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POPSDroves of recruits to ease burden on troops How wonderful is this. We have so many out of work people needing to survive. So they join up in an occupation that may take their lives. Doesn't it just make you proud to be an American. Maybe this was the Bush plan all along. Tank the economy and you will have an endless number of unemployed signing up for your illegal war.
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POPSWeapons failed US troops during Afghan firefight
A week ago, eight U.S. troops were killed at a base near Kamdesh, a town near Wanat. There's no immediate evidence of weapons failures at Kamdesh, but the circumstances were eerily similar to the Wanat battle: insurgents stormed an isolated stronghold manned by American forces stretched thin by the demands of war. Army Col. Wayne Shanks, a military spokesman in Afghanistan, said a review of the battle at Kamdesh is under way. "It is too early to make any assumptions regarding what did or didn't work correctly," he said. Complaints about the weapons the troops carry, especially the M4, aren't new. Army officials say that when properly cleaned and maintained, the M4 is a quality weapon that can pump out more than 3,000 rounds before any failures occur. The M4 is a shorter, lighter version of the M16, which made its debut during the Vietnam war. Roughly 500,000 M4s are in service, making it the rifle troops on the front lines trust with their lives.
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POPSJuan Cole's "The Coming McCain Military Draft" McCain will need to institute a draft for young American men (and, given the times, maybe for women as well). McCain, just like the recent Bush Administration's hawkish rhetoric has been proven by the Russian/Georgian conflict to be nothing more than a bluff. Sure, there was a lot of tough talk and fist shaking at the Russians but no real actions were taken against them either by the Bush Administration. I wonder if those young McCain supporters realize what they are asking for? I doubt it. Though many of us already were seeing the writing on the wall, after many started serving in these theaters on second tours, than third, than forth, than for some fifth......................, the Military nor Country can sustain these misadventures let alone protect from the Blowback which will be from the Hatreds we've created!
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POPSIf McCain were best person to lead country now We've Had Two Victories in Iraq (0.00 / 0) "Mission Accomplished" Apparently not enough to bring the troops home! "The Surge Worked" And still not enough to bring the troops home, but instead have more serving in theater than before 'the surge'! What's the next catch phrase??
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POPSVA claims found in piles to be shredded Peake said three of VA’s 57 regional offices were involved, without naming them. Veterans of Foreign Wars said they were told four regional offices — in Detroit, St. Louis, St. Petersburg, Fla., and Waco, Texas — were identified as having documents in shredding bins that should not have been there. “The VA inspector general conducted a routine investigation of Detroit’s mailroom and discovered five documents in the shredder bin, then three pieces are found in St. Louis, two in Waco, and some more in St. Petersburg,” he said. “The question that begs to be asked and answered is how many veterans had their disability and compensation claims disappear down a paper shredder?” The halt in shredding was ordered by Patrick Dunne, the retired Navy rear admiral sworn in just weeks ago as VA’s new undersecretary for benefits. “Secretary Peake must hold everyone involved personally accountable for this disgraceful management failure,
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POPSJohn McCain Forgets about Afghanistan . . . Again More of the same is happening yet McCain pays no mind (0.00 / 0) Defections hit Afghan forces After fighting the Taliban for the past seven years, many working for the Afghan security forces are now switching sides. Sulieman Ameri and his 16 men were until a month ago serving the Afghan government as police patrolling the border with Iran. Now they answer to the Taliban and their goal is to drive all foreign troops out of Afghanistan.
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POPSSoldier in Iraq Kills Squad Leader and Fellow Team Leader The soldier--a team leader whose name hasn't been released yet--had apparently been in a meeting with his squad leader and the other team leader about his performance. When the AP says the shooter was then "subdued by other troops," my hope is that this included multiple buttstrokes. Comments; Dawson and Durbin were remembered at (4.00 / 1) http://www.dailykos.com/tags/I... The worst of all combat deaths. A special prayer for all those who must suck it up and soldier on and their families. along with Spc Marques Knight SFC Daniel Sexton CWO Michael Slebodnik at least one of those non-hostile unspecified (4.00 / 1) was a 19 yr old at Taji who shot himself in front of his 19 yr old wife via web cam. His death was like a punch in the gut... wooden, or other? (4.00 / 1) rifle butts, I hope. I would imagine no small involvement ofPTSD made this guy snap
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POPSChinook Goes Down in Iraq Comments from troops; I read that the Chinook had a hard landing... (0.00 / 0) but that doesn't mean that it wasn't taking/evading fire. If any of you are so inclined, please pray for the pilots and passengers and their families. Make wars unprofitable and you make them impossible. ~A. Philip Randolph maintenance. (4.00 / 1) Was this a maintenance issue? We already know that the troops and equipment are stretched too thin. Last read I had was "mechanical failure"... (0.00 / 0) maybe read it a icasualties. Helos and Sand. (4.00 / 1) Not a good combo. And to overuse them in a sandy enviornment is not good either. Drought has added to the 'usual' problems... (0.00 / 0) dust, haze, and sand storms. I just got word that the official word (0.00 / 0) is mechanical failure. Of course it could be a while for the safety officer and tactical ops officer to investigate and pin down exactly what the malfunction was...
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POPSNew CBS/NYT Polls Asks about Iraq More comments from troops; What I can't believe (0.00 / 0) is that ONLY 53 percent now realize that Iraq has nothing to do with the "GWOT." That's pretty depressing actually. After everything we know now, you would expect that percentage to be closer to 80, at least--well, I would...
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POPSA new dawning They are getting tired of 4 and 5 deployments. Keep using them in this way and you will see another 70s movement.
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POPSNutjob Chuck Norris Says He's Done Two Tours in Iraq Guys like Chuck Norris are more despised by the troops than any other type of person. It's because posers like Norris try to claim something they haven't earned. He attempts to browbeat others into believing that they don't "understand" combat the way he does, because he's "been there." He thinks he speaks for the troops. But Norris has never "been there," and he will never go there.
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POPSU.S. Commanding General in Afghanistan: We Need More Troops More from this story; Saying that we need more troops in Afghanistan, but we cannot do this without redeploying a significant amount of troops from Iraq isn't news to anyone who reads/writes national security blogs. We've been discussing this for months if not years. Recently, it's become an increasing part of the public debate. This is mostly due to Afghanistan being more dangerous for U.S. troops than Iraq was at the most violent part of the war. As Brandon tells us, this isn't mere hyperbole. It's a statistical fact:
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POPSRepublicans Use Fake Troops for RNC Video One of the actors, Perry Denton of Chicago, IL also confirmed that he was hired on a day-rate as an actor for the shoot and told CBS News he was surprised to learn the footage was shown at the convention.
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POPSGOP Campaign Themes They also find it Very Easy to Condemn those that give Service to Their Lives and Freedoms! Last election cycle they Laughed at and Mocked the Military Service of one of the Presidential Candidates who Served This Country In Vietnam, just as I Did, and being in the same service branch, the U.S. Navy, they Spit on my Service, All my brother and sister Naval personal who served In-Country, and All the other Service Personal, but most of All, All Those Who Have Served This Country and Received It's Highest Honor For That Service, The Purple Heart!!! I was waiting to see how they would Slam their Fellow Americans this year. Well they started early, peppering their talking points with the words needed, leading up to their Convention, and Let Both Barrels Go, Loud and Clear!!
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POPSU.S. Forces Conduct Offensive in Pakistani Border Region This is, however, a sensitive issue. It is assumable that the moderates within the Pakistani government want the Taliban removed from Southern Waziristan. The problem is the more hardline elements of the Pakistani citizenry are sure to be unhappy about this. The unrest amongst the fundamentalists combined with the corrupt officials and Taliban sympathizers within the Pakistani government creates a unique situation that must be handled delicately. But this does not discount the need for military action in Southern Waziristan.
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POPSMcCain v Obama; Iraq Policy I can see if Obama were to become president, he would quite likely acquiesce to Iraq's original demands of a full withdrawal by 2010. But if McCain were to be elected, I don't see how he would convince the Iraqi government to allow us to stay beyond 2011.
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POPS60 Days To Judge a Commander in Chief? I've been able to watch his thought process in action, and have seen him been proven right on Iraq, right on Afghanistan, right on talking to Iran, and right on the war on terror. He's shown an incredible ability to think in much larger strategic terms than this president, to the point that I'm supremely confident he is ready to lead our Armed Forces.
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POPSJohn McCain Needs to Lay Off the POW Talk The fact is, John McCain's service during Vietnam was honorable and he sacrificed a great deal. But his service to the country carries no more weight than that of any other POW. Likewise, while McCain has given so much to his country, thousands of veterans--past and present--have given as much or more. In this war alone, thousands of troops have lost limbs, been paralyzed, and been burned beyond recognition. So to see McCain resort to playing the POW card when answering legitimate questions, in my mind, cheapens that experience. And by cheapening his own experience in war, he degrades all of our experiences in war. He turns the horrific incidents we've all seen, touched, smelled, and felt into a lame excuse to earn political points. And it dishonors us all. And while Spencer Ackerman is not a veteran himself, I think he sums up what many combat vets are feeling today after hearing the campaign's statement:
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POPSMoldy Barracks Open Thread There are 18 comments made by the troops who have fought for their country. They deserve to be read. If you don't want to hear from the ones who are fighting this war. Then don't start these wars.
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POPS10 Weeks of Hell: Afghanistan Death Rate Exceeding Highest of Iraq War in an ambush, with four of them being captured and subsequently executed. Around the same time, Afghan insurgents launched a coordinated attack on a major U.S. base. The fatality rate in Afghanistan during the past 10 weeks would be equivalent to 353 deaths in Iraq at the same time--a rate not even seen during the bloody crescendo of 2007. This is a crisis.
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POPSMcCain Doesn't Disagree that We Might Need a Draft Jon Soltz, Iraq War Veteran and Chairman of VoteVets.org said, "At least Senator McCain is being honest. A vote for him is a vote for the draft. Period. Unless Senator McCain radically changes his worldview, there would be a draft to implement his plans." Soltz added, "When you take into account his indefinite military commitment to Iraq, his desire to send more troops to Afghanistan, record lows in recruiting and retention, and possibly more wars he is looking to get into, like "Bomb Bomb Bomb" Iran, his numbers don't add up without a draft. Whether America likes it or not isn't relevant - a draft is the only way to do everything Senator McCain wants to do. I give him points for being honest and upfront, though, that we're going to need a draft if he is elected." This isn't the first time that Senator McCain has hinted at a reinstitution of the draft if he is elected. Asked on September 29, 2007 in New Hampshire about the draft, McCain said he would "consider it."
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