JIEDDO: Better IED detection reduces casualties 37% in Afghanistan

USA Today:

The military has reduced the number of troops wounded or killed by homemade bombs in Afghanistan by 37% since August by improving its ability to find the explosives before they blow up.

About one-sixth of the bombs used by insurgents in January ended up wounding or killing troops compared with the one-quarter of such bombs that caused casualties in August, according to figures from the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, the Pentagon's agency for combating makeshift bombs.

In January, 215 IED attacks wounded or killed troops compared with 341 attacks that caused casualties in August. That dramatic reduction occurred even though the number of IEDs planted has remained at between 1,300 and 1,500 a month during that time.

"IEDs are still responsible for the greatest number of our casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan, but we are making progress against the enemy's effective use of them," Lt. Gen. Michael Oates told USA TODAY.

In 2010, IEDs wounded or killed 7,800 troops in the U.S.-led coalition, according to data released to USA TODAY. That accounts for nearly half of all casualties.
...

Oates cited some factors that have eroded the effectiveness of the homemade bombs:

•Increasing the number of teams that scour roads for IEDs from 12 in 2009 to 75 today.

•Encouraging the 30,000 servicemembers ordered to Afghanistan last year by President Obama to mix with Afghan civilians, earn their trust and receive tips on where bombs have been planted.

•Expanding use of planes, drones and balloons with cameras and other sensors to spy on insurgents and detect where they have planted bombs. From Jan. 30 through Feb. 5, for example, the Air Force flew 371 surveillance missions.

"They have darkened the skies in Afghanistan with airplanes looking for these guys," Pike said.

Despite the gains, Oates said he expects fighting to be "vigorous" this spring, when weather improves. Insurgents will still plant 1,300 to 1,500 bombs per month, he said.

"The enemy has a will to win and the capability," Oates said. "And he has a very good chance to inflict casualties on us."

Troops on foot patrol remain particularly vulnerable, he said. There has been a "significant spike" in the number of those soldiers and Marines who step on bombs in the past year.

"You have a homemade explosive planted in the ground, it produces a lot of natural shrapnel," Oates said. "It's dirty, so you get soil and rocks that penetrate deep into tissue. They tend not to kill, but to blow off arms and legs."

ANA and TF Storm Break Trail

LOGAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Afghan National Army soldiers move through Kharwar District to prevent the Taliban’s freedom of movement on February 12. Afghan and U.S. soldiers assigned to Company D, 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division’s Task Force Storm braved more than 3 feet of snow in some areas during the patrol. (Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. Cooper T. Cash, Task Force Patriot)

Iraq Confidential Humvee Donated to Soldiers' Angels

The unique and historic "Iraq Confidential" Humvee, rebuilt in Iraq by "Monster Garage" host Jesse James and members of the 181st Transportation Battalion, has been donated to Soldiers' Angels and will be sold to support the troops. PRNewsFoto/Soldiers' Angels.

Iraq Confidential Humvee Donated to Soldiers' Angels

PASADENA, Calif., Feb. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Military support nonprofit Soldiers' Angels proudly announces receipt of the unique and historic Iraq Confidential Humvee from Jesse James, host of Monster Garage and owner of West Coast Choppers, Austin Speed Shop and Cisco Burgers. James recently donated the restored, combat-damaged Humvee, which was rebuilt in Iraq as part of James' special visit with the 181st Transportation Battalion in 2006. The Humvee's rebuild, conducted by James and the soldiers, was documented on a video titled Iraq Confidential and later broadcast on the Military channel.

When West Coast Choppers closed its California facility, James mentioned to a friend and Soldiers' Angels staff member that he was looking for a way to use the Iraq Confidential Humvee to help the troops. When presented with the idea of donating it to Soldiers' Angels, he welcomed the opportunity.

"Going to Iraq to do that build with the troops, being able to shake their hands and to tell them 'thank you,' was one of the most rewarding and humbling experiences in my life," James says. "With all of their different programs providing support to the troops, veterans and their families, donating the Humvee to Soldiers' Angels brings it full circle, allowing it to continue to benefit those guys and gals and let them know how much I appreciate their service."

In addition to the Humvee, James donated a semi-truck full of new copies of Garage magazine and West Coast Choppers window stickers, which will be included in care packages for deployed troops. Donors to Soldiers' Angels can also receive one copy of the magazine and sticker set as a gift with each online $10 donation at www.soldiersangels.org when they enter "JJ" in the comments line.

Interested parties and potential buyers of the Humvee may contact the Executive Director of Soldiers' Angels at tobynunn@soldiersangels.org.

Soldiers' Angels is an award-winning 501(c)(3) with hundreds of thousands of volunteers providing aid and comfort to members of the U.S. Armed Forces, veterans and military families through a wide variety of hands-on projects and volunteerism. For more information, visit www.soldiersangels.org or call 615-676-0239.


SOURCE Soldiers' Angels

Photo of the Day

Marine Jeff Grosky embraces his father, Joe, as his mom, Kathy, looks on Saturday at Sioux Falls Regional Airport. Photo: Jay Pickthorn / Argus Leader.

3/5 Marine home on leave for the first time since being hurt back in October:

Near the statue of South Dakota's great World War II hero, Joe Foss, in the lobby of the Sioux Falls Regional Airport on Saturday, Lance Cpl. Jeff Grosky stood awkwardly. He was surrounded by U.S. flags with applause washing over him.

He wore an embarrassed grin and leaned on a cane.
...

The injury resulted in the loss of part of his right leg, and Saturday was Grosky's first time back in South Dakota since being hurt. He said he is looking forward to a 30-day leave. After that, he will continue rehabilitation in the U.S. to improve his gait before being released from the Marine Corps and returning to South Dakota to pursue higher education.
...

Wearing a pair of blue jeans, a green sweatshirt and toting a backpack, he barely stood out from the other passengers.

"He's got friends who came back who were wounded, too," said Grosky's mother, Kathy Grosky. "The common thread among these guys is how humble, how unassuming they are. They are very stoic. Their attitude is, 'It is what it is, let's go on from here.' "

Welcome home, Marine.

Wounded Marine: "I wasn't going to let my guys go to Afghanistan without me."

 
When the Camp Pendleton-based 1st Reconnaissance Battalion received orders to deploy to Afghanistan, Sgt. Jonathon Blank could have stayed home. He was close to finishing his active duty. But to make sure he could deploy with his buddies, he extended his service and went with his Marine battalion to Helmand province.

"They were like, 'we really need you.' I didn't really have to think much of it. I said, 'yeah I'll go.' I wasn't going to let my guys go without me. Because if something happened to one of them, I'd always think, 'could I hve been there to change something? Could I have been there to help them?' And besides, this is the chance to serve."

In the video above, Sgt. Blank talks about the events of October 26, 2010, the day a blast resulted in the loss of both of his legs and caused serious internal injuries.

"I was like ok, something bad just happened, but I didn't know what. Then eventually, I started to regain consciousness, it was like waking up from a dream. There's all this smoke and dust covered everything. I started crawling because I knew my legs were gone instantly before I even looked at them, I knew. Then the pain just washed over me, I knew that was it."

Since then, he's been recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.

 
 

"I always liked my hometown, like I always knew there were a lot of great people there. There's a couple of people that love me there, but I didn't know that the whole town would come together like they have."

Along with the fundraisers, he also receives get well cards and letters from people all over the country.

"When I have my days that I'm down, it lifts me up, makes me feel better." He explains that it reminds him of what his well-being means to people. "You gotta do this, not for yourself, but for them too."
...

Jonathon is expected to be in the hospital for at least one more year. But he's happy that he has the support and love from his hometown, which he can't wait to see again.

Photo: Sgt. Jonathon Blank, courtesy of Wichita Eagle.

Sgt. Blank got that wish this week. He was granted a month's leave and is back home in Augusta, Kansas.

Previous:
Recovering Marine updates supporters back home via Skype

Thanks to KSCW-TV for their ongoing coverage of Sgt. Blank's recovery. Kansas must be a great place. No wonder Jonathon couldn't wait to get back!

A Very Distinguished Visitor

When VIPs such as Generals or Congressional Delegations visit Landstuhl they are known as "DVs" or Distinguished Visitors. For some reason I couldn't help but think of that term when looking at this photo I shot as we were working and joking around in one of the SA storage rooms ;-)



Ah, there she is - a much better photo of someone I admire greatly and whom I'm proud to call friend. I was thrilled that she was able to spend a few days with us during her recent trip to Europe and as you can see, she got right to work unpacking a new shipment of sweat clothing from another amazing person, Mark Dolfini.



Thank you for taking the time to visit, Leta, and for all you do. It was wonderful to be able to share some special moments in a very special place.

Video Interview with GEN Petraeus on the War in Afghanistan

In an exclusive interview with NATO TV, ISAF Commander General David Petraeus updates us - in the clear and understandable way only he can - on the war in Afghanistan. He says he expects violence to increase again this year as he continues his counter-insurgency campaign across Afghanistan but he is seeing signs of discord appear within the Taliban.

Here's a couple of excerpts from an AP story about GEN Petraeus interview, but it's well worth reading the whole thing.

BRUSSELS — The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan warned that combat will likely escalate during the spring thaw as Taliban insurgents try to return to areas cleared by the international forces during the past several months.

“There’s been considerable progress in taking away from the Taliban safe havens,” Gen. David Petraeus said in an interview with NATO TV aired on Wednesday.

“They have to fight back, they’re losing momentum that’s quite clear,” he said. “They know they need to regain that momentum.”

Last year’s surge boosted the international force to about 150,000 troops. NATO and President Hamid Karzai hope to have more than 300,000 Afghan army and police in action by next autumn facing a much smaller organized insurgent force.

The Obama administration and NATO plan to begin reducing their troop contingent in July, and to end its combat role by the end of 2014.
...

The conflict usually dies down during the winter, as the guerrillas retreat to their safe havens to rest and recuperate.

Petraeus said intelligence reports indicate that Taliban leaders are worried by the situation and that there is “friction and discord” between the guerrillas in the field and their leadership in Pakistan.

But analysts caution that the Taliban — in keeping with classic guerrilla strategy — have simply fallen back in the face of an overwhelming forces, dispersing into other, safer parts of the country. They are likely to remain on the defensive until NATO forces begin withdrawing in significant numbers.

The Unsung Heroes of the War in Afghanistan: Military Working Dogs

Eli, a bomb-sniffing Labrador, licks Brady Rusk, 12, the brother of Eli's handler. U.S. Marine Pfc. Colton W. Rusk was killed in Afghanistan. His family is adopting Eli. Photo: Jerry Lara, Associated Press / February 8, 2011.

Afghanistan's most loyal troops

Dogs play an increasing role in ferreting out roadside bombs in key provinces. As with their masters, not all of them get to come home.
By Tony Perry, Los Angeles Times
February 8, 2011

When Pfc. Colton Rusk was shot in Afghanistan by a Taliban sniper, a Marine dog named Eli immediately ran to him, guarding the downed Marine against further attack.

Even Marines who rushed to Rusk's side were initially kept at bay by the snarling Labrador, who had been Rusk's inseparable companion through training and then deployment to a dangerous place called the Sangin Valley.

Rusk, 20, a machine gunner and dog handler from the Camp Pendleton-based 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, died from his wounds that brutal day in early December.

Out of gratitude for Eli's loyalty to their son, Darrell and Kathy Rusk, with the support of Marine brass, arranged to adopt Eli and take him to their ranch in Orange Grove, Texas, near Corpus Christi.

Such adoptions are unusual, though not unprecedented. Last week, Rusk's family took possession of Eli at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, a major training site for military dogs.

Trainers at Lackland and other sites are busy these days. Dogs are playing an increasing role in the U.S.-led fight in Sangin and neighboring Kandahar province — particularly in ferreting out the buried roadside bombs that are the Taliban's weapon of choice.

"They're Afghanistan's forgotten heroes," said Sgt. ShainNickerson, 24, of Rayland, Ohio, whose German shepherd, Aja, accompanies him on patrol in Sangin. "They're out there every day risking their lives to keep Marines safe."

During a visit with wounded Marines at the military hospital in Bethesda, Md., Marine Commandant Gen. James Amos asked how many had a bomb-sniffing dog with them when they were injured. Half did not.

The Marine Corps is now on a crash program to increase the number of its dogs in Afghanistan. "I'd like a dog with every patrol," Amos said.

The director of the Marine program to provide guard dogs and bomb-sniffing dogs says that despite all the money spent on high-tech methods to find buried roadside bombs — estimated at upwards of $20 billion — well-trained dogs are still the most effective.
...

One of the dogs killed by a roadside blast was a German shepherd named Grief. His handler, Cpl. Al Brenner, 22, of Jackson, N.J., suffered a broken arm, a severed finger and injuries to his legs and groin.

Once he's finished with surgeries and rehabilitation, Brenner wants to reenlist and train dogs for work in Afghanistan. "Without dogs, you're just poking around with a stick, just waiting to get blown up," he said.

Make sure to read the whole article at the link.

In Honor of President Ronald Reagan's 100th Birthday

"There's something going on in time and space, and beyond time and space, which - whether we like it or not - spells duty."

Our generation's 'Rendezvous with Destiny'.

Stars Over Musa Qala

Marines from 1st Battalion 8th, Bravo sit near a fire as they rest after a patrol in Musa Qala district of Helmand province on January 23, 2011.