Asymmetric Warfare...at the Beginning

Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose
up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the
Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.
And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many
for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves
against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.
Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever
is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And
there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten
thousand.
And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down
unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of
whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and
of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not
go.
So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto
Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth,
him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his
knees to drink.
And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were
three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to
drink water.
And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I
save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other
people go every man unto his place.
So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent
all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred
men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley.
And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get
thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand.
But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the
host:
And thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be
strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant
unto the outside of the armed men that were in the host.
And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay
along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were
without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude.
And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto
his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread
tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it
fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along.
And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of
Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered
Midian, and all the host.
And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the
interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of
Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of
Midian.
And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a
trumpet in every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the
pitchers.
And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I
come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye
do.
When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the
trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the LORD, and
of Gideon.
So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of
the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the
watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their
hands.
And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held
the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow
withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.
And they stood every man in his place round about the camp; and all the
host ran, and cried, and fled.
And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man's sword
against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to
Bethshittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath.
And the men of Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali, and out
of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after the Midianites.
And Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount Ephraim, saying, come down
against the Midianites, and take before them the waters unto Bethbarah and
Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and took the
waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan.
And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew
Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and
pursued Midian, and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other
side Jordan.

Judges 7.

I've Signed Up for Another Tour

Of Rugby I mean. I talked to the president of our local Rugby Club (DII Lake County Men's Rugby Club) yesterday and told him that I could go to practices and most likely all the games this season.

The club was on it's last legs (they are down to 19 committed members before I said I'd go) and there was a chance they would disband.

I figure this is the first full year that I have no Guard, family committments or FRG on weekends, so really in the 25 years I've been playing Rugby (Yes, Jac and I started in Feb of 1985) this will be the first year I don't have something that stops me from going.

I know this is a rather self-centered post, but I'm pretty darn excited. Wish me luck. I'll keep everyone posted on my progress and the season at Illini6.

Help. Now.

Go here and help. Please.

I had been waffling about where to donate - was probably going to go to the Salvation Army since I have worked with them twice before (1993 Mississippi Floods and Katrina Relief). You can still go there too!
Since CSM Bones and I went to the orphanage in Charikar, Parwan Province, Afghanistan in 2004 and 2005 I have not looked at orphanages the same. Even moreso since I know two wonderful people here in the US that were adopted as kids and had a loving family, stable home and opportunity that kids in Haiti or Afghanistan, etc., will almost never get.

FOB Chapman Hit

This is bad. How did he get in there?

I always thought that base was a waste of resources, what with Salerno so close by. I don't know why they didn't just combine the bases, but I guess all the secret squirrels didn't want to rub elbows with us regular Joes.

I am really sorry to hear about this and send condolences to the families of the fallen. I hope they fix whatever shortfall was in place that allowed this to happen.

LTC JOHN ADDS: See here for further.

An Angry Start to the New Year

I wouldn't be mad this New Year's Day, had I not read this. I spent the Spring and Summer of 2008 helping the Iraqi Army units fighting against Iranians and Iranian proxies in Basrah. The Iraqis I was lending a hand to captured hundreds of Jaish al Mahdi, and dozens of Iranians - usually low to mid-level types from the IRGC/Qods/etc. I even got to see a trio of them up close and personal.

Soldiers from the Iraqi Army 14th Division, outside Basrah in April 2008.

Now, it appears, some of the worst agents of Iran have been swapped for one Brit. He was all that survived of a group that was kidnapped in 2007. Why bother capturing the enemy anymore? I'm speechless at this point...

At least we will execute better judgment at home, right?