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Accord
11-19-06, 03:57 PM
Washington Times
December 25, 1998
Inside The Ring
By Ernest Blazar; The Washington Times

Christmas day, millions of Americans gather up wrapping paper from untold numbers of gifts. A world away, dug into a fighting hole, on the front-lines, a young Marine's story reminds us all of what matters most to the troops.

The story begins with Army Lt. Gen. Tommy R. Franks. He commands all Army troops in the Persian Gulf. On Tuesday, he escorted James A. Larocco, U.S. ambassador to Kuwait, on a tour of U.S. troops in the region. They visited Marines from the 2nd battalion of the Marine's Fourth Regiment. Normally embarked aboard Navy ships in the Persian Gulf, on this day they were dug into Kuwait during an exercise.

Telling his Army staff later that evening about how the visit went, Gen. Franks first reminded the Army officers that Marines are different. They "live in holes and don't have a 'house' to live in like the Army's ''heavy forces,' "according to a message sent from the Persian Gulf to the Pentagon. Marines have "no tank or lots of tents to sleep in," he continued. "They carry their 'house' on their back and they live in fighting holes."

Though the Marines of Battalion Landing Team 2/4 had lost a buddy during a vehicle accident that day, Gen. Franks said that their spirit was "uplifting." Evidence of that came from a young Marine's exchange with Ambassador Larocco, which seemed to drive the point home, Gen. Franks told his staff. Mr. Larocco asked a private sitting in his fighting position, "How is it here in the hole?" The Marine private answered, "Kind of like the beach without the water." Then the diplomat asked "If you could get something, what would you like to have?" Standing near the inquiring ambassador, Gen. Franks thought most troops would have answered, "a hot meal," "a cot," or "a shower." But not this Marine. Three days before Christmas, a world away from the warmth of home, dug into a foreign land with his buddies, the Marine had only this request:

"I could use some more ammunition."

:D