What’s happening in Honduras now?

PajamasTV sent Chris Burgard to Tegucigalpa, Honduras to find out what’s happening there.  He recently arrived and filed his first report via Skype.  You can watch it here.  Seems Hondurans have a special nickname for CNN.

9:08 pm EDT

One step closer to home

ArmyBro departed Camp Lightning and landed in Kabul.

11:45 pm EDT

Happy Independence Day!

Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it. ~Thomas Paine

Soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines understand that freedom isn’t free.  The rest of us must also do our part to protect individual liberty and independence from an ever increasing and intrusive government.  Find a Tea Party near you.  Go to it, at least for a little while.  Then, have a family picnic, watch fireworks, and be thankful you live in The United States of America.

12:20 am EDT

It’s a wonderful day in the neighborhood

All spider babies have returned safely from vacation.

AND

It’s about time

Sonic Must Die:  Death to the Hedgehog!

GEN McChrystal has taken command in Afghanistan, and one of the first things he began to do is look at the way that troops are currently disposed and the planned dispositions of incoming “surge” troops around the country. Under the former commander, existing FOBs were being expanded to make room for the influx of new troops. This often had unintended but not completely unforeseen consequences. This was a continuation of the Big Box FOB behavior which has proven unsuccessful in the past.
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GEN McChrystal appears to be willing to challenge assumptions and question accepted patterns of behavior. Moving out of the hedgehogs and out into the villages and valleys to be close to the population would produce significantly different results than have been seen to this point.

UPDATE (Related):  A discussion on whether GPF (General Purpose Forces) should be attached to SOF in Afghanistan, or vice versa.   From Mongo’s Montreaux, in Iraq:

If, in our current COIN fights, SOF/GPF integration is so all-fired important, let’s turn the paradigm around: let’s attach infantry companies (commanded by captains) to SF companies (commanded by majors). Better yet, let’s attach infantry battalions to SF Groups and SEAL Teams. That would ensure that the forces are integrated. Of course, the infantry guys would be ruined forever (from thier commander’s point of view) because they’d learn to think for themselves, would prioritize mission accomplishment over placating the command, and would go to the gym and do PT in any clothes they wanted (the horror, the horror).

I can’t speak for ArmyBro, but based on discussions with him I think his thoughts would be inline with Boss Mongo’s.  Why screw with the effectiveness of SOF by putting them under command of Conventional Forces that are “regimented, hierarchical, and inflexible”?  ArmyBro’s team experienced one incident I think proves the point that commanders would stroke out if Conventional Forces were exposed to SOF.  The command flew in people specifically to, politely put, straighten out the ETT because they were *gasp* wearing ballcaps instead of boonie hats or soft caps on the COP, in addition to only shaving every second or third day .  Never mind that the team’s only water supply was bottled, and their daily hygiene was provided via baby wipes.  Word is that incoming soldiers have been told to stay away from the team as they’ve “gone native.”  LOL   If commanders don’t want soldiers around a couple of harmless old (sorry ArmyBro) National Guard guys, they sure as heck won’t want them around SOF.

Frankly, I’m hoping General McChrystal’s strategy includes getting rid of the FOBBITS who’re more concerned with strictly implementing Army regulations regarding uniforms, reflective belts, and the like in a war zone.  Maybe then we’ll begin to be able to turn Afghanistan around.

(all via The Dawn Patrol)

1:02 pm EDT

Operation Eagle’s Feather

Polish troops managed to capture twenty-nine Taliban fighters and seize machine guns, mortars, explosives and equipment for setting land mines. They also destroyed antennas in Ghazni, southeast Afghanistan, which the Taliban used to communicate with supporters in Pakistan.

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“The operation was a huge success,” said Dariusz Kacperczyk, spokesman for the Polish Operational Command. Polish soldiers who participated in the offensive are euphoric. “We finally started fighting. No longer do we just defend ourselves, but attack the enemy,” say the soldiers.

Way to go guys! Keep it up.

12:37 pm EDT

Someday

Nazanin-Someday ( 2009 Iran Election)

“I have a new solution.  It’s called progressive revolution.  And someday is right now.”  From Someday by Nazanin

via a Twitter feed from inside Iran on June 17.

5:39 pm EDT

Help Soldiers’ Angels win a social media makeover

I sent an email out yesterday about the $25,000 social media makeover contest in which Soldiers’ Angels is a contestant.  Soldiers’ Angels has moved up to second place!  In case you forgot to vote (or have more than one email address ) consider this a reminder.

Pass this around to friends and family and ask them to vote too.  When you help Soldiers’ Angels, you help support the troops.

11:57 am EDT

Rain, rain go away!

You’ve done enough damage for one day.

My morning coffee was rudely interrupted with this…

Care Packages

I’m thinking it would be wise not to send any more care packages or mail after this Friday, June 12th.

10:11 pm EDT