The Animals Are Still Alive
Yesterday, an MH-47 helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan. Initial reports stated that 17 people were on board. That number has been reduced to 16, with 8 of the dead confirmed as SEALs, and the other 8 possibly Army Rangers. (No need to ask guys, she’s worried.) But what isn’t being reported by the media (to my knowledge, only Reuters has picked it up at this point) was that helicopter was going into the area on an extraction operation.
A recon element in the area was ambushed by a large Taliban force, and called for a quick reaction force, or QRF. Aside from the Taliban taking credit for taking down the chopper, we haven’t heard yet how the chopper was downed. (I have been in touch with one of my close sources, who has kept me as updated as they can on this.) Honestly, it doesn’t matter how it happened.
That it did happen is tragic. But moreover, to the point the media isn’t following up with, is the recon force is still unaccounted for, as yet. The military is keeping a tight lip as to what SOF were involved in the recon group (SEALs, Marine Recon, Rangers, etc.) the fact is they’re still out there, and alive or dead, they need to be recovered. All hell is dropping on that area in Afghanistan, and our enemies are about to learn a valuable lesson from America as thousands of US troops descend upon our enemy in a rescue operation.
We don’t play games in the field, and we want the men back, now...or else.
And the "or else" is hell. It will rain down like fire from the sky. This nation watched in Somalia as "Black Hawk Down" unfolded. This is very similar. No, the recon force wasn’t shot down, but until help arrives, these guys are on their own. They’re SOF—professional operators. I got faith they’ll come home, but the anticipation is never-ending until the all clear is sounded.
I bring this up much for the reasons why Marcie touched on it today. She did a good overview of when our troops have been called upon to defend this nation, and she reminded us to remember those that fight for us today, and those that fought us yesterday. We should remember them; without them, we don’t have a nation.
But above all, this incident shows us much what we’ve already been told. This is a tough war. And it will be a long war. We’re going to depend a lot on our professional operators to fight the clandestine, shadow war within the overall Global War on Terror. Incidents like this, despite ALL the precautions, will occur. These men that died, and those that remain in harm’s way, don’t do this for fun, or for glory. That’s tertiary in their world. They do it for us, and they do it for the nation.
A long time ago I considered going into the military. I wanted to be a SEAL. I couldn’t (I got glasses, guys), and even with the corrective surgery, there was no guarantee I got into SEAL school. The recruiter even told me that that sort of surgery will count against me getting into SEAL school. So, instead of joining, I went to school...and I studied every aspect of the SEALs and our special warfare units. From their beginnings to modern day, I have a plethora of knowledge about our SOF guys. My uncle served in the Marines in Vietnam, and was part of Marine recon. Marcie’s brother is an Army Ranger. Trust me, I understand what her brother is going through, and what my uncle endured and experienced.
So, I salute these men. And I pray for the safe return of that recon group, and for the families that lost loved ones on that chopper. They will be in my prayers all weekend as I celebrate this nation’s independence, and the recon unit will be on my mind until word comes down—one way or another—that we have them back.
Publius II
UPDATE: Froggy Ruminations, a blog site run by a former US Navy SEAL, has been keeping up with the story. I also suggest Blackfive and Austin Bay for updates. These three represent the trifecta of military blogs.
http://froggyruminations.blogspot.com/
http://www.blackfive.net/
http://www.austinbay.net/blog/
Yesterday, an MH-47 helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan. Initial reports stated that 17 people were on board. That number has been reduced to 16, with 8 of the dead confirmed as SEALs, and the other 8 possibly Army Rangers. (No need to ask guys, she’s worried.) But what isn’t being reported by the media (to my knowledge, only Reuters has picked it up at this point) was that helicopter was going into the area on an extraction operation.
A recon element in the area was ambushed by a large Taliban force, and called for a quick reaction force, or QRF. Aside from the Taliban taking credit for taking down the chopper, we haven’t heard yet how the chopper was downed. (I have been in touch with one of my close sources, who has kept me as updated as they can on this.) Honestly, it doesn’t matter how it happened.
That it did happen is tragic. But moreover, to the point the media isn’t following up with, is the recon force is still unaccounted for, as yet. The military is keeping a tight lip as to what SOF were involved in the recon group (SEALs, Marine Recon, Rangers, etc.) the fact is they’re still out there, and alive or dead, they need to be recovered. All hell is dropping on that area in Afghanistan, and our enemies are about to learn a valuable lesson from America as thousands of US troops descend upon our enemy in a rescue operation.
We don’t play games in the field, and we want the men back, now...or else.
And the "or else" is hell. It will rain down like fire from the sky. This nation watched in Somalia as "Black Hawk Down" unfolded. This is very similar. No, the recon force wasn’t shot down, but until help arrives, these guys are on their own. They’re SOF—professional operators. I got faith they’ll come home, but the anticipation is never-ending until the all clear is sounded.
I bring this up much for the reasons why Marcie touched on it today. She did a good overview of when our troops have been called upon to defend this nation, and she reminded us to remember those that fight for us today, and those that fought us yesterday. We should remember them; without them, we don’t have a nation.
But above all, this incident shows us much what we’ve already been told. This is a tough war. And it will be a long war. We’re going to depend a lot on our professional operators to fight the clandestine, shadow war within the overall Global War on Terror. Incidents like this, despite ALL the precautions, will occur. These men that died, and those that remain in harm’s way, don’t do this for fun, or for glory. That’s tertiary in their world. They do it for us, and they do it for the nation.
A long time ago I considered going into the military. I wanted to be a SEAL. I couldn’t (I got glasses, guys), and even with the corrective surgery, there was no guarantee I got into SEAL school. The recruiter even told me that that sort of surgery will count against me getting into SEAL school. So, instead of joining, I went to school...and I studied every aspect of the SEALs and our special warfare units. From their beginnings to modern day, I have a plethora of knowledge about our SOF guys. My uncle served in the Marines in Vietnam, and was part of Marine recon. Marcie’s brother is an Army Ranger. Trust me, I understand what her brother is going through, and what my uncle endured and experienced.
So, I salute these men. And I pray for the safe return of that recon group, and for the families that lost loved ones on that chopper. They will be in my prayers all weekend as I celebrate this nation’s independence, and the recon unit will be on my mind until word comes down—one way or another—that we have them back.
Publius II
UPDATE: Froggy Ruminations, a blog site run by a former US Navy SEAL, has been keeping up with the story. I also suggest Blackfive and Austin Bay for updates. These three represent the trifecta of military blogs.
http://froggyruminations.blogspot.com/
http://www.blackfive.net/
http://www.austinbay.net/blog/
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 5:49 PM
1 Comments:
Thank you and I'm very interested the cause and what is happening now.
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