From the Front: 05/17/2010

In today's From the Front: (Click on link to read stories highlighted below) This post is courtesy of The Thunder Run
Dispatches:
Knottie's Niche: Happy Birthday Son
Kandahar Diary: Haji in a dust storm
Bouhammer: The war between McChrystal and Eikenberry
Katherine Tiedemann: Daily brief: coordinated suicide bombers attack Kandahar police
Free Range International: Unlimited OPM
Bruce R: Stopped clock watch
IraqPundit: Recount Confirms Original Results
Matt G: On COIN, Courageous Restraint, and Clowns
Kit Up!: Gear Review: Soldiers Like Army Plate Carrier — With Some Improvements
Bill Roggio: US Predators carry out first strike in Khyber
Loving A Soldier Blog: Have you noticed?
Red Bull Rising: A Raspberry to the Beret
Asher Kohn: Better Late than Whenever
Sic Semper Tyrannis: Is the US Army still competent in real combat?
Guard Wife: Borrowing Trouble
Andi: Lady, Would You Please Go Away?
She of the Sea: What They Didn't Explain
The Unknown Soldiers: Humble savior

News from the Home Front:
Army Recalls 44,000 Combat Helmets

News from the Front:
Iraq:
Iraq Recount Fails to Overturn Allawi Election Win
Recount in Iraq Preserves Victory for Maliki Rival
Baghdad Vote Result Unchanged After Recount
Combat Trucker Delivers Crucial Supplies Downrange
'Chop Shop' Soldiers
Iraqi Insurgent Group Names New Leaders

Afghanistan:
Airplane with 43 on board crashes in Afghanistan
Roadside bomb kills 2 Italian soldiers in Afghanistan
Turkey sends humanitarian aid to flood-hit Afghan city
Australian troops to play significant role in Kandahar offensive
One Soldier, 19 Taliban Killed In Pakistan Clashes
U.S. Is Still Using Private Spy Ring, Despite Doubts
Afghan Opium Blight Fuels Anti - Government Suspicions
Afghan Troops Free Kidnapped UN Workers
Taleban bullets bounce off ‘lucky platoon’
Joint NATO-Afghan Military Operations Kill 25 Insurgents
Taliban Say They Killed 4 Afghan Interpreters
Marine official says there is more 'tough fighting' ahead in Afghanistan
War of persuasion: The modern U.S. officer emerges in Afghanistan
Taliban Hold Sway in Area Taken by U.S., Farmers Say
Kandahar fears greater peril as West rethinks its planned offensive
Afghan President Meets New British PM
The Thunder Run's From the Front is a daily series that highlights news and personal dispatched from the front and the home front.