Today I went up to Camp Casey to watch the Second Infantry Division change of command ceremony. I’ve been to a few of these, but this one was quite impressive. Seeing the famous 2ID warriors in formation and marching in review was pretty awe inspiring. Major General John Morgan accepted the unit’s colors from LTG Valcourt and I’m thinking he’s going to be a great leader. Met him a couple of times (well, been in the same meetings anyway) and he always impressed me. So congratulations and I’m sure he will carry on the 2ID tradition of being “Second to None”!

Damn, it was cold up there this morning. I wore my long underwear but couldn’t find my gloves this morning. I did alright, except for my feet which lost feeling during a ceremony that lasted almost two hours (plus one hour waiting for it to start). So, I told myself not to be a pussy and remembered the stories of the Soldiers at Chipyong-ni during the Korean war, and it wasn’t so bad. Except for my feet. Did I mention it was cold?

So, what are you going to do after a cold day in the field? You are going to come home and bake! Oatmeal raisin cookies to be precise. And while they are baking why not fix yourself a couple of hearty bbq pork sandwiches? Wanna see?

I may not have any money, but tonight I had some dough…

Hot out of the oven and they taste better than the look. Here, let me upload the smell. Oh, we don’t have the technology for that do we? Sorry.

What did you think I meant when I said bbq pork? That I actually barbecued it? Duh. This is the 21st century! I DEFROSTED it all by myself though!

Ok, time to digest. Later all!

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Today I had the honor of attending a very solemn and moving repatriation ceremony for the remains of six soldiers returned from North Korea this week. General B.B. Bell, Commander, United Nations Command/Combined Forces Command/United States Forces Korea, made the following remarks:

Fifty-seven years ago, in response to an unprovoked attack by North
Korea, twenty-one contributing nations sent tens of thousands of Servicemembers to the aid of the Republic of Korea.

In the three years of bitter fighting that followed, millions of civilians and military personnel lost their lives and the Republic of Korea was left with fractured families and destroyed infrastructure — but also with its freedom.

In the five decades since, this great nation has become a technologically advanced, world economic power with a modern democracy. The Republic of Korea is the envy of much of the world.

This is the reason we honor these heroes who lie before us today. It was their selfless service and ultimate sacrifice that saved this nation, giving the people of the Republic of Korea an opportunity to forge their destiny and achieve their dreams.

However forensics determines their nation of origin — the United States, Korea or other United Nations contributing nations — these Servicemembers were great patriots, rising to the call to defend liberty and justice in the face of aggression.

Today, we are honored and humbled to receive their remains. The word “repatriate” – to return to one’s own country - has a very special meaning for American Servicemembers, who today often spend many years overseas separated from their families. They have been promised that should they lose their lives in a foreign land, we will honor their sacrifice, keep faith with their fellow warriors and families, and bring them home. This morning for these warriors, we are keeping that promise.

It is also fitting that we give our deepest appreciation to our United Nations Command Servicemembers who continue to serve on the Korean peninsula in defense of the noble principles of liberty and democracy. Your presence is an enduring legacy to those who fought and those who lost their lives in securing this nation’s sovereignty. Your duty is testimony that freedom is not free and demonstrates your willingness to sacrifice to preserve our freedoms. Your selfless service is honorable and laudable and we all owe you a debt of gratitude.

Finally, to our gallant fallen warriors before us – we mourn your loss; we salute your sacrifice. Your heroic fight freed a nation and its people. It was just and proper. The Republic of Korea has honored your deaths by becoming a shining beacon of hope for all nations struggling for freedom and democracy. May your spirits now be comforted as you begin your final journey home. Our thoughts and prayers follow your journey.

Godspeed brave ones. May god continue to bless your souls. Thank you.

Also in attendance was Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico who was part of the delegation who retrieved the bodies.

Each of the countries who make up the United Nations Command was represented at the ceremony. It was interesting to see the dress uniforms of the Aussies, Canadians, French, Swedes and others all in one place. I didn’t realize before today that even Colombia had a contingent in Korea.

After General Bell’s remarks, the soldiers were honored with a 21-gun salute, the playing of taps, and pall bearers from several nations carrying the caskets from the auditorium.

I have been to several Honor Guard ceremonies in my time here, but this was a very different experience. It really brought home the fact that so many made the ultimate sacrafice in defense of freedom. It is easy to forget as we make our way about this vibrant and fascinating country the price that was paid so that the people of the Republic of Korea might live in peace. This gift is the legacy of all who fought here and all that have followed to preserve what we all too frequently take for granted.

I was proud and honored to bear witness to these brave soldiers that their deaths were not in vain.

They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old…at the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.

–Lawrence Binyon

Korean War Memorial, Washington, DC

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My buddy Rob left a great comment to an earlier post, but I think it deserves stand alone attention:

Holy cow! Gabby Johnson is right, that’s an awful lot of Won for some Pyong…or is Pyong something totally different from what I’m thinking? Just kidding. You guys are suckers though. The Army sent me to Baghdad and they picked up the cost for the flight! They gave me some new gear for free! I was given half of a small trailer to live in that can’t be any less than 2 Pyong..you talk about a palace! Then these fools pay me extra money for being over here. The only thing they asked for in return was that I work 13 hour days, take one day off a month, and take my chances with incoming rockets, mortars, and gunfire…and any possible IEDs I may encounter on any patrols I go out on! Now that is a sweet deal. I can’t believe more people don’t leave their families behind for a crack at this fun. Well I’m off to buy a fan in preparation for the inevitible summer heat. They say it is just like the Bahamas here during the summer. Then I’ve got to get some of their awesome cuisine that is almost as good as chicken on a stick from Itaewon…delicious! Take care John…Rob!

Damn, and I thought things were tough in the sandbox. You know, Rob was one of the first friends I made in Korea and it really makes me happy to know he is keeping his sense of humor in difficult circumstances. I’ve almost forgiven him for buying me my first soju kettle. Almost. Anway, Rob is good soldier doing an important job and I am thankful for his service to our nation. Hang in there, man.

Pictures from our Independence Day party in 2005:

Rob cutting the cheese.

Me and my “little brother”.

Rob is also known as “Lucky”…

Anyway, you are missed and we’ll all be glad to see you home again safe and sound.

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Don’t know how I happened to miss this story at the time, but today I read about the most recent Medal of Honor awarded to a veteran of the Korean War. More than 50 years later President Bush recognized Tibor Rubin for his bravery above and beyond the call of duty. Lots of interesting wrinkles, like the fact that Mr. Rubin was a citizen of Hungary, a Jewish concentration camp survivor, and that serving in the US Army was the fulfillment of a vow he made in 1945. Read this amazing story here.

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Captain’s Quarters has a guest blog today from Senator John McCain. I think his words are especially important as he seems as likely to be a strong contender for the Republican Presidential nomination in 2008. He has some strong criticism of President Clinton’s failed policies and those who are calling for a return to a “carrot and no stick” approach with Kim, Jung-il, including Hillary Clinton.

I’m going to beg the Captains indulgence and reprint McCain’s words in their entirety here:

Korea doubts the world’s resolve. It is testing South Korea, China, Russia, Japan, and the United States. They launched seven missiles in July, and were criticized by the Security Council, but suffered no serious sanction. We have talked and talked about punishing their bad behavior. They don’t believe we have the resolve to do it. We must prove them wrong.

I am encouraged by the Security Council’s swift and strong condemnation of the act on Monday, but the permanent members must now follow up our words with action. We must impose Chapter 7 sanctions with teeth, as President Bush has proposed.

China has staked its prestige as an emerging great power on its ability to reason with North Korea, keep them engaged with the six party negotiations, and make progress toward a diplomatic resolution of this crisis. North Korea has now challenged them as directly as they challenge South Korea, Japan, Russia and the U.S. It is not in China’s interest or our interest to have a nuclear arms race in Asia, but that is where we’re headed. If China intends to be a force for stability in Asia, then it must do more than rebuke North Korea. It must show Pyongyang that it cannot sustain itself as a viable state with aggressive actions and in isolation from the entire world.

They have missiles, and now they claim to have tested a nuclear device. Eventually they will have the technology to put warheads on missiles. That is a grave threat to South Korea, Japan and the United States that we cannot under any circumstances accept. North Korea also has a record of transferring weapons technology to other rogue nations, such as Iran and Syria.

The President is right to call on the Council to impose a military arms embargo, financial and trade sanctions, and, most importantly, the right to interdict and inspect all cargo in and out of North Korea. I hope the Council quickly adopts these sanctions, and that all members enforce them.

The worst thing we could do is accede to North Korea’s demand for bilateral talks. When has rewarding North Korea’s bad behavior ever gotten us anything more than worse behavior?

I would remind Senator Hillary Clinton and other Democrats critical of Bush Administration policies that the framework agreement her husband’s administration negotiated was a failure. The Koreans received millions in energy assistance. They diverted millions in food assistance to their military. And what did they do? They secretly enriched uranium.

Prior to the agreement, every single time the Clinton Administration warned the Koreans not to do something — not to kick out the IAEA inspectors, not to remove the fuel rods from their reactor — they did it. And they were rewarded every single time by the Clinton Administration with further talks. We had a carrots and no sticks policy that only encouraged bad behavior. When one carrot didn’t work, we offered another.

This isn’t just about North Korea. Iran is watching this test of the Council’s will, and our decisions will surely influence their response to demands that they cease their nuclear program. Now, we must, at long last, stop reinforcing failure with failure.

BTW, if you are not a regular reader of Captain’s Quarters you are missing out on some of the best political insights and commentary out there.

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I’ve occasionally shared emails from the former 8th Army Chief of Staff, Ranger Bill. He’s just completed 14 months in Iraq and I think his insights on the experience add some perspective to the daily dose of gloom and doom we get spoon fed from the MSM. He doesn’t sugarcoat things (as anybody who worked for him can attest), but he makes it clear which side is winning:

Hi Gang.

Left Iraq on Saturday, 29 JUL 06, and thought I would share some final observations as I look back on the past 14 months. I’m currently processing through Ft Bliss, and should be home on Thursday.

Al Qaida is wounded and is lashing out. Although not defeated, our operations have significantly degraded their leadership capability. They are having success in killing Shia civilians, which gives the Shia militias an excuse to murder Sunnis in retaliation. This sectarian militia violence poses the largest threat to the stability of Iraq, and therefore we are focusing much of our effort against the various militias.

Despite the impression given by much of the press, we don’t ride and walk around all day waiting to be blown up by an IED. Our intelligence enables us to conduct raids every day and every night to kill or capture specific targets, which in turn leads to more intelligence. Concurrently we are training the Iraqi Army, which is becoming quite good at accepting battlespace from us and taking the lead in the fight. We still have a number of challenges training the police. We turned over the security of the first province to the Iraqi security forces, and will steadily add provinces this fall.

Caught up in the day to day operations, casualties, and events of this fight, it is easy to become mired in the belief that we are not making progress. One has to occasionally step back from the current fight and assess how far we have come. Since my arrival in May 05, the Iraqis have written and ratified a Constitution, elected a government in a free, democratic process, and made significant progress in developing a capable Army. We have inflicted significant damage on Al Qaida and its leadership, and have prevented them from gaining the initiative. Much work has been done to rebuild the infrastructure that received no attention during Saddam’s regime.

However, we still have a tough fight ahead of us. We are focusing on disarming or destroying the militias and securing Baghdad, while concurrently continuing to pound Al Qaida. The Government leaders have said the right things, but now need to follow through with action. They must take concrete steps to unify Iraq and eliminate sectarian violence. They have about six months to get it right and show some progress. Our DOD, DOS, and DOJ advisors are working hard to make it happen.

I think it is important to remember that Al Qaida chose to fight us in Iraq, not the other way around. We are their main effort, and their senior leadership understands what is at stake in Iraq. It’s about defeating the United States and establishing a base of operations in the Middle East from which to continue their terrorist quest to establish a caliphate that reaches across North Africa and into Europe, increasing their chances for successful strikes against the U.S. homeland. America needs to wake up and understand that we have more at stake as a country in this fight than we did in WW II. Losing Iraq will provide Al Qaida a significant base of operations and the psychological edge to continue to attack America and enlist allies in their cause. Conversely, defeating Al Qaida in Iraq and establishing a democracy with an economy embracing capitalism will start to unravel the repressive regimes of the Middle East that provide the support base Al Qaida so desperately needs.

As I close out this tour, I would be remiss if I did not mention one of the great Americans carrying this fight to the enemy, GEN George Casey. In June he began his third year as the overall commander in Iraq. The continuity he provides in both defeating the enemy and building a democratic Iraq cannot be underestimated. He is shouldering a heavy burden for our country, and America owes him a heavy debt of gratitude. It was my honor to serve with him on both ends of my career. With him the entire tour has been another outstanding Soldier, CSM Jeff Mellinger, an NCO who truly exemplifies the NCO and Ranger Creeds as he moves around Iraq checking on the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines who are doing the heavy lifting.

As I depart, I will miss the great young Americans who do our country’s tough work every day and every night. Their selfless service, dedication, teamwork, camaraderie, and humor in the face of adversity are beacons for all Americans to follow. I will miss the smile on an Iraqi child’s face when we open her new school, and the satisfaction our engineers have when they provide potable water to a village. I will miss the determination of the Iraqi people to risk death in order to exercise their right to vote. I will miss the NCO Corps, truly the backbone of our Army and the single characteristic that distinguishes our Army from every other army in the world. The NCOs guarantee us victory in every endeavor. I won’t miss the rear echelon military bureaucracy we have created to support this operation, despite the valiant efforts of outstanding staff officers and NCOs to fight through it and accomplish the mission. I won’t miss performing or attending memorial services. I thought I had attended my last one on Sunday, but we had another Soldier killed by an IED four days before I left. Losing these great young Americans has become progressively harder each of my 31 years in this business. I guess it has a cumulative effect.

We have made an astounding amount of progress in the past 14 months, and are on the edge of winning this fight. The next six months will be decisive. We will destroy the militias and continue to decimate Al Qaida. Our biggest challenge is to get this new Government to step up to the plate, begin cleaning out the corruption, and take decisive steps in securing its people. Concurrently we must help them fight the growing Iranian influence. It is a tough fight, but the Iraqis can do it as long as America does not lose its resolve. With what is at stake for us, we cannot afford to.

Thanks for the support and the prayers this past 14 months; they work. Please keep the kids I left behind in your prayers until we can finish this job and bring them home.

Stay safe.

Bill

Thank you for your service, sir.

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My awe and respect for these men and women is boundless.

Loved the sign in the truck window that said “one weekend a month, my ass!”.

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Another indication of low morale? You be the judge….

Via GIKorea.

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It’s been a long time since I have relied exclusively on the news media’s biased reporting concerning our progress in the GWOT (or anything else for that matter). I prefer the unfilitered perspectives of those who are on the scene, Iraqis and soldiers. Yesterday I got an email from Ranger Bill, the COL I reported through when I first arrived in Korea. He is retiring later this year but volunteered to spend his last year in uniform serving in Iraq. He’s no bullshitter. Here’s the scoop from the front lines:

Sorry it has been five months since my last update, but then, we have been busy. Let me give you the bottomline up front (BLUF), and then catch you up on things. Feel free to forward this to whomever, since we still can’t seem to get the press to tell folks what is going on. This is how the fight is going from my foxhole, and it is much more than the bombings, US casualties, and rumors of civil war the press seems to be focused on.

BLUF: We are not, and have not been, on the verge of civil war. We have had an increase in killings by militia groups in the past five weeks, and that is not helping get the new government seated, but we (the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and Coalition Forces) are far from losing control.

As you probably noted, Al Qaida and the other insurgent groups were not able to mount a Tet like offensive this past fall. Iraqi and US operations prevented them from organizing major attacks, and the ISF did a superb job of securing the polling sites. Iraq ratified a constitution and conducted a credible election. Although the Iraqis face some significant challenges forming the new government, the basics of democracy are present and taking root.

Saddam’s trial is making progress, albeit painfully slowly. The new judge is ensuring the defendants receive due process and a fair trial, while eliminating their ability to turn the trial into a political circus. Saddam’s and the others’ security continue to be one of my personal headaches, so I am a big fan of keeping the trial moving.

2006 is the Year of the Police, which means our focus is to get the Iraqi police forces trained and operational. We continue to work to rebuild the Iraqi Army, which assumes responsibility for more battle space each week. It is the ability of the Iraqi Army to take the fight to the enemy that allowed us to turn off two US replacement brigades at the end of 2005. The Iraqi Army is having successes and failures, but is steadily improving. Recently they have conducted a number of truly outstanding operations, both in conjunction with us and on their own. The police are not as far along, hence our focus on them in 2006. What you don’t see in the media is the tremendous courage of most of the Soldiers, Policemen, and Judges who take significant risk each day to bring stability to their country. I lost an Iraqi friend last week who was the leader of the security of the prison where we send our convicted terrorists to serve their sentences. Another equally brave corrections officer stepped up immediately to take his place.

The fight against Al Qaida is going well. They have chosen to make Iraq the battleground against the US, and this has enabled us to kill or capture significant numbers of their senior leadership, and put a dent in their funding. They believe they can prevail by killing US Soldiers, and waiting for the US public to tire of the war and casualties, and bring us home. As I talk to Soldiers around Iraq, they overwhelmingly believe in what they are doing and why they are doing it. They know they are winning, and are frustrated by what they see and hear in the news about America questioning why we are here. In my opinion, it is much better to fight these terrorists in Iraq vice in the US.

Our counterinsurgency strategy continues to focus on: offensive operations to kill or capture insurgents; train and reinforce the Iraqi Army and police forces to conduct the counterinsurgency; establish a strong democratic Iraqi government; and rebuild the infrastructure and economy. The interagency process is working fairly well in Baghdad (Washington could take a lesson), with most of my contacts being with the Departments of State and Justice. One of our two largest challenges is to get the Sunnis, Shia, and Kurds to work together. No one party/sect has a majority in the newly elected Council of Representatives, so learning to compromise and put together alliances in the government will be key to success. Who is selected to head the Ministries of Defense and Interior (police) is also key; we really need individuals who are secular, and are clearly not tied to any of the various militia groups. The militias are the other major challenge to success here. We will have to disarm them, weed them out of the government, and neutralize their ability to terrorize the citizens of Iraq. This will be at least as challenging as getting the major sects to work together, but not impossible. On top of these two challenges, we have the Iranian influence to combat. Our neighbors to the east are intent on destroying this attempt at democracy, and infiltrate and support terrorists at every opportunity. The Judiciary continues to be a success story, and it remains strongly independent and resistant to executive branch influence. As a side note, we got our first death sentence in a Coalition case this week; one of the Al Qaida terrorists who participated in the beheading of Nick Berg.

I could not have been prouder than to spend my final Thanksgiving and Christmas in uniform with the outstanding young Americans who are serving here as Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines. Thanksgiving morning dawned clear and crisp at 45 degrees with a 20 knot wind. Although it was warm by Minnesota and Korea standards, it was chilly for the desert as we donned our body armor and loaded our HMMWVs for the convoy to Abu Ghraib. Had a great dinner in the mess hall there with the Soldiers, and spent the afternoon checking fighting positions and guard towers. That evening I spent some talking with the joint service members of our intelligence unit, a section of which is dedicated to finding our one MIA, SGT Keith Maupin. They are out on missions each week, intent on bringing him home.

Troop morale continues to remain high. The Soldiers can see the difference they are making, whether killing bad guys, training the Iraqi forces, or improving the living conditions for Iraqis. They can no longer give beanie babies to the kids, because Al Aqaida has taken to placing explosives in them, giving them to kids, blowing their arms off or killing them, and blaming the Americans. This is a tough fight, and we are once again up against an enemy who has no moral compass. Our kids continue to excel at every mission, and are undaunted in their task. If anyone has any doubts about this generation, they can erase them. 2006 will be a decisive year. We have the opportunity to do a battle handoff to the Iraqis for the lead in the counterinsurgency fight, and begin to reduce our combat presence. Concurrently, we must continue to coach and mentor the Iraqi Government as it continues its journey toward democracy. We will need to be here for awhile, but my assessment is that this is the make or break year. I’m betting on our Soldiers and the Iraqi people.

Take heart, we are winning.

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I’m still here, just hunkered down trying to keep warm. Sorry for the lack of posts, but unless you want to hear about my CIV gaming or what I’m watching on TV, there’s just nothing to report right now.

I do have this to share from the Mudville Gazette. Please take a few moments to read this father’s tribute to his soldier son. We have all been treated to Cindy Sheehan’s views courtesy of our MSM friends, but we don’t hear much about people like this.

I’ll be back.

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More words of wisdom from the good doctor:

Dean says the Democrat position on the war is ‘coalescing,’ and is likely to include several proposals.
“I think we need a strategic redeployment over a period of two years,” Dean said. “Bring the 80,000 National Guard and Reserve troops home immediately. They don’t belong in a conflict like this anyway.

As Dorkafork at INDC notes:

Dean apparently doesn’t know that the Guard and Reserves contain many of the specialties needed in Iraq:

Civil Affairs soldiers are the field commander’s link to the civil authorities in his area of operation. With specialists in every area of the government, they can assist a host government meet its people’s needs and maintain a stable and viable civil administration.

Civil Affairs soldiers possess unique training, skills and experience. Since the majority of the Civil Affairs forces are in the Reserve component, these soldiers bring to the Army finely honed skills practiced daily in the civilian sector such as judges, physicians, bankers, health inspectors and fire chiefs.

The Democratic National Committee Chairman believes these forces “don’t belong” in this sort of conflict.

My daughter is a Civil Affairs Specialist in the Reserves and has done two deployments to Afghanistan in the past 3 years. These unsung heros are playing a key role in rebuilding infrastructure and establishing civil government in these countries. It sickens me that the leader of the opposition party is so clueless and for purely political purposes advocates a course of action that would almost surely result in unravelling so much of what we have achieved.

I guess I have a low tolerance for ignorance generally. But willful ingnorance to this degree is simply inexcusable. I take solace in the fact that most Americans recognize a fool when they see one. Still, Dr. Dean makes me want to scream “Yeaharrrrrrrrrrrrgh”.

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I sometimes grow weary of defending what should be obvious. I am kinda at the point of saying either you get it or you don’t. Ben Stein makes the point in The American Spectator that surrender in Iraq (and that’s what the Democrats call for pulling out our troops represents) is not an option:

It is not just a guess, but a certainty that if the U.S. were to abruptly withdraw from Iraq, as the Democrats are urging us to do, there would be a bloodbath in Iraq far worse than what we have seen so far. There would be outright civil war, large scale massacres of civilian populations beyond what we have seen by an order of magnitude, and a Middle East in chaos as Iran, the Kurds, and the Sunnis fought it out for land and oil and power. The word of the United States would be mud. Is this really what the Democrats want? Can they really contemplate with calm equanimity the mass murders that will follow a sudden U.S. withdrawal?

I see a frightening pattern here: the Democrats wanted us out of Vietnam, and never mind the genocide that followed. The Democrats want us out of Iraq and never mind that the Baathists will fill the vacuum and all Iraq will be screaming in pain except the murderers, who will exult — especially Osama bin Laden. Can it be that the Democrats really want to surrender to the same man who killed 3,000 civilians on 9/11 and laughed about it? Are we so weak that in only four years, after a war smaller in casualties than many unknown battles of the Civil War, we are already eager to surrender to the man who murdered women and children and made terrified couples hold hands and leap to their deaths from the World Trade Center? If so, there really is little hope for us as a people. My prayer is that careful reflection will convince the Democrats that while we are all unhappy about the war, war is hell, and surrender is far worse. Maybe the Copperheads in the Democrat party, like those who wanted appeasement of the slave owners one hundred and forty years ago, will be a minority, and those who want to keep up the fight for human decency will prevail even as the Neville Chamberlains speak of peace at any price.

I have a voluminous correspondence with soldiers and Marines in Iraq. To a man and woman, they do not want to walk away and make their comrades’ deaths meaningless. They hate the war. They hate the dying. They grieve. So do their families. But they believe in their mission and they do not want their brothers’ losses to be in vain. Their voices should be listened to.

Speaking of getting it, clearly the majority of the American people do. This poll from the Washington Post warmed my heart:

Democrats fumed last week at Vice President Cheney’s suggestion that criticism of the administration’s war policies was itself becoming a hindrance to the war effort. But a new poll indicates most Americans are sympathetic to Cheney’s point.

Seventy percent of people surveyed said that criticism of the war by Democratic senators hurts troop morale — with 44 percent saying morale is hurt “a lot,” according to a poll taken by RT Strategies. Even self-identified Democrats agree: 55 percent believe criticism hurts morale, while 21 percent say it helps morale.

The results surely will rankle many Democrats, who argue that it is patriotic and supportive of the troops to call attention to what they believe are deep flaws in President Bush’s Iraq strategy. But the survey itself cannot be dismissed as a partisan attack. The RTs in RT Strategies are Thomas Riehle, a Democrat, and Lance Tarrance, a veteran GOP pollster.

Their poll also indicates many Americans are skeptical of Democratic complaints about the war. Just three of 10 adults accept that Democrats are leveling criticism because they believe this will help U.S. efforts in Iraq. A majority believes the motive is really to “gain a partisan political advantage.”

This poll is one of the few pieces of supportive news the administration has had lately on Iraq. Most surveys have shown significant majorities believe it was a mistake to go to war, as well as rising sentiment that Bush misled Americans in making the case for it.

Even so, there is still support for Bush’s policy going forward. A plurality, 49 percent, believe that troops should come home only when the Iraqi government can provide for its own security, while 16 percent support immediate withdrawal, regardless of the circumstances.

Via LGF

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Amid all the hoopla as the mainstream press and America-haters all but celebrate the milestone of 2000 deaths in Iraq, I have seen next to nothing written about what the ultimate sacrafice of these brave troops has accomplished. Well, the liberation of 27 million is no small thing. But that’s just me talking, and I’m not there and no one in my family has given their life for a free Iraq, so who am I to say it has been worth it?

CPL Jeffrey B. Starr did go to Iraq. Three times. And did not return alive. His name was featured in the New York Times “grim milestone” piece, but oddly enough the Times chose not to include the words from a letter to CPL Starr’s girlfriend discovered when his laptop was returned to his family. Since CPL Starr gave his life in the service of his country, I will let his words speak for me on whether what we are doing in Iraq is worth the cost:

Obviously if you are reading this then I have died in Iraq. I kind of predicted this, that is why I’m writing this in November. A third time just seemed like I’m pushing my chances. I don’t regret going, everybody dies but few get to do it for something as important as freedom. It may seem confusing why we are in Iraq, it’s not to me. I’m here helping these people, so that they can live the way we live. Not have to worry about tyrants or vicious dictators. To do what they want with their lives. To me that is why I died. Others have died for my freedom, now this is my mark.

I understand that many people can’t grasp the ideals for which CPL Starr gave his life. I sometimes wish that it was not our nations place in history to be defenders of liberty. But if not us, then who? With great power, comes great responsibility. To turn our backs on tyranny and oppression would do dishonor to the generations of Americans who have died in defense of freedom throughout the world. And who can honestly dispute that a free Iraq and Afghanistan makes the world (and selfishly the U.S.) a safer place?

Rest in peace, CPL Starr. It WAS worth it.

Hat Tip: Michelle Malkin

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Today was the big event to honor the USFK Civilians of the Year. GEN LaPorte did the presentations, we also had the Honor Guard and Army band. Ok, I admit it. I eat that stuff up. It was all very impressive, we had great weather, and I think the honorees were very moved by the ceremony. Afterwards, we had a nice reception at the Dragon Hill Lodge. GEN LaPorte and LTG Campbell both came by and were very gracious. This is a big deal and a lot of work goes it to making it happen. When I first got to Korea I was told you DON’T WANT TO SCREW THIS UP! A predecessor some years back had, and her time in Korea ended shortly thereafter. Anyway, Corine and Ms. Yi on my team took the lead on covering all the details and did an outstanding job. As their supervisor I get some reflected glory, but I counted on them and they did not let me down.

Speaking of LTG Campbell, I was with him yesterday too at the quarterly Korean Employees Union luncheon. He gave some insights on Secretary Rumsfeld’s visit, which I am not at liberty to share here. He did say the SECDEF left the peninsula in high spirits. So take that as you will.

I’ve praised the KEU in the past as the most professional union I have had the opportunity to work with, and I’ve been in this business for longer than I care to admit (ok, 25 years). At the conclusion of the luncheon, Mr. Kang, In Sik, the President of the union, presented LTG Campbell with 37 million Won his membership had donated for the victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Campbell said that this was a further demonstration of the genorisity of the Korean people, and he told Mr. Kang that people in the US and especially the Gulf coast would appreciate and remember the helping hand of our friends in Korea.

LTG Campbell also told us that he had attended a Korean Methodist Church on Sunday and the Pastor asked him to address the congregation. He related how 50 years ago young Americans came to an unfamiliar land to fight for the freedom of a people they did not know. And today Korea has risen from the ruins of that devastating war to become a powerful nation, both ecomomically and militarily. And the Korean nation has also matured diplomatically to the point where today young Koreans are deployed to an unfamiliar land to fight for the freedom of a people they don’t know. And 50 years from now the citizens of Iraq and Afghanistan will remember those sacrafices made on their behalf.

In case you haven’t guessed, I am really glad that I have had the opportunity to be here and witness first hand all the good we have done for our Korean brothers and to see them stand up for the cause of freedom. HooAh!

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Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend a “town hall” meeting with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. It was quite the event here on Yongsan. The town hall was intended for soldiers and their families, but they let a few of us civilians attend too. I had a great seat and view, even had the opportunity to reach out and shake his hand after the event, but I demured to allow the folks in uniform that honor.

It was a pep talk for the troops for the most part, but a couple of points the SECDEF made resonated with me. First, our troops are doing an amazing job in Iraq. And job one right now is getting the Iraqi security forces trained up and ready to assume responsibilty for defending Iraq. He said there are now more than 200,000 in the field with more coming on each day. He also noted that it was primarily the Iraqi forces who successfully provided security for last weeks contitution voting.

He also made the point that Iraq is now a sovriegn nation and attacks there are not attacks on an occupying army, but are attacks against Iraq. And the Iraqi people are increasingly taking the lead on dealing with the insurgents head on. We will stay as long as the government of Iraq wants our assistance, but the utlimate responsibilty for secruing the peace depends on the courage and willingess of the Iraqis to confront those among them who prefer violence to democracy. Rumsfeld said that calls to tip lines identifying terrorist hideouts have gone off the charts recently, which is a good sign that we have turned an important corner in this effort.

I also thought his comments regarding the Korean war were noteworthy. He said when President Truman left office in 1952 his approval rating was around 25%. People were questioning why Americans were dying to defend democracy on the other side of the world. Today, Truman is rightfully considered a great leader and the ROK has the world’s tenth largest economy in terms of GNP. No one questions that our efforts here were worth it, even at the cost of 40,000 American lives. Rumsfeld believes (and I concur) that in 50 years no one will question that whether our involvement in bringing freedom to Iraq was worthwhile.

During the questions and answer session, a soldier asked why we were not doing a better job in countering the media portrayal of our efforts in Iraq. Rumsfeld acknowledged that our enemy is a master at manipulating the media. He said we cannot be defeated on the battlefield, so our enemies are working to undermine the will of the people to pursue the war. He recalled how Mark Twain had said “a lie travels the world three times before truth gets its boots on”. The answer to this problem is to rely on the collective wisdom of a free and democratic people to listen and watch and come to the right decision. He said throughout our history Americans have demonstrated this ability to discern the truth. He noted that this is the first war were we had things like the Internet and other forms of mass communication. And while the media has been manipulated, he is confident that people will ultimately recongize what is really happening.

I hope he is right about that. I know when I talk to people who only get their news of the world from MSM sources, they tend to be much more negative about our prospects in defeating the terrorists. I always encourage them to seek out other sources, like blogs from soldiers on the scene or blogs written by Iraqis. You get a completely different perspective on just how much better things really are, and how each day brings us closer to achieving our goals.

Anyway, it was a very uplifting afternoon and it was great to join the troops is some rousing “hooAhs”.

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I had the honor of working with a Colonel during my first couple of months in Korea. He volunteered for Iraq and recently sent the following email:

A little slow today (not necessarily a bad thing), so I’ll try to bring you up to date on what we are doing over here. Apologize for the length.

Was up in Kurdistan in northeastern Iraq two weeks ago on a recon for future operations. It is quite different from the desert part of Iraq. It is rolling, grass covered hills that turn into mountains as you approach the border with Iran. The Kurdish people also have a different approach than the general Arab population. They are much more direct in their dealings, and have more drive to get the task done. Because of this, and the fact that we did not do much fighting in that region, their infrastructure is well ahead of what we find in most of the rest of Iraq. It is also one of the issues the Iraqi Constitutional Committee will have to resolve as they struggle with the concept of federalism. We had a little down time before our meeting with the Kurdistan Minister of the Interior, so our interpreter took us to the site of the former Ba’athist police HQs and prison, which is being turned into the Kurdish version of a holocaust museum. There are over 182,000 Kurds who just “disappeared” when Sadam purged the border areas, and that does not include the 5000 killed in the chemical attack on Halabja or the other atrocities committed over the past three decades. It was good for the young Soldiers (and some of us old Soldiers) to see first hand why we are here, and why we are helping the Iraqis to fight the insurgents.

I also had a chance to tour the prison part of Abu Ghraib while I was there working some of the issues with our detention facility. Sadam executed 4000 there in AUG 04 to reduce the overpopulation, and estimates run as high as over 300,000 executions at Abu during his regime. The hooks they used to hang prisoners from during questioning are still in the ceilings.

Although adaptive, the enemy is not particularly good. He is capable of killing us on a daily basis, but not of mounting any sustained type of operation. We have the advantage strategically, operationally, and tactically in theater (I’m not sure how we are doing in the States). The insurgents have figured out that killing us won’t get us to leave (Somalia syndrome), and it often results in many of them being killed or captured. Therefore they have shifted many of their attacks to the Iraqi Security Forces and the population. Attacking innocent civilians generally is not a good way to gain support for an insurgency, and consequently, the insurgents do not enjoy widespread popular support. They do have support in pockets of Iraq, and are capable of coercing support on a case by case basis, but by and large, they are not representing an oppressed people and enjoying a lot of popular support. Their most recent tactic of attacking foreign diplomats is not likely to garner much support on the world or local stage either. The key to American success here is not defeating the insurgency. It is keeping the insurgents off balance and defeating them tactically and operationally while we train the Iraqi Security Forces, both Army and police, to conduct an effective counterinsurgency without a large US or Coalition presence, while concurrently establishing a governmental infrastructure. Each day and night, Iraqi units are conducting combined operations with our forces and independent operations, and are being quite successful. The LAST thing we want to do is set a timetable for a withdrawal.

Concurrent with finding and killing the enemy, US and Coalition forces are putting a lot of effort and resources into restoring and improving basic infrastructure: electricity, water, schools, sewage. We are making significant strides in these areas each week. The US interagency effort, headed by State, is also making great strides in helping the current government establish an Iraqi version of democracy. DoS, DoD, and the Dept of Justice are the major players with whom I have been working to bring about a governmental infrastructure that will support the requirements of the country. This will be a busy summer and fall with the Constitution scheduled to be written by mid-August, the Constitutional referendum in October, and then National elections under the new Constitution in December. Truly another opportunity to watch a democracy be born, as I have had the privilege to observe in Korea over the past 20+ years. I suspect that the bad guys will pick up the pace to block these momentous events, but that just gives us the opportunity to send that many more of them off to their meeting with Allah.

As always, our Soldiers, Marines, Airmen, and Sailors are doing an outstanding job. The Soldiers and Marines who are kicking in doors, patrolling every day and night, and conducting the raids show remarkable restraint. The bad guys know they will be treated humanely by US forces, and they are quick to drop their weapons and surrender when we close in for the kill. I’m amazed how many times we have Soldiers and Marines killed and grievously injured by IEDs, and our guys show restraint and capture the insurgents who detonated the IED instead of doing what they want to do which is kill the bastards (hence my particular problem of an ever increasing detainee population). I don’t think there is another Army or Marine Corps in the history of the world that has trained its young men so well that they consistently make snap decisions in the middle of firefights to kill or not kill based on the ever changing situation. Our kids are truly the best of the best; more aggressive, violent, fierce and formidable than any others, but able to instantly adjust to keep their fight within the constraints of the law of war and the Geneva Conventions. Absolutely remarkable.

The vast majority of individual replacements volunteered to come over. From the Navy JAG LTs to the Air Force admin specialists, all could have avoided Iraq, but volunteered to serve here. The security detachment I move with most of the time is a reinforced squad of about 15 guys, led by an active component Army SSG. The members of the detachment are from all four services, and about 1/3 active and 2/3 reserve. The Air Force sent its guys over on four month tours. All three of these guys have put in 8 month extensions because they did not want to leave their Army counterparts, who are on one year tours. I overheard one of them explaining to his Mom on the phone that he had to stay because his Army buddies couldn’t leave; they would all go home together. I really enjoy getting out with these kids. They know their business, and are eager to do it. Yesterday’s missions required us to run up and down the road to Baghdad a few times. One of the Marine NCOs stated that some folks spend their Saturday mornings watching cartoons; we spend ours running the gauntlet four times with COL XXXX. [since this was a private email, I’m deleting his name]

Normally when I go some place, I am in the process of looking up all of my old buddies. This time I came over with a list of my friends’ kids to look up. Guess I’m getting old. So far I have tracked down two of these great Americans, who are following in their Dads’ footsteps. Both are doing well, and are fired up about being here and doing the work they are doing.

Guess it’s time to get back to the business at hand. Been fairly quiet lately here in the base camp.

Compare and contrast this account to the daily offerings of our news organizations.

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Daughter Hillary is home safe and sound from her adventures in Afganistan. Needless to say I have been very worried these past couple of weeks as things have heated up over there in advance of the parlimentary elections. Well, our freedom fighters won’t be deterred and my heart goes out to the families who have lost loved ones in that worthy effort.

I talked to Hillary this morning and she sounds great. She spent two years in Afghanistan, is proud of her contributions, but is so ready to get on with the life she put on hold while on active duty.

You done good, girl. Thank you for your service, glad you are home safe and sound.

Here’s a picture of my soldier with a truck load of captured drugs……

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Hillary sent me a flag that flew over her compound with a beautiful certificate that speaks to the importance of Operation Enduring Freedom and the global war on terror. I got it framed and it hangs proudly in my living room. Here’s the best picture I could get….

And a bad shot of the certificate….

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You know, I don’t talk about it much and it is really not at the forefront of my thoughts, but we are here in Korea for one reason: to deter North Korean aggression. It’s been working out pretty well for the last 50 years. But we are dealing with a madman in Kim Jung Il. Well, we aren’t really dealing with him, and that’s a problem. My sense of things is that the US wants to take a more aggressive posture, while the ROK is still in an appeasement mode. I think history has proven countless times what appeasement ultimately buys: disaster.

So what’s to be done? I’m all for finding a peaceful solution, but that presupposes having a leader in the North that is not insane. Allowing Kim to build a nuclear stockpile is simply unacceptable and would undermine any hopes for regional stability. But there is no easy fix, and once again we are paying the price for President Clinton’s misguided policies. I don’t know what President Bush is going to do, but he has proven he won’t sit on his hands if a threat to our national security exists. A great Korean blog, The Bass Hole, has some interesting perspectives on this situation. I hope it doesn’t come to this. But it might.

This does not bode well for anyone. If we used nuclear tipped bunker busters we risk radiating hundreds of thousands of people in N. Korea, Japan, S. Korea, and depending on a change in wind direction, China and Russia too. This could well spark WWIII. The only real alternative is a conventional bombing campaign so relentless and enduring the N. Koreans would have to be shaken senseless in order to deny them a chance to significantly respond. I’m sure they will still get off a few rounds of their 5,000 tons of chemical artillery, and the missile test Sunday showed they have improved their Russian bought Frogs to 120KM range, easily within striking distance of the US hub in Pyeongtaek (so much for fishing). Any sustained aerial bombardment would have to be followed with a lightning raid North by allied troops to take the ground and try and secure the nukes before they can be fired or relocated. This is a tar baby of astronomical proportions, but I don’t doubt for a minute George Bush isn’t contemplating ending this evil empire on his watch. If he doesn’t do it, we may very well have 8 more years of Democrats in office who would ignore the problem or strike a deal similar to Clinton’s which only bought the U.S. a false sense of security, but bought the Norks more time to conduct their clandestine nuke development.

Read it all. And pray that our leaders have the courage and wisdom to find an appropriate way to resolve this problem once and for all. The Eighth U.S. Army’s mantra is “be ready to fight tonight”. I hope we are.

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The words left behind by this soldier are quite inspirational.

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Victor Davis Hanson has a great article at National Review Online discussing our progress (and set backs) in the GWOT. Please go have a read. Here’s just a taste:

The worst attitude toward the Europeans and the U.N. is publicly to deprecate their impotent machinations while enlisting their aid in extremis. After being slurred by both, we then asked for their military help, peace-keepers, and political intervention — winning no aid of consequence except contempt in addition to inaction.

Praise the U.N. and Europe to the skies. Yet under no circumstances pressure them to do what they really don’t want to, which only leads to their gratuitous embarrassment and the logical need to get even in the most petty and superficial ways. The U.N. efforts to retard the American removal of Saddam interrupted the timetable of invasion. Its immediate flight after having its headquarters bombed emboldened the terrorists. And a viable U.S. coalition was caricatured by its failed obsequious efforts to lure in France and Germany. We should look to the U.N. and Old Europe only in times of post-bellum calm when it is in the national interest of the United States to give credit for the favorable results of our own daring to opportunistic others — occasions that are not as rare as we might think.

Geez, I don’t know. How can you help but bash Europe and the UN? They are such easy patsies. Well, I will try and go easy on the Euroweenies, but the incompetence and thievery at the UN is criminal, and we should never cut that bunch one inch of slack. Oh yeah, I won’t shut up about the French either. F*** the French.

Anyway, Hanson sums up this way (how come you haven’t hit that link are read the whole thing yet?):

The events that followed September 11 are the most complex in our history since the end of World War II, and require far more skill and intuition than even what American diplomats needed in the Cold War, when they contained a nuclear but far more predictable enemy. Since 9/11 we have endured a baffling array of shifting and expedient pronouncements and political alliances, both at home and abroad. So we now expect that most who profess support for democratization abroad do so only to the degree that — and as long as — the latest hourly news from Iraq is not too bad.

One of the most disheartening things about this war is the realization that on any given day, a number of once-stalwart supporters will suddenly hedge, demand someone’s resignation, or bail, citing all sorts of legitimate grievances without explaining that none of their complaints compares to past disappointments in prior successful wars — and without worry that the only war in which America was defeated was lost more at home than abroad.

Yet if we get through all this with the extinction of Islamic-fascist terrorism and an end to the Middle East autocracy that spawned and nurtured it — and I think we are making very good progress in doing just that and in less than four years — it will only be because of the superb quality of the American military and the skilful diplomacy of those who have so temperately unleashed it.

Yeah, what he said.

Via Instapundit

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