Ever wonder where some of the most common items of our Marine Corps history came from? Things like the term "Jarhead," etc.? Most of these things are pretty well known by all Marines. But, then, there are also numerous cases where our accepted history is just plain inaccurate. For instance, Major Devereaux's last message from the besieged Wake Island in early World War Two--"Send Us More Japs"--or that the red stripe on the blue uniform trousers of officers and NCOs (sometimes referred to as bloodstripes) commemorates the Marine blood spilled at the battle of Chapultapec in 1847. These two items are not true, and there are many more things like this that I have addressed elsewhere on my websites.
And then there are some cases where the origin of certain traditions are altogether unknown. Take for example, the case of the well known OohRah! What is its origin? What is its meaning? When and where did it start? Is it related to similar cries now in use by other military services? Nobody knows for sure. Yeah, most everybody has an opinion, but what is the straight scoop? Some of the more popular "opinions" on this include that OohRah comes from either (take your pick) a Turkish or a Russian battle cry, and was somehow adopted by U.S. Marines. For many years, I, myself, leaned in the direction that it may have originated with the 1956 film, The DI, staring Jack Webb as T/Sgt Jim Moore, who, in that movie, the "gunny" commands his recruit platoon (paraphrased), "Let me hear you GROWL, tigers!"
In any case, opinions on this abound--some ridiculous, some even humorous, but like I already said, nobody seems to knows for sure. OohRah is now well-entrenched in Marine Corps tradition, and although I have found that it is generally disliked and its use disapproved of by many old time Marines, one thing is for sure--it is here to stay! Personally, I think that provided we could determine valid and meaningful historical origin, much of this disapproval by old timers would soon be forgotten. And it seems like OohRah's origin is not so far distant in our past that there should still be some old salts around even now who can clue us in on the straight scoop.
Somewhere I read...."The sea story is the traditional means by which wisdom is passed on from the older generation of Marines to the younger generation."
-Author Unknown
That makes sense to me, and I have thought that if we're ever going to get an answer on this it will be from Marines who were there and know. For at least a couple years now I have been using the resources of my e-mail and websites to seek information from Marines on this question, but the results have been disappointing. Up to now, that is.
On 12 May 2002, I received the following information from Marine Bob Rader (Sgt Wolf); the info had first been posted to the Sgt Grit's Bulletin Board and then e-mailed to me. *****************
From Whence It Came?
Received this among some other stuff from an old college classmate and former Force Troops Recon Marine, Dr. Frank Osanka:
The Recon Marines (and maybe all Marines), have their "OORAH" and the Army its "HOOAH"! But what is the origin of these exclamations by troops (can't call them words-- they are better described as sounds)? When used they are unmistakenly expressions of verve, spirit, morale, espirit, eliteness and sometimes derision! They are responses, greetngs, etc.
You won't find anything in Navy BuPers files. Marine Corps directives or Army regulations prescribing that they be used. Yet, they permeate the ranks and their origins ought to be recorded for they are as much military lexicon as "SNAFU," "GI", "Kilroy was here", "P38", etc. And, woe betide the commander who thinks he can put an end to their use! They are exclusive property of those who use them and rightfully so--for what it means to them transcends anything a leader can do to give them unity and a sense of belonging!
Whey did they start? Who started them? Why are they so popular with the troops? I can't answer the question..."OORAH"is answered below, courtesy of Gary "Buddha" Marte, (former Marine).
OK, HERE IT IS! THE DEFINITION AND HISTORY OF 'OORAH'
Right after Korea in 1953 the 1st Amphibious Reconnaissance Company, FMFPAC can be credited with the birth of "OORAH" in the Corps.
Specifically, where it came from was when Recon Marines were aboard the Submarine USS PERCH, ASSP-313. The Perch was an old WWII diesel boat retrofitted to carry UDT and Amphib Recon Marines. If you remember the old war movies, whenever the boat was to dive, you heard on the PA system, "DIVE,DIVE", and you heard the horn sound "AARUGHA", like an old Model "A" horn.
Sometime in 1953 or 1954, 1st Amphib Recon Marines, while on a conditioning run on land singing chants, someone imitated the "Dive" horn sound "AARUGHA", and it naturally became a Recon Warrior chant or mantra while on runs. It is sort of like the martial arts yell and adds a positive inference to the action. And this became part of Recon lexicon.
Former SgtMaj of the Marine Corps, John Massaro, was the company gunny of 1st Force in the late 50s and when he tansferred to MCRDSD as an instructor at DI school he took "AARUGHA" with him and passed it on to the DI students and they , in turn, passed it on to recruits.
Just as "Gung Ho" became symbolic of the WWII Raiders, so did "AARUGHA" become part of the new "running Marine Corps."
Over time, "AARUGHA" EVENTUALLY CHANGED TO "OORAH". The official Marine Corps Training Reference Manual on the history of Marine Recon is titled "AARUGHA", giving credence on the orgination of the 'POSITIVE RESPONSE' accenting anything that is meant to be good and uniquely Marine Corps.
It is part of Marine Corps language, like "Pogey Bait", "SOS", etc.
Semper Fi & Gung Ho,
Sgt. Wolf"
**************************
Since May I have been attempting to contact Major Marte for his verification of this story. On 12 August 2002, I received the following e-mail from the major.
Gunny...
When I was in ist Amphib Recon Company (54-57) when we went on our conditioning runs we would chant and one of the sayings was "AARUGHA" which was imitating the sound of the klaxon horn on board the submarine whenever the announcement was made "DIVE, DIVE". This was started by SgtMaj Dave Kendricks (Then a Gunny in 1952 in Amphib Recon) Today, it is part of the Marine Corps language as is Semper Fi, Gung Ho, etc. Loosely translated it means acknowledgement to a question and anything positive. Hope this helps!
Semper Fi
Gary "Buddha" Marte
Major, USMC, Ret
(1952-1982)
In my opinion, we have been provided here with the authentic origin of OohRah. It has long been thought, as expressed by many responses to my queries, that OohRah was grounded in Marine Recon. The fact that Maj Marte is an old-time Recon Marine, and was there in the early 50s, lends credence to an altogether plausible explanation as to the beginning and evolution of OohRah. And it comes directly from a living, breathing Marine and not a secondhand report by others just claiming knowledge. I expect to publish this information on Gunny G's websites; hopefully, other Marines with knowledge of this will also come forward to comment on this
My sincere thanks to Major Marte, Dr. Osanka, Bob Rader and to others mentioned above...
As an aside remark, I will take this opportunity to point out that many points of Marine Corps history have been lost due to the fact that Marines tend to not preserve their stories in writing for their families, friends, and for the newer generations of Marines now on duty. That is why I have always encouraged Marines to set up their own websites with an initial biographical sketch of their service years.
See Also.....
Semper Fidelis
R.W. "Dick" Gaines
GySgt USMC (Ret.)
1952-72
Gunny G's Marines Sites & Forums ATTENTION MARINES!
Now that the correct origin, history and evolution of "OohRah" has been determined, now another point...
Generally, Marines of..say, back in the '50s are of the opinion that "OohRah" is lower than benjo-ditch; whereas latter-day Marines (boots) feel that OohRah is the greatest thing to come along since Chesty Puller.
WHAT IS YOUR OPINION?
POST YOUR OPINION REGARDING "OOHRAH" HERE!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Login Dick Gaines) Forum Owner from IP address 76.5.52.85
GyG's Daily Posts...
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Says Zell: ...Social Security crisis, and illegal immigration all
linked to abortion
Rated 5 in topic Multi-topical
From freerepublic.com on March 12 at 5:57 AM
<http://www.furl.net/item.jsp?id=17502078 >
Veteran mails war medals but his daughter receives empty box
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From network54.com on March 12 at 12:15 AM
<http://www.furl.net/item.jsp?id=17493731 >
Among Recent Presidents, Clinton is Tops With Historians
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From freerepublic.com on March 11 at 8:13 PM
<http://www.furl.net/item.jsp?id=17486498 >
American Thinker: A Special New York Times Editorial
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From americanthinker.com on March 11 at 8:10 PM
< http://www.furl.net/item.jsp?id=17486443>;
Serendipity: Information and comment not to be found in the
mainstream media
Rated 5 in topic Multi-topical
From serendipity.li on March 11 at 8:06 PM
<http://www.furl.net/item.jsp?id=17486349 >
THE "G" CONFIDENTIAL WEBLOG!: The Frank Olson Murder
Rated 5 in topic Multi-topical
From 1984gunnyg.blogspot.com on March 11 at 6:23 PM
<http://www.furl.net/item.jsp?id=17483226 >
Larrt Pratt -- A Reason for Carrying Firearms for Self-Defense
Rated 5 in topic Multi-topical
From newswithviews.com on March 11 at 1:18 PM
<http://www.furl.net/item.jsp?id=17474582 >
Patrick Briley -- Protection From Shootings, Vehicular Run Downs
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From newswithviews.com on March 11 at 1:18 PM
<http://www.furl.net/item.jsp?id=17474553 >
For All Korean War Project Website Users-- Newsletter March 3 2007
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From koreanwar.org on March 11 at 1:02 PM
< http://www.furl.net/item.jsp?id=17474277>;
________________________________________________________________________
Save and share anything you find online - Furl @ http://www.furl.net
Veteran mails war medals but his daughter receives empty box
By BRIAN MEDEL Yarmouth Bureau
DIGBY He was there when the U.S. Marine Corps raised the flag on Iwo Jima.
He chatted with Bob Hope in a New Hebrides hospital ward while recovering from a Japanese shrapnel burst at Guadalcanal.
Russell Farrell is an 86-year-old former marine who lives in Digby. He was wounded three times in fact, and decorated with two Purple Hearts and a gold star.
He can talk about the action he was in and tell you about the medals. But he can no longer show the medals.
They've been stolen.
Mr. Farrell, who has lived in Nova Scotia for 30 years, doesn't get out of his Digby apartment much these days, so he had the medals mailed in an insured package to his daughter, Judy Farrell, in California last month.
They never arrived.
"I had no idea someone would steal them," he said Saturday.
Mr. Farrell has no immediate family left nearby. His wife, Alice, passed away more than a year ago, and both his grown children he also has a son, Russell Jr. live in California. After his daughter said she would love to have the medals, he decided he would send them to her.
"I think (the package) was mailed the 12th of February. It took about five or six days to get out to my daughter's," said Mr. Farrell.
"She got on the phone and she started crying. She said: 'Dad, the package has been opened. It looks like somebody cut it.'
She said: 'The medals are gone. All that's left are the ribbons.'
"I don't think they'll be found," Mr. Farrell said.
And he added: "I had the medals for 60 years."
Canada Post has launched an investigation, Mr. Farrell said.
"There's a postal inspector coming down to talk to me sometime next week," he said.
He said he has not called the police but is letting the post office handle things.
His daughter reported the theft to American authorities and the U.S. Postal Service is also investigating, he said. "I insured it for $50," said Mr. Farrell about his package.
He said he didn't know then but realizes now that the medals are likely worth a lot more.
The medals were for service at Guadalcanal, Guam and Iwo Jima, and included two Purple Hearts and a gold star to place in the ribbon of one of the Purple Hearts.
The Asiatic-Pacific medal, American Campaign medal, a good conduct medal and a presidential unit citation for the 9th Marine Regiment were also sent.
Mr. Farrell's daughter sent him a photo of a glass-covered frame that once held his medals.
"You can see where the medals were on the frame," he said.
The medals were fastened to wine-coloured velvet. Now some of the ribbon remains, but the medals have been yanked off, leaving a darker velvet outline beneath.
"I had them covered up with towels and everything so the glass wouldn't get broke," said Mr. Farrell.
Ms. Farrell said Saturday from her home in Ventura, Calif., that she hopes the tragic loss will at least "warn other people not to send medals through the mail and alert people that this is happening."
"Hopefully, people won't buy (medals) unless they have proof (they're not stolen)."
(Login Dick Gaines) Forum Owner from IP address 76.5.52.85
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A Rummy Way to Fight a War
A scathing look at the defense secretary who oversaw the Iraq conflict.
Reviewed by Bing West
Sunday, March 11, 2007; Page BW03
RUMSFELD
His Rise, Fall, and Catastrophic Legacy
By Andrew Cockburn
Scribner. 247 pp. $25
Andrew Cockburn opens his new book on Donald Rumsfeld by concluding
that his subject was an insufferable disaster as secretary of defense,
then goes on to provide dozens of anecdotes by way of proof. In this
slim volume, we learn that Rumsfeld saved a multi-billion dollar
bomber program that was "incapable of performing its mission"; as a
businessman with G.D. Searle Co., pushed sugar substitutes through the
Food and Drug Administration's approval process even though scientists
believed the fake sugar "contributed to several thousand Americans"
developing brain cancer; plotted with Dick Cheney to form "a secret
government-in-waiting" during war games in hidden bunkers; tolerated
levels of opium production in post-Taliban Afghanistan that meant
"millions of future heroin addicts"; sanctioned torture at Abu Ghraib;
procured tanks that had to wait "by the side of the road for the fuel
truck" in Iraq; and ran a "reign of terror over the officer corps."
President Richard M. Nixon is quoted as describing Rumsfeld in March
1971 as "a ruthless little bastard," and reading Cockburn, one can
only imagine what his exploits would be like if he had been taller.
Hollywood might have cast Rumsfeld as the heavy who brought us global
warming and penguin stew.
Page after relentless page, Cockburn hauls Rumsfeld's stewardship onto
the dock to flop and expire. The book traces his career from 1962,
when he was a young congressman, and jumps back and forth in time to
the present day. Cockburn describes Rumsfeld as a bully marred by
hubris, a portrait previously drawn in Bob Woodward's State of Denial.
His Pentagon meddling antagonized general officers. To run post-Saddam
Hussein Iraq, he chose the arrogant L. Paul Bremer, whose failures
ensured "the ultimate doom of the American adventure in Iraq."
Rumsfeld's dismissive put-downs antagonized the press. And so on.
Cockburn, who has written for major magazines, is right about the
enormity of Rumsfeld's failure in Iraq, but the book has fatal flaws.
Throughout his jeremiad, Cockburn brandishes not a scalpel but a
broadsword, holding both Rumsfeld and the entire U.S. military in
contempt. In his opinion, the Pentagon's failure to anticipate the
need for heavily armored Humvees in Iraq reflected not human error but
an "uncaring and incompetent civilian and military high command."
Having accompanied numerous American units in Iraq, I have witnessed
our generals extending extraordinary care to their troops.
Cockburn's critique lacks historical perspective about errors in war.
After all, the gallant World War II assault against Iwo Jima claimed
twice as many American lives in one month as have died in Iraq in four
years. But while some historians claim Iwo Jima was a strategic
mistake, we still don't damn the leaders of the "greatest generation."
Similarly, the one thing the world can take to the bank today is that
every American general will stand with his men.
Moreover, Cockburn accuses our soldiers of "immorality," claiming that
every Iraqi he met "was utterly convinced that the occupation was
intrinsically corrupt" and that "determination to maintain the honor
and standards" of the U.S. military "was, unfortunately, all too
rare." Rare? Tell that to the Iraqi civilians in Baghdad who routinely
ask U.S. patrols for help, trusting our soldiers more than their own
forces.
Because Cockburn didn't persuade true insiders to talk, his book lacks
in-depth reporting. He doesn't address the central issue of whether
Rumsfeld blocked requests to alter course in Iraq or whether there
were any such requests. Nor does he explain why Rumsfeld, portrayed as
nimble at avoiding blame, stayed at the helm as Iraq drove the
Republican Party from power in Congress and divided the country as
deeply as had Vietnam. Perhaps Rumsfeld stayed, as he repeatedly said,
because he believed that the cause was noble and that the consequences
of failure were dire.
Most critics complain that Rumsfeld bullied U.S. military commanders
into placing too few "boots on the ground." Cockburn argues, however,
that more American soldiers in Iraq would only provoke more opposition
and lead to more casualties. Because he views Iraq as insoluble and
our institutions as execrable, Cockburn leaves the reader wondering if
Rumsfeld's actions made any enduring difference.
Now, more troops are surging into Iraq under a different strategy.
Gen. David H. Petraeus, who recently took over as the top U.S.
commander in Iraq, is trying to set up the Iraqi government to
succeed. It's too early to assess whether the Iraqi imbroglio is a
clash of cultures doomed from the start or whether Rumsfeld's
decisions were central to a slow failure that can be reversed with him
out of office.
Because Cockburn has written with a razor, he has left room for more
balanced books. It is doubtful, though, if any will revise his central
thesis: Rumsfeld envisioned a quick victory in Iraq and a quick exit.
Had he left office after the post-9/11 war in Afghanistan and before
the Iraq fiasco, he would have been a national hero. But when the
Iraqi insurgency portended a long war, Rumsfeld did not adopt a new
strategy. He failed, and he remained too long in his post. ·
Bing West, an assistant secretary of defense during the Reagan
administration and a former Marine, is the author of two books on the
Iraq War, including "No True Glory: A Frontline Account of the Battle
for Fallujah." He is at work on a third.
Message to the Congress of the United States
Rated 5 in topic Multi-topical
From freerepublic.com on March 10 at 3:04 AM
<http://www.furl.net/item.jsp?id=17430710>;
"George Bush and his Henchmen" (Alan Colmes)
Rated 5 in topic Multi-topical
From freerepublic.com on March 10 at 3:00 AM
<http://www.furl.net/item.jsp?id=17430619>;
D.C. Appeals Court Ruling Holds Second Amendment Protects
'Individual Right'
Rated 5 in topic Multi-topical
From prnewswire.com on March 9 at 7:25 PM
<http://www.furl.net/item.jsp?id=17420412>;
Shame On Conservatives (for not supporting Coulter)
Rated 5 in topic Multi-topical
From freerepublic.com on March 9 at 7:24 PM
<http://www.furl.net/item.jsp?id=17420372>;
American Thinker- Why Do Intellectuals Oppose the Military?
Rated 5 in topic Multi-topical
From americanthinker.com on March 9 at 5:56 PM
<http://www.furl.net/item.jsp?id=17417344>;
The American Spectator The Protocols of the Elder Carter
Rated 5 in topic Multi-topical
From americanprowler.org on March 9 at 5:44 PM
<http://www.furl.net/item.jsp?id=17417150>;
With friends like Erin Brockovich aboard the carbon train (junk
spokesman for junk science)
Rated 5 in topic Multi-topical
From freerepublic.com on March 9 at 5:40 PM
<http://www.furl.net/item.jsp?id=17417074>;
A New Box From Sony Turns Videotapes Into Shiny DVDs
Rated 5 in topic Multi-topical
From freerepublic.com on March 9 at 3:36 PM
<http://www.furl.net/item.jsp?id=17411085>;
Flyover Press - News & views from the rest of the nation-The
Essence of Liberty: Part 20 by Dr. Jimmy T. (Gunny) LaBaume
Rated 5 in topic Multi-topical
From flyoverpress.com on March 9 at 3:25 PM
<http://www.furl.net/item.jsp?id=17410797>;
General David M. Shoup, U.S.M.C.: Warrior and War Protester
Rated 5 in topic Multi-topical
From links.jstor.org on March 9 at 1:27 PM
<http://www.furl.net/item.jsp?id=17407154>;
"Hollywood missed out when it relegated Boots -- and the actor
playing him -- to a minor role in the recent World War II film
Flags of Our Fathers."
Rated 5 in topic Multi-topical
From topix.net on March 9 at 12:44 PM
<http://www.furl.net/item.jsp?id=17406490>;
FBI criticized for Patriot Act use ('blistering' DoJ report)
Rated 5 in topic Multi-topical
From freerepublic.com on March 9 at 12:35 PM
<http://www.furl.net/item.jsp?id=17406376>;
GyG's Daily Posts...
(Please Click and Scroll for current posts to each of the following...)
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NEWS RELEASE
D.C. APPEALS COURT RULING HOLDS SECOND AMENDMENT PROTECTS INDIVIDUAL RIGHT
BELLEVUE, WA A ruling Friday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia that strikes down the Districts 1976 handgun ban and holds that the ! Second Amendment protects an individual right to keep and bear arms is a landmark for liberty, and an affirmation that everything the gun rights community has been saying for years is correct, the Second Amendment Foundation said today.
The 2-1 ruling came in the case of Parker v. District of Columbia. Senior Judge Laurence H. Silberman wrote the opinion, with Judge Thomas B. Griffith concurring. Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson dissented. The ruling holds that the Districts long-standing ban on carrying a pistol in the home for personal protection is unconstitutional. SAF filed an amicus brief in the case.
In his ruling, Judge Silberman wrote, In sum, the phrase the right of the people, when read intratextually and in light of Supreme Court precedent, leads us to conclude that the right in question is individual.
This is a huge victory for firearm civil rights, said SAF founder Alan M. Gottlieb. It shreds the so-called collective right theory of! gun control proponents, and squarely puts the Second Amendment where it has always belonged, as a protection of the individual citizens right to have a firearm for personal defense.
Judge Silbermans ruling notes that the Second Amendment acknowledges a right that pre-existed the Constitution like the freedom of speech.
Because the right to arms existed prior to the formation of the new government, Judge Silberman wrote, the Second Amendment only guarantees that the right shall not be infringed.
Silbermans ruling also observed, The right of self-preservation was understood as the right to defend oneself against attacks by lawless individuals, or, if absolutely necessary, to resist and throw off a tyrannical government.
Judge Silbermans ruling, Gottlieb said, reverses 31 years of unconstitutional infringement on the rights of District of Columbia residents, not only to keep and bear arms, but to be safe and secure in their ow! n homes. This is a ruling that should make all citizens proud that we live in a nation where the rights of individual citizens trump political correctness.
(Login Dick Gaines) Forum Owner from IP address 76.5.52.85
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Editor, FlyoverPress.com" <editor@flyoverpress.com>
date Mar 9, 2007 9:49 AM
subject Quotes for Today
"Military men are just dumb, stupid animals to be used as pawns in foreign policy." Henry Kissinger as quoted in Kiss the Boys Goodbye: How the United States Betrayed Its Own POWs in Vietnam (1990) by Monika Jensen-Stevenson and William Stevenson
"The CIA owns everyone of any significance in the major media." Former CIA Director William Colby (who died suddenly after freak canoe accident) from Bernstein's 1977 Oct. Rolling Stone article
"If we do go to war, psychological operations are going to be absolutely a critical, critical part of any campaign that we must get involved in."
General H. Norman Schwarzkopf
And my, my, my, how effective the propaganda machine has been. thegunny, 419
--
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(Login Dick Gaines) Forum Owner from IP address 76.5.52.85
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Life-Cycle Manning
By Brig. Gen. John S. Brown, U.S. Army retired
Army Magazine (Association of the United States Army)
March 1, 2007
The first brigade to pass through the three-year life-cycle manning system (the former 172nd Stryker Brigade, Fort Wainwright, Alaska) is back from Iraq and, understandably, the object of considerable scrutiny. Reviews are mixed. The avowed goal, unit cohesion, was certainly achieved, as were high standards of mission performance. The debit side included such impediments to individual professional development as newly promoted sergeants with nowhere to serve as NCOs, schools and positions deferred or denied and skewed rank structures disproportionately junior at the beginning and disproportionately senior at the end. Three years is a long time. Life-cycle manning seems a success, but will nevertheless require adjusting if it is not to go the way of Long Thrust, Gyroscope, Ovurep, Rotaplan, Brigade 75, COHORT and other worthy attempts at unit stabilization that ultimately proved too costly to the individuals within them and to the Army as a whole. We do need to be mindful of historical precedent: no manning system can suit all circumstances.
Our 19th-century, Indian-fighting Army had features common to life-cycle manning. Soldiers were in their regiments for a long time, generally for the duration of their service. Unitsalmost always smaller than regimentsdeployed and redeployed as a whole, moving with what families they had from one frontier post to another as circumstances required. Promotions and schooling were less of an issue then than they are today, and neither happened often. In the crucible of frontier duty, units developed impressive effectiveness and cohesion. Many of our contemporary cavalry lineages are replete with the lore and esprit of this era. One reason the system worked as well as it did is that although service was rigorous, combat was episodic and casualties relatively few. Soldiers could reasonably anticipate serving an entire year with the same comrades. This feature, too, they share with our brigade recently returned from Iraq.
The 19th-century regimental system worked far less well when exposed to high casualties. During the Civil War, volunteer regiments raised by the states too often wore down to ineffectiveness in the face of horrific casualties, only to be replaced by green regiments that suffered horrific casualties in turn because of their combat inexperience. The state of Wisconsin adopted a policy of individual replacement, feeding new troops into the structure provided by depleted but experienced units. The experiment worked. Civil War combat was generally sporadic, and in the intervals between battles, surviving veterans taught the new troops what they needed to know to survive and succeed. The Wisconsin model was widely admired, occasionally emulated and often influential in the thinking of later theorists. After the Civil War the earlier regimental system reemerged and succeeded because, once again, combat was occasional and casualties relatively few.
The drain of fighting in the Philippines inspired a transition to individual replacement. The issue was not so much losses in battle as losses to disease, geographical distances and the concern that units with local cultural familiarity not be abruptly moved. Circumstances in the Philippines differed considerably from island to island, and continuity was best maintained if soldiers cycled through units in such a manner that old hands were always present to bring newcomers up to speed.
By World War I individual replacement was pervasive as policy for sustaining units overseas, and it adapted to the demands of the Western Front. Most armies introduced systems of rotation. Ideally, battalions alternated between frontline duty, support, reserve and rest and rehabilitation. There was a certain industrial aspect to the slaughter as units absorbed, trained and integrated replacements in rear areas before they deployed into the forward trenches and then migrated through stages to the rear to begin the cycle all over again. This system worked well when the situation was static and there was an ample supply of units to rotate. Orderliness broke down, however, when major offensives created operational fluidity. Too often, units were broken up to provide individual replacements to others because there was no system to generate individual replacements on the scale needed during severe combat.
During World War II the U.S. Army developed an individual replacement system that allowed it to sustain units in combat without rotation. By that time, major units were so complex and carried so much overhead that rotation was often not practical. The United States gambled that 90 divisions properly sustained could outperform the hundreds of divisions other nations would have organized from a similar manpower pool. An individual replacement system trained vast numbers of new soldiers for subsequent assignment to units already deployed. On balance, the gamble was a success. In the Pacific and the Mediterranean, combat was generally infrequent enough that replacements could be fed in to learn the ropes from veterans during slow times. Fighting was more often a grind in Europe, where green replacements too often became casualties before they properly integrated into their units. For all its flaws, however, the individual replacement system proved a superior way to sustain combat effective divisions. Time and again American divisions wore out their German counterparts, which implemented unit rotational schemes.
In Korea and Vietnam, general officers who had seen the carnage of World War II continued to rely on individual replacements. They believed most frontline soldiers would become psychiatric casualties if exposed to more than a year of combat, but they also recognized that rotating major headquarters in and out of combat was too disruptive. They favored a system wherein there were always some old hands available to sustain local familiarity and continuity, and to train the newly arrived.
With life-cycle manning we have set aside the Civil War, World War I and World War II and returned to our 19th-century roots. This can work, as long as combat remains episodic and casualties relatively few. Increased effectiveness with respect to unit cohesion will trump increased inefficiency with respect to personnel allocation. We should preserve our appreciation and understanding of individual replacement, however. Should we encounter truly lethal adversaries, we may need to return to it.
Recommended Reading:
Brown, John Sloan, Draftee Division: The 88th Infantry Division in World War II (Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky, 1986)
Kriedberg, Marvin A. and Henry, Merton G., History of Military Mobilization in the United States Army, 1775-1945 (Washington, D.C.: Department of the Army, 1955)
Rush, Robert S., Hell in Hurtgen Forest: The Ordeal and Triumph of an American Infantry Regiment (Lawrence: The University Press of Kansas, 2001)
_____
BRIG. GEN. JOHN S. BROWN, USA Ret., was chief of military history at the U.S. Army Center of Military History from December 1998 to October 2005. He commanded the 2nd Battalion, 66th Armor, in Iraq and Kuwait during the Gulf War and returned to Kuwait as commander of the 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, in 1995. He has a doctorate in history from Indiana University.
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Why the U.S. Armys Best Carbine Wont Be in Soldiers Hands Soon
March 8 2007 at 11:13 AM No score for this post
(Login Dick Gaines) Forum Owner from IP address 76.5.52.85
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InsideDefense.com
March 5, 2007
Out of Reach
Why the U.S. Armys Best Carbine Wont Be in Soldiers Hands Soon
By MATTHEW COX
March 4, 2002. A rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) tore into the right engine of an MH-47 Chinook helicopter loaded with a quick-reaction force of U.S. Army Rangers in the Shahikot Mountains of eastern Afghanistan. The Chinook crashed atop Takur Ghar, a 10,000-foot peak infested with al-Qaida fighters.
Enemy fire poured into the fuselage, killing Rangers even before they got off the aircraft. Capt. Nate Self crawled out.
As soon as I got off the ramp, a burst of rounds fired right over my head, he recalled.
He joined a handful of his men in the open, exposed to enemy fire. An RPG exploded within a few feet of their position.
We got up and started firing and moving to some boulders 15 meters away, he said.
Once behind cover, Self tried to fire again, but his weapon jammed.
Instinctively, he tried to fix it with immediate action, a drill hed practiced countless times.
I pulled my charging handle back, and there was a round stuck in the chamber, he said. There was only one good way to get it out, and thats to ram it out with a cleaning rod. I started to knock the round out by pushing the rod down the barrel, and it broke off. There was nothing I could do with it after that.
The Rangers were fighting for their lives. Self, who was awarded a Silver Star for his actions that day, left his covered position and ran under machine-gun fire to search for a working weapon.
I just got up and moved back to the aircraft because I knew we had casualties there. I threw my rifle down and picked up another one, he said.
When even highly trained infantrymen like Self have problems with their M4, it is a sign there might be a problem with the weapon, not the soldier.
The problems had become obvious enough that at the time of the Afghanistan battle, members of the Armys 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, or Delta Force, had begun working on a solution. Today, Delta Force is fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan with a special carbine thats dramatically more reliable than the M16s and M4s that the rest of the Army depends upon.
Members of the elite unit linked up with German arms-maker Heckler & Koch (H&K), which replaced the M4s gas system with one that experts say reduces malfunctions while increasing parts life. After exhaustive tests with the help of Delta, the H&K 416 was ready in 2004. Members of the elite commando unit have been carrying it in combat ever since.
The 416 is now considered in many circles to be the best carbine in the world, a weapon that combines the solid handling, accuracy and familiarity of the M4 with the dependability of the rugged AK-47.
For the foreseeable future, however, the Army is sticking with the M4 and M16 for regular forces.
The Army plans to buy about 100,000 M4s in 2008. For this large a purchase, each M4 without accessories costs about $800, said William Keys, chief executive officer of Colt, which supplies M4s and M16s to the Army. As part of the contract, though, each M4 comes with a rail system for mounting optics and flashlights, a backup iron sight, seven magazines and a sling additions that raise the price for each M4 package to about $1,300, according to Pentagon budget documents.
Thats about the price of each 416, which will range anywhere from $800 to $1,425 depending on volume and accessories, H&K Chief Executive John Meyer said.
To Col. Robert Radcliffe, who oversees the Armys needs for small arms, the M16 family is pretty damn good. Its simply too expensive, he said, to replace it with anything less than a significant leap in technology.
Since 2000, that leap centered on development of the XM29 Objective Individual Combat Weapon, a dual system featuring a 5.56mm carbine on the bottom and a 25mm airburst weapon on top, capable of killing enemy behind cover at 1,000 meters.
Seven years and more than $100 million later, the 18-pound prototype three times the weight of an M4 is still too heavy.
We think that somewhere around 2010, we should have enough insight into future technologies to take us in a direction we want to go for the next generation of small arms, said Radcliffe, director of the Infantry Centers Directorate of Combat Developments at Fort Benning, Ga.
We will have M4s and M16s for years and years and years and years, he said. We are buying a bunch of M4s this year ... and we are doing it for all the right reasons, by the way. Its doing the job we need it to do.
But many soldiers and military experts say this mindset is off target now that soldiers are locked in a harsh desert war.
We are not saying the [M4 and M16 are] bad, said Jack Keane, a retired general and former Army vice chief of staff. The issue for me is: Do our soldiers have the best rifle in their hands?
Before retiring in late 2003, Keane launched a campaign to modernize individual soldier gear after ground troops fighting in Afghanistan complained they were ill-equipped for the current battlefield. As part of that campaign, Keane backed another effort to give soldiers a better rifle the XM8, a spinoff of the Objective Individual Combat Weapon only to see it sink last year in a sea of bureaucratic opposition.
Ever since the Armys adoption of the M16 in the mid-1960s, a love-hate relationship has existed between combat troops and the weapon known as the black rifle.
Its accurate and easy to shoot. Plus, the M16s light weight and small caliber helped soldiers carry more ammunition into battle.
The M16, however, has always required constant cleaning to prevent it from jamming. The gas system, while simple in design, blows carbon into the receiver, which can lead to fouling.
The Army has decided to replace most of its M16s with the newer M4 carbine. The Army started buying M4s in the mid-1990s but mainly reserved them for rapid-deployment combat units. Its collapsible stock and shortened barrel make it ideal for soldiers operating in vehicles and tight quarters.
Experts, however, contend that the M4 in many ways is even less reliable than the M16.
Special Operations Command documented these problems in a 2001 report, M4A1 5.56mm Carbine and Related Systems Deficiencies and Solutions: Operational and Technical Study with Analysis of Alternatives.
The M4 has an obsolete operating system, according to the report, which recommended redesign/replacement of current gas system. It describes the weapons shortened barrel and gas tube as a fundamentally flawed design and blames it for problems such as failure to extract and failure to eject during firing. The current system was never designed for the rigors of SOF [Special Operations Forces] use and training regimens the M4 Carbine is not the gun for all seasons, the report concluded.
However, Keys, a retired Marine Corps three-star general, said every M4 made at Colt meets the governments standards.
Its quality, quality, everything is quality, he said. If you dont have the quality, you dont get the gun.
Before taking the helm at Colt in 1999, Keys spent 35 years in the Marines. He served as a company commander with the 9th Marine Regiment in the Vietnam War and commanded the 2nd Marine Division during the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
I know what a combat gun has to do in combat because I have been in combat, he said. Im not going to put any out there that doesnt do the job.
In the 30 years following the Vietnam War, the Army existed mainly as a peacetime force. The 1991 Gulf War was an armor-dominated fight, lasting only 100 hours. Most soldiers put their rifles to little or no use. But after Sept. 11, 2001, soldiers found themselves fighting protracted wars in the harshest regions on the planet.
M16 rifles and newer M4 carbines now were exposed to the super-fine dust and sand that blow across the desert landscapes of Afghanistan and Iraq. Still, the Army is quick to blame most M16-family malfunctions on soldiers not cleaning weapons properly.
The key to the 416s reliability lies in its gas system. It looks like the M4 carbine on the outside, but on the inside, H&K has replaced Colts gas-tube system with the short-stroke piston system. This eliminates carbon being blown back into the chamber and greatly reduces parts wear. The result, experts say, is that the 416 is more reliable, easier to maintain and has a longer parts life than the M4.
It was a phenomenal gun, said former Delta member and current H&K consultant Larry Vickers. In my opinion, it has the best gas system on the market for a shoulder-fired autoloading weapon.
Vickers retired as a master sergeant in 2003 after serving 15 of his 20 years on active duty with Delta Force. He helped develop the 416 while working as weapon research and development sergeant for Delta.
It was in Iraq in no time, but not before H&K and Delta put a quarter-of-a-million rounds through it, Vickers said. It had the right kind of testing endurance firing to 15,000 rounds with no lubrication. It runs like a sewing machine.
At Colts plant in Connecticut, a government inspector pulls samples from each lot of M4s and performs a 108-point inspection to ensure they meet the Armys specifications. M4s are also routinely subjected to endurance firing, but only to 6,000 rounds.
Its the Army that sets the stanard, Colt officials say.
We make to their specs, Keys said. We are not authorized to make any kind of changes.
If we have a change that we think would help the gun, we go to the Army which is not an easy process, by the way. We spent 20 years trying to get [an extractor] spring changed. They just said well, this works good enough.
Like Colts chief executive, the head of H&K is a career military man with combat experience.
Meyer, a retired Army major general, said the fact that soldiers are fighting with basically the same weapon he used four decades ago as a military police captain in Vietnam shows the Army places a low priority on small arms.
This will sound parochial, but Im also an ex-soldier and I think its very shortsighted that we have a weapon that we are using now for 42 years, Meyer said.
The Army, however, isnt interested in the 416 or any other current rifle technology.
(Login Dick Gaines) Forum Owner from IP address 76.5.52.85
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"Editor, FlyoverPress.com" <editor@flyoverpress.com>
date Mar 8, 2007 9:56 AM
subject Never Argue with a Woman
This was meant to be a joke. However, it vividly illustrated the idiocy of all "victimless crimes"--e.g. activities (like narcotics, prostitution, gambling, etc) that are made into crimes by government edict. They are not really crimes in that no victim can be produced. Applying the same logic, we could say--see that guy going down the road over there? We'd better lock him up because he MIGHT commit a crime someday.
Sounds like the perfect tool of control for the ruling class. You don't suppose they ever thought of that, do you? (Sarcasm.)
thegunny, 419
One morning the husband returns after several hours of fishing and decides to take a nap.
Although not familiar with the lake, the wife decides to take the boat out. She motors out a short distance, anchors, and reads her book.
Along comes a Game Warden in his boat. He pulls up alongside the woman and says, "Good morning, Ma'am. What are you doing?"
"Reading a book," she replies, (thinking, "Isn't that obvious?")
"You're in a Restricted Fishing Area," he informs her.
"I'm sorry, officer, but I'm not fishing. I'm reading."
"Yes, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start at any moment. I'll have to take you in and write you up."
"If you do that, I'll have to charge you with sexual assault," says the woman.
"But I haven't even touched you," says the game warden.
"That's true, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start at any moment."
"Have a nice day ma'am," and he left.
MORAL: Never argue with a woman who reads. It's likely she can also think.
--
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GyG's Daily Posts...
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Petraeus Strategy Takes Aim At Post-Vietnam Mind-Set
March 8 2007 at 6:37 AM No score for this post
(Login Dick Gaines) Forum Owner from IP address 76.5.52.85
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USA Today
March 8, 2007
Pg. 9
Petraeus Strategy Takes Aim At Post-Vietnam Mind-Set
Seeks to change military views on insurgencies
By Jim Michaels, USA TODAY
Twenty years ago, David Petraeus, then a young Army officer, wrote a Ph.D. dissertation for Princeton University, saying many of the lessons U.S. military leaders learned from the Vietnam War were wrong.
Generals had become hesitant to commit forces except when they could win conventional battles with superior American firepower. "The senior military have universally been more cautious since Vietnam," Petraeus wrote.
That hesitancy posed a problem in Petraeus' view. The U.S. military was turning away from the very fight - insurgencies - that it would likely confront. The United States' enemies had also learned from Vietnam and would not want to confront U.S. military might head-on.
Now the top U.S. commander in Iraq, Petraeus is following his own advice. Since he arrived in Baghdad last month, U.S. troops are moving off large bases and into combat outposts in the city's turbulent neighborhoods. Aides insist the new strategy is beginning to show positive results, particularly in the capital:
oSectarian fighting between Sunni Arabs and Shiites is down by between 50% and 80% in some districts in Baghdad, says David Kilcullen, Petraeus' senior counterinsurgency adviser.
oBetween 600 and 1,000 families have returned to Baghdad in the past month, says Kilcullen, a former Australian army officer on loan to the U.S. military. Prior to that, about 20 families fled the capital daily.
oSunni insurgent leaders have renewed talks with top U.S. officials about political accommodation, according to Jack Keane, a retired general and former Army vice chief of staff.
Keane is a longtime friend and mentor of Petraeus, and they shared numerous assignments during their careers. Keane also pushed a troop-escalation plan similar to President Bush's plan to add 21,500 combat troops to Iraq. Keane recently spent two weeks in Iraq.
Petraeus, 54, has brought some of the Army's top counterinsurgency experts to Iraq to implement the new strategy. "We are doing something completely different," Kilcullen says.
At first, U.S. forces in Iraq focused on killing or capturing insurgents, Kilcullen says. The sometimes heavy-handed tactics angered ordinary Iraqis.
Then the Pentagon shifted its emphasis to training Iraqi forces to take over security operations and allow U.S. forces to leave. Many Iraqi units weren't up to the mission. Sectarian violence in Baghdad exploded; some Iraqi forces were accused of siding with militias.
During his Senate confirmation hearings in January, Petraeus said Baghdad residents just want security, and they don't care if U.S. or Iraqi troops provide it.
"One of the critical things that is different now is the way we're using troops," Kilcullen says. "We're getting a much bigger bang for the buck." Moving U.S. troops from heavily defended bases makes more of them vulnerable to attack. Even supporters admit the outcome is far from guaranteed. "We won't know if it's too late until we try it," Kilcullen says.
Violence over the past several years has risen sharply. Iraqis are angered about a lack of security and basic services. "The situation in Iraq is dire," Petraeus acknowledged at his confirmation hearing.
Violence since Petraeus' arrival remains high. Two different attacks Monday killed nine U.S. troops outside Baghdad. Twin suicide bombings Tuesday killed 120 people in Hillah in southern Iraq. At least 30 people were killed by a suicide bomb in a cafe northeast of the capital Wednesday.
In Washington, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday that the Pentagon has approved a request by Petraeus for an extra 2,200 military police in Baghdad, according to the Associated Press. Gates said that the request for extra MPs is in addition to the 21,500 combat troops that Bush is sending to Iraq.
Meanwhile, Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, who works under Petraeus, has recommended that the higher troop level be kept until February 2008, The New York Times reported on its website Wednesday night, quoting unnamed military officials.
Petraeus said at his confirmation hearings that he expected to see positive results by late summer.
Petraeus has done two previous tours in Iraq. When he returned to the USA, he began tackling a problem he first identified 20 years ago: the lack of strong counterinsurgency training and doctrine in the U.S. Army.
"We got so far out of this business when we got back from Vietnam," says Andrew Krepinevich, a counterinsurgency expert at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.
Petraeus oversaw the creation of a new counterinsurgency manual. "He was the driving force behind it," says Army Lt. Col. John Nagl, who wrote a book on insurgencies and now helps train military advisers.
The manual is an attempt to get past the post-Vietnam fear of insurgencies, acknowledging fighting rebellions are often lengthy and ambiguous affairs.
"These wars are long, messy and slow," Nagl says.
The Petraeus file
Age: 54; born Nov. 7, 1952.
Career: Commander, Multi-National Force - Iraq, Feb. 10 to present; commanding general, U.S. Army Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth (Kansas), 2005-07; first commander of the Multi-National Security Transition Command - Iraq, 2004-05; various positions, including commander of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), assistant chief of staff for operations of the NATO Stabilization Force and deputy commander of the U.S. Joint Interagency Counter-Terrorism Task Force in Bosnia.
Education: B.S., U.S. Military Academy, 1974; MPA and Ph.D. in international relations, Princeton University, 1985 and 1987.
Missing Words--In God We Trust-- on New $1 Coins Mystify Mint
March 8 2007 at 6:32 AM No score for this post
(Login Dick Gaines) Forum Owner from IP address 76.5.52.85
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The New York Times
March 7, 2007
Missing Words on New $1 Coins Mystify Mint
By REUTERS
Filed at 5:59 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In God We Trust. In machines? Not so much.
An unknown number of new U.S. $1 coins bearing the image of George Washington are missing the words ``In God We Trust'' and other lettering along the edges, the U.S. Mint said on Wednesday.
The Mint released more than 300 million gold-colored, George Washington $1 coins last month, but it recently discovered a problem. The coins, made by the Philadelphia Mint,
were supposed to have the inscriptions ``In God We Trust,'' ''E Pluribus Unum,'' the date and the mint mark around the edge.
It is unclear how the mistake occurred or how many of the coins are in circulation, according to the Mint statement. The Mint said it would make necessary technical adjustments in the manufacturing to eliminate the defect.
``The United States Mint understands the importance of the inscriptions 'In God We Trust' and 'E Pluribus Unum' as well as the mint mark and year on U.S. coinage. We take this matter seriously,'' the statement said.
``We also consider quality control a high priority. We are looking into the matter to determine a possible cause in the manufacturing process.''
Robert Hoge, curator of North American coins and currency for the American Numismatic Society, said that collectors find coins with a mistake like this, known as a Mint error, desirable when a relatively small number are in circulation.
``Since it was an accident, there is no count of how many were created. That's always the question with a mint error and it's difficult to tell how many there might be,'' he said.
On the auction Web site eBay, one of the coins sold for $405.
One of the most famous Mint errors in the United States occurred in 1922. That year, ``through carelessness or overzealousness,'' Hoge said, a defective dye for the obverse, or head, side of the 1-cent piece failed to show the ``D'' mark indicating it was struck at the Denver Mint. One of those coins in mint condition would fetch upwards of $10,000, Hoge said.
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(Login Dick Gaines) Forum Owner from IP address 76.5.52.85
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<editor@flyoverpress.com> 11:31 am (2 minutes ago)
to "Editor, FlyoverPress.com" <editor@flyoverpress.com>
date Mar 7, 2007 11:31 AM
subject CAPTAIN SAMUEL WHITTEMORE
Nope, they just don't make 'em like this much anymore. There is a small ruminant. But the difference between that ruminant and old Sam is that Sam had general public support. The remnant don't.
thegunny, 419
This is an excerpt from an article printed by the Sons of the American Revolution.
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CAPTAIN SAMUEL WHITTEMORE
Samuel Whittemore was born in England on July 27th, 1695, and came to North America as a Captain in His Majesty's Dragoons, fighting the French in 1745. He was involved in the capture of the French stronghold, Fort Louisburg, and there captured a decorative French officer's sword, which he cherished for the rest of his life. About its capture, all Sam would say is that its previous owner had "died suddenly".
After the war he stayed in the colonies, purchasing a farm in Menotomy (now Arlington, Massachusetts). He married Elizabeth Spring, and after her death remarried to Mrs. Esther Prentice. By his two wives he had three sons and five daughters. His house, on Massachusetts Avenue, in Arlington, still exists. (7)
In 1758, war again broke out between England and France. And again, Fort Louisburg had to be taken. At 64 years of age, Sam volunteered and joined a Colonial Regiment which reduced the fort to rubble. He then went on and joined General James Wolf in the successful assault on Quebec.
The 1763 Indian Wars in the west next attracted Sam's attention. Leaving his wife, children and grandchildren to attend the farm, he rode off to join the colonial force launched against the Ottawa chief, Pontiac. He returned home some months later with a brace of dueling pistols as a souvenir, and here again, all Sam would say is that the previous owner "died suddenly."
It is recorded that Sam believed in American independence stating that he wanted his descendants to be able to enact their own laws and not be subject to a distant king. So, it is not surprising when he again took up arms on April 19th, 1775.
That night he watched as Colonel Smith led his column of 700 soldiers through Menotomy. He was probably concerned, but the British had come out of Boston before and there had not been any serious trouble.
Later that morning he heard rumors that there had been fighting at Lexington and Concord. But, when General Percy marched through the town with an additional 1,400 soldiers, Sam's military experience told him there was serious trouble - - 'why else would the British be sending reinforcements?' , he probably asked himself.
Word had come to Menotomy that the combined, heavily engaged, columns of Smith and Percy were retreating toward the town, and were burning homes along the way, so the aged warrior decided to take action in spite of his being eighty years old! He strapped on his captured french sword, stuck his brace of dueling pistols in his belt, put on his powder horn and shot bag, took his musket from its place on his fireplace mantle and went to war!
Sam selected a position that gave him a excellent view of the road from Lexington, and sat down to wait. His fellow minuteman from Menotomy pleaded for him to find a safer position, but he choose to ignore them.
His fellow minuteman started firing at the oncoming British Grenadiers of the 47th Regiment of Foot, falling back to reload, then firing again. Sam waited.
Finally, when the column was directly in front of him, he stood and fired his musket. A grenadier fell dead. He drew his two pistols, firing both at almost point blank range. Another grenadier fell dead, a third fell mortally wounded. The British soldiers were on top of him, he had not the time to reload his musket or pistols, so drawing his sword, he started flailing away at the bayonet wielding soldiers. A soldier leveled his Brown Bess musket, at point blank range and fired. The .69 caliber ball struck Sam in the cheek, tearing away part of his face and throwing him to the ground. Sam valiantly tried to rise, fending off bayonet thrusts with his sword, but he was overpowered. Struck in the head with a musket butt, he went down again, then was bayoneted thirteen times and left for dead.
The British continued their fight through the streets of Menotomy, which turned out to be the costliest action of the day. They left forty of their soldiers dead in the town and another eighty wounded, half the casualties of the day.
After the British column had fought its way clear, the town's people and minuteman started to search for their wounded compatriots. Several had seen Sam Whittemore's "last stand" and approached to remove his body. To everyone's astonishment Sam was not only still alive, but conscious and still full of fight. Laying there, he was trying to load his musket!
Using a door as a makeshift stretcher, Sam was carried to Cooper Tavern, which was being used as a emergency hospital. Doctor Nathaniel Tufts of Medford attended to Sam. He cut off his bloody clothes, and exposed the gaping bayonet wounds. Sam's face was horribly injured. Doctor Tufts knew the injuries were fatal, stating it wouldn't do any good to even dress the wounds. Sam's family and friends insisted and Dr. Tufts did the best he could. He tried to make the old man as comfortable as possible. After his wounds were attended to Sam was carried to his home, to die surrounded by his family. To everyone's utter amazement Captain Sam Whittemore lived! He recovered and remained active for the next eighteen years. He was terribly scarred, but always was proud of what he had done for his adopted country. He is quoted as having stated that he would take the same chances again.
You can question the old soldier's tactical judgment, making the stand in the manner he did, but you can never question his bravery. He also proved you are never too old! Sam died on February 3rd, 1793, age 98 and is buried in the town's cemetery.
--
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3:00 pm (13 minutes ago)
ALERT FROM JEWS FOR THE PRESERVATION OF FIREARMS OWNERSHIP
America's Aggressive Civil Rights Organization
March 6, 2007
JPFO ALERT: Montana Legislature Opposes North American Union
Last week we reported on the long-term subterfuge that has
gone into the so-called "North American Union," a proposal
to merge Canada, Mexico, and the US into a single economic
and political entity (see www.jpfo.org/alert20070222.htm for
details). We exposed the dangers of such a scheme for gun
owners and Bill of Rights supporters in our August 2006
alert, "Another Back Door for 'Gun Control'"
( www.jpfo.org/alert20060815.htm )
Fortunately, we're not the only ones who have seen through
the globalists' agenda. The 2007 Montana Legislature recently
introduced House Joint Resolution No. 25, which opposes any
effort to "...implement a trinational political, governmental
entity among the United States, Canada, and Mexico..." You
can read it for yourself at http://data.opi.mt.gov/bills/2007/billhtml/HJ0025.htm#About
(or http://tinyurl.com/ysdd8p ).
We applaud Montana's efforts to maintain American sovereignity,
and encourage other states to wake up and follow suit.
Original Material in JPFO ALERTS is Copyright 2006 JPFO, Inc.
Permission is granted to reproduce this alert in full, so long
as the following JPFO contact information is included:
Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership PO Box 270143
Hartford, Wisconsin 53027
(Login Dick Gaines) Forum Owner from IP address 76.5.52.85
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From : Ted Barker <tbarker@kwp.org>
Reply-To : <tbarker@kwp.org>
Sent : Saturday, March 3, 2007 10:15 PM
To : <gunnyg@hotmail.com>
Subject : Korean War Project Newsletter - March 3, 2007
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For: Richard Gaines gunnyg@hotmail.com
===============================================
Korean War Project Newsletter March 3, 2007 Volume 10 # 1
===============================================
Photo: United Nations Memorial Wall - Pusan 2007
The Korean War Project is open to access to anyone at no cost as is this newsletter. Our sponsors make this possible.
Table of Contents:
1. Editorial
2. This Mailing List
3. Wolfhound Alert, help needed in Kentucky!
4. Taps Stan Hadden, Stu Rothman, Bill Wyrick
5. From a Marine to all of our KVETS
6. 70th Tank Bn inquiry
7. Membership / Donations/ Sponsors/ Bumper Stickers
8. United Nations Memorial Wall, Pusan South Korea
9. DMZ Vets honor their fallen comrades update
10. The Assn. of 40th Infantry Division Korean War Veterans
11. Shout out to all Navy KVETS and Coast Guard KVETS
12. The Search for our MIA/Unaccounted for continues
13. Technical issues - KWP website
14. Radio Maple Leaf- Korea
15. Keeping the KWP on the air
Yes, we are back online! 2006 was a rollercoaster year for the KWP, very similar to the early 1999 experience which forced us to close shop for two months. That shutdown was just two months after we created our email newsletter.
Although the site was not totally off the air from October-December, most areas were not available for web users. We did leave basic access and our new Letters to The Lost area online. Many submissions of letters continued to come in via email for that area.
How did we make it back? Our viewers made the decision by very generous donations from Oct 28th onward.
The Associated Press story on November 11th played a key role by alerting the public all over the world. Several Korean and Korean Americans who did not know about us assisted our revival.
Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese newspapers carried the Associated Press story and one original article in Seoul, by Dong-a-ilbo Daily Korea furthered the news alert.
Many thanks to Jamie Stengel, AP (Dallas), and Seung Ryun Kim, Dong-a-ilbo, for their work.
How do we plan to continue? See the last section of this newsletter for details and ideas.
Note: we do not usually single out any donors for recognition in the newsletter. Why? Privacy is the key element.
All donors are featured on the Members page and at the bottom of each web page you view.
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2. This Mailing List (going to 42,000 + persons)
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We began this newsletter mailing in December of 1998. The first issue went to just over 2000 persons. We now average over 40,000 plus your personal distribution to those not on our list.
This list is a private list for our visitors and members. A person may join or leave the list at will. It is compiled from our Guest Book and comprises public service messages of general interest to veterans and families.
To join or leave the list: email to: Ted Barker tbarker@kwp.org
Place: Subscribe or Unsubscribe in the subject line.
Consider forwarding the Newsletter to your friends by email or print. Word of mouth is how we grow.
Thanks for being part of the Korean War Project family!
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3. Wolfhound Alert, help needed in Kentucky!
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We received the following Guestbook entry today from a KWP member.:
Donald D Gibson Kill in Action April 14 1951
Korean War Project Army Unit Entry
At: www.koreanwar.org/html/units/27ir.htm
Message Heading: Am I missed
Unit: 63 fa bn 24 inf div
Email: jbolt3337@charter.net
ZIP: 29360 1619
Country: U S A
Phone: 864-682-3337
Service: Army Veteran
Comments: He lies today on a lonely hill in Garrett Kentucky in a grave yard that is forgotten and overgrown the other graves are sunken his is the only one that has not. A little American flag flutter above it placed there by Bradon Allen.
He can be reached at brandeath@gmail.com. Just thought men in the 27 Infantry Regiment 25 Division need to know that Donald D Gibson Kill in Action April 14 1951 is alone and forgotten on that hill side in Garrett Kentucky
Oh how we soon forget those that gave all that they had to give for the freedom we enjoy today. Forty Yards
William Bolt
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4. Taps Stan Hadden, Stu Rothman, Bill Wyrick
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Three very good friends of the KWP and, indeed, all KVETS, have passed away in recent weeks.
============= Bill Wyrick =============
William (Bill) Wyrick, Chief, Col USA Ret, Task Force Smith, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division passed away on December 17th.
Hal and I became friends with Bill over the internet and were honored to meet him and all of the 21st IR, 52nd FAB, and TFS survivors in Dallas in the fall of 1997.
Bill served as historian, awards researcher, leader and friend to those who were so close to him. The crucible of fire in those halcyon days of early July of 1950 forever seared the friendships among those brave young men.
Family contact may be made through his son, William Jr. at:
Email: smokefrombill@earthlink.net
Cards or letters to:
1321 Wildewood Downs Circle
Columbia, SC 29223-4432
============= Stu Rothman =============
Stewart N. Stu Rothman, FMPA, 76, 1st Bn 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division from Fairbanks, Alaska, passed away on February 8th 2007.
Stu and I became acquainted in 1996 as he was an early adopter of the Internet. In recent years Stu gave everything he had to the Association of the 17th Infantry, Editor of the wonderful Bulldog Bugle which the KWP has received year after year.
He has also served as the Association President in 2000.
Stu also was a published author, 1977, The Lens is My Brush and A Window on Life. He published The Fairbanks Magazine, the official city tourist publication. Along with that work came hundreds of thousands of brochures. Cameramen everywhere know about Stu and his passion for photography. He was in the room with the Pope and President Reagan on the Popes second trip to Fairbanks.
Stu hailed from Detroit and joined the Army in 1948, soon posted to General MacArthurs staff in Tokyo.
Do visit his website: www.lensunlimited.com
I believe all former 17th Infantrymen and women would be exceptionally proud of the bond Stu forged with current day members of the unit. He was a champion of liaison contact to ensure the servicemen and women of our devotion to them all.
Fort Wainwright performed a Memorial for Stu with a full 21 gun salute.
Please contact Don Shook, President of the 17th Infantry Association to express your thoughts.
See online tribute at: www.17thinfantry.com
Don Shook
1010 Manor Road
New Kensington, PA 15068
============= Stan Hadden =============
Stanley Edwin Hadden
1918 2007
I am taking liberty to post the obituary of my good friend Stan Hadden. A friend to all as well as a champion for all Korean War Veterans, Stan was the first Editor of the GreyBeards magazine the official publication of the Korean War Veterans Association, Inc. You will be truly missed, pal.
-------
Stanley Edwin Hadden, 88, of Gulf Breeze passed away Friday, February 9, 2007 at a local nursing home.
Stan was a native of El Dorado, AR and resided in Gulf Breeze for the past six years, where he attended St. Frances of Assisi Episcopal Church. He was a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and a member of the Korean War Veterans Association. Mr. Hadden served in the United States Navy during World War II and the Korean Conflict. Stan was instrumental in the design and construction of the Korean Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Mr. Hadden was a Colonel of Louisiana Governor Earl K. Long's staff, author of numerous publications, and writer and publisher of the The Eagle and The Angel, a weekly web newsletter. Stan was an accomplished artist of over 500 works of art distributed throughout the world, with his trademark dog, Buzzy, and the mysterious "Lady in Brown". Most notable is "The Reading of the Declaration of Independence", hanging at the headquarters of Colt Industries.
Memorial services will be at a later date in Harper's Ferry, WV with inurnment in Port Hudson National Cemetery in Louisiana.
Published in the Pensacola News Journal on 2/13/2007.
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5. From a Marine to all of our KVETS
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1stLt Monica J. Moon, USMC
Camp Lejeune, NC
25 February 2007
To all the veterans of the Korean War,
My father was but two when he and his family fled Seoul during the evacuation in 1951. Though he was young, he never let my brothers and I forget that we are fortunate for the men and women who sacrificed their lives to free Korea. If not for your efforts, my family and I would not be here today. It is you that have encouraged me to give back to my country and to give back to all the veterans that fought to keep my birth country free.
Thank you for your sacrifice.
Semper Fidelis,
1stLt Monica J. Moon, USMC
Editors Note: I believe Lt Moon and all of our current day servicemen and women should in turn be commended for the difficult mission in which they are engaged .
Freedom is indeed not Free.
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6. 70th Tank Bn inquiry
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Sent: Friday, March 02, 2007 3:02 PM
Subject: Sgt James M Lewis Jr., - KIA 5/07/51
I am a member of the 70th Heavy Tank Bn Assoc., Korea. We have a reunion each year and I talk to a lot of our members that served in Korea together. None so far knows where My Tank Commander Sgt Lewis is buried I am 74 years old and I would like to find his grave before I die so I could pay my respects.
We were in the 1st Platoon Company C 70th Heavy Tank Bn.1st Cav Division.
William E Ralls. U.S.Army Msg. Retired.
10011 Nanka Rd
Louisville, KY 40272
PH: 502-937-8858
Editor Note: See Mr. Ralls posting for Sgt Lewis on our Remembrance section of the KIA/MIA Database, online.
Sgt Lewis was from the Greater Los Angeles area.
Mr. Ralls would also appreciate any and all contact regarding the 70th Tank Bn service in Korea Ted
Consider supporting the mission of the Korean War Project by donations in the form of Membership/Sponsorship and our "I Remember Korea" Bumper Sticker campaign.
Our Pledge Drive is an ongoing process. Many of our previous donors no longer can assist. We are recruiting from those who have not participated, so if you can, jump on in, it will be appreciated.
The site is free for all to use and those who participate help to ensure that we remain online whether the donation is $1.00 or more!
Some of our site visitors cannot participate due to health or income restrictions.
Sadly, many of our long-term contributors have passed away.
For those persons or groups who cannot participate, we certainly understand.
Donations/Memberships are tax deductible, if you use long form IRS reports. Our EIN: 75-2695041 501(c) (3)
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8.United Nations Memorial Wall, Pusan South Korea
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We received email from Harry Niehofff and Gene Frasier recently about the dedication of the UN Memorial Wall. It went without fanfare for most although many of us knew something was in the works. Hal and I provided the committee name revisions for some of the fallen quite some time ago.
The location of the Memorial is at the United Nations Cemetery in
Pusan. The wall contains over 40,000 names of the fallen during the war. This list is the combined totals of all UN Forces.
The dedication was October 24, 2006.
From forwarded email from Canadian pen pals
Ken Franztz;
It is a magnificent memorial, longer than the wall of the renowned Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington and records the names of 40,895 United Nations service personnel who fell while on Korean War Service.
Hello Veterans,
We received some of the illustrations below from His Excellency Lee Suk-jo, Custodian of the United National Memorial Cemetery Korea, Mr. Kim Soon-bong, Assistant Custodian and their executive secretary, Miss Kim E.J.
They illustrate the United Nations Memorial Wall. It is a great memorial and work of art - measuring two meters high by approximately 150 meters in length - one and one-half football fields!
It contains the names of 40,895 allied servicemen who lost their lives on United Nations service during the Korean War. The Memorial Wall was dedicated - with virtually no fanfare of publicity: In fact Veterans all over North America are shocked to learn of its existence - on October 24 last year, marking the 61st anniversary of the 1945 founding of the United Nations.
The only news article seen by our editors about the wall and dedication was a photographe that appeared in a Korean newspaper. It showed Canadian Ambassador His Excellency Marius R. Grinius (a graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada and former artillery major) and others examining names of the Fallen on the wall.
Ambassador Grinius currently is the head of the UN Memorial Cemetery Commission which overseas the cemetery and is comprised of the Ambassadors (or their representatives) of the countries of the interred servicemen.
Obviously, something was amiss that this vast memorial was not properly represented by the international news media.
In length it is larger in size than the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial or Vietnam Wall is known the world over.
The United Nations Memorial Wall is known only by a few. It is not even known among Korean War Veterans who served in the war and whose comrades it commemorates.
------------------------------------------------------------
KWP Editors Note: I am sure that more names could be added just as revisions to lists maintained by volunteers like the KWP and/or official DOD offices have been made.
On November 11th at the 11th hour 2006 veterans family and friends congregated at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC to honor their comrades who fell during the period known as the DMZ War. They also paid tribute to all those who fought, bled or died during the 1950-53 time frame and beyond.
A temporary plaque was also placed at the foot of the Memorial stating the reason for this memorial ceremony. Concurrently, a bill is being sponsored in Congress to allow these veterans to permanently place a plaque honoring those who fell in the fighting from 1966-1969.
Three good news stories covered the ceremony and the background of what transpired to do so.
Just recently, Bob Haynes, HHC 1/23rd. Inf. 2nd. Inf. Division
Korea DMZ 1966-67 Imjin Scout Keep up the fire!, who hails from McHenry, Illinois had a wonderful story published in the Northwest Herald (Suburban Chicago area). 40 column inches were devoted to this important period of time. That is a large story in any newspaper!
Kevin Cramer, the writer, spent a lot of time researching the story which focused on Haynes, but also Mark Hartford, who conceived of the ceremony and plaque. Also interviewed was Van Jenerette of Myrtle Beach, SC who penned the seminal article (featured on the Korean War Project) The Forgotten DMZ War.
Agent Orange issues were discussed in the article. Bob Haynes suffers from exposure to AO and is a key information resource for all who may have had contact with this killer chemical.
Article link with video and excellent maps:
www.nwherald.com/multimedia/video/20070211dmz
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10.The Assn.of 40th Infantry Division Korean War Veterans
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The Association of 40th Infantry Division Korean War Veterans headed by my great pen pal, Sid Sultzbaugh of Lorain, OH., forwarded a check for $1,000.00 to support the KWP.
Sid asked that credit be given to the entire membership of that reunion association.
In early 1996 Sid asked me to create a website for his reunion association specifically for KVETS. We did so and I later moved operation and control over to Sid at his location. The organization has been a great success but is winding down operations.
The website for the group is still operative and located at:
www.kellnet.com/veterans
Link for all 40th ID info on the KWP at:
www.koreanwar.org/html/units/40idunk.html
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11. Shout out to all Navy KVETS and Coast Guard KVETS ===============================================
Many former Navy men and women have made comments to us about lack of coverage of naval issues via our newsletter.
The same can be said for Air Force and Coast Guard men and women.
We admit that much of our newsletter material has been Army and Marine Corps centric.
Give us some help by submitting articles or requests about things that are of importance to all of us. If you have posted info on our Guestbook or Looking For section that merit notice, please point them out to us.
We do not always catch this type of input since there are still only two of us here.
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12.The Search for our MIA/Unaccounted for continues
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For over a decade, the KWP has been featuring the tireless efforts of dedicated DOD staff who pursue all leads concerning our MIA /Unaccounted for from the Korean War.
May 27th 2005 saw the end of our forensic teams presence in North Korea by order of Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld.
Concerns over safety for the teams during a particularly contentious period of time in US North Korean diplomacy were offered as the reason to pull out.
All of us want this mission to continue. Family organizations to include the Coalition of Families of Korean & Cold War POW/MIAS are among interested parties pushing for continued DOD work. John Zimmerlee of that group has been tireless in his personal efforts to find information to assist the overall effort.
Since November of 2004, the KWP has worked more closely than ever with the JPAC staff in Hawaii. We were asked by staff to create a new mode of interpersonal communication with forensic staff at JPAC, formerly CILHI.
Regular updates on progress to obtain DNA or for more family contact were forwarded by staff members. This added to the long-term relationship with service casualty offices and the DPMO in Washington, DC.
A key development of the pullout from the DPRK has been more JPAC staff time at the main offices in Hawaii. Scientists who would normally be in the field or working up field search criteria have time to focus on the remains and data right there at headquarters.
There has been more DNA collection, more identification as witnessed by the repatriation of remains to families since late 2005
Volunteers continue to utilize the interactive data on the Korean War Project KIA/MIA and Remembrance areas.
Art Lajeunese, Ed Moynagh, Ray Sestak, and Harold Davis carry on the volunteer work that Ken Page, Art and Ed initiated via the KWP back in 1997. (koreanwarmias.com)
Many other volunteers frequent the Unaccounted For section of the KWP on a daily basis.
We have been working to make the visit to the KWP less problematic. Programming errors and very old equipment often cause attempts to access the site to be difficult.
Many of you will have found the site completely offline when you wish to access it. For two days in mid January the site was totally offline while 6 year old equipment was adjusted. Recent downtime has been due to testing of program code.
Last week we spent $1000.00 to purchase new equipment that will be put to work next week. Hal continues to find and repair glitches and will continue to do so.
Storm season is coming up and when severe weather hits Dallas County, near our apartment, the electricity goes off for hours at a time. We also disconnect during lightning storms.
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14. Radio Maple Leaf- Korea
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Good morning from Montreal.
Recently a personality in the Montreal radio scene, Mr. Gordon Courtenay, passed away. In his obituary in the Montreal Gazette it mentioned that he had worked with a Canadian radio service during the Korean War called Radio Maple Leaf.
I have been searching trying to find out more information about this service and have come up empty-handed. I am most interested in Canadian radio history and would love to get more information about this radio service from the Korean War.
Would you have any means of tracking down anyone in your group who might have some information regarding the Radio Maple Leaf service?
Any information you could provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.
Sheldon Harvey
TEL: 450-671-3773
Sheldon Harvey
Radio HF - Canada's radio specialist
www.radiohf.ca
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15. Keeping the KWP on the air
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In order to keep the Korean War Project online we must continue our email Pledge Drive. We also mail letters to all those who donate. Those letters continue to have great results.
Word of mouth has been the source of all of our fund-raising.
Keeping a schedule for timely production of our newsletters is a must and we have not done well as we juggle priorities with the KWP and our personal lives.
The Letters to the Lost as seen on the KWP website has a very real potential to create self-sufficiency for our operations.
Hal plans to produce a library quality hardback book. This allows The Library of Congress and all libraries to order a copy.
We must raise $20,000 to make the book a reality. This amount is above and beyond what we have averaged in annual donations.
Many of you have already expressed interest. No pre-ordering has been performed. We must have the book completed to accept money for the book.
The KWP will handle all orders and delivery but shall also utilize Amazon.com for widespread publicity and ease of ordering.
Hal and Ted Barker
Korean War Project
PO Box 180190 Dallas, TX 75218
BELLEFONTE, Pa. - Two 19-year-olds facing probation and community service or even jail time in the shooting of a steer considered a family pet took advantage of another option offered by the judge - joining the Navy.
Chris Jabco and Eric Smith, both from Bellefonte, had pleaded guilty to criminal conspiracy to commit cruelty to animals and two summary violations in the shooting of the $3,500 Scottish Highland steer.
The two were drinking Sept. 17 and drove through Spring Township with another man in search of deer to poach, culminating in the shooting of the steer, authorities said. The pair reached a deal with prosecutors, who recommended two years' probation and at least five hours of community service.
But Centre County Court Judge Bradley P. Lunsford said the case warranted more than probation. He noted the pain caused to the animal's owner and said Jabco and Smith had been drinking and driving around looking for something to kill. Their actions, he said, "were premeditated, senseless, and your motivations were evil."
The judge said they could spend 48 hours in jail, two years on probation, and 100 hours caring for animals on a farm; avoid jail time but spend 200 hours on the farm and remain on probation for two years; or enlist in the military.
Defense attorney Jim Bryant said his clients planned to join the Navy.
"I think it was an appropriate and innovative resolution to a bad situation," Bryant said. "This was a case of young adult stupidity."
Centre County Assistant District Attorney Nathan Boob also said he was pleased.
"We believe the defendants will benefit from military service," he said.
Another judge had sentenced the third man, who pulled the trigger, to two years' probation.
Editorâs note: Richard called me a few days ago. Still in his hospital âisolationâ cell. He has been on another âhunger strikeâ, says he is amazed at how easy it was. Weight is way down (wish I could remember what he said it was). Hoping it will get some action from the prison officials. So far, nothing. All that is keeping him going is his family, his love of writing and you, his readers. You are very important to him. I assured him that you were out there and enjoying his stories and memoirs.
COLLEGE DAYS 7
Harry Woods my college dorm room partner, has a question to ask, I think.
âHey Richard.â (in college we used first names, as opposed to the military life where we enlisted men were called by our last name.)
" Yeah, Harry,"
"Would you be interested in joining a fraternity?"
"Not really, I think they are stupid. "Why do you ask?"
â
"Well, what if we ran it? It wouldnât have to be stupid
then would it?"
"Youâre damn rights it wouldnât, but, we donât run one and wonât ever."
"I have found one we could run, but I need your help. Are you interested?
"Not really, but you're my buddy. If you need my help I'm here for you. What have you got in mind?"
âWell thereâs a a small fraternity here on campus that has only seven members. Itâs not an active group. If you and I joined it we could vote ourselves into running the show."
"What do fraternities do, Barry? Arenât they mostly special College elite guys? Football players, social types who want to give parties for the sorority girls?â
"Well yes, but there is a small one, only seven members right now that is looking for new blood. Itâs kind of a religious group, and so itâs not a popular one. They are looking for two new members and havenât found anyone who wants to join them.â
âIt you and I accept their offer and join, we could run the thing. Our two votes and Harry Freters, our friend, who is joining too, would make an unbeatable voting bloc. We could vote ourselves into office and run the place."
"You're probably right, Harry. But why? Whatâs in it for us? We're not party types are we?"
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February 27 2007 at 8:06 AM No score for this post
(Login Dick Gaines) Forum Owner from IP address 76.5.52.85
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Wall Street Journal
February 27, 2007
Pg. 16
Global View
'Allies'
By Bret Stephens
On Oct. 2, 2001, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization took the unprecedented step of formally invoking Article 5 of its 1949 Charter, which says that "an armed attack against one or more of them. . . . shall be considered an attack against all of them." Lord Geoffrey Robertson, then NATO's secretary-general, gave a press conference saying he wanted to "reiterate that the United States of America can rely on the full support of its 18 NATO Allies in the campaign against terrorism."
In recent weeks, we've been reminded once again just how cheap those promises were. On Thursday, Stéphane Dion, who leads Canada's Liberal Party, announced that as prime minister he would bring an end to the country's 2,500-strong military commitment to southern Afghanistan. "Neither Canada, NATO nor the Americans anticipated how violent and dangerous Kandahar would become in 2006," he said, adding that the proper role for Canadian forces is "to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people."
Also in recent weeks, the Italian government of Romano Prodi briefly collapsed after it was unable to muster the votes to approve the enlargement of a U.S. Army base in Vicenza along with the continuance of Italy's 2,000-man deployment in Afghanistan. George W. Bush has had to plead publicly with NATO nations to increase their troop commitments and -- would it be too much to ask? -- deploy them in areas where they are likely to see combat. To make up for the NATO shortfall, Britain is sending in another 1,400 soldiers, while the U.S. is extending the tour of the Tenth Mountain Infantry Brigade and sending in troops from the 82nd Airborne.
It is a statistical certainty that American and British soldiers will pay a price in blood this spring because their French, Spanish, Italian, German and -- if Mr. Dion has his way -- Canadian counterparts mean to keep their moral slates clean. A century ago that would have been a mark of martial and national dishonor, of "letting the side down." Today, it is a concession to the political reality that most NATO governments cannot muster political support for anything except a "peace mission" in Afghanistan. "If you are non-U.S., implicitly there is a political calculus," says a senior U.S. Army officer about his NATO colleagues. "You are looking over your shoulder to Ottawa. You're asking: 'Will getting five killed-in-action mean a phone call about the wisdom of this particular operation?'"
Afghanistan, of course, was supposed to have been the "good war" -- the war that, unlike Iraq, everyone was willing to fight. Now the best that can be said for France, Germany, Italy and company is that they will not actively stand in the way of its being fought, so long as they're not fighting.
But even that is an improvement over the way some European governments are conducting themselves in the war on terror closer to home. Earlier this month, an Italian court named and indicted 25 CIA officers and five Italian officials for the rendition to Egypt of a cleric named Osama Mustafa Hassan Nasr, aka Abu Omar. Germany, too, has issued arrest warrants for 13 CIA officers involved in the abduction (in Macedonia) of a German man of Lebanese descent named Khaled al-Masri. Mr. Masri has since become a cause célèbre back home -- a living indictment of the Bush administration's perfidious approach to fighting terrorism.
In Sheikh Omar's case, even the Italians don't dispute the Egyptian was a dangerous actor: He is believed to have recruited terrorists and plotted an attack on the U.S. embassy in Rome. Mr. Masri, by contrast, is usually depicted as an innocent caught up in a web of CIA intrigue. But as John Rosenthal of the invaluable Transatlantic Intelligencer blog notes, it was German, not American, intelligence that first became intensely concerned about Mr. Masri's activities.
Not two weeks after 9/11, Mr. Masri was already being investigated by authorities in Baden-Württemberg as a "follower of Bin Laden." A classified report from Germany's Federal Bureau of Criminal Investigations notes that Mr. Masri maintained "numerous contacts to dangerous persons and accused suspects in the domain of Islamist terrorism." He had a friendship with a militant Islamist named Reda Seyam, suspected of involvement in the 2002 Bali bombings. He frequented an Islamic Cultural Center known for distributing audiocassettes with such charming messages as "Whoever fights against the Christians, the Jews and their allies is a martyr." It was shut down by Bavarian officials in December 2005 and the organization that ran it was banned.
For all this, Mr. Masri may be guilty of nothing more than fellow-traveling. The same might be said of the German government, which at a minimum involved itself in the abduction it now means to prosecute by agreeing to keep the whole matter secret. "The German government, witness to the entire incident, pretended not to know anything," the German newsweekly Der Spiegel reported in 2005. "In a court of law, such behavior amounts to the suppression of evidence."
The German government also involved itself in another apparent CIA kidnapping in December 2001 of a German citizen and terrorist suspect named Mohammed Haydar Zammar, who was later rendered to his native Syria. Rather than demand his instant repatriation, however, the government of Gerhard Schröder arranged for investigators to interview Mr. Zammer in Syria, in exchange for which it dropped charges against two Syrian agents in Germany. Mr. Zammar remains in a Syrian prison.
None of this need shame the German government: Mr. Zammar is reported to have recruited some of the 9/11 hijackers and his fate is richly deserved. What is shameful is that the same governments that actively colluded with the U.S. to bring the worst terrorist cases to some kind of justice are now bending to the demands of activist prosecutors and the prevailing anti-American mood, and again allowing the U.S. to take the flak for what were often joint operations. For the indicted CIA officers, that flak is less deadly than what the GIs in Afghanistan can look forward to this spring. But the principle is the same.
Asked what he worried about most in wartime, Napoleon is said to have replied, "Allies." Plus ça change.
Letter from Richard dated February 14. I have deleted the personal portions.
Dear Joan,
I didnât get to watch the Superbowl this year. Most years I do. I could now if I would give in and let someone give me a television. But, in prison they become mind numbing devices.
The prison thinks thatâs a good idea, I donât.
In the Superbowl game I was betting on the Colts, but thatâs because I always bet on the underdog, even when I think heâs going to lose.
Life goes on here at High Desert in spite of me. (As it always has, anyway.)
I think I shall continue to write about my Mexican Gardener, the Señor. I am not a fan of California for law and order.
Thank you for the excellent job you are doing in editing and printing my stories.
as ever - your friend
Dick Keech
semper fidelis
Now to continue with Richardâs stories of life under the GI Bill.
COLLEGE DAYS 6
That week end I drive it back to college, after meeting with Mr. Morse and changing my insurance over.
I'm going to college in a sporty new car. Life canât get any better than that. Each weekend I drive back to Long Beach to "date" Kay.
Kay is learning to drive and loves to drive the new
Studebaker. She also reports that she gets to drive the pretty Ford roadster owned by the brother of Earl Chaplin, Merle Chaplin, with whom she now rides to work. They are both working at the same bank at the moment.
"I'm getting pretty good at using the clutch. I have been practicing on Merleâs car as we go to work. He lets me drive it.â
Merle is a nice guy, but I am not happy with other
nice guys doing favors for my girl friend.
"You need a car of your own," I suggest. "Have you thought about that? This is Southern California. Everyone has a car.â
"Yes. I have. But I wouldnât know how to find a good one that I could afford."
"No problem. We'll go looking together. This will give us a project to work on as a team. Do you want to look at Fords, Chevies or Plymouths?"
"I think I like the Fords the best"
So we start out on a fun shopping tour for the next several months.
The thing is no one can really afford to buy a car.
You keep Iooking until you fall in love with one, Then you
figure out how to pay for it.
We do this for months. Kay has nailed down what she likes. It has to be a Ford with its peppy V8 engine, and should be a coupe or a roadster.
One Saturday night at a second hand car lot on Signal Hill Kay finds that car sheâs looking for. And falls in love with it. It is a 36 Ford V8 coupe that is in perfect shape. We take a ride in it. We pretend to negotiate with the dealer. (He will get the deal he wants. We are amateurs talking to a master negotiator.) But he really does give us a fair deal (I think). And Kay drives off with a "classic" 36 Ford coupe. Itâs a beauty. Kay loves it. We will never get another car that she loves as much.
TO BE CONTINUED
Richard Keech
semper fi
www.Richard-Keech.org
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