The buddy system is alive and well here. While in Kabul, anytime we went outside the wire, we rode in convoys of at least two up-armored SUVs.
Aircraft fly in twos as well, as I’ve seen here many times a day. From my quarters (a/k/a, my can), I listen to a seemingly-endless stream of jets taking off … pairs of F-15s, F-16s or F/A-18s. They launch at 10-15 second intervals. Last night, for example, I listened to pairs of jets taking off until about midnight, at which point I nodded off. More may have flown during the night, but I wasn’t awake to hear. The roar is deafening (ask anyone who’s ever tried to talk through the take-off), but it’s one of those “sounds of freedom.”
A couple days ago, while headed off to chow, we saw a pair of helos approaching … H-60 Blackhawks … one a MEDEVAC bird emblazoned with the distinctive red cross on a white background, his buddy in trail, a safe distance behind. Almost simultaneously, a pair of F-16 Falcons took off, maybe 15 seconds apart. One of our team noted, “This isn’t normal medical transfer time, they’re heading out to pick someone up.” TIC – Troops in Contact. The F-16s were likely scrambled to provide close air support to soldiers engaged with insurgents. And a MEDEVAC bird hot on their heels to bring wounded soldiers back for care.
After spending the past seven weeks here in the relative safety of the cocoon on BAF, not having gone outside the wire since my arrival, I was once again reminded of the immediacy of the war. Those of us “in the rear with the gear” don’t have a lot of up-close-and-personal contact with the war. Even here, it seems remote at times. We do our work thing, we hit the gym, we have three squares available and bitch about the food, we have e-mail and Internet access and can Skype with our loved ones … and we lose sight of the fight. Even in-theater, we can lose sight of the grunts out on patrol, who are out there trying to win over the villages at the grassroots level by kinetically improving the security situation.
All this rambling reminds me of a quote often (erroneously) attributed to George Orwell, although in fact it was spoken by Winston Churchill : "We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm."
Sleep soundly, my friends. Those rough men mean business. And please, this Monday, pause for a moment to remember those rough men (and women) who have fallen. Memorial Day is about more than barbecues and sales.
One reason I object to the "kinetic military action" in Libya without Congressional approval is that those 'rough men' might be held responsible for a stray piece of ordinance and hauled before a world court when they are responding to an order, and that order is under layers of haze.
ReplyDeleteOur military have a good record of honor. Our Congress does not. From the time of Washington they have proven themselves wind sniffers - the reason Washington wept at his troops farewell is because Congress screwed with their pensions. (As usual, after the fact.)
We need some explanation and definition of the mission here. A 'No Fly Zone' means blowing the other guy's planes up when they launch and putting a hole where his radar was if he lights you up. It does not mean taking pot shots at Muammar, or sinking ships in port (unless they were flying.) I know Muammar is a bad guy, but I don't know if the "rebels” are good guys. Could be the swapping of the Shah of Iran for Khomeini. CIC announced that the situation was "unacceptable” then proceeded to accept it. He should have put the burden on the UN, who after all put old Muammar on the Human Rights Commission. The one time he should have been running his mouth, he wasn't.
Which sometimes puts rough men in the hands of lawyers, and as you have noted, their position on the battle field; on board a LMD – Large Metal Desk.