The ships of Commander Destroyer Squadron Nine (CDS-9), from foreground, the guided missile cruiser USS Shiloh (CG 67), guided missile destroyers USS Benfold (DDG 65) and USS Shoup (DDG 86), the Military Sealift Command (MSC) fast comba t support ship USNS Rainier (T-AOE 7) shown in formation behind USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) as part of a show Naval of power during a demonstration for Lincoln's Tiger Cruise.

F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, assigned to Carrier Air Wing Two (CVW-2), drop live ordnance to create a spectacular "Wall of Water" during an Air Power Demonstration aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72).

A live MK-82 500 pound general-purpose bomb creates a large explosion on the surface of the Pacific Ocean during Carrier Air Wing Two's (CVW-2) Air Power Demonstration aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). The MK-82 is a free-fall, non-guided general-purpose 500-pound bomb.

a Seabee assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Four Zero (NMCB-40), low-crawls through a trench during the endurance course at the Jungle Warfare Training Center on board Camp Gonslaves, Okinawa. The endurance course is a 3.4-mile obstacle course, which is part of a weeklong jungle skill training class.

Every Generation

I have to say the United States military is a beautiful thing. Young men join an organization that is a thousand times bigger than they and it requires everything they have, perhaps giving even their lives unto death. The people you meet and the places you see will never be forgotten. And yet when I was in the Marine Corps at the end of the Cold War, I was but one of millions of Americans that served their country under arms and I would not be the last.

Did you know that America has fought a major war every 20 to 30 years of its existence? Since 1775 when the first shots were fired at Concord, Americans have been in near constant battle in terms of 20 to 30 year cycles. Every generation of Americans since the founding of our Republic has been involved in war. Amazing to think about , really.

War of Independence - 1775 - 1783
War of 1812 - 1812 - 1815
Mexican American War - 1846 - 1848
War between the States - 1861 - 1865
Spanish American War - 1898 - 1899
World War One - 1917 -1919
World War Two - 1941 - 1945
Korean War - 1950 - 1953
Vietnam War - 1963 - 1973
Gulf War - 1991 - 1991
War on Terror- 2001 - present

And in between these major engagements we had lesser "wars" such as subduing the American heartland from the indian tribes that roamed the land at will to sending Marines to faraway places such as Tripoli, Haiti, Nicaragua and Greneda.

What can I say? We are a people at war. Peace is a commodity both rare and precious to the Americans. And what makes America even more of an enigma is the people are Christian in general terms. You might even say Americans wage war religiously! Even when President Bush was eulogizing the dead at the National Cathedral four days after 9/11 the last song to be sung was the Battle Hymm of the Republic. What an emotional and glorious song it is and how "religious" as well.

The so called "baby-boomer" generation that was born right after WWII and entered the "VietNam Era" was really an anamoly. Their actions and conduct seem out of place in American history, however, more Americans served in the military than those who refused active duty service. Yes, there were protests and desertions that the media amplified unjustly but then every war has its traitors and deserters. Even as the culture seemed to collapse into liberal anarchy, that generation of fighting men stood against the coward and preserved the hallowed and honored tradition of the American fighting spirit. They were the true Americans as the "hippie" was the ersatz patriot. Just as Patton would say "Every true American loves the sting of battle!".

Waging war is the American way.

A Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) leaves the guided missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG 70) enroute to intercept a short-range ballistic missile target, launched minutes earlier from the Pacific Missile Range Facility, Hawaii. The intercept, which occurred some 100 miles from the island of Kauai, was the latest Missile Defense Agency test of its sea-based midcourse program. The program, in cooperation with the U.S. Navy, has had five intercepts in the last six attempts.

From on high....and away she goes.

Japan Unleashed!

I have always felt that it is now time to nudge Japan into a more central and independent role in the Pacific and to take on the Chinese communist threat in mainlad asia head-on. The mainland Asians still feel great animus towards the Japanese resulting from the World War II occupation of their lands from Manchuria in China to VietNam and Burma as well as the Pacific Islands which cover thousands of square miles in this region. After defeating Japan in 1945, the Japanese people have been a loyal and stalwart ally when they could have been neither.

Consider Germany, today their government is completely hostile to US strategic initiatives and their people always in revolt against American culture and economic positions. However, the Japanese have embraced the American culture wholeheartedly and have become completely immersed in America's economic system both domestic and foreign. There is a good reason for this, the Americans were the sole occupying force in their country after their surrender and we allowed their Emporer to rule the Chyrsanthium Throne while General McCarther was America's Viceroy during that time. Germany, of course, had no such "friendly" suzerain for Russia was enslaving her eastern domain as punishment for Germany's invasion of Mother Russia. This has left the German people resentful and mischevious all these years.

Japan has the second largest navy in the Pacific after the United States. With her combined strategic economic wealth coupled with a highly advanced technical base there is no reason why the Japanese should be held on their constitutional leash while America now tackles the War on Terror. Here are some excerpts from an article written by the American Interprise Insititute for Public Policy Research regarding the need for Japan to take on more responsibility:

The incremental changes in U.S.-Japanese relations during the late 1990s set the stage for Prime Minister Koizumi’s decision to move Japan more definitively into a tighter alliance with the United States. Soon after taking office in April 2001, Koizumi concluded that the best route for Japan to assume its rightful role on the international stage was through closer U.S.-Japanese security cooperation. Two events created the opportunity for him to pursue such an ambitious agenda.

First, Koizumi’s response to the 9/11 terror attacks was decisive: he announced his support for America’s exercise of its inherent right to self-defense and secured Diet approval for new laws enabling the dispatch of logistics ships to the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea, escorted by Japanese AEGIS-equipped destroyers. During Operation Enduring Freedom, MSDF ships transported fuel supplies to a multinational coalition of navies and the Air Self-Defense Force flew a number of transport missions to Diego Garcia and Guam. Koizumi demonstrated that Japan was ready to conduct military operations out of area.

Then, in December 2003, Koizumi took the even more controversial step of supporting the U.S.-led war on Iraq when he dispatched ground troops to Iraq for noncombatant, reconstruction roles. Though Koizumi approached the issue cautiously, waiting for the passage of UN Security Council Resolution 1511--which authorized a multinational peacekeeping mission in Iraq--Japan proved itself willing to support U.S.-led missions even when an international consensus did not exist.

As a result of Japans confidence in American resolve, she has proved herself as an erstwhile ally. The article continues:

Plugging into Missile Defense. The decision that may have the greatest long-term impact on Japan’s China strategy is Tokyo’s plan to acquire a missile defense system that is interoperable with Washington’s. The plan calls for upper and lower BMD systems--the Navy Theater Wide (NTW) system that employs the AEGIS combat system (Japan already has four AEGIS destroyers and is planning to acquire two more) and an upgraded SM-3 as its interceptor missile. Japan will also acquire PAC 3 anti-ballistic missile system for lower-tier protection. The layered approach mirrors U.S. missile defense plans and policies.[3]

Japan’s decision to acquire the “made in America” ballistic missile defense has even greater strategic than operational significance. To make the BMD system effective, Japan and the United States will have to take a number of measures to harmonize plans and procedures at both the strategic and operational levels. Defense-industrial cooperation on laser technologies for Boost Phase Intercept systems will require Japan to relax its prohibition on exporting arms. The move from a categorical ban to a case-by-case review process will open the door to further U.S.-Japanese defense industry cooperation.

The attack on America on 9/11 and her response to it has completely transformed the geopolitical order in the world since the Second World War. We are witnessing the long overdue transformation of the old order as the Cold War gives way to the War on Terror.

An F/A-18E Super Hornet, assigned to the "Kestrels" of Strike Fighter Squadron One Three Seven (VFA-137), performs a high-speed maneuver during a flight demonstration aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72).

The amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) underway in the Indian Ocean. The Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group is currently operating in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Indonesia and Thailand in support of Operation Unified Assistance, the humanitarian operation effort in the wake of the Tsunami that struck South East Asia.

A Sailor raises the Union Jack aboard the Seawolf-class nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Jimmy Carter (SSN 23) during the submarines commission ceremony. Jimmy Carter is the third and final submarine of the Seawolf-class. A unique feature of the Jimmy Carter is a 100-foot hull extension called the Multi-Mission Platform, which provides enhanced payload capabilities, enabling the submarine to accommodate the advanced technology required to develop and test a new generation of weapons, sensors and undersea vehicles.

For Love of Communism

There has been a pattern of left-wing complicity in the rise of communism throughout the world since its inception in 1917 in Russia. Communism really should be classified as a crime against humanity on par with that of National Socialism under Hitler in Germany. Communism has murdered millions in the name of International Socialism that would make any Nazi blush. The left-wing in this country under the tutelage of the Democrat Party has betrayed the oppressed peoples of the world to the horror of communist slavery since FDR. President Roosevelt had an idealogical kinship with Stalin and allowed the Soviet dictator to absorb Eastern Europe into her communist sphere at the end of World War Two by simply falling over for Uncle Joe in Moscow. Millions under the hammer and sickle of communist oppression would live a 40 year curse of brutality and murder because the free-world was lead by a man who wanted to be "friends" with Soviet style government. FDR was the first Democrat President to look the other way while millions suffered under the cruel hand of International Socialism but unfortunately he would not be the last.

Harry Truman was Roosevelt's Vice President and took the mantle of leadership of the Free-World into his hand after the death of his mentor. However, he too felt communism was rather enlightening and did not want to "fight" the Soviet but instead merely to co-exist with them. Thus, China in 1949 was the next great land mass and people that would fall without a fight to communist slavery and oppression. Truman's lackluster support for the Western looking Chang Kai Chek doomed his following in mainland China all the while the communist leader Mao Tse Tung was fully supported by Moscow. The communist Chinese would prevail with the support by a backward country like Russia when the modern United States under Truman simply looked the other way and failed the communist-opposing Nationalists under Chang kai Chek. Eventually, the Nationalist Chinese would flee to Formosa and take up residence there until times became more propititious for a return to the mainland.

By 1950, the communist North Koreans with the full blessings of Beijing and Moscow would attack the free South Korean government with infantry and tanks. Truman did respond by counterattacking the communist North Koreans but as soon as the situation under the victorious MacArther showed our dominant position on the Korean peninsula, the Chinese, knowing Truman's feelings towards them the previous 2 years, could count on Truman's sympathies to advance their own agenda in Korea. The Chinese crossed the Yalu river and Truman's response was to order American forces back to the original demarcation line between North and South Korea. As a result, the Korean peoples in the North would feel the hard taskmaster of communism even to this day. Truman's own left-wing failings had allowed this monster to continue to ravage the Koreans in the north and is a problem today with the spector of nuclear war on the peninsula.

Then Kennedy was elected President in 1960. His left-wing preponderance allowed what would have been an otherwise successful overthrow of the Castro dictatorship in Cuba to mushroom into another problematic state with nuclear weapons! Albeit, these weapons were from Russia however, would Moscow sacrifice all their efforts over Cuban cigars? Not likely. If Kennedy had sent the US Marines into Cuba to deal its death blow once and for all, then we would have had a favorable caribbean state within the American Alliance but alas, we are still dealing with Cuba today because of an obstinate communist dictator that is Fidel Castro vis a vis John Kennedy. Once again, the pattern of sympathy by the left-wing Democrat Party when Democrat Presidents ruled the United States showed its ugly tendency to cut and run from the field of battle. Kennedy would then take on the French disaster in Indo-China and begin the mess that was our policy towards Viet Nam. Sadly and outragiously, John Kennedy would be murdered by assasination leaving the liberal Vice Presdent, Lyndon Johnson, to take over where Kennedy left off.

Lyndon Banes Johnson as President was really much worse than Kennedy and Truman combined when it comes to dealing with a hostile communist adversary. This time the field of battle was the plains and jungles of Viet Nam. Johnson took the mold set by Truman in the Korean War and put in place policies that would keep American Armed Forces from taking the war to the enemy. Instead of opening up a new offensive by invading North Viet Nam and occupying its capitol, we would stay below the Vietnamese DMZ and hold out like a castle besieged until the enemy would grow tired of war and leave. The only problem was that the USA, not North Vietnamese communists, grew tired of the war and decided to leave 10 years later after nearly 33,000 troops/airmen perished defending this part of the world from communist aggression. Much to the credit of our fighting men, not a single battle was lost to the enemy. However, since we were playing defensive, the communist enemy set the rules of the game even though the North Vietnamese and their Viet Cong allies failed miserably in the offensive mode. Democrat President Johnson set the rubric for the next Republican President, Richard Nixon, into such a position that it demanded a man with great integrity to change the course of the war and actually enlarge it were we to win in a decisive manner. But history shows us that this would not be the case and Nixon would simply accept the Johnson Rubric and continue on defensively until we decided to let the South Vietnamese fight their own battle. Of course, since the USA now left the South to its own demise, greatly demoralizing them in the process, they would be no match for a more virulent and violent communist adversary whose own power was in the ascendancy. The Johnson Legacy was the Fall of Saigon in 1975.

Enter stage left, the peanut farmer from Georgia, the "born-again" Christian Jimmy Carter in 1976. Jimmy too just wanted to "co-exist" and not interfere with the International Communist Revolution sweeping Central and South America. The USA did support some unsavory characters in Latin America before Jimmy Carter arrived, however, the dictators the United States supported were far less dangerous and murderous than any single communist nation combined. However Jimmy Carter, like any good democrat, just couldn't abide the fact that left-wing dictatorships were on the losing end in the Cold War in Latin America. Samoza of Nicaragua was facing a budding communist revolution in his country and under Jimmy Carter's watch, Nicaragua descended into a civil war that ultimately brought the communist Sandinistas to power. Most historians blame the Managua earthquake for Samoza's fall, however, the fact is the United States allowed Samoza to crumble because of a left wing President who sympathized with communist aspirations. U.S. Marines could have been brought to Nicaragua, as it was done in the past, and directly installed our own ally or propped up Samoza as we propped up Western Europe after World War II. As a result of Carter's inaction, the Sandinista's would reign supreme and provide the Western Hemisphere with a completely unnecessary tripartite communist alliance between Cuba, Nicaragua and Grenada.

But Jimmy wasn't quite done yet, as China wanted recognition that they and they alone were to be referred to as "China". The tiny state of Taiwan was officially recognized by the USA since 1949 as the "true" China and was referred to as such. Here was a classic case of a David vs. Goliath situation where the Communist Peoples Republic of China were the Goliath to the free peoples of Taiwan once under the leadership of Chang Kai Chek as the David. But could the "born-again" Christian, Jimmy Carter, recognize such a salient Judeo-Christian doctrine of right over might? Nope! Under Carter, the Communist Chinese would now be referred as the "true" China while the Taiwanese would be left empty-handed and betrayed to the communist bully of mainland Asia. The Democrats betrayed the Nationalist in 1949 and now in a sad repitition of history were to be betrayed again in 1979 by another Democrat President. As a result, Jimmy Carter allowed the Communist Chinese to score a huge psychological victory over the Nationalist Chinese and frankly against all freedom loving peoples in the world with his One-China policy reversal.

Lastly, in a premonition of things to come, Jimmy's hand could not stay the rise of another violent and aggresive idealogy, Islamic Terrorism, under the tutelage of the Ayatollah of Iran. Once again, the pattern of inaction in the face of revolutionary thuggery could not be met successfully by Carter and our own ally that we set up in the 1950's, the Shah Reza Pahlavi, would be allowed to fall and in the ensuing overthrow our own embassy would be allowed to be captured and held hostage for nearly a year!

The election of Ronald Reagan was the final blow to this vicious cycle of hold and retreat between Republican and Democrat Presidents during the Cold War in the face of communist aggression. The Republican Presidents during this period held their ground but the Democrat Presidents simply fled the field of battle. Either way, hold or retreat was simply unacceptable for the 40th President raised to face his bully's head-on and in this case, Ronald Reagon truly an enigma, when considering the past 40 years of the Cold War between 1949-1989 that neither Republican nor Democrat had the audicity to push back at the Communist like he did. Democrats still love communism but will never admit it for political reasons, however rest assured the death of millions is no reason not to support left-wing idealogies when you are a Democrat even in the 21st century.

The USS Shiloh (CG-67) and the USS Benfold (DDG-65) fall in line behind the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), on Feb. 10, 2005.

Two F-14B Tomcats, assigned to the "Swordsmen" of Fighter Squadron Three Two (VF-32), fly over the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) prior to entering the "break" to enter the landing pattern.

Rumors of War

The Iranian/Syrian Axis have thrown the gauntlet down before our feet. Apparently they have concluded a WWI style mutal defense pact in complete defiance of American strategic moves in the Middle East. This political move by the Persians to join Syria in its "defense" coupled with the recent assasination of Hariri of Lebanon has ratcheted up the likelihood of war in the Middle East between the United States and her terror-state enemies. Its only a matter of time. So lets run down the reasons why Iran and Syria are such a menace.

The Iranians as you very well know are developing nuclear technology primarily for nuclear weapons and secondarily for political leverage on the international scene and thirdly for energy consumption. The Russians, once again, have been their primary source for this nuclear development with a little help from Germany and France. The Iranians are known sponsors of terrorism. As discussed in earlier blogs, terror is simply another form of war that is subject to the machinations and goals of the states that logistically support the terror teams to their final objective. Hariri of Lebanon was but the latest example how terrorism is deployed against a political target for political ends. Notice the reaction of the United States? We recalled our ambassador from Syria which was a political/diplomatic reaction to this attack. The decision to recall our ambassador shows how terrorism is a tool of the state and will not be tolerated any longer by the government of the United States. Its quite possible that the assasination of Hariri was guided by Iran since they support numerous terrorist organizations in Lebanon. Even today in Iraq, a number of terrorist attacks against the Shia majority has its political ramifications.

The Doctrine of Premption does not demand "proof" before we invade a country that is the sponsor of 'Terrorism. We may utilize certain events as our "cassus belli" or justification for war which is well within our right as a sovereign nation and with Iran known for logistically supplying terror groups and actively involved in the development and production of nuclear weapons is all the provocation we need to bring the full power and might of the US Military to bear upon the Ayatollah.

Syria has too long occupied Lebanon without a response from the United States. She too is a active supporter of terror and is a Baathist socialist "republic" which was a silent partner of Saddam Hussein. Syria too has been a close ally of Russia and has allowed her land to be a staging area for terrorists to strike US interests in Iraq and her environs. Syria has refused to cooperate with the Anglo-Americans in the Middle East and has sought her own agenda setting her face against Britain and the United States. I believe Syria received Iraq's WMD weapons amid the political crisis over how the United Nations was going to respond to Iraq before we invaded in 2003. This "window of opportunity" that the diplomatic maneuvering at the UN accomplished was to let Syria to receive WMD material from Saddam and either dispose of it or hide it within the borders of Syria much to the embarrasment of the United States and her allies. The reprecussions of this act has now brought forth the fruit of its labor: namely the left-wing throughout the world questions the efficacy of the War on Terror and is opposed to any further incursions into Dar Al Islam.

The situation in the Middle East is once again fluid and will make many turns before we see clearly what lays ahead. The United States is testing Iran with drones and aircraft flyover's to probe the responsiveness of their anti-air defenses. No doubt Special Forces are operating within Iran and Syria to lay the groundwork for the larger invasions to come.

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman underway while on station in the Persian Gulf.

An F/A-18A+ Hornet, assigned to the "Silver Eagles" of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron One One Five (VMFA-115), launches from the flight deck aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75).

Decline of the MSM

Yesterdays announcement that Eason Jordan would step down as CNN's International News Chief was viewed by me as a definite stunner! The times they are a changin'. People like Eason who hold the highest contempt for US Armed Forces for no other reason than to be "liked" by the left frankly are unworthy of holding such a high "office" within a large news organization such as CNN. Their gotterdammerung left-wing philosophies that impugn all things establishment such as Church, State, Army, Government, etc are clearly out of touch with mainstream America.

Some will say that the bloggers forced his resignation by constantly berating his good name and intergrity and that the constant focus from the blogosphere was unfair. But how many powerful men in our lifetime have been brought low by the Main Stream Media? Quite a few. However, there still is quite a difference between being brought "low" by the blog verses being brought "low" by the MSM. The blogosphere is constantly sifting and sorting the news cycle for anything that might appear unusual and each news story is examined like a scientific theory that must be able to be replicated to be true. If a story is illogical, with no reason and/or is untruthful, then the thousands of individual Minute-Men of the blogosphere are called to arms to make right the story that is wrong. The collective nature of the blogs makes it impossible for lies to run rampant for very long. For someone will shoot it down for its apparent and glaring discrepancy from truth.

The MSM on the other hand can spread half-truths, misinformation and outright lies because there are so few voices within this elite group who will counter the lie with the truth. The reporters and producers are being paid by the organization they belong to and cannot or will not for personal, financial and philosophical reasons move against their journalistic masters. TV, Cable and print network news organizations have a liberal agenda for the most part. For communists, its not liberal enough, but for anyone with an objective mind they can see the leftward tilt of the MSM. Typically, the news anchorman will deny this to be the case. But then again, we know why they would deny this. Therefore, the blog must be the outside "audit agency" to keep the MSM transparent.

Will the MSM ever return to the days when its reporters and managers will love America? Is this too much to ask? And that it actually shows in their coverage of America and the world? Any American with an objective mind can see that the United States is still the best place on earth. Unless, of course, you despise the US Constitution both in letter and in spirit. Clearly the focus of the MSM is to disparage the United States and to focus only on the negative to sway public opinion against the things that made America what it is today. The MSM doesn't know they do this or if they did they don't care. Either way they are out of touch with main stream America. I do call their patriotism into question.

The MSM thinks they are the embodiment of the First Amendment and the high priests of their religion. However, the blogosphere, much like Martin Luther in his time, has nailed their own version of the 95 theses to the media's door in defiance of the Fourth Estate. The MSM can no longer speak ex cathedra! The internet, much like the movable type of old, has changed history and coupled with the desire to know the truth is now a powerful weapon for the average man. Oh how the elite media hate the internet! There can be no turning back.

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Sean D. Munger, an intelligence analyst assigned to the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), fires his M-16 rifle during the Enhanced Marksmanship Course at Camp Lejeune, N.C. This training is to prepare the Marines and Sailors assigned to the 26th MEU for an upcoming scheduled deployment.

U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Tony Layton watches as a Landing Craft Air Cushion assigned to Assault Craft Unit 4 prepares to enter the well deck of the USS Bataan, Jan. 25, 2005.

Sailors assigned to Air Department aboard USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) watch aircraft launch on the flight deck during flight operations.

Secrets Revealed

It has occured to me that the War on Terror or Operation WARTS really was born from a multitude of events that culminated in 9/11. How profound you may say, however, I believe that the United States of America had been under direct attack at least from the first World Trade Center truck bombing back in 1993. Since then, a series of "mysterious" disasters had plagued America throughout the 1990's and remained a period of tense anticipation for the "big one" that would alter our history forever. September 11, 2001 was the "big-one" but it was simply the apogee of many attacks that had already occurred. I believe America had been under terror attacks since 1993 and the American government under the tutelage of President Clinton decided to keep it "quiet" in a vain attempt to steal the thunder from Islamic Terrorists by simply denying that any terror had occured. This strategy of "information denial" was used to great effect during the '90s which kept the stock market humming and the people at ease with the Clinton Administration and the terrorists without the power of fear that their acts sowed, or so it seemed.

I believe this defensive approach was Clinton's only option available to him because of his compromised position of his past, as a Viet Nam draft-dodger, as well as his position in the present with his adulterous affairs. He had lost the moral high-ground of the Presidency and therefore was in a weak position to tackle the most pressing issue facing the interim period of the 1990's following the end of the Cold War: Namely the attack on America from Islamic Terrorism.

The first big clue that something was afoot was the Alfred E Murrah building that was destroyed by a large truck bomb in April of 1995. The use of truck bombs is the modus operandi of Middle East terrorists whether used against each other or foreign targets. We see how the American government immediately dismissed the idea that this could be Islamic terrorism in an attempt at psychological damage control. Overall, the government was successful in suppressing key information from the public and only showing the "white" guy, Timothy McVeigh, as the antogonist involved in "militia groups" in the US. We know that Oklahoma is home to "big-oil" and thus can be a connection to Middle East companies doing business in the United States. Oklahoma is smack dab in the middle of America and was a perfect location to send "the message" that the American Fortress can be breached. We also know of Islamic recruitment of "european" looking males for their martydom and bombing campaigns so as to cover their tracks. I believe McVeigh was an Islamic convert who lent himself to their cause. There are no doubt many Islamic McVeighs still yet to be revealed.

The next big clue was TWA Flight 800 that "crashed" just outside of Long Island on July 16th, 1996. The American government again dismissed any idea that terrorism altogether, whether foreign or domestic, was involved. A clumsy attempt at "explaining" how the plane fell apart in mid-air could have been laughable had it not been so tragic. The number of eye-witnesses that saw a streak of light eminating from the sea to the plane could not be so easily denied, unless of course national security was an issue. It is a well known fact that many cargo/passenger planes have been brought down by shoulder fired missles. I believe that shoulder-fired missles were used against Flight 800 that led to its demise. An attempt at "information denial" by the Clinton Administration became much harder this time because the "crash" occurred so close to land which resulted in many eyewitness accounts. The destruction of Flight 800 was exactly 3 weeks after the attack on Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia that killed 19 US Air Force servicemen. However, the American people were "denied" the necessary information to connect the dots. But a lingering emptiness was felt by many, like that of a ghost haunting an old mansion, that something was just not quite right.

Then in 1998 Islamic Terrorists attacked the American embassies in Eastern Africa, Kenya and Tanzania, which was the first major event that exposed Americans to the realization that indeed Islamic terrorism was on the march. The attacks bore all the hallmarks of Al Qaeda's standard operating procedure; multiple attacks directed against multiple targets. However, President Clinton was embroiled in Monica-gate and the American response was to attack Bin-Laden's organization headquartered in Afghanistan with Cruise Missles. The response endangered no American lives and ended as quickly as it had begun. Worse, the counterattacks were coordinated precisely when Congress was calling hearings regarding Clinton's pecadilloes in the White House and his lying under oath in a vain attempt to cover up his misdeeds. Kenya and Tanzania ripped open the fascade that the Clinton Administration had carefully laid into place to blunt the effect of Islamic terrorism from the American public. But with Monica Lewinsky in the news, and the lackluster American missle counterattack, the American people were distracted enough not to notice that America was in a full-fledged shooting war. Asymmetric Warfare had come of age. With President Clinton politically on the defensive after his impeachment and the threat of removal from his office, Bill Clinton could not muster the will or have the integrity of waging his own "war on terror" that the United States so desparately needed to wage. The weakness of President Clinton's position domestically translated to weakness in American Foreign Policy in the international arena. The Cruise Missle counterattack proved fruitless all the while the nefarious Osama Bin Laden was still alive and his organization still operating without impunity from Kabul.

October 31, 1999 ushered in the first known airline kamakaze suicide attack when EgyptAir Flight 990 suddenly plunged nose-first into the Atlantic ocean. On board the doomed aircraft where Egypts finest Air Force pilots returning home from military flight training in the United States. The co-pilot apparently had disengaged the automatic pilot while alone in the cockpit and with a moslem prayer sent the plane into a nose-dive. The incident could not be concealed so easily for Egypt was demanding a thorough review and would not accept any conclusion except that sabotage had taken place. The FBI did release information suggesting that the co-pilot deliberately drove the plane into the sea much to the chagrine of Cairo. The incident strained relations between Egypt and the United States but quickly fell off the political radar as America entered a new Presidential election cycle.

The last event to plague the Clinton Administration was the suicide attack on the USS Cole on October 12th of 2000 while the ship was in port in Yemen. By then, the obvious could no longer be concealed. Even so, President Clinton was still in defensive mode and left open the possibility that this was not a terrorist attack. Nevertheless, President Clinton stated the United States would find who was responsible and hold them accountable. However, a military response was not an option and did not come. Three weeks later, GW Bush was elected President.

Was it right or wrong for the Clinton Administration to cover up the fact that America was under direct assault by Islamic Terrorists? Was the attempt to "explain away" the terror attacks as simply "accidents" or on "right-wing militias" the best way to deal with this international threat? Did it create more problems in the long run by deflecting the truth in the short term for political gain? Did the liberal modus vivendi of political correctness contribute to the "fog of war" that ultimately would lead to 9/11? And finally, did the character of the President play the most important role in producing a political placebo effect when real medicine was needed to fight the evil nature of Islamic Terrorism? History will decide these answers as time reveals the hidden truths from afar and the key events poke through the grey clouds of confusion as the moutain peaks of reality shine in all their snow-capped glory.

A U.S. Army AH-61 Apache helicopter prepares to launch from the flight deck aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Nassau (LHA 4) during Joint Shipboard Weapon Ordnance (JSWORD) training. The JSWORD exercise provided an excellent opportunity for Navy and Army ordnance personnel to work together in a joint training environment.

A Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) vehicle assigned to Assault Craft Unit Four (ACU-4) turns in preparation to make an approach to the well deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Nassau (LHA 4) during an exercise off the coast of Virginia.

Thoughts on the Future

With the outstanding success of the elections in Iraq, compare a typical election in India, the future doesn't look too bad for the average Iraqi. There is lot to do especially in the wider scheme of things. The Iraqi situation is still a fluid one with hostile attacks occuring daily and in intensity. However, time is against those who hold no power.

The United States is preparing for further battle. Syria clearly is being put on notice for their involvement in Israeli terrorism as well as their rather unusual occupation of Lebanon but also their unfortunate decision to involve themselves in Iraqi affairs. Syria's actions taken together do not bode well for Damascus as the United States may decide to stamp out Baathist Socialism once and for all. I suspect if Syria ever should fall under the anvil of the American Military then we would see a drastic reduction in "violence" in Iraq, especially the "Sunni Triangle". The fact that the Russians are becoming more involved in her Damascene ally, at least publically, signals to me that Syria faces an uncertain future.

Should we be worried about Russian countermoves in Syria? No, I don't believe they pose a problem, for the Russian is weak in economic and political affairs. Her military, more than powerful against Europe and any third-world nation, is no match against the might of the USA. Russia's war in Chechnya is being largely ignored by the United States due to the ongoing war against Islamic terror-states ourselves. That being said, Russia may be attempting to make the best of a bad situation, perhaps even moving Iraqi WMD's out of country to Russia itself so as to embarras the United States on the international scene once we arrive in Damascus. They may be outfitting the Syrians with addtional anti-tank and anti-aircraft missles before the whole thing blows up in their face as the American Fourth Infantry Division crosses the Syrian frontier. Russia lost a strategic ally with Saddam Hussein and now stands to lose another one in Assad of Syria.

We just don't know what the President has in mind as to the future in the Middle East. Events may trigger additional military/diplomatic moves on our part. We largely have resupplied ourselves for the next war and once again appear poised for another military offensive operation. This in turn may trigger counter moves by Syria and Iran together. As for Iran, it is the largest territorial area to invade with large moutainous ranges as well as deserts. It appears out of our reach. But If things get "ugly" we could always turn to THE DOOMSDAY DEVICE that all fear we will use, namely Nuclear Weapons. Perhaps it is time to show the world a demonstration of our abilities. Nothing breaks fanaticism like that of an orange ball of fire with a mushroom cloud growing from its base. I don't believe this last scenario is anywhere in our future relationship with the Middle East. At least, not yet.

Helmets, service rifles and boots represent the 30 U.S. Marines and one sailor of Company C, Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, and Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron-361, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, who died in a CH53-E Super Stallion helicopter crash Jan. 26, and three of the ground unit's Marines, who died during the fight for Fallujah, during a memorial service in western Iraq Feb. 2.