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June 12, 2006



Semper Fidelis - LCpl Brent Zoucha

Major Brian Bresnahan, former Marine who served in Iraq and knew LCpl Brent Zoucha, contrasts the life and death of one of America's finest with one of the world's worst in a moving tribute posted to his blog, High Plains Patriot (reprinted below). It's worth noting that LCpl Zoucha was meritoriously promoted to his current rank in April for his performance during combat. He is a hero and will long be remembered for what he has contributed to this world.

By the time this gets published, the body of an American hero, Lance Corporal Brent Zoucha, United States Marine Corps, is on its way back to, if not already arrived at, the small town of Clarks, Nebraska. Brent's body is being escorted by another American hero, his brother, fellow Marine and friend, Corporal Dyrek Zoucha.

Brent left for boot camp June 12, 2005 and was killed in Iraq June 9, 2006.

Dyrek, already a veteran of multiple tours in Iraq, served alongside Brent in 1st Battalion, 7th Marines. In fact, Dyrek had requested and been granted a four month extension in the Marine Corps so he could serve with his brother when he learned Brent was headed to his battalion.

Now he's bringing his little brother home.

The emotions of Brent's death stand in stark contrast to the emotions I felt when I learned of Abu Musab al Zarqawi's death the day prior.

After my time in Iraq I view death differently than before. It is a much more emotional issue. Not that any particularly tragic or traumatic event caused a decrease to my threshold for which emotion about death is triggered. But rather, I believe it's born out of a much higher reverence and respect for life than before. One can easily gain an all new understanding of both the fragility and value of life after some time in Iraq.

So, I never thought I would ever rejoice in the actual death of anyone, until I heard of Abu Musab al Zarqawi's. I thought my emotions concerning death were always going to be of the kind I felt when I learned of Brent's passing. But, I found myself relieved and jubilant about Zarqawi's demise.

His death brought relief to the anger I had felt when trying to work with Iraqis who would no longer visit with me or would send someone in their stead to inform me they couldn't be seen with American's because they'd been taken away, threatened, and shown videos of people being "slaughtered." I don't remember the Arabic word used, but in our conversations, the word "beheaded" was always interpreted as "slaughtered."

Zarqawi's death closes the chapter on frustration many of us felt, knowing we had him trapped in Fallujah in the spring of 2004, when the assault to retake the city was called off for seemingly unknown reasons. This frustration had only grown when we learned that it was Zarqawi himself who had claimed personal responsibility for beheading Nick Berg shortly thereafter.

His death brings relief and elation. Not in the way we rejoice for those who pass away after fighting a long, painful bout with cancer and go to be with their Savior, but simple happiness because he'd been killed and that he reaped what he'd sown. I am happy for the families who lost loved ones at his hands. I am happy for those Iraqi friends who no longer have to fear the rabid bite of that evil being. I am joyful that piece of human debris no longer stalks this earth.

However, Brent's death brings both sorrow and pride.

I take solace in knowing he died doing what he chose to do, what he wanted to do, serving and protecting his fellow Americans, being a Marine. Although we mourn his loss and struggle to cope with his passing, we also understand and honor the meaning and impact his sacrifice has for all of us.

His life will be honored and remembered by those who knew him, loved him, and had the privilege to serve with him. He will always be remembered for what he did, not just because he died. His sacrifice and selflessness will be honored and remembered with each breath of freedom we enjoy.

Abu Musab al Zarqawi on the other hand, will only be remembered for the atrocities he committed, for his evil, for his complete disregard for human life, and the wake of destruction he left through the sea of Christian and Islamic humanity. We will only resurrect his memory from the trash heap of history's most disgusting and diabolical figures when we need to remind ourselves of just how evil men can be and the destruction they can produce when left unchecked.

Lance Corporal Brent Zoucha will be remembered for sacrificing all that he was and all that life had to offer a young man; voluntarily doing so for the freedom and safety of others. His memory and sacrifice will strengthen the bonds of brotherhood that hold Marines together and contribute to the mystique and ethos of "The Few, The Proud."

Some said that Zarqawi's death makes no difference. I agree, because his time here on earth was wasted on purely evil pursuits. Thus, in the end, he didn't make a difference. But during his short life, Lance Corporal Brent Zoucha did. He embodied Ronald Reagan's observation that "Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference. Marines don't have that problem." Brent's life and death made a difference.

Semper Fidelis, Lance Corporal Zoucha. God speed.


Posted by Deb at 09:27 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack



June 10, 2006



Andrew Walden on Haditha

Here's another analysis on Haditha from Andrew Walden, publisher of the Hawaii Reporter:

Eager to score points against President George W. Bush, US Representative John Murtha (D-PA) is calling the November 19 incident in Haditha "murder". He claims there is a "cover up." Over 40 news stories appeared Memorial Day weekend calling Haditha, "an atrocity" or "a massacre." Murtha says, Haditha "is worse than abu-Ghraib." Terrorist cheerleader and Cindy Sheehan associate Dahr Jamail is calling for the death penalty. The terror apologists of the Council on American Islamic Relations are calling for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to resign. Al-Qaeda terrorists from Zarqawi's group, Ansar al-Sunnah are circulating leaflets in Haditha congratulating "those who participated in exposing the dirty deeds of the Americans."

The liberal media is chiming in to make sure that Haditha is used to wear down support for our troops in Iraq - just as they did with abu-Ghraib. Peering through the media smokescreen few have noticed that all of the actual shooting eye-witnesses in the media's kangaroo court are local Iraqis - witnesses who are under constant threat from terrorists and whose motivations may be suspect. All the US witnesses currently quoted in the media saw events before or after the alleged shootings - but not the shootings themselves.

Walden then presents a compelling case that Haditha may be more than a misunderstanding - it may be an outright hoax, perpetuated by anti-war activists who are salivating over the prospect of an Iraqi MyLai, and draws some interesting parallels between Haditha and a similar case brought against British soldiers.

Read the rest here.

Posted by Deb at 11:39 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack



June 09, 2006



The Media on Haditha

For an excellent expository discourse on inconsistencies surrounding various media reports on Haditha, check out Riehl World View. It starts:

To keep this straight-forward, I'm taking this item by item. It proves there are false reports being told by some Iraqis as regards Haditha. Unfortunately, the AP and the MSM appear to be gleefully reporting them without checking their facts.

What follows is a series of conflicting media reports - quotes from Haditha residents that contain contradiction after contradiction. It's amazing that the newspapers, magazines, and television reports that continue to spread unverified accusations. It's well worth the time to read.

Thanks to Mudville Gazette for the link.

Posted by Deb at 07:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack





Rev. Christopher Price on Haditha

From a letter to the editor in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution by Christopher Price, senior minister at St. Luke's Presbyterian Church in Dunwoody GA:

On Jan. 2, my friend Ben Mathes and I left Atlanta for Haditha, Iraq.

Our destination was Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines for a rendezvous with Ben's son, Adam, then the executive officer of Kilo. Ben and I, both Presbyterian ministers, were serving as embedded reporters for a radio station out of Sacramento, Calif.

It took six days of Army and Marine checks and procedures, armored convoys and helicopter rides, to get to Haditha. Once there, we spent 10 days with Kilo Company at the headquarters they called Firm Base Sparta (an abandoned, now heavily fortified, schoolhouse), sharing their food, their quarters, and going on six combat patrols, four during daylight and two at night.

We would faithfully call in our radio reports, and then hang out with the Marines in front of the sheet metal fireplace they had constructed. The weather was cold. From the first patrol to the last, I was amazed at the relationship that existed between the Marines and the citizens of the town.

Local relations
Haditha is a tough place. Located on the Euphrates River, for the past three years it has been part of an insurgent infiltration pathway that begins at Qaim on the Syrian border and follows the Euphrates through Haditha, past Ramadi and then to Baghdad. But Kilo Company had greatly pacified the town the September before we arrived. Shops were reopening, and the relationship with Haditha seemed based on mutual respect and even at times affection as the Marines on patrol chatted up store owners. And we were invited into homes and served local bread and chai.

Children seemed taken with us, and the Marines enthusiastically played with them at every chance, sharing candy, giving piggyback rides and generally horsing around the way American soldiers have probably done in every war. We heard about the events of a few weeks earlier, of course, when an improvised explosive device destroyed a Humvee, killing Marine Lance Cpl. Miguel "T.J." Terrazas and wounding two others.

We knew there had been a Marine response following the explosion. We just didn't know what to make of it at the time, and there was nothing I picked up in the interaction between Kilo and the town that portrayed any bad feeling.

Now the world knows that civilian reports indicate some of these Marines may have gone too far in response and that investigations are under way.

Capt. Luke McConnell, a competent and respected officer who became a friend, has been relieved of command and let go from the Marine Corps. So has Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, the 3rd Battalion commander, whom we met during our stay.

No one condones the shooting of innocent people, and if, I repeat if, that is what happened, the Marine Corps should take whatever methods are deemed proper to punish the guilty and protect the Marine Corps' integrity.

But it is a concern when some politicians and journalists seem to have already judged and condemned these young men before the investigation is complete.

Await the truth
U.S. Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), an opponent of the war, has even gone so far as to assign a motive --- "tremendous pressure" --- to the events, a kind of all-purpose acknowledgment of the perennial conditions of war, which neither exonerates those involved nor illumines much about the situation.

Of course there is pressure. Any vehicle you walk by, any change in contour in the earth can harbor an explosive device. It is constantly on your mind. But these young men behaved splendidly.

Several times, I saw individuals move ahead to check out an abandoned vehicle, willing to take the explosion themselves for the sake of their comrades. There was no panic, no overt fear, just trained and measured professionalism of the highest caliber that reflected well on the tradition of the Marines.

Articles and newscasts on the Haditha incident - and Murtha's comments - tend to paint a picture of trigger-happy Marines on a tirade, worn down by responsibility, angry and contemptuous of the local population. That image couldn't be more different from what we saw while in Haditha.

These were young men living in primitive conditions, but alive to the changes they hoped to bring to Iraq. More than once when we asked them about their mission there, we heard the phrase in one form or another, "I want to be a part of something good. I want to help these people toward freedom." If it sounds corny here, in Haditha it made your heart glow.

Before anyone rushes to judgment - especially politicians - condemning them or any military people for crimes against humanity, let's allow the investigators to have their time. Then, whatever their report, let's remember that only a few were involved in whatever happened Nov. 19, 2005.

If the allegations are true, they allowed the deep comradeship and affection of brothers-in-arms to morph into something blind and unthinking that should have been checked by their training.

It is a sad story all around, made sadder by the lives, both American and Iraqi, lost already and by the possibility of young lives still to face long punishment.

If Iraq comes through all this - I hope (as was said in "Saving Private Ryan") that they "earn it" nobly and proudly and stand for generations as a bastion of freedom in that part of the world - then that freedom, as always, will have been bought with a terrible price.

Posted by Deb at 06:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack



June 08, 2006



al-Zarqawi killed by U.S. Special Forces

CNN report:

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the most wanted insurgent in Iraq, is dead, according to an aide to Iraq's prime minister.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki was expected to make a public announcement of the death, the details of which are unclear.

Two Pentagon officials told CNN that the government is awaiting al-Maliki's announcement in Baghdad before commenting on the report officially.

One official says the Pentagon is not sure of how the death was confirmed and that there might need to be "additional forensics" done before they can be fully confident the terrorist leader is dead.

Officials could provide no further details at this time.

This should put some serious hurt on what remains of the insurgency.

Posted by Deb at 01:11 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack



June 07, 2006



A military officer on Haditha

In yesterday's Opinion Journal, a military officer deployed in Iraq sent the following e-mail. He's active duty and so his request that his name not be published is understandable. But his opinion is valid and relevant:

I am currently stationed here in Iraq and have been here for the past 11 months; I am an adviser to the Iraqis and meet them on a daily basis. I have been in many locations in the country and am involved on a daily basis together with the Iraqis fighting the insurgency.

The media manipulation by the insurgents is brilliant and extremely effective. The press has become a puppet for the insurgents; the insurgents know exactly what they are doing with these "massacres" (quoted here because the investigation has not been completed, nor have any charges been filed) and the political nightmare they will cause the current administration. Bodies are produced for film, and there is zero fact-checking by the media--the media eat up this "news" like there is no tomorrow. A couple of hundred bucks paid by the insurgents to a few guys/ladies in the town where this "massacre" occurred to make up some bad news and pine for the BBC's or CBS's or whoever's cameras is a nice month's salary for many and money well spent by the insurgency.

All the Arabs (Sunni and Shia), Kurds and Chaldeans I have come to know well here will tell you that Arabs are emotional people who tend to exaggerate. A lot. Experience has shown that "50 insurgents hiding out in XX location" is five, at most 10. "Three hundred dead" at the morgue is at most 40. "A huge cache with WMD" is 45-50 weapons. It is a cultural norm and is accepted over here as a norm. It is reported in the West as fact. With no fact-checking.

When we convoy, all in the town/village know when and where there is a bomb/IED/VBIED that is targeting coalition forces. This is not so true in Baghdad, but in the outlying towns all know. What is the culpability for those people in the village/town? Would the Marines be guilty in the U.S. under the same circumstances?

I do not know whether or not the Marines are guilty. A Marine's job is to "close with and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver," and I can guarantee its effectiveness. But the insurgents have the ear of the press. Hopefully the politics will be put aside for the investigation and the facts will be told, whatever they may be.

His comment about townspeople knowing when and where bombs and IEDs are planted is key. Marines have told me that when they roll down a street and there are no children playing outside, it's a sign that something bad is about to happen. And while many Iraqis actively cooperate with our troops and alert them to the presence of arms caches and hidden bombs, some do not. In a CNN interview broadcast Wednesday, Safa Younis - who says eight members of her family were killed by U.S. troops - recalled that she was getting ready for school as the Marine Humvee approached.

IMAN (ph) (through translator): I was planning to go to school. I was about to get out of bed. I knew the bomb would explode, so I covered my ears. The bomb exploded. The bomb struck an armored vehicle. I don't know if it was a humvee or an armored vehicle. When the bomb exploded, they came straight to our house.

CHILCOTE: The question is, was her expectation of the explosion a premonition? A fear based on the sound of the passing convoy? Or was it based on some knowledge? The interviewer does not follow up and says the 9-year-old got confused and got her story mixed up.

Odds are, it was based on "some knowledge". If she heard the convoy approaching and covered her ears, there's probably a very good reason for doing so. I have great sympathy for the children in those situations. But my heart breaks for Marines who are defending themselves from career-ending criminal charges from "emotional people who tend to exaggerate". The final report has not yet been issued , court martials have not been scheduled, and the news reports are written as if the verdict has been given and we are waiting for sentencing.

Posted by Deb at 09:31 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack



June 06, 2006



Michael Yon on Haditha

Michael Yon, a gifted writer and former Green Beret, has posted an excellent perspective on Haditha. Embedded with a number of military units in Iraq, he understands both the horrors of war and why media coverage of the circumstances surrounding the civilian deaths is culpable.

Few people know what happened last November in Haditha. I first learned heard about it when the Associated Press called to ask if I was present. The answer was "no." But I do know how our troops typically act on counterinsurgency missions, how surprisingly honest they can be about mistakes they make in the field, and the lengths to which they go to avoid collateral civilian injuries when on patrol and conducting raids and ambushes. I also know about being on the business end of an accusatory finger, after having been wrongly accused of murder. I never denied the fistfight or that a man had died as a result. I admitted to it, but no murder was committed. I was nineteen at the time, and in the Army. That was an acute lesson on how bad press can chart a legal trajectory.

Michael makes a number of points, supported by experience, regarding what can happen during the heat of battle and afterwards. His first point is well stated:

In the matter of Haditha, what we do know is that an investigation is underway. The results of that investigation have not been issued publicly and it is uncertain whether those results will include criminal charges. Because we have one of the only militaries on earth that actually investigates its own troops so openly, at the end of the day, we can and do hold our people to very high standards. Granted, in this case, apparently it took a media pry-bar to crack the lid, but we also have one of the only militaries in the world where a writer - even one who is flagrantly anti-military - can embed with combat troops.


Read the rest here.

Posted by Deb at 01:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack





The Battle of Belleau Wood

88 years ago today, the Battle of Belleau Wood took place in the forests and fields 50 miles southeast of Paris. Legendary tales of courage and heroism came out of that battle - here is a story by David Josar from the 5/24/01 Stars and Stripes that chronicles the return of modern day Marines to Belleau Wood. This time, they came to pay their respects to the warriors who fought and died that day:

The morning sun grew hot and sounds of cows were heard across the field Saturday as the group of Marines listened to the details of the famous battle that occurred here in 1918. On these wooded hills and rolling fields, more Marines would lose their lives in any single day of battle than on any other to date. Still, many believe the battle at Belleau Wood was the turning point for the Allies during World War. For the U.S. Marine Corps, however, this was the battle that proved their mettle to themselves and the world, and in the process garnered them the nickname "Devil Dogs." Their mascot, the bulldog, came from a town fountain.

"Every Marine should come here," said Maj. James Bell, the force protection officer for U.S. Marine Forces Europe. "This is what it's all about."

Bell was one of about 60 Marines and their families from Europe who toured the battle site -about 50 miles east of Paris - on Saturday. A contingent of six Marines from the 6th Regiment at Camp Lejeune, N.C., which fought in 1918, also attended and will be part of the Memorial Day ceremony Sunday at nearby Aisne-Marne Cemetery. William Anderson, a retired Marine colonel who now works for SHAPE in Brussels, guided the daylong expedition through the hills, dirt roads, fields and ravines.

"There was no lack of heroism," said Anderson, who has been leading the annual Memorial Day weekend tour since 1996. "There was lack of communication, confusion, but the Marines didn't give up." The battle began June 1 and ended June 26 when the Marines gained control of roughly 20 acres of woods and field. At the time, the Germans were trying to force the British and French west to the Atlantic Coast and capture France. Until that point, the Marines had been sparingly used by Allied and U.S. leaders because they were unsure what the unit could do. When the Marines entered the area they had little food, and water was scarce. They wore heavy woolen uniforms and communications between units was poor and confusing. Still, during a series of attacks and counterattacks in the wood and nearby villages, the Americans prevailed. Expert marksmen surprised German foes, hitting their targets from hundreds of yards away. Individual Marines charged German machine gun nests. When officers fell, sergeants took the lead. When sergeants fell, corporals led the way. On June 6, when the Marines took a crucial hill, they also suffered the greatest number of casuallies in Marine history when 1,087 men were either killed or wounded. By the end of the fighting 700 Americans had died.

Staff Sgt. Thomas Devine, assigned to Marine Forces Europe in Stuttgart, brought his wife, Pamela, a former Marine, and their 3-year-old son.

"You always hear about it and you want to see it," said Devine.

He had seen the battlefields in Okinawa, Japan, which were mostly jungle, but said the fields and lack of cover of the Belleau Wood battle surprised him. "Everything is so open. There were few places to hide," he said. Marine Sgt. Andrea Austin from Stuttgart said she joined the tour because she wanted to witness firsthand the place where the Marines began to build their reputation.

"I know I'm hot and I can only imagine what they went through with their heavy uniforms, ammo and weapons," said Austin, who has been a Marine for seven years. She first heard of the fighting at Belleau Wood in boot camp when it was used to explain how the Marines got the nickname "Devil Dogs," which was coined by the German soldiers on the losing end of the battle.

"I know the forces have changed through the time, but I think if I were there now," Austin said, "I know I'd be there hooking and jabbing just like the rest."


Posted by Deb at 11:47 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack





How anti-war demonstrations hurt the troops

Currently deployed in Iraq, USMC Cpl. Anthony Ippoliti sent this letter to his hometown paper, The Ridgefield Press.

I am fortunate enough to receive The Ridgefield Press every few weeks and enjoy keeping abreast of the local issues currently pressing in our small town. I am a U.S. Marine Infantryman currently serving in Fallujah, Iraq, and my mother usually includes The Press in the many care packages she sends me. Since we have very limited access to telephones, The Ridgefield Press is the primary means by which I receive local news.

Almost every week, I open The Press and find an article or letter to the editors denouncing the coalition effort in Iraq. Invariably, the individuals behind these anti-war letters and rallies mask their political agendas by asserting that they "support the troops but not the war." People like Vince Giordano, Paul Sutherland and Anne Stubbs are pictured in the April 13 edition of The Press carrying a yellow-ribboned coffin and signs that say “Bring Them Home Now." They read off the names of the dead and claim to "show support for our troops" while urging lawmakers to “bring them home.��? They believe that the U.S.-led coalition should never have entered Iraq and that the current effort is a never-ending quagmire that has made no progress. They believe that things are progressively getting worse and think that our forces should just pick up and leave.

They do all this under the pretense that they are supporting the troops. However, what they are really doing is using our lives and the issue of our safety and well-being as a means to achieve a political end.

***

My primary concern is the assertion that these individuals support the troops in Iraq but not our mission. It boggles my mind that this logic is actually utilized on a large scale.

Supporting the troops but not the war is like saying that you support filmmakers but not making films. One cannot claim to support an individual in a given profession but not support what the said profession entails. This is essentially a slap in the face to those in the service.

How protesting the job we are doing in Iraq while demanding our withdrawal constitutes supporting us is beyond me.

Furthermore, I am particularly interested in how these people support us, specifically. I have never once received a letter from an individual who claims to "support the troops, not the war." Not a single Marine I know has received anything that could be considered remotely supportive from any of these people or the groups they represent. We have received phone cards, hygiene supplies, food, etc. from members of state and local government, radio stations, schools, private individuals and organizations, but never once from any group claiming to "support the troops, but not the war."

I ask again: How can these groups claim to support our troops while telling us that what we are participating in is wrong?

How can they support us if they are essentially saying that our blood and sacrifices have all been given in vain?
How can they support us if they say that our comrades and brothers who have been wounded or killed in action have done so for a hopeless and morally questionable cause?

* * *

I reply to the questions I pose with a simple answer: They can't. As a matter of fact, I assert with a considerable degree of confidence that their efforts make our already difficult job even more difficult. I'll go so far as to say that their rallies and protests cost more and more servicemen their lives and limbs every day.

I support my assertion with evidence gathered first hand. I see the Iraqi people every day. The protesters do not. I speak with the Iraqi people every day. The protesters do not. I don't sit behind a desk and do paperwork or resupply efforts in the military. I am an Infantry Marine and I walk the sewage-filled streets of this city every single day.

In Fallujah, the people watch Al Jazeerah. However, they also watch CNN. A lot of them fear that the United States will soon cut and run. The people of Iraq see when our country is divided. When they see rallies to "Bring The Troops Home," they see that as a sign that we will end our efforts prematurely.

Furthermore, they know that the insurgents will not end their efforts early. That leads them to the conclusion that when we leave, the insurgents will still be there. Therefore, if they help us, their lives and the lives of their loved ones will be in great jeopardy the minute we leave - if we don't finish the job.

Much that they see on American television leads them to believe that we intend to abandon our efforts before the new Iraqi government is capable of defending itself and its citizens.

* * *

The actions of these aforementioned organizations and the heavy media coverage their rallies often generate serves as fuel for the insurgency. Insurgents believe they can drive us out through the idea of "death by a thousand cuts." The longer they persist in their efforts, the more the American public becomes disenchanted with the coalition effort.

The insurgency sees this as a result. These criminals will continue to kill Iraqi civilians, Iraqi Police, Iraqi Army and coalition forces so long as they see that their efforts are alienating the American public from its military.

And for those of you that aren't up to speed with the situation in Iraq, the insurgents attack and kill established public services (such as Iraqi police and Iraqi army) more often than they attack coalition forces. As a matter of fact, an explosive-laden insurgent blew himself up last week outside the Iraqi police station that is attached to our compound.

The insurgents aren't fighting simply to drive America out of Iraq. They are fighting to destroy any semblance of the Iraqi government so that they can impose their will on its people.

Publicly protesting our efforts in Iraq fuels the insurgency. Doing it under the pretext of "supporting our troops" is disgraceful.

* * *

Let me now emphasize that I respect an American citizen's right to voice his or her opinion in a public forum. Such a right is granted in the U.S. Constitution.

However, voicing one's opinion in such an irresponsible way is something I do not support. Additionally, using deployed service members as a mask to serve your purely political purpose is downright shameful. If your desire is to protest the war, then protest the war, but don't use me or any reference to our troops as a tool to bolster your purpose.

I'll summarize by saying this: Organizations such as The Ridgefield Coalition to Stop the War do not support our troops. No matter what they say or what is printed on the signs they carry, they effectively do the opposite of support us. They downright hurt us.

Such organizations damage the morale of the men and women in the armed forces and progressively cause them to believe less and less in the mission at hand. The conditions here are difficult as it is. Opening a month-old edition of The Ridgefield Press and reading an article about an anti-war demonstration that uses our troops in an effort to mask its true cause doesn't help.

Please do not feign support while effectively telling us that we are fighting for an unworthy cause. I think I speak for an overwhelming majority of our troops when I ask organizations like The Ridgefield Coalition to Stop the War to discontinue using Marines, soldiers, airmen and sailors as a means to serve a political end.

You are neither supporting us nor honoring us. You are doing the exact opposite.

Well spoken. I hope it strikes at a few consciences. And, thanks to Jarhead Dad for sending it along.

Posted by Deb at 10:18 AM | Comments (1)



June 05, 2006



Michael Reagan on Haditha

A snippet here, but do visit his site to read the rest:

If you pay close attention to the media firestorm over the incident in Haditha, you'll discover constant references to the war in Vietnam in general and My Lai in particular.

That's no accident. The crazed American left in and out of the media is trying to accomplish in Iraq what they accomplished in Vietnam - a shameful American defeat wrested from the jaws of victory.

Make no mistake about it, these traitorous anti-war zealots are salivating over the possibility that they can exploit whatever happened in Haditha last November just as they exploited the My Lai massacre and thousands of G.I. deaths in Vietnam.

Visiting a few left-leaning sites confirms that Haditha has become the latest rallying cry for the anti-Iraqi freedom crowd. I'm still crossing my fingers and praying that the final report will clear the suspicion placed upon this proud unit. Until the final report is out,and Maines are either cleared or charged, better to sit back, take a deep breath, and resist the urge to predict the worst.

Posted by Deb at 02:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack





Letter from Iraq

It's always a treat to get a letter from Iraq. My son has never enjoyed writing but there is little alternative - his platoon is at a location with no internet and only one satellite phone. Here are a couple of snippets from the letter I received over the weekend - first I got scolded for my description of Memorial Day camping, then he described his current living space:

It's funny to hear you complaining about a tent. Could be worse - you could have to carry it all on your back, LOL. Camping is fun. First off, you have a tent, then beer, and real food, not to mention a truck and the scenery in Oregon. I think a trip to Diamond Lake will be in order when I get back. Maybe I'll have a bike too and John and me can go for a ride and you can take the truck.

That works for me. And I do admit that even a tent sounds better than this:

This place sucks. The walls are made of dirt so there is mold growing on them. No AC and 100+ degree weather. It makes for an interesting smell.

Could you send me another head lamp? Someone acquired my last one. Hey, we have a 16 yr old Iraqi kid as our intrpreter. He goes on most patrols and is basically a part of the platoon. He would give just about anything to go to the U.S. and join the Marines. Maybe your friends could send him some packages - he's a good kid.

I sent a Motomail, asking for clothing and shoe size, as well as family information. If anyone is interested in sending a care package to this Iraqi teen, let me know.

Posted by Deb at 11:40 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack



June 04, 2006



On Haditha

Like most Marine parents, I've followed the headline news on Haditha with a range of emotions. Anger at Congressman Murtha's pre-investigation conclusion - without reading the preliminary report - that Marines "killed innocent civilians in cold blood". Disgust at the breathless media reports of a "massacre" and the inevitable comparisons to My Lai. Disbelief that such a horrible tragedy could possibly take place as reported. If things are as reported, the Marine Corps will deal with those involved. The key word is "if".

There will be more to this story. I pray that the early reports are flawed and that the Marines who were on patrol that day will be cleared, just as the inquiry into the Ishaqi incident revealed no wrongdoing on the part of our troops. And once again, faced with headline after negative headline of alleged atrocities, I wonder where the balance is. Where the context is. Where are the reports of Marines and soldiers who perform heroically, who put their lives in between the wicked and the innocent, and whose work is made that much harder by the unrelenting negativity from mainstream media. Marine Dad Frank Schaeffer points out the marked discrepancy:

The New York Times (May 31, 2006) printed its third in-depth story about a Marine squad accused of butchering civilians, falsifying subsequent reports and perpetuating a cover up. The information reported by the Times was based on the military's own investigation. The Times has given the story prominence by placing it in the top left-hand column of the front-page three times in a week.
If the "chattering classes" ever wonder why those of us in the military family sometimes bitterly resent the media they need look no further than this story. Those who are not in the military family may be surprised to learn that what we resent (speaking for myself anyway), is not the airing of honest facts that make the military look bad but rather what is not reported.
As an avid reader of the Times, what bothers me is that I've never seen even one recent story dedicated to the heroism of our troops given such prominence. Nor have I read a front-page headline about any medal award ceremony and the story behind it. Sure I've read the sympathetic accounts of loss and victimhood of military men, women and their families but not stories about heroic acts as worthy of attention in and of themselves. If there is such a thing as "anti-military media bias" it is not in how stories are reported. It is in what stories are ignored.
Who decided that acts of heroism no longer merit front-page treatment? In WWII they got front-page attention. It is as if the arts section never printed a positive review of a movie or play, or if the "sympathy" always came in the form of cautionary tales about how hard the life of actors is and the risks attendant on appearing in plays. It would make you wonder if the paper hated plays and movies per se.
Unless helped by their media, how can the nonmilitary reader of our best newspapers gain true insight into what sort of persons are wearing the uniform when--these days--so few members of our most influential readership personally know anyone in the military? The prominence of stories about military malfeasance absent stories on heroism creates an altogether out-of-whack impression.
When it comes to reporting on the military, it is as if we were back in the 1950s and the only time you saw a story on an African-American is when he or she committed a crime or was portrayed with condescension as a victim. Balance is finally more informative. Readers who are regularly informed about how heroic our Marines and other troops are most of the time would be more deeply shocked by a story about what appears to be a gross failure, far more shocked than if they believe that: "They're all like that." They are not.
What I would like to see is a rethinking of what is considered "news" when it comes to reporting the military. I don't want fewer stories about military failures. I want more stories about men and women who bring nobility and virtue to the grim and unlovely task of war.
For instance where is the front-page above-the-fold headline about Staff Sergeant Anthony L. Viggianni? He is one of the recently distinguished heroes of the Marine Corps, awarded the Navy Cross--the second-highest military award--on the parade deck of Parris Island on February 24, 2006. Was a Times reporter sent to Parris Island to cover the ceremony? If not, why not? Reporters cover literary awards, humanitarian awards and entertainment awards ad nauseam. We know why Jack Nicholson won his Oscar and for what movie and what he had for breakfast.
Who's values dictate that a Navy Cross is less important than, say, a Pulitzer, Oscar or Penn award? Why is nobility in the face of adversity less of a story than what Ms. Hilton wore to an MTV dinner? SSgt. Viggianni was awarded his Navy Cross for his actions in Afghanistan in June of 2004. He had been fighting Taliban and al Qaeda remnants that were killing teachers and burning down girl's schools. Viggianni led his men in combat after being wounded. He chased down and killed and captured our enemies. He humanely tended to those wounded enemies he had been fighting moments before. He led his men to safety and honor. He led from the front. He did this for you and me whomever we voted for in the last presidential election.
There is nothing particularly enlightening or informative about "exposing" the military's own internal investigation of its failings if editors at our best papers ignore the individual acts of heroism that balance this grim picture. And there is no harm in being as proud of our heroes as we are disappointed and saddened by those who dishonor us. To help put the Haditha killings in context let's remember that even in "good wars" things go horribly wrong. These quotes from "Naples '44," by the late Norman Lewis (perhaps the greatest English travel writer of the last century) are instructive. Lewis was stationed in Naples following Italy's liberation from the Nazis and he kept a diary.
"What we saw was ineptitude and cowardice spreading down from the command, and this resulted in chaos...

"I saw an ugly sight: a British officer interrogating a civilian, and repeatedly hitting him about the head with the chair; treatment which the [civilian], his face a mask of blood, suffered with stoicism. At the end of the interrogation, which had not been considered successful, the officer called on a private and asked him in a pleasant, conversational sort of manner, 'Would you like to take this man away, and shoot him?' The private's reply was to spit on his hands, and say, 'I don't mind if I do, sir.'


"I received confirmation... that American combat units were ordered by their officers to beat to death [those] who attempted to surrender to them. These men seem very naïve and childlike, but some of them are beginning to question the ethics of this order.


"We liberated them from the Fascist Monster. And what is the prize? The rebirth of democracy. The glorious prospect of being able one day to choose their rulers from a list of powerful men, most of whose corruptions are generally known and accepted with weary resignation. The days of Mussolini must seem like a lost paradise compared to us."


If Lewis' account was the only surviving document from World War II we might assume allied nation-building ended in catastrophe. We would wonder why a morally outraged peace movement didn't stop our troops from carrying out their failed and brutal campaigns.


Sixty years later and caught up in another war we are confronted by the massacre in Haditha. And we are also caught up in the anguish of another generation of young men and women asked to kill but to keep killing within "civilized" bounds, to take insults, be fired upon by men hiding behind women and children-as a matter of self-proclaimed tactics-yet not respond in kind.


To most American readers these days this is an academic question of morality, or I-told-you-so politics. To those of us in the military family Haditha is personal. All our troops confront the tortured "morality" of war. My son wrote this from his first combat tour in Afghanistan, a letter I included in my book "Faith Of Our Sons-A Father's Wartime Diary."


"Date: 9/25/03 8:27:01 PM

Dear Mom and Dad: I have learned that the right thing and the necessary thing are not synonymous, rarely are they even in the same ballpark. It's very depressing to see the results of some necessary actions, it's never pure, and there is no purity here...


"People ignore what they cannot see. They just don't want to know. The truth is too ugly and vicious to comprehend...


"In a natural state a human will kill, and kill not always for necessity, but for convenience as well. The only way that I know I am still me is that I hate that fact; I hate it more than anything I have ever known."

I think Lewis would have understood my son's distress. Perhaps he would have also understood my tears when confronting a son's loss of innocence. Yet I am proud my son volunteered. And he is glad he served his country. And I wish all Americans had a gut connection to the troops so they would know that people like my son don't kill civilians, and anguish over the vicissitudes of war. And I also wish more people read books like "Naples 44" to give them some sense of perspective when terrible things do happen in Iraq and Afghanistan.


Judging by Lewis' diary--and many other accounts--the so-called greatest generation of WWII was often badly led and worse behaved, and was certainly less merciful than our present-day soldiers and their leaders. We haven't carpet bomb Baghdad or nuked Fallujah to spare the lives of our troops. Yet most Americans are glad we forced Italy, Germany and Japan to become democracies however brutal our means.


The flag-waving boosters of our current war and their critics all seem to forget that war really is hell. Proponents sweep the inconvenient dreadfulness under the carpet (no photographs of coffins please!) while opponents are shocked, just shocked, at the nastiness. All sides seem to forget that there are no good wars, only morally ambiguous conflicts that agonizingly lead to better or worse outcomes.


Bereft of historical perspective our expectations of what wartime "success" might look like, or what "failure" might be in Iraq, Afghanistan and the so-called war on terror, seem mostly based on politics and emotion. And we do not have enough political leaders and opinion-makers receiving soul-searing letters from their children. Their sons and daughters are notably absent from our military. That's too bad.


A personal connection to our wars might discourage the sort glib hubris that leads the media to trumpet events like the Haditha killings without putting them in the context of the everyday heroism that is the norm, or the context of history. And a personal connection to our military by our political leaders would give them a stake in our troop's welfare and what we are asking them to do.


It's time to read more history. And it's time for those who support the war in Iraq to encourage their children to volunteer. And it's time for the critics of our military to also earn a little moral authority by volunteering themselves or encouraging their children to do so. Anything less is nothing more than arm's-length moralizing.

Sometimes, mistakes happen and they are tragic and regrettable. We have the luxury of an academic debate here at home, about rules of engagement and what could have and should have happened. But decisions are made in the heat of the moment when explosions are going off, ears are ringing from the attack, and bullets are flying through the smoke, when our troops - teens and young adults - are trying to determine the direction of the enemy and the strength of the attack and who is friendly and who is not and who is civilian - the phrase "fog of war" is abstract here but reality there. When bad things happen, we have an obligation to investigate to make sure that we can prevent similar things in the future. That has happened, over and over again. It happened at Al Ghraib where soldiers were held accountable for their actions, in Fallujah where charges were dropped against a Marine who had been crucified in the press, and it's happening now in Haditha. Let the process work and the investigation conclude before passing judgement.

So, what to say to Congressman Murtha and others who have read the Time report and concluded that our Marines are "cold blooded killers"? W. Thomas Smith, writing at National Review, has an answer:

On the contrary: It is because of the nature of their work-usually performed under extreme stress and fatigue-that Marines truly have to be some of the most moral men on the planet if they are going to be effective warriors. That doesn't mean they are flawless.

"[A Marine] lives on the razor's edge of fury and retribution, along with disgust for what he sees, i.e., how the enemy treats their own people," Col. Ripley [USMC Ret.] says. "He is gripped with emotion when he sees children, many the same ages as his own brothers and sisters, and especially when he sees the mothers trying to protect them from the line of fire. He will put himself in great danger, exposing himself to that same fire just in an attempt to remove non-combatants from this danger."

He adds, "a Marine is disgusted when he sees how the enemy treat their own people by putting them in situations where they will assuredly become casualties, for the obvious reason that they can blame it on the Americans."

So it would be unfair and foolish to pass judgment on these Marines, without first finding what exactly happened at Haditha.

Amen.

Posted by Deb at 02:59 AM | Comments (1)



June 03, 2006



Rumsfeld on America: "a nation born of ideas and raised on improbability"

From a commencement speech given by Secretary of Defense, Don Rumsfeld, at the Air Force Academy on May 31:

Today, our country faces threats unlike any we have known. Violent extremists are trying to terrorize and intimidate free people into submitting to their will. Their war is more than a contest between opposing sides or societies. These extremists are waging a war against society itself. They have in mind only two outcomes - to control us or destroy us.

Let me say just a word or two about this moment in history and your role in it.

Just before Christmas in 2001, I traveled to Afghanistan and the neighboring countries. I visited with a group of special operations forces that were operating in truly remarkable ways. In preparation for performing a mission the month before, they had asked for the usual supplies, but one item stood out. They asked for horse feed.

From the moment they landed in Afghanistan, our forces began adapting to the circumstances on the ground, as they had to. And they ended up riding horses that had been conditioned to run through machine gun fire. They used pack-mules to transport equipment across some of the roughest terrain in the world, riding in darkness, and along narrow trails with sheer drops.

Some of those forces operating in Afghanistan were combat controllers from the U.S. Air Force. And those Airmen likely thought they would have sooner found themselves riding jet aircraft rather than horses, but they joined the American tradition of daring and ingenuity that has defined Airmen for generations.

Shortly after Pearl Harbor, aircrews from what was then the Army Air Forces replied with a stunning bombing raid on Tokyo that was led, as was mentioned by Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle. Like the three individuals who were just introduced, I've been around so long that I actually knew Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle, and I am sure that when he began flying, he never imagined he would be taking a land-based aircraft off the deck of an aircraft carrier. But he and his Raiders, the three men here today, were determined to accomplish their mission -- no matter what the odds.

And I remember as a boy the electrifying emotion in our country when we learned what that small band of airmen had done what they had done. They inspired our country. They gave the American people the strength to persevere on behalf of human freedom.

That is the force you join today. A force where the improbable can become the norm. Where individuals are dedicated to securing our liberties, no matter the circumstances -- no matter the odds.

Much of their success stems from the fact that we are a nation of optimists -- a country that forged freedom out of a frontier -- a country where our only limits are self-imposed.

Of necessity, new ideas are replacing outdated notions. And when that happens, there's resistance, always.

I remember during my first tour as Secretary of Defense in the mid-1970's, controversy engulfed the B-1 program. I actually approved the B-1 bomber back in the mid-1970's, and then it was cancelled by the next administration, but it was revived by the administration after that.

And interestingly, during the first months of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001, that platform -- the B-1B -- that I had approved in 1976, and was designed for Cold War nuclear strikes -- dropped 40% of the weapons and 70% of the precision munitions that helped to defeat the Taliban and the al Qaeda in Afghanistan 25 years later.

The process of transforming a big institution is an enormous challenge. But revolutions have always been challenged and resisted. It's a fact that many folks fought when people tried to end the horse cavalry. And I should add, here at the Air Force Academy, there were doubters who objected to the concept of a separate air service -- the service that today we call the United States Air Force.

Your challenge will be to go beyond simply a change of a process here or of a piece of equipment there. Our country did not survive and become great through timid responses or aversion to risk. Ours is a nation born of ideas and raised on improbability. Your charge will be to challenge inherited assumptions, and cherished habits, and seek out better approaches. I urge you to make that the bedrock of your career.

That is the spirit that made heroes of the Doolittle Raiders, that same talent for innovation that those Americans on horseback used in Afghanistan, and I might add, that same determination that lives in the lives of many of your fellow Airmen today, including a leader who was at my side during two wars at a pivotal time in our history, the now-retired Air Force General Richard Myers, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

As each of you carry on their tradition -- when barriers seem too difficult to surmount -- remember that Americans have a long history of overcoming adversity. Ours is a nation that somehow:


  • Molded Founding Fathers out of farmers and shopkeepers; and
  • Pierced an Iron Curtain and helped bring down an evil empire.

I remember in my senior year in college, that was a long time ago, that was 1954, 52 years ago - our country faced many challenges. It was a time when the hardships of the Great Depression of the 1930's were still clear in our minds, when the experiences of World War II and the Korean War were still fresh. It was the dawn of the Cold War with the Soviet Union, and of the nuclear era.

A former Governor of my home state of Illinois - had been the defeated Democratic candidate for president against General Eisenhower. He spoke to my senior class, and he spoke about the difficult world we would inherit. His remarks could have been grim, they could have been pessimistic about our circumstance, but they were not. They were filled with hope. They were filled with promise.

Among the things he said to us:

"You live in a time of historic change and of infinite difficulty. But do not let the difficulties distract you. Face the problems of your time, you must. Deal with them, you must ... [Dare] to live your lives fully, boldly. Dare to study and to learn, to cultivate the mind and the spirit."

Most would prefer to live when times are calm -- when we might all peacefully go about our lives. But it is in the difficult times -- when the tasks taken on, and the challenges overcome, have the greatest significance.

Each of you have stepped forward to meet a dangerous threat. You have volunteered to stand on the front lines of freedom's defense. Your decision will help decide the fate of millions of human beings across the globe. And as Adlai Stevenson said to my senior class:

"[You] dare not... withhold your attention. For if you... do not participate to the fullest...of [your] ability, America will stumble, and if America stumbles the world [could] fall[s]."

That is an enormous responsibility. And each of you have seized it. And yours is a truly noble calling.

In this "long war," American forces have accomplished what few have before -- indeed, what few have ever even tried before. Our country has sent its finest young men and women in defense of the ideal that people, when faced with paths leading to either tyranny or freedom, will forever choose freedom.

Today, you volunteer to help lead them. You raise your right hands to say, "Send me to serve others." So to each of you, I thank you for what you do. I thank you for all that you are. Go out and make history.

Posted by Deb at 09:34 AM



June 01, 2006



Remember My Son

From the June 1 Sg. Grit newsletter, this is from Bradford M. Fields, Staff Sergeant of Marines, Retired, 1982 - 2004:

I commute down Route 93 from New Hampshire into Massachusetts everyday for work. It is a long drive and Thursday, May 25th was no different. Shortly after crossing into Massachusetts, I changed lanes and found myself following one of those big, king cab, heavy duty pick up trucks with several stickers on the bumper. The bright, cleanliness of one sticker in particular caught my eye. It was approximately 4" X 6", with the narrow side at the top. It was glistening white in color and had a small, gold border around the outside. In the center was a single, two inch, 5 point, gold star.

Directly beneath that, was the Eagle, Globe and Anchor of the United States Marine Corps. I had to stare at this sticker for a moment before I realized what I was looking at.

It is a tradition in many households dating back to World War I. A family who had someone serving in the military during a time of war, would hang a cloth banner in their window. It was snow white in color with a small red border around the outside. A blue, 5 point star would be sewn in the middle of the banner for each member of the family serving in harm's way. If that person were killed in battle, their blue star was exchanged for a gold one.

The mothers of these men and women, were known as "Gold Star Mothers".

The man driving this truck was a "Gold Star Father". And his son was a United States Marine who had died serving our Country. Judging by the "newness" of the decal, he had died recently, probably in Iraq. A lump formed in my throat. I suddenly needed to cry as memories flooded over me. I remembered how my hands shook as I placed a folded American Flag into the hands of Corporal Bean's mother. He was one of my Marines. And I remembered how dry my throat was and how my voice cracked, as I uttered those useless words, "On behalf of the President of the United States and a grateful nation... Useless, because they will never bring her boy back.

I remembered participating in a memorial service for the Servicemen from New Hampshire who were killed during Desert Shield and Desert Storm. There were 12 sets of parents there and I was asked to give a red rose to each mother. I would take a single rose from a bouquet in the front of the room and walk to where that mother sat and hand it to her, saying "My respects, Ma'am", or "Thank you for your sacrifice". Each trip back to the bouquet became harder and harder. It felt like their eyes watched my every movement and asked accusingly, why I had survived and their child had not. Survivor's guilt, I guess.

These images and feelings flashed by in an instant and the "Gold Star Father" exited the highway moments after I first saw him. That's when I realized that man did not want my tears. He did not want my sympathy. By displaying that decal, he wants everyone who sees it, to remember his son's sacrifice. He wants us to remember that his son died for our freedom. He died protecting us. The decal, without saying a thing, screamed "Remember my son! He died for you! Whether you deserve it or not!"

Just like Jesus did.

Thank you & Semper Fidelis

Posted by Deb at 01:47 PM | Comments (2)