Michael Yon: The Marines In Afghanistan Are An Impressive Fighting Force
Michael Yon, who is probably the best war reporter since Ernie Pyle, is reporting from Afghanistan and has some observations about the Marines arriving there:
The U.S. Marines are a spectacle for the U.S. Army and also the British Army. The Marines will come in and live like pure animals, and build a base around themselves, whereas the British and American Armies will tend to build at least part of the base before coming in. One Marine commander told me that during the early part of this war, his men didn’t even shower for three months. We talked for a couple of hours and he was proud that his Marines didn’t need a shower for three months, and that his Marines killed a lot of Taliban and managed to lose only one good man. That’s the Marines. They’ll show up in force with no warning, and their reputation with U.S. Army and Brits who have fought alongside them is stellar. A NPR photographer who just spent more than three weeks with the Marines could not praise them enough, saying he’d been with them in Iraq, too, and that when Marines take casualties, their reaction is to continue to attack. They try to stay in contact until they finish the enemy, no matter how long it takes. Truly they are animals when it comes to the fight. Other than that, great guys. Tonight at dinner, a young Marine Lance Corporal sat in front of me at the crowded dining facility. “Good evening, Sir,” he said. I asked, “Are you living like animals out there?” “Livin’ the dream, Sir!” They are fantastic.
The reputation of the United States Marine Corps isn’t incidental – it’s earned. They take the fight to the enemy and are eager to do it. As the old parody goes, when it absolutely, positively has to be destroyed overnight, call the Marines.
Get some, boys.
PP,
We’ve made a hell of a lot more progress than any of those armies ever did and in a far shorter span of time. The biggest problem(s) we are facing are the Soviets and the Pakis. The Pakis are very strange allies to have, considering Pakistan has proven to be the safe haven for the radical Islamic terrorists and they balk at US operations seeking to deny the terrorists any safe haven.
It’s the failed Yalu mistake all over again.
(Yalu = that river between North Korea and Red China, above which US fighters were forbidden from pursuing Communist MiGs over North Korea) This war-losing strategy was repeated again all through Vietnam, where military targets in Hanoi were off-limits. We never won Korea and we lost in Vietnam, largely due to hare-brained Rules of Engagement (RoE) rather than engaging in serious total war.
The bottom line is, NEVER pursue a strategy that allows the enemy safe haven ANYWHERE. )
But in Afghanistan, we adopted much of what we learned in Vietnam in using local national troops (PRU’s, Kit Carson Scouts and Hmong and ‘Yards) in this case, the Kurds.
In short order, by using local troops, along with sensors and other technological advantages (like shooting wire-guided missiles down to where terrorists were hiding in Tora Bora) we quickly broke the main strength of the enemy.
The problems remained, to include woefully-inadequate troop strengths and the safe-havens afforded to the enemy in Pakistan, and supply routes which have always been threatened by cut-off, either by terrorists themselves or by the Russians, with whom relations run hot and cold.
Bottom line, is that the US has succeeded where many foreign armies have failed, and with incredibly small losses and within an incredibly short time.
Certainly, more work needs to be done, but a Surge in Afghanistan would help to break the back of remaining resistance, along with a less restrictive RoE.
Ah, they are a bunch of pussies! Who needs these baby killing, war mongering murderers anyway?
Actors George C. Scott, Brian Keith, Lee Marvin, John Russell, Robert Ryan, Tyrone Power and Bob Keeshan (Captain Kangeroo) were just a few of those pussies from Hollywood that were also highly decorated Marines during WW-II.
So, was my brother, son, nephew, grandson and . . .!
Yeah Woof? Well, we’ll leave plenty of dead Taliban and Al Queda, opium growing carcasses all over the place when we leave.
History is on Woof’s side… Alexander tried, Gengis Khan tried, the British Empire tried, the Russians tried, and now we are embroiled… maybe the outcome will be different… maybe not.
Oh,
I almost forgot the Navy’s first rule of gun fights: send the Marines.
pp: And now the Taliban is trying, and will also fail, along with OBL, if he’s still alive.
All true (and in the end our results may be the same) but it has nothing to do with the fact that US Marines are absolutely one of the best fighhting forces in the world.
And they’re kicking ass in fine style.
Michael Yon has been reporting The Truth for almost ten years now.
To a few misguided posters here. We were attacked. We are not there to occupy the country. We are there to root out evil. Gengis Khan (Kerry) was there to occupy and enslave the populace.
Big difference.
We can be back in a matter of hours if asked by a democratically elected government.
Since everything that we have that rolls, flies, floats or uses energy, runs off petroleum products, securing a pipeline makes complete national security sense.
Ask any German in 1944, walking away from his stalled Koenigstiger Panzer, one of the finest tanks of WWII, because it was out of fuel, or any German pilot, fists clenched in helpless rage as American P-47’s strafe and destroy his ME-262 fighter, faster than anything the allies had by 100 mph, while it sits, without fuel on his airfield, and you will understand how vital fuel is for any nation’s security.
The great military thinker, Alfred Thayer Mahan, discussed the need for forward fueling bases in detail over 100 years ago.
But as a flea-bitten dog who licks his own balls and ass, you couldn’t possibly fathom concepts like national interest, national security and the need for fuel to run the country.
Then again, Democrats in Congress, who consistently vote down America’s ability to become energy independent by drilling here and drilling now, can’t comprehend those concepts either.
the one thing you fail to see that differs us from everyone prior. we dont want to take it. we want them to rule themselves.
Really!?!
If the Army and the Navy
Ever look on Heaven’s scene
They will find the streets are guarded
By United States Marines
Theirs!
Keep up the good fight Marines. The Army is doing a stellar job as well. I’ll do my best to heal up and join you soon.
There is no finer and dedicated miltary than the US Military. Each branch has it’s strengths and specialties, and as an all volunteer force they are commited to the tasks given to them. Regardless of the outcome in Afghanistan or anywhere else, these fine young men and women put their lives on the line to protect all of us, even those who revile them. God Bless and Keep them all!
Isn’t that Ringo Star standing on the right side of Woof’s photo of the Taliban?
The US Marines are well known throughout the world, I agreee that this is one of the finest fighting forces the world has ever seen.
Henrik Bondtofte
SEO consultant
See, the problem with woofie’s bullshit is that we are not trying to take Afghanistan. We are killing terrorists so the people of Afghanistan can take Afghanistan for themselves. woofie is fully aware of this, and spews his fucking lies anyway.
And as for the fighting prowess of Jarheads? Gawd Damned Right. USMC and US Army have 2 entirely separate missions, the Marine mission is to close with and destroy the enemy, the GI’s mission is to take and hold ground, engaging the enemy being only a part of that mission. Two diametrically opposed philosophies. The two work well together, as long as idiotic civs are kept out of the tactical decision process.
It’s always blood for oil to guys like wolf, who conveniently forget why we sent troops to Afghanistan in the first place. The mission has not changed, although Wolf might argue that Iraq was a costly distraction–he’d still be wrong, but he would be on a much better footing.
This part of the world should not have a damn thing to do with life here in the US; but it does, and it will until we convince the folks over there that we do not intend to pull out until the job is done. The job–bring radical Islam to heel, or kill them all. These are our only options.
Only a dullard would equate what is happening in Iraq right now with a comeback by the al Qaida–they are no longer free to roam–they are setting off car bombs, strapping bombs to themselves and walking into hotels–in general taking on soft targets. There is no enthusiam for their approach to life, and they will be put to sleep for good sooner, rather than later.
The sacrifices made by our military personnel and their familes have been worthwhile, despite the constant bashing by the likes of Barack Obama, who apparently now suddenly gets it. The only thing good about his presidency, really–the constant pounding by the pressies has gone away, and this is not good for the bad guys.
Well put Tuna. You are coming in 5×5.
Officials from Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan have opened a meeting in Islamabad to discuss a pipeline that would bring Turkmen gas to South Asia.
First proposed some 15 years ago, the project has never been carried out, whether due to instability in Afghanistan or strained ties between Pakistan and India. But the parties involved feel that now may be the time to finally carry out the project, which would benefit all four countries.
The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline project certainly would help the consumer countries, Pakistan and India, while Turkmenistan could make billions of dollars from gas exports. But arguably it would benefit Afghanistan most by providing steady transit fees to fill depleted state coffers in Kabul.
However, the security situation in Afghanistan, long a major obstacle to TAPI, remains as much a problem today as it’s ever been.
“If we consider the present security situation of Afghanistan, I think it is too much to consider that this project can be done,” Afghan analyst Waliullah Rahmani tells RFE/RL’s Turkmen Service. “It will cross from Kandahar and Herat. The southern cities and provinces of Afghanistan are completely unstable.”
Nonetheless, oil ministers, officials, and experts from the four countries have begun to discuss a range of issues regarding the proposed project during two days of talks in Islamabad.
You are quite right, although this pipe line project is much older than 15 years. It was proposed in the late 1970s by 2 of the companies that built the Alaskan Pipe Line and others in Canada. And another was proposed in southwest Afghanistan going to the sea along the coast between Pasni and Omara in the early 1960s. It was one of the first plans for large scale ocean transport of Natural Gas. Many years ahead of its time.
Security and political/social stability quickly became concerns, and Iran had a hand in dissuading it, also. It would have made a new, major export point for oil and gas outside of the Persian Gulf.
The Marines are short timers.
The Afghans have seen their type come and go for centuries.
This land is their land.
There are three Marines in this picture.
They will wait us out and party when we withdraw.
Just like the Iraqis.
Whose national interest?
The pipeline is planned to deliver oil/gas to Pakistan and India from Tajikistan;Stans.
We are there to secure a pipeline.
Really.
http://www.rferl.org/content/article/1109618.html
Little history:
October 11, 1996: Afghan Pipeline Key to ‘One of the Great Prizes of the 21st Century
December 4, 1997: Taliban Representatives Visit Unocal in Texas
February 12, 1998: Unocal VP Advocates Afghan Pipeline Before Congress
Unocal Vice President John J. Maresca–later to become a Special Ambassador to Afghanistan–testifies before the House of Representatives that until a single, unified, friendly government is in place in Afghanistan, the trans-Afghan pipeline will not be built. He suggests that with a pipeline through Afghanistan, the Caspian basin could produce 20 percent of all the non-OPEC oil in the world by 2010.
July 21, 2001: US Official Threatens Possible Military Action Against Taliban by October if Pipeline Is Not Pursued
http://visibility911.com/blog/?cat=316
To what end?