Memorial Day 2014 - Remembering The Fallen

Doolittle Raiders Share Final Toast

The surviving members of the famed Doolittle raid on Japan in World War II gathered for their final toast to their comrades:

****

WORLD WAR II’S SURVIVING DOOLITTLE RAIDERS MAKE FINAL TOAST

Fox News

November 10, 2013

Known as the Doolittle Raiders, the 80 men who risked their lives on a World War II bombing mission on Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor were toasted one last time by their surviving comrades and honored with a Veterans Day weekend of fanfare shared by thousands.

Three of the four surviving Raiders attended the toast Saturday at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. Their late commander, Lt. Gen. James "Jimmy" Doolittle, started the tradition but they decided this autumn's ceremony would be their last.

READ MORE

****

Posted by:

Charles M. Grist

www.MyLastWar.com

Need to Escape from Tough Times? You Can Always Join the Foreign Legion

Okay, macho American men, here is another option in these bad economic times. The French Foreign Legion is looking for a few good blokes from England; surely they would take some good old boys from the States. Check out this article from www.telegraph.co.uk:

* * * *

The French Foreign Legion - the last option for those desperate to escape the UK

By Neil Tweedie

Lost your job, your home, your business? Is the wife about to take you to the cleaners? Is that a county court judgement dropping through the letterbox? Life is getting harder for the poor, put-upon British male. Really, just how many Robert Peston two-ways can a man take? If only one could forget it all and start again.

There is a way, of course – one tried and tested over 180 years. And it’s dead romantic, too. The Legion Etrangere, zee French Foreign Legion.

As every fan of Beau Geste, March or Die and Carry On Follow That Camel knows, the Legion is an elite fighting force, drawing its men (no women allowed) from all corners of the world and touched by glamour.

Formed in 1831 by Louis Philippe to enforce French rule in newly-acquired Algeria, it developed into a collective exercise in convenient amnesia, acquiring a reputation as a haven for cut-throats, crooks and sundry fugitives from justice. Few questions were asked of new recruits, making it an ideal repository for the scum of the earth. And with the scum came the romantics, men searching for a way to dull the pain of doomed love.

Well, that was how Hollywood portrayed it. Cue matinee idol being asked why he has subjected himself to a life of brutal discipline, sand and sunburn. "To forget," says he, drawing on his Gitane and staring longingly into the distance amid a haze of blue smoke.

Reality is a bit different. France’s colonial empire may have disappeared, save for the odd outpost, but the Legion lives on. Almost 7,700-strong, it still operates around the world and gets into regular scrapes in Africa. While Frenchman make up most of the officer corps, enlisted men are predominantly drawn from outside France. The Legion’s image as a haven for ne’er-do-wells is largely out of date. Now, aspiring recruits are subjected to detailed background checks via Interpol.

"We don’t accept the hardened criminals any more, the murderers or rapists," says Capt Samir Benykrelef, "so this makes our job easier."

But there is still a hint of romance: all recruits must assume a new name on joining the Legion. This is because some recruits do indeed want a new start and new identity, and it is fairer to make all new Legionnaires undergo the same process. Soldiers can revert to their real identities after a year.

So, what does the Legion give the lucky entrant? A hard time, mainly.

Before being awarded the kepis blanc, the famed white cap of the Legion, recruits must endure a severe training regime which can involve punching and kicking. All recruits have to speak in French – even if they can’t. Even swearing must be in French, and there is a lot of that.

New recruits get about £1,000 a month and a shiny new rifle, which they are supposed never to leave on the battlefield. One practice popular in the main French army at certain times – surrendering – is not encouraged in the Legion, members of which are routinely expected to fight to the death. The good news is the wine. The Legion has its own vineyards in Provence which provide the main ingredient for regimental get-togethers.

After three years service, a legionnaire may apply for French citizenship. There is a quicker, more painful way way: a soldier wounded in battle may apply for citizenship under a provision known as "Français par le sang versé" ("French by spilled blood").

Some 140 nationalities are represented in the Legion, the motto of which is Legio Patria Nostra (The Legion is our Homeland). Composition changes with time, recruitment tending to thrive in countries experiencing economic and social stress. Traditionally, Germany has been a big provider of legionnaires – somewhat ironically given the Legion’s bloody roll in two world wars.

Currently, eastern Europe is a fertile recruiting ground, together with Latin America. Brits, too, have played their part, but there was embarrassment recently when it emerged that many British applicants were failing selection due to endemic unfitness.

If some NCOs in the Legion are to be believed, the whole corps is becoming a bit soft and girly. Improved conditions and greater professionalism have in recent years resulted in more middle-class recruits.

Cpl Buys Francois, 43, a South African legionnaire who joined 11 years ago, says: "We call the new entrants Generation PlayStation because they’re so soft. Now we’re taking the ex-husbands running from alimony, and all these guys with university degrees."

* * * *

I’ll stick with the Rangers, but that’s a personal thing…

Charles M. Grist
www.TheCobraTeam.com
www.AmericanRanger.blogspot.com

Training America's Warriors

Along with members of my unit (I'm on the left in the photo), I have been training troops who will be headed overseas to one of the war zones in the next few months. It is a sobering job and, during my year and a half doing this mission, my unit of has participated in the training of thousands of soldiers.

Here are some photos of our most recent mission. Obviously, I cannot tell you where we were or who we were training:

* * * *





* * * *

Most of us who are training these warriors have already served in one of the war zones. Whether you agree with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan or not, remember that our soldiers are doing their best to defend America in the fight against terrorism.

They deserve our gratitude and our unwavering support.

Charles M. Grist
www.AmericanRanger.blogspot.com

North Vietnamese General Giap Admits Near-Defeat

A friend from the great state of Kentucky sent me the following:

* * * *

General Giap was a brilliant, highly respected leader of the North Vietnam military. The following quote is from his memoirs currently found in the Vietnam war memorial in Hanoi:

"What we still don't understand is why you Americans stopped the bombing of Hanoi. You had us on the ropes. If you had pressed us a little harder, just for another day or two, we were ready to surrender! It was the same at the battles of TET. You defeated us! We knew it, and we thought you knew it.

But we were elated to notice your media was definitely helping us. They were causing more disruption in America than we could in the battlefields. We were ready to surrender. You had won!"

General Giap has published his memoirs and confirmed what most Americans knew. The Vietnam war was not lost in Vietnam -- it was lost at home. The exact same slippery slope, sponsored by the US media, is currently well underway. It exposes the enormous power of a biased media to cut out the heart and will of the American public.

A truism worthy of note: Do not fear the enemy, for they can take only your life. Fear the media far more, for they will destroy your honor.

* * * *

My thanks to my friend for sending me the above article.

For anyone who believed that the Vietnam war was lost militarily, now you know the truth from the enemy's point of view.

SFC Chuck Grist
www.AmericanRanger.blogspot.com

With Al Qaeda Safe Havens, What Do They Expect?

"The enemy advances, we retreat; the enemy camps, we harass; the enemy tires, we attack; the enemy retreats, we pursue."

Mao Zedong (Mao Tse-Tung) on guerrilla warfare

The following article in today’s New York Times emphasizes once again that the Al Qaeda problem will never go away as long as the terrorists have safe havens in which to recruit, train and equip new “holy warriors”.

Our troops did a magnificent job in routing the Taliban and Al Qaeda from Afghanistan. Unfortunately, our self-imposed and “politically correct” rules of engagement have now put us on the defense, trapped within the borders of that country.

We won’t enter the tribal regions of Pakistan to squash the Al Qaeda bases, but the enemy continues to make its own rules. Their leaders are free to casually sip tea, read the Quran and plan their next terror attacks in safety.

The initiative belongs to them…

* * * *

New York Times
December 4, 2007

U.S. Senses A Rise In Activity By Al Qaeda In Afghanistan

By Thom Shanker

KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 3 — American military and intelligence officials are detecting early signs that Al Qaeda may be increasing its activities in Afghanistan, perhaps even seeking to return to its former base of operations, a senior Defense Department official said Monday.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates arrived in Kabul late Monday for meetings with government leaders and military commanders to discuss how to speed economic and political development at a time of increasing violence.

The senior Defense Department official, aboard Mr. Gates’s plane, said, “We are seeing early indicators that there may be some stepped-up activity by Al Qaeda.” No details were offered.

The official cautioned, “It’s pretty hard to pull trends out of a few indications,” but added that even tentative evidence of increased Qaeda activity in Afghanistan “is something we are concerned with.”

The official spoke on standard rules of anonymity to discuss intelligence on Al Qaeda and Mr. Gates’s agenda before the secretary’s third trip to Afghanistan during his first year in office.

Mr. Gates, in brief comments before landing in Kabul, said he was interested in how combat operations could be better woven into a “comprehensive development strategy” to include accelerated economic and political development.

“One of the clear concerns we all have is that in the last two or three years there has been an increase in the overall level of violence,” Mr. Gates said, adding that the rise in attacks and bombings was notable in southern Afghanistan, which had served as the Taliban’s spiritual base.

“I am not worried about a backslide as much as I am about how we continue the momentum going forward,” he added.

Officials said Mr. Gates also planned to assess whether the recent political turmoil in neighboring Pakistan had given greater freedom of movement to Taliban and Qaeda forces in tribal areas along the Afghan border.

Pentagon and military officials said the higher number of attacks and roadside bombings could be attributed to increased money for the insurgency from foreign sources and profits from domestic poppy production. The officials also attribute the increase in violence to the sanctuary provided in tribal areas of Pakistan that has allowed the Taliban and Al Qaeda to regroup.

Mr. Gates spent most of Monday in Djibouti, in eastern Africa, to inspect one of the most unusual missions in the American military. The operation, called Task Force Horn of Africa, has not captured or killed a single terrorist or foreign fighter, yet it is viewed by Pentagon officials as a model military deployment.

The task force’s mission is to apply the “soft power” Mr. Gates advocated in a Nov. 26 speech at Kansas State University, when he said American counterterrorism efforts required not only combat operations, but also a broader range of economic development and diplomacy.

American combat personnel in Djibouti train regional armed forces to strengthen their own counterterrorism abilities. Combat engineers build schools and hospitals and dig wells in an effort to promote stability and prevent terrorists from taking root.

In his first trip to Djibouti, Mr. Gates visited Camp Lemonier, a former French Foreign Legion compound that is home to the 2,000 troops in the task force and support missions. The operation is already shaping the way the Pentagon will organize its efforts in coming years.

The American military is organizing a new Africa Command, the first American combatant command dedicated solely to Africa. The lessons learned from the operation in Djibouti will shape the command’s emphasis on defense as well as on diplomacy and development, according to senior Pentagon officials.

The mission was first devised to trap terrorists expected to flee Afghanistan along traditional smugglers’ routes down the Persian Gulf, into the Arabian Sea and past the Horn of Africa.

But the overlapping ground, maritime and air patrols across the region appear to have deterred the use of that route.

American intelligence and military officers say Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups continue to move through the region, with small numbers believed to be operating in ungoverned parts of Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia and Yemen.

* * * *

The only path to victory in war is to turn the enemy’s offense into the enemy’s defense. As long as we remain on the defense in any war, we are simply reacting to the enemy’s tactics and he is the one who chooses when and where the next battles will be fought.

Such is the nature of guerrilla war…

SFC Chuck Grist
www.AmericanRanger.blogspot.com

Read "The Advisor" from Iraq (Part 2)

Apparently there is some difficulty with the link in my previous post. Try this one and, hopefully, it will lead you to a site where you have access to the advisor as well as other useful information:

http://www.mnstci.iraq.centcom.mil/

Let me know if you have problems.

SFC Chuck Grist
www.AmericanRanger.blogspot.com

Veteran's Day, 2007

I would like to remember all of my fellow veterans today. They are my brothers and sisters in arms and there is an unspoken link between us that spans the generations.

Veterans from World War I, War War II and Korea inspired me by their example and by their deeds to serve my country in the military. I thank all of them for their service and their sacrifice.

My fellow veterans from Vietnam and Iraq are my blood brothers and blood sisters. There is nothing I would not do for them. They have my respect and my gratitude for being there when I needed them and when their country needed them.

As I continue to train and prepare soldiers who will soon head to one of the war zones, I am inspired daily by their positive attitudes, their desire to learn and their dedication to each other. This new "greatest generation" is continuing the tradition they learned from their fathers and grandfathers.

Today let us take the time to remember the veterans who have served their country in both peace and war as well as those who have made the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf.

May God continue to bless America.

SFC Chuck Grist
www.AmericanRanger.blogspot.com

Training Hard for the War on Terror

The troops are training hard in a variety of areas: firing ranges, convoys, improvised explosive devices and other things that will affect their upcoming tour in one of the war zones. (The above picture is from the M9 pistol range.)

They are working long days – up sometimes at 4 a.m. and training into the night. The classes and training will only get tougher, but we are preparing warriors for battle. The importance of that task is always before us. As observer/controller/trainers, it is our duty to make sure they are ready for whatever they may face at war.

We are also getting to know them as individuals. It is easy to pick out the leaders, the followers and those who are figuring out which one they will become. Man, are they young. I have jump boots older than virtually all of them. In fact, most of them weren’t even born when I was in Vietnam. Hell, most of their parents hadn’t even met!

It is a blessing to be able to watch the current generation as they prepare to defend all of us. Some of them have asked me if there is a difference between the soldiers then and the soldiers now.

I have told them that some of my fellow soldiers didn’t want to be in the Army, but they fought hard to defend their country. Still, the new "greatest generation" is the best-trained and best-equipped force in the world. Even as they are stretched thin, tasked beyond what they should be or sent forth for the second, third or fourth tour, they still perform with professionalism, dedication and a never-ending faith in their country.

I am so proud of all of them.

SFC Chuck Grist
www.AmericanRanger.blogspot.com

Gas! Gas! Gas!

Most soldiers can tell you how many times they’ve been through the gas chamber during their training or mobilizations over the years. They can tell you which soldiers hardly blinked an eye or describe the ones who threw up afterwards.

A soldier must learn how and when to “mask up”. They must be able to do this when there’s a limited threat or when their eyes and throat are burning and it’s hard to see.

We may not have found Saddam’s weapons of mass destruction, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t exist. The old dictator knew we were coming and he could have done anything with his “stock”.

Although the current threat is not necessarily a great one, we have seen the insurgents use bombs attached to chlorine canisters. We know that if they can get their hands on something more sinister that they will surely do so.

Like everything these soldiers experience during their mobilization, this training (shown above) also has a reason. Let’s just hope they never have to use it.

SFC Chuck Grist
www.AmericanRanger.blogspot.com

Flashback

The First Army’s philosophy in training is “theater immersion”. When soldiers train, they are absorbed into an environment which is as close as possible to that which they will face in combat. There are even civilians brought in from the war theater to allow the soldiers to deal with realistically-scripted events.

Because it is all so real, injuries, bug-bites and other little annoyances can happen. One soldier was bitten by an unknown vermin in the early morning. Over several hours, the itch turned into swollen hands and forearms and it was obvious he had some type of allergic reaction.

Not wanting to take any chances, the instructors sent him to a local hospital to get checked out. We are out in the boondocks a bit, so a medevac helicopter was sent to pick him up.

As the Vietnam-era Huey approached the LZ, I’m sure you can imagine how this old Vietnam vet felt. Having ridden in God knows how many of these sturdy flying machines and having used medevac helicopters a lot, there was a bit of a flashback.

The picture at the top shows a Huey taking off from one of my platoon's landing zones in Vietnam in 1970.

The lower photo shows the medevac Huey that picked up our "bug-bitten" soldier at our current stateside training facility.

The swelling was not serious and the soldier returned to us a couple of hours later.

Time marches on, huh?

SFC Chuck Grist
www.AmericanRanger.blogspot.com

Life on a Stateside FOB

It’s no fun to sleep on a cot. Some soldiers can sleep anywhere – others just toss and turn until simple fatigue knocks them out. Even in training, though, there can be surprises.

The female soldier saw the stray cat wander into the tent in the dark. She actually saw only the silhouette of the little critter. Doing what comes naturally, she said something to the effect of “Here, kitty, kitty…” Then came that surprise I mentioned.

It was a skunk.

Fortunately, the black and white cat-like creature was simply checking out the strangers in the neighborhood. The soldier and her fellow warriors froze in place and remained quiet for obvious reasons. (One of the oldest rules in military history is to NOT scare a skunk.) The “cat” finally wandered away – without leaving its famous “calling card” behind.

Another story can be added to the deployment history for this unit and they continued their training in the morning. (The above picture shows their commander observing his soldiers as they learn to search civilians who enter military facilities.)

We had a few logistical kinks to fix today, none of which were the fault of the unit. We fixed ‘em and moved past ‘em. Improvise, adapt and overcome are the words of the month. Deal with the issues that pop up and get the job done.

What’s important – as it has always been – is preparing the soldiers for war.

SFC Chuck Grist
www.AmericanRanger.blogspot.com

War is Hell

2111 hours: The air conditioner in this hotel room vibrates and makes an irritating sound. Over-all, it’s not a bad room – microwave, refrigerator and even a stove top, although I will almost surely never cook anything that doesn't fit in the microwave. Even the TV works fairly well, so I can keep up with my favorite news network – Fox News.

My current life of bouncing around from fort to camp to fort isn’t really bad, but you are still not home. It’s a life of fast food, microwave meals and no chance to have dinner with the wife. This old soldier must endure his nights in air conditioning, in America with no mortars, rockets or improvised explosive devices. A little sweat during the day, but a chance to cool off at night and watch “Survivorman”. Poor baby….

Then I get out with the soldiers - the officers, the sergeants and the troops who are living in a temporary “forward operating base” as they train for their mission at war. As often happens in the Army, training changes, events are postponed or some crisis makes the soldiers’ days more difficult and challenging.

It’s all good – even the stuff that’s a pain – because it helps them remember that there is very little certainty in war. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best and deal with whatever fate hands you on any particular day. Life in war is a roll of the dice and, in the end, it is both the soldier’s skill and those damned odds that determine whether he lives or dies.

This group is lucky in one way. Most of their leadership – officers and sergeants – are war veterans of Afghanistan, Iraq or both. They know what to expect and they are helping us prepare their troops. Still, even the experienced soldiers left their families behind. They may see them once more before they fly out of here, but there will be no Christmas at home in 2007.

We have dealt with those first irritating weeks of mobilization. Their minds are at home with the wife and kids. Tempers are short and sometimes there can be a tendency for our warriors to snap at each other. Still there is a bonding in progress.

The soldiers who have just joined the unit are getting to know their new comrades. As they share the difficulties of training, they start to depend on each other more and more. By the time they enter the war, new friends will become lifetime ones.

They are going to war; I am staying here. In many ways, I envy them, but more importantly, I care about them. I promise you that I will do whatever I can to make them ready.

Well, I'm done with the reports, the charts and the training records. Time to chill out for awhile, then get a good night's sleep. We'll be with the troops again before dawn.

Please pray for them - tonight and every night.

SFC Chuck Grist
www.AmericanRanger.blogspot.com

Send This to Your Warriors

I had hoped for one more overseas trip, either to Iraq or Afghanistan, in order to serve in combat one final time before I retired. I also hoped to write about soldiers at war as I did in 2004 in a series of op-ed pieces for the Orlando Sentinel.

With my current tour due to end on February 1, 2008, it looks like I won’t get more than a brief trip overseas in these last few months on active duty – and even that is unlikely. As a result, I have decided to request that those who are neck-deep in the war zones tell me their stories.

In other words, I want American Ranger to become a forum for more than just my own thoughts, experiences and opinions. I want Soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines to send me the nitty gritty stories of the world in which they live. Within the restrictions posed by the needs for operational security and intelligence protection, I will print their stories for them, for their families and for the benefit of all Americans.

This part of my blog will become "The Warrior’s Forum" and I hope it will be a useful outlet for the feelings – good and bad – of the members of the new “greatest generation”. So, please, forward this to your sons, daughters, fathers, uncles, brothers and grandfathers who are serving in the War on Terror. Tell them to send their comments and photos to me at TheRangerCop@aol.com.

Here are the basic ground rules:

1. You need only identify yourself by rank, name, branch of service and hometown.
2. You can tell me what country you are in, but do not identify the unit, specific location or give any operational information that would be of intelligence value to the enemy.
3. I encourage you to send photographs, but remember the military rules.
4. American Ranger will only edit for grammar, punctuation and operational security. I am one of you. I want your story to be told, but only if it does not endanger our fellow warriors.

For examples of the kind of stories I want to tell, please check out these prior postings on American Ranger:

http://americanranger.blogspot.com/2007/07/sergeant-jeff-hunter-citizen-marine.html

http://americanranger.blogspot.com/2007/05/colonel-and-master-sergeant-killed-in.html

http://americanranger.blogspot.com/2007/04/another-american-dad-dies-in-baghdad.html

http://americanranger.blogspot.com/2007/03/courage-under-fire.html

http://americanranger.blogspot.com/2007/02/lieutenant-matt-belfi-philly-cop.html

http://americanranger.blogspot.com/2007/02/remembering-specialist-nichole-m-frye.html

http://americanranger.blogspot.com/2007/01/colonel-logan-barbee-leading-way-in.html

http://americanranger.blogspot.com/2007/01/new-american-hero.html

http://americanranger.blogspot.com/2007/01/fighting-first-sergeant.html

http://americanranger.blogspot.com/2006/12/standing-tall-in-duty-deed.html

http://americanranger.blogspot.com/2006/12/bravery-under-fire.html

http://americanranger.blogspot.com/2006/12/purple-heart-medal-for-wounds-not.html

http://americanranger.blogspot.com/2006/12/looking-back-baghdad-in-september-2004.html

Please send this to your warriors and to those who will send it to others. I want their stories, their pictures and their deepest feelings. I want America to hear from those who deserve the last word – the men and women who lay their lives on the line for us every single day.

God bless America and God bless our brave warriors!

SFC Chuck Grist
www.AmericanRanger.blogspot.com

Not-in-Uniform Veterans Can Now Salute the Flag

I am on the move and the overseas trip is still pending. I will make an entry here every chance I get. Thanks for "tuning in"....

I received the following from two of my fellow Iraq war veterans. I don't know the original source. Interesting article.

****

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe (R-Okla..) today praised the passage by unanimous consent of his bill (S.1877) clarifying U.S. law to allow veterans and servicemen not in uniform to salute the flag. Current law (US Code Title 4, Chapter 1) states that veterans and servicemen not in uniform should place their hand over their heart without clarifying whether they can or should salute the flag. "The salute is a form of honor and respect, representing pride in one's military service," Senator Inhofe said.

"Veterans and service members continue representing the military services even when not in uniform. "Unfortunately, current U.S. law leaves confusion as to whether veterans and service members out of uniform can or should salute the flag. My legislation will clarify this regulation, allowing veterans and servicemen alike to salute the flag, whether they are in uniform or not.

"I look forward to seeing those who have served saluting proudly at baseball games, parades, and formal events. I believe this is an appropriate way to honor and recognize the 25 million veterans in the United States who have served in the military and remain as role models to others citizens. Those who are currently serving or have served in the military have earned this right, and their recognition will be an inspiration to others."

This Bill was passed July 25, 2007. Let your veteran friends know about the passage of this Bill.

****

God bless America.

SFC Chuck Grist
www.AmericanRanger.blogspot.com

How Will Things Change in Iraq in 2008?

"These are the times that try men’s souls."

Thomas Paine, 1775

No matter how well our service men and women in Iraq are waging that war, there is little doubt that changes will begin to take shape over the next few months.

We cannot abandon Iraq to the terrorists and/or the fundamentalist forces, but our military can only do so much. The Iraqis themselves must resolve the differences between their various factions.

If the citizens of Iraq fail to figure out how to get along, then it will difficult for the Coalition to prevent the catastrophe that may follow.

The following article from the Baltimore Sun's David Wood shows the uncertainty facing the decision-makers, including the politicians and the generals.

* * * *

Baltimore Sun
July 22, 2007

How Many U.S. Forces Required For Iraq?
The number depends on who sets timetable and role for Americans

By David Wood, Sun Reporter

WASHINGTON--For all the fierce debate over withdrawing troops from Iraq, no one has been able to shed light on the main question: How many troops are we talking about?

Virtually everyone, from the White House to the Democratic presidential candidates, agrees that some of the 156,247 men and women in Iraq, as of July 15, eventually must be withdrawn.

"Bringing our troops home," President Bush said last week, "is a goal shared by all Americans."

Pulling out all combat units, as some have demanded, would reduce the force by less than half, leaving more than 80,000 support troops in Iraq without protection and allowing the insurgency to run rampant.

To avoid that, nearly everyone also agrees that some combat forces should remain in Iraq to fight foreign insurgents, to train the Iraqi army and police, and to protect remaining American troops, diplomats and contractors.

How many soldiers and Marines will that take?

"I think in the tens of thousands," said Lee Hamilton, who co-chaired the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan panel that recommended in December that the U.S. begin scaling back its military operations in Iraq.

"Only military professionals can determine those numbers," Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska said on the Senate floor.

"We have not asked [the Pentagon] for an estimate," said Sen. Jack Reed, a Democrat of Rhode Island. And, in any event, "I think it would be difficult to get," Reed admitted.

The commander of U.S. ground forces in Iraq, Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, said he hadn't been asked.

"What do they want me to achieve? Once I'm given that, I'll be able to give you an assessment of what's needed," he told a recent Pentagon briefing, adding that it could take until November to make such an assessment.

Yet the question could become more pressing long before then.

While Senate Democrats have set aside, for now, their drive to force Bush to begin a troop withdrawal, that effort will likely intensify in September, when Gen. David Petraeus, the top commander in Iraq, is due to report with U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker on progress under the 28,000-man "surge" that the president ordered in January.

At the same time, the Pentagon is running out of fresh troops to maintain the current force of almost 160,000.

In March, many of those troops are scheduled to rotate home after 15 months in combat. The Army says it will have "a very difficult time" finding enough troops to replace them, a staff officer said.

By April, the military's ability to sustain current troop levels in Iraq "vanishes," Reed, a former Army paratrooper, said July 13 on CSPAN.

For these political and military reasons, "it is likely that there will be changes in military missions and force levels as the year proceeds," said Republican Sen. Richard G. Lugar of Indiana.

Already, the 74,600 combat soldiers and Marines in Iraq are far too few to carry out the counter-insurgency strategy developed last fall by Petraeus. That strategy, enshrined in U.S. Army Field Manual FM100-34, calls for 20 troops for every 1,000 persons in the local population, a formula which would put 120,000 soldiers just in Baghdad.

For those advocating even further reductions, matching troop numbers to a specific military mission has been difficult.

For example, a plan championed by Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, the Democratic chairman of the Armed Services Committee, would require that a much smaller U.S. combat force be authorized to fight only those insurgents associated with al-Qaida, but not other insurgents, a distinction that could be difficult to make in a firefight.

A plan advanced by Illinois Sen. Barrack Obama, a Democratic presidential candidate, would remove "all United States combat brigades" from Iraq - except those needed to fight terrorists, train Iraqis, protect Americans "and other purposes" the president may decide. No numbers were specified.

Republican Sen. John W. Warner of Virginia and Lugar urge that U.S. forces be refocused on these same missions, which would require "some level" of troops, their proposal said.

Outside the military, a lively chorus of civilian analysts and academics has been at work figuring out how small the U.S. combat force should become.

Shrinking the total number is difficult because of the enormous support community needed to maintain combat troops in the field: headquarters staffs, intelligence, medical, communications and logistics specialists, civil and combat engineers, civil affairs and explosive ordnance detachments, technicians, mechanics and others.

At present, roughly 80,000 American troops provide these services, including about 6,000 military personnel working as advisers and trainers with Iraqi police or Army units, and about 3,000 Special Forces soldiers, sailors and airmen. In addition, at least 20,000 American civilians work in Iraq as contractors.

All of them need bases in which to operate, and the bases must be supplied. At present, 2,000 trucks are on Iraq's roads every day in normal supply operations.

That support should be sharply reduced to a leaner force, some analysts said. "I'm saying take the force down to 100,000 immediately, and then to 50,000 to 60,000," said Frank Hoffman, a retired Marine officer and well-known strategic analyst in Washington. "Of course, that means you have to do without your dentists and chaplains, and go without ice cream every night."

The Center for a New American Strategy, a centrist think-tank in Washington, proposed a gradual reduction to 60,000 troops by 2009, a force that would include a substantial expansion of American advisers to 20,000 soldiers, more than triple the current number.

"That's back-of-the-envelope planning," said James Miller, a senior vice president of the center and former Pentagon war planner. "Our real recommendation is that the military should do this."

But a smaller combat force may itself be problematical.

For a force that is half of today's size, "it's very hard to find something for them to do that is simultaneously safe and useful," said Steven Biddle, senior analyst on defense issues for the Council on Foreign Relations.

"So you end up with a kind of worst-of-both-worlds situation," Biddle said in an e-mail interview. "You have too few troops to do anything useful, but too many to reduce casualties to an acceptable level."

* * * *

The next twelve months will be dangerous indeed.

SFC Chuck Grist
www.AmericanRanger.blogspot.com

And Then There Was One...

Although I am on active duty, I attended part of the monthly drill for our weekend reservists. I learned that Master Sergeant Harvey Warshawsky was retiring and it was his last drill.

“Ski” is also a Vietnam veteran and he first went into the Army in 1966. He retired as a corrections officer from the State of New York and now he will be putting away the Army uniform as well.

He was the only other remaining “old soldier” in our unit and he had a great time reminding me that I was now the last Vietnam veteran in our battalion. The term "Last of the Mohicans” was used in reference to me and a few chuckles were shared by the youngsters in the unit.

(The above picture is me in a small Vietnamese village as a young lieutenant - trying to have my morning coffee and cocoa with an audience.)

I read an article recently that only about 5,600 soldiers over the age of 50 had served in Iraq or Afghanistan. Certainly, only a small percentage of them are Vietnam veterans. Many of these old soldiers have given their lives.

I wish I knew how many Vietnam veterans were still serving in the military. If anyone has any of these statistics, I would love to know the details. I am fairly certain none of them are on active duty (except maybe the rare general or sergeant major), but I know there are some of us hanging on in the National Guard or Reserves.

My own military service will end on February 28, 2009 when I turn 60 years old. All good things must come to an end, right? For now, I will be satisfied to be the last “Nam” guy in my unit.

And then there was one….

SFC Chuck Grist
www.AmericanRanger.blogspot.com

From My War Journal: Flight to Kurdistan

"I was born in the shadow of the Kurdish flag in Mahabad and I am ready to serve and die for the same flag."

Massoud Barzani, President of Kurdistan

It was July of 2004 when my team traveled to northern Iraq from Baghdad’s Green Zone. Our mission was to escort our “principal”, Brigadier General Charles “Sandy” Davidson, to Kurdistan. Here is what I wrote about the experience:

"The heat on the dusty hill overlooking the northern Iraqi border was unpleasant, but it was better than melting in Baghdad. Along with the general and the rest of the C.O.B.R.A. Team, I looked out on a river junction that twisted like some wild blue snake through the desert. I could glance north across one river and barely see a Turkish army guard tower in the distance. When I turned to face the other river, the barren desert hills of Syria rose before me.

The trip from Mosul in a Blackhawk helicopter took us over a giant blue lake, over dry open desert, and through remote hills and valleys. Finally, we reached an isolated border outpost, the northern-most Iraqi military position in what the people there knew as Kurdistan.

Protecting us from that point on would be the Peshmerga (which means 'those ready to die'), the Kurdish warriors who had protected their own people for almost sixty years. (Above photo is me with two of the Peshmerga soldiers.)

General Davidson wanted to visit some of his soldiers, but he also wanted to meet some of the Kurdish people those soldiers worked with and view some of the civil affairs projects created by the members of his command. The soldiers on the small civil affairs teams were making friends and making a difference as they tried to improve the quality of life for a courageous and unique group of Iraq’s citizens.

Our tour of the outpost ended with a convoy of NTVs headed east because this part of our journey was overland. Though we were still guarding the general, the Peshmerga were guarding all of us.

Driving over paved roads and mountain trails, we stopped briefly at a Kurdish village where General Davidson and his officers shared refreshments with the leaders of the small community. We continued on to Dohuk where we spent the night in a 'safe house' protected all the while by the Peshmerga.

I found great comfort in standing on the roof of this house and surveying the beauty of the mountains that surrounded us. In such a peaceful place, filled with an overwhelming sense of tranquility, it was hard to believe there was a war going on. Some of the Peshmerga soldiers said the Arab insurgents had a difficult time making inroads in Kurdistan because they were easily recognized by the Kurds.

Traveling with the soldiers of the Peshmerga was a young man whose name still cannot be revealed without putting his life in danger. At the age of only 19, he had already spent over a year working as an interpreter for the Americans. Born in Kurdistan, but raised in California, he was proud to be both an American and a Kurd. When the United States invaded Iraq, destiny called and he returned to his first home to help defeat the regime of Saddam Hussein.

The young man liked to repeat a saying we heard frequently in Kurdistan: 'Ten Kurds will die before one American dies'. The Kurdish people loved Americans and they were happy to treat soldiers, as the interpreter said, like 'rock stars'. They would die for their American friends and they did everything they could to keep our soldiers out of harm’s way.

There was still resentment reserved for Britain, however, for failing to give the Kurds their own nation when the British Empire carved up the Arab lands early in the twentieth century.

With the help of the young interpreter, the C.O.B.R.A. Team shared conversation and food with the men of the Peshmerga. We came to know and respect them as fellow soldiers and as just plain regular guys. All of us spoke of our families, our homes and our children. Just as I discovered with the Shiite and Sunni Arabs I came to know, the Kurdish people also wanted peace, a safe place to raise their families, a decent way to make a living and a good future for their children.

The Kurds endured a life of prejudice, discrimination and violence under the regime of Saddam Hussein. March 16, 1988, is referred to as 'Bloody Friday' because this was the day that Hussein’s forces dropped poisonous gas on the Kurdish city of Halabja. According to our Kurdish friends, some five thousand citizens, mostly women and children, were killed within only minutes and tens of thousands more perished after days of attacks.

The American policy was that separate 'militias', such as the Peshmerga and al Sadr’s Mahdi Army, must be disbanded. Although the Kurdish leadership supposedly agreed in principal, the Peshmerga soldiers laughed. There was certainly no indication that the Mahdi Army or the other militias in the southern part of the country would disappear any time soon. The Peshmerga warriors also didn’t believe their own fabled army would cease to exist either.

Many of them had been in the Kurdish army since they were twelve years old, it was the only life they knew and the Peshmerga diligently served as the protection for their fellow citizens. The Kurds were a friendly, gentle people, but upon entering the towns and villages of northern Iraq, one thing was plainly missing.

The Iraqi flag wasn’t flown anywhere. The Kurds proudly displayed their own banner, the Kurdistan tri-color of red, white and green with a bright sun glowing in the center. In the new Iraq, the Kurdish people lived with a wait and see attitude for the time being.

As we traveled across the top of Iraq through the towns, villages and cities of Kurdistan, I was amazed by the extraordinary beauty of it all. We saw picturesque mountains and valleys, gently flowing rivers and a waterfall recreation area that seemed out of place in a country at war.

Both adults and children waved and smiled at us and we were greeted everywhere like long-lost relatives. I was never treated this way by the citizens of any foreign country and it helped me to imagine how American soldiers in World War II felt when they were welcomed into liberated European countries.

On our second night, we stayed at the guest house of Kurdish President Massoud Barzani of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). His late father, Mustafa Barzani, was the most prominent Kurdish national leader in their recent history and, according to the Peshmerga, he was considered the father of modern Kurdistan and an inspiration to all the Kurdish people. As we traveled throughout northern Iraq, Mustafa Barzani’s picture was hanging everywhere.

The next day we escorted the general to what the Americans considered the Peshmerga 'Pentagon' or the headquarters of their military forces. General Davidson met with one of their generals, we were all served refreshments and the two generals exchanged gifts. Davidson gave his counterpart one of his commanding general’s coins; the Peshmerga general gave Davidson a Kurdistan flag.

As we reached the final city of our visit, Erbil, we drove through the six thousand year old massive stone citadel that overlooks the city from a giant hill. The Peshmerga took care of us right up to the time we boarded our Blackhawk helicopters for the long and arduous flight back to the Green Zone. I was sad to be leaving such a peaceful and beautiful place.

Before we climbed onto the helicopters, the young interpreter reached up to his shoulder and pulled off his Kurdistan flag patch and gave it to me. I was grateful to receive such a special gift from one of America’s - and Kurdistan’s - bravest citizens.

When we returned from our trip to northern Iraq, I brought back a small piece of paper I found on a table in the waiting area of Mosul’s Civil Military Operations Center. That building was filled with Iraqi civilians who were working with the Americans.

The spelling and grammar are the way the note was written, apparently from the heart, as it referred to the American turn-over of authority to the new Iraqi government:

'To day the CPA has handover the sovereignty to the Iraqis. As an Iraqi I feel so happy, but I have to say that all Iraqis owe much for the brave, the Americans, who have shed bloods for free, peaceful and democratic Iraq. Salute for all the brave Americans and all that cooperate with them to achieve this Noble goal,

Long live freedom, Long live freedom fighters,
Long live the USA The leader of liberty in the world.'

It was signed simply: 'Iraqi'

At least one Iraqi thought enough of America’s sacrifices to write it down. If there was one Iraqi that felt this way, then there were ten; if there were ten, then there were a hundred and perhaps thousands.

We were indeed appreciated by some of the citizens of Iraq and it made me feel damn good."

SFC Chuck Grist
www.AmericanRanger.blogspot.com

No Safe Havens for Terrorists

It’s always been hard for me to agree with a Democrat, even when he’s only “sort of” a Democrat. Independent/former Democrat Joe Lieberman is on the money when he says a military strike against Iran should be considered in response to that rogue nation’s support of attacks on Americans in Iraq.

I would argue that the same reasoning justifies attacks on training areas/safe havens in Syria and Pakistan. While it’s probably not a great idea to advertise such an option, we are at a crossroads in the world where everyone with their head in the sand must look at the reality that is facing us.

Iran is not going to change, they are still developing their nuclear capability and they will not stop their support of terrorists and insurgents who are killing our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Furthermore, the mouthpiece for Iran’s ayatollahs, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is advertising the belief that the end times are near and that Israel should be wiped off the map.

Iran is not the only problem. Syria continues to support and protect the Iraqi Sunni insurgents who hide out across the border in their own camps. The government in Pakistan is either too afraid of the terrorists in their tribal areas or they are accommodating them for other reasons. As a result, the terrorist camps in these other countries are like nests of bees, creating new killers with assembly line efficiency. (Above photo is from Reuters.)

Syria, Iran and the tribal areas of Pakistan are the Laos and Cambodia of this war. During Vietnam, the North Vietnamese enemy used those adjacent countries to train, recruit and re-supply the forces that fought us in South Vietnam. The anti-war crowd never complained about their use of those countries, but the minute the American military entered Cambodia to attack enemy camps along the Ho Chi Minh Trail we were referred to as “invaders”.

It is incomprehensible that we can continue to permit Iran or Syria to train, equip and perhaps accompany terrorist killers who attack American troops in Iraq or Afghanistan. We also must end the ability of Al Qaeda and the Taliban to have a safe haven in Pakistan.

Although large-scale ground invasions are unrealistic, targeted air strikes would do much to destroy the capabilities in these training camps. If Syria, Iran and Pakistan will not eliminate these safe havens, then we have no choice but to do it ourselves.

We owe it to the men and women who are fighting the terrorists and we certainly owe to the ones who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

SFC Chuck Grist
www.AmericanRanger.blogspot.com

Sending the Troops to War

I owe an apology to those who have been faithfully reading “American Ranger”. My most recent mission has been to mobilize soldiers who are headed to one of the war zones. I’ve been out of the loop for awhile.

When I was first assigned this mission, I was pleased that I would work with the commander of the unit because I served with him in a previous assignment. He is now a major waiting to be promoted to lieutenant colonel. He is also a West Point graduate, a combat veteran and one helluva leader.

For obvious reasons, I’m not able to discuss the specifics of the unit including the names of its members. I can tell you that I almost joined them in their mission.

The major had a vacancy for an operations sergeant and needed an E-7 with experience. I was honored that he asked me to take the position.

I knew my unit might not release me again (because they have a lot of training commitments on the horizon.) The major made his own inquiries and came back with the same answer: No, they would not let me go.

I have already been through this before and expected that this would be the case once again. Although I would prefer one more tour in one of the war zones, it will probably not happen at this point. I am a soldier and I will follow my orders.

The sad part is that the soldier ordered to fill the position is an E-6 who has already been to war. He and his wife have a new baby and, although he would prefer to stay home right now, he is a professional and he has embraced his mission.

As I have watched these soldiers prepare for their deployment, I am once again filled with a deep sense of pride. Some of them are relatively new to the Army and they have that wide-eyed look of those who are about to face real IEDs and bad guys. They ask a lot of questions and, fortunately, this old soldier has a lot of answers.

Even more importantly, I feel an obligation to help them understand the importance of teamwork, professionalism and the need to learn everything they can about the real world of war – before they arrive in the war zone. They seem to have taken this to heart and they are like sponges as they absorb the knowledge and training necessary for the greatest adventure of their lives.

Fortunately, they have some hard-core veterans with them – soldiers who know what war is all about and who have taken these youngsters under their wings. It’s always been that way.

In my first war, my best teacher was my platoon sergeant. He is the one who taught me how to read trails in Vietnam, how to figure out where the enemy would build his bunkers, how the enemy mind worked and even how the enemy smelled. I learned that one must think like the enemy in order to defeat him.

Old soldiers have always tried to teach, coach and mentor the young ones. It is a tried and true system that has worked for American forces throughout our military history.

It has also been said that real warriors have a natural instinct to move to the sound of the guns because that is where their comrades are. I still feel that sense of urgency and probably always will.

I wish I could be with them.

SFC Chuck Grist
www.AmericanRanger.blogspot.com