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thedrifter
09-13-04, 06:55 AM
Postal improvements in Iraq something to write home about
Submitted by: 1st Force Service Support Group
Story Identification #: 200491181523
Story by Lance Cpl. Stephen Driscoll



CAMP TAQADDUM, Iraq (Sept. 11, 2004) -- In a country which feels impossibly far away, a letter or package can deliver a little piece of home to the field. This year, these special deliveries come to Iraq faster.

During the first year of operations in Iraq, mail could take more than two months to finally reach a Marine in the field. Now, it takes two weeks or less.

"It's a 180-degree turn around from last year," said Staff Sgt. Ramon Arredondo, 34, with the 1st Force Service Support Group's main post office here.

Postal clerks in the Marine Corps were overwhelmed by the amount of mail being sent to Iraq last year. Some units were assigned more clerks than they needed, while others were left lacking. As a whole, there was just too much mail for the personnel to deal with under the war time conditions, said Arredondo.

Additionally, it was difficult for the clerks to anticipate where the mail would be able to catch up to the unit it was intended for because the nature of operations in Iraq last year kept many Marines on the move, said Arredondo, a native of Sanger, Calif.

In 2003, mail sent from the West Coast was forwarded to the East Coast before being sent overseas. This increased both delivery time and shipping costs for the sender, said Arredondo.

This year, mail is sent overseas from both San Francisco and New York. Instead of arriving in Kuwait, as it did last year, mail is now flown directly to the Baghdad International Airport, and then moved along by convoys and cargo planes in order to reach its final destination.

During the combat stages of Operation Iraqi Freedom last spring, convoys sent out of Kuwait were laden with troops, food, water and ammunition. Mail was not the first priority, so mountains of letters and packages piled up waiting to be pushed forward into Iraq, said Arredondo.

Increases in civilian and military postal personnel, transportation improvements, stationary bases of operation and better equipment are the major factors leading to this year's superior service.

The Military Postal Service Agency in San Francisco has provided one of the biggest improvements: a multimillion dollar machine which presorts the mail by location and unit before sending it overseas, said Arredondo. Additionally, civilian contractors with Kellogg, Brown and Root sort the mail even further when it arrives in Iraq, which allows Marine postal clerks to focus on getting bags of mail to the correct unit, vice individual letters.

Mail was often sorted in cramped tents last year, but now, Marines at Camp Taqaddum sort the mail in a warehouse. This allows room for large bins organized by location and unit, helping prevent mail from being misplaced, said Arredondo. Mail is then either delivered on base or sent on to other locations such as Camps Fallujah, Al Asad and Blue Diamond.

Accurate ZIP code assignments for each base further increase speed. Also, the Marines here are the first in Iraq to use hand-held bar-code scanners to track mail by scanning presorted boxes. This ensures the mail is moving where and when it should be, said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Donald Darling, 41, I Marine Expeditionary Force's postal officer from Temecula, Calif.

Upon its arrival on a base, mail is normally delivered within 24 hours.

In 2003, 135 congressional investigations were launched after service members and their families sent scores of letters to Congress complaining about the slow service. This year, not a single investigation into military mail has yet arisen, said Darling.

While mail can always go astray due to incorrect addressing, letters and packages sent to Iraq also have to contend with the possibility of attacks on transport convoys. Arredondo said that so far only two truck loads have been lost to rocket-propelled grenades in transit to and from Camp Taqaddum. Since more than 9.4 million pounds of mail have moved in and out of Taqaddum since March, the losses aren't overwhelming.

"The mail this year is as reliable as the mail back home," said Cpl. Daniel Pertl, 23, a mechanic from Erie, Pa., currently serving his second deployment in Iraq with 3rd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment's Truck Detachment.

"It's good to have a reliable mail service in such an unreliable environment," said Pertl.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/20049118242/$file/MailOnShoulderBlur040911a_low.jpg

A postal clerk with the 1st Force Service Support Group carries boxes to a unit's mail bin Sept. 11, 2004, at Camp Taqaddum, Iraq. Several postal improvements including presorted mail, established bases and scanners that track shipments are resulting in faster delivery to Marines in Iraq this year. In 2003, mail could take as long as two months to arrive in the hands of troops. Currently, mail sent from the United States takes approximately two weeks to arrive. Since March, 1st FSSG postal Marines have shipped approximately 10 million pounds of mail in or out of Iraq. The 1st FSSG is responsible for the Marine Corps' mail delivery in Iraq. Photo by: Staff Sgt. Bill Lisbon

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/876A7DC3888E144B85256F0C004353D0?opendocument

Ellie

thedrifter
09-13-04, 06:57 AM
Three Polish Soldiers Killed in Iraq

WARSAW, Poland - Three Polish soldiers were killed in Iraq (news - web sites) Sunday when they were attacked with grenades and machine-gun fire as they returned to their base from a demining operation, a Polish military spokesman said.


At least three more Poles were injured in the attack, some four miles east of Hillah, said Lt. Col. Artur Domanski, a spokesman for the Polish-led multinational security force in central Iraq.


The deaths raise the number of Polish soldiers killed in Iraq to 13.




http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040912/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_polish_soldiers_1


Ellie

thedrifter
09-13-04, 06:58 AM
Ineffective Iraqi Force in Fallouja Disbanded
The move is a setback to Marines, who hoped the brigade would quell the insurgency in the city.

By Alissa J. Rubin, Times Staff Writer


RAMADI, Iraq — The Iraqi military force formed by the Marines in a last-ditch effort to pacify the restive city of Fallouja has been disbanded in the face of continuing violence, assaults on government security forces and evidence that some members have been working openly with insurgents.

The dissolution of the Fallouja Brigade, created during the spring to avoid an all-out assault on the insurgent hotbed, marked a significant setback for the U.S. military. The Americans had hoped that the brigade, composed of former members of the Iraqi army and Saddam Hussein's special security forces, would work alongside the new Iraqi government and help restore order.

"The Fallouja Brigade is done, over," said Marine Col. Jerry L. Durrant, who oversees the 1st Marine Expeditionary Unit's involvement with Iraqi security forces. "The whole Fallouja Brigade thing was a fiasco. Initially it worked out OK, but it wasn't a good idea for very long."

Durrant did not say what the Marines might do next, but U.S. warplanes Friday bombed Fallouja for the fourth consecutive day and the air campaign was expected to continue and possibly intensify. Friday's air attack targeted earth-moving equipment being used by insurgents to build fighting positions, a Marine spokesman said.

With the demise of the Fallouja Brigade — agreed to by the interim Iraqi government and the Marines — the Marines are left with no attractive options for rooting out Fallouja's entrenched insurgency. The rebel movement has spread to surrounding villages and left the interim Iraqi government without control of one of the nation's largest cities west of Baghdad. Marines remain based as close as two miles from Fallouja, but the insurgents — local and foreign fighters backed by firebrand Sunni Muslim clerics — have had several months to dig in and make it more difficult for American troops or Iraqi government forces to launch a ground attack.

The development comes as U.S. forces try to reestablish Iraqi government control in several insurgent bastions, including Samarra, to the north of Baghdad, just months before scheduled national elections.

Gen. Abdullah Hamid Wael, the brigade's latest leader, announced the dissolution Thursday night on instructions from the Defense Ministry.

Speaking at an Iraqi military base west of Fallouja, Wael read from a ministry statement that said "any member of the brigade can, as an individual, join the Iraqi national guard or the Iraqi police."

Discontent rippled through the group, many of whose members had hoped that it would remain intact and eventually become a unit of the new army. Judging by members' comments, it seemed likely that some would openly rejoin the insurgency, in which many had been involved before joining the brigade. In doing so, they would be able to fight with weapons provided to them by the Marines, who also paid them monthly salaries.

That will make it all the more difficult for U.S. troops and Iraqi government forces to retake Fallouja — currently a "no go" area for U.S. forces.

"We don't know where to go now after this dismissal by the American troops and the Iraqi interim government," said Brig. Gen. Tayseer Latief of the brigade. "They leave us no other option but to join the resistance."

Defense Ministry officials declined to comment Friday.

When the brigade was established, Marine commanders acknowledged that many members either were insurgent fighters or had connections to them. The insurgents waged intense battles against Marines for weeks in April.

The goal in forming the force was to avoid a bloodbath by allowing the Marines to withdraw from the city but leaving a proxy force to tamp down insurgent activity and arrest those responsible for the killings of four U.S. civilian security contractors March 31.

Initially, Marine commanders said the brigade would root out anti-American forces and target foreign fighters. The Marines hoped that the brigade members, with their military training and pride in having responsibility for their town, would stand up against those fighting the U.S. military and Iraqi interim government forces.

Empowering a force made up of Iraqis would move "Iraqi stakeholders … to try to contribute to solving some of the challenges and problems," Marine Col. John Coleman said in a July interview.

Coleman acknowledged that the brigade was "a nascent military capability at best," but one that enabled the Marines to get out of the city where their presence had become a rallying call for the insurgency.

In the month after the brigade's formation, "the enemy activity in this zone dropped to almost zero," he said. But it then began to climb back to the level it had been before the killing of the U.S. civilian contractors, whose remains were mutilated.

In the end, most brigade members' prior allegiance to the insurgency proved impossible to sever.

The brigade made no effort to restrict insurgent activities, members and the Marines said. Fallouja became even safer for insurgents, who could take refuge, plot attacks and run manufacturing centers for car bombs and other explosives.

Made up of 1,600 former members of the Iraqi army and Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard, the brigade was formally created April 30.

Four months later, as the brigade is dissolved, its members are better armed, better equipped and better off. Monthly wages ranged from $260 for low-level soldiers to $700 for generals, one of the brigade's staff officers said. The Marines also gave brigade members new semiautomatic rifles and vehicles and furnished a base for them.

For much of the time, the brigade was technically under Marine command and its staff officers were in touch almost daily with Marine officers at Camp Fallouja on the outskirts of town.

"We're trying to go in and recover the stuff we gave them, but I'm not sure it's worth it," Durrant said. "They've already stolen the air conditioners."

He added that when two Marine helicopters inadvertently flew over the Fallouja Brigade base several weeks ago, the aircraft were riddled with bullets and "the pilot was shot in the face."

On a recent trip to Fallouja, it appeared that brigade members were mixing easily with insurgents.

At several checkpoints, one or two Iraqi police officers lounged under small palapa huts with a brigade soldier as a couple of masked men with AK-47s leaned into each car looking for Westerners.

Last week, several Fallouja Brigade members in uniform shot at Marines near the city limits and the Marines returned fire, Durrant said.

From the brigade's inception, many members never fully disentangled themselves from the insurgent movement. Some expressed pride at the role they had played in fighting the Marines and boasted of their prowess in firing weapons. Although the Marines provided them with uniforms, most brigade members eschewed them in favor of the brown or olive green uniforms worn by the Iraqi armed forces under Hussein.

Although the brigade was never expected to remain in place indefinitely, there had been talk of having members join either the Iraqi army or the national guard — either as a unit or as individuals. Brigade members had said they wished to join the army as a unit, but interim Iraqi officials believed that to create a professional army, soldiers had to be loyal first to the country, not to a unit, city or province.

As it turns out, few brigade members appear likely to be welcomed into the army — it was not mentioned as an option in the announcement, although Marine officials said they believed Falloujans were free to sign up.

It also seems unlikely that Falloujans would choose to join the national guard. Many Iraqis in the Fallouja area view the guardsmen as U.S. stooges. Fallouja fighters killed a local national guard commander a few weeks ago and kidnapped another, leading many guardsmen to abandon their positions.

Several members said they were angered by the dissolution.

"This was a great violation to the members of the brigade by the American forces and the Iraqi interim government," said Maj. Ahmed Abed Abaas. "Dissolving the Fallouja Brigade, they broke the truce agreed upon last April when the Americans besieged Fallouja."


http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-fg-fallouja11sep11,1,2459641.story

Ellie

thedrifter
09-13-04, 06:59 AM
Guam ordnance disposal unit returns from Iraq deployment <br />
<br />
<br />
By Frank Whitman, Special to Stars and Stripes <br />
Pacific edition, Saturday, September 11, 2004 <br />
<br />
<br />
GUAM — A group of Guam-based U.S....

thedrifter
09-13-04, 07:00 AM
1/2 conducts cordon-and-searches in Haswa, Iraq
Submitted by: 24th MEU
Story Identification #: 2004911123146
Story by Sgt. Zachary A. Bathon and Lance Cpl. Caleb J. Smith



FORWARD OPERATING BASE ISKANDARIYAH, Iraq (Sep. 9, 2004) -- Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, operating in support of Iraqi security forces, conducted a cordon-and-search mission through neighborhoods in the town of Haswa, Iraq, Sep. 9.

The Marines from Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, assisted their counterparts in searching houses and talking to local residents about any suspicious activity in the area.

The 24th MEU is currently conducting security and stability operations in Northern Babil Province.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200491251332/$file/040909-M-7371B-003lores.jpg

Sgt. Kevin R. Scheaffer of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit receives instructions from his platoon commander while conducting a cordon-and-search mission through a neighborhood in the town of Haswa, Iraq, Sep. 9.
Scheaffer is a squad leader with Alpha Company, Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines.
The 24th MEU is currently conducting security and stability operations in Northern Babil Province.
Photo by: Sgt. Zachary A. Bathon

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/252F891907E5610085256F0C005ACC92?opendocument


Ellie

thedrifter
09-13-04, 07:02 AM
Reserve Marine squadron uses GPS parachutes in Iraq
Submitted by: 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing
Story Identification #: 2004911173012
Story by Cpl. Paul Leicht



AL ANBAR PROVINCE, Iraq (Sep. 8, 2004) -- Reservists with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 452, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, are putting a new cargo parachute system to the test during combat operations here.

Recently the New York-based squadron successfully delivered food and supplies to Marines at Camp Korean Village during a combat assault support mission Sept. 7, featuring a Sherpa global-positioning parachute delivery system.

"Doing this type of mission in a combat environment is what we are here for," said Atlanta native Lt.Col. Bradley S. James, commanding officer, VMGR-452. "The tactical capability of the KC-130 gives us a unique ability to even do this at night with (night vision goggles). This mission also took a lot of coordination between us and the supply Marines on the ground."

With a total load weighing more than 23,000 pounds, the VMGR-452 KC-130T reached the camp in less than one hour. However, preparations for the complex mission took a substantial amount of time.

"This is my first time preparing a mission like this and it took me about two to three hours of planning for each hour of flight time," said Sgt. Eric J. Bynum, navigator, VMGR-452, and a native of Waxahachie, Texas. "For a short flight like this one it took me about 8 hours to plan the drop since we are actually performing two drops at two different altitudes."

Dropped at a lower altitude and at high speed, the first batch of supplies was dropped using conventional military parachutes.

"We fly lower during a standard drop so we can ensure accurate delivery, but we have to maintain a higher rate of speed because we are more vulnerable (to enemy attack) being lower to the ground," said Bynum. "Before we drop the supplies using the Sherpas we will climb to a higher, safer altitude."

Making its debut during a similar drop Aug. 9, also above Camp Korean Village, the commercially-produced Sherpa precision-guided parachute system uses a Global Positioning System computer and control lines to steer itself from an altitude of up to five miles down to within a few meters of the designated target area on the ground, said Staff Sgt. Tammy A. Belleville, 1st Air Delivery Platoon jumpmaster, Combat Service Support Battalion 7, 1st Force Service Support Group.

"Basically, the Sherpa is an oversized 900 square foot parachute canopy attached to a servomotor," said the 40-year-old Oceanside, Calif. native. "The GPS computer calculates everything from winds, direction of flight, target coordinates, altitude and other information to steer the load to the designated delivery point on the deck."

The servomotor inside the Sherpa unit steers the control lines that direct the parachute and the load to the designated target point on the ground, said Belleville.

From an altitude of more than 10,000 feet, the Sherpas can guide their loads to other CSSB Marines on the deck below in five to 10 minutes, depending on the conditions, said Belleville.

With the supplies safely on the ground, the Marines aboard the KC-130T returned to their base here with another successful mission behind them.

"The bottom line is the Marines out there at Korean Village have their supplies and that makes us feel good knowing we can deliver what they need quickly under combat conditions," said James.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200491117372/$file/040908-m-0484L-sherpa1LR.jpg

Staff Sgt. Tammy A. Belleville, 1st Air Delivery platoon commander, Combat Service Support Battalion 7, checks a Sherpa self-guided parachute delivery system during a resupply drop from a VMGR-452 KC-130T Hercules over Camp Korean Village, Iraq, Sept. 8. The commercially-produced Sherpa can steer cargo from an altitude of five miles down to within a few meters of a designated drop point. Photo by: Cpl. Paul Leicht

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/ED07AE5D8F331FF285256F0C00761F1A?opendocument

Ellie

thedrifter
09-13-04, 07:18 AM
Issue Date: September 13, 2004 <br />
<br />
Intelligence gathering heating up after ‘chill’ <br />
25 percent decline followed Abu Ghraib scandal, general says <br />
<br />
By Nicole Gaudiano <br />
Times staff writer <br />
<br />
<br />
The...

thedrifter
09-13-04, 09:14 AM
Key General Criticizes April Attack In Fallujah <br />
Abrupt Withdrawal Called Vacillation <br />
<br />
By Rajiv Chandrasekaran <br />
Washington Post Foreign Service <br />
Monday, September 13, 2004; Page A17 <br />
<br />
FALLUJAH,...

thedrifter
09-13-04, 10:56 AM
ROVER helps Marines gain ground using pilot’s eyes

By Bruce Rolfsen
Times staff writer


Although Air Force reconnaissance planes had been circling over Fallujah, the Marines surrounding the Iraqi city couldn’t view what the cameras onboard the Air Force MQ-1 Predators and C-130H Hercules were seeing.
Then, Lt. Col. Gary Harbin and a tactical air control party showed up with a laptop computer and antenna system.

On the laptop’s screen appeared the video image being taken by a circling Predator.

By using the system’s radio link, the airmen were able to talk with the pilot flying the Predator by remote control.

“This will save lives, because I don’t need to send a quick-reaction force,” Harbin recalled one of the Marines saying.

ROVER, the Remote Operations Video Enhanced Receiver, is one of the newest innovations for troops involved in close-air support.

ROVER has been “very successful, and we’re buying more,” said Lt. Gen. Walter Buchanan, commander of the 9th Air Force and the top Air Force representative in the Persian Gulf.

The idea for ROVER started in the late 1990s when researchers with the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Battlelab at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., began looking at how to relay UAV video images to AC-130 gunships from Air Force Special Operations Command.

Before the ROVER project, live Predator images typically were available only to the airmen flying the Predators and command-and-control centers.

Once ROVER kits began arriving in the field, troops devised their own ideas besides using it for guiding airstrikes.

At Balad Air Base, airmen and soldiers used ROVER to help direct a Predator scouting for insurgents trying to launch mortar attacks on the base.

On April 11, the night after a fatal mortar attack on the base, a Predator spotted two mortars being fired at the base, according to Air Force reports of the attack. Before a third round was launched, the Predator crew scored a direct hit on insurgents.

A main issue now for the 9th Air Force is cutting the weight and the size of ROVER kits so they are practical for troops to carry on their backs, Harbin said.

The fielded kits weigh 43 pounds. The 9th Air Force hopes to cut the weight by finding lighter batteries and reducing the bulk of its connections that wire ROVER with vehicle and building electrical outlets.

Bruce Rolfsen covers the Air Force

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story.php?f=1-MARINEPAPER-317256.php

Ellie

thedrifter
09-13-04, 01:14 PM
A US sniper's story: 'Everyone I shot deserved it. It doesn't bother me'

Jason Burke
Sunday September 12, 2004
The Observer

Specialist James Wilks, 25, from Fort Worth, Texas, sits in the searing sun outside his barrack block in Camp Eagle, smoking a menthol cigarette. Beyond the blast walls, sentry towers and barbed wire lies Sadr City, a Baghdad suburb where throughout the summer fighters loyal to a radical Shia Muslim cleric have fought running battles with the American troops based here. A day earlier, fighting had flared again in the narrow, rubbish-strewn alleyways that for months have been Wilks's hunting ground.
Wilks is a sniper and is proud of the three 'kills' he has notched up in the first six months of his year's tour of duty. The first came in early April, during an assault on a position held by Shia militiamen.

'It was night and low visibility,' Wilks said. 'But I saw a guy with an AK-47 lit up by the porch light in a doorway about 400 metres away. I watched him through the sights. He looked like just another Iraqi. I hit him low in the stomach and dropped him.'

The second kill was in July. Camp Eagle has been hit by more than 700 mortar rounds, usually fired at night.

From the roof of the barracks block, Wilks picked out a group of men behaving suspiciously nearly 700 metres away.

'We watched them for an hour. When I was sure one guy had a weapon on his back, I squeezed a shot off and he went down.'

Killing from long distance is 'weird', says Wilks, who joined the army after six years as a poorly paid waiter. 'It's not like in a firefight, when it is really scary and you don't think about it. When you are looking down the scope and no one knows you are there, it gives you a sense of power. You get an adrenalin rush, though I'm not sure if it is in a good way.'

Wilks's comrades are proud of his success. Almost all the men of the First Cavalry's Task Force 12 have seen combat. Scores have been injured and several killed. Long routine patrols are broken by moments of intense fear and excitement when units come under attack.

The Observer joined an eight-hour patrol along Route Predator, a key road leading into Sadr City that has been the site of regular bomb attacks and ambushes.

Apart from some wayward mortar shells early on, the patrol was uneventful - though the following one suffered two killed and three injured when two roadside bombs exploded. Sergeant Herman Groombridge, 35, and his men drive slowly up and down the pitted tarmac.

Groombridge points out a mosque from where gunmen opened fire a few weeks earlier. Jesus Sales, a 21-year-old who joined the army to pay for college fees, is the unit's reserve sniper. He shot a man a few weeks earlier: 'I didn't feel anything weird. I just felt satisfied.'

Wilks is equally phlegmatic: 'Sometimes I feel like I should feel guilty, but I don't. Everyone I shot deserved it. It doesn't bother me.'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1302697,00.html


Ellie

thedrifter
09-13-04, 01:33 PM
1st BCT rolls up colors as 2nd BCT takes lead
Submitted by: 1st Marine Division
Story Identification #: 20049135537
Story by Lance Cpl. Graham Paulsgrove



CAMP RAMADI, Iraq (Sept. 11, 2004) -- When they came, it was run down and neglected. As they leave, a prosperous future is visible on the horizon.

After 12 months of firefights, humanitarian efforts and providing support for the 1st Marine Division, the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division is headed home to Fort Riley, Kansas, and is being replaced by 2nd BCT, 2nd ID.

In the past 12 months, the brigade has been responsible for the detention of over 2,000 enemy fighters, to include 18 high value targets and has sponsored over $23.8 billion dollars on civil projects in the Al Anbar province.

"When we got here, nothing was developed," said Col. Arthur W. Conner Jr., commanding officer, 1st BCT. "The area had been largely neglected. Now, shops are open, roads have been paved and the people are arguing about their government and how it should be run. That is what democracy is all about."

"We have brought hope to people who had none," said Conner.

While forward deployed, the soldiers were integrated at a battalion level with the 1st Marine Division.

"It was an honor to work with the highest decorated unit in the Military," said Conner. "The integration was seamless and our mission never missed a beat."

First BCT transferred their authority to 2nd BCT during a Transfer of Authority ceremony at Camp Ramadi, Iraq.

"We brought a good team from Korea, and we have a tough mission ahead of us replacing a great BCT," said Sgt. Maj. Marvell R. Dean, command sergeant major, 2nd BCT. "We are here to help the Iraqi people have a democracy."

The mission carried out by the 1st BCT made headway for the people of Iraq, and the 2nd BCT has stepped up to the plate for their turn.

The 2nd BCT has been preparing for Operation Iraqi Freedom since June 2003 and is "definitely ready," according to Col. Gary Patton, commanding officer, 2nd BCT.

"We have an adaptive enemy but regardless, we are here to pave the way for a safe and free Iraq," said Patton.

To accomplish this task in Iraq, the 2nd BCT will fall under the 1st Marine Division, just like their predecessor.

"It will be a great honor and privilege to work side by side with Marines," said Patton.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200491355813/$file/TOA1lr.jpg

Colonels Arthur Connor Jr., (foreground) and Gary S. Patton (background) sing the Army's song during the Transfer of Authority ceremony Sept. 11 at Camp Ramadi, Iraq. Connor, commanding officer, and the 1st Brigade Combat Team were replaced by the 2nd BCT and their commanding officer, Patton. Since the 2nd BCT will be attached to the 1st Marine Division, Maj. Gen. Richard Natonski, commanding general, 1st Marine Division, was present to observe the ceremony.
(Official USMC photo by Staff Sgt. Nathaniel Garcia)
Photo by: SSgt. Nathaniel Garcia

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2004913620/$file/TOA2lr.jpg

Colonel Arthur Connor Jr., commanding officer, 1st Brigade Combat Team and Sgt. Maj. Robert Moore, command sergeant major, 1st BCT, roll up the brigade's colors during the Transfer of Authority ceremony in Camp Ramadi, Iraq. 1st BCT transferred authority to Col. Gary S. Patton and 2nd BCT. In March 2004, 1 BCT was attached to the 1st Marine Division to continue its offensive in the area. The 2nd BCT will also be attached to the 1st Marine Division.
(Official USMC photo by Staff Sgt. Nathaniel Garcia)
Photo by: SSgt. Nathaniel Garcia

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2004913673/$file/TOA3lr.jpg

Soldiers salute the colors during the Transfer of Authority ceremony at Camp Ramadi, Iraq Sept. 11. During the ceremony, the 2nd Brigade Combat Team replaced the 1st Brigade Combat Team. The team will be attached to 1st Marine Division.
(Official USMC photo by Staff Sgt. Nathaniel Garcia)
Photo by: SSgt. Nathaniel Garcia

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/799DE84D156E457B85256F0E00364D33?opendocument


Ellie

thedrifter
09-13-04, 04:10 PM
Issue Date: September 13, 2004

Corps uses GPS gear to avoid convoys

By Christian Lowe
Times staff writer


“Hey, Gunny. Is that manna from heaven?”
“Nah, it’s just our MREs.”

As danger festers along Iraq’s undefended roadways, the Corps is turning to Global Positioning System-steered airdrops to supply some Marines with food, and eventually with ammunition and other essentials.

Using a still-experimental automatic system that flies the supplies into a landing zone beneath a 900-square-foot parachute, the Corps can supply units — sometimes situated in the remote western Iraqi desert — with food and other equipment without exposing convoys to the lethal improvised explosives that plague Iraq’s highways and have killed or wounded hundreds of U.S. troops in the 16-month occupation.

The Corps has been given two of the new, Army-developed parachute delivery systems in response to an urgent request in May from coalition commanders in Iraq. And more are on the way.

“That huge land mass makes airdrop and aerial resupply a combat multiplier,” said Maj. John O’Regan, assistant product manager for Army aerial delivery systems. “Any time you can do an airdrop mission, you just prevented one convoy being put on the roads.”

The guided parachute delivery system, called Sherpa, uses GPS technology to navigate a parachute that is steered by motors to its programmed drop point. The Sherpa can be dropped from 25,000 feet and up to 10 miles away from a landing zone, keeping the transport plane well away from the danger of ground fire.

The parachute can guide itself autonomously or be remotely piloted from the ground by using a hand-held controller.

Some experts admit this tactic could be seen as ceding Iraq’s main supply routes to the enemy, but others argue that airdrops are just another way to deliver supplies.

“That’s the wave of the future; that’s what we’re pushing the whole services to,” O’Regan said. “If you’re able to reduce one or two convoys per day, that way you keep Marines out of harm’s way.”

Still, the vast majority of the 5 million pounds of supplies delivered to Marines in Iraq since March has been delivered by convoys, Corps officials say.

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story.php?f=1-MARINEPAPER-334810.php


Ellie

thedrifter
09-13-04, 05:25 PM
Lt. Gen. Sattler takes command of I MEF
Submitted by: I Marine Expeditionary Force
Story Identification #: 200491295743
Story by Sgt. Robert E. Jones Sr.



CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq. (Sep. 12, 2004) -- Lt. Gen. John F. Sattler took the helm of 1st Marine Expeditionary Force from Lt. Gen. James T. Conway at 9 a.m. during a Change of Command ceremony here.

The I MEF, home-based at Camp Pendleton, Calif., is comprised of approximately 30,000 Marines, sailors, soldiers and airmen, who are currently deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“It’s very unusual for a staff to be able to create two ‘A’ teams,” said Sattler. “There is an ‘A’ team at Pendleton and when I first arrived at Pendleton I started to think, ‘Wow, they left all the talent back here, I wonder who’s forward fighting the war,’” said Sattler. “Now that I have arrived forward (Iraq), I realize that the talent pool is deep within this MEF.”

Sattler, who was also promoted to his present rank today, previously served as the Director of Operations, U.S. Central Command. Conway will assume duties as the Director of Operations, J-3, at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.

The ceremony, traditionally practiced within the Marine Corps, is unique in the world today. It is a transfer of total responsibility, authority and accountability from one individual to another. The event was attended by approximately 300 guests. Highlighting the event was the Reviewing Officer, Lt. Gen. Wallace C. Gregson, Commander, U.S. Marine Forces Pacific; Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force; and Pacific Commander, U.S. Marine Corps Bases, Pacific.

“Optimized by the motto, ‘no greater friend, no worse enemy,’ the Marines, sailors, soldiers and airmen assigned to this MEF exercise exceptional professionalism and discipline, separating the enemy from the friendly and the neutrals,” said Gregson. “They simultaneously are winning the hearts and minds of this country while ridding it of the bandits and terrorists.”

Gregson didn’t pass up the chance to add a little humor to the ceremony.

“Let me thank General Conway in the theme of the National Anthem for the rockets red glare at 0600 this morning,” said Gregson, referring to a round of indirect fire on Camp Fallujah this morning.

Sattler took an opportunity to speak on his views of Conway and expressed his thoughts about his new venture.

“The toughest thing you can do is replace a warrior, or attempt to replace a warrior, with the caliber of leadership of Lt. Gen. Conway,” said Sattler. “Gen. Conway, I accept the challenge and I promise to take care of your Marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen.”

Lt. Gen. Conway was presented the Distinguished Service Medal by Lt. Gen. Gregson for combat operations against the government of Iraq, from Nov. 15, 2002 to April 24, 2003, signed by the Secretary of the Navy, for the President of the United States. His award cited that his leadership, guidance and personal drive were essential during meticulous planning and precise execution of combat operations in Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Lt. Gen. Conway assembled a Marine Expeditionary Force that numbered 90,000 U.S. and coalition military personnel and trained it to become one of the most lethal combat forces in the history of the United States Marine Corps.

Conway showed compassion and dedication to those who structured I MEF and expressed his wishes to Sattler.

“Generals must remain habitually with their men, have industrious intent to instruction and comfort, and in battle, lead them well. John, that’s my challenge to you today…lead them well in battle,” said Conway. “Take care of my Marines, sailors, soldiers and airmen.”

Sattler spoke about the contribution and leadership he will devote to I MEF.

“I promise you we will continue to conduct counter-insurgency in operations with our Iraqi warrior friends and the Iraqi government officials,” said Sattler. “We will continue to turn the heat up on those thugs, criminals and terrorists who must use intimidation and murder to accomplish their goals because they can’t accomplish them legally.”

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2004912101810/$file/sattler.low.jpg

Lt. Gen John F. Sattler watches the parade at his Change of Command. Sattler took the helm of 1st Marine Expeditionary Force from Lt. Gen. James T. Conway during a Change of Command ceremony at Camp Fallujah, Iraq, Sept. 12. Photo by: Sgt. Robert E. Jones Sr.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/D8D0C94C7D0C915A85256F0D004CB20D?opendocument


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