Bring Bowe Back

23-year-old [PFC Bowe] Bergdahl was serving with a unit based in Fort Richardson, Alaska, earlier this month when he vanished, just five months after arriving in Afghanistan, officials said. He was serving at a base near the border with Pakistan in an area known to be a Taliban stronghold (FNC).

On July 2, two U.S. officials conceded a soldier had "just walked off" his base near the border with Pakistan with three Afghans after his shift, but wouldn't release details. Four days later, the Taliban claimed "a drunken American soldier had come out of his garrison" and was captured by mujahedeen (FNC).

He said the date was July 14 and that he was captured when he lagged behind on a patrol. It's clear the video was made no earlier than July 14 because Bergdahl repeated an exaggerated Taliban claim about a Ukrainian helicopter that was shot down that day (AP).

So, there are three different accounts of how Bergdahl was captured. The first, that he simply "walked off . . . with three Afghans," would suggest that he was deserting. Who were the Afghans? The second would explain why he was captured, as I doubt a drunk would be much of an opponent, especially were he to forget his weapon. How did he obtain alcohol in a war zone? Why was he careless enough to imbibe in a war zone? The third, a claim made by Bergdahl, states that he "lagged behind on a patrol." That statement doesn't say much for the US Army, if soldiers are letting their comrades lag behind in a war zone and be captured (which I highly doubt they are). However, as I have no combat experience, I have no idea how patrols function, or how one would obtain alcohol, or what Bergdahl was thinking if he strode off the base with the Afghans. Perhaps he was going for a late-night walk.

SERV & July 4th

Teacher guides vets back to campus
Major props to John Schupp and the Supportive Education for the Returning Veteran (SERV) Program.

Taliban militants were nowhere in sight as the columns of U.S. Marines walked a third straight day across southern Afghanistan. But the desert heat proved an enemy in its own right, with several troops falling victim Saturday to temperatures topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Marines carry 50-100 pounds on their backs. But because they are marching through farmland on foot, they can't carry nearly as much water as their thirst demands.

Few even realized the date was July 4, but once word of the holiday spread through the company, several said they knew relatives would be holding lakeside celebrations — a world away from the strenuous task Bravo Company of the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment was taking on.

In Lieu of

Since it's finals week, I'm even busier than usual and don't have as much time to devote to blogging as I'd like. Still, I thought the below articles were particularly interesting. . . .

Biden Reveals Location of Secret VP Bunker
I have no words for this.
. . . Actually, I do.

Bloody Urban Battles Could Lie Ahead in Pakistan
+1000 Taliban fighters killed so far.

Treat for wounded soldiers: beach getaway
Americans are amazing.

Georgia Mutinies, Sawat and Hacking

"A tank battalion mutinied Tuesday at a Georgian military base near the capital and the base has been sealed off" (FNC). "The Interior Ministry's Utiashvili said the suspected coup plot was organized by a former special forces commander, Georgy Gvaladze. Gvaladze and an army officer on active duty have been arrested. . . . The Interior Ministry has a video of Gvaladze talking to his supporters about the planned coup. . . . In the video, Gvaladze is shown saying that 5,000 Russian troops will come to support the coup, which was planned for Thursday. . . . The base's tank battalion of about 500 army personnel had announced that they would refuse to follow orders."

Pakistan has urged people of Sawat to evacuate, and a camp for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) has been erected in Dargai. "The army says it has killed more than 100 militants as it attempts to drive the militants back into the Taliban-controlled Swat Valley" (FNC). "Pakistani militants have threatened a campaign of suicide blasts in retaliation for U.S. missile strikes on al-Qaida and Taliban strongholds into Pakistan's northwest and for a string of military operations by government forces."

North Korea has expanded its cyber warfare unit to include "100 personnel, mostly graduates of a Pyongyang university that teaches computer skills," (FNC) which attempts "to hack into U.S. and South Korean military networks to gather confidential information and disrupt service."
A year or two ago, I remember mentioning to a military recruiter friend that China had hacked into our government (or maybe military) network. He simply replied with, "China hacks us, we hack them, it's an ongoing thing to see who's better." Regardless of whether or not hacking is viewed as a competition, it can have serious repercussions. And I, quite frankly, would be much happier knowing that confidential information is not being hacked into and distributed.

Cry Wolf

Today, "a suspected U.S. drone fired two missiles . . . at an alleged hide-out connected to a Taliban leader who has threatened to attack Washington, killing 12 people and wounding several others" (FNC). Even though the attack has decimated one of Baitullah Mehsud's hide-outs, according to the FBI, Mehsud "had made several threats previously and . . . there was no indication of anything imminent" (FNC).
If I'm reading this correctly, the FBI is dismissing Mehsud's threats because this isn't the first time he's made them. Quite frankly, I feel that a threat against national security should be taken seriously, regardless of how many times an extreme militant Taliban leader has made them.

Also, "'If the brigandish U.S. imperialists dare to infiltrate spy planes into our airspace to interfere with our peaceful satellite launch preparations, our revolutionary armed forces will mercilessly shoot them down,'" claimed North Korea's state radio. However, the aforementioned planes are capable of reaching ten mile altitudes, and it is uncertain as to whether or not North Korea possesses the capabilities to shoot them down.

Nuclear Missiles and Threats on Washington

"North Korea is believed to have several nuclear warheads that could be mounted on a missile" (FNC). However, it is not yet known if North Korea possesses the technology and knowledge required to mount the five to eight warheads on the missiles.
Although I said I thought Iran was more stable than North Korea in terms of using nuclear warheads against another country, I'm not sure if it counts if Iran is aiding North Korea. "Missile experts from Iran are in North Korea to help Pyongyang prepare for its rocket launch" (FNC). "Japan's Sankei Shimbun newspaper declared [Sunday] a 15-strong delegation from Tehran has been in the country advising the North Koreans since the beginning of March.

Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud "claimed responsibility Tuesday for a deadly assault on a Pakistani police academy and said the group was planning a terrorist attack on the U.S. capital" (FNC). Via phone, Mehsud told AP, "'Soon we will launch an attack on Washington that will amaze everyone in the world" (FNC). Mehsud also is undeterred by the $5 million bounty on his head. In fact, he wishes "'to die and embrace martyrdom'" (FNC).
It's a good thing we're not at war anymore. Otherwise, we'd probably have reason to worry about this!

One Way in Which a Former Taliban Ambassador to Pakistan and I Differ

Mullah Abdul Salaam Zaeef, "a former Taliban ambassador to Pakistan [who] spent almost four years in Guantanamo" (FNC) has an iPhone. I don't. But then again, I'm not a huge fan of them.
And neither are the Japanese. The iPhone is "being given away free with a 2-year contact" (FNC). Apparently, not only are "carrier charges . . . a lot cheaper in Japan than they are in the U.S." (FNC), but also "few Japanese want to pay $60 per month to use a phone that can't shoot video, receive TV signals or text-message photos" (FNC). Even my LG enV2 shoots video and texts photos!
I still remember when the iPhone was released (but then again, it wasn't too long ago . . . unless we're going by the rate at which technology becomes obsolete). I was in England and a visiting American had an iPhone. At lunch, all of the men crowded around the visitor to check out his iPhone (which cost at least twice as much in GBP).

Don't Mess With Poland

Yesterday, my parents and I stopped at Ft. Indiantown Gap's PX. I was surprised by the amount of alcohol stocked in such a small store.

According to the London Times, Poland has "promised to track down and 'punish' Taleban terrorists who beheaded an engineer in Pakistan's lawless North West Frontier Province" (Times Online). The Polish Foreign Minister has "promised that Poland would try to bring the perpetrators of the killing to justice" (Times Online). However, this is going to be quite difficult, as "Pakistan's tribal regions remain largely lawless and overrun by the Taleban" (Times Online),though this hasn't stopped Poland from issuing arrest warrants against the suspects. Still, if and when these murderers are captured, will they truly be brought to justice? Or will international law and human rights intervene? We can always ship them to Rep. Murtha's district.

On a happier note, SSG Daniel Barker and soldier Adam Krause were reunited with two dogs they saved from starvation while serving in Afghanistan. "Dogpile.com . . . [paid] for the dogs' journey to the U.S. and stay in Customs" (FNC). Follow their story at Dogpile.com, complete with their arrival video!
I wonder if this sort of thing happens more often. I can recall reading a story about a dog named Lava who was rescued by some soldiers. They dewormed her with tobacco and got rid of her fleas with a kerosene bath. As far as I know, Lava is living somewhere in the States with one of the soldiers.

Princess Amira al-Taweel of Saudi Arabia has declared that she is ready to drive (women are currently forbidden to drive in Saudi Arabia), as she already drives in other countries when she travels. Her husband has already stated that "he would be the first to let his wife and daughter drive if the ban was lifted" (FNC). The ban requires families to either "hire live-in drivers . . . [or] rely on male relatives to drive them to work, school, shopping or the doctor" (FNC).
In my opinion, that's more of an inconvenience than allowing women to drive themselves. The argument against women drivers is that they "will unduly expose their eyes while driving and will interact with male strangers" (FNC).
As a driver, my eyes are on the road. I'm not checking out the guy passing me on the interstate. If women (or men) are going to be ogling one another while on the road, they clearly shouldn't be there in the first place. And if men are worried about women interacting with police officers and mechanics, can't they simply veil before the police officer strides up to the window, or have their husbands take the car to the mechanic? Clearly, I'm oversimplifying the matter, but the point is that in my opinion, these arguments are unfounded.

"Be nice to terrorists. Read them their rights!" -Judge from An American Carol, on the ACLU