A Prince, Promotions, Medals and a fathers love

Like all of you, I have seen the many articles about Prince Harry serving over in our soldiers Battle Space. I think his service to his country is commendable. He could have done anything he wanted, a stock broker, doctor, an ambassador any thing at all. He chose to serve his countries Army as an Infantry Officer. It is my opinion that any officer that trains with his men should be allowed to deploy with his men. I understand that yes that it places a danger to his men if the Taliban should find out he is in the country. What I find deplorable is the fact that certain news organizations chose to breach an agreement made in advance in order to allow Prince Harry the ability to lead the men he trained with. I am sure you will agree with me that the organizations that released this sensitive information was for two reasons, The reporters ego and the ability to sell more. I hope that the reporters responsible read this. I hope you can sleep at night knowing that you the reporter put British soldiers lives at risk as well as the Prince. I guess having a fallen Prince would have lined all of your heartless reporters pockets. Sorry for this rant but I really do find this so unacceptable.

I heard from my son's section leader recently that my son was promoted on March 1st to an E-4 and I could not be more happier for my son. He does in my mind deserve it I think anyways. Alex, if you get to read this I want you to know I am so very proud of you and all the men and women you serve with, Congratulations son! It is about time you have been promoted.

My son's leader also mentioned that my soldier has been awarded the Army Commendation Medal for Valor and that has me shaking in the knees because he is also in for a Bronze Star for Valor which has not been approved yet. When I see the word Valor I get a bit nervous only because these soldiers put their lives at risk every day and do so only because they care about the soldier on their left and right. I don't really care much about medals, I just want my kid home alive and well. Alex! do the right thing but at the same time, be smart and engage on your terms.

In closing, I want all of you to know that I pray for all your soldiers every day and night. They deserve so much gratitude and appreciation. They extended themselves everyday, go above and beyond the call of duty. Prince Harry, Thank you for trying to do what you feel is right for you.

A Fathers Love,

Larry Arnone
San Francisco

AKA abluestardad (and I want to keep it that way)

Rest and Bringing the fight to the enemy

I know I just posted the other day and you are probably wondering to yourselves "Does this guy need attention" lol. No, I spoke to my son again this Saturday morning 11:00 am my time when I realized it was almost midnight his time and he was getting ready to roll out of the wire to his VPB. The way it has been explained by several soldiers and not just my own that the road up to the VPB is very narrow (only six inch clearance on either side of the vehicle when driving up the mountain to the VPB. They do this under total dark out rules. Someone has to walk in front of the vehicle and guide the driver. I know that he has made it safely back to the VPB and I won't hear from him for another 20 days or so. My son now serves under a different NCO, the one he served when they were at Graf. He is excited about this but misses Upp.

I now know I have a new reader, Monita I have seen your postings on OUR special support site. Thank you for the heads up on the chocolate. I am sure it will help us all for Easter. I am not sure what you are doing in Kabul but I am sure it is all good. Be safe Please!

I tried uploading a video by D last night but it was either to long or this site did not recognize the format so I am going to post the link to it. Later in the Blog I am posting now. The greatness of our new Army is that they are truly an a Army Strong and be assured they are an Army of ONE.

Ronnie, I hope the link works buddy! For a great video click or paste and cut here http://www.300cpilot.com/~montana/dreadmov2.wmv enjoy!

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

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

Brotherhood and Valor

For the past two weeks I have been in communication via telephone with one of my sons best friends. PFC Chris Gross was injured one day by an RPG attack some months ago. In speaking with him I have a much better insight on what our men and women endure while deployed to Afghanistan. Chris was medivaced out and later found himself at Walter Reed where he is recovering from his wounds.

It was a bit weird really. I received a comment on the Blogg and then I received an email from Chris. In the subject line it read "Mr. Arnone Don't delete Alex's bud" and that got my attention. He went on to tell me who he was and he and Alex were pretty close back in Italy and Afghanistan. So I gave him my number and the next day he called me up. It almost seemed like we were in a room together, me listening to his stories and almost as if we knew each other from years back. We have been staying in touch with one another since. It's funny really, as a father of a son you think you know him. I found out that I may have known him but now he is a different person than the one that went off to war. I don't mean that in a negative by all means. The things that Chris has said my son has done just blows me away. I guess when you care about the soldier to your right and the one to the left you are capable of doing just about anything. In any case, Chris will be rejoining the 173rd back in Italy soon until he fully recovers. In case you are reading this Chris, always remember this "any man that calls my son his brother is a son to me" This page is dedicated to you PFC Chris Gross "Airborne!"

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

Gratitude

Is such a huge word that seems to have lost it's importance in todays society. In a previous posting you may remember I discussed how jumpy my son was when he arrived home on R&R with having so many civilians around him while he was walking through the airport terminal. I reflect on all the times that I would go out of my way when I see one of our countries soldiers out and about and approach them and shake their hand and thanking them for their service for our country not realizing that they themselves maybe just returning from a deployment in a combat zone. How they must feel having me violate their space and how jumpy they may be. You are probably scratching your head right about now what my point is right? Well after my son returned downrange to be his brothers of The 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, I felt awkward about about saying thank you, being concerned about how awkward they may feel.

Then last night a wonderful thing happened. One of the proud Grandmothers of one of our "Sky Soldiers" sent me an email about a fine organization that has made it a lot easier to express my gratitude to all men and women serving this nation. This organization is called "The Gratitude Campaign" which everyone can get involved with. Please take a moment and visit and learn how you can show your own gratitude to our soldiers. Before I do give you a link to the organizations website I need you to do me a favor, get a tissue out because you may need it. That was the advice that the proud Grandmother gave me and well, you always listen to Granny right? Thanks Cheri! I took your advice and did I need it. O.K. enough with my rant, here is the website link and please, share it with EVERYONE you know. You will have to cut and paste into your browser. http://www.gratitudecampaign.org/fullmovie.php

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