thedrifter
03-03-05, 03:34 PM
Sent to me by Mark (Fontman)
Homecoming Marks Beginning of Difficult Transition for Marines
By Karen Hensel
When 1,100 Marines return home from the war in Iraq in a few months, another war - an internal one - begins.
Lt. Col. Mark Smith is an Indiana State Trooper and Marine who's leading the families of the men in his unit through the return home.
The pictures show Lt.Col. Smith posing and smiling with Iraqi children. He tells his own children in Indianapolis, "The pictures tell the real story of what we do here now for the Iraqi people, and in the future for the world."
His message to the wives and families of his Marines is even more serious. The Marines are preparing for their homecoming. They'll fly to Camp Pendleton, California in April.
Smith leads 1,100 Marines. Through his words, he also leads their families through the war. In his weekly e-mail home he outlines the process and his directive to the families.
"All personnel will attend mandatory briefings and training designed specifically to transition them: mind, body, and soul from hardened combat warrior back to peaceful citizen."
He explains, "These Marines have been through seven months of hardship, incredible violence, harsh extremes of hot and cold, daily sweat, far more tears than any man should shed and unfortunately blood. They have seen the innocent slaughtered, they have destroyed the guilty and they have said goodbye and God's blessing on 11 of their brothers."
Smith warns the families sternly not to fly to California because they will not see their loved ones there. "For seven months, the very lives of these Marines have been my sole reason for existence. That responsibility does not end at Camp Pendleton. It ends when they are released from active duty, not one second before. You may hate that. You may hate me. Both are fine."
The journey home marks the beginning of an internal war for the Marines. "Give them the space they require to slowly turn the switch. The switch from violence to gentle. The switch from tension to relaxation. The switch from suspicion to trust. The switch from anger to peace. The switch from hate to love."
The 24th Marines based in Chicago return to the Midwest in May.
LtCol. Smith's latest letter follows:
Ladies,
The subject line alone should have you dancing in the aisles right now. Rest assured, we will stay focused until the bitter end, and I am taking a small break from relentless ops planning to address this important issue. It is on the horizon, and as such, you need visibility on the tentative plan, the process, the philosophy of how we will execute it, and the REGULATIONS that will be enforced as part of it.
First: definition - redeployment: to return to home station from a deployment order. English: to go HOME!
Second: timeframe. All should anticipate our arrival in the Continental United States (CONUS) during the first week of April.
Third: Intermediate Location (ILOC - Camp Pendleton, CA) Plan.
1. Units will arrive in a flow fashion, separated by days as they arrive at the ILOC.
2. All personnel will attend and participate in mandatory briefings and training designed specifically designed to transition them: mind, body and soul from hardened combat warrior back to peaceful citizen.
3. All personnel will attend and participate in mandatory briefings and training designed specifically to provide insight and illumination as to what their loved ones have been through, the stresses they have been under, how to "learn to live together again," AND THE WARNING SIGNS OF POTENTIAL TROUBLE SPOTS IN INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS.
Fourth: Process. The process will be a meticulously planned and militarily executed 2/24 Mad Ghost Training Plan.
Fifth: Philosophy. The guiding philosophy is this: these Marines have been through 7 months of hardship, incredible violence, harsh extremes of hot and cold, daily sweat, far more tears than any Man should shed, and unfortunately, blood. Much, much too much blood. They have seen the innocent slaughtered, they have destroyed the guilty, and they have said goodbye and God's blessing on 11 of their brothers. And, since 26 Sep., they have done all of this isolated from all their brothers of the Battalion, save their immediate Company. This was our design, this was our "zip code offense." And, it was successful, VERY SUCCESSFUL.
But, it has come at a cost. And that cost will be mitigated at Camp Pendleton when, AS A BATTALION, we do the things Warriors need to do! We will bond, we will talk, we will sing, we will dance and, we will cry. We will do all these things without shame, and WITHOUT INTERFERENCE from anyone or anything outside of this magnificent Battalion!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sixth: REGULATIONS. Ladies, all need to pay and heed attention to the following. I say again, we will do all of these things without shame and WITHOUT INTERFERENCE from anyone or anything outside of this magnificent Battalion!!!!!!!!!!! For 7 months, the very lives of these Marines have been my sole reason for existence. That responsibility DOES NOT end at Camp Pendleton. It ends when they are released from active duty. Not one second before. You may hate that. You may hate me. Both are fine! I have told you on many occassions I am but a simple Hoosier who has been blessed by God Almighty to share time and space with your loved one. But, and for emphasis, but, on this one, I know what I am doing. My life's study, my life's profession, my life's passion has been the study and science of combat, its training requirements, its stresses, its effects, it's demands for dealing with it. AND WHAT I KNOW, IS THAT THERE MUST BE TIME AND SPACE AND PREPARTION FOR HOMECOMING. This is what will occur at Camp Pendleton.
Any interference will BE A SIGNIFICANT RISK TO THE LONG TERM WELFARE AND STABILITY OF THESE MAGNIFICENT MARINES, AND YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM, AND THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN ON MY WATCH.
So, if you have been planning to go to California in direct opposition to this policy, which was published some time ago...well, you will be making a mistake. As of right now, the only planned liberty is base liberty. There will NOT be an opportunity to see your loved one aboard Camp Pendleton. Again, take your hate and anger out on me, that is fine.
I AM DOING WHAT IS RIGHT AND PROPER FOR YOU, AND YOUR MAGNIFICENT MARINE, WHO IS MY RESPONSIBILITY UNTIL RELEASE FROM ACTIVE DUTY. And no emotional heart string pulling is going to get me to screw it up the last 7 days, when I have tried to give so much for the last 7 months.
Sorry if the tone has been harsh. But, I love these Marines too much to return them to you one second before they are ready. Give them the space they require to slowly turn the switch. The switch from violence to gentle. The switch from tension to relaxation. The switch from suspicion to trust. The switch from anger to peace. The switch from hate to love. Please, let them execute the switch. This is just how it has to be.
O.K. let the hate mail flow. I have always tried to answer every single email I receive, which has been thousands, however, have to tell you, confrontational emails on this issue may not get answered. Sorry, it is non-negotiable....why, because believe it or not, I love your Marine as much as you do, and his deployment ends back at his Reserve Center, not at Camp Pendleton.
May God Bless and Keep the Magnificent Families of 2/24.
PS: Respectfully request that no more packages be mailed as of 15 Feb. Will not arrive prior to our pack out and mail room closure. You all have been more than generous with your packages, and will always be loved for it.
LtCol Mark A. Smith, MAYHEM 6
CO, Task Force 2/24
"Mayhem from the Heartland"
or as the terrorists call us
"The Mad Ghosts"
Mahmudiyah, IZ
2nd Bn, 24th Marines, H&S Co, Bn Cmdr
Ellie
Homecoming Marks Beginning of Difficult Transition for Marines
By Karen Hensel
When 1,100 Marines return home from the war in Iraq in a few months, another war - an internal one - begins.
Lt. Col. Mark Smith is an Indiana State Trooper and Marine who's leading the families of the men in his unit through the return home.
The pictures show Lt.Col. Smith posing and smiling with Iraqi children. He tells his own children in Indianapolis, "The pictures tell the real story of what we do here now for the Iraqi people, and in the future for the world."
His message to the wives and families of his Marines is even more serious. The Marines are preparing for their homecoming. They'll fly to Camp Pendleton, California in April.
Smith leads 1,100 Marines. Through his words, he also leads their families through the war. In his weekly e-mail home he outlines the process and his directive to the families.
"All personnel will attend mandatory briefings and training designed specifically to transition them: mind, body, and soul from hardened combat warrior back to peaceful citizen."
He explains, "These Marines have been through seven months of hardship, incredible violence, harsh extremes of hot and cold, daily sweat, far more tears than any man should shed and unfortunately blood. They have seen the innocent slaughtered, they have destroyed the guilty and they have said goodbye and God's blessing on 11 of their brothers."
Smith warns the families sternly not to fly to California because they will not see their loved ones there. "For seven months, the very lives of these Marines have been my sole reason for existence. That responsibility does not end at Camp Pendleton. It ends when they are released from active duty, not one second before. You may hate that. You may hate me. Both are fine."
The journey home marks the beginning of an internal war for the Marines. "Give them the space they require to slowly turn the switch. The switch from violence to gentle. The switch from tension to relaxation. The switch from suspicion to trust. The switch from anger to peace. The switch from hate to love."
The 24th Marines based in Chicago return to the Midwest in May.
LtCol. Smith's latest letter follows:
Ladies,
The subject line alone should have you dancing in the aisles right now. Rest assured, we will stay focused until the bitter end, and I am taking a small break from relentless ops planning to address this important issue. It is on the horizon, and as such, you need visibility on the tentative plan, the process, the philosophy of how we will execute it, and the REGULATIONS that will be enforced as part of it.
First: definition - redeployment: to return to home station from a deployment order. English: to go HOME!
Second: timeframe. All should anticipate our arrival in the Continental United States (CONUS) during the first week of April.
Third: Intermediate Location (ILOC - Camp Pendleton, CA) Plan.
1. Units will arrive in a flow fashion, separated by days as they arrive at the ILOC.
2. All personnel will attend and participate in mandatory briefings and training designed specifically designed to transition them: mind, body and soul from hardened combat warrior back to peaceful citizen.
3. All personnel will attend and participate in mandatory briefings and training designed specifically to provide insight and illumination as to what their loved ones have been through, the stresses they have been under, how to "learn to live together again," AND THE WARNING SIGNS OF POTENTIAL TROUBLE SPOTS IN INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS.
Fourth: Process. The process will be a meticulously planned and militarily executed 2/24 Mad Ghost Training Plan.
Fifth: Philosophy. The guiding philosophy is this: these Marines have been through 7 months of hardship, incredible violence, harsh extremes of hot and cold, daily sweat, far more tears than any Man should shed, and unfortunately, blood. Much, much too much blood. They have seen the innocent slaughtered, they have destroyed the guilty, and they have said goodbye and God's blessing on 11 of their brothers. And, since 26 Sep., they have done all of this isolated from all their brothers of the Battalion, save their immediate Company. This was our design, this was our "zip code offense." And, it was successful, VERY SUCCESSFUL.
But, it has come at a cost. And that cost will be mitigated at Camp Pendleton when, AS A BATTALION, we do the things Warriors need to do! We will bond, we will talk, we will sing, we will dance and, we will cry. We will do all these things without shame, and WITHOUT INTERFERENCE from anyone or anything outside of this magnificent Battalion!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sixth: REGULATIONS. Ladies, all need to pay and heed attention to the following. I say again, we will do all of these things without shame and WITHOUT INTERFERENCE from anyone or anything outside of this magnificent Battalion!!!!!!!!!!! For 7 months, the very lives of these Marines have been my sole reason for existence. That responsibility DOES NOT end at Camp Pendleton. It ends when they are released from active duty. Not one second before. You may hate that. You may hate me. Both are fine! I have told you on many occassions I am but a simple Hoosier who has been blessed by God Almighty to share time and space with your loved one. But, and for emphasis, but, on this one, I know what I am doing. My life's study, my life's profession, my life's passion has been the study and science of combat, its training requirements, its stresses, its effects, it's demands for dealing with it. AND WHAT I KNOW, IS THAT THERE MUST BE TIME AND SPACE AND PREPARTION FOR HOMECOMING. This is what will occur at Camp Pendleton.
Any interference will BE A SIGNIFICANT RISK TO THE LONG TERM WELFARE AND STABILITY OF THESE MAGNIFICENT MARINES, AND YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM, AND THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN ON MY WATCH.
So, if you have been planning to go to California in direct opposition to this policy, which was published some time ago...well, you will be making a mistake. As of right now, the only planned liberty is base liberty. There will NOT be an opportunity to see your loved one aboard Camp Pendleton. Again, take your hate and anger out on me, that is fine.
I AM DOING WHAT IS RIGHT AND PROPER FOR YOU, AND YOUR MAGNIFICENT MARINE, WHO IS MY RESPONSIBILITY UNTIL RELEASE FROM ACTIVE DUTY. And no emotional heart string pulling is going to get me to screw it up the last 7 days, when I have tried to give so much for the last 7 months.
Sorry if the tone has been harsh. But, I love these Marines too much to return them to you one second before they are ready. Give them the space they require to slowly turn the switch. The switch from violence to gentle. The switch from tension to relaxation. The switch from suspicion to trust. The switch from anger to peace. The switch from hate to love. Please, let them execute the switch. This is just how it has to be.
O.K. let the hate mail flow. I have always tried to answer every single email I receive, which has been thousands, however, have to tell you, confrontational emails on this issue may not get answered. Sorry, it is non-negotiable....why, because believe it or not, I love your Marine as much as you do, and his deployment ends back at his Reserve Center, not at Camp Pendleton.
May God Bless and Keep the Magnificent Families of 2/24.
PS: Respectfully request that no more packages be mailed as of 15 Feb. Will not arrive prior to our pack out and mail room closure. You all have been more than generous with your packages, and will always be loved for it.
LtCol Mark A. Smith, MAYHEM 6
CO, Task Force 2/24
"Mayhem from the Heartland"
or as the terrorists call us
"The Mad Ghosts"
Mahmudiyah, IZ
2nd Bn, 24th Marines, H&S Co, Bn Cmdr
Ellie