Winter, Spring and the Re-insurgency

In speaking with my soldier over the last few day's while he has been at his F.O.B. refitting and training up a couple of replacements . Anyway I had asked him if he is staying warm enough and he laughed at me at which point he told me that it is hot over there now. I had been hoping for a long winter thinking that it would keep the insurgents hunkered down. He mentioned that the attacks have increased and that he has fired his mortar over 150 times some days. Now I realize his remaining time over there will be one long fight and the thought of that just makes me cringe. I know he has a good head on his shoulders as his leaders so I know they will fight smart and be effective. Just so you all know, he operates between two areas of the Chowkay Valley of Kunar Province in Afghanistan. He spends most of his time at a remote Vehicle Patrol Base. Most days he responds to requests for fire missions in support of the men and women of 2nd-503rd PIR of the 173rd ABCT and also fighting to keep their VPB from being over run. In all he feels that what he does is good as it allows others from the reconstruction teams and other units helping the general population of the Valley.

The picture I have posted here is of the men my son has been attached too. He is not in the picture but I felt I should post it because it is these men that return fire and keep the enemies heads down so my son can lay effective mortar fire down range. The photo was supplied by one of the soldiers (SPC David Poole) Grandfather Ronnie. They are truly "Embracing The Suck" I will let your imagination take control when it comes to that term..lol I hope everyone enjoys and most of all, I thank you all for supporting all our soldiers, it means a lot to us parents, grandparents, family and friends of The Rock.

A Fathers Love,

Larry Arnone
San Francisco
AKA Bluestardad (and I want to keep it that way)

War and the Media and a Tad of Politics

I never like to discus my political views but I am sure by the end of this posting you will understand my views fully. Right now Defense Secretary Gates is bringing the battle to the EU for more support for Afghanistan in terms of more troops. Some of our own potential Presidents for the next election are speaking of total withdrawal from the battle zones. Yeah, our sons and daughters would have fought in vain and have fallen for nothing. Is this what we do as a Democratic society? My son was born on 9/11/86 and when the towers fell he wanted to fight these animals who brought terror upon us. He is not alone in this endeavor as all our soldiers serving me and you do so as a volunteer Army. Some of them have had to make choices and some have chose what is in their hearts. They are our children and deserve to have us stand by them. They deserve much more than they receive not only in pay but services. Looks like the General was right in regards to a surge in Iraq. Why wouldn't a surge in Afghanistan work? Please join me in writing your Congress person in requesting that the effort in Afghanistan is stepped up. In closing I want to share a passage from General Giap of North Vietnam.

Giap's memoirs...

(Gen. Giap was a very famous and knowledgeable

General in the North Vietnamese Army.)

General Vo Nguyen Giap.

General Giap was a brilliant, highly respected leader of the North Vietnam military. The following quote is from his memoirs currently found in the Vietnam war memorial in Hanoi:

"What we still don't understand is why you Americans stopped the bombing of Hanoi. You had us on the ropes. If you had pressed us a little harder, just for another day or two, we were ready to surrender! It was the same at the battles of TET. You defeated us! We knew it, and we thought you knew it. But we were elated to notice your media was definitely helping us. They were causing more disruption in America than we could in the battlefields. We were ready to surrender. You had won!"

General Giap has published his memoirs and confirmed what most Americans knew. The Vietnam war was not lost in Vietnam -- it was lost at home. The exact same slippery slope, sponsored by the US media, is currently well underway. It exposes the enormous power of a biased media to cut out the heart and will of the American public.

A truism worthy of note: Do not fear the enemy, for they can take only your life. Fear the media far more, for they will destroy your honor.

When placing your vote, do so thinking of your trooper. I apologize in advance if I have offended any one with this post. I do love all the Paratroopers with the 173rd and want them to come home proud of their sacrifices.

Larry Arnone

San Francisco

AKA Bluestardad (And I want to keep it that way)

Combat and Pleasures

I write this today not because there is pleasure in combat. I write this for the people who send packages not only to my son but other Paratroopers as well. I believe a good soldier has the ability to watch out for his brothers that serve on their right, left and all around. They can not look out for their brothers if they are receiving anything in the mail that would alter their judgment. Please, I value my sons life as I am sure you all value your soldier or friend so please refrain from sending them anything that would make them impaired in judgment or duty. I am going to cut and paste a note from my son's commander in hopes that my son's friends and any body else that reads this, it is so important as they are well past the half way mark of their deployment. This may well be the most important post I ever make. Thank you Diana for the idea to post the Rock 6 letter.

Larry Arnone
San Francisco
AKA Bluestardad (and I want to keep it that way)

From the Commander –

To our Families–

The holidays have passed and we are focused on the spring then summer, which includes our redeployment. Contact with the enemy has dropped to less than 20% of what we experienced in the summer/fall – and of that 20% we are initiating 1/3 of all contacts on our terms. Many things contribute to the decline in activity and the initiation on our part – namely the efforts (and sacrifice) of our Paratroopers. We know our area and those who challenge us in this area. We know the vast capabilities of our equipment. Most importantly we know ourselves and everything we can accomplish in this area.

We are maximizing our time. We retrain ourselves, we train our Afghan security partners, we mentor our government officials, and we work with our population. We take time to “refit” (conduct maintenance) on ourselves and on our equipment. Most are not working as many hours in as trying conditions as they once were and most have better access to phones and email. In addition to the above, we are also using this time to reposition some units as we prepare for our spring and summer effort.

A trend at this time of year is to recover – on the battlefield and on the home front. Recover from the holiday season, pack the holiday decorations, and prepare for spring. All become busy and in short order it has been weeks if not months since the last package or note was sent.

In AO ROCK we have a similar lull, which for some manifests into an issue – idle hands and idle minds. Some Paratroopers request packages and items that are prohibited in Afghanistan and thus in AO ROCK. Some loved ones opt to demonstrate a lapse in judgment and tempt their Paratrooper. Let me be frank – like I routinely promise and always deliver. An ongoing investigation has revealed loved ones have sent mind altering substances – alcohol and perhaps other substances – into our battle space. I could be very animated in my delivery but instead I will remain professional – that is exceptionally poor judgment and life threatening - STOP! We have a very real challenge and spend incredible effort ensuring we do everything in our power to keep our Paratroopers – your loved ones – safe. Contributing ANYTHING to our battle space that impairs judgment and/or reflexes, for even a moment, puts the using Paratrooper and the many men who rely on that Paratrooper at greater risk. Your loved ones don’t have off time – nearly all have been called out on no notice to assist other Paratroopers or to deliver effects on the enemy, which directly or indirectly saves Paratroopers lives. If this is a game – it is called LIFE AND DEATH; no alibis and few second chances. If Paratroopers are not physically hurt their careers could be hurt by their poor judgment. As an aside, like when we have casualties, when investigations begin – connectivity is cut off.

As a team – I’d like all to recommit to getting through this deployment together. No individual players – no off the field coaches or fans that know best. We don’t need excuses or justifications from those who think/thought they know best – trust me, if you are impairing judgment or affecting reflexes of Paratroopers in AO ROCK you don’t know best… You’ve put their life and their career in jeopardy and put their buddies’ lives in jeopardy.

Please refer to the prohibited items list on the web – no alcohol or drugs. Please continue to send boxes, letters, and words of support – if you pray, throw a few our way… We need and appreciate your support. Your Paratroopers are truly honorable and remarkable Americans that are doing incredible things every day – they are a proud lot and you should be as well…

I remain very optimistic 2008 will be a great year for The ROCK and our families… Families of the ROCK thank you for your continued support and unparalleled sacrifices for The ROCK, the Army, and our great nation. I look forward to serving with you and our ROCK Paratroopers – anytime – anywhere.

The ROCK!

Ostlund – ROCK 6