The paucity of bad news from the war zone has caused an almost complete blackout of news about the war.  As if not reporting it makes the good news from the theater go away.  Here’s something you will only see on the Army home page.  An example of how the “I support the troops” thing should actually work if people really meant it.

http://www.army.mil/-news/2008/01/18/7056-six-graders-welcome-troopers-home-from-a-war-zone/index.html

Someone told me the other day that he supported the war at first, but he was just “tired of the whole thing”.  Really? Tired? Awww?

I asked him what about the war was it that was making him tired considering the fact that he had no relatives in the service and his life had changed very little in the last five years other than the fact that he has been safe from being attacked himself.  He became agitated and said he was “tired of hearing about it”.  What a freaking girlie man.

Yeah, I suppose that can wear you down you know?  Hearing about it, as opposed to strapping on sixty plus pounds of protective equipment and going out on patrol, possibly facing your demise every single day.  To do that willingly and proudly, being sure of why you’re doing what you do.  To watch the fruits of your sacrifice bloom on the grateful faces and gestures of those whose lives you’ve made 100 percent better.  Not to mention keeping your country safe from attack while you’re fighting them over there.

I know I don’t have a lock on every single service man or woman who served, but I spoke with literally hundreds of them in the nineteen months I spent in the desert.  I made it a point to talk to them.  Not one of them said “I’m tired”.  Not a single one said “What am I doing here?”  Not one.  And this was before the surge was in place.  A surge that has been wildly successful.  If that statement is a complete surprise to you it’s because the successes of the surge have not had the coverage our setbacks have had.

I’m sure there are some dissenters, as you can find malcontents even in the most ideal of circumstances.  I just never met them.  As a civilian contractor over there making a nice bit of change these kids had absolutely no reason to blow smoke up my butt.  In fact, the opposite was true.  I’d be the perfect conduit for a venting session. 

Know what they complained about?  Not getting the newest video game.  Not being able to have more than three beers while on R&R.  Not having some of those toiletries that are so readily available in CONUS.  You know, the basics.  Oh and the fact that the good things they were doing never saw the light of day.  Ain’t that something?  They are truly the best this generation has to offer. 

Of course, according the NYT they come back as evil murderers who’ve been ruined by the war.  That bastion of journalism has no data to support their preposterous and despicable claim but they’re the NYT right?  They don’t need data do they?  According to a peacenik I had an exchange with yesterday there are several variations of the truth.  It simply depends on what is true for you.  Facts are also interpreted the same way according to her.  When I stated that you couldn’t look at an orange and tell me it was an apple she responded that “well they’re kind of the same thing because they’re both fruit”.  That’s liberal nuance for you; missing the point entirely.  This leap of logic must have been the product of sitting through My Big Fat Greek Wedding a half dozen times.  She should probably apply to be a NYT editorial writer.

If you want to see the good news from the war there are several outlets.  I don’t mean propaganda, but non-agenda driven reporting.  Pat Dollard, Michael Totten, Michael Yon are excellent sources.  Fox News has been equitably fair with the bad and good. 

Here’s the thing boys and girls.  The war in Iraq isn’t going away soon.  Wishing it will not make it so and the Democratic candidate’s promises notwithstanding, our strong presence in that region is crucial to our safety and security while our cars need gas to run.  None of them have offered a viable solution to get us off this dependence so I don’t see how they can “end this war within 60 days.”  

More to the point, allow me to ask the question: Exactly how has this war affected you anyways?  Near as I can tell, the vast majority of this country is completely unaffected by it.  There are no scrap drives, rationing or sacrifices to be made to support it.  If it’s the death and destruction that bothers you so much why haven’t you been making that big a deal about it in your own neighborhoods?  Americans stand a better chance of getting killed in places like Washington DC, Puerto Rico and Chicago then our service folk have in Baghdad.  You don’t see anyone suggesting disbanding the ineffective police forces do you?

The war weary of this country can simply cry me a river from their convenient comfort in the middle of the herd.  They are mostly a dichotomy themselves. They are the clueless, the ignorant powder puffs who couldn’t balance their checkbooks, but believe they know how to fight a war; the ones with a skewed world view that doesn’t accept the presence of evil and believe unconditional love to be the answer to a rabid lunatic trying to kill them.  The ones living the lifestyles that are offensive to the religious fanatics that believe our society is the spawn of Satan.  The ones driving SUV’s and luxury vehicles while screeching that the war is all about the evil oil magnates.  The very ones that think a herd of caribou in a desolate wasteland should be undisturbed by our drilling for oil that would minimize our dependence on these fanatics.  The ones who would not blink at terminating an unborn, defenseless life, but cry hysterically at the death of children in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Sudan etc.  The ones that when faced with an apple will say ORANGE and then shut their eyes, plug their ears and sing “lalalalala” to shut out all arguments to the contrary.  You know, the Eloi. 

Of course this is all just my opinion.  I’ve only been working with the Department of Defense with a high end security clearance for the past 30 years.  What the hell do I know?

This recent posting from Michael Totten got me to thinking about some of the lessons we can learn from our Masterful Marines.  Mr. Totten’s another independent imbedded journalist in Iraq. 

http://www.michaeltotten.com/archives/2008/01/a-plan-to-kill.php

Before I get to the “lesson”, let me say I enjoy these guys’ insights because their independent status gives them the leeway to be brutally honest and non-agenda driven.  Pat Dollard and Michael Yon are also good sites to have bookmarked for this purpose.  Other than the personal friends I have in theater, I count on these reporters’ postings for good and factual on the ground news.

Again, I was linked to Mr. Totten’s site by FoxNews.com’s “Latest News” link. They continue to be the only source for these reports in the major news organizations.  The other networks/newspapers continue to ignore these and for good reason (in their editorial bent minds).  They invariably report GOOD news.  Not intentionally and they’re all clear that much work needs to be done and the situation is dynamic, but they have a clear understanding of the importance of this work and why it MUST be done.  They don’t get into any of the “why are we here?” and “President Bush is evil” chants.  Not to mention the fact that they are respectful and honest about our forces, yes our Masterful Forces’ efforts.

Now to the lesson.

This latest posting focuses on the issue of complacency and how our Marines are countering this mindset.  I addressed this issue on another blog in our own lives within the “relative safety” of our mainstream USA streets.  Mr. Totten was having difficulty with this concept, but he seemed to get the point.  Admittedly it’s a fine line to walk, the difference between situational awareness and rampant paranoia.  I like the joke axiom “just because I’m paranoid doesn’t mean you bastards AREN’T out to get me”, because it’s just funny.  But the opposite is also true (not being paranoid doesn’t mean you bastards AREN’T out to get me). 

Mr. Totten pointed it out when, looking at an Iraqi, who in his mind clearly presented no danger, he imagined smashing the man’s face in.  Some may be appalled at this but it is an exercise I engage in regularly throughout the day.  As people walk up to me I switch off between two imaginary scenarios.  One, what would I do if this person (regardless of their physical appearance) all of a sudden upped and surprise attacked me (armed, unarmed etc.).  I mentally prepare a counter for each of these scenarios.  I focus on quick and deadly, mostly gross motor movements. 

Second, I also imagine how I would attack them if I wanted to all of a sudden surprise blitz them.  In a million years I would not do this for real, but it gives me an insight into the thought process of an attacker.  There are countless scenarios that I alternate in both exercises (quick and deadly, defensive and non-lethal, immobilize, one-two-three strikes etc.). 

One of the major benefits of this type of mental training is that you create a mindset of situational awareness that continues to churn in the background of your mind even when you’re not engaging in the exercise. 

How is this useful? 

Surprisingly, a MAJOR benefit is subtle and intangible, but very effective.  It counters prey behavior.  In other words, your heightened state of relaxed alertness delivers an unspoken message to the attacker (predator) that you are NOT easy prey.  They don’t know why, but they can just sense it.  Here’s the beauty of it.  The message in most cases is effective REGARDLESS of your physical appearance and/or training.  Remember, you only have to physically defend yourself when your actual personal security plan has failed.  You want to avoid that because there are some evil sons of bitches out there.  Ironically, even the toughest of them are inherently cowardly and will only target easy prey.

Secondly, should you have to physically defend yourself you will leap into action almost immediately with canned physical techniques that are subconsciously driven..  We all have some of these that are already neuro-muscularly innate.  Throwing your hands up, crouching your head, closing your eyes etc.  The first few seconds of an attack are CRITICAL and are almost always wasted by the shocked reaction of people who first go into a state of denial (often voiced aloud).  “I can’t believe this is happening to me!”  Remember, the attacker has had the benefit of planning and victim selection. They are also already highly adrenalized into action.  You’re playing catch-up.  The above exercise will expedite this paradigm shift.

Do not misunderstand me here.  I’m not advocating a state of paranoia about your fellow man.  What I advocate is preparedness, physical and mental, but the mental state is the key to avoidance.  It’s amazing to me when I hear my single, slightly older, female students talk about the myriad of emotional defensive mechanisms they have in place when they go out on a date for the first time with someone.  They have these because they’ve been burned before and they carry them into the first few dates.  Yet when I talk to them about the above exercise they express shock and dismay that they should have to live like that.  Ironic.  The mental state I’m talking about here is actually quite a liberating and empowered one.  Particularly if you’re not innately security minded.

Of course to me the exercise is also a bit fun.  Sue me.  My juvenile proclivities aside, as Joe Pesci’s character says in My Cousin Vinny, although I could probably use a good whuppin, I’m not volunteering for one anytime soon.  For more of this type of information, go to my “Surviving a mass shooting” blog. It’s in 4 parts but I’m pretty proud of that post.