Medal of Honor for Marine

www.washingtonpost.com

By Associated Press, Published: September 14 | Updated: Thursday, September 15, 6:09 AM

Memorials to coincide with Medal of Honor ceremony for former Marine who saved 36 lives

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Dakota Meyer saved 36 lives from an ambush in Afghanistan and the former Marine will collect the nation’s highest military honor at the White House on Thursday. While he is receiving the Medal of Honor, Meyer’s slain comrades will be memorialized in hometown ceremonies at his request.

His hero’s moment was his darkest day. Meyer lost some of his best friends the morning of Sept. 8, 2009, in far-off Kunar

                                   

           

(Associated Press ) - In this undated photo released by the U.S. Marines, Sgt. Dakota Meyer poses for a photo while deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Ganjgal Village, Kunar province, Afghanistan. The White House announced the 23-year-old Marine scout sniper from Columbia, Ky., who has since left the Marine Corps, will become the first living Marine to be awarded the Medal of Honor in decades for his actions in Afghanistan.

“It’s hard, it’s ... you know ... getting recognized for the worst day of your life, so it’s... it’s a really tough thing,” Meyer said, struggling for words.

Meyer charged through heavy insurgent gunfire on five death-defying trips in an armored Humvee to save 13 Marines and Army soldiers and another 23 Afghan troops pinned down by withering enemy fire. Meyer personally killed at least eight insurgents despite taking a shrapnel wound to one arm as he manned the gun turret of the Humvee and provided covering fire for the soldiers, according to the military.

President Barack Obama will bestow the medal at a White House ceremony. The two have also met privately, having a beer on a patio outside the Oval Office on Wednesday.

“Over the weekend, the President’s staff called Meyer in preparation for Thursday’s Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House. Meyer asked the staffer if he could have a beer with the President. POTUS invited Dakota to come by the White House this afternoon,” spokesman Jay Carney tweeted.

In Afghanistan, Meyer was part of a security team supporting a patrol moving into a village in the Ganjgal Valley on the day of the ambush.

Meyer and the other Americans had gone to the area to train Afghan military members when, suddenly, the village lights went out and gunfire erupted. About 50 Taliban insurgents on mountainsides and in the village had ambushed the patrol.

As the forward team took fire and called for air support that wasn’t coming, Meyer, a corporal at the time, begged his command to let him head into the incoming fire to help.

Four times he was denied his request before Meyer and another Marine, Staff Sgt. Juan Rodriguez-Chavez, jumped into the Humvee and headed into the fray. For his valor, Rodriguez-Chavez, a 34-year-old who hailed originally from Acuna, Mexico, would be awarded the Navy Cross.

“They told him he couldn’t go in,” said Dwight Meyer, Dakota Meyer’s 81-year-old grandfather, a former Marine who served in the 1950s. “He told them, ‘The hell I’m not,’ and he went in. It’s a one-in-a-million thing” that he survived.

With Meyer manning the Humvee’s gun turret, the two drew heavy fire. But they began evacuating wounded Marines and American and Afghan soldiers to a safe point. Meyer made five trips into the kill zone, each time searching for the forward patrol with his Marine friends — including 1st Lt. Michael Johnson — whom Meyer had heard yelling on the radio for air support.

With Meyer and Rodriguez-Chavez ready to test fate a fifth time in the kill zone, a UH-60 helicopter arrived at last to provide overhead support. Troops aboard the chopper told Meyer they had spotted what appeared to be four bodies. Meyer knew those were his friends and he had to bring them out.

“It might sound crazy, but it was just, you don’t really think about it, you don’t comprehend it, you don’t really comprehend what you did until looking back on it,” Meyer said.

Wounded and tired, Meyer left the relative safety of the Humvee and ran out on foot.

“He just really took a chance,” Dwight Meyer said.

Ducking around buildings to avoid heavy gunfire, he reached the bodies of Johnson, a 25-year-old from Virginia Beach; Staff Sgt. Aaron Kenefick, 30, of Roswell, Ga.; Corpsman James Layton, 22, of Riverbank, Calif.; and Edwin Wayne Johnson Jr., a 31-year-old gunnery sergeant from Columbus, Ga.

Meyer and two other soldiers dodged bullets and rocket-propelled grenades to pull the bodies out of a ditch where the men had died while trying to take cover.

The deaths of Meyer’s comrades prompted an investigation into events that day, and two Army officers were later reprimanded for being “inadequate and ineffective” and for “contributing directly to the loss of life.” Along with Meyer’s friends, a fifth American — Army Sgt. Kenneth W. Westbrook, 41, of Shiprock, N.M. — was fatally wounded in the ambush.

Meyer said he’ll be humbled by the memory of his fallen comrades as he receives the award Thursday. One of the memorials will be at a Columbus cemetery for gunnery sergeant Johnson, a father of three who served nearly 13 years in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Will Duke, one of the organizers, said the memorials spoke volumes about Meyer.

“I can tell by his actions, not only the actions he took in earning the Medal of Honor in Afghanistan but also the actions he is taking now. Essentially by requesting these memorial services for his fallen comrades, he’s saying this is about them,” Duke said.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Militants Launch Attack on U.S. Embassy in Kabul

www.nytimes.com

By ALISSA J. RUBIN and JACK HEALY

Published: September 13, 2011

KABUL, Afghanistan — Insurgents launched a complex assault against the American Embassy and the nearby NATO headquarters on Tuesday, pelting the heavily guarded compounds with rockets in an attack that raised new questions about the security of Afghanistan’s capital and the Westerners working there.

At least 10 explosions — apparently from rockets launched by militants — and waves of automatic weapons fire were reported amid the drone of sirens and English-language warnings telling Americans inside the embassy to take cover.

Sediq Sediqi, spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said that two attackers had been killed, as had one policeman. At about 4 p.m. local time, three attackers were believed to be still fighting. Kerri Hannan, a spokeswoman for the American Embassy, said that no embassy personnel had been hurt.

It was unclear precisely how many assailants were behind the assault or whether they were attacking from a single or multiple locations. The attackers were holed up on several floors of a tall, partly built concrete building that offered a bird’s-eye view of the secured diplomatic and military compounds about a half mile away. Flashes from gun barrels could be seen as the militants fired from their perch. Afghan security forces returned fire from the ground, sending puffs of concrete dust into the air as bullets slapped the building.

“We don’t know how many suicide bombers are in the building,” said Col. Abdul Zahir, of the criminal investigative division of the Kabul police. “They’re shooting at the embassy. We’re still in fighting position. We can’t say anything.”

Two explosions were also reported near the Afghan Parliament, but it was unclear whether militants were specifically trying to attack the government building or other targets.

The embassy assault, which began around 1:15 p.m., was the latest in a string of attacks that have chipped away at a tenuous sense of security in the capital. In August, militants killed eight people in an attack on a British cultural center, and in June, nine suicide bombers breached layers of security to attack the hillside Intercontinental Hotel.

By 3:10 p.m., two Blackhawk helicopters circled the building, but did not immediately open fire.

The streets surrounding the site of the attack, normally choked with the traffic of minibuses, bicycles and Toyotas, were deserted on Monday afternoon of all but security forces and people racing for cover.

“We don’t know what’s happening,” one Afghan soldier said. “Everywhere you can hear shooting.”

Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, claimed responsibility for the attack in a text message, saying the Taliban had set out to attack the embassy, a NATO base and Afghan government buildings. His claim could not be immediately confirmed.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force confirmed there were continuing attacks against the embassy and ISAF headquarters, and said in a Twitter message there were “forces responding quickly,” but provided no other details. The attack came less than two months after Afghan forces assumed formal responsibility for security in the capital, one of several corners of the country where security was officially handed over in July.

Sharifullah Sahak and Ray Rivera contributed reporting.

The Canadian Tactical Training Academy in Brazil

As part of our efforts to continue developing international contracts, CTTA has joined the Quebec government’s trade mission to Brazil, taking place in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro until September 2nd.

Brazil will be hosting several major international events in the coming years including the FIFA 2014 world cup, the 2016 Olympics as well as the annual Brazilian Grand Prix. Thousands of police officers and security guards will need to be hired and trained in preparation for these large-scale events.

CTTA is offering a variety of specialized training to police, military and security forces; including Crowd Control Methodology, Special Event Security & Security Management, Executive Protection Training, domestic Intelligence, Counter Terrorism as well as offering tactical courses such as baton, handcuffing and defensive tactics training.

Brazil will be spending nearly $1 Billion in the coming years on solidifying their security framework.

The Passing Of A legend And A Friend - John T. McAleese

It is with a heavy heart that we mourn the passing of our adjunct instructor, warrior, friend, colleague, and mentor John T. McAleese.


John is a legendry member of the SAS and will always be remembered for his actions at the Iranian Embassy siege in 1980; where millions watched as the SAS stormed the building. But, John was much more. He was a teacher, a consummate professional, a father and a friend.


Our thoughts and our prayers are with his family and friends. We hope he is now at peace and with his son Paul. 




God bless you John and Rest in Peace, Brother.


The CTTA Team

"A tribute to one of Britain's true heroes. John McAleese (aka Mac) served in 

Her Majesty's Armed Forces for 22 years with 15 of these being in the SAS". 

-John McAleese Appreciation Society Facebook Group

Calderon: Mexico Casino Fire Deaths "Act Of Terrorism"

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MEXICO CITY — Calling a deadly fire at a casino “an act of terrorism,” Mexican President Felipe Calderon and his top law enforcement officials vowed Friday to capture the gangsters responsible for the deaths of 52 people who perished in a fire set by gunmen at the Casino Royale in Monterrey.

Security cameras captured images of a dozen assailants pulling up in four vehicles to the front doors of the casino, spilling out of their trucks and cars in mid-afternoon and entering the entertainment complex, which offers bingo and betting on sports and horse racing.

As casino customers are seen quickly rushing from the front doors, some of the gunmen stand watching by their cars. They did not appear to wearing masks, and with computer enhancements, the license plates numbers of their vehicles would likely be readable.

Within two minutes and 30 seconds of their arrival, black smoke and flames appear in the security video and the gunmen are seen rapidly leaving and driving away.

The Casino Royale is the third such establishment targeted this month in northern Mexico. On Wednesday night, gunmen attacked the Caliente Casino in Saltillo, following a similar attack on Aug. 15 against the Sun City casino there.

The industrial and business-oriented city of Monterrey was previously free from Mexico’s crime and murder wave, but in the past year the city has seen its homicide rates soar, as organized crime and drug gangs attack each other and police, and prey upon businesses in extortion rackets.

The governor of the state of Nuevo León in northern Mexico said at a press conference Friday morning the Monterrey fire was ignited by "a group of people linked to organized crime," but did not specify what group or if there were any links to Mexico’s drug trafficking organizations.

Gov. Rodrigo Medina de la Cruz put the official death toll at 52 and said that most of the victims appeared to have died of smoke inhalation and burns from the fire — and not from gunshots. The governor said that 13 eyewitnesses to the attack had been interviewed.

Wearing a black suit and tie as a sign of mourning, President Calderon said Friday morning that the country was “facing real terrorists who know no limits.

"We have to fight even more forcefully. They can not be allowed to own our streets, our cities," Calderon said.

In his remarks, Calderon also blamed the United States. The Mexican president called on Congress, the U.S. government and citizens to reflect on the tragedy and see that the insatiable consumption of drugs “involving millions and millions of Americans” fueled the criminal gangs in Mexico with billions of dollars in profits.

"This drug consumption should be reduced drastically, and if that is not possible, the United States must work at least to prevent the transfer of the dollars to Mexico," Calderon said.

Calderon, however, did not identify what drug smuggling cartel might have been involved in the fire.

The cause of the blaze is under investigation. Some witnesses reported that the attackers threw grenades into the Casino Royale in Monterrey, while others said gasoline bombs started the fire.

The flames trapped customers and staff in the building. A survivor told the Mexico City newspaper Reforma that many of the dead were crushed to death in a stampede for the emergency exits.

Video: Marine Corps Times interviews Dakota Meyer, Medal of Honor recipient

Marine Corps Times interviews Dakota Meyer, Medal of Honor recipient

GREENSBURG, Ky. — It has been a long journey.

Dakota Meyer will receive the Medal of Honor on Sept. 15, two years after he braved enemy fire multiple times in Afghanistan in attempt to save fellow U.S. service members in Ganjgal, Afghanistan. He made it out of the valley alive, and they didn’t. It’s a tough situation to digest.

Marine Corps Times readers know the story well by now — various aspects of it have led me to write three cover stories since early last year, including a profile on Meyer.

With the White House announcement now official, however, I made my way down to Meyer’s hometown this week with staff photographer Chris Maddaloni.

We met him at his grandparents’ farm Tuesday in this rural town of 2,500 people, sitting in their living room to discuss the battle, its aftermath and how he handles all the attention. An excerpt of the interview is available here:

We’ll have a lot more in next week’s print edition of Marine Corps Times, but I thought it was worth sharing some personal observations here.

Meyer has taken the time to do at least 20 interviews since the White House’s announcement — a heavy workload that must be both monotonous and exhausting. Still, he sits dutifully, answering questions from reporters — some of whom clearly haven’t done their research and ask dumb questions, based on a quick Google search.

Meyer still loves to crack jokes, and clearly has a great relationship with his grandparents, Dwight and Jean Meyer. Married 58 years, they’re planning to fly to Washington for the ceremony. They proudly shared their recollection of the Korean War, which Dwight served in as a Marine. His haircut is still squared away, snow-white hair and all.

Anti-Terror Program 'Kept New York Safe,' - NYPD

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The NYPD and CIA sent undercover agents to watch mosques, bookstores and cafés in Muslim neighborhoods to sniff out terror plots - a tactic cops say helped them thwart seven planned attacks.

The Daily News largely confirmed the details of an Associated Press report revealing the existence of what it called the NYPD's Demographic Unit, which uses "mosque crawlers" to gather information.

Critics charge the operation to gather intel on the city's imams, cabbies and street-meat sellers blurs the line between foreign and domestic spying and stretches legal limits on racial profiling.

NYPD Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne blasted the AP story, saying it was "marked by outright fiction," and insisting there's no such thing as "mosque crawlers."

Browne said cops did nothing wrong in their efforts to combat terrorism - and foiled some major plots in the process.

"We're going to do all we reasonably can to keep New York safe," he said. "And we uphold the Constitution in doing so."

He said there have been at least 13 major plots against New York since 9/11 and pointed to seven cases in which information from the NYPD's Intelligence Unit helped nab would-be terrorists.

"We commit over a thousand officers to the fight every day to stop terrorists who've demonstrated an undiminished appetite to come back and kill more New Yorkers," Browne said.

"We don't apologize for it."

City Councilman Peter Vallone, head of the Public Safety Committee, was even more blunt.

"Maybe they should infiltrate a few sewing clubs, just to be politically correct?" he asked rhetorically. "Clearly, they are going where they reasonably believe terrorist activity could be."

One source said the department has deep undercovers who live as members of different communities to keep a constant watch for danger.

Top cop taps CIA veteran

The counterrorism operation was started by CIA veteran David Cohen, who was tapped in 2002 by Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, who thought the 9/11 attacks proved the NYPD could no longer rely on the feds to protect the city.

Cohen and another agency veteran, Larry Sanchez, created an operation inside the NYPD with spies and analysts and an unprecedented international scope. The AP said Sanchez stayed on the CIA payroll while maintaining offices at Police Headquarters and the CIA station in New York.

The revelations of surveillance of New York's Muslim community reignited the verbal battle about freedom versus security, one that has been smoldering since 9/11.

"The question we should all have is whether the NYPD is operating a domestic CIA - but without the oversight or regulations that hold it in check," said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union.

"You call the U.S. a free country and you do this?" asked Shahid Malick, 28, a Pakistani cabbie from Bay Ridge.

"From now on, I can't feel safe in my own mosque because someone might be sitting behind me spying."

But Saleem Akbar, 58, a fabric store owner who is the unofficial mayor of Midwood's large Pakistani community, said the cops are trying to protect everyone in the city.

"They are doing it for your children and my children. I don't mind even if they are doing it secretly. If someone is hatching a conspiracy, they are hiding it from me, too. I want them found out," Akbar said.

"U.S. security comes first. I don't care if they are doing it in mosques. I don't care if they are doing it in airports. I'm glad they are doing it."

The AP said arrests for even minor crimes could become leverage to persuade someone to become an informant and young Middle Eastern men are singled out for extra questioning.

Rep. Peter King (R-L.I.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said he's confident the department is abiding by the Constitution.

"I don't see civil rights abuses," King said.

"Everyone was critical of law enforcement after 9/11 for not thinking out of the box. The NYPD is getting the job done."

One source familiar with the NYPD counterterror operations said the only way to root out jihadists is to hang out where they might be.

"If you're looking for the IRA, you don't go to Katz's Deli  - you go to an Irish pub," the source said.

The cases against Shahawar Matin Siraj, who was found guilty in 2006 of plotting to bomb the subway, and the two men arrested at Kennedy Airport on their way to join terrorists in Somalia, were developed in such a manner.