Obama Decision on U.S. Military Deployments to Iraq Expected in 'Coming Weeks'

“Those recommendations are being made and the president will have an opportunity to make some decisions here in the coming weeks,” Dunford said about plans to send in more American troops to help recapture the Iraqi city of Mosul from the Islamic State.

“I brought it to the Secretary. The Secretary will engage with the President,” Dunford said, referring to Defense Secretary Ashton Carter.

The number of troops deployed in Iraq is already much higher than the American people were led to expect, as the public learned after ISIS fired on a Marine artillery position near Mosul two weeks ago, killing Staff Sgt. Louis F. Cardin and injuring eight others.

As the New Yorker trenchantly puts it, “ISIS knew about the new Marine station at Fire Base Bell before the American public did,” and the Marines were once again “assigned a mission that the Iraqi Army is unable to do.”

CNN caught the Pentagon quietly renaming the position where Cardin was killed from “Fire Base Bell” to “Kara Soar Counter Fire Complex,” because there are not supposed to be American fire bases preparing for heavy combat against ISIS.

Reuters reports that General Dunford anticipates “an increase in the level of U.S. forces in Iraq from the current 3,800,” but he said those decisions have not been “finalized.” The New Yorker proposes that the number of American troops in Iraq is actually much higher, because the official Pentagon head count does not include “significant numbers of personnel on temporary duty.

I know they want to go. I thank God my son had already signed his release papers when ISIS hit the news. I always check news for boots in war nations first. Afghanistan first (never got out of the habit) and now am back to Iraq. WARNING: I do not only read Time magazine. in fact I don't read TIME. :)

An article on Iraq caught my attention which lead to other articles so bear with me. I sometimes read lib news to hear the other side (should do it more often) but then I have to do more research to find out the truth. So during the 1st Iraq war these weapons were introduced and civilians were being effected. But what about the boots?

IRAQ:

Title="Irradiated: Here’s how the US and its allies poisoned Iraq with radioactive and chemically toxic weapons"

http://www.rawstory.com/2016/04/irradiated-heres-how-the-us-and-its-allies-poisoned-iraq-with-radioactive-and-chemically-toxic-weapons/

These weapons are AWESOME, in a way, and are called thermobaric warheads. They are made with DEPLETED uranium. Here is a pdf file explaining how our boots are contaminated via touch and air (they are using gloves, but what do you do with the gloves?)...

Link: http://hpschapters.org/northcarolina/NSDS/Udepleted.pdf excerpt = "On the battlefield, exposure to depleted uranium can occur several ways. After impact with an armored vehicle, depleted uranium in the form of oxide and metal fragments will contaminate the struck vehicle and the surrounding area, especially if an explosion or fire occurs. Depleted uranium oxide can be aerosolized, presenting an inhalation hazard to soldiers in the vicinity or downwind of the struck vehicle. In addition, depleted uranium dust can be resuspended in the air from soil contamination around the vehicle. Soil contamination also can be ingested inadvertently from hand to mouth contact. In another example of battlefield exposure, at least 36 soldiers in Operation Desert Storm were reported to have wounds involving imbedded depleted uranium fragments. (Many of these fragments were not removed because the risk of surgery was judged to be too great.) Following combat, maintenance and recovery personnel can be exposed to equipment contaminated with depleted uranium. Dust containing depleted uranium can be resuspended during recovery operations, posing an inhalation hazard. Spent depleted uranium rounds and penetrators that were fired but missed their targets may be scattered on the battlefield and can thus potentially lead to additional exposures."

"What Happens to It in the Body? After it is ingested, most uranium is excreted from the body within a few days and never enters the bloodstream. The small fraction that is absorbed into the bloodstream (0.2 to 5%) is deposited preferentially in bone and kidneys. Most of what goes to the kidneys leaves within a few days (in urine), while that deposited in bone can remain for many years. After inhalation, generally only a small fraction penetrates to the lung’s alveolar region, where it can remain for years and can also enter the bloodstream."

****

So the boots are back in Iraq, being contaminated? The DOD and VA did alert veterans about the burn pits and those issues (did they burn their gloves?) but their current exposure is not being considered probably because of cost.

Business News: "The US Poured So Many Toxic Weapons On Fallujah In 2004 That Residents Still Pay The Price" Michael B Kelley April 18, 2012 link: http://www.businessinsider.com/cancer-birth-defects-fallujah-2012-4?op=1

"The increases in cancer, infant mortality and perturbations in birth sex ratio in Fallujah are significantly greater than those recorded for survivors of the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, according to a study and reported by Karlos Zurutuza of Inter Press Service (IPS)."

If you want to read articles on the SMAW Novel Explosive (SMAW-NE)that the boots use : http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/smaw-ne.htm

how it works: http://www.gizmag.com/go/4856/

search link: http://www.defensetech.org/?s=SMAW

FreeRepublic discussion on results when aimed at Afghanistan caves: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/638672/posts

Turkey development: Turkey to develop thermobaric warhead http://www.trdefence.com/2014/04/10/turkey-to-develop-thermobaric-warhead/

Oh, and check this out...WITH flouride! strong teeth, but poison nevertheless...

Bush OKs New Hellfire Thermobaric Warhead - With Fluoride http://rense.com/general67/bushOKsnewhellfire.htm August 2005

Thermobaric weapons under fire again by Mike Hanlon November 21, 2005 from gizmag... http://www.gizmag.com/go/4856/

the previous article had a link...it's about civilians being targets but their suffering should be noted because our boots were there, too, and that is who I care about... "White Phosphorous, Daisy Cutters, Depleted Uranium, Thermobaric bombs, Clusterbombs, Napalm…The US uses WMD against civilians." http://www.globalresearch.ca/white-phosphorous-daisy-cutters-depleted-uranium-thermobaric-bombs-clusterbombs-napalm-the-us-uses-wmd-against-civilians/1239

So. "Why deadly depleted uranium is the tank buster's weapon of choice" http://www.theguardian.com/world/2000/may/18/armstrade.kosovo by David Hambling Thursday 18 May 2000 09.45 EDT retrieved 4/1/2016

"Sadarm and other brilliant weapons use tantalum, an exotic heavy metal for which little data is available. But it appears to be highly toxic, especially when vaporised. We will probably discover its full effects only after the next hi-tech war."

And last but not least (I actually clicked on the link) in honor of April 1...fireworks called thermobaric warhead http://pepsi.fireworks.com/products/item/rain-fire-premiere-and-thermobaric-warheads-combo6/

Do our boots practice with these? Are the vapors and gloves on our bases?

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