IED Training

Kandahar Airfield, Kandahar, Afghanistan-Lance Cpl. Matthew Castro, Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 352, Marine Aircraft Group 40, Marine Expeditionary Brigade Afghanistan armorer, observes a rock formation at the airfield's explosive ordnance disposal training course July 2. Castro and several other airfield Corporal's Course students took part in the one-day basic course. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Gregory Aalto), Lance Cpl. Gregory Aalto, 7/2/2009 7:29 AM


Marty's note: I missed this story from a few weeks ago but it's worth reading

MEB-Afghanistan Corporals Course Students Participate in Counter-IED Training
8/31/2009 By Lance Cpl. Gregory Aalto, Marine Aircraft Group 40


KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan —
Marine Attack Squadron 214 "Black Sheep" and Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 352/152 Detachment "A", all with Marine Aircraft Group 40, Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan, Corporal's Course students attended a Counter-Improvised Explosive Device basic course here recently.

The one-day training focused strictly on current Afghanistan IED tactics used by enemy insurgents.

"Iraq and Afghanistan are two totally different [areas]. They shouldn't be mentioned in the same breath [in relation to IED use]," said Australian Army Sgt. Maj. Neil Patrick, the senior CIED instructor with NATO Regional Command South.

Patrick, who has 20 years of experience as an explosive ordnance disposal technician and multiple deployments to Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan, added that one increased focus of the course is dealing with the post-IED blast reaction.

The course was directed by RC South for all service members here to attend.

"Ideally, this is the final stage of training, however for most, it is the beginning," said 1st Lt. Dan Pueda, CIED training officer in charge for Task Force Paladin.

As a nation, Afghanistan has an estimated 7-10 million pieces of unexploded ordnance left in the country, according to class instructors.

"I had a totally different picture of what a mine was in my head. [The class] gave me a whole new outlook to what a person on a patrol is facing," said Cpl. Kenneth Ducker, VMA-214 maintenance administration clerk.

Some additional training offered to Marines here includes medical training, an MRAP rollover trainer and a shooting simulator for various weapons and scenarios.

Weather News from Afghanistan

Marines Test New Weather Sensor
Marine Aircraft Group 40
Story by Lance Cpl. Gregory Aalto
Date: 09.19.2009
Posted: 09.19.2009 08:38


KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, KANDAHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Weather forecasters with Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan continue to test the new expeditionary meteorological sensor weather observance system in southern Afghanistan during combat operations in the area.

In just a few months, these systems have provided more reliable and up-to-date information for mission planners to use in order to make planning adjustments due to inclement weather forecasts.

"In the past, reliable, real-time observational data came from a human being. Now we can emplace a sensor to perform that function," said Gunnery Sgt. Gregory Fairbank, a forecaster with Marine Wing Support Squadron 371, Marine Aircraft Group 40.

The system uses Iridium phone technology to send information to a satellite, which then relays the information to a Web site where forecasters can retrieve the data and provide updates to those Marines planning missions in the area.

Fairbanks added that the current system, the automated weather observing system, is still in use throughout Afghanistan while this new system is tested.

"Nothing beats the 'calibrated eye' of an observer on the ground, but the XMET helps out immensely with day-to-day operations," said Fairbank.

The $25,000 XMET system was developed by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, a graduate school at the University of California, San Diego. Along with the updated information provided by the XMET, the simple and compact design cuts down on setup time from hours to minutes.

"I prefer the XMET over the old system. It's simple and comes in one box rather than four," said Cpl. Bryan Weingart II, a weather observer with MWSS-371.

For some of the weather observers throughout MEB-Afghanistan, this is their first deployment to a combat zone and the first time they've worked with this weather tracking and analysis gear. This new system has allowed them the opportunity to travel to various forward operating bases to set-up the XMET and see how the information gathered is used for mission planning.

"[Being a weather Marine] is essentially the same from garrison to a combat environment. This is the first time younger Marines actually get to see how their job fits into the big picture and how important it really is," said Fairbank.

This new system has been an added asset for MEB-Afghanistan weather forecasters to accurately track weather patterns throughout the area. Due to the success of recent tests, additional XMET systems are scheduled for use at additional bases as the MEB continues to operations in southern Afghanistan.

Is this story already forgotten?

my note: Dear Main Stream Media - Is this not an important story?

Ambushed Marines' Aid Call 'Rejected'
September 10, 2009
Agence France-Presse


NATO-led forces are investigating the death of four Marines in eastern Afghanistan after their commanders reportedly rejected requests for artillery fire in a battle with insurgents, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.

Tuesday's incident was "under investigation" and details remained unclear, press secretary Geoff Morrell told a news conference.

A McClatchy newspapers' journalist who witnessed the battle reported that a team of Marine trainers made repeated appeals for air and artillery support after being pinned down by insurgents in the village of Ganjgal in eastern Kunar province.

The U.S. troops had to wait more than an hour for attack helicopters to come to their aid and their appeal for artillery fire was rejected, with commanders citing new rules designed to avoid civilian casualties, the report said.

Morrell said the helicopters were not hampered by any restrictions on air power but had to travel a long distance to reach the Marines at the remote location near the Pakistan border.

"I think that it did take some time for close air support to arrive in this case, but this is not a result of more restrictive conditions in which it can be used," he said.

"It was the result, as is often the case in Afghanistan, of the fact that there are great distances often between bases where such assets are located and where our troops are out operating."

Morrell could not confirm whether appeals for artillery fire were denied by commanders.

According to the McClatchy report by Jonathan Landay, the U.S. advisors assisting Afghan forces had been assured before the operation that "air cover would be five minutes away."

The incident comes after the top commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, issued new restrictions on the use of military force and air raids in a bid to prevent civilian deaths.

McChrystal has warned that civilian casualties caused by the NATO-led force risk alienating the Afghan population and jeopardizing the war effort.

But the general and other top military officials have insisted air support and fire power would not be restricted when U.S. troops were under direct threat.

Bombing runs by coalition forces have declined sharply since McChrystal took over command in June, U.S.A Today reported on Wednesday, citing military statistics.

Tuesday's firefight in eastern Afghanistan involved a 13-member team of U.S. Marine and Army trainers assigned to the Afghan national army, the report said.

Eight Afghan soldiers and police and an Afghan interpreter also died in the battle, which lasted for hours with insurgents unleashing a barrage of gunfire and rockets from mountain positions, the report said.

When an Afghan soldier demanded helicopter gunships, U.S. Major Kevin Williams replied through an interpreter: "We are pinned down. We are running low on ammo. We have no air. We've lost today."

The Americans were assisting Afghan forces in an operation that called for Afghans searching the hamlet for weapons and then meeting village elders to plan police patrols.

But U.S. officers suspected insurgents were tipped off about the operation beforehand, as the coalition and Afghan forces were ambushed as they approached the outskirts of the hamlet at dawn, the report said.


© Copyright 2009 Agence France-Presse. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Harriers in Action

Story by Lance Cpl. Gregory Aalto
Date: 09.15.2009
Posted: 09.15.2009 09:06


KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Kandahar Province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan – A pair of AV-8B Harrier pilots directly assisted troops under enemy fire Aug. 8 in Garmsir, Helmand province.

Lt. Col. Eric Schaefer, commanding officer and Capt. Michael Plucinski, pilot, both with Marine Attack Squadron 214, Marine Aircraft Group 40, provided a low-altitude, high speed flight about 15 minutes after a group of Marines from 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, became overwhelmed by enemy small-arms fire and indirect explosive attacks.

"Within 40 seconds of our show of force, the enemy disengaged," said Schaefer.
Plucinski provided support with use of the Harrier GAU-12 25mm cannon, which caused the insurgents to break contact long enough for the 2/8 Marine, with Regimental Combat Team 3, on the ground to coordinate mortar attacks, as close as 150 meters from their own positions.

"It seemed there was a lot of chaos down there," said Plucinski.

After a nearly 15 minute lull in the firefight, due to the presence of the Harriers, the enemy began to reengage. By this point the Marines already possessed the upper hand and overwhelmed the insurgent force.

"The situation was a textbook example of combined arms assisting the [infantrymen] to provide force protection," said Schaefer.

As Marine Expeditionary Brigade Afghanistan continues to push through the Helmand province, the support of VMA-214 proves vital in keeping Marines alive by intimidating insurgents with superior firepower.

A month after the squadron arrived to Afghanistan, Plucinski flew a similar mission to support ground troops engaged with enemy forces.

Mirroring the squadron's recent encounter, VMA-214 pilots arrived on a scene where ground troops became pinned down by enemy fire near Now Zad, Helmand province. This mission allowed Plucinski to fire the 25mm cannon for the first in combat in his career.

Since arriving in Afghanistan in May, VMA-214, nicknamed the "Black Sheep," has provided continuous aerial support by conducting approximately five missions a day in support of MEB-A in Helmand province.

The Black Sheep are scheduled to leave Afghanistan later this year and return to Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz. They plan to spend about a year at home before deploying again, this time with Marine Expeditionary Unit 31.

Anderson Cooper in Afghanistan

check it out

"ISAF Commanders' Counterinsurgency Guidance" - McChrystal's Recent Directive to the Troops

Hi, all ... it's Pam making a rare post this morning.

For anyone who hasn't read the linked document, ISAF Commanders' Counterinsurgency Guidance, I'd encourage you to do so.

It's extremely well-written, easy to understand, and provides tangible examples of counterinsurgency theory in practical application. Whether you agree with it or not, you'll walk away knowing a little more than you did at breakfast this morning ... and that's never a bad thing.

William Kristol's Reply To George Will

No Will, No Way
George Will is dismayed by American casualties in Afghanistan, unhappy about the length of our effort there, dismissive of the contributions of our NATO allies, contemptuous of the Afghan central government, and struck by the country’s backwardness.

I share many of these sentiments. But they are sentiments. It would be better to base a major change in our national security strategy on arguments--especially if you’re advocating a change from a policy that’s been supported for eight years by a bipartisan consensus, and that involves the area that was the staging ground for Sept. 11.

Will does seem to allow that we have a core national interest in Afghanistan--“to prevent re-establishment of al-Qaeda bases” there. He then makes a recommendation that would presumably achieve that goal--that “forces should be substantially reduced to serve a comprehensively revised policy: America should do only what can be done from offshore, using intelligence, drones, cruise missiles, air strikes and small, potent special forces units, concentrating on the porous 1,500-mile border with Pakistan.”

But would this succeed in preventing the re-establishment of terror bases? This “comprehensively revised policy” doesn't sound much more engaged than U.S. Afghan policy in the 1990s. Will would have to explain why it would work better this time--or why the price of failure wouldn’t be higher than the price of continuing to prosecute the war with a revised counterinsugency strategy of the sort Gen. Stanley McChrystal has suggested.

Well, perhaps a counter-insurgency strategy simply can’t work. Writes Will: “Counterinsurgency theory concerning the time and the ratio of forces required to protect the population indicates that, nationwide, Afghanistan would need hundreds of thousands of coalition troops, perhaps for a decade or more. That is inconceivable.”

But as the military historian Fred Kagan explains, counter-insurgency theory and experience suggest that if the Afghan National Army is expanded, as Gen. McChrystal proposes to do, and if there is a surge of several brigades of American forces “to bridge the gap between current Afghan capacity and their future capacity, while simultaneously reducing the insurgency’s capabilities,” then we would have roughly the number of forces necessary to carry out the strategy.

Will acknowledges in passing what seems to be another important national interest--Pakistan, “a nation that actually matters.” But Will never tries to show--counterintuitively--that retreat from Afghanistan would increase rather than decrease the chances of an acceptable outcome in Pakistan. And this is to say nothing of the broader consequences of defeat in the Afghan theater in the war against the jihadists. If the United States of America is driven out of Afghanistan by the Taliban, the group that hosted the Sept. 11 attackers--what then?

Will closes with an appeal to Charles de Gaulle: “Genius, said de Gaulle, recalling Bismarck's decision to halt German forces short of Paris in 1870, sometimes consists of knowing when to stop. Genius is not required to recognize that in Afghanistan, when means now, before more American valor...is squandered.”

But let’s be honest. Will is not calling on the United
States to accept a moderate degree of success in Afghanistan, and simply to stop short of some overly ambitious goal. Will is urging retreat, and accepting defeat.

As Will says, we have sent America’s finest to fight in Afghanistan. It is true that we have under-resourced and poorly strategized that fight. The right way to keep faith with our soldiers and Marines is for our national leaders now to support a strategy, and to provide the necessary resources, for victory.

Time to Get Out of Afghanistan

Time to Get Out of Afghanistan


By George F. Will
Tuesday, September 1, 2009

"Yesterday," reads the e-mail from Allen, a Marine in Afghanistan, "I gave blood because a Marine, while out on patrol, stepped on a [mine's] pressure plate and lost both legs." Then "another Marine with a bullet wound to the head was brought in. Both Marines died this morning."

"I'm sorry about the drama," writes Allen, an enthusiastic infantryman willing to die "so that each of you may grow old." He says: "I put everything in God's hands." And: "Semper Fi!"

Allen and others of America's finest are also in Washington's hands. This city should keep faith with them by rapidly reversing the trajectory of America's involvement in Afghanistan, where, says the Dutch commander of coalition forces in a southern province, walking through the region is "like walking through the Old Testament."

U.S. strategy -- protecting the population -- is increasingly troop-intensive while Americans are increasingly impatient about "deteriorating" (says Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) conditions. The war already is nearly 50 percent longer than the combined U.S. involvements in two world wars, and NATO assistance is reluctant and often risible.

The U.S. strategy is "clear, hold and build." Clear? Taliban forces can evaporate and then return, confident that U.S. forces will forever be too few to hold gains. Hence nation-building would be impossible even if we knew how, and even if Afghanistan were not the second-worst place to try: The Brookings Institution ranks Somalia as the only nation with a weaker state.


Military historian Max Hastings says Kabul controls only about a third of the country -- "control" is an elastic concept -- and " 'our' Afghans may prove no more viable than were 'our' Vietnamese, the Saigon regime." Just 4,000 Marines are contesting control of Helmand province, which is the size of West Virginia. The New York Times reports a Helmand official saying he has only "police officers who steal and a small group of Afghan soldiers who say they are here for 'vacation.' " Afghanistan's $23 billion gross domestic product is the size of Boise's. Counterinsurgency doctrine teaches, not very helpfully, that development depends on security, and that security depends on development. Three-quarters of Afghanistan's poppy production for opium comes from Helmand. In what should be called Operation Sisyphus, U.S. officials are urging farmers to grow other crops. Endive, perhaps?

Even though violence exploded across Iraq after, and partly because of, three elections, Afghanistan's recent elections were called "crucial." To what? They came, they went, they altered no fundamentals, all of which militate against American "success," whatever that might mean. Creation of an effective central government? Afghanistan has never had one. U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry hopes for a "renewal of trust" of the Afghan people in the government, but the Economist describes President Hamid Karzai's government -- his vice presidential running mate is a drug trafficker -- as so "inept, corrupt and predatory" that people sometimes yearn for restoration of the warlords, "who were less venal and less brutal than Mr. Karzai's lot."

Mullen speaks of combating Afghanistan's "culture of poverty." But that took decades in just a few square miles of the South Bronx. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, thinks jobs programs and local government services might entice many "accidental guerrillas" to leave the Taliban. But before launching New Deal 2.0 in Afghanistan, the Obama administration should ask itself: If U.S. forces are there to prevent reestablishment of al-Qaeda bases -- evidently there are none now -- must there be nation-building invasions of Somalia, Yemen and other sovereignty vacuums?

U.S. forces are being increased by 21,000, to 68,000, bringing the coalition total to 110,000. About 9,000 are from Britain, where support for the war is waning. Counterinsurgency theory concerning the time and the ratio of forces required to protect the population indicates that, nationwide, Afghanistan would need hundreds of thousands of coalition troops, perhaps for a decade or more. That is inconceivable.

So, instead, forces should be substantially reduced to serve a comprehensively revised policy: America should do only what can be done from offshore, using intelligence, drones, cruise missiles, airstrikes and small, potent Special Forces units, concentrating on the porous 1,500-mile border with Pakistan, a nation that actually matters.

Genius, said de Gaulle, recalling Bismarck's decision to halt German forces short of Paris in 1870, sometimes consists of knowing when to stop. Genius is not required to recognize that in Afghanistan, when means now, before more American valor, such as Allen's, is squandered.

georgewill@washpost.com

VMA-214 Tests Rapid Ground Refueling Techniques in Afghanistan

Story by Lance Cpl. Gregory Aalto
Date: 07.17.2009
Posted: 08.25.2009 07:17


CAMP BASTION, Afghanistan – Marine Attack Squadron 214 "Black Sheep," Marine Aircraft Group 40, Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan, tested its rapid ground refueling capabilities August 24.

A group of Black Sheep maintainers flew from Kandahar Airfield, Kandahar province, to Camp Bastion shortly before the arrival of two of the unit's AV-8B Harriers.

After rushing to the refueling area taxiway, the maintainers began a thorough cleanup of the taxiway. To help complete the cleanup, Royal Air Force's 2 Mechanical Transport, from Wittering, England, used their own assets to help clear the taxiway of all foreign objects and debris.

With the runway cleared, the jets were cleared to land. Once the jets landed, Black Sheep plane captains ushered the Harriers to a Marine Wing Support Squadron 371 "Sand Sharks", MAG-40, MEB-A, Forward Air Refueling Position where the jets could refuel.

"Normally a jet will take in approximately 1,000 to 1,500 [gallons] of fuel at a given time," said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Brad Kussatz, the fuels officer for the Sand Sharks.

After the NASCAR-style pit stop, Marines added water to cool the Harriers' turbine and then sent them off back to Kandahar.

If needed, the unit could have another station for ordnance arming or de-arming as well, said Gunnery Sgt. Jason Pearcey, Black Sheep ordnance staff non-commissioned officer in charge.

The mission proved that more rapid refuels can be planned for the future, said Maj. James Bardo, the Black Sheep maintenance officer in charge.

The unit trained specifically for rapid ground refueling March 23 - 25 at the Strategic Expeditionary Landing Field, Marine Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif., which many deploying units use due to the similarity of the 29 Palms terrain with Afghanistan.

"It was good to do what we had trained to do in [Twentynine Palms]. The training became reality," said Cpl. Robert Moore, VMA-214 seat mechanic.

Black Sheep Marine Selected to Naval Academy Prep School

Black Sheep Marine Selected to Naval Academy Prep School
Marine Aircraft Group 40
Story by Lance Cpl. Gregory AaltoDate: 06.30.2009Posted: 08.19.2009 07:02
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – An ordnance technician from Marine Attack Squadron 214 "Black Sheep," Marine Aircraft Group 40, Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan, has been selected to attend the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport, R.I., later this summer.Hailing from Hamden, Conn., Cpl. Thomas Fortuna, applied for the United States Naval Academy in February of this year and was deployed three months later."I really wish I could have been able to finish my deployment, but this has been a goal of mine since I was a little kid," said the 21-year-old.Fortuna is scheduled to report to NAPS in late July for 10 months of instruction in English, Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics before beginning four years of education at the Naval Academy. "I have the determination to get my goals accomplished," said the 2006 Hamden High School graduate. "I think I've been endowed with the tools that will allow me to succeed." Before Fortuna reaches his goals, a tough road lies ahead. The academy has a 25 percent attrition rate, and he will need to adapt to a student lifestyle."It will be frustrating for [Fortuna] to transition from a fleet environment to a rigid training environment," said Capt. Anthony Guidry, VMA-214 pilot and USNA graduate, speaking from personal experience. Like himself, Guidry believes Fortuna will not only make this adjustment quickly, but will also excel at the school like he has in his Marine Corps career."I would like to come back to the Marines as an [intelligence] officer," said Fortuna, who is scheduled to graduate in 2014, once he completes the rigorous curriculum.Fortuna has already demonstrated an ability to excel by earning meritorious promotions to private first class, lance corporal and corporal during his Marine Corps career and has also completed three college courses."He's got all the qualities of a sergeant and he's only a corporal," said Master Sgt. James Carver, VMA-214 ordnance chief.Although Fortuna has a challenging road ahead to accomplish his childhood dream, he has already shown a desire to excel and has made an impact as a positive role model for his fellow Marines.

Story about VMA-214 Blacksheep Doc

Navy Lt. Kenneth Alea (right), Marine Attack Squadron 214 "Black Sheep", Marine Aircraft Group 40, Marine Expeditionary Brigade Afghanistan, flight doctor, drains an abscess of an Afghan national police trainee at the squadron's hangar. Alea, a Goodlettsville, Tenn., native, and his two enlisted "Docs" provided the future policemen basic medical care during their layover.

Black Sheep Doc Assist Afghan National Police Trainee
Marine Aircraft Group 40
Story by Lance Cpl. Gregory Aalto


Date: 06.29.2009


Posted: 08.19.2009 07:10

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Medical staff from Marine Attack Squadron 214 "Black Sheep", Marine Aircraft Group 40, Marine Expeditionary Brigade Afghanistan, aided Afghan national police trainees here.A few of the ANP trainees, who were waiting for transportation at the squadron's hangar, had minor medical issues such as headaches and an abscess."Helping them out was easily one of the most rewarding things I have done in my medical career," said Navy Lt. Kenneth Alea, VMA-214 flight surgeon and a Goodlettsville, Tenn., native. "Such a simple thing was extremely gratifying."One of the trainees was suffering from an abscess on his left forearm that originated from a bug bite. After fully cleaning the wound, Alea bandaged the arm and gave the future policeman antibiotics. Alea and his two enlisted Sailors helped nearly to 15 ANP trainees, most of whom were from Helmand province, according to the group's translator.

Marine Dad John McCain (also a US Senator) calls for more Marines to deploy to Afghanistan

McCain calls for more US troops in Afghanistan
By NAHAL TOOSI (AP) – 23 hours ago
KABUL — Sen. John McCain called Tuesday for more American troops in Afghanistan, saying that doubling the number of Marines in one southern region could lead to "significantly more success."
The former Republican presidential candidate, along with other members of a visiting congressional delegation, also said that Afghanistan's elections this week were a milestone event, but that the U.S. was not backing one candidate over another.
The group's two-day visit included meeting with Marines in southern Helmand province, where U.S. and Afghan forces are staging a major offensive aimed at clearing out Taliban militants ahead of Thursday's vote.
The visit comes as Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, is working on a review of the Afghan war strategy. President Barack Obama has already ordered additional deployments that will put a record number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan by year's end.
McCain declined to say exactly how many more troops he thought were needed before learning the general's views on how the war is going, but he did say more troops were need in Helmand, the world's largest opium-poppy growing region.
"There are three Marine battalions now in Helmand. I think it's very clear that if they had six Marine battalions, there they would enjoy significantly more success," the Arizona senator said, adding that additional Afghan troops were needed, too. There are roughly 3,000 troops in a battalion.
McChrystal is expected to identify shortfalls that could be filled by U.S. forces, but Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said a revised war plan will contain no request to expand the U.S. fighting force.
The White House is skeptical of further troop additions in Afghanistan. Despite warning that defeating the Taliban and al-Qaida will take "a few years," Gates is worried that enlarging the U.S. presence could upset Afghans.
Already, the White House ordered 21,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan this year, bringing the total by the end of 2009 to a record 68,000. Combined with other NATO troops, more than 100,000 Western forces will be in the country.
The senators also said more U.S. civilian power was necessary to help develop Afghanistan and keep regions from falling back into Taliban hands once military operations cease.
They said they were aware that the Taliban were trying to disrupt the voting process, but that the election was critical to Afghanistan's evolution as a democracy.
However Sen. Lindsey Graham warned that whoever wins must eliminate corruption, help establish rule of law and push forward on economic development.
"One of the reasons the Taliban have re-emerged is that the government has failed the Afghan people," said the South Carolina Republican. "I've been coming here for years and almost no one I know of of importance has ever gone to jail. And there is a lot of corruption in this country. So once the elections are over a lot of hard work begins by Americans and by Afghans and our NATO partners."
Also on the trip were Sens. Joe Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut, and Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine.
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Female Marine from the Black Sheep Squadron VMA-214 lead the way

from the Marine Corps Times:

Female Marines key to reaching Afghan women
By Alfred de Montesquiou - The Associated PressPosted : Friday Aug 14, 2009 14:51:52 EDT

KHAWJA JAMAL, Afghanistan — Put on body armor, check weapons, cover head and shoulders with a scarf. That was the drill for female American Marines who set out on patrol this week with a mission to make friends with Afghan women in a war zone by showing respect for Muslim standards of modesty. The all-female unit of 46 Marines is the military’s latest innovation in its rivalry with the Taliban for the populace’s loyalty. Afghan women are viewed as good intelligence sources, and more open to the basics of the military’s hearts-and-minds effort — hygiene, education and an end to the violence. “It’s part of the effort to show we’re sensitive to local culture,” said VMA-214 Capt. Jennifer Gregoire, of East Strasburg, Pa. She leads the Female Engagement Team in the Now Zad Valley of Helmand province, the heartland of the Taliban insurgency. “If you show your hair, its kind of like seeing a nude picture here, because women are very covered up,” she said. Women are technically barred from combat units in the Marines, and some infantrymen have been surprised to see them in brightly colored head scarves under their helmets, deployed in the most intense combat zones in the country. “But ... I think they understand that what we’re doing is vital to operations and vital to the counterinsurgency program they want to run,” said Gregoire. Women soldiers were assigned to search women at checkpoints in Iraq, and the experience fed into the Afghan effort, said Cpl. Sarah Furrer, from Colorado Springs, Colo., who served in both war zones. “I’m not married and I don’t have children, so they think that’s awkward because I’m 24,” Furrer said of her Iraq experience. But as a result, “we’re not so much afraid of engaging the women” in Afghanistan, she said. “I’ve found you get great intel from the female population,” said Capt. Zachary Martin, who commands the Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, stationed in Now Zad. “The women don’t want their men out there conducting jihad and getting killed.” Martin said units have frequently received tips from women about weapons caches or hidden bombs. But just to find the women is a challenge. There were none in sight as Gregoire’s team entered Khwaja Jamal, a village of mud brick homes with no electricity or government presence. While heavily armed Marines fanned out, the four women started by trying to strike up conversations with the few old men and young children who ventured outdoors. The several hundred villagers grow wheat and opium poppies in the crossfire between Marines and Taliban fighters who are in the woods less than a mile away. “They look at us through binoculars. They’ll kill anybody who talks to the Americans,” said Abdul Gayom to explain why the villagers were so wary of meeting the patrol. 1st Lt. Victoria Sherwood was undaunted, talking to him through her Afghan translator. She gave him painkillers for his back, and small presents for the children timidly clustering around. Some of them begged to try on her sunglasses, and promptly made off with them. Sherwood, from Woodbury, Conn., got Gayom to promise he might let her into his compound to meet his wife, who he said with a shrug is “so old, the Taliban probably won’t care.” But there was a snag: The translator was male. Could he be in the wife’s presence? “No way,” said Gayom, then asked the Marines for more medicine and goods. Deeper in the village, an elderly woman eventually appeared on a doorstep. Gusha Halam claimed she was 120 — so old she could do what she pleased. Her black head scarf left her wrinkled face uncovered and revealed some hair, dyed bright orange with henna. “The Taliban took everything from us. Make them leave,” Halam said, before her sons and grandsons arrived, stopped the conversation and hustled her indoors.

Unbelievable is all I can say... sad story

Crash kills father of fallen Marine Jonathan Stroud

Buzz up!

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

Published: August 13, 2009

HALTOM CITY, Texas — The father of a Cashion Marine who died in Afghanistan was killed in a motorcycle accident Tuesday, three days after his son was buried. Billy Stroud of Bedford, Texas, died from injuries he received when his motorcycle was hit from behind by a car driven by a woman suspected of driving drunk, police said Wednesday. He had just bought the motorcycle on Monday, a friend said. Services were held for Stroud’s son, Lance Cpl. Jonathan Stroud, in Cashion on Saturday. The 2007 Cashion High School graduate was killed while on patrol July 30. Billy Stroud, a 56-year-old architectural engineer, died about 2 p.m. at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, according to the Tarrant County medical examiner’s office. He died from multiple trauma and being run over by the car. The accident happened about about 10:30 a.m. in the 5800 block of Belknap Street near Denton Highway.

"He had just bought the motorcycle on Monday,” said his friend, Dorothy Kuhlman of North Richland Hills. "He had had motorcycles before, so he was experienced with them. He said he was going out for a ride.”

Tammy Sue Stegall, 50, of Haltom City was arraigned Wednesday on a charge of murder because she has two previous driving-while-intoxicated convictions. She was in the Haltom City jail with bail set at $500,000.

from newsOK.com

A blog you might find interesting

http://afghanistanmylasttour.com/

It's a blog by an Air Force SMSgt Rex Temple (and his wife)
This is the type of blog that I had hoped my USMC son could have done...

US Marines Harrier jets support Marines on the ground

photo by Julie Jacobson (AP)

Marines assault Taliban town in Afghanistan
By ALFRED de MONTESQUIOU (AP) – 1 hour ago
DAHANEH, Afghanistan — Helicopter-borne U.S. Marines backed by Harrier jets stormed a Taliban-held town in southern Afghanistan before dawn Wednesday, the launch of a new operation to uproot Taliban fighters from a longtime base and provide security for next week's presidential election. The troops exchanged heavy fire with insurgents, killing at least seven in an offensive they hoped would also cut Taliban supply lines and isolate their fighters. Associated Press journalists traveling with the first wave said militants fired small arms, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades after helicopters dropped the troops over Taliban lines. Fighting lasted more than eight hours, as Harrier jets streaked overhead and dropped flares in a show of force. The Taliban put up such fierce resistance that Marines said they suspected the militants knew the assault was coming. Other Marines met heavy resistance as they fought to seize control of the mountains surrounding Dahaneh in the southern province of Helmand. Another convoy of Marines rolled into the town despite roadside bomb attacks and gunfire. It was the first time NATO troops had entered Dahaneh, which has been under Taliban control for years. U.S., NATO and Afghan troops are working to protect voting sites around the country so Afghans can take part in the country's second-ever direct presidential election on Aug. 20. Taliban militants have vowed to disrupt the elections, and attacks are on the rise. Marines said they killed between seven and 10 militants in Wednesday's push and seized about 66 pounds (30 kilograms) of opium, which the militants use to finance their insurgency. Troops hope to restore control of the town so that residents can vote in the election. The new offensive, named "Eastern Resolve 2," is designed to break the monthslong stalemate in this southern valley where the Taliban are solidly entrenched. By occupying Dahaneh, the Marines hope to isolate insurgents in woods and mountains, away from civilian centers. "I think this has the potential to be a watershed," said Capt. Zachary Martin, commander of Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, who led the assault. The goal is to cut off the Taliban from a major rear base, and reclaim the area's market district. It is hoped this would have a ripple effect through nearby villages, making civilians more willing to cooperate with NATO forces. The Taliban levy taxes and maintain checkpoints in Dahaneh, which serves as a main trading route through northern Helmand, which produces 60 percent of the world's opium. "In the long term, it could have tremendous effects for the entire province," said Martin, whose company is based in Naw Zad, five miles (10 kilometers) to the north. A combined force of some 500 U.S. and Afghan troops took part in the attack, which included helicopters, snipers, and female Marines brought in to interact with Afghan women during the compound-by-compound search conducted by Afghan forces who accompanied the Americans. The Marines arrived in helicopters under cover of darkness, but at morning light, militants unleashed their weapons. Marines cried out "Incoming!" as the whistles of Taliban rockets approached. A heavy rocket targeted a Marine outpost, but flew over the small base, while a mortar round landed just 20 yards (meters) from a Humvee on the town's outskirts. "Just a few meters further and I'd be dead," said Corp. Joshua Jackson, 23, from Copley, Ohio, after one round landed nearby. Progress into the town was slowed by a heavy machine gun the Taliban had in one of the streets. Militants also brought in a truck to fire heavy missiles. Marines said the Taliban's reputation for firing poorly aimed shots and fleeing had not proved true here. "This is a Taliban home down here, so for once they're not running," said Lance Corp. Garett Davidson, 24, of West Desmorins, Iowa. Fighting was made harder for the Marines by the fact insurgents were shooting from house rooftops and courtyards, potentially putting civilians in danger. But civilians — perhaps 100 — were seen fleeing on foot in the early morning, leaving the Marines confident that those left in the town were militants. Martin said the Marines would strictly limit the type of weapons they used and would stick to a "proportional response" when under fire to limit civilian casualties.
After militants fired volleys of rockets from a mud-wall compound, the Marines called in a missile strike, and Capt. Zachary Martin said seven to 10 militants inside were killed. No civilians were inside, he said. "We were tracking these individuals, they were there ... and then boom, and they weren't there," Martin said. Martin confirmed suspicions among the Marines that the fierce resistance indicated that the Taliban had been tipped off about the operation beforehand. "I'm pretty sure they knew of it in advance," he said. Once the second largest-town in Helmand, Naw Zad has been almost emptied of its 30,000 inhabitants after three years of near-constant fighting. Taliban lines begin barely a mile (a kilometer) from the Marines' forward operating base, set amid minefields with hundreds of homemade explosives. By occupying Dahaneh, the Marines say they can outflank the insurgents in Naw Zad valley and isolate them in woods and mountains. By late morning a contingent of Afghan Army soldiers had driven into the section of the town now controlled by the Marines, and some Marines were preparing to head out for the first NATO patrol ever in Dahaneh. It planned to reach out to civilians possibly huddled in their homes as sporadic but fierce outbursts of intense gunfire continued through the morning. The target at the start of the operation was two suspected Taliban compounds, which were raided commando-style by a group of Marines dropped behind enemy lines. A second group drove in from the Marines' main base in Naw Zad. Their goal was to secure what Marines have been calling "The Devil's Pass," a narrow passage between two steep hills that controls the entrance to the Naw Zad district. The offensive follows "Eastern Resolve 1," which was the Marines' initial push out of Naw Zad in early spring. This first move was of limited effect, because U.S. troops were too thinly spread at the time to control areas they managed to claim from insurgents. Casualties have mounted as U.S. and NATO troops ramp up military operations following President Barack Obama's decision to deploy 21,000 more American forces to Afghanistan this year to cope with the rising Taliban insurgency. Last month, U.S. and NATO deaths from roadside and suicide bomb blasts in Afghanistan soared six-fold compared with the same month last year, as militants detonated the highest number of bombs of the eight-year war, according to figures released Tuesday.
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

sorry about no new posts lately

I've been very busy with the work effort and it will last another week, so please hang in there... we will post as much as possible as quickly as I can...

'America's Battalion' In Afghanistan on NPR

David Gilkey/NPR - Marine Sgt. Maj. Robert Breeden at Camp Leatherneck
in Afghanistan June 12, 2009. Back at Camp Lejeune, N.C., his wife, Barbara,
organized a drive for donations to send the Marines on deployment.


NPR has a reporter embedded with The Marines of the 2nd Battalion, 8th Regiment — known as "America's Battalion" and has reports periodically from the field: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105411007 if you haven't bookmarked this site you probably will...

US Marines Echo and Fox Companies in Helmand Afghanistan

One of our facebook friends from Italy - Filippo Ferrero - passed on to us the location of this youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_WQ8tbeQqI

David Guttenfelder - AP Photographer

from the NY Times: http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/21/assignment-4/

David Guttenfelder is a photgrapher who has been out in the hot spots -

where people dread being there or are excited to be... or both -

check out the Lens blog from the NY Times at the link above