Also, be sure to check out my good friend John Lilyea’s post on This Ain’t Hell with this feelings on the conference. Check it out at thisainthell.us/blog/?p=29924

Another reflection on the weekend is up at This Ain’t Hell also. This one was contributed by StrikeFO. It can be found at thisainthell.us/blog/?p=29940

In this non-scientific poll I pose the question to you, my readers, “When is the right time to leave Afghanistan?” There are all types of polls conducted my research firms, media outlets, think-tanks, etc. about the public perception and opinions on our presence in Afghanistan. There are almost daily reports of Afghan soldiers and police murdering our soldiers. Plus I recently put up a blog post saying it was time to leave (www.bouhammer.com/2012/05/this-is-it-bring-our-troops-home-now/).

So I am curious, what do you think? Please take a moment and participate. I have even created an “Other” option and ask that if you select it that you leave a comment explaining your option that does not correspond to the selections I have in the poll.

Well I sort of didn’t win, because the one of the other blogs I write on, (the 2nd most behind this site) YouServed.com did win in the Veteran Category. I, along with my good friend Marcus, were honored to accept it on behalf of all the bloggers at YouServed.com. In addition to that honor You Served Blog was honored by USAA as the Military Blogger of the month for May.

Head over to www.vamortgagecenter.com/blog/2012/05/14/my-personal-review-of-2012-milblog-conference-weekend-friday-night/ and check out the 1st part of my review. Part two will be posted tomorrow morning, so be sure and check back there.

Take a look at these headlines and story snippets

Marine killed in Afghanistan by person wearing Afghan army uniform

A Marine from Camp Pendleton has been killed in Afghanistan, fatally shot by someone wearing an Afghan army uniform, the Department of Defense announced Monday.

Sgt. John Huling, 25, of West Chester, Ohio, was killed Sunday in Helmand province. He was an explosive ordnance disposal technician assigned to the 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, from Camp Pendleton, Calif.

“The incident is under investigation,” the Department of Defense said.

The individual in the Afghan army uniform opened fire on U.S. troops in the Helmand province community of Marjah, a onetime Taliban stronghold.

Link to story at www.stripes.com/news/marine-corps/marine-killed-in-afghanistan-by-person-wearing-afghan-army-uniform-1.176619

Man wearing Afghan National Army uniform kills American soldier, official says

A man wearing an Afghan army uniform shot dead a U.S. service member in the east of the country, one of two NATO troops killed on Friday, military officials said. The Taliban took credit for the attack.

Also Friday, the U.S.-led military coalition offered condolences to the families of Afghan civilians who were killed in airstrikes earlier this month.

The shooting was the 15th incident this year in which Afghan soldiers or insurgents disguised in military uniforms have turned their weapons on foreign troops. The killings have increased the level of mistrust between the U.S.-led coalition and its Afghan partners

Read more: www.foxnews.com/world/2012/05/11/attacker-in-afghan-uniform-kills-nato-trooper/?test=latestnews#ixzz1uakuc7LA

What is even more disturbing that in a story about how the military is under-reporting these incidents, they still word things the same way.

The military is under-reporting the number of times that Afghan soldiers and police open fire on American and other foreign troops.

The U.S.-led coalition routinely reports each time an American or other foreign soldier is killed by an Afghan in uniform. But The Associated Press has learned it does not report insider attacks in which the Afghan wounds — or misses — his U.S. or allied target. It also doesn’t report the wounding of troops who were attacked alongside those who were killed.

Such attacks reveal a level of mistrust and ill will between the U.S.-led coalition and its Afghan counterparts in an increasingly unpopular war. The U.S. and its military partners are working more closely with Afghan troops in preparation for handing off security responsibility to them by the end of 2014.

In recent weeks an Afghan soldier opened fire on a group of American soldiers but missed the group entirely. The Americans quickly shot him to death. Not a word about this was reported by the International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF, as the coalition is formally known. It was disclosed to the AP by a U.S. official who was granted anonymity in order to give a fuller picture of the “insider” problem.

Read the story at: civiliancontractors.wordpress.com/tag/us-soldier-killed/

Do you see the trend that has been disturbing me? Every time an Afghan security force member turns on us or our coalition, they are not listed as Police member or Army soldier but as Afghan in Uniform or Someone wearing a uniform.

However the second one of our warriors is alleged to have done something like pose with bodies, pee on bodies or murder civilians they are called out, many times identified, convicted not only in the press but essentially by our military and civilian leadership who race to give apologies and tout they will “investigate and punish to the fullest extent of the law”.

Why is that? Why are our brave soldiers who lose it, snap, make bad judgments, or whatever essentially crucified in the public arena while the soldiers and police of Afghanistan are never held accountable and always referred to as some “Afghan” in a uniform.

I don’t like it, not one bit and it makes me hate the media that much more.

The culprits; my beautiful wife and son playing in the living room, I peek through the open window just to watch and listen in amazement.  They have become the brightest of my colors, stopping the beating of my heart at times.  They fill my soul with compassion and tenderness but even more, strength.  As I turn back to admire the storm I couldn’t help myself with the overwhelming feeling of relief.

I have an amazing family that loves and cares for me so much and for this life to come full circle is a blessing.  I have finally made it to where I value the quiet bliss of holding my son while in the rocking chair, feeling his subtle heartbeat against my chest or playing lion, where we rub noses together and laugh.  I revel in watching my wife move about the house while singing her favorite country songs or holding her and simply saying “I love you”.  She takes my pain away and eases my fears.  For all her beauty and compassion, I find it is her forgiving eyes that consume me the most.

As I look east of the property I gleefully watch the lavender suckles succumb to the heavy rain. As it falls, it relinquishes its scent overpowering its predecessor; the rain.  Still the laughter continues through the open window, I hear the music in my head.  These are the lyrics that have kept me remembering the very best of this life.  Some say the best is yet to come; for me the best has arrived and even as it changes, it is still the very best to have.

For the war I know is over, I have come to terms with my little piece of it.  I have taken ownership of my version of PTSD.  Part of me believes that I will never recover from it, nor should I.  Someone once said “you can never truly heal from anything”, and I am fine with that.  I think that will be a constant reminder for me to always appreciate what I have and continue on for those who didn’t come back home.

I slowly shift my weight and begin making my way to the door following the pleasant sounds of laughter and small screeches, my son’s version of talking to us!  I think to myself; you should laugh more, cry more, love with compassion, dance and sing more, bite my tongue a bit more and remember how this life is what I fought for…more.

This is for my wife and son, as you have given me life, joy, happiness, a sense of purpose but most importantly you have given me a new shade of colors that are so bright. I thank you.

Love Michael.

Afghanistan has had us in their country for over ten years and with US Forces (mostly Army National Guard) embedded with and mentoring, leading and teaching their forces right about 10 years now.

As I have stated many times on this blog and in interviews, we would need to be in Afghanistan until around 2020 for us to make a difference there. However now we have year after year of a more restrictive Rules of Engagement (ROE) being put on our forces, Afghan forces turning on our US and coalition forces and murdering them, and a military strategy that seems to be more about not offending people than killing the enemy. I was at a point where I was saying “that’s it, we are done”.

However, a story broke today that pushed me over the edge.

As part of an effort to quell violence and ensure peace with the Taliban, the United States for several years has been secretly releasing high-level prisoners from a military prison in Afghanistan.

According to the peace deal, insurgent commanders or local elders have promised to reduce violence, or cease fighting altogether, if certain insurgents are released from Parwan, The Washington Post reports.

However, the deal is a gamble as the freed detainees are generally notorious fighters who would not have been released under the legal system for military prisoners in Afghanistan.

U.S. officials have asked these prisoners to promise to give up violence, and if they are caught attacking American troops, they will be detained once again.

However, officials have not said that those who have been released under the program have later returned to attack U.S. and Afghan forces again.

The insurgents released through the secret program are the only detainees at Parwan who are able to circumvent the prison’s judicial review board.

The releases have come amid efforts to end the decade-long war through negotiation, which is a central feature of the Obama administration’s strategy for leaving Afghanistan.

Those efforts, however, have yielded little to no progress in recent years. In part, they have been stymied by the unwillingness of the United States to release five prisoners from Guantanamo Bay, a gesture that insurgent leaders say they see as a precondition for peace talks.

I can’t count the number of known bad buys we detained (we called them PUCs for Persons under confinement) where we had turned them over to the Afghan security forces to hold and process because the rules put on US forces was so limiting that we would have had to let them go. Since the Afghans could keep them easier, and to he honest they should be the ones to detain and process them, it was appropriate they did anyway.

Many times when we did turn the PUCs over to the Afghans they would release they with a “promise” they would not do it anymore or fight US or Afghan forces. I remember my team and I would shake our head and think “how could these Afghans be so dumb or gullible?”. These people will never have a secure country if that is how the handle people who attack them. We would get so pissed at the Afghans for releasing them when we KNEW they were bad. These were guys who most of the time were caught red-handed.

To wake up this morning and read that our own US leadership (military and civilian) are now doing the same thing turns my stomach. These are people who cut off heads of people while they are alive, that rape children and that murder their own countrymen, women and children. So who the hell thinks making them “promise” means anything. Why even waste their time, just friggen release them and wish them well along with “see ya on the battlefield” as they walk out the front gate. Hell, why not give them their weapons back as they walk out too?

I know if I was still over there right now as this news came out, I would be furious. Our men and women doing the fighting are watching their buddies and innocent people get shot and blown up by these people and then watch their leadership release them. So tell me, what motivates our warfighters to take prisoners? If you know or think they might just get released, why take that chance, just shoot them.

This type of action by our leadership puts our troops in a very difficult place by making them question what is lawful and what SHOULD be done. I fear for the day when a soldier gets charged with murdering Afghans and then hear him/her say “well if I detained them, they would just be released so I killed them instead”.

So that is it, I am now pushing for all of our troops home now. They are professionals who are trained to the highest standard to take lives and destroy our enemy while protecting and helping out innocent people, all at the same time. They need to be allowed to do their jobs. If the Administration is going to tie their hands behind their backs and allow them to be slaughtered without holding our enemies accountable then lets bring them home.

I know our troops could win this war once and for all, but they have to be allowed to. If they aren’t going to be allowed to do their jobs and win, then they don’t need to be there. Our troops could have won this, our leadership is  going to lose it.

The general details of the 2012 Milblogger Family Reunion sponsored by You Served and Veterans United Home Loans have been put together and we are happy to announce them here.  This is open to anyone who wishes to join us, including milbloggers, supporters, non-military bloggers, family members and kids.  The more the merrier!

When: Friday, August 31, 2012-Sunday, September 2, 2012.

Where: San Antonio, Texas

Tentatively scheduled Events:

Friday, 8/31/12
Travel day in for everyone

6pm-12 midnight:  Party with beer and light foods at the Soldiers Angels Warehouse

The party is BYOB but a keg of beer will be provided, courtesy of VUHL.  We will have sodas and water as mixers and for those choosing to not drink.  Foods will be light fare, this is not a fully catered dinner event, but a social meet and greet amongst friends and family.

Dress code is casual, jeans and t-shirt type of thing.  We’d love everyone to wear a red shirt for Red Shirt Friday to support our military!  Ranger Up, Soldiers Angels, and many other military friendly organizations have their own version of red shirts, so let’s all make it a sea of red support!

Saturday, 9/1/12
10am – approx 11:30am: Discussion group addressing PTSD, suicide prevention, and reintegration.  We hope everyone can come join us for this because anyone who has contact with military people are familiar with these topics.  Whether it is a tough reintegration into family, suicidal thoughts, struggling with PTSD, or even a smooth transition, everyone has a story to tell.  We’re hoping to be able to share resources and ideas on how to reach out to those who are unfamiliar with the military system (those moms back home in “Podunk”, Anywhere USA who have a son struggling and who don’t know where to turn to for help!!).  This is not a “panel of experts” talking to us, this will be all of us discussing problems and solutions.  There will be a few guests who will start off the discussion by telling their own stories, but it will be opened up to the whole floor after that.

11:30am-2pm: Break for lunch, tour the SA warehouse, pack some care packages for soldiers overseas, etc

2pm-4pm: The afternoon panel will cover one of two topics. The first potential topic is for the discussion group to meet with some recovering warriors from BAMC and discuss the role of social and new media with recovery. Things to be discussed would be the creation of social media groups, pages, twitter accounts for recovering warfighters, does it hurt or help? Is that an infringement on privacy and what are the opinions of those recovering themselves. Do they like it, hate it, don’t care? Does it help to post updates on social media or blogs during recovery? Who is that for, the patient or family/friends?

The other possible topic is what milblogs can do in the next phase of the war effort, homecoming and after. This discussion would focus on what milblogs and social media can do to assist our warriors after the flags get put away and hugs end. What next for the warrior? How do they transition to a pure civilian life? What resources are out there for job hunting, counseling, peer groups, etc. Wars end (thankfully) but the effects don’t, which means our support of these men and women should not end when there are no more care packages to send. How can we as a loose online community ensure that support is still there.

The afternoon panel (regardless of which one is decided upon) will be facilitated by someone to keep the discussion moving forward and on topic.

4pm-6pm: TBD – there is something in the works and when it is confirmed, we will announce it

6pm: End of day’s events.  Everyone finds their own dinner and entertainment

Sunday, 9/2/12
10am: Free screening of Bards of War with producer/director, Scott Kesterson, there to answer questions

Lodging
There is a block of hotel rooms at the Comfort Suites (6350 I-35 N., San Antonio, TX
Phone: (210) 646-6600) reserved at a rate of $69/night for those who will be attending.  When making reservations, mention “Soldiers Angels” to get the rate.

Registration
There is no registration fee and so this is a low-cost event where everyone is on their own.  If you are going to attend, please register online.  If you have a Facebook account, follow the event page for updates or find a roommate (if needed).

With the help of Soldiers Angels, we’ve secured a free gathering site and a lower room rate, but transportation between the hotel and the warehouse are your responsibility.  Some of us will have minivans, so we can carpool with our friends, and there are cabs available (the hotel is about a mile away from the warehouse so a shared cab should be very reasonable).  If there is an overwhelming response, we will look into getting some sort of limo-bus for the Friday night social, but there is no guarantee and is contingent upon numbers planning to attend and interest in this transportation option.

There may be some future changes in the tentative schedule for the day’s events on Saturday, but in general, this is what we are looking to do.  Either way, we are really looking forward to seeing all our friends and milblogger family members again!

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Marcus Penn at mpenn-at-veteransunited-DOT-com.

So in 2007, 15 more years would mean 2022. That was the far end of my estimate at the time. Now we sit here on April 23, 2012 and find out that a deal is being worked to keep some type of supporting presence and of course Millions, if not Billions of supporting dollars going to Afghanistan until about 2024.

The long-waited withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan may be not as “full” as had been expected. The US will help defend the country militarily for at least a decade after Afghans take control of their security, a National Security Adviser said.

The pledge is contained in the new strategic pact agreed between the two countries on Sunday, Rangin Dadfar Spanta said on Monday. A section of this pact implies that the US will not to use Afghanistan as a launch pad for attacks on other countries in the region, including for drone strikes.
However he stressed that the US will only come to Afghanistan’s aid with approval from Kabul.

Washington may use “diplomatic means, political means, economic means and even military means,” the official said, as cited by AP.
Also under the agreement, after 2014 the US will continue supporting Afghan security forces financially. The US will fork out up to $4 billion annually, if the funding is approved by the Congress.

So $4 Billion a year for 10 years plus troops there also?  I am not sure the American voter and taxpayer will stand for that. I think our nipples are tender and sore and as a nation we are ready to kick the baby off the teet.

If you get a chance, go back and listen to last week’s You Served Radio where Wendy, Marcus and myself talked for another 30 minutes after the show stopped airing live. Afghanistan and my predictions about it were a mainstay of the discussion and even in that talk, I stated yet again it would take 10-15 years after I got back in 2007. That happened last Tuesday, well before the reports started leaking out today. Check out the broadcast at www.blogtalkradio.com/youserved/2012/04/18/you-served-radio. We start talking Afghanistan specifically around the 1 hour, 55 minute mark.

Let me just close by saying I really, really wish I was wrong. I hoped and prayed as a country they would stand up and take on more of the burden and truly care about their country as a whole. I encourage you to check out the archived podcast from last week and listen to me explain it in a lot more detail and with more emotion then can be expressed here on the blog.

The president of Afghanistan asked the United States to leave the country sooner following the publication of photos of soldiers posing with bodies.

President Hamid Karzai issued a statement Thursday calling the behavior shown in the photographs “inhumane and provocative,” the Los Angeles Times reported.

Karzai said he wants to see an “accelerated and full transition of security responsibilities to Afghan forces so Afghanistan can take over its own destiny, and thus no such things can be repeated by the foreign forces in Afghanistan.”

The Taliban also issued a statement Thursday, denouncing the “gruesome acts” depicted in the photos.

“Some Afghan hirelings … posed in the photos, at their masters’ orders, to scorn the remains of martyrs,” the statement said.

Read more: www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2012/04/19/In-wake-of-photos-Karzai-asks-for-speedy-departure/UPI-11981334852352/#ixzz1sWHmDNlo

Hey Karzai (that is Pashto for douche), we would love to. But I think you would like to stay in power for longer than next week. Because if we were to leave tomorrow that is about as long as you would stay in power before being dismembered in public in a traffic circle in Kabul.

By the way, I have lots more to write about these photos that the LA Slime released. Look for that post soon.