Author: TSO

 

I remain convinced that one of the biggest problems for veterans when they get back from Iraq and Afghanistan is the precipitous drop in tempo.  You go one day from patrolling or taking down a High Value target, and return to paying the bills, taking out the trash and doing laundry.  For National Guard and Reservists, you even get separated from the guys and girls you just spent every waking moment with.

I was somewhat lucky (?) in that I returned to law school the week I returned from Afghanistan.  Granted, the excitement and camaraderie were gone, but at least I was too busy to notice.  When the guys from COP Keating got back, one of the things that the leadership wanted for those guys was to do a rafting trip on the Colorado.  To me it seems clear that in the absence of excitement, Joe and Jane will go and find it, often with bad results. 

About a year ago, Blackfive and I were talking about this with some other folks with Soldier’s Angels.  As fortune would have it, an opportunity arose, and we’ve been working on it ever since.  Up in the Yellowstone area of Montana is a couple of adjacent horse ranches, run by the Renee Daniels-Mantle & Kail Mantle on one side, and Mark & Jean White on the other.  It is there that Heroes and Horses will be run

From their website:

Montana Horses, home of Heroes and Horses, is owned and operated by Kail Mantle & Renee Daniels-Mantle, who run several hundred head of saddle horses on and around their Mantle Ranch and thousands of horses across the West. The Mantle Family has been in the horse business for over a century and their name has become synonymous with the horse business.

Kail and Renee Mantle oversee and coordinate all Heroes and Horses onsite operations with the assistance of neighboring ranchers Mark and Jean White, who also coordinate and oversee all pack trips into the mountains. The Whites have been in the outfitting business for thirty years.

As the program makes clear in its Mission Statement:

The experience of bringing together a group of combat veterans–each dealing with the process of returning to the normalcy of everyday life after war and each looking to communicate that process with others of the same mind–is invaluable.  No classroom, no respite, no program can provide the opportunity to accomplish a goal, learn a set of skills, and challenge the mind and body like the great outdoors.  No companionship is as effective as that found around a campfire at 9,000 feet, with no parameters and no guided limit or canned focus.  No sense of accomplishment compares to the first time you and your horse have climbed a mountain with the confidence of competence, then looked out over the grandeur of America–the greatest country in the world–with knowledge that is yours and available always for your enjoyment and that of your friends and family.  This is freedom worth fighting for.  It should be capitalized upon like the spoils of war.  It is a reward in itself.  It should be enjoyed by our soldiers upon their return.  It is uniquely theirs. 

  

Next week Matt Burden (Blackfive) and I are heading out to Montana to take part in the annual Three Forks Horse drive, and to check out the ranch itself.  Matt put up a pretty good video of it on his Facebook page that I wanted to share:

That’s part I, if you want to see the rest, click on the video itself, and watch the other parts.

Anyway, the first group of veterans will be run through the program in late June, with me and Demophilus going on the inaugural trip with 6 other veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.  There are going to be 3 other cycles this summer, with 8 going on each trip.  Funding is going fairly well so far, but there are WAY more veterans who need to go on these trips than we have money for, so all contributions would be very much appreciated.

For folks struggling with PTSD, there’s nothing quite like being back in that brotherhood.  Just sitting around and talking with fellow OEF/OIF veterans, and discussing what you went through, both abroad and when you came home.  It’s not forced; it’s just the natural inclination to talk with others who have endured similar hardships.  I’m incredibly grateful that the Legion is letting me do this work, and am very optimistic that it will help some of our struggling veterans.  I’m hoping to write an article for the magazine about my experiences as well.  But, if you have some extra cash, head on over to the Heroes and Horses website and give a little.  And if you know someone who could benefit from a week in the great outdoors, bonding with horses and other vets, kindly send along the names.

Seriously, this dude has no shame, nor do any of his cohorts at VoteVets. I submit as evidence a few of their latest. First, a press release on the shutdown, which includes this little nugget of baby shit:

Facts are facts. The Republican House Leadership is wholly responsible for putting us on the course towards a shutdown of the government, and that shutdown will hurt troops and military families. It’s time that they know you’re on to their game, and that you won’t sit idly by.

Lest anyone be confused, Dicksmith knows as much about the political system as I do about the varied works of Justin Bieber. The shutdown is about to occur because in the US we do budgets the year prior, and none was done last year. That is the year when the House was run by Nancy Pelosi you may recall. The “Republican House Leadership” was in the minority last year. Had the Democrat House done it’s job, this would all be moot.

As Dicksmith says, Facts are facts, and his don’t match reality.

Jonn talked about another piece of fecal expulsion the other day, but I wanted to add something. Here it is, discussing the GOP and the Tea Party Caucus:

But then there is the new dominant influence in their caucus. The one made up of war criminals and reality TV stars. These are the lowlifes that actually want a shutdown and aren’t real concerned with whether or not a Soldier can put food in his kids’ mouths.

The “war criminals” thing is a link to stuff about Allen West, and the Reality TV Stars is a link to some more shit about Duffy. That’s a dangerous game to play. First off, anyone remember where Allen West was convicted of a war crime? Anyone? So apparently Dick doesn’t believe in our legal system? Interesting. But, do you really want to start playing that game? What if I were to say that the Democrats were held hostage to a caucus in their party beholden to:

Impeached former judges who take bribes.
Comedians who did mountains of blow while writing TV sketches.
Writers who fantasize about father to son fellatio.
Salty VoteVets candidates with a penchant for young male staffers.
Adulterous, failed Vice Presidential candidates searching for hemlock.

Do you really want to play that game Dick?

Oh, and with regards to that horseshit about rooting for a shutdown, I give you noted Republican theorist, Howard “Screaming Mimi” Dean:

Howard Dean, the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, sees an upside to a looming government shutdown – at least politically.

“If I was head of DNC, I would be quietly rooting for it,” said Dean, speaking on a National Journal Insider’s Conference panel Tuesday morning. “I know who’s going to get blamed – we’ve been down this road before.”

If Dicksmith ever says something truthful with honesty and integrity, you can be pretty damn sure he stumbled into it accidentally.

These are going beneath the fold, since we run a clean shop around here!

(more…)

VoteVets sees an Obama Doctrine:

Last night, the Commander-in-Chief spoke to the American people regarding are current operations in Libya. The President gave an eloquent, Wilsonian speech that may come to be known in as the “Obama doctrine” (humanitarian intervention, even when our security is not threatened). President Obama made a clear case that intervention in Libya is morally justified.

Olbyfriend Dana Milbank doesn’t really see one defined:

So it was noteworthy that Obama chose the same location for his speech to the nation justifying the U.S. military action in Libya. After ten days of confusion about America’s role in Libya – and in the world – Obama finally was prepared to articulate his “doctrine.”

But those who were hoping for a rejoinder to “bring it on” will be disappointed: The Obama doctrine he presented Wednesday night was frustratingly nondoctrinal. Where Bush was all bright lines and absolute morality, Obama dwelled in the gray area, outlining a foreign policy that is ad hoc and situational….

Obama, by contrast, has been so subtle in his doctrine that he’s baffling Americans.

Steven Thoma, McClatchy:

President Barack Obama sent a signal to the country and the world Monday night about his decision to attack Libya: There is no “Obama doctrine” here.

Obama used his evening speech to assure skeptical Americans that he was forced to act by a madman in unique circumstances, that the U.S. role and risk would be limited, and that there is no unifying set of principles behind the Libya campaign that would guide the U.S. in other countries with similar problems.

Ben Smith, Politico:

The doctrine is there is no doctrine.

President Barack Obama answered questions about America’s mission in Libya Monday night with a 27-minute address that focused narrowly on “this particular country, Libya, at this particular moment” and shied away from making sweeping statements about America’s role in the world, the larger principles that guide his decisions on using force or about the U.S. response to the unfolding Arab Spring.

Roger Simon, Politico:

“We must stand alongside those who believe in the same core principles that have guided us through many storms: our opposition to violence directed against one’s own citizens; our support for a set of universal rights, including the freedom for people to express themselves and choose their leaders; our support for governments that are ultimately responsive to the aspirations of the people,” Obama said.

Which you could call the Obama Doctrine, except we hold so few countries to it, including dictatorships that we not only do business with, but whom we also call friends and allies, that it doesn’t deserve that title.

(NOTE: those passages all appear in a piece by Ed Morrissey at HotAir.)

OK, so if I get this straight, there is an Obama Doctrine, but it is whatever VoteVets insists it is. I feel a bit like the kid in Sixth Sense: I see dumb people.

Glad I stopped by Olbermann Watch and caught this one.

Dare I say he might be 13% right this time?

Update: From the “methinks you don’t know what ‘clear’ means” Department, I give you DU commenter “Dennis4868”:

. Obama’s policy is very clear….
Edited on Thu Mar-24-11 01:30 PM by dennis4868
The miliary action has one purpose – humanitarian – save people from being slaughtered.

The U.S. policy regarding Qhaddafii himself – he needs to go (but not by U.S. military involvement)

WHY DO PEOPLE NOT WANT TO UNDERSTAND THIS? Even Al Franken understands this. The policy is as clear as snow is white….what is the problem?

I think there are a certain segment of liberals who are against war no matter what the purpose is – even if it was the 1940s and jews were being put in ovens, this segment of people would be against military involvement by the USA.

The only thing I can say to such linguistic and intellectual Yoga would be: huh?

Apparently this woman is not actually part of the Carabinieri…

They are not the type of photographs that usually emerge from gatherings hosted by heads of state.

But these images reveal what goes on behind closed doors at Silvio Berlusconi’s infamous ‘bunga bunga’ parties.

The pictures were discovered on laptops and cameras seized from dozens of female party guests as part of an investigation into claims that the Italian prime minister paid for sex with underage girls.

One picture shows TV showgirl Barbara Guerra, 32, wearing a tight-fitting police uniform and pouting as she dangles a pair of handcuffs.

Guerra has appeared on an Italian reality TV show and is the former girlfriend of Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli.

Another picture shows two unidentified women about to kiss, while further images capture other female party guests in provocative poses.

I wonder if she is violating some sort of Stolen Valor law with her outfit or if this is Italien Free Speech. Either way, when I read about his bunga bunga parties (In English it means “Parties with Milbloggers”) I keep thinking of Futurama, because I am the Ghey like that.

Futurama
Death by Snu-Snu
www.comedycentral.com
Jokes The Comedy Awards The Comedy Central Roast of Donald Trump

Stories like this always tear me up.

A dog handler and his springer spaniel, who died within hours of each other in Afghanistan, are to be flown home to Britain together.

 

Lance Corporal Liam Tasker was shot dead on Tuesday while the pair were on patrol in southern Helmand province. His spaniel Theo died of a seizure shortly afterwards.

The Ministry of Defence said on Friday the 22-month-old dog’s ashes would be brought back to Britain on the same flight as L/Cpl Tasker.

“A dog can not be repatriated, but they will be returned to the UK on the same day, in the same plane,” a defence department spokesman said.

They will be flown into RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire next week.

Three weeks ago, Theo had been praised by the Ministry of Defence for finding 14 hidden bombs and weapons caches in just five months – a record for a dog and handler.

The spaniel, on his first tour of duty in Afghanistan, had uncovered so many improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that his time in the country was extended by a month.

I remember when I was in Bosnia AFRTS always had those “commercial” things that weren’t really commercials.  I always wondered what folks who knew nothing about the military would think if they saw them, as they were always of the “don’t drink too much”, “don’t beat your wife”, “don’t go heavily in debt” sort of thing.  But one stood out to me, about a dog that lost his owner.  I looked it up a few months ago, and from wiki I found this:

In 1924, Hidesabur? Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo took in Hachik? as a pet. During his owner’s life Hachik? greeted him at the end of the day at the nearby Shibuya Station. The pair continued their daily routine until May 1925, when Professor Ueno did not return. The professor had suffered from a cerebral hemorrhage and died, never returning to the train station where Hachik? was waiting. Every day for the next nine years the golden brown Akita waited at Shibuya station.

Hachik? was given away after his master’s death, but he routinely escaped, returning again and again to his old home. Eventually, Hachik? apparently realized that Professor Ueno no longer lived at the house. So he went to look for his master at the train station where he had accompanied him so many times before. Each day, Hachik? waited for the return of his owner.

The permanent fixture at the train station that was Hachik? attracted the attention of other commuters. Many of the people who frequented the Shibuya train station had seen Hachik? and Professor Ueno together each day. They brought Hachik? treats and food to nourish him during his wait.

Apparently they made a movie, but I haven’t seen it:

Anyway, I hope Liam and Theo are together now in the land of eternal sunshine.

First they use their Jedi Mind Tricks to fool Senators, and then when they get caught they use their powers to turn this poor girl into a Wookie just to distract us from their perfidy.

Have you no shame PsyOps dudes? HAVE. YOU. NO. SHAME.

I just hope she doesn’t let it go to her head during basketball games like that ass Michael J. Fox.