Pirate's Cove

The Democrats keep telling me that everything is bad in Iraq, and that the Iraqi miltary is nowhere to be found. Huh? (from DefenseLink)

From a distance it looks like a classic summer scene: boaters enjoying an afternoon on the river, taking an occasional dip to cool from the sun. But that’s far from the real situation occurring on the Euphrates River near Camp Habbaniyah, Iraq.

In reality, this is a new initiative to prevent improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from entering the area. The boaters and swimmers are actually soldiers in the Iraqi Army (IA), receiving small boat operator, or coxswain, training they requested from their American Military Transition Team (MiTT) counterparts.

Preventing insurgents from transporting IEDs on the Euphrates River is not the only significant aspect of this situation. Also important is the fact that the Iraqi Army identified the need to patrol the river–positive proof of the advancement of the leadership of the Iraqi Army.

"It’s a sign that the Iraqi Army is thinking forward," said U.S. Marine Col. Juan Ayala, senior adviser of the 1st IA Division MiTT. "They’re not only thinking about what they’re doing on the ground, but they’re also thinking about more than one dimension of the counter-insurgency war."

Bet you won't see something like that in the MSM, who helped the Democrats regain Congress by lying about how bad Iraq is.

Meanwhile, the US Marines are working with the local population (from CentCom)

Marines here are preventing violence by showing genuine interest in the welfare of the local citizens they are charged with protecting.

Instead of just kicking down doors outside Camp Fallujah, Marines are trying to open doors and dissolve the cultural barriers between them and Iraqis.

An example of this policy is the recent initiative by some female Marines to encourage positive relationships fostered on mutual respect and observance of cultural differences.

Kudos! I have actually heard democratic pundits complain about US troops performing missions such as this, saying that is not what they are trained for or supposed to do. They do think that the American military are bloodthirsts morons, you know.

Hey, Beth at Blue Star Chronicles has a wonderful article regarding this Veterans Day. I am wondering how soon a Democrat will say something demeaning about the military. Or, on the flip side, whether they will even mention it at all.