U.S. Marines in Iraq Open Love Letters with Caution

[thedrifter]

U.S. Marines in Iraq Open Love Letters with Caution

By Michael Georgy

NEAR FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. Marines thousands of miles from home in Iraq (news - web sites) face ruthless insurgents, a debilitating desert climate and tasteless food. But they dread nothing more than opening the Dear John letter.



"It's so hard when your girlfriend sends you that letter and says goodbye. It just shatters all your childhood notions of romance," said Corporal Samuel Shoemaker, 22, of Shelton, Washington.


"She wrote me a vague letter about our future but I had no doubt about what she meant. It's the last thing I needed out here. I first met her in grade school. I don't have the stamina to chase her anymore."


Thousands of U.S. Marines launched an offensive this month that crushed Arab Muslim militants and Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) loyalists in Falluja, Iraq's most rebellious city.


But many say victory can't ease heartbreak by letter or email. "Man I can't believe it. I was engaged to a woman who I raised our child with for three years," said an infantry Marine who asked not to be named.


"She wrote me a letter to ask whether we could put it on hold so she could have sex with another man. Then she asked me if I could accept her having sex with another woman if I reject the man."


SEARCHING FOR LOVE


Strict rules of conduct have not stopped Marines from seeking love on base. But it is not always easy and dating Iraqi women is prohibited.


"They hit on us all the time. It is really annoying and we have enough to worry about out here," said Corporal Ann Gorecka, 23, of New York City as she and a woman comrade looked at compact discs at the base PX store.


Some Marines do everything they can to avoid the Dear John letter, even if it means being lonely in a country gripped by suicide bombings and kidnappings.


"I planned for it all along by making sure I was single before I came to Iraq. That way it can't happen," said Captain Oscar Marin, 28, of New York City.


But Antonio Figueroa spread the risk.


"I have never been in love so I am safe. But I have about three girlfriends so that if one sends bad news that is fine with me," said the 19-year-old native of Long Island, New York.


Lance Corporal Joc Sims was not so lucky. His girlfriend ended it when he was still in boot camp.


"It just stinks when you get the letter. She was my best friend," he said.


A married officer who asked to remain anonymous said he would welcome a Dear John letter.


"That would be great. God I would be free."





To look at U.S. Marine operations around Falluja, it is a wonder anyone still has time for romance. Deafening artillery shells are fired. Mechanics are priming tanks for possible battle. Hundreds of houses are searched for weapons caches.

Corporal Madison Saba, a 22-year-old Marine of Iraqi origin, said she could not understand all the fuss about goodbye letters.

"This is part of life. People should just get on with their work," said Saba, who is single.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

A Man Of Conviction Is Honored
Philadelphia Inquirer
November 24, 2004

He might have been home. He should have been home.

But Marine Cpl. Marc Tyler Ryan had a sense of obligation so strong that he signed on for a third tour of duty, venturing back to the dangers of Iraq yet again.

"He volunteered to stay to make a difference," Marine Gunnery Sgt. Johnny Walker said of the 25-year-old Gloucester City native. "Too many of his brothers were dying, and he wanted to stay to make a difference."

Ryan, a third-generation Marine, was killed in Al-Anbar province last week. He was remembered yesterday at an ecumenical service at St. Mary's Church in Gloucester and buried at Harleigh Cemetery in Camden.

Christopher Ryan remembered his younger brother as quiet and intense - fun-loving, but with a serious work ethic.

A 1998 graduate of Gloucester High, Marc Ryan was a football star - captain of the team, No. 19, with a blond crew cut even before his military days.

He was the sort of player who would try to crush an opponent during a play, then offer his hand after it was over to help him up.

"He knew he had faults," Christopher Ryan said. "He never thought of himself as a god."




Marc Ryan delighted in making others happy, but he was a little stubborn, too.

"If his heart and soul were in it, there would be no turning back, no convincing him otherwise," his brother said. "That's what made him a man. That's what made him a Marine."

Marc Ryan studied education at Wesley College in Dover, Del., and briefly thought about becoming a teacher. He joined the Marines about four years ago. His unit was one of the first to go into Afghanistan after Sept. 11.

He was home on leave this September, and it was clear to his family that combat had taken its toll on him. But Ryan, driver for the company commander, didn't complain.

Hundreds of people lined the streets of Gloucester City yesterday, holding their hands over their hearts while bagpipes skirled and Ryan's flag-draped coffin was escorted into St. Mary's by pallbearers, a riderless horse, and a cortege of mourners.

This has long been a town that has closed tightly together in times of deep sorrow. Yellow ribbons, T-shirts and buttons bearing Ryan's football number and "Our American Hero!" dotted the town, at the foot of the Walt Whitman Bridge.

Speakers were set up outside so those on the streets could hear the service. Gloucester City public and private schools were dismissed early, and businesses placed tributes to Ryan on their signs.

Standing outside on the rutted blacktop for more than an hour, people who never knew Ryan crossed themselves, shivering in the cloudy chill.

"There can be no greater image of bravery than Cpl. Marc Ryan," acting Gov. Richard J. Codey told those who had gathered. "We can never, ever repay him for his sacrifice."

Christopher Ryan closed his eulogy with words his brother often said:

" 'I'm never above you. I'm never below you. I'm always right next to you.' I believe that today."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Give Thanks for Immigrants
And for a president who understands their importance to America.

BY RUPERT MURDOCH
Wednesday, November 24, 2004 12:01 a.m. EST

When B.C. Forbes sailed for America from Scotland in 1904, he was following a course well worn by generations of Scots.

I know how the founder of Forbes magazine must have felt. The Murdochs originally hail from the same part of Scotland. Today, we are part of the most recent wave of immigrants attracted by the bright beacon of American liberty.

These days, it's not always easy to talk about the benefits of immigration. Especially since 9/11, many Americans worry about borders and security. These are legitimate concerns. But surely a nation as great as America has the wit and resources to distinguish between those who come here to destroy the American Dream--and the many millions more who come to live it.

The evidence of the contributions these immigrants make to our society is all around us--especially in the critical area of education. Adam Smith (another Scotsman) knew that without a decent system of education, a modern capitalist society was committing suicide. Well, our modern public school systems simply are not producing the talent the American economy needs to compete in the future. And it often seems that it is our immigrants who are holding the whole thing up.

In a study on high school students released this past summer, the National Foundation for American Policy found 60% of the top science students, and 65% of the top math students, are children of immigrants. The same study found that seven of the top award winners at the 2004 Intel Science Talent Search were immigrants or children of immigrants. This correlates with other findings that more than half of engineers--and 45% of math and computer scientists--with Ph.D.s now working in the U.S. are foreign born.

It's not just the statistics. You see it at our most elite college and university campuses, where Asian immigrants or their children are disproportionately represented. And a recent study of 28 prestigious American universities by researchers from Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania found something startling: that 41% of the black students attending these schools described themselves as either immigrants or children of immigrants.

The point is that by almost any measure of educational excellence you choose, if you're in America you're going to find immigrants or their children at the top. I don't just mean engineers and scientists and technicians. In my book, anyone who comes here and gives an honest day's work for an honest day's pay is not only putting himself closer to the American Dream, he's helping the rest of us get there too.

As Ronald Reagan said at the Statue of Liberty, "While we applaud those immigrants who stand out, whose contributions are easily discerned, we know that America's heroes are also those whose names are remembered by only a few."
Let me share some of these names with you.

Start with Eddie Chin, an ethnic Chinese Marine who was born a week after his family fled Burma. You've all seen Cpl. Chin. Because when Baghdad fell, he was the Marine we all watched shimmy up the statue of Saddam Hussein to attach the cable that would pull it down.

Or Lance Cpl. Ahmad Ibrahim. His family came to the U.S. from Syria when the first Gulf War broke out. Now Cpl. Ibrahim hopes to be deployed to Iraq--also as a Marine--to put his Arabic language skills in the service of Corps and Country.

Or what about Cpl. José Gutierrez, who was raised in Guatemala and came to America as a boy--illegally! Cpl. Gutierrez was one of the first Marines killed in action in Iraq. As his family told reporters, this young immigrant enlisted with the Marine Corps because he wanted to "give back" to America.

So here we have it--Asian Marines, Arab Marines, Latino Marines--all united in the mission of protecting the rest of us. Isn't this what Reagan meant when he said that the bond that ties our immigrants together--what makes us a nation instead of a collection of individuals--is "an abiding love of liberty"? So the next time you hear people whinging about what a "drain" on America our immigrants are, it might be worth asking if they consider these Marines a drain.

Maybe this is more clear to businessmen because of what we see every day. My company, News Corporation, is a multinational company based in America. Our diversity is based on talent, cooperation and ability.

Frankly it doesn't bother me in the least that millions of people are attracted to our shores. What we should worry about is the day they no longer find these shores attractive. In an era when too many of our pundits declare that the American Dream is a fraud, it is America's immigrants who remind us--by dint of their success--that the Dream is alive, and well within reach of anyone willing to work for it.

We are fortunate to have a president who understands that. Only a few days ago, the White House indicated that it intended to revive an immigration reform which the president had first offered before 9/11 and tried to revive back in January.
Politically speaking, a guest-worker plan is no easy thing. But as President Bush realizes, we'll never fix the problem of illegal immigration simply by throwing up walls and trying to make all of us police them. We've tried that for a decade or so now, and it's been a flop. What we need to do first is to make it easier for those who seek honest work to do so without having to disobey our laws. Fundamentally that means recognizing that an economy as powerful as ours is always going to have a demand for more workers.

Such a policy would benefit us all:

• It would help those who want nothing more than to work legally move out of the shadows.

• It would help our security forces stop wasting resources now spent on hunting down Mexican waitresses and start devoting them to tracking the terrorists who really threaten us.

• It would help the economy by providing America with the labor and talent it needs.

Given the tremendous pressures on President Bush and the considerable opposition from within his own ranks, the politically expedient thing for him to do would be to drop it. But he hasn't, and I for one am encouraged by his refusal to give in.

The immigrant editor B.C. Forbes spent much of the 20th century championing the glories of American opportunity. We who have arrived more recently likewise will never forget our debt we owe to this land--and the obligation to keep that same opportunity alive in the 21st.

Mr. Murdoch is chairman and chief executive of News Corporation. This is adapted from a speech he gave last Thursday, in acceptance of the 2004 B.C. Forbes Award.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

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Commander Slams NATO Iraq No-Shows
Associated Press
November 24, 2004

WASHINGTON - The top U.S. military commander in Europe criticized NATO countries who refused to provide military instructors for a training mission in Iraq, saying the result will be an increased burden on allies who are contributing.

"It's important to recognize that once the alliance gets involved in an operation, it is important that all allies support the operation," Gen. James Jones, Supreme Allied Commander in Europe said Tuesday.

He said "nine or 10 or 11" of NATO's 26 countries would not send instructors, even though they voted to approve a mission there.

"This is disturbing. I hope it is a one-time event, because it really will be a limiting factor in the long term in terms of generating forces and successive rotations," Jones said in a speech at the National Press Club.

He did not identify the countries, but France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg and Greece have refused publicly to contribute personnel. It is unlikely Iceland could provide a contribution because it has no military, although it does have technical experts who have accompanied other NATO missions.




The project to train Iraqi officers will not involve offensive combat duty and is part of a broader program aimed at creating an Iraqi security force capable of protecting the country without the need for U.S. and other foreign forces.

As designed, it would involve 400 instructors and about 1,200 troops to protect them, a State Department official said last week

The United States will bear a large share of the costs and contribute a sizable percentage of the instructors and the protective force, the official said. An advance contingent of 60 to 65 officers will go to Baghdad in four to six weeks to begin the training program.

While NATO long has played a postwar peacekeeping role in Afghanistan, many European governments and their constituencies still disapprove the Bush administration's decision to go to war in Iraq.

The decision to use soldiers of NATO nations to train Iraqi officers is the first collective action on Iraq by the alliance, the official said, although individual NATO members have contributed troops.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, speaking at a news conference at the Pentagon, called the refusal by certain NATO countries to send personnel a problem.

"It's kind of like if you've got a basketball team, and you have five people train together, week after week after week, it comes to be game time and two of them stick up their hands and say, `Gee, I don't think I'm going to play this week.' It would be better if they were on the bench, and somebody else had been training for the last period of weeks," he said.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Injured Kaneohe Marines Awarded Purple Hearts

Officials awarded five Kaneohe Marines wounded in Iraq (news - web sites) the Purple Heart Tuesday. All five were wounded while fighting in Fallujah.

The award has made them proud, but they still wish they could return to their brothers in battle.


The Marines entered a tiny room at Tripler Army Medical Center to receive the Purple Heart.



Lance Cpl. Jeffrey Owens of Kentucky
Lance Cpl. Lance Pettis of Washington state
Lance Cpl. Bryan Bodrog of San Jose, Calif.
Lance Cpl. Joaquin McCurty of New Mexico
Lance Cpl. Jose Moracruz of Texas

"It's my first decoration. I feel proud of getting it. To tell you the truth, I was kind of avoiding this one, but it came up and bit me," McCurty said laughing.


Shrapnel from a rocket-propelled grenade hit Bodrog.


"It actually hit off the collarbone, my left collarbone, and landed on the left of me," Bodrog said.


Bodrog said the shrapnel wounded his left thigh and also injured his spinal cord.


"My left leg is paralyzed. The doctors say I should recover and recover good," he said.


McCurty isn't the first member of his family to get a Purple Heart. His grandfather also has one, for wounds he suffered in the Vietnam War.


"Just to be in, you know, honored as, one of, you know, one of them, a combat veteran. (It's) a great sense of pride," McCurty said.


While there are thoughts of family and a great sense of pride there is concern for their buddies still in Iraq.


"They are the greatest brothers anyone could have. I really hope they're doing well," Bodrog said.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Army NG Still Short On Recruits <br />
USA TODAY <br />
November 24, 2004 <br />
<br />
WASHINGTON - The Army National Guard has fallen significantly behind its recruiting goal one month into the military's new fiscal...

[thedrifter]

'Something was not right'

Cameraman tells Falluja marines why he broadcast controversial shooting

Tuesday November 23, 2004
The Guardian

The broadcast last week of footage showing a US marine shooting an injured Iraqi fighter in Falluja caused an international outcry. Yesterday the cameraman, Kevin Sites, published on his website this open letter to the marines with whom he had been embedded.
Since the shooting in the mosque, I've been haunted that I have not been able to tell you directly what I saw or explain the process by which the world came to see it as well.

As you know, I'm not some war zone tourist with a camera who doesn't understand that ugly things happen in combat. I've spent most of the last five years covering global conflict. But I have never in my career been a "gotcha" reporter - hoping for people to commit wrongdoings so I can catch them at it.

This week I've been shocked to see myself painted as some kind of anti-war activist. Anyone who has seen my reporting on television or has read my dispatches on the web is fully aware of the lengths I've gone to to play it straight down the middle - not to become a tool of propaganda for the left or the right. But I find myself a lightning rod for controversy in reporting what I saw occur in front of me, camera rolling.

It's time for you to have the facts, in my own words, about what I saw, without imposing on that marine guilt or innocence or anything in between. I want you to read my account and make up your own minds. Here it goes.

It's Saturday morning and we're still at our strong point from the night before, a clearing between a set of buildings on the southern edge of the city. The advance has been swift, but pockets of resistance still exist. In fact, we're taking sniper fire from both the front and the rear.

Weapons Company uses its 81's (mortars) where they spot muzzle flashes. The tanks do some blasting of their own. By mid-morning, we're told we're moving north again. We'll be back clearing some of the area we passed yesterday. There are also reports that the mosque, where 10 insurgents were killed and five wounded on Friday, may have been re-occupied overnight.

I decide to leave you guys and pick up with one of the infantry squads as they move house-to-house back toward the mosque. Many of the structures are empty of people - but full of weapons. Outside one residence, a member of the squad lobs a frag grenade over the wall. Everyone piles in, including me.

While the marines go into the house, I follow the flames caused by the grenade into the courtyard. When the smoke clears, I can see through my viewfinder that the fire is burning beside a large pile of anti-aircraft rounds.

I yell to the lieutenant that we need to move. Almost immediately after clearing out of the house, small explosions begin as the rounds cook off in the fire.

At that point, we hear the tanks firing their 240-machine guns into the mosque. There's radio chatter that insurgents inside could be shooting back. The tanks cease fire and we file through a breach in the outer wall.

We hear gunshots that seem to becoming from inside the mosque. A marine from my squad yells, "Are there marines in here?"

When we arrive at the front entrance, we see that another squad has already entered before us.

The lieutenant asks them, "Are there people inside?"

One of the marines raises his hand signaling five.

"Did you shoot them," the lieutenant asks?

"Roger that, sir, " the same marine responds.

"Were they armed?" The marine just shrugs and we all move inside.

Immediately after going in, I see the same black plastic body bags spread around the mosque. The dead from the day before. But more surprising, I see the same five men that were wounded from Friday as well. It appears that one of them is now dead and three are bleeding to death from new gunshot wounds.

The fifth is partially covered by a blanket and is in the same place and condition he was in on Friday, near a column. He has not been shot again. I look closely at both the dead and the wounded. There don't appear to be any weapons anywhere.

"These were the same wounded from yesterday," I say to the lieutenant. He takes a look around and goes outside the mosque with his radio operator to call in the situation to Battalion Forward HQ.

I see an old man in a red kaffiyeh lying against the back wall. Another is face down next to him, his hand on the old man's lap - as if he were trying to take cover. I squat beside them, inches away and begin to videotape them. Then I notice that the blood coming from the old man's nose is bubbling. A sign he is still breathing. So is the man next to him.

While I continue to tape, a marine walks up to the other two bodies about 15 feet away, but also lying against the same back wall.

Then I hear him say this about one of the men:

"He's ****ing faking he's dead - he's faking he's ****ing dead."

Through my viewfinder I can see him raise the muzzle of his rifle in the direction of the wounded Iraqi. There are no sudden movements, no reaching or lunging.

However, the marine could legitimately believe the man poses some kind of danger. Maybe he's going to cover him while another marine searches for weapons.

Instead, he pulls the trigger. There is a small splatter against the back wall and the man's leg slumps down.

"Well he's dead now," says another marine in the background.

I am still rolling. I feel the deep pit of my stomach. The marine then abruptly turns away and strides away, right past the fifth wounded insurgent lying next to a column. He is very much alive and peering from his blanket.

He is moving, even trying to talk. But for some reason, it seems he did not pose the same apparent "danger" as the other man - though he may have been more capable of hiding a weapon or explosive beneath his blanket.

But then two other marines in the room raise their weapons as the man tries to talk.

For a moment, I'm paralysed still taping with the old man in the foreground. I get up after a beat and tell the marines again, what I had told the lieutenant - that this man - all of these wounded men - were the same ones from yesterday. That they had been disarmed treated and left here.

At that point the marine who fired the shot became aware that I was in the room. He came up to me and said, "I didn't know sir - I didn't know." The anger that seemed present just moments before turned to fear and dread.

The wounded man then tries again to talk to me in Arabic.

He says, "Yesterday I was shot ... please ... yesterday I was shot over there - and talked to all of you on camera - I am one of the guys from this whole group. I gave you information. Do you speak Arabic? I want to give you information."

(This man has since reportedly been located by the Naval Criminal Investigation Service which is handling the case.)

In the aftermath, the first question that came to mind was why had these wounded men been left in the mosque?

It was answered by staff judge advocate Lieutenant Colonel Bob Miller - who interviewed the marines involved following the incident. After being treated for their wounds on Friday by a navy corpsman (I personally saw their bandages) the insurgents were going to be transported to the rear when time and circumstances allowed.

The area, however, was still hot. And there were American casualties to be moved first.

Also, the squad that entered the mosque on Saturday was different than the one that had led the attack on Friday.

It's reasonable to presume they may not have known that these insurgents had already been engaged and subdued a day earlier.

Yet when this new squad engaged the wounded insurgents on Saturday, perhaps really believing they had been fighting or somehow posed a threat - those marines inside knew from their training to check the insurgents for weapons and explosives after disabling them, instead of leaving them where they were and waiting outside the mosque for the squad I was following to arrive.

During the course of these events, there were plenty of mitigating circumstances like the ones just mentioned and which I reported in my story. The marine who fired the shot had reportedly been shot in the face himself the day before.

I'm also well aware from many years as a war reporter that there have been times, especially in this conflict, when dead and wounded insurgents have been booby-trapped, even supposedly including an incident that happened just a block away from the mosque in which one marine was killed and five others wounded. Again, a detail that was clearly stated in my television report.

No one, especially someone like me who has lived in a war zone, would deny that a soldier or marine could legitimately err on the side of caution under those circumstances. War is about killing your enemy before he kills you.

In the particular circumstance I was reporting, it bothered me that the marine didn't seem to consider the other insurgents a threat - the one very obviously moving under the blanket, or even the two next to me that were still breathing.

I can't know what was in the mind of that marine. He is the only one who does.

But observing all of this as an experienced war reporter who always bore in mind the perils of this conflict, even knowing the possibilities of mitigating circumstances - it appeared to me very plainly that something was not right. According to Lt Col Bob Miller, the rules of engagement in Falluja required soldiers or marines to determine hostile intent before using deadly force. I was not watching from a hundred feet away. I was in the same room. Aside from breathing, I did not observe any movement at all.

Making sure you know the basis for my choices after the incident is as important to me as knowing how the incident went down.

I did not in any way feel like I had captured some kind of "prize" video. In fact, I was heartsick. Immediately after the mosque incident, I told the unit's commanding officer what had happened. I shared the video with him, and its impact rippled all the way up the chain of command. Marine commanders immediately pledged their cooperation.

We all knew it was a complicated story and, if not handled responsibly, could have the potential to further inflame the volatile region. I offered to hold the tape until they had time to look into incident and begin an investigation - providing me with information that would fill in some of the blanks.

For those who don't practise journalism as a profession, it may be difficult to understand why we must report stories like this at all - especially if they seem to be aberrations, and not representative of the behaviour or character of an organisation as a whole.

The answer is not an easy one.

continued......

[thedrifter]

In war, as in life, there are plenty of opportunities to see the full spectrum of good and evil that people are capable of. As journalists, it is our job is to report both - though neither may be fully representative of those people on whom we're reporting.

But our coverage of these unique events, combined with the larger perspective, will allow the truth of that situation, in all of its complexities, to begin to emerge. That doesn't make the decision to report events like this one any easier. It has, for me, led to an agonising struggle - the proverbial long, dark night of the soul.

When NBC aired the story 48 hours later, we did so in a way that attempted to highlight every possible mitigating issue for that marine's actions. We wanted viewers to have a very clear understanding of the circumstances surrounding the fighting on that frontline. Many of our colleagues were just as responsible.

Other foreign networks made different decisions, and because of that, I have become the conflicted conduit who has brought this to the world.

I interviewed your commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Willy Buhl, before the battle for Falluja began. He said something very powerful at the time - something that now seems prophetic. It was this:

"We're the good guys. We are Americans. We are fighting a gentleman's war here - because we don't behead people, we don't come down to the same level of the people we're combating.

"That's a very difficult thing for a young 18-year-old marine who's been trained to locate, close with and destroy the enemy with fire and close combat. That's a very difficult thing for a 42-year-old lieutenant colonel with 23 years experience in the service who was trained to do the same thing once upon a time, and who now has a thousand-plus men to lead, guide, coach, mentor - and ensure we remain the good guys and keep the moral high ground." I listened carefully when he said those words. I believed them.

So here, ultimately, is how it all plays out: when the Iraqi man in the mosque posed a threat, he was your enemy; when he was subdued he was your responsibility; when he was killed in front of my eyes and my camera - the story of his death became my responsibility.

The burdens of war, as you so well know, are unforgiving for all of us.

I pray for your soon and safe return.

www.kevinsites.net

Wlliw

[thedrifter]

Marines honor fallen brother

Lance Cpl. Nicholas H. Anderson laid to rest in Ventura.

By Associated Press

VENTURA — Lance Cpl. Nicholas H. Anderson was laid to rest Monday surrounded by his family and fellow Marines in a ceremony that relatives said would have made him proud.
Anderson, 19, was manning a Humvee machine gun turret on Nov. 12 when an oncoming car tried to ram his vehicle about 20 miles south of Baghdad, according to military officials. The Humvee swerved to avoid the car and overturned, killing Anderson. Minutes later, the rest of his platoon came under attack.

His funeral at Our Lady of the Assumption Church, surrounded by his fellow Marines, would have swelled the teenager with pride, said his aunt Brenda Smith.

"That's extremely special," she added with a smile.

Anderson, who was buried with full military honors at Ivy Lawn Cemetery, will have another memorial service on Sunday in Las Vegas, where his mother, Eleanor Dachler, lives.

Each of his divorced parents had wanted him buried nearby, so the Marine Corps had to resolve the dispute by invoking an arcane military regulation that grants custody of the body to the eldest parent, in this case his father, Al Anderson of Ventura.

Both parents were at Monday's service with their spouses and hundreds of other mourners. Anderson's 10-year-old brother, Jackson, came dressed in the military fatigues he'd worn in honor of his brother when he'd gone out trick-or-treating on Halloween.

Gunnery Sgt. Dennis Collins said in a written eulogy that Anderson always took the most dangerous missions and stood tall behind the machine gun he operated.

Collins' wife, Gina, who read the eulogy, added that the Marine didn't die alone.

"He was with 54 of his brothers who loved him very much," she said.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

America Supports You: Airman Dispenses 'Medicine You Can't Bottle Up'
By Master Sgt. Lee Roberts, USAF
Special to American Forces Press Service

RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas, Nov. 23, 2004 – Air Force Tech. Sgt. Daniel Vargas is not certified to practice medicine. Nonetheless, he admits it feels good whenever he can prescribe a good dose of fun to boost the morale of injured military members recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.

Vargas, an information management NCO assigned to the Air Force Recruiting Service headquarters here, often volunteers, organizes and coordinates with influential community leaders across the state to sponsor hurt soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines on an evening out.

"They get to dine out, enjoy complimentary sporting events and concerts, and other forms of entertainment," he said. "It is medicine you can't bottle up."

Most recently, more than 50 patients received a patriotic welcome as guests of the city of Fort Worth. Arriving Nov. 12, the charter bus carrying America's military heroes received an 11-motorcycle police escort from the outskirts of the city all the way to Billy Bob's Texas nightclub.

The group then met the mayor and event sponsors, ate a barbecue dinner, watched a rodeo and finished the evening off with a Willie Nelson concert.

Behind the scenes, Vargas worked throughout the event ensuring everyone received a pleasurable experience. He even arranged for two soldiers to go back stage and meet Willie Nelson's bass player, Bee Spears. They also socialized with other country-western fans who were quick to thank them for their service and sacrifice.

Army Cpl. J.R. Martinez, one soldier who went back stage, said he was grateful Vargas made it possible for him to enjoy himself and get his mind off of the dozens of surgeries and hundreds of physical therapy sessions he has undergone since running over a landmine with his Humvee in April 2003 in Karbala, Iraq.

Martinez, who served with the 101st Airborne in Ft. Campbell, Ky., said he is touched by the outpouring of support from everyone at the hospital, other military members and the public. He said he's especially thankful Vargas has shown such an incredible interest in their well-being.

"It's really touching to see that the American people are stepping up to support you no matter what their political beliefs," Martinez said. "It's heart-warming that Sergeant Vargas uses his personal time to arrange events like tonight with the Willie Nelson concert. He needs to be recognized for what he does and people need to know that he's really appreciated by me and all the other injured patients at BAMC."

Over the past several months, Vargas has gotten close to a lot of the wounded troops participating in the various activities he's put together. That closeness is what many patients appreciate as much as the events themselves.

Army Master Sgt. Pam Nelson, a Reserve NCO assigned to the 172nd Corps Support Group in Broken Arrow, Okla., injured her back while serving at Camp Anaconda in Balad, Iraq, in January. She said Vargas has done a great deal for the soldiers and other military members going through rehabilitation.

"He's done such a wonderful job of showing how much he appreciates what we've done," Nelson said.

At Willie Nelson's concert, Nelson said she always wanted to see the country western great in person. "I remember listening to Willie as a kid growing up, and it was a dream come true for me to actually get to see him," she said.

Another appreciative NCO at the concert was Army Sgt. Joe Washam, from the 321st Military Intelligence Squadron, a Reserve unit in Dallas. He suffered burns when a chemical warehouse exploded April 21 as he sat in the gun turret of a Humvee while assigned to the Iraq Survey Group and has been recovering at BAMC since.

"The concert was great," Washam said. "The public attention toward the wounded was sensational. It was a huge morale boost for all of us."

Washam also praised Vargas for setting up another superb activity for the troops like him who have come back from war with visible and invisible scars. "I've asked Sergeant Vargas several times why he gives so much of himself for us," Washam said. "He just says it could easily be him and he would not want to be forgotten."

Vargas said he doesn't expect any publicity for his volunteer effort. He just wants to be a conduit for others to show their appreciation for what these brave men and women have gone through, he said, and for the wounded to get out of the hospital for an evening of fun now and then.

"It's very simple," Vargas said. "This could be me. This could be you. This could be anybody who is deployable. We have air bases right now that are on the front line. and they are getting shelled every night. You don't hear about it on the news, but it is happening."

He said his commitment to boost the morale of the wounded troops stems from imagining himself in their situation. "We have to remember the wounded coming back home have to live with this the rest of their lives," he said. "Every time they look in the mirror they remember what happened to them, so I think anything we can do to show them they are appreciated and to let them know their sacrifice was just is worth doing. … And I for one am not going to forget about them."

Vargas has also arranged outings to a Keith Whitley concert in San Antonio, Texas Rangers baseball game in Arlington, Texas, and Texas Longhorns football game in Austin, Texas. He has organized several trips to concerts at a local amphitheater and was instrumental in Sea World providing free tickets recently to wounded troops and their families staying at a Fisher House in San Antonio.

(Air Force Master Sgt. Lee Roberts is assigned to the 12th Flying Training Wing.)

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Local Marines get call-up



A Moundsville-based U.S. Marine Corps unit has received word its members will be mobilized in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Members of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment have been issued an alert message pending mobilization, according to Capt. Christopher Hadsall.
He said sometime in the early part of 2005, the regiment will be deployed for a 12-month period. Given the current U.S. Marine Corps time frame, Hadsall expects the troops will spend between six and seven months training in the United States and six to seven months in an undisclosed location overseas.

Hadsall said he believes the rotation helps Marines to accomplish their mission while giving them time to "decompress" when they come home. The rotation gives Marines the opportunity to look for jobs and finish their educations as well, he said.

"We cannot put a date on it (deployment overseas), it's still floating," said Hadsall.

"We want the families to hear it from their sons," he added.

He did confirm however, that the regiment would first be deployed to one of two bases near Camp Pendelton, Calif., to train for 30 to 60 days in the desert climate and then await transport overseas. Hadsall expects an official media release with more specific public affairs guidelines to be forthcoming.

Hadsall said he could not comment on the strength of the unit but did say between 100 and 150 Marines will make up the regiment. Company K is an infantry division, and he expects members will continue to fill that role after they are deployed.

"The guys here are ready. They've been going and not going (into combat) for two years, and they're in a high training status," said Hadsall.

Company K is the only infantry reserve division in the U.S. that has not been deployed for active duty in Operation Iraqi Freedom. And the opportunity to support the war effort has only increased moral among the troops, Hadsall said.

"They're disappointed that they haven't been deployed yet. They're chomping at the bit to go," Hadsall said.

Company K is made up of eight active-duty instruction and inspections officers, and the rest of the members are Reservists, all male, with the average age being 24. Fifty percent of those members are in college. All members hale from the tri-state area, most from Pittsburgh.

Hadsall said about 20 percent are from Marshall County, and the rest are from throughout the Ohio Valley. They are active members of the community and run the annual Toys for Tots drive.

They also serve as color guard at Jamboree in the Hills, the Wheeling Italian Festival and between six and seven county fairs. Their duties also include notifying next of kin when a marine dies in combat.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Fallen Marine's mom helping his buddies <br />
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <br />
By J.D. BRUEWER <br />
419-993-2083 <br />
jdbruewer@vwtimes.com <br />
<br />
OHIO CITY - Ever...

[thedrifter]

Local mother concerned about Marine in Fallujah

Her son is a Marine fighting in Fallujah causing her many long distressing hours.

by News Channel 8's Leigh Frillici
Fallujah has been known as a hot spot for fighting. Things intensified about 2 weeks ago when the U.S. went in to gain control of that area.

One local mom told us she's had little rest since the fighting began.


"This is the spot. The TV is usually on 24/7 for the last 2 weeks."

With a remote in her hand, clicking through the news stations at all hours, Paula Vela of Mystic spent many a sleepless night looking for any tidbit or clue as to how her son Marine Corporal Daniel Vela was doing in Fallujah.

"What were you looking for?"
"My son. But it's a double edged sword because you want to see your son but you don't want it in a bad way," says Paula Vela.

Paula Vela had reasons to worry. She found out earlier this month through the news that her son's unit Bravo Company 1st Regiment 8th Marines had been sent into the turbulent city of Fallujah.

With reports of fierce fighting with insurgents, gun battles and grenade explosions, she feared for her son's safety.

"From what one of the son's told his dad, was the tip of the spear coming in from the north," says Vela.

With all contact cut off from her 21 year old son, Vela began checking the casualty list daily.

"You sit here and hope to God you don't hear any doors slamming in your driveway because you don't want any Marines coming to your door."

Vela feels for the families that have had that visit, like the family of Connecticut's Marine Corporal Kevin "Jack" Dempsey who was killed ten days ago.

"You just feel helpless. There's nothing you can do and you know this family must be torn apart."

Paula Vela's worries eased Monday afternoon when her son called.

"I said, 'Did you wear your flack jacket and helmet?' He said, 'You're such a mom.'"

The offensive against Fallujah came at a price.

Vela says 3 men from her son's unit died this week.

Vela expects to attend one of those funerals this week.


Ellie

[snipowsky]

Any "girl" that sends her man a "Dear John" letter in a freaking war zone needs to be shot! That's just cruel and unusual!

No heart at all!

[thedrifter]

Mom Trucks Thanksgiving Meal to GI Son

HARTLAND, Mich. - Yvette Boulton wants her son to get a home-cooked Thanksgiving meal before he's deployed to Iraq (news - web sites) — so she's trucking the feast 761 miles to Fort Bragg, N.C.


Boulton will be on the road 13 hours so she can feed her son, Army Cpl. Jordan Keilman, 22, and 14 of his friends.


The soldiers must remain within an hour of base so they could be called to Iraq, where many already have served once. Keilman fought in Iraq from September to February.


"I said `I'll cook, and you boys sit around and watch the football game. Just pretend you're at home,'" said Boulton, 47, who is an assistant for a law firm.


On Tuesday night, Boulton packed pots and pans, turkey-shaped plates and napkins, serving dishes, homemade ravioli, freshly baked breads and cookies into the bed of a red Ford F-150 pickup lent to her by a cousin.


Boulton and daughters Kristen Keilman, 20, and Charlene Boulton, 9, planned to be on their way before dawn Wednesday.


The Fort Bragg holiday dinner was conceived a few weeks ago when Boulton called her son to tell him she would be bringing him dinner. She suggested he "invite a few friends."


"He was so excited," Boulton said.


After word spread among his buddies in the 82nd Airborne Division, a "few" friends became 15 hungry soldiers. In all, Boulton plans to feed about 20 people.


She said she was taken aback when she first heard the dinner party had expanded, but then she was moved by the opportunity "to give the boys a touch of home."


"It's kind of like you're honored that he wants you to cook for all his friends," she said. "And it may be the last home-cooked meal they have for a long time."


He said he will have two turkeys waiting, and he and his friends have rounded up tables.


"We'll set it all up and make it nice," Boulton said.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

November 23, 2004 <br />
<br />
Marine cleared in gag photo case <br />
<br />
By Laura Bailey <br />
Times staff writer <br />
<br />
<br />
A reservist who came under scrutiny last spring after a controversial gag photo of him posing with...

[thedrifter]

IRAQ: MARINES DEMONSTRATE GOODWILL TO IRAQIS


/noticias.info/ FOB DUKE, Iraq – Marines from the 11th MEU distributed more than $1.1 million on 22 November in condolence and collateral damage repair payments to demonstrate goodwill to Iraqis caught in the crossfire during fighting in Najaf this August.

Payments began on Sept. 30 and have resulted in a total of $4.7 million paid to more than 8,300 Najafis since then. Payments will continue as long as needed to meet each valid case.

Condolence payments, known as solatia, are being paid to express sympathy to those injured or who lost a family member during the fighting. Collateral damage repair payments are intended for Iraqis who experienced damage to their home, business or other property.

Subsequently, MEU Marines continue to spend millions of dollars to contract local Iraqi businessmen and workers to repair public infrastructure damaged during the fighting.

"We're building trust with the locals by making these payments," said Col. Anthony M. Haslam, commanding officer, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit. "Since fighting ended in August, Najaf has made tremendous progress. There is little doubt that these payments have helped in that process."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

New sweep takes aim at Iraq rebels in "triangle of death"

By James Glanz and Edward Wong
The New York Times

Baghdad, Iraq - Thousands of American, British and Iraqi troops began a new offensive sweep on Tuesday across a region south of Baghdad known as the "triangle of death," because of its fearsome reputation as a haven for thieves, killers, crime families and terrorists as well as insurgents who fled Fallujah before the fighting started there.

The operation began Tuesday with 11 simultaneous early-morning raids in the town of Jabella, west of the Euphrates River and about 50 miles south of Baghdad, said Col. Ron Johnson, commander of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is leading the effort.


The new push can be seen as the opening of a third front - after the invasion of Fallujah and more limited operations in the northern city of Mosul - by American-led forces against the insurgency. Officials said it would involve 2,000 to 3,000 American Marines, soldiers and sailors, more than 1,000 members of Iraqi security forces, and 850 members of the Black Watch, a British infantry battalion.

The triangle of death, just north of the ancient ruins of Babylon in Babil province, is now best known for gruesome mass killings, insurgent hideouts and ruthless attacks on Iraqi army bases and police stations.

But with the rousting of hundreds or possibly thousands of dedicated insurgents from Fallujah before the American invasion and capture of the city last week, the role played by this area as a transit and resupply district for insurgents has become even more troublesome, Johnson said.

"We know that some of them headed in our direction before the Fallujah battle," he said, citing intelligence reports. "We're going to try to isolate them. Then we're going to bounce all over. We're not going to hit just one area. We're going to hit a multiplicity of targets so that they have no safe haven that they can go to."

Military officials in the province said that nearly 250 insurgents had been captured there in the past three weeks, including 32 in the Jabella raids on Tuesday.

The area is a curious mixture of impoverished villages and opulent residential compounds, many of them along the Euphrates, artifacts of a Sunni-dominated area that was favored under Saddam Hussein.

A recent drive through a central street in Mahmudiya with a police captain revealed a barricaded and largely abandoned police station whose facade was severely damaged from a bomb attack in which several Iraqi police officers died.

The drive passed through a close-packed, grimy market of soda stands, groceries, and repair shops where the squad car received only hard stares.

The police captain, who had been in place for several months, said that he had never gotten out of his car or even talked to anyone on the street because it was too dangerous. "We begin with, people see me in the area," said the captain, who estimated that there had been little police presence for about a year.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Falluja Rebels Had Enough Arms to Rule Iraq -U.S.

By Michael Georgy

NEAR FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - Arab militants and insurgents who ruled the volatile city of Falluja before a U.S.-led offensive this month had enough weapons to take over all of Iraq (news - web sites), Marine officers said on Wednesday.


"We found enough weapons in Falluja for the insurgency to take over the whole country," Lieutenant Colonel Dan Wilson told a news conference at a U.S. base near the western city.


The U.S.-led invasion, which crushed foreign Muslim militants and Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) loyalists, was designed to break the back of an insurgency based mostly in Falluja and stabilize the city ahead of elections set for January.


Since then U.S. Marines have been conducting exhausting and sometimes dangerous house-to-house searches for weapons caches in 50,000 buildings identified by the Americans in the city of about 350,000 people.


Wilson said the Marines were surprised by the number and range of weapons, from home-made flame throwers to surface-to-air missiles, found in a city that was seen as the backbone of a relentless insurgency.


U.S. military and Iraqi officials have said that al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and his foreign militant followers had controlled a large chunk of Falluja before the offensive that U.S. officials said killed 1,200 guerrillas.


Major Jim West, an intelligence officer, said it was difficult to determine if Zarqawi was in Falluja during the air and ground assault but added the Marines know the Jordanian militant was "in and out" of the city.


But West showed a photographs of a banner from Zarqawi's followers in a building with a chemical laboratory.


West said there was no indication that the lab was used to produce chemical weapons, but evidence showed they were making explosives and holding bomb-making classes in Falluja, 32 miles west of Baghdad.


Aside from seizing weapons, Marines also found several factories that made deadly roadside bombs, a guerrilla weapon of choice the U.S. military says is behind the deaths of about 30 percent of its troops killed in action.


U.S. Marines are planning to stay in Falluja until Iraqi forces are capable of handling security.


Asked if the Marines had a concrete plan to keep insurgents from returning to one of Iraq's most anti-American cities, Wilson said: "The Iraqi forces are getting better and better. It will be a phased process."


Foreign fighters and Iraqi insurgents still pose a security risk after an offensive which killed many of their comrades and turned parts of Falluja into piles of rubble with storefronts riddled with bullet holes.


Wilson said groups of four and five guerrillas were still opening fire on Marines as they searched for weapons.


He added that foreign fighters in Falluja were from about eight nationalities but it was difficult get solid information because many of them had forged Iraqi identification papers.


Marines have discovered several houses they believe were used to keep foreign hostages and in some cases behead them. West showed slides of several houses with bloody hand prints on walls and floors covered in blood.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bo Derek To Serve as 2005 Honorary Chairperson of VA's National
Rehabilitation Special Events

WASHINGTON (November 24, 2004)- Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J.
Principi announced today that actress Bo Derek will serve once again as
honorary chair of VA's National Rehabilitation Special Events.

In this role since 200l, Derek has improved public awareness of veterans'
issues, encouraged participation in the events and visited VA medical
centers around the country.

"I am extremely pleased Ms. Derek will once again work with the department
on these special events," said Principi. "She brings a strong voice and an
unshakable commitment to our nation's heroes."

VA's rehabilitation events consist of four annual programs -- the National
Veterans Wheelchair Games, the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports
Clinic, the National Veterans Golden Age Games and the National Veterans
Creative Arts Festival.

"VA's National Rehabilitation Special Events promote the healing of body and
spirit, which helps veterans improve their independence and enjoy a higher
quality of life," said Derek. "I am deeply honored and moved to once again
serve as the honorary chair of a truly noble cause on behalf of America's
veterans."

No stranger to veterans' causes, Derek's father, Paul Collins, was a radio
operator during the Korean War, and both her stepfather and her late
husband, John Derek, were veterans.

Derek also participates in USO tours to support American troops, works with
the Special Forces Association, which named her an honorary Green Beret, and
helps the non-profit organization Canine Companions for Independence.

This past year, Derek also received the Communicator of the Year Award from
the National Association of Government Communicators and the VA Secretary's
Award recognizing her dedicated advocacy for America's veterans.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

No shortage of turkey and trimmings for Soldiers

By Army News Service

PHILADELPHIA – Thanksgiving dinner won’t be coming out of a plastic pouch for Soldiers serving in theater.

Close to 90,000 pounds of whole and boneless turkeys will be served to Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, an inventory control point of the Defense Logistics Agency, is making sure the Soldiers get $3.8 million worth of traditional holiday meals.

The Thanksgiving trimmings sent to theater also include 121,019 pounds of ham; 70,231 pounds of beef; and 42,630 pounds of shrimp – not to mention 75,914 pounds of stuffing; 9,480 cans of cranberry sauce; 9,426 cans of mashed potatoes; 10,470 cans of sweet potatoes and 2,606 cases of corn on the cob. For dessert, 63,082 whole pies.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

America Supports You: Group Sends Troops 'Hugs From Home'
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 24, 2004 -- Mandy Wisenbach and Carolyn Duraski met a few years ago and talk on the phone every day. And though they have never been in the same room -- they met over the Internet -- the two have become such good friends that they joined forces to make sure America's servicemembers are not forgotten.

Supporting the troops is something that is especially poignant to Wisenbach. Several of her family members, including her husband, have served the military. Currently, her 18-year-old brother is in the Navy.

"We write to him weekly, if not more," she said. "I cannot imagine friends and family not writing to their loved ones.

"Carolyn and I were in an adopt-a-veteran organization, and we talked a lot about it," Wisenbach said. "We decided to start 'Hugs From Home' so that no soldier is left with empty hands at mail call."

Wisenbach said the idea formed over a couple of week's worth of conversations. The organization started in August with about 150 members, Duraski said.

"We did a newspaper article in Philadelphia, and it grew to about 600 (members)," Duraski said. "Then we were on the news, and … I'd say we're well over 1,300 members now."

That means that more than 1,300 Hugs From Home members have, or want to, "adopt" a servicemember. Duraski said there are about another 150 potential members waiting to be processed and paired with servicemembers. The group has had four or five classrooms adopt servicemembers. Scouting groups have done so, as well.

Servicemembers must sign up through the Hugs From Home Web site to be adopted. This has led to a small snag -- there are more adopters than adoptees.

"We definitely could use any (servicemembers) that need letters or packages or anything like that," she said.

The response from servicemembers who have signed up has been very positive, Wisenbach said.

"The response from the troops has been unbelievable and so heartwarming," she said. "I have received so many e-mails thanking us for what we do. … (They) say how much they appreciate it and how it makes their time overseas a bit brighter."

The two ladies are mindful of security and privacy concerns. Duraski said she and Wisenbach are the only two who handle the information from both "huggers" and servicemembers. And huggers are instructed that servicemembers' names and addresses are not to be shared outside their households. The group does hold huggers accountable by asking them to let Duraski and Wisenbach know when they send a servicemember a letter or package.

The only other requirement of a hugger is the commitment to write to a servicemember at least once a month, Duraski said, adding that most go above and beyond that standard.

"Our adopters are absolutely wonderful," Duraski said. "We have got the best group of people in here. They're so dedicated to writing their soldiers. They send care packages, even though it's not required. Anything that the soldiers need, anything at all, they're right there."

The group just concluded a very successful "Operation Christmas From Home."

The goal was to provide National Guardsmen from a Michigan unit with stockings of goodies, Christmas decorations and gifts. The group was able to provide the unit with Christmas decorations, including a tree, and gifts to include a CD or DVD for every unit member. And there were extra gifts donated, Duraski said. Now Hugs From Home is faced with the pleasant dilemma of deciding what to do with the extras.

Group members, who donated all items, are in the process of "adopting" an injured servicemember's family for the holidays. With nearly 20 years of service, the servicemember was injured in Iraq and has been a patient at Walter Reed Army Medical Center since October 2003. He and his wife have three children, ages 4, 8 and 18.

In addition to what the members will give to the family, a 21-employee company has collectively decided to forgo exchanging gifts at the office in lieu of giving to the family from the southern Alabama area. Also, a Pennsylvania day care center that adopts a family each year has adopted the family.

"They're going to have a great Christmas," Duraski said.

The support doesn't end after Christmas, though. In fact, according to Duraski, it doesn't always end after a servicemember comes home.

"A lot of people will keep up their correspondence with their soldier that's at home and adopt another soldier that's deployed," she said.

Hugs From Home hopes to achieve 501C(3) nonprofit status in the coming year. That would allow the group to receive grants, and any donations made to the organization would be tax deductible.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

National Guard and Reserve Mobilized as of November 24, 2004
This week, the Army and Air Force announced an increase in the number of reservists on active duty in support of the partial mobilization, while the Navy , Marines and Coast Guard had a decrease. The net collective result is 294 more reservists mobilized than last week.

At any given time, services may mobilize some units and individuals while demobilizing others, making it possible for these figures to either increase or decrease. Total number currently on active duty in support of the partial mobilization for the Army National Guard and Army Reserve is 156,972; Naval Reserve, 3,235; Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, 10,808; Marine Corps Reserve, 10,703; and the Coast Guard Reserve, 1,054. This brings the total National Guard and Reserve personnel, who have been mobilized, to 182,772 including both units and individual augmentees.

A cumulative roster of all National Guard and Reserve personnel, who are currently mobilized can be found at http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Nov2004/d20041124.pdf


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marine, Military Law & Videotape
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Matt Hayes
Fox News
Wednesday, November 24, 2004

The world has now seen what some contend is footage of a Marine killing an unarmed, wounded insurgent in Fallujah. Last week, "The Australian" used its headline to term it "cold-blooded murder."

Legal doubts exist as to whether the insurgents seen in the video are protected by the law of armed conflict as they were non-uniformed, evidently were not organized into a command structure and to a large part appear to have spontaneously resisted U.S. forces as they entered the city.

If the individual we see shot in the video is protected by the law of armed conflict, what the video depicts probably does not, on its own, support any kind of prosecution of the Marine.

The law of armed conflict draws from a variety of sources, including the Geneva and Hague conventions and the law that came out of the Nuremburg trials. As it applies to U.S. soldiers, it is not as conceptual as one might think. It is the subject of several manuals distributed throughout the branches of our military; the Department of Defense has an order in place that requires every department of our military to have procedures in place that ensure the law of armed conflict is taught and observed and its violations prosecuted.

The video, taken from the vantage point of cameraman Kevin Sites, shows the Marines as they enter a building and encounter two groups of bodies against the far exterior wall. Sites breaks from the Marines and walks to the right as the Marines walk left. The camera shows the first group of bodies as Sites approaches it, with the Marines now to his left approximately 25 feet away.

The first group consists of two men, one of which is slouched with his back against the exterior wall of the building and the second of which is laying on the ground, huddled against the first. Though they are dead, at first glimpse these men might appear to be alive but injured as one is not prone, but slouched against the wall, and neither is covered with a blanket.

The camera moves past this group of two to a second group consisting of three bodies near the same exterior wall as the first. It is this group that the Marines approached as Sites broke from them and walked right. By contrast, two of these bodies are covered in blankets from the tops of their heads to their toes. Two of the three have their heads against the exterior wall and a third is positioned obversely, with its toes toward the toes of the other two. His feet are approximately six feet from the feet of the other two bodies.

A Marine calls out "He's f**king faking he's dead." If we assume that the Marine is correct, then what these soldiers have encountered is a prohibited tactic, the use of which has been documented since at least the Second World War.

During World War II, it was not at all uncommon for U.S. medics serving in the Pacific to be killed by wounded Japanese soldiers that they had crossed a battlefield to help. And throughout Iraq, a similar, though more evolved tactic has been used to kill U.S. and British soldiers.

On Nov. 15, the very day the story of the Fallujah mosque shooting was put into heavy rotation, Lance Cpl. Jeramy Ailes was checking on a group of prisoners, some of whom were wounded, when an insurgent feigning death gunned down the Marine as he approached.

The Fallujah Marines stood mere feet from what they believed to be a live man attempting to pass himself off as dead - precisely the same thing Ailes encountered moments before he was killed. It is that belief that prevents the killing from being treated as an instance of murder. The Marines simply lacked the requisite mental state to have murdered the man on the floor.

But the Marine who shot the man on the floor has a far more interesting defense at his disposal if military authorities ever decide to launch a prosecution. Many press outlets have shown that they are willing to question the judgment of our soldiers while they are in combat. What if the Marine's judgment that the covered person on the floor was alive is just plain wrong?

It's entirely plausible that the man on the floor was indeed dead, and it would be very difficult, given conditions on the battlefield, for prosecuting authorities to demonstrate otherwise. Press accounts have said that the Marine command at Fallujah was made aware of the incident four full days after it happened. The man shown on the video being shot is just one of many insurgents killed in the action (what happened to the body after the shooting has not been reported). This points to some of the practical difficulties in prosecuting combat-related crimes.

Within a week of the Fallujah shooting, Marines had killed another Iraqi insurgent who was playing dead. Given an environment such as this, it would have been entirely reasonable for the Marines entering that room in Fallujah to throw a grenade in ahead of them.

Close observers of the Fallujah video will note that the instant the Marine shoots the first covered man on the floor, the covered body directly behind him raises its arms and energetically surrenders. It's plausible that the Marine in Fallujah shot a wounded man who did not actually pose a threat. But it is far more likely that he saved the lives of his fellow Marines, and cameraman Kevin Sites as well.

---Matt Hayes began practicing immigration law shortly after graduating from Pace University School of Law in 1994, representing new immigrants in civil and criminal matters. He is the author of the soon to be published, "The New Immigration Law and Practice."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marine says his daughter is the hero, not him
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
by Shellie Bailey-Shah
KATU Web Staff

Portland, Ore. - Little Isabelle White lives in Idaho Falls, but she is here in Portland to have a life-saving operation.

In her short life, the three-year-old has endured five major surgeries, including one that left her paralyzed from the waist down.

The latest operation she had was to replace a heart valve.

"Blood was backing up in her lungs," explained Dr. Irving Shen, a Pediatric Cardiac Surgeon at Doernbecher Children's Hospital.

Despite the good work at the hospital, Isabelle's best medicine sits by her bedside - daddy home on emergency leave from Iraq.

"She just grabbed his face and hugged him and kissed him," said Crystal White, Isabelle's mother. "The whole time he was gone it was 'my daddy's a hero and my daddy's a Marine and my daddy's in Iraq.'"

Sgt. Gary White with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force says he actually feels like Isabelle is the hero in the family, not him.

"She's definitely been through more than I have. She's tougher than anybody I know."

White has applied for a permanent humanitarian leave, but so far, there has been no word from the Marines on whether that will be granted.

As for Isabelle's condition, she is expected to need future surgeries, but doctors are hopeful she will live a long and happy life.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marine tells what he misses while in Iraq
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By EVE HIGHTOWER
Democrat staff Writer
Wednesday, November 24, 2004

Lifelong Yolo County, California resident Lt. Col. Charlie Schaupp has been in Fallujah for seven months. Where rockets and mortars fall from the sky, Schaupp dreams of what used to be chores: mowing his lawn in Esparto, grocery shopping, barbecuing.

In an e-mail interview last week, Schaupp, who has been in the Marine Corps and Reserve for 23 years, explained what it is like to be half a world away from his fiancee, work more than seven months without a day off and watch troops fresh from battle receive gifts from home as we approach Thanksgiving.

DD: How long have you been in Fallujah, Iraq?

CS: I was assigned Operation Iraqi Freedom II as a command staff member last March. I arrived at Fallujah, First Marine Expeditionary Headquarters located on the outskirts of the city of Fallujah, last April. I have been at the Fallujah Command Headquarters for about seven months. I am also in my third year of active duty after being mobilized in January 2002.

DD: What is your job in Iraq?

CS: I am a Special Staff Officer to the Commanding General of the First Marine Expeditionary Force. I am assigned as the Security Officer and I coordinate security and sensitive information between the Intelligence Section and the Operations Section and other key sections as required. These duties mostly pertain to ensuring classified information is safeguarded and only personnel with the need to know and the proper security access level are given access to classified information. I also work with the Force Protection & Anti-Terrorism Section to protect the security of the command headquarters. I see the general daily, but most of my work is through the chief of staff and the various other key staff sections on security issues.

DD: What do you do on an average day in Iraq?

CS: I work security issues and security clearances to ensure only personnel with a need to know see classified information. This includes a myriad of daily tasks and briefings. Because I am 49 years old and still in the Marines, I also try to get several hours of Physical Training (PT) daily. Usually, I run three miles. Due to the current operations, I had to curtail my PT secessions. But you might say I am still young because the generals, who are well into their 50s, also PT everyday. It is just part of being a marine. I have been out running when we have had mortar attacks. Luckily, they never hit in my immediate area.

DD: How much sleep have you gotten since you arrived in Fallujah?

CS: I usually try to sleep between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. daily (Iraq time) sometimes more, sometimes less. The command operates 24-hour combat operations, seven days a week. During the daily light, I work a lot of coordination issues within the command. In the evenings (when it is midday in Washington and Camp Pendleton), I spend a lot of my time in communication with my counterparts in the United States working a myriad of security issues.

DD: What do you eat over there? How many meals do you eat a day? Are you able to buy food and supplies there? How much does a can of soda cost?

CS: We are provided with three meals a day. Currently, on an average, one or two of the meals are MREs due to the current tactical situation, but Kellogg, Brown & Root operates a chow hall that is open in the evenings for a hot, fresh cooked meal.

Many of our combat forces take advantage of the evening meal and they rotate marines in from combat operations for a hot meal and shower as much as possible. We have showers and toilets set up for them as well as a phone center and Internet service, so they can contact their families. We also have a laundry service for their laundry bags.

The Military Exchange System operates a small tactical PX here with an assortment of soft drinks, toiletries supplies and snack foods. The soda price in the PX is about the same as in the U.S.A., but the selection is usually limited because we never know what will be coming in on the supply convoy. They also carry some DVDs and CDs and many of the troops have purchased small portable DVD players.

We also receive a lot of donations of snacks and DVDs in the mail. I have received numerous boxes sent to me to distribute to the marines by the Woodland Christian Church and Woodland's Hollywood Video.

The marines just love it when we have mail call because it almost always means a new assortment of DVDs and good things to eat from the folks back home. Other Yoloans like the DeKnikker, Hayes and Robertson families, to name just a few, have sent many boxes. That is some of what I receive. Almost every marine has received donations from home. The boxes contain everything from socks and foot-powder, to batteries, to jerky (always a big hit), to just-released DVDs.

One of your home-town heroes, Mayor and Marine Staff Sergeant Matt Rexroad, has been doing a lot of coordination for donations. Not only did he serve here, he continues to support us by getting people in touch with marines who are deployed over here.

DD: How do you get news there? What do you think of the media's coverage of the war and what is happening in Fallujah?

CS: We get our news mostly on T.V. Satellite feeds. Normally, the chow halls show Fox News or CNN on large TVs. Many marines log on to the Internet to see what is happening. Almost everyday I log onto the Daily Democrat's Web page to see what is happening at home.

The media coverage has been very good. We have imbedded reporters assigned to many of our units and see them daily in and about the troop areas.

The most popular is Ollie North. As a retired Lieutenant Colonel the troops really respect him. The saying "Once a marine, always a marine" really applies to Ollie North. But we admire most all of the reporters here. They eat the same food as the marines and live in the field with the marines. Each unit that has an imbedded tends to adopt them as one of their own and treats him or her as part of their team.

DD: Have you received live fire? How did you respond?

CS: We receive random, indirect fire. Mostly 122mm rockets and mortars. The amount is always random. You never know when they will attack. My phrase for the insurgents' tactics is: Hit-and-run for their lives. The moment they launch an attack, our counter battery units triangulate their position and return fire. Two days ago several 122mm rockets came in, but did not hit anything important. The day before that, it was a mortar attack, but all the mortars were duds and just stuck in the ground. I think the insurgents do not know how to properly store ordnance, which is causing a lot of duds. (That is a good thing.) Usually, they do very little damage and we are hunkered in pretty well. Occasionally, they will hit something; marines have been wounded or killed.

A few months back, a fellow officer was killed by a rocket that hit about 40 meters from my position. For the most part, these random attacks are just a nuisance and we are not intimated by them.

Last summer, the insurgents hit an ammunitions dump of captured Iraqi ordnance with a mortar round. The ordnance was scheduled for destruction. The dump blew sky-high. We got on the roof to watch until ordnance start whizzing over our heads. So we got down and took cover.

There have also been a few attacks by suicide bombers in our perimeter and other areas where we lost marines. We have had a few ground attack warnings, but these have always been repulsed. Improvised Explosive Devices, roadside or vehicle bombs, have been used against a number of our convoys. But, from what I can tell, the insurgents rarely stand and fight. They just use hit-and-run terror tactics.

DD: What sort of contact have you had with Iraqis outside of combat zones?

CS: Most of my dealing with Iraqis has been working security issues with our Civil Affairs Group. The Civil Affairs Group is trying to work with Iraqi business people and community leaders to help them start to rebuild their country and establish free enterprise. The Civil Affairs Group is also working to repair the infrastructure of the Iraqi cities and rebuild or repair schools, hospitals and other important support facilities.

DD: What do you miss most about your daily life in the U.S.?

CS: What I miss the most is being home in Esparto and attending things like the Lions Club meetings, the high school football games and just being able to mow my own lawn. I have really missed attending the Yolo County Fair in the past three years. The Yolo County Fair, bar none, is the best county fair in Northern California. It is were you see all your long-time friends.

Being from Esparto, I also miss the Almond Festival and the Lions Club annual crab feed. Those events are always a lot of fun.

I also miss working with the Yolo County Boy Scouts. I always like attending their spring Camporee as a volunteer Scouter. I have not been able to attend in over three years. Sometimes, I just miss being able to go to a store, buy food and cook for myself. I love to barbecue and cook. It has been a while since I have been able to do some of the things I too often took for granted when I was home.

DD: When will you be home?

CS: I am due home in December for a visit over the Christmas Holidays. I have been granted two weeks leave. I will be rejoining my wife, Kwangja, on an 11-day Caribbean cruise, which I am really looking forward to. I have spent most of the year in Iraq. I have not had a day off in over seven months. It will be nice to have a vacation.

After the holidays, I report back to Okinawa, Japan, to complete my current tour of duty. Kwangja and I were married in Seoul last Christmas, so it will be good to spend our first anniversary with family.

DD: What will you take from your experience in Iraq?

CS: The thing that has made the biggest impression on me is the courage, determination and guts of these young men and women in the Marine Corps and Army. Although most of them are only one or two years out of high school, they have courageously faced an enemy who tries to use terror and intimidation. They are not at all intimated by the attacks or attempts to instill fear. The leadership shown my our young noncommissioned officers in leading their troops against a ruthless adversary has been awe-inspiring and made me proud to be an American.

My experience here has reminded me to cherish the little joys of life like a trip to the store, a day with family, a visit with friends or just being able to mow my own lawn.

- Eve Hightower can be reached at 406-6233 or at ehightower@dailydemocrat.com.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Local Family Raising Money For Injured Marines

A Marine family in Madison is reaching out to all the injured Wisconsin Marines.


The military covers all medical care expenses for marines hurt in combat. But, it doesn't pay for the Marines' family to be at their side. That's where Chris Lowery of Madison steps in to help.


Lowery has one son who is a Marine with the Madison-based 2/24th Company G. Recently, the unit lost four Marines during enemy combat operations in Fallujuh.


"We think about B.J. every second of every day," said Lowery.


Lowery said it only helps to use her time supporting her Marine. So, she's busy making 5,000 "Support Our Troops" signs, magnets, and window clings.


The items will be sold for a $5 donation at 20 local PDQ gas stations starting on Monday, Nov. 29. Unlike other "Support Our Troops" trinkets, every dime raised will benefit the families of the 2/24th.


"What we're doing with this money is creating an emergency fund for the families in their time of need," Lowery said.


For example, the proceeds will help the family of injured Monona Marine Chad Simon. Recently, Simon's church helped raise $7,000 to send Chad's mother to see him at a Maryland hospital.


"His brain swelling has decreased, his blood pressure has decreased, so he is doing much better," said Jeff Mannel, minister at Madison Church of Christ.


Vicky Moeser of Madison is also in Maryland. Her son, Scott, was another Marine hurt in the fight for Fallujah. Lowery said Scott's condition is progressing.


"They're still unsure about the extent of brain damage, but they're hopeful," Lowery said.


Lowery said she also continues to stay hopeful, especially as she reads a recent letter from her son.


B.J. wrote, "Being out here has shown me a lot. They need us and if I was given the chance to leave I would say, 'No, I want to stay.' Our lives stink at times, but these people's lives are worse all of the time. I would feel a lot better if you didn't worry so much. I will come home. I promise nothing will stop that no matter what I have to do I will be there."


Lowery said until B.J. does get home, she'll keep her hands busy until she can use them to hug her son.


"The government doesn't always have to take care of us. We're pretty good at taking care of ourselves and each other," Lowery said.


Besides donating $5 for a "Support Our Troops" sign, you can help the family of Chad Simon by attending a silent auction. The event will take place at the Badger Bowl from noon to 3 p.m. on Jan. 8.


On Dec. 3-4, local Wal-Marts will collect gifts for members of the 224th to ship overseas for the holidays.

Ellie