Target Centermass

Category: Military

  • Looking at Today’s News

    Sex Assaults Against Women GIs Increase in War Time

    Sexual assault reports involving members of the Armed Services rose to 1,700 in 2004, up from the previous two years, according to Pentagon statistics, leading some critics to say the Department of Defense is not doing enough to prevent sexual misconduct in the military.

    There is much to be mulled over in this article, and ammunition is to be found for both sides of the women-in-combat debate and the Pentagon-isn’t-doing-enough argument. Perhaps the sanest point is as follows:

    Ret. Navy Capt. Lory Manning, a senior fellow with the Women’s Research and Education Institute in Washington, said it is unclear whether the Pentagon’s latest figures on sexual assault reflect an increase in the number of incidents or are the result of women feeling more comfortable reporting them. She added that she believes the military is doing a good job in addressing the problems.

    Two busted in Al Qaeda plot in U.S.

    The son of a former Malcolm X aide was nabbed yesterday, along with a Florida doctor, in a plot to start an Al Qaeda training camp in the U.S. – even scouting out a Long Island warehouse for a terror school, officials said last night.

    Tarik Shah, 38, a self-proclaimed martial arts expert from the Bronx, and Dr. Rafiq Sabir, 50, presented themselves as a “package deal” to help Muslim “brothers” wage jihad here and in the Middle East, said Manhattan U.S. Attorney David Kelley.

    Grant them due process. Ensure a fair trial. Destroy them if guilty.

    Hariri Bloc Sweeps Beirut Parliamentary Elections

    The Interior Ministry in charge of parliamentary elections in Lebanon announced a landslide victory for the son of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in the Beirut district. Three more rounds of voting in other regions of the country lie ahead.

    In the first vote since the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanese territory, official results are in from the first round of voting in Lebanon’s parliamentary elections. The landslide victory went to the list of candidates headed by Saad Hariri, the son of slain former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

    The Cedar Revolution continues.

    Germany Moves Closer to First Woman Leader

    Germany’s opposition conservatives have named Angela Merkel as their candidate to challenge Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in September that could produce the country’s first woman leader.

    The last obstacle to her nomination fell when Edmund Stoiber, the leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU)’s sister party in Bavaria, the Christian Social Union (CSU), backed her at a meeting of the parties’ top officials.

    […]

    Opinion polls show the Christian Democrats will win, as Merkel faces off against the beleaguered Social Democratic leader who has seen his popularity plummet in the face of a stagnant economy and dissatisfaction over the direction of the country.

    This will be an interesting race to watch but I won’t shed a tear should Schroeder fall.

    Russia agrees to Pull Troops from Georgia by 2008

    Russia on Monday agreed to shut its military bases in neighboring Georgia by 2008, a decision that effectively pares Kremlin influence in the increasingly West-leaning Caucasus region.

    Russia’s bases in the Georgian Black Sea port of Batumi and near the Georgian-Armenian border are holdovers from the Soviet era and house about 3,000 troops. The agreement is a major victory for Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, who has allied his country with the United States and Europe and aggressively pushed for the base closings.

    Earlier this month, Georgian leaders threatened to take steps to force their shutdown by Jan. 1, including a prohibition on visas for Russian soldiers slated for assignment to the bases and a ban on cargo movement to and from the bases.

    Pair this with the developments in Ukraine and we see a significant drop in Russian influence in two of its former Soviet republics, influence that is being replaced from a westward direction, albeit to a noticably lesser degree.

  • More Tributes from the Blogroll

    The grilling has commenced, war movies play on the television, and the fine folk on my blogroll keep honoring the day.

  • Memorial Day around the Blogroll

    I took a look around my favorite blogs overnight. Now, as I watch the NCAA lacrosse finals (Duke vs. Johns Hopkins) and prepare to grill, here are the tributes and honors I found.

  • Memorial Day 2005

  • Timing of Statue’s Unveiling Upsets Vets

    Nobody is questioning the honor, only the date.

    Maj. Robert Rogers, the frontiersman whose 18th century manual on guerrilla warfare has become a blueprint for Army Ranger fighting tactics, is getting what some consider a long-overdue honor: a statue in his memory. But some veterans believe unveiling the monument on Memorial Day is insensitive because Rogers was loyal to England during the Revolutionary War.

    “I think it’s a travesty that we would think about honoring a person, especially someone who fought against us, on that day,” said Bob Bearor, who served in the Army’s 101st Airborne Division in the 1960s. “It’s a sacred day. … Let’s honor our dead who died for our country.”

    The life-size bronze statue is scheduled to be unveiled during a ceremony on Rogers Island in the Hudson River, 40 miles north of Albany. The island served as the base camp for Rogers’ Rangers during the late 1750s, when the British and French fought for control of North America.

    On a day set aside to pay tribute to our fallen soldiers, what is the rationale for selecting Memorial Day for the unveiling of a man who fought against our soldiers?

    Bearor says Rogers, a New Hampshire-born frontiersman who led his Rogers’ Rangers on guerrilla raids for the British during the French and Indian War, turned against his fellow Americans in the Revolutionary War.

    But organizers of the May 30 event defend the timing, saying that holding it on the holiday allows the greatest number of local dignitaries and the public to attend.

    The local newspaper, the Post-Star of Glens Falls, has editorialized against the Memorial Day ceremony, but some veterans aren’t so vexed. “I don’t see any problem,” said Harold Murray, commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Glens Falls. “That’s going quite a ways back in history.”

    I don’t care how far back in history we’re talking about, this unveiling is directly contrary to the meaning and spirit of Memorial Day. If the concern is wanting an open holiday to spur attendance, try Labor Day.

    Richard Fuller is caretaker of the private portion of Rogers Island where the statue will stand. The property is owned by retired construction executive Frank Nastasi of Syosset. Both men are veterans and neither believes that holding the event on Memorial Day shows disrespect for America’s war dead, Fuller said.

    But the head of a group of former and active-duty Rangers argues the although tribute may be well-intended, it is problematic.

    “Memorial Day? They’re not thinking that through,” said retired Army Capt. Steve Maguire, president of the U.S. Army Ranger Association. “It just seems like I would try a different day.”

    Although he doesn’t deny Rogers’ military legacy, Bearor, a French and Indian War re-enactor and author of several books on the conflict, questions holding a Memorial Day tribute to a man who George Washington didn’t trust.

    Fearing Rogers was a British spy, Washington turned down his request to join the Continental Army at the outset of the American Revolution. Rogers went on to raise a company of loyalist rangers, but failed to have the impact he had in the previous war. A heavy drinker, he died a pauper in England in 1795 and lies buried somewhere beneath the streets of London.

    “Even the English don’t look at him as a hero,” Bearor said. “They buried him in an unmarked grave.”

    Honor the man as his contributions deserve. Just not Memorial Day.

  • Marine Corps Drops All Charges against Officer

    2nd Lt. Ilario Pantano has been officially cleared.

    All murder charges have been dropped against 2nd Lt. Ilario Pantano, the New York stock trader-turned-Marine who faced the death penalty for firing as many as 60 rounds into two suspected insurgents in Iraq last April.

    Maj. Gen. Richard Huck, commanding general of 2nd Marine Division, dismissed the charges May 26 without following all of his investigating officer’s recommendation to punish Pantano administratively.

    Huck, who is in Iraq, followed most of the recommendations of Lt. Col. Mark Winn, the investigating officer in the case, who concluded the shooting was justified and in keeping with the rules of engagement at the time. Winn presided over the Article 32 hearing at Camp Lejeune, N.C., that began April 26.

    But Winn also recommended Pantano receive nonjudicial punishment for firing an excessive number of rounds during the incident, which occurred near Mahmudiyah, Iraq, on April 15, 2004.

    Huck apparently disagreed with the NJP recommendation, dropping all charges and effectively ending Pantano’s legal troubles.

    “While the Article 32 investigation has been lengthy, the best interests of 2nd Lt. Pantano and the government have been served by this process,” read a statement issued by Camp Lejeune officials May 26.

    This doesn’t mean the ordeal is over for the former stock trader turned Marine. In fact, it may never truly be over.

    The incident created an international furor and Pantano’s life was allegedly put in jeopardy by pro-Islamic groups who threatened revenge for what they said was the wrongful death of the two men.

    Pantano, who was reassigned to a training position within the division, installed blast-proof glass in his Jacksonville, N.C.,-area home and took other measures to protect him and his family.

    So what next for the Marine?

    It’s not clear what the future holds for Pantano, but 2nd Lt. Barry Edwards, a spokesman at Camp Lejeune, said that at least for now Pantano will continue to work as the assistant training officer for an infantry unit.

    “Second Lieutenant Pantano will continue his career as a Marine Corps officer,” Edwards said.

    [Pantano’s civilian attorney Charles W.] Gittins said Pantano, who also dabbled in a film career before he rejoined the Corps, will weigh his options in the coming days. Gittins said he “wouldn’t rule out” Pantano getting out of the Corps, though he still loves it. But Gittins said he knows one thing: even if Pantano stays in, he won’t be a lifer.

    “Is he going to stay around to try to be the commandant? I doubt it.”

    Blackfive, who has been all over the Pantano story, provides his take on today’s news. The post also contains links to his previous efforts on the matter.

  • Koran Abuse: Flushing out the Truth

    Government and military investigations into detainee-alleged Koran abuse have occurred previous to the Newsweek debacle, and again afterwards with a focus on the controversial tale of a the holy book of Islam being flushed down a Guantanamo Bay toilet.

    Preliminary findings have been released and the score to date: mishandlings 5, flushings 0.

    Brigadier General Jay Hood, the military commander at Guantanamo Bay, says U.S. officials have substantiated five cases of mishandling of the Koran by the military, but found no credible evidence that a Koran was placed in a toilet and flushed.

    […]

    “First off, I would like to you know that we have found no credible evidence that a member of the joint task force at Guantanamo Bay ever flushed a Koran down a toilet. We did identify 13 incidents of alleged mishandling of the Koran by joint task force personnel. Ten of those were by a guard, and three by interrogators.”

    He said only five of the 13 instances involved what could be broadly described as mishandling of the Koran. In two cases, he said, the guards were punished.

    Note that we currently are investigating, have previously investigated and have even previously punished our own.

    General Hood said the initial inquiry has also identified 15 instances in which detainees mishandled or inappropriately treated a Koran. One of these incidents was the specific example of a detainee who ripped pages out of his own Koran.

    Note also that the detainees have the lead in mishandling their own holy book.

    Now, how about the specific charge of the Newsweek blunder?

    Earlier this month, Newsweek magazine published an article that said a soon-to-be-released military investigation had found that interrogators at Guantanamo had placed a Koran in a toilet and flushed it down to upset detainees under interrogation. The report was followed by widespread protests throughout the Muslim world. Demonstrations in Afghanistan and Pakistan turned violent and at least 15 people lost their lives.

    Newsweek later retracted the story and said it was based on one government source who now said he could not be sure the military investigation had confirmed the Koran desecration.

    […]

    General Hood said that during the military inquiry into mistreatment of the Koran, investigators questioned the inmate who had told FBI investigators the Koran had been placed in a toilet. The inmate retracted his initial allegations. “We had a very good conversation with him where he said, no, that he wasn’t beaten or abused but that he had heard rumors that other detainees were. We then proceeded to ask him about any incidences where he had seen the Koran defiled, desecrated or mishandled and he allowed as how he hadn’t, but he had heard that guards at some other point in time had done this,” he said.

    The media has repeatedly shown a willingness to print unsubstantiated detainee allegations. One scumbag echoed hearsay. Newsweek combined that with shoddy journalism and it just snowballed from there into riots and deaths.

    General Hood went on to promise details of the specific mishandlings will be made available when the investigation is complete and that policies Koran handling will be reviewed as needed.

    Meanwhile, a confirmed abuse of the Koran, a flushing at that, can be found here, courtesy of Dr. Rusty Shackleford of Jawa Report fame.

  • I Had a Dream

    I had the idea. The market was definitely there and needed to be filled.

    One of the military’s new wartime challenges is dealing with global media that can instantly spread around the world information that may be false or damaging to U.S. interests, Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Wednesday.

    I just missed the boat. Looking at the result, I’m cool with that.

    Inspired by the recent atrocious performance of the mainstream media, I had a thought over the weekend for a new website. I had hoped to gather a group of military veteran bloggers to contribute to a new site, with the planned intention of serving as a counter to negative coverage in the media. I came close to sending out an email to members of my blogroll like Eric, Guy and another Eric.

    I even looked into a possible URL, thinking Covering Fire would be a supportive site name that said, “Hey, guys, we’ve got your back.” It turns out some rock dude has coveringfire.com. I didn’t check to see if he was worth a damn, tied as I am to dial-up at home.

    Anyways, it seems my dream has been pre-empted by bigger names in the blogosphere. Blackfive brings the news that a new site has been launched with the same purpose, though not with the plan of contribution exclusively by military veterans.

    The goal of Media Slander is to hold journalists and bloggers to high ethical standards regarding coverage of the War on Terror and other military-related issues. We plan to achieve this by highlighting bias, rumor and falsehoods that have been creeping into military coverage under the guise of objective news.

    Looking at the bright, shiny new Media Slander, I feel no bitterness that my dream was achieved by others. The goal is, by far, the important matter in this case.

  • Iraqi Family Starts Anew in North Dakota

    Here’s a little bit of good publicity for National Guardsmen, and definitely nobly earned.

    The Iraqi woman had been in hiding with her children since her husband was pulled from his truck and shot in front of one of his sons.

    This weekend, they began a new life, brought to America with help from soldiers who befriended the slain man and were tormented by the idea that their relationship contributed to his death.

    The woman and her seven children arrived in Fargo on two flights Friday and early Saturday. One of the boys greeted waiting North Dakota National Guard soldiers with a cheery ”Hi, guys.”

    The children were presented with gifts, including toys and a soccer ball.

    ”They didn’t kick it,” said Sgt. 1st Class Shayne Beckert. ”They just sat there and stared at it.”

    The Guardsmen have been working on this gift of a new beginning since their return in February. I would imagine this moment was truly magical for them.

    Beckert and a fellow guardsman, Capt. Grant Wilz, worked for months to bring the family to the United States, appealing for help on radio and television and contacting Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D., who helped arrange the trip.

    Pomeroy, who met the family earlier this month during a trip to Iraq, described them as ”bright and strong and wonderful,” and said their resourcefulness would help them adjust to life in the United States.

    Pomeroy said the mother described the journey as ”her birthday … the beginning of a new life.”

    ”This isn’t the end of the story. This is the beginning of the story,” Pomeroy said. ”They don’t know English. They have never seen winter.”

    Wow! Iraq to North Dakota — that’s quite a climate shift. I doubt these new residents will be concerned about global warming in the near future. Methinks the next charitable drive for the Guardsmen will be for parkas and firewood.

    Seriously, this is a touching story. Go read the rest, especially if you have any doubts about who the good guys are in this war.

  • Busy Day, Slow Night

    Not much else tonight, folks. For some reason, either nothing is grabbing me or my heart just ain’t in it. I will leave you with a few things I’ve pondered.

    Army: Soldiers Did Mock Executions

    Some will argue that this is evidence of the barbaric nature of our military. I would argue otherwise — it is evidence that the military, even on items outside the public eye at the time, is investigating and prosecuting as needed. I would also question whether the media would’ve made similar demands in the days back when we had an American media instead of a global one. And yet, even then, the military investigated and prosecuted.


    The Press Closes Ranks

    James Taranto looks at the media fallout of the Newsweek-Quran debacle. I particularly like this gem:

    Allow us to answer the question: Yes, in our opinion, the press should produce more stories–many more than it does–about how great the American military is. When it does so, it should adhere as rigorously to the facts as we expect it to do when it produces stories that make the military look bad.

    Was Darth Vader Born Bad?

    Much has been made over the subtle political statements that can be dug up in Star Wars RotS. Fine, there’s hints. I’ll even admit I notice such things, whether they cast a major pall over my enjoyment or just a minor shadow. Still, in this one, who cares?

    And who especially cares about a Nature vs. Nurture examination of the evil of Darth Vader?!! How silly is this crap?

    Born into slavery on the desert planet Tatooine, Anakin was a mama’s boy raised in a single-parent home never knowing who his father was. Identified by the Jedi as the next big thing, Force-wise, Anakin is whisked away to grow up under the tutelage of such galactic godfathers as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda and Mace Windu.

    Cry me a freakin’ river. The dude may have started out as a candy-ass, but he choked people … to death … with his mind, man. Besides, that was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. If y’all don’t have this case hammered out on a nature/nurture basis, you ain’t ever going to nail Vader down headcase-wise.

    Oh yeah, did I mention it’s fiction?