thedrifter
07-04-07, 07:08 AM
Marines in Iraq get shirts of thanks from students
By KEITH EDWARDS
Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
For Gardiner Area High School graduate Lt. Col. Damien Marsh, celebrating our nation's birthday in Iraq today will be a brief, but poignant affair, thanks in part to three boxes sent as a holiday surprise from Maine.
Marsh is a helicopter pilot and executive officer to 200 Marines in the Flying Tigers helicopter squadron.
Students from across Maine donated and sent enough T-shirts with the Flying Tiger logo that each Marine serving with Marsh -- so far from home, during one of the most American of holidays -- will get one.
The gifts came from many schools, including Libby Tozier and Carrie Ricker schools in Litchfield, Gardiner Area High School and Brunswick schools.
But beyond the shirt to cover their backs, Marsh hopes another surprise will warm many of his fellow Marines' hearts.
Inside each shirt will be at least two letters from students back home in Maine, and elsewhere in the States, expressing their thanks and Fourth of July wishes.
"We'll have a formation in the morning to pass out the T-shirts and recognize our nation's birthday," Marsh said Tuesday from Camp Al Taqaddum, Iraq, "and an hour or so later, they'll take off and start flying missions.
"Most of them will probably just notice the shirt and think it's cool. Then, maybe tomorrow night, I think they'll have a chance to sit down and read these letters. The letters I've seen are tremendous. They won't get to see their family and friends, but they'll know kids across the Eastern Seaboard are thinking of them."
The Flying Tigers, of the 262nd Marine Medium Helicopter squadron, have been in Iraq flying combat support missions nearly nonstop since their arrival in January. Marsh thinks they'll be leaving Iraq as soon as August.
But they won't really be going "home." They're full-time Marines, so when they leave Iraq they're expected to return to their squadron's base in Okinawa, Japan.
"One of the points that makes this special is, unlike other units here in Iraq, when this unit goes home, it doesn't go back to the United States. It goes to Okinawa," Marsh said. "Everyone else goes back to their home states for a lavish, warm welcome-home.
"After seven months in Iraq, these guys go back to a country where everyone drives on the wrong side of the road, people don't care about them and have no idea what they've done."
Marsh said he's not entirely sure who the primary movers were in collecting the shirts and nearly 500 letters.
He said about a week ago three huge boxes showed up in the mail, addressed to him.
Other Marines just figured Marsh had gotten a big care package, but inside were hundreds of shirts and letters from students from kindergarten to high school for him to share as a Fourth of July surprise gift.
Christine LaJoie-Cameron, principal of the elementary and middle schools in Litchfield, said teachers organized the effort there.
Lt. Philip Klay, a Marines public affairs officer also stationed in Al Taqaddum -- roughly halfway between Fallujah and Ramadi -- said several Litchfield teachers had their classes participate and a couple of Gardiner teachers were also involved, as was Priscilla Vaughan, a former teacher of Marsh who no longer teaches in Gardiner.
Marsh graduated from Gardiner in 1987.
He has previously flown Marine Helicopter One on missions carrying then-President Bill Clinton and current President George W. Bush. Most notably, he flew Bush back to Washington to meet Air Force One on Sept. 11, 2001.
Marsh is married and his wife and two children live in Okinawa. He still has family in the local area, including his parents, John and Judy Marsh of West Gardiner.
While spending the Fourth of July with family would, of course, be ideal, Marsh noted he and most of the Marines in his squadron would be in Japan, not the United States, if they weren't in Iraq on the Fourth.
"From our perspective being in Japan, every Fourth of July is away from home," he said. "At least now, we're surrounded by our fellow service members, doing the nation's service."
Marsh said it was 114 degrees in Al Taqaddum on Tuesday.
The 262nd's helicopter missions include some raids, evacuations of injured troops and lots and lots of moving of personnel, equipment and cargo.
"As of last night, we've flown 21,875 passengers. We move a lot of people," Marsh said. "We've moved 677,000 pounds of cargo. We've done that in 4,794 flight hours. We do pretty much a little bit of everything."
The 38-year-old Marsh noted his squadron of Marines, some just 19 years old when they landed on the sands of Iraq, has essentially worked nonstop since their arrival, flying missions and maintaining their helicopters.
"A lot of them aren't much older than some of the kids sending the letters," he said.
Keith Edwards -- 621-5647
kedwards@centralmaine.com
Ellie
By KEITH EDWARDS
Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
For Gardiner Area High School graduate Lt. Col. Damien Marsh, celebrating our nation's birthday in Iraq today will be a brief, but poignant affair, thanks in part to three boxes sent as a holiday surprise from Maine.
Marsh is a helicopter pilot and executive officer to 200 Marines in the Flying Tigers helicopter squadron.
Students from across Maine donated and sent enough T-shirts with the Flying Tiger logo that each Marine serving with Marsh -- so far from home, during one of the most American of holidays -- will get one.
The gifts came from many schools, including Libby Tozier and Carrie Ricker schools in Litchfield, Gardiner Area High School and Brunswick schools.
But beyond the shirt to cover their backs, Marsh hopes another surprise will warm many of his fellow Marines' hearts.
Inside each shirt will be at least two letters from students back home in Maine, and elsewhere in the States, expressing their thanks and Fourth of July wishes.
"We'll have a formation in the morning to pass out the T-shirts and recognize our nation's birthday," Marsh said Tuesday from Camp Al Taqaddum, Iraq, "and an hour or so later, they'll take off and start flying missions.
"Most of them will probably just notice the shirt and think it's cool. Then, maybe tomorrow night, I think they'll have a chance to sit down and read these letters. The letters I've seen are tremendous. They won't get to see their family and friends, but they'll know kids across the Eastern Seaboard are thinking of them."
The Flying Tigers, of the 262nd Marine Medium Helicopter squadron, have been in Iraq flying combat support missions nearly nonstop since their arrival in January. Marsh thinks they'll be leaving Iraq as soon as August.
But they won't really be going "home." They're full-time Marines, so when they leave Iraq they're expected to return to their squadron's base in Okinawa, Japan.
"One of the points that makes this special is, unlike other units here in Iraq, when this unit goes home, it doesn't go back to the United States. It goes to Okinawa," Marsh said. "Everyone else goes back to their home states for a lavish, warm welcome-home.
"After seven months in Iraq, these guys go back to a country where everyone drives on the wrong side of the road, people don't care about them and have no idea what they've done."
Marsh said he's not entirely sure who the primary movers were in collecting the shirts and nearly 500 letters.
He said about a week ago three huge boxes showed up in the mail, addressed to him.
Other Marines just figured Marsh had gotten a big care package, but inside were hundreds of shirts and letters from students from kindergarten to high school for him to share as a Fourth of July surprise gift.
Christine LaJoie-Cameron, principal of the elementary and middle schools in Litchfield, said teachers organized the effort there.
Lt. Philip Klay, a Marines public affairs officer also stationed in Al Taqaddum -- roughly halfway between Fallujah and Ramadi -- said several Litchfield teachers had their classes participate and a couple of Gardiner teachers were also involved, as was Priscilla Vaughan, a former teacher of Marsh who no longer teaches in Gardiner.
Marsh graduated from Gardiner in 1987.
He has previously flown Marine Helicopter One on missions carrying then-President Bill Clinton and current President George W. Bush. Most notably, he flew Bush back to Washington to meet Air Force One on Sept. 11, 2001.
Marsh is married and his wife and two children live in Okinawa. He still has family in the local area, including his parents, John and Judy Marsh of West Gardiner.
While spending the Fourth of July with family would, of course, be ideal, Marsh noted he and most of the Marines in his squadron would be in Japan, not the United States, if they weren't in Iraq on the Fourth.
"From our perspective being in Japan, every Fourth of July is away from home," he said. "At least now, we're surrounded by our fellow service members, doing the nation's service."
Marsh said it was 114 degrees in Al Taqaddum on Tuesday.
The 262nd's helicopter missions include some raids, evacuations of injured troops and lots and lots of moving of personnel, equipment and cargo.
"As of last night, we've flown 21,875 passengers. We move a lot of people," Marsh said. "We've moved 677,000 pounds of cargo. We've done that in 4,794 flight hours. We do pretty much a little bit of everything."
The 38-year-old Marsh noted his squadron of Marines, some just 19 years old when they landed on the sands of Iraq, has essentially worked nonstop since their arrival, flying missions and maintaining their helicopters.
"A lot of them aren't much older than some of the kids sending the letters," he said.
Keith Edwards -- 621-5647
kedwards@centralmaine.com
Ellie