Marines adjust to an evolving Iraq
WESTERN IRAQ — This isn’t the combat mission these Marines expected.
May 31, 2008
May 19, 2008
MILITARY: Treating the wounded in the Middle East
Navy docs staff medical facilities in Iraq, Afghanistan
TAQADDUM AIR BASE, IRAQ ---- It wasn’t a roadside bomb or small-arms fire that put Marine Lance Cpl. Douglas Cox in a hospital bed here last week.
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April 27, 2008
Baghdad museum receives artifacts stolen from Iraq
BAGHDAD (AP) -- Iraq's National Museum on Sunday welcomed the return of more than 700 antiquities stolen during the chaos that followed the U.S.-led invasion five years ago.
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April 24, 2008
Sisters of Fallujah break barriers, build security
FALLUJAH, Iraq – Entry control points (ECP) throughout Fallujah are designed to protect the city from harm and prevent people from transporting illegal contraband such as weapons and explosive materials. Coalition forces discovered the enemy exploiting the cultural sensitivity precluding the search of females by having females carry contraband into the city.
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March 13, 2008
Commander Cites Ramadi’s Recovery as Example of Iraq Success
WASHINGTON, March 13, 2008 – More than a year ago, the Iraqi city of Ramadi was a ruin of blasted buildings amid a population ravaged by al Qaeda terrorists and the effects of war, but the capital of Anbar province is bouncing back, a senior U.S. military commander in Iraq said today.
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March 6, 2008
War-torn city rises from ashes
FALLUJAH, Iraq (March 6, 2008) -- Just mentioning of the city of Fallujah conjures up images of a devastated city ripped apart by the horrors of war. It was November 2004, there were an estimated 2,000 insurgents infesting the city prepared to fight to the death and it was the Marine Corps’ job to facilitate this. After bitter house-to-house fighting the Marines took the city. In the battle’s wake, laid a city in ruin. Numerous buildings turned to rubble, the streets littered with debris, any form or city infrastructure such as water and power eliminated. It was total devastation.
January 31, 2008
Jason Elam's Diary from Iraq: Day 1; Broncos kicker visiting U.S. soldiers
WOW, what a flight! After a non-stop from Denver to Frankfurt and then right on to Kuwait, we finally arrived last night and checked into our hotel here in Kuwait City.
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October 29, 2007
Iraqi soldiers donate $1,000 for wildfire aid
(CNN) -- The Iraqi leadership at a military camp east of Baghdad gave the U.S. military a $1,000 check last week to aid victims of California's wildfires, the U.S. military said.
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August 14, 2007
Understanding stress in a combat environment
NEAR KARMAH, Iraq (Aug. 14, 2007) -- We live in the electronic age. The added comfort of phone and internet capabilities in forward areas can ease strain on personal relationships and business matters “back home.” During the brief contact service members have with their loved ones, generally only the most important words are exchanged: “How’s the baby? Really, her first tooth?” or “I’m safe, I love you.” Our phone calls “back home” are a great break from the reality of everyday life here. Rest assured, when a Marine hangs up the phone, he goes right back to scratching heat rash. He can smell his dirty body, feel his sore shoulders and hear IEDs in the distant night. While making a phone call can be the best part of the week, hanging up is the worst.
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July 6, 2007
Outback Steakhouse customer satisfaction reaches all time high during operation Feeding Freedom Five
AL ASAD, Iraq (July 6, 2007) -- Smells of secret sauces and spices filled the inside of the dining facility as employees from Outback Steakhouse prepared Bloomin’ Onions, calamari, and pasta. Outside, the scent of sizzling steaks rose from the grill and wafted throughout the base.
June 21, 2007
Conway: Marines too comfy at Iraq bases
Marines are getting too comfortable at their dug-in bases in Iraq, the Corps’ top officer told an audience at the Naval War College on June 13.
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June 17, 2007
ON THE FRONTLINE / Cpl. JOHN MATTHEW BISHOP: The warrior's passage; Battle leads Marines to a reckoning
Northern Iraq —- "There he goes! He's moving, he's moving!" cries my gunner. From a hidden alley, a white sedan fishtails onto the road ahead, its rear window shattering as the passengers open fire with AK-47s. As the bullets spray past our Humvee, the blistered air fills with the various whines, hums and snaps of our high-velocity passage. Above, my gunner takes aim, and the fight begins.
Hospital Corps celebrates 109th birthday
AL TAQADDUM, Iraq (June 17, 2007) -- After President William McKinley dotted the i’s June 17, 1898, the U.S. Navy’s Hospital Corps was established. One hundred and nine years later, sailors here carried out a ceremony to celebrate the birthday of one of the most decorated organizations in the military.
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March 30, 2007
Ramadi: Clearing insurgents is step 1
RAMADI, Iraq - It began with a house-to-house sweep through what U.S. forces said was one of this city's last insurgent strongholds. It ended with rooftop gunfights, airstrikes and dead guerrillas on the streets — one sprawled next to a grenade he was about to hurl.
March 28, 2007
New Hospital Built to Serve and Save
AL ASAD, Iraq -- When a servicemember is wounded in combat, his comrades quickly apply first aid and call for a medical evacuation; taking the first steps towards saving his life. When the helicopter arrives, the wounded man is loaded and transported to the hospital, where he is met at the landing pad by a team of medics and doctors who rush the servicemember into the hospital. At the hospital, the real lifesaving begins.
February 1, 2007
Hope Rides Alone
Sgt. Eddie Jeffers was killed in Iraq on September 19, 2007. He was 23.
I stare out into the darkness from my post, and I watch the city burn to the ground. I smell the familiar smells, I walk through the familiar rubble, and I look at the frightened faces that watch me pass down the streets of their neighborhoods. My nerves hardly rest; my hands are steady on a device that has been given to me from my government for the purpose of taking the lives of others.
January 5, 2007
Coalition Forces attacked in Fallujah
CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq – A Marine tank struck an improvised explosive device today in Fallujah.
November 28, 2006
Pentagon Considers Moving Troops from Al-Anbar Province to Baghdad, Major Strategic Shift Considered to Secure Iraqi Capital.
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.
November 21, 2006
Marine pen pal tells of Iraqi experiences
ROXBURY TWP. – Marine Lance Cpl. Justin Masterson said his convoy was driving down an Iraqi roadway when it came to a sudden halt because a young Iraqi girl was sitting in the middle of the road, clutching a Teddy bear.
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October 5, 2006
U.S. denies killing al Qaeda leader in Iraq
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The U.S. military denied on Thursday reports it had killed the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, and Iraqi officials said they were awaiting the results of DNA tests on several suspects killed in a raid.
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August 24, 2006
Purple Heart recipients appreciative of their protective equipment
Machine gunners Cpl. Charles J. Trask, 22, and Cpl. Jimmy D. Miller, 20, with Security Platoon, Combat Logistics Company 117, Combat Logistics Battalion 7, 1st Marine Logistics Group (Fwd), stand by a weapon mount similar to the ones they manned in separate incidents when the vehicles they were in encountered improvised explosive devices during operations in the Al Anbar Province. Trask, a Kansas City, Mo., native, said he believes personal protective equipment saved his hearing. Miller, a Huntsville, Ala., native, recovering from shrapnel injuries to his wrist, said he believes that personal protective equipment he wore prevented serious injuries
AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq (Aug 24, 2006) -- Snapping awake, the Marine realized it was all a dream. The improvised explosive device his vehicle had just hit was only imagined. Shrugging it off, he went back to sleep.
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August 21, 2006
Flight surgeon looks to future while deployed to Al Asad
Navy Lt. Stacey R. Black stands in front of a CH-53E Super Stallion shortly before flight Aug. 20, at Al Asad, Iraq. Black is a flight surgeon for Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361, Marine Aircraft Group 16 (Reinforced), 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, and a native of Huntsville, Texas
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August 20, 2006
'Rules' of war limit Marines
We call it "the war in Iraq." But to many of the Marines here, it's not really a war – at least not on their side.
August 16, 2006
Tankers honor a fallen comrade
CAMP HABBANIYAH, Iraq (Aug. 14, 2006) -- Marines from A Company, 2nd Tank Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 5 paused their operations to honor one of their fallen, Aug. 14.
Tank mechanics work around clock to keep tanks running, Marines safe
AL ASAD, Iraq (Aug. 17, 2006) -- Tank mechanics with the Twentynine Palms, Calif.-based C Company, 1st Tank Battalion log in 12-plus hour days, usually six or more days a week, turning wrenches and repairing parts to keep a fleet of 68-ton M1A1 Main Battle Tanks operational.
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Tank mechanics work around clock to keep tanks running, Marines safe
AL ASAD, Iraq (Aug. 17, 2006) -- Tank mechanics with the Twentynine Palms, Calif.-based C Company, 1st Tank Battalion log in 12-plus hour days, usually six or more days a week, turning wrenches and repairing parts to keep a fleet of 68-ton M1A1 Main Battle Tanks operational.
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August 14, 2006
Marine’s quick thinking saved lives, comrades say
BAGHDADI, Iraq (Aug. 14, 2006) -- The quick thinking, coupled with a series of well-aimed shots, by a Marine on post saved lives July 27, 2006, according to Marines and Iraqi soldiers serving here.
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August 10, 2006
Marine Corps Marathon set for Iraq in October
The Marine Corps Marathon is coming to Iraq this October with parallel races scheduled for Arlington, Va., and Anbar province, Iraq, organizers said.
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August 6, 2006
Night mission
Ar-Rutbah, Iraq Just after midnight, the night patrol embarks from its small but heavily bunkered and concertina-wired outpost on the edge of this small town in southwestern Al Anbar Province. They are 10 young American Marines, venturing into the darkness on the other side of the world.
In Ramadi, the Battle Is Ever Changing
Marines alter their tactics as attackers become increasingly sophisticated in the Iraqi city, a Sunni insurgent stronghold.
RAMADI, Iraq — The orange-red glow of the tracer rounds burns bright in the dusk, forming a perfect cone over the heads of the Marines and Iraqi soldiers patrolling a dusty walled street.
August 3, 2006
Local Marines destined for Iraq
Four Eastern Upper Peninsula men are part of a group of 200 U.S. Marine Reserves making their last visit to Michigan before being deployed into the Iraq conflict.
“We've been training in California since June 1,” said LCpl. Jacob Green of Sugar Island regarding his unit - Bravo Company First Battalion/24th Marines out of Saginaw.
Marine injured in Iraq blast
A Medford resident in Iraq recently spent two days being treated for injuries after an Improvised Explosive Device blew up the vehicle he was driving.
Stephen McLaughlin was driving a Humvee down a road near Fallujah, one he had driven down many times, when he saw a pothole that was "bigger than it was before," said his father, Joseph McLaughlin, who spoke to his son by satellite phone last week
Family, friends welcome home Death Jesters
Staff Sgt. Steven Pereira greets his wife, Stefanie, as he embraces his daughters, Chloey and Briannah, after returning from Iraq. Approximately 100 Marines and Sailors from Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 2 returned, Friday.
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In Ramadi, Steel Nerves Needed for Night Ride
U.S. Crew Knows Risks Of Iraq Bomb-Clearing
RAMADI, Iraq -- A red sun sinks behind a dusty row of tents at Camp Ramadi, and another shift begins for the dogged crew of soldiers and Marines who nightly scour this city's streets for bombs.
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August 1, 2006
Marine wins over Senate committee with candid take on problems in Iraq
WASHINGTON – The man nominated to be the next Marine Corps commandant told a Senate committee yesterday that the decisions to disband the Iraqi army and to bar all members of Saddam Hussein's Baath party from holding government jobs left U.S. commanders with too few troops and duties for which they were not prepared.
In his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Lt. Gen. James T. Conway lived up to his reputation for being brutally candid. He won glowing praise from the committee leaders and a promise of easy confirmation.
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Marines learn from Vietnam’s CAP
Enemies that fade into civilian crowds, using hospitals and schools as hideouts and watching every move you make from the shadows. How do American troops prevail against them?
By learning to tell apart the good guys from the bad. By winning the good guys to your side.
Marine unit cares for fallen in Anbar
CAMP TAQADDUM, Iraq (July 20, 2006) - Marines of the Personnel Recovery and Processing unit at Camp Taqaddum, Iraq, carry the remains of a fallen service member into a waiting aircraft at Camp Taqaddum’s airfield for transportation to the United States. The mission of PRP is to inventory the personal effects, identify the types of wounds sustained, and prepare the remains of service members killed in the Al Anbar province for transportation to Dover Air Force Base. The Marine Corps’ Personnel Retrieval and Processing units, formerly known as mortuary affairs, serve as a stepping stone on the journey home for those killed while serving in what is arguably the most dangerous province for U.S. service members in Iraq. Called PRP for short, the units are made up of 51 reserve Marines and sailors from various units and job fields. At Camp Taqaddum, a main logistics base located between Fallujah and Ramadi, the Marines have converted an old Iraqi Air Force hangar into the processing center for those killed in the Sunni-dominated area west of Baghdad.
Marines to deploy to Iraq, some for second or third time
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION BEAUFORT -- Even with only the first few rays of dawn and the unnatural glow of lights from a hangar early Monday, it was clear April Tripepi, pregnant with her second child, was fighting back tears. Her husband, Staff Sgt. Matthew Tripepi, held their 5-month-old son in his arms for the last time for six months. She could only manage to nod when asked whether she was proud of him.
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July 30, 2006
Marine photographer says Kevlar helmet saved him from enemy bullet in Iraq
Cpl. Brian M. Henner, a 22-year-old Marine from Rochester, N.Y., displays the Kevlar helmet he wore July 23, 2006, when he was shot in the head by an insurgent. Henner, a combat photographer with Regimental Combat Team 7, was shot in the helmet when insurgents, hidden in a near-by tree-line, fired upon Marines manning a vehicle inspection checkpoint. The incident took place in Haqlaniyah – one of three Euphrates River valley cities in the western portion of Al Anbar Province which make up the Haditha Triad region. “If I didn’t have it on, it probably would have went into the top of my head,” said Henner, a two-time veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. “It didn’t just graze, it dug in to the helmet, but that’s why we wear them, though.” Henner was photographing the Marines’ activities when the gun fight began, and was caught in the middle. After firing several rounds at the insurgents, he began crawling along the median away from the insurgents’ fire – that’s when he was shot in the head, he said.
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July 29, 2006
Combat engineers: Valuable asset to U.S., Iraqi security operations in western Iraq
Cpl. Bryan D. Escobedo, a U.S. Marine and combat engineer attached to the Twenty-nine Palms, Calif.-based 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, carries lumber for use in the construction of bunkers July 27, 2006, at Camp Korean Village, Iraq. Bunkers are just one example of the various construction projects combat engineers frequently build to help protect Marines and Iraqi soldiers throughout the country’s Al Anbar Province. The engineers, trained in demolition, mine detection, and construction, operate in this vast desert stretching from the Jordanian border about 120 miles east towards the Euphrates River. Most of the engineers’ time is focused on beefing up security measures at the various U.S. military bases throughout Anbar’s western desert region. “We’re jacks of all trades,” said Cpl. Joshua T. Raney, a 21-year-old combat engineer attached to the battalion’s engineer detachment. “Without us, a lot of weapons caches, and IEDs would not have been found, and a lot of stuff wouldn’t have been built- we just make things a little easier for everyone.” In addition to the fortifications, combat engineers are keeping Coalition Forces safer by disposing of unexploded ordnance. Since their arrival in March, the engineers disposed of more than 500 pounds of ordnance – mortars, rockets, bombs, and other munitions. “We’re cutting down on the insurgents’ munitions,” said Raney. “For every piece we blow up, that is one less IED.” Escobedo is a 21-year-old from Houston, Texas.
July 27, 2006
X-ray system aids postal Marines in Iraq
CAMP TAQADDUM, Iraq (July 27, 2006) -- If you’re a Marine in Iraq, there’s a new set of eyes scanning the mail you’re sending home.
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July 24, 2006
Marines rescue three hostages, uncover weapons caches in Operation Spotlight
-A group of Marines from 1st Battalion, 25 Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, move an insurgent rocket found while conducting Operation Spotlight. The operation took place in the Fuhaylat, south of Fallujah, Iraq where three hostages were rescued and several weapons caches were located and destroyed by Marines.
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July 17, 2006
Marines fight to retake Ramadi
Still considered one of Iraq’s most dangerous places, Ramadi has seen a surge in violence over the last several months despite continuing pressure on insurgents by Iraqi army forces, Marines and soldiers.
A “murder and intimidation campaign” against provincial government officials, near-daily roadside bomb ambushes and attacks on Marine outposts have forced leathernecks from 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines, based in the city, to take Ramadi back “section by section,” restricting civilian traffic into and out of the city and setting up more combat outposts with Army and Iraqi security force presence.
“This is pushing insurgents into a box,” said coalition spokesman Maj. Chris Perrine.
July 14, 2006
Lissner to assume command at Camp Fuji
The Marines at Camp Fuji, Japan, are to officially welcome their new permanent commander Friday.
Col. Kenneth X. Lissner is to assume leadership in a change-of-command ceremony set for 11 a.m.
Lt. Col. Geoffrey D. Thome has served as interim commander since Col. J.J. Tabak departed on June 2.
Okinawa-based Marine is killed in Iraq
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — A Marine based on Okinawa was killed July 2 while conducting combat operations in Iraq’s Anbar province.
According to Marine Corps Public Affairs on Okinawa, Sgt. Justin L. Noyes, 23, of Vinita, Okla., was assigned to the 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force before being deployed to Iraq on Feb. 20. He was an explosive ordnance disposal technician.
July 13, 2006
‘One step closer to not having to be here’ for Marines in Al Anbar
OBSERVATION POST OMAR, Iraq — Lance Cpl. Noah Welter has lugged his rifle and body armor down Route Mets so many times now the 21-year-old U.S. Marine has lost count.
“Our first patrol down this road turned into a five-hour hump-a-thon — in the rain,” the native of Snohomish, Wash., recalled as he scanned the route for signs of roadside bombs on Saturday. “Not fun.”
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July 11, 2006
Jazz, Coffee Morale Medicine for Marines
Camp Taqaddum, Iraq - Life on base is often monotonous when it isn't dangerous for the service members stationed here. The occasional mortar and rocket landing in the base's perimeter can break up daily routines.
Daily convoys leave the relative safety of the base braving improvised explosive devices to deliver supplies and transport troops to hotspots like Ramadi and Fallujah.
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July 10, 2006
Orange County band rocks Al Asad
Alternative rock band, Hollowell, plays for service members at the Morale, Welfare and Recreation building at Al Asad, Iraq, June 29. The Orange County, Calif., rock band played at several different bases in Iraq and Kuwait as a way to show support to the men and women stationed away from home.
July 7, 2006
Marines thwart insurgents’ attempt to destroy new Iraqi school for girls
KARABILAH, Iraq (July 7, 2006) -- Thanks to the work of Marines and Iraqi Security Forces, 800 elementary-aged girls will now have a school to attend this fall.
Marines from 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment unveiled a brand-new grade school in this city of about 30,000 on the Iraq-Syria border in western Al Anbar Province July 7, 2006.
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