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A vote for Bush or Gore is a vote to continue Clinton policies!
A vote for Buchanan is a vote to continue America!
Therefore a vote for Gore or Bush is a wasted vote for America!
Don't waste your vote! Vote for Patrick Buchanan!
ARTICLE 4
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kosovo SITREP - A Rough Week for Battalion XX
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ed.: The attached SITREP is an unclassified email now circulating widely in
Army channels and on Capital Hill. The SITREP covers his battalion's
activities for the seven days from 4 May thru 10 May 2000. Maybe the
Senators who voted for an open ended commitment to the Kosovo "No-Winner"
should read some of these first hand accounts to figure what the real deal
is. Thanks to our troops, the situation is still stable.BUT they are
increasingly becoming the TARGETS for both warring parties vs. the good-guy
peacekeepers we envisioned them to be. Our Army editor removed all unit
references to prevent making our troops friendly fire/political targets.
**********************************************************************
Email from Officer X in Battalion XX
The ethnic violence continues to increase. Currently, the Battalion XX
operations area is the most active in Kosovo. As a result, we are getting a
lot of "attention" from COMKFOR, Task Force Falcon, and civilian officials
from Pristina.
We have had almost two weeks of continuous activity.
On 4 May, a Serbian home was bombed. The building had two female occupants
and a child (the male family member was in Serbia). The occupants suffered
minor injuries, but the home is not safe to live in.
The next night [May 5], an unoccupied Serbian home in Vitina was burned.
Naturally, the tension in all of the Serb communities was high.
On 6 May, a 67 year old Serb man was murdered in Klokot while he was
fishing. Cobra Battery found the body. When the Klokot Serbs found out, they
began to riot. They began attacking Albanian cars passing through the town.
They smashed vehicle windows with bricks, pulled the occupants out of the
cars, and beat them. Soldiers responded quickly, and were able to save the
lives of many Albanians.
As reinforcements were sent north into Klokot, a column of wounded and
bloody Albanians (including women and children) were moving south towards
Vitina. Ten cars were damaged and 13 Albanians were treated by Battalion XX
medics and transported to a local clinic. After negotiating with the Serb
leaders, the riots ended around 2300 hours. By midnight, the Battalion
XX'ers had removed all Serb obstacles from the road (burning cars, tires,
and wood).
On 7 May, the situation deteriorated further. In Vitina, an Albanian man
fired an AK-47 at a Serbian family while they were sitting in their yard.
The attack was probably in retaliation for the attack on the Albanians in
Klokot yesterday. The gunmen emptied a 30-round magazine at the family. All
of the family members were hit (a man, woman, and two little girls).
Thankfully, none of the individuals were killed, although all of them
suffered serious wounds.
Later that evening, an explosion destroyed a Serbian home in the town of
Vrbovac. The home was unoccupied, however, the owners had recently returned
from Serbia and were repairing the home for future occupation. Within
minutes of the explosion a crowd of about 70 angry Serb males gathered and
became hostile towards KFOR. Someone in the crowd attempted to grab the
platoon leader's weapon. He shoved the man back and the Battalion XX'ers
locked and loaded their weapons as the crowd surged forward. The crowd
grabbed the Albanian interpreter, but the soldiers reacted quickly to
prevent him from being injured. After tense negotiations, the crowd
dispersed back into the town.
The next day [8 May], the Serbians decided to block the roads in Klokot to
prevent the Albanians from going to work at a bottling plant and health
facility. When the Albanians showed up for work, the Serbs moved to attack
them. Soldiers from Cobra Battery moved to interdict them and protect the
Albanians. The Serbs and the Albanians began throwing rocks at each other,
with the Battalion XX'ers caught in the middle. The squad leader ordered his
squad to lock and load, called for the QRF, and fired warning shots to
regain control of the situation. The word quickly spread through the
Albanian communities of the situation in Klokot.
Soon, the worst case scenario began to develop: Albanians from all of the
surrounding towns began to mobilize to march on Klokot. 300 Albanians
attempted to march from Pozaranje in the west, but were stopped by the UAE
company attached to the Battalion XX'ers. Warning shots were fired. About
100 Albanians marched on Klokot from Zitinje in the north. They were stopped
by Battalion XX'ers and MPs. Approximately 150 Albanians marched on Klokot
from Radivoiche in the east. They were stopped by Delta Company and another
group of MPs. The largest group of Albanians (600-700) attempted to march on
Klokot from Vitina in the south. This group was stopped by soldiers, riot
police, and MP dogs.
Our efforts were greatly assisted by the Kiowas and Apaches flying overhead.
We always had early warning of where the Albanians were massing and what
direction they were headed because of the good work done by the aviators.
Because we had control of the interior lines, we were able to shift forces
around the sector all day to counter the different crowds. It was a long and
exhausting day. I was extremely proud of the young Battalion XX'ers on the
ground. Most of them spent the entire day, moving from location to location,
to confront angry crowds.
On 10 May, the violence erupted again. An unoccupied Serb home north of
Grncar was destroyed by a bomb. Bulldog soldiers responded within minutes
and were immediately attacked by approximately 75 angry Serbs. The Serbs
were throwing rocks and climbing onto the vehicles. Warning shots were
fired. One soldier on the vehicle was grabbed by Serbs, but another soldier
swung the .50 cal around, knocking the Serbs off of the vehicle.
A helicopter appeared on the scene and created an excellent dust cloud for
the squad to withdraw. Another squad of soldiers that were responding to the
call for help from the previous squad, also met an angry crowd of Serbians.
The Battalion XX'ers responded by shoving the crowd back and butt-stroking
civilians with their weapons. Warning shots were fired (The first three
rounds in the magazine need to be tracer ammunition. It can be seen by the
crowd and has a greater effect). During the pause, the squad leader directed
the M203 gunners to load non-lethal munitions and tossed a CS grenade. The
CS instantly dispersed the crowd and enabled the squad to link up with other
forces.
Meanwhile, another group of Serbs attacked the soldiers at the Vrbovac
church. There were only two soldiers at the church because the rest of the
squad moved from the church to assist other soldiers involved in a
confrontation down the road. Other forces rushed to link up with the two
soldiers, but for a short period of time, they defended their position by
themselves.
Once again, a helicopter appeared on the scene and assisted the soldiers by
kicking up a lot of dust and obscuring the vision of the Serbians. Another
CS grenade was used in the defense of the church and dispersed the crowd
until reinforcements arrived. In the end, three Battalion XX'ers were
injured, however, only one was evacuated to the Battalion Aid Station. The
soldier received a small wound to his face that required four stitches to
close up.
In hindsight, it appears that the entire event might have been staged by the
Serbs, including the bombing of the abandoned home. I cannot go into the
evidence/justification in this unclassified e-mail. Suffice it to say, the
Serbs knew we had intended to occupy the abandoned house that night with an
OP. The squad that was supposed to occupy the position was late. If our
assessment and TF Falcon's assessment is correct, the Serbs were attempting
to kill American soldiers, blame the Albanians, and change the rules of the
game.
Last night, another Serbian home was burned in Klokot. A crowd of about 30
males gathered, but did not become violent. Surprisingly, they were all
sober. So far today, it has been quiet. The Task Force is resting, and
preparing for another eventful night.
That is all of the news from Kosovo. It is going to be a long, hot summer.
Rest assured that the Battalion XX'ers are up to the task. We are learning
some tough lessons, but we are getting better at this business everyday.
===============================================================
ARTICLE 5
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lessons in Leadership
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ed.: After serving on four subs and an outstanding track record of over 18 ˝
years, this old hand was torpedoed by his own during his last assignment.
Maybe his Navy had changed and it was time to call it quits!
************************************************************************
Clinton C. Owen ETC(SS), USN, Retired
I have never considered myself to be a great leader, not even a very good
one. But the Navy seemed to think otherwise. In 18˝ years,I had received a
Navy Commendation Medal, Four Navy Achievement Medals, and enough
certificates and letters to paper my den, if I went in for that sort of
thing. So, what happened at my last command, where I received four Letters
of Instruction, got relieved of my duties, and nearly got disqualified from
nuclear power? Was it me that changed, or was it the US Navy?
I reported aboard in February 1998, at the beginning of a mini-overhaul. I
knew that I was supposed to get re-qualified on all of my watches in six
months, a nearly impossible task without any sea time. I hit the books,
relying on my excellent ET1 to keep the division running.
Four months later, it was time to start up and test the reactor, my first
time on this ship and propulsion plant. During the pre-check procedure, the
two operators rushed a bit, and one entry was missed (in 120 pages!) The
Engineering Duty Officer caught the mistake and we did the job again. My
first Letter of Instruction (LOI) was for failing to prevent that single
admin mistake.
By August 1998, I felt ready for my first watch qualification, Reactor
Technician (RT). What did I get when I asked the engineer for an interview?
LOI #2, of course, for failure to qualify within six months! Serious
concerns about my lack of progress had been a well kept secret, from me and
from my division officer, who had no idea the LOI was coming either. I was
warned that I could be disqualified from nuclear power. I got qualified RT
on the second interview.
In October 1998 I had my first Reactor Operator (RO) qualification board. I
think that I would have passed that board at any of my previous commands,
but the CO and the Engineer thought that I was too hesitant and unsure of
myself. Instead of getting qualified RO, I got LOI #3.
I arranged to go out to sea on another boat of the same. Five days underway
studying, standing training watches and observing casualty drills
effectively doubled my operational experience on that reactor plant! A week
later I passed my board, even though I answered the questions in essentially
the same way as before. I was qualified Reactor Operator, eight months after
reporting aboard, with 10 days at sea! My last hurdle would be Engineering
Watch Supervisor (EWS).
We got underway for a 70-day patrol, with a major inspection at the end. I
stood watch with every qualified EWS and Engineering Officer of the Watch as
often as I could. I took each one around the engine room and got them to ask
me every question they could think of, practical and off the wall. Each one
said that he would be happy to have me in his section. Of course, I failed
my first EWS board. They still didn't like my "style." At least they skipped
the LOI this time! Two weeks later I had another go, and managed to squeak
through, magically transformed. Fully qualified, in only 9 months! It was
November 30th.
I got assigned to the mid-watch, midnight to 6 AM, every day. I didn't mind.
That is part of the job and someone has to do it. I usually got my sleep on
the evening watch, five to eleven PM, because of drills and meetings
throughout the day. We settled into a normal routine.
On December 26, once again without any kind of warning, I was called to the
CO's stateroom for another leadership lesson. I was astonished to discover
that I was being relieved of my duties as LPO, in favor of my senior ET1. It
was all laid out in LOI #4. I had not been performing or supervising enough
maintenance (routinely done on the evening watch, my only chance to sleep).
They were concerned that I would not make a good showing for the inspection,
at the time about two weeks off.
There is a happy ending to this sordid tale. I got reinstated as LPO during
the next offcrew cycle (after the inspectors were safely out of site). At my
retirement ceremony I received Navy Achievement Medal #5, and the Captain
gave a glowing speech about my contributions to the command, the submarine
force, and to the nation. I guess all that leadership must have paid off.
===============================================================
ARTICLEs 6 & 7
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Reader Responses - No Gun Ri
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ed.: I received many responses on the topic. Some told us that No Gun Ri
was a press-manufactured event as expressed in the recent Newsweek article.
But.a great number of Korean War vets said that No Gun Ri could have
happened, even more than once. Some point to an air attack gone bad which
stirred civilian movement in the midst of a North Korean attack. Add the
high number of green troops and disaster is possible. Maybe we'll never
know. The bottom line remains: War is Hell and fought by humans who have
the ability to make it even worse. America remains the greatest nation on
earth because most of us have no fear of the truth.
***********************************************************************
By Paul Viscovich, Jr., CDR, USN
Thanks for your remarks on the alleged massacre at No Gun Ri, 1950, which
you wrote in the 17 MAY 2000 edition of Soldiers for the Truth. Your's are
the most intelligent remarks I have seen on this subject and they are
applicable to all U.S. conflicts going back to the Revolutionary War.
It is easy and cheap for armchair philosophers to sit back and second guess
decisions made under conditions which they shrink from enduring themselves,
but as General Sherman noted, "War is all hell."
So if in the grand Judeo-Christian scheme of things, we may have made some
mistakes in war fighting, I would still challenge anyone to show us a
country in any war whose victorious military has exhibited greater restraint
and compassion under fire than has that of the United States ... and without
the benefit of "consideration of others" training!
==============================================================
ARTICLE 7
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No Gun Ri response -- Real Combat is not like the Movies
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ed: A combat soldier speaks out. Self-preservation is an essential element
in every firefight.
************************************************************************
Ralph W.
Texas
Retired Special Forces
I arrived in Korea 9 July 1950, and I damned sure shot where the bullets
were coming from and they were not all wearing uniforms. I really didn't
give a rats ass then nor did I give a rats ass for the total of the five
years spent in combat zones during my 22 years in The Military.
That's why I'm still alive, 69 years old and have a seven year old son.
Great, great column.
==============================================================
ARTICLE 8
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's raining Medals once again
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ed.: In response to the recent announcement of 21 WWII Medals of Honor to
Asian Americans.You could probably add Hack to the list. Food for thought!
*********************************************************************
By Mohawk
How about Medals of Honor for the following:
"Chesty" Puller (5 Navy Crosses).
Victor "Transport" Maghakian, Navy Cross (punched out an officer who wanted
to surrender--MOH down-graded to Navy Cross -- 2 Silver Stars, Bronze Star,
2 0r 3 Purple Hearts. Aren't Armenians minorities?
And why not "Teddy" Roosevelt, and many, many others?
==============================================================
ARTICLE 9
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why are the ones in power so forgetful?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ed.: A German WWII veteran and close friend of one of our editors, comments
on the American soldier and why he deserves care and compassion. Simple but
truthful words.
************************************************************************
By Gerhard Bluemlein
I am sorry for what has happened to your veterans. They (the politicians)
have forsaken you, sold you down the river. They forgot that you, all of you
American soldiers, saved them from Kaiser Wilhelm for, if he would have won
WWI, Europe, Mid-East and Africa would have been Great Germany (The
Fatherland of Mankind).
They forgot that you, all of you American soldiers, saved them from Hitler
for, if he would have won WWII, together with Mussolini and Hirohito, the
world would have been a dictatorial power and millions would have
disappeared in concentration camps, starving to death or being eliminated by
fast killing death machines.
They forgot that you, all of you American soldiers, saved them from Stalin,
Ho Chi Minh, Mao, Castro, Saddam Hussein, for the world would have been
enslaved to the whims of the conquerors.
They forgot that you, all of you American soldiers, helped them to be in the
position they are in now, in a free Nation, indivisible and a home for all,
regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex or handicap.
And most of all, they forgot that you, all of you American soldiers, saved
them from being the ones in labor- or concentration camps.
===============================================================
ARTICLE 11
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GI HUMOR - Learning the Language
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ed.: Transitioning out of uniform or retiring soon? Help is here. When
you're reading the Classifieds, this is what job ads "really" mean. From
Tig Dupre's trick box.
***********************************************************************
"Competitive Salary"
We remain competitive by paying you less than our competition.
"Join our fast-paced company"
We have no time to train you.
"Casual work atmosphere"
We don't pay enough to expect that you will dress up; a couple of the real
daring guys wear earrings.
"Some overtime required"
Some every night and some every weekend.
"Duties will vary"
Anyone in the office can boss you around.
"Must have an eye for detail"
We have no quality assurance.
"Career-minded"
Female applicants must be childless (and remain that way).
"Apply in person"
If you're old, fat or ugly you'll be told that the position has been filled.
"Seeking candidates with a wide variety of experience"
You'll need it to replace the three people who just quit.
"Problem-solving skills a must"
You're walking into perpetual chaos.
"Requires team leadership skills"
You'll have the responsibilities of a manager, without the pay or respect.
"Good communication skills"
Management communicates, you listen, figure out what they want and do it.
===============================================================
ARTICLE 12 - MEDAL OF HONOR
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ed.: Korea 1951. Close in combat of the toughest kind. Another reason to
be proud of our troops who turned certain disaster into tactical victories.
If you would like more info on MOH recipients and their stories, please
email James H at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
*********************************************************************
LEE, HUBERT L.
Rank and organization: Master Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company I, 23d Infantry
Regiment, 2d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Ip-ori, Korea, 1
February 1951. Entered service at: Leland, Miss. Born: 2 February 1915,
Arburg, Mo. G.O. No.: 21, 5 February 1952.
Citation: M/Sgt. Lee, a member of Company I, distinguished himself by
conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in
action against the enemy. When his platoon was forced from its position by a
numerically superior enemy force, and his platoon leader wounded, M/Sgt. Lee
assumed command, regrouped the remnants of his unit, and led them in
repeated assaults to regain the position. Within 25 yards of his objective
he received a leg wound from grenade fragments, but refused assistance and
continued the attack. Although forced to withdraw 5 times, each time he
regrouped his remaining men and renewed the assault. Moving forward at the
head of his small group in the fifth attempt, he was struck by an exploding
grenade, knocked to the ground, and seriously wounded in both legs. Still
refusing assistance, he advanced by crawling, rising to his knees to fire,
and urging his men to follow. While thus directing the final assault he was
wounded a third time, by small-arms fire. Persistently continuing to crawl
forward, he directed his men in a final and successful attack which regained
the vital objective.
His intrepid leadership and determination led to the destruction of 83 of
the enemy and withdrawal of the remainder, and was a vital factor in
stopping the enemy attack. M/Sgt. Lee's indomitable courage, consummate
valor, and outstanding leadership reflect the highest credit upon himself
and are in keeping with the finest traditions of the infantry and the U.S.
Army.
==============================================================
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EDITOR'S NOTE:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For Article Submissions: as a rule of thumb, please try to keep article for
possible publication to 750 words or less. Please make every editing effort
not to exceed these guidelines and SUBMIT IN WORD FORMAT, if possible!
What we're into is getting the word to as many citizens as possible about
what is causing our military machine to fly like a B17 with 3 engines on
fire (and that plane still flew!).
Watch your flanks - the bad guys are still out there!!!
R.W. Zimmermann
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
=============================================
GLOSSARY OF MILITARY ACRONYMS:
We've had numerous requests from troops in different branches of the
military to establish this link so that we will all know how "all you
others" talk that talk. Please see below:
http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/doddict/acronym_index.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
***** BOOK SALES *****
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hack's books About Face*, Hazardous Duty*, The Price of Honor* and The
Vietnam Primer can be found at www.hackworth.com. They make a great addition
to any library. We are offering them at special SFTT price.
====================================================
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Defending America Newsletter: Administrative Volunteers:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
R.W. Zimmermann, Chief Editor, President of SFTT, Mine Detector and "Gunner"
David H. Hackworth, Spirit Guide, and undisputed Y2K Expert
Bill Rogers, Senior Assistant Editor and SFTT Vice President
Kate Aspy, Contributing Editor and Oracle
Barry "Woody" Groton, Chief TECH DROID and Medicine Man
Ed "Edgar" Schneider, Copy Editor, Man of Letters and gentleman:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Kyle Elliott, Book List Editor and Most Over-worked
James H., MOH Editor and NCOIC
===================================================
Defending America
VOLUNTEER EDITORS/SPECIALISTS
NOTE: The following list only includes the two primary assistant editors
for each service or special area. Please refer to our WEBSITE for the
complete listing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ALL Letters and Articles for considered publication should be submitted to
one of our brave, resolute and caring volunteers.
****************************************
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U.S. Army:
Tig Dupre, Civil-Military relations, weapons expert and Senior Editor
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
CPT Scott Key, Armor, Generalist, Assistant to Chief Editor
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Robert L. Duecaster, Legal
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U.S. Navy:
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[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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Paul Connors, Senior Editor, AF Historian, Grunt experience, Procurement and
AirCrew issues
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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U.S. Marines:
Maj. Gordon Todd, USMCR, Communications & Tech., Small Arms Training, Senior
Editor.
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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Today, candor compels us to admit that our vaunted two-party system is a
snare and a delusion, a fraud upon the nation. Our two parties have become
nothing but two wings of the same bird of prey...
Patrick Buchanan
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