Over at the Long War Journal...

Here's a great report by Bill Ardolino, embedded with the US Army in Eastern Afghanistan: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2011/08/us_troops_weather_ro.php US troops come under attack while searching a village in Sabari district. Bill was right there when it happened and gives us the complete account. Don't recall hearing about this (am I surprised?) anywhere else. Six troopers were wounded, but they will be okay. Thank you for your work, Bill!

A Great Training Day...

Today was Session 5, 6 and 7 of the Patrol Rifle Operator's Course. Ten students present, one dropped with equipment failure but everybody else hung in there and did a great job. Today's training included shooting under stress, shooting with gas masks on, combat courses of fire and teams conducting bounding overwatch to an FFP. Some vehicle assault training was included as well.

The group really came together during the day.. working together, shooting, moving and communicating. All in all a very successful day.

Kudos guys (and gal)! One more class to go to complete the course. Simunition and scenarios involved, of course!

Raccoons in the Wire!

So there I was in the wee hours this morning, catching up on some reading when I heard a ruckus outside on the front deck... growling, crashing around, lots of not good sounding noises. I looked out the window in time to see a raccoon having his butt thoroughly thrashed by my grandaughter's calico cat, Juliet.

Now, mind you, Juliet is an older cat. We adopted her when she was already an adult, and that was ten plus years ago. This cat hates to get her toes wet walking across the lawn.. but there was Miss Dainty-Toes, putting some whoop-ass on a raccoon that outweighed her by at least a dozen pounds.

The 'coons come in at night to help themselves to the outside cat food. Oh, but you might ask... where were the watch dogs? Sleeping, as usual....

So while I'm watching this, thinking I'm going to have to intervene to keep this silly old cat from getting killed, with a lot of nasty cat language Juliet knocks the raccoon off the railing. (I think the growling translated to something like: "Not my bowl, Beotch!") She's now placed herself between the 'coon and her food bowl. My last view of the raccoon is him hanging on the railing by his front paws as she reaches down and smacks him again, knocking him loose. The raccoon hits the ground and runs off into the darkness.

I love that old cat!

My Heart Hurts...

for the families, friends and brothers-in-arms of all those on board the Chinook that went down in Wardak Province, Afghanistan. Been sending up thoughts and prayers all day, especially for those in the NSW community.

Godspeed, Brothers!