Battle Buddies

I can't enough of this picture..... Two Battle Buddies - No stronger bond on the battlefield than a man and his K-9 companion.  This is what 2 brave warrior look like

Bayonets & Horses?? Oh yeah, they are part of our military DNA

Well we heard and have seen how much POTUS cares about the military and our Veterans.  That is why he directed that Veterans must pay more for the benefits and healthcare they deserve.  He is not fooling anyone as he hates and holds distain for all military.

We deserve better than the failed fool who we have suffered under for the last 4 years.

Bayonets & Horses??  Oh yeah, they are part of our military DNA, not that Obama would know that.

If you need a reminder, please see the enclosed picture I took in Sept. 2010 when I attended the funeral of a fallen Marine at Arlington National Cemetery who was a shipmate of mine.

 

Obama line about horses, bayonets fails - www.dailycaller.com

 

In a debate exchange Monday night that set Twitter on fire, President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney crossed swords over the kinds of equipment and materials the U.S. military uses for modern warfare.

In a response to Romney’s barb that Obama has allowed the U.S. Navy’s inventory of battleships to approach a historic low mark, Obama snarked that “we also have fewer horses and bayonets, because the nature of our military’s changed.”

But horses and bayonets both remain vital parts of the U.S arsenal.

The Daily Caller won a prestigious Edward R. Murrow award this year for a war report about the American soldiers who — riding on horseback — were the first U.S. forces to fight in Afghanistan after the 9/11 terror attacks.

And bayonets remain a fixture in Army infantry training and deployment. On August 6 a blogger at the Gizmodo technology website reported that the military was trading in bayonets for a “tomahawk”-like hand-to-hand combat weapon, but it later emerged that the source of that erroneous report was Duffelblog — a military spoof website modeled on The Onion.

“I think Gov. Romney maybe hasn’t spent enough time looking at how our military works,” Obama claimed Monday night.

“You — you mentioned the Navy, for example, and that we have fewer ships than we did in 1916. Well, governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets, because the nature of our military’s changed. We have these things called aircraft carriers where planes land on them. We have these ships that go underwater, nuclear submarines.”

Obama Campaign sues to restrict voting by the military

Let me get this straight - The President and his Democratic allies will do anything they can to allow access to vote, including making sure that laws are in place that likely allow people who are non-citizens to vote BUT they have gone to court to limit access to voting for our US Military members???  Really ???

If you have served our country or have someone you love who defended this country in uniform, you need to VOTE the unethical, shallow hypocrite out of office.

The President has proven to be unfit to command and undeserving of the support of anyone who cares about the defense of our country.

August 3, 2012

Obama campaign sues to restrict voting by military
Rick Moran - The American Thinker
If requiring a citizen to show a picture ID to vote is "suppressing the vote," what does it mean when the Obama campaign really makes an effort to prevent our soldiers from voting?

President Barack Obama, along with many Democrats, likes to say that, while they may disagree with the GOP on many issues related to national security, they absolutely share their admiration and dedication to members of our armed forces. Obama, in particular, enjoys being seen visiting troops and having photos taken with members of our military. So, why is his campaign and the Democrat party suing to restrict their ability to vote in the upcoming election?

On July 17th, the Obama for America Campaign, the Democratic National Committee, and the Ohio Democratic Party filed suit in OH to strike down part of that state's law governing voting by members of the military. Their suit said that part of the law is "arbitrary" with "no discernible rational basis."

Currently, Ohio allows the public to vote early in-person up until the Friday before the election. Members of the military are given three extra days to do so. While the Democrats may see this as "arbitrary" and having "no discernible rational basis," I think it is entirely reasonable given the demands on servicemen and women's time and their obligations to their sworn duty.

The National Defense Committee reports:

[f]or each of the last three years, the Department of Defense's Federal Voting Assistance Program has reported to the President and the Congress that the number one reason for military voter disenfranchisement is inadequate time to successfully vote.

I think it's unconscionable that we as a nation wouldn't make it as easy as possible for members of the military to vote. They arguably have more right to vote than the rest of us, since it is their service and sacrifice that ensures we have the right to vote in the first place.

I would disagree that the military has "more right" to vote than anyone. Everyone has an equal right to vote as long as they're registered and a citizen, and by saying that some have a greater right to vote, it means that others have a lesser right to vote -- and that's unacceptable.

Not really important, except it appears the Obama administration is buying that argument. With the suit, they are saying that our soldiers have a lesser right to vote than others. The law is designed to give military personnel an equal opportunity to cast their ballot. and by fighting that notion, the Obama campaign is seeking to suppress the military vote, knowing that it usually goes 2-1 Republican

Echoes from a Sacred Space at FOB Frontenac, Afghanistan

The enclosed info was something I had seen back in early 2010 when I was doing a bit of FOB-Hopping around Afghanistan. I came across it in some notes I had rediscovered.

What I had witnessed at FOB FRONTENAC - The name comes from Fort Frontenac, a French fort and trading post located in what is now Kingston, Ontario

– I went there on a two day helicopter hop from hell.  I was there to do a town hall meeting and see if any of their staff would work for the company I was working with at the time.  I had wrenched the crap outta my arm getting off a helo about three weeks earlier and it was killing me.
 
The Pain was an " 11 " on the scale of  1-10 as I managed to have two tendons pop off the bone in my right arm in the process of getting blown off my feet by prop wash from a helo.

Needless to say, I was not a happy camper.  Then, I saw something that put it all in perspective.  Here are my notes from back then.  I am still in awe of what was on this FOB out in the middle of nowhere in Afghanistan.  Here's what I had written in 2010:

FOB FRONTENAC - AFGHANISTAN

The picture directly below is from Micheal Yon's report on this Sacred Space -- the others enclosed are the ones I took while I was there.

Enclosed are pictures from Camp Frontenac - a small FOB about 20 miles north of Kandahar...I took a hop there over the last week to do a meet n' greet with some potential new employees from another company. Middleboro Jones riding our company helicopters to get there and then getting stuck there for a day as there were no flights back that day....The next day, I caught a hop back to Kandahar with the Special Forces guys in a helicopter with no lettering or markings on it....if you want to get to where you need to go here, sometimes you have to just go with the flow...no questions asked.

Next to the Chapel, the Chaplain has erected a teepee which holds the pictures of the 21 soldiers lost from the 1-17, the Buffalo Brigade - to see this beautiful sacred space in the midst of all the harshness of the environment here is something beyond words. I stepped into the teepee and viewed the pictures and said a prayer.

There are moments of ultimate beauty here in a harsh landscape, and moments of incredible clarity - seeing how precious life really is.....It is something that is lost on most us during our day-to-day existence. We lose sight of what is really important, and how quickly it can be taken from us if we are not careful.

A prayer for the Brave Buffalo Soldiers and one of thankfulness for all that the LORD has provided to me. I am truly blessed and I was grateful for the reminder.

MEMORIAL DAY - May we never forget those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom

A good article from the National Geographic about how Memorial Day has been changed by our society and how there is movement to change the date back to the original date of May 30th, regardless of where it falls on the calendar.

It is my hope that our citizens never forget how much others have sacrificed for our freedom.

The enclosed picture was one I took when I visited Arlington National Cemetery in 2010 for the funeral of a fallen US Marine.

Memorial Day: How It's Changed, Why Some Oppose 3-Day Weekend

Day of remembrance lost in swirl of summer kickoff?

Brian Handwerk

for National Geographic News

Published May 25, 2012

Every year Memorial Day brings people together in the United States to honor fallen service members on the last Monday in May.

Since its post-Civil War beginnings, the holiday has changed considerably and now may be best known as the start of summer vacation season—prompting some critics to call for moving the date away from a three-day weekend.

Unlike Veterans Day on November 11, which honors all who have served their country, Memorial Day is set aside for special remembrance of those who laid down their lives for U.S. national defense.

Despite the modern spirit of patriotic camaraderie, Memorial Day has its roots in one of the most divisive events in U.S. history: the Civil War.

Soon after the bloody conflict ceased, General John A. Logan—commander in chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Union veterans—called for a holiday to be observed every year on May 30.

At the time, that holiday was known as Decoration Day, because Logan wanted to honor the fallen by "strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating, the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion."

But many Civil War memorial ceremonies actually predated Logan's first Decoration Day, which was held at Arlington National Cemetery in 1868. More than two dozen U.S. cities claim to have hosted the first Decoration Day or Memorial Day.

In 1966, the U.S. Congress and President Lyndon B. Johnson recognized Waterloo, New York, as the "birthplace" of Memorial Day, based on a May 5, 1866, service held to honor local veterans, which included citywide events and the closings of local businesses.
The first national Memorial Day holiday, designated by Congress, was held in 1971.

Memorial Day a "Sacrosanct" Observance

In the years just after the Civil War, Northern and Southern Memorial Day services didn't necessarily honor the same soldiers.

But since World War I, the holiday has gathered the nation together to honor all men and women who've lost their lives in conflict, from the American Revolution to the present day battles in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Over the decades the name of the holiday has shifted as well, with Memorial Day gradually becoming the common moniker.

Now in cemeteries across the United States veterans and citizens alike hold ceremonies, and the graves of the fallen are adorned with flowers and U.S. flags.

"We believe that Memorial Day is a sacrosanct national observance for the entire country," said John Raughter, communications director for the American Legion, a nonprofit organization of veterans helping veterans.

Smaller local observances, in which citizens honor veterans known to their communities, remain as links to the original spirit of Decoration Day, he said.

"Thankfully most communities in this country recognize this, and we are grateful that they have observances and ceremonies on the local level. Those are very important."
An End to Memorial Day Weekend?

Due to the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968—which moved observances of several holidays to create long weekends—Memorial Day has for decades been held on the last Monday in May.

But some groups, including the American Legion, hope for a return to the original May 30 observance, to truly set the day apart.

"The majority of Americans view Memorial Day as a time for relaxation and leisure recreation rather than as a solemn occasion and a time to reflect and pay tribute to the American servicemen and women who sacrificed their lives in defense of our Nation," according to an American Legion resolution issued at the group's 2010 National Convention.

Instead of being part of a long weekend, the resolution asks that Congress "restore the official observance of Memorial Day to May 30 and that all American institutions toll their bells for one minute, beginning at 11:00, on that date in remembrance of those who died defending the Nation."

Hawaii Senator Daniel Inouye, a World War II veteran and Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, has several times introduced legislation favoring a shift of Memorial Day back to May 30.
(Related pictures: "World War II 'Time Capsule' Fighter Found in Sahara.")
And some communities still observe the original date with solemn parades and other services of remembrance.

Since 2000 people across the U.S. have also been asked to observe a national moment of remembrance at 3:00 p.m. local time on the official national holiday. Flags are flown at half staff until noon, to signify a day of mourning.

"I think people are realizing again that Memorial Day is not about picnics, ball games, or going to the beach," the American Legion's Raughter said.

"There's nothing wrong with those things and enjoying the lifestyle that we have," he added. "But remember that the lifestyle that we have in America—the ability to enjoy a long weekend—was made possible by the nearly one million men and women who have died in service to this country since the American Revolution."

Perhaps the fact that so many of today's U.S. troops are in harm's way, serving in dangerous overseas deployments, has sparked a bit more solemnity, no matter which date is observed, Raughter suggested.

"We seem to remember when we see young men and women come back wounded, amputees, or hear of people we know who made the supreme sacrifice," he said.
"It's a shame that it sometimes takes a war to remind us of the heroes that we have, because even during peacetime, the vets are still with us, and they should be remembered at all times, not only when the guns are firing."

Here is the answer....

Some I know have asked me, " Why are we in Afghanistan ?" " Why would anyone go there ?" " What good could possibly come from being there?"

Here is the answer...a dedicated RI National Guardsman who in a split second, made the right choice and placed his own life in danger to save an Afghan Girl. He knew his duty and did it without a moment's hesitation.

John 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

Sgt. Weichel was there when he was needed and did what he was trained to do....He saved the life of a little girl even though he likely knew it would cost him his own life.

Rest easy Sgt. Weichel. You have the respect and admiration of your nation and all who serve or have served in uniform.

Rest easy shipmate, we have the watch.

Please share his story as it would be my hope that more learn of this splendid patriot and his sacrifice.


'Hero' U.S. Soldier Gives Life to Save Afghan Girl
By Luis Martinez - ABC News – 4 hrs ago....

It is a compelling war-zone story of heroism of a U.S. soldier who gave his own life to save an Afghan girl from certain injury.

Sgt. Dennis Weichel, 29, died in Afghanistan last week as he lifted an Afghan girl who was in the path of a large military vehicle barreling down a road.

Weichel, a Rhode Island National Guardsman, was riding along in a convoy in Laghman Province in eastern Afghanistan when some children were spotted on the road ahead.

The children were picking up shell casings lying on the road. The casings are recycled for money in Afghanistan. Weichel and other soldiers in the convoy got out of their vehicles to get them out of the way of the heavy trucks in the convoy.

The children were moved out of the way, but an Afghan girl darted back onto the road to pick up some more casings that lay underneath a passing MRAP, or Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle. The huge armored trucks can weigh as much as 16 tons and are designed to protect the troops they carry from roadside bombs.

Weichel spotted the girl and quickly moved toward her to get her out of the way. He succeeded, but not before he was run over by the heavily armored truck. The girl was safe, but Weichel later died of his injuries. He had arrived in Afghanistan a few weeks ago and had been a member of the Rhode Island National Guard since 2001

Lt. Col. Denis Riel a spokesman for the Rhode Island National Guard, said Weichel embodied values that can't be taught. "I have heard nothing but incredible stuff about this kid, selfless beyond our core values that we live up to," Riel said. "As I hear more from family and others, he was the living embodiment of the Army's core values: courageous, selfless and loyal. All values we expect from our soldiers. We mourn all combat deaths, but this one is a significant loss."

An Army article quotes two former colleagues praising Weichel's character.

Staff Sgt. Ronald Corbett, who deployed with Weichel to Iraq in 2005, said, "He would have done it for anybody," adding, "That was the way he was. He would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. He was that type of guy."

First Sgt. Nicky Peppe also served with Weichel in Iraq. "He was a big kid at heart," Peppe said. "He always had a smile on his face and he made everyone laugh. But as much as Weichel was funny, he was also a professional. When it was time to go outside the wire for a combat patrol, he was all business."

Since his death, the father of three has been posthumously promoted to sergeant and received the Bronze Star for his heroism.

His remains will arrive in Rhode Island Saturday, and a wake will be held in Providence Sunday. He'll be buried Monday. He is survived by his children, his fiancée and his parents. Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee has ordered flags in the state to be flown at half-staff until Weichel's burial.

The real 1% - Those who defend our nation.

This author makes the case for the 1%. The 1% she is highlighting is not the uber-rich, but those who are serve in uniform defending our nation and their families who support them from the homefront. I agree with her point-of-view.


Two members of a different 1% on Afghanistan, politics and privilege.
By ANNE JOLIS - Wall Street Journal
Zhari District, Afghanistan

U.S. service-members make up less than 1% of the American population. But the occupiers of Afghanistan do have a few, superficial similarities with the self-described "99%" occupying Western financial districts: Their endeavors both involve tents and have gone on far longer than first expected; both elicit mixed reactions in the areas they occupy; and both at times struggle to explain what their occupations are meant to accomplish.

Otherwise, the soldiers here in southern Afghanistan could not pose a starker contrast to their agitating peers back home. Take Spc. Anthony Webster, 32, of Portland, Maine and Sgt. Matthew Montville, 24, of Worcester, Massachusetts. They serve as their command group's security detachment in the Fourth Squadron, Fourth U.S. Cavalry Regiment, First Infantry Division—the "Pale Riders."

In late November, straightening their tent after a day of patrols, Sgt. Montville recalls taking leave in October to find himself "appalled" at the Occupy Boston crowd. The impish blond, who enlisted at 17 because "the idea of college never excited" him, observes: "Most of those 'Occupy' people wouldn't know hard work if it jumped up and punched them in the throat."

Not so the Pale Riders. They've had a particularly wretched war even for a particularly wretched part of Afghanistan, which has the ignoble distinction of being the Taliban's birthplace. Since arriving with 517 soldiers in late February, the Pale Riders have buried seven and been awarded 134 living Purple Hearts.

***
After 2001, the U.S. largely left this stretch of the Arghandab River valley to Afghan forces. By 2006 the Taliban was resurgent, and a Canadian-led contingent was sent to level entire neighborhoods here. But they never had the manpower to hold the area and by 2007 had effectively retreated, leaving the valley to de-facto Taliban control once again.

President Obama's surge increased U.S. troop presence here by roughly six-fold. The Second Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division spent much of 2010 redoing the Canadians' bloody work. When the Third Brigade of the 10th Mountain Division arrived with its Pale Rider attachment, they expanded the 101st's so-called security bubble while consolidating those gains with local outreach.

"We came at the beginning of the fighting season, and there was no bulls— about it," says Spc. Webster, a former construction and private-security entrepreneur whose tattoos cover about 85% of his body. "When it started, it started."

Spc. William A.T. Phillips, 4th Squadron, 4th U.S. Cavalry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division
The Pale Riders patrol through Charkusa, southern Afghanistan.

It hasn't really stopped. On a routine patrol a week before I met them, the Pale Riders entered a house that turned out to be rigged with explosives. The blast brought the house down on top of two of them, who survived but were critically injured. "I've never heard screaming like that in my life," says Sgt. Montville.

"You can't justify any of the losses," says Spc. Webster after a long pause. "But we're here to do our jobs, we know what we signed up for. The mission is what we live by, that's priority No. 1."

Sgt. Montville summarizes: "We continued the push and at the same time started talking to the locals to find out what they need from us and actually start to implement it—roads, schools, clinics."

"Anyone can go in and blow a place up. We're trying to do the right thing," he adds. "I'm proud of what we've done."

"We see more kids now, more of their women out, people able to farm their land—we've accomplished a lot in a short period of time," adds Spc. Webster. But "it's frustrating, too. Ultimately it's up to the Afghans. We go to these shuras [meetings of local elders] and we hear them arguing about dumb stuff."

Earlier on the day of our interview we patrolled through the neighborhood of Charkusa, where only weeks before the Pale Riders had been taking regular fire from mazes of grape walls and marijuana gardens. Now Charkusa is quiet, though nearly deserted. Over tea with several elders who had fled during the Canadian offensive, the old men acknowledged that security had improved and said they're prepared to work with their imperfect government, return home and fill the vacuum that insurgents would be happy to re-occupy. But some remained focused on what the Americans haven't done for them lately: They want their mud huts rebuilt and this time with doors and windows; they want their irrigation canals repaired and reinforced with brick or cement; they want their relocation expenses covered. Pale Rider Commander, Lt. Col. Michael Katona of Michigan, listened patiently, his soldiers fanned around us, nodding: "We can do all that."

Their aim is to do so by the end of the year, when the Pale Riders will start to leave. But "it's their community, at some point they need to own it," Spc. Webster says. "If not, our efforts will have been futile. I'd like to believe they weren't, I know my friends who have passed away, their families—I know they hope they weren't."

Another crucial variable over which the Pale Riders have little control is the development of the Afghan National Army, which Spc. Montville says is "definitely improving. But for a lot of them, it's their first time having their own money, so they have cell phones and they want to hang out and talk on them, weapons flopping around—sometimes they smoke hashish on patrol."

Like most of the U.S. soldiers with whom I spoke, Spc. Webster and Sgt. Montville have taken it upon themselves to informally train the ANA they work with—though ostensibly they've already received NATO training.

Sgt. Montville tells me that, for instance, their ANA counterparts were recently issued .50-caliber machine guns. But "a lot of them didn't know how to clean them, take them apart—they just didn't know what they were doing. So instead of us getting shot in the back accidentally, [Spc.] Webster and I went over to the ANA side [of Forward Operating Base Pasab] and brought our .50-cals over and had them bring theirs out. We showed them how to take them apart, clean them, make sure they work right, put them back together—basic soldiering skills. . . . Eventually they do start taking stuff seriously."

He flicks on his laptop to show me a recent video of U.S. soldiers defusing an IED set against a grape wall. While everyone else waits, frozen, an ANA soldier wanders into the frame, ignoring the others' warning shouts, steps on the pressure-point and loses half his face and a foot. "Luckily, they're getting better."

"Yeah, but that really is how undisciplined some of these guys are. It's a liability every time we go out with them," adds Spc. Webster.

Both agree that Washington's 2014 combat-withdrawal date doesn't make their work easier.

"It's more pressure on us and especially our commanders, to try and get everything in place to make sure it doesn't all fall apart once we leave, to make sure these people aren't bullied all over again," explains Spc. Webster. He says even after 2014, he expects the U.S. and its allies to keep a significant overwatch presence in Afghanistan for a long time, "for the safety of the whole world. If not, [Afghanistan] would go to hell again."

But he also sees their work now as more humanitarian than U.S. defense. Which is why the pre-set timeline is "the right thing to do. We've got a lot of problems at home. How many more lives and money can we really afford to lose here?"

Spc. Montville, on the other hand, characterizes the timeline as "a nice goal," but also akin to telling the insurgents "'Hey, guess what guys, we're leaving in 2014, you just got to hold on till then. Then you can come back and do whatever the f— you want.'"

Unlike Spc. Webster, Sgt. Montville claims "honestly, I don't care. Once I go home, I'm going to try my best not to think about this place and some of the s— I've seen."

Why? "Because I'm a spoiled American."

Turns out that after nine months dodging rockets and IEDs, without alcohol, flush toilets or their respective wife and girlfriend, Spc. Webster and Sgt. Montville's tour has left them preoccupied with how good they have it.

"If you grew up in a mud hut, went to school for maybe one or two years, you might not be the smartest dude either, but you'd be a hard worker," says Sgt. Montville. "You see kids here hauling three, four times their body weight, going 15 miles an hour on some [beaten-up] one-speed bicycle. I absolutely have a lot of respect for them. You've got to."

***
Which brings us back to America's "occupiers." "Yeah okay, a lot of them have jobs, they work a crappy nine-to-five, they've got student loans," concedes Sgt. Montville. "And I have a car payment. I'm not getting financial aid for my cell-phone bill. Everyone has to work. Deal with it."

Of their own unenviable salaries, Spc. Webster shrugs: "No one's ever going to get paid enough to do this job. That's not why we do it."

"I love what I do, I can't see myself doing anything else," adds Sgt. Montville. But when Washington politicos were threatening earlier this year to suspend military pay, his initial reaction was: "They train us to kill people, to drive tanks, use explosives, fight in the dark, to engage in hand-to-hand-combat; they give us all these guns, all this cool gear to do this—and then they're going to take our pay? Are they stupid?"

Memo to the humorless: He's kidding. Upon hearing of the budget brinkmanship, "a lot of guys here said '[Forget] it then, I'm not going to go out on patrol!' But I don't know anyone who would actually do that."

And while neither voted for the current President, "[Mr.] Obama is my boss," says Spc. Webster. "If he sends us orders tomorrow to go to Pakistan, Iran, wherever—done. I'd pack my bags and go."

As the U.S. drawdown proceeds, Spc. Webster predicts, safely, that 2012 campaigns will bring claims of "'I did this, I brought the troops home.'" He laughs and lets Sgt. Montville finish his thought: "We're the ones watching each others' backs out here. The ones who survive—we'll have brought ourselves home."

Miss Jolis is an editorial page writer for The Wall Street Journal Europe.

Picture of the month

Here is the picture of the month.

November is more than half over and it is the week before Thanksgiving, the most American of all holidays.

Next week, you will likely be sitting down with family for the annual Thanksgiving Day feast. Military men & women will be doing their jobs and serving overseas away from family. Most will get a hot meal and the DFACs in Afghanistan will put on a feast. I have been there on the holiday and have seen how well our Soldiers, Sailors, Marines & Airmen get fed on this special day.

At the same time, there are those who will be at the point of the spear, like the soldier pictured here. He & his troops along with their K-9 mates will likely spend the day doing their job and hoping that a pre-packaged holiday meal finds it's way to their COP (Combat OutPost) as not all troops can be back at base to use the DFAC, regardless of the day.

Something to think about as you head to the mall, go shopping or have a drink with friends. They are out there, 24/7/365 allowing you the ability to enjoy your freedoms. Make sure they are in your thoughts and prayers. This week, Thanksgiving Day and always.

Middleboro Soldier visits his little Sister at School before deployment

This is the 2nd Good News story of the day...Glad to share courtesy of the Brockton Enterprise

Middleboro soldier surprises his little sister at school
Jun 08, 2011 - Brockton Enterprise

Army Private 1st Class Joshua S. McLaughlin is bound for Afghanistan after he spends a week at home in Middleboro following combat training at Camp Attlebury, Ind. He visited his 9-year-old sister at her school on Tuesday.

Memorial Day 2011

Notes from " Outside the wire" where they are taking it directly to the Taliban

This message came from a colleague who has a fellow West Pointer out here in the field, doing what Army guys do "outside the wire" - Inspirational stuff. Working with the ANA (Afghan National Army) to secure the peace.

(See enclosed picture - Their faces have been obscured to ensure OPSEC)

They are taking it directly to the Taliban.

His words -


" Came back in from a mission today and it was pretty warm. Got some chow and went to the Team meeting.....a collage of pix that had been taken on the day I left on leave of the mission they had done that day, I think it was the 21st of April.

There is a hill east of our COP which has been dubbed "POO Hill" (POO being the current military term for "point of origin", essentially where the bad guys are when they are shooting stuff at us). There has been a Taliban white flag on it for a long time, and they shoot their 82mm mortars from there at us. The mission for that day included some of the team guys going up on top of this hill in order to (IOT) man a OP/sniper/mortar position for other op's which were also being conducted.

The four guys who were going up there ( I was going to be the fifth, but was going on leave so did not go) decided to do the American Thing and place Old Glory on top after they had ripped down the Taliban rag. You need to understand that this was no small endeavor; from the gun trucks to the top of the hill was an elevation climb of over 700 ft and a damned tough climb. They each made four trips IOT carry all that was necessary for the mission- which for them included picks, shovels, three 60# bags of cement, mortar ammo, three five gallon Jerry Cans of water, a 20 ft flag pole and all the other mission gear and rucks necessary to fight. This was carried up and in place by first light. Then they went to work. I did not ask them how long it took to dig down in the rocky soil on top of the hill, but there is a picture of the hole and some very tired looking guys. Then the mixing of the concrete and setting of the pole.

Now you all have seen the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima by the Marines. I saw tonight a picture of three men doing exactly the same thing on a hill in the Shalay Valley of the Konar which made me choke up. The emotion which was expressed in the pictures is beyond description. I was moved like I have seldom been; only the combat loss of men gets me as much as seeing this tonight. I was getting damned choked up as were these guys.

Then they presented me the American Flag which had flown that day.

That's when I lost it...

We all did.

After I recovered I thanked them but could not accept it as I had not been there, and this flag was a very important part of the teams history, and would return to the team room back at Ft Bragg. I did say that I would be honored to retain the next flag so long as I was along on the operation. They assured me that that would be soon.

It is just a month or so from being 40 years since I swore in on the Plain at West Point. In all these years, this has to rank up in the top one or two honors I have ever received.

You can rest soundly as there are men who are willing to do what it takes.

I am damned lucky and very proud to be able to serve with them."

ARMED FORCES DAY - "United in Strength" - MAY 21st, 2011

I have no need to add any other words to the enclosed article but to say, " THANKS !" to all our Armed Forces.

One of the perks of my present job is that I get to be among the nation's finest warriors each day I am here.....they are the best & brightest....regardless of the tripe you read from the media, morale is high and they are focused on doing what they need to to help others....they are dedicated to selfless service.


Armed Forces Day: Oh, what we ask of our troops
By Al Neuharth, USA TODAY Founder

"Saturday's Armed Forces Day should spur all of us to think more seriously about the role and rewards of our military men and women.

Because all our troops are volunteers, many of us don't give them the attention we would if there were a draft that involved family or close friends.

Their scope:

•There are 1,432,400 active duty military personnel and 846,200 reserve troops.

•About 300,000 serve overseas, about 100,000+ in Afghanistan.

Armed Forces Day, officially the third Saturday in May since 1949, began as Army Day in 1936. Appropriately, it now salutes all branches of the military.

.....Fortunately, the pay has become more appropriate than some of the assignments.

The lowest annual pay grade now is $35,386. As a private in the Infantry in World War II, I earned $720 a year, which with inflation is equivalent to $9,200 now.

Army generals and top officers of the Navy, Air Force and Marines now can earn more than $220,000 a year. In the olden days of World War II that was $15,000.

On Armed Forced Day, I'll be proud of all our military and pleased that we reward them more properly financially....."

The Workday....has begun.....24/7/365

‘In October, when we destroyed the Taliban sanctuary, I didn’t get anyone at my door complaining.’

The saying that " We had to destroy the village to save it.." came out of the Vietnam War and was falsely attributed to an Army officer but was in reality, a fabrication of a reporter. It was never really said by any military member.

In Afghanistan, an Army Officer found himself faced with the same situation but with a different twist.

The Villages in question had long been evacuated by the residents, were rigged with explosives and were watched to ensure that the only people there were Taliban. It still created a serious issue for a dedicated officer who would rather build up than tear down. I agree with his contention that if he had to do it all over again, Lt. Col. David Flynn says he would still have destroyed the buildings, because he sees little alternative.

He works to help the Afghans, and by doing so, earns their respect even in the midst of a war. This is something that separates what the Americans and our Allies have accomplished that the Russians were unable to do.

Like many issues in a War, it is all too easy for those in the rear to second guess those up at the "tip of the spear"....I find that try to second guess these issues to be both foolish and lacking common sense.

If you want to do the job, get off your arse and join the fight. Otherwise, leave the fight to those on the battlefield who are close enough to feel the actual "heat" of battle on their face.


Why I Flattened Three Afghan Villages

By Spencer Ackerman - The Guardian - UK

When the day began for Lt. Col. David Flynn on Oct. 6, Taliban insurgents were using three southern Afghanistan hamlets as bomb factories. By the time the next day ended, Tarok Kolache, Khosrow Sofla and Lower Babur had been eradicated from the valley where they once stood.

Flynn had ordered tens of thousands of pounds of bombs to rain down on the villages. Tarok Kolache was completely flattened, and there wasn’t much left of the other two.

Flynn says that he had little choice but to take the extreme step. The Taliban had rigged bombs all through the compounds in the villages, and placed tons of explosives in the vegetated fields nearby.

Efforts at clearing the villages of homemade bombs during the previous three months had failed. The fighters had evicted the villagers from their land, telling them, “you can’t get to the fields this year,” in preparation for the U.S. troop surge. Few residents still retained hope that they’d ever get to move back home.

“We never went in with the mindset that we’re going to flatten the villages,” Flynn tells Danger Room. “I have friends in this community now. The last thing I’m trying to do is wreck my friends’ lives.”

‘We didn’t show them a plan and say, “We’re going to destroy everything in the village, is everyone OK with that?”‘

But he did flatten the villages — a decision that’s spurred heated debate since an analyst close to Gen. David Petraeus, Paula Broadwell, blogged earlier this month about the destruction of Tarok Kolache with 49,200 lbs. of rockets and bombs.

Flynn discloses that it wasn’t just Tarok Kolache that got hit: Khosrow Sofla and Lower Babur, located nearby in the Arghandab River Valley, were pounded nearly as badly. Several buildings in Khosrow Sofla are still standing, Flynn says, but Lower Babur is “closer to Tarok Kolache, though not completely eliminated.”

Now, the villages are being rebuilt, a process that’s just begun and which probably won’t be finished by the time Flynn’s battalion completes its tour in the spring. It remains to be seen whether Afghans will remember Flynn for taking the villages back from the Taliban — or completing the process of their destruction.


It wasn’t Flynn’s first time in southern Afghanistan. A Massachusetts native, he served a previous tour at the nearby Kandahar Airfield in 2004 and 2005, when there wasn’t much of either a fight or an American presence. He read Lester Grau’s acclaimed history of the Soviet war in Afghanistan, in part to learn what not to do.

Driving through the Arghandab back then and seeing its thick vegetation — perfect for hiding bombs — he recalls thinking, “Holy crap, what must the Russians have gone through…. I was thinking thinking back then, I’m glad we weren’t in that kind of fight. And now, seven years later, here I was.”

That factored into his mind heavily in 2010, when he learned his battalion and their Afghan partners, known collectively as Combined Joint Task Force 1-320, would be one of the first surge troops to clear out parts of Kandahar. But it was one thing to visualize the insurgents’ improvised explosive device (IED) tactics — and another to experience them.

“I didn’t anticipate the density of IEDs that we saw,” he says. From July to October, the 1-320th fought its way through an area about 2 kilometers long and 6 kilometers wide — and found 200 improvised explosive devices. Later, his men would discover caches of another 200 Taliban bombs. “There was an IED about every 60 meters [200 feet] that you’re out there walking,” he says, “in the gardens, on the roads, in the walls, in the villages, in the buildings.”

And it felt like it. Flynn’s plan was to push south and east to the Arghandab River, through villages the Taliban had controlled for three years. The insurgents had planted an ungodly number of bombs in the interim.

The 1-320th’s first real test came July 30, at a canal crossing it needed to control if it was to gain access to those villages. The fight, which the unit christened the Battle of Bakersfield, took four days. “We had three killed the first day and eight wounded,” Flynn says, “and we lost another 12 wounded during the next couple days of fighting.”

What he didn’t see also stuck with him: people. “The friendlies dispersed. They went to the four winds,” Flynn says. The Taliban had pushed the populace out, away from the pomegranate trees that provided their livelihood. Some went to Kabul, others to Kandahar, figuring that the area’s history of never falling to a foreign power meant the Taliban was here to stay. Others — including Tarok Kolache’s malek, or de facto leader — went to a village near Flynn’s base called Jelawar.

‘In October, when we destroyed the Taliban sanctuary, I didn’t get anyone at my door complaining.’
Those displaced locals became a source of information for Flynn that summer. He wouldn’t have known how densely placed the homemade bombs were without them.

Before a planned raid into Lower Babur with Special Forces and Afghan commandos, “people literally came up to us and said we can’t go back there. We were with the police on a partnered operation, and they literally told the police, ‘Don’t go down into the gardens, there are Taliban IEDs [there].’ Go where it’s wet, not where it’s dry, if you have to go.”

Using drones and what he calls “multiple sensors,” Flynn confirmed that the Taliban had turned the compounds in the vacated villages into bomb factories. “Pattern of life” analysis showed militants coming in and out, but no civilian activity. In some cases, he could see homemade explosives drying on the rooftops. When he did, he’d call in an air strike or a blast from an attack helicopter, leveling the building.

But as the months ground on, that didn’t stop the proliferation of the bombs. All in all, the 1-320th suffered seven killed and 83 wounded, with nearly 70 percent of those casualties coming from homemade bombs and mines.

To clarify something from Broadwell’s post, Flynn sent his men into the villages to attempt to clear them out — but there were just too many bombs. A July raid on Khosrow Sofla was repulsed by the density of the explosive charges. A Special Forces sergeant told Flynn it was the “most sophisticated IED network he had ever seen.”

A different clearing operation had to be turned back after his men discovered there were more bombs than they had material with which to safely detonate them.

That led Flynn to seek out alternatives. “It was comforting to know” that the civilians had fled, because “we [could] employ the full suite of our weapons systems” — everything from grenades to .50-cal machine guns to attack helicopters and close air support — “without worrying about killing civilians.”

The alternatives before him were stark: He could take out the buildings. Or he could keep moving in on foot, with more of his men getting maimed or killed. And if he cleared the villages without taking out the buildings, he couldn’t know that Afghans would be safe moving back into them, since the Taliban had rigged them to detonate.

So by late September, Flynn called together Tarok Kolache’s malek and the other area residents to let them know that he was planning, essentially, large-scale demolitions. “We didn’t show them a plan and say, ‘We’re going to destroy everything in the village, is everyone OK with that?’” he says.

“But they were made aware there would be significant collateral damage in the village. People didn’t say, ‘Yeah, blow up the village,’ but they kind of understood — they’d been at war for 30 years. This was the biggest fight that had gone on in the district.”

A reporter from the Daily Mail, who Flynn says wasn’t at the meeting, reported that Flynn threatened them: Either turn in the homemade bombs, or he’d blow up their houses.

Flynn says that never happened: Instead, he told them that if residents couldn’t tell him where exactly the bombs were, he would have no way of disposing of them without blowing up the buildings. Khosrow Sofla’s malek registered the only concern, Flynn says: He wanted the soldiers to use a bulldozer to get rid of the bombs, so the pomegranate trees wouldn’t be harmed.1

On October 6, once Flynn was satisfied he had sufficient intelligence about which buildings had explosives in them and the area was cleared of civilians, the air campaign began. Tarok Kolache got 49,200 pounds of bombs dropped on it — basically, 25 1-ton-pound bombs to take out “over 45″ buildings.

Flynn says he’s not sure how much Khasrow Sofla and Lower Babur got, but says it was comparable.

He reported his plan up to brigade headquarters, and from there it went to the regional commander, Flynn believes the sprawling office running the day-to-day war from Kabul, known as the ISAF Joint Command, knew of it as well.

During the bombing, Flynn kept an eye out for civilians and saw none. “We had overhead drones watching the strikes, multiple sensors watching the strikes,” he says. “We probably even got film somewhere, because we were anticipating the Taliban coming out and saying something.”

On previous operations, “a long line of elders” would complain if a civilian died. “In October, when we destroyed the Taliban sanctuary, I didn’t get anyone at my door complaining,” he says.

But that may not be enough. Some locals have expressed dissatisfaction with the operation: Even an Afghan cop told an NPR reporter in Tarok Kolache on Monday that he was “very disappointed and very angry” that the village is no more.

Flynn says his strategy will be vindicated when the battalion stays in the valley — he’s set up 17 small bases for the 38 villages he patrols — and rebuilds what it destroyed. “I told them, ‘We can rebuild your homes. I can’t give you your leg back, I can’t give you your life back,’” –the consequence of Afghans returned to booby-trapped houses — “but I promise, I will rebuild the homes.”

The building is just getting underway, including the foundation of Tarok Kolache’s new mosque. But problems remain in the Arghandab. While the Taliban appear to have largely left the district for nearby areas after the October clearing operations (Flynn estimates there are still a dozen active militants in the area) the battalion is still “pulling out [homemade bombs] by the dozens.”

And just last week, the Taliban assassinated Khosrow Sofla’s malek. Some Afghans tell Flynn they’re too scared to move back into buildings that the battalion left standing. There’s USAID program to re-plant 4,000 pomegranate trees, but that’s “still not a great deal for the people, because that tree’s gonna take five years to produce any fruit.”

If he had to do it all over again, Flynn says he would still have destroyed the buildings, because he sees little alternative. But he wouldn’t have released the before-and-after pictures to Broadwell, because they seemed to imply that Flynn thought flattening the village was sufficient. On the other hand, he says, the pictures show “the truth. That should tell you I’m not trying to hide anything or be deceitful.”

Flynn is home at Fort Campbell on R&R before finishing up his tour. He says he can already take “a degree of satisfaction” in rereading Grau and comparing his actions to the Russians.

“We’re not there to terrorize the population,” he says. “The people talk about the Russians bombing their villages and say the Russians never did anything for us. They say, ‘That’s the difference between you and the Russians.”

Note 1. The original version of this story confused the malek of Khosrow Sofla with the malek of Tarok Kolache at the late September meeting.

Support "Military Working Dog Adoptions" - Help find homes for our 4 legged Veterans !

Rode the train home tonight from Boston and had to inform a fellow rider on the value of dogs....not just as our companions & friends but for the value they add to our lives along with thier incredible ability to protect our Soldiers & Marines in the field...

He was trying to espouse support for VICK-THE-DOG-KILLER and I told him that the only thing that stupid bastard deserved was to be staked out for the buzzards....He was not convinced but he acted like a clueless idjit...typical clueless citizen who has never had to see what life is really worth and how much Veterans and our K-9 companions have to do to preserve it.

Dogs, especially those who have served the military in the field are more than just trained animals....They are HEROES, in every sense of the word.....

Here is the story of another hero....a lady making sure our foru-legged veterans get a chance for a new life once they leave the service....Way to go Ma'am.


Retired Military Working Dog Rescued By Borderland Volunteer
By ABC-7 Reporter Gaby Loria
POSTED: 6:45 pm MST January 6, 2011

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico -- A Las Cruces woman is making it her mission to rescue abandoned war veterans. She says these unsung heroes have some of the toughest jobs in the military...often braving dangerous battle zones to sniff out bombs and save lives. But these aren't your average soldiers-- they're the canine kind!

Debbie Kandoll traveled to Jacksonville, North Carolina to pick up Cleo, a retired military working dog. "This is Cleo's first day as a civilian," she said.

Kandoll explained Cleo is trained to sniff out explosives. The dog has served two 7-month tours in Iraq where handlers would strap her into a vest attached with walkie-talkies and a headset. Kandoll said the dog would be sent to sniff out danger while her handler guided her around a battle zone through verbal commands on the headset.

"She's saved so many lives," said Kandoll. Now Kandoll and the volunteers at her non-profit organization are returning the favor. "Military Working Dog Adoptions" is based out of Las Cruces. They place retired military and police dogs in loving homes across the country.

Kandoll said many retired dogs end up in shelters after they've served their community. Some end up getting euthanized, as could have been the case with Cleo. "I feel certain that her fate would have been euthanasia. It would have been evry difficult to adopt her out because her medication is very expensive," said Kandoll.

Cleo suffers from a stress-related disease. Donations from medication manufacturers and the general public have covered the cost of Cleo's meds for a couple of months. Doctors from the Northeast Veterinary Clinic in El Paso also opened their hearts to their pooch-- thanks to their donations, Kandoll was able to fly to North Carolina to pick her up.

If you're interested in adopting Cleo or learning more about "Military Working Dog Adoptions" just visit their website or give them a call. The phone mumber is (505) 990-8147. Their site is www.militaryworkingdogadoptions.com

Concord, MA still produces Patriots - " I believe in giving back to my country. A lot of what I and my family have today is due to this country "

The Battle of Lexington & Concord was the start of the War for Independence...The citizens there are much like many of us from Massachusetts - Proud of our Colonial Heritage and that we live where " The Shot Heard Round the World " happened on April 19, 1775.

Now here is the story of another Patriot from this same neck of the woods....As long as our Country produces Men of this caliber, we will be able to handle the problems we face.

Wounded in Afghanistan; Home for the Holidays
Concord-Carlisle, Westpoint graduate injured by an IED, awarded Purple Heart.

By Betsy Levinson November 24, 2010 Concordpatch.com


He says he'd be back there tomorrow. It just doesn't feel right that he's at home while the men of his platoon are fighting in Afghanistan.

But Concord's Kyle Snook is far from Kandahar Air Base and the platoon he commanded after an accident in September shattered his right foot and could have cost him his life.

Snook says he is a changed person after nearly losing a limb. He stepped on an IED, or improvised explosive device, while positioning his men to return fire in an area south of the only paved highway in the whole country: Highway One.

Snook is a 2004 graduate of Concord-Carlisle High School and Westpoint, '08 where he majored in operations research. After graduating, he was a commissioned officer in the Army. That's the way it is with the Snooks.

His mother, Kathleen, is a 1980 Westpoint graduate, along with his dad, Scott, '80; his brother Sean, '07; sister Megan, '11 and brother Robbie who is now a freshman at the military academy. Kathleen was in the first class to admit women in 1976. Above the house are two banners welcoming Kyle and his brother, Sean, home. Sean was uninjured after his tour in Afghanistan.

But Kyle said his parents did not push Westpoint on him. "If anything, they discouraged me," he said. "At least it made me analyze it deeper."

"It was the place for me," he said. "I believe in giving back to my country. A lot of what I and my extended family have today is due to this country." He encourages civic service, but doesn't want it mandated because then it wouldn't be as special.
Last May, Snook was shipped to Ft. Benning, GA before settling at Ft. Campbell, KY. He was a platoon leader with about 25 to 35 men in his command. He spent a year training with his platoon for their deployment, flying to Kandahar on May 20.
"I volunteered to go early to get the ground ready for the platoon," he said. He had no dependents, while some of the other guys were married with children.

"It was not what I expected," he said, dressed in casual slacks and a polo shirt with a large cast and bandaging on his foot. Pins to position the foot bones stick out while the foot heals.

"(Kandahar Air Base) is a massive place; massive infrastructure," he said. "It is a walled city. I was caught off-guard by how safe everyone felt there. It was pretty laid back."

Snook was part of President Obama's troop surge designed to root the Taliban out of southern Afghanistan. Highway One was the dividing line, Snook said. His mission was to "regain control of Highway One and cut off the Taliban supply route north."

He said the fighting started in September owing to the "fighting seasons." In the summer, it's so hot that the foreign fighters go home to Pakistan or other country to wait for cooler weather.

"We had an extreme problem with the heat," he said.

Another issue was mobility, he said. The fields south of Highway One are planted with grapes that are set in four- to six- foot mud mounds with a thick canopy of fruit above them. So the soldiers had to either traverse the rows between plants and possibly miss the enemy, or climb up and over the mounded grape plants with poppies or other crops growing around the bottom.

From June to September, Snook said they spent time getting to know the locals who had largely left their farms and headed north to safer ground.

"September 26 was our first day on our mission," said Snook. "We were two hours into our 10-day operation to clear the area." Clearing meant destroying the mud houses so the enemy would have no place to go. He said they proceeded along "ditch lines," or irrigation streams that are approximately 100 meters apart.

"We were clearing between the second and third ditch line," said Snook. "We had a loudspeaker, and a translator who would give a 10-minute countdown before we leveled a house." He said Afghan President Hamid Karzai's policy was to have an Afghan soldier enter all houses first to make sure no one was there.

"We got to the third house and did the call out," he said. "We were shot at from the south. There were pings across my helmet." He ordered return fire, and searched for a place to hide, finding a wall about 10 meters away. As he ran to the wall, he stepped on an IED hidden below the ground.

The guys said he rocketed about 10 or 12 feet in the air before crashing down, unconscious. When he came to, he had to somehow get back to the men, so he arched his back and scrambled without the use of his right leg which was mangled.
"The pain was mind-numbing," said Snook.

He later found out that he may have caught a break. The IED was likely placed somewhat ineffectively in the ground. The top part exploded as Snook trod on it, but the 40 lbs. of explosives that are normally tripped from the top part did not. That flaw probably saved his life.

His leg was splinted in the field. His foot was fractured in eight places, three toes were broken, his heel broken and a key metatarsal bone was destroyed. He was flown first to Kandahar then on Oct. 1, back to Ft. Campbell.

Snook faces a 12 to 15-month recovery now, and he starts physical therapy in January. He sees a doctor at Westpoint every two weeks. The pins come out of his foot in January too. He was awarded a Purple Heart for bravery.

But Snook takes that part of the story in stride. For him, it's all about the Army and the men of his platoon still fighting.

"I would go back tomorrow," he said with a wan smile. "I am taking things one day at a time now. Life looks a little different to me. At 24, I have realized the finality of life. I have a different perspective on everything."

It will be a grand Thanksgiving at his house, with Sean and Kyle, Megan and Robbie around the table, but at the same time, the battlefield will be close at hand

Return of Army Sgt. surprises family as 70,000 cheer

As with many things, rivalries are one thing, and loyalty to others is a completely different subject...."ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT" is the mantra that all services practice as we are all in this together.

Being a loyal New England Patriots fan and Navy Vet doesn't stop me from cheering on this Army Sgt. who surprised his family at the Titans game by returning early from deployment and surprising his family as 70,000 fans cheered them on....awesome.

From The Army Times -

Return of Sgt. surprises family as 70,000 cheer

By Erin Quinn - The Tennessean
Posted : Tuesday Nov 23, 2010 15:30:40 EST

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Jodi Foster thought she was in the middle of LP Field simply as the winner of an essay contest she and her Army sergeant husband had won for a Veterans Day contest that the Tennessee Titans put on.

Sgt. Mark Foster was in Afghanistan, where he had been deployed eight months ago.

But he returned in a golf cart Sunday with bundles of yellow and red roses as 70,000 people at the football game cheered.

Jodi and their 12-year-old daughter, Kayla, ran to him.

As Jodi and Kayla clung to each side of their big, strong Army sergeant, the three walked off the field. The fans stood and clapped. Toby Keith’s “American Soldier” blared from the speakers.

“It was like prom night,” said the sergeant stationed at Fort Campbell, Ky., who is home for two weeks before he goes back to his fifth deployment. “I was so nervous. It was like my wedding day all over again.”

An extraordinary strength of soul....

" Intrepidity is an extraordinary strength of soul, which raises it above the troubles, disorders and emotions which the sight of great perils can arouse in it; by this strength heroes maintain a calm aspect and preserve their reason and liberty in the most surprising and terrible (conditions)."
- Francois Duc de la Rochefoucauld

These words were likely spoken regarding the type of Soldier our country honored today. Read the enclosed Citation and be struck with a sense of humbling awe.

Today (October 6th), SSG Robert "Robbie" Miller will be awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions in Afghanistan. Here's the offical narrative of what he did to earn the award:

Staff Sergeant Robert J. Miller - Medal of Honor Operation Enduring Freedom
Official Narrative

Staff Sgt. Robert J. Miller, U.S. Army, heroically distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous conduct in the face of the enemy of the U.S. while serving as the Weapons Sergeant, Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha 3312, Special Operations Task Force–33, Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force–Afghanistan, Forward Operating Base Naray, Kunar Province, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

During the pre-dawn hours of Jan. 25, 2008, ODA 3312 conducted a combat reconnaissance patrol to Gowardesh, Afghanistan, to confirm or deny enemy activity and/or insurgents presence in the vicinity of Chen Khar in order to clear the valley of insurgent safe havens. This area was known to have several high- and medium-value targets massing and operating freely in the valley and three surrounding villages. The area of operations was also symbolically and strategically important because it was a Russian-era chokepoint, provided the enemy a tactical advantage due to its high ground and deep valley summits, and was a well-known insurgent stronghold.

Insurgents had prepared reinforced rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fighting positions with fortified overhead cover throughout the valley. They also amassed weapons caches comprised of RPGs, PKM medium machine guns, AK-47 assault rifles, ammunition, and food stores in the event of a protracted engagement.

The enemy’s confidence and morale was at a two-year high following a series of tactical successes against Afghan National Security Forces. The experience garnered from these battles, continued refinement of sophisticated tactics, techniques and procedures (including ambushes) and the expansion of insurgent forces in the region threatened the Coalition's ability to operate freely in this key terrain. Insurgents were confident in their ability to win any battle against Coalition Forces on their own terrain.

As the combined ODA and ANA convoy neared its objective, ODA 3312 was forced to halt twice to dismount and explode insurgent-emplaced boulders along its route. Staff Sgt. Miller and other members of ODA 3312 recognized this tactict as a potential precursor to an insurgent ambush and immediately heightened security. Recognizing the historical enemy tactic used to canalize and ambush Coalition forces, the detachment dismounted an overwatch element.

Staff Sgt. Miller led the overwatch elements as the threat of imminent danger increased. The rocky, snow-packed terrain, freezing temperatures and a fierce wind chill further exacerbated the ODA’s movement to the objective. The ODA’s only Pashto speaker, Staff Sgt. Miller took charge of the dismounted element and assembled partnered ANA forces to ensure they could move under cover.

Once ODA 3312 arrived at the target compound, Staff Sgt. Miller led the ANA and established security around the ODA’s ground mobility vehicles. After security was established, the team confirmed through the employment of an unmanned aerial vehicle that 15 to 20 insurgents were congregating and occupying prepared fighting positions in the targeted compound.

Maintaining his situational awareness, Staff Sgt. Miller immediately jumped into his vehicle's turret and engaged the enemy with its mounted MK19 40mm automatic grenade launcher.

From his vantage point in the turret of his vehicle, Staff Sgt. Miller expertly described the engagement area to the joint tactical air controller and identified insurgent positions by engaging them with his MK19.

As a result of his superior tactical skills, he positively marked the enemy while simultaneously describing the area to the JTAC. Without his expert marksmanship and accurate description of the area, the JTAC would not have been able to provide accurate grid locations for close air support.

As noted by the team’s JTAC, Staff Sgt. Miller’s involvement in the employment of CAS was largely responsible for the accuracy of four 30mm strafe runs and the emplacement of three precision-guided GBU38 munitions on the objective. As a result of his efforts, two A-10 Warthogs and two F-15 Strike Eagles dealt lethal effects onto numerous enemy positions and disrupted their ability to maneuver.

As Staff Sgt. Miller continued to neutralize numerous insurgent positions, his MK19 sustained a catastrophic malfunction, which eliminated it for the duration of the battle. Without hesitation, Staff Sgt. Miller quickly transitioned from the MK19 to an M240B machine gun mounted on the rear of his vehicle and continued to effectively engage the enemy.

Understanding the peril of the battle and the composition of his force, Staff Sgt. Miller moved from his firing position and began emplacing ANA soldiers in positions to provide overwatch, detect movement from the high ground, observe the rear of the patrol and provide security to the flank of the ground assault. His actions provided security for his team and enabled them to maintain their focus on enemy targets. Once ample security was established, Staff Sgt. Miller re-engaged the enemy.

During a lull in fire, Staff Sgt. Miller dismounted his GMV a second time to repair a malfunctioning Carl Gustav 84mm recoilless rifle.

Upon completion of the initial contact and CAS, the ODA commander directed a dismounted patrol to conduct battle damage assessment and a post-CAS strike assessment of the destroyed insurgent positions. Sensing the need to provide the ANA additional assistance, the ODA commander charged Staff Sgt. Miller with the responsibility to lead the partnered ANA force in an advisory role.

With the proficiency of an already-proven combat leader, Staff Sgt. Miller briefed the ANA platoon leadership on the scheme of maneuver onto the objective in their native Pashto language. Staff Sgt. Miller established rapport and instilled confidence in the ANA platoon leadership and its soldiers despite being partnered with the ANA platoon only 30 minutes prior to the mission.

Again, because of his tactical prowess, leadership and command of the Pashto language, Staff Sgt. Miller was selected as the point man for the dismounted patrol comprised of an Alpha and Bravo team from ODA 3312 and 15 ANA soldiers. He led the patrol with his M249 squad automatic weapon across the Gowardesh Bridge toward the target area.

During the movement, Staff Sgt. Miller continually reinforced proper patrolling techniques as well as repeatedly adjusted and corrected the ANA rate of speed. Realizing that the engagement area was located in the mouth of a small, extremely steep and narrow valley that created a natural choke point, Staff Sgt. Miller directed the ANA to disperse from a file into a modified wedge.

As Staff Sgt. Miller and the lead element of the patrol entered the mouth of the narrow valley, they confronted an insurgent hiding behind a large boulder. Refusing to surrender, the insurgent leaped from the boulder yelled, “Allah Akbar!” and began firing on the lead element from approximately five meters. Staff Sgt. Miller stepped forward to return fire and killed the insurgent instantly.

This contact initiated a near-ambush from a company-sized group of insurgents. The insurgent forces fired on Staff Sgt. Miller’s patrol with multiple PKM machine guns, RPGs, and AK-47 assault rifles from distances of less than 25 meters.

The patrol was completely vulnerable, in the kill zone and without cover in a complex ambush with insurgent fighting positions located to the front (East), the left (North), and the right (South).

It soon became evident that numerous insurgents occupied prepared, elevated and hardened fighting positions in the mountain rock with overhead cover along the North and South valley ridgeline. Insurgents on the valley floor to Staff Sgt. Miller’s direct front, left, and right were fighting in defilade and possessed ample cover and concealment necessary for the employment of overwhelming fires on the totally exposed patrol.

As enemy fire erupted from the high ground, Staff Sgt. Miller called out the contact report to his team members and his detachment commander located behind him. He simultaneously engaged multiple insurgent positions from a distance of approximately 15 to 20 meters.

In the face of devastating insurgent fire, the ANA located directly behind Staff Sgt. Miller broke formation and bound away downhill and out of the kill zone, leaving Staff Sgt. Miller alone and with no support in the open terrain.

To the front of Staff Sgt. Miller’s position one PKM machine gun and five AK47s were inflicting devastating hostile fire on the retreating ANA members and the remaining ODA patrol. Understanding the potential for catastrophe, Staff Sgt. Miller boldly charged the enemy and accurately engaged the entire force with his squad automatic weapon, thus eliminating the threat.

With heavy fire from insurgent forces from all sides of his position engulfing him, Staff Sgt. Miller continued to engage at least four other insurgent positions, killing or wounding at least 10 insurgents.

The darkness of the night and limited visibility made Staff Sgt. Miller’s weapon, also the most casualty producing, the greatest threat to the insurgent ambush. The highlighted muzzle flash and the distinct sound from his SAW instantly marked Staff Sgt. Miller as an easily identifiable target.

Cognizant that his vulnerability increased with every burst from his SAW, Staff Sgt. Miller continued to engage the enemy courageously drawing fire away from his team and onto his position. Within seconds, Staff Sgt. Miller began receiving a majority of the insurgents’ heavy volume of fire.

Realizing that his team was pinned down and unable to actively engage the enemy, Staff Sgt. Miller, with complete disregard for his own personal safety, continued to charge forward through the open area engaging multiple elevated insurgent positions and purposely drawing fire away from his trapped ODA members.

Staff Sgt. Miller’s cover fire was so accurate that it not only provided the necessary cover to save his team, it also suppressed the enemy to the right flank of the patrol, to the point where they could not reposition from that direction against the ODA for the duration of the engagement.

His actions single-handedly provided the needed cover fire that allowed his fellow ODA members to maneuver to covered positions as the ANA broke formation and ran away from the kill zone.

During his final charge forward, Staff Sgt. Miller threw two hand grenades into fighting positions, destroying the positions and killing or wounding an additional four insurgents. Only when Staff Sgt. Miller realized his fellow team members were out of immediate danger, and in positions to support him, did he attempt to move for cover.

As he directed his fire to engage enemy positions above him, an insurgent shot him through the right side of his upper torso under his right arm; the area not protected by his body armor. Staff Sgt. Miller immediately turned toward the enemy and shot and killed the insurgent who had wounded him. During this time, Staff Sgt. Miller’s detachment commander also sustained gunshot wounds to his upper chest and shoulder.

The perilous situation forced the detachment commander to order the ODA to fall back to cover. Staff Sgt. Miller realized his commander was seriously wounded and that, as the point man with ODA’s only SAW, he had the highest potential to inflict the most casualties on the enemy. Again, with complete disregard for his own personal safety, Staff Sgt. Miller remained alone at the front of the patrol, so his team could bound back.

Ignoring the severity of his critical wound and still completely exposed to intense, direct enemy fire, Staff Sgt. Miller continued to low crawl through the snow, incessantly fighting uphill into the valley to engage insurgent positions to the East and South in order to draw fire away from his wounded commander and identify insurgent positions to his fellow ODA members.

Without his heroic efforts, his wounded commander would not have been moved safely out of the kill zone to the casualty collection point.

Throughout the engagement, the insurgent fire around Staff Sgt. Miller was so intense that his fellow team members could not see him due to the dust, debris, and RPG and small arms fire impacting around him. During the ensuing 25-minute battle, Staff Sgt. Miller was mortally wounded by a second gunshot to his upper torso under his left arm. Despite suffering a second and fatal wound, Staff Sgt. Miller remained steadfast and continued his selfless acts of heroism. He provided essential disposition and location reports of insurgent actions and he relentlessly fired his SAW until he expended all of his ammunition and threw his final hand grenade.

At the first opportunity, members of Staff Sgt. Miller’s team bound up to his position to render aid and recover him. Enemy reinforcements overwhelmed the recovery team with direct fire causing the team to seek cover. During the recovery attempt, the enemy’s precision was clearly evident as team members sustained multiple hits from small arms fire to their body armor and equipment.

Approximately an hour and 45 minutes later, a quick reaction force arrived, which allowed the ODA to lead a patrol back into the valley to recover Staff Sgt. Miller. As a testament of the enemy’s tenacity, the quick reaction force sent to assist with recovery operations sustained additional casualties from intense direct RPG and small arms fire. Because of the enemy’s dominance of the terrain and potential for loss of additional lives, the patrol was forced to use its second CCP and two MEDVACs.

The entire battle lasted nearly seven hours.

Post-battle intelligence reports indicate that in excess of 140 insurgents participated in the ambush, more than 40 were killed and over 60 were wounded. Staff Sgt. Miller is credited with killing more than 16 and wounding over 30 insurgents. His valor under fire from a numerically superior force, complete selflessness and disregard for his own life, combined with his unmatched ability to accurately identify and engage insurgent positions, allowed his patrol to move to the safety of covered positions.

Staff Sgt. Miller chose to remain in the fight and provide vital suppressive fires to his teammates in order to save their lives, while disregarding his own mortality.

Staff Sgt. Miller’s selfless acts saved the lives of his seven of his ODA members and 15 Afghan soldiers. As a result of Staff Sgt. Miller’s heroic actions, the Gowardesh Insurgency was dealt a crippling blow, decimating insurgent forces involved in the battle, and shattering their morale and confidence. Staff Sgt. Miller’s actions exemplify the honored tradition of military heroism and reflect distinct credit upon himself, Special Operations Task Force–33, the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force–Afghanistan, Special Operations Command Central, and the U.S. Army