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November 27, 2004



" . . . war is the highest of highs and the lowest of lows . . ."

Another 2nd LAR update from the front. It's an awesome retelling of bravery and brotherhood.

24 November 2004

I have started this letter 100 times in my mind. Inadequacy on my own part is the best answer I can come up with to express my emotions about our experiences here. They say war is the highest of highs and lowest of lows and it happens in a moments notice. I can say without question it is true.

We departed Camp Baharia about a month ago now to do our part in the fight for Fallujah. People said this would be our Hue City, our Guadalcanal, or compared it to numerous other epic battles that the Marine Corps has endured. Was it? I don't know. Who am I to make that statement? I think all of us want to believe that our time is historic and that our life has meaning. Ronald Reagan once said that many of us want to know if we made a difference in this world but the US Marines don't have that problem. I can not say how this battle will be defined in the history books but I can tell you besides the birth of my children and my marriage, it will probably be the most meaningful event of my life. How do you adequately define heroism, espirit de corps, patriotism? Words almost belittle their true definition.

As many of you saw on the news, Apache Company was definitely involved in the fight. We took our share of licks, delivered a disproportional amount more on the enemy, but more importantly we are all still here to talk about it and in the true Marine way of dealing with it - we laugh about it. A Purple Heart is not a medal anyone really wants to earn but it sure is a special person who wears that badge of honor.

All the Marines and Sailors of this company are heroes. They always have been even before we arrived. But now without question, for one shining moment in all of our lives, my Marines were heroes in the truest sense of the word.

They fought like brothers fighting to protect and defend their families. While I believe wholeheartedly in the mission, I do not preach about fighting for the greater glory of God, country or Corps because in the end, we fight for one another. And that is what they did. I have been blessed with the greatest collection of men ever assembled and I knew it from day one. I knew this company had a destiny and we would write our own chapter. It is indescribable to visit a Marine at the field hospital who was just wounded and he doesn't even talk about himself. To the man the first three questions were always about the status of the other Marines, did we beat the enemy and can I stay in the country with the company. I stand by their side and wonder why I do I deserve to be surrounded by such men. To the parents, guardians, grandparents who raised these kids, my hat is off to you. If you ever wondered if you made a difference in this world, I can tell you if your son is over here, the world is a better place because of you.

I have talked to some Iraqis throughout my time here and it is sad because many do not believe that life will get better. Some even say it was better under Saddam. Now that may be a tough pill to swallow for many Americans because of the sacrifices so many families have endured but I would argue just the opposite. I think that statement should make you even prouder to be an American. We are over here fighting for the success of this mission. My Marines are selflessly fighting for people they will never know. They are fighting for some who don't even appreciate the sacrifices they endure. I can not think of a more honorable act. We believe in the mission, even while some here don't because we live the miracle that is the United States of America. It is an awesome sight to see.

The support from our families and sponsors has been overwhelming. Overwhelming in two ways - one, physically and two, emotionally. We got back to Camp Baharia today and it looked like the Post Office went on strike. We had stacks of boxes and bags of letters. More than one person has told me (to which I completely empathize) that we feel guilty that we cannot respond in a timely manner, if at all. It is hard for us to know that some great American spent their time and their money to send us a package or a letter, or a newspaper and we can not get enough down time to write a thank you. It feels almost shameful. So I offer on behalf of the company, once, an offer of appreciation. Please do not feel that since we are unable to respond that we do not appreciate what you are doing for us. To go down a long laundry list of people, we would inevitably fail to mention one person or company and that would be worse than not mentioning anyone specifically at all. It is humbling to see the outpouring of support from our families and sponsors. We are indebted to you.

We are off again tomorrow on a new mission. Well, same mission, new place. As it has been for the past few weeks, we will not have internet or phone access. In fact we will not have electricity or running water. We thought Baharia was austere. You should have seen the camp we lived in for two weeks or see this next place we are going to tomorrow. Camp Baharia is a thriving metropolis with all the comforts of home compared to the new place. It looks like we will be occupying this place for some time. But in a few short days, the new digs will be home and we will be fine. I will try to cycle Marines back to Camp Baharia but please understand that those basic services that are available back home are almost privileged services here. I say this not out of some request for pity but again out of a sense of responsibility to all of you who support us. I see two Marines in a fighting position at night in the cold, frying up one slice of spam at a time in a canteen cup, with an MRE sleeve to block the wind, alternating piece for piece and offering a hot slice to any Marine in the area, and my only thought is - this is what makes our country great. Here are these two Marines, 8000 miles from home, sitting in a filthy hole, taking care of each other with a can of food that some great citizen back home sent them. It doesn't get any better than that.

I will leave it to the platoon commanders to write updates about the individual Marines. But I will offer this one story before I sign off about a Marine named Brooks. Ol' Brooksy was one of the first wounded in action we had in the company. It happened on the night of 30 September. He has been making tremendous gains and we hope to have him back on full duty within a week or so. Since the night of his attack, he has been doing his part manning the command operations center in Baharia, but more importantly healing from his wounds. His story is one to be told because he exemplifies what makes this company great. He never once complained about his lot in life and he never once complained about the job he now fulfills. He is doing his part and that is honorable. He is generally a quiet Marine but always very pleasant and enjoyable to talk with. As other guys were wounded, he would in his own way, let them know that he was there for them if they wanted to talk about it. For those of us who have not been wounded, we really do not know what it is like. But instead of feeling sorry for himself, he does his job and looks out for his brothers. It was not until 3 November that his Purple Heart award had come in and we invited the regimental commander to award him, and the other Marines their badge of honor. I will never forget watching Brooksy get his award. I think I was prouder that day to be a Marine and to serve along side another Marine than ever before. Brooksy was still walking tenderly. But when it came time for the ceremony, he marched completely erect, made all his facing movements as we were trained in boot camp and basically on shear physical courage alone, muscled his way through the whole ceremony to march and execute the drill movements precisely. I could see it on his face that he was in pain but he didn't yield to it. In that one moment in time, it hit home to me how special being a Marine really is. There was young PFC Brooks ensuring he lived up to the standards that others have set before him, standards that have been beat into us from day one, to ensure he did not let the Corps down and to represent himself well. As if the weight of the whole Corps' reputation was on his shoulders that day, he ensured he did not fail. Would anyone have blamed him if he didn't execute his about face properly? Not at all. But Brooksy wouldn't give them that chance. These are the men I serve with. Be proud. These are the men who serve in your defense.

Until next time, Semper Fidelis and pray for peace.

Apache 6 - out.

Semper Fidelis,

Capt John F. Griffin
Apache Company
2d LAR Bn RCT-1
Fallujah, Iraq

"Everybody fights. No one quits."

I'm posting this with tears in my eyes. These guys are heroes all, from young PFC Brooks up through senior leadership. I am so proud of them all and there are no words to adequately express that.

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November 25, 2004



Precious Cargo

JHD shares this letter from Maj. Zarnik, USAFR as printed on the American Thinker website. Thank God for Major Zarnik and others like him.

Fallen Marines November 25th, 2004


I want to share with you my most recent Air Force Reserve trip. I had decided to go back into the Air Force Reserves as a part time reservist and after 6 months of training, I have recently been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and have been fully mission qualified as an Aircraft Commander of a KC-135R strato tanker aircraft.

On Friday of last week, my crew and I were tasked with a mission to provide air refueling support in order to tanker 6 F-16's over to Incirlik Air Base in Turkey. We were then to tanker back to the states, 6 more F-16's that were due maintenance. It started out as a fairly standard mission - one that I have done many times as an active duty Captain in my former jet - the KC10a extender.

We dragged the F-16's to Moron Air Base in Spain where we spent the night and then finished the first part of our mission the next day by successfully delivering them to Incirlik. When I got on the ground in Turkey, I received a message to call the Tanker Airlift Control Center that my mission would change. Instead of tankering the F-16's that were due maintenance, I was cut new orders to fly to Kuwait City and pick up 22 "HR's" and return them to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

It had been a while since I had heard of the term "HR" used, and as I pondered what the acronym could possibly stand for, when it dawned on me that it stood for human remains. There were 22 fallen comrades who had just been killed in the most recent attacks in Fallujah and Baghdad, Iraq over the last week.

I immediately alerted the crew of the mission change and although they were exhausted due to an ocean crossing, the time change and minimum ground time in Spain for crew rest, we all agreed that it was more important to get these men back to their families as soon as possible.

We were scheduled to crew rest in Incirlik, Turkey for the evening and start the mission the next day. Instead, we decided to extend/continue our day and fly to Kuwait in order to pick up our precious cargo. While on the flight over to Kuwait, I knew that there were protocol procedures for accepting and caring for human remains, however, in my 13 years of active duty service, I never once had to refer to this regulation. As I read the regulation on the flight over, I felt prepared and ready to do the mission. My game plan was to pick up the HR's and turn around to fly to Mildenhal Air Base in England, spend the night, and then fly back the next day. This was the quickest way to get them home, considering the maximum crew duty day that I could subject my crew to legally and physically. I really pushed them to the limits but no one complained at all.

I thought that I was prepared for the acceptance of these men until we landed at Kuwait International. I taxied the jet over to a staging area where the honor guard was waiting to load our soldiers. I stopped the jet and the entire crew was required to stay on board. We opened the cargo door, and according to procedure, I had the crew line up in the back of the aircraft in formation and stand at attention. As the cargo loader brought up the first pallet of caskets, I ordered the crew to "Present Arms." Normally, we would snap a salute at this command, however, when you are dealing with a fallen soldier, the salute is a slow 3 second pace to position. As I stood there and finally saw the first four of twenty-two caskets draped with the American Flags, the reality had hit me. As the Marine Corps honor guard delivered the first pallet on board, I then ordered the crew to "Order Arms" - where they rendered an equally slow 3 second return to the attention position. I then commanded the crew to assume an at ease position and directed them to properly place the pallet. The protocol requires that the caskets are to be loaded so when it comes time to exit the aircraft - they will go head first. We did this same procedure for each and every pallet until we could not fit any more.

I felt a deep pit in my stomach when there were more caskets to be brought home and that they would have to wait for the next jet to come through. I tried to do everything in my power to bring more home but I had no more space on board. When we were finally loaded, with our precious cargo and fueled for the trip back to England, a Marine Corps Colonel from first battalion came on board our jet in order to talk to us. I gathered the crew to listen to him and his words of wisdom.

He introduced himself and said that it is the motto of the Marines to leave no man behind and it makes their job easier knowing that there were men like us to help them complete this task. He was very grateful for our help and the strings that we were pulling in order to get this mission done in the most expeditious manner possible. He then said -" Major Zarnik - these are MY MARINES and I am giving them to you. Please take great care of them as I know you will." I responded with telling him that they are my highest priority and that although this was one of the saddest days of my life, we are all up for the challenge and will go above and beyond to take care of your Marines - "Semper Fi Sir" A smile came on his face and he responded with a loud and thunderous, "Ooo Rah". He then asked me to please pass along to the families that these men were extremely brave and had made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and that we appreciate and empathize with what they are going through at this time of their grievance. With that, he departed the jet and we were on our way to England.

I had a lot of time to think about the men that I had the privilege to carry. I had a chance to read the manifest on each and every one of them. I read about their religious preferences, their marital status, the injuries that were their cause of death. All of them were under age 27 with most in the 18-24 range. Most of them had wives and children. They had all been killed by an "IED" which I can only deduce as an [improvised] explosive devices. Mostly fatal head injuries and injuries to the chest area. I could not even imagine the bravery that they must have displayed and the agony suffered in this God Forsaken War. My respect and admiration for these men and what they are doing to help others in a foreign land is beyond calculation. I know that they are all with God now and in a better place.

The stop in Mildenhal was uneventful and then we pressed on to Dover where we would meet the receiving Marine Corps honor guard. When we arrived, we applied the same procedures in reverse. The head of each casket was to come out first. This was a sign of respect rather than defeat. As the honor guard carried each and every American flag covered casket off of the jet, they delivered them to awaiting families with military hearses. I was extremely impressed with how diligent the Honor Guard had performed the seemingly endless task of delivering each of the caskets to the families without fail and with precision. There was not a dry eye on our crew or in the crowd. The Chaplain then said a prayer followed by a speech from Lt. Col. Klaus of the second Battalion. In his speech, he also reiterated similar condolences to the families as the Colonel from First Battalion back in Kuwait.

I then went out to speak with the families as I felt it was my duty to help console them in this difficult time. Although I would probably be one of the last military contacts that they would have for a while - the military tends to take care of it's own. I wanted to make sure that they did not feel abandoned and more than that appreciated for their ultimate sacrifice. It was the most difficult thing that I have ever done in my life. I listened to the stories of each and every one that I had come in contact with and they all displayed a sense of pride during an obviously difficult time. The Marine Corps had obviously prepared their families well for this potential outcome.

So, why do I write this story to you all? I just wanted to put a little personal attention to the numbers that you hear about and see in the media. It is almost like we are desensitized by the "numbers" of our fallen comrades coming out of Iraq. I heard one commentator say that "it is just a number". Are you kidding me? These are our American Soldiers not numbers! It is truly a sad situation that I hope will end soon. Please hug and embrace your loved ones a little closer and know that there are men out there that are defending you and trying to make this a better world. Please pray for their families and when you hear the latest statistic's and numbers of our soldiers killed in combat, please remember this story. It is the only way that I know to more personalize these figures and have them truly mean something to us all.

Thanks for all of your support for me and my family as I take on this new role in completing my Air Force Career and supporting our country. I greatly appreciate all of your comments, gestures and prayers.

May God Bless America, us all, and especially the United States Marine Corps.

Semper Fi

Maj. Zarnik, USAFR


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Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation

JHD shares this blast from the past, commenting "In today's secular society I can just imagine the rave reviews this Proclamation would've engendered!":

It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord. We know that by His divine law, nations, like individuals, are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world. May we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war which now desolates the land may be a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole people? We have been the recipients of the choisest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us. It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.

A. Lincoln October 3, 1863

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November 24, 2004



1/11 Marines on Jay Leno tonight

Drink coffee and stay up . . . or set your VCRs and watch it tomorrow.

Posted by Deb at 03:55 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack





"Let's hear it for the Marines"

Marine wife, Mary Helen, sent this opinion by Janan Ganesh as published in the London Times:

The motto of the US Marine Corps is Semper Fidelis, or “always faithful”. And faith is exactly what the Western media eschew in their relentlessly cynical coverage of the American Armed Forces, which plunged to a new nadir last week with the outrage at a Marine who shot dead an injured and unarmed Fallujah terrorist. Their determination to portray the Americans as trigger-happy louts and the Iraqi terrorists as mere “rebels” slanders the former, sanctifies the latter and betrays everybody who trusts journalists to be objective.

Each American transgression is covered exhaustively and reproachfully, while triumphs, such as the trouble-free elections in Afghanistan and the reconstruction of Iraqi infrastructure, are treated as background noise. The torture of a few dozen prisoners in Abu Ghraib, for example, received far more attention than the restoration of the Marsh Arabs’ homeland.

And this bias predates the Iraq war. If you get your news from Channel 4, you probably believe that the detainees at Guantanamo Bay are wide-eyed young gadflies who were enjoying an innocuous 18-30 holiday in glamorous Tora Bora before being kidnapped by rampaging Navy Seals. The truth is that many are al-Qaeda members who fought coalition forces during the invasion, but whose crimes are too legally vague to guarantee a conviction in court. America is therefore faced with the choice of releasing known enemies or detaining them indefinitely. That they choose the latter is not only sensible but generous — any of history’s previous superpowers, such as Soviet Russia — would have shot them on sight.

Jack Nicholson’s “you can’t handle the truth” routine in A Few Good Men has become an iconic monologue of modern cinema, but the point he was making is rarely grasped. The injustice Nicholson laments is not that we expect a noble minority to pay the blood price for our security — it was ever thus — but that we demand the right to tell them how to do it. Shackled by laws, norms and protocol concocted by legalists, the US Armed Forces — who have done more for freedom of the press than all the world’s journalists combined — are put in an impossible position. It is nauseating enough that they are now casually disparaged as “hicks” and “rednecks” by do-nothing civilians, without the supposedly objective media joining in.

Semper Fidelis is exactly right. The Marine who shot this unarmed enemy was responding to what he perceived as an immediate threat. There have been numerous instances of enemy combatants faking death or injury and then shooting or blowing up our troops. In this case, the Marine didn't know and should not be expected to determine if the enemy was unarmed before shooting. He reacted just as he had been trained - to protect his brother Marines. The ultimate goal of warfare is to make sure the other guy dies and this Marine achieved that goal. For that, he deserves praise, not condemnation.

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2/10 visits Al Majjarh

Major Timothy M. Parker, Executive Officer for 2/10 Marines writes:

Friends and Families of 2/10, We have completed our first two months in Iraq. I have had the opportunity to visit every site, and the high level of motivation and esprit de corps consistently inspires me. It almost seems like the places where things are hardest the morale is best. The weather has begun to cool, which was a welcome relief, although I’m sure you’ll soon hear complaints about how cold it is here (Marines are only happy when complaining).
Like many, I find it distressing that so many people back in America don’t understand why we are here. I’d like to relate to you a story that will hopefully bring all of it into perspective. Most of you will note the story of Huda, the young girl whose picture has graced our webpage for the past month.
On 3 November, we returned Huda and her father to their village, Al Majjarh. It was a great homecoming. The entire town came out to welcome them back. Huda mom wanted us to stay for lunch, but we try not to stay too long for security reasons. After talking with the family for a little while, CWO Torres went to talk to the village sheik (yes, they really have those here), and I walked back to my vehicle.
After I got back to the vehicle, two little girls walked up to me, and began to talk to me. I couldn't really understand what they wanted, and then they ran back to their house. They returned to me with a baby girl, who couldn't have been more than six months old. I could tell she was a girl because she had pierced ears, which I thought odd for a village so poor. She was a sweet little girl and they let me hold her, and I finally found out that what they wanted was water.
The village has problems with getting clean water, it's one of the projects we're working on in the village. I gave them three bottles of water, and they took the water and the baby back home. They returned to talk to me, which is a relative term since I don't speak any Arabic. So, I took out my wallet and showed them a picture of my family, and pointed out my own family (my wife and eight children). They took my pictures and ran back to their house.
I could see their mother in the backyard, so walked over there. One of the little girls had handed my pictures to the mother. She began speaking very rapidly, then began to cry. I wasn't quite sure what to make of it, so I called one of our translators over. She (the translator) said that the mother was sad because I had to be away from my family.
I asked where she was from, and she told me she was a refugee from Fallujah. She was frightened of all the terrorists, and the bombs that were being dropped. They were living in a tent in Al Majjarh. I told her that I hoped soon we would drive out all the terrorists, so that she could return home. I told her that I was sad to be away from my family, and my family was sad I was away from them, but my family and I felt the sacrifice was worth it, so the people of Iraq could have the same freedom as we do. She seemed very touched, and genuinely appreciative of our efforts.
We are changing this country for the better, one person at a time. President Theodore Roosevelt once said:
"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."
The Marines and Sailors of 2d Battalion are men in the arena, they are making a difference for our great nation and for Iraq. I truly hope you are all as proud of them as am I.

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". . . the world is full of good people"

Capt John F. Griffin from 2d LAR Bn sends this update from Fallujah, Iraq

Pain and suffering is how character is defined. If life was easy and all that we have was provided and not earned, nothing would be appreciated. Life would be without value. I believe that the world is good again. The evil empire has been defeated and righteousness has returned as our hero. Congratulations to the Boston Red Sox - World Series Champions.

Life around the camp has definitely settled into a rhythm. All the unknowns are gone, all the questions we had before we departed have been answered and now, more than ever, the team is focused and ready.

We celebrated Halloween yesterday thanks to the generous support of the families, friends and sponsors. As I toured the tents yesterday, I saw no fewer than 20 Halloween masks out and in use. I think this speaks so highly of the men committed to the cause. They are warriors at heart, strong in their resolve to accomplish the mission, but remain America's jovial, spirited youth. We also enjoyed a barbeque of hamburgers, chicken and steak fajitas and BBQ pork ribs. LCpl Kempher has turned out to be a magician with some frozen government chow and some burning logs.

As you know, we now have CBS embedded with us to cover the unit. They will be with us for an undetermined length of time. It has been great. During the first three days, Marines from this company made the CBS news every night. While most people are slightly intimidated by the press and some have tainted opinions, I will tell you the crew we have are righteous, committed professionals. I have no hesitancy having them embedded in the company. Their presence has been a force multiplier.

Having a crew from CBS is a positive experience for all us on many different levels. First, I firmly believe that it makes the Marines feel more appreciated. Our families, friends and sponsors have been phenomenal in their support and CBS merely adds to that momentum. These young kids who are 8000 miles from home, without question, now know that America cares enough about what they are doing to embed a crew from the one of the largest media organizations in America. And they are with our company alone. Second, it enforces the feeling that we are part of something larger than ourselves. We are writing a chapter of our nation's history that our future generations will read about and respect those that answered the call and committed themselves selflessly to the fight for what is right and good. Third, it reinforces what I tell the Marines all the time - they are heroes. They know the impact of seeing Marines on TV, full of confidence, their resolve forged and honed like steel, individually self-admitting focus on the mission at hand. They know the impact this has on America, on fellow Marines and on our adversaries. We all have sat on the sidelines and watched Marines go into harms way and wonder if we had what it takes. We all wondered if we would live up to the legendary prowess of the Marines that went before us.

We all wondered if we could be as inspiring to future generations of Marines and produce the envy of fellow of Marines who were not in the fight feel just as we all felt when it was not our time. The presence of CBS embedded with this company, answers all those minute feelings of self-doubt that we may have. My (our) Marines are heroes and CBS will help us tell their story. That was the Ying - this is the Yang. My opinion remains the same - please do not get tied to the nightly news. Remember they are marketing a story. Marines sitting around playing Madden football on their play station, taking long afternoon naps, doing daily maintenance on their vehicles, playing soccer, walking to the internet and phone center, reading mail and opening packages is not a story you will see on the nightly news - but that is the situation on the ground. Remember - we had a bar-b-cue yesterday and the talk of the crowd was the annoying motion sensing scarecrow I posted in front of the COC that yelled at everyone who walked by. Our favorite webmaster has created a link to the CBS news and every time Kim Dozier (CBS correspondent) reports and is televised, Caressa will post a link. So watch the story from there but focus on seeing our Marines.

One lesson I will definitely take away from this experience is that the world is full of good people. It is too bad all the bad and evildoers get all the press. I equate it to the good cop-bad cop paradigm. All you ever hear about are the bad cops but you rarely hear about the miracle workers our policemen are on a daily basis (except for a brief few months after 9/11 when they received the recognition they deserved). But all of America is like that in every profession and every walk of life. The media may get a bad rap at times but I personally am impressed with the integrity and commitment of the reporters who are imbedded with us. But more importantly, I am impressed with all of you and all of the citizens of our great nation. The outpouring of support has been overwhelming and humbling. This war has been going for a few years now. Far longer than I ever believed America's attention span to be. But America is without question still out there supporting us. It is amazing to receive the voluminous, random letters and packages from people all across the country, from all sectors of life that just want to do their part.

We have built (what we call) the Apache General Store. We have received so much material support that we are unable to keep it in our personal spaces. In the spirit of taking care of one another, whatever excess each of us receives, instead of hording it, it is provided to the Apache General Store. Now our Marines have an opportunity to go the "store" first before they go to the PX. Of course, everything in our store is free. But the bottom line is we could not have done this without you. My hat is off to you. Great events do not make great people. Great people make great events. We have a great country and it is not because of us, it is because of you. Without question, our families and friends have a harder job then we do. We chose this profession and accepted the consequences. All of our loved ones have to deal with a greater hardship and sacrifice than we do. We chose to do this and we are surrounded by people who made the same decision and there is a great deal of comfort in those circles. Whatever connection you have to your Marine, you have to get through this because of decisions we made. You are my heroes and you are extremely appreciated.

God Bless America and Pray for Peace. Apache 6

Semper Fidelis,

Capt John F. Griffin


Posted by Deb at 12:24 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack



November 23, 2004



Jet Noise muted

Cassandra from I Love Jet Noise is hanging up her keyboard. She's on my short list of writers who I read every day and she never fails to elicit a laugh . . . or a tear. I'm sorry to hear this and hope that she'll find a new venue for her witty and right-on-target opinions very soon. And the welcome mat is open here.

Posted by Deb at 09:51 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack





First Team - between Iraq and a hard place

1/7 Marines continue to excel as they battle insurgents along the Syrian border. Here are exerpts from two reports from the front.

As Marines everywhere celebrated the 229th birthday of the Marine Corps on November 10th, 1/7 Suicide Charlie did what Marines do best - they kicked ass in their little part of the world. Here's an account by Cpl Matthew Jones on how Marines from the 3rd platoon uncovered weapons caches in two Al Qaim houses, freed three captured Iraqis who had been held as hostages for almost a month, and took six suspected terrorists off the streets and into custody.

As the Marines approached the house they observed a man sitting on the stoop, who matched the description of a wanted man. The man, who did not visible have a weapon, fit the description of a known high value target, according to Sgt. Tobey J. Owens, squad leader, 1st Squad, 3rd Platoon.

Owens then ran after and tackled the man. The man struggled with the Marines while he was being detained. The Marines found a Glock 9-mm pistol on the man, said Owens.

The Marines continued towards the second house. The Marines quickly cleared the house of insurgents, said Cpl. Brandon L. Soetaert, team leader, 1st Sqd., 3rd Plt.

Once the house was originally cleared, the Marines began a more detailed search of the house. The Marines found a metal door in the rear of the house that was locked. The Marines breached entrance into the room and discovered a large weapons cache, said Lance Cpl. Adam Wiedler, assaultman with 1st Sqd., 3rd Plt.

The Marines breeched the doorway and entered the room. Once inside of the room the Marines discovered a weapons cache that was large enough to outfit a small militia, according to Wiedler.

The room was lined with every type of weapons from pistols to anti-air craft rockets. The weapons were well maintained and some of them were loaded, said Weidler.

In addition to the weapons systems, the Marines found anti-coalition propaganda, videotapes showing the insurgents beating Iraqi hostages and falsified identification papers, according to Leonhart.

“Once we realized what we had discovered, we decided to conduct a more detailed search of the property,” said Owens, 29, a native of East Liverpool, Ohio.

Upon further search coalition gear and U. S. currency were found inside the house. On the property surrounding the house Marines found a locked concrete shed. After cracking the door they realized that there were people in the room, said Soetaert, 20, a native of Kansas City, Mo.

“I didn’t realize what they were at first. We had been banging on the door for a few minutes and they were asleep,” said Weidler. “Once I realized what that they were hostages, I was extremely happy to be able to help this people.”

The hostages were civilian contractors that had been working with coalition forces toward bettering the future of Iraq.

During a more detailed search of the property multiple weapons caches were found among three vehicles. Not wanting these weapons to fall back into the hands of insurgents Multi-National Forces placed charges on the vehicles destroying them in place according to, Lance Cpl. Russell D. Antonuccio, assault man, 3rd Plt.

In total MNF to took six insurgents into custody, found multiple weapons caches and recovered three hostages without firing a single shot or taking any casualties.

“I felt that we truly helped the Iraqi people today,” said Wielder. “It was a great birthday present for the Marines' birthday.”

Cpl Jones describes another night's work for 1st platoon:

Assembling in the dead of night, the Marines of “Suicide Charlie” prepare to provide the wake up call of a lifetime for a handful of known insurgents. They mount their vehicles and head towards the small town on the banks of the Euphrates River and as the sun rises the Marines knock on the insurgents door in a way that only Marines can.

With a bang on the door, the Marines entered houses with such speed that the insurgents didn’t have time to react to the early morning visitors. At the completion of this early morning visit, the Marines leave with five insurgents detained and weapons that could have been used to kill coalition forces or innocent Iraqi civilians.

The Marines of 1st Platoon, C Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, conducted simultaneous cordon and knocks on three houses’ to capture insurgents.

They entered through the front door of the first house and began clearing the each room, said Sgt. Tobey J. Owens, squad leader, 1st Squad.

The Marines had cleared most of the house when they entered a small room in the rear. They discovered a man crouching along the wall with a loaded weapon pointed at them, stated Cpl. Travis M. Ball, team leader, 1st Squad.

“We were on top of the man so quickly he did not have time to react,” said Owens. “I kicked him as Ball tackled him to the floor so he would not have the opportunity to shoot at us.”

The squad captured the armed insurgent, Kais Atal Mutatharer, who had worked with the U.S. Army as a translator in the Al Qaim area.

“The quick actions of the Marines enabled us to gather intelligence out of him,” said Capt. Chris DeAntoni, company commander. “They had every justification to shoot this guy, but they had the discipline not to and we’ll be able to use this guy to get bigger fish.”

Then they entered the house next door and discovered four insurgents along with three women and a baby. The Marines quickly separated the males and moved the females outside of the house, according to Cpl. Brandon L. Soetaert, team leader, 1st Squad.

The Marines also provided medical care to a known terrorist facilitator after entering the house. The man had gone into shock as the Marines entered the house, stated Soetaert, 20, from Kansas City, Mo.

Inside the two houses the Marines found loaded weapons, ammunition, anti-coalition propaganda, falsified documents, identification papers and tools for making vehicle borne improvised explosive devices, Owens added.

The Marines also visited an insurgent house in the northern section of the town. Scaling the wall they surrounded the perimeter of the house and gained entry only to discover that the informant and given the Marines incorrect information, but the insurgents house was actually across the street, according to Cpl. Timothy A. Collier, team leader, 1st Squad.

The head of the household showed the Marines which house the insurgent lived in and the Marines searched the house. According to an Iraqi woman inside of the house the insurgent had left earlier that morning, said Collier, a 24 year-old native of Akron, Ohio.

As the sun rose across the Iraqi sky, the Marines left the small town on the riverbank of the Euphrates and returned to their base with five terrorists captured.


Posted by Deb at 09:24 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack



November 22, 2004



Marine Dad, Frank Schaeffer, speaks on troop support

Watching the bickering by survivors of those killed on 9/11/01 has been incredibly frustrating for parents and family members of troops who watch their loved ones take incredible risks for a country that is made up of both fervent troop supporters and those who never think about the men and women that protect and defend their right to live in a free society. In this editorial, Frank Schaeffer puts this frustration into words.

Staff Sergeant Aaron White, USMC was killed in a helicopter crash on May 19, 2003 in Iraq. Here is an excerpt from his last letters home to his wife Michele and to his baby daughter Brianna.

"What keeps me up at night is thinking you may never know what you mean to me.... If I don't come home, please tell Brianna that her daddy loves her more than life....

Brianna, it breaks my heart to have to miss your first birthday. I hope that you will forgive me.... I fall asleep every night with visions of you and your mommy in my head, reminding me of all I have been blessed with. I will be with you every day, if not in body, then in spirit. I love more than my words could ever say..."

Aaron was killed two days after Brianna turned one. When an American in a military uniform is killed his or her family receives a one-time death gratuity of $12,000. The surviving family may also qualify for Survivors Benefit Plan (SBP) paid up to age 62 or until the widow remarries. SBP amounts to 55% of the soldier's retirement pay, pay that is already so low that it qualifies many military families for food stamps. These "benefits" are contingent upon fulfilling many petty regulations. Michele did not qualify for SBP because Aaron was in the Corps just under10 years service. Several further benefits, like the income-based Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), may or may not pay out about $800 per month and $200 per child depending on the case. Michele did not qualify because of several arcane technicalities. Michele and Brianna's medical benefits will end three years from Aaron's death. However Michele did receive some modest insurance compensation because Aaron paid for coverage out of his own meager salary.

A just released study by the Rand Corporation found that the families of civilians killed in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 received on average, $3.1 million in government and charitable compensation. The families of the firemen and cops who died received even more. Their average compensation exceeded $4.2 million.

Our soldiers are being killed on a daily basis but most of us seem to feel little personal connection with them. If we did their widows and families would be better compensated. Our idea of "supporting the troops" is to stick magnetic yellow ribbons on our cars. Those Americans who do not serve or do not have family serving are disconnected from our all-volunteer forces and their families. I know. I never served in the military and before my son unexpectedly enlisted in the Marines, then went to war in the Middle East for eleven months, I looked at our military as made up of people who had little to do with me.

Let's strip away our yellow ribbon sentimentality for a moment and admit the truth: we treat our military like second-class citizens. I'm glad the 9/11 families were generously compensated but it's time to ask why the family of someone who has done no more for his country than show up at a stock trading office on the wrong day should receive hundreds of times more compensation than a soldier who volunteered to leave his wife and child to defend the rest of us.

Most of the dead from our wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are being buried in small towns and the blue collar or middle and lower middle class sections of our cities. Our politicians seem better able to identify with the needs of stock trader's widows (not to mention the businesses and airlines that were also generously compensated), than with the needs of the families of our soldiers. This is a scandal.

In his second to last letter home Aaron wrote: "Believe me I am not having a good time here. This is an ugly hasty land. I hope [our] people appreciate the blood we are to spill." Judging by how we are taking care of his widow and daughter apparently the answer is that we do ot.

Thank you, Frank.

Posted by Deb at 10:03 PM



November 21, 2004



LtCol Bellon reports on the future greatest generation

Praise for the Marines of RCT-1 and RCT-7, as well as the Army Blackjack Brigade, from LtCol Bellon:

There is an image burned into my brain that I hope I never forget. We came up behind 3/5 one day as the lead squads were working down the Byzantine streets of the Jolan area. An assault team of two Marines ran out from behind cover and put a rocket into a wall of an enemy strongpoint. Before the smoke cleared the squad behind them was up and moving through the hole and clearing the house. Just down the block another squad was doing the same thing. The house was cleared quickly and the Marines were running down the street to the next contact. Even in the midst of that mayhem, it was an awesome site.

The fighting has been incredibly close inside the city. The enemy is willing to die and is literally waiting until they see the whites of the eyes of the Marines before they open up. Just two days ago, as a firefight raged in close quarters, one of the interpreters yelled for the enemy in the house to surrender. The enemy yelled back that it was better to die and go to heaven than to surrender to infidels. This exchange is a graphic window into the world that the Marines and Soldiers have been fighting in these last 10 days.

There are many heroes among our troops. LtCol Bellon focuses on two exceptional Marines:

I will end with a couple of stories of individual heroism that you may not have heard yet. I was told about both of these incidents shortly after they occurred. No doubt some of the facts will change slightly but I am confident that the meat is correct.

The first is a Marine from 3/5. His name is Corporal Yeager (Chuck Yeager's grandson). As the Marines cleared and apartment building, they got to the top floor and the point man kicked in the door. As he did so, an enemy grenade and a burst of gunfire came out. The explosion and enemy fire took off the point man's leg. He was then immediately shot in the arm as he lay in the doorway. Corporal Yeager tossed a grenade in the room and ran into the doorway and into the enemy fire in order to pull his buddy back to cover. As he was dragging the wounded Marine to cover, his own grenade came back through the doorway. Without pausing, he reached down and threw the grenade back through the door while he heaved his buddy to safety. The grenade went off inside the room and Cpl Yeager threw another in. He immediately entered the room following the second explosion. He gunned down three enemy all within three feet of where he stood and then let fly a third grenade as he backed out of the room to complete the evacuation of the wounded Marine. You have to understand that a grenade goes off within 5 seconds of having the pin pulled. Marines usually let them "cook off" for a second or two before tossing them in. Therefore, this entire episode took place in less than 30 seconds.

The second example comes from 3/1. Cpl Mitchell is a squad leader. He was wounded as his squad was clearing a house when some enemy threw pineapple grenades down on top of them. As he was getting triaged, the doctor told him that he had been shot through the arm. Cpl Mitchell told the doctor that he had actually been shot "a couple of days ago" and had given himself self aide on the wound. When the doctor got on him about not coming off the line, he firmly told the doctor that he was a squad leader and did not have time to get treated as his men were still fighting. There are a number of Marines who have been wounded multiple times but refuse to leave their fellow Marines.

It is incredibly humbling to walk among such men. They fought as hard as any Marines in history and deserve to be remembered as such. The enemy they fought burrowed into houses and fired through mouse holes cut in walls, lured them into houses rigged with explosives and detonated the houses on pursuing Marines, and actually hid behind surrender flags only to engage the Marines with small arms fire once they perceived that the Marines had let their guard down. I know of several instances where near dead enemy rolled grenades out on Marines who were preparing to render them aid. It was a fight to the finish in every sense and the Marines delivered.

I have called the enemy cowards many times in the past because they have never really held their ground and fought but these guys in the city did. We can call them many things but they were not cowards.

My whole life I have read about the greatest generation and sat in wonder at their accomplishments. For the first time, as I watch these Marines and Soldiers, I am eager for the future as this is just the beginning for them. Perhaps the most amazing characteristic of all is that the morale of the men is sky high. They hurt for the wounded and the dead but they are eager to continue to attack. Further, not one of them would be comfortable with being called a hero even though they clearly are.

By now the Marines and Soldiers have killed well over a thousand enemy. These were not peasants or rabble. They were reasonably well trained and entirely fanatical. Most of the enemy we have seen have chest rigs full of ammunition and are well armed are willing to fight to the death. The Marines and Soldiers are eager to close with them and the fighting at the end is inevitably close.

There's more.

Posted by Deb at 11:33 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack