War correspondent Yon: bin Laden sea burial 'deadly blunder'

Twitter, Facebook and probably every other social media site are sizzling with details of the operation that took Osama bin Laden down. There’s no way to verify any of the information, but it is interesting to see how people around the world react to the death of a man whose actions directly drew the U.S. into long term wars rife with politics and passion. The killing raises as many questions as it answers.

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SEAL’s book is a backgrounder on training, discipline

By Kay B. Day

Pt. I of 2

I came to the book ‘Lone Survivor’ by Marcus Luttrell with Patrick Robinson later than many—David Lussier listed it as a favorite book on his Facebook page. Lussier founded the group Support the Navy SEALs who Captured Ahmed Hashim Abed.

Lussier's recommendation spurred me to buy a copy.

The book became a bestseller for first time author Luttrell. Robinson is an acclaimed writer of fiction and nonfiction and had already racked up bestsellers.

I didn’t know much about the inner workings of the US Navy’s legendary fighting force. By the time I put the book down I’d learned enough to know that being a SEAL is beyond the reach of most of us.

There were 180 in Luttrell’s original group hoping to graduate; approximately 30 made the cut. [Pg. 155] I did know beforehand about the brutal training and exacting requirements. Luttrell gave my general perceptions the specifics I lacked.

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Resolution honoring Navy SEALs lingers in subcommittee

SEAL on night ops. [Photo from official US Navy SEAL website]In December Rep. Ted Poe (R-Tex.) introduced H Res 977 and on January 21, 2010, the resolution was referred to the House subcommittee on Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities.

The official title of the resolution is lengthy: “Honoring Navy SEALs Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew McCabe, Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Keefe, and Petty Officer 1st Class Julio Huertas for their heroic actions in the capture of Ahmed Hashim Abed, the mastermind behind one of the most notorious crimes against Americans in Iraq.”

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Capt. Bjork’s story expands with media coverage, personal website

By Kay B. Day

Capt. Carl Bjork (photo from Support Carl Bjork Facebook group]

As Capt. Carl Bjork awaits word on whether he will be court-martialed for the deaths of two Iraqis, Wasim Ibrahim Al-Kubaysi and Gayth Shakir Saba’ar, his story is expanding because of increased media coverage and a personal website.

Bjork didn’t kill the men; they were executed by a police chief named Ibrahim Hamid Jaza and a couple of his Iraqi colleagues. The Denver Post reported, “Sometime between Nov. 15, 2006, and the end of the year, Jaza and two other Iraqi police officials executed Al-Kubaysi and Saba’ar, according to the Army charge sheet…The suspects told investigators they had been ordered to carry out those killings by the officer in charge of training them—Capt. Carl Bjork.”

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Facebook groups supporting troops grow; are troops being set up?

Commentary by Kay B. Day

Over the weekend I received a call about Capt. Carl Bjork, a U.S. Army infantry officer who is, according to the caller, being tried for murder in Iraq. There’s very little information online about the captain’s trial. There is a Facebook page—Support Carl Bjork. The group has 2,332 members at present and numbers increase by the hour.

According to a statement on the page, Capt. Bjork is “charged with premeditated double murder committed during our 2006-2007 deployment to Hit, Al Anbar Province…” Three “detained Iraqi insurgents” are allegedly the eye witnesses.

The statement on the page said the Army has been “investigating” Bjork for 3 years. “[T]he only evidence of this ‘crime’ the prosecution is bringing to trial is the testimony of those 3 arrested terrorists."

A Townhall blogger said Bjork is being represented by Victor Kelley whose firm has a division called the National Military Justice Group.

Elizabeth Kilbride, author of ‘Soul of American Warriors,’ posted this photo online after being embedded with the military in Iraq. Kilbride’s caption said, “When you are down and out, think about how our soldiers are living in a war zone, you will be grateful for what you have - a comfortable bed.” Watch for upcoming articles about Kilbride and her book at The US Report. [Photo used with permission of the author.]Considering news about Bjork is just beginning to trickle into the blogosphere (and consequently will possibly trickle into big branded media (BBM) thereafter), perhaps we should ask ourselves some questions.

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Defense fund online for Navy SEALs charged in Iraqi detainee case

[Map of Iraq from CIA World Factbook.]A defense fund has been established to help 3 Navy SEALs who face charges stemming from accusations an Iraqi detainee made after he was captured.

The US Navy SEALs blog, a private site,  said, “The case revolves around an alleged incident in September, where one of the SEALs – Matthew McCabe – apparently punched suspect Ahmed Hashim Abed in the stomach. Jonathan Keefe and Julio Huertas are being accused of covering up and lying about the said incident.”

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