The End of DADT

Barbara Morrill from Daily Kos sums it up nicely:

The repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" was passed on a final vote of 65-31. There are unverified reports that John McCain's (R-AZ) legs fell off.

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DADT - It's Time

Daily Kos

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Marines in Marja and the Battles to Come

C.J. Chivers, writing in the New York Times, lays out what the current Marine battles in Marja tell us about what the short-term future holds:

Is the violence a predictable summer fight for an area the Taliban and those who profit from the drug economy do not want to lose; in other words, an unsurprising flare-up that can be turned around? Or will Marja remain bloody for a long time, allowing insurgents to inflict sustained losses on American units and win merely by keeping the fight alive?

According to Chivers and the Marines on the ground, it's too soon to tell.

Meanwhile, Marines are wounded by bombs or shot each week. The violence in itself does not mean that the campaign is lost. Fighting is normal to war, a concept sometimes played down in discussions about the United States’ counterinsurgency doctrine, which emphasizes developing relationships with the population and helping government agencies gain credibility and provide services.

Those directly involved caution that a few months of fighting is not necessarily a basis for grim forecasts, especially during the first summer in a former Taliban enclave. American commanders have been voicing frustration nonetheless, as was evident last month in Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal’s description of Marja as “a bleeding ulcer.”

The remark underscores perhaps the clearest conclusion that can be drawn thus far. Even before the last troops of the Obama administration’s surge arrive in Afghanistan, high-level American commanders appear pressed for time, no matter the complexities faced by troops on the ground.

Chivers points out that Marine tactics have changed in the past year, and the new approach means more direct contact with combatants, compared to earlier reliance on airstrikes and artillery. Less collateral damage to civilians means more wounded and dead Marines.

The pace of Marine patrols has also increased as they seek to perform the most basic of combat techniques - seek and maintain contact with the enemy.

As Chivers notes, everyone feels the pressure of time on combat operations. It's unlikely that the Obama administration will commit more troops or delay the planned 2011 pullout from Afghanistan unless there is empirical evidence of progress.

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Memorial Day - A Country Distracted

Paul Rieckhoff, executive director and founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, details how Memorial Day is often viewed by veterans and their families. Not surprisingly, Rieckhoff believes there are two Americas on this day:

For most Americans, Memorial Day weekend marks the triumphant return of summer: a trip to the beach and a day off of work - barbecues, beers and bargains. Yet, as most Americans head to the beach or the mall, many veterans and military families will travel to a cemetery. For veterans, there is no day of the year when the civilian-military divide feels greater. On Memorial Day, it feels like we are citizens of two different countries.

This holiday should be a solemn day of remembrance for the more than one million American service members of all generations who have given their lives in defense of our country, including the 5,454 men and women who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is a humbling occasion to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. But unfortunately, the significance of the day is often lost under the coolers and beach blankets in the trunk of the car.

It's been over thirty years since I took off the BDUs, and with each passing Memorial Day, I wonder if we will ever again witness the entire nation pay tribute to those who have served and those who have fallen.

With the elimination of compulsory military service, the concept of shared sacrifice in the defense of our country has beaten a hasty retreat from our consciousness. This laissez-faire attitude has been created surreptitiously, as the all volunteer military has shifted the burden to only those who choose to serve (and their loved ones) while everyone else is insulated from what it is the armed forces does in our name on a daily basis that obliges us to spend this one day - one day - honoring and remembering.

President Obama is spending the long weekend in Chicago, rather than in Washington, and I hope that he finds time to publicly pay tribute to our veterans, specifically the brave souls who have lost their lives in the service of their nation.

Paul Rieckhoff implores you:

Take a moment this Monday to pause and pay respect to those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation. Every American can pledge to help make Memorial Day the day of remembrance, not the day of mattress sales. Even if you're at the beach, you can take a moment to pause with your family and teach your kids what Memorial Day signifies. You can teach yourself and your family about what it means to serve your family, your community, and your country.

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Video: Dutch Marines Capture Somali Pirates

This is impressive stuff. And don't sit there and say you could have done it better because you play Call of Duty. You have no idea what this is like unless you've actually deployed.

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Against All Enemies, Foreign and Domestic

Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo cuts to the chase:

Looking at the American Patriot Foundation's representation of Lt. Col. Terence Lakin, it occurs to me, what's more patriotic than an active duty member of the military refusing to obey a lawful order?

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