This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Author: Hondo

  • Hugo Chavez on “Short Final”?

    According to Dan Rather (yeah, that Dan Rather – he’s still around, even if CBS ashcanned him), Hugo Chavez’s cancer has “entered the end stage”. Per Rather, Chavez has ” metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma” and is thought to have only a short time (a couple of months) to live.

    I’m no fan of Rather, but it does seem as if he’s reporting professionally here. His article clearly identifies that the main facts of his report are based on information from a single source, and that all sources contributing have requested anonymity. But I’m afraid the Bush Air National Guard “memos” fiasco doesn’t exactly inspire much confidence for me in anything reported by Rather. That’s particularly true when he essentially says, “Trust me on this” – as he has here.

    That said, as cold as it sounds I hope Rather’s got this one right. The freedom-loving people of Venezuela deserve better than to have a leftist idiot running their country.

  • Here We Go Again?

    According to the Guardian, per the CJCS, GEN Martin Dempsey, the US is currently considering “military options” in Syria.

    There may indeed be a case to be made for US intervention in Syria. After all, Syria has recently been a close ally of Iran/Hezbollah, has generally complicated things in the Middle East for decades, is reputed to have an active WMD program, and is no friend of the US. And ever since the “Arab Spring” uprisings, Assad has been acting like a lightweight wannabe trying to channel Saddam Hussein or Idi Amin while massacring parts of his own country. But two parts of GEN Dempsey’s remarks trouble me anyway.

    First: GEN Dempsey indicated that the US would be prepared to act if it “were asked to do so”. I could be wrong, but I don’t think he’s talking about the POTUS “asking” the CJCS to begin operations. So I’m kinda wondering: why are we basing the use of US military force on getting an “invitation” to do so from some foreign entity vice on what best supports US national interests?

    Second, the stated justification for US intervention is “because of the atrocities.” Presumably, GEN Dempsey is referring to one or more of the massacres attributed to the Asad regime in Syria. Apparently I missed the memo. When in the hell did preventing evil anywhere in the world become justification for US military intervention?

    Call me cold, cynical, old-school, Machiavellian, whatever – but unless US national interests are at stake, I just don’t see any valid justification for asking US troops to risk life and limb. And IMO, being “world policeman” is a losing national strategy in the long-term. All that will do is make the world safe for everyone else but us, while we end up paying the cost of doing so.

    So far, I haven’t seen anyone make the case that it’s in US interests to intervene in Syria now, and that said intervention is worth the cost in blood and money that would be involved. And until I do, well, I for one am not exactly keen to jump into yet another foreign war.

    The case might well be there. But I haven’t seen it yet.

    Over to you, GEN Dempsey. Or should I say Mr. President?

  • About Heroes and Heroism . . .

    A recent short discussion here got me to thinking.

    Yeah, I know – that’s dangerous. But I sometimes take that risk. And yeah, it often gets me in trouble. (smile)

    What follows is my perspective, my opinion. I don’t claim to be a world-class expert on the subject.

    But I have spent my entire life associated, in one form or another, with the US military. So perhaps I’m not completely out to lunch here. And I apologize in advance for the length. Consider yourself forewarned. (smile)

    Obligatory disclaimer: although I’ve used male gender pronouns and the term “soldier” in what I’ve written below, my intent is neither to be service-specific nor gender-exclusive. In what I say below I’m referring to military personnel of both genders and to members of all services – Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. I simply find repeatedly writing “his or her”, “himself/herself”, “soldier/sailor/airman/marine”, and similar wordy expressions cumbersome as hell.

    Terms of Use – and Abuse

    The terms duty, courage, and heroism often are used carelessly in discussions of military conduct. They seem sometimes to be used nearly interchangeably.

    To use them interchangeably is not correct. These terms refer to three different concepts. They are interrelated, but they are distinct.

    One of these terms – heroism – is far more commonly abused than are the other two. IMO it’s now so abused as to now obscure its meaning.

    But understanding the other two concepts is essential to understanding the third. So I’ll discuss all three.

    Duty

    Duty is not strictly a military concept. It’s actually fairly universal. But it’s the most fundamental of the three concepts.

    Religions talk about moral duties. Politicians and polysci professors talk about the duties of citizens. Occupations and professions impose duties. Parents and children have duties. The law can impose duties –sometimes even making it your duty to pay a duty. (smile)

    The concept of duty is very simple to understand. Essentially, performing your duty means “fulfilling your obligations.” Plain and simple.
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  • Lockerbie Bomber Dies

    Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, the conviced convicted bomber of Pan Am Flight 103, has died. The flight blew up over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing a total of 270 individuals. Most were US citizens.

    al-Megrahi was released by the government of Scotland on “humanitarian grounds” in 2009 because he was believed to be near death from cancer. Yeah, right. Believe that, and I’ll make you a great deal on a unicorn farm containing a toll bridge across the Hudson River and a Skittles orchard.

    It’s too bad that the government of Scotland had no balls when it came to al-Megrahi, and apparently put Euros above justice.  It’s also too bad we didn’t find a way to send him to meet his Maker earlier.  But at least he’s gone – even if he did get to spend his last 2+ years among family and friends vice dying by degrees, alone, and behind bars as he so richly deserved.

    May al-Megrahi burn in hell while serving as Shaytan’s personal sex-slave for all eternity.

  • Regarding Counterstrike . . . .

    Remember the outcry after publication of the book about the bin Laden raid Counterstrike? That the authors had published operational information that could hamper future operations and endanger US lives?

    Well, according to the authors, that information was given to them by the White House.

    “I was stopped by a very senior officer in the special operations community who basically wanted to rip my lungs out,” said Thom Shanker, who co-authored “Counterstrike: The Untold Story of America’s Secret Campaign Against Al Qaeda,” with Eric Schmitt.

    But, he revealed at a counter terrorism expo this week, the info came directly and officially from the White House, not some garbage can digging operation. “I said to him, ‘Sir, that information came officially to us from the podium at the White House,’” Shanker said.

    As CINC, it is the prerogative of the POTUS to authorize the release of military information.  Often this is done for political purposes. Since Eisenhower, most US presidents have done that – either accurately or via lying through their teeth. Kennedy used the nonexistent “missile gap” as a candidate, and continued to use it as an excuse for increased defense spending. (He also famously lied when asked point-blank if American troops were in combat in Vietnam, answering:  “No.”)  LBJ exposed the existence of the SR-71 (and actually renamed the aircraft in doing so – the original designation was R/S-71, for “Reconnaissance/Strike”).  Nixon’s credibility problems are legendary.  Carter openly acknowledged US satellite reconnaissance, . Reagan and also caught heat for announcing the existence of the B2 US stealth aircraft programs. Bush(43) was wrongly accused of lying about Iraqi WMD as an excuse to invade Iraq. And I’m sure that I could find other examples from most other presidencies if I tried.

    But I really wish the POTUS and his staff would think things thru better when it comes to talking publicly about US military capabilities and intentions. When it comes to divulging military capabilities, saying less is usually better than saying more.

    Because inadvertently saying too much can cost lives.

  • So Wikileaks Was “No Big Deal” . . . .

    You may have heard that yesterday, Iran hanged an alleged “Mossad spy”, Majid Jamali Fashi.

    Today, published reports indicate that Wikileaks may have been responsible for exposing this individual to Iranian authorities – and thus for his demise.  From the linked article:

    The Times of London reported Wednesday that a document from the US Embassy in Baku, Azerbaijan, seemingly drew attention to Fashi. The September 2009 US diplomatic document — identified by the code 09BAKU687 — quotes an Iranian source who was a licensed martial arts coach and trainer as describing to his American contacts pressure from the Iranian regime to train soldiers and militiamen in martial arts.

    Fashi was reportedly in Baku for an international martial arts competition only days before the US Embassy document was written.

    The suggestion is that the Iranian authorities identified Fashi as someone who was in illicit contact with the West on the basis of the document. He was arrested days after the publication of the document by WikiLeaks in December of 2010 and charged with carrying out the January 2010 assassination of nuclear scientist Masoud Ali-Mohammadi on behalf of the Mossad.

    I don’t have any idea whether or not Fashi was working for the Mossad, or what exposed him if he was indeed a Mossad agent.  But the above theory is plausible.  Whether it’s the truth or not, I don’t know.

    But it damn sure could be true.

    Congratulations, PFC Manning.  You may now literally have blood on your hands.

    And the next time anyone asserts that Manning giving those quarter-million classified documents to Wikileaks was “no big deal”, refer them to Fashi’s family.  I’m sure his parents and siblings will agree wholeheartedly that Wikileaks was “no big deal.”

  • Another Look at Geoff Millard and His “Papers”

    Remember that amazing young studly National Guard Soldier Geoff Millard of IVAV fame?  That sterling young former National Guard super-trooper claiming 3 MSMs(!), an ARCOM, 3 AAMs, and a load of other decorations – all earned in less than 8 years of service!  Who was also later photographed wearing an unauthorized CIB?  And who was the President of IVAV’s DC Chapter?  Remember him?

    Jonn previously posted the highly suspect “DD214” Millard sent in order to “validate” his claims regarding his military service.  Jonn has also pointed out a serious issue with Millard’s alleged “DD214” (I’m intentionally using quotation marks here) that calls the validity of the document into question – e.g., the document lists campaign and expeditionary medals, along with time in “Kuwait/Iraq” (more about that later), but lists no foreign service time.  Jonn also showed that, in 2008, a FOIA regarding Millard didn’t match Millard’s “DD214” (it wasn’t even close).

    However, Millard can always claim that that the lack of foreign service was simply an oversight or error on the part of the clerk preparing the document, and that the mismatch was because NPRC didn’t yet have all of his records.  So I decided to take a hard look at the rest of Millard’s purported “DD214” to see if there were other parts of Millard’s “DD214” that were similarly problematic.

    From Jonn’s original article, here’s Millard’s purported “DD214”:
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  • “I wanted to see how you could sit in that little seat with balls as big as you’ve got.”

    Generally, the USAF has the reputation of being the least “hardcore” of all of the armed services. No offense to any of our USAF brethren, but IMO that reputation is at least partly deserved. That shouldn’t really surprise anyone; a much smaller portion of the USAF directly and personally engages the enemy than the Army or USMC – or even the Navy. Proportionally more of the USAF is engaged in support. It takes a helluva lot of effort to keep those birds flying.

    Still, some in the USAF do indeed personally go into harm’s way and engage. And some members of that service exhibit truly astonishing valor in combat. I’m about to relate a brief version of one such case, and link to a more detailed – and riveting – account. And in all of US military history, it is unique in two respects.

    The story is that of Lt Col Joe Jackson, USAF. I won’t attempt to relate the whole story here; our friend Doug Sterner has covered that in great detail – and far better – than I ever could on his Home of Heroes website.
    For full details, follow the link below to Doug’s website; the story is truly well-written, and transfixing. His story would be difficult to believe were it presented as fiction – but it’s the God’s honest truth.

    Here are the bare bones of the story:

    In Vietnam in 1968, MACV made the decision to abandon a particular base, Ap Bac Kham Duc. During the evacuation, three Airmen were inadvertently left behind. As the base area was literally being overrun by hostile forces, multiple attempts were made to rescue these three individuals. All but the last of these efforts were unsuccessful, resulting in numerous US casualties.

    During the last failed rescue attempt, Lt Col Jackson was literally flying a routine mail delivery mission in a C-123. Hearing the last failed attempt on the radio, and realizing that he was likely his three brothers-in-arms last hope, Lt Col Jackson went to Ap Bac Kham Duc, combat landed his C-123 under fire, and rescued the three who’d been left behind.

    The unique aspects? Here’s the first: it’s the only MOH action for which photographic evidence of the actual heroic act exists. An aerial photo was taken of Lt Col Jackson’s aircraft while on the ground at Ap Bac Kham Duc during the rescue.

    The second? This MOH action yielded what is perhaps the ultimate compliment ever given from one warrior to another. That compliment is the title to this article. It was delivered to Lt Col Jackson by one of the men he’d rescued – Sgt Jim Lundie, USAF. It was delivered after Sgt Lundie had just spent 3 days on the ground, surrounded by enemy, hiding and/or running for his life, expecting at any moment to die or be captured. Sgt Lundie visited the cockpit of Lt Col Jackson’s plane while en route back to base after being rescued. He delivered that compliment then and there, spontaneously, in person.

    After reading the detailed account of the rescue, I kinda wonder the same.

    Doing this in any aircraft would be an amazing feat of both flying ability and courage. However, I’ve flown in a C-123. Doing this in a freaking C-123. . . . well, let’s just say that IMO Sergeant Lundie was absolutely on target with his compliment.

    Again, Doug tells the story on his website better than I can. It’s definitely worthwhile to take the time and read his article.

    This happened on May 12, 1968 – Mother’s Day. I guess you could call it a Mother’s Day present from Lt Col Jackson to the mothers of those he rescued. And tomorrow this Sunday is Mother’s Day 2012 – 44 years later.

    As of this writing, this American hero is still alive. Kudos, Colonel Jackson. Kudos.