The Daily Grind

The Tigger House, Kabul

2012-01-15T07:13:00.004-05:00

Similar to the compassion I felt for the stray animals I encountered in Iraq, I have grown fond of the helpless cats and dogs wandering around Afghanistan. Unfortunately, the residents of Kabul are no different in their treatment of animals than most Muslim societies that consider cats and dogs dirty and unworthy of being pets. Here, there are stray dogs and cats wandering the city in large numbers. Many appear injured and malnourished, often limping and sometimes missing legs or ears. Both children and adults alike ignore the animals or throw rocks at the strays. It's horrible to watch such maltreatment of man's best friend.

One of the agents living at my compound is deeply concerned with the rescue of these wonderful animals. Amazingly, he found a local shelter situated deep within the city called the Afghan Stray Animal League (http://www.afghanstrayanimals.org/mission_1.html). The shelter is known locally as the Tigger House and is operated by an American who solicits private donations and adoption fees in order to keep the shelter running. She has a small but dedicated local staff who care for the animals that are brought into the shelter until such time that they can be adopted by American service members or other willing families. Although the shelter appears disheveled and dirty compared to our own standards, the dogs and cats brought to the shelter are safe and cared for until a home is found for them. The shelter has saved dozens of animals from cruel abuse and worse, from being sold to locals who purchase them for the sport of dog fighting.

Yesterday, Brandon, Michelle and I brought a litter of 7 pups to the shelter. The pups were born just outside of our compound and were fed by Brandon and some of the other residents until they were weaned. Unfortunately, they had grown to the point that local Afghans were taking interest in them for dog fighting, so Brandon asked if I would ride shotgun as we drove into the city to the Tigger House. Driving through the pothole-lined streets of Kabul while trying to keep 7 puppies from throwing up in your lap was challenging but worthwhile knowing that these dogs have a future ahead of them that is not filled with violence and hunger.

Flying in Style

2012-01-15T06:49:00.000-05:00

Last week, I flew south from Kabul to Camp Leatherneck in the Helmand Province. As the liaison officer to a civilian federal agency, I was fortunate to fly aboard a government owned Beechcraft King Air twin turbo-prop. It was certainly luxurious compared to the standard C-130 transport commonly used in theater. When fully loaded with pallets of gear and equipment, troop space aboard the C-130 is usually limited and one often ends up facing another Marine or soldier in a cramped, parallel series of troops seats, your knees interlaced between the knees of the guy in front of you. Sometimes the C-130 flights are empty and one can stretch out along the canvas troop seats lining the sides of the fuselage. Conversely, the massive C-17's are much more spacious than the relatively compact C-130's and have removable rows of seats like those found in a commercial airliner. The seats can be added or removed depending upon the load. In addition to troops, the C-17's and the even larger C-5 routinely haul large quantities of equipment across the theater.

While the King Air may only seat 8 passengers, its twin turbo props permit the bird to fly at nearly the same speed of the C-130 Hercules. During this particular flight, just myself and 2 DoD analysts were headed to Camp Leatherneck. Needless to say, it is a comfortable ride that is usually reserved for VIP's and distinguished visitors; 95% of the troops in theater will only fly aboard the larger strategic aircraft and won't have the opportuntity to enjoy this incredible perk!

From the air, I observed the ridge line that lies along the northern edge of our compound, the same ridge line I've climbed several times since my arrival. The recent blast of precipitation over the last 2 days has since hidden the treacherous peaks under a soft blanket of snow, belying the dangers hidden within the Hindu Kush.

The Lads of Lima Company

2011-12-30T02:08:00.001-05:00

By Cpl. John Scott Rafoss, HQMC
HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Dec. 25, 2011 — We “yomped” forward. Carrying two days of rations, including six liters of water and hundreds of machine gun rounds, mine detectors, grenades, ladders, radio equipment, heavy javelins, and other explosives; their packs were heavy. My pack was just the bare necessities – water, a few meals, and my camera.

The sky was gray. It was raining, muddy and cold. I’m tired. Everyone else must have been tired, too, but the Royal Marine Commandos are elite – they weren’t showing it.

“That’s what we do, we yomp,” said Sgt. Noel Connelly, of the Royal Marines.. “Just like the Falklands in ‘82. We’re bootnecks. That’s what bootnecks do… yomp.”

We stopped and rested on the side of the road. Reports over the radio were saying the tanks couldn’t get through because insurgents have dug ditches in the road. The tanks had to find a new route and that would take time. So we waited and endured the mud and cold rain.

“Hey USMC, do you want a smoke,” said Connelly, platoon sergeant for Royal Marine’s 9th Troop, “L” Company, 42 Commando, as he took out some English cigarettes. “These are healthy cigarettes.”
We all huddled underneath improvised cover and the Royal Marines talked about football in England. They asked me questions about the U.S. Marine Corps – What is my training like? Is boot camp like the movie Full Metal Jacket? “What do you do?” said Cpl. John Owens, an assault engineer nicknamed Johno.
“I’m a combat correspondent,” I replied. “I’m what the Americans call a POG – personnel other than grunt.”

“Well, you aren’t a POG right now,” said Johno, as we looked down at our muddy boots. “You’re with us now, mate.” After smoking about four cigarettes, we got the call to move forward. The tanks had found a route through a field. So we picked up our packs and started to yomp to the village of Zargon Kalay. Our superiors said Zargon Kalay is filled with die-hard enemy insurgents, but they said that about the last village and nothing happened.

The mosque, which is in the center of the city, was becoming more visible with every step. We were a few hundred meters away when Lima Company split up into different parts of the open ground in front of the village. It was farm land. 9th Troop moved to the right flank and we maneuvered along the edge of an irrigation stream.

We approached a compound and the bootnecks at the front of the patrol positioned themselves on the roof to get good arcs for their machine guns. The rest of the platoon waited in the open outside of the compound.

I sat by the edge of the irrigation stream, bored. All of a sudden something flew past my head and it had a distinct sound. It was the first time I heard that sound. Cracking and whizzing – bullets sound a lot different when they are coming at you.

Without even thinking, I jumped into the irrigation ditch. I looked up and saw Marines jumping off the roof. The trees behind them were being ripped apart.
My heart was pumping while I sat in the stream. I looked at the plants in front of me and thought about staying alive. “Am I dreaming?” I thought. “This can’t be real. A picture isn’t worth my life.” I was embedded with 9th Troop, Lima Company, 42 British Royal Marine Commando during the 18-day combat operation known as Sond Chara, which is Pashtun for Red Dagger. An outsider, and the only reason I was with them is because of my eagle, globe and anchor, and my camera.

It all started like the beginning of an American football game – like we were getting ready to run on to the field. We were all pumped up in that helicopter. We felt like Spartans during the Battle of Thermopylae. But this wasn’t a game, or a movie, or a book about legendary battles in the past. This was now.
I felt like I was in a Higgins Boat heading toward Normandy. I looked up and saw the crew chief scanning the horizon for insurgents with his night vision goggles.

We landed in the desert and it was quiet. I couldn’t see anything. Everyone else had night vision goggles. I didn’t even have a night vision lens for my camera. All of the bootnecks were silhouetted and we moved towards an Afghan compound a few hundred meters in front of us.

We stopped in our tracks when we heard gun shots in the distance. It was Kilo Company. They landed about an hour before us and they were already in a firefight. There was a lot of gunfire. But this wasn’t the O.K. Corral, it was Helmand Province.

“They have a casualty,” whispered one of the radio operators. “He was hurt from the back blast of a javelin.” My stomach started to sink when I heard that. But I kept quiet and kept moving forward with the bootnecks. Johno blew a hole in one of the walls of the compound and the bootnecks rushed in to the clear the compound of insurgents, but there were none.

I moved in and dropped my pack immediately. I was already tired and we were only two hours into the operation. I took a seat by one of the walls, and one of the Marines on the rooftops opened up his machine gun. An Apache came in and dropped a bomb on top of the insurgent vehicle he had stopped. The sky glowed from the burning car and I listened to the rounds cook off in the car.

“This isn’t normal,” I thought, and tried to get some sleep.

We stayed at the compound for a couple of days and were mortared everyday, but I was slowly getting used to the bootneck lifestyle. We were given orders to take the village we called KK. We left at about four in the morning. It was about an eight-kilometer hike, yomping through the farming fields, with a break about halfway. My boots were covered in mud. I tried to scrape it off, but the mud had a funny smell, and when I brought it up to my nose, I realized it was manure. We picked up our packs and yomped on.
We got to the village and everything seemed normal. Children were running around playing. Afghan men were working in their fields. Tractors were transporting goods. Camels were walking by bundled up with supplies. The locals said the insurgents had left the day before. So it was a good day – a quiet day. We rested in the village and got ready for the next hike.

We hiked another eight kilometers to Forward Operating Base Argyle. When we got there, we stayed on the outside of the FOB inside an old fortress, which was built by Alexander the Great thousands of years ago. It was a beautiful ancient fortress. We rested there for a day and started yomping again, this time about six-kilometers hto the Village of Zargon Kalay.
After we were shot at in the field near the irrigation ditch, we moved forward to another compound. I set my backpack down by a wall and moved into one of the rooms to take a break and eat. Then I heard the cracks again.The insurgents were dug in and were firing rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and small-arms fire.

A Royal Marine ran inside to get supplies. Connelly asked him what what the situation was outside. With typical combat humour, he replied, “We’re all going to die!”

I was shaking. I’m not sure if it was because I was cold and soaked from the irrigation ditch or because I was scared. When the fighting died down a little bit, I ran outside for my pack. I needed my smokes. When I got to my backpack there were bullet holes all over the wall above it. I grabbed it and ran back inside.
We drank tea and listened to artillery, tanks and helicopters take down the insurgents in the village. It sounded like they were using everything they had in the UK arsenal.

I wasn’t used to this kind of thing. In my mind, this was the kind of stuff soldiers and Marines did in Vietnam, World War I and World War II. I didn’t realize how bad war could be in Afghanistan. I was used to drinking coffee at the beer garden in Kabul or eating at Pizza Hut in Kandahar. I normally took pictures of handshakes and ceremonies, not combat.
We got the order to move forward to the next compound. But there was a problem. We had to move through an open field where an hour ago, little lead hornets were buzzing around. But one of the bootnecks had a good idea.

We popped smoke grenades and ran behind tanks. The first try didn’t work, because when we went into the open, we were fired on. But it worked on the second try. We ran for our lives behind those tanks. I thought it would make a good picture, so I put my head down next to the tank’s exhaust and took pictures with my camera over my head. I wasn’t even looking at where I was shooting.

“This is World War II shit,” yelled Connelly, as we ran behind the tanks. He was joking, but I didn’t laugh.
We made it to the next compound, and puffed down cigarettes. It was the best cigarette of my life, but it was hard to smoke because my lungs were filled with tank exhaust.

7th Troop moved into the outskirts of the village that night and we stayed back as over watch. We listened to them fight. They were getting some – we had already gotten ours.

The next morning we moved forward into the village. We met up with 7th Troop at a compound. They pushed forward street by street and made it a few blocks away from the Mosque and now it was our turn to move forward.

The village was quiet. Everyone had fled and I hoped the insurgents were all dead. We moved into a burned-out school right across the street from the mosque. I tried to get pictures of the Marines patrolling though the mud, but getting good images was the last thing on my mind.

We started taking small-arms fire from the west of the city. We moved through the village, forward to the sound of the guns. I thought human beings are supposed to run away from the sounds of guns, not yomp in the mud toward it. I thought to myself, “these Lima Company bootnecks are the real deal.”
I looked up and watched a javelin missile fly high up into the sky. It was shot off by Marines on the roof of the school, who had locked onto the insurgents. I was happy the javelin did all of the work for us and we moved into a compound behind the mosque and stayed there the night.

“We still have the Triangle of Death,” said Johno, as we smoked cigarettes in the compound. “It sounds like a video game,” I joked. “The Triangle of Death … the last level of Operation Sond Chara.”

The Triangle of Death is an area about four kilometers behind Zargon Kalay. We called it that, because on the map, it looked like a triangle. Reports were coming in that all of the insurgents were fleeing there. That made the Triangle of Death Taliban land.
We hiked through more of the surrounding villages before reaching the Triangle of Death. But the insurgents had heard about Zargon Kalay and many of them were fleeing for their lives.

In the early morning hours of Christmas Eve, we headed into a village we called Yellow Four. It was the beginning of the Triangle of Death. However, it had been quiet for the past few days and I was beginning to think the insurgents had learned their lesson.
Yellow Four is a little village holed up next to a big river with a big rusty crane in the center for exporting and importing goods. On top of the crane was a huge white Taliban flag. It seemed like an old trading port. But when we got there most of the villagers had fled.
We moved into the village with ease and took positions at an Afghan compound below the crane. I was pretty tired and I grabbed a few blankets to get some rest.

“It seems pretty quiet; hopefully they won’t attack us. What do you think?” I asked Royal Marine John Baiss, 9th Troop medic. “They are just observing us right now,” he replied. “Give it an hour.”

I didn’t want to believe him so I put my head down for some rest. An hour later I woke to gunfire. Smalls arms fire, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars were everywhere. I immediately put on my flak jacket and Kevlar helmet. I grabbed my rifle and camera and then sprinted outside to see what was happening.
“Someone put a wet on,” yelled Connelly, in the beginning of the firefight. We all laughed a little bit. A wet is British slang for tea.

Bootnecks were on the rooftops shooting and screaming. They were climbing on top as fast as they could to get more rounds downrange. “I see them … I see them,” screamed Lance Cpl. Paul, as he unloaded his machine gun. “They are in the tree line.”
I was getting used to gunfire, so I was confident when I started snapping away – trying to get some images of the lads in action.

I climbed up on the rooftop with the help of some of the bootnecks who pushed me up. I crawled up next to Paul and tried to get a view of the insurgents in front of us. There was a ceiling of small-arms fire over our heads. I looked up and saw a rocket propelled grenade fly over our heads. I followed it with my eyes in slow motion.

“Get a … LASM down there,” someone screamed, which is like a rocket launcher. Lance Cpl. Ben Whatley grabbed his LASM and went forward. We all bent down because of the backblast.

“He’s hit, he’s … hit,” screamed one of the bootnecks on the ground. I looked up and saw him lying motionless in front of us. Once the bootnecks next to me saw what had happened, and with out hesitation, they stood up and moved forward through the small-arms fire to save him.

The firefight went on for about half an hour more. The bootnecks kept fighting, knowing their friend was badly hurt.

We found out a few hours later that Ben was dead.
After Christmas Eve, we no longer called it the Triangle of Death … just the Triangle.

On Christmas morning we moved forward into the heart of the Triangle. We yomped toward the white flags – insurgent flags. We were surrounded by white flags. This was their stronghold. It is a very eerie feeling walking through open ground, seeing white flags in every direction.

But it seemed the Taliban had learned their lesson once more and we weren’t attacked that day. So we moved into a compound for rest and to get good arcs for our machine guns on the surrounding area.
It didn’t feel like Christmas.

Once in the compound, Marines Greg Bennett, a machine gunner, and Denbigh Hopkins, an infantryman and former South African hunter, had smiles on their faces. In the back of the compound was a room filled with turkeys.

“Looks like it’s going to be Christmas after all,” said Capt. Oli Truman, commander of 9th Troop, Lima Company, 42 Commando.

That night we sat around the fire, ate grilled turkey and enjoyed each others’ company. “Camaraderie is very important,” I remember hearing Paul say with his face glowing from the fire. “We should do this more often. It’s good for the troop.”

It wasn’t the best Christmas I ever had. But, spending Christmas with bootnecks out in combat, I grew a better appreciation for it.

The lads of Lima Company are special. They have something most people in the world will never have or understand – their brotherhood.

And the next day we yomped forward …

2011-12-30T01:44:00.004-05:00

Christmas Morning in Afghanistan, Dec, 2011 with a few of the DEA Kabul Country Office Agents

Climbing the Moutain

2011-11-26T04:05:00.001-05:00

For a bit of local adventure, Ijoined one of my DEA counterparts this morning to climb the mountain ridgelocated behind our compound in Kabul. Locally, the Asmai and Sherdawaza mountainranges dominate the landscape, ringing the city of Kabul in all directions.

A view of the surrounding mountain ranges reveals a staggering number of peaks already coveredin snow. Surprisingly, more than 49 % of the total land area inAfghanistan lies above 6000 feet elevation. Here inKabul, the elevation averages just over 5,800 feet, with the mountain crests addingto the total. The average elevation in the state of Virginia is only 950 feet, whichcertainly requires a temporary adjustment period that one definitely feels when engaging in physical activity.

The mountainous areas are mostly barren, or at most remain sparselysprinkled with trees and stunted

bushes. True forests, found mainly in theeastern provinces of Nuristan and Paktiya, cover barely 3% of thecountry's area. Even these small reserves have been disastrously depleted bythe war and through illegal exploitation, with less than one million acressurviving today.

During our climb, we passed several rock walls and

hand-dug gunemplacements that were once used for cover by the mujahadeen during their fightagainst the Soviets. The ground remains littered with all types and sizes of riflecasings, while signs warn of the dangers of straying offthe trail as you climb toward the crest. A local goat-herder discovered the unfortunate result of straying too far from the path when one of his goats stepped on an unexploded land mine and blew itself up. I am unaware of anyone human doing the same thing.

Along the way, I stopped numerous times totake in the view of Kabul, hardly believing that the city I was seeing was the same one I'd driven through. From 6,000 feet, it looks like a typical sprawling city spread out over thousands of acres, a thin layer of smog hangingheavily above it. From my vantage point, I could clearly make out the Kabul InternationalAirport and saw at least a half dozen jets, both military and civilian,climbing slowly toward us as we continued our ascent.

From atop the ridgeline, the view of the surrounding area quicklydeteriorating as the morning progressed. The haze seemed thicker the higher weclimbed and obscured the higher mountain tops in the distance. On the opposite side of the ridge, a vast expanse of desert plain lay before us, apparently an unfriendly area to our coalition forces.

The previousnight’s rain had made the usually dusty climb more tolerable than normal, however,resulting in a number of other adventurers braving the cold to reach the peak.Joining us at the top were several Brits, one Lithuanian, a team of FBI agents, andseveral contractors, many of whom were also on their first trek up themountain. Although some of the climbers had dressed in PT gear, I noticed mostwere armed, with some even wearing their armored vests. By the time I had reached thetop, I was certainly glad I’d left my vest behind.

While taking in the view, we noticed several individuals climbing an area ofthe mountain that was unmarked and without trail. Using the magnified scope atopmy rifle as a makeshift set of binoculars, I determined the people were simply collectingfirewood and placing it in cloth bundles strapped across their backs. I had no idea where they came from and evenless of an idea where they were headed to after reaching their limits.

The walk down the mountain proved tougher than the walk-up, at least on my knees. Regardless, it was much quicker than I anticipated, with plenty of time left for breakfast. Unless the weather fails to cooperate, I'll likely make this a routine event.

A Change in Scenery

2011-11-22T11:30:00.000-05:00

I recently moved from 350 miles N from Camp Leatherneck to Kabul. At first glance, Kabul international airport seems very modern, as there are actually several civilian aircraft parked along the runway. The airport is partially blocked off to allow military aircraft access, with restrictions set in place to separate military from civilian aircraft.

Despite the initial appearance from the outside, it more closely resembles third world airport inside, with few amenities, most of which are in place for official military use only, such as encrypted telephones, weapons and baggage transfer points, ID card scanning stations, etc. Outside the front doors, the mountains loom ahead, very steep, jagged and foreboding - some already covered in snow at higher elevations. Lately, the airport has been relatively safe, whereas the American Embassy endured a 20 hour attack in September.

Leaving Kabul International Airport, the environment quickly turns sour. The roads I traveled were full of deep potholes, no pavement anywhere to be seen once I left the airport perimeter. A variety of "businesses" inhabits the slums and shanties sitting off the sides of the road, with a crazy mish-mash of buildings, garbage, trash piles, junk cars, and rubble all mixed together in some odd form of apparent civilization. I actually think it's worse than Iraq...there is still much destruction left over from not only recent fighting, but from the Soviet occupation 20 years ago. I am told that the opposite side of town is much more modern, but I have yet to see it.

There was significant traffic getting out to the compound where I currently reside, with cars jockeying for positions to pass each other on the roadway, all trying not to bottom out in some of the largest potholes (more closely resembling craters) I've ever seen; cars were sometimes spaced 2 to 3 wide across the road; at other times, there might have been 4 or 5 side by side, each headed different directions, a near disaster. Here, the biggest car wins, and most of them are owned by westerners - military, contractors, or government of some sort.

Throughout the drive, I viewed a variety of compounds obviously built for coalition forces or foreign contractors. They are obvious, as all are surrounded by huge walls, concertina wire and hescoe barriers to discourage attacks. Host nation guards are visible at most gates and block entrance to the compounds. Regardless, you never feel absolutely safe in this environment.

Situated on the slope of a large mountain, my particular compound lies at nearly 5000 feet elevation and has a great view of Kabul. Nearby, the mountain steeply rises another 1000 feet where an ANA (Afgh National Army) outpost rests along the ridge line looking directly down at us.

The mountain is littered with unexploded ordnance left over from the soviet invasion. Just last month, a goat allegedly managed to get away from his herder and blew itself up after stepping a few feet off the well traveled trail leading up the mountain. Several of the compound residents here have climbed the same mountain, but make the climb with body armor, long guns and a heightened state alert for safety sake. It makes the climb a little harder, but the view is apparently worth the climb.

The Long Road Ahead

2011-11-18T08:38:00.000-05:00

I am currently serving with some superb U.S. and British officers in the Current and Future Operations section, where operational orders are drafted developed and published. These guys are the truly brains of the command and conceive all of the rough draft orders and concepts of operations that upon approval, form the basis of operations conducted by the combined military forces utilize in this region.

The office is a pressure cooker, with planners putting in 12-16 hour days every day of the week. What keeps them going is a bottomless coffee pot and a great sense of shared humor among the members of the group.

Nothing in a military environment is executed without a written order, and in Afghanistan, our forces have to coordinate closely with higher headquarters in Kabul, as well as the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, referred to as GIROA. it's a very complicated and extremely cumbersome process, but somehow it works.

This command's particular region of interest lies within the Helmand Province, one of 34 provinces in Afghanistan. It is one of the largest Afghan provinces and arguably the most unstable. To make matters worse, the Helmand province yields the highest quantity of illicit opium, morphine, and hashish in the country, all of which funds the insurgency and the Taliban via illegal "taxation" of the farmers. The illegal flow of narcotics out of Afghanistan destabilizes the government and hinders the transition of military operations from coalition forces to the Afghan National Security Forces, or ANSF.

Each regional command (RC) has thousands of soldiers, Marines, and coalition forces working as mentors/trainers and partners to the ANSF. The ANSF not only includes the Afghan military, but also incorporates the various Afghan National Police forces, including the Afghan national police, civil order police, counter narcotics police, and even local and tribal police. The poppy problem alone is enough to keep the police forces busy, which make the training and mentoring piece a huge task as we lead them to self-sufficiency.

Back to the officers of the FOPS section - one particular Marine officer assigned to assist in the transition of counter-narcotics operations from the coalition forces to the Afghans is Major Sean Dynan, an Annapolis grad who has is on his 5th deployment. A former company commander right here in Helmand, his company operated only a few miles away from where we currently work. In 2008, Maj. Dynan had a PBS reporter embedded with his company. Although reporters often sensationalize their experiences or inaccurately portray their subjects, this particular PBS reporter appears to have conveyed a very realistic and accurate portrayal of what is still occurring on a daily basis in Helmand Province. The report shows how military operations have radically changed from the WWII, Korea and Vietnam eras, when the military man was simply a war-fighter. Today, our Marines are not only war-fighters, but also peace-keepers simultaneously filling military, civil, law enforcement and humanitarian roles.

Although the video is nearly 3 years old, it could have been filmed yesterday. The situation portrayed in 2008 remains the same in much of the Province. You'll see The blurred civil-military mission continues in Afghanistan today.

Here's the link: Reporter Embed in Helmand

Happy 236th Birthday

2011-11-11T06:53:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was the 236th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Marine Corps. The Corps is rich in history and tradition and all Marines begin learning our traditions the day they enter boot camp or Officer Candidate School. Ask any Marine who Chesty Puller is or why we wear a blood stripe on the side of our dress trousers and they'll know. There's not a Marine alive, past or present, who can't recite the Marine Corps hymn word for word.

One of our yearly traditions involves taking a moment to celebrate the founding of our Corps, better known as the Marine Corps Birthday. No matter where Marines are stationed, you'll certainly hear them wishing each other happy birthday. If circumstances arise, the celebration will often include some sort of cake cutting, even if it is simply a pound cake pulled from an MRE pouch in the field. It's a day we all reflect on our heritage and honor those who served in the Corps before us. I've spent a several birthdays deployed - Iraq, Liberia, Turkey - and we've always celebrated the birthday in one form or another. This year was no different.

Due to the size of the FOB (Forward Operating Base), several different celebrations occurred yesterday. Despite the immense walls that ring the FOB's outer perimeter, most of the units have internal compounds that are also surrounded by Jersey barriers and concertina wire for added security. As such, each unit is somewhat cut off from the other, hence the decision to hold multiple celebrations.

Sure enough, the 2nd Marine Division (MARDIV) held their own celebration within the larger Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) compound. The celebration was held outside during sunset, with great care taken to ensure the traditional pom and circumstance held back at home was included. A color guard was present, as was a small band put together for the occasion. A series of rough-hewn benches were hastily constructed for Marines and their guests to sit on and were filled to capacity.

The MARDIV even set up a large video screen to play the Commandant's video-taped 236th B-Day message - if you have a moment, please take a look - it's a great video and helps explain to those who've never been part of the Corps why we Marines are so proud of our service Commandant's Birthday Video.

During the ceremony, the 2nd MARDIV Commanding General (CG) was the guest of honor. Behind the General, an honor guard marched out and the flags were retired for the evening. Following the presentation of the Commandant's video message, a birthday cake measuring at least 6' long was carried out of the building and in placed in front of the gathered crowd. As tradition goes, the Guest of Honor received the first piece; the oldest Marine present received the second (he was 55), while the 3rd piece went to the youngest Marne present, born in Sept, 1992.

It was a nice ceremony. Having attended many variations of Marine Corps birthday celebrations, from simple cake cutting at a friend's home to the Commandant's Ball in Washington, D.C., the 2nd MARDIV celebration was more than acceptable. The CG reminded everyone, whether they were a Marine who'd just returned from patrol or a clerk working administrative issues aboard the Camp that they were all part of the continuing legacy of the Corps. He reminded us thank our families for their sacrifice, as they are the ones left behind, taking care of things at home. I thoroughly enjoyed the event, which renewed my faith in the Corps and the bond I feel toward my fellow Marines, past and present.

Heroes

2011-11-09T08:03:00.004-05:00

This morning, I read a tattered news article that was tacked to the wall inside our compound. The Marines chronicled in the story are heroes. Heroes are not celebrities. They are not sports figures. They are men like Lance Corporal's Dominguez and Love, the men whose photographs appear on the front page of the article. Please take a look... Heroes

The fight rages on in the Sangin District. There, heroes are common. We call them Marines.

Chance Encounter

2011-11-08T23:28:00.000-05:00

Nov. 3, 2011

Beforeleaving the transit base in Manas, Kyrgyzstan, I was grazing at the chow hallsalad bar and noticed a long-time friend standing directly in front of me,completely oblivious to my presence. It was Col. Ken Desimone, my counterpartfrom the Inspector General’s Office at Camp Lejeune. Ken had deployed toAfghanistan last March as the Officer in Charge (OIC) of the Provincial PoliceTraining Team in Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan. During his tour, the Police Stationwhere Ken and his team were living was hit twice by suicide bombers, both timeskilling a number of Afghan National Police Officers whom Ken’s team wasmentoring. As Ken later noted, it was sheer luck that neither he nor hisMarines were injured or killed, as the building was nearly destroyed by theforce of the blasts. After each bombing, the Afghani Police rebuilt thestation, which still remains a favorite target of insurgents.

Sincemeeting each other as young Lieutenant’s in 1988, we have managed to stayin touch and have since served together in a variety of units and locations. In2005, I ran into Ken in Fallujah, Iraq, where both of us had deployed insupport of Operation Iraqi Freedom. At that time, Ken was serving as a mentorto the Iraqi Border Police, which later became the subject of a story I wroteand subsequently published in Leatherneck Magazine. A draft version was postedto this blog in 2006 - Leatherneck Border Story

As Ken glanced up from his salad-filled plate, we couldn’thelp but laugh aloud at our surprise encounter. For the remainder of theevening, we swapped stories and quickly caught up.

In Iraq, Ken joked that based upon our assignments at thattime, he was a “meat-eater,” whereas I was simply a “leaf-eater” (similar tothe long-standing argument that grunts, or Marine infantry, are superior to Marines in combat service support roles). This time, however, Ken acknowledged that ourchance meeting at the salad bar was a sure sign that he too had finally becomea leaf-eater.

The Waiting Game

2011-11-02T23:16:00.002-04:00

Nov. 2, 2011

We arrived in Kyrgyzstan at 4:30a.m. following a 14 hour flight, with an anticipated 24-96 hour layover beforeheading on to our next destination. Our current location is strictly away-point where forces temporarily halt en route to Afghanistan, although thenewly elected Kyrgyz President, Almazbek Atambayev, has decided that the basemay close by the end of 2014. As noted in today’s edition of Stars and Stripes,the base is used by both the military and civilian airlines, which certainly isa cause of conflict among the Kyrgyz citizens.

It's very cold here – the temps werein the low 30's when we arrived and never rose above 45 degrees the rest of theday. Upon landing, we were shuttled to a large Quonset hut where we received anin-brief and temporary lodging. It took approximately 3 hours for our gear tobe moved from the airstrip to the staging area, where we found that it had accidentallybeen combined with another unit’s baggage. It was quite frustrating to sortthrough 600 identical bags in order to find your own. There's no Delta baggagecrew here to do that job, but thankfully the Marines jumped in, took charge,and had the bags separated and identified within 30 minutes. As we sorted ourgear, I was thankful to be wearing a cold weather jacket, as the weather was "bonechilling" cold.

Time drags by at waypoint locations.For the transient service member, there is little to do but sleep, eat, andperhaps read a book or check your e-mail if an internet drop is availableaboard the base. As was the case in Iraq and Kuwait, the Kyrgyz base providesseveral Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) tents for transients to relax,catch a movie, and order a coffee. These days, it seems rare to find a base orFOB without internet access, and it is not untypical to find troops “Skyping”their loved ones via video-chat, a technology that would have been unimaginablea mere decade ago.

Mules and Packhorses

2011-10-24T09:28:00.002-04:00

“On the field ofbattle man is not only a thinking animal, he is a beast of burden. He is givengreat weights to carry. But unlike the mule, the jeep, or any other carrier,his chief function in war does not begin until the time he delivers that burdento the appointed ground…In fact we have always done better by a mule than by aman. We were careful not to load the mule with more than a third of hisweight.”

-S.L.A. Marshall, The Soldier’s Load and the Mobility of a Nation, 1950

Before packing...

In preparation for deployment, we were issued our gear/equipmentfrom the CIF, or consolidated issue facility. Every Marine who has previouslydeployed knows the drill…it’s the same at every supply point, be it a Battalionwarehouse or a base facility the size of the CIF. Show up, stand in line andwait…then wait some more. No matter what time of day or day of the week, it isalmost guaranteed that a line has already formed at the door.

For current deployments, the CIF regulates the typeand quantity of gear a Marine draws from the facility. Unlike the hodge-podgecollection of “off-the-shelf” equipment individually purchased by Marinesduring the early days of OIF/OEF, today’s gear list has been refined and containsequipment that rivals the Blackhawk, Bianci and Safari-land items that Marineshad added to their combat load over the last decade.

Gone are the days of H-harnesses, butt packs, ALICEpacks and MOLLE packs. These days, Marines draw the same high-speed gear that waspreviously available only to professional mountaineers or expeditionary climbers.Today’s gear list includes improved load bearing equipment (ILBE), a fancy namefor mountain backpacks. It also includes arctic parkas, booties and mittens;flame resistant outer-garments and fleeces of varying colors and thickness. Nolonger does a Marine have to scrounge for gear that’s appropriate for thevaried climates of a particular geographic region. It’s all available at theCIF.

Enhancing the load is the addition of modern,technologically advanced protective gear, or PPE (personal protectiveequipment). Flak vests are relics of the past, replaced by modular tacticalvests (MTV) complete with enhanced small arms protective inserts (E-SAPI) thatweigh over 30 lbs. combined. The inserts are basically bullet-proof plates thatprotect the torso of the wearer. The plates may be heavy, but they’ll stop abullet from most enemy rifles. Tack on the weight of the vest and the various attachedaccoutrements such as ammo magazines and your IFAK (improved first-aid kit) andyou easily add an additional 45 lbs. to your torso. Of course, this doesn’tinclude the weaponry, clothing and personal items a Marine also carries intotheater.

In 2003, the Corps drafted a combat load report thatreported the average weights of gear that a Marine takes on deployment. Thetypical Marine carries 48 lbs of gear in his assault load, which is the averageamount of gear carried during combat operations. The approach march load, partof which is shed before entering a combat situation, was estimated at 71 lbs. Considering the existence load, or the totalamount of gear that a Marines takes with him on deployment averages 138 lbs, isit any wonder that many Marines and soldiers alike suffer from back andshoulder injuries? Although the quality of today's gear has vastly improved, theMarine’s ability to carry that gear into battle has not changed in 235 years. AlthoughS.L.A. Marshall noted “we were careful not to load the mule with more than athird of his body weight,” we have yet to find a more efficient - and plentiful- means of carrying equipment to the battlefield besides the grunt on theground, the true packhorse of the Corps.

....and after.

Activation

2011-10-20T10:51:00.000-04:00

After a 5 year respite, the Corps has finally decided to activate me again for deployment overseas. Although this was mostly a result of my own doing, I am excited, albeit somewhat anxious, to once again deploy in support of our global war on terrorism. My role has certainly changed, as I have moved on from my previous billet of USMC Field Historian. However, I will continue to post weekly observations "from the front" in order to provide an on-ground perspective of life in an active theater of war, without the typical political or media spin found in stories published at home. To be continued....

A Test of Faith

2007-04-11T23:44:00.000-04:00

The evening was warm, virtually indistinguishable from the night before. It was the fall of 2005, just a month away from the first national elections in post-Saddam Iraq. A dozen young Marines relaxed inside the open porch of the Oasis, a crude plywood shack that served as chapel, watering hole and gathering spot for the Marines of Regimental Combat Team 8 aboard Camp Workhorse, a small "warrior base" nestled inside the larger confines of Camp Fallujah, Iraq. Amid the haze of half-smoked cigars and cigarettes, a single officer sat quielty, listening to the ebb and flow of conversation, knowing full well the good humor belied the events experienced by the Marines of the RCT over the previous days and weeks.

United States Navy CDR Dale C. White, then-Chaplain for RCT-8, 2nd Marine Division (forward) had become a father figure to most, a man whom many Marines would seek for guidance, comfort and encouragement. Despite his rank, the cross on his collar made him the most approachable officer in the battalion, which the Commander understood as one of the most important aspects of his job. From the moment he'd arrived in Iraq, Chaplain White knew his duties were much more involved than simply providing spiritual services. "I had probably 150 Marines from 8th Marine Regiment when I was at Camp Lejeune,” recalled White, a New York native. “Now I'm the pastor for 1200 Marines, because of all of our attachments (to include) tanks, tracks, the batteries, counter-battery, CEB...none of them came here with a chaplain. That was a surprise to me. I'm doing far more counseling, marriage counseling, coping with combat stress and those types of things, than I had expected." White waved at a young Marine strolling past, a freshly filled coffee mug in hand. "We've got an ongoing coffee mess from 0530 on," White says in response to the passerby. "We started brewing just one pot of coffee a day, now we're up to about twenty." Like many other men of the cloth, CDR White quickly became a shoulder to lean on, a man who'd listen without interruption, an officer whom junior Marines felt comfortable approaching despite the rank on his collar. "To realize someone (of such) rank is here to care for them," says White, "is a blessing. Here at the battalion, there's no bad time to talk. Come in whenever you want. If it's two in the morning, my RP (religious perogram specialist) will come and get me."

Since the creation of the first Continental Navy, chaplains have honorably served the United States Naval forces . Strictly noncombatants, they carry no weapons and are virtually forbidden to engage hostile forces. They include, but are not limited to Roman Catholics, Methodists, Lutherans, Baptists, and Protestants, as well as those of the Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim faiths. Normally accompanied by an enlisted religious program specialist, or RP, they serve in every major Marine Corps unit at home and overseas. Inevitably, serving chaplains have died in action, sometimes in significant numbers. The U.S. Army and Marines lost 100 chaplains killed in action during WWII, a casualty rate greater per capita than any other branch of the services except the infantry and the Army Air Corps. Many have been decorated for bravery in action (five have won Britain's highest award for gallantry, the Victoria Cross). The Chaplain's Medal for Heroism is a special U.S. military decoration given to military chaplains who have been killed in the line of duty, although it has to date only been awarded to the famous Four Chaplains, all of whom died in the USAT Dorchester sinking in 1943 after giving up their lifejackets to others. (1)

Over the last 4 years, Operation Iraqi Freedom has offered no exception to the dangers facing today's Navy chaplains. Captain Bryan Weaver, former Division chaplain for the Second Marine Division (Fwd), Camp Fallujah, Iraq in 2006, commented on the effects of combat on Marines and Sailors who've served in Iraq. "Men who come out to a combat zone either find their faith or they lose their faith. Most Marines who come to a combat zone will use the opportunity to do a lot of soul searching. Even I do that. It's a great opportunity for reflection…and for honing our spiritual disciplines and spiritual direction. That's what I bring to the table as Division chaplain - I provide spiritual direction to the Regimental chaplains, who in turn to do so for the battalions." Reflecting upon his own experience in Iraq, Weaver continued. "When a chaplain goes out to a forward firm base or the front lines, the morale increases. We bring a sense of hope and stability to the Marines. It really encourages the Marines...it provides a sense of home (to them). It's important to be seen, not holed up behind a desk somewhere.” Captain Weaver paused, searching for an appropriate explanation. “It's leadership by example. I subscribe to MBWA - ministry by walking about. Men need encouragement. They feed off of that. Life out here is hard. A chaplain brings intangibles to the table - enthusiasm, attitude, spirituality. You can't put your hand on it, but you know when it's present."

Weaver's view of chaplains at war echoed the sentiments of New York Times best selling author Stephen Mansfield, who commented on the state of the military chaplains during a 2005 interview with the National Review online. Remarking on the progress they've made over the last three decades, Mansfield stated "Military chaplains are not chosen according to a denominational quota system as they were during the Vietnam era. They are chosen according to a “best qualified” standard. This means that the chaplains serving today are deeply committed to ministering to the fighting man and woman and have met very high standards for entrance into the corps. Some of them are even decorated warriors themselves who left the military and then returned as chaplains. They are doing a hard job gloriously." (2)

Doing a hard job gloriously came easy to LT William Stewart. Assigned to the II Marine Expeditionary Force (Fwd) in 2005-2006, LT William Stewart found himself ministering primarily to US Navy Seabees assigned to the tactical movement teams (TMT) of Naval Marine Construction Battalion 22. Originally enlisting in the Navy in 1984, Chaplain Stewart served as a religious program specialist for 5 years on active duty before entering the Naval reserves in 1989. Following the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Stewart applied for the US Navy Chaplain Corps and was subsequently assigned as Chaplain to his former unit, NMCB-22. "A lot of the duties are typical of what you think a Chaplain would be doing," stated Stewart. "I provide services, bible studies, prayer meetings and counseling. (In Iraq), I also do a lot of what I call movement prayers for TMT's, basically convoy escorts. You never know when there's going to be a convoy leaving the wire. I try to do a prayer before each of these if I'm available. It doesn't matter what time they leave, day or night, because I found that it really comforts folks to have that prayer.” LT Stewart smiles, recalling the reactions of his sailors. “Goodness, the stories of people coming up to me, saying "Chaps, I know that prayer saved us today"... is very humbling to me, because I don't feel like I have that much power. But I guess that person I'm praying to upstairs - hopefully, he did see them through - they believe in that, they trust in that; it gives them confidence."

Despite their commonalities in faith, the chaplains of OIF hail from a wide variety of backgrounds. LT Brian Crittendon was a former Marine Corps CH-46 pilot in the early 1980’s. Resigning his commission in 1985 to become a civilian chaplain, he spent 13 years as a civilian pastor before deciding to return to the military. In 2004, LT Crittendon reported to the Second Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, only this time in the uniform of a sailor, not a Marine. Deploying to Iraq in 2005, LT Crittendon set up shop inside a derelict rail car at the abandoned Al Qaim train station, commonly referred to as the “soul train” by resident Marines. Ministering to the men of 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, Chaplain Crittendon faced one of his toughest days in November, 2005 when an insurgent ambush wounded 12 Marines and killed 4 of their comrades from 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. Rushing to the forward rescuscitative surgical suite (FRSS), Chaplain Crittendon prayed over the dead and wounded. “I had two primary roles while I was down there. One was to minister to those who were hurt...to make contact with them, pray with them, encourage them and to bring them as much comfort (to them) as I can. The other is to keep an eye on the staff and to be a presence there (for) the spiritual encouragement of the staff." Crittendon continued. "There were points where I was putting my arms around surgeons and nurses and technicians who were having a long day....we stopped and I held prayer for everybody who was involved." Crittendon recalled the moment the Regimental Commander walked into the FRSS, encouraging his wounded Marines as surgeons struggled to save a fellow Marine who ultimately passed away from his wounds. "I view these men as being, in a sense, ministers to their country," said Crittendon of the Marines with whom he serves. "They have a mission...they've been called as much to their job as a warrior as I've been called to be a minister." Crittendon quickly changed the topic with a lighter comment . "The good news story for me, especially as a minister, (was when) a young man found his faith and asked me to baptize him a few hundred yards from the Syrian border, with his company...it will always be a highlight (for me) as a Christian minister."

Evey chaplain who experiences combat ministry comes away with a greater appreciation for the men and women they serve. "There's no doubt that being in combat, with rounds coming and IED's going off, that those Marines have a very different life than sailors on a ship," explains Chaplain White of RCT-8. "It's life or death (here). Whereas I can go on a cruise and come back with everyone alive, that's not the case here. There is definitely a level of committment and a level of risk that far exceeds anything we've had on a carrier.

Even though you could lose your life on a flight deck very easily, the rubber meets the road here.

1. Wikipedia Online - Military Chaplains
2. NRO - God and Man on the Front Lines, a Q&A by Kathryn Lopez, May 27, 2005

A Coveted Award

2007-02-01T22:44:00.000-05:00

The famous French Emperor and General Napolean Bonaparte once declared "A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon." A European tradition usually reserved for royalty, the wearing of medals was uncommon among US Military pesonnel until the late 19th century, when civil war soldiers were awarded unofficial badges by local commanders, a practice later formalized by the services as a means to recognize the bravery and accomplishments of a military service member.

Having fallen out of favor since the civil war, the practice of beestowing unofficial awards upon deserving Marines has never completely disappeared. An number of unoffical decorations have been awarded to Marines over the last century, signifying a shared experience or common bond that will never be formally recognized by our Corps. Despite their unofficial status, however, these awards are often more coveted than all others combined.

One such example is the George Medal. Legendary among 1st Marine Division veterans of Guadalcanal, only about 50 were cast in Australia before the mold gave out. According to retired Marine Col. Brooke Nihart, a Navy Cross recipient and historian who recently passed away in August, 2006, the George medal commemorated the difficult situation of the division during the early days on Guadalcanal, when ammunition, food, and heavy equipment were short and the Japanese plentiful. The Marines faced increasing Japanese air attacks and surface action which left the division in a tight spot.

In the recollection of then-Captain Donald L. Dickson, adjutant of the 5th Marines, the Division G-3, then-Lieutenant Colonel Merrill B. Twining, resolved to commemorate the occasion. Twining told Captain Dickson, an aspiring artist, what he had in mind. Captain Dickson went to work designing an appropriate medal using a fifty-cent piece to draw a circle on a captured Japanese blank military postcard.

When the division departed Gudalcanal and finally reached Australia, a mold was made by a local metal craftsman and a small number were cast before the mold became unserviceable. Those wanting a medal paid one Australian pound for it and received a certificate as well. The medals are now an even greater rarity than at the time. In recent years, reproductions have been cast, and can be identified by the different metal and a poor definition of details.

The obverse design of the medal shows a hand and sleeve dropping a hot potato in the shape of Guadalcanal into the arms of a grateful Marine. In the original design, the sleeve bore the stripes of a vice admiral, intended to be either Vice Admiral Robert L. Ghormley, ComSoPac, or Vice Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher, Commander Joint Expeditionary Force, but the final medal diplomatically omitted this identification.

Also on the obverse is a saguaro cactus, indigenous to Arizona, not Guadalcanal, but representing the code name for the island, "Cactus." The obverse inscription if Facia Georgius, "Let George Do It." Thus it became known as the George Medal. The medal's reverse is inscribed: "In fond remembrance of the happy days spent from Aug. 7th 1942 to Jan. 5th 1943. U.S.M.C."

Much like Lieutenant Colonel Twining, US Marine Corps Major Joe Winslow hoped to commemorate his wartime experience. However, Major Winslow's would occur nearly 60 years later in 2004, far away from the island of Guadalcanal. Instead of water and jungle, he was surrounded by sand, and the enemy were not Japanese. They were insurgents and were battling Marines of I MEF (Fwd) on the streets of Fallujah.

As the MEF slowly pushed through the city, then-Captain Winslow recalled the unique, historical significance of the George Medal and was inspired to create a similar award for his fellow Marines who'd already served or would soon serve in the billet of Field Historian during Operation Iraqi Freedom. A unique, independent position carried out by only one or two Marines at a time, the Field Historians traveled throughout the theater, recording the oral histories of Marines engaged in combat operations and combat service support, while simultaneously collecting documents and artifacts for archiving at the Gray Research Center and the National
Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico.

Captain Winslow hand sculpted his concept in plaster, pouring a firing mold from concrete and other materials found at the MEF headquarters. The medals' design was based upon an Iraqi army badge, with a Marine Corps eagle, globe and anchor super-imposed on a Persian star, surrounded by palm fronds. The colors of the suspending ribbon are scarlet, black and silver, which respectively represent the blood of Marines shed in OIF, the lives given in support of their fellow Marines, and the Field Historian's fidelity to history. Captain Winslow's first prototype was cast in Fallujah using silver sent from a texas silversmith. The remaining
versions were later cast at home by a Marine Corps Guadalcanal veteran.

Dubbed the Military Order of St. Nicholas, the medal was presented by Major Winslow to 13 Field Historians during their 231st Marine Corps Bithday celebration in Fredricksburg, VA, all of whom had previously deployed to Iraq is support of the Global War on Terrorism. Each recipient received a certificate which declared them a "companion" in the Order. The award was named after Colonel Nicolas Reynolds, the former Commanding Officer of the Marine Corps Field History Unit who assembled the first team of Marine Corps Field Historians to deploy to Iraq. Since the start of OIF, approximately 15 Marine Corps Field Historians have deployed to Iraq.

Like the George Medal, the Military Order of St. Nicolas will be shared by a finite group of people for a limited period of time. Worn only at events or gathering attended by members and of the Field History detachment, the Military Order of St. Nicolas will forever serve as a reminder of time spent in the Al Anbar Province of Iraq, watching and recording history in the making.

The George Medal Information was obtained directly from a US Marine Corps Historical Division WWII Publication on Guadalcanal.

The Men and Their Stories - Wounded Part 4 (Final)

2006-10-26T21:18:00.000-04:00

Although the majority of the Camp Lejeune wounded warriors claim the title "Marine," a few of the residents prefer the nickname "Doc." Hospitalman first class (HM1) Glenn Minney is one of the few sailors who've come to call the wounded warrior barracks their home. A Navy reservist, Minney enlisted in 1985. "Doc" Minney was activated and deployed to Iraq in January, 2005. While serving with 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, he was wounded by mortar shrapnel while standing atop the Haditha Dam, a 10 story high facility that serves as a Forward Operating Base for Marines and Corpsman stationed near the Euphrates River Valley. "It was a typical, hot day in Iraq. I had to go out to one of the CONEX boxes to get supplies for the Battalion Aid Station...and the dam came under mortar attack. I was out on the 10th deck on a catwalk and a mortar round went off about 30 feet in front of me." HM1 Minney remembered running back inside the dam, the unit going to General Quarters as four additional rounds exploded near the dam. At the time, he did not know he was injured. "My vision was a little blurry and I had a severe headache, but I didn't think much of it," Minney stated. The next day, however, his eyes started bothring him, and he began receiving treatments for pink-eye. Unknown to the "Doc", however, both retinas in his eyes had become detached from the concussion of the blast. Blood vessels had ruptured, allowing the vitrouse fluids to leak from his eyes. "I started developing tunnel vision, and it was slowly closing in, becoming pinpoint. I talked to my Battalion Surgeon, and sat him down in private and told him 'I am going blind'." Medevac'd to Al Asad, then to Balad, an opthamologist recommended immediate evacuation to Hamburg, Germany for surgery. His first surgery lasted 3 hours, and he received two more operations before heading home to the United States. On September 2, 2005, while convalescing at home, his vision again went black and he required additional emergency surgery. Still on active duty orders, he was offered the opportunity to move into the wounded warrior barracks in the fall of 2005. "At times, you can't talk to your spouse, your mother, your father, friends, about things they've never been exposed to. Being around people who've been there, and having the medical facility...that's the benefit to having the wounded warrior program. Care is first priorty, whether it be mental, physical or social - we go out of our way to hit all those avenues."

The Men and Their Stories - Wounded Part 3

2006-10-23T20:49:00.000-04:00

LCpl. Peter Dmitruk, an 0311 with Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, arrived at the Wounded Warrior barracks in September, 2005. Having graduated from boot camp less than one year earlier, he returned to Camp Lejeune with a career's worth of experience. Deployed to the Syrian border in the summer of 2005, LCpl. Dmitruk became accustomed to the daily grind of snap vehicle check points, presence patrols and security patrols around town. Having just returned from patrol to his company's battle position, he was reaching into his pack which he'd tossed atop the hescoe barrier that provided cover for him and his fellow Marines. "A mortar had fallen pretty close...I didn't hear the mortar, but I felt it. It felt like I kinda got punched. My arm flew up into my body. I looked down and it was mangled...kinda looked like it had gotten caught in a shredder. I could see the blood, which looked like arterial bleeding." A company corpsman laid him down and injected LCpl. Dmitruk with morphine. "I remember laying down on the stretcher, apologizing to everyone for getting hurt. I didn't want to leave." A medevac helicopter landed shortly thereafter and took him to the forward resuscitative surgical suite (FRSS) at FOB (forward operating base) Al Qaim. "I remember asking the Batalion Commander if I could stay...one of the medical officers (was) there; I could see he shook his head, so I knew I was going home. He said 'this is your time to heal, you've done what you can'." His injuries resulted in the introduction of a titanium plate into his arm, a necessity after losing nearly five inches of bone. Skin was grafted from his leg to cover the wounds and hasten the healing process. Following numerous surgeries, LCpl Dmitruk moved into the Wounded Warrior barracks in January, 2006 and has since realized the significance of living there, vice convalescing at home or in his unit's barracks. "I realized that when I'm here (in the wounded warrior barracks), healing is the number one priority...you'll always find a way to get to your appointments. That's the reason you're here, to heal and to get better."

The Men and Their Stories - Wounded Part 2

2006-10-17T19:19:00.000-04:00

Born and raised in Augusta, Georgia, LCpl Phillip Tussey enlisted in the Marine Corps in October, 2003. His first duty assignment with Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment would prove to be his most memorable. Deployed to the city of Ramadi, Iraq in the winter of 2006, LCpl Tussey was on foot patrol in one of the most dangerous cities in Iraq when a sniper's bullet found its mark. "I felt something sting my leg. I tried to stand up...I fell to the ground, trying to get myself back up...I put my hand on my thigh and (pulling) my hand back, there was blood on my hand. I knew I'd been hit." The bullet had hit him inside his left thigh, 8 inches below his hip. Two fellow Marines picked up LCpl Tussey and put him in the back of a hardback HMMWV, his squad still under fire. Spent .50 cal cartiridges from the M-2 Browning machine gun atop the HMMWV turrent were hitting him in the face as the gunner provided covering fire to his squad. "They started medevac'ing me. There was only a driver and a gunner in there, so I picked up the radio and was calling the Staff Sergeant, telling him that we were up and that we needed to roll." Despite the pain from his shattered leg, LCpl Tussey remained conscious until he went into surgery at Charlie-med, Camp Ramadi's field surgical unit. Flying out of Ramadi the same evening, he traveled through Baghdad and Balad before flying to Germany, where he spent the following four days in a morphine induced haze. "They put a rod from my hip to my knee in my leg and two screws in my hip to hold the rod in place," described Tussey, who has endured numerous surgeries since his wounding. He's been at the Wounded Warrior barracks since June 28, 2005. "I can't really do much right now, because of the crutches," says LCpl Tussey, although he has not let his limited mobility keep him tied to the barracks. In July, 2006, he traveled to the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, MD with Lt. General Amos, former Commanding General of II MEF, to visit other wounded Marines and sailors returning from Iraq. Encountering a wounded Corpsman from own unit, Tussey recalled the Corpsman's comments upon seeing the unexpected visitors. "The (wounded) Corpsman that we knew couldn't thank us enough. He was so happy (to see us). He said 'you don't know what this means for y'all to come see me.' "

The Men and Their Stories - Wounded Part 1

2006-10-13T17:13:00.000-04:00

Corporal Aaron M. Shareno deployed to Iraq on July 18, 2005 with 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment (2/2). Serving near the city of Karma, Iraq, Cpl. Shareno was 5 months into his deployment when he was wounded by a suicide vehicle-borne IED on December 14th, just 11 days before Christmas. His platoon had established fighting positions near a palm grove, approximately 25 meters from the edge of the road, when an insurgent drove his vehicle into the side of a 7 ton truck, detonating the explosives and instantly vaporizing the vehicle. The explosion sent shrapnel and chunks of metal through the air, knocking Cpl. Shareno and other Marines to the ground. "I got blown forward and a piece of shrapnel traveled through my palm and blew out the left matacarpal in my thumb - just shattered it," recalled Shareno. "When I got blown forward, I remember thinking I'm dead...I fell to my side and felt something was funny, not right...I saw my thumb drooping down...blood flowing out of my palm. It nicked two arteries in my hand. I put pressure on it below the wrist to stop the bleeding." Cpl. Shareno lauded the fast reaction of the Corpsman who treated him on the scene, but could not remember his name. "If I saw his face, I could recognize (him)", Shareno said. "He slapped a tournaquet on my hand...it was a unique experience." Medevac'd to Camp Fallujah Surgical, then ultimately to Balad and Germany before flying back to the United States, Cpl. Shareno regretted not being able to finish his deployment in Iraq. " I was a little shook up...more angry than anything...I (was) two months out (from leaving); ready to reenlist (when) I get hit. I just wanted to finish my pump, I wanted to reenlist and I wanted to continue on with my Marine Corps career." Now at the Wounded Warrior Barracks at Camp Lejeune, Cpl. Shareno is much less angry and is not letting his injuries get in the way of his career. "I plan on retiring from the Marine Corps," says Shereno. "I'm staying til I don't have fun anymore. Right now I'm having tons of fun."

Wounded Warriors

2006-10-10T10:55:00.000-04:00

In August, 2006, I had the honor of spending a week with 40 of our wounded Marines and sailors at the Wounded Warrior Barracks, Camp Lejeune, NC. All returned from Iraq sooner than expected, the result of a well-aimed sniper's bullet or the peppering blast of an IED. Despite their wounds, the Marines continue to march, all of them looking forward to the day they can join their comrades back in their old unit. Some, unfortunately, will never realize that dream, while others will return to duty for yet another tour in Iraq.

The photo shows Lieutenant General Amos (right), former Commanding General, II MEF, at the ribbon cutting ceremony of Maxwell Hall, the official designation for the wounded warrior barracks. LtCol Tim Maxwell, himself recovering from wounds in Iraq, stands atop the stairs with his wife and child. Tim is the mastermind behind the barracks concept and is owed credit for giving our wounded Marines a place they can call home during their recovery process. Here is my version of this success story:

Wounded Warriors

“My hands were in flames, and my whole face was in flames”, said Sgt. Jason Simms, recalling the fateful day in July, 2004 when his light armored vehicle was struck by the blast of an IED, or improvised explosive device. He was nearing the end of an 8 hour patrol with Delta Company, 2nd LAR Battalion, when his life changed forever.

“My hands suffered third degree burns…and my face took second degree burns. I took three bullets in the right leg, with shrapnel through my tendons and arteries” says Simms, sitting comfortably inside the II MEF wounded warrior barracks at Camp Lejeune, NC. Still recovering from his wounds, the Sergeant motions toward the passageway where Marines begin to congregate prior to their afternoon formation. “Everyone here has been wounded. I think the most important thing here is we were all wounded and we can all understand each other.”

The wounded warrior barracks is home to over 40 Marines and sailors of the II Marine Expeditionary Force, or II MEF. Located at Hospital Point aboard Camp Lejeune, the barracks formerly served as a bachelor officers quarters. In September, 2005, however, the BOQ was transformed into a home away from home for Marines and FMF corpsmen returning early from Iraq, their trip the courtesy of an Iraqi sniper or the blast of an IED. The newly renovated barracks provides the sailors and Marines a place to rehabilitate, allowing them to and focus on their medical needs rather than their next field evolution or unit training class.

The injured Marines and sailors are officially assigned to the Wounded Warrior Support Section, one of two sections comprised within the II MEF Injured Support Unit, or ISU. Established with the goal of tracking all injured II MEF service members and providing support to them and their immediate families, the ISU was developed in 2005, subsequent to a realization that some injured Marines and sailors were convalescing at home or within a variety of military and civilian medical centers, effectively cutting them off from their Marine Corps family.

Lieutenant General James F. Amos, former Commanding General of II MEF, recognized the need for a program that would track each and every wounded Marine and sailor coming home from the Middle East. Scribbling notes on personalized stationary, MajGen. Amos penned the following end state: "We will stay plugged in to every single wounded Marine who has been evacuated to CONUS for rehabilitation...until such time (sic) he no longer needs our assistance." According to the General's hand written memorandum, tracking and communication were the key elements that would lead to the successful formulation of the ISU. Later refining his end state by issuing a formal CG's intent, he wrote "I intend to develop an all encompassing program that provides continual support to all injured II MEF service members until such time as the service member no longer desires the support. This continual support will also extend to his or her immediate family. The program is directed to be a "one stop" shop for all injured II MEF service members, staffed with resident experts capable of finding solutions to all inquiries. It will provide continual command care and concern to the injured service member and their families throughout their transition to either continued military service or to the civilian community."

And so began the Injured Support Unit. Initially staffed with both recalled reservists and active duty personnel, its dedicated members made numerous liaison visits to wounded Marines in Military hospitals and VA centers across the country. Whether tracking the flight status of an injured service member from the time of injury until his return to CONUS, or assisting him in separating from active service, the ISU involves themselves in every facet of the Marines rehabilitative process to include the complicated logistics of family travel, convalescent leave, and follow-on medical treatment and rehabilitation, as well as VA transition and the medical evaluation process.

Since its inception, the ISU has tracked and assisted more than 2,000 wounded Marines and sailors. Unfortunately, not all of the injured Marines or sailors return to Camp Lejeune to rehabilitate among their fellow Marines and sailors. Many remain bed-ridden or continue to receive therapy at other locations, such as the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland or the military burn center at the Trauma Institute of San Antonio, Texas. Regardless of their location, the men and women of the ISU spend countless hours making telephone calls and personal visits to each and every Marine, ensuring no one falls through the cracks.

According to Major Daniel Hooker, Assistant OIC of the ISU, the unit quickly established a routine and developed primary points of contact at every hospital and trauma center known to treat wounded sailors and Marines. Referring to the ISU as the II MEF Chief of Staff's "hip pocket artillery" when it comes to injured support issues, Major Hooker emphasizes his primary goal: "Whenever we thought about the Commanders intent, it was simply, do we have an accurate list of the present physical location and contact information of all our wounded and are we actively helping them?"

"We have two main sections of the ISU" says Hooker. "The Injured Support Section...they handle the separate subsets of our wounded, which includes the medically discharged; the very seriously injured; the seriously injured; and the not seriously injured. The other main section is the wounded warrior barracks, also called the Wounded Warrior Support Section. In the barracks side, everyone has been wounded except the Lieutenant, while on the (ISS) side, no one has. Part of that was by design, in terms of the staff of the barracks. There could be very effective leadership and mentorship of wounded (Marines and sailors) by Officers and SNCO's that had also been wounded, in that they could serve as role models and could provide living proof that you can overcome your challenges, even severe wounds such as those LtCol. Maxwell sustained. He has served as an inspiration to the men, who in most cases, and as far as the residents of the barracks go, were less severely wounded than he was."

Major Hooker was referring to LtCol. Tim Maxwell, the Officer in Charge of the Wounded Warrior Support Section. As the chief advocate for the development of a medical rehabilitation platoon, a place where Marines and sailors could live in an environment shaped by their experiences in battle and their struggle to recuperate, LtCol. Maxwell was himself seriously wounded by an IED while serving as the Operations Officer for the 24th MEU. Shrapnel from the blast tore into his skull, leaving him with traumatic head and brain injuries. Unwilling to give up his struggle to stay Marine, he learned to walk, then talk, besieged by therapy and rehabilitation. Despite permanent damage he suffered, his injuries are relatively unnoticeable to the average person. He has since regained his speech and his health continues to improve with each passing day.

It was LtCol. Maxwell who first suggested the central billeting concept, a place of cohabitation for injured service members. In addition to enhancing the II MEF tracking capability, the central billeting concept would reduce the Marine's feeling of isolation and provide an environment for shared experiences, as well as creating an opportunity for smoother transition back to their unit or when separating from the Corps. Most importantly, the barracks would provide a consolidated location where specialized services, medical oversight, and morale enhancements could be offered under one roof for the collective benefit of all wounded service members. Maxwell summarized his idea - "The concept was simple...let's just keep the guys together, so they don't have to spend time alone."

LtCol. Maxwell's cadre wear many hats while working in the barracks. They serve as ad hoc parents, mentors and role models, all but one having been wounded in the war on terrorism. "The units are not set up to help some of these Marines who need long term care, but (who) are not going to stay in a hospital...it's a full time job doing that," mentions Gunnery Sgt. Barnes, Staff NCOIC of the Wounded Warrior Support Section. Pondering the benefits of the wounded warrior barracks, Gunnery Sgt. Barnes finds merit in the collective healing concept. "It's something I know because of all the doctors appointments (I required) and the amount of drugs I took for awhile," Barnes explains. "It's not a unit's lack of compassion or understanding, it's a lack of time to focus on those issues. Units don't have anything dedicated or set up to take the young Marines to their hospital appointments. Their hearts are in the right place...they want to be able to do that, but they have one focus when they get back, and it's not to heal...it's to rebuild and to get the unit ready to fight again."

Gunnery Sgt. Barnes stresses the wounded Marines aren't babied at the barracks. "I only give them compassion when they need compassion. I don't feel sorry for them because they got hurt...I got hurt. I don't expect anyone to feel sorry for me, either. If you need help getting your pant leg on, well...that's not something you need to feel sorry for anybody for. It's just something you need help with...it shouldn't be embarrassing. You're still going to have to look good in your Alphas. They are required to be at work. We have a ton of jobs we get them involved in. The sergeants I've got here are squad leaders; they work around their doctors appointments. It shows them they can still do it."

Resembling little like the billeting at their parent unit, the wounded warrior barracks provides its inhabitants with private rooms, complete with individual bathrooms and separate living space. The barracks itself is modified with handicapped ramps and wheelchair accessible entry points. The barracks personnel were recently provided a beautiful stainless steel propane grill from the 2nd Marine Division Association, now permanently installed outside the barracks entrance. More important than its physical features, however, the barracks offers the wounded a place to share their experiences with others who’ve endured the same hardships and who share the same need for additional surgery and treatment.

"It's almost like being in Iraq" says LCpl. Brandon Love, a SAW gunner for 2nd BN, 2nd Marine Regiment who suffered severe shrapnel wounds in Al Karma, Iraq in September, 2005. "You find out about these guys...everybody has seen combat. Most everybody has seen their buddies get injured if not killed, and everybody here was injured. Those three things make us more alike than most people realize, regardless of where we are from, what our MOS is...the brotherhood and the camaraderie is the most beneficial thing." LCpl. Love's comments were quickly echoed by LCpl. Bruce Schweitzer, injured in March, 2006 while serving with 3/8 in Ramadi, Iraq, "They focus completely on your injury. It's all about your injury. They want to get you healed up and get you back with your unit."

General Michael Hagee, Commandant of the Marine Corps, had this to say to the staff of MARINES, the Corps Official Magazine in September, 2005. "Our Marines are just that; Marines to the core. Some have lost limbs or sustained other types of serious injuries, but amazingly they're trying to recover as quickly as possible so they can get back to their units. They don't slow down when thrown a curve ball and their resiliency and determination are breathtaking. When I talk to one of these Marines and they explain how they want to continue with their service, I want to make sure the Marine Corps takes the right steps to make that happen." Apparently, II MEF has taken the first steps and is continuing to march.

The Best and Worst of Iraq, Marine style...

2006-09-27T15:36:00.000-04:00

I received this via e-mail the other morning and thought I'd share it with you...a great read! It took me right back to Fallujah and Ramadi, places I don't miss in the least. Enjoy.

A Marine Intel Officer in Al Anbar Shares Some Thoughts
From the net...courtesy of Reads...
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED

All: I haven’t written very much from Iraq. There’s really not much to write about. More exactly, there’s not much I can write about because practically everything I do, read or hear is classified military information or is depressing to the point that I’d rather just forget about it, never mind write about it. The gaps in between all of that are filled with the pure tedium of daily life in an armed camp. So it’s a bit of a struggle to think of anything to put into a letter that’s worth reading. Worse, this place just consumes you. I work 18-20-hour days, every day. The quest to draw a clear picture of what the insurgents are up to never ends. Problems and frictions crop up faster than solutions. Every challenge demands a response. It’s like this every day. Before I know it, I can’t see straight, because it’s 0400 and I’ve been at work for twenty hours straight, somehow missing dinner again in the process. And once again I haven’t written to anyone. It starts all over again four hours later. It’s not really like Ground Hog Day, it’s more like a level from Dante’s Inferno.

Rather than attempting to sum up the last seven months, I figured I’d just hit the record setting highlights of 2006 in Iraq. These are among the events and experiences I’ll remember best.

Worst Case of Déjà Vu - I thought I was familiar with the feeling of déjà vu until I arrived back here in Fallujah in February. The moment I stepped off of the helicopter, just as dawn broke, and saw the camp just as I had left it ten months before - that was déjà vu. Kind of unnerving. It was as if I had never left. Same work area, same busted desk, same chair, same computer, same room, same creaky rack, same . . . everything. Same everything for the next year. It was like entering a parallel universe. Home wasn’t 10,000 miles away, it was a different lifetime.

Most Surreal Moment - Watching Marines arrive at my detention facility and unload a truck load of flex-cuffed midgets. 26 to be exact. I had put the word out earlier in the day to the Marines in Fallujah that we were looking for Bad Guy X, who was described as a midget. Little did I know that Fallujah was home to a small community of midgets, who banded together for support since they were considered as social outcasts. The Marines were anxious to get back to the midget colony to bring in the rest of the midget suspects, but I called off the search, figuring Bad Guy X was long gone on his short legs after seeing his companions rounded up by the giant infidels.

Most Profound Man in Iraq - an unidentified farmer in a fairly remote area who, after being asked by Reconnaissance Marines (searching for Syrians) if he had seen any foreign fighters in the area replied “Yes, you.”

Worst City in al-Anbar Province - Ramadi, hands down. The provincial capital of 400,000 people. Killed over 1,000 insurgents in there since we arrived in February. Every day is a nasty gun battle. They blast us with giant bombs in the road, snipers, mortars and small arms. We blast them with tanks, attack helicopters, artillery, our snipers (much better than theirs), and every weapon that an infantryman can carry. Every day. Incredibly, I rarely see Ramadi in the news. We have as many attacks out here in the west as Baghdad. Yet, Baghdad has 7 million people, we have just 1.2 million. Per capita, al-Anbar province is the most violent place in Iraq by several orders of magnitude. I suppose it was no accident that the Marines were assigned this area in 2003.

Bravest Guy in al-Anbar Province - Any Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician (EOD Tech). How’d you like a job that required you to defuse bombs in a hole in the middle of the road that very likely are booby-trapped or connected by wire to a bad guy who’s just waiting for you to get close to the bomb before he clicks the detonator? Every day. Sanitation workers in New York City get paid more than these guys. Talk about courage and commitment.

Second Bravest Guy in al-Anbar Province - It’s a 20,000 way tie among all the Marines and Soldiers who venture out on the highways and through the towns of al-Anbar every day, not knowing if it will be their last - and for a couple of them, it will be.

Best Piece of U.S. Gear - new, bullet-proof flak jackets. O.K., they weigh 40 lbs and aren’t exactly comfortable in 120 degree heat, but they’ve saved countless lives out here.

Best Piece of Bad Guy Gear - Armor Piercing ammunition that goes right through the new flak jackets and the Marines inside them.

Worst E-Mail Message - “The Walking Blood Bank is Activated. We need blood type A+ stat.” I always head down to the surgical unit as soon as I get these messages, but I never give blood - there’s always about 80 Marines in line, night or day.

Biggest Surprise - Iraqi Police. All local guys. I never figured that we’d get a police force established in the cities in al-Anbar. I estimated that insurgents would kill the first few, scaring off the rest. Well, insurgents did kill the first few, but the cops kept on coming. The insurgents continue to target the police, killing them in their homes and on the streets, but the cops won’t give up. Absolutely incredible tenacity. The insurgents know that the police are far better at finding them than we are. - and they are finding them. Now, if we could just get them out of the habit of beating prisoners to a pulp . . .

Greatest Vindication - Stocking up on outrageous quantities of Diet Coke from the chow hall in spite of the derision from my men on such hoarding, then having a 122mm rocket blast apart the giant shipping container that held all of the soda for the chow hall. Yep, you can’t buy experience.

Biggest Mystery - How some people can gain weight out here. I’m down to 165 lbs. Who has time to eat?

Second Biggest Mystery - if there’s no atheists in foxholes, then why aren’t there more people at Mass every Sunday?

Favorite Iraqi TV Show - Oprah. I have no idea. They all have satellite TV.

Coolest Insurgent Act - Stealing almost $7 million from the main bank in Ramadi in broad daylight, then, upon exiting, waving to the Marines in the combat outpost right next to the bank, who had no clue of what was going on. The Marines waved back. Too cool.

Most Memorable Scene - In the middle of the night, on a dusty airfield, watching the better part of a battalion of Marines packed up and ready to go home after six months in al-Anbar, the relief etched in their young faces even in the moonlight. Then watching these same Marines exchange glances with a similar number of grunts loaded down with gear file past - their replacements. Nothing was said. Nothing needed to be said.

Highest Unit Re-enlistment Rate - Any outfit that has been in Iraq recently. All the danger, all the hardship, all the time away from home, all the horror, all the frustrations with the fight here - all are outweighed by the desire for young men to be part of a 'Band of Brothers' who will die for one another. They found what they were looking for when they enlisted out of high school. Man for man, they now have more combat experience than any Marines in the history of our Corps.

Most Surprising Thing I Don’t Miss - Beer. Perhaps being half-stunned by lack of sleep makes up for it.

Worst Smell - Porta-johns in 120 degree heat - and that’s 120 degrees outside of the porta-john.

Highest Temperature - I don’t know exactly, but it was in the porta-johns. Needed to re-hydrate after each trip to the loo.

Biggest Hassle - High-ranking visitors. More disruptive to work than a rocket attack. VIPs demand briefs and “battlefield” tours (we take them to quiet sections of Fallujah, which is plenty scary for them). Our briefs and commentary seem to have no affect on their preconceived notions of what’s going on in Iraq. Their trips allow them to say that they’ve been to Fallujah, which gives them an unfortunate degree of credibility in perpetuating their fantasies about the insurgency here.

Biggest Outrage - Practically anything said by talking heads on TV about the war in Iraq, not that I get to watch much TV. Their thoughts are consistently both grossly simplistic and politically slanted. Biggest offender - Bill O’Reilly - what a buffoon.

Best Intel Work - Finding Jill Carroll’s kidnappers - all of them. I was mighty proud of my guys that day. I figured we’d all get the Christian Science Monitor for free after this, but none have showed up yet. Talk about ingratitude.

Saddest Moment - Having the battalion commander from 1st Battalion, 1st Marines hand me the dog tags of one of my Marines who had just been killed while on a mission with his unit. Hit by a 60mm mortar. Cpl Bachar was a great Marine. I felt crushed for a long time afterward. His picture now hangs at the entrance to the Intelligence Section. We’ll carry it home with us when we leave in February.

Biggest Ass-Chewing - 10 July immediately following a visit by the Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister, Dr. Zobai. The Deputy Prime Minister brought along an American security contractor (read mercenary), who told my Commanding General that he was there to act as a mediator between us and the Bad Guys. I immediately told him what I thought of him and his asinine ideas in terms that made clear my disgust and which, unfortunately, are unrepeatable here. I thought my boss was going to have a heart attack. Fortunately, the translator couldn’t figure out the best Arabic words to convey my meaning for the Deputy Prime Minister. Later, the boss had no difficulty in conveying his meaning to me in English regarding my Irish temper, even though he agreed with me. At least the guy from the State Department thought it was hilarious. We never saw the mercenary again.

Best Chuck Norris Moment - 13 May. Bad Guys arrived at the government center in the small town of Kubaysah to kidnap the town mayor, since they have a problem with any form of government that does not include regular beheadings and women wearing burqahs. There were seven of them. As they brought the mayor out to put him in a pick-up truck to take him off to be beheaded (on video, as usual), one of the bad Guys put down his machinegun so that he could tie the mayor’s hands. The mayor took the opportunity to pick up the machinegun and drill five of the Bad Guys. The other two ran away. One of the dead Bad Guys was on our top twenty wanted list. Like they say, you can’t fight City Hall.

Worst Sound - That crack-boom off in the distance that means an IED or mine just went off. You just wonder who got it, hoping that it was a near miss rather than a direct hit. Hear it every day.

Second Worst Sound - Our artillery firing without warning. The howitzers are pretty close to where I work. Believe me, outgoing sounds a lot like incoming when our guns are firing right over our heads. They’d about knock the fillings out of your teeth.

Only Thing Better in Iraq Than in the U.S. - Sunsets. Spectacular. It’s from all the dust in the air.

Proudest Moment - It’s a tie every day, watching my Marines produce phenomenal intelligence products that go pretty far in teasing apart Bad Guy operations in al-Anbar. Every night Marines and Soldiers are kicking in doors and grabbing Bad Guys based on intelligence developed by my guys. We rarely lose a Marine during these raids, they are so well-informed of the objective. A bunch of kids right out of high school shouldn’t be able to work so well, but they do.

Happiest Moment - Well, it wasn’t in Iraq. There are no truly happy moments here. It was back in California when I was able to hold my family again while home on leave during July.

Most Common Thought - Home. Always thinking of home, of Kathleen and the kids. Wondering how everyone else is getting along. Regretting that I don’t write more. Yep, always thinking of home.

"We're surrounded - that simplifies our problem!"

2006-08-04T18:06:00.000-04:00

When an Army Captain asked him for the direction of the line of retreat, Col Puller called his Tank Commander, gave them the Army position, and ordered: "If they start to pull back from that line, even one foot, I want you to open fire on them." Turning to the Captain, he replied "Does that answer your question? We're here to fight."

- Chesty Puller At Koto-ri in Korea

Lewis Burwell Puller, a native of West Point, Virginia, enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1917, shortly after completing his "rat year" at the Virginia Military Institute. Yearning to join the fight in Europe, he left his VMI classmates behind and attended Marine Corps recruit training, hoping to join the fight against the Germans. Unfortunately, he never saw combat during the world war and was placed on the Marine Corps inactive list due to post war drawdowns. Unsatisfied with civilian life, he re-enlisted in the Corps and got his first taste of combat in Haiti. It was the begining of a long line of military campaigns in which he'd participate. By the end of his 37 year career, Lt. General Lewis "Chesty" Puller had earned 14 personal decorations, to include five Navy Crosses, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star, two Legions of Merit with "V" device, the Bronze Star with "V" device, the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.

"Chesty" Puller became more than a hero; he was an American legend. His gruff, give 'em hell attitude was admired throughout the Marine Corps. His bravery and his nickname were known to millions of Americans on the home front. He was a man's man, a Marine' s Marine. For all his renown, however, there are few permanent monuments to "Chesty" Puller. One of the few is in the Hall of Valor at the VMI Museum. There, thousands of visitors come each year to learn about the VMI men who've made our nation great. "Chesty" Puller's medals are on display along with those of other famous VMI graduates, to include Admiral Richard E. Byrd, General Lemuel C. Shepherd, and others. Even some students who didn't graduate, such as General George Patton, lamented on VMI until the day they died. (paragraph courtesy of http://www.polaris.net/~jrube/chestpul.htm)

On June 29th, I was honored to assist the Marine Corps Museum with the retrieval of several dozen personal items belonging to LtGen. Puller. The items, located at the Marine Barracks at Naval Weapons Station, Yorktown, VA, included a complete set of the General's personal decorations, his original promotion warrants, an engraved Mameluke sword, a satin Lieutenant General's flag, and other items loaned to the Barracks in the mid 1970's by Mrs. Virginia Evans Puller, Chesty's widow. Displayed in "Puller Hall," the items have been remained in Yorktown for thirty years.

In February, 2006, Ms. Puller passed away at the age of 97. At the request of the Puller family, the Marine Corps Museum began efforts to account for items that had been loaned to the Marine Corps by Ms. Puller and distributed among various Marine Corps commands. Working closely with the Yorktown Marine Corps Security Force Company Commander and XO, the Marine Corps Museum curator obtained a complete list of items displayed at Puller Hall and tentatively arranged to have the items transferred to the Museum on behalf of the Puller family. By June, the only task remaining was the retrieval and subsequent transfer of the items from Yorktown to Quantico.

Sadly, the items had suffered the harmful effects of heat and sun damage while displayed at Puller Hall. Decoration ribbons had faded, as had photographs and flags that had become sun-baked behind the glass display case. Though beautifully displayed, the items were in need of restorative care, which will certainly occur once returned to the Museum. Assisted by the Marine Corps Security Force Supply Sgt., I carefully removed each item from the display case and packaged them in boxes, checking the items against the curator's list. Satisfied I had retrieved everything, I nervously departed the Weapons station with a priceless collection of artifacts in the back seat of my POV. As a fellow Marine and VMI alumnus, I 'm sure the General would have been satisfied to know I had been entrusted to care for his belongings, if only for 24 hours.

Of all the items, my favorite artifact was Chesty's engraved mameluke sword, presented to the General in recognition of his valor in Haiti, where he'd served as an enlisted Marine with the Gendarmerie d'Haiti, a military force operating in Haiti under a treaty with the United States. Most of its officers were U. S. Marines, while its enlisted personnel were Haitians. Spending almost five years in Haiti, he saw frequent action against the Caco rebels before returning the the United States in 1924, where he was immediately commissioned a Marine second lieutenant. The sword was in beautiful condition, a truly significant piece among the Puller estate items.

For those who weren't aware, the mameluke sword was originally adopted for wear by Marine Corps Officers after it was presented to Lieutenant Presley Neville O'Bannon, who led seven Marines and an odd assortment of mercenaries and cut-throats in a bayonet charge against a Tripoli fort on April 27, 1805, securing the surrender of Jessup, the bey of Tripoli. Hamet Karamanli promptly took as ruler of Tripoli and presented O'Bannon with his personal jeweled sword, the same type used by his Mameluke tribesmen. Today, Marine officers still carry this type of sword, commemorating the Corps' service during the Tripolitian War, 1801 - 05. Appropriately, the actions of O'Bannon and his small group of Marines are commemorated in the second line of the Marines' Hymn with the words, "To the Shores of Tripoli".

Arriving safely at the Marine Corps Museum, I gently unpacked and inventoried the items with Ms. Jennifer Castro, the museum curator and caretaker for the incredible assortment of artifacts held in the museum archives. In addition to her curator responsibilities, Jennifer is heavily engaged with the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation's National Museum of the Marine Corps, which will open on the 231st birthday of the Corps on Nov. 11, 2006 - you may have seen it while driving on interstate 95 near Quantico and Dumfries. It will soon display historic memorabilia of Marines past and present, which may one day include the documents, flags, decorations and sword belonging to the General we know simply as "Chesty."

Ribbon Cutting at the VMI Hall of Valor

L-R: Virginia Puller Dabney, Senator Linda T. Puller, Martha Puller Downs, General James L. Jones, Mr. Gordon W. Wagner, and Major General Josiah Bunting III.

Protecting America's Heroes

2006-05-16T17:48:00.000-04:00

Criminal investigations…foreign counterintelligence…polygraph exams…dignitary protection…these are just a few of the jobs performed by Marine Corps special agents of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS).

The NCIS is a unique federal law enforcement agency comprised of special agents, investigators, forensic experts, security specialists, analysts, and support personnel. Headquartered at the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., it is the primary law enforcement and counterintelligence arm of the United States Department of the Navy. The NCIS maintains a worldwide presence – its special agents operate from 15 field offices, including one operational unit dedicated to counterespionage, and more than 140 individual locations around the globe.

As the investigative arm of the Department of the Navy and the Marine Corps, NCIS special agents deploy to locations most federal agencies fear to tread. You’ll find NCIS special agents serving aboard aircraft carriers or aboard the ships of an Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG). They currently serve among the Marines and sailors of the I Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) in Iraq, as well as in Afghanistan and among the Marine expeditionary units (MEU) in the Atlantic and Pacific and Persian Gulf. Forward deployed to dozens of countries around the globe, NCIS special agents strive to prevent terrorism, to protect the secrets of the Navy and the Marine Corps, and to reduce crime through a proactive and highly regarded criminal investigative program.

Unknown to many Marines and civilians alike, a small cadre of Marines work alongside the civilian special agents. They carry the same badge, conduct the same investigations, and testify at the same court hearings. They are Marine special agents, a few men and women of NCIS who’ve been individually screened and selected to serve the Navy and Marine Corps in a unique and exciting capacity. Previously assigned to the Criminal Investigative Division (CID) office at a major Marine Corps installation, the Marine special agent, once selected, is assigned to an NCIS field office or resident agency, such as the
Carolina Field Office located at and Camp Lejeune, N.C. or the Marine Marine Corps West Field
Office at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Indistinguishable from a civilian special agent, the Marine special agents are treated as equals within the organization. Though technically employed by the Marine Corps, they no longer stand formation or uniform inspection. Instead, they stand duty, responding to crime scenes and engaging with commands who’ve fallen victim to a criminal act. They carry their own caseload of criminal or foreign counterintelligence investigations, working the cases from inception to prosecution. Often cooperating with other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, the Marine special agents build a network of contacts and associates to further assist them in the conduct of their investigations.

According to Colonel John Forquer, the current military assistant to the NCIS Director and commanding officer of the NCIS Office of Military Support, roughly 65 Marine special agents and six counterintelligence Marines now fill the ranks of NCIS. They are joined by 130 Navy reservists and approximately 200 active-duty sailors performing various administrative, counterintelligence and analyst duties roles throughout the agency.

Despite the change in their working environment, the Marine special agents are still required to participate in PFTs, qualify with their firearms and meet the height and weight standards required of Marines in uniform. They still abide by professional military education requirements and are screened for promotion. Although they’ve traded their uniforms for a coat and tie, they remain Marines underneath and as such, are expected to meet the high standards of performance, physical readiness, and conduct.

With today’s demanding operational tempo, it is very likely that they will be deployed in support of potentially dangerous assignments and duties. Marine special agents were the some of the first NCIS special agents deployed to Iraq at the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. From OIF I to present, over 32 former and current Marine special agents have deployed to Iraq to support the war on terrorism.

Leatherneck NCIS agents have conducted investigations into criminal misconduct of Marines and sailors, ranging from common theft incidents to sexual assaults. They’ve spent countless hours investigating non-combat related deaths and allegations of detainee abuse. They’ve embedded with other NCIS special agents at locations such as Camp Fallujah, Camp Blue Diamond, Tikrit, Taqaddum and Al Asad. Five Marine special agents are currently assigned to the 2006 deployment cycle in support of OIF and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan: Master Sergeant Tim Fowler,
Gunnery Sgt William Link, GySgt. Mark McLawhorn, SSgt Michael Payne and Sergeant Jeffrey Farmer.

Marine special agents have also served on personal protection teams in the cities of Al Hillah and Al Basra, protecting high-level dignitaries of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) and the United Nations from potential threats and harm. Since the start of OIF, Marine special agents have subsequently deployed to Afghanistan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Djibouti and numerous other locations in the war against terrorism. First to fight, the Marine special agents are always at the tip of the NCIS spear.

MSgt Tim Fowler, a Marine special agent from the Washington Field Office, is an NCIS subject matter expert in the field of computer forensics and computer crime investigations. Deployed by NCIS to Iraq during OIF I, MSgt Fowler utilized the skills he practiced as a NCIS special agent to assist various governmental agencies with the screening of computer materials seized across the area of operations. Traveling across Iraq in a variety of military and civilian vehicles, his actions and incredible successes on the battlefield earned him a Bronze Star with combat “V”. MSgt Fowler is currently deployed with NCIS to Afghanistan in support of OEF, continuing the fight against terrorism.

MSgt Tim Fowler, Marine Special Agent, atop Mount Ghar, Afghanistan

GySgt Dan Carlin, a Marine special agent at the Carolinas Field Office, volunteered to serve on a dignitary protection team in the city of Al Hillah, Iraq during OIF 3. Part of a nine-man team dedicated to providing personal protection for the CPA ambassador in south central Iraq, “Gunny” Carlin often found himself dual-hated as a gunner and team navigator, using the land navigation skills he learned as a Marine to navigate around the small towns and villages between Baghdad and Hillah.

MSgt Patty Lyons, a Marine special agent from the NCIS Resident Agency in Quantico, deployed to Iraq in support of the NCIS criminal investigative mission, spending the bulk of her time with the Third Marine Aircraft Wing at Al Asad. Her assignment took her on dozens of “milk runs” aboard CH-46 Sea Knight and CH-53 Super Stallion helicopters to Al Asad, Taqaddum, and Camp Fallujah during her deployment, investigating crimes including arson, assault, bribery and graft.

Special Agent Doug Einsel, the supervisor for the NCIS detachment at Camp Fallujah, Iraq during OIF 4-6, said NCIS special agents, both Marine and civilian, are dedicated to supporting the MEF in Iraq, providing criminal investigative support and force protection methodology to the MEF. Working closely with the MEF antiterrorism/force protection (ATFP) cells and force-protection units established at each of the camps, the NCIS agents seek to identify physical and counterintelligence vulnerabilities which could jeopardize the health and well-being of Marines located at or transiting to the camps.

Formerly military police investigators (MOS 5819) or criminal investigators (MOS 5821), the Marine special agents receive their entry-level law enforcement training via the Marine Corps MOS training program at the Army’s Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Following their acceptance into NCIS, they are required to attend six weeks of specialized training conducted at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Glynco, Georgia. Operated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, FLETC provides law-enforcement training to 81 partner agencies, to include the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Border Patrol, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

The newly selected Marine special agents learn the “ins and outs” of felony level investigations and how to operate in a civilian environment. They use this training time to sharpen their skills and to learn some advanced techniques for conducting crime scene examinations and interviews, enabling them manage a felony investigation from crime scene to courtroom.

For those special agents engaged in the war against terrorism, FLETC is creating a Counterterrorism Operations Training Facility to augment their already robust training center, situated on the grounds of the former Brunswick, Ga., Naval Air Station. The $50 million facility will recreate various settings, both foreign and domestic, that agents might encounter in the field, including urban and rural neighborhoods, subway stations, buildings and roadways. Within the facility, a mock Middle Eastern training village was constructed, providing students a realistic environment simulating the urban environment of Iraq. At least 13 organizations at FLETC, including NCIS, currently send graduates overseas in direct support of the war on terrorism.

Post academy training for both Marine and civilian special agents covers a variety of subjects, including but not limited to legal instruction, forensics, crime scene processing, firearms, driver training, computer crimes, illicit narcotics, child pornography, larceny, and a host of other activities prosecutable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the United States Code. If necessary, Marine special agents are granted relaxed grooming standards for certain activities, such as narcotics or gang investigations. Blending into their surroundings aboard base or out in town, the Marine special agents are an inseparable part of the NCIS team.

Seamlessly integrated into NCIS, the Marine special agents are enthusiastic about being part of the NCIS team. According to Col Forquer, the special agents in charge of the NCIS field offices are quick to tell you that the Marines assigned to the field offices are a critical part of their team. “They have an outstanding work ethic and eagerly take on the tough assignments. They are true professionals, absolutely dedicated to the mission. But if you asked a Marine special agent, he or she’d just tell you that it’s all in a days work.”

Leatherneck Editors Note: LtCol Covert served as one of two U.S. Marine Corps Field Historians deployed to Iraq during OIF 4-6. Traveling throughout the Al Anbar and Babil provinces, he collected 240 taped interviews of Marines, sailors and soldiers engaged in combat operations, security and stability operations (SASO) and combat service support. The interviews, along with corresponding photographs and documentary materials, are permanently archived at the Marine Corps Historical Division at Marine Corps Base Quantico, VA. In his civilian career, LtCol Covert is a Supervisory Special Agent for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service in Norfolk, VA.

To the Border, Amigo

2006-05-07T17:58:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been awhile since I posted and I certainly didn't think I'd post again after returning from Iraq last February. However, at the prompting of a couple of friends and a few former readers of this blog, I figure I'd give it a shot and continue adding a few stories from time to time. Certainly not to the extent I posted while deployed, but I hope to add some interesting insights from time to time.

The following piece is a story I submitted to "Leatherneck" magazine for publication. I've been notified by the editor that it will probably appear in the August issue. For preview by fellow milbloggers and non-subscribers to Leatherneck, here's my first attempt at publication:

Standing upon the roof of a small border fort, five dust covered Marines scan the horizon, searching for signs of life across the sandy, barren desert. Joined by an equal number of Iraqi border police, the Marines and “jundee” discuss an upcoming patrol along the expansive border. The Marines belong to the Multi-National Forces West (MNF-W) border transition teams, or BTT, which operate along the Iraqi borders of Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.

Unique to OIF, the primary mission of the BTT Marines is to support the manning, training and equipping of the Iraqi Department of Border Enforcement, or DBE. One of several fledgling law enforcement organizations within the newly formed Iraqi Ministry of Interior (MOI), the DBE operates 43 border forts along 900 kilometers of border.

Tasked with staunching the flow of illegal aliens, foreign fighters, smugglers and insurgents into Iraq, the DBE remains a separate entity from their Iraqi Police (IP) counterparts, a separate law enforcement organization within the Ministry of Interior. Similar to the U.S. Border Patrol, the border policemen of the DBE exercise powers of arrest along the border, while the IP operate in the cities and towns located in the interior of the country.

Deploying to the border for weeks at a time, the BTT Marines work with and live among the Iraqi Jundees at the various forts. Supported by the addition of embedded Arabic interpreters, the BTT’s began their initial operations during the spring and summer of 2005. “Our job (was) to assess the operations and logistics at the forts, using the assessment as a baseline and trying to improve from there”, said Major Michael Casey, Border Transition Team Chief, during a September 2005 interview. “We spent a lot of time working with the jundees one on one, teaching leadership and basic military skills.” Classes on patrolling procedures, weapons maintenance and hygiene (were) routine. “We try to infuse the (warrior) ethos” Casey said.

The BTT Marines quickly found they had their hands full. “When we first got there, the area was the wild west,” said LtCol. Kenneth DeSimone, II MEF DBE coordinator from February through September, 2005. “We were told they (the Iraqi border police) were equipped and trained. But in reality, they had no uniforms, weapons, or vehicles. There was little or no comm – no radios or phones. It was a very spartan existence.” “It was straight from a scene out of an old French foreign legion film,” DeSimone continued. “Many of these forts are located in extremely desolate locations. The forts have turrets and shooting ports and look like miniature versions of a medieval castle. It may be the only real building within miles – there’s a surreal aspect to many of these locations.”

Prior to the arrival of the BTT Marines, few border forts had hosted permanent coalition staff. Some received sporadic visits from U.S. Army advisory support teams, as well as hosting officers of various U.S. civilian organizations such as the U.S. Border Patrol and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Agency. Assigned to remote areas like Waleed and Trebil, the officers deployed in 4-man teams, each comprised of two Border Patrolmen and 2 CBP Officers. Still, the lack of permanent coalition presence was a continuing issue.

Filling this void were the Marines of the BTT. Having Established the original Border Transition Teams by late spring, the Marines set out to assess the effectiveness of the existing Iraqi border police and to determine the readiness of their forts. Traveling hundreds of miles in small convoys, they moved in self-sufficient detachments initially containing M-1114 up-armored HMMWV’s (high mobility multi-purpose wheeled vehicle) and an accompanying logistics train comprised of a 7-ton MTVR (medium tactical vehicle replacement) or LVS (logistics vehicle system) filled with supplies and equipment.

The initial assessments uncovered a variety of challenges. The Iraqi border police typically relied on the leadership of border police officers to make the day-to-day decisions. Few, if any, leadership roles were delegated below the rank of officer and many of the border police failed to show for work on a routine basis. Sanitation concerns were almost non-existent at most forts and training was not being conducted on tactics, patrolling or standardized law enforcement techniques.

According to 1stLt. Braulio Lopez, logistics advisor for Border Transition Team 4 during OIF 4-6, the assessment phase paired up members of the BTT with individual policemen at the forts. The teams assessed not only the training and effectiveness of the border police, but also reviewed the maintenance of the buildings, the condition of their vehicles and the functionality of the weapons at the forts. Often lacking electricity, heat, water, and vehicles, the forts were initially ineffective.

One major obstacle hampering the efforts of the border police was the lack of vehicles assigned to each fort. Many forts had only one vehicle, usually a run down SUV or pick-up almost in a state of disrepair. Proper equipage became an immediate priority for the BTT, resulting in the delivery of new vehicles, uniforms, weapons and other equipment to the forts. “We constantly emphasized that they open lines of communication with their own chain of command, the Ministry of Interior,” Lt. Lopez noted. “It was important that they start to rely on MOI for issues rather than relying on us for everything.”

Getting the equipment to the forts and keeping it maintained was the greatest challenge following the assessment phase, said GySgt. Shawn Dellinger, Operations SNCOIC. “We showed them how to improvise, to adapt, to utilize the equipment they already had…when a piece of equipment breaks, (how to) keep it maintained and fix it.” From 4-wheel drive vehicles to communications gear, GySgt. Dellinger said the establishment of an effective preventive maintenance program by the border police went a long way in the ensuring the success of the DBE.

Dellinger indicated the lack of NCO leadership among the Iraqi units was the root of the problem that allowed the maintenance and equipment issues to flourish. “There is no staff or NCO leadership when the officers are not around, no enlisted leadership whatsoever. An officer has to make the decision. An officer goes out on patrol, an officer tells them to clean up, to wake up…they don’t make a move without an officer present. If the officer didn’t give approval, they don’t do it….it’s a habit from the old regime,” Dellinger stated. The solution was teaching the border police the concept of the non-commissioned officer. “Our biggest challenge was showing them that we, as staff NCO’s, have responsibility, have leadership, make decisions and go out there to get the mission done without having to have an officer present.” (4)

The training phase started slowly but rapidly gained momentum. The first several days were spent teaching sanitation fundamentals. From trash collection to hygiene trenches, the Leathernecks imparted the philosophy of cleaner, more sanitary workplaces. Operational lessons followed, including instruction on basic patrol fundamentals at the fire team and squad levels. Getting the border police to leave the confines of the border fort and conduct proactive patrols, either by vehicle or afoot was a success in itself. The active patrols were outwardly displaying a law enforcement presence not previously seen on a regular basis.

The BTT also developed leadership courses using the 14 leadership traits taught to Marine officer candidates and recruits, focusing on judgment, initiative, and integrity. Classes on motor transport maintenance, driving techniques, and basic logistics issues helped fill the day, each lesson resulting in a more empowered border policeman.

In order to formalize a more permanent training regimen within the ranks of the DBE, the Falcon Academy was established in An Najaf by the fall of 2005. Akin to “train the trainer” programs found throughout the US Marine Corps, the Falcon Academy provided a structured environment to train senior border policemen as instructors and mentors, giving them the ability to become training representatives at their respective border forts. The week-long border training initiative provided instruction in logistics and medical issues as well as courses on leadership, communications, and weapons handling. BTT Marines organized and taught the courses, developing the curriculum and perfecting the syllabus. “We empowered the senior sergeants, the class commander and squad leaders, giving them the ability to make decisions…and provide consistent sustained training…they just ate it up”, said GySgt. Dellinger. Given the responsibility to make decisions on their own accord, “…they were leading the way.”
“Taking and using our procedures, ” Dellinger said, “was one of the greatest success stories of the Academy.”

During a Falcon Academy graduation in September, 2005, Maj. Gen. Hussain Aooyz Al Ghazali, commander of the 5th Border Patrol Regiment, addressed the students. “Take what you have learned here and teach the others you work with. There are no contracts between Saudi Arabia and Iraq to keep the insurgents from crossing the border.” He continued, “You are policemen, protecting our borders. You are very important men, carry yourselves high due to the position you are in.”

LtCol. DeSimone stated it was difficult to maintain a constant finger on the pulse of each fort. An average of 20 kilometers spanned the distance between each of the 43 border forts, and communication between forts was spotty. Manned by 20-25 border police, the area of coverage for each border fort was immense. “We flew to one desert town where they had never seen U.S. forces before…they thought we were Spanish.” Regardless, DeSimone remained positive in his assessment of the DBE and the future of the Iraqi border police. “The border police have successfully made arrests and have taken people into custody,” DeSimone commented prior to his departure from Iraq. “We are bringing the ISF (Iraqi Security Forces) to a point where they can conduct their own law and order operations. Nobody knew how bad a shape they were in until we started poking around the border, hitting the border forts and meeting with the Iraqis. Since then we’ve been pushing out vehicles, uniforms, improving their pay and their life support. We’ve been getting them into training academies and are bringing them up to better standards that what they were before.”

LtCol. DeSimone believes the BTT’s role is vital to the success of Iraqi government. Commenting on the state of the Iraqi justice system, he opined the DBE is more effective than the courts they serve at this point. By the end of his tour in Iraq, Desimone saw radical changes in the effectiveness of the border police forces. “The border police are locking people up and are becoming more and more effective daily. We measure their success on how many arrests they make and how many people they are stopping and interdicting. They’ve come a long way – from guys in Metallica t-shirts and flip-flops to what we’ve got now – jundee in uniform, armed, conducting patrols and making arrests. We hope to see the same level of forward progress with the courts in the Ministry of Interior. It will take some time.”

Today, the BTT Marines of I MEF (Fwd) are focused less on assessments and basic equipment issues and spend the bulk of their time teaching advanced marksmanship techniques, patrolling, weapons handling, and internal security. The changes over the last year have been dramatic and continue to improve daily with the continuing efforts of I MEF (Fwd). During his turnover with I MEF in January, 2006, Major General Stephen Johnson, Commanding General of II MEF (Fwd), commented on the status of the Department of Border Enforcement. “The Department of Border Enforcement forces have grown over the past several months. The Iraqis, in coordination with the coalition forces, have built a number of border forts or installations along their border in the areas that we are responsible for - the border with Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Those border forts are manned. The border police continue to go through training….there are now two brigades out there making progress in returning control of the border to the Iraqi government and to the Iraqi people. It’s not a unilateral effort. They are partnered with Iraqi Army forces on the border and are also getting support from coalition forces as well. It’s a three-way effort out there, and the Department of Border Enforcement forces are showing improvement.” (8)

Flying East

2006-02-21T20:03:00.000-05:00

On February 15th, we left our temporary home at Camp Victory and traveled via bus to the Kuwait International Airport, the next stop in our journey eastward. After boarding a charter jet at the Kuwait City International Airport, we departed for Shannon, Ireland, our one and only layover between Kuwait and Cherry Point, North Carolina. Our brief stop in Shannon gave us the opportunity to debark the plane and stretch our legs inside the international terminal. Most of the Marines headed straight for the bar to purchase their first beer since arriving in Iraq. The Marines were given a 2 beer limit, primarily to avoid any alcohol related incidents on our way home. At 6:30 in the morning, however, I was in no mood for a beer and opted for a double-shot of espresso instead. Several Marines opted to spend their time browsing the duty free shops in search of some last minute trinkets for kids, spouses and significant others.

Traveling with us were Marines from the 2nd Marine Logistics Group (2nd MLG), formerly referred to as 2nd FSSG. Aboard the plane, the 350 Marines were split among coach and first class. The Officers and Staff NCOÂs were led to the front of the aircraft where smiling crewmembers greeted us warmly. Though I try not to abuse the privileges of being an Officer, the first class section was one perk I was definitely not going to refuse! I took full advantage of the supple leather seats with integrated foot rests, extra legroom, and in-seat televisions. I started feeling sorry for the Marines stuck in coach, but quickly drifted off in a comfortable slumber, the roar of the jet engines lulling me to sleep. After traveling in cramped helicopters and HMMWVÂs over the last few months, I wasn't about to give up my spot in first class.

Nearly 15 hours after leaving Kuwait, the plane touched down at Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, NC. The date was February 15th, 2006, the sun shining brightly as we taxied down the runway and eased into the terminal area. The Marines were all smiles as the doors opened and we caught our first breath of fresh Carolina air. Gone were the pungent odors of burning trash and port-o-johns. We had finally arrived home.

After an hour of sifting through seabags and MOLLE packs, our group boarded buses for Jacksonville, NC. A short, 30 minute drive led us straight to the gates of Camp Lejeune, home base to the majority of Marines traveling with me. As we approached the MEF Headquarters, family members of Marines could be seen standing behind signs and placards, waiting to welcome home their loved ones whom they so dearly missed over the last few months.

The next 5 days would be spent attending mandatory briefings, required of all returning warriors. These classes included safety lectures, a brief from the Chaplain, and a host of other nitnoid lectures focused on helping the Marines readjust to normal life. Certainly nothing earth shattering or difficult, the classes were usually over by noon, the rest of the day available for PT or relaxation with family, a nice way to transition back to life at home. Soon enough, the Marines will be preparing for their next deployment. These few days of easy living will pass, and the Marines will be back to normal, ready to serve wherever they are called to do so. That is the life of a Marine.

Paradise Sands

2006-02-13T08:41:00.000-05:00

Camp Victory Kuwait, a fitting name. For Warrant Officer Fay and myself, it was indeed a small victory, the end of a successful tour in Iraq, both of us leaving Fallujah healthy and filled with memories of a lifetime. Memories that will only be surpassed by our next deployment, wherever that my be.

Camp Victory is our second waypoint between Camp Fallujah and home. The layovers are built into the retrograde for the purpose of mental and physical decompression. Studies conducted on post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have prompted such efforts, Marines and sailors using the opportunity to discuss their experiences and enjoy each others company for the final few days without the worries of leaving the wire, the possibility of striking an IED or being ambushed by an invisible enemy.

The camp is similar in appearance to the military camps in Iraq – Hesco barriers, checkpoints, concertina wire and endless rows of tents. Marines and soldiers mill about the area, waiting for the buses that will ferry them to the airstrip, taking them on the final leg of their journey. Despite the isolation from civilization, the camp has several amenities to keep the Marines busy during their lull in travel. A wonderful USO tent sits in the center of the camp, air conditioned and carpeted. A sign inside the door reads "Please remove your boots - Really!!" Similar to the practice of removing ones shoees before entereing a home in Japan or Hawaii, all Marines entereing the USO take off their boots and store them in little wooden cubby holes ab le to accomodate a hundred pairs of boots and shoes. Marines stroll the USO in uniform and stocking feet, a funny sight for all to see. Free internet terminals sit off to one side of the USO, the very spot I sit writing this post. Situated inside a large quonset hut, it is filled it with furniture typically found at Ikea, comfortable sofas scattered about; large soft pillows piled high in the center of the room. Weary Marines lie peacefully among the pillows, dreaming of their impending reunion with family and sweethearts. Free coffee and internet service is available, and lazy boy lounge chairs provide comfortable seating areas in front of several large screen TV’s, movies running all day long. We sit in the lap of luxury.

The rest of the camp is typical – the remainder of the area containing the KBR chow hall, AT&T telephone centers and Haji-marts, those small local trinket stands where Marines have the last opportunity to spend their hard earned money on tacky plastic camels and Arabic headdresses.

Waiting for a flight has never been so pleasant. I’ll take Camp Victory over Dulles International Airport anytime!

The Journey Home

2006-02-11T04:11:00.000-05:00

I am on my way home, my journey beginning last evening at the Camp Fallujah LZ. The night air was brisk, the moonlight filtered through a thin haze of dust and fog. The 46's and 53's rolled in wave after wave, boarding faceless Marines, one vague silouhette after another, barely perceptable as they sauntered across the LZ toward the awaiting helos. The chop of the rotors cutting their "thwop-thwop" sounds in the air, Marines and sailors eager to leave the Camp behind to their successors.

I am still in theater, several days coser to the charter flight that will wisk us from the middle east to Europe, a quick layover, catching our first beer in months, a precursor to the final leg of our journey.

I am looking forward to the reunion with my family. Yet, ironically, I am saddened to leave this god-forsaken place, to leave behind the Marines with whom I've lived and worked, my brothers, the men who are part of me and I them. I don't want to leave, not just yet, I haven't finished what I started, Please, I'm not ready to go....

It is time. A confusing time. Happy and sad. As if I'm losing something; It's hard, I don't understand why it has to feel this way...The end of my journey is close at hand. The long road home has begun.

The Production Crew

2006-02-08T13:15:00.000-05:00

The Marine Corps is like a movie set. You've got your Producer (the Commanding General), the Director (the Deputy CG), the editor (the Chief of Staff), and your screen writers (the G-3 Operations staff). In the limelight, you've got your movie stars, the actors and actresses whom we watch on the big screen. In the Corps, your movie star is the 0311 Infantry Marine. Your basic grunt. He's the guy in the field, carrying out the actions and heroics that make the Marine Corps famous. He's the guy whom everyone else in the Corps is paid to support. He's the guy we think of when we hear the title "Marine."

Behind every successful director and movie star, there are a number of players that ensure the successful production of the film. You've got stuntmen and gaffers, key grips, wardrobe personnel and a host of other positions. Just like Hollywood, the Marine Corps has its own production crew, a bevvy of Marines who work behind the scenes to support their "cast" to ensure a succsseful operation. I've met a few of the Corps "production crew," the men and women who'll never be the stars, but will always be the backbone of the Corps, the reason for our success.

There’s US Navy Petty Officer (MR1) James Heard,a Machinery Repairman deployed with the 133rd Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (aka: the “Seabees”). Machinery Repairmen are skilled machine tool operators. They traditionally make replacement parts, repair or overhaul ship's engines and auxiliary systems, and work on deck equipment including winches and hoists, condensers and heat exchange devices. Miles from the ocean, MR1 Heard finds himself “working steel,” using his skills to design and craft specialty parts to sustain operations aboard the camp. He’s machined items ranging from custom water hose couplings for the Camp Fallujah Fire Department to replacement refrigeration parts for the dining facility. He’s produced bolt-on vehicle armor to protect our HMMWV convoy vehicles and has hastily manufactured specialty parts to repair inoperable M-240G machine guns. With only a lathe, drill press and grinder, he quickly turns scrap of metal into a functional object. He is the Picasso of steel.

Commander Stephen Christopher is also a repairman of sorts – he spends his days fixing broken fillings and cracked teeth of Marines and sailors deployed to OIF. He’s also spent time with soldiers of the Iraqi Army, providing emergency treatment to those in dire need of dental care. As the 2nd Marine Division Dental Officer, he has personally treated over 1100 patients during his deployment. A wanderer of sorts, I met CDR. Christopher at Hurricane Point in Ramadi, home of the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines. He and his dental technician travel lightly, carrying a fold-up dental chair and dental tools in addition to their M-16’s and body armor. Despite the lack of a permanent office and the specialty tools associated with CONUS dentistry, he performs magic with cracked teeth, extractions, fillings and temporary crowns, a task made more difficult in the hostile environment of Iraq.

Major Mark Gilday, the II MEF (Fwd) G-4 Motor Transport Officer, was intimately involved with the introduction and installation of Marine Armor Kits (MAK) and Marine Armor Systems (MAS) on hundreds of II MEF (Fwd) HMMWV’s and 7-ton trucks. If you recall, Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was asked by an Army soldier in December, 2004, "Why do we soldiers have to dig through local landfills for pieces of scrap metal and compromised ballistic glass to up-armor our vehicles?" The Secretary’s initial response was testy. "You go to war with the army you have," he barked. The soldier’s question, it turned out, had been planted by a reporter embedded with the US Army 278th Regimental Combat Team. The effects of the question, however, resulted in a firestorm of activity for the Army and the Marine Corps over the next 12 months. Since deploying to Camp Fallujah, Major Gilday has coordinated the up-armoring of nearly 1200 of the II MEF’s HMMWV’s with the new MAK systems. These improvements have greatly increased the survivability of our Marines in the field.

Lance Corporal Stephanie Twichell, a Marine Corps reservist from New Orleans, LA, enlisted in the Corps in June, 2004. She’s spent her deployment guarding prisoners and suspected insurgents at the Regional Detention Facility (RDF) in Camp Fallujah. She performs a thankless job made even less enviable following the US Army debacle at Abu Ghraib prison in 2004. However, you’ll rarely find a Marine complain about this important duty, knowing they are the thin blue line that separates the residents of Camp Fallujah from the captured insurgents. Breaking the monotony of daily prisoner counts, feedings, and searches, she spends her off-duty hours learning new law enforcement techniques, such as TASER training, escalation of force and riot control. The challenges of deployment were doubled when Hurricane Katrina ravaged her hometown. Regardless, LCpl. Twichell continues to serve her country and her Corps with dignity and without a complaint.

In Al Qaim, Iraq, I ran into Captain Timothy Evans, Company Commander for Food Service Company, H&S Battalion, II Marine Logistics Group, formerly known as the FSSG. Captain Evans enlisted in the Corps in 1983 and is currently a limited duty officer, deployed to Iraq to supervise the fielding of the new Field Food Service System (FFSS), a mobile kitchen unit which will update the old Marine Corps “mess kitchens,” taking us away from 1950’s technology and into the 21st century of food preparation. Captain Evans supervised the installation of these portable kitchen units at FIRM bases and FOB’s along the Syrian border, the unit itself enclosed within two 20’ x 8’ self-sufficient ISO containers similar to those seen stacked aboard transatlantic freighters. In lieu of eating MRE’s and pogey bait, the grunts on the front lines can now enjoy freshly prepared hot chow from these portable kitchens, capable of operating in black-out environments, all the while providing the field messmen protection from indirect and small arms fire. Nothing motivates a dirty, tired, and worn-out troop better than hot chow.

Others, like Colonel Gary Wilson, a retired Marine
brought back on active duty to serve as the II MEF (Fwd) Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection Officer (ATFP), conduct their daily duties atypical to that of their fellow Marines. The Colonel and his small staff play the part of the devils advocate, intentionally thinking and acting like the bad guy. They develop “red cell” ideas and schemes on how to successfully attack the base and threaten the safety of our Marines. He and his team conduct surveys of the camp perimeter in search of vulnerabilities and weaknesses, an attempt to uncover weaknesses in a units force protection stance. Afterward, he suggests methods to correct the vulnerabilities and improve the levels of protection for Marines deployed in theater. His findings are sometimes rebuffed by Commanders unwilling to believe they are less than prefect, that their individual force protection plans may have missed something upon implementation. Regardless, the Colonel and his staff are the mechanism that identifies and helps bring in the necessary technology and equipment to further enhance the safety of our Marines, be they in Camp, at a checkpoint, or in a vehicle.

Similar to the my job as the Marine Corps Field Historian, Sgt. Josh Hauser spends his deployment collecting stories from Marines far and wide. Sgt. Hauser is a combat correspondent with the II MEF Headquarters Group (MHG), traveling from FOB to FOB, embedding with Marines from various companies and platoons in search of the stories that will tell the world the tale of the Marine Corps in OIF. Unlike my Field History collection, Sgt. Hauser’s stories are published in hometown newspapers, spreading the exploits of our young Marines at work and play in Iraq. He’s a gypsy among Marines, attempting to live the story of which he writes, if only for a short period of time. His weapons are his camera and pen, although he has often put them aside to shoulder his weapon to protect himself and his temporary family. He goal as a combat correspondent is to balance the negative image of the Marine Corps as portrayed in mainstream media with good news stories from our Marines, fighting the good fight, doing what needs to be done to protect the freedoms of the naysayers back home.

Frankenchair

2006-02-02T11:01:00.000-05:00

Ever since my first visit to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. in 1975, I’ve been enamored with life-sized, walk-through dioramas depicting different eras of history. In the National Air and Space Museum, one such exhibit depicts life aboard an aircraft carrier. As you proceed across a makeshift quarterdeck, you enter an area resembling the landing deck of a ship. Various aircraft of different makes and models crowd the deck, wings folded up as if they were at sea. As you wind your way between the aircraft, you enter the bridge where you watch jets take off and land along the steam covered decks of the ship. Reels of Vietnam era film footage, complete with the sounds or roaring jet engines, provide a semi-believable recreation of life aboard an aircraft carrier.

The American History Museum recreates WWII through several life-sized dioramas. One can walk past jeeps parked haphazardly around a bombed out building, European household knick-knacks littering the ground adjacent to a realistic wall that appears to be crumbling from the effects of war. These scenes are reproduced to allow the visitors to step back in time, to see for themselves the same scenes viewed by Marines, sailors and soldiers in 1944. Someday, these same museums will recreate similar scenes depicting life during OIF, or Operation Iraqi Freedom. One day, we’ll see scenes depicting the urban battlefield of Ramadi or Fallujah and displays depicting daily life among the various camps and FOBs around Iraq.

Yesterday, with the assistance of two Seabees from the 133rd Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB-133), I was able to collect a particular artifact I have had my eye on since arriving in Iraq. I previously mentioned it in an October, 2005 blog post titled “Generals and Barberchairs” - please forgive the redundant information.

One of the most innovative pieces of unintentional folk art I’ve run across since arriving in theater, the Camp Fallujah barberchair consists of an automobile seat that was taken from the rear of a van or SUV. Welded to a military vehicle wheel rim, the entire unit swivels atop a metal mount, the mount hidden beneath the raised wooden floor inside the Camp Fallujah barbershop.

Granted, there is nothing remarkable about most barberchairs. You’ll find them in every city and town across the United States. This chair, however, is unique, and the ingenuity of the young sailors and Marines who produced this eclectic chair is typical of sailors and Marines deployed far from home. They universally subscribe to the adage “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Using only their innovation and imagination, they create items needed to combat the enemy or to make life more comfortable while idling away time in the rear.

Rather than sit on a plastic chair or box when getting a haircut, an ingenious young sea-bee from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 1 (NMCB-1) manufactured the chair out of scrap items lying about Camp Fallujah. Wanting to make the chair swivel, our unidentified sea-bee brought new life to a scrap M-79 rifle mount for a 106 mm recoilless rifle. Originally entering US military service in the 50’s and 60’s, the mount and its missing weapon probably made its way to Iraq decades ago, most likely used during the Iran/Iraq war and quite possibly against coalition forces in Desert Storm and OIF. Life is circular, however, and the mount once again serves our forces in war, only this time in a much different and friendlier capacity.

“Frankenchair” has seen her last haircut. Replaced with a simple plastic chair, "Frankenchair" is destined for the Marine Corps Museum. Symbolizing camp life and the ingenuity of our servicemen, it has hosted Marines from Private to General, as well as Marines who are no longer with us, Marines who made the ultimate sacrifice. If it could talk, it would repeat the tales told by Marines since 2003, tales recounting heroics during the battle of Fallujah and explanations of the sights and sounds seen and heard by our Corps of warriors. It would also tell the tall tales spun by our young Marines, the same stories heard for years among small town barbershops, tales similar to those heard by Andy and Barnie at “Floyds Barbershop” in Mayberry.

Badges? We don't need no stinkin' Badges!

2006-01-27T10:08:00.000-05:00

Marines and law enforcement – there is an inseparable link between the two professions. Visit any job fair aboard a Marine Corps base and you’ll find the longest line forming in front of the law enforcement booths. Police departments, Sheriff’s offices and federal agencies all offer an opportunity for young Marines to parlay their skills and interests into a career field built on a foundation of pride, professionalism, and esprit de corps.

Beyond the similarity of equipment and uniforms, each strives to enforce a universal law of nature, a law dictating the separation of good and evil. Marines and cops are society’s good guys, their inner drive fueled by the desire to weed out danger from society, be it criminal or insurgent. Good order and discipline are the hallmarks of both professions, each respecting a chain of command and the necessity to follow orders in the face of danger.

It is devotion to duty, love of country and service to fellow man that weaves the common thread between our two professions. Even in Iraq, our law enforcement brethren surround us. Dozens of Marine reservists like myself hail from various law enforcement agencies back home. Take the Marines of 5th Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment (5/14), for example. They deployed to Camp Fallujah last year to form a “provisional” Military Police Battalion instead of deploying in their traditional artillery battalion role. A number of its men are current or former Police Officers and Federal Agents, to include the Battalion Commander and his Executive Officer. They utilize their civilian skills to enhance the security and safety of the Marines deployed with the MEF, escorting convoys, guarding observations posts, and performing other quasi-law enforcement functions. Other MEF elements are comprised primarily of Marine Corps Reservists who are cops in their civilian careers. The bulk of the Marines attached to the P3 program (Police Partnership Program) are law enforcement officers at home. As P3 Marines, they train Iraqi Police recruits in the basics of community policing, search and seizure, firearms, and other law enforcement curriculum. A similar situation befalls the Marines of the II MEF (Fwd) DBE or Directorate of Border Enforcement. These Marines, many of them cops in real life, teach patrolling and policing skills to the newly formed Iraqi Border Police along the Syrian and Jordanian border.

Civilian police officers have also joined the fight in Iraq. They fill the ranks of the CPATT or the Civilian Police Assistance Training Team. These volunteers are civilian cops who’ve taken sabbaticals
from their jobs at home to deploy to Iraq and assist with the training of the Iraqi Police. CPATT includes the likes of Montcalm County Deputy Sheriff John Hannon, a man who left his family and friends behind in Michigan to deploy to Iraq and work alongside the Marines of II MEF (Fwd). His very first trip into Fallujah was interrupted by the simultaneous detonation of two IEDs against his convoy, a sobering welcome to an extremely dangerous community.

The MEF hosts a slew of civilian Special Agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), its criminal investigators and counter-intelligence agents spread throughout the II MEF (Fwd) area of operations - Camp Fallujah, Blue Diamond, and Al Asad to name a few. They routinely investigate accidental or suicidal deaths, thefts, assaults, and other felonious crimes that occasionally occur aboard the bases and FOB’s in Iraq. They are often assisted by Marine Corps investigators from the USMC Criminal Investigative Division, the “detective” arm of the USMC Military police units. At Camp Fallujah, Gunnery Sgt. Orlando Higgins works side by side with the NCIS Special Agents in an effort to help counter the occasional bad apple that sometimes finds its way into our Corps of Marines.

Of the twenty-three NYPD Officers killed at the World Trade Center, three were former Marines. Sergeant John G. Coughlin was an active member of the Rockland County detachment of the Marine Corps League, helping older veterans and doing honor guard duty at funerals. "He loved that," his wife said. "Once a Marine, always a Marine." One of his favorite times was the middle of December, when he would take a week's vacation to work on the Marine Toys for Tots Program. "He was a firm believer that every kid should have a toy for Christmas," Mrs. Coughlin said. He perished in the collapse of the towers.

A member of Harlem-based Emergency Service Unit Truck 2 of the New York City Police Department, Michael Sean Curtin was killed in the World Trade Center attacks. He was last heard from that morning when he phoned his wife to wish her a happy birthday, his wife said. Having enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1975, he was honorably discharged at the rank of Sergeant Major. Were he still alive, he’d probably be here in Iraq, on duty with his fellow Marines.

Marines will always be attracted to law enforcement. It could be the guns or perhaps it’s the ability to carry a badge. Most likely, it’s the desire to continue the tradition of serving ones country and protecting the freedoms we so easily take for granted. There’s a great quote from the movie “A Few Good Men,” where Jack Nicholson’s character, Col. Nathan Jessup, defends the actions of his Marines in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. During a courts martial proceeding, he speaks directly to a young Naval Lawyer who has never been in harms way, has never faced the enemy or been silhouetted in the sights of an enemy sniper. It just as easily applies to the Patrolman walking the beat, the “thin blue line” that separates good from evil back home.

Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lieutenant Weinberg? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago and you curse the marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don't want the truth because, deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said "thank you" and went on your way. Otherwise I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand at post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to.

The Dogs of War

2006-01-25T09:10:00.000-05:00

Marines love their animals...always have, always will. One can travel halfway around the globe and still find a pet of some sort being cared for by Marines. Aboard the FOB's and bases in Iraq, you'll find stray cats or dogs being cared for by Marines, despite the general order expressly forbidding such behavior. Although the order was published to help deter the spread of disease, you'll always find a corpsman or armchair veterinarian willing to care for these pets.

That mangy dog or cat is simply a tangible reminder of home. It's often the only time a Marine will display any sort of emotion in public, always maintaining that "tough as nails" bravado in front of his buddies. Often, it provides the perfect amount of comfort to a Marine who has just returned from a tough patrol or mission in the field. I've spoken with Commanders who choose to "look the other way" when it comes to enforcing the order, the Commander fully aware of the incredible healing power of a tiny little animal. More importantly, they offer a small feeling of peace amidst the chaos of war.

As you can see - I, too, disobeyed the general order, if only for a moment.

A little mascot trivia...

The first officially enlisted Marine Corps mascot was an English bulldog christened Jiggs. Brigadier General Smedley D. Butler inducted him into the Corps as Private Jiggs with a formal ceremony on 14 October, 1922, at Quantico, VA. Eventually promoted to the ultimate Marine enlisted rank of Sergeant Major, Jiggs presented the Marine colors throughout the world, and was featured in the 1926 Lon Chaney film “Tell It To The Marines.” Upon his death in 1927, SgtMaj. Jiggs was interred with full military honors. His satin-lined coffin lay in state in a hangar at Quantico, surrounded by flowers from hundreds of Corps admirers.

For decades, official mascots were called “Smedley” to honor their first inducting sponsor, Gen. Smedley D. Butler. “Chesty” became the most used named beginning in the 1950's, to honor legendary Lt. General Lewis B. “Chesty” Puller Jr. For decades, the canine crowd pleasers have been a formal and indelible part of Marine Barracks, Washington and the Marine Corps' image.

Commercial artists have picked up on the association between the Corps and the bulldog over the years and have immortalized it on T-shirts and coffee mugs. Although other animals have been used as unit mascots during the Corps' long history, it is the English bulldog that has remained a constant companion to the "Few and the Proud."

The Iraqi Insurgent

2006-01-22T11:56:00.001-05:00

Subsequent to the airing of a recent audiotape allegedly posted by Usama Bin Laden, a friend e-mailed me and asked if the insurgency in Iraq is directly linked to or under the control of UBL. I offered my opinion about the insurgents our Marines face on a daily basis. This is my opinion only and not the official view of the Marine Corps or the Department of Defense. The percentage following each category is my best guess and not representative of any official figure.

Few insurgents are fighting under the control of UBL. The insurgency in Iraq is broken into dozens of different cells, all with their own agendas and hierarchies of leadership. Most of the insurgent cells in Iraq are homegrown cells comprised of Iraqi military aged males, or MAMS, who are fighting the "occupancy" rather than fighting for Al Qaeda and it’s cause or agenda.

INSURGENT CATEGORIES – in my own humble opinion…

The first category of insurgents is the "swing either way depending on what's in it for me" types. You pass them on the street and they smile and wave. They often enter the local civil-military operations center (CMOC) seeking resident ID's or free handouts. They watch their kids receive free goodies, soccer balls, or occasional medical care, then go out and plant IED's at night. They do it for a couple of reasons, primarily money and fear of reprisal from the organized insurgents. Few Iraqis have stable jobs, so when someone offers them a $100 to plant an IED in the roadway, it's simply a matter of economics. These folks harbor no real resentment toward the coalition, yet are heavily influenced by the insurgency because they can make some quick cash, a difficult thing to come by. These are the same people who are threatened by other insurgents after the Marines have left the neighborhood. They’ve been seen accepting a soccer ball or getting medical help, or had Marines use their rooftop for an overwatch position. The insurgents threaten them or torture them following any contact with coalition forces. They use these threats to convince them to plant an IED or hide weapons for the organized insurgent groups. The key to this category is money and fear of reprisal. 25%

Category two is the day to day insurgent. He’ll smiles at the Marine who patrols the street. He’ll greet you with “As-salaam alaykum ,“ then take an pot shot at you as you turn the corner. These men are cowards, not guerillas. They have no will to fight when an equal or greater force opposes them. Planting IED's and taking pot shots is the only way they can and know how to fight. They strategically hide guns in houses, take a potshot at a convoy or patrol, then hide the gun and walk into the street unarmed, tossing down a soccer ball. They know that without a positive ID, the Marines will not accost them. These guys will go for days and not do anything against the coalition, then go an a little “boys night out” rampage. They’ll always end up showing their true colors and run from the firefight - cowards, all of them. They key to these guys is peer pressure and simply a lack of anything better to do. They have no job. Their friends fight the coalition and are an influencing factor, similar to the good kid who gets into trouble because he hangs around with the neighborhood bully. They engage in anti-coalition attacks the same way a teenager at home shoots street signs, stealing something on a whim, or breaks a window with a rock. Most don't even know why they do it. They’ll instinctively spout off a few verses of the Koran as a conditioned reflex, or as an excuse, and participate because other guys their age are doing so. This is the majority of the insurgency. 25%

Category 3 is the “homegrown” Iraqi full-fledged insurgent. He works independently or in small groups. It is his full time job, partly influenced by Al Qaeda, but not necessarily controlled by them or working for their cause. Similar to the prior group I described, these guys are also cowards. They’ll run and hide and would rather plant an IED than stand and fight. They believe we are crusaders and occupiers. We are infidels. Most are Sunni, former regime members or Ba’athists who are threatened by the Shiite dominance in Iraq. These are the holdouts, the guys gasping for air, watching their ship sink with no life rafts onboard. These guys believe they can fight the coalition and stop the impending spread of democracy. They think they can regain control and that they’ll actually get Saddam or one of his cronies back into power. It'll never happen, but they actually believe in their cause. They are the former political and military leaders who no longer have their power base. These are the guys who’ll belittle their neighbors for not joining them in their efforts. These are the guys who will shoot their own neighbors in the middle of the night or threaten their neighbors, convincing them to emplace IED’s in the roadways. These are the guys the mosques shelter and refer to as legal resistance to the occupation. This category makes up the bulk of the loosely organized insurgent cells that come and go as quickly as a spring shower. 25%

Category 4 is the most organized, though much smaller category. These guys are the organized Iraqi terrorists, the ones with money from outside sources, or from former government or military officials who stole thousands of dollars during their reign of terror. These are the guys who pay category 1's to plant IED's; the ones who provide the materials to make explosives; the ones push the belief that we are western infidels bent on destroying Islam, although they know that is not the case. It simply helps their cause, however perverted that cause my be. They are mostly Iraqi, probably hardcore Ba’athists or former Saddam Fedayeen, and are heavily influenced and funded by AQ, though they have their own hidden agendas. They are an organized, extreme version of the previous category. These guys make up the small percentage of Iraqi insurgent cells willing to execute hostage on television. They are often willing to die for their cause. 10%

Last category - category 5 is the foreign fighter, the religious extremist, the Wahabist who will fight America anywhere there is an opportunity. Iraq is simply a geographic opportunity. These guys are the smallest, yet the most dangerous category due to funding, resources, and most importantly, religious beliefs. Their fight has nothing to do with Iraq itself. The fight could be here, it could be in America, it could be anywhere in the world. Location doesn’t matter to this guy. Iraq is simply an opportunity to fight. Most are illiterate, poor and have been brainwashed since age 5 to eat, sleep and breath Islam extremism. These are the suicide bombers, the guys who believe they’ll actually get the 72 virgins when they die and go to heaven. 15%

Giants Among Men

2006-01-19T03:40:00.000-05:00

I interviewed some pretty incredible Marines over the last two visits with 3/7. They are typical of young fleet Marines. Cocky and filled with bravado, they call themselves an “old guy” or a “senior Marine” as a Lance Corporal (E-3) or Corporal (E-4). I chuckle to myself, as many were merely toddlers when my troops and I deployed for our first wartime experience during Operation Desert Shield. They enlisted in 2003, their recollection of September 11th simply a distraction that captivated their parents while their attention was focused on their next algebra exam or football game at school.

Barely out of high school, the youth of these young men is apparent. They love their video games and Sony Play Stations; they boast about their girlfriends and make plans to get an apartment with 3 or 4 of their friends when they return to CONUS, splitting their expenses to save money for beer and parties. Yet outside the wire, they magically transform into completely different individuals. Gone is the boyish grin, the horseplay and the thoughts of home. These attributes are replaced with steely grit and determination, strength and courage. They are all business, every bit of energy and every ounce of concentration focused on the mission and the safety of their fellow Marines.

These young men have experienced things that took my generation an entire career to experience. I’d like to mention a few of these young men, the future leaders of our Corps, and the reason we are still able to enjoy our freedoms at home, safe from the threats these Marines face on a daily basis.

There’s SSgt. Andrew Yellope, Weapons Company, 3/7. He joined the Corps at age 17 and was deployed to Afghanistan during the initial phase of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). One evening, while sitting in a defensive position near Khandahar airfield, an illumination round set the brush on fire in front of his unit’s position. Over the next hour, twenty-six mines proceeded to blow up from the flames, the area laden with mines and unexploded ordnance. He escaped without a scratch and currently faces a similar threat of unexploded mines and IED’s in the mean streets of Ramadi.

One month ago, Corporal Matthew Conley’s platoon from Weapons Company was serving as the Battalion quick reaction force, or QRF in Ramadi. Lima Company hit and IED, then shortly thereafter, a secondary IED went off in the same vicinity. Corporal Conley and his squad arrived on scene within 7 minutes from receiving the call and assisted the severely wounded Marines, some with legs and feet missing from the effect of the explosion. They quickly hauled the wounded to “Charlie-Med,” the surgical facility at Camp Ramadi, only one Marine losing his life due to the quick reaction of Marines like Corporal Conley.

Kilo Company’s Corporal James Dodson, Jr. received his baptism by fire on April 17, 2003, during the battle for Husayba, a small town along the Syrian border. The city was crawling with organized bands of insurgents suspected to number around 300 strong. While pushing through the city on foot, Marines in another squad were wounded and Corporal Dodson’s team filled in the gap, taking heavy fire from insurgents who had set up sandbagged machine gun positions. Fighting the way through the cramped alley ways, he and his team spent the next three nights on a rooftop, sitting on overwatch to ensure the insurgents couldn’t escape 3/7’s noose slowly tightening around the city.

Corporal Adam Frickey, India Company 3/7, was conducting a patrol near an abandoned house in Ramadi and got a funny feeling when he passed an abandoned building. Taking a quick peek inside, he found himself staring at an insurgent strong point that had been recently vacated. Lying inside the room was a box containing 14 mortar rounds, grenades, and other ordnance and weapons that could have been used against his buddies or himself. Shortly afterward, his company conducted a sweep near the Euphrates that recovered approximately 90 AK-47’s, countless rocket propelled grenades (RPG’s) and launchers. All in a days work.

Like Corporal Dodson, Sergeant Ryan Bilbao, Platoon Guide for Kilo Company, found himself embroiled in battle with insurgents in the streets of Husayba in April, 2003. He recalled receiving a quick warning order and loading onto trucks to conduct a sweep of the city. Under sustained small arms fire, his platoon walked block by block to clear houses and building through the middle of the city, from east to west, all while being engaged by insurgents hidden within the city walls. In addition to his standard combat load, Sgt. Bilbao carried nearly 1400 rounds of ammo for his M-249 squad automatic weapon (SAW), a total weight in excess 100 lbs. He scanned overhead as Cobra gunships and FA-18’s rained fire from above onto the insurgents and their hideouts.

Cpl. Phillip Gutierrez recalled his first ride into battle on the back of an MTVR 7-ton truck. Excited and scared at the same time, he compared the experience to the opening scene of “Saving Private Ryan”, where actor Tom Hanks waits aboard a naval landing craft enroute to the beaches of Normandy, not knowing what to expect when the ramp of the landing craft opens up as they hit the beach. Cpl. Gutierrez and the other young Marines knew not quite what to expect, riding quietly into battle as sniper rounds snapped above their heads, the sounds of battle getting closer as the trucks rumbled along. Only hours later, he’d gained firsthand knowledge of the fright and excitement of battle.

Cpl. Jordy Vega, a Texas native who graduated from boot camp in 2003, is on his third combat tour 3 short years. Shortly after arriving in Ramadi in September 2004, his HMMWV was hit by an IED. The vehicle was carrying 9 Marines, protected only by the hillbilly armor installed around the crew compartment. Rolling down the road, their lives were changed forever when the IED was triggered, a bright flash of light and wall of heat hitting the occupants full force. Cpl. Vega awoke to find an injured and unconscious Marine lying atop of him in the back of the burning vehicle. Under small arms fire, he helped drag a number of his wounded comrades to a casualty collection point, himself wounded in the leg from the shrapnel of the IED. He proudly showed me the scar on his right ankle, a permanent reminder of that day and his time in Iraq. A purple heart will adorn his uniform in the rear, a badge of honor among Marines.

Major Bradford Tippett, the Battalion Operations Officer, summed up the actions of the Marines in his unit who do the job “no one else wants to do.” To liberally quote Major Tippett, “…the Marines do a job they don’t fully understand, but they know has to be done. The odds are often against them. They are scared and afraid but go out and do what’s required of them. The same kid, the same young men you wear out for getting drunk and stupid at 29 Palms is the same kid, who after a firefight, has done things that only giants of men do when they are here. They’ve done things we’ve only read about in the annals of history; that we’ve read about in the award citations from Guadalcanal and the Chosin Resevoir, things we wondered how anyone could do. I’ve seen it. I’ve watched these men, these Marines, do extraordinary things. They do phenomenal tasks that the American public will never have a full appreciation for, but should forever be appreciative of. These Marines are doing what they won’t. They are giants among men.”

Rolling Thunder

2006-01-19T01:46:00.000-05:00

I spoke with Captain Dan Maze this afternoon, the Battalion S-2 for 3/7. Captain Maze spoke uninterrupted for almost 2 hours. It was a very good interview and he kept my interest the entire interview. Originally entering the Corps in December, 1998, Captain Maze was granted dual MOS's - Low Altitude Air Defense Officer (LAAD) and Air Defense Control Officer. After initial assignment to 3rd Low Altitude Air Defense (LAAD) Battalion at Camp Pendleton, he attended the light armored vehicle (LAV) officers course and was subsequently assigned to the LAV Air Defense Platoon (LAV ADP), the only LAV-mounted Stinger Missile platoon in the Marine Corps at that time. Although Stingers are often thought of as man-portable surface to air missiles, the LAV ADP has multiple Stinger missiles mounted to her armor.

Surprisingly, the stinger variant LAV's actually belonged to 4th light armored reconnaissance(LAR) Battalion, a USMC reserve Battalion within the 4th Marine Division. This placed Captain Maze and his troops in an unusual circumstance - they were an active duty platoon working within a reserve Battalion. This was a tactically brilliant decision by Marine Corps Headquarters, as both the 1st and 2nd Marine Divisions on the west coast (Camp Pendleton) and east coast (Camp Lejeune) would have squabbled like children if their sister Division owned the unit and they did not. It was a win/win situation for Captain Maze, as he was able to provide task organized support to both 1st and 2nd MARDIV, as well as having the opportunity to work with the reservists of 4th LAR Battalion during their drills and Annual training.

Following the kick-off of OIF 1, the LAV ADP split into sections and Captain Maze was attached to 3rd LAR as they moved northward toward An Nasiriyah during the initial "push" of the war. Captain Maze recalled how his convoy drove into an ambush near An Nasiriyah, not realizing the enemy was waiting for them in ambush positions. The enemy was estimated at 200-300 strong and was situated in a perfect U-shape ambush on both sides of the road. What the enemy didn't know was the LAV ADP variants are not only armed with Stinger missiles, but also have a turret mounted 25mm gatling gun that shoots approx. 1800 rounds per minute. The gatling gun is designed for used against airborne threats, but can just as easily be turned against ground targets, much like the mini-gun Jesse "the body" Ventura used to battle the space alien in the movie Predator. Combined with the armor, speed, and versatility of an LAV, as well as the "get some" attitude of the Marines in the convoy, the 40 minute firefight ended victoriously for the good guys with only 1 injury to any of the Marines in the convoy. A post battle examination of the killing grounds revealed a mess of weapons, notebooks, personal articles, and other items left behind in the deserted ambush positions. Most likely, the enemy figured they'd be shooting at lightly armored, soft skin vehicles such as the HMMWV's or 5-tons found normally in logistics trains, rather than well the well armored LAV's of 3rd LAR Battalion.

Captain Maze mentioned the "push" to An Nasiriyah and Baghdad. He's not the first Marine to use this term. I've heard it used a lot lately. Apparently, the Marines have adopted the term as a the latest reference to any sort of operational movement. They'll say "let's push" when a convoy heads out, or mention of a unit "push" whenever a patrol heads out to the field. New times, new slang.

Flagship of the Fleet

2006-01-11T08:55:00.000-05:00

On my way back from the armory, I stopped by the MHG Motor Transport Office to speak with 1stLt Frank Cardamone. Lt. Cardamone is a Marine Corps Logistics Officer, currently assigned as the II MEF (Fwd) Headquarters Group (MHG) Motor Transport Officer. A native of upstate NY and the son of a former Marine and Vietnam veteran, he'd always had an interest in the Marine Corps. That interest in service was put into action following the September 11th attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Receiving his commission in 2003, he was assigned to Camp Lejeune, NC, where he serves with the II MEF Headquarters Group.

At Camp Fallujah, Lt. Cardamone's unit is tasked with the dangerous mission of providing convoy escorts and conducting security patrols throughout the city of Fallujah. I had the pleasure of interviewing Lt. Cardamone last November and noticed a unique item hanging on the wall of his office, a plywood shack located in the middle of Camp Fallujah. The item was a piece of melted aluminum/metal residue curiously formed in the shape of a camel. Noticing my interest in the item, Lt. Cardamone explained that the metal was a melted remnant from an up-armored USMC HMMWV (UAH) that was involved in an IED strike last July. The HMMWV, serial number 217300, was part of his Motor Pool fleet, a level one armored vehicle designed to protect its occupants from small arms fire and explosions. Though no amount of armor is guaranteed to mitigate the explosive force of an IED, the introduction of UAH's has invariably saved the lives of hundreds of Marines and soldiers patrolling the city streets.

Equipped with a communications suite that allowed it to be used as a command and control vehicle, the vehicle was referred to as the "flagship of the fleet." However, the title was short-lived. On July 29, 2005, 2nd FAST company was conducting a mobile presence patrol with several HMMWV's, one of which was vehicle #300. Traveling on a dirt road between Camp Fallujah and Al Fayil, the vehicle struck an IED planted by the insurgency and was quickly consumed by fire. Fortunately, the upgrades in armor saved the lives of all of her occupants, who amidst the confusion of the incident, were able to retrieve several important items of gear from the burning vehicle before she was completely engulfed in flames. The gunner escaped with 3rd degree burns to his hands and was the only occupant injured during the IED strike.

Later that day, Lt. Cardamone sent a recovery vehicle to the scene to remove the remnants of the damaged vehicle. Efforts to lift the burned hulk onto a flatbed 7-ton MTVR met with little success, as the unidentifiable remnants kept breaking into pieces every time the wrecker attempted to lift the charred hulk. The intensity of the fire was so great that the UAH frame had melted, leaving pools of liquid metal on the ground beneath the wreckage. The piece provided by Lt. Cardamone is proof-positive of the incredible destructive power of an IED.

Lt. Cardamone has donated the remnant of his "Flagship" for accession into the Marine Corps Museum artifact collection. It will be brought back to Quantico alongside a host of other unique items I have collected throughout this deployment. A former Motor Transport Officer myself, my hat is off to the courage of Lt. Cardamone's crew, the "Motor-Grunts" of the MEF.

I am once again heading to the field. I will post again upon my return.

Toilet Humor

2006-01-06T15:16:00.000-05:00

Note: Please ignore this post if you are disgusted by adolescent bathroom humor... This post is merely a reflection of daily life at Camp Fallujah

Having traveled the AO quite extensively over my last two deployments, there’s no escaping the fact that Marines and soldiers are some witty, though crude individuals. Just go into any port-o-john (P-O-J) on any camp, anywhere in Iraq and you’ll find the sickest, filthiest, and often times, most bizarre humor you’ll ever read. There’s something about a clean P-O-J wall that cries out to be defiled by Marines and soldiers. I’ve visited hundreds of P-O-J’s since September, all through necessity mind you, and can count on one hand the number of P-O-J’s I’ve seen with nary a joke or remark about another service, a woman, a Marine/Soldier or someone’s genitals. That’s just the way it is, has been, and always will be, as long as Marines and soldiers continue to visit these plastic powder rooms.

I’m convinced the majority of our Marines and soldiers never made it past the fourth grade. Their spelling is atrocious and their sense of humor sophomoric. Regardless, I find myself laughing from time to time as I marvel at their wit and stupidity, rolled into one. It’s not just the male Marines, either – find any P-O-J marked “female only” and you’ll discover an equal amount of comments inside, or so I’ve been told.

I chuckle at the “canteen filling station” remarks and laugh aloud at the scribbled “officer eye wash station” comments. I grin at the arrow pointing downward to the plastic urinal attached to the wall, saying “aim here and win a prize.” In multiple P-O-J’s, “Army/Marine Corps reenlistment papers” is scribed above the toilet paper holder. You’ll always find the crude “Peanuts and Corn - all you can eat special” or remarks about hot fudge Sundays. Most start with an innocuous joke or comment that invariably causes a rippling effect, dozens of budding authors jumping into the fray to add their attempts at humor.

P-O-J’s are a chalkboard for the machismo, a blank slate on which to write a Marine or soldier’s achievements. Nearly every P-O-J has some remark from a Marine or Soldier regarding the superiority of their service, their unit, or squad. Acronyms cover the walls, many pornographic and unrepeatable. Others, like “Marines – Muscles are required, intelligence not expected” are commonplace and have been around for years.

A favorite in Al Asad is the “Ninja–Pirate–Samurai” debate. It’s starting to spread to other locations, as I’ve seen one or two Ninja remarks at Camp Fallujah. You’ll find Ninja, Pirate and Samurai rules or facts adorning the walls of P-O-J’s across the camps, the authors engaging in debate across a spectrum of toilets. You’ll find “Pirate law #4 - Pirates make Ninjas walk the plank” and the comeback, “Ninja rule #12 – when a Pirate sees a Ninja, it is already too late.” The facts, rules and laws are written everywhere, such as “ Samurai fact # 411, Tom Cruise was NOT the last samurai,” and “Pirate Fact # 514 - you spell it AARGH not HARGH, you moron.” Some are pretty random, like “Ninja fact 87 – Ninja’s don’t like gravy and rice”, and “Ninja fact #78 – Orange jump suits don’t make good camouflage.” There are also the oddballs that don’t fit into the standard “Ninja-Pirate-Samurai" rulebook, such as “Midget fact #358-A – hit a midget on the head with a stick – he will turn into 10 gold coins.” Try to figure that one out. An entire blog is devoted to the subject of P-O-J humor. You'll find it at http://latrinelovin.blogspot.com/

The Crazy Brave - EOD

2006-01-04T09:48:00.000-05:00

Various bombs, pressure switches, and IED components discovered by 3/7 EOD. January 2, 2006.

A typical IED - the Marines worst nightmare, Ramadi, Iraq. January 2, 2006.

January 2, 2006

I stopped by the Explosive Ordnance Detail (EOD) spaces at Hurricane Point, manned by some of the bravest, albeit craziest, men in the Marine Corps. Men like Staff Sgt. Jones, SSgt. Spurlock, Sgt. Farmer, and Corpsman (HM3) Hicks of 3/7 brave the roadway hazards daily, keeping the streets safe for patrolling Marines and Iraqi Army (IA). These guys have set up a small display in front of their hooch, samples of IED’s they’ve recovered during call-outs into the city. The tactics, techniques and procedures (TTP’s) of the insurgency is ever-changing, a continual nuisance to Marines in the field. It’s a simple cat and mouse game; we do something to defeat the threat, and within a week or two, the insurgents find new methods of countering our actions. The insurgents have utlized every imagineable means of planting and detonating IED's in the city of Ramadi. From radio-controlled devices to hard-wired bombs, they have caused hundreds thousands of injuries and hundreds of deaths in theater. Besides the sniper threat in Ramadi, IED’s are one of the biggest worries of the 3/7 Marines.

If you wish to help our wounded warriors, you can send a donation to the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund, a tax deductable, non-profit organization. Information regarding the fund can be found online at www.SemperFiFund.org.

Kilo 3/7

2006-01-04T09:18:00.000-05:00

A Marine's Marine - Captain Phillip Ash, Kilo Company CO, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, Ramadi, Iraq. December 31, 2005

An Iraqi jundee (soldier), practices fireteam tactics in Ramadi, Demember, 2005

Former enemies, future allies - Iraqi Officers and staff posed for a photo, Ramadi, Iraq. December 31, 2005

December 31, 2005

This afternoon, I left Hurricane Point and traveled via up-armored HMMWV (UAH) to Camp Phoenix, the training ground for two Iraqi Army (IA) Battalions operating in Ramadi. Camp Phoenix is a training ground for the IA Battalions, and both receive mentoring and training from USMC mobile training teams, or MTT’s. MTT Marines live among the Iraqis and develop solid working relationships with the IA throughout their deployment.

Today’s journey to Camp Phoenix was by invitation of 3/7’s Kilo Company Commander, Captain Phillip Ash. Captain Ash, a former enlisted sailor who later wised up and quit the Navy to join the Corps, is one of those “poster” infantry Officers – a square jawed, outspoken, confident individual who eats, sleeps and breathes infantry in the offense. Following his interview this morning, the Captain asked if I’d accompany him to Camp Phoenix to receive a briefing from the IA regarding an upcoming mission they would be conducting in the city of Ramadi. This will be the first mission commanded entirely by an IA Battalion with the Marine Corps acting strictly in a supporting role.

Our arrival at Camp Phoenix was watched closely by a number of Iraqi soldiers and Officers preparing to brief their Colonel. A crude sand table was constructed on the ground with blocks of wood representing buildings and police tape simulating roadways and MSR’s. The briefing was conducted primarily by the IA officers through the use of an interpreter and went smoothly. A joint practical exercise was conducted for the next hour and it was quite amazing to see the IA actually practicing fire team and squad tactics without the strict oversight of Marine MTT’s. I was seing firsthand the postive results of our presence in Iraq.

Just as the practical exercise wrapped up, the screech of a rocket passing over our heads took us by surprise, immediately prompting us to find the closest cover. The rocket failed to detonate and soundlessly plowed into the dirt, a portion of its tail fin exposed. Turns out it was a 57 mm rocket, probably Chinese or Russian. We couldn’t quite figure it was launched from, but it had been aimed pretty well, as it sailed rather closely over our heads. We were lucky it was a dud, as the large number of IA and Marines present would have inevitably invited casualties. We did not wait around to see if any more rounds would be fired our way and buttoned up inside the HMMWV’s, hitting the road for the Camp Ramadi chowhall.

After chow, we geared up, chambered our weapons and drove back to Hurricane Point. Throughout the trip, I was as “useless as teats on a boar-hog.” Lacking my set of night vision goggles (NVG’s), nothing was visible outside my Hummer window. Had a “Muj” aimed an RPG my way, I’d have missed it completely, ignorant of the impending danger. Thankfully, all 4 of the Kilo Marines in my vehicle were wearing their NVG’s and were carefully scanning the route for bad guys. Another lesson learned - always assume you'll be gone longer than expected.

VIP treatment

2006-01-04T08:27:00.000-05:00

Retired LtCol. Oliver North's signature in the "VIP" room, December 30, 2005

December 29, 2005

After several hours of waiting for my helicopter at the Fallujah landing zone, “Bhrama 65” touched down well after midnight. Although I'd already been at the LZ for 2 hours, I was told “Bhrama” was running at least 2 hours behind schedule. I spent the next 4 hours at the LZ lying restlessly on the dirty plywood floor, trying to make myself comfortable yet never quite getting there.

For the comfort of those awaiting their flights, the Navy “Sea-Bees” constructed several wooden C-huts, each a simple plywood shed large enough to hold a couple dozen passengers. These are no-frills shelters - just a floor, roof, and 4 walls designed to provide minimal protection from sandstorms, summer sun and winter chill. No windows, not even any paint. However, it keeps passengers elevated above the desert floor and keeps away the sand fleas that cause leshmaniasis, a nasty skin infection that eats away the skin of its victim. The “sea-bees” also ran electrical power to the C-huts. Each is outfitted with lights and a dual heater/air conditioner unit to stave off summer heat and ward off winter chill.

I had just dozed off when the thump of the rotors could be heard in the distance. The AACG-DACG NCO quickly popped his head into the door, letting us know the bird was inbound. We rushed to don our gear and headed out to the LZ, the evening pitch black and devoid of moonlight. Only the soft green glow of the helo’s interior lights could be made out in the darkness. Once aboard, the pilots throttled up and the helicopter shuddered violently, lifting up and pitching forward as we gained speed and altitude. Silhouetted by the glow of the cockpit instruments, the door gunners chambered their weapons as we sped away from the LZ.

The night air was cold and made colder still by the wash of the rotors. The temperatures hovered in the mid-thirties and despite two layers of clothing beneath my interceptor vest, I shivered uncontrollably throughout the flight.

Touching down at Camp Ramadi was extremely disorienting. Unlike the semi-lit LZ’s of CF, TQ and AA, Camp Ramadi is still governed by blackout conditions. Insurgents recently lobbed mortars into the base, apparently using visible light as their aiming point. Off base, the city of Ramadi is similar to Fallujah in early 2004. The insurgents are still very active and precious few civil-military operations are able to be conducted in town. Marines still occupy tactical FIRM bases or battle positions and when dismounted, hustle between locations, as snipers are still very active in the area. The Iraqi Army, or IA, are the only local authority around and patrol side by side with the Marines, still reliant on the Marine Corps for support.

It was nearly 4 a.m. when the helo sped away, leaving me standing in a darkened LZ, unsure where to go. Two National Guard soldiers were at the LZ and offered to drive me to an empty warehouse on the other end of camp, a place I could hang my hat for a couple of hours. Apparently, it contained a few mattresses and empty steel racks on which I might be able to catch some shut eye.

The warehouse was dirty and abandoned. However, just as told, it was littered with old bunkbeds and used mattresses. Finding a mattress with few visible rips and stains, I happily laid down (in full uniform, of course – I’m not sure what may have been crawling on those mattresses) and quickly fell asleep, much more comfortable than the plywood floor I’d been lying on earlier.

This morning, I found a convoy heading into the city and thumbed a ride. I arrived at Hurricane Point, a small FOB in Ramadi and home to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, my host for the next several days. The S-3 chief showed me my "room", a 7’ x 10’ toilet that had been transformed into living quarters for VIP's. I wondered if they were trying to tell me something! Made completely of tile and formerly holding a toilet and bidet, a bunkbed now fills the empty space. The water and drainage pipes are cut and sealed, but the fact that the room was formerly a toilet is still vary apparent. It sounds less than pleasant but is heaven compared to the living condition of the troops in the field. I've actually got a mattress and 4 walls - more than can be said for the Marines outside the wire in Ramadi.

On several occasions, Hurricane Point has played host to retired USMC LtCol. Oliver North, known primarily for his involvement in the mid-1980's Iran/Contra ordeal. Now a nationally syndicated anchor on the FOX news network, he's visited the FOB several times, visting with our Marines in Ramadi. It turns out that Ollie and I not only share the same rank, we've shared the same bed, on separate occasions, of course!! On the wall of my "VIP" quarters is Ollie's signature, a note to his hosts thanking them for allowing him to visit.

Out and About

2005-12-28T10:34:00.000-05:00

I'll be out for the next few days, spending time with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines. I'll post some info about my visit with 3/7 when I get back to Camp Fallujah. Ooh Rah!

Holiday Blues and Museum Artifacts

2005-12-26T15:15:00.000-05:00

The uniform of BGen. Augustus Collins, 155 BCT, donated by the General for accession into the Marine Corps Museum

Iraqi Army (IA) and Iraqi Police (IP) comic books, distributed by coalition forces in support of "information operations" in Iraq, 2005

Original applications for Fallujah resident and contractor Identification cards, bound for the Marine Corps Museum, December, 2005

Well…it’s the day after Christmas and even in Iraq, a small dose of “post Christmas day blues” has spread throughout the camp. Just like home, the days leading up to Christmas generated an air of excitement about the camp. As Christmas eve approached, the troops became animated and playful, wearing stocking caps instead of boonie covers and greeting one another with “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Ooh-rah!” Non-stop religious Services were conducted by the various Command Chaplains and packages were rushed from the Fallujah post office to waiting 7-tons or HMMWV’s for transport to the troops before Christmas morning. Laughter and good cheer was the medicine of the day.

As of this morning, everything’s back to normal. Christmas decorations are being dismantled and the excitement of Christmas has passed. The Marines of II MHG and 5/14 Provisional Military Police continue on with their convoy security patrols. The grunts of Regimental Combat Team 8 (RCT-8) headed out this morning, just as they have every morning to conduct cordon and knocks, searches, and raids against high value targets in town. The helos continue to fly over the camp, one buzzing overhead as I write this post. Today, at least one CH-46 medevac landed at Fallujah surgical, bearing wounded Marines. A Cobra gunship providing security escort passed overhead as the 46 touched down to drop off its payload. Life continues, and so continues the carnage and violence that separates us from our counterparts at Camp Lejeune, Quantico and Camp Pendleton. Christmas has come and gone, the goodwill and cheer a fading memory as Marines put their noses to the grindstone and push forward with their daily routine.

Our work never really stopped. It was merely downplayed by the joyous feelings that Christmas brings to each and every Marine deployed. Opening a care package on Christmas day, no matter how big or small, was just as exciting to us as that gift we tore into as a 9 year old at home, many years back. The Marines here are kids at heart. Yesterday, we were all thinking of home, of family and of Christmas’ past.

Today, we are back at work, our minds refreshed, the holiday over. I am back to conducting interviews with the Marines of 5/14, and will be departing Camp Fallujah in a couple days to spend a week with an infantry unit north of my current location. Once again, I am looking forward to getting out of Camp Fallujah and the garrison environment it has become. Going to the field is a welcome relief I am fortunate to experience.

In addition to the interviews I conduct with Marines across the area of operations (AO), my duties include collecting unique artifacts for accession into the Marine Corps Museum. I’ve always had a fascination with historical memorabilia and militaria, and though I’m neither a historian nor a museum curator, this deployment has helped turn my fascination into an official duty, if only for the duration of this deployment. I’m actually charged with looking for such items on behalf of the Marine Corps Museum, some of which may one day be found on display in a museum or archived for the use by military historians.

Museum artifacts come in all shapes and sizes. I’ve had to alter my preconceived ideas about what actually constitutes an artifact. My pre-deployment concept of an artifact was a simply a weapon or a uniform, perhaps a war trophy of some sort. However, artifacts are much more varied than just guns, trucks or uniforms. Imagine the value of an original, unmarked booklet of ballots from the Iraqi national elections held December 15th, 2005. In 50 years, that very book of ballots will be a museum curators dream. Though merely a ballot book to most, a museum curator immediately sees its value to future researchers and historians.

I’ve been fortunate to come across some great artifacts while deployed. A box of artifacts sits in my workspace at Camp Fallujah, waiting to be mailed to the museum curator at Quantico. I’ve picked up many items, such as original election and referendum ballots; coalition “propaganda” handbills posted on Iraqi lamp posts and an Arabic copy of the Iraqi constitution circulating the streets of Fallujah. I’ve received a cassette tape filled with anti-American rhetoric, captured from insurgents in Iraq, and possess an Iraqi martyr flag found balled up in a vacant Fallujan home by Warrant Officer Fay. We are hoping to get our hands on a collection of weapons captured from the insurgents by Marines from RCT-2, to include some fantastic AK-47’s, RPK’s, pistols, knives, swords and various hand-made rocket launchers and RPG tubes made with PVC pipe and sheer ingenuity. Just this evening, a young Marine popped into my work space and hand delivered one of the camouflage utility uniforms worn in Iraq by Brigadier General Augustus Collins, Brigade Commander for the 155 BCT, II MEF (Fwd). General Collins was kind enough to offer his uniform when I asked if he'd be interested in donating it to the museum. A man of his word, the General promised and delivered. The 155 leaves Iraq this month after spending the last year in the Babil Province, fighting the insurgency and turning over parts of the AO to the Iraqi Police (IP) and Iraqi Army (IA). His uniform may one day adorn a mannequin at the Smithsonian or other museum, as General Collins was the first African-American General in the Mississippi National Guard, and the first to command a National Guard Brigade in combat while serving subordinate to a major Marine Corps chain of command.

Christmas, 2005

2005-12-25T06:18:00.000-05:00

Marines and sailors sing Christmas Carols outside the Camp Chapel, Dec. 24, 2005

Our Cammie-netting Christmas tree outside of DFAC-1, Camp Fallujah

Serving line decorations inside the Dining Facility

LtCol. Pat Carroll plays "Jingle Bells" atop building 33 on Christmas Day, 2005 at Camp Fallujah

LtCol Craig Covert, Christmas Day, 2005 Camp Fallujah, Iraq

Today is Christmas day. Despite being away from home, most Marines have tried to get into the Christmas spirit. Decorations are everywhere around the camp, hanging in offices, living quarters and work spaces. The dining facility staff set up a Christmas tree next to the serving line and hung decorations from the ceiling. Outside the chowhall, a makeshift Christmas tree stands near the entrance, camouflage netting filling in for pine needles. It was pretty funny watching the TCN’s, or third country nationals, trying to construct the tree. The workers, most of them Iraqi, Indian or Filipino, stood around the tree in a gaggle and argued about what a Christmas tree should actually look like. I imagine they received their marching orders from one of the dining facility managers who’d merely told them to construct a Christmas tree for the troops. A recording of Christmas music plays continuously on a looped soundtrack, sounding like a broken record playing under water. Even funnier are the Marines who jump into the sleigh and start yelling at the reindeer to take them to the North Pole. The tree and music gives everyone a chuckle.

Some Marines express their Christmas spirit in more unique ways. Just an hour ago, I heard the distant sound of Christmas carols outside the building I share with the 6th Provisional CAG. I stepped outside and found the music was coming from the rooftop. Climbing a ladder on the side of our building, I found several Marines from the CAG taking photos and listening to LtCol. Patrick Carroll play Christmas carols on his bagpipes. There’s nothing like the sound of bagpipes playing to send a shiver up and down your spine, even if it is a Christmas carol instead of Taps or a battle hymn.

A Personal Request

2005-12-22T14:52:00.000-05:00

During this deployment, Mr. Peter H. Covert and Mr. George F. Frazier, my father and step-father, both succumbed to cancer. This horrible disease continues to claim the lives of millions of other Americans who will never have the opportunity to live a full and productive life. With luck, successful research will one day stop this disease from bringing sorrow to so many families.

As you prepare for Christmas and head out to purchase those last minute gifts, please consider making a small donation to the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, or a local or national charity organization of your choice.

The Provisional MP's

2005-12-22T14:30:00.000-05:00

Camp Farrar, named after Sgt. Andrew K. Farrar Jr., who was killed in action in the Al Anbar Province on Jan. 28, 2005

Corporal Aaron A. DeSalvo with his Military Working Dog, Bako at Camp Falluja, Iraq, December 22, 2005

I spent the day with Marines from the 5/14 Provisional Military Police Battalion, located at Camp Farrar, a small enclosed commune located within the perimeter of Camp Fallujah. The camp was named after Sgt. Andrew K. Farrar Jr., who was killed in action in the Al Anbar Province on Jan. 28, 2005. Units often rename their camps throughout the area of operations or as an honor to a hero in their service.

The military police officer's death was a tragedy for his unit, A Company, 2nd Military Police Battalion, and even more so for his family. Farrar was killed on his 31st birthday. The Weymouth, Mass., native left behind a wife and two children. He also left a lasting impression on his fellow Marines. "I think about Andrew everyday," said Sgt. Jonathan Bates, an accident investigator stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C. "He taught me that Marines want to be led, and
that it's my job to step up and lead them." Farrar's impact on Bates went
beyond the ranks. "I had the privilege of calling him my friend," he said.

While at Camp Farrar, I interviewed Several Marines, to include the Battalion S-6 Officer (CommO), the Officer in Charge of the Evaluation Assessment training Team (EATT), the unit legal clerk, and a female Regional Detention Facility (RDF) guard team member. It was an eclectic collection of Marines, ranging in rank from Lance Corporal to Captain. Although I was planning to travel to Ar Ramadi and Blue Diamond tomorrow, I have decided at the last minute to cancel my trip to continue my collection efforts with 5/14, thereby permitting myself to enjoy Christmas day in the comfort of my own little home away from home. I'll head north sometime after Christmas.

The last time 5th Battalion, 14th Marines, 4th Marine Division, was deployed to a combat zone, Franklin D. Roosevelt was president and the United States was in a world war against the Japanese in the South Pacific. Although 5th Bn., 14th Marines is an artillery unit by trade, they deployed as a provisional military police battalion with Marines coming from various active duty and reserve units throughout the Marine Corps. It includes 1st Battalion, 14th Marines, an active duty MP Company from Camp Pendleton, a TOW Company from 25th Regiment, MP’s from Louisiana and Minnesota, and Marines from 4th Force Reconnaissance from Hawaii and Reno, Nevada. The battalion is tasked with four main missions while serving in Iraq: area security, convoy security, law enforcement and operating five detention facilities throughout Al Anbar province.

Many of the reservists are civilian law enforcement officers or corrections personnel who are applying their civilian skill sets within their new environment. The very first interview I conducted was with the Battalion Executive Officer, himself a Special Agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration. These Marines have come together from all walks of life, intent on contributing to the continuing fight for democracy in Iraq.

Following today’s interviews, I stopped by the Military Working Dog (MWD) facility to take some photographs of the dog handlers with their canines. Corporal Aaron A. DeSalvo recognized me as I sauntered into the compound and immediately volunteered to bring his dog “Bako” out of his doggy-prison and into the yard, which DeSalvo refers to as the dog’s playground. As I prepared to snap some photos of Bako, the dog snapped back, growling and barking at me from several feet away. Holding Bakos’ leash tightly, Cpl. DeSalvo let me know in no uncertain terms that I should quicken my pace before Bako got the best of his leash. I didn’t argue. Although Bako is trained to sniff out explosives and other incendiary devices, I have no doubt that he might easily double as an attack dog. I didn't stick around to find out.

A New Start

2005-12-17T08:27:00.000-05:00

A photo of Ansam Shahib Ahmed, a translator at the Civil Military Operations Center (CMOC) in Fallujah, Iraq, casting her vote on National Election Day, Dec. 15, 2005

Dec. 16. - An incredible firefight erupted outside the CMOC last night, starting with a few scattered pops from an AK-47. Within seconds, a crescendo of gunfire echoed throughout the city, the night alive with machine gun fire from AK’s and RPK’s. The first firefight was short-lived and trailed off after 45 seconds but was followed by longer, more sustained display of small arms fire about 10 minutes later. At first, the Marines of the CMOC reacted normally, accustomed to the sound of occasional gunfire. However, the sheer volume and intensity of the 2nd firefight gunfire caused more concern than usual and soon the shouts of “gear up, gear up” were being yelled down the hallways.

Through the evening, the sound of Iraqi Police sirens wailed in the distance. The night air was alive, and one could easily close their eyes and imagine they were in New York City. Perhaps the commotion was a reaction to the elections and the closure of the polling sites. Whatever the cause, this was a night of remembrance for Iraqis eager to start a new lease on life.

I finished the day’s interviews with the Director of the CMOC, LtCol. Eloy Campos. Eloy is a Cuban native who emigrated to the US at the age of 15. Commissioned in the US Marine Corps in 1985, he has directed the operations of the CMOC and its Marines since early September. It is my opinion that the elections in Al Anbar Province would not have been successful without the direct intervention of the CMOC Marines. Whether sponsoring meetings for local officials, providing basic necessities for the Iraqi Election Committee members, our hosting international media representatives present to report on the election process, the CMOC directly contributed to the success of yesterdays elections.

From the Los Angeles Times:

Iraq Vote Is Seen As Step Forward

Some hope the relatively calm elections portend a waning of violence. Pragmatists note the tough task of forming a government lies ahead.

By Richard Boudreaux, Times Staff Writer

BAGHDAD — The Sunni imam stood before 400 worshipers during Friday prayers in Abu Hanifa Mosque and weighed the meaning of the previous day's big election turnout by Sunni Arab voters.

It was too soon to tell how many Sunnis would sit in Iraq's new parliament, Sheik Ahmad Taha said in his sermon. But he prayed that the minority's belated entry into electoral politics would, with the help of God, bring an end to bloodshed and "free our land from American occupation."

Expressed in different words, that goal was shared by the Bush administration and leaders across Iraq's sectarian and ethnic divides. It is a vision that could again prove elusive, however, as Iraqis count votes, seat a 275-member Council of Representatives and wrangle over the makeup of a government in the weeks ahead.

Pragmatists caution that Thursday's election, with its greater Sunni participation, would not by itself halt the Sunni-led insurgency or prompt the United States to start withdrawing troops.

Yet Western officials, Iraqi politicians and many voters say enough was different about this election to suggest that it could mark a turning point.

"I do not want to say we have achieved the big breakthrough we were looking for," said a Western diplomat who has tracked Iraq's nascent democracy and relentless insurgency over the last year. "This is going to be a long process. But yesterday was definitely a step forward."

Sunnis dominated Iraq's leadership during the rule of Saddam Hussein but disassociated themselves from politics after his ouster by U.S. forces in 2003. Last January, Sunnis boycotted the election of an interim parliament, enabling the Shiite Muslim majority to control the interim government in alliance with ethnic Kurds.

This time Sunni political parties, including some with ties to the insurgents, were on the ballot. Clerics in Sunni mosques across the country urged their followers to vote, and several insurgent groups agreed to refrain from targeting voters.

In January, insurgents staged more than 250 attacks on election day, killing 44 people. This time, U.S. military officials counted 18 attacks on polling stations. Eight people died.

In Shiite mosques Friday, religious leaders declared the election a success, saying it had undermined the insurgency.

"For those who were saying they have been marginalized and excluded from political life, this pretext for terrorism no longer exists," declared Jalaluddin Saghir in his sermon at the Bratha Mosque in Baghdad.

But few expect the insurgents to hold their fire for long, even as some Sunnis expected to be elected to the new council are likely to press an agenda similar to the insurgents'.

"This is not going to stop violence," President Bush said during an interview Friday on the PBS program "NewsHour." "There are still people out there that are going to try to affect the political outcome, the political debate, with violence."

Sunni politicians and voters insist on a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Sunni cities in central and western Iraq. They seek the release of Sunni prisoners held without charges and an end to killings of Sunni detainees, reportedly at the hands of the Shiite-run Interior Ministry and Shiite militias.

They also want the council to limit decentralization of powers in order to prevent Kurds in the north and Shiites in the south from controlling most of Iraq's oil wealth or breaking away.

Before those explosive issues can be addressed, Iraq faces weeks of vote counting and horse-trading.

The United Iraqi Alliance, the Shiite coalition that has led the interim government, is again expected to fall short of winning a majority of the votes cast. That would require it to bargain with other blocs over the selection of the president, prime minister, and Cabinet ministers.

Such talks can spark violence. Iraqis saw a rise in insurgent bombings during the nearly three months it took to form the interim government early this year.

With official returns from Thursday's vote not expected for a week or more, Sunni parties have already challenged the fairness of elections in parts of Iraq.

They charge that some Sunni districts were deprived of ballots and some Sunni voters were kept from the polls by armed gangs or militias affiliated with Shiite and ethnic Kurdish parties. Irregularities and intimidation could cost Sunnis as many as 10 seats, their leaders say.

But so far, they have been careful to avoid discrediting the entire election.

"Our people's determination is to go forward with the process," said Iyad Samarrai of the Tawafaq front, a leading Sunni coalition. "I don't think there will be a regression."

Sunnis are expected to gain representation in line with their share of Iraq's population. The electoral system divides 230 of the 275 parliamentary seats by province, and Sunni candidates could get as many as one-fifth of those directly elected seats.

Their ability to bargain for Cabinet posts will diminish, however, if returns from those regions scatter votes widely among competing Sunni parties. Among the many contenders are the Iraqi Consensus Front, led by the Iraqi Islamic Party, whose support helped the U.S.-backed constitution survive an Oct. 15 referendum, and a ticket led by Saleh Mutlak, a former member of Hussein's Baath Party, who opposed the charter.

Both Sunni groups say they intend to test their power by trying to amend the constitution, especially to strengthen the central government. It is a battle they say the insurgents, who are fragmented into dozens of groups, will watch closely. The Sunnis are unlikely to succeed in their efforts.

"The process for constitutional revision stacks the deck very much against any attempts at change," said Nathan Brown, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington. To avoid a standoff, he added, "we will need to see flexibility not only from the Sunnis but from Shiite and Kurdish leaders."

Sunnis are also expected to press the new government to set a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops, first from Sunni cities and then from the rest of the country.

About 30,000 troops, whose return to the United States had been delayed until after the election, are expected to leave soon, putting American troop levels at 137,000. Any further reduction would be subject to agreement between the new Iraqi leadership and the United States, and would depend on Iraq's ability to build up its own armed forces, U.S. officials say.

Whether political compromise and a drawdown of U.S. forces will weaken the insurgency is a different question.

Insurgent sympathizers said in interviews after voting Thursday that the rebels had simply adopted politics as another weapon and would fight both inside and outside the government against American troops and Shiite targets.

As Sunnis take their seats in parliament, the government is expected to hear arguments — once considered taboo — that the only effective way to blunt the insurgency is to negotiate directly with "nationalist" insurgent leaders. By that they mean Sunnis not affiliated with Al Qaeda in Iraq, the terrorist group led by Jordanian-born militant Abu Musab Zarqawi.

"The government needs to differentiate between terrorism and resistance and to negotiate with the resistance, invite it into the government," said Samarrai, the Sunni political leader, who is expected to win a seat in parliament.

"If the government rejects this, the violence will increase."

Times staff writers Edwin Chen in Washington and Ashraf Khalil, Caesar Ahmed and Raheem Salman in Baghdad contributed to this report.

Election Day

2005-12-17T03:20:00.000-05:00

Today is Dec. 15, election day. I’ve spent the last 3 days inside the CMOC in the heart of Fallujah. The CMOC, or Civil Military Operations Center was once a children’s center in the city, but was abandoned some time ago. It is now the home of Marines from the 6th Provisional Civil Affairs Group (6th CAG). Located in the center of the city, it has become a safe-haven for Iraqi interim government officials, Sheiks and other religious leaders needing a secure place to meet and conduct business. It is also a gathering place for Fallujans seeking claims against the military. The claims range from damaged vehicle and homes to compensation for family members accidentally injured or killed by American troops. The CMOC itself is surrounded by concertina and Hescoes, with Marines standing watch at a number of observation posts (OP) around the compound. Iraqi Police (IP) stand watch outside the entry control point (ECP), the first layer of defense against threats to the compound. The IP’s also represent US efforts to slowly turn over security of the towns and cities and towns to the Iraqi forces, though Marines hover silently in the background.

Getting to the CMOC is still a dangerous venture for US forces. IP checkpoints are scattered along the route and have dramatically decreased the number of areas where IED’s can be placed. Unfortunately, the threat still remains. On Monday, a Marine Corps 7-ton truck from RCT-8, Camp Fallujah was attacked by a suicide vehicle borne improvised explosive device (SVBIED), or suicide car bomber. The bomber swerved his vehicle into the side of the 7-ton and detonated his explosives, instantly vaporizing himself and most of his car. The 7-ton was damaged, but the new Marine Armor Kit (MAK) affixed to the 7-ton kept the vehicle from being totally destoyed. The two Marines inside the 7-ton cab were injured and one passed away on Wednesday from his wounds. Fortunately, the driver survived and will be able to return to his family. A very sad situation for the families involved.

The Marines of 6th CAG are Marine Corps reservists who have returned to active duty to conduct civil-military operations in country. Civil-Military operations (CMO) can include any sort of community or economic improvement project funded, organized or coordinated by the US Military and other US Government Agencies (OGA), such as the United States Agency for Independent Development (USAID) or the US Department of State. Whether processing a claim, speaking to a Sheik about repairs to a road or Mosque, or organizing national elections, the CAG Marines remain committed to rebuilding vice warfighting. The CAG staff works closely with the community leaders to build cooperation and trust, little of which could be found in Iraq until this year.

The efforts of the CAG have garnered the trust of many Fallujah residents who would not have dared venture near the CMOC a year ago. In 2004, Fallujah was the site of the single largest military operation against the insurgency since President Bush declared an end to hostilities in 2003. In an effort to route Fallujah of the insurgents who had taken control of the city over the preceding months, I MEF plowed through the city in a massive, coordinated military attack. Marines methodically cleared houses and mosques, searching building by building as they pushed through the city blocks. We lost many Marines, but also killed hundreds of insurgents who vowed to fight to the death against the coalition forces. In the process, hundreds of the city structures were destroyed. These buildings still bear the scars of war – bullet holes pockmark the exteriors; roofs and walls lie crumbled in piles where grand structures once stood. The city remains a wasteland bearing a remarkable semblance to Berlin and London following air raids in World War II. Since that time, however, the Marine Corps and OGA have made a herculean effort to reverse the damage inflicted upon the city by helping rebuild the city.

An incredible amount of money has flowed to Iraq for the reconstruction and rebuilding efforts. Until recently, most of the money used for these efforts came from frozen Iraqi assets held since the UN imposition of sanctions in 1991. Billions of dollars were frozen around the globe. From the New York City Federal Reserve alone, several billion dollars in cash were transferred to waiting 747’s and flown directly to the Baghdad International Airport (BIAP), ready to be distributed by the coalition. Further, a separate “oil for food” fund was tapped into and brought thousands of tons of consumer goods into the country. The US and other countries have also invested large amounts of their own monies into the rebuilding effort, though the majority came directly from money that Saddam stole away over the years during his dictatorship.

At this very minute, the CMOC is crawling with reporters covering the national elections. Today is a historic moment…it will be the first time in decades that Iraqis will elect their own government. Many Iraqis have no knowledge of politics or of the political candidates themselves and will vote for the person endorsed by their Sheik or tribal leader. Regardless, this election is the first step toward the formation of democracy in Iraq.

Their hope hinges on our success

2005-12-10T10:56:00.000-05:00

Photos taken by Brien Aho, MNCI-Combat Camera

Loneliness and relief

2005-12-10T08:27:00.000-05:00

I’m on my third day back at Camp Fallujah and have finally reached a point in my deployment where I no longer feel guilty for sleeping past 0700. For the first half of my deployment, I felt incredibly guilty if I wasn’t up by 0630, eating chow and planning my day. Maybe LtCol. Tim Crowley’s philosophy has finally rubbed off on me. While back at Al Asad, Tim regularly slept till 1000 or 1030 every morning. Yet in the field, Tim operated at a marathon pace, expending 100% of his energy throughout his visit. He balanced this expenditure by relaxing in the rear. Warrant Officer Fay and I used to get a good laugh out of Tim knowing he was still in the rack long after we’d eaten breakfast. Now, that attitude of “I’ve gotta get up” has finally left my system. For weeks, I felt I was shirking my Marine Corps responsibilities by sleeping through breakfast. I’ve come to the realization that nobody here gives a damn whether I sleep late or not. In fact, very few people here even know who I am, much less care about my schedule.

We operate in a very different environment from home. For many, there are no set hours, formations to attend, or meetings to make. Every Officer operates in his own little bubble and takes little notice of those around him unless they share the same room or office. It’s sad, really. Despite the hundreds of Marines surrounding me, I don’t know the name of a single resident within my very own berthing area. We share the same bathroom and live only feet apart, yet we’ve never taken the time to introduce ourselves to each other. We isolate ourselves in our own busy worlds. It’s similar to living in New York City where people go out of their way to avoid their neighbors. As long as we accomplish our individual missions – mine collecting oral history interviews – when and how we do it remains inconsequential to everyone else.

That’s what I dislike about this job. I am isolated in a crowd. Though deployed with II MEF (Fwd), I am not “one of them.” I am an individual Marine without a unit. The unit is the heart and soul of the Marine Corps. Marines instinctively depend upon their buddies in their fire team or squad; they rely upon the guidance of their platoon and company leaders; they embrace the cohesion of their Battalion and Regiment. Marines train together, eat together, and deploy together. They value the camaraderie of the unit, of the team. That is the part of this job I regret. I have no team. This position is the antithesis to Marine Corps philosophy. Teamwork is the ethos of a Marine.

Yet, there are benefits to deploying as a Field Historian. I am my own boss. I am not confined to a TOC or COC, working 14 hour shifts, fighting the clock to get my report to the Colonel or General before deadline. I make my own schedule and do my own thing, and THAT is precisely why I’ve felt guilty for the last 3 months. The Marine Corps despises complacency and disorder. It is an organization that relies on uniformity and the willingness to follow direction, to follow orders that may result in injury or death on the battlefield. It is an organization that has successfully won major battles and conflicts because of Marines' unflinching willingness to follow the rules and operate within set guidelines, to operate within a framework built around schedules and timelines. From the day we first set foot into recruit training or OCS, we are told what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. We are supervised as we do it. None of those rules apply here. I am free to travel the AO, to escape the confines of my base and be with the Marines at the tip of the spear. I operate in a manner that is unlike any prior deployment or billet I’ve previously held.

The loneliness of this position is countered by meeting Marines, sailors and soldiers who pour out their hearts to me, sharing memories and experiences that will one day captivate future generations of Marines and patriots. Their stories reflect heroics and bravery, despair and loss. I am honored to spend time with these heroes who give so much in return for so little. They are kids who possess wisdom beyond their years. The honor of collecting these experiences and spending time with these young men and women far outweighs the moments of loneliness I face back at Camp Fallujah.

I will soon depart the confines of the Camp and integrate with the 6th Provisional Civil Affairs Group, or CAG. The CAG is extremely busy right now, preparing for the Iraqi National elections that will occur in 5 days. December 15, 2005 will be a historic event for the citizens of Iraq and I plan to be part of it, if only a spectator.

A Dec. 8, 2005 story from the Washington Post describes local interest in the elections:

In Iraq, Signs Of Political Evolution

Parties That Shunned January Vote Are Now Embracing the Process
By Jonathan Finer, Washington Post Foreign Service

BAGHDAD, Dec. 7 -- Tucked into a bunker-like former headquarters of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party, a type of war room unfamiliar in this country buzzed with life Wednesday. Halfway through a 14-hour shift, campaign workers from the Iraqi Islamic Party, a Sunni Arab group that boycotted the country's previous elections in January, munched rice and kebabs, their faces lit by computer screens.
Across town, hundreds of black-clad followers of the radical Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr -- who decried balloting 10 months ago as something imposed under American occupation -- beat their backs with chains and stomped across a large poster of former interim prime minister Ayad Allawi. Sadr's political wing has joined forces with the alliance of Shiite religious parties that leads Iraq's current government and opposes Allawi's secular movement.

As Iraqis nationwide prepare to go to the polls for the third time this year on Dec. 15 -- this time for a new parliament -- candidates and political parties of all stripes are embracing politics, Iraqi style, as never before and showing increasing sophistication about the electoral process, according to campaign specialists, party officials and candidates here.

"It is like night and day from 10 months ago in terms of level of participation and political awareness," said a Canadian election specialist with the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, a group affiliated with the U.S. Democratic Party that is working to ease Iraq's transition to democracy. The institute, which has provided free campaign training to more than 100 Iraqi parties and describes its programs as nonpartisan, granted a reporter access to its employees and training sessions on the condition that no one on its staff be named.
Evidence of political evolution is plastered all over Baghdad's normally drab concrete blast walls and hung on lampposts at nearly every major intersection: large, colorful, graphically appealing posters conveying a wide variety of punchy messages.

Television and radio airwaves are replete with slick advertisements costing anywhere from $1,250 per minute on al-Sumariya, a Lebanon-based satellite station focused on Iraq, to $5,000 per minute on al-Arabiya, a network based in the United Arab Emirates that is popular across the Arab world.

In one 30-second spot, a smartly dressed and smiling Allawi -- normally known for his brusque demeanor -- is shown seated on a stool in a dimly lit studio. "My faith is in Iraq," he tells the camera, to underscore his secularism.

Even the arrival of American-style negative campaigning is evidence of a growing political sophistication, the election trainers said. In recent days posters have started to appear in Sadr City, the vast Shiite slum in north Baghdad, bearing the slogan "vote for the Baathist slate," along with a composite photograph of a face -- half Allawi's and half Hussein's. Allawi was a member of Hussein's Baath Party until the mid-1970s, when he joined Iraq's opposition.

In January, most candidates outside the dominant few parties largely eschewed campaigning, fearing they could be kidnapped or assassinated. Now, even long shots are getting into the act. One day this week, National Democratic Institute instructors explained get-out-the-vote techniques to a dozen members of the Free Iraq Gathering, a new coalition that "probably won't get many more votes than you see in that room," according to an institute employee.

In another room, a Canadian taught workers from the Iraqi National Congress, the party led by Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Chalabi, how to monitor polling stations on election day to prevent cheating and ensure their supporters are able to vote.
"You are the eyes of the party," he said, warning them to look out for husbands trying to cast ballots for their wives or tribal leaders seeking to vote for their members. "Your party may have the best solutions for Iraq, but it doesn't mean a thing unless people come and put a ballot in the box. You have to think, I have seen Mustafa and Mazen vote, but if someone is missing, maybe you call them up and offer them a ride to the polls."

As in January, the specter of election-related violence still hangs over Iraq. Insurgents have distributed leaflets throughout Anbar province, the center of the Sunni-led insurgency, threatening to kill anyone who attempts to vote. An Iraqi Islamic Party candidate was gunned down with two party workers on a highway west of Baghdad late last month. Allawi escaped unscathed from an attack by armed demonstrators in Najaf during a visit there Sunday, and two days later, a rocket-propelled grenade struck his party's Najaf office.

In several cities in the Kurdish-populated north on Tuesday, demonstrators believed to be loyal to the Kurdistan Democratic Party burned down several local headquarters of a rival party, the Kurdistan Islamic Union, whose members recently withdrew from a KDP-led election coalition. Four party workers were reportedly killed in the incidents.

Because of this, several candidates and party workers said, they cannot apply much of the advice they get from foreign election workers. At one recent session, candidates were encouraged to knock on doors or approach people in restaurants or cafes to talk about issues. They were told to write letters and send them to everyone they know, outlining their platforms.

"You could get killed . . . and we don't have mail there," said Khalid Madhia, a Free Iraqi Gathering candidate from Fallujah. "But it is much easier this time. Before, we were running while we were hiding. We don't have to hide anymore."
Instead of retail politics, candidates rely largely on less direct means of contacting voters: Most major parties now have interactive Internet sites that provide information about platforms. Several parties employ cell phone text-messaging technology that allows them to send messages to hundreds of potential supporters at once. Funding comes from dues and donations paid by members.
Religious leaders are also playing a prominent role in the campaign through networks of affiliated mosques, where imams divide their sermons into a religious discussion and a political discourse that often touches on the coming vote.

At the Iraqi Islamic Party headquarters, hundreds of cardboard boxes full of posters waited to be taken by truck to regional outposts in 14 of Iraq's 18 provinces. In another room, video editors scrutinized the latest version of the party's television ad asking voters to help "end the U.S. occupation." The spot runs continuously on an in-house satellite station.

The party had originally decided to compete in last January's elections despite a broad Sunni Arab boycott, but it eventually withdrew. Sunni Arabs, who account for an estimated 20 percent of Iraq's population, held most top positions in the Hussein government but have seen their influence erode significantly since his ouster.
"Everyone here is excited. The mood and busyness are so much better than before when we just waited to see what would happen," said B.B. Abdul Qadir, an Iraqi Islamic Party official who said his party's goal was to win 60 seats in the 275-seat parliament. "Now we can't wait for the voting to start."

Correspondent Ellen Knickmeyer and special correspondents Naseer Nouri and Dlovan Brwari contributed to this report.

A Soldiers Tribute

2005-12-08T07:37:00.000-05:00

The shirtsleeve of Command Sergeant Major Johnny Marlow, 1/155th Infantry Battalion (the "Missippi Rifles"), part of II MEF (Fwd), listing the fallen soldiers of the Battalion who gave their lives while deployed in the Babil Province. December 6, 2005

Storytellers

2005-12-08T07:10:00.000-05:00

During my deployment, I have run across several Marines and soldiers who can weave a story that draws you right in.... I am simply a conduit that will allow the Marine Corps to capture the stories that will benfit our future Marines and soldiers. I sit smugly to the right; the truly gifted storytellers inlcude such folks as:

LEFT: Staff Sgt. Kevin Manix, Squad Leader, 3rd Plt., Bravo Company, 1/155
RIGHT: Staff Sgt. Michael R. Cooper, Tank Section Sgt (A section) Delta Company, 1/155

The Babil Province

2005-12-08T02:08:00.000-05:00

I've just returned to Camp Fallujah after spending the last 8 days in the Babil Province south of Baghdad. My time was split between two FOB's, or forward operating bases located near the cities of Al Iskandariyah and Al Musayyib. The Babil province derives its name from the ancient city of Babylon, which was part of three old civilizations in Iraq: the Sumerian civilization in the south, the Babylonian civilization in the middle, and the Assyrian and Accadian in the north. Al Hillah, the capitol of this province, is an agrarian dream - tall stands of Palm groves cover
the area, criss-crossed with canals and waterways that bring life to the desert. From the air, the palm groves and agricultural farms lie in stark contrast to the desert sands accumulating just beyond their boundries. Locals call the area Al-Fayhaa, which means "a beautiful garden."

The day after I arrived in the province, the 2nd Iraqi Army Brigade successfully completed its certification process which allows the Iraqis to take over counter-insurgency operations from the coalition forces and exercise primary security responsibility over its residents. The exam confirmed that the brigade is ready to plan and conduct military activities dependently, opening the way for coalition forces to hand over security responsibility to Iraqi army units. Military support will be given only in emergencies by a quick-reaction force, medical evacuation or air support. However, Multinational division military advisers and trainers will still monitor 2nd Brigade activities.

The 2nd Iraqi Brigade consists of two battalions situated in different places within the province. It numbers about 1,800 soldiers equipped in light armored vehicles with a variety of weapons. Publicly available reports state the brigade has taken part in five combat operations so far in cooperation with coalition forces. During these operations, 2nd Brigade soldiers searched hundreds of vehicles, persons and buildings, seizing illegal weapons and a large amount of ammunition as well as effecting the detention of many terrorism suspects. During Iraq's Oct. 15 constitutional referendum, the 2nd Brigade established 41 checkpoints and 12 mobile patrols, effectively preventing attacks which had previously injured or killed a number of Marines and soldiers assigned to the Province.

Here are the journal entries I wrote during my latest field evolution. I apologize for the length of the latest entry...

November 30, 2005

Once again, I managed to scam a Blackhawk helicopter ride across the province. It was smoother, quieter, and more comfortable than the standard Marine Corps CH-46 Sea Knight. The "46" was introduced to the military inventory in 1964, and a fair share of the helos still flying have seen service in Vietnam, Panama, and Desert Storm. Despite updated engines and hydraulics, they've outlived their expected shelf life and are soon to be replaced by the new Osprey Aircraft, a tilt-rotor aircraft with a mixture of helicopter and airplance characteristics.

The starkness of the desert is quite distracting. I was completely relaxed and had little concern for my safety as we skimmed across the sands, a naïve mindset to take on in this AO. Occasionally, you'd fly above a shepards house in the middle of nowhere, the structure nothing more than a mud or adobe brick hut. No doors or windows, many without roofs, and certainly no electricity or running water. Occasionally, I caught glimpses of children playing in the sand, or a villager carrying water from large holes dug deep into the desert. I ponder how the people of the desert can live in such conditions and thrive despite the lack of water, resources and infrastructure. Unfortunately, the desert residents share a common denominator with their city counterparts - poor sanitation. The Iraqi solution to ridding oneself of household refuse is to throw it outside the door or on the ground wherever one stands. Trash is everywhere, blowing around in the breeze, littering the landscape as far as the eye can see. Some towns are so covered in garbage that roadway medians have literaly formed walls of trash separating the lanes of travel. Some fault may lie with the lack of money and degraded support to areas outside of Baghdad and Tikrit since 1991. However, the majority of Iraqis show little concern for the environment they live in and seem indifferent to the filth surrounding them. It's certainly a cultural difference that's hard to understand.

Outside the towns, few paved roads carry passenger to their destinations. Dirt roads comprise the majority of travel routes across the country; vehicles create billowing clouds of dust that covers everything and everyone. The simple structures these people use for homes cannot keep out the dirt and dust, much less provide a comfortable, hospitable living environment for its occupants. I question whether the average Iraqi understands that a clean and safe environment would improve their general health and well-being. Children often play barefoot in the contaminated water and are sometimes so completely covered in filth that their hair takes on the reddish-brown hues of the soil, all of them appearing to sport auburn highlights in their jet black hair.

My journey to the Province ended at FOB Kalsu, home to the remaining elements of the 155th Brigade Combat Team, most of whom are headed home by the end of the month. As I gathered my gear and walked toward the transient tent, I sighted Major Erby Montgomery sauntering my way. It was a simple sort of “homecoming,” as I had quickly grown comfortable at FOB Kalsu during my previous visit. The Mississippians quickly put one at ease, southern charm a natural part of their persona. The troops there are counting down the days till their departure - Major Erby Montgomery had only 28 days left when I arrived, but who’s counting? One could feel the intangible excitement in the air and see the preparations that had begun for the BCT’s retrograde home. People are a bit happier, giddy over the prospect of leaving this place after spending the last 11 months in Iraq.

December 3, 2005

Sgt. First Class Kevin Reeves (155 BCT, PAO) and I traveled via ground convoy to FOB Iskandariyah, a small base located aboard a decrepit but operable Iraqi power plant. FOB Iskandariyah was previously occupied by a Marine Corps Battalion and was known by the name "FOB Chosin" before the Army took over, a reference to the Marine Corps legendary withdrawl from the Chosin Reservoir during the Korean conflict. The successful withdrawl of the 1st Marine Division earned Lt. General Louis B. "Chesty" Puller, himself a former VMI cadet from the class of 1921, a fifth Navy Cross, the second highest award for valor in the Navy and Marine Corps. A fitting name for the FOB, the Chosin Resevoir was also home to a hydroelectric plant during "Chesty's" heroic march. I’d heard the power plant at the FOB delivers as much as 60% of its electrical output to Baghdad, an amazing amount of power considering the distance between Iskandariyah and Baghdad.

The FOB houses several hundred soldiers and is home to a handful of Marines assigned in direct support of the Battalion. The Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO) detachment consists of one active duty Marine Major and three highly motivated enlisted Marines, all reservists from 3rd ANGLICO in Califronia. Only one other Marine, a military working dog handler, occupies the post among the hundreds of Army soldiers. As with any Marine mixed in with a band of soldiers, these "Teufelhunden" stand apart from their more casual Army counterparts. Proud of their uniform and service to the Corps, they are a great bunch of guys who handed me the proverbial "keys to their Kingdom" while I visited, their "Kingdom" a simple GP tent which serves as their living, working and entertainment space. The services they provide the 1/155th Infantry Battalion are unique; their presence will be missed in the AO when they displace to more hostile locations.

Aboard FOB Iskandariyah, little attempt has been made to improve the quality of the living conditions for the troops stationed there on a permanent basis. Although the Army took the reigns a year ago, the soldiers still live in GP tents instead of "cans" or hardstand buildings. Sandbags and concrete barriers protect them from IDF. There is no PX, post office, permanent chow hall or MWR facility, making the FOB more closely resemble accommodations found at a temporary battle position or FIRM base. Sgt. Cory Rueb, 1st Platoon Team Leader, Bravo Company, 1/155, provided this paraphrased description of the FOB…

“The amount of pollution and waste around the FOB is horrible. The FOB is a place where nobody wants to be. It is the Iraqi Love Canal. The factory constantly burns waste oil to produce power, and pools of sludge and chemical filth are everywhere. The grounds are littered with caustic bags of chemicals and other materials, and rubbish and debris are piled in shoulder high piles spread across the FOB, the size of several football fields. Smoke is constant – we’ve been warned by medical personnel about it. Noise is also constant – it’s like living next to a freeway, it never goes away. It’s indescribable. We are the only FOB in this AO still using a kitchen mobile trailer instead of KBR – the food is terrible. The food is so bad here, MRE’s are the favored choice.”

Despite the overall condition of the FOB, the staff was extremely accomodating during my stay. A visitors “VIP” tent (CP tent) is permanently set up inside a large building, probably a former power plant warehouse of some sort. The building also houses 2 other tents, one used for meetings, and the other as the personal quarters for the Battalion Commander. It’s not bad. The accommodations are quite satisfactory, it’s just the environment that needs help. If this were a base in the US, environmental health standards would have forced its closure long ago with a subsequent evacuation of all personnel to the nearest preventive medicine unit for immediate screening.

I traveled to FOB Iskandariyah in an armored Chevy Suburban similar to the SUV’s I drove through the country during my previous deployment to Basra. Our vehicle was located toward the rear of a convoy containing perhaps a dozen vehicles. It included armored HMMWV’s, semi-tractor trailer trucks, and 2 armored SUV’s. Although heavy ballistic windows and armor line the compartment, I wished I had been inside a HMMWV. There’s just something about riding in a civilian vehicle inside of a military convoy that makes one feel extremely vulnerable. As the only Officer among 5 enlisted Mississippi National Guardsmen, I was also quite the minority in that Chevy. I’m certain the soldiers weren’t too thrilled to have me in their vehicle either. In lieu of military radio traffic, a rap song was playing on the car stereo. I imagine it’s easy to get complacent after 11 months in theater. I felt neither complacent nor comfortable, however.

The short trip was eerily reminiscent of time I spent in the towns and villages of southern Iraq. Garbage strewn streets remain crowded with old cars traveling to no apparent destination. The roads are dotted with IP checkpoints every few miles. Indigent, lackluster people mill about the sides of the road doing nothing. They stare blankly at the convoy as we pass by, with no way of knowing if any of them spend their evening hours planting IED's along the routes of travel. Poverty is everywhere. I had hoped to see more improvements in the Iraqi society over the last 18 months, though the towns still put forth an image of despair and unemployment. Little seems to have occurred in the villages that would indicate a growing prosperity among the common man.

December 4, 2005

After speaking with a few more soldiers of the 1/155, I have come to the conclusion that yesterdays journal entry may have been a bit harsh. According to everyone I’ve interviewed, the AO has actually seen dramatic improvements. Despite the trash and visual disrepair of the community, it is said that many civil projects are occurring to include the repair and building of schools, IP stations, wells, farms and irrigations systems. Perhaps not all is lost. It’s hard to tell at this stage of the game. Not to mention, I only saw a small portion of the AO on my drive up from Kalsu. Perhaps I'll see other improvements on my next ride out of the FOB.

Compared to FOB Kalsu, I’ve taken some extremely interesting interviews over the last 2 days. The soldiers of the Battalion are some great storytellers. In particular, the “yarn spinning” abilities of SSgt. Randy Louis Manix (3rd Platoon Squad leader, B Company, 1/155) and SSgt. Michael Ray Cooper (Tank Section Sgt. (2-11 ACR), D Company, 1/155) peaked my interest. I listened to these guys’ stories the way I listened to my elementary school teacher reading “The Jack Tales” to my 4th grade class. I simply put down my pen and listened. Their stories were fascinating and captured my attention. Each of them effectively painted a picture of his experiences, captivating me with their country boy tales of warfare in Iraq. It was a good day.

December 6, 2005

I’m stuck at the FOB, my flight cancelled due to the volume of troops flying from FOB Iskandariyah to Kuwait. It could be worse – I have a comfortable “VIP” tent inside the Tactical Operations Center (TOC), one of the only hardstand buildings in use at the FOB. The TOC is located inside a large power plant warehouse. During the first few days the 1/155’s deployment, a number of mortar rounds and rockets landed in the compound, burning up a dozen of tents used for berthing by the soldiers. The TOC was also hit by a rocket which allegedly bounced off the roof, causing no damage. If I have to be stuck here for an extra day or two, at least I’m not in the tents outside.

The ANGLICO team has their own tent (GP large) within the compound, a luxury compared to tents filled with 25 or 30 US Army soldiers. The only Marines on the FOB, the team is manned with one active duty Major and three reserve enlisted Marines. The Marines have wisely befriended a team of IPLO civilians next door and are benefiting form that relationship. The IPLO’s have a commercial internet account strung to their tent and have run an extra connection to the ANGLICO tent for use by the team. Sometimes it pays to be the minority on base. FYI - The IPLO’s, or International Police Liaison Officers, are civilian police officers who have taken a leave of absence to come to Iraq and train the Iraqi Police, or IP.

Since I had no interviews scheduled today, I took a walk around the base, trying to capture some pictures that would show the filth and disrepair of the base. I have come to the realization that I am a horrible photographer. I will stick to my day job. None of my photos truly reflect what poor conditions these guys live in day to day. I decided to interview the Battalion SJA this morning, and am heading out in 10 minutes to catch the Chaplain, both of whom leave for home in the next day or two. I’ll also interview the remaining ANGLICO Lance Corporal from the team, and call it quits. I’ll keep my fingers crossed about getting out of here tomorrow.

December 7, 2005

Pearl Harbor Day. I Just got back in from the field this afternoon. I am pretty beat - I think I either cracked a rib or pulled something while I was out during this trip. I was a sad sight trying to get out of my sleeping bag this morning. I couldnt sit up due to the sharp pain, so I laid there for a few minutes trying to figure just how in the hell I was going to get up. I finally rolled over in the bag and crawled up slowly on my hands and knees til I could stand. Needless to say, I did not have a fun time putting on my gear (about 75 lbs) and catching a convoy this morning for anoither 45 minute ride along Iraq's bumpy roads. Even the helo ride back here was uncomfortable. I'm heading to the hospital on base tomorrow to see if they can Xray and wrap it. Nothing much I can do......

Sunset in Iraq, November 28, 2005

2005-11-29T05:48:00.000-05:00

Field Marines and Garrison Residents

2005-11-29T03:20:00.000-05:00

A FOB from the air - November, 2005

I've been asked to provide a description of our living conditions. To give you an idea of the varied living conditions throughout the AO (area of operations), I'll break down the areas into three primary locations - bases, FOB's and battle positions.

Battle positions, or BP’s, are where you'll find grunts from the Infantry Battalions and Combat Service Support units. They are found in locations where the Command needs a combat ready presence - in rural areas or desolate locations; at border checkpoints or within city perimeters. Regardless of their location, a BP is a location where one will find the basic Marine Corps rifleman planning his next patrol, getting some shut-eye, and awaiting his marching orders. BP’s are very basic - dirt berms and hesco barriers surround the location. Entrenched vehicle positions have been dug into the soil to provide protection from small arms fire and indirect fire (IDF). You may find some tents, lots of cammie netting and maybe a plywood building or two reinforced with plenty of sandbags. Observations posts surround the BP's since the insurgency still retains a foothold in the many of the areas we occupy. Marines sleep on the ground in sleeping bags or wherever they can find a comfortable patch of ground. They still eat MRE's and fill their camelbacks from water jugs or plastic water bottles that seemingly appear everywhere. Depending on the length of time spent at the BP, the grunts rarely enjoy a hot (or cold) shower. As they return from the field, their uniforms appear stained with days or weeks worth of perspiration, dirt and oil from vehicles and weapons. Stiff with salt, they can literally stand on their own in a corner. Basic sanitation at a BP includes wet wipes and canteen cups, while the john is initially an MRE box turned on its side and a shovel to cover your mess. Eventually, the unit Corpsman will establish a “cathole” or trenchline near the outskirts of the BP in lieu of the MRE box toilets. Established BP’s eventually receive a much needed visit from a combat engineer unit who will add more permanent Jersey and Texas barriers and build outhouses from plywood and scrap lumber. BP's contain units as small as squads to as large as reinforced Companies. When outside the wire, the troops hunker down for the night in an abandoned home or unoccupied building and "go firm", with active sentries manning rooftops or other areas of vantage.

The next higher standard of living are the FOB's (Forward Operating Bases), usually situated in an area with pre-existing buildings or structures of some sort. An abandoned railroad depot, a deserted community center, or a seized governors complex may often serve as a FOB. The area is fortified with barriers and hescos, surrounded by concertina wire and has some sense of permanence. FOB’s may contain hundreds of Marines and soldiers, and often have hardstand buildings containing offices for staff members conducting tactical planning. The buildings often serve as sleeping quarters for troops. It’s not uncommon to find a room with over 100 Marines sleeping inside, gear and weapons littering the floor. The hardstand buildings provide protection from the weather and elements and are a welcome commodity at the FOB’s. Other empty rooms are divided by crude plywood walls to form multiple work spaces for the Battalion staff, LNO’s (liaison Officers), Company staff, and clerks. FOB’s also house a small cadre of KBR contractors to serve chow and conduct various contracting services for the Marines and other units assigned to the FOB. There is usually a small but permanent chowhall serving hot meals, as well as a basic utility infrastructure which ensures the ability to run the tactical computer systems and lights aboard the FOB. Often there is enough power to light the permanent sleeping areas and outposts. You'll find a mixture of hardstand buildings, wooden SWA huts and GP tents used aboard the FOB’s for every purpose imaginable. Port-o-Johns are scattered around the area and shower trailers are towed into strategic locations, usually with strict hours of usage to conserve water. Some but not all areas have enough generators to power heating and air conditioning units in the workspaces. The troops still use their sleeping bags and field gear though, and rotate in and out of the FOB’s to smaller BP’s about the area, sharing the duties of patrolling the towns and combatting the insurgency. Generally speaking, the FOB's are pretty comfortable, though no vacation. They are the "middle class" of living conditions.

Finally, bases like Camp Fallujah, the BIAP (Baghdad International Airport), and Al Asad are all located on former Iraqi Army or Air Force bases. Camp Fallujah is jokingly referred to as Camp Falluj-eune, a mocking reference to Camp Lejeune, NC. Despite their run-down appearance, the bases are much larger in size and may house thousands of troops and dozens of units. Though all of the bases contain remnants of bombed out buildings and bunkers (many from Desert Storm or OIF 1), the military engineers and sea-bee units (Naval Construction Battalion) have made incredible strides in shoring up these sagging structures. Units have replaced or repaired damaged fencing and plumbing, emplaced barrier systems and watch towers and have repaired damaged roads. Lighting is prevalent throughout the evenings and generators hum softly, providing 24 hours of power to buildings for computers, lights and air conditioning. Port-o-johns are everywhere, as are specially designed trailers containing showers and toilets. Some of the bases have repaired their internal plumbing systems and have the limited use of permanent toilets and sinks. Civilians run amock around the bases – many from Kellogg, Brown and Root (KBR) or a host of other contractors. There are areas for visiting dignitaries and separate buildings set aside to permanently house Marines, sailors and soldiers. Other buildings are utilized as chowhalls, armories, motor transport maintenance bays, medical facilities and laundry stations. MWR (Morale Welfare and Recreation) facilties can be found at these bases, running small gyms and internet cafes and hosting poker nights and weight lifting contests. The largest bases, like Camp Anaconda, Camp Victory, and Al Asad Air Base have set up telephone trailers, Burger King and Subway stands, and Haji marts, or locally run shops. These bases have a crude, yet similar, infrastructure of permanent bases in the United States - you'll find offices in old hangars, sump buildings, literally anywhere that you can shove some people and a desk. Although everything looks dirty and appears to be falling apart, it's regal living compared to the BP’s and FOB's.

The bulk of troops, airmen and soldiers deployed to OIF live aboard these large bases and and rarely experience the harsh realities of living in a BP or FOB. Some units regularly convoy to the field or conduct security duties outside the bases, yet few actually engage in direct offensive action with the insurgency. The bases have become a garrison environment, awash with many comforts of home and overflowing with care packages labeled "any Soldier, any Marine." Most garrison residents are well-fed and rested, relatively safe within the perimeter of these large camps. Their lives become regulated more by the hours of the chowhall than the sounds of gunfire. Certainly, the ever-present possibility of indirect fire remains omnipresent, but becomes increasingly less common as the insurgency is destroyed or pushed out of Iraq. One easily discerns garrison troops from their field counterparts by the look of their uniforms - crisp and clean compared to salty and faded. The field troops look permanently weary; sleepless nights and endless days. Although all deployed servicemembers suffer the pain and anxiety of separation from loved ones, the garrison residents return home with an entirely different experience than their brothers in the field.

Nobody wants to be a garrison Marine, soldier or sailor. Everyone deployed wants to make a difference in this conflict - they want to be viewed as equals among their peers. Without question, Marines deployed in a garrison environment feel trapped within the confines of the base. Nearly every Marine, from Supply clerk to Staff Officer, yearns to travel outside the wire. Rare is the Lance Corporal who hasn't begged his Gunny to join the next convoy off of the base. They want to be out there among the grunts, lugging the ammo and squeezing the trigger. They ponder the possibility of baptism under fire; the fright of combat and the realities of conflict. They want to be in the fight yet resign themselves to their lot in life, stuck aboard the base for various reasons. It's a fate they cannot change. The phrase "Every Marine a Rifleman" rings hollow in their hearts.

Feeling my age

2005-11-24T11:45:00.000-05:00

A light armored vehicle (LAV) heading out on patrol from 1st LAR.

Much like a gypsy wagon of yesteryear, everything they own is

strapped to the sides of the vehicle. One crewman jokingly told me it

was extra protection against shrapnel, that "any bit helps." 11/22/05

I left Al Qa'im yesterday flying "space available" status. About 75 Marines and soldiers were retrograding out of Al Qa'im at the same time, while the CH-46's and 53's kept rolling in to take them away. Loading up and taking off in clouds of dust, everything and everyone quickly resembled sugar cookies, only covered in sand instead of sugar. Fresh off the lines from Operation STEEL CURTAIN, these guys are headed back to various bases and camps spread throughout Iraq. Many are going home minus close friends and fireteam members.

Wearing full battle gear – helmet, flak and SAPI plates, sidearm, M-16A2, full pack, loaded pistol and rifle mags – man, it’s something I’ve not done for years at any length and had forgotten just how difficult it can be on the body. Hell, as a boot 2nd Lt., it was difficult. Yet as a wiser, but much older LtCol, it seems worse than I remember. I don't recall the gear being that unwieldy when I was younger. I envy the youth and energy of the young Marines around me. Mentally, I feel I’m still at my peak, but the discomfort of regularly wearing it makes me feel old and out of shape.

I awoke this morning completely unaware that today is Thanksgiving. Heading into the Camp Fallujah DFAC (dining facility), I was oblivious to the decorations posted in the chowhall. It wasn’t until I saw the serving line manned by various unit Chaplains serving turkey and stuffing that I realized today was a holiday at home. Even in Iraq, the folks are feeling the holiday spirit.

Leaving chow, I overheard some young Lance Corporals talking about their meal. I love Marines – they are the funniest people on earth. And the most vulgar. One looks over to the other and says of his meal…”man, that sh__ was fu____n’ good as f___.” Whether a noun, adjective or adverb, Marines turn cusswords into an art form. I’ve said some things close to that and only have my VMI and Marine Corps background to blame for my crude lingual habits.

Gunny Fay, the combat artist who deployed with me, also returned from Al Qaim this morning. He was out with Fox Company, 2/1 during the same time I was with the Regiment, and was proud to show me his shrapnel wound received on the 15th during the fight in Ubaydi. For those of you who haven't read my entire blog, Gunny Mike Fay is the Marine Corp's only resident combat artist, and regularly embeds with units on the front line, taking up a rifle during the fight, and occasionally snapping some photos or sketching some artwork during lulls in the action. He brought home some outstanding sketches from his travels, posted below. He's a heck of an artist, and I'm proud to announce he'll be promoted to Warrant Officer on December 1st.

2005-11-24T11:41:00.000-05:00

2005-11-24T11:29:00.000-05:00

An end of innocence

2005-11-20T11:23:00.000-05:00

Insurgent weaponry - Operation STEEL CURTAIN

Seized by 3/6 and elements of RCT-2

11/19/05

The innocent victims - a child wounded by gunfire

at the Al Qaim Surgical Unit

(Forward Resuscitative Surgical System or FRSS) 11/20/05

I've spent the last week at Al Qaim, home of the Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment (3/6) and the HQ element of Regimental Combat Team 2 (RCT-2). Close to the Syrian border, the base is certainly one of the driest and dustiest (is that a word?) locations I've visited. The sand here is unlike any sand I've ever seen - it's as fine as talcum powder and one easily sinks ankle-deep into its micro fine grains. Watching the powder squirt through the lugsole treads on the sides of your boots as you walk is captivating. I liken it to the way water is displaced from the tread of a car tire on a slow-motion bridgestone commercial.

RCT-2 has taken some serious losses over the past couple days. On Wednesday morning, a report came into the TACC indicating 2/1 had suffered heavy casualties in urban fighting near Ubaydi. Marines from 2/1 had entered a courtyard and were ambushed by insurgents who attacked with IED's, gunfire and hand grenades. Before the fight was over, 3 Marines were dead, 2 were not expected to live, and another dozen or more were critically injured. One lucky Marine was shot twice in the head, only to be saved by his Kevlar helmet. The wounded Marines suffered horrible trauma; multiple gunshot wounds, fragment wounds, broken bones, leg and extremity injuries. The 2 most critically injured Marines passed away during surgery. Their passing is a loss for all of us.

The heroes of the day were the soldiers from the 571st Medical Company - Air Ambulance, aka: the "Witch Doctors." They are the flight crews who fly into harms way to rescue the wounded. They are dedicated soldiers who see the ugly side human nature every time they fly. These guys fly enter the line of fire to pull our Marines and soldiers out of harms way. They too have suffered loss, with 2 of their aircraft and crews lost over the last year.

I was inside the "FRISS" (Forward Resuscitative Surgical System) this afternoon when the "Witchdoctors" received a medevac call. The corresponding radio traffic indicated a child had received an unknown wound and needed urgent medical care. Generally, wounded civilians are not afforded treatment unless the wounds are caused by direct military action. After several minutes of "on again - off again" indecision, it was determined the child's wounds were a direct result of the ongoing actions and the bird was enroute. Minutes later, the helo touched down on the LZ, bringing in the latest victim of war. Unlike the Marines of 2/1, however, this lucky child will live to see another day.

Getting out of Dodge

2005-11-13T08:32:00.000-05:00

Today is Sunday, although every day here blends together and there really isn’t any noticeable change of pace from day to day around the camp. I’ve had a lazy day – no interviews, just taking it easy. I slept late, went to the gym for a half-assed workout and spent the better half of the afternoon packing my gear, checking it twice.....no sense in going west without packing everything I need to live for a couple of weeks. The luxuries at Camp Fallujah are not to be found in Al Qaim.

Showtime at the LZ/AAG-DAG tonight is close to midnight, with an early (zero-dark thirty early) morning departure. I am quite relieved to be going back to the field. Sitting around Camp Fallujah without a standard duty schedule tends will wear on you and make you wish you were anywhere but here. I feel sorry for the Marines stuck inside the wire at Camp Fallujah for 6 months to a year. What a drag. I'm excited to get out of here and link up with the Division for a spell.

RCT-2 is conducting OPERATION STEEL TRAP out west near the towns of Husaybah, Al Qaim, Rawah and other locations in and around the western edge of Iraq. LtCol Chris Starling, VMI Class of ’88, is the Operations Officer and is expecting us. I e-mailed Chris to ensure that the RCT was fully aware that a couple of spare LtCol’s would be wandering around the AO. By the time I return to Fallujah, I’d like to have about 50 interviews captured from Marines who are currently in the fight. I hope to embed with a company level unit at some point and follow the young Marines who are making history. We Officers just take the credit.

I’m already planning my return flight back to the Mississippi Rifles in early December. They will be departing soon, and I don’t want to miss them before they leave. Another 25 interviews or so with the “Dixie Thunder” should suffice. I will most likely spend several days at their forward operating base (FOB) and another couple with thier subordinate task force units scattered south of Baghdad.

I conducted some interesting interviews in Camp yesterday to help pass the time and add to my collection – I interviewed LCDR Seth Phillips, one of only 7 Jewish Rabbi’s in the U.S. Navy. Rabbi (LCDR) Phillips only had 45 minutes to spend with me, so we zipped through a quick interview at the Camp Fallujah Chapel. The Rabbi grew up in Richmond, VA where he currently lives in the west end. As a Virginian who has spent quite a bit of time in Richmond, we immediately shared a common interest. A unique and informative interview….Rabbi Phillips is the acting Battalion Chaplain for 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines (3/6). Regardless of denomination, his most important task is to provide counseling, comfort, and guidance to those deployed. I asked him to urge his fellow Chaplains to volunteer for interviews over the next few months.

I also interviewed Corporal Mark James McKenna, a reserve Marine who was activated for OIF. A Squad Leader for the MEF Headquarters Group (MHG), Motor Transport Section, II MEF (Fwd), Cpl. McKenna is leaving Iraq today, heading home after spending a full tour of duty with MHG “Motor T.”

The “Motor T” Platoon is primarily responsible for security convoys and escorts throughout the AO. Cpl. McKenna participated in a total of 81 security convoys during his deployment, sometimes as a vehicle gunner and other times as the vehicle commander. Usually riding in “Gun 1,” MHG’s call sign for the first HMMWV of the security convoy, Cpl. McKenna has seen his share of the Iraqi countryside. Escorting “green gear” (Marine equipment) as well as civilian trucks and tractor-trailers, the MT Platoon has yet to experience a single catastrophic loss in their Platoon since deploying. The convoys vary from short trips of an hour or less, to a 640 mile round-trip convoy to Trebil, located on the Jordanian border.

The convoys have intercepted dozens of improvised explosive devices (IED’s), taken routine small arms fire from insurgents and witnessed the devastating effects of vehicular suicide bombers, referred to as SVBIED’s. Many young Marines in these convoys experienced their first taste of combat during these excursions, including Cpl. McKenna. Interestingly, he kept a hand-written, personal journal detailing his experiences, emotions, and after-thoughts of each convoy. When asked if he would allow his family to read the journal, he hesitated and finally said no, at least for some time to come. He wasn’t sure his entries would be understood, or accepted, by someone who had not themselves experienced the harsh reality of combat.

This will be my last post for the next week or two. Til then...

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers

2005-11-12T03:54:00.000-05:00

On November 11, 2005, 10 Marines gathered at the Camp Fallujah Rotunda to celebrate the founding of the Virginia Military Institute, located in Lexington, Virginia. A short history of VMI can be found on their webpage at http://www.vmi.edu to include the following:

Before the formation of the Institute in 1839, its site was occupied by a military post of the State of Virginia, the storage point of arms for the western part of the Commonwealth for more than 20 years. It was shortly after the War of 1812 that an arsenal was established on the town’s outskirts.

The arsenal guard of some 20 soldiers, although living a strict military life while on duty, was lacking in self-discipline, and their leisure-time activities upset the decorum of Lexington. Plans for a change in the arsenal’s administration were discussed, and in 1834 it was proposed among Lexington’s leading citizens that the arsenal be transformed into a military college, wherein the students while protecting arms could also pursue educational courses.

Championed by a young Lexington attorney, John Thomas Lewis Preston, the plan led to legislation by the General Assembly establishing the Virginia Military Institute. It was Preston, generally credited for conceiving the idea of VMI, and later one of the original members of the faculty, who gave the new institution its name: “Virginia—a State institution, neither sectional nor denominational. Military—its characteristic feature. Institute—something different from either college or university. The three elements thus indicated are the basis of a triangular pyramid, of which the sides will preserve their mutual relation to whatever height the structure may rise.”

Though many come to VMI, not all graduate. Some depart to pursue their degree at other colleges and universities while others leave under less than honorable conditions. During World War II, many alumni took sabbaticals to fight the war, graduating years after their classmates. Our graduates pursue a variety of careers, and include many notable individuals such as as Senator Harry F. Byrd; General George C. Marshal; USAF Chief of Staff General John Jumper; Comedian and Actor Dabney Coleman; Marine legend General “Chesty” Puller; General George S. Patton (rat year) and famed sculptor and artist Moses Ezekiel. It has graduated 265 General and flag ranked officers, 6 congressional medal of honor winners, and is the only college in America to send its students into battle, resulting in the loss of 10 cadets at the battle of New Market in 1864.

We ranged from 2nd Lieutenant to Colonel, with graduation dates between 1980 and 2004. Despite the 24-year span between us, we all share a unique background unlike that experienced by any other college student in the United States, with the possible exception of the Citadel. The bonds of VMI are strong, and the term “brother rat” applies to all who have graduated or departed in good standing. We swapped stories of our cadetships at mother “I” and reminisced about our days as young cadets, the girls we dated, the road trips we made, and the fun we had during an age of innocence. It was a good night, and for a brief moment, the war in Iraq was forgotten.

Happy 230th Birthday

2005-11-10T03:13:00.000-05:00

ON NOVEMBER 10TH, 1775, THE SECOND CONTINENTAL CONGRESS RESOLVED TO RAISE TWO BATTALIONS OF CONTINENTAL MARINES MARKING THE BIRTH OF OUR UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS. AS MAJOR GENERAL LEJEUNE'S MESSAGE REMINDS US, THE ENSUING GENERATIONS OF MARINES WOULD COME TO SIGNIFY ALL THAT IS HIGHEST IN WARFIGHTING EXCELLENCE AND MILITARY VIRTUE.

EACH NOVEMBER AS MARINES THE WORLD OVER CELEBRATE THE BIRTH OF OUR CORPS, WE PAY TRIBUTE TO THAT LONG LINE OF "SOLDIERS OF THE SEA" AND THE ILLUSTRIOUS LEGACY THEY HAVE HANDED DOWN TO US.

THIS PAST YEAR HAS BEEN ONE OF CONTINUOUS COMBAT OPERATIONS OVERSEAS AND DISTINGUISHED SERVICE HERE AT HOME - A YEAR OF CHALLENGES THAT HAVE BROUGHT OUT THE VERY BEST IN OUR CORPS. IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN, MARINE COURAGE AND MASTERY OF COMPLEX AND CHAOTIC ENVIRONMENTS HAVE TRULY MADE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF MILLIONS. MARINE COMPASSION AND FLEXIBILITY PROVIDED HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO THOUSANDS IN THE WAKE OF THE SOUTH EAST ASIAN TSUNAMI, AND HERE AT HOME, MARINES WITH AAVS, HELICOPTERS, AND SOMETIMES WITH THEIR BARE HANDS SAVED HUNDREDS OF OUR OWN FELLOW AMERICANS IN THE WAKE OF HURRICANES KATRINA AND RITA. ACROSS THE FULL SPECTRUM OF OPERATIONS, YOU HAVE SHOWCASED THAT MARINES CREATE STABILITY IN AN UNSTABLE WORLD, AND HAVE REINFORCED OUR CORPS' REPUTATION FOR SETTING THE STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE.

THE SENSE OF HONOR, COURAGE, AND PATRIOTISM THAT EPITOMIZED THOSE WHO ANSWERED THAT FIRST CALL TO ARMS 230 YEARS AGO IS STILL INDELIBLY IMPRINTED ON OUR RANKS TODAY. IN COMMEMORATING OUR ANNIVERSARY, LET US STRENGTHEN OUR TIES TO THE PAST BY PAYING HOMAGE TO THOSE WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE US. AS WE HONOR THE SACRIFICES OF OUR WOUNDED AND FALLEN COMRADES, OUR COMMITMENT TO ONE ANOTHER REMAINS UNSHAKABLE. WE TAKE SPECIAL PRIDE IN THE ACTIONS OF THE MARINES NOW SERVING IN HARM'S WAY, AND REDEDICATE OURSELVES TO THE SERVICE OF OUR NATION AND OUR CORPS.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARINES, SEMPER FIDELIS, AND KEEP ATTACKING!

M.W. HAGEE, GENERAL, U.S. MARINE CORPS, COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS

The Oasis

2005-11-09T15:20:00.000-05:00

Chaplain Dale C. White at the Oasis, Camp Workhorse

on 11/09/05

While waiting impatiently for my helo ride out west, I have conducted several interviews at Camp Fallujah, primarily folks from the II MEF Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection cell (AT/FP). One of my interviews today was with the Regimental Chaplain at Camp Workhorse, home of Regimental Combat Team 8 (RCT-8). Chaplain Dale C. White, a United States Navy Commander (0-5) provided the first of several Chaplain interviews I hope to conduct. A personable guy, Chaplain White is a Methodist Minister who provides religious services to numerous units within the RCT, to include 1^st and 3^rd Recon Bn; 2^nd AAV’s, Tanks and TOW’s; 2^nd CEB; B 1/11; 5^th CAG and HET, to name a few.

Military Chaplains are the most overworked individuals in theater. Working 7 days a week, 365 days a year, they focus all of their efforts on the Marines and sailors who’ve experienced horrendous wounds or have seen their friends killed in battle. They spend countless hours providing grief counseling and marriage counseling; listening to the problems of our young men and women who are so far away from home. They conduct religious services on base and in the field, and offer last rites to the dead and dying.

When he’s not in the field with his Marines, Chaplain White can be found at the “Oasis,” a small office building on the outskirts of Camp Workhorse where Marines and Sailors come to get away from their troubles and find a bit of solitude as well as a friendly ear to bend. The “Oasis” has shelves stocked with health and comfort items, coffee, and snacks sent by various church groups and civic organizations that forward donations to the Chaplain. During the evenings, the Chaplain often sits on his rustic front porch of scrap wood and chomps a cigar, a habit he picked up since arriving in Iraq. Content to “hang out” with a few members of the RCT who seek a peaceful moment of rest, the Chaplain indicated his evening sit-downs draw a dozen or more Marines who aren’t otherwise out in the field fighting the insurgency. A couple months back, during just such an evening, a mortar round landed close to the “Oasis,” exploding in a nearby berm of dirt and sandbags. As Marines excitedly came running out of their spaces to see what the commotion was all about, Chaplain White remained on his porch, smoking his cigar and quietly asking the Marines to come join him for a smoke and a enjoy a moment of relaxation.

A calming factor to those who serve – isn’t that what the Chaplain Corps is
all about?

Photos that speak for themselves...

2005-11-08T03:56:00.000-05:00

Coutesy of my PAO friends at FOB Kalsu

Back in Iraq

2005-11-05T03:27:00.000-05:00

I've returned to Iraq from emergency leave, though I have not yet arrived at Camp Fallujah. My leave went as well as could be expected although inevitable delays caused me to miss my step-fathers viewing and funeral. Unfortunately, Marine Air is not a guaranteed form of delivery in or out of theater. When a passenger travels "Space A" (space available), he competes for a seat with other Marines, sailors and soldiers, as well as cargo, equipment and other goods. Despite the fact that emergency leave recipients are supposed to have priority, my fellow emergency leave recipients (3 Marines and 1 Sailor) were bumped off of several flights for one reason or another and did not arrive home until 5 days after we started out travel.

Our trip home took us through a series of airfields and landing zones, all traveled in the hours of darkness. One of the legs of travel took us into Baghdad, the only excitement of our journey. As we approached the city, we were greeted by small arms fire, punctuated by the glow of tracer rounds. The pilots reacted suddenly, catching us off-guard and pitching the helicopter into a sharp bank downward and starboard. The door gunners remained unfazed by the incident and didn't even attempt to return fire. As soon as it started, it was over.

The return trip to Iraq has been quite similar - having been bumped off of several flights, I am in a holding pattern at Al Asad Air base, northwest of the city of Hit. Fortunately, LtCol. Tim Crowley is keeping me entertained and has graciously allowed me to use his computer to check email and write this post. I hope to catch a flight out of here tonight for Camp Fallujah, although I will not hold my breath. I've been bumped 2 nights in a row and a 3rd may be forthcoming.

I am residing in the transient tent located yards from the Al Asad airstrip. Also living in the tent are Marines and soldiers from various units, all awaiting transportation out of theater or to other FOBs or bases in Iraq. The tent is large and fairly comfortable, with wooden pallets for flooring and portable heaters located inside the tent. Since my departure 2 weeks ago, the weather has changed and I have returned to a more seasonal climate with balmy days and chilly evenings. Were it not for the fact that I "appropriated" a blanket and pillow from my Northwest Airlines flight, I'd be shivering uncomfortably at night. Far from a field environment, it is still somewhat less than ideal. Being located so close to the airstrip, the roar of the engines of C-5's, C-17's, F-18's, E-8 Prowlers and various helicopters throughout the night keeps the evening air alive with noise. There's nothing quite like the sound of the afterburners from a Marine fighter launching skyward at 3 a.m. It is the sound of freedom, however, and I shouldn't complain.

I've got a few loose ends to wrap up at Camp Fallujah before heading westward with 2nd Marine Division. Tim and I will attempt to "blitz" the Division in a quick 2-week effort of collections. Stay posted.

Heading home on emergency leave

2005-10-18T09:32:00.000-04:00

Unfortunately, I will be heading home on emergency leave for a couple of weeks. I will not be posting future updates until I return from leave on or about November 1st.

A New Course of Action

2005-10-16T12:58:00.000-04:00

The entrance to the FOB Landing Zone, or LZ, reads
"Y'all Come Back Now, Ya Hear?

October 16, 2005

My visit to the 155th Brigade Combat Team was a great opportunity to learn about my Army brethren. The Mississippians were a great bunch of guys and lined up some fantastic soldiers for me to speak to, including the most "senior" active duty soldier in Operation Iraqi Freedom. My very last interview was with Colonel William N. Bernhard, M.D., Brigade Surgeon for the 155th.

Colonel Bernhard is 74 years old, and originally enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1950. He was medically discharged from the Corps in 1951, which he steadfastly claims was life's greatest disappointment. Unhappy as a civilian, he pursued a career with the Naval Medical Corps and by 1963, was honorably discharged as a Lieutenant Commander (0-4). Still in love with the military lifestyle, then LCDR Bernhard approached the Army Reserves and received his US Army commission in 1979, working under the First US Army Augmentation Detachment.

He has served in dozens of hot spots around the world to include service with the an MP Brigade at Camp 301, Hofra-el-Betin, where he provided medical care for 15,000 Iraqi prisoners of war (EPW's) in 2001. Subsequent to a tour in Afghanistan in 2003, he was again called back to active duty from the retired roles to serve as the Brigade Surgeon for the 155th BCT. An amazing man with impeccable credentials - I was honored to meet and spend time with this living legend.

After returning to Camp Falluja, I reported to the office of the Commanding General for my "better late than never" in-call. Major General Stephen Johnson commands the entire II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) ... aka: II MEF (Fwd), which includes the US Army forces with whom I just spent the last week. The CG provided some great insight into the current operational situation and suggested a change or two in my intended course of action. As anyone with military experience would agree, I quickly "readjusted my battle plan accordingly." Looks like I'll be spending some time in the field with our Marines from the 2nd Marine Division, with whom I served as a young Lieutenant. I now have a new course of action. More to come.

2005-10-12T13:48:00.000-04:00

A snapshot for mom.

Taken aboard my flight to the 155 BCT. (10/08/05)

Army Life

2005-10-12T02:05:00.000-04:00

I left Camp Fallujah this morning, boarded a US Army Blackhawk helicopter at LZ East and traveled southeast toward Al Iskandariya. I arrived at the forward operating base, or FOB, well before noon. This particular FOB is the home of the 155 Brigade Combat Team (155 BCT), and is much less built up than the relatively stable Camp Fallujah. Until a month or so ago, soldiers at the FOB were still wearing their body armor 24/7, as the insurgency is still alive and active in small pockets around the area of operation (AO). Since January 1st, the insurgents have fired over 130 mortar rounds and an occasional rocket into the confines of the base, causing a number of casualties and a decent amount of damage. Recently, an extremist drove an SVBIED (suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device) into the entry control point (ECP) and detonated the bomb. Fortunately, an Iraqi vehicle in front of the suicide bomber suffered the brunt of the damage. However, the poor soul driving the vehicle was killed in the blast. He was simply a local worker who earned his living selling trinkets on base to U.S. soldiers.

The journey to the FOB was quite a rush – certainly more exciting than flying Marine Air, which flies almost exclusively at zero dark-thirty. The Blackhawk is incredibly smooth and quiet, much like comparing the ride in a Mercedes to that of an old Dodge pick-up. Army pilots, I am told, enjoy tree-top level flying and hugging the ground during their daylight runs. In pairs, we glided effortlessly over the tops of palm trees, across the roof-tops of crude brick houses that dot the landscape. An occasional updraft signaled an oncoming power line or other man-made structure of considerable height. Looking down, it seemed we rarely reached altitudes of more than 200 feet. Despite the threat of small arms fire, the ride was smooth and uneventful. Knock on wood.

I was greeted at the LZ by Major Erby Montgomery, the Public Affairs Officer, or PAO, for the Brigade. Maj. Montgomery offered to set up my visit and I could not have asked for a better way start to my TAD. With my helmet in hand, we walked from the LZ into the base camp and straight to the Major’s office. Maj. Montgomery had already secured a spot for me to work and immediately introduced me to a number of the Brigade staff, including the Commanding General. On deck for less than 15 minutes, I was already briefing the General on my objectives for the week. By sunset, I had completed a number of oral histories with the Brigade staff, finishing the first days’ collection by dinner. In the morning, I’ll meet with soldiers of the 2/11 ACR, or Armored Cavalry Regiment.

October 10, 2005

The FOB is much smaller and more rustic than the major camps found at Al Asad or Camp Fallujah. FOB’s are temporary in nature, often torn down or dismantled after a set period of time. Several have already been turned over to the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and are now homes to the newly created army or Iraqi police. A tangle of Hescoe barriers, concrete bunkers and tents, the FOB is a miniature “tent city.” Most working spaces are housed under canvas and cammie netting, with the Headquarters element utilizing the few hard-stand buildings found within its perimeter. Thousands of sandbags dot the landscape since incoming mortar fire tends to destroy or damage anything not protected by layers of dirt and concrete. Only one explosion awoke us last night, most likely an IED going off somewhere outside the FOB. It detonated at exactly 0032 hours (my watch glows in the dark). I’m glad it was the only one for the evening - I didn’t have to get out of the sleeping bag and head to the bunker. I’m told it’s been unusually quiet…I must have brought the “calm” with me.

The Brigade arrived last January to an area that was rife with insurgent activity. Task Force 2-11 (ACR), the ground maneuver element headquartered at the FOB sent its subordinate units throughout the AO to conduct kinetic operations for the first 4-5 months on deck. Virtually every Brigade soldier from cook to supply clerk earned his combat action badge since arriving. Cordon and knocks, raids, presence patrols, TCP’s, vehicle and personnel searches, dynamic building entries – all have been utilized in the AO. As the insurgency is displaced, operations shift from a kinetic to non-kinetic environment while civil-military operations (CMO), information operations (IO) and humanitarian aide take the place of traditional war-fighting, shifting it farther out of the AO.

CMO and information operations go hand in hand and support the adage of “winning the hearts and minds of the people.” With any CMO action, we seek to improve the critical infrastructure of the towns and cities. We must convince the Iraqis that they are in a better situation than they were before the fall of Saddam. We will fail to win them over if we do not fulfill the promises we’ve made to them; mainly security and income. Democracy and freedom are empty words to many, as they have never lived in an environment that permitted free speech or freedom of action. Unfortunately, I believe the concepts of freedom and democracy are forever lost on the current generation, while security and stability will be the primary factors that influence the mindset of the average Iraqi.

The average Iraqi understands the irony of American presence in their country. They want us to leave, yet understand their organic security forces are neither strong enough or mature enough to protect them and their families. The Americans provide food and water, without which they would starve. However, we continue to provide free hand-outs vice forcing them to cultivate their fields and produce crops. We are unwittingly creating an overly-dependent population rather than a self-sufficient population. Only time will tell if our continuing CMO and IO will change that situation. Around FOB Kalsu, CMO and IO continue to occupy the minds of the senior staff.

Generals and Barberchairs

2005-10-03T10:38:00.000-04:00

October 3, 2005

I turned in my Field Historian “concept of operations” to the II MEF (Fwd) Chief of Staff, Col. John Ledoux. Unlike previous OIF deployments, the current MEF staff is somewhat concerned about spare LtCols wandering around their AOR’s. Rightfully so. Fortunately, Major Major General Stephen T. Johnson, the MEF CG, indicated he was “historian friendly” during our first meeting in the hallways of the MEF HQ. Perhaps now I can get out into the field without ticking off someone important.

Subsequent to turning over my CONOPS to Col. Ledoux (a Sarasota, FL native), I sent an e-mail to Brigadier General Augustus (Leon) Collins, CG for the 155 Brigade Combat Team, affectionately known as the "Mississippi Rifles." I requested permission to visit the Commanding General’s AOR northeast of Karbala within the next week, as the 155 BCT has supported II MEF for months. I was surprised to receive a direct response from General Collins, who stated he’d be happy to oblige, just 30 minutes after sending him my request.

Older than the state of Mississippi and the seventh oldest infantry unit in the United States, the 155th Infantry, formerly the First Mississippi Regiment, was handed its first commission on 1 June 1798 by Winthrop Sargent, territorial governor of Mississippi. It was during the Mexican War, that the 155th Infantry, then the First Mississippi Regiment, was commanded by the great Jefferson Davis, who resigned his seat in Congress to assume command. At Buena Vista, 22 February 1847, with the Mexicans out-numbering the Americans five to one, General Zachary Taylor called upon Jefferson Davis and the First Mississippi Regiment. Moving quickly into the assault, Davis gave but one order: “STAND FAST, MISSISSIPIANS.” History was made that day and the order became the official motto for the unit, later to be emblazoned on the unit crest. Through the Civil War, in engagements in Kentucky and Tennessee; in the Spanish-American War; in World War I, at Beauregard and in France, and in World War II, in the Southwest Pacific, the men from “Mississippi’s Pride” were always among the finest. Though not Marines, they’ve become part of the II MEF (Fwd) team, as fine as any Marine Corps unit in the AO.

On a personal note, I hope to speak with the officers about one of their fallen comrades, Captain Lowell T. Miller, VMI class of 1993.

JACKSON (AP) - A Mississippi National Guard unit in Iraq has captured the insurgent who killed one of its soldiers during a firefight last month, the unit's commander said. Capt. Lowell T. Miller II, 35, of Flint, Mich., was serving with the Mississippi National Guard's 155th Infantry Battalion, 155th Brigade Combat Team when he was killed by small arms fire during a raid in Iskandariyah on Aug. 31
.
"Capt. Miller volunteered to transfer from the Michigan National Guard to the 155th Infantry Battalion so he could deploy to Iraq with this unit," said the battalion's commanding officer, Lt. Col. John M. Rhodes, in an e-mail from Iraq." Just by his request, I knew Tom was a patriot and a warrior," Rhodes said. "Many people seek to avoid combat deployments, but Tom was willing to risk everything in order to deploy with a group of soldiers who he did not even know."

During a raid on a suspected insurgent stronghold, Miller was shot and later died despite desperate attempts to save his life, Rhodes said.Information obtained from five suspects who were detained just after the attack and tips provided by local Iraqis helped the unit to identify the man responsible for the fatal shooting, Rhodes said Rhodes said the unit raided the suspect's home and captured him last week and he will soon appear before an Iraqi judge.

Miller's primary job in Iraq was to train Iraqi soldiers, Rhodes said. "Tom was extremely dedicated and always led by example. He was a hero to his soldiers," Rhodes said. "Tom will continue to live through us, and we will carry on his legacy." Miller came from a military family. His father served 22 years in the Naval Reserves and his brother and sister have both served in Iraq.

"Dad, I serve so others don't have to," he once wrote to his father, Lowell Miller. "You taught me to be a leader, to stand up and sacrifice so others would not have to. You were in the military and served so your kids wouldn't, yet we do. You taught us well."

Miller graduated in 1993 from Virginia Military Institute and later joined the Michigan Army National Guard. He was part of the 155th Brigade Combat Team in Iraq, which is made up of nearly 4,000 Mississippi Guard soldiers and others from throughout the county. The unit is attached to the II Marine Expeditionary Force and operates in the Karbala, Najaf and Babil provinces of Iraq.

On a lighter note, I met an interesting Marine the other day while passing by the barbershop inside the II MEF Battle Square. Gunnery Sgt. James L. Johnson was the II MEF (Fwd) Security manager for OIF 4-6, having previously deployed to OIF-1 and OIF 2-2. He finally went home yesterday and I was sad to see him go, as we had just become acquainted and I rather enjoyed his company. Besides his official function as II MEF (Fwd) Security Manager, Gunny had the distinction of being the MEF’s unofficial barber. Gunny could be found in his “barbershop” after 1800 hours nightly, cutting hair for free, though accepting donations if offered.

As we chatted, I noticed the Gunny’s unique barber chair and upon closer examination, shook my head at the ingenuity of our young sailors and Marines deployed in theater. The barber chair is actually a Mitsubishi van seat, welded to a USMC 7-ton truck rim. Underneath the plywood flooring, the rim has been affixed to a .50 caliber ring mount pulled off of a destroyed vehicle, which allows the barber chair to traverse 360 degrees. A young “sea-bee” from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 1 used his welding skills to craft a footrest, made of scrap metal from a damaged HMMWV. The chair has been used by Privates and Generals, to include Genrals Sattler and the current Deputy CG, Brigadier General Patton. Now that's a piece of history that belongs in a museum one day!

Leaf Eaters

2005-10-02T03:50:00.000-04:00

October 1, 2005

We dropped back an hour last night. Could’ve actually made it to chow this morning.

I finally received my laptop computer back from the CE (Command Element) Help Desk – that’s the section of Marines who control the entire internet domain within Camp Fallujah. Typical of any computer section worldwide, the CE Help Desk is not well regarded among Marines outside of its walls…It took 4 days for them to switch my domain from Quantico to Camp Fallujah – although the work itself only takes 10 minutes. Seems they would be better labeled the CE “we’re not that much” Help Desk.

I ran across another VMI classmate last night. Major Tom Voytko ’87 recognized me as we passed each other in the dark. Tom is a reservist who never really left active duty. Shortly after ending his active duty career in 2001, he joined the reserves and was immediately recalled to service following 9/11. After that, Tom was held over for OIF 1, and continues to serve today. Tom is also the recipient of a bronze star, received during a previous deployment to Iraq. Although actually a recalled reservist, he’s never spent enough time in the civilian world to seek employment outside of the Marine Corps.

As Tom and I were talking, an artillery fire mission commenced from nearby, the 155 rounds sent forth in support of our grunts on the ground in Iraq, most likely somewhere near Baghdad. The ‘boom’ of the big guns startled me slightly, as the guns had been shifted to a location fairly close to our position. The Arty guys have an acronym for themselves – FAKOB – Field Artillery, King of Battle. No one who has seen the results of an artillery barrage will argue that moniker.

Over the past few days, I have spent the bulk of my time interviewing Marines employed within the ISF Directorate (Iraqi Security Forces), part of MNF-W (Multinational Forces – West) in Falluja. The ISF Directorate has many subordinate units, to include the DBE, the P3, IPLO’s and the BTT’s. Each provides a distinct service within the Directorate.

The DBE, or Department of Border Enforcement, is charged with setting up Iraqi border forts on the borders of Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. LtCol Ken Desimone is the coordinator of the DBE. Ken has been a friend of mine since we were Lieutenants together at Camp Lejeune in the late 80’s. Ken has served in the reserves for over 20 years and has been informed by his wife that this will be his last hoo-rah. Ken agrees, of course. Ken’s office has spent the last 8 months or so traveling to the Iraqi border, overseeing the construction of border forts, to include the training, equipping and mentoring of newly trained Iraqi border patrol units. Ken was recently the subject of a news story which got quite a bit of attention within the MEF – it can be read by searching the internet for "LtCol Desimone Iraq." That's Ken in the photo above.

Ken and I served together in the II MACE, or II MEF Augmentation Command Element at Camp Lejeune from 1998-2001. We also deployed to Italy together for three weeks during Operation Agile Lion, a Joint Army & Marine Corps exercise in Vicenza, Italy. Ken likes to think he’s “saltier” than me, and we always trade barbs when we see one another. Ken threw a new one at me the other day when he called me a “leaf eater.” A little confused, I asked him what he meant – Ken replied that since I’m here in a non-combat arms position, I’m just a “leaf eater” as opposed to the grunts, who are “meat eaters.” We had a good laugh over that one.

In addition to interviewing Ken and his folks, I spent time with the BTT, or Border Transition Teams, as well as with Marines from the P3 Program, short for “Police Partnership Program.” The Marines from P3 are responsible for training the IP’s or Iraqi Police Candidates from the city of Fallujah. Since April, over 1200 Falluja IP’s have been trained at the Jordanian and the Baghdad Police Academies.

Over the next week, I’ll be attempting to head south near Al Iskandariyah to link up with the US Army’s 155 Brigade Combat Team (BCT 155), who is deployed to Iraq in support of II MEF (Fwd). They have seen quite a bit of action over the last year, yet we have not had anyone embed with them to date.