American Heroes

Collectively, Washington has the attention span of a fruit fly. That’s why all we have heard about lately are the consequences of failing to raise the federal debt limit — action that has prompted no fewer than two…

I’ve just returned from a week of intense combat handgun training at the Gunsite firearms training academy in Paulden Arizona.  The class was the most comprehensive pistol training I’ve ever received, giving me the opportunity to shoot over a thousand rounds over the course of the week in everything from timed pop-up ranges to a very realistic shoot-house. 

The most surprising part about the week?  It was all free.  Gunsite sponsors three such courses each year for veterans who have spent time in the war zone, donating everything from the ammo to it’s instructors’ time to give veterans some of the most top-shelf firearms training available anywhere.  And they do it just to say, “thanks.”

Gunsite was originally founded in 1976 by “the father of modern handgun shooting,” the legendary Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper.  In 1999, it was purchased by current owner and NRA board member Buz Mills.  as a retired Marine Colonel, Mills has a heart for military veterans of all stripes, and it shows.  The classes spare no expense to make the forty-odd veterans feel honored, as sponsors like Blackhawk!, Galco Gunleather and LaRue Tactical step up to give out lots of goodies to the participants.

But for most of the men and women who participated, the best part of the week was the chance to get back to that cameraderie we’ve all missed since parting from the service.  By the end of the week we’d made a couple dozen new friends, honed some rusty skills and gained a new appreciation for the capabilities of the combat handgun.

If you’re a veteran and would like to sign up for one of these courses, go to Gunsite.com and contact the academy.

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Last month, as President Obama announced the upcoming redeployment of 33,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan, I was in that country spending time with U.S. Marines in Helmand province.

The reaction on the ground from commanders was one of surprise – the number and timing of the withdrawal was much higher and faster than they had anticipated. With troops on the line, however, the mood was more like, “I’m a United States Marine. I go where my Commander in Chief sends me and I’m not paid to have an opinion.”

That said, everyone pointed to the big gains being made in training and recruitment of the Afghan forces who will replace us. Indeed, it felt as if all our energies in Afghanistan are now being directed toward preparing the Afghan forces for our imminent departure.

But there’s one group of Americans that won’t be coming home anytime soon, and are actually seeing their numbers increase in country. That’s the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force, also known as CJSOTF-A.

Special operations forces are seeing a “mini surge” into the country to keep the level of pressure high on the Taliban as regular units prepare to head home.

This article from Stars and Stripes quotes sources at the Pentagon as saying that 16 Special Operations troops are considered equivalent to 100 regular troops. I’m not sure regular troops would agree with that number, but whatever.

Bottom line, commanders in Afghanistan are doing their best to accomplish their mission there with whatever resources they are allowed to use. And from what I’ve seen with my own eyes, they are doing a great job.

Will Afghanistan be ready to stand on its own feet by 2014 when all U.S. troops are slated to come home? That remains to be seen. But the military is giving it their best shot.

Jeff “Rock” Harris built his fitness-coaching business using the prestige of having been a former member of the elite 75th Ranger Regiment, of having fought in at least three conflicts, earning the Distinguished Service Cross (second only to the medal of honor) as well as a bevy of other medals – more than 70 in all.  His heroism earned him the respect of the community of Kinston, NC.  And on independence day, it earned him and his story a full page spread in the Kinston free press.

Only one problem.  None of it was earned.  It was all a lie. 

When the US Army Ranger community heard about his claims, red lights started going off everywhere. In the interview with the Kinston Free Press, Harris claimed 316 confirmed kills as a sniper, something that would have landed him in the guiness book of world records.  Most egregiously, he laid claim to an event during the famous “Black Hawk Down” incident in Mogadishu that resulted in the death of an actual Ranger, Jaime Smith.  Harris claimed that he, not Smith had taken a bullet that cut his femoral artery, then claimed that smith’s death was invented by Hollywood to “make the story better.”

The story isn’t over yet, as there may be jail time in Harris’ future, since falsifying military records is a felony.  But so far, the “Rock” has found himself in a very hard place with his employers, his wife and his community.

What is most sad is that Harris actually did serve in the military – as a member of the 18th Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, NC.  Maybe not Distinguished Service Cross material, but certainly nothing to be ashamed of. 

And Harris is not alone.  There is a long history of military impersonators, and an organization devoted to tracking them down receives more than twenty potential cases each week. 

This story has led some to speculate on the motivation behind this phenomenon.  The sheer lack of self-respect that could allow a person to claim honors for which he is not entitled.  But as Jeff Harris is now discovering, most frauds are eventually found out. 

Hopefully the “Rock” will soon be busting rocks in prison, and at least one newspaper reporter will never again accept a story at face value. 

WASHINGTON — First the good news. The war in Afghanistan is being won. As our Fox News team saw on our most recent trip through the length and breadth of the country, the Taliban and their al-Qaida allies are being…