Marine Corps Moms: June 2005 Archives

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June 29, 2005

Those Magificent Betio Bastards

HN "Doc" Alfro, Kilo Company 3/2, receives the Purple Heart from General Nyland, Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps at Camp Al Qaim, Iraq.

With Operation Spear wrapped up, the Betio Bastards have time to update us. Here are letters from Kilo, Lima, and Weapons companies.

Hello Family and Friends of Company K,
Operation SPEAR is complete. Unfortunately, we lost Lance Corporal Adam Crumpler due to enemy action. We will honor our fallen Marine's life by a memorial service and remembrance of his ultimate sacrifice. We are also thankful that our wounded are healing well. Once again, your Marine's and Sailor's performed with brilliance and bravery. Tasked to clear a foreign fighter stronghold, they were absolutely magnificent in their performance of their jobs. Their proficiency, heroism, and meritorious achievement were not lost upon the nation and by the world through their rescue of four captured prisoners chained and tortured by the very insurgents we fought. Although this father's day was quite different for the Dad's in the company, the concept fatherhood was evident by our killing of foreign insurgents in Iraq versus them having the ability to do harm to our homes and family in the United States . Again, while we were gone, some of your Marines and Sailors provided outstanding security of the Camp. Your love and support keeps us going and keeps us vigilant. We miss and love you!

God Bless and Semper Fi!,

Chris Ieva
Captain, USMC

P.S. Harp on your Marines and Sailors about being smart even though they have become seasoned to high intensity combat!

The Company has completed another month with the Provisional Security Battalion at Al Asad Air Base in Iraq . In June the Company has continued to provide security outside the wire. They have served as the Base Reaction Force and the 2D Marine Aircraft Wing Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel (TRAP) security element, conducted mounted security patrols outside the wire, and begun conducting security patrols on roads utilized by convoys. With our current and new missions, the Marines continue to distinguish themselves as professionals.

The Company has recently participated in the repair of the base water mains destroyed by insurgents and a sweep of the local area for enemy weapons caches. In both missions, the Marines made significant contributions to Al Asad and disrupted enemy activity. Additionally, the Company has been active in sweeping the supply routes of the base for mines and IEDs. This activity ensures the uninterrupted flow of supplies to and from the base and protects the lives of our fellow service members.

Corporal Tuomala was recently meritoriously promoted to Sergeant and Private First Class Tomasetti was meritoriously promoted to Lance Corporal. Although these two Marines represented the Company for meritorious promotion, I am blessed to lead 173 of the finest Marines. As we continue in this deployment, the achievements of our Marines will continue to make us proud and set the example for other Companies to follow.

The latest news is that we may be rejoining 3d Battalion, 2d Marines in Al Qaim in July. The Marines are excited at the prospect of finishing the deployment with 3/2. What this means for mail and contact home should become clear in the next few weeks. In the meantime, we will continue to pass information through the Key Volunteer network and our Marines.

Thank you for supporting our Marines,

Captain Sean Hankard

Hello again, WARPIG family and friends. Another month is officially a 'round down range' with each busy day bringing us closer to our eventual return. Despite some homesickness, we continue to move forward with the same discipline and professionalism that has characterized our behavior the entire deployment.

We have recently participated in a very successful operation, similar in nature to MATADOR, code named SPEAR. The purpose of this operation was to neutralize foreign insurgent control in our Area of Operation and the outcome, due to the efforts of your Marines and Sailors, exceeded expectations. SPEAR was covered by multiple media agencies, most thoroughly by a crew from CNN, so articles and pictures are available on the Internet and cable news networks. As usual, I will let your Marines fill you in on the details now that we have returned and the phone lines have opened.

Additionally, this month I have had the privilege of promoting the following WARPIGS:

To Sergeant:

M.B. Story

To Corporal:

K.O. Hedgepeth (Combat Meritorious)
P.J. Culver
J.A. Campbell

To Lance Corporal:

A.O. Lupson (Meritorious)
P.M. Torroco (Meritorious)
M.S. Chadha
B.T. Holliday
J.A. Kania

As always, I am honored to serve with your Marines and Sailors.

Semper Fidelis,

F.C. Phillips

Posted by Deb at 08:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 26, 2005

A Soldier's Commentary on Troop Support

For the past two years, I've received hundreds of e-mails from ordinary citizens, some parents of troops, some with no family members in service, but most of whom are solidly in support of those sons and daughters who protect and serve. Thank God for our troops, but I'm also profoundly thankful for those who support our troops. And I still get choked up when someone notices my Marine Corps Mom t-shirt or my lapel pin proclaiming my pride in my son and asks me to pass along their thanks. Yesterday, I called Southwest Airlines to secure military pricing on my son's flight home for the 4th of July holiday. The Southwest representative on the other end of the phone line helped me with the flight details, then said, "When he gets off the plane, please tell him that my son and I in Oklahoma City are so thankful for his service. Please tell him that." And I'll be happy to pass that message along. It will be nice to see him. It will be even nicer to remind him that folks all over America are in support of him and the rest of the forces that put their lives on the line for us.

A U.S. Army Captain recently back from the sandbox wrote this editorial on his view of the support provided to our troops by America. His words mirror the sentiments I've heard from other returning troops who are amazed at the level of support they've received. It's well worth reading - and remembering, the next time you see a young man or woman in uniform. A quiet "thank you" will make their day. And yours.

Here are the words of Capt. Steve Alvarez:

When I came home from Iraq a couple of months ago, I kept the promise I made while I was still there: I wouldn't watch the news, and I'd step away from the war, ignoring the events that had consumed my life 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It was time to catch up with my family and make them the focus of my life 24/7.
For about a month I was able to successfully ignore the constant horrid imagery and sensational reports filed from Iraq. But as a public affairs officer and self-proclaimed news junkie, I soon found myself scanning headlines on the Web and tuning into radio news programs, instead of my favorite jazz station.

I don't think the charred skeletal remains of a vehicle-borne explosive device are the watermark of this war. The images I see back here are not the same indelible images I saw in Iraq - those of a resilient country making its way back from decades of oppression - helped by the many friendly nations that liberated them.

But now I'm on the sidelines, and instead of feeling and hearing the car bomb explode and seeing its eerie black plume of smoke rise nearby, I read about it. And rather than witness history as I did for a year, I find myself writing my comrades to get accurate accounts of what is happening in Iraq.

What I saw in Iraq was the boundless bravery of a seemingly endless line of Iraqi recruits gathered to join the Iraqi army, the smiles and waves of Iraqis as we convoyed through the city of Sulaymaniyah, the first flight of the Iraqi air force, and the sound of Iraqi tank guns as they thundered for the first time in years in support of liberty, not tyranny.

I remember the jubilation of my Iraqi friends as they showed off their ink-stained fingers, a badge of honor on their fingertips, indicating they had voted in their country's first democratic election in decades. I remember the Iraqi female military police soldiers who became pioneers for women in that region by joining the Iraqi military, clearing not just personal hurdles, but cultural ones.

Mostly, I remember the thousands of Iraqi and coalition troops that each day hunted the enemy and kept me safe. I remember the drivers and gunners on convoy, the pilots and crew chiefs in the sky, the sentries and tankers at the gates, and all of the warriors who were out there trying to make Iraq a better and safer place.

Someday, probably decades from now, the actions of this generation and its brave men and women will grace history books. The lesson, I'm confident, will be that they left a peaceful and productive imprint on the region and its people, and forever changed the landscape of the Middle East.

Despite what is being reported and what is reflected in media opinion polls, there is no doubt in my mind that the public is behind the troops in Iraq.

While I was in Iraq, I received hundreds of Christmas cards from students at an elementary school and from members of a church in Florida. A sorority from Indiana sent dozens of letters and cards of support, and Americans from all over the country sent me e-mails from places like Chicago, Sacramento, and Texas just to name a few.

Wool caps made by an Internet knitting club kept me warm during the cold winter months in Iraq and donated phone cards kept me in touch with my family who waited for me more than 6,000 miles away. Care packages stuffed with goodies and comfort items were never in short supply at our command. In fact, we had to appoint a "morale sergeant" to manage all of the goodwill pouring into our compound.

When I came home in uniform on R&R, strangers approached me at the airport and shook my hand, patted me on the back, and thanked me. Airline employees did what they could, offering passes to their VIP lounges and upgrades to first class, and those airlines who had nothing to offer did what they could-extra pillows, fistfuls of peanut or pretzel bags and free headsets. But their "thanks" alone was enough for me.

Ask any returning war veteran and I'm sure you'll find their experience was similar. At one point I was so overwhelmed by the outpouring that I found myself in an airport restroom trying to keep my composure after a mother walked passed me with her two sons and one of them said aloud, "Thank you, Soldier," his brother waving anxiously at me.

On my return to the war after R&R, a few other soldiers and I were dining on one last restaurant-cooked meal in the airport when the waitress approached us and told us that another patron had paid for our meal.

We thanked the man but said we couldn't accept his offer. He replied that it was "the least I can do for you guys," adding, "We're all proud of you."

In my town when I came home after the war, I passed homes displaying yellow ribbons and flying U.S. flags. At my welcome home party, a restaurant donated food for more than 100 guests and people all over the city made it a point to express their support and gratitude.

The support I received bordered on immense. Never had I expected such support, and never had I received so much for merely doing my job.

My memories of Iraq will forever be engrained in my mind alongside of the memories of the incredible outpouring I received when I came home. They are one.

Last weekend, keeping true to the promise I made to make my family the 24/7 focal point I attended a baseball game on Father's Day and during the seventh inning stretch there was a salute to U.S. military personnel serving the war on terror.

A singer proudly sang "God Bless America" and all around me, people joined in and sang along.

My personal opinion poll has found, plus or minus a few percentage points, that the American people unconditionally support the soldiers in Iraq. I arrive at this conclusion having experienced their support firsthand, and having been held in their warm embrace upon my return from the war.

And the support continues today. When I recently learned about the opinion poll results I e-mailed one of my stateside supporters who befriended me during the war. I wrote him to say hello, and to restate my appreciation for his support during my deployment.

I asked him if he had heard about the media opinion polls and he replied as I had when I learned of the poll.

"News to me."

Capt. Alvarez, thank you for serving. May you hear that over and over again.

Posted by Deb at 02:08 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

June 22, 2005

26th MEU is on their way

From Col. Tom Qualls, CO of the 26th MEU:

Many thanks for the Father's day gifts that have flowed into us in the past several days/weeks. This Father's Day finds many of your father's, sons, brothers, nephews, and even future fathers hard at work in the conduct of yet another intensive operational pulse-this one into yet another country that will bring new adventure and challenges to the Marine/Sailor team.

This foray will be a training thrust and will prove to be exciting and full of adventure, and quite a bit of hard work in some quite austere conditions. Your Marines/Sailors, as always, are fully ready for this challenge.

Perhaps once this exercise is over we will be able to reveal where it is located, and more details as to what we are doing. In the meantime, thanks for bearing with me in this journey which many times takes both you and us into the unknown.

We appreciate your continued support. Rest assured your Marines aboard the Kearsarge are ready for our huge responsibility as the Theater Strategic Reserve. We are ready too for even more operational employment, in a multitude of locations across the Central Command Area of Responsibility.

We had a great, motivating visit by our Commandant of the Marine Corps the other day. While here he had a chance to visit Marines on all three ships, and to speak and answer questions on the current and future state of our Corps. He thanked us Marines for what we are doing, while at the same time thanked you--the families--for all that you do to support the cause. He also made time to snap photos with your Marines; perhaps you've already seen many of those images. A good day.

Happy Father's Day to all the dad's and grand dads at home. And, again thanks to all for making our Father's Day here a special one. The pillow cases are real winners. Photos of your Marines and their cases will be posted in the days ahead.

Semper Fidelis,
Colonel Tom Qualls

Posted by Deb at 08:28 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

June 20, 2005

Father's Day wishes from the RCT-2 Marines

Col. Davis, commander of Regimental Combat Team 2 in Iraq sent along these Father's Day wishes:

All across the world, Marines, Sailors and their families will be honoring their dads with special meals, gifts, and of course the traditional tie or two. Fatherhood is often like being a Marine, it's an adventure that takes you places you never knew existed. May this Father's Day be filled with the lasting joys that family and friends can bring, while never forgetting the loss of our fallen warriors, whose absence at this year's Father's Day celebrations will be felt.
On behalf of the Marines and Sailors of Regimental Combat Team-2, I'd like to take the time to wish all Fathers who read this website a very safe and happy Father's Day. Thank you for your sacrifices and support to our team.

Happy Father's Day
Semper Fidelis and Keep Moving

Posted by Deb at 10:36 AM

June 18, 2005

Make a difference in the life of a wounded hero

Col. John Folsom with the Wounded Warrior Project sent this wish list from Senior Master Sergeant Elizabeth Christiansen who is assigned to the the currently deployed 332 Air Expeditionary Wing, Expeditionary Medical Group.

Dear Colonel Folsom,

Thank you for taking the time to speak with me. As you probably are aware, we are an extremely busy, advanced, state of the art, trauma hospital and see upwards to over a thousand patients a month. Some patients are returned to duty directly from the hospital while others are sent over to the CASF for air transportation to higher levels of health care at places such as Landstuhl, Germany.

The reason I am writing is to request your help in finding certain items that we are in need of here. Due to our high patient load, we are in constant need of hygiene and clothing items. Because of the urgency of our patient's condition, they usually arrive here without these necessities. When our rotation arrived here at the beginning of May the supplies seemed adequate, however they have rapidly dwindled, are almost gone, and we are not sure where to find replenishment. Any assistance you can provide us will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your kindness and all the work you do for the American forces.

Respectfully submitted,
ELIZABETH M. CHRISTIANSEN, SMSgt, USAF

Health and comfort items for the patients:
Air freshener (spray)
Baby wipes
T Chap Stick
Deodorant
Female items
Kleenex
Lotion
Magazines, CDs
Mirrors
Q-tips
Shaving cream & Razors Shampoo & conditioner
Stationary & Pens
Sunscreen
Soap & body wash
Toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash, floss
Sweat pants & matching shirts/T-shirts (Male & Female)
Socks (Male & Female)
Sports bra's (small, medium, & large)
Woman's underwear
Boxers
Towels
Washcloths
Pillowcases
Twin bed sheets

When Marines are medevaced after suffering a combat or other injury, often they arrive with only the clothes they are wearing. If you can supply any of these items, please e-mail me at deb@marinecorpsmoms.com for a mailing address. Please send only these items and make certain that you list all items sent on the customs forms. Please do not send aerosol cans of shaving cream or air freshener. Spray bottles of Febreze (well wrapped in ziploc bags to contain possible leakage) and gel cans of shaving cream should be fine. Your generosity will be greatly appreciated by our wounded troops.

And, check out the Wounded Warrior Project for an update on the Backpack project:

Posted by Deb at 01:40 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Helmets to Hardhats

Here's an excellent transitional support site for Marines returning to civilian life. A new federally-funded program called Helmets to Hardhats will help those with military experience find work in civilian construction trades that are experiencing labor shortages.

Retired USMC Major General Matthew Caulfield and his son Dan Caulfield who served as a Marine Corps officer during the Persian Gulf War are the program's principal organizers. They believe that military people are uniquely qualified to reinforce the construction industry.

Major General Caulfield remarked; "We need people to maintain our infrastructure, our roads and bridges and dams. The way we're going, in 10 years we won't have enough iron workers. What better source of people to bring into the construction industry than those who have already been trained in the military?"

The discipline and leadership skills attained during military service transfer well to the civilian world. Please pass this message along to Marines and other troops who are reentering civilian life. See a video about the program here.

Posted by Deb at 12:58 AM

June 14, 2005

A tale of two widows

Cassandra recently wrote of Kathy Trent, a Jersey Girl whose husband died at the WTC on September 11, 2001. She collected over five million from the Federal Victim Compensation Fund and from family and friends. She's now down to her last half million, according to this news report:

Between spending $1.5 million on tripling the size of her suburban New York home, adding a basketball court, a volleyball court,a hot tub, and a heated pool,Trent managed to spend $500,000 in shoes,$5,000 Gucci and Capelli gowns, and Fendi and Judith Leiber handbags, that also go for $5,000 per bag.
The spending did not stop there as Trant spent $70,000 to take six friends to the Super Bowl and another $30,000 for a trip for 20 friends and relatives to the Bahamas.Then add on another $15,000 for her housekeeper,who received the money to buy a home in El Salvador.

Contrast Trant's story with another widow, Amanda Ries, whose husband was killed last year in Iraq battling the same forces that were responsible for the death of Trant's husband.

SSgt David Ries had already served one deployment, didn't have to go back, but he volunteered to join his brother Marines from the 6th ESB. Just weeks later, he was killed during the Battle of Fallujah by an IED blast as his convoy returned to base after resupplying forward units. And Mandy, who was bathing her children when the knock came at her door and who received far less in military death benefits than the millions lavished on Kathy Trant, responded as Marine wives have throughout the years. She remains a Key Volunteer for the 6th ESB. I saw her twice in May. The first time was at a welcome home dinner for the Marines who served with her husband. Mandy should have been welcoming her husband home. Instead, she set aside her grief to help with the dinner, helping to coordinate a heroes welcome for those who made it back. A few weeks later, she arranged a get-together at a local pizza parlor, leaving her own children with a babysitter so that she could support the Marine families of the 6th ESB. On Sunday, she was at Oaks Park in Portland, wearing her red KV shirt, helping with the annual Family Day festivities.

Kathy Trant said, "I want my husband back." Well, so does Mandy. And hundreds of other Gold Star wives, mothers, and families who chose to reach out of their grief to make a better world for the living. Gold Star wives aren't faced with the problem of building additional closets for $5,000 Versace gowns. Their idea of a fashion statement is a t-shirt that proclaims their identity as a Marine family. And they have more immediate concerns . . . where to move when they leave military housing? What kind of job will allow them to care for children who miss their daddy just as much as Trant's children who will come into their own $800,000 trust funds some day?

Two widows. Two stories. Amanda Ries has my utmost respect for her courage and selflessness and her story deserves to be heard as well.

Posted by Deb at 01:43 PM | Comments (7)

June 12, 2005

Duty driven by love

Via, The Mudville Gazette, here is an essay on why good men and women continue to enlist in the armed forces that is well worth reading. It's from Scott Ott at Scrappleface who has that rare ability to make his readers think, laugh, and sometimes shed a tear. . . occasionally at the same time. Imagine a Pentagon briefing like the one Scott describes - here's a snippet, but read the entire piece at Scrappleface:

(2005-06-11) -- The United States Army, which has missed its recruiting goals in each of the past four months, despite increasing financial incentives, today held a news conference to announce a new recruiting gimmick which it called "duty."
At a Pentagon briefing, an unnamed Army spokesman said that, historically, this little-known concept has motivated more citizens to rise to America's defense than money, prestige or promises of college education.

Journalists at the news conference, baffled by the terminology, unleashed a barrage of questions about why anyone would volunteer to fight for a country that runs a gulag at Gitmo, invades peaceful sovereign nations like Iraq and has no respect for the most Holy Koran.

The Army spokesman further confused reporters with his response.

"Men volunteer to fight, bleed and die for the United States of America because she is the last, best hope for peace and freedom on earth," he said. "They consider the evidence that America has pushed back the veil of tyranny and saved countless millions of men, women and children from imprisonment, torture, starvation, humiliation and brutal death. And they act on that evidence, knowing that the blood of free men is always the price of freedom. While critics jabber about global diplomacy, these men step into the breach to shield us all from the peril of our naivete about the so-called 'basic goodness of humanity'. These men don't think America is perfect, because they know the evil that lurks in each of our hearts. But they devote themselves to preventing untrammeled wickedness from roaming the earth. Their heads are clear. Their hearts are steadfast. And their sense of duty has shut down gulags, death camps and dictatorships for nearly a century. You can't lure this kind of man with money, slick advertising or blue-sky promises. They need money, but money does not stir their hearts. These men are attracted by the grind, the challenge, the moral obligation and even the thrill of knowing that your heart beats, bleeds and may ultimately stop, in service to a dream -- an ideal that has found practical expression in a nation, under God, that we call the United States of America."

There's more. Read it all and know that Scott's walkaway line is closer to the truth than satirical fiction . . . and that truly is a tragedy. Thank God for young men and women who serve out of love and duty.

Posted by Deb at 09:25 AM

June 10, 2005

3/3 Marines are coming home, leaving the Kunar Province "one step closer to freedom"

Captain Sweeney from India company recaps the last seven months:

The Kunar province has undergone many changes in the 7 months India Company has been on the ground here. In Nagalam, 1stLt Bellman and GySgt Vannelli have turned a small Special Forces advanced camp into a full-blown Forward Operating Base capable of accommodating a reinforced rifle platoon and a company of Afghan Security Force soldiers. They have built several buildings from the ground up improving the operational capability and the quality of life on board the camp. If you can remember early on, phone calls and emails from the Marines of 2d platoon were non-existent. Camp Blessing now has full commercial and military Internet capability, phones, washers and dryers, an outstanding gym facility, chow hall and many other improvements. Quite honestly, living at Camp Blessing has become a rather pleasant experience compared to what it used to be like back in November and December. The Marines of 1st and 2d Platoons who have been residents there should be commended for their hard work aboard the camp. They accomplished all of this without slowing down their operational tempo "outside the wire." The Pech District, where Camp Blessing is located, was once compared to the "Wild West," but because of the Marines dedication to the mission, the security in the region has greatly increased. The schools are full, new mosques, medical clinics and district administration buildings are in place and the area is one step closer to freedom.

Throughout the province the Marines and Sailors have touched thousands of Afghan citizens lives. We have provided humanitarian assistance in the form of food, blankets, tools, medical supplies, and many other assistance items. All of the Marines have worked closely with the Afghan National Police and Afghan National Army training and conducting joint operations. Their efforts have improved the individual and unit skills of the two forces, making them much more effective and ensuring the security of the people in the province well into the future. Their experiences here will be remembered for years to come, they have truly made history. The Marines will have some great stories to tell of their exploits in Afghanistan so in a few short weeks, sit back and enjoy.

Here's a significant event that happened in April but I don't recall seeing it in print before. It's a sign that the times, they are a'changing and that the future looks bright for the people of Afghanistan.

A former insurgent commander swore allegiance to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan April 14 in Asadabad, agreeing to turn in his weapons and cease hostilities against Afghan and Coalition forces. As Coalition forces have been hunting near the Afghan-Pakistani border for insurgent leaders, Najmuddin turned himself in to Company I, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, abandoning his run as one of the more elusive insurgent leaders.
The Marines were informed by a message received the morning of April 10 explaining where the commander was located and his intent. The company leadership quickly moved to the designated location and, crossing over a bridge into the compound, finally came face-to-face with the man they were able to recognize only from an outdated photograph. He has been allowed to participate in the Allegiance Program, a program currently offered to Taliban and Hezb-E Islami Gulbuddin fighters who wish to stop fighting and start participating in the rebuilding of Afghanistan.

"We've been working on this guy for a long time," said 1st Lt. Justin Bellman, India Co. Executive Officer. "It was just a matter of time before either we captured him, killed him or he turned himself in. He made the right decision and we're going to hope that he becomes a positive force in his community."

A ceremony which was attended by nearly 300 civic and religious leaders from across the Kunar province was the first step in the process of repatriation for Najmuddin who explained his reasons for turning himself over to the Marines through an interpreter. "I am tired of running," said the former insurgent. "I realized that my community was suffering because of [our] attacks on the Coalition and I did not want that any more."

His participation in the Allegiance Program comes on the heels of extensive operations around the areas Najmuddin was known to frequent in the Pech Valley. Aggressively pursuing the detention of insurgent leadership in the area afforded Marines the success that had eluded other units.

"This individual orchestrated several attacks against Coalition forces before we got here and began to conduct attacks against us in Nagalam from the moment we arrived. It did not take us long to let him know that we were not going to sit back and take that," said Lt. Col. Norm Cooling, commander of 3rd Bn., 3rd Marines. "Instead we took the fight to his backyard, to the difficult, cold and mountainous terrain of the Korangal Valley." The Marines of India Company, once tasked with eliminating the threat Najmuddin posed to stability in the area, applied constant pressure on him for two and a half months.

"In that time, he didn't have time to conduct attacks against our installations," said Cooling. "He was too busy trying to survive and he finally got tired of it." While he said the constant presence of well-trained Marines was the ultimate reason he turned himself in, it was also the humanitarian outreach and rehabilitation projects in his area that Marines participated in that convinced the former insurgent leader to come forth.

Bellman, who spoke with Najmuddin, said he expressed happiness with many of the good things he saw the Marines doing in the Pech Valley and that he knew his area was improving because of the Afghan and Coalition forces.

The governor of Kunar, Asadollah Wafa, said the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan hopes the program will put an end to local insurgencies and further drive a wedge between Afghans and the foreign-national terrorists who have been operating in Afghanistan. By accepting former insurgent "middlemen" like Najmuddin, he hopes that the money and support that keeps the insurgency alive in eastern Afghanistan will dry up.

The Allegiance Program is an effort to bring many formerly prominent Afghans back into the fold of the new government, Wafa said. As long as an individual has committed no crimes against humanity, he may get a second chance at citizenship.

Posted by Deb at 04:55 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 08, 2005

"Be proud of them...they do great things for the right reasons"

The HMM-162 (Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron-162) has landed and the situation is well in hand. LtCol Diehl updates the friends and families of this Aviation Combat Element:

It's been a little over two months since we departed Eastern North Carolina for Operations in the Central Command (CENTCOM) Area of Operations (AO) and, as most of you probably know, the preponderance of the ACE is now in Kuwait.

Over the past couple of weeks the Rotary Wing Marines of the ACE have been operating from the Udairi Training Area while our Fixed Wing and Intermediate Maintenance Level Marines continue to support operations from aboard the USS Kearsarge....it's all part of distributed operations...more on that later.

While at the Udairi Range we continue to train and enhance our desert operational proficiency. We've been able to take advantage of some excellent live fire ranges here with both Rotary Wing from the land, and Fixed Wing from the sea.

Additionally, the living conditions at both locations are not too bad either. Life on the boat has been made more comfortable because our "feet-wet" Marines and equipment can stretch out a bit due to their squadron mates and ground mates being "feet-dry".....more space...shorter lines...better living. Those of us on the beach can't complain either.

We're living in tents but there's air-conditioning to ward off the daily 110-degree temperatures and the dining facility stocks Baskin Robbins ice cream, which the Marines tell me is only being consumed to regulate their core body temperatures. There's also a coffee shop, a fast-food restaurant, and even a PX...small, but it offers some of the things the Marines & Sailors miss from home...so life at Udairi is not too bad either.

As the CENTCOM Theatre Reserve, the 26th MEU remains on-call for any mission within the AO. That means we will continue to conduct sea-based operations from the USS Kearsarge for the foreseeable future. The ACE has conducted operations in Iraq over the past week and will likely continue to do so in the weeks ahead. However, as the Theatre Reserve we remain ready to depart our current location on a moments notice to answer the call for assistance anywhere from Afghanistan to the Horn of Africa.

The MEU and ACE are very flexible organizations that are designed to conduct operations from one location, or we can task organize and conduct missions from separate locations...."distributed operations". It is likely some of your Marines and Sailors will have the opportunity to go forward with elements of the MEU to conduct distributed operations as part of a military to military engagement program our government has with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Others will remain aboard USS Kearsarge to either stand ready as the Theatre Reserve, or continue to conduct operations within Iraq.

Your Marines & Sailors will have the opportunity to work from various locations both "feet-wet" and "feet-dry". We all will participate in bringing the awesome capabilities of the combined Marine Expeditionary Unit and Expeditionary Strike Group to bear within the CENTCOM AO. Your Marines and Sailors stand ready for the challenges they will face shortly. They are trained, equipped, and continue to function as a tightly organized team...each member more concerned with the well-being and success of the Marine or Sailor on his left or right...then for themselves.

Be proud of them...they do great things for the right reasons. As always, take care of one another & know you are always in our hearts and minds.

Semper Fi,
LtCol Kurt "BIG" Diehl

Posted by Deb at 07:27 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

June 06, 2005

"We pray for the soldiers every night."

Michael Yon is a writer currently travelling in the Kurdish area of Dohuk, Iraq. During a visit to the village of Yezdinar, Yon asked the Headman of the village a simple question:

An Iraqi. A Kurd. A Yezidi. A village Headman. Whatever the label, more than forty years after his birth, this man came home. Only now, after the latest war, does Mr. Qatou finally have confidence in the peace, after more than a half century of life lived under orders or under sentence.
This seemed like the moment to ask the question, "What do you think of the United States?"

"We cry when America loses one soldier. We pray for the soldiers every night."

Many Kurds had expressed the same sentiment. One had said poetically: "For every drop of American blood, we shed one thousand Kurdish tears."

"What do you think about the United Kingdom?" I asked.

"Also very good."

His answer for some of the other countries, those that abandoned his people to get back to their beer and wine, was merely a quick frown followed by silence.

Special requests

We've posted lists of care package items before, but there's no better source for suggestions than our Marines. Here's a wish list from Capt John A. Kasparian for 3/25 Marines in the wild wild west of Iraq.

We have a few things that we would really like to get.
A few special requests for care packages that we value at Camp Hadithah and our other Camps between combat operations... Some of it is pure fun stuff.

Handy Wipes, Lunch Food, Computer Data Sticks, DVD's, CD's, and
headsets. The Marines come out of the field and like to listen to music or play DVD's. Many of the Marines have portable DVD players and IPods. In my day it used to be a book and an old newspaper!!

A group gift that we value higher then most items: If a group of people want to send something special, Projectors (One Eyes we call them) are GOLD! When we conduct combat operations out of our camps, we sometimes come back and everyone crowds into someone's room/tent and we project movies on the wall. It's a great moral booster.

Also, we donate a lot of our items to Iraqi families. Some things that are outside the normal military Civil Affairs are:

a. School supplies (markers, crayons, notebooks, calculators, etc.)
b. Children's wristwatches
c. Toys (stuffed animals, soccer balls, frisbees, etc.)

Capt Kasparian and his Marines are halfway through their deployment. If you'd like to send a care package to this group, e-mail me for an address.

Posted by Deb at 09:47 PM

June 04, 2005

The Better Beer Prayer

One of the first things that many Marines look forward to upon returning from deployment is celebrating their homecoming with a few cold beers. And, LtCmdr Phillip Lee who serves as Chaplain for the 8th Communication Battalion, currently deployed, understands that tending to the needs of his Marines sometimes covers subjects never addressed in divinity school . . . and that spirit-filled has more than one meaning:

I have been around Marines long enough to know Memorial Day was a challenge for many of you. A challenge because you were not able to share a beer with your buddies during a barbecue unofficially marking the beginning of summer. I have also heard many of you have discovered the "near-beer" (nonalcoholic beverages with beer-like flavor) available here doesn't quite measure up to. After PT in the hot sun or at the end of a hard work day, having a beer to relax probably sounds pretty good to many of you. I know some of you may lay awake at night dreaming about having a "cold one." Beer commercials on TV would be sheer torture to a few of you in your current mental state having been deprived of what you might Out of concern for your morale and well being as we enter into the hotter summer months, I wanted you to know I am praying for your emotional stamina and endurance. To represent my prayers for you, I have decided to reprint a prayer drafted about eight years ago at the request of a master sergeant in Yuma, Ariz. (another hot place).
I was on a short deployment with Marine Aircraft Group 41. I arrived on station a day before the main body as the advance party. The master sergeant in the group sounded off after I entered the room where they were celebrating their success of having everything ready. He said, "Chaplain, you know what we need is a better beer prayer."

He was half joking and probably trying to see how I would react. They do that sometimes, as many of you already know. We laughed and I replied, "That's a new request for me, master sergeant. Let me think about it and I will see what I can do." To be honest, my reply was about as serious as his initial request. In the next few days, I couldn't get his request out of my mind. So one night I took up my pen and wrote the following words:

Dear God, Maker of the heavens and the earth: We know you are the creator of all good things. For that reason we come now before you to ask for a better beer. We request it have a taste like unto the sweet nectars of the Garden of Eden. May the blend of its flavor pour gently over our tongues and satisfy not only the thirst of our mouths, but the longings of our souls.
Make this beer so good all who drink it will no longer drink the present beers which often lead people to bring injury to children, other drivers or themselves. Make it a beer that multiplies wisdom, instead of killing brain cells. Lord, you know we human beings really cannot afford to sacrifice many brain cells anyway.

Finally, Lord we ask this beer would be so good its consumption would never cause us to jeopardize or sacrifice our relationship with others or you. May the camaraderie generated by this beer make the celebrations and special occasions of our lives even more special by helping us to fully appreciate one of the most sacred dimensions of life-fellowship with our friends, loved ones and you.

Hear our prayer, oh Lord. Improve our lives with a better beer such as we have described and if you can think of any further improvements, by all means please act on our behalf.

By Your Leave, Sir
Written for U. S. Marines
Semper Fi

Since the first printing of this prayer I have kept my eyes open to see if such a beer has come into existence. I haven't seen it yet, but I am still hopeful. If nothing else has come from the master sergeant's request, may it be you find yourself thinking more carefully about the choices you make the next time you decide to celebrate.

The reprinting of this prayer is dedicated to all the master sergeants of 8th Communication Battalion because it was a master sergeant who first requested such spiritual support. (Ephesians 5:15-20)

Amen.

Posted by Deb at 01:42 AM | TrackBack

June 03, 2005

Memorial Day at Al Asad

Photo by Cpl. C. Alex Herron

Marines with the 6th ESB, currently deployed in the Al Anbar province of Iraq, took time on Memorial Day to honor one of their own - First Sgt. Michael S. Barnhill. He was killed on Saturday, May 28 by an IED explosion. Here are memories of 1st Sgt. Barnhill from his CO and the Marines he led, as reported by Cpl Herron:

Maj. Sean J. Riddell, 6th ESB, Alpha Company CO:
"Barnhill hated leaving the wire. But the only thing he hated worse was knowing his Marines were out there, and there was nothing he could do if something happened. World War II veterans define courage as being afraid, but going anyway. By that definition, Barnhill was a very courageous man. He hated leaving the wire, but he did it for the Marines. He was old enough to know he wouldn't live forever, but young enough to know he wanted to do a lot more with his life."

Sgt. Justin Babbit:
"He helped out his junior Marines even when he didn't have to. He was buoyant and loud. His personality was one of the defining personalities of our company. I had never met a bigger, tougher man who showed his love for his junior Marines."

Cpl. James Peterson
"My first meeting with [First Sgt. Barnhill] was at a company formation before the unit was to deploy in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. When he stood in front of me to ask me why my dog tag had not been placed in my left boot like he had instructed I responded that I was new and had not heard the order. Then he proceeded to explain why that was no excuse. His [Peterson's] noncommissioned officers should have passed the word. That is what he expected of them, to look after their junior Marines just like he did."

Lance Cpl. Jared Tjaden:
"He always found a way to make you laugh. He always made sure his Marines were taken care of."

1st Sgt. Barnhill was married to Joanna and leaves a legacy of three children, Michael, Michelle and Ashlee. He would have retired from the USMC in December. He will never be forgotten by the Marines with whom he served and the world is forever diminished by his death.

Posted by Deb at 02:14 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

June 01, 2005

Support our Severely Injured Troops

Major Steve Danyluk who is back from Iraq and now serving as a liaison with the Military Severely Injured Joint Support Operations Center in Arlington, VA, sends this update:

On June 3rd I will have an opening consisting of appx. 35 photographs that I took in Iraq at a Gallery in Fredericksburg, VA called "The Wounded Bookshop," (event poster attached). The portraits will be on display for the month of June and will be sold on "bidding" basis. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the "Fisher House" and the "Semper Fi Fund," two non-profits that are currently providing support to the wounded service-members from OIF/OEF and their families.
Locally, the Fisher House is providing accommodations to the families of wounded service members at their three houses on Walter Reed Army Medical Center, two homes on the Bethesda National Naval Medical Center and single home on Andrews AFB.

This is a private venture and is not being conducted in affiliation with any government/non-government agency. If you are able to stop by your support will be greatly appreciated, (even if you do not purchase anything).

S/F,

Maj Steve Danyluk
USMC LNO

Military Severely Injured Joint
Support Operations Center (MSIJSOC)
2107 Wilson Blvd
Arlington VA 22201
(703) 908-6276

Major Danyluk is a tireless supporter of services to Marines and other troops who are recovering from injuries incurred while defending our right to live freely. Please join him if you are able . . . and bring your checkbook.

Posted by Deb at 01:18 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack