Priorities

A check of the most recent headlines on most of the big news websites:


-Lindsay Lohan out on $75,000 bond after 5 hours in jail


-Marc Anthony wants JLo to gain weight


-Florida woman finds six foot alligator in house


-Sheen gets dumped by "Goddess" in text message


-The Royal Wedding is in full force too, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.





Nothing of the four Soldiers killed and 11 wounded in Afghanistan on 22 April.


Nothing on the two Troopers killed in Iraq three days ago either.


And nothing mentioned about the eight guys killed in Afghanistan on 16 April.

Over 160,000 Soldiers spent another Christian holiday in a muslim country. Hope you had a good Easter.

We have been in Afghanistan for 3,485 days. Operation New Dawn has been chugging for 234 days. (Did anyone even know we changed the name from Operation Iraqi Freedom to Operation New Dawn?) Operation Iraqi Freedom lasted over seven years = over 2,555 days.

I'm neither a Bush or Obama fan or critic, but it sure seems like America's wars have been placed on the back burner since Obama came in. In his State of the Union address in January, Iraq wasn't mentioned, and Afghanistan was mentioned I think once.

Regardless of your opinion on the wars, we are still here, and we are still fighting it, we are still making the difference we can make, until someone tells us we are done. So say hi to a Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine and tell them thanks. Get involved, give to the USO, or just be grateful to have what we have in the US because 1% continues to sacrifice for the benefit of the other 99%. Or, write your politician and express your opinion.

Just don't take it for granted.

Sorry, had to vent.

Put up or Shut Up

Most that have known me in my career know that I can be more than critical of my higher headquarters. Well, with the promotion came a big combo plate of "whatcha gonna do now that you are in charge?" My new position has me in charge of all of the operations for the Brigade, in a completely different section of the country. I am now "them" and "those guys."

Regionally I am more southern now, and I have never been to this part of the country. Add to the madness, I was the furthest removed from the Brigade's operations-- my old unit was detached and was working in Baghdad. So the irony is they took the guy who was most ignorant of everything going on in a four province area and told me to get busy. The joke's on me now.

It has been an interesting week, and I still struggle to understand the Brigade's unique problem set. Luckily the guy I am replacing is still around and walking me through it. I learn a little more each day the more I read and visit and talk to folks. The next month or so is going to be rough until I can figure things out.

The problem is different here. The part of the country we are in is extremely Shiite, and there is a good chunk of it to the east that really wants us to go home. Baghdad was in was more secular, and while there were people who didn't like us, it was about what you would expect for a big city. Stuff up there for the most part is going well, minus the occasional car bomb. Some places here are doing fine, investment is coming, and there is potential and progress. Most of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) are demonstrating more capability every day, and training, advising, and mentorship continue. US Soldiers continue to demonstrate the right way to do things through action every day, and it is beneficial. Some ISF, however, aren't ready. That is a complicated problem to explain that involves religion, tribes, outside influences, and a high level of animosity. But for the most part, the ISF is ready for us to take the hand off the bike seat.

Here, I think part of the problem is bitter hatred for anyone who isn't in the tribe or who hasn't lived here for at least 2000 years. Some say the violence is increasing, but I bet if we leave it will pretty much fix itself. There is a lot of foreign meddling on many different levels with different interests, and we may be a big part of the problem. If we left I am not sure the violence would be exported to other parts of the country due to the regionality of the people. I think Iraq is almost ready for it to become what it will become. We have to leave to let this happen, and we have to allow it to get ugly so it can get better. It will likely take a long time, which sucks for the Iraqi people. But much in the same way the US became what it is, warts and all (civil war, civil rights movement, great depression, government corruption, you get the idea) Iraq has to have its catharsis.

I hope we aren't around to see it.

Take care-
Ron

Lieutenant Colonel Ronald of Arabia

Last night I got promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. We did a small impromptu ceremony in the dark and I got a chance to say a few words after my Squadron Commander pinned rank on my Stetson, and my Brigade Commander stuck the rank on my chest.

My comments centered on an analogy of the three doctrinal elements in a raid, drawn from my formulative experience as a light infantryman. The three elements are Assault, Support, and Security. In a raid, nothing in the assaulting element is achieved without a good support element and a good base of fire. Everyone who has ever been a light guy knows the Support element usually gets hosed... They carry the heaviest stuff the furthest distance, occasionally they have to pull the assaulting element's bacon out of the fire, they rarely get any glory or appreciation for what they do, and they usually finish the raid as they started- cold and wet.

Throughout my career I have enjoyed three distinct groups who have made up my support by fire element. The first is my family. My parents gave me a foundation and let me do what I wanted to do. Somewhere along the way I met someone who I thought would be pretty neat to share life with- we got married, and then I established a history of leaving for extended periods of time. When I was home (defined as not deployed or at training) I was perpetually unable to tell her when I would be home each night. Our 13 year old daughter has sacrificed much more than the average kid, but I am amazed and inspired by how she handles diversity and turmoil. For some reason they stick around, and I am grateful they do, as they make it all worthwhile. I regret they were not able to see it in person, as all great achievements aren't worth much if you don't have someone to share them with.

The second group is a solid core of Noncommissioned Officers (NCOs). My Drill Sergeant (SFC Darrell Jordan) team leaders, squad leaders, and platoon sergeants (SGT Tanner, SSG Horner, SFCs Daily and Fasavalu) all gave me a solid foundation of what being a Soldier looked like. As a tank platoon leader, I had four platoon sergeants, all who kept me straight, and other NCOs in the platoon made me technically competent. As a Commander of two different organizations I had five First Sergeants, all were vital partners in the Command, all helped me negotiate difficult leadership and moral challenges, all who continually reminded me what we were there for. In every staff position I held, there was a strong NCO to keep me straight. And as the Squadron S3 and XO, I enjoyed fantastic First Sergeants and a superb Operations Sergeant Major as well as Command Sergeant Majors. They are the true backbone of the force.

The last group I had in my support by fire position was a crop of peers and senior leaders (Company Commanders, Squadron and Battalion Commanders, and a Brigade Commander or two) who mentored me along the way. They let me fail and learn the hard lessons when I needed it, but they didn't let me be a failure. They listened, gave tough love when it was needed, dispensed wisdom and clarity when I was fogged, put up with some pretty goofy ideas, and helped me achieve my potential, even when I was content to settle.

I am grateful to all. Now it's time to get to work.

Thanks for reading- take care.

LTC Ron

The Westboro Baptist Church, Wayne Sapp, Terry Jones, and the Guardians of Freedom

SSG Jesperson is married, and has been for six years. Unfortunately, in those six years of marriage, he has had three one year tours and one fifteen month tour in Iraq. In the small amount of time he spent home, he went to two six-month schools, and spent four additional months at various training centers preparing to deploy again. When you ask him if he has kids, his reply is "well, you have to be home to do that." SFC Hanover is on his fifth tour, if you count Desert Storm in 1991. He is retirement eligible, but chose to deploy again because he wanted to make sure all of the Soldiers under him made it back alive. He was successful in the volatile Diyala Province in 2006, where the Squadron battled daily with insurgents. Overall, the Squadron lost 19 Soldiers in that 15 month tour, but because of his diligence, none of them were SFC Hanover's. MAJ Clark deployed to Iraq during the 2003 invasion, again in 2005 as a part of a training unit that did more fighting than training, again in 2007 as a combat advisor, and in 2010 he deployed to Afghanistan as an Operations Officer for a Cavalry Squadron. During an ambush in Afghanistan, two Soldiers in his small element were killed, and MAJ Clark was significantly wounded. The Squadron Sergeant Major was severely injured in May of 2005 in the Zafaraniya neighborhood in Baghdad when a suicide car bomb exploded, killing four children and severely wounding him. He lost his thumbs, and if you laid out all of his scars on his body, they would measure something ridiculous like 18 feet. He could have chosen medical retirement and gone to the house, but he continues to serve. MAJ Miller is on his fourth tour as well. In 2003 his unit took what is now known as the Baghdad International Airport as a part of the 3d Infantry Division. He was likely a candidate for Traumatic Brain Injury from the RPG that hit his vehicle in 2005, but he never sought treatment. He speaks almost fondly of Cigar Night on FOB Falcon, where they stargazed on the roofs, smoked cigars, and watched the Katusha rockets come in. They, and about a million others just like them, are the guardians of freedom. Wayne Sapp, Terry Jones, and the Westboro idiots can say what they want because of the guys like those listed above-- Call it a by-product of Freedom. But having freedom doesn't mean freedom from consequences. These nutjobs truly give us a bad name and it's a shame we can't beat them for being stupid. The blood of those killed in Afghanistan is on their hands. I wish there were a legal way to hold them legally accountable. Sorry this update was a long time in coming. Was going to write about Libya, but maybe later. Regards, Ron