Those words mean more to Private First Class Alexander Cesario than they do to most.
BAGHDAD, Jan. 3, 2008 – Like any soldier, Army Pfc. Alexander Cesario always makes sure he has all his essential equipment before he goes “outside the wire.” For Cesario, that means his weapon, radio and night-vision goggles, as well as one special personal item: an American flag his father brought home from Vietnam.
Cesario, a Somerville, N.J., native serving as a forward observer with 82nd Airborne Division’s Company A, Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, has carried his father’s flag with him on every mission since being deployed to Iraq a year ago.
The soldier’s father, Adam, 61, acquired the flag when he was a young paratrooper serving in Vietnam. The elder Cesario never let a day go by without unfurling the flag, no matter where he was or what he was doing.
“(My dad) flew that flag every day, even if he had to put it up on a radio antenna,” Cesario said.
At one point, a mission went wrong and Cesario’s father was cut off from the rest of his platoon. For three days, he had to hack it out of the jungle alone, with the Viet Cong in hot pursuit. But even on the run, he still managed to raise the flag each day.
“He didn’t stop moving at all for those three days, except to fly that flag,” Cesario said.
When Cesario’s father returned from the war, he put the flag into safekeeping. He was so protective of it that even family members were rarely allowed to handle it.
“It was like his prized possession,” Cesario said.
Nothing could make the elder Cesario part with the flag until Alexander, 19, was deployed to Iraq this year. After he began patrolling the streets of Baghdad, Cesario decided he wanted to carry on his father’s tradition. After some arm-twisting, he convinced his dad to mail him the flag.
The flag arrived with step-by-step instructions on how to take care of it, Cesario said. He recalled the final step with a laugh: “If you lose it, don’t bother coming home.”
Photo Courtesy U.S. Army
I salute the Cesario family for their dedication and service to this great nation and to the flags of our fathers. This We’ll Defend. Sgt Hook out.
Just before midnight on the eve of the new year, I stopped out at the FARP (Forward Arming and Refuel Point) to visit the night crews who work a thankless 12-hour shift refueling and rearming all types of helicpters that come in at all hours. I arrived just as two OH58 Kiowa Warriors and two AH64 Apaches pulled in for gas and rockets. I watched a dozen or so of my soldiers run to their assigned stations in the cold dark night servicing the aircraft as efficiently as a NASCAR pit crew. Within minutes, the warfighters were back in the air and on mission.
No champagne, no fireworks, and the only noise makers were that of turbine engines and turning rotors. I will spend the bulk of this year here in Iraq, but my gut is telling me that 2008 will be one for the history books.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and days of auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and days of auld lang syne?
And here’s a hand, my trusty friend
And gie’s a hand o’ thine
We’ll tak’ a cup o’ kindness yet
For auld lang syne
Happy New Year my friends. I hope your 2008 turns out to be an incredible year. Sgt Hook out.
The Battle of the Bulge: Sixty-Two Years Ago
Courtesy The United States Army Center of Military History
Early on the misty winter morning of 16 December 1944, over 200,000 German troops and nearly 1,000 tanks launched Adolf Hitler’s last bid to reverse the ebb in his fortunes that had begun when Allied troops landed in France on D-day. Seeking to drive to the English Channel coast and split the Allied armies as they had done in May 1940, the Germans struck in the Ardennes Forest, a seventy-five-mile stretch of the front characterized by dense woods and few roads, held by four inexperienced and battle-worn American divisions stationed there for rest and seasoning.
After a day of hard fighting, the Germans broke through the American front, surrounding most of an infantry division, seizing key crossroads, and advancing their spearheads toward the Meuse River, creating the projection that gave the battle its name.
Stories spread of the massacre of soldiers and civilians at Malmedy and Stavelot, of paratroopers dropping behind the lines, and of English-speaking German soldiers, disguised as Americans, capturing critical bridges, cutting communications lines, and spreading rumors. For those who had lived through 1940, the picture was all too familiar. Belgian townspeople put away their Allied flags and brought out their swastikas. Police in Paris enforced an all-night curfew. British veterans waited nervously to see how the Americans would react to a full-scale German offensive, and British generals quietly acted to safeguard the Meuse crossings. Even American civilians who had thought final victory was near were sobered by the Nazi onslaught.
But this was not 1940. The supreme Allied commander, General Dwight D. Eisenhower rushed reinforcements to hold the shoulders of the German penetration. Within days, Lt. Gen. George S. Patton, Jr. had turned his Third U.S. Army to the north and was counterattacking against the German flank. But the story of the battle of the Bulge is above all the story of American soldiers. Often isolated and unaware of the overall picture, they did their part to slow the Nazi advance, whether by delaying armored spearheads with obstinate defenses of vital crossroads, moving or burning critical gasoline stocks to keep them from the fuel-hungry German tanks, or coming up with questions on arcane Americana to stump possible Nazi infiltrators.
At the critical road junctions of St. Vith and Bastogne, American tankers and paratroopers fought off repeated attacks, and when the acting commander of the 101st Airborne Division in Bastogne was summoned by his German adversary to surrender, he simply responded, “Nuts!”
Within days, Patton’s Third Army had relieved Bastogne, and to the north, the 2d U.S. Armored Division stopped enemy tanks short of the Meuse on Christmas Day. Through January, American troops, often wading through deep snow drifts, attacked the sides of the shrinking bulge until they had restored the front and set the stage for the final drive to victory.
Never again would Hitler be able to launch an offensive in the West on such a scale. An admiring British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill stated, “This is undoubtedly the greatest American battle of the war and will, I believe, be regarded as an ever-famous American victory.” Indeed, in terms of participation and losses, the battle of the Bulge is arguably the greatest battle in American military history.
Heroes. Every damned one of ‘em heroes. Sgt Hook out.
“At approximately eight o’clock on the morning of December 7, 1941, I was leaving the breakfast table when the ship’s siren for air defense sounded. Having no anti-aircraft battle station, I paid little attention to it. Suddenly I heard an explosion. I ran to the port door leading to the quarterdeck and saw a bomb strike a barge of some sort alongside the NEVADA, or in that vicinity. The marine color guard came in at this point saying we were being attacked. I could distinctly hear machine gun fire. I believe at this point our anti-aircraft battery opened up.
“We stood around awaiting orders of some kind. General Quarters sounded and I started for my battle station in secondary aft. As I passed through casement nine I noted the gun was manned and being trained out. The men seemed extremely calm and collected. I reached the boat deck and our anti-aircraft guns were in full action, firing very rapidly. I was about three quarters of the way to the first platform on the mast when it seemed as though a bomb struck our quarterdeck. I could hear shrapnel or fragments whistling past me. As soon as I reached the first platform, I saw Second Lieutenant Simonson lying on his back with blood on his shirt front. I bent over him and taking him by the shoulders asked if there was anything I could do. He was dead, or so nearly so that speech was impossible. Seeing there was nothing I could do for the Lieutenant, I continued to my battle station.
This Is War: Memories of Iraq, the feature length documentary that has everyone talking. Bold, brash and a little sick, This Is War takes viewers inside Iraq and reveals the story that can only be told by the men and the women living the deployment. Although featuring members of the Oregon National Guard 2/162, This Is War is really the story of all of America’s warriors that have been deployed.
Not a movie for the Left or the Right, This Is War the reality, hopefulness, hopelessness, fear and joy in Iraq through the video and photos of the soldiers themselves, as they survive intense combat and the hunt for IEDs that define their mission.
I wonder if it is too late to add this to Santa’s wish list? Sgt Hook out.
I awoke early this morning, donned my running shoes and headed out for a little jog across the desert. The sky was still dark, the air cool and the traffic very light on the FOB. My mind wandered as I made my way over the flat, dusty land where arose the dawn of human recorded history, as the sun peaked above the horizon in front of me. I was very aware that my feet were pounding upon ancient land, beneath Anu, the Sumerian god of sky. A sky now busy with helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles and cargo planes as they take part in making history in a place already rich in history.
I thought about the patrol I had been on the other day and wondered how the early days of civilization in this place, Mesopotamia, compared to today’s Iraq. How did the children of then spend there days? Certainly not chasing and waving to up-armored humvees driving past what one might term a village. Yet the children of Mesopotamia also knew war.
While dust filled my nostrils and sweat started flowing from my pores under the ever warming Iraqi sun, I recalled yesterday’s marathon visit I was party to with a handful of local sheiks all professing their sincere commitment to ending the violence against coalition forces in their areas. The very areas our patrol passed through earlier in the day, the children waving as we did.
My little jog came to an end at about the 6k mark and I wondered what the future held for the people of this ancient land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.Sgt Hook out.
It is still not too late to register for the 26 mile memorial march held annually at White Sands, New Mexico.
WASHINTON (Army News Service, March 7, 2007) - Thousands of Soldiers and civilians converge at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., each spring to share the common experiences of blisters, sore muscles and exhaustion, as they undertake the grueling Bataan Memorial Death March.
“It’s an amazing experience,” said 2nd Lt. Todd Perry, a member of Team America, which won the Military Heavy Coed Division at last year’s march. He said the camaraderie, sense of accomplishment and opportunity to pay respect to older veterans are rewards participants take from the march.
As many of you are aware, the President of the United States of America and Commander in Chief of the American Military addressed a joint session of Congress and the nation earlier this evening. Overall, I think he gave an honest assessment of the State of the Union and outlined a sensible, comprehensive agenda engaging several important domestic and foreign affairs facing our nation today. As this is a Milblog, and I am an active duty Soldier, I was keenly tuned into his remarks regarding the change in strategy in Iraq and the Global War on Terror.
This is not the fight we entered in Iraq, but it is the fight we are in. Every one of us wishes that this war were over and won. Yet it would not be like us to leave our promises unkept, our friends abandoned, and our own security at risk. Ladies and gentlemen: On this day, at this hour, it is still within our power to shape the outcome of this battle. So let us find our resolve, and turn events toward victory.
In order to make progress toward this goal, the Iraqi government must stop the sectarian violence in its capital. But the Iraqis are not yet ready to do this on their own. So we are deploying reinforcements of more than 20,000 additional soldiers and Marines to Iraq. The vast majority will go to Baghdad, where they will help Iraqi forces to clear and secure neighborhoods and serve as advisers embedded in Iraqi Army units. With Iraqis in the lead, our forces will help secure the city by chasing down terrorists, insurgents, and roaming death squads. And in Anbar province — where Al Qaeda terrorists have gathered and local forces have begun showing a willingness to fight them — we are sending an additional 4,000 United States Marines, with orders to find the terrorists and clear them out. We did not drive Al Qaeda out of their safe haven in Afghanistan only to let them set up a new safe haven in a free Iraq.
My fellow citizens, our military commanders and I have carefully weighed the options. We discussed every possible approach. In the end, I chose this course of action because it provides the best chance of success. Many in this Chamber understand that America must not fail in Iraq — because you understand that the consequences of failure would be grievous and far reaching. If American forces step back before Baghdad is secure, the Iraqi government would be overrun by extremists on all sides. We could expect an epic battle between Shia extremists backed by Iran, and Sunni extremists aided by al Qaeda and supporters of the old regime. A contagion of violence could spill out across the country — and in time the entire region could be drawn into the conflict.
This is where matters stand tonight, in the here and now. I have spoken with many of you in person. I respect you and the arguments you have made. We went into this largely united — in our assumptions, and in our convictions. And whatever you voted for, you did not vote for failure. Our country is pursuing a new strategy in Iraq — and I ask you to give it a chance to work. And I ask you to support our troops in the field — and those on their way.
That final paragraph brings me to the other critical address that occurred today, one you may not be aware of; that of Lieutenant General David H. Petraeus this morning before a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on his nomination to be the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq.
The situation in Iraq has deteriorated significantly since the bombing this past February of the Al-Askari mosque in Samarra, the third-holiest Shi’a Islamic shrine.
The increase in the level of violence since then, fueled by the insurgent and sectarian fighting that spiraled in the wake of the bombing, has made progress in Iraq very difficult and created particularly challenging dynamics in the capital city of Baghdad.
Indeed, many Iraqis in Baghdad today confront life-or-death, stay-or-leave decisions on a daily basis. They take risks incalculable to us just to get to work, to educate their children and to feed their families.
For a military commander, the term “secure” is a clearly defined doctrinal task, meaning to gain control of an area or terrain feature and to protect it from the enemy. Thus, the tasks will be clear-cut, though difficult. Certainly upcoming operations will be carried out in full partnership with Iraqi forces, with them in the lead whenever possible and with arm’s length when that is not possible. Transition of Iraqi forces and provinces to Iraqi control will continue to feature prominently in the coalition plan, and as recommended by the Iraqi (sic) Study Group, the adviser effort will be substantially reinforced.
The primacy of population security in the capital will mean a greater focus on that task, particularly in the most threatened neighborhoods. This will, of course, require that our unit commanders and their Iraqi counterparts develop a detailed appreciation of the areas in which they will operate, recognizing that they may face a combination of Sunni insurgents, international terrorists, sectarian militias and violent criminals.
Together with Iraqi forces, a persistent presence in these neighborhoods will be essential.
Some of the members of this committee have observed that there is no military solution to the problems of Iraq. They are correct.
Ultimate success in Iraq will be determined by actions in the Iraqi political and economic arenas on such central issues as governance, the amount of power devolved to the provinces and possibly regions, the distribution of oil revenues, national reconciliation and resolution of sectarian differences, and so on. Success will also depend on improvements in the capacity of Iraq’s ministries, in the provision of basic services, in the establishment of the rule of law, and in economic development.
It is, however, exceedingly difficult for the Iraqi government to come to grips with the toughest issues it must resolve while survival is the primary concern of so many in Iraq’s capital. For this reason, military action to improve security, while not wholly sufficient to solve Iraq’s problems, is certainly necessary. And that is why additional U.S. and Iraqi forces are moving to Baghdad.
Indeed, the objectives of helping Iraqis increase the capacity of their governmental institutions, putting Iraq’s unemployed to work, and improving the lot and life of Iraqi citizens requires additional resources, many of which will be Iraqi. In carrying out the non-kinetic elements of this strategy, however, our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and civilians downrange must get all the help they can from all the agencies of our government. There is a plan to increase that assistance, and it is hugely important. This clearly is the time for the leaders of all our governmental departments to ask how their agencies can contribute to the endeavor in Iraq, and to provide all the assistance that they can.
Our military is making an enormous commitment in Iraq. We need the rest of the departments to do likewise, to help the Iraqi government get the country and its citizens working, and to use Iraq’s substantial oil revenues for the benefit of all the Iraqi people.
One has to wonder if General Petraeus routinely reads Sgt Hook, but if so, he certainly explains things much better than I. General Petraeus delivered a straight forward, honest assessment of the current conditions on the ground and the challenges we face and I think clearly explained the need for a strategic plan that employs our military tactically while calling on other agencies and entities both here and in Iraq to step up to the plate and contribute to winning the fight. The General knows what he’s facing and is not shying away from it; not even flinching.
If confirmed, this assignment will be my fourth year or longer deployment since the summer of 2001, three of those to Iraq. My family and I understand what our country has asked of its men and women in uniform, and of their families, since 9/11.
In fact, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the American people for their wonderful support in recent years of our men and women in uniform. Tom Brokaw observed to me one day in northern Iraq that those who have served our nation since 9/11 comprise the new “Greatest Generation.” I agree strongly with that observation, and I know the members of this committee do too.
Many of the e-mails I’ve received in recent weeks have had as their subject line “Congratulations — I think.” I understand the message they are conveying. I know how heavy a rucksack I will have to shoulder in Iraq if confirmed. I am willing to take on the position for which I have been nominated because I believe in servings one (sic) nation when asked; I — because I regard it as a distinct honor to be able to soldier again with those who are part of the brotherhood of the close fight; and because I feel an obligation to help the shab el-Iraqi, the people of Iraq, the vast majority of whom have the same desires of people the world over: security for themselves and their loved ones, satisfaction of their basic needs and an opportunity to better their life.
In closing, the situation in Iraq is dire. The stakes are high.
There are no easy choices. The way ahead will be very hard. Progress will require determination and difficult U.S. and Iraqi actions, especially the latter, as ultimately the outcome will be determined by the Iraqis. But hard is not hopeless, and if confirmed, I pledge to do my utmost to lead our wonderful men and women in uniform and those of our coalition partners in Iraq as we endeavor to help the Iraqis make the most of the opportunity our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines have given to them.
Thank you very much.
Both of these men, leaders, Americans gave important addresses today, and if nothing else, I took away that both are vehemently committed to the security of this great nation of ours. Both understand the current world war in which we find ourselves while grasping the complexities entailed with fighting it and are willing to stand up, face our enemy, and defeat him. President Bush and General Petraeus know that victory today will not come with a front-page headline and photo of a defeated enemy signing articles of surrender aboard a naval battleship, but have no doubts that achieving victory today is just as important as it was in the past.
Understand that the consequences of failure would be grievous and far reaching.
Whatever you voted for, you did not vote for failure.
This site is a collection of my writings, thoughts, and ramblings and in no way reflects the official positions of the United States Army or the Department of Defense. OPSEC trumps everything.
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In view of a recent tendency to identify characters in fiction with real people, it seems proper to state that there are no real people in this volume: both the characters and their names are ficticious. The names or designations of any military units are ficticious. There are no living people nor existing military units presented in this book.
-Ernest Hemingway
Halfway down the road to hell,
In a shady meadow green,
Are the souls of all dead troopers camped
Near a good old-time canteen.
And this eternal resting place
Is known as Fiddler's Green.
-Author Unknown
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