July 19, 2008

First-hand account of heroic outpost defense in Afghanistan (updated)

On Sunday, July 13, a remote combat outpost near the village of Wanat in Afghanistan's rugged Kunar province on the Pakistan border was nearly overrun by a combined force of some 200 Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters.  The outpost was manned by...

July 12, 2008

Rest in Peace, Tony Snow

Tall, telegenic, affable Tony Snow first took the podium in the James S. Brady briefing room on May 16, 2006.  Looking out upon the foregathered carnivorous White House press corps he opened the proceedings with this bit of wry humor, ...

July 4, 2008

Fourth of July Celebratory History

"Thus may the 4th of July, that glorious and ever memorable day, be celebrated through America, by the sons of freedom, from age to age till time shall be no more. Amen, and amen" (Virginia Gazette, 18 July 1777).From the history of this gl...

May 26, 2008

The Noble and The Eloquent Dead

"Memory  n.  1. The mental faculty of retaining and recalling past experience; the ability to remember.  2. An act or instance of remembrance; a recollection... see smer in Appendix."   "smer - to remember....

May 26, 2008

Justice Holmes on Memorial Day

The following is an excerpt from a Memorial Day speech delivered at a Grand Army of the Republic post in Keene, NH on May 30, 1884 by Civil War veteran Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.  He served three years with the 20th Re...

May 11, 2008

Mom: The Joy Of Her Life, The Grace Of Her Days

A green wind sweeps across the field out back, playing a gentle song on the harp of the trees in the neighboring woods while a red-tailed hawk soars skyward, circling benediction from on high, ever upwards towards heaven where my Mom now resides. Dur...

April 7, 2008

A rescue for Old Glory

There is an inspiring story today at the Multi-National Force-Iraq website,, about the principled, patriotic actions of Georgia resident, Dan Turner.  His father fought in WW2, during which his Mother served with the Marine Corps....

March 22, 2008

Remember the Liberators

This week the nation marked the fifth anniversary of our presence in Iraq. It is past time to remember the liberators. Now at the end of their third tour they are preparing to leave: the 1st "Raider" Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division deployed ...

March 15, 2008

The Adventures of Dr. A. Conan Doyle

Reviewing  Arthur Conan Doyle: A Life In Letters, 684 pages, photos, Index, illustrations.  Jon Lellenberg, Daniel Stashower, Charles Foley editors, The Penguin Press, New York , 2007.Over the course of his intellectually and physically act...

March 15, 2008

The Saddam-Al Qaeda link

Initial news stories about the Joint Forces Command Report on the Saddam-Al Qaeda link featured headlines and gloating passage that no such link existed.  The actual report, "Saddam & terrorism: Emerging Insights Fro...

March 15, 2008

The Adventures of Dr. A. Conan Doyle

Reviewing  Arthur Conan Doyle: A Life In Letters, 684 pages, photos, Index, illustrations.  Jon Lellenberg, Daniel Stashower, Charles Foley editors, The Penguin Press, New York , 2007.Over the course of his intellectually and physically act...

March 10, 2008

Iran continues to train killers for missions in Iraq

In his press briefing yesterday, Multi-National Force Iraq spokesman Rear Adm. Greg Smith made it very clear that Iran continues to train people for terrorist operations within Iraq.  RDML SMITH:  The most appropriate way I think to an...

March 4, 2008

Gen. Petraeus re Al Qaeda: 'Rip out their roots'

Talking with reporters yesterday, Multi-National Force commander, Gen. David Petraeus previewed his generally optimistic assessment of the situation in Iraq.             ...

March 2, 2008

A Belated Posthumous Medal of Honor for a Sioux Warrior

In the aftermath, he had been wounded at least five different times by fragmentation and concussion grenades in the chest, arms, right calf, knee, right and left thighs.  Eighty-three fragments were later removed.  He never complained and r...

January 11, 2008

Iraqis are fighting for their freedom

The report yesterday of Iraqi soldiers sacrificing their lives by throwing themselves at a terror bomber and saving lives of their colleagues and civilians reminded me of an event last year  involving a Concerned Local Citizens group (...

December 13, 2007

Saluting the National Guard on its 371st birthday

From the North, South and East Regiments of the Massachusetts Militia in 1636, through the Civil War, WW2 on up to the global war against Islamofascism, the National Guard has been there to serve and to sacrifice for 19 generations. This it...

December 8, 2007

SecDef: Iran still a threat

At a regional security meeting in Bahrain today, Defense Secretary Gates made it clear that, despite NIE key findings, Iran still poses a threat.  "Everywhere you turn, it is the policy of Iran to foment instability and chaos, no matter the...

December 7, 2007

It isn't about Iran?

A senior official is traveling with Defense Secretary Robert Gates throughout the Middle East, and visited Iraq the other day.  Today, he was in Bahrain, headquarters for U.S. Central Command's Naval Forces, as reported in this DoD website artic...

December 4, 2007

Sharia for all

At a meeting of judiciary leaders from Islamic countries in Tehran, Iranian President Amedinejhad proposed formation of an international Islamic court. According to Maniacal Mahmoud, it would "prosecute international criminals, war criminals...

December 4, 2007

Iran responds to NIE report: 'paying the price'?

Today's Islamic Republic News Agency website is carrying the following response to yesterday's release of the National Intelligence Estimate report on Iran's nuclear capabilities and intentions.  I wonder what Iranian of...

November 25, 2007

Update: Text 89279 and say 'Thank You'

American Thinker earlier noted the Pentagon website asking people to send Thanksgiving text messages to troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world.  That initiative, which tapped this great nation's bountiful reservoir ...

November 18, 2007

Text 89279 and say 'Thank you'

A Pentagon website  provides helpful advice on a way to say thanks to those who are far away from home this holiday season, risking their lives for us:For those seeking a quick way to show appreciation for the troops' service far from ...

November 11, 2007

The Flag on Vetereans Day (a poem)

On Veterans Day the flag on high, Against a brilliant November sky,The cynosure of upturned faces,Gazing upon its tri-colored graces -Red for valor, white for purity & innocence, blue for Vigilance & perseverance -The eyes of some who look up...

October 24, 2007

Understanding the Santa Ana winds

Many of us have heard about the Santa Ana winds that are currently feeding and extending the destructive fires in southern California, but my guess is a lot us, including yours truly, do not understand their nature. Here is a link that...

October 23, 2007

LT Murphy's Medal of Honor citation

Following remarks by President Bush during yesterday's posthumous Medal of Honor award ceremony for Navy SEAL LT Michael P. Murphy, his official citation for actions above & beyond the call of duty was read.  Here is that citation:The P...

October 22, 2007

Selfless Valor: Navy LT Michael P. Murphy

In a White House ceremony today at 2:30 PM, President Bush will award a posthumous Medal of Honor to the family of Navy LT Michael P. Murphy.  For Operation Red Wing he led a 3-man SEAL recon team that was taken under fire by...

October 6, 2007

A bit of perspective on Blackwater

Congressional hearings on the Blackwater private security firm and various articles about it sustain a mostly negative image based on sensationalism and partisanship.  Few people know that Blackwater is a member of the International Peace O...

October 4, 2007

Comprehensive article on phony soldiers

In light of the ongoing discussion and debate over the Rush Limbaugh/"phony soldier" episode, I believe it would serve the cause of truth, facts and context to go back to Nov. 13, 2005, when Anne Morse wrote a lengt...

September 12, 2007

All the best, Tony -- God Bless You

Tall, telegenic, affable Tony Snow first took the podium in the James S. Brady briefing room on May 16, 2006.  Looking out upon the foregathered carnivorous White House press corps he opened the proceedings with this bit of wry humor, ...

September 10, 2007

Text of Gen. Petraeus' report available

The text of Multi-National Force-Iraq commander, General David Petraeus, can be read via this link. The Report contains five sections:  Nature of The Conflict;The Dec. 2006 Situation & The Surge (context);Current Situation & Tr...

September 3, 2007

Benchmarks and history

There is much discussion and debate about Iraq meeting its congressionally mandated benchmarks.  Our own history contains its own roster of milestones, such as the one we observe today.  On September 3, 1783 the Peace of Paris was signed by...

August 28, 2007

The new acting AG

Here is the biography of Paul Clement from the Justice Department website.     Paul D. Clement is the 43rd Solicitor General of the United States. He was nominated by President George W. Bush on March 14, 2005, confirmed by the Un...

July 29, 2007

A bogus strory (updated)

Yesterday's UK Telegraph carried a story by Damien McElroy headlined "Iraqi Leader Tells Bush: Get Petraeus Out," in which he alleged that Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki and commander of US forces in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus had stand-up shou...

July 20, 2007

Surging success in Iraq

"Our forces continue to strike wherever they hide," is how Multi-National Force-Iraq spokesman Major Mark Young described a series of recent coalition raids targeted on Al Qaeda cells and cell leaders. Here is a recap:1.  10 build...

July 18, 2007

General Wayne A. Downing, R.I.P (updated)

America has lost a distinguished Soldier, a true Warrior and a respected Leader.  Gen. Wayne A. Downing, who led the United States Military's Special Operations Command and was Deputy National Security Advisor for Combating Terrorism p...

July 18, 2007

Successful military ops in Iraq increasing (updated)

This article from the Defense Department website describes yet another successful operation conducted by US and Iraq forces against Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI).  This one occurred in Diyala province. Such successes are becoming the norm in and around...

July 13, 2007

Al Qaeda media center in Iraq

In his press briefing the other day MNF-Iraq spokesman, Maj. Gen. Bergner explained the discovery of a major enemy media center capable of producing DVDs, CDs (56 every 8 hrs.), posters, etc.  Here is an excerpt from his opening commen...

June 26, 2007

A winning counterinsurgency strategy

Dr. David Kilcullen, a retired Australian army Lt. Col. with 1st-hand experience of counter-insurgency operations in East Timor and elsewhere, has become one of the leading experts on the formulation of effective 21st century COIN doctrine.  (Go...

June 23, 2007

The heroes who make us proud

At the close of his Pentagon teleconference yesterday, Multi-National Corps-Iraq commander, Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno spoke some inspiring words about Sgt. 1st Class Adin Salkanovic, B Troop, 6th Sqdn, 9th Cavalry Rgt, Ist Cavalry Division, one of many he...

June 16, 2007

Know your enemy

In the spirit of "know your enemy" allow me to suggest that interested persons read the Hamas Covenant at the Middle East Research Institute website here. Besides calling for Israel's destruction, the Covenant rejects any and all negotiatio...

June 6, 2007

D Day plus 63 years

June 6 is a sacred anniversary, the commemoration of one of the greatest invasions in human history, D-Day at Normandy. Brave Allied troops waded ashore amidst withering machine gun fire and artillery, dying by the thousands in order to secure the be...

May 28, 2007

Memorial Day Meditation

'Memory  n.  1. The mental faculty of retaining and recalling past experience; the ability to remember.  2. An act or instance of remembrance; a recollection... see smer in Appendix.'   'smer - to remember.  In Germanic ...

May 4, 2007

A true hero

US Army Major James Gant will be receiving the Silver Star for selfless, truly heroic actions in Iraq.  He will join a group I have named the "Anonymous Heroes" because so few Americans know about their valorous actions. The following ...

April 11, 2007

Update on Baghdad security

On Sunday, Maj. Gen. Michael Barbero of the Joint Staff assessed the security situation in Baghdad in light of ongoing operations. It contains positives you won't read about in the MSM.   Our top priority in Iraq continues to be our su...

March 30, 2007

Our thoughts and prayers are with Tony Snow

A lot of us have been deeply upset about the horrible news that Tony Snow's cancer has spread to his liver.  Tony is a rare human being, one of our family.  We love him as a brother. After all he's been through, we empathize with his family...

March 25, 2007

What's new is old (a continuing series)

Never Call Retreat  was the last of eminent historian Bruce Catton's Civil War series.  Section 3 of Chapter One is titled "The Politics of War."  In it you will read the following  "During many unrewarding months o...

March 10, 2007

Arma Virumque Cano: "Of arms and the man, I sing,"

Reviewing TAKEDOWN: The 3rd Infantry Division's Twenty-One Day Assault on Baghdad, by Jim Lacey, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD, 2007.  262 pages, photos, maps, index.  $29.95"Of arms and the man, I sing," wrote Virgil in th...

March 10, 2007

Comic art from Iraq

Here is a link to some outstanding comic looks at the folks who inhabit Forward Operating Bases, or FOBs, in Iraq by a very talented Soldier-artist, Sgt. Albert J. Merrifield, who is assigned to Task Force Band of Brothers.  At the site, click o...

December 30, 2006

Comments of PM Maliki and Ambassador Khalizad on Saddam's execution

From the Multi-National Forces website:  "Executing the tyrant is a serious lesson to all despotic rulers who commit crimes against their peoples, and they have to know that oppressing and killing will never help them stay for a longer time...

December 24, 2006

US troops embedded

One of the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group report calls for embedding US troops with Iraqi units. This is already being done.  The new Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, learned how successful these efforts have been from Task Force 2/15 c...

December 20, 2006

General Casey looks back on the year

Multi-National Force Iraq commander, Gen. William Casey recently delivered a speech    on the occasion of a major change in command. General Ray Odierno's 3rd Corps replaced General Peter Chiarelli's 5th Corps in Iraq.  The l...

December 11, 2006

Rumsfeld's last visit to troops as SECDEF

As reported in an American Forces Press Service article today, outgoing Defense Secretary Rumsfeld made a surprise visit to Iraq on Saturday.  He told the 1200 Soldiers and Marines assembled at Al Asad Air Base in Anbar Province that "the t...

September 30, 2006

National Intelligence Estimates: A Brief Overview

With the heated, ongoing debates over leaked excerpts from the April 2006 National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), it might be a good idea to examine briefly the history and nature of these documents. NIE's originated with the CIA's Office of National E...

September 6, 2006

Winning The Battle For Baghdad

On August 20 soldiers from the  1st Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, acting on a tip, conducted a raid that freed a kidnap victim being held in Baghdad's Adhamiya district.  In the house where the victim was held soldiers fo...

July 27, 2006

Meanwhile, Back in Baghdad

The world's attention is now focused on the Israel—Hezbollah conflict between the region's only fully functioning democracy and the Shiite 'Party of God,' a terrorist group armed and supported by Syria and Iran, members in foul standing of the ...

July 4, 2006

Reconnect with Our Founding Document

'We have it in our power to begin the world over again,' wrote Tom Paine on February 14, 1776.  'A situation, similar to the present,' he continued, 'hath not happened since the days of Noah until now.  The birthday of a new world is at han...

July 2, 2006

Clouds

Borne by soft southern breezes on a June afternoon, armadas of cumulus clouds sailed majestically across the sky. Or on another day, it seemed as if across the azure vault cloud battalions marched east on a summer's zephyr. Empires of the imagination...

June 22, 2006

Buried Successes

'The evil that men do lives after them, / The good is oft interred with their bones,' wrote Shakespeare in Julius Caesar.  For the media reporting on Iraq it has been a matter of headlining the efforts of maleficent terrorists and burying t...

June 15, 2006

In the Aftermath, Forward Together

The aftermath of Zarqawi's death has seen ongoing follow—on operations, both Baghdad specific and countrywide.  In his June 12 press briefing Multi—National Force Iraq spokesman Maj. Gen. Bill Caldwell stated that 'in the last 48 h...

June 11, 2006

Killing Zarqawi

Hibhib lies several miles northwest of Baquba, Iraq, which is about 40 miles north of Baghdad.  As the reliable site Iraq the Model tells us 'Most of its people are from the Azzawi tribes,' and it is 'famous for producing some of the finest Arak...

June 8, 2006

Eye on Somalia

Rapidly unfolding events in Somalia are grabbing more and more media attention.  The country of Black Hawk Down now seems poised for a climactic battle in the capital city of Mogadishu between rival militias who have been fighting one another si...

June 2, 2006

Some Thoughts on Haditha

As the news stories and reports about Haditha pile up, as Judge & Jury Murtha declares that it was cold—blooded murder, and as the worst possible outcome seems to be inevitable, remember: We Don't Know What Really Happened. If the wors...

May 27, 2006

The Eloquent Dead

It was originally called Decoration Day. In 1868 the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Union veterans led by Major General John A. Logan, established it as a day set aside for placing flowers at the graves of war dead. The first maj...

May 14, 2006

The Joy Of Her Life, The Grace Of Her Days

The sweet, soft airs of Spring flow across the field out back, playing a gentle song on the harp of the trees in the neighboring woods while a red—tailed hawk soars skyward, circling benediction from on high, ever upwards towards heaven where m...

May 6, 2006

Not Quite the Whole Story

[Reviewing COBRA II: The Inside Story of The Invasion and Occupation of Iraq by Michael R. Gordon & General Bernard E. Trainor, Pantheon Books, New York, 2006.  603 pages, maps, photos, chapter notes, appendices, index] COBRA II is...

April 14, 2006

The Hidden History of the Iraq War Critics

'The plan has been through the combatant commanders, it has been through the National Security Council process.а General Myers and General Pace (chairman and vice—chairman, Joint Chiefs) and others, including this individual, have seen it in a ...

April 1, 2006

On Jill Carroll's Release

President Bush, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and US ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad all expressed great relief and happiness on learning that Christian Science Monitor reporter Jill Carroll was released unharmed near an office of the Iraqi ...

March 16, 2006

Freedom's Anniversary

Prepare to celebrate an important anniversary, someting to mark with pride. Rest assured the loony left has its own colorful plans in the works. On March 19 three years ago President Bush addressed the nation, and the world, from the Oval Office:...

March 9, 2006

The Glass Half Full

In Iraq today, there are intense, oftentimes rancorous, political debates and discussions. For the first time in this ancient land, open political disputes among elected representatives are being argued before the eyes of constituents. Or, as De...

February 22, 2006

Know Your Terrorist Enemy

As the authors of the just published Stealing Al—Qa'ida's Playbook state in their introduction, 'The key to defeating the jihadi movement is identifying its strengths and weaknesses so that the former may be countered or co—opted an...

February 11, 2006

Celebrating the Art of Illustration

My dictionary defines 'illustration' as 'the action of clarifying or explaining and 'material used to clarify or explain.'  A pencil, pen or brush in the hands of a skilled artist can be used to create material in the form of illustrations that ...

January 27, 2006

A Major Voice From Iraq

'Unlike the last time,' the e—mail stated, 'where I got to run around off base playing Lawrence of Arabia and the first time invading from Kuwait, I'm now what is commonly referred to as a 'FOB Dweller.'  FOB is short for Forward Operatin...

December 28, 2005

Our Communicator-in-Chief

The conventional wisdom holds that President Bush began his campaign to inform the American public about how he intends to wage the war on terror and win in Iraq with a November 30, 2005 address at the U.S. Naval Academy.  There, he launched a s...

December 24, 2005

A Christmas sky in Iraq

The night sky over Iraq on Christmas will shine more brightly, not only because it contains the star that guided the Magi to Bethlehem — 'Star of wonder, Star of light, star of royal beauty bright' — but because it will shimmer anew with ...

December 14, 2005

Our Goal is Victory

As Iraqis, in the latest of their heroic achievements, began voting for a permanent constitution and government, President George W. Bush delivered a speech Monday in the birthplace of America's constitution, Philadelphia.  It was the  late...

December 8, 2005

Victory In Iraq, Part Two

President Bush's long—delayed strategic offensive in the information war front of the War on Terror continues. Yesterday, recalling the 64th anniversary of Pearl Harbor that plunged this country into World War Two, as well as the 21st cent...

December 6, 2005

Information: A Sword that Must be Wielded

Since 9/11, it has been the policy of the United States to employ all of its weapons, military and non—military, in waging the global war on terrorism, to defeat the Islamofascist enemy bent on destroying us and our way of life. Informatio...

November 24, 2005

No Substitute For Victory

Reviewing Victory in Tripoli: How America's War with the Barbary Pirates Established the U.S. Navy and Shaped a Nation, by Joshua E. London, John Wiley & Sons Inc., 2005.  276 pages, Photos, map, bibliography, index Though America...

November 12, 2005

Remembering the Alaska Scouts

The word 'forgotten' applied to certain wars or veterans has become almost a cliché in recent years.  The Korean war and those who fought it come to mind in this regard. Veteran's Day yesterday was a time to remember those who fall into this cat...

November 2, 2005

How the Able Danger method bagged Saddam

'We believed rightly that Saddam was in our AO (area of operations) from summer '03 on, and also believed that if he were caught, he would likely be caught in our area as in any.  We publicly stated so from June '03 onward.' These words are fr...

October 29, 2005

The World Too Much With Us

Scooter Libby Indicted! Is Rove Next? Can Bush Be Far Behind? When Did You Stop Beating Your Wife? Friends, I implore you to turn off your TVs and radios — to take at least a brief break from the cacophonous, hysterical 24/7 news barrage....

October 18, 2005

Rededication

In the latest of a series of historic actions, the Iraqi people have voted overwhelmingly for a new constitution.  In so doing they have affirmed their preference for democracy and rejected resoundingly nihilistic terrorism. They have re—a...

September 23, 2005

Time for a New Posse

Hurricane Katrina revealed the need for a much better ability to respond to the possible catastrophes — natural or man—made — which may hit our major cities. On Thursday, September 15, in the wake of Katrina, President Bush said:...

August 29, 2005

The Company of anonymous heroes

On November 14, 2004 Colonel James H. Coffman accompanied the 3rd Battalion, 1st Iraqi Special Police Commando Brigade as it moved quickly to help out another of its platoons under attack in a Mosul police station. Major General Adnan Thebit's Specia...

August 12, 2005

The untold story behind The Great Raid

The Miramax Studios version of an epic World War Two POW rescue mission, The Great Raid, opens today.  Five hundred thirteen American prisoners—of—war, including survivors of the Bataan death march, were being held at a place called ...

July 22, 2005

Westy: Our Commander-in-Chief to the end

General William Childs Westmoreland died July 19 in South Carolina at age 91.  He will be interred at West Point Cemetery at 11 o'clock on July 23. Born in Saxon,  South Carolina March 26, 1914, he spent a year at his father's alma mater, t...

July 11, 2005

Sustain the support

With his June 28 speech discussing Iraq and the war on terror, President George W. Bush initiated what many of his supporters believe to be an overdue effort to rally home front support; to reverse the overwhelmingly negative, explosive 24/7 news cyc...

June 19, 2005

Dad

He was born on August 15, 1915, the youngest son in your typical large Irish Catholic family.  Kevin had four brothers and four sisters.  Their dear mother, Fanny Susannah, offered many a heartfelt prayer that her children would be talented...

May 30, 2005

Memorial Day meditation

'Memory  n.  1. The mental faculty of retaining and recalling past experience; the ability to remember.  2. An act or instance of remembrance; a recollection... see smer in Appendix.'   'smer — to remember.  In Ger...

May 27, 2005

Fearful of the light

Her story is now fairly well known.  Born to sharecroppers in Luverne, Alabama,  Associate Justice Janice Rogers Brown became the first African—American woman to sit on the California Supreme Court.  Prior to that, this champion ...

May 6, 2005

Hollywood does The Crusades

I don't know about you, but the first time I heard that Hollywood — actually Sir Ridley Scott, a Brit — was doing a movie, Kingdom of Heaven, on the Crusades, I said to self  'Oh no...' In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, a...

March 27, 2005

Denying Victory: a gray anatomy of combat

Not A Good Day To Die:а The Untold Story of Operation AnacondaBy Sean Naylor.а (Berkley Books, NY, 2005)а 425 pages, maps, photos, glossary, chapter notes, index. Completed three years ago on March 19, Operation Anaconda was the major battle of Opera...

March 19, 2005

Karen Hughes and public diplomacy

Amidst a shifting of political tectonic plates in the Middle East and major media thinking aloud 'Could Bush have been right?',  Karen Hughes has been nominated for the post of Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy with the rank of ambass...

March 13, 2005

Make that call today

There is intriguing news out there for deep spacers, CloseEncounter—ites,  and really, really lonely people.  For $3.99 a minute the folks at www.TalkToAliens.com will beam your phone call into space so you can communicate with...whoe...

March 3, 2005

Northwest To Victory

Sixty years ago, on March 11, 1945, General Douglas MacArthur landed on Corregidor after forces from General Walter Krueger's 6th Army had liberated it.  As General Krueger would later write in his book From Down Under To Nippon, 'General MacAr...

February 15, 2005

Hero Recognition Day?

The 24/7 news cycle destroys and distorts context and perspective; it befogs the memory.  Think 9/11, Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom On February 2, 2005 several articles appeared announcing the fact th...

February 11, 2005

A Naval hero's life

Reviewing AMERICA'S FIRST FROGMAN, The Draper Kauffman Story, by Elizabeth K. Bush.  Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD, 2004.  220 pages, photos, appendices, index. Elizabeth K. Bush, sister—in—law of former president George ...

February 7, 2005

Warrior's words

A hush fell over the assembled media—noids, struck dumb by the utterances of the uniformed officer. 'What did he say?' they asked one another, incredulity stamped on their otherwise blank faces. 'He said 'it's fun to shoot some people.'' In the...

January 26, 2005

An Empire For Liberty

In his second inaugural address President George W. Bush said that 'from the day of our founding we have proclaimed that every man and woman on this earth has rights, and dignity, and matchless value, because they bear the image of the maker of heave...

January 20, 2005

The great story of America

Reviewing A Patriot's History of the United States:  From Columbus's Great Discovery To The War On Terror.   Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen.  Sentinel/Penguin Group USA, New York, 2004.  825 pages, Notes, Index. In respon...

January 13, 2005

Irreversible Momentum

The people of Kirkuk, Diyala, Salah Ad Din and Sulamaniyah will not soon forget. The Iraqis living in the cities and villages of those north—central provinces will long remember the contributions to their security and stability, to their daily ...

December 28, 2004

A transformational deployment

Echoes of Douglas MacArthur, 9/11 and 'thunder runs' will resonate when the 3rd Infantry Division and 42nd Infantry Divisions deploy to Iraq early next year. These history—laden units will make their own new history. They will be the first...

December 24, 2004

A Christmas sky in Iraq

The night sky over Iraq on Christmas will shine more brightly, not only because it contains the star that guided the Magi to Bethlehem — 'Star of wonder, Star of light, star of royal beauty bright' — but because it will shimmer anew with ...

December 17, 2004

Donald Rumsfeld, patriot

Among the many distinctive expressions Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has offered as gifts to the media is the following:  'I don't do quagmires,' referring to the mantra—like repetition by some war critics that Iraq has become a qua...

December 13, 2004

Only a year ago

Dedicated to the Soldiers of Task Force 1—22nd Infantry whose skill, perseverance and bravery ensured Saddam's capture In the end, at the culmination of months of dangerous missions and painstaking intelligence work, he was pulled out of his hi...

December 6, 2004

When a bodyguard of lies was possible

Once upon a time in WW2 there was a US government agency called the Office of War Information (OWI), and in England, Prime Minister Winston Churchill famously proclaimed that 'Truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of ...

November 26, 2004

The triumph of perseverance

Victory At Yorktown:  The Campaign That Won The Revolution by Richard M. Ketchum, Henry Holt and Company, New York, 350 pages.  Index, maps, Notes, Principal Character bios.  $27.50. 'A surprising number of these men had six years of p...

November 21, 2004

Some thoughts On Fallujah

The shooting incident inside a mosque during Operation Dawn in Fallujah merits all the attention it has been getting. But consideration of the matter should not blind us to other important aspects of the operation deserving of our attention: the imme...

November 11, 2004

A Silver Star at Ky Son

Dedicated to the true warriors of B Company, 1/69th Armor, who let me call 2nd Platoon home for 4 months during my tour in Vietnam. 'We were riding into it.  I could just make out the misty silhouettes of ships at sea.  Jets flew overhead. ...

November 6, 2004

How the Swifties helped sink Kerry

In the aftermath of this historic election we ought to examine the important role the Swiftboat Veterans for Truth played in defeating John Kerry; how and why they sank his campaign yacht. John Kerry had made his Vietnam service as a Swiftboat comman...

October 27, 2004

The axis of animus

In one of his hilarious short stories, P.G. Wodehouse,  describing the mental capabilities of Archibald Mulliner, wrote: 'had his brain been constructed of silk, he would have been hard put to find sufficient material to make a canary a pair of ...

October 15, 2004

Happy Birthday, P.G. Wodehouse

Wherein we hear from Bertie Wooster, Jeeves, denizens of the Drones Club, and some of the regulars at the Angler's Rest holding forth on the 123rd anniversary of the birth of The Master.  I had recently returned to the old metrop after a spot o...

October 11, 2004

Casus belli

This past week Americans were hit with the one—two story punch of L. Paul Bremer's speechifying about troop strength in Iraq, and the findings of Charles Duelfer's Iraq Survey Group on weapons of mass destruction. Major media outlets churned th...

October 8, 2004

Samarra In context

The recent Operation Baton Rouge by the 1st Infantry Division has thrown the ever—moving Iraq media spotlight on Samarra; a golden dome glinting in the sun contrasted with the black smoke of violence rising into a hot blue sky.  Baton Roug...

September 21, 2004

A persevering optimism

About two years ago, an acquaintance of mine, a retired Army colonel, Middle East expert and Arab specialist reported after returning from Baghdad that the shops were full, commodities plentiful, satellite dishes were mushrooming, Iraqis were watchin...

September 12, 2004

The Cruise of the Essex

This Sunday the History Channel will air a program on the War of 1812, titled First Invasion. The War of 1812, a.k.a. 'Mr. Madison's War,' was fought essentially over maritime disputes between Britain and America.  Impressment of American seamen...

September 11, 2004

The first big network smear

CBS aired it.  Dan Rather was the reporter.  The program attempted to damage the reputation of a commander—in—chief.  Are we talking about Wednesday's 60 Minutes?  No, we're talking about a CBS Reports program The Unc...

August 26, 2004

A matter of responsibility

The findings of the Schlesinger—Fay panel report on Abu Ghraib prison abuses have been made public. Responses, immediate and predictable, sounded forth from the Chorus of Usual Suspects.  Out on the hustings, candidate John Kerry saw fit ...

August 23, 2004

A Riverine hero remembered

South Vietnam's Mekong Delta covers about 40,000 square miles of mostly flat alluvial plain, much of which is covered with rice paddies.  It is veined with rivers and canals, streams and ditches.  The Mekong—Bassac river system, runni...

August 20, 2004

The Greeks had a word for it

Can we agree that John Kerry has problems with his arrogance? Can we agree that he has bragged about his Vietnam service and deceived others regarding it?  That he a is self—aggrandizing person who has married wealthy women and promotes an...

August 13, 2004

Armada of honor

We now have the spectacle of the Kerry campaign trying to silence the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth for having the temerity, the unmitigated gall, to question the unquestionable: their candidate's medals. This, coming from the party that invented the...

August 11, 2004

Call sign: Boston strangler

[Editor's note: Now that John Kerry's Swift Boat service has become a major political issue (albeit still ignored in the Bigfoot media), The American Thinker is pleased to feature military historian John B. Dwyer's path—breaking expose scooping...

August 6, 2004

First look

Unfit for Command, the blockbuster book critiquing John F. Kerry's Viet Nam service, will not be released until next week. But a chapter is available for preview on the web. Military historian John. B. Dwyer previews it for American Thinker readers. ...

August 3, 2004

Where's our movie?

Once upon a time, not many generations ago, we were a nation at war, and focused our total energies on winning that war.  Even Hollywood contributed, providing not only crews who filmed the progress of American armies, but also producers and dir...

July 29, 2004

The Unbearable Brightness of Being Ken

Thirty—eight straight games, over $1,300,000 in winnings, every record broken and 76 challengers crushed by Jeopardy! juggernaut Ken Jennings.  His phenomenal performance has generated responses that run the gamut from love to hate; from d...

July 14, 2004

The Deception Warriors Gather

They now operate from the U.S. Navy's Fleet Information Warfare Center, Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek, Virginia.  Their missions include: electronic warfare, psychological operations, military deception, operational security and compu...

July 5, 2004

Remember the Liberators

As Iraq celebrates its regained sovereignty and independence, it is appropriate, with the meaning and importance of 4th of July weekend fresh in our minds, that we take a moment to remember some of those who made this historic event possible. It was ...

June 20, 2004

Saturdays on the River

Happy Father's Day It was still dark outside and a morning hush muffled movement in the house as my oldest brother and I joined Dad in the kitchen.  As always on those early Saturday mornings, Mom had packed us some sandwiches and was there to s...

June 9, 2004

We the (Reagan) people

Like so many others whose lives were changed profoundly by Ronald Reagan, I have been struggling, trying to find the proper words with which to express my feelings and beliefs about that singular man, that peerless leader. Why is this so hard, I aske...

June 5, 2004

On Bloody Omaha

Second Lieutenant Wesley C. Ross commanded Boat Crew #8, which consisted of 24 men from B Company, 146th Engineer Combat Battalion, 4 volunteers, and the augmented Naval Combat Demolition Unit (NCDU) 137, led by Ensign Harold P. Glean.   Th...

May 31, 2004

D-Day Plus 60

This June 6th we commemorate the 60th anniversary of the allied landings on France's Normandy coast, the largest amphibious assault in history. It was the supreme effort of World War Two, the forces of freedom and democracy launching themselves at Hi...

May 25, 2004

Iraq War refresher course

Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please, especially you BCCs — belief—challenged conservatives.  I beg your indulgence and your patience while we run through a brief refresher course on the war in Iraq, on why we are f...

May 20, 2004

The Steeple at Vierville

[Memorial Day approaches, soon followed by the sixtieth anniversary of the D—Day invasion of Normandy. Military historian John B. Dwyer, author of  last week's article on John Kerry's Swift boat service in Vietnam, presents an inspiri...

May 13, 2004

Call sign: Boston strangler

Thomas Wright was one of John F. Kerry's fellow Swift boat officers in Vietnam.  Since Wright outranked Kerry, he was Kerry's sometime boat group Officer—in—Charge, so Wright had occasion to observe Kerry's behavior and attitudes, an...