Pentagon Announces Deployment Of Troops To Iraq And Afghanistan

I was just reading this story at Yahoo News, concerning the upcoming troop deployments to Iraq, and Afghanistan:

The Pentagon on Monday announced upcoming deployments of more than 42,000 troops, including 25,000 active duty Army soldiers who would be sent to Iraq beginning in the fall to replace troops scheduled to come home by year's end.

The deployments would maintain a level of 15 brigades in Iraq, or roughly 140,000 troops, the number military leaders expect will remain on the warfront at the end of July, once the currently planned withdrawals are finished.

Under the new Pentagon policy effective in August, those active duty Army units will serve for 12 months, rather than the 15-month tours that units in Iraq now are serving. The bulk of the soldiers deploying later this year returned from Iraq late last year, and will have gotten about a year at home to rest and retrain.

LINK TO FULL STORY

Prince Harry Pulled From Afghanistan

I was just reading the story of Prince Harry being pulled out of Afghanistan, because The Drudge Report cared more about it's "journalistic freedom", than the safety of Harry and his comrades in arms. This is the same Prince Harry than made news drinking, and wearing a Nazi uniform for a costume party,January 13th, 2005, so it is pleasing to see this young man turn into a different, and perhaps better person.

The British military decided Friday to pull Prince Harry out of Afghanistan "immediately" after news of his 10-week deployment was leaked by foreign media, the Ministry of Defence said.

The prince, a junior officer in the Household Cavalry, was posted in mid-December to the restive Helmand province of southern Afghanistan where British forces are fighting Taliban extremists. He was deployed under a cloak of secrecy following an unusual news blackout deal between the media and the army.

But the arrangement collapsed Thursday after news was leaked on the US website, the Drudge Report, which gained notoriety by revealing details of then US president Bill Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky.

As usual Drudge doesn't think they did anything wrong, which in itself is why he and his report should be held in contempt, by people who would rather have troops safe, than know details of where Harry or any other "celebrity" might be serving! Congratulations to the British press for putting its soldiers ahead of a story!


Prince Harry Pulled From Afghanistan

140 Afghans Killed In 2 Days Of Bombings

The story coming out of Afghanistan is of another increase in violence as a suicide car bomber kills 38 Afghans at a crowded market Monday, pushing the death toll from two days of militant bombings to about 140.

The marketplace blast, which targeted a Canadian army convoy, came a day after the country's deadliest insurgent attack since a U.S. invasion defeated the Taliban regime in late 2001. The toll from that bombing in a crowd watching a dog fight rose to more than 100. The back-to-back blasts in the southern province of Kandahar could be a sign insurgents are now willing to risk high civilian casualties while attacking security forces. Though their attacks occasionally have killed dozens, militants in Afghanistan have generally sought to avoid targeting civilians, unlike insurgents in Iraq's war.

The violence and attacks are a concern for a country once thought to be headed for renewal. The Taliban, and al-Qaeda terrorists have regrouped, and are on the offensive, all because we got blinded by Iraq, and we did not finish the job in Afghanistan first!! It is a sad day for our troops and for the Afghans, who are dying on a daily basis!!


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Taliban Threatens Westerners

I was just reading a story is which a Taliban spokesman warned Tuesday that militants would increase attacks against restaurants in Kabul frequented by Westerners, a day after eight people died in a brazen assault on a luxury hotel in the Afghan capital.


Afghan officials said they had arrested four men following Monday's assault on the Serena Hotel a heavily guarded and high-profile property frequented by Western workers and officials. Among those detained was one of the attackers disguised in a police uniform.

It would seem that the situation in Afghanistan, which was already worsening, is entering an even more violent stage for non-combatant Westerners, as evidenced by the bombing yesterday! This is the country that we should be surging in, as this is where the 9/11 attackers learned their trade, and where threats to hit us are still coming from!


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Navy Seal Receives Medal Of Honor

There is a story regarding Lt. Michael Murphy, who gave his life in Afghanistan, and the medal that was presented to his family today to honor him.


The first Medal of Honor awarded for combat in Afghanistan was presented Monday to the weeping parents of a Navy SEAL from Long Island, who gave his life to make a radio call for help for his team. President Bush presented the nation's highest military honor for valor to the family of Lt. Michael Murphy of Patchogue, N.Y., who died when his elite combat team was surrounded high in the mountains of Afghanistan.

This is one of the "choke a person up with emotion" stories, as most people can empathize with the family and their most personal loss. I know there will be some people who so oppose the war, that cannot allow even a modicum of respect for the sacrifice this young man made for all of us. That is alright, because I am writing this for the people who no matter what they think about the war, can undertsand and perhaps say a prayer in honor of this young man, and can feel for his parents and the pain that they must endure everyday!!

The Medal of Honor is the nation’s highest military award for valor in action against an enemy force which can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States. There will be an additional link for people wanting to know about the Congressional Medal of Honor as well!!


Daniel Murphy, Michael's Father, will accept the award on behalf of his son. Murphy will receive the award for his extraordinary, selfless heroism and steadfast courage while leading a four-man, special reconnaissance mission deep behind enemy lines east of Asadabad in the Hindu Kush of Afghanistan June 27 to 28, 2005.

Murphy was the officer-in-charge of the SEAL element, which was tasked with locating a high- level Taliban militia leader to provide intelligence for a follow-on mission to capture or destroy the local leadership and disrupt enemy activity. However local Taliban sympathizers discovered the SEAL unit and immediately revealed their position to Taliban fighters. The element was besieged on a mountaintop by scores of enemy fighters. The firefight that ensued pushed the element farther into enemy territory and left all four SEALs wounded. The SEALs fought the enemy fearlessly despite being at a tactical disadvantage and outnumbered more than four to one. Understanding the gravity of the situation and his responsibility to his men, Murphy, already wounded, deliberately and unhesitatingly moved from cover into the open where he took and returned fire while transmitting a call for help for his beleaguered teammates. Shot through the back while radioing for help, Murphy completed his transmission while returning fire. The call ultimately led to the rescue of one severely wounded team member, Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Marcus Luttrell, and the recovery of the remains of Murphy and Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class (SEAL) Danny Dietz and Sonar Technician 2nd Class (SEAL) Matthew Axelson.


May this young man and his comrades rest in peace, We honor you for your sacrifice, thank you!!




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On Tillman's Death

This is such as sad story as it took a heroic volunteer in the war on terror and has turned him into a symbol for everything that is wrong with this same war. Mr. Tillman was killed from a mere 10 yards away, which only shows me how scared and touchy these first warriors were as they went to war. A very sad statement on our troops, their superiors, and our leaders.

Army medical examiners were suspicious about the close proximity of the three bullet holes in Pat Tillman's forehead and tried without success to get authorities to investigate whether the former NFL player's death amounted to a crime, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

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