Somebody from the TAH community might be attending the dinner if FLOTUS stops following him around.
Category: Terror War
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“No One Left Behind” tries to rescue Iraqi and Afghan Terps | The American Legion’s BurnPit
Saw this on CNN the other day and it’s always been something that resonated with me, having had some pretty great interpreters in Afghanistan who risked everything to help us:In 2008, Matt Zeller was serving in Afghanistan as a captain in the US Army. One day while out on a routine mission, he and his squad were attacked by Taliban insurgents.
In 2008, Matt Zeller was serving in Afghanistan as a captain in the US Army. One day while out on a routine mission, he and his squad were attacked by Taliban insurgents.
Zeller would have been killed, he said, had it not been for his Afghan interpreter, Janis Shinwari.
“He shot and killed two Taliban fighters who were about to kill me,” Zeller said.
When Zeller thanked him for saving his life, Shinwari told him, “You are a guest in my country. It is an honor to protect those who are fighting for us.”
“That day we became brothers,” Zeller said.
After that, the Taliban placed Shinwari at the top of their hit list. Before Zeller returned home, he promised he would do everything he could to bring Shinwari and his family to safety in the US. It took Zeller more than four years to help them get their Special Immigrant Visas.
The interpreter and the soldier realized thousands like Shinwari remained vulnerable in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2013, they co-founded the nonprofit No One Left Behind to help other interpreters who’ve put their lives at risk to work with US troops.
You should click on over and watch the video of Matt at CNN in their Heroes segment linked above. Unfortunately I can’t embed that video here, but Matt has been on CNN before discussing it, and it is quite a compelling story:So far they are having some success according to figures they’ve released:
- Provided 161 families with rental assistance;
- Provided furnishings for 1,209 families in need;
- Provided 66 car grants to Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders;
- Helped 943 individuals with employments services;
- Advised more than 4,000 clients on the SIV process;
- More than 500 visas issued to clients we’ve assisted;
- Helped 8,329 individuals and 1,410 families overall.
Like I said, this one hits fairly close to home because of the danger I know most of them were in for helping us. At least when our deployments were over we could head home and see loved ones and not really worry overly that someone would kill them or take them hostage for what we were doing, but these Terps and others didn’t really have that option.
Check out the link above to CNN and if you want more on NOTB hit up their WEBSITE or TWITTER or FACEBOOK. They are Top 10 in CNN’s Hero Program thing, with the winning organization receiving $100k.
Source: “No One Left Behind” tries to rescue Iraqi and Afghan Terps | The American Legion’s BurnPit
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Cpl Terry Hudson, Beirut KIA #241 … NOT represented by Caragh Fay
The number 241 is significant to many veterans and family next-of-kin for the servicemen killed in Beirut Lebanon on Sunday October 23, 1983. Although there were over 270 men killed in action in Beirut from 1982-1984, most were lost on Oct 23rd. Many are reminded when they see the clock display this number, or see it on a locker, parking space, or other items we encounter in everyday life. I want to remind people of Terry Hudson, who was a Marine that was in the Marine Barracks that morning. Terry was an armorer, so he oversaw a lot of the weapons and ammunition used by the troops. Being an armorer meant that just about everyone knew you. As a result of the bombing, Terry Hudson had over 43 percent of his body burned from the waist up. He had severe inhalation wounds. Three of his fingers had been completely burned off. Terry was transferred to a burn unit in San Antonio Texas and this happened to be close to his family in Alabama. He suffered four heart attacks during his recovery but eventually succumbed to his wounds six weeks later and died on December 5, 1983. Of the men that never left the hospital, he was the last serviceman to die from the Beirut Bombing, and many would say #241. There was a Marine that died a few days before Hudson on December 2, 1983 but his death was announced after Hudson’s, which brought the death toll to 241. Terry’s mother was a divorced single parent struggling to raise 13 children and her lifelong dream was to buy a permanent home. One of Terry Hudson’s last wishes was that he told his sister “Look for a house for Mama” and died before he could see that dream realized. Mrs. Hudson did buy the small home with the SGLI insurance money from Hudson’s death. I only ask that you think of Terry Hudson and the 240 other Marines, sailors and soldiers that died that day. Perhaps others will also remember them everytime they see the number 241 in everyday life.
Terry is only one of the hundreds that the Attorney Caragh Fay does NOT represent…in fact, I have fought for years to get them legal representation in a case against Iran. Caragh Fay has been uncooperative and seemingly obstructive in my opinion.
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Charged with war crimes and stuck in the brig, a Navy SEAL vows to fight on
Special Operations Chief Edward “Eddie” Gallagher, a highly decorated Navy SEAL, is fighting murder charges tied to the death of an Islamic State operative in Iraq. He says he’s innocent and will battle authorities to clear his name. (photos provided)Charged earlier this month with multiple war crimes in connection with the 2017 stabbing death of a detainee in Iraq, Special Operations Chief Edward “Eddie” Gallagher vows to fight for his freedom.
The 19-year Navy veteran has hired two high-powered criminal defense attorneys who specialize in military law — Colby Vokey of Dallas and Phillip Stackhouse of San Diego — and he’s exploring a civil rights lawsuit against Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents for alleged misconduct linked to his Sept. 11 arrest and detention in San Diego’s Naval Consolidated Brig Miramar.
An Article 32 hearing with a special military judge sent from Florida will begin to sift through the evidence against Gallagher on Nov. 14 in San Diego, according to Stackhouse.
The judge will then recommend which charges should be forwarded or withdrawn by an admiral who could convene a general court-martial. Gallagher has been accused of murder, aggravated assault, obstruction of justice and professional misconduct.
“While the burden is very, very low to send the charges to court, Chief Gallagher will, like he has on every combat deployment, fight. Fight to clear his name, fight for justice, and fight to expose the lies that are being made against him,” said Stackhouse in a written statement emailed to Navy Times.
Multiple criminal defense attorneys, senior military commanders in the Navy and several special warfare units told Navy Times that the ongoing war crimes probe isn’t focused solely on Gallagher but includes more than a dozen SEALs who also deployed between 2017 and early 2018 near what then was Islamic State-held Mosul, Iraq.
NCIS agents are not only probing a number of serious allegations involving the death of the detainee, but also images that allegedly depict SEALs posing with the body. They’re also exploring concerns about how Naval Special Warfare Group 1 officers and senior enlisted leaders handled the initial reports about war crimes and the internal investigation that followed in their wake, they say.
But the central question in Gallagher’s case is whether he and other SEALs rendered first aid to the wounded Islamic State fighter or if they executed him.
Because the military judge has sealed most evidence in the case and has placed a gag order on all parties, Stackhouse said he can’t address specific allegations or delve into most details of the NCIS probe.
“But what we’ve learned in our independent investigation into these allegations is that a crime simply didn’t happen,” he said.
Gallagher’s spouse, Andrea, states:
“These allegations are malicious and shameless, and I do know that my husband didn’t do what’s alleged, and I’ll stand by him and I do know he can be exonerated of those prices. His household, pals, SEALs and former Marines and his scout sniper colleagues all stand beside Eddie. Eddie is a hero, and we’re patiently awaiting the restoration of his good identify and repute.”
NIS lost credibility with their mishandling of the investigation of the turret disaster onboard USS Iowa. Is this another NIS witch hunt?
The entire article may be found in The Navy Times
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Top US commander in Afghanistan unharmed after attack leaves key Afghan general dead, 2 Americans wounded
The top U.S. general in Afghanistan was present during an attack Thursday that wounded two U.S. troops and killed an Afghan general who was key to holding together the many disparate political groups and security forces in southern Afghanistan.
The four-star U.S. general who leads the NATO mission to Afghanistan was present during an attack Thursday that wounded two Americans and killed an Afghan general who was key to holding together the many disparate political groups and security forces in the country’s south.
Army Gen. Scott Miller, Resolute Support commander, was present at a routine meeting with regional leaders in Kandahar, Afghanistan, when what appears to be an insider attack occurred. Kandahar police chief Gen. Abdul Raziq, a critical part of Afghanistan’s security, was targeted in the attack and killed.
“Today I lost a great friend Lt. Gen. Raziq,” Miller said via Twitter. “We had served together for many years. Afghanistan lost a patriot, my condolences to the people of Afghanistan. The good he did for Afghanistan and the Afghan people cannot be undone.”
Col. Knut Peters, a Resolute Support spokesman, told Military Times the incident took place at Kandahar Palace and was an “Afghan-on-Afghan incident.”
“Two Americans were wounded in the cross-fire and they have been medically evacuated,” Peters said.
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Why today’s troops fear a new war is coming soon
Nearly half of all current military troops believe the United States will be drawn into a major war soon, a jarring rise in anxiety among service members worried about global instability in general and Russia and China in particular, according to a new Military Times poll of active-duty troops.
About 46 percent of troops who responded to the anonymous survey of currently serving Military Times readers said they believe the U.S. will be drawn into a new war within the next year. That’s a jarring increase from only about 5 percent who said the same thing in a similar poll conducted in September 2017.
Another 50 percent think the country will not end up in a major conflict during the next year. But that number is falling, down from more than two-thirds of those surveyed last fall who said a war was unlikely.
The fears of war come as President Donald Trump in the last year has repeatedly emphasized improving military readiness in the face of growing threats from foreign adversaries, both loosely affiliated terrorist groups and traditional major power rivals. At the same time, top Pentagon officials have spoken publicly about the need to prepare for a conflict against a “near-peer” adversary.
When asked about specific countries, troops said Russia and China were among their top concerns. The poll showed a big increase in the number of troops who identify those two countries as significant or major threats: About 71 percent of troops said Russia was a significant threat, up 18 points from last year’s survey. And 69 percent of troops said China poses a significant threat, up 24 points from last year.
According to their study, the Air Force supports the President the least and the Marine Corps supports the President the most. How shocking is that? I doubt their study actually reflects what most “Troops” think but the data is interesting to play with.
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SecDef Mattis and CNO Richardson targeted in suspected ricin mail attack Update- SS Intercepts Suspect Package Addressed to POTUS
Department of Defense employees inside the Pentagon’s mail screening facility inspect envelopes and packages, one step in the Pentagon’s mail screening process, before the items are released to their addressees. (Tara Copp/Military Times)Two packages mailed to the Pentagon this week are believed to contain the poison ricin, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
The packages were addressed to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson, a defense official said on the condition of not being named. The packages triggered alarms Monday as they were undergoing security screening at a mail processing center that is on the Pentagon campus, but not inside the building.
Ricin is produced from the seeds of the castor oil plant, and is a highly potent toxin. A dose of purified ricin powder the size of a few grains of table salt can kill an adult human. The median lethal dose of ricin is around 22 micrograms per kilogram of body weight if the exposure is from injection or inhalation. Oral exposure is far less toxic, as some of the poison is inactivated in the stomach.
Later Tuesday the Pentagon allowed reporters to view the facility where every piece of inbound mail is inspected and screened before it is allowed to move on to its intended recipient. Inside, more than two dozen Department of Defense employees work 24 hours a day, screening the more than 500,000 pieces of mail sent to the Pentagon each year, a DoD official said on the condition of anonymity. In addition to the employees’ physical screen, there are additional tests that the official would not elaborate on.
Nor would the official say whether the facility had ever previously had a positive result like Monday’s ricin results, only stating that it was extremely rare.
The entire article may be viewed Here.
Low tech but potentially lethal, and ‘they’ only have to be right once. Glad this fan mail was discovered early and the attack failed.
Castor SeedsUPDATE
Secret Service Intercepts Package with Suspected Ricin Addressed to President Trump“The Secret Service can confirm receipt of a suspicious envelope addressed to the President on Oct. 1, 2018. The envelope was not received at the White House, nor did it ever enter the White House,” the Secret Service said in a statement. “As a matter of practice, the Secret Service does not comment regarding matters of Protective Intelligence. However, in this instance, we can confirm that we are working jointly with our law enforcement partners to fully investigate this matter.”
This story is developing.
Update
Pentagon: Suspicious substance in envelopes was castor seeds, not ricin itselfA Pentagon spokeswoman says the suspicious substance found in envelopes turned over to the FBI contained the substance from which the poison ricin is derived, but not ricin itself.
Dana W. White, the chief Pentagon spokeswoman, told reporters traveling with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in Brussels that the substance was castor seeds.
On Tuesday, Pentagon officials said two envelopes that had been suspected of containing ricin were isolated at a Pentagon mail screening facility, then sent to the FBI. They said one envelope was addressed to Mattis, the other to the chief of the U.S. Navy, Adm. John Richardson. No one was injured.
