It is with regret that the Ministry of Defence must announce the death of two personnel from 230 and 33 Squadrons, Royal Air Force.
The deaths occurred in Kabul following an accident involving a UK Puma Mk 2 helicopter earlier today (Sunday 11 October 2015). The helicopter crashed while landing at the Headquarters of Resolute Support: the NATO train, advise and assist mission in Afghanistan. The incident is currently under investigation but we can confirm that it was an accident and not the result of insurgent activity. The families of the two personnel who were killed have been informed and requested a period of grace before their names are released.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the families and loved ones of the deceased at this extremely difficult time, as well as those other military personnel who were on board the aircraft during this tragic incident. This is a stark reminder that our brave Service Personnel continue to work night and day in a hostile and challenging environment. This is a very sad time for the men and women of RAF Benson and UK personnel in Afghanistan. Although the UK’s combat mission has ended, the dedication and professionalism of our men and women is essential as we continue to support the Government of Afghanistan as they seek to build a peaceful and prosperous future for their country.
In the south and south west of Afghanistan, a team from the RAF is working with the US Marine Corps (USMC) on the daunting task of co-ordinating the use of some of the world’s busiest airspace.
Members of the RAF’s Aerospace Battle Management Team and the USMC Air Wing are colocated in a dusty, quiet and benign corner of sprawling Camp Leatherneck, a home from home for the US Marines serving in Helmand province.
Aerospace Battle Managers Corporal Bobby Howard, US Marine Corps, and Corporal Paddy Bonner, Royal Air Force, working together at Camp Leatherneck, Helmand province, southern Afghanistan. Picture: Sergeant Ross Tilly RAF, Crown Copyright/MOD 2011
The detachment is parented by the RAF’s 903 Expeditionary Air Wing, only a short drive into adjoining Camp Bastion; however, all of the UK’s Air Surveillance and Control System (ASACS) personnel live, work and socialise with their US Marine colleagues at Leatherneck, further enhancing their operational experience.
Men and women of the joint RAF and US Marine Corps Aerospace Battle Management Group at Camp Leatherneck [Picture: Sergeant Ross Tilly RAF, Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]
Hundreds of women from all over Helmand gathered together at an event to celebrate Women's Day recently. There was singing, dancing and even the local police put on a performance.
Here was my first thought after grunting my way into 26 pounds worth of body armor and Kevlar helmet: Doesn’t the Register have any younger reporters to send to Afghanistan?
Here was my second thought: If 2,800 Iowa National Guard soldiers can do this for a year, I can do it for three weeks.
Americans are sending tens of thousands of soldiers to the other side of the world to fight on our behalf. The least we can do is pay attention. You can support the war, oppose it, or vacillate about it – but you shouldn’t just tune it out while you watch the latest Charlie Sheen update.
A recent report suggested many Americans and the media that serve them are losing interest in Afghanistan. Just 4 percent of U.S. news coverage last year was related to the war, according to the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.
The Pew survey showed that many of the Afghanistan-related stories that did run were about two scandals: the dismissal of the war’s top general for talking smack about the president; and the disgorgement of classified military memos via WikiLeaks. Stories about the actual war were scarce.
It’s easy to rationalize why. Covering a war is risky and expensive. And after more than nine years, the news out of Afghanistan can start to sound the same.
Fortunately, my bosses decided this story was too important to ignore...
From War on Terror News, a column that says what I believe (and says it so much better than I could.) Yes, the writer begins with BHO's most recent visit to our troops, but then he gives a detailed overview of BHO and what the writer calls BHO's ' complete mishandling of Troops and War.' Read on:
12/05/2010
Our Troops are Not Your Personal PhotoOp, Mr. President
So, the POTUS dropped into Afghanistan for a few hours on 3 December 2010. He was his third trip ever and the shortest, though he never found the time while he was the Chairman of the Senate subcomittee on the War there, until he became a candidate for POTUS.
He claimed there was nowhere else he would rather be for the holidays, than with the Troops, which he had assembled late at night for his photo-op. His time inside Air Force One in Afghanistan was longer than his time with the Troops or with General Petraeus who leads them. Weather prevented him from meeting with President Karzai. That and the short time he allocated for his "visit."
He did "take the time" to pin a few Purple Hearts on Wounded Warriors while on the ground.
I wish I could believe in his commitment to win, but no matter how forcefully he stated that Our Troops were on the Offense, his Administration refuses to let go of their July 2011 retreat dates and that is detrimental to gaining the loyalty of Afghans who must choose between death threats of the Taliban or a fledgling democracy led by a besieged Karzai. The enemy, which has always had a strategy of waiting out our resolve to wain, now has not only a date for the withdrawal to begin, but also a date to begin their final assault: 2015, when the retreat is supposed to be complete, as per his positons at the NATO Lisbon meeting. (They actually said 2014, but Britain is looking at 2015.)
Instead of believing the new found commitment he expressed to 3,000 Troops forced to listen in the wee hours of the night, I'm reminded of his campaign strategy of telling everyone what they wanted to hear. I'm reminded that he pioneered a micro-campaign strategy that told San Francisco donors how he'd tax and spend while telling Southern Independents that he'd protect Gun Rights, even as he told progressives that West Virginians in small towns clung to their guns and religion. Even his website was set up to tailor the message to the regional IP address.
I'm reminded that he claimed to have finished his "new strategy" for Afghanistan in the spring of 2009, then fired two Generals for speaking honestly about the War. General McKiernan was fired for failing to parrot an Administration apology, instead insisting on protecting the Honor of Our Warriors who killed bad guys at the request of the Villagers caught in the crossfire. General McChrystal was fired for things he didn't even say, for things his Warrior Class staff said, while stuck in Europe because of a Volcano, and while their lips were loosened by alcohol and a belief that the cool journalist would keep off the record remarks, off the record....
War on Terror has much more, point by point, of BHO's 'approach.' It IS a must read.
UK forces transfer responsibility for security in Sangin to US
September 20, 2010
ISAF has today announced that British forces in southern Afghanistan have handed responsibility for security in Sangin to US forces.
The transfer of authority, first announced by the Defence Secretary in July this year, is the last move in the current rebalancing of ISAF forces across Helmand. It follows an increase in ISAF and Afghan security forces in Helmand over recent months and will ensure an equal distribution of ISAF forces amongst the Afghan population living there.
Handing over Sangin will allow UK forces to focus their effort in central Helmand where they will continue to deliver effective counterinsurgency operations, working alongside the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF).
Major Richard Forsyth, OC, C Company, 1 Scots says goodbye to the man he has advised for the past six months in Sangin, Captain Nadri, of the ANA’s 3/215 Brigade.
British forces have been in Sangin, a key economic and transport hub, since 2006. Alongside the ANSF, they have provided vital security for the local population on behalf of the Government of Afghanistan, enabling development and preventing the insurgency from using Sangin as a base from which to mount attacks across Helmand.
40 Commando Royal Marines, currently deployed with 4 Mechanised Brigade, have handed over to the US Marine Corps (USMC).
Defence Secretary, Dr Liam Fox, said:
“British forces have served in Sangin over the last four years and should be very proud of the achievements they have made in one of the most challenging areas of Afghanistan.
“The level of sacrifice has been high and we should never forget the many brave troops who have lost their lives in the pursuit of success in an international mission rooted firmly in our own national security in the UK.
“The handover of Sangin by UK forces represents sound military rationale and reflects the increase of both ISAF and Afghan forces across Helmand over the course of the past year. British troops will redeploy to central Helmand, in support of ISAF’s main effort, where they will continue to lead the fight against the insurgency and assist in building a stable and secure Afghanistan that can stand on its own two feet.”...(HelmandBlog here)
The Beeb, of course, has their analysis:
Pain and reflection for Sangin troops
By Ian PannellBBC News, Helmand
Control was handed over from UK forces to the US Marine Corps at 0630 BST
"There've been really bad days, especially when one of our lads got killed. That was hard to carry on."
Those were the words of Marine James "Ned" Kelly, as he and his comrades prepared for one of their final patrols in the dangerous Sangin area in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province.
British troops have been fighting for five summers across Helmand. So far 337 have died - nearly a third of whom died here in Sangin.
Today Britain handed over control of Sangin to US forces. The occasion marked a time to reflect on what had been achieved, and also for some hard questions about sacrifices made.
Lt Col Paul James, the commander of the 40 Commando Royal Marines Battle-group in Sangin, insisted progress has been made and that the losses have not been in vain.
He said: "I won't say is it worth the loss of life because of course the loss of life is always extremely traumatic. I'll certainly say it's never been in vain. We recognise the job's not done, there's a long way to go. But actually it's certainly on the right course."
I joined British and US Marines as they prepared for one of their last joint patrols. Commanders were keen to show us what they have achieved; how Sangin has prospered and how much safer it has become. But for marines like James Kelly it remains a dangerous place to serve.
He said: "It's crazy, because you can have weeks when quiet and mellow, serene almost. But then it can switch so quickly to getting in contact with the enemy; two, three hour fire-fights. Sangin has lived up to its reputation, massively."...(BBC here)
Back in 2006, The Times gave insights into British efforts into one of the harshest areas of all Afghanistan:
... The Sunday Times has obtained detailed accounts by officers of the 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment of operations in Sangin. The accounts record the leading role played by A Company, which was based in the government district centre in Sangin, and of 1 Platoon in particular.
One of the platoon’s section leaders was Corporal Bryan Budd, the posthumous winner of the VC. It also included Private Peter McKinley who won a Military Cross. The platoon was commanded by Lieutenant Hugo Farmer who won a Distinguished Gallantry Cross, second only to the VC.
British servicemen deployed in southern Afghanistan during the summer have won more than 70 awards, including Budd’s VC, a George Cross, three Distinguished Gallantry Crosses, 11 Military Crosses and four Distinguished Flying Crosses....(Timesonline here)
The tone of this article is what we came to expect from the msm, and the 'reporter' conceded that he wasn't actually there (the MoD was keeping the media out of the area.) However, it does give a glimpse of what our British troops have faced, day in, day out for the last five years, and is worth the read.
For a sobering look at the cost the British have paid as part of their contribution to this GWOT, go here.
On a day when the MoD announces that a member of the Queen's Royal Lancers and a soldier from the Royal Engineers, let us never forget that the price of freedom is high.
As another chapter closes for the British in Afghanistan, my gratitude to ALL our troops and their families.
U.S. Air Force Nurse, Lucy Lehker, comforts an 'unknown' Canadian soldier after he was badly wounded in Afghanistan.
Michael Yon has been in the sandbox with our guys for 6 years now. He lives with our troops and his reporting has continued to put the msm to shame. Where the mainstream goes with the tired old 'if it bleeds, it leads,' Yon shares every day stories that cannot be found anywhere else. Our troops trust Yon as they do no other reporter, and the picture above is one of the reasons why.
It is often said that 'one picture says a thousand words,' and so it is with 'The Whisper' above. Originally part of a Valentines Day column, this one frame tells so much of the current Global War on Terror, I believe it will become iconic:
Today we were sent your story of February 14, 2010. The “unknown” Canadian is our son Danny. He is a 23-year-old solider from Vancouver, Canada.
Your photographs were extraordinary and have impacted so many people here in Canada. There has been an outpouring of affection for the Americans who helped Danny in his moment of need. For that, we thank you for recording these acts of kindness into history.
Danny's injuries were the result of an explosion on February 12, 2010. Four Canadian soldiers were injured and tragically one Canadian solider was killed. Within 20 minutes of the explosion, Danny was airlifted by helicopter to Kandahar. Upon arrival he received emergency surgery that saved his life and prepared him for the flight to Bagram that you were on. After landing in Bagram, Danny was again airlifted by a US transport aircraft to the US Army run Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. There he underwent additional surgery that closed up his wounds. Once stabilized, the Canadian government dispatched a Challenger jet to bring him home....
You really MUST read the rest of this here. The Valentines Day story that Yon wrote, and first showed this picture? Find that here.
Michael Yon has no corporate funding behind him. He relies solely on donations from grateful readers. Readers who recognise that this war is not just America's war. Anyone who wants the real story of what our guys are doing, makes Yon a daily read. Yon has written extensively about the American soldiers, the British and yes, the Canadian, as well as other coalition troops.
Years from now, when future generations are being taught the history that is happening today, Michael Yon's contributions should be front and centre. As Danny's mother says above, Michael Yon IS recording history.
Please make Michael Yon part of your daily dose of truth and, if you can, contribute financially to his work. In these days when the msm continues to lazily spoonfeed gullible citizens the tired old rhetoric, Yon delivers the goods. Go here, read through his archives; bookmark his site, and then donate what you can.
I know, I know. I AM on sabbatical, with my foot up shrouded in an ice pack. The B*N*S*N service is working on a very light schedule these days, BUT I found something on Soldiers' Angels Germany that IS a must- read. Have I ever steered you wrong?
I am always in awe of the amazing stories of courage by our guys; the courage they display every single day, often far away from the media scrutiny. Lucky for us, we have sites like Soldiers' Angels Germany, which highlight these men and women regularly. This is one of the latest:
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Leave no man behind
“Words can't describe the thanks I have for them for doing that, for retrieving him.”
- Robert Mersman, on the crew that recovered the body of his son, Sgt. Jeffrey Mersman
Most readers here are familiar with the events of November 9, 2007, in which Captain Matthew Ferrara and five other troops were killed during an ambush near Forward Operating Base Bella, home of Chosen Company, 2-503rd PIR, 173rd ABCT in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan.
Yesterday, Tom Bowman of NPR published an interview with some of the Pave Hawk pilots who participated in the recovery mission. During the course of the firefight one of the Soldiers, Sergeant Jeffrey Mersman, had fallen from the narrow trail they were traversing and landed on a ledge below. Four of the other Soldiers climbed down to him, were unable to carry him out in the rugged terrain, but weren't going to leave without him.
"They were basically trapped," [Air Force Capt. Ed] Blanchet says. "They couldn't get back out of there, they couldn't get back up the terrain. So that's when it was necessary for us to have to go in and try to hoist them out."
A second helicopter flew into the narrow space, shaped like a wedge and tapered like a funnel. They dumped gas to make the helicopter lighter and easier to maneuver....
There is more, and it is a MUST read! I am trying the trackback thing here, so go, now, and read the rest.
*[edit: It seems I still haven't figured out how to do that, so just go over to SAG here, and scroll down. You can't miss this story!]*
Thank YOU, Mary Ann, and many thanks to our heroes.
Take a look at this face. Tell me that what you see in those eyes is so threatening that she needs to be killed. This aid worker, Gayle Williams, was killed by gunmen in Kabul who claim she had to die:
...a spokesman for the insurgent group, Zabihullah Mujahid, claimed his militia had carried out the assassination.
"We killed her because she was working for an organization which was preaching Christianity in Afghanistan," he said. ( National Post here)
Gayle Williams worked among the poor and disabled in Afghanistan for almost three years. THAT was her crime, according to the merchants of death. Up until I saw the story of her murder on a website, I had never heard of Ms. Williams....
You can find the rest of this story on NewsBlazehere, and go over to Wake Up America and check out the comments on THIS post. . Someone who knew Gayle very well has shared some of her with us all. Thank you, Edwin de Lange.
