Marines sharpen mind, body, spirit

[thedrifter]

Marines sharpen mind, body, spirit
Submitted by: 1st Marine Division
Story Identification #: 200492734016
Story by Cpl. Randy Bernard



CAMP RIPPER, Iraq (Sep. 24, 2004) -- Marines of 3rd Amphibious Assault Battalion are effective combatants aboard their armored vehicles, now they are sharpening their skills in hand-to-hand combat.

A handful of the Marines are working to better their knowledge in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program. Cpl. Kyle J. Southwick, a crew chief with Company B, 3rd AAB, also serves as their martial arts instructor during the down-time of packing up for re-deployment to California.

"Right now we have a lot of time, so I have all the time in the world to teach," said Southwick, 24, from Kennewick, Wash. Southwick believes that although training for the next belt may not help Marines pick up the next rank, it demonstrates their initiative to go through professional development and speaks about their dedication to the Marine Corps and themselves.

So far, Southwick has advanced six Marines in his platoon to gray belt, and he is in the process of training five more. Before the Marines head home in three weeks, Southwick hopes to have the entire platoon at the level of gray belt.

Southwick wears an instructor tab on his green belt, although the position of a martial arts instructor came to him by chance.

"Back in the rear (at Camp Pendleton), I got billeted as a barracks manager, and an instructor trainer asked if I wanted to be in his instructor's class," said Southwick. "I thought it would be kind of cool. I didn't really think it would happen, but the opportunity came and I grabbed it."

Southwick said he was the new face in the battalion and was still finding his place in the group. A role as a MCMAP instructor was just the thing that he was looking for. Now he would be able to make Marines into better Marines.

A different color belt signifies advancement in the program, knowledge of offensive and defensive moves and mental development. The Marines are given classes to sharpen their knowledge of military and Marine Corps history.

"We get to hear stories about the Marine Raiders and lessons on honor, courage and commitment," said Lance Cpl. Louie D. Roybal, a welder with Company B. " It really boosts our morale up 100 percent."

"I like learning about the history of the Marine Corps," said Lance Cpl. Dustin R. Hansen, a crewman with Company B. "I also like learning about different cultures like the samurai who used martial arts, and how (MCMAP) applies those styles to our own."

The Marines in Southwick's class appreciate the overall development that the classes offer.

"I think that all Marines should advance themselves," said Hansen, 20, from Middleton, Idaho. "It makes you a better Marine and it teaches you how to better defend yourself."

"I've gotten a lot more respect for the things we do," said Roybal, 25, from Santa Clarita, Calif. "I've also gotten a lot more respect for the Marine Corps.
These classes instill pride in what I do."

Advancing to a new belt offers a new platform to grow from. Many of the Marines want to continue advancing through the program once they return to California.

"I look forward to going back and getting my green belt," said Roybal. "It's already sweeter to go home with a different belt than the one I got two years ago."

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/20049274035/$file/MCMAP3lr.jpg

Cpl. Kyle J. Southwick, a crew chief with 3rd Amphibious Assault Battalion, executes a maneuver to bring his opponent to the ground. A handful of Marines from Company B practice these moves in preparation for advancement to gray belt in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program.
Photo by Cpl. Randy L. Bernard Photo by: Cpl. Randy Bernard

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/2FD49538A6DD530985256F1C002A23B9?opendocument

Ellie

[thedrifter]

ORANGE COUNTY
Marines Receive a Warm Welcome
Battalion with the highest casualty rate in Iraq comes home. The parents of those killed also greet troops.

By Tony Perry, Times Staff Writer


CAMP PENDLETON — Unified by their grief, the four parents of dead sons felt compelled to be at this Marine base early Friday morning.

Sheila Cobb came from Tampa, Fla.; Sandra Aceves from Chula Vista; Mark Crowley from San Ramon in Northern California; and Diane Layfield from Fremont, also in Northern California.

All had sons killed in the Marines' months-long fight against insurgents in the Sunni Triangle city of Ramadi.

Tearful and determined, they wanted to be here when their sons' battalion returned home. Their sons were part of the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, which has suffered more casualties than any Marine battalion in Iraq: 35 dead, 180 wounded and scores injured.

Layfield knew it would be difficult to watch her son's buddies return safely to their loved ones. But she said the idea of staying away was unthinkable.

"I needed to be here to support the other families," she said between sobs. "These were my son's brothers, so they're my sons too. Travis would want me here."

Layfield and other members of her family wore T-shirts adorned with a picture of Lance Cpl. Travis Layfield, 19. On the shirt's back was the notation: "KIA, April 6, 2004, Al Anbar Province."

Crowley, wearing a T-shirt with a picture of his son, Lance Cpl. Kyle Crowley, embraced Maj. John Harrill, operations officer for the battalion known as the Magnificent Bastards.

"He was only 18 years old, just 10 months out of high school," said Crowley, haltingly. "I really hadn't finished raising him yet. There was so much that he and I were going to do."

Crowley, a sheet-metal worker, told Harrill that he would like to take him fishing. "Whenever you want," said Harrill.

Cobb carried a poster with pictures of her son, Pfc. Christopher Cobb, 23, and several other Marines.

The death of their sons had brought Cobb and Layfield together.

"Our sons were in the same Humvee," Cobb said. "My boy is dead, but I'm here to tell all the boys how much I love them."

After the buses brought the Marines here from March Reserve Air Force Base in Riverside, they unloaded quickly. Marines sought out Cobb, Layfield, Crowley and Aceves to embrace them, offer condolences and whisper private thoughts to them.

"I'm Doc Mendez's mother. That's how I want to be remembered forever," Aceves said. Her son, Fernando Mendez-Aceves, 27, a Navy medic, was killed while trying to save the life of a wounded Marine.

"I'm so proud of my son, I'm proud of all of them," she said. "I wanted to come and be sure these boys got home safely."

It was a morning of tears — mostly tears of gladness that a seven-month ordeal was finally over, seven months when family members were terrified that every phone call and every knock on the door might bring the dreaded news.

"You're always on edge. It never leaves you, never," said Bruce Groves, a warehouse employee in Ridgecrest and father of Lance Cpl. Bill Groves, 20.

"You live day-by-day, prayer-by-prayer," said Pam Arneson of Janesville, Wis., whose son is Lance Cpl. Gregg Arneson, 19.

"It was hell," said Paula West, whose husband is Sgt. Dustin West, 33.

As the casualties mounted, family members began to exist in a perpetual twilight.

"It's like your son has a terminal illness and you're just waiting each day to see if this is the day he's going to die," said Connie Moore of Waxahachie, Texas, mother of Sgt. Eric Smith, 22.

For the Groves, Arneson, West and Moore-Smith families, the news was good, and there was talk of reunions, steak dinners and trips back home where more family members, in some cases entire communities, await the Marines' return.

The presence of family members of the dead Marines may have added to the sense of relief among other families who gathered in the parking lot near regimental headquarters.

"My son's injuries weren't all that bad," said Kathy Moudy of Hayward, Calif., mother of Lance Cpl. Vincent Moudy, 19. "He was shot in the arm and fingers."

When the homecoming began to wind down, Layfield, who works for a children's book publisher, said she was glad she made the trip.

"After Travis was killed, I stayed away from people, I became a basket-case," she said quietly. "Today was good for me: to see they're all home. I just wish my son was with them."

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/orange/la-me-marines25sep25,1,6733218.story?coll=la-editions-orange

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Two Marines are gone but not forgotten
Submitted by: 1st Marine Division
Story Identification #: 2004922103819
Story by Lance Cpl. Graham Paulsgrove



CAMP SNAKE PIT, Iraq (Sept. 19, 2004) -- "They gave the ultimate sacrifice so others may live a better life," said Lt. Col. Randoll Newman.

Riflemen, Lance Cpl. Gregory Howman and Pfc. Jason Poindexter, with Company E, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, were killed in action while in contact with enemy insurgents.

"We come together to honor two of our fellow warriors who did their duty to the utmost and paid the ultimate sacrifice for it," said Newman, battalion commander, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. "There's probably no greater honor we can give than to forever remember that and conduct ourselves in a manner that reflects respect for that."

Howman, a Mecklenburg, N.C., native was killed Sept. 16. He is survived by his father, Gary Howman and nine siblings and was known as a fearless leader.

"He was fearless, unhesitant, willing and professional, and he died doing his job as well as any Marine has or ever will," said Cpl. Eugene Harper, a team leader with 1st Platoon, Company E, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. "He will be with us and watching over us while we are on patrol, on post, in trucks or on rooftops. He will be missed by all."

"As a leader, he was the perfect Marine," said 2nd Lt. Nathan Kurland, 1st Platoon commander with Company E, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. "He never complained about anything and he always did what he was told, even with a big goofy smile on his face. More importantly, members of 1st Platoon knew him as a friend."

Poindexter, a Green Tom, Texas, native was killed Sept. 12. He is survived by his parents, Sharon Westbrooke and Samuel Poindexter, and was known as a good man.

"I will always remember Poindexter because he had the biggest heart out of anybody I have ever known," said Lance Cpl. Brian Marren, a rifleman with Company E, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine regiment, 1st Marine Division.

"I once asked him why he joined the Marine Corps, and his answered surprised me. He didn't join for God and country, it wasn't because of 9/11, he did it simply to set a good example for his brother," said 2nd Lt. Ryan Schramel, 2nd Platoon commander with Company E, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. "That was simply the type of man Pfc. Poindexter was. He was a good man, and a damn fine Marine."

They did their job honorably, paving the way for a future of stability and freedom in Iraq, their sacrifice will not be forgotten.

"The enemy has struck our heart but has only strengthened our will to fight," said Harper. "Let us go on now, with our heads up and do our jobs because that is what they would want us to do. We owe them our best efforts to honor their sacrifice."

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2004922105645/$file/2-5Memorial15lr.jpg

pair of dog tags hangs on each rifle belonging to two Marines who have fallen in the line of duty. Lance Cpl. Gregory Howman was killed by enemy fire Sept. 16 and Pfc. Jason Poindexter was killed by enemy fire Sept. 12. A memorial ceremony was held for the two Marines Sept. 19 at Camp Snake Pit, Iraq.
(Official USMC photo by SSgt. Nathaniel Garcia)
Photo by: SSgt. Nathaniel Garcia

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/1879E6447F22C47F85256F17005069E9?opendocument


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Pallets of blessing bound for Iraq's needy children
Submitted by: MCB Camp Pendleton
Story Identification #: 2004923195249
Story by Lance Cpl. J. C. Guibord



CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq (Sept. 23, 2004) -- Call it the kinder side of the war effort.

While Marines combat anti-Iraqi forces, I Marine Expeditionary Force chaplains distribute pallets worth of books, toys and various other donated goods to combat poverty throughout the Al Anbar Province.

"Project Handclasp is a unique organization that allows American service personnel to act as ambassadors of good will," said M. Charles Tevelson, director of Project Handclasp. "I feel honored that Project Handclasp is able to make a contribution of this magnitude."

Since its inception in 1962, the program has received humanitarian, educational and goodwill material from individuals, service organizations, religious organizations and industry throughout the United States. Major donors include Johnson & Johnson and the Catholic Daughters of America. The project relies on Navy ships to get the donated items to needy people worldwide. Deployed sailors and Marines distribute most of the goods.

In Iraq, I MEF Headquarters Group chaplain Cmdr. Emilio Morrero requested support from Project Hand Clasp. The project responded with 75 pallets - or $50,000 worth - of aid for the region.

The pallets are packed with books for schoolchildren and adults, sewing machines, medical supplies, stuffed animals, friendship bags and writing and copier paper.

"We have soccer balls, we have sewing machines, and even Tylenol for children, and an array of different things to try to meet a need in a local community," Morrero said, adding that far more is coming from the project.

"Through Project Hand Clasp, we can show up initially and make a direct impact - leave them something ... that reminds them that we were there, that reminds them that we care, that we will be back, and we're going to be true to our word and be true to these promises we made them."

I MEF Marines will continue these humanitarian missions throughout their stay here, he said.

"One of our ultimate goals here is to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people, and this is one concrete way for us to do this," the chaplain said.

Unit chaplains participating in Project Handclasp include Navy Capt. Richard R. Gates of the 1st Force Service Support Group; Cmdr. Bill D. Devine of the 1st Marine Division; and Navy Capt. Donald F. Lerow of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.

For more information on the project, call (619) 532-1492.


http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2004923202636/$file/kidsN-toys7_RJtn.jpg

Children in a small village on the outskirts of Fallujah play with stuffed animals donated by Project Handclasp and delivered by Marines with the 3rd Civil Affairs Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force Command Element, and 24th Marine Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. Photo by: Lance Cpl. J.C. Guibord

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/0BC72D74292FA09285256F1800832DB1?opendocument


Ellie

[thedrifter]

New I MEF commander visits Al Asad
Submitted by: 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing
Story Identification #: 20049247958
Story by Cpl. Joel A. Chaverri



AL ASAD, Iraq (Sept. 18, 2004) -- Information was exchanged and insights were gained when the new commanding general of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force visited troops here Sept. 18.

Since assuming control of I MEF recently at a change of command ceremony in Fallujah, Iraq, Lt. Gen. John F. Sattler has been traveling throughout the country to evaluate the operations of his new unit.

During his visit, Sattler received intelligence briefs from various units in order to get a full assessment of the mission and tempo of the air base.

Shortly after taking command, Sattler assured his predecessor, Lt. Gen. James T. Conway, that he would do everything in his power to protect the troops.

"Gen. Conway, I accept the challenge and I promise to take care of your Marines, Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen," said Sattler.

According to Sattler, it's important that a leader know the pulse of his troops, which is why his visit to Al Asad came so soon following his appointment as I MEF CG.

Despite maintaining a hectic schedule during his visit here, Sattler still took the time to visit with individual Marines serving aboard the air base. Climbing to the top of a perimeter guard tower here, he greeted Marines standing post, as well as spoke to Marines working at the flight line later in the day.

In accordance with Sattler's philosophy on waging the war on terror, it's important that he know as much as possible about what goes on within his area of responsibility.

"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," he noted in Fallujah during the I MEF change of command ceremony.

Despite maintaining a hectic schedule during his visit, Sattler was still able to take time to visit with individual Marines serving aboard the air base. Climbing to the top of a perimeter guard tower here, he greeted Marines standing post, as well as spoke to Marines working at the flight line.

According to Pvt. Daniel J. Lookner, expeditionary airfield systems technician, Marine Wing Support Squadron 472, Marine Wing Support Group 37, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, having the commanding general visit was a unique experience.

"I've only been here for a month," said the 19-year-old native of Princeton, N.J., "and I've already had the opportunity to shake the hand of the (I MEF) commanding general."

The general's trip here may not be the last time the young Marine gets to see the I MEF CG according to Sattler, who plans to revisit Al Asad periodically in the future to spend time with his warriors.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2004924103652/$file/040918-M-2789C-002-SattlerLR.jpg

Lt. Gen. John F. Sattler (center), commanding general, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, spends time with Marines performing perimeter security duty in a tower at Al Asad, Iraq, Sept. 18. The new I MEF commander's visit to the air base was conducted in order to give him a feel for the operations being conducted and the needs of his Marines, Sailors, Airmen and Soldiers serving there. Photo by: Cpl. Joel A. Chaverri

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/74DB9DDEF8BE8F7985256F19003D5669?opendocument


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Watchful guards keep Iraqi air base secure <br />
Submitted by: 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing <br />
Story Identification #: 200492795759 <br />
Story by Cpl. Joel A. Chaverri <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
AL ASAD, Iraq (Sept. 23, 2004) -- The...

[thedrifter]

Nation & World
Sending in the 'Shahwanis'
U.S. Marines build their own Iraqi militia to help them go against the insurgents
By Ilana Ozernoy

CAMP FALLUJAH, IRAQ--On the outskirts of this U.S. Marine base in hostile Anbar province west of Baghdad, an Iraqi military chant in Arabic cuts through the hazy stillness of the afternoon. "I'm a bayonet, and my strike is hard! I'm ready for death, not for shame!" shout a group of Iraqi men in military garb, their arms swinging and knees pumping to the beat of the song as they march in haphazard formation. "We're the Iraqi marines!" declares one of their officers, a 39-year-old man calling himself Major Haidr. "We're the Specialized Special Forces."

What makes this force really special is not that they are trained to rappel from helicopters or shoot with sniper precision, but that they are, effectively, an Iraqi militia under American command. U.S. Marine commanders hope the Iraqi force will bolster their units' strength in an area where the key to finding the enemy may be simply knowing whom to ask. "We're up against a country where we don't speak their language and don't know their culture," says U.S. Marine Capt. Jason Vose, 31, who works with the new Iraqi militia. These Iraqis, he says, "can go and identify the problems and the bad guys. They're sent into mosques that we can't go into. We've had them on the border; we've had them in Fallujah. And they just perform."

That's more than can be said of Iraq's regular security forces--the Army, National Guard, and police--whose training has been problematic and whose performance has been, even charitably put, discouraging. The lack of trained, reliable Iraqi forces is a major hurdle to U.S. hopes to put an Iraqi face on a major military offensive against insurgents before the elections still planned for January. In the meantime, however, the stakes are rising, with insurgents seemingly emboldened by their refuges in towns like Fallujah, effectively a no-go zone for the U.S. Marines.

Switching sides. The Marines call their allied Iraqi militiamen "Shahwanis," after their founder, Gen. Mohammed Shahwani, the recently appointed head of Iraqi intelligence, who fled Iraq in 1990 and was a key figure (along with current Prime Minister Ayad Allawi) in the unsuccessful 1996 CIA-backed coup against Saddam Hussein. After then occupation chief Paul Bremer disbanded the Iraqi Army--a decision now widely viewed as a mistake that left a large pool of angry, disaffected Iraqis--Shahwani rounded up a few ousted Army generals and a group of former special forces instructors and last spring united them with U.S. Marines looking for a creative solution to handling the violent Anbar province. Now 700 strong, this force falls under the command of the U.S. Marines, not Iraq's Defense Ministry. "A lot of guys," Vose says, "see them as the Marine Corps's militia."

The Iraqis are recruited by existing Shahwani members and vetted by their commanding general, not by U.S. forces. The marines show still more trust in their Shahwani sidekicks by not making them check their weapons at night, a requirement for other Iraqi security forces working alongside the U.S. military. And the pay, about $500 a month, is twice that of members of the Iraqi National Guard.

Previous efforts by the U.S. military to arm and train Iraqi security forces produced lackluster results. Too scared or defiant to fight, many Iraqi National Guard and New Iraqi Army soldiers put down their arms midbattle. Last April, after U.S. Marines pulled out of Fallujah, they installed the so-called Fallujah Brigade to keep law and order--but it was dismantled after the local members were found to be aiding and arming the insurgency. "We were basically paying and securing terrorists for two months," says Marine 1st Lt. Zachary Iscol, who commands forward operating base India, where a company of Shahwanis lives and trains. "It's difficult to ask someone to fight against their brother or cousin, and one of the reasons the Shahwani have been so successful is that they're not being asked to do that."

Loyalties. According to U.S. Marine officers, because of their value in the battlefield, the newly minted Shahwanis are in hot demand. "It is the greatest thing since sliced bread," Vose says. "Every unit is beginning to get the Specialized Special Forces embedded with them." Even the Army has made a request to integrate the Shahwanis into its repertoire, but the Shahwanis say they are loyal to their Marine benefactors; so far, they've refused to work with anyone else.

In Baghdad, U.S. military commanders have been wary of supporting militias outside the control of Iraq's interim government. How (and whether) the Shahwanis will integrate into Iraq's security forces remains to be seen. Once the Marines pull out, the Shahwanis could turn out to be just another group of armed, ex-Mukhabarat (secret police) thugs. But marines say success in this experiment could be instrumental in establishing law and order in the no-go zones. Col. John Coleman, chief of staff for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, says, "Our meal ticket home is an apparatus that doesn't realize our absence when we're no longer here."

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/041004/usnews/4marines_2.htm


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Issue Date: September 27, 2004

War-tested leaders offer Iraq insights
Officers testify as lawmakers clash over war

By Rick Maze
Times staff writer


In a congressional hearing with strong election-year overtones, five battle-tested commanders told the House Armed Services Committee that U.S. troops, particularly young leaders, are performing admirable work in Iraq under tough conditions, but with support from the vast majority of the Iraqi people.
Taking place Sept. 8, just as Congress returned from a six-week summer break that featured the party nominating conventions and increasingly bitter debate over President Bush’s Iraq policy, testimony from the Army and Marine officers was intended by Republican lawmakers to bolster support for Bush’s policy. Democrats, on the other hand, used the hearing to try to show the policy was putting troops in increasing jeopardy.

The commanders, meanwhile, tried to stay out of the line of fire.

Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md., tried to get them to complain that the American news media, both print and broadcast, focuses only on negative aspects of the mission and that Iraqi opposition to the presence of U.S. troops is overblown.

Army Col. Michael Linnington, a member of the Joint Staff and a former brigade commander with the 101st Airborne Division during deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, said only that the focus on fatalities and the insurgents causing them is understandable.

“Loss of any soldier is significant. ... It will dominate the news and it should,” Linnington said.

“It is the shipwrecks that make the news,” added Marine Lt. Col. Bryan McCoy, who commanded 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, in Iraq, where he served two tours.

“I have not seen any good-news stories about what our soldiers, Marines and sailors are doing,” said Marine Capt. Morgan Savage, a former company commander with 3/4.

Savage, now an academics officer at Officer Candidates School at Quantico, Va., also did two deployments in Iraq. He said good things are happening on a daily basis involving U.S. troops and Iraqis that are not widely known.

Army Capt. Patrick Costello, who headed a 101st Airborne Division air defense unit before being reassigned to handle emergency services because that was a more pressing mission, said he stopped watching the news since returning to the United States because he finds it distorted.

Costello said that by his estimate, about 90 percent of the Iraqi people are happy the United States remains in Iraq but the news concentrates on insurgents and seems to show 90 percent oppose continued U.S. presence.

Rep. Joel Hefley, R-Colo., who chaired the hearing, said the idea of calling in commanders to testify was to focus on “the selfless work of the American military in Iraq.”

“Some may think this is merely another attempt to justify war in Iraq,” Hefley said. “I happen to personally believe that the American people are safer with Saddam Hussein out of power and in jail.”

While others might disagree, Hefley said, he hoped there was bipartisan agreement that the “vast majority” of U.S. troops “are answering their country’s call to service with bravery, dedication, integrity and honor.”

He made that point because congressional hearings have been, and continue to, focus on alleged abuses of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. forces.

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story.php?f=1-MARINEPAPER-344886.php


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Scars, experience tell tales



by Cpl. Randy Bernard
1st Marine Division


AL QAIM, Iraq -- Getting hit by an Improvised Explosive Device or mine is a fear every Marine carries with him to the battlefield. Getting hit twice is almost unthinkable.

Cpl. James E. Hammock Jr., a driver with Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, has faced these hidden dangers on two separate occasions and lived to talk about it.

Before heading to Iraq, Hammock was stationed in Rota, Spain as a Marine security guard. The 21-year-old native of Woodstock, Ga., provided ship security and augmented base security. Arriving in Iraq was an extreme change of surrounding for Hammock.

"It was a culture shock, I traveled all over Europe and then I came to Iraq. I went from the beautiful landscapes of Europe to the deserts of Iraq," said Hammock.

Hammock arrived in Iraq Feb 15, working with the Marines of Combined Anti-Armor Team Red. The Marines perform road security, vehicle checkpoints and patrols through the cities around Al Qaim. It was on one such patrol he earned his first battle scar.

"We were patrolling out to a city to go check out some broken pipes," said Hammock, recounting his first encounter with an IED. "We had slowed down to cross a bridge over the Euphrates and they set it off. When it went off, I couldn't feel my arm. The blast blew my arm back inside the vehicle. My arm was numb and it was swollen so I thought I had broken it."

Hammock said that once the smoke had settled, they saw a boat speeding off down the river, leading them to believe that the IED had been remotely detonated from the water. Once the corpsman began to work on his arm, thoughts began to race through Hammock's mind.

"I wasn't worried about losing my life at the time, I was more worried about losing my arm," Hammock said.

Once he was sufficiently bandaged, Hammock was sent back to a hospital in Germany for further treatment and given time to recuperate. From there, he was sent back to 29 Palms, Calif.

Hammock soon grew restless back in the rear.

"I volunteered to come back out here," Hammock said. "It was worse being home, I worried about the guys out here doing patrols."

Hammock was concerned about his friends more than his own personal safety.

"As far as coming back, I wasn't worried, I knew where I was going and who I was coming back to," Hammock added.

"We thought we wouldn't see him again, and five months later, he came stumbling in all sweaty and asked if someone could help him with his pack," said Lance Cpl. Seth E. Williams, a machine gunner with CAAT Red. "He is a good guy. If there was a mission, he would always be motivated and want to go."

Williams added that although Hammock was always willing to go, he now carried twice as much medical gear with him.

After coming back to Iraq for only a matter of weeks, Hammock was again the victim of an IED attack.

"We were patrolling through Ubaydi and we turned a corner when they set off a daisy chain of IED's," said Hammock. "The first and second blasts went off, and nobody was hurt. We turned around and the third went off. The blast peppered my face and my side."

Hammock received only small scratches and wounds from the blast but he didn't panic. He was more frustrated than anything about the incident.

"I knew I wasn't hurt bad, I could still talk and I was coherent. But I cussed up a storm because they blew me up again."

As soon as the dust had settled, Hammock re-manned his position on the gun, as the team resumed the mission.

Looking back on his experiences Hammock said that his time in Iraq was certainly unlike any other.

"It really wasn't that bad. We are doing more with our lives than any other civilian could," said Hammock. "It's a beautiful place out here, you just have to know where to look for it."

Although he now bears large scars across his right arm from his first injury, and the Purple Heart to go with it, Hammock is still glad he got a chance to serve in Iraq.

"The scars add character, shows you've been somewhere and done something," said Hammock. "I don't regret anything I've ever done, and I never will."

Hammock is scheduled to fly back to California by the end of September.

http://www.dcmilitary.com/marines/hendersonhall/newspics/1999_2w.jpg

Cpl. Randy Bernard
Cpl. James E. Hammock Jr., a driver with Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, shows off the scar on his arm caused by the first of his two incidents involving improvised explosive devices. The injury kept Hammock away from the fight from March until July, and then Hammock volunteered to come back to Iraq.

http://www.dcmilitary.com/marines/hendersonhall/9_37/features/31339-1.html


Ellie

[thedrifter]

For Echo, warm welcome home

By Michael Currie Schaffer

Inquirer Staff Writer


Inquirer photographer David Swanson was embedded with the Marines of Echo Company in the Sunni stronghold of Ramadi on April 6, when they endured three ambushes that cost the unit 10 men. His photographs of that bloody day and its aftermath were seen around the world.

On Friday, Swanson, camera in hand, joined Echo Company's families and friends at Camp Pendleton, Calif., to welcome the Marines home from the seven-month Iraq tour in which they lost 23 comrades in arms.

OCEANSIDE, Calif. - Echo Company marched up one last arid road Friday morning, a gently curving swath of Southern California Marine base that marked the final 100 yards of a long, brutal voyage.

Seven months and 23 deaths after shipping out, the Marines kept formation in the face of something that might make even the most disciplined warrior break ranks: A parking lot full of weepy mothers and almost-weepy fathers, jubilant wives, scantily dressed girlfriends and beer-toting brothers, decorated family dogs, and yet-unseen newborns, their signs, banners, balloons and windshield decals all welcoming their boys home from Iraq.

In April, Echo Company fought in one of the bloodiest engagements of the occupation so far, a brutal firefight in the Sunni stronghold of Ramadi that cost the company 10 lives in a single day.

Second Lt. John T. Wroblewski, Lance Cpl. Kyle Crowley, Pfc. Ryan Jerabek - those who had been lost were absent Friday, but on the minds of many as the families began gathering at dawn.

Then came the false alarms. A rumor spread that the company was 15 minutes away, only to dissipate as the early-morning hours ticked on. Another Marine company arrived, embraced loved ones, and melted happily away into the safe hills of Camp Pendleton.

The Echo families waited - Mike Stanley from Snyder, Texas, vowing to keep it together when he welcomed home his son Robert; Eddie Waechter from outside Dallas, toting a banner that cheered on his son Marcus, who survived an ambush that killed half his squad; Lana Adams, whose son Cody returned with a handful of other company members three weeks ago but who came today to welcome home the rest of his company, whose parents she befriended online as Echo endured one of the deadliest tours of duty Americans have faced in Iraq.

When the company finally was dismissed, a little after 9 a.m., with a salute and a whooping cheer, the waterworks opened up on both sides.

"I'm just so happy he's home," said Noemy Bernardino, 19, of San Diego, alternately kissing her husband, Jose, 20, and posing for pictures for friends. "I'm so glad he's safe. Just so glad. It's been hell these last seven months."

"I can't believe it," stammered Jose Bernardino, a Marine lance corporal.

That about summed it up. For the roughly 150 men of the 185-man company who returned Friday, the time to figure out what it meant to be fighting in Iraq and what it would mean to be back home in America would have to wait for another day. Homecoming was all about relief - the sudden flush of return that took away months of pent-up anxiety for Marine and family alike.

"It just makes you want to cry to see them," said Doug Jones, on hand to welcome home his son Chris. "Two of my son's best friends were killed."

"Relief," said Lance Cpl. Robert Stanley. "It just feels good."

The feeling extended to one of the most mobbed family members on hand to welcome the men home: Tiffany Hicks of Sunnyvale, Calif.

Officially, Hicks has no one in Echo Company. Her brother, Travis Layfield, was killed April 6 in Ramadi. In her anger and her grief, Hicks said, she had turned against her church and questioned the government that put her brother in harm's way for reasons she doesn't always understand.

"My son just said to the little friend he made, 'We don't have anyone to hug, because my uncle's never coming home,' " she said. "It just made me cry."

But Hicks said she had grown close to her brother's comrades and their families in the months since the ambush in which her brother died. She made the seven-hour trip to welcome them out of the same feeling of relief.

"I want to hug all of them if I can. I want to say thank you. They're serving their country. I tell them, 'You've got a sister now,' " Hicks said. "I'm just so glad for them."

All morning, the newly returned men approached her, stopping to huddle with her even as they exulted with their own families. "I've learned a lot about what happened," she said late in the morning, as the crowd thinned out. "I'm glad I came."

Even as some Marines tapped a keg of beer and others lit cigars, the company's wounds were never far away. Layfield was commemorated on T-shirts and in an airbrushed likeness on the back gate of his sister's pickup. Crowley was among those commemorated on a poster. Marcus Miguel Cherry's loved ones remembered him with buttons.

The walking wounded were there, too: Cpl. Nathan Appel, who lost a finger, and Lt. Ben Kaler, parts of his arm blown off by an improvised explosive device.

But as with every homecoming, the cycle of life also took center stage. Lt. Chris Kalafatis was greeted by a 2-week old baby he had never seen. And Lt. Tommy Cogan of Northeast Philadelphia sped away from Camp Pendleton with a friend to the San Diego hospital where his wife had just given birth to a girl.

Home since April, Appel said his comrades would have much to get used to as they readjust.

"One day you're getting shot at, the next day you're walking down the street," he said. "It's like a Star Trek movie."

Echo will be at Camp Pendleton for about two weeks, getting comfortable again with life in the States. Then company members will have a month of home leave.

In the future, of course, the company may head back to Iraq for another tour. No plans have been announced.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact staff writer Michael Currie Schaffer at 215-854-4565 or mcschaffer@phillynews.com.

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/9759706.htm?1c


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marine First Sergeant awarded Bronze Star <br />
Submitted by: Headquarters Marine Corps <br />
Story Identification #: 200492011138 <br />
Story by Ms. Yvonne Johnson <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUNDS, Md. (Sept. 9,...

[thedrifter]

September 28, 2004 <br />
<br />
Suspected Zarqawi hideout hit <br />
<br />
By Kim Housego <br />
Associated Press <br />
<br />
<br />
BAGHDAD, Iraq — American forces bombed a suspected hide-out used by associates of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in...

[thedrifter]

A message from Iraq
If only you could see
what I have seen
Randy Bruett 22.SEP.04
Before I left on a convoy today to the International Zone (Green Zone) in Baghdad, I saw the CNN International coverage of Fallujah. The CNN reporter, an American, spoke of American allegations of insurgent activities in Fallujah.

He spoke of the insurgents as anti-coalition fighters. He led the audience to believe that both sides were not only morally equivalent, but that the insurgents were fighting for God and country.

I just returned from a week in Fallujah with the Marines; let me tell you their story. While I was there, a rocket attack killed a Seabee and wounded seven. Another rocket attack destroyed four vehicles and a VBIED (Vehicle Borne IED), killed seven Marines, and wounded 11 more. Fallujah is a bad place.

In Fallujah, one Iraqi National Guard battalion has lost three commanders due to assassination or intimidation. In Fallujah, there is a religious law that dictates the life and death of the inhabitants, much like the Taliban.

There is no moral equivalency! Fallujah lies at the junction of the roads leading to Jordan and Syria and on the road to Baghdad. Over 70 percent of the Fallujans just want to be left in peace, but the insurgents will not let that be.

The price for supporting the Americans is decapitation. The insurgents will not allow the government to take root there. Fallujah has always been a criminal hot spot, even under Saddam. It is similar to the Kasbah from the Arabian Nights — a den of thieves. The insurgents, many foreign fighters with the majority being Sunni or Baathist, are trying to retain power.

The Marines have the will and the firepower to wipe Fallujah from the map. They have the capability to make people forget the Roman decimation of Carthage. However, is that our mission?

Constantly, I hear retired generals and other pundits denounce the administration’s actions concerning Iraq. Well, here is the deal: We must fix Iraq. The Marines are taking casualties while they try to train the Iraqis to fix their own problem. If we had more troops, we would only prolong the process of turning this over to Iraq. More soldiers mean more dependence — not less.

We are painstakingly building a fledgling democracy. Much of what you see on television is little different from our own border wars between Kansas and Missouri prior to the Civil War. There is internal violence as different groups jockey for position to reach for power. This is much like Yugoslavia after the death of Tito.

We are not Rome — we do not conquer for glory. We are not the British Empire — we do not conquer for commerce. We are Americans; we are a Republic; and we fight to free the Iraqi people and to keep our homes secure.

No one here is "for the war." War is an abomination to God and man. What we are for is protecting America, so my daughter can go to kindergarten and not fear being held captive like in Russia. We support free speech and religion, things that were nonexistent under Saddam.

I hear that this is the "wrong war at the wrong time." There is no right war, but this one must be fought. If not us, then who? The first shot of this war was fired at the 1972 Olympics. The first American casualties were the U.S. Marines in Beirut. This war is over 30 years old. It was brought to our doorstep on Sept. 11. World War II did not start on Dec. 7, 1941 — only America’s participation did!

It is not a question of being for this war or against it. There are only two courses of action: We finish it, or we leave. If we leave, every soldier, sailor, airman, and Marine who has died here will have died in vain.

This is not a Bush versus Kerry issue. This is the bedrock of our nation. Do we stand for something or stand for nothing?

I am here, and my fellow service members are here, because we refuse to have our children fight this war later. Do you want yours to fight it later?

Ours may not be the greatest generation; we are not fighting to save the world, just two countries, Iraq and Afghanistan. We are fighting to protect our people and our loved ones. However, I can say that the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines are the greatest of their generation! I am proud to serve with them all!

I am in a civil affairs company from California. We are a cross section of this great country: Mexican-Americans, African-Americans, Filipino-Americans, and Chinese immigrants. We have a police officer, a lawyer from Idaho, a network engineer from San Jose. We are all a part of the American dream, and we wish to protect it.

There is no moral equivalency. We are not fighting freedom fighters. We are fighting evil. If you could see as I have seen, you would know.

Support our troops.

U.S. Army Maj. Randy Bruett is currently deployed in Iraq attached to the 445 Civil Affairs Battalion, Mountain View, Calif. His home is in Floresville.


__________________________

Feel free to contact the Wilson County News regarding content or any other questions/concerns.

E-mail reader@wcn-online.com,
1012 C Street, Floresville, Texas 78114
830-216-4519, fax 830-393-3219

Publisher’s Note: Opinions posted below DO NOT necessarily reflect the opinions of the Wilson County News, its staff, or its advertisers.


- Guest Editorial

http://www.wilsoncountynews.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=354&twindow=&mad=No&sdetail=6038&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=


Ellie

[thedrifter]

TS, to the fight and out again
Submitted by: 11th MEU
Story Identification #: 20049278944
Story by Gunnery Sgt. Chago Zapata



FORWARD OPERATING BASE ECHO, Iraq (Sept. 27, 2004) -- During the battle of Najaf a group of Marines was responsible for getting troops, their gear, repair parts, food, water and countless other items to the front lines.

Barreling their massive seven-ton trucks through the streets of An Najaf, Iraq, they joined the fight by bringing much-needed supplies to the troops in the front lines.

The 67 Marines with the Transportation Support Detachment, Marine Expeditionary Unit Service Support Group 11, 11th MEU (Special Operations Capable), conducted dangerous runs during a high operational tempo, in a constantly changing environment affected by everything from sniper fire to improvised-explosive device-ridden roads.

"During the battle of Najaf we provided ground transportation for troops, ammunition and a wide number of other much-needed supplies," said Capt. Joseph M. Garaux, 27, detachment commander, TS Detachment. "We provided (Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment) with many of the things they needed to carry on the fight against the militia."

According to Garaux, a native of Canton, Ohio, the detachment was split into two teams during the battle of Najaf. One team was responsible for providing direct support to the BLT.

"The team's lines of transportation were from the Casualty Collection Point right outside the (Wadi Al Salam) cemetery to FOB Hotel," explained Garaux. "Anything that had to be evacuated, whether it was Marines or materiel, had to go through that site. They were responsible for making that happen.

The second TS team was sent wherever it was needed.

"They were all over the place. They were geared and ready for anything that was needed, kind of like a free safety," continued Garaux. "They would go from the battlefield to wherever they had to go on very short notice."

According to Garaux, since Aug. 5, the TS Detachment has delivered 720 pallets of repair parts for everything from sniper rifles to HMMWVs, M1A1 Main Battle Tanks to night vision goggles. They've logged in more than 5,200 miles in and around South Central Iraq, and transported more than 2,400 passengers.

"The TS detachment is the workhorse of MSSG-11," said Lt. Col. Ted A. Ruane, commanding officer, MSSG-11, 11th MEU (SOC). "They don't always get a lot of credit or a lot of glory for what they do, but we can always depend on them to get the job done. Nearly every other detachment depends on them."

According to Cleveland native Staff Sgt. Michael J. Helman, motor transportation chief, TS Detachment, last year during Operation Iraqi Freedom I, they weren't pushing supplies, his unit was providing convoy security for other units.

"This year we're providing security for ourselves and pushing our own logistics. We don't really rely on civilian contractors or the Army to move supplies from (up north) down to FOB Duke and then over to here," Helman explained. "Everything goes on the back of our trucks. We push it and we provide security for ourselves."

Helman said the Marines of his detachment have not faced many challenges they weren't prepared for.

"During workups and during the boat ride over here, danger-wise, we know what was out here," said Helman. "We haven't really had a curve ball thrown at us yet that we haven't faced before or haven't gone over and over with the Marines."

According to Helman, it's a learning process and since different situations may always come up, they can never be too prepared.

"There may be a curveball out there waiting for us, but right now with the group that I have I'm confident that if we run into anything we're going to be able to handle it," Helman said.

Ruane said the TS detachment is one of the most professional and experienced when it comes to providing for their own security.

According to the detachment's Truck Master, Sgt. Myron W. Bonton, 25, from Marksville, La., the biggest challenge so far has been to try to prevent things from happening before they happen.

"When you go along the routes, you try to look for certain things: what's different, how do people react when you go through there, how many people are there that day, cars on the side of the road that usually aren't there, is the place crowded today," Bonton explained. "Those are just some of the things you have to look out for. You have to try to prepare for the unexpected because you'll never know when the enemy may try to take advantage of a situation."

Even with the challenges they face on a day to day basis, Helman manages to see the silver lining.

"One of the best things about being out here, especially during combat operations in Najaf, was that it made time go by faster," said 30-year-old Helman. "You get stagnant if you stay in one spot and time seems to go by pretty slow. But if you keep going on the road, granted you may go through a lot of danger, the months go by much faster."

Lance Cpl. M. Kacy X. Grimaldi, one of the detachment's motor transport operators from Des Moines, Iowa, said her job is to move troops, move supplies, move ammunition, move just about anything you can think of, from wherever it is to where it needs to be.

"Not many people really understand how physically and mentally draining it is to drive a truck," said 24-year-old Grimaldi. "If you drive a truck or are on a gun for 20 hours straight, you're going to be tired."

That's one of the most demanding aspects of their job and one of the biggest challenges they face in Iraq, Grimaldi said.

"We have to work a lot of hours and if something needs to get moved we have to move it. There's no time for a shower, or chow, or sleep, if something needs to go, we need to go," Grimaldi explained. "You have to discipline yourself to stay awake, to take your mind off your stomach even if it aches from hunger, or off your cammies which smell disgusting, and all you want is a shower and a meal … You just have to deal with it and do the job."

Grimaldi said one of the most positive things to come from being deployed to Iraq is the closeness they've developed over the months, specifically the lance corporals.

"I never imagined I'd get so close to people in my entire life," Grimaldi said. "We've all grown so close, I know where each Marine is from, the name of their families, their friends, what they do in their spare time, what they like to eat. It's an amazing experience that I'll never forget."

Although the Marines work many long, sometimes unappreciated hours, they still maintain a positive attitude.

"I feel like we're making a huge difference here, we're putting a huge effort as far as the TS detachment is concerned," said Cpl. Rogers K. Hamilton III, 21, from St. Petersburg, Fla., and one of the detachment's line non-commissioned officers. "We're pushing out supplies from one camp to another, which in turn helps out the country of Iraq with the rebuilding efforts."

Hamilton feels that everyone in the detachment puts forth a lot of effort into their individual element.

"The drivers are always ready to go and since they each have their own truck, they really take care of it. It's not just a government vehicle, to them it's 'their' truck," Hamilton explained. "They make sure everything is good to go so that when it comes time to set up a convoy we don't have to worry about not being ready."

According to Hamilton, many of Marines in the detachment don't just do the bare minimum, they go above and beyond what's expected of them. When they see something that needs to get done, they don't have to be told, they'll just do it.

"I'm happy to serve with the people in my detachment. We've all come a long ways since last July and there's no one else I'd rather be out here with," Hamilton said.

Besides their huge ground transportation mission, the TS detachment is also responsible for establishing and operating a Refuel, Re-supply Point; Landing Force Support Party; Helicopter Support Team; Combat Service Support Area; Port Operations Group; Beach Operations Group; Aircraft Arrival Control Group; and Departure Airfield Control Group.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200492783213/$file/040920-M-0095Z-037lowres.jpg

Motor Transport Operators from the Transportation Support Detachment, Marine Expeditionary Unit Service Support Group 11, 11th MEU (Special Operations Capable), Pfc Thomas J. Bettles, left, Cpl. Rogers K. Hamilton III, line non-commissioned officer, and Lance Cpl. Danny S. Vanhoose, wash their convoy scout vehicle down the day before going out on a convoy to Forward Operating Base Duke at FOB Echo, Iraq, Sept. 20. Photo by: Gunnery Sgt. Chago Zapata

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/96F33CBF5AB24A7985256F1C0042CF79?opendocument


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Quick Reaction Force: Ready for any fight
Submitted by: 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing
Story Identification #: 2004924102911
Story by Cpl. Joel A. Chaverri



AL ASAD, Iraq (Sept. 21, 2004) -- Patrolling the perimeter of the base, all seems clear. Suddenly, a call comes in through the crackling radio and a daily patrol turns into a not-so-routine encounter.

"Unusual activity near the fence line," came over the radio. Members from the Quick Reaction Force, 4th Low-Altitude Air Defense Battalion, Security Battalion, Marine Wing Support Group 37, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, respond immediately to the call.

Within minutes, the reaction force is at the site and the conflict is resolved. Suspects are detained, and all take a deep breath. For the Marines manning the QRF, each call is as tense as the last.

The Security Battalion is an amalgam of reserve and active duty units covering a variety of occupational specialties, including air defense, artillery, infantry, and military police.

The duty of operating the QRF has been assigned to Marines from Battery P, 5th Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division based in Spokane, Wash.

Initially, the former artillery Marines were stunned by their sudden job transition upon arriving because serving with the base security force isn't exactly what they thought they'd be doing here.

"When I heard that I'd be part of a security unit I was pretty shocked," said squad leader Sgt. Mackenzie R. Anderson, field artillery cannoneer, QRF "I was even more surprised when I got here and was assigned to QRF."

However, Anderson and his fellow Marines weren't totally unprepared. Two months of training at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif., preceded their deployment.

"We learned all different kinds of infantry training," said the 26-year-old native of Moscow, Idaho. "That really helped us get ready for this."

With the high level of danger in Iraq, proper training was extremely important for the security Marines.

"We didn't cut any corners in the training of these guys," said Staff Sgt. Joe Bowman, platoon sergeant, QRF. "It's a huge change from artillery to security, and it took a lot of work."

With the high level of success the Marines have had in the past few weeks, it seems the hard work paid off.

"We've already detained quite a few (Iraqi nationals) trying to steal from (the base)," said Cpl. Jeron V. Smith, field artillery cannoneer, QFR. "Most were on motorcycles, but they stopped real soon after they saw us getting close with the HMMWVs."

The 24-year-old's first time performing his current duties has been action-packed, yet the Tacoma, Wash., native has taken it in stride.

"The first week we were here we got calls nearly every day," said Smith. "Staying calm is the most important thing."

Yet, even for Marines with the best training and strong spirits, the responsibility of handling potentially dangerous situations can still be intimidating.

"The first few times we went out (to answer an emergency call) it was a bit scary," admitted Anderson. "We've gone out so many times now it's slowly becoming routine."

According to Anderson, even though they have become more comfortable with their job, it is far from being monotonous.

"Every situation is different and needs to be handled carefully," said Anderson. "We take the security of this base very seriously."

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2004924104449/$file/040921-M-2789C-005-QFRLR.jpg

After responding to a call on Al Asad, Iraq, Sept. 21, 20-year-old Spokane, Wash., native Zachary R. Franklin, (center) forward observer, searches an Iraqi suspect while 26-year-old Moscow, Idaho, native Sgt. Mackenzie R. Anderson, (left) field artillery cannoneer, stands at the alert. On call around the clock, the Marines are part of the Quick Reaction Force, 4th Low-Altitude Air Defense Battalion, Security Battalion, Marine Wing Support Group 37, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, and ready to respond immediately to any emergency call that concerns the security of the air base. Photo by: Cpl. Joel A. Chaverri

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/2643EA33982B958285256F19004F939E?opendocument


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Is anyone ever truly prepared to kill?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Jane Lampman
Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
Sep. 2, 2004

One dark night in Iraq in February 1991, a U.S. Army tank unit opened fire on two trucks that barreled unexpectedly into its position along the Euphrates river. One was carrying fuel and burst into flames, and as men scattered from the burning trucks, the American soldiers shot them.

"To this day, I don't know if they were civilians or military - it was over in an instant," says Desert Storm veteran Charles Sheehan-Miles. But it wasn't over for him.

"For the first years after the Gulf War it was tough," says the decorated soldier. He had difficulty sleeping, and when he did, the nightmares came. "I was very angry and got drunk all the time; I considered suicide for awhile."

Like many young Americans sent off to war, he was highly skilled as a soldier but not adequately prepared for the realities of combat, particularly the experience of killing.

Much is rightly made of the dedication and sacrifice of those willing to lay down their lives for their country. But what is rarely spoken of, within the military or American society at large, is what it means to kill - to overcome the ingrained resistance most human beings feel to slaying one of their own kind, and the haunting sense of guilt that may accompany such an action. There is a terrible price to be paid by those who go to war, their families, and their communities, say some experts, by ignoring such realities.

"We never in our military manuals address the fact that they go forward to kill," says Lt. Col. David Grossman, a former Army Ranger. "When the reality hits them, it has a profound effect. We have to put mechanisms in place to help them deal with that.

"Every society has a blind spot, an area into which it has great difficulty looking," Colonel Grossman says. "Today that blind spot is killing."

It may seem strange that a central fact of war for millenniums should become an urgent concern now. But some close to the scene say modified warfare training that makes it easier to kill - and a US cultural response that tends to ignore how killing affects soldiers - have taken an unprecedented emotional and psychological toll. A lengthy conflict in Iraq, they worry, could increase that toll dramatically.

Society has a moral obligation, some argue, to better prepare those sent to war, to provide assistance in combat, and to help in the transition home.

"We have a profound responsibility because we send these people into combat on our behalf, to kill for us," says Shannon French, who teaches ethics at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.

Postwar tragedy may have been averted, says Mr. Sheehan-Miles, if help had been available to his tank unit. "Within my own tank company, half of the married soldiers were divorced within a year after the Gulf War; one shot another over a girl," he says. "They didn't know how to get help, and the Army essentially did nothing."

Psychological injuries of war can't be tied solely to killing alone - seeing close comrades die and other horrors of war are also factors. But mental-health professionals and chaplains who've worked closely with veterans see killing as a significant contributor, along with other demoralizing elements of combat that soldiers experience or see as "a betrayal of what's right," says Veterans Affairs psychiatrist Jonathan Shay.

The devastating impact of war on soldiers was visible after World Wars I and II and the Korean War as well. But particularly evident today is the ongoing toll of the Vietnam War, whose vets are overrepresented in the homeless and prison populations. One-third are said to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

In July, the New England Journal of Medicine reported that 16 percent of veterans of the war in Iraq suffer from depression or PTSD, and that fewer than 40 percent have sought help.

Along with several studies, the efforts of two men are stirring thinking within the US military: Grossman, who wrote "On Killing: the Psychological Costs of Learning to Kill in War and Society," and Dr. Shay, who has worked with vets for 20 years at the VA Outpatient Clinic in Boston. Shay has written two books ("Achilles in Vietnam" and "Odysseus in America") that provide in-depth analyses of how combat can affect individual character and the homecoming to civilian society.

The military has hired both to help improve training and recommend changes to military culture.
A natural resistance to killing

The military's responsibility to respond is great, Grossman says, because of the way combat has been transformed since World War II. Interviews by a US Army historian during that war showed that only 15 to 20 percent of infantrymen in the European and Pacific theaters chose to fire at the enemy when they were under fire. Resistance to killing was strong.

Whether because of religious and moral teachings or what he terms "a powerful, innate human resistance toward killing one's own species," soldiers' apparent willingness to die rather than kill stunned military officials.

To overcome that resistance, the military revamped its training to program soldiers, through psychological conditioning, to make shooting reflexive. The techniques were applied with "tremendous success," Grossman says, raising the firing rate to 55 percent in the Korean conflict and 95 percent in Vietnam. But little thought, he adds, went to the aftereffects of overriding the soldiers' natural inclinations.

Shay also flags concerns about combat leadership, citing instances when soldiers have been treated unfairly, lacked necessary equipment, been asked to do things they considered wrong, or seen questionable behavior rewarded. These are all experiences he includes under the heading of "the betrayal of what is right." People don't have to be injured by their wartime experience, he adds, but that requires "assuring them cohesion in their units; expert and ethical leadership; and highly realistic training for what they have to do."

The first responsibility of leadership and the public, many say, is not to put the country's sons and daughters at risk unless going to war is essential.

If it is, then they need help sorting through the issues. Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff, a retired Navy chaplain, calls for "spiritual force protection."

"We have a responsibility to understand the dangers war poses to the humanity of our people and do all we can to protect them, to develop 'moral muscle,' " he says.

In "The Code of the Warrior," his course at the Naval Academy, Dr. French focuses on moral distinctions - the historical legacy of the warrior and rules of war, and how to be alert to crossing the boundaries, as occurred at Abu Ghraib prison.

"It has been very well documented that there is a close connection between severe combat stress and the sense of having crossed moral lines," she says.

While the military academies offer officers some ethical training, the rank and file learn mostly from their commanders. Recent training Grossman has provided to Marine battalions heading to Iraq included distinguishing between killing and murder.

"Many have 'Thou shalt not kill' in the back of their minds, and think they've broken a profoundly moral law," he says. Grossman helps them see that the Judeo-Christian ethos generally accepts the idea that killing can be justified at times, and he emphasizes the importance of close adherence to the rules of engagement.

But there are gray areas, particularly in urban conflict, where it is not always clear whether to shoot, says Paul Rieckhoff of the Army National Guard, who led a platoon through combat patrols, raids, and ambushes in Baghdad until February of this year.

During one operation, "a female truck driver dropped us off and was guarding the truck when a kid about 10 years old came around the corner and started shooting at her," he says. "What does she do - shoot him or get shot?"

Vital to the health of soldiers is what happens after each combat experience. It's essential to have "after-action reviews," many say, in which units sort through experiences that were disturbing to them. These may include killing, or seeing their comrades or innocent civilians killed. "The worst thing is to not think about it. You can't not think about something for a lifetime," Grossman says.

At the end of the 1989 US invasion of Panama, Army chaplain R. Ryder Stevens, now retired, and another chaplain sought out soldiers individually. "One guy talked, but kept his M-16 between us and kept taking it apart, cleaning it, and putting it together again," says Colonel Stevens. "Finally he blurted out, 'I murdered a woman and her baby the other day and I'm going to burn in hell!' " He had followed the rules of engagement and shot at a car that didn't stop fully at a checkpoint. After he was assured that God's love was big enough to forgive him, "he fell into my arms crying," Stevens recounts.

In Iraq, there may be one chaplain for every 1,500 soldiers, Rieckhoff says. Those who need help must be encouraged to seek it. But the system is failing, many insist. Seeking help carries a stigma, and procedures for getting help lack privacy.
Making it easier to ask for help

The case of Sgt. Georg-Andreas Pogany - cited by Sheehan-Miles in his book - is a vivid example of what can go wrong.

Sergeant Pogany experienced panic attacks while serving with the Special Forces in Iraq, and sought medical help. But he was urged to reconsider his request for the sake of his career. Later he was courtmartialed for "cowardice" - the first such case since Vietnam. Only in July 2004, nine months after he was made a public example, was it determined the attacks were probably caused by an antimalarial drug issued to some in combat.

"That kind of thing sends shock waves throughout the military community," says Sheehan-Miles, who didn't seek help himself for fear of ending his career. He got back on track only when he began focusing on helping other veterans. Now executive director of Veterans for Common Sense, he asks, "How do you take away the stigma of asking for help?"

Everyone coming home from a war zone should be required to have two or three counseling sessions, Sheehan-Miles proposes. "A lot of people think they don't need it who really do, and it ends up coming out in their lives later on," he says.

The Marine Corps' Warrior Transition Program - a pilot effort run by the chaplain corps of the Marines - is required for everyone returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. During transit home, marines discuss their most positive and negative experiences, and find succor in sharing with others.

continued.....

[thedrifter]

Soldiers who may have killed in the line of duty are included in the program, although there is no specific focus on that particular experience.

Rieckhoff, who just formed Operation Truth (www.optruth.org) to enable Iraq vets to explain their experiences to folks back home, says America "isn't ready for the guys to come back the way they are going to come back." Thousands are going to need help and "all you get at the end of the war is a 'a don't-beat-your-wife briefing,' as we call it." The VA needs more funding, he adds, and "the whole nation needs to commit to this."

Shay's ideal for returning soldiers would be peer counseling from volunteer vets, who he says can reach those in need better than can mental-health professionals. This is now happening on a limited basis through VA Readjustment Centers run by vets.

Many say Americans must learn to be honest about the nature of combat. In a culture saturated with media violence, killing has become almost trivialized. Many veterans have the wrenching experience of being asked, "How many people did you kill?"

"They should not be treated as some sort of figure from a video game," says French.

Throughout history, cultures have had various means to purge warriors of their combat experience and help them readjust to civilian life. "Many had purification rites the whole community took part in," Shay says. In ancient Greece, drama provided a cathartic experience for the veterans and the community. Some African societies today have cleansing ceremonies that reintegrate fighters into community life.

He would like to see some interdenominational, nonpartisan civil or religious rite in the US that goes beyond parades and welcome-home ceremonies.

"People coming back from having killed aren't necessarily injured, but need to purify themselves," he says. "And we sent them and need to be purified, too."

Ellie