March 27, 2005 Kashar News (SANA)
Captain Barr lets us know how many bad guys went to meet Allah last week. Nice touch the bad guys have, placing grenades under their dead buddies in the field. Read all about it here. The guys will like this one, the news groupie/reporter calls Capt. Barr the "commander of Coalition forces". Somebody in Kabul should be alerted to the change.
posted by Midwest Jay @ 6:12 AM
1 comments
March 23, 2005 Afghanistan Sun online
Looks like Salerno took a few more air mail. The arty guys dusted off the guns, and with the help of some air power, they got five of the Wahhabi freaks. The article says no US wounded/killed. See the Sunday March 13 post, in the March archives, for a picture of the Army guys shooting of the 155mm party horns. Great photo of the muzzle blast and the shell leaving the howitzer.
posted by Midwest Jay @ 9:16 PM
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March 22, 2005
Is there a good detailed map of Afghanistan, or Khost Province, online? One with all of the rural villages marked would be killer. I would make an overlay of the map detailing where many of the news stories are taking place and try to sidebar it for permanent reference. I could at least link to it when locations are significant to a story. Email me or post a comment.
posted by Midwest Jay @ 2:42 PM
1 comments
March 19, 2005 Khaleej Times Online (AFP)
WOLVES. That's right wolves. The long hard, deep snow winter has driven wolves to prey on locals walking mountain paths. And we think it's rough when the kids use all the hot water in the morning. Read all about the latest scourge to haunt the rural people of Khost and Paktia provinces.
posted by Midwest Jay @ 10:52 AM
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March 21, 2005 BBC online
More talk about Taliban amnesty, and how it's going. Seems the fight is leaving the bad guys, according to the interviews in this article.
posted by Midwest Jay @ 10:41 AM
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March 20, 2005 Denver Post
The governor of Khost Province talks to more Taliban mid-level leaders ready to give upu fighting and come home. Since the Taliban really gave the boot heel to some of the country's other minorities, like the Tadjik and Uzbeks, the central government in Kabul is having a hard time making amnesty a going policy. However, if the Marines think it is a good idea, then let them come home and jopin the good guys. Once again the elections turned the tide and showed them they can't beat freedom and the U.S. Marine Corps. Read all about it.
posted by Midwest Jay @ 1:54 AM
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March 03, 2005 DefendAmerica.gov
This story tells us of this winter's Operation Thunder Freedom. The mission was to train the locals, keep on the pressure and ready for spring uptick in Wahhabi freak attacks. Sgt. Arocho, from Weapons Co., tells us all about it, here. A good picture of 3/3 Lima on patrol also.
posted by Midwest Jay @ 7:20 AM
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March 17, 2005
If you want to send our heroes a little morale booster include the words ANY MARINE in the return address and the TO:
Troy Carroll
3D BN 3D Marines, Weapons Co.
Unit 44095
FPO AP 96607-4095
Troy has been doling out the goodies from the packages.
posted by Midwest Jay @ 8:19 AM
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March 16, 2005 AfghanistanSun
The recent email from the guys says lots of rain, but this is ridiculous. It's not monsoon season, it is flood season. I guess the whole countryside is just one big mud pie. The floods and rain described here. Thinking of a renaming ceremony - U.S.S. Salerno? Note to me - Remember to include more water repellant spray and gore-tex socks in the next box.
posted by Midwest Jay @ 7:40 AM
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March 07, 2005 Combined Task Force - 76
Half way home and a little bird told me, here, that the #2 Marine at Central Command came to visit and tell the guys that the winds of change are blowing across the Middle East, thanks to them. The Big Cheese is Brigadier General Jerry McAbee. Why does it take a week to release this one? Is Gen. McAbee walking home, and still in the AO?
The Corps doesn't make links easy. Search "salerno" when you get to the site.
posted by Midwest Jay @ 11:17 PM
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The Sentinal - Eastern Afghan Theater Newsletter
Here is the direct link to The Sentinel's page that lets you choose among all the currently published issues. (hat tip - Lynn Ramseur). Good photos, along with many of the articles later republished by DefendAmerica.gov.
posted by Midwest Jay @ 9:47 PM
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December 31, 2004 DefendAmerica.org via brandonblog.homestead.com
That's right, the pictures that accompany the article are pretty good, so I inserted the article here. What did you do for fun on New Year's Eve? Well our heroes ran a civil affairs and security patrol on a snow choked mountain pass at 10,000 feet. Sleeping outside on top of the world, making friends with villagers, and looking for Wahhabi freaks, my idea of a real man's party. Scroll to the bottom Lynn.
posted by Midwest Jay @ 9:17 PM
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The Pashtun Tribal System by Bernt Glatzer 2002 (chapter 10 of tribal studies text book)
A great description in this document of how the Pashtun think of themselves as one large extended family. There are divisions and levels of loyalty according to your place in the tribal "family". The paper shows me that co-opting and using the Pashtun tribal culture, honor and judicial systems is the only way to gain their trust, and certainly the only way to ever gain their alliance against those Pashtun renegades opposing our presence in Afghanistan to back democracy and the Karzai government. By understanding the Pashtun tribal system and befriending it, the Marines are further isolating those tribal factions that oppose democracy and the Karzai regime. The winner here is that somebody in our government has figured out what the one- system- fits- all Soviets never did. A strong and unified Pashtun people are the key to a united and nationalistic Afghan people. A strong and unified Pashtun people are not at war with their tribal "family" members, and through their preeminent strength, they are gracious in allowing minority rights that coincide with a unified Aghanistan.
posted by Midwest Jay @ 8:36 PM
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Institute For Afghan Studies, UK, Post 9/11
A very academic paper describing exactly how the "Jirga" is used to solve all Pashtun tribal issues/problems and why it is a center piece to understanding how things work in the Afghan Pashtun tribal areas. The Jirga is a committee meeting of tribal elders to solve problems and dole out solutions according to tribal custom. The Jirga's decisions are final and enforceable. They are also usually recognized by the government as legitimate. Capt. Barr must have read this paper. The Marines, unlike other troops working the area have figured out how to use the system to their advantage and make friends and allies of the Pashtun by respecting their culture. The Pashtun obviously place much more emphasis on tribal ritual and custom over Islamic law. This is an advantage to the Marines, because the customs and culture are not exclusive to Muslims in the minds of the Pashtun. With respect, the Marines and America can gain acceptance. Somebody should get a copy of this to the Rangers pissing off the locals in Paktia Province. Required reading for civil affairs and intelligence folks in sure.
posted by Midwest Jay @ 8:21 PM
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February 05, 2005 DefendAmerica.gov
When it absolutely has to be there in 30 seconds. The 155mm guys send a few downrange, here, to show the locals that anyone within 20+ miles can be reached out and touched from Camp Salerno.
posted by Midwest Jay @ 9:44 PM
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March 5, 2005 Combined Joint Task Force - 76
You are in Afghanistan walking up and down the highest mountains in the world six days a week, and you finally get a day off. What do you do? Have a camp wide festival of physical competition of course. Read all about it, here. No posts about it on the company web site, let's hope the Army didn't show them up and they are hiding their shame of losses to the dogfaces.
posted by Midwest Jay @ 9:28 PM
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Can't be everywhere at once, if you see something I missed, send it along and we'll post it.
posted by Midwest Jay @ 12:41 PM
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March 13, 2005 Reuters
Two marines wounded in firefight north of Jalalabad, described here. Other news articles from the past tell me that this is 3/3 Lima territory. Pray for the guys. Once again, select Afghanistan in the side bar and scroll down. UPDATE - Latest news had the two guys treated for minor shrapnel wounds on scene and released to complete the mission.
posted by Midwest Jay @ 12:25 PM
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February 24, 2005 Reuters
The bad guys killed a local Afghan commander and his body guards, here, the helicopters came looking, and other subsequent stories report 8-10 bad guys going to meet Allah. The spring offensive might be starting to warm up. (select Afghanistan as country in sidebar)
posted by Midwest Jay @ 12:12 PM
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January 29, 2005 DefendAmerica.mil
The January firefight makes big news in the War On Terror, here, but leaves out the "Scarface" quotes related to us, here, on the Weapons Company's homepage news updates.
posted by Midwest Jay @ 11:57 AM
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You find out why this guy is such a pain in the ass, here, and why like they say in Texas - "This guy just needs killin."
posted by Midwest Jay @ 11:51 AM
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November 29, 2004 IOL Afga.com
Great article letting us know what it's like on the border looking into Pakistan, where Weapons Co. patrols sometimes. Some, if not most, of the firefight incidents reported in the news of the area originate near or around these border control posts. Makes me wonder if the Pakistani Army is really working with us, or playing both sides of the field. The main target for the Marines is not really OBL, but the scumbag named Jalaluddin Haqqani. The Afghans seem to want him for a few questions and answers too. This is only one of many articles I found, going back for three years, stating that Haqqani is the main pain in the ass on the border, killing him would be a major coup.
posted by Midwest Jay @ 11:39 AM
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February 26, 2005 USMC .mil
The guys stage a surprise mission, described here, that has them move 44-46 kilometers at night, surround a village by surprise, and then actually get the tribal elders to hand over the bad guys without a shot. Hell, the elders even fed the CO, he's even got pictures to prove it, here.
Good work guys, the Taliban doesn't stand a chance. Catching bad guys, rounding up weapons and making friends, all in one visit. You gotta believe.
posted by Midwest Jay @ 11:13 PM
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January 26, 2005 Christian Science Monitor
Great article, here, about the guys working intel leads in the rural areas. Cpt. Barr, the new Marine media darling, opines on how it is tricky business not offending the locals. Of course, the local militia and the US Army do that for them. But like true Marines, the story ends with the offended tribal local having the Marines as allies in resolving a propery dispute. "No better friends, no worse enemies", in action here.
posted by Midwest Jay @ 11:05 PM
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I like others wanted to help the guys overseas, certainly feeling guilty that I am watching the Middle East be liberated from an arm chair, so I logged on to Anysoldier.com, found Gunny Carroll, and the rest is minor and very obscure history.
A guy wants to know where those boxes end up, and op security probably prevents the guys from spilling their guts, so, I decided to search the web. I found what I could, and you would be surprised what is on the web. Hell, Captain Barr, of Weapons Company, is a regular media darling. I haven't figured out Col. Cheeks spot in the chain of command. Battalion CO? Marine P.R. liason?
The company's website, here, is good, but updated infrequently, and doesn't get very mission specific or area specific. I have been searching the web and maybe the guys and their families will be interested to see how often the guys make the news. Most of the news is even positive, despite the leanings of main stream media these days.
posted by Midwest Jay @ 10:39 PM
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This site is a collection of news and info from the web about the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines, Weapons Company, and their mission in Afghanistan. Some background information on the culture, people, and tribal customs of Khost and Paktia provinces may also be found here.
One wife, two kids (one boy, one girl), two dogs, Dodge truck, house in the burbs, but no picket fence
