The Denver Post has a lot of fantastic D-Day photos you have to check out.(AP Photo)
Thanks Riley!
Showing posts with label War. Show all posts
Showing posts with label War. Show all posts
Bill and Buck Pattillo - WWII Veterans Reunited with their Warbirds
Two P-51 pilots reunite with their warbirds
Most times when you look forward to a big event that is years in the making and is the culmination of a tremendous amount of time work, it can be a big letdown. This was not the case at Oshkosh this year. The airshow and our time with these two WWII legends far exceeded even my wildest dreams. They were AWESOME. Funny, lively, and absolute gentleman. When people speak of the Greatest Generation, I now know what they mean. It is Bill and Buck Pattillo they are referring to. These men are warriors and patriots, and it was a special honor to meet them and spend so much time in their company.
I could write a novel about the stories they told (Bill being shot down in Sweet and Lovely, the POW marches he was led on, Buck bailing out of airplanes on fire, his engine flaming out on takeoff in a plane loaded with napalm, the formation of the Thunderbirds demonstration team, and on and on...) but I'll just get right to a few pictures.
This is the moment Buck Pattillo saw his Little Rebel for the first time in 64 years. The last time he stood next to his P-51 was in England in 1945.
When he arrived at the airplane, a silence came over the crowd and everyone backed away to give him time and space. He was very quiet, and at first would touch just the wing and the drop tank. I have my back to the camera in that red shirt. I encouraged Buck to stand up next to the nose of his airplane and touch it. He did that, and when he turned back to face the crowd, the cameras and flash bulbs came alive. It was a special moment.
We gave Buck his space, and he slowly made his way around the Mustang. "This is my airplane," he said softly. "This is just how she looked."
Buck is in the middle, I am at the left. The airplane's owner/builder/pilot is at the right. The emotion on Buck's face is apparent.
As we worked around the airplane to the other side, I opened up the gun bay for Buck to peer inside. He placed his hands inside and touched one of the Browning .50 caliber machine guns. Once again, it was a very poignant moment.
"Now these aren't live are they?" he asked.
"No, they won't fire," I said. "We didn't want any funny business between you two brothers when we took you flying."
"Good," he responded with a hearty laugh. "Sweet and Lovely is a beautiful airplane. I'd hate to shoot it down."
The next few pictures need some set up. What we did was re-create a 65-year old photograph. This picture, featuring the Pattillo brothers was taken in Bodney , England in 1944.
65 years later, we found the old, original pilot gear and re-staged the scene. The crowd around the airplane as we set this up was incredible.
These guys were 20 years old flying around in England during WWII. They had wild fun then, and they continue to have fun today.
Here is a shot of Bill Pattillo in front of his WWII mount, Sweet and Lovely.
The two Generals together.
Bill on the left with his Sweet and Lovely hat, Buck on the right with his Little Rebel hat:
After the initial rush died down, we asked Buck to sign his name to the rudder:
Two years ago, when Bill saw Sweet and Lovely for the very first time, he also signed his rudder:
587,000 people attended Oshkosh this year, but these guys seemed to be the center of attention. It was like hanging out with rock stars.
On Saturday, the two airplanes and the brothers were featured in the "Warbirds in Review" program. We pushed the planes up on the stage and a standing room only crowd flooded in to hear the pilots speak.
The best part of the week was Friday night. We put each brother in the back seat of his own airplane and took them flying.
I think this flight turned the clock back 20 years in their lives. Their excitement and ear-to-ear grins were second in size only to mine. In the full-resolution version of these pictures, you can easily read the thrill on their faces.
Some more on the Pattillo brothers:
Maj. Gen. Cuthbert A. "Bill" Pattillo - Pilot
487th Fighter Squadron, 352nd Fighter Group
United States Air Force Thunderbird #3
A Distinguished Veteran
Cuthbert "Bill" Pattillo and his twin brother, Charles, were born seven minutes apart on June 3, 1924, in Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated from Atlanta Technical High School in 1942, and enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in November, 1942 as an aviation cadet. After receiving training in the P-40 Warhawk (specifications), he received his pilot wings and commission as a second lieutenant at Marianna, Florida, in March, 1944. He went to the European Theater and was assigned to the 487th Fighter Squadron, 352nd Fighter Group, the famous "Bluenosed Bastards of Bodney". He flew 35 combat missions in the P-51D Mustang (specifications ), (HO-Y), number 44-11556, which he called "Sweet and Lovely". He shot down an ME-262 on April 10, 1945. On April 16, 1945, he destroyed six and damaged one enemy aircraft on the ground while strafing an airdrome near Straubing, Germany, and was later shot down by ground flak. He crashed landed in a farmer's plowed field, and became a POW until the end of the war. He was released from active duty in December, 1945, and he and his brother enrolled as engineering students at the Georgia Institute of Technology. While attending school, he participated in the Reserve Military Program as a flight commander of the 54th Fighter Wing of the Georgia National Guard, flying the P-47 Thunderbolt.
'Bill' Pattillo with brother 'Buck' Pattillo
Air Demonstration Teams:
In February, 1948, he was recalled to active duty as a P-51 pilot, and was assigned to the 31st Fighter Group in Albany, Georgia. He was assigned with his brother as P-80 pilots to the 36th Fighter Group, Furstenfeldbruck, Germany, and while there, he and his brother assisted in organizing and flying with the USAF Europe Aerial Demonstration Team, the "Skyblazers", flying the P-80 and F-84. In October, 1952, he was assigned to Pinecastle Air Force Base, Florida, as a fighter gunnery instructor with the 3542nd Flying Training Squadron. In March, 1953, he was assigned to Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, as a fighter gunnery instructor along with his brother Charles.
They helped organize the original United States Air Force Aerial Demonstration Team, the "Thunderbirds." He flew right wing while his brother flew left wing.
Further Education and War
From July, 1956 to August, 1959, he first served as a tactical fighter squadron commander with the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing, and then with the 401st Tactical Fighter Wing, at England Air Force Base, Louisiana. In September, 1959, he entered the University of Colorado, and after earning a degree in mathematics, he joined the 4450th Standardization and Evaluation Group in Langley, Virginia. After completing his assignment to the Army War College in 1965, he was promoted to Colonel and assigned to the Headquarters Seventeenth Air Force, Ramstein, Germany. Upon this assignment, he and his twin brother were separated for the first time in over 23 years of military service. In March, 1967, he was assigned as Commander to the 36th Tactical Fighter Wing at Bitburg, Germany, flying the F-4 Phantom II. In March, 1968, as Vice Commander of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, he went to Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, and became the Commanding Officer of the wing in July, 1968. He flew 120 combat missions over Vietnam in the F-4. In 1969, he was promoted to Brigadier General and was Vice Commander of the Oklahoma City Material Area at Tinker Air Force Base. In November, 1971, he became deputy director for logistics, J-4, Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington, D.C. In September, 1973, he became Commander of the Lowry Technical Training Center at Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado, and then Vice Commander in Chief, Pacific Air Forces. On March 1, 1979, he was promoted to Lt. General, and was the Deputy Commander in Chief, U.S. Readiness Command at MacDill Air Force Base. He retired from active duty in 1981.
Medals and Awards
Lt. General Pattillo was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster, Air Medal with 10 oak leaf clusters, Department of Defense Distinguished Service Medal with one Bronze Service Star (BSS), Air Force Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters, Army Commendation Medal, Distinguished Unit Citation emblem with oak leaf cluster, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, Republic of Vietnam Air Force Distinguished Service Order 2nd Class, French Croix de Guerre with palm, and Air Force pilot wings – Nicaragua – Brazil – China – Peru.
More on "Sweet and Lovely:"
http://www.mustangsmustangs.com/p-51/survivors/pages/44-73279.shtml
Most times when you look forward to a big event that is years in the making and is the culmination of a tremendous amount of time work, it can be a big letdown. This was not the case at Oshkosh this year. The airshow and our time with these two WWII legends far exceeded even my wildest dreams. They were AWESOME. Funny, lively, and absolute gentleman. When people speak of the Greatest Generation, I now know what they mean. It is Bill and Buck Pattillo they are referring to. These men are warriors and patriots, and it was a special honor to meet them and spend so much time in their company.
I could write a novel about the stories they told (Bill being shot down in Sweet and Lovely, the POW marches he was led on, Buck bailing out of airplanes on fire, his engine flaming out on takeoff in a plane loaded with napalm, the formation of the Thunderbirds demonstration team, and on and on...) but I'll just get right to a few pictures.
This is the moment Buck Pattillo saw his Little Rebel for the first time in 64 years. The last time he stood next to his P-51 was in England in 1945.
When he arrived at the airplane, a silence came over the crowd and everyone backed away to give him time and space. He was very quiet, and at first would touch just the wing and the drop tank. I have my back to the camera in that red shirt. I encouraged Buck to stand up next to the nose of his airplane and touch it. He did that, and when he turned back to face the crowd, the cameras and flash bulbs came alive. It was a special moment.
We gave Buck his space, and he slowly made his way around the Mustang. "This is my airplane," he said softly. "This is just how she looked."
Buck is in the middle, I am at the left. The airplane's owner/builder/pilot is at the right. The emotion on Buck's face is apparent.
As we worked around the airplane to the other side, I opened up the gun bay for Buck to peer inside. He placed his hands inside and touched one of the Browning .50 caliber machine guns. Once again, it was a very poignant moment.
"Now these aren't live are they?" he asked.
"No, they won't fire," I said. "We didn't want any funny business between you two brothers when we took you flying."
"Good," he responded with a hearty laugh. "Sweet and Lovely is a beautiful airplane. I'd hate to shoot it down."
The next few pictures need some set up. What we did was re-create a 65-year old photograph. This picture, featuring the Pattillo brothers was taken in Bodney , England in 1944.
65 years later, we found the old, original pilot gear and re-staged the scene. The crowd around the airplane as we set this up was incredible.
These guys were 20 years old flying around in England during WWII. They had wild fun then, and they continue to have fun today.
Here is a shot of Bill Pattillo in front of his WWII mount, Sweet and Lovely.
The two Generals together.
Bill on the left with his Sweet and Lovely hat, Buck on the right with his Little Rebel hat:
After the initial rush died down, we asked Buck to sign his name to the rudder:
Two years ago, when Bill saw Sweet and Lovely for the very first time, he also signed his rudder:
587,000 people attended Oshkosh this year, but these guys seemed to be the center of attention. It was like hanging out with rock stars.
On Saturday, the two airplanes and the brothers were featured in the "Warbirds in Review" program. We pushed the planes up on the stage and a standing room only crowd flooded in to hear the pilots speak.
The best part of the week was Friday night. We put each brother in the back seat of his own airplane and took them flying.
I think this flight turned the clock back 20 years in their lives. Their excitement and ear-to-ear grins were second in size only to mine. In the full-resolution version of these pictures, you can easily read the thrill on their faces.
Some more on the Pattillo brothers:
Maj. Gen. Cuthbert A. "Bill" Pattillo - Pilot
487th Fighter Squadron, 352nd Fighter Group
United States Air Force Thunderbird #3
A Distinguished Veteran
Cuthbert "Bill" Pattillo and his twin brother, Charles, were born seven minutes apart on June 3, 1924, in Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated from Atlanta Technical High School in 1942, and enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in November, 1942 as an aviation cadet. After receiving training in the P-40 Warhawk (specifications
'Bill' Pattillo with brother 'Buck' Pattillo
Air Demonstration Teams:
In February, 1948, he was recalled to active duty as a P-51 pilot, and was assigned to the 31st Fighter Group in Albany, Georgia. He was assigned with his brother as P-80 pilots to the 36th Fighter Group, Furstenfeldbruck, Germany, and while there, he and his brother assisted in organizing and flying with the USAF Europe Aerial Demonstration Team, the "Skyblazers", flying the P-80 and F-84. In October, 1952, he was assigned to Pinecastle Air Force Base, Florida, as a fighter gunnery instructor with the 3542nd Flying Training Squadron. In March, 1953, he was assigned to Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, as a fighter gunnery instructor along with his brother Charles.
They helped organize the original United States Air Force Aerial Demonstration Team, the "Thunderbirds." He flew right wing while his brother flew left wing.
Further Education and War
From July, 1956 to August, 1959, he first served as a tactical fighter squadron commander with the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing, and then with the 401st Tactical Fighter Wing, at England Air Force Base, Louisiana. In September, 1959, he entered the University of Colorado, and after earning a degree in mathematics, he joined the 4450th Standardization and Evaluation Group in Langley, Virginia. After completing his assignment to the Army War College in 1965, he was promoted to Colonel and assigned to the Headquarters Seventeenth Air Force, Ramstein, Germany. Upon this assignment, he and his twin brother were separated for the first time in over 23 years of military service. In March, 1967, he was assigned as Commander to the 36th Tactical Fighter Wing at Bitburg, Germany, flying the F-4 Phantom II. In March, 1968, as Vice Commander of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, he went to Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, and became the Commanding Officer of the wing in July, 1968. He flew 120 combat missions over Vietnam in the F-4. In 1969, he was promoted to Brigadier General and was Vice Commander of the Oklahoma City Material Area at Tinker Air Force Base. In November, 1971, he became deputy director for logistics, J-4, Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington, D.C. In September, 1973, he became Commander of the Lowry Technical Training Center at Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado, and then Vice Commander in Chief, Pacific Air Forces. On March 1, 1979, he was promoted to Lt. General, and was the Deputy Commander in Chief, U.S. Readiness Command at MacDill Air Force Base. He retired from active duty in 1981.
Medals and Awards
Lt. General Pattillo was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster, Air Medal with 10 oak leaf clusters, Department of Defense Distinguished Service Medal with one Bronze Service Star (BSS), Air Force Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters, Army Commendation Medal, Distinguished Unit Citation emblem with oak leaf cluster, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, Republic of Vietnam Air Force Distinguished Service Order 2nd Class, French Croix de Guerre with palm, and Air Force pilot wings – Nicaragua – Brazil – China – Peru.
More on "Sweet and Lovely:"
http://www.mustangsmustangs.com/p-51/survivors/pages/44-73279.shtml
FDR's Pearl Harbor Speech
To the Congress of the United StatesSee video footage of the Pearl Harbor attack here.
Yesterday, Dec. 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.
The United States was at peace with that nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with the government and its emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific.
Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in Oahu, the Japanese ambassador to the United States and his colleagues delivered to the Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. While this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or armed attack.
It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time, the Japanese government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.
The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. Very many American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.
Yesterday, the Japanese government also launched an attack against Malaya.
Last night, Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.
Last night, Japanese forces attacked Guam.
Last night, Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.
Last night, the Japanese attacked Wake Island.
This morning, the Japanese attacked Midway Island.
Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.
As commander in chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense.
Always will we remember the character of the onslaught against us.
No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.
I believe I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make very certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger us again.
Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger.
With confidence in our armed forces - with the unbounding determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph - so help us God.
I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, Dec. 7, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire.
Franklin Roosevelt
Chief Master Sgt. John Gebhardt - An American Hero
John Gebhardt's wife, Mindy, said that this little girl's entire family was executed. The insurgents intended to execute the little girl also, and shot her in the head, but they failed to kill her. She was cared for in John's hospital and is healing up, but continues to cry and moan. The nurses said John is the only one who seems to calm her down, so John has spent the last four nights holding her while they both slept in that chair. The girl is coming along with her healing.
He is a real hero, and represents what America is trying to do.
(Chief Master Sgt. John Gebhardt, was superintendent of the 22nd Wing Medical Group out of McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas. The picture was taken in October, 2006, while he was deployed to Balad Air Base in Iraq. The young girl had been shot in the head and had extensive injuries. The insurgents who shot her killed both of her parents and many of her siblings.)
He is a real hero, and represents what America is trying to do.
(Chief Master Sgt. John Gebhardt, was superintendent of the 22nd Wing Medical Group out of McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas. The picture was taken in October, 2006, while he was deployed to Balad Air Base in Iraq. The young girl had been shot in the head and had extensive injuries. The insurgents who shot her killed both of her parents and many of her siblings.)
Soldiers Are Rock Stars to Kurds - Don't Let Anyone Say the World Hates America
We shut the aircraft down and what we saw was 350 plus people ranging in ages from 6 months to old and gray standing silently at a fence watching our every movement. I walked around the nose of my aircraft a mere 150 feet away from this crowd, I gave a simple smile and raised my arm up over my head and was greeted with the most substantial roar of levity that I have ever heard in my life. 350 plus people were cheering. Not because I play an instrument in some notable band, acted in a big Hollywood movie, or wrote some famous novel. They were cheering because I am part of something bigger than that. I am part of a team made up of men and women who all wear a uniform of some kind symbolized by a colorful patch known as the Stars and Stripes. A team that helped liberate an entire culture of people almost killed off because they were different. Like the Americans were to the Jews we are to the Kurds.
Before I ramble anymore about this occasion I feel that I am obligated to expose you to what happened to these people. Halajba, the town we flew too, sits directly on the Iranian border. In fact almost a one quarter of the town is in Iran. During the 1980s there was a conflict known as the Iran/Iraq war. This city was at the frontlines of this battle. Historically speaking the Kurdish people have been oppressed and looked down upon by their Arab counterparts in Iraq because they are not Arabic. They are different. They are a melting pot of many different beliefs; their cultural heritage stems across every religion known to man. This diversity sets them apart and makes them great. Well Islamic Arabs known as Sunni and Shia don't have a good history of liking people who are different. The perfect illustration of this is the fact that the Sunni and Shia can't even agree on their own religion. Minor differences between these two branches such as how many times a day they pray, certain important figures in their history, and different holidays is grounds enough for them to not even like each other. Now the Kurds have always been at the bottom of this hierarchy; Saddam was a Sunni and for many years the Sunni Arabs had a good life. The Shia and Kurds were oppressed by this regime quite fiercely with the The Kurds receiving the brunt of it. During the Iran/Iraq war Saddam bombed many cities like this without remorse simply because they were Kurdish. Many ruined cityscapes still litter this country side from that conflict. If that wasn't enough in 1987 Saddam organized an operation completely aimed at eradicating or otherwise imprisoning every Kurd in the country. It began with interment into concentration style camps outside of the major cities. This was followed by the bombing of Kurdish cities. All this climaxed in 1988 when Saddam launched a massive chemical weapons attack which left over 5,000 fatalities in Halajba alone. The final toll of Kurdish fatalities ranged from 300,000 to 500,000 killed. Thousands more wounded and imprisoned. All this was because they were different.
Today was a side of the war that I had never before seen. I saw the fighting last time I was here. The tracers illuminating the night skies, the bombs and hellfires being dropped on insurgents while inserting fresh troops and pulling out the dead and wounded ones. I saw the fear and terror that people can leash upon one another. The awesome horrific sight of what firepower can do to soft skin targets of both friendlies and enemies. I was prepared to go to war again. To see and experience those horrific moments not often spoken about by those who were there. Today I stood in awe as I was thanked, not by a passerby at the airport or some restaurant I was eating at, but by an entire nation of people that we as a team helped save and preserve. Because of our efforts, which started after the first Gulf War to present, these people have emerged as a supreme culture of individuals at once on the brink of extinction. This is no longer a war as far as a traditional definition would go; it is about the people of Iraq now. It's not about bullets and bombs but handshakes and smiles. We have done our job and we did it well and I don't care what any peace loving tree hugging hippy says after watching CNN because today I was personally thanked by more people of another country then that of my own country. If that is not a testament to the job that we have done here than I do not know what is. These are free people who have lived with 3,000 years of oppression. They are free because of our efforts. They are free because of our sacrifice. 
Feel free to pass this story and pictures along to every American. It is our duty to make sure that they know the truth about what we are doing over here and the results of those efforts. The liberal media would try and disgrace our sacrifice or otherwise downplay the importance of our mission in Iraq and that is just not fair to the fighting men and women of the United States of America. This is a reminder to those liberal hippies that sometimes there are people in this world who need a good ass kicking to help save the little guy and no one does it better than an American Soldier. Hooah!
SGT Christopher A. HoffertAfghanistan '04-'05, Iraq '06-'07, and '09-'10
Alpha Company 3rd Battalion 25th Combat Aviation Brigade
FOB Diamondback, Iraq
3 Oct 2009
Via
Medal of Honor recipient Bud Day Speaks of Torture
I got shot down over North Vietnam in 1967, as a Squadron Commander. After I returned in 1973 I published 2 books that dealt a lot with "real torture" in Hanoi. Our make believe president is branding our country as a bunch of torturers when he has no idea what torture is.
As for me, I was put through a mock execution because I would not respond. I was pistol whipped on the head. A couple of days later I was hung by my feet all day. I escaped and a couple of weeks later, I got shot and recaptured. Being shot was OK, what happened afterwards was not.
They marched me to Vinh, put me in the rope trick, and almost pulled my arms out of the sockets. They beat me on the head with a little wooden rod until my eyes were swelled shut.
The next day they hung me by the arms, rebroke my right wrist, wiped out the nerves in my arms that control the hands, rolled my fingers up into a ball. They only left me with the slightest movement of my left forefinger.
So I started answering their questions with some incredible lies. They sent me to Hanoi strapped to a barrel of gas in the back of a truck. In Hanoi, on my knees, the rope trick again, followed by a beating by a big fool.
I was put into leg irons on a bed in Heartbreak Hotel.
I got a really bad beating for refusing to condemn Lyndon Johnson.
Several more kneeling events. I could see my knee bone through kneeling holes.
There was an escape from the annex to the Zoo. I was the Senior Officer of a large building. Because of the escape, they started a mass torture of all commanders.
I think it was July 7, 1969, they started beating me with a car fan belt. In first 2 days I took over 300 strokes and then stopped counting, because I never thought I would live thru it.
They continued day-night torture to get me to confess to a non-existent part in the escape. This went on for at least 3 days. On my knees, I was beat with the fan belt and cut open my scrotum with a fan belt stroke. They opened up both of my knee holes again. My fanny looked like hamburger, I could not lie on my back.
They tortured me into admitting that I was in on the escape and that my 2 roommates knew about it.
The next day I denied the lie. They commenced torturing me again with 3, 6, or 9 strokes of
the fan belt every day from about July 11 or 12th to 14 October 1969. I continued to refuse to lie about my roommates again.
Now, the point of this is that our make-believe president has declared to the world that we are a bunch of torturers, and thus it will be ok to torture us the next time the enemy captures an American, because that is what the USA does.
Our make-believe president is a know-nothing fool who thinks that pouring a little water on someone's face, or hanging a pair of women's pants over an Arabs head is TORTURE. He is a meathead.
I just talked to MOH holder Leo Thorsness, who was also in my squadron, in jail, as was John McCain and we agree that McCain does not speak for the POW group when he claims that Al Gharib was torture or that "water boarding" is torture.
Our president and those fools around him who keep bad mouthing our great country are a disgrace to the United States.
If it got the Arab to cough up the story about how he planned the attack on the twin towers in NYC, hurrah for the guy who poured the water.
"Bud" Day, Medal Of Honor Recipient
George Everett "Bud" Day(born February 24, 1925) is a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and Command Pilot who served during the Vietnam War. He is often cited as being the most decorated U.S. service member since General Douglas MacArthur, having received some seventy decorations, a majority for actions in combat. Day is also a recipient of the Medal of Honor.
As for me, I was put through a mock execution because I would not respond. I was pistol whipped on the head. A couple of days later I was hung by my feet all day. I escaped and a couple of weeks later, I got shot and recaptured. Being shot was OK, what happened afterwards was not.
They marched me to Vinh, put me in the rope trick, and almost pulled my arms out of the sockets. They beat me on the head with a little wooden rod until my eyes were swelled shut.
The next day they hung me by the arms, rebroke my right wrist, wiped out the nerves in my arms that control the hands, rolled my fingers up into a ball. They only left me with the slightest movement of my left forefinger.
So I started answering their questions with some incredible lies. They sent me to Hanoi strapped to a barrel of gas in the back of a truck. In Hanoi, on my knees, the rope trick again, followed by a beating by a big fool.
I was put into leg irons on a bed in Heartbreak Hotel.
I got a really bad beating for refusing to condemn Lyndon Johnson.
Several more kneeling events. I could see my knee bone through kneeling holes.
There was an escape from the annex to the Zoo. I was the Senior Officer of a large building. Because of the escape, they started a mass torture of all commanders.
I think it was July 7, 1969, they started beating me with a car fan belt. In first 2 days I took over 300 strokes and then stopped counting, because I never thought I would live thru it.
They continued day-night torture to get me to confess to a non-existent part in the escape. This went on for at least 3 days. On my knees, I was beat with the fan belt and cut open my scrotum with a fan belt stroke. They opened up both of my knee holes again. My fanny looked like hamburger, I could not lie on my back.
They tortured me into admitting that I was in on the escape and that my 2 roommates knew about it.
The next day I denied the lie. They commenced torturing me again with 3, 6, or 9 strokes of
the fan belt every day from about July 11 or 12th to 14 October 1969. I continued to refuse to lie about my roommates again.
Now, the point of this is that our make-believe president has declared to the world that we are a bunch of torturers, and thus it will be ok to torture us the next time the enemy captures an American, because that is what the USA does.
Our make-believe president is a know-nothing fool who thinks that pouring a little water on someone's face, or hanging a pair of women's pants over an Arabs head is TORTURE. He is a meathead.
I just talked to MOH holder Leo Thorsness, who was also in my squadron, in jail, as was John McCain and we agree that McCain does not speak for the POW group when he claims that Al Gharib was torture or that "water boarding" is torture.
Our president and those fools around him who keep bad mouthing our great country are a disgrace to the United States.
If it got the Arab to cough up the story about how he planned the attack on the twin towers in NYC, hurrah for the guy who poured the water.
"Bud" Day, Medal Of Honor Recipient
George Everett "Bud" Day(born February 24, 1925) is a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and Command Pilot who served during the Vietnam War. He is often cited as being the most decorated U.S. service member since General Douglas MacArthur, having received some seventy decorations, a majority for actions in combat. Day is also a recipient of the Medal of Honor.
A Letter from a Recon Marine in Afghanistan
From the Sand Pit: It's freezing here. I'm sitting on hard, cold dirt between rocks and shrubs at the base of the Hindu Kush Mountains, along the Dar 'yoi Pomir River, watching a hole that leads to a tunnel that leads to a cave. Stake out my friend, and no pizza delivery for thousands of miles.I also glance at the area around my a-- every ten to fifteen seconds to avoid another scorpion sting. I've actually given up battling the chiggers and sand fleas, but those scorpions give a jolt like a cattle prod; hurts like a ba---rd. The antidote tastes like transmission fluid, but God bless the Marine Corps for the five vials of it in my pack.
The one truth the Taliban cannot escape is, believe it or not, they are human beings, which means they have to eat food and drink water. That requires couriers and that's where an old bounty hunter like me comes in handy. I track the couriers, locate the tunnel entrances and storage facilities, type the info into the handheld, shoot the coordinates up to the satellite link that tells the air commanders where to drop the hardware. We bash some heads for a while, then I track and record the new movement.
It's all about intelligence. We haven't even brought in the snipers yet. These scurrying rats have no idea what they're in for. We are but days away from cutting off supply lines and allowing the eradication to begin.
I dream of Bin Laden waking up to find me standing over him with my boot on his throat as I spit into his face and plunge my nickel-plated Bowie knife through his frontal lobe. But you know me, I'm a romantic. I've said it before and I'll say it again: This country blows, man. It's not even a country. There are no roads, there's no infrastructure, there's no government. This is an inhospitable, rock pit sh-- hole ruled by eleventh century warring tribes. There are no jobs here like we know jobs.
Afghanistan offers two ways for a man to support his family: join the opium trade or join the army. That's it; those are your options. Oh, I forgot, you can also live in a refugee camp and eat plum-sweetened, crushed beetle paste and squirt mud like a goose with the stomach flu, if that's your idea of a party. But the smell alone of those "tent cities of the walking dead" is enough to hurl you into the poppy fields to cheerfully scrape bulbs for eighteen hours a day.
I've been living with these Tajiks and Uzbeks, and Turkmen and even a couple of Pushtuns, for over a month and a half now, and this much I can say for sure: These guys, all of 'em, are Huns, actual, living Huns. They LIVE to fight; it's what they do; it's ALL they do. They have no respect for anything, not for their families, nor for each other, nor for themselves. They claw at one another as a way of life. They play polo with dead calves and force their five year old sons into human cockfights to defend the family honor. Huns, roaming packs of savage, heartless beasts who feed on each other's barbarism. Cavemen with AK-47's. Then again, maybe I'm just cranky.
I'm freezing my a-- off on this stupid hill because my lap warmer is running out of juice, and I can't recharge it until the sun comes up in a few hours. Oh yeah! You like to write letters, right? Do me a favor, Bizarre. Write a letter to CNN and tell Wolf and Anderson and that awful, sneering, pompous Aaron Brown to stop calling the Taliban "smart." They are not smart. I suggest CNN invest in a dictionary because the word they are looking for is "cunning." The Taliban are cunning, like jackals and hyenas and wolverines. They are sneaky and ruthless, and when confronted, cowardly. They are hateful, malevolent parasites who create nothing and destroy everything else. Smart? Pfft. Yeah, they're real smart.
They've spent their entire lives reading only one book (and not a very good one, as books go) and consider hygiene and indoor plumbing to be products of the devil. They're still figuring out how to work a Bic lighter. Talking to a Taliban warrior about improving his quality of life is like trying to teach an ape how to hold a pen; eventually he just gets frustrated and sticks you in the eye with it.
OK, enough. Snuffle will be up soon, so I have to get back to my hole. Covering my tracks in the snow takes a lot of practice, but I'm good at it.
Please, I tell you and my fellow Americans to turn off the TV sets and move on with your lives. The story line you are getting from CNN and other news agencies is utter bullsh-- and designed not to deliver truth but rather to keep you glued to the screen through the commercials. We've got this one under control. The worst thing you guys can do right now is sit around analyzing what we're doing over here, because you have no idea what we're doing, and really, you don't want to know. We are your military, and we are doing what you sent us here to do.
You wanna help? Buy Bonds America.
Saucy Jack
Recon Marine in Afghanistan
Semper Fi
"Freedom is not free, but the U.S. Marine Corps will pay most of your share.
Thanks Roy!
The One Fingered Salute
Thanks to Roy for sending me this e-mail:Leading the fight is U S Marine Gunnery Sgt. Michael Burghardt, known as "Iron Mike" or just "Gunny." He is on his third tour in Iraq . He had become a legend in the bomb disposal world after winning the Bronze Star for disabling 64 IEDs and destroying 1,548 pieces of ordnance during his second tour.
One day he arrived at a chaotic scene after a bomb had killed four US Marines. He chose not to wear the bulky bomb protection suit. "You can't react to any sniper fire and you get tunnel-vision," he explains.
So, protected by just a helmet and standard-issue flak jacket, he began what bomb disposal officers term "the longest walk," stepping gingerly into a 5 foot deep and 8 foot wide crater.
The earth shifted slightly and he saw a Senao base station with a wire leading from it. He cut the wire and used his 7 inch knife to probe the ground. "I found a piece of red detonating cord between my legs," he says. "That's when I knew I was screwed." Realizing he had been sucked into a trap, Sgt. Burghardt, 35, yelled at everyone to stay back. At that moment, an insurgent, probably watching through binoculars, pressed a button on his mobile phone to detonate the secondary device below the sergeant's feet.
"A chill went up the back of my neck and then the bomb exploded," he recalls. "As I was in the air I remember thinking, 'I don't believe they got me.' I was just ticked off they were able to do it. Then I was lying on the road, not able to feel anything from the waist down."
His fellow Marines cut off his trousers to see how badly he was hurt. No one could believe his legs were still there "My dad's a Vietnam vet who's paralyzed from the waist down," says Sgt. Burghardt. "I was lying there thinking I didn't want to be in a wheelchair next to my Dad and for him to see me like that. They started to cut away my pants and I felt a real sharp pain and blood trickling down. Then I wiggled my toes and I thought, 'Good, I'm in business.'" As a stretcher was brought over, adrenaline and anger kicked in. "I decided to walk to the helicopter. I wasn't going to let my team-mates see me being carried away on a stretcher." He stood and gave the insurgents who had blown him up a one-fingered salute. "I flipped them one. It was like, 'OK, I lost that round but I'll be back next week.'"
Copies of a photograph depicting his defiance, taken by Jeff Bundy for the Omaha World-Herald, adorn the walls of homes across America and that of Col. John Gronski, the brigade commander in Ramadi, who has hailed the image as an exemplar of the warrior spirit.
Sgt. Burghardt's injuries (burns and wounds to his legs and buttocks) kept him off duty for nearly a month and could have earned him a ticket home. But, like his father (who was awarded a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts for being wounded in action in Vietnam) he stayed in Ramadi to engage in the battle against insurgents who are forever coming up with more ingenious ways of killing Americans.
President Reagan's Veterans Day Speech
I posted this last year, but I think it is worth reposting.
Ronald Reagan's V-Day Ceremony Address at the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial
Delivered 11 November 1988, Washington D.C.
Ronald Reagan's V-Day Ceremony Address at the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial
Delivered 11 November 1988, Washington D.C.
Before I begin, let me take a moment to congratulate the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and the other distinguished guests without whom the construction and operation of this memorial would not have been possible. Let me also say that America is grateful to the hundreds of Vietnam veterans who, when I asked them to join my Administration, did so, and have and are serving our nation so proudly. For your devotion to America, I salute you.(For the audio, visit americanrhetoric.com)
We're gathered today, just as we have gathered before, to remember those who served, those who fought, and those who -- those still missing, and those who gave their last full measure of devotion for our country. We're gathered at a monument on which the names of our fallen friends and loved ones are engraved, and with crosses instead of diamonds beside them, the names of those whose fate we do not yet know. One of those who fell wrote, shortly before his death, these words: "Take what they have left and what they have taught you with their dying and keep it with your own. And take one moment to embrace those gentle heroes you left behind."
Well, today, Veterans Day, as we do every year, we take that moment to embrace the gentle heroes of Vietnam and of all our wars. We remember those who were called upon to give all a person can give, and we remember those who were prepared to make that sacrifice if it were demanded of them in the line of duty, though it never was. Most of all, we remember the devotion and gallantry with which all of them ennobled their nation as they became champions of a noble cause.
I'm not speaking provocatively here. Unlike the other wars of this century, of course, there were deep divisions about the wisdom and rightness of the Vietnam war. Both sides spoke with honesty and fervor. And what more can we ask in our democracy? And yet after more than a decade of desperate boat people, after the killing fields of Cambodia, after all that has happened in that unhappy part of the world, who can doubt that the cause for which our men fought was just? It was, after all, however imperfectly pursued, the cause of freedom; and they showed uncommon courage in its service. Perhaps at this late date we can all agree that we've learned one lesson: that young Americans must never again be sent to fight and die unless we are prepared to let them win.
But -- But -- But beyond that, we remember today that all our gentle heroes of Vietnam have given us a lesson in something more: a lesson in living love. Yes, for all of them, those who came back and those who did not, their love for their families lives. Their love for their buddies on the battlefields and friends back home lives. Their love of their country lives.
This memorial has become a monument to that living love. The thousands who come to see the names testify to a love that endures. The messages and mementos they leave speak with a whispering voice that passes gently through the surrounding trees and to out across the breast of our peaceful nation: a childhood teddy bear, a photograph of the son or daughter born too late to know his or her father, a battle ribbon, a note -- there are so many of these, and all are testimony to our living love for them. And our nation itself is testimony to the love our veterans have had for it and for us. Our liberties, our values, all for which America stands is safe today because brave men and women have been ready to face the fire at freedom's front. And we thank God for them.
Yes, gentle heroes and living love and our memories of a time when we faced great divisions here at home. And yet if this place recalls all this, both sweet and sad, it also reminds us of a great and profound truth about our nation: that from all our divisions we have always eventually emerged strengthened. Perhaps we are finding that new strength today, and if so, much of it comes from the forgiveness and healing love that our Vietnam veterans have shown.
For too long a time, they stood in a chill wind, as if on a winter night's watch. And in that night, their deeds spoke to us, but we knew them not. And their voices called to us, but we heard them not. Yet in this land that God has blessed, the dawn always at last follows the dark, and now morning has come. The night is over. We see these men and know them once again -- and know how much we owe them, how much they've given us, and how much we can never fully repay. And not just as individuals but as a nation, we say we love you.
These -- These days, we show our love in many ways -- some of it through the Government. We now fly the POW - MIA flag at this memorial on Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and POW - MIA Recognition Day. This is a small gesture, but a significant one. America also keeps a vigil for those who have not yet returned. We have negotiated with the Vietnamese to bring our nation's sons home, and for the first time to have joint teams investigating remote areas of Vietnam that might shed light on the fate of those we list as missing. In Laos, we have also begun a new round of surveys and excavations of crash sites. And we have told Hanoi that it must prove to the American people through its cooperation whether men are still being held against their will in Indochina. Otherwise we will assume some are, and we will do everything we can to find them.
Here at home, a new Department of Veterans Affairs and extended veterans benefits are merely outward and visible signs of an inward and invisible grace that has come to our land. Vietnam service is once more universally recognized as a badge of pride. Four years ago, I noted that this healing had begun and that I hoped that before my days as Commander in Chief were over it would be completed. Well, now as I approach the end of my service and I see Vietnam veterans take their rightful place among America's heroes, it appears to me that we have healed. And what can I say to our Vietnam veterans but: Welcome home.
Now before I go, as have so many others, Nancy and I wanted to leave a note at the wall. And if I may read it to you before doing so, we will put this note here before we leave:
"Our young friends -- yes, young friends, for in our hearts you will always be young, full of the love that is youth, love of life, love of joy, love of country -- you fought for your country and for its safety and for the freedom of others with strength and courage. We love you for it. We honor you. And we have faith that, as He does all His sacred children, the Lord will bless you and keep you, the Lord will make His face to shine upon you and give you peace, now and forever more."
Thank you all, and God bless you.
Happy Veterans Day! Muggers Return Veterans Wallet
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- "Thank you for your service." Lots of veterans will be hearing that today, Veterans Day. But in Milwaukee-it was a mugger who thanked an Army reservist -- and gave him back his wallet.They may be low down criminals, but at least they are patriotic. That's more than can be said of a lot of politicans.
The robbery victim is a 21-year-old University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student who was robbed early yesterday morning.
He says four men mugged him at gunpoint. But when one of the bandits found his military ID, the robber thanked the young man, apologized and told the others to return his stuff.
The apparent leader of the pack also gave the victim a quick fist bump. The victim asked not to be named because his keys are still missing.
Obama's Light-Hearted Approach to Mass Slayings at Fort Hood
Obama's Frightening Insensitivity Following Shooting: President Obama didn't wait long after Tuesday's devastating elections to give critics another reason to question his leadership, but this time the subject matter was more grim than a pair of governorships.This is from a news station in CHICAGO, if that tells you anything. People mocked Dubya for not being the best speaker, and making silly mistakes; but for all his supposed brilliance and eloquence, he still manages to make a fool of himself and often our country. I think it is a side effect of believing you are a rock star, or omnipotent being; you think everyone loves you, you can do no wrong, and you can do anything you want.
After news broke out of the shooting at the Fort Hood Army post in Texas, the nation watched in horror as the toll of dead and injured climbed. The White House was notified immediately and by late afternoon, word went out that the president would speak about the incident prior to a previously scheduled appearance. At about 5 p.m., cable stations went to the president. The situation called for not only his trademark eloquence, but also grace and perspective.
But instead of a somber chief executive offering reassuring words and expressions of sympathy and compassion, viewers saw a wildly disconnected and inappropriately light president making introductory remarks. At the event, a Tribal Nations Conference hosted by the Department of Interior's Bureau of Indian affairs, the president thanked various staffers and offered a "shout-out" to "Dr. Joe Medicine Crow -- that Congressional Medal of Honor winner." Three minutes in, the president spoke about the shooting, in measured and appropriate terms. Who is advising him?
Anyone at home aware of the major news story of the previous hours had to have been stunned. An incident like this requires a scrapping of the early light banter. The president should apologize for the tone of his remarks, explain what has happened, express sympathy for those slain and appeal for calm and patience until all the facts are in. That's the least that should occur.
Very, Very Interesting Photo Documentary of Boy Becoming a US Soldier
The Denver Post has a collection of photos documenting Ian Fisher becoming a soldier in the US Army. The photos follow him from high school graduation to deployment in Iraq. I found myself enthralled, I think you will like it to. Here is the link to the Denver Post photos.
US Soldier Michael Behenna
Our friend Mary pointed me to a website dedicated to the defense of US soldier Michael Behenna. Michael killed a terrorist in self defense while serving in Iraq, and is now facing 25 years in prison. Read the account below, and visit the website if you wish to help his cause.On March 20th, 2009, Army Ranger 1st Lieutenant Michael Behenna was sentenced to 25 years in prison for killing Ali Mansur, a known Al Qaeda operative while serving in Iraq. Mansur was known to be a member of an Al Qaeda cell operating in the lieutenant’s area of operation and was suspected to have organized an attack on Lt. Behenna’s platoon in April 2008 which killed two U.S. soldiers and injured two more. Army intelligence ordered the release of Mansur and Lt. Behenna was ordered to return the terrorist to his home.
During the return of Mansur, Lt. Behenna again questioned the Al Qaeda member for information about other members of the terrorist cell, and financial supporters. During this interrogation, Mansur attacked Lt. Behenna, who killed the terrorist in self-defense. The government subsequently prosecuted Lt. Behenna for premeditated murder.
Not only is this a miscarriage of justice on the behalf of Lt. Behenna, who was acting to prevent further loss of life in his platoon, it is demoralizing to the U.S. troops who continue to fight on behalf of the freedom and security of our nation. Whether it is U.S. border patrol agents, members of the armed forces, or FBI agents, no individual who is serving on the frontlines in the War on Terror should be so blatantly mistreated.
We urgently need your help to correct this terrible wrong against a loyal and faithful soldier. Please contact your congressman and ask them to intervene on behalf of 1LT Behenna. Below is a brief recap of the relevant aspects of Lt. Behenna’s case.
*September 2007: 1st Lieutenant Michael Behenna deployed to Iraq for his first combat experience
*April 21, 2008: Lt. Behenna’s platoon was attacked by Al Qaeda operatives. The attack resulted in death of two of Lt. Behenna’s platoon members, two Iraqi citizens, and wounded two additional soldiers under Lt. Behenna’s command.
*May 5, 2008: Known terrorist Ali Mansur was detained at his home for suspected involvement in the attack on Lt. Behenna’s platoon
*May 16, 2008: Army Intelligence orders the release of Mansur
*Lt. Behenna, who lost two members of his platoon just weeks earlier, was ordered to transport
*Mansur back to his home
*Lt. Behenna attempts a final interrogation of Mansur prior to his release
*During the interrogation, Behenna is attacked by Mansur and is forced to defend himself.
*During the altercation, the terrorist is killed.
*Lt. Behenna failed to properly report the incident
*July 2008: The U.S. Army charges Lt. Behenna with premeditated murder for the death of Al Qaeda operative and terrorist Ali Mansur.
*February 23, 2009: Lt. Behenna’s trial begins
*Government and defense experts agree on the trajectory of the bullets killing Mansur
*Prosecution expert Dr. Herbert MacDonnell initiated contact with defense attorneys explaining his agreement with the testimony of Lt. Behenna and his presentation to prosecutors supporting
Lt. Behenna’s version of events.
*Dr. MacDonnell is not called to testify in the case and instead is sent home. Just before leaving the courthouse he picks up his coat from the prosecution room and says to the three prosecutors (Megan Poirier, Jason Elbert, and Erwin Roberts), ‘The explanation that Lt Behenna just testified to was the exact same scenario I told you yesterday. Lt Behenna is telling the truth.’
*Jack Zimmermann, defense counsel, asks prosecutors if they have any exculpatory evidence that should be provided to the defense (referring to Dr. MacDonnell’s demonstration). Prosecutors deny having any such evidence despite having been told by their own expert witness that Lt Behenna’s explanation was the only logical explanation.
*Prosecutors withholding of this evidence allowed them to argue that Lt. Behenna executed Ali Mansur while seated when the forensic experts, including Dr. MacDonnell, agree that Ali was standing with his arms outstretched when shot
*Lt. Behenna is convicted of unpremeditated murder and assault by a military panel of seven officers, none of whom had combat experience.
*Dr. MacDonnell contacts prosecution requesting that the information provided in his demonstration be given to the defense.
*Prosecutors provide such information after a verdict was rendered, but prior to sentencing.
*At the request of the presiding judge, Dr. MacDonnell provides his information to the court via telephone
*The judge orders both sides in the case to file briefs relating to a possible mistrial
*After reading the briefs the judge set an additional hearing and ordered additional briefs, including one from the defense requesting a new trial.
*On March 20, the judge denied defense motions to declare a mistrial and to order a new trial
*Lt. Behenna’s attorneys are appealing the verdict
*Lt. Behenna is currently serving a 25-year sentence
1st Lieutenant Michael Behenna was an excellent officer. He received his call to serve his country while attending the University of Central Oklahoma. He is from a family of public servants, his mother being an Assistant United States Attorney and his father a retired Special Agent with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. He has served the Army and the United States with honor and dignity. To sacrifice the life of this Oklahoma soldier over the death of a known terrorist, is a breech of faith with all who are serving our country.
Politics as Usual
Hope and change; where is it? If you ask me, it's still just politics, and it's worse than ever. The Washington Times reported that Obama has been offering nice little perks and incentives to high rolling democrat donors. Pay a little green, get a free game of golf with the president. That would explain why he has played more golf in nine months than Bush played in 34 months. These perks also include things like personal movie screenings in the white house theater, and a game of bowling in the white house alley.
The war in Afghanistan is turning into a giant mess. Top officials are even resigning to get away from it. Matthew Hoh left, stating that he didn't know why were even there any more. Pansy. Even though our brave soldiers are dying, and October has been the deadliest month in the war, Obama doesn't seem interested in reaching a decision to send more troops.His pet project, health care, is getting no where fast. "Blue Dogs"
are fighting against the public option, giving Dirty Harry Reid conniption fits. Why can't the anointed one get things done? You'd think, since every one loves him, and they control both houses, this wouldn't be such a problem. Bravo "Blue Dogs."Well, at least electing a black president has cured racism. Oh wait, maybe it made it worse. I don't remember. Typical white folks like me get confused sometimes.
Still, it's not all bad news. Obama has done wonders for the gun companies.
Obama Scraps Missile Defense Shield
Under pressure from Russia, Obama has scrapped plans for a European missile defense shield. Ah, the comfort of vulnerability. Who cares if Russia is led by some crazy, narcissistic dude, with a Napoleon complex, riding around on a horse with no shirt on? Who cares that Iran is clearly, clearly seeking nuclear weapons? Who cares that the world is full of crazies hell bent on our destruction? Screw it, it's too hard dealing with Russia, we'll just fold on this one.Iran’s ruling mullahs have the largest arsenal of ballistic missiles in the Middle East; simultaneously, they are working overtime to develop nuclear weapons. This poses an increasing threat to Israel (Tehran’s explicitly stated goal is to “wipe Israel off the map”), to the U.S. (a “world without America is attainable,” Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said), and to Europe as well (the softest targets are often the most tempting).Read more of Clifford D. May's article at the National Review Online.
(...)
To defend Europe — and American troops stationed there — against the possibility of a missile attack from Iran would require a “Third Site.” The U.S. currently maintains one ground-based missile site in Fort Greely, Alaska, and a second at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The Third Site would be in Poland (ten missile interceptors) and the Czech Republic (a radar installation). This would provide “the fastest and most cost-effective protection against the long-range missiles that Iran is projected to have by 2015,” noted Lt. Gen. Trey Obering (ret.), former head of the Missile Defense Agency, and Eric Edelman, fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Analysis, in a recent op-ed. They noted, too, that such interceptors have been thoroughly tested.
Nevertheless, as I write this, well-informed sources on the Hill tell me that on Thursday President Obama will officially kill the Third Site. Why? Apparently because Moscow objects — even though the interceptors, while sufficient to block a limited number of Iranian missiles, could not possibly threaten Russia.
The Kremlin’s objections almost certainly stem less from its security concerns than from its ambitions for regional domination. What, if anything, Obama will get from the Russians in return from this capitulation remains to be seen.
Russian officials are not the only opponents of missile defense, however. Also making this a controversial issue is a curious coalition of what might be called the ideologically misguided, the incorrigibly naïve, and the terminally myopic.
In the first category are those who believe that most of the problems in the world are caused by the U.S. and Israel, and that the cure is therefore to “address the grievances” of those who hate us, rather than protect ourselves from them.
Members of the second group have convinced themselves that leaving ourselves vulnerable and promoting global disarmament would set a moral example that such autocrats as Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Vladimir Putin, and Hugo Chávez surely would follow.
In the third category are the businessmen — mostly in Europe — who sell Iran’s rulers whatever weapons components they will pay for, as well as the university administrators — many in America — who train Iranian nuclear scientists because not to do so might be regarded as discriminatory.
Other opponents of missile defense note that during the Cold War the United States and the Soviet Union avoided nuclear conflict thanks to a doctrine known as MAD: Mutually Assured Destruction. But as someone who reported from both the Soviet Union and the Islamic Republic in its early days, I can tell you that while the U.S.S.R. was an “evil empire,” it was not an irrational one. Russian Communists saw no prospect of a nuclear Armageddon transporting them to a paradise inhabited by black-eyed virgins; few were willing to sacrifice their lives so that other Communists might triumph. The same can not be said of the various species of militant jihadis. Would there have been any way to deter those who attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon eight years ago this month?
Saddam’s Military Planes Found in Serbia
So it has always been my theory that Saddam Hussein shipped most if not all, of his WMD's out of the country, to a friendly state, like, I dunno, Serbia. Well what do you know, maybe I was right.Iraq’s missing Air Force jets have been traced to Serbia, where they are mostly in pieces. They have been cannibalized, parted out, or left to deteriorate over he past twenty years.
Iraqi officials said they found the planes in the process of trying to trace what Saddam, the former dictator, did with the country’s military assets. The 19 planes, all Soviet-built, were sent in 1989 to a Yugoslav maintenance plant in Zagreb, in what is now Croatia, but never got the overhauls they needed.
In 1991, when the Croatian war for independence broke out, the jets were transported to Serbia in parts. And there they remained.
If Iraq shipped it's planes there, I don't think it is out of the realm of possibility that they shipped WMD's to Syria, or another friendly country. That means, A.) Bush was right, and B.) There are still some dangerous freaking weapons out there.
A delegation from Iraq will go to Belgrade to negotiate the return of the jets, but they are unlikely to help Iraq rebuild its air defenses. The Iraqi Air Force currently has no jets. Link - via
Cindy Sheehan Protests Obama's Stance on War
After spending weeks dogging George W. Bush's presidential vacations, anti-war protester Cindy Sheehan is now trying to make life uncomfortable for President Barack Obama.
Sheehan used to pitch a peace camp near Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, becoming a symbol of the anti-war movement after her son Casey died in action in Iraq.
On Thursday, she and a band of anti-war protesters turned up outside the media center used by journalists covering Obama's vacation on the well-heeled east coast resort island of Martha's Vineyard.
"The reason I am here is because... even though the facade has changed in Washington DC, the policies are still the same," Sheehan told a handful of journalists, against a backdrop of her "Camp Casey" banner.
She told US peace activists to wake up and protest Obama's escalation of the war in Afghanistan, and complained that despite the president's anti-war stance, US troops remained in Iraq.
"We have to realize, it is not the president who is power, it is not the party that is in power it is the system that stays the same, no matter who is in charge."
She's your problem now, sucka! 
The Rand Corporation - America's Think Tank
The Rand Corporation: The Think Tank That Controls America
by the mag - June 30, 2009 - 11:05 PM By Alex Abella
If you think the Internet came out of Silicon Valley, that NASA planned the first satellite to orbit Earth, or that IBM created the modern computer—think again. Each one of these breakthroughs was conceived at RAND, a shadowy think tank in Santa Monica, California.
The Intimidation Factor
Rand rose out of the ashes of World War II. After witnessing the success of the Manhattan Project—the $2 billion initiative that created the first atomic bomb—a five-star Air Force general named Henry “Hap” Arnold concluded that America needed a team of great minds to keep the country’s technology ahead of the rest of the world. In 1946, he gathered together a small group of scientists and $10 million in funding and started RAND (which stands for Research and Development). He even convinced a family friend, aircraft magnate Donald Douglas, to house the project at his factory in Santa Monica.
After a few short months, RAND got the attention of academics, politicians, and military strategists alike by issuing a prophetic study called “Preliminary Design of an Experimental World-Circling Spaceship.” At the time, rocket science was still in its infancy, so RAND’s call for an orbiting space station was revolutionary. Not only did the think tank specify the kind of fuel the spaceship would need and how quickly it could be built, but it also outlined how the station could predict the weather, transform long-distance communication, and, most importantly, intimidate our rivals abroad. If America could put a satellite into space, what else was she capable of?
Although President Truman passed on the space station, the military fell in love with RAND. Through Hap’s connections, the Air Force quickly became the think tank’s main contractor, and RAND began consulting on everything from propeller turbines to missile defense. Before long, the organization was so flush with contracts that it had to hire hundreds of additional researchers to keep up. In recruitment ads, RAND bragged about its intellectual genealogy, tracing a direct line from its president, Frank Collbohm, to Isaac Newton. Whether or not that claim was true, the institute secured a reputation as the place to dream up new ways to wage wars and keep enemies at bay.
By the 1960s, America’s rivals were paying attention. The Soviet newspaper Pravda nicknamed RAND “the academy of science and death and destruction.” American outfits preferred to call them the “wizards of Armageddon.”
War Games
The Soviets had good reason to worry about RAND. In 1957, the Air Force hired the think tank to create spy satellites. Within two years, it developed CORONA—a covert system that aimed to send camera-carrying satellites into orbit on the backs of missiles. While the idea was genius, the design was flawed. It took 13 failed attempts before the system finally got off the ground in 1959. Once it did, however, the results were spectacular. The CORONA satellite returned with 161 lbs. of film about the Soviet Union, more footage than spy planes had recovered in the previous four years combined. For the following decade, CORONA became the backbone of American intelligence on the Soviet Union. Researchers watched troops march along the Russian border with China and spied on cities they’d never seen before. They could even count the fruit in Soviet orchards and analyze their crops.
By the early 1960s, RAND had established itself as a fixture of U.S. policy. Branching out from straight rocket science, the think tank had become the center of the nation’s nuclear strategy.
One high-profile RAND genius, John Williams, developed game theory to predict how the cagey Soviet Union might act during conflict.
The theory was a perfect fit for RAND, an organization that continually sought to impose objective reality on an irrational world.
Another genius, mathematician Albert Wohlstetter, came up with the fail-safe concept, which saved the world from nuclear conflagration several times. The idea called for a series of checkpoints for bombers armed with nuclear weapons. If a bomber pilot failed to receive confirmation at any checkpoint, he would abandon the mission and turn the plane around. Once, in 1979, a mistake by a telephone operator led to a transmission that the United States was under nuclear attack from Moscow. Ten fighters from three separate bases took to the air armed with nuclear missiles. But in the end, because of Wohlstetter’s fail-safe system, none of them deployed their weapons.
Through the years, RAND’s sphere of influence became more visible. In the 1960s, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara hired scores of its young researchers—dubbed the “Whiz Kids”—to reorganize the Pentagon. But perhaps the thing that most solidified RAND’s reputation in the public’s imagination was the release of the Stanley Kubrick film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb in 1964. The movie’s title character, a deranged Nazi scientist, was modeled after RAND’s eccentric Herman Kahn. A military strategist, Kahn famously argued that America could easily survive an all-out conflict with the Soviet Union if people took refuge in shelters and rationed food. Although the radiation would cause hundreds of thousands of genetic defects, Kahn insisted the American people would endure. Kahn’s apocalyptic scenarios didn’t end there. He also dreamed up the Doomsday Machine, a device that could destroy all life on Earth, which Kubrick used in Dr. Strangelove. In fact, Kubrick borrowed so many of Kahn’s sayings and ideas that the scientist began demanding royalties. Kahn was so persistent that Kubrick finally had to tell him, “That’s not how things are done, Herman.”
(...)
Thinking Ahead
Health care was just the beginning of RAND’s expansion into the social sciences. Although 50 percent of RAND’s current $223 million budget still comes from federal funding, much of that goes toward non-defense work. The think tank currently employs close to 1,000 researchers, who spend their time analyzing everything from renewable energy and obesity to hurricanes and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Globalization has also opened up the organization’s opportunities. In addition to its five centers that handle social and economic policy issues, as well as the five centers that focus on international affairs, RAND has an affiliate organization in Europe, and a prominent voice in Middle Eastern policy. Most notably, the RAND Qatar Policy Institute is working on reconfiguring the emirate’s entire educational system.
Of course, RAND hasn’t exactly abandoned its bread-and-butter services. The organization touts three federally funded research and development centers that concentrate on national security. After all, RAND did establish the discipline of studying terrorism in the 1970s, long before the United Nations even had a working definition for the word. Today, the RAND Terrorism Chronology Database, which has catalogued all acts of terrorism from 1968 to the present, has become an invaluable tool for the military and the government. It makes sense that in these times, our new president will pay attention to the think tank, too. Barack Obama has taken a keen interest in its study on post-traumatic stress disorder in soldiers returning from Iraq. In other words, RAND already has his ear.
The Who’s Who of Rand
John Nash – RAND was the motherland of game theory during the 1950s and 1960s, and among its most prominent players was John Nash—the soulful subject of the book and movie A Beautiful Mind. Nash came up with what is now called the Nash equilibrium, which is used to determine the stability of competition.
Thomas Schelling – Schelling was an economist who came to RAND shortly after Nash’s frenzied departure. His game theory concocted a worldview of aggression and counter-aggression that was heavily influential during the Vietnam War.
Kenneth Arrow – One of the most influential RAND employees, Arrow posited that greed is good, and that what he termed “consumer sovereignty” should rule society. Some critics have blamed Arrow’s Theorem for providing the theoretical foundation for the free market frenzy of the past 30 years, including the current housing market meltdown.
Albert Wohlstetter – The most prominent member of RAND’s so-called Nuclear Boys Club. A brilliant theoretical mathematician and an unparalleled nuclear strategist, he worked at RAND on and off from 1951 to his death 46 years later. He originated the Second Strike nuclear doctrine (make sure you have enough backup nukes to wipe out any attackers) and the Fail Safe principle (drop the big one on your target only after confirmation in flight from headquarters).
Daniel Ellsberg – An endlessly loquacious mathematical genius, strategic thinker, and unlikely peacenik. Disgusted with official lies about America’s involvement in Southeast Asia, he leaked the Pentagon Papers, which set in motion the end of the Vietnam War.
This article originally appeared in mental_floss magazine. Alex Abella is the author of Soldiers of Reason: The RAND Corporation and the Rise of the American Empire (Harcourt, 2008).
by the mag - June 30, 2009 - 11:05 PM By Alex Abella
If you think the Internet came out of Silicon Valley, that NASA planned the first satellite to orbit Earth, or that IBM created the modern computer—think again. Each one of these breakthroughs was conceived at RAND, a shadowy think tank in Santa Monica, California.
The Intimidation Factor
Rand rose out of the ashes of World War II. After witnessing the success of the Manhattan Project—the $2 billion initiative that created the first atomic bomb—a five-star Air Force general named Henry “Hap” Arnold concluded that America needed a team of great minds to keep the country’s technology ahead of the rest of the world. In 1946, he gathered together a small group of scientists and $10 million in funding and started RAND (which stands for Research and Development). He even convinced a family friend, aircraft magnate Donald Douglas, to house the project at his factory in Santa Monica.
After a few short months, RAND got the attention of academics, politicians, and military strategists alike by issuing a prophetic study called “Preliminary Design of an Experimental World-Circling Spaceship.” At the time, rocket science was still in its infancy, so RAND’s call for an orbiting space station was revolutionary. Not only did the think tank specify the kind of fuel the spaceship would need and how quickly it could be built, but it also outlined how the station could predict the weather, transform long-distance communication, and, most importantly, intimidate our rivals abroad. If America could put a satellite into space, what else was she capable of?
Although President Truman passed on the space station, the military fell in love with RAND. Through Hap’s connections, the Air Force quickly became the think tank’s main contractor, and RAND began consulting on everything from propeller turbines to missile defense. Before long, the organization was so flush with contracts that it had to hire hundreds of additional researchers to keep up. In recruitment ads, RAND bragged about its intellectual genealogy, tracing a direct line from its president, Frank Collbohm, to Isaac Newton. Whether or not that claim was true, the institute secured a reputation as the place to dream up new ways to wage wars and keep enemies at bay.
By the 1960s, America’s rivals were paying attention. The Soviet newspaper Pravda nicknamed RAND “the academy of science and death and destruction.” American outfits preferred to call them the “wizards of Armageddon.”
War Games
The Soviets had good reason to worry about RAND. In 1957, the Air Force hired the think tank to create spy satellites. Within two years, it developed CORONA—a covert system that aimed to send camera-carrying satellites into orbit on the backs of missiles. While the idea was genius, the design was flawed. It took 13 failed attempts before the system finally got off the ground in 1959. Once it did, however, the results were spectacular. The CORONA satellite returned with 161 lbs. of film about the Soviet Union, more footage than spy planes had recovered in the previous four years combined. For the following decade, CORONA became the backbone of American intelligence on the Soviet Union. Researchers watched troops march along the Russian border with China and spied on cities they’d never seen before. They could even count the fruit in Soviet orchards and analyze their crops.
By the early 1960s, RAND had established itself as a fixture of U.S. policy. Branching out from straight rocket science, the think tank had become the center of the nation’s nuclear strategy.
One high-profile RAND genius, John Williams, developed game theory to predict how the cagey Soviet Union might act during conflict.
The theory was a perfect fit for RAND, an organization that continually sought to impose objective reality on an irrational world.
Another genius, mathematician Albert Wohlstetter, came up with the fail-safe concept, which saved the world from nuclear conflagration several times. The idea called for a series of checkpoints for bombers armed with nuclear weapons. If a bomber pilot failed to receive confirmation at any checkpoint, he would abandon the mission and turn the plane around. Once, in 1979, a mistake by a telephone operator led to a transmission that the United States was under nuclear attack from Moscow. Ten fighters from three separate bases took to the air armed with nuclear missiles. But in the end, because of Wohlstetter’s fail-safe system, none of them deployed their weapons.
Through the years, RAND’s sphere of influence became more visible. In the 1960s, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara hired scores of its young researchers—dubbed the “Whiz Kids”—to reorganize the Pentagon. But perhaps the thing that most solidified RAND’s reputation in the public’s imagination was the release of the Stanley Kubrick film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb in 1964. The movie’s title character, a deranged Nazi scientist, was modeled after RAND’s eccentric Herman Kahn. A military strategist, Kahn famously argued that America could easily survive an all-out conflict with the Soviet Union if people took refuge in shelters and rationed food. Although the radiation would cause hundreds of thousands of genetic defects, Kahn insisted the American people would endure. Kahn’s apocalyptic scenarios didn’t end there. He also dreamed up the Doomsday Machine, a device that could destroy all life on Earth, which Kubrick used in Dr. Strangelove. In fact, Kubrick borrowed so many of Kahn’s sayings and ideas that the scientist began demanding royalties. Kahn was so persistent that Kubrick finally had to tell him, “That’s not how things are done, Herman.”
(...)
Thinking Ahead
Health care was just the beginning of RAND’s expansion into the social sciences. Although 50 percent of RAND’s current $223 million budget still comes from federal funding, much of that goes toward non-defense work. The think tank currently employs close to 1,000 researchers, who spend their time analyzing everything from renewable energy and obesity to hurricanes and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Globalization has also opened up the organization’s opportunities. In addition to its five centers that handle social and economic policy issues, as well as the five centers that focus on international affairs, RAND has an affiliate organization in Europe, and a prominent voice in Middle Eastern policy. Most notably, the RAND Qatar Policy Institute is working on reconfiguring the emirate’s entire educational system.
Of course, RAND hasn’t exactly abandoned its bread-and-butter services. The organization touts three federally funded research and development centers that concentrate on national security. After all, RAND did establish the discipline of studying terrorism in the 1970s, long before the United Nations even had a working definition for the word. Today, the RAND Terrorism Chronology Database, which has catalogued all acts of terrorism from 1968 to the present, has become an invaluable tool for the military and the government. It makes sense that in these times, our new president will pay attention to the think tank, too. Barack Obama has taken a keen interest in its study on post-traumatic stress disorder in soldiers returning from Iraq. In other words, RAND already has his ear.
The Who’s Who of Rand
John Nash – RAND was the motherland of game theory during the 1950s and 1960s, and among its most prominent players was John Nash—the soulful subject of the book and movie A Beautiful Mind. Nash came up with what is now called the Nash equilibrium, which is used to determine the stability of competition.
Thomas Schelling – Schelling was an economist who came to RAND shortly after Nash’s frenzied departure. His game theory concocted a worldview of aggression and counter-aggression that was heavily influential during the Vietnam War.
Kenneth Arrow – One of the most influential RAND employees, Arrow posited that greed is good, and that what he termed “consumer sovereignty” should rule society. Some critics have blamed Arrow’s Theorem for providing the theoretical foundation for the free market frenzy of the past 30 years, including the current housing market meltdown.
Albert Wohlstetter – The most prominent member of RAND’s so-called Nuclear Boys Club. A brilliant theoretical mathematician and an unparalleled nuclear strategist, he worked at RAND on and off from 1951 to his death 46 years later. He originated the Second Strike nuclear doctrine (make sure you have enough backup nukes to wipe out any attackers) and the Fail Safe principle (drop the big one on your target only after confirmation in flight from headquarters).
Daniel Ellsberg – An endlessly loquacious mathematical genius, strategic thinker, and unlikely peacenik. Disgusted with official lies about America’s involvement in Southeast Asia, he leaked the Pentagon Papers, which set in motion the end of the Vietnam War.
This article originally appeared in mental_floss magazine. Alex Abella is the author of Soldiers of Reason: The RAND Corporation and the Rise of the American Empire (Harcourt, 2008).
The MQ-9 Reaper
From Fox News: BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq — The airplane is the size of a jet fighter, powered by a turboprop engine, able to fly at 300 mph and reach 50,000 feet. It's outfitted with infrared, laser and radar targeting, and with a ton and a half of guided bombs and missiles.
The Reaper is loaded, but there's no one on board. Its pilot, as it bombs targets in Iraq, will sit at a video console 7,000 miles away in Nevada.
The arrival of these outsized U.S. "hunter-killer" drones, in aviation history's first robot attack squadron, will be a watershed moment even in an Iraq that has seen too many innovative ways to hunt and kill.
That moment, one the Air Force will likely low-key, is expected "soon," says the regional U.S. air commander. How soon? "We're still working that," Lt. Gen. Gary North said in an interview.
The Reaper's first combat deployment is expected in Afghanistan, and senior Air Force officers estimate it will land in Iraq sometime between this fall and next spring. They look forward to it.
"With more Reapers, I could send manned airplanes home," North said.
The Associated Press has learned that the Air Force is building a 400,000-square-foot expansion of the concrete ramp area now used for Predator drones here at Balad, the biggest U.S. air base in Iraq, 50 miles north of Baghdad. That new staging area could be turned over to Reapers.
It's another sign that the Air Force is planning for an extended stay in Iraq, supporting Iraqi government forces in any continuing conflict, even if U.S. ground troops are drawn down in the coming years.
The estimated two dozen or more unmanned MQ-1 Predators now doing surveillance over Iraq, as the 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, have become mainstays of the U.S. war effort, offering round-the-clock airborne "eyes" watching over road convoys, tracking nighttime insurgent movements via infrared sensors, and occasionally unleashing one of their two Hellfire missiles on a target.
From about 36,000 flying hours in 2005, the Predators are expected to log 66,000 hours this year over Iraq and Afghanistan.
The MQ-9 Reaper, when compared with the 1995-vintage Predator, represents a major evolution of the unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV.
At five tons gross weight, the Reaper is four times heavier than the Predator. Its size — 36 feet long, with a 66-foot wingspan — is comparable to the profile of the Air Force's workhorse A-10 attack plane. It can fly twice as fast and twice as high as the Predator. Most significantly, it carries many more weapons.
While the Predator is armed with two Hellfire missiles, the Reaper can carry 14 of the air-to-ground weapons — or four Hellfires and two 500-pound bombs.
"It's not a recon squadron," Col. Joe Guasella, operations chief for the Central Command's air component, said of the Reapers. "It's an attack squadron, with a lot more kinetic ability."
"Kinetic" — Pentagon argot for destructive power — is what the Air Force had in mind when it christened its newest robot plane with a name associated with death.
"The name Reaper captures the lethal nature of this new weapon system," Gen. T. Michael Moseley, Air Force chief of staff, said in announcing the name last September.
General Atomics of San Diego has built at least nine of the MQ-9s thus far, at a cost of $69 million per set of four aircraft, with ground equipment.
The Air Force's 432nd Wing, a UAV unit formally established on May 1, is to eventually fly 60 Reapers and 160 Predators. The numbers to be assigned to Iraq and Afghanistan will be classified.
