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Monday, March 12, 2018

ENG-ANTH 281-1005--"An Endless War"--NY Times (02/17/18)--REVERSE OUTLINE, QUALLAM-3D

TO ALPHA 3212  FROM RECON-PRESSE-USA SUBJ AFTER ACTION W/MAPS

Following is the Reverse outline from the NY Times article--
University of Nevada, Reno
Spring 2018  13M18
James Langelle

"An Endless War,"  NYT (02/19/18)--Reverse Outline

1.) Introduction to the ambush on October 04, 2017 just below the Mali border in Niger that claimed the lives of 4 American soldiers.
2.) Outcome of the firefight, comparison to "Blackhawk Down" (1993, Somalia), and reaction back home of President Trump's remarks.
3.) A hastily arranged plan that led to the soldiers being caught out in the open just a few hundred yards south of Tongo Tongo village.
4.) Logistics and weapons inventory.
5.)  The debate in Congress on the so-called "war on terror."
6.) The Pentagon report is in progress, and currently over 1000 pages long. Sen. Graham remark, ignorance over troop count in Niger.
7.)  The rest of the senators with the "I know nothing " line aka Sgt. Schultz, "Hogan's Heroes."
8.) Sgt. Wright background notes.
9.) Sgt. Wright background notes.
10.) War authorization measure.
11.)  Rep B Lee (D-CA)- 9/11 AUMF vote.
12.) AUMF repeal attempt by Rep. Lee killed in House, w/ref to runup to ambush time frame.
13.)  Obama uses 1973 War Powers Act to justify Niger troop deployment.
14.) Post-ambush debate in Congress with focus on 2001 AUMF.
15.) Sgt. Black bio
16.) Sgt. Black bio, continued.
17.) Sgt. Black bio, continued.
18.)  Sgt. Black bio, continued.
19.)  Background on US involvement in Africa, 1998, Tanzania and Kenya bombings and emergence of Osama bin Laden.
20.) French intervention in Mali, 2013.
21.) Obama steps in with a plan for West Africa.
22.) President Trump and the current escalation of terror attacks by African militants.
23.) Niger escalation and the risk posed by American forces in the bush.
24.) The obfuscation from command over the role of the patrol in the bush.
25.) "Naylor Road", code name for the cattle-herder turned radical as the objective of the patrol; relation to American aid worker kidnapping. Alert sounded by electronic signal from the cattle-herder's electronic device.
26.) Heli-assault mission "Obsidian Nomad" formulated using a variety of counterterror components. Command decisions may have muddled the execution of the mission.
27.) Ground component, the ill-fated patrol, was already in place.
28.) Weapons inventory of the patrol OD-Alpha 3212; patrol leaves Quallam base at 0600, Oct. 03. Following routine mission, patrol is diverted to assist the heli-assault team.
29.) Heli-assault mission scrubbed, leaving Alpha-3212 open in the field with no air cover. The team was ordered to recon the cattle-herder's last known location.
30.) Patrol recons extremely dangerous neighborhood, where dozens of attacks had already been recorded.
31.) Air-support stands down, the team beds down and continues early on the morning of Oct. 04., eventually arriving at Tongo Tongo.
32.)  A-3212 stops for water in the village, and appear to be delayed for rather suspect reasons.
33.) 1130 hours, 500 yards south of the village, the firefight erupts with the unit taking small arms fire from a treeline to the north. There is a comm breakdown which prevent air-support from the French in Mali.
34.) Air support does arrive and med-evacs are lifted out of an LZ, (possibly the location of the red smoke in the video.) There is a very big intel gap here over whether those killed in the ambush were deserted by the others.
35.)  Trump remark on Sgt. Johnson, "knew what he signed up for."
36.) Sgt. (La David) Johnson bio.
37.) Body-camera recordings reviewed.
38.) More body-camera review.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/02/17/world/africa/niger-ambush-american-soldiers.html?mtrref=www.google.com

#28)--"patrol leaves Quallam base at 0600"

Below 3D sims of "Quallam base"--








Yet another reminder of the "war on terror"..

Sunday, March 11, 2018

ANTHROPOLOGY 281--Origin of Phrase "War on Terror"--FROM AL CAPONE TO SHIMON PERES

ANTH 281
Dr. J Ferguson
University of Nevada, Reno
Spring 2018  10M18
JC Langelle

A Derivative and Precursor, "War Against Terrorism"




     In Thursday's Anthropology 281 lecture, while discussing words and expressions that have either made a comeback, or have vague meaning, a classmate brought up "war on terror," as if to allude to its recent emphasis since the Twin Towers attacks in 2001. The classmate was quick to point out that the US government has used this phrase as an excuse to bomb, invade or  occupy anywhere in the world where a threat may be perceived. There was also an allusion that the current string of US presidents, possibly since Ronald Reagan, somehow had or have a monopoly on the phrase.  A brief history of the expression is now in order to set the record straight as to its origin, at least through the last century.

     Gangland Chicago of the 1930's had no shortage of "terrorists" as reported in the Jacksonville (IL) Daily Journal; dated Sept 22, 1932. Note that crime boss Al Capone and the derivative "War Against Terrorism" are mentioned on the same page, probably by no coincidence.




     In 1952, the British were fighting communists in a "war against terrorism" in Malaya. Naturally, the United States could hardly wait to lend a hand to assist in ridding the world of terrorists.





    
     Next, and once again, the battleground for the fight shifts, this time to the Algerian War for Independence in 1956.




     One of the last references to the derivative appears in Venezuela, with a local by the name of Fidel Castro as the instigator. The old expression that "the communists, they're everywhere" would soon be replaced by "the terrorists, they're everywhere."



     But the final say on who to fight, how to fight and what to call it, came from the Israeli Defense Minister in 1974, following an attack on a village by the Palestinian Liberation Organization. Shimon Peres put a new spin on the already redundant phrase and a  brand new war began. The headline misquotes Peres but the quotation in the third to the last paragraph clearly gives birth to the new phrase "war on terror."





     Peres' other quote about hunting them down in all corners of the land is an early and eerily reminiscent relative of "W"'s line about "they have no place under the sun" to hide. Not to be outgunned by the Israeli Defense Minister's rhetoric, the PLO boss Yasser Arafat steals headlines that also reference the war.










     By 1974, the "war on terror," having been born far away on the streets of Chicago, had now reached full maturity where it remains to this day, the Middle East. The US presidents stand in a long line of famous people who have nurtured the phrase from its early inception to its current use, where even students in an introductory linguistic anthropology class search to find a place for it in context with global events.

     Thank you, classmates, for bringing this matter to my attention. JCL.






Thursday, March 8, 2018

ENG102--Ballet of Death: Red Smoke at Tango 2--TONGO TONGO VIDEO TIMESTAMP



ENG102
Prof M Judd
University of Nevada, Reno
Spring 2018 09M18
JC Langelle





 
Ballet of Death: Red Smoke at Tango 2--
Oct. 04, 2018
The enemy has released a video of the recent firefight in Niger; below is an examination of the sequence of events according to the timestamp, done in Photoshop.
 
[00:00]
Opening sequence, center stage; two standing actors in uniform, another in white, crouched down.
 




[00:11] Actor in white exits stage right
[00:12] Footsteps of principal actor, note direction of shadow.
[00:15] unidentified blue object appears, actor continues to move.
[00:17] A number of actors appear moving downstage, in a hurry.
Note angle of (lighting) shadow.
[00:21] Second sequence begins with new set of actors
 




. One principal exits downstage right., others remain in scene downstage.
[00:29] Original set of actors, one crouched behind vehicle 001, vehicle 002 , white, beyond.
[00:36] Yet another actor at the white technical mounted weapon, wearing soft cover and either glasses or goggles. Doors of technical are open. Camera moves around and principal actor sets weapon on front seat, climbs into driver's seat. To front of technical, actor is crouched.
[00:43] Another actor is framed in the technical front passenger seat window, in full combat gear.
[00:45] Several actors of the troupe visible onstage: one crouched  in front of passenger side windshield, one to his back, another standing in the passenger window, and another in the passenger rear view window. Behind him upstage left another is crouched. Technical begins to move, actors disappear.
[00:55] Technical stops, actor reappears in passenger window. Principal actor steps out of technical as second technical appears stage right, actors crouched behind it. Principal actor crouches down, holding barrel of weapon in right hand.
[01:02] Shadow of principal actor seen on ground as he crouches by driver door, another actor weapon shadow protrudes from rear of technical. Principal moves toward tailgate as another vehicle appears downstage left. Camera sweeps back to second technical where three actors are crouched on passenger side. Principal actor takes up position behind first technical, tailgate # 1539.
[01:06] Principal actor now appears to be behind the second technical, blue SUV type vehicle. It does not seem reasonable to assume that he covered the distance in 00:04 seconds, the video has a redacted segment here. Principal takes up position behind blue SUV, passenger side, and it begins to move.
[0:01:17:16] spent cartridge seen ejected from weapon. Appearance of white smoke at treeline downstage center.
 




[01:23:19] Blue SUV is on the move as second actor appears stage left. Red smoke appears downstage center between two trees. Engagement sporadic.
 





[01:33] More spent cartridges ejected from principal actor's weapon at position rear SUV, passenger side.
[01:47} SUV reaches red smoke, several cannisters have been popped. Second principal actor crouched and moving along, using SUV as cover. Principal actor takes up position on front hood, passenger side. Signals driver to move to passenger side.
 




[01:51] Principal signals driver to turn left away from red smoke, at least two distinct cannisters popped.
[02:04] Another break in the sequence as the principal appears not at the front hood, but at the passenger rear once again. Spent cartridges ejected from weapon. No indication of the status of the red smoke.
[02:10] passenger door open, actor face down on seats, legs protruding from SUV. Principal removes something from the front seat. The SUV is still moving forward as seen by the right rear hubcap in motion, principal actor may have been knocked down by the movement. Camera goes skyward and sun seen overhead, passenger door open, SUV in motion, possibly driverless. SUV now appears to reverse direction as principal regains footing.
The red smoke is gone from the stage.
[02:29] First casualty on ground downstage center. Principal actor inspects casualty.
[02:42] Driver of SUV exits passenger side, joins principal. Casualty inspected, there appears to be no entry wound.  KIA actor dragged by driver to passenger side of SUV, there is no blood trail.




 
[03:21] another break in the sequence. driver crouched by KIA at passenger front of SUV. Driver and principal abandon position begin running.
[03:34] driver in front of principal, running, a vehicle appears stage right behind a tree.
[03:35] sequence again has a gap as running actor appears to right of principal and falling behind.
[03:38] driver appears stage left again, running. camera obscured, driver no longer visible, reappears running a few seconds later.
[03:47] principal raises weapon toward flank of running driver.
[04:03] principal is hit, falls to ground. camera shows blood spatters, glove extended from body, motionless.





[04:16] bursts of gunfire strikes principal.
[04:34] principal appears to be moved. more bursts of gunfire, dust kicks up immediate center.
[04:53] first enemy actor passes by principal, one large step
[04:58] principal appears to be on knees, possibly still alive at this point.
[05:05] second enemy actor enters above principal stage left, three steps to leave camera.
[05:11] third enemy actor enters, four steps, leaves camera.







[05:18] another burst of gunfire directly in front of camera.
[05:23] large puddle of blood forms to left of camera on ground.

For those in ANTHROPOLOGY  281, University of Nevada, Reno,  who do not believe there is a "War on Terror"..