Category Archives: war

Filed under obama, Politics, Uncategorized, veterans, war

by xbradtc | May 17, 2013 · 6:11 am

Dambusters!

70 years ago, the RAF staged its attack against dams in western Germany using Barns Wallis’ ingenious rolling/skipping bomb. The attacks were successful, but at a high price.

To this day, 617 Squadron remains the most famous squadron in RAF service.

Filed under Around the web, planes, war

Tagged as 617 squadron, dambusters, RAF, World War II

by themavf14d | May 16, 2013 · 11:20 am

B-17F Cutaway.

I usually do a “cutaway Thursday” over that The Lexicans. It’s features unusual aircraft cutaway pictures I’ve got saved in my stack-o-stuff. This one was too awesome to not pass along.

Not posting the actual cutaway but this site for the iconic Boeing B-17 features one of the best interactive cutaways I’ve ever seen.

B-17F “Nine-O-Nine.”

Here’s the mission tally and nose art of Nine-O-Nine.

You’ll need to set aside an hour for this one and maybe some alone time too :)

Filed under Air Force, Around the web, planes, war

by ultimaratioregis | May 15, 2013 · 7:19 am

Julian Bond, “Post-Racial” Racist

Despite the howling protestations of the Grievance Mongers, a very good litmus test of the overt racism that surrounds our alleged “post-racial” President is to evaluate how an act, comment, or a situation would play in the media, and in the public eye, if the ethnicity of the aggrieved and of the alleged transgressor was reversed.

Imagine, if you will, a group of white neo-Nazi skinheads armed with truncheons, caught on video lurking outside a polling station intimidating black voters. Only to have a white Attorney General declare that neither prosecution, nor further investigation, would be pursued because the white AG talked of such investigations demeaning “his people”.

Or a memorandum circulated by Federal Law Enforcement targeting unemployed Black men who believed in bigger gummint and more welfare as potential terrorists.

Or a white teenager with a history of drug abuse and violence attacking and beating a man, only to have that man defend himself and fatally shoot his attacker. And then the press intentionally try to deliberately deceive the public by selective editing of audio and video, and invent a new ethnic category to try to portray the man defending himself as racist. And to have a white President side with the attacker and say “if I had a son, he’s look like….”, professing his preference for white skin over brown.

Then there’s today’s assertion by former NAACP Chairman Julian Bond, a so-called “activist” and “civil rights leader” (and, not surprisingly, Professor at American U), who believes that the government targeting of President Obama’s political opposition is not only permissible, but prudent. Calling the “tea party” overtly and self-admittedly racist (of course), and the “Taliban wing” of the Republican Party, Bond was also adamant that President Bush was being racist for investigating the NAACP after Bond’s Bush-bashing remarks in 2004.

Do not kid yourselves. There are many others of Bond’s ilk, in this Administration, in education, in the News Media, and in Hollywood, who believe just as Bond does. They may not be politically imprudent enough to say so unless they feel a media-aided swell of support for their assertions (moral courage, they have not…). But they do. Grievance politics of the hyphen-Americans. Saul Alinsky and Frank Marshall Davis.

The Benghazi coverup. The IRS scandal. Sibelius and HHS extortion. Illegal wiretapping of the Associated Press. The wealth redistribution scheme known as Obamacare. Killing Americans without due process. Much of this has been in the works since the 2008 election. It is despicable racists like Julian Bond and others of the Obama cabal whom not only condone but encourage Brother Barack to “stick it to the MAN”, which means all political opposition, sometimes known as “whitey”. Self-loathing addle-headed white fellow travelers who “feel good” about voting for a black man (provided, *gasp*, he wasn’t conservative) nodding sincerely in approval. After all, we must have it coming.

The litany of Obama apologists will claim that he knew nothing about Benghazi, or the IRS targeting political opponents, or of wiretapping media phones, or that his AG refused review of cases of black criminal conduct, or that his model “son” was a violent thug. Well, they had a common saying about such government abuses and injustices under another messianic leader about 75 years ago.

“If the Fuhrer only knew!”

Now, as then, that messianic leader not only knew, but gave direction and approval. Using the power of government to divide and marginalize, demonize and persecute. With the full support of detestable men like Julian Bond, who are the very paragon of the post-Racial bigotry which permeates this Administration.

***

(*** I couldn’t glean the URL this came from, but it was funny as hell.)

via The last Brit on the River Kwai: Reg Twigg, one of the few remaining survivors of the Death Railway, died last week – but the story he left behind will stay with you forever | Mail Online.

Filed under Around the web, obama, Politics, veterans, war

by roamingfirehydrant | May 12, 2013 · 9:37 am

The last Brit on the River Kwai: Reg Twigg, one of the few remaining survivors of the Death Railway, died last week – but the story he left behind will stay with you forever | Mail Online

It was known, for good reason, as the Death Railway. In 1942, after the fall of Singapore, the Japanese army ordered the construction of a jungle railroad from Bangkok to Rangoon to support its assault on India.

Almost 260 miles of track were built by a forced labour workforce consisting of 250,000 local men and 60,000 Allied prisoners of war, whose treatment at the hands of the Japanese was brutal. More than 16,000 prisoners of war and an estimated 90,000 Asian labourers died.

As one of the last remaining survivors, 99-year-old Reg Twigg wrote a remarkable personal testimony of his three years of hell on the River Kwai. Sadly, the former private in the Leicestershire Regiment died last week and never lived to see it published.

Worthwhile sidebar article on the Dambusters, too. RTWT.

Comes now news that the Army commissioned a study by the National Research Council, who came to the conclusion that the problem is, the squad isn’t well equipped.

Filed under history, war

by xbradtc | · 5:23 am

The Rifle Squad as the Decisive Force

A year or two ago, in discussing small infantry units, Esli mentioned that the current doctrinal emphasis of the Maneuver Center of Excellence (formerly, the Infantry School) was on making the rifle squad more lethal, more effective, more of an overmatch to the enemy equivalent.

The current US Army 9 man rifle squad* versus an enemy of comparable size has several significant advantages, and yet also faces serious disadvantages.

First, US squads tend to be better educated and better trained in infantry combat, in both the technical and tactical aspects. They are virtually never without some type of supporting fires on call, from machine gun teams and anti-armor weapons at the squad level, company and battalion level mortar fire, through brigade and higher level artillery, and even close air support.

The soldiers of the rifle squad have body armor, clothing and load bearing equipment that is far better than their opponents. Their food is healthier, and less likely to lead to illness. Their communications are generally better. His night vision devices are almost always far more capable than the enemy’s.

But the US rifle squad also has its problems…

That body armor and load bearing equipment leads to soldiers carrying loads that severely limit the mobility and agility of the squad. These same heavy loads also lead to an increase in sports type injuries. Rules of engagement often delay or prevent supporting fires from higher echelons from joining the fight in a timely manner. That healthful and nutritious food is heavy, further increasing the soldier’s load, and tying him to a logistical chain. His communications and night vision devices all require large amounts of battery power, all of which has to be manpacked.

As to weapons, frankly small arms are small arms. We can spend the next fifty years debating the relative merits of the M16/M4 family versus the AK family that have spent the last fifty years fighting one another. But neither weapon so overmatches the other as to be decisive. The same is true for any other weapons found in the rifle squad or the threat squad.

So, today we find ourselves in a situation where a US squad can pretty much hold its own with any similar sized threat. And generally, it will come out better than the enemy.

But that isn’t the goal. The goal, the desire is to be confident that virtually any time a US squad encounters an enemy formation of similar size, the US squad can fix it, fight it, finish it, hunting it down and destroying it. Today, most squad on squad engagements are not decisive- either one or the other force breaks contact and lives to fight another day.

Now, in the context I just shared with you, that sounds kinda nuts. One of the primary problems the dismounted infantry squad faces is the crushing burden of carrying the stuff they already have.

But the report does make some sense. The Army has spent untold billions designing network centric warfare capabilities the give commanders unprecedented ability to “see” the battlefield. A commander can know almost instantly where his forces are, and with support from UAVs and other intel assets, very often where enemy forces are, even before the battle is joined.

But once a squad leaves its vehicles, it is cut off from this network. Its only data stream, if you will, is voice radio. And the “bandwidth” of voice radio is awfully narrow. It is very, very difficult to transmit a clear tactical picture through words alone, especially absent the non-verbal cues humans routinely use in face to face communications. Even with standardized formats, the limits to how much information can pass from the squad to higher, or from higher down to the squad is very limited.

In the past, we’ve mentioned the possibility of using smart phones on the battlefield to increase the dismount squad’s ability to access data, rather than just voice. And there’s some hope for that. But smart phones aren’t exactly set up to run on Army tactical radio networks. Further, a smart phone is not the most ergonomic way to present information. You know it is foolhardy to text and drive. How much more foolhardy is it to text and shoot? So a more “heads up” method of presenting the information in an intuitive manner will eventually be needed.

And whatever technology comes along, it will have to weigh less than the current state of the art. And not only will it have to weigh less, its batteries will have to weigh much less.

Further, for all the advantages technology may in the future give the squad, it is not without its own burdens, even beyond simple weight. Every piece of equipment calls for maintenance and training, both of which take time. And time available for training is limited. What other training should the squad sacrifice to achieve competency in these new technologies?

Do we sacrifice time spent on marksmanship? Fire and movement? First aid? Weapons maintenance? Map reading? Sexual assault awareness and prevention training? Language and cultural training for upcoming deployments? It isn’t like there isn’t enough on the plate already.

The report also pings Big Army for spending far more money and attention on big ticket acquisition programs than on the bread and butter of everyday stuff used at the squad level. The Program Executive Officer for Command and Control technologies is a Major General. The PEO for small arms is a Colonel, who, judging by the fact he’s been there for several years, ain’t a “comer” for stars.

So what do we do? I don’t know. I’m not entirely sure, absent a far greater willingness to take casualties, we can make the rifle squad capable of decisively defeating a threat squad.

And I’m not even sure that should be the goal. The great strength of the Army, and indeed all our services, has long, long been not so much our technology, but our ability to “systemize our systems.”

In an artillery duel, the US doesn’t fight gun against gun. It pits US target acquisition, communications, fire control, guns and ammunition (as well as soldiers, doctrine, and training) against the foe. And no other nation has shown the talent for tying together these elements to effectively produce a whole far greater than the sum of their parts. I’ve used artillery here as an example, but the general rule applies across the entire armed forces. The challenge is to continue to understand that technology is a tool that enables this synchronization, and not a substitute for it.

*Marine rifle squads have thirteen members. Basically, they add an extra fire team to each squad.

Filed under Afghanistan, army, ARMY TRAINING, Artillery, infantry, war

Tagged as Afghanistan, army, Fort Benning, infantry, rifle squad, Squad, United States

by ultimaratioregis | May 11, 2013 · 8:25 am

Battle for Berlin, 1945

This week marks VE Day, commemorating the Victory in Europe over Hitler’s Third Reich. The last and perhaps the most savage battle was for the German capital of Berlin. This from the Battlefield series, which was aired weekly on Far East Network (“Forced Entertainment Network”) when I had an artillery battery in Okinawa in 1996. The entire series is superb, and if you look, you can find most of them on line. They are also available on DVD. They contain a pretty good description of the higher tactical through the strategic picture, and have enough detail and technical stuff, but not too much.

Since the series was made, Russian archives have been explored more completely, and the number of Soviet casualties have been scaled up more than two-fold, from the 305,000 quoted in this episode, to nearly 700,000. Note the ever-present use of artillery and mortars, rockets, and field guns, even in an urban environment. The episode is 116 minutes, roughly the time one spends clicking on all of Mav’s aviation links and cool pictures and videos and stuff. So get your Eastern Front geek on, and watch it. You know you wanna.

Filed under 120mm, Air Force, armor, army, Around the web, Artillery, guns, history, infantry, planes, Splodey, Uncategorized, veterans, war

by themavf14d | May 10, 2013 · 12:45 pm

Random Aviation Photo links

I’ve been too lazy to get to part 4 of the YC-15 series this week. I’m having motivational issues.

First up Russian Live Leak has an interesting perspective on the Aviation Museum at Monino.

Here’s a sample of what you’ll see:

There’s a Tupelov TU-4 “Bull”, a Tupelov TU-16 “Badger and a Mil Mi-12 “Homer.”

It’s interesting to see the size difference between the different aircraft.

Next up, a link of World War 2 Russian aircraft. They appear to be taken during the time period.

I’m pretty sure that’s an Ilyushin DB-3.

There has been a lot of interesting books to come out about the Red Air Force after the Soviet World War 2 archives were opened up. Don’t tell anyone that I’m supposed to finish a book review for that…

[*ADDED] Continuing my fetish for twin-boom airplanes. The Warbird Information Exchange has some really cool photos of the Northrop P-61 Black Widow.

Also, today in 1972 was a red letter day in the dangerous skies over North Vietnam. Never forget.

The FBI calling white Veterans who believe in the Second Amendment, smaller government, and God, terrorist threats.

Filed under Air Force, navy, planes, war

by ultimaratioregis | · 10:48 am

IRS Targeting of Tea Party: “not motivated by political bias”? Oh Please!

Lefties, Obama apologists, and Fellow Travelers all squawk loudly in protest when anyone points out instances where this Administration and its elected and appointed officials turn the weight of government persecution against political opponents like a tin-pot dictatorship, and portrays those opposed to them as national enemies.

DoD embracing “full-spectrum” war game scenarios positing law-abiding Americans as armed insurrectionists.

Far-Left gun-grabber Congressmen labeling law-abiding gun-rights advocates as “extremist fringe groups”. (Not coincidentally very similar to the language that replaced Islamic extremists, so as not to offend our sworn enemies.)

The Attorney General openly declaring his contempt for the 14th Amendment by refusing to investigate voter intimidation by “his people”, the New Black Panther Party.

And now, of course, the Internal Revenue Service being used as a hammer for political opposition by the Obama Administration.

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service inappropriately flagged conservative political groups for additional reviews during the 2012 election to see if they were violating their tax-exempt status, a top IRS official said Friday.

Organizations were singled out because they included the words “tea party” or “patriot” in their applications for tax-exempt status, said Lois Lerner, who heads the IRS division that oversees tax-exempt groups.

In some cases, groups were asked for their list of donors, which violates IRS policy in most cases, she said.

“That was wrong. That was absolutely incorrect, it was insensitive and it was inappropriate. That’s not how we go about selecting cases for further review,” Lerner said at a conference sponsored by the American Bar Association.

No, it was criminal. I will not buy that those perpetrating this did not know IRS policy. Not for a second. Of course, the official explanation sounds awfully similar to that of the Benghazi hearings. ”Gee, we made a mistake, we didn’t have any malice in mind. Gosh, we sure are sorry and promise to fix it.” In both instances, it is complete and disingenuous bullshit.

Lerner said the practice was initiated by low-level workers in Cincinnati and was not motivated by political bias. After her talk, she told The AP that no high level IRS officials knew about the practice. She did not say when they found out.

Uh huh. People in those targeted groups, which extend well past the reach of “low level workers in Cincinnati”, were decried in the beholden and supplicant liberal media as paranoid, complete with vehement denials by IRS officials to Congress.

“Yes, I can give you assurances,” said Shulman. “As you know, we pride ourselves on being a nonpolitical, nonpartisian organization.” He pointed out that only he and the IRS chief counsel are Presidential appointees, and they are appointed for five-year terms in order to overlap administrations.

Doug Shulman is either a liar or an incompetent. Taking into consideration this Administration’s propensity for deceit and the lack of integrity of its officials, I would need to see damned strong evidence that he is not the former. Besides, if the IRS is interested in finding tax cheats, it really doesn’t have to look far.

Remember, this is the government that Obama touts as the solution to all our problems. This is OUR democracy, right? Then why does Administration behave more like Castro’s Cuba or Khruschev’s Soviet Union than the United States of America?

Tyranny is just around the corner? Well, in your Administration, President Obama, it is in full view. You are not to be trusted. Your motives are wicked, and harmful to our Republic and our liberties. Nor are any officials you have appointed to be trusted. They lack integrity and decency, and any sense of responsibility to carry out the duties they are entrusted with in an honest and faithful manner. Those who continue to scream “benefit of the doubt” and “no proof!” when the fix is in, as it is with virtually everything this Administration touches, are willfully blind nincompoops. That they expect others to be, and level criticism when they aren’t, is nothing short of delusional.

“It is freedom itself that still hangs in the balance,
and freedom is never more than one generation from extinction.”

-RR

********************************

Our esteemed host confirms that the Administration’s story in this mess is all a lie. Shulman knew. So did Lois Lerner. They lied. The Administration lied. Like Benghazi and Fast and Furious and Obamacare and gun control and transparency and unemployment and Solyndra and ACORN and… You get the idea.

7 Comments

Filed under Around the web, history, islam, Lybia, obama, Politics, veterans, war

by ultimaratioregis | May 6, 2013 · 11:53 am

Benghazi: Obama Administration Caught in Coverup

The “whistleblowers” in the Benghazi attack have finally been heard from. And the news is entirely unsurprising, though no less maddening for it.

Susan Rice lied.

Hillary Clinton lied.

CJCS General Martin Dempsey lied.

Barack Obama lied.

The Administration knew the truth, even as the Benghazi attack was occurring. They deliberately misled the American people, and the Mainstream Media outlets were complicit in the cover-up that followed.

Not that anyone who paid the slightest attention to the events as they occurred and immediately after the death of Ambassador Stevens and three other Americans had any doubt as to the deliberate falsehoods being promulgated by this Administration through the news media, who willingly and unquestioningly trumpeted those falsehoods. In addition to the media’s complicity in the Administration’s deliberate deceit, media personalities attacked those voices who were critical of the botched tragedy in Benghazi, and who were suspicious of the unconvincing tales being told by Administration officials.

The one I have the most contempt for is Marty Dempsey. He has shown himself time and again of questionable loyalty and lacking in integrity. He sold his honor cheap. And there is no recovering it from the bazaar of the political marketplace. He is unfit to lead, and no longer deserves to wear a uniform. He is despicable.

The individual with the most to lose is former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who may yet see this testimony (which the mainstream media can no longer ignore) damage her chances as the Democratic nominee in 2016. Because it does matter, Hillary. And you know it.

The biggest hypocrite, however, is the sitting President. He spoke yesterday at Ohio State’s commencement, where he derided those voices who warn that government isn’t to be trusted. Perhaps his Attorney General, Eric Holder, can label any US citizen calling Barack Obama a hypocrite as an “extremist”, maybe even a “violent extremist”, and target them for death by Hellfire. The new, streamlined due process arrangement should make that easy enough.

So much for this democracy being “ours”.

Filed under Around the web, guns, history, islam, Lybia, obama, Politics, veterans, war

by ultimaratioregis | May 3, 2013 · 4:11 pm

150 Years Ago: Chancellorsville, May 3rd, 1863

An interesting post over at Op-For by the redoubtable LtCol P commemorating the 150th anniversary of the famous Stonewall Jackson flank attack in the middle of the week-long battle.

While the Battle of Chancellorsville was a stunning Southern victory, and the end of General Joe Hooker’s time at the head of the Army of the Potomac, the battle was not all disaster for the Federals, nor did their soldiers fail to fight. Some fought extraordinarily well. The 240-odd Officers and men of the 115th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, fighting under Dan Sickles’ Third Corps, held the western wall of the Federal position just west of Wilderness Church, in and around Hazel Grove. The Regimental History for the 115th PA Vol. Inf. tells the story:

At daylight on the 3^rd, the first line was attacked. After holding its position for an hour, it fell back on its supports. The Second line was then ordered to advance. With alacrity it sprang forward, driving the enemy, when Colonel Lancaster fell, pierced through the temple with a minie-ball, [sic] the command devolving on Major Dunne. Without faltering, the line pressed forward, recapturing the breastworks, taking four hundred prisoners and two stands of colors… The position was held against the desperate efforts to carry it…

The price, including the desperate fighting withdrawal on the 6th, was high.

The Regiment entered the battle with fourteen Officers and two-hundred thirty men; of these, Colonel Lancaster, and Captains John J. Donnelly and George Cromley were killed, and Captains Richard Dillon and Wm. A. Reilly, and Lieutenants William J. Ashe, James Malloy, and Evan Davis were wounded, the two latter mortally. Captain Dillon lost his left arm. Eight men were killed, seventy-three wounded, and twenty-two missing; an aggregate loss of one-hundred eleven.

One of those seventy-three wounded was Private C. A. Warner of D Co., who was struck in the chest by a Rebel musket ball.

Warner, C.A. Private Wounded at Chancellorsville, Va., May 3, 1863 (Pa. Archives); Tr. to Co. D, 110th Regiment, P.V., June 22, 1864 D

Surgeons could not remove it, so it remained in his chest for the remainder of his life, which was all too short. Just weeks before his son, my grandfather, was born in 1885, Christopher A. Warner died of complications from his wound. He was 43.

One of the most incredibly moving experiences I ever had was walking through the Chancellorsville Battlefield in 1986 while at the Basic School. Our 25-mile MCCRES hike was conducted there, and while 25 miles in 8 hours with a full march order is no leisure stroll, the venue was inspired. On our breaks, Park Rangers would conduct impromptu lecture on the course of the battle. I asked a Ranger at one point where the 115th PA Volunteers had fought, and he informed me that we were standing on the spot.

Knowing that I was within yards of where one of my ancestors had been wounded in the Civil War was both a thrill and a strongly compelling experience. Even after the nearly thirty years, I remember every detail of the spot, and of the few minutes spent in thought, before shouldering MY pack again and falling into the long column of men being trained for war. It is something I shall never forget.

[Update-XBrad]- Of course, for ALL your American Civil War blogging needs, be sure to check out Craig’s blog To The Sound Of The Guns. He’s devoted considerable space to Chancellorsville.

6 Comments

Filed under army, Artillery, guns, history, marines, Personal, Uncategorized, veterans, war

by ultimaratioregis | May 1, 2013 · 5:15 pm

Atheists in Foxholes

Seems it might become policy for the US Military. Unless you are Muslim. Which is fine, provided you can somehow refrain from blowing up your CO with a grenade, or shooting four dozen comrades while yelling “ALLAHU AKBAR!” And even if you do, we can conjure terms like “pre-traumatic stress” and speculate about discrimination being the cause if not the justification for such acts.

But those Christians. They’re monsters.

Those who believe this will end up as a “common-sense” regulation against those forcing their religion, unwelcome, upon comrades and juniors must have missed the DoD genuflecting (pun intended) to Islam, Global Warming, Diversity, Gun Control, Feminism, LGBT, and the various other “religions” that General and Flag Officers spend an inordinate amount of time proselytizing as a matter of command influence.

Could one imagine the Defense Department having ANY dealings with someone who declared sharing the Koran with fellow Muslims to be “spiritual rape” and those who do so are “enemies” of the Constitution?

The reason, perhaps, that this grates so is that it is another in a long line under this Administration, with these GOFOs, of political pandering to the far-Left, anti-Christian, anti-cleric secular progressives. With no end in sight.

But don’t worry, Marty Dempsey and your band of bended-knee political servants. Jesus loves you.

Some of the rest of us can’t stand the sight of you.

Filed under Air Force, army, Around the web, history, islam, marines, navy, obama, Politics, veterans, war

by ultimaratioregis | April 28, 2013 · 11:19 am

All That for a Flag; Navy Officer who Provided Iwo Jima Flag Dies at 90

Navy Lieutenant Alan Wood, Communications Officer aboard LST 779, the man who provided the second and larger Iwo Jima flag raised by the patrol of 28th Marines in the war’s most iconic image, has passed away at 90.

Semper Fidelis, Lieutenant Wood. You may report into the growing formation of heroes mustering on the fantail above.

Filed under Around the web, history, marines, navy, SIR!, veterans, war

by ultimaratioregis | · 6:39 am

VX in Syria; A Vexing Question

The Telegraph reports, in an article on the fight for the Al-Safirah chemical facility:

The Syrian regime’s chemical warchest is indeed vast – the biggest in the Middle East, and the fourth largest in the world. Started in the 1970s ranks with help from Syria’s Cold War sponsor, Russia, today its programme includes facilities for making mustard gas, sarin and another nerve agent, VX, which stays lethal for much longer after dispersal.

Of course, this is not the first revelation that Assad’s chemical inventory contained VX. Former Syrian Army Chemical Officer MajGen Adnan Sillou discussed the matter in a December 2012 interview:

He listed mustard gas along with the sarin, VX and tabun nerve agents as the main elements in Syria’s chemical arsenal, whose existence Syria doesn’t even acknowledge.

Despite the anguished cries of the Bush-haters, the question of VX in Syria is a vexing one for the “no chemical weapons in Iraq” crowd. Only four countries have ever been known to produce VX; Great Britain, where it was discovered/invented, the United States, the Soviet Union, and Iraq.

So, how did VX end up in Basher Al-Assad’s arsenal? One of two ways, it would seem, or some combination thereof. It was either provided by what the Telegraph calls Syria’s “Cold War sponsor” (the Soviet Union, not Russia), or it came from Syria’s southeastern neighbor, Saddam’s Iraq. Or both.

Methinks that the VX stockpiles have MAKSIM‘s fingerprints all over them. The presence of a KGB General in Iraq in the months leading up to the US invasion cannot plausibly be explained by casting him as an “adviser”. Primakov had intimate knowledge of Iraq’s chemical capabilties, and would have been in an ideal position to help remove Saddam’s remaining stockpile, along with evidence of Soviet/Russian culpability.

Another alternative is the possibility that the Soviet Union (or Russia post-1991) provided Syria with VX directly. Were that the case, the likelihood that the Soviets/Russians did the same with Iraq (or provided technical assistance to manufacture) increases dramatically.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons that Putin’s Russia has remained in the protector role of Assad in Syria, far and above that which would logically attend a regime on such shaky ground internally. And would explain Primakov’s presence in Iraq in the months leading up to the US invasion.

In either case, those who refuse to acknowledge Syria’s possession of VX, the most lethal of nerve agents, and by far the most difficult to produce, have to do some soul searching. It might serve them well to search all the way back to 2003.

Filed under Around the web, guns, history, iraq, islam, obama, Politics, Uncategorized, war

by ultimaratioregis | April 25, 2013 · 5:14 pm

Bringing the Raiders Home from Makin

The events of this video occurred in 1999-2000. I remember the story then, but I did not know the most amazing part of the story. That the Butaritari people of that island had buried the Marine dead, had given them a warriors’ burial, is astounding and incredibly moving.

The August 1942 Makin Raid by Carlson’s 2nd Raider Bn killed a large number of Japanese on the island, but the raid was not really a success. as no prisoners were taken, and no Japanese forces diverted from the Solomons to the Gilberts. Nonetheless, the Butaritari people honored the sacrifice of those Marines, and protected their slain comrades from the hated Japanese until they were liberated in November of 1943.

(Among those on the Makin Raid was 2nd Lt Oscar Peatross, who would win a Navy Cross there. I had the honor of meeting him when I was stationed at Parris Island in the early 90s.)

Don’t be surprised to get dust in your eye while watching the video. Nineteen brave young Marines, honored by the people they died to free, and again by those they died to keep free. Semper Fidelis.

H/T to Dennis

Filed under army, guns, history, infantry, marines, navy, Uncategorized, veterans, war

by ultimaratioregis | April 24, 2013 · 5:42 am

Winning Words From a Warlord

In the very darkest days of the Second World War, when England stood alone, and suffered alone, Prime Minister Winston Churchill replaced his friend General Edmund Ironside, veteran of two wars, as Chief of the Imperial General Staff with General Sir John Dill. Churchill told Dill:

“We cannot afford to confine Army appointments to persons who have excited no hostile comments in their careers… This is a time to try men of force and vision, and not to be exclusively confined to those who are judged to be thoroughly safe by conventional standards.”

Ponder.

But for the leadership in our Armed Forces to embrace such sentiment.

Filed under Air Force, army, history, marines, navy, Politics, SIR!, Uncategorized, veterans, war

by ultimaratioregis | April 19, 2013 · 8:52 am

The “Wrong” Suspects in Boston

Well, Boston police did not produce the category of suspect that most of the mainstream media and former advisors to the Obama Administration almost immediately speculated, indeed, fervently HOPED it would be. The suspects are not white ‘Tea Party’ anti-government types, who picked the city, Boston, and the day of the attack, Patriots’ Day, for the symbolic value of violent opposition to President Obama.

Instead, the suspects were two young brothers from Chechnya, an overwhelmingly Sunni Islamic region. Though motive is certainly difficult to determine for sure immediately, the chances are now ZILCH that it was anti-Obama Tea Party villain or villains who decided to slaughter innocent Americans. Despite myriad commentary that virtually campaigned for a conservative white male to be the target.

CNN’s Peter Bergen speculated that the terrorists were “right-wing extremists”.

Charles Pierce, of Esquire, gave us this bit of brilliance:

I would caution folks jumping to conclusions about foreign terrorism to remember that this is the official Patriots Day holiday in Massachusetts, celebrating the Battles at Lexington and Concord, and that the actual date (April 19) was of some significance to, among other people, Tim McVeigh, because he fancied himself a waterer of the tree of liberty and the like.

There was, of course, David Sirota at Salon.com, who expresses his strong preference for white terrorists, while somehow missing the point about radical Islam actually close to BEING an existential threat.

Michael Moore was, of course, certain of the guilt of the Tea Party he despises so much.

And, also, this from taxpayer-funded NPR‘s Dina Temple-Raston:

“April is a big month for anti-government and right-wing individuals,” she said.

“There’s the Columbine anniversary. There’s Hitler’s birthday. There’s the Oklahoma City bombing. The assault on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco,” she added.

There are a host of other instances of such wishful speculation, on the talking head panels, the liberal blogosphere, and on “twiddah” from the not-so-cerebral far Left.

The most telling, disturbingly so, was the commentary from former Obama adviser David Axelrod. He posited rather confidently what would be President Obama’s thought process and first instinct. While he couches it in softer language, his message is clear. President Obama first looks to his political opponents as the possible terrorists, and opposition to him and his policies as the motive. Axelrod is eminently correct in his assertion.

This, despite the fact that those who believe in the Constitution and oppose his explosive government growth, intrusion into our privacy, curtailing of our freedoms, and raiding of our wallets have never violated the law, threatened to violate the law, or considered indiscriminate murder of innocent people to be the way to get their points across. Unlike Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn, who still do.

The Obama Administration has to be bitterly disappointed. The terrorists weren’t “home grown” white men who fit Janet Napolitano’s description of Veterans who believe in smaller government, the Second Amendment, and God. They did not give him a reason to further restrict the rights of the law-abiding, or to disparage those who disagree with him as unreasonable and dangerous criminals.

In fact, these terrorists, who they are and what they did, both at the Marathon on Monday and last evening, put paid to the falsehood that infringing on the Constitutional liberties of the law-abiding with draconian gun laws will prevent someone intent on evil from perpetrating that evil. Fresh off the stinging rebuke of his anti-gun platform by a Democratic Senate, President Obama cannot even leverage his beholden press to further demonize non-liberal white males as terrorists and murderers who pose a threat to our freedoms.

However, there should be considerable alarm at the willingness, or rather enthusiasm, with which the majority of our media and government officials ruminate, without proof or precedent, on the collective culpability of an entire segment of American citizens. They simply rub their hands and wait for a chance to bring the full weight of government authority and public opinion (to the extent that they influence the latter) to bear against those they disagree with.

Well, maybe next time.

In the meantime, I will cling to my guns and my religion and the Constitution. But I have no illusions about the desire of my own government to target me, because of my race and my beliefs, and label me an enemy. After this fiasco in Boston, none of us should. All they need are the “right suspects”.

Filed under history, islam, obama, ossettia, Politics, recruiting, Uncategorized, war

by ultimaratioregis | April 17, 2013 · 8:07 pm

“Shameful” is the Right Word

Barack Obama seethed as the Democratically-controlled Senate rejected an amendment that would require Federal background checks for gun sales between private citizens. (He did so, of course, instead of attending the funeral services of a staunch American ally and LEADER.) His ploy to use families of the Sandy Hook tragedy as emotionally-charged props to push his long-standing anti-gun agenda did not sway even his own party, which had four defectors, guaranteeing defeat of the measure. True to form, Obama blames the NRA. He claims the NRA’s suspicion of his motives and interpretations of the language of the bill constitutes “deliberate falsehoods”. Obama admonished the Senate in a semi-tantrum when the defeat of the legislation was announced.

“All in all this was a pretty shameful day for Washington,” Obama said in the Rose Garden, after walking to the podium with his arm around Giffords and hugged the relatives of victims of the December shooting.

Obama’s complaint that the NRA spread deliberate falsehoods is ironic in the extreme. With his staff of political assassins that scour high and low to find information to discredit political opponents, not one statement from the NRA has been produced that shows any kind of falsehood regarding the Obama/Feinstein/Schumer/Bloomberg gun-grabbing agenda. If there were, it would be in the headline of every of the beholden mainstream media outlets which kowtow to the Obama Administration so meekly. But there are none.

Regarding such assertions about the NRA, Gertrude might tell Barack Obama that he “doth protest too much”. From Fast and Furious to Obamacare to Benghazi, and now with the tall tales of the effects of Sequestration, the Obama Administration is chock-full of deceitful fibbers, beginning with the President. Obama’s insistence that Sequestration was an idea born in Congress and not the White House is such a canard.

Barack Obama deriding the Senate as “shameful” for not falling into line and passing his anti-gun agenda smacks once again of his notion that the Executive is more important than the Legislative. His declaration of reflecting the “will of the people” he thinks should be enough to rubber-stamp any and all proposals to infringe upon our Constitutional freedoms. Hardly a surprise from a man whose appointment to Attorney General believes a secret deliberation of high government officials constitutes “due process” and should be grounds for directing the killing of American citizens.

The American people, elected officials included, have had a strong object lesson this week, that those who wish to perpetrate evil will do so with a variety of means, and the further curtailing of the rights of legal gun owners will do nothing to prevent that fact but plenty to expand the authority of government. The Senate was not buying the thinly-veiled gun-grabber initiative whose start would have been today’s proposed amendment. So Obama continues in his Alinsky-mode portrayal of political opponents as national enemies. With the help, of course, of the “free” press he keeps in his pocket.

But perhaps there’s good news. Police have identified two suspects, both white, who have a history of extremist speech and planting bombs to kill innocent people to advance their anti-government political agenda.

Oh, wait…..

All in all this was a pretty shameful four years in Washington.

Filed under Lybia, obama, Politics, veterans, war

by ultimaratioregis | April 15, 2013 · 11:40 am

Political Officers of the People’s Defense Commissariat

Over on the Front Porch, the ever-thoughtful Commander Salamander has some very good thoughts on an initiative by which commanders and General/Flag Officers would be subject to evaluation above and beyond what should be the considered judgment of their reporting seniors and reviewing officers. Salamander calls it “Outsourcing Leadership”, and so it is. He makes good arguments as to why such a thing should be anathema to anyone who considers him/herself worthy of high command.

While I agree with everything Sal says, I do believe very strongly that the implications are far more destructive than he points out. What this new “review” is setting the conditions for is nothing less than an evaluation of Officers in the US Armed Forces for their political and social reliability. We have had a long tradition of political non-alignment among especially our senior commanders, but also among Officers, commissioned and non-commissioned, which has largely protected us from the scourge of a military that is a social force that has its say in national politics. No Kurt Schleicher or Francisco Franco here. Our military leaders who have held office have been retired from the Armed Forces before doing so. Any test of political and social reliability was in the obverse, in that propriety was maintained by refraining from expressing personal opinions or political views in uniform, especially as a part of official duties of office.

The landscape changed dramatically in 2009, when CJCS Admiral Mike Mullen indulged in telling Congress and the American people, unsolicited, his personally-held views on repeal of DADT and open service for homosexuals in America’s military. At the time I warned of the damage of that unprofessional, arrogant, and selfish act. Soon, Mullen informed our service men and women that, unless they held the same personal beliefs he did, they were not fit to serve, and should “vote with their feet”. We were on our way down the well-greased slope.

This Administration, many of whose principles have openly and loudly expressed their disdain for our military (Hillary Clinton conspicuously among them), has spared no effort to co-opt military leadership into conforming to a political stance. Even when Stanley McChrystal was justifiably relieved, he blithely informed the American public that he had indeed personally voted for Obama, and such a revelation garnered scant attention. One has to imagine that, had he mentioned he had voted for John McCain, the howls of the Administration and its complicit “free press” would have been deafening. Rightly. But because McChrystal voted “correctly”, not a peep of of objection was heard.

The push to allow Commanding Generals to order confiscation of lawfully-owned firearms from service members in private residences has far less to do with any kind of prevention, and much more to do with General Officers falling in behind a gun control agenda that anyone in DoD is willing to admit. Violation of due process and Constitutional liberties of those who defend our freedom is scant cost for active advocating of a Leftist crusade.

In the midst of escalation of rhetoric and sabre-rattling of a nuclear North Korea and a China bullying our allies over two sets of disputed islands, the Commander of the Seventh Fleet informs us that he believes the biggest security threat in his assigned Area of Operations is…. global warming. Someone in Locklear’s position who says something so patently absurd and politically pandering should be relieved forthwith as someone who lacks the judgment and/or integrity to lead. If he doesn’t believe his own words, he is disingenuous and untrustworthy. If he does, he is an imbecile. In either event, he does not belong where he is. But, of course, he remains. He toes the line of political agenda.

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, a political appointee, volunteers the US Navy to be a beta-tester of biofuels, at enormous expense, not least of which is the up-front cost of the fuel itself, but as yet undetermined is the cost of the damage that the corrosion and water will do to extremely expensive systems in ships and aircraft in the medium-long term. While Mabus doesn’t wear a uniform, I would speculate that nobody who does raised a single objection to SECNAV in any way, or told him how inappropriate such measures were, that it amounted to incestuous political pandering at the expense of readiness and warfighting. Not one.

When outgoing Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta fired his parting political broadside and removed the exclusion of putting women in combat arms units (the issue is NOT women in combat, and anyone honestly evaluating the situation knows that), there were loud promises from every corner that standards would not be lowered. Until CJCS General Dempsey quickly said that the would be, to accommodate making women successfully pass the training requirements.

To anyone who watches what is said and not said, all these occurrences are signposts that point in the direction of travel. This “review process” is another waypoint on that journey of the destruction of the fiber of our Armed Forces and its leadership. That same CJCS, General Marty Dempsey, is now mandating that the review program will include inspections.

The inspections will not be punitive, but will provide a “periodic opportunity for general officers and flag officers to understand whether, from an institutional perspective, we think they are inside or outside the white lines,” he said. In addition, new programs will be instituted to ensure that a commander’s staff, and a spouse, are fully aware of military regulations.

This is the Marty Dempsey who violated his oath to our Constitution on two occasions, actively criticizing the legal free expression of private citizens in direct violation of that Constitution he is sworn to support and defend against all enemies. In the Benghazi incident, Dempsey’s admonitions amounted to a deliberate falsehood, a lie, to perpetuate the lies told us by our State Department (and Hillary Clinton) that the attack on the embassy was a spontaneous one stemming from a demonstration regarding an online anti-Muslim video, when both he and SecState knew good and well their words were false. He readily and easily forfeited his integrity for his bosses. Are we now expected to believe that those “white lines” reflect the traditional role of the non-political military officer? The traditional tenets of leadership, technical and tactical proficiency, integrity, judgment, courage, decisiveness, and the others, will be pre-empted and eventually superceded by assurance of political reliability and the “correct” beliefs regarding social and political issues, and a willingness to set aside one’s honor at the behest of military and political seniors.

Why ever would we expect any different? Men (and women) in uniform who behave as political sycophants should not be trusted to lead. Certainly, Martin Dempsey has proven on several occasions not to be worthy of my trust, nor yours. Except to use these new standards of performance as a tool to remake the senior officers of our military in his image, that of a pliant servant of political masters, whose oath to the Constitution is a mere gesture. Those who conform to that mold will not be worthy of our trust, either. When the choice is between obedience to our Constitution or obedience to political bosses, why, it won’t be a choice at all.

Alles klar, Herr Kommisar?

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Filed under Air Force, army, infantry, marines, navy, obama, Politics, Uncategorized, veterans, war

by ultimaratioregis | April 13, 2013 · 5:28 pm

A Hero’s Burial; LtCol Don C. Faith, Jr, Commander of Task Force Faith

Army Lieutenant Colonel Don C. Faith Jr., commander of “Task Force Faith”, whose remains were identified on Wednesday, will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery on April 17th.

Army Lt. Col. Don C. Faith Jr. of Washington, Ind., will be buried April 17, in Arlington National Cemetery. Faith was a veteran of World War II and went on to serve in the Korean War. In late 1950, Faith’s 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, which was attached to the 31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT), was advancing along the eastern side of the Chosin Reservoir, in North Korea. From Nov. 27 to Dec. 1, 1950, the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces (CPVF) encircled and attempted to overrun the U.S. position. During this series of attacks, Faith’s commander went missing, and Faith assumed command of the 31st RCT. As the battle continued, the 31st RCT, which came to be known as “Task Force Faith,” was forced to withdraw south along Route 5 to a more defensible position. During the withdrawal, Faith continuously rallied his troops, and personally led an assault on a CPVF position.

Records compiled after the battle of the Chosin Reservoir, to include eyewitness reports from survivors of the battle, indicated that Faith was seriously injured by shrapnel on Dec. 1, 1950, and subsequently died from those injuries on Dec. 2, 1950. His body was not recovered by U.S. forces at that time. Faith was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor – the United States’ highest military honor – for personal acts of exceptional valor during the battle.

LtCol Faith’s Medal of Honor citation:

Lt. Col. Faith, commanding 1st Battalion, distinguished himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity in action above and beyond the call of duty in the area of the Chosin Reservoir. When the enemy launched a fanatical attack against his battalion, Lt. Col. Faith unhesitatingly exposed himself to heavy enemy fire as he moved about directing the action. When the enemy penetrated the positions, Lt. Col. Faith personally led counterattacks to restore the position. During an attack by his battalion to effect a junction with another U.S. unit, Lt. Col. Faith reconnoitered the route for, and personally directed, the first elements of his command across the ice-covered reservoir and then directed the movement of his vehicles which were loaded with wounded until all of his command had passed through the enemy fire. Having completed this he crossed the reservoir himself. Assuming command of the force his unit had joined he was given the mission of attacking to join friendly elements to the south. Lt. Col. Faith, although physically exhausted in the bitter cold, organized and launched an attack which was soon stopped by enemy fire. He ran forward under enemy small-arms and automatic weapons fire, got his men on their feet and personally led the fire attack as it blasted its way through the enemy ring. As they came to a hairpin curve, enemy fire from a roadblock again pinned the column down. Lt. Col. Faith organized a group of men and directed their attack on the enemy positions on the right flank. He then placed himself at the head of another group of men and in the face of direct enemy fire led an attack on the enemy roadblock, firing his pistol and throwing grenades. When he had reached a position approximately 30 yards from the roadblock he was mortally wounded, but continued to direct the attack until the roadblock was overrun. Throughout the 5 days of action Lt. Col. Faith gave no thought to his safety and did not spare himself. His presence each time in the position of greatest danger was an inspiration to his men. Also, the damage he personally inflicted firing from his position at the head of his men was of material assistance on several occasions. Lt. Col. Faith’s outstanding gallantry and noble self-sacrifice above and beyond the call of duty reflect the highest honor on him and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Army.

I do pray that such sacrifice on that peninsula will not soon be required again, but should it be, that we have men like LtCol Faith in our ranks.

Rest easy, Colonel. The strife is o’er, the battle done.

Filed under army, Around the web, guns, history, Uncategorized, veterans, war

by ultimaratioregis | April 12, 2013 · 7:49 pm

Goodbye to Pike, in the Furniture Van; Jonathan Winters dies at 87

Comedic genius and Marine Veteran Jonathan Winters has passed away at 87. Steve Martin called him one of the “great greats”, and so he was. A master of improv, and THE master of innuendo, Winters’ physical and intellectual comedy never failed to bring laughter.

Winters served in the Marine Corps during World War II, and was a regular on the Tonight Show, with Jack Paar and Johnny Carson, Dean Martin, and a host of others. He was in a million things, but my favorite of all time was as Pike, the driver of the furniture van, in Stanley Kramer’s 1963 comedy epic It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. ”D’ya know how many loads of furniture I’d have to take from Modesto to Yuma to earn that kind of money?” I’ve seen the movie close to forty times, and he makes me laugh, still, even when I know the lines are coming. To this day, when I have been trying to figure something out and it finally comes to me, I will say “That’s it! Sure! The Big W!!!”

Semper Fidelis, Marine. And thanks for the laughs.

Filed under Around the web, history, Humor, marines, Personal, stupid, veterans, war

by ultimaratioregis | April 11, 2013 · 5:21 am

DPRK’s Secret Weapon!

Nukes? Nope. Taepo Dong II? Not hardly.

They may have typhus or cholera, but you can bet they aren’t fatties (only one of them, it seems, in the whole country!) and likely have great legs under those uniforms. No wonder Kim loves summer in Pyongyang.

H/T Color Sergeant Sweeney of the 24th Foot.

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Filed under girls, guns, Humor, veterans, war

by ultimaratioregis | April 10, 2013 · 2:53 pm

In Some Places, it Seems, the Behavior Comes Naturally

The Telegraph has an interesting article on former German Chancellor Helmuth Kohl, who admitted to “acting like a dictator” in forcing the Euro on Germany. He admits he did so against the will of the people. Consequences be damned.

“I knew that I could never win a referendum in Germany,” he said. “We would have lost a referendum on the introduction of the euro. That’s quite clear. I would have lost and by seven to three.”

So, let’s go over this again. Your country’s people would have been overwhelmingly against an economic measure that you forced down their throats, with the idea that you knew better than them what was in their best interests…. You get what you wanted…

“If a Chancellor is trying to push something through, he must be a man of power. And if he’s smart, he knows when the time is ripe. In one case – the euro – I was like a dictator … The euro is a synonym for Europe. Europe, for the first time, has no more war.”

… and it is in the middle of coming apart at the seams, for all the reasons you were warned about heading into the deal. The Euro certainly was not responsible for the peaceful existence of Europe since 1945, or even 1991. The evolution from the European Common Market from a cooperative of heavy industry and transportation to the rampant and malignant socialism of today’s “come one, come all” European Union, was one from economic relationships borne of necessity to the wishful thinking of those who believed in the “no more borders” Socialist paradise. With predictable results. The weaker economies hitched on for the ride, which was provided by the industry and GDP of the stronger economies. Now, the weaker economies are in free-fall, in need of constant injections of capital to keep the Euro from collapsing and taking the whole kit and kaboodle with it.

The article goes on to point out the hitch in the get-along with the idea of a common European currency (Which Margaret Thatcher so eloquently and presciently warned against!):

In the interview, Mr Kohl said that much of the resistance in Germany was to the idea of a currency union without an economic and fiscal union. The lack of fiscal union underpinning the single currency is the heart of Europe’s current debt crisis.

The “fiscal union” is precisely what Germany is pushing for, that they have some control over the profligate spending habits of EU members to whom they have given hundreds of billions in bailouts, with no end in sight. The Greeks and Spaniards and Italians are quick to label the Germans as being officious and meddlesome, but even quicker to burn through German money to fund rampant socialism despite weak economies.

Hmmm…… Does that ring familiar at all? The takers criticizing the earners as selfish and meddlesome for wanting some control over how the money they earned is spent. Tensions, and emotions, are running high, as sovereign nations rediscover the value of that sovereignty. No more war? Stay tuned. The Euro may be the single greatest impetus to the next one.

A Republic is not the thing of simple majority rule. Nor is it the thing of an office holder unilaterally acting against the will of the people and the other institutions of government. Should either occur consistently, there will be no Republic at all. And then, “acting” like a dictator will not be “acting” at all.