The Sanchez Report

US Forces Hold End Of War Ceremony But No Iraqi Leaders Bother To Show Up

After nine years of war, 4,500 dead Americans, 32,000 casualties, $800 billion dollars in spending and 22 million liberated Iraqis, the Iraq War has come to an end. Today in Baghdad, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta presided over an end of war ceremony with US troops and guess what? None of the Iraqi leaders bothered to show up. This lack of gratitude speaks volumes about the strain in the relationship between the US and Iraq. Having served in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom myself, I take this as a personal insult. These people would still be living under the tyrannical fist of Saddam Hussein if it weren't for the United States. We've seen this story time and time again in the Middle East. We have liberated and saved more Muslim lives than any other country in modern times and yet we continue to suffer from the lack of support on the Arab Street. It was reported that Iraqi's in Fallujah burned American flags to celebrate the withdrawal of US troops. Oh how memories are short in that part of the world!

Here Come The Chinese

Looks like China has launched their first aircraft carrier. This will only intensify the growing Chinese military threat to the United States. The Chinese government claims that this will be used as a "research vessel." Umm, yeah right!

From Fox News:

DigitalGlobe Inc., a commercial satellite company, said Wednesday that it took a photograph of China’s first aircraft carrier during a sea trial in the Yellow Sea, off the Chinese coast.

The Pentagon did not confirm the image, but Stephen Wood, the satellite company’s director, said he’s confident about the Dec. 8 photograph due to the carrier’s location.

Although China insists the carrier is intended for research and training, its use has raised concern about the country’s military strength and its increasingly assertive claims over disputed territory.

While the development of carriers is driven largely by bragging rights and national prestige, China's naval ambitions have been brought into focus with its claims to disputed territory surrounding Taiwan and in the South China Sea.

Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy claimed by China as its own, has responded to the growing Chinese threat by developing missiles capable of striking carriers at sea. An illustration at a display Wednesday of military technology in the capital Taipei showed a Hsiung Feng III missile hitting a carrier that was a dead ringer for the former Varyag.

Happy Veterans Day

This blog post from one of my favorite front lines war blogger, Michael Yon. A tribute to all Veterans and " That 1% of Americans Who Have Served."

From Michael Yon:

11 November 2011

It has been an honor these seven years to cover American and British troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Philippines and elsewhere.  It is said that only about 1% of Americans serve in the armed forces.  Many of our troops are not even American citizens.  I see them in combat regularly.  Many veterans are in hospitals or have fresh scars and are recovering from recent wounds.  A message just arrived from the military in Kabul that we just lost another service member in Southern Afghanistan.

Many of our finest will be in combat as you read these words.  They will cope with their losses and continue to fight.  Mostly they are very young.  It is common to meet a young combat trooper who has fought for several years overseas.  He doesn’t make much money.  A heartfelt “thank you” goes a long way.

They have lost friends.  Many of our young veterans have been wounded more than once, and yet they are out there right now.  Some have more Purple Hearts than stripes.  Their strength and dedication is inspirational.  Their courage seems bottomless.

Tonight, many will sleep on the ground, their ears ringing from the nearby bullets and blasts that they have experienced so many times.  They have killed the enemy, and watched their buddies die in their arms.  They have seen and smelled and heard things that most of us rather would not.  They will carry these things forever as Veterans.  Tonight they will fight. We’ve already lost at least one today, yet most Americans seem to have forgotten that many of our men and women are still out there.

This is the longest war in the history of the United States.  It’s far from over.  I have not forgotten.  I never will forget.

Thank you, Veterans.

 

The Libya Quagmire

So here we go again! The US has initiated another Middle East war in the name of democracy and national self interest. The stench of hypocrisy stinks to high heaven! It's been a week since we launched attacks against Libya and I'm still waiting for the mainstream media and liberals to rise up against this Administration. I know, excuse my english, but it ain't going to happen! This Administration and its media allies have ben selling this as a military conflict needed to support freedom fighters and that unlike the Iraq War, this war has broad international support with the backing of the UN and Arab League. What a crock! Let's begin with President Obama's justification for taking action.

President Obama on Libya:

Now, here’s why this matters to us. Left unchecked, we have every reason to believe that Qadhafi would commit atrocities against his people. Many thousands could die. A humanitarian crisis would ensue.
The entire region could be destabilized, endangering many of our allies and partners.
The calls of the Libyan people for help would go unanswered. The democratic values that we stand for would be overrun.
Moreover, the words of the international community would be rendered hollow.

President Bush on Iraq:

Earlier today, I ordered Americas armed forces to strike military and security targets in Iraq. They are joined by British forces. Their mission is to attack Iraqs nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs and its military capacity to threaten its neighbors.
Their purpose is to protect the national interest of the United States, and indeed the interests of people throughout the Middle East and around the world.
Saddam Hussein must not be allowed to threaten his neighbors or the world with nuclear arms, poison gas or biological weapons.
Other countries possess weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles. With Saddam, there is one big difference He has used them. Not once, but repeatedly. Unleashing chemical weapons against Iranian troops during a decade long war. Not only against soldiers, but against civilians, firing Scud missiles at the citizens of Israel, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Iran. And not only against a foreign enemy, but even against his own people, gassing Kurdish civilians in Northern Iraq.
The international community had little doubt then, and I have no doubt today, that left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will use these terrible weapons again.

Sound familiar? The fact is we have no national interest in Libya other than oil. Muammar Qaddafi poses no threat to the United States. Unlike Saddam Hussein, he actually welcomed the UN and the US into his country to oversee the dismantling of his WMD program several years ago. This led President Bush to restore official diplomatic relations with the Libyan government.

So now that we've started this war we need to ask ourselves some important questions.

Why did we wait almost 30 days to offer military support to the rebels? Was this done to gain the support of the UN, Arab League and Europeans? Great, we go their support after one month of trying, but in the meantime, the rebels have lost their momentum and will not succeed without our help in providing ground troops.

Why does the President feel that he didn't need the support of Congress? He waited on the UN and Arab League, but yet he has refused to go to Congress to get their approval. It wasn't long ago that VP Biden, while a Senator, suggested that President Bush could be impeached if he launched an attack against Iran without Congressional approval.

Why is it okay to bomb Libya, but not Iran? We have a much more compelling vested interest to help the opposition forces in Iran.

What is the mission? Are we looking to remove Qaddafi? Are we trying to help protect the civilians or help the rebel ground forces? Who are the rebels? Are they pro-US? Are there any Al-Qaeda influences within their ranks? Are we prepared to impose a no fly zone for the next 12 years like Iraq? What's the end game?

Who is in charge?The UN, NATO, French or British? Where are the coalition forces that have been promised? We 122 of the 124 Cruise Missiles during the opening night of the war. The British fired 2. We have supplied almost all of the aircraft thus far. For all of the criticism of President Bush's coalition during the Iraq War, this effort looks much more unilateral than anything we saw during the Iraq War.

 

Memorial Day Reflection

“It is the Soldier, not the reporter,
who has given us the freedom of the press.
It is the Soldier, not the poet,
who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the Soldier, not the agitator,
who has given us the freedom to protest.
It is the Soldier who salutes the flag,
serves beneath the flag,
whose coffin is draped by the flag,
who gives that protester the freedom
to abuse and burn that flag.”

By Senator Zell Miller 9/04

Here We Go Again... ACLU Forces Defense Dept To Release More Photos

For some reason the ACLU wasn't happy with the damage inflicted upon the US military resulting from the Abu Ghraib photos a few years ago. So now we'll have to be subjected to another attempt by the far left to hurt our military in the name of civil liberties. On May 28th the Defense Department will release photos in order to comply with a Freedom of Information Act request submitted by the ACLU in 2003. As if we didn't hear enough about Abu Ghraib, the world will view these photos and express outrage once again. There's no doubt that the Obama administration will use this as a tool to make President Bush look bad and as a result hold themselves up as the anti-Bush administration. Meanwhile, the firestorm that these photos will ignite will only place our servicemen and women in jeopardy and cost lives. My advice to the far left Bush haters is to get over it. He's gone and it's time to move on!

The Defense Department will release a "substantial number" of photos depicting abuse of prisoners by U.S. personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan, the American Civil Liberties Union said late Thursday.

The photos will be made available by May 28, the ACLU said, citing a letter dated Thursday from the Justice Department to a federal judge in New York. The photos' release is in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the ACLU in 2004 and will include images from prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan at locations other than Abu Ghraib, the ACLU said.

"These photographs provide visual proof that prisoner abuse by U.S. personnel was not aberrational but widespread, reaching far beyond the walls of Abu Ghraib," Amrit Singh staff attorney with the ACLU, said in a statement. "Their disclosure is critical for helping the public understand the scope and scale of prisoner abuse as well as for holding senior officials accountable for authorizing or permitting such abuse."

Read article here

National Service Bill Does Not Go Far Enough

With Senator Kennedy at his side, President Obama signed the National Service Bill into law. This $5.7 billion program will triple the size of AmeriCorps from 75,000 enrollees to 250,000 over the next several years. "What this legislation does, then, is to help harness this patriotism and connect deeds to needs," said President Obama.

While I applaud this effort I don't think it goes far enough. I'm a firm believer in the need for mandatory public service. The United States is suffering from a lack of patriotism and a sense of entitlement. The baby boomer generation has fostered a sense of self indulgence that has shifted the focus away from serving a cause greater then oneself. Beginning in the 1960's, some Americans have changed the definition of patriotism and have succeeded in placing protest and rebellion on a moral standing equal to military and public service. This needs to change and President Obama has the political capital to make it happen. We need to make public service mandatory for all American youth. This obligation should require two years of service before the age of 25. This service could be performed in the Military, AmeriCorps, Peace Corps or other structured programs that could be created to help rebuild Urban America. This would require a substantial commitment in terms of funding, but this is the kind of program that I believe most taxpayers would be willing to pay. Having volunteered myself for a deployment in support of Operation Iraq Freedom, I can tell you that there is no greater feeling than to wear the uniform for our country and serve others. It helped put my life into perspective in ways that would not have been possible otherwise. I would not ask others to do something that I would not be willing to do myself. We are suffering from a fatherless generation in Urban America and so many of our young men have no role model or father figure to provide structure and discipline. Mother's are having to take on both roles and its just not working. Public service could instill a sense of pride, patriotism and discipline that could transform the lives of many of our youth. This mandatory service would be required irrespective of socio-economic status. The rich and poor, black and white would all be required to serve a greater cause. President Obama , that is the kind of transformation that I could believe in!

Read article here

Israel Stands Ready To Bomb Iran's Nuclear Sites

This could be the foreign policy test that Joe Biden promised would occur during the first six months of their administration. From The Times:

The Israeli military is preparing itself to launch a massive aerial assault on Iran's nuclear facilities within days of being given the go-ahead by its new government.

Among the steps taken to ready Israeli forces for what would be a risky raid requiring pinpoint aerial strikes are the acquisition of three Airborne Warning and Control (AWAC) aircraft and regional missions to simulate the attack.

Two nationwide civil defence drills will help to prepare the public for the retaliation that Israel could face.

“Israel wants to know that if its forces were given the green light they could strike at Iran in a matter of days, even hours. They are making preparations on every level for this eventuality. The message to Iran is that the threat is not just words,” one senior defence official told The Times.

White House Releases Bush Era Interrogation Documents

The White House continued its efforts to damage the Bush administration by releasing interrogation documents involving the CIA. It's hard to believe what good could come from making these interrogation documents public. This is another example of the far left wanting to defang the CIA. This is reminiscent of the Church Committee in 1975 damaging our intelligence community in the name of civil liberties. It seems as though the White House feels that terrorism is just something that Republicans have hyped and not a real threat to this country.

A former top official in the administration of President George W. Bush called the publication of the memos “unbelievable.”

“It's damaging because these are techniques that work, and by Obama's action today, we are telling the terrorists what they are,” the official said. “We have laid it all out for our enemies. This is totally unnecessary. … Publicizing the techniques does grave damage to our national security by ensuring they can never be used again — even in a ticking-time- bomb scenario where thousands or even millions of American lives are at stake."

“I don't believe Obama would intentionally endanger the nation, so it must be that he thinks either 1. the previous administration, including the CIA professionals who have defended this program, is lying about its importance and effectiveness, or 2. he believes we are no longer really at war and no longer face the kind of grave threat to our national security this program has protected against.”

Read article here

Three Shots, Three Kills...Bravo Zulu to the US Navy!

It might have taken longer than many Americans would have liked, but in the end, the good guys prevailed. As a follow member of the US Navy, I'd like to offer a Bravo Zulu to the Navy Seals and the crew of the USS Bainbridge (DDG 96) . For those of you Navy outsiders, Bravo Zulu is a naval signal that means "well done" and is hoisted by flag or conveyed by voice radio. 

The rescue was a truly heroic feat that demonstrated the incredible talent and skill of our Navy Seals. It's difficult enough trying to hit a stationary target from 100 feet away, but try hitting a target from the fantail of a destroyer at sea, while aiming at a movable target floating on a lifeboat. Oh, and by the way, make sure you don't shoot the hostage. Just amazing!

Read article here