Prayers and Concerns - Sent and Recieved / Sunrise in Kandahar, Afghanistan Part 2

The other day, I posted a quick note to this blog along with a picture of the sunrise here in Kandahar, Afghanistan -  I had sent the same picture to some close friends back home with the same info I had blogged about how we here in Afghanistan were concerned for our fellow citizens back home and how they were effected by Hurricane Sandy.

Well, yesterday I got a note back from a fellow veteran who had shared my note and picture with some of the people he knows back home.

Here is what he sent back to me - The note is from a police department dispatcher who has been pulling 16 hours shifts the last few days. I wanted to share her reply....

Thank you for sharing. That was a beautiful sunrise and it struck me funny. 

 

How kind (your friend's) words and thoughts were. It struck me funny because you know everyday, I pray for our Troops, Veterans and their loved ones. They are always on my mind, their safety, their well being, & peace of mind, their families and loved ones here. I think of them all alot. 

 

You know I have "my things". Whether its the flags and signs on the front lawn or standing as a Patriot Guard at the funerals, supporting those left here while their loved ones are over there you know my heart, thoughts and prayers are for the kids (of all ages) in the military.

 

 It was a beautiful sunrise but it sure tickled me that one of those awesome (people) over there had us in the way of Sandy in his thoughts and prayers. Luckily Sandy only slapped us around on the cape and didn't full out kick our asses. I have been griping about all the people who have done stupid things during the storm and being upset with all the people who have called in bitching about the inconvenience of no power, trees down, wires down, no phones, etc, moving barricades from closed beach roads and driving thru because they wont detour and go around. 

 

I have listened to and dealt with it for two days, telling the really pushy ones how lucky they have it, they could be over in Afghanistan and really dealing with hardships. So to come home tonight and see that (your friend) is over there and thinking of us here struck me funny and one of the sweetest things that has come my way in quite some time.

 

So thanks - you put the smile in my heart tonight.

 

THIS is the power of what we can do when we think of others and what it means just to send along a quick note of concern and a prayer that others are safe.  Think of how much greater we could be if all shared her sentiment??

 

My Mom's three favorite words were : Kindness, Consideration & Courtesy.  She told us over and over again these were the things that would make a difference in how we lived our lives.

 

So to my friend's first responder friend on Cape Cod - right back at ya !!  I appreciate that others are worried & concerned about us.  I am glad to send along my best wishes, thoughts and prayers to all effected by Hurricane Sandy.  I hope to hear better news as the days pass and people try to pick up the pieces.

 

Here is another picture of the sunrise here in Afghanistan that I took.....a beautiful sky in a land where too many are facing tough days also - To all back home, be well - you are in our thoughts and prayers.

 

 

Leaving Iraq

A few facts about the announcement of the end of our military operations in Iraq:

1. Yes, the President announced it
2. Yes, it is time that the troops come home as Iraq needs to stand on it's own
3. Yes, Families will be happy to have their troops home (although they might wind up going to AFGHN instead)
4. Lastly, The US Military & the President didn't decide this - we were told to leave by the Iraqis - Plain & simple.

Obama tried to put some "lipstick on the pig" yesterday, couching it in an announcement as if he had taken bold action. He didn't take action, he was ordered to get the troops out by the sovereign government of Iraq.

It is time for the operations to end. We need to focus our efforts to Afghanistan and solve issues there. But to try & dress this up as if our CIC took action and made a big decision is BS.

Welcome home to the troops and a hearty " Well Done". To the POLS, especially President Obama who tried to make political gain from this announcement, go back to doing the real work you are supposed to be doing and stop trying to BS the American public. We know the real story and we aren't buying the crap you are selling.


Obama: Iraq war will be over by year's end; troops coming home By the CNN Wire Staff
Fri October 21, 2011

(CNN) -- President Barack Obama on Friday announced that virtually all U.S. troops will come home from Iraq by the end of the year -- at which point he can declare an end to America's long and costly war in that Middle Eastern nation.

"After nearly nine years, America's war in Iraq will be over," Obama said. "The coming months will be a season of homecomings. Our troops in Iraq will definitely be home for the holidays."

Of the 39,000 troops in Iraq, about 150, a negligible force, will remain to assist in arms sales, a U.S. official told CNN. The rest will be out of Iraq by December 31.

The president said he was making good on his 2008 campaign pledge to end a war that has divided the nation since it began in 2003 and claimed more than 4,400 American lives.The announcement also came after talks that might have allowed a continued major military presence broke down amid disputes about whether U.S. troops would be immune to prosecution by Iraqi authorities.

Obama spoke with Iraqi President Nuri al-Maliki in a video conference Friday, after which he said both nations were comfortable with the decision on how to move forward.

The new partnership with Iraq will be "strong and enduring," Obama said.

"The last American soldier will cross the border out of Iraq with their head held high, proud of their success and knowing that the American people stand united in our support for our troops," Obama said.

According to a statement from the Iraqi prime minister's office, al-Maliki and Obama "shared the same point of view on the need to start a new phase of strategic relations." That includes agreeing to a high-level meeting within two weeks.

Beyond the human cost, the price tag for U.S. military activity in Iraq has been steep as well.

A report from the non-partisan, government-funded Congressional Research Service found that the Defense Department spent nearly $757 billion for military operations in Iraq over the past decade, $50 billion higher than the estimate released by the Pentagon. Another $41 billion for Iraq was spent on State Department and USAID initiatives, plus $6 billion for troops' health expenses, the CRS report stated.

Paul Rieckhoff -- an ex-Army soldier who heads the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, the first and largest such organization for these veterans, according to its website -- cheered Friday's announcement as "really good news for the troops serving overseas."

"It's a really poignant time, especially for the veterans community," Rieckhoff told CNN. "Many of us gave large parts of our lives, some gave all in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn."

While Democrats largely applauded Friday's announcement, some Republicans disagreed with the president. Sen. John McCain called it a "consequential failure" for the Obama administration, which he said wasn't focused on succeeding in Iraq, and Iraq's government.

"Today marks a harmful and sad setback for the United States in the world," said McCain, an Arizona Republican who faced off against Obama in the 2008 presidential election. "This decision will be viewed as a strategic victory for our enemies in the Middle East, especially the Iranian regime, which has worked relentlessly to ensure a full withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq."

Deputy National Security Adviser Denis McDonough dismissed the notion that Friday's decision would affect Iran, which he claimed already is "weaker and more isolated" due to U.S. and allied efforts unrelated to Iraq.

"We don't need to try to exercise our influence on those matters through Iraq," McDonough told reporters Friday. "We're obviously concerned about Iran's willingness to live up to its obligations ... but we don't have concerns about our ability to make sure that the Iraqis can exercise the kind of sovereignty that they want."

Another U.S. official -- who is not authorized to speak for attribution -- acknowledged that "the Iranians have been trying to gain influence in Iraq for some time," but stressed that "Iranian influence in Iraq has limits." The official said the Iraq "will not roll over" to Iran, with whom it has a long history of border disputes including a bloody eight-year war in the 1980s.

The current Status of Force Agreement had called for U.S. troops to leave by the end of 2011. But lengthy negotiations in recent months had led some to expect that American troops -- roughly 40,000 of which are in Iraq -- would remain there into next year.

These talks, however, broke down over the prickly issue of legal immunity for U.S. troops in Iraq, a senior U.S. military official with direct knowledge of the discussions told CNN this month.


U.S. soldiers with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment patrol Iskandariya, Iraq, on July 17, 2011.U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and other top brass have repeatedly said any deal to keep U.S. troops in Iraq beyond the withdrawal deadline would require a guarantee of legal protection for American soldiers.

But the Iraqis refused to agree to that, opening up the prospect of Americans being tried in Iraqi courts and subjected to Iraqi punishment.

The negotiations were strained following WikiLeaks' release of a diplomatic cable that alleged Iraqi civilians, including children, were killed in a 2006 raid by American troops rather than in an airstrike as the U.S. military initially reported.

U.S. troops have already started the drawdown. For instance, a brigade from Fort Bliss, Texas, that was originally scheduled to be among the last to leave Iraq was being pulled out of the country months ahead of its planned departure, military officials told CNN last week.

Besides withdrawing more units, others will not head overseas as planned. That includes about 775 Georgia-based soldiers from the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, which announced Friday it will not deploy to Iraq in December as previously scheduled.

Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, has said that Iraq wouldn't be able to defend its borders if U.S. troops pulled out and also questioned Iraqi forces ability to defend its airspace. But Panetta, en route to Indonesia, said history shows that Iraq will be ready.

"We've taken out now about 100,000 troops and yet the level of violence has remained relatively low," the defense secretary said. "And I think that's a reflection of the fact that the Iraqis have developed a very important capability here to be able to respond to security threats within their own country."

Regardless, officials insisted that the drastic pullback of troops does not mean an end to the U.S. government's presence in Iraq.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner described Friday's development as the start of "a new chapter in our relationship" with Iraq -- while acknowledging the challenges of the change.

"You can't flip a switch and go from a military operation to a civilian operation; there has to be a transition and we're working on that transition," he said. "But we believe we're ready."

Toner also noted substantial improvements in the capabilities of the Iraqis, even as he admitted the continued importance of addressing "security needs" of the hundreds of nonmilitary U.S. personnel who will remain there.

That includes about 1,700 diplomats, law enforcement officers and various economic, agriculture and other professionals and experts who will be in Iraq into 2012, according to the State Department. In addition, 5,000 security contractors will protect the U.S. diplomats and another 4,500 contractors will serve other roles, such as helping provide food and medical services, until they can be done locally.

Toner said the U.S. and Iraqi governments are still talking about security and other matters, though he stressed any such discussions should not change the basic decision announced Friday.

"We continue to talk about the post-December 31 arrangement (and) security relationship," Toner said. "At the same time, we are very committed to meeting the December 31 deadline."

Panetta, too, did not rule out the possibility that U.S. forces would head to Iraq to train forces there.

"As we ... look at developing this normal relationship, a lot of it is going to depend on what they want, what their needs are and how we can best meet them," he said

Boston Radio Station WAAF 107.3 supports Task Force Yankee in Afghanistan

WAAF 107.3 is one of the radio mainstays in Boston. They used to be classic rock but have leaned more towards the metal/new rock edge. Times change and musical tastes change but Rock & Roll is here to stay...

WAAF has sent one of their DJs, "Mistress Carrie" to Afghanistan to support the troops. WAAF's homepage is here -


http://www.waaf.com/


Here is a few of here observations as she spends time at FOB PHOENIX in Kabul, one of my old stomping grounds. Pretty funny as some of her observations are spot on.

Things I've learned in Afghanistan so far
By Mistress Carrie

I’ve been spending a lot of time over the last few days, just hanging with the guys here in Afghanistan… It’s amazing the conversations that you can have, while you are sitting at a picnic table praying to the internet gods! It takes so long to load pics, audio, and video that you have nothing better to do, than ask questions of anyone that comes your way. There is such a cross section of people here, it’s amazing. There are over 15 countries involved in the allied forces in Afghanistan. The number of private contractors is amazing, and I cannot believe the number of locals that are walking around on base. Local Afghan civilians cook on base, they clean on base, and the build everything on base. Obviously they are supervised, but I NEVER had this kind of access to the local Iraqi’s 5 years ago. It’s culture shock times 10! Here are some of my observations so far.

1. Burning tires and poop is bad for your sense of smell, and your lungs.

2. The sound of a Blackhawk hovering over your bedroom is something that you get used to, and amazingly makes you feel relaxed.

3. People with purple hair (especially women) in Afghanistan get stared at constantly. It’s actually quite funny now!

4. There is such a thing as a ‘brass magnet’ and I am that person! It’s UNREAL! The guys in my unit think it’s out of control. They can never relax, you never know when a General is going to pop out and surprise us!

5. There is no other place that a dedicated soldier wants to be, than with ‘his guys’. No matter the injury or illness, they just want to get back to work. I’ve never seen dedication like I have seen here.

6. Bureaucracy is everywhere, even in a war zone.

7. There are certain things that our troops cannot live without… video games, movies, music, and Skype. Skype is the greatest for these guys. I’m watching a few soldiers Skype with their kids right now, and it makes me want to cry.

8. If you are tired enough, you can fall asleep anywhere!

9. DO NOT leave your Facebook page open in a room full of soldiers! BAD things can happen!

10. Ball busting is he same in any language!

11. You could make a fortune selling frozen margaritas here. I would pay $1000 for one right now!

12. Army coffee and hot chocolate is a great way to start the day… waking up at 0500 to drink it is NOT a great way to start the day.

13. It is possible that the biggest and toughest looking guy in Kabul, is an accountant. I’m not kidding, his name is Donald, and he is HUGE!!!

14. Anything can become normal, even people carrying automatic weapons into the cafeteria to eat breakfast!

15. Having a private security detail and up armored vehicles drive you everywhere makes you feel like the President!

16. Jello is awesome

17. It’s a small world. We keep bumping into people that we grew up with! My producer Mike is going to run from Mayor of Camp Phoenix soon, he knows everyone!

18. Grown men, no matter how tough, LOVE to make ice cream sundaes!

Supporting the Troops.....more than just a slogan

BRAVO ZULU to Ms. Kayyem for putting this issue on the radar screen for those who don't have a family member who has served and for anyone else who needs some perspective.


A soldier’s money
From health care to finances, we should protect those who protected us
By Juliette Kayyem - Boston Globe
July 25, 2011

LAST WEEK, 650 troops quietly left Afghanistan, beginning the long slog home as part of President Obama’s drawdown. At the same time, General David Petraeus, the architect of the surges in both Iraq and Afghanistan, formally resigned from the military to take over as director of the CIA. The timing was coincidental, but not without meaning: The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now simultaneously moving to a close.

Petraeus handed his Afghanistan command to Marine Lieutenant General John Allen, who will oversee further troop departures. He also symbolically handed over some measure of responsibility for those troops’ future well-being to his wife, Holly Petraeus, who represents a rare growth industry in government: protecting and providing to our returning service members and veterans.

As a nation, we are simply unprepared for the numbers of returning troops we now face. The wars of the last ten years have created over 1.1 million veterans; another 2.4 million men and women are on active, National Guard, or reserve duty. This class includes soldiers who have served in combat longer than any in US history. Of the nearly 400,000 who have seen combat duty, more than 13,000 have spent at least 45 months - nearly four cumulative years - in combat.

We know so little about the magnitude and the depth of the issues they will be facing in health care, employment, and education. All they want is to go back to normal lives. And that too is a challenge.

Holly Petraeus will help wage a small piece of this upcoming war. She runs the Office of Service member Affairs for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the entity conceived and established (but not to be run) by Elizabeth Warren. Her statutory mission, authorized to begin just last week, is to provide financial education for service members. Many are “young and inexperienced, with twice-a-month guaranteed paychecks, who move to areas in the country where they have never lived before and try to make ends meet,’’ she told me in an interview. Outside many military installations in the United States are strips of storefronts offering too-good-to-be-true deals: buy this, buy that, pawn this, cash that.

Service members are stressed, in difficult situations, and money is often tight. A survey of US military personnel showed that 25 percent have over $10,000 in credit-card debt; only 50 percent have any sort of rainy day fund for financial emergencies.

Today, the number one reason for a service member to lose security clearance is not loose lips, or drugs, or espionage. It is failure to show good financial standing because they simply can’t get ahead of their bills.

The blame isn’t just with shifty car dealers and pawn brokers. Earlier this year, JPMorgan Chase violated the Servicemember’s Civil Relief Act, which gives mortgage relief to deployed personnel, by overcharging thousands of clients and even foreclosing on 14 houses.

Financial woes may turn out to be the least of returning service members’ problems. At the highest levels of the Pentagon, there is a dawning recognition that we as a nation have no idea how the impact of excessive redeployments and the guerrilla nature of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will affect soldiers and their families. The end of war has been marked by celebration in the streets, as in World War II, or a hurried helicopter ride, as in Vietnam. This time, it must be marked by a much greater effort to adapt to the needs and aspirations of those returning home.

We are now ending the longest volunteer-only military effort since the American Revolution. And because there has been no draft, the divide between the US military and citizens who were asked to sacrifice little has grown. “Supporting our troops’’ has become a cliché with no meaning. We have learned to love our troops - often for selfish reasons, such as avoiding a draft - without really knowing them. Service members represent just 0.8 percent of the population.

In the months and years to come, we will be welcoming home and into society a population the likes we have not seen in our lifetime; the sheer numbers who have seen combat over and over will change the nature of the moral duty we owe those who fought voluntarily. And it will begin to change us. Ask Petraeus. Either one.

Juliette Kayyem can be reached at jkayyem@globe.com.

“The closer you get to this fight, the better it looks.” - Progress is being made in Afghanistan

Many visits by the Brass go this way - They normally only get to see what others "want" them to see.....go here, see that, get on the plane and they're gone...They never really get to talk to the troops as they should or see the places they should see.

SECDEF Gates seems to have broken off from the normal and had time to speak with the troops even visiting some of the more remote places in Helmand....the results? He is optimistic about the progress made by our troops and the ANA.

Let us hope so as like Iraq, too many (especially those in the Media) like to take a crap on those who have worked hard to provide freedom to people who are desperate to live their lives in peace.


Members of Congress should listen to Gen. Petraeus
By Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) - 03/14/11 07:24 PM ET

During a visit this week with U.S. troops in Afghanistan, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates observed, “The closer you get to this fight, the better it looks.” Having just returned from a fact-finding trip to Afghanistan a few weeks ago, I couldn’t agree more. We are winning this war, and that is much more evident on the ground in Afghanistan than it is on the front pages of our newspapers.

Our delegation met with senior military commanders and diplomats from NATO and the United States during our trip. We talked to airmen at Bagram Air Base in Eastern Afghanistan, Marines in Helmand Province, and soldiers in Kandahar. We broke bread with the brave young men and women in uniform fighting in Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban movement that harbored al Qaeda in the years prior to 9/11. And we spent time with Afghan leaders who are trying to build a better tomorrow for their people.

One such person was the governor of Marjah, who invited us to join him and other local leaders as they opened a new primary school for the village of Koru. Our delegation went from a heavily fortified U.S. combat outpost and walked without body armor (accompanied by a Marine patrol, to be sure) through a bustling market that a year ago had been one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Afghanistan.

When we arrived at the new schoolhouse, we were greeted by hundreds of children, including dozens of young girls, gathered within the walls of the school compound. They happily endured a cold rain for the ribbon-cutting ceremony that would open “their” new school. The children sported grins that stretched from ear to ear, and expressed their excitement at being given the opportunity to learn how to read.

Although it would be a mistake to simply extrapolate the experience of our walk through Koru and apply it to the whole country, it was clear to our delegation that our forces have made significant gains in the past year and have reversed the Taliban’s tactical momentum. Our forces — working alongside their Afghan partners — have regained the initiative against the Taliban.

We have cleared former enemy strongholds, swept up significant weapons caches that are vital for the insurgency, and are contesting more ground on the physical and human terrain fronts. We have made considerable progress in growing and professionalizing Afghanistan’s army and police so these forces are more capable and reliable partners to our own troops.

As significant as our troops’ achievements in Helmand and Kandahar are, however, they can easily be undone by poor decisions by leaders here in Washington, D.C. This is why this week’s testimony by our commander on the ground, Gen. David Petraeus, is so important. Although the influx of additional troops and a better-resourced counterinsurgency strategy have led to operational gains, after nearly 10 years of war, public support for the effort in Afghanistan is waning.

Gen. Petraeus — who will appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday and before my committee the following day — must lay out how this progress can be consolidated into a lasting strategic victory for the United States and its Afghan allies.

The House Armed Services Committee will seek to understand what conditions in Afghanistan would be sufficient to permit the redeployment of some U.S. forces beginning in July 2011. We will ask tough questions regarding the capabilities — and too often, shortcomings — of our Afghan partners. And, we will seek to determine what resources are required to reinforce the positive trends of 2010 so that we can allow the Afghan government to assume the lead in governance and security.

Gen. Petraeus is no stranger to high-stakes hearings held under the bright lights of Capitol Hill. In September 2007, he reported on the security gains that were achieved in Iraq well before the effects of that “surge” were readily visible. The war has changed, but the stakes are just as high.

As we were reminded in a recent Washington Post article about Marine Lt. Gen. John Kelly and the tragic loss of his son Robert to an IED attack last November, our nation has asked families to shoulder a tremendous burden. Just as we owe it to our nation’s warriors and their families to remain committed to the fight by properly resourcing the fight, we also owe it to them to get the war’s strategy right. For nothing would do more to honor their sacrifices than to achieve a strategic victory that makes all Americans more secure.

McKeon serves as the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.

The New England Patriots Cheerleaders - Supporting our Military and bringing Christmas cheer to all....

The New England Patriots support our military and have made many trips to visit the troops in the Middle East and wherever our troops are deployed.....In line with that, US Navy Jeep and your host Middleboro Jones brings you some Christmas Cheer by sharing the enclosed with you. The Patriots Cheerleaders in their holiday outfits......Merry Christmas from the home of the New England Patriots......and to all a good night !!