Archive for the 'War & Warfare' Category

In another post I made a few days ago, I criticized the MSM for failure to go into Ramadi (while I also sent people to another Michael Fumento article), saying they were too cowardly to do it.  Someone (incredibly) came to the defense of the MSM, and an argument ensued, until, that is, Michael Fumento weighed in.  He brought the argument to a swift and decisive conclusion, saying:

Insofar as I repeatedly noted in my Weekly Standard article that Todd Pitman was with me in Ramadi, it’s hardly a state secret. Todd is a good reporter and courageous, but his one-time stint in Ramadi (he’s back at home in Africa right now) cannot make up for the lack of MSM coverage in Ramadi or other areas outside Baghdad. As I noted in response to a letter to the Weekly Standard, it’s easy enough to google “Ramadi

I have said before that I do not know, but suspect what happened in Haditha (the Marines engaged in a fire fight and employed approved and necessary room-clearing tactics designed to save Marine lives).  I will wait until the evidence is in.  And it better be conclusive!  But until it comes in, let’s play ‘What’s wrong with this picture?’

It comes from MSNBC.com, and its caption reads:

This image purportedly shows a room where some of the Haditha civilians died. A lawyer representing several of the families of victims provided the photo to media (bold mine).

At least they had the foresight to say “purportedly.”  Take a hard look at the alleged blood splatter pattern.  No, the one up above the bed head board and adjacent to the top of the window.  If I am not mistaken, this is remarkably consistent with someone jumping up in the air four feet and being shot at the apex of his ascent.  Note the fact that the report claims that the occupants of the room were not killed by a fragmentation grenade, but by gun shots.

So we’re back to that person jumping up in the air four feet.

I received this letter from the president of the “Warrior’s Fund” supporting the Marines currently under detention at Camp Pendleton.  The letter speaks for itself, so without any further from me:

Help us spread the word.

Thank you,

Rick Van Luvender

The Warrior Fund

http://www.warrior-fund.org

With the recent news regarding the incident in Haditha, and Hamdania Iraq,
a group of former and retired Marines decided to take action to ensure that
our military men are treated like American citizens and considered innocent
until proven guilty.

We have formed the “Warrior Fund” as a designated mission of United American
Patriots (an IRS 501 ( c ) 3 organization) which is run by Major Bill
Donahue USMC (RET). Our goal is to raise funds to defray legal fees incurred
by members of our armed forces as a direct result of their service in
combat. At this time our board of directors consist of me, Captain Don
Greenlaw USMC (RET) and Frank Albano. Certified Public Accountant William H.
Porterfield is our treasurer and he will handle the accounting issues of the
Warrior Fund.

They fought for us, now we shall fight for them.

Please take the time to visit our website and review our bylaws, biographies
of the Board members and the petition for assistance which must be completed
prior to any funds being disbursed.

Even though charges were formally filed, in the Hamdania case, an Article 32
investigation will now begin. It is imperative that the public is made aware
that the filing of charges in no way indicates that these men are guilty,
rather there remains the belief that all men are innocent until proven
guilty, which is a pillar of the American system of justice and a core
principle of the Warrior Fund.

The fact that any service member can be accused of a “war crime” by a
questionable source (We do not intend to disrespect the Iraqis that brought
charges, only to illustrate that we have no idea who they are, or their
level of integrity), and these allegations are taken seriously speaks
volumes about our American system of justice and our belief in the rule of
law. However attempts by the media and a certain irresponsible member of
congress to proclaim the guilt of these Marines without having seen a final
report from the investigators is sickening.

In closing, if you believe that these men deserve to be treated the same as
an average American citizen, please take the time to make a charitable
contribution which you may deduct from your income taxes. Any amount you can
spare will directly benefit these fine American warriors. In addition to
financial support we also need assistance in spreading the word about the
fund. Donations may be made online through paypal, or mailed to the address
on http://warrior-fund.org

Very Respectfully,

Rick Van Luvender
President
The Warrior Fund
http://www.warrior-fund.org

P.S. We would also like to invite all American’s who claim to “hate the war
but support the troops” to prove themselves by donating to the Warrior Fund,
which is a direct method to show that they do indeed support our troops and
their claims are not merely the empty rhetoric it appears to be.

In response to my post below on Camp Pendleton 8 Update (I think the comment might have been intended for my post on Room Clearing), Mike at Cop the Truth says:

“Stacking” is merely the way a team lines up “as***** to appetite” in preparation for storming a building, room, bus, plane, etc. The “stack” helps the assault team stay together, thereby cutting down on “friendly-fire” incidents. It also assigns specific areas of responsibilty to each man, according to skill level, assigned weapon, leadership role, etc. It provides for the maximum efficiency and safety of every member of the team, and the team, itself, and is used both by the military and the police, especially SWAT teams.

My response: Exactly!

You never know how much detail to include, and besides, I really don’t know how completely what the Marines do matches up with what a SWAT team does, for example.  There might be additional elements of the military version in use in Iraq that is not in the SWAT version, or vice versa.

Either way, the point is still the same.  “Room-clearing” is a rapid, deadly and precise procedure with the intent to kill those in the room.  It is not an opportunity to enter a room, sit with the occupants, and discuss their political or religious views.

We should all remember that war is a rough, deadly business when we see collateral damage resulting from it.  When we send our boys to conduct war, they will conduct war.  They are doing what we — through our elected leaders — have told them to do.

I want to give a brief perspective on “room-clearing” procedures of the type used in Falujah (and apparently in Haditha, and I would guess in the future in Ramadi).

I commented in an earlier post that I didn’t know what a “stack” was (pertaining to the term as used by the NYT article on Haditha).  I still don’t, because a stack is not something that is, it is something a team does.  It is not a noun — it is a verb.

I use the term because it came up in the context of the Haditha incident.  Apparently, room-clearing procedures were used in Haditha.

Folks, let me be as clear as I can be on this.  Listen carefully for a moment.  I will be brief.  If Marines feel threatened and believe the enemy to be in a house or room, and the order is given to “clear” the room, well then … the Marines will clear the room.  They will do it the way that they have been trained to do it.  This method, this protocol, these procedures — they are designed to kill the enemy and protect Marines.  It is a fast and furious and deadly thing.

The procedure is executed within a couple of seconds.  No, I did not say it begins within a couple of seconds.  I said it is executed within a couple of seconds.  Finished.  Past tense.  Then on to the next room.

There is no protocol, no time, and no provision (AND THERE NEVER CAN BE) to identify and delineate friend from foe.  Such a thing does not comport with room-clearing.  Any attempt to delineate friend from foe would result in the countless deaths of Marines.  The entire protocol presupposes that there is enemy in the room to be cleared.

There is a moral to this little story.  Do not unleash the Marines unless there is a true need.  And when the Marines are unleashed, they will follow their protocol and do what they are trained to do.  It is to be expected, and frankly, I would have it no other way.

From time to time, this will result in the deaths — however tragic — of innocents.  Another result?  The protection and safety of Marines.

A new strategy is becoming apparent with Al Qaida in Iraq, the Taliban and Al Qaida in Afghanistan and Pakistan.  This new strategy is working hand-in-glove with the left in America.

The Counterterrorism Blog has a very interesting commentary on the most recently released statement of Zawahiri.  As an editorial note, I have stopped dismissing these media releases as the rantings of an unhinged, deranged old coot, and I have started paying close attention to the contents.  I probably should have done this far sooner than I did.

Zawahiri tells us — whether by accident or intent — his strategy for the future.

Al Qaida number two, Dr Ayman Zawahiri issued a new tape calling on the Afghans to “rise against the Infidels (Kuffars) and their agents (the Karzai Government).” Following are few points of analysis and evaluation:

1) Attacking the US for its “killing of innocent Afghans and torture of Muslims.”

وندد الظواهري

Joseph Casas, lawyer for Jodka (one of the Camp Pendleton 8) reports that he believes that the prosecution has a faulty understanding of the facts.  He questioned the interrogation tactics, stating that Jodka was interrogated for 7.5 hours non-stop, no water, no food, no restroom breaks.  Recently out of boot camp, when a Marine sees someone in charge (Casas said “suit”), his trained instinct is to obey orders (he was referring to the alleged “confession”).  Casas stated that the government would like you to think that there is a confession, and they have spun it that way, but that there is really no confession.  Finally, he said that they would move to suppress certain documents that were being called a confession.

Will continue to post updates (or new posts) on this as we proceed forward.

In what appears to be a much more surgical approach than Fallujah, U.S. forces are setting up shop in Ramadi, one of the most dangerous places in Iraq (Marine Times story).  Apparently, setting up shop — with all of the related patrols, sniper killings of insurgents, and weapons cache findings — is expected to work.  Time will tell if this succeeds or if Ramadi devolves into an IED zone that our boys have to brave.

Update #1:

It looks like the report above is accurate.  It is also reported that:

Yesterday US troops conducted a similar operation, erecting two outposts in the southern half of the city to allow Iraqi soldiers to begin patrolling an area that has rarely seen any US or Iraqi forces.

US commanders said the move yesterday wasn’t the precursor to a rumoured offensive to drive insurgents from Ramadi – but rather an “isolation