Afghanistan Diary Part 13- Moving Day- 5 November, 2011

     A few days ago we convoyed up to what is to be the Super Bowl of our missions. Whitehouse, as the Patrol Base is named, is where we are to build two HLZ's from scratch. Moving even further north has seemed to up the potential for enemy contact. We are up with 3^rd reconnaissance battalion and 1^st battalion, 6^th Marine regiment, so we are in the area of the frontlines, if you can even call them that in today's unconventional warfare. 

     Building a new camp again each time we move is somewhat of a pain. Packing things up just to unpack them again and rebuilding everything is annoying, but everyone works together and in no time our camp has been set up. Day two and our engineers went quickly to work to create all the needed amenities. They built two of our very own wooden thrones to sit on and fill wag-bags, complete with blanket covered hesco fences surrounding them for privacy. Two PVC pipes were dug into the ground, protruding a few feet for our urinary purposes, aptly named, “piss tubes,” and a couple other Marines, including the Doc built a pullup bar for our physical fitness purposes. Day three will bring a resupply convoy with many necessary items, the most important of which will be my cigar resupply.

Afghanistan Diary Part 11- Task Force Nomad (November 2, 2011)

Why am I so lonely today? Most days I feel so strong, yet once in a while I find myself unable to control my emotions. I have nothing notable to be sad about and yet, here I am, feeling my mood sink by the minute. I find myself tired of this day, tired of this mission, tired of this patrol base, and most of all, tired of this third world hellhole.

On the last mission, we watched a dozen or so children playing soccer, oblivious to the squalor they live in and clueless to the horrible life that awaits them. Then I saw it!!! As the ball came rolling within ten to twenty yards of our vehicle, three boys came to retrieve it and I could see the look on one of the boys' faces as he turned to look at us in our MATV. It was clear to me as I looked at him that unlike his friends, he understood his plight. He had a distinctive expression on his face that cried out, “please take me with you...I don't want to live this life.” What would cause him to have that knowledge or insight? It has convinced me that the fighting desire to be free is hard-wired in all regardless of what they have or haven't been introduced to in life. It can easily be brainwashed or beaten out of many, but some are just strong willed enough to resist this re-education and for them, living in a country such as this one will be a lifelong mission to get out. I pray that young boy is able to get wherever he wants to go one day. I wish I had the power to take him home with me. I have not been here for two complete months and yet I have already been changed in some ways forever.

Afghanistan Diary Part 10- Task Force Nomad (October 31-November 1, 2011)

31Oct

And now it's beginning to seem like we're wasting time. Day three of no missions and our next foreseeable one is not for another four. The latest news is that our next task, which is to build two HLZ's from scratch, will include convoying approximately three times back and forth to Alcatraz to load water for the hydroseeder. After this the word is we will go back to Alcatraz and sit around for another week, in case something pops up. I am no expert, but this is beginning to seem like a colossal waste of man-hours and resources, though I know my personal desire to get back to Leatherneck and have better communication with family back home could be skewing my opinion as well. I am objective enough to know that is a possibility.

1Nov

This next story will most certainly impress animal lovers, and possibly infuriate wives, girlfriends, and family members. The other night a few Marines and I relaxed with fine cigars and evening conversation. As we puffed away over an hour or so we conversed almost exclusively about our dogs. That's right...not our kids, wives, or girlfriends, but about man's best friend. I apologize to my family for this story, but if it makes them feel any better there has been plenty of talk about them in other conversations. No, this night was dedicated to our canine companions, and let me tell you that many an entertaining story can be told regarding dogs. Tales of humor, loyalty, and bravery. Dogs possess some of the most respected traits of the military. I was most satisfied to find that I am not the only one who has a special voice for his dog, used to narrate what I believe him to be thinking at various times throughout the day. No, I am not a loner in that category. I do it so much at home that he (Charlie) recognizes that the voice has something to do with him and wags his tail anytime he hears it.  

Afghanistan Diary Part 9- Task Force Nomad (October 2011)

DOG DAY AFTERNOON

     The saga began three days ago when the senior Non-Commisioned Officer, Cpl Mickley, awakened to find that one of his boots had vanished into thin air. Immediately suspicious of the rest of the team, and rightfully so, he began questioning each member regarding the possible shenanigans being played at his expense. After somewhat calming his initial suspicions he began contemplating the alternative possibility. Yes...the possibility that wild dogs had stolen his boot in the middle of the night. 

     We had seen these four-legged pests lurking at the top of our berm one morning as we were forming up for a debrief. There was no time to investigate at the time, as we had a convoy in an hour. Luckily, my Cpl had thought to bring an extra pair of boots along for this task force, and he annoyingly dug them out of his pack, still with a suspicious eye cast on the other members of our security team. As the day went on without anyone coming forward to claim responsibility for the missing footwear, the event became an increasingly humorous catalyst for canine/footwear jokes. There was just no end to the sarcasm and my Cpl became increasingly confident that his boot had “gone to the dogs.” See how easy it is??

     Yesterday evening, just before chow, during a round of boot jokes, we convinced Cpl Mickley to climb to the top of the berm and look out over the desert to see if it might be down there somewhere. As we cracked jokes about the Taliban training dogs to steal boots merely to get unintelligent Marines to climb the berm into the open, Mickley proclaimed from the other side, “I found it!” Just like that, the three day mystery had come to a dramatic conclusion. Further investigation revealed that the dog more than likely realized he was not going to be able to get the boot back through the concertina wire he had successfully traversed on his way into the compound, and had dropped it there. However, Mickley has yet to reunite his foot with the boot, as upon finding it, he threw it back over the berm and it landed in a stream of drainage water from the hygiene area.

Afghanistan Diary Part 8- Task Force Nomad (October 29 2011)

     Well we have now completed three missions. This last mission was somewhat of a repeat of mission two in that we were at the same location. That is where the similarities end as we did not have the same problem with the tram. No, we had an entirely different set of problems today which have me at my wits end. 

     Okay, how do I get into this next topic? How can I explain this in a somewhat tactful manner? I am the second in command on these missions. My boss is the Convoy Commander and he is a Captain. He and I have very differing opinions in regards to security. He is a very difficult man to work with, as he refuses to take advice from anyone, including his senior advisor, aka myself. I am the Assistant Convoy Commander, but more importantly I carry a second billet of Security Team leader. It is actually the entire reason myself and my personnel are up here with this convoy and work crew in the first place. We are the security experts assigned specifically to keep these personnel safe on their worksite, as well as during the movements from place to place. It is what we train almost every day to do. Yet, Captain...let's call him “Custer,” insists on running everything and taking advice from no one. 

     He made two decisions on this last mission that dismounted troops from the safety of their up-armored vehicles unnecessarily, placing all in greater danger during a time of darkness when our convoy was halted unexpectedly. These were not questionable calls whatsoever. They were decisions that were 100% wrong, 99% of the time. I knew before approaching him after the convoy that my advice would fall on deaf ears, nonetheless, I felt a moral obligation to approach him and get my concerns into the air. Yes, I knew he would immediately become defensive and would never admit that my security tactics were correct, much less admit that his decisions were incorrect. 

     That is precisely how it played out, with him again dismissing my concerns with his favorite defense line, “That was a risk I was willing to take.” This is becoming an extremely difficult position for me. I can continue pointing out the glaring errors, knowing full well that his pride and arrogance will never allow for him to accept that he is wrong about anything. Eventually this will lead to disaster when we become just fed up enough with each other to throw down one evening. I am 40 years old now and the prospect of “throwing down” with anyone just sounds like a bad idea from the start. 

     The second option is to let it go and let Custer rule with his iron fist. This option seems morally reprehensible to me as each time he makes such decisions he puts lives in danger. It may be a risk he's willing to take but it is most assuredly not a risk I am willing to take. I do have a third option. An option that is thoroughly frowned upon by the structure of the military. I could go around him to the next higher authority and let him know my concerns. This is called not utilizing the chain of command properly, and if not done with surgical precision, it could get me in a lot of hot water and turn me into the bad guy. I will not sleep well tonight contemplating my next move.

Afghanistan Diary Part 7- Task Force Nomad (October 24-26 2011)

LCpl Leos prepares for an early morning mission

24 Oct

It is our last day of waiting for this next mission and the mood is slowly shifting from relaxation to business. Our next mission will leave us the most exposed to enemy fire of any so far this deployment. Additionally, it will be a 3 a.m. rise and shine to complete communication checks and prepare to move out at 5am. The young Marines don't have the same mood shift that I go through. My driver, Lcpl Leos, is sitting next to me playing Grand Theft Auto on his PSP. Sadly, this Marine received a Red Cross message yesterday morning that his grandmother had passed away. His family had requested that he be sent home but he informed me that he wished to stay here, which I can completely understand. Sometimes the best coping mechanism a Marine has with such news is the band of brothers surrounding him and taking care of him. The way in which fellow Marines manage to be sensitive and yet, still screw with the Marine in need with an irreverent brand of sarcasm is a work of art, and it is normally just what the Marine needs to continue functioning proficiently out here.

26 Oct

Our 2^nd mission is complete, and what a long, painful mission it was. The 0300 rise and shine was originally supposed to transition to a 0500 exit of friendly lines, and a return to base no later than 1800. We knew it was going to be a long day going in, but we had no idea how long it would become. About two hours into our on-site work one of the heavy equipment operators dumped his tram on it's side. Luckily he was not injured, but it was a major setback which turned a 16 hour day into a 20 hour day. As with the first mission, the day was filled with interesting sights, normally provided by the local Afghans. The standing record of three on a motorbike was broken when I caught sight of 4 on a bike shortly after 1400. Other than that monumental achievement, the only noteworthy detail was once again the behavior, performance, and professionalism of my Marines. My two gunners remained in their turrets from the 0500 Oscar-Mike (on the move) to the return to camp at 2300. 18 hours refusing to leave their guns because they are that serious about their job. Marines like the ones I am currently honored to be supervising are what I will miss most when I retire. I doubt I will ever witness that type of drive and dedication again in any other career path.

I currently have the Navy Corpsman in my security vehicle. Naval Corpsmen, or “corpse-men” as our President likes to refer to them, are the medics of the Marine Corps. We have at least one on every mission and the current one is quite a character. He can not only recite entire scenes of most movies, but is quite proficient at applying these scenes to current conversations in the vehicle. You can get a pretty decent impression of a guy when you spend 18 hours with him in a vehicle, and I have to give our “doc” the “Gunny Seal of Approval” so far. He seems pretty good to go. He is from New York originally and was actually an EMT in Spanish Harlem before trading that occupation in to become a Corpsman. He has a pretty impressive tattoo on his forearm detailing the outline of his state of New York with an outline of the twin towers inside of the state. He is extremely patriotic and a staunch conservative. As I stated before, he is “good to go,” as most Corpsmen are.

Afghanistan Diary Part 5- Task Force Nomad (October 14 2011)

Cpl Eliud RuizReyes scans the horizon for threats.

    Well my wished were finally granted. I will be the security commander for a task force going north to do maintenance on helicopter landing zones (HLZ) which will be needed for a winter offensive. I finally get to leave Camp Cupcake and do what they pay me to do.

     There are a lot of reasons to hate leaving the comforts of an air conditioned room with an actual bed and a chow hall with three hot meals served each day. There are equally as many reasons that few who haven't served will understand to be as excited as my Marines and I are to leave these creature comforts behind and venture off into treacherous unknown lands for at least a few weeks. We have convoyed up to a little patrol base called “Alcatraz”, which is much more like what most might envision when they think of Marines in combat. There is no contractor constructed fancy perimeter fence here. We have bulldozed berms and mud walls as our protection. We are here staged so we can leave “the wire” and perform at least four missions before heading back to Camp Leatherneck.

     Gone are our air conditioned cans...replaced with cots under the stars. Gone are three hot meals a day...replaced with two hot “tray rat” meals and one Meal ready to Eat (MRE). Now weighted down with vests containing heavy Sapi Plates, faces filled with sweat, my Marines couldn't be happier. Why, you ask? These Marines were excited to come to this third world country. However, they were not excited to show up, sit around for seven months, and come home. These Marines are more than willing to leave their loved ones behind for lengthy amounts of time as long as they feel they are here for a purpose. Lounging at Camp Leatherneck and standing a gate is not their desire. As I write this from the inside of my MRAP and look at the dust filled cots and exhausted Marines I know they are finally getting exactly what they wanted.

     It's just like anything we do in life. If you work hard and accomplish your goals then you have experiences to be proud of. If you live life performing the bare minimum necessary to get by each day you will have little to take pride in as the years go by. A lot of people would say that just being a U. S. Marine is enough to be proud of for a lifetime. The problem with that statement is if a Marine takes on that attitude, he or she has lost sight of the mindset which allowed them to earn that title in the first place. No! Once that mindset imbeds itself in a human, it is hard to get rid of. These Marines constantly seek out difficult tasks and more complex goals to achieve. No matter what they do or accomplish they will never be content or satisfied and I love them for it.

Afghanistan Diary Part 4- Purgatory Again (September 2011)

We have now been at Camp Leatherneck for two weeks. My platoon wants to start doing their job but the outgoing unit is still here. When you deploy you are normally replacing a unit that has reached the end of their tour. There are usually a couple of weeks when you change over with that unit and they brief you up on what they have been doing during their time and what you can expect. This is normally a painful process. As the new unit arriving, you just want to take over and start performing your duties immediately. Unfortunately you are unable to and must endure the time with little to do other than watch the outgoing unit and take some notes on things you would like to continue doing their way as well as things you plan to change once they are gone.

In addition to this, we were required to sit through a Welcome Aboard/Country Brief along with an important brief describing our Rules Of Engagement (ROE). The ROE is a set of guidelines which determine when a Marine may fire and may not fire there weapon at alleged enemy assets. The intent is to allow the Marine to accomplish his mission while also minimizing any collateral damage or loss of innocent lives. I will say this much. No country goes out of their way to protect innocent civilian lives in a combat zone more than the United States. I should probably leave it at that, lest I say anything which could be deemed derogatory about our ROE. I believe in the old adage, 'It is better to be judged by twelve than carried by six.'

Afghanistan Diary Part 3- Boots on the Ground (September 2011)

Today we left the friendly confines of Manas Airbase for Afghanistan on an Air Force C-17. It was a quick two hour ride and then we were all hard at work again locating and separating our bags from everyone elses. This task should not be taken lightly folks. Imagine you have just taken a flight with 200 other people only to find once you reach the baggage carousels that everyone else on the flight has the exact same bags as you do. That is the nightmare I am speaking of. We all have the same military issue bags and must find our 3 bags among all the others. If there is one psychological disorder I possess, it is overwhelming anxiety when it comes to my stuff being separated from me and mixed with other people's stuff. It drives me mad and I am not comfortable again until I know I have every item back in my possession. When I was at Marine Corps boot camp, the drill instructors loved to have everyone dump their footlockers containing all of their gear on the floor. They would then have everyone push all of their stuff into the middle of the squad bay and make a huge mound out of it that they would often call “Mount Suribachi” after the mountain on Iwo Jima which the famous flag raising photo was taken. I think I handled all of the screaming, berating, stressing, sleep deprivation and every other psychological test they put you through at USMC recruit training quite well, but this was the one thing that would make me physically nauseous. It was usually followed by being allowed about 15 seconds to get whatever stuff you could grab and get it back in your foot locker. Some recruits would have 10 bars of soap in their footlocker, some would have none. You just had to figure it all out later. It drove me nuts, and this offloading of baggage isn't much different.   

Afghanistan Diary Part 2- Purgatory (September 2011)

I write this from the vacation “hot spot” that is Kyrgyzstan. My Marines and I are staying in a lovely 40 man suite complete with a bed and, well...a bed. We are here waiting for a military flight to take us into Afghanistan in a day or so. After all of the flying across many time zones in the last 24 hours it is a welcome break to make an attempt at disposing of my jet lag.

It has actually been a somewhat enjoyable trip. We have met some of the best Americans along the way. We stopped in Bangor, Maine, where a large contingent of the towns citizens have actually formed an organization www.themaintroopgreeters.com which sees to it that every group of military men and women who stop in their town, whether going to or coming from a combat zone are greeted and treated like honorary guests during their brief stay there. It was a heartwarming experience which meant a lot to the Marines. I have been asked numerous times by people over the years, “what can we get you?” or “what do you need?” I have had drinks and meals purchased for me on occasion and every one of those times remain in my memory (which is quite an accomplishment these days). I can honestly say that I think the only thing military personnel need to keep them performing their duties in an exemplary manner is to know they are appreciated for their efforts. Ultimately, we don't do the job for the money. Some may remain in the service for the job security in these tough economic times, but the majority have a certain degree of patriotism and feel it is an honor to serve. To be appreciated for our service is all we really need and nobody provides that better than the awesome citizens of Bangor, Maine. I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart. You do more for the morale of military troops than you'll ever know, which has a direct effect on how they perform in theatre.

Afghanistan Diary Part 1 (August 2011)

The fact that anyone would find what rattles around in my brain to be an interesting read is very humbling, if indeed these individuals exist. I am a United States Marine and have been serving for just under 18 years now. I have thoroughly enjoyed this career and will certainly miss the camaraderie and esprit de corps I have experienced when I retire in a couple of years.

Just over a year ago, I was assigned to take over a platoon of Military Police (MP) who were preparing for a deployment to Afghanistan. We have spent the last year completing training and performing a variety of build-up exercises which are designed to prepare the Marines for a 7 month deployment. MP’s perform a variety of functions in a combat environment. They are a security and defense element for Forward Operated Bases. Additionally, they are tasked to provide security for personnel and supply convoys, safely escorting them from Point “A” to Point “B”.

We started with basics such as terminology and reporting. The Marines slowly but surely memorized a variety of important radio reporting procedures such as calling in situation reports, and medical evacuation procedures. Throughout the year the training became more difficult. The Marines became proficient with all of the weapons systems deployed by MP’s (M4 rifle, M203 grenade launcher, M249 machine gun, M240 machine gun, M2 .50 cal machine gun, MK19 automatic grenade launcher). They were trained in mobile patrolling tactics as well as dismounted patrolling. A great amount of time was spent on identifying Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) as well as reaction to an IED attack and reporting procedures. Additionally, they received a variety of classes designed to familiarize them with Afghan culture and language. This all culminated with a month long training exercise in Twentynine Palms, CA, named Mojave Viper, designed to test the Marines’ preparation and gauge their overall readiness for deployment to Afghanistan. It was my Marines’ day to shine, as they impressed the professional graders, attaining a score of 92% overall on their graded events.

The Marines in my platoon are by far the most talented group of young adults I have had the pleasure to lead, and I must admit it has little to do with me. I have been blessed with an amazing Staff Sergeant who deserves almost all of the credit in preparing these Marines. This has been arguably the most enjoyable year of my career and the Marines under my charge are nothing short of amazing. Rest assured America, that the best and the brightest are still donning military uniforms in defense of this great country, regardless of mainstream media propaganda which would suggest the opposite.

As we go forward in the next month I must admit to a different feeling than in earlier years of my career. I have always enjoyed the “band of brothers” feel in the military. There is truly no other job like it that brings a team of individuals together so tightly that they act and feel like a true family. I must admit that I no longer enjoy that type of bond. Roles change with promotions and over time I have begun to feel more like a father than a brother. Age, as well as a daughter in college, have only served to strengthen this feeling which continuously penetrates my mind. As each day brings us closer to stepping on an aircraft bound for the third world, this feeling becomes both a blessing and a curse.

It is first a blessing, as I sincerely care for every Marine in my platoon. I enjoy their professionalism, the pride they take in their training, and the evening stories and banter which carry through the night air to give the old Gunny a laugh each time we are in the field. Anyone who has served will know exactly what I am talking about. I will not share any of these intriguing stories and arguments, as many would require a parental advisory. What else would anyone expect from 50 young Marines after a long day of weathering 110 degree heat in numerous layers of clothing and many, many pounds of armor and gear? It is an amazing phenomenon to witness the laughter and morale that is displayed after such days and during such conversations. Yet, what other organization in America can confidently trust a 19 year old to lead 10-12 others successfully in a stress-filled environment every day, along with successfully maintaining accountability of a vast amount of high dollar weapons and gear? These Marines accomplish this with class and dignity, and they do it with pride and happiness. These actions are the definition of professionalism if you ask me. I believe Eleanor Roosevelt may have said it best, though she is not a person I would often quote.

“The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps!” –Eleanor Roosevelt-

I have to give her credit. She sums it up quite accurately. It is a true blessing to be entrusted with leadership over such high caliber men and women. I will never forget this upcoming deployment and am daily humbled by the opportunity.

           Seeing my role change over the years is also troubling to my mind at times. Gone are the days when I would be one of the boisterous individuals talking trash and telling stories in a carefree manner with my brothers in the evening. I now see things through older eyes. I see these young Marines more and more like my own children. As I get to know their backgrounds, their experiences, and even meet some of their family members on occasion at family functions, ceremonies, etc., my mind grows somewhat troubled with the responsibility placed upon me at this juncture of my life.

I am no longer able to be concerned with only my knowledge, proficiency, and overall welfare. I now hold some degree of responsibility in the welfare of each of these young Marines as well as their families back home. It is a heavy weight to bear some days. Their minds are on the excitement of the mission. They want nothing more than to get the opportunity to perform their duties in country and get in the action. My mind is stuck on the mission of ensuring every one of them get back on a plane and come home in seven months. These thoughts remain internalized, as deep down I know that I will perform my duties in a precise and accurate manner, as it concerns mission accomplishment and the welfare of my Marines. I firmly believe that caring deeply for these Marines will make me a better leader than one that forces himself to be detached in order to allegedly be professional. I honestly believe a good leader can be both professional and caring. I have seen over the years that a detached, professional leader can build a proficient team. If you add sincerely “caring” to the mix you can build not only a team but a family.

           

           So off these young Marines go to see a section of the world and a culture that few who have not been there would believe exists. I have no doubt that it will be a character building experience for everyone. Operational security prevents me from sharing details regarding dates, exact locations, etc. but I hope to be able to share some of our experiences over the next several months, should enough people find these ramblings of an old Marine interesting.  

My Thoughts On The Urinating Marines

Reason #36 why I can't wait to retire...In light of the recent headlines concerning Marines here in Afghanistan, I've been told I have to sit all of my Marines down and give them a period of instruction explaining to them that it is not okay to urinate on dead enemy combatants. Really??? Seriously??? I can just see all the bourgeois mo-mo's sitting around at a meeting saying, "if only we had told all the Marines that this isn't an okay practice." That is the line of thinking that has become of the military...last I checked these were grown adults that should already know better. What a waste of time!!

Ever since this story broke I have been hearing everyone's varying opinion on the matter, and to be completely honest, I am disappointed with both arguments I'm hearing.  On one side I hear the judgmental holier-than-thou's who are outraged and wish to immediately crucify all of the Marines involved.  On the other side I hear a boisterous "eye for an eye" crowd who seem to actually be cheering on the act of urinating on dead combatants, justifying it by stating what the enemy has done to our armed forces and innocent civilians.  This is my official opinion on the matter, knowing already that I will get a lot of grief from many who read this blog. 

While I do not think it is this horrific act that should ruin their lives forever, it is not an acceptable act whatsoever. We (The United States and The Marine Corps) pride ourselves on our professionalism and the honor of defending the greatest Country in the World. We became the mighty United States of America by standing on morals and principles that are above this type of behavior. If everyone would stop looking at this from an emotional perspective (on both sides of the debate) and start looking at it from a logical one, they will see that if we celebrate this type of behavior, we lower ourselves to their level and are no better than the indecent animals we are fighting.  Additionally, if we allow our emotional outrage of the act to overshadow what a rightful punishment for the crime should be, that will be equally sickening.  These Marines made a mistake and should face punishment, but they should not be sent to the brig for twenty years just for the purpose of being politically correct and/or to appease an enemy combatant that is arguably the most brutal and inhumane to be witnessed on this earth. 

Your Blog Author, On The Scene In Afghanistan

Okay, I have not been posting since arriving in country in mid-September, other than the self-gratifying pompous post about the article written on me in November.  I seem to have hit a lull in the action over here and thanks to one of my blogging buddies, Kim Jossfolk, who writes the "Just a Conservative girl" blog I have been inspired to try and get this site of my many rantings and pontifications  started again.  I have written a lot in a notebook of what I have seen over here so far and will be attempting to add some of it, along with my opinions on things at a somewhat regular clip.  So, for those who used to enjoy reading my blog before (all 30 or so) but gave up on me months ago, I shall attempt to redeem myself over the coming months.  Plus, I'm also sure all of the atheists and Ron Paul supporters have missed posting hateful comments here as well.

My Military Police Platoon

Below is the video Public Affairs put together on my Marines who are getting ready to deploy to Afghanistan. This is the best platoon I have had the pleasure of leading in my 17+ years. They deserve every bit of recognition they get. They make my job easy!!

Osama Bin Laden Affair Summary

This guy sums the whole Osama Bin Laden affair up better than anyone, and puts to bed all the liberal talking points.

"Silent No More" Celebrates Two Years...A Look Back at Your Comments

It's hard to believe that I've been pecking away at this little blog for two years now. Over the past two years I've worked very hard to introduce my readers to what I believe in and stand for. I would like to thank the many bloggers that I link to and follow for helping me along over the past two years...Random Acts of Patriotism, The Liberal Heretic, American Perspective and especially to Just a Conservative Girl, who is also celebrating her two years blogging and regularly comments on this blog.

Speaking of comments, I am always excited when I write a new article and come home from work to see if I have received any comments. Comments always prove to me that somebody out there is actually reading this. To celebrate my two year anniversary I've decided to take a look back at some of the more entertaining comments I've received.

My first comment:

"hi, just dropping by here"

Stephen

Thanks for letting me know, Stephen. It didn't take long and I had a loyal following of people who hated me. This mostly consisted of Ron Paul worshippers, Alex Jones kooks, and atheists. Funny, most of these commented as "anonymous":

"I think your really stupid and angry"

"Apparently, you believe the government should hide secrets from its employer, “We the people…”, so you’re a freaking anti-American moron."

"Mr. Williams; you use the terms isolationist to describe Ron Paul. With 737 foreign US military bases, I would say a better term might be anti-imperialist."

"What a worthless posting.

"If it wasn’t for people like Ron Paul who fight for freedoms, online and offline, you wouldn’t be able to sit there spewing your ridiculous ideals to the world."

"Second, the wars we are fighting are only for the Jews. We’re fighting these wars so they feel safe in an area where they are surrounded by Arabs. The Jews also own the military industrial complex and they make money on the wars while we send our white kids over there to die. It’s sick any way you look at it."

"Don’t pee in your pants “fella” that foreign aid to Isreal won’t get cut off anytime soon."

I just love the anti-semitic feel you get when talking to Ron Paul supporters.

Who knew Thanksgiving was a "toast to genocide"?

"Very interesting information. Socialism does work for some countries. They are functioning countries. It may not be yours or my ideal but they still function. My major problem with thanksgiving is I see it as a "toast to genocide" in many ways. We killed and stole land- plain and simple. Interesting read though."

"Ok if your concern is the well being of American citizens, and there is a group that has infiltrated our government and did 9/11, then wouldn't you want ordinary people to know about it, so they can stop electing people that have affiliations with these globalists who did 9/11? Do you understand people want to talk about 9/11 so they know about the people behind it, the military and their involvement in the middle east is another story. They are not talking about the military when they say 9/11 was an inside job. BTW the last video, he was acting hysterically because it was his coworker on the other end, if he hadn't sounded so urgent his coworker might have gotten detained by the G20 security. Many others did, so he did have reason to be concerned."

CUCKOO!! CUCKOO!!

Sometimes I was defended by others:

"you and schlessinger are the trolls. what intelligent comments do you make?

You are not intelligent
You are not a writer
You are not creative
You are not profound
You are not wise
You simply have a internet connection and a bullshit blog about your hate for certain people.
You look like an indignent, self righteous, hate spewing piece of trash on the internet. Nothing more, nothing less."

"You are a real life troll. I do not call myself intelligent nor do I belittle others in a shameless attempt to satisfy my own overgrown ego like yourself. No not only people who share my opinions possess those characteristics. You calling me narrow minded? Now that is rich. As for November you "teabaggers" are in for a spanking."

He may have been a bit off in his November prediction.

response:

"The above person is honestly telling me that I do not make intelligent comments...this is classic!! For starters, Mr. or Ms. intelligent, it's spelled I-N-D-I-G-N-A-N-T. Second, nobody forced you to come to my blog and/or comment on it. You obviously do not understand the definition of an internet "troll" if you are calling me one on my own site. Thank you for your opinions that I am not intelligent, creative, profound, wise, or a writer. I am sure in your narrow-minded view of life the only people who possess such characteristics are those with political opinions similar to yours. Thanks for all the name calling as well. You brave liberals love to name call rather than debate a topic. It's somewhat understandable as without the names your arguments are mostly empty. Feel free to leave my website "anonymous" and drink more Kool-Aid over at the Huffington Post. You might want to spike it with something strong, though...as November is not going to be kind to your political " kin-folk"

"More name calling, rather than any facts. I apologize that my thoughts and opinions upset your fragile "beliefs with no basis" and as it is well noted that the liberal species (latin, libericus moronicai), they feel threatened easily, and possess a well-known, but weak defense mechanism known as name-calling and acting-out. You may move along now....unless, of course, you would like to place a wager on your last statement...Wait!!! Never Mind!! You would probably just pay me with my own money. I don't accept food stamps. You may now go to your "happy corner" and curl up in the fetal position. Keep telling yourself that your liberal masters are going to stay in office when November 2nd rolls around. I hope you are able to get some Obamacare therapy on my dime before we stop funding the unconstitutional legislation."

with help from NativeHoustonian:

"Anonymous. Why are you even on this blog if you have those opinions? You Liberals never cease to amaze me. And Ron does not have to be a writer to host a blog so you are erroneous. #2 you are "anonymous" cuz you are a sissy and cannot reveal your identity and #3 Surely you cannot watch that video and think that is normal and what our forefathers intended. You must be either on welfare or a MArxist, neither of which I'd like to keep company with."

You have to love the banter!!

Sometimes disagreements were professionally handled...it's okay to disagree without being disagreeable:

"First of all, I'm glad you are committed to being an American and committed to serving the public. I applaud you for that. Second, keep up the faith and I hope you are safe during these difficult times. Stay safe and kick ass. Third I hope your family recieves you safe and whole. But you have been brainwashed a little too much. Pull your head out of your forth point of contact and realize this is the most piss poor situation, we as service members can be put in. Former President Bush kept his eye off of Afganistan 7 years ago to go after Iraq. Really? Well I was there during Desert Storm/Sheild and we left them with nothing. And we kept the no fly zones during Clinton. and then decided to kick their ass with Bush. And we found them with nothing? Well yeah! We kicked their ass in 92!! We should have kept the eye on the ball and kept on afhganistan. Now we are stuck trying to rebuild two nations with less troops than we had in 1992 with little multi-national support. My friend, you need to stop drinking the Kool-aid and start educating yourself. Maybe try listening to the BBC instead of Rush. Still I hope you are safe and that you stay that way. We are brothers in arms, I've been to Iraq enough that I could give tours."

SFC Racine

response:

"God Bless you and your family as well. I appreciate your comments and opinions. Your thoughts are respected and I thank you for your service to our country. You seem to be taking me to task on George Bush's involvement in Iraq as opposed to Afghanistan, and I'm not sure I even referenced this topic in my article. If this is regarding my last article on Afghanistan, I still see that you are changing the subject decisively away from the topic I am discussing, bringing up a liberal talking point from Obama's 08 election campaign. Nonetheless, if we did discuss this I doubt we would agree on it...and that's okay. We don't have to agree on everything. The freedom to have differing opinions without being tortured or imprisoned for it is what makes our country great. For your information, I keep myself very educated on the matters I discuss. I would ask you to do the same and check the contents of your own drinking glass if you are still such a loyal defender of President Obama with all of the actions/inactions he has taken since assuming office. If you can honestly take his actions as President thus far and say that they are "constitutional" then, OHHHHH YEAHHHH!! that big Kool-Aid guy has most assuredly crashed through your wall. Also, I do respect Rush and value his opinion, but I rarely am able to listen to him here as he comes on from 9am-noon, I think for myself independently and check the facts on what others may say. I respect that you have been to Iraq "enough times to give tours" and am disappointed that with such vast experiences there you could only come up with the "Bush screwed up Afghanistan by going to Iraq" liberal talking point. We are "brothers in arms" and I honestly do value your opinion. May God keep you and yours safe and I wish for you the best, my friend."

Sometimes people like to spout off without even taking the time to know my background:

"Ronald Williams = Traitor to the constitutional Republic of the US"

"Mr. Williams…it’s warmongering NeoCon spokesholes like you that help kill our military sons and daughters in overseas, senseless wars. I wonder if you’re BRAVE ENOUGH to face war yourself…"

"My dad came back from Nam with PTSD and nearly ruined everyone in my family. It is easy to take the stand you take as you like to say about noninterventionists because your cowardly attributes won’t have to take up a rifle yourself and get paid $30,000 a year to get shot at."

Agree with me, disagree with me, it's all good. At least you will always know where I stand on issues. It's been a very entertaining two years and there are some very big doors opening and changes coming in the near future that I will share in another post. I want to thank everyone who has taken part in this blog in any way over the past two years. I will continue to make you love or hate me with my views on politics and the world.

What Protects Our Right To Vote Out The Crooks In 6 Weeks

Lord give me the wisdom to never take for granted the sacrifices needed to preserve freedom.

PRIME TIME PREZ IS PROUD IT TOOK THREE MONTHS TO DECIDE

I wrote an article two months ago calling the President to task for his indecisiveness in responding to General McChrystal's request for 40,000 reinforcements in Afghanistan. I was pretty annoyed that the alleged "leader" of our country would take so long with a decision that was costing my fellow military men and women's lives each day he delayed. Little did I know at that time that this colossal failure would delay an additional two months in finally making a decision to send 30,000, instead of 40,000, combat troops. Does anyone else get the feeling that he altered the number being sent just so he wouldn't have to explain why it took him three months to agree and grant the request of the far more experienced General on the ground?

Let's put this in a little perspective. On August 30th General McChrystal requested 40,000 additional combat reinforcements in Afghanistan. In his letter he detailed that these troops were necessary immediately stating,

"Failure to gain the initiative and reverse insurgent momentum in the near-term (next 12 months) -- while Afghan security capacity matures -- risks an outcome where defeating the insurgency is no longer possible."

So the almighty Obama, in his infinite wisdom and military experience, was told by the expert on the ground, a General he appointed to this position, that they needed troops and they needed them now to win this war in Afghanistan. Note that Obama ran his campaign on the premise that this was the righteous war that Bush had ignored and if he were elected he was going to set the ship straight and concentrate on Afghanistan. With all of these facts in line the POTUS spent three months questioning and analyzing the General's request, rather than granting it. Three months of the twelve in the quote above, which, according to General McChrystal were the key months they needed them in order to regain the initiative. Does anyone else have a problem with this??? Does anyone else have a problem with Obama (no military experience whatsoever) spending three months analyzing a military commander's request for troops, along with a group of his fellow politicians, none of which have enough military experience to pick up the General's uniform from the dry cleaners. This reminds me of a great quote from Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men...

"I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said "thank you," and went on your way."

There are more things wrong with this scenario than I can even touch on in one article. It seriously blows my mind. Who are they to hem and haw for three months over a request that was sent by the "duty expert" that he himself appointed to the position?

Why am I talking about all of this today, you ask? I write this today because arguably the most disgusting aspect of this entire chain of events is that when the almighty finally came to his decision, he, rather than be ashamed at his horrific display of incompetency, was so proud of himself that he had to go on national TV (again), to announce it to the country. A lot of people laughed of the "Obama-Narcissist or Merely Narcissistic" article written by Dr. Sam Vaknin last year, but his behavior thus far in his young presidency definitely supports this theory.

One more point of idiocy in this whole debacle. If we are going to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan for a push, why would our President make this announcement on national TV and detail it as much as he did? Maybe we should send the Taliban a list of all of the units which will be going, their dates of arrival, manpower, and all tables of equipment and weaponry as well. I hope that I don't annoy Americans by saying this, but this type of transparency is detrimental to the mission. There are a lot of things the general American public doesn't need to know about what my fellow military members are doing in Afghanistan. To be quite blunt, this type of knowledge in the enemies hands gets our brave men and women killed. Last night the Taliban, without needing to use any type of intelligence assets, found out that 30,000 reinforcements are coming to take back control from them. Additionally, and more importantly, they time tables from the President. They now know he plans to start pulling my comrades out of there in 18 months.

Wow!!! I wonder what they'll do??? Does anyone else with an IQ above 80 think they might blend back in with the populace and/or into hiding for about...hmmm...thinking of a figure...thinking...18 months???

The truth is, with decision making and leadership such as this, Obama has no plan or desire to win this war. Every decision he makes is made with politics in mind, not the good of the nation. Being a U.S. Marine, I find this behavior to be despicable. 30,000 of my brothers and sisters are now going to be sent away from their families, many before Christmas this year, to perform an act of symbolism for the Narcissist in Chief over the next year and a half...but you know what, those brave men and women will do it proudly, as they are the only honorable Americans in this charade.

Leader of the Free World's Indecisiveness Proves He's Not A Leader

So I've learned many things in my young life...well, maybe not so young anymore. Nonetheless, I have learned enough from 16 years in the Marine Corps to feel confident discussing some of the finer aspects of leadership. I attempted to give our POTUS a heads up with an article I wrote earlier this year, but he must not have gotten the memo. He's probably still using the old cover sheets on his TPS reports as well (for the Office Space crowd).

Watching the current "leadership abortion" take place with the decision making in Afghanistan has caused me to once again give our Commander in Chief a lesson in leadership. If you want to read the first lesson I still have it archived here:

http://silentnomoremajority.blogspot.com/2009/05/military-lesson-in-leadership-for-potus.html

This lesson involves a simple period of instruction on decision making. Decisiveness is one of the 14 Leadership Traits which are stressed and instilled in it's leadership. Decisive, as defined by Webster's Dictionary:

Main Entry: de·ci·sive
Pronunciation: \di-ˈsī-siv\
Function: adjective
Date: 1611
1 : having the power or quality of deciding
— de·ci·sive·ly adverb
— de·ci·sive·ness noun

"Having the power or quality of deciding." So, at least according to Webster, not the little TV midget from the 80's (sorry PC police, I meant little person), this would require that the person decide, i.e. make some sort of decision!!

Let me simplify this a little more for you, Mr. President. As a leader you are faced with many decisions. By far the worst decision you can make when faced with each dilemma is no decision at all. When you are facing a tough decision and you actually have the fortitude to stand up and make a choice, one of two things happen:

A. The choice will be correct and you will receive positive feedback, a little more clout, experience, and trust among your superiors and subordinates.

B. The choice will be incorrect, you will receive negative feedback and be educated on the proper way to complete the task next time. You will take a hit on your clout and trust, albeit temporarily, as long as you continue to be decisive and gain experience your correct decisions will begin to outweigh your incorrect ones.

The lesson here is that even when you make a decision and it turns out to be incorrect, you still gain experience, knowledge, and wisdom for future decisions. What do you gain by making no decision at all? Well, as a politician, by not committing strongly to one side or the other, he is able to "straddle the fence" and attempt to keep both sides of a debate on his side, thereby helping his re-election campaign. Other than that, there is nothing to be gained by making no decision. Making no decision gives you no clout, trust, experience, wisdom, etc. It will award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul (for Billy Madison fans).

So, as my military peers wait in Afghanistan for much needed reinforcements, and their families lose sleep at night wondering if you, The President of The United States, are going to do anything to protect their loved ones, I request you take this lesson (this one is free of charge) and utilize it. Send the reinforcements or pull them the hell out of there...but DO SOMETHING because your current indecisiveness is costing young American "leaders" lives.

And They Want Us To Trust Them With Our Healthcare??

It never ceases to amaze me that so many Americans blindly jump to support any new government run program which promises to make their life easier. It takes a minimal amount of research into past government social programs to prove that this is almost never the case. The government has; time and again, proven itself to be one of the most inefficient entities at accomplishing any task. From idea to implementation, our federal government will always find the slowest and most costly way of getting things done.

Take for example the recent (if you want to call it that) report from Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the commander on the ground in Afghanistan. On August 30th he detailed a report to President Obama which, above all other things, requested 40,000 more troops be dispatched to the region immediately to prevent the current U.S. forces in the country from losing their foothold, thus causing the mission there to fail.

Today is October 1st. No decision has been made yet. Our President and his administration are still considering the request 30 days later!!! The military expert, with eyes on exactly what is taking place in Afghanistan, has stated that our mission there will likely fail without 40k more troops on the ground and President Obama is still contemplating the request over a month later.

There are so many things wrong with that scenario I don't know where to start. Thirty days to make a decision on mission accomplishment and lives of young American servicemen?? I must deduce from the time spent pondering the request that Obama is actually considering not granting it. If that is true, why have a Commander on the ground if you are not going to trust his recommendations? I believe if I were Gen McChrystal I would resign my post if I were treated in this disrespectful of a manner. Is Obama, with his vast military experience, going to actually tell the General he is wrong on his assessment?

Meanwhile, back in the actual combat zone, our troops are undermanned and waiting for their reinforcements. They've been waiting a month, and will continue waiting much longer, for even if the decision is finally made to send them, they don't just show up there overnight like in a game of Risk. If the decision is made not to send reinforcements is Obama going to pull the military out of Afghanistan? If he is not going to give the military the tools they need to accomplish their mission, then he can't exactly leave the remaining there to be sitting ducks. Or maybe he can...he is, after all, the President of The United States, CEO of the Automotive industry, Savior of the Banking Industry, Spender above all Spenders of taxpayers money that does not yet exist, and Grand Poobah to ACORN...ooops!! My mistake...they deleted that title from the record.

Getting back to my point. If it takes this long for this administration to give a yes or no response on a time sensitive issue like sending reinforcements to a war zone, how smoothly do you think the government taking over healthcare will be? How long will it take to have decisions made regarding your health and wellness? Look at what a debacle the "Cash For Clunkers" program has been. Most dealerships are still waiting for the federal funds promised to them by this program. I think we, as Americans need to take back our liberty and start our own "Clunker Removal" program with our elected leaders. They need to be replaced with more efficient models which will support liberty, justice, and the Constitution.