Friday, July 05, 2019

Monthly Archive

May 2009

Welcome to our Archives page. On this page you will find a total of 48 of our articles broken down into Months and Years.

01 May

5759

Ledeen: Who speaks for veterans?

30 April 2009 Their reputations and interests are left undefended The Washington Times By Gabe Ledeen / Thursday, April 30, 2009 Commentary: In its second major misstep with veterans in as many m... read more..

01 May

7917

May Day

01 May 2009Borneo IslandDay thirteen of tracking was a live fire exercise with assault rifles. All seventeen students have repeatedly demonstrated that they can track other men through miles of varyi read more..

02 May

9906

Mysterious Places

02 May 2009A quick email Borneo Island:Jungles are mysterious places. There was a small, round stone on the ground. The coarse grey orb was larger than a marble but smaller than a golf ball. Two st read more..

04 May

7702

Days 14 & 15

A Quick EmailDay 1404 May 2009Brunei, Borneo IslandTesting for the combat tracking course began today. Just around sunrise, the students were given a mission. Their combat gear was ready, and helico... read more..

05 May

8156

Tracking School: Day 16

05 May 2009In 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 read more..

07 May

7214

Bird's Nest

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 specie... read more..

07 May

10720

“Tuning In”

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 ... read more..

08 May

8210

Making Tracks

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 d... read more..

08 May

7772

Sad News from Borneo

08 May 2009Gurkhas 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 com read more..

Taliban-Style Justice Stirs Growing Anger

10 May

5882

Taliban-Style Justice Stirs Growing Anger

Sharia Being Perverted, Pakistanis SayBy Pamela ConstableWashington Post Foreign ServiceSunday, May 10, 2009ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 9 -- When black-turbaned Taliban fighters demanded in Jan read more..

11 May

7224

Pitcher Plant

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, ... read more..

11 May

13388

Gurkha

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 Proph... read more..

11 May

18421

Gurkha II

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 ... read more..

12 May

7826

New Boss for Afghan Fight

11 May 2009The 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 h read more..

12 May

6403

To Be Young and Afghan

12 May 2009 It's time to leave Borneo and start the journey back to the war. The time spent with the British Army here was very well spent. I hope to cover them again in Afghanistan.& read more..

84 Afghan girls hospitalized in apparent poisoning

12 May

6886

84 Afghan girls hospitalized in apparent poisoning

By AMIR SHAH and HEIDI VOGTMUHMUD RAQI, Afghanistan (AP) — At least 84 Afghan schoolgirls were admitted to a hospital Tuesday for headaches and vomiting in the third apparent poison attack o read more..

Gates, Petraeus, McKiernan, McChrystal and Rodriguez

13 May

11455

Gates, Petraeus, McKiernan, McChrystal and Rodriguez

13 May 2009BorneoAgain, 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 a read more..

13 May

11408

Gurkha III

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 ex... read more..

15 May

8197

General Lee Returns

14 May 2009During 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 s read more..

15 May

6846

McCaffrey: Wise Words on Afghanistan

Big changes underway in Afghanistan. I'll be there. ... read more..

US predicts 50 percent spike in Afghan IEDs

16 May

5527

US predicts 50 percent spike in Afghan IEDs

16 May 2009 By JASON STRAZIUSO BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan (AP) — Strategically buried in the middle of dirt roads, packed in culverts and attached to trip wires, a heightened hidden danger awai read more..

Afghanistan: Security Raised at Kandahar Airfield

16 May

6733

Afghanistan: Security Raised at Kandahar Airfield

16 May 2009As 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 co read more..

Military Amends Directive for Contractors to Wear Body Armor

17 May

6326

Military Amends Directive for Contractors to Wear Body Armor

Sunday, 17 May 2009The 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 dire... read more..

18 May

6539

PakAf: Sickest Story of the Month

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 ... read more..

18 May

7468

Bob Gates: Secretary of War

18 May 2009Bob 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 fir read more..

18 May

5700

Swine Flu: A Spot Report

18 May 2009Concerns 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 schedule read more..

Philippines: Savages Behead Poor 61-year-old Carpenter

18 May

6470

Philippines: Savages Behead Poor 61-year-old Carpenter

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 goo... read more..

19 May

7764

Blackfive

19 May 2009Blackfive 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 m read more..

19 May

19844

Tracking Afghanistan

19 May 2009 American Special Operations Forces are eager to receive tracking training, but very few attain any tracking skills that extend much beyond common experience. This reality translates read more..

20 May

11481

A Few Helicopter Night Shots

20 May 2009A quick email as I pack to return to the war. Please excuse the roughness; I can write more dispatches if the reader will kindly accept the rough edges:Nighttime in the warzones can be a b read more..

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