Short Story: OEF: Korengal Valley

 Into the Valley of Death: Living in the enemy's backyard

            Deafening sounds of mortars impacting just yards away, and sounds of rounds being fired from the compound startled soldiers awake. Most of the 16 soldiers were already in their stations: grenadiers in the bunker, snipers, tracer fire, and heavy artillery at the uppermost level of the compound. This was just another morning for these men. The Lieutenant, in charge of the platoon, as professional as can be, was on the phone calling coordinates for air support. A low flying jet comes ripping through the sky, dropping a nice dosage of bombs to a tightly packed building in the distance. All soldiers paused as the jet flew overhead, silence followed. The precision air strike was always a success.

The soldiers then did what soldiers do and that was carry on. They made jokes, had stories, ate MRE, (Meals Ready to Eat) stalled some more and waited for more orders from the Lieutenant. It was just getting into the late afternoon when the Lieutenant ordered a conference type meeting. These meetings were always serious as they had the most recent news and plans. The Lieutenant let the troops know that a nearby platoon lost several soldiers and supplies, mainly gear and powerful weapons. He let them know that they had crossed territory so ruthless that they were close enough to the enemy to be flanked, and without them knowing their soldier was yet down, guns and equipment looted. He let them know that before the sun rises they will be out on Operation Avalanche, which was aimed to find the deadliest of the Taliban in the valley and to make peace with some of the tribes people so that a road could be safely built through the area. The operation led 7 days, and during those 7 days Americans lost 3 troops but managed to take out a Taliban leader named Mohammad Tali. They managed to kill 40-50 insurgents in the 7 day period where sometimes a dozen firefights occurred in a single day. This fighting was The War in Afghanistan as this is where all the deadliest combat was. Operation Avalanche was considered a tactical victory as they htook out some important Taliban leaders, located bunkers in which insurgents hid in, and as well located firing positions that were used to fire at the almighty, highly elevated outpost. So when the US forces returned to the outpost, they had better sleep even though the thought of insurgents creeping up the hill to ambush their outpost still kept the majority awake all through the night. With another 2 months until Christmas, soldiers were getting excited to return home, others were filled with depression and were not sure if they were looking towards the future as their experience in the Korengal Valley was what taught them who they truly are. However, they looked forward to coping with their lives.

    The soldiers went on some of their last patrols, hoping their lives weren’t taken this late into the battle. Their last patrols were filled with significantly less firefights however they still occurred. Time passed and finally time came to get evacuated home. After 3 and a half years of intense combat soldiers were brought home, leaving behind so many memories they will have for the rest of their lives in and around the outpost. Little did the soldiers know they would not be returning to the outpost as the US military had closed it down as it stirred up too much provocation. Another thing the platoon had not known was that some of the deadliest battles were fought in Afghanistan by them, in the Korengal Valley.

Miyata-310 bicycle review

The majority of Miyata Bicycles, in this day and age obsolete. However the bikes were mechanically speaking, put together very well. If you are used to ‘downtube’ shifters then you will feel fine riding this amazing bike. I believe one problem however, that others have also mentioned, are the fact that even the lowest gears are not low enough to get up seriously steep hills. On the contrary, the high gears are practical for cruising speeds on flat ground, and if you’re like me, and you ride a road bike across town, you can just coast along with the perfect gear ratio from point A to point B rather quickly.

            When the Miyata bike manufacturing company opened around the time of the US bike boom era, it made bikes that competed with all national racing bike brands like Schwinn, Huffy, Raleigh, Peugeot, and Motobecane in sales and usage. These Japanese manufactured bikes were spectacular in the United States until currency fluctuations in the late 1980s. The reason many people believed these bikes were so efficient at the time was because some believed the Japanese manufacturer, Eisuke Miyata, a gunsmith employed by the Hitachi Kasama Clan, recognized the future of gun manufacturing in Japan was not strong and got the idea for this bike design after being asked by a foreigner to repair a standard conventional bike. In doing so, he revolutionized steel frame building techniques by using tubing in a gun factory, where tubing was bored out lengthwise using a round steel rod, so in essence the inside of the metal tubing was rifled like a gun. So if you got your hands on a classic Miyata, you have yourself a piece of vintage.

            Its hard to find flaws in the Miyata bicycle because, when you are riding it, you cannot help but notice how smooth it rides on the road. Another thing you might want to know about Miyatas: They still remain one of the “finest stock touring frames ever.” So yes people still use Miyata bicycles to race with, at least the frame of the original bike, which is because it’s the only piece of the bike that time wasn’t able to make obsolete. The heck with the fiberglass frames, the Miyata’s durability proves that steel takes you farther than any other material could.

            The Miyata-310 which I own is extremely comfortable; do NOT hesitate to get it. The bike I have is currently a 10 speed with a derailer, and it is an extraordinary bike, however I plan to customize its gears and eventually make it a single speed which I have also heard is a nice combination.

13 hours of chaos---The murder of an American ambassador in Libya

US Ambassador to Libya killed in outburst

First American ambassador murder since 1979

American ambassador J. Christopher Stevens was found dead after Islamist extremists stormed the US building. American and European officials stated that the mob had some sort of plan because it seemed well organized and had well armed and trained assailants with anti aircraft missiles and RPGs. Right outside, for four hours was a gunfight between officers and protesters that, during that time, the governor was nowhere to be found. His body was found Wednesday in the Benghazi hospital. These extremists were some of the same ones who rebelled against Qaddafi, and this time, they said their source of rage came from a 14 minute American video portraying Prophet Muhammad as a silly child molester. This was enough to anger them sure, but did they take it too far and kill Americans loyal to them? The day before the attack on the American consulate, a Libyan politician, forewarned that four security cameras and four Libyan guards were too meager of security for an ambassador of such a revolting country on the day of September 11. The fearless ambassador had such a love for the Arab world he would sacrifice his safety for passion, and he showed this in the past. Mr. Stevens helped bring democracy to Libya by helping topple Qaddafi, sadly they died the same way presumably by a grenade or an RPG.
Mr. Stevens really reached out to the Arab world not only in Libya but Palestine, Egypt, Jerusalem, Pakistan, and the list goes on. However there were Libyans showing sympathy for the American loss and they held posters out stating that not all Islamists are "thugs". Obama condemned the murders and sent 50 Marines to the capital thinking it was enough to secure the embassy there. He also warned Americans not to travel there at this point in time, and more importantly, ordered better security at every American diplomatic installation and embassy.