thedrifter
01-02-06, 07:53 AM
Posted on Mon, Jan. 02, 2006
S.C.-based Marines in Iraq not fazed by war debate
By CHUCK CRUMBO
Staff Writer
Unit from Beaufort focused on mission
While some Americans debate the merits of pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq, life goes on for Marines of an S.C.-based fighter squadron deployed to that country.
“The debate isn’t really big talk ... in our squadron,” Lance Cpl. Dustin Bowen said. “Mostly we talk about getting home, finishing up with our deployment and wondering if we are going to come back out to Iraq.”
The debate has not affected the Marines’ morale, Capt. Clinton Weber added.
“We would have a serious problem as Marine officers if we allowed civilian debate back home to degrade our morale,” said Weber, an F-18 pilot. “No civilian debate will affect my morale while I am around my fellow Marines.”
The Marines’ remarks are a sample of responses The State received in recent e-mail interviews with members of Squadron 332, based at the Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort.
The squadron of about 200 Marines deployed last July to Camp Al Asad in western Iraq. The unit has about one more month to go on its seven-month tour.
Before it left, the squadron — nicknamed “The Moonlighters” — was honored for compiling 100,000 flying hours without a fatality or serious damages. That safety mark has not been blemished so far in Iraq.
‘WE HAVE A JOB TO DO’
When talk turns to whether U.S. troops should stay in Iraq, the 29-year-old Weber of Paris, Texas, questions how well the average American is informed about what’s going on in Iraq.
“A debate fueled by political partisanship and raw emotion doesn’t seem to quite give justice to the sacrifices of our fallen sailors, soldiers, airmen and Marines,” Weber added.
Regardless of the rumblings on the home front, Brown, of Omaha, Neb., said the squadron remains committed to its mission. “While I’m sure most of the Marines wouldn’t mind pulling out of Iraq and going home, we have a job to do, and that is helping Iraq survive on its own.”
The Beaufort unit flies reconnaissance and ground-attack missions to support soldiers. Since August, it has flown more than 1,800 sorties, racking up 4,500 hours of flying time — comparable to a year’s worth of training back in the States.
Among members of the squadron are veterans like Maj. Philip Williams, a 35-year-old pilot from Aviano, Italy, who’s on his third deployment since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.
Williams flew in Afghanistan and took part in the opening months of the Iraq war, which began in March 2003.
He sees similarities between the fighting in Iraq and the insurgency that took root in Afghanistan after the U.S.-led coalition ousted the Taliban.
“I am convinced that with the establishment of an elected Iraqi government and the continued training of (Iraqi) police and army, we will see a reduction of support and popularity of the insurgents,” he said.
IRAQIS ‘RECEPTIVE AND GENEROUS’
The S.C.-based Marines fly out of a former Iraqi air force base in Iraq’s dangerous Al Anbar province.
The accommodations are luxurious compared with how their infantry brethren live, the Marines said. The Beaufort Marines sleep two to a room with heating and air conditioning. Three hot meals are provided daily.
Working 15-hour days, seven days a week, leaves little time to read, watch movies or play video games. “I’d say about 50 percent of the squadron spends its off time in the gym,” said Sgt. Maj. Nicholas Bourikas, 41, of Altamonte Springs, Fla.
Working out is good therapy, said Staff Sgt. Koza Scruggs, 31, of Bossier City, La. “If you have any frustrations, you take them out at the gym.”
While they are part of an aviation unit, some of the S.C.-based Marines worked security details during the recent Iraqi elections.
Sgt. Elizabeth Zakar, 26, searched female voters at a polling station. She said she saw a big difference in the Iraqis who voted in the October constitutional election and those who voted in the December government election.
On Oct. 15, no women voted at the polling station where Zakar worked. However, on Dec. 15, 356 women were among the 1,600 who voted in Akashat, Zakar said.
“Overall, I would have to say that the people were receptive and generous to American troops,” Zakar said, adding locals brought food to the troops and poll workers.
Capt. Lindsay Nelson, an F-18 weapons officer, had a unique perspective on the December elections as his plane patrolled the skies at 15,000 feet.
From that height, the 26-year-old Mentor, Ohio, native said, he could see streams of Iraqis walking to the polls. “They showed a real interest in the development of their country and their future.”
Reach Crumbo at (803) 771-8503 or ccrumbo@thestate.com.
Ellie
S.C.-based Marines in Iraq not fazed by war debate
By CHUCK CRUMBO
Staff Writer
Unit from Beaufort focused on mission
While some Americans debate the merits of pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq, life goes on for Marines of an S.C.-based fighter squadron deployed to that country.
“The debate isn’t really big talk ... in our squadron,” Lance Cpl. Dustin Bowen said. “Mostly we talk about getting home, finishing up with our deployment and wondering if we are going to come back out to Iraq.”
The debate has not affected the Marines’ morale, Capt. Clinton Weber added.
“We would have a serious problem as Marine officers if we allowed civilian debate back home to degrade our morale,” said Weber, an F-18 pilot. “No civilian debate will affect my morale while I am around my fellow Marines.”
The Marines’ remarks are a sample of responses The State received in recent e-mail interviews with members of Squadron 332, based at the Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort.
The squadron of about 200 Marines deployed last July to Camp Al Asad in western Iraq. The unit has about one more month to go on its seven-month tour.
Before it left, the squadron — nicknamed “The Moonlighters” — was honored for compiling 100,000 flying hours without a fatality or serious damages. That safety mark has not been blemished so far in Iraq.
‘WE HAVE A JOB TO DO’
When talk turns to whether U.S. troops should stay in Iraq, the 29-year-old Weber of Paris, Texas, questions how well the average American is informed about what’s going on in Iraq.
“A debate fueled by political partisanship and raw emotion doesn’t seem to quite give justice to the sacrifices of our fallen sailors, soldiers, airmen and Marines,” Weber added.
Regardless of the rumblings on the home front, Brown, of Omaha, Neb., said the squadron remains committed to its mission. “While I’m sure most of the Marines wouldn’t mind pulling out of Iraq and going home, we have a job to do, and that is helping Iraq survive on its own.”
The Beaufort unit flies reconnaissance and ground-attack missions to support soldiers. Since August, it has flown more than 1,800 sorties, racking up 4,500 hours of flying time — comparable to a year’s worth of training back in the States.
Among members of the squadron are veterans like Maj. Philip Williams, a 35-year-old pilot from Aviano, Italy, who’s on his third deployment since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.
Williams flew in Afghanistan and took part in the opening months of the Iraq war, which began in March 2003.
He sees similarities between the fighting in Iraq and the insurgency that took root in Afghanistan after the U.S.-led coalition ousted the Taliban.
“I am convinced that with the establishment of an elected Iraqi government and the continued training of (Iraqi) police and army, we will see a reduction of support and popularity of the insurgents,” he said.
IRAQIS ‘RECEPTIVE AND GENEROUS’
The S.C.-based Marines fly out of a former Iraqi air force base in Iraq’s dangerous Al Anbar province.
The accommodations are luxurious compared with how their infantry brethren live, the Marines said. The Beaufort Marines sleep two to a room with heating and air conditioning. Three hot meals are provided daily.
Working 15-hour days, seven days a week, leaves little time to read, watch movies or play video games. “I’d say about 50 percent of the squadron spends its off time in the gym,” said Sgt. Maj. Nicholas Bourikas, 41, of Altamonte Springs, Fla.
Working out is good therapy, said Staff Sgt. Koza Scruggs, 31, of Bossier City, La. “If you have any frustrations, you take them out at the gym.”
While they are part of an aviation unit, some of the S.C.-based Marines worked security details during the recent Iraqi elections.
Sgt. Elizabeth Zakar, 26, searched female voters at a polling station. She said she saw a big difference in the Iraqis who voted in the October constitutional election and those who voted in the December government election.
On Oct. 15, no women voted at the polling station where Zakar worked. However, on Dec. 15, 356 women were among the 1,600 who voted in Akashat, Zakar said.
“Overall, I would have to say that the people were receptive and generous to American troops,” Zakar said, adding locals brought food to the troops and poll workers.
Capt. Lindsay Nelson, an F-18 weapons officer, had a unique perspective on the December elections as his plane patrolled the skies at 15,000 feet.
From that height, the 26-year-old Mentor, Ohio, native said, he could see streams of Iraqis walking to the polls. “They showed a real interest in the development of their country and their future.”
Reach Crumbo at (803) 771-8503 or ccrumbo@thestate.com.
Ellie