was never another catastrophic war on the European continent. I think that many British, French, Germans, Italians, Belgians, Netherlanders, and Danes would agree that the Second Time around was much better. Then again, I tend to see the glass half-full in this matter.

Does Steven think Yalta was America's finest hour?

Yalta was making the best out of a bad situation. Unless you share Patton's opinion that we should've just kept on going to the gates of Moscow, Yalta was the best compromise we could reach given the circumstances of the time. Europe lay in ruins, hundreds of thousands were displaced, and we were in no position to halt a Soviet advance should Stalin have ordered it. I would also hazard a guess that the people of that generation were sick of war and would have risen up should the war had been continued to be prosecuted against the Soviets.

Given that the Western Powers were in no shape to fight the Russians, they had to allay Stalin's paranoia through concessions in an effort to contain him. Also, the Soviet Union had suffered extensive losses at the hands of the Germans, so one could make the argument that as one of the victorious Allied Powers, it was entitled to its share of the spoils. It was not a perfect solution, but it was one that prevented the potential domination of Europe by the Communists by buying time for the West. The fact that a Third World War was not fought on the European continent is a testament to the success of Yalta.
Switching gears back to WWI:

All of which may never have happened if the US had stayed out of the Great War and a negotiated settlement had been reached in 1917 or early 1918. [In response to den Beste's point about the drastic reparations loaded onto Germany by France and Britain]

This is the first I've ever heard of this. From every book and paper I've ever read on WWI, I gathered that the war would continue unabated into 1919 and beyond. In fact, the Allies were preparing for another campaign in the Spring of 1919 when the Germans suddenly surrendered. From my reading of history, it seemed that the Allies were always exasperated by American neutrality and when America did enter the war, were always complaining bitterly that we weren't coming over fast enough. If America hadn't entered the War, for what reason would Germany have to surrender? Russia was out, leaving the whole of the German army to fight on the Western Front. It could have prosecuted the war well past 1918 and could conceivably have captured more French real estate before negotiating an armistice on its own terms. If that would've happened, what in Europe would've changed? All the old Empires save the Russian and most likely the Ottoman would have remained intact with no significant change of their borders. All of the old rivalries and animosities would've remained and it would've only been a matter of time before they were at it again. The French and British reparations were a complete dismissal of Wilson's 3rd and 4th points:

III. The removal, so far as possible, of all economic barriers and the establishment of an equality of trade conditions among all the nations consenting to the peace and associating themselves for its maintenance.

IV. Adequate guarantees given and taken that national armaments will be reduced to the lowest point consistent with domestic safety.

The French and British completely ignored Point III and cynically applied a malevolent interpretation of Point IV on the Germans. It's no wonder the American people considered our involvement in WWI to have been a colossal mistake and remained adamant in their opposition to entering WWII. The Europeans took Wilson's 14 Points and ripped them to shreds in their exuberance for acquiring more colonies and making sure Germany would forever be in poverty.

You say that it was Wilson and American involvement in WWI that led to a great deal of Europe's troubles in the Inter-War years. I respectfully disagree. Had the Europeans applied Wilson's 14 Points (and the principles implied by them) in good faith, I believe that the chances of a Second World War occurring would've been quite low. I also believe that the colonial peoples around the world who were under the domination of the Europeans would've been better off had the principle of self-determination been faithfully applied, but that's another discussion.

2002-01-20T01:39:00.000-05:00

More Dumb Headlines

Compare and Contrast. Here's the headline from the New York Times:

Volcano's Lava Engulfs a Congo Town, Killing Up to 40

Now, the headline from Reuters:

Congo Volcano Eruption Will Hurt Wildlife - Experts

2002-01-20T01:23:00.000-05:00

Snow Day

Got some snow around here today. It started early in the morning around 9:00 AM and continued on through most of the day and afternoon. It turned to freezing rain later on, which amazingly enough melted alot of the snow on the trees and the ground around here before it all turned to ice. If the weatherman's right, all this stuff will be gone by Monday when it hits 50 degrees.

I have to give some credit to the drivers around here. Normally they're complete jackasses when it come to snow and rain, but the group I fell in with today while driving back from the hospital on base displayed patience, skillfull driving, and an awareness of safety that is usually missing from the MD-NoVa-DC region. Maybe they were from out of state.

2002-01-20T01:05:00.000-05:00

Bomb Goes Off Outside Kabul Embassy

A bomb went off outside the walls of the U.S. embassy in Kabul last Monday. I haven't seen anything elsewhere in the media about this except in the Stripes.

A homemade firebomb exploded about 40 yards outside the walls of the U.S. Embassy on Monday, and military officials suspect it was a test to see how troops stationed there and elsewhere would react.

Nobody was injured, so I guess that accounts for the total non-reporting of the event.

Sullivan said that in addition to studying how the Marines and others reacted to the explosion, those responsible for placing the bomb may have been attempting to discourage U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell from visiting the embassy.

He visited there Thursday.

You've gotta love Stripes reporters. Their knack for deadpan understatement is unmatched.

2002-01-20T00:55:00.000-05:00

Smart People Say the Dumbest Things

Buried at the bottom of this Washington Post piece:

"There is no question that terrorism is the flavor of the month and that explaining something as an anti-terrorist action is the quickest way to get the United States on board," said Ralph Tagern, a researcher for the Institute on Middle Eastern Policy.

Replace the word "terrorism" with say, oh "fascism" and you see how stupid this guy sounds. After letting out enough rope, slinging it over the gallows and fashioning a rather nice slipknot, Mr. Tagern slipped his head into the noose, cinched it up, and said,

"But in truth, many of these struggles are not about terrorism. They are about long-standing fights for independence and other matters."

"One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter." You know Mr. Tagern, if you'd had perhaps used a trap door, your feet wouldn't be kicking around so much.

2002-01-20T00:44:00.000-05:00

Odd Quotes

From a Town Hall meeting by Senator Bill Nelson in the Polk County Democrat:

"I have had the great privilege of being an elected public servant for most of my adult life," Nelson said.

Does anybody else find this statement disturbing? It's like a 50 year old taking pride in having never moved out of his parent's house.

2002-01-20T00:34:00.000-05:00

Give Us Your Money, but Leave Us Alone

It only took a week for the Phillipine government to start up their crap again.

A political firestorm has erupted in the Philippines over the impending arrival of about 650 U.S. soldiers who are to be dispatched to help battle an Islamic insurgency. A few senators here are demanding the impeachment of the president just a year after she took office, and her vice president has said he feels uneasy about the policy.

Let me get this straight. Your military and politicians are absolutely impotent in the face of what is essentially a small time bandit outfit, but that's okay. A few hundred advisors come over to show you how to effectively deal with these bums, and you call for the impeachment of your president? Tell me again why you're still the ass end of the Far East? The Phillipine people deserve a hell of a lot better than you.

Influencing the debate is the experience a century ago of U.S. soldiers conducting bloody counterinsurgency campaigns to consolidate control over the Philippines, a former Spanish colony.

Not influencing the debate is the experience half a century ago of U.S. soldiers conducting bloody campaigns to liberate the Phillipines, an occupied country of Japan.

"Our military aren't just puppets of U.S. officials," said Rigoberto Tiglao, the presidential spokesman. "It is very clear that all U.S. personnel are under the strict command and supervision of Philippine officers."

I'll give everyone a moment to quit laughing.

Okay. Man, can you imagine what it would be like if that were true? Take the stunning succes in Afghanistan and imagine the exact opposite.

One recent public opinion poll, by Social Weather Station, a leading private group, found that 81 percent of respondents supported the idea of U.S. aid to the Philippines' fight against the Abu Sayyaf hostage takers.

This proves once again that Filipinos are great people at the mercy of a mediocre and corrupt government that keeps fighting off insurgency after insurgency.

2002-01-20T00:09:00.000-05:00

Don't Spit into the Wind

The 101st is getting lessons in Afghan etiquette prior to shoving off. Among some of the rules:

Avoid wild dogs. Stay away from churches and mosques. Keep pictures of wives or girlfriends hidden. And absolutely no pornography.

Stock stuff, especially for people who've done some time in Saudi. Although the wild dogs thing is new.

"We want to respect the sensitivities of our host nation," said Maj. Paul Fitzpatrick. "It's important that we have an understanding of their ways of life. It makes for a better relationship with our friends and allies."

Exhibit A: The Saudis. Of course, we should give the Afghans a chance. They might actually be reasonable people, unlike our Saudi Masters whose asses we bend over backwards to kiss as their people blow us up.

In any event, once the situation is stabilized over there, I'm sure we'll start finding ways around the rules just like we do in Saudi. You can't take free Americans and expect them to bow down to bullshit in the name of "sensitivity" forever.

2002-01-19T06:48:00.000-05:00

This One's For You, Erik

At least you didn't land up like this guy.

2002-01-19T06:38:00.000-05:00

Shut Down all the Garbage Mashers on the Detention Level!

Even if you're not a Star Wars fan, you have to check this out: On the Implausibility of the Death Star's Trash Compactor. Its gotta be one of the funniest things I've read in quite some time.

2002-01-19T05:23:00.000-05:00

Dumb Headlines

This story get the Award for Most Banal Headline:

U.S. General Says Bin Laden Could Be 'Alive or Dead'

Well, until they discover a third state of being, I guess we're just stuck with those two choices.

2002-01-19T05:16:00.000-05:00

And You Thought Carnivore Was Bad

The Chinese have enacted new laws to keep their people on a leash.

China has issued its most intrusive Internet controls to date, ordering service providers to screen private e-mail for political content and holding them responsible for subversive postings on their websites...Under the new rules, general portal sites must install security programs to screen and copy all e-mail messages sent or received by users. Those containing "sensitive materials" must be turned over to authorities.

Providers are also responsible for erasing all prohibited content posted on their websites, including online chatrooms and bulletin boards.

The new rules include a long list of banned content prohibiting writings that reveal state secrets, hurt China's reputation or advocate the overthrow of communism, ethnic separatism or "evil cults."

It's a good bet that the Daily Briefing will not be available for reading any time soon in China.

Hey Deng, did you know your name is synonymous with shit?

2002-01-19T04:48:00.000-05:00

Islamic Charities at Work for You!

Six Algerians suspected of having ties to international terrorism have been handed over to the U.S.

The six, who were detained by local police in October on suspicion of terrorism and having links to the al-Qaida network, may have ties with an Algerian terrorist organization called the Armed Islamic Group, or the Egyptian terrorist organization al-Gamaa al-Islamiya.

Most of the men worked for Islamic humanitarian agencies in Bosnia, Bosnian officials said. [emphasis mine]

2002-01-19T04:40:00.000-05:00

How Surprising

The Anthrax Vaccine may cause birth defects now.

Officials think the study may have used faulty data and have ordered a review, said a bureau official, Lt. j.g. Mike Kafka.

Of course, because the Vaccine is totally safe, there will not be any problems with this vaccine, and that's an order. Yeah, so long as you bastards compensate me after I retire for any ill effects the vaccine causes. You guys do admit mistakes, right? Here, let me ask these Viet Nam vets exposed to Agent Orange, a totally safe defoliant, about all the great care and medical coverage and compensation they've recieved.

After the Persian Gulf War, some troops with symptoms of the still-unexplained Gulf War syndrome pointed a finger at the vaccinations, saying they might have caused their problems.

Scientists have repeatedly said the vaccine is not linked to Gulf War syndrome, and it has had FDA approval for use since 1970.

1. There were a hell of alot of shots administered to troops deploying for the war. A lot of guys I know who were around then say that when they went through the mobility line, they were just given a shitload of shots that were never recorded on their shot records, so to be fair to DoD, it may not be the anthrax shot that did it.

2. The FDA approval is for people who handle animals and may contract the naturally ocurring form of anthrax through the skin. The approval is not for weaponized, inhalable anthrax.

Bioport, of Lansing, Mich., said earlier this week that a December letter from the Food and Drug Administration clears it to begin shipping the vaccine, provided a separate laboratory in Spokane, Wash., that puts the vaccine into vials also gets approval.

Can't win them all I guess. We were this close.

2002-01-19T04:26:00.000-05:00

Andrews Deployment

Well, the Public Affairs office released it, so I guess I can say that some reservists across the base in the 459th have been deployed down to Cuba to serve as a kind of en route element for 141's going down there. I know at least a couple of guys who got sent there.

I'd really hate to be them right now. Imagine having to go on the plane and do a thru-flight after the dirtbags have been sitting in there for hours. Plus, it's hot and humid down there in Cuba, so the stench is just hanging inside the cargo compartment. God, reminds of the time I caught a 141 in Yokota carrying Marines up from Kadena one summer. Some guy puked, starting a chain reaction. Vomit from 150 Marines was all over the place. We had to get a De-icer truck full of water to hose the cargo compartment out before anyone would go in there.

Sucks to be you, guys.

2002-01-19T04:13:00.000-05:00

A-10 Collision

One pilot is dead after two A-10's from D-M collided south of Tucson.

2002-01-19T04:02:00.000-05:00

Movie Released, Somalis Fear for Lives!

In what is probably the most poorly executed example of following a trend, Somalis are calling for a boycott of Black Hawk Down.

“We don’t know what Americans will think of us Somalis after they watch this movie,” Omar Jamal, executive director of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center in St. Paul, Minneapolis, said Thursday. Somali groups in Columbus, Ohio, and Boston also planned to ask for a boycott of the movie, he said.

For Pete's sake man, grow a pair! Yes, this is the chance all Americans have been waiting for: an excuse to beat the crap out of Somalis everywhere. I can imagine the scene now: A mob, thirsty for the blood of a Somali, exits the theater in murderous rage. Pitch forks and torches are in evidence everywhere as ignorant Americans, easily led to bloodthristy savageness by moving pictures, hunt down their quarry.

“The community is shocked and really afraid of the consequences of this movie,” Jamal said. “It’s a big psychological setback of our efforts.”

You know what Jamal, I've got a secret to tell you. Come closer so I may whisper it in your ear...that's right....closer....closer.....WE'VE ALREADY SEEN PICTURES OF SOMALIS DRAGGING OUR MEN THROUGH THE STREETS!. Did we go out and start killing hapless Somalis as they slept in their beds then? No. A frickin' movie isn't going to do incite anyone else to do it now, either.

I've always wondered, where do people get the idea that a movie's going to cause people to go out and just kill people? I mean, that either speaks of a low opinion the boycotter has for the American public, or it's just a sign of common ignorance. Probably both.

A local newspaper invited about a dozen people from the Advocacy Center to see the movie in advance Wednesday night. Jamal said they all left in shock. The film was confusing and didn’t have a story or message, he said.

In an amazing bit of coincidence, neither did the actual event. Perhaps old Ridley wanted people to draw their own conclusions instead of being told what to think.

“The Somali people are depicted as very savage beasts without any human element,” Jamal said. “It’s just people shooting each other.”

You know Jamal, I think you just summed up what it was all about and didn't even realize it.

I have to credit the AP reporter here. Ruble actually found the statements of one of the Army Rangers who took part in the mission, Nick Struzik. Struzik and his friends may not have been able to save the Somalis from themselves, but he sure as hell saved this report from total mediocrity.

He told the Star Tribune that he felt some resentment toward Somalis who killed fellow soldiers, but he had no ill feelings toward other Somali migrants.

“Really, they came to the States the same way everybody else did,” he said. “They want a better life, and that’s why they’re here. They’re not going to find it back home until the country is settled.”

He said it was unfortunate the U.S. mission portrayed in the movie changed nothing in a country that’s still ravaged by civil strife.

“For us, it was a job,” he said. “The political aspects of it — that was everybody else. ... That’s way above our heads.”

Jamal, meet Struzik. Not only is he an American Hero, he's also representative of most American's opinions of you and your countrymen. If one of the guys whom your countrymen were trying to kill isn't out for blood and vengeance, then it's a safe bet that a movie isn't going to turn the rest of us into bloodthirsty savages, either.

2002-01-18T21:44:00.000-05:00

How Come I've Never Heard of These Guys?

I guess there's some article from some site I've never heard of written by some dude I've never heard of, complaining about weblogs and the people who write them. Okay dude, whatever. Much like the Somalis before him, his verbal mortar rounds fell all around me, never scoring a direct hit (to borrow some of his imagery).

Even though I wasn't mentioned (I only rate fifth tier anti-social types), I must call down the thunder of Nelson's "Ha-Ha" upon the poor, unfortunate soul.

For all the bitching they log about the mainstream media, none of the bloggers are actually cruising the streets of Peshawar or Aden or Mogadishu.

Been there, done that, no need to talk about it.

You can cut on Salon all you like, Mr. Blogger, but they have a man in Afghanistan. Do you?

Well, yes I do. Several thousand in fact as well as a few close friends. But you don't expect me to sit here and report non-public information just for the hell of it, do you? Do you???.

I know you were just being a smart-ass, and I can appreciate that, because I'm one as well. The difference between you and me though, is that the probability of me being sent over to help fight this thing within the next year and a half is in the 90 percentile range, so I have a more personal stake in what's going on. All the military issues being tossed around like political footballs aren't arcane academic arguments or debates for me. It's my life.

One last thing: I liked the overall ironic tone of your piece. You were slamming the "warbloggers" for what they do by doing the same thing yourself in your critique. Very clever.

2002-01-18T08:29:00.000-05:00

Portrait of the Sergeant as a Young Airman

Part II of III (Part I)

When we last left myself, it was a late summer afternoon at Dover AFB, DE, and I had just gotten out to my aircraft…

The dayshift crew chief, Sgt. Kraut, threw the radio at me like he was getting rid of some radioactive material. I soon found out why not 15 seconds later.

6013, MACC…

Both of us looked at the radio like it was belching out some sort of indecipherable tongue.

6013, MACC…

We both looked at each other. I cocked my eyebrow. “You gonna get that?” Kraut asked. The look in his eyes seemed to scream, “Please, for the love of all that is Holy!” I nodded and keyed the mic, “MACC, One-Three. Go ahead.”

“Roger, One-Three. What’s the status of Job Number 1427?” I looked questioningly up at Kraut. “That’s the T/R leak. It’s good to go. It’s allowed to leak statically.” (Translation: It’s a Thrust Reverser (the things that make the engines suddenly get louder when you’ve just landed and slow the plane down) leak. It’s within limits. It’s allowed to leak with no pressure applied to the hydraulic actuators that drive the T/R’s.) I nodded.

“Rog, MACC. Close that out. Within Limits.” I reported.

“Copy, One-Three. What about Job Numbers 1428 to 1453?” My head lurched back a bit like Kennedy’s on the Zapruder film and I looked up at Kraut with a look that said, “What the hell?” (We communicate a lot with looks out there)

“It’s a long story.”

“Standby MACC, I’ll get back with ya.”

30 minutes later, we finished with turnover. The aircraft forms were a mess, there were specialists and ARTs (civilian Air Reserve Technicians) running all over the place, and I was the man with the radio. It’s not good to be The Man with the Radio. Everybody and their brother calls you every 30 seconds asking the same damned questions over and over again, which prevents you from getting anything done. Luckily, two more swing-shifters showed up. Thankfully, they outranked me. Staff Sergeants McCool and Hutch sat down. Well, “sat” is too generic a term. McCool kinda slid into the seat opposite me and Hutch collapsed into the seat across the aisle from me like a pile of laundry. He looked like he was wearing the same uniform from the previous night. In fact, I’m certain that it was, since it looked like he had slept in it. I don’t think he had actually changed clothes after work. His face was pale, he had dark circles under his eyes, and his mouth was just short of fully closed. Yep, he had all the symptoms. Diagnosis: Brown Water Flu.

McCool calmly looked at the forms, going slowly from page to page, nodding his head from time to time. I started slowly, almost imperceptibly, sliding the radio across the table towards him. I had almost got it to the point where it was nearer him than me when he stopped in mid page-turn and looked up with his eyes at the radio and then to me. He did this a couple of times before resuming his page turning. “You’ve got the radio tonight.”

Shit.

McCool, finished with the forms, looked up at Hutch and me. “Alright, this is what we’re going to do.” He stated what the priority write-ups were and how we were going to handle everything that night. He gave Hutch and me our respective lists of write-ups to work and told us to get at it. He’d handle coordinating everything.

Hutch and me got up. Well, I got up at least. Hutch just kinda slowly leaned forward and let gravity do the rest until he hit the wall opposite him and assumed a stance that, if you cocked your head and squinted your eyes, could be mistaken for a standing human being. I headed down the passageway towards the Flight Deck ladder.

“Yo, Stryker!” McCool yelled after me. I turned around. “Don’t forget the radio.”

“But if you know everything that’s going on, wouldn’t it make sense for you to keep it?” I asked. It seemed like a sensible enough question. “Hell no, I ain’t talking on that damned thing.” Guess not. “If they call, ask me and I’ll tell you.” I slowly exhaled, “Alright.”

We’ll skip forward about three hours since all I basically did was run up and down B-2 stands to ask McCool what the hell was going on so I could let MACC (Maintenance Airlift Coordination Center) and Wizard-2 (Production Supervisor, or Pro Super) know over the radio. I think all I accomplished was stripping out numerous screws on a panel. Screws that would later be RTV’d back in (inside joke. Too long to explain).

It was about 1800 and our lunches still hadn’t arrived yet. During this particular time, the Air Force was coming out of the RIF (Reduction in Force), and was still deploying people to various areas of the world in support of a myriad of operations. Manning was a little low at work because of that and other things, so instead of getting a chow break, we ordered “Box Nasties” at the beginning of the shift that the truck driver would then go and pick up around 1730. We’d eat the meager meals out at the plane and then get back to work. Now Box Nasties in those days weren’t all that great. They had one each ham and cheese sandwich, one each fruit, and one each drink. If you were lucky, you got one with a Coke that had for-een words on it that was surplus from the Gulf War. All I ever got was a drink carton full of Apple Juice that tasted like pears whose only exotic feature was that the phrase “Artificial Colour” had a “U” in it. Still, it filled the spot and was sorely needed on rough nights.

Tonight was such a night, but it was starting to get on with no sign of the Box Lunches’ imminent arrival. I made one last scan of the flightline for our errant truck and finding no sign of it, resigned myself to going back on the airplane. I walked up the crew entry door ladder and jumped around the bottom of the 20-odd foot high flight deck ladder. As I was walking around the forward ramp area, I heard a loud “THUNK” and looked back towards the back of the airplane to see the Red Headed Stepchild himself at the Aft Ramp/Door Control panel. Somehow, during all the fuss and confusion of the preceding three hours, this classic Gomer Pyle screw-up (they’re standard issue with every unit) had skillfully inserted himself into my aircraft. I was wondering just what in the hell this bastard was doing on my plane, so I started walking back there to find out. Now the aft cargo door/ramp system on the C-5 is a complex kluge. Its main feature is a floating pressure door that, depending on what type of cargo is being loaded, also doubles as a ramp extension. It is not permanently attached to the aircraft. SrA Chamberpot was attempting to open the door in “Truckbed” mode (for palletized cargo), but I had noticed that he had not hit the two most important valves needed to correctly perform this procedure.

Let me try to break it down here for you. You see, whoever designed and engineered this system apparently said, “Aw, screw it” about halfway through the process, leaving us with an unorthodox procedure when it came to opening the doors in “Truckbed” mode. Halfway through the procedure, you must manually depress two hydraulic valves, labeled “C” and “I” that would actuate, er, actuators which would latch on to the pressure door and actuate it upwards against the top of the cargo compartment when you hit the appropriate switch. Failure to do this may cause damage to aircraft and equipment, perhaps injury or death of personnel. As I was observing Chamberpot going through the motions of opening the rear doors, I noticed that he had failed to perform this critical step and was about to drop this 3+ ton door onto the cargo floor. Noticing his hand was on the switch to start the final process of opening up the ramp, I started running and frantically waving my arms around in the air, yelling “C & I! C & I!” over and over again at the top of my lungs. Since both APUs (Auxiliary Power Units) were running and the hydraulic systems were on, it was near impossible for him to hear me. He apparently saw me gesticulating like a wild man and turned to face me, hand still on the switch. He stared at me with that typical blank stare of his and shook his head. He looked puzzled, but then again that was his natural appearance. He shrugged his shoulders and turned around to face the back doors.

I was running for all I was worth. The length of the C-5 is about as long as a football field (at least it seemed that way), and I was at about the opponent’s 30-yard line. Desperate, I lifted my arm and hurled the radio at him in mid step. It tumbled end over end and clocked the stupid son of a bitch right on the side of the noggin. I didn’t mean to hit him in the head; it was a lucky shot. He crumpled in on himself. I had knocked the dumb bastard out cold. I ran up to him, saw he was still breathing, looked up and quickly returned the ramp/door system back to its normal, safe state. I looked backed down at Chamberpot and briefly considered ending his pathetic existence right then and there, but decided life in Leavenworth wasn’t worth it.

Chamberpot came-to and slowly got up. “What happened, man?” he asked in the most dumbass accent I had ever heard. The guy sounded like a mix between Bubba from Forrest Gump and Bullwinkle the Moose. “You were about to drop the damned pressure door on your head, dumbass.” I replied. Chamberpot looked up the massive pressure door and simply said, “Thanks, man. Guess I shoulda used the checklist, huh?” He started laughing.

“Huhuhuhuhhuh,” I laughed back at him mockingly. He stopped laughing and looked down. There on the cargo floor was the radio, antenna broken and the battery pack cracked right at the point of impact on Chamberpot’s thick, Neanderthal-like skull. Chamberpot looked up as I gingerly retrieved the radio. I keyed it a couple of times, but it was dead. “Huh huh huh. You’re in trooooooubuuuuuuule.,” he said like a frickin’ six year old.

I immediately regretted sparing his life.

Thus ends Part II.

Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion, ”Hydrastics” or ”Shower at 3,000 psi!”

2002-01-17T20:51:00.000-05:00

Learn Something New Every Day

My Dad recently told me something that came as quite a shock to me. He was in the Navy for 20+ years and just like every other sailor in the Navy, he was given firefighting training to combat shipboard fires. In one of the training videos that the Navy puts out (and you may have seen as stock footage in various military-oriented programs), there's a scene from the Viet Nam era where an ~~A-4 crashes into the Forrestal (IIRC) and bursts into flames~~. It was one of the worst aircraft carrier fires since WWII and resulted in the deaths of several sailors. ~~Well, it turns out that the pilot of that A-4 was none other than John McCain~~. (Edit: Scroll down to see the update)

In a related story about politicians and airplanes, my Dad told me an even stranger story that happened when his LHA was heading out of the Gulf after the War. During Desert Shield, Bush I came out to his ship for a meet-and-greet and they had set-up a Harrier as a static display for his visit. During the ceremonies, Bush climbed into the cockpit and had some pictures taken of himself and other guys from the crew. Nothing odd about that. (On a personal note, it was great for me, because it was Thanksgiving and I got to see my Dad on CNN. It had been 4 months since I had seen him last, and it would be almost 6 more months before I'd see him again).

What is odd is that the same Harrier that Bush had sat in suddenly lost power and crashed into the water while coming in for a landing after the War. That's two combat aircraft that Bush has been seated in to have crashed into the ocean.

Update: Whew, boy did I get alot of email about this! Man, I get featured in an anti-war article: nothin', nada, zip. I completely screw up the Forrestal fire, and man did I get hammered. I screwed up. Big Time. Here's just one of the many emails I got that explained what really happened:

The fire aboard FORRESTAL was not caused by John McCain crashing, it
was due to a Zuni FFAR accidentally cooking off an F4 being armed for
strike ops and striking McCain's A4, rupturing the drop tank and
knocking a 1,000lb bomb to the deck. McCain managed to get clear
just moments before the bomb went off and ...

Kaboom. Dozens of fully-armed strike aircraft went up, 134 swabbies
were killed, and FORRESTAL was severely damaged.

So, there you have it. The thing about Bush is still true, though. That's a story my Dad tells enough so I think I got that one right, but if anyone was on the Nassau during the Gulf War, feel free to email me and set me straight.

2002-01-17T20:04:00.000-05:00

Lighten Up, Frances

Man, I've been a grumpy dude today. I need a drink.

2002-01-17T19:16:00.000-05:00

Mail to Troops

A little while ago I was trying to figure out if mail and packages sent to "Any Servicemember" were getting to troops overseas. Well, a kind individual in the know emailed me this:

Just wanted to let you know that packages are getting through to the troops in Afghanistan. Several teams were kind enough to send back pictures and a few words expressing their appreciation. Thought you might want to know.

If you would like to send a parcel to the great people over there, your best bet seems to be to go through the American Red Cross. If you send out a letter addressed to "Any Servicemember" and it goes through the Military Postal System, chances are it won't get through, so I suggest contacting the ARC to see how you can show your support.

2002-01-17T18:19:00.000-05:00

There's a lot more to it than that

Glenn Reynolds suggests that we

should resurrect some obsolete mothballed F106s or F4s and call up some older reservist pilots. You don't need Eric Hartmann's reflexes to guard against rogue airliners.

Now, I don't want to criticize the good Professor, but there are some very real problems I'd like to bring up and point out.

First, un-mothballing a plane is no small feat. Most of it's electronics are gone, wiring's all corrupted and probably shorted out, lines and control cabels are rusty and frayed, tires are rotted out and probably missing anyways. So we have to contract companies to basically rebuild an avionics package, then grab alot of mechanics and engineers to basically rebuild the aircraft, machine special parts and get it into flying condition. It's a situation not unlike the one the Warbird Restoration teams encounter when trying to restore old aircraft. So that's one thing.

Next, you need people to maintain the aircraft. Most of those guys are retired and haven't worked on these airframes in years, and they're not in sufficient numbers to adequately maintain a fleet of these old planes flying constant CAP, so we have to bring in more people. These people have to be trained, most likely by these old guys we brought in. So say half of the old guys are busy training, the other half are out there on the flightline working and helping out with OJT. I'm not going to get into the physical problems these old guys will face. Working on the flightline takes its toll on the body, and these guys are no exception.

Next, we're going to need to set-up a supply system for these aircraft. Since most of the parts aren't even made anymore, we're going to have to special order them, or if we're lucky, do some local manufacturing. Even so, we're going to need a massive inventory of parts (both controlled items and consumables) on hand to fix these planes when they break. And they always break. It's pretty rare to have a plane come back from a sortie with no discrepancies, and these planes you're talking about are 30+ years old that we've retrieved from the boneyard. It's not going to be pretty from a maintenance perspective. So, not only are we going to have to set-up a supply and funding source, we're going to need people, equipment, and space to run it.

Now we get to basing. Where are these planes going to fly out of? An Air Force Base, a Naval Station, an Army Post, a civilian airfield? Each place presents it's own unique problems and situations. If you put it on a military reservation, you're going to have to either build new hangars or push our combat aircraft to make space. Plus, we're going to need more Aerospace ground equipment (both powered and non-powered) to deal with the new arrivals. We're also going to need more fuel trucks and drivers.

If you stick the planes on a commercial airfield, then we're going to have to probably pay a host of fees. POL will probably be more expensive, plus we have to house and feed all the people supporting the mission.

So, any way you cut it, the proposal, while seemingly simple on the surface, will take quite alot of manpower and money to accomplish. On average, each plane in the AF's inventory requires the support of at least 40 people, from flightline maintenance all the way back to supply and farther back in the chain. And I think that's a low estimate.

2002-01-17T17:24:00.000-05:00

Tum, ta-tum, tum, Tums!

He just keeps getting better and better. Will Warren with a new poem, this time inspired by Tunku of the Hill People.

2002-01-17T17:11:00.000-05:00

Here We Go Again

Now they're throwing grenades at weddings. But that's okay because they're not terrorists, they're militants. Bastards.

Alright, this one's for any Palestinian who comes by and reads this thing: You are pussies. Your friends are pussies. Did you know that you throw like little girls? I don't see any major league talent in those rock throwing dipshits in Gaza. You couldn't hit the broadside of a barn from ten feet if you had to. Christ, the Israeli military doesn't need guns, it just needs some Louisville Sluggers to beeline those poorly thrown rocks right back at you. And if they haven't sufficiently dashed your brains on the sidewalk doing that, they could put those Sluggers to better use. I'm sure you've seen The Untouchables. So fucking resist the "occupation" all you want. You're going to lose. Even if you get your own state, you're still going to lose, and do you want to know why? Because no matter what, you're still going to be living a piss poor life in a goddammned rathole. Who are you going to blame after you achieve statehood? Are you going to keep blaming the Israelis and the U.S.? Probably so. The problems are not in the Israelis, my dear jihadis, they're within yourselves.

Ah shit, that felt good. Time to go back to being reasonable.

Hey, I got an update from a reader who reports that the arms on those Palestinian kids are getting better:

I happened to be in Jerusalem the last time there was significant snow (January 20-somethingth, 2000 - 15"), and saw some amazing stuff. Just inside the Jaffa Gate in the Old City (Christian Quarter, but it's
Arab), I got the chance to see a snowball fight between 2 teams of about 5 or so Palestinian kids between 13-16. Wow. Every single snowball was dead on target with perfect velocity, aim and strategy. One even managed to hook one around a car to hit an unsuspecting target. It was like they'd been practicing, or something :>
Matthew :) [oh, and it was at a bat mitzvah, not a wedding - but the Hebrew word for banquet hall, or whatever you call those things is translated as 'wedding hall' by the English-language Israeli media]

If this is the case, then my baseball suggestion may be better than first seemed. Perhaps if we get the two sides together for some games of baseball, they might learn that they have more in common and....okay, but it'd make a great TV movie of the week. And the Cubs might want to send some scouts over there. God knows we could use all the help we can get.

2002-01-17T16:52:00.000-05:00

Aim High -er, No One Comes Close...um, Step into the Blue?

The Air Force is actually doing well when it comes to recruiting folks, but it's not the war that's causing the upsurge.

Syndicated columnist David Hackworth, a retired Army colonel, said the Air Force also is benefiting from the recession and opportunities it offers enlistees to learn high-tech skills.

After serving a few years, he noted, an airman with computer skills could leave the service and make $80,000 annually.

The high-tech training is "highly transferable to the civilian skill base," Hackworth said.

This from a guy who says we don't need a seperate Air Force. By the way, alot of great material has come from the AF's new ad slogan. When the turd-herders come out to service the lavatories out on the plane, they invariably get the contents of the toilet tank on the ground, and without fail we usually wind up walking in it. We call this "Stepping into the Blue".

2002-01-17T16:42:00.000-05:00

15 Countries

Rumsfeld says that we could go into at least 15 countries, if needed.

Rumsfeld's remark about the number of countries into which the United States could carry the fight against terrorism was delivered off the cuff. But it made clear just how broad the U.S. war against terrorism could become.

I guess being told that we're currently looking at a six year war wasn't enough, or has that not been reported yet? I swear I remember reading that in public sources somewhere.

What's the good news out of all of this? Ole' Sarge himself may be able to escape this Powder Puff assignment and actually do his part before it's over. Knowing my luck, I'll probably land up being deployed to Turkey or worse, Saudi.

2002-01-17T16:30:00.000-05:00

The Great Escape it's Not

Some of the Al-Queda and Taliban prisoners are apparently in high enough spirits that they're threatening to kill at least one American before they leave Gitmo. Brig. Gen Michael Lehnert says:

“We will not give them that satisfaction.”

The rest of the article also has a nice listing of all the toiletries the clean-faced bastards recieve.

In another act of unspeakable barbarism, we performed surgery on one of the prisoners down there with a gunshot wound. The patient is expected to recover, but may suffer nerve damage in the area. We await reaction from human rights organizations.

Finally, in the last news round-up concerning detainees in Afghanistan, we have this great article in the Stripes about the guards and the people they're guarding. In what can only be described as a flagrant violation of several conventions and treaties, prisoners upon arrival are

stripped naked and given a rectal exam.

One can hope that they have female doctors doing some of that. There would be something poetic about it.

"It’s really demoralizing for them," Tyson said. In addition to losing their clothes and whatever private possessions they may have, "they are stripped of their identity as a group. You can see the transformation on their faces."

So, after having to suffer the barbaric probings of our doctor's index fingers and cruelly having their stuff taken away, our poor detainees have to suffer yet more torturous indignation.

Although the prisoners are allowed to perform the ritualistic prayers of Islam, they are not permitted to talk or even look at each other.

"They are allowed to pray and eat. That’s it," said Pena, the specialist. If a prisoner needs to relieve himself, they are instructed to simply raise their bound hands over their head. A pair of MPs then escorts the prisoner to a plywood shack used as an outhouse beside the hangar.

Oh, the humanity! Don't you beastly Americans know that the Geneva Conventions guarantee the right to indoor plumbing!? I'm sure it's in there somewhere. I mean, it's civilized. But the parade of atrocities doesn't end there, no siree, Bob. The detainees have to suffer the most vile, the most outrageous, the most egregious display of man's inhumanity to man ever seen: The stink-eye of 19-year-old Pfc. Amanda Aragon,

"Sometimes, one of the prisoners will try and eyeball me, like they’re trying to stare me down. I just eyeball them back."

If they harbor any illusions that they can break the no-looking-around rule, because Aragon is a woman, she corrects them quickly. "If I need to get in their face, I do, but usually they figure it out."

I'm speechless.

2002-01-16T21:04:00.000-05:00

TTFN

No more entries tonight. It's Wednesday night which means my weekly dose of Robotica and Junkyard Wars on TLC, then I'm off to work for the night.

2002-01-16T18:43:00.000-05:00

The E-Mail that Launched a Thousand Words: Part I

1.Herky vs Buff: Herky birds, warthogs & buffs rule. I worked with a
Herky Bird nav & loadmaster when I was stationed at ACC (Langley) from
94-97. We traded lots of stories about slow, ugly, unwanted aircraft that
were masters at what they do. And the C-130, A-10, and B-52 are just that -
unparalleld at doing the things they do. The C-130 is the best all-purpose
trash-hauler out there, the A-10 is the best tank-killer on the face of the
planet, and the BUFF is the premier bomb-dropper in the universe.

The fact that I'm a former B-52 nav with over 4000 hours flying time doesn't
prejudice me, does it?

Naaah, You know, it’s just not aircrew that feel this way. Almost every former BUFF, Herc, or Warthog chief and specialist I’ve worked with always has fond memories of these planes. They talk about the problems they had maintaining them, but it’s always a sentimental kind of bitching- a fond reflection on yesteryear. I have no such memories. When I was a wet-behind-the-ears Airman, the plane I was first presented with was a massive, hulking, leaking, and broke Piece O’Crap. Yes friends, I cut my teeth on the C-5, called the Galaxy by the Air Force, commonly called a FRED or Pig by the people who work it. Why is it called the Galaxy? I’m not really sure. It may be because it’s a large, haphazard collection of parts that look like they are only being held together by their own collective weight and various magical forces. Just like real Galaxies, the C-5 has a massive black hole that sucks in your pride, dignity, and happiness; not even your will to live can escape the massive maw of the Galaxy. So pull up a chair and stay awhile as I tell you a story about a day in the life of young AIC Stryker. All names have been changed to protect the innocent and the guilty…

It was a late summer day in 1993 at Dover AFB, DE, and I had just arrived at work. It was 1427. Not 1415, not 1432. 1427. I always precisely timed my arrival so that when I got to work, it would only be a couple of minutes before roll call. Why, you may ask? Because if I arrived any earlier, I might be asked to do some work before my shift started. I learned this lesson a year and a half earlier when I foolishly arrived at work at 1410. Seeing me milling about the tables and benches of our old hangar, MSgt. Dowdy asked me if I would clean up the bathroom, since dayshift forgot to do it. Forgot to do it my ass. Half of dayshift was still out on the flightline, and the ones who normally hung out in the break area had blown it off and gone home. Still, I had been “asked” to clean the bathroom, and when you’re an airman you don’t question polite requests.

Anyways, it was now 1430 and time for roll call. At this time, we held our roll calls between two “temporary” structures built inside a massive hangar (582?). Each of these two story buildings housed an AMU, or Aircraft Maintenance Unit. I was with the Blue Wizards, and my flight was Wizard 6. The other AMU was the Red Dragons, whose swing-shift started an hour later than ours did. Yes, I know those nicknames are stupid, but we had nothing to do with it. When I first arrived, we were just Sierra, then we were split into the two AMU’s during the Total Quality Maintenance craze of the early 90’s, renamed “Blue” and “Red”, and reorganized as the 436th Aircraft Generation Squadron. The Wizards and Dragons nonsense was started by an outside troubleshooter named Col. Frenchie who decided that having these nicknames would inspire pride and foster healthy competition between the two AMU’s. We’ll here more about Col. Frenchie later.

So, we’re standing there at roll call, but instead of the usual briefing about various issues that were always “HOT”, we had a portly Captain step to the front and introduce himself as some sort of mid-level functionary in our unit. I don’t specifically remember what his job was. All I know is that he was an officer with a handheld radio (no, not a boombox. Kind of like a walkie-talkie, but more sophisticated). He gave the standard welcome speech, said something about an open-door policy, and other things. Most of his speech was forgettable, but I do remember the last part of it. He said, “Let’s remember to have fun out there. If you’re not having fun, something’s wrong.”

You almost felt sorry for these guys. They were nice fellows whom I think genuinely wanted to do good, but Dover could turn even the most idealistic man to the Dark Side. I believe that if the Lord Himself were stationed at Dover, He’d be a bitter chain-smoking alcoholic whose only releases from His living death would be booze and broads. Capt. Portly was no exception. Within six months, he was Dover-ized: He had become an angry, fat little man who seem more worried that certain people maintained weight standards (Pot-Kettle-Black), than the maintenance of the aircraft. He left eventually. No one knows why, even though rumors persisted that he was caught having fun with this pretty blonde airman from Dragon side.

Capt. Portly finished up his speech, and our civilian shift leader, Mr. MysteryTour, stepped up and read off aircraft assignments. The guys who weren’t assigned to a plane went off to the outside to smoke or went into the breakroom. Now, that breakroom deserves a story itself, but I’ll try to give you the condensed history of this storied place. When the “temporary” buildings were first put up, the breakroom was just this large, open room on the bottom floor. It had some square tables and chairs to fill it up. Col. Frenchie, the erstwhile troubleshooter, noticed that these square tables and chairs were conducive to card-playing, so he ordered furniture that can only be described as “MacDonaldland”. He turned our breakroom into a fast-food restaurant, minus the food counter. Yep, we even had the swivel-chairs. You see, Col. Frenchie figured that if the furniture was made uncomfortable and had an awkward seat-to-table arrangement, we would want to stay out and work on the airplanes than sit around inside and play cards. Col. Frenchie had made a critical error that would prove his undoing: He underestimated the common crew chief. You’ve heard the phrase, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way”. Well crew chiefs and their specialist brothers are the living embodiment of this phrase. We’re trained to troubleshoot and solve problems. We’re taught to overcome problems and obstacles and do anything to get the job done. We weren’t going to let some MacDonaldland furniture prevent us from enjoying our birthright. Within two weeks, Col. Frenchie was dismayed to see that the breakroom was full of loud, raucous mechanics engaged in card-playing. We had improvised, adapted, and overcome. Col. Frenchie disappeared a couple of weeks later, presumably off to meddle in the affairs of some other function with which he had no familiarity.

I stepped into the blue modified step-van that served as our primary conveyance between the hangar and the flightline. Dragon side had all their planes parked right in front of the hangar, so they could just walk right on out to their planes, but our planes were parked down at the far, far end of the ramp. If you wanted, you could use the Shoe Leather Express, but walking half a mile with a 75 lb. Toolbox on your shoulder was not the best way to start off your shift. Mr. MysteryTour, besides being our shift supervisor, was also the truck driver, call-sign “Wizard-6”. We got all loaded-up and started to make our way out to our side of the flightline. Mr. MysteryTour, oblivious to the fact that the shortest distance between any two points is a straight line, took a lazy, meandering route to the flightline. As he was driving, various people would call him on the radio, triggering his instinct to turn the wheel and head off in their direction before telling them that he couldn’t make it. He’d then turn the wheel in the other direction, thus closing the circle and heading off on his original course. Depending on radio traffic, it could take anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour to make it to your plane while riding the Magical Mystery Tour.

Mr. MysteryTour finally pulled up to my plane; I hauled my toolbox out of the truck and started making my way towards the Crew Entry Door. I was careful to not walk in front of the truck while making my way to the plane, because Mr. MysteryTour had a habit of running over airmen as he absent-mindedly drove the truck around the flightline. As I was carrying my toolbox, I could see the telltale omens that signaled a “rough night”: panels in various places removed, B-5 and B-2 stands pre-positioned all over the place, and my dayshift guy walking towards me with a look of both defeat and joy at my arrival….

Thus ends Part I

2002-01-16T00:35:00.000-05:00

War Party? Me? Noooo

Guess who got a mention in an Anti-War column? I'm sure everyone else mentioned can defend themselves, so I'll just stick to the parts about me and the general points he's making:

Right in the front ranks is "Sergeant Stryker's Daily Briefing," another "warblog" of affected bellicosity, this one done up in shades of military khaki and a photo of a helmeted John Wayne barking into the camera. John Stryker is supposedly "the pseudonym for an aircraft mechanic in the U.S. Air Force." But the Sergeant must keep his identity secret, you see, "to prevent his jealous and wrathful employer from smiting him from on high for contrary opinions." One of these opinions is the absolute evil of Saudi Arabia, which is seen by the warbloggers as the real power behind Osama Bin Laden. As Stryker puts it:

"Saudi Arabia is looking into reconciling with Iraq. On the surface, this appears to be a ploy on Saddam's part to strengthen ties with neighboring states in an effort to prevent any US military action against him. It's also a ploy that our friends the Saudis seem all too eager to engage in. Of course, this information is nothing new to people who realize that all terrorist roads lead to Riyadh."

Look at the name of the Kingdom: Saudi Arabia. I'm railing against the House of Saud and their kooky brand of Islam. The same brand of Islam that gave rise to the Taliban and yes, Osama bin Laden. I'm also amused by the implication (mentioned further in the article) that I somehow hate "ragheads" because I don't like the Saudis. For one thing, hatred is a state of mind. It's a corrosive type of thinking that will either destroy you or lead to the suffering of others. I sense much hatred in you.

Of course, calling somebody a racist just because they don't like oppressive and tyrannical monarchies is quite a stretch, although I'm sure King Fahd and Prince Abdullah appreciate your efforts on their behalf. Who woulda thunk that an anti-war activist and a supposed lover of human rights would speak up for men and governments that oppress women, behead homosexuals and other criminals in stadia, destroy cultural landmarks and finance terrorists? Wars do indeed make for strange bedfellows.

The fanatically pro-Israel stance of the warbloggers is due, at least in a few cases, to the influence of the Ayn Rand cult, who believe – as Rand did – that Arabs are subhuman creatures devoid of rights,

I can't speak for anyone else, but my defense of Israel has nothing to do with a failed actress who wrote long books about her girlish crushes. It has something to do with the fact that Israel is a Western democracy. Yes, it had socialist tones back in the day, but it's still the only democracy in the region, unless you want to count Turkey. And there you go with that racist talk, again. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you absolutely revel in tossing around racial ephitets.

and that Israel, as a Western democracy, is a superior civilization, and therefore deserves our unstinting support.

You say that as if it's a bad thing. What's wrong with defending democracy? The West, and it's democratic ideals, is far superior to any of the alternatives. Just ask those kids who tossed off the yoke of Communism ten years ago. I would rather defend a democracy that makes mistakes than defend a corrupt theocracy that's a mistake itself.

The complete isolation of the US from its Arab friends and allies, and a US-Israeli war on more than a billion Muslims – this is what the warbloggers are gunning for.

Um, no. I'm standing-up for democracy and the principles laid forth in the Constitution.

This is the real source of dissent in wartime America: not a peace movement, but a War Party that wants to take the President and his Secretary of State much farther than they want to go.

Hey man, do you realize you just defended George W. Bush?

In every case, their policy recommendations have one and only one beneficiary – and it isn't the United States of America.

Quite right, we already enjoy the blessings of liberty. The real beneficiaries of our "recommendations" will be those still living in oppressive hellholes run by men who only recognize power as the brutal and bloody application of violence against their own people and whose authority rests on nothing more than the fact that they have more guns than the next guy. If I'm such a bad guy for having a problem with that, then so be it.

Well, here comes the hate mail.

2002-01-15T20:19:00.000-05:00

Shore Leave

Sailors Lift Spirits, Boost Economy. No, not that, but I'm sure the local bars and strip clubs are doing brisk business since the Vinson came in.

The 7,120 officers and crew of the USS Carl Vinson battle group set foot on U.S. soil this week for the first time in nearly six months and discovered that the free world had changed. Even in civilian clothes, sailors such as Ken Blair have been stopped on the streets of Waikiki by people who want to say "thanks for doing your job," he said....Tuesday's arrival of the Carl Vinson and five of its escort ships — the cruisers USS Antietam and USS Princeton, frigate USS Ingraham and fast-attack submarine USS Key West — also represents dollars for Hawai'i's sputtering economy.

It's never been a better time to be a stripper or prostitute in Hawaii.

The food aboard the Carl Vinson is plentiful but there's only so much rice, beans, chicken and roast beef that can be eaten on a long deployment, said aviation ordnance airman Jeremy Lapham. Besides, "When they're serving that many people, they don't have much time to put the flavor in."

The same can be said for just about all military food, which rates just slightly lower than airline food, but considerably higher than hospital food.

2002-01-15T19:56:00.000-05:00

Next Stop: The PI

U.S. Forces are heading back into the Phillipines after being unceremoniously kicked out by the Filipinos and Mt. Pinatubo a few years ago.

"The main bulk of them will be coming probably starting next week," he told reporters.

The full contingent will include about 160 U.S. special forces -- including Navy SEALs, the Army's Green Berets, Marines with special operations capabilities and Air Force special forces -- who will help in the fight against the Abu Sayyaf, a group Washington says is linked to Saudi-born militant Osama bin Laden.

Backing them will be about 500 U.S. support and technical personnel, Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes, a former military chief, told local radio....Officially, the U.S. forces will only provide advice, technical support and an assessment of the Philippine troops. But they will accompany local soldiers on patrol in rebel-infested areas, will be armed and authorized to fire in self-defense.

Philippine officials have gone to considerable lengths to emphasize that U.S. soldiers will not participate in combat because of local sensitivities on the role of foreign troops.

I hope that some of the Special Forces going over there are ones who've taken part in the Afghan Campaign. Filipino troops tend to switch sides depending on which way the wind blows much like their Afghan counterparts.

The powerful Roman Catholic church had also disapproved of the U.S. troop presence in the Philippines, saying it led to increased prostitution.

Yeah, baby! All this really means is that Filipino women of the night can now stay at home and scrog instead of going to Okinawa and everywhere else in the Far East to make their money.

2002-01-15T19:43:00.000-05:00

Curious Items

Crious Items found along the terror trail:

Found in a complex of caves outside Kandahar: Graded Arabic-language exams for al-Qaida terrorists-in-training with multiple choice, short essay and fill-in-the-blank questions about how to shoot down an aircraft, make bombs, use anti-aircraft weapons and shoot to kill a person. Sample question: If an aircraft was traveling at an altitude of 3,000 feet, which part of the plane should you target to inflict the most damage? Answer: "Target area two."

Man, they weren't kidding when they call them "schools for terrorists". I wonder what a failing grade gets you...

Found in a makeshift laboratory in an al-Qaida building in Kabul: A booklet offering advice on how to survive a nuclear explosion

Duck and Cover! Alternately, put your head between your knees and kiss your ass goodbye.

Items allegedly owned by Zacarias Moussaoui, a Frenchman of Moroccan descent named in the first indictment directly related to the suicide hijackings: Two knives. Binoculars. Flight manuals for the Boeing 747 Model 400. A flight simulator computer program. Fighting gloves and shin guards. A notebook listing German telephone No. 1, German telephone No. 2 and the name Ahad Sabet. A computer disk containing information related to the aerial application of pesticides. A hand-held aviation radio.[emphasis mine]

Hmmmm....who else had one of those radios?

2002-01-15T18:13:00.000-05:00

Med Interdiction

The U.S. Navy is stepping up interdiction efforts in the Med in an effort to deny that body of water to terrorists.

The crew of the Rasha J included sailors from nations other than Tonga, though the 6th Fleet did not elaborate.

The Associated Press reported that Tonga suspended its international ship registry after Israel seized a Tonga-flagged vessel with a Palestinian captain.

The Israelis say the ship Karine A, which their troops boarded early this month in the Red Sea, was loaded with 50 tons of rockets and explosives. That ship was believed to be owned by an Iraqi businessman.

Okay, I seriously doubt Tonga is a hotbed of terrorist intrigue and conspiracy, but it demonstrates how countries with liberal registration laws could be used by terrorists to transport weapons and materiel on ships registered in those countries. I also wonder how much money Tonga is losing by suspending its registration services.

Is anyone else beginning to see a pattern here? We have a ship laden with arms for Arafat bound for Israel, rumored to be supplied by the Iranians, on a ship presumably owned by an Iraqi businessman, with the possible complicity of the Egyptians because it had to go through Suez. Then we have reports of co-operation agreements between Iraq and Iran and signs of warming between Iraq of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is financing Hamas' efforts to build long range rockets.

The Enemy is on the move in Mordor. Luckily we have Charles Johnson and his Palantir to keep an eye on their movements.

2002-01-15T17:44:00.000-05:00

John Walker, Conspirator

John Walker will be charged with conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens in Afghanistan.

Lindh will be charged in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va., rather than in a military tribunal. Other charges against him will include providing support to terrorist organizations and engaging in prohibited transactions with the Taliban, Ashcroft said...“Youth is not absolution for treachery,” Ashcroft told reporters. “Misdirected Americans cannot receive direction in murderous ideology.”

"Engaging in prohibited transactions with the Taliban?" Makes it sound like he gave out shady loans and failed to report the interest income on his 1040. Or perhaps that phrase was an Ashcroftian euphemism for doin' the monkey hump with Yusef.

2002-01-15T05:08:00.000-05:00

News Update

Here's where everything stands: The domain sgtstryker.com has been registered and is being hosted by Cornerhost. I'm just waiting for the DNS pointers to do their job, then you too will be able to see the work in progress over there. I'm going Blogger free and using Movable Type as my blogging software. Andrew Hofer of MTZ fame recommends it, although I hope to not have as much trouble with page formatting as he did since I'm sticking with plain ole' HTML for the most part. In fact, if all goes well, you probably won't be able to see much of a difference between here and there.

Formatting the new site so far has proven to be a bit of a bitch as there are numerous pages that have to be formatted, not just the index. There'll be a new "Comment" feature so you can tell me just how full of shit I am if you're feeling froggy.

So, be prepared. The new site should be online and ready to go within one or two weeks. UPDATE: In fact, the new site is available for viewing right now. It's a page saved from yesterday, but you get the idea. If you want to see the page I'm updating and fooling around with, go here.

2002-01-15T04:54:00.000-05:00

Reader Mail

"The only bad thing about your site is I can't read it on the toilet"

Um, well that can be a good thing. I'd hate to think what purpose the Daily Briefing would serve once you're done reading it. Although it would make for a great slogan.

Sgt. Stryker's Daily Briefing: Serving the Ass-End of Humanity since 2001!

2002-01-15T04:45:00.000-05:00

Hether Mallick, whose skull is most thicke

Will Warren, Poet Laureate of the Blogger Nation offers up yet another great poem inspired this time by Heather Mallick.

2002-01-15T04:41:00.000-05:00

I'm glad he's on our side

John Cole gives the old one-fingered salute to Barbara Kingsolver. This is one of the best things things I've read in a long time:

Many Americans understand patriotism as a higher calling than gossip-mongering.

And at this very minute, they are bombing the living shit out of the miscreants in Afghanistan.

2002-01-15T04:27:00.000-05:00

It never ends

Saudi Arabia is looking into reconciling with Iraq. On the surface, this appears to be a ploy on Saddam's part to strengthen ties with neighboring states in an effort to prevent any U.S. military action against him. It's also a ploy that our friends the Saudis seem all too eager to engage in. Of course, this information is nothing new to people who realize that all terrorist roads lead to Riyadh.

2002-01-14T20:12:00.000-05:00

News Update

I'm attempting to export all my entries here into another system, so if you can't reach this site or it looks funny, that's why. It shouldn't last more than a couple of hours and wil be intermittent.

UPDATE: I've finished exporting the entries. Everything should work as normal. Also, posting will be sporadic as I work on formatting and configuring the new site.

2002-01-14T05:38:00.000-05:00

Nyet on Missile Shield

Russia probably won't build a missile shield like the U.S. apparently intends to do.

2002-01-14T05:33:00.000-05:00

Letters to the Editor

Below are two letters from the recent Stripes. I won't have any commentary on them, because it's more important to see what some of our people over there are thinking about. One is in response to a stripes article about students' support for the military, the other is from a Special Forces soldier currently serving in Afghanistan concerning the flag:

I just finished the Dec. 29 article "Students show wary support for military action," written by Stars and Stripes reporters Sandra Jontz and Lisa Burgess. I have to say that most of what I read in the article upsets me very much. Not so much what was written but what was said by some of the people interviewed and their apparent uneducated views of the U.S. military and our country in general.

The quote by Lauren Laitala is very myopic. She states that she doesn’t disagree with military action but that she feels led astray by officials commenting on the war. She goes on to cite an incident in which Pentagon officials reported no civilian casualties during a bombing raid in Afghanistan, only to have the nightly news broadcast photos of a wounded Afghan child. She also says: "In war, there is death. Things happen. They should just come out and say it."

Just because the nightly news broadcasts photos of a wounded child does not necessarily mean that that child was wounded in that bombing raid — or any other U.S. combat actions for that matter. Some media outlets purposely air misleading stories just to show the military or government in a negative image.

Why is this done? Some, I would think, is just so a story can be broadcast or put in the next paper. Others just for their underlying dislike of the military in general. For anyone to think that personnel in the military would purposely target civilians or try to "hide" civilian casualties is absolutely crazy. From the very beginning of our "War on Terrorism" it has been made perfectly clear that there would be military and civilian casualties. I’m not really sure what news or TV programs this student has been watching. Maybe MTV just forgot to air those particular comments.

Another student, Janelle Kubicsko, goes on to state: "The military will maintain public support, so long as they refrain from going to war with other nations." As I grow older my memory isn’t what it used to be, but I don’t recall any time since I’ve been alive that the military has just decided on its own to go and invade another country. As a matter of fact, the last time I checked the U.S. military received its orders from the National Command Authority (i.e. the president of the United States).

My fellow servicemembers and I go where our leaders tell us to go even if we don’t agree with where we are being sent or why. We servicemembers give up a lot of their freedoms when we take our oath of enlistment. Most of these freedoms are taken for granted daily, especially by the ladies mentioned above.

Ms. Kubicsko further goes on to state: "I think that overall, if \[military leaders\] follow their objectives and set clear objectives, they’ll achieve them and have public support behind them. But if they go off track and don’t make a multilateral effort at achieving a multinational objective, they’ll lose public support, especially mine."

To be quite honest, it doesn’t sound like we have much of her support as it is right now. In case she doesn’t know, the president of the United States tells the military what the objective is and what guidelines it is to follow to achieve his objective.

So if she wants to stop supporting the president then that is fine, but she shouldn’t stop supporting members of the military for doing what we are told to do by our leaders. Servicemembers don’t ask to be sent to places such as Afghanistan or anyplace else that takes them away from their families and friends. Perhaps she should spend some time away from home in a foreign country during the holidays. She might get a taste for what it is like for servicemembers.

That clear-cut objective, as she sees it, is to "take out Osama bin Laden and his network." She finally has said something with which I agree.

"There’s talk of them going into Iraq, and that would be wrong for them to do." Once again this is something that the president decides and not the military. There is not one soldier, sailor, airman or marine who wants to go to war and die in some Third World country. If she doesn’t want us to go into Iraq, then she should start writing the president and her members of Congress and tell them this. But if the powers above decide that we are going to invade Iraq, then she should wholeheartedly support the military and go protest her members of Congress and the president. They are the ones who decided that course of action.

As a soldier in the U.S. Army, I realize my job is to support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America and all the freedoms that the Constitution guarantees. I have been doing this willingly for 17 years. Perhaps next time Stars and Stripes could interview someone who has been on both sides of the fence and can talk intelligently about this issue.

Sgt. 1st Class Nat Coomer
Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo

I am writing in response to the letter "Flag photo" (Dec. 22). As a Special Forces soldier currently serving in Afghanistan, I was proud of my fellow soldiers in that photo.

I took the opportunity to do some research and read for myself the U.S. Code covering respect for the U.S. flag. It is title 4, chapter 1, section 8 of the U.S. Code. This section is titled, "Respect for the flag." The letter writer would do well to read it himself, since he quoted section 3. I believe his point of contention is addressed adequately in subparagraph g.

Regrettably, I am not in a position to speak for the unit, but it is the unit I will defend. The issue here is respect for the flag. I concur with the writer that the flag is sacred. I disagree that we showed it any disrespect. The military has a history of carrying the flag into battle. This is out of respect for our nation and as a rallying point for the soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen who fight to defend that flag, its nation and its people. An offer to fight for the flag is the highest respect a citizen can show for the flag.

I would hope that if I were to die in combat, my unit would display a flag like this one at my memorial service as they did for my friends and fellow soldiers in Kabul. But this is not what I choose to defend. History has shown that all the branches of service in the U.S. military have chosen to ignore section 8 in various ways during times of both peace and conflict. Our unit is no different. During the Civil War, units would sew unit insignias and battles on their unit flags, and countless airmen since World War II have often painted the flag on airplanes flown into war. Both of these violate section 8.

The issue is that the flag is a tie between a nation and its warriors. It is a spiritual connection to a set of beliefs, mores and values we hold so dear that we are willing to fight and die to defend them. For many, the flag is a connection of unit and nation carried forward into war to remind us of who we are and who and what we are defending.

I believe the U.S. Code was never intended to address the means a unit would use to carry our flag into combat. Subparagraph e makes this very clear when it says, "The flag should never be fastened, displayed, used, or stored in such a manner as to permit it to be easily torn, soiled, or damaged in any way." I’d like to know who believes for a second that a dismounted ground soldier living out of a rucksack and sleeping on the ground for months at a time could possibly carry a flag into war and satisfy paragraph e.

Our soldiers make grave sacrifices to serve our worthy nation in times of war. Their efforts will make history by crumbling the Taliban regime in less than 60 days and never having fielded more than 200 ground combatants. Three of our warriors have died shouldering the burden of freedom. It saddens my soul to hear a voice from the rear throw shame at the way they respected their flag. If it is the letter of the law we must follow as we carry our flag into war, I suggest a unit will never be able to make the connection with our nation during times of war, as the standards will forbid it. This, I offer, was not the law’s intent.

My unit did not and would never disrespect our nation’s flag. If the letter writer believes not integrating the flag into military training or not taking the flag into combat was the intent, I ask him to go home and read paragraphs b, c, d and e the next time he is down by the flight line and sees a flag painted on the tail of an aircraft. Then his lonely voice from the rear can write to Stars and Stripes and ask the pilots to stop disrespecting our flag. After all, it is sacred.

Master Sgt. Mark D. Baylis
Afghanistan

2002-01-13T04:19:00.000-05:00

No Gunfire

The Pentagon says that the fireball witnessed when the KC-130 crashed was a fuel explosion.

Rumsfeld said the KC-130, which is used to refuel helicopters and other aircraft in flight, was carrying “bladders,” or containers, of fuel when it crashed. This created the fireball, he said.

“The fireball occurred, according to the best evidence we have, as it hit the ground, not before it hit the ground,” he said.

The article also reports that B-52's and B-1's hit a tunnel complex near Zawar Kili.

2002-01-13T04:04:00.000-05:00

Cry Havoc!

And let slip the Blogs of War! (My 10th grade English Lit. teacher will be pleased to know that I still remember Julius Caesar)

2002-01-13T02:54:00.000-05:00

Depression?

Dan over at Lake Effect has an interesting take on the constant stream of negativity coming from some anti-American/anti-war folks.

2002-01-13T00:40:00.000-05:00

Secret Service Redux

InstaPundit has a link to an opinion piece about Secret Service agents. It's quite an interesting tale, made all the more interesting because it's a newsperson who is writing it. If you are currently reading this in a glass house, be wary: there are stones being thrown about. Now, the first half of the article is quite fair and draws a reasonable conclusion about the pilot's actions and rationale. I won't begrudge Johnny Ringo for that part of his piece. It's when he gets into the second half where things go astray.

The one thing that all members of the detail used to have to be was consummately professional under the most trying conditions.

They still do. I see these folks almost everyday and they still act like their same old boring, normal selves, but there is one group of people whose professionalism can be fairly criticized, and whose behavior can try even the patience of Job, but we'll hold off on that for now.

In the last decade or two, instead of being low-key guardians of the president's person, the detail has started to look more like Praetorian guards, the owners of all they survey - whether or not they're currently guarding the POTUS.

That is utter horseshit. I have never seen an example of this sort of behavior. If these guys were any more low-key, they'd be comatose. Sure, you might be able to pick-out the obvious ones, but for every one you see, there are a number more whom you never notice. They work more on having their presence felt than seen. Yet, there is one group of people who have this haughty manner you describe. Those who do everything possible to be seen and noticed. Those who think that because they are travelling with the President or any other DV, their status is somehow greater than anyone else's. You can see it in their faces and in their mannerisms.

From ripping down signs that they find offensive to their "primaries" to lawsuits for "discrimination" that often go nowhere, the individuals of the detail have started to show an overweaning arrogance, a naive hubris that needs to be taken in hand.

Quite right, but it's not the agents whose hubris and arrogance needs to be checked. In fact, the only people who fit the description you provide would be....wait for it........reporters! Yes, my poor Mr. Ringo, it's true. You see, I'm out there standing at the nose of the plane during a DV launch and I see all of you schmucks come out like royalty. It's not just those assigned to the President who exhibit this haughty behavior, either. Whether it be the Secretary of Energy or Senator Nobody, the press attached to the DV are the only people I've ever seen who even come close to the arrogance you describe. Apparently, being in the proximity of the DV somehow raises your stature and it shows in your behavior. "Look at me! I'm flying on AF1! I'm with the President, out of my way!"

You see Mr. Ringo, I don't need the internet to fact-check your ass because I'm there. I'm the guy standing at the nose of the plane watching all of you board. You've never noticed me standing there, and if you did, you'd think that I'm just the guy waving my arms in the air as the plane taxis for take-off. Even though you don't see me, I do see you. I most definitely see you for what you are. We can tell reporters from everyone else right off the bat. They're the only ones who are trying their hardest to look Important. The Senators, Congressmen, Cabinet members, Senior Execs and their aides all look and act like normal business folk. You guys look almost self-concious in your efforts to look Important . To the DV's the plane is a business jet conveying them from Point A to Point B, but to you it's a luxury jet. You guys look all starry-eyed as you get out of your vehicles. You assume the mannerisms of an English lord when people take your bags to the rear of the aircraft. You make a weak attempt at hiding it, but you can't.

He was suddenly being treated like the common muck, like any old American citizen, instead of a member of the detail! Forsooth

Forsooth indeed! Yea verily, 'tis an archaic tongue with which you speak, knave!
It's too bad that you guys forget that you're ordinary old American citizens when travelling with the DV's. "Ooohh, people are getting my bags! I'm being driven to the airplane! Ah, no more travelling with the common folk for me. I'm finally flying in style and it's all on the government's nickel!"

I don't want anyone who loses their temper, as he did according to witnesses, guarding my president. And I certainly don't want anyone guarding my president who thinks he is holier than I.

And I certainly don't want anyone covering my President who is an arrogant shithead. How much arrogance and pride in your voice when you speak, how much you try to look like one of the big boys when you're standing out there. You guys remind me of the kid whose father is the "The Boss". He takes you to work one day to see what he does, and you're trying to look important and act the part as you walk around with him. It's comical and cute when a kid does it. It's downright embarassing when an adult who should know better acts that way.

And that goes for the rest of the detail as well.

Woah! There goes one of those stones I was talking about. I'll say this about you DV press types: You give me and my friends some good fodder when we're out there. I'm just amazed that one of you had the balls to talk shit about the Secret Service when you are the worst offenders when it comes to haughtiness. Keep one thing in mind, though. When bullets start flying and you're running away screaming like a little girl, those guys will be the ones taking the bullets and running towards the incoming gunfire. They have every right to act as arrogant as they want to, though I've yet to see any evidence that they do.

What's your excuse?

In the interests of fairness, I'm posting a couple of links that a kind emailer provided that report on abuses by the agents on Hillary's staff.It's just conjecture on my part, but these incidents seem to be what Mr. Ringo was drawing on when he painted the whole of the Secret Service as a "Praetorian Guard".

The first incident in New York

Second piece describing in general agents' attitude towards the press

(Standard Disclaimer: I'm not demeaning all reporters. Most of them are good, honest types trying to make a living and the ones I've met I respect a great deal. I'm more or less talking trash about the "elite" press types who travel and cling stubbornly to dignitaries like a barnacle on a freighter.)

2002-01-12T03:03:00.000-05:00

Nimitz?

I did a doubletake upon seeing this article reporting on the double suicide of "NIMITZ — Chester W., Rear Admiral, age 86, and his wife, Joan Labern Nimitz, age 89, of Needham and Wellfleet, Mass., and formerly of Boca Grande, Fla." At first I thought it was the Admiral Nimitz until my brain kicked in and reminded me that Adm. Nimitz died in 1966. The rest of the article goes on to talk about the Hemlock Society and all that, but I'm wondering if somebody hasn't been snookered.

UPDATE: As many emailers have informed me, it's Nimitz's son (who had quite a distinguished career himself). That little factoid missing from the above link is found here at the Boston Globe's report.

2002-01-12T01:58:00.000-05:00

My Muse! Ted Rall be thy Name!

Will Warren has a new poem inspired by Ted Rall's latest opinion piece. Never have so many been indebted to so few for making so little sense.

2002-01-11T19:51:00.000-05:00

Curioser and Curioser

The Washington Post has a curious story about an Egyptian man who lied about having a VHF radio in his place that overlooked the WTC.

2002-01-11T18:58:00.000-05:00

Gunships and Loose Lips

An alert reader sends in this link to a compendium of material covering Rumsfeld's attempts to shut off leaks of information to the AF's plan to buy more AC-130's.

We now hear the new fiscal 2003 budget will include money for more special operations AC-130 gunships. Gen. Tommy Franks, the war commander, has used the hovering battleships to blast terrorist targets from Tora Bora to Kandahar. With few air defenses to worry about, the plane's highly accurate cannons can kill people and destroy vehicles as targets emerge.

Sources say the Pentagon will buy four to eight of the converted C-130 aircraft, adding to Air Force Special Operations inventory of 21 AC-130s.
Gen. James Jones, the Marine Corps commandant, was so impressed by the gunships he is thinking of buying a Marine version.

Please, please, please. If there is a God, please let me be a crew chief on one of these.

2002-01-11T17:30:00.000-05:00

KC-130 Crash

The New York Times has profiles of some of those killed in the KC-130 crash.

2002-01-11T17:26:00.000-05:00

Blog Note

I've recieved an enormous amount of email today for some reason. Must be a full moon or something. Anyways, it may take me awhile to reply to all of them, so please bear that in mind.

2002-01-11T17:22:00.000-05:00

Reader Mail

An insightful reader chimes in with his thoughts on the number of ground troops in Afghanistan:

One thing the military needs to hit the "more ground troops in Afghanistan" idiots with is the old axiom:

Amateurs talk strategy; professionals talk logistics.

Afghanistan is a bloody long way off. I don't know how much airlift it would take to relocate and support 12,000 strong light division with transport, ammo, food, and POL on virtually the other side of the world into a land locked country but it's got to be alot. These people, like Ted Rall, who feel we should just drop a Corps in the 'stan and let them supply via the local KMart need to be reminded of how many trucks travel our highways to keep the gas stations and supermarkets open in a a relatively small town, say Bishop in California. They forget the long logistics build up before the Gulf War and the chance that Swartzkopf took by focusing on tooth rather than tail in the initial deployment.

The reason the Marines were there first is they are small (an MEU is about 2,100 men), they have local support from the ships, and they were packed and ready to go. The brilliance of the Afgan campaign is the use of Special Forces and air to create incredible force multipliers and get operations rolling within a month. If we had waited for an Airborne Corps to be inserted, we would still be hearing about the Quagmire.

If anyone else out there has some good stories about logistical nightmares, let's hear them. Perhaps, as this emailer suggested to me, we start demonstrating how hard it is to actually move stuff around and supply it, people will have a greater understanding and appreciation for the vital role logistics plays.

2002-01-11T17:11:00.000-05:00

Grab your ears, give 'em a tug, then pull your head out of your buttocks

Apparently, some people have forgotten the difference between being comfortable and being humane or we wouldn't have newspaper articles about it.

U.S. troops did not violate the rights of prisoners from the war in Afghanistan by shaving and shackling them, the Pentagon said Friday.

"That’s not correct ... that it’s a violation of their rights," Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld said. "It simply isn’t."

In answer to a question at a press conference, Rumsfeld said one prisoner was sedated from among the 20 flown out of Afghanistan on a C-17 for detention in Cuba.

"These are people who would gnaw through hydraulic lines in the back of a C-17 to bring it down," Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at the Pentagon press conference with Rumsfeld.

Can someone tell me what kind of world we live in where "Shaving and shackling" someone is a violation of human rights? Where sedating a passenger for the safety of the aircraft and it's crew is questioned? I didn't see anybody jumping up and down to criticize American Airlines for sedating Richard Reid three times. Christ, I swear sometimes that these people want everyone to wait for something to happen before we're allowed to do anything. It gives them the benefit of criticizing everyone for not taking the proper precautions in the first place. Being proactive prevents shit, being reactive allows shit to happen. Which one is morally superior?

On a seperate note, I'd like to see someone who could gnaw through a hydraulic line with the state of dentistry being what it is in that part of the world. John Walker may have a chance, but gnawing through stainless steel or annealed aluminum is quite a feat. Also, not to embarass the General, but if someone were able to actually gnaw through a hydraulic line, it wouldn't really bring the plane down. It'd piss off a hydraulic troop, but it wouldn't bring the plane down.

2002-01-11T17:02:00.000-05:00

The IG Team is Here

The DoD IG is investigating irregularities with the previous two Osprey crash investigations. That's not good. When the IG gets called in, somebody takes the hit no matter what, and it's usually not someone with stars on their shoulders.

2002-01-11T16:39:00.000-05:00

~~Saudi Arabia~~ Land of Mordor Watch

The Horn of Gondor has sounded, calling all the free peoples of Middle-Blog to bear witness against Mordor. John Cole answers the call with a staggering broadside of information about the Enemy in Mordor.

2002-01-10T21:31:00.000-05:00

Come Get Some 2.0

(I only had about ten minutes to whip this out the first time. I've made some minor adjustments so people other than Ted will understand it better.)

Ted Rall, SuperComic, has enlightened the world with his latest opinion column. These guys are making it too easy nowadays, but here we go.

Conspiracy theories are funny things: the wackier they sound, the more likely they are to be true.

Yep, just like we found out that the Cubans contracted the Mafia to assassinate JFK using a plan drafted by the CIA and the military.

The fires of September were still burning when I, among others, suggested that the Bush regime's Afghan war might have more to do with old-fashioned oil politics than bringing the Evil Ones to justice.

The "others" he refers to are the voices in his head brought about by acute schizophrenia induced by the persistant belief that he is the Keeper of the Cheese and "they" will stop at nothing to sieze his precious fromage. This paranoia leads him to believe that the current war was fueled by oil politics. Sorry Ted, I think you're looking for the Gulf War. That's about ten years back on the left under "Kuwait".

Little did I know how quickly I would be proven right.

Well, it's easy to prove yourself right when you just make some shit up. For example, I am Lord Bushburry of Dargoran. I know this because I have servants who yell, "Dear Lord!" when I break wind and no man has ever come to challenge my claim to Dargoran. I have also read many books on medieval life and a quick survey of my lair finds that I have amenities and luxuries undreamt of by mere commoners of the era. I also have serfs and peasants who tend my vast property. Some may call them "groundskeepers", but I have christened them the Royal Shrub Trimmers of Dargoran. Therefore, it must be true.

Moreover, the American military strategy in Afghanistan -dropping bombs without inserting a significant number of ground troops-all but guaranteed that Osama would live to kill another day.

We have 4,000 troops in country and thousands more in the surrounding region. What is your definition of significant? I think you're just pissed because you were denied the chance to yell "Quagmire!" and question the large numbers of lives lost in the war. Denied both, you've scraped past the bottom of the barrel and have made good progress into the ground. That's fine if you're The Tunnel King, but not if you're a hack who actually gets paid for this shit.

So the Third Afghan War obviously isn't about fighting terrorism-leading cynics to conclude that it must be about (yawwwwwwn!) oil. Bush and Cheney were both former oil company execs, after all, and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice was corporate counsel at Chevron. Unbeknownst to most Americans [but beknownst to me!] , oil fields dot northern Afghanistan near its border with Turkmenistan. But the real jackpot is under the Caspian Sea. Between confirmed and estimated oil reserves, Kazakhstan is destined to become the world's largest oil-producing nation, and will one day dwarf even Saudi Arabia

I thought you were talking about Afghanistan. Jesus, you're all over that newly purchased Rand-McNally World Atlas. Congratulations, you have correctly identified some of the major geographical features of Central Asia.

Besides, I think you need to spend less time looking for boogeymen under the bed and more time figuring out "side-benefits". You know, positive shit that comes out of fighting against the terrorists and ousting the Taliban? Oil was not a motivating factor (as I'm sure more than 3,000 families will tell you), but if it's a nice bonus, so be it. It's like saying we fought the Japanese to secure the rubber trees in the Dutch East Indies.

Rising energy prices helped push the economy into recession; perhaps 90-cent gas will work where interest rate cuts failed. Once again, the pipeline plan is hot.

In case you haven't noticed, gas prices have remained unchanged or have even lowered since the war began without the benefit of this pipeline. Also, there was a little thing called the "Dot.Com" crash where over a trillion dollars of wealth was wiped out. I think that might have had something to do with the recession. Besides, we've had Russia pumping out enough oil in spite of OPEC to meet our needs. Of course, you're probably one of those hip urbanites who uses public transportation, so you are only assuming gas prices are the prime motivating factor for the peasantry in the suburbs. If this were the case, we would've invaded Afghanistan a year ago when gas prices were near $2.00 and home heating oil prices went through the roof. Christ, next you'll be saying that we're about to invade Mexico because the looming brutal southwest summer will push California's energy problem over the brink. But what does all this have to do with the price of tea in China?

And a front-page story in the January 9 New York Times reveals that "the United States is preparing a military presence in Central Asia that could last for years," including a building permanent air base in the Kyrgyz Republic, formerly part of the Soviet Union. (The Bushies say that they just want to keep an eye on postwar Afghanistan, but few students of the region buy the official story.)

Well, you're just a cartoonist, so we can't expect you to know everything, now can we? If you had rudimentary knowledge of military strategy, you would realize that the U.S. has inadequate force projection in that theater and requires an airbase not only for a physical presence, it also requires the ability to respond to a situation within minutes. So isn't it slightly possible that we may want to have some influence on events in that region for reasons other than oil?

Hell, by your logic, we currently maintain bases in Japan and Korea for the sole purpose of ensuring the cheap flow of electronics from the Far East into American homes. If the price of DVD players goes up, Bush will invade China to break us free of the SONY cartel so we can get our fix of cheap electronics and pull us out of the recession. Shit, I think I just went over your head. Don't worry, you can go back to your doodling until you pretend to play "Mr. Important Person" and start talking out of your ass again.

(Ted Rall, the cartoonist and columnist, is currently working on the first-ever "instant graphic novel, "To Afghanistan and Back," about his recent experiences covering the Afghan war.)

(Sgt. Stryker, the mechanic and smart-ass, is currently working on his first-ever bag of "instant rice ". If he were to write a novel, it'd probably be titled, "God, These Assholes Come Out of the Woodwork Everytime There's a War On," about his recent experiences covering those dipshits who've had their heads up their asses while covering the Afghan war.)

Keep a lookout for Ted's new novel. Coming soon to all fine supermarket checkout lanes everywhere.

2002-01-10T20:26:00.000-05:00

Even a Broken Clock's Right Twice a Day

What I wrote December 20, 2001:

I'm also certain that as time goes on, we'll start hearing from military women about the humiliation they must suffer while pulling their rotations, like having to ride in the back seat of cars everywhere like second class citizens and being forced to wear the head-to-toe garment when off base.

Well, here you go courtesy of the Independent:

But the career of Martha McSally may be about to be shot down. She and other women serving in Saudi Arabia wear the abaya robes when they leave base because they are obliged to. US military regulations insist that servicewomen must always wear an abaya when leaving the base. There is more. Out of respect for local religious custom, Lt Col McSally may not drive the car herself. (That is almost funny. She can pilot a plane, but is not permitted to take the wheel of the Suburban.) In fact, she is not even allowed in the front. And she must have a male escort.

2002-01-10T20:09:00.000-05:00

Poetry

Check out Unremitting Verse. It's a neat site with poetry inspired by current events.

2002-01-10T18:18:00.000-05:00

From my blood to your immune system

The Air Force Times has a story titled Anthrax serum to come from immunized troops’ blood.

The government is adding an experimental anthrax treatment to the nation’s bioterrorism drug stockpile, a protective protein culled from the blood of soldiers who received the anthrax vaccine.

2002-01-10T18:08:00.000-05:00

3 Billion a year to these people

LGF has a link to a story about Egyptian culpability in the recent Palestinian arms shipments that, if true, is disturbing. Whenever I read stories about these "friendly" governments and their intel services, I keep seeing this mental image of a friendly face smiling at us, while a shadowy figure prepares to stab us in the back.

2002-01-10T17:21:00.000-05:00

News Update

sgtstryker.com has been successfully registered. Don't try entering that in the adress bar, there's nothing there for now. If the donations keep up, I can work on hosting for the site. I'm still deciding whether to go month-by-month or pay a $100 lump sum for a year. If I pay the lump sum, I can get those damned Amazon and PayPal things off the site and never have to bother with those again.

2002-01-10T17:10:00.000-05:00

Phoenix Raven

An alert reader sends in an email with a link to a story regarding our nascent elite unit, the Phoenix Ravens.

2002-01-10T16:31:00.000-05:00

Up Yours, Fidel

Buried at the bottom of this article about Dover reservists heading down to Gitmo is this little gem:

Under the first lease, the United States agreed to pay Cuba 2,000 gold coins a year, now valued at $4,085. Washington continues to pay that amount every year. Castro’s government refuses to cash the checks.

2002-01-10T02:07:00.000-05:00

News Update

Well, some great folks have contributed enough money to secure a domain name. I've submitted "sgtstryker.com" (hopefully that's not trademarked) and am awaiting a response. Thanks again to those who've pitched in their hard earned cash for this thing. I can't thank you enough. Now, if the domain name goes through, I can start working the hosting front. As I said before, Cornerhost has a $10/month price plan that suits me just fine and I'm thinking about going with them. I'll keep filling you in as events warrant.

2002-01-10T01:34:00.000-05:00

Chomsky Effect

John Cole decided to perform an experiment and came to some not-so-surprising conclusions. Check it out.

2002-01-10T01:21:00.000-05:00

Reader Mail

Someone sent in this information in response to the Stripes article I quoted earlier regarding mail sent to personnel overseas:

The key is unknown sources. The American Red Cross will forward mail onto "Any Servicemember". Take the letter or letters to your local ARC office and they will do the rest. In the last 2 months, in just one local office in a mid-sized city we spent $4,000 in postage sending mail oversees. So some mail, mainly care packages are getting through, although I am unclear about if any is reaching Afghanistan. Check it out for yourself.

So there seems to be something going in spite of the Stripes article I quoted. I've looked around and so far I've found a USO link that says this:

The Department of Defense has announced an alternative to the "Any Servicemember" and "Operation Dear Abby" programs, which were suspended indefinitely in the wake of anthrax mail attacks.

The Navy has developed a Web-based alternative to benefit members of all Services. The program can be reached at the Navy LIFELines Services Network at http://www.LIFELines2000.org or http://AnyServiceMember.Navy.mil

There's more information in the rest of the article. I've also found a DefenseLink statement on the new policy dated Oct 30, 2001

The initiatives, made necessary by a moratorium on mail addressed to "Any Servicemember," provide alternatives to traditional letter-writing campaigns. DoD suggests that Americans support the troops by instead supporting the communities in which they live... A number of private organizations are developing Web-based methods for Americans to show support. While donations of food and gifts for delivery overseas can no longer be accepted, interested Americans might contribute instead to military relief societies. For more information see http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Sep2001/n09172001_200109173.html.

All of these initiatives are in response to the suspension of the "Any Servicemember" mail program for operations in Bosnia and Kosovo. Military postal officials will not be implementing a similar program for Operation Enduring Freedom. Operation Dear Abby, a morale booster for servicemembers overseas for more than 17 years, will also be suspended. DoD officials are working on alternatives to that program as well.

I haven't been able to find any updates on the policy since then. It would seem clear by these official statements, corroborated somewhat by the Stripes piece, that packages and letters sent to "Any Servicemember" will not be processed by the MPS, yet the email from this fellow would seem to suggest that the Red Cross is indepedently delivering packages/letters to the folks overseas. If anyone else has any information or further insight into this, let me know.

2002-01-09T19:37:00.000-05:00

Brutal Winters

American troops are facing a brutal winter in Europe.

Kosovo:
The Kosovo sky opened up last month and dumped a record 60 inches of snow across the landscape, decreasing ethnic violence while increasing the number of fender-benders and ice-related accidents.
Germany:
Troops in some parts of Germany also have been contending with unusually large snowfalls. On Dec. 29, 4.6 inches of snow blanketed Ramstein. Although December and early January’s temperatures didn’t set any records in Germany, it was colder than it had been for at least 15 years, Bundenthal said.
Turkey:
Last Friday, a snowstorm hit Izmir, where about 400 active-duty American troops serve either at the 425th Air Base Squadron support base, or at a NATO subregional command. Most people’s duty days were abbreviated to 3 p.m., said 1st Lt. Cris L’Esperance, 425th ABS public affairs officer. Turkish residents and longtime American expatriates say that the snowstorm was the first here since the late 1980s, and the first measurable snowfall in memory.
England:
The weather flight of the 100th Operations Support Squadron at RAF Mildenhall reports that winter so far has been marginally colder and a bit drier than normal. What precipitation there was came in a slightly greater amount of snow than normal.
Italy:
The biggest event of the season so far, though, was a Dec. 13 snowfall. More than 3 inches fell on Aviano, causing chaos on the roads and shutting down the runway for a day, a rare occurrence at Aviano. Snow came later in the day to Vicenza, but fell to the ground in about the same amount.
That's not counting the snowstorm that hit the southern U.S. last week. Here's the ten day forecast for our people in Kabul.

2002-01-09T17:32:00.000-05:00

Offensive to Whom?

The Washington Redskins better start looking for a new nickname, some utterly impotent council body said today.

the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments passed a resolution requesting that the football team drop its name and find one less offensive to Native Americans.

Questions: Has anyone ever asked American Indians if the name is offensive? Or is this busybody group just assuming that the name is offensive? Other than the Yahoo's who occasionally protest, has there ever been a scientific poll conducted on the reservations of this country to determine if the word "Redskin" is offensive?

The only offensive thing about the Redskins is their atrocious play.

2002-01-09T17:21:00.000-05:00

Damn Shame

During times of war, Americans like to send letters to troops overseas to show their support and to pick up the spirits of the guys over there. When you're in an isolated environment, doing the same monotonous work day after day, getting mail is a big deal. The tradition has been to write a letter and address it "Any Servicemember" with maybe a Unit Address and mail it off. Most Americans and schoolchildren think their letters are making it to our people over there. They're not:

Despite reports to the contrary, military APOs are still not accepting mail for "any servicemember."

"Mail will not be accepted from unknown sources," Erlanger said. "The most critical issue is the safety of our personnel. The recipient needs to know who [a package] is from.

The Stripes has been publishing letters from children in it's Letters to the Editor Section, but it's still a damn shame.

2002-01-09T17:12:00.000-05:00

Plane Crash

A KC-130 carrying Marines and other personnel crashed into a mountain in Pakistan today. There's no indication of it being brought down by hostile action.

Central Command, which is responsible for U.S. military operations in Pakistan and the surrounding region, said the four-engine KC-130 Hercules crashed as it was making its landing approach at a base in Shamsi in southwestern Pakistan.

2002-01-09T07:14:00.000-05:00

Sweet Merciful Jesus

An A-Team (sans Mr. T) managed to kill 1300 Taliban. Good god.

"A good controller can sequence planes and munitions to accomplish what you want," said Kevin.

"You bomb one side of a hill and push them in one direction, then bomb the next hill over and push guys the other way. Then, when they're all bunched up, you bring in more planes and drop right on them. Eventually they learn, but then you start doing something else."

Knowing these guys, "Kevin" probably described that action the same way he would if he were explaining how to change your oil. The best quote of the entire piece:

"Our mission is not necessarily to outfight the enemy," he said. "We would rather out-think them."

And that, my friends, is why we win. We have the technology. We're better, faster, stronger, but all of that means shit if you don't have a good, solid nuerological package sitting between your ears. All this talk of having the most educated enlisted force in history ain't just blowin' sunshine up your ass, sweetheart.

2002-01-09T06:49:00.000-05:00

Backpedal any more, and you'll be in the Potomac

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs along with an anonymous "senior Defense" official are now saying that the ambush which resulted in the death of Sgt. 1st Class Nathan Chapman was in fact not an ambush, or at least they don't have all the facts yet. Compare these two statements, each made hours apart:

"It most definitely was an ambush," Rear Adm. John Stufflebeem said, "which would tell us that this was something that was anticipated and, therefore, in some regard, must have been set up."

Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said, "I'm going to avoid characterizing that situation with those kinds of words. I mean, we just don't know yet. That's why I said we need to complete the investigation and determine the best we can what happened."

So, which is it? You've got a Rear Admiral saying "definitely" and a General saying "don't know". One of them is a politician (I'll let you figure out which). My gut tells me that this sudden reversal is a political thing. I figure Special Forces teams file after-action reports like everyone else, and I'm sure they've been debriefed by now along with anyone else who had any sort of involvement in this operation. Some things do move slowly through the military (like my orders that I was supposed to receive two months ago. Still waiting. Thanks MilMod.), but these sort of things don't. After a week, I'm sure they have a pretty good idea of what happened, which is why I'm inclined to go with the Rear Admiral's assessment rather than the CJCS. After the Admiral made his statement, you could see the beginnings of serious speculation starting in the press, and then CJCS comes out with a pre-emptive statement to try and nip that in the bud. This maneuvering has raised all sorts of flags with me, so I'll be keeping an eye on this story to see what develops.

2002-01-08T20:00:00.000-05:00

Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Saudi all in one

If you have the Acrobat plug-in, you can download Issue nine of the Defense Monitor. It has articles exploring the mujaheddin in Bosnia (who were told to leave but never did), stabilizing Afghanistan, and Saudi Arabia trying to play Dr. Frankenstein (it's Frahnk-in-steen) but failing miserably to control the monster they've created.

2002-01-08T19:33:00.000-05:00

Dry?

The Chicago Tribune says Tora Bora Mountain Search Turns Up Dry, but we captured 2 senior Al-Queda Officials along with their computers and equipment during the search.

2002-01-08T18:45:00.000-05:00

Blogger Woes

Alright folks, I'm going to reverse a decision I made when I started this thing. I've put one of those Amazon things over there on the side for donations to cover the expense of domain name registration and web hosting. I've resisted doing this because I couldn't escape the feeling that I was basically asking for a handout for doing something that required no more expense than my time, but with Blogger acting funky more and more, I've decided to look elsewhere for a solution. I've looked around, and can get a domain name registered for about $30, plus Cornerhost has a $10/month plan that suits my basic needs. That adds up to about $130 or so not counting any hidden costs, and that's basically all I'm looking for.

I really did not want to do this, but I'm not sure how much longer Blogger will be able to sustain itself, and I would like to keep on doing this. It's been fun, I've conversed with scores of smart and funny people whom I would've never met in real life, and I've learned alot in the process, but the problem is I just don't have enough free cash floating around to put toward a new website. All funds donated will go directly to the set-up and maintenance of the future website. You can be sure of that.

As far as software goes, I'm looking into both Moveable Type and Greymatter as possible solutions, but any suggestions that you have will be greatly appreciated.

2002-01-08T16:28:00.000-05:00

Mrs. Hutchinson: Close Down this Base!

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison says we don't need to close down any more bases, contrary to what all our military analysts and leaders say. She cites the current war as a reason why, but the real reasons are a bit more pragmatic. She's a Senator from Texas, which has a lot of military bases within it's borders, most of which the military says it doesn't need anymore.

2002-01-08T16:23:00.000-05:00

Rats

Some disturbing speculation concerning the Green Beret who was killed a few days ago in Afghanistan. Some are wondering whether the ambush that resulted in the Green Beret's death was an act of betrayal by our "allies".

"It most definitely was an ambush," Rear Adm. John Stufflebeem said, "which would tell us that this was something that was anticipated and, therefore, in some regard, must have been set up."

Minutes before the ambush, Chapman and several comrades had met with local leaders in the Paktia province, near the towns of Khost and Gardez.

And that's not the only news of betrayal by our supposed allies. Some are saying that locals are misleading Americans when it comes to bombing targets, and are just using American airpower to settle local fueds and wipe out their opponents. Now, one can say fair is fair, because that's basically what we did to bring down the Taliban, but we're the ones who'll take all the grief if stories of "massive civilian deaths due to U.S. bombing" continue. I'm sure that we have checks in place to prevent this sort of thing in the first place, but shit does happen and I hope they're constantly re-evaluating who our friends really are over there.

2002-01-06T21:04:00.000-05:00

UAV's for Homeland Defense?

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles may be a popular tool in our war in Afghanistan, but you can't fly them in American airspace yet. One of the questions is whether UAV operators should be considered pilots, and if so, do they require FAA certification? If the question is answered in the affirmative, I wonder how long will it be until certain people start demanding that UAV flying be the exclusive domain of the officer corps, if its not already. I wonder what is it about flying what is in essence a radio controlled aircraft that is so technical that it must be done by officers?(Historical note: The Army Air Corps used to have enlisted pilots, many of whom distinguished themselves during the war.)

Also on the UAV front, the manufacturers of the Predator and Global Hawk are getting ready to clash as General Atomics introduces its new Predator-B, which may be seen as a competitor to Global Hawk.

2002-01-06T19:14:00.000-05:00

Guns for Schools

Japan will help aid the reconstruction of the Aghan infrastructure, if Afghans start turning in their weapons.

Convincing the armed leaders to give up their weapons could prove difficult.

Japanese officials hope to offer tribal leaders and government officials a financial incentive. Tanaka said 2 billion yen would come from the 12 billion yen allocated in the budget for the conflict in Afghanistan and subsequent peace building.

The proposal would assign a numerical goal for construction agreements. For instance, 200 rifles would need to be turned in for the Japanese government to fund the construction of one school. It is not clear how many weapons could be expected in the arms-swap deal.

The Japanese have also tried this strategy elsewhere in the world. It looks like a pretty good idea on the face of it. In a situation like Afghanistan, there won't be a "magic bullet" that'll erase all the country's ills all at once. A good plan should be to try a variety of methods and see which ones work the best. Sometimes, throwing a bunch of shit at the wall and seeing what sticks works.

Speaking of aid, alot of international aid groups don't like the idea of the military horning in on their territory. It takes alot of bribes to secure neutrality, and by god they won't have any johnny-come-lately operation coming in and screwing it all up. They want the military to provide security for aid shipments, which works out for them because now they can save all sorts of money by not having to pay off the authorities.

If you ask me, the military should charge for any security and road improvements it provides for aid groups. It'd be a nice secondary source of income.

2002-01-06T17:24:00.000-05:00

Meanwhile, back at the batshit looney cave...

Robert "Baby, Hit Me One More Time" Fisk is still in sackcloth and ashes somewhere in Afghanland, he has a headache this big, and it's got Afghanistan written all over it.

Anti-American demonstrations in Pakistan had collapsed – we'll forget my little brush with some real Afghans there a couple of weeks ago.

Well, we can't forget it because you keep bringing it up. Christ, you'd think you had your own Road to Damascus experience, but instead of being struck blind, you were just struck. Repeatedly.

So it needed Vincent, breathing like a steam engine as he always does when he's angry, to point to the papers in Gemma's, my favourite Dublin newsagents. "What in Christ's sake is going on, Bob?'' he asked. "Have you seen the headlines of all this shite?'' and he pulled Newsweek from the shelf. The headline: After The Evil.

Ah, sweet Vincent. How could I forget those warm, summer nights in Marina Del ray with sweet, sweet, Vincent. When all the world was black, sweet Vincent would take me in his strong arms and whisper sweet reassurances in my ear while we watched the ceaseless pounding of the waves upon the shore. Pounding, crashing, pounding the beach with the roar of an ancient angry god. Oh how I've ached all these weeks for your strong, soothing presence. Hold me, Vince. Please tell me everything's gonna be alright. Let it be like Marina Del Ray again...

Ah, but Vince will have none of that shit- "Holy Shit, Bob, we're losing the PR war! Here, let me beat you in the head with this AK-47. Any epiphanies yet? THWACK! How about now? THWACK! Dammit Bob, you know you do your best thinking when just a heartbeat away from death! THWACK!"

The "peace" force thinks it will have to defend humanitarian aid convoys from robbers and dissident Taliban. In fact, it will have to fight off the Northern Alliance mafia and drug-growers and warlords, as well as the vicious guerrillas sent out to strike them by bin Laden's survivors. If nothing else, the Taliban made the roads and villages of Afghanistan safe for Afghans and foreigners alike. Now, you can scarcely drive from Kabul to Jalalabad.

Yep, it's the famous "They made the trains run on time" excuse that fascist apologists employ. You know, Fisk reminds me of the father-in-law character in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. There's the one part where Clark, after taking all this time stringing up the lights and suffering numerous failures finally manages to get them lit up, and the whole family is there staring in awe. Clark goes around to the various family members who offer him congratulations until he gets to his father-in-law.

"The little lights aren't twinkling, Clark."
"I know Art, and thanks for noticing."

Presumably, the CIA will let us pay the Alliance mobsters for their war in Afghanistan. One of the untold stories of this conflict is the huge amount of money handed out to militia leaders to persuade them to fight for the US. When Taliban members changed sides for an Alliance payment of $250,000 and then attacked their benefactors, we all dwelt on their treachery. None of us asked how the Alliance – which didn't have enough money to pay for bullets a few weeks earlier – could throw a quarter of a million bucks at the Taliban in the middle of a fire site. Nor how the Pashtun tribal leaders of Kandahar province are now riding around in brand-new four-wheel drives with thousands of dollars to hand out to their gunmen. I wasn't surprised to read that a Somali warlord is now offering his cash-for-hire services to the US for the next round of the War on Civilisation.

I wasn't surprised to read the Robert Fisk is a self-important PR man for bin-laden. Dammit, the man was beaten for Christ's sake! This means something. He's stumbled onto the caper of the century! Robert Fisk, Ace Detective has uncovered a nefarious scheme by the U.S. government to pay people to fight! Whatever shall we do? Ah well, back to the pouting:

Fortunately for us, the civilian victims of America's B52s will remain unknown in their newly dug graves. Even before the war ended, around 3,700 of them – not counting Mullah Omar's and bin Laden's gunmen – had been ripped to pieces in our War for Civilisation. A few scattered signs of discontent – the crowd that assaulted me two weeks ago, for example, outraged at the killing of their families – can be quickly erased from the record.

In case you missed it folks, Robert Fisk was assaulted on the Road to Nowhere. You might have easily overlooked this fact because of his modest nature.

It is obviously perverse to note that I haven't met a single ordinary Muslim or, indeed many westerners – Pakistani, Afghan, Arab, British, French, American – who actually believe all this guff.

You know that phrase, "Unless you've been living in a cave, you've probably already heard about....", well, say hello to the proverbial Man in the Cave. Ole' Punchy obviously doesn't get out much and is probably surrounded by his retinue consisting of exactly one each Pakistani, Afghan, Arab, British, French, and American. This bold proclamation of his probably had its genesis in some hotel room in Cairo during one of those deeply profound conversations that drunk people are known to have from time to time.

"Dudes, can you believe this shit?"
"Naw, man. Check it out! All the beer bottle labels are stuck on the window!"
"Dude!"
"Sweet!"

2002-01-06T02:33:00.000-05:00

I Know this Guy

Col. Bender (one of the C-32 pilots) got a write-up in his hometown newspaper.

2002-01-06T02:11:00.000-05:00

Adapting and Overcoming

It may be hard to believe, but the military is always analyzing its actions. A lot of time and energy is spent looking for deficiencies, searching for areas of improvement, and learning lessons from both success and failure. In his paper, Airpower versus a Fielded Army: A Construct for Air Operations in the Twenty-First Century, Lt Col Phil M. Haun (USAF) offers an analysis of the Kosovo air campaign, and identifies a need for improvement in identifying and attacking fielded units of the enemy on the ground. Though dated 6 Dec. 2001, the Colonel was obviously researching and writing this paper well before the current conflict in Afghanistan, and the whole thing reads like a lesson plan for operations in Afghanistan. Here he mentions the advantages and drawbacks of UAV's during their use in Kosovo:

Even when JSTARS could see vehicles moving around Kosovo, it still could not distinguish a tank from a tractor pulling a trailer loaded with refugees. Eventually, JSTARS crews did develop tactics in an attempt to overcome this deficiency and, on occasion, were able to correlate vehicle-identification data supplied by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to provide real-time targeting information to FACAs [Forward Air Controllers]. For example, the Predator UAV could identify targets through its real-time video output. Yet, UAV’s also experienced efficiency limitations during Allied Force, due mostly to the lack of integration with operational forces. UAV’s had never been integrated into the air tasking order with strike packages, and the lack of training between UAV’s and FACAs made tasks such as altitude deconfliction and target talk-ons difficult. Even so, the ability of UAV’s to locate and identify Serbian forces was a much-needed capability, and operational techniques were patched together as quickly as possible. In the end, UAV-FACA employment techniques were still in their infancy as Allied Force drew to a close, and they had yet to produce a significant number of target engagements.

The following statement is downright prescient, given the friendly fire incident during the prison riot near Mazar-i-Sharif. The Colonel is talking about being able to strike tanks, but the principle remains the same:

Terminal-attack controllers must first be able to develop and maintain situational awareness in order to orchestrate successful attacks. This means surviving within the battle space in order to observe and maneuver to identify not only targets but also threats and the potential for collateral damage. Second, controllers must have onboard target-identification capability. Third, they must be trained in attacking fielded forces, which entails recognizing enemy armor and understanding how to direct strikers onto targets. Controllers must also be familiar with strikers’ capabilities and limitations as well as tactics. In short, controllers are key tacticians who determine what targets will be attacked and how.

Terminal air controllers have responsibility for final identification and prioritization of targets, but the striker delivers the firepower. In determining the suitability of a striker, one must consider three critical characteristics: the aircrew’s training, the platform, and the munitions available. During Vietnam, the entire Air Force fighter community was well versed in CAS procedures. With the introduction of the A-10 in the late 1970s, however, CAS became the specialty of one airframe, while the remainder of the fighter force gravitated towards interdiction, strategic attack, and air-superiority missions. Today, most fighter aircrews no longer receive training in CAS. Although, by definition, attacking fielded forces without the presence of friendly ground troops is not CAS, the fundamental skills remain the same. These skills include an understanding of terminology and coordination procedures, target marking and talk-on procedures, restrictions, and final control procedures. Aircrews performing striker missions must also have proficiency in weapons delivery. Only direct hits kill armor, particularly armor that is dug in or on the move. The potential for collateral damage may further restrict attack headings or delivery options, making successful attack more difficult.

As you can see, our top thinkers and analysts are still poring over every aspect of the Kosovo air campaign and are producing some amazing insight into deficiencies in tactics and equipment as well as highlighting areas for improvement. As you can also see, I have a very dull nightlife.

2002-01-06T01:22:00.000-05:00

Asian Air Bases

This article in Air Force magazine offers an excellent analysis of the AF's need to build bases in Central Asia so our fighters can strike anywhere in the region and the problems it faces in doing so. 90% of the strike missions over Afghanistan were carried out by Naval aircraft coming off of carriers. The other 10% consisted of BUFF's and B-1's staging out of Diego Garcia, and a few bombing runs by B-2's flying all the way from Whiteman AFB in Missouri. No AF fighters were involved in the attack due to the range involved; a fact that hasn't gone unnoticed by the JCS as evidenced by the new base going into operation in Kyrgyzstan.

2002-01-06T01:13:00.000-05:00

Just Don't Call Them "Stunt Pilots"

Want to know when the Thunderbirds will be flying over your house? Click here to find out. The Blue Angels 2002 schedule can be found here.

2002-01-06T01:01:00.000-05:00

Rationing

So, you think rationing went out with WWII? Nope, people stationed in South Korea have been using ration cards since the war ended to make purchases at the Commissary and all AAFES stores.

Ration control is needed because the Korean government allows commissary and exchange items into the country duty-free. Ration control helps keep those goods off the local economy.

Wentz said spending limits depend on family size. Current limits are $450 per month for a one-person family, $700 for two, $900 for three, $1,050 for four, $1,150 for five, and $1,450 for six or more.

The effectiveness of the rationing program is debatable, but it hasn't been for lack of trying on the military's part.

When the command began issuing plastic cards, all commissary purchases of $2 or more were anviled, the cards were signed and shoppers had to present their grocery bags to military police at exits.

The MPs compared the items in the bags to the receipts to ensure nobody was leaving with more than he or she was supposed to.

Just like Sam's Club! Reading this has made me wonder about all those Letters to the Editor that used to fill up the page with people's stories of blatant and rampant black market activity going on in Korea. You'd have people staking out the Shoppette or Commissary and keeping track of who went in and what they came out with. They employed all sorts of wierd methods to discern who was legit. There was even a LT who wrote a letter describing his experience in trying to stop a hardened black marketer (an old lady with an extra bag of rice) by jumping on the hood of her car to prevent her from leaving. The lady just sped off, throwing the poor LT clear in the process. I know the Army encourages its leaders to be audacious and brave, but I don't think that's quite what they had in mind. Towards the end of my tour in Japan, the Black Market Stakeout Squad apprently moved en masse to Okinawa, because the same damned letters started cropping up from down there.

2002-01-06T00:41:00.000-05:00

Convoy!

The Army's got a new truck.

The M915A3 truck tractor is a Freightliner-made, Detroit diesel-powered, six-speed Allison electronic transmission-driven monster-hauler capable of pulling around 3 tons of whatever the Army wants to pile on, said Capt. Chris Andrews, a Mannheim-based 28th Transportation Battalion maintenance officer.

The new truck has more power and can haul bigger loads than trucks previously used by the Army, and does it with better support systems for drivers and maintainers, Andrews said.

"It’s completely automated," he said. "We even have computer software to diagnose problems."

The best new feature of the truck? Air conditioning! Yeah, baby, yeah! Oh, and it has a teflon-lubricated fifth wheel so they don't have to grease them up anymore.

2002-01-06T00:35:00.000-05:00

Caves of the Damned

U.S. Forces have finished searching 7 of 8 cave complexes in the Tora Bora region. Gen. Franks had this to say about what they've found so far:

"What we have found, as we have gotten into these complexes, is evidence of considerable loss of life,"

2002-01-05T23:12:00.000-05:00

I've got some advice for ya

In this week's Outlook section of the Post, nine writers tell America what its foreign policy should be. Well, here's one writer in America who's going to tell those folks what their policy should be: Lead, Follow, or Get the Hell Out of the Way.

Reading world reaction to our country's policy is like watching Tombstone. When the gunfight at the OK corral starts, Ike Clanton's just kinda wandering around in the midst of the gunfire. Then he runs right up to Wyatt begging him not to shoot. Wyatt retorts, "The shootin's commenced! Either get to fightin' or get outta here!" Ike then runs into a building right next to the gunfight, aquires a pistol, and starts taking potshots at the Earps through a shattered window.

So, I'd like to thank the world for ruining my enjoyment of Tombstone. I used to be able to just enjoy the movie, but now I can't see Ike Clanton without thinking of him as the embodiment of World Opinion.

2002-01-05T21:21:00.000-05:00

I Read InstaPundit for the Articles

Looking for some new wallpaper for your computer? Then head over to InstaPundit. You can thank me later.

2002-01-05T21:09:00.000-05:00

Mr President, We Cannot Allow a Fuel Cell Gap!

If the Army and Marines are going to have success with their Land Warrior and Objective Force Warrior programs, then they're going to need batteries: lots and lots of batteries.

The increasing power demands of the military’s high-tech systems are one of the most important issues in the hands of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the military’s center for ultra-high-technology research.

Traditional batteries can only carry a limited charge, so DARPA's fooling around with fuel cells, and has field tested a prototype.

Fuel cells use very concentrated fuel such as hydrogen, which by weight has three times the energy content of diesel fuel. The cells "breathe" air from the atmosphere, which combines with fuel and burns to create electricity.

DARPA has been working on making compact fuel cells practical for the military since 1992, and already large-scale versions have outperformed engineers’ expectation, Nowak said.

The most significant test to date of fuel cell technology was held in June 2000, during Operation Strong Angel, a multinational humanitarian operations exercise in Hawaii that was part of a larger RIMPAC exercise.

By the exercise’s end, the fuel cells had powered laptop computers; a short-wave radio system; and a phone and data relay communications system.

A successful field test means mo money, so expect to hear alot about this technology as it matures and makes its way not only into the military, but the civilian world as well. Imagine having a laptop or cell phone that recharges itself.

2002-01-05T20:59:00.000-05:00

Air Force Sets Up Shop in Unpronounceable Country

Some folks based out of Ramstein have deployed to Kyrgyzstan to begin setting up an AB to support operations in Afghanland.

Almost 200 people, about 125 of them from the response group, are in the former Soviet republic setting up Manas International Airport to handle incoming personnel and equipment to the region, said Capt. Kristi Beckman, an 86th Airlift Wing spokeswoman deployed with the unit.

This is a pretty momentous event. If past history is any guide, then we now have a permanent and long-term presence in Central Asia. Once we build a base somewhere, we're in for the long haul and it's damned hard to get us out. The DoD also might want to consider an emergency deployment of vowels to that country.

2002-01-05T20:44:00.000-05:00

Afghanistan Gave me the Runs
From the Air Force Times (subscription required):

There's been a small outbreak of some sort of intestinal flu that Marines and sailors call "Osama's Revenge" in Afghanland. The doctors don't know if it's from well water, dodi bread, or poor hygeine. It's worth noting that 70% of Russian soldiers had the same problem when Russia was playing around over there.

2002-01-05T20:25:00.000-05:00

Camp Rhino, We Hardly Knew Ye

Camp Rhino, the Marine beach-head in Afghanistan, is closed.