An American General "Excuses" the Murder of American Servicemen in Afghanistan as due to "Religious Stress"!

In what can only be described as a pitiful attempt to distract Americans from the obvious truth which is being written, and rewritten in American blood multiple times per week, General Allen excused the actions of Afghanistan's "True Soldiers of Allah". He very publicly declared that the "stresses" endured by ANA and ANP troops who participated in the month long Ramadan fast, have contributed to the very existence of "insider" attacks. Apparently, for the General, this is an acceptable explanation for "vetted" Afghan's to turn the weapons Americans have given them, against their benefactors.

It wasn't long ago we heard of another Officer who felt United States Marines were nothing more than cannon fodder for his unique understanding of "the greater good", Lieutenant Colonel Homiak. Let me be clear General; it is not acceptable!! No killing of American War Fighters is EVER "acceptable"! While it may be that during the normal conduct of battle deaths will occur, it is never "acceptable" and no individual entrusted with the level of authority you have been given should ever dare to suggest to America's Fathers and Mothers, that their Son's or Daughter's deaths is acceptable - regardless of the words you use to arrive at that opinion!

This almost apologetic comment, made by this American General who has been very quick to condemn American troops for things like the inadvertent burning of copies of the Quran can only be described as a total lack of regard for the Marines and Soldiers who have been sacrificed at the hands of this 7th century gaggle of thugs and their surrogates in Washington!

What makes his disgraceful commentary that much more unpalatable is his follow up in the Washington Post. Rather than damning these attacks for what they are, he continues to excuse these simple acts of Islamic mandated holy murder while calling for more US bloodletting for the unwarranted hope that Afghanistan will somehow miraculously blossom into a beacon of peace, tranquility and freedom for the ever "oppressed and noble" Afghan!

Can you say Stupid?

This continual betrayal of American trust and confidence given our "leaders", is not only despicable, it is an ugly, indelible scrawl across the thousands of American Servicemen's grave stones declaring in no uncertain terms; you were just a convenient tool on the way to an anti-American/pro-Afghan fantasy!

There is an allegory that most American Service members are familiar with. It breaks down human society into three distinct groups; The Sheep, the Sheepdog and the Wolf. It is taught that the majority of humanity can be described as Sheep; generally docile and unassuming, grazing, collecting and giving birth, to more sheep. They are generally peaceable but also blissfully unaware of the danger that lurks nearby. There is no guile but also no innate sense of duty to sacrifice oneself for the flock either and because of this, the sheep are defenseless. There is no crime in this, it is simply the state of the sheep.

The Wolf, on the other hand, is cunning, conniving, capable of great violence and continually on the prowl for the weak, unaware, defenseless sheep. Sometimes he attacks from the front but often from the periphery where the sheep is not watching. He steals, he kills, he destroys; sometimes without apparent purpose but always without remorse. He is self-centered and often runs in packs of other self-centered, remorseless, blood thirsty wolves. Against him, the Sheep have no defense because they live unaware and unprepared. The wolf doesn't hunt or take exclusively for need, rather he lusts for the blood of the unsuspecting and peaceful sheep.

Also within society there exists the Sheepdog. The Sheepdog is also capable of extreme violence but is also compassionate with a deep sense purpose toward the sheep around him. The Sheepdog runs in packs as well but his pack is well organized and dedicated to the protection of the sheep. The Sheepdog respects and trusts his leadership and is prepared to lay down his life in the protection of the sheep and his fellow Sheepdogs. He is keenly aware of the wolf and his evil tendencies and the Sheepdog is continually on watch for him and prepared to do what is necessary to protect the sheep, even to the point of death. It is also comforting to know that where the Sheepdog is, the wolf is hesitant to attack.  

It is with deep regret I inform you that the wolves have infiltrated the ranks of the Sheepdog…

This has been more than apparent for a long time now, and the wolf, under the guise of genuine American leadership has been sending the Sheepdog to slaughter while telling the Sheep, everything is alright.

And the sheep nod their heads, and do nothing!

Everything is not "all right" and things have in fact been very wrong, for a very long time. These "insider/green on blue/ Ramadan stressed/fasting impaired" attacks on American Servicemen are not an acceptable price to pay and our General Grade leaders and our Civilian representatives have all been lying to the American public for far too long. Their apathetic glare and pathetic responses to each and every new American Service Members death can no longer be tolerated.

It is far time for the American voter, the "King" according to our founding documents, to accept responsibility for the disgrace that is the inner DC beltway and stop the carnage being perpetrated against our American Servicemen - our Sons and Daughters in Afghanistan and other ill-conceived battlefields; present, and future!

If there is an enemy to fight in Afghanistan, it long past time we rooted him out and destroyed him without mercy and without ceasing until he exists no more or begs on bended knee for forgiveness. We "owe" Afghanistan and Afghan's, nothing! And if there are those who think differently, they can always but their collective butts where their far too free tongues are, join or start a civilian aid group and go to Afghanistan to do as they see fit! But make no mistake about it; War Fighters should NOT be used and abused to seek the manifestation of a fantasy conjured up in the minds of the deluded puppets of the political sphere.

I want to thank, Lieutenant Colonel David Grossman for his allegory.

I want to implore General Allen to reconsider his remarks which are so uncharacteristic of our beloved Corps and recant. And if for some reason, you have arrived at that point in your life, and your career that you can no longer place the lives of the Marines in your charge at a premium, do the honorable thing and retire! Who knows; maybe the "honorable Afghan" will appoint you as an Officer in the ANA?

Lastly, to all the Sheep, former Sheepdogs and currently serving Sheepdogs; use your God-given right and compose a letter, an e-mail, pick up the phone, send a telegraph, lash a note to the leg of a Carrier Pigeon, send up a smoke signal or drive down to DC but please, contact those men and women who dared to ask for your vote while promising to represent you and tell them ENOUGH is ENOUGH!

By the way General; Does the last "noble Afghan" who killed two more United States Service Members, yesterday, still get to claim clemency under the Allen/Ramadan defense?

Semper Fidelis;

John Bernard

Six United States Marines Murdered; Two Acts of Treachery; One Day in the True Afghanistan!

The tenth of August has given us two more examples of just how miserable the United States Government's vision for the "war" in Afghanistan is! In what can only be described as an "in-your-face" declaration by the very focused, ideologically motivated forces at work within the borders of Afghanistan, these two incidents, the latest in an ever increasing number of like attacks, once again demonstrate just how wrong our understanding of Afghan culture is.

What is even more troubling is that in the first ambush/attack, the perpetrator was not working alone. He had the help of accomplices, who like him, were declared allies by the United States government. He and his fellow Officers were given unfettered access to our forces and they exploited that weakness in our perception of who these people are and killed according to the doctrines which bind all of Afghan society together.

And why not?

After all, since when are men at war required to do the bidding of their enemy during hostilities? This is where our government has failed and continues to fail in Afghanistan. We refuse to reconsider our original assessment of the whole culture in Afghanistan and as a result, our War Fighters continue to pay the price for the hubris of those whose orders they obey.

With straight faces, the unending queue of government "experts" continues to pedal their well-rehearsed narrative in spite of the increasing mountain of evidence which screams to the contrary. We have gotten to the point that I personally have no desire to continue this "dialogue" with men who have so easily sold their personal souls along with the lives of good men on a fantasy that spins a tale of a peace-loving culture beset by an unwanted, alien force who pervert the doctrines of the "religion of peace".

The facts of these latest two incidences tell us everything we ever needed to know but several years after we should have learned their lesson! The murderers are of that segment of society that our government has presumed want peace and relief form the "unwanted alien insurgency" and yet, they baited a trap for United States Marines who were under standing orders to trust them.

This happened not once on this single day, but twice! And the result is that 6 good men, United States Marines, will not be going home to rejoin their families.

What is so damnable about these two events and the many others which preceded them is that our government insists on continuing to give these people the benefit-of-the-doubt while placing our own sovereign citizens in their midst like some perverted science experiment even though the evidence clearly indicates these kinds of attacks will continue!

Is this the vision of our Government? Sending men who have voluntarily suspended their rights as American citizens and willingly placed their very futures, trustingly, in the hands of those I tell you are lesser men only to have that trust squandered and their lives wasted? At what point are these euphemistically expressed, "green on blue" incidences going to convince the dead in DC or their surrogates, the media, that the current strategy is yielding nothing more than more dead US Service members, NATO, ISAF and civilian worker deaths and greater alienation from the very people the strategy is supposed to protect?

Even the much lauded, "fair and balanced" FOX news could not take the time or space on their scroll to report on these two incidences first thing Saturday morning. FOX was too busy covering a political announcement to report it live and their scroll failed to mention it at all. Here are the stories the "keeper of the scroll" considered more important than the deaths of 6 United States Marines:

·       Announcement of Paul Ryan as GOP VP pick (celebrities - even government trump troops)

·       Lackland AFB Sexual Assault Case (salacious details sell more product)

·       Syrian Rebels pleading with West for aid (even our future enemies are more important)

·       Neil Armstrong Heart Attack (love Neil Armstrong but even in pain he would agree; troops first)

·       Mourning 6 murdered Sikhs (murdered citizens should be mourned but not above that of our troops)

·       Catholic Nuns in Scandal (…REALLY??)

It was 0926 before the keeper of the scroll finally mentioned one of the attacks which took the lives of three Marines but clearly, the focus of effort was the political announcement of the day!

In addition there wasn't a single mention of either of these two attacks in any of the speeches or following commentary by anyone in either party nor was there any mention of any foreign policy vision as it relates to Central Asia, the war in Afghanistan or the plight of our War Fighting community!

Make no mistake about it; this is a direct reflection of the continued inexplicable defense of the current strategy by, seemingly, our entire government! Our "servants" have allowed themselves to be lulled into complacency by the few who have convinced them that their "analyses" clearly indicate that the vast majority of Afghan culture is supportive of our effort and that if we stay the course, it will succeed. While this might have been an acceptable argument ten years ago, it is nothing short of criminal to perpetuate this argument in the light of these continued acts of "treachery" TEN, YEARS, LATER!!

What was missed or rather expunged for the "analyses" was any "derogatory" mention of the religion which binds and directs all elements of Afghan society. And it is this religious doctrine which ultimately motivates those we have declared allies to act against us. What our "leaders" fail to understand is that these men are in fact at war, but not against those with whom they share a common doctrine, common culture, common ancestry; they are at war with us! And if some of these Afghans, many of whom we have declared to be allies, are at ideological odds with us and are not only willing but compelled to wage war with us, we need to perceive them in this way.

When the sitting President of Afghanistan reaches out to an unrepentant Taliban leader, before the cessation of hostilities and recommends he run for President of the very people we have declared he has victimized, it is clear we have no understanding of players and no legitimate vision for the outcome of this 10 year war. Why; because Karzai was our choice of leadership and because not one single voice cried out in condemnation of Hamid Karzai's insult to the price paid by thousands of American Service members to date!

Our government has failed to come to terms with these facts and in the process have caused many thousands of needless horrific injuries and deaths. And this has become so acceptable a price for the survival of the narrative that even the news agencies consider these deaths as secondary to the common and mundane events of daily life here in the US.

Will this election cycle in November really make any difference to how we envision doing "business" in the Middle East and South West Asia? You don't need to look any further than the venues which spew the "news of the day" and listen to the content of the speeches of political hopefuls for an answer to that. If there is no sense of urgency for the unreasonable price being paid for the defense of the inexplicable vision of our apathetic civilian servants, now, some 60 plus days out, what serious hope is there for a troop friendly change in November?

Nun scandal…REALLY?

SF

John Bernard

Afghan Treachery and Visionless Strategy Continue to Kill American War Fighters!

The Daily Mirror ran a story about the increased angst in the ranks of Britain's forces over new orders that require British forces to be fired upon before engaging the enemy in Afghanistan. While these ROE are not new to the US and ISAF forces in general, the edict is being received by Britain's armed forces as another oppressive act permitting a greater level of danger for them in the interest of safeguarding "innocent" Afghan civilians.

This debate is not new for either the Brits or Americans but with each new edict comes a new round of unnecessary friendly deaths at the hands of the Taliban and our new "allies", the Afghan Army and Police. As the numbers of ISAF and NATO casualties increase, there is ever growing evidence of the numbing of the minds of those entrusted with the leadership of these forces.

The number of deaths attributed to treachery among the ANA and ANP aimed at ISAF and NATO forces should indicate that efforts to minimize the damage caused to civilians by heavily restricting our forces simply isn't working. If this kind of behavior was occurring in this country and growing at the same rate, the career health hand-wringers would be declaring an epidemic! Unfortunately, we will be seeing more of these attacks because there is no sign that either the DOD, Pentagon or the civilian leadership in DC are willing to change tactics and loosen the ROE in response to what is clearly an uptick in anti-American and ISAF sentiment.

This report about the moral and real world effects of these continuingly tightening ROE came just a day before reports of two more "trusted" Afghan's opening fire on their British and American "counterparts". In the first incident which occurred, ironically, just one day after the scathing Mirror report, three British Soldiers were killed and the second occurring in Kabul, today yielding another five American Soldiers wounded. Concerned Americans are asking why this is happening and the answer is really very simple.

It has been 10 years since we first invaded Afghanistan driving the Taliban from power and leaving Al Qaida in disarray, forcing them to seek shelter in the mountains around Tora Bora and across the border in Pakistan. We spent the next few years simply holding ground via COP's and FOB's because we had shifted focus to Iraq. A discussion about the value of that decision can be held in another venue and another time but what is certain is that during the Iraq War years, we lost focus in Afghanistan.

When we were once again preparing to re-engage the Taliban in Afghanistan which had reconstituted, it was under new leadership with a radically different vision for the operation and for our conduct in the battle space. General Petraeus who has been lauded as the tactical genius who "won" the war in Iraq, had done two things which occurred simultaneously; first, he requested and received a surge of some 30,000 troops. The benefit of that surge was felt in Al Anbar Province.

At the same time, he made a decision to change strategy and introduced the controversial doctrine of Counter Insurgency to our efforts in Iraq. Although he has been crowned as the father of the doctrine, the truth is he borrowed it from the Marine Corps's Small Wars Manual of 1940 and simply "re-tooled" it to fit the environment in Southwest Asia. Because these two elements occurred at the same time, many were led to believe that our eventual success in Al Anbar province was due to the strategy change.

This was an unfortunate misinterpretation of the taming of Al Anbar. The truth is that Al Anbar was won by hard fought, hardcore combined arms Infantry tactics and a little something called force saturation. Simply put, the "Insurgency" did not have any more maneuver space in Al Anbar because we had filled the battle space with American uniforms. But because a population needs a "hero", General Petraeus was held up as the COIN genius who won Al Anbar and with that kind of press comes a legacy and all legacies need justification. The justification came by way of a decision to change the strategy in Afghanistan with the hope of duplicating our success in Iraq.

Refocusing on Afghanistan would require changes and a change of leadership and so Defense Secretary Gates asked for General McKiernan's resignation in early 2009 and replaced him with a philosoph of Petraeus, General Stanley McChrystal. McChrystal was not only loyal to Petraeus, he was also a staunch believer in COIN. The change was determined necessary because the Taliban had already rallied and were regaining territory taken from them early in the campaign. Petraeus and McChrystal both believed Afghanistan presented challenges that COIN was developed to respond to but Petraeus and McChrystal misread the population and the prevailing religious ideology of Afghanistan. In addition, the focus and intent emanating from the executive branch in DC, placed new emphasis on "playing nice". The greatest evidence of this new intent is found in the complete lack of discussion about the predominant religion in the region.

The reason the Taliban has been able to operate in such close proximity to our forces is the same reason we are finding so many incidences of treachery in the ranks of the ANA and ANP; the absence of scrutiny of the influence of the prevailing religion in the region and it's most hate filled verses. While the mantra from within the DC and emanating from the DOD is that Islam is a religion of peace which has been hijacked by a small percentage of adherents, the evidence suggests that the percentage is indeed higher. It is also indicative of a population that is not nearly as concerned with the actions of the Taliban as they are with our presence in their country.

Probably the most significant piece of evidence for this is in the proliferation of IED's. If in fact, as we are told, IED's are the product and weapon of an insurgent element that has perverted the doctrines of Islam, there should be very few of these devices left to injure our troops who are forced to patrol in and around populated areas without Close Air Support, Artillery Support, Support from organic weapons systems like 60mm, 81mm and 120mm mortars and who cannot return fire on an enemy if the engagement is near a populated area. But in reality, IED's are still being set and very few are being reported to ISAF or American forces by the population these unreasonably tight ROE are intended to protect.  They are not being reported because the local population does not feel as oppressed by the Taliban as our leadership has chosen to believe. The Taliban are in fact, of the people in Afghanistan. They are Brothers, Fathers, Husbands, Sons, Neighbors and Friends. They also have one thing in common with the people that we, as a western force do not; a shared adherence to Islam.

The truth is, Counter Insurgency efforts throughout history have been waged at a terrible cost to the War Fighters who are forced to operate within that paradigm. And the historical record of success while working within COIN and its damnable ROE is abysmal. The evidence that is reported every, single day screams of its failure and yet no one in DC or the DOD or the Pentagon seems to be paying attention.

So the question to ask this day is whether our appointed leaders are more concerned about history recording their undying support for the strategy they have thrust upon our War Fighters or succeeding on the battlefield?

In the meantime our War Fighters will continue to be victims of short-sighted leadership and the tenacity of the Afghan people; the Taliban, the treacherous ANA and ANP, the corrupt Kabul government and the actions/inaction of the "innocent" population.

And this is because our leadership refuses to acknowledge or even consider the ramifications of working in an ideologically monolithic society where that ideology is Islam.

Semper Fidelis;

John Bernard

The End of Counter Insurgency Operations? Don't Bet on It!

Now that a politically survivable solution has been accepted to end the current conflict in Afghanistan, the discussion of COIN (Counter Insurgency ) doctrinal viability has begun.  Even though the debate over this doctrine has raged since it's inception, this last ten year ordeal is forcing the visionaries and philosophes to re-engage in the discussion of strategy.  

On June 5th, Stratfor issued a prequel to what promises to be a long, arduous, soul searching event where the differences between one view point and another will be measured perceptions established after gleaning after action reports and US foreign policy philosophy.  While AA reports and Foreign Policy statements reveal information relevant to understanding the outcome of specific engagements, neither after action reports nor the political establishment's vision will answer why the overall strategy succeeded or failed.  In order for there to be any substantive knowledge gained from these discussions, those involved will have to look a lot further back to find the real reasons the desired outcome may not have been achieved.

Revisiting those original meetings and discussions that filled out the analysis that was used to write the Op Order and plan the strategy will require honest introspection.   It is absolutely vital that those involved in these post operation discussions be as transparent and honest about what wasn't done and what was ignored as they are about what transpired on the battlefield because this is where the legitimate answers lie. 

Of course the intent of these following discussions is to determine how best to engage enemies in the future because it is becoming more apparent by the day that our involvement in this region of the world is far from over.

It is almost ironic that Stratfor should break ground for these discussions on this day because the same morning, the Syrian government expelled all Western diplomats.  This move would normally be seen as just another step in a third world diplomatic process that is replete with these kinds of retaliatory acts had the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria and the Netherlands not already expelled Syrian diplomats several days earlier.  Western nations have been trying to decide what course of action to take to staunch the bleeding in this latest chapter in the saga of the Arab Spring while simultaneously trying to convince the Syrian government and their President Bashar Al-Assad to, essentially, surrender. 

My question remains the same; why do we care?  In every single similar episode in this Arab Spring "adventure", the combatants have had a shared ideology, shared culture and have been just as brutal to their fellows as the opposition. Neither side has any particular love for the non-conforming, infidel western world. The outcome of these poor excuses for elections has certainly not lived up to the hopes and expectations of the cheering section on this side of the big pond and one would argue has done little more than energize a people already belligerent to our very right to exist.  Given our incredibly poor batting average to date, why do we insist on supporting one side or the other when in reality, they are the same?

What is certain in Syria is that Al-Assad is unlikely to bend to the whims of the largely western infidel hand-wringers and, the rebel force facing off with Al-Assad's military is unlikely to back down.  This leaves the western diplomatic visionaries with few options and if a military strike is chosen, the likelihood of an air offensive a-la-Libya only, is slim.  This suggests the possibility of our witnessing US and Western forces making yet one more incursion into one more predominant Islamic nation. 

Not likely you say?  When we were looking at Libya, many believed "reason would prevail" and our visionaries would simply sit back and advise. They didn't and I don't believe there is anyone left who truly believes Libya will have improved their vision of the infidel world or that Libyans are likely to lead a better life because of the revolt or our support of it.  Remember the desecration of British World War II graves?  Does someone really want to defend that act as the reasonable response to the unintentional burning of books?  Is this how normal, moral, peaceful, recently freed people respond to those who helped them?

At this stage in history, the prospect of sending more US troops into yet another Islamic regime operating within the same COIN paradigm should give pause to every red blooded American.  If anything has been proven to date it is that the proponents of COIN are far more interested in the success of their vision than they are the outcome of combat action. 

America's War Fighters deserve better than that!  They are trained not simply to follow orders but to apply the skill and tenacity infused in their very being by years of very specific training intended to allow them to deliver victory to the nation they are serving! 

COIN does not envision victory. COIN envisions low kinetic peacekeeping operations in the midst of a "reasonable people" beset by an outside, unwanted, destructive asymmetric force that neither the reasonable people nor their government can dislodge without help.  It is not much different than the way law enforcement operates in bad sections of town overrun by gang violence.  However, unlike these domestic law enforcement operations, conducting operations within the sovereign space of another nation creates a tension between the general population and the foreign counter insurgency force in the best of situations.  Infidel western forces working in the midst of an overwhelming Islamic culture however is far from ideal and the likelihood of confrontation is a given; and this is where the COIN proponents failed.  Absolutely no consideration was given to the probability of unresolvable tension between the people of Afghanistan and ISAF's largely western, non-Islamic force due to the doctrines of Islam and the dedication of it's adherents. 

To date there has been absolutely nothing to suggest that either the politicians in this country or the martial architects of either the Iraq or Afghan campaigns have been willing to revisit their conscious and politically motivated decision to ignore the "elephant in the battle space"; the Islamic religion.

In a world that has no stomach for conflict, those entrusted with the safety and security of nations have decided that big wars are avoided by smaller wars which are essentially best handled without fighting per COIN doctrine.  In this brave new world, the Small Wars Manual of 1940 is not just another tool in the magic bag of war planners it has become the holy grail of conflict resolution.

COIN isn't going anywhere and our War Fighting community will have to come to accept that the heady days of vanquishing the enemy, his capability, his morale, his will to fight and forcing him to take a knee are relinquished to old dusty volumes sitting atop rotting stacks in forgotten libraries.

Such is the "vision" of our morally bankrupt Politicians and their General Grade minions.

Semper Fidelis;

John Bernard

Afghanistan; America's Willful Deception

American Thinker, John Bernard 16 May 2012

The battlefield is as fluid as diplomatic efforts to shape the outcome are convoluted.  While diplomacy during peacetime can be described as the efforts between two national representatives to overcome obstacles to a good, healthy and mutually productive relationship, diplomacy during hostilities cannot.  “Diplomatic efforts” during an ongoing conflict are at best an oxymoron.  The failure of two parties to work out problems with one another is what leads to war and if war is the ultimate outcome of a failure of diplomacy then it stands to reason that the successful outcome of the war can only be defined when one warring nation capitulates to the battle field prowess of the other.

Our current struggles in Afghanistan have been defined and redefined so many times that it is little wonder that civilian support for the effort here in the United States has waned.  What is truly amazing is that the level of morale in the ranks of our War Fighting community has remained as high as it has.  High morale is not however an accurate indicator of how our military views our successes on this battlefield especially at this point in history.  The reason it does not is because this is one of the only times in our history when a draft has not been used to maintain numbers in the ranks.  Those who have served both in Iraq and Afghanistan have done so willingly and their overall perception of time served is generally more positive than that of conscripts.

Americans have grown accustomed to hearing reports emanating from government officials that do not line up with reports coming in from the battlefield through media outlets and from other sources with boots on the ground.  Every piece of information delivered to the American public flows through a government filter to insure consistency with the narrative.  In addition the administration’s proxy, the Pentagon has decided that elements of certain kinds of information should be sequestered to insure the state narrative continues untarnished by pesky details.

Even the lexicon has morphed to reflect the changing opinions of the current “visionary”.  While success on the battlefield has historically been defined as victory, even the word battlefield has been carefully expunged from the public dialogue.  Success has been coopted by “compromise” and victory remanded to the dustbin of unacceptable words and phrases. Enemy Prisoners of War (EPW) are now future leaders in the new coalition government envisioned by the luminaries in DC. General Grade Officers have been carefully selected for their willingness to capture the vision and then translate it into conduct on the battlefield that reflects the intent of their Commander in Chief.

The American population has been exposed to military jargon they don’t understand, historically incorrect details about Afghan society and Islam and have been force-fed these carefully manicured stories of successful encounters with Afghan society for at least eight years.  I say eight years because it took time for the government to begin to transit from high tempo combat to a low kinetic, COIN-centric operational philosophy.  This slow slide into the insane world of peace keeping operations took time.  The move to COIN fantasy began to take root at precisely the same rate as our moral outrage and desire for retribution for the acts perpetrated against us on September 11, 2001 began to fade. One of the great problems with COIN operations is that it’s historical success rate is abysmal.  In fact there has only ever been one successful attempt and Afghanistan isn’t it.  And just to keep the record straight, Iraq wasn’t it either!

If things are going so very well for us in Afghanistan right now, then reporting should reflect that but there are very few stories to corroborate what we are being told.  In the past two weeks alone, we have seen more evidence of the growing trend of Afghan Nationals turning their weapons on American, and NATO/ISAF forces.  Even as stories like these continue to roll in, we have had further confirmation of an ongoing effort by US representatives to reconcile with the incalcitrant Taliban and to release battle hardened Taliban fighters back to Afghan society.  While we have chosen to abandon the battlefield in a quest for a magic potion to make the Taliban like us, they, are doing their level best to ‘explain’ to us that they have no interest in peace, an example of which is the killing an Afghan “peace negotiator”.  They are also exploiting our weakness on the battlefield due to our apparent unwillingness to bring the fight to them!

Of course many questions are raised by all of this but none as important as the one; why did we ever let this government convince us that rebuilding Afghanistan was somehow better for the United States?  This question is important simply because there are those of us who are serving in that part of the world who have been led to believe they are there for the security of the United States.  Regardless of the apparent inanity of the mission, the overwhelming evidence of IED placement, VBIED traffic, the obvious lack of measurable support from the local population and the incessant stories of moral and ethical failure in the Kabul government, these War Fighters press on.  The government that has compelled them to serve in a hostile environment owes them at least the ability to defend themselves when fired upon.  The ROE however denies them use of the basic tools of the trade; artillery, close air support, use of organic weapons systems like the 60mm mortar and even small arms fire if their proximity to civilians cannot absolutely guarantee safety for the civilians.

As the ‘combat’ mission begins to morph into one of training and support, logic would dictate that under normal conditions the environment will become more dangerous for our War Fighting community.  But the conditions in Afghanistan are hardly normal and no matter how much the General Grade Officers and their counterparts in DC want Afghanistan and Afghans to reflect their vision for them, it isn't going to happen.  One thing is certain, as the number of service members in Afghanistan is drawn down, the real threat to our War Fighter community will grow – exponentially.  The ROE will grow incredibly tighter for that is another expectation within the COIN paradigm; as the operation ages, so grows the support from the civilian population decreasing the need for armed force.

Does anyone want to bargain their lives or those of their loved ones on that premise, in this part of the world?  Maybe the President or our silent Congressional representatives should stand in the gap and give our War Fighters a break. 

The truth is, in spite of the narrative, the actual evidence suggests things in Afghanistan are turning in favor of the Taliban.  The danger to our forces will not only continue but will grow in intensity as more, and more control of the battle space is handed to the Taliban.  And this giving over of control is a direct consequence of our having chosen not to hold the Taliban accountable on the battle field; a battle field created by a failure on the part of Al Qaida, the Taliban and other like-minded Islamic cells to choose peaceful co-existence with the rest of the world.  It is also a complete failure of the remainder of the so-called peaceful Muslim Ummah to denounce the violence perpetrated by these groups.

Those in the highest levels of governance in this country and appointed to highest echelons of authority in the DOD have willingly rendered their consciences and their minds incapable of considering the threat, the motivation for the threat, the determination of this enemy and the proper response to the threat.  Instead, they have done what too many men in this age have done. They have been seduced by a lie that allows their weakened character to take the less painful road rather than the road that would have led to victory.

And in so doing, they have purposefully deceived a nation and a nation’s most valuable asset: it’s War Fighting community.

Semper Fidelis

John Bernard

This Year We Choose the Best of the Least

People who ‘rise to the occasion’ are generally no different than the people from whom they emerge. If the people are focused on good character, sound leadership, selfless service, a sense of personal responsibility for the good of the nation, an understanding of good and responsible nationalistic spirit, then those who are chosen to represent them will display these qualities.

However, what we have seen happen far too often are men who are missing an innate understanding of what should be moral eligibility for the positions they seek. I for one am astounded that anyone could not feel inadequate or disqualified for federal political office having not served, in some capacity, in the Armed Forces of this nation. What kind of arrogance is it that allows a man to consider himself – or herself eligible for a position of service that bears the authority to send others to their deaths having first exempted themselves from that heavy responsibility when it was their time?

While the US Constitution does not require Military service as a prerequisite for holding the position of President of the United States, the voter certainly can demand it simply by refusing to consider men who don’t have this essential experience in their resume. This irresponsible voter oversight creates an opportunity for the kind of degenerate decisions that continue to endanger better men on the battlefield. It is this kind of selfish, self-centered, sociopathic vision that allows unqualified men to rise to the highest levels of authority in this country. And make no mistake, ‘we the people’ have not only ignored this missing qualifier in too many of our candidates, we have encouraged people who should have disqualified themselves to run in the first place.  

This is not a complicated issue it is in fact a stance that we all take every, single, day. As business owners, we regularly fire people who do not display a minimum of talent or the character necessary for the jobs we offer. Truly successful corporations typically hire men for leadership positions who have an innate understanding of the industry they will be leaders in. Even Churches glean resumes, interview candidates and listen to the sermons given by men who apply for positions as Pastors of Congregations. Law Enforcement personnel suffer a gauntlet of interviews, academy training and lengthy probationary periods before being put on the permanent rolls. We all spend a significant amount of time with contractors, service personnel, mechanics and babysitters before hiring someone to perform any one of their services in our homes or on our equipment. And yet the process of choosing someone for the position of President of the United States is run more like a popularity contest than a period of deeply considerate vetting.

How else do we wind up with one man whose entire personal experience is summed up by college and a position as a community organizer on the one hand while on the other, a business man who never grew anything, built anything or created any substantive thing. And I know, in some cases both of their efforts probably allowed for the creation of some jobs but their efforts certainly contributed more to personal aggrandizement and personal wealth than the former. In any case, that nagging, desire to serve others with your very life seems to have been lacking in both – at least as it pertained to military service. President Obama simply chose not to serve while Mitt Romney sought a deferment for school. Please keep in mind that this is no small matter for as President of the United States because they hold the authority to press others into service and harm’s way even through selective service if necessary.

The last election cycle reaped a man with no military experience and personal prejudices for a specific religious institution. The men whom he has appointed to positions of authority within the DOD and military circles have shared his historically incorrect and skewed view of this religion and it’s worshippers. Our Marines, Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen and Coastguardsmen continue to bear the devastating consequences of that election, the appointees and the strategy they chose. Their price is measured in thousands of deaths, tens of thousands of life altering injuries and a prohibition to hold the enemy accountable on the battlefield.

The greatest sin however is that this country squandered the greatest gift that can be bestowed upon man for if the 1% of this generation can truly be said to be gifted by God, called by God to selflessly serve their country in the uniformed forces of this nation then it can also be said that those in whose hands they placed their lives and their gifts, betrayed them. They betrayed them by dangling the aura of pure service in the fires of combat in front of their faces and exchanged it for senseless death and mutilation void of a righteous fight with the enemy or even righteous retribution. By denying the Warrior ‘his day’ they have emboldened the enemy, moved the Afghan population toward the Taliban, made this country less secure as a result and mystified the thinkers in this nation!

Short of Divine intervention, our last hope is for a last minute, life altering personal epiphany on the part of at least one of these candidates. However, if these two men truly represent the heart of this nation a policy changing personal epiphany is unlikely. Their ‘epiphany’ would have to be inspired by the heart of the people from whom they come and there is little evidence that a plurality of the electorate understands either the significance of their responsibility or the effect it will have on those who are compelled to function within the constraints of COIN fantasy.

An additional cost that is more difficult to measure is the loss of respect for all current leadership in this country. Even if the White House can be blamed for its vision and it’s appointments, and Congress for its lack of oversight, the ultimate blame for the devastating decisions on the battlefield lays at the feet of the General Grade Officers who bear the final responsibility to decry what they know to be wrong.

I am reminded of one of the tenets of good counseling and that is to never leave a counseling session without an uplifting note or a piece of sage advice; while the outcome of this election is likely sealed, the responsibility of the electorate is not. We face election cycles every 2, 4 and 6 years nationally and more at local levels. As long as we are American citizens and as long as the US Constitution remains a viable cornerstone of jurisprudence and a declaration of personal freedom, we will have elections. And as long as we have elections, we have a responsibility to choose from among us the best to represent our interests rather than the least of the bad.

Now is the time to become educated on all of those issues that affect us as a nation, as individuals and most certainly those among us who have chosen to place their lives and their posterity in the hands of those we will elect to the highest positions of authority in the land. It is time for the uneducated, the insufferable idealists, the pessimists and the optimists to lay aside their uneducated opinions, their personal prejudices and that bowl of cherry blossoms.

It is time to become a responsible citizen who recognizes they hold the lives of Warriors in their hands at the polling booth!

SF

jb

Double Standards of Compassion from our American Leaders!

Much has been written about the ongoing “war against terrorism”. We have all heard the phrase, the clash of civilizations and have been spoon fed the idealistic expectations of the architects of these two campaigns, one in Iraq and the other in Afghanistan for ten years. Periodic sit-reps (situation reports) have been delivered by Politicians and General Grade Officers alike and even the retired community of hopeful sycophantic, legacy building idealists have not been able to contain their zeal to delve into the world of fantasy and declare our misadventures as humane.

The supporters of these misguided and unconstitutional nation building schemes are so invested in their own tripe that they cannot bring themselves to accept the glaring truth. To add insult to injury, they see the world through the eyes of the enemy and the enemy’s familial environment rather than through the eyes of the American population without whom they would not have jobs.

The stories allowed to come out of Afghanistan are largely tainted if not fabricated these days with the sole intent of keeping an increasingly frustrated American public from a full scale revolt.

Not fabricated you say? Case in point; L/Cpl Edward J. Dycus USMC who was murdered by an Afghan “partner” while standing guard. The problem is, this young Marine’s death was not first reported as another act of treachery by our “noble” Afghan partners, but was attributed to death during combat operations in Afghanistan. What acceptable reason can there be for withholding this kind of information from the American public? In fact, who could possibly justify lying about any of the deaths of our Warriors at the hands of the unscrupulous, blood-lusting 7^th century hordes of that forsaken land unless it is to present a picture of that culture and this military operation there as something other than what it is; an unmitigated disaster!

And what ever happened to Lieutenant Colonel Davis USA, who presented a scathing 84 page analysis of the Afghanistan debacle which accuses our political and military leaders of deceiving the American public about the “progress” in Afghanistan. He made news for about three days and, curiously, has not been heard from since.

How about the questionable actions of Lt Col Homiak as detailed by Diana West nearly two weeks ago? A request for an investigation into his action/non-action which jeopardized the lives of a Marine Corps Patrol on June 6^th, 2011 continues to languish in the halls of those who compelled the Marines in that patrol to be placed in harm’s way to begin with. Do you suppose those fine gentlemen and women in the Capital truly understand the ramifications of their silence for those continuing to patrol under the confining attributes of COIN doctrine?

Which leads us to the two events which have captured the attention of the world and certainly our legislative and executive branches in recent weeks; The inadvertent burning of Korans which were being used as notebooks by EPW’s to communicate with one another and the killing of Afghan civilians, Men, Women and Children allegedly by a Staff Sergeant in the Army.

The incessant apologies, the promises of prosecutorial retribution, the tolerance of Afghan rioting and accompanying murder of our American Warriors for the burning of copies of the Koran as well as our “understanding” of Afghan hatred for us, presumably because of these acts has muted the whimpers of our leadership over the 3 year campaign of murder by our Afghan “partners” of our Warriors.

This double standard would be considered unacceptable if all of the players were American, committing these acts on American soil. There would be a general outcry from the public for fairness and justice for all. The media would fill there dockets with rhetoric and anecdotal evidence of political malfeasance while insisting that one party or the other was simply playing to their electorate at the cost of another, unfortunate segment of society.

And yet, because these acts occurred on foreign soil and the participants wear uniforms, the media takes the skewed message from the political sphere and propagates it through their various venues like some kind of perverted gospel of truth.

While I certainly do not condone the killing of women and children – by anyone, in any culture, in any country, on any continent, I never-the-less do not see these murders as more reprehensible than the campaign of murder of our forces by those they are forced to train with, which has gone almost unreported.

While I accept the political sphere apologizing for the killing of women and children in Afghanistan, I repudiate the deafening silence by those same political “leaders” when it comes to the murder of our forces by the 7^th century hordes of Afghanistan – those our “leadership” insists are “our friends”.

It is important that the American public remind our politicians of something they seem to forget; the Afghan Soldier and Afghan Policeman are not constructs in a game or implants from an alien race from Alpha Centauri. They are in fact a product of their society, their culture, their family, their religious ideology, their own personal vices, their own personal prejudices and hatred. In essence, they are Afghanistan. In the same way, our Warriors are a mirror of our cultural experience.

The difference is that while the alleged actions of the United States Army Staff Sergeant, in Afghanistan are in fact a singularity, the continuing actions of the Afghans our Warriors are forced to work with, are not.

And while our government has made it clear just how reprehensible they consider the alleged actions of that Army Staff Sergeant, they have been correspondingly silent when it comes to the murder of some 70 American, ISAF and NATO Warriors.

I for one, wonder just how this Staff Sergeant is going to fair in our now untrustworthy legal system. Will he be given a fair hearing? Will the bevy of experts who will most certainly be called be trounced under foot by a politically motivated prosecutorial team of lackeys answering to their masters in DC? Will he be treated with the same tolerance shown to Major Nidal Hasan who is certainly guilty of shooting 32, killing 13, American Soldiers while screaming Allahu Akbar, an entreaty to his god, Allah while doing so? Will the Staff Sergeant, accused of killing Afghans be seen as a monster while Nidal Hasan given deference due to his particular religious proclivity?

Is there a double standard in this government; deference for our ideologically motivated enemies, zero compassion for our over-stressed, over-deployed, lied to uniformed Service Members?

Is the American public going to, once again, reward the despicable behavior of our political leadership and their minions wearing stars by casting their precious votes in November for this administration and it’s perverted staff for yet another 4 years or is this American Society finally reaching the limits of it’s patience for the silence and intolerance shown for our Warriors?

Compassion should be universal. Standards should be just and uniform. American Leaders should show due concern for their citizenry – before they show it for the rest of the world!

Semper Fidelis;

John Bernard