Voices from the War: Working and fighting side by side

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July 26, 2008

Working and fighting side by side

This is a picture of me talking to the interpreter while trying to communicate to the officer on the left how he can improve on his rifle marksmanship.

The officer is looking down at the target he had just shot. Out here in Wardak, we can't teach the cops basic police stuff, we have to train them to be warriors, to close with and destroy the enemy, not to arrest them.

I have been in fire fights where the police are right next to us fighting the enemy and standing their ground. These Afghan police you train become like your own men, because you train them, you eat lunch with them etc.. And when one of them falls next to you in combat, the sting of a fallen friend is still there.

And it's funny how when you are out with your friends, you still run into ignorant people who say stuff like "You just shoot at targets, you don't shoot people."

It's just funny how sadly mistaken they are, the war here in Afghanistan is very real and we feel the bite of it almost every day. I have been blown up, shot at with AK-47's, RPG's and PKM's. I have had 8 rockets land within 50 meters of myself and my troops. And we have had to defend ourselves and kill the enemy.

Many of us can't wait to get home so we can sleep normally again, and not have to lay awake at night just waiting for a 107 Katusha rocket to come burning into our compound. Last night I >stared at the ceiling of my very small room, which is basically a bunker inside a building, and I waited till about 3 a.m. before I went to sleep.

My parents always ask me what I need, and I say, "Red Bull, Amp, Rockstar, Monster, and 5 hour energy," just so I can get through each day on only a few hours of sleep.

— SSG Frederick K Goldacker III
Aco. 2/108th Infantry BN Air Assault
Sec-For Squad Leader, Wardak Afghanistan

Posted at 02:49 PM | Permalink

Comments

The WHY? of Terrorism in Islam: Can we work together?

I am an American living in Asia. I am not Moslem, but I am a writer and historian. I would like to share some information with you: information concerning Moslem terrorism. It may help you understand what is going on in the Middle East, as well as significant parts of Africa, Asia, Europe, and even the United States. Moslem terrorism has already struck the United States and Europe. I am certain it will happen again; next time you and your loved ones, as well as a vast number of other innocent victims could be caught up in a man-made catastrophe: a calamity of biblical proportions that is based on teachings straight out of the Koran.

Disregarding the social and economic factors that serve as underpinnings for Islamic terrorism, I will address the more fundamental issue: the religious teachings that sanction violence against non-Moslems and against women. Here are seven verses from the Koran. These scriptures have been translated into modern English.

…murder, crucify, or cut off the hands and feet of non-Moslems…Chapter 5 Verse 33 - The Koran
…create terror in the hearts of non-Moslems …cut off their heads…Chapter 8 Verse 12 - The Koran
…and fight non-Moslems until Allah’s religion is the only one…Chapter 8 Verse 39 - The Koran
…of all the loot you plunder from non-Moslems, 20% belongs to Allah and to Mohammed. Chapter 8 Verse 41- The Koran (Author’s note: Loot included kidnapped female sex-slaves.)
…Take as many as four wives from the women you are sexually attracted to … Chapter 4 Verse 3 - The Koran
…God has made men superior to women… Virtuous women are obedient. If a woman becomes disobedient, beat her. Chapter 4 Verse 34 - The Koran
…When it comes to marriage, Allah makes it legal for you to take as wives, women whom your right hand possesses. Chapter 33 Verse 50 - The Koran (Author’s note: This verse talks about the “loot” non-Moslems call… kidnapped female sex-slaves.)

Most people in the western world have never heard of these astonishing scriptures, but they are in the Koran … along with a relatively short list of others, just like them. This is important because not all Moslems are the same; there are two very different types. Militant Moslems view these verses as commandments from God. They think they apply to life in the Twenty-first Century and they try to use them, regardless of the suffering and mayhem they create, whereas moderate Moslems ignore such verses because they were uttered a long time ago: when the Arabian peninsula, from whence Islam came, was a very primitive place.

Historians tell us these terrorist teachings are part of a cluster of ferocious beliefs that were deliberately added to one specific part of the formerly peaceful and tolerant Koran. These changes were done years after the faith was first organized. In fact, historians also tell us Islam didn’t simply fall from the sky as a full-blown religion, but rather evolved from a persecuted sect of Jewish-Christians. The first Moslems were actually part of a larger group of Jesus’ followers called the Ebionites.

Ebionites were peace-loving disciples of Christ, who shared their wealth with fellow believers, and taught that a man should marry only one wife. In fact, women were much more independent in the Ebionite-days of Islam. They were more influential too. I say this because my research has determined that the first prophet of Islam may have been someone other than Mohammed: I believe the first prophet was a very special woman named Khadija the Pure. Khadija was Mohammed’s first and only wife for twenty-four years. Khadija was fifteen years older than Mohammed and she was his employer. Khadija was also an influential Arabian princess who was extremely wealthy. Even though Khadija was part of the ruling family that controlled worship in the all-important Kabba Temple, with its 300+ pagan gods and goddesses, she became an Ebionite Christian.

After Khadija’s death, Islam was hijacked by a cartel of corrupt men. New beliefs were added, old beliefs were deleted or relegated to unimportance, and the religion was changed beyond recognition. In the end, Islam abandoned many of its Ebionite Jewish-Christian teachings and turned cruel and predatory; women suffered the most: they became the focus of repression, scorn, and violence.

Today, although moderate Moslems are loath to admit these ideas, and many of them are terrified to voice criticism of their militant Islamic brothers, because of fear that violence will come to them and their families, the fact remains that these added teachings are not the original beliefs of Islam; they are amendments: They are the terrorist teachings of Islam.

In the near future, militant Moslems hope to unleash a series of unimaginable calamities upon the United States and the rest of the world. Because the terrorist teachings of Islam sanction deception, treaty breaking, and war, as well as looting, murder, kidnapping, terrorism, and human slavery (including sexual slavery), so long as these crimes are directed against non-Moslems, there is no limit to the things these fanatics can do. But the scariest part: Militant Moslems will do everything… in the name of God (Allah). If they die while committing these crimes against humanity, they believe Allah will bless them and give them seventy virgin brides as an eternal reward for their brutality.

With that said, it is important to remember that the majority of Moslems are moderate and recognize such teachings as obsolete and out of place in the Twenty-first Century. In spite of the radical cultural differences that exist between the Judeo-Christian West and the Islamic world, in the author's opinion, it is with this moderate Moslem majority that any long-term resolution to the Islamic terrorism issue will ultimately be negotiated. However, given the massive population increases taking place in the Moslem world, at a time when poverty, chaos, criminality, and religious fanaticism are burgeoning, the numbers of Moslems worldwide who declare themselves militant is increasing; the influence their terrorist cells exert on Islamic governments throughout the world is reaching crisis levels. The road before us will be long and dangerous. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, the United States and Europe must… remain resolute and take courage! The survival of our civilization depends on it.

Are you are interested in learning more about an array of Islamic topics including: Who were the Ebionites and Khadija the Pure, or the Seventy Virgins of Islam, or facts concerning militant Moslem terrorism and its involvement in modern human slavery? Visit The Moslem Institute website: www.TheMoslemInstitute.com

The Moslem Institute website is published by
Dane Dahl, historian and author of The Pox of Mohammed.
This missive is being sent to you for informational purposes only. Any replies can be directed to the following email address: historian@themosleminstitute.com, or to the following mail drop in the United States: Dane Dahl, P.O. Box 190 #04073, Jefferson, OR 97352.
All the best,
Dane Dahl
Please forward this message to a friend.

Posted by: Dane Dahl | October 14, 2008 at 01:41 AM

I just want to let you and all the troops know how much we back home appreciate what you doing and how proud we are of you. You are in our prayers and thoughts everyday. Thank you for sharing your experience with us. Be safe and God bless you.

Posted by: Marge | September 05, 2008 at 08:56 PM