Marines honor fallen in stride

[thedrifter]

Marines honor fallen in stride
Submitted by: II Marine Expeditionary Force
Story Identification #: 2005321122829
Story by Cpl. Christi Prickett



CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq (March 21, 2005) -- When Maj. Kevin M. Shea, communication officer, died Sept. 14, 2004, many people felt the loss of a great friend and co-worker. The same is true for the other 123 Marines from Regimental Combat Team One who passed away during the past 14 months.

Shea was scheduled to return to his home in California in November. He was posthumously promoted to lieutenant colonel.

In remembrance of them all, RCT-1 Communication Platoon organized a memorial run held March 18 and 19.

Marines throughout the regiment participated.

“I think this run is a time for remembrance of the Marines and Soldiers who have sacrificed so much and their families that have lost something that can't be replaced,” said Gunnery Sgt. Jason S. Parker, maintenance chief.

The course consisted of 123 laps around an approximate 1.5 mile square, symbolizing the Marines life potential being only half realized upon their passing. Each Marine running was required to complete one lap.

“For me, I originally was going to run one lap,” Parker said. “Later, I felt like doing more, so I ran two more laps.”

Parker was running in memory of his friend Gunnery Sgt. Robert E. Baum, who was killed in action in the Al Anbar Province on May 3, 2004.

In preparation for the run, different shops from RCT-1 Communication Platoon created batons using various materials and following guidelines from the Letter of Instruction.

The baton carried was chosen by Capt. Mark E. Halverson, the current communication officer. Once the race was over, it was placed in Halverson’s office until next year’s race.

Halverson was scheduled to run the first lap, however, due to a knee injury, Gunnery Sgt. Jeffrey J. Kirby, RCT-1 wire chief, started the commemorative event.

More than 100 other Marines ran the same route around Camp Fallujah over the following 24-hour period.

For many Marines, the run was more than a morning jog or daily unit physical training.

Kirby, native of Dixon, Ill., thought back to Shea’s birthday on his lap.

“I remember we had quite a few things going on the day with the new Regimental Commander’s change of command and reception and Lt. Col. Shea never mentioned that it was his birthday,” he said. “I didn't even realize it until I had seen the dates on the program during his memorial service. I wish I could of had the opportunity to have said happy birthday.”

In the allotted 12 minutes of run time, Kirby finished his lap in six minutes, 30 seconds.

“I focused on giving a 110 percent that first lap because that is what the lieutenant colonel always gave in total effort, 110 percent” he said.

Even the younger Marines were affected by the atmosphere of the event.

“It affects me very deeply knowing that something so small as carrying a baton and doing a one mile run, can unite and bring camaraderie to an entire unit during such stressful times,” said Sgt. Brandon S. Frakes, headquarters communication technical chief. “My cousin and I both served with this unit during the battle of Fallujah. This run has great significance because it honors the fallen warriors of RCT-1 and mainly our fallen communications officer, whom I worked for. This run means a lot to me.”

Parker had different thoughts.

"I focused on the great gift of life that I have been given,” said Parker. “I thought about the Marines I was running for and their families. Then I thought about my family and how thankful I am for the sacrifice of the Marines and Soldiers, that I might go home and enjoy our freedom.”

The run is scheduled to continue every Sept. 13 or 14 wherever RCT-1 is at, whether it be Camp Pendleton or elsewhere in the world.

“This is the kind of memorial that can and should go on for a long time,” Parker said.

Near the end of the run, emotions were high as the last runner, Halverson, ran in the baton. A final formation was held to honor the Marines to be remembered and the first verse of the “Marines’ Hymn” was sung. The names of the fallen were then spoken aloud, one at a time, throughout each of the Marines in the formation.

“I believe this run made an incredible impact to the Marines that are getting ready to go home and tell the story of Fallujah,” said Kirby. “They will tell stories of how these fallen Marines will not be forgotten. You could feel the sense of honor by each Marine that completed every lap.”

Memories are all some Marines in RCT-1 may have of their fallen brothers and friends, and their time in Camp Fallujah, but according to Halverson, by creating an environment of recollection each year, these things will continue to be remembered.

“The Marines made history here in Fallujah so we need to remember those who gave all,” said Parker.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200532114348/$file/MemorialRun14low.jpg

Captain Mark E. Halverson, communications officer for Regimental Communication Team One, receives a baton from Lance Cpl. Gabriel Manzo during the recent Lt. Col. Kevin M. Shea memorial run held at Camp Fallujah. In remembrance of the 123 Marines that passed away over the last14 months, the team organized a run to be held each year on the anniversary of Shea’s death. Photo by: Cpl. Christi Prickett

Ellie

[thedrifter]

85 Militants Killed In U.S. Raid
Associated Press
March 24, 2005

BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. and Iraqi forces killed 85 militants at a suspected training camp along the marshy shores of a remote lake, one of the highest guerrilla death tolls of the two-year insurgency, officials said Wednesday. They said citizens emboldened by the January elections are increasingly turning in intelligence tips.

The raid at Lake Tharthar in central Iraq turned up booby-trapped cars, suicide-bomber vests, weapons and training documents, Iraqi Maj. Gen. Rashid Feleih told state television. He said the insurgents included Iraqis, Filipinos, Algerians, Moroccans, Afghans and Arabs from neighboring countries.

"What's really remarkable is that the citizens this time really took the initiative to provide us with very good information," Feleih said.

In three days, according to Iraqi and U.S. officials' accounts, troops have killed at least 128 insurgents nationwide, culminating in the announcement of Tuesday's attack by Iraqi commandos, backed by U.S. air and ground fire. On Sunday, U.S. soldiers killed 26 insurgents south of Baghdad, while a fight during an ambush on an Iraqi security envoy killed 17 militants on Monday.

"This string of successes does have positive repercussions in that it may convince Iraqis not supporting the insurgents - but not supporting the United States either - to perceive that the tide is turning and not go with the insurgents," said Nora Bensahel, a Washington-based Iraq analyst for Rand Corp.




But while it's been "a fairly successful few days," Bensahel cautioned that "there's a long, long way to go."

The U.S. military gave the first report of the Lake Tharthar raid, saying that seven commandos and an unspecified number of militants were killed. The military declined Wednesday to confirm the Iraqi government's death toll of 85 militants, and it was impossible to check the figure independently.

But 85 deaths would make the raid the heaviest hit militants have taken since the opening days of the U.S.-led attack in November on the city of Fallujah, where more than 1,000 insurgents died.

U.S. Army Maj. Richard Goldenberg, a 42nd Infantry Division spokesman, said an estimated 80 to 100 insurgents were at the camp, 60 miles north of Ramadi, and that some insurgents fled with casualties before the area could be surrounded.

Iraqi commandos were in the area to conduct a different raid, but tips from residents redirected them to the lakeside camp, Goldenberg said. An Iraqi officer said residents had been providing intelligence for 18 days before the attack.

Iraqi officials also credited other successes to a torrent of intelligence that has begun flowing from citizens heartened by Jan. 30 elections and emboldened by film footage aired on state television that shows captured insurgents confessing their roles in attacks.

"Before, the people had a neutral stance toward this issue," said Sabah Kadhim, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry. "Now, they have turned against the terrorists."

Kadhim said insurgents initially operated in small cells but that crackdowns have caused them to change tactics and gather in larger groups. They chose the lakeside camp because of its terrain, he said.

"The area is full of marshes and lakes. It is hard to comb, and that's why the terrorists chose it," Kadhim said. "They used to use boats to get to the camp. It's difficult to get there, and to discover the location."

Analysts, however, warned the spate of deadly clashes wasn't likely to end an insurgency believed to have thousands of supporters.

"We're in a phase where it could be a tipping point one way or the other in terms of whether the insurgency is on a downward slope, with the elections moving things to the Iraq government more," said Marcus Corbin, an counterinsurgency specialist for the Washington-based Center for Defense Information. "But the real issue is the long-term political solution and what the power-sharing will be between the ethnic groups."

On that front, politicians helping shape the emerging government said negotiators are considering naming a Sunni Arab as defense minister to try to bring that group into the political process - and perhaps deflate the Sunni-led insurgency.

"The Defense Ministry will go to a Sunni Arab because we do not want Arab Sunnis to feel that they are marginalized," said Abbas Hassan Mousa al-Bayati, a top member of the Shiite-dominated United Iraqi Alliance. "They will be given one of the four major posts because we want them to feel that they are part of the political formula."

Sunni Arabs, dominant under ousted dictator Saddam Hussein, largely stayed away from the balloting, either to honor a boycott or because they were afraid of being attacked.

Kurds are thought to number between 15 to 20 percent of Iraq's 26 million people, with Sunni Arabs roughly equivalent. Shiite Arabs make up 60 percent of the population.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

6 Crewmembers Of Navy Sub Disciplined
Associated Press
March 24, 2005

HAGATNA, Guam - Six crewmembers of an attack submarine that struck a mass of undersea rock in the western Pacific earlier this year have been disciplined, a Navy spokesman said Wednesday.

All were found guilty at a hearing Tuesday of hazarding a vessel and dereliction of duty, said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Davis, public affairs officer for the Pearl Harbor-based Pacific Fleet Submarine Force.

Punishment included reduction in rank and punitive letters of reprimand, Davis said.

The identities of those involved will not be released because it was a nonjudicial punishment, Davis said. He also would not say if any of the six were reassigned to other duties.

The punishments were first reported in the Navy Times.

The skipper of the submarine, Cmdr. Kevin Mooney, earlier was relieved of his command and reprimanded. The Navy does not exect any other disciplinary action, Davis said.




The USS San Francisco was on its way to Australia Jan. 8 when the undersea grounding occurred. The submarine was conducting underwater operations about 350 miles south of Guam, and the rock obstacle that was not on the ship's charts.

One seaman died of injuries suffered during the crash. Twenty-three crewmembers who were injured in the accident have recovered and returned to duty, Davis said.

The submarine is in drydock at its homeport on Guam, where temporary repairs are being made so it can travel on the ocean surface under its own power to another location for comprehensive repairs, Davis said.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

4th Infantry Division Returning To Iraq <br />
Associated Press <br />
March 24, 2005 <br />
<br />
FORT HOOD, Texas - Lt. Cesar Zapata's platoon fights itself into a good-news, bad-news situation. <br />
<br />
The Army unit...

[thedrifter]

Sweathogs augment Work Horses, fuel 2nd MAW
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing
Story Identification #: 20053181439
Story by Cpl. C. Alex Herron



AL ASAD,Iraq (March, 18, 2004) -- The 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) is comprised of several different squadrons. Many of the squadrons within the wing are augmented by Marines from other units all around the country. The Sweathogs from Marine Wing Support Squadron 273, home based in Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C., are making their mark in Iraq. The Hogs have joined forces with MWSS-271, the Work Horses of Cherry Point, N.C.

The Sweathogs sent more than 30 Marines to augment MWSS-271 as the support squadron works around the clock to keep the wing in fighting form.

The bulk fuel specialists are no exception. Eighteen Sweathogs augment the fuels division of MWSS-271 Work Horses and work along side their North Carolina counterparts.

“I want to be here,” said Cpl. Joshua Perrella, bulk fuel specialist, MWSS-271 and Taylors, S.C., native. “I was here during Operation Iraqi Freedom I and wanted to be here for the second part, but I was changing stations. When the opportunity came up, I jumped at the chance to do my part again.”

Bulk fuel specialists do not get a lot of time back in the rear to do their jobs,” Perrella continued. “We inventory the gear and refuel aircraft during field exercises. The majority of our time in the rear is spent preparing for our next deployment.”

The Marines have been busy splitting 24-hours shift, refueling an average of 50-60 aircraft a day.

“During the change between the 3rd MAW and 2nd MAW we were refueling upwards of 90 birds a day,” Perrella said.

The bulk fuels Marines here are split into two crews, one crew handles airplanes while the other handles helicopters. The Marines, who oversee more than 150,000 gallons of fuel, spend their shifts testing the fuel as well as checking and maintaining their equipment in between fill-ups.

“Our job isn’t complex,” said Lance Cpl. John Bailey, bulk fuel specialist, MWSS-271 and Georgetown, Del., native. “It is a simple process, but it is vital to the mission. We have aircraft that land for fuel and return to the sky for another mission. Without us they would not be able to get off the ground.”

The Marines at the fuel point are required to refuel aircraft throughout the night, which presents unique problems when fueling aircraft in the dark.

But no challenge is too large to overcome. Using light sticks and flashlights the Marines have developed a procedure to safely fuel aircraft in the dark.

With the help of the Sweathogs, MWSS-271 is able to get the job done.

“We help support the squadrons in any way we can,” Perrella said. “We’re here to accomplish our mission and be good representatives of the Sweathogs. So that’s what we’re doing.”

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Corpsmen, Army medics work side by side at local clinic
Submitted by: 15th MEU
Story Identification #: 200531963453
Story by Gunnery Sgt. Robert Knoll



Baghdad, Iraq (March 19, 2005) -- While the fight against insurgency rages outside the walls of this forward operating base, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable)'s corpsmen have expanded their medical capabilities while helping out their Army neighbors.

Corpsmen and doctors have set up the MEU's aid station at the 703rd Fleet Support Brigade Troop Medical Clinic to use its equipment and facilities to provide a better level of care, said Senior Chief Petty Officer Jodie Bates, 36, chief medical planner for the 15th MEU and native of Bastrop, La. "[The clinic] gives us the best care for our Marines."

He said that as a level two treatment facility with an X-ray and laboratory, the Army clinic allows them to offer more comprehensive evaluations, resulting in fewer patients needing to be evacuated to larger clinics. A normal field BAS is often limited to stabilizing seriously injured patients for evacuation to larger hospitals and treatment facilities.

Working in an established clinic also requires less manpower, which frees up more corpsmen to prepare for combat missions, he added.

The medical staff is also offering a hand with the clinic's trauma cases, according to Petty Officer 1st Class Daniel O'Brien, 38, assistant leading petty officer and native of Orting, Wash. He is one of the Battalion Landing Team 1/1's independent duty corpsmen and supervises and mentors many of the junior corpsmen.

Besides being a big help to the Army medics, the ability to have junior corpsmen work with traumatic injuries is critical to their development, Bates said. Exposure to those injuries reduces the initial shock so corpsmen will, "already have a touch of what they'll be dealing with [in the field]."

As experienced medical providers, O'Brien and Bates both agree it's important to expose junior corpsmen to trauma situations. O'Brien has spent much of his career working in emergency rooms and says, "I love these situations."

Since many of the young corpsmen came directly from school to the unit, O'Brien has been trying to increase their exposure to different medical situations. "The biggest thing were trying to accomplish is practical hands-on," he said.

More than 30 corpsmen from BLT 1/1 and MEU Service Support Group 15 have been providing services since arriving in early March. O'Brien said the clinic has also had medic staffing shortages with the recent turnover of various units, so their assistance was very welcome.

So far, the two services have complimented one another well, said O'Brien. Although there are certain procedural differences in the way they do things, most of their training crosses over without a problem. "We're trying to get as much integration as possible."

Helping integrate Army medics and Navy corpsmen has been the job of Sgt. Sonya Cockrell, 28, an army medic with C. Co., 703rd Forward Support Battalion and native of Charleston, S.C. She and her staff have opened their clinic to the Navy corpsmen and welcome the experience. "I think it's a good relationship," she said.

With very little time to get settled in to the clinic's routine, the corpsmen assisted with a patient with a gunshot wound to the leg. Cockrell said the young corpsmen, new to the chaos of an emergency room, did a good job helping the experienced medics stabilize the patient. "Sometimes you need the extra help. It worked out well," she said.

Outside of an occasional serious emergency, the workload has been fairly low. They average about 15 patients per sick call period, and to maintain consistency, the corpsmen, have been treating MEU personnel and the medics have been treating Army soldiers, Cockrell said. Most of the injuries have been very basic cuts and bruises, however, with a recent period of heavy rains, the medical personnel expect to see some foot injuries.

This experience has been a very welcome one for the corpsmen, O'Brien said. While underway on the ship, the corpsmen split their time between running sick call and conducting medical classes for Marines to increase their lifesaving skills on the battlefield.

The corpsmen also spend a great deal of time perfecting the "green side" of their jobs so they are effective in combat situations. "Because it's a Marine unit, they spend a lot of time doing Marine stuff," he added. This work at the clinic has allowed the corpsmen to get back to the basics and focus on treating injuries.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

You’re never too old to play in the dirt: II MEF Marines hit motocross track
Submitted by: II Marine Expeditionary Force
Story Identification #: 200532291514
Story by Lance Cpl. Edward L. Mennenga



JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (March 22, 2005) -- The noise is deafening. Machines speed past, slamming their riders through the dust and sand to meet the challenge against themselves or other competitors and there are only two ways out of Half Moon MX Park’s spring season opener – victory or defeat.

Marines with II Marines Expeditionary Force headed out to the opener March 13.

Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point’s Full Throttle Racing team competed in the opener, as well as several Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune Marines.

Lance Cpl. William D. Arnold, assistant training non-commissioned officer, Bulk Field Company, 8th Engineer Support Battalion, blew the competition away in his first race since joining the Marine Corps.

“I was told once I got to Lejeune to get a hobby,” said Arnold who took first place in the 125 and 250 “C” classes. “It’s something I enjoy doing and I came out here to have some fun.”

Capt. William F. Klumpp III, public affairs officer, 26 Marine Expeditionary Unit, took fourth place in the 125 “D” class. Klumpp has been racing for a year. However, before that he hadn’t raced in 26 years.

“It is competition at the highest level. You compete against yourself to get better, and no matter how good you get, there is always someone faster than you,” said Klumpp, who took second place in his series during last years fall series. “It is more physically demanding than any sport I have ever been involved in. And, it gives you an adrenaline rush like no other.”

Many of the Marines showed interest in bases starting teams and opening up tracks.

“I think there should be a track at Camp Lejeune. There have been tracks at both Camp Lejeune and MCAS New River previously,” said Klumpp. “I think re-establishing those tracks would give Marines and Sailors a place to ride in a more controlled environment and at an easily accessible location. It would help keep Marines safe as there could be equipment regulations enforced before they would be allowed to ride.”

With the II MEF Force Preservation Campaign Plan, keeping Marines in the fight has become a large concern. With that in mind, many tracks require riders to use protective equipment.

“At any track, you will be required to wear at least boots and a helmet, but if you're not wearing all the safety gear available, you just aren't being real smart,” said Klumpp. “Organized races provide better competition in a much safer environment. Everybody crashes in this sport… even the pros get hurt.”

Marines, returning from deployment, seem to feel the urge to fulfill their need for speed, however, Klumpp believes that motocross is a safer –and legal- alternative to street racing.

“If you ride irresponsibly and don't wear all the proper gear, you are neither mature nor intelligent,” said Klumpp. “Unfortunately, street riders don't have closed courses readily accessible, so when they get that temptation to race, they often make the rash decision of testing their skills on public roads. Unless you have been to race school and turned race-qualifying lap times, you are not good enough to race anywhere. Skills don't overcome street conditions and traffic. Dirt is softer than asphalt.”

People who want to take up Motocross as a sport should first find people who have been racing for a while.

“The Southern Motocross Association is like a big family. People look out for each other and help each other with riding tips and mechanical work,” said Klumpp.

Arnold, who would like to see a motocross team form at Lejeune, had this advice for new riders “Be sure to get yourself a good bike and go fully into it. Get with people who have been doing it for awhile… and do it for fun.”

For more information on motocross in the Jackonsville, N.C., area, please visit http://www.halfmoonmxpark.com.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Country Singer Sticks by Marines

By
John Hoellwarth



It started with the licking of an envelope and the placing of a stamp. Gunnery Sergeant Christopher Wright was on his way to Iraq for Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom and had enclosed a Marine Corps sticker for delivery to his sister, Chely, in Nashville, Tenn.

The sticker, the same ubiquitous round seal of the Corps handed out by recruiting stations across America, was destined for national notoriety.

"I got the envelope and there was no letter. But there was simply a little round sticker that said U.S. Marine Corps. So, I went downstairs and I slapped it on the back of my vehicle and I didn't think much more about it," said Chely, standing center stage behind a microphone at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.

Chely Wright has been a country music singer and songwriter since moving to Nashville at 18 to pursue her dream. Her move, although separating her geographically, has never kept her heart far from her family, which cherishes its history of military service. Because of this, Chely was eager to support the troops during the onset of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

In 2003, she joined a group of celebrities traveling to Baghdad with an organization called Stars for Stripes. She had worked with the organization for years to support deployed troops, but the Baghdad trip was her first to a war zone.

When she returned to Nashville, she did so with a new respect for her brother, the men and women she met and the sticker on the back of her sport utility vehicle. Unfortunately, Chely soon found out her support of the troops at war was a conviction not shared by everyone.

"I was driving down a road here in Nashville called West End. It's kind of the 'shi-shi, ha-ha' part of town. It's where the rich people live. I don't live there, but that's how I get home," she said. "I was driving down the road there and something important happened."

A woman driving near Chely had noticed her sticker, pulled up alongside Chely's vehicle and yelled some choice words about the war, which were accompanied with a manual gesture by the most infamous of digits.

"It took me a second to realize what she was talking about," Chely said. "I went straight home and wrote a song about it."

The song, "Bumper of My SUV," was a catharsis for Chely. It was something she simply had to get off her chest. The incident had wounded the spot in her heart reserved for those who, like her brother, were risking their lives to protect the same streets on which this unknown woman was driving.

The problem was not that Chely took the incident personally, but that her experiences performing for the troops abroad made it impossible for her to disregard the insult such an act posed to those whose personal contributions to freedom she discovered to be unfathomable.

The song wrote itself, as is evidenced by its lyrics. Completely devoid of the contrived metaphors and heavy-handed attempts at depth that characterize much of popular music, its power is in its simplicity. Lyrically, it speaks like an intensely personal journal entry that has found the pretension-free voice of self-dialogue.

As she would later explain, "[The song] is the absolute truth, no exaggerations, no poetic license. I had no intentions of ever playing it for anyone."

Accordingly, the song's "demo" spent 16 forgotten months on Chely's home computer. Then, in September 2004, Chely was again slated to perform for the troops in Kuwait and Iraq. In preparing for the trip, she rediscovered the song and thought she might give it a try.

"Truthfully, I had forgotten about it, but was curious. So I burned a copy from the hard drive of my home studio," she said. "I played it for a couple of guys in my crew and a couple of other friends. They all commented that I must perform this song in the Middle East."

About 20 minutes before the first show of the tour, Chely sat down with her bandleader and mapped out the song's progression.

"I just said, 'Have this ready to do ... just you and I onstage,' " she recalled. "Well, we did it. And we continued to do it on every show. I had three- to four-hour autograph signings after each show, and I'll bet seven out of 10 soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, reservists and such asked me, 'Please record the "Bumper of My SUV" song. It would mean so much to us if you would. Thank you for that song and for acknowledging that we're not a bunch of warmongers. Many of us believe that we are doing great things. And furthermore, we're just doing our jobs.' "

Chely thanked them for their sentiments, promising to record a proper version of the song and send it back to the Armed Forces Radio and Television Network, which had already begun playing the demo she had brought with her.

"The buzz started while she was still over there. We started getting tons of e-mails about the song, just based on the live performances overseas," said Katie Gillon, Chely's personal manager. "She had left the demo with the Armed Forces Network when she came home, and it managed to get back to radio stations in the States before she could even get the final recording finished. The stations said their phones were ringing off the hook. Cleveland, Daytona, San Diego … it just started from there."

It wasn't long before the song appeared on the charts due to its success on the radio, a noteworthy accomplishment given Chely's complete lack of the record label affiliation that is closely guarded within the industry as the only avenue to commercial success.

In an industry where the lifeblood of success is often the exposure only money and back-alley handshakes can procure, Chely Wright has managed to rise up the charts by keeping her mind on the troops and her words on the Corps. The success of her song cannot be credited to extensive marketing campaigns or well-funded attempts at dictating media exposure.

Instead, "Bumper of My SUV" stands on a foundation of grass-roots support, propped up by fans with whom the song has struck a chord. An anthem for Americans whose vehicles proudly bear the same sticker, Chely's words speak directly to that portion of the country that feels there never need be a situation in which they are compelled to justify their support for the armed forces.

Chely sings, "I guess I want to know where she's been before she judges and gestures to me/'Cause she don't like my sticker for the U.S. Marines on the bumper of my SUV/So I hope that lady in her minivan turns on her radio and hears this from me/As she picks up her kids from their private school and drives home safely on our city streets/Or to the building where her church group meets/That's why I've got a sticker for the U.S. Marines on the bumper of my SUV."

Since rerecording the song, Chely has enjoyed a success she is quick to dismiss as simply keeping a promise to the troops. She insists she never intended to capitalize on the war in Iraq and has always been a staunch supporter of America's armed forces.

Having since caught the ear of Nashville's Dualtone Records, Chely plans to accompany the recent release of her new album "The Metropolitan Hotel," on which "Bumper of My SUV" can be found, with performances at various military installations, to include the Marine Corps' Camp Pendleton, Calif., and Camp Lejeune, N.C.

"It's just amazing that one small action can affect so many people, that just throwing a sticker in the mail could generate so much support," GySgt Wright mused about his sister's impact on the morale of Marines and their families. "People should not underestimate the importance of their actions. It's like voting. Every vote counts. I put a sticker in the mail. Look what happened."



Human Toll Hits Home for Nashville Singer

Chely Wright's work with Stars for Stripes has taken her all over the world in support of deployed troops. On a number of occasions, she has visited wounded troops at hospitals such as the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.

On one trip to Bethesda, Chely met a wounded Marine named Manny. As he lay in his hospital bed, Manny showed her a picture of his best friend, Corporal Patrick R. "Pat" Nixon, who was killed in the same attack in which Manny was wounded.

Noticing that Chely found something familiar in the face of Pat Nixon, Manny asked if she knew him.

As it turns out, she did. Another copy of the picture Manny cherished hangs behind the desk of the man in Nashville who sold Chely her SUV and its now-famous bumper. The salesman, David Nixon, is Pat's father.

The gravity of the moment did not escape Chely. She could remember staring at the picture from her seat in front of David's desk as they completed the paperwork for her SUV. She could remember telling David her brother was a Marine too and hearing about how proud David was of his son.

Soon after leaving Bethesda, she contacted Pat's father and told him what transpired. She said she had details about his son's last moments and asked if he wanted to hear them. They met soon after, and Chely relayed all Manny's stories to David. They remain close friends to this day.

—John Hoellwarth


Ellie

[thedrifter]

March 28, 2005

Going beyond basics can save your life

By Laura Bailey
Times staff writer


So you get pinned down in a bad situation in combat with no corpsman around. Hopefully, you’ll remember the basics you learned in boot camp and refresher courses about combat first aid, but there are a number of other things you can do beyond “start the breathing and stop the bleeding.”
Here’s what corpsmen say Marines should remember about first aid when they’re in combat:


1. When dressing wounds that won’t stop bleeding, never remove blood-soaked dressing. Instead, add more dressing on top to allow the natural clotting process to continue. Always treat the wound that is losing the most blood first, and don’t remove objects from the wounds or attempt to clean them. Let the docs do that.


2. Gasping breath can mean an open chest wound, but frothy blood is another, lesser-known indicator of the same wound. If you can’t get immediate help from a corpsman, Marines trained as combat lifesavers may be able to provide self-adhesive plastic bandages to seal the wound. Otherwise, the plastic from a Meal, Ready-to-Eat package can be used as a seal.


3. Every Marine’s Individual First Aid Kit now contains the QuikClot blood-clotting agent, which many units are already using. Though corpsmen say the powder should be used only in extreme situations, it can save a Marine from bleeding to death. Be sure to wipe away extra blood or liquid from the skin. Otherwise, the powder, which reacts with liquid, can burn the skin unnecessarily.


4. Use a tourniquet to quell massive bleeding only after pressure and elevation methods have failed. Tie it two inches above the wound. If the wound is near a joint, place the tourniquet just below the joint so that the joint can be saved should the limb need to be amputated later.


5. Most Marines know not to move someone with a suspected neck injury because it could cause permanent paralysis. But if you must move the person, find a stiff board or a door to provide firm support.


6. If you can’t find something strong to splint a broken bone, use a rolled-up newspaper or a blanket. And always splint a limb in the position you find it — never try to straighten a broken bone while applying the splint because you may cause more damage.


7. White phosphorous burns from grenades or mortars should be covered with damp material or mud, but never cover such a burn with grease or oil. Doing this will increase the chances of the toxins from the phosphorous of getting into the bloodstream.


8. Prepare yourself for a possible injury by staying hydrated and nourished. Marines should drink at least one bottle of water every hour or one canteen every two to three hours to prevent dehydration. This naturally prevents heat injuries, but what is lesser known is that the more hydrated you are, the easier it is for corpsmen to start an IV because the veins are bigger. Also, if you’ve had a meal, your body is much more capable of reacting to trauma.


9. And finally, hang out with your platoon’s corpsmen to pick their brains. There is no more valuable medical training you can get. And if you’re taught a new item of first aid, practice it.

You never know when you may need it.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Iraqi officials meet, proving future in democracy
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 2005320104448
Story by Cpl. Tom Sloan



AR RAMADI, Iraq (March 17, 2005) -- Less than two months ago, the Iraqi people made history when they took to the polls and voted for officials in their country's first democratic election on Jan. 30.

The officials elected to represent the Al Anbar province invited 2d Marine Division's Assistant Division Commander Brig. Gen. Joseph J. McMenamin, to attend their first provincial council meeting at the Provincial Capital Building here as they began the work to establish democracy in their region of the country.

The Assistant Division Commander was invited so that he could see the progress being made in the province.

"This is a landmark," said Lt. j.g. Mike A. Quaresimo, the information officer for Headquarters and Service Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. "It's the first time elected Iraqi officials are meeting and are able to make decisions on their own with the good of the nations people in mind."

The meeting proved democracy is working in Iraq, according to Quaresimo, a 32-year-old Poughkeepsie, N.Y., native.

"The fact that they are meeting together shows the courage of the Iraqi people, who took the chance of being killed to vote and the success of the (Iraqi Security Forces) having the courage to provide security," he said. "The commitment of the Marines and other multinational forces to provide security at the request of the Interim Iraqi Government is (paying off)."

Eventually, these provincial members will meet with the national assembly and draft Iraq's permanent constitution that will pave the way for national elections, Quaresimo explained. Elections for Iraq's national body will be held starting in December, he said.

"We are here to assist them with the transformation and creation of an Iraqi government," explained one observer, "but it is ultimately their responsibility and their task to accomplish."

Now that 2d Marine Division has assumed responsibility for the SASO mission in this area, it will continue the efforts made by the 1st Marine Division to assist in providing a secure and stable country for the Iraqi people.

"We are providing support for the formation of official Iraqi military forces," the observer said. " This includes training them, providing logistical support, force protection, and improving base infrastructures. This is a primary mission for us.

Insurgents tried to stop the meeting from taking place, but elements for 1st Battalion, 5th Marines were on hand to ensure everything ran smoothly.

"We're here to show our presence," explained Cpl. Nathan R. Bush, a 24-year-old Russell, Mass., native and team leader for 4th platoon, Company A. "Us being there basically said, 'the Marines are around so don't try anything stupid.' We'll also looked for (improvised explosive devises), weapons caches and things out of the ordinary.'"

The 1999 Westfield Vocational Technical School graduate and the rest of his platoon patrolled the market place, which is two blocks adjacent to where the meeting took place. It's usually a bustling center of activity and insurgents have been known to congregate there.

The Marines discovered one vehicle-born IED, which they blew up in a controlled detonation. Insurgents perched on rooftops also took pop-shots at Marines, but no one was injured.

"Everything went pretty smoothly."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

A Marines Story <br />
<br />
By Melinda Welsh <br />
Sacaramento News &amp; Review <br />
March 24, 2005 <br />
<br />
Out in the middle of bleak and desolate nowhere, in the badlands where Iraq meets up with the Syrian border at the...

[thedrifter]

John Currey, a Dixon cousin and close friend of Alan's, spent time with him when both were young. The two played "war games" together as children, said Alan's dad. When they were 17 years old, they spent a summer during the wheat harvest at their aunt and uncle's ranch in Winters. They spent time "four-wheeling, talking, hiking" and generally "chasing cows," said John. "We were always just close," he said. "We were always on the same page." John and his wife, Tacy, have children near the same ages as the Rowe kids, and, in fact, the two young families dreamed of one day owning adjacent properties in the rural northwest of Idaho or Montana.

When John got the phone call telling him Alan was dead, he was stunned. "It was one of those times when you walk around in a dazed world. ... We didn't think of him being exposed as much," he said.

"It's hard to look beyond the sadness and tragedy," said John, who, like Dawn and his own wife, voted for the re-election of the president. Despite some reservations about the war in Iraq ("you can see the good and the bad"), John hopes in the long run it will end up making lives better for the Iraqis.

On December 7, it was Tacy who accompanied Dawn and her kids to Camp Pendleton when, along with 39 other families of Marines who died in the Iraq war, Dawn met with then newly re-elected President George W. Bush.

Tacy described the day as both exhilarating and exhausting. The families, which all had lost loved ones, met in an expo-like auditorium on the grounds of the Marine base and knew they were in for a three- to four-hour wait. Bush flew in and addressed throngs of cheering Marines. He talked about the war and the importance of the still-upcoming election in Iraq. The families did not see the speech live but watched in their auditorium via a television relay. The press was not invited to cover what happened next.

The grieving families had been grouped up in four- to five-family sets and organized to wait in small trade-show-like booths, with high black curtains separating one from the next. There was catered food. The small children were given M&M's and crayons to help them pass the hours. Young Blake kept asking his mom, "Where's the pastor? Where's the pastor?" He had confused the president he'd just seen behind a podium on television with the visual of a pastor behind a pulpit.

When Bush entered the cubicle with Dawn and the kids, he was gracious and unscripted, said Tacy. "He thanked us," said Dawn, "and told the kids their dad was a hero and a patriot." Blake had been scheduled to receive a citizenship award in school that day, so Dawn arranged for Bush to personally sign and bestow it on him. Dawn, the ever-composed mother, actually "cried a little bit," said Tacy.

"Bush had tears in his eyes," said Dawn. He told her it was "the hardest decision he'd ever made, to send troops over there," she said. "For every relative who is angry and bitter, there are many more who remain resolute in our respect for our husbands and their missions," Dawn said she told the president.

Tacy wasn't supposed to take a photo, but the president told her to go ahead and snap one anyway. When she got home, Dawn sent the photo via e-mail to the soldiers stationed in Al Qaim, where her husband had been killed. She felt it would help Alan's Marine buddies to know that Bush showed concern for his widow and children.

Dawn has kept busy since that terrible knock on the door--raising her kids, responding to the many e-mails and taking care of the myriad tasks that rushed into her life in the aftermath of her husband's death. The military has been there for her, she said. In January, she and the children attended a ceremony where her husband was posthumously given a promotion to major. Her church family also has been "hugely supportive," she said. "We'll get to see [Alan] in heaven. ... It's comforting to know he's there already."

Dawn believes her husband's death was "meant to be" and finds comfort in knowing that Alan felt strongly, in her words, that "the U.S. should not abandon the people of Iraq." As for Dawn's view of the war, she remains steadfast. "My view is in support of the president and the war and the mission," she said five months after her husband's death. "That hasn't changed."

Evelyne Rominger was first a Rowe--the eldest of six siblings born to a pioneering, fourth-generation Yolo County farm family.

When she married Richard Rominger, who also was raised on a local farm, her clan's connection to all things agricultural was strengthened exponentially. Graduates of the University of California, Richard and Evelyne went on to champion agricultural issues for the next 40 years, with Richard serving as director of the state Department of Food and Agriculture from 1977 to 1982 under then-California Governor Jerry Brown and eventually working as U.S. deputy agriculture secretary for two terms under former President Bill Clinton.

To visit the Romingers' ranch outside Winters today, one must drive long miles down county roads outside of Davis, past seemingly endless fields that have been turned over to make way for the spring planting of sunflower and tomato crops. At last, one comes up alongside a dirt road that leads to the residence. Surrounded by trees that give privacy and break the wind, this rambling ranch home has comfortable couches and unspoiled views of the family's farm acreage.

This is the place where Evelyne last saw her nephew Alan. "When they go, and you know their whole life history," she said, "it's really hard."

Evelyne thinks Bush made an error in sending American soldiers into Iraq. So does her distinguished husband. "I think it's a mistake we made," she said. "We suffer for it. ... Someday we've got to learn to solve political problems without sending our children out to kill each other."

Still, Evelyne has lived long enough to not let differing political opinions disrupt the family. "You have to separate the war from the warriors," she said.

With her bright white hair and natural, engaging style, Evelyne is the picture of a woman who has experienced life fully and learned to age gracefully. She gets tearful talking about her brother James' only son, Alan, and the wife and children he left behind.

She remembers when she and her husband, then working in the Clinton administration, lived in Washington, D.C., and attended one of Alan's graduation ceremonies at Quantico, Va. She recalls school officials being extremely concerned about where she and her husband should be positioned in the regimented seating arrangements set up for the event. Though Richard was a civilian, his lofty title gave him a rank that was the equivalent of a military general. Evelyne remembers how proud she felt of her nephew at that time and, at another graduation, when Alan won three top awards: one for academic achievement; one for military prowess; and a final one for leadership, as voted on by his classmates. "He was exceptional," she said.

continued.......

[thedrifter]

Her nephew's last visit to the Rominger ranch was in April 2004, when Alan and his wife and children attended the funeral of her mom, Alan's grandmother, Lillian Barrett Wood Rowe. The matriarch of the family, dubbed "Grandmother Rowe," died half a year after celebrating her 100th birthday. Her funeral and the following day's annual Easter picnic on the farm are remembered in great detail by family members who were there. That's because it was the last time most of them would ever see Alan alive.

Back at the ranch house after the funeral, Evelyne's extended family gathered to share a meal; to tell Grandmother Rowe stories; and to honor a woman who, with her vigorous lifestyle and Quaker heritage (she used to ask, "Where is our Department of Peace?"), had managed to become a centenarian. A devoted grandson, Alan was famous for engaging his grandmother in long conversations, said Evelyne, because both liked talking about "the big issues" but were respectful of different viewpoints. Alan attended his grandmother's funeral in a Marine officer's uniform, as is customary at formal occasions. That afternoon, and the next day at the picnic, family members constantly seemed to circle around Alan, asking him questions about the war and his experiences there.

Evelyne's eldest son, Rick Rominger, a UC Davis graduate and one of three sons who now helps run Rominger Brothers Farms and its offshoots, remembers it all well. "The sun was going down, and people were still crowded around Alan," he said. "We knew plenty of people didn't agree with the war, but in the family setting, nobody really wants to argue that much."

"It's safer to talk about sports," he grinned.

But the questions went on. Alan's father, James Rowe, who'd flown out from Idaho for his mother's funeral, thought he'd get some one-on-one time with his son during the visit. But "I had to stand in line," he said, laughing. Everyone wanted to talk to Alan.

Evelyne's son-in-law challenged Alan about the war directly, but others just wanted to hear what it looked like over there, what Alan did with his time. "Dawn wanted him to play with the kids," said Rick, "but he kept answering questions." The family was well aware at the time that the Yucca Valley Rowes both felt strong support for Bush and the war in Iraq.

Rick, who served in the Peace Corps in his youth, said he felt America should not have gone to war in Iraq. His view now is "more like Senator John Kerry," who believes, "now that we're there, we're obligated to bring some stability before we leave." Rick's brother Charlie Rominger, another of Evelyne's sons who graduated from UC Davis and took up work for the family farm, concurred. "I thought the war was not the right thing to do," he said. But he shares his brother's admiration for Alan's devotion to being a Marine and hopes the end result of the war will be an improved life for the Iraqis.

"We all have different views in this family," explained Evelyne. Everyone has a different little place on the spectrum. "It's just like in the country," she added.

At the Davis cemetery after Grandmother Rowe's burial service, Alan asked his father to walk him over to the grave of another relative, Jimmy Rowe, who had died in combat in Vietnam in 1968, the year Alan was born. So, the father and son strolled over to that grave, with some members of the family watching from a distance.

A 6-foot-5-inch basketball star at Davis High School, Jimmy graduated in 1964, enrolled in Sacramento State University, received his draft notice and then enlisted to go to Vietnam to "fight for liberty," he wrote. He was 20 years old when he set foot in Southeast Asia.

His sister, who later died of cancer, published a book containing the many letters and drawings that her brother had sent home from Vietnam. In the book, Jimmy paints a sometimes-graphic picture of the war and its gruesome realities. In his letters, he often asked family members to send canned fruit, Jiffy pudding mix, film, stamps and copies of the Davis Enterprise and The Sacramento Bee. The small volume, titled Love To All, Jim--which is how Jimmy always signed off in his letters--is cherished dearly by members of the Rowe clan. Alan had read Jimmy's book, says his father, who himself served in the U.S. Air Force. James said his son had been deeply moved by Jimmy's patriotism.

James described the experience of them walking over to Jimmy's grave. Alan approached it, stood solemnly at attention before the stone marker and lifted his right forearm sharply to his forehead in a military salute. "It was sort of touching," said James about the incident. "He was giving Jimmy his due honor."

For her part, Evelyne opposed the war in Vietnam and still mourns the loss of Jimmy in that war. The sight of her nephew Alan in uniform, standing near Jimmy's grave, was therefore unsettling. "It was one of those really haunting moments," she said. Later she added, "Now we've had two [killed] that we shouldn't have had. ... You cry for what is lost, and you cry for what could have been."

Three memorial services were held for Alan B. Rowe.

The first was the one organized by the Marines in his platoon in Al Qaim, Iraq, shortly after he was killed. Another was held at the military base near his home in the high mountain desert of Twentynine Palms.

But the most noteworthy of Alan's funerals was held on Saturday, September 11, in the Mountain View Cemetery near Soldier Mountain, Idaho, where he and his family used to ski and where he spent most of his young life. This is the part of the world where Alan's father, mother, stepmother and sister still live.

The graveside service, with its flag-draped casket and full military honors, was a tribute to a man who was respected by fellow soldiers, revered by a large and diverse family clan and missed everyday by a wife and two children. Attending from the greater Sacramento region were Alan's extended family--about 40 Rowes, Romingers, Curreys and the rest.

The governor of Idaho arrived. So did plenty of Marines. Friends from throughout Alan's life stages were attendant. All present learned new things about this man during the course of the weekend, including the fact that Alan had been in three bad automobile wrecks in his lifetime, as a driver and passenger. He had managed to survive each crash, though others did not. "You're gonna run out of those nine lives," his father once told him.

Alan's dad created a keepsake for those at the funeral: a booklet that featured photographs and news clippings, especially from his early years--his farm-boy days, his prize-winning cattle and Future Farmers of America trophies. In addition, multiple poster boards with mounted photographs of Alan's life and loves were on display before the graveside service. Many of the images followed the course of his military career, with some of him in training, one of him hanging precariously off a rope out of a military chopper, and some of him with fellow soldiers during the Gulf War. Another photo showed Alan as a child, earnestly wearing his father's oversized U.S. Air Force uniform.

Still, the display was dedicated mostly to images of Alan as a family man: him with his wife and children posing at Mount Rushmore and him holding his son and daughter after their births. One photograph showed him wrapped up head to toe in toilet paper--an impromptu mummy on Halloween. Each photo showed a man who seemed set on balancing a military career with being a good father, husband and friend.

Family members remember one woman at the post-funeral gathering talking unreservedly about the election that was soon to take place in the United States. The woman spoke of how Alan died defending freedom and how he would have wanted them all to support the war and re-elect Bush. Needless to say, liberal members of the family shuddered at this remark. It would not be the first or last time that a violent death in war was evoked to bring meaning, to continue the cycle, to sanctify the cause of a soldier's demise.

For the Marines back in the desolate desert of Al Qaim, the violence continues unabated. In total, more than 1,500 American soldiers have died in Iraq since the war's launch two years ago this month. Three weeks ago, another Marine who served in Alan's regiment was killed by a homemade bomb in Al Qaim just as he was nearing completion of his tour of duty. But most members of Alan's unit survived and will be returning home to Twentynine Palms shortly.

In the months following Alan's death, his widow and father received piles of sympathy cards and letters from all corners of the country. Dawn has a thick Manila folder packed with condolences from people like former President George H.W. Bush, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, among others. Maria Shriver sent a book she'd written about how to explain death and dying to children. Dawn framed one condolence letter, the one from President George W. Bush, and hung it in a place of honor in her home.

Perhaps the letters will find their way into the scrapbook Dawn is making for Blake and Caitlin, so that they can come to know their dad one day in most, but not all, of his dimensions. In the end, these two will grow up, learn to think for themselves and attempt to make sense, in their own way, of the terrible loss of their father.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marine accused of murder says he fired likely witness <br />
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <br />
By Rowan Scarborough <br />
THE WASHINGTON TIMES <br />
<br />
Marine Corps...

[thedrifter]

Trouble-plagued Harrier fighters find redemption
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BY JAMES JANEGA
Chicago Tribune

AL ASAD AIRBASE, Iraq - (KRT) - Lt. Col. Robert Kuckuk helped redesign the Harrier fighter jet after a series of deadly accidents killed 45 of his fellow Marine pilots. Now he is helping rebuild the plane's reputation.

With every hour in the air, he believes, his VMA-311 Tomcats squadron is slowly vindicating the single-seat Harrier, which can take off vertically but has been plagued by a checkered history.

A decade ago, the Harrier was known as the most accident-prone aircraft in the American arsenal, a mark that sidelined it from major missions in Desert Storm and Afghanistan. But since the invasion of Iraq nearly two years ago, and especially after November's fighting in Fallujah, Marines say the Harrier has played a key role in the fighting in Iraq's Anbar province, and in ways few envisioned.

Just after midnight on a recent Sunday, Kuckuk tipped his Harrier over the provincial capital of Ramadi, high above Marines under mortar attack.

The Marines thought the incoming rounds were coming from insurgents in a car, moving from spot to spot to fire mortars - a common tactic to evade counterfire. But the Marines on the ground couldn't see for themselves, and in a heavily populated area they were worried about shooting back.

Hovering above, Kuckuk looked down "and sure enough, there's a car going by," glowing gray-green on the cockpit monitor by Kuckuk's right knee. It was flouting a curfew and bouncing off-road through the desert, fleeing an area where the Marines thought their assailants had been.

Kuckuk called in an artillery strike. Moments later, the shells began landing. "No more car," he said.

Such are the successes that make Harrier fighter pilots say they are at last living up to the promises made a generation ago.

The Marines first bought the British-designed Harriers in 1971, replaced them with a newer model in 1985, upgraded them in 1993 and fixed them in 2000.

But safety issues, notably with the engine that allows the plane to take off vertically, kept them out of major action until the Iraq invasion.

As engine program manager for the Marines' Harrier program office, Kuckuk helped redesign both the Harrier's engine and its maintenance program.

Congressional overseers have said that while they are satisfied with the new engine, rigid attention to its maintenance is key to the Marine Corps' seven squadrons of Harriers. No more are being made, and the aircraft is expected to be replaced with another vertical-takeoff fighter in a decade.

After the Harrier's most recent engine redesign overhaul, serious accidents dropped from 39 every 100,000 flight hours to 3.17 per 100,000 flight hours in 2001.

The Navy reported two serious accidents in 2004, comparable to previous years. During the current fiscal year, there have been two more: an engine fire in Arizona and a crash at sea. Both pilots ejected safely.

But in Iraq, Harriers have now flown nearly 11,000 hours without a mishap since May 2004.

Though the Harrier's nemesis has been its engine, its best systems include a 2-year-old camera pod attached like a torpedo under its stubby right wing.

The tool was designed to guide bombs but can spot men and cars in almost any weather, at distances unlikely for subjects to know they are being watched. In a war that has often involved guerrillas fighting in urban areas, the camera has proved more useful than even its designers believed it would be.

"Certainly the utility of the improved sensors to manage close air support has attracted attention in certain parts of the Pentagon," said John Pike, a military expert at watchdog group GlobalSecurity.org. "They are being noticed in some places."

The Marines on the ground are noticing, too. Within hours of landing at Al Asad last November, the Harriers were flying missions over Fallujah. They brought "total confidence," said Maj. Andrew Hesterman, air officer for Regimental Combat Team 7, part of the Marine force that attacked Fallujah last fall.

Of the 170 airstrikes RCT-7 called in, half were delivered by Harriers. It was a remarkable step forward, Hesterman said. "I was calling ordinance drops within 150 meters of friendlies," he said.

Still, for every one hour the Harrier flies, a crew of maintenance technicians spends an average of 25 man-hours working on the plane's frame and engine.

A status board in the maintenance office of Kuckuk's squadron tells the tale. Of 16 Harriers, four were ready for flight on a recent Thursday night. Among the others, one had a radio altimeter problem, another needed a routine inspection. There was a troublesome hover mechanism, a fuel meter problem, one with lingering gripes after an engine replacement, one OK'd as a backup.

In a repair hangar a short walk away, two Harriers were being dismantled and reassembled. "This aircraft requires a lot of attention to details," said Sgt. Francisco Martinez, part of the repair crew. "Anything you might miss would really take a toll. ... It's a great job if you like to turn a wrench."

When the Tomcats shipped to Al Asad from Yuma, Ariz., they took over the former home of an Iraqi MiG-21 squadron. Arab lettering and unit insignias still cover the walls.

Shortly after arriving, Kuckuk added a document called the Commander's Intent to the bulletin board just inside the unit's front door. His Tomcats were beginning what would be their current 4,700 flight hours without a serious accident.

"KEEP DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING," Kuckuk wrote in capital letters.

A few paragraphs later, he added, "I see our critical vulnerability as complacency," he wrote. "We are one mishap away from being heroes to being goats."


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Parents of slain Marine find hope in reaching out to others <br />
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <br />
By: KATHY DAY - Staff Writer <br />
North County Times <br />
...

[thedrifter]

Molly, on the other hand, by choice is more in the background. "She is feeling everything so intensely," Chavez said. "When the time is ready she will be able to offer incredible solace and insight to other Gold Star families."

"Bonded as they are, as husband and wife, mother and father, now they are bonded in grief," Chavez said.

In the days after Brent's death on April 7 and his April 15 funeral, Mike said he "never got mad at God." There were times, though, when he "got mad at the people that killed him. I don't understand how they don't want to be free ... It doesn't make any sense."

Sometimes, still, he said, he asks why. "Then I think that my faith has been increased ... and I think that I'm going to be good because there ain't no way I'm gonna go to hell ... I'm gonna see my son."

Experiencing his son's death changed his outlook on a lot of things, Mike said, and made him more impatient. "I don't tolerate fools ... but I know I can't be hurt any worse unless my wife or my granddaughter or my daughter was killed."

He stands up for the war in Iraq, acknowledging that "some mistakes were made, there wasn't enough planning ... but that man (Saddam) and his sons killed a lot of innocent people." And while he'll confront naysayers, he said, he always tells them he "respects their right to think that way ... but I tell them, heaven help you if they ever get here."

He has met Donald Rumsfeld and defended him in print and on the air when stories surfaced about letters to families of those killed were signed by a machine and not by the secretary of defense himself. He and Molly visited Camp Pendleton in January when President Bush spoke to the Marines. The president also spent one-on-one time with the Morels and about 40 other families who were invited by the Marine Corps to be there for the private gathering that followed the public ceremony. President Bush even had one of his staff members write an explanation on presidential letterhead explaining why their granddaughter was missing school that day ---- which Bush signed when she asked him to.

"Meeting President Bush gave us some healing. He didn't have to be there," Molly said. "His sympathy and caring really helped us all."

Mike said they're just now starting to have some fun again, tackling the remodel of the house they bought after Brent was killed. Even so, he said he'll never get over his son's death. "Every night when I go to bed, I think of him," Mike said.

"The day the fog lifted was the day his headstone went up," he said. He last went to the cemetery Jan. 7 ---- a day with both snow and rain. He walked to Brent's row ---- there had been 13 rows of military graves added since his burial.

"Never in my dreams since he was born did I imagine seeing my son's name on a headstone," he said, voice quivering. "I heard Brent say, 'Dad, it's raining, it's cold. You idiot, go home, get out of here.' "

That was the day, he said, "I got over the hump."

After a deep breath, he added, "I'm lucky. I got to see him in his casket. ... Many parents don't get to see their sons again after they send them off to Iraq."

Molly's thoughts

What has Brent's death meant to me? The end of half of my dreams for the future. The loss of those redheaded grandchildren that I knew would come. Not being able to watch Brent be the great father that we knew he would be. Knowing that Amy has lost the love of her life and is struggling with her grief. Our daughter, Marcy, lost her big brother, who would always be there for her, and she for him. Heartache that never goes away. Pride in the man he became. Sadness that I couldn't be there to hold him in those last minutes, but pride that he lived a life of honor and died with honor and courage. I miss him every single day.

Last Veterans Day, we attended a service in Memphis, and the families in the area who had lost loved ones in Iraq were guests of honor. I was introduced to a woman who was there with her mother. Her brother had been killed in Vietnam in the '60s. This little frail mother has probably attended services honoring men like her son all these decades. I thought at the time that if I lived long enough, that would be me. For the rest of my life, I will try to honor Brent and all the brave men and women who sacrificed everything for freedom. ---- from an e-mail to the North County Times

The Morels suggest that people who want to show their support for the troops think about some of the following gestures:

Do something as simple as saying "Thank you" when you see a Marine, sailor or soldier on the street.

Fly your flag in their honor.

Contribute to activities like Toys for Tots.

Contribute to scholarships in honor of those who have been killed in action.

Here are a few:

North County Honor Campaign (760) 385-4921

http://www.marine-scholars.org
http://www.1id.army.mil/1ID/Scholarship.htm
http://www.navyleague.org/scholarship/

Contact staff writer Kathy Day at (760) 740-5417 or kday@nctimes.com.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Court: Marine Can't Be Forced to Sell Home
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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- A retired Marine who has waged a five-year fight with his homeowners' association over a flag pole won a battle Wednesday when an appeals court ruled his home can't be sold for lawyers' fees.

In a 3-0 decision, the appeals court agreed with George Andres, and his wife, Anna, that the Florida Constitution protects homes from forced sales except in very limited circumstances - and attorneys' fees are not on the list.

"I'm glad to see we were able to get the laws to do what they were supposed to," Andres said.

A trial judge had scheduled a foreclosure sale to allow the homeowners' association to collect more than $20,000 in legal fees.


The underlying dispute over the flagpole is still in trial court but Andres, 68, has been flying his flag for the last three years under a temporary injunction.

And he's got a bigger flagpole now than when he began - 20 feet instead of 13.

"My flag still flies and it will never come down," Andres said.

The homeowners' association permits flags flown only from brackets attached to house walls; Andres objected because the flag would have touched bushes in his yard. So he put up the flagpole.

Andres' attorney, Barry Silver, said the ruling should encourage owners who are afraid to challenge their homeowners' associations because of the belief they could lose their homes.

Attorney Steven Selz, who represents the homeowners' association, did not return a phone call seeking comment.

On Flag Day in 2002, Gov. Jeb Bush presented Andres a flag that had flown over the state Capitol and helped him raise it on his flagpole.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

In Canada, Flashback to the '70s
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The Iraq war revives long-suppressed ethical questions among many Vietnam-era 'expats' who fled the U.S. and still live up north

By Tomas Alex Tizon
LA Times Staff Writer
March 24, 2005

NELSON, Canada — At some point early in his new life in Canada, Don Gayton stopped being "Don Gayton the draft dodger" and became simply Don Gayton. It was no magical moment, no grand transfiguration.

It was, he says, "a matter of moving on."

Life had turned tumultuous for him in the early 1970s. Gayton, who spent his childhood in Los Angeles, had received a draft notice and been denied conscientious objector status. He and his wife packed up their two kids and drove north in a '53 Chevy pickup, crossed the border near this funky town in the Canadian Rockies of British Columbia, and never looked back.

Like so many of the estimated 50,000 American war resisters — draft dodgers, military deserters, pacifists — who migrated to Canada during the Vietnam War, Gayton worked hard to blend in in his new country and that meant, in part, cutting loose from his old life and identity as a Yankee.

Border crossings in those years became points of dispersal: War resisters arrived in steady streams, but on crossing the line, scattered into their own separate lives.

Once settled, Gayton didn't seek out other draft dodgers, and they didn't seek him out.

Over three decades, Gayton became a cowboy, an ecologist, a stalwart husband and busy father of five. He became, he says, a super patriot of Canada while diligently following the news south of the border.

Then in March 2003, a lifetime removed from the trauma of the Vietnam War, the United States invaded Iraq, and something in him revived.

"It reawakened some very intense emotions," he said. "All those moral and ethical issues, about war, about patriotism — all those questions: 'Did I do the right thing?' 'Am I a coward?' They weren't on the radar for a long time. They're back on the radar."

Gayton reached out to other American expatriates. It wasn't difficult. He'd been living around them for decades, even chatting with them at the post office or supermarket.

They knew one another as "expats" but were not interested in delving far into personal histories. They spoke as small-town neighbors, as ruralites, as Canadians.

But the conflict in Iraq tapped a common vein. Their "old country" was at war again, and the arguments over America's actions, to them, paralleled the debates over Vietnam. Their stories as war resisters became relevant again.

Casual encounters in the street became intense reminiscences. Phone numbers and e-mail addresses were exchanged. Some expatriates began meeting regularly.

Gayton didn't know it, but the same thing was happening in other parts of the country. The Iraq war was having a uniting, galvanizing effect. War resisters throughout Canada seemed to be networking as never before, rising up to oppose a different war, distant and yet strangely familiar to them.

"The war in Iraq disgusts me," says Jeff Mock, a draft dodger from Long Island, now a tofu-maker in Nelson. His sentiments echo those of many expatriates. "The United States government is doing it again, being the bully. That's why I left."

In Toronto, expatriates started an organization to help gain refugee status for U.S. soldiers opposed to the Iraq war. In Vancouver, filmmakers began documenting the lives of Vietnam draft dodgers and military deserters who settled in the area.

In Nelson, organizers proposed a monument to American draft dodgers and their Canadian allies. Town leaders, at first supportive, killed the project after American veterans threatened an economic boycott. But the same organizers, fired up by the controversy, are planning the first-ever Canadawide gathering of American war resisters. "Our Way Home" is scheduled in Nelson for the summer of 2006.

Most of the town seems open to the event, says Mayor Dave Elliott, who points out that Nelson has long been a haven for political exiles.

Native Americans fled here in the 19th century; then came Christians exiled from Russia in the early 20th century and Quakers in the 1950s. Some of the Americans have been here so long that they are considered old-timers in town.

John Hagan, a sociology professor at Northwestern University and the University of Toronto, plans to attend the resisters' gathering. A draft dodger who migrated to Canada in 1969, Hagan wrote "Northern Passage: American Vietnam War Resisters in Canada" (Harvard, 2001). Hagan said the Iraq war coincided with a particular life phase among war resisters who are now in their 50s and 60s.

When they were young, the focus was on starting new lives and forging new identities. "Now, in late middle age, we're more into reviewing our lives" and more able and willing to talk about it with others, Hagan said. For many, the Iraq war reaffirms their decision to leave the United States.

Hagan estimates that roughly half of those who fled to Canada decided to stay — even after President Carter granted draft dodgers amnesty in 1977. Of those who stayed, about 40% — 10,000 or so — settled in British Columbia, many in the Kootenay region that makes up the southeast corner of the province, just north of the Washington-Idaho border.

At the heart of the region, like a mossy pearl wedged between snow-capped mountains, sits Nelson.

For a lot of war resisters who ended up in nearby farms and valleys, Nelson was the place to buy supplies, do laundry, grab a couple of bottles of wine and a bag of organically grown coffee beans. Today it's a place where old hippies rub elbows with clean-cut urban refugees here for the mountains, and some, for the counterculture.

The town's main drag, Baker Street, looks like a miniature version of Berkeley's Telegraph Avenue, with hole-in-the-wall coffee shops and bookstores, and a constant buzz of people of every color and nationality, more than a few sporting tattoos and dreadlocks and tattered fatigues from the local Salvation Army.

A large segment of the population (officially 9,300) is a shaggy, eclectic, peace-loving, pot-smoking lot. Marijuana is freely discussed, grown, smoked and distributed, with police mostly turning a blind eye. Even mainstream travel guides comment on the high quality — and quantity — of the region's pot.

On the sidewalk patio of a popular coffee shop, Gayton, 58, sips from a cup as he tells his story. He is tall and big-boned, with glasses and gray hair. He has a mountain man's full beard.

His decision to move to Canada, he says, alienated his father, a Boeing engineer who worked on the development of the B-29 bomber. "We didn't speak for 10 years," Gayton says, and their bond was never the same after that decade. "It was a real break, one of my biggest regrets."

In retrospect, Gayton says, he can almost understand why he and his father saw things so differently: Fate had given them opposite circumstances.

"He and his generation lived through the ultimate just war, World War II," Gayton says. "Vietnam was the ultimate unjust war."

Within 10 minutes, Gayton spots or greets four expatriates passing by or getting coffee.

"Too many hippies here," one jokes to Gayton as he passes.

Another stops to chat. Ernest Hekkanen, 57, a writer and painter, fled Seattle and the draft in 1969. He and Gayton didn't strike up a friendship until after the U.S. invaded Iraq, introduced by a mutual peace-activist friend.

Both are passionately opposed to the war, and both are in contact with organizers of Our Way Home.

Nobody knows how many war resisters still live in the region, but most agree there's a high concentration here. They seem to be everywhere.

Last fall, just before the U.S. presidential election, residents organized a coffeehouse gathering to discuss and poke fun at their neighbors to the south. Skits were performed, antiwar songs played, stories of harrowing border crossings retold.

continued,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[thedrifter]

More than 80 people attended, three-quarters of them "old Yanks," said Lane Haywood, herself an old Yank. Haywood, from San Marino, came to Canada in 1968 to join her future husband, a draft dodger from Arcadia.

Many of the migrants who settled here were Californians, and Michael Pratt, 72, recalls how the migration began. Pratt was living in Vancouver, Canada, during the early part of the Vietnam War and became part of the underground railroad of peace activists who smuggled draft dodgers across the border and helped them get settled. Pratt says he and his wife aided about 20 Americans in the 1960s.

One was a young man from Riverside named Timmy Sullivan. In 1967, Sullivan wanted to settle north, but the only free ride he could find was headed east. So east he went for about 400 miles, stopping in the Slocan Valley, near Nelson.

There, he was taken in by members of a Christian sect from Russia called the Doukhobors, who had settled the valley in the early 1900s. They were political exiles — forced out of Russia for refusing to fight in the czar's wars. Their pacifist views and communal ways appealed to Sullivan. According to Pratt, Sullivan sent word back home that he had "found a cool place to live."

Three friends from Riverside soon joined him, and after that, a steady stream came from California, and then from all along the West Coast. Sullivan stayed there until he died of throat cancer three years ago.

Pratt himself moved to the Slocan Valley in 1969, buying a 39-acre farm for $5,000. Cheap land, gorgeous mountain vistas and a culture of pacifism and laid-back living all made the place a Shangri-La for counterculture types and people who wanted a simpler life connected to the land.

By the mid-1970s, thousands of American war resisters settled in Vancouver and on Vancouver Island. Thousands more went north to the Sunshine Coast and east to the Kootenay region. Pratt said hundreds made their way to the Nelson area.

"So that's the answer to 'Why Nelson?' " Pratt says. "It was by accident. Pure chance."

Just a block from where Gayton and Hekkanen chat outside the coffee shop, Isaac Romano strolls down Baker Street, hobnobbing with other locals.

Romano, 56, came to Nelson from Seattle in 2001, drawn here by a woman. The woman left and Romano stayed. It was his kind of place. A family counselor and lifelong peace activist who got a military deferment during Vietnam, Romano says it broke his heart when U.S. forces invaded Iraq.

A few months after the invasion, Romano came up with the idea of building a bronze monument to honor Vietnam-era war resisters. It would be the sculpted figures of a man and woman greeted by a Canadian with outstretched arms. With supporters by his side, Romano held a news conference to announce it.

When news reached the United States, the 2-million-strong Veterans of Foreign Wars organization lobbied President Bush to persuade Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin to quash the project. There were calls to boycott Nelson, and the town's official website was inundated by e-mails like this one from Charles A. Rahn of Jacksonville, Fla:

"The ones that want to build a war resister memorial, they should all be lined up and shot at sunrise."

Nelson officials, with prompting from the local chamber of commerce, pressured Romano to withdraw the idea. But the controversy drew attention to the Our Way Home gathering, when the monument was to be unveiled. The monument was dropped, but the gathering, Romano says, is gaining momentum.

"There could be hundreds, there could be thousands," said Gary Ockenden, a Canadian national board member of Amnesty International, who is one of the key planners.

Not all war resisters in Canada share the enthusiasm.

Lee Zaslofsky, 60, of Toronto, says he won't attend. Zaslofsky deserted from the U.S. military in 1970 and is coordinator of the War Resisters Support Campaign, a group founded to help Iraq war deserters.

The organization is helping five American deserters who have openly sought refugee status in Canada. Zaslofsky says there are about 100 deserters from the Iraq war in the country who have not yet gone public.

One person who definitely plans on being in the Nelson area is Woody Carmack, a Vietnam veteran who lives in Maple Ridge, near Vancouver. He is president of a group called Vietnam Veterans in Canada. It is estimated that 10,000 to 40,000 Canadians enlisted in the U.S. military and fought in Vietnam.

Carmack has announced plans to hold a festival for Vietnam veterans in Nelson at the same time. That event has been named Firebase Canada 2006.

Gayton looks forward to Our Way Home. He doesn't regret moving to Canada, but he still wonders about some things.

Last fall, he attended his 40-year high school reunion at Franklin High in Seattle. A number of his pals on the football team had gone to Vietnam; five didn't return. Their faces were featured in a memorial. Gayton spent a long time looking at them. He asked himself whether his courage matched theirs.

At one point in the evening, one classmate who did return from Vietnam approached him. The two assessed each other guardedly.

"He said, 'We did the right thing. And you did the right thing too,' " Gayton recalls. "That was huge for me."

A part of Gayton had waited more than 30 years to hear something like that.

They talked civilly and, in moments, almost intimately, two graying men with two divergent stories to tell, standing only a few feet apart.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

The Iraq war -- America's most unpopular?
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Larry Elder
March 24, 2005

At a recent White House press conference, New York Times reporter Elisabeth Bumiller called Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, Bush's nominee for president of the World Bank, "a chief architect of one of the most unpopular wars in our history."

"One of the most unpopular wars in our history"? Hmmm, sounds like another editorial masquerading as a question. To the history books!

Revolutionary War: Founding Father John Adams estimated that one-third of Americans opposed independence, one-third were indifferent or vacillated, and only one-third supported the War of Independence. In other words, two-thirds of Americans were not in favor of the Revolutionary War! Pro-British Loyalists, called Tories by the American patriots, opposed the war. The Loyalists came from all social classes and occupations. While they tended to be foreign-born and Anglican, Loyalists included large landowners, small farmers and royal officeholders, with a large number engaged in commerce and other professions. The Loyalists were strongest in the far Southern colonies and the mid-Atlantic colonies, especially New York and Pennsylvania, where fighting became a bitter civil war of raids and reprisals.

War of 1812: While supported by frontiersmen's desire for free land, Southerners who wanted West Florida, and Western militants who wanted the British out of Canada, the war was voted against by every Federalist member of Congress. The humiliating defeats suffered by American troops made the fight so unpopular that the states of New England -- who never favored the war -- considered seceding from the Union.

Mexican-American War: Northern abolitionists and Whig members of Congress widely opposed this 1846 war. The opposition included then-Congressman Abraham Lincoln, and they called the war an "unnecessary and unconstitutional" war of "conquest." In fact, when the war ended, Congress censured President James Polk for starting the hostilities.

Civil War: Both sides expected the war to last no more than a few months. The Civil War necessitated conscription of able-bodied males by the Union, and prompted nationwide, violent mob action in protest. In New York City, large-scale, bloody riots raged on for four days, causing 1,000 casualties. The so-called "copperheads" opposed the Civil War, and staged some of the largest riots in American history. Widespread Northern anti-war sentiment made President Lincoln pessimistic about his prospects for re-election in 1864. Indeed, a leading copperhead (or "peace Democrat") wrote that year's Democratic Party platform. Ultimately, Lincoln won re-election when public sentiment turned around following the success of the Union Army in taking Atlanta.

Spanish-American War: The press heatedly debated this 1898 war, and the war declaration approved by Congress passed with a margin of only seven votes in the Senate. Popular support for the relatively easy fight evaporated over the controversial annexing of Spain's colonies, such as the Philippines. In 1900, Democratic presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan made his opposition to the war the centerpiece of his campaign.

World War I: In 1916, two years after the war began in Europe, President Woodrow Wilson ran for re-election as a peace candidate who "kept us out of war." Critics pounded Wilson after the U.S. entered the conflict. Opponents of America's involvement in World War I filled Madison Square Garden with their protest meetings. Those opposing the war included many Irish- and German-Americans, trade unions, socialists, pacifists and progressives who belonged to vocal radical groups. During this period there were substantial increases in these groups' membership, giving them an even more powerful voice against the war. Wilson considered existing laws insufficient to handle antiwar sentiment, and his administration used a variety of legal tools to deal with the "problem" of disloyalty -- including censorship and imprisonment. Over 250 people were convicted under the Espionage Act in less than a year.

Korean War: U.S. military involvement began in the spring of 1950 with popular support. By January 1951, however, 49 percent of Americans believed that sending troops to Korea was a mistake, and 66 percent wanted us to pull out. The war's unpopularity played an important role in the election of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who pledged to end the war.

Vietnam War: In a 1971 public opinion poll, 71 percent called the Vietnam War a mistake, and 58 percent called the war immoral.

World War II: This stands as the sole major U.S. military conflict that had no organized block of dissenters once the Americans entered the war -- which, of course, only happened after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and ushered America's entry into World War II.

This brings us to the "unpopular" Iraqi War. Bush obtained a resolution from Congress (which passed the House 296 to 133, and the Senate 77 to 23) authorizing the use of force. At the time of America's entry into Iraq in 2003, a CBS/New York Times poll found that 76 percent of Americans approved of the U.S. military action against Iraq. Even now, the majority of Americans want us to stay the course.

Aside from that, the New York Times reporter pretty much nailed it.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Posted on Tue, Mar. 22, 2005





Drop in U.S. casualties tied to more attacks on Iraqis

By TOM LASSETER

Knight Ridder Newspapers


BAGHDAD, Iraq - The number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq has plummeted recently and attacks on American troops have dropped significantly, prompting U.S. military officials to wonder whether to hail the drop-off as a sign of success or brace for renewed attacks later.

At the same time, many Iraqis are alarmed by a rise in attacks on Iraqi civilians and security personnel. They fear that the war is turning inward, toward more intense sectarian violence that could lead to civil war.

If the trend continues, March - with 22 U.S. soldiers killed by hostile fire so far - will be the least deadly month since February 2004, when the figure was 14, according to icasualties.org, a Web site that tracks coalition military deaths in Iraq. By way of contrast, 54 American soldiers were killed by hostile fire in January and 125 last November.

The number of attacks on U.S. troops since Iraq's Jan. 30 elections is hovering at about 50 a week, far below that of the period around elections and about 10 fewer than what had become the norm, American officials say.

Insurgents "may have come to the realization that hitting the (U.S.) military targets isn't particularly effective. We're still here," said a top American military spokesman in Baghdad, Lt. Col. Steven Boylan, who pointed to the elections, the growing competence of Iraqi security forces and several decisive U.S. military offenses during the past year as factors.

There's also been a string of high-profile captures of insurgent leaders and a recent stretch of heavy rains, which probably kept some fighters - lacking the technological advantages of American soldiers - at home.

Like other military officials in Baghdad, however, Boylan stopped short of saying the insurgency had been routed.

"It's less effective," he said. "That's my perception."

But interviews with a wide range of Iraqis - including analysts, merchants, professors, soldiers, clerics and politicians - indicated concern that the violence is shifting toward a fight between religious sects. They said many neighborhoods were being effectively divided between Shiite Muslim and Sunni Muslim enclaves, and that January's parliamentary elections, which Shiites and Kurds embraced but Sunnis generally boycotted, underscored Iraq's divisions.

Shiite and Sunni Muslims have long been bitter rivals, and Iraq's Sunni minority repressed the country's larger Shiite population under Saddam Hussein, a fellow Sunni. Until now, however, the Shiites have largely refrained from counterattacking the Sunni insurgency.

"This is the start of dividing the country; this is the start of a bigger civil war. The election in Iraq emphasized the sectarian divide of the Iraqi people," said Ghassan al Atiyyah, a lecturer at Baghdad University and a secular Shiite politician. "It is a time of militias."

One illegal arms dealer said he was selling more weapons to Shiites looking to protect themselves from Sunnis.

"The demand these days is very high," said Abu Mohammed, 53, who operates out of a series of Baghdad safe houses. As he spoke, two of his young sons brought out a jumble of AK-47s from a sugar bag.

"We have many political and religious groups, and each one wants to build its own security forces," said Mohammed, who spoke on condition that his full name not be used.

Hours after that interview this week, Mohammed's driveway was full of cars. A sedan pulled up, and men unloaded crates of weapons from its trunk. Business looked brisk.

While U.S. officials in Baghdad once released figures showing numbers of civilians killed by insurgents, they aren't currently doing so. A senior American military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, acknowledged that as deaths of U.S. soldiers have dropped, there's been a post-election rise in attacks on Iraqi civilians and security forces. Most of that violence is thought to be carried out by Sunni insurgents against Shiite civilians and Shiite military recruits.

The deadliest insurgent attack since the United States invaded Iraq two years ago happened last month in the Shiite town of Hillah. At least 116 people were killed, most of them military and police recruits.

"Will they start a civil war? I don't know if that much of a thought process has gone into it, I just don't know," the senior military official said. "We've uncorked a bottle and everybody's trying to figure out where they are ... you're talking about a lot of pent-up rage and frustration."

But much of the violence is a product of smaller incidents that largely go unreported beyond neighborhood rumors and gossip. Six weeks ago, for example, Ahmed Raysan, a barber in the Shiite Baghdad neighborhood of As Salam, was talking with some customers about how much they disliked Sunni insurgents. A couple of days later, a car pulled up in front of the shop. A man ran up behind Raysan, jabbed a small-caliber pistol in his mouth and fired, according to witnesses' accounts.

Raysan dropped to the ground; the bullet ricocheted around his mouth, shattering his jaw and destroying a row of teeth. As Raysan moaned and screamed, another gunman opened fire with an AK-47, hitting him four times in the leg.

"They targeted me that day because I am a Shiite," he said recently. On the wall behind his bed was a painting of Imam Ali, a figure revered by Shiites. Beneath it, an AK-47 leaned against the wall. "If I can take revenge I will," he said.

Others recount events that indicate that Shiites are increasingly willing to take action against alleged Sunni threats.

A neighborhood councilman, Kareem Gailon, a Shiite, received a death threat in January saying "death will find its way to you because we know about your cooperation and business with the Jews."

About 20 men from the neighborhood, armed with AK-47s, suspected that radical Sunnis from the Wahhabi sect were behind the note. They went to the closest Sunni mosque and told worshippers that if "Kareem is harmed you can blame only yourselves for what will happen ... you have only two or three Sunni mosques in this neighborhood. They will all disappear. There will be no more Sunnis here, there will be no more Wahhabis here," according to interviews with Gailon and others in the neighborhood.

Hazim Abdul Hamid, a political science professor at Baghdad's Mustansariya University, said the troubles weren't just in neighborhood streets.

"I know a Shiite man who is an academic dean - this is a man with a Ph.D. - who told me that if the Sunni do not submit by negotiations, then they will submit because we will hit them with our shoes," Hamid said.

(A special correspondent in Iraq who isn't named for security reasons contributed to this article.)

Ellie

[thedrifter]

March 23, 2005

Conway cites progress in Iraq

By Andrew Scutro
Times staff writer


After serving two tours in Iraq, Marine Lt. Gen. James Conway offers an upbeat assessment of progress there, although the Iraqi public would like nothing more than reliable electricity. Conway commanded the I Marine Expeditionary Force during the 2003 invasion but now serves as director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Conway spoke at a seminar Tuesday on the war on terrorism at the Sea Air Space Expo, along with Vice Adm. John Morgan, deputy CNO for information, plans and strategy, and Coast Guard Rear Adm. Dennis Sirois, assistant commandant for operations.

Conway said that recent polls of Iraqis on three separate occasions put reliable electricity as their most important concern, before fuel availability, establishing a national government and even maintaining law and order. Conway said Iraq has all the resources to be a rich and prosperous nation.

“As soon as this nonsense has passed, their quality of life can go up dramatically,” he said.

Before the invasion of Iraq, Conway says the Marines thought back to Sept. 11, 2001, and were willing to take action in the Middle East if it meant preventing another terrorist attack at home.

“We thought, that’s why we were there,” Conway said. “We believed it then, and we believe it even stronger now.”

Conway did take a dig at press coverage of the post-invasion era. Although he repeated the assessment that “embedding” reporters with combat units was a success, coverage since has not been as positive.

“What we see over there is not what’s being reported here,” he said.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Job of military wife can be tricky, special
March 23,2005
ANNE CLARK
DAILY NEWS STAFF
The hall was filled with men in their cammies clutching attache cases and women in tailored jackets, finding friends with either a handshake or a squeal of delight. The walls vibrated with their chatter. I stood in the middle of it all, excited and overwhelmed, knowing that in a few short months others would turn to me for inspiration and comfort. I hadn't led anyone since I was elected president of my college sorority, and back then my biggest challenge was keeping everyone sober enough to win the Greek Olympics.

Last week, my husband and I drove up to Quantico so he could take part in a course to prepare him for his next assignment. The spouses would have their own weeklong workshop, and I began it in that crowded hall of the base research library. I glanced over the calendar to the week ahead.

My days would begin early, likely without breakfast, be packed with lectures and roundtable discussions, and would end with an evening social, likely with a beer or two.

Along the way, I would hopefully pick up the skills to ease young spouses and their children into a wartime deployment. I wrote the most margin notes during a lecture on how to build a successful volunteer team. How will I motivate families to stay positive? How can I best nurture them so that their Marines stay completely focused on their mission in the field?

The speaker warned us there would be difficult group dynamics, and I've had limited experience with that. Back in my college sorority days, I kept everyone in line by promising the semester's first mixer with the hunkiest fraternity on campus. Or I'd beg, or I'd ask my vice president to sing something sentimental. She did have a beautiful voice.

Obviously, those days were different, and I'd been elected to that job. As a Marine Corps spouse, I'm aware that this opportunity and responsibility is the result of the man I married, and not based on any special merit of mine. That makes the job ahead tricky, and special.

The spouses got a lot of information in Quantico last week. We learned how to handle conflict between different personality types. We learned how to get accurate messages out to the families, and how to help families in the event of a casualty notification. In lighter moments, we learned how to set a pretty table and throw a party.

But there was another element to the week, something other than learning leadership styles. We spouses were treated to a tour of the Marine Barracks at 8th and I. We learned the history of the barracks and the Marine Band. We walked the parade route and gazed on the portraits of past Marine Corps commandants. We came away with a greater appreciation of our Corps and its proud, rich past. We came away inspired.

And in the end, that's what makes a great leader or a great volunteer, inspiring others to want to step up and help, to visit the young nervous wife even as we want to stay in bed with the covers pulled over our heads. On the last day of the seminar, I stepped back out into the hall, quieter now, grateful for meeting my new sisters. I wish them well.


Anne Clark's weekly columns focus on life as a military spouse. Contact her at (252) 527-3191 ext. 242 or at aclark@freedomenc.com.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

The French Await Their Gruesome Fate (Again)
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March 22, 2005
by Bob Newman

The call came tonight as I sat in front of my computer wondering what to write about.

Darkside has always come through like that.

Lieutenant Colonel Bryan P. “Darkside” McCoy, United States Marine Corps, was at the other end. He is the Marine who ordered the now famous tearing down of the statue of Saddam in Baghdad’s Firdus Square. Bryan and I are old friends from another lifetime in the 2 nd Marine Division; I was his company gunnery sergeant and he was my company commander. “Darkside” was his radio call sign in Iraq. Author John Koopman’s new book, McCoy’s Marines: Darkside to Baghdad, is where his call sign gained notoriety. (The book’s cover features Bryan’s filthy war visage with a Cohiba cigar clamped in it. One look at that mug, that “war face” in the Corps’ lexicon, and you know he means to do great harm to anyone stupid enough to face him.)

“Bob,” he said after I said hello.

“Yeah?” came my suspicious reply. (The caller ID had failed.)

“McCoy.”

“Bryan!” I shouted. In the corner of my left eye I could see my wife smile.

The best officer who had ever commanded me wanted to shoot the breeze and tell me about a writing project he had been assigned as a student in a school for senior military officers. He wanted to give me the basics of the lengthy paper and warn me that he was sending it to me for my “chop.” Of course, there will be little if anything I could add, as Bryan surely doesn’t need me to edit his paper. But he has always used me, and a tiny group of other staff non-commissioned officers he knows, as sounding boards. That’s one of the character traits that make him so dangerous to people he wants to kill.

Last summer he stopped by on his way from California to Washington after leading his battalion through two tours in Iraq in the most brutal combat the Corps had seen since Vietnam. We sat out back in the comfort and general pleasantness of my backyard. We ate, drank and smoked cigars. I got him to do most of the talking because, although I, too, am a combat veteran of the Corps, what he had just gone through twice was beyond my experience.

Tonight’s call also included news that he is heading to France on his school’s debate team to debate the French military.

I managed to compose myself after a few moments and asked why the Corps would do something so evil as to send its most impolitic, vicious killer to a place like France to debate that hapless country’s embarrassing military. His modesty made him change the topic.

That’s Bryan.

Selected for promotion to colonel, this summer he will accept a position developing combat training for the Corps. It is a perfect billet for him between wars. The Marines he will train will be substantially more professional killers having been trained by Bryan. His new job is the worst possible news for current and future enemies of America.

God help the French, who are about to he tormented and humiliated by this modern-day Genghis Khan.

And no one will be able to help the doomed dregs he next faces on the field of battle, in some distant clime and place.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

GQ Magazine Features War Photos Taken by Marine, Soldiers
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by Sgt. Beth Zimmerman
Marine Corps News
March 23, 2005

NEW YORK - The April 2005 issue of GQ magazine features a scantily-clad Jessica Alba on the cover. It discusses style in a feature story on "business suits that don't scream business." And, on page 218, GQ features a full-page photo by Marine Sgt. Luis R. Agostini after a night of fighting in Fallujah.

GQ's project, "Life During Wartime: A Soldier's Portfolio," featured photographs taken by individual service members deployed in support of the war on terror. The magazine included the photos in its April issue, and GQ also created a photo gallery exhibit open in Manhattan from March 24 until April 17.

"Thanks to inexpensive digital cameras...every airman, Marine, seaman was a photographer," read the portfolio article in GQ. "They have produced a remarkable, constantly evolving portrait of war."

"GQ decided to ask servicemen, including military photographers, for their pictures of war," continued the article. "A deluge of images came in...from soldiers who had recorded their experience."

Agostini, a combat correspondent who deployed in August of last year, took more pictures than most. According to the 23-year-old sergeant, he deployed with the First Fleet Service Support Group (1st FSSG) to report on the quickly unfolding story of Marines at war. After the Corps' offensive in Fallujah in November, Agostini heard GQ was looking for photographs.


"I submitted the photos I liked and that meant a lot to me," said Agostini, who retruned to the states in February. "Some I liked because of composition and everything, but for that particular one, it meant a lot to me because I was right there with [the Marines in the photo]," said the Haverstraw, N.Y., native. "It conveyed everyone's mood at the time."

That particular photo filled an entire page in the magazine. Agostini couldn't believe it when he opened the issue and flipped to his page.

"Wow," he said. "I can't even describe how it felt."

Agostini's photo was sandwiched by pages of other photos included in the project. According to Lauren Starke, a public relations representative for GQ, Agostini had some tough competition.

"[The GQ editor] went through more than 10,000 photos," said Starke. "He wanted to show a mix," she added. "Some photos are funny, some are sad," she said. "But they show daily life (in Iraq)."

Agostini is no stranger to having his photographs published. Like other combat correspondents, he routinely posts his work on the official Marine Corps website. However, Agostini has found that stories he posted from a combat environment received a larger audience than others.

"In Iraq, you're writing for a global audience, not just a base paper," said Agostini. "But when [a news story] ends up somewhere like GQ, then it multiplies the audience many more times."

A portion of that audience included two of "New York's finest" who know Agostini very well.

"I told everyone in our family about it," said Daisy Agostini, a police officer with the New York City Police Department and Agostini's mother. His father, Luis, is also a detective with the NYPD. "I'm very proud of him for being there and doing his job so well," said Daisy. "It's incredible that he's capable of doing such great work."

"I didn't know GQ was into covering these types of stories," added Daisy. "I like the fact that they're taking notice of what our hardworking Marines are doing over there."

The Soldier's Portfolio exhibit is open to the public from 1:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday at 209 Elizabeth Street in Manhattan.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Final great letter by Marine in Iraq, before he heads home
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Email from Russ Vaughn | MARCH 22, 2005 | 1stLt BRIAN DONLON

To All:

This will be my final letter from Iraq. I will be leaving the country in the next week and should be home in the United State soon after. Spring is now here in Iraq. The weather is pleasantly warm with the occasional sunny day. On a recent trip, I flew in a helicopter North of Baghdad over miles of small farms, criss-crossed by irrigation canals, each surrounded by bright green fields. It all gave an impression of timelessness, life unchanging but for the season. In the days since the elections it has been very quiet here and all my Marines remain safe. Everyone is very ready to go home.

Before I give my final impressions of Iraq, I have one final experience To relate. Recently I spent several days in Fallujah. As the largest battle fought in this war and the most brutal fight for the Marine Corps since Vietnam, the name "Fallujah" tends to engender visions of smoke and fire, death in the streets. I cannot speak for the condition of the city before and during the assault but what I witnessed was perhaps the most secure and peaceful urban area I have yet encountered in Iraq, including the Green Zone.

For four days on security patrols in and around the city I did not even once hear the report of gunfire in anger or the echo of an explosion. Of course, when you systematically kill or capture every insurgent in a completely cordoned city and search, blast or burn every single structure, you can expect resistance to become light or nonexistent. My hosts were the warriors of 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, who fought along the regiment's right flank during the battle and back-cleared the entire Northern sector of the city following the operation's conclusion. These men fought a grisly, tedious and exhausting battle street-by-street, block-by-block for almost two months. For all my imagination, until I walked the streets, listened to the stories, saw the pictures and read the after action reports I had no concept of what a fight it had been.

Covering enemy dead with ponchos as they went, they killed Muj (as they nicknamed the insurgents) in the streets or toppled buildings on top of them with mortars, artillery and aerial bombardment. They shot dogs and cats caught feasting on the dead, found the mutilated corpse of aid worker Margaret Hassan, discovered a torture chamber with full suits of human skin and refrigerated body parts right out of "Silence of the Lambs", opened a cellar with chained men who had starved to death and broke down doors to find rooms full of corpses, hands tied behind their backs, bullet holes in the back of their heads. These are just in the pictures I saw. The enemy they encountered was fanatical and often fought as if pumped up on drugs. His ethnicity was varied and his tactics ranged from insurgents attempting to cross the Euphrates River on inflated beach balls to houses detonated on top of Marines as they entered the first floor.

As I listened to the stories I Had visions of Henry V's warning before the walls of Harfleur to "take pity of your town and of your people, whiles yet my soldiers are in my command; whiles yet the cool and temperate wind of grace o'erblows the filthy and contagious clouds of heady murder, spoil and villany." I thought of all the times in history where invaders had systematically destroyed a city, extinguishing the population and sowing salt in the earth.

Yet, for the battle damage on all sides, the city of Fallujah had more children and a more industrious citizenry than any other I encountered here in Iraq. Almost every house had been re-occupied following the invasion, gutters cleaned of garbage, white flags flying over newly patched garden walls, "Family Inside" written in large letters in both English and Arabic. Marines control access to the city; Marines mediate civic disputes; Marines provide food, water and are protecting those who are repairing city infrastructure; Marines patrol the streets, policing both the citizens of Fallujah and the Iraqi Army who sometimes abuse their authority. Fallujah is a city on lockdown and ironically is probably the safest and most progressive place in Iraq right now.

I now understand why the citizens in a nearby neighborhood here in Baghdad worriedly asked the Army command we are attached to "What have we done? Why are Marines here?" when we began to patrol there. With that experience, I more or less close my time here in Iraq. I have a few more hurdles to overcome before I am home but now all tasks are related to ensuring a safe journey there. Reflecting on what I have seen here in Iraq, the overwhelming emotion I feel is of pride, not In myself or even in my Marines, but in being an American. Patriotic sentiments tend to gravitate between cliché and taboo in the sensibilities of popular culture but if I was not defined before as a "patriot", I am now. I am very proud to have been a small part of this effort and to come from a nation where not only could such an effort be sustained but whose aim was the betterment of another people a world away.

A few months ago, I was walking at night through a logistics yard and as I weaved between mountainous stacks of crates stamped with the names of a dozen nations, I was struck by how fortunate I was to be an American. The perspective bordered on the sublime. Just outside the wall lived people in poverty and squalor who had been subjected to their lot by a tyrannical ethnic and political minority who shrugged off human misery with the medieval belief that it was the "will of Allah." Not much has changed in the Middle East in the last few thousands of years, except for the religion and identity of the tyrant in question. Just South of where I sit now, in the city of Babylon in the 5th Century B.C., the Persian Xerxes planned his doomed invasion of Greece, his logisticians collecting mountains of supplies, compiled from the labors of subject millions.

There is no difference between that tyrant 2500 years ago and Saddam Hussein whose palaces dot across this country like vainglorious lesions, one built just miles away from here, complete with fresh water dolphins in artificial lakes, observation towers with night clubs, and irrigated tree-lined walks, built in the midst of international sanctions levied against his country.

As I stood dwarfed by piles of water bottles and phone cable I realized two distinctions. The first is this: as countless millions of dollars are spent, what American citizen can truly point to the cost that this war has had on his quality of living? What a magnificent nation we live in where we can wage so massive an effort without bankrupting our citizenry in the process. The second contrast is our motive: for all the insinuations of imperialism, corporate benefit and hawkish war-mongering, the most dramatic moments I witnessed here revolved around an election not an exploitation. What other nation would spend such sums to give a people so far away self-determination? I am not advocating war. Being so far from home for so long, smelling and seeing the dead and placing Marines in harm's way are not truly enjoyable experiences.

Yet I agree wholeheartedly with the much-criticized statement by General Mattis, it IS fun to wage war against a foe who seeks only his own self-gratification, who tortures, murders and abuses the weak. You can opine all day long about Wilsonian self-determination, but without the will to do what is necessary to make such visions reality, they remain mere words. In short, as I give my farewell to this country in the next week, I leave with overwhelming pride in being an American and an unshakable belief, based in what I have seen here, that this effort will not fail. Whatever comes in Iraq, the impact of this invasion will not be as that of every other conqueror, relegated to a wind worn mound of stones in the desert.

I want to thank all of you who have taken the time to read these often-verbose letters. Just being able to write to this audience has been a great stress relief. I especially want to express my gratitude to those who have written to me both electronic and snail mail, sent care packages and kept me in their thoughts and prayers. This was without a doubt the best experience of my life thus far and would have not been so without the support and generosity you have shown my Marines and I. Once I leave the country I will no longer be able to access this e-mail address. For those who are not sighing with relief at the end to these e-mails, my new e-mail address, effective 15 March, is:

briandonlon@gmail.com or bjd2p@hotmail.com

I would love to hear from any and all who these letters reached. Thanks once again for all you did for me.

Semper Fi!

[thedrifter]

Liberty incidents prompt renewed call for good behavior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pacific Fleet
By Juliana Gittler, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Thursday, March 24, 2005

ABOARD THE USS KITTY HAWK - Four liberty incidents this year in the Pacific have raised the ire of Navy leaders, caused diplomatic havoc and forced the Navy to strongly reiterate the need for good behavior ashore.

Three carrier strike groups, including the Japan-based USS Kitty Hawk, sailed through the 7th Fleet's area of responsibility since January. All three have had incidents in which a sailor was drinking, committed a crime and later assaulted a police officer.

While Navy leaders say they won't tolerate any criminal incidents, those occurring in strategic foreign ports and involving resistance to authority figures are most troubling, said Rear Adm. James D. Kelly, commander of the Kitty Hawk Strike Group and the person responsible for any strike group while it is operating in the fleet's area.

The three most serious such incidents occurred in Singapore and Hong Kong.

"The issue is strategic access," Kelly said. "Singapore and Hong Kong are extremely important ports for us, for multiple reasons."

The incidents prompted a memo from Pacific Fleet commander Adm. Walter Doran earlier this month demanding leaders to push harder for an end to the incidents.

Kelly responded with a memo to his staff demanding the same.

"We all recognize that 'zero liberty incidents' is the goal. Simple recognition, however, is not good enough," his memo stated.

The incidents themselves are just part of the problem. The diplomatic dilemma they created is of greater concern.

"Trust me, I didn't need Adm. Doran's message to tell me how important this was," Kelly said. "We have incidents that don't break what I would call the 'plane of pain,' where they create an international or a local incident. Our whole thing out here is we can't have the liberty incidents that become strategic issues."

Two incidents involved sailors assaulting police in Singapore; the third involved an officer assaulting a police officer in Hong Kong, one of the few places the U.S. Navy engages the Republic of China, Kelly said.

Singapore later turned the sailors over to the U.S. government. The third is awaiting the outcome of his case in Hong Kong.

"They became strategic issues because they're issues being talked about at the ambassadorial level and the defense attaché level," Kelly said. "Hong Kong … that's a key engagement place for us and we want to be able to keep going in there. Singapore, not only is it a key ally for us, but the access they give us to their port facilities is awesome and we can't screw that up."

The problem also is one of sailor safety, Navy leaders say. Even incidents that don't reach the bar of diplomatic discussion can lead to an injury, particularly if a sailor is alone, in an unfamiliar place and possibly drunk.

"It's not that we have bad sailors. What they are is inexperienced," said Capt. Dave Volonino, Kitty Hawk Strike Group chief of staff. "The question is, how do you include smart and less-risky behavior when they're off the ship and not under your supervision."

The Navy uses training and the threat of punishment as a deterrent. But, Volonino says, like the rebellious teen in a household, threats and lectures don't always work.

So Navy leaders impose what they call intrusive leadership - limited liberty until sailors prove their maturity, and a buddy system that requires sailors to watch each other, pairing less-experienced sailors with those a little more mature.

Navy leaders overseas have an additional tool to reduce incidents. Under the liberty risk program, a commander can curb a sailor's liberty without any formal legal proceeding, which is not the practice in the States, Volonino said.

After the recent incidents, commanders reiterated intrusive leadership techniques.

"We went back to the basics," Volonino said.

Unit leaders and noncommissioned officers worked closely with sailors to avoid drunken behaviors and looked more closely at who is granted liberty.

Intrusive leadership is working overall, Kelly said.

"The reality is that conduct has overall been getting better," he said. "We've got a wonderful buddy program and it works. There were buddies involved (in the recent cases) who were not where they should have been when the incidents happened. So our buddy program failed there."

Before their port visit to South Korea last week, sailors aboard the USS Kitty Hawk and accompanying ships were strongly reminded that their behavior was under greater scrutiny. However, there were no additional punishments imposed.

"They'll get in no more trouble now than they used to," Kelly said. "But they darn sure understand that there's a focus all the way to the chief of naval operations. I think we've done a better job of emphasizing that piece over the past couple of months."

There were no arrests or incidents during the stop in South Korea, and that's no coincidence, Kelly said. Every sailor, from an E-1 to an admiral, was required to have a buddy.

"The buddy system has got to work. When you're out there with a buddy, you don't leave that buddy, especially if you're having some beers," Kelly said. "You've got to take care of each other. I expect the buddy to get his or her buddy out of trouble before it arises."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

March 24, 2005

Roadside bomb problem
needs intense focus

By Laura Bailey
Times staff writer


The military needs to put the same frantic energy into ending roadside bomb threats in Iraq as it did to making the world’s first atomic bomb during World War II.
That is the message from Navy and Marine Corps’ science and technology officials, speaking at the Sea Air Space Exposition in Washington on March 24.

“We believe, in [Navy Secretary Gordon England’s words, it is time for a Manhattan-like project,” said Rear Adm. Jay M. Cohen, chief of naval research. “This is our Manhattan Project,” he said, referring to a new joint effort to arm Marines with a multitude of bomb detection and destruction devices.

As part of this, Cohen said the Naval Research Laboratory and its affiliate research centers will devote 10 percent of their budgets to creating high-tech roadside bomb solutions.

A joint project between the Office of Naval Research and the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory has already given Marines in Iraq several new technologies to test, said Brig. Gen. Thomas D. Waldhauser, commanding general of the lab.

Among the devices in development is the Backscatter Van, a large van equipped with X-ray devices that allow Marines to see through cars to detect hidden explosives.

Another device is meant to help Marines detect suicide bombers. The EOS (Opal) Thermal Imager gives Marines an X-ray-like vision to see through a jacket or a coat hiding an improvised explosive.

The Warfighting Lab is also working on an explosive-resistant coating that would protect vehicles from bombs. The coating is sprayed on Humvees and would be a lighter and easier solution than up-armoring. That technology is still in development, Waldhauser said.

“We’ve got a lot of good data and potentially some use for it in the future,” he said.

There is no one technology that will solve the problem of improvised explosives, but a combination of devices would help decrease deaths caused by the low-tech bombs, Waldhauser said.

“There is no silver bullet, but I can assure you there’s a lot of resources and a lot of effort going into trying to sort out the problem,” he said.

Waldhauser said there needs to be a multi-pronged approach that includes high-tech devices, but also common-sense approaches that Marines are already using.

Cohen added that feedback from Marines in Iraq indicated that the technology is saving lives there.

He said he wants to take the technology further to preemptively detect and destroy improvised explosives or suicide bombers from far distances, so insurgents, he said, “blow up in their bomb factories and they have difficulty recruiting people who don’t want to die in their own homes.”

Cohen said such technology would be another five to 10 years in development.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

March 24, 2005
Release Number: 05-03-28


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


SECOND MARINE DIVISION MARINES SEIZE ARMS CACHES, DETAIN SUSPECTED INSURGENTS

CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, Iraq – Coalition Forces from the 2nd Marine Division have detained a total of 147 suspected insurgents since taking the reins from 1st Marine Division on March 17.

Since the transfer of authority, Marines from the Camp Lejeune-based division have been working to help bring about peace in the restive Al Anbar Province by detaining individuals actively terrorizing innocent civilians.

“Over the past few months, 1st and 2d Division... have pursued and captured many terrorists attempting to prevent a free Iraq,” said Col. Bob Chase, chief operations officer for the 2d Marine Division. “These are criminals and murderers who display wanton disregard for their fellow Iraqis.”

Two Marine Regimental Combat Teams and one Army Brigade Combat Team that make up the division have also conducted numerous raids and operations over the last seven days netting:

- (14) mortar rounds of various sizes
- 120mm tank round
- Approx. (1,000) small arms rounds
- (66) rockets of various sizes
- (40) Small arms of various types, to include AK 47's, shotguns, pistols and machine guns
- Iraqi police and military uniforms
- IED making materials to include several pounds of explosives, cell phones, cell phone batteries, batteries, spools of wire and blasting caps
- Various types of insurgent propaganda, to include leaflets, posters, newsletters, and videos


“Tirelessly, our young Marines move through the countryside and deny the enemy solace, keeping him off-balance and under increasing pressure,” said Chase.

The raids and operations were conducted throughout the Al Anbar Province with the cooperation of the Iraqi Security Forces.

“Our main effort since our arrival in Al Anbar is to accelerate the training and partnering of the emerging Iraqi Security Forces,” explained Chase.

Chase stated that the ISF provide what they call “eyes and tongues” that allow US forces to discern foreign fighters and strangers. “Most importantly, they are able to interface with the locals and get information Iraqis might be unwilling to share with US personnel for fear of repercussions from the terrorists.”

Chase made clear that we would remain true to our promise to the Iraqi people; “We will stand with them until their forces are ready to stand alone and can protect themselves from those that fear a united Iraq.”

The 2d Marine Division, commanded by Maj. Gen. Richard A. Huck, will continue to work with the people of the Al Anbar Province in order to bring about peace and prosperity in Iraq.

All the battalions from the division have previously deployed in support of various operations around the globe to include, Afghanistan, Haiti, the Horn of Africa or here in Iraq.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

March 28, 2005

Learning to save lives
Marines get special training to back up corpsmen

By Laura Bailey
Times staff writer


Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class James Pell was rushing toward a badly injured Marine on a Fallujah rooftop last fall when an insurgent popped out of a house and unloaded his AK47 in the doc’s direction.
Pell was hit 11 times and fell two stories onto a nearby rooftop. At least one of the bullets ripped through an artery in his leg, causing massive bleeding.

With no other corpsman on site, a young grunt with India Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, started working on Pell.

Lance Cpl. James Powers was not a corpsman, but within five minutes, as Pell drifted in and out of consciousness, the Marine applied pressure bandages and tourniquets, secured Pell’s breathing and subdued the bleeding.

Because Powers took part in the Corps’ Combat Lifesaver program, the grunt was able to save the doc.

“He did a good enough job that I’m still standing here talking today,” Pell said from Camp Pendleton, Calif., on March 17. “If he hadn’t been there working on me, I definitely would have bled out right away.”

The Corps wants more guys like Powers — quasi-corpsmen who can patch up wounds on the battlefield when the real docs might not be around.

And as the Corps prepares for this spring’s mega-rotation into Iraq, it’s training more of these mini-medics than ever before.

Camp Lejeune, N.C.’s 2nd Marine Division — heading into Iraq this spring and fall — already has at least one “combat aidsman” per squad. But the goal is to train 4,000 combat lifesavers, an aidsman in every fire team, said Lt. Cmdr. Richard Crabb, medical planner for the division.

When it’s all done, one in four Marines with the division will be able to save a life.

The division is sending hundreds of Marines through their five-day training every month. So far, Crabb said, 1,700 Marines have made it through the course.

And officials say the aidsmen have already put their newfound knowledge to the test.

“The program is absolutely phenomenal. It saves a lot of lives, in my opinion,” said Lt. Cmdr. Brian Hutchison, medical planner for 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton.

He said combat lifesaver-trained Marines responded to three out of four of his division’s casualties since the Iraq war began two years ago, either acting as first responders or assisting the corpsman on the scene.

One in six Marines in the California-based division has received the training, Hutchison said.

I Marine Expeditionary Force began experimenting with the training years ago, but it wasn’t until the buildup for Iraq that it kicked the program into higher gear.

The Army, with fewer medics per unit, has been training its troops in similar programs for years. And in the late 1990s, I MEF’s 7th Marines began copying the program.

When 1st Marine Division leathernecks adopted it in the run-up to the Iraq war, they dropped the Army’s program from five days to three. They yanked instruction on water purification and preventive medicine so they could focus on what line units needed most.

“We concentrated on what the actual war fighter would need … Basically, it’s real hands-on stuff for out there in the field when the bullets are flying,” Hutchison said.

Those items include training on triage, hemorrhage control and airway management, to name a few.

Members of II MEF began putting together an unofficial program three years ago on a smaller scale, then officially mandated that Marines from every squad take the course last year.

Also at 2nd Marine Division, aidsmen will start taking special medical bags with them to Iraq. These bags have three times the amount of bandages, dressings and other items that the standard Individual First Aid Kit has. Additional medical items include surgical gloves and a self-adhesive dressing for sucking chest wounds. Eventually, every fire team will get one of the bags, Crabb said.

Setting the standard

The training programs differ throughout the Corps, based on what divisions think they need. On Okinawa, Japan, for example, Marines incorporate field exercises into the course, while at Camp Lejeune, the training is confined to hands-on practice in the classroom.

Officers at Training and Education Command at Quantico, Va., said they are working on long-term plans to standardize the program throughout the Corps.

“We owe the operating forces a service-level solution to this,” said Maj. Bill Clark, the action officer for the program.

Clark said the command will begin to evaluate the different courses used throughout the Corps’ divisions and the Army’s course in order to institutionalize a permanent program and come up with a standard number of aidsmen per unit.

The idea behind the programs is to give every platoon’s corpsman extra help in situations with multiple casualties, said Chief Hospital Corpsman Terry Green, 1st Marine Division’s leading chief petty officer for medical training.

“It’s not uncommon to get hit by [a roadside bomb or rocket-propelled grenade] and suddenly you have four to five casualties right there,” Green said.

“Sometimes, you have one corpsman on the scene and you have four or five casualties. Those combat lifesavers can follow up the corpsman and be an extra set of hands.”

Green said the urban environment in Iraq can slow down evacuation time and extra help is crucial during that waiting period.

“If they get isolated in a building or a room, having a combat lifesaver in that room buys them an extra 15 minutes until a corpsman can get to them.”

The Combat Lifesaver program is essential now that Marines are in an urban fight as opposed to amphibious operations, Crabb said.

“We have been staffed to do amphibious operations. We are not staffed for urban combat, which requires much more medical attention,” Crabb said.

He said the need for more medical help is much greater in urban warfare because Marines can get pinned down in buildings and separated from their corpsmen, and because they can be more spread out.

“They could be strung out over a huge area in an urban combat environment. They could be covering a lot of ground, or they could be pinned down by enemy fire … and have to help each other right there,” he said.

Teaching the essentials

One of the many units set for combat this fall is 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines, which sent large numbers of Marines through aidsman training.

When Marines finish the program, they know a fraction of what corpsmen know fresh out of corpsman school, said Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class William Fetters, who trained the Marines from 3/6.

The idea is that corpsmen will be able to tell a combat lifesaver, “‘Hey, get this done,’ and they’ll do it,” he said.

Fetters said that although the training is nowhere near what a corpsman receives — five days versus six months — the Marines who take it come away with a strong knowledge of first aid and can stabilize a wounded Marine until a corpsman arrives.

After five days of practicing first aid on each other, Marines who took the course said they strengthened the knowledge of what they learned in boot camp with new techniques.

The Marines, almost all lance corporal infantrymen, learned how to prepare and insert an IV, apply pressure dressings and tourniquets, and use the new QuikClot blood-clotting agent to stop bleeding. They’ll also know how to deal with bullet and shrapnel wounds, open fractures, burns, heat exhaustion, sucking chest wounds, and how to ensure breathing with the use of oral plastic airway devices.

“It gets a little more in-depth than boot camp. We may not know everything, but we know enough. It makes it so we can take care of each other and do what we got to do,” said Lance Cpl. Ely Velazquez.

Velazquez said the most useful thing he learned was how to help Marines with gunshots to the legs and arms.

“I’m extremely confident that I could help them and get them right back in the fight,” he said.

Another Marine said the most important thing from the training was to remember to focus on the mission first.

“Concentrate on your job first. Concentrate on the mission. You don’t want to stop in the middle of a firefight to help someone out. That’s why we’ve got corpsmen,” said Lance Cpl. Patrick Goral.

He added that the first step Marines learned is to call the corpsman before doing anything.

Since the group of 3/6 Marines finished the course in February, they plan to review the material regularly by staying in touch with their corpsmen once a month and sharing their new knowledge with platoon mates.

One 2nd Marine Division leatherneck in Iraq said he has not yet used the training in a real-life situation, but feels confident he will remember it if the time comes.

That Marine also said he would feel safe in the hands of fellow Marines who took the course with him.

“I feel confident with my fellow Marines doing first aid on me if I go down. They passed the tests with flying colors. They can all do it easily,” said Cpl. Daniel Cantu with Tango Battery, 5th Battalion, 10th Marines, deployed to Ramadi.

“It’s a good class. I think every Marine who’s deploying here or to other places should be able to take it,” he said.

“It’s good training and it’s good knowledge for when you get out, too.”


Ellie

[thedrifter]

B'ville Marine Thankful for Prayers and Letters <br />
By Trevor Persaud <br />
<br />
Xpress Correspondent <br />
<br />
Last week, people across the country and around the world observed the second anniversary of the...

[thedrifter]

NYC law firm donates $25k for phone cards
Submitted by: New York City Public Affairs
Story Identification #: 2005322135513
Story by Sgt. Beth Zimmerman



NEW YORK (March 22, 2005) -- Anderson, Kill & Olick, P.C., a law firm in Manhattan, recently donated $25,000 to the United Services Organization of Metropolitan New York to purchase international phone cards for soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines currently deployed overseas.

Jeffrey L. Glatzer, the firm's managing partner, and Rosemarie Dackerman, executive director of USO of Metropolitan NY, presented the phone cards to Army and Marine Corps representatives during an informal ceremony at the firm's office today.

"We know how important it is for the troops to call home," said Glatzer, "and we were in a position to help," he said.

"We were happy to do our part."


Ellie

[thedrifter]

‘269 Ordnance keeps Gunrunners locked and loaded
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing
Story Identification #: 200532210215
Story by Cpl. Rocco DeFilippis



AL ASAD, Iraq (March 22, 2005) -- Highly effective against personnel, vehicles and buildings, the AH-1 Super Cobra has proven itself over the past 40 years as one of the world's most reliable attack helicopters.

Combined with the versatility of the UH-1 Huey, the Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron has earned a reputation for superiority in the skies above the battlefield.

It is the skill and hard work of ordnance Marines who load, arm and maintain the Cobras' and Heuys' deadly arsenal.

The ordnance Marines of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 269 work 24 hours a day to ensure the "Gunrunners" are ready at a moments notice to deliver death and destruction to the enemy.

"The whole purpose of the aircraft is a weapon system," said Chief Warrant Officer James A. Toponce, HML/A-269 ordnance officer and native of Melbourne, Fla. "If the ordnance doesn't work, there is no reason for the aircraft to fly."

Responsible for loading, arming and inspecting ammunition, rockets and missiles, the ordnancemen are on the flight line throughout the day to ensure the birds are ready for launch.

"Our number one responsibility is to ensure that the weapons systems are properly loaded and armed, so they work when the pilot needs them," said Cpl. Corey R. Wainscott, ordnance technician and native of Kirklin, Ind. "With a full crew, we need less than 15 minutes to load and arm the helos so they can get in the air and provide support to the troops on the ground."

With such an important responsibility, the ordnancemen constantly train and prepare in order to stay on top of their job.

"These Marines don't waste a second," said Gunnery Sgt. Greg T. Scott, ordnance chief and native of Centralia, Ill. "They are extremely well trained and they have instilled in them that every second they waste is a second that someone could be dying."

The mastery of their craft comes from extensive training in realistic environments and combat experience. About 70 percent of the Marines in the HML/A-269 ordnance section deployed with the squadron to support Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.

"The first deployment was extremely fast paced and we learned a lot," said Cpl. John B. Schillero, ordnance technician and native of Seven Hills, Ohio. "Now, however, we are the only HML/A here, so we are applying that experience to do our part to ensure that every opportunity for our aircraft to support the ground side goes answered."

"It's amazing to see these Marines in action," Scott said. "The noncommissioned officers have the experience to teach and guide the newer Marines through the whole process. The newer Marines have learned more in one month than they would have learned in six back home."

Arriving here on the first of February, the Gunrunners' ordnance Marines continue to ensure the Cobras bite remains sharp.

"These Marines are tireless in their efforts to ensure 100 percent mission readiness," Toponce said. "Our piece of the puzzle is highly important to the mission, and we will continue to do what we have been doing to support the Marines on the ground."


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Soldier Receives Bad Conduct Discharge <br />
Associated Press <br />
March 25, 2005 <br />
<br />
POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. - An Air Force senior airman who said she was raped while on duty in Iraq received a...

[thedrifter]

Probe Of Iraq Chemist's Death Reopened
Associated Press
March 25, 2005

NEW YORK - More than a year after the body of an Iraqi scientist was dropped off at a Baghdad hospital by his American captors, the Army says it has reopened an investigation into his death.

Mohammad Munim al-Izmerly had been in U.S. custody for 10 months before his death and had been questioned about allegations he experimented with poisons on prisoners in the days of Saddam Hussein. His family and others suspect he was beaten to death.

Al-Izmerly, 65, is the only known weapons scientist among at least 96 detainees who have died in U.S. custody in Iraq. When his death first came to light in press reports last May, the U.S. military, newly under fire for prisoner abuse in Iraq, refused to answer queries about it.

"The case was initially closed, but after further investigative review a determination was made to reopen the investigation," Army spokesman Christopher Grey told The Associated Press.

The Pentagon would say nothing about the timetable or thrust of the inquiry. But Rod Barton, an Australian member of the CIA-led teams that questioned al-Izmerly and other weapons scientists, says such prisoners may have been beaten during the futile U.S. hunt for banned arms in Iraq.




Al-Izmerly's body was delivered to Al-Kharkh Hospital in February 2004. The Americans enclosed a death certificate saying he died of "brainstem compression," without saying what caused it, Britain's Guardian newspaper reported after viewing the document last year. A subsequent Iraqi autopsy determined he was killed by a blunt trauma injury, a blow to the head, Iraqi doctors told Baghdad reporters.

New details are emerging about the role al-Izmerly played in Iraq's weapons underworld.

In contrast to a "distinguished chemistry professor," the portrayal in one press report last May, U.S. weapons investigators now say al-Izmerly was an early leader of Iraq's effort to make chemical arms, and an assassination specialist who once devised a "poison pen."

The Egyptian-born scientist had been in U.S. detention since April 2003. His family was allowed to visit him in January 2004 at the Baghdad airport, where he was believed held at Camp Cropper, a U.S. military detention center for "high-value detainees."

A month later they were notified by the Red Cross he was dead. His son, Ashraf, 22, told reporters that when he went to the hospital morgue to claim the remains, zipped up in a U.S. body bag, he saw an injury to the head. The dated death certificate indicated the Americans had held the body for 17 days.

The family commissioned an autopsy, which found the cause of death to be a blow to the head, the reports from Baghdad said. "It was definitely a blunt trauma injury," the Los Angeles Times was told by Dr. Kais Hassan, who performed the autopsy at Iraq's Forensic Medical Institute.

Grey, the Army spokesman, said the Army's Criminal Investigation Command lists al-Izmerly's death in an "undetermined cause" category because the body was released before Army investigators learned of the case, and no U.S. autopsy was performed.

Ashraf al-Izmerly, contacted this week by the AP, said he was aware of the reopened investigation, but couldn't immediately discuss the case further. Because of apparently new Iraqi Health Ministry rules, an AP reporter was not allowed to speak with Dr. Hassan.

The scientist's family, who gave no indication they were aware of the nature of his work, said last year they believed the U.S. military was covering up the circumstances of al-Izmerly's death.

There have been other cases in which the U.S. military attributed to natural causes detainee deaths later found to have been caused by brutal American treatment. One-quarter of the detainee deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan have been investigated as possible criminal homicides, according to U.S. government data reported by AP last week.

Charles A. Duelfer, the CIA special adviser who led the arms-hunting Iraq Survey Group, didn't respond to AP queries about what he knew of al-Izmerly's death. But Barton, one of his former subordinates, has spoken out.

The Australian microbiologist says he was told in February 2004, while working with Duelfer's group in Baghdad, that al-Izmerly died of a brain tumor. But "I had suspicions that this person had actually been beaten to death in the prison," Barton said in an Australian Broadcasting Corp. interview last month.

He said he saw two other detainees, also weapons hunters' interrogation subjects, with face injuries he thought were the result of beatings.

Contacted by the AP, Barton wouldn't elaborate on his suspicions, citing the sensitivity of testimony on the weapons hunt he is to give to the Australian Senate next week.

Al-Izmerly figures prominently in Duelfer's final report of Oct. 6, as a "mentor" to Iraqi chemists trying to make poison gas for military use in the 1970s, as leader of the effort to produce mustard gas, and in the 1980s as chief of an Iraq Intelligence Service chemical section.

In the intelligence role and earlier, ex-colleagues told interrogators, al-Izmerly was head of human experiments, testing substances for use on assassination targets by giving poisoned food or injections to some 100 political and other prisoners, the Iraq Survey Group reported.

This CIA account said al-Izmerly admitted administering poisons to 20 human subjects, but he said it was under orders from above. How many may have died is not reported.

One informant cited in the U.S. report said al-Izmerly in the 1980s ordered the fashioning of a poison-tipped pen for use in assassinations, and personally filled it with snake venom. It wasn't clear whether such pens were ever used.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Insurgents Target Iraqi And U.S. Forces
Associated Press
March 25, 2005

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Insurgents kept up their campaign Thursday against Iraqi security forces and U.S. troops, targeting Americans with roadside bombs in the north and attacking Iraq's nascent army in the capital.

Two separate explosives planted in the streets of the northern city of Mosul detonated near U.S. patrols, according to witnesses, who said they didn't believe there were any casualties.

One blast near a Mosul school caused panicked children to pile out of the building, said Khairy Ilham, a shopkeeper who witnessed the blast. The U.S. military wasn't immediately available for comment.

In Baghdad, gunmen opened fire on a two-ton army truck transporting Iraqi soldiers in an eastern neighborhood. The truck overturned, injuring 12 troop members, police Maj. Mousa Hussein said.

As Iraq's post-election political process unfurls, the top U.N. envoy in Iraq, Ashraf Qazi, sat down with a group of leading Sunni religious leaders Thursday in a Baghdad mosque.




In the meeting with the Association of Muslim Scholars, Qazi "stressed the importance of ensuring that all components of Iraqi society are adequately represented in the constitutional making process," a U.N. statement said.

Shiite Muslim and ethnic Kurdish parties, expected to announce within days the top leadership of their promised coalition government, say they're considering involving the Sunnis beyond even just the eventual writing of Iraq's constitution.

The Sunnis, from whose ranks many insurgent fighters are believed drawn, largely stayed away from Iraq's historic Jan. 30 elections. Kurdish and Shiite negotiators say they're discussing handing a Sunni Arab the defense minister's post in an effort to include them in the process.

Shiite and Kurdish negotiators were expected to continue discussions Thursday in the capital, Baghdad.

Kurds are thought to number between 15 percent to 20 percent of Iraq's 26 million people, with Sunni Arabs making up about the same number. Shiite Arabs make up 60 percent of the population.

In the southern city of Basra, over 200 protesters demanded an individual from their petroleum-rich region be named head of the oil ministry - and some demonstrators threatened to strike if their demands aren't met. The provincial governor, Mohammed al-Waeliz, expressed solidarity with the demonstrators.

The Iraqi government said Wednesday that U.S. and Iraqi forces killed 85 militants at a suspected training camp along the marshy shores of a remote lake, one of the highest guerrilla death tolls of the two-year insurgency, officials said.

The U.S. military declined Wednesday to confirm the Iraqi government's death toll of 85 militants, however, and the death toll couldn't be independently verified.

The raid at Lake Tharthar in central Iraq turned up booby-trapped cars, suicide-bomber vests, weapons and training documents, Iraqi Maj. Gen. Rashid Feleih told state television on Wednesday. He said the insurgents included Iraqis, Filipinos, Algerians, Moroccans, Afghans and Arabs from neighboring countries, and added that local residents told troops of the camp.

"What's really remarkable is that the citizens this time really took the initiative to provide us with very good information," Feleih said Wednesday.

In three days, troops have killed at least 128 insurgents nationwide, according to Iraqi and U.S. officials' accounts.

Iraqi authorities credited recent successes against insurgents to a torrent of intelligence from citizens heartened by the Jan. 30 elections and emboldened by film footage aired on state television that shows captured insurgents confessing their roles in attacks.

"Before, the people had a neutral stance toward this issue," said Sabah Kadhim, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry. "Now, they have turned against the terrorists."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

WMD Commission To Release Report <br />
Associated Press <br />
March 25, 2005 <br />
<br />
WASHINGTON - None of the 15 U.S. agencies that collected or assessed intelligence on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq is...

[thedrifter]

Politicians and Slave Masters?
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by Lance Cpl. Mikhail Ali Simmons-Johnson
Special to Henderson Hall News

When first hearing the spoken words "I, ___________, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God," as a young man of color influenced by the society that raised me, the belief in a statement of that magnitude is hollow, empty and at best, the least understood in the age of adolescence. In a country built on capitalism and free enterprise, the ability to immediately accept the concept of "instant and willing obedience to orders" cannot be comprehended after 18 years of "freedom and innocence." My understanding of what being a Marine means to me cannot be expressed simply with the intangibles of honor, courage, and commitment that we have been taught within basic training, combat training, and military occupational specialty training. Instead, my true definition is forever changing with each accomplishment and age I conquer.

Prior to enlistment, my only motivation for joining and understanding what the title Marine truly means is money for school and a desire to be the man my mother says "can change a society that still oppresses the colored man with racial subtlety". To this day my youthful sense of rebellion still exists and is mirrored with my favorite quote by Angela Davis: "The work of the political activist inevitably involves a certain tension between the requirement that position be taken on current issues as they arise and the desire that one's contributions will somehow survive the ravages of time". To translate for the ethnically declined, I wanted to be a Marine to change things for the betterment of my people and someday my sacrifices and time in service will be remembered and quoted in a high school paper. But upon graduating from recruit training, combat training, and M.O.S. training, upon arrival of the political and cultural Mecca of our country, I have been able to embrace a bigger understanding of "America's 911 force in readiness". A complex understanding that I could not have been taught in the inner-city communities of Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Detroit.

Marines take care of each other as well as others not within our club in a way so selfless and sacrificial that our civilian society should be built on the same foundation. In garrison, the power of the scarlet & gold eclipses the common fear of the unknown in that a young man from the urban projects of West Philadelphia can be best friends, if not brothers, with men from the rural villages of Lewistown, Pa. & Geneseo, IL. Despite what the world tells us when we go on leave, Marines carry what they have experienced home to families and friends, making them better people for seeing our change; opening their eyes to what they fear, yet still accomplishing the goal of making a contribution that withstands the sands of time. In combat, we do not simply battle for the ones we love at home. But a Marine has a convoluted mentality in that "when the s*** hits the fan", he will jump on the grenade first. Knowing that if his selfless sacrifice gets his squad home for Thanksgiving, he gets a feeling of complacency that ultimately puts him at peace with his death. To sum up "what being a Marine means to me", it means to have the disciplined heroism to look your fears squarely in the eye (whether they be death, oppression, tyranny or social, political, and economic change). To be willing to accept the calling God himself has for all his creatures to take a positive stand and be willing to leave his world better than when you came in.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

'You learn you have to accept it'
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March 25, 2005
TIMMI TOLER
DAILY NEWS STAFF

Cpl. Loren Jones waited Thursday morning for word that it was time to load the buses.

The machine gunner with 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment was among 800 Marines and sailors who departed from Camp Lejeune for a six-month deployment with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit. By this weekend, that number will reach approximately 2,200.

This is the third deployment for Jones, who's been in the Marine Corps for three years. He was in Iraq for the opening phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. His second deployment, another six-month stint, was in Afghanistan, where he helped with patrols and humanitarian missions. Both operations made an impact on the 23-year-old from Cascade, Idaho.

"After my first deployment, I had a deeper appreciation for everything we have here in America and everything I have in my life," he said. "You're away from the things you know and love - just eating at a restaurant is a treat. The chance to eat a steak instead of an MRE is a big deal."

The 26th MEU is the landing force for the USS Kearsarge Expeditionary Strike Group, said Capt. William F. Klumpp III, a MEU spokesman. The troops departing over the next few days will head to Norfolk, Va., where the strike group - which includes the USS Kearsage, Ashland, Ponce, Gonzalez, Normandy, Kauffman and Scranton - waits for its scheduled departure.

During recent months, the Marine Corps has begun to resume standard MEU float rotations, Klumpp said. Although this group does not have "an assigned theater of operation" at this time, it is prepared to support missions in Iraq, Afghanistan or the Horn of Africa, he said.

"We are ready to respond to contingencies as needed," Klumpp said. "We're prepared for anything."

Jones said his time in the Marine Corps, especially during the last two deployments, has made him better prepared for this one.

"For the first two (deployments), I was a gunner in a team; now I'm a squad leader. In the past deployments, I've already dealt with a lot of the situations that will come up and aspects we're likely to face on this one. I feel confident to lead my men," he said. "I know I can do what it takes."

His wife of nearly two years, Sarah, also 23, said the deployments never get any easier for the families left behind, but it makes the time together more important.

"You really appreciate them more when they're home," she said, noting that she has no doubt about her husband's safe return. "They're a pretty tough group. He's already come home from two (deployments), I know he'll come back safely from this one."

Jones said the time he serves away from home teaches him more about the value of the force with which he serves.

"As a Marine, (the deployments) give you a much better understanding of what you do and what you have done," he said. "Those previous deployments, I knew exactly what I had done and that it was something important. You see people in these countries who are happy that you're there - happy about the work you're doing."

Even if leaving to do that work is difficult.

"You learn you have to accept it. It's still painful, but you make good on the time you have together," Jones said as he looked at Sarah. "You don't let it hit you until you're loading up the bus and leaving."


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Student uses eBay to help Marine in need
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By Lauren Mercer,
For The Miami Studen

While most people believe in helping a friend in need, Miami University sophomore Brad Graham is taking this concept to a new level.

Graham is in the process of raising money to help his best friend Brian Kasher pay for his wedding.

Graham and Kasher have been friends since second grade and grew up together in a small town near Chicago.

Kasher, 20, is a Marine who was been stationed in Iraq since September. He married his high school sweetheart Tahleatha Walton Kasher, also 20, in a civil ceremony over the summer, but the couple plans to really celebrate when he returns from the Middle East.

"We had a quiet courthouse wedding before he left," Tahleatha said. "So now we are having a pretty big wedding with a ceremony and a reception and everything."

Kasher is due back in the United States March 28 and the wedding date is set for April 23.

Tahleatha said she cannot wait to have him back.

"It's a scary thing," Tahleatha said. "It's my husband who's over there, the person who I'm supposed to be spending the rest of my life with."

The Kashers are getting married on a limited budget, and Graham plans to do anything he can to help them pay for the ceremony.

So far, he has raised $100 by selling advertisements on his car through eBay.

Graham delivers for SDS Pizza and found a way to combine that job with his effort to help Kasher.

"That's actually how I got the idea," Graham said. "I knew I'd be driving around a lot and people would see my car."

The owners of a golf course in Liberty, Ind., liked the sound of Graham's idea and bid $100 to place advertisements on his car.

Graham's "desperate search for money" is a surprise for Brian Kasher. Tahleatha Kasher, on the other hand, does know about his efforts.

"She is really excited about it," Graham said. "But I don't think she'll be that excited when she finds out it's only one hundred dollars."

Regardless of the amount, Tahleatha said that it's just nice of him to do something.

"He would do anything to help out his friends, and Brian is his best friend," Tahleatha said.

In addition to the eBay auction, Graham plans to contact the Marines and Miami ROTC in an attempt to organize more fundraising.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marine Reservist thankful students fed needs
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Friday, March 25, 2005
By EVONNE COUTROS
STAFF WRITER
North Jersey Media

Marine reservist Maj. Matthew Noble could eat plenty of military chow at Al Asad Air Base in Iraq, but some of the food that he and other Marines looked forward to the most made it to the mess hall through the efforts of students at the borough's Byrd School.

"The students in Glen Rock sent over a lot of protein ... and foods like tuna," said Noble, 35, a logistics officer for a Marine air wing support group. "It was wonderful. In Iraq we had plenty of pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers and corn dogs and could get a meal like turkey. But the food was just not that good. These students did a great job getting things to us."

On Thursday, Noble personally thanked the fifth-graders at his former elementary school on Doremus Avenue, attending a schoolwide assembly.

He thanked the students for shipping the donated food and toiletries as part of their Hearts for Heroes community service project.

For $2 apiece, townspeople may buy the Hearts for Heroes wristbands, with the proceeds helping offset the mailings for the multiple packages the students continue to send overseas. The bands are embossed with the Hearts for Heroes logo and are still available through businesses and the Home and School Association, which is coordinating the project.

"It's keeping the guys and gals overseas happy and healthy," Noble said of the program. "That's what it's all about."

Noble, an attorney who lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and three young children, attended Byrd School and nearby St. Catharine's parochial school before graduating from Glen Rock High School. He returned to the U.S. in February after serving seven months at Al Asad Air Base.

Byrd students cheered Noble as he talked with them and permitted some to don military gear stowed in his pack. Noble will be taken off the active-duty roster next week and will return to practicing insurance defense law.

"It was so important that we could help them in Iraq," said Rebecca Rausch, 11, one of the Hearts for Heroes participants. "It was very exciting. It adds a little more opportunity for us too, including field trips and selling the bracelets. They were incredible to sell. I bought 50 and sold them all."

At least 1,000 bracelets have been sold, school officials said.

Noble's niece, Caitlin Begg, 10, is happy to see her uncle return from Iraq. Caitlin's mother, Jennifer Begg, helped kick off the project.

"I really missed him," Caitlin said. "Some people thought we couldn't pull it off, but I never thought that. We're very proud of what we did."

Matthew Singh, 10, enjoyed meeting the Marine he'd sent messages to over the months.

"We finally got to see him," Singh said. "We'd been sending the care packages. We wrote to him. One time he sent us back a five-page letter and everybody who asked him a question got an answer."

"They were very inquisitive," Noble said. "Kids have curiosity and it's important for them to understand what's going on so that they just don't hear one side of the story. They need to know the whole story."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

The Few <br />
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <br />
by Owen West <br />
<br />
The path Darrell Carver chose out of his Salt Lake City high school was similar to that...

[thedrifter]

BLT 2/1 leadership steams through TRUEX 05-1
Submitted by: 13th MEU
Story Identification #: 2005322232044
Story by Cpl. Andy Hurt



SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA LOGISTICS AIRPORT, VICTORVILLE, Calif. (March 22, 2005) -- The rumble of tanks, light armored vehicles and Amtracs dominated the audio sensory nerve endings of Battalion Landing Team 2/1’s warriors March 22 during pre-op rehearsals for TRUEX 05-1.

As vehicles rolled through the streets here, individual elements of the BLT had plenty of “get-to-know-you” time, preparing for combat patrols in urban settings.

March 21, tank crews from Bravo section, 1st Tank Battalion, parked their vehicles in defensive perimeters, allowing platoons from G and E companies, along with weapons platoon, to make their way to each “station” where they received briefs on the tactical aspects of the mechanized attachments.

“It’s a way to get a look at the smaller picture and get our younger Marines familiarized with working in different environments,” said platoon sergeant, Staff Sgt. Chad McKee, from 2nd Platoon, G Co.

McKee noted that although much of the BLT is new to the Marine Corps, the combat veterans of the unit have set aside their experienced egos and stepped up their leadership to a higher level.

“This training is helping us tremendously … urban patrolling, working with attachments and patrolling with a tank is exactly what we did (in Iraq).”

Pfc. Brian St. Amour, an 18 year-old Marquette, Mich., native, said that his trust in leadership has increased through the training.

“They all know what they’re doing, they know what works and what doesn’t. The trust level is way higher.”

After the “classroom”-style training, the units prepared to cross the line of departure, and today tanks rolled out with platoons in tow.

G Co. and Weapons Platoon occupied the north end of the training site, rehearsing urban patrols, inner- and outer-cordon establishment and house clearing.

“The biggest goal of this is getting the young Marines fully trained, which gives us a leadership challenge,” said Staff Sgt. Jeremy Miller, Weapons Platoon sergeant, “but this is what leaders do. If anything, we’re improving efficiency.”

The Training and Education Command side of the house carefully observed the situational familiarization at all times.

While Marines patrolled the streets among the Amtracs, automatic weapons fire echoed through the alleys. Middle-eastern looking (and speaking) role players roamed the area of operation, and civilian vehicles drove about.

Although the scene appeared chaotic, it was meticulously orchestrated by the TECOM Urban Combat Team instructors.

“We’re trying to throw everything at these guys that they’re gonna face in real life,” said Staff Sgt. Jeremy Hinkhouse, TECOM Security and Stability Operations instructor. “How they react now is how they’re gonna react ‘over there.’”

From the fire team level to the instructor staff here at TRUEX, Marine Corps leadership is defining itself on higher levels. Everyone looks to be up and running for WESTPAC-05.

For more information on the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, visit the unit’s Web site at www.usmc.mil/13thMEU.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

March 25, 2005

Suicide bomber kills 11 Iraqis, wounds two soldiers

By Edward Harris
Associated Press


BAGHDAD, Iraq — A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near the restive central city of Ramadi, killing 11 Iraqi police commandos and injuring 14 other people including two U.S. soldiers, the U.S. military said Friday.
The Thursday evening blast at a checkpoint on the eastern outskirts of Ramadi also wounded nine Iraqi security-force members and three civilians, bringing the list of victims to 25, Marine Corps Capt. Jeffrey Pool told The Associated Press.

The attacker also died in the explosion near the flashpoint Sunni Triangle city of Ramadi, 70 miles west of Baghdad.

In an eastern Baghdad neighborhood late Thursday, unidentified attackers killed five female translators working for the U.S. military, police Capt. Ahmed Aboud said.

The translators “were heading home when gunmen driving two cars sprayed them with machine-gun fire,” Aboud said Friday. Further details weren’t immediately available.

Insurgents routinely target U.S. forces and their perceived collaborators as well as members of Iraq’s government, army and police — security forces the U.S. military says must gain better control of the strife-torn country before any major U.S. troop withdrawal.

Police found two decapitated bodies clad in Iraqi army uniforms north of Baghdad, officials said.

The headless corpses were lying on the side of a road connecting Baghdad with the town of Abu Ghraib when a passing police patrol discovered them Thursday and brought them to a nearby morgue, 1st Lt. Akram Al-Zubaai said Friday.

Army officials weren’t immediately available for comment.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Newspaper box priceless to mother of Marine
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By JENNIFER GINN/
The Winchester Sun Managing Editor
Friday, March 25, 2005 11:45 AM EST

Most proud parents display their child's artwork on the refrigerator. Andrew Rechel's takes up a bit more space - it's on a newspaper rack.

Rechel, now 20 years old and a lance corporal in the U.S. Marines, was a senior at George Rogers Clark High School when he began designing his shark-themed Winchester Sun newsrack. It has sat at the corner of Wall Street and Cleveland Avenue, right behind the Clark County Courthouse, for the past two years.

His mother, Karen, goes by the rack every day to remind herself of her son, who is stationed at the New River Air Station in Jacksonville, N.C.

"That's where I buy my newspaper because I miss him so much," she said. "For me, it makes me feel like he's home still.

"... I notice lately that the paint had been chipping really, really bad. I thought, 'Oh, I've got to get a hold of that thing, get it downstairs and get it in his room. ... I thought if I could get that in his room, that would be perfect. That way, it will always be there."

So the lance corporal's mother did something unusual. She went to The Winchester Sun office and asked if she could have the newspaper rack.

"It's the first request I've ever had," said Bob Martin, director of circulation.

It may have been an odd request, but early next week, the box will be delivered to the Rechel's home for the family to touch up and keep.

For Rechel, the newspaper rack has a somewhat special sentimental attachment. He was painting it the first time his fiancee, Danielle Barnes, ever saw him. The couple is getting married in July. Barnes, a senior at GRCHS, is due to graduate in May.

"I was working on the box when we first started going out," he said.

Karen Rechel said she is thrilled to know that soon her son's newspaper rack will be sitting in her home.

"I always wondered what people thought of it," she said. "You know, did they think it was ugly? Did they think it was in poor taste? Every time I looked at it, I felt pride inside. I thought, 'My son did that.' One day, I almost came out here with a big yellow ribbon and tied it around it and thought, 'Who are they going to think I am?' I'm a crazy mom."

The box will have even more significance in just a few months. Rechel said he likely is going to be shipped out to Iraq sometime next year. He fixes helicopter engines in the Marines.

"I'm kind of looking forward to it," he said. "... I've never actually left the United States. ... Where I'll be going is probably away from most of the action."

Karen Rechel, whose husband Norman was a Marine for 13 years, said she's not worried about the safety of her son.

"I know it's going to be OK," Karen said. "I know that they train the young men and women well. They take interest and their safety is the number one priority, so I trust them.

"But more importantly, I trust God to keep him safe. That's the number one thing. God will take care of him no matter what happens."

One question remains. Where will Karen Rechel go to buy her paper every day once her son's box is sitting in her home?

"I'll have to probably come straight back down here just so I can take the same path," she said. "I mean, the kids know it. Every night when I come home from work, I pick our middle son (Max) up, he's in high school. ... We come through here, swing by, get a newspaper, pick up the daughter (Ali) at Conkwright and go on home. They know the routine.

"I have tried (home delivery) ..., but I don't know. There's something about picking up the newspaper, getting out and physically buying it, you know. I don't know what it is. It takes the fun out of it when they deliver it to your door."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Iraq – a remarkable Easter story
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DAVID IGNATIUS
THE WASHINGTON POST
March 25, 2005

I spent Easter Sunday two years ago in a Baghdad that had just been liberated by U.S. and coalition troops. And yes, the right word is "liberated." If you doubt that was the feeling of most Iraqis at the time, then you weren't there.

Across the city that day were images of a nation's resurrection – its return from what had been a kind of death in life under Saddam Hussein. I went to a Protestant church that morning, and then visited several of the many political parties that had suddenly reopened their offices. The most jubilant Iraqi politicians were the communists. They had been brutally repressed by the old Baathist regime but now they were back in business, boisterously distributing their Marxist pamphlets.

The most powerful images of that Baghdad Easter, paradoxically, were the tens of thousands of Shiite Muslim pilgrims marching to Karbala to celebrate the religious festival known as "Arbaeen." Saddam had suppressed these pilgrimages, and many of the young men had never before made the trek to Karbala. Now they were filling the streets, passionately voicing their faith as they marched under green and black banners of Islam.

Iraq has suffered so much pain in the two years since then; it often seems more like a Good Friday story of suffering than an Easter one of joy. People have died so senselessly – young Iraqi men standing in line to join the police or military, American soldiers ravaged by suicide bombers and roadside explosives, Iraqi families whose only crime was to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

What most Iraqis wanted from America after liberation was security, stability and a chance at normal life. What they got instead in the beginning was chaos and bloodshed, as America bungled the first year of occupation and allowed a cruel insurgency to take root. Historians will spend the next generation trying to assess whether that story could have turned out differently if America had planned better.

In his poem "Easter 1916," Yeats wrote words that convey the cold ruthlessness of the killers, the suffering of the victims, and the deformation that war brings: "Hearts with one purpose alone/ Through summer and winter seem/Enchanted to a stone/ To trouble the living stream. ... Too long a sacrifice/ Can make a stone of the heart./ O when may it suffice?"

This year, Iraq began to look like an Easter story again. The Jan. 30 election was a kind of resurrection after so many months of despair. The election's success seems inevitable now, but it was an audacious experiment. The Bush administration believed that Iraqis would prize freedom and democracy as Americans do, yet until that morning, nobody could be sure that this assumption was right. The first voters walked into those polling places thinking they might die, but they went anyway – that is how badly they wanted to vote. And there was the answer to the experiment, written in blood. For Iraqis, and I think for the whole world, something was reborn that day.

I've made some misjudgments over these past two years in trying to anticipate developments in Iraq. It has been at once the most encouraging and discouraging story I've ever witnessed as a journalist. Over time, I've tried to temper my optimism and pessimism: It's never as bad as it seems in the low moments, and never as good as it seems in the peak ones.

That wary stance – hoping for the best even as you recognize the possibility of the worst – seems appropriate now, as the world watches a new Iraqi government prepare to take the next steps. Will Iraq's newly governing Shiite majority be wise and inclusive? Or will we see another round of settling scores, more chapters written in blood, more hearts enchanted to unyielding and inflexible belief? We really can't say. We hope the sacrifices made by Iraqis and Americans will prove to be justified. But we don't know.

That uncertainty is what makes Iraq truly an Easter story this year. You can't be sure, with a scientific certainty, how the story will turn out. It's a matter of hope, of prayer, and of continuing bloody struggle. What you can plainly see is that the stone has been rolled away from the tomb of the old Iraq. Has the country been reborn? Is this a story of redemption and triumph? Nobody can tell you the answer yet. For now, it's a question of keeping faith with the people who dreamed, two Easters ago, that they had gained a new life.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Good signs in Iraq
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Op-Ed
The Washington Times
March 25, 2005

These are not the best of times for Saddam loyalists, jihadists, common criminals and associates of Abu Musab Zarqawi who comprise the insurgency that has terrorized the Iraqi people for almost two years. Iraq's soldiers and private citizens are fighting back.

The first major blow against the insurgents came as a result of the Jan. 30 elections, in which millions of Iraqis defied the terrorists and went to the polls to begin the process of writing a new constitution and electing a government. The second damaging development is the fact that Iraqis have become much better at defending themselves. During the past few weeks, a spate of news reports have appeared in mainstream media outlets showing that Iraqi military and police forces and armed civilians are beginning to make life miserable for the insurgents.

On Monday, the New York Times ran a front-page story, "On Iraq's Street of Fear, the Tide May Be Turning," which showed how Iraqi soldiers in Baghdad have been increasingly successful in combating the insurgents. As a result, the terrorists are finding it increasingly difficult to pin down American troops and hit the Green Zone, headquarters of the Iraqi government, with mortar fire. American officers said that previously, the terrorists had been able to mass in groups as large as 150, pinning American soldiers down for as long as six hours at a time. But that no longer is the case, because the Iraqis have become a much more effective fighting force and are refusing to buckle to the intimidation campaign.

On Wednesday, American and Iraqi soldiers killed at least 80 insurgents in a raid against what may have been the largest terrorist training camp discovered since the war began two years ago. Foreign fighters trained at the camp; its rural location northwest of Baghdad bore a resemblance to al Qaeda training facilities in Afghanistan prior to September 11. Soldiers found computers, car bombs, suicide-bomber vests and computers at the training camp.

One of the most heartening developments in recent weeks has been the increasing willingness of Iraqi civilians to stand up to the terrorists. On Tuesday, the NYT reported, a carpenter named Dhia saw a group of masked, grenade-carrying gunmen coming toward his shop in Baghdad. So Dhia and several of his relatives opened fire first, killing three of the gunmen. Similar incidents have occurred elsewhere.

Yesterday, the liberal-leaning Christian Science Monitor, in an editorial titled "Iraqi Uprising Against Terrorists," said: "As if the Jan. 30 elections in Iraq weren't enough of a message to that nation's insurgents to quit, now come reports of angry private citizens acting to stop a terrorist attack before it began ... When common Iraqis start to actively say 'Enough,' then tolerance for terrorism melts away." We wholeheartedly agree.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Soldiers learn to write tales of war
By SCOTT MARTELLE
Los Angeles Times

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- The Marine contingent was supposed to be there for only a few minutes, a quick in-and-out to guard trucks resupplying a 10-story hospital in Ramadi, Iraq. But one of the deliverymen was delayed in Baghdad, 30 miles away, so the Marines had to wait, each tick of the clock giving insurgents more time to salt the escape route with bombs.

More than an hour passed and Cpl. Veronika Tuskowski felt her nerves stretching in the sweltering June dusk. ``Anything longer than 10 minutes is dangerous,'' she said. When the caravan finally began rolling through empty alleys festooned with anti-American graffiti, the very walls a cover for death, the fear threatened to overwhelm Tuskowski's Marine training as she crouched in the back of an open-topped Humvee.

``We were just huddled down, just waiting for the explosions,'' said Tuskowski, 22, a Marine combat reporter from Orlando, Fla. ``I was really jittery. I was praying to myself, worried about my family back home -- I'm an only child. I almost wanted to close my eyes and cover my ears. ... I was wondering: `Is this my time?' ''

No bombs went off. But Tuskowski carried away an indelible memory of fear and anticipation and the mortal comprehension that she easily could have died.

Juskowski says she wants to write about all that, to add her voice to a history that is still unfolding. A rare joint operation by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Pentagon could give her a chance.

Over the last nine months, two dozen established writers have conducted NEA-organized writing workshops at Camp Pendleton and 10 other military bases to prod returning vets and their stateside spouses to write about their experiences in fiction, nonfiction or poems. The NEA hopes to anthologize the best of the work submitted by the end of March in a book to be published next year.

All the submitted works -- more than 800 pieces so far -- will be archived at the Library of Congress. Though some question how much you can teach about writing in the span of a few hours, Dana Gioia, head of the NEA, believes there will be ``a kind of freshness and authenticity about this writing that might be hard to duplicate down the road.''

The NEA estimates that more than 1,000 people have attended the workshops, although enrollment has been inconsistent. A September seminar by bestselling author Tom Clancy drew about 140 people at the naval station in Norfolk, Va.

But only 35 people attended a recent session at Camp Pendleton, led by memoirist and novelist Tobias Wolff and former Fresno State military historian Victor Davis Hanson, a conservative writer who has won fans among Bush administration officials for his view that the United States' military confrontations with Islamic fundamentalism is a showdown between consensual democracy and repressive theocracy.

Roughly a third of the attendees were Camp Pendleton public affairs staffers encouraged to attend by their commander. Only five or so had been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. Reactions were mixed.

``I thought it would be a lot more hands-on,'' said Sgt. Ryan Smith, a public affairs officer with the Marine Corps Recruiting Depot. ``I'm just Joe Schmo Schmuckatelli with one day of college -- the history thing just really isn't it. It just doesn't really apply to what we do.''

But Cpl. Jennifer Valliere, 22, said she found Hanson's talk ``interesting,'' and that it made her see her own four months as an Iraq combat broadcast correspondent in a different light. ``It's really kind of inspired me to start jotting things down.''

``Operation Homecoming'' began in a bar. Gioia, a California poet and former food-marketing executive, was having a drink nearly two years ago with fellow poet Marilyn Nelson when the talk turned to people like Tuskowski and creating art out of war.

It has happened over more than 2,000 years of human history, from Thucydides' stories of ancient Greek wars to Kurt Vonnegut's ``Slaughterhouse Five,'' from Tim O'Brien's memoir-stories of Vietnam to Anthony Swofford's ``Jarhead,'' one Marine's take on the 1991 Persian Gulf war. But those works came several years after the wars themselves, after the writers had time to reflect on what they had seen.

Sitting there sipping drinks, the two poets agreed that someone should find a way to capture the experiences of soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq while they were still fresh, before time eroded the details. Gioia crystallized the idea further with his staff in Washington, secured a contribution from the Boeing Co. to underwrite the $452,000 project, and launched Operation Homecoming.

Technology, though, might have already outpaced the NEA. Soldiers have been blogging from Iraq throughout the engagement, and short films on the war and its aftermath have already made it onto the Internet and into film festivals. The documentary ``Gunner Palace,'' a soldier's view of Iraq, opened this month and several analytical books have been published.

Memoirs too are in the works, including ``The Last Truth I'll Ever Tell'' by John Crawford, who joined the National Guard for the college benefits, not envisioning combat in Iraq.

And ``War Letters'' editor Andrew Carroll of Project Legacy, which preserves wartime correspondence, is finishing a collection of Iraq-related mail before he edits the NEA's planned Operation Homecoming anthology.

Samuel Hynes, a retired Princeton University professor, World War II memoirist and author of ``The Soldiers' Tale,'' about personal war accounts, applauds the desire to help returning veterans record their experiences but questions the design.

``You're not going to turn them into writers in one day -- that's ridiculous,'' Hynes said. ``It makes it sound like a propaganda move or a publicity move rather than a serious effort to help these people write.''

McKay Jenkins, a University of Delaware professor who has written about the experiences of military units, said his workshop at New York's Fort Drum was designed to open soldiers' eyes. ``I was encouraging people who aren't writers, who have had a remarkable experience, to see their own experiences as a writer would,'' Jenkins said. ``There wasn't enough time to go into detail on writing technique.''

Hanson sees the project as a means of gathering raw material for future historians, creating a paper trail that has been absent from earlier wars.

``The U.S. Army had an official history team that interviewed people after World War II and that made a big difference -- we know so much more about World War II than we do about World War I for that reason,'' Hanson said, adding that projects by Ken Burns and Stephen Ambrose were built around the reflections of people years after the events because ``people fresh out of battle'' hadn't written down their experiences.

That the project is government-run doesn't bother Hanson. ``This is government-sponsored, but it's not supervised,'' he said. ``They're not sitting down and saying things like, `How many bullets did you shoot?' like they did in World War II. [It's more like,] `Here's what you can do -- go for it. We'll try to aid and encourage you. We don't know what you'll get back, but at least if it's archived and gone through, then it's going to be a rich resource.' ''

Some, though, are uneasy with the government acting as its own historian. ``The NEA will be in a bit of a bind if they get a really killer piece of writing about something like Abu Ghraib, or telling more truth about controversial things,'' said author McKay Jenkins, who supports the program and led one of the first workshops at Fort Drum. ``The NEA are presidentially approved people. That's where the tension lies. There is a point where patriotism and nationalism and honest writing can come into serious conflict.''

Already the NEA has posted excerpts on its website that churn emotions with imagery of flags and families back home, the dead of Sept. 11 and ``kids on the ground that we would be supporting'' with Air Force jet attacks on Afghani fighters. Still, Gioia insists that the project is not government propaganda.

``I'm confident that at every stage of the game we've made it clear that this is an arts program,'' Gioia said. ``We recruited faculty from the full political spectrum. We haven't told our faculty what to teach, and we aren't telling the students what to write. We're putting together an independent panel of editors, and they're simply being asked to choose the best writing. No one involved directly with the program has a political agenda.''

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Five receive Purple Hearts

Marine reservists honored for their actions when convoy was attacked by car bomb

Saturday, March 19, 2005

By ANDY KRAVETZ

Of the Journal Star

PEORIA - Five Marine reservists were honored Friday with Purple Heart medals for injuries they received when their convoy was attacked by a car bomb in Iraq.
The Marines, all with Company C, 6th Engineer Support Battalion, had been on their way back to base after a convoy mission on Dec. 22, 2004, when their truck passed by a car laden with explosives. The man inside set off the bomb, destroying the truck and seriously wounding six.

On Friday, two weeks after the unit returned from the Middle East, the company's 140 Marines, several parents, friends and supporters gathered at the Naval and Marine Corps Reserve Center near Bellevue to honor their fellow Marines.

There was little noise during the 20-minute ceremony. The Marines stood at attention as those being honored marched in front of the formation to receive their medals.

One of them, Lance Cpl. Jesse Schertz, 21, of Lowpoint, wasn't in uniform. Still badly hurt from the attack, he limped out on crutches and took his position next to the other four.

Then as one Marine read each commendation, two others pinned the Purple Hearts on Schertz; Cpl. Pete Carey, 24, of Washington; Lance Cpl. Jeremy Janssen, 22, of LaSalle County; Cpl. Matthew Dickson, 23, of Springfield; and Sgt. Jason Constable, 32, of O'Fallon.

As they went from man to man, the medal presenters crisply saluted and snapped their heels.

The sixth Marine who was injured, Lance Cpl. Tyler Ziegel, 22, of Metamora, remains at an Army hospital in Texas receiving treatment for his injuries. He will receive his Purple Heart at a later date, said Gunnery Sgt. James Howard.

As the company remained at attention, Carey was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for his actions during the attack. Carey, despite being injured and badly burned,

pulled another man to safety before abandoning the burning truck.

"If not for his actions, that fellow Marine would have died," said the Marine reading from the commendations.

Once he pulled the Marine to safety, Carey, an emergency medical technician student at Illinois Central College, began to render first aid to the injured without regard for his own injuries, the citation stated.

After the ceremony, Carey shrugged off the praise, saying he was honored to be standing among the other men of his unit. But at the same time, he noted it was a surreal feeling being honored for something that caused so much pain for so many people.

Constable and others said the ceremony made them proud for being in the Marines and part of the unit.

"I would go back with any of them," Constable said.

Cpl. Matthew Dickson of Springfield and his mother, Leslie, both said they felt relief at Dickson's being back in America. Dickson was the truck's driver and suffered a collapsed lung, burns, broken bones and damage to his spleen and pancreas. He was on a ventilator for eight days, his mother said.

"We all know it's possibility that something could happen, but you don't think about it," he said. "Luckily, we are all going to make it."

Several Marines mentioned Ziegel, saying there was still the need to recognize and honor him. One called it "unfinished business."

Carey's father, Bruce, also of Washington, said the actions of Company C showed what was in the reservists' hearts that day.

"Anyone would have done what they did," he said. "You can put a medal on one, but they all deserve it."


Ellie

[thedrifter]

March 25, 2005
HQMC gets recognized for helping disabled

by Sgt. Melvin Lopez Jr.
Henderson Hall News


Marines have always been ready to lend a helping hand to those who need it abroad, but recently they have been recognized for assisting citizens in the local area as well. Headquarters Marine Corps was awarded the National Industries for the Severely Handicapped (NISH) President's Award and the Rear Admiral Christian J. Peoples Award Mar. 18 at the Navy Annex for their unending efforts to provide jobs to severely disabled citizens in the food service operations on the East Coast.

The NISH President's Award recognizes individuals or organizations that display outstanding support in creating or providing employment opportunities for people with severe disabilities through the Javits-Wagner-O'Day (JWOD) program. In fiscal year 2004, the program created employment for over 45,000 blind or severely disabled people.

"I want to extend my thanks to the Marine Corps and the Navy for being wonderful supporters of (JWOD)," said Robert Chamberlin, president and Chief Executive Officer of NISH, and retired Navy Admiral, during the awards ceremony.

Chamberlin explained that, while he was in the Navy, whether he was in aviation or in food service, the Marine Corps was the epitome of an organization that always wanted to try new things and always willing to change.

One of those changes was made in 1997 when Henderson Hall, with the help of ServiceSource, Inc., employed 25 people with disabilities to work in food service.

Chamberlin presented the award to John Benke, vice president East Coast Operations, Sodexho.

Paulette Widmann, acting director, Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, presented the Rear Admiral Christian J. Peoples Award to Headquarters Marine Corps.

The annual award, given by the Secretary of the Navy, highlights the Navy's support for the use of non-profit Community Rehabilitation Programs (CRP) for people who are blind or severely disabled as vendors under the authority of the JWOD Act.

The Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled, consisting of 15 members appointed by the president of the United States, is the executive agency responsible for implementing and managing the JWOD program. The first chairman of the Committee, established in 1938, Rear Admiral Christian J. Peoples was a distinguished retired Navy officer for whom the award was named.

The Committee designated two central nonprofit agencies, the National Industries for the Blind (NIB) and NISH, to coordinate and assist the work of the CRPs that are affiliated with NISH.

There are currently 600 CRPs with federal contracts producing under the JWOD program, one of those being ServiceSource, Inc. who works as a subcontractor to Sodexho, the food service prime contractor for the Marine Corps.

The Committee nominated the Marine Corps for the award for demonstrating effective initiatives in support of the JWOD Act. The Marine Corps incorporated subcontracting requirements in the East Coast Regional Garrison Food Service Contract to encourage the participation of organizations employing blind and disabled workers under the JWOD program. The contract requires 26.7% of those dollars to be awarded to JWOD subcontractors.

These requirements encouraged ServiceSource, Inc. to start in the food service business at Henderson Hall in 1997. Other installations adopted the idea, allowing ServiceSource, Inc. to open opportunities at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Marine Barracks Washington, and Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C. By 2002, ServiceSource, Inc. employed more than 400 people with disabilities.

Carla Liberatore, assistant deputy commandant of Installations and Logistics, accepted the award.

"On behalf of the Commandant and the United States Marine Corps, I thank each and every person that has had a hand in making the Marine Corps as successful as it has been," said Liberatore. "We've all done a lot of good work that we should all be very proud of."

"We value the benefits of a diverse workforce," said Liberatore. "People can bring all kinds of talents, and the key is finding out what they can contribute and making that work for the organization."


Ellie

[thedrifter]

March 25, 2005
Marines Survive Frightful Explosion In Iraq

NEAR FALLUJAH, Iraq - A few Marines from Dragon Platoon survived an improvised explosive device while moving an abandoned vehicle from an important main supply route from Fallujah to Baghdad.
After finding the suspicious vehicle, the Marines eventually used an armored Humvee to push the car off the side of the road.

As Marines were securing the area, the vehicle suddenly exploded while a CNN crew was videotaping.

The Marines believe it was detonated remotely by an insurgent triggerman who was watching and waiting for the right moment to injure or kill as many U.S. troops as possible.

In this case, nobody was seriously hurt.

The blast blew CNN Cameraman David Allbritton back 12 feet.

CNN Reporter Alex Quade said, "I saw he (Allbritton) was okay and I picked up my mini-cam to help record what was happening in front of us."

Immediately after the explosion the Marines climbed into the flaming Humvee to get ammunition out because the ammo could blow and cause other casualties.

One of the lucky Marines, Lance Corporal Jason Hunt, told CNN that he thought he was going to die when the car exploded, then he immediately walked away from Quade to begin securing they area.

The explosion did not deter the Marines from their security duty; they were all out on patrol hunting for improvised explosive devices the next day.

Explosion Sequence

http://www.katu.com/news/images/story2005/050325hmv_explosion1.jpg

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continued...........

[thedrifter]

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comtinued........

[thedrifter]

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http://www.katu.com/stories/76003.html

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Stunted recovery in battered Falluja

By Robert F. Worth The New York Times
Saturday, March 26, 2005
FALLUJA, Iraq Four months after American bombs and guns pounded much of this city into ruins, signs of life are returning.
.
A kebab shop and a bakery have reopened on the bullet-scarred main boulevard. About a third of the city's 250,000 residents have trickled back since early January. U.S. marines and Iraqi police officers patrol the streets, and there has been little violence.
.
But the safety has come at a high price. To enter Falluja, residents must wait for about four hours to get through military checkpoints, and there are strict night curfews.
.
That has stunted the renascent economy and the reconstruction effort. It has also frustrated the residents, who are still coming to grips with their shattered streets and houses. Many have jobs or relatives outside the city.
.
"Falluja is safe," said Hadima Khalifa Abed, 42, who returned to her ruined home in January with her husband and 10 children. "But it is safe like a prison."
.
U.S. military officials here say they face a difficult choice: Easing the draconian security measures might help revive the economy and cut the 50 percent unemployment rate. It could also allow the return of the insurgents who ran Falluja from last April until the American invasion in November.
.
Even now, insurgents lob occasional mortars into the city, and a number of contractors who work here have been killed.
.
There are other obstacles. Falluja still lacks a mayor and a city council because of the new Iraqi national assembly's failure to form a new government. The U.S. military is reluctant to make decisions that will shape the city for decades, and the resulting power vacuum has been crippling.
.
Hundreds of new police officers, trained in Jordan, will soon arrive in the city, U.S. military officials say.
.
Nongovernmental organizations have donated truckloads of equipment for fire stations, hospitals and schools.
.
But there are no police stations, and no new fire stations, because no one has the authority to decide where to build.
.
"Without a mayor, no one settles the disputes," said a U.S. military official involved in the reconstruction effort who spoke on condition of anonymity. "Without a city council how do you get a design approved, and how do you coordinate a plan for a functioning city?"
.
All the same, much has improved since the first residents returned to a nearly deserted city almost three months ago.
.
On a tour of the city's central neighborhoods with an American convoy, civilian cars and taxis could be seen cruising the streets. Customers shopped at fruit and vegetable markets, and a crowd of customers waited outside a new branch office of the Rafidain Bank.
.
At the Palestine School, where classes restarted two months ago, the cheerful shrieks of young children could be heard in the hallways.
.
"Things are almost back to normal here," said the principal, Samer Eyd Jawhar, 60. "We have teachers and books, things are getting better."
.
Everywhere, there are complaints about the military's control of the city.
.
Najim Abed, director of an emergency medical clinic, said the clinic's one ambulance often has trouble getting in and out of the city. It is also hard to reach patients at night, he said, because the ambulance must be accompanied by a military patrol.
.
There are still two Marine battalions operating in the city, with some added units such as the navy's Seabees engineering team. There are at least two battalions of Iraqi police, though military officials declined to give exact figures.
.
Meanwhile, the rebuilding efforts are proceeding, however slowly. After the invasion in November, Falluja's utilities lay in ruins. Today, electricity and running water are available in 40 percent of the city's homes and shops, U.S. officials say, and will reach the rest within the next month. The sewer drainage system is working again, and longer-term plans are under way to completely replace the city's rickety electrical grid.
.
Insurgents have killed at least a few of the contractors who have done the rebuilding work, American officials and contractors say. Others have received death threats.
.
No Shiite contractors have worked here, because the largely Sunni insurgency has made them targets, said one Western contractor, who asked that he and his company not be identified for safety reasons.
.
The effect of the threats is apparent even in the U.S. military headquarters here, where the bathroom is half-finished. The contractor working on that bathroom received a threat to stop working or die, said the U.S. military official. The work stopped. But the owner of the company, who did extensive work with the U.S. military and lived in Baghdad, was murdered last week anyway.
.
"We have tried to hire a new contractor to finish the job, but have not found one yet willing to work here," the U.S. official said.
.
But U.S. and Iraqi officials agree that the city's residents have worked hard to prevent the intimidation. A group of Falluja residents, including tribal figures, have formed an anti-intimidation council, said the Western contractor.
.
An effort to compensate residents for damage to their homes has begun in the past two weeks.
.
The Iraqi government has determined that compensating the city's residents for their damaged homes will cost $496 million, of which $100 million has been allocated, American officials say. It is not clear when or whether the remaining four fifths of the money will appear.
.
The city's identity, too, is uncertain. In an effort to push Falluja in a new direction, American and Iraqi officials have carefully screened applicants for police and government jobs to make sure they have no insurgent ties.
.
But Falluja has a history of sympathy with the insurgents, and it is still not clear how they will react as the reconstruction continues its course.
.
"When you are insulted, it is not enough to get money," said Sabih Shamkhi, 61, who was also waiting to receive a compensation check for his damaged house. "But money is better than nothing. We hope the government will fulfill the rest of its obligations to us."
.
.
See more of the world that matters - click here for home delivery of the International Herald Tribune.
.
< < Back to Start of Article FALLUJA, Iraq Four months after American bombs and guns pounded much of this city into ruins, signs of life are returning.
.
A kebab shop and a bakery have reopened on the bullet-scarred main boulevard. About a third of the city's 250,000 residents have trickled back since early January. U.S. marines and Iraqi police officers patrol the streets, and there has been little violence.
.
But the safety has come at a high price. To enter Falluja, residents must wait for about four hours to get through military checkpoints, and there are strict night curfews.
.
That has stunted the renascent economy and the reconstruction effort. It has also frustrated the residents, who are still coming to grips with their shattered streets and houses. Many have jobs or relatives outside the city.
.
"Falluja is safe," said Hadima Khalifa Abed, 42, who returned to her ruined home in January with her husband and 10 children. "But it is safe like a prison."
.
U.S. military officials here say they face a difficult choice: Easing the draconian security measures might help revive the economy and cut the 50 percent unemployment rate. It could also allow the return of the insurgents who ran Falluja from last April until the American invasion in November.
.
Even now, insurgents lob occasional mortars into the city, and a number of contractors who work here have been killed.
.
There are other obstacles. Falluja still lacks a mayor and a city council because of the new Iraqi national assembly's failure to form a new government. The U.S. military is reluctant to make decisions that will shape the city for decades, and the resulting power vacuum has been crippling.
.
Hundreds of new police officers, trained in Jordan, will soon arrive in the city, U.S. military officials say.
.
Nongovernmental organizations have donated truckloads of equipment for fire stations, hospitals and schools.
.
But there are no police stations, and no new fire stations, because no one has the authority to decide where to build.
.
"Without a mayor, no one settles the disputes," said a U.S. military official involved in the reconstruction effort who spoke on condition of anonymity. "Without a city council how do you get a design approved, and how do you coordinate a plan for a functioning city?"
.
All the same, much has improved since the first residents returned to a nearly deserted city almost three months ago.
.
On a tour of the city's central neighborhoods with an American convoy, civilian cars and taxis could be seen cruising the streets. Customers shopped at fruit and vegetable markets, and a crowd of customers waited outside a new branch office of the Rafidain Bank.
.
At the Palestine School, where classes restarted two months ago, the cheerful shrieks of young children could be heard in the hallways.
.
"Things are almost back to normal here," said the principal, Samer Eyd Jawhar, 60. "We have teachers and books, things are getting better."
.
Everywhere, there are complaints about the military's control of the city.
.
Najim Abed, director of an emergency medical clinic, said the clinic's one ambulance often has trouble getting in and out of the city. It is also hard to reach patients at night, he said, because the ambulance must be accompanied by a military patrol.
.
There are still two Marine battalions operating in the city, with some added units such as the navy's Seabees engineering team. There are at least two battalions of Iraqi police, though military officials declined to give exact figures.
.
Meanwhile, the rebuilding efforts are proceeding, however slowly. After the invasion in November, Falluja's utilities lay in ruins. Today, electricity and running water are available in 40 percent of the city's homes and shops, U.S. officials say, and will reach the rest within the next month. The sewer drainage system is working again, and longer-term plans are under way to completely replace the city's rickety electrical grid.
.
Insurgents have killed at least a few of the contractors who have done the rebuilding work, American officials and contractors say. Others have received death threats.
.
No Shiite contractors have worked here, because the largely Sunni insurgency has made them targets, said one Western contractor, who asked that he and his company not be identified for safety reasons.

continued..............

[thedrifter]

.
The effect of the threats is apparent even in the U.S. military headquarters here, where the bathroom is half-finished. The contractor working on that bathroom received a threat to stop working or die, said the U.S. military official. The work stopped. But the owner of the company, who did extensive work with the U.S. military and lived in Baghdad, was murdered last week anyway.
.
"We have tried to hire a new contractor to finish the job, but have not found one yet willing to work here," the U.S. official said.
.
But U.S. and Iraqi officials agree that the city's residents have worked hard to prevent the intimidation. A group of Falluja residents, including tribal figures, have formed an anti-intimidation council, said the Western contractor.
.
An effort to compensate residents for damage to their homes has begun in the past two weeks.
.
The Iraqi government has determined that compensating the city's residents for their damaged homes will cost $496 million, of which $100 million has been allocated, American officials say. It is not clear when or whether the remaining four fifths of the money will appear.
.
The city's identity, too, is uncertain. In an effort to push Falluja in a new direction, American and Iraqi officials have carefully screened applicants for police and government jobs to make sure they have no insurgent ties.
.
But Falluja has a history of sympathy with the insurgents, and it is still not clear how they will react as the reconstruction continues its course.
.
"When you are insulted, it is not enough to get money," said Sabih Shamkhi, 61, who was also waiting to receive a compensation check for his damaged house. "But money is better than nothing. We hope the government will fulfill the rest of its obligations to us."
.
.
See more of the world that matters - click here for home delivery of the International Herald Tribune.
.
< < Back to Start of Article FALLUJA, Iraq Four months after American bombs and guns pounded much of this city into ruins, signs of life are returning.
.
A kebab shop and a bakery have reopened on the bullet-scarred main boulevard. About a third of the city's 250,000 residents have trickled back since early January. U.S. marines and Iraqi police officers patrol the streets, and there has been little violence.
.
But the safety has come at a high price. To enter Falluja, residents must wait for about four hours to get through military checkpoints, and there are strict night curfews.
.
That has stunted the renascent economy and the reconstruction effort. It has also frustrated the residents, who are still coming to grips with their shattered streets and houses. Many have jobs or relatives outside the city.
.
"Falluja is safe," said Hadima Khalifa Abed, 42, who returned to her ruined home in January with her husband and 10 children. "But it is safe like a prison."
.
U.S. military officials here say they face a difficult choice: Easing the draconian security measures might help revive the economy and cut the 50 percent unemployment rate. It could also allow the return of the insurgents who ran Falluja from last April until the American invasion in November.
.
Even now, insurgents lob occasional mortars into the city, and a number of contractors who work here have been killed.
.
There are other obstacles. Falluja still lacks a mayor and a city council because of the new Iraqi national assembly's failure to form a new government. The U.S. military is reluctant to make decisions that will shape the city for decades, and the resulting power vacuum has been crippling.
.
Hundreds of new police officers, trained in Jordan, will soon arrive in the city, U.S. military officials say.
.
Nongovernmental organizations have donated truckloads of equipment for fire stations, hospitals and schools.
.
But there are no police stations, and no new fire stations, because no one has the authority to decide where to build.
.
"Without a mayor, no one settles the disputes," said a U.S. military official involved in the reconstruction effort who spoke on condition of anonymity. "Without a city council how do you get a design approved, and how do you coordinate a plan for a functioning city?"
.
All the same, much has improved since the first residents returned to a nearly deserted city almost three months ago.
.
On a tour of the city's central neighborhoods with an American convoy, civilian cars and taxis could be seen cruising the streets. Customers shopped at fruit and vegetable markets, and a crowd of customers waited outside a new branch office of the Rafidain Bank.
.
At the Palestine School, where classes restarted two months ago, the cheerful shrieks of young children could be heard in the hallways.
.
"Things are almost back to normal here," said the principal, Samer Eyd Jawhar, 60. "We have teachers and books, things are getting better."
.
Everywhere, there are complaints about the military's control of the city.
.
Najim Abed, director of an emergency medical clinic, said the clinic's one ambulance often has trouble getting in and out of the city. It is also hard to reach patients at night, he said, because the ambulance must be accompanied by a military patrol.
.
There are still two Marine battalions operating in the city, with some added units such as the navy's Seabees engineering team. There are at least two battalions of Iraqi police, though military officials declined to give exact figures.
.
Meanwhile, the rebuilding efforts are proceeding, however slowly. After the invasion in November, Falluja's utilities lay in ruins. Today, electricity and running water are available in 40 percent of the city's homes and shops, U.S. officials say, and will reach the rest within the next month. The sewer drainage system is working again, and longer-term plans are under way to completely replace the city's rickety electrical grid.
.
Insurgents have killed at least a few of the contractors who have done the rebuilding work, American officials and contractors say. Others have received death threats.
.
No Shiite contractors have worked here, because the largely Sunni insurgency has made them targets, said one Western contractor, who asked that he and his company not be identified for safety reasons.
.
The effect of the threats is apparent even in the U.S. military headquarters here, where the bathroom is half-finished. The contractor working on that bathroom received a threat to stop working or die, said the U.S. military official. The work stopped. But the owner of the company, who did extensive work with the U.S. military and lived in Baghdad, was murdered last week anyway.
.
"We have tried to hire a new contractor to finish the job, but have not found one yet willing to work here," the U.S. official said.
.
But U.S. and Iraqi officials agree that the city's residents have worked hard to prevent the intimidation. A group of Falluja residents, including tribal figures, have formed an anti-intimidation council, said the Western contractor.
.
An effort to compensate residents for damage to their homes has begun in the past two weeks.
.
The Iraqi government has determined that compensating the city's residents for their damaged homes will cost $496 million, of which $100 million has been allocated, American officials say. It is not clear when or whether the remaining four fifths of the money will appear.
.
The city's identity, too, is uncertain. In an effort to push Falluja in a new direction, American and Iraqi officials have carefully screened applicants for police and government jobs to make sure they have no insurgent ties.
.
But Falluja has a history of sympathy with the insurgents, and it is still not clear how they will react as the reconstruction continues its course.
.
"When you are insulted, it is not enough to get money," said Sabih Shamkhi, 61, who was also waiting to receive a compensation check for his damaged house. "But money is better than nothing. We hope the government will fulfill the rest of its obligations to us."
.
.
See more of the world that matters - click here for home delivery of the International Herald Tribune.
.
< < Back to Start of Article FALLUJA, Iraq Four months after American bombs and guns pounded much of this city into ruins, signs of life are returning.
.
A kebab shop and a bakery have reopened on the bullet-scarred main boulevard. About a third of the city's 250,000 residents have trickled back since early January. U.S. marines and Iraqi police officers patrol the streets, and there has been little violence.
.
But the safety has come at a high price. To enter Falluja, residents must wait for about four hours to get through military checkpoints, and there are strict night curfews.
.
That has stunted the renascent economy and the reconstruction effort. It has also frustrated the residents, who are still coming to grips with their shattered streets and houses. Many have jobs or relatives outside the city.
.
"Falluja is safe," said Hadima Khalifa Abed, 42, who returned to her ruined home in January with her husband and 10 children. "But it is safe like a prison."
.
U.S. military officials here say they face a difficult choice: Easing the draconian security measures might help revive the economy and cut the 50 percent unemployment rate. It could also allow the return of the insurgents who ran Falluja from last April until the American invasion in November.
.
Even now, insurgents lob occasional mortars into the city, and a number of contractors who work here have been killed.
.
There are other obstacles. Falluja still lacks a mayor and a city council because of the new Iraqi national assembly's failure to form a new government. The U.S. military is reluctant to make decisions that will shape the city for decades, and the resulting power vacuum has been crippling.
.
Hundreds of new police officers, trained in Jordan, will soon arrive in the city, U.S. military officials say.
.
Nongovernmental organizations have donated truckloads of equipment for fire stations, hospitals and schools.
.
But there are no police stations, and no new fire stations, because no one has the authority to decide where to build.
.
"Without a mayor, no one settles the disputes," said a U.S. military official involved in the reconstruction effort who spoke on condition of anonymity. "Without a city council how do you get a design approved, and how do you coordinate a plan for a functioning city?"
.
All the same, much has improved since the first residents returned to a nearly deserted city almost three months ago.
.
On a tour of the city's central neighborhoods with an American convoy, civilian cars and taxis could be seen cruising the streets. Customers shopped at fruit and vegetable markets, and a crowd of customers waited outside a new branch office of the Rafidain Bank.
.
At the Palestine School, where classes restarted two months ago, the cheerful shrieks of young children could be heard in the hallways.
.
"Things are almost back to normal here," said the principal, Samer Eyd Jawhar, 60. "We have teachers and books, things are getting better."
.
Everywhere, there are complaints about the military's control of the city.
.
Najim Abed, director of an emergency medical clinic, said the clinic's one ambulance often has trouble getting in and out of the city. It is also hard to reach patients at night, he said, because the ambulance must be accompanied by a military patrol.

coninued...

[thedrifter]

.
There are still two Marine battalions operating in the city, with some added units such as the navy's Seabees engineering team. There are at least two battalions of Iraqi police, though military officials declined to give exact figures.
.
Meanwhile, the rebuilding efforts are proceeding, however slowly. After the invasion in November, Falluja's utilities lay in ruins. Today, electricity and running water are available in 40 percent of the city's homes and shops, U.S. officials say, and will reach the rest within the next month. The sewer drainage system is working again, and longer-term plans are under way to completely replace the city's rickety electrical grid.
.
Insurgents have killed at least a few of the contractors who have done the rebuilding work, American officials and contractors say. Others have received death threats.
.
No Shiite contractors have worked here, because the largely Sunni insurgency has made them targets, said one Western contractor, who asked that he and his company not be identified for safety reasons.
.
The effect of the threats is apparent even in the U.S. military headquarters here, where the bathroom is half-finished. The contractor working on that bathroom received a threat to stop working or die, said the U.S. military official. The work stopped. But the owner of the company, who did extensive work with the U.S. military and lived in Baghdad, was murdered last week anyway.
.
"We have tried to hire a new contractor to finish the job, but have not found one yet willing to work here," the U.S. official said.
.
But U.S. and Iraqi officials agree that the city's residents have worked hard to prevent the intimidation. A group of Falluja residents, including tribal figures, have formed an anti-intimidation council, said the Western contractor.
.
An effort to compensate residents for damage to their homes has begun in the past two weeks.
.
The Iraqi government has determined that compensating the city's residents for their damaged homes will cost $496 million, of which $100 million has been allocated, American officials say. It is not clear when or whether the remaining four fifths of the money will appear.
.
The city's identity, too, is uncertain. In an effort to push Falluja in a new direction, American and Iraqi officials have carefully screened applicants for police and government jobs to make sure they have no insurgent ties.
.
But Falluja has a history of sympathy with the insurgents, and it is still not clear how they will react as the reconstruction continues its course.
.
"When you are insulted, it is not enough to get money," said Sabih Shamkhi, 61, who was also waiting to receive a compensation check for his damaged house. "But money is better than nothing. We hope the government will fulfill the rest of its obligations to us."


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marines return to NVT base from Iraq




By BRANDY BRUBAKER, Daily News Staff Writer March 25, 2005



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Flags were hoisted, signs were painted and smiles were pasted on families' faces.
The men and women of Military Police Company B finally were home.

The Marine Corps company made it into Pittsburgh International Airport just after 7 a.m. today after serving a tour of duty in Iraq.

By the time their buses pulled into the Naval and Marine Corps Reserve Center of Pittsburgh in North Versailles Twp., the celebration already was under way.

Area fire trucks lined up along the entrance of the reserve center - one truck hoisting a giant American flag into the sky. Police officers on motorcycles and in patrol cars circled the area in anticipation. Proud mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, wives and more waited with signs in hand.

Just after 8 a.m., they got the moment they had been waiting for.

Every single member of the company made it home, 30 last Friday, 70 or so today, except for three who opted to stay in the Middle East.

"I think they were proud of what they were doing in training the Iraqi police and they wanted to continue," Maj. Dustin Eaton, 36, company commander, said.

Ten or 12 members of the company will receive the Purple Heart for injuries sustained.

The entire company had been split into several platoons throughout Iraq. Some trained Iraqi police and searched for improvised explosive devices hidden in the terrain.

Most members of the company are from the Greater Pittsburgh area, although some hail from New York, Ohio and West Virginia.

Staff Writer Jennifer R. Vertullo contributed to this story.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Outstanding junior leadership wins MAG-14 Gen. James L. Jones award
Submitted by: MCAS Cherry Point
Story Identification #: 200532511923
Story by Lance Cpl. James D. Hamel



Marine Corps Air Sttion Cherry Point, N.C. (March 25, 2005) -- The Honorable Gordon R. England, Secretary of the Navy, told the assembled crowd that although writing to the families of Marines slain in combat was a heart-wrenching task, it wasn’t the hardest of his responsibilities.
“The hardest job I have,” England explained, “is writing a letter home when someone is killed accidentally.”
With that idea close to his heart, Secretary England awarded Marine Aircraft Group 14 the annual Gen. James L. Jones Safety Award for its successful effort to curb on and off-duty safety violations.
MAG-14’s noncommissioned officer mentorship program served as the basis for the award, said Sgt. Wesley A. Gilbert, floor supervisor, Marine Air Logistics Squadron 14, MAG-14, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing.
Gilbert was one of approximately 15 NCOs who, along with Col. Fitzgerald, accepted the award on behalf of MAG-14. Gilbert played a personal role in the development of the program, by assisting a Marine who had problems with writing checks his account couldn’t cover.
Gilbert spent his own money to help the Marine out of debt, and then ensured the Marine had the proper knowledge to better manage his personal finances. Cases like that, with counseling taking precedence over punishment, are the heart of a program that led to MAG-14’s award.
“Basically, we’ve built a program where older Marines, who have more experience in dealing with a variety of issues, mentor younger Marines through their problems instead of going straight to disciplinary action,” he said.
Gilbert, who left the Marine Corps for a brief time before re-enlisting, says that the NCO mentorship program of MAG-14 is important because newer generations of Marines respond to discipline in different ways.
“Younger Marines are a lot smarter than in the past,” Gilbert explained. “That comes into play because as they are more educated, they aren’t motivated by being beat down all the time, they need someone to fall back on.”
Col. Robert A Fitzgerald, commanding officer, MAG-14, 2nd MAW, told his Marines the program they are implementing is spreading throughout the Marine Corps.
“You all have started something,” he told them. “You’re making history.”
And while Fitzgerald’s Marines are making history, Gilbert said that was never on their mind.
“This program is about Marines helping Marines. It’s about us taking care of our own,” he said. “This program is exactly what the Marine Corps needs.”
When the Secretary of the Navy awarded MAG-14, it became pretty obvious that a lot of people agreed.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Military mothers offer their sons and daughters

(In answer to another letter about our sons and daughters in the military), all I can say is "Semper Fi." I am a military mother of a son, a United States Marine (five years), and a daughter in the United States Navy (18 years). My children serve this country proudly and with honor. Semper Fi.

I also take it as a slap in the face to my son and daughter when people opposed to the war say they support our troops. My son and daughter would give their lives for your right to say it.

This is an open letter to President Bush, from the 13th MEU web site:

My dear President Bush, I want to start by saying you should be most grateful for the sacrifice we mothers have made to you and our country. A great gift...not just our vote, but our reason for living. We bequeathed these sons and daughters of ours. They are our choicest treasures. They are the cream of the crop. Does that seem hard to believe? That we could be so generous as to give all this? Well, we have. We have given you our sons and daughters.

Mr. Bush, we didn't do all this without expecting a favor in return. We want you to tell them something for us. Will you? Tell them we are beaming with pride, bursting with love, filled with happiness because our sons and daughters are defending their country, their people, and their freedom.

Yes, our sons and daughters are United States Marines, Navy, Army, Coast Guard and Air Force.

And now, before closing, just one last favor. Tell them we love them very much, more than life itself and that every day they are in harm's way, our prayers are for them. Oh, before I forget. Tell them to write home. Their letters are worth more than all the gold in the world to us. I know you may never read this letter, but it made me feel good to write it.

Sharon Sylchak



Ellie

[thedrifter]

2nd MarDiv CG visits 3/2 Marines in Al Anbar
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 200532533517
Story by Cpl. Lucian Friel



CAMP AL QAIM, Iraq (March 23, 2003) -- The commanding general of 2nd Marine Division visited the Marines of 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, in the Al Anbar province where they are currently engaged in security and stabilization operations.

Maj. Gen. Richard A. Huck received a tour of Camp Al Qa'im and Camp Gannon in Husaybah, where Marines of Company I are currently located.

The tour was given by Lt. Col. Timothy S. Mundy, the commanding officer of 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines.

When Huck first arrived here, he was given an operations and intelligence brief by the leaders of the battalion.

He was then shown the various facilities and operating stations that make up Camp Al Qa'im, along with the Marines' and sailors' living conditions.

While on the tour he visited the dinning facility for breakfast with some of the Marines of the battalion. Lance Cpl. Sam R. Benge, an intelligence specialist, was one of those Marines.

"It was a very casual meeting. The general started out by asking everyone where they were from, how things were here and if we needed anything," explained the Clay County, Ky., native.

After he spoke to the sergeants and below, he talked about future missions and goals of the command, mainly training the Iraqi Security Forces.

"He told us to keep up the good work and if we needed anything to send it up the chain of command to him. He made everyone feel real comfortable. He talked about future plans and informed us about what was happening around the rest of the country," Benge said.

The tour then continued to Camp Gannon in Husaybah, 20 miles north of Al Qa'im, where the Marines of Company I currently reside.

Huck received a tour of the entire base and talked to the Marines there as well.

"It was definitely a morale booster to see him come up here and see how we're doing, especially him coming out to Husaybah to see India Co. It lets you know that he really cares about you. Everyone here was happy to see him and excited he was here," Benge explained.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Blue Diamond Marines are tuned in with radio class
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 2005324141336
Story by Sgt. Stephen D'Alessio



CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, Ar Ramadi, Iraq (March 24, 2003) -- To shoot, move and communicate is what Marines are known to do best. But the emphasis on the latter seems to have gone by the wayside -- until now.

Many Marines of Headquarters Battalion, 2nd Marine Division are now learning how to use the Personnel Radio Component 119 (PRK-119) system. The VHF radio is the Corps' main mode of communication in ground combat operations for Operation Iraqi Freedom and other operations being conducted during the Global War on Terrorism. That is why classes are being held here Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Good communication is the key to success and the classes are intended to ensure that, according to Sgt. Joel Fleischman, an Oswego, N.Y. native and radio supervisor for Headquarters Battalion, Communications Company, Radio Platoon.

"Communication is one of the things that keeps us alive," said the 26-year-old. "Our effort to give the Marines the ability to communicate with this equipment is one of the most important things in battle," added the 1996 Oswego Academy graduate.

The classes are held for anyone willing to go out to the company area and learn a few things about the radio and how to use radio etiquette," according to Sgt. Ramon Mayfield, a 26-year-old Atlanta, Ga. native and platoon sergeant for radio platoon.

"This is the information age, we're in and people in the military are used to grabbing a telephone or a laptop to make something happen," said Mayfield, a 1996 graduate of Liberty County High School. "But when you're in the middle of the desert and you have to call for fire, there's usually only one thing to do - get on a radio."

Tne administration clerk who attended the class mentioned that knowing how to use the radio and becoming proficient in its use could be the difference between life and death.

"I needed to know at least the basics," said Cpl. Alvaro Perez, administration clerk with Headquarters Battalion and Bronx, N.Y., native. "You never know what kind of things can happen out here and I want to be able to handle the situation," added the 20-year-old 2002 Colonel Hayes High School graduate.

Though many of the Marines in the headquarters area are working long hours to do their part in maintaining the combat operations center, they are making the time to sit in the bleachers and listen to the seasoned field radio operators.

"If a Marine goes out on a convoy in this area and they fall under attack, there's a chance that a radio operator may go down and someone else has to use that radio to call for fire," said Mayfield.

In the class, Marines who normally work out of offices and doesn't have much contact with actual ground operations can have a chance to learn how to store cryptological information, call for close air support from aircraft and initiate simple radio maintenance.

"We also teach the Marines some things they really need to know out here, like how to call for a medical evacuation and for the Explosive Ordnance Disposal guys in case the convoy or patrol comes across an IED (Improvised Explosive Device)," said Mayfield.

"When push comes to shove and there is a need for a radio operator, hopefully everyone here will know how to step up to the responsibility and take the radio."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Break-dancing geckos no more, Georgia native ‘insures’ fighter jets <br />
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing <br />
Story Identification #: 200532094940 <br />
Story by Sgt. Juan Vara <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
AL ASAD, Iraq (March...

[thedrifter]

Cannoneers train to ensure pinpoint accuracy
Submitted by: MCB Camp Butler
Story Identification #: 200532521811
Story by Cpl. Trevor M. Carlee



CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, Japan — (March 25, 2005) -- When infantrymen need supporting fire during a combat scenario and aerial support is unavailable, they call on artillerymen to get the job done.

After firing their first 155 mm howitzer round at the designated target, the Marines with the artillery unit adjust their sights if necessary. Once the round is on target, the artillerymen are given the command, “fire for effect.”

Then the artillerymen “unleash the reign of steel,” which means they fire the necessary amount of rounds at the target to ensure the enemy is annihilated, according to Gunnery Sgt. Kevin T. Bowman, a cannoneer.

Bowman was among fellow Marines of A Battery, 1st Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, currently assigned to 3rd Bn., 12th Marines, who conducted howitzer training here March 15-17.

Sixty-six Marines of the Hawaii-based battery were rehearsing the standard operating procedure for providing indirect artillery support for infantry units.

Although the training was conducted to help prepare the Marines for their upcoming deployment to exercise Cobra Gold ’05, Bowman said, “Ultimately, we’re preparing for combat.”
The battery gunnery sergeant added that while this was only training, the Marines still needed to be precise because accuracy is paramount.

“The artillery round has a kill radius of 50 meters and a casualty radius of 150 meters,” Bowman explained. “So we need to be as accurate as possible and make sure we get the enemy and not our ground troops.”

The Marines spent the three-day exercise rehearsing all aspects of the unit’s responsibilities, according to the Riverdale, Md., native. From forward observation to weapon and vehicle mechanics, all of the battery’s military occupational specialties were rehearsed to effectively bring everything together.

“Up to the point of actually firing the (howitzers), this training is exactly the same as a live-fire exercise,” Bowman explained. “However, you really can’t know what it’s like until you actually participate in a live-fire exercise and see what you’re doing.”
While the unit can’t actually fire howitzer rounds on Okinawa, the Marines still need to stay proficient, according to Bowman.

“We need to remain mission capable,” he explained. “You can go through classes (about artillery) as much as you want, but until you go through the (practical application), it might not click in.”

“It just takes practice,” said Cpl. Erric R. Hopkins, a cannoneer with the battery. “Once you get used to it, you’re in your comfort zone.”

Hopkins said he had to learn all of the jobs associated with firing a howitzer because he is a noncommissioned officer and needs to be trained as a section chief.
However, when the Marines had free time, they were also learning how to perform each other’s different duties, according to Bowman.

“You never know if your fellow Marine is going to be killed in combat,” he said. “We want to make sure everyone can confidently step up and take the next Marine’s job in case anything like that happens.”

The battery makes an effort to conduct training often, so the Marines are always prepared, Bowman explained.

“(The Marines) need to constantly train because the things we do here we will do one day in combat,” he added. “Our brothers are already doing it in Iraq.”

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Cherry Point Marine recalls humanitarian mission to his native Sri Lanka after historic tsunami
Submitted by: MCAS Cherry Point
Story Identification #: 200532593441
Story by Lance Cpl. Cullen J. Tiernan



MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT (Mar. 25, 2005) -- “An old man came up to me- his hand was mangled and severely broken. He told me he had been to the hospital and they were too busy for him. The corpsman told me the injury was serious, and healing crookedly. The other Marines and I felt sorry for him, and we all gave up our food to help this old man.”

This is one of the many stories Cpl. Dulash Warusawithana, a food service specialist at Cherry Point’s Mess Hall, recalls with vivid detail from this journey to his native Sri Lanka after the historic tsunami struck Dec. 26, 2004, killing more than 40,000 Sri Lankans.
Headquarters Marine Corps called Warusawithana’s cell phone and requested him to go. His command was excited about the possibility of Warusawithana helping such a good cause.
“I was sent to Sri Lanka as a translator,” said Warusawithana. “I served with Marines from Headquarters Service Battalion from Camp Hansen, Okinawa, and was always in contact with the local people. We worked to clean up the schools so the kids could go back. People constantly came out to me asking for medical help or to help clean their destroyed houses. We did what we could to aid them.”
In Sri Lanka, Warusawithana was constantly surrounded by unbelievable situations daily. Orphaned children who had lost everything wandered the country looking for places to sleep. Parents without their children or a clue where to go, searched desperately for their loved ones.
“It was terrible,” said Warusawithana. “I got there two months after the tsunami hit, and we were still finding dead bodies. I knew I had to do as much as possible to help. I was really proud to be a Marine and to help those people.”
The Marines at Cherry Point are all proud of Warusawithana’s actions. There is a sense of pride in the mess hall that one of their Marines was able to aid such a good cause.
“While he was over there, he was a hero to his people,” said Gunnery Sgt. William Dannelley, the assistant manager at the mess hall. “He’s been here for over two years and is the same motivated worker. He was before he left to Sri Lanka. He didn’t let the trip change him, and he was very happy to get the chance to go.”
Warusawithana labored in the fishing village of Gall, Sri Lanka. For a little more than a month, he provided aid to of the areas of Sri Lanka worst hit by the tsunami. In Sri Lanka, more than one million people lost family members and homes. More than 70 percent of the coastal areas saw their hospitals, roads, railways and other infrastructures washed away by the floods.
“We got orders from the Sri Lankan government and worked off of them,” said Warusawithana. “I didn’t have time to pay attention to [any single person], everyone needed our help. My main job was communication. People came up to me saying all kinds of awful things. I was handing out Meals Ready to Eat candy at a temple and heard horrible stories about people not having anywhere to live, or anything to eat.”
Warusawithana stayed in Sri Lanka for more than a month and got a feel for what the people of his homeland thought of America.
“The locals appreciated the help we gave them big time,” said Warusawithana. “For some of the Sri Lankan people, all they have left is the clothes on their backs. The people think positively of Americans; they don’t have anything against the United States, and they all appreciated the help given to them.”
Warusawithana is proud of the work he did. He has powerful memories of Marines taking money and food
out of their pockets and into the hands of the devastated people.
“As a human being, I felt good helping that old man,” said Warusawithana. “He could have been anyone’s father or grandfather. Everyday we were handing out food to little kids who were without parents; I couldn’t help but imagine, ‘What is their future going to be?’ ‘How long is going to take them to find a place to stay?’”

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Symbionics and Icuiti Team to Deliver Next Generation Wearable Computer Systems for the United States Marine Corps.
Thursday March 24, 9:30 am ET
Cost-Effective, Modular Units Will Improve Accuracy of Unmanned Vehicles


CHANTILLY, Va. & ROCHESTER, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 24, 2005--Symbionics Inc., and Icuiti Corporation announced today that the United States Marine Corps has awarded the two companies a contract to develop and deliver Modular Wearable Computers (MOWC) for use with the Corps' Unmanned Vehicle programs. The first phase of the MOWC is on track to be delivered in five months after integration, customization, and testing. The rugged MOWC will weigh less than five pounds, have an integrated SVGA rugged Head Mounted Display (HMD) using Icuiti's patented Quantum Optics(TM) technology, and will provide the user with hands free access to data and video from a variety of Unmanned Vehicle sources.
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As the prime contractor, Symbionics will supply its commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) computer equipment. Icuiti will integrate its advanced technology HMD to form a ruggedized MOWC. Destined to become a life-saving and indispensable tool for the warfighter, the MOWC will interface directly with military unmanned vehicles and ground sensors enabling it to locate threats, such as an enemy over a hill or an improvised explosive devise, before the threat can take lives.

"Symbionics is honored to have won this quick response contract to create a modular computer system in support of the USMC," said Chris Ortlieb, President of Symbionics Inc "We are equally pleased to join with Icuiti to support the warfighter today. Our goal is to supply the Marines with a product that is both cost-effective, modular, legacy compatible as well as state-of-the-art. To that end, we've chosen a design based on our proven ATACC (Advanced TActical Combat Computer) body worn computer that provides expandability to the warfighter of today as well as for the warfighter of tomorrow. We have specifically chosen the Icuiti HMD - the most robust display on the market today - to be part of the MOWC. We will work together to create body worn systems that set the bar for the future and guarantees the safety of our fighting forces."

"Icuiti is privileged to have the opportunity to work with the Symbionics and the Marine Corps on this program", said Stephen Glaser, VP of Sales at Icuiti. "The sharp rise in the number of Unmanned Vehicles in use around the world has created a need for advanced, low power, body worn systems. We predict our joint efforts will result in one of the most advanced body worn computer systems ever built. Based on our Quantum Optics technology, our HMD is the lightest, highest resolution and most cost effective system in use by the military today".

Mr. Ortlieb noted that the two companies were so encouraged by the contract with the Marines, that they were forming a partnership to develop body worn computer systems for other branches of the Department of Defense.

About Symbionics

Symbionics, Inc is a leader in technology solutions dedicated to design, implementation and integration of custom hardware and software. Symbionics specializes in the development of innovative technology with a wide range of specialties from medical applications to Military rugged computer systems. Symbionics staff represents over 60 years of combined experience, successfully partnering with industry and government to provide solutions to the challenges of technology. Symbionics currently provides products and services to the DoD, the National Guard Bureau, HHS and other government agencies. A privately held small business, Symbionics is headquartered in Chantilly, VA. For further information, please see www.symbionics.net.

About Icuiti

Icuiti Corporation is a leading provider of near eye display solutions for Personal Viewing. Icuiti has been designing and producing micro display based products since 1997 and has shipped thousands of units to customers all over the world. These products include mobile viewing devices, wearable computer displays, Military certified micro display electronics, rugged Military Head Mounted Displays, and OEM solutions. Icuiti's products are proudly made in the USA. Icuiti is currently privately held with offices in Rochester, NY and Tokyo, Japan. Visit us at www.icuiti.com

Icuiti and Quantum Optics are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Icuiti Corporation in the United States and other countries.

Symbionics and ATAAC are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Symbionics, Inc. in the United States and other countries.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact:
Symbionics, Inc
Chris Ortlieb, 571-234-4600
chriso@symbionics.net
or
Icuiti Corporation
Stephen Glaser, 585-273-8293
stephen_glaser@icuiti.com



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Icuiti Corporation

Ellie

[thedrifter]

‘We know the truth’

Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney speaks at the Chicago anti-war rally Saturday

Two years ago we gathered all across America to say no to war. We were joined by people all over the planet who know that there is an alternative to war.

But war is about the only option available when the real motive is to steal natural resources that belong to someone else.

Or to restack the deck in the Middle East with today’s generation of coups and assassinations, following the likes of the U.S.’ 1949 ouster of Syria’s elected government, the U.S.’ 1953 ouster of Iran’s elected government, U.S.’ 1958 landing of Marines in Lebanon and its 1963 support for a coup in Iraq after an assassination attempt against its leader failed.

The militarism we see today is nothing new.

Even though some 14 countries have withdrawn their troops since March 2003, Bush tells the American people that he has no idea when U.S. troops can expect to come home.

Sadly, many of them are being forced to take matters into their own hands – with filings for conscientious objector status, forced pregnancies, disappearances, seeking asylum in Canada and leading rallies like this today all over America.

The American people, and our children over there fighting, still haven’t been told the real reason the U.S. is at war with the Iraqi people. And against the people the U.S. war machine has turned.

Thousands of Iraqis, especially children, have been killed by our sanctions and our bombs. This is an immoral and illegal war and we need to bring our troops home now.

Instead, they lay the groundwork to expand the war and destabilize Iran, Lebanon and Syria. Destroying Iraq isn’t enough for them.

Nor are the million men and women in our Armed Services enough for them. The George Bush war machine wants you, too. And your children.

Everywhere you turn the Pentagon is denying it wants a draft while at the same time lamenting that recruitment is way down.

Mercenaries will increasingly be used to fight their wars with your tax dollars. While reinstating the draft only feeds the war machine.

In fact, we need to get the military recruiters out of our high schools; they need to stop harassing our children, and the $1 billion they spend on slick radio and tv spots and friendly neighborhood offices ought to be put in the education budget so our kids can go to college without having to go to war first.

They tell us we’re at war for democracy, but that’s a joke. George Bush came to power by stopping democracy at home – denying the opportunity to vote to Blacks and Latinos in Florida.

They built on that fine record last year with hackable voting machines that don’t accurately tally our votes.

And in Haiti, where democracy was thriving, they arrested President Aristide at gunpoint and forced him out of his own country.

While they purport to cherish democracy, they really have a disdain for it.

Democracy in Venezuela, India, Spain, Brazil, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay has produced proud people willing to stand up to U.S. imperialism, coup attempts and destabilization of their countries. And the good news is that this resistance will spread.

The worse they are, the stronger we become. And worse they will become, because they’ve aimed their sights on Russia and China after they’ve balkanized the Middle East.

But one thing I guarantee to you and to them: we won’t be fooled! We know the truth. And we won’t stop.

Stay strong, my brothers and sisters. We have a lot of work to do.

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Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marine wounded in Iraq reunites with his family
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By JONA ISON
Gazette Staff Writer

LONDONDERRY- Sniper fire and mortar attacks couldn't keep Cpl. Issac Justice from coming home to his family.

After receiving two Purple Hearts, Issac, 20, returned home with Charlie Company 1-4 March 19 to his mother, Glenna, and the rest of his family who have been praying for his safe return since he was deployed last May.

"We're just real proud of him," Glenna said.

The community has also rallied around him, collecting and sending items he needed, Glenna said, and her workplace Family Donut Shop put up a sign welcoming Issac home.

"We've known him since he was a tiny thing, and he's really grown into a wonderful young man," said Norma Jean Berger, who owns the donut shop with her husband Tom.

Issac, a machine gunner, joined the Marines after graduating from Vinton County High School in 2003.

"I wasn't expecting to see combat, but the way things were going, I knew it would probably go that way," Issac said.

Glenna said she was concerned about her son when he told her he wanted to enlist.

"It made me proud, but I was scared at the same time," Glenna said.

The first time Issac was injured, he was shot in the foot by sniper fire, but didn't tell his mom about it. She heard the news from a master sergeant from California where Issac is stationed.

"It was scary when he called," she said.

The second time Issac was injured, the truck he was in was about two feet away from a mortar hit during the Cemetery Battle in Najaf. The hit blew out two tires on the truck and threw shrapnel into Issac's face and arms and knocking him out.

"It took me a couple of seconds to come to ... They changed the tires, I got back in and we stayed to fight for two more days," he said.

When Glenna heard about the second injury, this time from Issac, she said "Again?" The news was easier the second time since it was from Issac, she said.

However, injury hasn't swayed Issac from his duty and he said the work he in Iraq has done some good.

"It's going to take a while, but it will get done," he said.

While he was unable to say whether he will be deployed again, he said he would be ready to go back.

"I've got the knowledge and confidence to go back over and lead troops into combat ... It's my duty. I'm ready to do it," Issac said.

Glenna said she is worried about Issac being recalled, as is his older sister, Tonya Nichols.

"I pray every day that the Lord brings him home safe and sound," Tonya said. "He's a brave man. He's doing really good with his life."

Issac returns to the Marine Corps Monday at Camp Pendelton in California. Although he doesn't plan to make the Marines a career - his tour of duty is up in 2007 - he would like to stay in California and go into law enforcement and work with the Los Angeles SWAT team.

"It (my homecoming) has been good, but I'm ready to get back," Issac said. "I have a lot of responsibilities when I get back."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

After serving country, 36 become Americans
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Dana Bartholomew, Staff Writer

Cpl. Rodrigo Pereira had already served four years in the U.S. Marines when Operation Iraqi Freedom began two years ago. So he volunteered once again in order to mobilize for war.

And he wasn't an American but a citizen of El Salvador.

On Friday at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Pereira and 35 other nonnative members of the U.S. military got their just reward -- being sworn in as U.S. citizens in a solemn naturalization ceremony alongside nearly 10,000 emigrants from 135 nations.

"A little bit of emotion. It's exciting ... doing the right thing for the right reasons," said Pereira, a 28-year-old Marine from Van Nuys, in full dress blues as he and his mother gave up their green cards for citizenship papers.

"The way I (now) see it, love it or leave it. This is a nation of opportunity. You either take it, or you lose it."

The naturalization ceremonies, divided into two sessions Friday, included praise from a federal district judge and an official from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and videotaped comments from President George W. Bush.

After their oath, the immigrants gave a rousing cheer while waving small American flags. The newly sworn citizens, after reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, mouthed the words of the national anthem.

"With a single oath, all at once, you became as fully American as our Founding Fathers," said Bush, their new commander in chief. "You now go forward as citizens of a free nation -- free to pursue your dreams."

As of January, there were 29,245 so-called "green card soldiers" serving in the U.S. military. Of the hundreds of noncitizens fighting in Iraq for the chance to become Americans, at least 15 have been killed. In 2003, more than 4 percent of new recruits held green cards.

Of the 9,563 citizens participating in the once-a-month ceremony conducted by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on Friday, 2,299 were from Mexico, 1,157 from the Philippines, 670 from South Korea, 515 from China, 484 from Vietnam and 444 from El Salvador.

New citizens were encouraged to join in community, educational and civic life. And most of all, to vote.

"You have taken the oath. That oath represents the end of a long journey. Generations of your family will remember you and thank you for overcoming the hardships you have endured," said federal District Judge Dean Pregerson.

"American citizenship is a priceless treasure."

Added Mary Esther Johnson of the USCIS: "This nation has often been referred to as a melting pot. I like to see it as a giant mosaic -- looked at up close, what you see is a collection of unique and colorful tiles ... Each of you now represents a tile in the American mosaic."

One such "tile" was Marine Cpl. Oscar Silva, a native of Costa Rica now stationed at Twentynine Palms.

"It's great," he said of his newfound citizenship. "A tingling feeling. Butterflies."

Christina Dan, 36, a native of Romania, won a lottery ticket to America nearly six years ago and said she stands straighter as an American.

"It's a great feeling," said the North Hills resident, who teaches at North Hollywood High School. "It gives you security, self-confidence, makes you more local."

Ingrid Martinez Cota, 58, emigrated from the Dominican Republic for love in 1976 and finally won her citizenship Friday wearing a red, white and blue silk scarf for the occasion.

"I had tears in my eyes, my heart was beating," said Cota, a teacher's aide at Pinecrest School in Woodland Hills. "I was thinking: Am I going to be a traitor to my own country and friends? But then I realized I had another American family; I am the mother of two kids, two nations, my original nation of the Dominican Republic, and America."

After the ceremony, Pereira, his wife, his two sisters and his mother celebrated by eating pupusas, a snack from El Salvador.

"Proud. This gives me the chills," said his wife, Susana Pereira, 20, a Van Nuys native whose mother was naturalized four years ago.

"I'm just proud to be an American, and to have the privileges and opportunities we have here."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Deployments different
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March 26, 2005
DIANE MOUSKOURIE
DAILY NEWS STAFF

Editor's note: This is the first of a four-part series.

Charlotte Wilmer has probably heard it all. As a clinical social worker and counselor at the Marine Corps Community Counseling Center on Camp Lejeune, she hears personal stories of Marines and sailors every day.

They and their family members face many emotional issues in the face of major deployments. Officials have estimated roughly 17,000 area troops are expected to be deployed to Iraq and other areas this year. Large numbers have already left, with others readying for departure.

Wilmer, said the Marine Corps and Navy are used to deploying, and so are families related to them.

"There have always been comings and goings," she said. "But recent deployments are different in a couple of significant ways."

Not only has the length of deployments increased, but Marines and sailors are more likely to end up in a combat zone or face extremely dangerous situations. And because most Marines and sailors deploying these days are headed to a war zone, feelings and emotions generally associated with long separations tend to rise.

Feelings of anxiety, depression, anger and frustration become common denominators during deployments - before, during and after, she said. Most families face the usual issues leading up to a deployment and through the return home without undue difficulty.

'Comings and goings'

However, there are other issues unique during deployments to a combat zone.

"So often Marines and sailors don't know exactly when they will be leaving - they're only given a window of time," Wilmer said. "There is a certain rhythm associated with the military member's preparation for deployment - training long hours, a lot of comings and goings into the family and back out."

That alone creates tension, she said. Then, when the Marines are given time off before departure, it's usually spent traveling to visit out-of-town family.

"Sometimes that can create added stresses both emotionally and financially," she said.

There can be added costs related to traveling, large purchases to replace old appliances or for home repairs, getting the house and family cars in order, she said.

Before they leave, it's not unusual for couples to begin distancing themselves from each other, Wilmer said. There may be a few more squabbles than usual, mostly caused subconsciously because they don't want the separation to be quite as painful.

"The thinking seems to be if we don't get along I won't miss him or her as much," she said. "There is often confusion associated with those feelings."

More stress may come when family members from other areas come to visit before the deployment.

"It may be in-laws who don't get along or who bring along their own set of feelings and expectations," Wilmer said. "It's generally a time of complex emotional patterns and experiences for everyone involved."

Leaving family behind

Approximately 44 percent of Marines are married compared to about 51 percent of soldiers, said 1st Lt. Clark Carpenter, a Camp Lejeune spokesman. Married Marines face many of the same issues as their single counterparts, but those tend to be compounded especially when children are involved.

So when active-duty parents deploy, who cares for their children?

For most, taking over all family responsibilities falls to the remaining spouse. For others, a family member such as a grandmother or aunt might keep the children. And in rare instances involving military couples where both are deployed, the choice may come down to a day care provider.

Though that is rare, it does happen, said Dawn Rochelle, director of Onslow County Partnership for Children.

Wanda Tucker, a home child-care provider in Jacksonville, was one of those who cared for a dually deployed military couple.

"I'll never forget it," she said. "The mom deployed on the little boy's birthday (he had just turned 3). I had been caring for the boy for a year or more before his parents got orders."

When the mother asked Tucker if she could keep him while she and her husband were overseas, she was taken aback, unsure of how to respond, she said.

"I had to pray on it before I could answer," Tucker said. "They didn't have anyone else who could keep him."

She ended up saying yes, but the deployment was difficult on the child, Tucker said.

"We talked to him a lot before, and he was familiar with the surroundings, so that made it somewhat easier," she said. "He often talked of his parents, and we tried to call as often as we could."

Before deploying, the parents experienced many feelings, she said.

"His parents were feeling bad because they thought that their son would forget them," Tucker said. "It got a little rough at times, but I think it was a little more difficult for her."

When they leave

Once the Marine or sailor leaves home, new patterns of behavior develop within a family, Wilmer said.

"The longer people are in their different paths away from each other, the more normal those paths become," Wilmer said. "There's always a transition immediately before, a few weeks after the deployment when the family rebalances itself and then again when the military member returns home."

During the deployment, anxious feelings may be compounded by media coverage of the war, Wilmer said. When reporters are embedded with the troops in a particular zone, they are covering only a small piece of what's happening, she said.

"You might see one or two players," Wilmer said. "Family members left back home may see only that one piece and are often left to speculate what is happening and try to fill in the rest of the story.

"That adds another whole spectrum to the anxiety."

She and other experts recommend that parents limit their children's viewing of TV news, and if they can their own.

"It can be so incredibly seductive to be in front of the TV, particularly when it's available to us 24 hours a day," Wilmer said.

The desire back home is to know everything that is possibly happening over there, she said. Add to that the unique interpersonal communications that are possible today - cell phones, e-mails and all the satellite technology - plus the ability to phone sometimes every day depending on what your loved one is doing and where they are, she said.

"Technology can work both ways," Wilmer said. "It helps people communicate, but there are limits.

"There's anxiety related to a simple phone call," she said. "What do I say? What do I not say" How much should I say?"

Homecoming

Nearing the end of a long deployment, a new set of feelings set in. Most families are successful in redistributing household responsibilities, Wilmer said. But as the return nears, the sense of anticipation and anxiety associated with it heightens. Everyone expresses feelings in different ways, she said.

"Just about the time a family has adjusted to juggling 12 balls in the air, the spouse is set to return," she said.

Some may think that all that added stress on a marriage leads to a higher divorce rate among Marines. But that might not necessarily be the case.

"Although the Marine Corps does not track divorces, it does not seem to fluctuate during deployments," Carpenter said.

But there's no doubt that deployments can and often do add stress to personal relationships. Despite that, today's military families have far more resources available than they once had.

Then and now

There was a time when deployments lasted a year or more, said Bonnie Amos, wife of Lt. Gen. James Amos. He commands II Marine Expeditionary Force, responsible for nearly 46,000 troops in North Carolina and South Carolina.

"That hasn't been the case for several years," she said.

During the first Gulf War in 1991, many military families left the area, which has not been as prevalent during Operation Iraqi Freedom, she said.

"The dynamics of the Marine Corps has changed," she said. "There have always been deployments, but they lasted much longer. If you lived on base and your spouse was deployed, then you had to leave because you were no longer considered part of the squadron."

Now, each commander has a Family Readiness Officer and a Key Volunteer Network to help families in crisis or during emergencies.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

3 U.S. Soldiers Killed In Iraq <br />
Associated Press <br />
March 26, 2005 <br />
<br />
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A car bomb struck a U.S. military patrol Saturday in the Iraqi capital, killing two U.S. soldiers and injuring...

[thedrifter]

Attacks claims 15 lives as Iraq insurgents strike back

Rory Carroll and Michael Howard in Baghdad
Saturday March 26, 2005
The Guardian

Insurgents have struck back after reversals in Iraq with a wave of attacks which killed 11 police commandos and four female translators who worked for the US military.
A suicide bomber detonated a car packed with explosives late on Thursday at a police checkpoint in Ramadi, 70 miles west of Baghdad, just days after the commandos had claimed one of their biggest successes against the rebels.

At least 11 members of the elite unit died and another 14 people were wounded, including two US soldiers.

At around the same time, gunmen in two cars ambushed a car in eastern Baghdad ferrying five female translators, four of whom worked for the Americans, home from work. All five died in a hail of bullets, police said.

In a separate incident in the capital yesterday, gunmen assassinated a senior Iraqi army commander, Major General Suleiman Mohammad. Two of his sons were wounded in the attack, police said.

The attacks showed the rebellion's potency despite reportedly losing dozens of fighters earlier this week in engagements with American and Iraqi government troops.

American forces said they killed 26 insurgents on Sunday when an ambush on a US convoy turned into a pitched battle. An ambush on an Iraqi security envoy the following day left 17 attackers dead, according to Iraqi officials.

On Tuesday, police commandos claimed to have killed 85 insurgents while raiding what was described as a clandestine training camp on the shore of Lake Tharthar.

If confirmed, it would be the insurgents' single biggest loss since US marines flushed hundreds from Falluja last November. But there was doubt yesterday over police figures.

An Islamic militant group said only 11 fighters died in the raid. The interior ministry played down the intensity of the battle, saying it was not a major incident, though it did not dispute the police estimate. American troops who arrived after the fighting found no bodies but a US army spokesman told the Washington Post there was no doubt insurgents had been killed. "I can't confirm the (Iraqi) estimate. I would tell you that somewhere between 11 and 80 lies an accurate number."

Iraqi media gave prominent coverage to the engagement but a senior interior ministry official told Reuters it was too early to say a corner had been turned. "We're still developing our intelligence network - we're in the early stages. For the moment, the insurgency still has legs, even if they are shorter legs."

The rebels are a mix of Islamic radicals, former regime loyalists, Arab Sunni nationalists, and criminal gangs who formed a loose alliance after a US-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein two years ago. They want to force out the Americans and destabilise the government.

In separate incidents yesterday, two decapitated bodies dressed in Iraqi army uniforms were found by a police patrol north of the capital and bombs ignited a pipeline connecting northern oil fields to a Baghdad refinery.

Hundreds of oil and electricity workers demonstrated on Thursday against attacks which have killed hundreds of their colleagues and disrupted power supplies.

A trend of more attacks against Iraqis and fewer against occupation forces has resulted in a sharp dip in the rate of US deaths since the January elections. At the current rate, about 35 US troops will die this month, the lowest number since February 2004.

Negotiators for the Shia and Kurdish blocs which won the election said talks on forming a government were progressing and the national assembly would meet next week to fill senior posts.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Kenosha, Wis., native epitomizes patriotism
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 200532413357
Story by Cpl. Tom Sloan



CAMP SNAKE PIT, Ar Ramadi, Iraq (March 23, 2003) -- Twenty-year-old Cpl. Derek M. Hildman planned to serve his country as a Marine from the time he was a young motivator growing up in his hometown of Kenosha, Wis. It was something he couldn't wait to do.

Signing the dotted line at age 17, which required his parent's signature, the machine gunner with C Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, fulfilled his dream when he enlisted in the Corps. Ten days after graduating Kenosha Military Academy on Jan. 27, 2003, he shipped out to Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, Calif., to become one of "The Few, The Proud."


During Hildman's transformation process from civilian to Marine, he saw something that motivated and assured him he'd made the right decision.

"I watched the Marines on TV make the initial push through Baghdad while I was in boot camp," he recalled. "When I joined, the war hadn't yet started. Then it happened, and I knew I'd soon end up here."

One of the infantry battalions he watched fight in Iraq while a recruit was 1st Battalion, 5th Marines. He finds it ironic that he's now a member of that battalion.

"I think it's funny that I'm with a battalion I saw fighting," he said. "Now I'm here with them fighting in Iraq myself."

He said he's honored to belong to organization that's helping the lives of others.

"I'm proud to be part of the Marines because I know we're making a difference here in Iraq."

This deployment is Hildman's second in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and he's noticed some positive changes since his last deployment.

"It seems like the (Iraqi Security Force Commandos) are getting an idea of how things need to be done," he said. "It's improving over here. Things are a lot different then last time. The violence has subsided."

Hildman, who was meritoriously promoted to his present rank, said he takes pleasure in being a machine gunner. His highpoint is doing his job here.

"My biggest enjoyment is doing my job when I'm in a convoy," he said with a smile. "I like patrolling too.."

Hildman's fellow grunts consider him to be a confident professional who's proficient at whatever he does.

"He's an outstanding machine gunner," said 23-year-old Lance Cpl. Christopher L. Boulware, a rifleman with 2nd Platoon, C Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines. "He knows his MOS very well. He picked up promotion meritoriously, so that says a lot about the type of Marine he is. He's a Marine to the highest degree. He's trustworthy and dependable, too."

Hildman doesn't plan on making a career out of the Marines, however. He plans to pursue a higher education and attend college full time getting out after his enlistment.


http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2005324133817/$file/050324-M-0245S-001lowres.jpg

AR RAMADI, Iraq (March 24, 2005) - Twenty-year-old Cpl. Derek M. Hildman, machine gunner, Company C, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, signals to another Marine that more vehicles are driving in to be searched at the entry control point on the edge of the South Bridge here. The 2003 Kenosha Military Academy graduate, who enlisted in the Corps at the age of 17, has wanted to serve his country as a Marine from the time he was a child growing up in his hometown of Kenosha, Wis. He was meritoriously promote to corporal and is on his second deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Photo by: Cpl. Tom Sloan


Ellie

[thedrifter]

The few, the proud - but surely not AWOL <br />
<br />
By SHARON L. BOND <br />
St. Petersberg Times Staff Writer <br />
Published March 26, 2005 <br />
<br />
ST. PETERSBURG - Marine recruits so new that their hair hasn't been cut...

[thedrifter]

Posted on: Saturday, March 26, 2005

Battle can challenge beliefs

By Mike Dorning
Chicago Tribune

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 nondenominational. And servicemen and women of all faiths are finding that the war has changed their approach to religion.

Lance Cpl. Jordan Parlier, 21, of Kenosha, Wis., said that during the 2003 push into Baghdad, he began seeking religion amid the devastation of war. He found answers from a Jewish friend a few months later in Najaf. Raised as a Christian, Parlier has converted to Judaism.

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."

Deployed in Iraq without television, nightclubs or even members of the opposite sex in many units, service members find 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 a 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, Iowa.

In Fallujah, a rocket landed between Cpl. Dan Turner and his twin brother, both Marine reservists. It also was a dud.

"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 Marine duties: "If I have to pull the trigger, I don't want to hesitate."

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


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Wounded Marines keeps fighting
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 2005324123152
Story by Cpl. Tom Sloan



CAMP HURRICANE POINT, Ar Ramadi, Iraq (March 23, 2003) -- Lance Cpl. Jaime M. Magallanes was wounded by an enemy sniper while on a patrol in Ar Ramadi March 23 but he didn't let that stop him.

It would take more than a 7.62 mm round to his protective vest to keep the 22-year-old San Antonio, Texas, native, a rifleman with 2nd Squad, 3rd Platoon, A Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, from fighting.

"We were patrolling in an area where there was a lot of space and open ground surrounded by buildings," Magallanes recalled. "I was moving into the next position. When, I turned around to look behind me and stood for about two seconds, and I heard a shot. I immediately took a knee, got up and ran to some other Marines to get checked out. I didn't know if I had been hit or not."

He was hit. The round hit the top, right portion of his armored chest plate. The impact caused minor abrasions and bruising to his chest, nothing life threatening.

The young warrior completely disregarded his injury and turned his concerns toward his fellow Marines and the mission they had set out to accomplish.

"They tried to put me in a humvee, and I told them, 'That's a negative,'" he said.

"I could still hold my weapon. I could still walk. My legs weren't blown off. I wanted to finish the mission."

According to his squad leader, Cpl. Troy C. Arnold, Magallanes' performance under such circumstances was outstanding.

"His only concern was to get his Marines out (of the line of fire) and to safety," explained the 27-year-old from Knoxville, Tenn. "He kept calm and ensured his Marines sought cover."

Arnold added after Magallanes made sure the other Marines were safe, he continued in the fight.

"He told the XO, 'I'm going to fulfill my mission and finish out the patrol,'" he said. "It was a good thing, too. We needed him. We still had about an hour and a half of patrolling left to do."

Magallanes' actions didn't surprise Staff Sgt. Cole Daunhauer, his platoon sergeant.

"He's the type that will do anything for his fellow Marines," the 31-year-old Louisville, Ky., native explained. "He gives selflessly to others. I've seen lots of Marines, and he is definitely in the top 10 percent of lance corporals I've known. He leads by example and will go on to build a great NCO corps."

Once the patrol concluded, the infantry battalion's surgeon treated Magallanes at the battalion aid station.

"We wiped his wound down and dressed it," said 32-year old Navy Lt. Stephen A of San Dimas, Calif. "We also listened to his lungs to see if he was breathing fine. He was cool and calm and said he wanted to return to the fight."

In caring for his Marine, Daunhauer recommended the injured warrior receive 24 hours rest and relaxation at a medical facility on Camp Junction City.

"He probably won't take it because of the type of Marine he is."

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200532412438/$file/050323-M-0245S-002lowres.jpg

CAMP HURRICANE POINT, Ar Ramadi, Iraq (March 23, 2005) -Lance Cpl. Jaime M. Magallanes, a rifleman with 2nd Squad, 3rd Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, was wound by an enemy sniper while on a patrol in the city here March 23. The 7.62 mm round hit the top, right portion of the 22-year-old San Antonio, Texas, native's armored chest plate. The impact caused minor abrasions and bruising to his chest, nothing life threatening. The warrior refused to throw in the towel and continued to patrol with his fellow Marines for more than an hour and a half before receiving medical attention at the battalion aid station here.
Photo by: Cpl. Tom Sloan

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Officer Wounded, Suspect Dead After Shooting
Police: Wanted Suspect Considered Armed, Dangerous

POSTED: 1:58 p.m. CST March 25, 2005
UPDATED: 1:06 p.m. CST March 26, 2005


Story by nbc5i.com

DALLAS -- One police officer was wounded and one suspect was killed Friday afternoon after police responded to a call concerning potential drug activity at a southeast Dallas apartment complex.


Police told NBC 5 News that Neiman Gibson was a Marine Corps deserter, leaving his unit back in November. He had apparently spent a lot of that time with his family and friends in Dallas and some said he had recently taken up with a sketchy crowd, which may have led to the confrontation with police.

The incident occurred about 1:30 p.m. at the August Park Apartments in the 2800 block of N. St. Augustine Drive. Two bicycle-patrol officers responded to a call about possible drug trafficking at the apartment complex. The officers approached two individuals who they said possessed visible drugs.

One of the suspects produced a firearm when the two officers attempted to apprehend the suspects, according to police. The armed suspect fired at the officers, striking one under his arm, police said.

The other officer returned fire and killed the suspect, police said. The second suspect fled, and officers continue the search for that man.

"Right now, we're looking for a black male that's tall and skinny," Dallas police Senior Cpl. Jamie Kimbrough said. "He has a low haircut, square face, last seen wearing blue jeans and a black sweatshirt with a white shirt underneath."

Police said the wanted suspect is considered armed and dangerous.

"They were telling them to stop, to stop, or else they were going to shoot," witness Ivan Hernandez said. "He didn't stop. I guess he wasn't going to stop. So, he pulled out his gun and shot the cop. The (cop) got (shot), you know what I'm saying?"

The wounded officer, Jimmy Beard, a 30-year veteran of the force, was transported to Baylor Medical Center, where he was listed in good condition.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

1st Sgt. recounts his brush with death
Submitted by: MCB Camp Pendleton
Story Identification #: 2005325102518
Story by Lance Cpl. Renee Krusemark



MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (March 24, 2005) -- First Sgt. Brad A. Kasal didn't pay the ultimate price for his heroism - but he came agonizingly close, becoming a human pin cushion for shrapnel and losing 60 percent of his blood after insurgents riddled his body with bullets during last November's offensive in Fallujah, Iraq.

The upside is that a lance corporal is still alive because Kasal shielded him from an exploding grenade - sustaining 40 shrapnel wounds that attest to his valor.

Kasal, now recovering from his wounds at his home in Oceanside, downplayed his actions. "I'm not looking for a medal," he said.

But that doesn't make his story, and the story of his Marines on Nov. 13, 2004, any less remarkable.

Kasal, a 38-year-old from Iowa, has served in 10 deployments, most recently the second offensive on Fallujah. The offensive started on the city's north side, five days before Kasal and several other Marines entered a meat grinder of enemy fury.

"It doesn't matter how experienced you are, anyone can get shot," Kasal said.

For four days, the Marines fought insurgents house to house as they traveled toward their objective.

"We met some pretty big resistance," said Lance Cpl. Alexander L. Nicoll, a rifleman with 3rd Battalion 1st Marines. "We took some casualties the first day."

On the fifth day, one house proved uneasily cleared, as Kasal soon found out.

Marines from Company K, 3rd Battalion 1st Marine Regiment, entered the two-story house, Kasal said. Soon, he saw a Marine coming down the street, "bloody and wounded." The Marine explained they had met heavy resistance and that three other Marines were still inside the house

Kasal joined them. "I was worried about the Marines," he explained.

One of the rooms was dark. Kasal approached it, along with Nicoll. Kasal entered the room, turned left, and "there was an Iraqi no more than 3 feet away," Kasal said.

"I fired seven or eight rounds into his chest and he hit the ground," Kasal said. "I put two into his forehead just to make sure."

Kasal then yelled behind him to the Marines guarding the ladder well, but he got no response. Rounds from behind started flying throughout the room. Both Kasal and Nicoll were hit.

"My leg was shattered and I fell onto the ground," Kasal said.

Kasal then crawled out of the doorway to get out of the line of fire.

"I pulled the dead Iraqi against the wall (to clear the way for Nicoll)," Kasal said.

Kasal pulled Nicoll out of the doorway and was shot in the backside in the process.

Both Marines were caught in the room, both injured badly, and both bleeding profusely.

"I remember being stuck in that room because they didn't know how to get us out," Nicoll said.

Kasal, worried about taking friendly fire, placed his M16 rifle in the doorway, then provided first aid to Nicoll.

"I took my pressure dressing and used it on Nicoll's leg," Kasal said.

"I would have bled to death," said Nicoll, who today is still recovering from wounds.

Kasal noticed Nicoll also was bleeding from his flak jacket, so he tried to cut it loose to get to the wound, but something stopped him.

"I heard a noise to the right of me. Like a thud."

A grenade had landed 4 feet away, just out of arm's reach.

Kasal then rolled Nicoll over and bear-hugged his body, shielding him from the blast of the grenade.

Shrapnel pierced Kasal's entire backside - 40 pieces total.

After the blast, Sgt. Robert J. Mitchell, then a corporal, came into the room. Kasal told him to take care of Nicoll. Mitchell took over first aid as Kasal secured the door with his 9mm pistol.

Company K Marines entered the building and suppressed the enemy.

Nicoll doesn't remember much from the melee. But he does remember Kasal talking to Mitchell.

"He (Kasal) was telling Mitchell to take care of me."

"It's crazy what a human body is capable of doing when you actually have meaning to do something," Mitchell said in an Omaha-World Herald interview. "You're completely willing to put your life on the line for your fellow Marine."

About 30 minutes after Mitchell entered the room, Marines came in to get Kasal and Nicoll out.

"The pain was the furthest thing from my mind. I was worrying about bleeding to death," Kasal said.

Kasal spent three months at Bethesda Naval Medical Center in Maryland. He was treated for 47 wounds, including seven from enemy bullets.

Today, Kasal's movement is restricted by a halo brace that holds together his right leg - which is 4 inches shorter after surgery. Every day, Kasal must rotate eight different pins in his leg to return the leg to its normal length.

"You can feel it. It's painful," he said.

After 16 surgeries, Kasal remains confident in his recovery and says he's eager to put the Marine Corps uniform back on to finish his career.

His goal is "to reach sergeant major."

"I don't believe in war. I believe in a just cause - and I believe what we are doing over there is a just cause," he added.

E-mail Lance Cpl. Krusemark at renee.krusemark@ usmc.mil.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

1/7 returns to open arms of family, friends
Submitted by: MCAGCC
Story Identification #: 20053251415
Story by Sgt. Jennie Haskamp



MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. (March 21, 2005) -- The men of 1st Battalion, 7th Marines returned here March 18-21, after a second seven-month tour in Iraq.

More than 800 Marines and Sailors were reunited with their friends and families.

The battalion served in the Anbar province on the Syrian border where they conducted mounted and dismounted urban patrols, provided border security and cleared the battalion’s area of operations of enemy insurgents.

“The battalion took part in providing stable conditions for the continued development of a legitimate Iraqi government,” said Gunnery Sgt. Joseph Lucero, remain behind element staff noncommissioned officer.

For the families waiting at Victory Field long into the night, what their Marines did in Iraq was important, but the most common discussion topic was when they would get off the bus.

“He’s not here yet, but they said soon,” Imelda DeLeon said, each time her cell phone rang.

Imelda and her husband, Rito Garcia, drove from Floresville, Texas, to be here when their son, 21-year-old scout sniper Cpl. Donald Meyer, stepped off the bus.

“We drove 17 hours to get here, but it’s worth it,” she said. “Seven months is too long without him. I just want to hug my son and see that he is alright.”

Announcements of their arrival, and their approximate location, were made by Z107.7 F.M. radio personalities. Each time a location was announced, Maj. Lionel Neder, Operations and Training Directorate, told the families how much longer the buses would be.

As the busloads of men dressed in faded desert cammies finally made their way onto the field, families rushed to find their loved ones.

“He’s here, he’s here,” DeLeon shouted into her cell phone, running to embrace her son.

The buses came in slowly, and once all of the homebound warriors were on the field, they formed up for accountability purposes and a word from their commanding officer, Lieutenant Col. Christopher Woodbridge.

After a moment of silence for the eight men they lost in combat, he reminded the Marines and Sailors gathered in front of him to be safe while they were on liberty.

Asking if there were any questions and receiving an enthusiastic “negative” from the entire formation, Woodbridge dismissed the formation, to the pleasure of the friends and families standing nearby.

DeLeon and Garcia, like so many parents nationwide, are proud of their returning son.

“He left Texas so young, and he’s a man now,” she said. “He has matured, and along with his fellow Marines, he accomplished so much.”

Asked what they planned to do with their son when he was home on leave, Meyer’s parents said it was his choice.

“We’ll do whatever he wants when he comes home,” said Garcia. “After seven months in Iraq, he’s earned that right, to say the least.”

Fellow corporal and scout sniper Steven Butler had an unexpected guest the night he came home. His uncle, Army Staff Sgt. Corbin Van Nest, 221st Cavalry, drove in from Ft. Irwin to meet his nephew’s bus.

“Our family is all in Salt Lake [City], and they couldn’t come,” said Van Nest, standing out in the crowd in his Army uniform. “He doesn’t know I’m here, but I’m hoping he’ll recognize me.”

Van Nest found his Marine, and as the two embraced, Butler’s excitement at having someone there to meet him was obvious.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” he said, hugging his uncle. “I’m so glad to see you.”

Meyer knew his parents would be here when he got off the bus. While he’s glad they came, he doesn’t take it for granted.

“It’s a long way for them,” he said, his arm around his mom’s shoulder. “They didn’t have to come, because I’ll be in Texas soon, but I’m sure glad they’re here right now.”


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marines who deliver news of death would rather see combat <br />
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <br />
By Roger Roy <br />
THE ORLANDO SENTINEL <br />
March 27, 2005 <br />
...

[thedrifter]

Marine' parents find comfort, strength in Brenham group
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By HOLLY HUFFMAN
Bryan-College Station Eagle Staff Writer
March 27, 2005

With trepidation about the war in Iraq, a handful of Brenham parents came together two years ago to break bread and talk about their children serving in the U.S. Marines.

The seven moms and one dad met at a Brenham cafe, where they drank margaritas and shared their worries.

Where were the "kids" stationed? What were they doing? Had they written or called home recently?

Were they safe?

"Every time you hear of an American Marine being killed, you wonder," mother Gloria Gochenour said softly, pausing to calm her quivering voice. Her 20-year-old son, Marine Lance Cpl. Mark Gochenour, recently arrived in Iraq after spending a month helping victims of December's Indian Ocean tsunami.

"You get together and find out it was none of ours and you feel a little better, but you feel bad for them."

Coming together, the parents derived comfort from one another, they said, and that encouraged them to keep meeting. And it prompted other parents to join them.

No longer centered around the Marines, the Brenham support group now has grown to include nearly three dozen parents representing all branches of the military except the U.S. Coast Guard. And the group now sends monthly care packages to all Brenham-area deployed soldiers.

But the monthly dinner meetings have remained a constant, the parents said.

Sometimes the group is joyous, as when one of the service members has been promoted or is returning from deployment, they said. Sometimes there are tears when the group learns another son or daughter is being sent to war.

"It's real hard to explain what it feels like. I don't think you can ever know what it feels like until your child - man or woman - has actually been deployed," said Mary Kathryn Moss as she pondered the support fellow Marine moms and dads provided during her son's wartime deployments.

Moss' son, 20-year-old Ryan Singleton, returned this month to California after spending a year in Iraq. It was his second deployment to the war-torn country in the past two years.

"You know that another mother actually knows how you feel," she explained.

It is that emotional support from fellow moms, dads and stepparents that helped the group burgeon from friendly, informal dinners to a full-fledged support system, Brenham mother and group organizer Terrie Pagel said.

Her 21-year-old son, Marine Cpl. Garner Pagel, was deployed to Iraq in August and is set to return from his tour of duty next week. The Pagel family is planning to fly to California to greet him.

Pagel said the community has pulled together to help provide snacks, books, games and other personal items to send to troops from the area.

The Brenham High School band has overseen two care-package drives for the group, and the high school's cooperative education class raised postage money for the group, Pagel said. Several area churches and small organizations also have donated to the group, she said.

"Since we've started with care packages last spring, we have had pretty much a steady stream of supplies and cash," Pagel said. "Every once in a while we get a little low, and about the time we think we're out of business, somebody pops up and helps us again."

It is that kind of unwavering support - from both the community and group members - that has helped sustain the parents, they said. That and a whole lot of faith, they agreed.

"It's not something you want your child to do, but we live in America, and everybody has the right to choose what they want to do," Pagel said of her son's decision to join the military.

"When my son chose this path - even though we didn't agree with him, mostly because of our fears - we knew we had to let him do what he wanted to do and give him 100 percent of our support," she said. "I think he's gotten 500 percent."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Rebels flee to lawless river towns
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By James Janega
Chicago Tribune staff reporter
March 27, 2005

When the sun rose, the Marines of Lima Company found themselves surrounded by improvised bombs.

A week of rigorous patrols and sporadic fighting had brought the troops from the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment through the Euphrates River towns of Hit and Haditha to the outskirts of the small village of Haqlaniyah.

There they waited until dawn Wednesday to push into the river settlement, the end of an operation designed to harass insurgents fleeing north from Ramadi and Fallujah.

But outside Haqlaniyah the insurgents found the Marines first. They had dug explosives into the shoulder of the road and attached more to light posts nearby. Shortly after dawn, one of the improvised bombs exploded behind a troop truck that had parked in the dark--and missed everyone gathered nearby.

"I swear it was a miracle. The cloud enveloped them," said battalion intelligence officer Maj. Plauche St. Romain.

Then a van began speeding toward Lima Company's roadblock.

Stunned Marines waved for the van to stop. They fired two flares. But the van sped up, and at a hundred yards, every Marine who could point a rifle began firing. The rounds chewed first into the earth, then the grill of the van and then into its windshield.

It rolled off the road and stopped in the desert a few yards from the troop truck. Fuel drums and explosives were found inside.

In Anbar province, so far removed geographically and culturally from Baghdad that even Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) took pains to avoid conflict with the Sunni majority there, the war in Iraq (news - web sites) has turned to small units like Lima Company, 180 men working in forgotten towns like Haqlaniyah.

Home to organized crime, settled desert tribes and smugglers, Anbar's Euphrates River towns have become a new focal point for Iraq's insurgency. Major roads run along and across the Euphrates, connecting the area to Baghdad and Mosul as well as Syria and Jordan. U.S. intelligence officers believe money and guns are exchanged here, and loose alliances among insurgents are formed.

Troops in Anbar province spent more than a year fighting insurgents in Fallujah and neighboring cities. But for the first time, they are now exploring resistance in towns farther north and have found it taking root.

When Marines at last entered Haqlaniyah--tired, on edge and delayed for hours after defusing the bombs around them--they found it all but abandoned.

"It's a ghost town," said Maj. Steve Lawson, Lima commander. "Breakfast was half-eaten on the tables. They ran."

Of the 26,000 Marines in Iraq, most are divided among two groups splitting Anbar province. One force is based around Ramadi, west of Baghdad. The other is responsible for the towns along the upper Euphrates and the vast desert stretching to the Syrian and Jordanian frontiers.

Marines say their priority is to patrol the long-ignored Euphrates River towns aggressively. The recent raids in Hit, Haditha and Haqlaniyah were just the first step, they say.

Regimental Combat Team Two commander Col. Stephen Davis said 3rd Battalion Marines in Hit and Haditha have in recent weeks arrested midlevel bombmakers, smugglers and criminals who pay others to place roadside bombs.

Those caught in acts of violence are sent to Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad, while intelligence officers in Anbar press those with lesser involvement for information about the insurgency.

The push into Haditha was particularly fruitful, Marine officials say. Besides key arrests, large arms caches were found, and a warming public described insurgents as unwelcome outsiders. They pointed down the river at Haqlaniyah, saying they believed the newcomers were organizing there.

Just a few blocks wide, Haqlaniyah sits on rolling hills along the Euphrates. There is no government to speak of. In the past two years, members of its police force have been killed or driven off. Military civil affairs projects such as electrical and sewer upgrades--common in other parts of the country--have yet to come to this region.

"They either steal whatever you give or destroy whatever you build," said 3rd Battalion commander Lt. Col. Lionel Urquhart.

It is often difficult to determine whether the assailants are ideological insurgents or just criminals trying to maintain sway over their turf, he said.

"The common glue that holds them together is that they don't want a central government in power. Even when Saddam was in power, he had very loose control over this area," Urquhart said.

Signs of a growing resistance were apparent to Lima Company. Outsiders recently closed the schools in the center of town because they were un-Islamic, Lawson said. Townspeople wrote apologies for past associations with the Americans and pleaded for Allah's forgiveness. The papers were pasted on the walls of the mosque, beside fresh graffiti.

Door-to-door searches turned up few people.

"Everyone shagged out of town because they didn't want a huge fight outside their front door," said Sgt. Josh Foltz of Columbus, Ohio, who spent Wednesday and Thursday conducting searches.

Residents whose homes were visited begged the Marines to search neighbors' homes as well, lest the insurgents think one resident had cooperated with the Americans when others had not.

Lawson, the Lima commander, said an Iraqi with British citizenship reported that the insurgents had fled and that townspeople retreated up side streets and back roads to stay with family members. By Thursday, they were slowly filtering back.

While soccer-playing children and stony-faced adults began lining the streets, there was no sign of the enemy, despite long indications it was building up in Haqlaniyah.

"One step forward, two steps back," Lawson said with a shrug.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marine returns from Fallujah
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
by Darren Dunlap
of The Daily Times Staff
March 27, 2005

Lance Cpl. Brandon Duggan, a 2003 Alcoa High School graduate, returned this month from an epicenter of conflict in Iraq -- Fallujah.

Duggan, a member of Mike Battery, 4th Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment, arrived safely with the rest of the Chattanooga-based unit's 200 soldiers on March 15. His tour lasted seven months.

``We were pretty lucky,'' Duggan said. ``In my battery, we came back with everybody.''

He joined the U.S. Marine Corps two years ago, and began boot camp at Parris Island, S.C., three days after Christmas, in 2003. Six months later he completed training as a member of a Howitzer crew and, on Sept. 8, 2004, left for Fallujah.

Orders to Iraq weren't a surprise for the 19-year-old reservist. He was told when he completed his training in July ``not to unpack yet.''

Many people know Duggan for his role on the Alcoa High School football team as linebacker. That same competitiveness as an athlete is part of the reason he joined the Marines. More than the other military branches, he felt the Marines offered him the greatest challenges.

For his first assignment, a challenge is what he got. Duggan arrived in Fallujah just two months before U.S. forces besieged the city, which has a population of about 500,000 including its villages.

The siege began Nov. 10 and was over days later.

Duggan was not in the center of the fighting during the siege. But he certainly had a good view of it from the city's edge. He heard gunfire and explosions and saw tracer rounds lighting up the night sky over Fallujah.

``It lasted about two weeks,'' said Duggan. ``There at first it was really heavy.''

Relations between soldiers and citizens improved after the siege and occupation, he indicated. Afterward there was less fighting and more help from citizens to locate insurgents' strongholds and weapons caches.

``We were trying to help them get back on their feet,'' he said. ``We were doing all we could to help them out.''

Duggan was matter-of-fact about the fear that accompanies duty in Fallujah. He took part in security patrols of the city and parts of region, and he said that you're always afraid there. But that reinforces an oft repeated motto in his battery, ``Complacency kills.''

In particular, soldiers had to be on the watch for improvised explosive devices, booby-traps as they are sometimes called, and which insurgents had a number of ways of making and hiding. Duggan said they had found ways to attach them to street curbs.

Duggan is the son of Phil and Teresa Duggan, of Maryville, and his mother is Kim Oliver, of Townsend. He has three brothers and one sister.

He is proud to be a Marine, but relieved to be back in United States.

At the time of his interview with the newspaper on Wednesday, he was enjoying his time off. He doesn't have orders to go back to Fallujah, and doesn't know if he will have another tour in the Middle East.

``I couldn't tell you for sure,'' he said. ``There's always that possibility.''

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Comforts of Home Amid Perils of Iraq
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By David Zucchino
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
March 27, 2005

BAGHDAD - The war in Iraq is the first American conflict in which a GI on patrol can risk evisceration from artillery shells rigged to a cellphone, then return to base in time for ESPN's "SportsCenter," a T-bone steak, a mocha cappuccino, a gym workout, an Internet surf session, a hot shower and a cold, if nonalcoholic, beer.

In Iraq, there is the "fob" - the forward operating base - and there is life outside the fob. A soldier's existence in Iraq is defined by the fob, and by the concertina wire that marks its boundaries.

The war beyond the wire is so draining that the more than 100 fobs in Iraq are fortified refuges for the nearly 150,000 U.S. troops here. Brig. Gen. Karl Horst, a 3rd Infantry Division commander based at the Baghdad airport's FOB Liberty, calls them "little oases in the middle of a dangerous and confusing world."

This is a war with no front but plenty of rear. Many soldiers spend a year in Iraq without ever leaving their bases. Others may never even meet an Iraqi. A soldier may patrol for months without ever seeing the enemy, yet risk death or disfigurement at any moment.

Almost each day in Iraq will end with an American on patrol losing an arm, a leg, an eye or a life to an earth-shattering detonation of high explosives. That these bombs are embedded in the most prosaic emblems of Iraqi life - a car, a donkey cart, a trash pile, a pothole - only intensifies the dread that attends every journey outside the wire.

Inside each fob lies an ersatz America, a manifestation of the urge to create a version of home in a hostile land.

The three vast airport fobs, home to the 3rd Infantry Division and 18th Airborne Corps, have the ambience of a trailer park set inside a maximum-security prison. Soldiers live in white metal mobile homes piled high with sandbags. They have beds, televisions, air conditioning, charcoal grills and volleyball courts.

At the flat, dusty airport fob called Liberty, there is a Burger King, a Subway sandwich shop and an Internet cafe. TV sets in mess halls and gyms blare basketball games or Fox News, the unofficial news channel of the U.S. military. A sprawling PX sells CDs, DVDs, "Operation Iraqi Freedom" caps and T-shirts that read: "Who's Your Baghdaddy?"

Every need - food, laundry, maid service - is attended to by a legion of workers from non-Muslim nations, mostly Indians, Filipinos and Nepalese.

They are a chipper, efficient lot who, combined with soldiers from places like El Salvador and Estonia, give the fob the breezy, cosmopolitan feel of a misplaced Olympic Village.

The mess halls are like shopping mall food courts, with salad bars, taco bars and ice cream stations. Cheeseburgers and cheese steaks hiss and pop on short-order grills. The aisles are clogged with M-16 automatic rifles and flak vests set aside by soldiers. Fit young men and women in combat fatigues mingle with civilian contractors, some of them beer-bellied, bearded and well into middle age.

Administrative specialists who never leave the fob are known, with some condescension, as fobbits. Like every soldier here, a fobbit could be killed at any time by a random rocket or mortar round. But on most days the greatest danger to a fobbit's health are the three heaping, deep-fried daily portions of mess hall food.

From the relative safety of fobs, U.S. commanders deliver calm, reassuring accounts of progress - insurgents captured, weapons seized and Iraqi soldiers trained to one day fight the insurgency on their own. Some commanders plot strategy in marble-walled offices inside Saddam Hussein's former palaces, beneath massive chandeliers and tiled ceilings.

For staff officers billeted at fobs, the war sometimes has all the glamour and drama of a doctoral dissertation. Maj. Tom Perison, the future operations chief for the 42nd Infantry Division at FOB Danger in Tikrit, likes to joke that he is "at the pit of the spear" - a play on the "tip of the spear" analogy used by combat commanders. Perison spends much of his time in one of Hussein's palaces analyzing local political currents and worrying about the state of the regional oil industry.

The measure of military success in Iraq lies not in cities taken or enemies killed.

"The key is learning who has control of the local population - the imams, tribal sheiks, local council leaders - and turning that to your advantage," said Maj. Doug Winton, a planner with the 3rd Infantry Division.

This is a war in which soldiers must also be politicians, diplomats, engineers and city planners, as familiar with municipal budgets and sewage capacity as M-16s and Abrams tanks.

Their daily schedules are consumed by initials.

The typical BUB - daily battle update brief - lists attacks by roadside bombs and raids on insurgent hide-outs. But the briefings devote far more time to trash pickups, mosque sermons, road paving, school attendance and repairs to electrical substations. Many officers spend more time with Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations than in armored Humvees.

They preside along with local officials at DACs and NACs (district advisory councils and neighborhood advisory councils). They work with civil affairs officers in CMOCs (civil military operations centers) and with Iraqi police and municipal workers at JCCs (joint coordination centers). Each meeting requires a perilous round-trip patrol.

Not even an armored U.S. patrol equipped with 21st century weaponry is guaranteed safe passage on Iraq's roads. To leave the blast walls and sandbags is to virtually guarantee American casualties - without forcing the face-to-face firefights that U.S. troops are certain to win.

If the defining mission of the Vietnam War was the jungle foot patrol, the defining mission of Iraq is the vehicle patrol. There are hundreds a day involving thousands of GIs. There is no such thing as a "routine patrol" in Iraq. Every patrol, whether to raid an insurgent hide-out or deliver the mail or attend a meeting, is a combat patrol.

"We're fighting the hardest war this country has ever had to fight," said Brig. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, who finished an exhausting year in Iraq late last month.

Each journey begins with a pre-combat review, a weapons check, a map session and a grave discussion of how casualties are to be handled. There are medics on every trip. Soldiers scrawl their blood types on their helmets and boots. Aspirin is banned - it promotes bleeding.

In this war, face-to-face combat is rare. It is a war of stealth and cunning and brutally effective means of shredding human tissue. The signature weapon is the IED, the improvised explosive device, a lethal fusion of ordinary combat munitions and the electronic signal of the ubiquitous cellphone. It is the single biggest killer of U.S. troops, 1,524 of whom have died so far.

Every trip outside the wire is also, by necessity, a mission to search for IEDs. Soldiers on patrol are constantly scanning the roadside. Their radio chatter focuses on the endless places to hide an IED, and on divining the intentions of approaching drivers, vegetable-cart owners and grinning little boys. Every car is a potential bomb, every pedestrian a possible suicide bomber.

continued.......

[thedrifter]

For soldiers on patrol, every Iraqi is the enemy until proven otherwise. All Iraqis are known as hajjis, which actually means someone who has made the hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. Often the terms "hajji" and "the enemy" are used interchangeably.

Some children smile and wave and try to cadge candy or coins from passing convoys. Most soldiers wave back but keep one hand on their weapons. Most Iraqi men, particularly the young ones, offer only baleful stares. Women are distant, spectral figures in black.

There is a delicate ballet on roadways when convoys pass. U.S. forces have learned to hog the middle of the road to reduce the effects of IEDs from either side. Iraqi drivers have learned to pull off the road entirely and stop, flashing emergency blinkers to signal an absence of malice. Scores of Iraqi civilians have been shot dead by U.S. soldiers and Marines at checkpoints and on roadways.

Many U.S. vehicles display huge signs, in Arabic and English, warning drivers to stay 50 meters away to avoid possible "lethal force." Some soldiers joke that the signs should say, "If you can read this, you're just about to get shot."

It is the job of civil affairs officers to somehow mitigate the poisonous relationship between many Iraqis and U.S. soldiers. In Baghdad's Shiite Muslim slum of Sadr City recently, Capt. Raul Gamble, a civil affairs officer, made a point of stopping a patrol to pass out candy, pencils and paper Iraqi flags to a group of children and teenagers.

Predictably, the handouts attracted a rowdy throng of grasping youths. Other soldiers on the patrol, fearing the crowd would draw an insurgent attack, were eager to leave. But Gamble patiently threaded his way through upraised arms to deliver a small stuffed bear to a 2-year-old boy in his grandfather's arms.

"It's the little things that add up to big things," he said.

Other encounters are less congenial. A day after a soldier in their unit was killed by an IED outside Muqdadiya, north of Baghdad, soldiers in an IED search team discovered and detonated a roadside bomb nearby. A crowd of young men gathered to watch, smirking and snickering over the American's death a day earlier. On a concrete wall behind them was a drawing of a donkey and the word "Bush."

The risk of IEDs is notoriously unpredictable. Surviving 100 patrols is no guarantee of surviving the 101st; the first trip is as dangerous as the last.

On Feb. 4, two 3rd Infantry Division soldiers who had just arrived in Iraq, Staff Sgt. Steven G. Bayow and Sgt. Daniel Torres, rode in a patrol with members of the unit they were replacing. It was a "right seat" ride, designed to familiarize new arrivals with conditions outside the fob. Both soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb.

Soldiers on patrol say they find themselves bracing every few moments, anticipating an explosion. The stress saps their concentration, and only grows when they realize they've lost their focus.

Some say they try to think of anything except the jury-rigged "hillbilly armor" some have added to their Humvees for protection, or the military-issue "up-armor" kits that can leave gaps in the armor plating. Soldiers say they try not to imagine shrapnel or super-heated shards of the vehicle blasting through the gaps.

On his first convoy since he saw a good friend killed by a roadside bomb, Sgt. Travis Hall drove past the site of the explosion. It was a tense, taxing journey, made almost unbearable when Hall's Humvee was stalled in rush-hour traffic for half an hour.

Three hours later, Hall pulled his Humvee safely past the berms and blast walls of FOB Warhorse. He was one month into a one-year tour in which he expected to take several patrols a week.

"Made it," Hall said, stepping out to clear his rifle. "Only 200-some more to go."

Like any war, the one in Iraq is defined by long periods of excruciating boredom punctuated by intervals of sheer terror.

After hauling weapons and anti-American propaganda from an insurgent hide-out on the shore of Lake Hamrin near the Iranian border recently, a patrol from Task Force 1-30 of the 3rd Infantry Division spent a listless afternoon on futile searches of surrounding hillsides.

Then, in rapid succession, they watched another unit chase suspected insurgents through a village across the lake; listened to U.S.-fired 155-millimeter artillery shells whistle over their heads toward an insurgent redoubt a few miles away; and stumbled across the ingredients of a powerful roadside bomb on their way back to base.

A soldier in Lt. Brian Deaton's platoon noticed a pile of rocks at the edge of the roadway, halting the convoy. Insurgents often leave markings to warn civilians about IEDs. A search of a culvert revealed a pair of 9-foot-long, 122-millimeter rockets tucked under a riverside roadway.

As the patrol radioed for an ordnance-disposal team, Deaton noticed several men standing on a far ridge. Fearing they were spotters preparing to detonate the rockets by remote control, he ordered a gunner in a Bradley fighting vehicle to fire a burst from his 25-millimeter main gun. The rounds thudded against the ridge, scattering the men.

Fearing a detonation or ambush, soldiers took cover in the hills as two bomb-disposal experts, Staff Sgt. Dustin Flowers and Pfc. Forrest Malone, sent out a remote-controlled robot on wheels to investigate the rockets. Malone steered the robot, a Mars rover look-alike the size of a child's wagon, from a computer screen set up on the hood of his armor-plated vehicle.

As he guided the device toward the rockets, the robot's batteries suddenly died and it rolled to a stop. Flowers, who had taken cover behind a boulder several hundred yards away, cursed at Malone over a two-way radio. He thought the private, who was just six months out of military explosives school, had botched the remote-control operation. Flowers is a veteran of 50 ordnance disposal missions in Iraq.

He stomped over to Malone. When the private explained that the battery had died, Flowers muttered, "That robot is gonna be the death of me," and began climbing into a 70-pound bomb-protection suit. He would inspect the rockets himself.

Even wearing the suit, Flowers said, he wouldn't survive if the rockets exploded in his face. "The suit just gives them something to bury me in," he said.

Struggling to walk in the clumsy clothing, Flowers lumbered toward the rockets, but he couldn't safely get close enough to see whether they had been wired to a detonator.

He asked Deaton to have a Bradley gunner fire machine-gun rounds into the rockets. The bullets would detonate the rockets if they had been wired to explode. The gunner fired several bursts, but couldn't manage to hit the rockets. Finally, Flowers decided to take matters into his own hands. Sweating profusely inside the suit, he made his way down into the culvert. He maneuvered close enough to see that the rockets had not been wired.

He and Malone hauled the heavy rockets, one at a time, down an embankment. They wired several blocks of C-4 plastic explosive to them, set a fuse, then hurried back to their armored vehicle and sped to safety.

The rockets exploded with a thump that echoed off the hillsides. A black mushroom cloud rose over the river valley.

The smoke spread as the patrol raced down the roadway, still scanning both sides of the curving mountain road for more IEDs. At dusk, the soldiers eased back into FOB Warhorse, safely home in time for evening chow, DVDs and a hot shower.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

2nd Marine Division: Success on Frontlines
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 200532622458
Story by 1st Lt. Kate S. VandenBossche



CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, Iraq (March 24, 2003) -- Coalition Forces with the 2d Marine Division have detained a total of 147 suspected insurgents since taking the reins from 1st Marine Division on March 17.

Since the transfer of authority, Marines from the Camp Lejeune-based division have worked to bring about peace in the restive Al Anbar Province by detaining individuals actively terrorizing innocent civilians.

"Over the past few months, 1st and 2nd Division . . . have pursued and captured many terrorists attempting to prevent a free Iraq," said Col. Bob Chase, operations officer for the 2nd Marine Division. "These are criminals and murderers who display wanton disregard for their fellow Iraqis."

The division's two Marine Regimental Combat Teams and one Army Brigade Combat Team have conducted numerous raids and operations netting: (14) mortar rounds of various sizes, (1) 120mm tank round, approximately (1,000) small arms rounds, (66) rockets of various sizes, and (40) small arms, include AK 47's, shot guns, pistols and machine guns.

"Tirelessly, our young Marines move through the countryside and deny the enemy solace, keeping him off-balance and under increasing pressure," Chase said.

These raids and operations were conducted throughout the Al Anbar Province with the cooperation of the Iraqi Security Forces, he continued.

The ISF has also shown success in this joint stabilization and security effort, confiscating IED making materials: several pounds of explosives, cell phones, cell phone batteries, batteries, spools of wire and blasting caps. They also confiscated various types of insurgent propaganda, to include leaflets, posters, newsletters, and videos.

"Our main effort since our arrival in Al Anbar is to accelerate the training and partnering of the emerging Iraqi Security Forces," explained Chase.

He stated that the ISF provided what they call "eyes and tongues" allowing US forces to discern foreign fighters and strangers. "Most importantly, they are able to interface with the locals and get information Iraqis might be unwilling to share with US personnel for fear of repercussions from the terrorists."

Chase made clear that we would remain true to our promise to the Iraqi people; saying, "We will stand with them until their forces are ready to stand alone and can protect themselves from those that fear a united Iraq."

The 2nd Marine Division, commanded by Maj. Gen. Richard A. Huck, are continuing to work with the people of the Al Anbar Province to bring about peace and prosperity in Iraq.

All the battalions currently serving with the division here have previously deployed in support of various operations around the globe to include, Afghanistan, Haiti, the Horn of Africa or here in Iraq.

"Having served for over 32 years, every day I grow prouder of our Marines," Chase said. "In Iraq, just as in every other 'clime and place,' these selfless men and women continue the mission regardless of the challenges or danger."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Albany armor program continues to grow

Dougherty County -- The armor program continues to grow at Albany's Marine Base.

A new generation of armored Humvees is being built at Albany's base. Marine Systems Command Captain Andy Rogers said "We can get the new, better armor and the vehicle to the user quicker. That way we are saving more lives."

Engineers at the Maintenance Center at Albany's base designed and started making the first armor kits to protect Marine vehicles in Iraq. A new, larger Humvee is coming to Albany, having the armor installed, and is being shipped directly to Iraq.

The base is having to add a new building and more workers to meet the need. Construction of the new MAK armored Humvee is a priority at the Albany Marine Base, because they are so valuable in Iraq.

This week engineers and designers from Nevada, Michigan, and Virginia, leading the Marines armoring program, tour Albany's Maintenance Center looking for improvements. Colonel Pete Underwood, Maintenance Center Commander, said "They are the ones who come up with the different requirements. They have people in Iraq who are looking at the performance of vehicles there and other places."

For the last two years, Albany's base has manufactured armor kits to protect Humvees in Iraq, and shipped them to the Middle East to be installed. Now the armor will be installed in Albany, then shipped to Iraq. Systems Command Captain Andy Rogers said "By doing it here, you cut down on your maintenance time by probably one third."

Right now 50 armor installers are working 12 hour days, 6 days a week to try to keep up with demand. A new 25,000 square foot building will be completed in four months to house the armor installation section, which will mean more jobs.

Now they are completing five MAK Humvees a day, and soon it will be six. Fighting vehicles specifically designed to protects troops in Iraq. Captain Rogers said "Our original panels, we could stop an AK-47 round. Now you are looking at mine protection, you're looking at I.E.D. [Improvised Exposive Device] protection, you've got high end, high caliber assault rifle protection. And you've got air conditioning, so we do have the ability to keep people locked up inside, in the very hot conditions, and let them continue to fight the fight."

The MAK Humvees produced in Albany go by rail to Charleston, are then put on ships to the Middle East, and have troops behind the wheel in 60 days.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Fallen S.J. soldier receives medal

Saturday, March 26, 2005

Marc Ryan was killed in a suicide bombing while serving in Iraq
By THOMAS J. WALSH
Courier-Post Staff
GLOUCESTER CITY


The occasion was solemn but the mood was upbeat and celebratory Friday afternoon at the Sportsmen Athletic Club, where the family and friends of Marine Cpl. Marc Ryan, killed in action in Iraq in November, gathered to see him honored with a medal for valor and courage under fire.

Ryan, a graduate of Gloucester City High School's class of 1998, was posthumously awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, decorated with a bronze "V" for valor.

"Cpl. Ryan demonstrated courage, initiative and poise while under intense enemy fire," the award's citation read in part. Ryan withstood an "intense barrage of rocket-propelled grenades and machine gun fire" and fought persistently to protect his fellow Marines, it said, "inspiring all who observed him."

Tears, laughter, sadness and pride bubbled to the surface as easily as the soda and beer being poured in the packed bar. Neighbors, classmates and former football teammates witnessed the award ceremony, along with at least two of Ryan's high school teachers.

"He was effervescent," said Sherry Florich, 57, who taught Ryan English in his sophomore and senior years. "He was well-loved by everyone, just a nice, polite boy - kind of like a throwback to the '50s when every kid was like that. We were really heartbroken."

Florich said she has a memorial to Ryan set up in her classroom. "When my students salute the flag each day, they salute Marc," she said.

After Sept. 11, 2001, Ryan served two tours in Afghanistan and two in Iraq. He joined the Marines in early 2000.

Ryan and three others from the Marines' 2nd Battalion, 4th Regiment were killed Nov. 15 when a suicide bomber attacked the Humvee in which they were riding. The incident happened near Ramadi.

His parents, Linda and Tom Ryan, wearing Marine Corps gold stars on their lapels, greeted guests with hugs and memories. Behind them, the medal hung on a green and white-striped ribbon. The citation lay on a table next to a laptop computer that was playing a slide show of digital photographs from their son's overseas tours of duty. There were also framed photos of Ryan in Marine Corps dress-blues and in his football uniform.

"He didn't have to go there," said high school classmate Kevin Hagan, 25. "But he said his brothers were dying over there and he needed to do something about it. He's a hero."

An effort to honor Ryan with a statue is under way, said his sister Lauren Ryan, 23. She'll meet with the local school board next month to get approval for it to be placed near the Gloucester City High School football field, where her brother was an all-star linebacker.

In the meantime, she said funds of between $30,000 and $60,000 will be needed to get the statue erected, and a fund-raiser will be held in May. Lauren said the statue would depict Marc in his Marine Corps uniform, with a football helmet tucked under one arm.

"He loved his football, but he wanted to be remembered as a Marine," she said. IF YOU GO


A fund-raiser for the Marc Ryan Memorial begins at 6 p.m. and goes through closing May 7 at Spectators Classic Sports Grille, 56 Crescent Blvd. (Rt. 130 North), Gloucester City.

The $15 donation includes a buffet.

Dom Pablo and the Flying Burritos will entertain and a Chinese auction will be held.

For information and directions, call (856) 456-7858.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marines head back to Valley
About 80 reservists to arrive Thursday
By MATT LYNCH
mattl@valleystar.com
956-421-9869

HARLINGEN — For more than 10 months, Mari Guajardo has learned to take life one step at a time.

As the mother of U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Nicholas Guajardo, who has spent nearly a year on active duty in Iraq, Mari made it a point to never look too far into the future.

But after learning that her son and about 80 other Valley residents serving as Reserve Marines with Detachment Company C, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marines, 4th Marine Division will return home Thursday, the future can’t come fast enough for the worried mother.

"It’s been very difficult," Mari said. "Unless your child has been there, you can’t comprehend the fear. You just can’t give in to it and you have to take it one day at a time. It was so hard knowing that as a parent, there was nothing I could do to protect him."

U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. John Saenz said the company originally received orders to demobilize March 8, and that the detachment was conducting "security and stability operations" while in Iraq.

Mari said that after communicating with her son about every 12 days via e-mail and instant messaging, she was able to gather limited information as to what her son was doing in the Iraqi desert.

Mari said her son, a Harlingen resident, was stationed at an outpost in Hit, about 30 miles northwest of Ramadi.

"They’d go out on patrol, and they did some pretty dangerous things, like being on patrol at night and going into the city when they got reports of insurgents," she said. "He didn’t like to tell me what he was doing. I promised I would be calm and not get emotional because he told me if he had to worry about me he wouldn’t be able to do his job."

Mari said that through a Web site updated by a Marine serving with Nicholas, she was able to see her son’s living conditions.

"It’s pretty ugly. They dig trenches and have to live in the sand," she said. "(Nicholas) said they don’t shower, they just kind of clean up. He said they’re lucky if they can shower every two weeks."

After learning Monday that Nicholas had arrived in Twenty-nine Palms, Calif., Mari’s thoughts shifted from worrying about her son to planning Company C’s return celebration.

"It’s been so wonderful to know he’s home, but it’s hard because I want to reach out and hug him," she said.

"I’ve waited 12 or 14 days at a time to hear that he was still alive, so I can wait until next week when he comes home."

Mari said that after arriving at Valley International Airport, the Marines would likely be paraded through town in a convoy to the reserve training center at 1300 W. Teege Ave.

Once arriving at the center, Mari said returning Marines would be treated to a party with hamburgers, hot dogs, family and friends.

Mari said event organizers are also looking for donations to purchase a welcome banner and additional supplies for the homecoming.

"As a mother I want my son honored, and as an American citizen, I don’t want anyone to forget their sacrifice," she said.

Saenz said many families like the Guajardos are anxiously awaiting the return of family members from Iraq, but that Company C could be called upon for redeployment in the future.

"The Marines here and the families are eagerly awaiting the return of the Marines," he said. "Hopefully we don’t have to go through this again, but if we have to go, we’re ready."


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marine returns to meet newest family member

By ASHLEY E. BONE/Staff Writer
A week-old baby named Roman Christopher Gray will meet his father for the first time on Friday.

His father, Cpl. Jason Gray of Columbia, is with Kilo Battery 4th Battalion 14th Marines based in Huntsville, Ala., and has been deployed overseas fighting the war on terror since June.
Lori Gray holds her newborn son, Roman Christopher Gray. He weighed 4 pounds, 14 ounces at birth on March 16, a coincidence, since his father, Jason Gray, is in the Kilo Battery 4th Battallion 14th Marines. Jason returnes home Friday from his tour in Iraq and will hold his son for the first time. Staff photo by Ashley E. Bone

Jason's wife, Lori Gray, was due to have their first child March 26 and expected her husband to be home for the delivery, but she had an emergency Caesarian section on March 16.

Lori has not seen her husband since August and cannot wait until her husband arrives with about 70 other Marines in Huntsville Friday. Another local Marine, Cpl. Corey Sanders of Columbia, also will return home Friday.

"He didn't go to my doctor's appointments with me and see the ultrasound pictures. He missed my birthday, Thanksgiving and Christmas -- lots of milestones, and you can't replace that," she said. He also missed their two-year wedding anniversary on Tuesday.

Jason, 23, was stationed in Fallujah, a city in Iraq frequently under attack by insurgents.

"I didn't watch the news and tried not to read the paper," Lori said. "As hard as it was for me, I kept telling myself it could be worse because there are other pregnant wives out there with other children, too."

Lori said during her pregnancy, Jason was worried that Roman would not recognize the sound of his voice.

"He got a digital recorder and recorded himself reading 'The Cat in the Hat' and 'Green Eggs and Ham,'" Lori said. She played the stories for Roman while she was pregnant.

Lori said it was hard to go through her pregnancy with Jason gone, but as a senior at Middle Tennessee State University majoring in education, she stayed busy.

"I can't wait to see him," she said. "I've tried hard to keep myself as busy as possible."

Lori and Jason live in an apartment in the basement of Jason's grandparents' house.

Jean Willis, Jason's grandmother, said she is very proud of her grandson.

"I can't wait to see him and his face when he sees his son for the first time," Willis said while holding her first great-grandchild.

Lori said when she asked Jason if he kissed the ground when he got to California, he said no and told her he was waiting until he returns to Tennessee.

"He said he misses the trees and grass and birds," Lori said. "He said it's nothing but dust and sand over there."

Ashley E. Bone may be contacted at abone@c-dh.net or (931) 388-6


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marine Forces Pacific trains Thailand Border Patrol Police
Submitted by: Marine Forces Pacific
Story Identification #: 2005324142455
Story by Sgt. Ryan E. O'Hare



UDON THANI, THAILAND (March 24, 2005) -- Using hand and arm signals, members of the unit silently maneuvered through the thick brush toward the boarded up farmhouse. They knew the general and two others were held hostage there after being kidnapped from their motorcade. Three assailants were also inside guarding them, waiting for the ransom demands to be met within the hour. If not - the executions would begin. The unit needed to get inside and secure the situation fast.

This was one of several scenarios that members of the Thailand Border Patrol Police were confronted with during their six-week training with the U.S. Marines in Udon Thani, Thailand.

The BPP as well as the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration requested the training, named Baker-Torch 05-2B, to sharpen the skills of their police officers in the region. It was designed to hone their techniques as well as gather new ones, to better increase their law enforcement skills.

The training, hosted by the Joint Interagency Task Force – West, took place at the BPP Battalion 24 headquarters and consisted of 40 students chosen from various police subdivisions around the area, as well as four translators.

U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific training officer, and Baker-Torch mission commander, Capt. Rommel R. Villagracia, led the instructor team, consisting of seven Marines, an Air Force senior master sergeant and one Navy corpsman.

“We were requested to come out here and teach battle skills training to these police officers,” said Villagracia. “We put together a package using Marine Corps doctrine, consisting of marksmanship, land navigation, martial arts, small unit tactics, close quarters battle, and special reaction team training.”

Although the BPP has received U.S. military training in the past, this is the first time the Marines have been asked to instruct the school.

“When we came here we started from the beginning,” said Villagracia. “Much like Marine Corps boot camp, we wanted to start them off with the basics and build from there into more advanced training.”

The training schedule was specifically tailored to the needs of the BPP and situations they may encounter.

During the first two weeks of the course, students were introduced to the basics of Marine Corps marksmanship.

According to Sgt. Ieremia K. Pau, a marksmanship instructor at the course, the improvements made among the students were amazing.

“We’ve seen a huge difference from day one,” said Pau. “When we first came out here, we pushed safety, safety, safety! They now can tell you all the safety rules and conditions. They’ve progressed and gotten a lot more proficient in everything they do.”

Once students were familiar and more comfortable with their weapons, it was time to move on to the more advanced training.

Because small unit tactics and close quarters battle skills were a focal point of the training, students were challenged with many scenarios, including counter narcotics, hostage rescue and vehicle assaults.

“We came out here to teach them special reaction team tactics,” said 1st Lt. Tito M. Jones, a Provost Marshal’s Office operations officer for Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii. “Because of the needs of the course, we needed to bring Marines with specific backgrounds in these fields.”

According to Jones, the Marines provided a baseline of training for the BPP, which they can use in the future to train other BPP units. The students now have confidence in everything they do and have absorbed the information very well.

During some training missions, the ten-man units would assault ‘shooting houses’ specifically designed to test their skills at entering and maneuvering throughout a building to reach their objective. Marines within the house were role-playing as bad guys and would engage with simulated 9mm pistols, which shot BB pellets.

Along with the field training they received, the students also had a lot of classroom work in preparation of their missions. Translators were present at all times during the training to break the language barrier between instructors and students.

Duangjai Vasantana, a flight attendant for Gulf Air, was one of four translators who assisted during the Baker-Torch training.

“This is the first time I’ve done anything like this,” she said. “I wanted to try something new and this seemed like a great opportunity. At first, it took a little while to understand some of the Marine Corps terminology and slang, such as ‘negative’ means ‘no'. Once we understood it though, we were able to translate without having to ask too many questions. I learned a lot about the Marines and the way they stick together, and I admire their teamwork.”

The students were presented black t-shirts with the slogan “U.S. Marine Corps trained unit” and wore them proudly each day to class.

Intelligence officer for the BPP and Baker-Torch student, Captain Chanchai Phoncharoen, was extremely appreciative about the training he and his fellow officers were receiving.

“Working with the U.S. Marines has been great training,” he said. “We have been very impressed by the professionalism of all the instructors. This is my first time training with them and would like to again in the future. We all really appreciate the opportunity.”

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Tip Line: effective voice against insurgents
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 200532621115
Story by 1st Lt. Kate S. VandenBossche



BLUE DIAMOND, Iraq (March 25, 2003) -- Marines with the 2nd Marine Division are employing the assistance of local Iraqis to crack down on insurgent activity in the Al Anbar Province.

Since assuming authority of the province from the 1st Marine Division, they have continued a tip line they created nearly a year ago. The tip line is a phone line providing an anonymous way for Iraqis to report insurgent activity in their communities.

"They [insurgents] are cowards, who resort to intimidation and the indiscriminate bombings of their own citizenry," said Col. Bob Chase, chief operations officer for the 2d Marine Division. "Each day they are being defied by those proud Iraqis who envision a better future."

The tip line, which was slow to catch on, is gaining popularity with the citizens of Ramadi. The tip line now receives more that 37 calls a week, leading to the detention of insurgents, criminals and terrorists as well as the locations of improvised explosive devices and weapons caches.

"With their assistance and participation, more insurgents are exposed and tracked down for judgment and punishment by the new government," Chase explained.

"I think the rise in the number of substantial tips we've received recently proves that the citizens here know that the information they give us is truly anonymous," said Col. Richard B. Fitzwater, the acting chief of staff for 2d Marine Division. "Also it shows that citizens in Al Anbar are beginning to realize that these foreign terrorists are only slowing progress in the province."

Fitzwater went on to say that he believes the important thing is that the Iraqi people have begun to speak out against terror and that the reconstruction efforts might be giving the average Iraqi tangible proof of the progress being made.

"In conjunction with the provincial government and with help from our Navy corpsmen and Seabees, we've worked tirelessly to restore electricity, drinking water and health services to our friends," explained Fitzwater.

To inform the local citizens, the tip line is being advertised on local radio stations, as well as printed on posters and handbills distributed throughout the province.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marine returns from Fallujah
2005-03-27
by Darren Dunlap
of The Daily Times Staff

Lance Cpl. Brandon Duggan, a 2003 Alcoa High School graduate, returned this month from an epicenter of conflict in Iraq -- Fallujah.

Duggan, a member of Mike Battery, 4th Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment, arrived safely with the rest of the Chattanooga-based unit's 200 soldiers on March 15. His tour lasted seven months.

``We were pretty lucky,'' Duggan said. ``In my battery, we came back with everybody.''

He joined the U.S. Marine Corps two years ago, and began boot camp at Parris Island, S.C., three days after Christmas, in 2003. Six months later he completed training as a member of a Howitzer crew and, on Sept. 8, 2004, left for Fallujah.

Orders to Iraq weren't a surprise for the 19-year-old reservist. He was told when he completed his training in July ``not to unpack yet.''

Many people know Duggan for his role on the Alcoa High School football team as linebacker. That same competitiveness as an athlete is part of the reason he joined the Marines. More than the other military branches, he felt the Marines offered him the greatest challenges.

For his first assignment, a challenge is what he got. Duggan arrived in Fallujah just two months before U.S. forces besieged the city, which has a population of about 500,000 including its villages.

The siege began Nov. 10 and was over days later.

Duggan was not in the center of the fighting during the siege. But he certainly had a good view of it from the city's edge. He heard gunfire and explosions and saw tracer rounds lighting up the night sky over Fallujah.

``It lasted about two weeks,'' said Duggan. ``There at first it was really heavy.''

Relations between soldiers and citizens improved after the siege and occupation, he indicated. Afterward there was less fighting and more help from citizens to locate insurgents' strongholds and weapons caches.

``We were trying to help them get back on their feet,'' he said. ``We were doing all we could to help them out.''

Duggan was matter-of-fact about the fear that accompanies duty in Fallujah. He took part in security patrols of the city and parts of region, and he said that you're always afraid there. But that reinforces an oft repeated motto in his battery, ``Complacency kills.''

In particular, soldiers had to be on the watch for improvised explosive devices, booby-traps as they are sometimes called, and which insurgents had a number of ways of making and hiding. Duggan said they had found ways to attach them to street curbs.

Duggan is the son of Phil and Teresa Duggan, of Maryville, and his mother is Kim Oliver, of Townsend. He has three brothers and one sister.

He is proud to be a Marine, but relieved to be back in United States.

At the time of his interview with the newspaper on Wednesday, he was enjoying his time off. He doesn't have orders to go back to Fallujah, and doesn't know if he will have another tour in the Middle East.

``I couldn't tell you for sure,'' he said. ``There's always that possibility.''

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Team Zipang shuts down Okinawa Lacrosse Club, 10-5
Submitted by: MCB Camp Butler
Story Identification #: 200532524211
Story by Lance Cpl. Karim D. Delgado



CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, Japan — (March 25, 2005) -- Team Zipang triumphed over the Okinawa Lacrosse Club 10-5 in head-to-head lacrosse action in a game held at the Foster Field House athletic field here March 20.

The OLC, a team comprised both of servicemembers from installations islandwide and Okinawans, didn’t go down without a fight in what was their first game in several months, and they made fun a priority.

“I just returned from a deployment in Iraq,” said OLC team co-captain Dan Tamburello. “It was great just to be out on the field playing again.”

Zipang traveled from Tokyo to compete against OLC in what would be the third time the teams have met on Okinawa for a game.

“I need some water,” a voice shouted from the field before the whistle for the first quarter sounded.

“I don’t want any water,” another voice screamed back. “I want some blood, baby!”

Fortunately, blood wasn’t drawn, but sweat from the OLC players sprayed the field with each of their attempts to gain possession of the ball from Zipang attackman Utsumi Yusuke, who scored the first point just three minutes into the first quarter. Attackman Tamaki Naoki followed through moments later with another point for Zipang. Attackman Araki Norikazu passed the ball quickly to Zipang’s team captain Suzuki “Ganzo” Yo****aka who scored for a 3-0 lead on OLC at the end of a hectic first quarter.

Yusuke reintroduced himself to OLC goalie Jaquin Mallet, scoring for Zipang again at the beginning of the second quarter. Yusuke didn’t hog all of the fun, however, and let Cho Takeshi in on some of the action when Takeshi scored his first goal in the game. Naoki and Yo****aka traded the ball from backside to the front of the goal crease before Yo****aka tossed it in to score on OLC. Naoki finished the quarter off with another point for Zipang, leaving the score at 7-0 but not before getting the wind knocked out of him in the midst of a huddle of OLC teammates trying to get the ball away from their goal crease.

Okinawa Lacrosse Club attacker Bob Hallett was out to prove his team’s worth in the third quarter, scoring on Zipang for OLC’s first point in the game. Another shot followed from midfielder Albert Schulz, who decided the ball was spending too much time on his side of the field. Yo****aka disagreed and sent the ball flying into OLC’s goal for another Zipang point, ending the quarter with Zipang in the lead, 8-2.

Hallett was on a mission in the final quarter, sending another two high-powered shots for the OLC through Zipang’s goal. Zipang’s Norikazu plowed through OLC teammates to score another point for Zipang.

As much as OLC attacker Dan Tamburello tried to keep a good thing going with a close-call point for OLC, the game was sealed shut when points scored by Yo****aka and Norikazu ended the fourth quarter and the game with Zipang emerging victorious, 10-5.

“We made them fight for it,” Hallett said. “I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun.”

“Team Zipang’s visit is the highlight of our season,” said OLC co-captain James Peterson. “Next year we hope to increase the number of teams participating in the tournament by inviting additional teams from Japan.”

For more information on the Okinawa Lacrosse Club, visit their Web site: http//www.okilaxclub.com or contact Peterson at 645-7094.

Ellie