A French Soldiers take on his American counterparts...

The English version is here:

http://serendipity.ruwenzori.net/index.php/2008/09/21/american-troops-in-afghanistan-through-the-eyes-of-a-french-omlt-infantryman

The original French is here:

http://omlt3-kdk3.over-blog.com/article-22935665.html

I believe it to be an accurate translation, but my French is worse than poor, although I can extrapolate some from the Latin roots with my Spanish.

“We have shared our daily life with two US units for quite a while - they are the first and fourth companies of a prestigious infantry battalion whose name I will withhold for the sake of military secrecy. To the common man it is a unit just like any other. But we live with them and got to know them, and we henceforth know that we have the honor to live with one of the most renowned units of the US Army - one that the movies brought to the public as series showing “ordinary soldiers thrust into extraordinary events”. Who are they, those soldiers from abroad, how is their daily life, and what support do they bring to the men of our OMLT every day ? Few of them belong to the Easy Company, the one the TV series focuses on. This one nowadays is named Echo Company, and it has become the support company.

They have a terribly strong American accent - from our point of view the language they speak is not even English. How many times did I have to write down what I wanted to say rather than waste precious minutes trying various pronunciations of a seemingly common word? Whatever state they are from, no two accents are alike and they even admit that in some crisis situations they have difficulties understanding each other.

Heavily built, fed at the earliest age with Gatorade, proteins and creatine - they are all heads and shoulders taller than us and their muscles remind us of Rambo. Our frames are amusingly skinny to them - we are wimps, even the strongest of us - and because of that they often mistake us for Afghans.

Here we discover America as it is often depicted : their values are taken to their paroxysm, often amplified by promiscuity lack of privacy and the loneliness of this outpost in the middle of that Afghan valley. Honor, motherland - everything here reminds of that : the American flag floating in the wind above the outpost, just like the one on the post parcels. Even if recruits often originate from the hearth of American cities and gang territory, no one here has any goal other than to hold high and proud the star spangled banner. Each man knows he can count on the support of a whole people who provides them through the mail all that an American could miss in such a remote front-line location : books, chewing gums, razorblades, Gatorade, toothpaste etc. in such way that every man is aware of how much the American people backs him in his difficult mission. And that is a first shock to our preconceptions : the American soldier is no individualist. The team, the group, the combat team are the focus of all his attention.

And they are impressive warriors ! We have not come across bad ones, as strange at it may seem to you when you know how critical French people can be. Even if some of them are a bit on the heavy side, all of them provide us everyday with lessons in infantry know-how. Beyond the wearing of a combat kit that never seem to discomfort them (helmet strap, helmet, combat goggles, rifles etc.) the long hours of watch at the outpost never seem to annoy them in the slightest. On the one square meter wooden tower above the perimeter wall they stand the five consecutive hours in full battle rattle and night vision goggles on top, their sight unmoving in the directions of likely danger. No distractions, no pauses, they are like statues nights and days. At night, all movements are performed in the dark - only a handful of subdued red lights indicate the occasional presence of a soldier on the move. Same with the vehicles whose lights are covered - everything happens in pitch dark even filling the fuel tanks with the Japy pump.

And combat ? If you have seen Rambo you have seen it all - always coming to the rescue when one of our teams gets in trouble, and always in the shortest delay. That is one of their tricks : they switch from T-shirt and sandals to combat ready in three minutes. Arriving in contact with the ennemy, the way they fight is simple and disconcerting : they just charge ! They disembark and assault in stride, they bomb first and ask questions later - which cuts any pussyfooting short.

We seldom hear any harsh word, and from 5 AM onwards the camp chores are performed in beautiful order and always with excellent spirit. A passing American helicopter stops near a stranded vehicle just to check that everything is alright; an American combat team will rush to support ours before even knowing how dangerous the mission is - from what we have been given to witness, the American soldier is a beautiful and worthy heir to those who liberated France and Europe.

To those who bestow us with the honor of sharing their combat outposts and who everyday give proof of their military excellence, to those who pay the daily tribute of America’s army’s deployment on Afghan soil, to those we owned this article, ourselves hoping that we will always remain worthy of them and to always continue hearing them say that we are all the same band of brothers”.

I think even taking the test makes you one!

145 years ago this week....

Abraham Lincoln was dedicating a battlefield in Pennsylvania. His words, actually only a footnote to the address given by Edward Everett which lasted 2 hours, were brief, but profound. Edwards was a known orator, and his 13,607 words were sculpted and beautiful.

Lincolns short, 272 word oration has been memorized by thousands, if not millions, of school children since, while Edwards tremendous work is all but forgotten.

But a part of that text stands out...

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

Benjamin Franklin said:

...a frequent recurrence to fundamental principles...is absolutely necessary to preserve the blessings of liberty and keep a government free.

We are now engaged in a difficult transition, not a war, but just as surely a defining time. No one seems happy with the direction our great Nation has taken recently. It is time to do as Franklin suggested, and return to fundamental principles.

Those basic principles were well enumerated by the Founding Fathers in our Constitution and our Bill of Rights.

When we have questions about what is wrong with our country, those should be the documents we check first!

If the press is not free, something is wrong.

If honest men are not allowed to protect themselves against those who wish them ill, something is wrong.

When the government quarters troops against the will of homeowners, something is wrong.

When peoples homes are not protected against unreasonable searches something is wrong.

When people have lost due process, or the right to a speedy trial, something is wrong.

When bail or punishment becomes excessive or cruel, something is wrong.

When rights not specifically enumerated are legislated against, something is wrong.

How many of those things have been violated recently? How many are violated on any given day?

Do you see your rights and actions being dictated by laws that contradict your rights enumerated in the Constitution and Bill of Rights?

Do you know these two vital documents well enough to even recognize when you are having your rights violated?

Benjamin Franklin said:

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither safety nor liberty.

Are we allowing this to happen to us, hoping for more safety and protection from bad things and people?

Something to think about!

For the First Time EVER...Someone agrees with me!

Mitt Romney, who I liked in the early campaign, but was not 100 percent convinced had actually exhibited all the conservative strength I expected, has come around to my point of view...LOL!

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/19/opinion/19romney.html?_r=2

Hat tip to http://www.snowflakesinhell.com/ who found it before I did.

President Obama to "RULE"?

Check this video:



I thought we sort of declined that whole "rule" thing about 232 years ago?

I think we are straying further and further from the intended function of government, which was stated so elegantly more than 2 centuries ago:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

I missed the part about "rule" in there somewhere, didn't I?

The Constitution was designed as a document whereby free men could establish a completely free way to govern themselves, with a framework that the people agreed on. We continue to add to those rules, usually at our detriment.

Lets get back to basics!!

Hat tip to http: http://mostlycajun.com/wordpress/?p=4672 and http://smallestminority.blogspot.com/

I ran across a question....

reading through Joe Huffmans old blog posts http://blog.joehuffman.org/2004/12/15/JustOneQuestion.aspx and this was it:

Can you demonstrate one time or place, throughout all history, where the average person was made safer by restricting access to handheld weapons?

Can you? The CDC couldn't in this report:

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5214a2.htm

I think we need to continue returning to this point when people consistently call for more and more control.

It is certainly easy to find examples where people were endangered by more gun control, with virtually every episode of genocide precursed by arms control.

Keep at it, and eventually people begin to realize that those who propose gun control have no leg to stand on!!

Thank you Veterans!!

I have been intending to write this all day, and now it is evening and I still haven't.

I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all those who have served our country!

Most especially, though, to my Father, who has taught me everything I know about being a United States citizen, and still remains my greatest hero. He served our country from right after the Korean War through the Vietnam War, and into the peace at the end of the 1970s. We share a first and last name, and we share a deep respect for our Constitution and the Rights enumerated there.

To my brother in law, Ed, who served in both Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom, and who still remains a strong moral compass. Thank you!

To all my other friends who have served or continue to serve, thank you!!

To all those who I have never met, but have shed sweat, tears, and blood for our country, thank you!

Thank you to all those brave men and women who stand guard so that we may sleep in peace!

Thank you all!!!

Obama pumps up one part of the economy!

It seems that since the Obama election, a large portion of the American public has decided that regardless of what he said during the election about protecting gun rights, they are going to make sure that THEIR rights are not impinged.

Gun dealers nationwide are reporting gun sales at numbers that are so far beyond normal that even the most optimistic of them is having to revise numbers daily.

If nothing else, the election pumped life into a sector of the economy that the DNC must never have expected.

Some dealers are reporting sales figures that are almost unbelieveable.

One dealer I spoke with told me he had sold every AR15 he had a concession for during the next 12 months and not one of his regular suppliers could give him any idea of when they would have more in stock.

Just a cruise through the only local retailer revealed that the numbers of weapons on display has dropped dramatically in the last 5 days. The staff wasn't sure how much sales were actually up, but told me that "they haven't ever seen anything like this".

Gun sales, already up 15% in October, surged again after Obama won the election, indicating that a large part of the public is not buying into his promise to leave guns alone. While most guns sold are handguns, sales of rifles jumped by a reported 150,000 last month. http://www.hutchnews.com/Todaystop/guns2008-11-06T20-40-48

Nationwide, retailers are reporting record daily sales, and even the New York Times has noticed it. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/07/us/07guns.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

I sincerely hope that Obama CAN be the healer he promises to be, and that he CAN reach out and achieve Bi-Partisan goals.

My gut, however, tells me it won't happen that way.

Here's to hoping my gut is wrong!

Looks like Lyle and I were posting about the same thing at the same time! http://blog.joehuffman.org/2008/11/11/TenPercentIncreaseInGunSales.aspx

Obama, citizen or not.....

Philip Berg, a lifelong Democrat, filed suit against Obama regarding his place of birth, believing that he is NOT a native born American. There apparently is sufficient evidence that he was not born in Hawaii as he claims, but in Kenya. He intially filed suit in his home state, but the judge there said he did not have "standing", essentially saying that the people did not have the right to challenge presidential qualifications as required by the Constitution.

Berg then filed the case with the Supreme Court of the United States, and asked that the Nov. 4th elections be postponed until the issue was resolved. The Justices refused to postpone the elections, but did tell Obama that he must provide proof of his birth in Hawaii. Apparently this is going to be difficult to do, since he refused to do it when challenged previously. Contrast this with McCains response when challenged over the same issue, who rapidly provided all the information requested. (McCain was born in Central America while his father was stationed there.)

Berg's press release is here:

http://www.obamacrimes.com/index.php/news/52-us-supreme-court-awaits-response-to-berg-writ-of-certiorari-from-obama



There are more complications to the issue as well. He was adopted by his stepfather in Indonesia, and then attended school there when only citizens of Indonesia could attend school. It would appear, then, that he accepted Indonesian citizenship, but could have requested that his citizenship revert to the U.S. at 18, but there is no record he did so. Documented here:

http://www.obamacrimes.com/attachments/016_Obama,%20Motion%20for%20TRO%20from%20Pacer.pdf

Interesting take on it here:

http://www.rightsidenews.com/200811072518/editorial/america-the-beautiful.html

Thomas Jefferson left NO doubts...

The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

A tad sarcastic, but right on the mark....

Thanks to http://smallestminority.blogspot.com/ I found this post!

http://iowahawk.typepad.com/iowahawk/2008/11/election-analysis-america-can-take-pride-in-this-historic-inspirational-disaster.html

Socialism...predicted 50 years ago by Khruschev

Glenn Beck had this on his show recently. Secretary of Agriculture Ezra Taft Benson, who served under Eisenhower hosted Khruschev in the '50's and had this to say about it:

Quote of the week...

From W. W. Woodward after digesting the results of yesterdays elections;

The wolves have decided who they want for dinner. It's past time for the main course's rebellion.


It brings to mind Jefferson's quote:

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.

I pray that we have not reached that point of rebellion, but I fear that we are not far from it.

Even Great Britain knows about Moscow Idaho!

From Joe at http://blog.joehuffman.org/ comes a link from Great Britain:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1082308/PETER-HITCHENS-The-Zombie-Third-World-Marxist---How-American-West-views-presidential-race.html

Late at night...

Your wife, or daughter, or mother is home alone, late at night and hears a window break.

She attempts to run out of the house to a nearby neighbor, but is met at the door by a large man who then assaults and rapes her.

Fortunately, she survives the assault.

2 days later, she is watching TV when she hears a window break again, and then the power goes out.

What does she do? Well, if she lives in Chicago, or New York City, or Washington DC, or San Francisco, she can't do much, because the law says she can't keep a loaded firearm in the house with here. The last time she tried to run, she was assaulted and raped!

But if she lives in Cape Girardeau County Missouri she can...and this woman did!

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/laworder/story/9C58494B45470714862574F3006D0CA6?OpenDocument#tp_newCommentAnchor

Good for her!! And this is the protection that liberal politicians have taken away from those in the above cities, and want to take from all of us?