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thedrifter
05-10-04, 06:04 AM
Iraq assignment ends for NCT staffers

By: AGNES DIGGS - Staff Writer

The flight landed at Lindbergh Field in San Diego at about 1:40 p.m. on Sunday, nearly an hour earlier than expected, but not a moment too soon for two passengers coming home after nearly two months of little but work, danger and sporadic sleep.

North County Times reporter Darrin Mortenson and photographer Hayne Palmour were thrilled to see the bright blue San Diego harbor after their assignment in the embattled Iraqi city of Fallujah, where life for them was "all war, all the time."

It was easy to spot Mortenson's parents, Delbert and Janet, in the small crowd of well-wishers. His dad was the one with the handlebar mustache and the irrepressible smile. His mom was the one who first noticed her boy had lost a lot of weight.


"It just feels so good to see him," said Delbert Mortenson, whose last thought each night for weeks had been a prayer that his son would be safe for one more day.

Palmour had already called his mom in North Carolina with a Mother's Day wish and arguably the best gift he could give her ---- hearing he was back.

Thus ended their second trip to the Iraqi battlefields where they were embedded with Fox Company with the Camp Pendleton-based 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. This time, they arrived Iraq with the Marines on March 26 for a security and stabilization operation that developed quickly into all-out war, Mortenson said.

Fallujah quickly became the focal point of U.S.-Iraqi tensions. Mortenson and Palmour, the only journalists in place at the time, began receiving scores of e-mails and phone calls from news agencies around the world seeking descriptions for television and radio audiences of the story as it unfolded.

When the responsibility for policing the city was recently transferred from the military to Iraqi authorities, Mortenson and Palmour headed home.

"The one thing I came away with is the whole country's in chaos," Mortenson said. "And it was much less secure than I ever thought."

Home at last, the men smiled broadly, both deeply tanned and covered with mosquito bites.

North County Times publisher Dick High said everyone recognizes and appreciates their grit in Iraq.

"I think everybody at the newspaper has been affected by their coverage of the war and very concerned about their safety," High said. "And I think the Camp Pendleton community has been truly respected by the coverage. And anyone who reads it and looks at the pictures realizes what an amazingly professional job the Marines are doing in Fallujah and elsewhere in Iraq."

In Iraq, they lived in an abandoned home, and there were no peaceful moments, Palmour said.

"There was always something going on," he said. "If there wasn't some kind of explosion or sporadic gunfire, there were mortars coming right down on us. If it wasn't the sound of weapons, it was the insurgents playing the jihad song ----the call to arms."

The Marines retaliated by playing heavy metal rock music.

The two men had hoped that this assignment would be a chance to meet and talk with some Iraqi citizens, to see the process of rebuilding.

"The only Iraqis we saw were shooting at us," Mortenson said.

They haven't forgotten about the Marines that covered their backs while they worked.

"When we left, they were in good spirits," Mortenson said. "They could not have helped us more or been a better group of guys. They just have this amazing ability to stay focused on what they are doing."

For a brief moment, Mortenson said, he felt a little uncomfortable leaving the war zone.

"It was a little strange giving up the story because it's still going on for that company of Marines," he said. "But when you think about it, you just want to come home."

Would they consider going back? Yes, both said. To see how it all turns out for the Marines and the Iraqi people.

"It's a huge story," Palmour said, "And that's what a journalist wants to be in the middle of."

Contact staff writer Agnes Diggs at (760) 740-3511 or adiggs@nctimes.com.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2004/05/10/military/iraq/20_56_525_9_04.txt


Ellie

thedrifter
05-10-04, 06:07 AM
Marines deliver the goods for Navy Seabees
Submitted by: 1st Marine Division
Story Identification Number: 200459102728
Story by Cpl. Paula M. Fitzgerald



CAMP AL ASAD, Iraq(May 5, 2004) -- Staff Sgt. Michael J. Thompson never thought he'd see anyone get so excited to see seabags and boxes until he reunited sailors with their belongings here.

Thompson and the rest of 3rd Platoon, Company L, 3rd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment made a trip from Camp Ramadi, 60 miles east of here, to deliver a seven-ton truck full of personal gear to the sailors of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 14.

One of the 150 gearless Seabees, Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Kenneth C. Baker, said he was never so happy to see Marines.

"We've been waiting for more than three weeks for our stuff," Baker, of Deltona, Fla., explained. "It's like Christmas."

The Seabee battalion is made up of reservists from naval detachments in the southeast of United States. They were pulled together and deployed here almost two months ago in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"We were told to pack primary gear and secondary gear," Baker said. "The secondary gear was sent ahead of us but somehow got misdirected to another camp."

Some of the lost luggage eventually ended up with the battalion's Seabees at Camp Ramadi, the same camp from which 3rd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment is operating.

"Our mission is to transport supplies and do convoy escorts around the area," explained Thompson, an assistant platoon sergeant. "We just happened to have to do a food supply run to Al Asad, so the Seabees asked us to deliver the gear."

The Marines left early in the morning and traversed for more than two hours across long stretches of treacherous roads known to be targets for terrorists to detonate improvised explosive devices.

"We were told to get the Seabees their gear, so that's what we did," Thompson said.

Still, it was more than just another mission for the Marines.

"I'm glad I had the chance to help out the Seabees," he added. "We're all one big family here for the same reason. We have to look out for each other every now and then."

The favor did not go unnoticed.

As the truck backed up to the Seabees' warehouse, sailors came out of the woodwork to help unload the bags and footlockers.

"When I got out of the truck there was a Seabee that walked up to me and said, 'Is this our personal gear?'" Thompson explained. "I said that it was, and he gave me a hug. I didn't expect to get hugs just for bringing their stuff. It was strange."

Many of the Seabees said they hope to return the favor in the future.

"We've been tasked with making the quality of life for the Marines at the camps here and on the borders better," Baker said. "Like the Marines out at the Camp Husaybah on the Syrian border have no showers or chow hall or permanent bathrooms. We are going to build them that stuff so at least they have a few creature comforts."

Baker explained the Seabees and Marines have a good "you scratch my back, I'll scratch your back" relationship. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Greg J. Smith agreed and added it's a pleasure to help the Marines.

"Our job here is to help Marines," Smith said. "That's what we love to do."

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200459103023/$file/Deliver1lr.jpg

Staff Sgt. Michael J. Thompson, assistant platoon sergeant with 3rd Platoon, Company L, 3rd Battlion, 11th Marine Regiment, helps a group of Seabees unload their personal gear. The Seabees, of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 14, are deployed here in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Nearly 150 sailors from the battalion have been without their gear for almost a month. Thompson and the rest of 3rd Platoon traveled from Camp Ar Ramadi, Iraq, 60 miles west to this camp to deliver the previously misdirected gear.
(USMC photo by Cpl. Paula M. Fitzgerald) Photo by: Cpl. Paula M. Fitzgerald

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/D96BAE54B9110B4B85256E8F004F6B5F?opendocument

Ellie

thedrifter
05-10-04, 06:09 AM
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition: 1st FSSG chaplain's protector called to serve
Submitted by: 1st Force Service Support Group
Story Identification Number: 20045994854
Story by Lance Cpl. Samuel Bard Valliere



CAMP TAQADDUM, Iraq(May 9, 2004) -- His first calling was to the Marines, the second was to the Lord. Today, one sailor serves both in Iraq.

Stretched across a scarlet ribbon on the Navy Chaplain's Corps' seal are the Latin words "vocati ad servitium," meaning "called to serve." Petty Officer 2nd Class Wayne M. George, a 29-year-old religious program specialist, or "RP" for short, with the 1st Force Service Support Group, could use this motto to sum up his own life.

Chaplains, considered non-combatants by the rules of the Geneva Convention, are not issued weapons. They are assigned enlisted sailors, like George, who carry the responsibility of not only working as aides, but also serving as bodyguards, so the chaplain can minister to the Marines on the battlefield without having to fear for his own life.

"I've been called a guardian angel, but I think there is an angel on every shoulder out here," said a smiling George, the leading petty officer of the ten RPs who are assigned to the 1st FSSG and stationed throughout the Al Anbar province of Iraq.

George, a native of Bloomfield, N.M., who seems to be in a perpetually friendly mood, has served in the Navy for ten years, all of them shoulder to shoulder with Marines.

"They have a certain camaraderie and respect for each other," he said. "I find a lot of pride in fighting with Marines."

Afraid of having limited opportunities after high school and attempting to one-up a buddy who joined the Navy, George decided to join the Marines. Turned away by recruiters for having broken his hand too many times during childhood fights, George went to the Navy.

He enlisted as an RP for the opportunity to work with Marines, despite not being a religious person.

According to Petty Officer 2nd Class Rafael P. Barney, 22, an RP with 1st FSSG units located near Fallujah, being spiritual is not a requirement to be a religious program specialist, since they aren't actually the ones who minister to the troops.

For George, practicing what the chaplain preached came after he enlisted.

"I had been to church a couple times growing up, but I didn't have a personal relationship with God," he said.

The transformation for George came during RP school, when he felt "the love of God" after he had a dream where he talked to the Lord.

With his new-found faith intact, George attended Marine Combat Training at Camp Lejeune's School of Infantry - and finished first in his class. Shortly afterward, he received orders to serve with the infantry Marines of 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment.

While one of his greatest sources of pride, George said serving with the Marines has also paved some rocky roads through the faith he found a decade ago.

He concedes that warfare is a strange profession for a man of God and that he often thinks about how his role as a combatant fits into his religious beliefs. Inner conflicts, he said, would probably take a backseat to instinct when the time came to engage an enemy.

"God has me there to protect the chaplain because he spreads (God's) word," he reasoned after a moment of thought. "It's kind of my way of serving the Lord."

George spoke highly of Petty Officer 1st Class Robert Page, a chaplain's assistant who lived to receive the Bronze Star Medal after he put himself between his chaplain and incoming rounds during last year's push through Iraq.

After talking about the heroism Page demonstrated, George asked himself if he could muster the same courage to put his own life on the line for his chaplain.

"I wouldn't hesitate. I know I wouldn't," said George, his hazel eyes staring into the distance.

His own confidence is not enough, however. The chaplains must also possess unwavering faith in their "guardian angels" to allow them to turn their backs to the enemy while bullets are flying.

"You really have to trust who you're with, and he's very concerned about my safety," said Cmdr. Mike Dory, 54, a Catholic priest George served with around Easter. "I don't have to worry about my own protection; I just have to worry about the service and God's people who I'm taking care of."

In a way, George's childhood led him to the role he plays today as a compassionate protector, he said.

After being abandoned by his drug-addicted mother as a young child, he was shuffled from foster parent to foster parent - including one abusive two-year stint with an uncle who beat him and forced him to use a bathtub as a bed.

George's rescue came after he was 13, when his grandparents fought for, and won, custody of him from his uncle.

After a childhood marked with abandonment and abuse, George struggled to make his problems stop. That didn't happen right away. He found himself in so many fights and ended up with so many broken bones that he was not permitted to join the Marine Corps. His journey, though, led him to a life of serving Marines in the Navy.

According to George, it was no coincidence.

He said everything that happened in his life was building up to what he sees as God's calling for him.

Coming to terms with his youth turned George into a man drawn toward protecting people from feeling as much pain as he felt.

"My childhood wasn't the worst," he said. "I look at it like I'm blessed. It gave me the patience and understanding to have more compassion to those who are in emotional pain."

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200459125654/$file/GeorgeDory020504_Low.jpg

Petty Officer 2nd Class Wayne M. George, 29, a religious program specialist with the 1st Force Service Support Group, helps Catholic priest Cmdr. Mike Dory, 54, pack up after holding a mass out of the back of a humvee for two soldiers at Camp Habbaniyah, Iraq, on May 2, 2004. George aids the chaplain in his ministry to the troops of the 1st FSSG and protects him during combat. George is a native of Bloomfield, N.M.; Dory hails from Green Bay, Wis. Photo by: Lance Cpl. Samuel Bard Valliere

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/152808AABFDCE01A85256E8F004BE361?opendocument


Ellie

thedrifter
05-10-04, 06:10 AM
Promotion reunites brothers in Iraq
Submitted by: 1st Marine Division
Story Identification Number: 200459101914
Story by Cpl. Veronika Tuskowski



CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, Iraq(May 5, 2004) -- Pfc. Trevor G. Thuman just wanted one thing for the day he finally pinned on his lance corporal chevrons. That was for his brother, Lance Cpl. Philip E. Thuman who lives less than ten miles across town, to pin them on for him.

It only took eight vehicles laden with automatic weapons and two days of planning, but the two brothers were united for the promotion.

Trevor, a 22-year-old motor transport operator for Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division, was able to have his 20-year-old brother Philip, also a motor transport operator with 2nd Battalion 4th Marine Regiment, pin on his new lance corporal chevrons during a ceremony, May 5th.

This ceremony was the first time the brothers have seen each other since arriving in country more than two months ago.

"I get really worried about him sometimes and it's hard to contact him," Trevor said. "If you even try to mail a letter between the camps 10 miles away, it takes a month and a half for the letters to get there."

Trevor said seeing his brother was a great relief.

"I have been in Okinawa for a year and haven't seen much family," he explained. "Seeing my brother in a hostile environment like this made me more at ease. He can watch my back like brothers do."

"When my brother pinned me with lance corporal, he said to me, 'The only way is up,'" Trevor said.

Philip passed on some advice as he pinned on Trevor's chevrons. It came from their father, who spent 10 years in a Marine uniform.

"Our dad always told us if you do everything right, the only way to go is up in ranks and get promoted," said Philip, who wears the Ka-Bar knife his father wore in Vietnam.

Trevor and Phillip have a family history laced with the Corps. Trevor was inspired to join after watching his younger brother graduate from boot camp.

"I wanted to see if I could handle the challenge like my brother," Trevor said.

The brothers also have a younger sister who is a military policewoman at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va.

Both brothers believe their parents back home in Delhi, Iowa, have twice as much to worry about.

"My parents are really worried about us both being over here," Philip said. "They told me to look after my brother if I see him."

"Our dad has two company coins we each got after boot camp," Trevor explained. "While he watches the news about Marines over here, he rubs them together for good luck. He told me they are all worn down now."

Now that both Marines are wearing the same chevrons, sibling rivalry is taking precedent over rank.

"While I was a private first class, I told my brother who was a lance corporal that as long as he was in uniform I would do anything he said," Trevor said. "But as soon as I got him out in town, he's mine. Now I am a lance corporal like him."

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200459102139/$file/promo1lr.jpg

Lance Cpl. Trevor G. Thuman, 22 and Lance Cpl. Philip E. Thuman, 20, smile after Philip pinned on Trevor's lance corporal chevrons during a promotion ceremony at Camp Blue Diamond May 5. Philip had to take an eight-vehicle convoy and plan for two days to meet up with his brother for the ceremony. They are less than 10 miles away from each other and this was their first contact since arriving in country in February.
(USMC photo by Cpl. Veronika Tuskowski) Photo by: Cpl. Veronika Tuskowski

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/879B83DA8F2DD36285256E8F004EAA8F?opendocument


Ellie

thedrifter
05-10-04, 07:43 AM
With Marines back in action, Navy hospital sees wounded again

By STEPHEN MANNING
Associated Press Writer

May 8, 2004, 1:41 PM EDT


BETHESDA, Md. -- Cpl. Laura Langdeau grimaces when a nurse starts a suction machine attached to the gaping shrapnel wound on her left arm.

"It hurts," the Connecticut woman says, her tough Marine demeanor cracking for a moment. "It hurts a lot."

For the past month, wounded Marines like 23-year-old Langdeau have been arriving in a steady stream at the National Naval Medical Center, so many they take up a whole wing on the fifth floor.

The hospital had a long lull after most Marine Corps units left Iraq soon after the U.S. military gained control of the country a year ago. But with the troop rotation this spring, the Marines are back and suffering casualties.

Marines arrive at the hospital daily, sometimes as many as 18 at once and usually in the middle of the night. Two trauma surgeons perform up to 10 operations apiece daily.

"We are getting about as many people" as during the first months in Iraq, said one of the trauma surgeons, Cmdr. James Dunne. "The trouble is, it is more steady. There is no end in sight."

The hospital is usually notified that more wounded are on the way, giving it time to clear out beds and have enough staff on duty, but the staff always knows how busy they will be by keeping up with the news.

"Everyone has their eyes and ears trained to what is going on out there," said Capt. Raquel Bono, the doctor who oversees treatment of the Marines.

The hospital just outside Washington has seen about 100 patients who were wounded just during April. In all of last year, the naval hospital treated roughly 560 patients from Iraq and Afghanistan.

In peace time, it provides routine medical care for veterans and military personnel living in the area. The president and members of Congress are also frequently treated there.

In the past year, however, the hospital also has been an important way station for wounded troops on their way home.

Flights arrive at nearby Andrews Air Force Base, carrying wounded Marines and soldiers from Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. The soldiers are taken to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington.

Most arrive only two or three days after they are injured, following quick operations to pluck out shrapnel and bullets, patch broken bones, even remove shattered limbs.

They've had to endure long flights on military transports. Langdeau, a reservist from Wolcott, Conn., says that during her 10-hour flight from Germany she was strapped to a stretcher that was stacked like cord wood, with another stretcher just inches above her face.

Bethesda is the first chance for many Marines to see their family. Dunne said one young Marine wept with joy when he reached the hospital.

But for many, it is also the first time the reality of their wounds sinks in. Some saw horrible things, like the deaths of friends trying to pull them from the battlefield, Dunne said.

"These are 19- and 20-year-old kids with their whole lives ahead of them," he said. "I don't know if they comprehend the potential lifelong impact."

The hospital has had a steady flow of top brass, members of Congress and retired veterans, all eager to shake hands with the wounded.

Some Marines have taped signs to their hospital room doors that read "NO VISITORS" but Langdeau doesn't mind. She has an album of snapshots she has taken with the commandant of the Marine Corps, the secretary of the Navy and a group of World War II veterans.

The album also has close-up photos of her left arm shortly after shrapnel blew away most of her deltoid muscle. Langdeau had been in Iraq for only a few hours and was jogging when she was injured April 9 during a mortar attack on an air base outside Fallujah.

She's had several operations to repair the bone. Blood oozes from her thigh where surgeons removed a square of skin to graft over the wound.

She has little movement in her arm for now, but can wiggle her fingers slightly. She's determined not to let the injury derail her military career.

"I'm getting my hand back," she said. "I don't care how much it hurts, or what it takes."

___P>

On the Net:

National Naval Medical Center: http://www.bethesda.med.navy.mil

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ct--warwounded-hospit0508may08,0,3673744.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire


Ellie

thedrifter
05-10-04, 08:43 AM
Issue Date: May 10, 2004

Analysis
Little armor, few options: Shortage of armored vehicles hobbles urban operations in Iraq

By David Wood
Newhouse News Service

A shortage of armored combat vehicles in Iraq is pressing U.S. forces into a cruel dilemma: advance stealthily on foot, or hold up at a city’s outskirts and use artillery, mortars and air-strikes.
The first exposes troops to immense risk.

The second course is safer, but shooting from a distance is less accurate than shooting at close range and raises the potential for unnecessary civilian casualties and collateral damage, which fuel anti-American fury.

Acknowledging the problem, senior U.S. military officers said in interviews and congressional testimony that they did not anticipate the fierce urban combat encountered in Iraq since early April. They are rushing in armor plate and considering sending additional tanks and armored personnel carriers.

An additional company of Marine M1A2 Abrams tanks — the 1st Tank Battalion’s Bravo Company — deployed to Iraq from the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, Calif. The company arrived in Iraq on April 19 and, by the week of April 26, tankers had joined the Marines in Fallujah. They expected to join the Marines on offensive operations there, but that was put on hold after the April 29 announcement that the Marine battalions would pull back from the outskirts of Fallujah to make way for a new local Iraqi security force.

But in their operations prior to the tankers’ arrival, the Marines could have used the heavy firepower of an M1A2 Abrams.

On April 26, Marines advanced into Fallujah on foot and occupied a two-story building, which soon came under intense enemy attack from a nearby mosque. It took repeated passes by helicopter gunships and jet fighters firing missiles before armored vehicles could approach to withdraw the Marines, according to press reports from the scene. The mosque was reported damaged in the counterattack.

A senior Sunni cleric, in remarks carried by the popular Arab network al-Jazeera, accused U.S. forces of carrying out a “bloodbath” and called for an investigation into American “war crimes.”

In previous fights in Fallujah’s crowded neighborhoods, U.S. forces have called in AC-130 gunships that spray lethal rounds over hundreds of square feet.

“Using bombs and AC-130s is a strategic defeat,” given the political repercussions, said Kenneth Brower, a weapons designer and consultant to the U.S. and Israeli military. “But we’ve had to use them.”

In contrast, Israel has developed armored vehicles for urban combat in Gaza and the West Bank, senior Israeli officers said, enabling them to get close to the enemy and use pinpoint weapons. Soldiers ride into Palestinian neighborhoods in tanks with turrets replaced by armored boxes with bulletproof glass, which let vehicle commanders see 360 degrees without exposing themselves to fire.

American tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, like the Bradley, have notoriously restricted vision when hatches are closed. In city streets, they must operate with crewmen exposed in open hatches or be flanked by walking infantrymen to protect against side attack.

“We have a whole spectrum of vehicles that enable you to see where you are going and who shoots at you, without being hit,” said a senior Israeli officer who recently commanded a brigade in Gaza.

“This enables you to advance inside the city and to get closer” to the enemy, said the officer, who spoke on condition that he not be identified by name. “As far as I can recall, we have never used indirect fire in 3˝ years in the West Bank and Gaza.” The U.S. Army and Marines have practiced fighting in cities for decades, but the urban combat that broke out in Iraq this spring was unexpected.

Leathernecks with I Marine Expeditionary Force returned to Iraq in March.

Because the Pentagon did not anticipate the urban uprisings that erupted in April, some military units that recently rotated into the country left behind many tanks and other armored vehicles.

The Army and Marine Corps are assessing whether to rush hundreds more tanks to Iraq, a process that would take weeks.

In mid-April, Pentagon officials acknowledged that $5.97 billion worth of new and modified equipment and weapons is needed, mostly for added troop protection.

The list is “unfunded,” meaning there’s no money in the budget for it, said Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee.

In the Army, 4th Infantry Division troops who drive 5-ton gun trucks in convoys that have been raked by Iraqi fire and roadside bombs have fitted their trucks with plywood “armor,” said Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. Plywood provides no protection, even against small arms.

Hunter, furious that the Pentagon hasn’t been able to provide armor, thundered at officers called to account at a mid-April hearing, “You guys can’t tie your shoelaces!”

The Army did not respond to repeated requests to discuss the issue in interviews. But Maj. Gen. Buford Blount, its assistant deputy chief of staff for operations, told Hunter that “we must do better and I think the Army and the leadership of [the Pentagon] is committed to doing that, sir.”

Still, Army officers said they won’t complete adding armor to their vehicles until October.

Senior Marine officers, meanwhile, stressed in interviews that they are making every effort to add armor to their vehicles.

There is “a paucity of armored vehicles” in Iraq, said Brig. Gen. William Catto, commander of Marine Corps Systems Command at Quantico, Va.

By May 1, every Marine vehicle in Iraq was due to have interim armor and ballistic glass available, he said.

But officers of both services said bolting armor on existing Humvees and trucks is far from satisfactory. Many vehicles can’t carry the extra weight, and, when they can, become difficult to maneuver.

And as the Israeli experience suggests, encasing troops in armor cuts them off from the outside world.

”Clearly, if you are going into a hostile area you want to protect yourself — but you don’t want to live like a turtle,” said Col. Philip Exner, a senior Marine staff officer who just returned from Iraq.

It is critical that Marines interact with the population, Exner said.

“There is always a trade-off between protection and your ability to engage people in the streets,” he said. “To focus exclusively on protection is to forget why you are there in the first place — to engage, not just survive.”

David Wood can be contacted at david.wood@newhouse.com.

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story.php?f=0-MARINEPAPER-2873343.php


Ellie

thedrifter
05-10-04, 11:23 AM
Marines fight to stay after wounds
Submitted by: 1st Marine Division
Story Identification Number: 200451084510
Story by Sgt. Jose E. Guillen



CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq(May 3, 2004) -- 1st Sgt. William S. Skiles can't say enough good things about his Marines.

"You know, we've only been here two months and we've awarded the Purple Heart to one third of the company," said Skiles, of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. "They're still charging on."

Skiles' Marines were among those units that pressed into Fallujah during the offensive last month. They took their share of wounded and some dead. Still, they never flagged and even most of those wounded returned to the battle.

"We arrived at fighting weight, but in all we lost a squad of Marines - great men," said the 43-year-old from San Juan Capistrano, Calif. "But my guys are all team players."

Injuries ranged from perforated eardrums from improvised explosive devices to gunshot wounds. Some Marines lost limbs. Others are likely paralyzed. Thirteen Marines - a full squad's worth of Marines - were medically evacuated to the United States.

For those who are able, they're not going anywhere. Skiles said their commitment to the cause in Iraq is astonishing.

"I have one Marine in the rear but he stands guard," Skiles said. "Another is on mess duty - that's dedication, huh?"

"My perforated eardrum is not worth being taken out of the fight," said Pfc. Miles J. Guthrie, a 19-year-old from Nederland, Co. "I'd rather stay back and fight along side my brothers."

Skiles' chalks up that level of commitment to traits like camaraderie and esprit de corps; traits rarely understood by anyone but a Marine.

"The pride U.S. Marines have is an untouchable brotherhood, and we have it from the PFC to the first sergeant," Skiles said. "We only fight for each other - for our brother to the left and right to stay alive and to go home.

"Just like the Marine Hymn says, 'First to fight for right and freedom,'" added Skiles.

That sense of duty, Skiles said, starts at the top with the company commander, Capt. Douglas A. Zembiec. Zembiec was wounded in his left leg by an enemy grenade in a three-hour firefight. He never left his company.

"The enemy we've encountered is an undisciplined one," said Zembiec, of Albuquerque, N.M. "My Marines have fought like lions and will continue to do so. Ten million insurgents won't even begin to fill the boots of one of my men."

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200451084851/$file/Skileslr.jpg

1st Sgt. William S. Skiles, first sergeant for Company E, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment praised his Marines for their fighting spirit, despite their wounds. Skiles is a 43-year-old from San Juan Capistrano, Calif. currently in Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
(USMC photo by Sgt. Jose E. Guillen) Photo by: Sgt. Jose E. Guillen

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/F73B2C38A038800485256E9000460DD1?opendocument

Ellie

thedrifter
05-10-04, 12:58 PM
Marines test 'blooper' against roadside bomb threat
Submitted by: 1st Marine Division
Story Identification Number: 20045910568
Story by Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva



CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, Iraq(May 7, 2004) -- It might just be that the answer to a 21st century problem for Marines has been around for 40 years.

Marines with Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division tested M-79 grenade launchers as a possible answer to neutralizing improvised explosive devices. The "bloopers," named for the "bloop" the weapon makes when fired, might be the low-technology response Marines need to counter one of the deadliest threat in Iraq.

"The idea for countering the IEDs has been around, but the problem has been coming up with the correct system," said CWO 4 Charles F. Colleton, gunner for 1st Marine Division. "Using a weapon system to detonate mines has been around. We're just finding out if this works."

Most IED countermeasures have been high-technology answers. Electronic jammers sending out radio waves to either detonate or block signals have been used. Still, not all IEDs are detonated with wireless radio-wave devices. Some are hard-wired.

The M-79 "blooper" gun might be just the answer to allowing the Marines the stand-off distance they need to eliminate the threat and keep roads open for convoys.

"It takes shock to create shock," Colleton explained. "We have to get the explosion close enough to set it off. We're trying to see if it works... something that smacks it so hard that it detonates it."

Still, for most Marines, the M-79 is an unknown weapon. It was first introduced into military stocks in 1961 and used widely throughout Vietnam. It was dumped shortly after the war in favor of the of M-203 grenade launcher. The idea was that the combined weapons of the M-16 rifle and M-203 grenade launcher gave Marines the best of both worlds, whereas before, Marines were limited carrying just a sidearm and the M-79.

The weapon itself is rather simple. It's a break-action, single shot weapon that uses a leaf site. In testing here in Iraq, Marines found the reconditioned weapon accurate to 200 meters, although it's advertised to fire beyond 300 meters. It fires the same 40 mm grenade as the M-203 grenade launcher.

"It's not a complicated weapon system at all," said CWO 4 Rod N. Fiene, ordinance officer for 1st Marine Division. "Next to a single-shot shotgun, it's the simplest thing I've ever seen."

The test was set up to see just how easily Marines could adapt to the weapon. Marines from 1st Marine Division's Headquarters Battalion were selected for the test, seeing how non-infantry Marines could adapt to firing the blooper.

"It looked like an old shotgun, just a smaller version," said Sgt. Bradley Leblanc, from Military Police Company. "I've fired the M-203 before, but not a whole lot, so this was something very new to me."

Leblanc squinted into the desert sun as his thumb fumbled with the safety latch. He squeezed the trigger, the stubby weapon responding with a humble "bloop."

The 40 mm grenade came crashing down 200 meters away, thundering the answer Marines might just be looking for when it comes to IEDs. The rounds impacted nearly on top of the five-gallon water jug used for a target. Tiny bits of metal tore through plastic leaving jagged gashes in their wake.

"There was no problem getting used to it," Leblanc said. "It was simple. The only thing I found was that the sights were so old, I was shooting at targets at 200 meters and the sights were set at 300."

Marines dialed in their bloopers within about 12 rounds. Grenades landed well within the five meter "kill" radius, where it's estimated the shrapnel pattern of the grenade would be so dense and so fast, enemy forces would die. Through testing, the Marines were hoping the same would apply to the IEDs.

"After I got the feel of it, all of the shots were in the general area," he added. "It would be no problem for me to take this weapon out. I'd actually like to have it."

Essentially, the M-79 is the same weapon as the M-203. The fire the same projectile, shoot the same ranges and have about the same accuracy. But having a single, dedicated weapon to handle IEDs allows a "comfort" factor for which Marines are looking for when it comes defeating the explosive threat.

"I think there's a perception that the '203' is not accurate because it's mounted below the rifle," Fiene explained. "Sometimes it feels awkward. This is a little easier to pick up and shoot because it's a stand-alone weapon."

Fiene said the blooper guns weren't necessarily the end-all answer to countering IEDs and Marines are still exploring all their options when it comes to defeating the threat. Still, the answer doesn't necessarily come with a high price tag from some of the most advanced engineering defense laboratories.

Improvised explosive devices, he explained, "aren't necessarily a complex technology. As a weapon, they're relatively crude. The only thing we've looked at to defeat it has been high-tech to this point. Maybe something as simple as a 40 mm grenade might be the answer."

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/20045911053/$file/bloop8lr.jpg

Sgt. Bradley Leblanc, a military policeman with Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division, loads a practice round into his M-79 grenade launcher as Staff Sgt. Simon Lemay checks the firing line. Marines tested the "blooper" guns as a possible solution against improvised explosive devices for convoy operations in Iraq.
(USMC photo by Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva) Photo by: Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/65D32D8D23AC76D285256E8F00520B3D?opendocument


Ellie

thedrifter
05-10-04, 03:13 PM
Marines, Iraqis celebrate opening of training center
Submitted by: 1st Marine Division
Story Identification Number: 200451081647
Story by Lance Cpl. Macario P. Mora Jr.



HIT, Iraq(May 8, 2004) -- Marines in western Al Anbar Province helped open a new Iraqi Civil Defense Corps training center here May 8. The center's opening marks the Iraqi force's strides to taking more responsibility for security in their own cities.

Marines from 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment met with local sheiks and high-ranking ICDC leaders to unveil new facilities and equipment to better prepare the 503rd Battalion of the ICDC for protecting the local towns.

"This is an important day for the new Iraq," said Lt. Col. Phil C. Skuta, battalion commander. "Here, today, we show our commitment to a better Iraq."

Even as the ceremony proceeded, the ICDC demonstrated their newfound prowess. Terrorists attacked the ICDC compound with rockets and Iraqi soldiers repelled the attackers.

"You see, this is an Iraqi base," Skuta said. "They're out there right now in the midst of a firefight. These guys can take care of themselves."

Maj. Rick Smith, the battalion's civil affairs officer, began the proceedings welcoming local leaders, Marines and ICDC soldiers and complimenting the hard work of the local Iraqis.

"Our goal here and every month is to focus on a brighter future for Iraq, and for the people of this region," Smith said.

The ceremony started with the drumbeat along with the melody of an Iraqi flute. Dancers, joined by the local Iraqi Civil Defense Corps, danced while an Iraqi vocalist sang.

Civil Affairs Group Marines from 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment met regularly with local leaders since arriving in Iraq earlier this year. The opening of the Iraqi base was marked by a groundbreaking ceremony for a new barracks, unveiling of a new rifle and pistol range and presentation of four new ICDC vehicles.

"We meet with these guys at least once a month," said Sgt. Brandon Kovach, a CAG team leader. "CAG puts these meetings together and the battalion discuses with the locals proposed ideas for the next 30 days."

Kovach said working to get the ICDC soldiers ready was "challenging" at first, but the situation has improved.

Marines treated guests to a Marine marksmanship demonstration, by having ICDC soldiers show off the skills they've acquired since training with Marines. Marines from the battalion's forward operating base trained 10 ICDC soldiers in Marine Corps marksmanship. Two ICDC soldiers will soon instruct the rest.

"Once all of the soldiers in the 503rd Battalion can shoot like this they'll be a force to be reckoned with," Skuta said.

"We're seeing great improvements," Kovach said of the ICDC soldiers ready to take on security operations. "We can't fail."

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200451081930/$file/groundbreak4lr.jpg

Dancers, joined by the local Iraqi Civil Defense Corps soldiers, took part in a celebratory Dabka dance during a groundbreaking ceremony held May 8. The dance is a ritual used in significant events. The occasion marked the beginning of an improved national security force in the region.
(USMC photo by Sgt. Jose L. Garcia) Photo by: Sgt. Jose L. Garcia

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/5D4FCCD54CBB59FD85256E90004374B1?opendocument


Ellie