Monday Book Pick: Not a Good Day to Die
Filed under: American History, Global War on Islamofascism, History, US Military
Not A Good Day to Die by Sean Naylor
For Memorial Day, I’m going with my Monday Book pick for July 28, 2014.
This book tells the story of Operation Anaconda. It starts with the first planning stages in January 2002, through its conclusion in early March 2002. Up to this point, the war in Afghanistan had been conducted mainly by US Special Forces troops working with various Afghanistan groups and calling in US air assets. Anaconda was the first operation to involve large scale use of regular US forces. In this case elements of the 10th Mountain Division and the 101st Airborne Division. The first third of the book covers the planning and the background of the key players. This is fairly dry, but interesting and informative on why and how the fog of war effected the operation. Intelligence said that there were 200-250 Al Qaeda fighters in the intended AO (Area of Operation). The plan was for Afghan forces, with Special Forces ‘advisers’ to confront the enemy, with ‘escape routes’ to be blocked by Afghan forces and elements of the 10th Mountain and 101st Airborne. The motto, ‘no plan survives contact with the enemy’ is often referenced in various forms in this book. There were a lot more than 250 AQ fighters, later estimates put it at 800 or more. They opened up the US forces almost immediately after they got out their helicopters with small arms, heavy machine guns, mortars, and in some cases artillery. The US forces responded with much more accurate fire and air strikes. Lots and lots of air strikes. From the CIA’s armed Predator drones to B-52s dropping JDAM bombs. The most effective though were the Apache helicopters, which got close enough to see the enemy and pour firepower right were it was needed. The fighting continued much longer than expected, in areas were it wasn’t expected, from a well dug in, and well supplied enemy force. Many of which got to see Allah personally. A well written book about a major operation that dispelled the common notion in early 2002, that the war in Afghanistan was almost over.
Round Up Post
Filed under: Barking Moonbats, Clintons, Politics, Progressives, Technology
Technology marches on. Yet another “3D printed” gun. Yes, it’s plastic, with a steel barrel, bolt, springs, and a few other important metal parts.
America has been at war during the entire Obama Occupy the White House Golf Tour. Unexpectedly.
Burlington College is being forced to close due to “crushing debt” it acquired by President Sanders. Jane Sanders, wife of Vermont Socialist and massive pain in Hillary Rodham Clinton’s sizable ass, did to Burlington College what her husband wants to do to America.
The democrat Culture of Corruption marches on. The Department Veterans Affairs is reinstating an employee who stole $130,000 from the agency. Graft, fraud, and corruption is just the cost of doing business when democrats are in power.
13 Incompetent Failures in the Obama Administration. There are many, many more. This is more of a highlight reel.
Captain America is Straight and Libertarian. Deal with it.
Quote of the Day
“Gun control laws are like OSHA for criminals. When criminals have guns and their victims don’t, crime becomes a safer occupation. In some countries with strict gun-control laws, burglars enter houses while people are still at home several times as often as that happens in the United States.”
— Thomas Sowell
Monday Book Pick: 13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened In Benghazi
Filed under: American History, Clintons, Global War on Islamofascism, History, Monday Book Pick, Politics
13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened In Benghazi by Mitchell Zuckoff and the Annex Security Team
Mitchell is a journalism professor at Boston University. This is not a political book. It is a detailed account of what happened on September 11, 2012 in Benghazi. It details what the security arrangement were, including the use of local militia groups, who was where during each of the multiple attacks, who died, who was wounded, and what the responses by the State Department were at the time.