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25snakeman02
04-19-04, 07:10 AM
I cannot verify the accuraThis was sent from a Marine in Iraq on Thursday of last week (April 8, 2004)









Thought you'd be interested in the latest from Marine's in Iraq - the following two pieces were received in the past few hours.



Keep all our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines in your prayers tonight. djs



"Been a while since I've sent you an update. Hope things are going well for you and the family.



Don't believe what you hear on the news. Lots going on, but we are winning and winning big on all fronts. What you are seeing now are the death throes of two groups of evil people; one in the West and one in the South. Desperate men take desperate action.



The situation in the West is improving, Marines are hunting down and eliminating foreigners, smugglers, jihadis, and other assorted lawbreakers. Fallujah is cordoned off, nothing going in or out without USMC approval. The camp I'm in has been shelled three times in the last 24 hours. So far, no casualties. The bad guys are trying to do anything in their power to distract us from Fallujah. Give it a couple weeks and everything will calm down again. The Marines are going into an area that the 82nd Airborne Division never went into. A lot of really bad men fled to that area and used it as a sanctuary. We will clean it out.



The situation in the South isn't as bad as it sounds on the news. Most of the Shia population is waiting for us to come back in and flush the system, they are not backing the Mahdi Army. If you notice, there aren't more than a thousand demonstrators/thugs in any of the cities (including Najaf). Sadr's boys (aka the Mahdi Army) are a bunch of 20 something petty criminals and thugs that are out roaming the streets. The Salvadorians kicked the crap out of them in Najaf on Saturday. We are responding to all of the various groups, but in a manner that ensures that we don't alienate that 99+% of the population that supports us in the South. Give it some time and we will have a much stronger hand than we did even a few weeks ago."



This one is from the pointed end of the bayonet. The author is a rifle company commander waiting to attack into Fallujah. He is writing to his Dad, a retired Marine. The email came via the retired Marine circuit. All names have been removed. The author is obviously a bright young man and the type we want to see commanding a Marine rifle company. His words are most impressive. Of prime interest, he is thinking about his Marines, not himself. Also of special interest, he puts his finger on Fallujah as a safe haven for terrorists and "foreigners".





"Dad,



Things have been busy here. You know I can't say much about it. However, I do know two things. One, POTUS (President of the United States) has given us the green light to do whatever we needed to do to win this thing so we have that going for us. Two, and my opinion only, this battle is going to have

far reaching effects on not only the war here in Iraq but in the overall war on terrorism. We have to be very precise in our application of combat power. We cannot kill a lot of innocent folks (though they are few and far between in Fallujah). There will be no shock and awe. There will be plenty of bloodshed at the lowest levels. This battle is the Marine Corps' Belleau Wood for this war. 2/1 and 1/5 will be leading the way. We have to find a way to kill the bad guys only. The Fallujahans are fired up and ready for a fight (or so they think). A lot of terrorists and foreign fighters are holed up in Fallujah. It has been a sanctuary for them. If they have not left town they are going to die. I'm hoping they stay and fight.



This way we won't have to track them down one by one. This battle is going to be talked about for a long time. The Marine Corps will either reaffirm its place in history as one of the greatest fighting organizations in the world or we will die trying. The Marines are fired up. I'm nervous for them though because I know how much is riding on this fight (the war in Iraq, the view of the war at home, the length of the war on terror and the reputation of the Marine Corps to name a few). However, every time I've been nervous during my career about the outcome of events when young Marines were involved they have ALWAYS exceeded my expectations. I'm praying this is one of those times."



God bless these great Americans who are ensuring we continue to fight an "away" schedule.


cy of the following but my Buddy has good papers and it makes for good reading!

namgrunt
04-19-04, 07:40 AM
Thanks for the letters, Snake.

Its heartening to see our men have maintained an optimistic attitude in the middle of all that sand. I look forward to the day we can leave Iraq, and Afghanistan too, with a hearty "Well Done, Mission Accomplished" on our side of the tally sheet.

I'm sure the local Iraqi bad guys have learned the difference between the US Army, and the US Marines. Both entities are deadly, but the Marines will follow you into your hole, and total your pitiful behind in place.

25snakeman02
04-19-04, 08:13 AM
Roger that NamGrunt. I too felt heartened by the letter. Just wanted to share it.

Snake out