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April 17, 2004
Life in Fallujah
"They don't care of gun shots, they want to live in their homes because they feel safe Americans here," said Peshi, an Iraqi interpreter who is attached to Company E.
USMC photo by Sgt. Jose E. Guillen)
Posted by Deb at 12:16 AM
April 16, 2004
Marines 100, Enemy 0
The insurgents gave it all they had. The Marines won a decisive victory.
"Last night, they were all around us ? in front of us, in back of us, everywhere," said Lt. Lewis Langella, who commands a squad of snipers and infantry on Falluja's outskirts. "They were throwing a whole lot of lead at us, and we were throwing a whole lot back."For the past week, marines have been fortifying positions across this dusty city of monochromatic tan brick. Even though urban warfare is compact and fluid, there are still front lines ? here, a row of rooftops occupied by marines looking down on garbage-strewn streets.
One of the most important tools for this battle comes from the garden shed: sledgehammers. On Wednesday, marines punched "mouseholes," just big enough for gun barrels, in the brick walls of the homes they occupied. They also smashed windows to scatter shards of glass across the front steps.
"It's an early warning system," Capt. Shannon Johnson explained, as he crunched noisily across the glass, "something the old guys taught us."
Nearby, a squad of young men with crewcuts swung heavy hammers under a punishing sun. They were knocking down the low walls along the rooftops so they could move on catwalks from roof to roof.
"This is classic urban warfare," said Maj. Gen. Jim Mattis, commander of the First Marine Division. "It's all the stuff World War II taught us, along with Korea, Vietnam and Somalia. People will be studying Falluja for years to come."
The weaponry ? mostly low-tech, like machine guns and mortars ? is also reminiscent of earlier wars. There have been a few guided-missile attacks from the air. But Falluja is so densely populated ? 300,000 people in only a few square miles ? that commanders have been reluctant to call in airstrikes.
Two Marines were wounded during the 14-hour battle, although their injuries were not life-threatening. More than 100 enemy combatants were killed.
"It's their Super Bowl," said Maj. T. V. Johnson, a Marine spokesman. "Falluja is the place to go if you want to kill Americans."
If this is their Superbowl, I know which side I'm betting on.
Posted by Deb at 01:24 PM
Support Freedom of Speech
Here's more on the Spirit of America foundation's newest effort.
The First Marine Expeditionary Force and U.S. Army in Iraq want to equip and upgrade seven defunct Iraqi-owned TV stations in Al Anbar province--west of Baghdad--so that average Iraqis have better televised information than the propaganda they get from the notorious Al-Jazeera. If Jim Hake can raise $100,000, his Spirit of America will buy the equipment in the U.S., ship it to the Marines in Iraq and get Iraqi-run TV on the air before the June 30 handover.
This is an excellent way to support freedom of speech and of the press. With your donation, you'll put the power of journalism in the hands of the Iraqis who have most to gain from a democratic Iraq. Let's hear their stories.
Jim Hake has set a target date of May 7 to have this equipment purchased and delivered to Camp Pendleton. Visit the Spirit of America web site to donate to this cause. All donations are tax deductible.
Thanks, Jim!
Posted by Deb at 01:02 PM
April 15, 2004
News from the Front
Grim's Hall has some interesting snippets of news from Iraq:
[T]he Ramadi front is designed to take heat off Falluja.... [A Moblie Assault Platoon] was called to provide relief to ' X.' XXXX says that as they moved up, the rags were performing disciplined, as he calls it, "bounding fire and movement---they knew what they were doing---even when we knocked them back, they were 'bounding.'"
My son called yesterday afternoon to describe his day of training. His company was doing MOUT training in abandoned base housing, practicing urban fighting skills. He said the guys had watched video footage of fighting in Fallujah and Ramadi with great interest - some of the insurgents were actually sighting in and aiming their weapons, indicating that they'd received some training along the line.
Here's another excerpt:
Your husbands were awesome all night they stayed at the job of securing the streets and nobody challenged them as the hours wore on. They did not surrender an inch nor did flinch from the next potential threat. Previous to yesterday the terrorist thought that we were soft enough to challenge. As of tonight the message is loud and clear that the Marines will not be beaten. Today the enemy started all over again, although with far fewer numbers, only now the rest of the battalion joined the fight. Without elaborating too much, weapons company and Golf crushed their attackers with the vengeance of the righteous.
This e-mail, evidently written to the wives of Marines fighting in Ramadi, shows once again that there is no better trained fighting force in the world than the USMC. Oohrah!
Posted by Deb at 04:20 PM
"This is a story about heroes . . ."
This Washington Post article related the heroic actions of a small group of Marines who battled "50 to 100" insurgents in order to rescue 17 brother Marines.
Marine officials said the three-hour battle that erupted at dusk Tuesday on the streets of Fallujah, and was recounted Wednesday by several of the key officers involved, exemplified the bravery and resourcefulness that Marines are known for, even when surprised and surrounded by a host of enemy fighters on alien urban turf. By the end of the tumultuous encounter, the charred personnel carrier had been towed to safety by a tank and most of its 17 crew members -- several of them wounded -- had been rescued from a house where they had taken shelter~~~~~~~~~~
Senior Marine officials here, who plan to seek commendations for valor for four men involved the rescue mission, said the most important aspect of the incident was the courage that the Marines displayed in battling their way through heavy fire to reach the disabled carrier and rescue its crew.
"This is a story about heroes. It shows the tenacity of the Marines and their fierce loyalty to each other," said Lt. Col. Brennan Byrne, commander of the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. "They were absolutely unwilling to leave their brother Marines behind."
My son chose the Marine Corps over all other branches of armed forces for a number of reasons. Knowing that his brother Marines would never abandon him was one of those reasons. These heroes of 1/5 have proved once again that there is no better friend, no worse enemy than a United States Marine. Semper Fidelis.
Posted by Deb at 03:08 PM
April 14, 2004
How you can help our Marines
During the past few months, I've corresponded with Jim Hake from the Spirit of America Foundation in California, regarding current efforts to support the No Better Friends program. Jim has the blessing of General Jim Mattis who commands the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force and who pioneered the No Better Friends program as a strategy to befriend the people of Iraq. Since one of the side benefits of this program is goodwill that will help keep our troops safer in Iraq, I'm a huge cheerleader (my son is currently preparing to return to Iraq) but there are many other reasons to support the efforts of our Marines to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi citizens who are now on the doorstep of democracy.
The School Partners Program will match up elementary, middle, and high schools in the United States with partner schools in Iraq. The program goal is to build positive relationships between the people of Iraq and our own country, through dialogue and trust-building. Students would write to students, teachers would correspond with other teachers, and administrators would reach out to administrators.
The goal this spring is to find out what we need to be successful next fall. We need to talk with teachers and administrators to get an idea of how this might play out in practice. For example, my brother is an art teacher at North Bend Middle School on the Oregon coast. He is interested in doing an art exchange. Students in Iraq would send their paintings, drawings, and sculptures to the NBMS, and our students would send theirs to the partner school in Iraq. We will also be working with staff at local art galleries that would like to display the work for a wider audience after the students at NBMS have enjoyed it. I will also be contacting art supply companies to see if they would underwrite the project and/or contribute art supplies to be sent to the schools in Iraq. This is one example; other teachers might just have their students write to a partner classroom once a month or so. A student club might organize a toy or school supply drive. Students might hold a carwash or bake sale to raise funds in order to send a gift of friendship. There are many ways to make this happen.
Are you a teacher or administrator who is interested in finding out more about this project? I have a presentation that I can share with you or others that highlights what we in the U.S. can do to improve education in Iraq and improve our own understanding of world events at the same time. I think it would be a very positive experience for students here, and teachers might also be interested in building collaborative relationships with teachers in Iraq.
The Tools for Iraq program is seeking donations of used or new carpentry and plumbing tools to provide to Iraqi men in the ?Sunni Triangle? area of Iraq. The Marines are based in Ramadi and have responsibility for Al Anbar province which includes the city of Fallujah. One of the enduring problems is high unemployment in this restive area. By providing vocational tools and training, Iraqis can help in the rebuilding of their country. It's an excellent program and will help improve relations between our military and the Iraqis. The Tools for Iraq program is an excellent way to assist our Marines and other forces.
If you are acquainted with managers or executives of large retail stores (Lowes, Home Depot, etc.) or have suggestions on how to provide information on the Tools for Iraq program to builders and contractors who might be interested in participating, please contact the Spirit of America Foundation.
There are other ways to help, including a new effort to equip Iraqi media with cameras and equipment to film positive images to combat the negative broadcasts by Al Jazeera and other networks. Please visit the Spirit of America website and donate toward these worthy causes. The foundation is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
Posted by Deb at 11:21 AM | Comments (1)