Weather Suspected In Helo Crash

[thedrifter]

Weather Suspected In Helo Crash
Associated Press
January 27, 2005

WASHINGTON - A top U.S. General said Wednesday there was severe weather at the site of a U.S. Marine helicopter crash in western Iraq and that he had no reports of enemy fire in the area. President Bush expressed sorrow at the loss of life and said he knew Americans would find the new deaths discouraging.

Army Gen. John Abizaid, chief of U.S. Central Command, said the helicopter was on a routine mission in support of Sunday's elections in Iraq. Abizaid, in Washington to brief members of Congress on the war effort, said the cause of the crash was still under investigation.

Lt. Gen. John Sattler, the top Marine commander in Iraq, said in a videotaped statement from his headquarters in Fallujah, west of Baghdad, that 30 Marines and one Navy sailor were killed. He made no mention of a possible cause and said a recovery team was at the crash site.

Sattler identified the aircraft as a CH-53E Super Stallion, which is the largest helicopter in the American military. He provided no details about the circumstances of the crash; he said the victims were members of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing and 1st Marine Division but was not more specific.

Relatives of the victims are being notified, he said. Until that is completed the names will not be publicly released, he said.





"All Marines, sailors, soldiers and airmen of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force mourn the tragic loss of our brothers in arms," he said.

The Super Stallion is operated by a crew of three and can be configured to carry as many as 55 people. It normally carries 37.

The CH-53 is a mainstay of the Marine Corps for ferrying equipment and troops in western Iraq. It was the deadliest crash of a U.S. military helicopter in Iraq. Officials said it was flying over the desert.

Bush was asked about the fatal crash during a White House news conference.

"Listen, the story today is going to be very discouraging to the American people. I understand that. We value life and we weep and mourn when soldiers lose their life," he said. "But it is the long-term objective that is vital, and that is to spread freedom."

He said he didn't have details on the crash. "I know that it's being investigated by the Defense Department. Obviously, any time we lose life, it is a sad moment," he said.

Asked about reports that the crash may have been weather-related, Bush said, "I've heard rumors, but let's wait for the facts."

Earlier, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said, "We are saddened anytime there is loss of life of our troops in harm's way."

The death toll was the largest for a U.S. aircraft crash in Iraq since U.S. forces invaded in March 2003.

The Marines fly two main variants: the CH-53D Sea Stallion, which dates to the Vietnam war period, and the newer, more powerful CH-53E Super Stallion, which has three gas turbine engines. Both are made by Sikorsky. Both normally carry as many as 37 combat-equipped troops, but both also can be configured to carry up to 55 passengers.

McClellan refused to discuss the casualty toll or what might have caused the crash.

"I'm going to let the military provide information to you about what they know at this point," McClellan said. "I know they are investigating the matter."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Much Bigger Military Is Called For
Charlotte Observer
January 27, 2005

The Bush administration is facing new calls from Democrats and Republicans, including some of its staunchest allies, to expand the size of the Army and Marines by tens of thousands of active-duty troops over the next several years.

The bipartisan calls reflect burgeoning concerns that the Iraq conflict has so strained U.S. ground forces that the United States could find itself short of forces in the event of an unexpected crisis in the near future.

Some Democrats and Republicans are also worried that the unprecedented mobilization rates for the Army Reserve and National Guard, who constitute more than 40 percent of the 150,000-member U.S. force in Iraq, are starting to severely hurt recruiting. What's more, the best trained Reserve and Guard combat troops already have been sent into war.

"In the post-9-11 world, we need a bigger military," said William Kristol, the editor of the conservative Weekly Standard magazine who's close to the White House and was a strong supporter of the March 2003 invasion.

Late this week, Kristol plans to send a letter to congressional leaders signed by about 30 leading nongovernment national security experts from both parties calling for the addition of 25,000 ground troops a year for the next several years beginning in 2006.

The letter would come two weeks after 21 Democratic senators wrote to President Bush, urging that he set aside resources to expand U.S. forces by an unspecified level beyond the 20,000 new Army troops and 3,000 Marines authorized by Congress last year over the objections of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.




Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said it would be premature to comment on the question of additional troops while the 2006 defense budget is being developed.

Rumsfeld and other senior defense officials have opposed increasing U.S. ground forces, arguing that doing so would hobble the Army's efforts to restructure and re-arm with new technologies and weapons to meet future threats.

There are currently 495,000 active-duty Army troops and more than 175,000 Marines.

Earlier this week, the Bush administration announced it will ask Congress for $80 billion in new spending for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan on top of the $25 billion already approved for this year, pushing the total since 2002 to around $300 billion.

The start-up costs alone of manning and equipping two new divisions -- about 34,000 soldiers -- as favored by some lawmakers, would run as high as $19 billion, according to a September 2003 study by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

That amount is roughly the equivalent of 20 percent of the annual budget of the Army, which has 10 divisions.

It would take up to five years to train and equip the new divisions, which would cost about $6 billion per year to maintain, according to the CBO study.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marines Killed in Iraq Crash Mourned

By B.J. REYES, Associated Press Writer

KAILUA, Hawaii - A sudden and painful reminder of the war in Iraq (news - web sites) hit this state with word that 27 Marines from one base had been killed in the worst loss of Hawaii-based troops since Pearl Harbor.


All but three of the 30 Marines and one sailor killed when a helicopter crashed Wednesday in a desert sandstorm had been deployed from the Marine Corps base at Kaneohe Bay, according to Sen. Daniel Akaka (news, bio, voting record), D-Hawaii.


"We are particularly feeling the effects of the war in Hawaii," Akaka said in a statement from his Washington office. "My heartfelt thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathies go to the families of each Marine."


The crash shook the Windward Oahu community near the base as residents awaited the names of the dead. "Your heart just sinks," said Bobbie Jerome, 34, whose Marine husband has not been deployed to Iraq.


The Kaneohe Bay base is under the operational control of the 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, near Oceanside, Calif. Some of the victims also were based in San Diego.


While the Marines come from hometowns across America, no single military attack or accident stands out as hitting Hawaii harder since the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor that left 2,390 people dead and 1,178 wounded.


"That's a tragic story for everybody here," Bob Reeve, 71, a retiree who lives near the Kaneohe base, said after hearing the news. "We like our military here. It's going to be a sad thing."


The crash dramatically increased the death toll of servicemen with Hawaii ties in Iraq and Afghanistan (news - web sites) to 78, including 43 Marines from the Kaneohe base.


Lance Cpl. Tony Hernandez, 22, of Canyon Lake, Texas, was among the dead. Initially rejected by the Marines because he was too heavy, Hernandez eventually ran and dieted to trim off nearly 25 pounds to get admitted.


Family members Wednesday took turns holding a framed photo of Hernandez in his uniform. "I just look at the picture and I can't believe it happened," said Leroy Hernandez, the Marine's father. "I just wish we could get those kids out of there."


In Oceanside, Amber Warlock, 31, a former Marine whose husband is a Marine pilot currently stationed at Camp Pendleton, said she was stunned when she heard about the crash on television.


"You hear about people dying every day in ones and twos," she said. "But 31 is just too much to comprehend."


Warlock sought solace at the beach with her 5-month-old daughter, Heidi, and a fellow Marine wife who cried at news of the deaths, even though she had confirmed her husband was OK in Iraq.


"You just know how every single woman sitting in her home feels, whether it's going to be yours or someone you know," Warlock said. "It doesn't matter who it is. It's a bad day for everybody."


Back in Kailua, Lee Bowman, 25, a Navy medic who served in Iraq last year, said of the victims: "My heart goes out to them. I feel it's going to be hard to replace them."


As word of the crash reached this town next to the Marine base, at least one said the tragedy would bring people in the military community together.


"It's a unity building thing," said Margaret Franks, 52, a substance abuse counselor from Kailua, "but I hate to have this tragic thing be the cause for us to be more united."





___

Associated Press writers T.A. Badger in Texas and Michelle Morgante in California contributed to this report.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Rice Replaces Powell <br />
Associated Press <br />
January 27, 2005 <br />
<br />
WASHINGTON - Condoleezza Rice takes over Thursday as America's 66th secretary of state to confront an agenda laden with difficult and...

[thedrifter]

Air Force Abuzz Over Moderation <br />
USA TODAY <br />
January 27, 2005 <br />
<br />
CHEYENNE, Wyo. - A nuclear missile base here is using unorthodox tactics to combat an old problem in the military ranks: drinking to...

[thedrifter]

Bipartisan movement urges expansion of Army, Marines

BY JONATHAN S. LANDAY

Washington Bureau


WASHINGTON — The Bush administration is facing new calls from Democrats and Republicans, including some of its staunchest allies, to expand the size of the Army and Marines by tens of thousands of active-duty troops over the next several years.

The bipartisan calls reflect burgeoning concerns that the Iraq conflict has so strained U.S. ground forces that the United States could find itself short of forces in the event of an unexpected crisis in the near future.

Some Democrats and Republicans also are worried that the unprecedented mobilization rates for Army Reserves and National Guard, who constitute more than 40 percent of the 150,000-strong U.S. force in Iraq, are starting to severely hurt recruiting. What's more, the best trained Reserve and Guard combat troops already have been sent into war.

"In the post-9/11 world, we need a bigger military," said William Kristol, the editor of the conservative Weekly Standard magazine, who is close to the White House and was a strong supporter of the March 2003 invasion.

Kristol plans to send a letter to congressional leaders this week signed by about 30 leading national security experts from both parties calling for the addition of 25,000 ground troops a year for the next several years beginning in 2006.

The letter comes two weeks after 21 Democratic senators wrote to President Bush urging that he set aside resources to expand U.S. forces by an unspecified level beyond the 20,000 new Army troops and 3,000 Marines authorized by Congress last year over the objections of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said it would be premature to comment on the question of additional troops while the 2006 defense budget is being developed.

Rumsfeld and other senior defense officials have opposed increasing U.S. ground forces, arguing that doing so would hobble the Army's efforts to restructure and rearm with new technologies and weapons to meet future threats.

There are now 495,000 active-duty Army troops and more than 175,000 Marines.

The Defense Department also is under serious financial stress from the military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Earlier this week, the Bush administration announced that it's preparing to ask Congress for $80 billion in new spending for those operations on top of the $25 billion already approved for this year, pushing the total since 2002 to around $300 billion.

The costs alone of staffing and equipping two new divisions — about 34,000 troops — as favored by some lawmakers, would run as high as $19 billion, according to a September 2003 study by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

That amount is roughly the equivalent of 20 percent of the annual budget of the Army, which currently has 10 divisions.

It would take up to five years to train and equip the new divisions, which would cost about $6 billion per year to maintain, according to the CBO study.

Steve Kosiak, an analyst with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Analysis, an independent policy institute, said the Bush administration would be hard-pressed to find such sums.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Rumsfeld's Top Policy Adviser To Quit
Associated Press
January 27, 2005

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's top policy adviser said Wednesday he has informed Rumsfeld that he will leave his Pentagon position sometime this summer.

Douglas J. Feith, the undersecretary of defense for policy and a driving force behind the Bush administration's strategy for fighting the global war on terror, said in an interview that he decided it was time he devoted more time to his family. He has four children.

"I informed the secretary that I plan to leave in the summer," he said.

He offered no specific resignation date and stressed that he was leaving on his own terms.

Feith would be the highest-ranking Pentagon official to leave the administration. The No. 2 official, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, said recently he plans to remain.

Rumsfeld told reporters on Capitol Hill that he had wanted Feith to stay longer and is sorry to lose him.





"I'm hopeful he will stay until we are able to find an appropriate successor," Rumsfeld said. In a brief written statement issued later, Rumsfeld called Feith creative, well-organized and energetic.

"He has earned the respect of civilian and military leaders across the government," Rumsfeld wrote.

Feith, 51, began working with Rumsfeld in March 2001 and was confirmed by the Senate four months later. As Rumsfeld's top policy adviser he manages an organization of about 1,500 people and represents the Pentagon in interagency forums where national security policy is made.

Feith has stirred considerable controversy during his four years at the Pentagon. He oversaw the Office of Special Plans, which critics said fed policy-makers uncorroborated prewar intelligence on Saddam Hussein's Iraq, especially involving purported ties with the al-Qaida terror network.

Army Gen. Tommy Franks, the retired commander of U.S. Central Command, raised eyebrows in Washington when he took a verbal shot at Feith in his autobiography, "American Soldier." Franks, who wrote the war plans for the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, wrote that Feith was "getting a reputation around here as the dumbest (expletive) guy on the planet."

Franks wrote that while Feith, a lawyer schooled at Harvard and Georgetown, had academic credentials and was personally likable, he posed "off-the-wall questions without relevance to problems."

Larry Di Rita, the chief spokesman for Rumsfeld, said Wednesday that Feith is respected by military commanders. He noted that after Feith made a policy presentation Wednesday to a group of senior commanders, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Richard Myers, delivered a glowing tribute to Feith and thanked him for his contributions over the past four years.

In the AP interview, Feith said he was not sure what he will do after leaving the Pentagon. He said he intends to remain in Washington, where he has lived since the 1970s. He said he was especially proud of his contributions to improving the relationship between the Pentagon's civilian policy-makers, the combat commanders and the staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"Many people have said it is now better than it has ever been," Feith said.

It is his second stint at the Pentagon. He was a special counsel to Richard Perle when Perle was an assistant secretary of defense during the Reagan administration. Before that he was a Middle East specialist at the National Security Council at the White House in 1981-82.

Feith has spearheaded a number of major policy initiatives during his four years at the Pentagon. Among them is a plan to reposition American troops around the world, including a partial withdrawal of troops from South Korea and Germany. He also led a review of U.S. nuclear weapons policy.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

12 Dead in Pre-Election Violence in Iraq

By SAMEER N. YACOUB, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Eleven Iraqis and one U.S. Marine were killed Thursday as insurgents clashed with U.S. troops and blew up a school slated to serve as a polling center, pre-election violence that followed the deadliest day for U.S. troops since the war's start. Another U.S. soldier died in an accident.


The Marine was killed and five others injured when insurgents launched mortars at their base near Iskandariyah, about 30 miles south of Baghdad.


Australian officials announced that one of two car bombing on Baghdad's dangerous airport road Wednesday had injured eight Australian soldiers riding in a convoy escorting Australian government officials.


Also on Wednesday, 30 U.S. Marines and one Navy sailor died in a helicopter crash in bad weather in the western desert, and six U.S. troops were killed in insurgent ambushes. That made Wednesday the deadliest single day for Americans since the Iraq (news - web sites) war began nearly two years ago.


In a continuation of the pre-election violence plaguing the country, three Iraqi civilians were killed Thursday in a house in Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad, when a car bomb exploded nearby, said Alaadin Mohammed, a doctor at the local hospital.


Another three Iraqis were killed and seven injured when a roadside bomb missed a U.S. convoy in Mahmoudiya, 20 miles south of Baghdad, according to the area's hospital director, Dawoud al-Taie.


Also, an Iraqi army soldier was killed and five civilians and two Iraqi police officers were wounded when a suicide car bomb exploded near the Iraqi soldier's patrol in Baqouba, said 1st Sgt. Brian Thomas of the U.S. military.


Near Tikrit, a roadside bomb killed one Iraqi bystander and narrowly missed another passing U.S. military convoy, police said. The attack happened on a road near former dictator Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s hometown, about 80 miles north of Baghdad, said police Lt. Shalan Allawi.


Also in Samarra, armed men blew up a local school administration building on Thursday morning after first ordering the staff to leave, said police Lt. Qassim Mohammed. The destroyed building had been scheduled to be a voting center in Sunday's elections.


Sporadic clashes also erupted in Samarra between U.S. troops and armed men, killing one Iraqi civilian and injuring another, Mohammed said.


And in Ramadi, capital of the insurgent-plagued province of Anbar west of Baghdad, another Iraqi National Guard soldier was killed when insurgents attacked a joint U.S.-Iraqi force guarding a voting center at a school, said police Lt. Safa al-Obeidi.


In Baqouba, the body of a colonel in the former Iraqi intelligence during Saddam's era, Talib Minshid, was found in the city, according to a Baqouba hospital official, Mohammed Ali. Minshid had been abducted by armed men two days ago.


A U.S. soldier also died from a gunshot wound early Thursday on a base near Tikrit in what the American military command called an accident.


Just days before Sunday's crucial election, four Iraqi National Guard soldiers and one officer also were kidnapped Wednesday afternoon in Baghdadi, 90 miles west of Baghdad.


The kidnapping occurred after the Iraqi soldiers' car was stopped by insurgents at a checkpoint, according to witnesses at the scene who saw the incident.


On Wednesday, rebels launched a string of car bombs and attacks on polling centers across the country that killed at least 13 people.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

U.S. To Supply Helos To Afghanistan
Associated Press
January 27, 2005

KABUL, Afghanistan - The United States plans to supply helicopters to Afghanistan to help combat the world's largest opium industry, a senior Afghan official said Thursday.

Deputy Interior Minister Lt. Gen. Mohammed Daoud said a Defense Department official discussed delivering eight helicopters to Afghanistan's fledgling counternarcotics police in a meeting in the Afghan capital on Wednesday.

"Two of these aircraft should arrive in Kabul within a month. Six more are to come by the end of 2005," Daoud told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

Maj. Mark McCann, a spokesman for the U.S. military in Kabul, said Daoud met with Robert Newberry, a counternarcotics official from the Pentagon, but McCann had no details on their discussions. A U.S. Embassy spokeswoman had no information on the meeting.

The delivery of the helicopters could ease the pressure on the U.S. military to get involved in a planned crackdown on farmers growing opium poppies and on the refiners and traffickers who deliver their crop as heroin into Western markets.




"We will be stronger and do all our operations by ourselves," Daoud said.

Daoud said the helicopters would be used to transport Afghan counternarcotics police around the country for operations.

He said the United States was also offering to train police pilots but had yet to decide whether to provide American helicopters or Russian-made Mi-17s, with which Afghan pilots are already familiar.

The United States has earmarked $780 million to counter Afghanistan's illegal drug industry. It was unclear if the helicopters would be purchased out of that budget.

The United Nations says Afghanistan produced nearly 90 percent of the world's opium and the drug accounted for more than 60 percent of the country's gross domestic product.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

'Wire dog' displays artistic ability in field environment
Submitted by: MCB Camp Butler
Story Identification #: 200512612121
Story by Lance Cpl. Martin R. Harris



ROYAL THAI NAVAL AIR BASE, UTAPAO, Thailand (Jan. 25, 2005) -- Throughout history, Marines have been known, by some, for having the initiative to go above and beyond the call of duty. For one Marine with 7th Communications Battalion, III Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, it’s an everyday occurrence.

Lance Cpl. John F. Struve, a field wireman currently assigned to Combined Support Force 536 in support of Operation Unified Assistance, the tsunami-relief operation in Southeast Asia, displays these characteristics everyday, explained 1st Sgt. Gary T. Belton, 7th Communications Battalion.

The Las Vegas, Nev. native, was working in his tent here when Belton walked in. Seeing a drawing hanging in the tent, Belton inquired as to who had drawn the motivated picture. Struve raised his hand to take credit for the drawing.

“The artwork, a field wireman, or ‘wire dog,’ logo that he completed in his off time, was outstanding,” Belton said. “I asked him if he wanted to maybe draw something for the battalion trailer, and he willingly went to work.”

Struve jumped at the opportunity to help out, Belton explained.

During the times when he wasn’t running wire at the headquarters here, Struve designed a logo for a board, which would be posted outside the battalion trailer and used to pass information about administration, operational and recreational news.

“Sometimes it’s easier for Marines to just read the information for themselves in black and white, instead of hearing it in formations,” Belton said. “Now we have something that looks incredible and that everyone can be proud of.”

It is an amazing opportunity to work for the communications battalion as a wiremen and artist on this real-world deployment, Struve explained.

“This deployment feels incredible,” said Struve, whose artistic talent was spawned at and early age by his mother’s love of drawing and painting. “Not only are we helping so many people in need, but this is a real-world operation. Normally we go on training operations, but this operation is making a difference in people’s lives.”

Struve is one of the many outstanding junior Marines that we have in our battalion, explained Belton. He is the type of junior Marines that you don’t have to worry about.


Ellie

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200512613510/$file/050125-M-4322H-001LR.jpg

050125-M-4322H-002
ROYAL THAI NAVAL AIR BASE, UTAPAO, Thailand – Lance Cpl. John F. Struve paints a design on the 7th Communications Battalion trailer here Jan. 25. Struve, the field wireman from Las Vegas, Nev., designed a logo for a board, which would be posted outside the battalion trailer and used to pass information to all the Marines in the battalion about administration, operational and recreational news. Struve is a field wireman currently assigned to Combined Support Force 536 in support of Operation Unified Assistance, the tsunami-relief operation in Southeast Asia. (photo by Lance Cpl. Martin R. Harris, Combined Information Bureau, CSF-536) Photo by: Lance Cpl. Martin R. Harris, Combined Information Bureau, CSF-536

[thedrifter]

Corps honors Hunt’s valor on battlefield

Cpl. Adam C. Schnell
2d Marine Division

The first deployment to Iraq for Staff Sgt. Nathan T. Hunt of North Benton, Ohio, was hard, as he left his pregnant wife and young daughter to fight for freedom halfway around the world.

With thoughts of his family driving his success, the platoon sergeant for Scout Sniper Platoon, Headquarters and Service Company, 2d Battalion, 2d Marine Regiment, settled settled into his role that led to the success of the scout sniper operations and ultimately earned one of the nation’s most distinguished medals, the Bronze Star.

He was also awarded the combat distinguishing device, which is a gold letter “V” displayed on the medal for combat valor he displayed in Iraq.
Though Hunt’s hard work and great leadership earned him the medal recently, he believes that the award belongs to the entire battalion of hard-working Marines.

“I’m fortunate enough that I am the one who gets to wear it, but without them I wouldn’t have been able to receive the award ,” Hunt said modestly. “I guess I’d say it is just as much mine as it is theirs.”
According to the citation, Hunt was awarded the Bronze Star for a series of actions spanning from March 4 through June 4, 2004. In Fallujah, Iraq, he caused numerous enemy casualties, some from more than 1,000 yards away.

“I worked with Staff Sgt. Hunt when [the sniper platoon] was in Fallujah,” said Sgt. Joshua Clark, chief scout for the sniper platoon. “Having him around and his experience as an instructor, we all gained a lot of knowledge from him.”

In Zaidon, Iraq, he ran 400 meters through a barrage of enemy mortar fire to take control of sniper teams who were under heavy fire and facilitated the actions that ceased the enemy fire on their position, according to the citation.

According to Hunt, being able to stay calm while in the heat of battle is due to all of the training he received before deploying.
“Whenever under pressure out there, you just revert back to your training,” the former sniper school instructor said. “It is just second nature, almost like breathing; sometimes you don’t even realize you’re doing it.”

The training Hunt received in his more than eight years in the Marine Corps comes from the battalion he is currently a part of. He first came to 2d Battalion, 2d Marines back in February 1997 and has been in a sniper billet ever since he first started his career as part of a sniper platoon.

He spent his first four years with 2d Marines and later went on to become a sniper school instructor. Then in January 2004, he returned to his first unit.
“There is a reason I requested back to this unit,” Hunt said. “To me, there isn’t any other battalion I would want to be part of.”

The family he has made while with the battalion is much like his own family who he spends all of his time with when not working. Both hold a spot in this family man’s heart, but the biggest share is reserved for his wife, Vanessa and two daughters, Skylar and Brezlin.

During the middle of his deployment, his second daughter, Brezlin was born. Ironically, his wife gave birth 10 days late so he was able to call home the day she gave birth.

“Calling home the day my daughter was born was the best thing that happened when I was out there,” he said. “When I got home and surprised my wife and daughters, my oldest daughter ran up to me and hugged me for around 15 minutes; it was great.”


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marines' town chilled by grim news
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Michael Martinez
Tribune national correspondent
January 27, 2005

OCEANSIDE, Calif. -- In this Marine base town where the biggest business seems to be barbershops offering crewcuts and a neck shave, the death of 30 Marines and one sailor in a helicopter crash Wednesday--the deadliest day for Americans in the Iraq war--sent a particularly strong shudder through a usually stoic community.

The seaside Camp Pendleton has exemplified the heroic nature of America's armed services: Its 1st Expeditionary Force has lost about 200 members in Iraq, the most of any U.S. military base.

While it appeared that most of those killed Wednesday in Iraq were based in Hawaii, they were attached to the Pendleton-based expeditionary force, and their deaths were a body blow to the entire family of Marines.

As news slowly circulated on and off base Wednesday, just about anyone connected to the Marines--enlisted, retired, related--was expressing astonishment and sadness.

"When I was in the [base hospital] this morning, we saw it on television and they were shocked that it happened," said Lance Cpl. Wesley Hartman, 21, of Dearborn, Mich., who was in the clinic to receive inoculations when he heard the news.

"It was sad to hear that. You didn't know that many would go down. That's a big loss, especially for the Marines," Hartman said as he strolled through downtown Oceanside.

The crash was the greatest loss of life for the Marines in a single incident since the 1983 barracks bombing in Beirut that killed 220 Marines and 21 others.

Those killed Wednesday in the crash of the CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter were from the 1st Marine Division and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.

Several congressional offices reported that the four crew members were based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, and that many or all of the remaining 27 troops were stationed in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

Before word arrived that those killed apparently were not based at Pendleton, anxiety gripped the base.

All day long, visitors and concerned community members entered the open door of the 1st Marine Division Association headquarters, a veterans and philanthropic group that relocated to Oceanside from Chantilly, Va., last July.

Bill Unger, 57, a retired Marine corporal who served in Vietnam and received the Purple Heart, said he was struck by the anxiety at Camp Pendleton, which he visited earlier in the day as word of the casualties began to spread.

"I've seen some pretty freaked-out people," Unger said.

"During my time and my father's time, 15 percent of Marines had families. Now it's 85 percent," he said. "When you're dealing with 31 guys dying, you're dealing with at least 20 families."

Late in the day, the bad news arrived in Hawaii. The office of Rep. Ed Case (D-Hawaii) was among those notified by the Marines.

"It has been a very tragic week not just for the military overall, but for Hawaii because we are an ohana, which is Hawaiian for family," Case said.

"The military and civilian population of Hawaii has a very close tie, a very deep and broad support for our military."


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Spared or Not, Pendleton Still Grieves <br />
<br />
Marine base families and Oceanside residents hear reports that most Iraq crash victims were based in Hawaii. It's a painful day nonetheless. <br />
<br />
By Joel Rubin...

[thedrifter]

Day of Loss
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Editorial
The Washington Post
Thursday, January 27, 2005; Page A18

YESTERDAY was the deadliest day yet for the U.S. mission in Iraq: 37 American service members were killed, including 30 Marines and a Navy sailor who died when their Super Stallion helicopter crashed in Iraq's western desert. More than two dozen Iraqis were also killed and wounded as insurgents carried out six car bombings and a rash of other attacks in their campaign to disrupt the elections that are to be held Sunday. Weather, rather than enemy forces, appeared to be responsible for the helicopter crash; the U.S. commander in Iraq, Army Gen. George W. Casey, insisted in a meeting with reporters that violence has declined in the past two months. Even if true, that will be little consolation to the dozens of American families who yesterday suffered a grievous loss, or to the tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers who now brace themselves to defend elections against an insurgent offensive in the coming days.

More than 1,400 U.S. service members have now died in the Iraq war, and 5,500 more have been seriously wounded. The toll has been so steady and so relentless during the past 21 months that some may have become inured to the sacrifices of these young Americans. All volunteered to serve their country; most never imagined that they would spend a year or more patrolling scorching Iraqi roads while watching for deadly roadside bombs, or fighting block by block to retake cities long after the president declared their mission accomplished. News of their deaths no longer leads newscasts or makes the front pages, except on days like this. President Bush, too, can appear a little calloused: In his opening statement at a news conference, yesterday he never spoke directly about the day's terrible losses but simply referred in passing to "enormous sacrifices made by some of our citizens in the spread of freedom." Later he added: "The story today is going to be very discouraging to the American people. I understand that. We value life. And we weep and mourn when soldiers lose their life. But it is the long-term objective that is vital, and that is to spread freedom."

Mr. Bush is right about the long-term objective, which could be advanced substantially by this weekend's elections. He's also right not to be stampeded by losses or the growing unpopularity of the war into aborting the Iraqi mission or setting an arbitrary timetable for withdrawal. Still, yesterday offered a particularly shocking reminder of the painful price this country is paying in Iraq, and of the courage and patriotism of those Americans who give or risk their lives. They deserve our undiminished honor.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

January 31, 2005

Unique vessel delivers comm gear for III MEF

By Christopher Munsey
Times staff writer


ABOARD THE WESTPAC EXPRESS — When a battalion of Marines needs to hustle to an exercise site in the western Pacific with all its gear in tow, it’s this vessel that gets the call.
But when Pacific forces mobilized to provide relief following the Dec. 26 tsunami that ravaged South Asia, the WestPac Express was enlisted for a new mission Jan. 3: ferrying needed communications equipment — 630 tons’ worth — to the region.

Officials with the Okinawa, Japan-based Headquarters Battalion, III Marine Expeditionary Force needed the gear to coordinate relief efforts, and they needed it quickly. Enter the WestPac Express.

The vessel, chartered by the Military Sealift Command and operated by a civilian company, is homeported in Naha, Okinawa. For the relief mission, the crew of 17 civilians brought along a detachment of 17 Marines, overseen by Chief Warrant Officer 2 Perry Smith.Planning took about one day, followed by loading the next day.

The Marines secured the cargo and provided security once the ship reached its off-load port.

“It was all high-tempo, and it was basically to get as much priority cargo as we could within the limits of the ship’s capabilities,” Smith said.

The WestPac Express left Okinawa on Jan. 4, making a 2,300-mile run to a Thai naval port on Jan. 9, with one stop at Subic Bay in the Philippines.

The vessel’s average speed was about 28 knots, much greater than a typical cargo vessel, said Ken Kujala, the vessel captain. Working as a ferry for Marines, the vessel carries 970 personnel and up to 530 tons of cargo.

The vessel is made of aluminum and powered by four 10,000-horsepower diesel engines.

Instead of screws, the engines drive four water-propulsion jets, Kujala said.

The cargo was unloaded in about 3½ hours and trucked to what became the Combined Support Force headquarters in nearby Utapao, on the Thai military side of the international airport.

WestPac Express has run only one mission for tsunami relief, but it might be called on again, said Marine Lt. Col. Robert Krieg, the planner for the Combined Support Force.

“The logistics guys are looking at that ship inside the crisis area,” Krieg said during a press briefing Jan. 12 in Utapao.

Moving the same amount of equipment by air would take five or six days of constant flights, tying up airlift capacity needed for other missions, Kujala said.

“It makes sense that we’d be involved,” he said.

The twin-hulled vessel started life designed as a fast passenger ferry, Kujala said.

Because of that, what would have been a drive-on storage deck for passengers’ cars is a high, wide and long open space for moving rolling stock and cargo pallets on and off quickly, he said.

If called upon again, WestPac Express will make another run.

“We just try to do our little part,” Kujala said.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marines, soldiers help Iraqi villages progress as elections near
Submitted by: 1st Force Service Support Group
Story Identification #: 200512643646
Story by Sgt. Enrique S. Diaz



AL KABANI, Iraq (Jan. 26, 2005) -- With Iraq's first democratic elections in more than three decades less than ten days away, U.S. soldiers and Marines are continuing humanitarian assistance operations in local Iraqi villages.

Soldiers with the 120th Engineer Combat Battalion, along with Marines from the Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based 2nd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, distributed hygiene items, clothes, food and toys to villagers here Jan. 21, 2005.

The 120th ECB, a National Guard unit from Oklahoma, has been collecting contributions from care packages, gifts sent from friends and family members stateside to make life in Iraq a little more hospitable, for the project since December, dubbing it "Operation Gift Boxes." The Soldiers will leave Iraq in February ending a year-long deployment, but not before giving the villagers their goodbye present - the contents of a 20-ton dump truck filled to capacity with the donations.

A group of children pantomimed brushing their teeth as boxes with candy and toys were being passed out, but as if in response to their request, one box was filled with dozens of tooth brushes. The children quickly grabbed up their treasures and added them to their collections.

"We came to show them that we are supporting them, not just in a protecting role, but also in a giving role," said Army Capt. Shareen S. Fischer, the chaplain for the 120th ECB, and 32-year-old Brooklyn, N.Y., native.

After the gifts had been handed out, the Soldiers took advantage of the extra time to interact with the villagers and play with the children.

"We introduced them to a little bit of our culture," said Spec. Nicasia L. Chill, a 23-year-old Muskogee, Okla., native who played "Ring around the Rosie" with two of the local girls.

While the Soldiers handed out provisions, Marines from the Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based 2nd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, who accompanied the Soldiers on the visit, met with the village's leadership to review up-coming and on-going quality of life projects within the village.

"They (locals) probably think we have ulterior motives for helping them, but if they see that we are active in helping them, then seeing is believing," said Army Pfc. Cathy N. Manga, a 25-year-old Tulsa, Okla., native. "The children will remember they had fun with the Soldiers."

As the day was ending, Chief Warrant Officer Dwight Torres, 2/10's information operations officer, visited the local water facility, an ongoing project financed by the Marines, to review the progress. Torres, accompanied by a translator and the village's muqtar - the appointed local official - discussed the development of the pipeline.

As the contractor spoke through the translator, describing what he would need from Torres to finish the project, Muqtar Ishmael spoke in a determined tone that they were dependant on the American government to support Iraq, but that one day, Iraq would have it's own government.

In response, Torres spoke two words in an equally encouraging tone: "nine days," referring to the number of days left until Iraq's up-coming elections.

"Inshallah," said the contractor and Muqtar in unison, which translates to, "God willing." The atmosphere seemed to lighten and conversation turned back to the project.

"Once the government is established, they (elected officials) are going to negate the enemy's capability to influence the population by intimidation," said Torres, a 36-year-old Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico native.

Torres has worked with Al Kabani and another nearby village, North Al Madinah, to improve the local's quality of life while simultaneously building rapport with the villagers, something he is confident will help tip the balance against the insurgents in the Coalition's favor.

Torres summed up the need to "winning the hearts and minds" because
"the population is the enemy's strength and our weakness. Unless we turn that tide, we are going to be at it for a long time."

Aside from the water facility - a $32,000 project - the Marines of 2/10 have also provided Al Kabani with electricity via a connection to the national power grid, which is also undergoing repairs.

A soccer field, flag pole and the refurbishment of the local school are also projects the battalion has completed in an effort to improve the quality of life for local Iraqis.

In the village of Al Madinah, the Marines have helped Iraqis complete similar projects, such as the installment of generators for 30-plus families in the village, a running water system, and repair of the local mosque's loud speaker system.

Refurbishment of Al Madinah's 32 trailers - the residents' homes - has also been completed. The $360,000 project provided villagers with new toilets, bath tubs, appliances, and repaired plumbing and electrical systems.

Although Coalition forces continue to improve the quality of life for Iraqis across the country, the future of the country will ultimately be determined by the people themselves.

"They need to take a voice in their own government, and the only way to do that is to go out and vote" said Army Sgt. Maj. Kevin G. Mullins, a 43-year-old Burleson, Texas native, whose unit, the 2nd of the112th AR, a National Guard tank unit from Texas, will replace 2/10 in February.

Both 2/10 and the 120th ECB are part of the 1st Force Service Support Group, which provides all logistical support to the 30,000 Marines operating in Iraq's Al Anbar Province.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Tokens of holiday good will stuck at Lejeune
Policy stymies retired Marine from sending donations to Iraq

By Gordon Lubold
Times staff writer


Pallets of moisture-wicking T-shirts, AA batteries, DVDs and long-distance phone cards were loaded at Camp Lejeune, N.C., and ready to be sent to Marines in Iraq this fall.
The combat stocking-stuffers were donated by do-gooders to be shipped just in time for the holidays. But Thanksgiving passed, then Christmas, then the ball dropped on New Year’s Eve and the pallet of goodies still sat there.

Now, it’s almost February, and John Hopkins, the retired Marine major who helped collect the items, is frustrated. He’d hoped this stuff would have been in the hands of Marines with 2nd Radio Battalion, his former unit that is deployed to Iraq, and two other Marine battalions weeks ago.

“You can tell me hundreds of ways you can’t do something,” he said Jan. 19 from his home in Columbia, S.C. “Just tell me the one way you can.”

Hopkins said the Camp Lejeune Marines he’s working with to get his donations shipped are incredibly grateful for his donation. But still it sits there.

Hopkins is finding that it’s not necessarily the Corps’ fault. Faced with mountains of donations, the Defense Department forbade the services from accepting non-Defense Department shipments to units in Iraq. That is unlawful for the services unless it’s done under specific circumstances, according to Pentagon policy.

And while some nonmilitary shipments are made anyway, it can be difficult to find space on military airplanes and ships packed full of military gear bound for Iraq. At Lejeune, the priority is getting materiel to the theater by the time II Marine Expeditionary Force units arrive this spring.

The Corps is familiar with Hopkins, and a Marine official said they’re trying to get his donations shipped as soon as possible.

“As nice as it is for individual Marines to have many of these items, the fact remains that the shipment of donated goods cannot compete with the things these Marines must have,” said Maj. Matthew Morgan, a II MEF spokesman at Lejeune.

“That’s not to say we don’t appreciate the generosity of Americans like Mr. Hopkins,” Morgan said. “Indeed, we are incredibly thankful of their efforts and the support they give.”

Still, it’s frustrating for Hopkins, who assembled the donations amid his ongoing battle with cancer he said stems from exposure to the defoliant Agent Orange while serving in Vietnam.

He shipped about 3,000 pounds of donated items to Marines in Iraq this summer through military airlift. As the holidays approached last fall, he decided that “Operation Footlocker” could become a regular way for the folks at home to help the troops. After receiving dozens of e-mails from troops in Iraq — some of whom requested moisture-wicking T-shirts and made other specific requests — he collected boxes of batteries, hair bands, “waterless shampoo,” tampons and even 2,500 cartons of chocolate chip cookies from the Nabisco company.

He had gathered about 3,500 pounds of comfort items. Then, following military procedures, he requested authorization from Marine Corps legal officials at Quantico, Va., to make a donation to U.S. troops.

He later received a call from the same legal office, asking if he could assist in shipping another 4,500 pounds of donated items that were assembled by the office of Rep. Jim Saxton, R-N.J.

Now, there are 8,000 pounds of comfort items, not only for 2nd Radio Battalion in Fallujah, but for 6th Motor Transport Battalion, deployed at nearby Camp Taqaddum. Hopkins said he’s received e-mails from Marine truck drivers in Iraq saying they would help him get it from Kuwait into Iraq. But so far, he can’t get it shipped out of Lejeune.

Hopkins said he understands there may be higher logistical priorities, but he believes the military needs to do a better job getting such donations to the troops. Once he gets an adequate supply line established, he’d like to make Operation Footlocker a regular thing.

“Once that happens, I’ll put an e-mail out to 1,500 Marines in South Carolina and say, ‘Let’s go.’ ”

Ellie

[thedrifter]

One Marine, Two Soldiers Die in Iraq
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2005 – A Marine was killed in action south of Baghdad and a soldier died from a gunshot wound today, according to military officials in Iraq. A roadside bomb explosion killed another soldier Jan. 26.

Four other Marines were wounded in today's incident while they were conducting security and stability operations in Babil province. The soldier who died was a member of the Army's 1st Infantry Division and was on Forward Operating Base Normandy.

An improvised-explosive-device attack Jan. 26 in Baghdad killed the other soldier and wounded two more. They were assigned to Task Force Baghdad.

The servicemembers' names are being withheld until next of kin are notified.

In other action, Iraqi Army troops in western Baghdad stopped a car with small- arms fire that was speeding toward their checkpoint today, wounding the driver. A Task Force Baghdad explosive ordnance team called in found 12 artillery rounds of various calibers and three plunger switches.

The driver of the vehicle received medical treatment and remains in custody for further questioning.

Members of the Army's 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), detained four people today suspected of anti-Iraqi activity in western Mosul in continuing operations to ensure security for Sunday's elections.

Troops from the 10th Mountain Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team thwarted an apparent kidnapping of eight Iraqis Jan. 26 in western Baghdad. During a patrol in the Khadamiyah district, the soldiers stopped a suspicious-looking vehicle and found three Iraqis bound and gagged. The victims included a sheik and an administrator from the Iraqi Ministry of Oil.

The soldiers detained five suspects, who possessed four pistols, an AK-47 assault rifle and a submachine gun outfitted with a silencer.

Ellie

[onlyamarine]

I was stationed in Hawaii with Marine Heavy Helicopter 463 CD-53 Sea Stallions. I just got out last year. Wow, this has really hit home for me just getting out last year. I can imagine what this is doing to a small community. I am left wondering if I know any of the fallen brothers. I just can only say Wow.

[thedrifter]

2nd MarDiv. MTU keeps Marines shooting straight
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 200512614171
Story by Cpl. Adam C. Schnell



MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (Jan. 25, 2005) -- The Marine Corps motto, "One shot, one kill," is something Marines have learned since the beginning of their Marine Corps career. However, for 2nd Marine Division Marksmanship Training Unit, this motto is more than a lesson, it's a way of life.

The 14 Marines of the MTU, located at Stone Bay here, train 2nd Marine Division personnel every day by providing programs such as annual rifle and pistol range coaches’ course, foreign weapons course and the Enhanced Marksmanship Program, which is the unit’s main focus with all the upcoming deployments for the division.

“The EMP course is a great way to prepare Marines for combat,” said Gunnery Sgt. Robert M. Josleyn, director of the MTU and Roseboro, N.C., native. “When I was in Iraq, I noticed that with the way things are now, it isn’t just the grunts that need the EMP training, it’s everyone.”

The EMP course teaches Marines how to engage the enemy from within 50 meters by performing a course a fire where they are taught how to shoot while walking, changing a magazine quickly and what to do when their rifle no longer shoots.

“With the EMP course, we want to make sure Marines have a good understanding of weapons handling and everything becomes muscle memory so when they are in a situation in combat, they automatically know what to do,” said Cpl. Josh D. Alford, a MTU instructor and Knoxville, Tenn., native.

The unit also instructs the coaches’ course which is about three weeks long. Marines are taught the shooting and safety skills to go back and teach these skills to Marines within their own units. The coaches’ presence is required for Marines to be able to re-qualify for the annual rifle and pistol range.

For many Marines within the MTU the opportunity to be able to teach Marines programs like the coaches’ course on a daily basis is something they feel is a great opportunity.

“Training Marines is something I always wanted to do,” said Cpl. Kendrick R. Victoria, a MTU instructor and Bronx, N.Y., native. “Being a corporal or lance corporal and teaching Marines is a huge privilege.”

Another program the MTU supports the division with is a foreign weapons class. This course is still in the developing stages and provides the Marines with knowledge about the weapons they will see overseas and how to employ and destroy them.

“We loan units AK-47s so they can do their own training or we can provide instructors to go out and teach the classes,” Josleyn said. “We want more weapons so we can have a good representation of what they will see out there. We want to make sure they know how to fire it because you never know when your rifle will take a hit.”

All of these courses help make sure the division wins battles overseas, but throughout its history the MTU has supported other endeavors for the division. In the past the unit made up a skilled shooting team that participated in intramural matches.

“It used to be the best shooters from around the Marine Corps became a shooting team and went to all the different bases and taught people. But now there are different teams on almost every base teaching people and shooting in matches,” said Sgt. Jeremy A. Boulware, the unit’s chief EMP instructor and Wichita Falls, Texas, native.

Lately, being able to shoot in matches isn’t something on the minds of the Marines of the MTU.

“With all the combat training and deployments happening, we don’t have time anymore to shoot in matches,” Josleyn commented.

Deployments are on the mind of almost every person within the unit because most of them will be deploying in the upcoming troop rotations. For some of them, their main focus will change from teaching Marines to teaching Iraqis.

“I will be going over to help set up a school for Iraqi soldiers,” said Sgt. Cregg A. Sealy, chief coaches’ course instructor and Brooklyn, N.Y., native.

“We’re going to hopefully train them with the skills they need and help them maintain those skills. I’ll take the marksmanship and leadership skills I’ve learned while an instructor to help me provide the best knowledge to the Iraqi students,” Sealy said.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200512614338/$file/050125-M-8231S-002-lowres.jpg

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (Jan. 25, 2004)-Corporal Josh D. Alford, a 2d Marine Division Marksmanship Training Unit instructor and Knoxville, Tenn. native gives a Marine pointers during a recent coaches' course at Stone Bay here. The MTU not only trains Marines while at Camp Lejeune but also will be deploying soon to go to Iraq and teach Iraqi soldiers. Photo by: Cpl. Adam C. Schnell

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Answers in fatal midair collision
Report: Pilot ‘lost situational awareness;’ lax safety culture cited

By Christian Lowe
Times staff writer


Marine investigators determined that an experienced Reserve F/A-18 Hornet pilot lost situational awareness during a training flight, leading to a midair collision that killed two and injured another.
During the July 21 training flight near Arlington, Ore., Maj. Gary R. Fullerton, safety officer for the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif.-based Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 134, pulled his two-seat F/A-18B Hornet into a right-hand turn and crashed into the tail end of another, single-seat Hornet piloted by Maj. Craig Barden, also with VMFA-134. Both Fullerton and his back-seat passenger, Capt. Jeffrey L. Ross, were killed; Barden ejected safely.

The collision was the fifth accident involving Marine Hornets in fiscal 2004 and contributed to one of the worst years of Marine aviation safety in more than a decade. Just one month earlier, two Hornets crashed in separate incidents, killing both pilots.

According to the Judge Advocate Manual Investigation report obtained by Marine Corps Times through the Freedom of Information Act, Fullerton “lost situational awareness” when he banked his plane to follow Barden’s aircraft, which was leading the flight of two.

“Many factors were looked at to determine the cause of this mishap, yet none stood out as causal,” wrote Brig. Gen. Harold Fruchtnicht, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing commander, in a Nov. 7 letter accompanying the report. “The only conclusion that I can make is that some factor caused Maj. Fullerton, a very experienced Marine Corps aviator and commercial pilot, to lose situational awareness as he maneuvered his aircraft near his flight lead, which resulted in the mid-air collision.

“Ultimately, only Maj. Fullerton truly knew what was happening in his cockpit moments before he impacted with his flight lead,” Fruchtnicht added.

While the investigation did not find wrongdoing on the part of the aviators, Fruchtnicht took issue with a seemingly lax safety culture in the pilots’ squadron. He noted that procedures to make sure the pilots were qualified to fly were not followed and that the Marine in the back seat of Fullerton’s Hornet was not qualified to be aboard the flight.

“While these deficiencies cannot be definitively identified as causal factors contributing to the instant mishap, they must be addressed in order to ensure the safety of future flight operations within the squadron,” Fruchtnicht wrote.

Fruchtnicht ordered a team of 4th MAW safety experts to assess the squadron’s adherence to proper standards by May 2005 and called for a formal Naval Safety Center survey and “cultural workshop” to be held with VMFA-134 “as soon as possible.”

Additional opinions and recommendations were deleted from the copy of the investigation report provided to Marine Corps Times.

The findings dovetail with recent statements by senior Marine officials who are cracking down fleetwide to avoid another deadly year. Last summer, Lt. Gen. Mike Hough, deputy commandant for aviation, vowed to hold squadron commanders and staff accountable for accidents — particularly because most of the Corps’ crashes occurred during routine portions of flights, reflecting a lack of discipline and attention to detail.

In October, five senior leathernecks with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 367 — including the commander and executive officer — were fired or reassigned after a rash of accidents during the first few weeks of their deployment to Iraq caused Maj. Gen. Keith Stalder, 3rd MAW chief, to lose confidence in the squadron’s leadership. The move marked the first time Hough’s push for leadership accountability was put into action.

It is unclear whether VMFA-134 will face similar sanctions.

The investigation report brought to light several inconsistencies in the way the squadron kept Fullerton and Barden qualified to fly — including incomplete flight training and instrument ratings — and noted that Ross, who was not a qualified naval aviator, should not have been allowed to fly in the back seat of the Hornet the day of the accident. Ross was the squadron’s maintenance officer.

The two aircraft flew out of Portland International Airport at 2:20 p.m. July 21 in support of a training sortie with the Oregon Air National Guard, the report stated. Ross accompanied Fullerton for unknown reasons because squadron officials assumed he was authorized to fly.

According to the investigation report, naval flight regulations state fighter aircraft may not be used for “point-to-point” transport, and Ross was not on a special flight for VIPs.

During the flight, Barden — who was in the lead — was told to steer clear of a nearby training range since Air Force jets were operating there. He told air-traffic control operators that he would descend and turn around for a return to Portland’s airport.

As Barden turned his aircraft to the right, Fullerton’s Hornet impacted the right-rear of his aircraft, causing both planes to break apart. Barden ejected safely, sustaining injuries to his shoulders and a broken tailbone.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

January 31, 2005

Improve postwar skills, panel urges
Board believes services should revamp units

By Vince Crawley
Times staff writer


An influential Pentagon advisory panel says the military must make postwar stabilization and reconstruction missions a core capability to solidify battlefield victories.
The Defense Department “has not yet embraced S&R operations as an explicit mission with the same seriousness as combat operations,” the Defense Science Board said in a study released in late December. “The mind-set must be changed.”

More than a year ago, retired Vice Adm. Arthur Cebrowski, the Pentagon’s transformation chief, urged the creation of units dedicated to post-conflict reconstruction missions, but the services haven’t signed on to the idea.

For example, Gen. Peter Schoomaker, Army chief of staff, hasn’t included specialized post-conflict units in his sweeping restructuring plan for his service.

“I don’t think that’s the way to go,” Schoomaker said in an interview last year. “What we need to do is develop very agile forces with lots of capability resident in them. I think that designing niche units is counterproductive, quite frankly.”

However, the board’s report said post-conflict missions could be accomplished by all-purpose combat forces if those forces are well prepared for such missions. That, in turn, requires a new emphasis on post-conflict missions in everyday training and operations.

Critics of the current operation in Iraq point out that Army Gen. Tommy Franks, then the theater commander, had a well-developed plan for marching forces to Baghdad, then envisioned handling the country over to hastily constructed teams of diplomats and military specialists whose plans weren’t closely coordinated with those of the invasion force.

A lesser priority

Historically, the services have treated reconstruction as a lesser priority while focusing on the ability to swiftly defeat enemy combat forces.

The board noted that post-conflict operations were largely judged as failures after the American Civil War and the more recent Operation Just Cause invasion of Panama in 1989-1990, but the lengthy postwar reconstructions of Germany and Japan were largely successful.

The report said postwar planning must be made integral with the planning of any combat mission, not treated just as an “afterthought.”

This is especially important because stabilization and reconstruction missions “can consume resources as large as those consumed by major combat operations, and for much longer periods of time.”

The military services “need to reshape and rebalance their forces to provide a stabilization and reconstruction capability,” board co-chairmen Craig Fields and Philip Odeen wrote in a memo accompanying the study.

The board said the State Department also needs to devote more permanent resources to civil-reconstruction missions and should work more closely with the Pentagon on those types of projects.

Among the report’s recommendations:

• Designate the Army as the executive agent for stabilization and reconstruction.

• Stabilization and reconstruction plans “should be fully integrated with combatant-commander operational plans for combat, not treated as an annex.”

• The Army and Marine Corps should develop stabilization-and-reconstruction “modules” at the battalion and brigade levels that combine capabilities such as language skills, information operations, public affairs and strategic communications.

The services also should work with the U.S. Joint Forces Command to exercise and experiment with these teams “to determine where combinations of these capabilities can enhance U.S. effectiveness.”

However, the report cautioned that although “developing modules is an important step, it will not, in and of itself, ensure effective stabilization operations.”

• The Army should accelerate its restructuring of the Reserve and National Guard “with an emphasis on modular capability for the stabilization mission.”

• Stabilization and reconstruction “should become a core competency of general-purpose forces through training, leader development, doctrine development and other tools DoD applies to serious missions.”

To that end, the service secretaries and the Joint Chiefs should integrate stabilization-and-reconstruction operations into the services’ professional military education programs, the report said.

The military should design and conduct stabilization-and-reconstruction “premier training events” as well as exercises “at every level.” As a part of this process, the Joint Forces Command should develop and refine doctrine for conducting post-conflict operations.

• Pentagon researchers and service acquisition chiefs “need to set up a process for more rapid and coherent exploitation of service and departmental science-and-technology programs.” For example, more investment is likely needed in technologies such as language-translation and rapid-training programs.

• The Defense Department needs to find ways for military units to rapidly disburse funds to swiftly start rebuilding postwar local economies. In stabilization and reconstruction operations, the report said, “money is ammunition.”

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Four Marines from Virginia company killed in ambush
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By KRISTEN GELINEAU
Associated Press Writer
January 27 2005

RICHMOND, Va. -- On Wednesday, Marine Reservist Cpl. Jonathan Bowling called his fiance and e-mailed her a card and a picture of himself to wish her a happy birthday.

Later that day, the 23-year-old was killed in the deadliest day for U.S. forces in Iraq since the war began.

Of the 37 American troops killed in Iraq on Wednesday, 31 died in a Marine helicopter crash in the western desert. Four were from the Lynchburg-based Company C, 4th Combat Engineer Battalion, C Company Capt. Jamie Wagner said.

Their passions and interests were varied--from robotics to religion to police work--but all shared a desire to serve their country and protect those they loved, family and friends said.

"The Marine Corps is truly a band of brothers and we lost four brothers from this company," Wagner said. "But we continue to do our jobs and continue to carry on as Marines."

A reporter embedded with those troops, Jim Dolan of WABC in New York City, said the four were killed when insurgents ambushed a Marine convoy leaving the town of Haditha, northwest of Baghdad, hitting a vehicle with a rocket-propelled grenade.

Bowling, from Stuart, joined the Martinsville Police Department in 2002, hoping to gain the experience to fulfill his dream of becoming a Virginia state trooper like his father, co-workers said.

"He was a little, bitty fellah, but with the heart of a lion," said Martinsville police Officer Randy Joyce, who worked with Bowling. The young police officer stood 5 foot 10 inches tall, but weighed only 130 pounds. Despite his size, Joyce said Bowling loved his new Harley Davidson Road King.

Bowling, a volunteer firefighter and an elder at his church, also was devoted to his 26-year-old fiance, Tonya McFarling, her father said.

"He called my daughter just about every day, sometimes two to three times a day," Kenny McFarling said.

McFarling said Bowling was like a son to him, and seeing him go to Iraq was like sending one of his own children.

"He told me that he hated to go, but that it was his duty," McFarling said.

Sgt. Jesse Strong, 24, of Albany, Vt., had just graduated with a history degree from Liberty University in Lynchburg and had attended one semester of seminary before his unit was activated. At Liberty, Strong--whose father is a Methodist church pastor _ served as a prayer leader, spiritual life director and resident assistant, the university said.

Strong arrived in Iraq in August and had been due to come home in March, his mother said.

"He had a deep love for God and his country," Vicki Strong said. "He didn't give his life in vain."

Like Strong, Cpl. Christopher Weaver, of Spotsylvania, studied history in college. The 24-year-old graduated from Virginia Tech in 2002. His parents were unavailable for immediate comment when reached by telephone.

Lance Cpl. Karl Linn, of Chesterfield, can be seen on his personal Web site posing with a gun, a grin across his face. His last update was from Jan. 16, when he wrote that his time in Iraq was "flying by."

The 20-year-old had a passion for guns and the military, his father Dick Linn said. Once, as a sophomore at Virginia Commonwealth University, Linn and his roommate heard gunshots outside their apartment. But instead of hiding, the two ran outside toward the gunfire, his father recalled with a chuckle.

Linn's commitment to serving his country was largely inspired by the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, his father said.

The attacks deeply affected the quiet, artistic young man, prompting him to paint a giant mural depicting the events on his history teacher's wall at James River High School.

Dick Linn last heard from his son about a week before his death, when the two chatted over the computer. His son--who left for Iraq on Nov. 18--seemed to be doing well, he said.

"He was a bright boy, but low-key, very likeable," his father said.

Linn was an exceptional student at James River High School, excelling in advanced history and physics courses, his former school robotics coach Timothy Couillard said. As a senior, he was one of the founding members of the robotics team. Linn's younger brother Tan, a sophomore at the school, is now a member.

The school will hold a moment of silence in Linn's honor on Monday, principal John Titus said.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

War gamers try to reap urban-combat lessons

By Christian Lowe
Times staff writer


In a series of seminars and war games, strategists with the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab are working to capture the experiences of unit leaders from missions as varied as counter-terrorist operations in Afghanistan, stabilization operations in Iraq and peacekeeping operations in Haiti.
The lab hopes to use the findings to prepare leathernecks for future deployments in the war on terrorism and to contribute to the broader development of Pentagon strategies for urban combat.

For the last two years, war gamers based at Quantico, Va., have sponsored a series of seminars, dubbed Emerald Express, to discuss the experiences of U.S. troops and government agencies in urban operations. Each seminar has garnered a host of information and lessons that are distributed to unit leaders through the war-gaming division’s Web site.

The effort is designed to quickly disseminate battlefield advice outside the Corps’ formal lessons-learned process — which can be used to fuel broad strategic developments and equipment purchases — and pull often-perishable information from those who experienced the operations firsthand.

“We look at real-world operations and try to gain insights and understand the various issues involved,” said Frank Jordan, war-gaming division director. “We bring in a lot of military people and interagency people to look at the complex dimensions of various kinds of operations.”

In the most recent Emerald Express seminar held Dec. 8, participants found that the Corps’ three-block war model — which states that units should expect to see full-scale combat, humanitarian and security operations simultaneously on the same battlefield — was valid in today’s urban fights, but that units should be careful not to concentrate on humanitarian and security operations at the expense of a strong combat punch.

Participants also suggested that corpsmen and infantrymen learn each others’ craft, Jordan said.

The seminar found the Corps’ use of urban patrols to be the most effective battlefield intelligence-gathering tool and suggested that units increase their cultural knowledge of populations with which they interact.

Each of the Corps’ urban war games and the Emerald Express seminars feed into the Pentagon’s Joint Urban Warrior project, which will help develop techniques for fighting urban battles across the services.

The war-gaming division plans to hold another seminar on the lessons from last April’s U.S. peacekeeping operations in Haiti and another on lessons learned from tsunami relief operations in South Asia.

“We have to put these [seminars] together based on targets of opportunity,” Jordan said. “When the people are available, then we can get the key people involved.”

Ellie