Posted on 04/16/2009 7:09:51 PM PDT by mrmargaritaville
Having spoken to some SEAL pals here in Virginia Beach yesterday and asking why this thing dragged out for 4 days, I got the following:
1. BHO wouldn't authorize the DEVGRU/NSWC SEAL teams to the scene for 36 hours going against OSC (on scene commander) recommendation. 2. Once they arrived, BHO imposed restrictions on their ROE that they couldn't do anything unless the hostage's life was in "imminent" danger 3. The first time the hostage jumped, the SEALS had the raggies all sighted in, but could not fire due to ROE restriction 4. When the navy RIB came under fire as it approached with supplies, no fire was returned due to ROE restrictions. As the raggies were shooting at the RIB, they were exposed and the SEALS had them all dialed in. 5. BHO specifically denied two rescue plans developed by the Bainbridge CPN and SEAL teams 6. Bainbridge CPN and SEAL team CDR finally decide they have the OpArea and OSC authority to solely determine risk to hostage. 4 hours later, 3 dead raggies 7. BHO immediately claims credit for his "daring and decisive" behaviour. As usual with him, it's BS.
So per our last email thread, I'm downgrading Oohbaby's performace to D-. Only reason it's not an F is that the hostage survived.
Read the following accurate account.
Philips’ first leap into the warm, dark water of the Indian Ocean hadn’t worked out as well. With the Bainbridge in range and a rescue by his country’s Navy possible, Philips threw himself off of his lifeboat prison, enabling Navy shooters onboard the destroyer a clear shot at his captors — and none was taken.
The guidance from National Command Authority — the president of the United States, Barack Obama — had been clear: a peaceful solution was the only acceptable outcome to this standoff unless the hostage’s life was in clear, extreme danger.
The next day, a small Navy boat approaching the floating raft was fired on by the Somali pirates — and again no fire was returned and no pirates killed. This was again due to the cautious stance assumed by Navy personnel thanks to the combination of a lack of clear guidance from Washington and a mandate from the commander in chief’s staff not to act until Obama, a man with no background of dealing with such issues and no track record of decisiveness, decided that any outcome other than a “peaceful solution” would be acceptable.
After taking fire from the Somali kidnappers again Saturday night, the on scene commander decided he’d had enough.
Keeping his authority to act in the case of a clear and present danger to the hostage’s life and having heard nothing from Washington since yet another request to mount a rescue operation had been denied the day before, the Navy officer — unnamed in all media reports to date — decided the AK47 one captor had leveled at Philips’ back was a threat to the hostage’s life and ordered the NSWC team to take their shots.
Three rounds downrange later, all three brigands became enemy KIA and Philips was safe.
There is upside, downside, and spinside to the series of events over the last week that culminated in yesterday’s dramatic rescue of an American hostage.
Almost immediately following word of the rescue, the Obama administration and its supporters claimed victory against pirates in the Indian Ocean and [1] declared that the dramatic end to the standoff put paid to questions of the inexperienced president’s toughness and decisiveness.
Despite the Obama administration’s (and its sycophants’) attempt to spin yesterday’s success as a result of bold, decisive leadership by the inexperienced president, the reality is nothing of the sort. What should have been a standoff lasting only hours — as long as it took the USS Bainbridge and its team of NSWC operators to steam to the location — became an embarrassing four day and counting standoff between a ragtag handful of criminals with rifles and a U.S. Navy warship.
The captain would go along with the story and say, "Sure, I jumped a second time!" in order to save the SEALS asses, and if the surviving terrorist denied it, so what, and the other three were dead. Obama couldn't say a word without betraying himself and looking like the wiener he is. Later the story changed and dropped the fictitious second jump scenario, because to leave it like that would make it pretty obvious that Obama didn't initiate the rescue (which he didn't in any case), so it had to be changed to the SEALS acting on his orders.
Sounds like the way it really played out (though we will never know that) was close to what I suspected. God bless the Navy SEALS.
“OR, soon to be, just like all the rest of us who’ve served in the US military. Obama and his no-talent crew have managed to give none of us any reason to come to their defense about anything.”
Actually, this man and his crew may well give you and many others reason to rise up to protect and this country.
that would be too easy-I want to see how osamaobama is going to handle this situation-he won’t have the guts do string him up-which is the way civilized people deal with pirates.
A commander with the strength and willingness to make a command decision... someone like that has got to be a gnawing vexation to the squishy wishy hopenchange “CIC”.
Yep. It figures. For one thing, after he jumped the first time, the pirates tied the Captain up after they got him back on board, and I doubt whether they would have given him a second chance to escape.
Thanks to Obama he spent about four days tied up with a gang of itchy trigger-fingered ragheads pointing their weapons at him, and I won’t go into all the other likely details, but I would think it must have been extremely unpleasant.
Anybody know at what range our SEALs too their shots?
Kinda figured it had to be something along those lines. Outstanding job to the on-scene commander for making the call and giving the order.
I am an American, fighting in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.
I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command, I will never surrender the members of my command while they still have the means to resist.
If I am captured I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and to aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy.
If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners. I will give no information or take part in any action which might be harmful to my comrades. If I am senior, I will take command. If not, I will obey the lawful orders of those appointed over me and will back them up in every way
When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am required to give name, rank, service number, and date of birth. I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability. I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies or harmful to their cause.
I will never forget that I am an American, fighting for freedom, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America.
I find the above story 100% plausible or even probable, FWIW.
the media has reported 25 meters-that struck me as being a little to close to be towing an 18 foot life boat behind a ship (water ski tow ropes are 75 feet). There’d be a heck of a lot of prop wash at 75 feet-I’m figuring it was further back-but I don’t think we want the bad guys knowing exactly how accurate the SEALS are\can be.
took, not too
Thanks for the info !
Stay safe !
I also have wondered what the career consequences will be to the people who decided to act. The Capt and the Seal Team leader had to have some interesting conversations I would think.
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Navy snipers had multiple chances to shoot Somali pirates (Obama waits until Captain nearly killed)
Monday, April 13, 2009 9:42:17 PM · 71 of 248
Sequoyah101 to fso301
An interesting and likely position. Can you imagine the conversations these young men had while waiting on ZERO to abandon the BFI? I wondered why a hostage negotiator could get there (if one did) and not a proper weapons team.
More, you don’t need snipers to level the top of a fiberglass lifeboat if the hostage is in the water like Captain Phillips was. A 50 cal or two operated by seamen will do just fine without too much accuracy. Keeps the pirates heads down too. They not only weren’t authorized they were most likely UNAUTHORIZED to fire.
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“I would hope that Obama is smart enough not to make an issue of it, because it would not reflect well on him if it came out. He would be stupid to take vengeance on some relatively unimportant guy he’ll never even meet if it might threaten to reflect badly on him.”
Obama would NEVER do that...as Joe the Plumber knows, Obama has people for that type of mission...
LOL
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