http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/yon/ en-us Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:34:52 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2361908/posts -excerpt- A world away from Afghanistan, over in Holland, was approaching the 65th anniversary of the allied liberation from Nazi occupation, and I had been invited to attend by James “Maggie” Megellas. Maggie, who had fought his way through Holland and is today remembered there as a hero, is said to be the most decorated officer in the history of the 82nd Airborne Division. Now 92, Maggie has recently spent about two months tooling around the battlefields of Afghanistan, and though it would be an honor to finally meet him, there was the matter of extracting myself from Kandahar City... Michael Yon http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2361908/posts#comment Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:34:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2351362/posts After serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, Marine Lance Cpl. James Yon says there’s no comparison in the willingness of America’s two enemies to fight. “I have respect for them,” the 28-year-old Rock Hill native said of Afghanistan’s Taliban. “They actually do stand toe-to-toe with you.” By contrast, insurgent forces in Iraq prefer impersonal roadside bombs, said Yon, who was deployed to that country less than two years ago... A member of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment from Kaneohe, Hawaii, Yon was at the Craig Joint Theater Hospital here last week after suffering injuries in a blast. The lanky 6-footer... The State http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2351362/posts#comment Wed, 30 Sep 2009 04:56:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2320408/posts 17 August 2009 Sangin, Afghanistan The roads are so littered with enemy bombs that nearly all transport and resupply to this base occurs by helicopter. The pilots roar through the darkness, swoop into small bases nestled in the saddle of enemy territory, and quickly rumble off into the night. A witness must spend only a short time in the darkness to know we are at war. Flares arc into the night, or mortar illumination rounds drift and swing under parachutes, orange and eerily in the distance, casting long, flickering but sharply defined shadows. The worst that can happen is that... MichaelYon-online.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2320408/posts#comment Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:39:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2312937/posts Thursday night, 06 August 2009 Afghanistan I made this photo last night in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. This Landing Zone is very dangerous. A few weeks ago, another helicopter was coming into this LZ and was shot down at the last minute, killing all passengers and crew. Two children on the ground also were killed. The sparks coming off the rotors occur when the helicopters land in hot, dusty conditions. The landing itself occurs in a dangerous "brownout." Brownout danger is compounded by the sparks which light up the dust and can confuse pilots who are wearing extremely sensitive nightvision goggles. michaelyon-online.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2312937/posts#comment Mon, 10 Aug 2009 23:39:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2249314/posts Today’s mission included moving to capture some bomb makers. What the Gurkhas did not know was that the action they thought they were moving to was not the actual training. The real training was to be an attack on them that would occur along the way. Major Will Kefford, the commander of C coy, continues to throw unexpected curveballs at the men. Nothing is sacred. Everything is a trick. Before we set off, Major Kefford said to me something like, “See that man on the ground over there? That’s Agnish. He got the Military Cross in Afghanistan on the last... Michael Yon http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2249314/posts#comment Tue, 12 May 2009 16:36:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2216320/posts President Obama has just spoken on AfPak. I closed my eyes and listened closely to his words, coming via the BBC from the other side of the world. The President's words were disappointing. He talked about our goal to reach a force level of 134,000 Afghan soldiers and 82,000 police by 2011. This is not even in the neighborhood of being enough. Further, the increase of 21,000 U.S. troops is likely just a bucket of water on the growing bonfire. One can only expect that sometime in 2010, the President will again be forced to announce another increase in U.S.... Michael Yon http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2216320/posts#comment Fri, 27 Mar 2009 18:42:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2199540/posts On 24 February 2009, President Barack Obama said during his speech: “The United States of America Does Not Torture.” The President’s words were cast LIVE, around the globe, and I was literally on the other side of the world, a dozen time zones away watching it on CNN. I made a small entry on the website with a few thoughts, unleashing a torrent of criticism, which was expected; I don’t write to please, but in an attempt to deliver truth about the war. Michael Yon - Online Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2199540/posts#comment Thu, 5 Mar 2009 03:12:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2165588/posts MICHAEL Moore may wind up in court with a prize-winning journalist who claims the mountain-size moviemaker ripped off his most famous photo to use in a George W. Bush-bashing rant. Last year, to illustrate one of his anti-administration bombasts, the portly polemicist posted on his michaelmoore.com Web site a heartbreaking photo from Iraq of an American soldier carrying the blood-spattered body of a child. The picture was snapped by acclaimed independent war correspondent Michael Yon, who has been very careful about how his images are distributed and goes out of his way to make sure they aren't used for demagogic... New York Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2165588/posts#comment Fri, 16 Jan 2009 06:11:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2158834/posts The Department of Homeland Security in Action 04 January 2009 A Thai friend with whom I have traveled in Europe and Asia took time off from her job to meet me in Florida over the holidays. This was a good time for me, as it was between reporting stints in the war. My friend, Aew, had volunteered to work with me in Afghanistan or Iraq, but I declined because many people around me get shot or blown up. So we were looking forward to spending some vacation time together. She comes from a good family; and one that is wealthier... Michael Yon Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2158834/posts#comment Mon, 5 Jan 2009 07:15:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2148182/posts U.S. and Afghan soldiers in Zabul Province give high marks to the Lithuanian Special Forces, who like to ride these captured Taliban motorbikes to sneak up on, and chase Taliban fighters. The “LithSof” are on their way to becoming living legends: Both Afghans and Americans report that the Taliban are afraid of the Lithuanians. Stories about them are filled with dangerous escapades and humor. Americans say that the Lithuanians are sort of a weaponized version of Borat, who think nothing of sauntering around a base in nothing but flip-flops and underwear. “They look like mountain men. They never shave, sometimes... Pajamas Media http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2148182/posts#comment Sat, 13 Dec 2008 16:08:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2137811/posts Once it was impossible to keep track of all the bloodshed. Now it's impossible to keep track of all the progress. General Petraeus once told me during the height of the fighting, that South Baghdad was the canary in the mineshaft. In his exact words regarding what Lieutenant Colonel Pat Frank had to deal with in one of the toughest places in Iraq, "It will be the canary in the mineshaft; if they can pull it off, this will be doable.” It is critical to point out that General Petraeus told me this in 2007 — just at the crest... Pajamas Media http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2137811/posts#comment Tue, 25 Nov 2008 03:12:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2133626/posts "THE WAR IS OVER AND WE WON:" Michael Yon just phoned from Baghdad, and reports that things are much better than he had expected, and he had expected things to be good. "There's nothing going on. I'm with the 10th Mountain Division, and about half of the guys I'm with haven't fired their weapons on this tour and they've been here eight months. And the place we're at, South Baghdad, used to be one of the worst places in Iraq. And now there's nothing going on. I've been walking my feet off and haven't seen anything. I've been asking Iraqis,... Instapundit http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2133626/posts#comment Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:56:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2132765/posts "THE WAR IS OVER AND WE WON:" Michael Yon just phoned from Baghdad, and reports that things are much better than he had expected, and he had expected things to be good. "There's nothing going on. I'm with the 10th Mountain Division, and about half of the guys I'm with haven't fired their weapons on this tour and they've been here eight months. And the place we're at, South Baghdad, used to be one of the worst places in Iraq. And now there's nothing going on. I've been walking my feet off and haven't seen anything. I've been asking Iraqis,... Pajamas Media http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2132765/posts#comment Sat, 15 Nov 2008 21:28:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2117072/posts Late Sunday, U.S. Special Forces struck positions across the Syrian-Iraq border, inside of Syria, apparently killing nine people, most of whom were non-Syrian Arab fighters on their way into Iraq. Of course there is a great cry rising from the Syrians today. For years, tons of explosives and a long line of foreign terrorists have streamed across the Syrian border into Anbar Province and Nineveh Province in Iraq. I must have spent a total of about nine months in Nineveh, about eight of which were in the capital of Mosul, and another month in Anbar. Foreign terrorists were caught or... Pajamas Media http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2117072/posts#comment Tue, 28 Oct 2008 02:04:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2112343/posts “I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance.” William FaulknerTraveling along the roads of Afghanistan (when there are roads) provides a different perspective on life back home. Folks in the U.S. are worried about the economy, and while I can understand that many are struggling, it’s easy to forget how much we still have. In Afghanistan, and other countries all over the world, there are many people who literally... Michael Yon Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2112343/posts#comment Wed, 22 Oct 2008 17:58:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2104569/posts Since leaving the British embed, I’ve gone unilateral. I flew back and forth between Kandahar and Lashkar Gah, drove around and talked with people down south, then flew up to Kabul. In Kabul, I met Tim Lynch and Shem Klimiuk (a retired USMC and ex-Aussie paratrooper, respectively), and we drove in an unarmored truck east to Jalalabad. The canyon-filled drive would be dangerous even if there was no war, but there is a war – a rapidly growing one — and Tim pointed out burnt spots on the road where ambushes had occurred. I was unarmed, and counting on the... Michael Yon Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2104569/posts#comment Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:26:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2100460/posts Can the war in Afghanistan be won? It depends on whom you ask. The senior British commander in Afghanistan recently was quoted in The Times of London, "This war cannot be won." A French diplomatic dispatch reports that the British ambassador said the best solution would be to find an "acceptable dictator" to take over the troubled country. But the British soldiers with whom I was recently embedded in Helmand Province had very high morale and felt optimistic about Afghanistan. And British and American officers whose judgment and honesty I trust share that optimism, even acknowledging the difficult challenges they... The Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2100460/posts#comment Wed, 8 Oct 2008 14:55:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2096116/posts Some days ago I visited the bazaar at Jalalabad, and took a bunch of colorful photographs and met many friendly people. Walking through Jalalabad, one could almost forget there was a war. But for the most part, this war is today being fought not in the cities, but the villages and small family compounds where most Afghanis live. Urban counterinsurgency can be incredibly dangerous, yet the population has a common life. City dwellers are dependent on civil services like water, sewage and electricity; they often have specialized roles in complex economies. Their feelings and opinions form a political aggregate which... Michael Yon Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2096116/posts#comment Thu, 2 Oct 2008 21:32:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2087833/posts Living with British troops of 2 Para at FOB Gibraltar and watching them fight, I witnessed one of the great paradoxes of Afghanistan. The troops are fighting hard and killing the enemy. They are professional and extremely competent. Their morale is high. They are doing a great job. And we are losing the war. Their troubles with a local sniper demonstrate some of the complexities and frustrations of this war, which the British public don’t even call a “war.” The British soldiers know this is a real war, but the British at home characterize it as a “conflict.” Meanwhile, Americans... Michael Yon Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2087833/posts#comment Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:12:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2084665/posts The ambush was set, but “Terry” Taliban didn’t step into it. The most successful hunters are not the ones who bag something every time, but the ones who hunt all the time, and 2 Para has been hunting the most dangerous prey. The soldiers of C-co 2 Para are not sure how many they’ve killed in the past five months, but the estimates are around 200, and during the days I spent with them, their average daily kill would put them well over that number. Moving out of our ambush position, we set off from the ANA (Afghan National Army)... Michael Yon Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2084665/posts#comment Wed, 17 Sep 2008 22:08:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2083106/posts The soldiers are living like animals at a little rat’s nest called FOB Gibraltar. They call it “Gib.” Named after the lynchpin of British naval dominance in the Mediterranean, this cluster of mud huts in the middle of hostile territory is more like Fort Apache, Afghanistan. The British soldiers from C-Company 2 Para live in ugly conditions, fight just about every day, and morale is the best I have seen probably anywhere. The few outside visitors arrive in helicopters that are sometimes spaced days apart, so that if a visitor stays overnight, he could be stuck for a week or... Michael Yon Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2083106/posts#comment Mon, 15 Sep 2008 23:57:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2064534/posts By now, no credible person denies the dramatic success that continues to manifest itself in Iraq. No doubt, there will be years of political dramas ahead for that country, and when they occur, we will blame ourselves for them, as is our habit. Americans have a tendency to blame ourselves nearly everything from wildfires to genocidal wars on the other side of the globe. And what we don't blame ourselves for, others will. Some might see our ability to take initiative and shoulder responsibility as naiveté. I think it's one of America's greatest strengths. Many people around the world see... Michael Yon Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2064534/posts#comment Tue, 19 Aug 2008 22:15:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045489/posts 14 July 2008The war continues to abate in Iraq. Violence is still present, but, of course, Iraq was a relatively violent place long before Coalition forces moved in. I would go so far as to say that barring any major and unexpected developments (like an Israeli air strike on Iran and the retaliations that would follow), a fair-minded person could say with reasonable certainty that the war has ended. A new and better nation is growing legs. What's left is messy politics that likely will be punctuated by low-level violence and the occasional spectacular attack. Yet, the will of the... Michael Yon Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045489/posts#comment Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:33:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2029858/posts Some updates: I have left the United States and am heading back to the war. Heavy promotion of Moment of Truth in Iraq is over. I conducted approximately 100 radio, television, magazine and newspaper interviews, therefore was unable to do much more than track the war from afar. There are more radio interviews scheduled, but I’ll be talking from downrange. Moment of Truth in Iraq hit #6 on the Amazon bestseller list, and #2 on Barnes and Noble, which greatly surprised me. Michael Moore has stopped the copyright infringement on my work, but his attorney has not responded to my... Michael Yon Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2029858/posts#comment Thu, 12 Jun 2008 03:53:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2024952/posts I hereby offer to accompany any Senator to Iraq, whether they are pro-or anti-war, Democrat or Republican. I will make this offer personally to a few select Senators as well. Our conversations during the visit would be on- or off-record, as they wish. Touring Iraq with me, as well as briefings by U.S. officers and meetings with Iraqis, would provide an accurate and nuanced account of the progress and challenges ahead, so that the Senators might have a highly informed perspective on this most critical issue. Our civilian leaders need to make decisions based on the best information available. The... Michael Yon Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2024952/posts#comment Mon, 2 Jun 2008 20:16:43 GMT