U.S. Attacks Targets In Iraq

[thedrifter]

Hearing ends when Cpl Hassoun asks for civilian lawyer
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WRAL TV Raleigh-Durham
Dec. 21, 2004

A Marine charged with desertion after he disappeared from his unit in Iraq and later claimed to be kidnapped said Tuesday he wants a civilian attorney in addition to his military lawyers for a pretrial hearing that will feature classified material.

Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun entered a courtroom here for an investigatory hearing with his two military attorneys. But the proceeding was delayed until Jan. 13 after Hassoun told the officer overseeing the Article 32 hearing that he also wanted to hire an outside lawyer.

The investigating officer, Col. David Wunder, said he would give Hassoun time to find a civilian attorney to join the defense team. Wunder cautioned Hassoun to inquire whether any civilian he hires has a security clearance to view classified material that will be used in the case.

A prosecutor said that many witnesses in the case will be counterintelligence Marines whose full names won't be divulged at the hearing. Hassoun was working as an Arabic translator for counterintelligence units.

"They are not going to remain anonymous, but we're not going to make them public," Wunder said.

Hassoun's only comment, other than to respond to questions about his legal rights, was the tell Wunder that he wanted to keep his military defense lawyers and seek a civilian attorney. Wunder noted that Hassoun had said last week he was satisfied with the military lawyers.

Wunder also said he would allow a week's delay on the Jan. 13 date if Hassoun's lawyer had a schedule conflict.

"If their docket is stacked full, I'm not going to hold this hearing open until May," Wunder said.

One witness was flown in specifically to testify Tuesday, but the defense asked to delay that testimony so the civilian lawyer could participate in questioning. Two or three witnesses were on the base and could have been called to the two-day hearing if it hadn't been delayed.

Hassoun was charged last week following a five-month investigation into his June disappearance from a U.S. military camp near Fallujah, Iraq. Hassoun, of West Jordan, Utah, is accused of deserting Human Exploitation Team-9 where he served as an Arabic interpreter.

Hassoun, a truck driver with the 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade at Lejeune, also is charged with loss of government property and theft of a military firearm for allegedly leaving the Marine camp while still in possession of his 9 mm service pistol, as well as theft of a Humvee.

Brigade spokesman Maj. Matt Morgan said Hassoun could face a maximum life sentence without parole if convicted of deserting during wartime. Ordinary charges of unauthorized leave carry a five-year maximum sentence.

The other counts carry 10-year maximums.

Morgan said there are more than 2,500 desertion cases now in the Department of Defense.

The Article 32 hearing is similar to a civilian grand jury and a military investigating officer will recommend to the brigade's commanding general whether a court-martial will be held.

Hassoun last was seen in Iraq on June 19. He did not report for duty the next day and was listed as missing.

On June 27, the Arabic news network Al-Jazeera broadcast the photo of Hassoun looking as if he was a hostage, blindfolded and with a sword behind his head. A group called the National Islamic Resistance/1920 Revolution Brigade claimed to be holding him and was threatening to decapitate him unless detainees in "U.S.-led occupation prisons" were released, Al-Jazeera said.

Hassoun contacted American officials in Beirut, Lebanon, on July 8, and he was taken to the American Embassy there.

Morgan said the charges stemmed from an investigation into Hassoun's disappearance. A classified investigation also is continuing to find answers about Hassoun's alleged capture.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Donors warm up holiday for war widow
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Tuesday, December 21, 2004
By DEAN BAKER, Columbian staff writer

The Marine Corps League, Dick Hannah Chrysler-Jeep, the two Red Robins in Vancouver and CJ's Grill in Battle Ground have stepped forward along with dozens of other community members to take some of the sting out of Amanda Ries' loss this Christmas.

Ries' husband, Marine Staff Sgt. David Ries, 29, was killed in Fallujah on Nov. 8 when a bomb blew up his Humvee.

Ries said Monday she's been overwhelmed by the outpouring of help from the community.

"It's awesome," she said. "It's so cool."

The Marine Corps League and the car dealer completed $2,700 worth of repairs on the 24-year-old widow's 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee over the weekend. It cost her nothing.

The Red Robin gave her $5,000 as a portion of proceeds and a raffle conducted in her name. CJ's also is taking up a collection in her name.

The Marine Corps League also gave Ries' children Bailey, 4, and Camryn, 2 each a bicycle and a bicycle helmet, winter clothes and a Christmas tree.

They persuaded Santa to stop by their house in the Vancouver mall area, too, as a treat for the kids.

With a monthly income including her husband's $1,500 in Social Security and $1,487 in Marine Corps insurance on the way, Ries said she thinks she'll get by OK.

"There's been a lot of support for her," said Amanda Burgess, Ries' close friend, who has been living with her.

"Her friends are supersupportive. I'm very thankful that she is being strong and getting through this."

In Amarillo, Texas, where David Ries' parents live, Nationwide Insurance Co. also planted a red oak tree in his honor, Amanda Ries said.

Keith Fitch of the Marine Corps League got the help going on Ries' car, which has 99,000 miles on it.

The passenger-side heater didn't work, he said, so he took it to Hannah's.

When Fitch got the car to the dealership, Jay Lee and John Dancu put their heads together with mechanics and other staff members. They came up with a list of other mechanical flaws and a plan to put the car in good condition at no cost to Ries.

"It was falling apart on me," Ries said.

"It's rear brakes were bad, the CV (constant velocity drive line) joints were bad," said Lee. "It had oil leaks and the axle seal was out of whack. The driver's side door wouldn't open."

The Marines kicked in $1,000 and Dick Hannah and its employees picked up the other $1,700 needed for repairs, Lee said.

"It was a real pull-together effort," Dancu said. "Nobody had more to do with it than anyone else. It was a real feel-good thing."

"I just couldn't believe how those guys stepped forward," the Marine Corps League's Fitch said. "It was a real Merry Christmas sort of thing."

Update

What's new: The Marine Corps League, Red Robin Burger and Spirits Emporiums in Vancouver, Dick Hannah Chrysler-Jeep in Vancouver and CJ's Grill in Battle Ground have teamed up to give her and her children a happier Christmas.

What's next: With help from friends and anonymous donors, Ries figures her family will get by in the coming year on Marine Corps insurance and Social Security payments.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

56 Percent in Survey Say Iraq War Was a Mistake
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By John F. Harris and Christopher Muste
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, December 21, 2004; Page A04

President Bush heads into his second term amid deep and growing public skepticism about the Iraq war, with a solid majority saying for the first time that the war was a mistake and most people believing that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld should lose his job, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

While a slight majority believe the Iraq war contributed to the long-term security of the United States, 70 percent of Americans think these gains have come at an "unacceptable" cost in military casualties. This led 56 percent to conclude that, given the cost, the conflict there was "not worth fighting" -- an eight-point increase from when the same question was asked this summer, and the first time a decisive majority of people have reached this conclusion.

Bush lavished praise on Rumsfeld at a morning news conference yesterday, but the Pentagon chief who soared to international celebrity and widespread admiration after the terrorist attacks three years ago can be glad he answers to an audience of one. Among the public, 35 percent of respondents approved of his job performance and 53 percent disapproved; 52 percent said Bush should give Rumsfeld his walking papers.

Seven weeks since his reelection victory over Democrat John F. Kerry and four weeks before his second inauguration, the poll suggests Bush is in a paradoxical situation -- a triumphant president who remains acutely vulnerable in public opinion on a national security issue that is dominating headlines and could shadow his second term.

While the results are bad for Bush as people look at past decisions -- whether the Iraq war should have been waged in the first place -- the president has more support for his policies over the choices he faces going forward.

A strong majority of Americans, 58 percent, support keeping military forces in Iraq until "civil order is restored," even in the face of continued U.S. causalities. By a slight margin, 48 percent to 44 percent, more voters agreed with Bush's position that the United States is making "significant progress" toward its goal of establishing democracy in Iraq. Yet, by a similar margin, the public believes the United States is not making significant progress toward restoring civil order.

This was just one area where there was considerable ambivalence and even pessimism about the challenges confronting U.S. policy in the coming months.

On the question of whether Iraq is prepared for elections next month -- a topic widely debated among national security experts -- 58 percent of respondents believed the violence-plagued country is not ready. Nonetheless, 60 percent want elections to go forward as scheduled -- even though 54 percent do not expect honest results with a "fair and accurate vote count." Fifty-four percent are not confident elections will produce a stable government that can rule effectively.

Bush waged his reelection campaign heavily on national security, but the polling data reaffirm what similar surveys showed during the campaign: He is winning only half the case.

A full 57 percent disapprove of his handling of Iraq, a number that is seven percentage points higher than a poll taken in September. But the president's core political asset, public confidence in his leadership on terrorism, remains intact, albeit down significantly from even a year ago. Fifty-three percent approve of his record on terrorism, while 43 percent do not. Those numbers were 70 percent and 28 percent a year ago this week.

The public splits down the middle on Bush's overall job performance, with 48 percent approving while 49 percent disapprove, percentages that closely approximate results taken just before the election. By contrast, President Bill Clinton had an approval of 60 percent in a poll taken just before he began his second term.

The Post-ABC results are consistent with other newly released surveys. Time magazine, which this week named Bush its "Person of the Year," found that 49 percent approve of his job performance, little changed from before the election. A Pew Research Center survey, meanwhile, showed that the angry divisions about Bush that marked the 2004 campaign were hardly bridged by the election's end -- nor were the sharply divergent appraisals of reality. By emphatic majorities, Bush voters were upbeat on whether things are going well in Iraq and with the economy, while Kerry voters were negative.

The Post poll also showed such partisan divides on many foreign policy and national security questions. In a potential trouble sign for the White House, Republicans' support for Bush on these questions is lower than the Democratic opposition. And majorities of independents side with the Democrats in their skepticism toward the administration's course.

There are sharp partisan divisions over Rumsfeld, with about two-thirds of Democrats and slight majorities of independents disapproving of his job performance and believing he should be replaced. Smaller majorities of Republicans, about six in 10, approve of Rumsfeld and want him to stay in the job.

There are similar splits on Iraq. Majorities of Republicans, Democrats and independents agree the elections should be held. But more than two-thirds of Democrats and about six in 10 independents believe that Iraq is not ready for elections and that the vote will not be fair and will not produce a stable Iraqi government, in contrast to a majority of Republicans. Opinion is even more sharply divided over the outcome of elections. Seven in 10 Democrats and five in nine independents believe elections will not produce a stable government in Iraq, while more than two-thirds of Republicans believe they will.

A total of 1,004 randomly selected Americans were interviewed Dec. 16 to 19. The margin of sampling error for the results is plus or minus three percentage points.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Twentynine Palms Marines bound for Iraq
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The Desert Sun
December 21, 2004

It will be a green -- and maybe a little blue -- Christmas for 1,000 Marines at Twentynine Palms.

Their holiday leave has been canceled as their second deployment to Iraq in less than 12 months has been moved up from March to early January.

The 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, an infantry unit, will deploy as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom to be part of the "security and stability operations that the other Marines have been doing in Iraq," Capt. Chad Walton, base public affairs officer confirmed Monday.

"There's a schedule and it's always subject to change. And this time, they moved them up to the January time frame instead of March," Walton said.

Walton could not say where in Iraq the Marines were headed.

This will be the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines' second 7-month engagement in Iraq in less than 12 months. The unit returned from Iraq in July.

"Because they were moved up to an earlier date, the base is doing everything they can to make sure they have everything they need before they leave," Walton said.

But the Marines will have to stay near base and not travel to see distant family for the holidays.

Lauren Gonzales will get to spend Christmas with her husband, a lance corporal in the battalion, but knowing he'll be leaving soon is still tough news to take.

For the 21-year-old Gonzales and others with loved ones in the unit, word came about two weeks ago.

"He's only been here for about four months and now he has to go back," she said from behind the bar at Stumps, a popular Marine watering hole on Adobe Road, where she is a bartender.

Gonzales admits to being upset about the news, but knows this is what her Marine and the others in the 3/4 must do.

"I totally support them," she said.

Walton said the Marines will be briefed by experts "talking about the country, talking about the situation," in Iraq.

Although most Marines at the base won't be working on Christmas itself, the lost leave over the holiday isn't fun. The Marine Corps is trying to help.

"The base has a lot of different things going on to make sure that everyone is going to have a big Christmas meal, commissary vouchers, even here in Twentynine Palms there have been some people in the community doing things," Walton said.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marines urged to seek help as suicides on rise
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By Rick Rogers
SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
December 21, 2004

More Marines are committing suicide than at any time since the Corps started closely monitoring such deaths, prompting the government to step up intervention efforts based on a clear message - set aside your pride and seek counseling.

The challenges of preparing for deployment to Iraq, the stress of combat and the difficulties of returning to postwar life seem to drive up suicide numbers, some counselors and Marine generals said.

To encourage more service members to seek treatment, the Defense Department has beefed up its mental-health units deployed overseas.

It has also hired an outside provider to promote counseling services in the United States that offer greater privacy than on-base consultations.

"Our biggest challenge is to make it acceptable for Marines to seek help without being seen as weak, unpromotable or 'mental,' " said Navy Cmdr. Thomas Gaskin, the Marine Corps' behavioral-health specialist.

This year, there have been a record 32 confirmed or probable Marine suicides.

At least six of these suicides involved Camp Pendleton Marines, Gaskin said in a phone interview. Three killed themselves in Kuwait or Iraq, and three in San Diego.

Until now, 28 was the most Marines to kill themselves in any year. Those deaths occurred in 2001, when the United States invaded Afghanistan. Two years earlier, in accordance with a Navy requirement, the Marine Corps began tracking suicides more thoroughly than it had in the past, said a Corps spokesman.

Historically, the Marine Corps leads all services in the rate of suicides. It has averaged nearly 25 a year since 1999. The Marines are also the smallest service, with 178,000 active-duty troops.

By comparison, the Army has some 500,000 troops. It reported 54 suicides in 2002.

The demanding Marine lifestyle and the youth of its troops are usually cited as contributing factors.

Despite this year's rise, suicide levels for Marines are still below those of a comparable civilian population.

In 2002, the Marines reported a rate of 12.6 suicides per 100,000 troops. In contrast, the comparative rate for civilian men ages 20 to 24 that year was 20.8, and has averaged nearly 20.9 since 1999, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Md.

But the comparison offers little consolation to Gaskin and other mental-health experts.

They're frustrated by troops who equate mental-health problems with character flaws or view counseling as an admission of weakness.

While the Corps has recognized mental illness in its ranks and improved and expanded available psychiatric counseling, most Marines aren't using the service, Gaskin said.

"We suspect this has to do with a variety of factors, but the perceived lack of confidentiality, career stigma and cultural shame associated with seeking help are likely the most significant issues and merit further study," he said.

The first San Diego-based Marine death when thousands were deployed earlier this year was ruled a suicide.

Pfc. Matthew G. Milczark, 18, from Kettle River, Minn., shot himself inside a chapel March 8 in Kuwait as the Marines prepared to move into Iraq, according to Marine reports.

His friends and family said they never thought the former homecoming king of Moose Lake High School would take his own life.

"I think if he was troubled, he would've gone to counseling," said Sherm Liimatainen, 64, who knew Milczark since he was a boy and eulogized him at his funeral. "In his last letter, which the family received the day of his funeral, there is no sign of anything that he could not cope with."

Marines, Gaskin said, typically suffer in silence until they implode and people around them are left wondering why.

This breaking point can occur just as easily during training in the states as in a war zone or back home after a deployment.

Top Marine generals have told Congress about their worries that long, continuous combat deployments could break the Corps' morale.

Gen. Michael Hagee, the Marine Corps commandant, has successfully lobbied Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to hold duty tours to seven months. Army troops regularly pull yearlong tours that are sometimes extended.

Marine officials are monitoring the spike in suicides, but insist there is no "direct correlation" between the deaths and service in Iraq or Afghanistan, said Bryan Driver, a Marine Corps spokesman on personnel and family issues.

Just one in five Marines who have killed themselves had served in either war zone, Driver said. In contrast, nearly 45 percent of all Marines have spent time in at least one of the combat zones.

If the war on terrorism were causing the suicides, Driver reasoned, a higher percentage of combat veterans would be killing themselves.

But Gaskin said that the war might influence suicide levels in a less-obvious way.

He theorizes that nonstop military operations stateside since the Afghanistan war in 2001 - either supporting the war or preparing for the next deployment - are exacerbating existing personal and professional problems and leading to more suicides.

Crumbling relationships and financial troubles are the main forces behind most suicides, followed by legal or disciplinary problems, Driver said.

Military counselors have long suspected that troops avoid military-based mental-health counseling because commanders can learn of the sessions.

Officially, said Driver, commanders are told about the sessions only when those seeking counseling say they want to hurt themselves or others.

To better serve the Marines, the Defense Department has hired Ceridian Corp. to administer the One Source Program.

This service allows Marines and their families to access a Web site or call counselors for information or referrals across the country. The counselors are based in St. Petersburg, Fla., and outside Philadelphia.

Psychiatric assessments are done over the telephone by mental-health experts who offer callers the choice of seeing a government or private-practice therapist where they live, Driver said.

Since May, when the face-to-face civilian counseling aspect of One Source started, 74 referrals have been made. Neither Marine Corps nor Ceridian officials had a breakdown of who was directed to therapy or where they came from.

While the civilian arrangement affords about the Marines and their families anonymity, there are confidentiality limits mirroring those of the military. For example, counselors must report Marines who say they plan to harm themselves or others.

More people are starting to use the service, said Linda Mixon, who manages the One Source Program for Ceridian.

In the most recent fiscal year - Oct. 1, 2003, to Sept. 30, 2004 - the Web site and the toll-free number received 26,162 inquiries, she said. So far this fiscal year, that number has jumped to 36,633.

The most frequently asked questions are about child care, overseas tours, relationships and life after deployment to a war zone, Mixon said.

One Source has 61 workers answering callers' questions, she said, and 5,000 counselors nationwide are available to take clients.

Rick Rogers: (760) 476-8212; rick.rogers@uniontrib.com


Ellie

[thedrifter]

"It's an honor to do this"
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Cemetery crew prepares Marine's final resting place
By Robert Sanchez
Denver Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 21, 2004

John Nicolai dropped two shovels and two rakes onto the burned grass at Section S of Fort Logan National Cemetery and prepared to dig grave No. 5992-B.

Monday's burial had been on the schedule for a few days, so the gravedigger already knew he would be cutting the earth for Lance Cpl. Greg Rund.

Nicolai never met the 21-year-old Marine, recognizing him only as the young man from Columbine High School who was ambushed and died this month on his second tour of duty in Iraq.

"But it's an honor to do this for him," Nicolai said, pushing his sunglasses farther up his nose. "I want to make him proud."

When Nicolai's co-workers arrived a few minutes later, they began measuring the 3-foot-by-8-foot plot of land, marking it with precise chops of their shovel blades.

They measured from the marble headstone belonging to Staff Sgt. Theodore Holder II, a Marine who was killed Nov. 11 in Iraq - exactly one month before Rund's death.

Holder's father, Sam, stopped by Monday as a backhoe peeled back the first layer of grass and dirt.

Holder bit his lip.

"I was hoping (Rund) would be buried there," Holder said, standing over the two graves.

Up on the hillside a few hundred yards away, men and women covered their hearts or saluted as Marines in crisp, blue uniforms and virgin-white gloves pulled Rund's casket from a black hearse.

Rund's mother, Jane, put her head on the shoulder of her husband, Mark, as they clutched a blue box with gold trim that carried their son's Purple Heart award.

Rund's girlfriend bowed her head as a preacher told the crowd of several hundred that they should be "grateful ... for the life of Gregory Rund."

And then it was over. The families went to their black limousine, friends back to their cars.

The mauve van showed up at Section S once the cars cleared.

A different honor guard - six men in green work clothes and brown gloves - took Rund's casket, put it in a concrete coffin and lowered it 7 feet into the ground.

Larry Ballard watched as dirt was poured onto the concrete, then flattened.

Ballard - like most of the 19 men who work on Fort Logan's grounds - is a veteran. He found the grave of his old Army captain several years ago while mowing the grass.

The job of a gravedigger, Ballard said, is built on pride. After all, he will be here someday.

"I was depressed and had to go into therapy (after Vietnam)," Ballard said. "Now, in a way, this is like my therapy. It's something that's very important to me."

Andrew Alonzo's job arguably is the most difficult. He set Rund's 240-pound marble headstone, putting it perfectly in line with its neighbors.

He unwound yellow wire and measured from a nearby stone, making sure Rund's marker was upright, standing exactly in the middle of the new grave.

Alonzo - an Army reservist who returned from Iraq this spring - is the only one allowed to set stones for soldiers killed in action.

He has done eight since military operations in Iraq began last year.

"I want to make this complete, for (Rund) and for the family," Alonzo, 42, said. "They'll be visiting this for years and years, and I want to make it look nice."

Four hours after the first scoop of dirt was taken, after Sam Holder expressed appreciation that his son forever would be next to another hero, only Alonzo remained.

He cut sod and put it at the base of Rund's headstone, stepping back to look at his work before cutting another piece of grass.

He got on his hands and knees and wiped dirt from the white stone.

He poured water over it and ran sandpaper over the tiny flecks of unpolished marble.

Gregory P Rund

L Cpl
US Marine Corps
Iraqi Freedom
Sep 25 1983
Dec 11 2004
Purple Heart
He Changed the World

Alonzo nodded and walked away.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Two people you need to hear from
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By Mike Perkins
The Herald-Press
Dec. 21, 2004

Most weeks in this space, you hear from me on one topic or another. This week, there are a couple of other people you need to hear from.

They are Capt. John F. Griffin and Greg Scher. One is a Marine company commander in Iraq, the other a civilian contractor working with our troops in Afghanistan. Both have ties to Huntington County. Griffin's Apache Company has been "adopted" by American Speciality in Roanoke through the efforts of Gloria Holzinger, whose son, Rob, is a member of the unit. Scher is a Huntington native and the son of Annabel Flora of Huntington.

They have stories to tell that are important a time of year when hope and peace are on our minds. There is little peace where these men are, but they are the ones whose sacrifices hold out hope.

We'll start with an e-mail from Capt. Griffin, sent last month to family and friends of Apache Company. It comes courtesy of Mrs. Holzinger:

"I have started this letter 100 times in my mind. Inadequacy on my own part is the best answer I can come up with to express my emotions about our experiences here. They say war is the highest of highs and lowest of lows and it happens in a moment's notice. I can say without question it is true.

"We departed Camp Baharia about a month ago now to do our part in the fight for Fallujah. People said this would be our Hue City, our Guadalcanal, or compared it to numerous other epic battles that the Marine Corps has endured. Was it? I don't know. Who am I to make that statement? I think all of us want to believe that our time is historic and that our life has meaning. Ronald Reagan once said that many of us want to know if we made a difference in this world but the U.S. Marines don't have that problem. I can not say how this battle will be defined in the history books but I can tell you besides the birth of my children and my marriage, it will probably be the most meaningful event of my life. How do you adequately define heroism, esprit de corps, patriotism? Words almost belittle their true definition.

"As many of you saw on the news, Apache Company was definitely involved in the fight. We took our share of licks, delivered a disproportional amount more on the enemy, but more importantly we are all still here to talk about it and in the true Marine way of dealing with it, we laugh about it. A Purple Heart is not a medal anyone really wants to earn but it sure is a special person who wears that badge of honor.

"All the Marines and sailors of this company are heroes. They always have been even before we arrived. But now without question, for one shining moment in all of our lives, my Marines were heroes in the truest sense of the word.

"They fought like brothers fighting to protect and defend their families. While I believe wholeheartedly in the mission, I do not preach about fighting for the greater glory of God, country or corps because in the end, we fight for one another. And that is what they did. I have been blessed with the greatest collection of men ever assembled and I knew it from day one. I knew this company had a destiny and we would write our own chapter.

"It is indescribable to visit a Marine at the field hospital who was just wounded and he doesn't even talk about himself. To the man, the first three questions were always about the status of the other Marines, did we beat the enemy and can I stay in the country with the company. I stand by their side and wonder why I do I deserve to be surrounded by such men. To the parents, guardians, grandparents who raised these kids, my hat is off to you. If you ever wondered if you made a difference in this world, I can tell you if your son is over here, the world is a better place because of you.

"I have talked to some Iraqis throughout my time here and it is sad because many do not believe that life will get better. Some even say it was better under Saddam. That may be a tough pill to swallow for many Americans because of the sacrifices so many families have endured, but I would argue just the opposite. I think that statement should make you even prouder to be an American. We are over here fighting for the success of this mission. My Marines are selflessly fighting for people they will never know. They are fighting for some who don't even appreciate the sacrifices they endure. I can not think of a more honorable act. We believe in the mission, even while some here don't, because we live the miracle that is the United States of America. It is an awesome sight to see.

"The support from our families and sponsors has been overwhelming in two ways. One, physically, and two, emotionally. We got back to Camp Baharia today and it Looked like the post office went on strike. We had stacks of boxes and bags of letters. More than one person has told me (to which I completely empathize) that we feel guilty that we cannot respond in a timely manner, if at all. It is hard for us to know that some great American spent their time and their money to send us a package or a letter or a newspaper and we can not get enough down time to write a thank you. It feels almost shameful. So I offer on behalf of the company, once, an offer of appreciation. Please do not feel that since we are unable to respond that we do not appreciate what you are doing for us. To go down a long laundry list of people, we would inevitably fail to mention one person or company and that would be worse than not mentioning anyone specifically at all. It is humbling to see the outpouring of support from our families and sponsors. We are indebted to you.

"I see two Marines in a fighting position at night in the cold, frying up one slice of Spam at a time in a canteen cup, with an MRE sleeve to block the wind, alternating piece for piece and offering a hot slice to any Marine in the area, and my only thought is - this is what makes our country great. Here are these two Marines, 8,000 miles from home, sitting in a filthy hole, taking care of each other with a can of food that some great citizen back home sent them. It doesn't get any better than that.

"I will offer this one story before I sign off about a Marine named Brooks. Ol' Brooksy was one of the first wounded in action we had in the company. It happened on the night of 30 September. He has been making tremendous gains and we hope to have him back on full duty within a week or so. Since the night of his attack, he has been doing his part manning the command operations center in Baharia, but more importantly healing from his wounds.

"His story is one to be told because he exemplifies what makes this company great. He never once complained about his lot in life and he never once complained about the job he now fulfills. He is doing his part and that is honorable. He is generally a quiet Marine but always very pleasant and enjoyable to talk with. As other guys were wounded, he would, in his own way, let them know that he was there for them if they wanted to talk about it. For those of us who have not been wounded, we really do not know what it is like. But instead of feeling sorry for himself, he does his job and looks out for his brothers.

"It was not until 3 November that his Purple Heart award had come in and we invited the regimental commander to award him, and the other Marines their badge of honor. I will never forget watching Brooksy get his award. I think I was prouder that day to be a Marine and to serve along side another Marine than ever before. Brooksy was still walking tenderly. But when it came time for the ceremony, he marched completely erect, made all his facing movements as we were trained in boot camp and basically on sheer physical courage alone, muscled his way through the whole ceremony to march and execute the drill movements precisely. I could see it on his face that he was in pain but he didn't yield to it.

"In that one moment in time, it hit home to me how special being a Marine really is. There was young Pfc. Brooks, ensuring he lived up to the standards that others have set before him, standards that have been beaten into us from day one, to ensure he did not let the Corps down and to represent himself well. As if the weight of the whole Corps' reputation was on his shoulders that day, he ensured he did not fail. Would anyone have blamed him if he didn't execute his about face properly? Not at all. But Brooksy wouldn't give them that chance. "These are the men I serve with. Be proud. These are the men who serve in your defense.

"Until next time, Semper Fidelis and pray for peace."

Capt John F. Griffin

Fallujah, Iraq

---

Greg Scher is a Vietnam veteran and no stranger to conflict or danger. He no longer fights alongside Marines, but is helping them do their job. This is from a Dec. 4 e-mail, forwarded by his mother:

"Greetings from a new camp somewhere in the Afghan mountains.

"I have been given a new assignment. I am part of a forward operation base/provincial reconstruction team that goes to smaller camps to set up and repair utilities, build facilities and bring some of the modern conveniences to remote locations. Our team arrived here by helicopter a while back with a construction mission. The flight was very cold, crowded and drafty but breathtaking as we flew through mountain passes and over remote villages. Our accommodations are quite a bit more primitive than Baghram and consist of a cot, sleeping bag in a small hut inside a mud and rock 'fortress' that reminds me of the Alamo. It is the same type construction that has been used for hundreds of years with guard towers on each corner and iron doors at the entrance. We are surrounded by Afghan national army guards and their camp surrounds ours.

"The guys here are a great bunch, they appreciate everything we do and are grateful that we are here to help. There is quite a 'honey-do' list. We have set of service orders that we must complete as part of our mission but in our free time we do what we can with what we have available. I need a magic hat so I can keep pulling out rabbits to fix broken heaters. Some of the equipment is well used and some is abused due to the conditions and environment and the fact that it has been shipped half way around the world and been set up, torn down and reset several times as the units move from camp to camp. Spare parts are nonexistent but we do our best with what we have.

"One young Marine gave me his personal unit coin in appreciation for getting some heaters fixed the first night we were here since they didn't have heat in a lot of their tents. Turns out that he is in the same unit that I served with in Vietnam. Now they call me corporal since that is the rank I had in the Marine Corps. Their gratitude is what it is all about - the reason I came to Afghanistan. I feel that I am doing a very important job in the war effort by making things better for the troops so they have one less thing to worry about. The job satisfaction I am getting now makes all the sacrifices and inconveniences insignificant. I wish I could do more, these guys are doing a hell of a job and if the folks at home could see them now, they would agree that they are all heroes.

"Don't forget the guys here because Iraq is in the news every night, there are not as many reporters here to cover their stories.

"Thanks for your support."

Greg

---

Mike Perkins is editor of The Herald-Press


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Real Christmas Tree Finds Home on Camp Taji
By Cpl. Benjamin Cossel, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service

CAMP TAJI, Iraq, Dec. 20, 2004 -- It's an age-old debate this time of year: real or artificial? Christmas tree that is.

And for many soldiers in Iraq who are real-tree enthusiasts, their location is causing them to do the unthinkable -- get an artificial tree. That is, of course, unless you happen to be Army Sgt. Maj. Della St. Louis, operations sergeant major for Headquarters Company, 4th Brigade Combat Team, of the 1st Cavalry Division.

"I have never had a fake tree, and I have no intention of having one this year," St. Louis said.

Frustrated by her inability to get a real tree on the Iraqi market, St. Louis sent out a distress call. "I sent an e-mail to a friend of mine who lives next door to my parents," the Ludington, Mich., native said. "My parents live right next door to a Christmas-tree nursery that my family has been going to for years to get their trees."

It didn't take long once the wheels were set in motion for an arrangement to be made where St. Louis would get her real, Douglas fir tree. Needlefast Evergreens Inc. agreed to donate two trees as long as St. Louis would cover the shipping costs. Without any hesitation the deal was made, and the trees began their long journey from the friendly confines of a Michigan tree nursery to Camp Taji, Iraq.

"I only had to cover shipping," St. Louis chuckled. "That's got to be the least expensive Christmas tree I've ever bought."

Once the trees made it to their final destination and were unpacked, the reaction from soldiers was universally the same: "Is that a real tree?"

St. Louis beamed proudly. "Why indeed it is!" she said.

Wanting to spread a bit of holiday cheer, St. Louis decided to take the tree for a grand tour of Camp Taji, stopping along the way to have soldiers help her decorate it. "What good is having a Christmas tree if you can't spread a little bit of the holiday season with it?" she asked.

Packing the tree, ornaments and candy canes into a Humvee, St. Louis took off, playing the role of Santa in desert camouflage uniform and a Kevlar helmet. First stop on the tour: Checkpoint #1.

Pulling to the side of the road, the initial look of confusion on the soldiers' faces was quickly replaced with smiles and laughter as St. Louis explained why she was out visiting them and what she wanted them to do. A few more decorations added to the tree, the mobile decorating team moved on to the next location.

"This is so cool!" exclaimed Spc. Brian Sumler, a member of Headquarters Company, 39th Brigade Combat Team, as he added a candy cane to the tree. "I can't believe someone was able to get a real tree into Iraq."

While the tree brought memories of home and the holidays to some troopers, for others, this will be their first Christmas with a real tree.

For Pfc. Erika Bruner, 19, assigned to Headquarters Company, 4th BCT, it's her first Christmas away from home, and the first time she has ever had a real tree. "I told sergeant major [St. Louis] I had never had a real tree before, and she told me that was crazy," Bruner said. "It definitely has a nicer smell then a fake tree."

One of the fully decorated trees found its home in the office of Army Master Sgt. Joni Evans, a 4th BCT career counselor , and the other will be on display at the brigade's tactical operations center.

Shaking his head in disbelief, 4th BCT Administrative Officer Capt. Tavares Tukes said, "Only some kind of Mack or a sergeant major could get a real tree in Iraq."

(Army Cpl. Benjamin Cossel is assigned to the 122nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.)

Ellie