Posted on 04/19/2009 8:50:32 AM PDT by NorwegianViking
WASHINGTON – While Barack Obama is basking in praise for his "decisive" handling of the Somali pirate attack on a merchant ship in the India Ocean, reliable military sources close to the scene are painting a much different picture of the incident – accusing the president of employing restrictive rules of engagement that actually hampered the rescue of Capt. Richard Phillips and extended the drama at sea for days. Multiple opportunities to free the captain of the Maersk Alabama from three young pirates were missed, these sources say – all because a Navy SEAL team was not immediately ordered to the scene and then forced to operate under strict, non-lethal rules of engagement. They say the response duty office at the Pentagon was initially unwilling to grant an order to use lethal force to rescue Phillips. They also report the White House refused to authorize deployment of a Navy SEAL team to the location for 36 hours, despite the recommendation of the on-scene commander. The White House also turned down two rescue plans offered up by the Seal commander on the scene and the captain of the USS Bainbridge. The SEAL team operated under rules of engagement that required them to do nothing unless the hostage's life was in "imminent' danger... Hours later, frustrated by the missed opportunities to resolve the standoff, the commander of the Bainbridge and the captain of the Navy SEAL team determined they had operational authority to evaluate the risk to the hostage, and took out the pirates at the first opportunity – finally freeing Phillips.
(Excerpt) Read more at wnd.com ...
Lets ask another key question of this devisive, despicable usurper, ZERO HUSSEIN:” beside hiding your Birth Certificate, Zero, WHY did You give up Your License to Practice LAW so many years ago? or ZERO, WERE YOU FORCED TO TURN IN YOUR LICENSE UNDER THREAT OF PROSECUTION? Was it because ZERO perjured himself when asked about using aliases?
This Incident with the Pirates has proven this Basshat is afraid of his own shadow and We have only to Thank a Courageous Captain of The U.S.S. Bainbridge and the Commander of the SEALS for saving Captain Phillip’s Wonderful Life!
Ping.
Hair grows back, testicles don’t.
By sheer coincidence, Captain Phillip's life was in "imminent danger" at the exact moment that all three pirate heads just happened to be exposed at the same time.
That's my story.
Well, that's my story.
I ain't got a witness, and I can't prove it,
but that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.
“Surely, something of this nature was suspected. Phillips thanked a whole lot of folks for his rescue but never once mentioned POTUS.”
Yes, I noticed that right away!
It’s actually pretty strange that Capt. Phillips has not been a huge focus of any stories (as of yet, anyway), as was the case w/Capt. Sullenberger of the Hudson River plane landing. I wonder if the MSM have written him off already because of his slight of 0bama.
gee, what a suprise ( NOT REALLY )
That's good. Unlike Dan Rooney who thanked "zero" for the Steelers Superbowl win, just before being appointed as ambassador to Ireland.
Will be interesting to see if there will be any retaliation against the Captain of the Bainbridge or the SEAL team officer.
...reporting what we all already knew.
Phillips might not be a “fan”.
I only wish that Mrs. Phillips wouldn't have answered the phone call from TOTUS. Could have left a message on the phone machine instead saying “Can't come to the phone right now. We are celebrating the safety of my husband and thanking the SEAL team and the Navy for their decisive and heroic actions on the part of my husband. GO NAVY!!!”
There is a great scene in the movie “The Right Stuff” where Lyndon B Johnson wants to appear with John Glenn's wife so he can look like the “Big Man” and she refuses to see him or allow him into their home for the interview to broadcast live. Johnson, upon receiving the news, throws a major hissy fit tantrum in his limousine. I don't know if it is a true story, but it sure was funny in the movie.
If you read Gate’s statement disputing the delay criticisms it is clear he is tap dancing. For me the strongest case for that opinion is that no attempt was made by US military while the ship captain was in the water—after he jumped out of the boat.
That means one of two things: First, the Seals were not already in place to take advantage of it. And that was how many days after the actual hijack attempt? Second, if a Seal team was in place they were not permitted to take advantage of that opening. Certainly, the hijackers were easier targets with the captain out of the boat than when he was in it.
And this gem ...
http://directorblue.blogspot.com/2009/04/watching-pirates-get-splattered-from.html
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Watching pirates get splattered from the USS Boxer
A reliable tipster who shall remain anonymous forwarded this from a young man serving on the USS Boxer.
Subject: How did YOU spend Easter!?
I spent mine watching some pirates get spattered off the coast of Somalia!
I’ve been taking notes on facts and (well noted) speculation and rumors.
What I know is on the eleventh of April, 2009 at 1600 two C17 cargo planes flew over Boxer and out of the back four parachutes emerged.
Then came the boats! Four very fast 1300 hp SWCC boats with radar and guns!
After those were safely extracted the personnel and SEALs jumped.
About 95 people in all arrived in the water near Boxer, Swam to the ship and entered the well-deck.
I spoke with some of the SEALs in the hangar bay where the are staging their gear for the time being. He was rearranging his gear and talking to a younger looking Ops guy with shoulder-length hair and a feeble semblance of a beard. I struck up a conversation with them and they’re really friendly the older SEAL finished with his bag and reached for a rifle case casually unzipped it and pulled out a Mark 416 a highly specialized carbine and as he explained “it’s basically an M -4, but made by H&K so it’s better!”
“visible and non-visible lasers, colapsable stock. It’s nice.”
“And is that an advanced armament suppressor?” I asked.
“yeah that just makes it sound better, and the ladies love it!”
I asked him if it’s the coolest job in the navy.
“well I haven’t ever flown an F-18 off a carrier, but yeah, pretty much!”
“you guys don’t wear any insignia.”
“We don’t wear it, but we’re still in the Navy.”
“I know that but what’s with that?”
“Well I’m a Chief, and he is a second-class”
“oh, ok”
“So, Chief, did you come in as a SEAL?”
“yep, you don’t have to be formal, that’s why we don’t wear it. It gets in the way and besides, we know who’s in charge.”
“well I have to get back to watch.”
“OK, any time you see us over hear and just want to chat and shoot the s**t, feel free!”
“Cool, thanks”
“any time”
I also found out from the CPO that the guys flew in from VB on C17’s and that took 18 hours!
They parachuted into the ocean! That’s’ cool as hell!
At 2100 on Saturday we were headed for the area where the USS Bainbridge (DDG 96) was already in position several hundred miles east off of Somalia’s coast.
And on Sunday there were so many parts of our engine that were broken from traveling at flank speed (full Bendix) that we stopped the shaft engaged the jacking gear, pinned the gear and tagged out the m**********r! I spent three watches fabricating parts, helping replace sight-flow indicators on journal bearings and running around the ship.
On Easter Sunday night, at around 1530 I was making my hourly rounds through the hangar bay and heard four distant rifle reports and knew exactly what happened. There was an orange capsule being towed by Bainbridge.
Two SEAL snipers laying prone on the fantail with Barrett .50 cal rifles pointed at the small craft.
CAPT. Richard Phillips of Vermont was swimming toward the RHIB sitting close to the lifeboat.
When the Navy said that we want to see proof of life the good captain jumped into the water and started to draw fire from the pirates. The Snipers fired.
I had to return to my watch station and at close of business I assumed my next watch: CNN’s Live broadcast of speculation and grievous bulls**t! I have t decipher all of this c**p for you.
At 2300 Africa time the Maersk Alabama safely docked in Mombasa, Kenya and the crew was debriefed by the FBI for some reason.
Captain Phillips was Logged onboard Boxer at 1836 and one skinny, short, pitiful-looking (and never in a million year is he sixteen) pirate, who was escorted, handcuffed despite the wounds, wearing blacked out ski goggles, through the hangar bay by like 20 marines and MA’s.
He has asked for amnesty. He’ll probably get a UN Trial for international piracy.
( I witness all of this and have to wonder: hasn’t copyright protection gone just a little too far? I mean, why are we killing folks over some illegal DVDs?)
“We always laugh and joke about pirates onboard and don’t realize that this is one of the world’s most serious crimes!”
-Me, four hours ago.
Monday, APR 13, 2009.
At 0930 USS Boxer sits of the coast of Somalia and the Bainbridge is at her stern on the port side in tow, the life boat containing three lifeless pirates dispatched into oblivion by the best sharpshooters the world around.
The corpses are transferred under the heaviest morgue security I’ve seen since President Ford’s funeral to the USS Boxer’s chilled holding facility.
At 1000 the lifeboat from Alabama is hoisted onto Boxer’s flight deck by the local crane.
I was there when the boat arrived onboard. Standing next to some chopper refueling buddies and joking about the incident.
“Hey, what’s orange, full of blood and hanging from a crane?”
“What?”
“That boat that some pirates got smoked in.”
Probably the most interesting Easter I’ve ever spent!
Looking closely at the boat, I see four large bullet holes on the STB side where “justice” entered the pirate’s mind’s, some brain matter sloshed around in the boat.
I was told before I left San Diego that I would hate the Boxer, I tell you now, I wouldn’t rather be on any other ship.
Broken parts and all I like it.
1025 “Maersk Alabama, Departing.” is heard over the 1MC.
The name of the ship is used to describe the Captain as he is at the top of the command.
Personal speculation and trusted brass scuttlebutt says that our AOR has shifted from the gulf of Aden where there aren’t any pirates, to where we sit now.
16 ships and 200 hostages from various countries still remain stranded…
Not for long, I predict.
As always, keeping it real on the high seas with the US Navy,
[Name]
Only if it's disrespectful. Just relating the facts is not grounds for a court martial. Unless of course classified information is revealed without authorization.
That's because the only "journalistic" research these people do is to find dirt on Republicans and any potential dirt on Democrats that they can catch in the bud and cover up or find an excuse for or lie about.
It seems to me that this kind of interdiction would call for those specialties to be on hand. They must know they'll encounter hostage situations in the AO, no?
I mean we're not that ignorant or lacking in intelligence on piracy.
Is the whole -we had to get the SEALs in place first- just part of the cover-up?
read later
Oh come on, in all fairness, Obama needed time to determine if any of those guys holding the captain were his relatives before he allowed lethal forced to be used. I mean, wouldn’t any of you want that same consideration? /sarc
Here is the video of Captain Richard Phillips thanking those responsible for his rescue and return to safety.
Richard Phillips Video ( it takes a minute to load)
The book is 10 times better than the movie -- it's absolutely hilarious. My favorite scene is the unveiling of the Mercury 7 astronauts, and they lift a curtain where they are seated at a table, and one of them (as Tom Wolfe imagines) sees, through the bright lights "a writhing mass of humanity, like beggars on the banks of the Ganges" -- it's the photographers crouched down and advancing to take pictures!
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