5
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
2
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...
3
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...
2
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.
9
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.
2
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:
9
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.
0
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!!
2
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.
3
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.
7
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.
7
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:
2
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.
3
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.
4
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."
7
POPSMcCain's Elitist Response to Military Donor Story But aside from the fact that the McCain campaign lied is confused, does anyone catch a whiff of elitism here? Is support from within the ranks somehow more credible if it comes in the form of a general officer or an admiral? If so, that would be strange. . .since flag officers aren't the ones fighting the insurgencies in Iraq or Afghanistan. This comes as no surprise--and it reinforces the message: It's clear that McCain values the opinions of flashier, high-ranking, inside-the-wire types over the views of the grunts, the medics, and the lieutenants who wade waist-deep through the muck and blood and shrapnel of insurgency, day in and day out. And while he may easily dismiss the actual combatants of these wars in a moment of political self-defense, those same troops will not so easily forget his bellicosity, his foreign policy ignorance, and his general lack of respect for them when it comes time to vote in November.
6
POPSYour 6:1 Open Thread The comments from these troops is pretty compelling. And these guys are the ones fighting for us. Too bad we don't give a shit.
3
POPSJohn McCain is in New Jersey Today. Half of NJ's National Guard Isn't When John McCain is in New Jersey today, we urge him to address the thousands of families that have been affected by this deployment and describe the relief he would provide them as President. In addition, VFA had been repeatedly contacted by NJ Guard members and other servicemembers from New Jersey who want to know Senator McCain's position on compensating members of our armed forces who have been stop-lossed. Recently, Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey introduced a bill calling for compensation to provided to those who affected by this regrettable policy. VFA calls on Senator McCain to clearly state if he supports Senator Lautenberg's "Stop Loss Compensation Act." Our servicemembers deserve answers, especially after considerable questions were raised regarding Senator McCain's support for our troops' well being when he opposed the successful effort to expand the GI Bill, as called for in a bill that Senator Lautenberg also co-sponsored.
7
POPSMcCain, America's Security Is No Joke Using less Middle East puts us in a stronger position to demand security in the region and fight terrorist organizations which often get much of their funding through oil profits. Using less Middle East oil could also keep us out of future wars, and save the lives of those Americans serving in uniform. According to TIME magazine, John McCain's sole idea to "drill here and drill now" won't produce oil until the year 2030, and then it will only be 200,000 barrels per day. In comparison, the government estimates that if everyone made sure their car tires were fully inflated, we could start to reduce our oil consumption by 800,000 barrels per day, right now.
4
POPSBait and Switch Something is wrong if news like this doesn't anger you. The President has "reduced" tours in Iraq. Never mind that he will not be the President when the time comes to determine whether the situation on the ground allows for redeployment. All the while, the situation in Afghanistan is rapidly deteriorating. Deployment timelines are being pushed to the right repeatedly, much as we saw during the crescendo of violence in Iraq. The sole solution presented is one that the Administration and its endorsed candidate have fought against tooth and nail: redeployment of a significant number of troops from the waste of time, money and American lives that is the occupation of Iraq.
3
POPSI never thought I would see an anti-soldier veterans group comments from article. * Should have added (4.00 / 1) 'gathering of eagles' and now this offshoot 'eagles up' were formed mostly to continue the blantant Spitting on Kerry, Cleland, and Us 'Nam Vets that don't tow the bushy doctrine, most aren't conflict veterans, many aren't even veterans, though they'll wear colors, patches, etc.. Their main claims of support, if you visit their sites, is doing 'battle' with 'code pink' and crowing about it' mostly false bullshit, I've caught them on a number of times putting up crap of incidents with ''code pink' and 'pro peace' activists they're crowing about and I was witness to. And Boy do they Hate OIF and OEF soldiers that don't tow the same bushy doctrine, reason they're big supporters of VFF and the mercs!!!!!!
5
POPSBloggers Pushing Wes Clark Back to the Forefront What Clark said - that McCain has no experience in national security decision-making - is absolutely true, and it's a point that needs emphasis repeatedly and effectively by someone who can deliver it. Clark has a 34 year service record, has won a war, commanded troops all over the world, and nearly died of his injuries in Vietnam. He has run for President and been a surrogate for hundreds of Democrats all over the country, including Ned Lamont. He was against the war in Iraq, and knows the military bureaucracy inside and out. This is someone who would make an insanely good Vice President, and someone who has deep connections to the newly formed progressive communities that emerged from 2002-2006. Senator Obama would do well to choose Clark as his running mate.
0
POPSDiscuss :: (6 Comments) ANDREA MITCHELL Were you ready with an advertisement, as some have suggested, in case he had visited the troops to criticize him for doing it while on a political trip? DAVIS No, I mean, frankly, we learned about the trip from the media. We, like many people in the media, weren't very well informed on what the details of Barack Obama's trip were going to be. But when we learned about it, it was disappointing to us, because I am very confident that the soldiers at Landstuhl would have enjoyed a trip and a visit by Barack Obama. Does this guy have a crush on Barack Obama or what? Until now, listening to the McCain campaign all week, you would have thought the troops despised Obama. Oh well. Maybe now we're all in agreement that Barack Obama's popularity is derived in large part from his policy positions on the war, the military, and veterans' affairs--positions that are clearly supported by those whose countries we occupy and by those who've served there.
4
POPSThe Ironic Destruction Of Our National Guard Under President "Do Not Volunteer For Overseas Of all the statistics and stories I have read on this issue, many from the work I do with Veterans For America, one sticks out. This fall, half of New Jersey's National Guard will be in Iraq, half. What happens if there is another attack this fall at the end of the election cycle and half of New Jersey's National Guard is gone? What happens if a hurricane strikes the Jersey Shore? What happens if the National Guard is needed and they simply aren't there? Other issues with Iraq get more attention, but the silent destruction of our National Guard and the impact of this administration's policies on the future of the guard are often over-looked. As this administration breaks with long-standing Guard policy, like the fact that the Guard used to give five times as much time at home as deployed, morale and enrollment in the Guard will surely decline.
1
POPSFrom Fallujah To Diyala, The Target Has Shifted As I have recently mentioned, many of the Sunni Awakening groups are holding out for more money, and threatening to rejoin the ranks of their previous insurgent groups, including AQI and the 1920's Revolutionary Brigade. Our own Alex Horton wrote an insightful post about this here. http://armyofdude.blogspot.com/2008/07/enemies-with-benefits.html It seems now that this unrest may be a sign of more to come in Diyala. The province is predominantly Arab Sunni but sizeable communities of Sunni Kurds and Arab and Kurdish Shiites live there.
Newest Clips
see Newest Clips
4
Latest Pops
Latest Comments
Most Pops
Tags
Print
Save
Turn on live update