Atheist Officer Resigns from the Army
In Iraq the Search for 2 Soldiers Continues... At Home, the Search for Peace Continues...
The news made the sad announcement today that the body recently found in the Euphrates river was, in fact, the body of one of three missing U.S. Soldiers. The search continues for the other two at this time. My heart goes out to the family and loved ones of Private First Class Ryan McClymonds, 21, of Miami. He was killed so early in his career, I can not claim to be able to even imagine the pain his family is suffering right now. Stories like this really help keep things in perspective for me, to remind me of how lucky I truly am. These stories, of brave young men who gave their all serve to remind me how important it is that I enjoy the gift that has been given to me, and that I enjoy every moment of it.
This story really got be thinking... I was recently had a conversation with someone and we discussed the idea of possibly making all military pay tax free. The U.S. military represents about 1% of the total population, and therefore the economic impact would be small. God forbid we tax the wealthy a little more... But we agreed that the incentives would be big, and it would be a huge benefit to military members and their families, especially those at junior pay-grades. Granted this was just an idle "armchair-politics" discussion, by two regular guys, but it got me thinking a lot deeper. You see my friend (a civilian) thought that the tax benefit would also serve as a way to show appreciation for the troops... and it certainly would. But appreciation can be shown in better ways...
As I got to thinking it dawned on me that my greater wish would be to know that the American public recognizes the humanity of each and every American G.I. They need to know that we are people too. People with dreams, ambitions, families, hopes, fears, etceteras... They need to understand that we are not merely automatons. It is true, the U.S. Military will always do what the Republic calls upon it to do. We will spring into action quickly, with no objections and no complaints. But I would ask that the American people take a moment to remember that these are men and women, real men and women, that you send into battle when you send the troops off to war. All that I would ask is that the American public be sure not to allow the Military to simply become a political plaything. We should not be used to promote a politicians political ambitions and if we are, the American public has the responsibility to stand up and scream out to their government a resounding "NO!" to any misuse of military forces.
We will always answer our call to duty. With Memorial Day quickly approaching, I ask that you, the American Public, take a moment to remember what this holiday is all about. It's not about picnics or "whites sales"... It's about the American G.I.
Mullah Dadullah, Taliban top commander, killed in Helmand
Afghan officials, ISAF confirm the Taliban's most senior military leader was killed during fighting in the south.
NATO and Afghan forces have struck a major blow to the Taliban's military leadership. Mullah Dadullah Akhund, the Taliban's top military commander, has been killed during fighting in the volatile southern province of Helmand. "He was killed last night and right now I have his body before me," Governor Assadullah Khalid of Kandahar province told Reuters. Governor Khalid displayed the body to a group of reporters in neighboring Kandahar province.
An AP reporter recognized Dadullah's corpse from television interviews and said the body "had no left leg and three bullet wounds: one to the back of the head and two to the stomach." NATO's International Security Assistance Force has confirmed his death. "Mullah Dadullah will most certainly be replaced in time, but the insurgency has received a serious blow," according to an ISAF statement. Qari Yousef Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, has denied Dadullah was killed.
Some reports indicate Dadullah was killed in the Gershk district, others claim he was killed near the Sangin and Nari Saraj districts. NATO and Afghan forces have been conducting major operations against the Taliban in these regions. Just yesterday, NATO said it killed over 70 Taliban and wounded another 30 during a week long battle to clear the Nari Saraj district. Another 20 Taliban were reported killed in the Sangin district yesterday.
Dadullah was thought to have been surrounded in the Chora district in neighboring Uruzgan province along with 200 of his fighters on April 26, but the Taliban said Mullah Dadullah was not among them. Dadullah then appeared on an interview on Al Jazeera, and claimed Osama bin Laden was alive, well, and leading the jihad in Afghanistan. "His recent al Jazeera interview and phone calls may have played a huge role in his death," Matt Dupee of Afgha.com said in an email.
Mullah Dadullah sat on the Taliban Shura Majlis--or executive council. He was the Taliban's most senior military commander and reported to have been one of Mullah Omar's most trusted advisers. Dadullah joined forces with the Taliban at its formation in 1994, but fell out of favor "after he was accused for a bloody genocide in the central Bamyan province."
"Largely known for his brutality on the battlefield, he is labeled a blood-thirsty sadist who enjoys killing and torturing by military analysts," said Dupee. "Hazara residents in the central highlands who endured mass killings and a scorched earth campaign by Dadullah and his men in the late 1990's agree; referring to him as the 'Black Mullah,' a term signifying his dark heart." Dadullah was later reactivated to fight the Northern Alliance.
Dadullah escaped capture after the fall of the Taliban in late 2001 during the U.S. led Operation Enduring Freedom. He fled to South Waziristan, Pakistan, where he reconstituted his forces and continued to fight NATO and Afghan forces. Dadullah has orchestrated and promoted the Taliban's suicide campaign in Afghanistan and led the Taliban's conventional military operations in the critical southern provinces of Helmand, Kandahar, Uruzgan, and Zabul. Recently, Mullah Dadullah was said to have personally mediated between feuding Taliban and Uzbek forces in South Waziristan.
Dadullah's death may have a significant impact on the Taliban's much heralded "Spring Offensive," which NATO has countered by launching preemptive strikes since late winter against Taliban positions in Helmand and Uruzgan provinces.
Video of Dadullah's last interview with Al Jazeera on April 30, 2007
Yasmeen Graduated!
I know this blog is supposed to be about me, my experiences in Afghanistan, and my return home, but I am so damn proud of Yasmeen, that I had to throw a post in here for her. Yasmeen just graduated from the University of Pennsylvania (that's IVY LEAGUE), with her Masters of Science Degree. I am more proud of her than I can possibly express.
Click here to see photos of the graduation, and Yasmeen with her brother, sister and mother, all exceptionally proud. I hope to be getting some more pictures soon.