thedrifter
01-22-08, 05:19 AM
War through a Marine's eyes: Local soldier tells story of life in Iraq
By Debra Mayeux The Daily Times
Article Launched: 01/22/2008 12:00:00 AM MST
The Christmas season is long over, but for a Marine in Iraq the thoughts of that day are something to remember.
Capt. Brian Cillessen, formerly of Farmington, celebrated the Christian holiday by playing in a ping-pong tournament with the Iraqi Police Force, a group of men he is tasked with training.
"Some of the Iraqis whooped my Marines," Cillessen wrote in an e-mail correspondence from Ramadi, Iraq, where he is stationed.
Cillessen, 35 and the recipient of a Silver Star for valor, said it is not unusual for U.S. soldiers to share in the Muslim holiday's of The Hajj, a journey to Mecca, and Ramadan, the end of fasting.
"They invite us to share in their celebrations," he said. "I've eaten more goat and sheep meat than I care to acknowledge."
It is this combining of cultures that makes life easier for U.S. military serving in a war that does not always receive positive publicity. The Marines, however, are doing good work in Iraq, according to Cillessen, the son of Cayla Cillessen, of Farmington, and William J. Cillessen, of Flora Vista.
"Our main focus is building relationships in order to figure out how to keep al-Qaida in Iraqi from recruiting new members; we have to tackle things like employment, governance, essential services, and rule of law," Cillessen said, adding that providing lasting jobs for citizens is a part of that.
It is accomplished through labor programs and projects that are "prioritized based on sewer, water, electricity, trash, education, and infrastructure."
He said the Iraqis have similar goals as the Americans. They understand law and want to enforce it. They look to the Marines in Cillessen's company to assist with investigations that can lead to criminal prosecutions, regardless of the fact that the judicial system is not always effective and the government is in stages of infancy.
"Now I find that my abilities to shoot a man at 500 meters are much less important than being able to keep our ad hoc town council from dissolving. ... I may be qualified more as a city planner, mayor, and diplomat than I am a Marine by the time this deployment is over," he said, adding this is done with such diplomacy that the enemy is destroyed without isolating the good people of Iraq.
Who are the enemies?
So who are the enemies in this war? They are the insurgents.
"Real quick, an insurgent is part of a group who wants to overthrow the current government utilizing terror, subversion, and armed conflict," Cillessen said through e-mail.
These insurgents, using "guerrilla-type tactics" often melt into the population, according to Cillessen.
"They will do whatever it takes to undermine the current government in order to promote their own agenda. The more they undermine the government's security, structure, legitimacy, the more they will be indirectly supported by the general population."
Using propaganda they find support from Iraqi citizens, who then, allow them to move freely throughout the communities, he said.
"Our current tactics are to be prepared for the clash of wills but at the same time gain and maintain the confidence and trust of the people," Cillessen said.
This is sometimes difficult when meshing the Iraqi cultures with 19- to 21-year-old American males, who are not always comfortable being "hugged and kissed by another man," or eating with their "fingers when sitting with the local population; filling the cultural gap is huge," he said.
About Cillessen
Cillessen, who has a 15-year career in the military, is on his fourth assignment in the Middle East. He served in Kuwait, Lebanon and Afghanistan before being stationed in Ramadi.
During his tour in Afghanistan, he "risked his life under intense direct fire to render aid. His actions rallied both the Marines and Afghan soldiers for whom he was responsible," a citation from President George W. Bush stated. This citation accompanied the award of a Silver Star, the military's third-highest medal for valor.
This third-generation soldier — his grandfather was in World War II and his father in Vietnam — is no stranger to military tactics and said he has had more training in the past few years than he thought possible. He and his men are fighting a counter-insurgency war using tactics that were put in place in Vietnam, yet are constantly changing and getting better.
"When the press speaks of our stubborn strategic policies, I am not sure they understand that tactics are different, though generally supportive of the strategic plan," he said, adding the tactics are working, because relationships are being established with the people.
"Some may say I am crazy but this murder and intimidation tactic the enemy was utilizing against the people only worked temporarily. Now remnants of al-Qaida in Iraq can only muster enough strength to disrupt our operations; and better yet, I've witnessed a resolve with the local population greater than we could have hoped for a year ago."
Conditions of war
In Ramadi, a year ago, it was a "war zone," according to Cillessen. More recently, he characterized the attacks as minimal with the "bad guys" attempting to send messages to let the soldiers know they are out there.
A close friend of Cillessen's was killed only a few kilometers from where he is stationed. He said that he thanks Capt. John Mahoney each day for his sacrifice, but knows that the man's efforts in 2005 were part of the recent success in Iraq.
"Of course, my goal is to bring all my boys home, but counter-insurgency tactics can be risky business; no one will ever win this by isolating the general population from the U.S. military," he said, adding the Iraqis and soldiers are keeping their eyes on the presidential election.
"The Iraqi people are especially interested in the outcome because they don't want the U.S. to pull out before their future is solidified," he said.
In the meantime, Cillessen and his company enjoy the comfort of their Ramadi home, a collection of small buildings with a large wall around it. "The generator works most of the day but flutters from time to time," he added.
There also is a problem with the local wildlife.
"We took the post over from an Army unit, but once they left we had to start a battle with the rodents. There are many feral cats around but I think they were losing terribly in their fight with the rats so we jumped in to assist," he wrote. "The flies were nearly unbearable but the winter weather has kept them at bay."
Doesn't quite sound like home, but there are support groups in the states that attempt to offer comfort to the Marines. The Blue Star Mothers did this during Christmas with multiple boxes of treats and other items.
"We were nearly overwhelmed with the support and care from home. It was a good feeling for all of us and I want to express my sincere gratitude to them," Cillessen said.
Debra Mayeux: dmayeux@daily-times.com
Ellie
By Debra Mayeux The Daily Times
Article Launched: 01/22/2008 12:00:00 AM MST
The Christmas season is long over, but for a Marine in Iraq the thoughts of that day are something to remember.
Capt. Brian Cillessen, formerly of Farmington, celebrated the Christian holiday by playing in a ping-pong tournament with the Iraqi Police Force, a group of men he is tasked with training.
"Some of the Iraqis whooped my Marines," Cillessen wrote in an e-mail correspondence from Ramadi, Iraq, where he is stationed.
Cillessen, 35 and the recipient of a Silver Star for valor, said it is not unusual for U.S. soldiers to share in the Muslim holiday's of The Hajj, a journey to Mecca, and Ramadan, the end of fasting.
"They invite us to share in their celebrations," he said. "I've eaten more goat and sheep meat than I care to acknowledge."
It is this combining of cultures that makes life easier for U.S. military serving in a war that does not always receive positive publicity. The Marines, however, are doing good work in Iraq, according to Cillessen, the son of Cayla Cillessen, of Farmington, and William J. Cillessen, of Flora Vista.
"Our main focus is building relationships in order to figure out how to keep al-Qaida in Iraqi from recruiting new members; we have to tackle things like employment, governance, essential services, and rule of law," Cillessen said, adding that providing lasting jobs for citizens is a part of that.
It is accomplished through labor programs and projects that are "prioritized based on sewer, water, electricity, trash, education, and infrastructure."
He said the Iraqis have similar goals as the Americans. They understand law and want to enforce it. They look to the Marines in Cillessen's company to assist with investigations that can lead to criminal prosecutions, regardless of the fact that the judicial system is not always effective and the government is in stages of infancy.
"Now I find that my abilities to shoot a man at 500 meters are much less important than being able to keep our ad hoc town council from dissolving. ... I may be qualified more as a city planner, mayor, and diplomat than I am a Marine by the time this deployment is over," he said, adding this is done with such diplomacy that the enemy is destroyed without isolating the good people of Iraq.
Who are the enemies?
So who are the enemies in this war? They are the insurgents.
"Real quick, an insurgent is part of a group who wants to overthrow the current government utilizing terror, subversion, and armed conflict," Cillessen said through e-mail.
These insurgents, using "guerrilla-type tactics" often melt into the population, according to Cillessen.
"They will do whatever it takes to undermine the current government in order to promote their own agenda. The more they undermine the government's security, structure, legitimacy, the more they will be indirectly supported by the general population."
Using propaganda they find support from Iraqi citizens, who then, allow them to move freely throughout the communities, he said.
"Our current tactics are to be prepared for the clash of wills but at the same time gain and maintain the confidence and trust of the people," Cillessen said.
This is sometimes difficult when meshing the Iraqi cultures with 19- to 21-year-old American males, who are not always comfortable being "hugged and kissed by another man," or eating with their "fingers when sitting with the local population; filling the cultural gap is huge," he said.
About Cillessen
Cillessen, who has a 15-year career in the military, is on his fourth assignment in the Middle East. He served in Kuwait, Lebanon and Afghanistan before being stationed in Ramadi.
During his tour in Afghanistan, he "risked his life under intense direct fire to render aid. His actions rallied both the Marines and Afghan soldiers for whom he was responsible," a citation from President George W. Bush stated. This citation accompanied the award of a Silver Star, the military's third-highest medal for valor.
This third-generation soldier — his grandfather was in World War II and his father in Vietnam — is no stranger to military tactics and said he has had more training in the past few years than he thought possible. He and his men are fighting a counter-insurgency war using tactics that were put in place in Vietnam, yet are constantly changing and getting better.
"When the press speaks of our stubborn strategic policies, I am not sure they understand that tactics are different, though generally supportive of the strategic plan," he said, adding the tactics are working, because relationships are being established with the people.
"Some may say I am crazy but this murder and intimidation tactic the enemy was utilizing against the people only worked temporarily. Now remnants of al-Qaida in Iraq can only muster enough strength to disrupt our operations; and better yet, I've witnessed a resolve with the local population greater than we could have hoped for a year ago."
Conditions of war
In Ramadi, a year ago, it was a "war zone," according to Cillessen. More recently, he characterized the attacks as minimal with the "bad guys" attempting to send messages to let the soldiers know they are out there.
A close friend of Cillessen's was killed only a few kilometers from where he is stationed. He said that he thanks Capt. John Mahoney each day for his sacrifice, but knows that the man's efforts in 2005 were part of the recent success in Iraq.
"Of course, my goal is to bring all my boys home, but counter-insurgency tactics can be risky business; no one will ever win this by isolating the general population from the U.S. military," he said, adding the Iraqis and soldiers are keeping their eyes on the presidential election.
"The Iraqi people are especially interested in the outcome because they don't want the U.S. to pull out before their future is solidified," he said.
In the meantime, Cillessen and his company enjoy the comfort of their Ramadi home, a collection of small buildings with a large wall around it. "The generator works most of the day but flutters from time to time," he added.
There also is a problem with the local wildlife.
"We took the post over from an Army unit, but once they left we had to start a battle with the rodents. There are many feral cats around but I think they were losing terribly in their fight with the rats so we jumped in to assist," he wrote. "The flies were nearly unbearable but the winter weather has kept them at bay."
Doesn't quite sound like home, but there are support groups in the states that attempt to offer comfort to the Marines. The Blue Star Mothers did this during Christmas with multiple boxes of treats and other items.
"We were nearly overwhelmed with the support and care from home. It was a good feeling for all of us and I want to express my sincere gratitude to them," Cillessen said.
Debra Mayeux: dmayeux@daily-times.com
Ellie