DoD identifies Army casualty

Sgt. John K. Daggett, 21, of Phoenix, Ariz., died May 15 in Halifax, Canada, of wounds suffered May 1 in Baghdad, Iraq, when a rocket-propelled grenade struck his vehicle. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

Iraq War Takes Another Local Man

A 26-year-old local man was killed in Iraq last week. The family has already been notified. That is all the information I have at this point and it being a Sunday, more information will not be forthcoming until Monday.

How many more local men must die before we end this insanity?

Here is a news release of the only DOD-recognized casualty whose name has not been released:

Friday, 18 January 2008
Multi-National Corps - Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
APO AE 09342

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20080119-01
January 19, 2008

MND-B Soldier attacked by IED (Baghdad)

Multi-National Division - Baghdad PAO

BAGHDAD - A Multi-National Division-Baghdad Soldier was killed when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations north of Baghdad Jan. 18.

Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces operating in this area continue to conduct targeted raids and clearing operations in order to disrupt terrorist and extremist elements operating in Baghdad and the surrounding area. Destroying these cells reduces overall sectarian violence and helps set the conditions for the improvement of essential services, economic growth and aides in the transition of Iraqi-led security operation.

The name of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of next of kin and release by the Department of Defense.

Bush gives Maliki kiss of death

On Wednesday, President Bush told a veterans' convention in Kansas City, Mo., that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri K. al-Maliki is "a good man with a difficult job and I support him."

Hmm.

On Sept. 2, 2005, in Mobile, Ala., Bush, talking about Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael D. Brown, said: "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."  The president was referring to FEMA's response to Hurricane Katrina. Despite his "heck of a job" Brown was forced to resign seven days later.

Bush has demonstrated he is not a good judge of character.

I suspect Maliki's days as prime minister are now numbered (and in Iraq, that could mean his days are literally numbered).

Cheney opposed to Iraq invasion ... in 1994

In this 1994 interview, Dick Cheney explained why invading Iraq was a bad thing. He even said it would be a "quagmire." I  guess his memory is failing in his old age.

Soldiers under attack by those they train

DoD photo by Sgt. Tierney Nowland, U.S. Army

U.S. Army soldiers conduct a foot patrol in Yusufiyah, Iraq, to locate three missing soldiers on May 20, 2007. The soldiers are assigned to Charlie Company, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry).

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According to this New York Times story, the gung-ho attitude of many U.S. soldiers has now turned to disdain as they face increased attacks from the same Iraqi Army forces they helped to train. In other words, we are training Iraqi soldiers by day and those same soldiers are using that training at night to attack U.S. forces.

That's what you call gratitude in the Islamic world.

An excerpt:

By MICHAEL KAMBER
Published: May 27, 2007

BAGHDAD -- Staff Sgt. David Safstrom does not regret his previous tours in Iraq, not even a difficult second stint when two comrades were killed while trying to capture insurgents.

"In Mosul, in 2003, it felt like we were making the city a better place," he said. "There was no sectarian violence, Saddam was gone, we were tracking down the bad guys. It felt awesome."

But now on his third deployment in Iraq, he is no longer a believer in the mission. The pivotal moment came, he says, this past February when soldiers killed a man setting a roadside bomb. When they searched the bomber's body, they found identification showing him to be a sergeant in the Iraqi Army.

"I thought, ‘What are we doing here? Why are we still here?' " said Sergeant Safstrom, a member of Delta Company of the First Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry, 82nd Airborne Division. "We're helping guys that are trying to kill us. We help them in the day. They turn around at night and try to kill us."

His views are echoed by most of his fellow soldiers in Delta Company, renowned for its aggressiveness.

Another Iraq war veteran speaks out against war

Geoffrey Millard, a veteran of the Iraq war, responds to those who say Cindy Sheehan and the protesters demoralize the troops. He argues that it's the lies and the carnage of war that make it difficult for the troops to do their job, not a grieving mother asking, "What Noble Cause were they fighting for?"

Sen. Obama: The Truth on Iraq

 

I am certainly no supporter or fan of Sen. Barrack Obama. He is a political lightweight who certainly does not have the experience, yet, to be president. However, in this speech, and on this one point, he is dead-on accurate.

Terrorists have us right where they want us

The hypocrisy of the Democrats

I have to laugh every time I hear a Democrat criticize the war. I was opposed to it from the start. The Democrats, however, only became opposed to it once it started going badly. Give me a break!

Iraq casualty update

U.S. military deaths in Iraq at 3,267 Friday, according to count by The Associated Press

As of Friday, April 6, 2007, at least 3,267 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven military civilians. At least 2,634 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military’s numbers.

The AP count is seven higher than the Defense Department’s tally, last updated Friday at 10 a.m. EDT.

The British military has reported 140 deaths; Italy, 33; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 19; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Denmark, six; El Salvador, five; Slovakia, four; Latvia, three; Estonia, Netherlands, Thailand, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Romania, one death each.

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The latest deaths reported by the military:
— A soldier was killed Thursday in Kirkuk province.
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The latest identifications reported by the military:
— Army Pfc. James J. Coon, 22, Walnut Creek, Calif., died Wednesday in Balad when an explosive detonated near his vehicle; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
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On the Net:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/.