Veteran’s Corner

Tom Krabbenhoft

The CVMA (Combat Veterans Motorcycle Club) has raffle tickets available.

Prizes are:
1. Royal Endfield Scram 411 motorcycle.
2. AR-15 with scope.
3. $1,000 Visa card
4. $500 Visa card. Tickets are only $10. Email me at 11btwk@gmail.com and we can make arrangements.

I recently watched a large parade of US military equipment. Dozens of armored Humvees, dozens more had turrets with everything from TOW Missiles to .50 Caliber Machine guns. Dozens of MRAPs (Mine Resistant Ambush Protection), HEMTT (Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck). Several UH 60 Blackhawk Helicopters flew overhead. Troops bristled on top of these vehicles armed with M4s, M-16s, and smattering of MMGs and LMGs (medium and light machine guns) sniper rifles. All in all it was a very impressive display of firepower.
Unfortunately, this was a Taliban parade.
The weapons were seized upon our hasty retreat from Afghanistan. An estimated seven billion in equipment and arms. Enough weapons sadly, to shift the balance of power.
Kashmir is one region. Kashmir has been in conflict with India and Pakistan claiming it. China also interjects itself in the conflict too. It has been under Indian control since 1947.
Indian police have reported that terrorist groups have been upgraded in their weaponry. They cite several US small arms and sophisticated equipment. Most problematic is night vision equipment. 1,600 pairs of night vision goggles were left behind. Night vision allows you to control the night. To have this equipment fall into the wrongs hands has already had dire consequences for the Kashmir region.
A video of another parade surfaced. This time many of our MQ-9 Reapers. These are the pilotless drones the US has used for several years. These drones were in a Chinese parade and had Chinese markings on them.
This is frightening in itself as reverse engineering can take place. Communication and navigation equipment can be studied to find out how we operate.
That disaster of a retreat and loss of 13 Marines was 3 years ago. The repercussions of what we left behind will last decades.

Send your veteran-related items to me at 11btwk@gmail.com.