Iowa Marines Sound Off

[thedrifter]

Iowa Marines Sound Off
Iowa, June 8, 2006 - President Bush calls it a victory in the war on terror and a blow to the insurgency in Iraq. A U.S. air strike kills top Al Queda leader Abu Muhab Al Zarqawi. Zarqawi is blamed for the beheading of foreign captives and the death of hundreds in suicide bombings.

Troops here in Iowa say Zarqawi's death is good news, but they say there's still a long road ahead. U.S. Marines, Major Christian Ranken and Staff Sergeant Ryan Molsberry, were sent to Iraq to fight the insurgency. They say there were days, sometimes weeks when their missions didn't seem very successful. But then there are times of success, such as, when troops uncovered mass amounts of the insurgent's weapons. A big victory can boost morale even more.

News of Abu Muhab Al Zarqawi death in Iraq was one of those victories. Still, the marines are cautious to celebrate. They know the war is far from over. "There are a lot of other terrorits that we need to kill or capture. But they are confident the war on terror can be won as long as the will to win exists," said Ranken. "You gotta keep on pushing the next mission and keep on pushin," said Molsberry. Both Major Rankins and Staff Seargant Molsberry encountered several insurgent attacks during their time in Iraq. They said Zarqawi played a direct role in at least a couple of those incidents.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Friday, June 9, 2006
Northboro, Clinton Marines in Iraq see positive effects


THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

FALLUJAH, Iraq— Radios crackled yesterday with news that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi had been killed by a U.S. airstrike, bringing a sense of satisfaction to some American troops and giving others a reason to reflect.

“It’s about time,” said Sgt. David Kojaj of Long Island, N.Y. “It’s one step closer to finishing this job in the next 20 years. We’re obviously going to be here a long time.”

At a camp outside this battle-scarred city, some Marines scoffed at the Jordanian-born terrorist’s decision to appear in a video released in April. They suggested his demise was the product of his own vanity when he showed his face to the world.



The video portrayed al-Zarqawi as an insurgent commander looking over maps and swaggering through the desert with a machine gun. But footage released later, which the U.S. military said was found in a raid, showed al-Zarqawi fumbling with the weapon.

“He pumped himself up so much that he blew himself up, with the help of some U.S. fighter jets,” said Staff Sgt. Joseph Medeiros of Saugus, Mass. “I’m excited because we got a real bad guy off the street.”

Hundreds of U.S. Marines are battling an insurgency that no longer controls Fallujah but is still capable of carrying out assassinations and regular roadside bombings.

“It’ll be one less person trying to rally opposition to the government,” said Staff Sgt. Kevin Conway of Northboro, Mass.

South of Baghdad, soldiers in the 101st Airborne Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat team have in recent weeks pursued phantom sightings of al-Zarqawi, who was believed to have traveled through the farms and desert they patrol.

But there was no celebration when they heard over the radio that he had been killed.

Staff Sgt. Philip Miller said most troops who were awake at the time shared a quiet moment to reflect on the accomplishment.

“Everyone’s been looking for him for so long,” said Miller, 26, of Normalville, Pa. “Taking him out of the loop is justification for all those guys who gave their lives for this.”

One Marine near Fallujah suggested the deaths of al-Zarqawi and his associates would make things a little easier for the American mission.

“Time will tell, but if he’s as big as they say, then I think it’ll have a dramatic effect on our current operations,” said Marine Lance Cpl. Kurtis Backiel of Clinton, Mass., assigned to the 1st Battalion, 25th Regiment.

Ellie