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Archive for the ‘Michael Yon’ Category

Imagine spending your time (all your time) no more than 15 feet apart from your significant other:

Did you hear about that Buddhist couple who’re never more than 15 feet apart? Well, we tried it.

HT: Instapundit

Simon says:

A real shame exports are growing at a rate of about 2.8% a year. It is a shame manufacturing is booming. It is a shame Germans are moving factories to America.

It is a shame the Iraqis are getting a handle on Iraq. It is a shame they are holding national elections in October. It is a shame their economy is growing 5% a year.

It is a shame oil prices are up giving a boost to the sale of hybrids and high mileage vehicles.

It is a shame unemployment in the “worst economy since the depression” is only around 5%. It is a shame it only grew .9%. It is a shame that higher growth is expected in the coming quarters. Did I mention that Germans are building factories in America?

Considering the doofus we have as President it is a shame things are going as well as they are.

The Anchoress is on to something, at least in my opinion:

And the only way to hurt a congress is to vote them all out.

Whoever the incumbent is, vote for the other guy. A new congress full of greenhorns cannot be worse than the clowns in charge, now, and maybe the thick-heads facing re-election next time will finally understand. Maybe.

There is a classic picture at the end of the piece well worth checking out.

Will there be a Senator or Presidential candidate who will accept Michael Yon’s offer?

I hereby offer to accompany any Senator to Iraq, whether they are pro-or anti-war, Democrat or Republican. I will make this offer personally to a few select Senators as well. Our conversations during the visit would be on- or off-record, as they wish. Touring Iraq with me, as well as briefings by U.S. officers and meetings with Iraqis, would provide an accurate and nuanced account of the progress and challenges ahead, so that the Senators might have a highly informed perspective on this most critical issue. Our civilian leaders need to make decisions based on the best information available. The only way to learn what is really going on in Iraq is to go there and listen to our ground commanders, who know what they are doing. Generals Petraeus and Odierno have years of experience in Iraq, and vast knowledge of our efforts there. But the young soldiers who have done multiple tours in Iraq also have unique and invaluable perspectives as well. These young soldiers have personally witnessed the trajectory of the war shift dramatically, and can articulate those changes in concrete and specific terms. It doesn’t matter if a soldier is only twenty-something. If he or she spent two or three years in the war, that person is likely to have valuable insights. The best way to understand what is really going on is to listen closely to a wide range of service members who have done multiple tours in Iraq. Some will be negative, some will be positive, but overall I am certain that the vast majority of multi-tour Iraq veterans will testify that there has been great progress, and now there is hope. Combat veterans don’t tolerate happy talk or wishful thinking. They’ll tell you the raw truth as they see it.

Whether any Senators take advantage of my offer, I do hope that the presidential candidates visit Iraq, not just for a photo opportunity, but to spend time with our commanders and combat veterans, who know the truth and are not afraid to speak it.

This evening will bring the primary season to an end. If you wish to follow the results as they roll in CNN Election Center will begin posting them as the respective polls close.

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The usual Friday-Fly By will be pre-empted this week by a reading of Michael Yon’s, “Moment of Truth in Iraq.”

Due to the generosity of a very dear friend, I received my autographed copy yesterday afternoon. It was a long wait until free time late last evening allowed me to begin what I knew would be a compelling, factual account of events in Iraq.

At this moment, I have completed the first half of the publication and as expected, Michael continues with a writing style which transports you into the center of action. There are moments as with his dispatches, where the readers senses are in tune with those who are tirelessly fighting for not only our security but the freedom of the Iraqi people.

Thanks you dear friend for this gift and thank you Michael Yon for your honesty, candor and most of all your personal sacrifice so we may have a clearer picture of the horrors and successes of this war.

Now, back to reading.

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A new dispatch has been posted from Michael Yon. It is chock full of terrific information and photos as usual.

The final paragraph in this piece captured my attention. Because of the trust I have in Yon’s feelings and observations this gives me hope that we may be nearing a light at the end of at least one tunnel in Iraq:

There are no guarantees, but this could be the endgame for major combat operations in Iraq. Combat is likely to heat up in Mosul and western Nineveh by about May. There likely will be some reports of increased US and Iraqi casualties up here, but this does not mean that we are losing ground or that al Qaeda is resurging – though clearly they are trying. If there is an increase in casualties here as we go into the summer of 2008, it is because our people and the Iraqi forces are closing in. We have seen just how deadly al Qaeda can be. This enemy is desperate. They know they are losing. They are not likely to go out easy. The enemy is smart, agile and adaptive. Likely they will land some devastating blows on us, but at this rate, our people and Iraqi forces appear to be driving stakes through al Qaeda hearts faster than al Qaeda is regenerating.

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Michael Yon clearly thinks not:

The ‘journalists’ who broke the story got their scoop, and in doing so, needlessly endangered the lives of patriotic soldiers. There was no compelling reason to report on Harry’s service in Afghanistan. No public good was served. Shame on those who risked British lives.

This need to know mentality which we have developed is not only ridiculous, it is terribly dangerous.

Instead of Prince Harry arriving home with his unit to the adulation of British citizens, he returns with the knowledge that his revealed deployment and unit leaves others in increased danger.

I honestly don’t know how some of these journalists look at themselves in the mirror every day.

Because Drudge posted this story and put Prince Harry’s life in danger we are joining Venomous Kate and many other bloggers who are boycotting Drudge. Special hat tip to Inside Charm City.

Join the movement: Drop Drudge.

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Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids helps needy disabled children of Iraq by providing high quality pediatric wheelchairs, each sponsored by individual and corporate donors. Sponsors receive a picture of the disabled children as they are placed in their wheelchair for the first time! This is a unique opportunity, as families around the world have the opportunity to directly impact the life of an Iraqi family with a very real need in a big way.

Here’s Michael Yon’s post on the above topic, complete with photos.

While visiting Mr. Yon’s site you might want to also take a look at his most recent post.

Many Iraqis seem eager to reconcile. Iraqis, to my knowledge, do not talk of partitioning Iraq, as many folks thousands of miles away used to think was inevitable. The negotiations in Baghdad are grinding and frustrating, but progress is occurring, although it never will occur quickly enough for either Iraqis or for us.

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The final installment of Men of Valor has been posted by Michael Yon.

This one is content laden and chock full of photos. If you have followed the series, this is a must read.

Also, via email, Michael relays the following:

Hoping all is well on Super Tuesday in America and that all my readers who are eligible to vote make it a point to do so. If it seems like a lot of trouble to get out to the polls, consider that lives are in the balance. Everyone’s vote matters.

and

Mosul is getting increasingly dangerous as al Qaeda’s habitat continues to shrink. That’s where I am heading to bring readers the frontline news. This time, however, I do expect more of the bad and ugly mixed in with the good.

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News from Michael Yon via email:

Greetings:

I am back in Iraq, currently in South Baghdad on FOB Falcon with 1-4Cav. This battalion is doing so well with counterinsurgency that it has not been attacked a single time since 9 September 2007. Their area was one of the worst in all Iraq before they got here.

Men of Valor Part VII (from my time with British troops in late 2007) is published.

My book “Moment of Truth in Iraq” is a work in progress; information about ordering advance (signed) copies is available here: Moment of Truth in Iraq.

There is not enough time to write long dispatches while the book is still in progress; I plan to run a lot of missions during February. But I will try to publish short dispatches nearly daily through February. I will not send an email with each new dispatch, so please check the site frequently.

There likely will continue to be an increase in US casualties as a result of the fact that Iraqi and American forces have their teeth sunk deeply into al Qaeda in northern Iraq. Iraqi and American forces are crushing the wind out of al Qaeda, but the enemy still has strength and is fighting hard.

V/r,

Michael

Baghdad

Read Men of Valor: Part VII of VIII:

The Welsh Warriors, under Major Steve Webb, set off to recon hiding places for tonight’s VCPs, or vehicle control points. The idea was merely to surprise passersby and politely search their vehicles coming from the direction of Iran—the border was maybe three miles away—for things like surface-to-air missiles and EFPs. No weapons coming across the Iranian border have ever been captured by Coalition forces. Practically nobody lives near the crossing, and the border crossing closes at 1600, so any traffic after that would be suspicious.

Moment of Truth may be ordered here.

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In todays email from Michael Yon:

Greetings:

I am preparing to head back to Iraq at the end of this week.

We’ve added a lot of new material to the site in the past week, including updates on units I’ve embedded with and stories published during 2007, and links to news items, like a profile in the New York Times.

If you haven’t been to the website recently, we have added new archive pages that can be accessed here.

News that my book, Moment of Truth in Iraq (which will be published in April 2008) is now available for special advance purchase has prompted renewed interest in my first book Danger Close, and we’ve republished the first chapter of that book here.

Also, at the suggestion of readers, my Dragon Skin body armor is up for auction on E-Bay. You can read why here, and follow the bidding here.

As always, reader support is greatly appreciated, especially as I organize and assemble the gear needed for this next embed. Without the generosity of readers, this mission could not go forward. And during this election year when important decisions will be made on Iraq, front line news will be critical for identifying political truth-tellers.

Thank you,

V/r

Michael

If you have not checked out Michael’s site lately, it is chock full of terrific reads.

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Gee, do you think bin Laden will accept the generous invitation Michael Yon has extended?

It’s understandable that this turn of events might come as news to Osama, because he cannot set foot in Iraq for fear of his life. Osama is welcome to prove this wrong by visiting Basra, Baghdad or Mosul. Iraqis and Americans will welcome Osama in these cities.

Read the whole thing and I bet you’ll agree that even on a double dare bin Laden would never have the courage to face his adversaries head on.

By the way Mr. Yon, welcome home. You certainly more than deserve some R&R.

All the best in the New Year.

*Sorry folks if a few of the posts are a bit dated but with the holidays, this was my first chance to share if you have not already read them.*

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The following is the opening paragraph in Michael Yon’s email which links to his latest dispatch.

Been a long but productive year. Great progress in Iraq. The country has made a dramatic turnaround. But of course, there is still a long way to go, and sharper fighting in the months ahead before anyone should consider declaring this mission accomplished.

“One Step Forward” delves further into the return of troops to Great Britain and the reception of not only the citizens and the press, but their relationship with Lady Camilla. The surprise came in reading that Michael had a bit of one on one time with this member of the Royal Family:

So when the commander introduced me to Lady Camilla and we had our short and very public meeting before all those cameras, I told Lady Camilla that her handwritten letters to the soldiers were very important to them. That I could tell that they were cherished in a way that went beyond polite acknowledgment. In that brief exchange it was clear to this American with no sense of Royalty that her devotion to these soldiers also went beyond the expected call of duty.

Another great read and once more an opportunity to say thank you to all those who have sacrificed so we may live free and wish them only the best upon their return to their homelands.

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What an uplifting pictorial piece posted by Michael Yon.

Welcome Home. Well Done.

I could hear the school teachers saying quietely with their British accents to the soldiers as they marched by, “Good job. Welcome home. Well done. Welcome home. Good job. Welcome home.”

There could be no better gift at Christmas for both these members of the British military or their families than their safe return to their homeland.

Thank you to each and every one of them for their service and, as always, thanks Michael for allowing us to learn through the lens of your camera and well written words, many of the aspects of this long, hard war.

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Men of Valor-Part IV has been posted.

In his typical style, Michael Yon tells a story in a way which makes you feel as though you are a part of what these brave men and women have experienced.

I mean that not in the physical sense but mentally envisioning the horrors they have suffered and the triumphs they have felt.

Here’s a brief paragraph from this latest dispatch:

Although the enemy often shot at British soldiers from the Hole in the Wall, the soldiers refrained from firing back with rockets to avoid killing civilians living nearby. There were other known—and named—firing points, like RPG Alley 1, 2 and 3, and soon bullets began coming in from those.

Mr. Yon also has two other recent relatively short pieces posted which were not referenced on this blog. They are both worth a look and may be accessed here, and here.

*Update: These two items of interest were included in an email received today from Michael Yon:

I’ll again be on CNN “This Week at War” this Sunday. “This Week at War” has been doing an excellent job with balanced reporting. I’m honored to do this show again.

and the following which I find encouraging:

2007 has seen tremendous progress in Iraq and many Iraqis seem confident that 2008 will be better still. I’ve never seen Iraqis so optimistic.

Would that not be a great way to close out 2007 and begin 2008? the thought of those who now live in freedom in large part because of the efforts of our military warms the heart.

It doesn’t mean there isn’t much work to do, but it also doesn’t mean we’ve accomplished nearly nothing as some would have us believe.

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This was just received in an email from Michael Yon:

Just returned from the Iraq-Syria border back to Mosul after an interesting day. The progress in Iraq could not be clearer. I’ve never seen so much hope among the Iraqis or our soldiers. U.S. officers and senior NCOs caution me to be careful about sounding too optimistic, but the fact is I have never seen so much optimism in Iraq or about Iraq.

I know they are right about their concerns for setting expectations too high; they know many hard times are ahead. But the fact is I have not personally experienced combat in months, Contrast that to times when we might get into fights several times per day and the optimism seems more grounded.

Had dinner today with a powerful Iraqi Sheik and U.S. soldiers. The food was great, but unfortunately some goat brain was lopped onto my plate. Somehow I ate it without incident.

Please click here for an intense story of urban combat. The British make me proud to have gone out with them this year for nearly two months.

His latest in the series Men Of Valor has been posted. This is part III and is just as riveting and information filled as the first two.

The 4 Rifles first trip into Basra brought more than 15 hours of fighting that left a Pakistani driver killed, dragged away and never seen again by the British. Two British killed in action and many more wounded, a convoy of banged-up vehicles that ran the damage gamut from flat tire to complete destruction, and almost no break before it was time for Major Steve Webb to saddle up and move on again, his Welsh Warriors always taking point on another convoy.

As this year draws to a close I offer thanks to Michael and those like him, who at their own expense and risk of their lives have gone to the front lines of this war to report back what was seen with their own eyes.

It is because of them that many of us have received a clearer picture of exactly what our troops and those of the coalition countries face each day.

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If you are following Michael Yon’s newest dispatches, he has now posted Men of Valor Part II.

In truth, the British have kept faith with their pledge of partnership, and much more because by overstaying, they jeopardized men, women and mission in order to buy us time and keep the exits covered. America has no truer ally, always there, through bad and worse. Of course, almost none of this mattered to the men of 4 Rifles on May 21, who’d been out more than 13 hours in stifling heat.

This series is shaping up as a reference to the fact that the UK has always been and will remain a strong ally of the United States.

Well done once again!

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Men of Valor: Part I of about VIII primarily details missions handled by the British units in Iraq.

This post is particularly compelling in the aspect of how British soldiers are regarded in the UK vs. how our military is respected and provided for through various programs based here in the states.

On both trips with the British, I made a point of asking British soldiers how they were treated back in the United Kingdom. They said they are mostly ignored; occasionally expressing a muted desire to get the treatment they imagine American soldiers get. British soldiers seem to imagine our soldiers get big parades and so forth, and hugs from strangers at the airport. And to be sure, many do, especially in Texas, they say.

A very interesting read and as usual some excellent photography. I hope some day Michael’s work will be incorporated somehow into the history of this war. It has been superb in every sense of the word.

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There are citizens in Iraq who are grateful to America:

The Iraqis asked me to convey a message of thanks to the American people. ” Thank you, thank you,” the people were saying. One man said, “Thank you for peace.” Another man, a Muslim, said “All the people, all the people in Iraq, Muslim and Christian, is brother.” The men and women were holding bells, and for the first time in memory freedom rang over the ravaged land between two rivers.

Thanks, Michael Yon, for passing this along.

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From Michael Yon:

“Iraqi Islamic Party: “Al Qaeda is Defeated”

……Speaking through an interpreter at a 31 October meeting at the Iraqi Islamic Party headquarters in downtown Baghdad, Sheik Omar said that al Qaeda had been “defeated mentally, and therefore is defeated physically,” referring to how clear it has become that the terrorist group’s tactics have backfired. Operatives who could once disappear back into the crowd after committing an increasingly atrocious attack no longer find safe haven among the Iraqis who live in the southern part of Baghdad. They are being hunted down and killed. Or, if they are lucky, captured by Americans.

The call for the citizens of Iraq to stand up and defend their country may have been heard. That would be good new indeed.

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Might I say, it is one with which I agree.

Beauchamp is young; under pressure he made a dumb mistake. In fact, he has not always been an ideal soldier. But to his credit, the young soldier decided to stay, and he is serving tonight in a dangerous part of Baghdad. He might well be seriously injured or killed here, and he knows it. He could have quit, but he did not. He faced his peers. I can only imagine the cold shoulders, and worse, he must have gotten. He could have left the unit, but LTC Glaze told me that Beauchamp wanted to stay and make it right. Whatever price he has to pay, he is paying it.

Second chances don’t come along often in life. I hope Scott Beauchamp makes the best of his.

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Michael Yon takes on the media here at home in his latest post:

Clearly, a majority of Americans believe the current set of outdated fallacies passed around mainstream media like watered down drinks at happy hour. Why wouldn’t they? The cloned copy they get comes from the same sources that list the specials at the local grocery store, and the hours and locations of polling places for town elections. These same news sources print obituaries and birth announcements, give play-by-play for local high school sports, and chronicle all the painful details of the latest celebrity to fall from grace.

There are several key items in this post, but Michael has always had a limit on how much of his work can be reproduced and I have always honored that request.

Please take the time to read his work. This analysis is compiled by a man who has served alongside coalition and Iraqi troops for quite some time now. His dispatches have always been fair and truthful, he calls them like he sees them. No rose colored glasses for Mr. Yon.

There is a section of this article which lays out an idea for improving the quality of information from Iraq which is reported here at home. If you agree this is an idea worth pursuing, please take the time to make that one phone call or send an email to a local paper.

Americans deserve more than we have experienced through the MSM when it comes to reporting on this war, but most of all, our US military deserves credit for their many accomplishments. Perhaps Michael Yon will be the one who finally breaks through that barrier.

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Michael Yon in his own words speaking on the situation in Basra, Iraq.

Michael was interviewed from Basra, Iraq as part of a segment entitled “The British Troop Drawdown: Can the Iraqis control Basra?” Also featured in this segment was Nic Robertson, CNN Senior International Correspondent, reporting from Baghdad. The October 13th broadcast of CNN’s “This Week at War” aired on Saturday at 7pm Eastern and was re-broadcast on Sunday, October 14th at 1pm Eastern.

If you have a moment the emails from Michael received by Glenn Reynolds are also worth a look.

This first deals in part with the above situation but the update I found very interesting:

Al Qaeda is in trouble in Iraq. The civil war that was growing in 2005, and then began erupting in 2006, is now on the decline. I was extremely worried during 2006 that al Qaeda would succeed by engulfing Iraq in civil war, but the Iraqis I speak with in various provinces are now smart about what AQI was up to. AQI tactics are backfiring — hugely backfiring. Strangely, al Qaeda, who nearly caused a complete meltdown, is becoming helpful in uniting Iraq. Strange world, Glenn!

How enlightening coming from one with eyes and boots on the ground.

*Please check out the new link to Michael Yon’s site on the sidebar and if you ever have a few extra minutes and have not read his previous work, it is well worth it.

Update: I neglected to mention Michaels latest dispatch “Achievements of the Human Heart” has been posted.

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In his latest dispatch, Michael Yon writes of some of the sacrifices of war. It became obvious to me in reading this piece that Michael was very connected to not only the members of the military with whom he has served as an embed, but to his own emotions as he experiences not only the successes but the horrors of war.

We glided down through the German night, where a large group of staff waited on the tarmac to load the patients into buses. During the bus ride to the hospital, electronic monitors beeped, IVs dripped, and the patients’ litters were jostled by the road. The ambulatory among us steadied the patients, to protect them from further pain.

Another strong offering from Mr. Yon. A bit of an emotional roller coaster ride in many ways for the reader but in the end as always, the story as it really is.

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Part III of Michael’s “Hunting Al Qaeda” has been dispatched. (Warning: graphic photography). The honesty incorporated into his pieces is something I wish we would see more often in the press and on television here at home.

Just before we dropped ramp again, I asked the Soldier sitting in front of me, “Why did that guy shoot into the palm grove?”

Anger flashed over his face as he stared at the soldier sitting to my left. “He’s sitting right beside you, why don’t you ask him?” I hadn’t realized he was sitting next to me.

“Why did you shoot?!” I asked accusatorily, as upset as the Soldiers were, but he just treated the event like it was a joke. He was laughing about it, talking about how he could get sent home. But he was the only one laughing.

When the ramp dropped, Soldiers from other Bradleys piled out and started yelling at him. They were still yelling at him as I started walking away in the scorching dust.

It must have seemed strange, like the heat had finally gotten to me. But after two days and two missions where mistakes were made, where some men died and others dropped from a heat so intense that it wavered and blurred the already fine line between friends and enemies, where new alliances between soldiers and former enemies were tested under the fire of combat, these soldiers were not so tired or so worn from the heat to let their standards flag: they were all over that Soldier who did.

Another terrific read from Mr. Yon

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If you want to read the unfiltered truth about what is going on in Iraq you should be a regular reader of Michael Yon and Michael Totten, along with the other milbloggers.

These men are actually in Iraq and in the middle of the battles. They tell it the way it is and not what some newspaper wants you to think.

From Michael Totten’s Anbar Awakens Part I:

Some in the United States are unconvinced that Al Qaeda was really at the center of the conflict in Anbar. So I asked Colonel John Charlton how the Army knows Al Qaeda is really who they have been dealing with. He was supremely annoyed by the question.

“We know it’s Al Qaeda,” he said. There is no controversy whatsoever about this in Iraq. My question seemed to him as if it had come from another planet. “They self-identify as Al Qaeda. We didn’t give them that name. That’s what they call themselves. We have their propaganda CDs which have Al Qaeda written all over them.”

It’s not a dumb question, though, if a substantial number of Americans aren’t sure what’s going on in a bottomlessly complicated country eight or more times zones away. And not everyone who underestimated Al Qaeda’s presence is a fool.

I briefly met Army Reserve Lieutenant Colonel Eric Holmes from Dallas, Texas, while he was on his way home after volunteering to serve in Ramadi for six months. “I didn’t realize until I got here that the problem in Anbar Province was 100 percent Al Qaeda,” he said. “The old Baath Party insurgency here is completely finished. That war was won and Americans, including me, had no idea it even happened.”

Part II is here.

Here’s a quote from Part II which explains more than I can why I trust his dispatches more than the major newspapers’ or networks’ reporting:

Violence has declined so sharply in Ramadi that few journalists bother to visit these days. It’s “boring,” most say, and it’s hard to get a story out there – especially for daily news reporters who need fresh scoops every day. Unlike most journalists, I am not a slave to the daily news grind and took the time to embed with the Army and Marines in late summer.

I encourage you to read his dispatches, and if, as someone has said, they don’t care if all of them get killed then look at the photos of the beautiful children and tell me that.

If you want independent journalism about what’s going on in Iraq, including mistakes we have made in the past, you can’t go wrong reading either of these two bloggers or the milbloggers.

They have no political agenda the way the major news operations do and you get the honest truth.

Not only do I encourage you to read the dispatches, but if you are a skeptic I dare you to read them and come back and tell me it’s all sugar-coated.

Look at the photos and say you don’t care if these people die. If you can still say that after reading the dispatches and seeing the photos you must have a cold heart indeed.

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I try to leave the Michael Yon postings to Sue because she does such a great job with them, but she has had communication trouble and is now busy with her grandchildren so I will quote from Michael Yon’s latest dispatch: “Hunting al Qaeda Part II of III.”

Al Qaeda still lurks in the area, so the farmers were happy to see us. One woman said that seeing the Army out there was a blessing from God, which made the Soldiers happy. There’s not a lot of happiness to be had here, but the Soldiers respond when people show gratitude. It charges their batteries. And they really love those cards from home where kindergartners and first graders ask all kinds of funny questions like, “Is it hot in the desert?” Yes, a little bit. But along the waterways in Iraq, such as here next to the Diyala River, it’s hot and humid. Practically steaming. Even the mosquitoes must sweat here.

It’s amazing how the little things from home can make a Soldier happy.

I watched during the Senate hearings on 11 September 07 as some Senators attempted to corner General Petraeus, insinuating that the war in Iraq was a distraction from the fight against al Qaeda. It was clearly that during the initial invasion, but not today. These photos were taken at the center of what al Qaeda claimed to be their worldwide headquarters. Listening to some of the Senators’ questions, the true magnitude of the gulf between what is happening in Iraq and what people in America think is happening in Iraq became apparent.

One last quote to whet your appetite:

Before the war, our people had no street credibility in Iraq. Iraqis thought American Soldiers were soft, and that the body armor was a type of personal air conditioner. But if the Iraqis knew back then what they know now about American willingness to suffer and fight, it’s doubtful that Saddam would have taunted an angry America.

Please go over and read the entire post as well as view the magnificent photos he has on display in the post.

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Strange title, strange location for this latest piece from Michael Yon. His latest post comes to us courtesy of National Review Online

I promise it will all make sense when you click over and read what I consider to be one of Michael’s best. Not best in a boots on the ground sense, just best in that he has clearly defined for others where the most accurate information is available.

I’ll give but this much away and allow you to enjoy the balance as only Mr. Yon can write it.

It’s important to understand why I think battalion commanders — especially infantry commanders — are the best bet for unmitigated truth coming from just the right places on the ground; they are the best bet because they have SA: Situational Awareness. Good journalists don’t go around interviewing privates and young sergeants about strategic situations because privates and young sergeants don’t know what they are talking about. I know. I was both.

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Michael Yon has posted Part IV of his series and like all of his work he drives home points and touches on information which we do not read here at home in the press. This dispatch is loaded with more wonderful photography. Here’s a snippet:

At one of the houses, Iraqi soldiers said that there had been a lot of shooting on a recent night. What had all the shooting been about? Were insurgents trying to take over? No, the old man said, it was just a couple of brothers having a shootout over a small land dispute. “Okay,” the Iraqi soldiers shrugged it off. It was just a shootout between brothers. Nothing more to ask about.

There are many similarities between Iraq and home, but at the end of the day, a Cain and Abel shootout is not even something that warrants paperwork. Tribal law. This is not Kansas. Some things are very different.

Another worthwhile read from Mr. Yon

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There is a new dispatch today from Michael Yon.

Michael also this past week linked to a video put together by two reporters from the NYT.

Both pieces are well worth checking out.

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As ususal Mr. Yon gives us unbiased, concise reporting from his position as an embed. I appreciated the human element he incorporates in the following paragraph:

When you really talk with Iraqis, their problems (outside of the war) are mostly like people’s problems all over the world. The shepherds want the wild dogs to leave their flocks alone. They don’t want al Qaeda blowing up their villages and mosques. The farmers want the rains to start at just the right time and end at just the right time, and they want to be able to sell their crops and go about life. That’s just people. From Vietnam, to India, to Afghanistan to Iraq to Britain, the hierarchy of needs does not change.

The photos in this dispatch are some of the finest I have seen to date and if you are so inclined drop a bit in the tip jar so Michael can continue his fine work.

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Michael Yon has posted part two of “The Ghosts of Anbar.”

Another interesting read for those keeping up with the series. Great facts about conditions on the ground and terrific pictures again.

Just a snippet which I found to be very revealing.

Dealing with the press is just a reality, like the weather. We would never put a commander in the field who refused to make plans for fighting in the cold or heat. Although it’s just a reality, cold weather, for example, could destroy a unit overnight if they had not prepared for it. As with the weather, the press also influences the enemy. Cold weather freezes everyone’s toes; bad press stalls progress. In either instance, he who is better-suited and more adaptable has a supreme advantage. There was a time when many of our enemies in Iraq were beating us in the press, both their press and ours, but now that is changing.

“the press also influences the enemy.” Gee who would have known that all the negativity spewed here at home was helpful to those who want to kill us? I hope Michael is right and that things are changing..for now I will continue to read and listen to those in theatre.

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In part one of a four part series, Michael Yon tell us of the “Ghosts of Anbar.”

Our Anbar-war can be said to have begun after the invasion in 2003, and for most of its duration, Fallujah has been the crucible Anbar city. In the beginning, in this city of mosques, the people of Fallujah had not resisted. But friction bred of perceived injustices seethed steadily, until the light fighting of 2003 exploded early in 2004, when on the final day of March in that year, four contractors were murdered and mutilated in Fallujah. The spokesmen for the killers called it an act of revenge, justice even. They called the murdered contractors mercenaries; their charred corpses dangling from what soldiers and Marines now call “Blackwater Bridge.”

This segment is presented with some fascinating pictures of gravestones from years gone by.

As always, Michael dispatches a concise, unbiased report.

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