By Ron Ralston

Jason Lemieux, a veteran who is set to graduate from Columbia University, said he would not have been at the school if not for joining the Marine Corps.

“Their path to graduation began on the battlefield. Veterans of the war on terror, the skills they learned as Marines made it possible to endure rigorous Ivy League academics. But it’s the corps buddy system – a brotherhood that looks out for each other – that got them here and helped them through to graduation.

“I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t have joined the Marine Corps,” Jason Lemieux, a veteran and soon-to-be graduate, said. “It just wouldn’t have happened.”

…Dean Awn is quick to point out the vets have to work just as hard as any other student. They get no special favors. “I say this rather bluntly… this is NOT Affirmative Action for veterans.”

Marine vet Stendal says men and women in uniform are up to the task. “I think it’s a matter of the people who wind up applying are people who are looking to push themselves a little bit harder because it’s what they did in the military.”

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/05/15/columbia-university-marines-graduation/?intcmp=obinsite

“Enhanced interrogation techniques quickened our learning curve on al-Qaeda.” This idea is clarified by former Congressman Pete Hoekstra who analyzes whether or not the CIA’s enhanced interrogation techniques actually lead to the takedown of Osama bin Laden.

Christian Whiton explains the double-game throughout the Middle East as well as the presidents “Outreach 2.0.” Jim Hanson scrutinizes the idea of whether or not we have trained our enemies, including bin Laden’s replacement as well as what is happening with the narco-terrorist group, Los Zetas.

Audio here:
http://www.securefreedomradio.org/2011/05/18/pete-hoekstra-christian-whiton-jim-hanson/

by Diana West
“Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are the No.1 cause of fatalities and injuries to U.S. troops in Afghanistan. The devices have killed 657 U.S. troops and wounded 6,330 since the war began in 2001 through March of this year. Warmer weather and the end of the poppy harvest have generally heralded the beginning of the toughest combat in Afghanistan.

Patrols, particularly foot patrols, are a basic COIN tactic, a specfically stated point of “guidance” (order?) in Gen. Petraeues August 1, 2010 Counterinsurgency Guidance, as noted here. As Petraeus wrote:

‘Walk. Stop by, don’t drive by. Patrol on foot whenever possible and engage the population. Take off your sunglasses. Situational awareness can be gained only by interacting face to face, not separated by ballistic glass or Oakleys.’

COIN doctrine assumes that putting US forces out on the road is a way to “earn their [Afghan] trust.” And “earning their trust” is the linchpin of COIN, and, thus, the linchpin of all US war and nation-building policy in Afghanistan.

It is a cracked linchpin, and it cries out Congressional attention. It is incumbent upon our US Representatives and Senators to investigate whether this tactic of IED-patrols — and other COIN tactics including restrictive ROEs, payola, and reverence for the Koran — are working. Even more important, it is incumbent upon Congress to investigate whether this strategy of “earning their trust” is working.”

http://bigpeace.com/

(Reuters) – “China has agreed to expedite the delivery of 50 fighter jets to Pakistan, a newspaper reported on Friday, as Islamabad tries to deepen ties with Beijing as an alternative to increasingly fragile relations with the United States.

…As the pressure mounts in Washington, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yusuf Reza Gilani has courted “best friend” China, its biggest arms supplier, during a four-day visit that ends on Friday.”

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/20/us-china-pakistan-idUSTRE74J0S520110520

PESHAWAR, Pakistan – ” A roadside bomb exploded near a pair of U.S. consulate vehicles carrying Americans in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Friday, killing a Pakistani passer-by and wounding several people including some of the passengers, officials said.”

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/05/20/bomb-pakistan-hits-vehicle-1-pakistani-dies/#ixzz1Ms51ykeA

“Dear Patriotic American,

I’m sure you’re aware the cost of groceries has been rising quickly. And I know you strongly support our troops who have been paralyzed, burned, blinded, brain-damaged or suffered other serious injuries in Afghanistan or Iraq.

So please make a donation to help feed their families over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.

My name is Major General John K. Singlaub, U.S. Army (Ret.), and I served our nation in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. In a moment I’ll explain why many of our wounded troops have fallen into such desperate financial situations.

But first, please make a tax-deductible donation to the Memorial Day Weekend Emergency Food Drive, sponsored by the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes.

I also hope you will go here to send a Memorial Day THANK YOU and GET WELL card to a serviceman or woman who has been paralyzed, burned, blinded, brain-damaged or suffered other disabling wounds in Afghanistan or Iraq. Your greeting card will cheer up a wounded hero (or other military veteran) and let him or her know you appreciate the painful sacrifice made for our country.

DaMon Clemens returned home with horrific battlefield injuries to learn his wife just had two surgeries and was unable to work.

“We are now behind in rent, utilities, and barely have food to eat,” Damon says.

Betina Tanner, whose husband suffered a serious back injury and multiple concussions when an explosion catapulted him out of his vehicle in Iraq.

“We’re hanging on by a thread . . . . Having trouble buying groceries and clothes for the kids,” she says.

Mack Cole, an Army Sergeant wounded in Iraq, pleads,

“We have exhausted all the family’s resources. We pray you will assist us.”
As you can see, many of our wounded heroes desperately need your help.

So why are so many wounded military heroes struggling to feed their families after suffering agonizing wounds defending you, and me, and every other American?

Not surprisingly, the government doesn’t talk much about it. And the news media hasn’t covered it that much either.

Because of the sluggish government bureaucracy, troops severely wounded in Afghanistan or Iraq are waiting an average of SIX MONTHS to receive their first disability check after being released from the hospital and separated from the service.

Can you imagine waiting six months to get your paycheck? (Of course not!)

The months-long wait for disability checks . . . the rising cost of groceries . . . plus the fact that many spouses of these wounded heroes who are able to work have lost their jobs during the recession. . . means many of our burned, blinded, paralyzed and other seriously disabled troops and their families are in far worse financial shape than just a few months ago.

So please make the largest donation you can afford to the Coalition’s Memorial Day Weekend Emergency Food Drive.

Memorial Day is also an appropriate time to recognize – and repay – the heroes who survived but came home horribly disfigured by burns from a roadside bomb . . . paralyzed by a sniper’s bullet . . . or missing their arms or legs from an explosion.

As a general who commanded troops during three wars I can tell you this: Most say they’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Your donation to the Coalition’s Memorial Day Weekend Emergency Food Drive is a concrete way to tell a wounded hero:

“I realize you’ve made a painful physical sacrifice while protecting my family from terrorism. Now I’m making a small financial sacrifice to help take care of your family in return.”

Even a small gift from you can make a big difference to a severely wounded serviceman or woman who has an empty refrigerator – and hungry children.”

Major General John K. Singlaub
U.S. Army (Ret.)

https://www.saluteheroesproject.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=113&custom_1=CHR7NACG&custom_3=E089P

IMPORTANT NOTE: “Ninety-one percent of all money contributed goes directly to service-members and their families,” CSAH states, and, because it verifies “eligibility requirements with the Department of Defense, incidences of fraud are rare to non-existent.”

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Coalition_to_Salute_America%27s_Heroes

ALSO: this is not the only way to help veterans. CSAH is not a scam. They do, and have done, much good. However, there are many groups which DO NOT do direct mailings to the public. The costs of Direct Mailing as a fundraising tool are very high in relation to the funds collected.

Depending on where you live, you can easily find a LOCAL VFW, American Legion, AMVETS, or Disabled American Veteran’s Post. They can accept your donation and give it to veterans in your local area.

Or you can donate to the VFW, or American Legion national organizations.

By Karin Brulliard

Anjum Naveed/ AP - Pakistani army troops guard the perimeter of the walled compound of a house where al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden was caught and killed by U.S. forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — “As Pakistan’s powerful military leaders seek to overcome extraordinary public criticism after the killing of Osama bin Laden this month in a Pakistani garrison city, they are also facing seething anger in barracks across the country.

Some of the outrage among the ranks stems from shame that the Pakistani military failed to locate bin Laden or detect the stealth U.S. raid on bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, according to officers and military analysts. But most of it is directed toward the United States, an ally that has given billions of dollars to help sustain Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts but is voicing rising concern that the country’s military is not dedicated to that fight.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/in-pakistans-army-anger-simmers/2011/05/18/AFU8yB7G_story.html

By HASHIM SHUKOOR

KABUL, Afghanistan — “Taliban insurgents attacked a construction company in Afghanistan’s Paktia province Thursday, killing 35 and wounding at least 20 others in the latest assault on U.S.-financed road projects that the insurgents believe threaten their access to refuges in the tribal regions of Pakistan.

Among the dead were construction workers, truck drivers, engineers and local security personnel. Eight insurgents were killed by security guards defending the compound, said Rohullah Samoon, the governor’s spokesman.”

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/05/19/2224874/taliban-attack-in-eastern-afghanistan.html#ixzz1MqKChbs9

While Britain makes preparations to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, US helicopters scuffle with Pakistani troops along the border between the two countries.

While the US forces trade lead with Pakistan, Harry Reid, the king of mis-timing, claims that now is not the time to get tough on Pakistan;

At a press conference on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, Reid said, “I think that we need to be–I don’t think we have to be those that are apologizing for anything that Pakistan did or criticizing them even though there’s plenty to apologize to them–apologize about some of the things they’ve done and to criticize them.”

Yes, we should apologize to Pakistan because we’ve been giving them billions of dollars to help us fight a war…now they’re firing on our troops with that aid, and hardly fighting that war to a successful conclusion. I guess he figures that the time to get tough with Pakistan was during the Bush Administration.

And also, while the US and Pakistani forces trade ammunition, John Kerry is claiming that Pakistan is committed to strengthening relations.

At Blackfive, Jim Hanson tells Russia Today that Pakistan is the best friend money can buy.”

http://thisainthell.us/blog/