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thedrifter
10-31-08, 09:19 AM
Back in Iraq, and liking what I see


By Capt. Esteban “Ted” Vickers
Letters Home,

RAMADI, Iraq — October in Colorado is a month of change; the leaves begin to turn amber and gold, the temperatures begin to drop, all the hunters dawn their blaze orange looking for that trophy bull elk, ski and snowboard shops have their annual preseason sale. Everywhere you look change is in the air. The same could be said for me, my fellow Marines and the people of al Anbar, Iraq.

For me the change was drastic, the first part of the month I partook in the most anticipated program for any deployed service member, the R&R program. Basically it’s 15 days of combat leave taken back in the states or, for the more adventurous, some place abroad. I decided that after being away from the good ol’ USA for the past 10 months, nothing would be better than returning home to Colorado, of course with a nice side trip to Vegas. I don’t think I could have returned at a more perfect time. The weather was great — a bit cool for what I am used to, which was all the better — and just being back in a place with scenery was incredible. After living in the desert for a while where everything, including the houses, are tan in color, it was nice to see all the differing colors of Colorado, not to mention the mountains. It had been far too long since I have seen anything but sand. Too often we take for granted, the little things that make Colorado so special, but after being away for so long in a place so radically different it made me appreciate the state I call home so much more.

Another big change for the Marines of Regimental Combat Team 1 is that we have now officially moved out of Fallujah and are residing in Ramadi. When we arrived Marines were fully integrated throughout the city of Fallujah and we camped just outside, now we still serve in an overwatch position, but we have moved out of the base, which will completely close and be returned to the government of Iraq by mid-November. Furthermore, we have significantly reduced our presence in Fallujah proper to just a handful of Marines mentoring the Iraqi police. The move, while hectic, was a welcome change for the Marines; a new base, new work spaces, new living quarters — the change was welcome. While the amenities are very similar to what we had in Fallujah, after 10 months of living in the same place, working in the same office, eating the same food in the chow hall, anything different is welcome; even if the difference is extremely slight, it’s still different and that’s good.

With our move from Fallujah to Ramadi comes change for the people of this area as well, not only with our diminished presence but also with another huge stride toward democracy in the region. While I was home I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed with election coverage, the news, television commercials, billboards, bumper stickers. No matter where you looked you could tell an election was on the horizon. When I returned to Iraq I thought I was finally done with the continual inundation of political campaign advertisements. However, I forgot about the upcoming elections here. So now the only difference is I can’t read the billboards and bumper stickers, but it’s still there.

Frankly, I really don’t mind all the political banter. Whether it is in Iraq or back home it’s great to see the similarities between our two countries, and I am glad to see the political process moving forward here in al Anbar. It’s unfortunate that most people take for granted the political process we have in the states. Voting is an amazing privilege that we have and now share with the people of al Anbar and the whole of Iraq. But unlike the states where we would be lucky to get 50 percent of Americans to actually bother to vote, the people here take great pride in the elections process and have already registered in percentages far exceeding our own.

October has been an eventful month, one full of change for me, the Marines and the Iraqi people. I truly enjoyed my time at home. It was great to see everything that makes Colorado wonderful packed into my short two weeks of leave. However, I was eager to get back. I am about 75 percent done with my tour here and am looking forward to finishing off strong, helping the people of al Anbar become more self-sufficient and ensuring that they will be better off when I leave than when I arrived. The future of this region looks bright, and the Marines here have done what just a year ago would have been unthinkable. We, along with our Iraqi counterparts, have diminished violence to a point where the Iraqi security forces can operate independently. We are moving out of areas considered “lost” by some politicians, arm-chair generals and quite a few media organizations just a short time ago. I am proud of what the Marines have accomplished in such a short time, and I can’t wait to see what the next few months will bring.

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Capt. Esteban “Ted” Vickers is a Marine currently serving with Regimental Combat Team 1 in Fallujah, Iraq. He is a 1994 graduate of Fruita Monument High School and is a Fruita resident.

Ellie