Jimro Posted September 11, 2009 Report Share Posted September 11, 2009 Howdy fellas, Internet access is spotty at best for me, but every once in a while I manage to get online. After a month in Kuwait I was anxious to get get to Iraq. Been on the ground near Baquba in the Diyala province for a little over two weeks now. The situation here is almost like another NTC rotation. Things are very calm right now, but I don't think the Iraqi's are really ready to handle their own security at this point. Next year maybe, I don't know. Bottom line, the surge worked. Next year will be interesting. I'm watching Afghanistan with great interest, there are a lot of international funding of terrorists there. How the Obama administration handles Afghanistan will probably be a defining point of the next three and a half years. The deteriorating situation under NATO in Afghanistan is reaffirming the knowledge that if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. We have some great allies IN NATO, but we haven't been able to translate that into an effective and integrated force policy on the ground. Jimro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlunity Posted September 11, 2009 Report Share Posted September 11, 2009 NATO was very useful during the Cold war. But as a utilitarian military alliance it, well it is, IMHO, not suited for the role. At best the warrior heart of Europe is sleeping, many think it dead, and the European radical left wants peace at any price. SO yes, I think that we may well end up doing this alone. Still with the left in power here, don't be surprised if we bug out as well. "Things are very calm right now" Keep your head down Sir. It is when things look the most peaceful that the times are most dangerous. Karl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8uck5nort Posted September 11, 2009 Report Share Posted September 11, 2009 Jimro, I salute you! Interesting points you are making about Afghanistan. Good luck and keep safe. Darin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
724wd Posted September 11, 2009 Report Share Posted September 11, 2009 all the best to you and your pals! come home safe! heath Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FC Posted September 11, 2009 Report Share Posted September 11, 2009 Hi Jimro, Hopefully the food is still good. Is it still pretty hot? You take care over there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimro Posted September 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2009 August was pretty bad, but as September goes on it gets cooler every day. The chow in Kuwait was fine, the chow at Joint Base Balad is fine dining compared to normal DFAC food, FOB WARHORSE was almost as good as Balad, and FOB NORMANDY is the smallest with the least options. But NORMANDY is far from the flagpole, so it makes life a lot better. I got moved to NORMANDY about a week ago, now we deal with the problems outside Muqdadiyah. The "insurgent activity" in most of Iraq is the same type found in Northern Ireland for so many decades, a series low grade terrorist attacks designed to bring about political change. This summer they got lucky with the car bombs in Baghdad, but since then it hasn't been anything spectacular. Ramadan ends tomorrow so things will either pick up (I consider it likely) or stay the same (meaning the bad guys are going to wait for the elections in January). Time will tell. Maybe we are keeping all these combat troops in Iraq and Afghanistan just to give Iran a two front war? Probably not with Jimmah Carta II in the white house. Jimro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FC Posted September 19, 2009 Report Share Posted September 19, 2009 Good food sure helps- beats MREs, huh? I had a dumb dream last night about the heat in Iraq this time of the year being a surprise. Well, do you have everything you need over there, or should we send you something? You take care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8uck5nort Posted September 19, 2009 Report Share Posted September 19, 2009 Jimro, Stay vigilant and keep safe. My family and I thank you and anyone who serves for our freedoms. Ditto on the "Do you need anything"? I sure appreciated the care packages when I was overseas. Darin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimro Posted September 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2009 I've got everything necessary to keep a soldier comfortable except my own guns but thank you very much for asking. The problem that the multiple tour veterans have is hyper-vigilance and the problem with the first tour guys is become complacent. All of my NCO's are multiple tour types, and it is difficult to get them to be less aggressive now that we are in the end of the war. We don't go looking for trouble, we are vigilant for when it comes, but all our offensive operations have to be conducted with, through, and by the ISF. Makes for an interesting tour. We are going to pull out next year, leaving six "Advisory and Assistance Brigades" behind. Lord knows how that will turn out, how the elections go in January will probably be the deciding factor. Jimro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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