Marine Corps News Room

FALLUJAH, Iraq - Marines from Personnel Security Detachment, Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion 24th Marine Regiment, apprehended two suspected insurgents in Fallujah, Iraq Nov 20.

Marines with the battalion are currently serving under Regimental Combat Team 5 in Fallujah, Iraq.

http://www.dcmilitary.com/stories/113006/quanticosentry_27827.shtml

By Lance Cpl. Stephen McGinnis
Regimental Combat Team 5
Lance Cpl. Stephen McGinnis

Marines from PSD set out in the morning with no more than a mission to drive through the city and search for anything they found suspicious. That was just what they found.

Lance Cpl. David L. Admire, a 26-year-old machine gunner from Clever, Mo., had a hunch about the two men who began acting very suspiciously and walked down a different street after seeing Marines.

‘‘We drove around a corner; I saw a guy that looked like he was holding something underneath his clothing,” Admire said. ‘‘It could have been anything, but I just didn’t trust it.”

His hunch turned out to be correct. One of the men tested positive for gun powder residue, and the other lied about knowing the other man.

Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Steven Wimmer, a 35-year-old hospital corpsman from Saginaw Mich., tested the first man for gunpowder residue. To his surprise, the test came out positive.

‘‘I have tested a lot of people since we have been out here, but this was the first time I had one test positive,” Wimmer said.

Wimmer is a police officer in Saginaw, Mich. He is in charge of searching and testing possible insurgents for the PSD.

‘‘I had no idea coming into PSD as a corpsman that my law enforcement experience would come in handy,” Wimmer said.

Wimmer said the street-smarts he gained while serving as a policeman came in handy. He’s learned by the time he spent on the streets of Saginaw of where to look at cars to find signs of tampering and also where to find gunpowder residue on suspects.

‘‘We only have a small amount of time to check, so it helps that I know exactly where to look,” he said.

Any Marine in PSD has the ability to search a vehicle or a person if they find them suspicious.

‘‘I give anyone the right to call out to search someone,” explained Staff Sgt. Jason Hart, a 29-year-old PSD platoon commander. ‘‘Because if any gets an itch about someone; it’s better to scratch that itch rather than to wonder about it later down the road. These guys see more than I possibly could, especially our turret gunners.”

When the man was searched, a military compass was found on him. Marines of PSD believe it might have been used for mortar attacks.

The first man was placed inside of a humvee, and Marines began to question the other who was stopped.

The second suspected insurgent tested negative for gunpowder residue, but when asked how he knew the other man, he lied and said he didn’t know him.

The first man told Marines that they were friends and had just left meeting with other friends in the city.

‘‘It’s huge that we all have the ability to stop a vehicle,” Wimmer said. ‘‘It keeps the responsibility spread out through the platoon and not just up to one person. Every one of us has a different vantage point of the city, and something one guy might not find suspicious someone else might.”

Marines apprehended both and took them to their battalion collection center for more questioning and investigation.

If the men are found to have taken part in any insurgent activity or to have ties to any insurgents, they will be moved to Regimental Combat Team 5’s detainment center.

In the meantime, PSD continues a wary eye peeled on their continuous patrols.

Posted by ph at 08:10 PM | Permalink

AL ASAD, Iraq (Nov. 30, 2006) -- World class assault support … Any time, any zone is the motto for operations conducted by the most-recent heavy helicopter squadron to arrive in support of Coalition Forces in western Iraq.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/9F6F9788481E122E8525723700270666?opendocument

Nov. 30, 2006
Submitted on: 12/01/2006 02:06:15 AM
Story ID#: 20061212615
By Cpl. Jonathan K. Teslevich, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing

Marines and sailors with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 465, Marine Aircraft Group 16 (Reinforced), 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward), arrived at Al Asad, Iraq, in October to replace their fellow CH-53E Super Stallion squadron, HMH-361, and have been hauling personnel and cargo across the Al Anbar Province since.

The Warhorses were welcomed to Al Asad with good operating helicopters and a refurbished workspace and are now operating much as they had in their previous three deployments to Al Asad, Iraq.

“The types of operations we do are really the same as last time,” said Lt. Col. Mitchell E. Cassell, the squadron executive officer. “The battle space for the I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) has changed a lot since then. As a result, (CH-53) Echoes don’t operate in the same zones we did before. Now, our operations are limited to a smaller portion of the Al Anbar Province, so we go to the same forward operating bases all the time.”

The change in the operating environment has created a challenge for the Warhorse aircrews: complacency.

“It’s all the same mission, transporting people and their gear from one forward operating base to the next, but the flying isn’t nearly so interesting anymore because the variation of the type of flying and places we go to is cut in half,” said Cassell, a Charleston, Mo., native. “It’s tough, because we’re fighting complacency regularly, seeing the same things day in and day out.”

One change in their operating environment that does not test the squadron’s abilities to adjust is the improvements made to their workspaces on the sprawling desert airbase.

“The facilities are significantly better than last time I was out here. The spaces, inside and outside, have been improved,” said Cassell. “We have the Big Iron Café (dining facility) now, whereas before we had a tent, which was ok. Now, it’s a building, and having our own chow hall has really improved morale.”

In addition to improved work spaces, HMH-361 also turned over a well-kept group of helicopters that the Warhorse maintainers have been battling wear and tear on, as they haul cargo day and night.

“The maintainers are doing a great job,” said Cassell “We were fortunate to have a lot of experienced people who have been over here in the operating environment before. It was a good mix for all the new Marines we have.”

The work being performed by the dozens of helicopter maintainers would be all for naught if it wasn’t for the complete support provided by the Marine Corps’ supply system.

“The planes are in great shape,” said Cassell. “Being a force activity designator one unit gives us a priority for support -- specifically, logistics, maintenance and parts support. So, when we need parts, we get them before everybody else and quicker than everybody else. That translates into: when a plane breaks, we can fix it in short order.”

It is no short order and no small task for the young Marines who have stepped up to take on the responsibilities of fixing the hulking aircraft and quickly getting them in flying shape again.

“In the maintenance section, we lost a lot of senior sergeants from our last deployment,” said Lance Cpl. Justin W. Holleman, a CH-53E helicopter mechanic. “Now, those of us who may not have the rank but do have the job experience are the ones responsible for getting the job done right.”

The transfer of responsibility to himself and his fellow junior Marines who have deployed to Al Asad strikes Holleman as a big change.

“It’s different. On our last deployment, we were told to do this and that,” said Holleman, a Clifton, Texas, native. “Now, we watch others and tell them how to do jobs they don’t know. They don’t have any choice but to pick it up. There’s no time. They may have to learn on the job now, but then, they won’t need the supervision to do it right the next time.”

It is that kind of get-the-job-done mentality that is going to carry the Warhorses through the end of their deployment successfully.

“As the commanding officer says, ‘Do it better, safer and more efficiently than anybody else. We’re going to prove to 3rd MAW, the rest of the Marines Corps and the rest of the world that we are better than everybody else,'” said Cassell. “That does not in fact mean we are going to cut corners, cheat and steal, and do all this other stuff to get it done. No, it means we’re going to do it right the first time, every time and make a name for ourselves as we provide I MEF the lift and transport out here in the Al Anbar Province to accomplish their tasking.”

“We haven’t missed any launches, so we have completed 100 percent of our tasking and that is our goal,” he said. “The only thing that can stop us is ourselves and the weather, and we can’t control the weather.”

Disclaimer -- Photos associated with the article can be found at the following links:

1 - http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200612122039
2 - http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200612122340
3 - http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200612122528
4 - http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200612123154
5 - http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/20061212556
6 - http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200612125647
7 - http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200612125838

Posted by sr at 03:33 PM | Permalink

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — More than 28,000 Marines, sailors, soldiers and airmen under the command of Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based II Marine Expeditionary Force will deploy to Iraq early next year, according to the deployment list released Thursday.

http://www.navytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-2391939.php

November 30, 2006
By Trista Talton, Staff writer

The service members who will fall under Multi-National Force-West, which includes 10,000 Iraqi soldiers from the 1st and 7th Iraqi Army Divisions, will be composed of the following units:

II MEF (Forward)

Regimental Combat Team 2

Headquarters Company, 3rd Marines

1st Battalion, 2nd Marines

1st Battalion, 3rd Marines

An Army infantry battalion (to be determined)

1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion

Combat Logistics Battalion 2

Elements of 1st Combat Engineer Battalion

Elements of 1st Tank Battalion

Elements of 3rd Battalion, 12th Marines

Elements of 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion

Regimental Combat Team 6

2nd Battalion, 6th Marines

3rd Battalion, 6th Marines

2nd Battalion, 7th Marines

1st Reconnaissance Battalion

1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division

2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward)

Marine Wing Headquarters 2

Marine Wing Support Group 27

Marine Air Control Group 28

Marine Aircraft Group 29

2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward)

Combat Logistics Battalion 2

Combat Logistics Battalion 6

8th Engineer Support Battalion

2nd Maintenance Battalion

Headquarters Company

Service Company and Communications Company

30th Naval Construction Regiment

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 4

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 5

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 40

Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit 303

Underwater Construction Team 2

The force will be responsible for training and preparing Iraqi Security Forces to lead counterinsurgency operations in Anbar province and will relieve units commanded by I MEF (Forward), which has been in charge of Marine units in Iraq since March.

This new list represents the first half of II MEF’s yearlong command in Iraq, roughly covering March through September of next year. The second half, which will be released in the coming summer, will cover September 2007 through March 2008.

Posted by ph at 01:21 PM | Permalink

About 20 Kane'ohe Bay Marines were scheduled to leave last night for a nine-month deployment to train a battalion of Afghan National Army soldiers.

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Nov/30/ln/FP611300360.html

Posted on: Thursday, November 30, 2006
Advertiser Staff

The members of the 3rd Marine Regiment will be part of embedded training teams in eastern Afghanistan. Marines usually deploy on seven-month combat tours to Iraq or Afghanistan.

The return in May of the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines from Afghanistan signaled an end to a cycle of deployments to Afghanistan by Hawai'i Marine battalions.

The 1st Battalion of about 1,000 Marines now is training for a return to Iraq in the spring. The unit first deployed to Iraq in 2004.

The 1st Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment at Kane'ohe Bay, an artillery unit, also is leaving for western Iraq in the spring as a provisional military police unit.

Posted by ph at 10:06 AM | Permalink

The new commandant of the Marine Corps visited the Marines and sailors of Camp Lejeune on Wednesday to introduce himself and spell out his plan for his tour as lead Marine.

http://www.jdnews.com/SiteProcessor.cfm?Template=/GlobalTemplates/Details.cfm&StoryID=46833&Section=News

November 30,2006
CHRIS MAZZOLINI
DAILY NEWS STAFF

Gen. James Conway, the 34th Marine to hold the position of commandant, told Marines and sailors that his No. 1 priority will be taking care of the forces engaged in combat in the Middle East and around the world.

“The emphasis of our efforts will continue to be support of those young men and women and the job that they are doing,” he said during a question and answer session with reporters before the town hall at Goettge Memorial Field House.

One way that Conway said he wants to support the troops abroad is by giving them more time at home. He said that troops deploying to Iraq today normally serve seven-month combat tours and are then home for seven months.

Conway said he wants to double the time troops spend at home between deployments to allow them more time with their families and to train for various possibilities.

“We’ve got a number of folks that are gone for seven months and back as little as five before they turn around and do it again,” Conway said. “I personally think that will have some telling impact on our people. I think it’s already starting to.

“(14 months) gives a family a chance to have a baby,” he added. “You can’t have a baby in seven months.”

Because the tempo of deployments to Iraq has been so steady, Conway said an “institutional strain” has been placed on the Corps and that some of the tactics the Marines traditionally excel at have been neglected. A 14-month period between deployments should allow more diverse training, Conway said.

“We’re getting very, very good at counterinsurgency, but the other skills are starting to suffer a little bit,” he said. “I consider that an institutional weakness, when you consider what our mission is by law from the Congress, to be the nation’s shock troops.

“Is 14 months going to solve all that for us? Not necessarily, but it’s going to help a lot.”

Conway said the only way to change the “deploy to dwell” ratio is to either reduce demand on Marine services or increase the size of the Corps. He said the Marines have begun exploring what size the roughly 180,000 Corps would need to grow to.

“We need to figure out just what that magic number is,” he said.

Conway also said he wants to create a “Wounded Warriors Regiment” on each coast. It will be a nontraditional command that will track and assist wounded Marines.

Other priorities during Conway’s tenure as commandant are to “reset” the Corps equipment, either with current technology or more advanced technology; improve the quality of life for both single Marines and families; and prepare the Marines for whatever may lie ahead in the future.

In the town hall with active-duty troops, Conway laid out his priorities and gave the Marines a chance to ask questions, which ranged from queries about tattoo policy and equipment concerns to Iraq policy and mental-health issues.

One Marine asked what should be done if the situation in Iraq becomes a civil war — as many already believe it is. How would that change the mission?

Conway replied that he does not think the situation in Iraq is “strictly-speaking” a civil war. About the policy question, he said that much of that is currently being discussed in classified environments, but that part of it would be to pull troops off the roads or realign the forces in Iraq to “strategic bases” from where they can protect the country’s borders while it settles its internal differences.

Another Marine asked about what’s being done to take care of Marines who return from Iraq suffering from combat stress.

Conway said the first step to dealing with mental health situations is to have alert leadership at all levels. Then the key is to get Marines into counseling or therapy. He did say there are requests to have more funding for counseling aboard military bases.

Most importantly, Conway said, is that a Marine suffering from combat stress or PTSD needs to be taken seriously like any other wounded Marine.

Conway, who became commandant earlier this month, comes to the post after more than 35 years of military service, mostly as an infantry officer. The general served as battalion commander of Lejeune’s 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, in the early 1990s and later became commander of Camp Pendleton’s I Marine Expeditionary Force, which he commanded through two combat tours to Iraq.

The Marines and sailors who listened to Conway came away with a good impression of their new boss, especially some of his initiatives to increase the time home during deployments.

“I like the 12- to 14-month turnaround time,” said Cpl. Richard Wright, 21, a Marine with 3rd Battalion, 10th Marines. Wright, a 21-year-old from Magna, Utah, said he has been to Iraq once and is preparing to go back again. He’s had more than a year since his last deployment, and he said that time home has been good.

“It gives you time to spend with your family,” he said. “You’re not over there in the desert, worrying you’ll be shot at.”

Now, Wright said he’s anxious to go back to Iraq.

Jonathan Mothershed, 21, a Navy corpsman from Pensacola, Fla., said he likes Conway’s planned initiatives.

“He seemed like a good guy,” he said. “It seems like he’s got a lot in store.”

Contact staff writer Chris Mazzolini at cmazzolini@freedomenc.com or 353-1171, ext. 229.

Posted by ph at 10:00 AM | Permalink

On 2nd tour in Iraq, Alabama Marine aids female search team

Part of Marine Cpl. Jennifer Holt's mission in Iraq is to help repair roads around the dangerous city of Fallujah.

Above and beyond that, the former Clay-Chalkville High cheerleader is trying to build trust between Iraqis and the Marines who patrol their neighborhoods and sometimes search their homes.

http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1164796501313400.xml&coll=2&thispage=3

Wednesday, November 29, 2006
TOM GORDON, News staff writer

She hopes some of that trust is established when armed Marines enter a household and she, not one of her male counterparts, searches the Iraqi women there.

The 25-year-old Holt, now on her second tour in Iraq, is a member of what the Marines call a female search team, or FST.

"I have searched thousands of women," Holt wrote in a recent e-mail from Iraq. "The female Marines take turns on who searches because all of us are doing this on top of our original jobs. I have had everything from women giving birth as they come through my search, women handing us their children to hold, and friendly handshakes to say `thank you' to us for being here."

In another e-mail, Holt indicated she has helped her own searches go smoother because she can communicate to some extent in Arabic.

"I have taken the time myself to learn a little bit ... so that I may better understand the people while I am in the city," she said. "It helps ease the women that I search, if as soon as I approach them, I greet them in their ... language. They sometimes have the look of surprise and gratefulness that I am able to communicate with them.

"I know we are doing a good thing," Holt wrote in one e-mail. "Even though my footprints are small, the steps we have taken to give hope and security to these people are enormous."

Holt is a combat engineer, and her company is part of Combat Logistics Battalion-5. Back home, she was working as a nursing assistant and had thoughts of becoming a doctor, but she left that job to join the Marines for a four-year hitch. That hitch already has included a tour in Iraq, from September 2005 to April 2006.

"I felt that there are many people that are unable to fight for our country, and I was healthy and able," Holt said. Joining the Marines, she added, has given her time and distance "to test all my options and help me to decide what I really want to do in life."

Iraq, especially Fallujah and surrounding Al Anbar province, is about as testing a place as she could find.

Marines have been dying in Al Anbar, a Sunni stronghold, almost since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq began in March 2003. Twenty-two have died in Al Anbar so far this month, and Holt indicated she has had some close calls in the three months she and her unit have been operating out of Camp Fallujah.

"Sometimes it is like fighting the invisible man," she said in one e-mail.

In another, she added, "You can never be sure of when something could turn into a heightened situation. I have encountered some sporadic small arms fire."

Holt also said she's been rocked by mortar rounds and survived crude bombs. "Any time something like that happens, all you can do is thank God you're OK, and go on with the mission."

Women warriors make up slightly less than 7 percent of the 141,000 U.S. troops operating in and around Iraq. Through Monday, according to the Iraqi Coalition Casualty Count Web site, 62 women, three of them Marines, have died in and around Iraq since the start of the war. That amounts to about 2 percent of the U.S. military death total, which was listed as 2,883 on Tuesday. Through Nov. 18, according to the Defense Department, 429 female troops had been wounded in action.

Wounds not physical:

Back in Alabama, Holt's father said his daughter, known in the family as Jenny, seemed wounded after her first Iraqi tour, though the wounds were not physical.

"She's worried about something, it seems like, all the time," James Holt Jr. said. "When she's home, she tries to have fun, but I can tell a different tone in her voice."

Now that she's back in Iraq, Holt said, "It's killing me."

In two e-mails Tuesday, Jenny Holt said, "Whenever I came home, I was still on my toes most of the time. I still found myself looking around for something out of place. I had difficulty with people being close to me ... It's one of those things that time takes care of.

"Of course it (Iraq) has changed me a bit. I am defiantly more grateful for my freedom, and our culture. I will have scars forever. Some physical and mental scars, but that just adds character, right!"

In her part of Iraq, Holt said, combat can break out at any time. A recent Marine intelligence report cited in The Washington Post states that U.S. forces have been unable to smash the insurgency in Anbar.

Despite that grim assessment, Holt said her unit is in "the hearts and minds stage" in Fallujah. Part of that, she said, involves "helping the IAs (the Iraqi army) and the IPs (Iraqi police) to understand what it means to be the watchful eye of the people, helping them to understand that there is something they can do to keep their people safe, and (reducing) the amount of attacks and possible deaths, without disturbing Iraqi culture."

Showing respect:

Showing respect for Iraqi culture is part of the reason she and other female Marines search Fallujah's women when a situation calls for it. It may be a long time, if ever, before the faces of some of those women leave her memory.

"A woman came through one day and her family had been killed by the insurgents," Holt wrote. "She was crying, and I could see the pain and hurt in her eyes as I searched her. It was a look you hope you never have to feel yourself. Her tears were so heavy they seemed to be pulling her cheeks downward as they rolled off.

"I immediately started thinking of my family back home, and the other Marine families we were fighting for. I felt my heart drop into my stomach with just the thought of if I were in her shoes and something was to happen to my family. As she left, though she was still crying, she turned to give me thanks for our help in protecting the only life she had left, hers."

E-mail: tgordon@bhamnews.com

Posted by ph at 08:35 PM | Permalink

Marines' credo: Stop trouble before it kills

FALLUJAH, Iraq -- "Patrollin', patrollin'," a turret gunner sang, encased in chicken wire like somebody in a carnival dunk tank as the line of Humvees growled out of Charlie Company's base camp. "We're patrollin' through Fallujah."

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061129/NEWS05/611290365

November 29, 2006
BY JOE SWICKARD
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

In the battle to keep order in this Sunni-dominated city in Anbar province, Charlie Company -- about 200 men from the Michigan-based 1st Battalion of the 24th Marine Regiment -- is the on-site boss, rolling the streets day and night to chase down or run off insurgents.

While other parts of Iraq are ripped apart by factions, and the sectarian violence in Baghdad worsens daily, the scene in Fallujah is different but no less deadly. The city has endured some of the bloodiest urban combat of the war. Now the Marines are fighting to keep Fallujah from becoming an insurgent stronghold again, as it was two years ago.

Making their home in a battered school administration building, the men of Charlie Company comprise the only unit that lives in the center of the city, where insurgents have killed scores of Marines with roadside bombs, ambushes and sniper fire.

With its sandbagged windows and cheap fluorescent lamps fighting a haze of cement dust, the place has an eerie, eternal twilight quality -- like a casino, only with machine guns and bulletproof vests stacked up in the halls.

The men -- students, sheriff's deputies, firefighters and even a personal banker who loves heavy metal music -- say they'd rather make nice with the residents, but they don't waste time in confronting those who have other ideas.

"We'll be jumping out if somebody's mean-mugging us," Cpl. Anthony Tavormina, 22, of Toledo told members of his mounted patrol before they took to the streets on a recent day.

Mean-mugging -- dirty looks, the evil eye or a hostile gesture -- isn't tolerated by Charlie Company. When they see it on the streets, the men get in the Iraqi's face for aggressive questioning, ID checks and, for anyone who doesn't get it right, a possible trip to what's called the Wayne County Jail, the new detention facility at nearby Camp Baharia.

Cpl. Shawn Wilson, a 27-year-old Oakland County sheriff's deputy and former Detroit police officer, said going after insurgents and troublemakers is all about making sure the people of Fallujah have a chance at a better life.

"It's like working a block back home," he said. If a block has one good family and nine bad ones, you don't let the nine bad stop you from protecting the one.

"You treat that house with respect," he said.

Most of the residents want peace, said commanding officer Capt. Mike Mayne -- a guy who is already legendary in the unit for asking a translator who said Fallujah was too dangerous whether he was a coward. But the broken windows theory of crime control applies here. Not tolerating the little stuff heads off the big problems later.

The Marines pare it down to the notion that, if somebody is dense enough to pick a fight with them, well, they're ready to go. "If they're nice, we're nice," said Sgt. Bryce Sobol, 25, a personal banker from Freeland. "If they get stupid, we get stupid."

No one doubts the dangers of Fallujah from snipers, from roadside bombs. But it doesn't have the death squads found in Baghdad, and the Marines are able to keep the worst violence under control.

When Charlie rolls, all other traffic stops. Drivers who ignore clear warnings can be met with deadly force.

Even toilets can be dangerous

In Fallujah, Charlie is an active verb: Consider a Saturday midday patrol with Cpl. Dennis Rodeman, 22, of Vermontville.

The 3rd Squad of the 3rd Platoon went to deliver a message to a corner gas station, the scene of a couple of grenade attacks on the unit, said Rodeman, a firefighter and international business student at Michigan State University.

Pulling up to the station where gas is sold from barrels and plastic jugs, the Marines jumped out and emptied the fuel into the street. The owner and attendants pleaded they had nothing to do with the grenades.

OK, Rodeman said, but there is still a price to pay, even if the bad guys just use the place as cover. "Any more grenade attacks," he said, "and we're going to burn down the gas station."

Rodeman shrugged off the contradiction of ending the encounter with thanks all around: "It's like going into your house, thrashing your bedroom and then saying, "Hey, let's go to lunch.' "

Under the constant threat of sniping by mujahideen insurgents, Charlie Company has learned that any step outside requires a helmet and full body armor -- even a trip to a portable toilet. And you have to do the sniper dance -- juking and dekeing so no one can get a good aim on you.

Even the Humvees dance. When the men are dismounted, the drivers roll the vehicles back and forth so a sniper can't line up a shot on a door to pick off a returning Marine.

But you can't dance past an IED -- an improvised explosive device -- like the roadside bomb that hit a patrol from the 3rd Squad of the 1st Platoon on Saturday night. The four-vehicle caravan was doing snaps and house calls -- random quick searches of vehicles and homes -- and checking known trouble spots.

Rolling under a crescent moon along Fran, a major east-west thoroughfare with a history of ambushes, the convoy passed a darkened Iraqi government building when the street went blindingly bright. An instant later, a flame ball erupted from the right curb, between the third and fourth vehicles, known as Vic 3 and Vic 4. White flames shot across the road in a sharp explosion.

The men quickly piled out of the Humvees, taking cover and setting up a perimeter. There were no casualties.

"All good. We're all good," they radioed each other.

But the men have to wait. The IED could be a setup, the attack followed with rockets, gunfire or another IED. Taking positions in a ruined concrete block building, Lance Cpl. Justin Dieting, 25, of Romeo and Lance Cpl. Enrique Rakowski, 25, of Manistee recalled attacks in which snipers picked off their buddies or insurgents fired rockets at them.

In the dark, the men's whispers wove together, recounting their experiences:

You're sitting in your Vic and the next thing stumbling empty-handed in the roadway. Your weapon's on the ground, the Humvee's burning, and everything's a little tilted and crazy.

You get a couple of days off, notification of a Purple Heart and wonder if the shrapnel still in your body will set off airport metal detectors.

Your dead partners never really leave Charlie. You feel them every time you pass the sites of their deaths, remember their wisecracks or hear a familiar tune.

After the area was secured and evidence collected by explosives teams, the patrol resumed, and men noted they'd passed that intersection at least once before that night.

The IED was a speed bump -- a device set on a paved road and then detonated by a triggerman when a vehicle passes over it. A second sooner on the trigger, and Vic 3 would have gone up. A second later, Vic 4 would have been gutted and smoking.

That night, everybody, Marines and the bomber alike, made it back home.

Contact JOE SWICKARD at jswickard@freepress.com.

Posted by ph at 08:28 PM | Permalink

The Navy opens a clinic in east San Diego County for service members and retirees.

SANTEE, CALIF. — Tucked in the corner of the expansive Santee Town Center shopping complex is the latest innovation in military healthcare: a fully staffed outpatient clinic for military members, their families and veterans.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-clinic29nov29,1,7627493.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

By Tony Perry, Times Staff Writer
November 29, 2006

Most military medicine is dispensed at the region's larger bases, including the hospital at Camp Pendleton and the massive Naval Medical Center in San Diego's Balboa Park. Add to that list a sprinkling of clinics in civilian medical buildings.

But the two buildings in Santee, a joint effort by the Veterans Affairs and Defense departments, are the first free-standing local clinics.

A 6,500-square-foot main building with 10 examination rooms and two treatment rooms, and a 2,500-square-foot pharmacy building are part of the sprawling Santee complex, which also includes a Wal-Mart and other stores. Construction costs topped $3.2 million for the medical buildings.

"It doesn't feel like a government institution," Rear Adm. Brian G. Brannman, commander of the San Diego medical center, said at Tuesday's grand opening. "It feels like a place where you want to come and have your family taken care of — and that's the idea."

The goal is to keep patients from having to travel to the San Diego hospital, where parking and scheduling are tight. With its lower housing costs, east San Diego County is home to a growing number of military families.

Capt. David A. Tam, deputy commander of the medical center, said the idea for a local clinic came from watching sailors leave base to dash home to pick up a child in east county and then race back to the San Diego hospital for an appointment.

An advisory group of retirees and others had a hand in the planning, suggesting a soothing color scheme, TVs in waiting rooms and a child-care center. An emphasis was put on immediacy.

"People want service when they walk in," said Navy retiree John Sadler of nearby Lakeside.

These are busy times for military medicine.

Already the busiest military hospital in the country, the medical center in Balboa Park has increased its services to help Marines, sailors and others wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. It recently opened the military's only center for amputee care in the western U. S. And after the hospital ship Mercy's two successful humanitarian deployments to nations in the Western Pacific, the Pentagon has decided not to mothball the San Diego-based ship. More such missions are being planned.

Santee has long been a favorite of young military families because of its moderate rents.

The city takes pride in being military-friendly.

"You go to our restaurants and all you see are short haircuts, lots of high-and-tights," said Mayor Randy Voepel, using slang for the hairstyles required of Marines.

Voepel, who served two tours in Vietnam while in the Navy, estimates that a third or more of the city's 56,000 residents are active-duty or retirees and their family members. The city has "adopted" two military units: an infantry battalion from Camp Pendleton and a helicopter squadron from Miramar Marine Corps Air Station.

Santee is home to Joe Browning, a senior aide to Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-El Cajon), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. At the ceremony Tuesday, Browning suggested the clinic was the product of three influences: Hunter, Santee and the Balboa Park hospital.

Posted by ph at 07:48 PM | Permalink

AL ASAD, Iraq (Nov. 29, 2006) - U.S. Marines have brought in the "big guns" to combat insurgents in Iraq"s western Al Anbar Province.

http://www.imef-fwd.usmc.mil/imef/imef-public.nsf/sites/rct7

Story by Staff Sgt. Jim Goodwin, Photos by Staff Sgt. Jim Goodwin and Gunnery Sgt. Michael Q. Retana, Regimental Combat Team 7

Utilizing a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter, Marines airlifted an M198 Medium Howitzer canon from this sprawling U.S. airbase to an undisclosed location in western Al Anbar Province.

The Marines plan on using the extra firepower to provide support in the province, where the southern Calif.-based Regimental Combat Team 7 began synchronized clearing operations to rid the region of insurgents.

RCT-7 is the Coalition Forces unit responsible for providing security and mentoring Iraqi Security Forces in western Al Anbar Province, a 30,000 square mile region which stretches from the Jordan and Syria borders, hundreds of miles east to the Euphrates River.

"We"ve never lifted a Howitzer before," said Lance Cpl. Ronald J. Butler, a 19-year-old Marine from Merrill, Wis. "(We"ve lifted) cargo and stuff, but never anything that big."

Butler was part of the team of Marines on the ground - called a "Helicopter Support Team" - who helped prepare and actually hooked the 16,000-pound piece of artillery to the helicopter.

"This was pretty motivating," added Staff Sgt. Jerry Dominguez, the 29-year-old enlisted Marine in charge of the helicopter support team.

Moreover, the feat of getting the Howitzer safely to its destination required the combined efforts of multiple Marine Corps commands currently deployed to Iraq - a concept the Marines call a "Marine Air-Ground Task Force," which employs three separate elements to make up a force: a ground combat element, an air combat element, and a combat service support element.

RCT-7, the ground combat element, provided the canon and helped coordinate the lift, while the Miramar, Calif.-based 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward), the air combat element, provided the helicopters. Dominguez" team is part of the Camp Pendleton, Calif.-based 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward) - the combat service support element - which provides all logistical support to the thousands of Coalition Forces serving in Anbar Province.

Dominguez said his team conducts three to four lifts a week, providing an assortment of cargo - everything from ammunition to water and food to medical supplies - to troops throughout Al Anbar Province.

But while toting a canon from point A to point B via helicopter was a new feat for the Dominguez" team, transporting cargo in the air is not. In fact, air lifting supplies to U.S. troops operating throughout Al Anbar Province keeps one less supply convoy off Iraq"s dangerous roads, said Dominguez.

"This saves troops" lives," said Dominguez, who added that the more convoys out on Iraq"s roads, the more chance a U.S. military vehicle could hit an improvised explosive device. "It"s the IED factor. Instead of a convoy, we can just drop (the supplies.)"

As the helicopter hovered just yards above the Howitzer, Butler and half a dozen other Marines guided the helicopter"s crew from the ground, hooked the behemoth cannon to the helicopter"s underbelly, and gave the "thumb"s up" for take off.

In a matter of seconds, the helicopter flew off into an early morning sky, toting the Howitzer - the largest ground-based piece of artillery in the U.S. military"s arsenal - underneath.

Thirty minutes later, the massive weapon reached its destination, which can"t be divulged to protect the security of on-going U.S. military operations in the province.

For the "grunts on the ground," transporting the canon by helicopter greatly reduces the amount of time it takes for infantrymen to receive the extra firepower the Howitzer can provide, according to Maj. William P. MacNaughton, a 36-year-old Marine from Birmingham, Ala.

Utilizing a helicopter vice a military convoy to transport the "big gun" not only kept additional Marines off Iraq"s roads for their own protection, but also "freed up combat power to do other things aside from convoy security," said MacNaughton, who coordinates air support for RCT-7"s forces throughout Anbar Province.

"The whole purpose is to keep Marines off the road whenever possible," he said.

In the distance, the "wump wump" sound of the rotary blades of two incoming helicopters grew louder as Dominguez, Butler and the rest of their team began preparing the next load of supplies to be air-lifted - ammunition for the Howitzer.

"We"re getting the Marines what they need," said Butler. "It"s getting the mission done. It"s mission accomplishment."

Email Staff Sgt. Jim Goodwin at: goodwinjm@gcemnf-wiraq.usmc.mil.

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Posted by sr at 02:21 PM | Permalink

CANTON - When Heath Warner was 12, he visited Arlington National Cemetery with his family.

http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/16120714.htm

Wed., Nov. 29, 2006
By Jim Carney
Beacon Journal staff writer

Standing at attention, Heath saluted a member of the honor guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

The guard gave the boy a subtle hint, a slight wink, letting Heath know that he understood what the boy was feeling at the historic site.

Soon, Marine Pvt. Heath D. Warner, 19, will return to Arlington National Cemetery, this time to be buried in the rolling landscape that meant so much to him.

He was among three Marines killed Nov. 22 in a roadside bombing in Iraq.

The young man, who would have turned 20 on Jan. 2, dreamed of going into the military from the time he was 5.

While at Canton McKinley High School, he decided to join the Marines, enlisted in his senior year and by August 2005 -- several weeks after graduation -- was on his way to boot camp.

Inside their home this week, his parents, Scott and Melissa Warner, grabbed a pile of snapshots and pulled out one after another showing Heath as he grew up, determined to serve his country.

There was a picture of him wearing the Army uniform of his grandfather, Randy Metzger, of Bolivar.

Another showed Heath standing at attention and saluting at an Army fort in Virginia.

And one was from seven years ago as he stood at attention and saluted in the cemetery in Arlington, Va.

On graduation day at McKinley, he walked straight as an arrow, like a Marine, as he picked up his diploma.

``This is what he's always wanted to do,'' said his mother, Melissa Warner, 39, a cashier trainer for Sears.

``It was his calling in life,'' she said.

The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America played a part in Heath's desire to serve his country.

``I remember him over and over saying, `I'm gonna go fight for my country,' '' his mother said.

In the week since his parents learned of his death, they have been comforted by friends and family and even strangers who have stopped by their Canton home to visit or to drop off food, flowers and cards.

Heath was a gunner on a Humvee when he and Lance Cpl. James Davenport, 20, of Danville, Ind., and Lance Cpl. Joshua Alonzo, 21, of Dumas, Texas, were killed while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq.

The three were part of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, and were based in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

As a gunner, he stood on the Humvee.

On his Web site atwww.myspace.com/tmarui, he wrote, ``if you are gonna die, die standing up.''

On that Web site, he listed his major as ``Defending Freedom.''

While in Hawaii, he spoke with his family by cell phone, sometimes several times a day.

But after he left for Iraq in early September, the family received only one letter and no phone calls.

The letter was dated Oct. 2 and arrived in Canton on Oct. 28.

Heath wrote that he was studying the Bible and reading The Purpose Driven Life, a religious best-seller by Rick Warren.

``I don't want to talk about it much,'' he said in the letter. ``I get homesick. And you worry.''

In that letter, he told his family he had survived an IED -- an improvised explosive device.

``I know God is watching,'' he wrote.

Father Scott Warner, 43, a financial analyst for the Westfield Group in Medina County, said he and his wife believe Heath was trying to protect his family by not telling them much about what was going on in Iraq.

``Heath was a selfless young man,'' his father said.

The young Marine loved to break dance, was intrigued with martial arts, was teaching himself to speak Japanese and had taken Arabic lessons in the Marines.

A brother, Chandler, 14, described Heath as his best friend.

Losing him, Chandler said, is hard.

``My nerves are shot,'' he said.

His brother's sacrifice, Chandler said, will ``motivate me to do something good with my life.''

Heath has another brother, 7-year-old Ashton.

Father Scott Warner recalled a Memorial Day ceremony at McKinley Monument this year, attended by family of service members who had died in Iraq.

He said he told his wife during the ceremony: ``I pray to God we aren't up there next year.''

Heath didn't like to say goodbye when on the phone with his parents. Instead, he would say, ``talk to you soon'' or something like that, his parents said.

In the last letter to his family were these words in English: ``I love you all,'' followed by this word in Arabic, ``Goodbye.''

For some reason, his mother said, God wanted her son.

``He entrusted him to me,'' Melissa Warner said. ``Our children are definitely a true gift from God.... God needed him and I had to give him back.''

Funeral arrangements will be handled by the Heitger funeral home, Jackson Chapel, at 5850 Wales Road N.W. in Jackson Township. Times, dates and locations of calling hours and funeral services have not been determined.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jim Carney can be reached at 330-996-3576 or jcarney@thebeaconjournal.com.

Posted by sr at 12:31 PM | Permalink

TIFFIN - To the altar of St. Mary's Catholic Church, family and friends of Lance Cpl. Jeremy S. Shock carried symbols of what was important to the young Marine killed 10 days ago in Iraq.

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061129/NEWS17/611290415/-1/NEWS

By JENNIFER FEEHAN
BLADE STAFF WRITER
Wednesday, November 29, 2006

His uncles presented his football jersey and a football.

His brother, Zack, and sister, Sara, carried his Tiffin University diploma.

A friend presented his Marine combat utility cap, and his wife, Clara, carried a photograph from the couple's wedding day last April.

The items represented what he had accomplished and enjoyed in his 22 years, but the Rev. David Ross, pastor at St. Mary's, told the packed church yesterday that it was not those accomplishments but the relationships he had forged that mattered most.

"Everything we own, everything we are, every rank and title we have mean nothing when we lie here. He gave his life for his friends," Father Ross said, alluding to the Gospel passage read only moments earlier.

The hearse carrying his body passes his Green Springs home.
( THE BLADE/LORI KING )

Zoom | Photo Reprints

Corporal Shock, a native of Green Springs and a 2002 Clyde High School graduate, died Nov. 19 after the Humvee he was traveling in was struck by a roadside bomb in Fallujah. Another member of the Perrysburg Township-based Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 24th Marines, was injured in the blast but is expected to recover.

Father Ross said Corporal Shock had been a good son, a good husband, a good friend.

"He was the guy who was always there when you needed him," he said. "He had a good sense of humor. He was polite, a hard worker, a simple, humble fellow who wanted to go to law school after he came back from Iraq. He loved his country so much he joined the Marines."

For an hour before Corporal Shock's funeral, mourners passed by his casket and paid their condolences to his wife and other family members. At a funeral home in his hometown of Green Springs, Corporal Shock's wife and mother were each presented with the Purple Heart medal Monday evening.

The Purple Heart is presented to those who are injured in combat or to the families of those killed in action.

"They're presented as a way to commend the family for the courage and the support they've had for their service member and for pride and honor," said Gunnery Sgt. Steven Kosinski, who took part in the emotional ceremony.

Sergeant Kosinski said Clara Shock had spoken to her husband just a day and a half before he died and the next day attended a memorial service in Michigan for Sgt. Bryan Burgess, another member of the 24th Marines who was killed in Iraq on Nov. 9. Ironically, he said, Corporal Shock had fired a rifle during the memorial service for Sergeant Burgess that was held the same day in Iraq.

Yesterday, rifles were fired into the air at the Green Springs Cemetery for Corporal Shock.

About 48 members of the Patriot Guard Riders, a national group of motorcyclists and others who want to show respect for fallen soldiers and their families, lined the street in front of and beside the church in Tiffin holding U.S. flags. They took up their posts again at the cemetery, standing on either side of the pathway into the graveyard as the hearse and limousine carrying family members passed.

A bagpiper played the Marine Corps Hymn as Marines carried the casket to the burial site.

Following prayers, the Marines meticulously folded the U.S. flag from Corporal Shock's casket and gave it to his family.

Clara Shock, who met Corporal Shock when they were both students at Tiffin University, spoke briefly during the funeral service, reading what she called her last letter to her husband.

"You've made me the happiest woman on Earth," she said. "You always give me support when I need it. Even when you're far away, you're here for me."

He had not failed at anything he'd done, she said, adding, "I really don't know yet what I'm going to do without you in my life."

Posted by sr at 10:22 AM | Permalink

Story Highlights
• U.S. to move three battalions from more peaceful areas
• Number of U.S. forces in Iraq won't increase
• Troops will be from Army units; Marines to stay in Anbar province

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. military plans to move at least three more battalions of soldiers into Baghdad in an attempt to restore security in the Iraqi capital, a senior Pentagon official said.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/11/29/iraq.main/index.html?section=cnn_latest

POSTED: 10:58 p.m. EST, November 29, 2006
An Army official said about 1,600 troops will be involved. Some of the troops are already in the Baghdad area and will be moved into the city.

Other troops will be moved from areas where it is relatively more peaceful -- such as northern Iraq where there are Stryker battalions -- the Pentagon official said.

The highly mobile Stryker units are based around an eight-wheeled lightly armored vehicle named for two Medal of Honor recipients in World War II and Vietnam.

The Pentagon official said the troops will not include Marines based in Sunni-dominated Anbar province, where there has been fighting along the Euphrates River corridor between troops and insurgents.

The troop shifts won't require an increase in total forces in the country, the official said.

As sectarian violence rages in parts of Iraq, securing Baghdad has been the top priority in the U.S. strategy to bring democracy to the country.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government hasn't been able to devise an effective strategy to stem the Sunni-Shiite violence that some observers say has plunged Iraq into civil war.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, speaking Wednesday at meeting of business leaders in Dubai, said Iraq's violence meets the standard of a "civil war."

President Bush this week refused to debate whether Iraq was in a civil war. He called the latest violence "part of a pattern" of attacks by al Qaeda in Iraq to divide Shiites and Sunnis.

Bush was in Amman, Jordan, on Wednesday for a meeting with al-Maliki, but the talks were put off after public disclosure of U.S. doubts about his capacity to control sectarian warfare. The two are scheduled to meet Thursday, the White House said.

Al-Maliki's political standing weakened when allies of cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, a key Shiite supporter of al-Maliki's government, said Wednesday they were stopping their participation as Cabinet ministers and members of parliament.

Posted by ph at 09:49 AM | Permalink

SAQLAWIYAH, Iraq (Nov. 28, 2006) -- Marines from 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment swooped down on unknowing insurgents recently. Marines netted 13 suspected insurgents and rescued two Iraqis held hostage by insurgents.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/5E7A3228ED8ACA40852572340044CE29?opendocument

Nov. 28, 2006; Submitted on: 11/28/2006 07:31:32 AM ; Story ID#: 2006112873132
By Lance Cpl. Erik Villagran, Headquarters Marine Corps

Marines completed a search of a garage complex with the assistance of B Company, 1st Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment and assets assigned to Regimental Combat Team 5, which included amphibious assault vehicles, tanks and air support.

"There had been reports of insurgent activity in the area, so we went in and searched it," said Cpl. Rodrigo R. Santos, a 26-year-old rifleman from Yonkers, N.Y. "They were suspected of selling weapons, ammunition and IED (improvised explosive devices) making materials."

Marines set up vehicle checkpoints on all roads leading into the garage complex to ensure no insurgents could disrupt the searches. Other Marines moved in to apprehend possible insurgents in the area.

"We took over the area real fast," Santos said. "The units communicated and coordinated very well."

All the garages and semi-trucks in the area were searched. Marines smashed locks off garage doors to search the backs of trucks and made sure they weren't trying to transport anything illegal.

Marines gathered detainees while they searched and transported them to a temporary holding facility.

Detainees were put in holding areas that were made at the site. Marines from the battalion's Headquarters and Service Company kept watch over the detained Iraqis.

"We had a lot of people to maintain," said Cpl. Kurt M. Vogler, a 26-year-old administration clerk from Elicott City, Md. "Our job was to keep them calm and make sure there weren't any problems."

Marines were responsible for taking care of the detainees, feeding them and making sure any medical problems they had were assessed.

"We gave them blankets, we fed them and we gave them tea," said Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Ion Jarmond, a 33-year-old hospital corpsman from Hampton, Va. "I also treated around 30 men for different symptoms from headaches to an old lady with diabetes."

They gave the detained Iraqis two meals during the day and also provided them with snacks while they were processed.

All the Iraqis on site were questioned about the insurgent activity in the area, and explosive ordnance disposal technicians blew up contraband found in the search.

"The mission went excellent," Santos said. "We processed everyone we wanted to and sent a message to the insurgents. It tells them that what they are doing in the area isn't going to be tolerated."

Posted by ph at 07:59 PM | Permalink

KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- As if the war in Iraq wasn't hard enough, now local reservists are serving during the holiday season.

So Tuesday night at the Naval and Marine Reserve Center on Alcoa Highway, family members came out to make that distance a little shorter.

http://www.wate.com/global/story.asp?s=5742130

November 28, 2006
By TIM MILLER
6 News Anchor/Reporter

"It's been awful. I just can't explain it. I can't describe it. If I try to, I'm going to cry," said April Gordon, whose husband Kevin is with Delta Company in Iraq.

April had to spend Thanksgiving without her husband and knows she has to be strong for their 20 month-old daughter, Shalee.

"It's just so hard to be without him, especially with the holidays coming up and I don't feel real Christmasy but I want to do stuff for my daughter."

The Gordons joined dozens of other families and volunteers to stuff stockings for the local Marines and a hundred more from Lynchburg, Virginia.

Karen Potter's brother, Jason Russell, is also in Iraq. The event was a break from the empty feeling felt on Thanksgiving.

"It was very sad. Mom took it hard. It was hard for her to participate and everything. But Christmas is going to be even harder," Potter said.

The Marines should get the stockings within a couple of weeks. The families hope their Marines will be home in March.

Posted by ph at 07:42 PM | Permalink

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq (Nov. 28, 2006) -- "Adrenaline rush" doesn't describe what it's like to stand next to a tank as it fires. It's as if Thor, Norse god of thunder, got his Viking shorts in a bunch because someone makes a noise louder than him, so he grabs hold of the adrenal glands and squeezes for all he's worth.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/CA5FD9A23BF62C3D852572340042D2E4?opendocument

Nov. 28, 2006; Submitted on: 11/28/2006 07:09:53 AM ; Story ID#: 200611287953
By Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva, Headquarters Marine Corps

The ear-cracking, rib-crunching, earth-shaking "boom" of the M-1A1 Main Battle Tank's 120 mm main-gun round firing is nothing short of unnatural. It's the sound of a thousand trees snapping in half all at once, the smack of a semi truck slamming head-on into a concrete wall or an entire July 4th fireworks show packed into about a half-second.

It's the sound of destruction. Final and total. Kaput. Nothing left.

It curls up the corners of tanker's mouths into sinister sneers, revealing childish, grit-filled sets of teeth. It's a smile that just can't be turned off. This is what tankers live for, days like the one C Company, 2nd Tank Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 5 spent on Nov. 21.

Tankers rolled out their 68-ton behemoths to Camp Fallujah's Eagle Range to make sure that whatever they aimed at got destroyed, a chance for Marines shoot the guns they rarely get to fire.

"We went out to make sure the weapons systems were zeroed," said Sgt. Chris N. Campos, a 24-year-old tank commander from Easly, S.C. "Basically, we wanted to make sure we were hitting at what we were pointing."

Campos said tankers normally shoot twice a year at Camp Lejeune, N.C., the battalion's home station. He said his company got extra shooting time prior to recently deploying to Fallujah.

Still, any chance to shoot is a good day.

"It makes it all worth it," said Cpl. Ronald E. Valasek Jr., a 30-year-old gunner from Lower Burrell, Pa.

Chilled-morning air greeted Marines as their tanks crunched tracks, edging forward to the firing line. A few final preparations and it was fireworks time.

Outside the tanks, it was an eerie silence, waiting for the gun to blast. It all changed in a matter of milliseconds. The gun roared to life, belching out a ball of bright yellow flame. Sand flew up, seeming to leap from the earth from the ground-pounding shock as the concussion of the blast caused eyes to slam shut and shoulders to tighten.

Think earthquake, sky ripping open and mountains crumbling. It's like getting a 120 mm preview of a volcano eruption.

Ear plugs seemed worthless as the deafening crack reached into the center of the skull, rattling what little neurons were left firing.

Billows of smoke were all that remained as a second report of the round crashing through the hull of an abandoned Iraqi tank fell victim to Marines.

That was just what was happening on the outside.

"It's a lot more muffled on the inside," Campos said. "The blast is not as loud."

It's also a whole lot busier.

"There's a flash inside the turret when we fire," he added. "Then the breech comes flying back."

That keeps everyone on their toes, Valasek said.

"That breech recoils about a foot," he explained. It's also within inches of Marines heads, arms and legs.

"It's a big rush," said Lance Cpl. Glen Hawkins, a 19-year-old loader from Kansas City, Mo. "Slinging those rounds and slamming them into the gun and then the breech comes back. It's a huge flash coming in front of your face."

Lance Cpl. James E. Coder, the tank's 19-year-old-driver, has one of the best seats in the house for the whole show. The main gun hovers just feet above his head, separated by steel decks.

"When that thing goes off, you can feel the whole tank go back, even though we're driving forward," Coder explained.

The whole time Campos and Valasek are seated with their eyes glued to the sights. Valasek said most times, he barely even notices the gun's report.

"I pulled the trigger and a fireball came out," Valasek explained. "We shot through thermal sights, so the sight went white and the dust cleared in time for me to see the round impact on target. It's split-second total concentration. Even though I'm sitting right next to it, I don't experience it moving."

That split-second zone, the flash of the gun and devastating impacts on target are what makes being a tanker worth it. All the un-sexy parts of the job, the maintenance, greasy fingernails, lifting heavy track, the sweat, the cold, the early mornings and late night all seem to melt away.

"Spending an hour-an-a-half 'after-ops' to keep that machine rolling, it's worth it to be able to shoot," Valasek said. "It's an adrenaline rush."

But Valasek's a tanker. He's tougher to impress than Thor.

Posted by ph at 07:31 PM | Permalink

Nov. 28, 2006 — ABC News has learned that Pentagon officials are considering a major strategic shift in Iraq, to move U.S. forces out of the dangerous Sunni-dominated al-Anbar province and join the fight to secure Baghdad.

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=2685559&page=2

By JONATHAN KARL
ABC News

The news comes as President Bush prepares to meet with Iraq's prime minster to discuss the growing sectarian violence. The two will meet in Jordan, where they are expected to focus on hammering out a plan to increase the strength and numbers of Iraqi forces.

There are now 30,000 U.S. troops in al-Anbar, mainly Marines, braving some of the fiercest fighting in Iraq. At least 1,055 Americans have been killed in this region, making al-Anbar the deadliest province for American troops.

The region is a Sunni stronghold and the main base of operations for al Qaeda in Iraq and has been a place of increasing frustration to U.S. commanders.

In a recent intelligence assessment, senior Marine Intelligence Officer in al-Anbar, Col. Peter Devlin, concluded that without a massive infusement of more troops, the battle in al-Anbar is unwinnable.

In the memo, first reported by the Washington Post, Devlin writes, "Despite the success of the December elections, nearly all government institutions from the village to provincial levels have disintegrated or have been thoroughly corrupted and infiltrated by al Qaeda in Iraq."

Faced with that situation in al-Anbar, and the desperate need to control Iraq's capital, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Peter Pace is considering turning al-Anbar over to Iraqi security forces and moving U.S. troops from there into Baghdad.

"If we are not going to do a better job doing what we are doing out [in al-Anbar], what's the point of having them out there?" said a senior military official.

Another option under consideration is to increase the overall U.S. troop level in Iraq by two to five brigades (that's about 7,000 to 18,000 troops).

Generals Casey and Abizaid, however, have both weighed in against this idea. And such an increase would only be sustainable for six to eight months. Far more likely, the official says, will be a repositioning of forces currently in Iraq. "There is a push for a change of footprint, not more combat power."

As dire as the situation is, officials say they expect no decisions on any change in military strategy for at least another two or three weeks, until incoming Defense Secretary Robert Gates is sworn in and given a chance to weigh in on the various options under consideration.

Posted by sr at 03:37 PM | Permalink

CAMP KOREAN VILLAGE, Iraq (Nov 28, 2006) -- The plain, nondescript boxes came with labels directing them to troops in Iraq. Inside, the individually wrapped packages from school children carrying the kind words of holiday cheer along with a few comforts of home.

http://www.marines.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/ad983156332a819185256cb600677af3/b8279c3f7fd3df94852572420041149a?OpenDocument

Nov 28, 2006
Submitted on: 12/12/2006 06:50:51 AM
Story ID#: 2006121265051
By Pfc. Parish, Timothy, 15th MEU

To the Marines and Sailors of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), the packages represent the best of holiday spirit while on deployment. The holiday greeting cards and small trinkets carried inside the small personalized bags are a welcome surprise for the Marines and Sailors here.

Lance Cpl. Gregory Grant, administration clerk, command element, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) said the care packages remind him that people at home care about the troops here. “It was nice, with little ones back home thinking about us,” he said.

In an operational environment, it is easy to forget that the holiday season is just around the corner. “For me right now, there really isn’t a holiday season. It is nice to know that others back home are enjoying it, and they’re thinking of us while they’re enjoying it. That’s good, it helps us out,” Grant added.

Petty Officer 3rd Class, Soohuen Ham, religious program specialist, command element, 15th MEU (SOC), said the care packages are welcome. “I really thank the school children for sending the packages. I feel like I’m home and I really appreciate their support,” he said.

To the Marines and Sailors here, the packages are more than just a reminder of the holiday season while in Iraq, Ham said. “Being out here, all I get is sand, so this is like receiving ten Christmas presents all at once,” he said

Posted by sr at 03:13 PM | Permalink

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Marines and Sailors from 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, headquartered here, will begin deploying in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom to relieve forces currently in the Al Anbar province of Iraq as part of a scheduled rotation.

This information was found on the following website under Press Releases.

http://www.iimefpublic.usmc.mil/public/iimefpublic.nsf/sites/iimeffwd

Media Release
United States Marine Corps
2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

From: 1st Lt. Barry L. Edwards
Questions: Call: (910) 451-9033
Fax: (910) 451-0756
E-mail: barry.edwards@usmc.mil

This rotation of forces includes approximately 4,500 Marines and Sailors that will make up Regimental Combat Team-6, MNF-W, once in Iraq.

The combat team will include
2nd Battalion of the 6th Marine Regiment
3rd Battalion of the 6th Marine Regiment
Combat Logistics Battalion of the 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Fwd), all headquartered here.

In addition, RCT-6 will include
2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, headquartered at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Ca.
1st Reconnaissance Battalion, headquartered at Camp Pendleton, Ca.

“The regiment and battalions have trained extensively so that we may continue with the success that our predecessors have achieved,” said Col. Richard L. Simcock, 6th Marine Regiment commanding officer. “Our Marines and Sailors will continue to train, integrate and operate alongside Iraqi Security Forces in order to continue the Iraqi led fight against those that oppose a peaceful Iraq.”

This will be the regiment’s first deployment as a headquarters unit in support of OIF and will be their second in the fight against terrorism. The previous tour includes a six month deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom to Afghanistan in 2004.

For more information, contact the 6th Marine Regiment Public Affairs Office at (910) 526-9918.

Posted by ph at 02:29 PM | Permalink

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. (Oct. 30, 2006) – 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing(Forward) is scheduled to depart in January on its second deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in order to provide aviation support to Coalition Forces in the Al Anbar province.

This information was found on the following website under Press Releases.

http://www.iimefpublic.usmc.mil/public/iimefpublic.nsf/sites/iimeffwd

Public Affairs Office
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point
PSC Box 8013 Cherry Point, North Carolina 28533-0012
TEL: (252) 466-3244 FAX: (252) 466-5201
Point of Contact: 2nd Lt. Ryan Powell

*** Press Release ***

2nd MAW (Fwd) is comprised of approximately 3,000 Marines and Sailors from:

Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 2
Marine Wing Support Group 27
Marine Air Control Group 28
Marine Aircraft Group 29

2nd MAW (Fwd) will be headquartered at Al Asad with detachments at Korean Village, Al Taqaddum, Al Qaim and other locations in order to project aviation support throughout the Al Anbar Province.

2nd MAW (Fwd) will support Multi-National Force West by providing command and control of aircraft, close air support, offensive air support, assault support, aerial reconnaissance, medical and casualty evacuations, and electronic warfare. 2nd MAW (Fwd) has organic capabilities to meet its own engineering, logistical and administrative needs.

For more information, contact the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point Public Affairs Office at (252)466-3244.

Posted by ph at 02:19 PM | Permalink

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.- The 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Fwd), II Marine Expeditionary Force (Fwd), headquartered here, will be deploying to Iraq in early 2007 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Note: This information was found on the following website under Press Releases.

http://www.iimefpublic.usmc.mil/public/iimefpublic.nsf/sites/iimeffwd

2d Marine Logistics Group (Fwd)
Public Affairs Office
PSC Box 20125
Camp Lejeune, NC 28542
Phone: (910) 451-3538

***Press Release***

The 2d MLG (Fwd) will support Multi-National Force West’s mission of assisting the Iraqi people in their transition to independent security and self governance.

The 2d MLG (Fwd) is composed of

Combat Logistics Battalion 2
Combat Logistics Battalion 6
8th Engineer Support Battalion
2nd Maintenance Battalion
Headquarters Company
Service Company
Communications Company,

all of which are headquartered here and include approximately 4,000 Marines and Sailors.

They provide maintenance, supply, engineering, transportation, medical, dental, disbursing, exchange, postal and military police assets.

This will be the first deployment for the 2d MLG (fwd) under the Marine Corps’ new logistics reorganization.

For more information, please contact the 2d MLG (Fwd) Public Affairs Office at (910) 451-3538.

Posted by ph at 02:11 PM | Permalink

Regimental Combat Team-2 (RCT-2) prepares for its third scheduled deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, replacing a unit currently conducting operations in Al Anbar province.

Note: This information was found on the following website under Press Releases.

http://www.iimefpublic.usmc.mil/public/iimefpublic.nsf/sites/iimeffwd

REGIMENTAL COMBAT TEAM-2
2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, PSC Box 20093, Camp Lejeune, NC 28542, Phone: 910-451-0141
For Immediate Release
RELEASE NO: 01-06

Commanded by Col. Herman Clardy, RCT-2 will assist Iraqi Security Forces in conducting security and stability operations during their deployment. “Our focus for this tour differs from previous deployments in that we are directly supporting Iraqi Army and Police forces as they conduct counterinsurgency operations and enforce the rule of law” said Clardy. “We also look forward to building on the tremendous successes which RCT-7 experienced with the Iraqi Security Forces”

The RCT-2 first deployed for OIF as Task Force Tarawa under the 1st Marine Division in March of 2003. Later, they deployed in 2005, conducting a number of combat operations including Operations Matador, New Market and Sword.

The Camp Lejeune-based RCT is a regimental headquarters augmented by at least three infantry battalions and a compliment of combat logistics, civil affairs and other support detachments numbering approximately 4,500 Marines, Sailors and Soldiers. While RCT-2 is scheduled to remain deployed for approximately 12 months, the subordinate units will continue to follow their planned rotation schedule.

The major units within RCT-2:
- Headquarters Company, 2nd Marine Regiment (Camp Lejeune, NC.)
- 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment (Camp Lejeune, NC.)
- 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment (Marine Corps Base, HI.)

- An infantry battalion from the U.S. Army (TBD)
- 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion (Camp Pendleton, Calif.)
- Combat Logistics Battalion 2 (Camp Lejeune, NC)

Media interested in more information or in covering the departure should contact the RCT-2 Public Affairs Office at (910) 451-0141 or visit http://www.lejeune.usmc.mil/2dmardiv/2marreg.

Posted by ph at 02:03 PM | Permalink

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – Marines, Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), headquartered here, will soon begin a phased deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as part of a scheduled rotation with the Camp Pendleton, Calif., based I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward).

Note: This information found on the following website under Press Releases.

http://www.iimefpublic.usmc.mil/public/iimefpublic.nsf/sites/iimeffwd

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS
II MARINE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE (FORWARD)
PSC BOX 20085
CAMP LEJEUNE, NORTH CAROLINA 28542-0085

Press Release
November 28, 2006

II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), commanded by Maj. Gen. W.E. Gaskin, will assume responsibility early next year for organizing and commanding Multi-National Force West, the Coalition Force responsible for western Iraq. Forward-based in Fallujah, Iraq, MNF-W will consist of approximately 28,000 Marines, Sailors, Soldiers and Airmen, as well as 10,000 Iraqi soldiers from the 1st and 7th Iraqi Army Divisions.

Multi-National Force West’s mission is to enable Iraqis to defeat the insurgency by building their own security forces and enhancing the political and economic environments of Al Anbar.

Multi-National Force West is built around a division-sized Marine Air-Ground Task Force composed of four elements:

Command Element
II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward)

Ground Combat Element
Regimental Combat Team-2
Regimental Combat Team-6
1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, U.S. Army

Air Combat Element
2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward)

Combat Service Support Element
2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward)
30th Naval Construction Regiment, U.S. Navy

Multi-National Force West will continue to train and mentor the Iraqi Security Forces, preparing them to lead counter-insurgency operations in Al Anbar Province.

Supporting these objectives, MNF-W, in concert with U.S. agencies, will continue to advise and assist the Iraqi governmental leadership in providing representative government that assures the basic needs of the Iraqi people are met.

For more information about II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) or the upcoming deployment, contact 2nd Lt. Roger Hollenbeck (910)451-9033.

-USMC-

Posted by ph at 01:49 PM | Permalink

Like their fellow servicemen back home, U.S. troops in Iraq enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings, and in most cases the meal was served by officers and senior non-commissioned officers.

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YWNlNzFjNzllZmQ2NmY0MTE4NjY2MTA0ZjljOGVkZDM=

November 27, 2006
By W. Thomas Smith Jr.

At Al Asad (the largest American base in the volatile Al Anbar Province), for instance, and at Husaybah on the Syrian border; Marines, sailors, and soldiers with Regimental Combat Team 7 feasted on turkey, ham, crab legs, prime rib, dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, a variety of casseroles, pies, cakes, and any other treats the cooks and bakers could come up with.

At Combat Outpost Rawah, also in Al Anbar, Marines and sailors with the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner and received a visit from Army Gen. George W. Casey, Jr., commanding general, Multi-National Forces-Iraq, who wished them a “Happy Thanksgiving,” praised their work, and urged them to keep up the good fight.

Following are a few pictures forwarded to National Review Online by Marine Staff Sergeant James M. Goodwin (the pictures were shot by Goodwin, Cpl. Michael S. Cifuentes, and Lance Corporal Nathaniel F. Sapp)

Posted by sr at 09:34 PM | Permalink

Seven stacks of sandbags sat aligned in the green grass of Lance Cpl. Torrey L. Gray Field Nov. 16. Twenty-one Marines in groups of three stood in dress blues behind each stack of sandbags. Each Marine held a rifle, Kevlar, or boots and dog tags. When the names of the fallen Marines and sailor from 1st Battalion, 7th regiment were called, one Marine with a rifle stepped forward and stuck the rifle with a bayonet attached into the stack of sand bags. A second Marine then placed a Kevlar on top of the buttstock of the rifle, followed by the Marine with the boots and dog tags.