#GWOT

[professionalnooneatall]

Walz could be like Square Jaw McBangBang Gruntington Du KnuckleDragger K-Barius IV, A Green Beret with all four 18-series MOS's with 20 years in COMBAT alone and he'd still be getting dragged because he's on the democratic ticket.

[hurrse]

[rootytootyshootylum]

I need a bigger Coffee Table

[dweebactual]

[walkingthroughthisworld]

For the past 2 years, I’ve tweeted out the names of the fallen from the American war in Afghanistan. The 1st time was around the fall of Kabul. The 2nd around Memorial Day. I will start again on Friday at 5 pm ET. Many attach personals stories and photos.

[protoslacker]

You’ll note that none of the options are such emotions as “rage-filled sorrow” or “the urge to prosecute war criminals.” Given this, you may not be surprised to learn that the honorary chair of the foundation is George W. Bush, who happens to be the president who birthed the global war on terror with the invasions of Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003. The foundation’s funders include 7-Eleven, Amazon, and Baker Botts, a powerhouse Texas law firm named after James Baker, secretary of state for the first George Bush.

Jon Schwarz in The Intercept. George W. Bush Is Building a Memorial to the War on Terror. He Wants Your Feedback.

Over 4.5 million people will not be submitting comments because they are dead.

Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation

Open for your input Sept 26--Oct 17, 2023

[houseclouds]

[tacitwaveguide]

[tentacion3099]

US Army Team Leader, Baghdad, 2006-2008 - 16-month Surge loadout.

[oriental-sea-witch]

"The Invasion"

At the start of the Iraq war, my father was an old man by Marine standards. An aging Gunnery Sergeant at the end of his 20 year career who "celebrated" his 38th birthday in the combat zone during his six month deployment. The lead-up to the war had been shrouded in secrecy, my father being one of the select few NCO's briefed on the upcoming invasion as early as April of 2002. On March 20th, 2003, he and the other men of CSSB-12 of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force out of Camp Pendleton, California, were amongst the first American servicemen to cross from Kuwait into Iraq as the US launched a lightning campaign to decapitate the Ba'athist regime. The invasion moved with such speed and ferocity that my father was awake for three days straight at the start of the war.

My father would first encounter enemy fire during the Battle of Nasiriyah. He vividly remembers driving passed the burnt, mangled remains of the Marine AAV destroyed in the now infamous friendly-fire incident by USAF A-10's. He crossed paths with another Marine detachment, MWSS-372, exiting the city, whom he described as "all shot to hell." It was here where the highly-mobile CSSB-12 would link up with LAV's and additional infantry as they began the grueling, weeks-long journey out of Nasariyah through Al-Shatrah, An-Nu'mānīyah, and Al-Kut as their unit pushed further into Iraq, encountering armed resistance from both the Iraqi Army and Fedayeen Saddam units along the way. Luckily, most Iraqi units they encountered were heavily demoralized, and wisely chose to surrender without a fight.

It was at Al-Shatrah where my father would see intense combat and lead Marines under fire when a mix of Fedayeen and civilian irregulars ambushed them at close-range, close enough where his M9 service pistol was deployed, and several magazines emptied. My father doesn't like to go into detail, but he does say this: "They had every chance to give up, but they didn't. Those guys that tried to whack us? None of them are still breathing." It took him over 18 years to tell me the story behind his combat action ribbon.

[internetterminus]

[mikeneedsadrink]

"What's old is new again."

Mirrors and prisms were used in the trenches of WW1. And several similar devices came about during GWOT for urban fighting.

These obscure devices are no longer made and that's kind of the nature of these concepts. The very real need arises, ad-hoc solutions are devised, later better purpose made versions are produced as the need is disappearing, then in the future the cycle repeats. The current conflicts in Ukraine and Israel/Palestine have had moments where such a device would be invaluable, but cumbersome under any other circumstance.

[masonjarhead]

[alpine6news]

The anniversary of the United States’ invasion of Iraq during the ongoing Global War on Terror is right around the corner. And, while the Iraq war may be a distant memory for many Americans, especially with more modern conflicts in the news to be upset about, one die hard patriot is holding firm to his “pro-America, screw everyone else” mentality by still referring to French fries as Freedom Fries.

[mexicain-sans-frontiers-v2]

My most boomer/fudd opinions are a fondness of obsolete guns that were pressed kicking and screaming into service out of necessity.

Hand built meusoc or Delta 1911’s and m14 dmrs

They say we leave part of ourselves in the war, this is the part of me I had to leave to the war.

I begged parts from all over FOB Falcon to get this old girl put back together and into fighting shape. Bipod, scope mount and 16 magazines from our Marine Detachment. M118LR ammo from Charlie Troop 1/10 Cav, our attached Scouts. The Armsroom had the scope and rifle.

So when I retired I bought/built a better version as a retirement gift.