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thedrifter
08-12-05, 08:14 AM
Marine has no doubts on her role
Kim Bahti: "Ma-rines changed my life."
By Bonnie Henry
ARIZONA DAILY STAR

She wears it well. Tall, poised, with a ring of tattoos wreathing her upper arms. Kim Bahti is every inch a Marine.

"The Marines changed my life," says Bahti, 32, who grew up in Tucson. "They taught me discipline, ambition, the ability to lead and follow."

Some of you may recall the dispatches Bahti wrote for the Star last fall from Iraq.

She wrote about the heat, the chow, the long lines to use the telephone - standard gripes.

But she also wrote about mortar attacks, death and the frustrations of trying to train a fledgling Iraqi police force.

Her columns were frank and honest. Too honest, it turns out. A month after they began, they were stopped. "Military restrictions" was the reason given.

Bahti says, "I was told I was a 'glory hound.' That got to me."

So she did what Marines have always done. She sucked it up and got on with the business at hand, in this case staying alive.

A sergeant with the Military Police, Company Bravo, out of Pittsburgh, Bahti guarded female doctors who were treating Iraqi women and children for ordinary ailments.

Sometimes she went into schools, handing out everything from school supplies to candy.

"At some schools, the kids would not talk to us." At others, she would be swarmed.

"I had a loaded M-16 and a loaded 9 mm handgun and all these kids around. If anyone had popped the safety off - it used to make me nervous."

She also got to kick down a few doors after her convoy was attacked more than once by small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades. "I was scared, but this is what I joined the Marines for."

At first glance, Bahti might seem the unlikeliest of Marines. Born in Saigon to a Vietnamese woman and black American serviceman, she was adopted by Tucsonan Mark Bahti and his former wife, Kekku, when she was 20 months old.

As an adult, Bahti rode her dream of an acting or modeling career into Los Angeles in 1996.

Three years later and weary "of the whole scene," she joined the Marines - four years active duty, four years reserve. "I wanted to join the best," she says.

Boot camp was Parris Island, S.C. "Yes, it was hideous," says Bahti, who nonetheless graduated with top honors.

Next came "30 days of hell," also known as Marine Combat Training, at Camp Lejeune, N.C., followed by eight months of schooling.

By the summer of 2001, Bahti was a legal-services instructor at Camp Lejeune. The tragedy of 9/11, however, did not instantly propel her into the fighting.

"I wanted to go. I did not join the Marines to be a pencil pusher. But the Marines had invested $100,000 in my training. They were not going to let me go."

And so she served out her time in the States, going off active duty in January 2004. Three months later, she got the call. Would she go to Iraq? Did they even have to ask?

In August 2004, she and 99 others in her company - 97 of them men - flew to Al Asad Airfield in northern Iraq.

While there, Bahti took up boxing - five bouts, all undefeated. She also welcomed the support from home, especially from Southern Arizonans who had read her dispatches.

"I got so many e-mails and packages from people I didn't even know."

In March of this year, she and her company flew back to the States. "It was a big relief, until I thought of all the Marines going over," says Bahti.

Now part of the Marines' Inactive Ready Reserve, Bahti has enrolled at Providence College in Rhode Island. "I want to do something in forensics."

Adjusting to civilian life has been rocky at times. Certain sounds still trigger anxiety.

"I went to a kid's birthday party and one of the kids popped a balloon. I almost hit the deck."

Like many Americans, she's not so sure anymore about what we're doing in Iraq, though she stresses the need to finish the job. She has no doubts, however, about her role as a Marine.

Asked if she'd do it all over again, she quickly answers, "in a heartbeat."

● Bonnie Henry's column appears Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Reach her at 434-4074 or at bhenry@azstarnet.com or write to 3295 W. Ina Road, Suite 125, Tucson, AZ 85741.

Ellie

thedrifter
08-17-05, 07:06 PM
Texas native makes a difference in Iraq
II Marine Expeditionary Force (FWD)
Story by Staff Sgt. Ronna M. Weyland

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq (Aug. 16, 2005) -- During a time when many question a female’s role in combat, a south Texas Marine with 2nd Marine Division strives at making a difference during her time in Iraq.

“I want to be in a job where I am making a difference,” said Lance Cpl. Estrella R. Adams, multi-channel radio operator, Wire Shop, S-6, Regimental Combat Team 8. “I felt like I was making a difference when I was working the [entry control point] searching females.”

The McAllen, Texas, native has spent more than three months on the Female Search Team in Fallujah, Iraq, since arriving here in March.

“Some people [Iraqis] don’t want us there, but most are glad we are there to help,” said Adams of her experiences on the search team.

A graduate from Memorial High School, Adams said she was a good student and stayed out of trouble. However, she was looking for a better way of life when she decided to join the Corps.

Since joining at the age of 18 in May 2002, Adams said she has grown up a lot.

“It has given me more confidence and has made me realize I have the potential to do more,” explained the 21-year-old.

Her oldest sister, Maria De La Rosa, 34, and a resident of McKinney, Texas, agrees with the changes her sister has made.

“My sister is a better person,” said De La Rosa. “The Marine Corps has given her the opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of Americans, in the lives of Iraqis, in a way she may not even ever comprehend.

“The Marine Corps has made my sister a better American, has helped her call on her courage, has given her a new respect for life, and has shown her what it takes to serve a greater cause,” she continued, “ ... shown her that the very essence of who you are allows society to create obstacles for you, be it gender or race, but you have the strength within you to overcome those obstacles - being a woman in the United States Marine Corps proves that!”

De La Rosa said Adams is her hero and she has a tremendous respect for her sister.

“What greater burden to bear than serving your country?” said De La Rosa. “At the end of our days the question may be asked to each of us, what have we done to help mankind? So many will be at a loss for words, so many will know they have not done anything, so many will be ashamed…my sister will not be one of those.”

Since joining the Corps, Adams has married and her husband is currently serving in Iraq as well.

Cpl. Henry Adams, 29, communications electronics technician, Tow Platoon, 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, from Raceland, La., said he is proud of his wife serving her country and believes it is easier for both of them to be here at the same time than one being back in the states.

“I think it is easier having her here. We understand more what each other is going through.” said Henry. “However, I am concerned about what she is up against.”

He also thinks their time together has become more valuable.

“After I come back from missions outside the wire, I believe our time together is more valuable,” Henry explained. “We know the time is limited so we make the most of it.”

With less than a year left on her four-year enlistment, Estrella plans to attend college in Texas when her time in the Corps ends. She would eventually like to be a police officer or a social worker.

She plans to use her experiences from the Corps to her advantage.

“I have met a lot of people and learned a lot about people getting along with other people…people from different backgrounds,” she said. “It has given me more confidence and has made me realize I have potential to do more.”

Estrella added she will never forget her time in Iraq.

“Coming to Iraq has made me more grateful to be an American,” she said.

Ellie

thedrifter
08-19-05, 01:06 PM
Bridgewater, N.J., native follows family's military path
II Marine Expeditionary Force (FWD)
Story by Lance Cpl. Joshua C. Cox

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq (Aug. 19, 2005) -- Family tradition, especially in the military, is something a lot of people value, honor and pass on to future generations. One Bridgewater, N.J., native here is continuing a family tradition dating from World War I.

Sergeant Brittany L. Greenhalgh, intelligence communicator, G-2 Section, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Headquarters Group, II MEF (Forward), followed in the footsteps of her family’s heritage and enlisted in the military shortly after graduating from Bridgewater-Raritan High School in 2000.

“My family’s military history sparked my interest in the military,” she said. “I have three grandparents that were active duty during World War II. It’s ironic; both my grandfathers were fighting on opposite sides during World War II.”

Greenhalgh said one grandfather was serving in the United States Army Air Corps flying in bombing missions during the war, and the other was serving in the German Army in the same conflict.

“My mom and her whole side of the family are from Germany,” she said.

For Greenhalgh’s family, the history doesn’t stop there; her grandmother served in the Navy after completing college during World War II.

“My grandmother on my father’s side was a WAVE [Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service],” she said.

Greenhalgh’s German great-grandfather was a Prisoner of War in Russia during World War I.

The tradition has been kept alive by generations since World War II.

“My dad and uncle were both on active duty during Vietnam,” she said. “My dad was in the Army as a tank commander.”

Greenhalgh’s uncle served in the Navy during the Vietnam War era.

Today, the tradition has been passed to a new generation of warriors.

“My brother is on active duty right now in the Army,” she said. “He’s about to do his third tour in the Middle East.”

Greenhalgh said she is the first member of her family to serve in the Marine Corps.

“I realized the Marine Corps would be more of a challenge,” she said. “Leading an active lifestyle pretty much fit in with the Marines.”

In high school she played soccer and field hockey, and welcomed the challenge the Marine Corps offered.

“I had started talking to the recruiter my junior year,” she said.

Exactly one week after graduating from high school, she left Bridgewater for Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., to begin her journey in the military.

Today, on the last leg of her enlistment, Greenhalgh serves in support of operations in Iraq, and carries on the tradition her family began more than 60 years ago.

“I am very glad I got a chance to come over here,” she said. “I wanted to end my enlistment knowing I contributed. I wanted to be a part of what the military is doing. I feel strongly about family history and keeping tradition alive. I’m proud to be a part of this family tradition.”

Greenhalgh has hopes of obtaining a degree in dentistry when she completes her enlistment.

Ellie

thedrifter
08-26-05, 06:59 PM
Female Marines strive to fit in
MCB Hawaii
Story by: Gunnery Sgt. Claudia M. LaMantia

MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii (Aug. 26, 2005) -- The proper use of makeup and how to style your hair were part of my boot camp training 18 years ago. The day we learned that most of the platoon would become administrative clerks, we were also given a class on how to behave like ladies as we would be representing the Marine Corps. Topics for the class included sitting up straight and how to cross your legs.

My first duty station was with the “Wing,” Marine Corps Air Stations Tustin and El Toro, Calif. There, the uniform of the day was summer service Charlies for women, which meant that we had to wear skirts and pumps. We could only wear trousers when the commanding officer allowed us. During formations all women had to wear lipstick — bright red lipstick. Back then, we only ran 1 1/2 miles for our physical fitness test, and when I became pregnant I had to write my C.O. a letter asking for permission to stay in the Marine Corps.

Behavior sometimes changes so slowly that it’s hard to determine when a change occurs. But, every once in awhile, something happens that is elevated to newspaper headlines, then attitudes change — quickly.

In the late ‘80s I remember seeing a female Marine walk down a hallway at Commander, Marine Corps Air Bases West, El Toro, and watch as a sergeant major leaned out of his office doorway to say, “Mmmmhhh, mmmmhhh. Can I get some fries with that shake?” But comments like that were not uncommon back then. There were a number of male officers and staff noncommissioned officers who would take the liberty of expressing themselves in a similar manner.

I also witnessed some male Marines purposely positioning themselves under a staircase whenever they knew that a female was going to go up the steps. But the most traumatic experience happened when I was just new to the Corps.

When I was a private first class, a gunnery sergeant called me into his office. He was sitting at his desk, and when I walked in, he told me to lock the door behind me. What he did then shocked me, but I was also daunted by his cockiness. I immediately left his office and ran back to mine. I’ve kept that story to myself for years, fearing that everyone I worked with would have implied that somehow I had asked for that to happen.

That perspective was typical, up until the 35th Annual Tailhook Symposium of 1991. At that time, the conference for naval aviators allowed some particularly unprofessional events to take place. And, it was that year that one female officer hurled some pretty serious allegations of sexual assaults against some of the pilots.

The headlines, I remember were of Navy Lt. Paula Coughlin being criticized for being a snitch, and then for exaggerating what had happened. She attended the symposium unaware of certain traditions carried out by Tailhook members. One evening she exited an elevator only to be greeted by fellow aviators waiting in the hallway. The men groped, shoved, tore her clothes, and grabbed her buttocks and breasts. She protested, but they didn’t stop — at least not that night. She took her protest all the way up the chain of command and although she met much resistance, in time, Navy officials acknowledged the wrongs. To me, by speaking out, she changed the way male service members were allowed to treat their female counterparts. There was an almost immediate re-education on how to behave with the opposite gender. Fair and equal treatment of the sexes became a constant — or it seemed that way to me.

The mindset I was used to from my past experiences made an almost instant 180-degree turn. By 1992, most male Marines would not talk to females unless they were comfortable around them. All of the sexual jokes, innuendos, gestures, looks, sayings, etc. stopped. Nothing remotely resembling sexual harassment was tolerated. The work environment became a tense place for a while.

Things were changing, and the leadership wanted to make that very clear. First, we were told while standing in formation, and then we got the word via letters and bulletins.

In 1996, I recall listening as a female lieutenant colonel, commander of a 1st Force Service Support Group unit, spoke in an interview during Women’s History Month about men’s conduct before and after Tailhook. She said, “The benefits of life before Tailhook is that then you knew who the enemy was.” My eyes widened, and I thought about how interesting her view was — though a bit pessimistic.

Deviant conduct was no longer allowed, but did most people still believe it was OK? As creatures of habit, I think we need repetitive hammering of ideas into our brain housing, and via different modes for a period of time.

Take the part of the Declaration of Independence, which reads: “… all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The authors couldn’t have meant that literally, as the existence of slaves proved them wrong.

It was approximately 230 years ago they wrote this precious document, but it has taken time for some of these words to sink in.

For the Marine Corps, change is sometimes met with resistance, but equality is something we preach — constantly. It’s been almost 90 years since we began to include women in our workforce. Through leaps and bounds, sometimes backwards, we maintain our course.

For two decades, I’ve witnessed many changes for the better — although I never learned to style my hair, don’t consider myself lady-like, and tossed out my bright red lipstick many moons ago. But I still love to put on my uniform and wear my eagle globe and anchor — which is not gender biased.

The next thing that needs to be changed is one female Marine poster slogan that reads: “After years of fitting in, it’s time to stand out,” to make it read: “After years of standing out it’s time to fit in.”

Ellie

Arlene Horton
08-26-05, 07:52 PM
Reading that post brought out some old bad memories from when I was in the active Marine Corps. It was not unusual for male Marines to make suggestive comments to the females. We simply ignored the comments, just considered the source. The best thing I remember is that most of the Marines I served with were always thoughtful and respectful. Of course, there were times when teasing occured but, knowing that it wasn't meant to be hurtful we often gave as good as we got! It was never a case of being afraid to accept a ride off base to Havelock, outside Cherry Point. There was no fear about being sexually harassed. Actually, at any new posting for school, etc. Woman Marines were treated with respect. There were, no doubt, others who weren't treated as well, but for my experience I must admit I was never in a position that would be a problem. I have always been proud of being a Marine and that will never change! Semper Fi Arlene

thedrifter
08-27-05, 04:28 AM
Intelligence Marine serves with the “grunts”
II Marine Expeditionary Force (FWD)
Story by Lance Cpl. Josh Cox

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq (Aug. 26, 2005) -- Female service members serving in Iraq are involved in combat operations more than ever before, and consistently place themselves in the line of fire while contributing to the Global War on Terrorism.

Corporal Kelly J. Kowalsky, a native of Colver, Pa., searched females and gathered crucial information while embedded with 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division earlier in her deployment.

“My job with 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment was to search the females and to help the intelligence guys with site exploitation,” said Kowalsky, an intelligence specialist with G-2 section, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Headquarters Group, II MEF (FWD).

The 23-year-old was part of an effort to hunt down weapons caches and investigate insurgent activity during cordon and knock searches.

“The clearing phase was conducted by an assault element that was all male,” said Captain Lester R. Gerber, intelligence officer, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. “Once the ‘all clear’ was sounded, Cpl. Kowalsky would move onto the objective and proceed to search the females. On operations she supported, Cpl. Kowalsky single-handedly validated and subsequently rendered impotent an enemy technique of hiding documents, phones and other intelligence related material on the women.”

Gerber said Kowalsky’s efforts uncovered suspicious items that would have not been found otherwise, and helped calm cultural sensitivities during the raids.

“On operations where it was all male, the atmosphere within houses would sometimes be tense,” said Gerber. “The women and children were frightened and the men were less cooperative. When we had the opportunity to employ Cpl. Kowalsky, there would be a dramatic shift in the women and children's moods, which would correlate directly with the men as well; essentially easing tensions across the board.”

Kowalsky, an art enthusiast and musician, also noticed the change of the environment when she stepped in to do her job.

“Having another female around made [the people being searched] feel better; a little more at ease,” she said.

Kowalsky, a 2000 graduate of Central Cambria High School, utilized her skills in intelligence, and displayed a high level of motivation and bravery while working with the unit.

“Cpl. Kowalsky's performance was outstanding,” said Gerber. “Her tactical aptitude allowed for a quick integration with the force that typically conducted these operations, and she essentially was a seamless portion of the force after just her first few outings. She’s unique because she repeatedly volunteered to go out into harm’s way with an infantry battalion in combat.”

The battalion’s executive officer also picked up on Kowalsky’s performance during the raids, and commented on the importance of her role with the unit.

“She was a true asset to the battalion in several raids where it was critical to have a ‘total search’ capability,” said Maj. Lawrence "Larry" Miller, executive officer, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division.

Kowalsky, who extended her contract in the Marine Corps to deploy here, considers her tour in Iraq to be the highlight of her career.

“When you get to go out (into Iraqi villages), you have that sense of accomplishment,” she said. “You get to see what’s going on, and it makes you feel better. I really enjoyed it. That has been the best part of my Marine Corps career; going out with [the infantry].”

Marines just like Kowalsky are putting themselves at risk everyday preserving freedom for Americans and the Iraqi people alike. Their role is essentially aiding in an effort to make Iraq a better place.

Ellie

thedrifter
08-29-05, 06:06 AM
Truck Company involved in convoy, first female Marines’ lives lost during OIF
MCB Camp Butler
Story by Sgt. Ethan E. Rocke

CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, Japan (Aug. 26, 2005) -- Marines who were caught in a deadly suicide-bombing attack June 23 that drew the media spotlight with the revelation that three of the 25 casualties were the first Marine women killed since the war began returned from a seven-month deployment Aug. 10-12.

Marines with Truck Company, Headquarters Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, made headlines and history in Operation Iraqi Freedom when three female Marines from the unit became members of the first Female Search Force (FSF) in February, an all-female unit responsible for searching Iraqi women for weapons and explosives. The unit was comprised of female Marines from several units operating in Iraq’s Al Anbar Province.

The evening of June 23, three female Marines with Truck Company were part of a 16-truck convoy transporting the FSF Marines and others back from an entry control point, when a vehicle carrying a bomb ran into one of the 7-ton tactical vehicles.

Lance Cpl. Christina J. Humphrey, a member of the FSF from 1st Platoon, Truck Company, who was in the back of the 7-ton that night, remembers the terrible attack.

“We noticed the vehicle. We had seen the driver around before, but it didn’t fit the profile (of a suicide bomber),” she explained.

The man driving had a woman and child riding with him, Humphrey explained. Most suicide bombers are alone.

“I don’t remember the car hitting our 7-ton. It tipped to the side and I remember rolling over a body to get out. I didn’t know if anyone else was alive.”

After the explosion, the Marines in the convoy began receiving fire.

“I grabbed the first weapon I saw, but the explosion rendered it unserviceable,” Humphrey continued. “All the weapons were scattered everywhere, and the blast blew most of them apart.
“After the firefight, we started giving first aid to the casualties,” she recalled. “Everyone was in shock, and six Marines had to be air-lifted out.”

Six Marines died that day. Among them were the first three female Marines killed in OIF. Nineteen others from the convoy were wounded.

“I remember when we got the call about the convoy being attacked,” said Cpl. Anthony V. Rodriguez, a motor transport mechanic with 1st Platoon, Truck Company. “It was about (9 p.m.), so we knew it was the females. When the trucks arrived carrying body bags, I remember looking in to see who was killed, to see if it was any of our females.”

The Marines who died that night were not from Truck Company, but the unit felt the loss of their brothers and sisters nonetheless, according to Rodriguez.

“Everyone worked together as a team that day,” Humphrey concluded. “The Marines died being Marines. I don’t think the females got more attention (for dying in combat). No matter what gender someone is, the pain and loss is still the same.”

After returning from Iraq, a friend from boot camp spoke with Humphrey about her experiences there.

“I was shocked when (Humphrey) told me about the attack in Iraq,” said Lance Cpl. Rebecca M. Ide, the archive noncommissioned officer for the Combat Camera Center. “The attack gave her a different perspective on life. She values life more now, because she almost lost hers.”
Humphrey and the other Marines assigned to the Female Search Force received the Purple Heart Medal for the injuries they sustained, and the Navy Achievement Medal for being part of the FSF.

“The command as a whole is extremely proud of what these Marines accomplished,” said Col. Jim Reily, the battalion commander for Headquarters Battalion. “They represented themselves and (III Marine Expeditionary Force) in an honorable fashion.”

The Marines of Truck Company were involved in several other noteworthy events. On May 5, south of Fallujah, Marines with Truck Company and India Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, discovered one of the largest hidden weapons caches in Iraq.

They also transported hundreds of detainees to prisons around Iraq.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better group of Marines,” said Staff Sgt. Charles E. Harris, the motor transport chief for 1st platoon while in Iraq. “They performed above and beyond their duties.”

Ellie

thedrifter
08-30-05, 07:33 AM
theroyalgazette.com <br />
Bermuda’s female fighting machine <br />
<br />
While the terrifying realities of the Iraq war mean very little to the majority of Bermudians, there is one Onion who has devoted her life to...

thedrifter
09-17-05, 07:39 AM
One woman's war
Saturday, September 17, 2005
By EUNNIE PARK
STAFF WRITER

Angelica Jimenez is not the woman she used to be: a carefree 20-something with long, curly hair and a taste for flirty clothing.

That was before Iraq. Before the ambush. Before the explosion.

Now, the lance corporal's hair is falling out in clumps. Compression garments sheath her left hand, arm and leg, covering third-degree burns. There are scars. Big ones.

"She knows that she can't wear a pair of knickers because you can see the burn," her sister Claudia says. "A skirt, heels - she doesn't feel like she can be a woman."

Two-and-a-half months ago, Jimenez, a 21-year-old Marine from Dumont, was critically injured in a suicide bombing in Fallujah. The attack, for which al-Qaida in Iraq claimed responsibility, killed six U.S. service members. Three of the six soldiers killed and 11 of the 13 Marines wounded were women.

Jimenez, whose duty was to search women for weapons at the Fallujah border, was riding in the convoy that was ambushed.

She suffered second-degree burns on the left side of her face and third-degree burns on her left hand, arm and leg from the knee down. Shrapnel tore through her right thigh. Two of her girlfriends were killed.

Jimenez, who received a Purple Heart, doesn't remember much about the explosion. "I don't know," she says quietly, adding that she tries not to think about that day.

She was hospitalized in Germany and then transferred to the burn unit at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, where she has been recuperating over the past two months. There, she celebrated her 21st birthday.

The pain is still fresh, Jimenez says. The therapy was grueling. It was terrifying just to think about looking into a mirror.

"I thought I was never going to be the pretty self that I thought I was again," she says. "When my husband was with me in the hospital, he would never let me look in the mirror because he knew how destroyed I would be if I saw my face in the beginning phases."

She married 22-year-old Marine Patrick Cooper seven months ago - just a week before she was sent to Iraq. He was supposed to go to Iraq, too, and was packing his bags when he got the phone call about his wife.

"The night I got there in the hospital - I only got there a couple hours after she did - she's, like, on morphine and everything," says Cooper. "The nurse came in to tell her her husband was here, and she was still trying to fix herself up."

The burns on the left side of her face have healed pretty well, Jimenez says. There is some pigmentation, which seems detectable only by those who know her face well. She has been through two skin-grafting surgeries.

She had to relearn how to walk. Her right leg hurts from time to time, but she tries to avoid taking painkillers.

Sometimes she watches Claudia get dressed and allows herself to dream.

"Oh, you look so pretty," the Marine says. "I wish I could look like that."

"In time, in time," her sister responds.

But Jimenez's hair has begun falling out, a result of the medications she has been taking. Long strands of her curly, dark brown hair just pull out in the shower.

"I was so devastated. I cried about it," says Jimenez, who has cut her hair short to minimize the damage.

She makes a face. "I look like my mother."

During Jimenez's stay in North Jersey, her sister has arranged for her to see the many people who have supported the family through the ordeal - Dumont officials, co-workers at Holy Name Hospital and friends in the area.

But she's moody: Sometimes she wants to see people, sometimes not.

On a good day, Jimenez is quick to smile and has a lot to say. The pain is not as bad as it was. The wounds are healing slowly, but they're coming along. She feels lucky to be alive.

The bad days often begin with bad hair, her sister says. When it won't style the way Jimenez wants it to. When it's falling out a lot. And then it's not just about the hair anymore.

"I guess every once in a while, I sit down and cry only because of the friends that I lost that day, or I'll look at myself and see the scars that I have," Jimenez says. "I just lose it, my whole mind. It's like an on-and-off thing."

At times such as this, Claudia says, her sister is inconsolable.

"She gets angry to the point where she will cry," Claudia says. "She will start getting angry and she will start saying, 'Oh, why is this happening to me?' She's not happy like I knew her. She's always frustrated, you know. Upset. And angry."

Currently, Jimenez is not in therapy to help her recover emotionally, but that may change. "I think I might have to," she says about getting help.

Jimenez is not sure where she will go from here. In another week, she has to return to Texas, where a medical board will determine if she is well enough to return to duty. She is ambivalent about going back to Iraq.

"I want to go, and I don't," she says. "I want to be able to finish the four years I signed up for, but I just don't want to have to deal with anything ... to have to think about the day that I got injured."

Her ambivalence extends to the reasons behind the war.

"I think it's good that we're trying to help these people, but at the same time, you know, I feel bad about all the military that's out there," she says.

Jimenez says she is focused on going to college after her tour ends, although she's not yet sure what she would study. She and Cooper also want to be able to settle down and have a family - a normal life without worries, Jimenez says.

Right now, she is trying to come to grips with the ambush. What it did to her. What it did to her friends.

Cooper tells her everything happens for a reason, and Jimenez believes that, in time, she will understand why this has happened to her.

"I don't know yet," she says. "But we'll find out soon."

SPOTLIGHT

Name: Lance Cpl. Angelica Jimenez

Jimenez was injured in a suicide bombing in Iraq. She lost two friends and has spent the last 2½ months recuperating in a Texas military hospital.

Hometown: Dumont

Occupation: Marine

Age: 21

Family: Seven brothers and sisters; husband Patrick Cooper

Ellie

thedrifter
09-26-05, 01:32 PM
San Francisco native keeps Marines talking
2nd Marine Division
Story by Sgt. Ryan S. Scranton

CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, Ramadi, Iraq (Sept. 25, 2005) -- Corporal Jessica L. Curtis knows the roads here like the back of her hand.

The 21-year-old San Francisco native should. She travels them daily in convoys taking supplies back and forth through the western region of Iraq several times per week.

Curtis said she’s been on more than 100 convoys since she got here seven months ago. As the communications chief for Truck Company, Headquarters Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, she is responsible for ensuring the Marines driving in the convoys can talk to each other and coordinate their movements. Traveling the various improved and unimproved roads presents a challenge for Marines maneuvering their vehicles through traffic. Vehicles strung out across long stretches of highway and along city streets provide an easy target for insurgents. The vulnerability of convoys makes synchronizing their movements vital to the safety of the Marines.

“People don’t understand how important [communications] are out here,” Curtis said. “No one thinks about it until they don’t have it. Then it sinks in.”

Curtis also maintains the systems that block and prevent the detonation of roadside improvised explosive devices. She’s logged more than 6,000 miles on the roads and said she never feels unsafe. She finds solace in the fact that her fellow Marines are providing security on each convoy. She’s encountered numerous IED’s while on the road, but said that each convoy’s security element has always identified them.

“We always catch it before anything happens,” Curtis said. “We’re either really good or we’re lucky.”

Curtis said if it’s the latter, she isn’t worried about her luck running out. Her confidence in her fellow Marines ability to handle any situation keeps her calm and collected on the road.

“Everyone out here works together,” Curtis said. “I know if anything happens I’ll be okay because everyone knows how to react and they’ll all do their jobs. So I’m not worried when I’m out there. I’m not complacent. I just have faith in my security team and the people I work with.”

The Marines in her unit form a tight-knit group. They rely on each other for support and work together as a team. She acknowledges the importance of her job but said she also realizes the role she plays is just one part of a larger effort.

“I feel like I’m doing something for the team here,” Curtis said. “We all work together to get things done. [Truck Company] does a lot of background work. If the power goes out, it’s because we didn’t refuel the generators. If people don’t get their repair parts, it’s because we didn’t pick them up. We have a pretty important role here.”

Curtis said what is truly important to her is not what she does, but what she is a part of. She wanted to be a Marine since she was 14-years-old. She attended an all-girls catholic school in the Visitation Valley area of San Francisco. Mercy High School was a far cry from the Marines, but she said she has always wanted to do something different.

“Ninety percent of the girls I went to high school with graduated and went to college.” Curtis said. “I wanted to do something adventurous; I guess it was because I watched too much Discovery Channel.”

Curtis’s need for adventure keeps her on the road. She said it’s the same reason she plans to make a career of the Marines.

“I’ve had good days and I’ve had bad days, but there have been a lot more good ones.”

Ellie

mpwildes
10-18-05, 06:14 AM
LOOK AT THIS STORY! I WAS THE TRAINING INSTRUCTOR FOR THESE MARINES. THE SAME WHO WERE IN THAT CONVOY. <br />
<br />
ALL THE MARINES DID AN OUTSTANDING JOB!!!! <br />
<br />
<br />
Expeditionary force drives in...

CAS3
10-18-05, 08:44 AM
OUTSTANDING!!!!
oooorrrraaaahhhhhh

rvngunner
10-20-05, 11:07 PM
okay? okay what?