Hero receives Silver Star for bravery

[thedrifter]

Hero receives Silver Star for bravery
Submitted by: MCB Camp Lejeune
Story Identification #: 2004819103545
Story by Pfc. Lucian Friel



MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (August 6, 2004) -- The scars on his arms were reminders of the sacrifice he made to save his fellow Marines lives amiss combat in Iraq, earning him the Marine Corps' third highest award.

Gunnery Sgt. Timothy P. Haney, 39, a native of Clearfield, Pa., received the Silver Star Medal in a ceremony at the base theater August 6.

The medal, designated solely for heroism in combat, was awarded to Haney for his distinct bravery and fearlessness in action against enemy forces as platoon sergeant of the Combined Anti-Armor Platoon, Weapons Company, 2d Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Task Force Tarawa, I Marine Expeditionary Force in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from March 20 to April 3, 2003. During this period his leadership, personal sacrifice and calming influence enabled his platoon to repeatedly engage and defeat enemy forces in close combat.

From March 23 to 26, while conducting missions to destroy enemy tanks and other heavy armored vehicles, Haney's platoon participated in firefights with Iraqi Military and Paramilitary forces in An Nasariyah, Iraq, during which his personal example, while under fire, set the tone for the platoon's tactical success.

During one direct fire engagement against a heavy machine gun, he dismounted his vehicle to gain awareness of the enemy's positions, exposing himself to enemy fire and providing higher headquarters with vital situational awareness.

On March 26, 2003, as the battalion's Main Command Operations Center came under attack from two directions, Haney raced through intense fire placing Marines in defensive positions and directing their fire. An explosion riddled Haney's body with 60 pieces of shrapnel as he began preparing wounded Marines for evacuation. Ignoring his wounds he continued transporting injured Marines to the Battalion Aid Station, refusing medical attention until everyone else had been treated.

"You just act sometimes. You simply remember the drills and muscle memory takes over your body," he said. "I did what every Marine in 2/8 would have done if they were in my position. They're all just as deserving of this medal as I am."

Haney's wife Jackie and son Robert, 12, were on hand to watch their Marine receive the medal, which was originally established in 1918 as the Citation Star. In 1932, the Silver Star was redesigned as a medal with a retroactive provision allowing servicemembers as far back as the Spanish-American War (1898) to receive it for gallant actions.

"I'm very proud of my dad today, he's an American hero and he's my hero," said Robert.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2004819104220/$file/040806-M-2607O-002.lowres.jpg

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (August 6, 2004) -- Gunnery Sergeant Timothy P. Haney, a 39-year-old, Clearfield, Pa. native and platoon sergeant for Combined Anti-Armor Team, 2d Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, recieves the Silver Star Medal from Maj. Gen. Stephen T. Johnson, 2d Marine Division commanding general in a ceremony at the Base Theater. Haney was awarded this, one of the Corps' top decorations, for conspicuous gallantry during Operation Iraqi Freedom II when he was wounded by shrapnel and put his Marines ahead of himself to ensure their safety. Photo by: Pfc. Lucian Friel

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/8834C21993294DAC85256EF500502DA1?opendocument


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marines, Sailors Return from Middle East


Nearly a hundred Beaufort Marines and sailors were reunited with their families today after serving six months in Iraq. Members of Marine Wing Support Squadron 2-73 and Marine Air Control Squadron 2 came home today. Family and friends waived their flags and showed their support at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.

They certainly are glad to be home, but they're also proud of what they've accomplished over the past six months.

"It feels great, outstanding, I'm overwhelmed," said Cpl. Detrick Judkins.

It's a feeling most everyone shares now that they're home safe. "It's such a relief to have him home, we're very excited," Marine wife Sheila Arnett told us.

But for Sgt. Neil Gambala, it was more than a homecoming. It was a long-awaited introduction to his brand new baby girl. "It feels great. It's a wonderful experience to see my new baby for the first time," said Sgt. Gambala. "I can't explain it. I got a lot of pictures of her while I was out there and I couldn't wait to see her."

Now that the Gambala family is all together, they're ready to catch up. "We've missed him so much, so much has happened," said wife Kelly. "We're glad to have him home. We're so proud of him too."

Although these Marines and sailors are back home, their fellow Marines and sailors are still in harm's way.

"They're still working really hard over there," said MSgt. Brian Arnett. "The mission isn't done. It won't be done for some time. We've got to continue supporting those guys."

Nearly 500 Marines and sailors with both of these squadrons are still in Iraq and are expected back next month.

Reported by: Jaime Dailey, jdailey@wtoc.com

http://www.wtoctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2191668&nav=0qq6Q0R0


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Aide says radical cleric orders fighters to leave Najaf shrine, after U.S. bombing, government ultimatum

By: ABDUL HUSSEIN AL-OBEIDI - Associated Press

NAJAF, Iraq -- Radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ordered his fighters Thursday to hand control of a revered Najaf shrine to top Shiite religious authorities, hours after U.S. forces bombed militant positions and Iraq's prime minister made a "final call" for the cleric's militia to surrender.

Blasts and gunbattles persisted throughout the day Thursday in the streets of Najaf, where militants bombarded a police station with mortar rounds, killing seven police and injuring 35 others. At night, at least 30 explosions shook the Old City as a U.S. plane hit militant targets east of the Imam Ali shrine.

U.S. forces also battled al-Sadr's supporters in a Baghdad slum, where militants said five fighters and five civilians were killed. Also, late Thursday, an American warplane bombed targets in the Sunni city of Fallujah, 40 miles west of Baghdad.


Insurgents fired back mortars toward a U.S. base as calls of "God is Great" and Quranic verses blared from the loudspeakers of Fallujah's mosques. U.S. forces have routinely bombed targets in the city it says are strongholds of Sunni insurgents believed responsible for violence against coalition troops, Iraqi forces and civilians.

Militants elsewhere in Iraq attacked oil facilities in the north and south, fired mortars at U.S. Embassy offices in the capital, injuring one American, and threatened to kill two hostages, a Turkish worker and a U.S. journalist.

In a speech, interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi had warned the radical cleric to disarm his forces and withdraw from the shrine after his government threatened to send a massive Iraqi force to root them out.

Defying that ultimatum, al-Sadr sent a telephone text message vowing to seek "martyrdom or victory," and his jubilant followers inside the shrine danced and chanted.

Later in the day, a top al-Sadr aide said the cleric had ordered his militia to relinquish control of the shrine where they have been holed up for two weeks fighting Iraqi and U.S. forces. But in a letter shown by the Arab television station Al-Arabiya, al-Sadr said he would not disband his Al Mahdi Army.

Al-Sadr had said in recent days he wanted to make sure the shrine was in the custody of religious authorities, though it was unclear if the government would agree to that.

The violence in the holy city between the insurgents and a combined U.S.-Iraqi force has angered many in Iraq's Shiite majority and proven a major challenge to Allawi's fledgling interim government as it tries to build credibility and prove it is not a U.S. puppet.

Any raid to oust militants from the Imam Ali shrine -- especially one that damaged the holy site -- could spark a far larger Shiite uprising. Government accusations that militants have mined the shrine compound and reports that women and children were among those inside could further complicate a raid.

Some of those in the compound were "dancing and cheering," a CNN journalist reported from inside the shrine, where she was among journalists escorted there with help from the Iraqi government, the U.S. military and al-Sadr's Mahdi Army.

"They are all very proud to be in here and seem to be very adamant about staying in here," CNN reporter Kianne Sadeq said. "They aren't going anywhere until the fighting is over."

In the impoverished Baghdad neighborhood of Sadr City -- named for the cleric's late father -- U.S. tanks moved throughout the streets and helicopter gunships shot at al-Sadr militants from the skies. The militants claimed five fighters and five civilians were killed.

There was no certainty that the latest offer from al-Sadr to withdraw would be implemented, as both sides appeared to be engaged in brinkmanship.

Thursday's violence came a day after al-Sadr had accepted an Iraqi delegation's peace plan for Najaf, demanding he disarm his militia, leave the shrine and turn to politics in exchange for amnesty. But he continued to attach conditions the government rejected, and fighting persisted.

Reiterating his government's refusal to negotiate with the armed militants, Allawi had called on al-Sadr to personally accept the government's demands to end the Najaf fighting -- not through aides or letters as he has been communicating so far.

"When we hear from him and that he is committed to execute these conditions we will ... give him and his group protection," the prime minister said in a Baghdad news conference.

In Washington, the Bush administration said al-Sadr needed to match words with deeds. "We have seen many, many times al-Sadr assume or say he is going to accept certain terms and then it turns out not to be the case," said National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice.

Other Muslim countries, including Shiite Iran, have appealed to the Iraqi government to seek a peaceful solution, and the Arab League chief on Thursday called for an immediate end to military operations in Najaf and said Iraqi civilians must be spared.

Secretary-General Amr Moussa received news of artillery "shelling and renewed clashes (in Najaf) with great uneasiness," Arab League spokesman Hossam Zaki said in a statement faxed to The Associated Press.

An al-Sadr representative in Baghdad, Abdel-Hadi al-Darraji, warned that fighting in Najaf could "ignite a revolution all over Iraq."

"We welcome any initiative to stop the bloodbath in Najaf," he told Al-Arabiya television. "Otherwise the battle will move to Baghdad, Amarah, Basra and anywhere in Iraq."

Hoping to undermine efforts to stabilize and rebuild after the ousting of Saddam Hussein, militants have frequently attacked Iraq's essential oil industry. Al-Sadr fighters on Thursday broke into the headquarters of Iraq's South Oil Co. near the southern city of Basra and set the company's warehouses and offices on fire, witnesses said.

A separate attack near the northern city of Kirkuk killed an Iraqi security officer working for the state-run Northern Oil Co. and injured two others, police said.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2004/08/20/military/19_33_158_19_04.txt


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Al-Sadr Tells Militia to Turn Over Shrine

By ABDUL HUSSEIN AL-OBEIDI

NAJAF, Iraq - With U.S. forces bombing militant positions and gunbattles raging, radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ordered his fighters to hand control of a revered Najaf shrine to top Shiite religious authorities but refused to disband his militia.

Al-Sadr's comments came after Iraq interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi made a "final call" for the cleric to disarm his forces and withdraw from the Imam Ali shrine after his government threatened to send a massive Iraqi force to root them out.

Blasts and gunbattles persisted throughout the day Thursday in the streets of Najaf, where militants bombarded a police station with mortar rounds, killing seven police and injuring 35 others. At night, at least 30 explosions shook the Old City as a U.S. plane hit militant targets east of the Imam Ali shrine.

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In the impoverished Baghdad neighborhood of Sadr City _ named for the cleric's late father _ U.S. tanks moved throughout the streets and helicopter gunships shot at al-Sadr militants from the skies. The militants claimed five fighters and five civilians were killed.

Militants elsewhere in Iraq attacked oil facilities in the north and south, fired mortars at U.S. Embassy offices in the capital, injuring one American, and threatened to kill two hostages, a Turkish worker and a U.S. journalist.

Defying Allawi's ultimatum to disarm, al-Sadr sent a telephone text message vowing to seek "martyrdom or victory," and his jubilant followers inside the shrine danced and chanted.

Later in the day, a top al-Sadr aide said the cleric had ordered his militia to relinquish control of the shrine where they have been holed up for two weeks fighting Iraqi and U.S. forces. But in a letter shown by the Arab television station Al-Arabiya, al-Sadr said he would not disband his Al Mahdi Army.

Al-Sadr had said in recent days he wanted to make sure the shrine was in the custody of religious authorities, though it was unclear if the government would agree to that.

The violence in the holy city between the insurgents and a combined U.S.-Iraqi force has angered many in Iraq's Shiite majority and proven a major challenge to Allawi's fledgling interim government as it tries to build credibility and prove it is not a U.S. puppet.

Any raid to oust militants from the Imam Ali shrine _ especially one that damaged the holy site _ could spark a far larger Shiite uprising. Government accusations that militants have mined the shrine compound and reports that women and children were among those inside could further complicate a raid.

Meanwhile, Iran and Syria called for Iraq's neighbors to hold an urgent meeting on the standoff in Najaf. It was not yet clear that a meeting would be held, but the calls reflected great and growing concern in the region over the violence. Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are neighbors with Iraq.

There was no certainty that the latest offer from al-Sadr to withdraw would be implemented, as both sides appeared to be engaged in brinkmanship.

Thursday's violence came a day after al-Sadr had accepted an Iraqi delegation's peace plan for Najaf, demanding he disarm his militia, leave the shrine and turn to politics in exchange for amnesty. But he continued to attach conditions the government rejected, and fighting persisted.

Reiterating his government's refusal to negotiate with the armed militants, Allawi had called on al-Sadr to personally accept the government's demands to end the Najaf fighting _ not through aides or letters as he has been communicating so far.

"When we hear from him and that he is committed to execute these conditions we will ... give him and his group protection," the prime minister said in a Baghdad news conference.

In Washington, the Bush administration said al-Sadr needed to match words with deeds. "We have seen many, many times al-Sadr assume or say he is going to accept certain terms and then it turns out not to be the case," said National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice.

Other Muslim countries, including Shiite Iran, have appealed to the Iraqi government to seek a peaceful solution, and the Arab League chief on Thursday called for an immediate end to military operations in Najaf and said Iraqi civilians must be spared.

Secretary-General Amr Moussa received news of artillery "shelling and renewed clashes (in Najaf) with great uneasiness," Arab League spokesman Hossam Zaki said in a statement faxed to The Associated Press.

An al-Sadr representative in Baghdad, Abdel-Hadi al-Darraji, warned that fighting in Najaf could "ignite a revolution all over Iraq."

"We welcome any initiative to stop the bloodbath in Najaf," he told Al-Arabiya television. "Otherwise the battle will move to Baghdad, Amarah, Basra and anywhere in Iraq."

Hoping to undermine efforts to stabilize and rebuild after the ousting of Saddam Hussein, militants have frequently attacked Iraq's essential oil industry. Al-Sadr fighters on Thursday broke into the headquarters of Iraq's South Oil Co. near the southern city of Basra and set the company's warehouses and offices on fire, witnesses said.

A separate attack near the northern city of Kirkuk killed an Iraqi security officer working for the state-run Northern Oil Co. and injured two others, police said.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2004/08/20/ap/headlines/d84ipq9g0.txt


Ellie

[thedrifter]

A possible attack on militants holed up in Najaf's holy shrine risks angering Muslims

By: MARIAM FAM - Associated Press

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The Imam Ali Shrine compound in Najaf -- an Islamic art landmark ornamented with elegant calligraphy and religious patterns -- reputedly holds priceless ancient manuscripts and houses the silver-covered tomb of the Shiite saint Ali. While Iraqi forces might easily overpower the Shiite insurgents hiding inside, any raid there carries considerable risk.

A botched job that damages the shrine could enrage Iraqis and Muslims worldwide, fuel resentment of the occupation and interim government and possibly strengthen local support for rebel cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, to whom the insurgent militia is loyal.

The shrine -- named after Imam Ali bin Abi Talib, the cousin and son-in-law of Islam's prophet Muhammad -- is one of the most sacred sites for Shiite Muslims. For centuries, the world's 120 million Shiites have revered it as a place of pilgrimage.


The resplendent golden dome stands in the center of the square-shaped compound. Inside, ceramic tiles are inlaid with ornate patterns. Quranic verses and poems are inscribed around the shrine. The compound also houses treasures, including gold, jewels and ancient manuscripts.

On Thursday, the government asked al-Sadr to immediately disarm his militia and pull out of the shrine. One minister threatened a massive onslaught by Iraqi forces.

Government officials have said they've exhausted all peaceful means to end the standoff with the Mahdi Army, arguing that destroying the militia would be a lesson to other rebels.

During previous fighting, the Americas have painstakingly tried to avoid harming the compound. It has, however, suffered minor damage on occasion, often with each of the fighting parties blaming the other. Some Shiites are appalled that the violence has even brought a foreign, non-Muslim army within sight of their revered shrine.

In an apparent attempt to assuage such concern, Defense Minister Hazem Shaalan has said only Iraqi forces would enter the shrine in an attack. The Americans would only provide air support and help secure roads leading to the shrine.

But that could offer its own problems.

An Iraqi force, less experienced than the Americans, might be more likely to damage the compound. At the same time, it could be psychologically difficult for an Iraqi soldier to fire at a holy site that is as special to him as it is to other Shiites and Muslims. Some Iraqi police in Najaf say they wouldn't like to find themselves in such a position.

And even with an Iraqi force, Iraqis and Muslims would still view the operation as an American offensive, one expert cautioned.

"If this military operation happens it will cause hatred in the Muslim world toward the United States of an explosive height," said Juan Cole, an expert on Iraq at the University of Michigan. It would also "completely undermine the legitimacy of the caretaker government," he said.

Further complicating matters, Iraqi and U.S. military officials have said they fear the militants may have rigged the compound with explosives. Some U.S. officials fear the militia would detonate the explosives if the compound is raided and then blame the Americans for the damage. Other officials, though, say they can't confirm that the shrine is rigged, and several Mahdi Army militiamen have denied the accusation.

Some residents are angry al-Sadr's followers have taken shelter in and around the compound. Al-Sadr's aides sleep and conduct business in some of the compound's many rooms.

Outside, Mahdi Army militiamen roam the streets while brandishing Kalashnikov rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers. They take up positions in a maze of small alleys around the compound.

The labyrinth of narrow streets could pose another problem if the shrine is raided. Residents say Mahdi Army fighters know the area well and can use the alleys to flee if Iraqi forces go in, squashing the government's hopes to crush the militia.

Cole said he was skeptical an offensive would finish off the militia anyway.

"In the aftermath of this operation, the Mahdi militia won't be destroyed because it springs from the slum Shiite communities," he said. "If the shrine is taken, that's a relatively minor setback to the movement."

The shrine was badly damaged in fighting between Saddam Hussein's Republican Guards and Shiite rebels during their brief uprising after the 1991 Gulf War.

Last August, a car bomb exploded outside the mosque during Friday prayers, killing at least 95 people, including the Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2004/08/20/military/19_33_088_19_04.txt


Ellie

[thedrifter]

High school friends now serving the country as Marines




BY DONNA SMITH, Black Hills Pioneer August 19, 2004




SPEARFISH - Thousands of miles from home, two Spartans managed to meet in the war zone where U.S. Marines grapple with Iraqi insurgents.



Lance Cpl. Jonathan Hart, 21, serves with Company 15, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines and has been stationed at Camp Abu Ghraib near Fallujah in Iraq.


"My unit was the one who led the invasion in Fallujah. We were getting shot at every day," Hart said in an interview this week. He said 36 in his company were wounded and one was killed during the intense fighting.


Lance Cpl. Matt Hardin, 21, serves with the 31st Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines.


Hardin and Hart wrestled together while in high school. Their meeting in Iraq was brief.


Hart is home on leave. Hardin's unit is still in Iraq, where it has been deployed since June 18.


"He cannot tell us exactly where he is, but he's right in the middle of things we're sure," Hardin's mother, Pat, said Wednesday. "I'm proud of him. He's always wanted to fight for his country but I'm also scared to death."


The Hardin family knows they won't see their soldier until sometime next year. They are just hoping Matt makes it home for his sister Amanda's graduation in the spring.


As for Hart, the military leave he longed for during the five long months he served in Iraq is about over.


Hart's family didn't know their son was with Marine units under fire in Fallujah until more than a month and only learned more of the details recently. "I was sick about it. Fallujah was out there for a whole year, and it was a real mess," said Jonathan's father Joe Hart. "I'm glad he's out of there but I'm worried about Matt Hardin. I send a box over to him every week."


For the past three weeks Jonathan Hart has been enjoying the feeling of being with family and friends in Spearfish.


"It's great seeing my family and my girlfriend, Jenna Adkins," he said. "And the food has been great. I think they are trying to fatten me up." It has been very different than wearing a gun around every day and listening to noises in the night."


Hart said he became a Marine in early 2003 because he wanted to carry on a family tradition.


"My grandpa was a Marine in World War II, and I kind of signed up to go over there (Iraq)," Hart said.


For all the tradition and desire for patriotic duty, he said it still felt a little strange to see all the recent homecoming celebrations for the local South Dakota Army National Guard 842nd Engineer Co. He thought the public outpouring was great, but said he knows individual soldiers like him won't receive the same sort of recognition.


"But we'll still need your support when we come back," Hart said. His dad agreed. Joe Hart said he worries that some of the soldiers rarely get mail even while they are serving.


At the end of this week, Jonathan Hart will return to Camp Pendleton in Southern California for more training before going back overseas next spring. He believes his company will either return to Iraq or serve in Okinawa, Japan.


Hart is the son of Joe Hart, Jr., and Francie Schoenfelder of Spearfish. Larry and Pat Hardin of Spearfish are Hardin's parents.


http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1300&dept_id=156925&newsid=12734178&PAG=461&rfi=9


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marines outfit Rasheed police station
Submitted by: 1st Marine Division
Story Identification #: 20048206731
Story by Cpl. Shawn C. Rhodes



CAMP MAHMUDIYAH, Iraq (Aug. 19, 2004) -- Five blue and white vehicles paraded down the highway here recently, interspersed with US military humvees. It wasn't a raid or a joint patrol, though. It was a special delivery.

The vehicles were given to the Rasheed police department by 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment Aug. 18 to aid in their duties.

"It was a smooth mission overall but there was a lot involved in getting the vehicles to the police department," said Staff Sgt. Christopher E. Kelly, assistant team leader of the civil affairs group here. "Ultimately, we hope the vehicles benefit both the Marines and the police force."

Ten vehicles altogether changed hands between Baghdad and Kalsu. The battalion's CAG unit, which is responsible for the police departments in the area, traveled to Kalsu to pick up the four sedans and one SUV.

"We hit a (roadside bomb) on the way down there but other than that it was uneventful," said Kelly, a 34-year-old from Arroyo, Calif.

Five of the vehicles went to the Rasheed police department. The other five will be dispersed between Mahmudiyah and Ladafiyah police departments.

"We gave five of the vehicles to Rasheed because right now they have the capability to patrol and get outside the police station," said Maj. Robert J. Derocher, the CAG team leader.

The chief of police signed for the vehicles. He also assured the Marines the vehicles would be properly utilized, as the police force is still learning the new way of running things.

"Now that they have these vehicles they'll be able to respond to calls in their area and assist the Iraqi National Guard if they need help," Kelly said.

There are no plans at the present time for additional vehicles. However, additional requests can be submitted, added Derocher, 36, of Riverside, Calif.

The police officers were happy to see the vehicles and inspected them when they arrived by discovering which dial did what on their new equipment.

"The cars are outfitted with police radios and sirens," Kelly said. "The Iraqis were excited about getting them. You could see it on their faces."

One police officer took a vehicle for a spin around the parking lot, testing its turning capabilities. When he was satisfied he parked it next to their new fleet of cars and smiled.

"These cars mean they'll actually be able to go out on patrol. There's no reason for them not to now," said John Chapman, 61, of Joshua, Texas. Chapman brings 15 years working for various police and sheriff's departments to the team as an International Police Officer. He works as a liaison to the police departments in the district.

"They're nice cars ... we expect good things out of them," he added.


http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200482061050/$file/cars1lr.jpg

Lieutenant Col. Giles Kyser speaks with the Rasheed police chief about his new fleet of police cars delivered Aug. 18. Kyser, commanding officer of 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, of Dumfries, Va., signed the cars over to the eager police cheif. The four sedans and one SUV will hopefully aid the police department in their ability to patrol their district.
(USMC Photo by Cpl. Shawn C. Rhodes) Photo by: Cpl. Shawn C. Rhodes

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/A7E81BB5DC8ADEEA85256EF600379EBE?opendocument

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Echo Company

By John Simerman
Contra Costa (Calif.) Times

IMPERIAL, Calif. - Marcus Cherry had to practice that Marine Corps stare.

He'd stand in front of the mirror at home, jaw forward, eyes hard, holding it as long as he could before a wide grin broke across his face.

They all talk about his big, irrepressible smile. How it lit up the eager entertainer who would sing at the slightest prompt. How it won him the "cutest smile" tag in the high school yearbook. How it magnified a charm that helped him escape trouble in the classroom and dance around arguments with his fiancee.

"I’d try to pick a fight with him. He'd find a way to weasel out of it," said Shannon Severe, who'd set a Nov. 20 wedding date with Marcus.

"When Marcus came up to you and smiled, you smiled, too. You didn't have a choice," said Lisa Tabarez, the principal at Imperial High School, a 730-student school on a stucco campus near the Mexican border, 120 miles east of San Diego.

Marcus and his older brother, Andre - half black, half Latino - were young boys when their father left. Their mother, a native of Mexico, struggled in poverty. They were in and out of shelters, and they moved around a lot.

When the boys were 5 and 6 their mother, Genevieve King, met James Tyler, a Marine who became their stepfather and took them to North Carolina, where he was stationed at Camp Lejeune.

"We both decided when we were younger that we liked the Marines," said Andre Cherry, 19, a Marine lance corporal stationed at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Tyler retired nine years ago and they moved back to California, bouncing from place to place. They settled in the Imperial Valley, a dusty, sun-baked flatland where high school graduations feature mariachi music and fireworks, and the air carries the faint, sweet stench of the beet sugar plant up the road.

Tyler and King had two children, Stephen and Monique, but the marriage failed and the couple split. The Cherry brothers found themselves taking care of the kids, cleaning and cooking while their mother trained and worked as a corrections officer at Centinela, one of two nearby state prisons.

They kept their troubles private.

"We were able to show the world it was OK, and let it out to each other," Andre Cherry said. "Me and him just had each other."

The brothers went to a youth group at Christ Community Church in nearby El Centro, where a friend in the group, Jimmy Holmes, wrote Christian rap songs.

They sang on the Calico Stage at the Imperial Valley fairgrounds, at a center for troubled teens, at Youth for Christ events and church sleepovers, where they rapped about sexual purity and finding Jesus.

Marcus also sang on the "DJ Phat Friday" hip-hop show on local youth radio.

"Young brothers, keep your head up," he wrote.

"When your parents ain't there and the world got you fed up

"You say it's hard and it's a struggle

"I know

"But God said all things through him are possible."

Marcus was often the center of attention at summer camp or in the church youth group, said James Whitehead, the youth pastor at Christ Community Church. "He could relate to the pain most kids are going through now, whether raised by single parents or not having funds, or just growing up in these times."

At school, Marcus and Andre played running back for the Imperial High Tigers, sometimes in the same backfield. Marcus wore his letter jacket proudly.

"Cherry on the carry," the announcer would intone.

Before Andre joined the Marines, Marcus had his mind set on studying studio engineering at Washington State University, aiming at a future in entertainment. Andre joined in 2002. Then Marcus enlisted, skipping out on his high school graduation to go to boot camp.

Mike Swearingen, his former football coach, once asked Marcus why he joined up.

"He says, '(Andre's) in there, I'm going, coach,' " said Swearingen. "They were inseparable, I mean true brothers. They looked out for each other."

In a letter to his mother, one of his superiors described Marcus as a "fast-burner" who could have risen in the ranks. 2nd Lt. V.S. Valdes praised his dedication and more.

"Whenever we would run platoon or squad PT (physical training), he would get out to the side of the formation and just sing. His singing was beautiful, and it motivated those Marines in the formation to step a little smarter and to hold their heads just a little higher," Valdes wrote. "... He never complained, did things at one hundred percent and always had an infectious smile on his face."

On April 3, Andre was in Ramadi to pick up some armor-plated doors and heard someone calling his first name. It was his brother. They got to visit for a few hours.

"He seemed like the same person. He hadn't changed at all. Still smiling, still joking," Andre said. "He was all about the Marine Corps.

"That's all we talked about out there. He was proud. ... When we were in Iraq, there was never a day we doubted our being out there."

In a picture, the two brothers are standing that day in pale fatigues, weapons strapped across their backs. Marcus is the one with the bill of his cap over his eyes, his hands on his hips and a big grin on his face.

Three days later, Lance Cpl. Marcus Miguel Cherry was killed at age 18. His brother escorted his body home.

Contact John Simerman at jsimerman@cctimes.com

http://www.realcities.com/images/realcities/realcities/9263/85808818430.jpg

Age: 18
Home: Imperial, Calif.
Lance Cpl. Marcus Cherry
"When Marcus came up to you and smiled, you smiled, too. You didn’t have a choice," said Lisa Tabarez, the principal at Imperial High School.

http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/news/special_packages/echo_company/9282982.htm


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Issue Date: August 23, 2004

Don’t take war’s small comforts for granted

By Karl Nugent


As this Iraq deployment comes to a conclusion for me and many other Marines, I would like to share one of the questions I have been most frequently asked during my deployment to Taqaddum, Iraq.
“So, Top, what are the differences between this deployment and the first Gulf War?”

This is a difficult question to answer. Everyone in the Marine Corps knows there is a dramatic difference in experiences between being an infantryman during the 1991 Persian Gulf War and my current assignment in aircraft ground support. I will simply share the differences and let you come to your own conclusions.

As an infantryman, I never felt a tangible result of the mission we accomplished. We did what we were asked to do and never really knew how that action affected the big picture. Success was measured a little differently — we either were alive or dead. We had wounded or we didn’t.

In the air wing, accomplishments are measured by hours, yards, miles, repairs, gallons and missions.

This introspection is very difficult and painful. It is almost like placing the responsibility for the deaths or injuries on the ability of the Marine leadership rather than on the combatants who pulled the trigger, pushed the button or fired the rocket.

Then there were the living conditions.

During the Persian Gulf War, we lived in general purpose tents. I thought they were high-speed because they had fly screens. But each week, we moved closer and closer to the Kuwaiti border, and what few comforts an infantry battalion had became fewer and fewer.

The temperatures dropped from 130 degrees to what seemed like freezing just before we kicked off the ground war. We had no air conditioning, the battalion had one generator and we ate MREs, or “tray rats.” But during Thanksgiving and Christmas, we got some fresh cooking right out of vat cans. We used water cans and washcloths for hygiene. Every night, we dug a fighting hole beside our vehicles. It was a simple life and no one really complained. No one expected combat to be comfortable.

Fast forward 13 years to my current combat tour with a Marine wing support squadron.

Half an hour after rolling our convoy onto the base where I would spend the next six months, I moved my gear to a tent. It had four air conditioners and was comfortable. The head, chow hall and work spaces were all air conditioned as well.

It has been easy serving here, though I feel very guilty listening to the challenges my fellow infantrymen face in other cities around Iraq.

I feel left out, as though I’m getting away with doing less in this environment. I keep telling myself I am where the Corps wants me to be, but it doesn’t give me much peace of mind. If it wasn’t for the infrequent mortar and rocket rounds, I would say we were doing a Combined Arms Exercise back at Twentynine Palms, Calif.

So when I compare my life here to operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield, what drives me closer to going crazy than anything is to stand in the chow line listening to people complain.

These Marines are used to a comfort level I had never experienced before in my career. They complain about the quality of chow, how their tents don’t get cold enough, how the generators make too much noise, how they don’t have enough vehicles to drive their Marines to chow, how they don’t want to stand guard. The list goes on and on.

Everyone wants more and more so they can live in the manner they are accustomed to in the United States. It’s hard for me to take these complaints seriously when we have fellow Marines dying less than three miles away.

The writer, a master sergeant, is an infantry small unit leader with 24 years in the Marine Corps. He is deployed to Iraq with a wing support squadron.

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story.php?f=1-MARINEPAPER-296440.php


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Purple Hearts

Turn up Sound.......

http://www.time.com/time/photoessays/purplehearts/#


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Airstrikes Launched In Fallujah
Associated Press
August 20, 2004


FALLUJAH, Iraq - U.S. forces launched two airstrikes Friday on the troubled Iraqi city of Fallujah, hospital officials and witnesses said. The first came just after midnight and killed two people and injured six, said Dia'a al-Jumeili, a doctor at Fallujah's main hospital.

A second warplane fired at least one missile into an industrial area of the city later Friday morning. It exploded in an open field, leaving a crater and spraying shrapnel across the doors of nearby automobile shops, but causing no serious damage and no casualties.

The military could not immediately be reached for comment.

Insurgents responded to the earlier attack by firing mortars toward a nearby U.S. base as calls of "God is Great" and Quranic verses, used to boost the morale of the fighters, blared from the loudspeakers of mosques.

U.S. forces have routinely bombed targets in the city it says are insurgent safehouses or strongholds. Fallujah is located some 65 kilometers (40 miles) west of Baghdad, witnesses said.

Many of the Sunni insurgents believed responsible for the spate of kidnappings, bombings and shooting attacks at coalition troops, Iraqi forces and civilians, are based in the city.

Since the U.S. Marines pulled back from Fallujah after besieging the city for three weeks in April, the military has been limited to using long distance strikes against targets there.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Fortress of Fear

Baghdad's militarized "Green Zone" may as well be suburban Maryland

By JANET REITMAN


It's just after noon at Baghdad's Republican Palace, the former residence of Saddam Hussein, and the marble-paved entrance hall is a sea of khaki. Colin Powell is in the house. The hall buzzes with anticipation as soldiers and bureaucrats alike hold cameras aloft, waiting. "You'd think it was Britney Spears about to walk out," someone in the crowd whispers.
It's been a long day for Powell. In one morning, he has met with both the Iraqi president and the deputy prime minister, and other Iraqi dignitaries, as well as U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte. Now the secretary of state, clad in a dark-blue suit, emerges from Negroponte's Palace office and quickly vanishes into a waiting black Suburban. He is off to lunch and then to a press conference at the Baghdad Convention Center, then back to the Palace for pictures and a brief speech. Then he gets in his helicopter and flies to the airport, never setting foot in Baghdad proper, let alone anywhere else in Iraq.

The International Zone is the new name for what, until June 28th, was known as -- and is still popularly called -- the Green Zone. Nestled on the west bank of the Tigris River, its heavily fortified four square miles of crumbling palaces, Baath Party office buildings, villas, monuments and acres of date palm trees were once Saddam's Baghdad oasis. It's now the nerve center of U.S. civilian and diplomatic operations in Iraq, and home to several thousand Americans: soldiers, diplomats, civil engineers, computer scientists and contractors of all stripes. It is protected by fifteen-foot concrete walls, ringed by barbed wire and guarded by U.S. troops -- imagine Manhattan being taken over by foreign invaders, and you can imagine how Iraqis feel about the place.

Outside the Green Zone is what is known as the Red Zone -- otherwise known as Baghdad, and Iraq. Bad things happen in the Red Zone: suicide bombings, kidnappings, beheadings. Green Zone residents, like everyone else in the world, watch such goings-on on CNN, relatively safe in this surreal universe where everyone speaks English, waves cheerfully and carries a cell phone, courtesy of MCI, with a 914 area code. That's the area code for Westchester County, New York.

White SUVs purr along tree-lined streets, and in the choking summer heat, air conditioners acclimate most buildings to a cool sixty-eight degrees. Food, flash-frozen, is flown in regularly from the United States. The PX sells chewing tobacco, Trident gum, Ramen noodles and Gatorade. You might as well be in suburban Maryland. "We're totally isolated in here," says Eric Bluhm, a civil engineer from Portland, Oregon, who has been in Iraq for three months. Bluhm has ventured out of the Green Zone a few dozen times, but only to journey in a military convoy to other U.S. military bases. Leaving the Green Zone is arduous. It can take up to three days of preparation. First, a form must be filled out, explaining the purpose of the journey. Armored vehicles must be reserved -- a typical convoy consists of four specially outfitted SUVs. A private security detail -- virtually every major contracting firm or government agency employs a small army of ex-Special Forces soldiers and other commando types, who refer to themselves as "security advisers" -- then plans out the route. At any minute, a trip might be canceled if the roads are deemed too dangerous.

"People come here and say they're in Baghdad -- they're not in Baghdad," says Bluhm. "I have no sense of Iraq besides what I see inside these gates. Our mission is to rebuild Iraq, but I have no idea what an average Baghdad resident's life really consists of, what their culture is like."

The only part of Iraq that actually seems to be getting rebuilt as planned is the Green Zone. There, construction projects are restoring many of the buildings damaged during "shock and awe," and Iraqis are not only working but making four times as much as they ever made under Saddam.

But Americans are making more. Security contractors can make upwards of $700 per day. Civil servants can double, or triple, their stateside salaries with overtime and "hazard pay." "It's upside down," says one U.S. official. "We're working here to help the people of this country, but we're taking far less risk than the people who come in here to work for us, and we're making a lot more money."

Every week or so, angry residents of the Red Zone lob rockets and mortars into the Green Zone. About a month ago, one landed just as Bluhm was getting out of bed. As he recalls, there was a loud whuuuump, followed by a woman, somewhere, shrieking.

In the beginning of the occupation, the Green Zone's expat community used to live in abandoned palaces or, in the case of senior officials, in the Al-Rashid, the Zone's sole hotel, and at one time Baghdad's most elegant. But then it was hit by a rocket in October 2003, during a visit by Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz. A military officer was killed, and the Al-Rashid now sits mostly vacant.

Now, most people live in single-wide trailers. There are roughly 1,000 of them (the exact number is classified) aligned in little trailer parks throughout the Zone. The trailers are surrounded by sandbags. The plastic casings of the sandbags are UV-degradable, which means they break down in the sunlight. Sixteen months into the occupation, the bags are falling apart, spilling their guts onto the hot gravel.

"Either someone was very incompetent to use a UV-degradable plastic, or very smart because it puts a lot of Iraqis to work filling new sandbags," says Bluhm. "Then again, maybe it's just that we weren't planning on being in Iraq that long."

Exactly how long the United States will be in Iraq is anyone's guess. Diplomatically, we will have a permanent presence -- when fully staffed, the U.S. Embassy will be the largest in the world. Right now, the State Department is searching for a site, in or around the Green Zone, to build a new embassy compound. Until a new location is found, the Republican Palace is serving as the U.S. Embassy.

The Palace is a sprawling, sand-colored, horseshoe-shaped building that looks like something out of the Third Reich. Its most prominent external feature is the series of austere-looking eagles carved into the building's facade. Through heavy gilded doors, Saddam's velvet furnishings are tucked in cubicles off long marble hallways, and his famous wall frescoes -- such as the one of Scud missiles pointed toward Israel -- now adorn former reception halls used as offices or conference rooms.

One recent afternoon, a few dozen people are registering to vote. For about a month, vote! signs, printed on computer paper, have been hung along the hallways, and recently, voter-registration tables, manned by U.S. troops, have been set up near the cafeteria lunch lines. Though partisanship doesn't seem to rear its head, patriotism certainly does. The spirit of September 11th echoes throughout the Palace and is most pronounced in one wall mural, in which the Twin Towers soar from an eagle's wings. god bless the coalition forces and the freedom fighters both at home and abroad, it reads.

At lunch, there is a choice of fried chicken, hot dogs or pizza. Kellogg, Brown and Root, the giant Halliburton subsidiary, runs the Palace meal services in addition to running the shuttle buses, managing the PX, and operating the post office, the Palace beauty salons and barbershops. The food is uniformly awful, but it's free -- and everyone eats it, from three-star generals to the lowliest PFC.

Elsewhere in the Zone, the Palace holds pool parties on Thursday nights, but from what people say, they aren't really that much fun. The pool, which is also managed by KBR, is a glistening turquoise gem, surrounded by palm trees. Before June 28th, the pool parties drew a wide cross-section of soldiers, contractors, CPA staffers -- even coalition top dog Paul Bremer reportedly showed. For some reason, they garnered a reputation for decadence, although in truth they were, and continue to be, pretty tame. "People just drink till they drop," says one frequent attendee. "It's like a big frat party -- except there are no chicks."

The Green Zone could easily be called the Guy Zone. Men outnumber women by a ratio of something like thirty to one. This only serves to add to the general isolation. "You work, you eat, you have a few beers with your mates, then you go back to work -- maybe you take a cold shower," says a U.N. "security adviser" I'll call Jim.

Jim and Eric Bluhm and I are eating dinner at the Green Zone Restaurant. It is run by Iraqis -- as are the Zone's two Chinese restaurants and its pizza joint -- and at seven o'clock, the place is packed. All but three customers are male. Jim eyes a chunky blonde in a baseball cap sitting at a table of drooling guys in khakis. "I swear, fat, ugly women come to Baghdad to become tens," he says.

"Back in the U.S.A.," says Bluhm, "you wouldn't go for a romp in the sack with one of these gals after a twelve-pack," he says. "Or after you're dead." And here? "They're goddesses," he says.

Right now in Iraq, insurgents are allegedly offering a $25,000 bounty to anyone willing to kidnap and behead an American woman. In the Green Zone, women are advised to use the "buddy system" when walking around, or even driving, and jogging after dusk is seen as foolish. The Green Zone gym, a twenty-four-hour establishment housed in a former helicopter hangar that once belonged to Saddam, is hung with fliers warning your enemy is listening. Who the enemy is, and how he or she might make it into this hermetically sealed universe, is never spelled out.

But it doesn't matter. After a while, the paranoia just envelops you, even if you know better. One night, I chat with a South African security contractor about the fact that I, to his great surprise, live in the Red Zone, in a hotel.

"That's insane," he says in his Afrikaans-inflected English. "Do you have a vehicle?"

I explain that yes, I have a car, but it's a regular Iraqi car, driven by a regular Iraqi.

"It's not armored?" he blinks. Total disbelief.

Over potato salad and beer, he explains that really, really terrible things happen in the Red Zone: "You don't know what these people are capable of -- they all have AK-47s stashed away somewhere, ready to go."

Maybe. Actually, probably. Then again, there are 5 million people in Baghdad. Not all of them hate us that much.

That night, when I am leaving the Green Zone just before dark, the soldiers standing guard duty try to hold me back. "You realize that's the Red Zone, ma'am," says a timid Army reservist. Out there, traffic snarls, electricity flickers, gunfire crackles . . . or maybe it's just a car backfiring. The soldier looks off toward the darkened walkway leading to the street. Then he retreats to his bunker. "I'd never go out there if I were you," he says.


http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story?id=6417573&pageid=rs.Politics&pageregion=single1


Ellie

[thedrifter]

An Elusive Peace in Najaf
The standoff is driven by Moqtada Sadr's political ambitions. But how good is his poker game?
By TONY KARON

Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2004
The method in Moqtada Sadr's madness can best be seen in the list of people lining up to mediate an end to the standoff in Najaf. At last count, they included not only a delegation from the national conference in Baghdad convened to appoint an interim legislature, but also UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and even Pope John Paul II. Sadr may be vowing to fight to the finish against a combined U.S.-Iraqi force that vastly outnumbers and outguns his own, but in the process he's taken center-stage in the battle to shape post-Saddam Iraq. Indeed, the national conference called to create an interim legislature found its main business eclipsed by concern over the standoff, and responded with great relief to an announcement Wednesday that Sadr had purportedly agreed to heed government demands to put down their weapons, leave the Imam Ali Mosque and join the political process. But the delegates' relief may be premature: Sadr's spokesman made clear that he was going nowhere until U.S. and Iraqi government forces pulled back from around the shrine and a cease-fire was in force. And while the latest truce announcement looks set to forestall, once again, a direct assault on his militia forces, it's far from clear that the promised disengagement will occur along the lines announced in Baghdad on Wednesday.

Although U.S. and Iraqi forces had planned to renew the offensive against Sadr's men in the Imam Ali Mosque after cease-fire talks broke down last Saturday, the government in Baghdad had once again jammed on the brakes. That was because it had become clear to Prime Minister Iyad Allawi that a frontal assault would wreck the national conference designed to produce an interim legislature and imperil his prospects for achieving popular legitimacy. The Najaf issue eclipsed the conference's agenda and dominated discussions on Saturday and Sunday after hundreds of Shiite delegates angrily denounced the planned action in the holy city. Although Allawi rejected delegates' demands that he order U.S. forces to withdraw from the city, he agreed that a new delegation would be sent in the hope of persuading Sadr and his men to vacate the Imam Ali Mosque in exchange for an amnesty that would mark the first step towards integrating them into the political process.

But although the national conference was extended by a day to accommodate the delegation's efforts, Sadr was in no hurry to bring the matter to a close. His own reading of the political winds in Iraq plainly suggests that as long as he's inside Shiite Islam's holiest shrine surrounded by American troops, tanks and aircraft, he holds a clear political advantage. Although the latest pause in the military effort to dislodge Sadr and his men from the shrine may grate at the morale of the U.S. troops gearing up to do the job, Allawi may have had little choice. The national conference is critical to his own efforts to establish a popular base for his government, and on Saturday it became plain that there was little support among delegates for his action against Sadr. If the delegates wanted another crack at mediating a compromise in Najaf, then the prime minister was obliged to give them the opportunity — even if simply to show his own constituency that he gave peace a chance.

But the delay has been good for Sadr, too, because the perception of the standoff among large sections of Iraqi society has been shaped by the fact that it involves thousands of troops from an unpopular foreign army attacking Muslim fighters around one of Shiite Islam's holiest sites. The Najaf standoff has seen the U.S. and Allawi widely condemned among both Shiite and Sunni Muslim Iraqis, and thousands of Shiites have flocked to Najaf to act as "human shields" to protect Sadr in the event of a new offensive. Elsewhere in Iraq, Sadr's militiamen continue daily to demonstrate their capacity for disruption, attacking oil wells and pipelines around Basra, blowing up an American tank in the streets of east Baghdad and mounting attacks on coalition forces in major cities in between. Even the national conference came under mortar fire last Saturday, although that could as easily have been the work of Sunni insurgents. And Allawi's government will have to have been concerned by reports of widespread instances of Iraqi security forces refusing to fight against the Sadrists, or even in the case of significant numbers of policemen, actually defecting to Sadr's side.

Despite his apocalyptic rhetoric, Sadr has consistently used his defiance of the U.S. and its Iraqi allies as a basis to build his own political support. His latest game of brinkmanship may actually boost his chances of playing a central role in the new political order — not the new order as defined by the U.S. via its appointment of Allawi, but the one that will emerge as U.S. influence begins to recede and Iraqi parties compete for power. Sadr's rejection of direct participation in the national conference, for example, was couched not in complete rejection of the idea of a national assembly, but instead on the basis of a demand for such an assembly to be dominated by parties with proven mass support, such as his own.

But Sadr may have hedged his bets. The Financial Times reports that even as the showdown continues at Najaf, Moqtada's Baghdad representative has in fact been participating in the national conference. Not only that; according to the FT he's also co-sponsoring an "opposition" list of delegates for the interim national assembly in alliance with an unlikely bedfellow — the former Pentagon favorite Ahmed Chalabi, who has reacted to his fall from favor in Washington (and his legal troubles with the new government in Baghdad) by seeking to reinvent himself as a champion of the Shiite masses.

Despite cloaking himself in the mantle of defender of the holy places, Moqtada Sadr has little claim to religious authority. He lacks the theological status of a Marjah ("object of emulation") like the Grand Ayatollahs, and there are questions over just how much seminarian learning he has under his belt. Sadr is, in other words, purely a political leader — and one quietly reviled by much of the clerical leadership. But operating in secret under Saddam's rule, he built a mass following among the Shiite urban poor, trading on the reverence for his father and grandfather, legendary rebel clerics murdered by the old regime. As Shiite resentment at the U.S. presence has grown, Sadr's record of consistent defiance of the Americans since Baghdad fell in April of 2003 has made him one of the most influential Shiite political figures in Iraq.

Moqtada Sadr's political ambitions give him an incentive to peacefully end the standoff at Najaf — although he?s unlikely to do it in a way that loses face. If he emerges triumphant from yet another showdown with the Americans bringing an end to a stalemate that had improbably become a national crisis (even if it was largely of his own making), Sadr could conceivably even expand his following. To achieve that he'll have to be able to demonstrate whatever deal was struck to pull his own men out of the holy sites also resulted in a withdrawal of U.S. forces.

And so the high stakes game continues. While prospects for a peaceful outcome at Najaf persist, its attainment will depend in large part on Moqtada Sadr's sense of timing — and his, and Allawi's, grasp of the maxim that "politics is the art of the possible."

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,683904,00.html


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Cleric's followers remove weapons from shrine <br />
Associated Press <br />
August 20, 2004 IRAQ0821 <br />
<br />
<br />
NAJAF, Iraq -- Militiamen loyal to rebel Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr removed weapons from the...

[thedrifter]

K-Bay Marines off to war

By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer

About 1,000 Kane'ohe Bay Marines attached to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit in Okinawa received orders yesterday for duty in either Iraq or Afghanistan.

About 900 Marines and sailors with the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment — as well as six CH-53D Sea Stallion helicopters with Heavy Marine Helicopter squadron 463 and approximately 70 Marines from the squadron — are expected to deploy soon to the region with the 31st MEU.

Chuck Little, a spokesman for Marine Forces Pacific at Camp Smith, only would say that the Marines were ordered to the Central Command area of responsibility. For the Kane'ohe Bay base, the action represents the start of what could be more such deployments to come.

"This will be the largest deployment of Hawai'i-based Marines to date to the Central Command area" in support of the war on terrorism, Little said.

Nearly 1,000 other Hawai'i Marines with the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines (3/3) are heading to the California desert this month for live-fire exercises ahead of possible deployment.

During Rim of the Pacific naval exercises last month, 3/3 commander Lt. Col. Norm Cooling said the chances were real of going to Iraq or Afghanistan.

The 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, based in Camp Lejeune, N.C., is leaving Afghanistan after fighting there since late March.

As part of regular seven-month rotations to Okinawa, the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines recently changed places with the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines.

The Marine deployment comes with about 10,000 Schofield Barracks soldiers on yearlong deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and about 2,000 Hawai'i Army National Guard soldiers reporting two days ago for 18 months of active duty, including a year in Iraq.

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/Aug/18/ln/ln02a.html


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Fighting Continues In Battle of the Bands
Submitted by: 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing
Story Identification #: 200481881251
Story by Cpl. Joel A. Chaverri



AL ASAD, Iraq (Aug. 18, 2004) -- AL ASAD, Iraq- Constant preparation and hard work paid off for the military personnel who competed in the hard-hitting "Battle of the Bands" held by Morale, Welfare and Recreation at the base theater here August 14.

Five different bands rocked the venue and entertained a capacity crowd of Marines and Sailors in an event that lifted the morale of both the audience and band members, by providing them with a creative and fun outlet to utilize their spare time.

Each band was evaluated by a selected panel of judges, who rated the bands in 7 different categories: precision, clarity, talent, vocals, performance, originality, and audience reaction. The winning band members would each receive a $100 gift certificate and a free compact disc.

According to Judy Risch, head coordinator, MWR, after word of the competition spread, bands were formed through various means and granted permission to participate following an audition.

"The planning for this event started two months in advance," said the 38-year-old native of Luisville, Ky. "We posted fliers to get the word out."

"Some of the bands were already formed, while others had to post a flier of their own requesting (additional musicians)," she added. "It was really interesting seeing everyone get together."

"Tryouts were held for each band that wanted to participate," continued Risch, "but it didn't matter; everyone who tried out was allowed to play."

With a packed crowd anxiously waiting in anticipation, the first band to take the stage was Deffen the Pain, followed by fellow rock groups Disposable Heros, Free Beer, Teardrop Red, and finally, Y25.

Although each band gave their best effort, ultimately, only one group could finish on top. After narrowly edging Y25 in the final round, Teardrop Red emerged victorious.

The members of Teardrop Red, drummer, 37-year-old, Orlando, Fla., native Petty Officer 2nd Class Oscar F. Ortiz, equipment mechanic, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 14, lead vocalist, 34-year-old Alexandria, La., native Steven Davis, vector controller, Kellogg, Brown and Root, Inc., bassist, 30-year-old Martinsville, Va., native Petty Officer 3rd Class R. Jason McAlexander, construction mechanic, NMCB-14, and lead guitarist, 25-year-old Quad Cities, Iowa, native Lance Cpl. Jason Chrzan, maintenance management specialist, Combat Service Support Company 123, Combat Service Support Battalion 7, Force Service Support Group were thrilled to win the competition.

According to Ortiz, the event isn't the first show Teardrop Red has performed and the group plans on participating in similar events in the future.

"We've been playing together since the beginning of July," said Ortiz. "We've already got gigs scheduled for Labor Day." Teardrop Red has played at different special events like (the Al Asad Independence Day celebration), and other MWR events all over base."

Even though they've only been together for a short time, the band's drummer feels that Teardrop Red has shown a lot of potential.

"I think that there's a lot of talent in this band," Ortiz pointed out. "We have 5 original songs that we play and we know about 19 cover songs. It's great how we just clicked."

Ortiz also feels that playing in the band helps group members alleviate the stress of being in a war zone, as well as lifting the spirits of those who hear them perform..

"I've got a wife and two daughters," said Ortiz. "If it wasn't for this escape from reality, I don't know how we would have survived out here.

"The other guys feel the same way. But we're having a lot of fun, and helping build morale," he continued. "That's what it's all about."

On another positive note, Risch considers her first major event as head coordinator a huge success since arriving here only two months ago.

"I've already had people come up and ask, 'When's the next (event)?'" she emphasized. "(Al Asad air base has) a new crew of (servicemembers) coming in, so we'll probably have another (battle of the bands event) in November or December."

The crowd noise and enthusiasm shown throughout the evening by those in attendance clearly pleased Risch.

"The band members had a real good time; the people who attended had a real good time; even the judges told me they enjoyed it," she commented.

"I'm really happy with how it all turned out," Risch smiled. "It went smoother than anything I've seen out here."

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200481881927/$file/040814-M-2789C-002-BattleBands%20LR.jpg

002- 'Teardrop Red' band members (left to right) 37-year-old, Orlando, Fla., native Petty Officer 2nd Class Oscar F. Ortiz, equipment mechanic, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 14, 34-year-old Alexandria, La., native Steven Davis, vector controller, Kellogg, Brown and Root, Inc., 30-year-old Martinsville, Va., native Petty Officer 3rd Class R. Jason McAlexander, construction mechanic, NMCB-14, and 25-year-old Quad Cities, Iowa, native Lance Cpl. Jason Chrzan, maintenance management specialist, Combat Service Support Company 123, Combat Service Support Battalion 7, Force Service Support Group pose for a photo after winning a recent Battle of the Bands competition held at the Base theater at Al Asad, Iraq, Aug. 14. Each member of the band won a $100 gift certificate.
Photo by: Cpl. Joel A. Chaverri

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/6CC78ABD08359A7F85256EF40043182B?opendocument


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Probe Examines General's Terror Remarks
Associated Press
August 20, 2004


WASHINGTON - A Pentagon investigation has concluded that a senior military intelligence officer violated regulations by failing to make clear he was not speaking in an official capacity when he made church speeches casting the war on terrorism in religious terms, a senior defense official said Thursday.

In most instances the officer, Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin, was wearing his Army uniform.

The probe by the Defense Department's deputy inspector general also found that Boykin, the deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence, violated Pentagon rules by failing to obtain advance clearance for his remarks, which gained wide publicity last fall.

In one appearance, Boykin told a religious group in Oregon that Islamic extremists hate the United States "because we're a Christian nation, because our foundation and our roots are Judeo-Christians. ... And the enemy is a guy named Satan," according to news reports last fall.

Discussing a U.S. Army battle against a Muslim warlord in Somalia in 1993, Boykin told one audience, "I knew my God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God and his was an idol."

The Boykin investigation report has not been publicly released. Its findings were described Thursday by a senior defense official who is familiar with its conclusions. The official spoke only on condition of anonymity because the report has not been acted upon yet by acting Army Secretary Les Brownlee.

The report said that in considering possible action against Boykin, the Army should take into account that Boykin had asked military lawyers in advance about the propriety of making the speeches and was not advised against speaking.

Islamic and religious freedom groups, as well as some members of Congress, criticized Boykin when news reports surfaced last October of remarks he made in several speeches at evangelical Christian churches. Boykin said the enemy in the terrorism fight was Satan and that God had put President Bush in the White House.

The Washington Post, which first reported the conclusion of the inspector general's investigation in its Thursday editions, said the probe determined that Boykin discussed his involvement in the war on terrorism at 23 religious-oriented events since January 2002 and that he wore his uniform while speaking at all but two. He spoke mostly at Baptist or Pentecostal churches.

The Post also reported that the investigation concluded that Boykin violated a regulation by failing to report reimbursement of travel costs from one of the sponsoring religious groups.

After the controversy erupted, Boykin later issued a written statement apologizing to those who were offended and saying he did not mean to insult Islam. He has remained at his intelligence post during the investigation.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Iraqi Ministers of Defense, State speak to Iraqi troops in historical event
Submitted by: 11th MEU
Story Identification #: 200481774636
Story by Gunnery Sgt. Chago Zapata



FORWARD OPERATING BASE DUKE, Iraq (Aug. 16, 2004) -- Iraq's Minister of Defense Hazem Sha'alan and a Minister of State Kasim Daoud spoke to members of Iraq's Security Forces during a visit to the base here today.

Today's visit marked a historical, first-ever meeting with these specific units for both members of Iraq's Interim Government. They used this opportunity to talk to the soldiers and inspire then to continue their dedicated service to the country of Iraq.

Also present were Col. Anthony M. Haslam, commanding officer, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), and Brig. Gen. Dennis J. Hejlik, deputy commanding general, I Marine Expeditionary Force.

This is just one example of the new government's climate; its leaders took the time to explain the current situation and why their soldier's service was important.
Both ministers fielded questions from the soldiers and gave them straightforward answers.

"Sadr and his militia are bad people and do not represent the views of Iraq or Islam," Sha'alan said when a soldier asked about the Muqtada Militia. "I ask you to help out our country and get Sadr's militia out."

Both ministers asked the soldiers to continue to help their country and wished them good luck on future missions, should clearing operations resume in the city.

"We're here to help you and support you in everything you do," said Sha'alan.


http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/20048171560/$file/040816-M-0095Z-049lowres.jpg

Iraq's Minister of Defense Hazem Sha'alan speaks to members of Iraq's Security Forces during a visit to Forward Operating Base Duke, Iraq, Aug. 16. The visit marked a historical, first-ever meeting with these specific units for him and Minister of State Kasim Daoud. They used this opportunity to talk to the soldiers and inspire then to continue their dedicated service to the country of Iraq. Photo by: Gunnery Sgt. Chago Zapata

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/63C5447C71F828B585256EF30040B102?opendocument


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Bessemer Marine Reserve unit now west of Fallujah in Iraq
Friday, August 20, 2004
TOM GORDON
News staff writer
A Bessemer-based Marine Reserve unit is now in Iraq's so-called Sunni Triangle, its members having trained beforehand as military police to help guard Marine convoys.

The 4th Battalion of the 14th Marine Regiment arrived in Iraq last week, according to John Rudolph, a Mountain Brook resident whose son Michael is a lance corporal with the unit. Before flying to the Persian Gulf, the battalion underwent several weeks of MP training at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

"They actually seem to be in pretty good shape," said Rudolph, who said he has had phone conversations with his son nearly every day since the unit's arrival in Iraq.

Rudolph said the 4th Battalion is west of Fallujah, one of the principal cities in the Sunni Triangle, a triangular-shaped area west of Baghdad that is inhabited largely by Sunni Moslems, many of whom are loyal to deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. The area has seen a lot of armed resistance to U.S. forces over the past year.

Rudolph, however, said his son has not told him that the battalion has experienced any security problems since it reached the area. He said the unit members have an air-conditioned barracks, a PX, Internet and telephone centers, and hot meals.

For Michael Rudolph, the 4th Battalion tour is his second in Iraq. During the combat phase of the Iraq war, he served there with a Texas-based Marine Reserve unit.

"He seems to be in real good shape," his father said.

http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/109299343146220.xml


Ellie