thedrifter
01-18-08, 05:56 AM
Jan 17, 2008
Local Marine reports progress in Iraq
By Lt. Edward Gonzalez
United States Marine Corps
Editor’s Note: This letter was addressed to family and friends, and is printed in the Advertiser at the request of those who received it with permission from Lt. Gonzalez.
I am at the end of a seven-month deployment in the Al Anbar province of Iraq. I have been working on a military transition team with the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 7th Division Iraqi Army.
I have received many questions from people back home, wondering how things are going over here. Most reference the negative messages they have heard from the media and some politicians. Some people I have spoken to assume that I hate being deployed, and spend all my time praying to come home. In the past two and a half years I have spent 18 months away from home. As a husband and father, I do miss my family, and want to get home to them, and while I certainly have not “enjoyed” my time here, I do not regret it. What has surprised me most was how shocked many people were when I expressed excitement over the progress the Iraqis have been making these past months. I cannot speak for all of Iraq; however I can speak to the progress made in our area of operations, which spans from just north of Hit, to just south of Haditha.
When I arrived in July, there were three American battalions that spanned from Hit to Haditha. Currently there are only two, and very soon there will be only one. In July, the Iraqis did not have their own battle space. They operated in American battle space and took all their orders from American commanders. In the past seven months the battalion, brigade and division all underwent validation operations. These were a series of operational tests designed to confirm or deny the Iraqi Army’s ability to operate on their own. They passed all these tests, and have been operating in their own battle space for several months now. Since then, I have witnessed Iraqi Army commanders plan large scale operations which involved not only Iraqi soldiers, but Iraqi police and United Sates Marines. These Iraqi commanders planned and briefed every facet of the operations, to include how they wanted the Americans to support them.
I have had the privilege to work with some outstanding Iraqi officers. One company commander comes from a military family. His father was a colonel. A month before I arrived in Iraq his father was murdered while home on leave by a religious fanatic. This young officer still came back to the unit, fully committed to fighting and defeating the insurgency. One of our interpreters had a family member murdered because the wrong people found he was working with the Americans. Still he comes to work more committed than ever to help us in our mission.
I have also met several truly courageous Iraqi civilians. In one village I worked in, the local sheik, committed to kicking the insurgents out, started the local police station on his own. He engaged Americans to facilitate basic training and supplies for the police officers. He went to all the families in the area and convinced them that if they wanted safety for their families, they would have to fight for it. Seventy five young men, including all four of the sheik’s sons, volunteered to serve as policemen. As I write this, they have been serving for more than seven months and have not received a single paycheck. The sheik invests what money he can, but they continue to work without pay in order to keep their town safe.
In another village, a Marine foot patrol was moving down a dirt road. One of the village elders suddenly ran from his house and stood in front of the patrol, shouting, and refused to let them pass. Once an interpreter was brought up, the Marines learned that a pressure plate IED was buried in the road just one block up. The townspeople had been threatened with death if any of them warned the Americans. The village elder later told us, that if it is God’s will, he will die, but he will not allow such an attack to happen in his town, after the Marines had been so good to the people. In the same area, several months later, in the middle of the night, we heard shouting and saw lights flashing on and off in the houses. A patrol of Iraqi soldiers was sent out to investigate. When they arrived they were greeted by several of the local men. The soldiers learned that two men not from the area had come into town that night. They were later seen attempting to place an IED along a dirt path regularly patrolled by Marines and Iraqi Army. When the people saw this they began shouting at the men, warning that if they placed the IED they would shoot them themselves. The flashing lights were in order to signal us. The men picked up the IED and ran. The men were not caught, but they were also never seen again.
As I patrol different villages, it is always the same; the people are friendly and glad to see us. This summer, where the day’s temperatures regularly went above 120 degrees, the people would come out of their houses to greet us with ice water to drink and refill our canteens, shake our hands, and thank us for the work we are doing. I have been invited inside homes for tea, cigarettes, and full meals.
No one says Iraq is not dangerous. However, to say that this is not a winnable situation is simply not true. Iraq is still a dangerous place; however, we are finally reaching a point where the Iraqi military and police forces are able to deal with the dangers of the insurgency on their own. When speaking with Iraqi civilians, to include the local elders and sheiks, they are very positive about the future. They understand that for all our mistakes, Americans are in Iraq to help. However, they know there is no quick solution to the problems Iraq faces. We as Americans must understand this as well. The Iraqi Army still has a long way to go. For example, they currently rely on American helicopters to provide support and casualty evacuation to seriously wounded soldiers, but I have met Air Force transition teams working with Iraqi pilots. It is only a matter of time before Iraqi helicopters pick up these missions on their own.
As the Iraqis continue to improve, there will be a draw down in forces, but it will be a gradual process. If we rush to pull all our troops from Iraq, leaving the Iraqis to operate on their own, before they are truly ready, the insurgency will reemerge and the lives we have spent up to this point will have all been for nothing. On the whole, the Marines I serve with feel similar to me. If we are going to risk our lives and spend years away from our loved ones, we want it to mean something. We have come here with a job to do, and we do not plan on leaving until that job is done. My hope is that the American public remains patient and gives the military, both American and Iraqi, enough time to finish the job properly.
First Lt. Edward Gonzalez, USMC, is an adviser, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 7th Division Iraqi Army.
Ellie
Local Marine reports progress in Iraq
By Lt. Edward Gonzalez
United States Marine Corps
Editor’s Note: This letter was addressed to family and friends, and is printed in the Advertiser at the request of those who received it with permission from Lt. Gonzalez.
I am at the end of a seven-month deployment in the Al Anbar province of Iraq. I have been working on a military transition team with the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 7th Division Iraqi Army.
I have received many questions from people back home, wondering how things are going over here. Most reference the negative messages they have heard from the media and some politicians. Some people I have spoken to assume that I hate being deployed, and spend all my time praying to come home. In the past two and a half years I have spent 18 months away from home. As a husband and father, I do miss my family, and want to get home to them, and while I certainly have not “enjoyed” my time here, I do not regret it. What has surprised me most was how shocked many people were when I expressed excitement over the progress the Iraqis have been making these past months. I cannot speak for all of Iraq; however I can speak to the progress made in our area of operations, which spans from just north of Hit, to just south of Haditha.
When I arrived in July, there were three American battalions that spanned from Hit to Haditha. Currently there are only two, and very soon there will be only one. In July, the Iraqis did not have their own battle space. They operated in American battle space and took all their orders from American commanders. In the past seven months the battalion, brigade and division all underwent validation operations. These were a series of operational tests designed to confirm or deny the Iraqi Army’s ability to operate on their own. They passed all these tests, and have been operating in their own battle space for several months now. Since then, I have witnessed Iraqi Army commanders plan large scale operations which involved not only Iraqi soldiers, but Iraqi police and United Sates Marines. These Iraqi commanders planned and briefed every facet of the operations, to include how they wanted the Americans to support them.
I have had the privilege to work with some outstanding Iraqi officers. One company commander comes from a military family. His father was a colonel. A month before I arrived in Iraq his father was murdered while home on leave by a religious fanatic. This young officer still came back to the unit, fully committed to fighting and defeating the insurgency. One of our interpreters had a family member murdered because the wrong people found he was working with the Americans. Still he comes to work more committed than ever to help us in our mission.
I have also met several truly courageous Iraqi civilians. In one village I worked in, the local sheik, committed to kicking the insurgents out, started the local police station on his own. He engaged Americans to facilitate basic training and supplies for the police officers. He went to all the families in the area and convinced them that if they wanted safety for their families, they would have to fight for it. Seventy five young men, including all four of the sheik’s sons, volunteered to serve as policemen. As I write this, they have been serving for more than seven months and have not received a single paycheck. The sheik invests what money he can, but they continue to work without pay in order to keep their town safe.
In another village, a Marine foot patrol was moving down a dirt road. One of the village elders suddenly ran from his house and stood in front of the patrol, shouting, and refused to let them pass. Once an interpreter was brought up, the Marines learned that a pressure plate IED was buried in the road just one block up. The townspeople had been threatened with death if any of them warned the Americans. The village elder later told us, that if it is God’s will, he will die, but he will not allow such an attack to happen in his town, after the Marines had been so good to the people. In the same area, several months later, in the middle of the night, we heard shouting and saw lights flashing on and off in the houses. A patrol of Iraqi soldiers was sent out to investigate. When they arrived they were greeted by several of the local men. The soldiers learned that two men not from the area had come into town that night. They were later seen attempting to place an IED along a dirt path regularly patrolled by Marines and Iraqi Army. When the people saw this they began shouting at the men, warning that if they placed the IED they would shoot them themselves. The flashing lights were in order to signal us. The men picked up the IED and ran. The men were not caught, but they were also never seen again.
As I patrol different villages, it is always the same; the people are friendly and glad to see us. This summer, where the day’s temperatures regularly went above 120 degrees, the people would come out of their houses to greet us with ice water to drink and refill our canteens, shake our hands, and thank us for the work we are doing. I have been invited inside homes for tea, cigarettes, and full meals.
No one says Iraq is not dangerous. However, to say that this is not a winnable situation is simply not true. Iraq is still a dangerous place; however, we are finally reaching a point where the Iraqi military and police forces are able to deal with the dangers of the insurgency on their own. When speaking with Iraqi civilians, to include the local elders and sheiks, they are very positive about the future. They understand that for all our mistakes, Americans are in Iraq to help. However, they know there is no quick solution to the problems Iraq faces. We as Americans must understand this as well. The Iraqi Army still has a long way to go. For example, they currently rely on American helicopters to provide support and casualty evacuation to seriously wounded soldiers, but I have met Air Force transition teams working with Iraqi pilots. It is only a matter of time before Iraqi helicopters pick up these missions on their own.
As the Iraqis continue to improve, there will be a draw down in forces, but it will be a gradual process. If we rush to pull all our troops from Iraq, leaving the Iraqis to operate on their own, before they are truly ready, the insurgency will reemerge and the lives we have spent up to this point will have all been for nothing. On the whole, the Marines I serve with feel similar to me. If we are going to risk our lives and spend years away from our loved ones, we want it to mean something. We have come here with a job to do, and we do not plan on leaving until that job is done. My hope is that the American public remains patient and gives the military, both American and Iraqi, enough time to finish the job properly.
First Lt. Edward Gonzalez, USMC, is an adviser, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 7th Division Iraqi Army.
Ellie