Back in September of this year, Army Specialist Tommy Turner, a combat medic attached to the 732nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron Detachment 3 convoy, had a run in with an improvised explosive device (IED) that detonated, ripping through his Humvee. As the convoy drove through an underpass in Iraq, an explosively formed projectile filled with [...]
IEDs Still a Problem in Iraq
December 26th, 2009
US National Guard: Defending Dreams and Protecting Freedom
December 21st, 2009
Starting with the Pequot War in 1637, through the present day, the Army National Guard has defended freedom in every war or conflict our nation has fought, making them the oldest of the U.S. armed forces. Happy (belated) 373rd National Guard! Wow, has it really been that long? “Always Ready, Always There.” From the crossing [...]
Afghanistan: Finding the Enemy and Communicating for Safety
December 19th, 2009
Afghanistan continues is the word of the day in my mind. Here’s a recent even from earlier in December. An Afghan-international security force detained a couple of militants in Khowst province, one who was a Haqqani facilitator responsible for the shipment and distribution of weapons to other militant elements in the area. (Nice, huh? No [...]
Don’t Forget the Marine’s Toys for Tots
December 10th, 2009
A Marine tradition continues this year, and I’m asking you to take part. Toys for Tots began in 1947. Major Bill Hendricks (USCR) and a group of Marine Reservists in Los Angeles collected and distributed 5,000 toys to needy children in the area. The original idea was said to come from Bill’s wife, Diane. The [...]
Gates on Afghanistan
December 8th, 2009
On December 3, 2009, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates went before the the House Armed Services and Senate Foreign Relations committees to talk about President Obama’s change in strategy in Afghanistan. It may not be that big of a change (depending on who you ask), but here’s how Gates put it. “We cannot defeat al-Qaida [...]
Iraq Reconstruction Update
December 2nd, 2009
Earlier this November, Army Reserve Soldiers from the 401st Multi-Role Bridge Company of Oklahoma City, Oklahome (under the 844th Engineer Battalion, 194th Engineer Brigade), traveled 300 miles north to bridge the gap across the Tigris River near Hammam Al Alil. They knew that a bridge was needed, but they didn’t know how important the bridge [...]
Afghanistan Update: Getting it Done Without Casualties
December 1st, 2009
An Afghan-international security force detained several suspected militants on November 29, 2009 in Wardak province while pursuing a militant who is a Taliban commander and IED weapons facilitator. The joint security force targeted a compound near the village of Tagab in the Sayed Abad district after intelligence sources indicated militant activity. They searched the compound [...]