thedrifter
03-28-09, 07:25 AM
March 28, 2009
Former Marine writes book on Iraq battle
Retired teacher answered ad in magazine to help beloved Corps
Jennifer Kingsley
Aside from his family, Frank Kozlowski has two loves: the U.S. Marine Corps, for which he served from 1969 to 1972, and history.
About four years ago, Frank got the chance to combine his two passions when he answered an ad in Leatherneck, a magazine for Marines. The Marines were looking for someone to send overseas to follow troops around in combat zones and document the journey.
Frank, 59, was a machine gunner in the Marine Corps and would readily serve again if asked.
Until recently, when a knee operation slowed him down, Frank ran several miles every day to keep in shape. He looks forward to putting on his running shoes again.
He was ready to do whatever his beloved Marine Corps asked, he said.
"They were looking for reserve officers, which I'm not, but I wanted to go to combat," Frank said. "They told me they were interested in commissioning me to do work with them."
Frank, who lives in Sayre with his wife, Jane, was elated.
He wasn't asked to travel overseas. Instead, he was asked to piece together interviews, maps and documents to create a summary of the 2004 battle of An-Najaf, which took place about 90 miles south of Baghdad.
"They gave me the credentials to go where I needed to go. I've been out (of the Marines) for about 30 years, but I still love it," Frank said. "I felt like I was back in the service. I was happy to be there, and I got respect because I was a Marine officer."
The conflict began on Aug. 5, 2004, when the Mahdi Army attacked an Iraqi police station. Soon after, a battle ensued within the Wadi as-Salaam, the largest cemetery in the Muslim world, Frank said.
The battled ended on Aug. 27, 2004, with a cease-fire. U.S. forces and the Mahdi Army agreed to withdraw from the city. Mahdi fighters surrendered their weapons, and Iraqi police took control of the city's security. A final agreement was reached at the end of September, and the fighting stopped in early October.
Frank spent five to six hours a day for a year and a half immersed in documents, maps and recorded interviews to organize the sequence of events that led to the battle and subsequent cease-fire.
"It was a lot of material," Frank said. "I did what a historian does. I read it all, took notes and organized it to take the main stories and organize into sequence. It took a year and a half."
The booklet, entitled "U.S. Marines in Battle An-Najaf, August 2004," sells for $10 on the U.S. Government Bookstore Web site at http://bookstore.gpo.gov/ actions/GetPublication.do? stocknumber=008-055-00240-1. It was published in January.
The guide, which serves as the official battle summary, will be used primarily as a teaching tool, something Frank can relate to.
Folks in the Northern Tier likely know Frank as Dr. K., the retired history teacher. He taught school in the Athens Area School District for 29 years before retiring in 2004.
"I love teaching and sharing with others," Frank said.
For Frank, writing the summary gave him a chance to reminisce with high-ranking Marine officials, many of whom shared similar experiences during the early 1970s.
"The Marine Corps is my biggest identity in life. It was bigger than my Ph.D." Frank said.
He even has a shrine in his basement dedicated to his days as a Marine.
"Oh, I think every former Marine has one of those," Frank said with a chuckle.
These days, Frank divides his time between volunteering at a museum in Ithaca and the local Veterans Administration clinic in Sayre.
When asked if he would consider writing another guide, he replied, "Probably not."
Frank is, however, considering writing an article for Leatherneck.
Additional Facts
Contact JENNIFER
* Call: (607) 271-8280 or (800) 836-8970, ext. 280.
* E-mail: jkingsle@gannett.com
* Mail: Jennifer Kingsley, Star-Gazette, P.O. Box 285, Elmira, NY 14902.
Ellie
Former Marine writes book on Iraq battle
Retired teacher answered ad in magazine to help beloved Corps
Jennifer Kingsley
Aside from his family, Frank Kozlowski has two loves: the U.S. Marine Corps, for which he served from 1969 to 1972, and history.
About four years ago, Frank got the chance to combine his two passions when he answered an ad in Leatherneck, a magazine for Marines. The Marines were looking for someone to send overseas to follow troops around in combat zones and document the journey.
Frank, 59, was a machine gunner in the Marine Corps and would readily serve again if asked.
Until recently, when a knee operation slowed him down, Frank ran several miles every day to keep in shape. He looks forward to putting on his running shoes again.
He was ready to do whatever his beloved Marine Corps asked, he said.
"They were looking for reserve officers, which I'm not, but I wanted to go to combat," Frank said. "They told me they were interested in commissioning me to do work with them."
Frank, who lives in Sayre with his wife, Jane, was elated.
He wasn't asked to travel overseas. Instead, he was asked to piece together interviews, maps and documents to create a summary of the 2004 battle of An-Najaf, which took place about 90 miles south of Baghdad.
"They gave me the credentials to go where I needed to go. I've been out (of the Marines) for about 30 years, but I still love it," Frank said. "I felt like I was back in the service. I was happy to be there, and I got respect because I was a Marine officer."
The conflict began on Aug. 5, 2004, when the Mahdi Army attacked an Iraqi police station. Soon after, a battle ensued within the Wadi as-Salaam, the largest cemetery in the Muslim world, Frank said.
The battled ended on Aug. 27, 2004, with a cease-fire. U.S. forces and the Mahdi Army agreed to withdraw from the city. Mahdi fighters surrendered their weapons, and Iraqi police took control of the city's security. A final agreement was reached at the end of September, and the fighting stopped in early October.
Frank spent five to six hours a day for a year and a half immersed in documents, maps and recorded interviews to organize the sequence of events that led to the battle and subsequent cease-fire.
"It was a lot of material," Frank said. "I did what a historian does. I read it all, took notes and organized it to take the main stories and organize into sequence. It took a year and a half."
The booklet, entitled "U.S. Marines in Battle An-Najaf, August 2004," sells for $10 on the U.S. Government Bookstore Web site at http://bookstore.gpo.gov/ actions/GetPublication.do? stocknumber=008-055-00240-1. It was published in January.
The guide, which serves as the official battle summary, will be used primarily as a teaching tool, something Frank can relate to.
Folks in the Northern Tier likely know Frank as Dr. K., the retired history teacher. He taught school in the Athens Area School District for 29 years before retiring in 2004.
"I love teaching and sharing with others," Frank said.
For Frank, writing the summary gave him a chance to reminisce with high-ranking Marine officials, many of whom shared similar experiences during the early 1970s.
"The Marine Corps is my biggest identity in life. It was bigger than my Ph.D." Frank said.
He even has a shrine in his basement dedicated to his days as a Marine.
"Oh, I think every former Marine has one of those," Frank said with a chuckle.
These days, Frank divides his time between volunteering at a museum in Ithaca and the local Veterans Administration clinic in Sayre.
When asked if he would consider writing another guide, he replied, "Probably not."
Frank is, however, considering writing an article for Leatherneck.
Additional Facts
Contact JENNIFER
* Call: (607) 271-8280 or (800) 836-8970, ext. 280.
* E-mail: jkingsle@gannett.com
* Mail: Jennifer Kingsley, Star-Gazette, P.O. Box 285, Elmira, NY 14902.
Ellie