Little brother, big loss: Marine died in Iraq while brother pressed on in recruit tra

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Little brother, big loss: Marine died in Iraq while brother pressed on in recruit training
Submitted by: MCRD San Diego
Story Identification #: 2005311104217
Story by Lance Cpl. Dorian Gardner



MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Mar. 11, 2005) -- Pfc. Noah Ramos was smack-dab in the middle of boot camp when they told him his younger brother died in a crash. Lance Cpl. Hector Ramos was one of 31 service members killed in a helicopter crash Jan. 26 in Iraq.

Noah, a 21-year-old recruit in his second phase of training with Company K, was laying in a prone firing position on the rifle range waiting to practice when a Marine squawked his name over a loud speaker and ordered him off the firing line. As ordered, Noah stood aside and waited. His senior drill instructor walked him back to the barracks.

"On the way to the (senior's office) I was getting feelings that something was wrong with my family," said Noah.

After a long wait in the barracks, the drill instructor opened the door and told Noah to come inside the office. That's when Noah saw the chaplain and the company commander, and the chaplain broke the news.

"All I could do was just cry," said Noah. "I was thinking about what happened, how did he die ... so many questions."

After the sad news, Noah's drill instructor gave him time alone.

"All those things you hear about soldiers, you never really think about until it happens to somebody you know," said Noah. "You just wish it never happened."

With his brother being a part of an infantry unit, Noah knew Hector placed himself in harm's way, but losing him was unexpected, according to Noah.

Before the Marine Corps, the brothers grew up in Aurora, Ill., a small town outside Chicago. They lived with both parents and an 11-year-old brother. Between the two, it was always more reasonable to believe that Noah would join the military and Hector would go to college.

"(Hector) always talked about art school, but when 9/11 came, he got angry. (He) went and saw the recruiters the same day," said Noah.

In his teens, Noah had a growing interest in the military - specifically the Army because interaction with soldiers in his area and around the high school was common. "I was eating and sleeping Army."

Like many children who are too young to be soldiers, Noah and his brothers, along with neighborhood friends, used to play war games in the back yard.

In school, Noah grew more interested in the Army while Hector got better at his artwork. A year older than Hector, Noah graduated high school and decided to pursue his college education. Hector on the other hand, decided that he had seen enough books, and he wanted to try something that was a little bit more hands-on.

Shortly after Noah finished college, his brother graduated boot camp.

Noah said Hector ended up recruiting him into the Marine Corps. When Noah would talk about joining the National Guard, Hector would ask him why.

By the time Noah left for boot camp, Hector was in Iraq with 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division.

According to Department of Defense reports, Hector and 29 other Marines, along with a Navy corpsman, were on a mission in support of the Jan. 31 Iraq elections. Sandstorms throughout Iraq had caused many helicopter flight systems to fail. The CH-53 Super Stallion helicopter carrying Hector went down Jan. 26, about 220 miles west of Baghdad.

Noah said Hector would write him letters daily. The last letter Noah received was in the middle of February. The postmark was dated Jan. 21, just days before the crash.

Noah said Hector wrote the letter when he was leaving Fallujah.

"I still read them," said Noah. "He never wrote about serious stuff. He (wrote) about things that he (wanted) us to do when he (got) back."

It was never the letters or talking about his brother that made Noah long to see Hector again. It was hearing "Taps" play for fallen warriors every night while he lay in bed that made Noah think about Hector the most.

Noah found a new way to view the tragedy of his brother's death: "He had accomplished more at the age of 20 than most people. I was proud. I didn't want to lose a brother, but I know that he was (proud) the way he went."

After attending Hector's funeral, Noah said he had to finish training. Some recruits, as well as drill instructors, noticed a change in Noah.

"He was quieter, but he stepped it up with his actions... physically," said Staff Sgt. Walter F. Layton, Platoon 3053 senior drill instructor, Company K.

Noah also said he aspires to be like Hector: "It motivated me knowing that my brother died serving his country and not in the streets."

Noah, who graduates recruit training today and joins a vast band of brothers, said Hector was his guide to becoming a Marine, and he will serve proudly.

http://www.marines.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2005311104358/$file/08recruit03_lr.jpg

Pfc. Noah Ramos stands in formation by the recruit post exchange. Noah left training for a week to attend his brother Hector's funeral. Photo by: Lance Cpl. Dorin Gardner

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Number Of Recruits Still Lagging
Akron Beacon Journal
March 14, 2005

It was easy getting Clark Oberlin into the Army.

He wanted to follow his father's example and join the military ever since he was a little boy.

These days, Army and Ohio National Guard recruiters can only wish they had hundreds of Clark Oberlins.

In recent months, persuading young men and women to join the Army has become more difficult and the goals of signing up new soldiers have not been met.

When Oberlin, 19, was ready to leave for the Army on a cold night last week, the Barberton man hugged his father, George, who has nearly 20 years of military service -- 14 years in the Navy, the rest in the Army Reserve -- and told him: "Don't cry."




Oberlin, who six months earlier joined his father's Army Reserve unit -- the 447th Military Police Company of Akron -- and had been training with it since, was leaving for six months of active duty and basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.

When he gets back this fall, he plans to study nursing at the University of Akron.

But while he was an easy catch for the Army, in recent months, recruiting new soldiers to serve in the Army, Army Reserve and Ohio Army National Guard has become problematic.

Spokesmen from the military say the war in Iraq is partially to blame.

And with 40 percent of the troops on the ground there coming from the Reserve or National Guard, recruitment these days is essential.

Goals unmet

In the last two months, for the first time since May 2000, the Army failed to meet its national goal for shipping out recruits to basic training within the ranks of active duty and reserve soldiers.

For fiscal year 2004, the Ohio Army National Guard was 439 soldiers short of its enlistment goals.

"The main reason why recruiting is off is because those students who typically would have joined in the past are taking a wait-and-see approach because of the war and the increased operational tempo of the Ohio National Guard," said James Sims, a Guard spokesman.

At the same time, though, Sims said the war on terror is attracting soldiers to the Guard.

"It used to be the 100 percent tuition assistance and scholarship money" that was the major enticement for recruits, he said.

"Now they are saying, `I want to serve my country, I want to be part of helping,' " and they are interested in the tuition assistance, he said.

To step up the effort, the Guard has nearly tripled its recruiter ranks to 150 who now work around the state, Sims said.

But so far in fiscal year 2005, the Guard is about 280 soldiers short of its goal nearly halfway through the year, according to Lt. Col. Jerry Rees, the state's recruiting commander.

Sims said more than 4,000 Ohio Guard troops have served stateside and overseas since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and many of those have served two tours of duty.

Recruitment, he said, "has been tough across the board."

In February, the regular Army signed up 5,114 active duty soldiers (1,936 short of its goal), and 990 Army reservists (340 short of its goal), according to Army statistics.

S. Douglas Smith, a public affairs officer for the U.S. Army Recruiting Command, said he can't say specifically why the goal was not met this year.

But he said the primary factors are the "improving economy and ongoing military action overseas."

Other factors, he said, may be high college enrollment rates among high school graduates and fewer adults in the community who have Army or military service background.

"It's been a tough year since the start of the fiscal year," Smith said.

The war, he said, is "playing a big part" in the recent shortfall on recruiting goals.

But, over the long haul, the Army has made its recruiting goals every year since 2000.

"So overall, we have been successful," he said.

In fiscal year 2005, in Ohio, the Army has enlisted 1,074 active duty soldiers and 319 reserve soldiers.

The Navy has made its recruiting goals for more than 40 months in a row.

The Air Force has not had a problem finding new recruits. In fact, the Air Force has recently been downsizing because so many within the service are re-enlisting, said Edgar Castillo, chief of media for the Air Force Recruiting Command.

Likewise, the Marine Corps has exceeded its goal for shipping new recruits to basic training, but is at 99.1 percent of its goal for the year to date in contracting recruits, said Maj. Dave Griesmer of the Marine Corps Recruiting Command.

Incentives to join

New recruits to the Army Reserve and National Guard receive full tuition reimbursement at state colleges as an incentive to join. And recently, more incentives were added.

In December, the Army set Reserve enlistment bonuses at the highest level in history.

Enlistment bonuses for people with no prior service were increased from $8,000 to $10,000 and bonuses for applicants with previous military service who enlist for six years are eligible for a bonus of $15,000, up from a previous level of $8,000. Those who sign up for three years are eligible for a $7,500 bonus, up from $4,000.

Earlier this year, the Army Recruiting Command announced an expansion of its bonuses for applicants with more than 30 college semester hours to all of its military specialties.

Qualified applicants holding bachelor's degrees can earn $8,000 for enlisting. Associate or two-year degree holders can earn $7,000. Qualified high school graduates with 60 or more college semester hours can qualify for a $6,000 bonus and those with 30 to 59 college semester hours can earn $3,000 for joining the army. There are also other cash enlistment incentives.

The maximum combination of cash bonuses for an enlistment of four or more years is $20,000 and the maximum for a three-year enlistment is $10,000 for most jobs and $15,000 for some high-priority jobs, the Army said.

Family's farewell

Clark Oberlin said once he finishes his six months and enrolls in college, he may get involved in an ROTC program at the University of Akron so he can become a commissioned officer.

His father, a 46-year-old staff sergeant in the Reserve unit, was apprehensive about his son leaving for active duty in the Army.

Still, "I'm proud of him," he said.

The unit his son is joining served two tours of duty since Sept. 11, 2001. After providing nearly a year of base protection at Fort Leonard Wood, they went home and in a few months were called back, serving nearly a year in Iraq, before returning home in December 2003.

And for the Oberlins, it may not be their only farewells.

Sixteen-year-old Samantha Oberlin, a Barberton High School sophomore, plans to join the unit as soon as she can.

Last week, outside the recruiter's office on Wooster Road North in Barberton, the Oberlins said their goodbyes to Clark.

He dashed off quickly in the dark, jumping into a recruiter's car.

"I love you, sweetie," his mother, Vanessa, called after him as the car pulled out of the driveway, heading for Cleveland and Clark Oberlin's new life in the Army Reserve.

Ellie

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Afghan Prison Abuse Began In 2002 <br />
Associated Press <br />
March 14, 2005 <br />
<br />
NEW YORK - Unreleased U.S. Army reports detailing the deaths of two Afghan men who were beaten to death by American soldiers...

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Transfer Of Gitmo Detainees Blocked
Associated Press
March 14, 2005

WASHINGTON - A federal judge has blocked the government from transferring 13 Yemenis from the U.S. detention center for terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, until a hearing is held on concerns the detainees may be mistreated in another country.

The judge's ruling temporarily blocks any plans by the government to transfer the detainees to prisons in other countries.

Lawyers for the Yemenis are worried the government will try to move them from the Guantanamo Bay facility to another country in order to "warehouse them in a prison, provide them with no legal process and, in effect, avoid the American court process altogether," Marc Falkoff, an attorney for the detainees, said Sunday.

U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer's ruling Saturday on an emergency petition blocks any attempt to move the Yemenis until a hearing is held on their lawyers' request for at least 30 days notice if their clients are to be transferred.

"All we want is an opportunity to ask the court to review whether the U.S. government is acting properly to move our clients out of Guantanamo," Falkoff said. "We are not asking for a veto power over any transfer. All we want is notice so we can ask a judge to review the legality of the transfer. We don't want our clients to be tortured. We don't want them to be deprived of due process of law."




Barbara Olshansky, deputy director for litigation at the Center for Constitutional Rights, which is coordinating the detainees' legal representation, said she expects lawyers for hundreds of detainees to file for similar action soon.

"We know that where they are sending them is where horrible things happen to the detainees," she said.

Lawyers for Guantanamo detainees filed the petition in U.S. District Court on Friday night, following a New York Times report that the government is trying to transfer at least half of the roughly 550 detainees at the facility to prisons in their home countries.

A senior defense official said earlier that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld wants the State Department to put more pressure on countries to take custody of some of their people who are held at Guantanamo Bay.

About 550 people from roughly 40 countries are being held there, many of them prisoners from the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Already, the military has released 211 detainees from Guantanamo, including 146 who were freed outright. The military has transferred 65 prisoners from the prison in Cuba to their home countries.

Falkoff, who has visited his clients on two weeklong visits to the detention facility, says he believes they are not terrorists.

"The government's evidence against them is the lowest quality, absolutely untrustworthy," he said. "My clients were in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Falkoff said one of his clients was threatened with being moved to either Egypt or Jordan, where he was told he would be tortured.

Ellie

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Al-Qaida Ability Diminishing
Associated Press
March 14, 2005

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Senior Bush administration officials have warned in recent weeks that al-Qaida is regrouping for another massive attack, its agents bent on acquiring nuclear, chemical or biological weapons in a nightmare scenario that could dwarf the horror of Sept. 11.

But in Pakistan and Afghanistan - where Osama bin Laden and his chief deputy are believed to be hiding - intelligence agents, politicians and a top U.S. general paint a different picture.

They say a relentless military crackdown, the arrests last summer of several men allegedly involved in plans to launch attacks on U.S. financial institutions, and the killing in September of a top Pakistani al-Qaida suspect wanted in a number of attacks - including the 2002 killing of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl and two failed assassination attempts against President Gen. Pervez Musharraf - have effectively decapitated al-Qaida.

Because of the secretive and underground nature of cells that operate throughout the world, it cannot be known for certain what effect the damage done to al-Qaida in its home territory has had on operations elsewhere.

Pakistani intelligence agents told The Associated Press that it has been months since they picked up any "chatter" from suspected al-Qaida men, and longer still since they received any specific intelligence on the whereabouts of bin Laden or any plans to launch a specific attack.




They say the trail of the world's most wanted man - long-since gone cold - has turned icier than the frigid winter snows that blanket the mountains between Pakistan and Afghanistan, where the terror mastermind is considered most likely to be hiding.

Pakistani officials have been quick to hail the long silence as a signal that it has already dismantled bin Laden's network, at least in this part of the world.

"We have broken the back of al-Qaida," Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao said last month in a speech in Peshawar, the capital of the frontier province on the border with Afghanistan. Musharraf added last week that his government had "eliminated the terrorist centers" in the Waziristan tribal region and elsewhere.

"We have broken their communication system. We have destroyed their sanctuaries," the president told reporters. "They are not in a position to move in vehicles. They are unable to contact their people. They are on the run."

A senior official in Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence spy agency told AP he couldn't remember the last time the agency got a strong lead on top-level al-Qaida fighters.

"Last year, we frequently heard Arabs on radios talking about their hatred for (Afghan President Hamid) Karzai and Musharraf for supporting Americans, and we were able to trace al-Qaida hideouts in South Waziristan," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "Lately, such conversations have decreased."

Pakistan's optimism seems to be backed by senior U.S. military officials in the region.

Maj. Gen. Eric Olson, the No. 2 American commander in Afghanistan, said he had seen nothing to indicate that al-Qaida was attempting to get its hands on nuclear or biological weapons.

There is "no evidence that they're trying to acquire a terrorist weapon of that type and, frankly, I don't believe that they are regrouping," he told AP in a Feb. 25 interview.

"I think the pressure on them here, the pressure on them in Pakistan, the pressure on them in Iraq, is pretty great and it makes very difficult for them to operate," Olson added.

The skeptical assessments from officials here fly in the face of warnings out of Washington, where President Bush is pushing Congress to approve a $419 billion defense budget for 2006.

The Homeland Security Department late last month issued a classified bulletin to officials that bin Laden was enlisting his top operative in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, to plan potential attacks on the United States.

There have also long been fears - though no evidence to date - that rogue Pakistani nuclear scientists might have provided bin Laden's men with the know-how to build a crude atomic device or dirty bomb.

Newly installed CIA director Porter Goss and other senior American intelligence and military officials warned last month that terrorists are preparing for new strikes.

"It may be only a matter of time before al-Qaida or other groups attempt to use chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons," Goss said at the Senate Intelligence Committee's annual hearing on threats, urging approval of the defense budget.

But Sherpao scoffed at such warnings.

"That is simply out of the question," he said of al-Qaida's ability to acquire weapons of mass destruction, adding that any al-Qaida leader who has escaped arrest was "more worried about their own safety."

"How can such people launch attacks with nuclear or chemical weapons?" he asked.

Maj. Gen. Olson, who leaves Afghanistan next month to return to the 25th Infantry Division back in Hawaii, said al-Qaida leaders were unable to use modern communications for fear of detection and were reduced to "16th century" techniques such as couriers. He said he wasn't discouraged by the success bin Laden and his deputy have had in releasing audio and videotapes filled with threats during the past few months.

"They can deliver all the videotapes they want, as long as they're not delivering weapons that can kill large numbers of people and I am convinced that their ability to coordinate large attacks like that is severely disrupted right now because of the pressure we have on them," he said.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Half A Dozen Lawmakers Have Kids At War
Associated Press
March 14, 2005

WASHINGTON - 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.

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."




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."

Ellie

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Americans Back Troops Via Bumper Magnets
Associated Press
March 14, 2005

SHAWNEE, Kan. - Sandra Wetmore, lover of country and supporter of troops, wanted a simple way to show her allegiances. So, like many other Americans, she put them on her bumper, sticking on a yellow, ribbon-shaped magnet that pleads "Support Our Troops" and others promising "United We Stand" and "God Answers Prayers." These magnetic ribbons have become fixtures on highways across the country, a symbol of people looking for ways to show support of the men and women overseas, or of issues such as breast cancer research and autism awareness.

"It's very positive," said Wetmore, 59, of Kansas City, Kan.

"I think it's immediate, I think it's cheap and I think it's something that you can say 'Well, I'm doing something,'" said Wichita State University sociologist Ron Matson.

A loop of ribbon has long served as a symbol of a cause, from red for AIDS to pink for breast cancer. Yellow ribbons became widespread during the Iran hostage crisis in 1979 and during the Persian Gulf War in 1991.

The magnetic version - mostly yellow or variations on the support-the-troops theme - began popping up on bumpers two years ago. Veterans' groups sold them and then mass retailers got in the act.




Today, so many have popped up - pledging support of everything from people with diabetes to victims of the Asian tsunami - that some find the trend laughable.

"Putting a ribbon magnet on your car is an empty gesture," said Jay Barnes, the author of AntiMagnet, a Web site devoted to ridiculing the trend. "It's prepackaged sentiment for a profit."

Jeff Poirier joined with friends to launch Support Our Ribbons, which offers magnets displaying messages such as "Support Our Ribbons," "I Support More Troops Than You," and "One Nation Under Ribbons."

"Ribbons support many causes," said Poirier, 25. "Isn't it time that we support them?"

Ellie

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MARINES GET HEROES' WELCOME

By ERIN CALABRESE

March 13, 2005 -- More than 100 New York Marines were welcomed home yesterday by dozens of relatives who were waiting with open arms.
"It feels good to be here," said Lance Cpl. Stephen Esposito, 20, after being mobbed at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn by his family — including his pit bull, Boomer.

"He said: 'Don't come unless you bring the dog,' " joked his mother, Gerrianne, 47.

After Boomer gave him a big, wet doggy kiss, Esposito — part of the 6th Communications Battalion, which was stationed in Baghdad for nearly eight months — got to meet his nephew for the first time.

Ryan Sandt, Esposito's 5-month-old godson, was clad in military fatigues for his introduction to his Marine uncle.

Esposito, a Brooklyn native now living in East Meadow, L.I., worked in motor transportation for the unit that supplied, organized and maintained all communications in and around Baghdad.

One-hundred and eighteen members of the unit arrived home yesterday.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Cooper River bridge to host final 10k run
Submitted by: MCAS Beaufort
Story Identification #: 2005311145143
Story by Cpl. K. A. Thompson



MARINE CORPS AIR STATION BEAUFORT, SC (March 11, 2005) -- On the morning of April 2, the Silas N. Pearman Bridge will be covered in a sea of humanity when more than 30,000 participants line up for the start of the 28th Cooper River Bridge Run and Walk, waiting for their last chance to “Get Over It.”

The starting gun at this year’s event will signal the beginning of a race and the end of an era. World-class runners and weekend warriors will be pounding the pavement of the Silas N. Pearman Bridge for the last time. The Pearman is scheduled to be torn down later this year. The event will move to the new Arthur Ravenel Bridge in 2006.

The 10K bridge run has been a Charleston tradition since its inaugural running in 1978. It has grown into the largest race in the Carolinas and the eighth largest 10K in the world.

A variety of activities are scheduled to take place, including a two-day expo at Gaillard
Auditorium, located at 77 Calhoun St., in downtown Charleston. The expo takes place March 31, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. and April 1, 8 a.m.-10 p.m. and will include a variety of vendors and information booths for participants. There will also be a Kids Run, a 7K walk and a post-race finish festival, which will include live music, food and more.

For additional information or to register for the Bridge Run, go to www.bridgerun.com. Online registration ends March 29 at midnight, and the cost is $30 for the run and $20 for the walk.
Shuttles will provide transportation on race day. People planning to participate in the run, it is recommended they be at the starting line before 7 a.m.


Ellie

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Weary but proud Marine unit deployed in Iraq 3rd time
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By Mike Dorning
March 14, 2005

FALLUJAH, Iraq - Lance Cpl. Nicholas Renkosik spent his 21st birthday battling to take a bridge on the outskirts of Baghdad. On his 22nd, he was hit in the jaw by shrapnel from a roadside bomb that detonated near his vehicle in western Iraq.

Next month, the gangly, 6-foot-2 Marine from Davenport, Iowa, turns 23. And once again he will be in Iraq - on his third tour of duty.

"I feel like I'm doing the right thing," said Renkosik, who could have remained in the United States because of a shoulder injury but went overseas again with his unit.

Renkosik's unit, the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, provided one of the enduring images of the fall of Baghdad, toppling a statue of Saddam Hussein before cheering Iraqis and a worldwide television audience.

The unit was once again part of a signature moment: In January, it became the first Marine battalion to return to Iraq for a third deployment, a Marine Corps spokesman said. More are to follow.

With less than six months in the U.S. between deployments, said Cpl. Kellen Scott, 22, of West Chicago, "it almost seems like I never left Iraq and my time home was just a dream."

On the first deployment, Lance Cpl. Dusty Lansdorf's family was anxious but supportive. On the second, they were incredulous that he had to return, said Lansdorf, 22, of Oroville, Calif.

Their reaction this time: "Don't go. You're rolling the dice too many times."

The unit's tough schedule is testament to the heavy burden U.S. ground forces have shouldered in a fight that has gone on much longer than the Pentagon planned, against more tenacious resistance than expected.

The men of "Darkside," as the battalion is nicknamed, have been present for many of the high points and low moments in a conflict that has taken plenty of unexpected turns.

More than half the unit's 800 Marines have been with the unit for all three deployments.

They speak of pride in having been part of a historic moment that their children and grandchildren will read about.

But they also murmur of weariness with their repeated deployments.

"They're tired. They're tired of being here," said Navy Lt. Matthew Weems, the battalion's chaplain.

During the drive to Baghdad that began two years ago this month, these men spent weeks in armored vehicles packed shoulder-to-shoulder in stifling, full-body biochemical gear.

They weathered a sandstorm so fierce that an outstretched hand could disappear in the swirling brown air. They fought through mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire to take a key bridge.

And afterward, they were welcomed with flowers and dancing in the streets by residents of the Iraqi capital.

A year later, after U.S. contractors' bodies were burned and hanged in Fallujah, these same Marines fought their way into the western Iraqi city, battling block by block, only to be forced to give up the ground.

Higher-ups called off the offensive. It was a painful setback that ate at many of the Marines during the months of monotonous duty in the Iraqi desert that followed.

Now they are in Fallujah again.

This time, they encountered a city largely in ruins, after an offensive that retook the town in November.

This deployment may have given the Marines "a bad taste in their mouth," said Staff Sgt. Michael Robinson, 32, of Fayetteville, N.C. But "they understand the mission. They accept it. And they're going to do it."


Ellie

[thedrifter]

He's no longer a young buck

Voice of 'Bambi' reminisces on DVD

By Roger M. Showley
STAFF WRITER

March 12, 2005

The story of "Bambi" did not end with Walt Disney's pastoral treatment in 1942. The deer – or at least the voice of the deer – grew up to be an abandoned teenager living in a Los Angeles boardinghouse, a Marine in Vietnam, a drill instructor at San Diego's Marine Corps Recruit Depot and a corporate executive retired to his home state of Texas.

And that all followed his 1939 appearance in the title role of "Son of Frankenstein."

Donnie Dunagan, now 70, is back in the news after 63 years, thanks to the release, on a two-disc special edition DVD, of the 67-minute cartoon classic, in which he and the voice of Thumper the rabbit and Faline, the girl deer, reminisce about their work on the film.

"Isn't it marvelous?" he exclaimed in a phone interview from his home in Texas.

But Dunagan said he told only family members of his Bambi connection until the news leaked out at a fund-raising event he emceed last year.

"I wanted to go to college to be a doctor," he said. "I didn't dwell on it."

The experience faded further into memory once he was drafted during the Korean War. He volunteered for the Marines and didn't dare tell his buddies in the field, much less the recruits he later drilled at MCRD.

"In the Marine Corps, I didn't bring it up because I was a pretty successful commander," he said, "and if the guys found out I was the model . . . "

Once Dunagan was outed as Bambi last year, a Texas TV station picked it up, his work on "Frankenstein" was featured in last October's Video Watchdog magazine, and Disney marketers tracked him down to include him on the bonus material on the new release.

Now, having received mail and calls from old Marines, who ribbed him about his days as a fawn, Dunagan has finally owned up to his contributions to this children's classic. He created his own Web site – www.donniedunagan.com – completed a publicity tour in England and booked appearances at film festivals and other venues.

For the few people who've never seen "Bambi," the story comes from a 1928 children's story by Felix Salten. Containing fewer than 1,000 words of dialogue, the movie uses music and impressionistic backgrounds and action to trace the deer from his birth, through the offscreen death of his mother (a shocking event to young viewers even today), a forest fire, defeat of a rival for Faline's hand, er, hoof, and the birth of twins.

It's a lyrical, funnier and more dramatic circle-of-life story than Disney's "Lion King," and, wouldn't you know it, "Bambi 1½" is due next year to cover the tween months from mom's demise to the young buck's first antlers. The title is "Bambi and the Great Prince of the Forest," and there's a preview on the DVD.

In some ways, Dunagan's life parallels Bambi's and could make a fairly compelling direct-to-video itself.

Born in San Antonio, Texas, he soon moved with his dirt-poor, Depression-era parents (father sold golf balls, mother cleaned houses) to Memphis, Tenn. At 3½, he won a local theater's talent show and the $100 prize by tap dancing to "A Tisket, A Tasket" on stage after only a few days' practice.

Within days, an RKO studio talent scout tracked Dunagan down, arranged for his family to go to Hollywood for him and won him a part in "Mother Carey's Chickens," released in 1938. The next year came "Son of Frankenstein" and, in between, he modeled and then voiced Bambi for Disney. It was his last movie.

After eight pictures, Dunagan said his parents proved incapable of handling their sudden good fortune, and their marriage fell apart.

"By 13½, I was in a boardinghouse supporting myself in Hollydale (a section of South Gate, Los Angeles County)," Dunagan said. Like his father, he found himself selling golf balls at a country club when he was drafted in 1952 and joined the Marines.

"I fell in love with the Marine Corps, got 13 promotions in 21 years, which has to be something of a record, and retired as a battalion commander," he said.

He was wounded several times while serving in the Vietnam War and received numerous combat and valor awards.

In 1977, when he was a drill sergeant at MCRD, he received a citizen-of-the-year award in San Diego for arranging food disbursement to World War II widows. He retired at year's end.

His early marriage had failed (he has a 49-year-old son), and he entered the corporate world, eventually settling in Texas and remarrying 13 years ago.

As for "Bambi," Dunagan remembers seeing the movie multiple times when it was released, six days after his eighth birthday.

"I was surprised by the mother being shot," he said.

The movie, coming as it did in the first year of World War II, was in stark contrast to many patriotic, war-related movies and escapist fare produced at the time. Its message – man is a threat to nature – represented a rather sophisticated, environmentalist theme that rings true even more so today.

The DVD release offers more appeal than just a pristine, digitized visual restoration with dramatically enhanced sound. The extras include nearly an hourlong documentary on how it was made; a visit to the Disney studio vaults, where much of the original artwork remains; and the obligatory "deleted scenes" – two segments showing Bambi eating winter grass and testing the snow.

Of surprising interest is a reenacted story meeting between Walt Disney and his staff working out character development and plot points – all drawn from a stenographer's transcription.

For toddlers, there are games and, for New Agers, there's a quiz to determine your favorite season ("Which of the following animals would you most like to be – a deer, coyote, butterfly or skunk?").

History buffs will enjoy a brief review of the events of 1942, and Disney fans can scroll through artwork, story sketches, movie posters and character designs.

Finally, Walt Disney is seen in a 1957 segment from his TV show discussing "Bambi," and the 1937 Oscar-winning short, "The Old Mill," also is included to illustrate how studio artists prepared for their first naturalist feature film.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Roger M. Showley: (619) 293-1286; roger.showley@uniontrib.com

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Local Marine keeps his promises while in Iraq <br />
<br />
By Vickie Speek <br />
Herald Writer <br />
CHANNAHON — A Channahon Marine is home after seven months of deployment in Iraq. <br />
<br />
Jason Daniels, 28, the son of...

[thedrifter]

Entrepreneur changes life, deploys to Iraq
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 200531071913
Story by Lance Cpl. Lucian Friel



CAMP AL QAIM, Iraq (March 06, 2005) -- Owning your own business can be rewarding in many ways. You're your own boss, you can control how you do business and make a lot of money.

But according to 28-year-old Lance Cpl. Kevin D. Taylor there is more to life than making a large amount of money.

The Warren, Ohio, native decided to join the Marine Corps just a couple of years after starting his own small construction company.

"I'm a patriotic person, and I started to realize that if I was going to say that we needed to be in this place or that place, military wise, than I needed to be willing to do it myself and put myself on the line. Not have everyone else do it all the time," explained the 1995 Champion High School graduate.

After graduating from high school and the Trumbull County Joint Vocational School for building trades, Taylor went to work for his father, David, at his chimney sweeping company.

He then branched off of his father's company and started his own smaller project, but after a few years of running his own business, Taylor decided it was time to do something he was passionate about.

"I got into firearms and weapons and I wanted to get into law enforcement or even the security industry. Even though I was making a good amount of money, I decided it wasn't about money it was a call for duty. I knew the military would be a good start and good on my resume," he explained.

So in early 2002, Taylor joined the Marine Corps' delayed entry program and left for recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., in the fall of that year.

Once he completed basic training, he went home to help the local recruiter and helped enlist one person.

He then attended the School of Infantry where he trained to become a machine gunner, which eventually lead him to his current unit, 3rd Battalion, 2d Marine Regiment.

The machine gunner deployed with the battalion to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in late 2003.

"I really felt that I was fulfilling my call for duty and my skills were put to the test. I was doing what I was meant to do and what I wanted to do," he said.

After his four-month deployment, Taylor returned to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., his unit's home base, to become a part of the battalion's operations and training section. He also became the battalion's school noncommissioned officer, responsible for placing the battalion's Marines in advanced schools to sharpen their skills.

Although Taylor has assumed more of an administrative role in the Marine Corps, when his unit deployed to Iraq in February, he still wanted to be involved in some of the operations.

"I would like to go on a few convoys, and I mainly want to see the local people here. When I was in Afghanistan, I could see how much the local people wanted us there and I know it would be the same situation here," he explained.

As Taylor's deployment in Iraq begins he looks back on the reasons he joined and he looks to the future sense of pride he will have.

"I will continue to serve and fulfill my duty and it will be an honor to say I was here, and I did my part," he said, chest swelling with pride.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

MSSG-13 trains with 'bouncing bulets'
Submitted by: 13th MEU
Story Identification #: 200534191719
Story by Staff Sgt. Jesus A. Lora - 13th MEU Public Affairs Chief



MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (March 4, 2005) -- The U.S. Embassy is under attack. Local villagers have gathered at the front gates; throwing debris inside the compound and shouting that the U.S. should leave their country and go home. All the while, clan leaders have ordered innocent bystanders to act as human shields. This scenario is a reality in today’s unbalanced world.

For scenarios like this one, the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit will rely on the tactically proficient unit known as the Tactical Security Element (TSE).

The TSE trained with non-lethal weapons at range 201 aboard Camp Pendleton on March 3rd. Marines from MEU Service Support Group-13 (MSSG-13) and Marines from Camp Pendleton’s Provost Marshal's Office honed their skills with the M1029 40-millimeter crowd dispersal rounds, M1012 12-gauge non-lethal point target cartridge rounds, M84 stun grenades and oleoresin capsicum spray.

“This is great tactical training,” said Gunnery Sgt. Rogelio Burboa, military police chief, MSSG-13. “Our training today will ensure that the units in theater will be protected.”
The day started with an M1012 12-gauge shot gun demonstration. The shotgun fired non-lethal point target rounds to stun individuals without penetrating the skin. This employment of munitions allows Marines to push back individuals and isolate targets to be detained by snatch teams.

“When we go on float, we will know our mission,” said Pfc. Jason Sauve, bulk fuel specialist and line-walker, MSSG-13. “This training will help me handle unforeseen missions that may arise. I’m glad that we are accomplishing this type of training; we are being trained the right way.”

Although, NLW is a deterrent that minimizes death or serious bodily harm, the weapons can cause serious injuries. It’s important for Marines to understand that NLWs reduce the risk of destroying the target, yet may cause harm when employed without proper technique.

Training continued for MSSG’s riot platoon. The platoon consists of 61 MSSG Marines. Each Marine is individually selected for this special billet. These Marines are dual warriors; tending to their own military occupational skills while being tasked as members of the TSE.

“This training gives us hands on experience with these types of weapons,” said Sgt. Brain Piendergast, bulk fuel specialist and NLW platoon instructor, MSSG-13. “It prepares us for riot control operations. You don’t always have to use deadly force.”

Training is everything to the Marine Corps. The riot platoon repeatedly rehearsed riot formations and crowd control operations until the mission was accomplished.

“NLW shotguns, tap down, fire, tap up ... Five steps forward, move!,” Sgt. Piendergheast yelled out movements to his platoon.

By the end of the day, the range appeared to be a sea of emptied cartridges. Marines had employed flash bang grenades, fired NLW weapons, the M240G, M249 Saw and executed vehicle dismount operations on to the objective.

“We now have weapons that will take care of certain missions,” said Piendergast. “We train so innocent individuals will not be harmed.”

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Video games train tomorrow's warfighters <br />
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division <br />
Story Identification #: 200531075116 <br />
Story by Cpl. Shawn C. Rhodes <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (March...

[thedrifter]

A devil dog, his canine
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 200531355059
Story by Cpl. Tom Sloan



HURRICANE POINT, Ar Ramadi, Iraq (March 12, 2003) -- It's been said many times, "A man's best friend is his dog." One Marine here certainly agrees with that saying.

Lance Cpl. Marshall S. Spring, a military working dog handler with Operation Force Protection, I Marine Expeditionary Force, has formed a special bond with his partner, a three-year-old Belgium Malonois named Rex.

"He keeps me happy while I'm here," said the 21-year-old Spring Ashland, Ore., native. "Being responsible for his well-being makes it harder for me to slip into a funk and feel anxiety about being deployed to Iraq,"

Spring and Rex are based out of Marine Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif., and are deployed here with 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Their mission is to conduct random vehicle checks at the three vehicle checkpoints outside the camp's perimeter.

The long-time dog lover said he plays ball with Rex when they aren't working.

"I enjoy throwing the ball for him and giving him his exercise," the 2001 Ashland High School graduate explained. "He cheers me up when I'm down, which isn't very often. But when I do feel bad, he makes me happy, because he's always happy."

Spring and Rex have had their share of close calls. Spring recently received a Purple Heart for wounds he received while returning to camp two months ago.

"We were riding in a (light armored vehicle) when an IED detonated on the side of the road as we passed," he recalled. "I took shrapnel to my left ear and hand, and the blast was so loud it ruptured my eardrum. Luckily, Rex was protected from the blast and didn't get injured."

Spring knows everything about his canine companion of almost a year.

"He's a co-dependent dog," said Spring. "He gets separation anxiety if I leave him for too long, like going to chow. Sometimes he has to be as close as he can get to me at night. He's also headstrong and the friendliest dog I've had."

According to Spring, Rex often jumps into his bed at night when insurgents are lobbing mortars at the camp.

Rex may be young, but according to Spring, he knows his job.

"He has the best nose of any dog I've ever handled," said Spring, who's handled three dogs during his career in the Corps. "He's just young too, which means he has got a lot of raw, natural talent. I see him becoming an even bigger asset to the military once he's fully mature."

Spring plans on leaving the Marines in a year and possibly returning to Iraq.

"I'd like to come back and work as a dog handler for a civilian contractor," he said. "Either that, or working as a handler for the (Department of Defense).

Ellie

[thedrifter]

3/2 Marine re-enlists on tank in Iraq
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 200531351747
Story by Lance Cpl. Lucian Friel



CAMP AL QAIM, Iraq (March 12, 2005) (March 12, 2003) -- CAMP AL QAIM, Iraq (March 12, 2005)- "When a Marine reenlists, your officers are pretty lenient when it comes to where you want to have the ceremony," explained SSgt. Benjamin Ricard, the battalion training chief for 3rd Battalion, 2d Marine Regiment.

The Cartersville, Ga., native reenlisted here in a way he thought would impress his two sons at home.

Ricard reenlisted on top of a tank.

"The tank symbolizes strength and America in Iraq. My kids are into trucks, trains and tanks, so they'll think it's the coolest thing in the world. Plus, how many people do you know can say they did that," explained the graduate of Bay Shore High School, Bradenton, Fla.

Ricard originally joined the Marine Corps after high school because he wanted the Corps to make him a man.

But now after his second reenlistment, he's realized that the Marine Corps has grown on him.

"I'm not ready to give it up yet, I love it too much. It has its good days and bad days, but I think it's grown on me," he said.

This is Ricard's first deployment to Iraq and he's anticipating what might occur.

"I'm looking forward to the experience and ensuring all my Marines come home safe. I like being a part of Marine Corps history and to know they're going to write about us someday for doing something great here," explained the former School of Infantry instructor.

At the beginning of his new enlistment, Ricard set himself goals to accomplish.

"I want to spend more time with my family when we return home. My new wife, Mutsuko, and my two little boys Logan-Ryan and Nikolai are the most important people in my life. That's why I waited to reenlist on my son's birthday. It meant a lot to me to do that," he explained, smile stretched from ear to ear.

Ricard looks back on his career thus far and can see how the Corps has helped him in his life.

"I look around now that I'm older at other people my age who think about what they didn't do or could have done. But I don't do that in the Marine Corps. It's what sets us a part from everybody else," he explained.

When Ricard was questioned about his plans to stay in the Marine Corps and continue this path in the future, he responded with full confidence and belief in his answer.

"They're will have to throw me out, they're will have to tell me my time is up and that I'm done. But the way I see it, this reenlistment on the tank only gives me something to top the next time around," he explained.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Giving could show these Marines we're glad they're home

Mar. 12, 2005 12:00 AM

Soon, they will be coming home. For seven months, they've been in Iraq.

For seven months, they've lived in a war zone, with an enemy they can't see but one they know is always watching.

For seven months, they've watched, too, for the attacks that can come from anywhere, knowing even as they watch that they won't see the one that kills them. advertisement




For seven months they've lived with roadside bombs and rocket-propelled grenades and enemies willing to die, if only they can take a few Marines with them. They've patrolled booby-trapped streets and battled door to door in defense of this place so far from home. And every morning at their post, they've raised the American flag, attaching to it the dog tags of the men among them who have died.

Fifteen sets of dog tags at last count.

Now, after seven months in Are Ramadi, in the heart of Sunni territory, the 2nd Battalion of the 5th Marine Regiment is coming home to Camp Pendleton in California.

Nancy Bozich of Mesa called me this week to tell me and to make a request.

"My issue is not a life-threatening one," she said, "nor is it world changing."

On TV, if it makes TV, you'll see smiling daddies holding children and men in the joyful embrace of wives and mothers. But Bozich told me that many of the men in the 2/5, as it's called, won't have those moments because no loved ones will be there to welcome them home.

"Most of these guys don't come from privilege, and families can't afford to fly out to welcome them back," she said. "It's just not a common thing. To think that all these families are going to show up. Uh-uh. It doesn't happen."

Bozich is among a group of family members working on a welcome home party for the 1,300 Marines in the 2/5, including her son Lance Cpl. Kyle Zipf. (The 21-year-old Mountain View High School graduate, by the way, will be hauling a bit a hardware home with him: a Purple Heart and a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for heroism.)

As for the homecoming, it won't be anything fancy, mostly banners and yellow ribbons and a few of the women are making cookies and such.

"It may sound simple and unglamorous but to these Marines, it will be a welcome sight," Bozich told me.

But it could be more, and that's where we come in. You see, these Marines will come home with no cash in their pockets and for the 800 who live on base, no way to immediately get any.

To make their first hours a little nicer, Bozich and the others are hoping to provide each with a bag of things they can use: shower supplies and snacks and most important, a long distance phone card for those who have no one there to greet them.

While you may think that getting such things donated would be a snap, it's not. Especially not when you need 800 of everything and you need it inside of a week.

I don't know if it can be done. I do know that it's worth the asking. For many of these men, this is their second tour in Iraq, one far deadlier than the first when they helped topple Saddam Hussein. Many of these men are 19 and 20 and 21 years old.

Nancy Bozich is hoping to collect gift cards to either Costco or Wal-Mart, so she can buy supplies in bulk. Shower kits already have been donated but as for the rest, they are working from scratch.

If you'd like to help, call her at (480) 247-0727 and she'll happily pick up whatever you can give. But do it quickly because they will be coming home soon.

Here's our chance to say welcome.

And thanks.



Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-8635.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Free Stuff for Troops

http://www.operationhomelink.org/ - Free computers for spouses or parents of deployed soldier in ranks E1 - E5.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/2/prweb106818.htm - free mail/gifts sent to children of deployed soldiers.

https://www.operationuplink.org/ - Free phonecards.

http://anysoldier.com/ForSoldiersOnly.cfm - To sign up for sponsoring soldier care packages for theater.

http://www.appreciateourtroops.org/forourtroops.shtml - To have commander sign up for mugs for unit troops.

http://www.operationshoebox.com/ - free shoebox care package.

http://www.treatthetroops.org/ - free cookies.

http://bluestarmoms.org/airfare.html - lowest airfare available.

http://bluestarmoms.org/care.html - free care packages.

http://66.241.249.83/ - free air conditioners/heaters.

http://www.heromiles.org/ - free air travel for Emergency Leave, and for the family members of injured soldiers to travel to Medical facility.

http://www.bluestarmothers.org/airlinespecials.php - Airline discounts for R & R.

http://www.booksforsoldiers.com/forum/index.php - free books, DVD's, CD's.

http://prayercentral.net/engage/militaryprayer/daily.php - daily prayer and scriptures.

http://www.militarymoms.net/sot.html - free care packages (your family member signs up to have sent to you).

http://operationmilitarypride.org/smsignup.html - free care packages.

http://www.soldiersangels.org/heroes/submit_a_soldier.php - get adopted to receive stuff.

https://www.treatsfortroops.com/registration/index.php - free gifts and care packages.

http://www.emilitary.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=354&pid=664&st=0&#entry664 - free bible, Christian video, and book for spouse/family members of deployed troop.

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Nov2004/n11232004_2004112312.html - free shipping/packing materials for shipping to troops.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Welder to warrior; Fond du Lac native answers call to serve
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing
Story Identification #: 20053861128
Story by Cpl. Rocco DeFilippis



AL ASAD, Iraq (March 8, 2005) -- On Sept. 11, 2001, Anthony J. Kondziella knew what he had to do.

Thirty days after the tragedy of that dark day, the Fond du Lac, Wis. native was raising his right hand to affirm the oath of enlistment into the United States military. On Oct. 11, 2001, he joined the Marine Corps' Delayed Entry Program.

"I was deeply bothered that [terrorists] attacked our country," said the lance corporal who is currently serving as a machine gunner with Marine Wing Support Squadron 271 in here. "It motivated me to serve."

The 2003 Fond du Lac High School graduate left for Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego in August 2003.After finishing basic training and Marine Combat Training he reported to U.S. Army Garrison, Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Md. for training as a welder.

Although he graduated from the 63-day welding course, Kondziella saw little work as a welder, and quickly traded arc welding and acetylene torches for convoys and a machine gun.

"I've welded one thing since I've been in," he said.

In July 2004, Kondziella volunteered for his squadron's provisional rifle platoon; a small unit that takes Marines from various job fields and trains them in infantry tactics to provide security for forward operating bases, convoys and numerous other operations.

"I've always wanted to be in the infantry," said the 20-year-old who joined the Marine Corps on an open contract. "When I had the chance to be with the rifle platoon, I jumped at it."

Now that his squadron is deployed, the platoon's mission has changed. Changing their name to match their specific mission, providing security for the unit's explosive ordnance disposal team; the new Immediate Reaction Team deploys on short notice to protect the bomb technicians as they work to combat improvised explosive devices.

Having gained the trust and respect of his noncommissioned officers, Kondziella has earned his position behind a medium machine gun. When the team rolls out, he stands ready behind the big barrell.

"I worked hard and learned the weapons really fast," he said. "I spent a lot of time training with and learning everything about the weapons systems we have."

The reaction team trained for a year in preparation for this deployment, but Kondziella has been preparing himself to go to war since the day he joined.

"The day I went in, I knew I was going to be deployed to fight the global war on terrorism," he said. "I tricked myself into thinking I wasn't scared. I thought, and still think, about the good parts of deploying and serving a greater cause."

During the times between security patrols "outside the wire", Kondziella and the Marines in his unit spend their days rehearsing combat scenarios, studying weapons and tactics and exercising.

"We don't have any time to goof off, we stay busy all day," he said. "We are definitely well prepared. We take our job very seriously and are dedicated to completing the mission."

Kondziella is engaged to be married in August 2006, and says although it's hard to be separated, he knows thousands of Marines like him are sacrificing for the greater good.

"We are not out here for ourselves," he said. "We are out here for the people of this country. The days are long and hard, but it's worth it."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

March 14, 2005

Corps boots uncertified cobblers

By Laura Bailey
Times staff writer


If your combat boots have taken a beating in the desert, you may want to get them resoled. But before you do, think twice before taking them to just any cobbler around town.
That’s the message of a Feb. 15 Corpswide announcement that warns Marines against using uncertified cobblers for resoling their boots for normal wear and tear.

“[Boots] should only be resoled as a last resort and then only by certified vendors,” the message said.

A spokesman for Marine Corps Systems Command at Quantico, Va., said the announcement was made because some Marines took their boots to cobblers who didn’t resole them to Marine Corps standards, resulting in a voiding of the warranty.

The announcement doesn’t reflect any problems with the current combat boot.

“They weren’t resoling them correctly. They weren’t putting on the right glue, and it didn’t meet the standards,” said Systems Command spokesman Capt. Jeff Landis.

Instead of taking your boots to the shoe repair off base, you must choose between two cobblers approved by the Marine Corps. They are NuShoe, based in San Diego [www.nushoe.com/usmc or (800) 330-7463], and Resole America in Warrenton, Va., [militarybootrepair.com or (888) FIX-SHOE]. Each vendor requires Marines to send their boots through the mail by ordering a prepaid boot mailing package online. The service takes two to three weeks.

NuShoe also has Monday and Thursday pickup at the tailor shop at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., and the recruit PX at Point Loma near San Diego.

Landis said Systems Command is looking to expand the number of certified cobblers so Marines can get the fixes quickly without having to send their boots away.

More authorized boot makers

Along with the resoling decision, Systems Command announced it will increase the number of authorized manufacturers to sell both hot-weather and temperate-weather boots. This will give Marines more places to buy the boots and help those in remote locations to get them faster, Landis said.

Four manufacturers are authorized to sell the boots: Bates Uniform Footwear, Danner Inc., Belleville and Cove Boots.

The additional manufacturers have not yet been selected. Systems Command will approve them as they qualify, Landis said.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Moreno Valley, Calif., native looks back on Marine Corps career
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 2005310142450
Story by Lance Cpl. Lucian Friel



CAMP AL QAIM, Iraq (March 7, 2005) (March 07, 2005) -- When Sgt. Matthew I. Campbell decided to join the Marine Corps, he knew it was the life he wanted to lead.

And now that his five-year contract is nearing its end, he looks back on his career with a sense of accomplishment and looks to the future and this deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom to determine whether or not he stays in.

After graduating from Valley View High School in 1995, the Moreno Valley, Calif., native worked for Gulf Stream Aerospace in the avionics department.

But after a few years, Campbell decided it was time to travel and start down the path he wanted to live.

"I always wanted to be a Marine, and I wanted to get out of California and see the rest of the country and different parts of the world. Plus I would get paid to do it," he explained.

Campbell joined the Marine Corps in 2000 and signed a five-year contract to be a machine gunner with a security forces option.

"I've been shooting since I was about five and this was a good opportunity to use different weapon systems," Campbell said.

He completed recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego and finished his basic machine gunner instruction at the School of Infantry at Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Campbell then made his way to Chesapeake, Va., to security forces school for two months where he learned how to provide security using different tactics and techniques.

"After school, I was sent to Kings Bay, Ga., guarding naval special assets for six months before I went to close quarters battle training. I was the honor graduate and high shooter of the class," he explained.

In June 2003, he was assigned to Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, N.C., with 3rd Battalion, 2d Marine Regiment where shortly after his arrival he was deployed to Cuba as a part of the Anti-terrorism Task Force.

"It was a good experience. But, I just recently got married to my wife, Vanessa, so it was kind of hard in that sense," he explained.

Campbell was recently appointed the Battalion Gunner's assistant and the battalion's training noncommissioned officer.

"I assist in all of the battalion level training and I'm the chief machinegun instructor," he said.

His current deployment to Iraq that began in February will be the deciding factor in his decision to reenlist.

"It all depends on how this deployment goes and how my wife handles the stress of the deployment. I'm still looking forward to doing my job out here and making sure that all my Marines make it home, but I can't wait to get home to my wife and son," he explained.

Even if Campbell decides to get out of the Marine Corps, he knows what he has gained because of his service and knows what he wants to do.

"Being a Marine has given me a better work ethic, I'm better at working under pressure. If I get out I still want to work with weapons and training," he explained.

Campbell is faced with big decision to make, but is confident he will make the right one.

"When you have a big choice to make you have to do your research and know what you're getting yourself in to. I know I'll make a good choice, but looking back on the path of my Marine Corps career, I wouldn't change a thing," he explained.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Brooklyn, N.Y, native enjoys Marine Corps
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 200531013328
Story by Pfc. Terrell A. Turner



MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (March 10, 2005) -- When it comes to deploying to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, most are happy to serve their country but apprehensive about going.

After the experience of his first deployment, Lance Cpl. Louis Henriquez, a Brooklyn, N.Y., native wants to deploy again.

Henriquez was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, but moved to Brooklyn in 1996.

Enlisting after high school, Henriquez joined the Marine Corps and did something he could be proud of while gaining a few life-changing experiences.

“I deployed to Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, March of last year as a translator,” Henriquez explained. “It felt great to go back home and help out my people.

“I speak French and Creole (a French dialect), and I felt I was able to help immensely by preventing a language gap,” he explained.

Deploying to Haiti may have swayed Henriquez’s mind about Iraq.

“I wouldn’t mind going if I get the chance, I actually want to deploy,” he said.

For now Henriquez is using his talents to help Marines here. As an audit clerk with Headquarters Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, he’s responsible for helping Marines check into the division.

“I make sure that their dependant’s information, pay entitlements and life insurance is up to date,” Henriquez said.

Enriquez has an active personality and he likes to stay busy.

He plays basketball as a hobby competing against friends. He gained an appreciation for basketball after starting school in the United States.

The 2002 Springfield, Gardens High School graduate played on the school’s basketball and soccer teams and was captain of the volleyball team.

“I still enjoy sports,” Henriquez said. “I also enjoy movies, music, reading and writing.”

Henriquez also enjoys the Marine Corps but his family was not so optimistic about the whole idea.

“At first they didn’t like the idea...they weren’t thrilled at all,” Henriquez said. “If you ask them now, they are proud. They had a change of heart.”

Henriquez isn’t sure whether he will reenlist but he still has goals for the future.

“I plan on going back to school to major in film and writing and possibly get a degree in law,” Henriquez explained. “I’m still young so there’s time.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

3rd MAW families welcome Marines, sailors home <br />
Submitted by: MCAS Miramar <br />
Story Identification #: 20053910339 <br />
Story by Lance Cpl. Skye Jones <br />
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MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. (Mar....

[thedrifter]

America Supports You: Country Singer Has Veteran’s Perspective


By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 14, 2005 – Country singer Craig Morgan said that his performances overseas to support the troops serve a couple of purposes: to catch up with old friends and make sure the troops know people care.

Morgan said he appreciates the chance to catch up with friends he met during his years as an Army Ranger, including serving in Panama in 1989 for Operation Just Cause.

“I get the opportunity to go over there and visit with them and get caught up and kind of get a feel for what’s going on with them and know that everything’s kind of OK,” Morgan said today in an interview with the Pentagon Channel and American Forces Press Service.

His other purpose for the trips serves a loftier goal: Making sure the troops know they are supported.

“I want to go over and let the soldiers know how much that America supports what they’re doing,” he said, “not just them individually, but the mission that they have undertaken.”

Morgan said he knows that kind of support is important because he remembers how he felt as a young soldier serving overseas when celebrities came to entertain.

“When I go overseas now it’s really weird, ‘cause I can remember the impact that artists and celebrities and entertainers had on me as a soldier when they came over to serve us,” he said. “It was such a cool thing.

“To have a soldier come up to me in a place like that and say, ‘You know what? For a few minutes there, I forgot where I was at.’ It’s just the most wonderful thing in the world,” Morgan said. “Of all the things that I do, that’s right up there with being on the Grand Ole Opry.”

Having experienced combat helps Morgan communicate with troops better than someone who hasn’t served or been in a combat environment. He said it gives him an avenue to start a conversation, gives them some comfort and lets them know that there is “light at the end of the tunnel.”

Morgan’s joining the “America Supports You” team is another way for him to emphasize that he and America support the troops.

“There are so many people that I run into in my life, in particular when I’m doing concerts, because of my past, my service to my country, they ask me, ‘You were just over there talking to soldiers. What can I do?’” he said.

“It’s nice now to be able to say, ‘Look. It’s really simple. Go to AmericaSupportsYou.mil. It’s so simple that my 8-year-old child can do it.’”

Morgan said the America Supports You program is an easy way for those who want to help to choose their preferred method of support, whether it’s a letter or a monetary donation or some other form of support. There are many options for Americans who want to support the troops.

“It’s a way for America to show the soldiers how much they support them and what they do,” Morgan said. “That’s something I want to be a part of. I’m just real excited to be a part of that, and I can’t imagine another organization that’s doing what they’re doing to the magnitude that they are.”

His efforts to support the troops go beyond performing for them overseas; he supports deployed troops through stateside events as well.

Last fall, he participated in the 7th Annual Warrior Relay. Money raised from the relay goes to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. That non-profit foundation has provided college tuition for the children of fallen special operations personnel since 1980.

“I worked with the Special Forces element. A lot of my friends are still in … serving with the Special Forces elements,” Morgan said. “I can’t imagine a soldier who is in a situation over there dealing with what he’s dealing with and having to worry about if something happened to him if his family would be taken care of.

“A soldier serving his country and willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for his country should never have to worry about the safety and well-being and welfare of his children or her children,” he said.

The next time Morgan sings for the troops, it’s a sure bet that they’ll hear, “That’s What I Love About Sunday,” his single that hit No. 1 on country charts March 14.

Another high point this week was today’s visit to the Pentagon. “After hearing the #1 news, getting to meet Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, Vice Chief of Staff Army General Richard Cody, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Public Affairs, Internal Communications and Public Liaison Allison Barber was icing on the cake,” Morgan said in a press release issued by his record label.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marines wow crowds with music and eerie precision

By Claire St. John
VACAVILLE - A drum cadence started up and a block of men and women dressed in red jackets, white pants and spit-shined black shoes marched to the center of Travis Credit Union Field.

Then they scattered, their bright silver instruments winking sun at a capacity audience. Moving through formations on the field, they belted out a big brassy sound to frequent clapping.

The Marine Drum and Bugle Corps and Silent Drill Team are usually on call in Washington, D.C., to wow visiting dignitaries and heads of state or to pay respects at funerals in Arlington National Cemetery. But on Saturday, they stopped by Vacaville on a short swing through California.

"Vacaville is a pro-military town, so we're so pleased to welcome the Marines," said Mayor Len Augustine to an eruption of clapping and whooping.

On the field, the Drum and Bugle Corps ran through their routine, striding toward the crowd when the music swelled or mincing cross-wise when the notes turned staccato.

The musical talent of the group was obvious during a rendition of The Brian Setzer Orchestra's "Rock this Town," replete with jazzy solos and slow, languid steps. When a trumpet spiraled above the stands, the straight-laced, in-step military veneer seemed to belie the hearts of great jazz musicians.

"They're very motivating," said Brandi Esslinger, a Pinole Valley High School senior and a member of the Marines' delayed entry program, which familiarizes students before they join.

As the drum and buglers left the field to their original cadence, the black-and-white Silent Corps came onto the field. As a group, they looked almost snake-like in their precision.

Without cadences or commands to keep the routine together, they stood in a long row and flipped their 10 1/2-pound, M-1 rifles with eerie clockwork motions.

The audience was entirely silent except for a bulldog gnawing on a squeaky toy.

Student military groups from Contra Costa County, Fremont and the tri-city area watched as rifles flipped end over end to smack with a dry rattle into a white-gloved hand.

"I'd totally see them again," said a student from Fremont.

The corps and team tour to heighten awareness of military service both past and present, Staff Sgt. Justin Bakewell said.

"When we're out here, we're really trying to represent the entire Marine Corps," he said.

When both groups had marched off the field, people filed out to watch young men red-facedly doing chin-ups, or to buy shirts that said, "Pain is only fear leaving the body."

"We're going to run out of those," Major Michael Samarov said.

Reach Claire St. John at cstjohn@dailyrepublic.net or 425-4655.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

HQBN Marines medal at PacDiv Matches <br />
Submitted by: MCB Hawaii <br />
Story Identification #: 20053112014 <br />
Story by Sgt. Joseph A. Lee <br />
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MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii (March 11, 2005)...

[thedrifter]

Marine uses his connections to bring fun to the fight
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 200531264846
Story by Sgt. Stephen D'Alessio



CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, RAMADI, Iraq (March 11, 2005) -- In the 21st Century Marine Corps, rest and relaxation just isn't the same as it used to be. That's where Sgt. Banks, the 2d Marine Division Morale, Welfare and Recreation liaison steps in to keep Marines' spirits high.

As the division conducts stability and security operations in the Al Anbar Province of Iraq, the Marines of Headquarters Battalion and other support personnel on the camp need a break from the high operational tempo - and reading dime novels isn't going to satisfy them. Sergeant Cryst Banks, a 21-year-old personnel administration clerk and Washington D.C. native makes it his business to keep them happy.

On an average day, Banks opens up his email and checks for requests from the division's major subordinate commands. His next action is to get on the phone and make his rounds. The well-spoken and assertive Marine may get asked for anything from DVDs to Sony PlayStation games - depending on what's available for purchase. Usually he sees a few requests and follows through in a reasonable amount of time, using his connections to get what he needs.

Other times, the requests aren't that easy. Some arrangements can take two to three weeks.

"It's all who you know and when to call them," Banks confidently stated. "I was recently asked to get American Idol 3 winner Fantasia Barrino to come here and perform," said the 2000 Suitland High School graduate and honor society member. "It'll be tough, but it's always a possibility."

Getting famous people to come out to an area like the volatile Sunni Triangle might be a lofty order, but Banks has pulled through for the Marines already.

Banks is currently posting bills all over the camp for the upcoming duo, Hack and Slash, the comedian sword-fighting entertainers who perform at Renaissance Festivals all over the U.S.

Colin Quinn, a veteran comic and former comedy writer for Saturday Night Live is touring some of the camps this month to boost morale in between missions with his standup comedy. Banks also does his best to arrange for transportation and lodging. But sometimes the stars have to live just like the Marines.

"I get a lot of positive feedback from the Marines I speak with," said Banks. "So I know it's working. But I have a lot more work to do. I'm writing a letter to Oprah to see if she can help convince stars like Norah Jones to come visit us. I have my contacts, but they only go so far."

As Banks continues to network in this area of operations for the benefit of his brethren, he strives to make the best of his career. Banks is just a few credits shy of a bachelor's degree in political science from Howard University.

Banks plans to make a political career after he leaves the Marine Corps. He is on his second tour in the Corps and supported Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan in 2002. Next, he plans to try for orders to the Pentagon.

"I want to be in that environment, because one day I hope to be a senator or at least in some area of politics," said Banks. "But right now my main priority is keeping people entertained and taking their mind off of things - even if it's just for a short while.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Military working dogs sniff out trouble
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 200531362851
Story by Cpl. Tom Sloan



AR RAMADI, Iraq (March 12, 2003) -- The Marine Corps' first line of defense against insurgents bringing explosives and materials to make Improvised Explosive Devices into the southern part of the city here, bordering the banks of the Euphrates River, are three service members and their four-legged partners.

Each day, Sgt. Christopher L. Olinger, Air Force Tech Sgt. Robert P. Hansen and Lance Cpl. Marshall S. Spring, military working dog handlers with Operation Force Protection, I Marine Expeditionary Force, and their canines, Jack, Nero and Rex, can be seen searching vehicles at the three vehicle check points just outside Hurricane Point's encampment perimeter.

The three working dog teams are deployed with 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"Our mission is supporting (the infantry battalion's) VCP's," said Olinger. "Our dogs can sniff out all kinds of explosives. They'll find IEDs, grenades, rockets, and even rifles and ammunition."

Forty to 50 vehicles are randomly selected and searched each day in an effort to detect and stop IEDs and vehicle born IEDs from being delivered and detonated.

The dogs sit and look at their handlers the moment they pick up the scent of residual odor, which is what they've been trained to detect, according to 27-year-old Ferndale, Wash., native.

"When Jack takes a seat, I know there's something in that vehicle or on the driver," he said. "I then do a more in-depth chemical test."

Handlers administer the gun residue test on the area of the vehicle where their dog made the detection. It can determine the type and amount of ordinance. The driver and passengers are also tested, he added.

"Jack hit on a briefcase in one guy's trunk here last week, he recalled. "There wasn't anything in it except the residual, which means there was some type of ordinance or material to make a bomb in it. The driver's hands also tested positive for residual."

According to Olinger, who's also a black belt in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, he and Jack have discovered a number of items Iraqis shouldn't possess.

Just recently, they found a loaded semiautomatic pistol and an AK-47, he said.

"Jack picked right up on them," he explained. "After I found the weapons, we (Iraqi Security Force Commandos and Marines) detained him and sent him away for further questioning."

Hansen, a 34-year-old Heathsville, Va., native, was working a VCP a few days ago and his dog, Nero, alerted on a vehicle.

"Right away I knew something was in there," said the four-year-veteran working dog handler. "The residue test confirmed there was traces of TNT in the vehicle and on the drivers hands. He was detained and taken away for questioning."

Spring, a 21-year-old Ashland, Ore., native, and his dog, Rex, recently made a discovery of their own while working a VCP between Hurricane Point and Snake Pit.

"Rex responded on the inside of a car door," said the 2001 Ashland High School graduate. "The only thing I could see in the side pocket was a wad of money."

Testing on the money showed it had traces of explosive ordinance on it. The driver, however, didn't test positive, said Spring.

Military working dogs get paid just as their handlers do. Their pay is not in the form of money, though. They work for a special blend of dog food and playtime with a toy called a cong.

The cong is a black, rubber object that resembles a snowman, which handlers throw for their dogs to chase. Its path is unpredictable because of its design, and the dog never knows which way it will bounce.

"The cong is designed to bring out the dogs natural, wild drive to chase after prey in the wild," explained Olinger. "They only get it when they are working though. The cong would loose its value to the dogs if they got to play with it all the time."

Olinger explained the concept is like giving a human their favorite food for every meal of every day. After a while, it wouldn't be their favorite and they would loose interest in it.

Military working dogs are fed a special blend of dog food, which is prescribed by Department of Defense Veterinarians. The dogs are fed twice a day, in the morning and evenings.

"They can't have anything else," said Olinger. "We can't take the chance on them getting sick and not being able to work. They are too valuable."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

MWCS-28 maintains smooth communications in Al Asad <br />
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing <br />
Story Identification #: 20053117152 <br />
Story by Sgt. Juan Vara <br />
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AL ASAD, Iraq (March 11, 2005) -- The...

[thedrifter]

New River Marines 'drop in'
March 17,2005
PAT COLEMAN
FREEDOM ENC

HAVELOCK - Residents of Cypress Bay, a private community off Adams Creek Road, got a surprise Wednesday afternoon, when an open field in their neighborhood became an impromptu landing pad for a CH-53E helicopter from New River Air Station.

"I'm watching my son's two miniature (Dobermans) and they went ballistic," said Rich Bigelow, whose back yard opens onto the field. "When I looked out the window, I saw one land and the other fly around it like a mother hen."

The two helicopters from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 461 were conducting a training operation over the Neuse River around 2:30 p.m., when the pilot of one detected a mechanical problem.

"They decided to make a touchdown to find out what the problem was," said Capt. Joshua Truesdale of Cherry Point's Public Affairs Office.

"It wasn't an emergency - it was a safety landing to set down and check on the problem."

Since an aircraft that measures 99 feet in length is an uncommon sight in the quiet residential area on the Neuse River, it didn't take long for neighbors, both two- and four-legged, to congregate for a closer look at the Sikorsky-built helicopter.

Bob Connolly, whose home is in Cypress Bay, was an engineer for the helicopter builder in the 1960s.

"I built the first ones back in 1967 and '68," Connolly said. "That's what they were building when I was working there."

Connolly and another neighbor, Bob Colburn, engaged the flight crew in some good-natured ribbing about ownership of the landed aircraft, which was on private property.

"Since we own it, we've got to do something with it," Connolly told the pilot.

Joking aside, neighbors were quick to offer coffee and the warmth of their homes to the crew. Insisting that they needed to stay with their aircraft, they declined the invitations but not the coffee.

"The pilots really wanted to say thank you to the people of Cypress Bay for bringing out the coffee," Truesdale said. "They are real appreciative of all the assistance they got."

Truesdale said a quick assessment revealed a problem with the helicopter's hydraulic system.

The second helicopter returned from New River with replacement parts less than two hours later, and Marines repaired the helicopter where it sat. They had it in the air again a few minutes before 6 p.m. - just 3 ½ hours after it landed.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Faces of Corps sought for TV
Submitted by: MCB Camp Pendleton
Story Identification #: 200531711351
Story by Lance Cpl. Joseph DiGirolamo



MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (March 17, 2005) -- The Marine Corps is calling on eight Marines who have "the look" to accept military orders to Hollywood.

The mission?

It's classified - until the Marine Corps debuts its next television commercial on stations around the country this fall.

The Marine Corps Recruiting Command, along with its advertising agency, J. Walter Thompson, is teaming up to produce the newest "ooh-rah" commercial, primarily designed as a recruiting tool.

Camp Pendleton will host one of several casting calls March 21, 22 and 25 at the San Luis Rey Officers Club from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Noncommissioned officers, male or female, age 24 or younger, are welcome to audition.

"Every sergeant, corporal, lance corporal, PFC and private are eligible, and we don't know which man or woman will have what it takes," said Gunnery Sgt. Christopher W. Cox, advertising chief at the Marine Corps Recruiting Command.

Capt. Dan J. Weidensaul, the command's advertising officer, said the audition will entail no singing, dancing or acting - merely a photo shoot and a one-minute video clip, along with some paperwork.

Marine actors will have no speaking roles, he explained.

"All we're looking for is, do they have the right look," he said.

Prospects must be physically fit, free of tattoos and have a good record of service. They must also be available during the production dates - April 18-22 and May 1-6, Weidensaul said.

The Marine Corps' last commercial, called "The Climb," was made in 2001. The commercial starred a real Marine - not an actor.

The Corps began advertising on TV in the early 1970s, Cox said.

"The Marine Corps' first television commercial, called 'Rose Garden,' was released in 1971, shortly before the introduction of the Department of Defense's all-volunteer force," Cox said.

The commercials often depict striking imagery - like a Marine slashing away at a lava monster - designed to represent the transformation from recruit to Marine.

"It's to tell a story of the transition a Marine makes," Cox said.

Marines who make the cut will be briefed about the commercial after their initial casting call.

"Talent scouts" will evaluate Marines at eight different installations. Once the selections are made, they'll be contacted and temporary additional duty orders will be cut for filming, Cox said.

"This commercial will be a milestone in Marine Corps history, as the Marines who participate will showcase the Marine Corps' image to the American public," he added.

E-mail Lance Cpl. DiGirolamo at joseph.digirolamo@usmc.mil.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

In search of shamrocks
Submitted by: MCB Camp Pendleton
Story Identification #: 200531711026
Story by Lance Cpl. Daniel J. Redding



MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (March 17, 2005) -- To the untrained eye, it may just seem like a weed. But for many, a four-leaf clover is much more than that. As America marks Saint Patrick's Day with parades, green garb and gatherings geared toward revelry, this Celtic charm continues to hold a centuries-old mystique.

Any Camp Pendleton Marines looking to find a lucky charm can head over to the Mitchell Paige Fieldhouse, said Mark Schaer, manager of Fields and Grounds for the Semper Fit Division of Marine Corps Community Services. The area between the parking lot and the field house has many dark green patches, made up of the White Clover plant.

But there are plenty of other places on base where a four-leaf clover might turn up, he said.

"It is very easy to find White Clover on base in all field areas in front of buildings," said Deborah J. Bieber, a botanist and head of the Land Management Branch here.

Schaer - whose job it is to keep the fields green - confirmed White Clover is prevalent here.

"There are clovers all over base. Most of the clovers on base are three-leaf, but occasionally you will find a four-leaf," he said.

But three people's 20-minute search of the lawn outside the fieldhouse Monday came up empty, with nothing but three-leaf specimens to show for it.

The White Clover plant, or trifolium repens, is considered the true shamrock plant from which four-leaf clovers stem, said Andrew C. Safko, president of Clover Specialty Company, a Florida-based firm (www.fourleafclover.com) that markets four-leaf clovers.

Normally, the fourth leaf of the lucky find will be smaller than the rest of the clover.

But don't be fooled.

The Pepperwort, Water Clover or Oxalis plants moonlight as fake shamrocks and can produce four-leaf clovers.

The fourth leaf is an "environmental mutation," Bieber said. "It's a random error when it does grow."

Essential to shamrock lore is the religious belief, held by many of Irish ancestry, that the three-part clover represents the Trinity, or the three-in-one view of God, according to Safko.

"A four-leaf clover is not four different leafs, but is actually one leaf that segments into several different parts," Safko said. "Since it's not separate leafs, but four parts of one entity, this leads to the belief that it symbolizes the Trinity."

Safco went on to clarify the different definitions of the fourth leaf.

"The religious connotation for the fourth leaf is that it stands for God's grace, but the common idea is that it's simply a good-luck omen," Safko said.

The three-leaf shamrock clover, originally bred in Ireland, has come to symbolize the Irish culture for many. A part of Celtic tradition harking back to Druid culture, the myth of the shamrock eventually led to the modern belief that the four-leaf clover is a good-luck charm.

Others have viewed the four segments as signifying faith, love, hope and, of course, luck.

E-mail Lance Cpl. Redding at daniel.redding@usmc.mil.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Seminar: Reunions can have rough edges <br />
Submitted by: MCB Camp Pendleton <br />
Story Identification #: 200531011146 <br />
Story by Lance Cpl. Daniel J. Redding <br />
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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif....

[thedrifter]

Senior enlisted Marines reenlist in Iraq
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 2005312115648
Story by Cpl. Tom Sloan



HURRICANE POINT, Ar Ramadi, Iraq (March 11, 2005) -- Combined, the two Marines with 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment have almost a half-century of dedicated service to the Corps. Both, however, decided it wasn't time to throw in the towel.

Sergeant Maj. Charles D. Blumenberg Jr., sergeant major, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines and Master Sgt. Roland Salinas, the infantry battalion's operations chief, swore to devote more time to the Corps during a reenlistment ceremony in front of fellow Marines.

Blumenberg enlisted in 1979 and has served 24 years with three years of broken service.

"I'm in it for the long hall, and I'm in it for the Corps," said the 42-year-old from Chiefland, Fla.

Blumenberg reenlisted for three more years instead of the standard four.

"I'm undecided on what to do," he said. "I can say I'm going to retire, but I don't know what the next few years will hold. I'll just have to wait it out and see. Like I said, I'm in it for the long hall."

Salinas enlisted in 1986 and has served more than 19 years.

He could have reenlisted at Camp Pendleton prior to deploying, but decided to wait.

"This is my first time to re-up in a combat zone," said the 42-year-old from San Antonio, Texas, who also signed up for three more years. "This is a once in a lifetime experience. I didn't get any sort of bonus, but that doesn't matter to me."

Salinas plans on retiring after this term and going to work for the United States Postal Service branch in his hometown.

"I want to be a mailman," he said. "All I want to do is carry and deliver the mail."

Though the two senior-enlisted Marines didn't rate a bonus when they reenlisted, many Marines with combat arms military occupational specialties do.

Riflemen and other Marines with infantry MOS's could earn themselves a large chunk of change if they reenlist this year. What's more, their bonus money is tax free if they reenlist while deployed here supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, and it will be paid in one lump sum, according to Staff Sgt. William E. Beschman Jr., career retention specialist for 1st Battalion, 5th Marines.

The Department of Defense designated Iraq to be a tax-exclusion zone, which means any money earned while in Iraq won't be taxed, explained Beschman, 32, of Cincinnati.

"I'm looking at preparing fifty or so reenlistment packages while we're here because the bonus incentives," he said. "When we are through here, lots of Marines who reenlisted here will come back to Pendleton after we leave driving new vehicles."

Marines with infantry MOS's are looking at collecting the largest bonuses, Beschman explained; lance corporals reenlisting will get $19,691, corporals will receive $21,446 and sergeants will collect $23,611.

"The money will hit their bank accounts a few weeks after putting in their reenlistment package," he added.

According to Bescham Marines interested in reenlisting and collecting bonuses should see their career retention specialists.

"Marines have until June to reenlist and cash in," he said.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Finding their religion
Wartime experiences, uncertainties in Iraq have made many in U.S. military more mindful of their faith

By Mike Dorning, Tribune correspondent. Tribune staff reporter James Janega, at the Al Asad air base in Iraq, contributed to this story
Published March 15, 2005


FALLUJAH, Iraq -- The explosion was fierce and frightening, breaking the midnight peace with a flash of light and a powerful shock wave.

But, somehow, only one of the artillery rounds hidden beside the road detonated as Sgt. Bonel Pierre's convoy rolled past last May. The 24-year-old truck driver escaped injury.

So began the journey of faith that led Pierre early this month to a baptismal font dug into the desert at a Marine base in western Iraq.

"I figured if God had spared me this one time and spared me other times, it was time to get dedicated to him," Pierre said, shortly after he emerged from the baptismal water.

For many servicemen and women, duty in Iraq stirs intense spiritual experiences, often drawing them toward a deeper faith but sometimes challenging strongly held religious beliefs.

Pierre was the second Marine baptized at his camp that day. And at least three Marines in his 800-member battalion have felt a call to religious ministry while in Iraq--including Pierre, who plans to devote his life to a music ministry once he completes his enlistment. Pierre, a Protestant, has already composed several "praise songs," or hymns.

At Camp Fallujah, a few miles away, the Catholic chaplain performed two dozen adult confirmations or baptisms during a seven-month tour of duty.

At a nearby patrol base in a bombed-out soda-bottling plant, five roommates gather for Bible study and prayer sessions three times a week. All over Iraq, Bibles are a common sight in barracks, as are inspirational texts such as Rick Warren's "The Purpose-Driven Life."

For some Christians, standard equipment includes crosses, rosaries and prayer cards. Medals of saints, such as Christopher, patron of travelers, and Michael, the warrior archangel, are popular even among non-Catholics. Some squads and platoons regularly start patrols with a group prayer.

Though members of the U.S. armed forces are overwhelmingly Christian, military chapels are non-denominational and in some cases used even by Wiccans. Servicemen and women of all faiths are finding that the war has changed their approach to religion.

Amid the devastation

Lance Cpl. Jordan Parlier, 21, a Jewish Marine from Kenosha, Wis., said that during the 2003 push into Baghdad, he began seeking religion amid the devastation of war, and found answers from a Jewish friend a few months later in Najaf.

Now at the massive Al Asad air base near the end of his second deployment to Iraq, Parlier has become the lay Jewish leader for his battalion. Though he has yet to have his bar mitzvah, his tours in Iraq have deepened his religious convictions, and he treasures his religious bond with other Jews.

"You kind of look within and you look for a higher authority that's going to help you get through," he said. "It almost feels like an emancipation."

1st Lt. Dennis Katolin, 24, also at Al Asad, embraced his mother's Muslim faith at age 19.

During his deployment to Iraq over the last seven months, he has served as the guest speaker at a chaplain's religious studies course and fasted during Ramadan, trying to set a good Muslim example "because the enemy was taking my faith and twisting it."

In a place where at any moment death can come from above through a mortar round or from below through a roadside bomb, mortality takes on a new immediacy.

"My biggest concern is not what happens to me because I'm taken care of [after death]," Katolin said. "That takes away one of the biggest fears out here."

Deployed in Iraq without television, nightclubs or even members of the opposite sex in many units, service members find that there are far fewer distractions than at home. For those so inclined, there is plenty of time to contemplate issues of purpose in life and relations with a higher power.

"Back in the States, you have years and years to think about things, or at least you think you do," said Navy Lt. Leslie Hatton, a Marine chaplain and an ordained minister in the Evangelical Church Alliance. "Here, they might not get older. Death and life and all the big questions are thought about at a much younger age."

For many, God's hand appears far more evident when so much is so clearly beyond the control of individual will.

Pierre's story of faith intensified by a near miss is not unusual. In Mahmoudiya, Staff Sgt. Hank Rimkus wiped his laptop computer clean of porn and reconciled with his estranged wife after a rocket hit his Humvee but did not detonate. He now wears an orange wristband inscribed, "When in Doubt, Pray."

"I got the message. I don't want him to send another one," said Rimkus, 29, a Marine reservist from Des Moines.In Fallujah, a rocket landed right between Cpl. Dan Turner and his twin brother,both Marine reservists. It also was a dud.

`There was a purpose'

"How did that happen? There was a purpose to it," said Turner, 22, of Dallas, who is now studying the Bible. "It wasn't luck. God made that rocket not explode."

But the dilemmas that can test faith also arise with a special intensity. How does a soldier reconcile a benevolent God with the violent deaths of friends and the intense suffering inflicted on the wounded? How does a person heed the call to love thy enemy when that enemy kills his friends and would eagerly behead him, too? How does a person of faith kill without regret?

Gunnery Sgt. Juan Morales, 38, of Joliet, Ill., a Marine reservist who in civilian life is an accountant and a Catholic churchgoer, has avoided church services since arriving in Iraq.

For the time being, Morales said, he deliberately walls off his religious beliefs as a potential "distraction" from his duty to protect a Marine Corps commanding general who must travel Iraq's perilous roads.

"If I have to pull the trigger, I don't want to hesitate," he said.

Still, Morales keeps a St. Michael's medal in his pack.

Maj. Francis Piccoli, 42, a Marine public affairs officer who at home in Woodbridge, Va., faithfully attends mass and sends his children to a Catholic school, went only to Christmas services last year and even then did not take Communion.

"There's so much hatred in my heart," said Piccoli, whose duties include examining reports on Marine casualties and insurgent attacks. "There are some heinous acts."

"How can you go there, participate in the Eucharist, accept the body and blood of Christ, without the willingness to forgive? It's contrary," he said.

Forgiveness will have to wait until he gets home. "I'll work at it," he said. "It's easier once you get out of a certain environment."

Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Aaron Neely, a chaplain's assistant who has served with Marine units on three deployments in Iraq, said it is common for faithful Christians in the military to struggle with the contradiction between their feelings toward the enemy and their moral beliefs.

"It's one of the more frequently asked questions," said Neely, 21, of Jeffersonville, Ind. "Sometimes, it comes out as, `Does God expect me to love these people?' or `How can I love these people?' Sometimes, it comes out as, `I hate 'em. God will have to deal with it.'"

Uncertainties of war

Gunnery Sgt. Jean-Paul Courville's picture is on display in some of the churches back home in Denham Springs, La., so the congregations will pray for him. For a Southern Baptist, those prayers are a source of strength.

But Courville, now on his third deployment to Iraq, said there was a time when he would almost cringe upon hearing someone quote Scripture.

One of Courville's duties has been to collect the dog tags of Marines killed or seriously wounded. By the end of his second tour, he had collected 11, including one from a corporal he thought had great promise. Cpl. Daniel Amaya was 22 when he died.

"I hate to say it. I questioned why this happened," said Courville, 32. "All of these other guys were prayed for, probably as much or more than I."

Those uncertainties grew as he was on his way home after his second deployment. One day, during a phone call, his mother started to quote Scripture and he let out an audible sigh. She asked why.

After he explained his feelings, she told him: "I can't explain it to you in great detail. But there's a bigger and greater reason why the Lord has put his hand on you and protected you."

Somehow, that did it. It helped to hear the words from her.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

15TH MEU(SOC) joins fight in Iraq
Submitted by: 15th MEU
Story Identification #: 200531725246
Story by Gunnery Sgt. Robert Knoll



BAGHDAD, Iraq (Mar. 17, 2005) -- The opportunity for the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) to enter Iraq and contribute to the war on terrorism has finally arrived, midway through their six-month deployment.

The MEU arrived at their forward operating base here earlier this month and immediately began preparing to conduct security and stabilization operations in their area of operation. Before arriving in Iraq, they spent more than two weeks in Kuwait zeroing their weapons and refining other basic war-fighting tactics.

All coordination to move the unit was made by the Command Element’s logisticians along with the help of additional logisticians from each major subordinate unit, according to Gunnery Sgt. John Owens, 33, the command element logistics chief and native of Springfield, Ohio. Combined, they coordinated the movement of tons of gear, vehicles, weapons, along with more than 1,600 Marines and sailors.

About 1,200 of those individuals were moved by strategic airlift using Air Force C-130 aircraft and Army CH-47 Chinook and UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters. Nearly 400 Marines and sailors traveled with the cargo and vehicles in tactical and commercial convoys from Kuwait. The movement went smooth with only one minor delay for what was believed to be an improvised explosive device, which turned out to be a false alarm.

With old “libo” floats long gone because of the ongoing war on terrorism, the 15th MEU was expecting this assignment. The unit had this in mind when they began additional urban skills training immediately after their last deployment. It was especially emphasized by the I MEF, G-7 section that was responsible for training the MEU and certifying them “Special Operations Capable.”

Nearly every training exercise was customized to prepare the unit for this Area of Operations. Battalion Landing Team 1/1, the ground combat element of 15th MEU, is performing searches for weapons caches, high-value targets, and augmenting traffic checkpoints, according to Lt. Col. Matt “Mad Dog” McEwen, 43, executive officer and native of San Diego.

“All the missions have gone well so far,” McEwen said about their progress in the region, but was cautious by saying there is still a lot of work to accomplish. The whole area is susceptible to IEDs, mortar and rocket attacks, he added.

McEwen also said that the Marines have been doing a great job of staying vigilant to the various threats. Recently, Marines conducting a routine mission noticed moped with wires hanging out of it. 15th MEU explosives ordinance disposal technicians were called and it turned out to be an IED.

The MEU is also manning various vehicle checkpoints in their AO to prevent the movement of weapons and insurgents throughout the area.

At the FOB, MEU forces have augmented the Army’s security forces by taking over a number of guard towers and an Entry Control Point or ECP, according to Capt. Dustin Ballard, 31, force protection officer and native of Monroe, Ore. He and his force protection chief, Staff Sgt. Andrew Wiseman, have organized more than 50 Marines to stand the posts. They work directly with Army, and Iraqi Army forces to maintain the FOBs security. “I’ve been pretty impressed with the Army,” he said about their setup of the security positions and the level of support being provided to 15th MEU.

To prepare for these operations, the MEU spent extra time purchasing specialized protective equipment, such as uparmor kits for HMMWVs and upgrades for weapons systems. All of these improvements were made to ensure the Marines were properly equipped for their work in Iraq.

This assignment comes shortly after 15th MEU wrapped up humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations in Indonesia and Sri Lanka. They were called to assist those nations after they suffered devastating effects from a massive earthquake and ensuing tsunamis. The 15th MEU, working with Expeditionary Strike Group 5, provided thousands of pounds of humanitarian aid to those affected by the disaster.

Now in Iraq, the MEU joins a host of different Marine, Army and National Guard units already in country. Many of the Army units are here for one year, while other tours vary in length. The 15th MEU will be in country until their mission is complete.

The 15th MEU is no stranger to this country. They first made their mark just two years ago when they crossed the border from Kuwait and conducted an overwhelming assault to secure the Iraqi port city of Umm Qasr during Operation Iraqi Freedom I.

Their mission was to secure the port facility and protect it for follow-on logistical and humanitarian operations, which they did with complete success. The MEU then continued their push north by securing the Iraqi Naval port of Khor Az Zubayr and then later securing and stabilizing An Nasiriyah for further reconstruction efforts.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Surviving The Test Of War
By Cliff Newell
Forest Grove News Times
March 18, 2005

Soldiers from the war in Iraq are returning and telling their stories, and two of them have returned to their native Forest Grove in recent days.

Dave Farrin, a lance corporal in the Marines, and James Gibson, a staff sergeant in the Army, have returned much the same young men as when they left, for which their families are tremendously thankful. They have come through the fires of war with their physical health and spirits intact.

They share other important similarities. Both men believe the war has received unfair coverage in the American press. This disappoints them more than it angers them because they believe that the good things accomplished by the USA far outweigh the bad.

As far as the soldiers are concerned, they say the war has overwhelming support.

David Farrin

Kim Farrin, David's mother, took a photo of him just before he left to serve in Iraq. When looking at it now, she shakes her head.

"He looks like a baby," she said. "I can’t believe it."

Farrin has changed from the boy who graduated from Forest Grove High School in 2002 and liked to paint roadsters as a member of the Motor Sports Club. For one thing, his arms are covered with so many tattoos that he looks like the illustrated man.

Yet Farrin came through nine months of combat in some of the Iraq war’s toughest battles, Fallujah and Najof. He seems not just calm but serene.

"David came home like the guy I sent there," Kim said. "I feel blessed, very blessed.

"I asked him why and he said it was because of the way he was raised. God brought him home safely."

As far as his own unit went, Farrin felt its mission was accomplished.

"We drove out the insurgents," he said. "We surrounded the whole city (Fallujah), and they had nowhere to go. For us it went pretty smoothly. Just a few of us got shot and nobody died."

As for his first time seeing heavy combat, Farrin said, "It was definitely difficult. I had to keep my head in the game and not think about home or anything else."

Oddly enough, Farrin’s Marine unit was not even originally slated to see combat in Iraq.

But when El Salvador decided to pull out its troops two months early, Farrin’s unit was sent in.

Actually fighting in a war was something many young Americans were not figuring on when they enlisted for military service. That group did not include David Farrin.

"He knew war was possible," Kim said. "We discussed it. I couldn’t tell him not to do it. But we made sure everything was on the table before he went."

"I didn’t join just for the college tuition," Farrin said. "To people like that I say, 'Why did you join then?’ "

As for experiencing war for the first time, Farrin said, "I was not nervous. We had a lot of training before we left." And anyway, "a lot of stuff doesn’t bother me."

What did bother him was the picture of the war given to the American public.

"The people in Iraq love us," Farrin said. "The people doing the fighting are from outside Iraq. Syria, Turkey, places like that.

"When we would go outside the gate, all the people would come running up to us and say, 'Mister! Mister! Take my picture!’ They gave us peace signs and thumbs up. They tried to give us food."

While "news travels real slow" in Iraq, Farrin did not like what he heard.

"They don’t see all the good stuff," he said. "They just cover the fighting. It was kind of weird. It seemed like they were trying to screw up the military."

When Farrin came home he got a tattoo. Then he went out for breakfast with his entire platoon, even the Marines who had been wounded and had come out early. He also got a chance to reflect on his countrymen.

"People in the U.S. take everything for granted," Farrin said. "It’s amazing."

Coming home has been sweet, but Farrin still faces more service in Iraq. He will likely return sometime between July and December. The prospect does not faze him.

"That’s what I signed up for," Farrin said.

He figures on coming back for good.

"I’m going to have a lot of stories to tell my kids someday."

James Gibson

James Gibson and his 3-year-old daughter Tabea have been inseparable during his visit to Forest Grove. Watching her progress in learning to tie her shoes has been fascinating, and he has been taking her to all kinds of interesting places.

"We’re going to the park, shopping and going to the park," he said.

Gibson was deprived of Tabea’s company for over a year due to his service in Iraq, and a trip to the park certainly beats working in summer heat of 150 degrees. "I can’t explain how that feels in long sleeves" wearing body armor and carrying 55 pounds of ammunition.

Not to mention the bullets, artillery shells and bombs.

"You just soldier on," Gibson said. "Your training and job overtakes the fear."

One of the most frightening and fascinating things a human being can experience is encountering war for the first time. Gibson left Forest Grove 10 years ago to make the Army his career, and he has had two previous deployments in Bosnia and Kosovo. But Iraq was his first time in combat.

"Every time I was in a firing engagement it was surreal," Gibson said. "You would think it was something else, then you would realize what it actually was. Then your training took over. You were reacting before you knew what you were doing. Our unit was very well trained.

"We dealt with a lot of roadside bombs. We were in the middle of the Sunni Triangle on Highway 1, which everyone has heard so much about. There was small arms fire and ambushes."

But the primary mission for Gibson’s unit was rebuilding the country. It was such a gigantic task that he felt he was sometimes working a 24-hour day.

He said, "Our unit alone spent millions to build schools, irrigation facilities, city council halls, roads, and rebuilding the Iraqi army so they can take over the war. In over a year I didn’t expect them to make half the progress they did. It’s amazing how these guys came in and went about building a better Iraq."

Gibson’s greatest moment was Jan. 30 – election day in Iraq.

"Watching thousands upon thousands of people coming to vote made it all worthwhile," he said. "Seeing all those people lined up to vote was amazing."

It was this day and other days of progress in Iraq that cause Gibson to take issue with coverage of the war.

"I don’t think people back home are getting the full picture," Gibson said. "There has been a lot of focusing on negatives. We could do 500 missions with the Iraqi army and 499 of them could be successful, and the only thing covered would be the one that went bad.

"People don’t see the new schools opening, the two or three toy and supply drops every month, people getting clean water. This has been a very successful mission. One that 99 percent of the soldiers are supporting. It is being spun like everyone doesn’t want to be there."

Gibson’s mission in Iraq is over. He has been promoted to platoon sergeant and "my job will be to prepare it for combat and whatever missions are down the pipeline."

But Iraq will be very much in his thoughts.

"It will be a few more years before Iraq can stand on its feet," Gibson said. "It’s going to be a slow process, but it’s going to work. Through Iraq, peace is going to spread. We’re going to see people in the Middle East voting and having a voice."

Soon Gibson will be returning to Germany to start training his platoon, but his homecoming has been a wonderful time.

"I get to fall in love with my wife (Katrin) again and I get to see my little girl." First on his agenda is another trip to the park.

"You really like the slide, don’t you?" he asks Tabea.

"The swing, too," said Tabea.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Captain Gets 45 Days For Iraq Assaults <br />
Associated Press <br />
March 18, 2005 <br />
<br />
FORT CARSON, Colo. - An Army captain convicted of assaulting Iraqis was sentenced Thursday to 45 days in military prison...

[thedrifter]

Identity theft on the rise <br />
Submitted by: MCRD Parris Island <br />
Story Identification #: 2005318102556 <br />
Story by Cpl. Cpl. Matt Barkalow <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
MCRD/ERR PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. (March 18, 2005) -- A new...

[thedrifter]

Marines receive award for heroism
Submitted by: Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa
Story Identification #: 200531892120
Story by Sgt. Brian E. McElaney



DJIBOUTI CITY, Djibouti (Mar. 18, 2005) -- Three Marines from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron-461 Detachment Bravo were awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal during an award ceremony here March 4.

Sgts. Jason Gibson, maintenance controller, and Chris Lord, flightline mechanic, and Maj. Sean Salene, aircraft maintenance officer, were awarded the medals for heroism during a training accident at Godoria Range, Djibouti, on June 22, 2003. During the incident, an 8th Air Force B-52 Stratofortress from Diego Garcia inadvertently attacked their position, killing a co-pilot, injuring seven others and destroying two CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters.

The event was a routine supporting arms training exercise, according to Salene, who piloted Aircraft 12, one of the helicopters destroyed that day. The mission was to demonstrate American firepower to coalition officers and staff members from Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa. The exercise involved members of the Army 10th Mountain Division firing mortars, with the two B-52s droping Litening II targeting pod-guided 750 pound bombs and providing close air support. Finally HMH-461 was to conduct an aerial gunshoot.

Air Force Special Tactics Squadron ground controllers established an observation post a mile from the target area on top of a plateau. Observers from CJTF-HOA joined them on one side with the helicopters resting a little over 150 yards away preparing for the gunshoot, according to Salene. The exercise was going off as planned, until the first B-52 fired on the wrong target … dropping nine bombs on the CH-53Es.

According to the Marines involved, what happened next was a blur.

“You know that feeling of a car accident - that last moment seems to last forever?” Salene asked, describing the moment. “That is what it was like. I heard a loud cracking sound, and for a brief moment, I hoped it was from the other side of the hill.”

The bombs instead left a line of craters across the tail ends of the aircraft. Salene recounted flames and smoke erupting from the impact area as 5,000 rounds of .50 caliber ammunition, flares, chaff, small arms ammunition and over 20,000 pounds of fuel started to erupt.

“It was mass hysteria,” Lord remembers. “All the Marines ran towards the scene.”

According to Salene, responding was not an easy task. Smoke and heat made running to help extremely difficult.

“I remember thinking to myself, I can’t run any faster,” Salene said. “So I tore off my Kevlar [helmet], flak jacket and pistol, but over that rocky volcanic terrain I just couldn’t run fast enough.”

Gibson and Lord said they raced to Marine Cpl. Steven Johnson, satellite communication operator, CJTF-HOA communications operations, who had been blown clear of the wreckage, applying a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. Explosions from the aircraft forced them to move Johnson to the safety of the casualty collection point before they continued rendering aid.

“It was so smoky you couldn’t see where you were going,” said Gibson. “You didn’t have time to think - all you could do was just react or get hurt.”

Marine Cpl. Joseph Trivone, crewchief, HMH-461, was walking to one of the helicopters when the bombs impacted dealing him “multiple shrapnel injuries to his back, a broken right hand and nearly severed Achilles Tendon” and throwing him to the ground, according to the citation on the Navy and Marine Corps Medal he received. He immediately recovered and recognized the voice of Capt. Seth Michaud, co-pilot of Aircraft 11, calling for help.

Trivone noticed large holes throughout the aircraft and flames engulfing the wreckage, according to the citation. Ignoring his own injuries, he raced into the burning aircraft and carefully carried Michaud out of the aircraft.

“Cpl. Trivone gave an almost superhuman effort,” Salene said. “He later said, ‘I heard and recognized Capt. Michaud and couldn’t just leave him in there to burn.’”

Salene reached Trivone with Cpl. Kevin Keeney, logistics Marine, HMH-461, and assisted Trivone in carrying Michaud away from the burning aircraft to the casualty collection point.

At the collection point, Navy Lt. Eric Netland, flight surgeon, HMH-461, was suffering from wounds to a leg he would later lose, according to Salene. Despite the destruction of his surgeon’s equipment in the explosion, he did what he could to instruct the care of the others wounded. Marines used t-shirts, blouses and whatever they could find to provide aid while others began to ferry water from the observation post – all while dodging debris and errant rounds from the burning aircraft.

“The doc was passing in and out of consciousness, but he was still trying to help others,” Salene recalled. “Ultimately, the Marines had to rely on buddy aid … rudimentary battlefield first aid … the very basics we learned in Boot Camp or The Basic School.”

Helicopters were called in to evacuate the wounded to Camp Lemonier where six of the eight injured were transported to Bouffard Hospital, a nearby French military hospital. According to Salene, the flight back to Camp Lemonier was an emotional one for all involved.

“They were so young,” Salene remembers. “I saw that look in their eyes through the dirt, and the sweat, and the blood. I just wanted to dust them off and hold them and tell them it would be all right.”

At Bouffard Hospital, Michaud died from his wounds. Netland, remained in critical condition; however doctors were able to save his life after platelets were flown in later that evening. The next day the wounded were flown to Landstuhl regional Medical Center in Germany for further treatment, Salene said.

Salene attributes the lives saved to Marine Corps training and values. “The bond we have in this unit was probably the most important thing,” he said. “Regardless of gender, age or rank they all did the right thing and without prompting.”

While they received their awards for heroism, the Marines attribute their actions to their training, not any extraordinary feat.

“It took a long time to digest everything that happened,” said Lord. “I’m just glad we were there and able to help. I don’t think we did anything any other Marine wouldn’t have done in the same situation.”


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Fighting Irish celebrates heritage in Iraq
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 2005317144834
Story by Lance Cpl. Lucian Friel



CAMP AL QAIM, Iraq (March 17, 2005) -- For many Americans with Irish heritage, St. Patrick's Day is the day to celebrate their roots with their family and friends.

But for Lance Cpl. Bryan A. Crane, a native of Billings, Mont., this year will be a little different.

The 2002 Derby High School graduate is celebrating his Irish roots in Iraq.

"I'm Irish on my father's side. His ancestors founded the island of Crane, imagine that, off the coast of Ireland. So, St. Patrick's Day is a part of my family," explained the former baseball shortstop.

According to Crane St. Patrick's Day is a big deal back in his hometown.

"It's always been a big thing in my city. We have one of the largest St. Patrick's Day parades in the country. They close the schools, you can ride the buses, there are beverage stands at every corner and most of the roads are closed. It's the coolest thing," explained the mail clerk with 3rd Battalion, 2d Marine Regiment.

This year will be Crane's first time missing the celebration in a long time, but he still plans to celebrate in Iraq.

"I'm going to go to church and probably call my family, but there's not really much I can do for it out here. I'll still remember to honor my background and roots by just remembering the sacrifices they made," he explained, pointing to the clover tattooed on his arm.

Crane is responsible for handling all the battalion's mail in Iraq.

"It takes about two weeks for a package or letter to get from the states to Iraq. It's my duty and job to get the mail out to the Marines in a timely fashion so they can receive word from home," he explained.

According to Crane, sorting and distributing an entire battalion's mail can be difficult at times.

"The hardest part about this job is getting an entire shipment of mail and people wanting you to get it done in one night. But I understand the rush and I try to get it done as fast as I can because mail is an important thing out here," he continued. "Mail is a huge morale booster. A Marine could be completely exhausted from being out on a patrol or a raid and come back to the camp and have a letter waiting for him. I get to see the look on their face when they get a letter or a care package from home."

The days here seem to run together, but he said that this day, St. Patrick's Day, sticks out in his mind for good reason.

"This is a day Irish people can be proud of their heritage and who they are. It's seen by America as a major holiday and a great day for Irish culture. I just hope everyone back home is celebrating this day the way they should," he explained.

While Crane is celebrating his own background and culture he also recognizes the opportunity that is around him.

"I look forward to seeing us help the Iraqis set up a good system so they can take control their country. I have the opportunity to experience and see how another culture lives," he continued. "So here I am in Iraq celebrating my own culture and learning about another one at the same time."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marines stop terrorism with good deeds
By Phyllis Edwards, STAFF WRITER03/16/2005
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The date was particularly fitting for the mission involved when Gunnery Sgt. Edward Brysiak Jr. flew to Djibouti, Africa.


Brysiak, a Marine reservist from Glenolden, was called to active duty and shipped out for the Horn of Africa on July 4, 2004, as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.


"We're establishing a footprint over there, bringing prosperity to the people. By helping the people out it's going to deter terrorism," Brysiak said in a recent telephone interview from Camp Lejeune, N. C.


According to Marine Corps statistics, Djibouti is centrally located in the Horn of Africa on its northeastern shore, just a short hop across the Gulf of Aden from Yemen and the Middle East. It is a perfect port of entry into the rest of the Horn, comprised of Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya. The Horn of Africa has a population of about 659 million, half of whom are unemployed. There are 3.3 million refugees and 10 million displaced persons in the Horn. Twenty-six million people are HIV positive.


Brysiak contrasted the work done by the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force with terrorist operations in the area.


"Terrorists go into deprived areas and do recruitment. The terrorists hate Americans so they go into a place where people are dying, starving, and offer them prosperity, 'join our cause and be able to eat and be disease free.' But they don't really offer them anything. Just by us being out there doing civil affairs projects, we're offering people prosperity," he said. Marines drilled wells, rebuilt schools, helped train the Djiboutian Army, gave medical treatment to the local people and inoculated their animals to cut down on disease.


The Marines lived in tents at a former French Foreign Legion Marines lived in tents at a former French Foreign Legion base. "I'm a very simple man. As long as I have a rack and not even a sleeping bag, a place to sleep and a place to eat and I'm living in paradise," he said.


Although he wanted for nothing Brysiak received an outpouring of mail and packages from back home. "I was getting packages out there from people I didn't know. It made the other troops jealous in a way. I told them Delaware County is just incredible. It's a very Marine Corps county, I think. The troops grew to know if Gunny B gets a package we're all getting a package. I used to break it out and share it with everyone," he said.


Brysiak's church, St. Hedwig in Chester, was "extra generous" and adopted the Djibouti orphanage. "Children in that orphanage saw shoes on their feet for the first time because of my church," he said.


Base life reminded Brysiak of the popular television show MASH that was based on the Korean War. "That's exactly what it reminded me of. We had a bar out there we called the cantina. We made our own entertainment, the most silliest things you saw on MASH, we did the same things," he said. He has a scrapbook full of pictures with humorous captions. A photo of an enormous turtle bears the caption, pet of the week.


The men had to deal with extremely hot climate conditions. "Normally in a desert environment you get dry heat but we were so close to the Red Sea that we had humidity roll in. When I hit the ground there in July it was 147 degrees with humidity which made it worse," he said.


"Djibouti itself is a very nice country in the sense that we're welcome there. We're not unwelcome. There's really a lot of poverty. It's a real ugly looking place, not a place you would want to go visit for a vacation but the people are nice," he said.


One way the Marines boost the local economy is to order from the locals before purchasing abroad. "By boosting their economy it's bringing money into their land," he said. Service members on leave also pump cash into the local economy. There are shops selling clothing, trinkets and souvenirs such as wooden carvings of animals, spears, tribal masks and drums made of animal skins. "A popular thing the troops like to buy to send back home was a carved stone chess set," he said.


Djibouti City, the most modern city in Djibouti, has electric and running water but the systems are not entirely reliable.


Brysiak stuck close to base because of the possibility of hostilities. "Roadside bombs were always the threat. The threat's always out there and we were prepared to meet the threat," he said.


There were quarterly safety stand-downs to remind Marines not to become complacent. "There's a price on our head of $100,000. Maybe Djibouti is a safe haven but people wander across the borders from Tanzania, etc. They could kidnap you and take you away. To someone who's not making $10 a week they could be set for a lifetime with $100,000," he said.


Although Brysiak was a cook in subsistence, in civilian life he works in construction as a union laborer for G. J. Cannon in Collingdale.


"The Marine Corps has now found the reserves have proven to be an asset to them because reservists are multi-talented," he said.


Brysiak's contract with the reserves run until November 2006. Although he is prepared to go "anywhere they need me," he admits the deployment is hard on his family. "They've very brave," he said.


Brysiak and his wife Ann have three children: C.J., 11, Teddy, 6 and Stash, 1 1/2. "Stash remembered me when I came back home. That really tickled me, he said.


"My family did a good job keeping my memory alive so he could remember me."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Station adventurers take on summit at Three Peaks
Submitted by: MCAS Iwakuni
Story Identification #: 2005316221732
Story by Lance Cpl. Lukas J. Blom



MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan (March 12, 2005) -- Seemingly on the top of the world, 10 Station residents enjoyed the view from atop Mount Mikura during a Marine Corps Community Services Outdoor Recreation trip to Three Peaks Park, March 12.

Surrounded by lush green flora and numerous streams meandering throughout the mountainsides, Mount Mikura, better known as Three Peaks to station residents, is an exciting and beautiful adventure for all station residents seeking a short vacation in nature.

Mount Mikura is a granite mountain, which lies at the northern limit of Otake city, 702 meters above sea level and a mere 30 minute drive from the main gate of the station. The mountain has three different summits which sprout from the ground like knuckles of a fist; Asahidake, Nakadake and Yuhidake.

The granite rock changes with each season to reveal new beauty, especially with fresh green leaves in spring and red, golden, and bright yellow foliage in the fall. The landscape makes it an ideal site for rock climbing or just taking a relaxing hike through its many trails. There is also a camping site in the forest at the foot of the mountain.

The numerous trails offer different levels of hiking difficulty from a stair-stepped trail to a steep rugged path that takes a more direct route to the top.

“The hike up was somewhat challenging, but everyone made it up to the top without problems,” said Phillip Beal, MCCS Semper Fit Outdoor Recreation coordinator. “The hike is half the fun.”

Whether looking for a physically challenging hike or just out to enjoy nature’s beauty, all the hikers took their time to enjoy the awe inspiring view from the summit of the highest peak.

“Once we got up to the top of the mountain the view was amazing,” said Beal. “It’s a beautiful hike up, and you can’t beat the view from that high when you finally get to the top.”

After taking all their photos and soaking up the view from the top of Mount Mikura, the group of 10 began their descent.

“Coming down was quite a bit easier, but you had to be sure of your footing so you didn’t twist an ankle or fall,” said Beal.

Once at the bottom of the towering three peaks, the hikers stood with shaky legs and admired the beauty of the massive rock from the bottom, a half a mile lower than they were just hours before.

“This was a great trip,” said Beal. “Not only do you get a chance to see another part of Japan, but you also get to enjoy being outside and hiking around some pretty incredible land.”


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Big/Little Brotherhood thriving at Pendleton schools
Submitted by: MCB Camp Pendleton
Story Identification #: 2005317105524
Story by Lance Cpl. Lynn Murillo



MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (March 17, 2005) -- Once a week, Gunnery Sgt. Ryan Kendall steps out of his lofty air traffic control tower and comes down to a kid's level.

Even now that his "little brother's" dad is back home, he still stops by Mary Fay Pendleton School one afternoon a week to hang out.

"His mother saw this as a positive thing," said Kendall, tower chief at Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton. "His dad just got back from Iraq, but it's automatic that we see each other every week. We look forward to it."

Kendall is one of 29 pairs of "Bigs and Littles" who spend time together weekly at the school as part of "Operation Bigs," a collaboration between Camp Pendleton Schools and Big Brothers and Big Sisters of San Diego.

The after-school program, also offered at San Onofre and Santa Margarita Elementary schools on base, pairs volunteer servicemembers with school children separated from deployed parents, said Lynne E. Gilstrap, principal at Mary Fay Pendleton.

"The program ... has been an absolute success," said Gilstrap, adding the program has paid dividends in terms of student behavior.

"The kids have something to look forward to every week," she said. "Some of the children that were regulars in my office I hardly see there anymore."

After undergoing a criminal background check and taking a compatibility test, the volunteers - recruited continually at command briefings and through word of mouth and e-mail - are paired with children to be their buddies.

Cpl. Casey Conner, an air traffic controller with Headquarters Squadron, opened up his inbox to find a message telling him about an "invaluable" program.

"Anyone who likes to work with kids or has free time should become involved. It costs nothing and it's good for the kids," Conner said. "Deployed or working parents might not have the time to spend with their kids; instead (of languishing), the kids are here doing good things that keep them on the right track."

Conner, 22, was paired with fifth-grader Patrick Guzman, 11, who agrees with his big brother about the program.

"It's good. I am glad I did it," he said shyly.

Alicia Guzman, Patrick's mother, said she decided to enroll him in the program because she thought it would help him after his father moved away.

"So far, I haven't seen a big difference, but I'm glad he has someone to talk to," she said.

Despite his few words, Patrick is opening up more these days, Conner said.

"He was pretty shy at first, but he is much more comfortable now," Conner said. "We actually talk and hang out."

"Hanging out is what most Big-Little pairs do," Kendall said.

Kendall and his little brother prefer to do more than just talk during their weekly liaison.

"Both my buddy and I are very mechanically oriented and have a lot of energy," he said. "We'll go outside and throw a ball around or play cards. He is very talkative and very social."

A total of 74 pairs of "Big and Littles" take part in the program each week at the three schools, according to Kimberly Phelan, school-based coordinator for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of San Diego.

But the program still needs Big Brothers and Sisters.

"We still have children on a waiting list. There is definitely a need for more volunteers," she said.

For more information, call Carmen Carlisle at 725-3856.

E-mail Lance Cpl. Murillo at lynn.murillo@usmc.mil.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marine on leave from Iraq charged in knife attack <br />
<br />
By LYDA LONGA <br />
Staff Writer <br />
<br />
Last update: March 15, 2005 <br />
<br />
<br />
DAYTONA BEACH -- Janet Tibbetts went to sleep on a friend's sofa and woke up...

[thedrifter]

Feeding the masses: Bronx native has a lot on his plate
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing
Story Identification #: 20053184749
Story by Cpl. Rocco DeFilippis



AL ASAD, Iraq (March 18, 2005) -- If everyone knew what he did, Sgt. Oneal A. Paguada would be one of the most popular Marines here.

Without the New York native's hard work every day, many Marines, sailors, soldiers, airmen and civilian contractors would have to miss out on the sustenance our bodies thrive on.
Paguada serves as the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) food service operations manager, and spends his days crunching numbers, tracking supplies and overseeing the preparation and service of up to 35,000 hot meals a day.

"I have always loved a good challenge," the 27-year-old Bronx native said. "I knew this deployment was going to be tough, but so far, we have overcome all the challenges we have faced."

Before his days as a Marine food service specialist, Paguada was working construction and maintenance jobs in the Bronx. He graduated from Dewitt Clinton High School in 1996, but decided to serve his country and secure a better future for himself and his parents and siblings. "It was dangerous, every day you had to watch your back," Paguada said about life in the Bronx. "I had to do something to get away and keep myself out of trouble."

In May of 1999 he left the streets of New York and headed to Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, S.C., for basic training. Although he was miles away from his home, Paguada said he quickly learned, that like his family back in New York, the Marine Corps thrived on close personal relationships.

That bond motivated Paguada to stay in the Marine Corps after his first four year enlistment, which he spent at 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, MCRD Parris Island and Marine Corps Base Camp Butler, Okinawa, Japan.

"Marines live, work and play as a family," he said. "There's a close, family-like environment that is just like back home. That environment has helped me grow and develop into a responsible man."

Arriving at his present duty station, Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, N.C., in January of 2004, Paguada began learning other aspects of his job field. Instead of preparing food, he began managing budgets, tracking supplies and handling the managing food services for the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing.

"This aspect of the job is a lot more complicated," Paguada said. "You have to sweat the small stuff, because overlooking a small detail could mean someone doesn't get to eat."
After establishing himself in food service, Paguada decided to take on a new challenge and volunteered to deploy to Iraq with Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 2.

"He is a hard working, common sense kind of Marine," said Master Gunnery Sgt. Robert J. Massey Jr., 2nd MAW (Fwd) food service supervisor. "He looks at every situation, makes a quick assessment of what needs to happen and then goes about the business of getting it done."

Due to the fact that the dining facilities here are staffed mostly by third-country nationals from India, Jordan, Sri Lanka and other Asian countries, Paguada found himself in a supervisory roll, as he works with the civilian workers.

"They are extremely hard workers, and eager to provide the best service they can," he said. "At first, I thought language and culture would be a barrier, but our differences in background are not an issue. We have a great working relationship and even are becoming closer in personal relationships."

Paguada said he feels there is a common trait between him and the food service civilians, they both were looking to stake a better claim for their futures and to help their families.
"They are looking for a better life, just like I was when I joined the Marine Corps," he said.

Having found his place in the Marine Corps, Paguada said he is looking forward to giving back as he goes through his career. When he finishes this deployment, he plans to explore opportunities in the Marine Security Guard program or the possibility of serving as a drill instructor, training Marine recruits.

"The Corps has given so much to me, I want to give back," Paguada said. "I want to share the knowledge and life-changing experiences that I have received."

Until then, Paguada said he is happy just doing his part here in Iraq.

"Since the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom, I've wanted to come here and do something to make an impact," he said. "I know that what we are doing over here is going to better this country. Everyone is here for a reason; to do something special for the Iraqi people."


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Invasion vet remembers action on eve of invasion anniversary

QUANTICO MARINE BASE, Quantico, Va. Marine Gunnery Sergeant Ronald Jenks was in the first battalion to cross into Iraq from Kuwait.

He says that within minutes his unit engaged Iraqi forces but they clearly weren't the top-level Iraqi troops. He says it was "like they had grabbed people off the street and said here, go fight."

Jenks says his unit eventually made it into Baghdad and entering the city was tough "ten hours of intense fighting." Eventually, they set up camp at one of Saddam Hussein's palaces. Jenks says the opulence was beyond "a Hollywood millionaire's home." But right across the street, regular Iraqis were living in squalor.

Jenks says what he remembers most is the valor of his fellow Marines and the gratitude of the Iraqi people who were constantly offering the soldiers food and presents.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Troops just happy to be home
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
March 19, 2005
ERIC STEINKOPFF
DAILY NEWS STAFF

"Daddy!"

The high-pitched greeting almost came in unison from four young voices when they first saw Capt. Jim Pryor step off the bus at French Creek on Friday afternoon.

Jenna, Emily and Jake, Pryor's 7-year-old triplets, along with 5-year-old sister Lindsey dropped the "Welcome Home Daddy" sign that, a moment before, seemed like a part of their natural attire. They ran to their dad, a logistics officer from 2nd Force Service Support Group from Camp Lejeune.

They nearly toppled him.

The children didn't know they were greeting their dad one day before the second anniversary of the war with Iraq. Pryor likely didn't think of it, either, even though this seven-month deployment was his second.

He was just happy to be home.

"It's incredible," Pryor said. "This was my second deployment - the first for nine months and the second for seven and a half months. Each gets harder, but knowing that you have these guys makes it worth it."

The scene was repeated countless times Friday as wives, girlfriends, children, parents and even a few grandparents rushed to greet their 35 returning Marines and sailors.

Jessica Looney hugged her husband Lance Cpl. Jeramey Looney, 21, a truck driver with Bravo Company, 2nd Transportation Support Battalion.

The sweethearts from Hartselle High School, Ala., met four years ago through mutual friends and have been married about 13 months - seven of which Jeramey has been deployed.

Their daughter, 11-month old Kayleigh, wasn't crawling when he left. Now she can stand up - with a little support.

Grandfather John Luker, 66, says he's proud of Jeramey's service and that people back home in Hartselle ask about him often.

"Everybody we know asks where he's at, how he's doing, when he's coming home," Luker said.

Looney was tired and at a loss for words as he bounced Kayleigh in his arms.

"I want a warm shower and chicken and white sauce," said Looney of his mom's special southern recipe.

It was a hectic deployment, the returning Marines said. In Iraq, they ran an airfield and trucking depot at Camp Taqaddum, west of Baghdad. They loaded and unloaded supplies and ran nighttime convoys.

"We served Camp Taqaddum and Al Anbar Province," said 1st Lt. John Soto, 28, a logistics officer from Corpus Christi, Texas assigned to Bravo Company.

They built a large tower at the base with construction material from a supply management unit there.

"You can't run to Lowe's to pick up what you need (and) there's no Home Depot in Iraq," Soto said. "The purpose is to have a visible operational command and control over all logistical movement into Taqaddum - personnel, cargo, equipment and vehicles."

They went to Taqaddum with three motor transportation platoons filled with truck and Humvee drivers, one heavy equipment platoon to drive forklifts and bulldozers, one logistical support platoon to manage the flow of supplies, a communications section and a maintenance detachment.

"We like to call it battlefield distribution," Soto said.

Sometimes they moved supplies by helicopters and other times by truck.

"The warriors - the trigger pullers up front need food, water, ammunition, oil, gas, spare parts, medical supplies and construction equipment," Soto said.

They often traveled dangerous roads. Bravo Company provided its own security in order to free up infantry forces so they could handle larger, more concentrated enemy forces.

"At two in the morning when it's pitch black and you're there with your buddies all around you - every Marine is a rifleman," Soto said.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Death notification: A dreaded duty <br />
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <br />
BY ROGER ROY <br />
The Orlando Sentinel <br />
<br />
INDIAN HARBOUR BEACH, Fla. - (KRT) - It...

[thedrifter]

No one had called her; there was no reason for her to think anything had happened to her son, Ellenbecker said.

How could she know? Ellenbecker shrugged. "Mother's intuition? I can't explain it. But she knew."

Whether they react with anger or stunned silence, some can never forgive those who deliver the news, even if they see them again and again.

After a death, the notification team handles a pile of paperwork - about returning belongings, death benefits, insurance - that requires frequent follow-up visits. It's not unusual to still be wrapping up details many months after a death.

One mother to whom Ellenbecker delivered the news last year still will not speak to him when he calls. She hands the phone to someone else.

Ellenbecker doesn't take it personally.

"I have a son, so I'm trying to put myself in their shoes," said Ellenbecker, 41, a Marine for 24 years. "I ask myself, if someone were to knock on my door and say, `Your son is never coming home again,' how would I feel?"

It's a question the other Marines have asked themselves.

With 20 years as a Marine, Gunnery Sgt. Charlie White, part of Valence's notification team, is a veteran of both wars in Iraq. He spent eight months there in 2003.

He has made two death notifications since he returned.

"Each one was an only child," White said. "One only had about three weeks until he was getting out. He was going to get married."

White hasn't forgotten the grief and anguish he saw their parents go through.

"You think you're away from the war here," White said. "You don't have rounds going downrange, so it seems far away. But the war is closer than you think."

White has three sons, the oldest now 16 - just a year younger than White was when he joined the Marine Corps 20 years ago.

After what White has seen, at war and at home, he is not unhappy that his son wants to attend culinary school and become a chef, rather than joining the Marines.

"I told my son, `I don't need anybody knocking on my door.' "

The day the Marines knocked on Nina Schrage's door seemed the end point of everything she had feared for years.

Dustin, a "goofball" as a young man, had become interested in the Marines when a recruiter came to Satellite High School his junior year. He wanted to be a police SWAT officer, and the Marines seemed a good place to get experience.

His parents agreed to sign for him so he could join while still 17.

"This was pre-9-11, so you're thinking, `Why not?'" Nina Schrage said.

Dustin completed basic training and then had a short leave to visit home. A few days later, his father drove him to Camp Lejeune, N.C., to report for duty. That morning they were having breakfast at a roadside restaurant when a waitress asked whether they had heard the news: Hijacked planes had been crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

"We realized immediately what it meant," Nina Schrage said. "We thought, `Why did we sign those papers?'"

Dustin Schrage did well in the Marines. He was a strong swimmer and was selected for an amphibious-assault team. A goofball no more, he had become a leader, and he made corporal and squad leader in less than two years. His parents could see the change in him, the way he had grown and matured.

But from the moment Dustin Schrage touched down in Iraq in March 2004, Nina Schrage lived with a fear that never rested.

His unit was based near Ramadi, a violent, restive base of the Iraqi opposition near the lawless city of Fallujah. Her son had already told her about being the first one to reach another Marine who had been killed in an attack.

"We knew he'd seen things that had changed him," she said. "We knew he was in a bad place."

And so, on that day the Marines came to her door, it seemed the natural end of everything she had feared for so long.

When Valence began speaking, Schrage thought she knew exactly what he was about to tell her. Just weeks earlier, she had been to the funeral for another Marine from Dustin's unit who was killed in Iraq, and she knew the routine.

But, her heart pounding, she heard Valence say, "Your son, Cpl. Dustin Schrage, is unaccounted for."

"When he said that, the weight just lifted," Schrage said. "He didn't say what I thought he'd say."

Valence had little information, he told the Schrages, except that their son had been on a night mission, crossing the Euphrates River near the city of Ramadi, and now he and another Marine with him were listed as "Duty status, whereabouts unknown."

The military acronym is DUSTWUN, pronounced "dust one," which itself sounded oddly similar to the missing young Marine's name.

---

In the Schrages' living room, his family and the Marines spoke about Dustin, and one thing Valence remembered later was the difference in the way they thought of the missing Marine.

"They showed us pictures, and they talked about him," Valence said. "But we were calling him Cpl. Schrage, and they were calling him Dustin, and you realize that's who he is to them: He's not a corporal; he's their boy, their son."

Valence promised he would be in touch as soon as he knew more, gave the Schrages a cell-phone number where they could reach him at any hour, and left.

For the Schrages, the roller-coaster ride had begun.

They were terrified that Dustin had been captured. Just weeks earlier, a group of American contractors had been ambushed in nearby Fallujah, killed by a mob and their bodies hung from a bridge.

At the same time, Valence's words had left them with hope. Dustin was an excellent swimmer, and he was strong and resourceful. Perhaps the river current had been stronger than expected. Maybe he and the other Marine been pushed downstream and were now hiding, lying low until they could get back with their unit.

They lived now for any word of their son's fate.

"You couldn't sleep, couldn't do anything," Schrage said. "People were bringing food in all the time. We were just pacing, pacing, waiting for any word."

Schrage spoke several times a day to Valence, desperate for any news, any reason to keep up hope.

Valence found himself doing the same.

The Schrage case was unlike any of the four earlier notification cases Valence had handled.

"Before I was telling them, `Your son is dead,'" Valence said. "It's terrible. But there's no wondering, there's no hoping, there's nothing you can do to change it. But this time we didn't know. So they were holding out hope. And so were we.

"I even had dreams where we found him. I dreamed he came home with all the Marines from his battalion, and I'm there to greet them when they get off the plane," Valence said. "Which is crazy. I mean, why would I be there? But it's what I dreamed."

After three days, Valence had news, but it wasn't about Dustin. The other Marine's body had been found, Valence told the Schrages.

Nina Schrage could feel the hope slipping away. That night, they didn't sleep, but lay awake waiting for the sound of car doors.

She had asked Valence how he would he break the news. She wanted to know what it would mean if she saw him at her door again.

"Ma'am, if it's good news, I'm going to call so you find out as soon as possible," Valence told her. "If it's bad news, I'm going to come and knock at your door."

On the fourth day, desperate for any word, she called Valence to ask for more frequent phone calls and updates, even if there was nothing new to tell her. He agreed.

It was only a few minutes later when Marine headquarters called Valence.

The drive from his office at the military reserve center near Orlando International Airport to the Schrage home takes a bit more than an hour. The house was easy for Valence to find now, just a few turns off the interstate, into the quiet neighborhood a few blocks from the Atlantic, and then watch for the house flying the bright-red Marine Corps flag.

When Valence knocked on the door, Schrage's husband silently waved the Marines inside, where Nina Schrage was standing.

"She looked dead at me and said, `I don't want to see you,' " Valence said.

"And I said, `I know.' And I didn't even need to say anything."

Valence doesn't expect families to forgive him.

"I know people are never going to forget that we're the ones who came and knocked on their door and told them the most terrible thing you can tell a parent," Valence said.

In the case of Dustin Schrage, there would be even more to hold against him.

In two of the large photos of Dustin Schrage in the living room of their home, the proud young Marine is wearing his dress-blue uniform, crisp and flawless. The Marines had turned her son into a man, Nina Schrage said. Being a Marine defined who he was, what he had become.

She wanted his dress uniform, which he had left behind in storage when he shipped out for Iraq. But when she heard from Marines her son served with that his belongings had been stolen, she called Valence.

"That can't be true," Valence told her, but he said he would check.

When Valence, stunned, called back to tell Schrage it was true, it was too much.

"Why don't they send somebody over here to turn the knife in my chest?" she asked Valence. "Why not just finish me off?"

"He understood," Schrage said. "He felt terrible. He said, `It seems like I can never give you any good news.' In a way, it made me feel good that it was hard for him as well. I knew he cared."

For Dustin's funeral, she asked Valence and his Marines to read aloud letters she had received from the Marines with whom her son served. She asked Valence to speak, and still takes comfort from his words that day.

Ten months after her son's death, Schrage e-mails Valence often and speaks to him on the phone sometimes. The Marine Corps flag flying in front of the Schrage home is a new one. Valence brought it to replace the tattered one flying when he showed up the first day at their door.

Valence and Nina Schrage consider each other friends and are still bound by the experience they went through last year, something neither of them can speak of without tears.

Nina Schrage said she's not sure why she doesn't hold any anger toward Valence, why she doesn't really see him as the Grim Reaper.

"It's true, he came to my door and gave me the worst news you can ever hear," Schrage said.

"But I just feel like we went through this together. We had a lot of time to talk. And I realized this wasn't just a job. He wanted to believe that Dustin was OK just as badly as I did. He was hoping just as hard as I was. He was my rock."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Thousands March to Protest War <br />
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <br />
By Charles Duhigg <br />
LA Times Staff Writer <br />
March 20, 2005 <br />
<br />
Dressed in the same...

[thedrifter]

March 18, 2005 <br />
<br />
Bill would clear officer charged with shooting Iraqis <br />
<br />
By Gordon Lubold <br />
Times staff writer <br />
<br />
<br />
The North Carolina congressman who represents Camp Lejeune introduced legislation...

[thedrifter]

Faith tested, true in city of Marines


Darrell Smith

The Desert Sun
March 19, 2005


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Out of the dirt on a rise overlooking this sprawling Marine base, they're building Palms Southern Baptist Church.
The signs are everywhere, the stacks of wood in the sanctuary, the framework where soon a stage will stand, the machinery in the foyer.

And amid the nails, saws and wood, in a congregation where six of every 10 parishioners are Marines, or the wife, son or daughter of a Marine, a young pastor is hard at work, too, steering his flock through trying times.

Two years after the bombs first fell on Baghdad, after the first troops moved into Iraq, there's been a change in his congregation and among the Marines of the Marine Air Ground Combat Center, the Rev. David Squyres said.

There was an excitement, Squyres said, among the Marines and their families in the war's early days. Two years later, among the families of those Marines, that excitement has evolved into a steely determination - a determination that, in the hands of the pastor, has itself become a kind of prayer.

"There's a feeling of, 'We're going to get through this. I am going to be OK. We're going to be OK.' You see it on their faces."

"It's not a vague hope," Squyres continued. "If He can raise the dead, He can protect our troops."

In few places is the war in Iraq felt as deeply as in Twentynine Palms and the base that shares the city's name, a key training ground for the war in Iraq and home to a third of the 1st Marine Division.

You see it the city's trademark murals that depict its Marines in battle and in victory.

You see it in the flags that fly in this high-desert city of 26,000, 60 miles north of Palm Springs, and along Adobe Road, the gateway to the base, and at lunch counters like the Yellow Ribbon Deli.

And on days like Friday, you see it in handwritten signs welcoming home another group of Marines - on this day, the 1st Batalion, 7th Marines - from battle.

One is addressed to a father who will soon see his daughter for the first time.

Another is carried by Pat and Richard Merrill. The couple drove from Denver to see their son, Cpl. Jeremy Merrill, come home Friday, just in time for his wife Brooke's 21st birthday.

"We're just overjoyed," Pat said of their son's return.

Others are more risqué, telling of lovers' long months apart.

Yet another, in Spanish, reads, "My life is nothing without my corporal."

This city and base have seen and endured a lot. Fifty-four Marines and sailors from Twentynine Palms have been killed in combat, and others injured, since the fighting began.

Perhaps it's the wives who have felt the change the most.

Many of Twentynine Palms' young Marines have returned for their second or third seven-month tour of duty, leaving behind families who rely on their faith, their friends and their husbands' training.

"The Bible tells us we need to take care of our widows," Squyres said. "Here, we have 'geographic widows,' (couples) separated for long periods of time."

It's a sorority, Squyres said, whose members have relied on one another to get through tough times.

"It helps them in a place like Twentynine Palms. It's healthy for them to stay here. It helps to be surrounded by women who've gone through the same thing," Squyres said.

On Thursday, Nicole Revera, 19, and her friend Amber McCutcheon, 23, were tying welcome signs onto a chain-link fence on Twentynine Palms Highway and talking about Friday, the day Nicole's husband and the rest of the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines' Charlie Company were to come home, the day he'd see his 2-month-old daughter for the first time.

"I had a baby while he was gone. He left when I was pregnant. He hasn't had a chance to see her," Revera said, then added, "It's hard raising a baby by yourself."

But she's had support from her friend McCutcheon, herself a young mother, and McCutcheon's husband, a corporal in the same battalion. A severe shoulder injury brought him home in November.

The two young wives support each other and share frustrations, too.

"I don't think it will ever change over there," McCutcheon said of Iraq. "You can't help someone who doesn't want to help themselves. (The Iraqis) don't care."

But Revera hopes to fashion a life approximating normal when her husband returns.

"When your husband's over there, you're listening for those phone calls" to tell her he's all right. "When he comes back, I'm not going to pay attention to (the war). I want to live life day by day."

At the Yellow Ribbon Deli on Adobe Road, the signs of support for the city's Marines are everywhere, from the sign announcing a discount for Marines and their families, to the Stars and Stripes, to photos of homecoming signs on the wall encircling the words "We Love and Support our Troops."

"This is our way of saying we appreciate them," said 16-year-old Brittany Ramirez, a waitress at the deli.

She walked over to the photos on the wall, many of them of signs welcoming home a Cpl. Alford.

One read, "Cheers to a new chapter in our lives."

She didn't know Alford's first name but knew his story.

The corporal returned from his seven-month stint in Iraq just four weeks ago.

Two weeks ago, he left again.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Ordinary man becomes Super Marine
Submitted by: 2nd Force Service Support Group
Story Identification #: 20053188522
Story by Cpl. C.J. Yard



CAMP TAQADDUM, Iraq (March 18, 2005) -- Private First Class John Super, a reservist ammunition technician, general support ammunition platoon, Ammunition Company, 4th Supply Battalion, 4th Force Service Support Group from Topeka, Kansas, started in a manual labor position at a company and eventually worked his way up to middle management before trying college. He did not finish college, but had a grade point average that would rival most astute students. Why did he choose to join the Marine Corps?

“When he told me why he joined the Marine Corps, I had a new-found respect for him,” said Lance Cpl. Christopher Stein, a mechanic with 2d Maintenance Bn., 2d Marine Logistics Brigade (Forward). “He told me that he was at home watching TV when he thought to himself ‘There are kids younger than me in Iraq dying. That ain’t right.’”

However, for Super, he had an uphill battle right from the start. At the age of 27, Super, through lots of exercise and watching what he ate, lost 120 pounds before he walked into the recruiter’s office.

With a father and uncle in the military before him, both in the Army, he decided to look into what the Army had to offer.

“I went in to the Army recruiter’s office and found out that they could offer me money,” said the 28-year-old Marine. “I’m the type who likes to weigh all my options. I went to the Marine’s office and asked them what they could offer. The recruiter said, ‘I can give you the pride of being a Marine.’”

From then on, the decision was a “no-brainer,” but he still had to decide whether he wanted to be part of the active duty or reserve component of the Marine Corps.

“I thought about it for a week, called up the recruiter and said ‘let’s do it,’” said the five-foot ten-inch Marine.

Now Super finds himself assigned to the Provisional Rifle Company with Headquarters and Service Battalion, 2d Marine Logistics Brigade (Forward).

“I volunteered to be activated; I wanted to go to Iraq,” commented the blue-eyed Marine, taking off his sunglasses barely long enough to catch a glimpse of his eyes. “I just never thought that I would be standing on an observation post.”

For Super and Stein, the vast open space gives them a chance to learn about each other, but not too much, as their position is an integral part of the security for Camp Taqaddum.

“We pay attention to even the dumbest stuff,” said Stein, a 19-year-old native of Richmond, Va.

“If you look at our log book, we have a bunch of entries,” said Super. “It’s the dumb stuff that becomes important over time.”

“I’m a little worried about [the Marines and Soldiers on observation posts] getting complacent,” said Army Sgt. Christopher Hampton, duty noncommissioned officer, Sergeant of the Guard, 2nd Battalion, 112th Infantry, 36th Armor. “I’m not worried about Super and Stein though. The best thing to do when on post; find somebody you can trust. It seems like those two have got a good thing going.”

While on post, the Marines spend eight hours together with nothing but conversation and reports back to higher headquarters to keep them from becoming complacent.

Marines form bonds only Marines can understand, said Super. “Nobody but Marines understand the camaraderie between two Marines. Civilians could sit and listen to two Marines talk and not get a word of what they were saying, but the two Marines will be laughing their heads off.”

Comedy is something Hampton is used to being when he is around his two Marines who man observation post eight.

“He’s a character,” said the Arlington, Texas, native. “He’s definitely got a good sense of humor.”

According to Stein, that is just Super being himself. “He’s funny. We can joke about the same thing for hours and it doesn’t get old. Sometimes there is the off-color humor, though.”

“I’m all about the off-color humor,” said Super.

“We can keep it under control,” commented Stein. “The other night the chaplain came on deck and we didn’t swear or anything for an entire 11 minutes.”

When the two Marines are not joking around they talk about books and life.

“He’s always got something to say,” said Stein.

Even in death, Super has something to say.

“I want a Viking funeral,” exclaimed Super. “When I die, put me on a ship, light me on fire and push me out to sea. Then drink and party, for Super has passed on to Valhalla!”

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marines cast for new commercial
Submitted by: MCB Quantico
Story Identification #: 2005316162519
Story by Cpl. J. Agg



MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. (March 16, 2005) -- Since the first Marine Corps television commercial, "The Rose Garden," aired in 1971, the Corps has sought men and women from its own ranks - not actors - to tell the story of the challenging and gratifying rite of passage to become part of the world's premier warfighting organization.

Marine Corps Recruiting Command has announced casting calls at eight Marine bases in March and April for the next television commercial that is scheduled for release in the fall.

J. Walter Thompson, the Marine Corps' advertising partner since World War II, will be screening for seven roles in the new commercial. Selectees must be sergeants and below, age 24 or under, have a good service record, no visible tattoos and be physically fit. They must also be available for uniform fittings April 18-22 and for commercial filming May 1-7 in Los Angeles.

Capt. Daniel J. Weidensaul, Marine Corps Recruiting Command Marketing and Public Affairs special projects officer, said the Marines will remain tight-lipped about the details of the new commercial until its release, but promises the recruiting tool will be a milestone in Marine Corps advertising history and will showcase the Marines' public image to the American television audience.

The new commercial will be "as spectacular - if not more spectacular - than previous commercials," said Weidensaul.

The Marine Corps releases a new commercial every three to four years. The current commercial, "The Climb," first aired in 2001 and was filmed in Monument Valley on the Arizona/Utah border. It depicts a young man climbing a rocky, 600-foot cliff, which symbolizes the arduous path to becoming a Marine. During the commercial, images appear in the cliff face that both celebrate the Corps' rich heritage and feature the diversity of the service today. The Marines' previous commercial, "Rite of Passage," was released on the Marine Corps' 223rd birthday, Nov. 10, 1998, and featured a much more fantastic theme. It depicted a Marine recruit running a futuristic gauntlet of spinning blades and slaying a giant lava monster with a sword en route to becoming a Marine.

Weidensaul said the next commercial will remain true to the tradition of casting real Marines and will feature a noncommissioned officer to present the Marine Corps image to the American public.

"We believe in being truthful and honest with people about the Marine Corps. It is important for a real Marine to be portraying what it is to be a Marine," said Weidensaul.

The television commercials have always been a minor part of the Marine Corps recruiting strategy, and the best source of information about the service is still the Marine recruiter, Weidensaul said .

"It is our intent to drive a prospect to seek more information from a recruiter," said Weidensaul. "There is no better information source than a Marine recruiter. The (commercial's purpose) is to help support the recruiter on the street."

Locations and dates for casting calls:

WEST

MCB Camp Pendleton, Calif.
March 21-23
Local information: (760) 763-4675

MCRD San Diego, Calif.
March 23
Local Information: (619) 524-8719

MCAS Miramar, Calif.
March 24
Local Information: (858) 577-7543

EAST

Marine Barracks Washington, D.C.
March 18
Local Information: (202) 466-6683

MCB Camp Lejeune, N.C.
March 28, 29 and April 1
Local Information (910) 451-7433

MCAS New River, N.C.
March 30
Local Information: (910) 449-6196

MCAS Cherry Point
March 31
Local Information: (252) 466-4241

MCB Quantico
April 5
Local Information: (703) 432-9029

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Engineers ensure safe landing
Submitted by: MCAS Iwakuni
Story Identification #: 2005316192543
Story by Pfc. Mark Fayloga



CAMP FUJI, Japan (March 3, 2005) -- Combat engineers from Marine Wing Support Squadron 171, currently deployed to Camp Fuji, performed airfield damage repair training, March 3.

The exercise consisted of a mock airstrip being attacked, causing craters in the runway. Airfield damage repair was then performed to provAide a landing strip for aircraft.

“During airfield damage repair, heavy equipment operators will fill in the crater and then (combat engineers) come in and either unroll a fiberglass folding mat or lay down fiberglass reinforced plastic to cover the crater and provide a surface for aircraft to land on,” said Sgt. Winfred R. Murphy, MWSS-171 combat engineer squad leader.

The Marines conducted the training exercise using FRP. Laying down FRP consists of placing panels over the crater like a giant puzzle, said Murphy. Once each piece is combined they’re bolted together then the entire panel is bolted to the airstrip.

“We conduct this exercise regularly in Iwakuni to keep the Marines refreshed. So, if an attack on the airfield occurs, the process of laying down the FRP will be second nature to them,” said Murphy.

Conducting the airstrip damage repair exercise while in Camp Fuji compared to Iwakuni had the added difficulty of dealing with gravel instead of asphalt, laying it down on a slope instead of level ground and having to work with M-16s and gas masks, said Pfc. Richard E. Williamson, MWSS-171 combat engineer.

“My goal for this exercise was to have the younger Marines lead each other without any help from the noncommissioned officers,” said Murphy. “They did an outstanding job without any help. They went out there and whipped it on. And when it’s time to perform, they perform.”

For some Marines, the exercise was the same as those performed many times before, but the first time as project leader.

“It was different because you have to know exactly what’s going on and what needs to be done next. Instead of just worrying about your own job, you have to make sure everyone else is doing theirs,” said Williamson.

“At first, it seemed unnecessary to perform ADR training in Fuji considering how often the combat engineers train in Iwakuni,” said Williamson. “Once we got out there in the cold and on the gravel with full gear I noticed how much different it was from Iwakuni and that you need to be prepared to do your job wherever and whenever.”


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Going Ballistic
Submitted by: MCB Camp Pendleton
Story Identification #: 200531711913
Story by Cpl. Jon Guibord



MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- "We're about to go hot!"

This verbal command, along with red flags waving, signified to the Marines of Company D, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, that range 407A was secure. That meant firing of the M-240G and M-249 Squad Automatic Weapon machine guns, as well as the 25 mm cannon used on their light aarmored vehicles, was about to commence bright and early March 8.

"The purpose of today was to see which weapon systems didn't function properly in time to order parts for future deployments," said Sgt. Charles B. Young, a vehicle commander with 4th Platoon.

But for the crewmen aboard the LAVs, the mission was to fire all their rounds downrange - a valuable training opportunity.

Gunners of the 25 mm semi-automatic cannon viewed the live-fire as more of a privilege than a task.

"The turret drifts a lot, so you have to always be focusing on your sight alignment, sight picture," said Lance Cpl. Kyle S. Vetterkind of 4th Platoon, who recently moved from driver to gunner.

Sighting-in can be tedious, he added.

"But once you feel the (gun's) recoil ... the adrenaline starts running. It is an awesome feeling," he said.

The training gave the mechanics a chance to see if anything was wrong with their four vehicles and mounted weapons, Vetterkind said.

"Two out of the four 25 mm guns need repair," Young said. "All of the 7.62s worked, and we only had one bad SAW."

Lance Cpl. John B. Murphy, one of the company's mechanics, watched nervously from the sidelines during firing. He is one of the Marines responsible for repairing the vehicles and weapon systems onboard.

"We are here to make sure the guns and vehicles function correctly," Murphy said.

Before such "maintenance shoots," mechanics perform a limited technical inspection. But certain problems can be detected only during live-fire, according to Murphy.

Young said an ounce of preventative maintenance can prevent a ton of trouble that results when vital equipment malfunctions in the heat of battle.

"It is better to have our equipment malfunction here in garrison than in combat, where a systems failure could cost our unit lives," Young said.

During the maintenance shoot, the company fired 300 25 mm rounds and 4,000 smaller rounds, Young said.

E-mail Cpl. Guibord at jon.guibord@usmc.mil.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

UAW Red-Faced in Parking Tussle

by Joseph Szczesny
The Car Connection Dot com

Every one, even public figures, occasionally says out loud things they instantly regret.

Ron Gettelfinger, president of the United Auto Workers, discovered last week that like any other public official, he doesn't have a Teflon coating. In a recent fit of pique, he decided that Marine Corps reservists could no longer use the parking lot at UAW headquarters, which is near one of the Marine's armories. In the past, the Marines had been allowed to park in the lot, which is marked by a large saying foreign cars are not allowed. The no-foreign-cars sign has stood since the early 1980s but an exception was made for the Marines.

Gettelfinger, however, had become agitated by the pro-Bush stickers on some of the Marines' vehicles. Like many other union leaders, Gettelfinger has made no secret of his distaste for Bush's economic polices and that has only risen in the wake of the 2004 election, as Republicans have renewed efforts to curb what remains of union influence.

However, after issuing the new ban, Gettelfinger found himself caught in the middle of the kind of public relations nightmare that has undone lots of public figures. The ban quickly became a big story on Detroit television with some deft help by annoyed Marines. UAW headquarters was inundated with messages from appalled UAW members.

"I made the wrong call on the parking issue," Gettelfinger said in statement issued by the union's public relations department. Gettelfinger also took the airwaves and apologized again during an appearance on Paul W. Smith's morning show on WJR Radio.

The Marines, however, decided to let Gettelfinger squirm and said they had already made other parking arrangements for the reservists, many of whom were on their way to Iraq.

"I'm glad he decided to change his decision," said Lt. Col. Joe Rutledge, commanding officer of the Marine Corps Reserve Center. But the apology came too late, he noted. "The decision's already been made that we're not going to park there," Rutledge said. "We've already made other arrangements to park elsewhere."

Flap or syndrome?

Besides being an embarrassment for Gettelfinger, the parking flap also exposed some of the union's other problems, including an insulated leadership and a ham-fisted approach to public relations that has won the union few friends over the years, critics suggested. "They still think it's 1964 and everybody's going to jump when they say something," said one Detroit-based consultant.

Starting under Owen Bieber back in the 1980s and then under Steve Yokich and now Gettelfinger, the union has had its problems controlling dissent in the union ranks. At the same time, the union's efforts to recruit new members at Nissan, Honda, and Toyota plants in North America in a series of organizing drives has fizzled or ended in defeat.

The failures have led to suggestions that the union needs to change tactics. But many of the union's wounds have been self-inflicted, suggested the consultant, who asked not to be identified. The flap over the parking Marines is bound to hurt the union's organizing efforts over the next few months.

The union's failure to organize new members also has reduced its bargaining clout.

Yokich managed to negotiate a rich contract in 1999, which he shrewdly agreed to turn into a four-year pact that included wage and pension increases as well as new benefits such as college tuition help for dependents. In 2003, with the industry under heavy financial pressure and Ford and Chrysler struggling, Gettelfinger had to settle for less, though he did manage to keep the union's healthcare benefits intact.

Now the union is under intense pressure to reopen its existing contracts, particularly with General Motors and Ford. The Chrysler Group had an escape clause inserted more than 20 years ago that allows change if health costs spiral out of control.

Union officials now meet regularly with top union bargainers to discuss contract-related matters. The union also has approved several initiatives designed to curb healthcare costs.

Rick Wagoner, GM's chairman and chief executive officer, will have the opportunity to plead the automaker's case directly during an annual meeting with union leaders in mid-April. Wagoner is expected to make the point that the company needs some relief from rising healthcare costs that will increase by more than $1 billion alone in 2005.

GM expects to lose more $850 million in the first quarter of 2005, its worst three-month loss since 1992, and many analysts are skeptical about the company's ability to reach its $1- to $2-per-share profit target for the full year.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

March 14, 2005

Is ‘above and beyond’ enough?
Even the most valorous acts don’t always guarantee Medal of Honor

By Laura Bailey
Times staff writer


Tales of bravery and sacrifice in Iraq have many Marines wondering who, or if anyone, will become the first in more than a decade to receive the nation’s highest military award, the Medal of Honor.
First Sgt. Brad Kasal’s actions in Fallujah, Iraq, have spurred the latest rumors of a Medal of Honor nomination — a rumor that he and 1st Marine Division officials say is not true.

There’s no clear-cut way to determine which war-time acts are worthy of a Medal of Honor, but taking a bullet for a buddy isn’t necessarily enough.

Jumping on a grenade isn’t either, despite the common perception that such an act is a “lock” for the medal.

Many conditions have to exist before the military will award this most rare of medals, which has been awarded only twice for post-Vietnam combat actions.

Here’s how it works:

When a service member does something truly awe-inspiring in combat, his superiors can nominate him for the Medal of Honor. That nomination works its way up the chain of command all the way to the president’s office.

While many Medal of Honor recipients gave their lives in the action that led to their award, dying in battle is not a prerequisite for a nomination, nor does it make for an automatic approval, said Reserve Lt. Col. Karen Dowling, assistant head of the Corps’ Military Awards Branch at Quantico, Va.

What does matter is that the action is one of conspicuous gallantry “above and beyond the call of duty” at the risk of one’s life and that it benefits other Marines or the unit, she said.

“The biggest requirement is that there be no margin of doubt or possibility of error,” she said.

In addition, regardless of how brave the action appears, it must not be motivated by self preservation or foolish recklessness.

And it must not endanger the mission in any way, according to the award’s implementation instruction.

At each level of review, the circumstances are scrutinized, often with boards of senior officers reviewing details involved.

If all Marines involved in the battle were killed and no eyewitness statements are available, a team may be sent to the battle site to retrace events.

Once the nomination makes it through the commandant, it moves up the chain to the Navy secretary, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the defense secretary before finally reaching the president’s office for approval and presentation.

The medal is often incorrectly called the “Congressional Medal of Honor,” because it was created by congress. But the nomination never goes through Congress for approval, Dowling said.

Throughout the process, the military keeps nominations hushed to avoid disappointment or embarrassment to the family if the award is not approved, Dowling said.

According to Gary Litrell, president of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and a Medal of Honor recipient from Vietnam, the entire process generally takes one to three years.

Litrell said it is hard to pinpoint the precise quality that catapults a heroic action into the Medal of Honor category, adding that citations for valor awards just below the Medal of Honor often seem equally heroic.

“We in the society know there were actions of heroism much, much stronger than ours, but they weren’t witnessed, documented or they weren’t written in a way to support it,” he said.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marksmanship expert passes on knowledge

Lance Cpl. Matthew K. Hacker
Marine Corps Base

STONE BAY, N.C. – The well-known Marine Corps motto, “Every Marine is a rifleman,” holds true thanks to annual training and various marksmanship courses available, but someone has to keep the Marines up-to-date with improved techniques and new shooting styles.

The Base Marksmanship Training Unit, consisting of four instructors, teaches Marines the basics of rifle marksmanship during phase one of the rifle range, advanced marksmanship during the coaches course and teaching skills during the marksmanship instructor course.
The instructors mentor Marines from Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, and Marine Corps Air Stations New River and Cherry Point, at the rifle range.

Sergeant Matthew Marotta of Baldwinsville, N.Y., has been a marksmanship instructor with BMTU, Range Company, Weapons Training Battalion, Stone Bay, for three months.
“I’ve been an infantry machine gunner for four years now, and I wanted a break to have the time to spend with my wife and kids,” he said. “So, I re-enlisted to come here as permanent personnel.”
Marotta spent much of his enlistment on the range, but he was very happy when he was sent to the company to be an instructor.

“I love teaching Marines about marksmanship,” said Marotta. “I just like to be able to give them my point of view and tips for them to use when they get down range.”
The coaches course is a three-phase program that teaches techniques in advanced marksmanship and reiterates the fundamentals.
Phase one focuses on classroom and media slide shows. Students learn everything from weapons conditions and safety rules to cover and concealment and wind calls.
Students must also pass a series of test during phase one. The M9 Service Pistol test, the M-16A2 Service Rifle quiz, the rifle test and the final test, covering a compilation of everything they learned, must be scored at an 80 or above to move on.

Phase two starts the firing week. With four days of practice fire, culminating with one final qualification day, the shooters are expected to receive a sharpshooter score of 35 or better for the rifle and a marksman score of 250 or better with pistol.
Phase three of the coaches course consists of field fire. One day of firing where the shooters fire both static and moving targets at known distances at rapid rates. Shooters must be in full body gear including a flak jacket, load bearing vest and helmet.

“Wearing the gear changes the way people shoot,” said Sgt. Daniel Davis of Richmond, Va., a marksmanship instructor with BMTU for almost two years. “So it gives the Marines a chance to know what it feels like to fire in a combat simulated environment.”
Davis loves to help Marines to be confident with firing on the range as well as overseas.
“Great shooters aren’t born,” said Sgt. Nathaniel Cosby, a marksmanship instructor as well as a small arms weapons instructor with the battalion. “They are made.”

Cosby, who’s been a BMTU instructor since January 2005, said he loves knowing he helped another Marine inherit knowledge he’s given, whether it is marksmanship or just anything at all.

Overall, the instructors enjoy passing down their personal techniques and knowledge to various Marines week to week. They enjoy seeing Marines succeed in weapons handling and see their scores improve. Base MTU instructs Marines on the fundamentals of the past, the techniques of today and the improvements of future marksmanship in the Marine Corps.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Counting The Minutes To See A Loved One
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Angela Lee
NewsChannel 9
Chatanooga, Tenn.
March 20, 2005 - 5:32PM

Families, friends and loved ones prepare for the long awaited return of Mike Battery.

Communities all over the Tennessee Valley are making preparations this weekend.

It's all to welcome home 150 Mike Battery Marines and two Naval Corp Reserves traveling serving with them. They're scheduled to return to Chattanooga from Iraq, Monday afternoon.

NewsChannel9 caught up with some of those anticipating the touch down of the plane in Chattanooga. All of them says, they just can't wait.

Mike Battery made it stateside to Camp Pendleton, California, about three days ago.

Monday afternoon, the Marines' will fly into Chattanooga.

Chrissy Brock is counting the minutes until her husband of six years flies in Monday.

She is excited to think Sergeant Bryant Brock will be home for good.

Chrissy says, "I know, I'll just smile really big and may cry actually. It will be just tears of relief and that he's actually home. Then, just give him a big hug. That is what I missed the most."

She's already got some big welcome home plans in store for Bryant. She explains, "I'm going to pick him up tomorrow and then give him a big hug. Then take him to our church. We attend Hixson First Baptist. There we'll have about a hundred family and friends there to welcome him home and we'll have some sandwiches and things to eat and just enjoy his company. Then I'm going to take him home!"

Sunday, the First Tennessee Pavilion appeared quite empty and quiet. But Monday it's shelter will be filled with hundreds waiting to welcome and well wish Mike Battery home.

Some families traveling from out of town, dropped by the pavilion Sunday, to make certain they knew exactly where to go Monday.

The Nalu's and Bristow's traveled in from Mobile, Alabama to welcome their Marines home.

Klaus Nalu says, "We came to say welcome home to all of our Marine Corp guys especially Patrick and Wesley." He adds, "We are proud of them all. They did a fantastic job, a good clean-up. God bless them. God Bless America and God bless our President."
The Bristow's say these two Corporals are childhood best friends, joined the Marines together, deployed together and now are returning to their families.

Not long after the Nalu's and Bristow's leave, the family of Sergeant Ronny Allen Hodges find their way to the pavilion. He joined while he was attending Lee University.

His mom, Carlene Hodges, says they traveled more than 370 miles from Roanoke, Virginia to give him the best welcome they can and bring him home.

Carlene adds, "I was very proud he was willing to do..his duty."

This weekend, time cannot pass fast enough for these families as they anticipate their Marines return.

Sergeant Hodges' Aunt Brenda Hodges adds, "I can't wait. I wish it was Monday RIGHT NOW!"


If you'd like to be part of the celebration welcoming the Mike Battery 4th Battalion 14th Marines home, here are some details for you:

The Marines are expected to arrive at the Old Krystal South Hangar at Chattanooga's Metropolitan Airport at 2:30 P.M. Monday afternoon.

The convoy WILL NOT be stopping at the Marine Reserve Center.

It will travel up Highway 153 to Amnicola Highway then head down Main and Carter Streets to arrive at the First Tennessee Pavilion near Finley Stadium.

A reception is planned for the Mike Battery at First Tennessee Pavilion and everyone is welcome to attend.

For now, Mike Battery's Marines are home for good.

That is, unless another contingency comes up in the future.

But local Marine Corp officials say, this is not likely to happen any time soon.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

A Changed Military Emerges
Christian Science Monitor
March 21, 2005

WASHINGTON - Hard service in Iraq is wearing out some of the U.S. military's core weapons. Tanks, armored vehicles, and aircraft are being run at rates two to six times greater than in peacetime, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld told Congress earlier this month.

The bad news here is they may need to be replaced. But there's good news too, according to Secretary Rumsfeld: It's possible they can be replaced with something better.

The need to refurbish equipment "is providing an opportunity to adjust the capabilities of the force earlier than otherwise might have been the case," Rumsfeld told the House Armed Services Committee on March 10.

Perhaps the same might be said of the military as a whole. Two years after the invasion of Iraq, the tough work of helping rebuild a nation while fighting an insurgency has profoundly affected the organization and deployment of United States forces. Whatever Iraq becomes, the American way of war may never be the same.

Throughout the services there's a new emphasis on mobility, guerrilla-fighting skills, and special forces. These changes might have occurred whether President Bush ordered the toppling of Saddam Hussein or not. But the urgency created by war may be making it easier for Secretary Rumsfeld to pursue a long-sought transformation of the Pentagon.




"I see not so much a direct response as an accelerated implementation of a plan Bush advisers already had in place," says Loren Thompson, a defense expert at the Lexington Institute. A look at what happened in Iraq

On one level the effect of Iraq on the structure of the U.S. armed forces is clear, and saddening. Over 1,500 Americans have been killed, and thousands more wounded, by the fighting.

U.S. units stormed over the border from Kuwait prepared to fight conventional battles, and that aspect of the war they handily won. It took some time for commanders in the field and in Washington to realize that in fact their mission had not been accomplished. The depth and ferocity of the insurgent resistance took many by surprise - as a shortage of armor for vehicles showed.

It's now a Washington truism that the biggest mistake made in the Iraqi operation was the lack of preparation for stability operations in the immediate aftermath of the fall of Saddam. This may have involved more than a paucity of troops to police the streets, or unpreparedness for the dangers of roadside bombs.

Dov Zakhein, Pentagon comptroller during the first Bush administration, complained at a recent Washington seminar that at first during the occupation the military financing system didn't work. He could start money moving in Washington, but it wouldn't get to Iraq, or wouldn't get to the right place.

"It's obvious Iraq has hugely taxed the U.S. military," says Michael O'Hanlon, a military expert at the Brookings Institution. Protection and recruitment

Over the past two years U.S. commanders have scrambled to remedy this situation. The Army and Marines have created the kind of units needed for counterinsurgency. The Pentagon is increasing the size of special forces - 500 new Green Berets are scheduled to be added this year, for instance. Veteran special-forces operators are now eligible for reenlistment bonuses of up to $150,000.

Slowly, after some missteps, the military is moving to provide troops with extra protection tailored to the manner in which insurgents fight. This means body armor, and armor for Humvees and other transport vehicles. But at a recent hearing members of Congress still pleaded with Gen. John Abizaid, commander of U.S. Central Command, to ship a stockpile of ballistic glass to Iraq, so that troops could custom-fit window shields.

General Abizaid admitted that there was a lesson for the military in the fact that troops were unprepared to combat improvised explosives and other guerrilla weapons.

"We have to design our armed forces for the 360-degree battlefield and not the linear battlefield," he told House Armed Services Committee members.

And deployments - plus tough fighting - are clearly affecting the military's ability to attract and retain troops. Prior to September 11, 2001, the Department of Defense had about 250,000 uniformed personnel stationed overseas at any one time. Now that figure is 400,000.

Polls show that many potential enlistees, and their parents, have become concerned about the possibility of ending up in an Iraqi firefight. Last month the Army missed its target of 7,050 new active duty recruits by almost 2,000.

"We anticipate that recruiting challenges will continue in 2005," Charles Abell, principal deputy undersecretary of Defense for personnel and readiness, told Congress recently. In challenges, opportunities for change

Yet Iraq - and more broadly, the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan - is also providing the military with opportunity for comprehensive change. The U.S. may have gone to war with the Army it had, to paraphrase Secretary Rumsfeld. But it's likely to leave the war with armed services that are considerably different.

Take the Navy. In the old days it had a strict 18-month cycle for ship deployments, notes Thompson of the Lexington Institute. This meant six months at sea, followed by six months downtime, and six months spent preparing for the next deployment.

That's been changed so that deployments are less automatic, and more responsive to events in the world. Such tactics as switching crews while ships remain at sea in effect increases the Navy's size, as it can lower the number in port.

The Navy "now has a completely new model based on surging in response to threats," says Thompson.

The Air Force, for its part, is inevitably becoming less fighter-centric. The most important airplane in Iraq, according to Abizaid of Central Command, has been the C-17 airlifter. For this reason, plus budget pressure, the projected numbers of the new F-22 fighter are dwindling.

Then there's the Army. With the Marines, it has shouldered most of the Iraqi fighting, and suffered many of the casualties.

Iraq has given the Army an opportunity to test and change its new Stryker brigades, which, with their wheeled armored vehicles, are intended as a lighter and faster-acting fighting force. It has put the service on notice of its need for greater modularity - in which each division might be less unique, with interchangeable smaller units.

"The Army has been through very tough times in the last four years. What has come out is a determination to really completely change its organization," says Mr. Thompson.

Right now the U.S. military is embarking on a new Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) process, a periodic exercise in which the Pentagon leadership sets down a broad vision for the structure and use of U.S. forces in the world.

If nothing else the QDR this time may allow the Pentagon and the Congress to draw on the Iraq experience and decide how to balance the demands of peacekeeping and war-fighting in the modern age.

"We need as a nation to decide what we want our military to be," says Jack Spencer, a military analyst at the Heritage Foundation.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Army May Raise Maximum Age For Reserves
By Jon R. Anderson
Stars and Stripes
European Edition
March 21, 2005

ARLINGTON, Va. — Battling recruiting and retention shortfalls among its part-time soldiers, the Army is launching a new experimental policy approving the acceptance of not-so-young recruits into the ranks of the Army National Guard and Reserve.

Dubbed a three-year "test," the new policy will bump up the maximum age for new enlistments from 34 years to 39 years, according to an Army announcement.

The policy applies to both men and women joining the military for the first time. The older recruits will be eligible for the same enlistment bonuses and other incentives as younger volunteers, according to the announcement. Those with prior service experience interested in reserves duty remain under existing rules.

"The program will evaluate the feasibility of a permanent change to Army Reserve Component enlistment policy," reads the announcement. The test program begins immediately and will run through September 30, 2008. Set by law, the maximum age for active-duty recruits will remain at less than 35 years old.





The move comes as reserve recruiters are struggling to convince potential recruits to join even as unit leaders are failing to convince enough troops to stay in uniform beyond initial contracts. Hundreds of thousands of part-time citizen soldiers have found themselves facing full-time duty in the combat zones, mostly under two-year mobilization orders. Of the more than 412,000 Guard and Reserve troops who have been activated since Sept. 11, 2001, more than 63,000 have been mobilized twice, according to Pentagon figures.

Nearly half of the forces now in the Middle East and Central Asia come from the reserve components, noted Charles S. Abell, the Pentagon's top personnel officer, in prepared remarks delivered before lawmakers March 16.

With that as backdrop, he wrote, "This will be a very challenging year for recruiting for the reserve components particularly in the Army National Guard and Reserve," which have born the vast majority of combat deployments among reserve forces. Both the Army Guard and Reserve, he wrote "are at high risk of falling short of their recruiting objectives."

To help stem the tide, the Army National Guard is increasing its recruiting force by more than 25 percent, adding 1,400 new recruiters. Meanwhile, the Army Reserve is nearly doubling its recruiting ranks with 734 new recruiters.

The Army's new policy should help their efforts.

"Raising the maximum age for non-prior service enlistment expands the recruiting pool, provides motivated individuals an opportunity to serve, and strengthens the readiness of Reserve units," according to the Army statement announcing the new policy.

All applicants must meet the same eligibility standards, to include passing the same physical standards and medical examination.

"Experience has shown that older recruits who can meet the physical demands of military service generally make excellent Soldiers based on their maturity, motivation, loyalty, and patriotism," reads the announcement.

It's too early to say how much the new policy will help recruiters, but officials are hopeful.

"The impact of the measure on meeting enlistment goals has not been forecast, but it is expected to contribute to the Army's efforts to recruit top-quality individuals," according to the announcement.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Navy SEAL Court-Martial Full Of Secrets <br />
Associated Press <br />
March 21, 2005 <br />
<br />
SAN DIEGO - The court-martial of a Navy SEAL lieutenant accused of abusing a prisoner in Iraq is a case full of secrets...

[thedrifter]

21st TSC Troops Deploy To Afghanistan
By Steve Mraz
Stars and Stripes
European Edition
March 21, 2005

When their boots hit combat soil, they'll find themselves in an ancient, war-damaged nation in places such as Bagram, Kandahar and Kabul.

And they wont be returning for a year.

Roughly 170 soldiers under the umbrella of the 21st Theater Support Command loaded onto a commercial jet at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, on Saturday afternoon and departed for a yearlong Afghanistan deployment.

Their mission: To provide logistical support and force protection for all U.S.-friendly forces in Afghanistan.

Soldiers heading out Saturday represented the 330th Rear Operations Center and the 29th Support Group Headquarters and Headquarters Company. Those elements are part of the 21st TSC, which by July will have deployed about 1,100 troops to Afghanistan for its joint logistics command mission.




While waiting to depart Saturday, several troops said they were excited and ready to go. Troops used the long wait to catnap, fiddle with their iPods and get in a few games on a Sony PlayStation.

Also with the group Saturday were 54 soldiers with the 208th Finance Battalion under the command of Lt. Col. Kathryn Hall. The unit "brings the cash to the battlefield" to pay soldiers and contractors, Hall said.

"[The the 208th soldiers] have certainly earned their place on this team," she said.

All the troops will fly to Kyrgyzstan and from there will depart to several locations in Afghanistan.

Staff Sgt. Renee Walker of the 29th Support Group HHC is keeping an open mind about her yearlong deployment, but is reassured by the ability of her troops in vehicle maintenance.

"It's almost like I'm with family and soldiers at the same time," she said. "I know their capabilities, and they know my capabilities."

After looking into the eyes of his soldiers, Col. Walter J. Sawyer, commander of the 29th Support Group, knew his troops were ready for their Afghanistan deployment.

"What they are getting ready to do is not only important to the guy or gal next to them but to the entire mission," he said.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Insurgents Recycle Iran-Iraq War Weapons
Associated Press
March 21, 2005

MANDALI, Iraq - Hundreds of thousands of rusty munitions - leftovers from the Iran-Iraq war - are scattered across the green fields and gentle hills of the two countries' common border. Long ignored, they are now being harvested by insurgents who recycle them into crude but highly deadly bombs to use against U.S. and Iraqi troops.

Saddam-era ordnance, repackaged as roadside bombs or bundled together to use in car bomb attacks, has been the leading killer of U.S. soldiers in Iraq. Concerned about the growing trend, the military is paying Iraqis thousands of dollars for information about weapons caches.

"The munitions that are stockpiled in this area will for some time to come be a constant source of improvised explosive device material for someone that's willing to take the time to get them," Lt. Col. William M. Hart said.

Hart commands the 1st Squadron of the 278th Regiment from Athens, Tenn. His unit patrols about 60 miles of the Iraq-Iran border where much of the 1980-88 war was fought. It is impossible to know how many insurgent bombs originated from these weedy minefields. But the potential is enormous.

"We need to be working ... to limit munitions trafficking from the border westward into the population centers," Hart said. "If we do that, we will have been effective in at least taking away some of the insurgency's logistical support base."




The U.S. Army is reluctant to discuss reward amounts. Officials realize they are competing with insurgents and others buying old weapons, and they don't want to start a bidding war.

"We'd be naive to think we're the only ones paying them for munitions," said the 1st Squadron's Lt. Capt. Kevin Mick, a native of Columbia, Tenn., who frequently visits with villagers to check for new caches.

Since the regiment's arrival in November 2004, locals have turned in over 7,000 munitions.

Critics say the program provides incentives for poor, untrained Iraqis to do dangerous work. Advocates say Iraqis are helping to demilitarize their country and disable weapons that could be used to kill or maim civilians and soldiers.

The military has allocated hundreds of millions of dollars to the Army Corp of Engineers and private contractors to destroy munitions throughout the country. But there are still more than enough to guarantee insurgents a steady supply for the foreseeable future.

Estimates of the number of mines before the 2003 U.S. invasion range between 8 million and 12 million. In the western half of the Diyala province, next to the border area, more than 1,400 improvised bombs have been located since November 2003, according to U.S. military statistics.

The weapons remain a threat to life along the border, where roads are lined by piles of stones or sticks stuck in the ground - primitive warnings of nearby danger. Anti-personnel mines can be seen jutting from the sand, and mortars and rocket-propelled grenades that skipped across the desert a quarter century ago lie buried in soft beds of sand, still dangerously sensitive.

Iraqi soldiers said earlier this month they found the bodies of two shepherds amid a herd of aimless sheep, the apparent victims of leftover munitions.

U.S. soldiers patrolling near the border recently picked up 21 pieces of rusty munitions from a villager who flagged down the same group a few hours later to say he had also collected some 200 anti-tank mines. A shepherd on the same road two days earlier stopped a convoy of Humvees to point out a protruding land mine just off the road.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Rumsfeld Criticizes Iraq Attack Strategy
Associated Press
March 21, 2005

WASHINGTON - The level of insurgency in postwar Iraq wouldn't be so high if the U.S.-led coalition had been able to invade from the north, through Turkey, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Sunday.

Rumsfeld told "Fox News Sunday" that if the United States had able to get its 4th Infantry Division into northern Iraq through Turkey, more of Saddam's Baathist regime would have been captured or killed, diminishing the insurgency.

U.S. forces had to enter Iraq from the south, so by the time Baghdad was taken, much of Saddam's military and intelligence services had dissipated into the northern cities, Rumsfeld said. "They're still, in a number of instances, still active," he said.

As Iraqi security forces develop, Rumsfeld said, they will take increasing responsibility and the insurgency will diminish over time. He estimated current Iraqi security forces at over 145,000.

U.S. forces in Iraq are being reduced from 153,000 to 137,000 or 140,000, Rumsfeld said, although it's possible more security will have to be put into place when new elections take place next year.




Rumsfeld told ABC's "This Week" that at least 30 projects are under way to reduce stress on U.S. forces. For example, he said, a new national security personnel system allows for the use of fewer military people in civilian positions, and the Pentagon is rebalancing the active force with the reserve component.

"So far, we've only used in Iraq and Afghanistan something like 40 percent of the Guard and Reserve," he said. "It's not like everything's been used up."

Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told NBC's "Meet the Press" that the all-volunteer force is "working marvelously."

"I've served in the draft force, I've served in the volunteer force," he said. "The American public should not be at all confused about the volunteer force and how well it's performed."

On Fox, Rumsfeld defended his "old Europe" characterization of nations such as France and Germany that opposed U.S. policy in Iraq.

"That's not haunting me," he said. "I don't think it was a stunning comment, and it certainly wasn't in any way denigrating anything."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Friday, March 18, 2005 6:28 AM

Veteran recalls invasion as second anniversary approaches

(Fort Campbell, KY - AP) — As the second anniversary of the invasion of Iraq approaches, some of its veterans say there isn't a day that goes by that they don't think about the experience.

Lieutenant Colonel Michael Getchell of Bridgewater was with the 101st Airborne Division during the invasion. He says he remembers "the eerie smoke and the fire and the explosions." He says the action was intense and hard-fought and that he was heartened when Iraqis pulled down that statue of Saddam Hussein, with an assist from the US Marines.

Getchell — who is based out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky — says he thinks US officials should have done a better job managing the expectations of the Iraqi people on how quickly positive change would come.

Getchell says he'd like to go back someday to see all the hard work "reach full flower."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

From VIPs to IEDs
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 20053207557
Story by Sgt. Stephen D'Alessio



CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, Ar Ramadi, Iraq (March 20, 2005) -- When Lance Cpl. Dalzell was asked to escort incoming and outgoing Marines and sailors from the camp, a frequently dangerous job -- he had no qualms. He's used to sticking his neck out for others.

Robert Dalzell, a 21-year-old Wayne, N.J., native and rifleman with the 2d Marine Division's operations section, has a history in providing security.

When the 2001 Wayne Valley High School graduate shipped off to boot camp and then to the Marine Corps' School of Infantry, he found himself in a position few others in history have been able to claim as their profession. Dalzell was selected to be one of the President's men.

"I got lucky is what it was," said Dalzell, in a modest tone. "Before I graduated SOI, three or four of us were interviewed for the job. I had to have a spotless record and a rigorous background check done before I was accepted, so I guess I had that going for me."

Dalzell worked at the Camp David Presidential Retreat site in Maryland as part of the security forces team. His job demanded that he keep an extra sharp eye out to protect the president, dignitaries, VIPs and other important visitors.

He handled anything from walking patrols to gate security. His duties were not much different than operations at the camp, here. One of the main things that helped him here was training in detecting improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

Before he knew it, his tour was ending after a one and a half year stint. He stood in the Oval office to pose in a photograph with the President -- a custom for all of the President's guards to do this at the end of their tours.

Much of the business he conducted there can't be discussed, but the training he received there in security operations has made him a prime candidate for his service in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"I just wanted to get out and see the world, he added. And after September 11th, I wanted to be able to say I served my country. For me, the Marine Corps was my way of doing that."

Since then, Dalzell has been trying to deploy to support the Global War on Terrorism. After all, that's what he joined the Corps' to do.

"I extended a year on my contract to come out here," explained Dalzell. "I have a lot of work here and I'm glad for that."

It wasn't until last month that Dalzell got his chance. Now, he's one of the main security providers for the convoys that travel between the camps, transporting troops and officers. Many of the trips take small arms fire and some come across IEDs. But this is the kind of environment he's been looking for.

"It's my first deployment and what a place to choose," said Dalzell. "But I have no regrets. It's a dangerous job, but that's what I asked to come out here and do. I wouldn't have it any other way."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

22nd MEU refines Tactical Air Control Party procedures with a bang
Submitted by: 22nd MEU
Story Identification #: 2005318114227
Story by - 22nd MEU Public Affairs



CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (March 18, 2005) -- Forward air controllers and radio operators with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit recently braved the harsh North Carolina winter to perfect their skills guiding attack and strike aircraft onto target.

During the Tactical Air Control Party Exercise, the Marines directed AV-8B Harrier II attack jets and AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters through a series of close air strikes with practice bombs and rockets against targets aboard Camp Lejeune ranges. At least 51 'controls,' or close air strikes, were conducted during the three-day exercise.

While this type of training is crucial for pilots to refine their skills dropping ordnance in a timely and accurate matter, the main focus of this exercise were the Marines on the ground, which in this case was the TACP.

A TACP is a select group of forward air controllers (FACs) and radio operators whose primary mission is to deploy with combat maneuver elements to provide pilots overhead with a grounds-eye view of the battlefield so that the aircraft's weapons systems can be most efficiently employed. Normally FACs work alone, but coming together for training helps establish common guidelines and procedures.

"This was the first time we conducted this type of training in preparation for the next deployment," said Maj. Daniel Creighton, of Cambridge, Maryland, a CH-53E Super Stallion pilot serving as the 22nd MEU's Air Officer. "It gave us the opportunity to come together and the refine our control procedures."

According to Creighton, another key aspect of the exercise was familiarizing the TACP with the ranges they will be using during fire support exercises scheduled throughout the rest of the MEU's pre-deployment training. FACs are Marine aviators by trade, and their experience in the air gives them a unique perspective in talking to their airborne comrades.

"A pilot can talk to a pilot in 'pilotspeak,'" said Capt. Andrew Pushart, a Pennsylvania native and the 22nd MEU's Assistant Air Officer. "I can describe what I see on the ground in a way the [aircraft's pilot] can understand."

"If I'm on the ground, I have a better understanding of the ground commander's priority of fires," continued Pushart, who normally flies KC-130 Hercules transport aircraft. "It's as if you're right next to the guy telling him what you need."

During this particular TACP exercise, the FACs executed their missions under a variety of conditions, and according to Creighton, gained a great deal of proficiency in conducting this difficult mission using night vision devices and infrared pointers.

All the experience and knowledge retained by the FACs would be worthless if not for the radio operators who may one day find themselves ensuring lines of communication exist between the FACs and pilots overhead. For many of the radio operators, the TACP exercise was their first opportunity to see first hand the impacts of their work.

"This is the first time I've done this," said Sgt. Argelis Bonilla, a radio operator from Bridgeport, Conn. "I learned about calls-for-fire. They also explained safety and how to make sure nobody gets hurt."

During the 22nd MEU's 2004 deployment to Afghanistan, MEU FACs and their radio operators were a crucial component to the unit's success against Taliban forces. They guided not only Marine strike aircraft and attack helicopters onto target, but also directed Air Force bombers and attack aircraft as well as Army attack helicopters.

This TACP exercise was the first in a series of similar training evolutions the MEU will conduct in the coming months as the unit prepares to set sail.

For more information on the 22nd MEU, visit the unit's web site at http://www.22meu.usmc.mil.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

'An Nasiriyah: The Fight for the Bridges'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
March 21, 2005
CYNDI BROWN
JACKSONVILLE DAILY NEWS STAFF

Two of the Marines on the cover of the book "An Nasiriyah: The Fight for the Bridges" would die about 10 minutes after that photo was taken.

"I never met any of them, but not a day goes by that I don't think of them," said Gary Livingston, author of the book about the battle that took place two years ago. "These guys, I'm just in awe of what they do."

Livingston will be at the Marine Corps Association Book Store at Camp Lejeune from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 23, the anniversary of the fiercest fighting there. Livingston will sign copies of the second edition of his book, which details the actions of the Marines from 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, who were tasked with securing two key bridges outside the city of An Nasiriyah. It turned out to be one of the deadliest days for American troops in Iraq.

The first edition, he said, was "rushed" and not as good as the second, which is updated with 20 pages of photographs from Marines who were there, more first-hand reports and a recounting of the friendly fire incident in which a US Air Force A-10 killed at least eight of the Marines who died that day.

"That was a tragedy. It's lucky they didn't kill more," said Livingston, adding that he is not interested in sensationalizing anything that happened in Iraq. "I won't denigrate the Marine Corps. I'll let somebody else do that crap. I'm trying to bring up what they gave.

"I wanted to do it right for them."

Livingston, who runs his niche publishing company, Caisson Press, from his home on North Topsail, recently published "I Am My Brother's Keeper: Journal of a Gunny in Iraq." That book is an account of now-retired Gunnery Sgt. Jason Doran's tour of duty in Iraq. Doran was at An Nasiriyah with 1/2 and made five trips into "Ambush Alley" on the heaviest day of fighting and helped get 26 Marines out of there safely.

Doran's journal was originally going to be excerpted in the second edition of "An Nasiriyah," but as Livingston and his wife Terry kept reading passages and talking to the Marine, they knew it should stand on its own. And they know other Marines have stories that are just as compelling.

"I'd like to talk to any of them that were in Fallujah," said Livingston, who thinks that will be his next project.

Livingston, who has signed and donated 200 copies of "An Nasiriyah" to Marines recovering at National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., is the author of three previous non-fiction books on the Civil War and one historical novel about Jewish children conscripted into the Russian Imperial Army.

"I enjoy history and military history," said Livingston, whose father served in the Army but talked Livingston out of enlisting.

He recommends those who might want to one day share what they went through in Iraq to keep a journal while there and approach small niche publishers like Caisson or self-publish (he estimates it will cost about $400 for on-demand printing).

Doran plans to donate profits of "Brother's Keeper" to the family of one of the Marines who died at An Nasirayah.

"He wants to donate profits he makes out of the book to Sgt. (Michael) Bitz's children. That's really nice of him to do that," said Livingston.

"Brother's Keeper" and "An Nasiriyah" will be available at the bookstore Wednesday.

"Both books," said Livingston, "have to do with 1/2."

They just returned home in February from another tour in Iraq.

Both books are available at the Marine Corps Association Bookstore, Fosters in the Jacksonville Mall and online at BarnesandNobel.com or Amazon.com.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marine writes letter to 'you'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Athens Daily Review
March 21, 2005

Editor's note: This is a letter to Henderson County residents from Cpl. Jason Fitzgerald, son of Garry and Kaye Fitzgerald of Athens. Jason is fighting in Iraq but is scheduled to return to the United States on Easter Sunday. Enjoy.

----------

Citizens of Henderson County:

First of all, I would like to thank you for all the support you have given me. I can't tell you how great it makes me feel to know how many people I have back home behind me!

I couldn't have made it without all of you. It has been a long seven months, and we are coming home in two weeks. Since our arrival in September, we have successfully completed close to 200 convoys to include combat missions during "Operation Phantom Fury."

I wish I could find the words to let you know what we are doing here is right.

The Iraqi people lived in fear every day -- of dying or losing a loved one. It is weird to ride down the streets and see people so excited (American soldiers) are here. But they are scared to wave because of who may be watching.

The kids don't care, though. They run to the edge of the road and wave, waiting for us to throw them candy. Most of the time you can hear them asking for chocolate or a football (soccer ball). I think of my little cousins every time I throw a piece of candy. Most of the adults will wave, but there are always a few that will just stare at you. You can't help but think they will be the ones aiming for you.

It is an uneasy feeling going into the city wondering if today will be the day. It does not happen as much anymore and you try not to think about it, but it is there.

It is a feeling I never want any of my family or friends to experience. That's why I'm glad I am here, doing this for my country, family, and friends. If we do not take care of it now, we will be fighting this war in our backyards. I am glad we, as Americans, can live in peace.


It is amazing what you miss when you're gone. You know you're going to miss your family, but it's the little things -- like visiting with my grandmothers or having lunch with my family. It is the smell of fresh cut grass, Ochoa's hot sauce and definitely playing catch with my dad and brothers. I miss just being able to "hang out" and not have to worry about the situation around me.

Every day, I think of the men we lost in battle. One of them was from our platoon. He was a good friend of mine, one of the finest Marines I have ever served with.

At only 20 years old, I wonder why him? But he was brave. He will forever live in my heart as a legend; a soldier who gave the ultimate sacrifice so we could have the ultimate life of freedom.

Do not get me wrong, I would never change what I have gone through. Most people in their lives do not get a chance to do what I have; to change part of the world and make history doing it. I thank God every day for bringing me to it and through it. Iraqi lives will be changed forever, as will mine. Everyone has a defining moment in their life where they figure out who they are and what they have inside them. This was mine, I am a Marine, and I fought for my country's freedom.

Corporal Jason Fitzgerald, USMC
Iraq

Ellie

[thedrifter]

True friends never forget their friends
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike Hudson
The Havelock News

I received an e-mail from my buddy, an "of the people" guy, meaning his ancestors were here long before us Johnnie-come-lately Americans were, and who lives on a reservation in Arizona.

He claims that I "cumshawed" my saying on the back of my yuppie truck from a sign in a helo squadron ready room in Phu Bai in 1969. It read almost the same except "mess" was spelled with four different letters.

Cumshaw is the Marine-ization of a Chinese phrase which means roughly, "borrowing for use" and is used when we Marines help ourselves to "things" in the "Adapt, Improvise, and Overcome" phase of our Marine training.

He reminded me of my buddy Freddie. Freddie and I met in 1959 and just kind of stuck together. Freddie was much bigger than I was and we were like "Mutt and Jeff." Freddie's full name was Frederick Douglass as he was named for another famous African American.

Freddie and I kept meeting when we served together on overseas tours. In 1969 Freddie was a gunnery sergeant in Phu Bai while I was in Da Nang. And, meeting once more, it was still Freddie and Mikie - rank never mattered much between us.

We parted company once more in 1970 and called each other when we could over the years. Freddie became a sergeant major.

I still visit Freddie when I can. His name is on the Beirut Memorial just outside Camp Johnson off Lejeune Boulevard in Jacksonville. Freddie, Sergeant Major Frederick Douglass, was killed in the terrorist bombing of the Marine Barracks in Beirut in 1983.

Our mutual Apache friend remembered both of us and asked if Freddie was also a reason for the sign. I told him that his memory was a part of it.

Life just isn't fair. Freddie and I were supposed to lead a unit into somewhere, find the scum of the earth that made that bomb, cut off their heads and stuff their mouths with pork as a warning to future would-be terrorists.

But, the term "fair" is not on anyone's birth certificate. Life comes with no guarantees or warranties.

Someday, Freddie and Mikie will team up again, guarding a street somewhere in heaven - as I'm sure that Sergeant Major Douglass has everything squared away up there.

So, with the reminder of our Chericahua friend - now, you know the rest of the story. I think my friend Freddie, Sergeant Major Douglass, would like it if you Marines dropped by the memorial for a visit sometime.

He was, and still is, simply a Marine.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

March 21, 2005

Amputees pull together to help one another

By T.A. Badger
Associated Press


FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas — Cpl. Isaiah Ramirez has endured the rigors of Marine Corps basic training, followed by two tours of high-risk duty in Iraq. Now he just wants to walk after his lower right leg was shot off in January.
Ramirez, 21, took his first steps toward that goal this month at Brooke Army Medical Center, where nearly two dozen amputees from the Iraq war have fused into a tight unit to help each other as they adjust to life-altering injuries.

The amputee center at BAMC, which opened earlier this year, is the second one created by the Defense Department to treat service members hurt in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“I love being around here — it makes you feel more normal,” said Ramirez, who grew up in Long Beach, Calif.

Ramirez was on foot patrol in Ramadi on Jan. 11 when he was hit above his right ankle by an anti-tank round. He said he was alert while a combat medic quickly performed a crude amputation right there on the city street.

“I’ve learned that I’ve got to stop thinking about the things I could have done,” said Ramirez, who had planned to be a career Marine. “I’m just glad to be here.”

Army Spc. Albert Ross sat with Ramirez recently and answered his questions while the Marine was fitted for his prosthesis.

Ross is a good role model for Ramirez. He lost the same part of his right leg to a rocket-propelled grenade in Baghdad last summer, and has recovered well enough to run a quarter-mile on a treadmill.

“You get bored?” Ramirez asked him. “Like you always want to do something?”

“Yeah,” replied Ross. “You’re going to get frustrated at first because you want to go somewhere, but you can’t go far.”

Ross, from Baker, La., in turn takes inspiration from Sgt. Chris Leverkuhn, an Army reservist from Logansport, Ind.

Leverkuhn, 21, had his right leg amputated just above the knee after an improvised bomb exploded under the floorboard of the fuel tanker he was riding in. The truck’s driver was killed in the Jan. 2, 2004, attack outside Ramadi.

Leverkuhn, who’s endured three dozen surgeries with more to come, is progressing through the many stages of recovery: bed to wheelchair to walker to crutches to cane. Now he can jump foot-high hurdles and dribble a basketball around small cones on the floor.

“Half the time when I’m wearing pants, people don’t know that I’m an amputee,” Leverkuhn said.

The workout room is the amputee center’s social hub, where patients pump out a steady stream of wisecracks and PG-rated insults between sets on the weightlifting machines.

“We all give each other a hard time, but we don’t do any of that until we know a person and know how they’ll take it,” said Leverkuhn, who has laminated a picture of a chopper-style motorcycle to his prosthesis.

Col. Robert Granville, an orthopedic surgeon who performs amputations and subsequent operations, is constantly awed by the casual, can-do atmosphere.

“I can’t imagine being a 19, 20-year-old guy and facing the life challenges they have to face,” said Granville, who has done a six-month tour of duty in Iraq. “We attempt to empathize, but we can’t. Nobody can understand what they’re going through except those who’ve gone through it.”

First Sgt. Daniel Seefeldt says the camaraderie got him past the nightmares he had after losing his lower left leg to a homemade bomb in Baghdad in September.

“A lot of the reason I’m not thinking about it is being with the other amputees,” said Seefeldt, 41, of Manitowoc, Wis. “All these guys here, we’re all close, like a family. If you’re depressed, you have people here to lift your spirits.”

Seefeldt, a 22-year Army veteran assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, is determined to regain as much of his old life as he can.

During weekend visits to see his wife and two children, who live near Fort Hood, he does laundry and straightens up around the house, though the family’s canister-style vacuum cleaner gives him fits. In late November, barely six weeks after his amputation, he cooked Thanksgiving dinner.

“I do it every year,” Seefeldt said matter-of-factly, “and this year was no different.”

Ramirez, whose wife gave birth to their first child in late February, is likely months away from rattling any pots and pans. He first needs to learn how to balance himself and re-establish the rhythm of his gait.

The support he’s getting at the amputee center will shore him up on his upcoming return to southern California to see family and his old surfing buddies.

“I worried when I saw them that they would have pity for me,” Ramirez said. “I want them to see me and think, ‘He’s doing pretty good.”’

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marine helicopter squadron conducts external operations
Submitted by: MCAS Iwakuni
Story Identification #: 2005317191455
Story by Staff Sgt. Frederick Haggett



MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan (March 11, 2005) -- The northern extremity of the station’s airfield was a flurry of activity recently, as combat-proven CH-53D helicopters delicately dangled a two-ton block of concrete 50 feet in the air.

A congregation of aviation enthusiasts, photographers and onlookers who assembled in the baseball field north of the airstrip had quite a sight when the Red Lions of Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 363 conducted external operations for the first time in recent memory.

As pilots and aircrew hovered overhead, the helicopter support team hustled to secure the load and ensure safe operations despite the blowing wind and rain. The Red Lions initiated external operations aboard the station in an attempt at maximizing training opportunities during their unit deployment program before returning to their home base at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

“External operations are the preferred method of cargo loading for Marine Corps CH-53 helicopters, and proficiency allows us to quickly execute our assault support mission,” said Lt. Col. Paul Fortunato, Red Lions commanding officer.

The Marines made it look easy, but the casual observer could not imagine the effort and improvisation required to bring it all together.

For starters, there was no existing training aid for such an operation, so the hard-working Marines of Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 built one.

“We hoped to provide a block that simulated the full lift capability of this massive helicopter” said Sgt. Jason Kesner, MWSS-171 HST leader, “but we had to settle for 4,000 pounds of concrete and iron, which was a feat in itself.”

After the construction process, the block was transported with a forklift and pallet to the north grass portion of the airfield where the CH-53D helicopters conduct tactical training.

With the block problem solved, HMH-363 assistant operations officer, Capt. Jade Campbell, set to work assembling the HST. After locating the only HST trained Marine on station, Campbell recruited Red Lion augments and taught them proper procedures for rigging, hookup and staging cargo. Led by Kesner, flight line mechanics, avionics technicians and logisticians sacrificed their time to fill the ground responsibilities of the operation.

With the block and team in position, the Red Lion aircraft arrived and started the anticipated external lift. The ground crew braved the downwash, static electricity, and adverse weather to provide landing site control for the operations.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Jesse Roddy, HMH-363 hospital corpsman, was standing by with stretcher and field kit just in case.

“It was rainy and cold, but we were happy to be there to support this important exercise,” said Roddy.

Multiple lifts were completed safely as the ground team continued to improve their efficiency and met the challenges of rapidly changing conditions.
Inside the aircraft, crews labored to perfect their precision hover and placement skills.

Sgt. Christopher Nino, HMH-363 crew chief instructor, said he appreciated all the effort put forth by all the planners and crews involved to ensure an effective training operation. “The training was essential to improve our core skill proficiency and combat readiness,” he added.

Although this was the first time this type of operation was conducted by a UDP squadron aboard the station, it certainly will not be the last.

“We look forward to conducting this type of training quite soon. We have received great support from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni and MWSS 171, and plan on reaping the rewards for some time to come,” said Campbell.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Tide May Be Turning on Iraq's Street of Fear
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By JOHN F. BURNS
The New York Times
March 21, 2005

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Nearly two years after American troops captured Baghdad, Haifa Street is like an arrow at the city's heart. A little more than two miles long, it runs south through a canyon of mostly abandoned high-rises and majestic date palms almost to the Assassin's Gate, the imperial-style arch that is the main portal to the Green Zone compound, the principal seat of American power.

When most roads in central Baghdad are choked with traffic, there is rarely more than a trickle of vehicles on Haifa Street. At the day's height, a handful of pedestrians scurry down empty sidewalks, ducking into covered walkways that serve as sanctuaries from gunfire - and as blinds for insurgent attacks in one of Iraq's most bitterly contested battle zones.

American soldiers call the street Purple Heart Boulevard: the First Battalion of the Ninth Cavalry, patrolling here for the past year before its recent rotation back to base at Fort Hood, Tex., received more than 160 Purple Hearts. Many patrols were on foot, to gather intelligence on neighborhoods that American officers say have been the base for brutal car bombings, kidnappings and assassinations across Baghdad.

In the first 18 months of the fighting, the insurgents mostly outmaneuvered the Americans along Haifa Street, showing they could carry the war to the capital's core with something approaching impunity.

But American officers say there have been signs that the tide may be shifting. On Haifa Street, at least, insurgents are attacking in smaller numbers, and with less intensity; mortar attacks into the Green Zone have diminished sharply; major raids have uncovered large weapons caches; and some rebel leaders have been arrested or killed.

American military engineers, frustrated elsewhere by insurgent attacks, are moving ahead along Haifa Street with a $20 million program to improve electricity, sewer and other utilities. So far, none of the work sites have been attacked, although a local Shiite leader who vocally supported the American projects was assassinated on his doorstep in January.

But the change American commanders see as more promising than any other here is the deployment of large numbers of Iraqi troops. American commanders are eager to shift the fighting in Iraq to the country's own troops, allowing American units to pull back from the cities and, eventually, to begin drawing down their 150,000 troops. Haifa Street has become an early test of that strategy.

Last month, an Iraqi brigade with two battalions garrisoned along Haifa Street became the first homegrown unit to take operational responsibility for any combat zone in Iraq. The two battalions can muster more than 2,000 soldiers, twice the size of the American cavalry battalion that has led most fighting along the street. So far, American officers say, the Iraqis have done well, withstanding insurgent attacks and conducting aggressive patrols and raids, without deserting in large numbers or hunkering down in their garrisons.

If Haifa Street is brought under control, it will be a major step toward restoring order in this city of five million, and will send a wider message: that the insurgents can be matched, and beaten back.

Still, American commanders are wary, saying the changes are a long way from a victory. They note that the insurgents match each tactical change by the Americans and Iraqi government forces with their own.

"We know that we face a learning enemy, just as we learn from him," said Maj. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, who left Baghdad recently after a year commanding the First Cavalry Division, responsible for overall security in Baghdad and for the 800-member task force dedicated to Haifa Street. "But I believe we are gaining the upper hand," he said.

A Downturn in Rebel Fire

For now, the days when rebels could gather in groups as large as 150, pinning down American troops for as long as six hours at a time, have tapered off. American officers say only three Haifa Street mortars have hit the Green Zone in the past six months; in the last two weeks of September alone, 11 Haifa Street mortars hit the sprawling zone.

In recent weeks, with the new Iraqi units on hand, the Americans have sent up to 1,500 men at a time on sweeps, uncovering insurgent weapons caches and arresting insurgent leaders like Ali Mama, the name taken by a gangster who was once a favored hit man for Saddam Hussein.

He is now in Abu Ghraib; others who have become local legends with attacks on the Americans have been killed, including one who used the nom-de-guerre Ra'id the Hunter, American intelligence officers say.

The two Iraqi battalions, backed by a new battalion from the Third Infantry Division, will now bear the main burden of establishing order in the sprawling district around Haifa Street - three miles deep and about half as wide, encompassing about 170,000 people, the city's main railway yards, current and former government buildings, and the Mansour Melia Hotel, favored by many Westerners based in Baghdad.

By any measure, it is a tough patch. When Mr. Hussein ordered Baghdad's old walled city bulldozed in the 1980's, he gave the street at its heart a new name, Haifa, to honor the Israeli port city that many Arabs hope will become part of a Palestinian state. In the forest of new high-rises, Mr. Hussein housed thousands of loyalists: Baath Party stalwarts, middle-class professionals from his favored Sunni minority, migrants from his hometown, Tikrit, and fugitives from other Arab countries, including Egypt, Syria and Sudan.

After Baghdad fell on April 9, 2003, the area was primed to become an insurgent redoubt. Mr. Hussein established his first hide-out somewhere along the alleyways of Sheik Marouf, a neighborhood that is still a rebel stronghold.

In some ways, Haifa Street is a microcosm of Iraq. Behind the apartment blocks lie a patchwork of Shiite communities where residents, repressed like other Shiites under Mr. Hussein, are mostly friendly to the Americans.

Interlaced with these are predominantly Sunni neighborhoods that have been insurgent bases, like Al Sadr; Fahama; Sheik Ali, a district of Sheik Marouf; and the area along the Tigris that Mr. Hussein named for himself, Saddamiya, where he attended school in the 1950's.

The Sunni neighborhoods, along with the area's Arab migrants, proved a bountiful recruiting pool for the two principal groups that form the resistance - pro-Hussein loyalists who believe they can somehow restore Baath Party rule; and militants loyal to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born militant who has spawned a web of terrorist groups and attracted a $25 million bounty as America's most-wanted man in Iraq.

From their Haifa Street hide-outs, the rebels have been remorseless. American units report having found headless bodies in garbage dumps and floating in the river. Twelve-year-old boys have thrown grenades. Six-year-olds have approached American patrols with whispers of insurgent hideouts, then lured them into ambushes. A missing Iraqi soldier's bloodied uniform turned up hanging from a wire near the river, with a sign in Arabic pinned to it saying, "Let this be a warning for spies."

A year ago, the American cavalry division took a major risk in shifting to foot patrols from drive-throughs in Bradley armored troop carriers. The change took its toll: the division's Haifa Street force lost five soldiers, and 25 were seriously wounded, the core of a wider group of injured men who received those Purple Hearts. But the unit estimates that it killed 100 to 200 enemy fighters, and the yield in intelligence was rich.

With the foot patrols, the Americans made friends in the Shiite communities, particularly in Showaka, a poor area where back streets are dotted with carved, Ottoman-era balconies. Ties improved with a special $2 million reconstruction program - part of the wider reconstruction in the district - that has brought 12,500 Showaka families their first indoor toilets, buried sewage pipes and modernized the electricity grid. Gone, for these people, are the centuries when sewage ran down open channels in the alleys into the Tigris.

American morale, for the moment, is high. Lt. Col. Thomas D. Macdonald, the cavalry division officer who commanded the Haifa Street task force, believes that the Iraqis, with an affinity for their own people, can push the rebels farther back.

"I've got the enemy to the point where he can't do large-scale operations anymore, only the small-scale stuff," he said recently, during one of his last patrols, at the head of a company of 120 soldiers. "If we put in more Iraqi garrisons like this, that will be the final nail in the coffin."

Iraqi Units With 'Heart'

When Iraqi units began to serve in combat zones, desertion rates were high. During the first offensive in Falluja, last April, some soldiers refused to fight. But over the past nine months, a $5 billion American-financed effort has bought Iraqi units more than 100,000 Kalashnikov rifles, 100,000 flak jackets, 110,000 pistols, 6,000 cars and pickup trucks, and 230 million rounds of ammunition. In place of the single Iraqi battalion trained last June, there are more than 90 battalions now, totaling about 60,000 army and special police troops. No one is certain how many insurgents they face; the number, including foot soldiers, safe-house operators, organizers and financiers, is estimated to be 12,000 to 20,000.

Iraqi units still complain about unequal equipment, particularly the lack of the heavy armor the Americans use, like Bradley fighting vehicles and Abrams tanks. But the complaints among American officers about "tiny heart syndrome" - a caustic reference to some Iraqi units' unwillingness to expose themselves to combat - have diminished.

"Now, they're ready to fight," said Lt. Gen. David H. Petraeus, the American officer overseeing the retraining effort, in a recent interview at his Green Zone headquarters.

Lethal intimidation of recruits - the suicide bombing of army barracks, police stations and recruiting lines, with scores of volunteers killed - remains the single biggest problem in building the Iraqi forces, the general acknowledged. But an overwhelming majority of new recruits have refused to buckle, he said, and they understand that they are fighting, not for the Americans, but for their own country. "Guys who get blown up in the morning get themselves bandaged up, and they're back in the afternoon," he said.

continued...........

[thedrifter]

The uncompromising image is one that Gen. Muhammad al-Samraa, 39, the commander of the Iraqi 303rd Battalion, based on Haifa Street, is eager to push. "My aim is 100 percent clear: all the terrorists living here, they go now," he said, in halting English. He was a major in Mr. Hussein's air defense force, and spent a year as a bodyguard and driver for a Shiite tribal leader in Baghdad before signing up for the new army.

A Shiite himself, commanding a unit composed mostly of Shiites, General Samraa has made his headquarters in the old Sajida Palace, on the riverbank at Haifa Street's northern end, a sad, looted, sandbagged relic of the pleasure dome it was for Mr. Hussein's first wife, Sajida. But the general insisted the new Iraqi forces had history on their side. "Saddam, we've seen the movie, and it's finished," he said. "He's broken. Now is the new Iraq."

Among Shiites, Good Will

In the Shiite neighborhoods of Haifa Street, the good will for Americans is pervasive. A fruit seller, Majid Hussein Hassan, 40, rose from his stall to ask Colonel Macdonald for help getting hospital treatment for an infant nephew with a heart deformity. From a balcony, an old woman appealed for better garbage removal. "We're counting on you Americans," she said. "Iraqi officials do nothing!"

In Showaka and other Shiite neighborhoods, residents clustered around the Americans, offering slivers of information about insurgents. A man in the black cloak of a Shiite religious student gave the names of a brother and sister from a Sunni street who had left in haste after a bombing on the eve of the Jan. 30 elections that killed 17 people, including 6 children, in a Shiite district of Sheik Marouf.

The Sunni neighborhoods are another matter. There, American and Iraqi troops face continuing attacks from a mix of insurgents: the Hussein loyalists, Baath Party irreconcilables dreaming of restoring Sunni rule, Islamic militants under Mr. Zarqawi, and criminal gangs that thrived under Mr. Hussein.

For an overview of the area, Colonel Macdonald led a platoon to the roof of an apartment block roof overlooking Tala'i Square, notorious for a Dec. 19 attack when masked insurgents ambushed Iraqi election officials, hauling them from their car and shooting them in the head.

With helicopters armed with missiles circling overhead, the colonel offered what sounded like a valedictory for the Haifa Street insurgents. "We've gotten to the point where the bad guys really aren't fighting us here anymore," he said. "The battle is all in the back alleys now."

Still, on the streets of Sheik Ali, the insurgents leave plenty of traces. When an American patrol of 120 men passed through the nearly deserted streets at noon, the few residents who glanced through half-opened doors and curtains offered furtive smiles and waves.

But on the walls, the message was one of defiance. "Death to the Americans!" the slogans said, freshly painted after older ones were spray painted over by Iraqi troops. "Victory to the mujahedeen!"

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Wisconsin native gets his foot in the door
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 2005320101219
Story by Cpl. Tom Sloan



HURRICANE POINT, Ar Ramadi, Iraq (March 19, 2004) -- Marines with 1st Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, have a special piece of gear they never leave behind when going out on an operation. Doing so could jeopardize their mission accomplishment.

It's high speed and low drag, but it's not a machine, it's a 6-foot-7-inch 200-pound Marine.

Lance Cpl. Joshua A. Shores, a squad automatic gunner for 1st Squad, 1st Platoon, Company A, often makes searching buildings and rooms light work for the rest of the Marines in his platoon.

The 19-year-old New Richmond, Wis., native's specialty is making an entrance where there isn't one, according to Lance Cpl. Lou N. Coloma, squad automatic gunner with 3rd Squad, 1st Platoon, Company A.

"He's a real asset to have when clearing buildings," said the 23-year-old from Chicago. "He'll usually kick down the door or bust through the wall. If he can't do that, then he'll just climb over. He's so tall."

Shores is the right man for the job when entering somewhere requires force, he said.

He kicked down and busted through locked and barricaded wooden and metal doors with ease while patrolling the city here recently with his company. They might as well have been cardboard because they did nothing to stop him. With his strength, size and warrior determination, he tore a path from the bottom to the top of each building.

While he may be a one man wrecking crew on the job, he's a gentle giant when the mission's completed, said Coloma.

"He's fun to be around," he said. "He makes light of bad situations. He's the type of person you can joke with and count on when the going gets tough. He's honest and a good Marine."

Shores, whose father, Ernest Shores, served in the Corps from 1976 to 1980, said he wanted to be a Marine since he was a young child and enlisted the first chance he got.

"I joined when I was seventeen," he said. "I had to get my parents signature."

After enlisting at Recruiting Substation Eau Claire, Wis., Shores spent a year in the delayed entry program while he finished out his senior year of high school at New Richmond High School.

He graduated early and left to attend Marine Corps Recruit Training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, Calif.

"I had enough credits to graduate early," he said. "I decided it would be best to go ahead and attend boot camp as soon as possible. I went back home after I graduated boot camp and received my diploma with the rest of my class when they had their graduation ceremony."

Shores proudly wore his Dress Blue uniform during his high school graduation.

He said enjoys being a Marine and belonging to an organization that is making a difference in the world.

"I feel like I'm helping people," he said. " Going from house to house searching for weapons is great. Over all, I know I'm helping someone by being a Marine."

Being deployed to Iraq and fighting in a war doesn't bother Shores.

"I don't dwell on anything much because no matter how bad it gets, it will eventually get better, God will make sure of that," he said. "The Marines before me had it a whole lot worse."

Shores also said he appreciates the camaraderie between he and his fellow Marines.

"I like making friends with the Marines in my company," he said. "They really are like my brothers."

Aside from the Corps, Shores' hobbies include hunting deer and game birds back in his home state of Wisconsin, playing the guitar and spending time with his fiancée, Signe Ness.

"I plan on marrying her when I return home from deployment."

http://www.marines.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2005320102420/$file/050319-M-0245S-003lowres.jpg

AR RAMADI, Iraq (March 18, 2005) - Nineteen-year-old Lance Cpl. Joshua A. Shores, squad automatic weapon gunner, 1st Squad, 1st Platoon, Company A, of New Richmond, Wis., provides security down a narrow street here while he and his Marines conduct a patrol. The 6-foot-7-inch 200-pound Marine's specialty is kicking doors open and creating entrances where there are none, which makes him a valuable asset when clearing houses.
Photo by: Cpl. Tom Sloan

http://www.marines.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2005320101529/$file/050319-M-0245S-001lowres.jpg

HURRICANE POINT, Ar Ramadi, Iraq (March 19, 2005) - Nineteen-year-old Lance Cpl. Joshua A. Shores, squad automatic gunner, 1st Squad, 1st Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, of New Richmond, Wis., rests his elbow on 22-year-old Lance Cpl. Jordan P. Marshall, rifleman, 1st Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, of Ventura, Calif., outside his platoons hooch here. The 6-foot-7-inch 200-pound Marine's specialty is kicking doors open and creating entrances where there are none, which makes him a valuable asset when clearing houses.

Photo by: Cpl. Tom Sloan


Ellie

[isabfuen12]

Sorry for the families both of them... Poor James