If you didn’t listen to last night’s Blog Talk Radio Pre-election special, then please head over to www.blogtalkradio.com/youserved/2008/10/30/Episode-10-Pre-Election-2-hour-Special and check it out. I spent some time in the broadcast talking about how ammo prices have been going up based on the pre-election polls and how the prices of certain weapons are prediected to double the day after the election if Obama wins.
For a while now I have been referencing GEN (ret) McCaffrey’s AAR (after-action review) that he wrote after going to SHAPE NATO HQ and Afghanistan in July 2008. GEN McCaffrey is currently serving part-time as an adjunct professor at West Point Military Academy. GEN McCaffrey has quite a storied and awesome career during this time on Active Duty. He was the famed 24th Infantry Division Commander during Operation Desert Storm who gave the order to short Sadaam’s tanks off the back of flatbed trucks while they were retreating from Kuwait. His scouts reported hostile actions from the soldiers with those tanks, so GEN McCaffrey gave the order to take them out. He also served as the Drug Czar to President Clinton. I have never been afforded the opportunity to meet the General, but I was very privileged to serve under his son (Sean McCaffrey), who was my Company Commander in B Company, 1/501st Airborne while stationed at Ft. Richardson, Alaska.
Gen McCaffrey’s AAR hit on several key points in the AAR to include the need for a the surge of which I will highlight each in this blog posting. His AAR was written soon after he got back, and in my opinion it has served as the guiding light for our administration and the Department of Defense. Now I am not sure if he was the only one to come up with the opinions that he expressed as several of the suggestions are common sense to me and I think many people intimately involved with Afghanistan already knew and had been suggesting some of these themselves….to include me. The reason I say that that his AAR has been a guiding light, is because the policy decisions, or at least the discussions coming out of the Administration are almost verbatim to what is covered in the AAR.
However he writes it in such a way as to break it down and addresses the top six assertions, and several other area that need focus. He not only discusses the need for a surge of troops, but he is quick to point out that the surge of extra troops cannot do it alone. In Counter-insurgency (COIN) operations, it takes much more than troops on the ground and a ASP (ammunition storage point) full or ordinance to bring peace to a country or region. COIN operations are truly a top down and simultaneously a bottom-up grass-roots effort, that rely on both equally. The local populous is critical to the success of COIN operations and convincing them to stand up for themselves, defend their free will and rights afforded them by their government, and contribute to the safety and freedom of their country is paramount.
GEN McCaffrey’s AAR talks about the careful handling of Pakistan that we as a country need to take and how we cannot alienate them as an ally in the GWOT. Even though Pakistan military was considered the enemy by the Afghan Army and most if not all US forces serving where I was on the Pakistan border, they are a necessary evil. Pakistan allows us over-flight and gives coalition forces a port to which we can sail in supplies, etc., which are then transported by truck through Pakistan to Afghanistan.
GEN McCaffrey also takes on NATO and is quick to point out that they are not stepping up to the plate, either in the number of forces committed nor in the forces that are on the ground and what they are allowed to do. Bottom line is that NATO is a peace-keeping force and has not done a good job in transforming itself, its priorities, and setting expectations with contributing countries to be ready to participate in the kinetic fight that is needed in Afghanistan. The lack of combat multipliers, dis-jointed communications, government restrictions and caveats placed on soldiers from certain countries make them almost impudent in the actual war-fighting department. NATO countries may think of themselves as peace-keepers or nation-builders, but the enemy sees them as enemy and will try to kill them just as quickly and violently as they do the US forces.
He also covers the war on drugs and what a catch-22 situation it is to decide if Coalition forces are going to eradicate the opium or allow it to grow. The reality is that during Taliban rule, there was little to no opium growth happening in Afghanistan because the Taliban hated drugs. During that time the farmers grew others things. However once we liberated Afghanistan from the Taliban rule, many farmers started growing it again. The reality is that is where the money is and poverty is such a common way of life that these farmers are going to grow whatever pays. For quite a few years now US forces have mostly ignored the growing of opium as to not alienate the farmers and drive them to side with the enemy. The British and Canadians have done a lot of opium eradication in the Helmand and Kandahar provinces and they have suffered greatly for it. The money from the sale of opium has fueled the Taliban and the insurgency. I think the saying is “the enemy of my enemy is my friend†and that is how the drug lords and the Taliban have come to team up. The Taliban has the fighters and the spirit to fight; the drug lords have the money. They both hate the Coalition, so therefore they now have a common enemy….us.
As already mentioned the AAR covers the surge of forces and how that is needed, but as I said earlier it is not the only answer. The reality is that Afghanistan is very desolate and remote country with villages within miles of each other but with people that have never been to the other villages or even know they are there. When I was there, I was in villages that had never seen US forces before, and even had never seen Afghan Army forces. Many people in these villages have only seen very corrupt and unprofessional police forces and to them the police are the government. They are the only view of the government that the local populous has ever had and when then police are beating people and stealing from them, it is safe to assume that the local villagers are not fans of the government.
Lastly he covers the building of Afghan security forces and how critical this task is. As I and everyone I served with in Afghanistan has said since January 2007 when MG Durbin told us that we had to take on the training and mentoring of Afghan Police….WE NEED ANOTHER 2000-3000 SOLDIERS. Task Force Phoenix is built and staffed for the training of the Afghan Army. When they told the Task Force that it had to also train the Afghan police forces (which are much, much more spread out and remote) with the same number of people in the Task Force, we knew we were screwed. As was often said in my team “you can’t do more with less, you can only do less with lessâ€. Afghan Army units that were making progress were left completely uncovered by US trainers or with a bare minimum of embedded trainers so we could also focus on training police. GEN McCaffrey’s assessment is that another 2300 trainers are needed specifically with the Afghan Police forces. To quote him directly, “This is the central effort to win the war in Afghanistanâ€.
When I came back from Afghanistan I, along with several of my teammates were interviewed by the Buffalo News, and at that time I stated that I felt we would be in Afghanistan another 10 years at least. However based on what has happened over the last 18 months I must say that I agree with GEN McCaffrey’s assessment that we will probably have forces in country for another 25 years. I know that sounds bad, but if you look at the fact that we are still in Korea and Germany then it does not sound that far-fetched.
I really do not want to re-write the whole AAR here, but instead I wanted to cover the main topics and points of interest. Please do yourself a favor and educate yourself by clicking here; smallwarsjournal.com/documents/mccaffreyafghanistanaarjuly2008.pdf and downloading a .pdf copy of the report to read yourself.
This week while I was off for a few days taking my wife on a much needed vacation and birthday celebration, the milblog community and even the mainstream media community has been all abuzz about the Nick Meo fiasco that has erupted.
I have been following the email traffic back and forth between myself and other milbloggers, journalists, etc. Many milblogs have picked up the story since blackfive.net and I first broke the story and put out in the blogosphere. I have posted some of those links at the bottom of this blog entry as a central place to see the latest entries written by both bloggers and journalists worldwide. The bottom line is that what has happened has been extraordinary. For probably one of the first times in milblogs (that I know of), the new media of blogging has shaken up the mainstream media via a grass-roots effort of blog readers mobilizing to voice their opinions.
Nick Meo’s employer has been trying to do damage control, other media outlets are sniffing around and the amount of hits (website traffic) on this site, along with others have shot through the roof as a result of this story. I am not sure if that means blogs, and more importantly, milblogs are becoming more mainstream or just more influential. It is almost like when underground punk bands who develop popularity and a following through word of mouth all of a sudden get picked up by a major record label.
I am pleased to highlight one great example of the importance of milblogs. In emails back and forth with the TF Phoenix ARSIC-South PAO who was the person that originally contacted me about Nick Meo’s story, we talked about his comments in his follow-up article where he was crying about the terrible things the milblogs were writing about him and his story. One thing Mr. Meo mentioned was that the US military did not refute his story, making it almost sound like they approved of it. Well the US Army does not always move fast when it does not include things like killing the enemy and saving our soldier’s lives. So while they were working up their response, they also sent out the email to myself and Blackfive. The response by the milblog community and its readership was so great, so swift, and had such an impact that the Army now feels like there is not much more they can add to the situation. To quote the PAO in an email from her this morning…
“The letter from ‘higher’ (Army Command)….due to the fact that you guys were going over and beyond what the ‘military letter’ (official military rebuttal) would have stated. Your (all milblogs that have covered this story) words, capabilities, and pummeling of Meo, did more than the military would have been able to
accomplish. So, they felt it would be a bit redundant and less powerful than what you guys were already doing- so a huge THANK YOU from the military community.”
So as you can see, not only have milblogs and their readers impacted a major news outlet like the Telegraph and caused other MSM outlets to take notice, it has also shaped the way that the US Army was going to officially respond. This is a huge step forward and a prime example of what can happen when milbloggers and milblog supporters bond together from the normal themes of their blogs and focus their efforts on one particular topic.
Some of the recent news articles and other blog postings about the Nick Meo saga are:
Be sure and some by www.blogtalkradio.com/youserved to listen tonight at 7PM EST. It is a special 2 hour show of Blog Talk Radio hosted by CJ Grisham and myself. We will have Bud Bucha on, whom is someone I had a chance to meet and talk to at last years USO Awards banquet in NYC. This is our pre-election special show and will have a lot of good content going across the internet airwaves. If you can’t listen live, be sure and pop back in later to listen to the archive or catch it on a podcast if you are subscribed through iTunes.
This week our special guest is Paul ‘Bud’ Bucha. Mr Bucha was a two time All-American swimmer. After graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point, he was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army. In Phuoc Vinh, Vietnam, Captain Bucha of the 3rd battalion, 187th Infantry, 3rd Brigade 101st Airborne Division led a recon patrol that encountered strong resistance. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions between March 16-19, 1968.He later taught at West Point and became president of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.He is currently a foreign policy adviser to Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. In addition to Mr. Bucha, we have a bunch of military pundits that will rant and rave and discuss the elections that will occur four day after this show! Won’t you join in? In attendance will be regular co-hosts CJ Grisham and Troy Steward, plus Toby Nunn, SGT Freedom, and a few others. It’s a must listen event.
CAMP BARBER, Afghanistan – U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Robert W. Cone, commanding general, Combined Security Transition Command –Afghanistan, visited the Marines and sailors of Task Force 2d Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force – Afghanistan, Oct. 25. During his address to the troops, the two-star general emphatically stated that “no other battalion-sized unit had made as big a contribution to the security of Afghanistan as the Marines of TF 2/7.†Upon rendering his thanks, he noted the significant accomplishments of the Marines who were operating in the toughest regions of Afghanistan. Serving in Afghanistan since April in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, TF 2/7 has been conducting counterinsurgency operations with an emphasis on police mentoring of the Afghan National Police. The Marine unit has been conducting full spectrum operations throughout Afghanistan’s Helmand and Farah provinces.
The other day I participated in the latest Blogger’s roundtable from Afghanistan. It was with COl Bill Hix, who is the new ARSIC-South Commander. He replaced COL Tom McGrath, whom I have interviewed several times. The roundtable lasted a little longer than normal, but that was becuase there was a lot of good information shared with us. COL Hix has been in country for a while prior to taking over ARSIC -South Command. He was previously the Chief of Staff for CSTC-A, so he has a lot of insight into the total workings of Afghanistan operations.
Task Force 2d Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force
CAMP BARBER, Helmand Province, Afghanistan – There was blood in the water. It was a grim addition to the Iraqi sewage canal usually littered with dead sheep and festering fish.
That’s where the Marines of Company E, 2d Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division found their comrade after the attack.
Just seconds before, Cpl. Garrett S. Jones was patrolling the streets of Iraq with his team when he was suddenly hurled 15 feet into the air by an enemy booby trap.
“It was just a big dust cloud,†said Cpl. Robert C. Pofahl, who stood 10 feet in front of Jones when the bomb detonated. “I ran toward him, and I fell in the canal. The mud was almost up to my knees. It was probably the worst smell you could smell. That’s when I saw the blood in the water.â€
When Pofahl saw Jones lying there, he feared his friend’s life was cut short. Barely alive, Jones’ life was about to be changed forever.
Pofahl remembers an explosion, tumbling forward, turning back around and hearing Jones yell at the top of his lungs. He then raced to put a tourniquet on Jones’ mangled bloody left leg.
“It sounded like I was whispering and because of the explosion, I couldn’t catch my breath,†Jones said.
When Pofahl arrived at Jones’ position, he realized he couldn’t lift him out of the canal. The muddy water almost made it impossible for Pofahl to grab a hold of Jones. So, he called two other Marines to help pull Jones out.
“We got him up on the side of the road,†Pofahl said. “That’s when Navy Hospitalman Matthew Beceda took over. He cranked the tourniquet one more time, but it snapped. So he had to put another tourniquet on Jones.â€
Jones was stable, but the Marines couldn’t call for help because the radio that Jones was wearing was ruined from the blast. They sent three other Marines from the squad to run 1,200 meters back to their combat outpost for help. A group of Marines stayed with Jones and his squad leader who was also injured by the blast.
The next thing Jones knew, he was on board a helicopter flight headed for the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. He was strapped into a gurney with a military chaplain hovering over him.
“The chaplain asked me if I wanted to pray,†said Jones, a 23-year-old Newberg, Ore., native. “We prayed. Then the doctor told me my left leg would be amputated above the knee.â€
Shortly after, Jones was in surgery. He awoke a couple days later, but said he doesn’t recall much after the operation but a phone conversation with his relatives.
“I just remember talking to my family,†he said. “I remember saying, ‘I hear they make really good prosthetics.’â€
Upon leaving the hospital in Germany, Jones was once again strapped into a gurney and flown to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., where his wounds were cleansed and torn flesh was removed from his body.
“It seemed like forever,†Jones said. “I had a bunch of tubes stuck in me. I was so drugged up I didn’t feel much of anything. I don’t remember much, but I do remember that one of my buddies who was shot by a sniper was also on the same flight. I didn’t know what happened to him, I just saw that he had a bunch of tubes stuck in his chest.â€
Military medical officials then transferred Jones to Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD) for further treatment. As a result of being restricted to a hospital bed, Jones wound up losing a lot of weight.
“I went from about 160 to 120 lbs.,†Jones said. “I was in the bed almost all the time. The only time I got up was to do stretching and go to the bathroom. If I wasn’t in my bed, I was in a wheelchair.â€
During his recovery, Jones had a total of 17 surgeries to clean the infected area in his left leg. He was treated for third-degree burns and shrapnel that peppered his left shoulder and both legs.
On Aug. 20, 2007, Jones was released from NMCSD — just in time to see his fellow Marines of Echo Company return home from Iraq.
“I was at their homecoming in a wheelchair completely drugged up,†Jones said. “Seeing my guys was emotional for me because we were all so close, and I knew I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them. When we all get together, it’s like a family reunion. We’re a tight-knit group. We had difficulties at times, but what family doesn’t.â€
Jones yearned to be back with his Marine family. Although he didn’t say it, he kept in mind that he one day wanted to serve with the Marines who saved his life.
“We all wanted him back,†Pofahl said. “He’s a good guy to have your back. He’d take the shirt off of his back if you need it. At the same time, we were like, ‘How would he be able to do that because of rehab and all.’â€
In the meantime, Jones continued his appointments. In November, he finally linked up with a prosthetist who would help him become familiar with the functions of prosthetics. The prosthetist fit Jones for a total of six walking prosthetics and one snowboarding prosthetic.
An avid fan of snowboarding, Jones realized his potential during a snowboarding trip to Breckenridge, Colo., with fellow wounded warriors from NMCSD and his sister, Sara, in early December 2007. Although Jones had only been on his new prosthetic for two weeks, he was eager to go snowboarding — a passion of his for more than 15 years.
“The first day, I was able to make it down the mountain,†Jones said. “As the days progressed, I got stronger and more confident on my snowboard.â€
Surprisingly, all of the snowboarding helped him deaden some of the nerve endings in his left leg. It also helped him become more accustomed to walking on his prosthetic leg.
“Once I knew I could snowboard again, I realized I was going to be able to do a lot more than just snowboard,†Jones said. “I was like, ‘If I could snowboard, who knows what else I can do?’ It kind of opened my mind up to all the other possibilities.â€
Meanwhile, Jones continued his daily physical therapy, stretching, and prosthetic appointments at NMCSD.
“I just kept thinking about my next snowboard trip and getting back to 2/7 ASAP,†Jones said.
Later, in February 2008, Jones was visited by Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. James T. Conway. Seizing the moment of this rare opportunity, he asked the Marine commander for orders to return to the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Training Center at Twentynine Palms, Calif., so he could once again serve with 2/7.
“I asked to come back to 2/7, and his assistant took my info,†Jones explained. “And, a couple of days later, I had orders back to 2/7. I was so excited I almost didn’t believe it.â€
When Jones checked back into his battalion, many of the Marines were awestruck. They couldn’t believe how much progress he had made on a prosthetic leg in less than a year.
“None of us knew how advanced prosthetics were,†Pofahl said. “He’s been called a walking legend, literally. We’re all glad to have him around. He’s a really positive and hard worker; one of those guys who don’t let anything get to him, obviously,†Pofahl said.
Although Jones couldn’t return to the infantry, he was able to serve in other sections within the battalion and was subsequently assigned to the intelligence section where he is relied upon to provide his fellow infantrymen with vital information that can aid in keeping them away from harmful situations.
“At first I didn’t know what I was able to do,†Jones said. “It’s good to be able to do something that will keep Marines safe. Although I can’t be out there with them, I get to directly help them.â€
Jones wanted to deploy with his unit when it was ordered to deploy to Afghanistan in April 2008. But, he wasn’t yet ready to undergo the intense Mojave Viper pre-deployment training. Regardless, he would get no handouts despite being a new amputee. Realizing he is still a Marine, he knew he would have to prove himself all over again.
“It wasn’t just a hookup,†Jones said. “I had to do all the training all other Marines do.â€
Jones participated in “humvee†scenarios, close quarters combat drills, survival training, machine gun packages, combat life saver courses, and several other pre-deployment courses. Although he had gone through this training before, this was his first time enduring it as an amputee.
“My leg popped off a couple of times in the humvee scenario and once when I was leaving a range,†Jones said. “I thought it was funny because ‘How many guys walk around with combat loads and have a leg fall off?’ I still did it to prove that I could deploy as an amputee.â€
Once all physical and administrative requirements were complete, Jones was ready to deploy and help the Marines who once helped him.
“I love being with the guys, the same people. I really do,†Jones said. “If it wasn’t for the guys in this unit, I wouldn’t be here. It’s an honor to serve with them and be in a place where many Marines don’t get a chance to go.â€
Recovering in just nine months, Jones has become the fastest recuperating amputee to deploy to a combat zone. Still, many people have doubted his ability to survive a seven-month deployment on a prosthetic limb.
“A lot a people were skeptical of me because I’m a new amputee,†Jones said. “It’s been a little bit of a challenge for me, mentally at first. People were saying, ‘Its going to be hard and I can’t do it.’ So, being out here was a confidence builder.â€
Jones still struggles with walking. He said it takes a lot of energy to walk in combat boots for 14 hours a day with all the sweating, straining and refitting inside of his prosthetic leg.
He said he will always feel slight discomfort on his left leg because of nerve and bone growth along the skin line of his amputated leg. But, he considers it a small price to pay when comparing it to losing a life.
“We’re talking about a guy who almost died in battle and came back to a similar fight,†said Sgt. Paul E. Savage, an intelligence specialist and Boston, Mass., native. “The fact that it didn’t scare him to come back to his buddies truly speaks volumes of Cpl. Jones’ character.â€
Jones said he wants to stay in the Marine Corps because he enjoys serving in such a loyal organization. The career retention specialist (CRS) has even submitted a permanent limited duty (PLD) package so he can continue his military career.
“Everyone here has been supportive in helping me get this reenlistment package started. The CRS submitted a PLD package for me back in March 2008. We are still waiting on that to be finished,†said a hopeful Jones, expressing how he felt about returning to serve with 2/7. “A lot of people are like family here. I guess that’s partly why I’m so happy to be here.â€
Despite his abrupt loss of limb, Jones remains upbeat and always keeps his peers in high spirits.
“He’s always motivated,†said Gunnery Sgt. Michael J. Ortiz, battalion intelligence chief and Miami, Fla., native. “His morale is always high. The only time I see him upset is when he sees someone hurt or killed because he takes it personal. But, he always bounces back and visits whoever it is in the hospital to see how they are.â€
Jones said he personally meets with new amputees to show them there is “light at the end of the ‘canal.’†He wants them to know just because they are an amputee, it doesn’t mean that they can’t reach their goals.
“I’ve told them to keep their head up,†Jones said. “I want to show them that if I can do it, they can do it. I want to set the example for other amputees. I want to show them that a bad thing might happen, but you can still make good of bad circumstances.â€
Jones’ co-workers all feel that his commitment shows he has authentic concern for his Marines. He also has kept in contact with many wounded warriors when they returned home to the U.S.
“He doesn’t know a lot of these Marines, but he doesn’t care. I know he’s made multiple calls to amputees’ doctors to check on how they’re doing. I think it’s awesome that he does that. It shows that he genuinely cares about his Marines,†Ortiz said.
Jones is the first Marine with an above-the-knee amputation to deploy to Afghanistan. There have not been many of these amputees to redeploy to a combat zone to date.
“Ninety percent of the guys in his situation would have likely walked away with their disability and called it a day,†Savage said. “But, he’s still striving to make a point and it’s remarkable.â€
Jones continues to push his personal, mental and physical limits. When he returns to the U.S., he wants to train in Utah in early December and represent the Marine Corps in adaptive snowboarding. Competitions will be held in Colorado, Canada, and possibly Italy. He said the competitions will help him prepare to compete in the 2010 Paralympics for snowboarding in Vancouver, Canada.
Corporal Jones wants to continue serving with the 1st Marine Division as an intelligence specialist. He also wants to keep helping fellow amputees continue their service in the Marine Corps. He said he is sending a letter to the commandant entitled, “Back on their Feet and Back in the Fleet.†The letter entails getting PLD packages completed for more wounded Marines in a timelier manner for those who desire to stay in the Marine Corps.
“Just because you have an injury, it doesn’t mean you have to leave the Marine Corps,†Jones said. “You just have to work hard. I want to let those guys know back in the States that there is a place for you. I plan on being one of those examples.â€
Corporal Garrett S. Jones, an amputee who was injured in 2007 by an insurgent’s bomb during his unit’s deployment to Iraq, is proud to be back serving with the Marines of 2d Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, which are currently serving in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Jones is the first Marine with an above-the-knee amputation to deploy to Afghanistan. (Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Ray Lewis)
Corporal Garrett S. Jones, an amputee who was injured in 2007 by an insurgent’s bomb during his unit’s deployment to Iraq, shows his prosthetic leg. Jones is a 23-year-old Newberg, Ore., native. (Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Ray Lewis)
Corporal Garrett S. Jones displays one of the seven prosthetic legs he now wears after being injured in 2007 by an insurgent’s bomb during his unit’s deployment to Iraq. Six of his legs are used for walking, and one is for snowboarding. (Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Ray Lewis)
Corporal Garrett S. Jones, an amputee who was injured in 2007 by an insurgent’s bomb during his unit’s deployment to Iraq, stands by protective barriers before heading off to travel to a forward operating base. (Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Ray Lewis)
