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thedrifter
09-29-07, 01:41 PM
War' is Chaos'
By Jennifer Roblez (Contact)
Friday, September 28, 2007

Col. Brent Dunahoe did everything but hand out rifles to make the war in Iraq as real as possible during a talk Thursday at Emporia State University

“We say, ‘America’s not at war, America’s at the mall,’” said Dunahoe, the commanding officer of the 24th Marine Regiment in Kansas City Mo.

Even his daughter, a student at The University of Kansas, tries to make the war more immediate to those who say it doesn’t affect them, hence, they don’t care.

He said his daughter recently confronted a student in class who seemed proud not to be touched by the war, saying “Every time an American gets killed, it should affect you.”

Dunahoe should know. He so effectively commanded troops after the war began in Iraq in 2003 that he was awarded the Bronze Star with a bronze “V” for valor in combat. He wore that medal, and five rows of ribbons, on his uniform at ESU while speaking on his topic — “Preparing for War: Expectations and Realities in Combat.”

Marines swiftly moved from boot camp or other duties to the initial battlefront In Iraq. In his case, Dunahoe was getting ready for mountain and snow exercises in December 2002, only to spend Jan. 11 to Feb. 18, 2003, on a ship heading to the Middle East, then he entered Iraq in March 2003.

“We thought there’d be open arms,” Dunahoe said.

Instead, he found “chaos,” — an enemy who dressed like civilians, kept explosives in mosques and hospitals and used women and children as human shields. He said he relied on his training to get through fighting in Al Nasiriyah, which started in earnest when Pfc. Jessica Lynch’s 507th Maintenance Company got lost and ignited a battle for the city.

In boot camp, soldiers as young as ESU students undergo 13 weeks of training. Dunahoe said preparing for war required a focus on getting ready “mentally, morally, physically and spiritually.”

Carrying 80-90 pounds helped strengthen a soldier’s body. A soldier needed the mental fortitude to make decisions in seconds that could mean the difference for him between jail for overkill and death by the enemy.

Morally, he or she had to reconcile the concept of “Thou shall not kill,” with orders to locate and kill anything that “moves, shoots, explodes and communicates.”

Spiritually, Dunahoe said, Marines come to accept that “Everyday is Sunday.”

Then he brought out the video — 10 minutes of riveting images of combat in Fallujah — house-to-house raids, explosives aimed at concrete structures and machine gun rounds — all set to pounding rock music.

Dunahoe said he never wants a fair fight. His goal is to “surprise, shock and use extreme violence at the point of contact” with the enemy.

That takes a strong constitution, one the Marines hone from the ground up. Dunahoe probably didn’t intend for his talk to be a recruiting device, but at least one young man said he was ready to enlist.

The video, the ESU student said, was the turning point.

“They really get to blow things up,” he said, asking not to be identified because he didn’t want his mother to know. “I’d like to put it on the line for my country.”

Ellie