Free Range International

The military campaign in Afghanistan is going well apparently.  I read that last Monday here in the Washington Post so it must be true.  But two days ago it took a turn for the worst.  I know that to be a fact too because I read it here in the Washington Post. [...]

Inchon is the call sign for the 1st Marine Regiment which is currently deployed in southern Helmand Province.  They are  operating out of a large FOB in the middle of nowhere, about 50 kilometers from the Provincial capitol of Lashka Gah, named Camp Dwyer.  Unlike other FOB’s I have visited this massive [...]

The ongoing saga about banning security contractors continues with the need for them is so obvious even CNN has gotten a clue.  Many of the reconstruction projects in the country are grinding to a halt and let me tell you something – the local people are sick and tired of this.   We have [...]

I’m not referring to the controversy surrounding the attempted rescue of Linda Norgrove which is currently consuming the news cycle. My experience is that Special Operations folks do not attempt rescue operations unless the odds are stacked in their favor.  I don’t know anything about what happened in Kunar Province last weekend and therefore [...]

Hero is one of those terms which comes up often in reporting about the military.  Not every service member is a hero nor is every hero we encounter in our lives associated with the military.  I point this out because the label “hero” is at risk of becoming a meaningless cliche as we [...]