Defence Force Members past & present

[PMC]

G'day folks,

I farken leave for a short period of time and the place goes the shite. lol

Anyhow I have decided to start a new Defence Force members thread, seeing that I farked the last one!

Here is the latest info from DVA.

Ladies/Gents

You should all be aware that DVA will be issuing new Gold, White and Pharmaceuticals cards new in June 2014.

The new cards will feature:
• the title on all of the cards is now, ‘DVA Health Card’;
• the front of the card has the 100 years centenary of the ANZAC logo on a background of a field of poppies;
• the DVA security hologram has moved to the front of the card providing greater visibility of this security feature;
• the signature stripe on the back of the card is longer, allowing more room for a signature;
• the magnetic stripe for a Gold Card is now gold, on the White Card this is now blue, while the Orange Card retains a black stripe; and
• the cards are valid for six years now, instead of the previous four years.

New cards will be distributed to all current card holders during the month of June 2014. Please contact DVA if you have not received your new card by mid July 2014. DVA providers will continue to accept old cards until the expiry date shown on the card.

Further information can be obtained at the website: www.dva.gov.au/service_providers/treatment_cards/Pages/whats_new.aspx

Kind regards,

PMC
:cheers:

[PMC]

G'day folks,

I was visiting my local GP in Woolgoolga recently when Dr Moore (who is a devote Sikh) advised me about a very famous Sikh battle against Islamismists in 1897. I was unaware of the battle, so I decided to reseach the battle for myself as I love military history. The battle itself is quite remarkable and I thought I would share this story with you all. I hope you enjoy it!

The Battle of Saragarhi

Situation:

Saragarhi was a small village in the border district of Kohat, situated on the Samana Range, in present day Pakistan. On 20 April 1894, the 36th Sikh Regiment of the British Army was created, under the command of Colonel J. Cook.[10] In August 1897, five companies of the 36th Sikhs under Lt. Col. John Haughton, were sent to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, stationed at Samana Hills, Kurag, Sangar, Sahtop Dhar and Saragarhi.

The British had partially succeeded in getting control of this volatile area, however tribal Pashtuns attacked British personnel from time to time. Thus a series of forts, originally built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Ruler of the Sikh Empire, were consolidated. Two of the forts were Fort Lockhart, (on the Samana Range of the Hindu Kush mountains), and Fort Gulistan (Sulaiman Range), situated a few miles apart. Due to the forts not being visible to each other, Saragarhi was created midway, as a heliographic communication post. The Saragarhi post, situated on a rocky ridge, consisted of a small block house with loop-holed ramparts and a signalling tower.

A general uprising by the Afghans began there in 1897, and between 27 August - 11 September, many vigorous efforts by Pashtuns to capture the forts were thwarted by 36th Sikh regiment. In 1897, insurgent and inimical activities had increased, and on 3 and 9 September Afridi tribes, with allegiance to Afghans, attacked Fort Gulistan. Both the attacks were repulsed, and a relief column from Fort Lockhart, on its return trip, reinforced the signalling detachment positioned at Saragarhi, increasing its strength to one Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) and twenty troops of Other Ranks (ORs).

On the morning of 12th September 1897, 10,000 Islamic Pashtuns attacked the signalling post at Saragarhi, so that communication would be lost between the two forts.

The Battle:

Details of the Battle of Saragarhi are considered fairly accurate, due to Gurmukh Singh signalling events to Fort Lockhart as they occurred.

Around 9:00am, around 10,000 Islamic Afghans reach the signaling post at Saragarhi. Sardar Gurmukh Singh signals to Col. Haughton, situated in Fort Lockhart, that they are under attack. Colonel Haughton states he cannot send immediate help to Saragarhi.

The soldiers decide to fight to the last to prevent the enemy from reaching the forts. Bhagwan Singh becomes the first injured and Lal Singh is seriously wounded. Soldiers Lal Singh and Jiwa Singh reportedly carry the dead body of Bhagwan Singh back to the inner layer of the post. The enemy breaks a portion of the wall of the picket.

Colonel Haughton signals that he has estimated between 10,000 and 14,000 Islamic Pashtuns attacking Saragarhi.

The leaders of the Islamic Afghan forces reportedly make promises to the soldiers to entice them to surrender. Reportedly two determined attempts are made to rush open the gate, but are unsuccessful. Later, the wall is breached. Thereafter, some of the fiercest hand-to-hand fighting occurs.

In an act of outstanding bravery, Ishar Singh orders his men to fall back into the inner layer, whilst he remains to fight. However, this is breached and all but one of the defending soldiers are killed, along with hundreds of the Pashtuns.

Gurmukh Singh, who communicated the battle with Col. Haughton, was the last Sikh defender. He is stated to have killed by shooting and bayonetting over 20 Afghans, the Pashtuns having to set fire to the post to kill him. As he was dying he was said to have yelled repeatedly the Sikh battle-cry "Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal" (Shout Aloud in Ecstasy! True is the Great Timeless One). "Akal," meaning Immortal, beyond death, the Supreme Creator God unbound by time and non-temporal.

Having destroyed Saragarhi, the Afghans turned their attention to Fort Gulistan, but they had been delayed too long, and reinforcements arrived there in the night of 13–14 September, before the fort could be conquered.[1] The Pashtuns later admitted that they had lost about 280 killed and many more wounded during the engagement against the 21 Sikh soldiers, but some 600 bodies are said to have been seen around the ruined post when the relief party arrived.

On 14 September, with the use of intensive artillery fire, the total casualties in the entire campaign, including the Battle of Saragarhi, numbered at around 4,800.

On receiving the news, the British Parliament interrupted its proceedings and gave standing ovation to the Sikh men of Saragarhi. Each hero was awarded an Indian Order of Merit (IOM), the highest award given to an Indian soldier in British Indian Army for valour and sacrifice. Altogether, a record 21 IOMs were awarded that day. The battle of Saragarhi gave the concept of "last man, last round".

It is considered by some military historians as one of history's great last-stands. September 12 is celebrated as "Saragarhi Day" by all the battalions of the elite Sikh Regiment.

UNESCO recognises this battle as one among eight battles of the world known for collective bravery.

PS, It is a pity that the Iraqi army at present does not have the same resolve of these truly brave and courageous men.

Regards,

PMC

[Avo]

the Iraq army is not known for there bravery..Wasn't it told somewhere when the yanks showed up they expected a fight in one town only to find the men had disappeared and left all their weapons on the ground and just walked off..

thanks for sharing that bit of history to..cheers

[PMC]

G'day folks,

The following story is typical of a stuck-up celebrity that lives in a lives in a dream world, devoid of true reality. Enjoy!

Green Beret Bryan Sikes slams actress Gwyneth Paltrow: ‘Twitter hate is not war’
June 4th , 2014

A US Army Green Beret has hit out at Gwyneth Paltrow in a scathing essay after the actress compared enduring internet haters to the ravages of war.

Sergeant First Class Bryan Sikes, who suffered a broken neck and back in a 2008 IED explosion in Afghanistan, was infuriated by the actress’ idiotic comment comparing negative online comments to being at war during a tech conference this week, according to The New York Post.

She whined, “You come across [online comments] about yourself and about your friends, and it’s a very dehumanising thing … It’s almost like how, in war, you go through this bloody, dehumanising thing, and then something is defined out of it.”

Sikes seethed in an open letter to Paltrow on ClashDaily.com,

“I can only imagine the difficulty of waking up in a 12,000 square foot Hollywood home and having your assistant retrieve your iPhone, only to see that the battery is low and someone on twitter (the social media concept that you and all of your friends contribute to on an hourly basis to feed your ego and narcissistic ways), has written a mean word or 2 about you. You’ve hit the nail on the head, war is exactly like that. You should receive a medal for the burden you have carried on your shoulders due to these meanies on social media.”

Sikes continued: “I could see how you, and others like you in “the biz,” could be so insecure and mentally weak that you could pair the difficulty of your life on twitter to my brothers who have had their limbs ripped off and seen their friends shot, blown up, burned and disfigured, or wake up every morning in pain — while just starting the day is a challenge.

“You know what is really ‘dehumanising’, Miss Paltrow? The fact that you’d even consider that your life as an “A-list” celebrity reading internet comments could even compare to war and what is endured on the battlefield.”

He summarised: “Let me be the first to burst your bubble: a long line at Starbucks, your driver being 3 minutes late, a scuff mark on your $1200 shoes and a mean tweet do not constitute difficulty in the eyes of a soldier.”

Paltrow, and her rep, have yet to respond.

Sikes, originally from Minnesota, enlisted in the armed forces in 2005, and was awarded a Green Beret in 2007. He served in Afghanistan in 2007, returned home and went back in 2008, when an SUV he was travelling in rolled over an IED in Southeastern Kabul.

Sikes, in his late 20s, said the attack left him with a broken back, broken neck, shrapnel in his leg and “bounced my brain around my skull a bit,” in an 2013 interview with ClashDaily.com.

In the same interview, Sikes took a more powerful stance about dealing with negative comments on social media.

“It’s laughable to think because someone didn’t click like on a Facebook picture, that I’m going to get twisted about it. I’ve got bigger things to worry about. My wife and kids mean more to me than anyone else will. I can care less about what else is going on and the vanity of everything. I don’t have time for it.”

Good onya Sergeant First Class Bryan Sikes, you hit the nail on the head!

Regards,

PMC

[NP99]

Iraq - what a disappointment, but not entirely unexpected. Afghanistan will be next....

[PMC]

Iraq - what a disappointment, but not entirely unexpected. Afghanistan will be next....

So true mate,

The sad thing is that good men have died from this great country of ours, fighting for there freedom.

Regards,

Paul

[Gecko17]

I have read a couple of books on the Russian-Afghan war and what happened there. There is also a movie, Beast of War, that shows just how badly the Russians got served... Considering that the CIA trained the Afghans and supplied their surface to air weapons as well as others, you'd have thought that the Americans would have learnt a few more things. There were a lot of "In country assets" that became one with the Afghans and could have prevented a lot of deaths had only the politicians listened to what they had to say...

Sadly, very few politicians have ever been shot at in anger, so will never value human life as much as a soldier.

[NP99]

It was Americas revenge on the Russians for supporting the NVA during the Vietnam war...

[Gecko17]

It was Americas revenge on the Russians for supporting the NVA during the Vietnam war...

Indeed, it was!

So much for the Cold War being over....

[NP99]

If your having trouble with Vet Affairs processing your claim, spare a thought for these poor buggers -
..........
Paying asylum seekers to return home 'standard practice' for 10 years, Scott Morrison says

Paying asylum seekers who return home voluntarily has been standard practice for more than 10 years, the Federal Government says, amid reports some are being offered as much as $10,000 to return to their country of origin.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has refused to confirm individual dollar figures, saying they are determined on a case-by-case basis.

Fairfax Media is reporting Lebanese asylum seekers have been given $10,000 to leave Australia's offshore processing centres on Manus Island and Nauru and return home.

The reports say "return packages" for Iranians amount to $7,000, while Afghans are offered $4,000.

[DX grunt]

Got my card in the mail this week and I'm impressed.

Rossco

[NP99]

The new pretty cards ?

[DX grunt]

The new pretty cards ?
Yep. Mine's white

[NP99]

Yep. Mine's white

I'm told that the new co payment for Dr visits will not impact on card holders. I think there might also be a Medicare rebate for card holders too, not sure if it applies to gold only or all cards.

[PMC]

If your having trouble with Vet Affairs processing your claim, spare a thought for these poor buggers -
..........
Paying asylum seekers to return home 'standard practice' for 10 years, Scott Morrison says

Paying asylum seekers who return home voluntarily has been standard practice for more than 10 years, the Federal Government says, amid reports some are being offered as much as $10,000 to return to their country of origin.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has refused to confirm individual dollar figures, saying they are determined on a case-by-case basis.

Fairfax Media is reporting Lebanese asylum seekers have been given $10,000 to leave Australia's offshore processing centres on Manus Island and Nauru and return home.

The reports say "return packages" for Iranians amount to $7,000, while Afghans are offered $4,000.

Farkk, I am an Irishman, I wounder what I am worth. lol

Regards,

Paul

[PMC]

I'm told that the new co payment for Dr visits will not impact on card holders. I think there might also be a Medicare rebate for card holders too, not sure if it applies to gold only or all cards.

G'day lads,

You are so correct NP99, the budget does not affect Veteran's/ex-defence force personal or their families.

PS, I will be heading to the RSL National Congress meeting later in the year and as usual, I will keep you all posted on matters that might effect us.

Kind regards,

Paul

[CPOCSM]

G'day lads,

You are so correct NP99, the budget does not affect Veteran's/ex-defence force personal or their families.

PS, I will be heading to the RSL National Congress meeting later in the year and as usual, I will keep you all posted on matters that might effect us.

Kind regards,

Paul

G'day Paul,

Can you advocate for us toowoomba types who still don't have an RSL to call home. The wankers who are running the sub branches up here cannot decide on a singular RSL due to their stranglehold on their respective branch el presidentes.

It is a disgrace that the largest inland regional city does not have an RSL club that us ex serving members can call home. Requests here with the state representatives always fall on deaf ears.

Thanks for the listening ear...

Rob
Ex-CPOCSM

[PMC]

G'day Paul,

Can you advocate for us toowoomba types who still don't have an RSL to call home. The wankers who are running the sub branches up here cannot decide on a singular RSL due to their stranglehold on their respective branch el presidentes.

It is a disgrace that the largest inland regional city does not have an RSL club that us ex serving members can call home. Requests here with the state representatives always fall on deaf ears.

Thanks for the listening ear...

Rob
Ex-CPOCSM

G'day Rob,

Not a problem mate, PM me with your contact phone number and I will have a chat with you!

Regards,

Paul

[PMC]

G'day folks,

I thought I would attach a "what books have you read" section to this thread, as I know that a lot of Defence Force personally are avid readers.

I have just read the following;

1. Great Battles in Australian History by Jonathon King

2. The Crossroad by Mark Donaldson, VC

3. Cosgrove by Patrick Lindsay

4. History's Worst Battles by Joel Levy

Regards,

PMC

[oncedisturbed]

Have list count on the number I have read.
Some I can remember are Blood on Borneo by Jack Sue (friends with his son Barry) forget the title but it was the latest anniversary book on SASR as my old man was in it.

[MC97GQ]

Have a look for a book called "They Dared Mightily" edited by Lionel Wigmore, it describes in detail the efforts of our VC winners, it is an awesome read.

It was first published by the Australian War Memorial in 1963.

Mark

[NP99]

G'day Rob,

Not a problem mate, PM me with your contact phone number and I will have a chat with you!

Regards,

Paul

Trust you to talk to the navy guys....... :)

[PMC]

Trust you to talk to the navy guys....... :)

Oh, you are such a brute! But I like you! lol

Regards,

PMC

[Hardyards]

G'day folks,

I thought I would attach a "what books have you read" section to this thread, as I know that a lot of Defence Force personally are avid readers.

I have just read the following;

1. Great Battles in Australian History by Jonathon King

2. The Crossroad by Mark Donaldson, VC

3. Cosgrove by Patrick Lindsay

4. History's Worst Battles by Joel Levy

Regards,

PMC

Hey PMC (president mess committee perhaps:biggrin:?)
I’m reading SAS – Phantoms of the Jungle by David Horner At the moment. It’s about the history of the SAS and roles in Borneo and Vietnam. Uses patrol reports and interviews with some of the participants which makes for a pretty good read.
cheers

[jack]

Australia Story on ABC had a two part story on the late Cpl Cameron Baird VC recently.
He was the 100th Australian Victoria Cross winner - gave a background of his life and death as told by his family and fellow commandos.
Very respected and a deserved winner, it's available on the web 'The Last Commando' and well worth watching.

[PMC]

Australia Story on ABC had a two part story on the late Cpl Cameron Baird VC recently.
He was the 100th Australian Victoria Cross winner - gave a background of his life and death as told by his family and fellow commandos.
Very respected and a deserved winner, it's available on the web 'The Last Commando' and well worth watching.

G'day Jack,

I watch those two episodes from Australian story, brought a lot of memories flooding back when I served in 2 CDO in Williamstown in Victoria years ago.

PS, The man was a true warrior and he will never be forgotten. Lest we forget!

Regards,

PMC

[NP99]

2 CDO in winter on port Philip bay........I felt sorry for you guys out on the water :)

[PMC]

2 CDO in winter on port Philip bay........I felt sorry for you guys out on the water :)

Its funny mate, when you are young and full of adrenaline and excitement you somehow you block-out the those cold mornings and late night raids in the zodiacs. However, I did fall into Port Phillip bay on a couple of occasions with full kit on and froze my bollox off.

When you are in your 50's you cringe at the thought of freezing cold whether.

Kind regards,

PMC

[PMC]

Hey PMC (president mess committee perhaps:biggrin:?)
I’m reading SAS – Phantoms of the Jungle by David Horner At the moment. It’s about the history of the SAS and roles in Borneo and Vietnam. Uses patrol reports and interviews with some of the participants which makes for a pretty good read.
cheers

G'day Hardyards,

PMC is just my initial's Paul Mc. I note the Townsville location and the Army jargon (Hardyards) are you still serving?

Regards,

Paul

[Hardyards]

Hi Paul,
While Townsville was my last posting, I retired from the RAAF after 27 years, when they took my belovered Caribou away.:frown: Did a couple of MEAO deployments then they tried to post me to Sydney – trouble is I fell in love with the ‘Ville. I still do reserve work, but now work for Australian Aerospace working with the Army on the new MRH90 Helicopter. The Compass in my overhead console is out of a ‘Bou.
Hardyards - Harrison (me) and Rookyard (her). Our rigs have always had "Doing the Hardyards" stickers on them

[DX grunt]

Been on a Herc, once. Used to work at Nowra but not as an airman.

Loved the way the Grummond Trackers folded their wings up and the Skyhawks.

Enough of my age. lol.

Rossco

[NP99]

Got my new card in the mail today........whoooooo :)

[Gecko17]

Hi Paul,
While Townsville was my last posting, I retired from the RAAF after 27 years, when they took my belovered Caribou away.:frown: Did a couple of MEAO deployments then they tried to post me to Sydney – trouble is I fell in love with the ‘Ville. I still do reserve work, but now work for Australian Aerospace working with the Army on the new MRH90 Helicopter. The Compass in my overhead console is out of a ‘Bou.
Hardyards - Harrison (me) and Rookyard (her). Our rigs have always had "Doing the Hardyards" stickers on them

Funniest thing I ever saw was at an airshow back home in NZ, at Ohakea Air Base. A Caribou was flying along on it's nose wheel! I was told that it had such a low stall speed and great control they could do that! Very impressed!

[NP99]

I flew out the back of a kiwi Hercules with the tailgate down, just above the tree line....that was a buzz. Anyone here remember EX Golden Fleece back in 89'.

[Gecko17]

I flew out the back of a kiwi Hercules with the tailgate down, just above the tree line....that was a buzz. Anyone here remember EX Golden Fleece back in 89'.

Yep! I remember Golden Fleece... I had just come back from 1 Battalion in Singapore and joined the Engineers as an apprentice carpenter. My wife, a civvie working for the Army, was there as well.

[NP99]

Yep! I remember Golden Fleece... I had just come back from 1 Battalion in Singapore and joined the Engineers as an apprentice carpenter. My wife, a civvie working for the Army, was there as well.

Good times.....6 weeks on the north island. I was an umpire with a Moari platoon of inf guys. They were a great bunch to learn from. They did what they wanted when they wanted, as an umpire I just gave up :)

[Parksy]

Got to have a walk around in a c17 the other day. Has the same feeling as being on the back of an FFG. Still have bad dreams about sleeping in the 65 man messes on those old frigates.

[NP99]

Got to have a walk around in a c17 the other day. Has the same feeling as being on the back of an FFG. Still have bad dreams about sleeping in the 65 man messes on those old frigates.

Ship postings are in the news again.....more dfda action happening :(

[Parksy]

Yep, no more crossing the line ceremonies. Infact, in 2011 I had to sign a waiver to participate in the ceremony.

[NP99]

Yep, no more crossing the line ceremonies. Infact, in 2011 I had to sign a waiver to participate in the ceremony.

Those activities are fine with me, I wouldn't tolerate the assaults or sexual mis conduct.

[Parksy]

Those activities are fine with me, I wouldn't tolerate the assaults or sexual mis conduct.

I completely agree.

[NP99]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-06-28/franz-ferdinand-profile/5542910

A good read on history lead up to ww1

[NP99]

This has always been a tough one to answer. What happened to conscientious objectors during WW1?

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/worldwarone/what-happened-to-conscientious-objectors-during-ww1/5553002

[PMC]

G'day fellow warriors,

I do not care if you have operational or non-operational service! What I do care about passionately, is those men and women that volunteered there time for there service of their country to protect our Australian civilian population from this kind of tyranny.

Regards,

PMC

The new dark ages: The chilling medieval society Isis extremists seek to impose in Iraq! LIMBS cut off for minor offences, opponents made to dig their own graves, singing and music strictly forbidden - a chilling vision of the medieval society Isis extremists today seek to impose on Iraq.

By: Adrian Lee
Published: Friday, July 11, 2014

Isis jihadists lead away Iraqi soldiers in plain clothes after capturing their base in Tikrit [AP] When the gunmen arrived in town one of their first tasks was to raid shops and confiscate every carton of cigarettes. The tobacco was loaded on to a truck and was soon burning on a giant pyre under the watchful eyes of the fanatics.

For residents in Raqqa near the border with Iraq in northern Syria this display of power was just a taste of life to come under Isis. Within days the radical Muslim group that is bulldozing through the region had decreed that women could not raise their voices in public or walk at a late hour without a male chaperone.

From elsewhere have come horrific stories of brutality including the alleged filming of mass executions. Now this group controls half of Iraq and is knocking on the door of the capital Baghdad.

When a force like that gets momentum and the security forces start to crumble it becomes difficult to stop Former US commander!

Led by a man who has been described as the new Osama Bin Laden, the aim of Isis is a new Muslim state straddling Syria and Iraq, which is to be run under ultrastrict sharia law.

For anyone stepping out of line the punishments are harsh. Isis believes in crucifixion and the amputation of limbs for criminal acts. It's claimed that to set an example the heads of their dead enemies are boiled in oil.

It is a return to the Dark Ages last witnessed when the Taliban joylessly governed Afghanistan. As the West dithers, apparently taken by surprise by the speed of the invasion, the Iraqi government has likened the rule of Isis in vast swathes of the country to the Nazi occupation of Europe and pleaded for help.

And our Prime Minister David Cameron is warning that we should not dismiss Isis as a foreign problem because the terror group is planning attacks in Britain. The ranks of Isis are being swollen by impressionable young men from overseas including Britons who are attracted by its religious ambition. This week one of the Britons, calling himself Abu Rashash Britani, sent messages from the front line calling for Cameron to be beheaded. He also urged his "Muslim brothers" in the UK to take to the streets.

Isis believes Muslim women should be fully covered up in public. It's only recently that Isis, which stands for Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, has sprung to prominence. The organisation was founded in April 2013, when it grew out of Al Qaeda in Iraq. It's run by charismatic former Al Qaeda commander Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi who commands an estimated 10,000 fighters.

Baghdadi, who uses a series of other aliases, earned a doctorate from the University of Baghdad and is said to be an avid reader of poetry. He became radicalised and was held prisoner by US forces from 2005 to 2009. According to US sources when he was released from Camp Bucca in Iraq he remarked: "I'll see you guys in New York."He has earned a reputation as an astute leader who has exploited unrest between rival Muslim groups and positioned Isis as an even more radical alternative to Al Qaeda. Listed as a terrorist by the United Nations in 2011 he has a £6million bounty on his head.

Baghdadi keeps a low profile and when addressing his men is said to wear a mask to obscure his identity resulting in the nicknames "the invisible sheikh" and "the ghost". A Sunni Muslim, he has extreme views about how people should live and when a town is "liberated" by Isis forces sharia law is immediately declared.

Women are encouraged to stay indoors most of the time, supposedly for the stability of the home, but when venturing out must wear full Islamic dress including a veil and gloves.

Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi [AP ]Singing and dancing are banned along with alcohol, cigarettes and the popular hookah pipe. "Songs and music are forbidden in Islam as they prevent one from the remembrance of god and the koran and are a temptation and corruption of the heart," according to a statement issued by Isis."Every smoker should be aware that with every cigarette he smokes in a state of trance and vanity he is disobeying god and you will be put to death for violating Islam"

Shop owners are forbidden from displaying images of people in their windows and ordered to close 10 minutes before prayer time. It's also considered a sin to build elaborate tombstones. Under Islamic law death is final and resting places should be unadorned.

When prayers begin every man should attend a mosque or risk the wrath of the Isis enforcers who describe themselves as soldiers of Islam. Any political opposition to Isis or the carrying of weapons by other groups is banned.

In the areas of Syria it controls Isis has set up courts, schools and other services, flying its black jihadi flag everywhere. In Raqqa it even started a consumer protection authority for food standards, shutting down some street vendors and market traders.Taxes are imposed on local businesses and more chillingly it has operated a policy of killing all government employees including rubbish collectors.

The organisation even publishes an annual report to boost fundraising in which it publishes details of its atrocities. The latest edition of al-Naba (The News) boasts of 1,000 assassinations, planting more than 4,000 roadside bombs and freeing hundreds of prisoners.

The march of Isis began in Syria but it was the capture of Mosul, Iraq's second city with a population of two million people, which sent shock waves through the region. Despite vastly outnumbering Isis the Iraqi army appears to have crumbled in the face of the onslaught, which began only on June 9 and the invaders are now targeting the capital.

Burning a mountain of cigarettes, which are outlawed for being a distraction from god [TWITTER]One former US commander said: "When a force like that gets momentum and the security forces start to crumble it becomes difficult to stop." Worryingly Isis appears to be well organised and awash with cash following the looting of banks in towns and cities seized along the way. The group reportedly took hundreds of millions of dollars from Mosul's branch of Iraq's central bank.

According to some financial experts Isis is already the richest terror organisation in the world with a £2.7billion fortune.

Isis is said to earn significant amounts from the oilfields it controls in eastern Syria, reportedly selling some of the supply back to the Syrian government. It is now locked in battles for Iraq's major oilfields. Isis, which has also captured Iraqi military equipment, a handful of helicopters and vehicles, is believed to have been selling looted antiquities from historical sites. Money also pours in from sympathisers in the Gulf.

An expert in Middle East terrorism, Dr Natasha Underhill of Nottingham Trent University, says: "Isis was an opportunist organisation in Syria that grew out of Al Qaeda. But what's most worrying is that they were considered too extreme by Al Qaeda. "Isis has a lust for power and has been able to go into Iraq because there is so much disenchantment with the government there. They are vastly outnumbered by the Iraqi security forces but are very well organised and ferocious fighters. Most of the Iraqi army is barely trained to fire a weapon.

"The main tactic of Isis is to make surprise attacks which inflict maximum casualties and spread fear before withdrawing."Propaganda videos show Isis forcing families with sons in the Iraqi army to dig their own graves before they are shot. The terrifying message is clear: enemies can expect no mercy. Dr Underhill adds: "Their interpretation of sharia law is very strict along with the punishments they impose."

A spokesman for the Iraqi government, which has called for help from the US, says: "We have a situation similar to Rwanda where there is going to be genocide. This is similar to the Nazi occupation of Europe."

However any US intervention could inflame the region and unwittingly help topple the regime that was left in place when troops were pulled out of Iraq three years ago.

Recent history has shown the risks of becoming embroiled in conflict in the Middle East but there is also a reluctance to leave Iraq to its fate at the cruel hands of Isis. From the evidence provided of their methods so far that is scarcely surprising.

PS, this is what is happening now, while we enjoy our life's in a democracy forged by our great Defence Force Members!

WARNING THE FOLLOWING IMAGES ARE GRAFIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.asgraphic.org/videos/video382/index.htm

All the other video's sent to me from my Special Forces colleague in the US Army were to horrific for public viewing. One of the video's sent to me featured the autopsy performed in front of women and children in the Iraqi city of Mosul. A ASIS scumbag who is a butcher by trade, displays the poor Iraqi soldier remains like a jigsaw puzzle on the ground for everyone to witness.! Farken animals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Regards,

PMC

[PMC]

G'evening Macca,

ISIS are nothing more than cowardly terrorist scumbags.

I trained to kill shite like this, and when I face my maker (God), I can honestly say that I have no regrets with the enemy lives that myself and my fellow soldiers took over my military careers were taken for a better humanity to protect everyone (especially the Australian public) from the murderous actions from the above video.

PS, Strike Swiftly!

Kind regards,

PMC

[macca]

G'day Paul,
You know how I feel about all this, I haven't your experience nor have I served but I have ears and a will to learn.

[NP99]

I have seen similar vids. They would make people vomit and have nightmares. These animals are allowed to rule uncontrolled because they can. Never, ever give in to political correctness in our great country.....

[Gecko17]

I too, Paul, get all of the vids in relation to ISIS and have had to stop watching them as it just makes my blood boil. These clowns are a cancer that need to be surgically removed. What is worrying to hear is the targeting of recruits here and those that are getting trained to commit these terrorist acts! IMO this has become a global problem and I hope that action is taken soon to sort these mongrels out once and for all.

[Hardyards]

We cannot let the weak bastards who go over to fight for Isis, or in fact any Religion motivated military action back into our Country. Once people get the taste of forcing others to obey their wishes by using brutality, it will be the first and favourite action regressed to when anything doesn't go their way, or they believe they are not being treated as "special" as they think they deserve. Having served in most every major actions over the last 30 years, I appreciate more and more how awesome and free Australia really is. I have witnessed immigrants bring the same hatred and beliefs, most causing the situations they are running from, to our country and reigniting the same tensions here.

We need to keep this Country an Oasis from the decline of freedom happening in so many other places. I don't know how to do this, other then close our boarders? I like the idea of an 'Exam" you have to pass to enter, insuring an understanding of our culture and standards. I personally would like proof of a trade to make sure new Australians bring something to the table, not relying on handouts. I'm not sorry if this makes me a racist, I know some problems need to be addressed before they became permanent and unresolvable.

Thank you

[PMC]

G'day folks,

Your views and comments are all so true!

It is folks like us that act has guardians to our world, so we can live in a free and democratic society devoid of brutality and oppression, in hope that everyone can live their life's in peace!

PS, WAR to me is and acronym meaning = We Are Ready!

Kind regards,

PMC

[PMC]

G'day folks,

I awoke to this news this morning, this make my farken blood boil!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a joke we must look in the eyes of both our allies and enemies! We really are a laughing stock.

Australian terrorist Khaled Sharrouf received disability support payments while in Syria battlefields!

Khaled Sharrouf, who fled Australia for Syria using his brother’s passport, continued to receive the disability support pension of $766 a fortnight at least until February, about two months after he left Australia bound for Syria, The Weekend Australian reports.

That means Australian taxpayers may have been inadvertently funding his activities.

Sharrouf served three years and nine months for his role in the Pendennis plot, a terrorist conspiracy in which 18 men were convicted over plans to attack targets in NSW and Victoria.

The terrorist left Australia from Sydney on December 6 and authorities learned of his fraud by *December 18 at the latest.

Normally a disability support pension can be cancelled if the recipient is overseas for six weeks.

But currently the law does not allow authorities to cancel the payments of Australians suspected of involvement in criminal or extremist behaviour.

Human Services Minister Marise Payne would not comment on the Sharrouf case because of privacy reasons but told The Weekend Australian: “(But) recent events have highlighted the need for further measures to ensure Australians engaged in terrorist activities are not receiving payments”.

PS, This is a classic case of Sun Tzu, The art of war, "use your enemies resources against themselves". This is exactly what happens when we allow anyone into Australia without conducting the proper screening. Unfortunately, we have a certain group of left wing folks who are going to destroy the very fabric of our society, by undermining the government and the majority of the Australian publics democratic vote.

Regards,

Paul

[growler2058]

Yet my ol girl goes to Thailand for a two week holiday and they cut off her pension
Cnuts

[PMC]

G'day men/women,

Thank goodness the government has acted to list this shower of shite as a Terrorist group!

Regards,

PMC

Islamic State listed as terrorist organisation by Federal Government

July 12, 2014 12:32PM
Updated 6 minutes ago

Related Story: Australian preacher uses 'street cred' to enlist young jihadists. The Federal Government has outlawed the newly formed group, the Islamic State, and listed it as a terrorist organisation.

The move by Attorney-General George Brandis replaces the former listing of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as ISIS, and reflects an expansion of the organisation's operating area.

Senator Brandis says the Islamic State is the same organisation and one of the world's most deadly and active terrorist groups. Explained: What is the Islamic State?

International correspondent Mark Corcoran takes a look at the feared group currently waging an insurgency across Iraq and Syria.

Australians wanting to participate in the conflicts in Syria and Iraq, where the group has declared its desire to create an Islamic caliphate, are being warned they could face jail terms of up to 25 years.

The listing comes as Australian man Musa Cerantonio awaits deportation in the Philippines after his arrest yesterday. he 29-year-old is regarded one of the world's foremost online jihadist preachers.

Professor Greg Barton from Monash University's Global Terrorism Research Centre says laying charges against Mr Cerantonio would not be straightforward, despite his large online presence. "He's spoken almost like a spokesperson for ISIS and yet he's been careful to walk a fine line and not acknowledge any formal connection with ISIS," Professor Barton said. "Now, formal connection would automatically be a chargeable offence but I think even what he's been doing has probably taken him across that line sufficiently that charges will be laid."

WARNING THE FOLLOWING IMAGES ARE GRAFIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.asgraphic.org/videos/video382/index.htm

[NP99]

There are Vets still trying to get recognised for their service injuries.......just wait in line fellas, the criminals the greens cry for need to be cared for as a priority, not you!!!

[PMC]

There are Vets still trying to get recognised for their service injuries.......just wait in line fellas, the criminals the greens cry for need to be cared for as a priority, not you!!!

Well said NP99!

Regards,

Paul

[Gecko17]

I saw this and had to laugh... just thinking how angry I get when I hear about the cr@p going on overseas, as I get older.... Send me over! (and I'm only approaching 50!)

Drafting Guys Over 60
This is funny & obviously written by a Former Soldier...

New Direction for any war: Send Service Vets over 60!

I am over 60 and the Armed Forces thinks I'm too old to track down terrorists. You can't be older than 42 to join the military. They've got the whole thing ass-backwards. Instead of sending 18-year olds off to fight, they ought to take us old guys. You shouldn't be able to join a military unit until you're at least 35.

For starters, researchers say 18-year-olds think about sex every 10 seconds. Old guys only think about sex a couple of times a day, leaving us more than 28,000 additional seconds per day to concentrate on the enemy.

Young guys haven't lived long enough to be cranky, and a cranky soldier is a dangerous soldier. 'My back hurts! I can't sleep, I'm tired and hungry.' We are impatient and maybe letting us kill some asshole that desperately deserves it will make us feel better and shut us up for awhile.

An 18-year-old doesn't even like to get up before 10am. Old guys always get up early to pee, so what the hell. Besides, like I said, I'm tired and can't sleep and since I'm already up, I may as well be up killing some fanatical son-of-a-bitch.

If captured we couldn't spill the beans because we'd forget where we put them. In fact, name, rank, and serial number would be a real brainteaser.

Boot camp would be easier for old guys.. We're used to getting screamed and yelled at and we're used to soft food. We've also developed an appreciation for guns. We've been using them for years as an excuse to get out of the house, away from the screaming and yelling.

They could lighten up on the obstacle course however. I've been in combat and never saw a single 20-foot wall with rope hanging over the side, nor did I ever do any pushups after completing basic training.

Actually, the running part is kind of a waste of energy, too. I've never seen anyone outrun a bullet.

An 18-year-old has the whole world ahead of him. He's still learning to shave, to start a conversation with a pretty girl. He still hasn't figured out that a baseball cap has a brim to shade his eyes, not the back of his head.

These are all great reasons to keep our kids at home to learn a little more about life before sending them off into harm's way.

Let us old guys track down those dirty rotten coward terrorists. The last thing an enemy would want to see is a couple million pissed off old farts with attitudes and automatic weapons, who know that their best years are already behind them.

HEY!! How about recruiting Women over 50...in menopause!!! You think MEN have attitudes??
Ohhhhhhhhhhhh my God!!! If nothing else, put them on border patrol. They'll have it secured the first night!

[NP99]

I'm 55 and can still open a can of whoop arse......on anyone under 10 :)
I agree though, leave the young bucks home to shag and drink :)

[outback]

I'm 55 and can still open a can of whoop arse......on anyone under 10 :)
I agree though, leave the young bucks home to shag and drink :)

Not sure about the woop arse on 'under 10', my 30 YO son don't argue when i say move..
As for the young ones fine that can stay at home and do the drinking and shaging but I still want a but of drink and that "extra"stuff even if I have hit the 60's .. Also I am sure I can shoot as well as the youngness with any weapon ..

Eldest son went to Astan, had big concepts as per the "system". we disagreed on most points. He came back and would not disuse the fine detail. What he said though confirmed I was right the system was wrong. Come the second deployment he had a different POV on how the ops should go. Funny it was as I had already said it should go years before. At least the "system" grew up a bit, but not enough.
I may be old but I still can read the enemy better than the new Int guys. Call it better contacts.

[NP99]

Not sure about the woop arse on 'under 10', my 30 YO son don't argue when i say move..
As for the young ones fine that can stay at home and do the drinking and shaging but I still want a but of drink and that "extra"stuff even if I have hit the 60's .. Also I am sure I can shoot as well as the youngness with any weapon ..

Eldest son went to Astan, had big concepts as per the "system". we disagreed on most points. He came back and would not disuse the fine detail. What he said though confirmed I was right the system was wrong. Come the second deployment he had a different POV on how the ops should go. Funny it was as I had already said it should go years before. At least the "system" grew up a bit, but not enough.
I may be old but I still can read the enemy better than the new Int guys. Call it better contacts.

My boys could give me a run for my money, but I'm sure in the back of their mind, they must be asking, can I take the old man? :)

[NP99]

Some fond memories :)

http://youtu.be/pZcZbStU6ic

[Gecko17]

LOL! I still miss my SLR!

[NP99]

Yeah, I had a spare gas plug, I could never get it clean enough for inspections :)

[PMC]

G'day fellow ex-or current serving members,

Unfortunately, I have been suffering from PTSD this week after viewing a very brutal and graphic video of a young Iraqi soldier being skinned alive by the terrorist group ISIS.

I was sent to visit Professor Bryant the Director of the Traumatic Stress Clinic of Psychology at Prince of Wales hospital on Wednesday afternoon for over an hour. He was absolutely shocked with what I told him and when he read my military medical docs file and especially about the skinning alive of young Iraqi soldier.

Professor Bryant was extremely sympathetic and understood exactly why I was suffering nightmares from the screams of that young Iraqi soldier. He prescribe me ASAP with 150mg of Effexor antidepressant medication.

Professor Bryant was further horrified that I have slipped beneath the both the Army and DVA radar because of what I have seen and been through during my life.

I informed him that there is a lot of ex-soldiers and current serving soldiers that have suffered the same fate as myself and they to have not been treated as they believe that they were copping well with there PTSD caused by their tragic experiences. Poor ole Professor Bryant was even more dismayed when I conveyed this info to him.

I was advised by Professor Bryant that he wanted to start me ASAP on psychotherapy, I jokily informed him that he was wasting his time, as I am a farked out unit, however, I said if he wanted to, that he could try what ever he wanted, apart from gay sex. (These bloody Psych's fail to have a sense of humour!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

After filling out various questionnaires, I start psychotherapy on Tuesday afternoon. Effectively, I walk from the hyperbaric medicine unit to the farking nut-house about 50 meters away.

PS, I will keep you all informed as to what is involved with this treatment as I am very sceptical about Psychiatrists.

Regards,

PMC

[growler2058]

Good luck with it all mate

[PMC]

G’day fellow soldiers,

Over the last two weeks our great nation has lost two of its finest Warriors and my fellow Commando's have lost another two “Brothers in Arms”

SPECIAL Forces soldier Todd Chidgey.

Lance Corporal Chidgey, 29, was born in Gosford in NSW and joined the Australian Defence Force in 2006. He is the 41st Digger lost in Afghanistan. It was a measure of Lance Corporal Chidgey skill as a soldier that he made rare direct entry into the elite No 2 Commando Regiment from civilian life.

He was on his seventh tour of Afghanistan when he was found dead in the Australian headquarters at the main coalition base in the Afghan capital.

An official statement from the ADF said Lance Corporal Chidgey was a consummate professional who earned the respect of his *comrades through dedication and hard work.

The statement said his colleagues in the regiment described him as “a brilliant bloke to know and to work with, who was loyal to the core and would do anything for his mates”.

Defence Minister David Johnston said Lance Corporal Chidgey was a fantastic commando. “He was a great soldier and he is an enormous loss to the nation,” Senator Johnston said. “Every Australian soldier who has died in Afghanistan has made a difference in preventing that country from becoming a haven for international terrorists,” he said.

SPECIAL Forces soldier Sgt Gary Francis.

THE elite soldier killed during an Australian Defence Force training exercise in the New Zealand Alps yesterday had summited Mount Everest twice and was one of the world’s best mountain warfare experts.

Gary “Frankie” Francis, from the Sydney-based 2nd Commando Regiment, died during a training activity on Mount Cook. The 44-year-old former Royal Marine was leading a group of 10 commandos on a two-week Mountain and Cold Weather Operations (MACWO) exercise when he plunged 40 metres down a crevasse on the Grand Plateau.

PS, you will never be forgotten.

LEST WE FORGET!

Regards,

PMC

[PMC]

G'day fellow soldiers and Defence Force Personnel,

Unfortunately, the winds of the 'War of Terror are falling upon us once again!

Regards,

PMC


MH17: 'missile launcher' near Russian border

By PETER BAKER, MICHAEL R. GORDON and MARK MAZZETTIJULY 18, 2014

As emergency workers search for victims of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, Ukraine releases video it says shows a launcher, minus two missiles, heading towards the Russian border.

While officials are still investigating the chain of events leading to the destruction of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 on Thursday, they pointed to a series of indicators of Russian involvement. Among other things, military and intelligence officials said there was mounting evidence that a Ukrainian military plane shot down three days earlier had been fired upon from inside Russian territory by the same sort of missile battery used to bring down the civilian jet.

WASHINGTON — The United States President Obama stated; Without going into detail about the intelligence I have been shown, Mr. Obama said that the separatists had been armed and trained “because of Russian support.” High-flying aircraft cannot be shot down without sophisticated equipment and training, he added, “and that is coming from Russia.”

He singled out President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, accusing him of waging a proxy war that led to the tragedy. “He has the most control over that situation,” Mr. Obama said, “and so far, at least, he has not exercised it.”


Iraq suicide bomber was Australian, say ISIS fanatics in sickening tribute to ‘Abu Bakr al Australian’
JULY 18, 2014

THE suicide bomber at the centre of one of Iraq’s most recent bloody tragedies was an Australian, according to the brutal fanatics wreaking havoc across the nation.

The man, who killed at least ten people by detonating his bomb belt near a Shia mosque, was named as Abu Bakr al Australi in a statement by fundamentalist Sunni Muslim group ISIS.

MUSLIMS MUST OBEY ME: Fiendish ISIS leader’s call to arms

The group said the man was an “emigrant” and also dubbed him a “brother” and a “knight” following the slaughter at a Baghdad market on Thursday.

It appears from the ISIS statement that the man from Sydney, Australia had converted to Islam and possibly adopted the name Abu Bakr al.

This is the first suicide mission by an Australian in Iraq.

The attack comes at a time of increased concern over the involvement of Australians in the horrific jiahd, or holy war, being waged across Iraq and Syria. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop today warned how such men are becoming “radicalised”.

The Australian newspaper has done a number of exposes on fanatics like convicted terrorist Khaled Sharrouf, who is among the Aussies believed to have carried out bloody, battlefield executions amid the carnage.

EXECUTIONER TAUNTS AUTHORITIES: How Khaled Sharrouf fled

ISIS — also known as the Islamic State, which sums up its goal of establishing a Muslim empire — has been surging through Iraq, driving back government forces and their Shia militia allies and mercilessly meting out executions and punishments.

It is also fighting in Syria — not just against President Bashar al Assad’s forces but also against more moderate rebels also battling the regime.
The Australian’s attack also wounded around 21 people. It was one of two bombings which killed at least 17 people in Iraq on Thursday.

The Sunni militant offensive that has overrun much of northern and western Iraq in the past five weeks has caused a spike in violence as fighting rages on new battlefronts across the country.

At the same time, smaller scale attacks — some of them targeting checkpoints, others hitting purely civilian areas — remain a facet of daily life.

The al Australian attack struck Baghdad’s Shorja Market, an open air emporium that is one of the most popular places for residents to buy foodstuffs, clothes and electronics. Over the past decade, it has been a frequent target for bombings.

DEATH HIDDEN ON A WOODEN CART

A police officer said a bomb hidden on a wooden cart exploded near a Shiite mosque in the market, killing at least ten people and wounding 21. A medical official in Baghdad confirmed the casualty figures.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility and a military spokesman said an initial investigation indicated the explosion was indeed a suicide attack and not a roadside bomb.

Shopkeepers in the market appeared to support that statement. They reported seeing a suspicious man trying to get into the mosque right before the explosion occurred. They spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

Baghdad has been on edge since the Sunni militant blitz led by the Islamic State extremist group seized the northern city of Mosul, vowing to push south to the capital.

The city has seen several small scale bombings in recent weeks, but it has so far been free of the large, coordinated attacks that plagued it in the run-up to April elections.

The second attack came in the town of Taji, some 20 kilometres north of the capital, where a suicide bomber rammed his car into a military checkpoint, killing four soldiers and three civilians, a police officer said. Thirteen people were wounded.

A medical official in a hospital in the northern Baghdad neighbourhood of Kazimiyah confirmed the casualty figures.

PS, folks you should be worried by the above new report!

Regards,

PMC

[PMC]

G'day fellow soldiers and Defence Force Personnel,

While the world is mourning the tragic shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 on Thursday, ISIS started religious cleansing and is now the real threat to world peace.

Christians flee Mosul after ISIS ultimatum to convert or leave

AFP, Mosul
Friday, 18 July 2014

Christians were fleeing Iraq’s jihadist-held city of Mosul en masse Friday after mosques relayed an ultimatum giving them a few hours to leave or face death, the country’s Chaldean patriarch and witnesses said.

“Christian families are on their way to Dohuk and Arbil,” in the neighboring autonomous region of Kurdistan, Patriarch Louis Sako told AFP. “For the first time in the history of Iraq, Mosul is now empty of Christians.”

Witnesses said messages telling Christians to leave the city by Saturday or face execution were blared through loudspeakers from the city’s mosques Friday.

A statement dated from last week and purportedly issued by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) jihadist group that took over the city and large swathes of Iraq during a sweeping offensive last month warned Mosul’s Christians they should convert, pay a special tax, leave or face death.

“We were shocked by the distribution of a statement by the Islamic State calling on Christians to convert to Islam, or to pay unspecified tribute, or to leave their city and their homes taking only their clothes and no luggage, and that their homes would then belong to the Islamic State,” Sako said.

The patriarch, who is one of the most senior Christian clerics in Iraq, and residents contacted by AFP said Islamic State militants had in recent days been tagging Christian houses with the letter N for “Nassarah”, the term by which the Koran refers to Christians.

The statement, which was seen by AFP, said “there will be nothing for them but the sword” if Christians reject those conditions.

Last Update: Friday, 18 July 2014 KSA 21:34 - GMT 18:34

PS, these farkers need to be destroyed before we have a similar situation over the years to come in both Australia and Indonesia.

Regards,

PMC

[NP99]

Welcome to the ranks of certified crazy mate.... :)

[PMC]

G'day fellow soldiers and Defence Force Personnel,

The latest intell regarding the downing of flight MH17.

Regards,

PMC


BUSTED! Russia caught red-handed editing MH17 info

Saturday, 19 July 2014 17:03

THE Russian government has allegedly been busted editing a Wikipedia entry on the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 disaster to blame Ukraine.

A Twitter bot which monitors edits made on the site by Russian government IP addresses picked up the changes which were made on a page listing civil aviation accidents, the UK’s Telegraph reported.

The original entry stated that the plane was shot down “by terrorists of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic with Buk system missiles, which the terrorists received from the Russian Federation”.

It was changed to read: “the plane [flight MH17] was shot down by Ukrainian soldiers”.

The Twitter bot issued this alert:

It translates to: “Wikipedia article List of aircraft accidents in civil aviation has been edited by RTR [another name for VGTRK]”.

Intercepted phone calls

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has reportedly released recordings of intercepted phone calls between Russian military intelligence officers and members of terrorist groups that took place about 20 minutes after the crash.

One call was apparently made by Igor Bezler, who the SBU says is a Russian military intelligence officer and leading commander of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic.

Igor Bezler: “We have just shot down a plane. Group Minera. It fell down beyond Yenakievo (Donetsk Oblast).”

Vasili Geranin, a colonel in the main intelligence department Russian Federation armed forces then asks: “Pilots. Where are the pilots?”

Bezler replies: “Gone to search for and photograph the plane. Its smoking.”

A second call was between militants nicknamed “Major” and “Greek” about 40 minutes later.

“It’s 100 per cent a passenger (civilian) aircraft,” Major is recorded as admitting that he had seen no weapons on site. “Absolutely nothing. Civilian items, medicinal stuff, towels, toilet paper.”

Bizarre account

A top pro-Russia rebel commander in eastern Ukraine has given a bizarre version of events surrounding the Malaysian jetliner crash - suggesting many of the victims may have died days before the plane took off.

The pro-rebel website Russkaya Vesna quoted Igor Girkin as saying he was told by people at the crash site that “a significant number of the bodies weren’t fresh,” adding that he was told they were drained of blood and reeked of decomposition.

Nationalities of victims

Malaysia Airlines has released a new list of the nationalities of passengers who lost their lives on MH17. It lists 27 Australian lives lost — while the number according to Foreign Minister Julie Bishop is 28, including a dual-citizen.

• Netherlands: 189
• Malaysia: 44
• Australia: 27
• Indonesia: 12
• UK: 9
• Belgium: 4
• Germany: 4
• Philippines: 3
• Canada: 1
• New Zealand: 1

Four passengers’ nationalities have not yet been verified.

[NP99]

The best coa for Russia would be to apologise and seek redemption.....not going to happen though!

[PMC]

The best coa for Russia would be to apologise and seek redemption.....not going to happen though!

G'day mate,

That is the easiest way to defuse the situation, is that Russia get's the rebels to admit that they made a horrible mistake in that they mistook the passenger plane for a Ukraine military plane. The rebels apologise to the families and the world that this regrettable tragic accident occurred during the course of there War with Ukraine.

That is the simplest and honest way to approach this appalling situation, the world might not like it if they apologise, however, if it saves the world from entering into a potential world war. Then so be it.

Regards,

PMC

[NP99]

Yeah, at the moment leaders, esp,ours is just blowing hot air to appease the masses....

[PMC]

Yeah, at the moment leaders, esp,ours is just blowing hot air to appease the masses....

G'evening NP99,

Both you and I are both ex-soldiers and I firmly believe if we in charge the world would be a better place for all humanity to live in, what ever the colour of skin and religious believes that people believe in.

When I was younger all I wanted to do was fight and be a warrior, now that I am older and hopefully wiser, all I want is peace and to be left alone, so that I can enjoy my remaining life with my family and friends!

PS, maybe I am just farked in the head for having those thoughts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kind regards,

PMC

[NP99]

I agree mate, age matures us.....if I was in charge we would have free bourbon and loose women, damn, that's when I was young!

[PMC]

G'evening folks,

I thought I would share some stories from Veterans that served in Iraq.

Kind regards,

PMC


Iraq Comes Home: Soldiers Share the Devastating Tales of War

Three veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan share the nightmare experiences that war has brought into their lives.

July 3, 2014 |
Editor's Note: This powerful article was missed by a lot of readers last week, so we're reposting it to get the attention it deserves.

Statistics are one way to tell the story of the approximately 1.4 million servicemen and women who've been to Iraq and Afghanistan. According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2013, 86 percent of soldiers in Iraq reported knowing someone who was seriously injured or killed there. Some 77 percent reported shooting at the enemy; 75 percent reported seeing women or children in imminent peril and being unable to help. Fifty-one percent reported handling or uncovering human remains; 28 percent were responsible for the death of a noncombatant. One in five Iraq veterans return home seriously impaired by post-traumatic stress disorder.

Words are another way. Below are the stories of three veterans of this war, told in their voices, edited for flow and efficiency but otherwise unchanged. They bear out the statistics and suggest that even those who are not diagnosably impaired return burdened by experiences they can neither forget nor integrate into their postwar lives. They speak of the inadequacy of what the military calls reintegration counseling, of the immediacy of their worst memories, of their helplessness in battle, of the struggle to rejoin a society that seems unwilling or unable to comprehend the price of their service. Strangers to one another and to me, they nevertheless tried, sometimes through tears, to communicate what the intensity of an ambiguous war has done to them.

One veteran, Sue Randolph, put it this way: "People walk up to me and say, 'Thank you for your service.' And I know they mean well, but I want to ask, 'Do you know what you're thanking me for?'" She, Rocky, and Michael Goss offer their stories here in the hope that citizens will begin to know.

Michael Goss, 29, served three tours in Iraq. He grew up in Corpus Christi and returned there after his other-than-honorable discharge. He lives with his brother. He is divorced and sees his children every other weekend while working the graveyard shift as a bail bondsman. He is quietly intelligent, thoughtful and attentive, always saying "ma'am" and opening the door for people. He struggles with severe PTSD and is obsessed with learning about the insurgency by studying reports and videos online. He is awaiting treatment from the Veterans Administration. He has been waiting for over a year.

Michael Goss:

I gave the Army seven years. It was supposed to be my career. I did three tours in Iraq, in 2003, 2005 and 2009. But during the last one, I started to get depressed. I lost faith in my chain of command. I became known as a rogue NCO. That's how I got my other-than-honorable discharge.

One night they said to me, "Sgt. Goss, gather your best guys." I say, "Where we going?" They say, "Don't worry about it, just come on." So we get in the car and go. We drive three blocks away, and there's six dead soldiers on the ground. They say, "You're casualty collecting tonight." I'm not prepared for that. I wasn't taught how to do that. But you're there. So you pick them up, and you put them in a body bag, pieces by pieces, and you go back to your unit, and you stand inside your room. And they're like, "You're going on a patrol, come on." You're like, "Hang on a minute. Let me think about what I just did here." I just put six American guys in damn body bags. Nobody's prepared for that. Nobody's prepared for that thing to blow up on the side of the road. You're talking, and you're driving, and then something blows up, and the next thing you know, two of your guys are missing their faces. They just want you to get up the next day and go, go, let's do it again, you're a soldier. Yeah, I got the soldier part, OK?

It gets to the point where they numb you. They numb you to death. They numb you to anything. You come back, and it starts coming back to you slowly. Now you gotta figure out a way to deal with it. In Iraq you had a way to deal with it, because they kept pushing you back out there. Keep pushing you back out into the streets. Go, go, go. Hey, I just shot four people today. Yeah, and in about four hours you're going to go back out, and you'll probably shoot six more. So let's go. Just deal with it. We'll fix it when we get back. That's basically what they're telling you. We'll fix it all when we get back. We'll get your head right and everything when we get back to the States. I'm sorry, it's not like that. It's not supposed to be like that. All the soldiers have post-traumatic stress disorder, and they're like, "Hey, you're good. You went to counseling four times, you can go back to Iraq. It's OK." No. It doesn't work that way.

I have PTSD. I know when I got it -- the night I killed an 8-year-old girl. Her family was trying to cross a checkpoint. We'd just shot three guys who'd tried to run a checkpoint. And during that mess, they were just trying to get through to get away from it all. And we ended up shooting all them, too. It was a family of six. The only one that survived was a 13-month-old and her mother. And the worst part about it all was that where I shot my bullets, when I went to see what I'd shot at, there was an 8-year-old girl there. I tried my best to bring her back to life, but there was no use. But that's what triggered my depression.

When I got out of the Army, I had 10 days to get off base. There was no reintegration counseling. As soon as I got back, nobody gave a fuck about anything except that piece of paper that said I got everything out of my room. I got out of the Army, and everything went to shit from there.

My wife ended up finding another guy. I'm getting divorced, and I'm fighting for custody. She wants child support, the house, the car, the boys.

I get three nights off a week. And I drink and take pills to help me sleep at night. I do what I can to help myself. I talk to friends. Soldiers who were there. Once in a while one of my old soldiers will call me, drunk off his ass, crying about the stuff he saw in Iraq. And all I can do is tell him, "You and me both are going to have to find a way to work this out." That's the only thing I can tell him.

I do martial arts, that's what I do. I go in a cage and I fight. It helps take my mind off of things. I get hurt, but I can't feel it. I don't feel it until after it's all over with, I want to get hurt as pay back for killing that poor innocent 8 year old child.

So let's put this in perspective now. I got three Iraq tours, multiple kills, I picked up plenty of dead bodies, American bodies, enemy bodies. I killed an 8-year-old girl, which still haunts me to this day. I come back home. My wife finds somebody else. I'm sleeping on my brother's couch while she has the apartment, the kids, the car, everything that we worked on together. I work as a bail bondsman making $432 a week, which all goes to my brother. I have to fight just to see my boys because she's at the point where she thinks I don't deserve to see my kids because I haven't had help for my PTSD. She's scared I might do something stupid. And the VA won't help me out because of my other-than-honorable discharge. What else do you want to know?

Every month the VA sends me a letter saying I'm still under review. I'm like, I couldn't care less about the money. I don't care about disability percentage. I want you to tell me to go to this fucking doctor here and go get help. That's what I want them to tell me. If they think I don't deserve money because I got kicked out with other-than-honorable discharge, fine. But don't tell me I'm cured all of a sudden, because I'm not. I still have my nightmares, anxiety attacks, panic attacks, I still see the glitter from the IED blowing up when I'm going down the street. I still see the barrette in her hair when I carried her out of the car to the ambulance when she was bleeding all over me. I still see all that. And there's nothing that I can do about that now.

Rocky, 26, prefers to remain anonymous. He joined the Army shortly before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and went to Iraq in 2004 for one year and a day. A Houston native, he lives alone now in a Dallas apartment, goes to community college and works in construction. He's funny, playful and handsome, and carries a pool cue in his trunk to be ready for a game at any time. He doesn't tell people he's a veteran. He doesn't like to talk about it. This story is an exception.

Rocky:

I was one of those kids that could have been handed anything on a silver platter. But I really worked hard for everything anyway, because I wanted to prove myself. And my parents, who would have given me anything, ruled with an iron fist. And I was patriotic. So it seemed like everything in my life pointed to the Army as the way to go.

I was 20. I'm sure I was different then. I don't know how. I know how I am now. I assume that the character traits that I show now are the core set of values that I left with. My sense of pride, hard work. Everything I have, I made out of nothing.

You get to see what people are made of over there. You get to see how shallow people are, how weak they are. How strong they can be in horrible moments. And then how the people you should be looking up to are hiding, and you have to look out for them. You get to really see what a person is made of.

And over there, I learned to read people. I know what they're going to do before they do it. After seeing the same movements before you get shot at or bombed, the same symptoms of the city and the people around you -- it's a fluid movement. Doors close, people disappear, and all of a sudden you're like, OK guys, hunker down, it's about to hit us. And all of a sudden, you're under fire.

People would pop shots at us and pop back. They'd have a setup where they have a bomb in the road, and everybody sits by the windows when they set off an IED. When we're looking at what's going on, everybody's laughing and pointing and smiling after your buddy's sitting there bleeding. So I held them all responsible. Everybody that was in the guilty range.

If there was gunfire coming from a window, I shot into that window and made sure nothing was coming back out at me. One time, there was an RPG shooter shooting at me. He hit a Bradley in front of us, and we were in a Humvee. He hit the Bradley in front of us, and the round didn't go off. It got stuck in the mud. So the Bradley rolled back, and we rolled back. And I had to shoot the position-caller before I could shoot the actual shooter. He didn't have a gun, but I knew what he was doing. He was the one calling out what's going on. He was on the phone. So I sent a shot up 20 feet above him and below him and to the side of him. And he just stood there. On his phone, talking the whole time. Innocent people run. The bad guys stay and fight. If they're not running, they're going to be calling. That's the way I see it. So I shot him. If you freaked out and stood still, I'm sorry. I cannot take this chance again. You have to start making these moral decisions. Better to be judged by 12 than carried by six. You're caught in the fucking middle of it.

After that, now I think, well, now I'm damned. Now I've done the worst thing. There's not much more worse you can do than shoot an unarmed person. It's not just, man, now I got to fucking deal with this. It's like, man, I hope nobody saw that, because I'll go to jail, too. You feel so horrible. You kind of die inside. There's really nothing beneath me now. I'm at the bottom of the barrel. You're worried about salvation and people finding out these dirty little secrets. It's not something that you wanted to do. It might be something that you had to do, that you accidentally did. Things happen. And then there's the whole fear of going to jail for trying to do what's right for your country -- it's bad. Sometimes you think people are shooting at you, and you'd rather just chance it because you're hoping they don't have an armor-piercing round.

But I'm not going to bow down. I know what I'm made of -- do you? Most people have no idea what matters. When I'm standing at the gates and I see St. Peter, I'll say, lemme in. I try to do right now. I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings. I go to school, maybe I'll earn a midlevel job. Just fly under the radar. I don't want any attention. I just want to be away from people. Not many people call me still. I keep it real dim in my apartment. I like it calm and quiet. This is what life's made of. Being able to relax and be safe. Watch a movie, play some video games. Just to sit back and have fun with your friends. That's beautiful. Civilian's do not understand war and what we soldiers have been through, they live in fantasy world of BS.

Sue Randolph, 39, grew up in Saudi Arabia and earned her master's degree in Arabic at the University of Michigan. After her service in 2003, she moved to Houston with her husband, a geologist. She now works in satellite communications and raises her 3-year-old daughter, a self-identified "princess," and a 2-month-old kitten named Sparkles. Randolph's family goes kayaking and hiking on weekends. She is clever, quick-witted, passionate and kind. She still struggles with anxiety while driving and when she's near crowds. She finds news about the war upsetting and frustratingly inaccurate.

Sue Randolph:

I joined the Army because I had $65,000 in student loans and didn't know how I was going to make payments. Since I had a master's in political science -- Middle East studies and Arabic -- I ended up doing translation as part of the search for weapons of mass destruction. For a year, my team drove around behind the 3rd Infantry getting shot at, getting mortared, looking at warehouses of documents, chemicals, and parts of things that could be WMDs. I mean, you name it, we did it. We talked to people. We went into people's houses.

The technological level of the things I saw wasn't anywhere near anything [former Secretary of State] Colin Powell talked about. The buildings we went into, wiring was on the outside of the walls. I didn't see anything like the equipment you'd see in a fifth-grade science lab. The most technically advanced thing we saw was a 12-volt car battery hooked up to bedsprings for torture. But not anything on the chemical or biological level.

Iraq looks like it's straight out of the Bible. It's mud brick, it's falling down. It's kids with sticks herding goats. There's like three high-rises in all of Baghdad, and those are the only ones you'll ever see on any newscast. The rest of it is mud brick falling down.

At the time, I would see little girls on the side of the road, and I felt like I was part of a big machine that was going to help them have a better life. At the time. Now, looking at all of the lack of evidence for us being there except GW throwing a temper tantrum, frankly I feel -- not used, because I signed up for it -- but I feel like we were there for no good reason. Eventually Saddam would have been overthrown, either by his own people or through Iran or someone else, and change would have come. It wouldn't have been on our timetable, but it would have happened. I don't think it was worthwhile at all.

When I went back to my base in Germany, it was like a bad dream. It was like nothing happened. Then I got out of the Army and came back to the States. Once you leave the Army, there's no reintegration help of any kind. Unless you went looking for it, there was nothing. And even if you went looking for it, you had to dig.

The military says that they're giving exit counseling and reintegration. What they're calling reentry counseling, in my experience, was, "Don't drink and drive. Pay your bills on time. Don't beat your spouse. Don't kick your dog." All of these things that once you've reached a certain age, you're supposed to know. None of it is, "If you have discomfort with dealing with crowds, if you don't feel comfortable with your spouse, if you can't sleep in a bed, if you don't want to drive down the road because you think everything is a bomb, here's what to do." No psychological or de-stress counseling is involved in this reintegration to garrison. And that's just if you're staying in the Army. If you're leaving the Army, you get, "Here's how to write a resume."

They don't prepare you to leave. Hell, they didn't prepare me to be there. I was going into people's houses trying to tell the wife and kids as we're segregating them out from the men that we're the good guys. But they're crying because one of their kids got killed because he was up there sleeping on the roof when we decided to bust into their house. I mean that's crazy. But we're the good guys. Now I have to deal with that for the next 20 or 30 years. I have a 9-year-old. I deal with that every day.

I think we are going to end up like after Vietnam if we're not careful. The Vietnam guys were treated really horribly, and whether they came back and quietly went back to their lives or not, they were all stereotyped in a criminal negative. And I'm afraid if we as a society don't learn what we didn't do for those guys, we're going to have that in spades. We don't have low-end kind of industry jobs for them like working in the auto plant, so they're not going to be supporting their families. And they're going to be angry. They're going to feel like they're owed. Do we get everybody counseling as soon as they get out, mandatory 90-day counseling? I don't know how. But there isn't enough money in this country right now to make some of these guys feel like what they went through was worthwhile.

We have no comprehension of the psychological cost of this war. I know kids in Iraq who killed themselves. I know kids that got killed. OK, that's apparently the price of doing business. But multiply me by 2 million. If I'm fairly high-functioning, what about the ones that aren't? They're going back to small-town America, and their families aren't going to know what to do with them. It's like, what do we do with Johnny now?

[NP99]

No person should ever judge a soldier killing women, children or the unarmed in combat. Never judge unless you have been fired at by the filth called the enemy. The above stories....men you did the right thing, I would stand next to you and fight the fight.

[PMC]

No person should ever judge a soldier killing women, children or the unarmed in combat. Never judge unless you have been fired at by the filth called the enemy. The above stories....men you did the right thing, I would stand next to you and fight the fight.

Well said my fellow Warrior!

Kind regards,

Paul

[PMC]

G'day folks,

The following story is so true, unfortunately, a percentage of civilians fail to understand and live in fantasy worlds of grandeur and ignorance and typically, we soldiers end up having to take up the fight to save there farken hides!

Regards,

PMC

ISIS is the real threat to world peace

BY NIDAL AL-MUGHRABI AND JEFFREY HELLER
IRAQ/SYRIA Sat Jul 19, 2014 7:28am EDT

The situation in Gaza and Israel is grim, but there's another situation that is pure evil and should have our attention.

ISIS has taken over large chunks of Syria and Iraq and are now holding weapons, armor, and vehicles provided by the United States Army. They have declared all that follow them to be safe, everyone else, Muslim or not is in their cross hairs. So much was made about a raid by Israeli forces at the Al Aqsa Mosque, but I noticed something very interesting, the Israeli forces weren't trying to blow up the Mosque. A fight breaks out between armed forces and rock throwing protesters at a Mosque and it's got our attention, but where's the outcry and the fury over a group that has actually blown up places of worship?

ISIS has killed tens of thousands of people in Iraq and Syria. Thousands. Sadly those lives lost don't get our attention and especially in the Western world because we're all busy watching Israel V Hamas round 4 take place. ISIS is a threat to every Iraqi and Syrian, but also the rest of the world. Every Muslim and Non-Muslim alike are targets for ISIS and their followers. With control of so much land, oil, and weapons it's only a matter of time that ISIS goes global with their battle plan.

Already ISIS has proclaimed that they and their leader are the leaders of all the Muslims in the world. That bold claim, while widely brushed aside, is a serious one. An armed militant group that is hell-bent on domination is feeling so confident that they have lay claim on every Muslim life and land in the world. Today it's in Syria and Iraq, tomorrow they'll be sending fighters the world over to take what they think its theirs.

There should be mass protests and media coverage of ISIS al over the world and it's merciless conquering of Iraq and Syria, but there isn't.

ISIS has killed over 25,000 people. 15,000 including women and children while 1.2 Million people have been driven from their homes. Let's compare that with the more "popular" war Israel Vs Hamas. In Gaza close to 350 people have been killed.

The entire world's media is focused on Israel,Gaza and global warming, all the social media and citizen action fronts are mobilizing to stop the bloodshed, and rightly so. The question remains , why have we been so silent while 25,000 people have perished in Iraq alone? We haven't even looked at the death toll from Syria. Israel and Hamas both have their axe to grind with each other and Israel will agree to a truce again soon enough, and Hamas eventually will given in too. That war has an end that we call can see. There is a clear list of demands on both sides to end the violence too, however with the ISIS there isn't. They're not asking for the lifting of a blockade or the end to rocket strikes, they're looking to dominate the people and eliminate all that stand opposed to them.

ISIS is the biggest threat the Middle East and the rest of the world has today. They have systematically terrorized civilians with mass murders, sexual violence, kidnappings, and even destruction of places of worship. They aren't sending any warnings, they aren't giving an avenue for a way out, it's either surrender to their will or be killed.

As a Muslim I must speak up against the ISIS. They do not represent me or my family and they surely do not represent Islam. They're drugged up militants getting high on murder, rape, and violence and must be stopped. As an American I am ashamed and deeply distraught over the fact that our weapons, our vehicles, our military equipment is being used to carry out their attacks. It's humiliating enough that we were all duped into Iraq in the first place , now the very equipment used to invade Iraq and then arm its military is in the hands of Terrorists

Speaking up against ISIS means there will be a target on your head. You won't just got bombarded with hate emails and comments but they'll threaten your entire family. It's not easy to speak up against a group that scary with no moral code. If we don't speak up and stand up to them now, those in Iraq and Syria are going to be destroyed and soon their sights will turn to the rest of us while we live in a blinded reality.

The ISIS Map for what they plan to conquer after Iraq and Syria. As unlikely as it may seem to take over so many countries, they have already managed to take two. They don't need to take control for their presence to be felt, their terrorists tactics alone will change the way we live unless we stop them now. Indonesia will be next on their agenda as they have the worlds largest Muslim population.

[Gecko17]

The problem has always been that those that make the decisions have never had to serve on the front lines and so will always ever only make decisions based on popularity rather than respect and duty.

There's a storm coming and we're lead by people unprepared and incapable of dealing with it.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Hardyards]

I was always sceptical of the ‘Psych after action’ we received in the Australian Military, but after reading of the way the Yanks are treated, I am a lot happier of the way we were treated. Access to help – Mates for Mates, Soldier on ect, after you leave, and DVA and medical while you still serving sounds way, way better then the ‘ignore the problem and it will go away’ treatment those in the preceding stories are subject to.
Once again, I love being an Australian

[NP99]

I was always sceptical of the ‘Psych after action’ we received in the Australian Military, but after reading of the way the Yanks are treated, I am a lot happier of the way we were treated. Access to help – Mates for Mates, Soldier on ect, after you leave, and DVA and medical while you still serving sounds way, way better then the ‘ignore the problem and it will go away’ treatment those in the preceding stories are subject to.
Once again, I love being an Australian

We are the lucky ones that were born or raised in this great country......people don't know how lucky they are until they have travelled to third world countries!

[NP99]

Where are the do gooders now??? This will become common place......

The Australian Federal Police has issued arrest warrants for the two most prominent Australians fighting for a banned terrorist group in Syria and Iraq, following the publication several days ago of gruesome photos of one of them brandishing severed heads.

There is deepening concern among intelligence agencies about the potential for the bloody Syrian and Iraqi civil wars to spill over onto Australia's shores, with Attorney-General George Brandis saying the threat presented by returning Islamist fighters is the greatest threat to Australian security in years.

The ABC's 7.30 program can reveal that the AFP has issued warrants seeking the immediate arrest of Khaled Sharrouf and Mohamed Elomar for terrorism offences if they return to Australia.

The two Sydney men travelled to Syria and then Iraq late last year and joined the most vicious of the Al Qaeda-linked groups fighting there, the Islamic State, formerly known as ISIS or ISIL.

Elomar pictured with heads of Syrian government soldiers

AFP counter-terrorism head Neil Gaughan said the warrants were issued after a Twitter account, purporting to belong to Sharrouf, published photos on Thursday and Friday of Elomar holding the severed heads of Syrian government soldiers.

In one photo Elomar holds up two severed heads. In another, he presents one head to the camera, with another three on the floor beside him.

The heads belong to soldiers who were killed late last week during fighting in the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, which has seen some of the bloodiest fighting of the war.

"The Australian government came out very strongly on Friday criticising the type of behaviour that those two gentlemen are allegedly involved in, [saying] that they should not set foot back in Australia," Mr Gaughan told 7.30.

"If they do, we can assure the Australian community that we have first instance warrants for their arrest.

"As soon as they set foot on Australian soil they will be taken into custody."

Concern for domestic security

In an interview with 7.30, Attorney-General George Brandis also made the first public reference to recent intelligence warnings that Australian citizens have been trained in Syria or Iraq to undertake terrorist attacks here.

"There is evidence that they are trained in terrorist tradecraft to perform acts of domestic terrorism in the event that they return either to their home countries or go elsewhere after they have been in theatre," Mr Brandis said.

"So that is a new and very alarming development."

He confirmed that Australians were among the group being trained.

"That's why I've said several times now that this is the biggest threat to Australian domestic security in many years."

Western intelligence agencies have become increasingly concerned about the potential for the Syria and Iraq conflicts to result in terrorist attacks back home.

In May, a returned fighter opened fire at a Jewish museum in Brussels, killing four people.

Last week the Norwegian government announced it had reliable intelligence suggesting an attack was imminent, prompting Australia to issue new travel advice for that country.

"The one thing no Australian should ever think is that this is a problem that exists on the other side of the world," Mr Brandis said.

"Because while it may take shape on the other side of the world, the number of Australians who are participating in this war fighting in Syria and Iraq shows that this is a problem that exists and germinates within our suburbs, within the suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne and Brisbane."

The Federal Government is using the concerns about returning fighters to push through a suite of reforms to Australia's federal counter-terrorism laws.

Mr Brandis told 7.30 he was considering lowering the evidentiary bar used by police investigating terrorism offences.

He said he was also considering modifying the language regarding an offence related to providing vocal support for terrorist acts.

Mr Gaughan said the AFP had struggled to pursue cases against Australian Islamists because of the lack of strong, verifiable evidence.

"We are [in the] dark in relation to what occurs there a lot of the time because there is no competent authority to deal with. We’re not getting the normal intelligence feeds," he said.

- Watch the full report on 7.30 tonight on ABC.

[PMC]

G'day mate,

So true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!

Especially reading this article today!


Illness reduced jihadi Khaled Sharrouf’s stretch

The Australian |
August 02, 2014 12:00AM

FORMER NSW judge Anthony Whealy says he would have given Khaled Sharrouf a much tougher sentence if he had not pleaded guilty, or claimed to have a mental illness.

Sharrouf was sentenced to five years and three months in prison for his role in the 2005 Pendennis plot. He pleaded guilty to possessing items, six clocks and 140 batteries, connected with the preparation of a terrorist act, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of 15 years’ jail.

Mr Whealy said Sharrouf’s guilty plea reduced the sentence by 25 per cent and his schizophrenia also reduced the time he spent in prison. Sharrouf, now 33, served three years and nine months for his part in the plot.

“I was pretty hard on him, I think,’’ Mr Whealy said yesterday.

“If he hadn’t pleaded guilty and hadn’t had the mental illness, it might have made a difference of another five to seven-year *sentence.”

The NSW Supreme Court judgment details psychiatrists’ analysis of Sharrouf’s mental illness, and how exposure to illicit drugs — LSD, ecstasy and *amphetamines — was “likely to have been a significant factor in the emergence of his chronic mental illness”.

Sharrouf released a statement on Thursday claiming his mental illness was a fraud, a ruse he used to beat whatever charges he happened to be fighting.

“I played the government like ignorant children,’’ he said.

“I was never mentally ill, not then, nor now.’’

Sharrouf’s examining psychiatrists saw it differently. According to assessments conducted as part of his terror trial, Sharrouf was schizophrenic, prone to hallucin*ations when off his meds.

He was also diagnosed with a depressive anxiety disorder.

Clinical notes produced by his GP under subpoena state: “Mr Sharrouf has a history of psychotic symptoms over the past few years and has been diagnosed to be *suffering from a schizophrenic *illness”.

Mr Whealy said he did not believe Sharrouf’s statements this week that he was not mentally ill.

Police who locked up Sharrouf as part of the Pendennis raids describe a moody, volatile man whose days were spent praying at Sydney’s Lakemba Mosque or knocking about his Wiley Park home with his Anglo-Australian wife, Tara Nettleton, and their three small children.

He was a trusted member of the group, but not a senior one.

“He was a bit of a gofer,’’ said Peter Moroney, a former member of the NSW Police Joint Counter-Terrorism Team. “He was trusted as the muscle, as the security, but not as a mastermind.’’

The head of the al-Risalah Islamic Centre, and Sharrouf’s friend, Wissam Haddad, acknowledged Sharrouf had a “dominant” personality, but denied he was a dangerous psychopath. “He doesn’t — I don’t like to use profanity — he doesn’t take crap from anyone,’’ Mr Haddad said.


PS, "kill them all, let GOD sought the good from the bad, after all, he is the one that passes the final judgement!"

Regards,

PMC

[NP99]

He played them alright, just like the rest of his peers do.

[NP99]

This young fella sums it up well....

http://youtu.be/EqBuJ5-6b_c

[NP99]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-04/world-war-i-australian-nurses-missed-out-on-recognition/5642274


Updated about 2 hours agoMon 4 Aug 2014, 9:31pm

Descendants and historians are calling for recognition for thousands of Australian nurses who served overseas in World War I but were not part of the official nursing deployment.

About 5,000 Australian nurses are thought to have taken themselves to war, even though the official number is just over 2,000.

Professor Melanie Oppenheimer from Flinders University says there were two distinct groups of Australian nurses in WWI - members of the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS) who left "officially" and the rest.

The AANS nurses - as part of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) - were initially sent to Egypt, then moved on to France and Belgium.

But others were already in London and made their own way to the theatres of war.

A group of 20 Australian nurses known as the Bluebirds is one example of those who fell outside the official group.

They were also called the "gifts for France" - a country reeling after losing hundreds of thousands of men at the Battle of Verdun.

The Bluebirds were organised by the Australian Red Cross and financed by the Australian Jockey Club. They were known as such because of their distinctive blue uniforms.

One of the nurses was Sydneysider Helen Wallace.

I think that part of what this Anzac centenary is digging up is how narrow the myth has become, and I wonder, are we tiring of that?
Linden Wilkinson, granddaughter of Bluebirds nurse Helen Wallace
Her granddaughter, Linden Wilkinson, only found out about her grandmother's war service as an adult.

There were no records at the War Memorial in Canberra.

She finally found a reference to "Wallace", as her friends called her, in an article by Professor Oppenheimer.

She says her grandmother was a stoic woman, scarred by the war.

Her family remembers her ducking under the kitchen table in a sweat when planes flew low over her house in Sydney in the 1930s.

"So, that was the shellshock. The remnants of the war," Ms Wilkinson said.

'Unofficial' nurses denied war payments and memorial recognition

When Ms Wallace returned to Australia, she lobbied authorities to recognise her war service so she could claim prime minister Billy Hughes's generous war gratuity.


But she eventually gave up, busy with two young children and a husband gassed in the war.

Professor Oppenheimer says the government of the day was frightened about too many people claiming money for their war service.

"Once they say 'yes' to one group, they might open the flood gates. They were very aware of not wanting to do that," she said.

"So they stuck very closely to the line that unless you left Australia officially, we are not going to recognise your service."

But that decision has a legacy today.

The Australian Service Nurses National Memorial in Canberra only acknowledges the nurses who served in the AANS, as does the Australian War Memorial's Roll of Honour.

Ms Wilkinson now wants that to change.

"I think that part of what this Anzac centenary is digging up is how narrow the myth has become, and I wonder, are we tiring of that?" she said.

"Because we all know it's deeper than that, and the nurses are another way of accessing the complexity of that time."

Professor Oppenheimer agrees and says the war effort needs to be looked at more broadly.

"We've got 100 years of reflection. I think that in some respects the Anzac myth has narrowed over time," she said.

"I think now it's probably narrower than it was say 40 or 50 years ago.

"I think that since the last of that generation have all passed on, we're re-historicising the war in a very narrow way and one way to prise our knowledge open is to focus on the war more broadly.


The first Australian women to get to France as a group were those who joined the Australian Voluntary Hospital (AVH) on August 19, 1914.

They were paid for by a private benefactor.

Newcastle nurse Ida Greaves was part of this group.

Her great niece, Trish Hayes, has been investigating Ida's story, which has been largely untold.

"I think she went to France out of a sense that it was part of her life's calling, because I think caring for others was probably the most essential component of her existence," she said.

"She would have thought, 'It's who I am.'"

In 1915, her efforts in moving the field hospital under fire won her the most prestigious decoration available to nurses.

The Royal Red Cross medal was presented to her by King George V at Buckingham Palace.

She served until 1919, helping care for the wounded long after Armistice Day.

When she returned to Australia she went back to nursing in Newcastle and rarely spoke about the horrors of what she saw.

Ms Bramble found a group of stoic, patriotic women who wanted to do their bit.

She found that when the nurses returned home, like Ms Greaves they settled back into nursing and did not talk much about their war service.

They were strictly trained to be "ladylike" and did not engage in self promotion.

Ms Bramble found Ms Greaves's story mirrored those of the Bluebirds. Despite being awarded the Royal Red Cross in Britain, when she returned home there were no medals - or any real recognition at all - because she was not part of the official AANS.

Ms Bramble says Ms Greaves's story is one that has slipped through the cracks.

"In her own time, she was well known," she said.

"Newspapers of the day had a lot to say about the Australian Voluntary Hospital because people like Lady Dudley and Sir Robert Lucas Tooth, the beer baron who funded the Australian Voluntary Hospital, were household names in those days.

"But that's been lost."

[NP99]

Talking to a mate, down the club. He mentioned he had a mate, in the Army, but could not understand the Army lingo. Simple, I sez,


" All the people in the Army are soldiers, all privates are soldiers, but not all soldiers are privates. Some are Officers who are commissioned, but some are officers who are not commissioned. Obviously if every private was called private it would be confusing, so some privates are called things like trooper, driver, gunner, craftsman, sapper or signaller. Not all the drivers actually drive because some of them cook, but they are not called cooks, for that matter, not all drivers are called drivers.- some of them are called privates or gunners. Gunners as you know, are the men who fire guns, unless of course they are drivers or signallers just to make it clearer. All gunners belong to the Artillery, except that in the Infantry there are gunners who are called privates because they fire a different sort of gun , for the same reason the Army call the drivers & signallers private as well


Well, my mate reached for another rum, & I went on. A lance corporal is called corporal, unless he is a lance bombardier, then he is called bombardier to distinguish him from a full bombardier, who is just like a corporal. All other ranks are called by their rank for the sake of simplicity except that staff Sgt's are called staff, but they are not on the staff. Some warrant officers , who are not officers , are called Sgt Major, although they are not Sgts. or Majors. Some Warrant Officers are called Mister, which is the same thing some officers are called, but they are not Warrant Officers. Lieutenants are also called mister because they are subalterns, but their rank is always written as Lieutenant, or Second Lieutenant, and second comes before first.


My mate started drinking double rums, which was a bit strange .I went on. When we talk about groups of soldiers there obviously has to be clear distinction. They are called Officers & soldiers although we know that Officers are soldiers too, sometimes we talk about Officers and other ranks, which is the same as calling them soldiers. I guess it is easiest when we talk about rank & file which is all the troops on parade except the Officers & some of the NCO's- & a few of the privates- and the term is used whether everyone is on parade or not. A large group is called a Battalion, unless it is a regiment but sometimes a regiment is much bigger than a Battalion and then it has nothing to do with the other sort of regiment. Sub units are called companies unless they are squadrons or troops or batteries for that matter. That is not radio batteries & don't confuse this type of troop with the type who are soldiers, but not Officers.


My mate started to slowly hit his head against the bar. I've seen that happen with rum drinkers. So, I went on. Mostly the Army is divided into Corps as well as units, not the sort of Corps which is a couple of divisions but the sort which tells you straight away what trade each man performs, whether he is a tradesman or not. The Infantry Corps has all the infantrymen for example & the Artillery Corps has all the gunners. Both these Corps also have signallers and drivers except those who are in the Signals or Transport Corps. Both those Corps provide a special service and that's why the Transport Corps provides cooks. In fact the Signals Corp is not a service at all because it is an an arm. Arms do all the fighting, although signals don't have to fight too much, rather like engineers who are also an arm, but they don't fight too much either.


I looked at my mate, he was quietly sobbing into his triple rum. I didn't know he loved the Army that much. Cant wait to explain the Australian tax system to him. Bit more complicated than the Army though.

[NP99]

Fooled or foolish? :)

http://youtu.be/B80YXYslsW4

[NP99]

This site is always a good read...

http://www.anzmi.net/index.php/component/sobipro/?pid=62&sid=440:Walsh

[NP99]

A good mix of silliness :)

[PMC]

G'day folks,

The story that our left wing anti Jewish friends do not want you to read!

Regards

PMC

ISRAEL’S NEXT TUNNEL THREAT IS FROM HEZBOLLAH.

After destroying Hamas’ infiltration network, eyes shift to northern border Posted on August 20, 2014 at 12:08 AM EST By Aaron Klein.

Israel, at great cost, believes it has destroyed the complex tunnel network built by Hamas to smuggle arms and other contraband into Gaza and send suicide bombers into the Jewish state, but the possible existence of a similar and perhaps even greater underground system remains a threat to its national security.

The Israeli government is quietly concerned the Iranian-backed Hezbollah organization has excavated tunnels that snake under the Jewish state’s northern communities in the Golan Heights. A Hezbollah tunnel network under Israel could mirror or even dwarf the Hama terrorist tunnels in the county’s south, along the Gaza Strip border. Such tunnels could enable Hezbollah to carry out previous threats to use commandos to storm northern Israeli communities in an attempt to hold positions within the country.

After Israel’s nearly month-long military campaign in Gaza aimed in large part at destroying Hamas’s tunnels, Israeli officials seem careful to avoid publicly addressing the potential for Hezbollah tunnels. A spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces declined to comment on Hezbollah’s possible tunneling in the north.

The Shiite terrorist organization is known for its vast, sophisticated tunnel networks in Lebanon.

Indeed, Hezbollah taught Hamas its tunnel-warfare tactics and helped supervise the construction of its network. It therefore must be assumed Hezbollah has at least attempted to tunnel under Israel in the north. The organization may not have drilled any openings into Israeli cities yet, however, fearing discovery or retaliation from Israel.

Northern Israeli residents have for years reported hearing drilling sounds underground. However, the Israeli military has said it has not discovered any tunnels.

Last week, the mayor of Kiryat Shmona, a city near Israel’s border with Lebanon, reportedly asked the IDF to investigate the possibility of Hezbollah tunnels. Asked by KleinOnline for more information on the Hezbollah tunnel threat, an Israeli security source speaking on background said there is fear that after the Gaza conflict, Hezbollah will attempt to convert its defensive tunnels into offensive networks that can snake under Israel.

The source said that while no tunnels were yet discovered under Israeli towns, the working assumption is that Hezbollah will attempt to tunnel there. The source said Hezbollah is bogged down with the ongoing insurgency targeting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Syria and that Israel does not believe Hezbollah wants a direct conflict with the Jewish state any time soon.

However, the source added the assumption within the Israeli defense establishment is that Hezbollah has incorporated into its future war plans the potential to raid Israeli cities via tunneling, learning lessons from the most recent Gaza conflict.

Hezbollah’s underground highways

Knowledgeable sources told KleinOnline that Lebanon is virtually catacombed with sophisticated tunnels from the northern part of the country into the Bekaa Valley, throughout Beirut and in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah has specialized in tunnel boring to move fighters and supplies in various conflicts with Israel. Some of the tunnels, especially in mountainous areas, not only are used to store military supplies but to move more sophisticated weaponry undetected from overhead surveillance, the sources said.

Updates were made for the tunnels to host missile launch pads after the 2006 Lebanon War, when Israel took out scores of above-ground Hezbollah missile and rocket launchers. Throughout the Bekaa Valley, there are tunnels known to hide military equipment from continuous Israeli and U.S. surveillance.

Sources say the Hezbollah tunnels in Lebanon, which are capable of withstanding some aerial bombings, store missiles and rockets and other military hardware to respond to an Israeli attack. Even under Beirut itself, especially in the Hezbollah stronghold of south Beirut, military supplies are stored in bunkers and tunnels estimated to be some 40 to 50 feet below the ground.

Up above, there are regular businesses masking the existence of the tunnels. Because Hezbollah controls south Lebanon, sources say the region has been the subject of extensive tunneling, some of which can be bored quickly to allow troops to move secretly into Israel.

At its Museum for Resistance Tourism, for example, Hezbollah has demonstrated its tunneling capability and conducts tours through underground bunkers. A 200-meter tunnel displays complete living and working quarters for fighters, replete with kitchens, electrical generators and communications equipment. The war museum, which is operated by Hezbollah near the village of Mleeta in southern Lebanon, is the site of a former Hezbollah base utilized to ambush Israeli troops.

North Korea

Hezbollah has a relationship with North Korea’s communist dictatorship, which is known to have constructed tunnels that snake underneath the demilitarized zone with South Korea.

The northern Israeli landscape, with its rocky hills and mountains, is geographically different than beachfront Gaza. However, numerous geologists told Israeli media outlets in recent years that Hezbollah has the capability to tunnel under the Israeli north. Just last week, geologist Col. Yossi Langotsky, a former adviser on terror tunnels, explained to Israel National News that the ground in Israel’s northern Galilee is easier to dig than in the Koreas.

“For nine years I raised hell, and said [terrorists are] digging tunnels into Israeli territory, and the state security system is not organized with enough seriousness required to deal with the intensity of the threat,” Langotsky said.

A warning to Israel during operation

“Protective Edge”: a senior in the US defense ministry responded to the suggestion made by some Israeli ministers to remove Hamas, and warned that if Hamas will fall, the outcome will be a more extreme and more dangerous organization replacing it, which will continue the conflict in a worse manner.

Michale Flin, a senior in the pentagon intelligence, admitted that Hamas has infrastructure and funding that allows it to build tunnels t Israel and cause a major threat, but added that removing them from Gaza is not the solution.

“If Hamas disappears, it is probable that we will have to deal with something worse. The area can create something worse”, said Flin in a security conference in Colorado. “It might cause something like ISIS to rise there, the extreme organization took over large areas of the Middle East and created its own Islamic state in Iraq and Syria.”

Flin described the problematic conditions, poverty and population density in Gaza, and said that the locals see a little chance to remove the siege that Israel has over them with Egypt. His prediction to the ending was very pessimistic: “Peace in the middle east? Not in my life time”.

Yesterday( Saturday) the British “Telegraph” reported that Hamas is having negotiations to purchase rockets and advanced warfare gear from North Korea. According to the report, which is based on information from security officials in the West, Hamas already paid for some of the communications technology and for tunnel building knowledge, also to refill the depleted rocket supply after the engagement with Israel.

The officials claimed that the discussed amounts of money between Hamas and Pyongyang are around the hundreds of thousands of dollars and are transferred by company located in Lebanon, coordinating between the sides. Israeli security officials believe that experts in North Korea helped Hamas in designing the tunnel infrastructure towards Israel, so it won’t be detectable and suitable for weapons transferring.

“Hamas wants to resupply its rockets and missiles since he fired so much towards Israel in the last weeks”, said an official in the West. “Pyongyang is the natural location to turn to, because North Korea has connection with radical Islamic groups in the Middle East”. Also he claimed that the officials in North Korea are experienced with tunnel building since they built a complex tunnel network under the demilitarized zone between them and South Korea, and Hamas wants to learn the same expertise.

[PMC]

G'day folks,

Further reading that our left wing anti Jewish friends do not want you to read!

Regards

PMC

The Underground War on Israel
By Lee Smith

During the first two weeks of the Gaza conflict, Hamas landed at least two significant punches. In firing missiles at Ben Gurion Airport, Hamas convinced the Federal Aviation Authority and European air carriers to temporarily suspend flights to Israel. The fact that relatively primitive rockets falling far short of their targets are nonetheless capable of at least briefly severing an advanced Western democracy with a leading tech economy from the rest of the world is a psychological blow. But perhaps the even greater concern for Israeli officials is the revelation of Hamas’s extensive tunnel network.

Until Operation Protective Edge, it was generally assumed that Gaza’s tunnel system was simply a feeding tube for a community of 1.8 million people. With both the Egyptian and Israeli borders closed, as well as Israel’s naval blockade, goods entered Gaza mainly through the tunnels from Egypt. So did weapons, including missiles made or designed by Iran, which, as the last two weeks have shown, are capable of reaching any site in Israel. The tunnel economy flourished under former Egyptian president and Hamas sponsor Mohamed Morsi but has suffered under his successor, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who has won praise from Jerusalem for shutting down as many tunnels as he can find.

However, there is another system in Gaza as well, a network of attack tunnels that end not in Egypt but in Israel, where over the last two weeks Hamas commandos have attempted several terrorist operations.

“Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said that we are not under siege, we are imposing a siege,” says retired IDF officer Jonathan Halevi, now a senior researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. “What he meant was that [Hamas] can use tunnels as a strategic weapon. If you multiply tunnels, you can use them to send hundreds of fighters into Israel and create havoc, totally under cover. According to Hamas, the tunnels have changed the balance of power.”

Israeli officials have expressed amazement at the extent of the tunnel network. “Food, accommodations, storage, resupply,” one astonished official told reporters last week. “Beneath Gaza,” he explained, there’s “another terror city.” That is, Hamas’s tunnel network is evidence of a military doctrine, both a countermeasure to Israel’s clear air superiority and an offensive capability that threatens to take ground combat inside Israel itself, targeting villages, cities, and civilians as well as soldiers. Israel perhaps should not have been surprised to discover the size and seriousness of Hamas’s tunnel network because they’ve seen something similar before, in the aftermath of the 2006 war with Hezbollah. And indeed it was Iran’s long arm in Lebanon that helped build Hamas’s tunnels.

“The spiritual father of Hamas’s tunnel system is Imad Mughniyeh,” says Shimon Shapira, a Hezbollah expert and senior research associate at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. Mughniyeh, assassinated in 2008 in an operation believed to have been conducted by the Israelis, is credited with directing Hezbollah’s 2006 war. He was the head of the organization’s external operations unit and responsible for countless terrorist attacks. He also served as liaison to the top Iranian leadership as well as other Iranian allies and assets, including Hamas. “Mughniyeh sent instructors to Gaza and took Hamas members to Iran,” Shapira explains.

While Hamas and Hezbollah’s tunnel technology, equipment, and funding are mostly Iranian, the knowledge and the doctrine date back to the earliest days of the Cold War.

The North Koreans

“The North Koreans are the leading tunnel experts in the world,” says North Korea expert Bruce Bechtol. They learned as a matter of necessity. “The U.S. Air Force basically exhausted its target list after the first eight months of the Korean War,” Bechtol explains. “All the North Korean cities were turned to rubble, so they got good at building large tunnels and bunkers, some of them 10 or 11 square miles. In effect, the North Koreans moved their cities underground for three years, with hundreds of thousands of people living down there.”

“There is no better protection than the earth,” says David Maxwell, associate director of the Center for Security Studies at Georgetown University. But Pyongyang also has an offensive doctrine. “Defectors tell us that the North Koreans built 21 tunnels under the demilitarized zone, but only 4 have been discovered,” says Maxwell, a retired U.S. Army colonel who served in South Korea. “Our concern is that the North Koreans would infiltrate, sending thousands of men through the tunnels in an hour, maybe dressed in South Korean uniforms. You can’t imagine the kind of havoc that would wreak.”

Just last week Hamas tried the same tactic, sending commando units disguised as IDF troops through two tunnels. For a short time, they fooled real Israeli soldiers in an observation post

It’s nothing new for the North Koreans to work with terrorist groups, as Bechtol explains. It started with the Polisario, the North African, and at one time Soviet-funded, terrorist group fighting the Moroccan government. “The North Koreans built them underground facilities, command and control, hospitals,” says Bechtol. “All of it was supported by Soviets, but that changed with the end of the Cold War, when the North Koreans offered their services on a cash and carry basis only.”

Their top customer is the Islamic Republic of Iran. The North Koreans, Bechtol says, have helped build some of the Iranians’ underground nuclear weapons facilities, as well as Hezbollah’s underground network. “They built it in 2003-04, coming into Lebanon disguised as houseboys serving the Iranians. Maybe nobody asked, hey, how come these houseboys are speaking Korean?”

The significance of the tunnels became clear in the 2006 war, as Bechtol explains. “It lowered Hezbollah’s casualty rate. The Israelis wondered why the air force was not inflicting more damage and it was because of those tunnels. It was the first time Hezbollah was ever truly protected.”

Last week a U.S. federal judge ruled that North Korea and Iran were liable for providing support to Hezbollah during the 2006 war. According to U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, North Korea and Iran assisted “in building a massive network of underground military installations, tunnels, bunkers, depots and storage facilities in southern Lebanon.” Lamberth noted that one Hezbollah commander who received training in North Korea was Mustafa Badreddine, Mughniyeh’s cousin. And as with North Korea, Hezbollah’s heavily reinforced underground network has also given rise to an offensive doctrine—to invade northern Israel.

“Hassan Nasrallah says Hezbollah has a two-part operational plan,” says Shimon Shapira. “One is rocket fire on Tel Aviv and two is conquest of the Galilee. I wondered what he meant by that—how is Hezbollah going to invade the Galilee, take hostages, capture villages, and overrun military installations? But we’re learning from what is happening now. Nasrallah means Hezbollah is going to penetrate Israel through tunnels.”

The difference between Hamas’s underground network and Hezbollah’s, explain experts, is the topography. It’s easier to dig tunnels in the Gaza sand than in the rocky pastures and rich soil of the Galilee. The catch is that the latter are also harder to destroy since they are further fortified by nature.

Several Israeli journalists are reporting that “the fiasco of the tunnels,” as Yossi Melman calls it, might have been avoided. Either military and security officials were aware of the extent of Hamas’s network and didn’t do enough about it, or they ran up against bureaucratic roadblocks. Whether the IDF needs to detail a specific unit to monitor and uproot the tunnels that cross into Israel on its southern and northern borders, one fact is plain: For decades Israel’s traditional military doctrine has been to fight its enemies on the other side of the wire. However, its enemies’ new North Korean-inspired doctrine is to go under the wire. If Israel doesn’t deal with first Hamas’s tunnels and then Hezbollah’s, the next war it faces may well be inside Israel itself.

[PMC]

Multiple media outlets report that Hamas’s offensive tunnel network – now known to have been composed of over forty attack tunnels dug underneath Israel’s border with the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip – was set to be activated during the Jewish High Holidays (September 24th) as a mass terror attack.

The attack was meant to generate as many as ten thousand casualties, men, women and particularly children and hundreds of captives. Explosives were particularly placed underneath kindergartens to make certain that these “institutions” would be the first struck, even before anything else.

The IDF recently published the below map showing that tunnels were created in pairs, to empty out on both sides of nearby communities. The known cost of the infrastructure – each tunnel costs upward of some $1 million – clearly shows that Hamas was planning a coordinated mega-attack. It must be understood that use of even one tunnel would inevitably trigger Israeli retaliation against the entire network.

http://dailycaller.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Gaza1.jpg
A map of a small portion of the tunnels meant to be used 9 weeks from now.

Revelations regarding the planned tunnel attack magnitude played a decisive role in the Israeli government’s rejection of a ceasefire proposed late Friday by Secretary of State John Kerry.

Unbelievably, Kerry actually proposed in his latest “cease-fire proposal” – none of which have been honored by Hamas so far – that Israel refrains from degrading remaining attack tunnels. This mind-boggling concept would necessarily be rejected by any sane government, of any country.

Israeli security sources, citing information acquired in interrogations of captured brigands, described a scenario under which hundreds of heavily armed Hamas fighters would have spilled out into Israel in the dead of night and within 10 minutes been positioned to infiltrate essentially all Israeli communities surrounding the Gaza Strip. Waiting then in hiding until schools and kindergartens were occupied, the terrorists would then attempt to kill the children first, and then kill and kidnap as many Israelis as possible. The plot was set to take place during Jewish New Year, on September 24.

“It’s like the Underground, the Metro or the Subway,” Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner said. “These tunnels are all connected. I would describe it as Lower Gaza .”

Israeli Economy Minister Naftali Bennett said, “A whole city of terror tunnels has been found. Without the ground operation, we would have woken up one day to an Israeli 9/11.”

Except, the actual objective was to be five times 9/11.

http://dailycaller.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Gaza2.jpg
This picture shows clearly the width of one of the tunnels, sufficient for wheeled vehicles to transverse it. Hamas did not build a “subway” system for Gaza residents. They built an infrastructure for one purpose, and one only, an industry of death.

Israeli military officials reported that the tunnels are stocked with tranquilizers, handcuffs, syringes, ropes and other materials used for subduing abductees, civilians and soldiers. The tunnels also had fantastic quantities of explosives and additional military materiel meant to be used in the up-coming mega attack. Much of these explosives had already been placed underneath Israeli kindergartens. Some of these tunnels were as deep as 30 meters underground.

http://dailycaller.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Gaza3.jpg
Fantastic quantities of explosives were stored in every tunnel, meant to be used in a mega-attack on civilian communities and infrastructure.

Sources say the Gaza Strip war, Operation Protective Edge, could serve as a prelude for a more extensive underground war with the Iranian-sponsored Hezbollah. Perhaps, not ‘just’ in the Middle East .

The tunnels inside Gaza and under the Israeli border are not a secret project Hamas ran under the noses of Israel and the Palestinian public. Everyone in Gaza , knew that beneath Gaza , the City and all of its environs, a network of tunnels was being dug over the past five years, with an investment of tens of millions of dollars. Yet no one in Israel , public or military, was prepared for the scope of the tunnels – the danger that became clear in the past week or two.

http://dailycaller.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Gaza4.jpg
Senior Hamas operatives show off their offensive tunnels to their spouses. Unbelievably, this is actually a picture of a Marriage taking place in the ‘place of death’.

In order to create this monstrosity, Hamas needed significant professional help; and this help had to have come from a large organization or state entity. This is not just the monetary aid it received from Qatar , America ’s ally. This is professional guidance for the performance of such an underground feat. Perhaps Hamas could have used experts from the tunnels dug at Rafah under the Gaza-Egypt border, but those were significantly simpler, and did not demand any extraordinary investment or effort.

http://dailycaller.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Gaza5.jpg
A Hamas operative climbing upward in a pier of one of the major tunnels. Notice the work on the sides of the tunnel.

Who supplied these quantities of material? Who planned what would be needed? How did Hamas acquire thousands of ampoules of tranquilizer, syringes and other, additional drugs to be used? These are far beyond the quantities and variety of what is needed by any civilian medical service.

How was all this brought in to the Gaza Strip? The logistics of this planned attack are the work of a well-organised military, not that of a militia or club. This was no amateur plan.

Observers note that attack scenarios lined up with recently revealed data about the sophistication, scope and nature of the offensive tunnel network. As previously reported here, this sophistication and know-how is being copied right now by Mexico-based Hezbollah agents along the Southern US border. Tunnels in Southern Lebanon, as in South US , are significantly more difficult to detect than those in the sandy terrain of the Gaza Strip.

“Hamas planned these tunnels for years, and planned to use them to kidnap soldiers,” Israeli military spokesman Brig. Gen. Mordechai Almoz said. “[Now] they see the tunnels collapsing one after the other.” For the last two years, the Israeli army has sought to develop skills and equipment to fight in enemy tunnels and bunkers. Hamas and Islamic Jihad have used tunnels to operate command and control, to infiltrate Israel and abduct soldiers, to fire rockets and to conceal fighters amid invasion of the Gaza Strip.

Why has so much bias reporting occurred against Israel? Why is India the only country reporting and filming Hamas tunnels and firing rockets into Israel.

It was only 70 years ago when one of the world's greatest atrocities occurred, the 6.7 million Jews exterminated by HITLER and the Nazi Party!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[PMC]

G'day folks,

Sorry for not been active on this thread. Unfortunately, I have been inundated with young Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans suffering awful psychological and debilitating service related injuries.

Since I got home from hospital in Sydney, I have been flat chat with work. I have currently 16 claims before the department of Veterans affairs and the Veterans' Review Board.

PS, the following below in the latest news from DVA regarding pension increases.

Friday, 19 September 2014VA075

PENSION INCREASE FOR THE VETERAN COMMUNITY

From 20 September 2014, veterans, their partners, war widows and widowers across Australia will see an increase to their pensions.

I am pleased to confirm that the Abbott Government has delivered upon its promise to annually index the income limit for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) to CPI. This will provide a fairer income limit for card holders and will mean around 120 additional DVA clients will now be eligible for the Card in 2014-15.

As pension rates are calculated on a daily basis, the next pension paid after the 20 September increase (on payday 2 October 2014) will be paid partly at the old rate and partly at the new rate. The first full payment at the new rates of pension will be payday 16 October 2014.

The table below highlights the key changes to fortnightly rates.

Pension IncreasePension Old Rate (per fortnight) New Rate (per fortnight) Increase
Service Pension—single $842.80 $854.30 $11.50
Service Pension—couples (each)
(combined) $635.30 $1,270.60 $644.00 $1,288.00 $8.70

War Widow(er)’s Pension $856.20 $868.00 $11.80
Income Support Supplement $252.40 $256.00 $3.60
Special Rate (TPI) of Disability Pension $1,293.20 $1,311.30 $18.10
Intermediate Rate of Disability Pension $877.80 $890.10 $12.30
Extreme Disablement Adjustment $714.10 $724.20 $10.10
100 per cent General Rate Pension $459.60 $466.10 $6.50

These are the maximum rates of payment and include any Clean Energy Supplement payable.

Pensions are indexed twice a year in March and September. A full list of pension rates are available on www.dva.gov.au or by calling 133 254 or 1800 555 254 from regional Australia.

Regards,

PMC


Media inquiries: Minister Ronaldson: Jordi Procel 02 6277 7820 or 0448 232 908
Department of Veterans’ Affairs Media: 02 6289 6203

[NP99]

Australian military personnel should carefully consider wearing their uniforms in public, the Defence Department says, after an officer reported being attacked in Sydney.

The 41-year old Australian Defence Force (ADF) officer said he was threatened and assaulted by two males in Sydney's north-west and suffered minor bruising, NSW police said.

The man called police to report the incident early this morning and later spoke to officers at the Kings Cross station.

The two alleged assailants have been described as being of Middle Eastern appearance, police said.

The Hills Local Area Command was investigating.

While the Defence Department has said it would not discuss details about any threats against ADF personnel or their families, a spokesperson said members had been advised to exercise their judgement about wearing a uniform in public.

"ADF members have been advised to consider where they are going, to be aware of their surroundings, and to exercise commonsense and judgement when considering where and when to wear uniform in public," the spokesperson said.

The incident comes amid concerns about the safety of police officers following an attack in Melbourne on Tuesday which saw two officers injured and their apparent attacker shot dead.

[PMC]

G'day NP99,

So sad that this kind of incident is happening in our alleged peaceful land!

Regards,

PMC

[NP99]

G'day NP99,

So sad that this kind of incident is happening in our alleged peaceful land!

Regards,

PMC

I had an idiot set his dog upon me at a railway station in Melbourne during Gulf War 1.....

[macca]

There are probably much deeper ramifications, but instead of not wearing their uniforms how about wearing their side arms?

I am so sick of this nanny state of affairs, that bloke from the other day has his family bagging the police response, bloody hell what would it be like where they escaped from?

If we are that bad then tootle off "home", you wont be missed!

[jack]

If we are that bad then tootle off "home", you wont be missed!

Not exactly the words I would use.

[NP99]

Not exactly the words I would use.

Doc Neesen and the Angels summed it up well:)

[PMC]

G’day folks,

I have been flat-out like a lizard drinking over the last month with Veterans claims, getting up at 4.30am taking my eldest daughter to swim club and also trying to set-up a coffee meet and greet place for ex-servicemen and women.

Finally, after reading about our story on the new Veterans’ coffee club in Saturday’s Woolgoolga Advertiser, I am now looking forward to seeing everyone who can make it tomorrow at 9.30am at the Rustic Mezedes in Market St, Woolgoolga. I had the idea to start a coffee club two years ago. It has only come around now has my health has now improved.

It has been a 3 and a half year journey with my own personal health issues. With so many of our Veterans suffering from various psychological illnesses in and around the Woolgoolga area, I just had to do something to help these folks! However, PTSD is not just confined to our ex-service personnel but also our Police, Ambulance and Firefighters as well. This is the main reason for why I decided I had to do something for my community.

The original idea came from two ex-army lads from Coffs Harbour. If all goes well, we should have the original ‘Lounge Lizards’, Craig Ellis and Scott Seccombe that started a similar venture in Coffs’s Harbour 2 years ago. Both lads decided that the Veteran community in the Coffs Harbour area needed an informal meeting place to help one another with various issues and advice (especially the young Afghanistan, east Timor, Iraq and the UN peacekeepers.)

The Coffs Harbour coffee club meets every Wednesday morning around 10am. Craig Ellis, is the owner of Piccolo espresso bar in Coffs Harbour. Craig also decided to give ex-service members discount on tea/coffee. I have been to their coffee club meetings on numerous occasions and that’s when I decided we should do something similar in Woolgoolga.

For those of you that do not know Scott Seccombe, Scott is a Balkan’s War veteran and one of Scott’s goals was to help post 1980’s servicemen and women to manage their post-traumatic stress disorders and other physical problems that they might be suffering from. Scotty recently competed for Australia in the 2014 Invictus games in the UK. For those of you who saw the TV coverage of the aussie larrikin chanting aussie, aussie, aussie, oy, oy, oy, whilst giving the Royal Prince “Harry”” a hug, well folks, that is our lad Scotty! lol

I am also looking forward for folks coming up with new ideas to help take our Veterans into a new era of social connection ie, fishing trips, 4x4 trips to local beautiful hot spots, cards/board games, book and movie discussions etc etc.

Most importantly, this is a about bringing your wife, husband and partner along, “should they wish to share company with our motley crew”!

Kind regards, your humble servant

PMC

[PMC]

G'day folks,

Finally got around to up-date everyone of Tuesday coffee club get together!

Firstly, I would like to thank everyone that turned up, secondly I was stunned by how many attended from 9.30 to 12.30pm. Just as I was about to leave at 11.45am 5 more folks turned up. If was fantastic to have 30 people attend our first causal social coffee club. I also received e-mails and phone calls from 10 other folks who had to pull out at the last minute, however advised that they will be in attendance in the future.

I was stunned by the generous offer made by one of our Veterans that gave me a cheque for $1,000. Has advised, those monies will be donated towards the coffee club members!

This is terrific that we now have another RSL social meeting place for ex-service personnel to gather, meet and rekindle camaraderie with one another! Yee Haa baby bring it on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Geoff Morrow told me to say that. Typical Navy language! Lol

As a result of our first meeting, I have picked up 3 new DVA claims to be filed and processed for our ex-service men & women.

Folks can you please advise me if any of you are interested in participating in the following activities;

1. Book reading
2. Bush walking
3. Camping/caravanning
4. Computer learning
5. Diving/snorkelling
6. Exercising/fitness
7. Fishing (beach or offshore)
8. Four wheel driving in and around the local scenic hot spots in the Coffs Harbour area
9. Going to the movies
10. Hunting or target shooting
11. Military history discussions
12. scenic day trips and B/Q lunch in and around the Coffs Harbor area

PS, once again folks, a special thanks for your kind support! See you next Tuesday (28th October) kick-off 9.30am

Kind regards,

PMC

[oncedisturbed]

Top work there Paul, great to see.
Bit hard to attend for us sandgropers but am more than happy to help on some of those topics here in WA.

Feel free to pm me and will fling through my email.

[NP99]

Paul, wouldn't bringing our wife and partner along be a problem or can you manage that in loc? :)

[PMC]

Paul, wouldn't bringing our wife and partner along be a problem or can you manage that in loc? :)

For you sir!

I can make anything happen. lol

PS, I will give you a call soon!

Kind regards,

Paul

[Drift triker]

hi all i know its old but anyone seen this http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/bus-driver-given-payout-over-massacre-trauma-20131209-2z0db.html

[NP99]

hi all i know its old but anyone seen this http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/bus-driver-given-payout-over-massacre-trauma-20131209-2z0db.html

Good post up mate......the law can be a funny thing sometimes!

[Stropp]

probably saw worse that that when he was a real soldier.

[PMC]

G'day folks,

Have a safe and prosperous New Year and all the best for 2015.

PS, I will be back on deck to help our service men and women with their pensions on 6th January 2015.

Regards,

PMC

[NP99]

Don't tell anyone, I have leaked pictures of the latest defence all terrain vehicle.....

[the evil twin]

probably saw worse that that when he was a real soldier.

... esp if he was posted to the same Unit as Lambie

[SG1]

Subscribed to thread.

[PMC]

Don't tell anyone, I have leaked pictures of the latest defence all terrain vehicle.....

Gezz, mate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Remember your training SIR !!!!!!!!!!!!!! loose lips sink ships! lol

Regards,

PMC

[the evil twin]

Gezz, mate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Remember your training SIR !!!!!!!!!!!!!! loose lips sink ships! lol

Regards,

PMC

Thats why I joined the RAAF... no one has figured out how to sink a RAAF base.
Plus sending the Officers out to fight while the troops head to the boozer makes a lot of sense to me.

[Gecko17]

With the Centenary coming up, has anyone seen any ANZAC shirts? Most of the ones I have seen seem to only have the Australian flag on them...

[oncedisturbed]

With the Centenary coming up, has anyone seen any ANZAC shirts? Most of the ones I have seen seem to only have the Australian flag on them...

The RSL have some and I think the National ANZAC Centre in Albany have some as well.

I will have a chat to Derek later and see where he got his fromm.

[Hardyards]

Did anyone watch "Footprints of War"? From the promo:
Footprints of War explores two antagonistic logics: one of strength and conflict versus the logic of life and balance. Beyond the physical scars left on a landscape, our planet is confronted by serious side effects of modern warfare that are more than just expensive to clean up. What does a war mean to our ecosystem and how is the global eco-balance affected? Can a modern war be eco-friendly? What does it mean when a military machinery is put into motion, what resources are needed and how much are used? This documentary looks back at our world's history, starting with the battlefields of World War I as one of the birthplaces of modern ecocide.

I watched most of this doco in amazement as it explained exactly how much 'war junk' lies below the waves on the ocean floors around the world...enough to destroy the world several times over according to the show's narrator. Whilst the munitions are indeed related largely to 20th Century military adventure, it was the governments and military chiefs of the day that signed off on ocean disposal; I presume under the human failing of if it is not seen then it is not a problem and, if it is to become a problem, then keep it hidden long enough to become someone else's lot in life.

The documentary is an alarming wake-up call as decades on the ocean floor have corroded the millions of munitions containers and shells to the point of causing leakage which, as the show explains, will impact not only on the environment but also on the sea life - sea life that is also caught for human consumption though, as the doco states, there has yet to be any serious study into the effects on sea life by chemical weapons (does your box of Birdseye Fish Fingers glow in the dark???).

U.S. Congress has recently began to focus on the U.S. Military and its illegal dumping of chemical weapons and hazardous nuclear waste (which had been conducted up until the early 1970's before being banned by US law and international treaty) with much of dumping being done off foreign shores (the countries were never notified apparently) with some site locations still highly classified and the issue largely ignored with nothing to mitigate the risk nor has little consideration been given to the long-term effects of such dumping other than the fact that it is now recognised as an environmental issue.

Discarded munitions are constantly being found by trawlers dredging the ocean floors or surveying for new oil platforms or making way for communications pipelines. The doco showed period footage, taken shortly after WW2, of allied military personnel casually rolling countless numbers of artillery shells off the sides of landing craft into the ocean - I doubt they thought about the implications decades down the track - after all, they had just won a world war that had killed upwards of 50 million lives...will the ticking time bombs that continue to leak on the ocean floors eventually cost more???

If anybody is interested, the link below contains publically available information on Sea Dumping in Australia available at:
http://www.hydro.gov.au/n2m/dumping/dumping.htm
The AHS show UXO areas (ammunition, boats, chemical etc) on nautical charts where possible.

It is quite amazing how much stuff is out there.

[taslucas]

Yep I watched it and I was also amazed!
Some crazy statistics.
Enough cyanide to kill every human on the planet dumped in rusting barrels in the sea between Ireland and England.

In the Iraq war the American army alone used the same amount of fuel as was used in the entire ww2, every year.

%6 of industry over the entire history of man has been for warfare

[NP99]

Still relevant