Tracer Burnout
A Female Engagement Team (FET) at work in an Afghan compound. The notions that women should not, cannot, or do not go into combat, all are invalid. They should, they can, and they do. And here we need them. 22
A Female Engagement Team (FET) at work in an Afghan compound. The notions that women should not, cannot, or do not go into combat, all are invalid. They should, they can, and they do. And here we need them. 22
[Content warning: Extremely graphic images below the jump.] The Later meeting 18 August 2011 Task Force Spartan, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan During a planning session at a sand table, numerous firefights broke out. We were at safe distance but close enough
A few years ago, a British officer said to me they want to get as far left of bang as possible. The farther left of bang, the better. Right of bang is a crater and a memorial service. A main
29 June 2011 Kabul, Afghanistan There is heavy security around Kabul. A “ring of steel,” as they call it, which is under Afghan authority. I’ve been driving around Kabul for several weeks and have never seen a foreign guard, and
Our people have hunted down and killed Osama bin Laden. Thank you to all the military and other good people who tracked him down to his own sanctuary. We can only hope that the materials captured at his hiding place
Sunrise over Farah 07 April 2011 Afghanistan contains many treasures of ancient history. Climate conditions here preserve old structures whose origins often remain a mystery. Alexander stormed through here a thousand years before the Arabs introduced Islam. Today, after traveling
Seldom do I waste time with rebutting articles, and especially not from publications like Rolling Stone. Today, numerous people sent links to the latest Rolling Stone tripe. The story is titled “THE KILL TEAM, THE FULL STORY.” It should be
Ed. Note: This article is relevant to Big Hollywood because the author of the piece Michael Yon is responding to here is Mark Boal, the screenwriter who won the Oscar for “The Hurt Locker.” Much more to come. Seldom do
Seldom do I waste time with rebutting articles, and especially not from publications like Rolling Stone. Today, numerous people sent links to the latest Rolling Stone tripe. The story is titled “THE KILL TEAM, THE FULL STORY.” It should be
14 Feburary 2011 Salween River: Burma on the left, Thailand on the right. The Salween River forms a border between Thailand and Burma. “Rambo” fictionally crossed this jungle current in the movie Rambo IV. But there is nothing fictional about
During the summer of 2009, the British were fighting hard for Sangin. They were always outnumbered by Taliban and terrain. Casualties were high. Today, US Marines are paying in blood for the very same ground because, in part, they gave
Helicopter Rotors glowing due to Kopp-Etchells Effect Ripley’s Believe it or Not has asked to publish one of my photos in their next book. This photo was made in Sangin, Afghanistan during the last time I was with British forces.
There have been many comments about American arrogance. During my travels to 48 United States and over 50 countries — most of those states and countries multiple times — some themes have emerged. There is a pervasive sense in the
One evening last year in Laos, I saw this monk reading in a window. With the holiday season upon us, I remembered this moment of peace and thought you might like to share it. Please click to download a free
Recently, I published an image that became popular. While perusing the photos from that night in the Himalaya in Nepal, a similar but better image popped up. The moon shining off the mountain grabbed and held my eye, and I
The Himalaya near Mount Everest are ruthless and serene, while the stars tracing above are without love or grudge. Seasonal tides of fair and foul weather wash in thousands of trekkers, and more ambitious climbers who kletter by night and
Nepal Before returning for third time to Afghanistan this year, have made another trip to the Himalaya. I made this image of Mt. Everest about a week ago. You are welcome to download a copy for personal use. Please also
Amidst news reports that British aid worker Linda Norgrove, who was being held captive in Afghanistan, was accidentally killed by U.S. forces attempting to rescue her, Michael Yon filed the following report: I contacted via email the office of General
Thai Soldier Watching for Snipers in Bangkok (May 2010): 12 July 2010 Chiang Mai, Thailand During the Thailand fighting in May, the rain of media mixed with the dust of politics, creating mud that left honest people feeling bogged down.
Bullets fly fast: Published: 07 July 2010 Chiang Mai, Thailand During the Bangkok fighting in May, radio interviewers back America kept asking about the overuse of force by the Thai Army. I answered that’s not happening, and there seem to
Bangkok, May 2010: Published: 05 July 2010 Chiang Mai, Thailand This journalist was all over the place. She stood out from the crowd for obvious reasons. One evening, as the sun was setting, she was walking down a mostly desolate
Near Lumpini Park, Bangkok. (May 2010): Michael Yon 20 June 2010 Chiang Mai, Thailand Recent violence focused world attention on the Kingdom of Thailand. As the attention flowed in, foreigners poured out, even though fighting was tightly localized and not
Smart Moms raise smart kids: Brunei, Afghanistan, Nepal, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam Published: 08 June 2010 A Gurkha Idea Among the more interesting coalition forces fighting in Afghanistan are the legendary Nepalese Gurkhas. Trained and fielded by the British, as they
We all are aware that war leads to difficult situations. In regard to detainees, we’ve seen terrorists released only to strike again. Yet in the interest of justice we are concerned about detaining potentially innocent people. Difficult times, difficult answers.
District Governor Haji Obidullah Populzai before going on mission with 1-17th Infantry: Published: 9 May 2010 If normal life were a river, most days would likely be a slow-moving, meandering passage. But when a life squeezes into the gorge of
Under Cover of the Night, with 1-17th Infantry 11 April 2010 During a mission there is no “pause” button. It’s on until it’s over. Recently, Charlie Company 1-17th Infantry conducted a mission that included visiting villages in the Shah Wali
Easter Sunday, 2010 Anywhere, Afghanistan Back in December, C-Co 1-17th Infantry battalion had been in about the worst place in Afghanistan. There is stiff competition for the position of actual worst place, and I am sure there are many contenders
Some troops in Afghanistan go months without a shower. Major Ryan O’Conner, XO of the 1-17th Infantry, now in Kandahar Province, said that during a previous tour his Soldiers fought half a year without so much as a dip in
FOB Frontenac, Afghanistan 28 March 2010 Under an early morning sky, a red glow is cast from the lights on an Air Force water drilling rig. A new MATV, or “MATV All Terrain Vehicle,” is being deployed to Afghanistan to
Kandahar Province, Afghanistan 25 March 2010 Dogs have been trained to carry bombs to attack enemies for decades. The Soviets and others have used dogs as low-tech smart bombs. Yet canine platoons likely would rebel if they caught scent they
All photos in this dispatch made on March 1, 2010, at Kandahar Airfield. Kandahar, Afghanistan 23 March 2010 The mission required crossing a bridge that had been blown up a couple hours earlier by a suicide car bomber. The attacker
MAJ JF Sucher, MD FACS USAR MC Surgeon, 909th FST The 909th FST saw many children during their first deployment of 2002-2003 in Salerno, Afghanistan, Paktya province, but one beautiful child gripped their hearts. Anyone who saw her then, or
Kandahar, Afghanistan 15 March 2010 In David Galula’s 1964 book, Counterinsurgency Warfare, THEORY AND PRACTICE, he states: “The ideal situation for the insurgent would be a large, land-locked country, shaped like a blunt-tipped star, with jungle-covered mountains along the borders
American Colonel Writes to Spanish Colonel 15 March 2010 Kandahar, Afghanistan Responding to a document first published here on 08 March, U.S. Army Colonel Robert J. Ulses writes to Spanish Army Colonel Jesus De Miguel Sebastian. The letter from Colonel
Need Bullets? The shortest distance between South Carolina and Kandahar is about 7,500 miles. (As the rocket flies.) Shah Wali Kot, Afghanistan 11 March 2009 The military axiom that “amateurs talk strategy while professionals talk logistics” has special meaning in
Monday, 08 March 2010 Kandahar, Afghanistan Yesterday, an American involved in the war effort handed me a document. It was an email from a Lieutenant Colonel in the 82nd Airborne Division in Afghanistan. His unit is in combat seven days
By Peter Almond It was one of the most complex military logistical and medical operations ever undertaken – and it saved the life of a young British soldier critically injured in Afghanistan. It involved hundreds of doctors, air and ground
U.S. Air Force Nurse, Lucy Lehker, comforts an ‘unknown’ Canadian soldier after he was badly wounded in Afghanistan. Dear Michael Yon, Today we were sent your story of February 14, 2010. The “unknown” Canadian is our son Danny. He is
Flight Medics prepare the aircraft to receive patients. Around Afghanistan 22 February 2010 “Johnny Boy” Captain John Holland was walking out to the aircraft just as I arrived at the flight line. Captain Holland asked, “Are you ready?” “Yes Sir.”
18 February 2010 Kandahar, Afghanistan On Feb. 9th, in a field near a road, an Afghan soldier squatted to relieve himself. He picked the wrong spot. A bomb exploded, blowing off a leg, and he died. Captain John Weatherly, Commander