Marine Corps News Room

TEMECULA, Calif. - He was one of America's first defenders on Sept. 11, 2001, a Marine who pulled burned bodies from the ruins of the Pentagon. He saw more horrors in Kuwait and Iraq.

http://www.comcast.net/news/index.jsp?cat=GENERAL&fn=/2007/09/29/775749.html&cookieattempt=1

By JEFF DONN and KIMBERLY HEFLING, Associated Press writers
Sat Sep 29, 1:57 PM

Today, he can't keep a job, pay his bills, or chase thoughts of suicide from his tortured brain. In a few weeks, he may lose his house, too.

Gamal Awad, the American son of a Sudanese immigrant, exemplifies an emerging group of war veterans: the economic casualties.

More than in past wars, many wounded troops are coming home alive from the Middle East. That's a triumph for military medicine. But they often return hobbled by prolonged physical and mental injuries from homemade bombs and the unremitting anxiety of fighting a hidden enemy along blurred battle lines. Treatment, recovery and retraining often can't be assured quickly or cheaply.

These troops are just starting to seek help in large numbers, more than 185,000 so far. But the cost of their benefits is already testing resources set aside by government and threatening the future of these wounded veterans for decades to come, say economists and veterans' groups.

"The wounded and their families no longer trust that the government will take care of them the way they thought they'd be taken care of," says veterans advocate Mary Ellen Salzano.

How does a war veteran expect to be treated? "As a hero," she says.

___

Every morning, Awad needs to think of a reason not to kill himself.

He can't even look at the framed photograph that shows him accepting a Marine heroism medal for his recovery work at the Pentagon after the terrorist attack.

It might remind him of a burned woman whose skin peeled off in his hands when he tried to comfort her.

He tries not to hear the shrieking rockets of Iraq either, smell the burning fuel, or relive the blast that blew him right out of bed.

The memories come steamrolling back anyway.

"Nothing can turn off those things," he says, voice choked and eyes glistening.

He stews alternately over suicide and finances, his $43,000 in credit card debt, his $4,330 in federal checks each month _ the government's compensation for his total disability from post-traumatic stress disorder. His flashbacks, thoughts of suicide, and anxiety over imagined threats _ all documented for six years in his military record _ keep him from working.

The disability payments don't cover the $5,700-a-month cost of his adjustable home mortgage and equity loans. He owes more on his house than its market value, so he can't sell it _ but he may soon lose it to the bank.

"I love this house. It makes me feel safe," he says.

Awad could once afford it. He used to earn $100,000 a year as a 16-year veteran major with a master's degree in management who excelled at logistics. Now, at age 38, he can't even manage his own life.

There's another twist. This dedicated Marine was given a "general" discharge 15 months ago for an extramarital affair with a woman, also a Marine. That's even though his military therapists blamed this impulsive conduct on post-traumatic stress aggravated by his Middle East tours.

Luckily, his discharge, though not unqualifiedly honorable, left intact his rights to medical care and disability payments _ or he'd be in sadder shape.

Divorced since developing PTSD, Awad has two daughters who live elsewhere. He spends much of his days hoisting weights and thwacking a punching bag in the dimness of his garage. He passes nights largely sleepless, a zombie shuffling through the bare rooms of his home in sunny California wine country.

___

Few anticipated the high price of caring for Awad and other veterans with deep, slow-healing wounds.

Afghanistan seemed quiet and Saddam Hussein still ruled Iraq one year after the Sept. 11 attacks. That's when the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs guaranteed two years of free care to returning combat veterans for virtually any medical condition with a possible service link.

Later, few predicted such a protracted war in Iraq. "A lot of people based their planning on low numbers of casualties in a very short war," says Paul Rieckhoff, an Army combat veteran who founded Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

Also, Iraqi insurgents have relied on disfiguring bombs and bombardment as chief tactics. At the same time, better armor and field medicine have kept U.S. soldiers alive at the highest rate ever, leaving 16 wounded for every fatality, according to one study based on government data. The ratio was fewer than 3-to-1 for Korea and Vietnam.

On the flip side, many are returning with multiple amputations or other disabling injuries not completely fixed even by fancy prosthetics, methodical rehabilitation, and job retraining. The Pentagon counts more than 29,000 combat wounded in the Middle East since the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. Tens of thousands more were hurt outside of combat or in ways that show up later.

There was no mistaking the wounds of Cambodian-American Sgt. Pisey Tan. Eight months into his second tour in Iraq, a makeshift bomb blasted his armored vehicle and took both his legs.

Still, Tan has needed to rely on private donations and family, as well as the government. The government treated him and paid for his artificial legs.

But his brother, Dada, left college to live with him at a military hospital for almost a year. Later, his brother carried him piggyback up and down the stairs at home as Tan got used to his prosthetics.

"That's how our family is," says the Woodlyn, Pa., veteran. "We always take care of our own."

The government says it does too, and with some truth. Of 1.4 million U.S. forces deployed for Iraq and Afghanistan, more than 185,000 have sought care from the VA _ a number that could easily top 700,000 eventually, predicts one academic analysis. The VA has already treated more than 52,000 for PTSD symptoms alone, a presidential commission finds.

Veteran John Waltz, of Hebron, Ky., blames his post-traumatic stress disorder on his rescue work at a plane crash aboard a carrier bound for an Iraqi tour. While his condition and disability claim were evaluated, he ran up about $12,000 worth of medical bills, he says. Despite Social Security and his wife's work, the couple's yearly income was cut in half to $30,000.

"We have to be really frugal, as far as what groceries we buy," Waltz says. "I think we're down to just a couple dollars now, until the next time we get paid."

On a national scale, the costs of caring for the wounded certainly won't crush the $13 trillion annual American economy. It probably won't bankrupt the VA, which already treats more than 5.5 million patients each year. But the price tag will challenge budgets of governments and service agencies, adding another hungry mouth within their nests.

Economic forecasts vary widely for the federal costs of caring for injured veterans returning from the Middle East, but they range as high as $700 billion for the VA. That would rival the cost of fighting the Iraq war. In recent years, the VA has repeatedly run out of money to care for sick veterans and has had to ask for billions more before the next budget.

"I wouldn't be surprised if these costs per person are higher than any war previously," says Scott Wallsten, of the conservative think tank Progress and Freedom Foundation.

The costs often fall on veterans and their families. Ted Wade, of Chapel Hill, N.C., can't drive or keep his memories straight since a bomb tore off an arm, hurt his foot, and wracked his brain in an attack on his Humvee in Iraq. He and his wife have had to lower their living standard and accept house payments from parents.

"I can't work because he can't be up here by himself," says his wife, Sarah. "It's my volunteer work, is what it really comes down to."

Yet federal officials say the cost of this wounded influx isn't hurting the quality of care promised to veterans.

At a recent ribbon cutting, the Army's vice chief of staff, Gen. Richard Cody, trumpeted a new rehab center for amputees as "proof that when it comes to making good on such an important promise, there is no bottom line."

Since President Bush took office, medical spending for veterans has risen by 83 percent, says White House budget spokesman Sean Kevelighan. However, that includes the increased numbers of all veterans treated _ not just the wave returning from the Middle East.

"The president has made his dedication very clear to troops in the field and after," the spokesman said.

The VA didn't respond to several requests for comment. Recently, though, outgoing chief Jim Nicholson acknowledged trouble keeping up with the pace of disability claims.

But earlier this year, he also insisted that veterans "will invariably tell you they are really getting good care from the VA."

___

Not invariably.

The VA takes the lead in treating wounds and paying for disabilities of veterans. And it usually does a good job of handling major, known wounds, especially in the early months, by many accounts. The military, Social Security Administration, Labor Department and other agencies add important federal benefits.

However, many veterans and families say the VA often restricts rehabilitation or cuts it off too quickly.

Former Army Ranger Jeremy Feldbusch, of Blairsville, Pa., was blinded and brain-injured by artillery shrapnel in Iraq, but he and his mother decided to get some care outside the VA. His mother, Charlene, says some specialists, especially brain experts, are better in the private sector.

Insurance for major injuries is available at low cost to service members. It pays out up to $100,000 to help cover costs of rehabilitation. But many think it isn't enough.

In Odessa, Fla., the family of John Barnes decided to save most of his $100,000 payout.

They could easily have spent more of it. His mother, Valerie Wallace, estimates her expenses at more than $35,000 to help care for him while he deals with a brain injury and paralysis from a mortar attack on a base outside Baghdad. She took time off from her nursing job, paid $17 an hour for a home health aide, and transported her son to countless rounds of therapy.

Still, she wanted to preserve his insurance money. "John's going to need that money down the road," she says. Instead, she stopped saving, closed out investments, and borrowed against her own insurance.

Disability payments supply monthly income to the wounded, but the VA focuses on replacing lost earnings. A presidential commission has recommended broader compensation for lost quality of life _ a concept in line with civilian law. Co-chair Donna Shalala, a former U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services, estimates that the committee's package of recommendations would cost at least several hundred million dollars.

In Oceanside, Calif., Joshua Elmore, says his $1,200-a-month disability payments aren't "even coming close" to replacing what he's lost. A rocket attack on a Marine base in Iraq shattered his arm bones and left other injuries.

He can still do yard work, odd jobs, and go to culinary school. But Elmore, who has two little girls, complains that he can't run and sometimes limps when he walks.

Some wounded veterans turn to private health insurance and other programs outside the federal government, swelling costs for states and towns. Sean Lunde, an Iraq veteran at the Massachusetts Department of Veterans' Services, says his agency rushes emergency funds to some wounded veterans.

Service nonprofits also pay for emergency shelter, housing, job training, food, clothing and transportation for wounded veterans who risk slipping into coverage gaps.

T.J. Cantwell, of Rebuilding Together, says his group puts an average of $20,000 _ plus donated supplies and labor _ into houses it modifies for injured soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan.

In Rosedale, Md., the group added handrails, new light switches and door knobs, a garage door opener, and other improvements to the home of Army Sgt. 1st Class Juanita Wilson. The 33-year-old mother of two lost part of her arm in a homemade bomb blast in Iraq, but she remains on active duty to preserve her retirement.

Meanwhile, she says of the remodeling job, "If I had to pay for it, probably very little would be done."

Despite all this help, many families drop tens of thousands of dollars on travel to hospitals, stays in hotel rooms, extra therapies, and on making their homes and vehicles accessible to the disabled. Intent on the best care, parents sometimes quit jobs and lose their own health insurance.

Denise Mettie, of Selah, Wash., and her husband have been living "paycheck to paycheck" while she helps in the recovery of her son, Evan. A car bomb in Iraq propelled shrapnel into his brain, and he can no longer walk or talk. His mother gave up her $30,000-a-year bank job and had to buy health insurance for herself and her two daughters, just to watch over her son's hospital treatment, she says.

"What the VA has to offer is insufficient economically to take care of the impact of what happens," says psychologist Michael Wagner, founder of the nonprofit U.S. Welcome Home Foundation and a retired Army medical officer.

Veterans groups finally sued the VA a few months ago, seeking quicker medical care and disability payments for those with PTSD. They claim that the crush of shattered troops has sent the agency into a "virtual meltdown."

Last week, the VA challenged the lawsuit on technical grounds. Its lawyers also argued that even though VA rules commit to two years of free care, that depends upon Congress setting aside enough money.

___

Upset by his visits with wounded veterans, defense hawk Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., who chairs a defense spending subcommittee, dropped his support for the Iraq war in 2005.

Speaking of the wounded, he now says federal officials are "not taking care of the things they should and ... we're trying to change the direction."

Many recommendations have come from veterans, federal advisers and others. Some involve quicker and heftier disability benefits. And nearly everyone begs for more VA money and staff for medical treatment, though few specify where they'd find extra resources.

Rep. Chris Carney, D-Pa., a military reservist, is promoting a bill to set mandatory annual spending levels for veterans' health care. Prospects are unclear.

Either way, it may be too late for veterans like Awad, who nervously awaits the approach of imagined enemies around what was once his castle.

___

EDITOR'S NOTE: Jeff Donn reported from Temicula, Calif. Kimberly Hefling reported from Woodlyn, Pa.; Harrington, Del.; and Washington, D.C.

Posted by sr at 9:50 PM | Permalink

Brand-new Marines fresh out of boot camp have a little bit more to look forward to as they head down the road to becoming a rifleman. Grunt school is about to get longer.

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2007/09/marine_soi_070929/

By Kimberly Johnson - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Sep 29, 2007 8:29:29 EDT

The Corps is making big changes across the board in training for all its ranks, from reworking curriculum at its two recruit depots to stepping up warrior ethics training at all levels. Now, the Corps is adding seven full days to both the Marine Combat Training and Infantry Training Battalion at the two Schools of Infantry.

Once it’s done, SOI grads will walk out the door with beefed-up weapons and tactics training to better prepare them for Iraq — or whatever comes next.

According to SOI briefing slides, MCT currently lasts 22 days, and graduates about 14,000 students annually who head out to the fleet to be non-infantry Marines. ITB currently stretches 52 days and graduates about 4,300 infantry Marines per year. Starting in October at School of Infantry-East, MCT will expand to 29 days, while ITB will end at 59 days. SOI-West will follow suit in January.

Adding a week to both pipelines is meant to put training in its proper place, said one top training official.

“What that does is it goes back to the Marine ethos, ‘Every Marine a rifleman,’” said Lt. Col. Kristi VanGorder, section head for training programs at Marine Corps Training and Education Command in Quantico, Va.

Infantry and non-infantry Marines alike at SOI will soon have more instruction time on machine guns, munitions, combat conditioning, values-based training and combat stress management, military operations on urban terrain, and combat medicine.

In addition, MCT students will have more combat marksmanship and communications training, while ITB students will get more time learning about their service rifles, optics and night-vision devices.

Previously, for example, squad automatic weapon training was conducted in boot camp. Under the new SOI structure, ITB students will have 20 hours of instruction and MCT students 12 hours, VanGorder said.

Both ITB and MCT will see increases to their skills retention exercises — the former increasing by 24 hours and the latter by 48 hours.

Maximize and standardize
Prompting the course overhaul was a need to maximize and standardize instruction. Some rifleman skills had migrated down to the recruit depot, VanGorder explained.

“They really didn’t belong, but that was the only place that we had where we could put them because of the time allotted in both of the schedules,” she said.

The changes will emphasize the distinctions between recruit training and SOI, VanGorder said.

“Part of the changes to the Schools of Infantry were to re-emphasize that difference because traditionally what had happened over time was that more and more skills were lumped onto the School of Infantry with no additional time to train them,” she said. “We realized that we were really training to time instead of training to standard.”

The new curriculum amounts to seven more days.

“We took a good hard look at what we were adding. Seven days is a long time when you’re putting in 12-14 hour days,” she said.

However, the new course structure does not come cheap. The changes will cost about $2 million, largely in one-time, upfront costs, VanGorder said. The money will pay for items such as additional rifles and night-vision goggles, as well as classroom equipment.

“Now that you have a bunch more folks going through, or you’re changing the way you do business, you need different gear,” she said.

The SOI extension won’t have an impact on deployments, VanGorder said. “What it means is the receiving unit will receive their Marines seven days later than they would have originally.” In return, those operational units will gain a Marine with more skills related to Iraq and Afghanistan. “So, when the battalion commander receives that individual, he doesn’t have to train them as much as perhaps he had to before.”

Boot camp restructuring
The overhaul follows a recently announced restructuring of boot camp, VanGorder said, in which the Crucible was moved back to the end of training to make it more of a capstone event. Officials have also added more values-based training.

But the SOI changes won’t be felt simultaneously throughout the Corps, since SOI won’t be lengthened until the recruits have gone through the new boot camp schedule.

For example, changes at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., began in May. Those graduates will be the first to go through enhanced SOI-East in October, VanGorder said.

Officials at MCRD San Diego, however, won’t restructure training until October, which will push back SOI-West enhancements to January 2008, she said.

Simultaneous with the SOI course changes, TECom is adding instructors to SOI and the recruit depots. Corps officials hope that as the number of teachers grows, so will the level of personalized instruction.

“Our hope is that our student-to-instructor ratio will get even better than it is right now; that it will drop,” VanGorder said.

Ratio goals will vary according to the class, she said. An academic class could have 200 students with one teacher, while live-fire exercises could be 15-to-1 or 12-to-1, she added.

Growing the Corps’ end strength to 202,000 Marines by 2011 will require 200 additional instructors, she said. “We’ve got to have more instructors at all of those places in order to handle that throughput.”

The forthcoming crush of new Marines has sparked the creation of four new training companies for the SOI battalions — one for each MCT and ITB battalion on both coasts, VanGorder said. While training facilities have enough space for billeting, they will be turning to modular classrooms to accommodate classes.

Posted by sr at 9:39 PM | Permalink

ARLINGTON, Va. — The 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit has left Iraq, marking the departure of the first “surge” unit that will not be replaced.

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=49128

By Jeff Schogol, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Saturday, September 29, 2007

The 2,200 Marines and sailors with the unit arrived in Anbar province in June as part of the buildup of 30,000 U.S. troops in Iraq known as the “surge.”

In July, the 13th MEU’s stay in Iraq was extended to the end of September.

Gen. David Petraeus, commander of Multi-National Force-Iraq, later recommended to President Bush that the 13th MEU not be replaced as part of a plan to reduce “surge” forces by next summer.

Bush accepted Petraeus’ recommendations, which also called for not replacing an Army brigade combat team in December and not replacing two Marine infantry battalions and four more Army brigade combat teams over the first seven months of 2008.

On Friday, a military official confirmed that the 13th MEU had left Iraq, as scheduled. The 22nd MEU is still in the region as the U.S. Central Command reserve force.

As he prepared to draw down “surge” forces in Anbar, Petraeus said he believes U.S. forces can continue to build on progress made in the province.

“The key in that assessment is the rejection by the local population of al-Qaida and the vast number of volunteers for the Iraqi Security Forces, which has enabled the reopening of a police academy in Anbar and expansion of police and Army forces there,” he said.

The “surge” has allowed U.S. and coalition troops to take the initiative from al-Qaida and disrupt militia activities, Petraeus said.

“Based on the battlefield geometry, the gains we have made, and the progress of the development of the Iraqi Security Forces, we are now able to consider drawing down in areas where the gains are assessed as sustainable,” he said.

Posted by sr at 9:33 PM | Permalink

A group of about 60 local Marines head to Iraq for the second time.

http://www.wsls.com/servlet/Satellite?c=MGArticle&cid=1173352791256&pagename=WSLS/MGArticle/SLS_BasicArticle

Angela Hatcher / WSLS NewsChannel 10
Sep 17, 2007

There were plenty of handshakes and hugs as the company B said goodbye to friends and family in Roanoke.

The Marines will be gone for a year. First they'll train in California. Then it's off to Iraq.

They tell us, they're ready and willing.

"You don't go to Disney World to sit on the park bench. You don't join the Marines if you don't want to do what your job is.", says Cpl. Corey Showalter.

The Marines left from Roanoke Regional Airport on separate flights throughout the day Monday.

Company B was sent to Iraq for the first time in 2005.

Posted by sr at 9:29 PM | Permalink

The United States Senate has confirmed the current commander of the I Marine Expeditionary Force and the commander of U.S. Marine Forces Central Command, Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis, as the next commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(WASHINGTON - Sept. 28, 2007) -- The U.S. Senate confirmed the next commander of the U.S. Joint Forces Command in a vote here today.

http://www.jfcom.mil/newslink/storyarchive/2007/pa092807.htm

By USJFCOM Public Affairs

Marine Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis, who currently serves as commanding general of the I Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., and commander of U.S. Marine Forces Central Command, will replace Air Force Gen. Lance Smith, who announced his retirement earlier this summer after a career of 38 years

As USJFCOM's commander, Mattis will pin on his fourth star and will be responsible for maximizing future and present military capabilities of the United States by leading the transformation of joint forces through enhanced joint concept development and experimentation, identifying joint requirements, advancing interoperability, conducting joint training and providing ready U.S. forces and capabilities - all in support of U.S. combatant commanders around the world. He will exercise combatant command of approximately 1.16 million personnel through his Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps service components.

NATO has also agreed to appoint Mattis as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander-Transformation.

Mattis will be the first Marine to command USJFCOM since its renaming in 1999. Marine Gen. John J. Sheehan commanded the command's predecessor, U.S. Atlantic Command, from 1995-1997.

After graduating from Central Washington State University, the general entered the Marine Corps in 1972 and has commanded at multiple levels. As a lieutenant, he served as a rifle and weapons platoon commander in the 3rd Marine Division. As a captain, he commanded a rifle company and a weapons company in the 1st Marine Brigade.

As a major, he commanded Recruiting Station Portland. As a lieutenant colonel, he commanded 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, one of Task Force Ripper's assault battalions in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. As a colonel, he commanded 7th Marines (Reinforced).

Upon becoming a general officer, he commanded first the 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade and then Task Force 58, during Operation Enduring Freedom in southern Afghanistan. As a major general, he commanded the 1st Marine Division during the initial attack and subsequent stability operations in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Before assuming his current duties in California, he commanded the Marine Corps Combat Development Command as a lieutenant general and served as the deputy commandant for combat development.

He is a graduate of the Amphibious Warfare School, Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and the National War College.

Posted by sr at 10:50 PM | Permalink

Charles Luke Milam may have been inspired to follow a hero's path because of a day he never talked about, a terrible April day in 1999 when he was a student at Columbine High School.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5709318,00.html

By Jean Torkelson, Rocky Mountain News
September 28, 2007

"He wasn't shot or wounded or shot at," his brother, Keith, said Thursday, "but absolutely, it was the defining moment of his life."

Two months after the Columbine killings, Milam, 26, enlisted in the Navy, following in the footsteps of his brother and two grandfathers.

This week, the decorated hospital corpsman - known to everybody as Luke - died in combat in Afghanistan. It was his fourth tour of duty. He had served three tours in Iraq, and would have gone back however many times it took to get the job done, his brother said.

"He felt it was his duty to do whatever he could to help people in the military," Milam said. "He was a hero in every sense of the term."

His brother surmises that living through the Columbine horror helped shape his brother's future. "It wasn't something Luke ever talked about, but the fact he chose to become a hospital corpsman may have had something to do with (Columbine)."

What was clear - something transformed Luke after he graduated.

"He did OK in high school, but after he joined the military he was a star," his brother said.

Milam was the first in his family to enter a medical field, dedicating himself to helping people deal with injuries and death in combat situations.

"Luke was responsible for the health and well-being of the men in his platoon," Keith Milam said. "He basically served as their doc - from everyday aches and pains to severe combat trauma."

Recognition followed. The Purple Heart was just one of many awards. Another - one the family is especially proud of - was being named Special Operations Command Operator of the Year.

Milam chose the military as his career. But he never lost a chance to return to Colorado for his favorite sports, from mountain biking and hiking, to scuba diving and sky diving.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Drinkwine Mortuary in Littleton, followed by a 1 p.m. graveside service at Fort Logan National Cemetery.

Milam's commanding officer is escorting his body back to Colorado from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

As word of Milam's death spreads to childhood friends, his old Scout troop and to military buddies, the anticipated crowd continues to grow larger and larger, his brother said.

"I think that speaks to how valuable Luke was to his organization," his older brother said. "He was the best of the best."

Posted by sr at 10:44 PM | Permalink

HONOLULU -- Hawaii resident and longtime entertainer Jim Nabors enjoyed a special honor on Tuesday night from the U.S. Marine Corps for his character Gomer Pyle.

http://www.thehawaiichannel.com/news/14211211/detail.html

September 26, 2007

The television show Gomer Pyle USMC premiered in 1964. Gomer Pyle was a bumbling but lovable private who put a humorous and human face on the U.S. Marine Corps.

The Marines brought out the band, brought in the dignitaries and put on a heck of a promotion ceremony for one of Hawaii's best-known residents.

"I know we're going to talk about Gomer Pyle, but this ceremony is really about the man, the entertainer, the philanthropist, and most importantly the American we know as Jim Nabors," Gen. John Goodman said.

Nabors has been an active resident of Hawaii for decades. He filmed a nationally televised Christmas special here and has helped out in numerous performances and charity events.

Nabors was beaming as the general pinned on the chevrons officially promoting him to the rank of honorary corporal.

"I'm in the fast lane now. Boy. Are you kidding? It's been 43 years. I love it. Everything's just been great," Nabors said.

There were plenty of fans on hand to witness the ceremony, and then they got a chance to talk with the famous actor and get an autograph.

"He's getting a promotion. He's moving up in the world. It's about time," fan Ann Ruby said. "And I loved his comedy, his humor, loved his show. He's a great asset to Hawaii."

The Marines said Gomer Pyle embodied qualities Marines respect: honesty, loyalty and devotion to duty.

"What's Gomer think about this? Well golly!" Nabors said.

The show lasted five years and since then has been popular in syndication.

Nabors' character originated on "The Andy Griffith Show." Gomer Pyle had reoccurring appearances before he signed up and joined the Marines.

The "Gomer Pyle USMC" show spin-off was a product of Andy Griffith's production company.

Posted by sr at 11:06 PM | Permalink

The Marine Corps’ legendary recruiting pitch, “The Few, The Proud, The Marines,” defeated such famous ad slogans such as “Just Do It,” “Have It Your Way,” “Take a Bite Out of Crime” and “Think Outside the Bun” for a spot on the advertising industry’s Walk of Fame in New York City.

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2007/09/marine_recruiting_slogan_070926/

Staff report
Posted : Wednesday Sep 26, 2007 19:14:14 EDT

This year’s two winning slogans — the other is Southwest Airlines’ “Ding! You are now free to move about the country” — were announced Wednesday as part of Advertising Week 2007, an advertising industry convention in New York City. The Corps beat out a number of companies and agencies in a nationwide Internet poll for the honor, including Nike, Burger King, the National Crime Prevention Authority and Taco Bell.

The Corps and Southwest will join previous winners, such as the Texas Department of Transportation’s “Don’t Mess with Texas,” Verizon’s “Can You Hear Me Now?” and Hallmark’s “When You Care Enough to Send the Very Best,” on the Madison Avenue Advertising Walk of Fame, which consists of a plaque on the sidewalk between 49th and 50th Streets in Manhattan.

Other nominees the Corps beat out include: the USDA Forest Service’s “Give a Hoot. Don’t Pollute”; the California Milk Process Board’s “Got Milk?”; Major League Baseball’s “I Live For This!!!”; Dunkin’ Donuts’ “Time to Make the Donuts; and Allstate Insurance’s “ You’re in good hands.”

Posted by sr at 11:05 PM | Permalink

HURRICANE POINT, Ramadi – If you head west from this small forward operating base located on Route Michigan, you'll reach a bridge that crosses a peaceful river. It would be easy to spend an afternoon walking along the riverbank, and many Iraqis do.

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=57813

Posted: September 25, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern

Editor's note: Reporter Matt Sanchez, currently embedded in Iraq with the 1st Squadron 4th Cavalry out of Fort Riley, Kan. – the 1-4 Cav – has been providing WND readers with a glimpse into the Iraq war most Americans have never heard.

By Matt Sanchez
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

But the 3rd Battalion 7th Marines out of 29 Palms know complacency kills. In fact, that adage is written on the walls near the exit as a warning to Marines about to go outside the wire and into town.

Speaking to any member of the 3/7 Marines is like talking to a history book. For those who were here last deployment, the chapters on Ramadi are written into their memory. And when asked to recall the last deployment, the Marines of the 3/7 all seem to pause, as if staring at a photo of the past, trying to match up the old image in their minds with the reality right before them.

Marine Cpl. Mickey Schaetzle was a Ramadi veteran. Back home in Colorado, he played high school football; here in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar, he was in charge of the convoy transporting me and a dozen other Marines downtown. I often find myself comparing young men like Cpl. Schaetzle – capable, in charge and responsive – with the students on the Columbia University campus and campuses across America. Instead of going off to college like most kids his age, Schaetzle joined the Marine Corps "to get a little discipline" and see the world. He saw Ramadi from 2005 to 2006, where he remembered a constant state of alert and the threat of violence everywhere.

I forgot to ask Cpl. Schaetzle exactly how old he was, but he graduated from high school four years ago. He was probably about 21, which is a bit older than the average age of servicemen in Iraq, yet men like Schaetzle were anything but average.

Marines have been around as long as the United States itself, and from the beginning, "the few good men" who join the Corps have been a bit different. As a tiny unit of "soldiers of the sea," scrappy Marines struggled to prove their worth throughout every single conflict in American history. From the shores of Tripoli where they defeated Barbary pirates in what today is Libya, to the battlefields of France where one Marine officer shouted, "Retreat? Hell, we just got here," you could make a case that Marines have something to prove – to themselves, and maybe just as important, to the Corps.

Half out of desperation and half out of sheer bravado, the Marines distinguished themselves for being "first to fight." Recruitment posters for the "Great War," World War I, showed an indignant, well-dressed man pulling off his suit jacket. The caption at the bottom: "Tell That to the Marines!"

You don't just end up being a Marine by luck, or accident – it takes a concerted effort, a willingness to subject yourself to hardship in the hopes of something in return. Camaraderie, distinction or duty – defining that "something" is difficult, but if you don't know what you want, the Marine Corps will kindly make some great suggestions. Every night before going to bed, Marine recruits will stand by their racks and, on cue, shout at the top of their lungs, "honor, courage, commitment." Recruits bang the thin government-issued mattresses after every promise, so that the physical body will conform, retain and respond to each verbal pledge. For the Marines, muscle memory applies to the heart as well.

All members of the military have sworn to protect the nation, but Marines brag they'll do it first, in fact they insist. It's one thing to flirt with combat, it's even more daring to become an "03" Marine infantry rifleman during a time of war. When Schaetzle enlisted, that's what he decided to be.

"Things are a lot better now," Schaetzle said of the new Ramadi where Marines did not have to run on foot patrols trying to avoid fire from rooftops.

The "new" Marines of the 3/7 – the ones who were not around for the first deployment – will sometimes gripe that the current state of Ramadi is too boring. "Nothing happens," said one private first class on his first tour to Iraq. Schaetzle's just happy those Marines do not have to deal with what the media came to call "the most dangerous city in the world."

In the fall of 2006, a very international and critical press ran headlines saying, "We have lost Anbar Province!"

The source of that leaked report was Marine Corps intelligence officer Col. Peter Devlin. With over 20 years in the Corps, Devlin's assessment of the situation on the ground was alarming. Less than a year later, Anbar, a province named after the granaries and the abundance of its fertile land, is considered the fruition of success in the Iraq policy.

I contacted Col. Devlin via e-mail. Many members of the military have complained of being misquoted, so I'm reprinting his statements precisely as he wrote them to me:

"Quite obviously, the situation in the province has improved dramatically since then, to my great relief. As I have maintained since this improvement became apparent this spring (2007), the assessments that I made last year were accurate for the timeframe within which they were written. Things were that bad and the prospects for improvement seemed very bleak. I do not believe that any other intelligence professional would have developed a much different assessment for al-Anbar last summer and fall."

Devlin, the internationally quoted Marine intelligence officer, is glad things have changed, but he did call the publishing of a secret report "an absolute disgrace."

The Marines of the 3/7 would have recognized the details of Devlin's descriptions in the fall of 2006. Street-to-street fighting, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and ambushes characterized the Anbar Cpl. Mickey Schaetzle had known and would never forget, even after moving on from the Marine Corps.

Looking to the future, Schaetzle told me, "I want to go back to school and become a physical therapist."

"Why do you think you're ready for college now?," I asked. Like many who enlist, Schaetzle just didn't think college was for him after years in high school. For lots of young men and women, the Corps provided a different kind of education, with a lesson plan that just couldn't be found in a textbook.

"I know more what I want," he said with confidence.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DISPATCHES FROM THE FRONT LINES
Marines guard Iraq's gradual transformation
In Ramadi, personality sometimes 'more useful than body armor'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: September 25, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern

Matt Sanchez

Editor's note: Reporter Matt Sanchez, currently embedded in Iraq with the 1st Squadron 4th Cavalry out of Fort Riley, Kan. – the 1-4 Cav – has been providing WND readers with a glimpse into the Iraq war most Americans have never heard.

By Matt Sanchez
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

HURRICANE POINT, Ramadi – If you head west from this small forward operating base located on Route Michigan, you'll reach a bridge that crosses a peaceful river. It would be easy to spend an afternoon walking along the riverbank, and many Iraqis do.

But the 3rd Battalion 7th Marines out of 29 Palms know complacency kills. In fact, that adage is written on the walls near the exit as a warning to Marines about to go outside the wire and into town.

Speaking to any member of the 3/7 Marines is like talking to a history book. For those who were here last deployment, the chapters on Ramadi are written into their memory. And when asked to recall the last deployment, the Marines of the 3/7 all seem to pause, as if staring at a photo of the past, trying to match up the old image in their minds with the reality right before them.

Marine Cpl. Mickey Schaetzle was a Ramadi veteran. Back home in Colorado, he played high school football; here in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar, he was in charge of the convoy transporting me and a dozen other Marines downtown. I often find myself comparing young men like Cpl. Schaetzle – capable, in charge and responsive – with the students on the Columbia University campus and campuses across America. Instead of going off to college like most kids his age, Schaetzle joined the Marine Corps "to get a little discipline" and see the world. He saw Ramadi from 2005 to 2006, where he remembered a constant state of alert and the threat of violence everywhere.

(Story continues below)

I forgot to ask Cpl. Schaetzle exactly how old he was, but he graduated from high school four years ago. He was probably about 21, which is a bit older than the average age of servicemen in Iraq, yet men like Schaetzle were anything but average.

Marines have been around as long as the United States itself, and from the beginning, "the few good men" who join the Corps have been a bit different. As a tiny unit of "soldiers of the sea," scrappy Marines struggled to prove their worth throughout every single conflict in American history. From the shores of Tripoli where they defeated Barbary pirates in what today is Libya, to the battlefields of France where one Marine officer shouted, "Retreat? Hell, we just got here," you could make a case that Marines have something to prove – to themselves, and maybe just as important, to the Corps.

The Devildog is in the details. The Marine EGA, Eagle Globe and Anchor, are present anywhere you find a Marine. Marines are the smallest of all the services, but the symbol of the Marine Corps is one of the most recognized in the world

Half out of desperation and half out of sheer bravado, the Marines distinguished themselves for being "first to fight." Recruitment posters for the "Great War," World War I, showed an indignant, well-dressed man pulling off his suit jacket. The caption at the bottom: "Tell That to the Marines!"

You don't just end up being a Marine by luck, or accident – it takes a concerted effort, a willingness to subject yourself to hardship in the hopes of something in return. Camaraderie, distinction or duty – defining that "something" is difficult, but if you don't know what you want, the Marine Corps will kindly make some great suggestions. Every night before going to bed, Marine recruits will stand by their racks and, on cue, shout at the top of their lungs, "honor, courage, commitment." Recruits bang the thin government-issued mattresses after every promise, so that the physical body will conform, retain and respond to each verbal pledge. For the Marines, muscle memory applies to the heart as well.

VIDEO: 1st Lt. Mauro Mujica, 3/7 Marines, Lima Company, lives and works with Iraqis daily

All members of the military have sworn to protect the nation, but Marines brag they'll do it first, in fact they insist. It's one thing to flirt with combat, it's even more daring to become an "03" Marine infantry rifleman during a time of war. When Schaetzle enlisted, that's what he decided to be.

"Things are a lot better now," Schaetzle said of the new Ramadi where Marines did not have to run on foot patrols trying to avoid fire from rooftops.

Up in the morning with the rising sun. Regulations state members of the military, in a combat zone, are to do PT (exercise) voluntarily. These Marines get up and train before the beginning of a long day

The "new" Marines of the 3/7 – the ones who were not around for the first deployment – will sometimes gripe that the current state of Ramadi is too boring. "Nothing happens," said one private first class on his first tour to Iraq. Schaetzle's just happy those Marines do not have to deal with what the media came to call "the most dangerous city in the world."

In the fall of 2006, a very international and critical press ran headlines saying, "We have lost Anbar Province!"

The source of that leaked report was Marine Corps intelligence officer Col. Peter Devlin. With over 20 years in the Corps, Devlin's assessment of the situation on the ground was alarming. Less than a year later, Anbar, a province named after the granaries and the abundance of its fertile land, is considered the fruition of success in the Iraq policy.

I contacted Col. Devlin via e-mail. Many members of the military have complained of being misquoted, so I'm reprinting his statements precisely as he wrote them to me:

"Quite obviously, the situation in the province has improved dramatically since then, to my great relief. As I have maintained since this improvement became apparent this spring (2007), the assessments that I made last year were accurate for the timeframe within which they were written. Things were that bad and the prospects for improvement seemed very bleak. I do not believe that any other intelligence professional would have developed a much different assessment for al-Anbar last summer and fall."

Devlin, the internationally quoted Marine intelligence officer, is glad things have changed, but he did call the publishing of a secret report "an absolute disgrace."

This is a street corner in Ramadi after it has been cleaned. It's difficult to see a possible IED buried in the trash. Would you notice a can with tiny wires sticking out of it?

The Marines of the 3/7 would have recognized the details of Devlin's descriptions in the fall of 2006. Street-to-street fighting, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and ambushes characterized the Anbar Cpl. Mickey Schaetzle had known and would never forget, even after moving on from the Marine Corps.

Looking to the future, Schaetzle told me, "I want to go back to school and become a physical therapist."

"Why do you think you're ready for college now?," I asked. Like many who enlist, Schaetzle just didn't think college was for him after years in high school. For lots of young men and women, the Corps provided a different kind of education, with a lesson plan that just couldn't be found in a textbook.

"I know more what I want," he said with confidence.

VIDEO: Democracy in action, people who are not afraid to question authority. It really seems to come natural.

What will the effect be on American society when all these young men and women who have seen and done so much come home to live normal lives?

"You're not going to be like everyone else," I said.

"That's OK, I'm not going to tell anyone I'm a Marine or anything. I just want to study in peace." I always ask troops what they're going to do when they get out. Getting out, leaving the safety and comfort is a big step. I've met many servicemen and women who leave and then come back, after finding civilian life to be less satisfying. "Go to school" is the No. 1 answer – a lot of the 3/7 Marines want to take what they have learned and experienced, and apply it to other areas of a life they know has completely changed.

Defectors

Situations and settings change, people change, but is it possible for former enemies to become friends, or at least to work together? The complaint of fighting alongside former insurgents who have American blood on their hands may distress people back home, but I've heard a different opinion in Iraq.

Infantry officer Capt. Dave Hart with the 3rd Battalion 6th Marines said he would "rather see a defection than a capture, even if these guys were fighting us two or three weeks ago." A capture was a drain on resources, another person to arrest, guard and process through a system that began on its hands and knees and was attempting to take its first steps. A defection was a loss for the other side, an asset for the home team, a fighter not only trained, but intimate with enemy tactics.

"Every time we went out, we were going to get into a fight," said Maj. Rory Quinn of the 3/7. Hurricane Point was no picnic, but the Marines of the "cutting edge" 3/7 are used to harsh conditions.

Almost every Marine I've met has an opinion, criticism or horror story about 29 Palms, even the ones who have never seen it. Nicknamed "29 Stumps" and smack dab in the Mohave desert, the vast 29 Palms is the toughest place for a Marine to be stationed, or at least that's what they say. Mohave Viper, the training exercise "The Stumps" hosts for Marines to get training in preparation for deploying to Iraq, is said to prepare Marines the best and most realistically for conditions in the Middle East. No stranger to hard realism himself, Quinn, a native of New York, is serving his second tour in Ramadi.

Quinn is an all-around easy-going guy. He gets along well with the Iraqis, which is not surprising – he is part of the power structure. And from the younger Marines – the ranks below sergeant, the ones who are about to get out and have nothing to lose when they offer their opinion – I didn't hear one unkind word about Major Quinn, a rarity.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DISPATCHES FROM THE FRONT LINES
Marines guard Iraq's gradual transformation
In Ramadi, personality sometimes 'more useful than body armor'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: September 25, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern

Matt Sanchez

Editor's note: Reporter Matt Sanchez, currently embedded in Iraq with the 1st Squadron 4th Cavalry out of Fort Riley, Kan. – the 1-4 Cav – has been providing WND readers with a glimpse into the Iraq war most Americans have never heard.

By Matt Sanchez
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

HURRICANE POINT, Ramadi – If you head west from this small forward operating base located on Route Michigan, you'll reach a bridge that crosses a peaceful river. It would be easy to spend an afternoon walking along the riverbank, and many Iraqis do.

But the 3rd Battalion 7th Marines out of 29 Palms know complacency kills. In fact, that adage is written on the walls near the exit as a warning to Marines about to go outside the wire and into town.

Speaking to any member of the 3/7 Marines is like talking to a history book. For those who were here last deployment, the chapters on Ramadi are written into their memory. And when asked to recall the last deployment, the Marines of the 3/7 all seem to pause, as if staring at a photo of the past, trying to match up the old image in their minds with the reality right before them.

Marine Cpl. Mickey Schaetzle was a Ramadi veteran. Back home in Colorado, he played high school football; here in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar, he was in charge of the convoy transporting me and a dozen other Marines downtown. I often find myself comparing young men like Cpl. Schaetzle – capable, in charge and responsive – with the students on the Columbia University campus and campuses across America. Instead of going off to college like most kids his age, Schaetzle joined the Marine Corps "to get a little discipline" and see the world. He saw Ramadi from 2005 to 2006, where he remembered a constant state of alert and the threat of violence everywhere.

(Story continues below)

I forgot to ask Cpl. Schaetzle exactly how old he was, but he graduated from high school four years ago. He was probably about 21, which is a bit older than the average age of servicemen in Iraq, yet men like Schaetzle were anything but average.

Marines have been around as long as the United States itself, and from the beginning, "the few good men" who join the Corps have been a bit different. As a tiny unit of "soldiers of the sea," scrappy Marines struggled to prove their worth throughout every single conflict in American history. From the shores of Tripoli where they defeated Barbary pirates in what today is Libya, to the battlefields of France where one Marine officer shouted, "Retreat? Hell, we just got here," you could make a case that Marines have something to prove – to themselves, and maybe just as important, to the Corps.

The Devildog is in the details. The Marine EGA, Eagle Globe and Anchor, are present anywhere you find a Marine. Marines are the smallest of all the services, but the symbol of the Marine Corps is one of the most recognized in the world

Half out of desperation and half out of sheer bravado, the Marines distinguished themselves for being "first to fight." Recruitment posters for the "Great War," World War I, showed an indignant, well-dressed man pulling off his suit jacket. The caption at the bottom: "Tell That to the Marines!"

You don't just end up being a Marine by luck, or accident – it takes a concerted effort, a willingness to subject yourself to hardship in the hopes of something in return. Camaraderie, distinction or duty – defining that "something" is difficult, but if you don't know what you want, the Marine Corps will kindly make some great suggestions. Every night before going to bed, Marine recruits will stand by their racks and, on cue, shout at the top of their lungs, "honor, courage, commitment." Recruits bang the thin government-issued mattresses after every promise, so that the physical body will conform, retain and respond to each verbal pledge. For the Marines, muscle memory applies to the heart as well.

VIDEO: 1st Lt. Mauro Mujica, 3/7 Marines, Lima Company, lives and works with Iraqis daily

All members of the military have sworn to protect the nation, but Marines brag they'll do it first, in fact they insist. It's one thing to flirt with combat, it's even more daring to become an "03" Marine infantry rifleman during a time of war. When Schaetzle enlisted, that's what he decided to be.

"Things are a lot better now," Schaetzle said of the new Ramadi where Marines did not have to run on foot patrols trying to avoid fire from rooftops.

Up in the morning with the rising sun. Regulations state members of the military, in a combat zone, are to do PT (exercise) voluntarily. These Marines get up and train before the beginning of a long day

The "new" Marines of the 3/7 – the ones who were not around for the first deployment – will sometimes gripe that the current state of Ramadi is too boring. "Nothing happens," said one private first class on his first tour to Iraq. Schaetzle's just happy those Marines do not have to deal with what the media came to call "the most dangerous city in the world."

In the fall of 2006, a very international and critical press ran headlines saying, "We have lost Anbar Province!"

The source of that leaked report was Marine Corps intelligence officer Col. Peter Devlin. With over 20 years in the Corps, Devlin's assessment of the situation on the ground was alarming. Less than a year later, Anbar, a province named after the granaries and the abundance of its fertile land, is considered the fruition of success in the Iraq policy.

I contacted Col. Devlin via e-mail. Many members of the military have complained of being misquoted, so I'm reprinting his statements precisely as he wrote them to me:

"Quite obviously, the situation in the province has improved dramatically since then, to my great relief. As I have maintained since this improvement became apparent this spring (2007), the assessments that I made last year were accurate for the timeframe within which they were written. Things were that bad and the prospects for improvement seemed very bleak. I do not believe that any other intelligence professional would have developed a much different assessment for al-Anbar last summer and fall."

Devlin, the internationally quoted Marine intelligence officer, is glad things have changed, but he did call the publishing of a secret report "an absolute disgrace."

This is a street corner in Ramadi after it has been cleaned. It's difficult to see a possible IED buried in the trash. Would you notice a can with tiny wires sticking out of it?

The Marines of the 3/7 would have recognized the details of Devlin's descriptions in the fall of 2006. Street-to-street fighting, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and ambushes characterized the Anbar Cpl. Mickey Schaetzle had known and would never forget, even after moving on from the Marine Corps.

Looking to the future, Schaetzle told me, "I want to go back to school and become a physical therapist."

"Why do you think you're ready for college now?," I asked. Like many who enlist, Schaetzle just didn't think college was for him after years in high school. For lots of young men and women, the Corps provided a different kind of education, with a lesson plan that just couldn't be found in a textbook.

"I know more what I want," he said with confidence.

VIDEO: Democracy in action, people who are not afraid to question authority. It really seems to come natural.

What will the effect be on American society when all these young men and women who have seen and done so much come home to live normal lives?

"You're not going to be like everyone else," I said.

"That's OK, I'm not going to tell anyone I'm a Marine or anything. I just want to study in peace." I always ask troops what they're going to do when they get out. Getting out, leaving the safety and comfort is a big step. I've met many servicemen and women who leave and then come back, after finding civilian life to be less satisfying. "Go to school" is the No. 1 answer – a lot of the 3/7 Marines want to take what they have learned and experienced, and apply it to other areas of a life they know has completely changed.

Defectors

Situations and settings change, people change, but is it possible for former enemies to become friends, or at least to work together? The complaint of fighting alongside former insurgents who have American blood on their hands may distress people back home, but I've heard a different opinion in Iraq.

Infantry officer Capt. Dave Hart with the 3rd Battalion 6th Marines said he would "rather see a defection than a capture, even if these guys were fighting us two or three weeks ago." A capture was a drain on resources, another person to arrest, guard and process through a system that began on its hands and knees and was attempting to take its first steps. A defection was a loss for the other side, an asset for the home team, a fighter not only trained, but intimate with enemy tactics.

"Every time we went out, we were going to get into a fight," said Maj. Rory Quinn of the 3/7. Hurricane Point was no picnic, but the Marines of the "cutting edge" 3/7 are used to harsh conditions.

Almost every Marine I've met has an opinion, criticism or horror story about 29 Palms, even the ones who have never seen it. Nicknamed "29 Stumps" and smack dab in the Mohave desert, the vast 29 Palms is the toughest place for a Marine to be stationed, or at least that's what they say. Mohave Viper, the training exercise "The Stumps" hosts for Marines to get training in preparation for deploying to Iraq, is said to prepare Marines the best and most realistically for conditions in the Middle East. No stranger to hard realism himself, Quinn, a native of New York, is serving his second tour in Ramadi.

Quinn is an all-around easy-going guy. He gets along well with the Iraqis, which is not surprising – he is part of the power structure. And from the younger Marines – the ranks below sergeant, the ones who are about to get out and have nothing to lose when they offer their opinion – I didn't hear one unkind word about Major Quinn, a rarity.

VIDEO: The Souk had become a ghost town before the Marines set out to take it back.

"You've got to drink the chai," Quinn said. I never saw him refuse a cigarette either, Iraqis will always offer before lighting up themselves.

"We made the mistake last time around of not focusing on the people of the city," he said.

In the current "permissive" state of security in Ramadi, personality may be more useful than body armor. "Permissive" was one of those terms a lot of military types repeated just like "kinetic," "tactical" and "malingering" – they sound really specific, but the vocabulary is subject to interpretation. "Permissive," here in Ramadi, meant the threat was distant, but that Marines never relaxed.

The following morning we drove down Route Michigan to an Iraqi police station. The occasion was a Ramadi city council. As soon as Quinn arrived, the Iraqis swarmed over to meet and greet him.

"We try to stay in the background and let these guys do their job," said Quinn. This was democracy at work – not Democracy with a capital D, the stuff political philosophers like Socrates, Locke and John Adams spoke of – but the democracy of local government where normal people sat in a town hall-style audience, listened to what politicians promised and then got up and gave the authorities sitting behind the table a piece of their mind. This was the practical democracy of people arguing, compromising, misrepresenting, accusing, arguing and settling on some sort of agreement.

One indignant man got up and accused the members of the board of stealing contracts. "The guys can be pretty cutthroat, they get really jealous when one contractor wins out over another," an American from USAID told me. The council members, who are not eligible to bid on contracts, assured the irate man that the process was transparent. Marines supervised the transparency, and like referees in a boxing match tried to make sure everyone followed the rules, without taking a stray blow to the chin.

Another man in a white dishdasha, the customary robe many Middle Eastern men wear, sprang out of his seat and pointed a finger at someone across the room. Shouting started and the leader of the council tried to restore order. The interpreter couldn't keep up with the back-and-forth, but as with a rushed text message, I got the gist of the problem: "My honor," "He's lying," "You don't keep your promise!"

"I call this man-drama," said Quinn, referring to the public spats and intrigues that went on between Iraqi men. One police officer shot himself in the hand, apparently trying to show off to his buddies. Another contractor accused a competitor of being a terrorist to authorities, possibly because he lost out on a bid. A father insulted a neighboring family when he refused to let his daughter marry their son. And the list went on.

In a public culture where women have been almost entirely absent, many men in Iraq and throughout the Middle East take on an etiquette that could sometimes revert to the level of kids fighting on the blacktop during recess at an elementary school.

I never thought of how fortunate we are back home to have women who cannot only take a stand, but who temper the male behavior, no matter how crazy they make us. The only time you saw a man and woman together in Iraq, especially in the smaller towns, was when a covered mother carried her toddler to market and let her older son address the male vendors on her behalf.

The souk, or marketplace, had been closed down during much of the fighting. The threat of car bombs, suicide bombers and IEDs was too great, and if the streets were littered as they were before, you would find it nearly impossible to spot a "tomato can" IED, a dangerous little explosive that could easily kill a pedestrian or two.

"We're hiring locals to pick up the garbage," said Capt. Marcus Mainz, commanding officer of Lima Company and on his first tour in Iraq. Garbage collection, construction projects and other public works are economic shots in the arm and part of the strategy for both improving the city and making it safer. But in typical Marine fashion, Capt. Mainz' AO (area of operations) has gone above and beyond the call of duty. His lieutenant, Luke Larson, has participated in the organization of a 5-kilometer race down roads that pedestrians avoided.

The race is on

I stood on a bridge overlooking Route Michigan. One of the sergeants told me that, in the past, our military would never stand on this bridge – too easy a target for snipers. Runners, all male, lined up at the starting line for one of the first public events in recent history. There were easily 200 runners, even considering that tight security may have prevented neighboring athletes from entering the town. There was still a ban on vehicle traffic in the downtown area, there had not been a car bomb in several months and the mayor of Ramadi, Latif Obaid Ayadah, told me he was cautious about changing the situation, but he was really excited about building hotels to spur tourism.

"This is the capital," he said, and "it would be a great investment." The mayor knew the time was nearing when Ramadi could become a normal city, but the danger was nowhere near its end.

The runners finished near a roundabout, a spot where several Marines had been wounded the year before. Musicians arrived after a happy mob engulfed the winner of the race. Police officers started to dance in circle, each following traditional steps that I've seen throughout the Middle East. The scene was about as jarring as the names of the neighboring streets: Moron, Firecracker, Botta bing. The people of Ramadi had not forgotten how to celebrate.

The announcer on the loud speaker called the names of Marines and I snapped pictures of Iraqis handing Capt. Mainz, Sgt. Humphrey and lieutenants Larson and Mujica trophies. It was a nice movie moment, the point when credits roll and only a few stay seated in the theatre to read the names. But life has never been like a Hollywood film and the Marines of the 3/7 are not actor on some stage.

The next morning at Hurricane Point, I woke up early and watched small groups of Marines running, doing pushups and pull-ups – or PTing as they call it. A Marine hanged from a bar pulling upward, a second struggled for another push-up while fellow Marines encouraged them both to keep going. At the same time a staff sergeant directed his Marines in meticulously eliminating the layers of fine dirt the Ramadi weather deposits in one day. There would certainly be more dirt tomorrow, but that day the streets of Hurricane Point were exceptionally clean.

Maj. Quinn told me, "It's so obvious this is how you win this fight," and he was not kidding.

Posted by sr at 11:12 PM | Permalink

Female Marines may no longer wear skirts in their promotion photos under a policy change that went into effect immediately upon authorization by the Corps’ top personnel official, Lt. Gen. Ronald Coleman, according to a Sept. 17 Corps-wide message.

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2007/09/marine_promotion_photos_070924/

By John Hoellwarth - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Sep 25, 2007 21:29:24 EDT

Under the previous policy, female Marines could choose between wearing the skirt or the slacks authorized for the service Charlie uniform in which all promotion photos are taken.

Eliminating the option of wearing a skirt also eliminates the option of wearing high-heeled shoes, since those shoes are authorized for wear only with the skirt, according to Marine Corps uniform regulations.

Posted by sr at 9:46 PM | Permalink

AL QA’IM, Iraq (Sept. 25, 2007) -- Thomas Paine once wrote, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” Paine was writing about a newly formed American military in 1776, but even in 2007 his words mean just the same to the newly formed men of the 3rd Brigade, 7th Iraqi Army Division.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/5B63D974CDD72D028525736100426BF2?opendocument

Sept. 25, 2007; Submitted on: 09/25/2007 08:05:30 AM ; Story ID#: 20079258530
By Cpl. Eric C. Schwartz, 2nd Marine Division

“This is a historic moment for the future of Iraq,” said Col. H. Stacy Clardy, the commanding officer of Regimental Combat Team 2.

The men of the 3rd BDE recently celebrated their test of self-sufficiency where they commanded their own operation while Marines observed.

“The 3rd BDE demonstrated their ability to command and control multiple maneuver elements, while effectively coordinating combined operations with the Iraqi Police and Border Defense Forces,” said Lt. Col. Jason Q. Bohm, the commanding officer for Task Force 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, attached to RCT-2.

Task Force 1st Bn., 4th Marines, and the 3rd BDE worked jointly during three major operations in the Al Qa’im region. The Iraqi Army improved with each mission and eventually they were able to successfully lead entire operations by themselves.

The Marines of 1st Bn., 4th Marines, congratulated 3rd BDE’s chain of command with a feast at the Camp Al Qa’im dining facility. Each Iraqi soldier sat next to their Marine counterpart at the table showing equality and brotherhood between the two forces.

The 3rd Brigade is the second-to-last of the three brigades under 7th Division’s command to be validated. The nationwide recruiting drives for 3rd BDE were originally formed outside Al Anbar and moved into Nasariyah, Iraq.

“The initial recruiting drives were actually taking place outside of Al Anbar due to the violence in Al Anbar and Al Qa’im,” said Col. David M. Thompson, the Military Transition Team chief with RCT- 2.

This tribal mix of soldiers came back to Al Qa’im to free it from terrorism and fear.

“These operations, combined with the brigade commander’s personal engagement with the local community, resulted in an increase in the trust and confidence of the Iraqi Army in the eyes of the local populace,” Bohm said.

Their force is a model for the country of Iraq due to its mix of Sunni and Shiite men from different parts of the country.

“This fills all Iraqi categories of its people equally,” said Brig. Gen. Ishmayil Shihab Muhammed, the commanding officer of 3rd Brigade. “Iraqi patriots aren’t Sunni or Shiite, they are Iraqis.”

This united feeling is not only talked about, but also put into practice as the general’s own personal security detachment is made up of Shiite men. The general is a devout Sunni.

During their three major operations with Task Force 1st Bn., 4th Marines, (Harris Basil, Combined Justice and Iron Fist), 3rd Brigade patrolled through towns with the town’s local police forces. This unorthodox approach allowed the brigade to make successful steps before validating as a lone-standing operational force.

“The Iraqi police are good now, so we can be dedicated to fighting terrorism outside the area of operations,” Ishmayil said.

The brigadier general has one main focus concerning sectarian violence and Al Qaeda in Iraq terrorism tearing the country apart.

"One Iraq, one united Iraq, nothing else matters,” Ishmayil said.

Posted by sr at 9:22 PM | Permalink

CAMP AL QA’IM, Iraq (Sept. 22, 2007) -- Hippocrates once said, “Art is long, life is short- Ars longa, vita brevis. ”

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/7531BFE467AAE6968525735E0019FC66?opendocument

Sept. 22, 2007; Submitted on: 09/22/2007 12:43:50 AM ; Story ID#: 200792204350
By Cpl. Eric C. Schwartz, 2nd Marine Division

Cpl. Jeremy David Allbaugh, a machine gunner with Personal Security Detachment, Headquarters and Support Company, Task Force 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, attached to Regimental Combat Team 2, lived a short life. But, he was immortalized recently in acrylics by a friend and fellow Marine who painted a mural in his honor at the Warhammer Gym here.

“I feel sad because it is for him, but it makes me happy because I can still do something for him,” said Lance Cpl. Cory Jamieson, a rifleman and a Punxsutawney, Penn., native, with the PSD.

Allbaugh was recently killed conducting combat operations. A church and memorial service were held, but Jamieson felt he could do more for his fallen friend.

“I thought about it during the ceremony in the chapel. I looked up at the stained glass windows and I thought ‘I should do something like that,’” Jamieson said.

The heavenly scene inspired Jamieson to paint a mural for Allbaugh. Inspiration became action and when he wasn’t escorting the commanding officer of Task Force 1st Bn., 4th Marines, or conducting operations with the quick reaction force, he painted, and painted, and painted.

Along with help from family, a fellow Marine and a Morale, Wefare and Recreation manager, Jamieson had the paint and tools needed.

“I would paint eight or nine hours in the gym and time would fly by,” Jamieson said.

Keeping to the stained glass effect, Jamieson decided on bright colors to draw out the positive of Allbaugh’s existence.

“Bright is powerful,” Jamieson said. “You stand there and it’s big and powerful and it overwhelms you.”

The mural’s brilliant colors create a strong appearance that visually screams for attention. Although it’s an effigy of a fallen Marine, it is of St. Michael, the patron saint, and not of the Marine himself.

“You think of St. Michael as big and strong and a fighter of evil, and Allbaugh was a big and strong Marine. And, what do Marines do? We fight evil,” Jamieson said.

This wasn’t the first time Jamieson has expressed his emotions through his art although this was the first religious piece of work he’s completed.

“I wouldn’t call myself religious but He (Christ) came and died on the cross. I believe in stuff like that. St. Michael is the protector in battle,” Jamieson said.

St. Michael is originally recognized in the Books of Daniel, Enoch and Revelations, and the Qur’an and is even mentioned in the occult. There are slight differences in his story and title but every religion and belief has promoted him as a protector, a warrior and general against evil.

"I relate St. Michael to every Marine in my platoon. We all carry a St. Michael card. You figure you have a religious icon with you, and you think it will help you through the chance you hit the hole and it goes boom.”

Allbaugh’s short life inspired Jamieson to paint the spiritual mural. Jamieson immortalized his friend and fellow Marine and unknowingly, reminded anyone seeing the striking effigy that there is always a protector out there; Marine, archangel or whatever he may be called.

Posted by sr at 4:18 PM | Permalink

The 3rd Light Armor Reconnaissance Battalion has proven itself time and again as an effective mobile infantry unit.

http://www.op29online.com/articles/2007/09/21/news/news07.txt

Friday September 21, 2007
Lance Cpl. Nicholas M. Dunn
Combat Correspondent

However, no combat unit can operate proficiently without motor transport and logistical support.

The support 3rd LAR receives comes in many different forms. Each section of the support element, the self-proclaimed “Maintenance Mafia,” has its own unique role to perform in order to keep everything moving smoothly.

“Basically, we’re here to support anyone with vehicles from 3rd LAR or any attached units,” said Staff Sgt. Jason L. Dollahan, motor transport maintenance chief, 3rd LAR. “The battalion could have anywhere between 70-75 pieces of gear operating at any given time and they all need operational and maintenance support.”

Since there can be convoys operating both day and night, there is always a dispatcher ready to answer the radio from the supply convoys, Dollahan explained.

“The logistics packs are probably our most important assets,” said Dollahan. “Each log pack will operate once or twice at any given time each day because resupply times vary.”

The motor transport section also has approximately seven maintenance personnel standing by. Every time a log pack goes on a mission, at least one Marine from maintenance goes with them. If there are more than 10 vehicles in the convoy, additional maintenance personnel are sent to provide the best possible support.

Dollahan said, recently, sergeants have been placed in charge of the log packs, which is normally a responsibility reserved for staff noncommissioned officers.

“Recently, our commanding officer has been stressing the importance of our noncommissioned officers,” said 1st Lt. Jake Sandmeyer, public affairs officer, 3rd LAR. “These convoys will drive an average of 14,000-15,000 miles on a six-month deployment, so enforcing leadership at a lower level enhances the proficiency of the Marines.”

Although logistics convoys provide an invaluable service, even they need support. Teams of mechanics, engineers and welders also work to make sure convoys continue to run by providing recovery, maintenance, electrical and heavy equipment support.

The recovery crew is responsible for supporting the line companies, as well as the resupply and maintenance vehicles. Their job is to recover vehicles that have been damaged or have broken down and return them to a safe location where they can be repaired by the mechanics and welders.

The welders repair damaged or broken vehicles that are brought back by the recovery team. Each company also has a welder embedded with it so vehicles can be repaired on-scene.

The engineers primarily provide electrical support to the battalion. Generators are used in the forward operating bases to give much-needed light and air conditioning to the command centers, and the medical and berthing tents.

The engineers also provide heavy equipment to the battalion, which is mainly used for construction purposes. However, their primary job is to keep the electrical units running.

Without the support from each individual cell of the Maintenance Mafia, 3rd LAR would be dead in the water.

“Any heavy vehicle unit is going to be more maintenance-intensive,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Scott A. Manlick, battalion maintenance officer, 3rd LAR. “We’re here to support in any way possible to keep the fighters fighting. If it’s broken, we fix it.”

The Maintenance Mafia continues to support 3rd LAR on and off the battlefield. They will deploy to Iraq with the rest of the battalion in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom this week.

Posted by sr at 11:10 PM | Permalink

MONTANA FIRING RANGE, Republic of Korea (September 21, 2007) -- Just as the early morning fog started to lift over the Montana Firing Range, Republic of Korea, Sept. 11, Marines from 3rd Marine Logistics Group's 9th Engineer Support Battalion took aim in live fire exercises during the Korean Interoperability Training Program.

http://www.okinawa.usmc.mil/Public%20Affairs%20Info/Archive%20News%20Pages/2007/070921-esb.html

Lance Cpl. Bobby J. Yarbrough

The exercise was the first live-fire event of the program and allowed Marines the chance to get down in the trenches and perform fundamental marksmanship training with the M16-A2 service rifle, M-249 squad automatic weapon (SAW) and M-240 Gulf medium machine gun.

"We don't do a lot of live-fire training in Okinawa," said Gunnery Sgt. Michael P. Suskin, the training chief for 9th ESB. "This (program) allows us to provide safe, realistic training for Marines and helps Marines gain confidence behind their weapons system."

The Marines focused on establishing proper firing positions and establishing and planning fields of fire. Fields of fire are conventional in a defensive fighting position to ensure that all avenues an enemy can use to approach the Marines' positions are covered by one or more weapon system.

"It's important that we plan and control our fire," said Pfc. Matthew D. Smith, a basic water technician with 9th ESB. "It makes us more knowledgeable of the situation and more aware of our surroundings."

Marines engaged targets from 100-400 yards and reacted to different scenarios based on the situation reports they received during the exercise. After five hours and 6,000 rounds down range, little was left on the range but shell casings and ragged targets, although those too were gone after a thorough cleanup.

Although 9th ESB's primary mission is to provide engineering support to III Marine Expeditionary Force, it didn't stop the Marines from embracing basic infantry tactics.

"I love the grunt life," said Lance Cpl. Donald R. White, a Marine integrated maintenance management specialist with the unit. "Getting dirty makes you feel more Marine-like."

Posted by sr at 10:57 PM | Permalink

One Marine Corps League detachment is changing its game plan this holiday season after popular toy makers such as Mattel and Fisher Price recalled more than 10 million toys manufactured in China.

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2007/09/marine_notoysfortots_070920/

By Michael Hoffman - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Sep 21, 2007 6:05:15 EDT

Instead of collecting playthings for the Marine Toys for Toys Foundation, Commandant Leo Sanchez of the Central Wyoming Detachment is encouraging his members to accept monetary donations that will be used to purchase gift certificates to stores such as Kmart or Target and restaurants such as Outback Steakhouse or McDonalds.

The toys were recalled this summer after it was discovered some contained lead paint or small parts that posed a choking hazard.

“I had a great fear that we could give away a toy to child and have that child get hurt or injured,” Sanchez said.

The detachment will still collect toys, but league members have posted fliers at stores where toys have been collected in the past asking for financial donations instead.

This is not the first time the detachment has collected funds in addition to toys. Last year, the detachment collected money so it could give gifts to teenagers, collecting about $6,000.

Sanchez said there was an initial concern that parents might take the gift certificates from the children and spend them on themselves, but there was no evidence of that occurring last year.

“A lot of times, we saw kids taking their families out to dinner with them and hope that happens this year,” he said.

The Marine Corps announced earlier this month that it’s looking for additional volunteers to sort recalled toys from those donated this year, according to a Corps press release.

Posted by sr at 10:08 PM | Permalink

OCEANSIDE, Calif. — President Bush on Wednesday nominated Maj. Gen. Samuel Helland — an experienced helicopter pilot and combat veteran of Vietnam and the 1991 Persian Gulf War — for a third star and command of the 45,000-member I Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton.

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2007/09/marine_helland_nomination_070919/

By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Sep 21, 2007 6:54:30 EDT

Helland, deputy commander of I MEF and commander of 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade, would replace Lt. Gen. Jim Mattis, who has been nominated to take over U.S. Joint Forces Command.

If confirmed by the Senate, Helland also would take command of Marine Corps Forces-Central Command, which includes overseeing all Marines serving in combat in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf region.

Helland enlisted in the Army in 1968 and served three years with Army Special Forces, including a combat tour in Vietnam with the 5th Special Forces Group-Military Advisory Command (Special Operations Group), according to his official biography.

In 1973, he went to the Marine Corps’ Officer Candidates School and later became a naval aviator, flying CH-53 transport helicopters.

His command tours include Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 461 from 1991 to 1993, the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit from 1996 to 1999, Fleet Marine Forces-South from 2001 to 2003 and Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa from 2004 to 2005.

In 2005, Helland took the helm of 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, handing over command to Maj. Gen. Terry Robling on July 13.

Posted by sr at 4:14 PM | Permalink

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. (Sept. 21, 2007) -- Marine Corps Installations West recently announced updated off-limit areas and areas of caution for the service members who fall under its command.

http://www.marines.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/06DB0D36FC7CF16C8525735C007AAF00?opendocument

Sept. 21, 2007; Submitted on: 09/20/2007 06:20:01 PM ; Story ID#: 200792018201
By Lance Cpl. Michael R. Stevens, MCAS Miramar

Many of the areas announced in previous MarAdmin’s remain off-limits permanently and during specific times with the following changes.

In San Diego, Sports Auto Sales located at 1112 National City Blvd is off-limits to all military personnel at all times.

Marines are reminded that areas in Otay Mesa and Willie Henderson Park remain off-limits from sunset to sunrise.

To visit Tijuana, Marines and sailors must obtain permission from their chain of command, receive a briefing on the liberty pitfalls of Mexico, be with at least one other service member or adult and must carry a special request chit, signed by the chain of command, while in the Mexico Border Area.

“The majority of those victimized [in Tijuana] are intoxicated and separated from friends, reconfirming the importance of good judgment, the buddy system sobriety and liberty operation risk management,” reads the message.

It is reminded that the message released constitutes a lawful general order and if violated is punishable under Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Posted by sr at 4:02 PM | Permalink

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. (Sept. 21, 2007) -- The Navy Marine Corps Relief Society recently introduced a loan program designed to offer Marines and sailors an alternative to payday lenders.

http://www.marines.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/43ED0100EA66561C8525735C00776C52?opendocument

Sept. 21, 2007; Submitted on: 09/20/2007 05:44:25 PM ; Story ID#: 2007920174425
By Lance Cpl. Christopher O’Quin, MCAS Miramar

The program, which officially started Monday, correlates with efforts by Marine Corps leaders to rein in the negative impact of predatory lending practices.

Recently, Maj. Gen. Michael R. Lehnert, the commanding general of Marine Corps Installations West, asked the Oceanside, Calif., city council for assistance in controlling payday lenders and their often predatory lending practices.

Legislation that takes effect Oct. 1 limits the amount of interest payday lenders can affix to loans. In light of this legislation, some payday lenders may stop offering loans to military members and their families.

The relief society’s new program addresses issues such as these by offering Marines and sailors a loan of up to $500 interest free.

“This program gives Marines and sailors a way to take care of essential expenses in unexpected situations,” said Ann Evans, director of the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society here.

Currently, only relief society offices in the San Diego area offer the loan program, officially titled quick assist loans.

The relief society hopes to offer the program throughout the Navy and Marine Corps by the beginning of 2008.

For more details, visit www.NMCRS.org.

Posted by sr at 3:57 PM | Permalink

FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas, Sept. 20, 2007 – A new Warrior and Family Support Center being built here will be 10 times the size of the current facility.

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=47513

By Minnie Jones
Special to Am