[Kimmers]

God Bless our men and women in the military....

Pray for our troops and their leadership....

Semper Fi

[oh8eleven]

I dream of bin Laden waking up to find me standing over him with my boot on his throat as I spit into his face and plunge my nickel plated Bowie knife through his frontal lobe. But you know me. I'm a romantic.
LOL - Semper Fi!

[NTHockey]

I see that Force Recon Marines have not lost their broad grasp of the English language to communicate. They are Marine’s Marines!

May God bless and keep them safe. May He smite their enemies, with extreme prejudice.

Semper fi,
(50 years ago today, I started boot camp at Parris Island Platoon 102)

[beebuster2000]

outstanding post

[usmcobra]

I have no idea where the public get the idea Marines aren’t eloquent.

That is some of the most gifted prose out there.

[NeverEVERKerry]

Great letter but it appears old and possibly fake?
http://www.snopes.com/rumors/freezing.asp

[SMARTY]

I wonder if he had that kind of no BS, razor-edge realism to his perspective on things before he became a Marine or if the core taught him that.

[Pistolshot]

[Quix]

EXCELLENT.

THX.

[PurpleMan]

“I track the couriers, locate the tunnel entrances and storage facilities, type the info into the handheld, shoot the coordinates up to the satellite link that tells the air commanders where to drop the hardware, we bash some heads for a while, then I track and record the new movement.”

Even if they’re probably known, why broadcast tactics?

[Retired COB]

Semper Fi

I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad that my war was in a relatively civilized VietNam (it's also warmer and not nearly as mountainous).

[RummyChick]

If you go to youtube and watch some of the Viper videos..it will give you an idea of what these guys go through.

The villages are empty of men (except very old or very young) because they join up to fight..

the soldiers hand out things to the villagers trying to win the hearts and minds.....it is a good idea....does it work?
I doubt it.

And like Vietnam..they use women and children to help in their fight.

In one broadcast the soldier talks about how he just saw a woman scurry away talking in radio..and he figured they were just about to get attacked..and they did.

In my heart, I do not believe it is a war we can win.

But what is the alternative?

And sadly, even if villagers wanted to help..they are threatened by the Taliban.

Soldiers post on anysolder about how these families are so poor ,live in mud huts with no doors, have no shoes, no way to protect themselves during the winter..nothing even to make fire except feces..which doesnt last long...

It is a very bad situation...for everyone.

I box up clothes, and toys, and treats to give to these people....hoping it will help the soldiers in some way..even if it is just once...and hope that the person who gets my things doesn’t end up killing them.

[philled]

This is an inhospitable, rock pit shit hole ruled by eleventh century warring tribes.

I think he's trying to make the place sound better than it is. I don't know that the tribes have made it into the eleventh century yet...

[Desron13]

Bookmark

[M Kehoe]

Good evening. A good post if true or not true.

Given that I've been a grunt in the ME (long time ago), the story rings true to me.

[Sidebar: the only way to "catch" bin Laden is to find some gooey red mist on a cave wall (if you can tunnel into the cave), and give the FBI something to test for DNA].

5.56mm

[culpeper]

Huns is a good description but I think the Huns were better organized.