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August 04, 2004
Mattis and his Marines
Most reports of military life in a war zone come from the troops. Here's one by Pamela Hess, a Pentagon correspondent who wears a "straw hat, long skirts, braids" instead of camouflage.
. . . the worse conditions are, the better Marines seem to like it. Marines at a dusty outpost on the Syrian border take great pride they are not serving instead at "Camp Chocolate Cake," as they refer to Al Asad, home of the 7th Regimental Combat Team. Everything here is relative. To an American eye it is downright bleak. But inside row upon row of plywood buildings it is cool. A Marine doesn't care how hot he gets as long as he knows he has a cool place to sleep, I'm told.An air conditioned place to sleep is one of the things 1st Marine Division Commander Maj. Gen. Jim Mattis requires for his troops.
Just one of the reasons his troops would walk through fire for him. Here's another:
"He leads from the front," one Marine noted in the cool and noisy morale, welfare and recreation tent at Camp Blue Diamond. It has a pool table, a ping pong table, foosball, Nintendo, a large-screen TV, 20 Internet monitors, a library filled with cast off magazines and paperbacks, and a seemingly perpetual dominos game that somehow the Marines have turned into a full contact sport.When Mattis' "jump platoon" goes out in a convoy - it is regularly attacked and has been hit by improvised explosive devices at least twice - it is not uncommon for the general to have his head out the turret, assuming the same risk as the gunners, say Marines.
A lieutenant colonel gave a more specific example of leading from the front: when the Iraqi-led Fallujah Brigade was created, Mattis decided it needed a test run to see if the native force could actually keep order in the city after weeks of fighting. He sent a Marine convoy through town to see if it would be shot at. He was in the convoy.
For a number of reasons, morale isn't as much of a problem with Marines as with other troops.
Late one night, a female officer was leaving the command operations center when she said pleasantly to a corporal standing guard: "How are you, Marine?"The corporal was completely alone in the pitch-black loggia of one of Saddam's former palaces, and would be there for hours more before he was relieved.
"Motivated!" he thundered back, cheerily, from the dark.
As a mother whose USMC son will be returning to the Al Anbar province later this month, knowing that my son serves under this type of leadership is hugely reassuring. I'll still worry; I'm a mom and that's my job. But I have utmost confidence in his leadership and not all mothers can say that.
Posted by Deb at August 4, 2004 01:13 PM
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Comments
Ladies - I've written to you before about the 39 marines I support in Iraq. They have two things they really want before they are deployed. Thought I'd share it with you so you can arm your marines before they head out. First - a heat-resistant tshirt called Under Armor and second, a 16 oz water bottle with a hand pump called a Misty Mate. My marines say these things reduce the heat by 20-30 degrees. If you buy the Misty Mates by the dozen the company will give you a good discount. Thanks for your blog. I enjoy it thoroughly.
Posted by: Kathleen A at August 5, 2004 04:59 AM
Ladies:
This is my first post here.. I read this board as I love the wonderful information and stories that are posted. My son is in the Al Anbar Province for his 2nd tour. I must agree with Kathleen, the Under Armour shirts have been so helpful for the men. I ordered 5 back in April in order for Derek to have a ample supply and to share with his brothers. Being here in Southern Oregon we do not have very much support here so I look forward to reading your posts. Thank you for all you do and God Bless all our Marines and their families..
VPMM Colleen
LCPL Derek OIFII
Posted by: Colleen at August 7, 2004 07:14 AM