Here

Don't know if this has been posted before...Michael Yon is an ex-SF guy turned freelance journalist in Iraq.

One of the best blogs I've seen yet. Complete with good photos, and cool vids.

Cool
thanks for the link.

Heres what he said about are black rifle:

"The lack of power of the American M-4 and M-16 rifles is astonishing. So many people and cars shot-up, but they just keep going and going. For a moment, it appeared the terrorists might get away"

DOUBLE

tag...and thanks for posting the link

Yeah, he does some great reporting. This is exactly what the big media is supposed to be
doing, but isn't.

Nice site, thanks for the link

Very good site.  Tagged for home.

Good link.

I like how he talks about CBS and AP reporters with known enemy ties getting wounded or killed.

Quoted: Good link. I like how he talks about CBS and AP reporters with known enemy ties getting wounded or killed.

+1

You all are more than welcome.

Bump

tagged

Another bump.

This dude needs to be heard.

Quoted: Heres what he said about are black rifle: "The lack of power of the American M-4 and M-16 rifles is astonishing. So many people and cars shot-up, but they just keep going and going. For a moment, it appeared the terrorists might get away"

A very interesting quote coming from a former SF soldier and one who is still in country.

Quoted: Heres what he said about are black rifle: "The lack of power of the American M-4 and M-16 rifles is astonishing. So many people and cars shot-up, but they just keep going and going. For a moment, it appeared the terrorists might get away"

IBTL.

Ben

Quoted: Quoted: Heres what he said about are black rifle: "The lack of power of the American M-4 and M-16 rifles is astonishing. So many people and cars shot-up, but they just keep going and going. For a moment, it appeared the terrorists might get away" IBTL. Ben

Well...with FMJ, I'm not suprised.

How do we know this guy is legit? I have seen some other blogs and up front the guys looked legit but after some picking, they proved to be BS. Gonna have to check it out.

ETA looks like folks take him seriously.

That was a good read. Sounds like the leader of the 1/24 Inf Bn, LTC Erik Kurilla, of the 25th ID is a badass. "Lieutenant Colonel Erik Kurilla commands the 1-24th (Deuce-Four). Kurilla's men describe him as a ferocious fighter, afraid of nothing, a man who leads from the front.'. Sounds like an old school commander.

This is him on the left:

Michael Yon is the real deal. He has a pretty good book out there. He enlisted directly into SF in the 1980s and was something of a prodigy. He killed a man in a bar fight and was tried for Murder, but eventually the charges were dropped. He left the military sometime thereafter.

tagged for home

Here's another interesting guy he wrote about:



michaelyon.blogspot.com/

"The Q" There's another soldier here from Mexico, Victor Quinonez. Everyone calls him Q. At 23, Q fights like crazy; he's earned his great combat reputation. I joke with Q that he'll either be a top military leader, or in trouble with the law if he doesn't listen to his leaders. And Q always tells me, "Mike, when the shit goes down and the bullets are flying, you stick with me and I'll get you out. Never fear when the Q is here! You've seen me in action. You know I'll get you out. I'm a Mexican, not a Mexican't!" First time I met Q, I thought he was full of something, and he was, but it wasn't what I was thinking. One time, during a brief shootout, I kind of broke through a gate for cover in a house, and Q said, "Mike, what you hidin' from!" I answered, "Bullets, dumbass! Get in here!" "You come out here!" Q said, "We're gonna get these guys!" Now he's like my young Mexican-American brother and I get worried he'll get shot or blown up. It's been true since the U.S. was founded that some of the best Americans were not born in America. And we can use all the good people we can get. That's something to remember.

That battalion is filled with some tough men, from the commander down to the squad level. God bless em. They have experienced some of the toughest fighting in Iraq.

Quoted: That was a good read. Sounds like the leader of the 1/24 Inf Bn, LTC Erik Kurilla, of the 25th ID is a badass. "Lieutenant Colonel Erik Kurilla commands the 1-24th (Deuce-Four). Kurilla's men describe him as a ferocious fighter, afraid of nothing, a man who leads from the front.'. Sounds like an old school commander. This is him on the left: photos1.blogger.com/img/233/3034/400/Kurilla%20Pointinga.jpg

LTC Michael Erik Kurilla    

Biography

Lieutenant Colonel Michael E. Kurilla graduated from the United States Military Academy and received his commission as a second lieutenant of Infantry in May 1988.

His initial assignment was to 3d Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82d Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina where he served as a Rifle Platoon Leader and Company Executive Officer from 1989-1991, where he participated in Operation JUST CAUSE (Panama) and Operation DESERT SHIELD/STORM (Iraq). From 1991-1993 he was assigned as a Rifle Platoon Leader in the 3d Ranger Battalion at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Following the Infantry Officer Advanced Course he was assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry, 2d Infantry Division in Korea where he served as a Mechanized (BFV) Company Commander from 1993-1994. Upon return from Korea he was again assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment and subsequently 3d Ranger Battalion at Fort Benning, Georgia where he served as the Regimental Training Officer, Battalion S4, and Rifle Company Commander from 1994-1998, participating in Operation UPHOLD DEMOCRACY (Haiti).

Upon graduation from Command and General Staff College in 1999, he was assigned to the 173d Airborne Brigade in Vicenza, Italy where he served as Battalion S3 in 1st Battalion, 508th Airborne Battalion Combat Team, Brigade S3 of the 173d Airborne Brigade, and G3, Chief of Operations for the Southern European Task Force (SETAF) from 1999-2002 participating on numerous missions in Operation JOINT FORGE (Bosnia) and Operation JOINT GUARDIAN (Kosovo/Macedonia). From 2002-2003 he served as Aide de Camp to the Commanding General of the United States Army Europe and 7th Army in Heidelberg, Germany. Lieutenant Colonel Kurilla served the last 8 months as the Chief, G3 CONUS Exercise Division on the I Corps staff at Fort Lewis, Washington.

Lieutenant Colonel Kurilla’s military education includes the Infantry Officer Basic Course, Infantry Officer Advanced Course, and Command and General Staff Course. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the United States Military Academy and a Masters in Business Administration from Regis University.

His awards and decorations include the Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Infantryman Badge, Master Parachutist Badge with Combat Star, Ranger Tab, Bronze Star Medal, Army Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (w/ Arrowhead and Star), Southwest Asia Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, NATO Medal, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait Liberation Medals, Meritorious Unit Citation, and foreign parachute awards from seven countries.

(.)(.)

What's with the small K-pots? Did everybody order X-Small last time the QM's wagon went by?

Evidently, that's just the way the new helmet designs look. IMHO, they are ugly as sin,  but apparently more comfortable and less restrictive than the older K-Pot style.

Quoted: Michael Yon is the real deal. He has a pretty good book out there. He enlisted directly into SF in the 1980s and was something of a prodigy. He killed a man in a bar fight and was tried for Murder, but eventually the charges were dropped. He left the military sometime thereafter.

Wow.

I did not know that.

Quoted: What's with the small K-pots? Did everybody order X-Small last time the QM's wagon went by?

MICH style.  They don't smack the bridge of your nose when you go prone, and, allow for head worn electronis to be worn.

Neat blog...
Thanks for the link.

Quoted: Quoted: What's with the small K-pots? Did everybody order X-Small last time the QM's wagon went by? MICH style.  They don't smack the bridge of your nose when you go prone, and, allow for head worn electronis to be worn.

Ahhhh. Thanks.

Excellent.

Sounds like he is worthy of some support, in the interest of keeping the real scoop coming out into the world.

Great link, tagged...........

Another bump.

Actually, the ACH not the MICH. The one is derived from the other, but there are internal differences.

Deuce-Four colonel was apparently called Kurilla the Gorilla. We never called him that. He does run a good ship though.

When I reported in to him in Mosul, I walked into their TOC and immediately said to myself : "Now =THIS= is what a TOC should look like." He didn't pull punches either. He had us driving around running over signs and blowing up cars with our tanks just to make a point. He encouraged us tankers to do what comes naturally to us: Show off our tanks! We built more loyalty to him in two weeks than we did to our regular battalion in 9 months, frankly. When our home battalion wanted us back (They had shown up in Mosul a little after my platoon did), we fought to stay with deuce four, and Kurilla fought to keep us. (Apparently telling the Bde commander that we were the most professional tankers he ever worked with. We appreciated that, especially as Guardsmen!)

Alas, it didn't work out, we were sent back to our home battalion for a month, before going back to deuce four for a week at the end. Oh well. They'll be due to rotate out soon, good credit to them.

NTM

Bump

I don't know how many of you are following this blog...

I thought I would give it a bump again. Please forgive the thread resurrection but it is good stuff.

BTT

That was great.  Thanks!

Michael Yon is currently embedded with my nephew's battalion and goes out every chance he gets. He deserves a pulitzer for his work.

Quoted: Michael Yon is currently embedded with my nephew's battalion and goes out every chance he gets. He deserves a pulitzer for his work.

Please tell your nephew thanks from me when you get a chance.

Quoted: Michael Yon is the real deal. He has a pretty good book out there. He enlisted directly into SF in the 1980s and was something of a prodigy. He killed a man in a bar fight and was tried for Murder, but eventually the charges were dropped. He left the military sometime thereafter.

Don't you mean Nicholas Cage?

.


ETA:  In before the 5.56 apologists.

I've been reading Yon's blogs for awhile. His has become my favorite. Go back and read some of his earlier stuff (weapons cache) it is bone chilling.

Quoted: Heres what he said about are black rifle: "The lack of power of the American M-4 and M-16 rifles is astonishing. So many people and cars shot-up, but they just keep going and going. For a moment, it appeared the terrorists might get away"

.223 wasnt meant for stopping cars, thats what .30 and .50 belt feds are for.

Kharn

Quoted: Quoted: Heres what he said about are black rifle: "The lack of power of the American M-4 and M-16 rifles is astonishing. So many people and cars shot-up, but they just keep going and going. For a moment, it appeared the terrorists might get away" .223 wasnt meant for stopping cars, thats what .30 and .50 belt feds are for. Kharn

sometimes they're not handy

we shoot what we can

His latest update is up. The CO he talked about, Lt Col Kurilla was hit three times in combat and continued fighting, including hand-to-hand, until the medics gave him morphine and hauled him off.

Saturday, August 20, 2005
Proximity Delays
Mosul, Iraq

During radio interviews, listeners sometimes call in with questions for me. People who follow the war closely and read my dispatches might ask about events covered by mainstream news but about which I've posted few details, if any. Thousands of emails pour in.

"Did you know about the letter to Zarqawi?" (Yes, I was in the Deuce Four daily briefing when it was first displayed and read, about a week before the media learned about it. The letter was captured minutes down the road from here.)

"Did you know about the Chemical Weapons Plant?" (Yes, and probably more than most readers care to know. Turned out to be nothing of consequence. The "Plant" was minutes down the road from here.)

"Did you know about the 'super secret spy plane' that crashed in Mosul?" (Yes, I was on a mission in Mosul at the time. It was flying over Mosul in support of operations.)

"There was a report that three terrorists were shot down in Mosul the other day. Did you know about that?" (Yes, I was in the TOC when the blood first started pumping through their skulls. Credit was given to the Iraqi police, but American forces actually conducted the ambush minutes down the road from here.)

Then comes the question: "Why didn't you write about that?"

The answer is simple. Often I am asked to withhold information due to the immediate sensitivty. And so, I never release the slightest hint. But then somebody in Baghdad--three steps removed from the action here in Mosul-- releases it to CNN and the rest of the world. What is seen on television and in the papers is practically always inaccurate, or is at least poorly framed. But I rarely waste a breath trying to correct the information. It's too late. Life is busy here.

The greatest paradox I have seen in this war results from "proximity delay." The proximity delay for me is caused by being embedded so closely with Duece Four soldiers that I often see things unfolding before they happen, and then I am in the thick of events as they occur. But then I am asked not to write about events.

Much of the censorship is self-imposed because I will not write anything that jeopardizes US, Iraqi or Coalition forces or civilians. This is not a game of who gets the scoop; I am not per se a journalist. On some missions I've been the first to spot the enemey. On others, I've been so close to the action, my face gets smacked by flying shell casings. I come away with information and details no other writer could possibly have.

I've refused to write about incidents countless times, even when soldiers have asked me to publish the details. My time traveling the world, following scent trails and navigating on snippets of information has taught me that a person with a seasoned imagination can coax a great deal of information from seemingly innocuous tidbits. This enemy is smart and also reads the news.

Just why the military considers some information "classified" while other information gets the "go ahead, write it" shrug, is not based on logic, science, or even one of those absurd but iron clad rules that codify so much of the military. Many explanations for the military's requests not to publish certain information, do not hold up well to scrutiny.

For example, our soldiers capture or kill top terror figures in Mosul routinely. Sometimes in stunning operations that display split-second timing. The "higher ups" often say, almost reflexively, that they don't want the enemy to know about these kills or captures.

Sounds reasonable. But whether soldiers sleek through dark allies with silenced weapons, slipping over walls with padded ladders, snatching sleeping terrorists from their beds before they can fully waken; or, whether they engage in a gunfight at a busy intersection and drag terrorists from behind the wheels of their cars--these are not anonymous men. Families notice when daddy's gone missing.

If we aren't keeping it secret from the enemy--and we can't keep it secret from them--who do we protect by keeping quiet? These are not illegal operations. These are examples of the effectiveness of our forces. In Mosul alone there are daily events where the Coalition gets things right, that I never write about.

The "proximity delay" seems to be bi-directional. The higher-ups also seem to have a disconnect with what the media eventually does with Coalition successes. I kept silent for days on the Zarqawi-letter dispatch, ready to post what was probably the single most important piece of insider information to drop into our hands in quite some time. I requested clearance several times per day, each time being asked to hold back. I complied.

But then, without even giving the leaders at Deuce Four a head's up, a typically entralling military press release went out to major, mainstream, media outlets. We all learned of it on CNN. The Zarqawi-letter story was almost unrecognizable. Because, in the hands of a network that hasn't had a body in the field in Mosul long enough to get their bearings, the best the media could do is paraphrase the military press release. So what should have been a front page banner headline story ended up buried on page 6.

Even CNN couldn't grasp the importance of the letter. They ended up giving more coverage to the impending E-Bay auction of Jennifer Anniston's old love letters than to the missive in which the top Al Queda leader in Mosul writes to the second most wanted man in the world, and describes in amazing detail the weaknesses and impending collapse of the terrorist network in Mosul and surrounds. Only then, did the military ask if wanted to write about the letter.

Every one, even a "higher up" deserves the benefit of the doubt, and should be entitled to one mistake. But how many times, and how many major stories have to be mangled into meaninglessness before someone connects the cables and lets the information flow in a direction other than down the mainstream media drain?

Meanwhile, by the time you read this, the US Army and the ISF will have launched offensive operations in Mosul and I will be in the middle of it. Maybe this time I will be able to write about matters while they still matter.

---------------
Post Script: The operation has begun. The Commander of Deuce Four, LTC Erik Kurilla, was shot three times in combat yesterday in front of my eyes. Despite being seriously wounded, LTC Kurilla immediately rejoined the intense and close-quarter fight that ended in hand-to-hand combat. LTC Kurilla continued to direct his men until a medic gave him morphine and the men took him away. I was right there. When I returned to base, I was actually "ordered" not to write about the fighting until given clearance, and was told that my phones could be confiscated. I will ignore such "orders" at my own discretion. I am preparing a dispatch now.

FROM: michaelyon.blogspot.com/ The Commander of Deuce Four, LTC Erik Kurilla, was shot three times in combat yesterday in front of my eyes. Despite being seriously wounded, LTC Kurilla immediately rejoined the intense and close-quarter fight that ended in hand-to-hand combat. LTC Kurilla continued to direct his men until a medic gave him morphine and the men took him away. I was right there. When I returned to base, I was actually "ordered" not to write about the fighting until given clearance, and was told that my phones could be confiscated. I will ignore such "orders" at my own discretion. I am preparing a dispatch now.

Can't afford to lose too many like Kurilla.  Hope he pulls through ok.

Bump  to keep it going......Excellent reporting!

Quoted: Evidently, that's just the way the new helmet designs look. IMHO, they are ugly as sin,  but apparently more comfortable and less restrictive than the older K-Pot style.

It kind of looks like the UK pattern helmet...

We had to guard our ACHs like our rifles. People with the old PASGT helmets would steal our ACHs given half a chance.

I'm giving my ACH back over my cold, dead hands.

Shame to hear about Kurilla. Doesn't surprise me, he was out every day of the week.

NTM

man, i wish this guy did video stories...