Mission Accomplished?

American soldiers helped Iraqi troops battle insurgents in downtown Baghdad on Sunday, repelling a major attack in the heart of the capital city five days after Obama declared an end to U.S. combat operations.

At least 18 people were killed and 39 injured in the midday attack in which a group of suicide bombers and gunmen attempted to storm the Iraqi army’s headquarters for eastern Baghdad, located in a former Ministry of Defense building in a busy market district alongside the Tigris River.

No Americans were among the casualties, said military spokesman Lt Col. Eric Bloom. But U.S. soldiers did join in the firefight alongside Iraqis to repel the assailants, two of whom managed to enter the army compound.

“Soldiers… provided suppressive fire while IA [Iraqi army] soldiers located the two terrorists that entered the compound.”   The firefight lasted “a few minutes,” Lt Col. Eric Bloom said.

The US military also dispatched helicopters, bomb disposal experts, unmanned aerial drones and other unspecified “intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance” assets to the scene of the downtown battle, he said, highlighting the continued dependence of the Iraqi security forces on American expertise and high-tech equipment.

An official with the Interior Ministry, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Iraqi security forces requested American help to defeat the insurgents, and that it was U.S. soldiers who shot two snipers who had taken up position in nearby buildings.

It was the first significant attack in Baghdad since Obama’s address to the nation last Tuesday in which he told Americans that U.S. combat operations were over…

Could have fooled me…

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Airman killed in Laos to get Medal of Honor

The White House announced the Medal of Honor will be awarded posthumously to Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Richard Etchberger on Sept. 21, according to a news release from Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D.  The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force which can be given to an individual serving in the U.S. military.  “Chief Master Sergeant Etchberger fought and died heroically, and saved the lives of many of his fellow men,” said Rep. Earl Pomeroy. “The Medal of Honor is reserved for extraordinary acts of valor in combat, and Chief Master Sergeant Etchberger’s actions were the very definition of such extraordinary valor.”

Richard Etchberger and his fellow men were stationed at Phou Pha Thi, known as Lima Site 85, which was a secret radar base in the neutral country of Laos. From the base, Etchberger and his fellow men were able to pinpoint hundreds of bombing targets in North Vietnam for the U.S. military.

The radar station directed 507 strike missions against North Vietnamese targets from November 1967 until March 11, 1968, when enemy soldiers engaged the facility in a fierce battle, according to the Air Force.

On March 11, 1968, North Vietmanese commandos stormed the radar station, and Etchberger led several men to a ledge where they fought off the Vietnamese commandos and awaited helicopter rescue. Etchberger deliberately exposed himself to enemy fire in order to place his three surviving wounded comrades in rescue slings, saving their lives, but was fatally shot in the helicopter as it carried him and his fellow men away.

Etchberger was nominated for the Medal of Honor but was denied by President Lyndon Johnson for fear it would embarrass the United States and bring attention to their illegal radar station in neutral territory. Etchberger was instead awarded the Air Force Cross, the military’s second highest honor.

Friends of Etchberger’s family contacted Congressman Pomeroy’s office in 2004, seeking assistance to have Etchberger’s Air Force Cross upgraded to the Medal of Honor. Pomeroy worked to include language in the 2009 National Defense Authorization Act to waive the statute of limitations on awarding a Medal of Honor for Etchberger. President Bush signed the bill into law.

“Chief Etchberger was denied the Medal of Honor because he was serving his country on the wrong side of a geographic barrier. Heroism knows no boundary,” Pomeroy said.  “While it’s regrettable that this medal is coming 40 years after Mr. Etchberger’s death, I am honored to be part of the effort that recognized this true hero, he said.

Etchberger’s sons, Cory Etchberger, Richard Etchberger and Steve Wilson, will join the president at the White House Sept. 21 for the ceremony.

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Fourth Preseason Game

Starting QB Alex Smith had the night off on Thursday.  David Carr was 5 of 6 passes for 58 yards, and Nate Davis, 3rd string QB, was 11 of 22 with 2 INTs.  After giving up a 10-0 first half lead and being outscored 14-0 in the third quarter, the 9ers came from behind for a win against the San Diego Chargers.  Mistakes were made but the Niners are 4 – 0 for the preseason.  Time for the regular season to begin…  back to 0 – 0.  Great rookie class this year!

Final Score:  17 – 14   Niners

Go NINERS!

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U.S. Drawdown From Iraq Leaves Void

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USMC Commandant Gen. Conway Repeats Gay Concerns

Marines are billeted, or assigned sleeping quarters, in pairs.  Earlier this year, General James Conway stated for the record, that he “would not ask our Marines” to bunk in the same rooms with openly gay Marines.

Before any hand-wringing begins, read the rest of this post with an open mind.  This is something that the civilian population that has not served in the military, doesn’t understand.  In addition to the problem of forcing someone who is openly homosexual to room with someone who isn’t, consider the issue of two homosexuals rooming together.  The next thought becomes why can two ‘straights’ room together but a ‘gay’ couple can’t?   Can a heterosexual male and female share a room?  Absolutely not.  There are strict laws against fraternization.

I won’t even describe what living conditions are like aboard ship, other to say that there are 20 or more Sailors or Marines assigned to a compartment.  In my day, “hot racking” was also practiced:  you got out of a ‘rack’ (bed) and someone else got in it.   Certainly not an ideal situation but reality.  Privacy is non-existent.

Civilians have the idea that they work with people that are openly gay and the military shouldn’t discriminate against openly gays.  Working in an office environment is completely different than living, showering and dressing with them 24/7 for the next 6 to 18 months.  An office worker can’t imagine this type of an environment.  That worker goes home to their ‘significant other’ and what they do behind closed doors is their business.  Military personnel do not usually have that luxury.  They are within arms reach of each other constantly.

The issue ultimately boils down to sex.  Sexual tension is an issue.  If you  are deployed, be it aboard ship, or scatted to the four winds, and I’m trying to be politically correct here, it is particularly an issue that comes up in the conditions I mentioned regarding showering, etc.  I won’t go into details, but trust me…  I have spent many years in the USMC, and yes, I’m straight.  But… I digress.

Military.Com reports that in what was likely his last appearance in the Pentagon briefing room, soon-to-be retiring Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway once more waded into the “don’t ask, don’t tell” waters with his straight-shooter candor by suggesting that “very religious” Marines with “moral concerns” about homosexuality might not be forced to live with their gay battle buddies.

On Tuesday, pressed to explain, General Conway pointed to the religious morality argument.  He said one solution the Corps could consider is “perhaps a voluntary basis” in which those Marines who do not object to homosexuality would agree to take on billets (living quarters) with their fellow, openly gay Marines.

Pressed to explain further why he felt Marines, more than the other services, are more outright opposed to allowing openly gay service, the commandant said:

“We recruit a certain type of young American -– pretty macho guy or gal that is willing to go fight and perhaps die for their country,” he said.  “I can only think as we look as our mission, how we are forced to live in close proximity aboard ships, in the field for long periods of time and that type of thing. … I just think all those things have impact on the Marines and we just as soon not see it change.”

Because the Marine Corps assigns living quarters by twos, they start off with a problem right out of the gate, once the “don’t ask, don’t tell” repeal takes effect, General Conway said.

“I do not believe there is money out there… to allow every Marine to have a room by his or herself,” he said.  But the general said he expects Marine commanders to decide quickly once the old policy is dropped.

“If the law changes, we pride our Corps in leading the services in many, many things and we’re gonna have to lead in this too,” General Conway said.  “We cannot be seen as dragging our feet or in some way delaying implementation. We’ve got to, as the law changes, implement and get on with it.”

Before anyone gets up in arms over the General’s comments,  he has suggested some viable solutions.  Military.com has an ongoing pole online.  I list it’s current results below:

Do you agree with Gen. Conway’s concerns around forcing straight Marines to bunk with gays in the event DADT is repealed?

  • Yes. Mixing straights and gays is no different than mixing males and females.   61%
  • No. Gen. Conway has a warped understanding of the gay community. His concerns are  ridiculous.  17%
  • I’m in favor of doing whatever it is that will increase America’s military readiness. Everything else is noise at this point. 22%

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