Afghanistan -- the Wild Wild East

the Beautiful desolation that is Afghanistan. some stunning pix worth your perusal.  

http://dpshots.com/travel-photography/afghanistan-pictures.html

lol...via #TerminalLance

*that's 'ole Mad Dog Mattis, for the uniformed.

as charlie sheen preens

Got word twelve Leathernecks from 3rd Battalion 5th Marines were killed in four days over in Afghanistan this past month (reports conflict -- some say it happened in December).

Nevertheless, young Men ages 21 to 29.

Killed In Action.
Most probably lower ranking enlisted.

Privates, Corporals...life-takers/heart breakers.
Suppose they knew the danger when signing up -- hell, there's a war on.
Tells ya a bit about their character.

Whatta shame the good ones go off and die, while the shit-bricks back home are...nevermind.

It's pretty futile. Life is unfair...yadda, yadda. Push on and smile.

Semper Fidelis.

And God bless.

little something i drew up for Los Angeles Harbor College's weekly rag;

Harbor Tides. seems like a lifetime ago -- back when our KIA's hit 2K.

wonder what it's @ now...

screed # 23

it was the morning.
Sitting in the front room, my back hurting bad and me getting the willies.
Hadn't taken tramadol in some time.
It was calling.
So things change.
Perspectives.
Outlooks.
And for whatever goddamn reason I got to perusing wikipedia.
You ever do that?
One thing leads to the other...
"shemagh" leads to the "IDF" to "commandos" to "SOCOM" to "Iran in 1953."
-- that was the coup. When BP got eighty-sixed from Persia.
we; America, stirred up some shit with an elite force of CIA paramilitary-types.
Ultimately ended up screwing the pooch, and instead of right-minded Islamists running the Middle-East we get the Jihadi's.mind you this was carried out by the "elite" boys on our side.
-- hump 40 clicks with 97 pounds on yer pack, killya with a ball point pen-types.
and they're operating in Iraq and Afghanistan now.
God knows where else.
And we're spending BILLIONS on 'em.
Diverting funds;
debt up the yin yang;accidently ripping off a 'lil afghani girl's nose...
And for what?
Costco?
40 bucko's to fill my corrolla?
Afghanistan's turning Taliban;
Iraq wants us out;
and a whole shit ton of young Americans are essentially damaged goods.
-- the punch-line to some SNL skit 8 years from now.
And yet we've got these 'elite' forces out there battling teen terrorists--who are winning the war.
Hundreds of thousands of US dollars per head...as they hold their own with rusty AKs and jerry-rigged RPGs.
I don't get it.
Follow the money, they say.
Well, I certainly don't have any.

december 1st 2009

obama's sending more troops to afghanistan.

30,000 ground pounders/P.O.G.s.

shit

sandwich.

the facts

march 4th 2002

'the days go on and so do i.

busy day today. always busy, busy.

lots of bullshit. but thats the norm.

normal.

my normal.

i miss it. bad. badly.

Marines think they're such men.

such goddamn exemplary specimens.

it ain't the case.

but nothing ever is. nothing.

and now, right now as i stand my five hour post aboard the uss pearl harbor. as i look over the port-side gunnel, and there's the .50 cal suspended over the persian gulf, and i know, i really do know this because i heard the ruckus where the zeroes smoke their stogies and muse von clausewitz...

we are fucking Afghanistan's world up.

just now.

RIGHT NOW!

a warthog's 25mm is streaming white and orange. it must be cool. real fucking cool man.

but some other Marines are already there:  1st Battalion/1st Marines ;"first on foot, right of the line."

in the shit. 

just like me, but different.'

amazing how some things change, and others...well, they don't.

(2009)