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- Published: Tuesday, 19 May 2009 04:39
19 May 2009
Blackfive is an All-American organization all the time. For years now, the writers at Blackfive have been doing what's right by our country, our military, and normal people like you and me.
Please see the latest important initiative from Blackfive, and as the Memorial Day approaches, remember that our great Nation was not built by the government, but by the people.
Warrior Legacy Foundation
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- Published: Monday, 18 May 2009 15:56
Terrorists who run from real soldiers don't hesitate to blow up kids in Iraq, poison girls in Afghanistan, and behead helpless captives in the Philippines. The long security lines at airports are good places to remember the orphans of 9/11.
Read more: Philippines: Savages Behead Poor 61-year-old Carpenter
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- Published: Monday, 18 May 2009 15:52
18 May 2009
Concerns over swine flu can cause unexpected travel delays. Recently, more than 150 British service members were quarantined for at least one day when they arrived in Brunei for a scheduled training exercise. The U.K. has excellent relations with Brunei, but nobody has excellent relations with swine flu.
Read more: Swine Flu: A Spot Report
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- Published: Monday, 18 May 2009 15:36
18 May 2009
Bob Gates is a straight-talker. He's not glossing over anything or trying to put lipstick on a screeching pig. We saw this happening some years ago before he took office. Back when I first went to the war, I didn't trust the U.S. government any further than I could see with my own eyes. The lies and half-truths flowed from Washington D.C. like the mighty Mississippi. Nothing much has changed in that regard; today more than ever, I don't trust "the government" to be truthful with us.
Read more: Bob Gates: Secretary of War
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- Published: Monday, 18 May 2009 03:24
As we pour money into Pakistan, Pakistan apparently is pouring money into producing more nuclear weapons. I've been inappropriately calling this rumbling volcano the "AfPak" war, when it should more accurately be called "PakAf." Afghanistan per se is tantamount to being irrelevant, but is made relevant due to its proximity to the real battlefront: Pakistan. The PakAf war stands every chance to overshadow anything we saw in Iraq. It can be argued that our primary reason for this war no longer is al Qaeda, but Pakistan's nuclear arsenal that we are, in essence, helping to fund. The Indians must be fuming, and rightfully so. Of course the Chinese and Russians and Iranians and many others are watching. Einstein was quoted as saying that he didn't know with what weapons World War III would be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones. This would sit well with the Taliban and al Qaeda. At this rate, the meek truly shall inherit the earth.
Read more: PakAf: Sickest Story of the Month
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- Published: Sunday, 17 May 2009 13:37
Sunday, 17 May 2009
The military has amended a recent directive that civilian contractors at Kandahar Airfield must wear body armor while outdoors, even while on base. Among other issues that the directive failed to consider, most civilian contractors who never leave base probably have no body armor. In fact, I know contractors who regularly leave base without armor of any sort. Afghan police have stolen body armor from some contractors. Often, the only security some contractors have derives from traveling low profile. During late 2008, I was a passenger for approximately a thousand miles around Afghanistan. We drove in a regular unarmored vehicle. There were no dramas.
Happy Sunday,
Michael
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- Published: Saturday, 16 May 2009 16:54
16 May 2009
As the troops swell in and the desert mercury rises, contractors are told to wear body armor on base and carry their IDs at all times.
See this email from a military contracting office to contractors:
Read more: Afghanistan: Security Raised at Kandahar Airfield
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- Published: Friday, 15 May 2009 01:48
14 May 2009
During Operation Arrowhead Ripper in Iraq, I got to know Lieutenant Brad Krauss and his crew. They had fought in many places around Iraq and were nearing the end of their tours. His men showed great respect for their Stryker vehicle, which is normal for soldiers who use great gear. Soldiers often name their weapons and vehicles, but this crew had a particular reverence for the “General Lee,” which by this time had been blown up so badly that it eventually was hauled back to the United States. Back in 2007, I wrote about the crew and the General Lee, which landed on FoxNews.com. The reputation of the General Lee and its crew kept going from there. Recently, I got an email from a high ranking soldier along with some photos of the General Lee. One of the photos included civilians who keep the Strykers rolling. And so I contacted the now Captain Brad Krauss (promoted from lieutenant) asking if he would write a few words about his crew and the General Lee. Brad’s a bit modest about all the fighting they really did. They had a full-on combat tour in Iraq, helping to break al Qaeda’s back in various cities, such as this recounting in “Surrender or Die.”
Read more: General Lee Returns
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- Published: Wednesday, 13 May 2009 23:29
The Gurkha soldiers started at midnight. Each man carried between 80-100 lbs for the eight mile walk to the assembly point. They would attack at first light. Most of the men carried two 81mm high explosive mortar rounds for a total of 40 rounds. They would be tactical which would make the going more difficult, but these men are rugged and the movement itself would be nothing to them. I’ve seen their relatives in Nepal carry more than twice that weight for days on end, high in the Himalaya up to maybe 17,000 feet. Often the porters don’t wear shoes, if you give shoes to them they will say thank you and then sell the shoes. One Gurkha soldier told me that he must walk four days from the road to get to his home.
Read more: Gurkha III
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- Published: Wednesday, 13 May 2009 12:58
13 May 2009
Borneo
Again, this is a quick email. The Gurkhas here in Brunei just conducted a live fire training exercise. They walked half the night carrying between 80-100lbs, mostly ammo, and made an assault at first light.
Every British officer I talk with asks what in the world happened with General McKiernan, and why was his relief performed so publicly. I do not know. And I do not personally know General McKiernan. I do know that these ears have never heard someone speak a foul word about him, and I talk with lots of interesting people. If he, McKiernan, was a bad general I would have heard about it.
Read more: Gates, Petraeus, McKiernan, McChrystal and Rodriguez
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- Published: Tuesday, 12 May 2009 02:16
11 May 2009
The inbox is full this morning. General McKiernan, our top leader in Afghanistan, is to be replaced. National Review Online and others have asked me for comment. Am in between training here in Borneo so there is no time for much, but I did send this to NRO:
"In December 2008, I saw General McKiernan briefing Secretary Gates in Afghanistan. That's as close as I've come to General McKiernan. Though I do not personally know General McKiernan, I have heard only positive reports about him. His replacement, Lieutenant General Stanley McChrystal, has an outstanding reputation in the special operations community. McChrystal has a solid reputation for knowing the fight. Unfortunately, though our special operators are the best in the world at the fight, they only stumble and fumble with the press. With media, our special operations forces are clueless and self-defeating. This is crucial. McChrystal can win every fight on the ground and still lose the war. Time will reveal whether McChrystal can adapt and win."
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- Published: Monday, 11 May 2009 23:50
Today’s mission included moving to capture some bomb makers. What the Gurkhas did not know was that the action they thought they were moving to was not the actual training. The real training was to be an attack on them that would occur along the way. Major Will Kefford, the commander of C coy, continues to throw unexpected curveballs at the men. Nothing is sacred. Everything is a trick.
Before we set off, Major Kefford said to me something like, “See that man on the ground over there? That’s Agnish. He got the Military Cross in Afghanistan on the last tour. Very good man.” I asked about other awards and Major Kefford said that men from the 1st Royal Gurkha Rifles received five Military Crosses on that deployment and they were awarded by the Queen.
Read more: Gurkha II
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- Published: Monday, 11 May 2009 04:22
Some years ago, American soldiers would complain that their training for deployment to Iraq was terrible. They would tell me that the training often was irrelevant, or simply wrong. Major Mary Prophit told me back in 2005 that according to her training, Iraqis were likely to yell at her or ignore her because she’s a woman. Yet it was a fact that Major Prophit got along just fine. I saw with my own eyes. The Iraqi soldiers liked working with her, and would take direction from her. But those were the early days. Now, American soldiers tell me that their training for Iraq and Afghanistan is relevant, accurate, and excellent.
Read more: Gurkha
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- Published: Monday, 11 May 2009 03:01
The British tracking school had us traipsing through miles of jungle, swamps and areas that looked similar to parts of Afghanistan. Along the way were many special plants and creatures. In Florida, it was always special to see pitcher plants. But here in Borneo, we passed by countless thousands. In Florida, the pitcher plants I have seen all grow from the ground, while here in Borneo the pitcher plants I have seen grow from vines. This one is on the ground, but appeared to have fallen off a vine from overhead.
Read more: Pitcher Plant
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- Published: Friday, 08 May 2009 12:16
08 May 2009
Gurkhas in the British Army are training to return to Afghanistan. I’ve been invited to train alongside them. There is a sense of realism in the unit, probably because, as the British commander told me, about a third of the soldiers are combat veterans. During these war games, the enemy (also British soldiers) is given free reign. They can attack anyway they wish – without breaking the law, of course. They are not permitted to, say, steal a helicopter to attack. Just about everything else is game. If the British enemy wages a successful attack against the British defenders, they get a day off from training and lots of bragging rights. The commander told me that one time, they put the soldiers into the jungle and gave them three days to “kill” as many enemy as possible. The winner would get time off. Apparently it was three days of cat-like “combat,” with soldiers tracking and counter-tracking, ambushes and so on and so forth. One group ran out of ammo so they tried a deception by slinging their weapons over their shoulders. They got non-tactical and crashed through the jungle toward the helicopter landing site. Another group had sneaked up to the site and were defending it. The plan was to act like the exercise was over, and get close to the defending soldiers, then beat them up or whatever, and take their weapons. The Brits play rough. But the group with ammo (blanks) didn’t fall for it, and shot them.
Read more: Sad News from Borneo
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- Published: Friday, 08 May 2009 03:46
The tracking school ended on Day 17. The full course is scheduled for 21 days, but the final four days are admin. A new class has arrived and begins on Monday. I’ll go through the first couple of days with the new class, and will get a couple more days training with the dogs. Another group of British soldiers is training for deployment to Afghanistan. I’ll start training with them this afternoon.
Read more: Making Tracks
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- Published: Thursday, 07 May 2009 05:12
The helicopter lifted off at about 0737hrs, Borneo time. Our “mission” would begin deep in the jungle where, yesterday, a helicopter pilot had spotted several men crossing a clearing on a ridge that marks the border between the countries of Malaysia and Brunei. When the men spotted the helicopter they disappeared into the jungle. Some miles away, an ambush had occurred leaving one dead and several wounded, and so the commander decided to check out the pilot’s hunch that these men might have been involved. A tracking team was dispatched.
Read more: “Tuning In”
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- Published: Thursday, 07 May 2009 03:11
This nest was about four feet off the ground, deep in a jungle on the Brunei-Malaysia border. It appeared to be made from spiderweb and straw. I came across it yesterday and have no idea what species of bird made it. I photographed the nest and left immediately.
Read more: Bird's Nest
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- Published: Tuesday, 05 May 2009 12:38
05 May 2009
In order to “burst” back the salient points of this combat tracking course, I must return each day, worn out from training, and stream back the information without editing. I’ve taken many photos but there is no time to upload images while still cleaning gear each day, and hoping to get a few winks before returning to the course. My hope is that the reader will forgive any sloppiness in exchange for more raw information.
The final three days of testing involve three separate tracks, and since we are divided into three groups, the groups simply alternate scenarios. I am actually alternating groups and scenarios, so that I go with all three groups, and do all three test scenarios.
Read more: Tracking School: Day 16
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- Published: Monday, 04 May 2009 12:59
A Quick Email
Day 14
04 May 2009
Brunei, Borneo Island
Testing for the combat tracking course began today. Just around sunrise, the students were given a mission. Their combat gear was ready, and helicopter transport was only about one minute’s walk away.
Before I boarded the helicopter, Major Dean Williams handed me a printout of a story describing how we just lost more U.S. soldiers in Mosul. It was bad news to start the day, and there were other reports about our losses in Afghanistan. Reports from the wars are nearly always so vague as to border on meaningless, other than a few sad statements.
Read more: Days 14 & 15
