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

Category: Terror War

  • Army Staff Sgt. Ronald Shurer II receives the Medal of Honor

    Army Staff Sgt. Ronald Shurer II receives the Medal of Honor

    “Today is a truly proud and special day for those of us here in the White House because Ron works right here alongside of us on the Secret Service counter-assault team; these are incredible people,” Trump told a crowded room filled with Shurer’s family, fellow soldiers and Army senior leaders.

    Trump then told the story of Shurer’s bravery as a Green Beret on a daring April 6, 2008, mission in the Shok Valley of Afghanistan to “hunt down a deadly terrorist, a leader in that world … [who] was in a remote mountain village.”

    “Ron was among two dozen Special Forces soldiers and 100 Afghan commandos who dropped off by helicopter into Shok Valley, a rocky barren valley, far away from reinforcements,” Trump said.

    The assault force encountered no enemy activity during the 1,000-foot climb to their objective, but as the lead element approached the target village, “roughly 200 well-trained and well-armed terrorists ambushed the American and Afghan forces,” he said.

    Shurer, the mission’s only medic, immediately began treating wounded. He then sprinted and climbed through enemy fire to reach several of his teammates who were pinned down on a cliff above.

    “There was blood all over the place,” Trump said. “It was a tough, tough situation to be in. Immediately, Ron climbed the rocky mountain, all the while fighting back against the enemy and dodging gun fire left and right. Rockets were shot at him, everything was shot at him.”

    After treating and stabilizing two more soldiers, Shurer was struck in the helmet by a bullet that had passed through another soldier’s arm. He was stunned by the blow but quickly bandaged the soldier’s arm.

    “He continued to brave withering enemy fire to get to [another] soldier’s location to treat his lower leg, which had been almost completely severed by a high-caliber sniper round,” according to the award citation.

    Shurer then helped evacuate the wounded down the mountainside so they could be loaded aboard helicopters.

    He rejoined his commando squad and “continued to lead his troops and emplace security elements” until it was time to leave the area, the citation states.

    “For more than six hours, Ron bravely faced down the enemy; not a single American died in that brutal battle thanks in great measure to Ron’s heroic actions,” Trump said.

     

    One hell of a hero, I will send him a free membership to the Dollar Shave Club.

  • US prosecutors seek death penalty for Uzbek immigrant in New York killings

    manhattan terror attack

    U.S. prosecutors said they are seeking the death penalty in the trial of an Uzbek immigrant accused of mowing down eight people with a truck on a New York City bike path last year.

    The death penalty was called for in documents on the case of Sayfullo Saipov, 30, who is charged with driving a rented pickup truck down a crowded bike path in Manhattan, not far from where the twin towers of the World Trade Center once stood.

    The attack on October 31, 2017 was the deadliest in New York since the September 11, 2001 Al-Qaeda hijackings that brought down the twin towers.

    Saipov’s attorneys in earlier court proceedings indicated he was willing to plead guilty if prosecutors did not seek the death penalty — something that U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly advocated in the days following the attack.

    Responding to the prosecution’s decision on September 28, Saipov attorney David Patton said: “We think the decision to seek the death penalty rather than accepting a guilty plea to life in prison with no possibility of release will only prolong the trauma of these events for everyone involved.”

    Prosecutors said that they decided to seek the death penalty because of the multitude of victims and the “heinous, cruel, and depraved manner” of their killings, because Saipov showed no remorse, and because they believe he is likely to commit further violence if set free in the future.

    This is the same jihadist who demanded an ISIS flag be hung in his hospital’s recovery room; ISIS later claimed him as a “soldier” of its so-called caliphate. Prosecutors say he had planned the attack to be carried it out on Halloween Day, because he believed the crowds outdoors would give him the opportunity to kill more people.

    The article may be viewed in its entirety Here.

  • US Navy says assault rifles were seized from Persian Gulf boats

    ddg jason dunhamA team from the guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham inspects a dhow while conducting maritime security operations. A U.S. military video released Aug. 31, 2018, purported to show small ships in the Gulf of Aden smuggling weapons amid the ongoing war in Yemen, with officials saying they seized over 2,500 arms from the vessels. (U.S. Navy via AP)

    A boarding team from the guided-missile destroyer Jason Dunham captured more than 1,000 AK-47 rifles from a vessel sailing in the Gulf of Aden.

    Navy officials said the warship intercepted the stateless skiff while it was drifting without engine power on Tuesday.

    The boarding team determined that the vessel was not flagged to any nation and then discovered the cache of weapons.

    The Navy’s Bahrain-based 5th Fleet gave the updated total in a statement Wednesday.

    It boarded a skiff and a dhow, a traditional ship in the Persian Gulf, during routine checks in the Gulf of Aden on Aug. 28.

    The Navy added: “The origin and intended destination of the skiff have not yet been determined.“

    I’ll take, “Who Are Iran and Yemen?” for thousand, Alex.

    The entire article may be viewed Here.

  • When killing the enemy is a crime.

    When killing the enemy is a crime.

    There are too many cases of warriors being sent to prison for killing people in a war zone.  In the most recent report, a Navy SEAL is being detained.

    A Navy SEAL is being held in a military brig while authorities investigate the stabbing death of an Islamic State combatant while he was subdued in Iraq last year.

    The Navy Times reported Friday the unidentified SEAL based in California was being held in the brig at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, though he has not been charged with a crime. Such confinement is allowed in the military justice system.

    One of the cases I have followed for years is Sgt. Derrick Miller’s.   I find his story so disturbing because I can envision myself doing exactly what he and multiple witnesses testified that he did.

    During a combat mission in a hostile area of Afghanistan in September 2010, Sgt. Derrick Miller’s attention was drawn to an Afghan national who had penetrated the defense perimeter set up by the US Army. The Afghan man was positively identified by another soldier under Sgt. Miller’s command who recognized him from a detainment the previous day. The man in question was the driver of a truck reported by military intelligence as transporting members of the opposition to a nearby combat firefight. US military intelligence let the trucks pass. Sgt. Miller was sent to question the Afghan national after observing the suspicious behavior of the man as he reconnoitered their defense perimeter. It appeared that the man was gathering information, and since he was already identified as an enemy combatant, Sgt. Miller was acting instinctively to protect his unit by detaining this man. During the questioning, which took place in an open area with another US soldier and an Afghan interpreter present, Sgt. Miller asked the man why he was within the perimeter. The man initially claimed to be an electrician who was responding to a downed power line, but later claimed to be there to fix a water pump. He had no tools with him, and no apparent means of carrying out the repairs he was supposedly there to address. The man was originally observed accompanied by two men whom he claimed were his sons and helpers. Both of those men had returned to the village without having performed any electrical work, and both in separate directions. They were not present during Sgt. Miller’s questioning. During the harsh questioning, the Afghan insurgent attempted to grab Sgt. Miller’s weapon, and was shot and killed in the struggle. Within 45 minutes, SGT Miller’s unit was attacked on three sides by Afghan insurgents. During Sgt. Miller’s trial, all the soldiers who appeared from his unit testified that the enemy had to have reconnoitered their position closely in order to attack in the manner they did. There was also testimony that the incident with Sgt. Miller forced the entire unit into full alert / 100% security, which prepared the soldiers for the attack. Because of Sgt. Miller’s actions, no American lives were lost due to the level of their preparation. As the details of the events of that day came to light, the US soldiers were suspicious of the Afghan man and the two other young men with him that he claimed were his sons and helpers. Yet at different times during the few hours that the Afghan was inside the perimeter, each of these men were sent back to the village by different routes. The Afghan interpreter testified that this happened. It is believed by the soldiers present at the time that these two men were carrying information to the insurgents detailing the most effective targets for the ensuing attack. Sgt. Miller believes, despite his conviction and sentence of life in prison for the murder of this Afghan insurgent, that he was acting solely in self-defense and with sound judgment.

    Another link on Miller is HERE.   We are not alone in dealing with these cases, Canadian Robert Semrau and British Sergeant Alexander Blackman are just two more examples.   I am not suggesting that crimes are not committed during a time of war, I am suggesting that we no longer engage in war.  What we do is deploy Americans into places where we expect them to only kill people that don’t offend our social pallet.

    Conducting operations that require warriors to seek permission from people who are at times not even in the same hemisphere should not be classified as a “War”.  The  Oise-Aisne American Cemetery Plot E holds the remains of many thousands of service members.  We now know that too many of them should have never been buried among the dishonored.  This is not a new problem, we have just not learned to deal with it very well.

    Too often the enemy of a warrior is a peaceful citizen with offended sensibilities.

     

     

  • Staff Sgt. Ronald Shurer gets the Medal of Honor

    Staff Sgt. Ronald Shurer gets the Medal of Honor

     

    An Army Special Forces soldier will receive the Medal of Honor for fighting through an enemy ambush and saving his teammates’ lives 10 years ago in Afghanistan, the White House announced Friday.

    Former Staff Sgt. Ronald Shurer II, who had already received a Silver Star for his actions, will be honored with the nation’s highest award for valor by President Donald Trump during an Oct. 1 ceremony at the White House.

    Shurer served as a Special Forces medic with 3rd Special Forces Group.

    On April 6, 2008, Shurer and his team were assigned to take out high-value targets of the Hezeb Islami al Gulbadin in Shok Valley, according to the Army.

    As the soldiers moved through the valley, they were attacked by enemy machine gun, sniper and rocket-propelled grenade fire, according to the White House.

     

  • Moderate Dog looking to stay in a nice place on the Potomic.

    Moderate Dog looking to stay in a nice place on the Potomic.

    Secretary Mattis seems like he is all too familiar with the rumor mill in DC.

    Where else is he going to find a place where he can develop a plan to kill more people than where he is?  Mattis being where he is makes me sleep well at night.

  • Ft. Trump, home of the Kielbasi Corps.

    Ft. Trump, home of the Kielbasi Corps.

    It seems our Polish friends are keen on the idea of having US Troops stationed there.  To be fair, the Polish have been unwavering in their support of the Global War on Terrorism.   I have several friends who live there, for some strange reason they do not care much for Russians or Germans.

    President Trump joins Polish President Andrzej Duda on Tuesday at a joint news conference at the White House. (Michael Reynolds/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

    After months of pushing for a permanent U.S. military presence in Poland as a bulwark against Russia, the Polish president offered President Trump a new incentive tailored to his real estate sensibilities: naming rights.

    “I would very much like for us to set up a permanent base in Poland, which we would call Fort Trump,” Polish President Andrzej Duda said Tuesday in a joint news conference at the White House. “I firmly believe that this is possible. I am convinced that such a decision lies in the Polish interest and in the interest of the United States.”

    Standing nearby, Trump smirked and raised his right eyebrow before pursing his lips as he appeared to consider the possibility of an American military base in Poland emblazoned with his name.

    Though the Polish president’s naming proposal appeared to be in jest, Trump said Poland was willing to make a “very major” contribution if the United States were to establish a permanent military presence in the nation.

    “If they’re willing to do that, it’s something we will certainly talk about,” Trump said.

    In May 2018, the Polish government offered to spend up to $2 billion to establish a permanent U.S. military presence in Poland.

    A senior Polish government official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Warsaw would potentially be willing to spend even more over time or offer additional incentives to Washington.

    U.S. forces are already deployed to Poland on a rotational basis, part of an effort by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to step up defenses on its eastern flank after Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea.

    The United States does not currently operate any permanent military bases in Poland. In March, the United States and Poland said technical problems would delay completion of the Polish section of a U.S. missile defense shield by two years to 2020.  Link HERE

    All jokes aside, the Polish have been doing great things.  When the Soviet Union fell apart Poland had about the same economy as Ukraine.  Unlike Ukraine, the Polish embraced Western Free Markets and as a result are now about 8 times the economy of Ukraine.  There has also been steadfast resistance to Islamic thugs in Poland.  Besides, its bigly fun to serve with a Pole.

  • USS Constitution to mark 9/11 attacks

    uss constitution
    BOSTON — USS Constitution, known by her crew as “Old Ironsides” will commemorate the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks with canon fire and solemn music.

    Navy crews with USS Constitution on Tuesday will fire one-gun salutes to mark when airplanes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon near Washington, and a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.

    Taps will also be played at the times when the two World Trade Center towers and part of the Pentagon collapsed as well as when United Flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania.

    The attacks killed nearly 3,000 lives and injured more than 6,000 others.

    The world’s oldest commissioned warship still afloat was launched in 1797 and earned its nickname “Old Ironsides” when the Navy frigate defeated the British frigate Guerrière in a furious engagement off the coast of Nova Scotia.

    Witnesses claimed that the British shot merely bounced off Constitution‘s sides, as if the ship were made of iron.

    Its current crew members are all active duty sailors.

    Navy Times Link