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thedrifter

03-07-05, 08:20 AM

A Close Call For One Marine Unit
Christian Science Monitor
March 7, 2005

HIT, Iraq - Sgt. Jim Beere of the 23rd Marine Regiment Bravo Company knows something about protecting people.

Back home he's an undercover cop in Oakland, Calif., where he works on a special-victims unit tracking rapists and child molesters. He's usually responsible just for himself and, at most, the safety of a partner.

But early on Feb. 22, he saved his own life and quite possibly the lives of a dozen other marines from Bravo Company who were taking a well-deserved catnap after an all-night operation in the city of Hit.

The split-second decisions by marines like Sergeant Beere are often made in the fog of war. During the same operation, his platoon accidentally killed two unarmed Iraqis who failed to obey orders to stop. Each situation reveals just how much pressure and how little time troops have to determine whether approaching cars mean them harm.

At about 5 a.m., the streets of the city were all but deserted when a sedan turned onto the road leading to the marines' temporary headquarters in a schoolhouse. The driver began to speed up toward the Abrams tank guarding the road, so the machine gunner opened fire with two long bursts that sent the car careening into a sewage canal in the middle of the road.

The driver, who was hit three times but still alive, rolled out of the car, and marines ran over to investigate. He was a Syrian who claimed in perfect, almost unaccented, English that he'd been forced to drive the car. (He later died on the way to the hospital.)

Beere then went over with another marine to check out the car.

As the marine in front of him leaned in the passenger-side front door to take out an AK-47 propped against the steering wheel, a man lunged out of the muck in the canal on the driver's side and went for a rocket-propelled grenade launcher in the back of the car. Beere quickly pulled his buddy back and to the side, swiped his pistol from his holster, and shot the man five times. The man fell back into the canal.

Beere took a few steps away to catch his breath and, turning back, saw the man coming out of the canal again, this time hitting a "clacker" in his hand - a detonating unit for mines and improvised bombs. Beere shot the man four more times, and he fell dead.

"I thought that was it for me, I really did," Beere said a few minutes later. He says he expected the whole car to go up in a ball of flames. "The best I can figure is that he had a mine down there with him and was trying to blow up all the explosives in the car. I think the wet ruined the detonator," he says.

In this case Beere was right: the trunk was loaded with explosives. But troops don't always make the correct decisions. The marines of Bravo Company, who are finishing a six-month tour in Iraq, have fired on and killed unarmed Iraqis in cars on more than one occasion. In each case, they say, confused drivers either ignored or didn't notice warning shots and shouts to slow down as their cars sped toward Marine positions.

But with the suicide car bomb a favored insurgent weapon at checkpoints - in December, 9 Iraqis were killed and 13 were wounded by a suicide bomber at a checkpoint south of Baghdad, while in October, 16 people were killed and 40 were wounded by a car bomber at a Baghdad checkpoint - the troops aren't inclined to take chances. And their rules of engagement let them open fire if they feel threatened.

Such confusion, and the civilian casualties they create, are part of the tactic of using suicide bombers since it serves to drive a greater wedge between US troops and ordinary Iraqis.

"You feel awful when it happens," says one Bravo marine, who remembers treating an Iraqi who probably lost his arm after being shot by this marine's unit. "But I don't doubt the decision to shoot."

Marines interviewed for this story said they were willing to risk civilian casualties if it meant potentially saving the lives of their comrades.

Ellie

thedrifter

03-07-05, 08:20 AM

Insurgent Launch Attacks In Iraq
Associated Press
March 7, 2005

BAQOUBA, Iraq - Insurgents launched a series of apparently coordinated attacks in this city north the Iraqi capital on Monday, killing seven soldiers and five police, police and medical officials said.

Police Brig. Mudhafar al-Jubbori said the assaults included a car bomb, three roadside bombs and attacks on two checkpoints in Baqouba, located about 35 miles northeast of Baghdad.

The attacks killed seven soldiers and five police, and wounded 26 others including one civilian caught in the crossfire, said Tariq Ibrahim, a medic at Baqouba's main hospital.

A spokesman for the U.S. 42nd Infantry Division, Maj. Richard Goldenberg, said guerrillas fired a mortar around into Baqouba near a blue domed mosque in the city.

There were no casualties in that attack, but Goldenberg said Iraqi police came under small arms fire shortly afterward on a highway south of the city.

"Coalition forces are responding to the mortar attack," he said.

Ellie

thedrifter

03-07-05, 08:21 AM

Insurgents Hunted With Night Patrols
Boston Herald
March 7, 2005

KHALIS, Iraq - Insurgents who had planned to spend the wee hours of yesterday morning burying roadside bombs here got a rude awakening yesterday courtesy of 2/69 Armor Battalion.

The unit's sector had been rocked by five improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, last Saturday. To prevent a repeat, the Panther battalion rolled out in force just before midnight Friday with tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers that fanned out across the city in "Operation Friday Night Fights."

Bursts of gunfire punctuated the long, cold night as the soldiers stood watch in traffic circles and crossroads, scanning the darkness with their night-vision goggles and thermal gun sights.

"I think we're disturbing a lot of people's plans," said Capt. Roy Bolar, commander of the Delta Company Death Dealers.

Able Company was barely out the gate of Forward Operating Base Scunion when surprised insurgents opened up on it with small-arms fire.

"It's going to be an interesting night," predicted Spc. Joshua Price, a forward observer trained to call in artillery fire.

A suspected insurgent digging by the side of the road was shot in the leg by one of the battalion's sniper teams near dawn. Three associates tried to drag him into a shed, but all four were nabbed by the scout platoon.

"Sounds like the guy we shot was a definite bad guy," Bolar said when the battalion rumbled back into Scunion. "He had an AK-47 and a shovel, digging on the side of the road at 4:30 a.m."

Three GIs were wounded around midnight when their armored personnel carrier struck a concrete barrier in the road. The three soldiers were taken away on litters, one on a back board with a neck brace, but all would later be cleared to return to duty with minor injuries.

Maj. Will Johnson, the battalion operations officer, deemed the mission a success overall.

"Now we just need to keep on 'em, stay aggressive," Johnson said. "The bottom line is there were no IEDs this morning."

Caption: ON GUARD: Soldiers from the 2/69 Armor Battalion stop an Iraqi out past curfew. Staff photos by John Wilcox

Caption: NIGHT LIGHTS: Determined to put a stop to bomb-planting Iraqi insurgents, U.S. soldiers from the 2/69 Armor Battalion, above, search a suspect during 'Operation Friday Night Fights.' Below, an M-1 tank, left, and a Humvee with a .50-caliber machine gun stand at the ready for night patrol.

Caption: FADED GLORY: A weathered portrait of deposed dictator Saddam Hussein greets visitors to Forward Operating Base Scunion.

Ellie

thedrifter

03-07-05, 08:23 AM

New Brigade Takes Control Of Tough Area 
Associated Press 
March 7, 2005 
 
BAGHDAD, Iraq - In a small but potentially momentous shift, the U.S. military has handed control of some of Baghdad's...

thedrifter

03-07-05, 08:24 AM

Ex-Hostage Disputes U.S.
Associated Press
March 7, 2005

ROME - A steady stream of Italians visited the body of the Italian intelligence officer lying in state two days after American troops in Iraq shot and killed him, while the journalist whose life he saved promised his widow she would find out why they were attacked.

Giuliana Sgrena, who was abducted Feb. 4 in Baghdad, spoke from a Rome hospital where she was recuperating Sunday from a shrapnel wound to the shoulder. The intelligence officer, Nicola Calipari, was killed when U.S. troops at a checkpoint fired at their vehicle Friday as they headed to the airport shortly after her release.

Sgrena said Calipari died shielding her, and that it was possible they were targeted deliberately because America opposes Italy's policy of negotiating with kidnappers.

However, she has offered no evidence to support her claim, and in an interview published in Monday's edition of the daily Corriere della Sera, she said she doesn't know what caused the attack.

"I believe, but it's only a hypothesis, that the happy ending to the negotiations must have been irksome," she said. "The Americans are against this type of operation. For them, war is war, human life doesn't count for much."

Sgrena has rejected the U.S. military's account of the shooting, claiming instead that American soldiers gave no warning before they opened fire.

The White House said it was a "horrific accident" and promised a full investigation.

Sgrena, meanwhile, told private TG5 TV she had spoken with Calipari's wife.

The only thing that I promised and I want to guarantee to her is that we must know the truth, because such exceptional people cannot die for no reason," Sgrena said. "If someone is responsible, we need to know."

The shooting has fueled anti-American sentiment in Italy, where a majority of people opposed the war in Iraq and Premier Silvio Berlusconi's decision to send 3,000 troops after Saddam Hussein's ouster.

One Italian Cabinet member urged Sgrena to tone down her remarks.

"I understand the emotion of these hours, but those who have been under stress in the past few weeks should pull themselves together and avoid saying nonsense," Communications Minister Maurizio Gasparri was quoted as saying by the ANSA news agency.

Gasparri said the shooting would not affect Italian support for efforts to secure postwar Iraq.

Neither Italian nor U.S. officials gave details about how authorities won Sgrena's release after a month in captivity. But Agriculture Minister Giovanni Alemanno was quoted as saying it was "very probable" a ransom was paid. U.S. officials have cautioned against ransoms, saying they encourage further kidnappings.

Sgrena, who works for the communist newspaper Il Manifesto - a fierce opponent of the war and a frequent critic of U.S. policy - said she knew nothing about a ransom, and offered no details on the talks.

"The fact that the Americans don't want negotiations to free the hostages is known," she told Sky TG24 television by telephone, her voice hoarse and shaky. "The fact that they do everything to prevent the adoption of this practice to save the lives of people held hostage, everybody knows that. So I don't see why I should rule out that I could have been the target."

Her editor, Gabriele Polo, said Italian officials told him 300 to 400 rounds were fired at the car. Italian military officials said two other intelligence agents were wounded in the shooting; U.S. officials said it was only one.

White House counselor Dan Bartlett said it was crucial that the facts be determined before judgments were made about the shooting

Speaking Sunday on CNN's "Late Edition," he called the shooting "a horrific accident" and pledged a full investigation.

"As you know, in a situation where there is a live combat zone, particularly this road to the airport has been a notorious area for car bombs," Bartlett said. "People are making split-second decisions, and it's critically important that we get the facts before we make judgments."

Calipari's body was returned to Italy late Saturday, and an autopsy was performed Sunday. ANSA quoted doctors as saying Calipari was struck in the temple by a single round and died instantly.

The body lay in state at Rome's Vittoriano monument and a state funeral was planned for Monday. At least 10,000 people paid their respects Saturday, and the chamber containing his coffin remained open early Sunday as people kept coming.

Calipari was to be awarded the gold medal of valor for his heroism.

Italian military officials said two other agents were wounded, but U.S. officials said it was only one.

Ellie

thedrifter

03-07-05, 08:25 AM

Dolphin Beaching Came After Sub Exercise
Associated Press
March 7, 2005

KEY WEST, Fla. - The Navy and marine wildlife experts are investigating whether the beaching of dozens of dolphins in the Florida Keys followed the use of sonar by a submarine on a training exercise off the coast.

More than 20 rough-toothed dolphins have died since Wednesday's beaching by about 70 of the marine mammals, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary spokeswoman Cheva Heck said Saturday.

A day before the dolphins swam ashore, the USS Philadelphia had conducted exercises with Navy SEALs off Key West, about 45 miles from Marathon, where the dolphins became stranded.

Navy officials refused to say if the submarine, based at Groton, Conn., used its sonar during the exercise.

Some scientists surmise that loud bursts of sonar, which can be heard for miles in the water, may disorient or scare marine mammals, causing them to surface too quickly and suffer the equivalent of what divers know as the bends - when sudden decompression forms nitrogen bubbles in tissue.

"This is absolutely high priority," said Lt. Cdr. Jensin Sommer, spokeswoman for Norfolk, Va.-based Naval Submarine Forces. "We are looking into this. We want to be good stewards of the environment, and any time there are strandings of marine mammals, we look into the operations and locations of any ships that might have been operating in that area."

Experts are conducting necropsies on the dead dolphins, looking for signs of trauma that could have been inflicted by loud noises.

Ellie

thedrifter

03-07-05, 08:31 AM

Guardians of the snow minimize chances of avalanches during BG 05
Submitted by: Marine Forces Europe
Story Identification #: 20053485916
Story by - Paal Sverre Stange and Lars Erik Solend, Battle Griffin Press Information Center

GRONG, Norway (March 4, 2005) -- They have turned every snow crystal in the region. Every day the Norwegian Armed Forces' avalanche group produces updated avalanche reports for Battle Griffin, ensuring the safety of the 14.000 participating soldiers. More than 1,200 U.S. Marines are scheduled to participate in the exercise.

Exercise Battle Griffin 2005 is a Norwegian invitational exercise testing a multi-national peacekeeping forces ability to provide humanitarian assistance and security and sustainment operations in a cold weather environment. Armed forces from 15 nations are scheduled to participate in the exercise.

Maj. Knut Bakke and Maj. Svein Olav Husby stand with a shovel and a meter in front of a wall cut out in the snow. The snow is to be tested and measured - - a science of its own. "Having tested the different densities of the snow, we go through each layer to see what kind of snow crystals it consists of," Bakke explains, while studying the snow through an enlarging glass. "It seems as though snow isn't just snow after all."

During the exercise the avalanche squad will deliver hazard reports for the entire exercise area. Each day they produce avalanche reports for the exercise command, the internet and the personnel in the field. The group consists of seven members, five officers and two civilian experts from the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute. The group is divided into three teams, which cover the practice area by ski, snowmobile and helicopter. The reports at this point are relatively promising.

"Our conclusion is that the snow here is quite stabile, and that applies throughout the region," says Bakke.

"Today the avalanche hazard is estimated to be moderate, or level 2. The hazard is scaled from 0 to 4, 4 being the greatest. This means there is little to fear, unless you move in terrain steeper than 30 degrees," Bakke explains. He recommends staying clear of steep valleys and hills.

If an avalanche should occur, the Marines are better prepared than ever before. This is the first year that all the 14,000 exercise participans are equipped with Recco-chips; passive answerers for electronic tracking and easily found trough deep snow. This will make the job easier for the readiness team from the Norwegian army, who is standing on a 15 minutes readiness during the exercise.

The two avalanche squad officers are at the same time asking for cautiousness in case of movement over frozen lakes and rivers. The snow, on the other hand, will stay stabile during the weeks to come, they believe.

"It seems as though the weather is on our side. We can't give any guaranties, but we have pretty much covered the whole practice area. So far, it looks promising," said Major Husby.

Ellie

thedrifter

03-07-05, 08:32 AM

MACS-1 returns from deployment
Submitted by: MCAS Yuma
Story Identification #: 200534123823
Story by Cpl. Giovanni Lobello

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA, Ariz (March 3, 2005) -- After seven months of helping fight the war on terrorism, 250 Marines and two sailors from Marine Air Control Squadron-1 returned to station Feb. 27.

While in Iraq, MACS-1 divided its manpower into groups and helped support 10 forward operation bases around the country, supported major air operations and helped reconstruct an air control tower.

In less than a year, MACS-1 conducted approximately 225,600 airport operations, takeoffs and landings. In comparison, Yuma International Airport conducts approximately 220,000 airport operations in a year.

Some of the cities MACS-1 supported include Al Asad, Al Qaim, Najaf and Fallujah.

"The Marines did a great job," said Lt. Col. Tim J. Pierson, MACS-1 commanding officer. "They did everything they were supposed to and then some. I could not ask any more from these Marines. Words can not express the job these Marines did."

Pierson attributed some of the squadron's success to the training given by the Marines at Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron-1.

"In order to get ready for the deployment, we participated in a couple of MAWTS-1 Desert Talon training exercises," said Pierson. "MAWTS-1 also set up a ground combat deployment training exercise that really helped the Marines once they were in Iraq. The training MAWTS-1 provided enabled all the Marines to come back home. That is the impact MAWTS-1 had on our deployment all the Marines are back and alive."

Despite the readiness of the squadron, spending time away from their families proved to be challenging for both the Marines and their significant others.

"I'm happy and glad now that he's home," said Kimberly Fiske, wife of Sgt. Robert Fiske. "To help deal with my husband's departure, I went to South Dakota and stayed with my family. Staying with my family made it a little easier while my husband was gone, but it was still hard not having him around."

"I feel relieved and I have no more stress now that I am back," said Sgt. Brandon Johnson, MACS-1 Tactical Air Operation Center radar operator. "It was difficult because I missed them and I worried a lot about their safety. Now that I'm back, I plan on spending every moment with my family, not taking things for granted and appreciating my wife more."

"I feel a lot better now that (Brandon's) back, I feel more secure," said Johnson’s wife, Lucinda. "It was also really difficult for the kids while he was gone. Anytime something happened, they would start crying for their daddy. And it was not like he was a phone call away."

Now that the Marines have returned home, they can look forward to catching up and spending quality time with there loved ones.

Right now the primary mission for the squadron is to take leave, said Pierson.

"I plan on going home to Virginia Beach, spending time with my family and go marlin fishing," he said.

"Now that I'm back, my wife and I have plans to visit both my family and my wife's family," said Fiske.

"For the next couple of months I won't allow the Marines to do anything else but to take some leave," said Pierson. "I need the Marines to rest and get back up to speed. After the Marines get some rest, then we can come back and hit it hard again."

Ellie

thedrifter

03-07-05, 08:35 AM

Four Hours in Fallujah can be exhuasting
Submitted by: I Marine Expeditionary Force
Story Identification #: 200534151511
Story by Sgt. Robert E. Jones Sr.

FALLUJAH, Iraq (March 4, 2005) -- Spending only four hours with Regimental Combat Team 1 can prove to be exhausting but eventful. Just ask Sgt. Michael S. Smith, a section leader for RCT-1's personal security detachment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force.

On days like the March 3 trip into Fallujah, the surprises kept coming, according to Smith, an Amarillo, Texas native. Smith assisted leading the PSD to a combat promotion, a briefing at the Civil Military Operations Center, greeting citizens of Fallujah, detaining a high interest target and the best surprise of the afternoon: the site where one of the largest weapons cache found to date which was located by L Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment. An Iraqi citizen alerted the unit. "Finding the weapons cache helped move pieces on the battlefield successfully, rebuilding Fallujah" said Smith.

On site to congratulate his 1st Marine Division Marines and Sailors was Maj. Gen. Richard F. Natonksi, commanding general, 1st Marine Division. Also on hand were Col. Michael Shupp, commanding officer of RCT-1 and Sgt. Maj. Eduardo Leardo, RCT-1's sergeant major.

The discovery included:
(4,266) 14.5 rounds
(229) 155mm rounds
(389) USSR S-5KP air-to-surface 57mm rockets
(403) USSR S-5M air-to-surface 57mm rockets
(60) 80mm rocket motors
(176) 82mm mortar rounds
(5) RPG rounds
(3) 120mm base plates
(1) 120mm mortar tube
(4) USSR 81mm rockets
(1,728) 20mm rounds
(2) 60mm mortar rounds
(34) 80mm rockets
(15) Recoilless rifle propellants
(234) Chinese M-6 fuses
(106) 120mm mortar rounds
(16) SA-7 missiles

The seizure and subsequent destruction of the weapons cache reduces anti-Iraqi forces' ability to launch attacks against Iraqi and U.S. forces and Iraqi citizens.

Shupp is asked by many to describe Fallujah. Finding the weapons cache and meeting with its citizens in the city was optimistic, according to Shupp. "It was a huge step forward for the fight for freedom,” said Shupp.

"Fallujah's coming to life. They know we're here to provide them opportunities, give them freedoms, and assist the Iraqi people. Freedom starts here and this is just the beginning."

Ellie

thedrifter

03-07-05, 11:09 AM

1/7, 1/23 Marines combine forces to cleanse river cities
Submitted by: 1st Marine Division
Story Identification #: 20053432124
Story by Cpl. Jan M. Bender

HADITHA, Iraq (Mar. 2, 2005) -- It was 4 a.m. as a column of amphibious assualt vehicles, tanks and up-armored humvees roared down a desert road toward a small Iraqi town perched along the Euphrates.

The Marines aboard ready themselves, rehearsing in their minds what must happen when “the ramp drops.” The yellow glow from street lights, streamed into the belly of the AAV’s as they realized they’re almost there. Many ask themselves will this just be another “by the book” raid or will they get some trigger time?

To answer their question, a series of deafening explosions erupt into the night sky and volleys of enemy fire and rocket propelled grenades streak through the quickly unraveling chaotic scene.

This was the scene Feb. 23 during the initial moments of “Operation River Blitz” as elements of 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment; Company C, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment; Company C, 2nd Amphibious Assault Vehicle Battalion; Company A, 2nd Tanks Battalion; Company D, 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion and a platoon of Iraqi Freedom Guard rolled into Haqlaniyah, Iraq, in order to locate, isolate and defeat any anti-Iraqi or insurgent groups operating in the river cities of the Al Anbar Province.

The Marines pushed through the initial complex ambush set up by insurgents and overwhelmed the attackers with the turret mounted heavy machine guns aboard the AAV’s and tanks, as well as close air support overhead from an AC-130 Gunship. A number of enemy were confirmed dead and the Marines suffered no casualties.

Once the resistance was stomped out, each element of the raid force broke off to their individual objectives, raiding various houses and complexes throughout the city in search of specific individuals and weapons caches.

“They set up the ambush to deter us, but it did just the opposite. We weren’t even phased, we pushed through and carried on with the mission,” said Staff Sgt. Larry R Long, the platoon sergeant for 1st Platoon, Company C, 1/7, Regimental Combat Team 7. “I don’t think they were anticipating (AAV’s) and tanks, we presented ourselves as hard targets. That combined with the aggressiveness of our Marines made a deadly combination.”

Throughout the morning, the Marines remained in Haqlaniyah, where they continued to conduct raids and gather intelligence.

The enemy had seemingly vanished, until mid-day when a group of Marines positioned along the southern edge of city began taking fire from an island less than 300 meters away, just across the Euphrates.

“Rounds just started peppering all the walls, hitting right above us,” recalled Lance Cpl. Matthew R. Deaton, 20, a squad automatic weapon (SAW) gunner with 3rd Platoon, Company C, 1/7, and a native of McCallsburg, Iowa. “We crawled as fast as we could out of the room, started returning fire and made sure everybody was alright.”

Moments later, the Marines of Firepower Control Team 4, 3rd Platoon, 2nd Air Naval Gunfire Liason Company, who where in the same position, relayed the coordinates to a pair of F/A-18 Hornet pilots who responded, dropping two laser guided 500 pound bombs on the enemy machine gun positions, ending the fire fight. Once again the Marines survived unscathed and three enemy were confirmed dead.

While, the Marines and Iraqi soldiers came across several booby-traps and received sniper fire following the fire fight, that was last major enemy resistance they encountered while in Haqlaniyah.

The Marines continue to conduct operations in the area. Similar raids and intelligence gathering operations have been conducted in Haqlaniyah’s neighboring city of Haditha.

The enemy’s tactics were no surprise for the Marines leadership.

“The insurgency in both towns realized the strength of our assets and didn’t want to stick it out and fight,” said 1st Lt. Richard J. Cannici, the platoon commander for 1st Platoon, Company C, 1/7. “We’ve seen this before. My Marines understand that the enemy is cowardly and won’t stand to fight against us.”

Although, the insurgency in this region of the Al Anbar Province seem to have fled or melt back into the local populace, the Marines believe even without enemy contact their daily missions have made an impact.

“We go out, grab two (suspects)…and each of them leads us to two or three more, and so on,” said Capt. Chris DeAntoni, the commanding officer of Company C, 1/7. “It’s sometimes tedious, but we are gaining the upper hand.”

We are taking out the trash, piece by piece…sometimes it feels like we’re standing in a landfill. But persistence is key, according to DeAntoni, 34, a native of Denver.

DeAntoni, was impressed by the team effort put forth throughout the operation.

“It has been awesome to see what can be accomplished with the combined efforts of so many units,” said DeAntoni. “Between the (Iraqi Freedom Guard), (Human Intelligence Exploitation Team) Marines and all the assets of 1/23 working alongside (Company C), we’ve really made some great things happen out here.”

Their work inside the cities has also uncovered small caches of ammunition and improvised explosive device (IED) making materials, the insurgency’s tools of the trade.

“It was definitely something that had to be done,” said Lance Cpl. Brian S. Hogie, 23, a rifleman with 1st Platoon, Company C, 1/7, and a native of Auburn, Calif. “It’s a good way to handle the problems we’re facing here. We’re pushing (the insurgents) into a corner and cutting off their resources. Every bullet we find out here is one less the they have to use against us.”

As the Marines continue to make their presence known and execute missions in and around the small towns and islands along the Euphrates, they look to the not-so-distant future when a fresh bunch of Marines from the II Marine Expeditionary Force, will be conducting a relief in place with the units currently responsible for this area.

“This operation has been a real success so far,” said Lt. Col. Greg D. Stevens, the commanding officer of 1/23, RCT-7. “We conducted this operation so that the incoming units may use it as a stepping stone for future operations. Our actions will keep the insurgents back-pedaling… wondering when the Marines are going to roll into town again with tanks and AAVs to kill or capture them.”

Stevens was not the only one confident with the out come.

“When we stepped out on this operation, we were told our objective was to knock the enemy back on their heels,” said Long, 31, a native of Clovis, N. M. “I’d say we knocked them flat on their (rear).”

Ellie

thedrifter

03-07-05, 11:29 AM

Marine brothers share Iraq duty
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By JACK STOREY/The Evening News
Story created Mar 07, 2005 - 11:30:20 EST.

BRIMLEY, Mich. - A local couple has two big reasons to pay close attention to the latest war news from Iraq.

As of earlier this month Bill and Debra Carrick have two sons, both Marines, both in artillery units, and both in Iraq.

SSgt. Chris Behnke, 31, an 11-year Marine veteran recently volunteered for his second trip to the Middle Eastern country after serving as a drill instructor at the Marines' big west coast base at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

For Chris, this is his second assignment to the war zone. Earlier in the conflict, he served a 90-day stretch with a weapons unit in Iraq.

Another Behnke, Pfc. Dustin (Dusty) Behnke, just celebrated his 21st birthday in Iraq, after completing basic training at Pendleton last spring. Serving his first foreign tour, the younger Behnke likely will not have the older brother around much for advice, however.

Although both Behnkes are in Marine artillery units, Dusty is based at Fallujah while older brother Chris is in Baghdad, some 30 miles away. Stepfather Bill Carrick said despite the brothers' several similarities within the Marine Corps they saw little of each other at Pendleton and likely won't cross trails often in Iraq.

"They saw each other once at Camp Pendleton and haven't seen each other in the 13 weeks since," Bill Carrick said.

Although the two Iraqi cities are hardly a stone's throw apart as the crow flies, they are separated by one of the more dangerous stretches of highway in that dangerous country. Countless roadside bombings, small arms and other attacks have plagued U.S. convoys on that highway since troops occupied the country in the spring of 2003.

The two Marines have another local connection in Chris' wife Heather (Heck), originally from Kinross. The couple has a nine-year-old daughter, Kalie Nicole, at home in southern California.

Both the Behnkes now serving in Iraq graduated from Brimley High School - Chris in 1993 and Dusty in 2003. The brothers have a sister, Kelsi Carrick at home in Brimley, as well as grandmother Ann Marie Behnke, and great-grandmother Jewel Smith, both in Sault Ste. Marie.

Ellie

thedrifter

03-07-05, 11:35 AM

Coming of age in a time of war
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BY BETH KAIMAN
The Seattle Times

SEATTLE - (KRT) - After all those careless nights of kegs and house parties and drinking in the woods, tonight they were kings. Three young men, two weeks out of high school, three months from boot camp, seated at a tiny bar in Wolf Creek, Mont. Being served.

"There was like all this beer to choose from," Cody Veal recalls. "And we're like, 'What do you want?' 'I don't know, what do you want?'"

Cody took the stool on the left, Garrett Ware, the right. Nathan Wood sat in the middle, after charming the bartender with some story about how the bottle opener in his pocket had been a gift for his 21st birthday.

Looking back, Cody says, it was perfect. Three friends on a road trip, drinking beers in a place a lot like the bar and grill they'd dreamed up sophomore year, a place called Sticks they had promised to open someday -- if their other plans didn't work out.

"It was the coolest thing," Cody says of that night two Junes go. "It was the only time that I'll ever be able to be in a bar with Nathan and Garrett. All three of us together."

They meant to take the path together. Away from Kirkland, Wash., Juanita High School, parents' curfews, lectures, disappointments. Away from jobs that mostly meant money for cars and beer. Even away from partying, because that gets old, too.

Any other year, the boys might have been fine. But Nathan, Garrett and Cody were the Class of 2003. Their deadline for growing up came while the country was at war. They weren't driven by 9/11 rage and didn't really talk about Iraq. They just saw the Marines as the quickest route to manhood.

"It kind of forces you into changing your life dramatically," says Garrett.

Now, Nathan is dead. Shot twice as he hurled a grenade into an apartment house in Fallujah. Garrett has been wounded, once in the back, once in the eye. And Cody, who came up with the idea that they all join up, works weekdays as a parts driver at Ford of Kirkland. He never made it out of boot camp.

"I think it haunts him every day," Garrett says of Cody. "But we made our decisions."

Cody signed up first. He enlisted the day after his 18th birthday, the summer before senior year.

It felt natural. The military was part of his family - his dad, grandfathers, uncles. Korea. Vietnam.

As a child, Cody played war, watched Chuck Norris movies and admired the bravery of Forrest Gump. By the sixth grade, he'd told his parents he wanted to be a Marine. They were the hardest, the baddest, the ones with "the best-looking uniform."

"I was always told the Marines went first," Cody says. "I wanted to go to combat. That was my whole deal."

In high school, he walked the halls in Marine caps and shirts and spouted odd details about weapons and war, sure as anything that when he went off to serve, he'd get respect.

"I wanted people to be like, 'Dang, a Marine, that's cool.'"

Cody got Cs and Ds at Juanita and swears, with a small smile, he didn't do a single night's homework.

When he took the 10th-grade WASL, Cody's strategy was to mark "C" for every answer. Nathan, sitting nearby, drew tiny pictures in the answer bubbles. Garrett actually worked to get the answers right.

Cody couldn't stop laughing at Nathan. Nobody could hear that laugh, Garrett says, and not laugh, too.

Until that day, the three hadn't hung out as a group. Nathan had known Cody since junior high. He'd met Garrett the first week of high school. But from then on, they were together.

Nathan thought about college in Montana, maybe the Forest Service, his mother says. He loved fishing and hiking and camping. Never school.

Instead, he partied and came to drink beer almost daily with Garrett and Cody and the rest of the crowd. His grades were so bad he wasn't sure he'd graduate until a day or two before the ceremony.

DeEtte and Rex Wood worried about their son's future. But Rex was also angry. The day the police dropped off Nathan after some of the kids had tried to steal beer from the Safeway, he remembers looking out the window, thinking: "'Damn you.' I just wanted to wring his neck.

"I just wanted him to have a focal point to get somewhere in life," Rex says, "without just ending up dead on the road because of some stupid night with his friends."

Nathan kept telling his parents he had "a plan." His dad doubted it.

"He reminded me of me to that point exactly in my life, that I had not - and I still have no clue - what I want to be."

Rex has been a crane inspector, done building maintenance, gone to computer school, worked at Boeing. Last month, he took a job as a corrections officer at the state prison in Monroe, Wash., where DeEtte is a nurse.

Rex looked at his life. He railed against Nathan's.

In the fall of senior year, Nathan started talking about joining the Army or the Marines.

"Please, Nathan, don't do this," his mother pleaded.

U.S forces were still in Afghanistan. War in Iraq looked likely. Nathan's sudden clamor for direction, she worried, could get him killed.

She suggested the Air Force. The Navy. Nathan rejected those as less manly.

His decision, finally, was made in a flash.

Nathan, just 18 and about to move to an uncle's house to ease the tension at home, walked up to Cody in the Juanita cafeteria and made a declaration: He was signing up for the Army.

Not a real man's choice, Cody said with disdain. "Join the Marines."

Later, walking to class, the two passed the Marine recruiting table in the school's crowded Commons area.

The recruiter barked to Cody to do a couple of chin-ups on a bar set up as part of the display.

Nathan wanted a try. He grabbed the bar and pulled himself up. The recruiter handed him a Marines key chain.

"That day we went down and Nathan signed right up," Cody says.

Then they went to the surplus store, where Nathan bought a Marines shirt and cap like Cody's. He put them on and they drove to the Woodinville Cinemas, where Garrett was selling tickets.

"Dude, I signed up," Nathan announced.

"You're not serious!" Garrett said.

Nathan and Cody told him it was his turn. Under the Marines' buddy system they could all be together - at least for boot camp.

"No, I'm going to college," Garrett told them. "I'm going to college."

Garrett would take his B-plus average to Washington's Cascadia or Bellevue Community College. After a couple of years, he'd transfer to a four-year.

For most of senior year, Garrett continued to resist the Nathan-and-Cody hard sell but not their friendship. The three spent most of their time together, part of the group at school that always knew where the party was.

Garrett's parents knew, in some sense, about their son's partying. But when they got hold of a prom-night video featuring Garrett, his friends and their dates, they were jolted by the sight of it.

A short time later, Garrett, like Nathan, moved out. He stayed in his car for a couple of nights, at Cody's, at a girlfriend's.

Not long before graduation, "out of the blue," Ron Ware recalls, Garrett started talking about joining the Marines. His mother, Patty Ware, remembers being "kind of panicked." The war in Iraq had started a month earlier; more than 130 U.S. troops had been killed.

She reminded Garrett of his plans for college. Or what about the yearlong church program they had talked about? Garrett's dad, who worked in drywall, told his son he could set him up in "the trades."

Late one night, Garrett woke up his father to ask for his birth certificate. He needed it to enlist.

"Wait a second," Ron Ware recalls saying. "You're talking to your buddies. You're not getting your birth certificate until we talk and you start talking to a sound adult."

Garrett's dad saw proof of what all their parents believed. Alone, any one of the three boys was capable of good judgment. Together? Forget it.

"Joining the Marines during a war means you're going to war," Garrett's dad lectured.

Garrett agreed to meet with Pastor Rick Stone from Christ Church of Kirkland. They'd known each other for years. Stone had taught Garrett to play guitar. They could talk about anything.

Stone knew how close Garrett, his sister, Andrea, and their parents were. He also knew of Ron Ware's sometimes "over-the-top" love for his children, and how Garrett, though a bit insecure and notoriously indecisive, might be ready to slip free.

At 18, Garrett still struggled with the simplest of decisions, puzzling for minutes even over which candy bar to buy. As Garrett explains it now, he needed "extreme change."

continued..........

thedrifter

03-07-05, 11:35 AM

Garrett wanted to go to college but liked the idea of a year off. He didn't trust himself, though. Without structure, he'd probably get in trouble.

In those talks at Dan & Dave's Pizza, Garrett told his pastor this - and said he and Nathan were joining the infantry because they wanted to be on the front lines.

Because of his faith, Garrett said, he wasn't afraid of dying.

And he wanted to be part of something with purpose.

Said Stone: "There was a desperation to make this decision and follow this all the way through."

They'd made it through summer, past Labor Day, without taking on even the tiniest responsibility. Boot camp was a day away.

And Cody was in trouble.

The recruits were at the pre-camp check-in, where they needed to show they had the basics down.

Cody couldn't do the sit-ups. Garrett tried to cover for him as he counted them off: "15, 23, 24, 30, 33, 34. Come on, do one more. Thirty-five." Done.

There was no helping with Cody's weight, though. He was three pounds over. So as Garrett and Nathan went off to San Diego, Cody stayed behind an extra day.

When he got to boot camp, things got worse. The run he was supposed to finish in no more than 13 minutes, 30 seconds, took 14 minutes, 20 seconds. They sent him to the "pork-chop platoon." Within days, he was diagnosed with pneumonia and asthma.

After his 2 1/2 months in a medical-rehab unit - time spent mostly cleaning the barracks and scrubbing the floors - the Marine Corps sent Cody home.

"I failed," he says.

Nathan and Garrett caught glimpses of each other marching in formation, or running sprints. They dared mutter only a few words. In boot camp it's best to be invisible.

Nathan came up with a code. "Stick!" he'd yell out as he marched past. "Stick!" Garrett would answer, and keep marching.

Their bar and grill. A name they'd just call each other. Garrett has no idea where it came from.

But to hear it was home.

Garrett says the key to surviving boot camp - 13 weeks of barking drill instructors, grueling hikes and never enough sleep - is your head.

"If you think positive about things, then you can, seriously, you can do it," Garrett says.

Discipline, strength, respect for authority. The exaggerated world of boot camp was forcing on them exactly what they had spurned in their easier setting of home.

In one letter home, Nathan seemed to signal a turnaround. He kind of apologized, his father says, and was starting to see "where I was trying to point him to."

Finally, in December - six months after their high-school graduation - Nathan and Garrett became Marines.

Their parents went to San Diego for the ceremonies. Nathan's mother watched, contented, as Nathan walked beside his dad, explaining everything about the place.

"He was proud of himself and I was, too," his father says.

When Nathan and Garrett came home to Kirkland on leave, the Wares had a party to welcome them.

Cody came with his congratulations, and he happily partied with them during their month off. Still, it was hard to see his friends living out his dream.

Late one night, out for a drive in his Ford Ranger to think things through, Cody found himself veering into the lane of an oncoming semi. The driver honked. Cody swerved.

He drove to the Albertsons not far from his house and sat and cried for hours.

He saw Nathan and Garrett driving by and flashed his lights. He told them what happened. They stayed with him the rest of the night.

Garrett's base was mortared his first day in Iraq.

The thunderous pounding, the run for cover, not knowing when it would stop. "Reality hits right there," Garrett says.

It was June 2004. More than a year after the war had started.

Garrett's four-man team from India company searched houses for weapons, rounded up Iraqis for questioning, handed out Frisbees to kids. On the way to or from any mission, they'd sit in the back of the Humvee, eyes on the road, trying to figure if each rock was a rock - or a bomb.

Nathan was in Lima company. He did guard duty outside Abu Ghraib prison. He, too, went on missions to search for weapons, roadside explosives and insurgent hideouts.

In an e-mail, Nathan told his parents that whenever he caught the enemy in the scope of his rifle, he knew he was being eyed through the scope of someone else's.

How strange it was, he wrote, that everyone back home asked if he was keeping safe. "'How could I be safe?'" his mother recalls him writing.

At the same time, Garrett wrote detailed e-mails to his parents of sweltering days and shivering nights, new buddies, an unflagging enemy and the unending effort to keep sand out of his gun. From his laptop, he e-mailed photos, including one of himself holding a gun to the head of a bloodied Iraqi, lying on a gurney.

His mother was appalled. His father took it in near stride.

Over the months, Ron Ware had more than come around to Garrett's new life. He devoted hours to the Internet, tracking war news, finding photos of the areas he thought Garrett might be in.

"I've been doing drywall for 22 years," he says. "All of a sudden, you know, war? Machine gun? Helmet? Danger?"

Nathan's parents last talked to their son Oct. 28. He told them he was packing for Fallujah, a battle the media and the military said would be the bloodiest. To hear him talk about it made DeEtte sick; she handed the phone to Rex and ran to the bathroom.

Nathan and Garrett last saw each other a few days later. Garrett's company was having a barbecue, and Nathan's was in the area. It was the fourth or fifth time they'd run into each other.

"Craziness!" Garrett would say.

They were both headed to Fallujah for the invasion but didn't say much about it.

Instead, they talked of Montana and what they'd do when they got out. "Little things we want to accomplish," Garrett recalls.

Garrett rolled into Fallujah on Nov. 9 on the back of a Humvee with three or four other Marines. They heard mostly random shots overhead and explosions in the distance. Pretty calm, Garrett thought.

Much of the city had been abandoned. They moved through the streets for hours. With scattered firefights breaking out, every window and door was a threat.

And then they found themselves in the middle of battle.

"When we hit this one street, that's when, like, everything started happening. Just like firing left and right from certain houses," Garrett recalls.

In his scope, he saw his shots drop the enemy. He focused on protecting the guys next to him. "My Marines," he says.

A rocket hit. There were yells to take cover. Rifle shots. Another rocket.

Garrett's head reared back, his eyes blinked shut.

He thought he'd been blinded. Then he was just mad he'd been hit so soon.

Someone took Garrett's rifle, a doctor blindfolded him with gauze. As bullets ripped past, two Marines dragged him to a Humvee.

After surgery that night, the doctor showed Garrett the piece of shrapnel that had pierced his lid, but hadn't hurt his eye. He would be all right.

The next morning, Garrett started asking the Marines in the hospital beds around him which company they were in. One said Lima company.

"So you know Nathan?" Garrett remembers asking.

"Yeah, he was killed."

The day Nathan was killed, his mother came home from work a little before 11 p.m.

She had been so worried the night before, launching the routine as soon as she walked in: Turn on the news, check the Internet, fall asleep to the headlines crawling across the screen of the bedroom's muted TV.

The ritual had infuriated Rex. "You're putting him in a body bag before he's ever in it," he'd snarled.

Tonight she was better. The news that morning had said three Marines had been killed, but with 10,000 involved in the invasion, what were the chances? And she saw no reports of casualties at a train station, an area Nathan had hinted they should watch for.

The late-night news was on in the living room when the outside motion lights clicked on. Rex saw it first: the outlines of three hats coming up the driveway.

"Oh no," he said.

After calling Nathan's grandparents, aunts and uncles, Rex called the Wares. He told them he and DeEtte wanted Garrett to escort Nathan's body home.

DeEtte remembers thinking, "We have to get Garrett out."

Garrett's dad then called Cody's house. Cody's mother, who had taken in Nathan when he was having trouble at home, was afraid to wake her son. Her husband said to leave him be until morning. She couldn't.

She called one of the boys' friends, Drew Crosby. As she stood in the bedroom doorway, Drew leaned over Cody to tell him.

Cody screamed.

Nathan's parents invited Garrett to stop by to celebrate the birthday of Nathan's little sister. Gretchen, whom Nathan had so mercilessly teased, was turning 18.

It had been almost two weeks since the funeral, when Garrett - so skinny in his dress blues - had stood in front of Nathan's open casket and cried. Nathan's father stepped away from his wife's side to wrap his arms around Garrett.

But now, before they sat down together for the birthday dinner, Rex needed to get something off his chest.

"I hated you guys," he told Garrett. "You made my son pick you guys over his family and now that we didn't get that time, we'll never get it back."

Nathan's mom DeEtte wasn't mad at his friends, though in the back of her mind she wonders if Cody hadn't been so gung-ho, maybe ...

No, she says, she is mad at Nathan.

"I'm very angry at him that he did this, that he didn't listen to me."

But the constant worry is gone. She doesn't keep the TV on all night any more. She doesn't check the news on the Internet.

The house is quiet. Except every night at 6:30, an alarm goes off. The wristwatch Nathan was wearing when he died. His morning wake-up.

These days, Cody says he is letting go of the guilt he had confessed to so publicly at a candlelight memorial for Nathan, before Nathan's dad stepped in and told him "no."

Cody is considering re-enlisting. Less for penitence, more, he says, to prove he can make it. In the meantime, he is living with his parents, working at the Ford dealer, seeing his college-student girlfriend on the weekends and missing Nathan.

After the funeral, Garrett remained home to recover from his injury and worked at the Woodinville, Wash., recruiting station where he'd signed up. He thought a lot about Nathan.

And day by day, he learned the fate of his Marines: Two in his four-man team were killed in Fallujah. The third was shot in the hand and came home.

In all, five of the 40 or so in his platoon were killed and about 16 were wounded, Garrett says.

"I grew a brotherhood like no other with these guys," Garrett said. "You don't expect death at all, you know?"

On Dec. 20, what would have been Nathan's 20th birthday, Garrett, Cody, Drew and Tyler Sadowski visited his grave.

Garrett meantime prepared to rejoin his battalion at Camp Pendleton in California. He will probably return to Iraq this year.

Garrett did have some fun while he was home, before he left for California a few weeks ago. He and the guys stayed out late and drank, stayed in and watched videos and went to Azteca for fajitas and chips.

Hanging out, Cody and Garrett said, felt a lot like old times. But now, it also hurt.

---(Seattle Times staff researcher David Turim contributed to this report)

Ellie

thedrifter

03-07-05, 11:37 AM

School, Marines clash over Dress Blues Uniform
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Jake Rigdon
For the Daily Tribune

MOSINEE - James Moeller and Jon Carroll did everything they could to serve their country as soon as possible.

Both received special permission from their parents to join the Marines at age 17. They graduated from Mosinee High School early. The two will begin basic training Tuesday. Sometime this year, both are expected to be shipped overseas, but they don't know when or where.

The two are proud of their service, and they wanted to attend their high school graduation in their dress blues. The school will let them do just that - sort of.

Mosinee High School Principal James DeBroux announced Friday that all students who graduated early from the school and who have received their military training may lead the opening graduation procession in their military attire. Once the national anthem is played, those students will return to their seats, where they will have to change into the traditional cap and gown.

The school originally told Moeller and Carroll that they could wear their dress blues during the June 5 graduation ceremony, but only underneath their gowns because School Board policy requires all graduating students to wear the school's cap and gown during the commencement ceremony. But Marine rules prohibit wearing the uniform underneath other clothing. DeBroux said the Mosinee student council came up with the compromise.

Moeller, though, is not happy with the compromise. He and Carroll said they still would participate in the opening ceremonies but would probably sit out the rest of the graduation ceremony. His mother, Michelle Oxendorf, 36, said she would fight the decision at the next School Board meeting.

"This is not a good situation," she said. "(The School Board) is going to hear from us whether they like it or not."
Until Friday, Carroll had been prepared to sit out the graduation ceremony and instead receive his diploma by mail. Now he's not sure what he's going to do.

"I've seen it done at other schools, where if you're in the military, they will let you wear your dress blues at graduation," he said. "I'll be back for graduation. ... I don't know if I will participate."
DeBroux said he was sympathetic to their situation.

"Sometimes you have to deal with the events that surround us, and let's face it, there's a war going on," he said. "We feel this is a good compromise that doesn't break School Board policy."
Mosinee's graduation attire policy was drafted by the School Board in 1993, DeBroux said. The reason all students must wear the same attire is to avoid prickly situations.

"Let's say we allow these students to wear their dress blues instead of their cap and gown (for the entire ceremony), then let's say we are approached by a group of students who are very opposed to the war and want to wear a yellow sash (during the graduation ceremony) as an anti-war demonstration," DeBroux said. "It would be very hard to say no to them when you just said yes to the other students."

According to Gunnery Sgt. David Miller, a Marine recruiter from the Wausau office, it is against Marine policy to wear anything over formal military attire. Therefore, Moeller and Carroll will have to change out of their dress blues at some point during the ceremony if they want to walk down the aisle to receive their diplomas.

Ellie

thedrifter

03-07-05, 11:38 AM

Donors light up the lives of Marines in Iraq
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Jay M. Grossman, Staff Writer
Hometown News, Birmingham, Mich.

Bob Waun wants U.S. Marines stationed in Iraq to have a cigar.

The Birmingham resident is collecting the cigars for his brother-in-law, Major Joe Atherall, United States Marine Corps, who shipped out Saturday for a 7-month tour of Iraq with 200 other Marines from Camp LeJeune in North Carolina.

"Cigars are a luxury from home that is much prized in 'The Sandbox.' They are not in ration kits," Waun said. "Joe's crew is well-trained, well-equipped, prepared and 'good-to-go.' But they're lacking this essential supply."

Peter Sobelton, the former owner of Churchill's cigar shop on Old Woodward, provided 275 cigars to the cause through an arrangement with a cigar importer. Along with the ones he already collected, Waun figures he'll be able to ship out nearly 400 cigars this Wednesday.

The package is expected to arrive overseas in time for St. Patrick's Day.

"It's fun to think they're going to open a box over there with all these cigars in it," Waun said Friday. "I've probably got 80 on my desk right now... it's kind of taken on a life of its own."

Ellie

thedrifter

03-07-05, 11:44 AM

Shootings by U.S. at Iraq Checkpoints Questioned
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By R. Jeffrey Smith and Ann Scott Tyson
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, March 7, 2005; Page A01

The deadly shooting of an Italian intelligence officer by U.S. troops at a checkpoint near Baghdad on Friday was one of many incidents in which civilians have been killed by mistake at checkpoints in Iraq, including local police officers, women and children, according to military records, U.S. officials and human rights groups.

U.S. soldiers have fired on the occupants of many cars approaching their positions over the past year and a half, only to discover that the people they killed were not suicide bombers or attackers but Iraqi civilians. They did so while operating under rules of engagement that the military has classified and under a legal doctrine that grants U.S. troops immunity from civil liability for misjudgment.

Human rights groups have complained that the military's rules of engagement for handling local citizens at checkpoints are too permissive. The groups have accused U.S. forces of making inadequate efforts to safeguard civilians and to comply with laws of war that prohibit the use of excessive or indiscriminate force and permit deadly action only when soldiers' lives are clearly threatened.

The military has responded that in a time of widespread suicide bombings, precautions that troops take to protect themselves are fully justified.

But the circumstances of Friday's shooting of Italian military intelligence officer Nicola Calipari made it particularly vulnerable to calamity, a military source said as he divulged new details of how the car in which Calipari and a newly freed hostage, Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena, came to be attacked.

The automobile was traversing onto a route -- the road to the airport -- where soldiers have been killed in shootings and by roadside bombs. U.S. soldiers had established an impromptu evening checkpoint at the entrance to the road about 90 minutes earlier and had stopped other vehicles. They knew a high-level embassy official would be moving to the airport on that road, and their aim was to support this movement.

But no specific coordination occurred between those involved in Sgrena's rescue and the military unit responsible for the checkpoint, according to the source, who said he cannot be named because the military's investigation into the incident is continuing.

Soldiers at the checkpoint have told U.S. military officers that they flashed lights, used hand signals and fired warning shots in an effort to stop the car, which they believed was traveling at more than 50 mph, a typical speed for that road. But Sgrena, who had just been released by Iraqi captors, recalled later that the car was not traveling very fast and that soldiers started firing "right after lighting" a spotlight -- a decision she said was not justified. Sgrena was wounded by shrapnel in the U.S. barrage.

The absence of advance communication between the Italians and the U.S. soldiers at the checkpoint appears to have put the occupants of the car in grave jeopardy, given what many U.S. officials describe as the military's standard practice of firing at onrushing cars from their checkpoints in Iraq.

"In my view, the main contributing factor was a lack of prior coordination with the ground unit," the source said. "If requested, we would have resourced and supported this mission very differently."

Military officials in Iraq have said for two days that they cannot answer questions about U.S. rules of engagement because of a need to keep insurgents off guard. Officials have not said whether these rules have changed since the insurgency in Iraq worsened in late 2003. They also have declined to estimate how many civilians such as Calipari have been killed accidentally by U.S. forces -- at checkpoints or elsewhere in Iraq.

But Army documents indicate that the 3rd Infantry Division -- the military unit that includes the troops responsible for shooting Calipari -- was involved in other shootings of civilians at checkpoints. In April 2004, Army criminal investigators asked a sergeant serving in the division if he and his fellow soldiers had shot at women and children in cars, and the soldier answered, "Yes." Asked why, he replied, "They didn't respond to the signs [we gave], the presence of troops or warning shots."

The soldier, whose name was redacted in documents released by the Army on Friday in response to a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union, went on to say: "We fired warning shots at everyone, they would speed up to come at us, and we would shoot them. You couldn't tell who was in the car from where we were, we found that out later. . . . We didn't go through the cars digging around for stuff, we would just look in and see they were dead and could see there were women inside."

Another member of the division told investigators that he also saw women and children shot while approaching checkpoints.

"Basically, we were at a checkpoint, we had two Arabic signs that said to turn around or be shot. Once [they passed] . . . the first sign, they fired a warning shot. If they passed the second sign, they shot the vehicle. Sometimes there would be women and children in the car, but usually it was soldiers."

"Sometimes it bothers me," the man said. "What if they couldn't read the signs? But then what if they had a bomb in the car? We fired warning shots and they kept coming, so I think we did the right thing."

A third man in the unit separately told investigators that a colleague shot his weapon at "a hostile vehicle and it missed and hit a truck behind it, which housed a group of people."

The Army's investigation was begun after assertions that the unit had committed multiple war crimes and fired indiscriminately at civilians in 2003, but investigators concluded last July that there "was insufficient evidence to prove or disprove" allegations of wrongdoing. They said women and children had indeed been shot near checkpoints, but on a presumption -- which turned out to be wrong -- that they were combatants. The Army decided the soldiers who fired would be held blameless.

A senior official of the U.S.-led military task force in Iraq, briefing reporters in August on the issue of compensation for damages to Iraqis and wrongful killings, spelled out the legal basis for this position. He said that "when an individual approaches a checkpoint" and is fired upon, "that is a combat activity of United States forces" and thus is excluded from civil liability or compensation under U.S. law that grants up to $15,000 per incident.

U.S. officials say that in those cases in which some U.S. payment has been made, it comes from money allocated to field commanders for "sympathy payments" of as much as $2,500 per incident or killed victim. The family of the Italian officer killed Friday has no standing to seek legal redress.

Human Rights Watch published a lengthy report on civilian casualties in Iraq in October 2003, which detailed incidents in which 11 Iraqis died at checkpoints manned by other U.S. units -- including two policemen in an unmarked car in hot pursuit of suspected terrorists. The group called for more efforts to warn of checkpoint dangers, including the use of better signs and lights, more interpreters, and a public education campaign. News accounts have detailed at least 14 other deaths of civilians at checkpoints.

The group also reprinted excerpts from an Army task force's internal study that described its soldiers as untrained and unprepared to conduct checkpoint operations. The study asked: "How does the soldier know exactly what the rule of engagement is" when shifting from combat to policing? "Soldiers who have just conducted combat against dark-skinned personnel wearing civilian clothes have difficulty trusting dark-skinned personnel wearing civilian clothes."

Nicole Choueiry, spokeswoman on the Middle East region at Amnesty International in London, said the shooting of Calipari "is not the first incident. It came to light because she [Sgrena] is a journalist. We have heard of many incidents involving the deaths of civilians in unclear situations."

She said that although "U.S. troops have a duty to protect themselves, this must not be done at the expense of civilians and it should be done within the rules of law."

She said that the main purpose of the occupation is to protect civilians, not place them in jeopardy, and that her group "calls again on the U.S. and multinational troops in Iraq to clarify their rules of engagement and to give assurances that the international law which governs armed conflict situations is not broken."

Staff Sgt. Nick Minecci, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, responded that checkpoints are extremely dangerous and that because of the threat of bombs, "plus insurgents driving by and shooting, the troops have to maintain a constant level of awareness. It's a pretty scary situation to have a vehicle bearing down on you." He said that military convoys must have prior military clearance but that he was not sure about diplomatic convoys.

Ellie

thedrifter

03-07-05, 02:22 PM

3/8 find weapons caches near Al Karmah
Submitted by: 1st Marine Division
Story Identification #: 20053514230
Story by Lance Cpl. Athanasios L. Genos

AL KARMAH, Iraq (Feb. 21,2005) -- During a recent operation, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, worked with parts of 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion to search through the area around the city of Al Karmah Feb. 17 until Feb. 22, looking for weapons and individuals involved with insurgents.

All of the companies from 3/8 worked together during a four-day operation in and around the area of Al Karmah; uncovering many caches including 1,578 rounds between 7.62 and 14.5 millimeter, 11,566 between 14.7 mm and .50 caliber, 74 mortar rounds of 60 mm and higher, four machine guns, 20 assault rifles, four pistols, 14 grenades, seven rocket-propelled grenade launchers with 5 RPG rounds, two shotguns, six rockets, one 60 mm mortar tube, and other assorted potential improvised explosive device materials.

“We used the tactics we’ve been trained with in order to capture known insurgents here in the area we were patrolling,” said Sgt. Heath Lanctot, team leader of 1st Platoon, Company B, 2nd Recon. Bn.

The Marines of 3/8 left their forward operating base at different times of the day to add an element of surprise to their searches.

“We leave at random times of the day, which helps us keep the element of surprise in our searches,” said Lanctot.

The Marines progressed through many objectives as they searched every house high and low, inside and out. The Marines swept through houses and village streets searching for any locals who could give them information on where insurgents or weapons may be hidden.

With much success, the Marines found insurgents and weapons caches. The weapons caches were taken along with some detainees.

The Iraqi homes commonly had an AK-47 with two magazines full of rounds, which is the allowed amount for each family, but other weapons were found in and around freshly dug dirt along primary streets and in the farmland.

Although this operation is completed, the Marines will continue to aggressively attack insurgents by restricting their movement through the area and disable their ability to hide and store weapons in local towns.

“In efforts to eliminate the threat of insurgents and their weapons caches, we sweep through targeted places confiscating all weapons systems they aren’t permitted to have,” said Lanctot.

Ellie

thedrifter

03-07-05, 03:32 PM

thedrifter

03-07-05, 03:56 PM

California Marines volunteer to help ailing Iraq veteran
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Associated Press

LOMA LINDA, Calif. - Thousands of Marines have volunteered to have their blood tested to determine if they could be a potential bone marrow donor for one of their comrades who developed a life-threatening liver ailment after returning from Iraq.

Lance Cpl. Chris LeBleu of Lake Charles, La., was listed Sunday in fair condition at Loma Linda University Medical Center, where he has been hospitalized since January, a hospital spokeswoman said.

LeBleu received an emergency liver transplant but now his body is not producing enough red blood cells and doctors say he may need a bone marrow transplant.

"This is just a bump in the road. It's a big bump, but it's something that we're going to overcome together," said his wife, Melany LeBleu. "He's a fighter and he's fighting even harder today."

When news spread of LeBleu's need, about 200 people donated blood or took tests to determine whether they would be suitable marrow donors.

In addition, 2,000 Marines volunteered to be tested at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, where LeBleu is stationed.

The Marine Corps expects another 5,000 Marines will be tested in the search for a suitable donor, said LeBleu's wife, Melany.

Doctors expect to find no more than three or four potential matches among the group, his wife said.

The transplanted liver, which came from a 63-year-old woman from Littleton, Colo. who died in a New Mexico car crash, is functioning well, hospital spokeswoman Julie Smith said.

LeBleu, of Lake Charles, La., returned from seven months of duty in Iraq in September and married his wife, Melany, a month later. She has said he began feeling ill in December, and it kept getting worse. By the end of January, his doctors said he was near death from total liver failure.

Ellie

thedrifter

03-07-05, 04:46 PM

March 07, 2005

31st MEU begins arriving home

Associated Press

NAHA, Japan (Kyodo) — A group of 130 Marines from the Okinawa-based 2,200-member 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit flew back to Kadena Air Base, Japan, on Sunday after their deployment in Iraq since last September.
The 31st MEU makes up a large part of 5,000 U.S. service members sent to Iraq from various bases in Okinawa. Marines from the unit took part in last November’s large-scale attacks on the Iraqi city of Fallujah.

Most of the unit will return in April on board three amphibious assault ships to their home port of Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture.

Capt. Burrell Parmer, a Marine Corps spokesman, said the unit has accomplished significant works in Fallujah and guarded polling stations during Iraq’s parliamentary election.

During their deployment in Iraq, 50 Marines were killed, while other 221 were wounded.

Ellie

thedrifter

03-07-05, 07:26 PM

Soldier Who Reported Abuse Was Sent to Psychiatrist 
Washington Post 
By R. Jeffrey Smith and Josh White 
 
An Army intelligence sergeant who accused fellow soldiers in Samarra, Iraq, of abusing...

thedrifter

03-07-05, 09:15 PM

Mississippi native lends shoulder to the push
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing
Story Identification #: 20052283374
Story by Cpl. Rocco DeFilippis

AL ASAD, Iraq (Feb. 28, 2005) -- On a daily basis, Cpl. David E. Booth, a D'Lo, Miss., native, protects the lives of the pilots and aircrews of Marine Aerial Transport Refueler Squadron 252 as they transport troops and cargo throughout Iraq and the area of operations.

The KC-130J Hercules communications and navigations technician has been working on defensive electronic countermeasures equipment since his arrival here at Al Asad air base Feb. 10.

"We get out there and work as hard as we can to make sure our gear is up and running," said the Mendenhall High School graduate. "We work hard because we know that this gear can and will save someone's life."

Booth joined the active duty Marine Corps Feb. 25, 2002, and went to Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, S.C. for basic training. After boot camp and Marine Combat Training, he attended a course in basic avionics technology at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., where he learned the basics of communications and navigations technology.

Taking what he learned in Florida, Booth went onto more specialized training with the KC-130 at Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, N.C., where he was assigned to Marine Aerial Transport Refueler Training Squadron 253.

Booth joined VMGR-252 during a time of transition, when the Marine Corps started to introduce its newest generation of the KC-130 Hercules, the "J" model. Booth quickly tackled the task of learning the new aircraft and training the Marines under him to work on the new, high-tech systems.

"We really busted our butts to learn the 'J' as best we could back home," he said. "You can sleep easy at night knowing that your hard work has kept someone safe. It motivates me to keep working so hard every day."

Before his days of "data bits" and "crypto," Booth attended Copiah-Lincoln Community College. However, even before that, he had dreams of wearing the Eagle, Globe and Anchor.

During his senior year of high school, Booth had enlisted into the Marine Corps' delayed entry program, but instead of going in right after high school, he chose to attend college when he was offered a scholarship to play baseball.

"College wasn't going well, and I wanted to learn a good job skill," Booth recalled. "I had always wanted to be a Marine, and I saw what the Corps had done for my uncle, (Randy Hays.)"

During his three years of service, Booth has established a reputation for excellence in both his job performance and military duties. In February 2004, he was named Marine of the quarter for his squadron and Marine Aircraft Group 14, and also earned a meritorious promotion to the rank of corporal in March 2004.

His wife, Staci, and their 19-month-old son, Kyle, await his return as he serves his country in Iraq. Booth said their support, and that from family and loved ones, help him carry on.

"If it weren't for the support they give me I wouldn't be where I am today," he said. "I miss them a lot, but I am proud to be out here making a difference. Being out here, participating in real-world operations, makes being in the Marines and calling myself a Marine a lot more rewarding."

Ellie