DoD Identifies Army Casualties

No. 779-09 October 07, 2009
DoD Identifies Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of eight soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died October 3rd in Kamdesh, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their contingency outpost with small arms, rocket-propelled grenade and indirect fires. They were assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

Killed were:
Staff Sgt. Vernon W. Martin, 25, of Savannah, Ga
Sgt. Justin T. Gallegos, 27, of Tucson, Ariz
Sgt. Joshua M. Hardt, 24, of Applegate, Calif
Sgt. Joshua J. Kirk, 30, of South Portland, Maine
Sgt. Michael P. Scusa, 22, of Villas, N.J.
Spc. Christopher T. Griffin, 24, of Kincheloe, Mich
Spc. Stephan L. Mace, 21, of Lovettsville, Va
Pfc. Kevin C. Thomson, 22, of Reno, Nev

For more information media may contact the Fort Carson public affairs office at (719) 526-7525; after hours (719) 526-5500.

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U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)

DoD Identifies Army Casualty

No. 780-09 October 07, 2009
DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Spc. Kevin O. Hill, 23, of Brooklyn, N.Y., died October 4th at Contingency Outpost Dehanna, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit using small arms and indirect fires. He was assigned to the 576th Mobility Augmentation Company, Fort Carson, Colo.
For more information media may contact the Fort Carson public affairs office at (719) 526-7525; after hours (719) 526-5500.

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U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)

DoD Identifies Army Casualty

No. 778-09 October 07, 2009
DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Maj. Tad T. Hervas, 48, of Coon Rapids, Minn., died October 6th at Contingency Operating Base Basra, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 34th Infantry Regiment, Rosemont, Minn. The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.
For more information the media may contact the Minnesota National Guard public affairs office at (651) 282-4410.

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U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)

Afghanistan/Pakistan: The Obama War - What’s Next? - Part One

Afghanistan/Pakistan
The Obama War - What’s Next?
Part One

This Cutout of General McChrystal from original photo by Sgt. David Alvarado, USA

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Hello everyone...
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This is Part One of several to come on Obama’s Afghan/Pakistan War and what the MSM is reporting he will do about it over the next few months even years to come. I’ll throw in my two cents every now and then too... Hope you enjoy my new round of posts...
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Now... let’s get started with some of today’s News...
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* The Washington Post brings us the following News Article this Tuesday morning and it starts off like this... Commentators who say Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, is pressuring the White House to accept his ideas or else didn't pay close attention to his remarks last week in London... "I'm certainly not going to circumvent any political leadership, because at the end of the day the political leadership are the people who I work for, and I'm proud to do that," McChrystal told the International Institute for Strategic Studies last Thursday. Once a decision on troop levels is made, he said, he will carry it out... Acknowledging that the White House and others are reexamining "our goals and objectives" in the Afghanistan war, McChrystal called the process "a very detailed policy-level debate" that is "incredibly important and incredibly healthy." He said resources, including troop levels, should be based on goals: "I don't think that if we align our goals and our resources that we'll have a significant problem."...
Read this informative report in full at link below...
Critics Don't See the Nuance in McChrystal's Comments on War
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* NYDailyNews.com reports... In "Dr. Strangelove," President Merkin Muffley, played by Peter Sellers, gets it hilariously wrong when he screams: "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room." Actually, when American troops are in combat, that's the only place administration officials should squabble... This is the message President Obama must convey to members of his team, civilian and military alike, as he wrestles with deciding what in the heck the U.S. should try to do in Afghanistan and how to get the job done. It is extraordinary that: ...
Read the rest at link below...
Loose lips: Afghan war needs less politics and more policy from Obama advisors
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* Oliver North has the following article posted up on FOXNews.com today and it starts off like this... The Obama White House seems to have adopted Scarlett's decision-making process for the war in Afghanistan. Note to the O-Team: Kabul isn't Tara and Americans are dying while the Commander in Chief dithers...
Read Mr. North’s article in full at link below...
Troops Die While Obama Dithers

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Defense Secretary Robert Gates: Military to Adhere to Obama's Decision

About this News Video: Despite the fierce policy divide inside the White House over Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday that the military will fall in line with whatever President Barack Obama decides. (Posted Oct. 5)
This video posted on YouTube by AssociatedPress
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Defense Secretary Gates Stands By Gen. McChrystal

Above from Real Clear Politics Video.
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More to come...
AubreyJ.........

On Ground Updates: Afghanistan/Pakistan - October 06, 2009

On Ground Updates:
Afghanistan/Pakistan
Afghan/American Forces Kill 40 Militants While Hunting Insurgents Behind One Of Deadliest Attacks Of Afghan/Pakistan War
Post Date: Tuesday, October 06, 2009

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AP brings us the following report this Tuesday afternoon and it starts off like this... Afghan and American forces killed 40 militants in 24 hours as they hunted in mountainous eastern Afghanistan for insurgents behind one of the deadliest attacks of the war for U.S. troops, the defense ministry said Tuesday... Ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi said 10 Afghan army troops were also killed in the same period around the country, most of them in Nuristan province's Kamdesh district, where eight Americans and two Afghan security troopers died Saturday after hundreds of Taliban militants overwhelmed their remote and thinly manned outposts... The violence comes at a time when the Obama administration is grappling with how to quell the conflict, including whether the U.S. should send tens of thousands more troops. It also comes as the country nears a resolution to August's intensely disputed presidential vote...
Read the full report at link below...
Afghan, US troops kill 40 militants in east

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* Channel4.com has the following report posted up on their website this Tuesday afternoon and it starts off like this... The sad truth about the deaths of eight American soldiers in Afghanistan this weekend is that they were not even meant to be in the remote military base that was attacked, blogs Sarah Smith... They should have moved out months ago. Their commanders had been planning to pull out since December 2008 but various problems, from a lack of cargo helicopters to move their stuff to the extreme resistance of the Afghan government, slowed their exit... Despite these setbacks many of them were due to leave this week if the Taliban had not fatally attacked first...
Read the full report at link below...
US Military Were Sitting Targets
Find lots of informative Posts at link above so be sure to click them out...

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A Powerful MUST SEE News Video below...

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Above News Video Courtesy of Channel 4 News
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AubreyJ.........

Photo for the Day - October 05, 2009

* Photo for the Day *
Mohammad Ismail Dowlatizai, director of agriculture for Afghanistan’s Laghman province, speaks to local farmers and provincial representatives about the benefits of growing saffron...
Read the story behind the photo at link below...
Kansas Guardsmen, Afghan farmers explore poppy alternatives
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AubreyJ.........

DoD Identifies Army Casualties

No. 770-09 October 05, 2009
DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Paul E. Andersen, 49, of Dowagiac, Mich., died October 1st in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his camp using indirect fire. He was assigned to the 855th Quartermaster Company, South Bend, Ind.
For more information the media may contact the Indiana National Guard public affairs office at (317) 532-4355 or (317) 532-4356.


No. 769-09 October 05, 2009
DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Sgt. Thomas D. Rabjohn, 39, of Litchfield Park, Ariz., died October 3rd in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated during an attempt to disarm it. He was assigned to the 363rd Explosive Ordnance Detachment, Coolidge, Ariz.
For more information the media may contact the Arizona National Guard public affairs office at (602) 267-2550, or (602) 206-7659.

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U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)

News Videos: Senator Lindsey Graham Talks about Possible US Attack on Iran during Fox News Sunday Interview - Sunday, October 04, 2009

Senator Lindsey Graham:
Don't Leave Attack on Iran to Israel
Sunday, October 04, 2009

About above video: Senator Lindsey Graham believes the US should shoulder the responsibility of attacking Iran if an attack is necessary. An attack by the US is preferable to an attack by Israel, according to Graham.
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"I think an Israeli attack on Iran is a nightmare for the world, because it will rally the Arab world around Iran and they're not aligned now. It's too much pressure to put on Israel," Graham told Fox News' Chris Wallace Sunday.
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He continued, "Military action should be the last resort anyone looks at, and I would rather our allies and us take military action if it's necessary."
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But Graham doesn't think an attack should be limited to airstrikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. "If we use military action against Iran, we should not only go after their nuclear facilities. We should destroy their ability to make conventional war. They should have no planes that can fly and no ships that can float," said Graham.
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Sen. Saxby Chambliss agrees. "The problem with military action also is that you're probably not going to be able to stop the production of uranium by just a simple airstrike. Lindsey's right. It's an all or nothing deal. And is it worth that at this point in time when we know they have the capability. We can slow them down, but a full-out military strike is what it would take," said Chambliss.
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Above Info/News Video posted on YouTube by PoliticsCentralX
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AubreyJ.........