Smoking Gun Army Documents
Removing Red Crosses might help troops, but hurt Propaganda Campaign
Photo Credit: DVIDS
21 May 2012
We are making tremendous progress on the MEDEVAC issue. Much of the progress has come from people scattered around America who contacted their Senators and Representatives. Our “MEDEVAC Militia” was mostly ignored, or they received form letters that regurgitated Army propaganda. Nonetheless, our persistent efforts are paying off.
At least 17 lawmakers took the issue seriously. Congressman Todd Akin from Missouri gathered a posse and took it to the House Armed Services Committee. There the posse confronted Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and General Martin Dempsey, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Serious pressure has begun and we are not going to let up.
We have tremendous support from key military people. This support is hidden and must remain so.
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Michael Yon
P O Box 5553
Winter Haven, FL 33880-5553
I will continue to do my part in telling the stories that are not being told. Readers must also do their part by keeping the cash flowing. Cash is essential .
Thank you!
Michael
US Congress and MEDEVAC
17 May 2012
The US MEDEVAC issue is picking up speed and mass. There is so much progress that it is difficult to track. A separate and excellent website dedicated to the issue has popped up at http://medevacmatters.org/
Also, the highly respected writer and war correspondent Yochi Dreazen picked up the ball. Yochi has spent years in the wars and so he was able to quickly dial into the importance of the issue and the authorities involved. On 10 May, Yochi published an article in the National Journal, which was reprinted on the website of Congressman Todd Akin:
Thursday in Mosul
12 May 2005
It was noisier than usual last night on Marez; our soldiers were firing 120mm mortars. When large cannons or mortars are fired around you daily, like they were in Baquba, it’s easy to start sleeping through the racket. But since outgoing fire is not common on this FOB, the booms kept some people awake. Then, shortly after sunrise, two rockets flew into base and exploded nearby, causing more sudden noise and injuring a few civilians.
Surrounded by IEDs
Deuce Four headed downtown this morning with several items on their to-do list. One task was to recon a gasoline station that was attacked and destroyed a couple of weeks ago. While we walked around the rubble of the abandoned station, the commander noticed two artillery rounds on the ground. A minute or so later, someone spotted a radio command switch for a very large booby trap.
MEDEVAC Madness
10 May 2012
Many people have contacted lawmakers around the country about MEDEVAC failures in Afghanistan. Most of the lawmakers blew it off, or seemed intimidated by the Pentagon. But one serious man over in Missouri has not backed down. Congressman Todd Akin is demanding answers. This week, Congressman Akin brought it to Congress:
Lawmaker seeks report on medevac flights
“In a continuing battle between a key lawmaker and the Army over whether to use armed or unarmed medical evacuation helicopters in combat zones, the House Armed Services Committee voted Wednesday to require detailed comparisons of survival rates, speed and costs of the two methods.
“Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., is the chief sponsor of legislation demanding a report from the Defense Department that looks at medical evacuation capabilities of all of the services and allies in combat zones. The data will be used, specifically, for Akin’s challenge to the Army’s policy of using unarmed helicopters that in some cases have to wait for armed escorts to enter hot zones.
“By voice vote and with no debate, the armed services committee approved an Akin amendment that orders the Defense Department to provide Congress details that can be evaluated by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress. The DoD report and GAO review would come in time for consideration as part of the 2014 defense budget.”
Please click for rest of story.
Red Air: America’s Medevac Failure
4-4 Cav waiting to board helicopters for an air assault.
12 October 2011
Afghanistan
Most of our troops in Afghanistan never see combat. The closest they get might be the occasional rocket attacks on bases. A relatively small number will be in so many fights that the war becomes a jumble. For those who see fighting daily, their mental time markers are often when they or their buddies were hurt or died, or when some other serious event occurred.
The troops in 4-4 Cav have seen a great deal of fighting. Their courage seems bottomless and for two-and-a-half months I was an eyewitness to their professionalism and courage.
This mission would be dangerous. The Female Engagement Team was left behind and the only female Soldier to come was a medic because, as she would tell me, “I’m the badass medic.”
Golden Seconds
Open Letter to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta
and President Barack Obama
US Air Force "Pedro" helicopter
24 October 2011
Gentlemen,
For the last seven years I have written about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I have covered the US Army, Marines, Air Force and Navy. I’ve also covered the British, Lithuanian, Afghan and Iraqi forces, among others, in places ranging from Iraq to the Philippines and beyond. My most recent embed in Afghanistan was at personal invitation from then-General David Petraeus. It is said that I have spent more time with American combat forces than any writer in US history. I do not know if this is true, but it’s got to be close. I’ve written three books and probably a thousand articles. My work is known worldwide.
On 12 October, I published a dispatch called “Red Air,” detailing policy shortcomings with US Army Dustoff MEDEVAC procedures. The kernel of the matter is that under the Geneva Conventions, when our Army “Dustoff” MEDEVAC helicopters wear red crosses, they are forbidden to be armed. If they do not wear red crosses, they can be armed.
MEDEVAC Links
27 January 2012
The MEDEVAC issue continues to grow. There have been many articles and it's becoming difficult to keep up. The Joint Chiefs of Staff is preparing something for Congress. My guess based on conversations is that JCS will try deflection and will not solve the issue. SecDef has done nothing, to my knowledge. And so this is set to become an election issue.
This list below is not comprehensive but can be a helpful resource.
Please listen to my interview with Dennis Miller.
LINKS
Op-eds by James Simpson
American Thinker
http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/01/incomprehensibly_stupid_army_regulation_killing_americans_in_afghanistan.html
Breitbart Big Peace
http://bigpeace.com/jmsimpson/2012/01/09/incomprehensibly-stupid-army-regulation-killing-americans-in-afghanistan/
Examiner.com—D.C. Examiner
http://www.examiner.com/independent-in-washington-dc/incomprehensibly-stupid-army-regulation-killing-americans-afghanistan?cid=PROD-redesign-right-next
Washington Times
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jan/16/bureaucracy-killing-us-troops-in-afghanistan/
http://times247.com/articles/army-s-medevac-chopper-policy-in-need-of-revision
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