3/7 prepares to make the trip home

[thedrifter]

3/7 prepares to make the trip home
Submitted by: 1st Marine Division
Story Identification #: 20049208322
Story by Cpl. Randy Bernard



CAMP RIPPER, Iraq (Sept. 16, 2004) -- 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment has spent the last seven months operating out of Al Qaim, Iraq, successfully completing each mission.

Their mission was to improve the way of life for the Iraqis by removing insurgent threats and finding materials and locations used to make improvised explosive devices.

"The quality of life for the basic Iraqi person increased greatly," said Sgt. Maj. Daniel A. Huff, the battalion sergeant major, 42, from Bellevue, Neb. "There hasn't been a day gone by when I don't think about how well the Marines perform on a day by day basis."

With their mission now in the hands of 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 3/7 moved back to Al Asad for a little bit of rest before heading back to 29 Palms, Calif.

To help send them off, the 1st Marine Division sergeant major, Sgt. Maj. Wayne R. Bell, gave them a few words of bolstering encouragement and praise.

"Every time I am around these Marines, I feel like I am standing in the shadow of greatness," said Bell, 47, of Boston. "They will be read about for a long time."

Bell congratulated the Marines for doing a great job, and for serving the Marine Corps honorably in a time of war. He said there were two kinds of Marines, those in Iraq, and those going to Iraq.

Bell also addressed issues and the importance of voting, now that the Marines would be going home. When questioned about unit awards, he responded that there was already paperwork in the process for the humanitarian service and an Iraqi campaign medal for the Marines of 3/7.

With all of the formality out of the way, the Marines of 3/7 didn't seem to care about the medals or all of the praise, they were just eager to get home.

"We completed our mission we were assigned to do, now we are looking forward to heading home and being with our families," said Huff.

"We worked hard and we tried to do the best we could," said Lance Cpl. Clinton N. Shumway, 25, machine gunner with Company I and native of Atlanta. "We found a lot of IED materials and the people making them. I think we improved (the Iraqis') opinion of Americans. I wish 1/7 the best of luck, and I can't wait to see my wife and two kids."

"I think it was a decent thing to come out here," said Cpl. Charles E. Flockhart, a team leader with Company K. I actually extended for 10 months to come back out here."

Flockhart, 25, from Newport, Tenn., deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom last year. He thinks that coming back and helping the Iraqis was a good thing.

"Seeing the kids wave at you and smile definitely made it all worth while," said Flockhart.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200492081116/$file/farewell1lr.jpg

The Marines of 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, gathered to listen to Sgt. Maj. Wayne R. Bell, the 1st Marine Division sergeant major, tell them that their actions did not go unseen. Bell praised the Marines for their hard work, and determination to get the job done.
(Official USMC photo by Cpl. Randy L. Bernard)
Photo by: Cpl. Randy Bernard

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/BECEE69C886C530F85256F1500423A34?opendocument

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Cleveland Co. Man Who Survived Marines' Fallujah Assault Killed In Iraq

POSTED: 1:57 pm EDT September 20, 2004

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Pentagon says a North Carolina Marine has been killed by insurgents in Iraq.

Corporal Christopher S. Ebert, a 21-year-old from Mooresboro in Cleveland County, died Friday in Anbar Province. The Pentagon did not give other details of the engagement.

Ebert was assigned to Camp Pendleton in California, First Marine Expeditionary Force.

He took part in the U.S.-led attack on Fallujah after cheering Iraqis dragged the bodies of four American security guards through the streets in March.

Ebert, an infantryman, was serving in Iraq at the same time as his twin brother, Brian, who was in a transportation unit.

Both brothers enlisted in the Marines immediately after graduating from Chase High School.

After boot camp the brothers were assigned to Camp Lejeune, then given separate assignments.
Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.



http://www.wsoctv.com/news/3745188/detail.html


Ellie

[thedrifter]

VMU-1 Pioneer UAV provides 'birds eye' view of combat zone
Submitted by: 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing
Story Identification #: 200492132448
Story by Cpl. Paul Leicht



AL TAQADDUM, Iraq (Sep. 17, 2004) -- The fog of war clouding the modern battlefield is getting a whole lot thinner.

Marines fighting an insurgency through the maze-like streets of Iraqi cities like Ar Ramadi and Fallujah are finding the enemy more easily thanks to Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 1, Marine Aircraft Control Group 38, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.

VMU-1 supports our troops in Iraq with the remote-controlled, unmanned aerial vehicle system known as Pioneer. Unlike the larger Predator UAV flown by other services, the Marines' more tactical Pioneer is armed only with sophisticated camera equipment.

"The Pioneer UAV is an excellent tool with great potential for changing the way we fight the enemy," said Gunnery Sgt. Robert W. Wilson, external pilot, VMU-1. "Without putting additional lives at risk, day or night, we provide a unique overhead view for tactical commanders with imagery intelligence to help them make battlefield decisions and save Marines' lives."

Wilson, a former infantryman, said ground commanders tell VMU-1 daily how grateful they are for what they provide in terms of aerial surveillance, intelligence and reconnaissance.

Whether from an airstrip, dirt runway or the back of a truck -- with the help of a pneumatic launcher -- the Pioneer can be set aloft above the enemy quickly.

"Within a few hours of being here we were fully operational," said Sgt. Maj. Patrick A. Prose, sergeant major, VMU-1 and Shakopee, Minn., native. "Sometimes even faster than that if the situation requires.

"If we get a call, we can get a (UAV) in the air within 20 minutes," he added. We even have our own motor transport section that facilitates our exceptional mobility and tactical capabilities."

Maintaining a high state of readiness has kept the 'Watchdogs' busy.

"If we do not get our job done, then the mission does not get done," said 1st Lt. Jose A. Nicolas, aircraft maintenance officer, VMU-1 and native of Houston. "Under normal training conditions we sustain 200 to 250 flight hours per year. So far we have averaged between 460 to 500 hours per month out here, or 16 to 20 hours per day. We have been working very hard to keep our readiness high."

If a maintenance problem arises, the squadron has two civilian technical representatives on hand to help identify and solve any technical issue.

"We try and solve whatever problems arise, but if we need to 'send out the bat signal,' they can help us figure it out," Nicolas said.

VMU-1, while not as large as other aerial squadrons, is a tight-knit unit uniquely focused on its mission and impact on the battlefield below.

Working as a team, maintenance technicians, plane captains and pilots launch Pioneer to get it in the air and into the fight. Once the external pilot flies the UAV to a predetermined altitude and location for a mission, internal pilots within the unit's command center take over.

Then the fun begins.

"It's pretty cool, we get to spy on and zoom in on the enemy, even from 3,000 feet," said 20-year-old Cpl. Ryan Rogers, internal pilot, VMU-1, from Detroit.

Keeping constant tabs on the enemy out of reach and out of sight gives the squadron a unique perspective and an appreciation for their hard work.

"Everyday out here we see the positive effect that we have," said Lance Cpl. Robert Daniels, intelligence analyst, VMU-1, and 19 year-old native of Dallas. "We help Marines on the ground so they have a better picture of the battlefield.

This graph need to be further up in the story. This is the important information about the mission. We observe (insurgents) setting up ambushes, moving weapons or help assess targets before and after a strike," he continued. If the ground commanders want us to direct or adjust artillery fire or close air support we can do that. We can direct any payload to any target."

VMU-1's imagery and intelligence analysts are in constant communication with their own internal pilots and commanders by means of radio and text-based computer communication.

"It is sort of like a real-time, instant-messaging chat room," said 29-year-old Sgt. Matthew Carnejo, imagery analyst, VMU-1, and a native of Bay City, Mich. "We talk back and forth constantly during each mission. Just knowing that everyday we are saving the lives of other Marines is the best feeling in the world."

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200492133221/$file/040917-M-0484L-051VMU1UAVLR.jpg

A Pioneer Unmanned Aerial Vehicle with Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 1, Marine Air Control Group 38, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, soars toward another aerial reconnaissance and intelligence gathering mission at Al Taqaddum, Iraq, Sept. 17, in support of I Marine Expeditionary Force during Operation Iraqi Freedom II. The tactical Pioneer UAV provides airborne intelligence to assist in intelligence preparation of the battlefield, early warning of enemy attack and also assesses target strikes among other tasks over places like Ramadi and Fallujah, Iraq, to help save Marines' lives. Photo by: Cpl. Paul Leicht

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/8DE00F27D50C5CDC85256F160028B960?opendocument

Ellie

[thedrifter]

'Vaccine' touted for combat stress
Submitted by: MCB Camp Pendleton
Story Identification #: 2004920154033
Story by Sgt. Jim Heuston



MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (Sept. 16, 2004) -- Marines deploying to Iraq need "combat inoculation."

That's the assertion of retired Army Lt. Col. Dave Grossman - whose prescription for coping with combat stress includes breathing exercises, pastel warfare and avoiding a headlong dive into "macho arrogance."

Grossman, who addressed Iraq-bound Marines Aug. 26 at the Base Training Center Theater, coined the term to describe what he sees as a necessary change in combat training. His prescription: Conduct training that prepares a warrior's intellect and preserves his psychological well-being.

"It's time to go to war knowing what to expect," Grossman said.

Grossman, a former Army Ranger, paratrooper and West Point professor of military science, offered free advice to men who ultimately may have to confront - or even seek - what most people would rush to avoid.

"You must become a master of violence," Grossman said. "Every creature flees from the sound of a gun, but you run to a gunfight. Violence is what you do; violence is what you fight. A warrior must run to the sound of the guns and confront evil."

Grossman's audience was made up mostly of Marines who had already seen combat. The violence and confusion of war was not a mystery to them. But combat inoculation is not as much about training for the violence as it is training for the stress on mind and body the violence brings.

"Twenty-one percent of men fighting in the Pacific admitted to crapping their pants in combat," Grossman said. He added that the other 79 percent were thought to be lying. "Your dignity comes second to survival."

Not knowing that small fact could lead to humiliation for a Marine in combat - and psychological stress that could lead to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Grossman said research shows that 98 percent of men could handle only 60 days and nights of combat before succumbing to combat stress. The remaining 2 percent, who continued fighting beyond 60 days, were considered crazy when they got there, he said.

A further study revealed that the 2 percent-ers were made up of two groups, sociopaths or "wolves" and "sheepdogs," people who remained completely normal psychologically despite the violence.

"There is nothing superior about the sheepdog except his ability to thrive in combat," Grossman said. He added that many people thank their god they weren't on one of the planes of 9/11. "The sheepdog wants to be on the plane." The sheepdog's sole mission in life is to kill the wolves and protect the sheep.

For the rest of us sheep, there's combat inoculation.

"Frightened human beings will only do what they're trained to do," Grossman said. He then quoted, "You don't rise to the occasion. You sink to the level of your training."

Grossman explained that humans have two minds they have to control in combat - the fore brain, which is full of intellectual thought and know-how, and the mammalian brain, which controls our involuntary functions and fight-or-flight reflexes.

Controlling our heart rate is the secret to controlling our actions in stressful situations, and controlling our breathing is the secret to controlling our heart rate. Tactical breathing is the control knob to keep us in the fight - and could hold the key to keeping our sanity afterward, he said.

Grossman demonstrated the four-count breathing technique. It's like a basketball player calming himself down to take a free-throw shot, he said.

"120 to 140 beats per minute is optimal for survival, but you lose fine motor skills," he said.

A sniper, like a basketball player, has to slow down his heart rate to 100 beats per minute to take a good shot. Above 160 beats and a warrior starts to panic or lose consciousness, he said.

Stress changes the body. Under stress, the body pulls in blood to protect the vital organs. We lose our hearing as our mind becomes more focused on sight and smell, he said.

"Auditory exclusion," Grossman called it. "In combat you can't hear your shots. In low-light conditions, the eyes will shut down. It's difficult to speak. Time can seem to slow down. People have even claimed to see to rounds coming at them."

"Realistic training is the only way" to counter those effects, he said. For Marines, he said, that means painting the enemy.

Seeing the muzzle flash and feeling the sting of a paintball round is as close as we can come to the real thing, he explained.

These conditioned responses can save your life in combat. But Grossman reminded his audience the warrior's No. 1 killer is stress.

"Fear and pain creates a powerful neural network," Grossman said. "Lost memory, slowed time, false memories - just remember you're not losing your mind. Your partners, the Marines who were there with you can help you fill in the blanks."

Bullet-proofing the mind with tactical breathing and training also can save a Marine from psychological damage that lingers long after the fight, he said. Deal with the stress openly and make peace with the memories, Grossman said. He urged Marines to "weave a path between self-pity and macho arrogance."

Grossman left the Marines with one final thought brought to him time and again by guilt-bearing veterans - "thou shalt not kill."

The true translation of the commandment is "thou shalt do no murder," he explained.

He told the tale of a World War II veteran. The vet said he and his comrades shot prisoners because they did not want to take the time to bring them back to the rear. "I see the faces of those German soldiers to this day," the veteran told Grossman.

The least we can do for the fallen is to have a life that is meaningful, Grossman said in closing.

Capt. Dan P. Whisnant, intelligence officer for 2nd Battalion 24th Marines, organized the lecture - which originally was planned for an hour but stretched into four, he said.

One OIF vet identified closely with one part of the presentation:

"When he talked about not hearing your own rifle shots and missing part of your memory," said Lance Cpl. Carlos I. Ilarraza, rifleman with 3rd Battalion 5th Marines. "It's weird when you try to remember and you can't."

Ilarraza described going through a pitched battled and being able to recall only the first shot.

"It's good to hear this. We have Marines who haven't been over there yet," he said.

Ilarraza said much of what Grossman suggested was already implemented on the squad level. Rules-of-engagement training, talking through different scenarios, getting people to think about what could happen in any given situation - his unit covered all those contingencies before deploying, he said.

When it came down to a firefight, our training seemed pretty stupid, Ilarraza said. "The real thing though was just like we trained."

Combat stress can work both ways. Ilarraza described moving up on an Iraqi position.

"Their position was good," Ilarraza said. "But, they didn't have it planned out." The Iraqis started praying and spraying, and they lost. "The same number of Marines could have stopped us."

While the Marines seemed to listen most intently as Grossman offered tips on becoming better killers and sheepdogs, some focused on the spiritual repercussions.

"I didn't see combat," said Cpl. Chaz S. Mathews, battalion embarkation noncommissioned officer for 2/24. He then described being knocked off his feet during a missile attack.

"We're too bullheaded to seek help, but you gotta ask," he said.

Mathews is a youth minister back in his hometown. The act of killing another human being weighs heavily on him. The affirmation that the Bible says "thou shalt not commit murder" is a comfort.

"It's a fact that you're gonna have to deal with it," Mathews said.

Grossman's book "On Killing" is on the Commandant's reading list. A second book, "On Combat," is due to be released in September. More information can be found at www.killology.com.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/AC2AC3D2F8CD8C2585256F15006C157E?opendocument


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Alpha 1/2 patrols through Iskandariyah: Photo Essay
Submitted by: 24th MEU
Story Identification #: 200492081155
Story by Sgt. Zachary A. Bathon



FORWARD OPERATING BASE ISKANDARIYAH, Iraq (September 15, 2004) -- Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit patrolled through the town of Iskandariyah, Iraq looking for suspicious activity and passing out school supplies to local children Sept. 14.

The Marines were from 3rd Platoon, Alpha Company, Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 2nd Marines - the Ground Combat Element for the 24th MEU.

During the patrol the Marines along with three soldiers from the Iraqi National Guard drove through several neighborhoods and conducted searches of vehicles in the area.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200492081539/$file/040914-M-7371B-003lores.jpg

Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit pass out school supplies to children while on patrol in the town of Iskandariyah, Iraq, Sept. 14.
The Marines are from 3rd Platoon, Alpha Company, Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 2nd Marines.
The 24th MEU is currently conducting security and stability operations in the Northern Babil province of Iraq.
Photo by: Sgt. Zachary A. Bathon

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200492082320/$file/040914-M-7371B-002lores.jpg

Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit and an interpreter go through the contents of a vehicle's truck while conducting a search in the town of Iskandariyah, Iraq, Sept. 14.
The Marines are from 3rd Platoon, Alpha Company, Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 2nd Marines.
The 24th MEU is currently conducting security and stability operations in the Northern Babil province of Iraq.
Photo by: Sgt. Zachary A. Bathon

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200492082939/$file/040914-M-7371B-005lores.jpg

A soldier from the Iraqi National Guard directs traffic as Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit search a vehicle while on patrol in the town of Iskandariyah, Iraq, Sept. 14.
The Marines are from 3rd Platoon, Alpha Company, Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines.
The 24th MEU is currently conducting security and stability operations in the Northern Babil province of Iraq.
Photo by: Sgt. Zachary A. Bathon

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/9DBF59FDA0F96E3385256F1500430268?opendocument


Ellie

[thedrifter]

ING, Alpha 1/2 capture bomb maker, materials
Submitted by: 24th MEU
Story Identification #: 20049208935
Story by Sgt. Zachary A. Bathon



FORAWARD OPERATING BASE ISKANDARIYAH, Iraq (September 13, 2004) -- Soldiers from the Iraqi National Guard and Marines from 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit captured a bomb maker and explosive materials during a raid in the early morning hours of Sept. 12.

The ING and Marines from Alpha Company, Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 2nd Marines, raided a house in the town of Iskandariyah after receiving a tip about the suspect's location.

"We got word from the MEU that this raid needed to happen within the next 48 hours so we began our planning for it," said 2nd Lt. Mark Nicholson, 26, a Wheeling, W. Va., native and the 2nd Platoon commander. "We stepped off at 1 a.m. expecting to be on the site for two and half hours, but this guy rolled over pretty quickly."

The raid went down with Marines from Alpha Company setting up blocking positions around the house while soldiers from the ING and Marines from the platoon's headquarters element gained entry to the residence.

Once inside, they began searching the premises and turned up a laundry list of bomb making materials and some ammunition.

"The ING did a good job making entry," said Nicholson.

"I think the ING was anxious to get in there and get these guys. They are tearing up their country, and I think they wanted these guys more than we did," added Sgt. Francis V. Fabiano III, 23, a Lampsas, Texas native and squad leader with 2nd Platoon.

The find included five grenades, one and a half pounds of C-4 explosives, 18 blasting caps, two remote detonators, three power supplies/initiators, a Nokia cell phone and 200 rounds of linked 7.62 ammunition.

"This was a good find," said Fabiano. "Anytime we can find somebody making (improvised explosive devices), it is a good find. I am tired of getting blown up and hearing about people getting blown up."

"This was a really big score for the Marines," said Nicholson. "This was a textbook raid. We basically just did a snatch and grad. Everything happened so fast I didn't even have time to give situation reports."

The next morning when Nicholson's platoon set out on patrol they stopped by the house again to conduct a second search and discovered several machine gun tripods. They also detained the suspect's car.

"The Marines did a great job setting up their (blocking positions)," said Fabiano. "All the Marines know their job and know what to do. You almost don't even have to tell them anything."

"I think the big thing here is that this was a (high-value) target," said Nicholson. "We captured the guy and he is still talking, (giving) us more (intelligence) for future raids."


http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/26DC23623B9EB40485256F150042CBBF?opendocument


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marine 1st Lt. Alexander Wetherbee, 27
Tuesday, September 21, 2004; Page B04


U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Alexander E. Wetherbee was killed in action Sept. 12 while serving in Anbar province in Iraq. Lt. Wetherbee, 27, was a platoon commander leading a unit from the 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, near Fallujah.

He was born in Fairfax County into a Foreign Service family and lived in Ethiopia, India, Norway and Pakistan. He graduated from McLean High School in 1995 and was captain of the lacrosse team his senior year. He received an undergraduate degree in forest resources from the University of Idaho, where he was active in the outdoor and forest fire control programs. He graduated in 2001.

While in college, he attended recruit training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, where he was platoon honorman and was promoted meritoriously to lance corporal. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Program (Marine Option) after his graduation from the University of Idaho.

Assigned to the 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion at Camp Pendleton, Calif., Lt. Wetherbee served in combat during the drive from Kuwait to Baghdad in March and April 2003. He was with his unit on a second deployment in Iraq when he was killed.

His awards include the Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation, Meritorious Unit Citation, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with bronze service star and the National Defense Service Medal.

Lt. Wetherbee was an active outdoorsman. He enjoyed rock and ice climbing, kayaking, backpacking and other backcountry activities. When not in military training during summers at college, he worked as an Outward Bound instructor.

Survivors include his wife of four years, Heather Shade of Twentynine Palms, Calif.; his parents, Doris and Harry Wetherbee of McLean; his brother, Navy Lt. Donald G. Wetherbee of Virginia Beach; and his grandparents, Donald and Virginia Wetherbee of McLean.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37142-2004Sep20.html


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Report: Al-Zarqawi group beheads American hostage
CIA: Terrorist leader's voice heard on video of previous killing
Tuesday, September 21, 2004 Posted: 5:09 PM EDT (2109 GMT)


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A group loyal to terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has beheaded a second American, according to a report posted Tuesday on an Islamist Web site.

The report identified the American as Jack Hensley, a resident of a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia.

U.S. government officials said they have told Hensley's family of the report, but the government has not been able to confirm that Hensley was killed.

The report of Hensley's killing came a day after the same Web site posted video that showed the killing of his American colleague, Eugene "Jack" Armstrong, who was also beheaded.

Armstrong was kidnapped September 16, along with Hensley and Briton Kenneth Bigley.

Al-Zarqawi's group had a stern message for President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

"The Muslim blood is not water and the honor of Muslim women won't go to waste. Bush, eat your heart out, and Blair may you cry with tears of blood. God is great. Glory be to him, his prophet and the faithful," the message said.

The captors have demanded the release of female prisoners held by the U.S. military in two Iraqi prisons.

U.S. officials have said there are no women in the prisons, but two "high-value" female prisoners are being held at an undisclosed location. (Full story)

The group said it killed Hensley after a 24-hour deadline passed without its demands being met. It said the Web site would soon post the video of the beheading, "God willing."

"Thank God, the lions of the Tawhid and Jihad have slaughtered the second American hostage at the expiration of the set deadline," the message said. "The British hostage will face the same fate unless the British government does what's necessary to free him."

Hensley's wife, Patricia, had made repeated pleas for her husband's life and the lives of his two colleagues.

"These were three gentlemen who had absolutely no agenda other than to enrich the lives of the people they were there to help, and to take their lives would serve no real purpose," she said in a Monday interview.

The men were working on Iraqi reconstruction projects for Gulf Supplies and Commercial Services, a company based in the Middle East.

Before the report of the second killing Tuesday, Bush -- meeting with interim Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, said, "We all stand in solidarity with the [remaining] American that is now being held captive."

Allawi, sitting next to Bush, said, "The barbaric action of yesterday is really unbelievable."

After analysis of Monday's beheading video, a CIA official said there is "high confidence" the voice on the tape is al-Zarqawi's, a Jordanian-born terrorist leader who has ties to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network.

The CIA routinely conducts a technical analysis of tapes made public by terrorists, and compares the voice with other samples known to be the person in question.

The voice on the tape "matches" that of al-Zarqawi on other recordings, the official said.

In London, Bigley's brother, Philip Bigley, has asked Blair to take action.

"We feel absolutely helpless," Philip Bigley said.

"We do not have the power to save Ken's life. ... The only person we can now beg to help us is the prime minister. Who else can we ask? There is nobody."

A spokesman in Britain's Foreign Office said Foreign Secretary Jack Straw had spoken with the Bigley family "three or four times, once this morning," but would not go into any details.

Asked about the family's plea for government intervention, the spokesman said that "the government would not change its stance. We do not negotiate with terrorists." U.S. policy is the same.

The group Unification and Jihad, believed to be led by al-Zarqawi, claimed responsibility for killing Hensley and Armstrong. The same group has said it beheaded U.S. businessman Nicholas Berg, South Korean translator Kim Sun-il and two Bulgarian hostages.

Speaking earlier Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said Armstrong's death "shows you the nature of the people we are dealing with."

"They are murderers, terrorists who don't want to see the Iraqi people live in peace and freedom and don't want to see their country rebuilt on a democratic base," Powell said.

CNN's Caroline Faraj, Thaira al-Hilli, Bassem Muhy, Faris Qasira and Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/09/21/iraq.beheading/index.html

Ellie

[thedrifter]

.S. Marines bide time in Fallujah
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Rajiv Chandrasekaran
The Washington Post
Updated: 12:40 a.m. ET Sept. 21, 2004

FALLUJAH, Iraq - From the porthole of his bunker just outside the city, U.S. Marine Capt. Jeff Stevenson could see no more than the first few rows of brick-and-concrete homes along Fallujah's urban fringe as he squinted into the setting desert sun. But his obscured view was enough to sense trouble.

A half-dozen houses were flattened. Others were punched with tank rounds. Each of them, Stevenson said, had been used by insurgents to fire at his bunker, which is fortified with dirt-filled mesh barriers.

Iraqi police officers and National Guardsmen, who should have been patrolling the streets, were nowhere to be found. A dusty pile of canvas 100 yards away provided the only reminder of the Fallujah Brigade, the now-disbanded Iraqi security force that was supposed to restore order here. The canvas had been one of brigade's tents. It was gunned down after several members took potshots at Stevenson's men.

"Fallujah has become a cancer," declared Stevenson, echoing a metaphor used by several senior U.S. commanders in Iraq.

A collection of anti-American forces -- former Baath Party loyalists, Islamic extremists and foreign militants -- have been expanding their presence in Fallujah since the Marines withdrew from positions in the city in April and handed over responsibility for security to the Fallujah Brigade. According to U.S. military officials and residents, the insurgents have since taken over the local government, co-opted and cowed Iraqi security forces, and turned the area into a staging ground for terrorist attacks in Baghdad, located about 35 miles to the east.

But the U.S. military command in Iraq is in no hurry to order the Marines back into the city. Officers such as Stevenson, a tall Californian whose unit, the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Marine Regiment, would be among the front-line forces in an offensive, are biding their time in bunkers and observation posts outside Fallujah. Most of their days are spent keeping a highway around the city free of roadside bombs.

Instead of sending Marines charging into Fallujah as they did in April - a move that radicalized residents and drew scores of fighters from outside Iraq to join the battle - U.S. commanders said they want to wait until Iraq's new army is large enough, and trained enough, to assume a leading role in retaking the city.

'Side by side'

"It doesn't do any good for us to go in and clean it up if it's a pure United States or coalition operation," said Lt. Gen. John F. Sattler of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, the top commander responsible for Fallujah and the rest of western Iraq. "We need Iraqi security forces with us. We need to be side by side when we move in, so that when it is said and done, when you open your door the next day and look out, there's an Iraqi policeman, an Iraqi National Guardsman, an Iraqi soldier on your street."

Sattler's predecessor, Lt. Gen. James T. Conway, who relinquished his command earlier this month, insisted that "the Marines we have there now could crush the city and be done with business in four days."

"But that's not what we're going to do," Conway said. Since the handover of sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government in late June, he added, Fallujah "is an Iraqi problem. If there is an attack on the anti-Iraqi forces that inhabit the city, it will be done almost exclusively by Iraqis."

If Iraqi forces take the lead in an offensive, the commanders said they hope that many residents would opt not to fight. That strategy could also deprive insurgent leaders of one of their most potent recruiting messages: that Fallujah needs to be defended against an onslaught of American forces. One Marine officer said the U.S. goal is "to split the city, to get the good people of the city on one side and the terrorists on the other."

Marine officials said they hope to follow the strategy employed in Najaf last month, when a combination of U.S. and Iraqi forces pressured militiamen loyal to a rebel *****e cleric, Moqtada Sadr, to vacate a religious shrine. Sadr eventually agreed to a peace deal that called for U.S. troops to withdraw from the city and for newly minted Iraqi army troops to patrol the area. U.S. Marine commanders expressed optimism that a joint U.S.-Iraqi force, employing Iraqi units from outside the city, might eventually succeed in pacifying Fallujah. When Marines withdrew from the city after a three-week offensive in April, they relied on the Fallujah Brigade, made up of local members of the old Iraqi army, to restore order. Instead, the unit melted into the insurgency.

In an interview earlier this month, Conway said he did not believe that the assault on Fallujah, which he said he was ordered to carry out in April after four American security contractors were murdered and mutilated there, was the best course of action. Instead, Conway said he favored targeted operations against insurgents and continued engagement with municipal leaders.

"We felt like we had a method that we wanted to apply to Fallujah: that we ought to probably let the situation settle before we appeared to be attacking out of revenge," he said. The offensive, he added, further radicalized a restive city, leading many residents to support the insurgents. "When we were told to attack Fallujah, I think we certainly increased the level of animosity that existed," he said.

Iraqi troops lacking

A U.N. Security Council resolution gives the U.S. military the freedom to conduct military operations as it sees fit in Iraq. But American commanders and diplomats in Baghdad have said they would not mount a major operation in Fallujah without the consent of Iraq's interim government. Senior Iraqi officials said it was highly unlikely that they would endorse military action that did not include a large contingent of Iraqi forces.

But it could take until the end of the year for enough Iraqi forces to be trained and equipped for a full-scale assault on Fallujah. There are only six Iraqi army battalions in service, each with about 700 soldiers, three of which are deployed in Najaf. Six more battalions are supposed to be trained by the end of October. By the end of January, U.S. officials hope to have 27 trained and deployed Iraqi battalions.

A senior U.S. military commander in Baghdad said there are not enough Iraqi troops available between now and the end of October. "We're in kind of a window of vulnerability . . . because we don't have the capacity to do the things we know we need to do," he said.

The senior commander, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Fallujah and the city of Samarra, an enclave 65 miles north of Baghdad where U.S. forces have avoided a decisive battle with insurgents, do not have to be pacified before national elections can be held in January. More important to quell, he said, were insurgencies in provincial capitals, such as Baqubah, about 35 miles northeast of the capital, and Ramadi, 60 miles to the west of Baghdad.

"Candidly, Fallujah and Samarra don't necessarily make the list," the senior commander said. "They're not provincial capitals. They're not major cultural centers."

While the U.S. military intends to intensify a joint campaign with Iraqi forces to attack insurgents by the end of the year, the effort likely will initially focus on small cities, the commander said. "Do you go right to Fallujah?" he said. "It's a big chunk to bite off. Can you isolate it and let it fester for a while?"

Some Marine officers in Fallujah contend that waiting for Iraqi forces to get trained will give the insurgents time to recruit new members, harden their defenses and plot new attacks. Among the insurgent ringleaders believed to be in or near Fallujah is Abu Musab Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born organizer of a string of car bombings, kidnappings and other attacks on U.S. and Iraqi security forces. He is one of the U.S. military's most-wanted men in Iraq.

"We need to take out that rat's nest," said one senior Marine officer in Fallujah, who spoke on condition of anonymity because his views contradict those of his commanders. "The longer we wait, the stronger they get."

That view is shared by a small cadre of Fallujah residents eager to end the hostilities and open the city to U.S.-funded reconstruction projects. "If they invade Fallujah now, it will be better," said Khamis Hassnawi, the city's senior tribal leader. "Every day that passes, the resistance increases. Their numbers increase. Their power increases."

Although the main road from Fallujah to Baghdad is blocked off by Marines, every other route into the city is open, allowing insurgents free passage to other parts of western Iraq and Baghdad. On most days, there are no checkpoints to search cars leaving Fallujah, where U.S. intelligence officials believe many car bombs are assembled.

U.S. military officers said that placing the city in a vise could lead Zarqawi's followers and other foreign fighters to flee to other parts of Iraq, making it harder to track their movements. The officers said that in the current situation, in which the insurgents remain in the city, the military can rely on informants, reconnaissance drones and spy satellites to target them with airstrikes, which have occurred with increasing frequency.

continued..........

[thedrifter]

"Zarqawi has massed his folks there and he is presenting targets for us on a regular basis," the senior military official in Baghdad said. "It's a heck of a lot easier to target the Zarqawi network when we see groups of 15 or 20 having a meeting in Fallujah than it is when we see three- to four-man cells spread out all over Iraq."

Conflicting casualty counts

Col. John Coleman, the chief of staff for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, estimated that hundreds of insurgents have been killed in airstrikes over the past several weeks in Fallujah.

Since Thursday, U.S. forces have conducted four airstrikes on what have been described as targets associated with Zarqawi's network in and around the city. Among them was a housing compound in an agricultural area about 15 miles south of Fallujah where the U.S. military said as many as 90 foreign fighters were meeting. The military said the strike, which occurred on Thursday evening, killed about 60 foreign fighters.

Witnesses and hospital officials disputed the account, saying that about 30 men were killed, many of them Iraqi. They said 15 children and 11 women also died in the attack.

Neither version of the strike could be independently verified.

The following night, the U.S. military said in a statement that it conducted "another successful precision strike" on a meeting of "approximately 10 Zarqawi terrorists" in central Fallujah. "There was no indication that any innocent civilians were in the immediate vicinity of the meeting location," the military said in the statement.

Neighbors interviewed by an Iraqi journalist working for The Washington Post described a different outcome. They said six people were killed: two foreign fighters meeting in the targeted house and a family of four - a father, mother and two children - living next door.

"The civilians are caught in the middle," said Rihab Aloosi, the director of the Fallujah Women's Center. "The U.S. forces don't give mercy to anyone and the holy warriors don't respect the houses and the families inside."

Competing agendas

U.S. commanders said they believe the near-daily targeting of foreign fighters is starting to create fissures among insurgents in Fallujah. Initially, the outsiders were welcomed by the Mujaheddin Shura Council, an 18-member group of clerics, tribal sheiks and former Baath Party members who effectively run the city and elements of the insurgency. But now, many Fallujah residents appear to be growing weary of Zarqawi's followers, according to residents interviewed by telephone.

Zarqawi's agenda appears to extend well beyond the goal of residents, who want to keep U.S. forces out of the city. He and his supporters have turned the city into a base for wider attacks, particularly against Iraqi officials and security forces. His loyalists, many of whom adhere to the strict Salafi school of Islam, also have attempted to instill hard-line social restrictions, demanding that women cover their hair and hectoring men for not growing beards. Although Fallujah is a deeply religious city, many residents follow mystical Sufi beliefs, such as praying by the graves of relatives, which Salafis regard as blasphemous.

In what may be the strongest sign of tension between residents and foreigners, the head of the Shura Council, Abdullah Janabi, who had invited foreigners to the city in April, issued a statement on Friday calling Zarqawi a "criminal."

"We don't need Zarqawi to defend our city," said Janabi, who sought to draw a distinction between what he called "Iraqi resistance fighters" and foreign fighters engaged in a campaign against Iraq's infrastructure, foreign civilians and Iraqi security forces. "The Iraqi resistance is something and the terrorism is something else. We don't kidnap journalists and we don't sabotage the oil pipelines and the electric power stations. We don't kill innocent Iraqis. We resist the occupation."

Zarqawi's actions, Janabi said, have "harmed the resistance and made it lose the support of people."

Residents have reported skirmishes between residents and foreign fighters in recent weeks. The fighting has broken out after residents, fearful of airstrikes, have sought to evict foreigners from their neighborhoods, the residents said.

A delegation from the Shura Council intends to travel to Baghdad this week for discussions with Iraqi government officials aimed at a negotiated settlement that would allow Iraqi security forces to enter the city, council members said. But two demands of the council - that non-Iraqi fighters loyal to the council be allowed to stay in Fallujah and that U.S. forces remain outside the city - could scuttle the talks. Iraqi government officials have expressed an unwillingness to permit foreign fighters or create exclusion zones for U.S. forces.

Marine commanders remain skeptical that negotiations will bring peace to the city. "In the end," Conway said, "there will be a fight in and around Fallujah."


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Monday, September 20, 2004

Lynnwood Marine killed in Iraq
21-year-old met his birth parents for first time before shipping out

By MIKE BARBER
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Shortly before he left for Iraq three months ago, 21-year-old Marine Cpl. Steven Rintamaki of Lynnwood met his birth parents for the first time and was welcomed into a seemingly vast extended family.

"He was so excited to learn he had a grandma -- two grandmas and a grandpa. He didn't have any on my side of the family," the young Marine's adoptive mother, Myra Rintamaki, recalled yesterday.

The soldier's long-lost brothers and sisters were as thrilled to discover him as he was to find them.

The plans they were hatching to grow old together, however, will instead be embodied in a memorial scholarship Myra Rintamaki plans to create.

It's the best way Rintamaki's newfound family can carry him with them now, for Rintamaki was killed Thursday in an explosion under hostile fire in al Anbar province in Iraq, she said.

"He just recently explored his brand-new relatives," Myra Rintamaki said. "I want all his brothers and sisters to have access to a U.S. Marine Corps memorial scholarship in his name."

The Defense Department said Rintamaki was in his fourth year in the Marine Corps, assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division based at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

A squad leader, Steven Rintamaki was driving a Humvee that came under attack. At least two Marines with him were wounded, but few details of the incident were immediately available.

Rintamaki was the 49th person with ties to Washington state to die in Iraq since March 2003.



He was due to end his enlistment this year but instead volunteered to go to Iraq, thereby extending it, Myra Rintamaki said.

"He kept cool and calm in stressful situations. As a family, we were all pretty comfortable that if anyone survived and would do well in Iraq, that would be Steven," she said.

Myra Rintamaki, a single parent, learned her son was dead when she came home Saturday and saw two Marine officers standing at her door.

"You never want to be there," she said.

Rintamaki was given her son's Purple Heart medal. "It's not any consolation, but I think he showed a lot of valor," she said.

The last e-mail she received from her son was Sept. 13, when he wrote of Iraq nights "cooling" below 100 degrees to 75, and of plans to join a civilian security firm after his enlistment. He thought of working in Iraq as a civilian one more year to earn "big bucks."

A day later, the Marine's birth-sister, Tiarrah, 18, who Myra Rintamaki also adopted, received a letter full of big-brotherly advice. He advised her to set major life goals.

"He was a great big brother. He missed her graduation but was home to take her to the prom this year.

"She's taking this hard," Myra Rintamaki said.

Rintamaki adopted Steven when he was 8 months old and recalled him being fearless, curious and funny as a youngster. He so honed his sense of humor in the Marines that she thought he ought to try stand-up comedy.

Getting him through high school had been difficult. "It was not his forte," Rintamaki said. Her son attended several schools before focusing on a degree through independent study so he could enlist in the Marines before his 18th birthday.

"Steven was someone who liked taking risks as a child, who was very bright and always looking for a challenge, and he met his match in the Marines," she said.

Rintamaki said her son found fulfillment in the service, becoming a mentor to younger Marines.

"Because he had challenges in his life, he was able to help other young Marines he was responsible for see and understand what their own challenges were," she said.

His birth family is from the Seattle-Tacoma area. They're now pulling together to lay him to rest.

Arrangements for a funeral with full military honors remained incomplete yesterday.

The list of survivors include not only Myra Rintamaki and the Marine's sisters, Tiarrah and Lindsay, and Lindsay's husband, but the Marine's biological mother, Stacie Swinson, her family, and his biological dad, Tim Tipps, and his family.

"They were all just getting to know him, and they loved him," Myra Rintamaki said.

P-I reporter Mike Barber can be reached at 206-448-8018 or mikebarber@seattlepi.com

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/191549_marinekilled20.html


Ellie