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thedrifter
02-11-08, 02:36 PM
MONDAY FEBRUARY 11, 2008

Last modified: Monday, February 11, 2008 10:41 AM CST

It’s beautiful country when nobody’s shooting - This is the 19th installment in a series of “letters home” from a local Marine deployed for a second tour in Iraq.

By Staff Sgt. Isaac Weix, USMC

We are now on our own. The unit that we replaced has finally left, and we are now in full control of the area.

I have spent the last week with my Marines doing reconnaissance of the area. We have numerous patrol outposts in our area that need to be visited periodically.

My detachment of Marines travels in MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicles. These vehicles weigh 30,000 to 40,000 pounds, depending on the variant.

Getting around this country’s unimproved roads can be a challenge. One must have great knowledge of the route to be sure that you do not get stuck or end up in a canal.

One of the dangers of having a vehicle with limited mobility is that it limits your ability to vary routes, which can set you up for an ambush. The mobility vs. armor debate rages after more than 6,000 years of fighting in wars.

The Iraqi security forces in the area are doing a good job keeping the violence down. We still have IEDs to contend with, but they are very limited and the Iraqis find most of them. It seems that most of the limited violence I have seen here is due to criminal activities and power struggles, the same thing that causes violence in the U.S.

We are still getting settled in and are developing a rhythm. The Marines are still excited to “get outside the wire,” but I am sure that in a month, boredom will be the greatest enemy.

We were driving along a canal yesterday as the sun was going down. There were white egrets on the edge of the water and an absence of the garbage that seems to be everywhere here.

The comment was made, “This is a beautiful country when no one is shooting at you.”

Weix, an Elmwood native, serves with the 24th Marine Regiment out of Madison as a platoon sergeant for Weapons Platoon, “G” Company, 2nd Battalion.

Ellie