18 October 2006

B36 News - 18 October 2006

The days are starting to run together now and I imagine that this phenomena will only get worse ... or better depending on your point of view. It's nice because time seems to go faster, but that also means that I run the risk of missing deadlines. I haven't yet, but only because of reminders from my NCOs and my To-Do list.

When I first deployed I had two foot lockers, a ruck sack, a laptop bag, and a duffel bag. A year later I'm headed back with four foot lockers, a back pack (smaller than a ruck sack), and a laptop bag. Some stuff I used up, some I already sent home, some stuff is in the same wrapper it was when I was first issued it, some stuff I'll wear until I step off the bus at home. Both coming and going, the foot lockers were shipped so I didn't have to mess with transporting them myself, but stumbling off a bus while balancing a ruck sack, duffel, laptop case, a weapon, and body armor isn't what I'd call a good time. On the way back I plan to limit myself to the back pack, laptop case, weapon, and body armor. Each piece can be worn or slung over a shoulder and I will still have use of my hands so I can squeeze my wife and hug my kid when I see them.

Anyway, good things are still happening in Iraq, check these stories out:

Anbar Progress
Remember this map? It shows you how much of the country is under Iraqi military/police control. Notice Anbar? Yeah, it's the big white area on the left. No worries though, the 7th Iraqi Army Division responsible for the province is beginning to assume more and more of their territory.

1st Battalion of the 1st Brigade of the 7th IAD assumed a portion of the Ramadi area on 14 October. Let me remind everyone that our goal here is not to kill every last terrorist in the country, but to diminish their (the terrorists) capacity to operate while building the Iraqi Security Forces so that they can maintain security in Iraq and free us up to come home. These kind of events are excellent milestones along that path- along the path of progress and victory.

Supplies
Without supplies no military force in the world can operate, including the bad guys. Troops from the 10th Mountain Division conducted Operation Commando Hunter in the Yusufiyah area which is 20 miles southwest of Baghdad and rounded up 78 weapons caches. Rocket launchers, RPGs, dynomite, 82mm mortars, IEDs, machineguns, AK 47s, Dragunov sniper rifles... the list goes on and on. Think of this kind of stuff as preventative surgery - there will be that much less of a body count now because these troops captured this stuff.

Transport
Tying the previous two stories together is this one. Supplies do no good if they can't get to where they're needed, but thanks to the 4th Motor Transport Regiment of the 4th Iraqi Army Division that will be less of a problem now.

The 4th MTR recently took the lead of it's own operations which means that it now answers to an Iraqi command structure or more importantly, it takes orders from the Iraqi command structure. Without the beans and bullets in the right place at the right time, the troops that conduct combat operations won't be able to do their job. With the 4th MTR in the lead now, the Iraqi military is that much closer to sustaining itself.

7 Comments:

Blogger MarksMomma said...

Amen on squeezing the wife!
LUB!
Your Wahfy

23:44  
Blogger dcat said...

Hey Marksmomma! :)

You guys make sure to give hubby and I your # and you guys are welcome at our home here in Washington State if you get out west.

It's HUMP DAY!

07:05  
Blogger dcat said...

ignor the pumpkin it is for Holloween. I like this time of year :)

07:07  
Blogger Unknown said...

Way to go, bandit.three.six

We love it

"al-Zharqawi is eliminated" was great btw.

Still wiping the tears of joy from my eyes.

Donald C. Lindsay
Atascadero, Ca.

12:01  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Love to hear the discussion of the shipping of stuff home - good news there for sure!! And thanks for the rest of the good news as well!!

22:50  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Just a THANK YOU from a like minded Canadain

12:15  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

To bandit.three.six

The WHY? of Terrorism in Islam

I am an American living in Asia. I am not Moslem, but I am a writer and historian. I would like to share some information with you: information concerning Moslem terrorism. It may help you understand what is going on in the Middle East, as well as significant parts of Africa, Asia, Europe, and even the United States. Moslem terrorism has already struck the United States and Europe. I am certain it will happen again; next time you and your loved ones, as well as a vast number of other innocent victims could be caught up in a man-made catastrophe: a calamity of biblical proportions that is based on teachings straight out of the Koran.

Disregarding the social, economic, and political factors that serve as underpinnings for Islamic terrorism, I will address the more fundamental issue: the religious teachings that sanction violence against non-Moslems and against women. Here are seven verses from the Koran. These scriptures have been translated into modern English.

…murder, crucify, or cut off the hands and feet of non-Moslems…Chapter 5 Verse 33 - The Koran
…create terror in the hearts of non-Moslems …cut off their heads…Chapter 8 Verse 12 - The Koran
…and fight non-Moslems until Allah’s religion is the only one…Chapter 8 Verse 39 - The Koran
…of all the loot you plunder from non-Moslems, 20% belongs to Allah and to Mohammed. Chapter 8 Verse 41- The Koran (Author’s note: Loot included kidnapped female sex-slaves.)
…Take as many as four wives from the women you are sexually attracted to … Chapter 4 Verse 3 - The Koran
…God has made men superior to women… Virtuous women are obedient. If a woman becomes disobedient, beat her. Chapter 4 Verse 34 - The Koran
…When it comes to marriage, Allah makes it legal for you to take as wives, women whom your right hand possesses. Chapter 33 Verse 50 - The Koran (Author’s note: This verse talks about the “loot” non-Moslems call… kidnapped female sex-slaves.)

Most people in the western world have never heard of these astonishing scriptures, but they are in the Koran … along with a relatively short list of others, just like them. This is important because not all Moslems are the same; there are two very different types. Militant Moslems view these verses as commandments from God. They think they apply to life in the Twenty-first Century and they try to use them, regardless of the suffering and mayhem they create, whereas moderate Moslems ignore such verses because they were uttered a long time ago: when the Arabian peninsula, from whence Islam came, was a very primitive place.

Historians tell us these terrorist teachings are part of a cluster of ferocious beliefs that were deliberately added to one specific part of the formerly peaceful and tolerant Koran. These changes were done years after the faith was first organized.

In fact, historians also tell us Islam didn’t simply fall from the sky as a full-blown religion, but rather evolved from a persecuted sect of Jewish-Christians. The first Moslems were actually part of a larger group of Jesus’ followers called the Ebionites.

Ebionites were peace-loving disciples of Christ, who shared their wealth with fellow believers, and taught that a man should marry only one wife. In fact, women were much more independent in the Ebionite-days of Islam. They were more influential too. I say this because my research has determined that the first prophet of Islam may have been someone other than Mohammed: I believe the first prophet was a very special woman named Khadija the Pure. Khadija was Mohammed’s first and only wife for twenty-four years. Khadija was fifteen years older than Mohammed and she was his employer. Khadija was also an influential Arabian princess who was extremely wealthy. Even though Khadija was part of the ruling family that controlled worship in the all-important Kabba Temple, with its 300+ pagan gods and goddesses, she became an Ebionite Christian. www.TheMoslemInstitute.com

After Khadija’s death, Islam was hijacked by a cartel of corrupt men. New beliefs were added, old beliefs were deleted or relegated to unimportance, and the religion was changed beyond recognition. In the end, Islam abandoned many of its Ebionite Jewish-Christian teachings and turned cruel and predatory; women suffered the most: they became the focus of repression, scorn, and violence.

Today, although moderate Moslems are loath to admit these ideas, and many of them are terrified to voice criticism of their militant Islamic brothers, because of fear that violence will come to them and their families, the fact remains that these added teachings are not the original beliefs of Islam; they are amendments: They are the terrorist teachings of Islam.

In the near future, militant Moslems hope to unleash a series of unimaginable calamities upon the United States and the rest of the world. Because the terrorist teachings of Islam sanction deception, treaty breaking, and war, as well as looting, murder, kidnapping, terrorism, and human slavery (including sexual slavery), so long as these crimes are directed against non-Moslems, there is no limit to the things these fanatics can do. But the scariest part: Militant Moslems will do everything… in the name of God (Allah). If they die while committing these crimes against humanity, they believe Allah will bless them and give them seventy virgin brides as an eternal reward for their brutality.

With that said, it is important to remember that the majority of Moslems are moderate and recognize such teachings as obsolete and out of place in the Twenty-first Century. In spite of enormous cultural differences that exist between the Judeo-Christian West and the Islamic world, in the author's opinion, it is with this moderate Moslem majority that any long-term resolution to the Islamic terrorism issue will ultimately be negotiated. However, given the massive population increases taking place in the Moslem world, at a time when poverty, chaos, criminality, and religious fanaticism are burgeoning, the numbers of Moslems worldwide who declare themselves militant is increasing; the influence their terrorist cells exert on Islamic governments throughout the world has reached crisis levels. The road before us will be long and dangerous. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, the United States and Europe must… be resolute and take courage! The survival of our civilization depends on it.

Are you are interested in learning more about an array of Islamic topics including: Who were the Ebionites and Khadija the Pure, or the Seventy Virgins of Islam, or facts concerning militant Moslem terrorism and its involvement in modern human slavery? Visit The Moslem Institute website: www.TheMoslemInstitute.com

All the best,
Dane Dahl

13:48  

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