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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| G.I.'s Recover Bodies of 2 on Seal Team in Afghanistan |
| 2005-07-05 |
| This is sad.There is confusion over accounting for all four. Two dead and two alive(one rescued and one in hands of Afghans) or two dead, one rescued, and one still missing. American forces have recovered the bodies of two members of a four-man Navy Seal reconnaissance team that was reported missing last week after coming under hostile fire in a mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan, a senior Defense Department official said Monday. The defense official, as well as other Pentagon and military officials in Afghanistan and Washington, declined to provide details of where and how the two bodies had been found, and declined to identify the men publicly until family members have been notified. News of the deaths, which were first reported by the British Broadcasting Corporation, came as there were conflicting reports about the location of one of the other members of the Special Operations team. The governor of Kunar Province, where the team was when it was reported missing, said Monday that a Seal commando was reported to be alive and in the hands of Afghan villagers. But American officials in Washington said the governor's remarks, which gave rise to hopes that a second member of the team had been found alive, actually referred to the one team member who was rescued Saturday and flown to safety on Sunday, still leaving one member unaccounted for. "What we have here is a time lag in the reporting," a senior defense official said. The governor, Asadullah Wafa, cautioned that he was still trying to verify the report but indicated that he believed it was separate from the report of the first Seal commando who was rescued. According to the new report, he said that the sailor was being cared for by villagers, and that Afghan soldiers and policemen were trying to reach the remote village to rescue him. "There is a report; we don't know if it is true yet," he said. Let's hope and pray that the governor is right about the fourth Seal being alive and accounted for. Our prayers are with all the men in this operation and their families.More at link |
| Posted by:GK |
| #17 Time to rest. This time I may get 6+ hours. But tomoorrow is the last day of this for me. They don't want us "old guys" burning out on them. Back to the standard 10 hour (9+1 hour lunch) workday, and really looking forward to a full nights sleep and 2 days off this weekend. Good words. Thanks all. Hopefully my head will be rested enough to post a bit more. SO amny issues these days, with the Supreme Court, Kennedy's meltdown with Rummy, Pelosi seeing God, and the usual assortment of anti-war nut jobs, etc. Keep praying if you pray - these guys need every edge they can get, real (for us believers) or percieved (for the agnostics in the crowd). |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2005-07-05 23:36 |
| #16 Well said, indeed, AP. The external threat can kill some of us, but not overthrow reason and resolve. The internal threat is the one that can lead to utter defeat. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-07-05 22:36 |
| #15 I have also been thinking about these brave men since this series of incidents started. The Taliban, Al Q and Co are shooting their wad now Afghanistan and Iraq in order to bloody our noses enough that we as a nation will lose the will to fight. They have more than willing friends in the Senate helping them. And I MEAN HELPING THEM. We can support our troops in many ways---letters, packages, etc. We also need to support them by bringing the wrath of the public against the 5th columnists that are trying to destroy the effort of the US to eliminate terrorists before they start their mischief here again. We have an external war and we have an internal war. We need to keep the moonbats at bay or at least shamed off the stage so the military can do their jobs without being distracted. This means emails, telephone calls, letters, etc need to be addressed to members of congress to get them off their collective asses to act. I was spending my 4th of July on a gravel spit camping on Kachemak Bay in Alaska with friends and family. We hoisted the colors on a line secured to a tall tree. It was a beautiful sight, and we mentioned to the children there that we are enjoying our holiday here in this beautiful land because others are out in very nasty places doing dirty work to keep us safe. Makes one extremely humble to know what many did in sacrifice to bring us this far safely. We are entering the phase of the battle for the soul of the nation. For the honor of the memory of the troops that gave the ultimate sacrifice recently, as well as the many that have gone before, we must win this domestic war or we all (including the moonbats) will perish. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2005-07-05 22:06 |
| #14 No time to talk of retirement or rest, etc. now - the Lefties are trying to implode, governmentize, and socialize America by any each every and all means necessary, and Dubya is trying to implode them in return. The Failed Left has no qualms about being both for and against all sides at once iff it means they, Russia-China, and Socialist/Communist OWG and World Order prevail and rule - Let no American and Patriot ever give up the Fight! Its not being labeled Socialism or Communism anymore, but USA-specific National, Community, and Personal, etc. Security and Safety - ITS NOT "STATE/COUNTY-SPECIFIC" OR "STATE/COUNTY-WIDE", BUT "NATIONAL", NATION-WIDE", and "INTERNATIONAL", "OUT-OF-STATE", or "OVERSEAS", etc. The GOP-Right must be careful because the DemLeft has no qualms duping or hiding behind these populist precepts/skirts of the GOP, behind anyone andor anything. Even on FOXNEWS, pro-Dem commentators increasingly differentiate between GOP-DEM "Conservatives" against "Liberals", which is why the same supp or demand Dubya appoint a "Liberal" to replace O'Connor on the SCOTUS. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2005-07-05 19:30 |
| #13 Two more to guard the gates of heaven. My heart goes out to the family members. |
| Posted by: mmurray821 2005-07-05 16:58 |
| #12 I had a wonderful 4th with my wife, kids and in-laws. But the thought of these guys, and all of our fighting men and women, along with their families, was never far from my mind. My pleasure was intermixed with guilt. OS, you DO do things, things that make a difference, and that is so much more than the rest of us can say. Yet we go on with our normal lives, while these brave souls guard the front lines. My words can never tell the appreciation that I feel for them, all of them, OS included. |
| Posted by: remoteman 2005-07-05 15:39 |
| #11 My condolences to the families of these extraordinary men. My words can't begin to express the admiration and appreciation for the risks they take to safeguard those in the US, as well as the saner parts of this world. Let us pray for the safe return of the final team member. Now, hunt down and kill every last Taliban/Paki mercenary/AQ in the area. No prisoners. Better that the Pakistani and Arab sponsors and prospective recruits know they sent a few hundred terrorists into Afghanistan and none came back. |
| Posted by: ed 2005-07-05 11:47 |
| #10 OS, better that you can be of direct service for them even now, that just wish like most of us. |
| Posted by: Red Dog 2005-07-05 10:12 |
| #9 Ditto to all above, OS! Thank you for your work. Do not re-live what you cannot change, or cannot do. Just know that God knows your heart, where our boyz are and they are covered in prayers. At the least, 2 of them are now home in a much better place. God only expects your best, and I believe wholeheartedly that you have given that, my fine sir! |
| Posted by: BA 2005-07-05 09:24 |
| #8 Old Spook, because of what you've done, you now do what you and few others can do, which supports the youngsters doing what must be done. I envy you that -- all most of us can do to help is hope and pray that your efforts here, and theirs over there, pay off quickly and successfully. Be at peace, old wardog -- because you guard the tent, your pack can range as far as the hunt takes them. Thank you for stopping in to share with us what you can. It helps... a lot. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-07-05 08:57 |
| #7 OS--Like raptor said, find solace in what you can do, not guilt in what you can't! Remember, this is a TEAM effort. Take pride in knowing and doing your role in that team. And I thank you for it! |
| Posted by: Dar 2005-07-05 08:36 |
| #6 A ray of hope: The BBC has backed away from its report that the last team member has also been found dead. It had no comment on the revision, but simply reverted to yesterday's story with the addition of some hand-wringing over civilian deaths in the bombing of a terrorist hideout. |
| Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy 2005-07-05 08:03 |
| #5 Contimplate on what you can do,Good Sir,do not dwell on what you can't.Guilt and self -recriminations do you no good and is a dis-service to those who you seek to help. Have a cold beer,a hot shower,a good meal and call your Friend. May God Bless the Souls of these Good men,I pray asking Jesus to lay a comforting hand on the shoulders of the Families of these good soldiers. |
| Posted by: raptor 2005-07-05 07:46 |
| #4 Same here, OS. I content myself with helping Sgt. Hank Harvey return to a normal life. He's doing fine now. I certainly hope the Governer of the Province is correct and the last SEAL is OK. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2005-07-05 07:45 |
| #3 OS, Ditto what Mac said. Thanks. p.s. being on the same side of the divide as you I often get the same feelings. Nothing wrong there. |
| Posted by: DanNY 2005-07-05 06:12 |
| #2 OS, You did what you could, and even God asks no more from men than that. Would that the rest of us did as much. Thanks--a lot. |
| Posted by: mac 2005-07-05 05:49 |
| #1 Just got in from working overtime. Again. Missed the fireworks and grill 4th. But worth it. Damn am I tired. But not as tired as those guys, so gotta keep going. Worked extra hours and extra days (no days off) since the incident to cover things so others could go put effort where needed. Still, I wish I could have grabbed a rifle and just gone. In one sense, its easier to go and do something, than it is to sit here knowing HOW to do things but being too broken to do them. Even though I can still "work out", I cannot do those things that they do, not anymore, not without becoming a liability. Off to my soft bed and some "guilt" to go to God with. I hate being very Catholic sometimes, you get guilt for things you know you shouldn't. Makes taking an agency polygraph exam that much more fun every few years. And gnaws at you in times like this when you lose kids, brothers in arms, there's always something I imagine that I mighta done, coulda done - however remote or unlikely. Being realistic, no, I couldn't have done a damn thing more that would have made a difference - I'm not even near the spearholders much anymore, much less the sharp end of the spear. But thats not the kind of drive I have. Not to mention being too old. But, hell of it is, even 40 is too old for that stuff, and 40 ain't old for most any other occupation (outside of professional sports, etc). And 40 was in the rear view quite a while back. My body lets me know I cannot do these things even though my ego still says I should be out there trying. The lament we all face eventually. Like that new Toby Keith song: I Aint as Good as I Once Was [but I'm as good, once, as I ever was]. (Thats my ego talking the part in brackets) Time to talk to an old friend who always makes me come to my senses, reminds me I am who I am, and the world doesnt revolve around me to the point where I can change it, and that doing what I can so that others can do their stuff is what my duty is now. And thats how I make a difference, now. Still, the old wardog hears battle and wants to leave the tent. Enough of the tired old guy laments and melancholy. Time to sleep. Back up again in 4 hours. Back on topic, FYI: You'll likely get the full news today. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2005-07-05 05:05 |