War

Petraeus Aide: Rumsfeld Courted Disaster in Iraq

Retired Col. Peter Mansoor, the executive officer to Gen. David Petraeus during the Iraq War surge and the author of a new book on the subject, is doing a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) today. He answered a question that I asked. Question: Your book Surge has harsh words for Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, stating that he "rightly" offered his resignation after the Abu Ghraib scandal and President Bush was wrong not to accept it. You write that Rumsfeld "demanded a war plan for Iraq ... (read more)

2014/01/03

This Week's U.S. War Casualties

The deaths of seven U.S. service members in Afghanistan were announced this past week by the Department of Defense. Four Army soldiers died Sept. 16 in Zabul Province when they were shot by Afghan police after coming to their aid at a security checkpoint that was attacked by insurgents. One of the four killed was Pfc. Genaro Bedoy, 20, of Amarillo, Texas, who had a wife and seven-week-old baby girl (pictured above). Bedoy played wide receiver and defensive back for River Road High School. ... (read more)

2012/09/23

This Week's U.S. War Casualties

The deaths of three U.S. servicemembers in Afghanistan were announced this past week by the Department of Defense. Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jose L. Montenegro Jr., 31, of San Juan, Texas, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Thalia S. Ramirez, 28, of San Antonio died Sept. 5, when their OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter crashed in the Pul-e Alam district of Logar Province. They were assigned to the 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort ... (read more)

2012/09/16

This Week's U.S. War Casualties

The deaths of five U.S. servicemembers in Afghanistan were announced this past week by the Department of Defense. Army Staff Sgt. Jeremie S. Border, 28, of Mesquite, Texas, and Staff Sgt. Jonathan P. Schmidt, 28, of Petersburg, Va., died Sept. 1, in Batur Village of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit with small arms fire. Border (pictured above) was an Eagle Scout who went on to become a college football player at McMurray University and a Green Beret, KHOU reports. ... (read more)

2012/09/11

This Week's U.S. War Casualties

The deaths of two U.S. servicemembers in Afghanistan and another in Kuwait were announced this past week by the Department of Defense. Army Sgt. Christopher J. Birdwell, 25, of Windsor, Colo., and Spc. Mabry J. Anders, 21, of Baker City, Ore., died Aug. 27 in Kalagush, Afghanistan, when an Afghan Army soldier shot them after a vehicle in their patrol was hit by an improvised explosive device, family members told Windsor Now. Anders (pictured above) served in Korea prior to being stationed ... (read more)

2012/09/04

This Week's U.S. War Casualties

The deaths of 13 U.S. service members in Afghanistan were announced this past week by the Department of Defense. Pfc. Patricia L. Horne, 20, of Greenwood, Miss., died Aug. 24 in Bagram. She was part of the 96th Aviation Support Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) stationed at Fort Campbell, Ky. The military has not disclosed the cause of death. Horne (pictured above) was only the 37th women in the U.S. forces to die during the 11-year war in ... (read more)

2012/08/27

This Week's U.S. War Casualties

The deaths of 10 U.S. service members in Afghanistan were announced this past week by the Department of Defense. The youngest soldier killed was Marine Cpl. Richard A. Rivera Jr., 20, of Ventura, Calif. He was killed August 10 when a new Afghan policeman was handed his weapon and immediately opened fire in the Sangin district of Helmand province. Two other Marines were also killed, Staff Sgt. Scott E. Dickinson, 29, of San Diego, Calif. and Lance Cpl. Gregory T. Buckley, 21, of Oceanside, ... (read more)

2012/08/20

This Week's U.S. War Casualties

The deaths of nine U.S. service members in Afghanistan were announced this past week by the Department of Defense. Army Staff Sgt. Matthew S. Sitton, 26, of Largo, Fla., was killed Aug. 2 in Kandahar province. Sitton, who was married and had a nine-month-old son Brodey, was on foot patrol when he stepped on an improvised explosive device, the Tampa Tribune reported. The TV station WFLA filmed the arrival of his body at McDill Air Force Base, where his casket was met by his wife Sarah and ... (read more)

2012/08/12

Little-Known Blogger Got William Calley Scoop

You may have heard last week that Lt. William Calley, for the first time ever, publicly apologized for his role in the 1968 My Lai massacre, in which 350 to 500 Vietnamese -- mostly unarmed women and children -- were killed by U.S. troops under his command. Calley was sentenced to life in prison for 22 murders, but his sentence was commuted by President Nixon to three years of house arrest. During an Aug. 19 speech at the Columbus, Ga., Kiwanis Club, Calley said, "There is not a day that goes ... (read more)

2009/08/26

Infantryman Randy Cadenhead in Iraq

One of at least two Cadenheads serving in Iraq, infantryman Spc. Randy Cadenhead, turned up in an interesting Iraq Pictures weblog. I don't know him personally, but I suspect one of the genealogists in the family could show me that we're fourth or fifth cousins. I've yet to hear from a Cadenhead who wasn't related to me, including one in Houston who hoped we weren't kin because of something I published on the web. ... (read more)

2005/07/11