Hostages

16 November 2009

When New York Times journalist David Rohde was kidnapped last year in Afghanistan, the company engaged in a painstaking effort to squash the story. They succeeded in persuading major media who learned of the kidnapping to keep quiet. The cover-up was so good that a New York Times reporter I spoke with in December 2008, while she and I joined Secretary Gates on a trip through Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iraq and back to the United States, had not heard about the David Rohde kidnapping.

The New York Times openly agrees that publishing such articles increases the peril to the lives of hostages, yet it published details about a British couple being held hostage in Somalia, and thus increased the value of the hostages to the kidnappers.

Some months after Mr. Rohde’s kidnapping started leaking, I published a generic blurb about the case, but made sure none of the information was new. (more…)

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Tags: Afghanistan, David Rohde, Huffington Post, Michael Yon, Michael Yon Dispatches
Posted Nov 16th 2009 at 4:32 pm in Michael Yon Dispatches, Military | 2635227 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/myon/2009/11/16/hostages/Hostages2009-11-17+00%3A32%3A14Michael+Yon

‘The Surge’ Shows That Numbers Matter

While President Barack Obama prepares to discuss potential military strategies for the war in Afghanistan today, the nation prepares to honor veterans of our nation’s wars. On the Monday before Veterans Day, the nonprofit, nonpartisan Institute for the Study of War took a constructive look at major military efforts in Iraq. The Institute presented “The Surge: The Untold Story,” [which you can watch in full below] a 30-minute briefing on the strategy that brought about a massive swing in the course of the Iraq war in a matter of months. The film premiered at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. 

“The Surge” is really a snapshot, briefly summarizing the events of late 2006 to deliver key background, setting the stage and highlighting key strategic elements implemented in 2007 that ultimately pushed terrorist groups out of Baghdad, with the help of an emboldened Iraqi nation.

The story is told in a fast-paced, modern style, transitioning between interviews, live footage and pictures with military-style cuts and zooms. The interviews are very informative, though there were two problems. First, there is little if any negativity reflected in the film when analyzing the Surge strategy. Some opposition would have more effectively recaptured the atmosphere surrounding the controversial troop increase, and also lent further credibility to the effort’s effectiveness. The reason no negativity was shown, however, is that the generals, and now most politicians, agree that the Surge worked exactly as it was supposed to.  (more…)

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Tags: Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, General Raymond Odierno, Institute for the Study of War, National Press Club
Posted Nov 11th 2009 at 9:55 am in Film, Military | 26146219 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/dmiller/2009/11/11/the-surge-shows-that-numbers-matter/%27The+Surge%27+Shows+That+Numbers+Matter2009-11-11+17%3A55%3A33Darin++Miller

Ambush of the Common Sort

08 November 2009

Got a ping today about an attack on the road between Jalalabad and Kabul.  It’s a dangerous road and I don’t like to drive it.  The source has always been reliable, so I pinged Tim Lynch (who often is on that road), and Tim just sent these pics and a quick narrative.  (Unedited, and my post also coming via Blackberry.)  Tim writes:

The ambush happened around 0845 or so on the west side of the Duranta Tunnel.  Steve and I rolled out to look – the fuel convoy had security escorts from Compass security and they plus some ANP are who you see up in the ridges.  Three tankers were burning and three more were shot up and leaking fuel all over the place.  There was a section of OH-58’s up and after about 20 minutes of figuring out who was who on the ground they started in on the bad guys with rockets and mini gun.

There was still some fighting going on when we arrived and few rounds came our way but were very high and not to close.  The bad guys had one belt fed which opened up briefly – the Blue Compass/ANP guys clearly had the momentum and used damn good fire discipline – we only heard volleys when the Taliban exposed themselves and those volleys were not that long.The Army claims four KIA from the OH’s which is not doubt true given how low they were scouting about for targets – there is no cover out there just fingers and draws and the security guys were putting pressure on the Ambush team to keep moving which exposed them to the birds.

(more…)

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Tags: Afghanistan, Jalalabad, Kabul, Michael Yon, Military
Posted Nov 9th 2009 at 5:21 pm in Michael Yon Dispatches, Military | 2602789 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/myon/2009/11/09/ambush-of-the-common-sort/Ambush+of+the+Common+Sort2009-11-10+01%3A21%3A11Michael+Yon

Dennis Miller Show: Talking Obama, Celebs, Balloon Boy… (NSFW)

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Tags: Afghanistan, Dennis Miller, Dennis Miller Show, Fox News, Nick DiPaolo
Posted Nov 9th 2009 at 10:23 am in Political Humor | 26022639 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ndipaolo/2009/11/09/dennis-miller-show-talking-obama-celebs-balloon-boy-nsfw/Dennis+Miller+Show%3A+Talking+Obama%2C+Celebs%2C+Balloon+Boy...+%28NSFW%292009-11-09+18%3A23%3A33Nick+Di+Paolo

Smithsonian Air&Space on Kopp-Etchells Effect

November 04, 2009

Helo Halo

Luminous halos twirled above a Boeing CH-47 Chinook on a recent night around 11:30 p.m. local time at Forward Operating Base Jackson in Sangin, Helmand Province, Afghanistan, as helicopters ferried casualties and supplies in and out of the base. The photographer was independent journalist Michael Yon, a former U.S. Army Special Forces soldier who has covered Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Philippines with a camera. Helicopter pilots don’t have a name for the effect, but one explained to Yon, “Basically it is a result of static electricity created by friction as…dissimilar material strike against each other. In this case, titanium/nickel blades moving through the air and dust.” Yon says, however, that a researcher studying helicopter brownout emailed him to say that scientists are not 100 percent sure what causes the effect. Depending on the viewing angle, it creates dazzling little galaxies. An even longer exposure reveals stars and another aircraft marked by a string of lights at upper left of center; Yon suspects this aircraft was a Predator or Reaper UAV, which, unlike manned military aircraft, fly with their lights on in the Afghan night to avoid collisions. Yon, who made these shots with a Canon 5D Mark II with a 50 mm lens at an ISO of 800, claims that the night was far darker than his sensitive camera conveys, as evidenced by the green chemlights on the ground to guide the pilots. He was moved to create a name, the Kopp-Etchells Effect, for the rotor phenomenon to honor a pair of fallen soldiers, U.S. Army Corporal Benjamin Kopp and British Army Corporal Joseph Etchells, who died one day apart in July after fierce fighting in Helmand (Kopp had been evacuated to the U.S. before he died). “The tent in the foreground is a medical tent,” says Yon, “so that casualties can be kept in a tent until the last minute. A substantial number of British casualties in Helmand have been lifted off of this exact spot…because this is probably either the most dangerous place in Afghanistan, or nearly the most dangerous.” (more…)

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Tags: Afghanistan, Benjamin Kopp, Boeing, Corporal Joseph Etchells, Helmand Province
Posted Nov 5th 2009 at 11:12 pm in Michael Yon Dispatches, Military | 25909410 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/myon/2009/11/05/smithsonian-airspace-on-kopp-etchells-effect/Smithsonian+Air%26Space+on+Kopp-Etchells+Effect2009-11-06+07%3A12%3A52Michael+Yon

Great Britain Loses One of its Finest

Olaf in Combat.

03 November 2009

British soldiers at war are an incredible group.  Courageous, competent, and committed in very difficult conditions.  An email came today from London, from a BBC correspondent who has been to Afghanistan saying that Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid had been killed. (more…)

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Tags: Afghanistan, Afghanistan war, Middle East, Military, Olaf Schmid
Posted Nov 3rd 2009 at 5:05 pm in Michael Yon Dispatches, Military | 25739028 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/myon/2009/11/03/great-britain-loses-one-of-its-finest/Great+Britain+Loses+One+of+its+Finest+2009-11-04+01%3A05%3A45Michael+Yon

Workin’ for the Man

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Tags: Afghanistan, carbon footprint, gitmo, Guantan, Guantanamo
Posted Nov 1st 2009 at 1:40 pm in Art, Obama, Political Humor | 25629015 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cmuir/2009/11/01/workin-for-the-man/Workin%27+for+the+Man2009-11-01+20%3A40%3A40Chris+Muir

Afghanistan: Electrification Effort Loses Spark

Anybody seen a better future around here?

21 October 2009

In 2008, I was trekking in the Himalayas in Nepal preparing for a return to Afghanistan. A message came from a British officer suggesting to end the trip and get to Afghanistan. Something was up, and I didn’t bother to ask what. Days of walking were needed to reach the nearest road. After several flights, I landed in Kandahar and eventually Helmand Province at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan. The top-secret mission was Oqab Tsuka, involving thousands of ISAF troops who were to deliver turbines to the Kajaki Dam to spearhead a major electrification project. The difficult mission was a great success. That was 2008.  During my 2009 embed with British forces, just downstream from Kajaki Dam, it became clear that the initial success had eroded into abject failure. And then the British kicked me out of the embed, for reasons still unclear, giving me time to look further into the Kajaki electrification failure. (more…)

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Tags: Afghanistan, Camp Bastion, Helmand Province, IEDs, ISAF
Posted Oct 23rd 2009 at 11:22 am in Michael Yon Dispatches, Military | 2509786 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/myon/2009/10/23/afghanistan-electrification-effort-loses-spark/Afghanistan%3A+Electrification+Effort+Loses+Spark+2009-10-23+18%3A22%3A17Michael+Yon

Real Life Hero–Sergeant First Class Jared Monti

Boots on the Ground Report

As I watch Hollywood’s inexcusable defense of Roman Polanski and the White House’s indecision in Afghanistan, I’m wondering what I’ve missed. For example, if the President’s going to break a campaign promise, why would he pick one that will endanger not only the mission and the lives of so many great Americans in Afghanistan, but the security of our nation? At the same time, how come everyone knows Polanski’s name but you hear little mention of a tough guy named Sergeant First Class Jared Monti?

Sergeant First Class Jared Monti in Afghanistan

Is it possible we don’t have our priorities straight? For those that are interested, let me tell you about Jared Monti.

This spring Secretary of Defense Robert Gates made a routine visit to Fort Drum, NY, home of the 10th Mountain Division. During his circulation of the post, he chatted with several members of the rear detachment of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team whose headquarters and 4500 troops are presently serving south of Kabul, Afghanistan. (more…)

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Tags: Afghanistan, Defense Robert Gates, Iraq, Jared Monti, Obama
Posted Oct 21st 2009 at 8:31 am in Celebrity News, Military, Politics | 24909447 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ajtata/2009/10/21/real-life-hero-sergeant-first-class-jared-monti/Real+Life+Hero--Sergeant+First+Class+Jared+Monti2009-10-21+15%3A31%3A57Brigadier+General+%28R%29+Anthony+J.+Tata

Afghan Lunacy

[This dispatch was written by me in December 2008 in southern Afghanistan. It was never published though I recently found it in the unpublished archives. The photos came from the same period.]

Published: from Nepal on 14 October 2009

On May 25, 1961, the President of the United States of America said:

“Finally, if we are to win the battle that is now going on around the world between freedom and tyranny, the dramatic achievements in space which occurred in recent weeks should have made clear to us all, as did the Sputnik in 1957, the impact of this adventure on the minds of men everywhere, who are attempting to make a determination of which road they should take. Since early in my term, our efforts in space have been under review. With the advice of the Vice President, who is Chairman of the National Space Council, we have examined where we are strong and where we are not, where we may succeed and where we may not. Now it is time to take longer strides—time for a great new American enterprise—time for this nation to take a clearly leading role in space achievement, which in many ways may hold the key to our future on earth.”

(more…)

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Tags: Af-Pak war, Afgh, Afghanistan, Afghanistan war, bush
Posted Oct 14th 2009 at 6:13 pm in Michael Yon Dispatches, Military | 24651812 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/myon/2009/10/14/afghan-lunacy/Afghan+Lunacy+2009-10-15+01%3A13%3A40Michael+Yon

Nobel Peace Prize: At What Cost?

On Friday, America woke to the shocking news that Barack Obama had won the Nobel Peace Prize.   While there was universal agreement on both sides of the aisle that our President did not earn this award for any actual accomplishments; some have been trying to spin this as some sort of victory for America; not to mention labeling those of us on the right as terrorists for not celebrating this supposed victory.  The truth of the matter is that this award is a slap in the face to America’s history as a strong economic and international leader, and encourages behavior that will only embolden the terrorists with whom we are at war. 

The other night, Bill O’Reilly was explaining that this award meant the world would view America as a peace-loving nation.  Brent Budowsky, lectured the “talk America down” Republicans for attacking the announcement, saying ”this is good for America.”  TIm Kaine claimed that the prize was “an affirmation of the fact that the United States has returned to its longstanding role as a world leader.”  America is popular again; may we all celebrate with great enthusiasm.  If only there wasn’t that nagging question of what price President Obama has paid in order usher in this era of good will.    (more…)

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Tags: "Carrie", Afghanistan, apology tour, Barack Obama, Iraq
Posted Oct 13th 2009 at 10:14 am in Politics | 24461836 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/smitchell/2009/10/13/nobel-peace-prize-at-what-cost/Nobel+Peace+Prize%3A+At+What+Cost%3F2009-10-13+17%3A14%3A20Seth+Mitchell

Market Garden: A Remembrance During Time of War

Kandahar City, Afghanistan

Slowly, surely, the city is being strangled.  Signaling the depth of our commitment, security forces are thinner in Kandahar than the Himalayan air.  During the days and evenings, there were the sounds of occasional bombs—some caused by suicide attackers, and others by firefights.  The windows in my room had been blown out recently and now were replaced.  We came here to kill our enemies, but today we want to make a country from scratch.

A world away from Afghanistan, over in Holland, was approaching the 65th anniversary of the allied liberation from Nazi occupation, and I had been invited to attend by James “Maggie” Megellas.  Maggie, who had fought his way through Holland and is today remembered there as a hero, is said to be the most decorated officer in the history of the 82nd Airborne Division.  Now 92, Maggie has recently spent about two months tooling around the battlefields of Afghanistan, and though it would be an honor to finally meet him, there was the matter of extracting myself from Kandahar City and getting through about forty minutes of dangerous territory to the military base at Kandahar Airfield. (more…)

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Tags: Afghanistan, Afghanistan war, General Petraeus, Kandahar City, Maggie Megellas
Posted Oct 12th 2009 at 5:38 pm in Michael Yon Dispatches, Military | 24515813 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/myon/2009/10/12/market-garden-a-remembrance-during-time-of-war/Market+Garden%3A++A+Remembrance+During+Time+of+War2009-10-13+00%3A38%3A38Michael+Yon

EXCLUSIVE: Gene Hackman Talks Iraq, Gitmo, and Celebs Who Talk Politics

Quietly, with dignity and without fanfare, The Mighty Gene Hackman retired from acting in 2004 to live with his wife in New Mexico and tap out the occasional novel, his latest being “Escape From Andersonville,” a piece of historical fiction he co-wrote with Daniel Lenihan.

Though there were no announcements I’m aware of, almost immediately I knew he had retired … because almost immediately there was a disturbance in the force. Sometime during the early eighties, Hackman replaced John Wayne as my favorite working actor and rarely did a year pass without a new Gene Hackman movie – and sometimes there were as many as two or three. So when the movies stopped coming, something just felt off.  (more…)

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Tags: Afghanistan, gene hackman, Iraq, melanie morgan
Posted Oct 8th 2009 at 5:59 pm in Celebrity News, Politics | 243642134 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/10/08/exclusive-gene-hackman-talks-iraq-gitmo-and-celebs-who-talk-politics/EXCLUSIVE%3A+Gene+Hackman+Talks+Iraq%2C+Gitmo%2C+and+Celebs+Who+Talk+Politics2009-10-09+00%3A59%3A18John+Nolte

A Story From War

Published: 08 October 2009

“In April this year it became 2 Rifles’ dubious fortune to be sent to Sangin on a six-month tour. By mid-August their battle group, a composite force from various units built around a core of several hundred riflemen and fusiliers, had the worst casualties of any British brigade sent to Helmand, with just over 100 soldiers killed or wounded: a fifth of their total patrol troops. The trend suggested that by the time the battle group’s tour ends this month as many as one in four of these infantrymen will have been slain or injured, a figure that compares with British infantry casualty ratios in Europe during the later stages of the Second World War.” -Anthony Lloyd

(more…)

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Tags: Afghanistan, Anthony Lloyd, Apaches, British 2 Rifles, Helmand
Posted Oct 8th 2009 at 4:13 pm in Michael Yon Dispatches, Military | 24373813 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/myon/2009/10/08/a-story-from-war/A+Story+From+War+2009-10-08+23%3A13%3A56Michael+Yon

Afghanistan: Obama’s Setup and Payoff

Skillfully written screenplays are frequently structured around a series of setups and payoffs.

The most rudimentary example is, of course, the pistol in the desk drawer: revealed in Act I, and then in Act II, the gun is used to kill someone.

For an intensive workshop in cinematic setups and payoffs you should screen the Back to the Future series, where setup and payoff are elevated to an entirely new level.

It’s kind of fascinating, watching Obama construct the setup for his Afghanistan policy. He follows a familiar dramatic structure:

1. Anguished self-reflection, all quite public in order to display nobility of character. (more…)

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Tags: Afghanistan, appeasement, General McChrystal, General Petraeus, Hamas
Posted Oct 7th 2009 at 8:21 am in Military, Politics | 241054108 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/10/07/afghanistan-obamas-setup-and-payoff/Afghanistan%3A+Obama%27s+Setup+and+Payoff2009-10-07+15%3A21%3A49Robert+J.+Avrech

Two Firefights: One Video

July 2009, Sangin, Afghanistan.

05 October 2009

In July, British soldiers and I boarded a CH-47 helicopter at Camp Bastion for the flight to FOB Jackson at Sangin where fighting is brutal.  The helicopter was so stuffed with men, gear and supplies that the cargo was not even strapped down.  We steadied the long stack with our hands and prayed that the pilots not begin flying violent evasive maneuvers.  The tail gunner partially lifted the ramp to prevent bundles from tumbling into the skies, and that was it for securing the bundles.  Just a week before, a giant MI-26 helicopter was shot down on final approach to this same landing zone.  All aboard died in flames, as did two children on the ground. (more…)

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Tags: Afghanistan, Afghanistan war, firefighters, Sangin
Posted Oct 5th 2009 at 6:29 pm in Michael Yon Dispatches, Military | 24101062 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/myon/2009/10/05/two-firefights-one-video/Two+Firefights%3A+One+Video+2009-10-06+01%3A29%3A53Michael+Yon

Pedro Inspired the Vikings

Note: I asked Danish journalist Camilla Fuhr Nilsson to write a couple of stories about the Air Force Pedros.  After publication of her first installment, she emailed from Afghanistan, surprised to have gotten “thank you” notes from readers.  As a journalist, Camilla had never gotten “thank yous” before.  In the about five years I have covered the wars, it is safe to say that British and American service members, their families and others, have thanked me 100% of the time, for each of hundreds of dispatches.  That would be tens of thousands of thank yous…maybe more.  If not for those thank yous, I would have quit after just a few months in combat.  The power of a sincere “thank you” can never be measured.  And now Camilla’s second story:

By Camilla Fuhr Nilsson
Published: 30 September 2009

“These things we do that others may live” is the current motto of the US Air Force combat search and rescue team, or Pedro as they are called when deployed to Afghanistan. They fly into the battlefield with their smooth Pave Hawk helicopters and evacuate the wounded infantry soldiers and Marines. On a recent evacuation of two Danish soldiers in the middle of a battle with the Taliban, the Viking ancestors made a memorable difference to the 129th American Air Force Pedros crew. (more…)

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Tags: Afghanistan, Afghanistan war, Air Force Pedros, Camilla Fuhr Nilsson, Military
Posted Sep 30th 2009 at 7:25 pm in Michael Yon Dispatches, Military | 23858215 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/myon/2009/09/30/pedro-inspired-the-vikings/Pedro+Inspired+the+Vikings+2009-10-01+02%3A25%3A34Michael+Yon

Lonewolf Diaries: Supporting The Military is Sooo Last Adminstration!

It’s no secret that the good ol’ stars and starlets of tinseltown have no respect for the men and women of our military. Much like our president, however, they’re smart enough to know that they should act as though they do.

It’s exactly why every now and then a Hollywood celebrity will say that they “support our troops but not the war” or that “these men and women shouldn’t be dying in vain.” Is anybody still fooled by those one-liners anymore? Similarly in our president’s case, it’s why he continually says that he supports our troops without giving them so much as a shred of his time. I’m sure that the men and women putting themselves in harms way will understand though. After all, he’s got a meeting with one Mr. David Letterman.

For those who haven’t yet heard, Obama has met with General Stanley McChrystal (the good man in charge of leading our honorable troops to victory in Afghanistan) only once, yes, ONCE in the last seventy days. So it seems apparent that while Obama has no time to devote to the men and women of our armed services (the same people who ultimately make him look good), he has plenty of time to devote to promoting himself.

As Barack Obama devotes more time to personal press than any other president in history (in record time to boot), it’s becoming more and more glaringly apparent… Our president is more Paris Hilton than General Patton. (more…)

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Tags: Afghanistan, Afghanistan war, David Letterman, General Patton, General Stanley McChrystal
Posted Sep 29th 2009 at 5:31 pm in Featured Story, Lone Wolf Diaries, Military, Politics | 23745482 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/scrowder/2009/09/29/lonewolf-diaries-supporting-the-military-is-sooo-last-adminstration/Lonewolf+Diaries%3A+Supporting+The+Military+is+Sooo+Last+Adminstration%212009-09-30+00%3A31%3A19Steven+Crowder

Michael Yon Dispatch: The American Pedros – No Nonsense Combat Rescuers

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Tags: Afghanistan, Beowolf, Black Hawk Down, Camilla Fuhr Nilsson, Super troopers
Posted Sep 27th 2009 at 8:25 pm in Michael Yon Dispatches, Military | 2364586 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/myon/2009/09/27/michael-yon-dispatch-the-american-pedros-no-nonsense-combat-rescuers/Michael+Yon+Dispatch%3A+The+American+Pedros+-+No+Nonsense+Combat+Rescuers+2009-09-28+03%3A25%3A45Michael+Yon

Bullshit Bob

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Tags: Afghanistan, Afghanistan war, British 2 Rifles, British Minister of Defence, Censoring Helmand
Posted Sep 26th 2009 at 5:12 am in Featured Story, Michael Yon Dispatches, Military | 23611840 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/myon/2009/09/26/bullshit-bob/Bullshit+Bob+2009-09-26+12%3A12%3A20Michael+Yon

Ideology of a Liberal

Since the health care debate has wound down a little as a result of President Obama’s speech on Wednesday which, by the way, was pure rhetoric and seen by the general public and pundits as a failure because of its lack of new ideas and detail, I have decided to tackle a subject other than health care reform in this article.  What makes a liberal tick?  Why are there such major differences between the two parties in this country? 

The other day I was playing on Facebook and saw a number of posts from my liberal friends regarding health care.  The comments posted were all similar.  No one should go without health care in this country and no one should go broke because they got sick.  Why only liberals would post this amazes me, because there are not too many people in the world that disagree.  However, it is just not that simple.  (more…)

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Tags: Afghanistan, Barack Obama, bush, Congress, healthcare
Posted Sep 20th 2009 at 6:54 am in Featured Story, Politics | 225042131 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/fdemartini/2009/09/20/ideology-of-a-liberal/Ideology+of+a+Liberal2009-09-20+13%3A54%3A07Frank+DeMartini

Pedros

14 September 2009
Helmand Province, Afghanistan

With the war increasing, Air Force Pararescue has been crisscrossing the skies picking up casualties. (more…)

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Tags: Afghanistan, Air Force Pararescue, Bagram, Helmand Province, Kandahar Airfield
Posted Sep 14th 2009 at 9:51 am in Media Criticism, Michael Yon Dispatches | 224690No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/myon/2009/09/14/pedros/Pedros+2009-09-14+16%3A51%3A53Michael+Yon

Honoring September 11th: We Will Prevail

I recall vividly the profound sadness, anger and horror I felt the moment the first tower collapsed. 

I was glued to the television that fateful American morning when Matt interrupted Tom & Katie to report: “We just saw a live picture of what seemed to be a portion of the building falling away from the World Trade Center.”

–

After the initial shock then realization that our nation had been attacked, suffered thousands of innocent civilians murdered at the hands of barbarians, and that America had been thrust into war — My mind hurtled back to an earlier reading of Tom Clancy’s gripping novel Executive Orders Debt of Honor. 

In it, the author describes how a deranged commercial jet pilot — bent on revenge against America for WWII — crashes his 747 Jumbo jet into a joint session of Congress, thereby slaughtering nearly the entire American political leadership, save of course Mr. Clancy’s heroic protagonist, Jack Ryan.  (more…)

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Tags: 9/11, Afghanistan, Barack Obama, bush, Congress
Posted Sep 11th 2009 at 3:08 pm in Culture, Featured Story, Military, Politics | 22313064 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/abaldwin/2009/09/11/honoring-september-11th-we-will-prevail/Honoring+September+11th%3A+We+Will+Prevail2009-09-11+22%3A08%3A52Adam+Baldwin

Eight Years After 9/11

Memorial for Fallen at FOB Inkerman

08 September 2009
Helmand Province, Afghanistan

Just before the mission, soldiers form up near the memorial for our fallen. (more…)

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Tags: 9/11, Afghanistan, British Ministry of Defence, Helmand Province, Ross Kemp
Posted Sep 9th 2009 at 3:38 pm in Michael Yon Dispatches, Military | 22093812 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/myon/2009/09/09/eight-years-after-911/Eight+Years+After+9%2F112009-09-09+22%3A38%3A44Michael+Yon

Why You Should Read and Support Michael Yon

When I saw that Michael Yon had joined us here at Big Hollywood, I was overjoyed. This is a great opportunity to expand his audience and, frankly, everyone should read his stuff. Yon has been embedding with military units in combat for the better part of the last four years and has been bringing the ground-level truth to those that care to read it.

I can’t remember exactly when I first discovered his writings but it was at a point where he was disagreeing with the spin coming from the Bush White House regarding progress in Iraq. I was disturbed to have confirmation that things were not quite as we were being told but Yon’s critiques, while serious and undiluted, were constructive in nature. I could tell that he was supportive of the effort even though he sometimes railed against the execution of it. Michael Yon pulls no punches and I checked back often to see what else he had to say. Eventually, the network news would catch up and start reporting things that Yon had written about weeks, often months, earlier. This is a pattern that continues today. (more…)

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Tags: Afghanistan, Iraq, J.R. Head, Marines, Michael Yon
Posted Sep 9th 2009 at 5:03 am in Featured Story, Michael Yon Dispatches, Military | 21700627 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jrhead/2009/09/09/michael-yon/Why+You+Should+Read+and+Support+Michael+Yon+2009-09-09+12%3A03%3A55J.R.+Head

New Afghan War: Frontline Correspondent Says Fight Has Morphed – But We Still Can’t Afford to Lose

6 September 2009

This story was published in the New York Daily News on 6 September 2009.

Photo: Jacobson/AP

Helmand, Afghanistan – The West is losing this war. This has been obvious for more than three years. Less obvious is that in 2009, we are down to the wire. Gen. Stanley McChrystal and others will soon recommend to President Obama the latest treatment for a dying patient.

Meanwhile, allies and Americans are asking themselves why we are here. Some are saying that Al Qaeda is still here or is waiting in the wings to return to its home. Yet Afghanistan was never Al Qaeda’s permanent home to begin with. Al Qaeda was just renting a little space here, just as it was renting space in places like Germany and Florida. (more…)

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Tags: Afghan war, Afghanistan, al qaeda, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, Ghor Province
Posted Sep 6th 2009 at 2:56 pm in Michael Yon Dispatches, Military | 21884651 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/myon/2009/09/06/new-afghan-war-frontline-correspondent-says-fight-has-morphed-%e2%80%93-but-we-still-cant-afford-to-lose/New+Afghan+War%3A+Frontline+Correspondent+Says+Fight+Has+Morphed+%E2%80%93+But+We+Still+Can%27t+Afford+to+Lose2009-09-06+21%3A56%3A55Michael+Yon

The CIA and the Statute of Limitations

I’ll try to make this short…last week I wrote about my concerns over the naming of a special federal prosecutor to re-examine the use of Enhanced Interrogation Techniques by the CIA. I have appeared on several radio shows since the article posted here at Big Hollywood and I was pleased to see over weekend former Vice President Dick Cheney say in a more articulate fashion almost every point I raised in the article EXCEPT one. 

Today my point is the LAW. I touched on it briefly in the article but no one seems to be discussing the LAW. Many on the left and maybe even some on the right are applauding the decision by Attorney General Eric Holder to name a special prosecutor. I only have one question: What crimes were committed? Those supporting the decision to name a prosecutor say, “torture.” 

 The federal statute can be found in Title 18 chapter 113C of the Federal Criminal Code and Rules. Section 2340 defines torture. Section 2340A says: (more…)

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Tags: Afghanistan, CIA, Eric Holder, Iraq, Leon Panetta
Posted Sep 4th 2009 at 3:04 pm in Featured Story, Politics | 21677852 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bhamer/2009/09/04/the-cia-and-the-statute-of-limitations/The+CIA+and+the+Statute+of+Limitations2009-09-04+22%3A04%3A33Bob+Hamer

Precision Voting

31 August 2009
Helmand Province, Afghanistan

The historical Afghan elections scheduled for 20 August were days away. While the west mostly continued to vote for Afghanistan, the big question was, “Will Afghanistan vote for itself?”

The latest media wave splashed into the main voting centers in places like Kabul, Kandahar, Jalalabad, Herat and Lashkar Gah. The larger cities only account for perhaps 20% of the Afghan population. Whereas the easy and obvious stories are in the cities, a crucial and larger dimension—the other 80%—would unfold in the boonies. Most Afghans would have no chance to vote. (more…)

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Tags: Afghanistan, FLETs, healthcare, Helmand Province, Kajaki Dam
Posted Aug 31st 2009 at 2:26 pm in Michael Yon Dispatches, Military | 21528618 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/myon/2009/08/31/precision-voting/Precision+Voting+2009-08-31+21%3A26%3A29Michael+Yon

The Kopp-Etchells Effect, Part II

27 August 2009

My embed with British forces has ended.  Will be out with U.S. forces for the foreseeable future.  After that, will strike out alone into the wilds of Afghanistan.  There are two more stories in the pipeline about the British soldiers I was with, who were in a couple of firefights.  The bullets got pretty close.  The events are worth recounting.  Unsure if I will be able to complete those dispatches due to the time wasted with the sudden ending of my embed.  Am attempting to publish at least one.  The soldiers deserve both, but time is cruel when its wasted.

A researcher who studies helicopter “brown outs” contacted me regarding the Kopp-Etchells Effect.  Apparently the effect is unrelated to St. Elmo’s Fire.  In fact, it sounds as though scientists remain unsure of exactly what causes the Kopp-Etchells Effect.  The phenomenon remains a mystery. (more…)

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Tags: Afghanistan, Kopp-Etchells Effect, St. Elmo's Fire
Posted Aug 28th 2009 at 5:15 am in Michael Yon Dispatches, Military | 2128349 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/myon/2009/08/28/the-kopp-etchells-effect-part-ii/The+Kopp-Etchells+Effect%2C+Part+II+2009-08-28+12%3A15%3A57Michael+Yon