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The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Commander, General Stanley McChrystal, has issued a directive stating his requirements for all ISAF personnel to adhere to appropriate legal driving procedures and behavior in Afghanistan.
“The manner in which ISAF forces interact with and treat the Afghan people directly correlates to our ability to earn their trust and support. ISAF forces are highly conspicuous when travelling in vehicles and I expect ISAF members to drive in ways that respect the safety and well-being of the Afghan people,†said General McChrystal.
In his guidance, McChrystal emphasizes safe driving to be an essential ingredient in the successful prosecution of the ISAF mission. “Safe and considerate driving represents a visible and tangible sign of our commitment to the people of Afghanistan,†General McChrystal said.
The Theatre Driving Principles direct ISAF personnel to adhere to safe driving practices, such as respecting Afghan traffic rules and regulations, driving at an appropriate speed, and driving defensively. It is the responsibility of every member in the chain of command to encourage and reinforce a culture of safe driving with ISAF, the directive concludes.
**BOUHAMMER NOTE- If you have been to Afghanistan or even if you haven’t, but you have a loved one there, I am curious as to what you think of this new directive. Is this the right approach, or putting our men and women at too much risk?
Well today is the day. Gen Stanley McChrystal delivered his review of the war in Afghanistan to CENTCOM and the Pentagon today. Early reports are now saying he may not have put in new number for requested troops. At least not in this report, but rumors are that he will be requesting those troops in a separate document.
This video clip was sent to me by the folks at Dvids. It is some good footage of 2/12 Infantry from the 4th BCT of the 4th ID trying to keep polling places secure on August 20th . This is part 2 of the footage. Part 1 is mostly them talking with ANP and ANP shooting from the back of their trucks. Nothing really exciting per se.
This 2nd part however show our boys full engaged, cross-talking and then the best part…calling in some 2000lb bombs on some enemy hilltop positions. As you will see in this footage, our troops are professional, calm and effectively communicating during the fight.
U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Brian Kightlinger, with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, crosses a bridge over a canal during a security patrol through Nawa district, Helmand province, Afghanistan, on Aug. 22, 2009. The 1st Battalion is deployed with Regimental Combat Team 3 to conduct counterinsurgency operations in partnership with Afghan security forces in southern Afghanistan. DoD photo by Cpl. Artur Shvartsberg, U.S. Marine Corps.
H/T to DM for this poem. BOUHAMMER WARNING- I am telling you now to grab some tissues before you read this poem. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
DADDY’S POEM Her hair was up in a pony tail, Her favorite dress tied with a bow..
Today was Daddy’s Day at school, And she couldn’t wait to go.
But her mommy tried to tell her, That she probably should stay home.
Why the kids might not understand, If she went to school alone.
But she was not afraid; She knew just what to say.
What to tell her classmates Of why he wasn’t there today.
But still her mother worried, For her to face this day alone. And that was why once again, She tried to keep her daughter home.. But the little girl went to school
Eager to tell them all.
About a dad she never sees A dad who never calls. There were daddies along the back wall, For everyone to meet.
Children squirming impatiently,
Anxious in their seats One by one the teacher called A student from the class.
To introduce their daddy, As seconds slowly passed. At last the teacher called her name, Every child turned to stare.
Each of them was searching, For a man who wasn’t there. "Where’s her daddy at?’ She heard a boy call out. ‘She probably doesn’t have one,’ Another student dared to shout.
And from somewhere near the back,
She heard a daddy say,
‘Looks like another deadbeat dad, Too busy to waste his day.’ The words did not offend her, As she smiled up at her Mom.
And looked back at her teacher, Who told her to go on. And with hands behind her back, Slowly she began to speak.
And out from the mouth of a child, Came words incredibly unique. ‘My Daddy couldn’t be here, Because he lives so far away.
But I know he wishes he could be, Since this is such a special day. And though you cannot meet him, I wanted you to know.
All about my daddy, And how much he loves me so. He loved to tell me stories He taught me to ride my bike..
He surprised me with pink roses, And taught me to fly a kite.. We used to share fudge sundaes, And ice cream in a cone.
And though you cannot see him. I’m not standing here alone. ‘Cause my daddy’s always with me, Even though we are apart
I know because he told me, He’ll forever be in my heart’ With that, her little hand reached up, And lay across her chest.
Feeling her own heartbeat, Beneath her favorite dress. And from somewhere in the crowd of dads, Her mother stood in tears.
Proudly watching her daughter, Who was wise beyond her years. For she stood up for the love Of a man not in her life.
Doing what was best for her, Doing what was right. And when she dropped her hand back down, Staring straight into the crowd. She finished with a voice so soft, But its message clear and loud. ‘I love my daddy very much, he’s my shining star. And if he could, he’d be here, But heaven’s just too far. You see he is a soldier And died just this past year When a roadside bomb hit his convoy And taught brave men to fear.. But sometimes when I close my eyes,
it’s like he never went away…’
And then she closed her eyes, And saw him there that day. And to her mother’s amazement, She witnessed with surprise.
A room full of daddies and children, All starting to close their eyes. Who knows what they saw before them, Who knows what they felt inside.
Perhaps for merely a second, They saw him at her side. ‘I know you’re with me Daddy,’ To the silence she called out.
And what happened next made believers, Of those once filled with doubt. Not one in that room could explain it, For each of their eyes had been closed. But there on the desk beside her, Was a fragrant long-stemmed pink rose. And a child was blessed, if only for a moment, By the love of her shining star.
And given the gift of believing, That heaven is never too far.
A US Soldier was killed in the last day during a TIC (firefight) in the southeastern Paktika town of Sar Hawza clinic. There were 12 Taliban killed also during the fight.
One US soldier and 12 Taliban militants were killed in a firefight in eastern Afghanistan after Afghan and US forces attacked a clinic where a wounded Taliban commander was seeking medical treatment, officials said Thursday.
Afghan security forces got information that the militants had taken one of their wounded commanders to a clinic in Sar Hawza, a district in the south-eastern province of Paktika Wednesday, Hamidullah Zewak, spokesman for the provincial governor, said.
The Afghan and US forces supported the police, who came under fire from the militants barricaded inside the clinic after they tried to enter the medical facility, he said, adding that 12 militants were killed when US forces conducted an airstrike. The NATO-led international forces confirmed that their forces used an AH64 Apache helicopter to end the threat ‘after ensuring the clinic was cleared of civilians’.
The statement said that the insurgent leader was wounded during the Aug 20 elections. The militants conducted more than 130 attacks on election day throughout the country that left more than 30 Afghan civilians and security forces dead.
Although the attacks did not disrupt the elections, they caused a lower turnout in the country’s second direct presidential polls. The NATO statement did not mention any Taliban casualties in Wednesday’s firefight but said the targeted insurgent leader and six associates were killed. A US soldier was killed during the firefight, the alliance confirmed.
It was interesting for me to hear that this TIC happened in a medical clinic because that is exactly what happened once with me in 2007.
In fact it was one of the last missions I was ever on. I write about it HERE on April 1st, 2007. After the attack the Afghan Police took their wounded to the village clinic as did the enemy fighters. While in the clinic, both groups saw each other and started the battle all over again right in the middle of the clinic and innocent civilians. When it was all said and done, there was an enemy fighter killed, and their leader severely wounded. Had both sides not taken their wounded to the same clinic, then this leader would have never been caught.
I was personally glad about this capture (of the guy in the picture below). For this guy was the leader of the enemy cell in the area that was responsible for the IEDs on the route that I was hit on Sept 9th, and Nov 5th 2006. Plus multiple other attacks against my unit on that same route. Needless to say I had some satisfaction in watching this guy suffer in pain.
Wounded Taliban leader being treated by US medics on grounds of Paktika Governor’s compound. This guys had multiple gun shot wounds and ended up losing his left arm due to the damage done to it.
