Operation KHANJAR
By Richard S. Lowry
Today, nearly 4,000 U.S. Marines and Sailors of Task Force Leatherneck, partnered with Afghan National Security Forces and supported by Task Force Pegasus, the Combat Aviation Brigade of the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division, conducted a near-simultaneous heliborne and surface insert into the central and southern Helmand River valley. These efforts, combined with closely coordinated UK and Danish operations to our immediate north, will dramatically change and positively impact the security of the Afghan people living in this long-held Taliban heartland.
Richard S. Lowry is the author of Marines in the Garden of Eden and The Gulf War Chronicles.
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The Best Defense: Survival
By Lt Col P
Fans of Outdoor Channel's outstanding Best Defense series, listen up: The new season is up and running, focusing on survival, or "prepping" if you prefer.
I'm watching Episode 1 right now. Good stuff.
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Strike Of The Sword
By Lt Col P
Marines wield their terrible swift sword in Helmand Province:
WASHINGTON — U.S. Marines and Afghan security forces moved into Taliban-infested villages Wednesday evening in one of the Obama administration's first major military operations in the previously forgotten war in Afghanistan. ...Dubbed Operation Khanjar, or "Strike of the Sword," the military push was described by officials as the largest and fastest-moving of the war's newest phase. British forces last week led similar missions to fight and clear out insurgents in Helmand and Kandahar provinces.
Looks like they're aiming for the right objective:
"Where we go we will stay, and where we stay, we will hold, build and work toward transition of all security responsibilities to Afghan forces," Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson said in a statement.
Good luck, Marines. It's the first step in a long march.
Colonel Kenneth Reusser, USMC; 1920-2009
By Lt Col P
A three-war Marine and double Navy Cross recipient died recently-- Colonel Kenneth "Kannibal Ken" Reusser. He was an archetype of the hard-fighting hard-flying Marine aviator, as his two Navy Cross citations will attest. The action in which he and his wingman "ate" the Jap plane is memorably illustrated in LtCol Alex Durr's painting.
Towards the end of his life it looks like he got a bad break, and then a raw deal on top of it. I wish the guy who swindled him could get his ass chopped off by a Corsair prop. But, if he's serving time, that might not be far from the truth...
It's been a bad month for hard-core Old Corps Marine flyers. Here's to you, Col Reusser.
Haze-Gray, Underway, and HEARD-FROM-TODAY
By Lt Col P
Got a nice note this morning from Brother Rat Doc H, saying that he's finally headed outbound for Afghanistan.
It'll probably be a few days (or more) before he posts again, but go leave him a comment and wish him well.
A VMI grad, former Marine, Navy doctor, wearing ACUs... He's a one-man joint operation.
Reading and Taking Care of Family
By Lt Col P
I've been silent most of this week, but not without good reason. I've been busy at work-- QDR season, you know-- and for the last few days I've been taking care of Honorable Sons One and Two (4 years and 1 year, respectively) while Most Honorable Wife is out of town. Wow-- That's a job and a half. We've been having fun, but it's tiring. I've managed to make progress on several little projects, but only by stealing a few minutes here and there, mostly in the early morning.
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Gun-Day Sunday: "And Pass The Ammunition!"
By Lt Col P
Gun-Day Sunday to the Nth degree. Here's the an excerpt from the article published a couple weeks ago, but I saw the good pastor interviewed this a.m. on Fox & Friends:
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Kentucky pastor is inviting people to bring their guns to church to celebrate the Fourth of July and the Second Amendment.New Bethel Church is welcoming "responsible handgun owners" to wear their firearms inside the church on June 27, a Saturday.
An ad says there will be a handgun raffle, patriotic music and information on gun safety. ...
So, instead of bingo in the parish hall, that'd be BANG-o??
I'm all for it. Violence in, at, around churches is if not an everyday occurrence, also not unknown. (See a most timely Stratfor guest article at Rawles's place for a related topic.) The government of colonial Virginia not once but several times passed laws requiring all able-bodied citizens to go armed to church. And of course the Knights of St John always went armed to chapel, but they were in a class by themselves.
While the shepherd is tending the flock, sheepdogs still have to stand guard.
Sergeant Major Jacob Vouza
By John
Suggestion from valued reader and jarhead Marine 6: The [Daily Telegraph's] obituary (posted below) mentions Sergeant Major Jacob Vouza (not by name) who is one of the most heroic men you will ever have the chance to become acquainted with. If you don't know the Vouza story I suggest that you Google him.
An Unknown Hero
By Townie 76
While reading the Daily Telegraph on line this AM I came across this obit of a Brit who was instrumental in the USMC success at Guadalcanal. I had seen mention of the exploits of the Coast Watchers at Guadalcanal but nothing specific, this provides interesting insight to one individuals contribution.
E-Mail Tag-Line
By Lt Col P
Best e-mail tag-line I've seen in a while, and I'm wondering where it came from...
"You had a plan, til I punched you in the face."
(Yes, it's from a Marine.)
Gun-Day Sunday: Trigger Control, and the K31
By Lt Col P
Had a great range session this morning with good friend, fellow Marine and frequent commenter MDL. He brought his DS Arms FAL and his straight-pull Swiss K31, of which more anon. I brought the M1 Carbine and the 1911 .45-- of course, since I carry it-- and some odd boxes and clips of ammo, basically to blow the existing low stocks for each. Since I had a limited round count, I decided to focus on trigger control and rapid follow-up shots.
If I came late in life to the True Path of practical shooting, i.e. the teachings of LtCol Jeff Cooper, et al., then I came later still to trigger control, more accurately trigger reset. I don't know why, but I didn't "get" trigger reset until I did John Murphy's two-day handgun course. It was indeed a most glorious revelation, and it has greatly improved my abilities. Taming and harnessing trigger reset is the key to rapid, accurate follow-up shots, as in the "controlled pair" and the "failure drill," and all of their manifestations. (If you don't understand what I'm talking about, see below the fold.)
Bottom line is that while you should always strive to know your trigger and master its reset, a low round-count or limited range-time is a great way to evaluate and improve your ability in this critical skill. It is also, I hasten to point out, a fine dry-fire drill as well. And is dry-fire not the foundation for good shooting?
The M1 Carbine performed well. Not flawlessly, but well. I love the way it handles, mounts and points, but the feeding and ejecting needs some attention. I'm using quality ammo, so I don't know if it's magazines or the gun in need of a tune-up. Probably the latter. Anyway, I like that gun, and I'll do what I need to do to get it into fighting trim. MDL shot a full magazine from it, and expressed approval in terms that denoted his desire to acquire one. I have seen that before, and it usually means a visit to g u n b r o k e r . c o m ... For my part, I put 20 rounds through his FAL, and felt some lustful urges of my own. Nice piece of gear that, and the .308 "strikes with authority," as John Farnam says.
Speaking of gun-lust, MDL also brought the K31. A beautifully made article, and like he said, with "laser-like accuracy." I can't describe the feeling adequately here, but it was the smoothest bolt-action military rifle I've ever fired. And the six-round group at 50 yards offhand, minus two fliers, was something I'd expect from myself from a supported position with a familiar rifle. That's a rifle that should not be underestimated-- I'd rather face a hundred peasants with AKs than ten trained marksmen with K31s.
Go forth and shoot. And mind your trigger reset; the effort will repay a hundred-fold.
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"Fix Bayonets"
By Lt Col P
From today's Washington Post Magazine, a portrait of 2d Battalion, 7th Marines-- "2/7".
The problem was, Karell didn't know what to expect. He was from Arlington. He'd traveled the world. This place, though, was like nowhere he'd ever been. The 2nd Battalion of the 7th Marine Regiment had deployed to Afghanistan last spring to train Afghan police. But when Karell's platoon arrived in Now Zad, the largest town in a remote northern district of Helmand province, they'd rolled into a ghost town.The Afghans who used to live here, more than 10,000, had been gone for several years, their abandoned mud-brick homes slowly melting into the dusty valley. Insurgents were using the place for R&R. At night, all you heard were the jackals, ululating like veiled, grieving women. The fact that Now Zad had no civilian residents, much less any police, had somehow escaped the notice of the coalition planners who had given the Marines their mission.
A true "What now, Lieutenant?" moment. Good article, go read. The author'll also be online tomorrow for a Q&A.
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Who is at War and Who Is Not?
By Townie 76
I don’t have all the facts, nor do I have all the names, but I have it on good authority, that an Army Official who is the designated Army Representative to meet the remains at Dover Air Force Base was told, by the Operations Wing Commander, that instead of landing his helicopter at Dover he would have to land at the Regional Airport about twenty miles away and then drive to Dover to meet an Air Force C17 carrying the remains of two Army Soldiers. Why was this request made? Because Dover Air Force Base is having an Air Show this weekend, and the arrival of the Helicopter would disrupt the events at the Air Show. Earlier the same Operations Wing Commander attempted to have the C17 diverted to McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey because it would interfere with the Air Show; apparently someone thought maybe there was something wrong with this.
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Speaking of Good Solid COIN Advice
By John
I'm halfway into Chris Cocks' Fireforce, an inside look at 3 Commando, Rhodesian Light Infantry. The RLI's actions during the Rhodesian Bush War are a fascinating case-study in modern COIN ops -- some of their tactics groundbreaking (like the Fireforce concept, a highly effective aerial envelopment technique), others just stupid (like the RLI's strict "White's Only" rule). Don't have time for a big review, just think that any students of COIN ops should read into the Rhodesian War aggressively. Much to learn, both from their monumental successes and strategic failure.
Many thanks to Col P for initially sparking my interest in the Bush War, this must be the sixth book I've read on the subject.
GOOD SOLID C.O.I.N. ADVICE
By Lt Col P
The Torch highlights some good solid COIN advice found at Ricks' blog, and one excerpt is worth repeating here:
"7. Most important of all. The enemy must understand that you are ready to go to the end to win the war. That means a resolve for the long slog and a stomach for attrition. If the enemy thinks that you develop feet of clay rather quickly, he will continue fighting."
Oh, yes indeed. As I've stated before, this is where I think we as a nation are headed off the rails. I hope we adjust our course before it gets adjusted for us.
