thedrifter
05-25-06, 09:34 AM
Sent to me from hubby..fontman
Ellie
From the MarineCorpsMom's Blog
1/7 Battalion Commander LtCol Nick Marano has good news from the Syrian
border:
Families of 1/7,
We are well into our third month now and you can really see the Marines
and Corpsmen hitting their stride. The days and weeks spent in the
field on predeployment training have
really paid off for the platoons and companies. Iraq may seem on TV
like a violent place with a faceless enemy, but your Marines are truly the
hunters. They are taking the
counterinsurgency fight to the enemy everyday, and winning. Every line
company is aggressively patrolling their Area of Operations (AO) and
everyday we are rolling up
insurgents, discovering IEDs, weapons caches and keeping the terrorists
off balance. In my last letter, I spoke about April being historically
a violent month and it unfortunately
remained this April as we lost three fine Marines. I pledge to you, as
we have pledged to each other, that their sacrifices will not be in
vain. We are committed to moving the Al
Qaim region forward, and we are making steady progress. It will not be
easy, this is a hot, dirty and dangerous job, but it is one we are
capable of completing and we will all be
safer for it. I could not be prouder of the Marines and Sailors I am
fortunate enough to lead. Even in the midst of tragedy, their selfless
devotion to each other and their mission is
remarkable - and moving. In my letter following the rocket attack on BP
Tarawa, I detailed some of those actions. Today, I am happy to report
to you that the little girl who LCpl
Simons and Cpl Kutner were so worried about has lived. We were able to
get her treated and MEDEVAC'd to a hospital in Baghdad. She would have
certainly died had it not been
for two brave Marines; those Marines cared more about their comrades
and a little Iraqi girl than they did their own lives.
We continue to work with the Iraqi Army, and now the Police, to improve
their capability and prepare them for the day when all Marines depart
the Al Qaim region. This job, like
every other in Iraq, is difficult. There are no easy problems here!
There are many times that working with the Iraqi Army and Police has the
"one step forward, two steps backwards"
feel. We currently have Iraqi Police patrolling in Husaybah with Baker
Company and soon will have them on the street with Alpha Company in
Ubaydi. As the Marines have found
out, it initially takes more work to patrol and work with Iraqi
security forces, but in the long term these soldiers and police will perform
the tasks that your Marines currently do.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all the mothers
a Happy Mothers Day. As you enjoy the day at Victory Field, please know
that we couldn't do any of this without
your strength, support and love. You are what make all of this
worthwhile and we look forward to the day when we will all stand together on
Victory Field in celebration. The story of
what your Marines and Sailors do here has been written about in major
newspapers around the world and the Al Qaim region is held up as one of
the positive areas within the
Sunni regions of Iraq. We have generated so much attention, that even
Toby Keith is coming here to play for us. Yes, that's true, Toby Keith
will be here on 29 May and I will do my
best to ensure every Country Fan is here to enjoy it. He specifically
asked to go to where the "real" Marines are, so he is obviously coming
here. Thank you for staying strong and
keeping the faith.
Ellie
From the MarineCorpsMom's Blog
1/7 Battalion Commander LtCol Nick Marano has good news from the Syrian
border:
Families of 1/7,
We are well into our third month now and you can really see the Marines
and Corpsmen hitting their stride. The days and weeks spent in the
field on predeployment training have
really paid off for the platoons and companies. Iraq may seem on TV
like a violent place with a faceless enemy, but your Marines are truly the
hunters. They are taking the
counterinsurgency fight to the enemy everyday, and winning. Every line
company is aggressively patrolling their Area of Operations (AO) and
everyday we are rolling up
insurgents, discovering IEDs, weapons caches and keeping the terrorists
off balance. In my last letter, I spoke about April being historically
a violent month and it unfortunately
remained this April as we lost three fine Marines. I pledge to you, as
we have pledged to each other, that their sacrifices will not be in
vain. We are committed to moving the Al
Qaim region forward, and we are making steady progress. It will not be
easy, this is a hot, dirty and dangerous job, but it is one we are
capable of completing and we will all be
safer for it. I could not be prouder of the Marines and Sailors I am
fortunate enough to lead. Even in the midst of tragedy, their selfless
devotion to each other and their mission is
remarkable - and moving. In my letter following the rocket attack on BP
Tarawa, I detailed some of those actions. Today, I am happy to report
to you that the little girl who LCpl
Simons and Cpl Kutner were so worried about has lived. We were able to
get her treated and MEDEVAC'd to a hospital in Baghdad. She would have
certainly died had it not been
for two brave Marines; those Marines cared more about their comrades
and a little Iraqi girl than they did their own lives.
We continue to work with the Iraqi Army, and now the Police, to improve
their capability and prepare them for the day when all Marines depart
the Al Qaim region. This job, like
every other in Iraq, is difficult. There are no easy problems here!
There are many times that working with the Iraqi Army and Police has the
"one step forward, two steps backwards"
feel. We currently have Iraqi Police patrolling in Husaybah with Baker
Company and soon will have them on the street with Alpha Company in
Ubaydi. As the Marines have found
out, it initially takes more work to patrol and work with Iraqi
security forces, but in the long term these soldiers and police will perform
the tasks that your Marines currently do.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all the mothers
a Happy Mothers Day. As you enjoy the day at Victory Field, please know
that we couldn't do any of this without
your strength, support and love. You are what make all of this
worthwhile and we look forward to the day when we will all stand together on
Victory Field in celebration. The story of
what your Marines and Sailors do here has been written about in major
newspapers around the world and the Al Qaim region is held up as one of
the positive areas within the
Sunni regions of Iraq. We have generated so much attention, that even
Toby Keith is coming here to play for us. Yes, that's true, Toby Keith
will be here on 29 May and I will do my
best to ensure every Country Fan is here to enjoy it. He specifically
asked to go to where the "real" Marines are, so he is obviously coming
here. Thank you for staying strong and
keeping the faith.