Marines launch major offensive in Afghanistan

U.S. Military Launches Major Afghan Offensive Thursday , July 02, 2009

About one thousand U.S. Marines poured from helicopters and armored vehicles into Taliban-controlled villages in southern Afghanistan on Thursday in the first major operation under President Barack Obama’s strategy to stabilize the country. The offensive was launched shortly after 1 a.m. Thursday local time (4:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday) in Helmand province, a Taliban stronghold and the world’s largest opium poppy-producing area. The goal is to clear insurgents from the hotly contested region before the nation’s Aug. 20 presidential election. The Marines have not suffered any serious casualties and have seen only a sporadic resistance, said Lt. Abe Sipe, a spokesman for the unit. “The enemy has chosen to withdraw rather than engage for the most part,” Sipe said. “We had a couple of heat casualties, but not deemed serious in nature at this time.” The operation came as U.S. military announced that one of its soldiers was missing and believed captured by insurgents in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday. The missing soldier was not involved in the Helmand operation. Officials described the offensive — dubbed Khanjar or “Strike of the Sword” — as the largest and fastest-moving of the war’s new phase and the biggest Marine offensive since the one in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2004. It involves four Marine companies — about 1,000 troops — who fanned out as part of a larger effort supported by a total of about 4,000 Marines from the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, plus 650 Afghan forces. British forces last week led similar, but smaller, missions to clear out insurgents in Helmand and neighboring Kandahar province. “Where we go we will stay, and where we stay, we will hold, build and work toward transition of all security responsibilities to Afghan forces,” Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson said in a statement. Pakistan’s army said it had moved troops from elsewhere on its side of the Afghan border to the stretch opposite Helmand to try to stop any militants from fleeing the offensive. It gave no more details, but U.S. and Pakistani officials have expressed concern that stepped-up operations in southern Afghanistan could push the insurgents across the border. Transport helicopters carried hundreds of Marines into the village of Nawa, some 20 miles south of the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, in a region where no U.S. or other NATO troops have operated in large numbers. The troops took many insurgents by surprise, dropping behind Taliban lines, said Capt. Drew Schoenmaker, from Greene, New York. “We are kind of forging new ground here. We are going to a place nobody has been before,” said Schoenmaker, 31, who commands Bravo Company of the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. Daybreak brought the sporadic crackle of gunfire. Medical helicopters circled overhead and landed, indicating possible early casualties among the Marines. A Marine unit in Nawa traded gunfire with a group of some 20 insurgents, while Afghan troops exchanged small arms fire with militants after they were attacked with rocket propelled grenades fired from several houses. A Cobra helicopter circling overhead for most of the day fired rockets at a tree line nearby. Other troops walked through fields of corn and past mud-wall homes. Only a handful of villagers dared to venture outside. A roadside bomb early in the mission wounded one Marine, but he was able to continue, spokesman Capt. Bill Pelletier said. Southern Afghanistan is a Taliban stronghold but also a region where Afghan President Hamid Karzai is seeking votes from fellow Pashtun tribesmen. The Pentagon is deploying 21,000 additional troops to Afghanistan in time for the elections and expects the total number of U.S. forces there to reach 68,000 by year’s end. That is double the number of troops in Afghanistan in 2008 but still half as many as are now in Iraq. The Taliban, who took control of Afghanistan in 1996 and were ousted from power following a U.S.-led invasion in 2001, have made a violent comeback, wreaking havoc in much of the country’s south and east, forcing the United States to pour in the new troops. Pelletier said troops in Thursday’s operation were sent in by a mixture of aircraft and ground transport under the cover of darkness. The operation aims to show “the Afghan people that when we come in, we are going to stay long enough to set up their own institutions,” Pelletier said. Once on the ground, the troops will meet with local leaders, hear their needs and act on them, Pelletier said. “We do not want people of Helmand province to see us as an enemy. We want to protect them from the enemy,” Pelletier said. Thousands of British forces, fighting under NATO command, have been in Helmand since 2006 with broadly the same strategy, but security has deteriorated. They have met with stronger resistance than initially expected against Taliban fighters bankrolled by the vast opium and heroin trade. Reversing the insurgency’s momentum has been a key component of the new U.S. strategy, and thousands of additional troops allow commanders to push and stay into areas where international and Afghan troops had no permanent presence before. While Marine troops were the bulk of the force, recently arrived U.S. Army helicopters were also taking part in the operation. In March, Obama unveiled his strategy for Afghanistan, seeking to defeat Al Qaeda terrorists there and in Pakistan with a bigger force and a new commander. Taliban and other extremists, including those allied with Al Qaeda, routinely cross the two nations’ border in Afghanistan’s remote south. Last year, NATO and Pakistani forces cooperated in a series of complementary operations on the border, but the overall commitment of Islamabad to Washington’s aims in Afghanistan has long been questioned. Pakistan has frequently been accused in the past of failing to stop — and sometimes aiding — the movement of insurgents into Afghanistan from its side of the border. The governor of Helmand province predicted Operation Khanjar would be “very effective.” “The security forces will build bases to provide security for the local people so that they can carry out every activity with this favorable background and take their lives forward in peace,” Gov. Gulab Mangal said in a Pentagon news release. Obama aims to boost the Afghan army from 80,000 to 134,000 troops by 2011 — and greatly increase training by U.S. troops accompanying them — so the Afghan military can take control of the war. The White House also is pushing forces to set clear goals for a war gone awry, provide more resources and make a better case for international support. There is no timetable for withdrawal, and the White House has not estimated how many billions of dollars its plan will cost. Elsewhere in Afghanistan, insurgents captured an American soldier on Tuesday, said Capt. Elizabeth Mathias, a U.S. military spokeswoman. The missing soldier was not part of the Helmand operation. “We are using all of our resources to find him and provide for his safe return,” Mathias said. Mathias did not provide details on the soldier, the location where he was captured or the circumstances. Afghan Police Gen. Nabi Mullakheil said the soldier went missing in the Mullakheil area of eastern Paktika province, where there is an American base. Zabiullah Mujaheed, a spokesman for the Taliban, could not confirm that the soldier was with any of their militant forces. A myriad of insurgent groups operate in eastern Afghanistan, and the Taliban is only one of them. The soldier was noticed missing during a routine check of the unit on Tuesday and was first listed as “duty status whereabouts unknown,” a U.S. defense official said on condition of anonymity because details are still sketchy. Two U.S. defense sources said the soldier “just walked off” post with three Afghan counterparts after he finished working. They said they had no explanation for why he left the base. He was assigned to a combat outpost, one of a number of smaller bases set up by foreign forces in Afghanistan, the officials said. The most important insurgent group operating in that area is known as Haqqani network and is led by Siraj Haqqani, whom the U.S. has accused of masterminding beheadings and suicide bombings. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

From FOXNEWS.com

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,529788,00.html

Media coverage of fallen military members

A few weeks has passed since the Pentagon ended an 18-year ban on media coverage of fallen soldiers returning to the U.S.  And most families have allowed the media into the very personal ceremony.  14 out of 19 to be exact.  Some critics of the media being allowed in had warned that military families needed privacy and peace activists might exploit the images.  Air Force Staff Sgt. Phillip A. Myers of Hopewell, Va., who died April 4 in Afghanistan, was the first combat casualty where the media was allowed to attend.  

 The ban on media coverage began in 1991, when President George H.W. Bush imposed it during the Persian Gulf War. It was meant to protect the privacy of grieving families.  It’s still too early to tell whether military families favor the new policy.

 Media interest has dwindled since the almost 40 reporters, photographers and camera operators turned out to document the arrival of Myers’ body. At some of the more recent casualty arrivals, the only media representative was a lone photographer from The Associated Press. Even if the media is not present, the Department of Defense films each casualty arrival for which consent is given and presents a recording to the family. Christie Woods initially declined media coverage of the return of her husband, Staff Sgt. Gary L. Woods Jr., of Lebanon Junction, Ky., who was killed along with Jason Pautsch. She changed her mind so family members who couldn’t travel to Dover would have the video, according to casualty assistance officer Sgt. Joseph Chapman.

While survivors are asked whether they consent to media coverage and want to travel to Dover, a policy memo issued by Defense Secretary Robert Gates states that media contact with family members will be allowed “only if specifically requested” by the family.

AP

HIV POSITIVE after VA clinic mistake

The VA is looking into whether there’s a connection between a patient’s positive HIV test and unsterilized equipment that may have exposed thousands of veterans to infectious diseases.

This was the first positive reported test since the VA warned vets treated at three clinics that there might be a risk.

The VA did report that hepatitis was found in 16 patients.  But then stated that it isn’t certain that the patients got the illnesses because of unsterilized equipment at a VA clinic.  According to the Associated Press, the VA is looking into the possible relationship between the two.

Earlier this year, the VA warned thousands of vets to get blood tests because they could have been exposed to contamination while getting colonoscopies in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and Miami.

The endoscopic equipment in question was also used at an ear, nose and throat facility in Augusta, Ga. All three sites failed to properly sterilize the equipment between treatments.

The VA has said it does not yet know if veterans who were treated with the same kind of equipment at its other 150 hospitals may have been exposed to the same mistake.  The VA has now instituted a nationwide safety training campaign.

To date, less than a third — 3,174 — have been notified of their test results.

In all, at least five veterans have tested positive for hepatitis B and 11 for hepatitis C, which is potentially life-threatening.

These are our veterans.  The heroes of our nation.  Yet, they receive medical treatment at subpar facilities who aren’t focused on top notch care.  Going to fight for our country and returning to a facility where you contract an infectious disease is appalling and unacceptable.  If the Obama administration wants to take a look at changing our health care system, how about starting with our veterans health care?

Vietnam Vet finally receives Silver Star

 

Forty years after his commission with the Marine Corps, a Ray Calhoun, Jr., now 61,  is set to receive the Silver Star for bravery while serving  in Vietnam.

He was a lance corporal in April 1967 during the first battle at Khe Sanh, one of the bloodiest battles of the war. When his platoon was attacked, Calhoun continued to fire back with a machine gun and an M-16 and to throw grenades.

Wounded, he refused to be evacuated and instead braved enemy fire to aid other wounded Marines.

A Silver Star citation signed by Navy Secretary Donald Winter says Calhoun displayed “resolute determination, selfless sacrifice and unwavering dedication to duty.”

A report on Calhoun’s actions never reached the appropriate office during the war.

But his onetime platoon commander, retired Maj. Gen. John Admire, has persisted for years in an effort to see that Calhoun’s bravery is recognized. Calhoun left the Marine Corps after the Vietnam War and later founded and served as chief executive of BeamOne, a San Diego firm that specializes in the use of electron beams to sterilize medical devices.

Los Angeles Times

Tony Perry

April 3, 2009

CALL ON PRESIDENT TO WITHDRAW VA PLAN

Please write a letter to President Barack Obama asking him to withdraw his Administration’s plan for the Veterans Administration to bill a veteran’s personal insurance company for certain healthcare costs associated with service-related disability.  The White House proposed the plan as part of the 2010 VA budget, but veteran groups and some lawmakers are leading the charge against it calling it unacceptable.  Congressman Todd Tiahrt wrote to the President that the White House proposal would “add additional burdens on our veterans.” 

It is rather shocking that one week our government is passing billion dollar bailouts for huge corporations and the next week increasing the burdens on our veterans who proudly served our country.  This plan must be defeated.  It is one of the most important issues affecting our nation’s veterans at this time and we need to stand up against it.  Please post your comments here or send your feedback to info@devildogadvocates.org. 

Thank you!

Too much armor for Marines?

WASHINGTON – Using heavy layers of armor to keep troops safe from bullets and bombs is making the Marine Corps too slow on a battlefield where speed and mobility are critical, a senior military leader said Tuesday. With 8,000 Marines about to be sent to Afghanistan to quell rising violence, Lt. Gen. George Flynn cautioned members of Congress against wrapping them in so much protective gear they can’t hunt down more agile insurgents who use the country’s rugged peaks and valleys to their advantage. “The bottom line is that the focus on armor as the principal means of protecting our force is making us too heavy,” said Flynn, deputy commandant of the Marine Corps for combat development and integration, during a hearing held by the House Appropriations defense subcommittee. The weight of personal body armor and steel-encased vehicles limits the speed and maneuverability that make the Marine Corps “more effective and deadly to the enemy,” he said. Body armor has been a proven lifesaver of U.S. troops. But the vests weigh as much as 34 pounds each.

When body armor is added to the assault rifles, ammunition, water and other essential gear troops are required to carry, they can be lugging as much as 80 pounds into combat. Besides moving more slowly, overburdened troops tire more quickly and are prone to orthopedic injuries that can take them out of action, officials say. Convincing a war-weary public of a less-is-more approach won’t be easy, they say.

If a commander decides the gear shouldn’t be used for a particular mission and a service member is killed, there could be a backlash, said Jean Malone, deputy director of experiment plans at the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab in Quantico, Va. “We’ve got to have the internal fortitude to come back and say: ‘We have the data. We made the right decision. We can’t guarantee you that nobody will die in this war,’” he said. Paring down the amount of armor could actually make troops safer on the battlefield, officials say. Speed and maneuverability give them the best chance of killing or capturing the Taliban and other militants before they can set roadside bombs or get in position for an ambush.

“Being able to maneuver and fight and chase down a fleeing enemy; that’s actually where your protection is (versus) armoring up and being more static,” said Brig. Gen. Tim Hanifen, deputy commanding general of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command at Quantico. The loads carried by modern American troops are equivalent to those “the medieval knight wore into and out of battle back in the year 1000 until about the 16th century,” he said. Bomb-resistant vehicles that are light and nimble enough to handle Afghanistan’s primitive roads are also needed, Flynn told the defense subcommittee. He outlined plans to buy an all-terrain vehicle strong enough to blunt improvised explosive devices and still have the mobility of a Humvee.

The defense subcommittee is holding oversight hearings Wednesday and Thursday on force-protection programs, readiness levels, and ergonomic injuries. Senior Marine Corps and Army leaders are scheduled to testify. As troop levels are surging in Afghanistan, so are roadside bomb attacks, according to the Pentagon’s Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization.

 In January and February, 52 IED attacks in Afghanistan killed 32 coalition troops and wounded 96 more, according to preliminary figures from the organization. During the same two months in 2008, 21 IED attacks killed 10 troops and wounded 39.

Body armor has become a focus of Marine Corps efforts to lighten troop loads because it weighs so much more than the other gear. The standard kit consists of hardened composite plates inserted into a ballistic vest. The vest and plates protect the upper body from armor-piercing bullets and shrapnel. Personal armor made of substantially lighter composite materials that are more effective than current models won’t be available for several years. So the Marine Corps is looking for near-term solutions.

The Marine Corps is buying 65,000 vests called “scalable plate carriers” that weigh under 20 pounds. The carrier, which uses the same plates as the standard vest, doesn’t cover as much of the torso. About 14,000 of the plate carriers have been fielded and the feedback has been positive, according to Marine Corps officials.

By Richard Lardner- Associated Press Writer

Taking Chance- HBO Film- HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by Devil Dog Advocates

http://www.hbo.com/films/takingchance/

Pentagon recruits foreigners on visas

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/12/05/pentagon-recruit-foreigners-visas/

President Obama’s Solicitor General Nominee Elena Kagan

During his presidential campaign, Barack Obama stated that students should be given the opportunity on campuses to join the military.  HOWEVER, now he has appoined Elena Kagan for Solicitor General who has submitted two amici curiae (Friend of the court) briefs AGAINST military recruitments on campuses.  She is currently the Dean of Harvard Law School and believes the military should be banned from campus.  The Solomon Amendment requires that students have access to military opportunities.  She fought all the way to the Supreme Court to invalidate the Amendment and deny students the right to serve. 

Elena Kagan has called military recruiting policy “discriminatory,” “deeply wrong,” “unwise,” and “unjust.” - Letter from Dean Kagan on military recruiting, September 20, 2005. 

Please weigh in with Congressman who sit on the Judiciary Committee.

DELAYED NEWSLETTER

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