PCS to LinkedInUSAF: Optimism Trumps Fear #7

The banner for this blog says it all, optimism ultimately defeats fear! OK, Lucky Number 7, or the seventh installment of the latest CENTCOM Press Releases. There's obviously some bad folks still making a mess of things. The good thing is, our brave men and women are on it, and we all see nothing but success.

What else is there? (i know there is another result, but nothing the U.S. Military does causes that result)

Three big stories for this last week. The first is a Girl's School in Mosul received much needed support in the form of school supplies, and some TLC. The #3 Terrorist on the 2nd Brigade's High Value Individual list was nabbed two days ago. And, this last story is in regards to all the assistance being provided, still, in Pakistan after the devastating quakes.

School supplies were delivered to the Ninewa Middle School for girls in the Al-Faisaliya neighborhood in Mosul by Operation Iraqi Children team members on November 29th. As has been reported before, there are many such missions happening every day where local Iraqis are receiving support big and small from the U.S. Military. This specific trip shows that in Iraq, education is very important part of the rebuilding of the Iraqi people and their nation. Starting the momentum in some of the smallest corners will pay larger and larger dividends as the Global War on Terror progresses. Signs are very evident that these people-to-people missions are catalysts in the local Iraqi citizenry turning over terrorists to the authorities.

Speaking of turning over some bad apples to the authorities, it seems that the highest ranking terrorist to ever be turned in to the authorities by locals happened two days ago on December 9th. The #3 Terrorist on the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division High Value Individual list was turned over to authorities by local citizens that are fed up with these outsiders ruining their country. This terrorist was picked up in Ramadi and was wanted for murder, kidnapping, you know, the usual. It's such a great thing to see Iraqis helping to clean up their own country. No matter how small it seems, it still remains true, victory comes in ever increasing bites at the heals of the enemy.

Shifting to another theater, in Pakistan, some giant milestones have been passed recently. CENTCOM is reporting that U.S. helicopters reached the first milestone on December 3rd by delivering more than 5,000 tons of aid the disaster stricken area. And on December 4th the second milestone of treating the 5,000th patient in the U.S. Hospital in Muzaffarabad. Both Task Force Eagle and the 212th MASH comprise nearly 1,000 U.S. Military personnel dedicated to the disaster relief after that devastating earthquake on October 11th. As always, in time of need, the U.S. Military responds and performs at and above the level of the best of the best!

Now, on to the major highlights from last weeks cleanup efforts.

Bad Lots
There were 52 detainees scooped off the street from the combined effort between soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division, the local police force, and our troops from 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. Operation Able Rising Force has been operating north of Tikrit to locate and then round up the suspected terrorists. Turns out that 3 of the 52 were wanted for IED specific attacks against the Iraqi locals as well as the combined forces of the U.S. Military and the Iraqi Military.

That LOOONG Arm!
The Central Criminal Court of Iraq was a hive of activity lately. In one case they threw the book at 4 members of the Mosul Bombing Cell led by Abu Talha. They violated Article 194 of the Iraqi Penal Code which covers terrorists attacking Iraqi Police, Iraqi National Guard, and Coalition Forces. All four were sentenced and received life sentences. Not sure, but the CENTCOM article says that a life sentence equals 20 years - that's some bad jail time! And, it seems that these terrorists were all foreign fighters: they were from Jordan, Syria and Algeria. Naturally they all entered Iraq illegally, perpetrated crimes of murder, terrorism, and possession of illegal weapons. They were caught in the house where the kidnapped Governor of Anbar was found dead after the fighting and arrests were complete.

In another case the Central Criminal Court of Iraq sentenced 3 al Qaeda Adhamiya Terrorist Cell Members to 15, 10, and 10 years in prison. In the article it states that these 3 were responsible for helping to get anti-Iraqi terrorists into Iraq from Morocco, Tunisia, and North Africa. I'm sorry, but these areas only sound familiar to me because of World War II! None of these places really like the United States of America, and since Iraq is the best place to engage, looks like these folks are more than willing to take up arms against the U.S. Military - again. It is a different day, and a different war. I really think these hardliners should rethink taking on the U.S. Military.

Do people just stop reading history? Are more and more leaders bent on fighting the U.S. Military not students of Military History? I think the wisdom inside a box of Cracker Jacks would serve them better than their current will and drive to fight us! Sheesh.