Small town Marine brings comforts of home to the battle front

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Small town Marine brings comforts of home to the battle front
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 200531062430
Story by Sgt. Stephen D'Alessio



CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, RAMADI, Iraq (March 08, 2004) -- People raised in a small town often join the Marine Corps to get out, see the world and go home with stories to tell their friends and family. But one Marine here realizes that the small-town way-of-life will never be too far away.

Cpl. Steven Bruce Ames II, a 22-year-old Willard, Ohio, native and personnel administration noncommissioned officer, recently arrived here to serve in the Global War on Terrorism. He found that when Marines get together in a place as small as Camp Blue Diamond, it's easy to make acquaintance with a lot of people. And in turn, become part of a community

Ames is a stocky breed of Marine with the standard close-cropped haircut and an exceptional knack for showing off a friendly smile to the service members in his unit. On an average day, one could see him trucking around the base in his vehicle to pick up supplies and amenities for the staff billeting.

Since Ames graduated Willard High School in 2001, he's made a lot of work for himself at Headquarters Battalion, 2nd Marine Division. Before, his accomplishments included being a northern Ohio, two-time district qualifier and a Greco Roman state qualifier in high school. Now he's the facilities manager for the battalion.

Though he has still had time to wrestle, like during Marine Corps Martial Arts Program training, he's been occupied with more pressing things - making Marines more comfortable.

"My first responsibility is taking care of personnel issues at the administration section," said Ames. "I'm also tasked with tracking the accountability of the battalion and entering awards into their service record books."

The other half of his time is taken up billeting staff noncommissioned officers and officers upon arrival to the camp. He also arranges the delivery of fresh laundry and provides meals for local Iraqis who work on camp.

"I pretty much make sure their shacks are good to go," added Ames. "I provide everyone with things like locks, cots and water. And I take complaints like when the roofs leak.

"I never had a chance to deploy in my first three years in the Corps and I really wanted to," Ames continued. "Now, at least I can go home being proud that I did something for my country during this time of war- fighting for freedom, or at least being in harm's way."

Ames enjoys his job, but most of all he's proud of being part of a community that has values like honor, courage and commitment - the Marines' code.

"I love it so much that I have a big Eagle Globe and Anchor tattoo across my back," said Ames. "My tattoo artist was also a Marine, so it has even more significance. The best part of the job is being a part of the 'gun club' where no matter what I do or where I'll go, I'll always be able to say I'm part of a small community . . . the Marines.


Ellie

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47 Killed At Iraq Funeral
Associated Press
March 11, 2005

MOSUL, Iraq - A suicide attacker set off a bomb that tore through a funeral tent jammed with Shiite mourners Thursday, splattering blood and body parts over rows of overturned white plastic chairs. The attack, which killed 47 and wounded more than 100, came as Shiite and Kurdish politicians in Baghdad said they overcame a major stumbling block to forming a new coalition government.

The explosion, in a working class neighborhood of this northern city, destroyed a large tent pitched next to a smaller one on a grassy patch in the courtyard of a mosque. Survivors scrambled to get the wounded to a hospital, lugging them to ambulances and cars in blankets or prayer rugs as a strong smell of gunpowder filled the yard.

"As we were inside the mosque, we saw a ball of fire and heard a huge explosion," said Tahir Abdullah Sultan, 45. "After that blood and pieces of flesh were scattered around the place."

At first, some mourners thought it was an air strike - but once they smelled the gunpowder, they said they knew it was a suicide bombing.

Blood was spattered across the grass, car windows were shattered and survivors wailed as corpses were loaded onto the backs of pickup trucks. Others simply folded newspapers over the faces of the dead. The body parts that were strewn around the area were believed to be of the bomber.




Shiite mosques and funerals have become a frequent target of Sunni-led insurgents. Last month, suicide bombers attacked a number of them during the Shiite commemoration of Ashoura, killing nearly 100 people.

Mosul has been a hotbed of insurgent violence, and the scene of many bombings, drive-by shootings and assassinations targeting the country's security services, majority Shiites and people thought to be working with U.S.-led forces.

Dealing with the persistent insurgency will be a main task for a new Iraqi government.

Officials said the deal between the Shiite clergy-backed United Iraqi Alliance and the Kurdish parties opens the way for naming a Cabinet when Iraq's democratically elected National Assembly convenes Wednesday.

The Kurds agreed to support the alliance's candidate for prime minister, Ibrahim al-Jaafari. In exchange, the alliance will back Jalal Talabani as Iraq's first-ever Kurdish president. The Kurds will receive one major Cabinet post - one fewer than they demanded.

"We told the Kurds that if they are going to have the presidency, then they could have only one major cabinet post because Sunnis should have one major cabinet post," said Ali al-Dabagh, a ranking member of the alliance who has participated in the negotiations.

On the thorny issue of territory, officials in both political camps said the deal provides for the eventual return of 100,000 Kurdish refugees to the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, southwest of Mosul.

The government will discuss returning the refugees and redrawing existing Kurdish autonomous regions to include the city, according to the deal. While in power, Saddam Hussein relocated Iraqi Arabs to the region in a bid to secure the oil fields there and brutally expelled the Kurds. Many of the Kurds who want to return to Kirkuk are now living in tent cities.

Officials said any land agreement would be incorporated into the country's new constitution, which must be drafted by mid-August and approved by referendum two months later.

"As for Kirkuk, we agreed to solve the issue in two steps. In the first step, the new government is committed to normalizing the situation in Kirkuk, the other step regarding annexing Kirkuk to Kurdistan is to be left until the writing of the constitution," said Fuad Masoum, a member of the Kurdish coalition, who served as head of the Iraq's former National Council.

He added that the new government "is obligated to normalization in Kirkuk, the return of deported Kurds to their main areas (in) Kirkuk."

Al-Dabagh, the alliance member, confirmed that the government would deal with both issues.

"We agreed with the Kurds that these two issues are to be solved through the government and they agreed on this. ... We told them that the issues will be discussed as soon as the central government is formed," al-Dabagh said.

Other Kurdish demands include a share of the region's oil revenues, the right to maintain their peshmerga militia and a bigger share of the national budget, more than the 17 percent they now receive.

"With regard to the financial resources, this was solved. Kirkuk resources will be given to the government which will spend them fairly to reconstruct all provinces. As for the peshmerga, they will be joined in the security bodies, such as border guards, local police," al-Dabagh said.

He said the Kurds had demanded to keep a local peshmerga militia force of 100,000, but that "we told them that the Defense Ministry will decide how many peshmerga are needed under the condition that there will not be a separate peshmerga unit."

The Kurds, who comprise about 15 percent of the population, emerged as king makers because they voted in large numbers in the Jan. 30 national elections and won 75 seats in the 275-member National Assembly. The alliance won 140 seats and needs Kurdish support to assemble the two-thirds majority to elect a president, who will then give a mandate to the prime minister.

Sunni Arabs, who make up only about 20 percent of the population but were favored under Saddam's regime, largely stayed away from the elections - either to honor a boycott call or because they feared being attacked at the polls by insurgents.

A doctor at Mosul's hospital, Saher Maher, said 47 people were killed and that U.S. troops took 10 "very critical cases" to a medical facility on their base in the city. American troops also were seen bringing medical supplies to the hospital. The U.S. military said more than 100 were injured.

In other violence, gunmen killed two district police chiefs and two others Iraqis in attacks in Baghdad on Thursday, and an accountant working for a Kurdish television station was killed in northern Iraq.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Judge Dismisses Agent Orange Lawsuit
Associated Press
March 11, 2005

NEW YORK - A federal judge Thursday dismissed a lawsuit filed on behalf of some 4 million Vietnamese claiming that U.S. chemical companies committed war crimes by making Agent Orange for use during the Vietnam War.

U.S. District Judge Jack B. Weinstein disagreed that the allegedly toxic defoliant and similar U.S. herbicides should be considered poisons banned under international rules of war, even though they may have had comparable effects on people and land.

The Brooklyn judge also found that the plaintiffs could not prove that Agent Orange had caused their illnesses, largely because of a lack of large-scale research.

Plaintiffs' lawyers said an appeal was planned.

The lawsuit was the first attempt by Vietnamese plaintiffs to seek compensation for the effects of Agent Orange, which is laden with the highly toxic chemical dioxin and has been linked to cancer, diabetes and birth defects among Vietnamese soldiers, civilians and American veterans.

U.S. aircraft sprayed more than 21 million gallons of the chemical between 1962 to 1971 in attempts to destroy crops and remove foliage used as cover by communist forces.




Lawyers for Monsanto, Dow Chemical and more than a dozen other companies had said they should not be punished for following what they believed to be the legal orders of the nation's commander in chief.

They also argued that international law generally exempts corporations, as opposed to individuals, from liability for alleged war crimes.

"We've said all along that any issues regarding wartime activities should be resolved by the U.S. and Vietnamese governments," said Dow Chemical spokesman Scot Wheeler. "We believe that defoliants saved lives by protecting allied forces from enemy ambush and did not create adverse health effects."

The Department of Justice had supported the chemical companies in court, saying a ruling against the firms could cripple the president's power to direct the military.

A plaintiffs' lawyer, William Goodman, said the judge made "a clear error" in deciding Agent Orange was not a poison and said an appeal was planned.

"The use of this chemical in Vietnam was a scandal from the very beginning, and the failure of this court to redress these wrongs is a continuation of that scandal," Goodman said.

Some 10,000 U.S. war veterans receive medical disability benefits related to Agent Orange.

The Vietnamese government has said the United States has a moral responsibility for damage to its citizens and environment but has never sought compensation for victims.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Prisoners At Abu Ghraib Included Kids <br />
Associated Press <br />
March 11, 2005 <br />
<br />
WASHINGTON - A boy no older than 11 was among the children held by the Army at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison, the former U.S....

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U.S. Gives Iran Incentives To Stop Nukes
Associated Press
March 11, 2005

WASHINGTON - In a policy shift, the Bush administration will go along with European efforts to stop Iran from building a nuclear weapon by using diplomatic carrots now, with the threat of U.N. sticks later.

President Bush agreed to offer modest economic incentives to Iran in exchange for Tehran's abandoning its nuclear enrichment program, two senior administration officials said Thursday.

The three European countries leading diplomatic talks with Iran were expected to announce their side of the deal first on Friday, followed later in the day by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's announcement of the U.S. decisions.

As recommended by the European leaders who have been negotiating with Iran, the incentives include possible membership for Iran in the World Trade Organization and the sale of commercial aircraft parts to Tehran.

In exchange for offering incentives, the United States obtained a firm agreement from Britain, France and Germany to refer the matter to the U.N. Security Council for sanctions if Iran does not permanently drop its nuclear program, said the two officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity.




The United States agreed not to oppose talks on WTO membership for Iran - a process that normally takes years - and to permit the aircraft part sales, they said. The part sales would be considered on a case-by-case basis, one official said.

The European countries wanted U.S. support on the theory that a united front was most likely to persuade Iran to comply. So long as the United States remained apart, Iran would delay meaningful steps to end its nuclear program, the Europeans argued.

They also argued that the United States risked looking like the odd man out if the Europeans did win a nonproliferation deal. The Europeans urged the United States to join the talks, but the Bush administration wanted to remain at arm's length from Iran.

Iran and the United States have not had diplomatic relations since 1979, when Iranian militants occupied the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and held its staff hostage.

The administration has opposed any reward for Iranian activities the administration views as a violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The treaty bars Iran from enriching spent nuclear fuel to make it suitable for nuclear weapons.

Until now, Bush, who also objects to Iran's support of militant anti-Israeli groups like Hezbollah, has focused instead entirely on the possibility of U.N. sanctions against Iran.

Rice drew a hard line on Iran during her meetings last month with representatives of all three Europeans nations, despite a direct public appeal for her support from French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier.

Rice made it clear that U.S. patience was wearing thin on Iran and that Bush expected the Europeans to produce results or move for U.N. Security Council action.

The matter came up repeatedly when Bush went to Europe later in February, and he began to show greater willingness to look at backing the European approach.

"The president was very much in a listening mode," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said when Bush returned to Washington.

Iran insists its uranium enrichment program is strictly designed to produce electrical power, not weapons. Tehran has refused to permanently give up its program, but has agreed to temporarily suspend enrichment-related activities as part of the talks with the Europeans.

Referral to the Security Council could result in economic sanctions or even tougher action against Iran.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Many Unsatisfied With Abuse Probe
Associated Press
March 11, 2005

WASHINGTON - A military review concluding that blame for wartime prisoner abuse lay mostly with low and midlevel soldiers has failed to quiet critics who say Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and other senior leaders should be held to account.

There's a big problem, one senator said Thursday, when investigators are "in the chain of command of the officials whose policies and actions they are investigating."

In presenting the results of his investigation to the Senate Armed Services Committee, Vice Adm. Albert T. Church said Thursday there was no single explanation for the mistreatment of Iraqi, Afghan and other prisoners under the control of U.S. military personnel. And he said there was no evidence to indicate Rumsfeld or any other senior civilian or military authority directed, approved or encouraged a policy of prisoner abuse.

Church said he did not focus on senior official accountability because that had been assessed in earlier investigations. But that did not satisfy some senators who believe Rumsfeld should take blame for creating an environment in which mistreatment of prisoners might appear to be tolerated.

"So there's been no assessment of accountability of any senior officials, either within or outside of the Department of Defense, for policies that may have contributed to abuses of prisoners," said Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, the committee's top Democrat.




"I can only conclude that the Defense Department is not able to assess accountability at senior levels, particularly when investigators are in the chain of command of the officials whose policies and actions they are investigating," he added.

Church, a former Navy inspector general, is now director of the Navy staff at the Pentagon. A 21-page summary of his findings was made public, but the Pentagon said it did not intend to release the full report. Church said many of the details underlying his conclusions are classified.

Asked later at a Pentagon news conference whether he saw any reason not to release his full report publicly, Church said that as long as classified information was removed, "that would be fine."

The human rights group Amnesty International USA criticized Church's report as being too easy on top officials.

"The Church report should be published in full, and the record of senior officials thoroughly examined by an independent commission of inquiry," said Alexandra Arriage, Amnesty International's director of government relations.

Church's report, which is at least the sixth senior-level assessment of issues related to the prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib and elsewhere, also failed to put to rest a political debate over the White House's decision not to afford Geneva Convention protections to some enemy fighters, including the Taliban army that fought in Afghanistan.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam, questioned the wisdom of deciding that certain categories of enemy fighters should be ineligible for Geneva Convention protections.

"I worry, admiral, very much that if we decide that a certain country's military personnel are not eligible for treatment under a convention that we signed," McCain said, "then wouldn't it be logical to expect then they would declare, as the North Vietnamese did, that American prisoners are not eligible for protection under the Geneva Conventions?"

Church said that he believes President Bush made the right call on that issue.

Church's investigation focused on the Pentagon's development of interrogation policies and techniques and the extent to which that process could be linked to the sexual humiliation of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib and other acts of mistreatment documented in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Even in the absence of a precise definition of 'humane' treatment, it is clear that none of the pictured abuses at Abu Ghraib bear any resemblance to approved policies at any level," Church concluded.

Earlier military investigations of prison abuse also refrained from harsh criticism of senior leaders, in line with the Pentagon's explanation that the dozens of incidents of confirmed prisoner abuse were the work of low-level soldiers and a few inattentive midlevel officers.

Some Republicans chafed at the criticism of the U.S. military.

"If our guys want to poke somebody in the chest to get the name of a bomb maker so they can save the lives of Americans, I'm for it," said Sen. Jim Talent, R-Mo. "I don't need an investigation to tell me that there was no comprehensive or systematic use of inhumane tactics by the American military, because those guys and gals just wouldn't do it."

Church acknowledged that he could not point to a clear explanation of why prisoners were abused.

"If approved interrogation policy did not cause detainee abuse, the question remains: What did?" he wrote in the summary. He offered three contributing factors:

-Most of the documented cases of abuse happened not in prisons but on the battlefield at what the military calls the "point of capture," where Church said "passions often run high" as soldiers find themselves face-to-face with captured fighters. "Discipline was lacking in some instances," he wrote.

-Lower- and midlevel commanders failed to react to early warning signs of abuse. Church said he could not provide details because they are classified secret, but he said such warning signs were present, particularly at Abu Ghraib, and should have prompted action to prevent further abuse.

-There was a breakdown of good order and discipline in some field units. "This breakdown implies a failure of unit-level leadership to recognize the inherent potential for abuse," to recognize and alleviate stress on troops handling prisoners, and to provide oversight.

Ellie

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Lynndie England To Be Tried In May <br />
Associated Press <br />
March 11, 2005 <br />
<br />
FORT HOOD, Texas - Army Pfc. Lynndie England, the soldier shown in notorious photographs of Iraqi prisoners being...

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3/8 finds huge weapons cache
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 200539114918
Story by Lance Cpl. Athanosios L. Genos



CAMP FALLUJAH, IRAQ (March 3, 2005) -- During regular operations around Fallujah and Al Karmah March 3, Marines from 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment found their biggest weapons and ammunitions cache since they arrived in Iraq in January.

Marines from Weapons Company uncovered various types of ammunition and weapons systems buried in the dirt as they followed up on recent intelligence reports of a possible cache.

Engineers from the battalion began digging and searching with shovels and entrenching tools, until support from heavy equipment arrived, finding 284 assorted mortar rounds, 3 mortar base plates, one mortar tube, 234 mortar fuses, 830 rockets, 16 surface to air missiles, 5 rocket propelled grenades, and 5,994 loose and linked ammunition.

"So far this is one of the biggest caches I have ever seen, and others are saying the same thing," explained 2nd Lt. Perry Aiken, Platoon Commander, 2d Combat Engineer Battalion.

Thousands of pounds of the materials were found on the first and second day, while more was waiting to be dug out of the ground. As the "Big Dig" continued, the Commanding General of 1st Marine Division, Major General Richard F. Natonski visited the Marines and Sailors to show his appreciation for their hard work.

"Many Marine and Iraqi lives are being saved from the efforts made here finding this cache," said the Battalion Commanding Officer, Lt. Col. Stephen Neary.

Certain types of weapons and ammunition were taken for intelligence purposes while the rest was destroyed in controlled detonations. The weapons taken for intelligence were used to gain more knowledge on insurgent capabilities. The rest of the cache was destroyed so that no further use would be made of the material.

"Once we got it all together, we conducted controlled detonations of all we could destroy," said Aiken.

Marines of the battalion are continuing their mission of finding insurgents and their weapons caches all throughout the area of operation. Whether patrolling by foot or driving on the main service roads, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment is taking the fight to the insurgents as they fight the Global War on Terrorism.

Ellie

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Futenma firefighters receive essential lifesaving tool
Submitted by: MCB Camp Butler
Story Identification #: 20053373617
Story by Lance Cpl. Patrick J. Floto



MARINE CORPS AIR STATION FUTENMA, Okinawa, Japan (March 3, 2005) -- The air station received a valuable new asset when the Marines of Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting, Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, rolled out their newest rescue truck Feb. 22 in a ceremony here.

The new truck is a drastic improvement over what the Marines were using before, according to Staff Sgt. Bobby L. Clark, section leader, ARFF, H&HS.

"Before, we improvised a box van as our rescue truck with seating for only one rescue man, complete with wooden shelves to hold the equipment and a light bar we mounted on top," Clark said. "This new vehicle (the P-10 Rescue Truck) allows us to do our job more effectively with safe and effective storage for all equipment and seating for two additional rescue men."

The mission of the ARFF is to respond to aircraft emergencies and aviation incidents by providing fire protection and rescue operations.

"The (new) rescue vehicle assigned to ARFF must have the capability to perform our primary mission, which is to save lives," said Gunnery Sgt. Damian M. Farrar, the ARFF truck master. "This vehicle is equipped with both hand operated and power forcible entry tools to free victims of debris and a 6,000-watt light tower to assist personnel in the case of night operations."

Air Rescue Fire Fighting personnel supplement and reinforce the Emergency Medical Services system aboard MCAS Futenma as the first responders who provide rapid and quality care to people who are injured in an aircraft incident, according to Farrar.

In addition to lifesaving skills, the rescue personnel operating the truck are also capable of initially containing and stabilizing spills and other hazardous material incidents with the truck's hazardous material spill kits.

To unveil the truck and all of its capabilities, Brig. Gen. James F. Flock, commanding general of Marine Corps Bases Japan, and Col. Richard W. Lueking, commanding officer of MCAS Futenma, used the truck's hydraulic shears/spreaders, also known as the "jaws of life," to cut a fire hose in lieu of the traditional ribbon cutting ceremony.

Ellie

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'That's me, a Marine, a murderer of civilians' <br />
<br />
by Tom Whitney <br />
San Francisco Bay View <br />
March 10, 2005 <br />
<br />
On March 4, in Baghdad, U.S. soldiers shot the Italian reporter Giuliana Sgrena, who had...

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Been down this military road <br />
<br />
<br />
By Robert H. Scales <br />
<br />
<br />
The incident on Friday along the Baghdad International Airport road resulted in the wounding of the Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena and...

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Returning US marines prepare for the battle to retain sanity
By Oliver Poole at Camp Fallujah
(Filed: 08/03/2005)

It is time to go home for the US marines who stormed Fallujah last year, killing more than 2,000 insurgents in house-to-house fighting that reduced stretches of the city to rubble.

Kit bags are being packed and boxes freighted back to America as the troops count down the days to the 20-hour flight that will take them back to their loved ones.

Brains are being reprogrammed, from kill-without-hesitation mode to one more attuned to hugging wives, paying bills and drinking beers at parties in the back yard.

Thousands of servicemen at Camp Fallujah are being ordered to relive memories many would rather forget. Holding group therapy in confessional sessions is the Marine Corps's new remedy for the mental scars of battle.

"Dogs eating corpses," recalled a sergeant in one of the intimate gatherings.

"That's right," said a captain. "I saw a dog coming from the chest cavity of a man, its face dripping in blood. That was pretty bad. I've got dogs and I don't think I'm quite going to look at them the same way again."

Then another marine said: "The smell of it. I am not looking forward to the next barbecue."

A hand went up. "The suffering of the women and children." Then another: "The loss of good comrades."

Across Iraq US troops are being rotated and thousands of battle-hardened veterans are flooding back home. Haunting them all is the spectre of the dysfunctional Vietnam veteran in the 1970s and 80s, abandoned, alienated and alone.

"We did not do a very good job on our soldiers then and we learnt from that," said Capt Steve Pike, Camp Fallujah's regimental chaplain. "What these marines have seen has changed them and we need to help them deal with it."

The emotional toll is real. Sixteen per cent of army personnel who served in the invasion of Iraq in 2003 report combat related mental illness. There has been a marked rise in the number of broken marriages, car accidents, fights and alcohol and drug abuse.

To try to avoid more of the same, the "Warrior Transition'' therapy sessions, with departing marines gathered in 40-strong groups to share their experiences, are now compulsory.

The troops are mostly receptive, even the outwardly extremely tough ones such as the man with "Devil Dog'' tattooed on his arm. He had a nagging fear that his wife may have been unfaithful while he was away.

They have all seen Rambo, the film in which a traumatised Vietnam soldier runs amok in a sleepy American town, and are aware of the effects warfare can have on the psyche.

"When I lay my head down and go to sleep I can see the images of the city," says Cpl Ivan Getierrez, 21. "There was nothing but rockets and machineguns going everywhere. I lost two good friends. I think about why it was them and not me. I am not who I was before this."

The marines are taught that their wives or girlfriends are unlikely to have been transformed into the "sexual Houdinis" they may have fantasised about while they were apart.

Go slow with reconnecting with your children, comes the advice. Don't be surprised by the nightmares. Tolerate bad traffic.

"What would you do if you're in a bar and someone started making disparaging remarks about the war in Iraq?" Capt Pike asked one group.

"Smash him over the head with a beer bottle," came back the answer.

During the coming months America will discover how many can follow the official advice and simply walk away.



New pictures of Zarqawi issued as net tightens


Ellie

[thedrifter]

March 14, 2005

Will young Iraqi remember our sacrifices?

By Paul J. Roarke Jr.


At first glance, he seemed no different than any other 5-year-old boy — hyperactive, curious in the way all young children are and, when placed in the adult world, tiny.
Yet this kid was worlds away from the designer-clad youngsters who roam shopping malls and fast-food restaurants in the United States. He was an Iraqi child, living in a war zone.

I came across the boy recently while traveling to one of the smaller forward operating bases to check on some of my Marines.

As anybody who has done it will tell you, traveling by helicopter in the Iraqi theater involves a lot of waiting around. Having your flight canceled, or getting bumped from the ones that are running, is just a fact of life here.

It was during one of these long waits that I came across this boy and heard his story. I first noticed him as I walked through the terminal. He was trying to sit up on a cot where he had been sleeping. But both his arms from the elbows down were heavily bandaged, and he couldn’t manage it on his own. As I walked over to help, an American contractor, who was an interpreter, got there first and helped the boy sit up.

I asked the man what had happened to the boy; though he didn’t know all the details, he told me what he had heard.

The boy’s father had worked for coalition forces. Insurgents from their town got wind of this and tried to kill him and his family by burning their house down.

Fortunately, everyone escaped, but the boy suffered bad burns on both of his arms. He was treated by American doctors and was awaiting a flight to receive further treatment at another hospital.

As I listened to the story, I looked at the little guy sitting on the cot next to me. He watched our conversation with big dark eyes, though he understood no English.

As a father of two boys, I felt bad about his condition. When he saw me looking at him, he gave me a big, white-toothed smile. When kids smile, you can’t help but feel good. So I gave him candy left over from a Meal, Ready to Eat, wished him luck and made my exit to wait for my flight.

Later, I watched the boy play a pickup game of soccer with Marines. He was a better player than the big, heavily armed leathernecks who struggled to keep up with his polished moves. Everybody laughed as, over and over again, he maneuvered the ball around them. You could tell that he and the Marines were enjoying themselves.

As I watched, I couldn’t help but wonder what he was making of the situation — his injury, the big camouflaged men all around him, the weapons.

I wondered, when all is said and done in Iraq, how this little boy will remember it all. Will he look at the scars on his arms and think in some twisted way that they were caused by our presence here? Or will he realize the truth — that it was the work of a few low-life thugs?

Will he grow up to embrace freedom and democracy? Or will he be drawn to the dark side of the Islamic religion and end up shooting at one of my sons years from now?

I pray not.

I hope he remembers Marines as the guys who protected his family, got him help for his burns, played soccer with him and gave him candy.

But what I really hope is that when he gets older, he realizes these Marines left their friends and families behind and put themselves in harm’s way to come and help children just like him. That they risked life and limb to give Iraqis the opportunity to live free and without fear.

Sadly, many of those Marines won’t return home. I hope this boy grows up to remember and appreciate their sacrifice.

Only time will tell, but I think we are on the right track, and as that boy’s wounds heal, the nation of Iraq’s wounds will also heal.

Iraqis will have their scars, but they’ll end up better in the end.


The writer, a master gunnery sergeant, is the ordnance chief for the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq.


Ellie

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Marine charged in I-64 shooting pleads guilty <br />
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <br />
By TIM WELDON/ <br />
The Winchester Sun Staff Writer <br />
Friday, March 11,...

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General says weather has hampered Marine Corps' recruiting
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By Sandra Jontz, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Friday, March 11, 2005

WASHINGTON - While neither rain, nor snow, nor dark of night keeps the postman away, bad weather apparently kept Marine Corps recruiters from their appointments and routes, said a Marine general Thursday.

The Corps has missed recruiting goals two months running. "It's easy to say it's the war in Iraq, but I'm not so sure," Lt. Gen. Jan. C. Huly, deputy commandant for plans, policies and operations, told a gathering of defense writers.

A harsh winter kept potential recruits indoors, and thus recruiters from signing them up.

The beginning of the calendar year is the hardest time to lure students who are just beginning to think about life beyond high school, Huly said.

But the Corps made a mistake in letting Marines eligible to become recruiters deploy to combat zones instead of the streets of America, said Huly, who has served as the deputy commanding general for the Marine Corps Recruiting Command.

"We didn't have as many recruiters on the streets as we wanted."

The Corps missed its February goal by 192 recruits, and January's goal by 84; the first time goals were missed in 10 years. "Let's just keep in context just how big this alleged iceberg is out there."

The service is adding recruiters over the next two years.

Additionally, the Corps is tasked with boosting its end-strength by 3,000 this fiscal year for a total of 178,000 Marines.

Recruiters will not only be looking for the basic infantryman, but for Marines with an aptitude for languages, Huly said.

The Army also missed its February recruiting goals.

Army leaders have said that the failure is linked in part to public concern over the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, fueled by the near-daily reminders of American casualties.

To date, 1,664 U.S. troops have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, and more than 10,000 have been wounded.

"People are watching the news," Doug Smith, a spokesman for U.S. Army Recruiting Command at Fort Knox, Ky., said last week. "They know the risks of military service in today's environment."

And the Pentagon's top spokesman, Lawrence Di Rita, said in early March that with a nation at war, parents are using their influence over their children to steer decisions away from military service.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Former Army sergeant becomes all she can be
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Submitted by: MCRD Parris Island
Story by Lance Cpl. Darhonda V. Hall

MCRD/ERR PARRIS ISLAND, SC (March 11, 2005) -- Amy Elizabeth Krogman made a decision to serve her country by joining the U.S. Army when she was 17. Six years later and after being deployed to Iraq, she made another decision to help serve her country ... she joined the Marine Corps.

"I've always wanted to be a Marine, but the idea of becoming a Marine originally intimidated me," said Krogman. "I was young and too scared to accept the challenge."

Krogman instead joined the Army with hopes of maintaining a career in the armed forces for twenty years. Serving almost five years in the Army and holding the rank of sergeant, Krogman was deployed to Iraq in March 2003 along with her unit.

It was in Iraq where she made her final decision to join the Marine Corps. Krogman said when she was in Iraq, there was always a Marine with her unit.

"He was always the one who knew what he was doing and was confident about it, too," she remembered. "He was squared away and so much more professional."

The Clinton, Iowa, native said when she saw any Marine she respected them.

"There was something about those Marines in Iraq," Krogman said. "They would do their job to the fullest and never slack. There were Marines at checkpoints and they wouldn't let anyone through, not even a general, without a thorough inspection."

Krogman said seeing the soldiers work next to the Marines made her think more about what she wanted to do in life.

"I wanted to be challenged more...and the only way to do that was to become a Marine," Krogman said.

She enjoyed every minute of being a soldier, however, she still felt that the challenge she was looking for was not there, she felt she could do more.

"I couldn't stand not being the best," she stated.

So she used the Army as a stepping-stone into the Marine Corps. Krogman went to Marine recruit training in order to fulfill her need to challenge herself and complete her dream of becoming a Marine. Krogman said she did not experience the culture shock that a lot of recruits have to endure when they are fresh out of high school and away from home for the first time.

"I felt lucky to even be in Marine recruit training and being trained to become a United States Marine," Krogman said. "Every single morning in recruit training I felt lucky to get up and put on the uniform that I knew was made for me."

Krogman said Army basic training trained her to accomplish some of the same missions as Marine recruit training, but the Marine Corps emphasizes marksmanship, a necessary skill that the Army does not emphasize. The Marine Corps is the only branch of service that requires its service members to shoot from the 500-yard line.

"I have learned from recruit training that no matter what a person's limit is, they can go further," she said.

Krogman pushed her limits and graduated as the honor graduate from Platoon 4007, November Co., 4th RTBn., a leader of Marines.

"Being a leader of Marines means so much more to me," Krogman stated.
Now a lance corporal in the Marine Corps, on graduation, Krogman wore her service alphas with a service stripe and multiple ribbons she was awarded while in the Army.
This included an Army commendation medal.

"I don't view my joining the Marine Corps as starting over again or my time in the Army as lost time," Krogman said. "To me everything I have learned and been through has been applicable to something."

The former Army sergeant now hopes to continue her military career in the Marine Corps as a motor transport technician.

"I am content," Krogman stated proudly. "I can honestly say that I have found myself. I am a Marine."

"The Marine Corps knows exactly who they are. Marines are very proud and are an active part of their own history."


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marine Drum and Bugle Corps stirs hearts in the desert
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Chuck Mueller,
San Bernadino County Sun Staff Writer

BARSTOW - Grizzled combat veterans of past wars watched solemnly, some close to tears, as the Marine Drum and Bugle Corps paraded proudly Thursday.

The corps then struck up "Stars and Stripes Forever' and "The Marines' Hymn.'

"I love what these young Marines stand for,' said Edith Lamoureux, 85, who served in the Navy's Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service program in World War II.

She joined a crowd of about 2,000 cheering spectators, including veterans and schoolchildren, at the annual drill ceremony at Sorensen Field at the Marine Corps Logistics Base in east Barstow.

Among the former Marines was Barstow resident Nelson Draper, 86, who fought at Iwo Jima with his brother and later served as a Navajo code talker.

During World War II, the Japanese were baffled by the Navajo language and were never able to break the mysterious code.

Draper was among the 420 Navajos who trained as code talkers at Camp Pendleton, near Oceanside.

"My dad and my uncle, Teddy Draper, received a congressional silver medal later for their service to the country,' said Nelson Draper Jr., who accompanied his father and mother, Lena, to Thursday's Battle Color Ceremony.

Bill O'Connor, 73, an Army veteran of the Korean conflict who took part in the battle for the Punch Bowl in the early 1950s, observed the parading Marines with obvious pride and reflected on his comrades-in-arms in Iraq.

"I'm very upset when I see (television images) of body bags returning from Iraq,' he said. "And I feel extremely bad that we must send members of the National Guard into combat, disrupting their families and their lives.'

Pausing, O'Connor added, "But they are a vital part of our mission over there. I just feel we must wind it down as soon as we can.'

Dressed in brilliant red-and-white uniforms, the more than 80 members of the drum and bugle corps, directed by Maj. Brent Harrison, played contemporary songs in a lively program titled "Music in Motion.'

At the conclusion of the performance, the 24 men in the Marine's silent drill platoon performed flawlessly as they twirled bayoneted M-1 rifles to and fro with apparent nonchalance.

"This is always a performance worth seeing,' said Charles Donnelly, 88, a World War II Army veteran who lives at the California Veterans Home in Barstow, like more than a dozen others in the crowd.

Johnnie Williams, 69, whose service in the Marine Corps from 1954 to 1966 ranged from Korea to Malaysia, boasted on his shirt: "I'm a Marine.'

He proclaimed, "I'm 200percent behind the Marines at all times. And not just the Corps. We should give full support to all of our troops, wherever they are, or pull out.'

Army veteran John valn Son, 84, who fought with the 9th Infantry at the Battle of the Bulge in World War II, said simply, "I wanted to be here today to show my support for all members of our Armed Services.'

Among spectators in the crowd were 36 soldiers with the Texas National Guard who are training at nearby Fort Irwin and a group of Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps cadets from Antelope Valley High School in Lancaster.

The Marines' Drum and Bugle Corps and Silent Drill Team, based at the historic Marine Barracks in Washington, will perform next for students in the Monterey school district.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Adjusting to life
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Albert McKeon
The Nashua Telegraph Staff

Ross Jubert entered Sears department store and paused.

He had forgotten his most valuable and necessary possession. His Marine-issued rifle was in the car.

Or so he thought. Ross quickly realized he was not in Iraq anymore. No need to carry a weapon through aisles of Craftsman tools and Kenmore washers.

Other than that slip, the Nashua native has mostly readjusted to life back in the states. The warm embrace of family and friends has allowed him to put his seven-month deployment in perspective.

Ross, 20, came home proud and disappointed: pleased that he fulfilled his unit's mission but unhappy he never saw action. He had climbed the walls in the months leading to his departure, itching to fight like a Marine. Instead, he spent most of his time in Iraq working construction.

He did not demolish enemy obstacles. He did not work in tandem with infantrymen as his superiors had hinted. He left Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee, Mass., confident he would have such a key role in battle."Everyone wants to go and punch Saddam Hussein in the face," Ross said last week in his parents' living room. "But in reality, a very select few get to do it."

Ross punched nails, building all sorts of military structures. Though not as exciting as tracking insurgents, his mission still had value. He grew closer to those in his unit, and was able to envision his next step.

He wants to join Nashua Fire Rescue, continuing his unspoken need for civil service and camaraderie with those like him - men and women willing to quietly work for the good of others.

Ross' recent homecoming had a twofold meaning for his family. They respect that he wanted to serve, but his return now means they no longer have to hunch with worry when hearing about the latest bombing in Iraq.

"I'm glad it's over for the constant reminders," said Ross' father, Mike Jubert.

Well-wishers inquiring, "How's Ross?" only made Mike think of all that could have gone wrong. Every day, Mike went to work with a burden, constantly wondering about his son.

With Ross home, Mike thought of him only once during a recent workday. And that was about their plans to head to the family camp in Washington, N.H. It's maple syrup season.Touch down
Ross returned Feb. 25 with about 180 other members of his unit to the hero's welcome afforded every other military squadron coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan.

The MWSS 472, Detachment B, a reservist unit, is stationed at Westover. Marine brass had family and friends gather in a hangar large enough to store the Statue of Liberty.

A light snow had just stopped falling that morning, and while the highways were clear of white stuff, a salty slush flew off tires and made driving miserable.

Mike, his wife, Karen, and his parents, Russell and Cecile, went down in one vehicle, and his two other kids, Bob and Emily, followed. Bob's truck ran out of windshield washer fluid about 40 minutes into the trip, and he for some time continued on, peeking through a small patch of clean glass.

Everyone was anxious. The Marines had changed arrival times twice, including once when the unit encountered a sandstorm in Iraq that delayed the trip by a day. While the unit made pit stops in Ireland and Canada, the Jubert family did all it could to keep its feet on the ground. The cookies, brownies and coffee offered by USO volunteers amused them only so long.

Some families fashioned personalized greetings on large signs. Most everyone had an electronic device to record the moment. But they all paced around the enormous hangar as if it was a small cage.

Lt. Col. David Kilbourn announced that when the commercial flight started to touch down, a huge hangar door would open so everyone could see. The door would then shut while the Marines returned their rifles and did some minor processing. Another door would open, and the Marines would file in.

Again, not everything went off as planned. The hangar door refused to lift. The plane came into sight through several large windows, but only when it came to a stop about 70 yards away from the building.Clusters of people peered over heads and shoulders to start a search for their own Marine. One by one, the Marines walked down the large runway staircase, smiling broadly and reviewing their cold and snowy surroundings.

"There's Ross," Emily yelled at one point, glimpsing her younger brother as he turned in some gear.

A smaller door meant to accommodate the incoming Marines started to open twice only to immediately shut. Someone was teasing these poor families.

After seemingly endless delays, the moment finally arrived. Ross and his unit marched in and the place went wild. The Marines stood in formation, responded to a few perfunctory commands, and then broke. The mad dash to loved ones commenced.

Ross was quickly pulled into the Jubert huddle.

He hugged his mom. She cried. He hugged his sister. She cried. He hugged his brother, and they shared a tight handshake. He embraced his grandparents. And his dad locked him in tight - the father's wide hands set on the son's shoulders.

They shared a few quick stories - nothing deep, but conversational quips that could have been exchanged on an ordinary day back in Nashua.

But this was no ordinary day. It was Christmas in late February. As soon as the Juberts drove back home, Karen unveiled a tree with lights and American flags.

Ross handed out gifts bought in Iraq. "It's not much," he said. "They've got slim pickings at the Al Asad PX."

He gave Mike and Russell flags flown during specific military missions. The flags came with certificates. Both men beamed like kids unwrapping toys on Christmas morning.

Ross got a gift certificate for his favorite restaurant, Pan Asia. "Ten dollars. That's two Bs right there," he said of a menu special.

He wouldn't have to use that certificate immediately. Two days later, the Jubert home was stuffed with family, friends and food, as Karen threw a welcome-back party.Far from the action
Aside from a new sign on the Broad Street Dairy Queen, much of Nashua had remained unchanged in Ross' eyes.

On a couch four days after his return, Ross was antsy again.

He was to return the next day to Westover, where the remainder of his activation - until May - will be spent engaged in various construction projects.

He split time in Iraq between bases in Al Asad and Al Qaim. He helped build storage barns, living quarters, bunkers, perimeter fences. In Baghdadi, a small town outside the Al Asad base, he fixed a water main destroyed by Iraqis, and then sealed other manholes with concrete and dirt. He also helped restore a hangar for aircraft.

"I envisioned more dangerous stuff," he said. "Everyone was disappointed we couldn't do as much."

Ross was close, yet still far, from the action he craved. He found it tough learning that others had died and he could not act from his post. His family appreciated this distance, though.

Karen and Mike quickly realized they would handle Ross' deployment differently, when she wanted to talk but he did not.

Karen constantly checked her e-mail, waiting for Ross' latest update, a sign that things were still fine. Mike could not bear to listen to or watch the news. Only when Ross was in the air on the way home could he watch a PBS special on U.S. troops in Iraq.

Three events in Iraq and Afghanistan made both of them shudder deeply: the death of former NFL player and Army Ranger Pat Tillman, the bomb that detonated in a U.S. military cafeteria, and the death of Marine Cpl. Timothy Gibson of Merrimack.

"The guy's making $3 million a year as a football player," Mike said of Tillman. "You would have thought they would have protected him, but he was a regular guy out there. The bullets were not picking their target."Just as Ross' grandfather, Russell, recognizes the significance of his service in World War II, Ross realizes he has a place in history.

Despite his unhappiness about his actual role, Ross still appreciates that he helped his country with the larger goal of fostering democracy in the Middle East.

And just as Russell treasures the people he served with, Ross will never forget the bonds he forged with other Marines in the hot desert.

He constructed a computer slide show with photos presenting him and his buddies in the harsh Iraqi climate, working, relaxing, sharing in something so few do.

He timed the photos with music. As the last song, Bob Seger's "Like a Rock," reached its crescendo about firmness of character, the photos depicted the Juberts' youngest child maturing right before the camera's eye.

"I feel a lot older," Ross said.

While gone, he learned who his friends are. Some people who promised to write never did; others who made no promises did write.

His family, of course, never wavered in communication and care packages. But far removed from home, Ross did not "really imagine how much they worried."

Karen hopes in time Ross will elaborate on his experience. Ross for now remains quiet as ever, at least at home. He admits to being two different people: reserved at home and more open with his unit.

In a family that eats together often and cherishes weekend getaways to the family camp in Washington, everyone will have time to review the past year and make more big-picture assessments.

"The sad days are over," Cecile said. "Thank God."


Ellie

[thedrifter]

New generators keep Al Asad running at full power
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing
Story Identification #: 200539114514
Story by Cpl. Rocco DeFilippis



AL ASAD, Iraq (March 9, 2005) -- Through coordinated efforts of Marines, soldiers and international civilian contractors, Al Asad has moved from relying on outside sources of electricity, to having the internal capability of supplying the whole air base with power.

After only 37 days, four of the 19 new Cummings generators that arrived here throughout the month of February, are up and running, and the air base has more than enough power to meet current demands.

Previously relying on external power sources that were susceptible to enemy sabotage, power use has been kept to a minimum here. Over three hundred emergency back up generators around the air base supplied energy to the buildings and workspaces during numerous power outages and shortages.

"The base is tied into the original Iraqi power grid," said Army Lt. Col. Joe L. Sieber, 326th Area Support Group director of construction management and engineering and native of Oklahoma City. "The new generators replace the outside energy source, and allow us to be completely self-sufficient when it comes to electricity."

When fully employed the 19 generators will be capable of producing 12 megawatts of electricity. Only four of the generators are necessary at the present time, because the current demand is only around 1.5 megawatts.

"Electricity is like gold in a combat zone," said Army Col. George Harris, 326th Area Support Group commanding officer. "[The generators] keep us from sending Marines off base to repair power lines that the enemy has cut off. We are now in complete control of our power."

Although the generators arrived here completely assembled, and ready to start, the project required extensive coordination between the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward), the garrison command and the civilian contractors responsible for running and maintaining the power grid.

"Without the logistical support of the 2nd MAW (Fwd), this project would have been a nightmare," said Army Maj. Eric G. Berwanger, 326th Area Support Group deputy director of construction management and engineering and native of Boonville, Mo. Finishing right on schedule, Berwanger said the hard work of the 2nd MAW facilities Marines allowed the project to run so smoothly.

"We provided vehicle and heavy equipment support, as well as military liaison for the arriving material," said Staff Sgt. Ryan S. Tracy, Marine Air Wing roadmaster and native of Burnsville, Minn. "We also drove vehicles and coordinated with the bulk fuel specialists from Combat Service Support Detachment 25. Basically, they told us what they needed, and we got it done."

The generators were manufactured in the United Kingdom, and are maintained and run by International American Products Worldwide Services, who provide products and services to public and private sector companies and government agencies around the world.

"This is a 'turn key' project," said Bruce E. Hurley, site manager and native of Taylor, Mich. "The contractor starts and finishes construction and then 'hands the key' over to the purchaser. In this case the key is electricity."

The mechanical and electrical installation took Hurley's skilled workers only six days to complete. He said the whole process ran smooth from start to finish.

Most of the servicemembers and civilian contractors working here will not notice the change over in power source initially. Power usage has been kept to a minimu, but according to Harris, the war fighters of Al Asad will begin to see an improvement in getting power to the people.

"The opportunity to provide power to everyone who needs it will allow Al Asad to seem more like home," Sieber said. "At least you don't have to worry about the barber loosing power during the middle of your haircut."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marines bolster security
March 11,2005
ERIC STEINKOPFF
DAILY NEWS STAFF

Commuters traveling north along U.S. 17 near New River Air Station will notice construction crews removing a large swath of trees along a long stretch of the road.

It's all part of continuing security enhancements at the military installation intended to protect aircraft operations, a spokeswoman said Thursday.

"We're installing flight line fencing to upgrade our security," said Master Sgt. Brenda Donnell. "It should take approximately to the end of July."

C.L. Price and Associates of Morehead City is doing the work for about $550,000, Donnell said.

This project is one of several since 2003 designed to beef up security around local bases.

Most obvious to the public are the access gates. Some are being moved back farther from the perimeter fences for protection and to reduce traffic from backing up and spilling out into the community.

Each gate aboard Camp Lejeune and New River Air Station will eventually have turn-off lanes, so military police can inspect vehicles. Additionally, there are plans to build huge awnings to protect sentries from the weather and to reduce their vulnerability to outside view.

C.L. Price has another project - worth about $400,000 - under way at Camp Lejeune's back gate in Sneads Ferry. Once the turn-off inspection lanes are complete, routine traffic will be routed through those new lanes until a new gatehouse and awning are built.

Abillis Corp., of New Bern is the primary designer for the security upgrades, according to military officials.

Another New Bern firm, Virtexco Corp., has a $900,000 contract to renovate gates at Camp Johnson and both Tarawa Terrace housing communities. The latter two projects are complete, as is work at the new Midway Park housing area gate, roughly one mile east of the old entrance.

Additional security measures will include advanced video cameras and existing radiological sensors. Off-the-shelf chemical and biological sensors have been tested during the past few years.


Contact staff writer Eric Steinkopff at esteinkopff@freedomenc.com or 353-1171, Ext. 236.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

The torture cell
New allegations of torture have been made by Bahraini detainees at Guantanamo Bay. ABDULRAHMAN FAKHRI reports in the first of a four-part series... A BAHRAINI detainee at Guantanamo Bay was urinated on by US soldiers, had cigarettes put out on him, was made to walk on barbed wire and was told he was going to be killed, according to his lawyers. The latest allegations, which were made by Juma Mohammed Abdul Latif Al Dossary, date back to when he was first detained by US forces in Afghanistan three years ago.

The GDN has already reported how he allegedly had a soldier's boot put in his mouth, was beaten so severely by US soldiers that he vomited blood, had tea poured over his head and was given electric shocks during interrogation.

The latest claims were made during the same interview with lawyers, who visited Guantanamo Bay last October.

However, they can only be released now after the US Defence Department reviewed their notes and deemed the information to be unclassified.

Al Dossary was arrested in Pakistan in December 2001 and was held by Pakistani authorities for several weeks.

He was then handed over to US authorities who moved him from Pakistan to Kandahar, Afghanistan, via airplane.

Upon arrival in Kandahar, Al Dossary and other detainees were allegedly lined up on the ground in a tent.

He told lawyers US Marines urinated on them and put out cigarettes on them.

"A US soldier pushed Mr Al Dossary's head into the ground violently and other soldiers walked on him," said a statement issued by the lawyers, who added that he has scars consistent with cigarette burns.

"He lay on the ground for approximately an hour, wearing only a thin pair of overalls despite the fact that it was January and the weather was quite cold."

New York-based legal firm Dorsey and Whitney is representing the six Bahraini detainees with support from the now-dissolved Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR).

Lawyers say the next morning Al Dossary was made to walk on barbed wire, was given electric shocks and had tea poured over his head.

However, when he asked for a doctor he claimed he was spat on by a US soldier who said "we brought you here to kill you". During the subsequent two weeks, Mr Al Dossary was allegedly housed in freezing tents with other detainees who were lined up at night, threatened with being shot and were then beaten.

Mr Al Dossary was allegedly interrogated several times while in Kandahar, during which he was beaten to the point that he began to cry, said his lawyers.

Eventually, Mr Al Dossary vomited blood and then fainted," they said in a statement.

It is also claimed that Red Cross representatives visited Mr Al Dossary in Afghanistan and were able to observe clear signs of physical abuse.

Al Dossary, who has an eight-year-old daughter in Bahrain, has been detained for over three years as an "enemy combatant" along with Essa Ali Abdulla Al Murbati, Salah Abdul Rasool Al Blooshi, Adel Kamel Hajee, Shaikh Saman bin Ebrahim al Khalifa and Abdulla Majid Al Naimi.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band to Perform for Troops in California March 13
Friday March 11, 2:24 pm ET


WASHINGTON, March 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Actor, director and producer Gary Sinise is embarking on his tenth USO tour to provide a morale boost to Marines, sailors and their family members stationed at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, Calif. Sinise, together with the Lt. Dan Band, will perform a free show March 13, at 2:00 p.m., at Sunset Cinema. Best known for his Oscar-nominated performance as Lt. Dan in "Forrest Gump," Sinise is a strong supporter of the military. Currently, he is starring in the new hit series "CSI: New York" on CBS.

Last year, Sinise visited troops in Diego Garcia, Singapore, Korea, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Germany and Italy. He also has visited troops wounded in Operation Iraqi Freedom who are recuperating at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center. Since June, Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band have entertained military personnel stationed at several military posts across the United States.

Following a USO tour to Iraq, during which he visited with Iraqi school children, Sinise co-founded Operation Iraqi Children, which provides educational materials to students in Iraq through the generosity of the American people. For more information, visit http://www.operationiraqichildren.org.

Soon after high school graduation, Sinise founded Chicago's influential Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Later, starring on Broadway in "The Grapes of Wrath," the talented actor earned a Tony nomination. His big screen debut came in 1992's "A Midnight Clear." Performances as title characters in the biopics "Truman" (for which he won a Cable Ace Award and a Golden Globe) and "George Wallace" (for which he won an Emmy) earned him the reputation of one of America's most versatile actors. Other film credits include "Apollo 13," "The Green Mile" and, most recently, "The Forgotten."

For more than 64 years, the USO (United Service Organizations) has been providing morale and recreation-type services to U.S. military personnel and their families. The USO is a nonprofit, charitable organization, relying on the generosity of the American people to support its programs and services. The USO is supported by World Partners Avon Products, Inc., AT& T Corporation, BAE SYSTEMS, Bass Pro Shops, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Clear Channel Worldwide, The Coca-Cola Company, Computer Systems Center, Inc., Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc., Lockheed Martin Corporation, Military Channel, Morgan Stanley, National Football League, Northwest Airlines, Reader's Digest, Sara Lee, S & K Sales Company, TriWest Health Care Alliance, the USAA Foundation and The Walt Disney Company. Other corporate donors, including Walgreens and the United Way and Combined Federal Campaign (CFC-0600), have joined thousands of individual donors to support the USO. For more information on the USO, please visit our Web site at http://www.uso.org.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: USO

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Tears flow at exhibit of empty boots

By: MARK WALKER - Staff Writer

ESCONDIDO ---- Grace Glenn spent almost half an hour Thursday morning searching among 1,513 pairs of U.S. Army boots for the ones bearing the name of her nephew who died in Iraq nearly one year ago.

Glenn walked up and down the lengthy rows of boots set out at Grape Day Park, looking for those with the plastic-covered index card with the name of Ramon Candelario Ojeda, a 22-year-old Army specialist from Ramona who was killed in action on May 1.

And then she found them.


"I keep thinking that maybe he's going to come back," the Escondido resident said through her tears a few minutes after the discovery. "It's just really sad, not just for my nephew, but everybody who's not coming back."

Glenn was among many who solemnly walked the rows of the traveling "Eyes Wide Open" exhibition sponsored by the Quaker group, American Friends Service Committee. Each pair of boots purchased from an Army-Navy surplus store represents a U.S. serviceman or servicewoman killed in Iraq since the invasion in March 2003.

Marq Anderson of the American Friends Service Committee said the exhibit, developed by the group's Chicago office and unveiled in January 2004 when there were 500 U.S. deaths, is an important visual symbol.

"Whether we as individuals agree on the necessity of this war, we can all honor the losses," he said, adding, "There are too many boots in this exhibit."

The displays, included one of regular shoes representing Iraqi deaths and one with ball caps representing each of the 293 U.S. civilian contractors reportedly killed in Iraq, is on a West Coast swing. It dominated the grounds of the park from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. Thursday, and now will move north to Palm Springs and the Los Angeles area.

Glenn's nephew was a mechanic assigned to the Army's 84th Engineering Battalion when he was killed by a piece of shrapnel from a roadside bomb in Baghdad. She said the exhibit was a fitting tribute regardless of one's position on the U.S. role in Iraq.

"It's a great way to honor them," she said. "The president has got us in a big mess and I don't know whether we should pull the military out because we're in a spot now where it's kind of hard to turn back.

"I do think my nephew would be happy about the Iraqi elections."

Escondido's Fernando Suarez del Solar, who became a peace activist after his son, U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Jesus Suarez del Solar, was killed in Iraq on March 27, 2003, told a sparse audience that he prays for the end of memorials.

"We no longer need empty boots or sick veterans," he said through a translator during his address, delivered in Spanish. "Our nation needs youths and families working for our country and not for destruction."

He also called for pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq.

"How many more orphaned children do we need to see before we demand an end to this war?" he asked.

Having the exhibit in Escondido was special, Suarez del Solar said, because it is where his son went to high school, where he met his wife and where the young Marine's son was born.

"Unfortunately, my son leads these pairs of boots," he said in reference to where the memorial to his son was placed among the rows.

While the few at the park during the early hours of the display were mostly against the war, Escondido resident Elmer Adorjan expressed a different opinion as he viewed the exhibit from a spot at a picnic table.

"I am not opposed to what we are doing in Iraq," the 67-year-old U.S. Army veteran said. "I believe we are in a war against terrorism and it has to be fought somewhere. We're there now, so we should complete the job."

Vista's Eleanor Cohen, 64, said she opposes the war and called the exhibit a moving experience.

"I came here to thank the ones who have died and the ones who have been wounded and to express my respect for them," Cohen said. "But I'm against what we're doing. The reasons have changed from weapons of mass destruction to now freedom and democracy.

"I personally believe it is all about oil," Cohen said.

Craig Jones of the San Diego Coalition for Peace and Justice said the title of the exhibit is appropriate.

"This is an eye-opener, isn't it," Jones said during his speech. "To many of us, it seems much of America has had it eyes wide shut and it's time they were wide open."

When all the speakers were done, Adorjan was still at his spot at the picnic table. He said he thought the speeches were fine and that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but he did have one question.

"I didn't hear Fernando say anything about the thousands of people Saddam Hussein killed," he said.

Anderson, of the American Friends Service Committee, is hauling the exhibit around the country in a rented moving truck. The exhibit relies on donations and support from peace groups to pay the way as it travels the nation.

He said there has been little negative reaction in the nearly 50 cities where the exhibit has appeared, including no ill words from active-duty service personnel.

Two young Marines walked through the exhibit in downtown San Diego on Wednesday, Anderson said.

"They stopped by, walked through and didn't say anything," Anderson said. "I think active-duty personnel understand, and when they see it, think that 'there but for the grace of God ...' "

The San Diego display at the county administration building was limited to the boots of Californians killed in Iraq after what Anderson termed a miscommunication with county officials, who viewed it solely as a peace protest.

Contact staff writer Mark Walker at (760) 740-3529 or mlwalker@nctimes.com.

http://www.nctimes.com/content/articles/2005/03/11/news/top_stories/23_24_283_10_05.jpg

Grace Glenn of Escondido cries after finding the boots honoring her nephew, Spec. Ramon Candelario Odeja, Thursday during the Eyes Wide Open anti-war installation at Grape Day Park.
J. Kat Woronowicz/For the North County Times

http://www.nctimes.com/content/articles/2005/03/11/news/top_stories/23_24_283_10_05a.jpg

Boots honoring Spec. Casey Sheehan, killed in Iraq, were among 1513 on display Thursday during the Eyes Wide Open anti-war installation at Grape Day Park.
J. Kat Woronowicz/For the North County Times


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Morning strikes keep Marines alert


Lance Cpl. Paul Robbins Jr.
2d Marine Division

Halabisah, Iraq — The residents of the small city of Halabisah, Iraq, slept comfortably in their homes during the quiet early morning hours of March 1, unaware of the silent force closing in around them.

More than 200 Marines and corpsmen with 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team-1, assisted by Iraqi Security Forces, successfully initiated and completed Operation Peninsula Plague in the small city just outside of Fallujah.
The 72-hour operation marked the first offensive strike for 3/4 since their arrival in Iraq in early January.

“The purpose of the operation was to disrupt enemy activity on the peninsula, prevent the enemy from regrouping and to capture key enemy leaders,” said Capt. Michael J. Bissonette, 36-year-old intelligence officer for 3/4.
The operation began with a cordon of the entire city where tanks, light armored vehicles and Marines blocked the entry and exit points.

Once the blocking units were in place, a convoy of more than 100 Marines and Iraqi soldiers pushed into the city toward their intended targets.
“We cordoned off the area, targeted known cells and searched the locations for weapons caches and enemy forces,” said the Brockport, N.Y., native.
The Marines and Iraqi soldiers struck quickly at their specified targets, maintaining the element of surprise and capturing their targets without resistance.

“We received no contact and no casualties,” said Maj. Matt O. Watt, the battalion’s 33-year-old operations officer. “That’s always a good thing.”
The quick morning strikes, coupled with the exhaustive search of the city using metal detectors and the keen eyes of combat engineers, resulted in an effective disruption of enemy activity.
“We have prevented them from regaining their balance in the city,” Bissonette said.

This was accomplished by the recovery of more than 30 rifles, two medium machine guns, dozens of rocket-propelled grenades and rockets, nearly 10,000 rounds of ammunition, large amounts of money, weapons manuals, Mujahedeen propaganda and improvised explosive device materials, according to 35-year-old Gunnery Sgt. Dewayne E. Walters, platoon sergeant for 4th Combat Engineer Battalion.

“We definitely put a dent in the enemy’s ability to attack us,” said the Richmond, Va. native.
Marines also captured 18 members of anti-Iraqi forces during the operation, including “trigger pullers”, facilitators and leaders, according to Bissonette.
“We expected to find leaders (of anti-Iraqi forces) in the city,” Watt said, “and we were successful in doing so.”
Already crippled by the assault on Fallujah in November of 2004, enemy forces continue to be kept off balance by 3/4’s operations in and around the city, Bissonette said.

“The enemy can not mass considerable combat power, but they will continue to be a nuisance in the foreseeable future,” he continued.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Pilot honored for heroic evacs
Submitted by: MCB Camp Pendleton
Story Identification #: 2005310111742
Story by Lance Cpl. Renee Krusemark



MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (March, 10 2005) -- As Baghdad was falling on April 10, 2003, the Iraqi army found itself in a tight spot - but they weren't the only ones.

The crew of a Camp Pendleton-based CH-46E helicopter faced a sticky situation, landing as enemy rounds whizzed past to evacuate more than two dozen Marines and a handful of Iraqis.

"It was like landing a 48-feet-long plane in a back yard while being shot at," said Sgt. Christopher J. Oakeson, a crew chief on the mission.

The crew and aircraft, piloted by Capt. Armando Espinoza, returned to the fray not once but four times to whisk away wounded Marines and Iraqis.

On Feb. 25, Espinoza's efforts officially were dubbed an act of heroism when he received the Distinguished Flying Cross - the U.S. Navy's and Marine Corps' eighth highest award - during a ceremony at the Marine Corps Air Station here.

The day and night evacuation missions were in support of 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment's attack into Baghdad. Espinoza was serving as a helicopter aircraft commander attached to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 268, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force

According to the Web site for the Military Awards Branch at Headquarters Marine Corps, 10 Distinguished Flying Cross Awards with "V" devices, and three without, have been awarded since the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Capt. David T. Roen, co-pilot of the lead aircraft during the mission, hadn't seen a Flying Cross awarded in the 3-1/2 years he has been here.

"It's the only one I've seen. Judging from the presentation, I would say it was a big deal," he said.

Oakeson said it was also the first Flying Cross ceremony he had ever seen.

Espinoza is credited with evacuating 28 Marines and a family of seven Iraqi nationals.

Saving the Marines meant a lot to Espinoza, but evacuating the Iraqis was just as important, he said.

"It was very gratifying to show the Iraqis we weren't just there for our own purposes but also for them," Espinoza said.

Roen said Espinoza's efforts were worthy of recognition because of "his aggressiveness and leadership. He didn't have to be told to go back (for the wounded)."

"He's a natural leader. Everyone looks up to him. He's more than just a leader - he's above and beyond that," Oakeson said.

Espinoza's wife and three sons attended the ceremony. He thanked his family for supporting him during his combat tour. Knowing everything was fine at home allowed Espinoza to "focus on the mission," he said.

During the mission, according to the award citation, Espinoza maneuvered and landed the aircraft under enemy fire to evacuate wounded Marines, returned three additional times, and maneuvered his way out of danger each time with more evacuees "while returning fire and conducting evasive maneuvering."

His actions displayed "superb airmanship, inspiring courage and loyal devotion to duty," the citation stated.

The mission couldn't have been accomplished without the help of his fellow crew members, Espinoza said.

"I also accept this award for the other nine crew members involved in the flight," he said during his speech following the ceremony.

"We did what anyone else would have done," Roen added.

Espinoza also took a moment of silence during his speech to remember those who have given their lives in our country's defense.

He said seeing his family back home was one of his happiest moments, but he also wished his fellow Marines from the squadron - many of whom were still deployed - could have been with him as he accepted the award.

The award belongs not just to him, but to all Marines who have made sacrifices to do their jobs in Iraq, he said.

"It is hard for me to except this kind of honor. We were simply just doing our jobs," he said.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Allies Get Special Military Training
Chicago Tribune
March 12, 2005

WASHINGTON - If the Bush administration has its way, military officers from Indonesia will soon arrive in the U.S. for training by the American military, making that country just the latest to receive such help as an ally in the war on terror.

But critics say Indonesia is also a good example of what's wrong with foreign military training, employed increasingly by the Bush administration since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. These nations - many unstable and in volatile regions - could ultimately use their American-trained armies against their own people, opponents of the training aid say, and in the long run make the U.S. a symbol of oppression and hurt the war on terror.

"Techniques and tactics that are being taught in these training courses could perhaps come back to haunt us in terms of human-rights abuses and interrogation techniques," said Rachel Stohl, an analyst at the Center for Defense Information, a Washington defense analysis group.

Several of the countries receiving U.S. arms and training as allies in the war on terror have given U.S. military and intelligence forces new access to parts of the world that were previously difficult to penetrate. But some of those same countries also have questionable human-rights records, drawing sharp and regular criticism in annual State Department reports.

In 2004, the State Department noted that the Indonesian government's "human-rights record remained poor." And as recently as last week, the U.S. urged Colombia, another military aid recipient, to fully investigate allegations that a Colombian army unit had used machetes to kill eight civilians.




Human-rights activists and critics in Congress contend that Indonesia's military has long been corrupt and that it may be to blame for the 2002 slayings of two Americans and the massacre of scores of residents of the island of East Timor before it won independence in May 2002.

"The Indonesian military is even more internally directed now than it was then," said John Miller of the East Timor Action Network, an advocacy group. "They argue that they're needed to hold the country together, when clearly their repressive tactics have helped fuel whatever independence movements have gone on."

U.S. military aid to Indonesia was cut off by Congress in 1992, and only a limited military exchange has been allowed, intended to increase the Indonesian military's awareness of human rights. But with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's recent approval, Indonesia is immediately eligible to spend $600,000 in U.S. aid to send officers to American military courses.

After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the need for allies in regions where al-Qaida terrorist network operated changed everything. Military aid packages to places as diverse as Yemen, Eritrea, Tajikistan and Georgia have opened doors for the U.S. in parts of the world that were hitherto out of reach.

And military-to-military training, U.S. officers say, is playing a little-noticed but crucial role in efforts to build strategic bridges with new partners, in the Horn of Africa to name one such place.

"The work that we're doing right now in Africa is so very important, simply because we don't want to see happen in Africa what's happened in Iraq and other places," Marine Gen. James Jones, head of the U.S. European Command, told a Senate committee last week. "What we're trying to do in Africa, if I could sum it up, is to try to engage in a pro-active way before we have to engage in a reactive way."

The administration has proposed spending $4.8 billion in 2006 for foreign military assistance, including arms sales, arms grants and training. That is slightly less than the $5 billion approved for 2005 but substantially more than the $3.5 billion in aid the U.S. allocated annually before the Sept. 11 attacks.

Because this funding for training is split between the Defense and State Departments, just how much money supports hands-on training by U.S. advisers is difficult to discern.

The amount requested for the State Department-managed International Military Education and Training (IMET) program for 2006 is $86.7 million. The program allows foreign military officers to take courses at U.S. military schools. Military personnel from Pakistan, India, Thailand, the Philippines, Uzbekistan and Yemen have done so or plan to.

The Pentagon's Joint Combined Exchange and Training, or JCET, program, meanwhile, pays for direct tactical training. U.S. commanders recently told Congress that such training is under way in 12 African and three European countries and that U.S. Marine Corps counterterrorism training is being done in seven African countries, Georgia and Ukraine. U.S. forces also conduct JCET missions in the Philippines.

To carry out that work, the United States has posted 1,400 servicemen and women in Djibouti, for example. Those troops are conducting training missions in Djibouti, Kenya, Yemen, Eritrea and Ethiopia and are also monitoring Somalia and Sudan for terrorist activity.

"Our main purpose out here is conducting operational training, assisting host nations to combat terrorists and ultimately establish a secure environment," said Col. Bob Fauser, a Marine reservist and the deputy director of operations for the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa.

Those activities include not just military training, he said, but also support for medical and veterinary clinics, schools and public utilities projects.

In Yemen, U.S. personnel have assisted the Defense Ministry and helped bolster security at the port of Aden, where in 2000 an al-Qaida attack blew a hole in the hull of the USS Cole, killing 17 sailors and wounding 39 others.

Indonesia is one of about 150 countries eligible for the State Department's military education and training program. But Rice's decision to offer that country U.S. military training drew nearly instant opposition from those who tracked events closely during East Timor's campaign to win independence.

In 1996, Congress approved a measure proposed by Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., that requires the State Department to verify that foreign officers receiving U.S. training have not taken part in human-rights violations.

"One reason Sen. Leahy supports accountability conditions on the spending of U.S. tax dollars to train the Indonesian army," said Tim Rieser, an aide to Leahy, "is that despite 40 years of U.S. training, the Indonesian army violated human rights, engaged in a wide range of corrupt, illegal activities, and they have yet to be held accountable for any of it."

Because training for 2005 wasn't planned, the Indonesian military must wait for training course slots in the U.S. to open up due to cancellations by other foreign officers, a State Department official said. For 2006, the Bush administration has asked Congress to approve $800,000 for Indonesian military training.

Pentagon and State Department officials say that human-rights awareness is stressed during the training and that those standards will be closely watched in Indonesia's case.

"Certainly there's concern about human rights," said a State Department official who requested anonymity. "There's certainly concern about the need for accountability in human rights in Indonesia. And in fact one of the things that we address is the need for human rights in the military."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marines Tour Old Battlegrounds
Associated Press
March 12, 2005

TICONDEROGA, N.Y. - Long supply lines, language barriers, guerrilla warfare - those issues meant as much to the 18th-century soldier loading his musket at Fort Ticonderoga as they do to today's armor-clad, night-vision-equipped Marine in Fallujah.

A group of Marine Corps-led officers is spending the week visiting Revolutionary War battlefields from the fort's walls to the shores of the Delaware River, studying old campaigns and applying centuries-old lessons to situations facing today's commanders.

"How do I keep my fort from falling? How do I maximize the things I have?" said Maj. Melanie Mercan of Detroit, ticking off some of the hypothetical questions prompted by Thursday's visit to Fort Ticonderoga, located on the southern end of Lake Champlain 85 miles north of Albany.

Mercan is among the 18 active-duty or retired military personnel making a three-state tour as part of a course given at the Marine Corps Command and Staff College in Quantico, Va. Most are Marines, but the Navy, Army, Air Force and the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency also are represented.

There's even a redcoat in the mix - Maj. Harry Thomsett of the Royal Marines, who had to endure some good-natured razzing from his American comrades earlier this week during a tour of the Lexington and Concord battle sites outside Boston.




"Sam Adams is no hero of mine," he quipped during a break Wednesday at the Saratoga Springs hotel where the group is staying.

The officers are getting an 18th-century grunt's view of the terrain, slogging through slush in Massachusetts and hiking up a mountain here in 12-degree weather.

"We definitely have an appreciation of what the Continentals went through back then," Marine Maj. Lew Vogler said after Thursday's visit.

The group also will visit the Trenton, N.J., site where Gen. George Washington crossed the Delaware, and visit New York battlegrounds at Saratoga and Bennington, near the Vermont line.

The participants take on the roles of British and American commanders, attacking or defending their decisions, said retired Marine Lt. Col. Jack Matthews, the trip's leader and the college's associate dean of academics.

"The nature of war doesn't change," Thomsett said. "The technologies change, but overall the nature doesn't change."

"It's about decision making," said Vogler, an infantry officer from Quantico. "We study how they made decisions on their battlefields. We are very soon going to be making those decisions."

Fort Ticonderoga, now a national historic landmark, has served as an open-air classroom for budding military leaders for nearly 200 years, said Nick Westbrook, the site's director.

The fort changed hands six times in less than 30 years after its construction by the French in 1755. It fell into disrepair in the 1800s but was restored in the early 1900s by the wealthy family that owned the site.

Aside from being a popular tourist stop, the fort has for the past decade hosted seminars for active-duty soldiers and officers enrolled in the Pentagon's leadership and education programs.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Four Investigated For Gitmo Misconduct <br />
Associated Press <br />
March 12, 2005 <br />
<br />
WASHINGTON - Four U.S. officers, including a one-star general, at the detention center for terrorism suspects at...

[thedrifter]

U.S. Soldier Killed In Iraq
Associated Press
March 12, 2005

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A U.S. soldier was killed during operations west of the Iraqi capital, the military said Saturday.

The soldier, assigned to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, died Friday "in a non-hostile accident" in Anbar province, the military said in a statement.

The military said it was investigating the death, but gave no other details.

The province is a hotbed of insurgent activity and includes the cities of Fallujah, Ramadi and Qaim near the Syrian border.

As of Friday, at least 1,513 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Pentagon Review Will Focus On Terrorism
Associated Press
March 12, 2005

WASHINGTON - A comprehensive review of the nation's military strategy, now under way at the Pentagon, is grounded in the threats of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, not conventional warfare.

Experts inside and outside the Pentagon say the Quadrennial Defense Review is expected to confirm many of the views of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld about the direction of the military.

The review is completed after every presidential election. As a strategy document, it has far-reaching effects on budgets, purchases of weapon systems and military doctrine. This will be the first review done fully in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks.

It will therefore favor unconventional warfare and technologies, like special operations forces, unmanned systems and efforts to exploit vulnerabilities in enemy computer networks, said Loren B. Thompson, a military expert at the Lexington Institute.

"They are putting together a military posture that is very heavily oriented in the direction of unconventional threats, like terrorists and plutonium merchants, and strongly oriented away from the types of conventional dangers that drove the Cold War defense posture," he said.




The danger, however, is "overcorrecting," Thompson said - spending so much on unconventional threats that other countries get ahead of the United States in traditional military power, such as planes, tanks and ships.

"When America faces its next great threat, the limitations of unmanned vehicles, special operators and vulnerable networks will be all too clear," he said.

The matrix of threats envisioned by the Pentagon was laid out last month by Ryan Henry, principal deputy undersecretary of defense for policy, during a speech at the Heritage Foundation in Washington. They are:

-Traditional: Warfare built around tanks, planes and ships. The military was built to fight the Soviet Union in this kind of war, and, in Rumsfeld's view, remains very much in this posture. "We are very, very good at this," Henry said.

-Irregular: Guerrilla warfare. Henry pointed to the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan as examples, where "winning the peace" becomes the goal. "It is a situation in which many times dollars in the hand of the commander is more important than having bullets in his troops' rifles," Henry said.

-Catastrophic: Attacks like Sept. 11, or ones using weapons of mass destruction, either employed by terrorists or carried from abroad on a ballistic missile.

-Disruptive: Advances in foreign technology that leave U.S. military critically disadvantaged. The U.S. development of stealth aircraft had this effect on the Soviet Union. Henry suggested national security could be vulnerable to cyberwarfare and biological warfare.

In more concrete terms, the authors of the review are expected to advocate strategies that include building up allies to conduct their own counterterrorist efforts; stopping the spread of weapons of mass destruction; and nudging China from becoming an aggressive state as it grows in economic power.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Blue Angels seeking enlisted applications
Submitted by: MCAS Beaufort
Story Identification #: 200531114520
Story by Cpl. Micah Snead



MARINE CORPS AIR STATION BEAUFORT, SC (March 11, 2005) -- Enlisted Marines and Sailors are being offered the chance to work with Angels.

The Blue Angels Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron is encouraging qualified Sailors and Marines to apply for the 2006 season. Applications must be turned in by April 1, and selection information will be released June 1.

The Blue Angels’ mission is to enhance Navy and Marine Corps recruiting, and to represent the Naval Service to the United States civilian community, its elected leadership and foreign nations. Stationed during the show season at Forrest Sherman Field, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, the squadron spends January through March training pilots and new crewmembers at Naval Air Facility El Centro, Calif.

The following billets are open, according to Chief Aviation Electrician’s Mate Louis Arrazola, command career counselor and applications chief petty officer for the Blue Angels: E-5 and E-6 aviation machinist, E-4 to E-6 aviation electricians, E-4 and E-5 aviation structural mechanics, E-4 and E-5 aviation electronics technicians, E-5 aviation maintenance administrationmens, E-5 storekeepers, E-5 and E-6 photographers, E-5 and E-6 hospital corpsmen with aviation medical technician and E-5 through E-7 yeomen.

Yeomen billets are Type 1 shore duty and only yeomen completing a sea duty tour may apply. A normal tour of duty with the Blue Angels is three years and is considered Type 2 sea duty for rotational purposes. Outstanding E-4 applicants will be considered, according to Arrazola.

“We are looking for motivated, hard-charging Sailors and Marines with outgoing personalities to represent the pride and professionalism found throughout today’s Navy,” Arrazola said. “Our team of Navy and Marine Corps professionals is a direct reflection of personnel currently stationed around the world displaying honor, courage and commitment on a daily basis to uphold our nation’s values and ideals.”

An estimated 15 million spectators view the squadron during air shows each year. The Blue Angels pilots and personnel visit more than 50,000 people each show season at school and hospital visits. Applicants have to be willing to go above and beyond the call of duty, according to Command Master Chief Kevin Harris.

“This team is filled with traditions, pride and most of all team spirit,” Harris said. “We are looking for Sailors and Marines to go that extra mile and are ready to be called upon at a moment’s notice. If you have that team spirit, you could be the next Blue Angel.”

Applicants have to be good examples of today’s Navy, but do not have to be Hornet veterans, according to Aviation Structural Mechanic 1st Class Calvin Carter.

“Although helpful, F/A-18 Hornet experience is not required,” Carter said. “However, we are looking for sharp and motivated men and women.”

A job with the Blue Angels could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for any Marine or Sailor, according to Arrazola.

“This is a great opportunity to showcase the professionalism the Navy and Marine Corps have to offer,” Arrazola said. “It is also a great chance to travel throughout the United States and Canada.

Application details are outlined in NAVADMIN 261/04. For more information or to receive an application, visit www.blueangels.navy.mil or call Arrazola at DSN 922-2583, ext. 152 or commercial (850) 452-2583, ext. 152.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marines, state police have Iraq training day


ZACHARY, La. Iraq is coming to Louisiana for a day.

A contingent of about 700 U-S Marines will conduct a joint training exercise with Louisiana state police at the agency's emergency services training center tomorrow (Saturday). The Marines, who are from Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Memphis, Little Rock and Montgomery, Alabama, are training for possible redeployment to Iraq.

The state police training facility will serve as a city north of Baghdad and location of the Iraqi police headquarters. Realistic scenarios involving citizens and terrorists will be staged during the five-hour exercise.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Judge Advocate takes interns to trial <br />
Submitted by: MCAS Iwakuni <br />
Story Identification #: 200539175647 <br />
Story by Lance Cpl. Lukas J. Blom <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI (March 3, 2005) --...

[thedrifter]

March 14, 2005

Corps may buy new unmanned vehicle

By Glenn W. Goodman Jr.
Special to the Times


To complement its Dragon Eye and Pioneer unmanned aerial vehicles, the Marine Corps is developing a plan to buy a new UAV on an accelerated schedule.
The capabilities of this new air vehicle, intended for use at the regimental level, would fill the gap in range and payload capability between the two current UAVs.

An acquisition plan was working its way up the approval chain as of late February.

“There is a gap between the short-range, backpacked Dragon Eye and the Pioneer, which has a 110 nautical mile range, five hours of [flight time] and 75-pound payload capability,” said Maj. John Giscard, aviation combat element branch head with the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab at Quantico, Va., at an Association for Unmanned Vehicles Systems International conference held Feb. 9.

He said the Corps’ deputy commandant for combat development, Lt. Gen. Jim Mattis, returned from Iraq in January and said the Corps needs a UAV available to regimental commanders.

The new UAV has to be fully autonomous for takeoff and landing, without requiring an external pilot, Giscard said.

“We don’t want a specific MOS [military occupational specialty] for its operators and maintainers,” he said. “We want to be able to train a Marine in a week or two to operate it. That will simplify our training and personnel requirements.”

The UAV would be land-based initially and later integrated on deployed amphibious ships, he said. It would use a heavy-fuel engine in keeping with the Defense Departmentwide shift to a cheaper single fuel for battlefield ground and air vehicles in lieu of gasoline.

The UAV’s draft acquisition plan called for the Warfighting Lab to purchase a concept demonstrator UAV off the shelf to use to refine operational requirements through experimentation and to then put procurement of the new UAV on a fast track.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

March 14, 2005

UAV upgrades eyed after Iraq success
Improvements planned for Dragon Eye vehicle

By Glenn W. Goodman Jr.
Special to the Times


The Dragon Eye unmanned aerial vehicle has earned raves from Marines in Iraq, who favored its light weight, ease of use and durability, and the Corps is eyeing improvements to the backpack-carried UAV, Corps officials said.
By the end of September, 35 production Dragon Eye systems with 105 air vehicles, along with three refurbished prototype systems, were fielded with I Marine Expeditionary Force in Iraq, where they have seen daily use, Capt. Renee Matthews said at an Association for Unmanned Vehicles Systems International conference Feb. 9.

Matthews, with the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab at Quantico, Va., said the UAVs have been used to perform route or point reconnaissance and have proved extremely rugged. Twenty-seven air vehicles had been lost, Matthews said. Five were shot down by small-arms fire and, of the 22 others, most were lost to operator error, she said. Some crashes resulted from high winds.

The Warfighting Lab, the Naval Research Lab and the Office of Naval Research developed the small, low-cost Dragon Eye UAV. The Corps selected AeroVironment of Monrovia, Calif., in fall 2003 to manufacture it. The service began fielding the UAV last May in Iraq for use by its company commanders and platoon leaders.

Each system consists of three air vehicles and a laptop computer-based ground control station. The reusable air vehicle, which can be assembled and launched by two Marines in 10 minutes, is 2.4 feet long with a wingspan of 4 feet. It weighs only about 6 pounds.

It typically flies at an altitude of 300 feet and a speed of 35 mph for 45 minutes and can transmit real-time infrared surveillance video from a range of up to five nautical miles. The air vehicle, launched by hand or using a bungee cord, flies to preprogrammed way points autonomously and can be reprogrammed in flight.

The air vehicle is designed to “land hard” on its belly and break apart, with the nose, wings and tail separating from its body. It then can be snapped back together. Operators require a five-day course to use it proficiently.

The Corps is so satisfied that it plans to buy 467 systems with 1,401 air vehicles, a 45 percent increase over its acquisition goal of 323 systems a year ago.

Each system carries a price tag of about $130,000.

Changes planned

The Warfighting Lab continues to experiment with potential improvements to Dragon Eye that are the result of feedback from the field, said Maj. John Giscard, the lab’s aviation combat element branch head. These include extending the air vehicle’s wingspan from 45 inches to 63 inches to increase its flight endurance and landing accuracy. The latter, he said, has proven to be important for urban operations. For example, Marines in Iraq have launched Dragon Eyes from rooftops and often want to recover them on the same rooftop.

The lab also is evaluating seven candidates to find a better infrared camera sensor for Dragon Eye that would produce higher-resolution video surveillance imagery.

“The current 160-by-120 [two-pound] IR camera is not really meeting the needs of Marines out in the field,” Giscard said.

“We’re sharing the information we’re collecting through testing of different sensors, with a joint integrated product team representing the various services’ small UAVs, such as the Army’s Raven. If we can agree on a common new sensor for all those different platforms, then we can gain cost savings by making a larger joint purchase of the sensor.”

Passing the word

Another initiative involves developing a communications-relay payload for the UAV. A Dragon Eye fitted with that payload in lieu of the infrared camera could orbit over an urban area to help pass surveillance video from another Dragon Eye flying farther out to its ground station without having the radio signals obstructed by buildings.

The Warfighting Lab also is developing a new communications package for Dragon Eye that would double its number of uplink and downlink frequencies, and consequently the number of air vehicles that could be flown in the same area, from four to eight. It would allow those frequencies to be changed in midflight.

Finally, the lab is supporting an initiative, led by the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Dahlgren, Va., to develop a “wearable” ground control station that would be used not only for Dragon Eye but for the Corps’ four-wheel, breadbox-size, Dragon Runner unmanned ground vehicle in use in Iraq, as well as a hand-emplaced surveillance device that is part of the service’s Small Unit Remote Sensing System program. The device, which looks like a small pile of rubble, has electro-optical, infrared and acoustic sensors and can set up a defensive perimeter or be put on rooftops to detect approaching adversaries.

Glenn W. Goodman Jr. is editor of C4ISR Journal.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

March 11, 2005

Antiwar exhibit evokes emotional response from casualties’ families

By Seth Hettena
Associated Press


ESCONDIDO, Calif. — Laid out in rows stretching longer than a football field, 1,513 pairs of black military boots gave a sunsplashed park the quiet, somber mood of a cemetery.
The traveling exhibit, a reminder of the U.S. troops lost in Iraq, arrived on the United States’ West Coast this week as divisive as the war itself — especially for the families of the fallen men and women.

To some of the families, it is a cathartic, fitting memorial in a nation they say seems largely anesthetized to the pain of a distant war. For others, it’s an outrage tormenting them in their grief.

“There’s a difference between honoring our fallen and using them as pawns,” said Georgette Frank, who believes the exhibit defamed the memory of her son, Marine Lance Cpl. Phillip Frank, by linking him with an anti-war agenda he never would have supported.

The “Eyes Wide Open” exhibit, created by the American Friends Service Committee, a branch of the pacifist Quaker church, began its nationwide tour in Chicago with 500 boots — then the war’s death toll.

The exhibit arrived in downtown San Diego on Wednesday, but space was limited there because of what the county and organizers said was a misunderstanding over a permit. It was moved Thursday to Escondido, northeast of San Diego.

Nine families have donated their sons’ military boots for the exhibit, and others have provided time and support. Most of the boots come from military surplus stores.

Cindy Sheehan calls the exhibit a wonderful memorial to her 24-year-old son, Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, who died last year in an ambush in Sadr City. She has left tissues, notes and many tears on the boots that bear her son’s name and plans to donate his boots later this month.

Sheehan, who lives in Vacaville, said the exhibit is also a fitting reminder in a nation that has banned media coverage of America’s war dead as their remains arrive in flag-draped caskets.

“If some people look at it and they’re offended by it maybe they should be,” she said. “I’m in unbearable pain every second of every day because of only one pair of those empty boots.”

About two dozen families, however, have asked that their loved ones’ names be removed from the exhibit. The committee said it removes names from the boots on request, although the names are still read aloud during events.

Frank said she and her husband believe the “naive” peace movement only encourages insurgents in Iraq with the message that continued violence will lead the United States to withdraw its troops. She said her son, felled by a sniper’s bullet last year in Fallujah at age 20, was committed to bringing freedom and democracy to Iraq.

“How can I be against the war when this is what my son went to do?” she asked. “And you know what, he succeeded on the Sunday when the Iraqis voted.”

Christine M. Dybevik of Coos Bay, Oregon, was angered that the name of her son, Marine Lance Cpl. Gary Van Leuven, was used without her permission. Van Leuven, 20, was killed last year in a fierce fight in Husaba along the Syrian border.

“This road back from hell is hard enough without having to defend my son’s name in a political arena,” Dybevik said. “Our sons made the ultimate sacrifice and they did it for the American way of life and not for some political view.”

Fernando Suarez del Solar of Escondido supports the exhibit, and donated the boots worn by his son, Lance Cpl. Jesus Suarez del Solar, 20, who was killed during the March 2003 Iraq invasion.

“We don’t need more empty boots,” Suarez del Solar said. “We need the people inside the shoes home with their families in peace.”


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Military band makes impression on students

By: Candice Reed - For the North County Times

VISTA ---- Music can inspire, but so can silence ---- and both stirred students and visitors Monday at Vista High School where Marines with a national military band performed at Dick Haines Stadium.

A crowd of several hundred people cheered the U.S. Marine Corps Silent Drill Team and the U.S. Marine Drum and Bugle Corps, a Washington D.C.-based group that travels the country, impressing audiences with performances that highlight the discipline and skill of the military band.

"We perform at schools to instill patriotism and to do some positive recruiting for the Marine Corp," said Gunnery Sgt. John Cox, who is a member of the Drum and Bugle Corps. "We take a lot of pride in our performances and I think the kids really appreciate it."

As the military band, resplendent in red and gold uniforms, performed with precision on the football field, the normally cool students cheered enthusiastically.

"This is really cool and different," said Vista student Nicole Blumeyer, a freshman from Oceanside. "I think it's really great that they came all the way from Washington D.C. to perform for us."

In the afternoon, the military band and drill teams performed at Rancho Buena Vista High School, to kick off that campus' Patriots Week.

When the Silent Drill Team took to the field Monday morning, people cheered throughout the performance. The Marines, dressed in blue and gold uniforms, maintained their rhythm with no verbal direction, thrilling the audience of mostly teenagers.

"I think this fabulous performance will really impress the kids and will help to bring the community together," said Cheryl DePies, the college career center technician for Vista High as she greeted residents who had come to see the show. "I hope it's a win-win situation for everyone involved."

Candice Reed is a freelance writer. You may contact her at femmewriter@cox.net.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

PRO-BUSH RESERVISTS KICKED OUT OF UAW PARKING LOT
By Michelle Malkin
March 10, 2005 06:23 PM

For years the UAW Solidarity House in Detroit has let Marine reservists park in its lot while the reservists undergo weekend training.

Now, however, WXYZ.com reports that UAW has begun placing some restrictions on reservists' parking privileges:
Marines at nearby Marine Corps Reserve Center say on Tuesday morning, the director of security at the UAW told them that while they support the troops, Marines driving foreign vehicles or sporting a President George Bush bumper sticker were no longer welcome to park there.

U.S. Marine Lt. Col. Joe Rutledge told Action News, "We received a phone call from the UAW, who support us by letting us park down at their facility. They called and said they weren’t going to allow or they would turn away some vehicles."

A spokesman for the UAW released a statement to Action News which reads:

"While reservists certainly have the right to drive non-union made vehicles and display bumper stickers touting the most anti-worker, anti-union president since the 1920s, that doesn’t mean they have the right to park in a lot owned by members of the UAW."

Real classy.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

General to speak of war, ethics
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: Saturday, Mar 12, 2005 - 12:23:43 am CST
By Jen Scherer
Beloit Daily News staff writer

The retired Marine Corps General known as the Warrior Diplomat will be in Beloit next week to talk of war, his experiences and the future of the U.S. military.

General Anthony Zinni, who is a former commander of the U.S. Central Command, is the 2004-05 Weissberg Distinguished Professor of International Studies at Beloit College. He will be in Beloit Tuesday and will make several appearances next week.

His knowledge of current world affairs, having recently served as special envoy to the Middle East under former Secretary of State Colin Powell, made him a natural choice for the college.

"We try to find people who are at critical points on the world stage that require some illumination and discussion," said Ron Nief, director of public affairs for Beloit College.

Zinni, who teaches at William and Mary College at UCLA and has had chairs at Berkeley and Virginia Military Institute in the past, said he enjoys teaching and the professorship sounded interesting.

Beloit College provided Zinni with a schedule and information about student and faculty areas of interest and he chose the discussion topics based on that.

"It will range from the situation in the Middle East to U.S. policy, to the future of the U.S. military and its involvement as an element of our power.... what our national security strategy should be, what our threats are," Zinni said.

Zinni, who has received a lot of attention for his outspoken opinions about the war in Iraq, said he will discuss the war, but also the Middle East in general, peace processes, reform and the war on terrorism. He will also talk about how the war affects the country and its impact on the military.

Zinni has made no secret of the fact that he feels the approach to the war was wrong; that there were not enough troops, no planning for the aftermath and over-reliance on exiles and intelligence that was "shaky at best."

"I was not opposed to military action against Saddam, I thought the timing was not the best.. I did not think the intelligence had showed an imminent threat," Zinni said.

Zinni said the war has had a big impact on the country's image and involvement in the region, and a lot of recovery and repair is needed.

"It's important not to go just to rehash Iraq and mistakes that were done," Zinni said. "I think the important thing is, where do we go from here."

While he will talk about the war, he hopes to drive home to students the importance of defining what threatens the country as well as the world, which hasn't been done very well post Cold War. To change the condition the world is in, Zinni said we need to define the threat and take a strategic look at what can be done about it.

Zinni, who is the focus of the 2004 Tom Clancy novel "Battle Ready," said he was humbled to be chosen for the Commander series, and agreed to it after some of the other subjects convinced him it was important to tell his story of service and what his generation went through-from Vietnam, through social changes and their impact on the military, to Haiti and Bosnia and the kinds of things the country is involved in now.

"My life would be a way of explaining that and maybe at the end imparting what I've learned by all that," Zinni said.

Zinni said the book was started before the war in Iraq and while perhaps one page deals with his views on the war, much of the media attention on the book focused on that one page. Still he hopes the message he tried to impart got across.

"I think the most important message to young military leaders is to tell them that what becomes critically important is that they speak the truth, that they don't hesitate to speak up if they see something wrong.. that the most important trait they should have is integrity and honesty," Zinni said.

He said he believes some of our military leaders have allowed things to happen that they should have spoken out against. While the military does not advocate defiance, he said political leaders as well as the people rely on military leaders to give them straight information, and not speaking out in some cases is tantamount to dereliction of duty.

Zinni said he looks forward to speaking at the college.

"I've heard a lot about the college since I accepted this (professorship)," Zinni said. "I think it's going to be a great week for me, I'm sure (it will be) challenging."

He said he enjoys talking with college audiences, who generally ask very pointed and specific questions, because they're still forming their ideas and values and the dialogue is more open. Older audiences do not typically have the same open mind.

Nief said the college looked at a number of issues in the world and found that with the focus on the situation in the middle east, Zinni would be a good fit.

"This is an American who has been very much involved with that whole region of the world, and he has very strong views...that he can express now that he's retired," Nief said. "The American military is something that is perhaps as foreign to many students as perhaps an international (figure.)"

All of the public events are free, including the Weissberg Lecture, at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Eaton Chapel on the topic "The Role of the U.S. Military in the 21st Century." No advanced tickets are necessary.

As commander in chief of the Central Command from 1997 to 2000 and from November 2002 to March 2003, Zinni had military responsibility for a vast region including most of the Middle East, east Africa and southwest and central Asia.

Among his many commands, he has served as head of the Special Operations and Terrorism Counteraction section of the Marines; chief of staff of the Marine Air-Ground Training and Education Center at Quantico Marine Corps Training Facility; deputy director of operations U.S.-European Command; director of operations, Somalia Task Force; commander of the Combined Task Force protecting the withdrawal of U.N. forces from Somalia; and Commanding General, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.

Zinni will make a number of public presentations during his visit. He will also participate in classroom and seminar discussions and informal conversations with students.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Ex-Marine sentenced to life in prison <br />
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <br />
By Joe Nelson <br />
Staff Writer <br />
<br />
Friday, March 11, 2005 - A Joshua Tree...

[thedrifter]

Marines' top resources official concerned about number of available ships


By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Saturday, March 12, 2005



WASHINGTON — The Marines’ top resources official expressed serious concerns Thursday about the number of Navy ships and the ability of the fleet to rapidly deploy his troops to major combat operations overseas.

Marine Corps Deputy Commandant Lt. Gen. Robert Magnus said his forces need 28 to 30 amphibious assault ships ready for major combat operations. Currently, the Navy has 23 in its fleet.

He said the Navy’s plan to build only four new ships next year — only one of which is an amphibious assault ship — leaves him worried about both services’ futures.

“Quality is important, and we get the quality that we want,” he told members of the House Armed Services Committee. “But the quantity itself is a problem. It’s a problem with having peacetime forward presence. It’s a problem for being able to rapidly surge the right number of ships …. It’s a problem for major combat operations.”

Navy officials said their plans take into consideration both force capabilities and financial responsibility.

“If there were more money, we’d buy more ships,” said John Young Jr., assistant secretary of the Navy. “But we believe we’ve struck the right balance.”

The fleet today consists of about 290 surface ships and submarines. In testimony before Congress last month, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Vern Clark said that number could rise as high as 325 or drop as low as 243 in coming years, depending on budget constraints and technological breakthroughs.

Several representatives voiced concerns over the fleet size and limited shipbuilding schedule for fiscal 2006, for which $8.7 billion is allotted in the proposed defense budget. Over the next five years construction of 49 new ships is planned.

Rep. Jo Ann Davis, R-Va., also objected to Navy plans to decommission one of its aircraft carriers — reducing the fleet from 12 to 11 — saying she worries the fleet could drop even further temporarily if older carriers are retired and their replacements are delayed by budgetary problems.

Magnus said he understands the need to modernize the fleet, and he said the improved efficiency of the replacement ships will allow the Navy to keep a somewhat smaller force with the same capabilities.

“Slipping or cutting the replacements is what concerns me,” he said. “The trend over time goes down …. When you need that capability in the future, it does concern me.”


Ellie

[thedrifter]

University in Flordia offers scholarship to Marines
Submitted by: MCB Quantico
Story Identification #: 2005310142656
Story by Cpl. Susan Smith



MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. (March 10, 2005) -- Ave Maria University in Naples, Fla. – the first Roman Catholic university built in America in over 40 years – recently created a new scholarship fund for current and former members of the United States Marine Corps. Quantico Marines about to end their tour may want to consider this great opportunity.

Tom Monaghan, the university’s founder, also the founder of Dominos Pizza and a former Marine, made the initial donation of $100,000 to the Marine Scholarship Fund.

“He credits his success as a businessman to the discipline he received in the Marine Corps,” said retired Lt. Col. Ed Rivera, a volunteer at Ave Maria University.

Although Monaghan was only enlisted in the Marine Corps for three years, “he wants to give his payback to the Corps through this scholarship,” Rivera said.

The Marine Scholarship Fund is open to all Marines who have served honorably and those currently serving on reserve status. The fund will help each Marine earn a degree from Ave Maria University, founded in August 2003.

“Each case will be looked at individually,” said retired Maj. Gen. Tom Minnick, a volunteer at Ave Maria University. “And the amount given to each Marine from the Marine Scholarship Fund will just depend on the situation.”

All applicants, including Marines, are required to meet educational requirements set by the university, said Minnick. “But Mr. Monaghan is looking into getting special mentors for those Marines who don’t meet the requirements. We understand that some Marines don’t realize their great potential until they are in the Corps. Their grades from high school may not reflect their current status.”

In the future, Monaghan hopes to have hundreds of Marines attending Ave Maria University.
“He feels that Marines will be a natural fit for the kinds of values taught at the university,” said Minnick. “Marines would be a positive influence on the rest of the students.”

Although a Roman Catholic school, applicants do not have to be Catholic, just Christian.

“He feels very strongly that there is a critical need for a school that is firmly committed to the Christian values,” said Minnick. “Many of those are values Marines already possess.”

The first fundraising event was held at LaPlaya Hotel in Naples, Fla., Feb. 12. Lt. Col. Tim Jackson, concepts division deputy director at Marine Corps Systems Command attended the fundraising event and encourages former Marines and Marines about to end their tour to look into the scholarship fund.

“(Mr. Monahan) spoke of his experience in the business world and how disproportionately large number of Marines were leading corporations, both large and small,” said Jackson. “He feels very strongly that Marine Corps training and leadership is a key reason why this is so and he sees a natural fit between the Marine Corps’ core values of courage, honor and commitment and the University in Naples. He wants Marines and former Marines as students, as many as he can attract.”

The university offers degrees in the arts, business, education, law, philosophy, the sciences and theology.

Marines interested in applying can visit www.naples.avemaria.edu, or contact Ed Rivera at (866)619-1616 or marinescholars@avemaria.edu.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

The death of an agent tests Italy's friendship with the United States <br />
at 19:06 on March 6, 2005, EST. <br />
<br />
ROME (AP) - Italy and the United States have been consistently close allies since the Second...

[thedrifter]

Okinawa wants to move Marines


Saturday, March 12, 2005 at 04:00 JST
TOKYO — Okinawa Gov Keiichi Inamine urged Japanese government officials in a series of meetings Friday to try to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps in Okinawa to places outside the prefecture and realize its other requests to reduce the burden of hosting U.S. military bases.

The requests include a transfer to the United States of the Marines and helicopters dispatched to Iraq from Futemma Air Station in Okinawa, improved operations of practice at Kadena Air Base, a halt to the U.S. Army's shooting practice near residential areas and a review of the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement, Inamine told reporters. (Kyodo News)

Ellie

[thedrifter]

March 08, 2005 01:39 PM US Eastern Timezone

U.S. Marines Order More Armored Vehicles From Force Protection Industries, Inc.; Manufacturer's Cougar Transport Vehicle Will Be Used in Iraq

LADSON, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 8, 2005--Force Protection Industries, Inc. (OTCBB:FRPT) today announced that the United States Marine Corps Systems Command has ordered additional Cougar vehicles, including the 4x4 explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) transport and the recently-released 6x6 combat engineer and troop carrier vehicles. The total value of the follow-on order is estimated at more than $5 million.


"The vehicles produced by Force Protection continue to prove themselves under the most demanding conditions," said R. Scott Ervin, Force Protection's Chief Executive Officer. "Using our vehicles, U.S. forces have successfully cleared explosive devices from almost 40,000 kilometers of dangerous road. These additional Cougars will be used to increase road-clearing capacity and to protect our troops under transport."

The Cougar series is one of two classes of blast-protected vehicles produced by the Ladson, S.C.-based manufacturer. It is a family of medium-size, blast-protected vehicles that can be customized for multiple tasks including troop transport, mine and explosive ordinance disposal, command and control, reconnaissance and as a lead convoy vehicle. The Cougar Hardened Engineer Vehicle (HEV), recently described in the Marine Corps News as a "28,550 pound hulk of a vehicle, wrapped in steel armor and ballistic glass," is being used by the Marines 31st Expeditionary Unit in Iraq.

"The Cougar EOD vehicles were first delivered to Marine Expeditionary Forces last October to provide protection in highly dangerous activities such as detection and removal of explosive devices used by terrorists," said Vice President Michael Aldrich. "We are honored to provide this American-made solution and complete this initial order in support of the Marines and Coalition forces."

Force Protection also manufactures the Buffalo, a mine clearance vehicle recently featured in the Los Angeles Times. The Buffalo is part of the Pentagon's hunter-killer team strategy. It incorporates blast protection technology with automotive components made by such companies as Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT), Allison Transmission, a division a division of General Motors (NYSE:GM) and Mack Trucks, Inc., a division of Volvo Group (Nasdaq:VOLVY).

About Force Protection, Inc.

Force Protection, Inc. manufactures ballistic and mine protected vehicles through its wholly owned subsidiary. These specialty vehicles are protected against landmines, hostile fire, and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs, commonly referred to as roadside bombs). Force Protection's mine and ballistic protection technology is among the most advanced in the world. The vehicles are manufactured outside Charleston, S.C.

For more information, visit http://www.forceprotectioninc.com.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

‘1/6 hard’ leaves Lejeune, continues fight in Fallujah
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 2005391746
Story by Cpl. Mike Escobar



MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (March 9, 2005) -- First Battalion, Sixth Marine Regiment’s main body of troops began leaving here for Iraq’s Al Anbar province March 9.

The unit will relieve 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment based in Camp Pendleton, Calif. to continue rooting out insurgents, seeking out weapons caches and helping Iraqi Security Forces provide security and stability in the area.

“We are deploying during a decisive time in the continuing development of Iraq, so you can expect the Marines and Sailors of 1/6 to be involved everyday in making a difference,” stated Lt. Col. William M. Jurney, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment’s battalion commander and Statesville, N.C. native. “Whether we are working to restore essential support facilities or working with the development of the local police and security forces, our 1/6 team will be making a difference in bringing peace and stability to the people of Iraq.”

According to Capt. Ed Burns, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment’s assistant operations officer, the unit will conduct similar missions to those 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment performed. This includes patrolling the area searching for terrorists and illegal arms and restoring Fallujah’s infrastructure by rebuilding schools, hospitals and homes.

“3/5 has done a lot of great things in the area we’re going to be in and were instrumental in the fight for Fallujah,” the 36-year-old Bethesda, Md. native stated. “They maintained a very aggressive hunt for weapons and insurgents since the fall of 2004, and now we’re going to continue along the same path.”

The 1997 Arizona State University graduate also said 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment personnel will help train Iraqi military and civil law forces, teaching them to gain and maintain security and stability in their communities.
This will be beneficial for all Iraqi citizens, Burns continued.

“If operations keep on going the way they’ve been so far, and we continue getting rid of insurgents and ammunition, it will help the Iraqis see that we’re there to help them, and that they can trust us.”

Burns also said he feels confident in 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment’s ability to succeed at the mission ahead.

“I feel absolutely fantastic in that we have an extensive amount of combat experience in the battalion. The leadership from the NCO (noncommissioned officer) level up will facilitate the tasks we have to perform.”

Jurney agreed with Burns and also thanked the deploying Marines’ and sailors’ loved ones.

“The encouragement and support the families have shown the Marines and sailors of 1/6 are the foundation from which we draw both our strength of purpose and peace of mind to serve. I am proud to have the privilege to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with such a fine group of young Americans, and equally as proud to stand with the families and friends who have courageously been by our side.”

Ellie

[thedrifter]

viation combat element excels during River Blitz
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing
Story Identification #: 20053101442
Story by Cpl. C. Alex Herron



AL ASAD, Iraq (Mar. 10, 2005) -- On Feb. 20, Marines, sailors and soldiers attached to the 1st Marine Division and Iraqi Security Forces increased security operations throughout the Al Anbar Province for Operation River Blitz.

The security measures in and around the provincial capital, Ramadi, were designed to ensure the safety of the local Iraqis from insurgents by controlling access into the city. Access control points screened vehicles for insurgents and weapons, munitions and materials to produce improvised explosive devices.

“We were asked by the Iraqi government to increase our security operations in the city to locate, isolate and defeat anti-Iraqi forces and terrorists, who are intent on preventing a peaceful transition of power between the interim Iraqi government and the Iraqi transitional government,” said Maj. Gen. Richard F. Natonski, commanding general of the 1st Marine Division in a 1st Marine Expeditionary Force press release.

The 1st Marine Division also increased security in several cities along the Euphrates River, including the cities of Hit, Baghdadi and Hadithah.

The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing began the air operations in support of River Blitz only to officially turn over responsibility to 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, Mar. 1. The 2nd MAW promptly continued with the mission supporting coalition forces on the ground.

Before any aircraft could fly in support of River Blitz, requests for air support had to be turned in to the aviation combat elements operations section so they could formulate an air tasking order.

“We chose which missions to fly based on the availability of aircraft and mission priority,” said Lt. Col. John Kane, future operations officer, aviation combat element, and Littleton, Colo. native.

With the massive number of requests coming in for aviation support, the missions were prioritized to make sure the essential missions were filled first.

“We always have more request than available aircraft,” Kane said. “It is a challenge to fulfill all of the requests, but we ensured we did not put anyone in a bind.”

The diversity of aircraft types aboard Al Asad, Iraq allowed the 2nd MAW to use a variety of aircraft for the different types of missions during River Blitz.

“We had our CH-46s providing troop transport and casualty evacuation missions, while the Army’s 571st Medical Company (Air Ambulance) took care of medical evacuations,” Kane said.

The Marines’ CH-46s took care of the casevac missions that go to the battlefield to transport casualties to a care facility, while the 571st’s Black hawks transported the casualties from a treatment center to higher levels of care.

Along with the CH-46’s the 2nd MAW had other helicopter squadrons aiding the troops on the ground in accomplishing their objectives. The AH-1W Super Cobras and UH-1N Hueys from Marine Light/Attack Helicopter Squadron-269 provided close air support for the fight on the ground.

The AV-8B Harriers and crews of Marine Attack Squadron 311 pulled their weight during River Blitz also. With VMFA-242 preparing to leave, flying many of the sorties for fixed wing aircraft fell on the shoulders of the Tomcats.

“The Tomcats picked up the slack and did a phenomenal job,” Kane said. “They were there while our Hornet squadron was winding down from their deployment.”

With all of the different aspects of Marine aviation lending their specialties to the fight, the aviation combat element proved to be an integral part of the Marines fighting force.

“The ACE provides flexibility of movement with the element of surprise,” Kane said. “Marine aviation boasts the most lethal firepower the MAGTF has in its arsenal. The coordination between the aviation combat element and the ground combat element was key to the success of this operation.”

With the operation over, it is easy to see what the Marine air has done to help accomplish the objectives for the operation. With the help of the aircraft wings more than 300 flight hours in support of more than 190 sorties, Marines on the ground detained more than 215 suspected insurgents, 50 rifles and 500 mortar rounds.

“We want to continue to support the [Marine Expeditionary Force] and Iraqi Security Force by keeping airplanes in the air when needed,” said Lt. Col. Scott Wedemeyer, wing battle captain and Rockingham, N.C. native. “We will be there with the right aviation capability, at the right time and place, with the right effect at sustained rates.”

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marines fight through blood, sweat, gears
Submitted by: 1st Marine Corps District
Story Identification #: 200533134810
Story by Sgt. Thomas Lantz



MARINE CORPS RECRUITING STATION PITTSBURGH (Mar. 3, 2005) -- Recently, a team of four Marines and four civilians from Recruiting Station Pittsburgh assembled for a six-hour-long stationary bicycle race to raise money for the local Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

The fifth annual “Race to Any Place,” held at Downtown Pittsburgh’s U. S. Steel building, raised more than $85,000 for research and education into the negative effects of blood cancer and its associated illnesses.

The roughly 700 competitors who turned out for the General Nutrition Center sponsored event were contending in separate divisions such as health club members, corporate-sponsored teams, and military members. Beyond the initial categorization, participants also had to choose between “Aerodyne” bikes, which demand users to use both their upper and lower bodies, and traditional “spinning” bikes, which require users only to use their legs. The winning team logged more than 140 miles before the end of the day.

One of 60 teams in attendance, the Marines team did very well, both with their fund raising efforts and with their final position in the race.

According to Sgt. Robert D. Morgan, supply clerk, RS Pittsburgh, the Marines did something positive in their community and had a great time doing it. “Not only did we raise more than $500, we were truly happy to again be a part of this charitable event. The competitive spirit shown by everyone there was truly amazing and enough to motivate our entire team all the way to the finish.”

“The success of this year’s event wasn’t just measured in monetary value,” said Tina Missari, campaign director, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. “It was measured in the show of support and the hard work from everyone involved.” Even though $15,000 more was raised this year compared to last.

While The Marine team didn’t take home the top honors, they were only bested by a handful of teams and most importantly did something positive within the community for the benefit of others.

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is the World’s largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services. Since 1949, the Society has invested more than $360 million to achieve their ultimate goal of curing said illnesses. For more information about the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, visit www.LLS.org or call (800) 955-4572.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

March 14, 2005

Deadline for U.S. withdrawal could help Iraq, experts say

By Vince Crawley
Times staff writer


Placing an 18-month timeline on U.S. withdrawal from Iraq could help jump-start efforts to bring Iraqi forces to a level at which they could assume responsibility for the defense of their nation, some analysts say.
Such deadlines in the Balkans in the 1990s were controversial and often were missed, but they energized local governments to plan for post-American reality, observers of Iraq’s region said at a forum hosted in Washington on Feb. 22 by the Security Policy Working Group.

“Security, stability and democracy become an endless quest for perfection,” said Charles Peña of the libertarian Cato Institute, which supports a limited U.S. military presence overseas.

A swift withdrawal of troops would let the U.S. military focus “on the real enemy of America, which is not the insurgency in Iraq but the al-Qaida terrorist network,” Peña said.

On the other hand, he said, a withdrawal should be based on two conditions of U.S. interest: that Iraq does not aid terrorists who would threaten the United States and that it does not develop weapons of mass destruction. U.S. forces could keep a strong “over-the-horizon” presence to ensure the ability to reinvade if needed, Peña said.

Others at the forum said an American force reduction might lead to greater stability and success in Iraq, rather than an abandonment of the mission.

A phased pullout over the next 18 months could diffuse the insurgency, which is focused mainly on anti-Americanism, said David Cortright, president of the Fourth Freedom Forum, which supports nonviolent resolution of international conflicts.

“What if American military forces are not capable of fixing [Iraq]?” he asked.

The United States should pay to redevelop the country, but remove the military forces that are a target for the insurgents, he said.

“The longer we stay, the more the [Iraqi] government will be seen as a puppet or stooge of the foreign occupying power,” Cortright said. He proposed a “timetable to freedom” plan that would announce a schedule for U.S. troop departures at a rate of about 10,000 to 20,000 service members per month over 12 months.

He suggested a methodical American withdrawal could lead to more participation by foreign forces. Greater Arab participation in an Iraq peacekeeping force likely would be better received by Iraqis, he said.

James Galbraith of Economists for Peace and Security said a timetable could both help and harm the long-term mission.

“A ‘date certain’ for our departure might have the right psychological effect,” he said. Iraqis “can either support the government just elected or face the possibility of life under the insurgents.”

On the other hand, he said, a timetable could cause the collapse of intelligence gathering and splinter the country into civil war, particularly if the Kurdish north decides a united Iraq is untenable.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

March 11, 2005

Modern-day warriors learn from old battlegrounds

By Chris Carola
Associated Press

TICONDEROGA, N.Y. — Long supply lines, language barriers, guerrilla warfare — those issues meant as much to the 18th-century service member loading his musket at Fort Ticonderoga as they do to today’s armor-clad, night-vision-equipped Marine in Fallujah.
A group of Marine Corps-led officers is spending the week visiting Revolutionary War battlefields from the fort’s walls to the shores of the Delaware River, studying old campaigns and applying centuries-old lessons to situations facing today’s commanders.

“How do I keep my fort from falling? How do I maximize the things I have?” said Maj. Melanie Mercan of Detroit, ticking off some of the hypothetical questions prompted by Thursday’s visit to Fort Ticonderoga, located on the southern end of Lake Champlain 85 miles north of Albany.

Mercan is among the 18 active-duty or retired military personnel making a three-state tour as part of a course given at the Marine Corps Command and Staff College in Quantico, Va. Most are Marines, but the Navy, Army, Air Force and the Defense Intelligence Agency also are represented.

There’s even a redcoat in the mix — Maj. Harry Thomsett of the Royal Marines, who had to endure some good-natured razzing from his American comrades earlier this week during a tour of the Lexington and Concord battle sites outside Boston.

“Sam Adams is no hero of mine,” he quipped during a break Wednesday at the Saratoga Springs hotel where the group is staying.

The officers are getting an 18th-century grunt’s view of the terrain, slogging through slush in Massachusetts and hiking up a mountain here in 12-degree weather.

“We definitely have an appreciation of what the Continentals went through back then,” Marine Maj. Lew Vogler said after Thursday’s visit.

The group also will visit the Trenton, N.J., site where Gen. George Washington crossed the Delaware, and visit New York battlegrounds at Saratoga and Bennington, near the Vermont line.

The participants take on the roles of British and American commanders, attacking or defending their decisions, said retired Marine Lt. Col. Jack Matthews, the trip’s leader and the college’s associate dean of academics.

“The nature of war doesn’t change,” Thomsett said. “The technologies change, but overall the nature doesn’t change.”

“It’s about decision making,” said Vogler, an infantry officer from Quantico. “We study how they made decisions on their battlefields. We are very soon going to be making those decisions.”

Fort Ticonderoga, now a national historic landmark, has served as an open-air classroom for budding military leaders for nearly 200 years, said Nick Westbrook, the site’s director.

The fort changed hands six times in less than 30 years after its construction by the French in 1755. It fell into disrepair in the 1800s but was restored in the early 1900s by the wealthy family that owned the site.

Aside from being a popular tourist stop, the fort has for the past decade hosted seminars for active-duty soldiers and officers enrolled in the Pentagon’s leadership and education programs.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

3/4 Chaplain raises battalion morale
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 200531114198
Story by Lance Cpl. Paul Robbins Jr.



Fallujah, IRAQ (March 10, 2005) -- In the midst of the ongoing war waged by the Marines and sailors of 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, Regimental Combat Team-1 against terrorism in Fallujah, Iraq; a different battle is taking place amongst the troops.

The battalion chaplain, 33-year-old Navy Lt. Matthew S. Weems, flanked by his religious program specialist, Petty Officer 2nd Class Aaron G. Neely, are one of the battalion's key weapons in the effort to maintain good morale.

"We're here to give encouragement to the Marines and sailors," said Weems, a native of Kingfisher, Okla., "and to provide for the free religious expression of all in the command."

Nicknamed, "The God Squad," by the Marines of the battalion, Weems and Neely provide more than just the weekly religious services expected of them.

The Navy duo performs baptisms, run the Morale, Welfare and Recreation program and provides counseling services for Marines.

"More than anything else, I think our ministry of presence is the most influential thing we do," Weems said.

Weems and Neely regularly attach themselves to convoys and patrols through the city as well as spend time at the battalion's firm bases to establish a rapport with the Marines.

Maintaining visibility of the Marines and sailors within the city allows the chaplain to empathize with their situation and makes him more approachable, according to Neely, a native of Jeffersonville, Ind.

"It allows us to trust them more because they're out here doing what we do," said Lance Cpl. Daniel E. Pleger, 22-year-old assaultman for India Company.

One of the most important roles a chaplain plays in a deployment is as counselor and advisor to the battalion.

Some Marines may find it difficult to bring their personal problems to their leaders; the chaplain offers a comfortable environment for Marines and sailors to share their concerns.

"Marines are expected to be hardcore," Neely explained, "but they can find a sense of security in us."

Whether a Marine seeks advice or just someone to talk to, the chaplain offers complete confidentiality within his office.

With no fear of reprisal or judgment, Marines and sailors find the chaplain easy to approach about their problems.

"They don't have the Marine mindset," said Pleger, a native of Bremerton, Wash., "They listen without criticism."

Weems and Neely spend 15 to 20 hours a week providing counseling to the Marines and sailors of the battalion.

Although busy, the chaplain expected to spend more time counseling in a battalion of more than 800 Marines.

"The number is so low because of the good living conditions out here," Weems said.

Even though the chaplain's skills in counseling are not called upon as often as expected, the Marines and sailors of the battalion recognize and respect the efforts of their "God Squad."

"It shows a lot of courage to come out and do what they do," Pleger said, "They are very motivated."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

IRT Marines are on guard <br />
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing <br />
Story Identification #: 20053525030 <br />
Story by Cpl. Rocco DeFilippis <br />
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AL ASAD, Iraq (March 4, 2005) -- When the explosive...

[thedrifter]

Marine Force Reserve Commanding Officer visits reservists deployed on active duty in Iraq
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 200539162414
Story by Sgt. Stephen D'Alessio



CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, RAMADI, Iraq (March 9, 2005) -- Lieutenant Gen. Dennis M. McCarthy, commander Marine Forces Reserve, met with leaders from the combined 1st and 2d Marine Division's staffs, here.

The purpose of his visit was to discuss Marine Reserve integration with the active component for Operation Iraqi Freedom. McCarthy also took time to discuss issues with both officer and enlisted reservists currently serving here in the Al Anbar Province of Iraq.

McCarthy stood before the Marines and conveyed his appreciation for their enthusiasm and eagerness to join in the fight against Terrorism.

"I didn't come here with some big speech for you," said McCarthy, "All I have to say is thank you for all that you've done so far and for all that you will be doing in the coming months. It's a tough job, and for some of you this is your second time here. That's very commendable, and I can't show you enough, my appreciation."

Reserve participation in Iraq has been a vital component in the Marine Corps' Total Force Concept. Approximately ninety-eight percent of all Marine Reserve units have been mobilized in the Global War on Terrorism.

Nearly 1600 Reserve Marines are currently serving in the 2d Marine Division as part of the ongoing security and stability operations in the region. The purpose of McCarthy's visit from the Reserves' New Orleans, La.- based headquarters was to meet with as many of his Marines as possible during his time in this area of operations.

Earlier in the day McCarthy toured Fallujah to witness first hand the reconstruction efforts taking place in the city that was an insurgent stronghold only several months ago.

Next he plans to visit the reservists serving at Marine Corps Air Station Al Asad in the desolate Western region of Iraq.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marine reenlists in Ramadi, cashes in
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 2005386357
Story by Cpl. Tom Sloan



HURRICANE POINT, Ar Ramadi, Iraq (March 6, 2005) -- The bright sun caused Marines with 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment to squint their eyes as they stood in formation. Sand and dust blowing in the wind added to the realization that they were in Iraq. Up front, facing away from the Marines, was the 5-foot-6-inch, 155-pound, redheaded Marine they had gathered to honor.

Staff Sgt. Robert D. Oehler, a Marine with nearly a decade of dedicated service to the Corps, swore to devote another four years during a reenlistment ceremony held here March 6.

It was a proud day for the intelligence chief for Headquarters and Service Company.

"It's a special re-up because, in my opinion, this is where we should be as Marines," said the 28-year-old Jacksonville, Fla. native. "We are writing ourselves in the history books for freeing a country and saving it from attrition."

Oehler, who's in Iraq a second time supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, said it's great knowing Iraqi women are voting for the first time and now all children have the opportunity to attend school.

"It's great knowing our generation of Marines are part of this," he said. "In the future, we may be known as the Iraqi liberators. I will someday read what we did here, and I'm pleased to be part of that."

Oehler said he's also pleased he reenlisted in Iraq because doing so landed him a tax-fee reenlistment bonus of more than $10,000.

"He's looking at getting a little more than $10,000," said Staff Sgt. William E. Beschman Jr., career retention specialist for the battalion. "The lump sum will be paid in full, and he should see it hit his bank account in the next few weeks."

According to the 32-year-old Cincinnati native, Oehler was given a bonus to reenlist because of the need of his military occupational specialty for Marines of his rank. Such incentives are meant to keep career Marines like Oehler, who has years of experience, instead of spending more money and man-hours training someone else to do his job. Other MOS's have bonuses too, Beschman said.

"It's a better deal for everyone (the Marine Corps and Marines reenlisting)."

Oehler's bonus is tax-free because of where he reenlisted, explained Beschman. The Department of Defense designated Iraq to be a tax-exclusion zone, which means any money earned while in Iraq won't be taxed, he said.

Oehler said he plans on marrying his girlfriend, Michaele Starrett, when he returns home to California from this deployment. He met her the night he returned home from Iraq in 2003.

"I told her this seven months apart will be the test of our relationship," he said.

According to Oehler, he believes enough in his mission here that he plans to one day return to a peaceful Iraq with his girlfriend.

"My goal is to someday be able to bring my girlfriend here to Ramadi for a few drinks and to enjoy the sun."


Ellie

[thedrifter]

It never gets too hot in the kitchen for one food services Marine
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 20053812444
Story by Sgt. Stephen D'Alessio



CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, RAMADI, Iraq (March 06, 2005) -- After the events on Sept. 11, 2001, many Americans re-evaluated the security of both their lives and their jobs. Among them was Ryan Amador.

Though Amador grew up in east Los Angeles, the effects of that tragic day reached his home from the opposite coast. Now, the corporal is one of the proud veterans claiming the responsibility of protecting his country and job security. Amador is a food services specialist with Headquarters Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, which recently deployed here to conduct stability and security operations as part of the Global War on Terrorism.

His unit is part of the ground combat element in the Sunni Triangle, an extremely volatile region in the Al Anbar province.

Just a few years ago, he never would have expected to be serving his country in such a way.

"I always wanted to do something to help out," said the 22-year-old. "Back in L.A., I used to be a dialysis technician for a local clinic. One of the first things I thought about was job security, so my friend turned me on to the Navy. But I decided that if I were to join, I'd have to be with the Marines because we have so much pride in our service."

And the pride has taken the 2001 Our Lady of the Angels Academy, Atimonan, Philippines. graduate a long way. Amador's superiors put him in a leadership position, charging him with one of the biggest responsibilities on this base. It is a responsibility that could mean the difference between mission accomplishment or failure.

"I'll put it this way," said Amador, "picture this camp without the mess hall. What would it be? Three times during the day and also during the night we make a wholesome meal that includes all of the food groups. And if that's not enough, we have dessert too."

In a place where just about everything is a scarcity, Amador ensures that all fruit, vegetables, meat and juices keep flowing continuously into the camp. His view on the job is that he's just giving back to the people who work alongside him.

Amador also coordinates the transportation of food through Ramadi, one of Iraq's most dangerous cities. Simply put, if the trucks don't roll in on time, Marines and other personnel on base don't eat. That can cause a ripple in the overall mission.

"Basically, I make sure the trucks get here on time or the Marines and everyone else will go hungry," said Amador. "In a place like this, people can't have the comforts of home, but at least they can have a hot meal made right on the spot.

"All of us here are doing a good job," said Amador. "It's not easy doing this thing-going to war. For me, I guess I just feel like making a difference."

If Amador were to do it all over again, he says he might have picked the infantry. He admires the men on the front lines, who see danger around every corner.

"But in the end, I love my job because I feel like I'm a part of that too," said Amador. "And if I can be the one to keep them going, my job is done."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Okinawa-based Marines get live-fire field artillery training at Camp Fuji <br />
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By Juliana Gittler, Stars and Stripes <br />
Pacific edition, Saturday, March 12, 2005 <br />
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CAMP FUJI, Japan — Under the...

[thedrifter]

MAGTF-25 calls on Marines from throughout the U.S.
Submitted by: Marine Forces Reserve
Story Identification #: 200538125355
Story by Cpl. Enrique Saenz



VAERNES AIR STATION, Norway – (Mar. 8, 2005) -- Reserve Marines from around the nation came together in the freezing cold of Norway to form a new unit and solidify the bond between allied nations.

Close to 1,300 Marines from more than 30 different cities from across the U.S. joined to form Marine Air Ground Task Force 25.

Currently, the MAGTF is in Norway as part of exercise Battle Griffin 2005, an exercise that tests the interoperability of Marines systems and tactics with those of 14 potential coalition partner nations.

“It can be very tough to get Marines together,” said CWO3 Craig Sisson, MAGTF-25 personnel officer. “Once Marine Forces Reserve sends down the order to get these units shipped out, there’s a scramble to get them where they need to be. There’s a limited amount of time the Marines Corps can have reserve units out training.”

Units selected to participate in Battle Griffin 2005 are out on ADSW, or active duty for special work, orders, which limit them to 18 days of service at one time.

“In the MAGTF, we’re used to thinking on a regimental level,” said Sisson. “But unlike an active duty regiment, who has all their battalions and elements in one place, we have to pull Marines from all around the country. We’ve had to start thinking beyond that and think about the ground, air and support elements.”

One unit, Combat Service Support Detachment 44, had to figure out a way to bring units from 32 cities together to support Marines on the ground and in the air.

“It’s a bit easier to bring units in for an exercise,” said Maj. Gary L. Backstrom, MAGTF-25 logistics officer, “but for the logistical side of the force, it’s never an exercise. Marines have to be fed and clothed all the time. Plus, on drill weekends we’ve never really had to resupply units. Here (in Norway, during Battle Griffin) we’ve had to support the MAGTF for an extended period of time.”

Exercise Battle Griffin 2005 brings together nearly 14,000 troops from North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Partnership for Peace nations in a live joint combined exercise within the framework of a deployed forces concept.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marines help Iraqi government improve border
Submitted by: 1st Marine Division
Story Identification #: 20053711126
Story by Cpl. Matthew R. Jones



HUSAYBAH, Iraq (Feb. 28, 2005) -- Marines from C Company, 2nd Combat Engineers Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 7, improved the international border between Iraq and Syria near the town of Husaybah by building a massive dirt barricade.

The Marines assisted the new Iraq government in their desire to stop the smuggling of arms, insurgents and goods across the border in this volatile region. The coalition forces are using the assets they have to provide a safer Iraq at the request of the Iraqi government.

Strains of concertina wire were run along the berm in order to provide another deterrent for the illegal border crossers. The Iraqi government also ordered the formal closing of the Husaybah point of entry into the country. The border has been closed due to the high level of insurgent activity using the crossing.

The insurgency has used the crossing and the neighboring border city as a safe haven to smuggle both fighters and weapons into and out of the country. Many of the foreign fighters that fought in Fallujah had crossed into the country at Husaybah.

The Marines of Headquarters and Support Platoon Company C, which is based out of Camp Lejuene, will build approximately 5 miles of berm between the two countries, said Staff Sgt. Ronald S. Gillaspie, heavy equipment operation chief.

The new border includes three phases, a trench, a berm and concertina wire.

A D-9 bulldozer dug the trench, which is roughly six feet deep. The dirt removed to dig the trench was then used to build the berm. Another bulldozer piles the dirt to a height of approximately 10 feet.

“A two-bulldozer team can build one quarter of a mile of the new border in a day,” said Gillaspie, 29, a native of Crown Point, Ind.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marines fire away at Bull Dozer
Submitted by: MCAS Iwakuni
Story Identification #: 20053917212
Story by Pfc. Mark Fayloga



CAMP FUJI, Japan (March 1, 2005) -- CAMP FUJI, Japan — Marines from Marine Wing Support Squadron 171, currently deployed to Operation Bull Dozer, participated in a machine gun familiarization fire exercise at Combat Range One shooting range, March 1.

During the exercise, Marines practiced communication between the gunner and the assistant gunner, and moving from target to target. Each Marine fired 50 rounds from a .50 caliber machine gun and 50 rounds from a M-240G machine gun.

“The goal of this exercise was to give our Marines a chance to sit behind the weapons, build confidence and get more familiar with them,” said Staff Sgt. Stephen E. Graham, MWSS-171 construction foreman.

“This exercise was important because it helped a lot of the Marines brush up on their skills with the weapons,” said Lance Cpl. Gerardo G. Garcia, MWSS-171 combat engineer. “Marines who are a part of the wing don’t get as much time on the range as Marines in division or group.”

Being deployed to Fuji has allowed MWSS-171 to participate in several exercises and training operations they couldn’t do in Iwakuni, but the Marines have also had to deal with the climate change.

According to Graham, the snow shouldn’t have had too much of an effect on the Marines other than reminding them Marines need to be prepared to fight in every climate and place.

“The toughest part of the exercise was keeping your concentration in the snow, while your hands and feet were numb,” said Garcia. “MWSS-171 needs more time on the range and this deployment has been very useful in giving us a chance to perform weapons training,” he said.

“It’s been five months since I was out on the range, and I think we should get out at least once a month,” said Cpl. Antonia Campbell Jr., MWSS-171 basic electrician. “I think it’s a good thing that we have the ISMT (Individual Simulated Marksmanship Trainer) back in Iwakuni to help us familiarize ourselves with the weapons even though we’re not actually firing, but it doesn’t compare to sending real rounds down range.”

Campbell also said this exercise was great for Marines to polish their basic fighting tactics and weapon maneuvers. He added it’s rare MWSS-171 gets a chance to fire any weapons, let alone the .50 cal. and M-240G.

“I learned how to more efficiently operate the .50 cal. and the M-240G than I did before, and it was awesome to get to shoot the M-240G without a tripod,” said Garcia. “I really enjoyed this exercise because it’s been such a long time since I fired down range.”


Elie

[thedrifter]

Marines search hospital, BAT those inside
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 20053913727
Story by Cpl. Tom Sloan



AR RAMADI, Iraq (March 08, 2004) -- The Marines rehearsed in their heads the mission awaiting them in the heart of the insurgent-infested city here. It was mid-morning, around 10 a.m. Drizzling rain, a gray, cloudy sky and the threat of danger, combined to create a dramatically intense five-minute ride in humvees and 7-tons as their convoy transported them to their destination.

Marines with Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment joined Company G, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment in a raid on the Ar Ramadi General Hospital here. Headquarters and Service Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines Human Exploitation Team, Information Operations, the 4th and 5th Civil Affairs Groups and more than 20 Iraqi Security Force Commandos also participated in the mission, which lasted more than four hours.

The purpose of the raid was to look for weapons caches, insurgents and crimes against humanity, according to Staff Sgt. Alexis Rivera Jr., 1st Battalion's IO chief. He continued to say that the hospital has been historically a hotbed of insurgent activity.

"Insurgents have been held up in the hospital in the past," explained the 26-year-old Springfield, Mass. native "It's unacceptable for terrorist to use a hospital for terrorist activity. A hospital is meant to treat people."

Patients in the hospital could be suffering by going without appropriate treatment if insurgents were occupying it, he said.

As the convoy rolled into the hospital's parking lot, everyone dismounted and headed to the building's three entrances, entering them simultaneously. They encountered no resistance.

The 4th and 5th CAGs were along to identify, segregate and safeguard patients, family and visitors, according to Maj. Benjamin B. Busch, team leader, 5th CAG.

"Our job is to evaluate and attempt to avoid any negative consequences with the innocent Iraqis during the operation," the 36-year-old Sherburne, N.Y native said. "The Marine Corps' mission is to reach that positive or neutral civilian population and ensure any negativity is diminished through direct, positive interaction."

They also collected cell phones from everyone and ensured they received food and water while waiting.

"Collecting their phones will help to disrupt their command and control," explained Busch. "They (insurgents) have a history of alerting others that coalition forces are in the area. We want them to have food and water because they may be waiting here awhile."

The Marines cordoned and searched the hospital's six floors and determined each to be without weapons or insurgents.

They then screened everyone inside - doctors, patients, staff and visitors - to determine if anyone was an insurgent or linked to the insurgent network.

The Marines set up four Biometric Automative Tools in a room on the Hospitals second floor to screen the mass of people in the hospital. The BAT is a system of laptop computers, fingerprint readers and digital cameras.

"We ran each individual through the BAT to see if they are insurgents," said Cpl. Sean B. McAllister, a 22-year-old rifleman with Company G, 2nd Battalion.

The Medina, N.Y. native explained, that the BAT will identify if an individual has a criminal record, much the same as the background checks police do on people in the United States. He added they must be in the system already, though.

After more than three hours of screening, no anti-Iraq personnel were found and the Marines left having several new identities entered in their BAT system, which could be beneficial during future operations.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Journey of the war's wounded
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Connie Cone Sexton
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 13, 2005 12:00 AM

When Tammy Duckworth woke up Nov. 20 at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C., she had no idea of the journey she had taken the previous eight days.

She had no idea that she was missing almost all of her right leg up to her hipbone or that her left leg was gone just below the knee. The 36-year-old Army National Guard pilot could feel the bandage over her broken right arm but didn't realize she might lose it if doctors couldn't restore its blood supply.

And Duckworth, who was plucked from her crippled Blackhawk helicopter after a rocket-propelled grenade tore through her cockpit as she was flying across Iraq, wouldn't understand until the haze of medication lifted that she was one of the lucky ones.

If it had happened during World War II, Vietnam or even the Gulf War, doctors believe Duckworth, who lost nearly half of her blood from the assault, would have died. But a revamped emergency medical system rushed her to battlefield surgeons, saving her life. It has been the same for thousands of other injured soldiers, Marines and airmen whose bodies have been mangled, burned and shattered in attacks since the war in Iraq began March 19, 2003. In any other combat, at any other time, doctors say they would have died.

Chances of surviving have increased with every war of any duration the United States has fought. During World War II, roughly one in three injured troops died. In the Korean, Vietnam and Gulf wars, it was about one in four.

Today, it's down to one in eight.

Military leaders point to three changes behind a higher survival rate in the Iraq war: They gave troops better body armor, put surgeons into field hospitals closer to combat and created an air evacuation plan to get the wounded to surgical care within an hour.

Undoubtedly, one other contributing factor is the advances in the first aid carried by medics traveling with the troops. One such advance is QuikClot, a mineral powder that adheres to exposed tissue and helps blood clot. Bleeding is a primary reason so many wounded die.

Fellow troop members and medics provide initial treatment and prepare the wounded for the air or land transport to whichever is nearer: a 20-person forward surgical team, called an FST, that operates out of six Humvees and can fashion a tent-draped hospital in minutes, or one of the larger combat area support hospitals, known as CASH, that operate out of tents on former Iraqi airbases. A CASH typically has at least 15 surgeons and equipment such as X-ray machines.

The wounded cannot stay in either spot for long. There is no room. The higher survival rate means that a higher volume of wounded is flowing through the medical system.

The goals are to keep the patient alive and with as many body parts as possible and to whisk him or her out of harm's way in Iraq to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, the largest U.S. hospital in Europe.

Helping get them to Landstuhl is the newest, and what some call the most important, leg of the medical journey: a ride on a Critical Care Air Transport helicopter.

These "flying ICUs" are the workstations for doctors and nurses who tend to patients during the eight-hour flight. Landstuhl is the last, albeit usually brief, stop for the wounded before they return to their units or come to the United States for more surgery or rehabilitation.

Nearly 6,000 wounded troops (at least 250 from Arizona) have gone in and out of Landstuhl since the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom. But more than 1,500 troops (including 44 from Arizona) have died, most before getting to Landstuhl. In Vietnam, most of the 58,000 deaths happened before the wounded could ever reach a surgeon, a wait of several hours or more. During the Gulf War, field hospitals were put closer to the action, but there was still a delay in transporting the wounded to intensive care.

For the war in Iraq, military officials knew they would need a larger number of mobile medical teams that were closer to combat and could get to the wounded by air or land within the "golden hour," that daunting 60-minute window before a battered body begins to shut down. Even in the Gulf War, it could take several hours.

Suicide car bombs, improvised explosive devices and RPGs have ripped into bodies with such trauma that immediate treatment is necessary to prevent shock or death from loss of blood.

The RPG that struck Capt. Tammy Duckworth shredded one leg, crushed the other and badly damaged her right forearm, breaking it in three places. She had seen a fireball hit below her feet and thought the helicopter engine had been taken out. Communications inside the aircraft were gone, so Duckworth couldn't speak to the pilot, Chief Warrant Officer Dan Milberg, who was observing her flying that day. They both tried to land the chopper as Duckworth was fading in and out. The last thing she saw before she blacked out and fell forward was grass coming through the floor bubble. Milberg had managed to set the chopper down in a date grove.

It was then that he turned to Duckworth and could see her massive injuries. He thought she was dead.

Flying behind them, another pilot had already radioed for a medical evacuation helicopter, and troops on the ground rushed to do what they could, giving "Buddy Care," the basic first-aid training all troops are taught before they're deployed.

In cases like Duckworth's, it's a life-or-death battle to stop the bleeding. Medics traveling with troops can rip open and apply a packet of QuikClot powder, one of the newest medical weapons. Every soldier carries a plastic ring tourniquet that, with just one hand, can be slipped above a wound and pulled tight with a hand or mouth.

Duckworth's femoral artery was severed when her right leg was torn off. She could bleed out within five minutes. The wound was so jagged and so near her hip that getting a tourniquet on was nearly impossible. Medics couldn't stop the blood flow, but they pressed on the wound and slowed it down.

A helicopter flew Duckworth to a CASH in Baghdad where surgeons amputated her right leg a few inches below her hip bone and cut off her left leg just below the knee. They reset the bones in her arm and stitched the cuts.

A stretcher carried her out to a Critical Care Air Transport helicopter, and Duckworth was bound for the 350-bed Landstuhl hospital. But it was just a pit stop. She was in and out within hours, finally arriving at 10 p.m. Nov. 14 at Walter Reed. Not even 60 hours had passed since the RPG exploded into her legs.

During Vietnam, if the soldier had lived, it could have taken a month to 45 days to get to a stateside military hospital.

Not everyone gets to leave Landstuhl as quickly as Duckworth. About 15 percent are too sick or too unstable to move and may stay for weeks.

At Landstuhl, the goal is to clean wounds, do more surgery, if necessary, and attack any infection. So that the wounds can be easily cleaned to fight bacteria, most aren't sewn up until the patient reaches a medical center in the United States.

Doctors at Landstuhl also look for small shrapnel that medical staff before them might not have had time to find. Some soldiers come in with 10,000 or more microscopic pieces in their skin.

Col. Eric Holmstrom, a chaplain and chief of the department of pastoral services at Landstuhl, tries to minister to the emotional needs of the wounded.

He and the other six chaplains in the hospital listen as the wounded talk about their best buddies who were killed, the units and friends they left behind and their guilt for being removed from the fight.

Holmstrom tries to make a connection in the often-brief time before a wounded soldier moves on and another takes his or her place.

The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research estimates that 15.6 percent to 17.1 percent of U.S. troops suffer from a mental disorder, including post-traumatic stress syndrome, the modern term for shell shock. PTSD is the primary or secondary ailment afflicting a number of the nearly 6,000 wounded.

Maj. Timothy Woods, a trauma surgeon at Landstuhl, likens the hospital to a turnstile, with so many wounded coming and going.

He wishes they had more time to help with the mending. He wonders how they will make out, whether they will lose another limb, lose a battle to infection. He'd like to keep them around for just a few more days before the long flight to the States.

But as soon as they come in, he already is filling out the paperwork to ship them on.


Walter Reed


When Tammy Duckworth woke up that November day at Walter Reed, she was in pain. Her legs ached.

Her husband, Capt. Bryan Bowlsbey, was at her side. He knew he had to break the news that what she was feeling was just phantom pain. So he told her what he had to say: Her right leg was gone, and there was nothing below her left knee.

He kept talking, and she quietly took it all in: that she wasn't the only one having to go through this and, like the other amputees in the ward, she would get better.

She didn't cry and didn't ask why it had happened to her. Instead, she said she wanted to get on with it and do whatever was necessary. She told her husband that she loved him but that, hey, after six days by her side, he really needed a shower.

He was relieved. Her can-do spirit and humor were still very much intact.

But it was hardly easy going the next few weeks.

Duckworth's right arm was in jeopardy and needed repair. For stretches during November and December, she was having surgery every other day to improve the blood flow and to fight a stubborn infection.

For Duckworth, who hails from a Chicago suburb, and other patients, it is a frustrating time, waiting for the body to heal enough so they can begin rehabilitation. There is little within the patient's control. Limbs swell. Shrapnel no one ever knew was there suddenly breaks through skin and must be removed. Patients have to decipher what doctors are telling them. Every day can mean visits by new teams of doctors. The Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service team. The Infectious Disease team.

Finally, the day comes when, barring the unforeseen, the surgeries are over and the OK is given for physical therapy. It's a chance for dormant muscles to awaken and the patients to regain a little control over their bodies, to see what works and what doesn't. It's time to rebuild.


continued.......

[thedrifter]

Rehabilitation <br />
<br />
<br />
On a cold morning in late January, bright light floods the physical therapy room on the third floor of Walter Reed. Duckworth is stretching her muscles on a padded table. She...

[thedrifter]

Servicemembers should consider financial implications
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Rick Emert, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Sunday, March 13, 2005

While retiring from the military means no more boot shining or deployments downrange, it does not necessarily mean that it’s time to get a condo in Florida and sit on the beach all day.

Servicemembers — enlisted and officers — will draw roughly half of their base pay when they retire, meaning they have many things to consider before deciding to hang up the uniform. Have they lined up a job in the civilian sector? Should they buy a home? Have they saved enough money?

A sergeant first class with 20 years’ service would see his monthly pay change from $3,458.70 to $1,729.35 once he retires. For a staff sergeant, the pay would drop from $2,908.20 to $1,454.10.

That’s not enough to really retire, said Staff Sgt. Lawrence Primus, 1st Battalion, 6th Field Artillery in Bamberg, Germany, who is planning to retire after his son graduates high school in June.

“It would be impossible to stop working,” he said. “You figure your pay gets cut in half. All of a sudden, I’ll be making $1,500 a month. We can’t live on that.”

In addition to the base pay, servicemembers also get a cost-of-living allowance, extra money for meals and a housing allowance if they live off post.

When a servicemember retires, all of those extras go away, said Sylvester Kimbrough, a military pay technician who focuses on retirement pay at Warner Barracks in Bamberg.

Primus and one of his co-workers who is also retiring, Sgt. 1st Class Phillip Tomey, said they are hoping to find a job where the work and pay are similar to their status in the Army.

“That’s a scary part of retiring; what am I going to do next?” asked Tomey, who plans to retire in November. “I know McDonald’s and Wal-Mart are always hiring, but I want a job where the position and pay are comparable to my position in the Army.”

To prepare for the transition to the civilian sector, both soldiers said they have been putting away money for years. Primus said he has spent the past several years preparing, and he bought a house near Fort Bragg, N.C., a few years ago. Tomey said he has saved about $10,000.

“The Army pays for most of the moving and the lodging when you relocate after retiring, but there are going to be expenses no matter what,” Tomey said. “I wanted to make sure we would have that covered. If we have some of that money left over, that’s great.”

There are many ways to save, but the key is to start early, said Andria Nichols, financial readiness planner with Army Community Service in Bamberg. She recommends that soldiers start saving at least five years before retirement.

“There are so many ways to save money,” Nichols said. “The first thing is to track your expenditures. I think a lot of people would be surprised at how much money they spend in a day or week. Buying lunch every day can be very expensive. If you pack a lunch for work, put that money you would have spent into savings. Try to put 10 percent of your pay into savings.”

Hanging up the uniform doesn’t come without stress, Nichols said.

“So much hits all at once, you have to worry about life insurance, buying a home and your pay being cut in half,” Nichols said. “There is so much more to consider, things you may not have had to pay in the Army, like utility bills. The reality of it all can be overwhelming.”

While retirement will be an extreme life change, Tomey said he’s ready.

“My career has taken me to the ultimate level,” he said. “I’ve led soldiers into battle in the Persian Gulf and in [Operation Iraqi Freedom].

“I’ve accomplished what I wanted to accomplish in my military career. Now I’m ready to move on to the civilian world.”


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Separation can be ‘a scary time’

By Rick Emert, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Sunday, March 13, 2005

Retiring soldiers may find the jump from the Army world to the civilian business sector a little daunting.

“It is a scary time for someone who has spent all of his adult life in the military,” said Mary Kaldsleisch, job assistance counselor for the Army Career and Alumni Program in Wiesbaden, Germany.

The program can help with writing a résumé, preparing for job interviews and even tracking down jobs, Kaldsleisch said.

“We try to help them take a look inward and see how they are going to approach a nonmilitary lifestyle,” she said. “They have to demilitarize themselves and their résumés.”

Many soldiers “don’t think they have any skills, but the skills they possess from being in the military are really sought after by employers,” she said.

That’s not to say that prospective employers are waiting for newly retired soldiers just outside the gate, she warned.

“On average, it takes about six to nine months to find a job,” Kaldsleisch said. “Retiring soldiers can start coming to ACAP two years before they retire. It’s important to get the word out to commanders to let the soldiers start coming here as soon as possible. The thought of a soldier only getting a couple of months to find a job scares me.”

Not to mention that the average retiring soldier is about 40. But Sgt. 1st Class Phillip Tomey, of the 1st Battalion, 6th Field Artillery in Bamberg, Germany, said the age factor doesn’t concern him.

“I don’t think of it as being older than the competition, but being more experienced,” Tomey said. “I’m a mechanic. I’ve been looking around and there are a lot of opportunities out there for me.”

But Tomey, who is planning to retire in November, said he can’t try to lock down a job until he has retirement orders with a definite date of when he would be available to start work.

That, too, can be difficult with the always-looming threat of stop loss, which prevents servicemembers from leaving the service when their time is up. Tomey said he was planning to retire late last year when his plans were changed because of stop loss.

“I didn’t think it was right,” said Staff Sgt. Lawrence Primus, who is planning to retire in June. “When a soldier gets to that point, it makes him change his whole plans. We arranged for the tenants to be out of our house on a certain date, so we’ve had to suck up that cost for a year.”

“You get yourself ready and get your family ready, and then the Army prevents you from going through with it,” Tomey said. “It can be really stressful.”


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marine buddies reunited again <br />
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <br />
By LAURA STEELE <br />
South Bend Tribune Staff Writer <br />
<br />
LAKEVILLE, Ind. -- Less than 24...

[thedrifter]

Marines work 24/7 to prepare fellow brothers/sisters for Deployment
Submitted by: 2nd Force Service Support Group
Story Identification #: 20053913153
Story by 2nd Lt. Jorge O. Escatell



MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C (Mar. 7, 2005) -- The Marines worked non-stop to ensure the mission was complete. They knew that their fellow Marines depended on them.

Marines from 2d Maintenance Battalion, 2d Force Service Support Group, worked 24 hours straight for the last two weeks to complete the installation of body armor and air conditioning units on 150 vehicles here Mar. 7.

Sixty-seven Marines, with various military occupations, from 2d Maintenance Battalion stepped up to the plate to help Marines from 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit to complete the mission.

“These Marines have not complained once since the mission started, they are truly dedicated in making sure their fellow Marines are taken care of for when they deploy and I am really proud of them,” said Chief Warrant Officer-2 Manual R. Rendon, maintenance officer for 2d Maint Bn.

Marines, who lacked the knowledge on installing the body armor and air conditioning units, had technical support from Bill E. Remington, an engineer with the Maintenance Center in Albany, Ga. and Mike Gonzales, a mechanic also with the Maintenance Center, during this mission.

Corporal Leslie A. Dean, diesel mechanic, said “it’s definitely a new experience, I like that I am able to learn something new.”

The Marines successfully completed their mission.

Rendon accredited the completion of the mission to his Marines. “The bottom line is that these Marines may not be deploying today but they are aware of what their role is to their fellow Marine.”

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Two years later
Those returning from Iraq discuss how war has changed a country - and their lives
By KEVIN DENNEHY
STAFF WRITER
Kim McCallum insists she's never at a loss for words. But how to describe this moment?

How to put into words what she's lived through in the last 15 months?

A staff sergeant with the Massachusetts National Guard's 126th Aviation, she returned home to a hero's welcome at Camp Edwards Thursday after more than a year in Iraq.

So much happened during that year, from a surge in attacks and suicide bombings that shook the confidence of some Americans, to the historic election that raised hopes that a new Iraq may be possible.

But, today, McCallum's thoughts are simple: She wants to readjust to life in America, and she wants to get to know her teenage daughter, Erica, again.

How does it feel, the 37-year-old mother is asked, to be back home? "I wonder if anyone has an answer to that question," McCallum, who lives in Buzzards Bay, says.

"There's a part of me that knew for months I could shut my eyes and not wake up the next day.

"We left in 2003, and my daughter was 11," she says. "And we just got back, and she's 13. I feel like I've missed so much. It's almost like I'm a stranger to the United States."

Since the war began on March 19, 2003, two years ago this week, more than 300,000 U.S. soldiers have served in Iraq, including more than 140,000 who are there now.

Among those are hundreds of Cape soldiers, reservists and active duty, from young Marines who raced to Baghdad back in 2003 to the high-tech specialists of the National Guard who are still helping to put the country back together.

As history unfolded before their eyes, they witnessed the horrible, and sometimes the beautiful. They've seen everyday heroics, braced for hidden attacks, and watched as Iraqis finally got to cast ballots in January.

They're infantrymen and doctors, air traffic controllers and cooks. But whatever their role, many say the experience in Iraq changed them, in ways they're still trying to assess.

These are some stories of the changes they saw in a country far from home, and in their own lives.



After the race to Baghdad
Two years ago this week, in the final days of Saddam Hussein's regime, hundreds of American soldiers were charging through desert to Baghdad.
Among them, manning a gun atop a Humvee, was Matt Emery, a 20-year-old graduate of Dennis-Yarmouth High School, and a Marine lance corporal.

Over roughly 25 missions early in the war, he provided gun cover for convoys plunging deep into Iraq. His job was to watch for threats from dark windows and crowded roadside villages.

When the sound of gunfire erupted, he'd return it. Sometimes, he saw the men who were firing at him. Sometimes he didn't.

His part in the war ended on April 28, 2003, however. That day a grenade mishap nearly killed Emery, tearing a wound into his scalp and changing the rest of his life.

Two years later, Emery is still trying to piece his life back together. He travels to Braintree for rehabilitation, and takes medication he hopes will stop the seizures that dogged him for the first year back home.

He's moved in with his girlfriend in Dennis and works part time for his father. And he's thinking about going back to school, but doesn't know what he'll study.

He's tried to put the war behind him, for the most part. "I just haven't thought about it," he says.

He sometimes speaks with a Cape buddy about their experiences in Iraq, because he's one of the few people who really understand.

"There's not too many people who could relate to what he saw and what he did, but I can," Emery says. "People say 'I understand.' But it's like, 'No, you don't understand!' And a little bit of anger builds under your skin. So why bother talking about it?"

He doesn't follow the war so much these days, though he gets the feeling "it's slowly turning." He hopes President Bush finishes what he started.

In the meantime, he's busy trying to figure out what he'll do next. "It's been two years, and I'm almost at the peak of recovery. I'm ready to move on. ...This is just a real crossroads in my life."



Roadside threats
While Saddam's regime had fallen months before Master Sgt. Michael Perra arrived in Baghdad in October 2003, hidden combatants were still laying bombs on roadsides and near checkpoints all over Iraq.
Perra knows. It was his job to defuse them.

In a room on Otis Air National Guard Base last week, surrounded by mortars and rounds from years gone by, Perra speaks almost matter-of-factly of the more than 80 times he was called to defuse improvised explosive devices across a 175-square-mile area around Baghdad from the fall of 2003 until last March.

Often, his group of 10 explosives technicians would dismantle bombs with the assistance of a computerized robot. Other times, they had to do it with their hands and instinct.

While more than a dozen explosives experts have been killed in this war, none of his group, Perra says, knocking on wood, were harmed.

It was a daily struggle to prevent roadside destruction, but also to win over the locals. "If they like us," he says, "maybe they won't bomb us as much."

He spent plenty of time in the crowded streets of Baghdad. When packs of youngsters scurried to watch the bomb crews, the technicians would toss them candy to distract them.

The kids, he says, spoke English pretty well. So did the students from a nearby university. They'd ask questions about life in America, and how long these Americans planned on staying.

"The people who were more cautious of us were the rich people, who did pretty well under Saddam," he said. "The poor people were more happy with us."

He recalls the excitement and welcomes of Iraqis when Americans first arrived. But with time, he says, the enthusiasm waned.

"It's kind of like when your in-laws come," Perra says. "At first you're glad to see them. But after a while, your nerves start to get short. By now, we're kind of like those in-laws."

He adds, however, that many positive things have happened. New schools. Improved roadways. Water systems. And, now, hints of a real democracy.

He knows he'll be called back, and doesn't have a problem with it. "This is something we need to finish," he says. "I really believe we need to finish what we started. Nothing worthwhile is easy."



A bloody spring
In the photo taken a year ago, Tony Dingmann smiles in front of a lively Baghdad market, a soft hat on his head and no bullet-proof vest.
In hindsight, he says, it's pretty amazing. That area, a so-called safe "green area" at the time, is considered anything but now. A bomber destroyed the place not long after the photo was taken.

"Things change fast," Dingmann, a National Guard psychiatrist, who is back home, says quietly over a drink last week at the Trowbridge Tavern in Bourne.

It happens that Dingmann's arrival in Baghdad last spring coincided with some of the most violent days of this war, a time when insurgents began targeting U.S. soldiers on a daily basis and the Abu Ghraib scandal gave the Department of Defense a black eye.

He was there at the Iraq prison after the scandal, asked by his bosses to help make prisoner interrogations more professional.

And he tried to help American soldiers with their problems. He heard soldiers in uniform start to ask themselves: What are we doing here?

And he continues to speak with soldiers returning from the war. Many, he says, have seen horrible, horrible things, and will need to work their way through their memories. If the military doesn't help them, he predicts, it's sowing the seeds of deeper problems.

But, overall, he's encouraged. When he talks about the war, his words are measured, though heartfelt. Patriotic, but certainly not rah-rah.

"It's a worthwhile cause," he says, soberly, about the mission. "In the long run, in my dad's words from years and years ago, 'War brings nations closer together.'

"Have we helped an oppressed country? Absolutely. We're not going to leave everyone satisfied. But the majority of the people there are going to thank us for years and years to come.

"We may not know for years how much we've helped."



Closing a chapter
When he talks about the heroism he witnessed last summer, Air Force Lt. Col. Dan Epright can't keep back the tears.
He speaks lovingly about the heroism of soldiers, who protect each other like family. But also of the heroism of Iraqis who, Epright says, just want their country back.

He saw the aftermath of a car bomb that killed dozens of Iraqis standing in line to join the National Guard. Two days later, he saw another 250 people waiting in line again.

"They just wanted their country to be normal," he says during an interview in Sandwich, six months after his return. "They need jobs. They want food, and they want to take care of their kids. They want self-respect.

"And they were saying, 'I'm brave. ... I love myself and I love my country.'"

Epright went to Iraq to tell stories. The 50-year-old Air Force veteran, who is normally stationed at Cape Cod Air Force Station, spent four months helping produce pieces for the American Forces Network.

When representatives traveled from across Iraq for the first National Assembly Congress in August - to choose delegates for a temporary legislature - he was there.

He reads history, and knows that history is happening over there right now. He wishes he were still there.

"Our lives are a series of chapters," he says. "I left in the middle of a chapter."

In late January, when Iraqi citizens started lining up to vote, Epright couldn't turn off his television. From his Cape Cod home, he started watching Fox News late in the evening, and watched through the night. And the entire next day. Almost 24 hours, he couldn't turn away.

Was it for closure? "It was. It closed the chapter for me. The book's not finished yet. But a chapter is."



A sense of relief
All soldiers have days when they wonder what they're doing over there, says Sgt. McCallum, the Buzzards Bay mother and member of the Guard's aviation unit.
It gets lonely, monotonous, stressful. And scary. Letters from home, thank-you notes from perfect strangers, gave her the strength to work another day.

As for developments in the war, she says people back home probably knew more than soldiers in the field.

In January, her company knew the elections were approaching, of course. On such big occasions, not unlike Muslim or Western holidays, they were advised to brace for added violence.

But even fears of expected insurgency tactics were alleviated by the historic nature of the landmark date.

"It was relief," McCallum says now. "Relief. Even though tensions were higher, there was a sense of relief that we were making progress.

"We were doing what we were supposed to do."

(Published: March 13, 2005)

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Sun, Mar 13, 2005

Local teens still joining military

By Matt Ollwerther
Central Wisconsin Sunday

While the military is struggling to maintain its recruitment numbers, it appears Central Wisconsinites are pulling more than their fair share.

"As far as Central Wisconsin, we're doing above average," said Sgt. Todd Hughes, an Army recruiter in Marshfield. "We're reaching our goals as far as the mission is concerned."
The Marshfield office is one of the top 10 stations in all of the 3rd Brigade, which covers the Midwest, he said. The entire Army, however, is a different story.

"As a whole, recruitment is down considerably," largely because of the media's negative coverage of the war in Iraq, Hughes said.

The Army and Marines have been hit hardest with dropping recruitment numbers, and Hughes said the reason why is simple.

"We are the biggest presence over in Iraq," he said. The Navy and Air Force rarely are needed anymore in Iraq, and Afghanistan is landlocked.

"We've been meeting our goals," said Chief Petty Officer Matthew Van Gilber, who's stationed at the Navy recruiting office in Stevens Point. "We have made it harder to get in because we don't need as many people."
Increased automation and technology on ships has lowered the need for new recruits, he said.

Van Gilber signed up four people so far this year and two in 2004.
Entry standards have risen in recent years, he said.

"Not anybody can just join the military," Van Gilber said. "In general, a lot of people assume the military is a last resort. Actually, for a lot of people, it's the first choice."
One of those people is Craig Bucholtz, 18, a senior at Stevens Point Area Senior High, who signed in January to join the Marines.

Once a month, he is one of nearly 50 local Marine recruits preparing for boot camp. Last month, they ran, did pull-ups and simulated M-16 shooting, Bucholtz said. The goal is to soften the physical shock of boot camp.

"I was surprised to see how many kids, but it's all around Central Wisconsin," he said.

Most of his peers are accepting and supportive of his decision, Bucholtz said.

His interest in the service was jump-started by the family of Britnye Myers, 17, a junior at SPASH.

Myers always thought about serving in the military. It would have been hard for her to do otherwise; she's been surrounded with the culture her entire life.

Many of her family members are involved in the military. Her older brother, father and uncle are Marines, and her aunt is in the Air Force. She knew she wanted to go in to the medical field, and the Marines provide training and a lifestyle that appeal to her.

Myers first chatted with a recruiter between six and 12 months ago and still maintains occasional contact.

She said many of her peers also have spoken with a recruiter, but most fail to show when a trip to their office is their next step.
"I think that people are scared mostly," she said. "They're scared of war or going to war."
Bucholtz said he's aware of the risks, but isn't changing his mind.

"There's always a chance, and that's a chance I'm willing to take," he said.

Statistically, the fear factor is about twice as strong among potential recruits as a whole than it was in 2000, according to a recent study. The fear is evident in a high proportion of survey respondents who said their main reasons for not joining the military included: "I might be killed in combat," "I don't want to kill people" and "I might be captured or tortured."
The Army has suffered more of the 1,500-plus U.S. deaths in Iraq than any other service, and thousands more have been wounded. While Army leaders say deployed soldiers have shown a strong interest in re-enlisting, the strains of war seem to have become a barrier to new enlistees.

Last year, Army Guard recruiters fell nearly 7,000 short of their goal of 56,000 soldiers. This year, the Guard's recruiting goal is an even more ambitious 63,000 soldiers, in part to make up for the shortfall.
But through January, four months into the recruiting year that began in October, the Guard has recruited just 12,821 soldiers, almost 24 percent below its targeted figure.

- The Associated Press and Gannett News Services contributed to this story.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

The personal meets the political for lawmakers with sons in Iraq

LAURIE KELLMAN
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - For more than a year, Rep. Joe Wilson's desk at the House Armed Services Committee was the intersection of his personal and political interest in the Iraq war.

On the table were bills about how to pay for and supply the conflict. Underneath, a handheld computer buzzed with real-time reports from his son Alan, an intelligence officer in southern Iraq.

"I would get a 'Hey Dad' message almost every day," the South Carolina Republican recalls. "I felt like I was voting on legislation, but I was living it simultaneously."

For about half a dozen members of Congress who have had kids serving in Iraq, the war is far more than a matter of public policy. They debate it and often defend it - with eyes on public opinion, like almost any elected official. But they also live the war through those most dear to them.

Therein lies a lesson about the limits of power.

Lawmakers may be able to shift billions of dollars to pet projects or get seats at a state dinner. But none has the muscle to keep a child safe in a war zone, half a world away.

So at 6 a.m. on Feb. 25, when his radio delivered the not-uncommon news that three Marines were killed in Iraq, Sen. Kit Bond felt it in his gut.

"Tightness in my stomach," Bond, R-Mo. recalled, a jaw muscle flexing at the memory. "An involuntary reaction."

Bond's only child, Samuel, 24, had left for Iraq just three days earlier to serve as an intelligence officer in the Marines. Samuel was safe that day.

The senator does what he can to keep it that way.

"I pray for him every night," Bond said.

Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., whose son, Perry, is a Marine combat engineer in Iraq, said what might be happening to the 23-year-old is a constant concern. "Every time you hear that another Marine got killed, it makes you wonder, is that my kid this time?" the congressman said.

One January day, it might have been. Akin said Perry, who was trained to find hidden bombs, walked up to a puddle in a road and decided with his fellow engineers that it did not pose a threat.

They were wrong. An hour later a bomb in the puddle was exploded by remote control as an American Humvee rolled over it. Akin said the blast "ripped the armor all to shreds" but did not hurt the driver.

"Somebody with a cell phone was sitting in some window somewhere looking at him as he stood by the puddle," Akin said, meaning an insurgent. "That obviously gets a parent's attention."

So did the mortar fire Wilson could hear over his son's voice during one satellite phone call. Now that Alan is home, safe, Wilson says sometimes there is such a thing as too much information.

"It was good and it was bad," Wilson, a retired Army National Guard lawyer, said of his heightened sense of what was happening both in Iraq and Washington.

Often, Alan sent notes about his day while his dad was in committee hearings - 10 a.m. in Washington is dinner time in Iraq. Alan would talk about supplies needed by Iraqis - a village water tank, paint for schools.

His father would pass the Blackberry around for others to see. He forwarded some of the e-mails to the Pentagon's liaisons with Congress. He thinks that helped get items delivered more quickly.

These lawmakers are not the first leaders to grapple with the personal stakes of war. After his presidency, Teddy Roosevelt had four sons in action in World War I - two were wounded and his youngest, Quentin, was killed.

"To feel that one has inspired a boy to conduct that has resulted in his death has a pretty serious side for a father," Roosevelt said. But "brave and fearless men must die when a great cause calls."

At least four Republicans and one Democrat in Congress have had children serving in Iraq.

Brooks Johnson, 32, son of Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota, is a staff sergeant with the Army's 101st Airborne Division and recently returned from fighting there.

His dad voted to authorize the use of force in Iraq with a heavy heart; Brooks, he knew, was likely to go to Iraq.

"I talked to Brooks prior to this vote and his response was, 'Dad, you do what is right for the country and I'll do what is right as a soldier,'" Johnson recalled. "I said on the (Senate) floor that it's very likely I would be sending my own son into combat."

Not all lawmakers with children serving in the armed forces were willing to discuss the overseas deployments.

Johnson and the four Republicans voted for the war and are likely to support President Bush's request for more money to pay for it. That does not mean Bush can count on them for everything about Iraq and the war against terrorism.

The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter of California, vexed the White House and Republican leaders last year when he rallied GOP colleagues against Bush's overhaul of the intelligence system.

He said he was trying to protect the lives of soldiers, including his 27-year-old son, 1st Lt. Duncan Duane Hunter, who had served two tours in Iraq and has since returned. Negotiators reworked the bill to address his concerns - giving battlefield commanders first priority use of intelligence assets such as satellites_ and Bush signed it into law.

Akin says he, too, has questions about how far and fast Iraqi society really can move toward a democracy.

But Akin's support for the mission remains constant despite Perry's deployment. He gets frustrated when people ask how he can support a war that puts his son in such obvious danger. His answer to that is not much different from Teddy Roosevelt's early in the last century.

"If he gets killed over there, I'll still think it's a horrible tragedy - ruin my life," Akin said. "But I'll still think what he's doing is the right thing."

ON THE NET

Profiles of some members of Congress with military offspring are available at: http://wid.ap.org/series/insidewash/iraqkids.html


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marines, Army kick it with Iraqi children <br />
Submitted by: 2nd Force Service Support Group <br />
Story Identification #: 20053913210 <br />
Story by Cpl. John E. Lawson Jr. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
CAMP TAQADDUM, Iraq (March 7,...

[thedrifter]

MFR commander, Sgt. Maj. visit Battle Griffin troops
Submitted by: Marine Forces Reserve
Story Identification #: 20053513716
Story by Cpl. Enrique Saenz



NAMDALSEID, Norway (Mar. 04, 2005) -- The Marine Forces Reserve commanding general and sergeant major visited troops participating in exercise Battle Griffin 2005.

Lt. Gen. Dennis M. McCarthy and Sgt. Maj. Robin W. Dixon visited the Marine Air Ground Task Force 25 command post and spoke with troops on the frontlines of the exercise.

Battle Griffin 2005 is a multinational exercise that simulates social and ethnic unrest due to tensions among three generic sovereign countries. The exercise also tests the interoperability of Marine tactics and systems with potential coalition partner nations.

“Mainly what we expect (from the exercise) is to demonstrate our capabilities to our allies and to get exposure to fighting in a foreign cold weather environment,” said McCarthy. “The Marine Corps has to be able to operate anywhere in the world and we’re showing again that we are very capable of doing that.”

The MarForRes sergeant major sees the exercise as keeping pace with the increase in joint operations.

“These days we do more combined joint operations with other countries,” said Dixon. “Battle Griffin is immensely helpful at teaching these Marines how to coordinate and work with coalition forces.”

Although MAGTF-25 has no clear enemies in the peacekeeping exercise, the Marines have been fighting a constant battle with the elements. Below-freezing temperatures and an average of more than a foot and a half of snow have not stopped MAGTF-25 from performing.

“Frankly, the 25th Marine Regiment has led the way when it comes to working in a cold weather environment,” said McCarthy. “It doesn’t surprise me one bit that these Marines are doing so well in this environment.”


Ellie

[thedrifter]

More of Lejeune's RCT-8 deploys
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 2005391521
Story by Cpl. Adam C. Schnell



MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (March 9, 2004) -- With bags packed and weapons slung, Marines with 8th Marine Regiment said goodbye to their friends and family members as they patiently waited to start their journey March 3 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Approximately 150 Marines with the regiment’s headquarters element will spend 14 months in Iraq supporting the operations of Regimental Combat Team-8. They will be replacing Marines from Regimental Combat Team-1 as they combat terrorism in the region.

“We have a lot of different people out here from reservists to active-duty Marines, which some of them served together in Haiti,” said Gunnery Sgt. Timothy J. Cyr, Rocky Hill, Conn., native and supply chief for the regiment.

According to Cyr, approximately 35 percent of the deploying Marines served together in Haiti in early 2004 to support Operation Secure Tomorrow. Most of them will be performing the same duties as they did there.

These duties include supporting the regiment as fire support coordinators to help eliminate the enemy and keeping Marines safe from friendly fire during combat operations.

“The job of coordinating fire from mortars and aircraft, naval and artillery gunfire can be a very stressful job,” said Gunnery Sgt. James O. Gambrell, Grand Junction, Colo., native and fire support coordinating chief for RCT-8. “Most times there are only seconds between an artillery round and a helicopter passing through the same area.”

They also protect Marine bases by using a highly-elaborate radar system to detect enemy rocket fire. The system allows the Marines enough time to send another rocket to destroy the enemy’s attack.

“Our mission is to help out the Marines so they stay safe at all times,” Gambrell commented.

In addition to FSCs, a security detachment was deployed who is solely responsible for providing security for the regiment’s commanding officer and other VIPs. The team consists of highly-trained personnel that make sure the commanding officer is safe when traveling in the country.

With so many people deploying to improve the safety of Marines combating terrorism, family members and friends can sleep easier knowing their loved ones are in good hands. But the thought of what could happen is still something stuck in their minds.

“Watching my son deploy leaves me with a kind of bitter-sweet feeling,” said Chuck Sansevere, parent of a deploying Marine. “I’m really proud of his service to our country, but at the same time my son is putting himself in harm’s way and I hope he stays safe.”


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Silver Eagles land in Jebel Ali
Submitted by: MCAS Beaufort
Story Identification #: 2005311143637
Story by Cpl. Justin V. Eckersley



MARINE CORPS AIR STATION BEAUFORT (March 11, 2005) -- After spending more than a month at sea engaging in constant operations supporting the war on terror, USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) hit port in Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates Feb. 17, through Feb. 20.

For the Marines and Sailors aboard Truman, it was the second time the ship hit port in the U.A.E. Some crew members, like Cpl. Michael Reed, corrosion control technician, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 115, used the opportunity to strengthen ties and make connections.

“The first time we were in Jebel Ali, I bought a guitar and happened to have it in the Hard Rock Café,” Reed said. “The house band saw me with it, and came over and started talking to me. We kept in touch, and this time I got to hang out with them.”

Those who did not reconnect with people and places in the country had many opportunities to make new connections, thanks to the many programs and events held by Morale, Welfare and Recreation.

Events available included both day and night safaris into the desert, a paintball challenge, and sandboarding. For more independent-minded crewmembers, self-guided tours were available online. These free tours listed possible routes through significant sites throughout the country, giving interested tourists the chance to freely modify their adventure.

While being in a foreign port provides the opportunity for culinary experimentation, there were many restaurants available on the pier for those Marines and Sailors looking for a quick bite of home. Also available were retail stores for music, clothes, electronics and souvenirs. For those not able to venture into the local metropolis, having such commodities close to ship was very helpful.

Also available was the chance for crew members to participate in a softball tournament, held on Feb. 19. The “Silver Eagles” of VMFA-115 put together a team and participated, and though they had little time to practice, they had a great time stretching their legs, according to Cpl. Matthew Wilson, who played on VMFA-115’s team.

“The other guys all had actual teams ahead of time, while we put ours together kind of last-minute,” Wilson said. “We only had one afternoon to practice, but I think we still did pretty good. The ship teams had all been together for a while, but we still beat a few of them.”

Despite their efforts, the Marines did not win the tournament, but neither did any of Truman’s teams, according to Wilson.

“There was a local team there, made up of civilian contractors,” Wilson said. “They played together three times a week and they beat us pretty bad. But it was really fun.”

As the Marines headed out refreshed and ready for the final leg of their deployment, they took with them fond memories, and left behind a positive impression of American service members to a foreign population.

“I had a great time getting to know them,” Reed said. “I learned a lot and had fun while I was there, too.”


Ellie