Eternal Vigilance Society -

With Clint Eastwood’s “Flags Of Our Fathers” set to hit theaters today, it is interesting to see the many parallels between that epic battle and the present battle for Iraq. Moreover, the battle for Iwo teaches many lessons on how to defeat a fanatical enemy.

PARALLELS BETWEEN IRAQ & IWO

- The battle for Iwo Jima was more difficult than military brass anticipated. American casualties were underestimated by a startling 80 percent. Only light resistance was expected and the intricate system of tunnels, caves and heavily fortified bunkers that made the campaign so deadly, were unknown to war planners.
- In a manner eerily similar to the way the Pentagon expected Iraq to be like Afghanistan, the leadership anticipated the Japanese would employ the tactics they used on Saipan, Tarawa and Peleliu. Instead of reckless and ineffective Banzai charges, the Japanese dug in and waited for the Marines to land.

- Despite the intelligence failures and 6,821 Marines killed in five weeks, there was no shameless politization of the mistakes. Likewise, ghoulish celebrations of the casualty count on American street corners were unthinkable.

- Historians disagree on the tactical significance of the tiny volcanic island in the wider campaign against the Empire of Japan. However, there is nearly universal agreement that once the first Marine splashed ashore, it would have been a devastating strategic defeat to have lost. Moreover, our hard-earned victory dealt a stunning blow to Japanese morale from which they never recovered.

LESSONS FROM IWO ON HOW TO FIGHT A FANATICAL ENEMY

- On Iwo Jima island we fought a barbaric enemy using ruthless tactics of our own. To eliminate the Japanese embedded deep within the mountains, Marines literally burnt them alive with flame throwers. Today much of our representation in Washington, balks at cold rooms, loud music and sleep deprivation to gather life-saving intelligence from the very men who orchestrated the slaughter of 3,000 American civilians.

- The tremendous power of heroism to inspire and hearten the home front has been forgotten. The 7th Bond Tour of 1945 featuring the iconic Iwo Jima photo and the three surviving flag raisers, put $14 billion in the government’s war chest. A simple snapshot reminded the American people of the type of heroes a free nation defending herself can produce. And the American people responded. The leaders of WWII knew that putting faces on the heroes and telling their stories exponentially increases the power of their heroism.

- Recently the first Marine was nominated for the Medal of Honor for valor in Iraq. Private First Class Christopher Adlesperger’s real-life exploits make Hollywood action-adventure stars look like whimps. According to reports the 20-year old “Killed at least 11 insurgents. He killed them with his M-16 and with his grenade launcher. He killed insurgents who were heavily armed and who had just killed his close friend Lance Cpl. Erick Hodges. He protected two wounded squad members from attack and saved innumerable Marines.”
For his heroism, Adlesperger was promoted to Lance Corporal but gave his life a month later when he was killed leading a raid on another insurgent stronghold.

- Certainly, the media bears a lot of the blame for the fact that everyone in America knows the deeds of Abu Gharib prison guard PFC Lyndie England but few know PFC Adlesperger. The Bush administration also deserves a great deal of the culpability for failing to adequately tell the story of our heroes.

- Why hasn’t President Bush called on the donors that funded his election year media blitzes, to buy TV time to tell the stories that need to be told? Be advised, this is not a call for exploitation. Rather it is demand for appropriate exaltation of the countless acts of bravery and sacrifice made by our troops in Iraq. An inevitable bi-product of this recognition would be an increase in the nation’s desire to finish the job.

- Undoubtedly, had we fought the battle Iwo Jima and WWII the way we are fighting in Iraq and elsewhere in the war on terror, the flag raised on Mount Suribachi would have featured the rising sun rather than the stars and stripes. Had the Japanese been victorious in the Pacific, much of the world would have been cast into a long period of unfathomable misery.

EVS TAKES ON IRRESPONSIBLE ANTI-WAR CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE

Democrat John Hall’s Iraq policy is to “extricate our troops as quickly
as possible by transferring control to a true multinational force.”
This sounds okay but begs the question; what multinational force?
The UN was bribed into irrelevance by Saddam, its “peace-keepers”
committed scores of sexual assaults on the people of the Congo and
NATO has struggled to muster a mere 2,500 more troops for Afghanistan.

Hall also espouses the well-worn notion that the Iraq war is “aiding
the recruitment of our enemies.” He ignores the fact that al qaeda had
no trouble recruiting the 9/11 hijackers and the perpetrators of
countless other acts of terror prior to Operation Iraqi Freedom. Are we supposed to tailor our national defense to placate hair-trigger Muslims who riot and murder over cartoons, documentaries and centuries old quotations?

Despite setbacks, the Iraq war daily leads to the death or imprisonment
of terrorists and produces intelligence. Most importantly, Jihadists who otherwise would be working to slaughter defenseless civilians are being methodically defeated by the skill and determination of the American military.

A premature withdrawal from Iraq would send a clear signal that the U.S. will quit when things get difficult, exponentially increase Iran’s
influence in the region, provide a safe haven for terrorists and squander the work and sacrifice of those who served and died in Iraq.

The Hudson Valley needs a Congressman who offers workable solutions to national security issues not a guitar player singing far left talking points.

Kieran Michael Lalor
Founder of EternalVigilanceSociety.org

Senator John McCain On North Korea

Senator John McCain On North Korea:

Time for Decisive Action on North Korea

Korea doubts the world’s resolve. It is testing South Korea, China, Russia, Japan, and the United States. They launched seven missiles in July, and were criticized by the Security Council, but suffered no serious sanction. We have talked and talked about punishing their bad behavior. They don’t believe we have the resolve to do it. We must prove them wrong.

I am encouraged by the Security Council’s swift and strong condemnation of the act on Monday, but the permanent members must now follow up our words with action. We must impose Chapter 7 sanctions with teeth, as President Bush has proposed.

China has staked its prestige as an emerging great power on its ability to reason with North Korea, keep them engaged with the six party negotiations, and make progress toward a diplomatic resolution of this crisis. North Korea has now challenged them as directly as they challenge South Korea, Japan, Russia and the U.S. It is not in China’s interest or our interest to have a nuclear arms race in Asia, but that is where we’re headed. If China intends to be a force for stability in Asia, then it must do more than rebuke North Korea. It must show Pyongyang that it cannot sustain itself as a viable state with aggressive actions and in isolation from the entire world.

They have missiles, and now they claim to have tested a nuclear device. Eventually they will have the technology to put warheads on missiles. That is a grave threat to South Korea, Japan and the United States that we cannot under any circumstances accept. North Korea also has a record of transferring weapons technology to other rogue nations, such as Iran and Syria.

The President is right to call on the Council to impose a military arms embargo, financial and trade sanctions, and, most importantly, the right to interdict and inspect all cargo in and out of North Korea. I hope the Council quickly adopts these sanctions, and that all members enforce them.

The worst thing we could do is accede to North Korea’s demand for bilateral talks. When has rewarding North Korea’s bad behavior ever gotten us anything more than worse behavior?

I would remind Senator Hillary Clinton and other Democrats critical of Bush Administration policies that the framework agreement her husband’s administration negotiated was a failure. The Koreans received millions in energy assistance. They diverted millions in food assistance to their military. And what did they do? They secretly enriched uranium.

Prior to the agreement, every single time the Clinton Administration warned the Koreans not to do something -- not to kick out the IAEA inspectors, not to remove the fuel rods from their reactor -- they did it. And they were rewarded every single time by the Clinton Administration with further talks. We had a carrots and no sticks policy that only encouraged bad behavior. When one carrot didn’t work, we offered another.

This isn’t just about North Korea. Iran is watching this test of the Council’s will, and our decisions will surely influence their response to demands that they cease their nuclear program. Now, we must, at long last, stop reinforcing failure with failure.
Posted by Captain Ed at October 10, 2006 05:59 PM

North Korean Nuke Test

North Korean Nuke Test:

North Korea provokes the world by testing a nuke.

Below are some articles regarding the implications of the tests:

LCPL MICHAEL D. GLOVER (1978-2006):

LCPL MICHAEL D. GLOVER
AMERICAN HERO
(1978-2006)

Michael Glover was a true Renaissance Man and will forever be remembered as an authentic American Hero.

Below is a brief biography of a great man who gave his life for his country.

Mike Glover was Mr. New York. A Rockaway man through and through, he worked the beaches as a lifeguard for several summers as a young man. He also brought music to New York’s bar and club scene as a DJ, worked for a technology firm in White Plains and helped run his father’s medical devise business.

He was a graduate of prestigious Xavier High School in Manhattan, where he was an outstanding student who went on to graduate from University of Albany with honors.

Motivated by the heroism of the 9/11 firefighters from his neighborhood, he enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve and went to Boot Camp on Parris Island in the summer of 2004. The following Summer Glover completed the Marine Corps’ School Of Infantry.

When Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast, motivated by the way the country rallied behind his beloved New York on 9/11, Glover rounded up two other Marines and drove 1400 miles to the effected area. Using a potent combination of persuasiveness and moxie, he navigated through police and National Guard checkpoints making his way to the command post of the search and rescue efforts in downtown New Orleans.

A New Orleans police officer, who was also a ranking member of a Marine Reserve unit in Louisiana, took notice of Glover’s exploits and put him up for a medal. Prior to deploying to Iraq, Glover was awarded the Navy And Marine Corps Achievement Medal. The citation reads in part:

“Lance Corporal Glover conducted numerous rescue missions by land and water working from dawn until dusk.”

“Lance Corporal Glover’s initiative and selfless devotion to duty reflected great credit upon himself and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.”

He earned an academic scholarship to Pace Law in White Plains and began studying law just weeks after his boot camp graduation. He completed two semesters before volunteering to deploy to Iraq with Bravo Company 1st Battalion 25th Marines.

Glover was offered a job with the New York Attorney General’s office in White Plains but put the opportunity on hold to go to Iraq.

As if he didn’t have enough on his plate he began playing the guitar in 2003, rooted hard for the New York Yankees and was known to party like a rock star.

Mike Glover deployed to Iraq in March 2006 and served for five months near the volatile city of Fallujah in the An Bar Province.

On 16 August he gave his life on the battlefield.

For the hundreds of friends and family members who adored this very unique and determined young man, the loss is so deep it is not yet fully comprehendible.

Mike Glover, a man among men in life, died a hero for the ages.

Partition Iraq?

Partition Iraq?

Some experts are now calling for a partition of Iraq into three autonomous regions for the Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds.

Eternal Vigilance Society has not yet taken a position on this issue but we are researching the matter.

Below are some articles relevant to the three country proposal.

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