Never get out of the Boat!

[Zebo]

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/jim-gant-top-green-beret-officer-forced-resign/story?id=24266710
This is a hell of a story. Watch the videos... Maj. (now LT. ret) Jim Gant practiced what is known as population-centric warfare which is one effective means to win in a insurgency. The other is Total War which we have not practiced since colonial days and WW2. Our Army brass practices a half ass version of both which is always doom to fail and has since 1945. Anyway his "one village at a time" approach was working fantastic until he got busting after 22 months in theater for "going native" so to speak.

I have a feeling if Patreus was still in charge no way he gets kicked out of army.

 

[Bitek]

Damn..hell of a story. The sticks in the ass may have ruined his career, but they will seal his legend.

 

[yllus]

Honestly, it sounds like he needed to be taken out of the country. A two-plus year deployment? Sleepwalking and putting an unloaded AK-47 in your mouth? You can't be trusted with the lives of men under you if your subconscious is making you do that.

The rule-breaking stuff is fodder for your typical government weenies who get upset if you don't waste all of your time filling out the forms that make them feel like they're actually doing something. He just needed to show less disdain there.

 

[piasabird]

Obama breaks all kinds of rules. In fact these government types do nothing but sit around guzzling whiskey and making up stupid rules for others to follow. This is what is wrong with America. Maybe the next president will give him the medal of honor. This is the guy that should have won the Nobel peace prize. It was his actions that made the surge work. Obama is a muslim communist terrorists and that will be his legacy.

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

Obama breaks all kinds of rules. In fact these government types do nothing but sit around guzzling whiskey and making up stupid rules for others to follow. This is what is wrong with America. Maybe the next president will give him the medal of honor. This is the guy that should have won the Nobel peace prize. It was his actions that made the surge work. Obama is a muslim communist terrorists and that will be his legacy.

 

[Nebor]

I arrived in Kunar Province a few weeks before "the native Major" was relieved and removed from the country.

Yes, he turned a few tribes against the "Taliban" (still used as a media catchall for the 8 or so major insurgency groups operating along the Afpak border.) But he didn't unite any of the tribes with one another. Instead he fashioned himself as a warlord, backed up by American firepower. His chosen tribe was untouchable by opposing tribes in border & water disputes. The tribes frequently fight one another just as the various insurgent groups fight one another. The difference is that when a US Army Major picks a side in a civil dispute, US air power and artillery is used to kill basically innocent Afghan villagers, and those villagers remember.

This is all compounded by his personal failings: emotional, drunk, drugged, and keeping a paramour. He got too close. Just read what he says in the article. He loves the Afghans, and weeps for them. Hardly a "quiet professional."

And when that bold young 1LT wrote it all up in a sworn statement, and the Major was spirited away, who do you think his tribes turned to for help in their disputes when no other US officer would play warlord for them? The very insurgents that we're trying to combat.

Everyone loves a rebel and an underdog, and I'll be the first one to say there are circumstances when regulations and doctrine should be disregarded. But when you disregard the rules in such a frequent and flagrant manner by drinking, abusing drugs and keeping a wife in theater, you use up all your leeway that you need for justifying your departure from counter-insurgency doctrine.

 

[Nebor]

Oh, and Petraeus's war zone journalist side piece was way, way hotter.

Paula Broadwell

Ann Scott Tyson

 

[Orignal Earl]

I arrived in Kunar Province a few weeks before "the native Major" was relieved and removed from the country.

Yes, he turned a few tribes against the "Taliban" (still used as a media catchall for the 8 or so major insurgency groups operating along the Afpak border.) But he didn't unite any of the tribes with one another. Instead he fashioned himself as a warlord, backed up by American firepower. His chosen tribe was untouchable by opposing tribes in border & water disputes. The tribes frequently fight one another just as the various insurgent groups fight one another. The difference is that when a US Army Major picks a side in a civil dispute, US air power and artillery is used to kill basically innocent Afghan villagers, and those villagers remember.

This is all compounded by his personal failings: emotional, drunk, drugged, and keeping a paramour. He got too close. Just read what he says in the article. He loves the Afghans, and weeps for them. Hardly a "quiet professional."

And when that bold young 1LT wrote it all up in a sworn statement, and the Major was spirited away, who do you think his tribes turned to for help in their disputes when no other US officer would play warlord for them? The very insurgents that we're trying to combat.

Everyone loves a rebel and an underdog, and I'll be the first one to say there are circumstances when regulations and doctrine should be disregarded. But when you disregard the rules in such a frequent and flagrant manner by drinking, abusing drugs and keeping a wife in theater, you use up all your leeway that you need for justifying your departure from counter-insurgency doctrine.

Says the guy who did nothing but post and cry about how miserable he was there, 3 times a week
Just LOL

 

[Nebor]

Says the guy who did nothing but post and cry about how miserable he was there, 3 times a week
Just LOL

Really? That seems easy enough for you to prove. Let's see some links. I tried to stay on longer into 2013 but the withdrawal had already stopped inter-organizational transfers. I'm also competing on the OML for a USAR deployment to Afghanistan next spring.

 

[Orignal Earl]

Really? That seems easy enough for you to prove. Let's see some links. I tried to stay on longer into 2013 but the withdrawal had already stopped inter-organizational transfers. I'm also competing on the OML for a USAR deployment to Afghanistan next spring.

Wading through your 27,OOO posts would not be easy

 

[etrigan420]

Sounds like homeboy went Colonel Kurtz.

 

[Zebo]

I arrived in Kunar Province a few weeks before "the native Major" was relieved and removed from the country.

Yes, he turned a few tribes against the "Taliban" (still used as a media catchall for the 8 or so major insurgency groups operating along the Afpak border.) But he didn't unite any of the tribes with one another. Instead he fashioned himself as a warlord, backed up by American firepower. His chosen tribe was untouchable by opposing tribes in border & water disputes. The tribes frequently fight one another just as the various insurgent groups fight one another. The difference is that when a US Army Major picks a side in a civil dispute, US air power and artillery is used to kill basically innocent Afghan villagers, and those villagers remember.

This is all compounded by his personal failings: emotional, drunk, drugged, and keeping a paramour. He got too close. Just read what he says in the article. He loves the Afghans, and weeps for them. Hardly a "quiet professional."

And when that bold young 1LT wrote it all up in a sworn statement, and the Major was spirited away, who do you think his tribes turned to for help in their disputes when no other US officer would play warlord for them? The very insurgents that we're trying to combat.

Everyone loves a rebel and an underdog, and I'll be the first one to say there are circumstances when regulations and doctrine should be disregarded. But when you disregard the rules in such a frequent and flagrant manner by drinking, abusing drugs and keeping a wife in theater, you use up all your leeway that you need for justifying your departure from counter-insurgency doctrine.

I appreciate your insight and more convinced than ever pluralism is impossible in Muslim world. This is the problem with politically correct multiculturalism. We, Army brass and politicians, think everyone is the same and with a little help they'll be good ole Jefferson Americans in no time. In meantime we spill blood and treasure for essentially nothing in these efforts since they'll go right back to old ways soon as we leave. There is some basis for this belief, the South Korean story, but this will never work in Muslim world and we keep repeating it. Oh well glad I never joined to fight for these fools leading us.

 

[Nebor]

Wading through your 27,OOO posts would not be easy

Clearly you remember me crying, but you can't remember any keywords that really stick out in your mind?

 

[Zebo]

Oh, and Petraeus's war zone journalist side piece was way, way hotter.


Ann Scott Tyson

Thats a Kabul 9.

 

[Nebor]

Thats a Kabul 9.

That's a Kunar 18. In the Pashto parts of the country, women are rarely seen in public, and when they are it's in a full length burqa.

Seriously though, an SF major could have just flown back to the SF compound on Joyce or JAF and plowed one of the many more attractive female service members willing to trade their bodies for alcohol.

 

[Orignal Earl]

Clearly you remember me crying, but you can't remember any keywords that really stick out in your mind?

No, I don't remember any keywords
When was it that you were doing all the posting from Afghanistan, that would help

 

[Orignal Earl]

Comm officer whining about his job

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2256135&highlight=

 

[Orignal Earl]

More whining

After America...

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2255410&highlight=

 

[Orignal Earl]

More

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2252531&highlight=

Do I need to go on?

edit- That one about says it all..including how your first tour was relative luxury compared to keeping the wifi up on the second tour.

 

[Nebor]

So well reasoned criticism of waste, fraud & abuse is whining and crying? You're really reaching.

I see no mention of wifi either. And I feel like you don't appreciate the term "relative" luxury. An indoor gym & more than one choice of entrees at dinner is what qualified Camp Dubs as "luxurious." It was still subject to rocket attacks and one of the deadliest VBIED attacks in the history of the country while I was there.

 

[Orignal Earl]

So well reasoned criticism of waste, fraud & abuse is whining and crying? You're really reaching.

I see no mention of wifi either. And I feel like you don't appreciate the term "relative" luxury. An indoor gym & more than one choice of entrees at dinner is what qualified Camp Dubs as "luxurious." It was still subject to rocket attacks and one of the deadliest VBIED attacks in the history of the country while I was there.

Yes..yes..
You were expecting more flowers and welcome mats.
Your criticism of the man in the OP is well founded in your personal experiences.
I await your further criticism of your next tour

edit
Stay safe..I really mean that

 

[smackababy]

Everyone loves a rebel and an underdog, and I'll be the first one to say there are circumstances when regulations and doctrine should be disregarded. But when you disregard the rules in such a frequent and flagrant manner by drinking, abusing drugs and keeping a wife in theater, you use up all your leeway that you need for justifying your departure from counter-insurgency doctrine.

The problem I really have is the rules he was breaking weren't related in any way to his mission, yet the media is trying to report "breaking rules is how we win!" bullshit. I'm sure if every soldier was drunk, drugged, and had a wife we would fight so much better... Then we get these idiots who have never served and don't understand shit about military engagements acting as armchair generals and it becomes laughable.

Stay safe when you go back. It is only likely to get more dangerous as we pull out. I had quite a few friends go to Afghanistan and they all said, even at it's best, it was bad. Never had to go down range myself.

 

[Orignal Earl]

The problem I really have is the rules he was breaking weren't related in any way to his mission, yet the media is trying to report "breaking rules is how we win!" bullshit. I'm sure if every soldier was drunk, drugged, and had a wife we would fight so much better... Then we get these idiots who have never served and don't understand shit about military engagements acting as armchair generals and it becomes laughable.

Stay safe when you go back. It is only likely to get more dangerous as we pull out. I had quite a few friends go to Afghanistan and they all said, even at it's best, it was bad. Never had to go down range myself.

ETA: And like I've said before, my attitudes aren't uncommon at all. Especially after all the officers here read the Control Factor when it was assigned. These people hate us, and there's nothing we can do to fix that except convert to Islam.

Nebor's War is going to last for a long time.
After he is done killing every Muslim, he has also threaten to come after those who don't agree with him and kill our families too
Best keep your boots handy, in his war..your either with him or against him