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December 24, 2004
Merry Christmas from Husaybah
My son called from his base camp on the Syrian border with Christmas greetings for all of his family here at home and that is by far the best gift I received this year. Each e-mails is treasured but hearing his voice is so wonderful. He said it's surreal being over there for Christmas - it's just another day without the traditional surroundings of home and family. Next year, I hope he'll be home to celebrate with us. But other Marines will be taking the place of those who are giving up comforts of home to help bring democracy to Iraq and Afghanistan. Thank God for men and women such as these!
1/7 Battalion Commander, LtCol Chris Woodbridge, sends along this Christmas update:
23 Dec 04
Happy Holidays to the entire First Team family, from your Marines and sailors here in Iraq. First I want to thank everyone for the holiday cheer that has been flooding the battalion since Thanksgiving. The outpouring of support from everyone back home has been incredible, and we are all very grateful for the cards, letters, and care packages. I can assure you that even though we would all rather be with you during the holidays, we will celebrate the season's festivities as much as we can, and this will be a time to remember for everyone. It may be hard to believe considering that it was over 130 degrees here back in August, but we have had snow here in the last week! So, we just might have a white Christmas!
We are well past the halfway point in our tour in Iraq, and I know the questions that are on everyone's mind: when is the battalion coming home? Are we on schedule or will we be extended? While I can't pass on any specific dates yet, I can tell you that we are still on schedule to return home in March and there is no plan to extend us here. In fact, the battalion that will replace us here has already done a leader's recon and we are well on the way to turning over this area as planned.
We have continued to be very successful in our fight against the inisurgents in this area and we have not lost a Marine to enemy action since the 15th of Oct. Unfortunately, on the 21st of Dec, LCpl Pesche from A Company lost his life in a vehicle accident. Mishaps like this are always tragic, but more so at this time of year. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family in their time grief.
The next round of this fight will be the Iraqi national elections at the end of January. You can expect to hear a lot about this in the news in the coming weeks. These will be the first free elections in this country and they are the next step in building a democracy in Iraq. The hard work and sacrifices of every man in the battalion and you all back home are making this free future possible for the Iraqi people. We are all thankful for the continued support from the home front--we could not do what we do without all of you.
Best wishes for a happy and safe holiday season.
God bless and Semper Fi
LtCol Woodbridge |
Merry Christmas to all deployed troops. You are never far from our thoughts but, especially today, we miss you and look forward to welcoming you back home.
Posted by Deb at December 24, 2004 11:51 AM
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Comments
Dear LtCol Woodbridge,
Thank you for writing this letter. My son should be part of your group, a tracker named Jayson (Lcpl Cooper.) He comments about the great group of guys that he is serving with and that makes me feel a little better.
Thank you for your perserverance and commitment, dedication and sacrifices,
Another proud Marine mom (dad and 2 sisters)
Posted by: Leslie Cooper at December 27, 2004 08:37 AM
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