For the second time in as many weeks, the U.S. military has rescued distressed Iranian sailors, despite the extremely high tensions between the two nations.
According to the Navy’s account, at about 3 a.m. local time an American Coast Guard patrol boat in the north Persian Gulf was hailed by flares and flashlights from an Iranian cargo ship whose engine room was flooding. Six Iranians were rescued from the ship, fed halal meals in accordance with Islamic law, and later taken to shore. “Saving lives is the last thing you expect to do at [3 a.m.] while patrolling in the Northern Arabian Gulf, but being in the Coast Guard, that’s what we are trained to do,” Boatswain Mate 2nd Class Emily Poole said in a statement by the Navy, using an alternate designation for the Persian Gulf.
Last week, the U.S. Navy rescued more than a dozen Iranian sailors who had been held hostage by pirates in the Arabian Sea for weeks. American sailors on a “visit, board, search and seizure team” were able to free the sailors and take 15 suspected pirates into custody without incident on Jan. 5, the Navy said. The pirates had been apparently using the Iranian vessel as a “mothership” to launch pirate operations in the region.
As an old Coastie, it feels good to report something positive for a change. I guess when it comes to drowning, politics becomes second, maybe even last.
How many tax dollars are being wasted people we are eventually going to kill anyway?
First you fatten the pig; then you slaughter it.
Apparently.
Am I the only person wondering what the US Coast Guard is doing in the persian gulf?
Me too, that has to be bad info.
I guess the reason is something like this.
What Was the Coast Guard Doing in Iraq?
By Vice Admiral James Hull, Commander Cari Thomas, and Lieutenant Commander Joe DiRenzo III, U.S. Coast Guard
http://tinyurl.com/7q675mr
pedro, so why the Coast Guard?
FTA…Last week, the U.S. Navy rescued more than a dozen Iranian sailors who had been held hostage by pirates…
Not Pedro, but factually:
“The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the US military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission (with jurisdiction in both domestic and international waters). It operates under the Department of Homeland Security during peacetime, and can be transferred to the Department of the Navy by the President at any time, or by Congress during time of war.”
dusanmal, Thanks for reducing my level of ignorance
without being condescending. It’s enjoyable to learn from a real person than scouring the www. I am forever ignorant, but try to learn one new fact, word, ect. a day.
I’m just guessing here that this use of the Coast Guard is just a slight variation on using the National Guard instead of the Standing Army. Started with Clinton, ramped up to the Max with BushtheRetard, and like almost everything continued by Obama.
Some kind of combo of enlistments being down, not re-enlisting going up, citizenry not able to qualify under minimum and declining standards, no draft==and so the reserves are regularly called up as the only alternative to maintaining a military presence in the world exceeding or near equal to the rest of the world combined on every measure there is===but don’t worry Romney the Chicken Hawk and Father of Chicken Hawks, son of a Billionaire, feels your pain and uncertainty: he will make sure the USA Military is kept strong while singing (Mormon) God Bless America. Don’t know if he will uninvitedly invade Iraq as DumbTexass Rick Perry is advocating…….((btw–can you imagine giving millions to Perry and listen to him spout that nonsense???==Ha, ha==you don’t need to be smart to be worth millions, I wonder how that happens?))…..but he has the stupid vote sew up for sure.
Obama is certainly in trouble==as any righteous intelligent man without a backbone would be.
Yea, verily.
Cue Pedro’s comment as it relates perfectly to another of bobbo’s ignorant rants.
gg==I think if you read closely you’ll agree my ignorant rant really comes below this posting.
btw–care to parse what I say for all to see? You know: be specific???===Have an actual fact based opposing view as opposed to entrenched stupidity?
C’mon———–show us.
Goes back before that. The Coast Guard has a history of serving overseas during wartime, yes they were in Vietnam patrolling the Mekong Delta, I had CG friends there. There is a memorial on the Normandy Beachhead in France of the CG personnel who piloted the landing craft etc.
the iranians are looking more like the 3stooges or some other comedy team in their own waters… odd they make silly threats about closing the straights….. hell next i’d expect them to say they will close the gays.. 😛
BTW–to you ass wipes thinking the Navy/Guard/USA should not be giving this aid and comfort to our future enemies: can you think past the waistline on your sand filled panties? Read a little history? Time after time USA has benefited from people within the enemy designation coming forward and helping usA BECAUSE of a good experience with usA/individual Americans. Happens all the time. Fer Christ Sake==we even fielded Squadrons of heroic fighters out of the Detention facilities we ran on the Japanese-Americans. How many of you idiots think we were necessarily “too nice” to them?
Good Republican thinking you knuckle draggers show. Call me a soft headed liberdrool for wanting the USA to set the highest standards possible WHILE pursing our own long term interests: its the best reason there is to be against waterboarding and torture. Even as it may work in limited circumstances===it doesn’t work as well over time as a general approach.
How liberal am I–as I’m all for surgical military strikes against Iran if that is what it takes to stop their Nuke Program? Hmmm–may be time to repost as “the pragmatic…blah, blah, blah.” You’all know what being pragmatic means right?
Silly Hoomans–acting just like HITLER to make enemies of your potential friends. Yes, nice little black booted storm trooper wanna be’s you all are.
Now—MARCH!!!!
President Obama shows the world how we speak softly but carry a big dick.
Iran is your enemy…why? Or are you just being a typical Obama shill.
The Rick Steves travel show showed actual Iranians being more-or-less real (in the typical Steves’ semi creepy manner). Maybe you should try to catch it on PBS (if in USA).
A LITTLE good information here, but a lot of personal attacks. Wow, a person does not have complete information and they are called “ass wipes, ignorant, and misinformed”. May I put forward that a person comes to this website for many reasons. On of the reasons I come here is to get more informed. If that makes me an ass wipe, pass the toilet paper.
I agree.
Ignore the personal attacks. This blog has some great people with cogent posts. Some here have a great sense of humor to brighten your day.
After some time you’ll adjust to who to ignore and who has an inferiority complex or is just an angry individual.
Accept their characters defects for who he/she is and you’ll be a better person for it. Nobody’s perfect including myself.
Agreed
I also wish everyone that posted here did so with the same attitude, respect for what works, a knowledge of history, and little tolerance for those who wish to lead with their ignorance.
Imagine the pissing contest that would ensue daily?
All we would have to do is select the “Taliban of the Day.”
Yea, verily. Let’s all stand together for uniformity!
Bobbo, it’s one of the best things that the US Military does abroad, helping the helpless.
Thanks for reminding the uninformed.
Navy Vet
#30–Why Thank You Mr Diesel, Navy Vet==Yes, the short sightedness of too many does much injury to the effectiveness of our forces and to our forces themselves. America leads the best when we lead by example.
Years ago I recall the call to stop the Officer exchange programs with Egypt and Jordanian officers. They weren’t our friends, why were we extending to them the courtesy and the knowledge of our professional training programs? At the very same time, the news was filled with articles about the USA having “influence” in those very same lands because now high ranking officers had gone thru our Military Exchange Programs.
Silly when you piss away your most effective tools/advantages.
Av gas here.
In college I was good friends with an brilliant Iranian student in exile from Iran (after the Iranian Revolution). His father was the commander of the Shah of Iran’s secret “police” aka SAVAK.
He showed me a graduation picture of him ….at West Point.
Think about it.
SAVAK. From Wiki: SAVAK has been described as Iran’s “most hated and feared institution” prior to the revolution of 1979 because of its practice of torturing and executing opponents of the Pahlavi regime.
Yea, I was going to through Iran into the review, but given the turn of events there, I left it off. The head of our computer department was an Iranian Expat and a few weeks after joining the company in a small meeting I made some comment about Iran as it was in the news. The guy sent me an email complaining about my racial bigotry and how he was uncomfortable working with anyone like me. So, I called for a one on one meeting to clear the air. We talked about the History of Iran, the time I had spent in country, that I had viewed the Peacock Thrown and seen the jewels and probably had flown some of the Shaws personal property out of the Country on his falling. Then I said: “You even look like the Shaw–how closely related are you?” Ha, ha. He was stunned. Never answered me, but he was stunned. Rare for the cool, calm, and collected computer guy. We were never friends, but the hostility went away even as I continued my comments from time to time.
Yes, stunned. Spitting Image though. Maybe a cousin?
Hey==that wasn’t even on point. Nor the fact that it was rumored he brought in a bag of diamonds one day to show his crew. Why did he do that? Who carries raw diamonds around except those of the House of Palavi? Oh==I think his brother was an Air Force Pilot?
And then sadly we have the possibility of a few asshats pissing on bodies.
Look.
I’m simple and slow. That’s why I believe that the Coast Guard should operate in US waters only.
Let’s pump oil out of Montana and screw the Middle East all together.
I hate to say this to McCullough but there is no place on this earth called Arabian Gulf…