1st Recon Bn. made Marine Corps history...again

[thedrifter]

1st Recon Bn. made Marine Corps history...again.
Submitted by: I Marine Expeditionary Force
Story Identification #: 200494104
Story by Lance Cpl. Khang T. Tran



Camp Fallujah, Iraq (Sept. 4, 2004) -- "Mission success is what drives these Recon Marines to overcome stresses and possible fears that parachuting can cause, " said Gunnery Sgt. Dean R. Doolittle, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division.

"Most Marines dream to attend Jump School and later attend Jumpmaster School, added Doolittle, the unit's assistant jumpmaster." Here is a group of Marines living out that dream and fighting the war in the enemy's back yard."

Twelve Marines and Sailors of the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, received the Navy and Marine Corps parachutist wings for conducting parachute operations in a combat zone in Iraq on Aug. 28.

The gold wings, considered by many an “airborne promotion,” are a distinction of an advanced Navy and Marine Corps parachutist. The ceremony, held at Camp Fallujah, Iraq, was unique in of itself.

Within the past year, many of the 12 1st Recon Battalion parachutists earned their silver wings, the U.S. Army parachute badge, upon successfully completing the Airborne Course, Fort Benning, Ga.

The coveted gold wings, however, require more experience than what was achieved at the three-week basic airborne school. To bring home the gold, parachutists must successfully complete a minimum of five additional static-line or free-fall jumps with a Navy or Marine Corps unit. Jumping in a combat zone, during Operation Iraqi Freedom, waived that requirement for the unique dozen of 1st Recon Battalion parachutists.

“Normally in peacetime, there is a fairly rigorous procedure that ensures appropriate training,” said Col. Rory E. Talkington, Commanding Officer of 1st Recon Bn.

“However, the Marine Corps order stipulates if you are eligible to conduct a jump in combat, then all those requirements are waived; that’s the only exception,” added Talkington, a Spokane, Wash. native.

Talkington was referring to Marine Corps Order 3500.20A, which states that if a Marine or Sailor performs a combat jump once, they will be eligible to wear the gold wings. The order was instituted into the Marine Corps during the 1960s.

“This ceremony was a result of two separate distinct jump missions,” said Talkington. “In both operations, they parachuted behind enemy lines at night during the dark phase of the moon.”

For some of the Marines, it was only their sixth jump, right out of airborne school. Regardless, senior leaders of the unit were impressed by their mission accomplishment under stressful combat conditions.

" (Recon) stresses teamwork and mission accomplishment", said 1st Sgt. John K. Bell, Alpha Co., 1st Recon Battalion. "Both were met during these combat missions, said the Westminster Calif. native and a parachutist for more than 16 years.

" These Marines and Navy Corpsmen displayed bravery and courage. They should wear their Navy and Marine Corps Parachutists Wings proudly."

What made this combat jump unique was the keen training and preparation for the jump by the unit’s seasoned parachutists, according to Master Sgt. Nicholas J. Morin, 1st Recon's Bn's communications chief who also is the battalion's senior jumpmaster and gold winger.

"We had more than 60 years of combined jump experience to teach from on this mission," added Morin. "We have some of the most experienced parachutists in the Corps.

"More than half of the Marines and Sailors never jumped out of a helicopter, used a steerable canopy, nor had the experience of jumping at night, "said Morin, a Colorado Springs, Colo., native.

"The seasoned jumpers spent more than 18 hours over during a three-day period, to train and conduct refresher and pre-jump training. Safety was paramount," said Morin.

Safety is and always has been a focus during the unit's jump proficiency, according to Doolittle, who hails from West Palm Beach, Fla.

"You can train and conduct peacetime jumps over and over, " said Doolittle. "The jumps become instilled in your routine and are executed flawlessly. Then add combat and the fact that you are making history you would expect the level of apprehension to increase, but that didn't happen, these Marines are truly the consummate professionals."

Doolittle attributed the success to the mission to the experienced jumpmasters and trust in the equipment.

"Trust in your equipment, jumpmasters and yourself give these Marines the confidence to jump out of a perfectly good aircraft, at night, into enemy territory with out a blink of an eye," said Doolittle.

Executing the jump in darkness, the new jumpers stood and waited patiently. With approximately 100 pounds of equipment strapped to their bodies, including their main and reserve parachutes, they jumped into history.

"Many were waiting, thinking, some probably praying--22 history making minutes, all for a single wave of the green chemlight, that final 30 inch step into Marine Corps history," Morin said.

For the parachutists making that combat jump and earning the gold, emotions were mixed with both pride and honor.

“(The gold wings are) something a lot of Marines have been waiting to get for years,” said Cpl. John H. Knospler, a reconnaissance Marine with 2nd Platoon, Bravo Company, 1st Recon Battalion. “Fortunately I was lucky enough to get them early in my career,” he added.

Although pride was prevalent that day, many of the 1st Recon Battalion. Marines and Sailors expressed the most important thing was the mission, not the wings.

“It’s a great honor to have them, but the gold wings don’t make the person,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Ricky J. Lopez, a reconnaissance corpsman with 3rd Platoon, Alpha Company, 1st Recon Battalion. “The person makes the person. I could jump a million times and not have my gold wings, I’ll still be happy.”

“The gold wings are really not a big deal to me,” said Consoler. “It’s just another way we get to work.”

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/20049424928/$file/Pinning.low.jpg

Sergeant John G. Moreno of Bravo Co, 1st Recon Battalion I Marine Division, receives his Navy and Marine Corps parachutist wings Aug. 28, as Col. Rory E. Talkington, commanding officer of 1st Recon Bn, places them above his left breast pocket. Jumping in a combat zone, during operation Iraqi Freedom, waived the requirement of 5 additional jumps for 12 Marines of 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division to earn the prestigious airborne wings. Photo by: Sgt. Robert E. Jones Sr.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2004941172/$file/formation.low.jpg

Colonel Rory E. Talkington, commanding officer of 1st Marine Division, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, presents the Navy and Marine Corps parachutist wings to 12 of his Marines and Sailors on Aug. 28. “Marines receiving this award parachuted behind enemy lines, in their backyards,” said Talkington. Jumping in a combat zone, during operation Iraqi Freedom, waived the requirement of 5 additional jumps for 12 Marines of 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division to earn the prestigious airborne wings. Photo by: Sgt. Robert E. Jones Sr.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/20049425733/$file/wings.low.jpg

Twelve Marines and Sailors of 1st Recon Bn., 1st Mar Division, receive Navy and Marine Corps parachutist wings for performing a combat jump Aug 28. The combat jump has not been performed since the 1960’s. Jumping in a combat zone, during operation Iraqi Freedom, waived the requirement of 5 additional jumps for 12 Marines of 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division to earn the prestigious airborne wings. Photo by: Sgt. Robert E. Jones Sr.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/98AA5799F5F4D59385256F05001B78F5?opendocument


Ellie

[thedrifter]

'Bats' ordnance crews keep Hornets ready for action <br />
Submitted by: 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing <br />
Story Identification #: 20049404528 <br />
Story by Cpl. Paul Leicht <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Al Asad, Iraq (Sep. 1, 2004) --...

[thedrifter]

Marines enhance martial arts training in Iraq
Submitted by: 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing
Story Identification #: 20049411137
Story by Cpl. Joel A. Chaverri



AL ASAD, Iraq (09/01/2004) -- Throughout the years, the Marine Corps has recognized hand-to-hand combat as a fundamental part of basic training.

The Marine Corps Martial Arts Program is a system embedded within the training that recruits receive during boot camp. MCMAP is just one example of the Marine Corps' pursuit of excellence in combat preparation.

In an effort to continue this training, Lt. Col. Edward H. Hart, information management officer, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, created a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class for the Marines deployed here.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art that focuses on joint locks and grappling techniques to maintain control of the opponent.

"I wanted to pass on to Marines what I have learned in martial arts," expressed Hart.

Hart has taken marital arts for a while, but did not become very interested until just a few years ago.

"I didn't get serious in training until I took MCMAP," explained the 43-year-old native of Pensacola, Fla., "and then I began to take classes in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from (a master instructor)."

Martial arts requires a lot of discipline and hard work, but those are qualities that come naturally to "the few and the proud."

"The majority of the Marine Corps population is young, athletic, strong, competitive and very eager to learn," claimed Hart. "Those aspects are an instructors dream."

It can be dangerous taking a class that teaches fighting and wrestling techniques; therefore, safety is paramount.

"We approach (these classes) like a sport," Hart pointed out. "We have rules that we follow very closely to ensure no one gets hurt."

"This art teaches a student how to develop a lot of power," he added, "so we also teach how to control that power. Power without control is useless."

Held at the Morale, Welfare and Recreation center here, the classes are open to all military personnel aboard the air base and have created a strong following.

"I really like this class," declared 20-year-old, Marietta, Ga., native Lance Cpl. Thomas B. Haddle, field radio operator, Company P, 4th Low-Altitude Air Defense Battalion, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. "It's a rush. I can't wait to come back."

"I love being able to come to these classes," stated St. Louis-native Sgt. Michael J. Wagner, combat engineer, Combat Service Support Battalion 7, 1st Force Service Support Group. "I live to fight and fight to live."

Every Marine is a rifleman, but there are times when combat requires more skill than merely squeezing a trigger from a distance.

"It's important for Marines to know hand-to-hand combat," believes the 26-year-old Wagner. "Some people say, 'Why train in martial arts? I can shoot you from far away,' but you never know what might happen, and it's vital that you be prepared."

With the growing popularity of the class, Hart envisions it becoming a permanent fixture during his deployment, as well as when he returns home.

"I want to continue this as long as I'm (in Iraq) and hopefully train other instructors to keep it going," Hart emphasized. "I'm really interested in starting a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu team within the Marine Corps."

Being in a war-zone, it's not always easy to find the best facilities to practice such an intense sport.

"MWR has been very accommodating with their (gym)," Hart noted, "but we're trying to get our own space. I think (my students) are worth it."

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2004941250/$file/040901-M-2789C-002LR.jpg

Head instructor 43-year-old, Pensacola, Fla., native Lt. Col. Edward H. Hart, information management officer, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, looks on as 20-year-old Lance Cpl. Thomas B. Haddle (left), field radio operator, 4th Low-Altitude Aircraft Defense Battalion, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, attempts to perform a basic leg lock on 22-year-old Cpl. Joseph Chastain (right), gunner, Company B, 4th LAAD, Sept. 1 in Al Asad, Iraq. The reserve Marines stationed in Georgia are part of a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class held weeknights at the Morale, Welfare and Recreation center aboard the airbase in Al Asad. Photo by: Cpl. Joel A. Chaverri

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/E8666DE97C6D2CBB85256F05001C87D5?opendocument


Ellie

[thedrifter]

A marine's life on the frontlines <br />
By Dave Murdoch/ Special To The News <br />
Friday, September 3, 2004 <br />
<br />
Editor's Note: Rob Labriola has been serving in Iraq since June. The associate director of...

[thedrifter]

After three years apart, Marine siblings cross paths -- in the middle of Iraq
By Kelly Kazek, kelly@athensnews-courier.com







It was an unlikely meeting place, the middle of a war. But a brother and sister who hadn't seen each other in three years crossed paths -- she on a helicopter crew, he a passenger-- in Fallujah last month.

And that's how Brad Gordon, 32, and his little sister, Melissa "Missy" Gordon, 30, reunited an ocean away.

"She ran over to the helo (helicopter) I was on while they were loading the rest of our gear," Brad said via e-mail from Iraq. "I looked up to see this Marine in a flight suit and helmet jump in the door and was stunned to see my sister's bright white teeth glaring at me. I told my parents that it was the best brother-sister hug anyone could ask for."

Brad was a passenger on another helicopter in the squadron and did not ride with her, but he saw her again upon landing.

"I went to tell the crew chief on my helo to 'take care of the lieutenant on the other bird. That's my little sister,'" he wrote.

A Limestone County history


Brad and Missy, who were deployed to Iraq about a week apart last month, left behind proud but worried family members in Athens. Although Brad's wife and three sons remain in Okinawa, Japan, where he was stationed at the time of his deployment, much of Brad's and Missy's extended family is from Limestone County. Brad says he considers Athens home.

"My sister and I spent many summers in Athens," he said. "We swam for the local swim team several summers and I worked as a lifeguard at the city pool. I also attended Calhoun Community College during the summer of 1991. No matter what my sister and I do or where we go, we will still call Athens home. Growing up, we lived all over the country because of my father's service with the Navy...We still look forward to coming back to Athens and enjoy the warm reception we get from everybody."

Brad and Missy's parents are Vernon Gordon of Maryland and Janice Lentz Boster, who now lives in Jamaica with her new husband. Vernon's parents are Ruth Gordon of Athens and the late Curtis Gordon, and Janice's parents are Pat Lentz of Athens and the late Tonis Lentz.

Brad's and Missy's aunt, Jo Lynne Abernathy, said she worries about her niece and nephew.

"I'm proud of what they do but we would like to have them back in the U.S.," said Abernathy, who works at Athens Intermediate School. She is Janice's sister.

Jo Lynne said she understands that siblings sometimes are in harm's way at the same time. "This is not the first time that's ever happened in any conflict situation," she said. "I don't think anybody likes it."

This marks the first deployment for Missy, but Brad has previously served in Afghanistan. "She really wanted to be over there; she really wants to be doing what she's doing," Jo Lynne said. "We're very proud of them."

The family has a long military history. Curtis Gordon, a farmer, was a World War II veteran. He died last year. Tonis Lentz, who died in 1990, served in WWII with the Army Air Corps. Brad's and Missy's great-uncle Mac Inman, who owned and operated a local service station with his wife Irene, was awarded a Purple Heart for his service. Vernon Gordon, who was quarterback at Tanner High School, is a retired commander in the Navy who flew EA-6B Prowlers in Vietnam.

Tough enough

Missy, in an e-mail from Iraq, said despite family history, she didn't plan on becoming a Marine.

"When I was growing up, I told myself and my family that I would never join the military," she said. After becoming a physical education teacher, Missy called Brad one day to ask what he would think of having a Marine for a sister.

"Next thing I know, I had an officer selection officer calling me and getting the ball rolling," Missy wrote. "My Dad thought it would be better if I joined the Air Force or the Coast Guard because he thought the opportunities were better for women in those organizations. I told him that I wanted to be a Marine because they were the best. I wanted to see if I was tough enough to hack the likes of the Marine Corps."

She was tough enough. Missy is an aircraft maintenance operator for Marine Medium Helicopter 365, overseeing helicopter maintenance personnel and assisting with maintenance of the 12CH-46E aircraft.

"We fly anywhere from six to eight missions a day, transporting Marine mail and cargo to various cities and military bases in Iraq," she said.

"In addition, I am flying as an aerial observer. We are the Marines who man the two .50-cals (automatic guns) on the aircraft and are constantly on the lookout for the bad guys while our pilots are flying from one city to another here in Iraq."

Brad works as a public affairs officer for the First Marine Expeditionary Force. "Currently, I work in the Command Operations Center watching every move the Marines in Iraq make," he said. "I also watch media reaction. My biggest job is to advise the commanding general on the media's potential actions and reactions to our operations and actions. I also get to work with the media and take them out to all of the subordinate units in Iraq and help them get out to the Marines who make the heroic efforts every day for our Corps and country."

He said his decision to serve came after college and work as a civilian, where he felt "something was missing."

"Then I ran into a Marine Corps officer selection officer," Brad said. "After talking to him, a light bulb kind of went off and I realized that what I was chasing was service to the nation. It is all about giving to something bigger than yourself."

On the home front

Grandmother Ruth Gordon said she was not pleased to hear her grandchildren had both gone to war.

"I thought it was terrible," she said. "But I was so pleased to find out they had gotten together. Hopefully, they will both make it OK."

She said she doesn't get to see Brad or Missy very often because she doesn't like to fly and both have been stationed far away.

Brad has been stationed in Okinawa with his wife, Mikki, and their three sons, Barrett, 7, Tate, 3, and Tonis Alec, 7 months.

After completing their rotations in Iraq, however, his family will head back to the States, as will Missy, who is stationed in New River, N.C.

"We would like to end up in Athens at the same time so my boys can see their aunt as well," Brad said. "They haven't seen her in four years, so only Barrett has met her."

The two may return to the States in the spring, he said.

"My family has been anchored to Athens as long as many families there have," Brad wrote. "My sister and I have been very fortunate in our lives to have jobs that allow us to see the world and be part of protecting our freedoms, but it is when we are at home in Athens that we truly get to enjoy the endeavors of our work."


http://www.enewscourier.com/articles/2004/09/04/news/lifestyles/035siblings.txt


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Help available to combat-weary warriors exiting Iraq
Submitted by: 1st Force Service Support Group
Story Identification #: 200493114248
Story by Lance Cpl. Samuel Bard Valliere



CAMP TAQADDUM, Iraq (Sept. 3, 2004) -- Some Marines who have served in Iraq for the last six months may be carrying extra baggage back to the United States in the form of combat stress.

Two Navy doctors who share a tiny office built into the backroom of the camp chapel, aim to keep the carry-ons to a minimum as the I Marine Expeditionary Force's deployed troops prepare to hop on planes and hand the reins of the Al Anbar Province over to another team of Marines.

It's not your typical psychiatrist's office. The classic black leather couch has been replaced by a floppy canvas camping chair, and the imposing walls in the cramped room are made of unfinished plywood.

A lot of talking goes on within those walls. The doctors help young men and women who are trained to use force as their voice during combat identify and cope with the stress of a war-time deployment.

Iraq has no shortage of stress for troops. The constant threat of attack during frequent all-night supply convoys puts support Marines, like those with the 1st Force Service Support Group on edge no matter how many miles they have covered on the highways here.

"Whether it's your first mission or your 100th, the stressors are the same," said Maj. Mark A. Lamelza, 36, the commanding officer of 3rd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment's Weapons Company, which has helped provide security for some 1st FSSG convoys.

One mortar or roadside bomb attack can send a wave of emotion through a Marine that could last months, he added.

"You're shocked, and when that wears off, you're ****ed at the unseen enemy lurking in the shadows," he said. "Many Marines see that as a dishonorable way to fight."

The "unseen enemy" can prowl in Marines' minds, also, if they aren't given a chance to recover.

Oftentimes a simple prescription of "three hots and a cot," and some time to decompress, is all it takes to relieve the stress, said Capt. William J. Hocter Jr., 44, a psychiatrist and one of the doctors.

The idea of giving troops time to take a break is nothing new.

Lamelza's company, for example, participates in an ongoing series of games, including kickball, flag football and volleyball, intended to give the reserve infantrymen a healthy outlet for their stress.

"The Marines aren't internalizing as much when they let it all out in the spirit of competition," he said.

The rotating cast of doctors here has seen about 190 patients since the I Marine Expeditionary Force replaced the Army's 82nd Airborne Division in Iraq in March 2004. Six patients were sent back to the states, but the doctors do everything they can to help without having to detach individuals from their unit, said Lt. Cmdr. Eric E. Cunha, 42, a clinical psychologist and the other half of the combat stress team.

Treating warriors without removing them from the war is also not a new practice. According to a Navy medical publication on combat stress, leaders learned during World War I that permanent mental injury was most often avoided when troops were treated near their unit.

According to Lamelza, that is to be expected, considering the close bonds Marines develop with their comrades.

"I've seen Marines go through a lot, and they want to stay with their unit because it's a big support group," he said. "There is no one better to take care of you than your brother Marines, because we are family."

In a culture where many wear their hearts in a sheath and a knife on their sleeve, few Marines look for the help needed after experiencing combat. In fact, according to Hocter, three-fourths don't seek treatment.

"Most of the time they are brought in or referred to us by a concerned person," said the native of Great Lakes, Ill.

One way the doctors identify people with possible problems is by holding post-deployment health assessments of troops headed home.

Navy corpsmen working for the doctors walk homeward bound troops through a series of questions about the state of their mental and physical health.

Certain questions in the brief are designed to help identify people who may want to talk to one of the doctors, said Hocter.

"About 1 percent of the people get flagged during the PDHA," he said. "They come to us and we either say, 'this is just a combat thing,' or something deeper."

Postponing an appointment could lead to more issues, said Hocter. The symptoms, like nightmares, depression, anxiety and flashbacks, build on each other and can gradually become worse.

"We expect them to be experiencing this a little bit, but when it's uncontrollable, it becomes a problem," said Cunha, a native of San Jose, Calif.

About half of the patient traffic that has moved through the office has been Army soldiers burdened with 13-month deployments, said Hocter.

Many of them are National Guardsmen who were forced to transition from part-time soldier to full-time warrior, leaving families and careers behind to work long hours in a dangerous environment.

Even active-duty Marines scheduled to rotate out after about six months are feeling the effects of extended, more dangerous work days.

Cpl. Tyson R. Cailteux, 25, a fire team leader with the 1st FSSG's Military Police Company, has lingering nightmares after numerous firefights and mortar attacks plagued the convoys he helped provide security for.

"We got hit one day and again the next, then we went over to Fallujah the next day and got hammered," he said, recalling a series of particularly bad days. "After a while it takes a toll."

He made his leaders aware of his dreams and was taken off convoy security missions. Since then, he said, the dreams have come less.

It helps, said Lamelza, to break up the workload and give troops an opportunity to relax between missions.

"We're running a lot of operations every day, so we're always looking to give Marines something to do to keep them fresh so they don't burn out," said Lamelza. "Balancing missions with welfare of Marines is something every command needs to do.

Many Marines are on their way out of Iraq now and being replaced by fresh faces. Before they leave, they also sit down in groups and listen to a brief given by a chaplain, who tells them what emotional changes they can expect upon returning and the best way to deal with what they have seen and been through.

Those new to Iraq also have the opportunity to talk to the doctors here and at other camps throughout Al Anbar at any time.

If unsettling memories from the deployment keep nagging at them even after veterans return home and settle back into everyday life, there are doctors available at Navy hospitals and through veterans programs in the states to help, said Cunha.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200493124518/$file/Cunha040903_low.jpg

Lt. Cmdr. Eric E. Cunha serves as a clinical psychologist with the Marine Corps' 1st Force Service Support Group, where he talks with service members who show signs of combat stress at Camp Taqaddum, Iraq, on Sept. 3, 2004. About 1 percent of troops show signs of combat stress during a mandatory assessment of all Marines and sailors with the I Marine Expeditionary Force headed home after supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, and for those individuals, mental health specialists are on hand to talk. Doctors expect some troops to suffer from various levels of combat stress due to the constant threat of enemy attack, but numerous programs are in place, both in Iraq and at Navy hospitals in the United States, to help warriors transition from the combat zone to the home front. Cunha is a 42-year-old native of San Jose, Calif. Photo by: Staff Sgt. Bill Lisbon

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/FF57F9A4EF3115EF85256F0400565103?opendocument

Ellie

[thedrifter]

A Fundamental Fact Of War With Fundamentalists
September 5, 2004



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by Bob Newman
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There’s nothing so clarifying as standing among hundreds of dead bodies.

I’ve had to do that a couple of times: once in 1983 when I was the Marine Corps’ liaison to the FBI forensics team working to identify 241 dead Marines and sailors who had perished in Beirut, and the second time in Kuwait on the Highway to Hell, where hundreds of Iraqi soldiers paid the ultimate price for their crimes against humanity in a grisly, miles-long jumble of mangled vehicles on the road between Kuwait City and Basra. (Sometimes nightmares of the Beirut bodies haunt me, but the Highway to Hell bodies never invade my sleep, I suppose because the latter were scum-sucking bottom feeders who got what was coming to them.) Experiences such as these clarify things in one’s mind because it reveals a basic truism many Americans still cannot—and perhaps never will—grasp. That truism is that we are at war with fundamental Islam.

Many Americans can’t or won’t understand this, some because they are simply too stupid or naïve to get a grip on the fact that we are at war with a monster that wants every American man, woman and child dead, and others because of their blinding hatred for a president who is quite clearly willing to do his duty. In a weird sort of way, our enemy loves those who love John Kerry.

The slaughter at a school in southern Russia should not have come as a surprise to anyone, but it no doubt did to some. I first began warning in the fall of 2001 that Muslim terrorists would target schools filled with children. Some self-proclaimed terrorism analysts also in the media disagreed with me, saying terrorists would not intentionally target kids because of the negative publicity. These pundits fail to understand the underlying tenet of terrorism, which is any publicity is good publicity when that publicity is seen by certain factions as Islam striking back at who tens of millions of Muslims perceive as their enemy. And their perceived enemy’s children, according to scores of Muslim clerics around the world (and governments like those of Syria and Iran) are just as legitimate and valuable a target as adults. Why? Because those children are not only the spawn of infidel evil, but they will soon grow into adulthood, from which additional evil, such as Western influence, concepts, values and principles, will come.

The greatest fear of fundamentalist Islam is that the West will reveal this vile hoard to be precisely that: a maniacal mob of feral fiends in league with Beelzebub. Yet it matters not to many Americans how many innocents die gruesome deaths at the hands of these killers, for some politically correct, sensitive Americans (and one presidential candidate), and perhaps even more Europeans of the same ilk, fatally insist on believing we can talk these brutes out of it. Nevertheless, reality tells those who will listen to reason that, just as you can’t talk a black mamba out of chasing you down and biting you, nor can you talk fascist jihadists out of it. They’ve gone after Israeli children and now Russian children. Eventually American children will be targeted. Those who don’t believe that are fools. France and now Russia have learned how strategically unsound it is to refuse to fight terrorists abroad, for reports say 10 of the schoolyard terrorists were Arabs; hired guns on loan from al Qaeda. Will we, too, succumb to pressure from the foolhardy left to pull back?

Our enemy understands two things: pain and death. Given this undeniable fact, if we are to prevent this festering faction of Islam from repeating their heinous deeds of last week on American soil, we must stand and deliver horrific pain and grim death to their doorstep, regardless of where that doorstep is found and regardless of what the corrupt and morally bankrupt United Nations has to say about it.


Bob Newman


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Bob Newman, a decorated, retired US Marine, is host of the “Gunny Bob Show” on Newsradio 850 KOA in Denver, and host of “Inhuman Newman’s Anger-Management Hour” on 630 KHOW, also in Denver. His “Global Positioning Statement,” a daily insider’s update on the war on terror, is carried by various Clear Channel radio stations from coast to coast. A ground-combat veteran, he is the director of international security & counterterrorism services for The GeoScope Group and is the military science & terrorism columnist for The Denver Daily News. He can be reached at bobnewman@clearchannel.com.

http://www.mensnewsdaily.com/archive/m-n/newman/2004/newman090504.htm


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Iraqis fight huge pipeline fire due to sabotage


By Abdul Hussein al-Obeidi
ASSOCIATED PRESS


BAGHDAD — Firefighters fought a massive oil pipeline fire in northern Iraq yesterday after insurgents detonated explosives in what authorities described as one of the worst sabotage attacks in the region since the U.S. occupation.
"It is the biggest sabotage operation on the oil installations in Kirkuk since the invasion," said Maj. Gen. Anwar Mohammed Amin of the Iraqi National Guard in Kirkuk.
The explosion Thursday on the line extending from fields southwest of Kirkuk to the oil refinery in Beiji sparked a blaze that sent aloft balls of fire and black smoke over the area. The fire continued to rage late yesterday.







In Kufa in southern Iraq, rebel Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, in a defiant speech read out to 2,000 supporters during the first Friday prayers since the end of a three-week standoff with American troops, declared that U.S. forces can never defeat his militia, known as Mahdi's Army.
Officials at the state-run Northern Oil Co. decided to temporarily stop pumping oil to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, fearing the fire could spread to the key pipeline running to the port, Gen. Amin said.
"The pumping to the Ceyhan port has stopped because of this act of sabotage," he said.
Authorities fighting the blaze yesterday said it might take two days before engineers could fix the pipeline.
The pipeline running to Ceyhan is a major export route that has been beset with sabotage.
Iraq's oil industry, which provides desperately needed money for Iraq's reconstruction efforts, has been the target of repeated attacks by insurgents in recent months.
Light crude for October delivery fell 7 cents to settle at $43.99 in a shortened preholiday trading yesterday at the New York Mercantile Exchange.
In Kufa, al-Sadr aides said the cleric initially planned to deliver the sermon himself from a makeshift pulpit on the street outside the Kufa mosque, which was closed last week after militants pulled out under the cease-fire. But he abandoned the idea amid fears it could raise tension.
Iraqi security forces sealed off roads and fired warning shots near the city in an effort to keep the jostling crowds in check.
"Many, but not all, think that the American Army is invincible. But now it's appeared only truth is invincible," Sheik Jaber al-Khafaji said in a statement read on Sheik al-Sadr's behalf. "America claims to control the world through globalization, but it couldn't do the same with the Mahdi Army."
Last week's accord that ended three weeks of fighting between U.S. forces and al-Sadr militiamen in Kufa's twin city of Najaf gave the interim government control of that city. It also disentangled U.S. forces from street fighting while allowing Sheik al-Sadr and his militants to walk away free — and keep their guns.
But Sheik al-Sadr portrayed the American withdrawal from Najaf's devastated Old City as a sign of U.S. military weakness. "We should keep in mind the lessons of what happened in Najaf," the cleric's statement said.
The remarks appeared intended to rally Sheik al-Sadr's forces. It was not clear whether they signaled a retreat from his commitment to talks between his envoys and the interim government of Prime Minister Iyad Allawi to stop weeks of clashes in the militant stronghold of Sadr City, a sprawling east Baghdad slum.
Despite the turnout at the Kufa mosque, dozens of protesters in Najaf chanted slogans denouncing the cleric and blaming him for the destruction. They also demanded Sheik al-Sadr and his fighters leave the holy city once and for all, fearful of further unrest.
In the sermon, Sheik al-Sadr also denounced the kidnapping of two French journalists as "inhumane" and added his voice to calls across the Muslim world for their immediate release.
"You should know that such actions are not part of the Iraqi resistance. They tarnish the image of the Iraqi resistance," he said.
Hope grew that Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot would be released after France's foreign minister said he had proof the two were alive and one of their employers said they had been handed over to another, more moderate group.
In Baghdad, a spokesman for an influential Sunni clerical organization said the hostages' lives were no longer threatened and it was only a matter of time before their release. Mr. Chesnot and Mr. Malbrunot were last heard from on Aug. 19 as they set off for Najaf. Their Syrian driver also vanished.
Also yesterday, several shells hit a checkpoint of the Fallujah Brigade, a force initially created by the United States that has been patrolling the volatile city since April, security and hospital officials said. Four persons died and six were wounded.
Capt. Majid Ahmad Salim, the Fallujah Brigade's commander in the southern part of the city, said the fire came from U.S. tanks outside the city. The U.S. military said they had no immediate information on the attack.
In Skopje, Macedonia, a government spokesman said three Macedonian contractors disappeared in Iraq 10 days ago, but Iraqi officials could not confirm the report.



http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20040903-115101-9566r.htm


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Car bomb near Fallujah kills 7 Marines

JIM KRANE

Associated Press


BAGHDAD, Iraq - A massive car bomb exploded on the outskirts of Fallujah on Monday, killing seven U.S. Marines and wounding several others, a U.S. military official said.

The strength of the blast sent the engine from the vehicle used in the bombing flying "a good distance" from the site, a military official said on condition of anonymity.

Wounded troops were being treated Monday afternoon, the official said.

U.S. forces have not patrolled inside Fallujah since April, when U.S. Marines ended a three-week siege. The city has since fallen into the hands of insurgents who have used it as a base to manufacture car bombs and launch attacks on U.S. and Iraqi government forces.

The U.S. military has retaliated by launching several airstrikes on insurgent safe houses in the city.

Witnesses said the attack took place nine miles north of Fallujah and destroyed two Humvees.

Medical teams in helicopters swept into the dusty barren site to ferry away the injured. Troops sealed off the area surrounding the wreckage.

With Monday's deaths and those of two U.S. soldiers in a mortar barrage outside Baghdad a day earlier, 985 U.S. service members have died since the beginning of military operations in Iraq in March 2003, according to the Defense Department.

Posted on Mon, Sep. 06, 2004

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/9594421.htm


Ellie

[thedrifter]

US marines ambushed near Falluja


Monday 06 September 2004, 15:52 Makka Time, 12:52 GMT


Several US marines have been killed and many others wounded in an attack on their convoy near Falluja.



Seven marines were killed and eight wounded in the al-Saqlawiya area on Monday, a journalist based in Falluja told Aljazeera.

"Two explosive devices detonated as a multi-vehicle convoy passed through the area," journalist Abu Bakr al-Dulaimi said, adding that two Humvees were destroyed in the blasts.

As helicopters flew overhead, US soldiers sealed off the site in al-Saqlawiya, which is about 15km from Falluja.

"More than 100 soldiers have taken up rooftop positions in nearby buildings," said al-Dulaimi.

The mainly Sunni Muslim city of Falluja, about 65km west of Baghdad, has seen scores of dead and wounded in recent weeks, including many civilians, after repeated US air strikes and ground attacks.

The US military has said it is targeting hideouts of foreign fighters. Falluja residents have told Aljazeera there are no such fighters in the city.

Baghdad attacks

Meanwhile, a mortar bomb exploded in the al-Adhamiya district of Baghdad on Monday, leaving one person dead and seven others injured, medical sources told Aljazeera.

At the same time, a series of explosions rocked central Baghdad. Columns of white smoke rose near the Green Zone, the heavily-fortified area housing the US embassy and Iraq's interim government.

The latest deaths follow those of two US soldiers killed in a mortar attack near Baghdad, the American military said in a statement. The attack left 16 others wounded.

Pipeline ablaze

Also on Monday, a natural gas pipeline in northern Iraq was attacked, an act that could affect power in several cities, a police officer said.


The pipeline connects the Janbur fields with the Baiji power station some 70km to the south, said Colonel Muhammad Ahmad from the Oil Protection Police.

The Janbur fields are 20km south of Kirkuk.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire about half an hour after it started, he said. He added that experts from the company would replace the damaged pipeline within a day.

The Baiji electricity station can generate up to 400 megawatts a day and supplies the northern cities of Mosul, Kirkuk and Tikrit, with power, Ahmad said.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/79A11113-FB79-494C-85CA-BE8C9CA01C5A.htm


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Former Saddam Deputy Arrested In Iraq <br />
Associated Press <br />
September 6, 2004 <br />
<br />
<br />
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi authorities claimed on Sunday to have captured Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, the most wanted member...

[thedrifter]

‘Brilliance in the Basics’ and Other Expectations of Combat Leaders <br />
<br />
by LtCol B.P. McCoy <br />
<br />
Adherence to basics provides success on the battlefield. <br />
<br />
When the 1st Marine Division began...

[thedrifter]

Communications discipline. Enforce proper reporting and communications procedures. Use of procedure words, reporting formats, and proper radio checks cuts down on traffic and confusion.
• Light discipline. Strictly enforce light discipline. Use of flashlights in the open, smoking, and vehicle headlights from dusk to dawn are the commanding officer’s decisions, not one of personal convenience. We have night vision devices. Use them. There is seldom a reason to break light discipline.
• Hygiene discipline. Prior to eating chow in the field, squad leaders will inspect their squads for proper hygiene, clean hands, clean weapons, and the prescribed uniform. Poor hygiene will rob us of combat power. All Marines and sailors will perform hygiene every day—shaving and brushing teeth at a minimum, with periodic foot inspections by leaders. Hand washing is mandatory and monitored. Squad leaders check; platoon commanders and platoon sergeants verify—no exceptions.

Security. Security must be a habit formed at home; otherwise, it will be an afterthought, and we will suffer for it. This is the premise of the “guardian angel” concept. I expect you to be naturally curious about your surroundings; you are always on patrol. Never abdicate the security of your unit to anyone else.


Never send Marines or sailors alone anywhere. Everything is done in buddy teams, even head calls. This is a fundamental that will not be violated.


Security is 360 degrees; from buddy team to battalion we will have 360-degree security. Be a hard target.


Contact With the Enemy
We are a combat unit that is expert in the application of violence. Trust your instincts and make a decision in accordance with the rules of engagement and my intent. I will support you 100 percent. Never make an “uncovered move” in the face of the enemy. From buddy rushes to bounding by platoons, always have an overwatch element prepared to deliver fires. Use combat patience, build a base of fire, suppress the enemy, and when you move, do it with a purpose, aggression, and violence of action intent on finishing the enemy. After first contact, the enemy will fear us more than they hate us.


We will take casualties in combat, and men will die. Accept that as fact now and resolve to stay above the emotion and remain focused on the mission. Do not allow casualties to slow our speed. The best way to take care of our wounded is to finish the enemy.


Encourage constructive feedback. Continue to use the after-action review as a means for this, especially in combat. Our best ideas and tactics, techniques, and procedures will come from our NCOs and junior Marines.


Treat the dead—friendly and enemy—with respect. Do not pose for photos with the enemy dead or otherwise desecrate their remains; it is cowardly.


Upon contact with the enemy establish violence supremacy and kill them. If they quit, then give quarter. Keep our honor clean. Do not allow atrocities that will sully our reputation, make cowards of our Marines, and stiffen the enemy’s resolve.


Treat prisoners with dignity, but do not trust them. Be forceful and firm. Do not abuse prisoners; it is cowardly.


Treat the locals with dignity and be courteous, but never be “friendly”; it is a weakness they will exploit.


Make peace with your Maker, trust in your brothers, dedicate yourself to the unit and mission—then fight with a “happy heart.”


Lead from the front. When conditions are worst is when you need to be seen the most.


Establishing Expectations
As I stated earlier, I would not change any of these bullets; however, after OIF, I added three additional expectation bullets. Once again, there is nothing new, yet it is important to share and reaffirm these lessons. There are two ways a leader ethically imposes his will on the Marines he leads into combat and those are through his moral authority as a leader and by establishing expectations.


First, authority is granted by virtue of one’s warrant or commission. On the battlefield, moral authority is established and cemented by leading from the front. Only by embracing the same hazards as the Marines and sailors you lead will you establish that critical bond of trust that is at the heart of a unit’s fighting spirit. One must lead from within what GEN Matthew B. Ridgway called the “cone of aimed fire.” Marines know that tough—and potentially dangerous—decisions are required in combat. Knowing those decisions were made from within this cone of aimed fire builds confidence in your Marines that their leaders know what is actually happening firsthand at the point of contact and have committed them to a course of action with the best possible chance of success. Nothing breaks down the walls of doubt and hesitancy and builds the bonds of trust and affinity faster than shared danger and hardship.


Second is the power of expectations communicated by ruthless enforcement of the basics and demonstrated in combat by example. In the battle of Thermopylae, the Spartan king, Leonidas, fought shoulder to shoulder with his band of 300 Spartans against the Persians and Xerxes’ 10,000 Immortals. Leonidas chose to lead from within the phalanx as a fellow hoplite in the second rank. This was more than a gesture or simply striking a bold leadership pose and moving on. This was leading from the front and establishing the baseline example of his expectations. With such an example, a unit will emulate a leader’s will and aggressiveness to move on the enemy and that aggressive spirit will permeate a unit. That is not to say that all leaders should be relegated to the role of a rifleman, but rather should embrace the role of fighter/leader. This is particularly important for a unit in its first fight.


The third expectation I added was borrowed from Vince Lombardi. For Lombardi the definition of mental toughness was not only the ability to take pain but also the ability to inflict it. In the case of combat, as a leader you must be mentally prepared to inflict pain not only on the enemy—we are prepared for that—but you must be prepared to indirectly inflict suffering on the Marines and sailors who must go in harm’s way to carry out your orders and accomplish the mission. GEN Robert E. Lee stated that the military leader must be prepared to order the destruction of the very thing he loves—his men. No other profession requires that conscious commitment. This is not just prose; this is the essence of the burden of command. On a conscious level we all know this, but are we really mentally and emotionally prepared for it? Even before the first shot in anger is fired, leaders must look themselves in the mirror and know they possess the measure of resoluteness necessary to order their Marines and sailors into harm’s way. Furthermore, the real test is to look yourself in the mirror soon after young men who trust you are killed or maimed, do it all over again—day after day—and still not lose the will to continuously and aggressively close with the enemy. This requires mental toughness. The “emotional shock absorbers” to weather those blows and maintain your convictions must be developed in peacetime through study of the human psyche in combat and through vicarious experience.


Conclusion
On the surface these expectations may look simple, to the point of being a blinding flash of the obvious. This is the deceptive elusiveness of the basics—easy to talk about—and much harder to accomplish. The challenge for you, the leader, is to internalize these expectations in your unit, to engrain them so fully that they are habit, lest you be taught a bitter lesson.

Notes


1. 3d Battalion, 4th Marines, Standing Operating Procedures.


2. Ibid.

>LtCol McCoy served as the CO, 3d Bn, 4th Mar during two deployments to Iraq. He currently is attending the National War College.

http://www.mca-marines.org/Gazette/0904mccoy.html


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Four area Marines die in Iraq



By Nelsy Rodriguez
The Desert Sun
September 6th, 2004


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The deaths of four Twentynine Palms Marines on Friday marked the second-highest single-day death toll for Marines from the base since March 2003 when the first locally deployed Marine died in the conflict.

It was the heaviest day of Marine casualties from Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms since five men deployed from the base died in Iraq April 17, according to The Desert Sun records.

"That’s the most I’ve seen (in any one day) since I’ve been here," said Capt. Chad Walton, a base spokesman.

Four Twentynine Palms Marines also died in combat on March 25, 2003.

The following men died Sept. 3 in combat in Al Anbar Province, Iraq:

Lance Cpl. Nicholas Perez, 19, of Austin, Texas. Perez was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1 Marine Expeditionary Force.

Perez was an assistant machine gunner and joined the Marine Corps on July 21, 2003.

His awards include the National Defense Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon and the War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.

He is survived by parents, Samuel and Yolanda Perez of Austin, Texas.

Lance Cpl. Nicholas Wilt, 23, of Tampa, Fla.

Wilt was assigned to 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1 Marine Expeditionary Force.

He was a heavy machine gun section leader and joined the Marine Corps on May 22, 2002.

His awards include the Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon and the War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.

He is survived by his wife, Mercedes Wilt, of Twentynine Palms, and his father, Donald Wilt, of Tampa, Fla.

1st Lt. Ronald Winchester, 25, of Rockville Center, N.Y. Winchester was assigned to 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1 Marine Expeditionary Force.

He attended the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., and was commissioned May 2001.

His awards include the Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon and the War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.

He is survived by his parents, Ronald and Marianna Winchester, of Rockville Center, N.Y.

Capt. Alan Rowe, 35, of Hagerman, Idaho. Rowe was assigned to 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1 Marine Expeditionary Force.

He joined the Marine Corps on Nov. 5, 1985. He was selected for and graduated from Officer Candidates School and commissioned a second lieutenant on Dec. 22, 1994.

He is survived by his wife, Dawn Rowe of Yucca Valley, his son Blake, daughter Caitlin, and mother Marian Rowe of Gooding, Idaho and father James Rowe of Twin Falls Idaho.

None of the next of kin could be reached for comment.

Walton said the men from 3rd Battalion 7th Marines are in the stages of being replaced by the men from 1st Battalian 7th Marines and are due to come back the United States in late September

Walton wouldn’t detail the circumstances surrounding the deaths because it could jeopardize other Marines.

"Just in case (insurgents) are collecting stats," Walton said. "Then they know what’s most effective."

As of Friday, 976 U.S. service members have died since the beginning of military operations in Iraq in March 2003, according to the Defense Department.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nelsy Rodriguez is a reporter for The Desert Sun. She can be reached at 760-360-8356 or by e-mail.

http://www.thedesertsun.com/news/stories2004/local/20040906000951.shtml


Ellie

[thedrifter]

170 Marines welcomed home from Iraq

UNION-TRIBUNE
September 6, 2004

CAMP PENDLETON – Families and friends welcomed about 170 Marines who returned from Iraq yesterday after about a six-month deployment.

The returning Marines were members of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron HMLA-775, a reserve unit based at Camp Pendleton. The unit's mission included assault support, logistics re-supply and command and control.

In July, HMLA-775 suffered its first death in Iraq when Lt. Col. David Greene, the squadron's 39-year-old maintenance officer, was killed by ground fire near Fallujah.

Today about 160 Marines from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing are scheduled to return to the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20040906-9999-1m6return.html

Ellie