“Revenge is an important dimension in this culture. So we would be prudent ourselves in looking for the potential for that to emerge. So it is something that we will keep an eye on. I have seen no indications yet that it has emerged as a potential factor, but we will certainly keep an eye on that.”
Troops
“Call Me Ehsaan”
The Afghan who killed Air Force Lieut. Colonel John Darin Loftis in the Kabul interior ministry February 25 remains uncaptured. Thankfully, documentary filmmaker Micah Garen was able to capture some video of Loftis, now posted on the New York Times website, before he was killed. Godspeed, Colonel Loftis.
“He Did Not Do This…”
The heartbreak of the 17 Afghans allegedly murdered by Staff Sergeant Robert Bales continued to unfold Monday morning as his wife, Kari, appeared on NBC’s Today show to say “He did not do this…this is not what it appears to …
Growing Up Patton
Just how heavy a rucksack is carrying the name Patton around on your back? Benjamin Patton, grandson of World War II’s legendary General George Patton, has sat himself down and written a book on the very topic.
Growing Up Patton: Reflections on Heroes, History, and Family Wisdom distills Ben Patton’s views on the general, much of it …
Afghan Massacre: The Coming Sanity Board
What’s next in the case ofArmy Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, formally charged Friday with murdering 17 Afghan civilians? I will not try to answer that question regarding the courtroom proceedings. But what I can discuss is the normal military procedure for assessing competency to stand trial, and criminal responsibility at the time of …
No Wonder Army Pay Is Fouled Up
Soldiers are forever complaining about how their paychecks are wrong. Here’s a chart from a new Government Accountability Office report that shows just how many places the Army payroll process can get screwed up.
If you’re really a sucker for paycheck punishment, you can click on the chart to enlarge it. Or if you’re an Army …
Who’s Going to Foot This Bill?
William Pfaff has written a stunning critique of Obama’s policy in Afghanistan — and what its implications are for what is left of the American republic. Note particularly the estimates for sustaining the American-created …
“Here’s Looking at You, Taliban”
Afghan Civilian Massacre: Base Allegations
Charges of improper diagnosis related to PTSD at Madigan Army Medical Center, at Joint Base Lewis-McCord have been in the headlines. The alleged shooter in the Afghan massacre was from the Washington state post, as was the …
Triple AAA: (Alleged) Afghanistan Apache Accident
This video is ricocheting around the Internet. Early indications are that it is an AH-64 Apache helicopter gunship from Forward Operating Base Sharana in eastern Afghanistan. No one was reported hurt. Just one more thing the Army is going to have to explain.
Amazing Rescue at Sea
A California Air National Guard HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter hoists a badly-burned fisherman from a Chinese fishing vessel more than 700 miles off the coast of Acapulco, Mexico. Just how a rescue chopper was able to reach so far out into the middle of the Pacific Ocean to pluck the injured man from his ship and bring him to the …
For Want of a Nail…
It’s an ancient proverb about military snafus wrought by small oversights or neglect that has been recited in various forms for centuries. But the same thing, believe it or not, can still happen with the Pentagon’s 21st …
General Allen Takes the Hill
Despite a rash of recent bad news – culminating last week with the apparent slaughter of 16 Afghan civilians by a U.S. soldier – the architect of the campaign didn’t step on any landmines Tuesday in testifying before …