BlackFive

Obama's political timetable for Afghan withdrawal

President Obama's decision to deploy troops to Afghanistan and announce their withdrawal during the same speech was one of the sorriest examples of politics trumping policy in my memory. Telling your enemy "Oh yeah, we are coming to get you"...

Published Sun, Jan 22 2012 11:08 PM by BLACKFIVE

F-35 makes first night flight

Nice. More picture here. And, in more good news for the nation’s latest 5th generation fighter, the F-35B was taken off probation, a year early.

Published Fri, Jan 20 2012 6:09 AM by BLACKFIVE

Filed under: Military

Marine video fallout: Smartphones an asset or liability?

The usual introspection has begun at DoD concerning the fallout from the Marine micturition video. Charles Hoskinson at POLITICO provides the backstory and the current thinking about the matter: In the post-Sept. 11 era, an overseas deployment no longer...

Published Fri, Jan 20 2012 12:19 AM by BLACKFIVE

Filed under: Current Affairs

Cruise ship captain- Sheepdog fail

Francesco Schettino is a name that will linger in ignominious shame with the stench of cowardice and failure all over it. He is the ex-captain of a cruise ship that he drove onto the rocks and the architect of the deaths of passengers he was duty bound...

Published Thu, Jan 19 2012 3:05 PM by BLACKFIVE

The last Haditha Marine about to walk?

He damn sure should. Here are a couple of looks at the non-massacre in Haditha one from Sgt Tim Sumner and another by me (w/ some help from Grim. Bottom line? The loss of innocent life at Haditha was a tragedy, and the prosecution persecution of the Marines...

Published Thu, Jan 19 2012 11:56 AM by BLACKFIVE

Can the Afghans aggregate their fecal matter?

This piece is just fun and has all the things a great story should: War, history, outrage and.....sh*t. A few minutes before the beginning of a Greek mythology class at FOB Fenty, Jalalabad, for which I'd prepared to lecture on Alexander the Great's...

Published Thu, Jan 19 2012 11:22 AM by BLACKFIVE

El Conquistador on Political Aspirations

I know, I know, with the current changing slate of candidates is there no one we can count on? Ranger Up has a suggestion... US Army veteran Jorge Rivera fights tomorrow night. Go here for details.

Published Thu, Jan 19 2012 3:49 AM by BLACKFIVE

Filed under: Jorge Rivera

MilNewsLinks

All the military news that’s fit to link, or that I stumbled across and found interesting: ~Tempest in a Teapot? There’s a controversy brewing about Army Medevac missions with one side claiming we should remove the red crosses and arm them and the other...

Published Thu, Jan 19 2012 12:29 AM by BLACKFIVE

Filed under: Current Affairs

Godspeed, SFC Ben Wise

Some pals at SOCOM wanted you all to know about SFC Benjamin Wise: Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin B. Wise, 34, of El Dorado, Ark., died Jan. 15, 2012 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany of injuries sustained when his unit was engaged by enemy small...

Published Wed, Jan 18 2012 12:20 AM by BLACKFIVE

Filed under: Fallen But Never Forgotten

The S.F. Brotherhood...

This is an interesting story about connections. Thought you'd enjoy it. Then-Bolivian Army Corporal Rod Mendoza (left) watches as then-U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Patrick Fensom (center), of 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), runs through reaction...

Published Wed, Jan 18 2012 12:14 AM by BLACKFIVE

Filed under: Military, Someone You Should Know

Occupy - Ranger Up Style

From the team at Ranger Up, here is a t-shirt that I think we can all agree represents a classic occupation: Front And the Back Check it out (along with all the other awesome gear at Ranger Up).

Published Mon, Jan 16 2012 11:36 PM by BLACKFIVE

Last word on the whiz kids

I haven't said anything about the urination indignation, but tonight I heard the perfect commentary. @NoahPollak Noah Pollak Those dead Taliban really tied the room together. Every time a dead Taliban is micturated upon in this fair city, I have to...

Published Mon, Jan 16 2012 2:27 PM by BLACKFIVE

One Veterans Struggle With the VA

Despite 10 years of war and demands by the American people that government take care of our veterans, the Veteran’s Administration still has a long way to go. Airforce veteran Chis Short reports about his experience with the VA bureaucracy.

Published Mon, Jan 16 2012 12:30 AM by BLACKFIVE

Filed under: Caring For The Defenders

Election trumps security

There is a nice big sanctions package against Iran's Central Bank just waiting for someone to use it. The problem is that someone is Barack Obama and he is running for re-election. The possibility of rising gas prices could interfere with that, so...

Published Mon, Jan 16 2012 12:11 AM by BLACKFIVE

Rhino Den's "Three Drinks With" Don Wildman

Check this out. Rhino Den's newest series is titled "Three Drinks With"... Welcome to our newest series, Three Drinks With, where we sit down and toss back a few “beverages” with military-friendly celebs and pick their brains from our skewed...

Published Sun, Jan 15 2012 11:35 PM by BLACKFIVE