From the Front: 06/29/2010

In today's From the Front: (Click on link to read stories highlighted below) This post is courtesy of The Thunder Run

Dispatches:
Bouhammer: It is about time the Army starts to “Get it”
Army Live: Celebrating five years of serving Soldiers
Katherine Tiedemann: Daily brief: McChrystal to retire
AfPak Channel: AfPak Behind the Lines: Karzai's connections
Brian Fishman: In command in Afghanistan
Gareth Porter: Why Petraeus won't salvage this war
Family Matters Blog: Programs Help Warriors’ Families
Home From Iraq: Last Workout Before the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT)
IraqPundit: Is a Lousy Deal Better than No Deal?
Kerplunk: What Hastings got wrong in Rolling Stan
Bill Roggio: Afghan, US forces launch offensive in Kunar
One Marines View: We don’t promise you a rose garden on Tuesday either…
Red Bull Rising: Red Bulls Get Exclusive Sneak Peak at 'Restrepo'
Naheed Mustafa: Dispatches from AfPak: Notes from a Rally
LTC Rich Phillips: Everyone Hates BAF
She of the Sea: The Green and Blue Dress
The Unknown Soldiers: 'It feels amazing to be home'
Boston Maggie: Listen Up! I Want Something!
Jules Crittenden: Boomerang
Guard Wife: Sneaky Peeper
Greyhawk: Meat
Neptunus Lex: Manifold Absurdities
Cassandra: "Milkooks"
Phyllis Zimbler Miller: Peggy Noonan of The Wall Street Journal Needs to Learn That Women Are Also Deployed

News from the Home Front:
Gen Stanley McChrystal to retire from US Army
Cashiered general tells Army he'll retire
With Shift in Afghanistan, Talk Turns to Exit
DOD Launches Voter Online Registration Assistant During Armed Forces and Overseas Citizens’ Voters’ Week
Defense Secretary Robert Gates Statement on the National Space Policy

News from the Front:
Iraq:
NATO Deputy Commander Visits Iraqi NCO School
‘Distro’ Platoon: the Lifeline of Soldiers at Remote Bases in Iraq
Flat Stanley Visits Dragoon Troop
Iraqi democracy transcends politics

Afghanistan:
UN vehicle shot in Afghan capital, driver hurt
U.S. dog raid rumour sparks violent Afghan clash
Roadside bombs kill five civilians in Afghanistan
Revamped US strategy may see special operations troops step up action in Afghanistan
Panel to Press Petraeus On Afghan Strategy
U.S. medevac crews treat Afghan civilians, win hearts and minds
Prince Harry desperate to return to Afghanistan
U.S. strategy in Afghanistan may involve greater use of special operations forces
Prince Harry wants to return to Afghanistan
Saad Mohseni Is Afghanistan's First Media Mogul
Taliban extend sphere of influence, says expert
Efforts to neutralise Afghan Taliban showing positive results, says NATO commanders
UN needs more information from Karzai on Taliban
U.S., Afghan forces launch assault along Pakistani border
Up to 150 Taliban killed in Afghanistan
Afghan military, police won't be ready for U.S. withdrawal, report says
McChrystal-Karzai Relationship Steers the News in Afghanistan
Afghanistan Christians Detained Amid Execution Threats
June 30 Marks One Year in Captivity for U.S. Soldier
IJC Operational Update, June 29
Small Projects Reap Large Gains in Helmand
Afghan Police Gain Leadership Skills, Public Trust
Karzai denies talks with Haqqani network
NATO "protection" plan means little to Afghan village
Afghanistan Still Crucial to U.S. Interests, Obama Says

Pakistan:
Missiles kill 10 militants in Pakistan near Afghan border
US airstrikes kill six militants, say Pakistani officials
Pak 'hedging bets' on Haqqanis following US' 'dithering' over Afghanistan
Peshawar bracing for Taliban fight
U.S. wary of Pakistan as power broker in Kabul
Pakistan Receives F-16s That May Give `Unprecedented' Boost Over Taliban

The Thunder Run's From the Front is a daily series that highlights news and personal dispatches from the front and the home front.