Marines March In Grueling Afghan Sun For July 4

U.S. Marines and about 650 Afghan soldiers and national police officers prepare to board CH-53D Sea Stallion and CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters on Forward Operating Base Dwyer, Afghanistan, July 2, 2009. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Chief Warrant Officer 3 Philippe E. Chasse

From Yahoo News/AP:

NAWA, Afghanistan – Taliban militants were nowhere in sight as the columns of U.S. Marines walked a third straight day across southern Afghanistan. But the desert heat proved an enemy in its own right, with several troops falling victim Saturday to temperatures topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Marines carry 50-100 pounds (23-45 kilograms) on their backs. But because they are marching through farmland on foot, they can't carry nearly as much water as their thirst demands.

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My Comment: We are approaching 8 years of war in this country .... and nothing has changed. These soldiers should be back home on this 4rth of July .... not over there.

Having said that, the Captain's Journal has come up with another posting on the conflict in Afghanistan and the U.S. mission. He usually posts on what are the dynamics that are happening on the ground in Afghanistan, but in this post he looks at Washington.

As usual .... his post hits it on the nail on how internal politics is causing a WTF moment. His post is below .....

Afghanistan: The WTF? War -- Captain's Journal

Jules Crittenden has an important report concerning the view of Operating Enduring Freedom from inside the administration.

During the briefing, (Brig. Gen. Lawrence) Nicholson had told Jones that he was “a little light,” more than hinting that he could use more forces, probably thousands more. “We don’t have enough force to go everywhere,” Nicholson said.

But Jones recalled how Obama had initially decided to deploy additional forces this year. “At a table much like this,” Jones said, referring to the polished wood table in the White House Situation Room, “the president’s principals met and agreed to recommend 17,000 more troops for Afghanistan.” The principals — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton; Gates; Mullen; and the director of national intelligence, Dennis C. Blair — made this recommendation in February during the first full month of the Obama administration. The president approved the deployments, which included Nicholson’s Marines.

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My Comment: The last paragraph of this post is one that I agree with 100%.