Lies. Damn Lies. And Bad Reporting.

First. Read Tom Friedman's piece in today's NY Times. I can scream it from this narcissistic internet soap box, but his soap box is bigger and more credible. Read it again. Embrace it.

So an embeded reporter has a responsibility to tell the truth. That truth may make us proud or it may shame us. But it will make us better.

When a reporter miserably and intentionally fails in that duty, it hurts the whole program. It breaks down the already frail relationship between the media and the military.

Sadly, a reporter for a popular left-wing magazine has done just that. A cover story coming out is a collection of myth, action-movie stereotypes, and negative spin.

I'll burst a couple bubbles here. When a mission is launched, weapons are supposed to be "locked and loaded." Even American SWAT missions are performed with weapons ready to fire. This isn't misplaced agression. This is being ready to instantaneously react to a lethal threat.

We don't first chamber a round to show we are serious. We don't then pull the hammer back to show that we are really serious. We point the weapon to show we are serious. If the suspect (we are more in a police-type advising role than a war role now) doesn't get the message, we shoot until the suspect becomes more compliant. It is the preferred option to getting shot.

The goal really is to arrest, interrogate, and put on trial. Dead men tell no tales and tend to undermine the rule of law.

When a mission to capture a terrorist is carried out, it is a good thing for them to surprised and suddently tied up before they know what is happening. That means the team is well-trained and carried out the raid properly. Potential threats to the team and to the suspect were eleminated without resorting to deadly force.

I am disgusted at how this reporter chose to cherry-pick semi-accurate facts to tailor his story to what his likely audience wants to believe. In doing so he disrespected the sacrifices of the Americans and Iraqis he wrote about.

He disrespected the role of US Special Forces in El Salvador, veterans of which I have had the honor of learning from. It is a common refrain among those Lenin called useful idiots that we trained death squads there and supported massive human rights violations. The facts remain that units with US advisors were professional and responsible. Atrocities did occur and were performed before US advisors were involved or by units without advisors. As part of the peace agreement, the rebels requested that US advisors remain because our efforts were seen as beneficial and our Special Forces were considered honest brokers and honorable fighters.

In short, I think the author is the worst kind of lowlife and he hurt both us and his profession. As for the readers, it is sad that they will eat this up unquestioningly. Too many people will either get all their news from Fox and The National Review or from MSNBC and The Nation and never know the real world.

Sadly, I pretty much expect Olberman to host the author of this story. He used to be funny.

Fortunately, on a lighter note, I've almost watched the entire first two seasons of Robot Chicken. It is immature, innapropriate, and satirizes every cartoon or action figure I watched/wanted/had growing up. It is brilliant.

My wife would hate it. Especially the skit about The Never Ending Story.

I called back to my home unit to check in and say hi since it is a drill weekend. I have a guy who will be mobilized soon and want to learn his goals for the trip. I know my goals for him. Once we're on the same page I can start precoordinating things for him with the unit he'll be working with.

Editted to add (8 June):
The story referenced above, Iraq's New Death Squad by Shane Bauer, can be found at this site--
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090622/bauer

I want to thank my neighor from back home for not only taking time out of her very busy schedule to read my silly posts but to provide valuable input. She is right that the post wasn't grounded without a way for the reader to both see my critiques and see the story that inspired them.

Although some of the points that I made about operations were direct responses to the article, the whole issue of surprise raids with loaded weapons pops up fairly often.

They are supposed to be surprises and of course our weapons our loaded...