Servicemen unloading the remains of a U.S soldier at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. (Photo by Steve Ruark/AP via NYTimes.com)

The New York Times reports that it took almost 7 years to reach 500 and the second 500 in fewer than two years.

A resurgent Taliban active in almost every province, a weak central government incapable of protecting its people and a larger number of American troops in harm’s way all contributed to the accelerating pace of death.

Also interesting and sad to note is the lowering average age of killed servicemen. From ’02 to ’08, the average age of killed service members was roughly 28. It dropped to 26 last year and in 2010, more than 125 troops killed in action averaged 25 years of age. Additionally, military records show that more are dying right after boot camp.

On top of that, in the last two years, improvised explosive devices (I.E.D.’s) have taken the highest number of American lives.

Understandably, the number of casualties is bound to rise with the troop surge in Afghanistan and increased Taliban activity. However, I believe the DoD should take note of how are troops are loosing their lives.

The most prevalent mode of engaging the enemy, as well as working with the civilian population, is for our troops to leave the safety of their posts and bases. This creates a “target-rich opportunity” as my comrades and I used to say in the Army. On the few shows and documentaries on combat troops in Afghanistan that I’ve seen, soldiers are on foot with bomb detectors, bomb-sniffing dogs or are using satellite and other surveillance methods of catching bomb-layers in action. All these are effective in their own right, but obviously not 100%.

I do hope that the Obama Administration, the DoD and military experts continue to look closely at how to fight the IED problem. With each major American conflict—Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq—IEDs continue to stymie many of our tactics.

©2010 Blog de Puree. All Rights Reserved.

Try out the Albania Victory Dance with some pals after your next triumph.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Here’s a great website for a lot of information about one of the most historic invasions in the history of the world. American Experience/D-Day on pbs.org.

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Mike Nizza reports from The Lede: Notes on the News on NYTimes.com that in 2005, the Malacca Straight, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, was considered a war zone because there was so much piracy. Using coordinated sea and air patrols, the surrounding nations quickly had things under control and the war rating by Lloyd’s of London was dropped.

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(The Malacca Straight is a narrow stretch of water between the Malaysian peninsula and the Indonesian island of Sumatra.)

The area seems to be relatively pirate-free.

But the coasts of Somalia and Nigeria are still a hotbed of piratical activity. The other week a French yacht was seized by Somali pirates. The French government sent in special forces to negotiate, then double-cross the sea raiders. The crew and passengers were rescued and six of the pirates were arrested.

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(The coast of Somalia, also known as the Horn of Africa.)

Things in Somalia appear to be somewhat under control—for now.

Oddly enough, the British government recently offered asylum to pirates. The British Navy has been asked not to arrest the very pirates it is helping to chase down off the horn of Africa (Somalia).

Five nations are hunting pirates down with impunity, another is offering asylum. Some oceans and seas are under control and others you wouldn’t send your worst enemy. It reminds me a bit like the golden age of piracy during the age of sail, with one nation waging war and another offering a secretive license to privateer. One thing is for sure, it makes for interesting news.

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But in Australia, there seems to be a problem with what the government is issuing for backpacks these days. So much so, that soldiers have take it upon themselves to set aside what they’ve been given and spend up to $500 of their personal money on heavy duty backpacks, The Sidney Morning Herald reports. The issued packs are causing back problems such as torn back muscles, dislocated shoulders, spinal problems and reduced circulation.

When I was in the U.S. Army, we would often buy our own equipment because of wear and tear or there was better equipment suited for a particular mission. But we never had to deal with faulty backpacks from the government. That just sucks.

My thoughts go out to the men and women serving in the Australian Army.

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In a nutshell, Uncle Sam wants soldiers who want to blog to get permission from their commanding officers and chain of command before they set one up. But there is some confusion about whether the need to have each blog post reviewed by a superior officer. Read literally, the regulation (AR 530-1) could mean the end of military blogs.

Here is a link to a PDF of Army Regulation 530-1, marked for official use only, which outlines the rules for operations security.

For the uninitiated, operations security deals with the release of information and actions that could affect military tactics and strategy, as well as day-to-day operations. For example, Private Knucklehead of the 82nd Airborne Division is stationed in Baghdad and is helping to quell violence in the northern section of the city. He starts a blog and after his first day writes about his experiences, where they are and what his platoon did draw the enemy out to engage them. Unknowingly, Private Knucklehead just released information that could be used by the enemy to determine which American military unit is in the area, what tactics they’re using, what their goals are, and possibly who the soldiers which means their families might even be targeted. The next day, when Knucklhead’s platoon goes back into their sector of operations, the enemy now has the upper hand with intelligence gained from the blog. Soldiers could die because of the information released, as well as the military losing the initiative with a delicate strategy against an agile and adaptable Iraqi insurgency.

It’s no wonder the military takes this so seriously. The Washington Post recently ran a fascinating story about this issue. It outlined some past and present soldier blogs and the difficulties that the authors ran into, as well as how the military is wrestling with blog security issues.

The Danger Room blog on Wired.com pointed out several inconsistencies in AR 530-1. In an interview with Loita C. Baldor of the Associated Press, Major Ray M. Ceralde, who worked on the new regulations, made it clear that the Army does not want to block soldiers from setting up or posting comments to blogs, or seek approval every time they post. “Not only is that impractical, but we are trusting the soldiers to protect critical information,” he said.

But the language of the regulation clearly states otherwise:
Consult with their immediate supervisor and their OPSEC Officer for an OPSEC review prior to publishing or posting information in a public forum.
(1) This includes, but is not limited to letters, resumes, articles for publication, electronic mail (e-mail), Web site postings, web log (blog) postings, discussion in Internet information forums, discussion in Internet message boards or other forms of dissemination or documentation.

Additionally, Maj. Ceralde said that unit commanders also have the authority to establish more restrictive requirements for their soldiers.

The Danger Room blog comes to the conclusion that, while soldiers can blog, with this regulation, the army can bust them any time it wants if it believes the content is affecting operational security. An accurate conclusion.

However, this catch 22 is nothing new for the military. It has been going on for generations. I myself experienced it when I served. In the end, the regulations are there as a guideline and the military can crack down on those who blatantly disregard them. Essentially, soldiers and the media must use common sense and think twice before they hit the Post, Publish or Send button. While the freedom of speech is sacred, soldiers and the media should think about what they write and whether it will endanger the lives of those who are serving in the military. A May 3 article by the Associated Press via the Washington Post outlines the common sense element.

For more information on military blogs and a great repository of them all, check out www.milblogging.com

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In Afghanistan and Iraq, soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines are living in virtual cities made from these shipping containers. Like apartment complexes, they are stacked up or laid out, fitted with HVAC units, electricity and furnished with a twin bed and a wall locker. These makeshift domiciles are often referred to as Legoland by the troops.

Major Strong decided to put some extra design effort into his small living space. After ensuring that his body armor, helmet, boots and primary weapon were immediately available—after all, he is a soldier—he constructed a lift for his bed to make more storage space underneath. He also constructed a small bookshelf, purchased an adjustable computer desk, and picked up some task lighting to offset the harsh fluorescent lights that come with the room. Over time, he also added some colorful Afghan textiles and several paintings from a local artist. Not bad for a man that is used to living in a 4,000-square-foot ranch house with his family in Oregon.

While conditions for our men and women overseas are still pretty Spartan, it’s nice to see that some of them can overcome the typical shortcomings of living out of a shipping container. You’ve got to love that good old “American know-how.” It’s also nice to read about them in publications where you normally wouldn’t, such as Dwell magazine. Kudos to that mag.

You can read more about Major Strong and his experiences in Afghanistan at his blog, Strong Ideas.

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He writes:

My idea is to open the IRON OARSMAN every Friday from 4pm-7pm for people who serve and have served in the armed forces. The workouts are sponsored by me as long as I have an indoor rowing studio.

As you know rowing is good for all ages with or without disabilities. I need your help to get this information out.

I thanked Xeno on his blog and think this is an honorable act. If there are any veterans in his neck of the woods, who have an interest in rowing or complete body fitness through the sport of indoor rowing, I hope they take advantage of his offer.

I was also pleased to read that he is offering it to active service members as well as those who’ve served in the past. I’ve been to many gyms that offer discounts and perks to active-duty or active reserve personnel only, and it’s insulting to those of us who’ve served in the past and even have disabilities. It’s like telling someone that their past military service doesn’t count any more.

As General Douglas MacArthur put so succinctly, “Old soldier’s never die, they just fade away.”

Thanks for remembering us, Xeno!

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While I was very excited and nervous before my first day on Monday, the thrill of staring a new position isn’t what it used to be. After going through the process a couple of times, you know what to expect–for the most part.

The best metaphor for the way I felt, although slightly more dramatic, takes place in a landing craft before a beach invasion during World War II. Inside, a platoon of soldiers huddle down, avoiding the cold sea spray and the bullets flying overhead. A grizzled sergeant looks next to him at a green private (green from seasickness and green, as in new, unproven soldier) shivering and wiping some leftover vomit from the corner of his mouth. The sergeant gives the kid a nudge on the shoulder who looks at him, wild-eyed with fear.

“Don’t worry, kid. It only sucks for the first day or so. Make it past that, and you should get through this landing just fine. Stick with me.”

“Ar, ar, aren’t you scared,” the private stammered?

“Scared? Shit yes, I’m scared,” the sergeant replies. His face is calm and collected. “You’d have to be crazy not be. I just know what to expect. This is my third landing.”

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In Amesbury, veterans are recognized through a series of flag-like banners placed around town. At the top, it says “21st Century Heroes” and then on alternating red and white lines, it has the names of Amesbury residents who have served their country. And guess who’s name is on one of them?

I was notified by the town’s veteran’s representative, Ron Koontz, that my name was placed on a banner that is on Bridge Road. If you drive over the Merrimac River from Newburyport, just as you come over the bridge, to the right, is a town welcome center. In front of that small building is a banner with my name on it.

We’ve yet to take a picture, but it was gratifying to see my name up there–as a hero no less. I don’t feel like a hero, having served during a time of peace, with small police actions taking place that I never went to. The only battles I fought were the Battle of Boredom in the Mojave Desert during a month of desert warfare training and numerous conflicts with a couple of inept noncommissioned officers. And I can’t begin to compare my service and sacrifice with those of the men and women who are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with unspeakable physical wounds and mental scars. Their service should be recognized on so many higher levels.

Still, it feels really good to be appreciated.

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