" The credit belongs to the Person who is actually in the arena,

Who's face is marred by dust and sweat and blood...

Who knows the great Enthusiasms, the great devotions,

Who spends Themself at a worthy cause;

Who at best, Knows in the end the triumph of high

achievement, and

If They fail, at least fail daring greatly so that

There place shall never be with those

Cold, Timid Souls

Who know neither Victory Nor Defeat. "

JFK

"YOU WORRY ME!"
   By: American Airlines Pilot - Captain John Maniscalco
  
         I've been trying to say this since 9-11, but you worry me.  I wish you didn't.
 I wish when I walked down the streets of this country that I love, that your
 color and culture still blended with the beautiful human landscape we enjoy in
 this country.  But you don't blend in anymore.  I notice you, and it worries me.
         I notice you because I can't help it anymore.
         People from your homelands, professing to be Muslims, have been attacking and
 killing my fellow citizens and our friends for more than 20 years now.  I don't
 fully understand their grievances and hate, but I know that nothing can justify
 the inhumanity of their attacks.
        On September 11, nineteen ARAB-MUSLIMS hijacked four jetliners in my country.
           They cut the throats of women in front of children and brutally stabbed to death
 others.  They took control of those planes and crashed them into buildings
 killing thousands of proud fathers, loving sons, wise grandparents, elegant
 daughters, best friends, favorite coaches, fearless public servants, and
 children's mothers.
 
          The Palestinians Celebrated and the Iraqis were overjoyed, as was most of the Arab
 world.  So, I notice you now.  I don't want to be worried.  I don't want to be
 consumed by the same rage and hate and prejudice that has destroyed the soul of
 these terrorists.  But I need your help.   As a rational American, trying to
 protect my country and family in an irrational and unsafe world, I must know how
 to tell the difference between you, and the Arab/Muslim terrorist.
  
         How do I differentiate between the true Arab/Muslim-Americans and the
 Arab/Muslim terrorists in our communities who are attending our schools,
 enjoying our parks, and living in OUR communities under the protection of OUR
 constitution, while they plot the next attack that will slaughter these same
 good neighbors and children?
         The events of September 11th changed the answer.  It is not my responsibility
 to determine which of you embraces our great country, with ALL of its religions,
 with ALL of its different citizens, with all of its faults.  It is time for
 every Arab/Muslim in this country to determine it for me.
          I want to know, I demand to know, and I have a right to know, whether or not
 you love America.  Do you pledge allegiance to its flag?  Do you proudly display
 it in front of your house, or on your car?   Do you pray in your many daily
 prayers that Allah will bless this nation, that He will protect and prosper it?
 Or do you pray that Allah with destroy it in one of your Jihads?
         Are you thankful for the freedom that only this nation affords?
         A freedom that was paid for by the blood of hundreds of thousands of patriots
 who gave their lives for this country?   Are you willing to preserve this freedom
 by also paying the ultimate sacrifice?   Do you love America ?
         If this is your commitment, then I need YOU to start letting ME know about it.
 Your Muslim leaders in this nation should be flooding the media at this time
 with hard facts on your faith, and what hard actions you are taking as a
 community and as a religion to protect the United States of America.
            Please, no more benign overtures of regret for the death of the innocent
 because I worry about who you regard as innocent.  No more benign overtures of
 condemnation for the unprovoked attacks because I worry about what is unprovoked
 to you.  I am not interested in any more sympathy.  I am only interested in
 action.
          What will you do for America - our great country - at this time of crisis, at
 this time of war?
           I want to see Arab-Muslims waving the AMERICAN flag in the streets.  I want to
 hear you chanting "Allah Bless America " I want to see young Arab/Muslim men
 enlisting in the military.  I want to see a commitment of money, time, and
 emotion to the victims of this butchering and to this nation as a whole.
          The FBI has a list of over 400 people they want to talk to regarding the WTC
 attack.  Many of these people live and socialize right now in Muslim
 communities.
         You know them.  You know where they are.  Hand them over to us, now!  But I have
 seen little even approaching this sort of action.  Instead I have seen an
 already closed and secretive community close even tighter.  You have disappeared
 from the streets.  You have posted armed security guards at your facilities.
 You have threatened lawsuits.  You have screamed for protection from reprisals.
         The very few Arab/Muslim representatives that HAVE appeared in the media were
 defensive and equivocating.
 They seemed more concerned with making sure that the United States proves who
 was responsible before taking action.   They seemed more concerned with
 protecting their fellow Muslims from violence directed towards them in the
 United States and abroad than they did with supporting our country and
 denouncing "leaders" like Khadafi, Hussein, Farrakhan, and Arafat.
  
         If the true teachings of Islam proclaim tolerance and peace and love for all
 people, then I want chapter and verse from the Koran and statements from popular
 Muslim leaders to back it up.  What good is it if the teachings in the Koran are
 good, and pure, and true, when your "leaders" are teaching fanatical
 interpretations, terrorism, and intolerance?
          It matters little how good Islam SHOULD BE if huge numbers of the world's
 Muslims interpret the teachings of Mohammed incorrectly and adhere to a
 degenerative form of the religion.  A form that has been demonstrated to us over
 and over again…  A form whose structure is built upon a foundation of violence,
 death, and suicide…And  A form whose members are recruited from the prisons around
 the world.  A form whose members (some as young as five years old) are seen day
 after day, week in and week out, year after a year, marching in the streets
 around the world, burning effigies of our presidents, burning the American flag,
 shooting weapons into the air.  A form whose members convert from a peaceful
 religion, only to take up arms against the great United States of America, the
 country of their birth.  A form whose rules are so twisted, that their traveling
 members refuse to show their faces at airport security checkpoints, in the name
 of Islam.
        We will NEVER allow the attacks of September 11, or any others for that
 matter, to take away that which is so precious to us:

Our rights under the
 greatest constitution in the world.
       I want to know where every Arab Muslim in this country stands and I think it
 is my right and the right of every true citizen of this country to demand it.  A
 right paid for by the blood of thousands of my brothers and sisters who died
 protecting the very constitution that is protecting you and your family.  I am
 pleading with you to let me know.
       I want you here as my brother, my neighbor, my friend, as a fellow American.
 But there can be no gray areas or ambivalence regarding your allegiance and it
 is up to YOU, to show ME, where YOU stand. 

 Until then …  "YOU WORRY ME!"

                         On 15 January 2006, as part of the Army's transformation towards a modular force, the composition of the 82nd Airborne was changed. As of that date, the division included the1st Brigade, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Brigade, 4th Brigade, 82nd Airborne Brigade and the 82nd SustainmentBrigade .

Army Campaign Plan *The Army is pursuing the most comprehensive transformation of its forces since the early years of World War II. Click link above for more information.

Known as the "Home of the Airborne and Special Operations Forces". Fort Bragg houses The 82nd Airborne Division and The XVIII Airborne Corps. The U.S. Army Special Operations Command and The U.S. Army Parachute Team (the Golden Knights) also call Fort Bragg home

 

Fort Bragg units include The 1st Corps Support Command, 44th Medical Command, XVIII Airborne Corps Artillery, 18th Aviation Brigade, 35th Signal Brigade, and more.

 

Neighboring Fort Bragg is Pope Air Force Base.

 

There are a lot of supporting units that provide the XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg rapid deployment force with support of any type, to include: rigging, maintenance, networking, medical, transportation, and many other types of support.

The Army Campaign Plan provides direction for detailed planning, preparation and execution of the full range of tasks necessary to provide relevant and ready land-power to the Nation while maintaining the quality of the all-volunteer force. The Army is pursuing the most comprehensive transformation of its forces since the early years of World War II, but the Soldier remains the centerpiece of our combat systems and formations. Support for Soldiers, civilians and their families is a critical part of the Army's ability to defend our Nation.

 

         RICr0C

A PRESIDENTIAL FOURTH AT FORT BRAGG

Bush: U.S. in Iraq until `job is done'
He says he won't let GIs' deaths be in vain
MARK JOHNSON
mjohnson@charlotteobserver.com

           FORT BRAGG- President Bush celebrated the Fourth of July surrounded by paratroopers and firmly declared that the United States will not leave Iraq prematurely.

Bush's remarks continued a White House and Republican effort to take a potentially damaging issue, given deteriorated public support for the Iraq war, and turn it to the GOP's advantage.

The holiday speech on a sweltering Carolina summer day comes after debates and votes in Congress on whether to withdraw troops. Bush, the back of his shirt soaked with sweat, thanked the audience of soldiers and families for their service and rebuffed the idea of leaving Iraq, using words that drew a roar of approval.

"I'm not going to allow the sacrifice of 2,527 troops who died in Iraq to be in vain," Bush said, "by pulling out before the job is done."

The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly voted down a measure two weeks ago that would have started withdrawing troops from Iraq before the end of the year.

Bush warned Tuesday that setting artificial timetables would rejuvenate insurgents in Iraq and undermine the morale of coalition troops.

"I'll make decisions on troop levels in Iraq based on the advice that matters most -- the measured judgment of our military commanders," Bush said during his 30-minute speech.

Bush's top commander is reported to have recently proposed sending home 7,000 of the 127,000 troops in Iraq by September and 20,000 more by the end of next year.

In recent weeks, the White House has deployed a strategy that has worked before -- trying to turn its opponents' strongest issue against them. Republicans succeeded in raising doubts in 2004 about Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry's Vietnam War record, one of his strongest political assets.

Democrats going into the 2006 congressional elections routinely criticize Bush and Republicans over Iraq, latching on to growing public skepticism over the war. Republicans, attempting to regain momentum on the issue last month, scheduled votes in the House over whether to back Bush's Iraq policies and in the Senate on troop withdrawal.

Republicans prevailed widely, as Democrats who opposed them risked being criticized for not backing the troops or trying to "cut and run," as some GOP legislators said.

Almost exactly one year ago, Bush delivered another speech at Fort Bragg in which he expressed empathy with those who had doubts: "Amid all this violence, I know Americans ask the question: `Is the sacrifice worth it?' "

On Tuesday, Bush's language was stronger. "Our country will not run in the face of thugs and assassins," he said.

The message reassured many in the Fort Bragg crowd who have weathered the talk of withdrawal. Kim Platt's husband is a special operations officer who was previously deployed in Iraq.

If the United States pulls out, she asked after the speech, "What did he go for?"

Soldiers of B Company, 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, stand at attention in respect of a fallen comrade during the memorial service in Baghdad on June 20, 2003.

U.S. Army paratroopers from 3rd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, prepare their vehicles before departure from Camp Stryker to their new home in Baghdad’s International Zone. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Mike Pryor

       November 29, 2005 Paratroopers from Company C, 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, take cover after receiving enemy fire in Tal Afar, Iraq.

Photo by Pfc. James Wilt

"(The Army) expects its leaders to be able to execute all sorts of missions from offensive combat operations, to stability and support, to security operations. And I don't know anybody better qualified to do that than our paratroopers," U.S. Army Lt. Col. Thomas Hiebert

Airborne troops return, ready to face a new mission,

a new enemy and new challenges.

A U.S. Army paratrooper from 3rd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, mans the gun turret of a Humvee as his convoy prepares to depart Camp Stryker. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Mike Pryor

No Combat Jump, But 82nd Airborne Back in Iraq

                          BAGHDAD, Iraq, Dec. 13, 2004 — When Operation Iraqi Freedom began in March 2003, the 82nd Airborne Division was there. Now, almost two years later, with a new mission, a new enemy, and new challenges to face, the 82nd is back in Iraq and ready for action.

More than 1,500 paratroopers from two battalions of the 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, the 82nd's Division-Ready Brigade, and other slice elements began deploying to Iraq from Fort Bragg, N.C. on Dec. 3, only days after receiving a deployment order. The first paratroopers arrived at Baghdad International Airport on Dec. 4.

    The 82nd's mission in Iraq is to augment U.S. Army forces providing security for the country's upcoming democratic elections. The 3rd Battalion is attached to the 1st Cavalry Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team. The 2nd Battalion is attached to the 10th Mountain Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team.

             Historically, the 82nd's mission has been to deploy rapidly, seize enemy territory by parachute assault, fight and win. While its current mission in Iraq is different, the division's paratroopers are up for any challenge, said Lt. Col. Thomas Hiebert, commander of 3rd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment.

U.S. Army paratroopers from 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division practice movement drills soon after arriving at Camp Stryker near Baghdad’s International Airport. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Mike Pryor

       "(The Army) expects its leaders to be able to execute all sorts of missions from offensive combat operations, to stability and support, to security operations. And I don't know anybody better qualified to do that than our paratroopers," Hiebert said.

"They understand their significance in the greater scheme of things. They know darn well why they're here. And they are completely, totally, without a doubt, ready for anything," he said.

The paratroopers of 3rd Battalion, the majority of who are combat veterans, said their commander's confidence wasn't misplaced.

"All our leaders are seasoned guys, and I know they're going to take care of their men. Whatever the mission is, I know we're

going to get it done," said Staff Sgt. Jereme Ayers, a squad leader with 3rd Battalion’s Company A. He served with the 325th during its previous year long deployment to Iraq from February 2003 to February 2004.

This will be the first combat experience for some of the battalion's younger paratroopers. Most expressed enthusiasm at the chance to serve.

"I feel like I'm actually doing what I'm supposed to be doing now. I'm glad to help out my country," said Pfc. Max Anduze, of Headquarters Company.

Not every paratrooper had such philosophical reasons for their excitement.

"I'm happy to be here - I need the money,” said Spc. Phillip Freeman from Company B, 307th Engineer Battalion. “I hope we stay for a year so I can refill my bank account."

Whatever their reasons for coming, some 1st Cavalry Division soldiers are just glad the 82nd's paratroopers are here now.

      "We're all definitely glad to have the eighty-deuce here," said Capt. Patrick Blankenship, logistics officer with the First Team’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team. "They're the All-Americans."

By U.S. Army Pfc. Mike Pryor
82nd Airborne Division

3rd Platoon  Cowboy Company 2/325th AIR 82nd ABN in Baghdad Iraq

On the right holding skull and cross bones flag PFC Bobby "DOC" Carrasquillo

Brig. Gen. Joseph Votel, Deputy Commanding General, 82nd Airborne Division, shakes the hands of Paratroopers who are preparing to deploy to Kuwait on stand-by status, ready to immediately deploy into Iraq to support coalition operations. The Paratroopers are from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Abn. Div.  Photo by Spc. Jaime Avila/ 1st BCT PAO, 82nd Abn. Div

82nd Arrives in Kuwait, Ready for Action

     CAMP BUEHRING, KUWAIT – The 82^nd Airborne Division’s 2^nd Brigade Combat Team began arriving in Kuwait this week to assume the role of quick reaction force for Multi-National Force-Iraq. The Fort Bragg, N.C.-based Falcon Brigade will remain in Kuwait on stand-by status, ready to immediately deploy into Iraq to support coalition operations.

C-130's the work-horse of the 82nd ABN landing at airbase in Iraq

       “The 82^nd Airborne is America’s strategic response force. Within days of being alerted, we’ve moved an entire brigade combat team by strategic airlift to Kuwait, and we are prepared to respond to any contingencies that the combatant commander directs,” said Col. B Don Farris, the 2^nd BCT commander.

            The 2^nd BCT is particularly suited to the role of strategic response force, Farris said. Its long-standing mission has been to deploy world-wide on short notice and conduct full-spectrum combat operations. Paratrooper training stresses readiness and adaptability to a variety of different mission sets.

            “Paratroopers possess an expeditionary mindset.  It’s a lifestyle. It’s our culture. Paratroopers know they must be ready to go at a moment’s notice,” said Farris.

            Since the Global War on Terrorism began, the Falcons have had six short-notice deployments at battalion-or-greater strength to support operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is their first deployment as an entire brigade since 2003.

            The Falcons received the order for their current deployment on Dec. 27. In less than a week, the brigade deployed approximately 3,000 paratroopers, 300 containers of equipment, and 100 vehicles to Kuwait, said Maj. Michael Baumeister, the Brigade Logistics Officer.

            “I don’t know of anyone else (but the 82^nd Airborne) who can do that,” Baumeister said.

            Adding to the complexity of the deployment was the fact that it occurred over the Christmas and New Year holidays. Farris credited the commitment and support of Falcon family members with helping the brigade rise to the challenge.

            “We have great families who understand that we are at war, and who appreciate that the 82^nd is always going to be called on to support the Global War on Terrorism,” said Farris.

            For combat-hardened veterans like Sgt. Brian Mundey of B Co, 1^st Battalion, 325^th Airborne Infantry Regiment, who is on his third deployment as a Falcon, there is no such thing as a surprise deployment. He knows he can be called on at any time, Mundey said, and when it happens he is ready.

“It’s our job. It’s what we do,” Mundey said.    

Story by:  Sgt. Mike Pryor/ 2nd BCT PAO, 82nd Abn. Div.

Military commanders say there is more to this plan than boots on the ground — it's also how the troops will be used. The idea is for U.S. and Iraqi forces to become a more integral part of Baghdad neighborhoods such as Dora, which was secured in August 2006 only to see violence spike when U.S. forces left. Under the new plan, the city of Baghdad will be divided into nine separate sections at the request of Iraqis, who want one army and police battalion devoted to each section. The additional U.S. troops being sent to Baghdad will be divided among the nine sections of the city, nearly doubling U.S. combat power in the region. In a switch from the current course of action, these U.S. forces will be housed in the very neighborhoods they patrol. Military planners tell ABC News there will eventually be about 30 mini bases, called joint security stations, scattered around Baghdad, housing both U.S. and Iraqi troops. The plan also includes an emphasis on performance from the Iraqis. White House officials said they have put tremendous pressure on Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to crack down on Shiite militias, especially radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who is thought to be responsible for most of the sectarian violence. A senior White House official said that Maliki told the president, "I swear to God, I'm not going to let Sadr run this country." Maliki must also provide Iraqi troops on schedule and give Sunnis a larger role in the government. Tonight, the president is expected to say that he's made it clear to the prime minister and Iraq's other leaders that America's commitment is not open-ended, that now is the time to act.                   The president is also expected to announce tonight the deployment of a second aircraft carrier — perhaps the USS Stennis — to the Persian Gulf, as part of a regularly scheduled deployment. Centcom Commander Gen. John Abizaid has requested a second carrier because of Iran and other threats in the region.          The ship will leave next weekend on its regularly scheduled departure date, but will proceed to the Gulf instead of its original deployment to the Pacific.

          Commanders believe the new approach will make U.S. forces better positioned to combat sectarian violence, but they acknowledge this approach is riskier and will likely mean...

SETAF adopts the Tactical Iraqi system

.        In preparation for their potential deployment to Iraq, in December the U.S. Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade and other units of the Army’s Southern European Task Force (Airborne) based at the U.S. Army Garrison Vicenza in Caserma Ederle (Italy) began learning Iraqi Arabic with the Tactical Iraqi Language and Culture System.

In early 2007, the additional battalions of the 173rd Airborne stationed at the U.S. Army Garrisons in Grafenwoehr and Schweinfurt (Germany) will also start using the Tactical Iraqi system. The interactive, mission-based Tactical Iraqi system teaches soldiers the vital linguistic and cultural awareness skills they need to conduct their missions in Iraq safely and effectively.

The soldiers will take the Tactical Iraqi course at state-of-the-art, networked training simulation labs under the direction Maj. John Woodard, Simulations Officer with USASETAF G-3 Battle Command. The labs also feature the DARWARS Training Systems Ambush! battle simulation program.

    Photos from Operation Enduring Freedom VI. The 173rd Airborne Brigade had paratroopers deployed to Afghanistan from February 2005 through April 2006.

     

        All of you, for being there For all of us in our hours of darkness.   Your patriotism has not gone unnoticed by those of us that returned and certainly by those that did not. We wish we could take away some of your pain the way you have done for so many of us!!!

Units

?                                  HHC - "Headhunters"

?                                  A Company - "Wild Bunch"

?                                  B Company - "Mad Dawgs"

?                                  B Company - "Cobra"

     D Company - "Dragons"

1st Battalion, 9th Infantry (Mechanized) is a Bradley Infantry Battalion, and proud holder of the nickname MANCHU-6. The battalion is currently stationed 20 kilometer north of Uijongbu on Camp Hovey, one of 17 Camps within the 2D Infantry Division. It is assigned to the Army's only Light/Heavy Brigade, the 2d Strike Brigade, with two Air Assault Battalions (1-503rd AA & 1-506th AA).

Bases for the 9th Infantry Division Vietnam

"Bearcat" = Camp Martin Cox

Tan An East and Tan An West

Rach Kein

Can Guioc

Dong Tam

Bien Phouc

French Fort

FSB Moore

FSB Schroeder

FSB Dirk

FSB Danger

Xuan Loc

Tan Tru

Ben Luc

  Magazine  Map

I had Two older Brothers that Served in the Vietnam conflict. My oldest Brother Leo J. Geer was Drafted in the Military in late 1964. He served with The 9th Inf in `65 & `66 in The republic of Viet Nam.    My other brother Robert F. Geer volunteered and served in 67, 68 & 69, in Viet Nam with The 223rd Combat Group But their Bothstill Legs!!!   I, Served With The Herd in 68 69.

A  “ Terr0rist “ Report

THE CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS AND THE GREAT CALIPHATE

January 29, 2004

          by Larry Abraham,

The war against terror did not begin on September 11, 2001, nor will it end with the peaceful transition to civilian authority in Iraq, whenever that may be.  In fact, Iraq is but a footnote in the bigger context of this encounter, but an important one nonetheless.

  This war is what the Jihadists themselves are calling the "Third Great Jihad."  They are operating within the framework of a time line which reaches back to the very creation of Islam in the seventh century and are presently attempting to recreate the dynamics which gave rise to the religion in the first two hundred years of its existence.

   No religion in history grew as fast, in its infancy, and the reasons for the initial growth of Islam are not hard to explain when you understand what the world was like at the time of Muhammad's death in 632 AD. Remember that the Western Roman Empire was in ruins and the Eastern Empire, based in Constantinople, was trying desperately to keep the power of its early grandeur while transitioning to Christianity as a de facto state religion.  The costs to the average person were large as he was being required to meet the constantly rising taxes levied by the state along with the tithes coerced by the Church.

What Islam offered was the "carrot or the sword."  If you became a convert, your taxes were immediately eliminated, as was your tithe.  If you didn't, you were put to death.  The choice was not hard for most to make, unless you were a very devoted martyr in the making.  At the beginning, even the theology was not too hard for most to swallow, considering that both Jewry and Christianity were given their due by the Prophet.  There is but one God-Allah, and Muhammad is His Prophet, as was Jesus, and the pre-Christian Jewish prophets of the Torah (Old Testament).  Both were called "children of the book"--the book being the Koran, which replaced both the Old and New Testaments for former Christians and Jews.

    With this practical approach to spreading the "word," Islam grew like wild fire, reaching out from the Saudi Arabian Peninsula in all directions.  This early growth is what the Muslims call the "First Great Jihad"; and it met with little resistance until Charles Martel of France, the father of Charlemagne, stopped them in the battle of Tours in France, after they had firmly established Islam on the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal). This first onslaught against the West continued in various forms and at various times until Islam was finally driven out of Spain in 1492 at the battle of Granada.

                    The "Second Great Jihad" came with the Ottoman Turks.  This empire succeeded in bringing about the downfall of Constantinople as a Christian stronghold and an end to Roman hegemony in all of its forms.  The Ottoman Empire was Islam's most successful expansion of territory even though the religion itself had fractured into warring sects and bitter rivalries with each claiming the ultimate truths in "the ways of the Prophet."  By 1683 the Ottomans had suffered a series of defeats on both land and sea and the final, unsuccessful attempt to capture Vienna set the stage for the collapse of any further territorial ambitions.  Islam shrunk into various sheikhdoms, emir-dominated principalities, and roving tribes of nomads. However, by this time a growing anti-western sentiment, blaming its internal failures on anyone but themselves, was taking hold and setting the stage for a new revival known as Wahhabism, a sect which came into full bloom under the House of Saud on the Arabian Peninsula shortly before the onset of WWI. It is this Wahhabi version of Islam which has infected the religion itself, now finding adherents in almost all branches and sects, especially the Shiites.

Wahhabiism calls for the complete and total rejection and destruction of anything and everything which is not based in the original teachings of The Prophet and finds its most glaring practice in the policies of the Afghani Taliban or the Shiite practices of the late Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran.  Its Ali Pasha (Field Marshall) is now known as Osama bin Laden, the leader of the "Third Jihad," who is Wahhabi as were his 9/11 attack teams, 18 of which were also Saudi.

   The strategy for this "holy war" did not begin with the planning of the destruction of the World Trade Center.  It began with the toppling of the Shah of Iran back in the late 1970's.  With his plans and programs to "westernize" his country, along with his close ties to the U.S. and subdued acceptance of the State of Israel, the Shah was the soft target.  Remember "America Held Hostage"?

  Thanks, in large part to the hypocritical and disastrous policies of the Jimmy Carter State Department, the revolution was set into motion, the Shah was deposed, his armed forces scattered or murdered, and stage one was complete.  The Third Jihad now had a base of operations and the oil wealth to support its grand design or what they call the "Great Caliphate."

  What this design calls for is the replacement of all secular leadership in any country with Muslim majorities.  This would include Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia, all the Emirates, Sudan, Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Malaysia, Indonesia and finally what they call the "occupied territory," Israel.

[Ed. note:  It would also include all countries which in the future have Muslim majorities, including eventually by design the United States of America, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, the People's Republic of China, etc.]

As a part of this strategy, forces of the jihad will infiltrate governments and the military as a prelude to taking control, once the secular leadership is ousted or assassinated.  Such was the case in Lebanon leading to the Syrian occupation and in Egypt with the murder of Anwar Sadat, along with the multiple attempts on the lives of Hussein in Jordan, Mubarak of Egypt and Musharraf in Pakistan.  Pakistan is a particular prize because of its nuclear weapons.

[Ed. note:  Please note al Qaeda's call for the Islamic-militant overthrow of Musharraf in Pakistan on March 25, just recently.]

  The long-range strategy of the Third Jihad counts on three strategic goals.  First, the U.S. withdrawing from the region just as it did in Southeast Asia, following Vietnam.   Second, taking control of the oil wealth in the Muslim countries, which would be upwards to 75% of known world reserves; third, using nuclear weapons or other WMDs to annihilate Israel.  A further outcome of successfully achieving these objectives would be to place the United Nations as the sole arbiter in East/West negotiations and paralyze western resistance, leading to total withdrawal from all Islamic dominated countries.

   Evidence of the Bush Administration awareness of this plan is found in the events immediately following the 9/11 attack.  The administration's first move was to shore up Pakistan and Egypt, believing that these two would be the next targets for al Qaeda, while Americans focused on the disaster in New York.  The administration also knew that the most important objective was to send a loud and clear message that the U.S. was in the region to stay, not only to shore up our allies but to send a message to the Jihadists.

The attack on Afghanistan was necessary to break-up a secure al Qaeda base of operations and put their leadership on the run or in prison.

[Ed. note:  The United States Supreme Court today is deciding the legality of keeping the enemy killers in prison indefinitely.]

   The war in Iraq also met a very strategic necessity in that no one knew how much collaboration existed between Saddam Hussein and the master planners of the Third Jihad or Hussein's willingness to hand off WMDs to terrorist groups including the PLO in Israel.  What was known were serious indications of on-going collaboration as Saddam funneled money to families of suicide bombers attacking the Israelis and others in Kuwait.  What the U.S. needed to establish was a significant base of operations smack dab in the middle of the Islamic world, in a location which effectively cut it in half.

     Iraq was the ideal target for this and a host of other strategic reasons.  Leadership of various anti-American groups both here and abroad understood the vital nature of the Bush initiative and thus launched their demonstrations, world-wide, to "Stop the War."  Failing this, they also laid plans to build a political campaign inside the country, with the War in Iraq as a plebiscite, using a little-known politician as the thrust point? Howard Dean.   This helps to explain how quickly the Radical Left moved into the Dean campaign with both people and money, creating what the clueless media called the "Dean Phenomenon."  By building on the left-wing base in the Democrat party and the "Hate Bush" crowd, the campaign has already resulted in a consensus among the aspirants, minus Joe Lieberman, to withdraw the U.S. from Iraq and turn the operation over to the U.N.   And, if past is prologue, i.e., Vietnam, once the U.S. leaves it will not go back under any circumstances, possibly even the destruction of Israel.

Should George W. Bush be defeated in November we could expect to see the dominoes start to fall in the secular Islamic countries and The Clash of Civilizations, predicted several years ago by Samuel Huntington, would then become a life-changing event in all of our lives.

What surprised the Jihadists following the 9/11 attack was how American sentiment mobilized around the president and a profound sense of patriotism spread across the country.  They were not expecting this reaction, based on what had happened in the past, nor were they expecting the determined resolve of the President himself.  I also believe this is one of the reasons we have not had any further attacks within our borders.  They are content to wait, just as one of their tactical mentors; V.I. Lenin admonished..."two steps forward, one step back."

   A couple additional events serve as valuable footnotes to the current circumstances we face:  the destruction of the human assets factor of the CIA during the Carter presidency, presided over by the late Senator Frank Church.  This fact has plagued our intelligence agencies right up to this very day with consequences which are now obvious.  And, Jimmy Carter himself, the one man who must bear the bulk of the responsibility for setting the stage of the Third Jihad.  Americans should find little comfort in how the Democrat contenders constantly seek his "advice and counsel."

   We should not expect to see any meaningful cooperation from Western Europe, especially the French.  Since failing to protect their own interests in Algeria (by turning the country over to the first of the Arab terrorists, Ammad Ben Bella), the country itself is now occupied by Islamic immigrants totaling twenty percent of the population.

    We are in the battle of our lives, a battle which will go on for many years possibly even generations.   If we fail to understand what we are facing or falter in the challenge of "knowing our enemy," the results will be catastrophic.  Imagine a world where al Qaeda regimes control 75% of the world's oil, have at their disposal nuclear weapons, legions of willing suicide soldiers, and our national survival is dependent on the good graces of Kofi Annan and the United Nations.

   There is one final footnote which may be the scariest of all.  Either none of the Democrats currently leading the drive to their party's nomination are aware of the facts of the Great Caliphate and Third Jihad or they do know and they don't care so long as their power lust is satisfied.  But, I can guarantee you one thing for sure:  some of their most ardent supporters are aware of this and will do anything they can to bring it about.

      ======End of Report==========

                 Note....this was written before John Kerry had the nomination sewed up...but recent events clearly demonstrate that Kerry is going to fulfill Abraham's prediction of the Democrats calling for the UN and the French/Germans/Spain coalition to force the US out of Iraq.  Also understand that the current 9/11 hearings are a political show and Clarke's book was timed for these hearings and the campaign.  And this is why Condoleezza Rice is seeking a private meeting with this commission to tell it like it is.  The national security issues involved around 9/11 cannot be an open book to the public, and I believe we have to understand that.

    This is scary stuff.  President Bush and the Republicans are obviously extremely cautious in bringing this issue to the campaign because the left-leaning media and the Kerry Democratic left would call this racist against Islam and a distraction for the alleged lies of WMD and our reasons for going into Iraq.  Bush correctly referred to the Axis of Evil (Iran, Libya, Iraq and North Korea) as a pointed strategy to blunt the WMD-terrorist movement and he has been very successful in thwarting al Qaeda, despite what everyone on the left says.  We are far better off without the threat from Iraq and Libya all within the last 12 months. We are threatened in Pakistan and if Musharraf is assassinated (it's been tried several times in the past year), we can see how the militants will gain control of Pakistan's nuclear weapons, which have already spread to Iran (by a militant Islamic scientist); and if Musharraf is taken out, we have both Iran and Pakistan as militant Islamic power bases armed with nuclear weapons.  And let's not overlook Abraham's issue about the potential for militant Islamic states who would control 75% of the world's oil.

                     This probably why Dick Cheney, Rice, Powell, and Wolfowitz are so committed to the belief that we are in this struggle for the free world as we have known it and focused on defeating the militant Islamic-al Maida's global strategy.  They skirt the core issues raised by Abraham in this article because of the political-correctness implications, but after reading this, you understand what is at stake here.  Kerry and the liberal Democrats want control of Washington at any price. Abraham clearly spells out what price that is:  Eventual Victory for al Qaeda and the Islamic militancy.

Knowledge is power.  Now You can Decide!

            Commander  ~0ur BunKer`s

                                                                          Peace 0ut!

As we approach the end of this year I think it is important to share a few thoughts about what you've accomplished directly, in some cases, and indirectly in many others. We are speaking about what the Bush Administration and each of you has contributed by wearing the uniform, because the fact that you wear the uniform contributes 100% to the capability of the nation to send a few onto the field to execute Our national policy.

          As you read about these achievements you are a part of we would call your attention to two things:

1. /  This is good news, that hasn't been fit to print or report on TV.

2./   It is much easier to point out the errors a man makes when he makes the tough decisions.

 Rarely is the positive as aggressively pursued.

       Since President Bush declared an end to major combat on May 1...

... the first battalion of the new Iraqi Army has graduated and is on active duty.

... over 60,000 Iraqis now provide security to their fellow citizens.

... nearly all of Iraq's 400 courts are functioning.

... the Iraqi judiciary is fully independent.

... on Monday, October 6 power generation hit 4,518 megawatts-exceeding the prewar average.

... all 22 universities and 43 technical institutes and colleges are open, as are nearly all primary and secondary schools.

... by October 1, Coalition forces had rehab-ed over 1,500 schools - 500 more than scheduled.

... teachers earn from 12 to 25 times their former salaries.

... all 240 hospitals and more than 1200 clinics are open.

... doctors salaries are at least eight times what they were under Saddam.

... pharmaceutical distribution has gone from essentially nothing to 700 tons in May to a current total of 12,000 tons.

... the Coalition has helped administer over 22 million vaccinations to Iraq's children.

... a Coalition program has cleared over 14,000 kilometers of Iraq's 27,000 kilometers of weed-choked canals which now irrigate tens of thousands of farms.  This project has created jobs for more than 100,000 Iraqi men and women.

... we have restored over three-quarters of prewar telephone services and over two-thirds of the potable water production.

... there are 4,900 full-service telephone connections.  We expect 50,000 by year-end.

... the wheels of commerce are turning.  From bicycles to satellite dishes to cars and trucks, businesses are coming to life in all major cities and towns.

... 95 percent of all prewar bank customers have service and first-time customers are opening accounts daily.

... Iraqi banks are making loans to finance businesses.

... the central bank is fully independent.

... Iraq has one of the worlds most growth-oriented investment and banking laws.

... Iraq has a single, unified currency for the first time in 15 years.

... satellite TV dishes are legal.
... you can buy satellite dishes on what seems like every street corner.

... foreign journalists aren't on 10-day visas paying mandatory and extortionate fees to the Ministry of Information for "minders" and other government spies.

... there is no Ministry of Information.

... there are more than 170 newspapers.

... foreign journalists (and everyone else) are free to come and go.

... a nation that had not one single element - legislative, judicial or executive - of a representative government, now does.

... in Baghdad alone residents have selected 88 advisory councils. Baghdad's first democratic transfer of power in 35 years happened when the city council elected its new chairman.

... today in Iraq chambers of commerce, business, school and professional organizations are electing their leaders all over the country.

... 25 ministers, selected by the most representative governing body in Iraq's history, run the day-to-day business of government.

... the Iraqi government regularly participates in international events. Since July the Iraqi government has been represented in over two dozen international meetings, including those of the UN General Assembly, the Arab
League, the World Bank and IMF and, today, the Islamic Conference Summit. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs today announced that it is reopening over 30 Iraqi embassies around the world.

... Shia religious festivals that were all but banned, aren't.

... for the first time in 35 years, in Karbala thousands of Shiites celebrate the pilgrimage of the 12th Imam.

... the Coalition has completed over 13,000 reconstruction projects, large and small, as part of a strategic plan for the reconstruction of Iraq.

... Uday and Queasy are dead - and no longer feeding innocent Iraqis to the zoo lions, raping the young daughters of local leaders to force cooperation, torturing Iraq's soccer players for losing games, or murdering critics.

... children aren't imprisoned or murdered when their parents disagree with the government.

... political opponents aren't imprisoned, tortured, executed, maimed, or forced to watch their families die for disagreeing with Saddam.

... millions of longsuffering Iraqis no longer live in perpetual terror.

... Saudis will hold municipal elections.

... Qatar is reforming education to give more choices to parents.

... Jordan is accelerating market economic reforms.

... the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded for the first time to an Iranian -- a Muslim woman who speaks out with courage for human rights, for democracy and for peace.

... Saddam is gone.

                                          ... Iraq is Almost free.

         ... President Bush has not faltered or failed.

                                                                                        

... Yet, little or none of this information has been published by the Press corps that prides itself on bringing you all the news that's important.

    Iraq under US led control has come further in six months than Germany did in seven years or Japan did in nine years following WWII.   Military deaths from fanatic Nazi's, and Japanese numbered in the thousands and continued for over three years after WWII victory was declared.

    It took the US over four months to clear away the twin tower debris, let alone attempt to build something else in its place.

    Now, take into account that Congress fought President Bush on every aspect of his handling of this country's war and the post-war reconstruction; and that they continue to claim on a daily basis on national TV that this conflict has been a failure.

    Taking everything else into consideration, even the unfortunate loss of our brothers and sisters in this conflict, do you think anyone else in the world could have accomplished as much as the United States and the Bush administration in so short a period of time?

   These are things worth writing about. Get the word out. Write to someone you think may be able to influence our Congress or the press to tell the story.

   Above all, Be proud that you are a part of this historical precedent.

Sentiment shared.

       For good and ill, the Iraqi prisoner abuse mess will remain an issue:

    on the one hand, right thinking Americans will abhor the stupidity of the actions, while on the other hand, political glee will take control and fashion this minor event into some modern day My Lai massacre.

We heard some Arabs are asking for an apology. We humbly offer Ours here:

  We are sorry that the last seven times the Americans took up arms and sacrificed the blood of our youth, it was in the defense of Muslims (n Bosnia,

 ( Kosovo, Gulf War 1, Kuwait, etc.)

  We are sorry that no such call for an apology upon the extremists came after 9/11. I am sorry that all of the murderers on 9/11 were
Arabs.

  We are sorry that Arabs have to live in squalor under savage
dictatorships.  I am sorry that their leaders squander their wealth.

We are sorry that their governments breed hate for the US in their religious schools.

We are sorry that Yasir Arafat was kicked out of every Arab
country and high-jacked the Palestinian "cause." I am sorry that no other Arab country will take in or offer more than a token amount of financial help to those same Palestinians.

  We are sorry that the USA has to step in and be the biggest
financial supporters of poverty stricken Arabs while the insanely wealthy Arabs blame the USA.

  We are sorry that our own left wing elite and our media can't understand any of this.

  We are sorry the United Nations scammed the poor people of Iraq out of the "food for oil" money so they could get rich while the common folk suffered.

  We are sorry that some Arab governments pay the families of
homicide bombers upon their death. I am sorry that those same bombers are seeking 72 virgins ?

        We can't seem to find one here on Earth.

  We are sorry that the homicide bombers think babies are a legitimate target.

  We are sorry that our troops died to free more Arabs.  I am sorry they stopped the gang rape rooms and the filling of mass graves of dissidents.

  We are sorry they show so much restraint when their brothers in arms are killed. I am sorry that Muslim extremists have killed more  Arabs than any other group.

  We are sorry that foreign trained terrorists are trying to seize control of Iraq and return it to a terrorist state. I am sorry we don't drop a few dozen Daisy-Cutters on Fallujah.

  We are sorry every time terrorists hide they find a convenient "Holy Site."  We are sorry they didn't apologize for driving a jet into the World Trade Center that collapsed and severely damaged St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church - one of OUR Holy Sites.

  We are sorry they didn't apologize for flight 93 and 175, the USS Cole, the embassy bombings, etc.

  We are sorry Michael Moore is American; he could feed a medium sized village in Africa.

  We are sorry the French are French.  America will get past this latest absurdity. We will punish those responsible because that's what we do. We hang out our dirty laundry for all the world to see. We move on. That's why we are hated so much.  We don't hide this stuff like all those Arab countries that are now demanding an apology.

        Deep down inside when most Americans saw this reported in the news we were like .. so what? We lost hundreds and made fun at a few prisoners.  Sure it was wrong, sure it dramatically hurts our cause but until captured we were trying to kill these same prisoners. Now we're supposed to wring our hands because a few were humiliated?
       Our compassion is tempered with the vivid memories of our own people killed, mutilated and burnt amongst a joyous crowd of celebrating Fallujans.

      If you want an apology from Our Bunkers, your gonna have a long wait. 

      You have a better chance of finding those 72 virgins.

  OsamA You`re Next!

    We at Our Bunkers are not condoning  what happened to the Iraqi prisoners... however…

We think it is vitally important that in Our heads we have these matters in proper perspective...

 Saddam had Iraqi men, women and children put to death in human meat grinders on a daily basis...

NO OUTCRY FROM THE IRAQI PEOPLE OR THE ARAB COMMUNITY...

*Saddam had people thrown off of 3 - 4 story buildings, while their relatives were forced to watch...

NO OUTCRY FROM THE IRAQI PEOPLE OR THE ARAB COMMUNITY...

* Saddam had people's tongues cut out, limbs chopped off, and even beheaded, while their families were forced to watch...

NO OUTCRY FROM THE IRAQI PEOPLE OR THE ARAB COMMUNITY...

* Saddam's sons, as well as other Administrators and military personnel raped and sodomized Iraqi girls, some as young as 8 years old, on a daily basis...

NO OUTCRY FROM THE IRAQI PEOPLE OR THE ARAB COMMUNITY...

* Saddam's regime indiscriminately put to death millions of Iraqi citizens on a daily basis, during the term of his brutal dictatorship, as evidenced by the mass graves recently uncovered in various parts of Iraq...

NO OUTCRY FROM THE IRAQI PEOPLE OR THE ARAB COMMUNITY...

* Terrorists recently exploded several car bombs in Baghdad, killing 17 innocent Iraqi children and several dozen innocent Iraqi citizens...

NO OUTCRY FROM THE IRAQI PEOPLE OR THE ARAB COMMUNITY...

* Terrorists have been killing American/Coalition soldiers on a daily basis since we sent our troops, many of whom gave their lives on Iraqi soil, used US taxpayer dollars to liberate the Iraqi people...

NO OUTCRY FROM THE IRAQI PEOPLE OR THE ARAB COMMUNITY...

* Four Americans were killed in Fallujah, their bodies were burned, mutilated, dragged through the streets and hung on a bridge, while Iraqi people cheered and stoned the bodies...

NO OUTCRY FROM THE IRAQI PEOPLE OR THE ARAB COMMUNITY...

          AND NOW, A FEW IRAQI PRISONERS HAVE BEEN HUMILITATED ....

   A PAIR OF WOMENS Underwear PUT ON THE PRISONERS HEADS,

              A FEW NAKED PHOTOGRAPHS...

  AND THE IRAQI PEOPLE AND THE ENTIRE ARAB COMMUNITY GO Ballistic...?

        GIVE us  A Freak`in BREAK!!!

             As stated, We don't condone what happened to the prisoners, but until the Iraqi's and the Arab Community gets their act together, We wish the American news elite would stop being part of the problem and stop using this story to the benefit of the Arab community.

        We DON'T WANT Our PRESIDENT TO APOLOGIZE TO THE ARABS FOR ANYTHING!

WE ARE AT WAR!

From a Marine officer on the Iraqi warfront with Jihadistan...
 
 (This is an open letter to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, "Islamic
 Response," and the rest of the so-called al-Qa'ida "insurgents" in Iraq and elsewhere.  We don't have an e-mail address for these
 swine -- though we are closing in on their snail-mail address,
 but we are forwarding this letter to Federalist Patriots around the
 world in the hope you good people will forward it to as many other
 Patriots as possible to rally prayer and support for our fellow
 Marine, Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun.  Should these al-Qa'ida pigs
 spill his blood, we want them to rest assured that the contents
 of this letter will eventually be nailed to their foreheads. Thank
 you for your assistance.)

 
 
 To al-Qa'ida terrorists in Iraq:
 
  I see that you have captured a U.S. Marine, and that you plan
 to cut off his head if your demands are not met. Big mistake.

  Before you carry out your threat I suggest you read up on Marine Corps history.  The Japanese tried the same thing on Makin Island and in a few other places during World War Two, and came to regret it. Go ahead and read about what then happened to the
 mighty Imperial Army on Tarawa, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. They paid full price for what they did, and you will too.
 
  You look at America and you see a soft target, and to a large extent you are right. Our country is filled with a lot of spoiled children who drive BMWs, sip decaf lattes and watch ridiculous reality TV shows. They are for the most part decent, hard working citizens, but they are soft.  When you cut off Nick Berg's head those people gasped, and you got the media coverage you sought, and then those people went back to their lives.   This time it is different. We also have a warrior culture in this country, and they are called Marines. It is a brotherhood forged in the fire of many wars, and the bond between us is stronger than blood. While it is true that this country has produced nitwits
  like John Kerry, Michael Moore, Howard Dean and Jane Fonda who can be easily manipulated by your gruesome tactics, we have also produced men like Jason Dunham, Brian Chontosh and Joseph Perez. If you don't recognize those names you should. They are all Marines who distinguished themselves fighting to liberate Iraq, and there will be many more just like them coming for you.
 
  Before the current politically correct climate enveloped our culture one of the recruiting slogans of our band of brothers was "The Marine Corps Builds Men." You will soon find out just how
 true that is. You, on the other hand, are nothing but a bunch of women. If you were men you would show your faces, and take us on in a fair fight. Instead, you are cowards who hide behind masks and decapitate helpless victims. If you truly represented the interest of the Iraqi people you would not be ambushing those who come to your country to repair your power plants, or sabotage the oil pipelines which fuel the Iraqi economy. Your agenda is hate,
 plain and simple.
 
  When you raise that sword over your head I want you to remember one thing.  Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun is not alone as he kneels before you.  Every Marine who has ever worn the uniform is there with him, and when you strike him you are striking all of us. If you think the Marines were tough on you when they were cleaning out Fallujah a few weeks ago you haven't seen anything yet. If you want to know what it feels like to have the Wrath of God called down upon you then go ahead and do it. We are not Turkish truck drivers, or Pakistani laborers, or independent contractors hoping to find work in your country. We are the United States Marines,
 and we will be coming for you.

 (Circulation of this message is being sponsored by The Federalist
 Patriot, the most widely read conservative e-journal on the
 Internet.  If you have not already joined the ranks of Patriots
 receiving The Federalist Patriot, we encourage you to do so.
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There I was at six thousand feet over central Iraq, two hundred eighty knots and we're dropping faster than Paris Hilton's panties.   It's a typical September evening in the Persian Gulf; hotter than a rectal thermometer and I'm sweating like a priest at a Cub Scout meeting..
 
                          But that's neither here nor there. 

     The night is moonless over Baghdad tonight, and blacker than a Steven King novel.   But it's 2004, folks, and I'm sporting the latest in night-combat technology.   Namely, hand-me-down night vision goggles (NVGs) thrown out by the fighter boys.   Additionally, my 1962 Lockheed C-130E Hercules is equipped with an obsolete, yet, semi-effective missile warning system (MWS).  The MWS conveniently makes a nice soothing tone in your headset just before the missile explodes into your airplane.  Who says you can't polish a turd?   At any rate, the NVGs are illuminating Baghdad International Airport like the Las Vegas Strip during a Mike Tyson fight.   These NVGs are the cat's ass.  But I've digressed.

    The preferred method of approach tonight is the random shallow.  This tactical maneuver allows the pilot to ingress the landing zone in an unpredictable manner, thus exploiting the supposedly secured perimeter of the airfield in an attempt to avoid enemy surface-to-air-missiles and small arms fire.  Personally, I wouldn't bet my pink ass on that theory but
the approach is fun as hell and that's the real reason we fly it.
 
We get a visual on the runway at three miles out, drop down to one thousand feet above the ground, still maintaining two hundred eighty knots.  Now the fun starts.  It's pilot appreciation time as I descend the mighty Herk to six hundred feet and smoothly, yet very deliberately, yank into a sixty degree left bank, turning the aircraft ninety degrees offset from runway heading.  As soon as we roll out of the turn, I reverse turn to the right a full two hundred seventy degrees in order to roll out aligned with the runway.  Some aeronautical genius coined this maneuver the " Ninety/ Two-Seventy." Chopping the power during the turn, I pull back on the yoke just to the point my nether regions start to sag, bleeding off energy in order to configure the pig for landing.
 
"Flaps Fifty, Landing Gear Down, Before Landing Checklist!" I look over at the copilot and he's shaking like a cat shitting on a sheet of ice. Looking further back at the navigator, and even through the NVGs, I can clearly see the wet spot spreading around his crotch.  Finally, I glance at my steely-eyed flight engineer.  His eyebrows rise in unison as a grin forms on his face.  I can tell he's thinking the same thing I am.  "Where do we find such fine young men?" "Flaps One Hundred!" I bark at the shaking cat.

Now it's all aimpoint and airspeed.  Aviation 101, with the exception there's no lights, I'm on NVGs, it's Baghdad, and now tracers are starting to crisscross the black sky.
 
Naturally, and not at all surprisingly, I grease the Goodyear's on brick-one of runway 33 left, bring the throttles to ground idle and then force the props to full reverse pitch. Tonight, the sound of freedom is my four Hamilton Standard propellers chewing through the thick, putrid, Baghdad air.

The huge, one hundred thirty thousand pound, lumbering whisper pig comes to a lurching stop in less than two thousand feet.  Let's see a Viper do that!
 
We exit the runway to a welcoming committee of government issued Army grunts.  It's time to download their beans and bullets and letters from their sweethearts, look for war booty, and of course, urinate on Saddam's home.
 
Walking down the crew entry steps with my lowest-bidder, Beretta 92F, 9 millimeter strapped smartly to my side, I look around and thank God, not Allah, I'm an American and I'm on the winning team.  Then I thank God                 I'm not in the Army.

Knowing once again I've cheated death, I ask myself, "What in the hell am I doing in this mess?" Is it Duty, Honor, and Country?   You bet your ass!
 
Or could it possibly be for the glory, the swag, and not to mention, chicks dig the Air Medal.  There's probably some truth there too.  But now is not the time to derive the complexities of the superior, cerebral properties of the human portion of the aviator-man-machine model.  It is however, time to get out of this shit-hole . "Hey copilot clean yourself up!  And how's 'bout the 'Before Starting Engines Checklist."
 
                                                           God, I love this job!
 
Joel Richard Owens, Lt Col, USAF

Howdy,
      Well I am back in Iraq.  I got here on the 30th of Aug and have been going
hard ever since. The day I got back my unit had been called back into

Sadar City.

            So I rejoined my tank crew there.  That night we had a huge battle that
lasted for almost 9 1/2 hrs.  At the time it was one of the worst we had been in.
Talk about jumping right back into the swing of things.  I say that it was one
of the worse at the time, because now there have been several even harder than
that one.  This round of fighting is by far the fiercest we have experienced
since arriving in Iraq.  I don't really know what started it exactly, but
whatever it was got these guys really fired up.  They have been throwing everything but the kitchen sink at us.  During the last month, we have lost several of our tanks.  I can't tell you the actual number, but it has definitely been a shock.
    When I say lost, I mean the tank itself and not the crew.  The worst injury
received by a crewmember was a broken foot.  So the tanks did their job.   However, these tanks will not be seeing action again.  On 7 September 04, my tank joined the list of un-repairable tanks.  I am happy that my crew did not have any injuries, except for a bruised body and ego.  To a tanker, losing a tank is like a cowboy losing his horse.  But it did however give me a fresh outlook on this war.
       If there was ever any doubt in anyone's mind then let me dispel it.  WE ARE
AT WAR!!!!  Before my tank was destroyed, I was merely doing my job.  The
Army said, "Go", so I went.  The Army says, "Shoot," so I shot.   But now this
fight has been brought closer to home for me.  You see Mom, what I haven't told you yet is that the IED blast that destroyed my tank, lifted this 72-ton
machine all the way off the ground.  A blast of that size and I walked away to tell
about.  Thank God for tanks.  But nonetheless my life was threatened in a serious way.  Not only that, but minutes after my tank was hit, I watched the same thing happen to my Platoon Leaders tank.  As I watched his tank come off the ground I realized that these folks are actually trying to kill us.

    You see there have been countless times that we could have killed, but chose not to, for one reason or another.   Times that I thought I was here to try to help the people of this country.  But on that eventful morning I watched the local citizens in the area laugh as 2 American Tanks and their crew were blown into the air by massive explosions.  I watched as people standing by the streets helped to hide the guys with RPG's knowing that American soldiers wouldn't fire into a group of unarmed people to kill one RPG gunner.  As my tank limped out of the battle I saw the taunts and jeers of the bystanders lining the streets.  As I watched this, anger filled my body.  The very people I thought I was protecting were now jeering at me.  If you watched the news a around the 7 or 8 of September, they showed a mangled truck in Sadar city.  This truck was run over by my tank and the other tanks in my platoon.  This truck stopped in the road moments after the two blasts disabled everything but our engines on my tank and my PLT Leaders tank. With the engines barely running and no transmission, it was either keep moving or be "dead in the water" on this now very dangerous street.  The driver of the truck stopped it, got out and stood on the side of the street and pointed and jeered at us with the other people.  So we jeered back.... we ran over his truck!   He didn't find that very funny for some reason.     Anyway... the point of this is that now I am not so sure where I stand with these people.  Now I have become hardened. 

     Is this wrong of me? Or is it merely a normal reaction?
I know that there are still alot of Iraqi's that want us here, but that morning gave me huge doubts.  The bad thing for these guys is that when a soldier
who pulls the trigger on a 72 ton tank doesn't feel sorry for you anymore, he
is gonna cause you and your buddies lots of pain.

  Our new tanks have arrived and we're preparing them for battle.  Instead of making room for extra bags and clothes for our 6 - 7 days at a time that we stay out, we are opting to make room for extra ammo.... Does this tell you how we feel or what we are thinking?  We are also firing our 120 mm main gun alot more now as well.  Before it was only ever so often, and now you will hear the roar of the big boy alot.  I know that this probably sounds bad, but I hope you understand where we are coming from. 

   So tell me what you think.  I would love to hear your thoughts on
the matter.  Hope to hear from you soon.    How is everything going with Don?
I really hope that he is getting alot better.  How is your business?  Well
let me hear from you soon.
 Jason

Travli`n Through Our BunKer`s...