doolittle
05-03-2005, 09:09 AM
A friend of our family was dispached to iraq 3 weeks ago. His lutenant wrote this little Blog to describe daily life in Iraq so far, for the familys of the unit. thought maybe some of you may enjoy this. Please keep these guys and gals in your prayers.
>Hello Everyone,
>
>I am sorry I haven’t written sooner but things have been extremely
>busy here. First of all, we all made it here safely and we are
>excited to be doing the jobs that we signed up for and are trained
>to do. In the short time that we have been here, we have each been
>on about 10 calls. Our training has proven invaluable because
>everything we have seen were scenarios that we trained for in
>advance.
>
> As you know, the time prior to deployment was a
>stressful time for all of us. We were concerned about packing
>everything that we might need, doing all those things we love to do
>one last time, and making sure everything was squared away at home
>before we left. I think the mood was one of relief, stoicism,
>excitement, and sadness as we waited to depart on our flight from
>North Island to Al Taqaddum. It was a very odd feeling to be
>sitting on a plane bound for a war zone. We really didn’t know what
>to expect. When we arrived in Iraq after a 13 hour flight, a 4 hour
>layover in Germany, and an 11 hour time change; we were a little
>zonked. Al Taqaddum was flat, desolate, and ominous. They
>offloaded our crates and we sat on the flight line kind of shell
>shocked as the forklifts began to move our stuff around. It took a
>while for a bus to come down a distant road to take us to the
>‘terminal’- a sparse corrugated metal Quonset hut. Our compatriots
>met us there and drove us to the EOD compound. The sky was an eerie
>brown/orange haze and the desert around us was interrupted only with
>piles of junk and tents surrounded by Hesco barriers. Despite being
>located on Lake Habinayah, Al Taqaddum or TQ as it is called was
>very arid. The major buildings are separated by Hesco barriers
>which are wire metal box frames lined with burlap and filled with
>sand. They look like tan Lego building blocks everywhere. This
>‘Hesco’ company must have made a fortune. The EOD Compound there
>was mostly underground in a bunker/missile silo. It was evident
>that the detachment that came over a year ago did little else other
>than construct this compound. There was no water around except for
>the drizzle that began to fall from the sky. It’s hard to describe
>exactly what it was like to arrive in this strange country knowing
>we were about to embark on a great adventure.
>
>Ferrin, Mac and Jehu were tasked with leaving that evening on the
>next convoy to Al Ramadi. We had to break into our shipping
>containers and dig out the stuff that they would need not knowing
>when they would be rejoining us. We only had a couple of hours to
>get them ready to go. There was a bit of anxiety in the air as we
>tried to pack as much as possible into their HMMVV. I attended the
>convoy brief with them at 1800 to see them off. It was a strange
>lot of people at the brief. There were about 100 very young looking
>male and female Marines, about 10 truckers complete with ball caps,
>blue jeans, cut off Harley Davidson shirts and cowboy boots, and a
>junior 1st Lieutenant Marine in the center. The 1Lt spent about an
>hour going over every possible contingency. His speech was
>remarkably eloquent and motivating despite the fact that I imagine
>he has given it every night 100 times before. He carefully covered
>the rules of engagement, emergency procedures, and the escalation of
>force. The young marines repeated all the procedures verbatim as he
>quizzed the audience. They looked like they were straight out of
>high school; barely filling out their uniforms with unwieldy M-16’s
>slung over their shoulders that seemed too big for them to carry.
>Although annoyed with how painfully long the brief took, I was aware
>that this was the only way to ensure a safe convoy.
>
>The rest of us had the next day off. We spent the morning exploring
>the base. The base comprised mostly of rows of tents surrounding a
>major airfield. All supplies going into Iraq are processed through
>Al Taqaddum. That afternoon we went to our convoy brief which was
>very similar to the one I heard the night before and departed that
>evening for Fallujah. The trip was long and circuitous. By the way
>the crow flies the distance between Fallujah and TQ is only about 30
>miles but that route is not secure so we ended up driving over 5
>hours in a huge circle to arrive at Fallujah at a little after 1 am.
> We drove the entire way in complete darkness with our night vision
>goggles. As we left the confines of the base, we locked and loaded
>our weapons. You can’t see much from the small windows in the up
>armored HMMVV’s and even less with Night Vision Goggles (NVG)’s on.
>The roads were rough and for the most part completely empty because
>of the curfew in affect. We sent gun truck runners to scout in
>advance and we followed close behind. The route twisted through
>rough dirt roads to stretches of highway that resembled the states.
>I don’t know what physiological reaction my body was having but we
>could not stop having to pee in our truck. We passed around a 2 L
>water bottle twice during that trip. Pretty soon the excitement
>wore off and it became extremely monotonous. Once we got to the
>major highways, there were tons of convoys going every which way.
>We had to stop twice because convoys ahead of us had been hit by
>IED’s. When we finally got to Fallujah it was very late and we were
>exhausted. There is no sign for the base, just a random dirt road,
>not even an off ramp from the 4 lane freeway. The dirt road twists
>and turns past sandbagged sentry positions with very large guns
>protruding and began to narrow as walls of sand grew on either side.
> Soon we entered a stretch where the sand was above the windows on
>either side and there was no way to turn around. We came around one
>final bend and approached a large gate in a cinderblock wall topped
>with concertina wire with battlements on either side. It’s what I
>imagine approaching a medieval castle would have been like in the
>dark ages. After clearing our weapons and refueling we were left in
>a staging lot across from the mess hall. It’s incredibly ironic
>that the forces defending our capitalistic democracy operate as a
>commune. Obviously we didn’t have to pay for gas at the pump and
>the chow hall had all the food you could imagine, unlimited - as
>much as you want. It still bewilders me that I can get any soda,
>Gatorade, water, ice cream, salad, pizza, cake, whatever I want for
>free when I go to the mess hall. Food, water, shelter, medical,
>internet, is all available in as much as much quantity as you need.
>
> The facilities at the EOD compound in Fallujah are just
>as nice if not better than at Al Taqaddum. There is running water-
>occasionally, a satellite TV, bunk beds for everyone, computers with
>internet- sometimes, a bathroom and shower area, and a shaded lounge
>chair area outside. But Mark and Tod didn’t have much time to enjoy
>it, they had to leave the next morning to spend 5 days at the
>‘Mayor’s complex’ in downtown Fallujah. The ‘Mayor’s Complex’ is
>aptly named because after the siege on the city, we didn’t want to
>establish a vanquishing general or commandant but a friendlier,
>gentler, “Mayor’. So there is a high rise building downtown which
>houses a company of Marines, another company of Iraqi Security Force
>(ISF) and us. The facilities are squalid. There rooms are filthy
>because the walls are not airtight so the dust from the storms is
>pervasive. The dust is more like a brown flour that can completely
>coat a room in seconds getting into every possible niche. There is
>no running water and the outhouse consists of a wood stool on top of
>a 55 gal drum. You have to bang around to make sure that there are
>no scorpions or spiders hanging out under the makeshift toilet seat
>and the place reeks with flies everywhere. They actually have a
>Corporal whose job it is to burn the sewage. Every morning he mixes
>gasoline and diesel with the sludge using a paddle and lights it on
>fire. The stench of burning feces can be unbearable yet this
>corporal doesn’t seem to mind as he meticulously prods away at the
>drums, reads his book and smokes a cigarette with black soot
>staining his tricolor Kevlar vest and blackening his face. Did I
>mention that the dining facilities are around the corner? Just
>follow the flies.
>
> I spent the next day getting oriented to the base. Camp
>Fallujah was an Iraqi Armored Vehicle base. There are a few walled
>compounds with nice building still standing. The nicest have been
>turned into ready rooms replete with huge plasma screen monitors
>that show real time footage from spy planes circling above. The MEF
>2 star general is stationed here so we have the best command and
>control infrastructure in the theater. There is a theater that
>still occasionally shows movies, an exchange that is similar to a
>mini-Wal-Mart, and a 24 hour Gym. It wasn’t long before I had to
>send Bryan and Chris on patrol with Recon. So within 72 hours on
>the ground I was left alone, my team dispersed through out the
>region. My turn came that evening when we had a roadside IED. You
>get over being nervous and it just becomes time to go to work. At
>some point, you recalibrate and it becomes normal to carry a loaded
>pistol on your belt and an assault rifle across your shoulders. You
>no longer notice that all the vehicles you see are armored HMMVV’s.
>, Tanks, Armored Assault Vehicles, UH-1 Cobra Helicopters, and 7 ton
>trucks. The whole operation went down just as we had trained which
>gave me a lot of confidence. I was able to do it all using the
>robot and conducted my first safing procedure. The other guys have
>similar stories. Everyone has performed superbly and I am immensely
>proud of them all. It takes a lot of guts just to show up to the
>fight and everyone has kept a level head, stayed safe, and taken
>care of business.
>
> We split up our team so that we could work as
>apprentices to the Marine EOD techs that have been here for the past
>2 months. They showed us the ropes and supervised our work to make
>sure we were comfortable with the procedures. It was a huge relief
>to have someone to look over your shoulder and let you know you were
>doing the right thing. The relationship has worked out so well that
>we are now fully integrated in to the Maine teams here at Fallujah
>and Ramadi. We are split up so that of the eight teams, we have one
>Navy tech on each of them. Everyone has done an outstanding job of
>adjusting to the environment and establishing our good reputation.
>I was surprised when last week the Marines left me in charge of the
>5 Marine teams here in Fallujah. A Navy officer in charge of
>Marines?! I have been busy meeting all of the Chain of command and
>preparing for future operations. I am starting to establish a good
>rapport with my Marine counter parts. There hasn’t been an officer
>here in my capacity so it helps to have a few more bars on the
>shoulders to look out for our needs. I have been extremely well
>received by the chain of command. EOD is central to the planning of
>all the operations. We are the all-stars out here and despite my
>non-standard uniform which continues to draw evil looks from
>Sergeant Majors in the Chow hall the Marines have entrusted me with
>a great deal of influence.
>
> I spent a day in the city removing unexploded ordnance
>from a half demolished building in the center of town. The city of
>Fallujah is not that big around. It’s no larger than Coronado.
>When I first saw the wreckage it tore away at my heart. There are
>remnants of beautiful buildings half turned to rubble. All the
>structures are built of concrete and rebar. There are young 4 or 5
>year olds playing in the courtyards just outside their half standing
>homes. They all run to the edge of the street and wave at the
>convoys as they pass by. You think they would just be asking for
>hand outs like candy and toys that have been passed out before but
>often we are traveling fast down a highway-like avenue and they are
>on the frontage road just waving to the convoy as it passes. We set
>up a perimeter in the city and began excavating this building with
>bulldozers, stopping to remove just piles of ordnance. Meanwhile
>crowds of kids and a few adults gathered just outside the perimeter
>to watch. The kids would yell phrases in English and try to engage
>you in conversation. They all wanted to trade something. You try
>not to be mean but also not friendly because you don’t know which
>one is the next suicide bomber. Sometimes the kids would get to
>comfortable with a Marine who couldn’t help but be a little too
>friendly. We would have to rotate him out before the kids would
>overwhelm us wanting to play. It was a bizarre scenario that
>repeats itself every day in the city. The Marines providing our
>security are not that much older than the kids themselves.
>
> Since then we have been in all kinds of operations.
>Chris just got back last night from finding over 24,000 lbs of
>ordnance and explosives in some guys farm to the south. Bryan has
>been out with Recon for 10 days, investigating leads to insurgents
>and living out of farm houses. When I was with Recon, the standard
>procedure is to kick a family out of their house and move in. I was
>a little aghast at first but there isn’t much other option. You
>can’t dig a fox hole in the middle of their farm and we make sure to
>leave them food, water and some money for their sacrifice. Tod and
>Mark did a ton of work while out at the Mayor’s complex. They have
>seen all kinds of IED and roadside IED’s. The first day Jehu,
>Ferrin, and Mac were in Ramadi, an Army Paladin was hit by mortars
>and its own ordnance exploded inside. All three in the vehicle were
>killed and the explosion set off all the rounds inside the vehicle.
>They responded to the scene, recovered the bodies and coordinated
>the fire relief efforts since no one could approach the Paladin due
>to all the unexploded ordnance that was kicked out for 100 yds
>around the destroyed armored vehicle. It was a grisly scene and a
>rough way to be introduced to Ramadi.
>
> I have been involved in the high level planning of a
>major operation beginning tonight. In fact as I write, all the
>teams have been sent off to pre-stage with various elements of the
>assault. I can’t get into details because they are classified but I
>was struck by how well organized the planning was for this
>operation. We sat around a large kiosk with miniatures set up and
>each Battalion Commander and Company Commander briefed his element
>to the Regimental Commander, a full colonel. The colonel was very
>interested in how my forces would play into the operation. The
>focus was on using as much force as necessary but never more than
>necessary. There was a huge emphasis placed on the civil affairs
>side. We don’t want to come down heavy handed and alienate the
>population. We want to systematically weed out the bad guys but
>also plan around when school is in session. They have all the
>engineers prepped to immediately begin public affairs projects like
>repairing schools and paving roads. Rest assured that every stone
>was unturned and every angle that I could imagine addressed. I
>thought it was extremely professional and I think our military
>leadership here has adapted quickly to the threat environment. It
>was hard for me to believe that I was sitting at this table
>discussing these issues.
>
> I wish I could get into greater detail about specific
>operations but all of it is of course classified. Despite that I am
>trying to paint a picture of what life is like here. I don’t think
>I can give such an extensive play by play for every day here in
>Iraq, but I thought that the experience of our first couple of days
>were particularly noteworthy. Snacks and care packages are always
>appreciated. We could use some fly stripes and tikki torch
>citronella to get rid of these damn flies and mosquitoes. Our
>mailing list is down below. Just use the persons name and all the
>information under my email address.
>
>I want to announce the birth of Tyler Edward Neal. Tod Neal is now
>a first-time father. Tyler was born on the 17th of April at 9:44pm,
>weighing 6lbs 12 oz. At 19 ½”, he is almost as tall as his dad!
>Tod was so motivated to deploy together with us that he was willing
>to miss the birth of his son. I really don’t know what to say about
>that but Tod wouldn’t have it any other way. Every day these men
>make me proud. They are doing great work performing safe procedures
>in a dangerous environment. I have received a lot of emails of
>support and I am sorry that I don’t have the time to answer them all
>individually, I hope this will suffice. Keep us in your prayers and
>we will continue to operate safely.
>Hello Everyone,
>
>I am sorry I haven’t written sooner but things have been extremely
>busy here. First of all, we all made it here safely and we are
>excited to be doing the jobs that we signed up for and are trained
>to do. In the short time that we have been here, we have each been
>on about 10 calls. Our training has proven invaluable because
>everything we have seen were scenarios that we trained for in
>advance.
>
> As you know, the time prior to deployment was a
>stressful time for all of us. We were concerned about packing
>everything that we might need, doing all those things we love to do
>one last time, and making sure everything was squared away at home
>before we left. I think the mood was one of relief, stoicism,
>excitement, and sadness as we waited to depart on our flight from
>North Island to Al Taqaddum. It was a very odd feeling to be
>sitting on a plane bound for a war zone. We really didn’t know what
>to expect. When we arrived in Iraq after a 13 hour flight, a 4 hour
>layover in Germany, and an 11 hour time change; we were a little
>zonked. Al Taqaddum was flat, desolate, and ominous. They
>offloaded our crates and we sat on the flight line kind of shell
>shocked as the forklifts began to move our stuff around. It took a
>while for a bus to come down a distant road to take us to the
>‘terminal’- a sparse corrugated metal Quonset hut. Our compatriots
>met us there and drove us to the EOD compound. The sky was an eerie
>brown/orange haze and the desert around us was interrupted only with
>piles of junk and tents surrounded by Hesco barriers. Despite being
>located on Lake Habinayah, Al Taqaddum or TQ as it is called was
>very arid. The major buildings are separated by Hesco barriers
>which are wire metal box frames lined with burlap and filled with
>sand. They look like tan Lego building blocks everywhere. This
>‘Hesco’ company must have made a fortune. The EOD Compound there
>was mostly underground in a bunker/missile silo. It was evident
>that the detachment that came over a year ago did little else other
>than construct this compound. There was no water around except for
>the drizzle that began to fall from the sky. It’s hard to describe
>exactly what it was like to arrive in this strange country knowing
>we were about to embark on a great adventure.
>
>Ferrin, Mac and Jehu were tasked with leaving that evening on the
>next convoy to Al Ramadi. We had to break into our shipping
>containers and dig out the stuff that they would need not knowing
>when they would be rejoining us. We only had a couple of hours to
>get them ready to go. There was a bit of anxiety in the air as we
>tried to pack as much as possible into their HMMVV. I attended the
>convoy brief with them at 1800 to see them off. It was a strange
>lot of people at the brief. There were about 100 very young looking
>male and female Marines, about 10 truckers complete with ball caps,
>blue jeans, cut off Harley Davidson shirts and cowboy boots, and a
>junior 1st Lieutenant Marine in the center. The 1Lt spent about an
>hour going over every possible contingency. His speech was
>remarkably eloquent and motivating despite the fact that I imagine
>he has given it every night 100 times before. He carefully covered
>the rules of engagement, emergency procedures, and the escalation of
>force. The young marines repeated all the procedures verbatim as he
>quizzed the audience. They looked like they were straight out of
>high school; barely filling out their uniforms with unwieldy M-16’s
>slung over their shoulders that seemed too big for them to carry.
>Although annoyed with how painfully long the brief took, I was aware
>that this was the only way to ensure a safe convoy.
>
>The rest of us had the next day off. We spent the morning exploring
>the base. The base comprised mostly of rows of tents surrounding a
>major airfield. All supplies going into Iraq are processed through
>Al Taqaddum. That afternoon we went to our convoy brief which was
>very similar to the one I heard the night before and departed that
>evening for Fallujah. The trip was long and circuitous. By the way
>the crow flies the distance between Fallujah and TQ is only about 30
>miles but that route is not secure so we ended up driving over 5
>hours in a huge circle to arrive at Fallujah at a little after 1 am.
> We drove the entire way in complete darkness with our night vision
>goggles. As we left the confines of the base, we locked and loaded
>our weapons. You can’t see much from the small windows in the up
>armored HMMVV’s and even less with Night Vision Goggles (NVG)’s on.
>The roads were rough and for the most part completely empty because
>of the curfew in affect. We sent gun truck runners to scout in
>advance and we followed close behind. The route twisted through
>rough dirt roads to stretches of highway that resembled the states.
>I don’t know what physiological reaction my body was having but we
>could not stop having to pee in our truck. We passed around a 2 L
>water bottle twice during that trip. Pretty soon the excitement
>wore off and it became extremely monotonous. Once we got to the
>major highways, there were tons of convoys going every which way.
>We had to stop twice because convoys ahead of us had been hit by
>IED’s. When we finally got to Fallujah it was very late and we were
>exhausted. There is no sign for the base, just a random dirt road,
>not even an off ramp from the 4 lane freeway. The dirt road twists
>and turns past sandbagged sentry positions with very large guns
>protruding and began to narrow as walls of sand grew on either side.
> Soon we entered a stretch where the sand was above the windows on
>either side and there was no way to turn around. We came around one
>final bend and approached a large gate in a cinderblock wall topped
>with concertina wire with battlements on either side. It’s what I
>imagine approaching a medieval castle would have been like in the
>dark ages. After clearing our weapons and refueling we were left in
>a staging lot across from the mess hall. It’s incredibly ironic
>that the forces defending our capitalistic democracy operate as a
>commune. Obviously we didn’t have to pay for gas at the pump and
>the chow hall had all the food you could imagine, unlimited - as
>much as you want. It still bewilders me that I can get any soda,
>Gatorade, water, ice cream, salad, pizza, cake, whatever I want for
>free when I go to the mess hall. Food, water, shelter, medical,
>internet, is all available in as much as much quantity as you need.
>
> The facilities at the EOD compound in Fallujah are just
>as nice if not better than at Al Taqaddum. There is running water-
>occasionally, a satellite TV, bunk beds for everyone, computers with
>internet- sometimes, a bathroom and shower area, and a shaded lounge
>chair area outside. But Mark and Tod didn’t have much time to enjoy
>it, they had to leave the next morning to spend 5 days at the
>‘Mayor’s complex’ in downtown Fallujah. The ‘Mayor’s Complex’ is
>aptly named because after the siege on the city, we didn’t want to
>establish a vanquishing general or commandant but a friendlier,
>gentler, “Mayor’. So there is a high rise building downtown which
>houses a company of Marines, another company of Iraqi Security Force
>(ISF) and us. The facilities are squalid. There rooms are filthy
>because the walls are not airtight so the dust from the storms is
>pervasive. The dust is more like a brown flour that can completely
>coat a room in seconds getting into every possible niche. There is
>no running water and the outhouse consists of a wood stool on top of
>a 55 gal drum. You have to bang around to make sure that there are
>no scorpions or spiders hanging out under the makeshift toilet seat
>and the place reeks with flies everywhere. They actually have a
>Corporal whose job it is to burn the sewage. Every morning he mixes
>gasoline and diesel with the sludge using a paddle and lights it on
>fire. The stench of burning feces can be unbearable yet this
>corporal doesn’t seem to mind as he meticulously prods away at the
>drums, reads his book and smokes a cigarette with black soot
>staining his tricolor Kevlar vest and blackening his face. Did I
>mention that the dining facilities are around the corner? Just
>follow the flies.
>
> I spent the next day getting oriented to the base. Camp
>Fallujah was an Iraqi Armored Vehicle base. There are a few walled
>compounds with nice building still standing. The nicest have been
>turned into ready rooms replete with huge plasma screen monitors
>that show real time footage from spy planes circling above. The MEF
>2 star general is stationed here so we have the best command and
>control infrastructure in the theater. There is a theater that
>still occasionally shows movies, an exchange that is similar to a
>mini-Wal-Mart, and a 24 hour Gym. It wasn’t long before I had to
>send Bryan and Chris on patrol with Recon. So within 72 hours on
>the ground I was left alone, my team dispersed through out the
>region. My turn came that evening when we had a roadside IED. You
>get over being nervous and it just becomes time to go to work. At
>some point, you recalibrate and it becomes normal to carry a loaded
>pistol on your belt and an assault rifle across your shoulders. You
>no longer notice that all the vehicles you see are armored HMMVV’s.
>, Tanks, Armored Assault Vehicles, UH-1 Cobra Helicopters, and 7 ton
>trucks. The whole operation went down just as we had trained which
>gave me a lot of confidence. I was able to do it all using the
>robot and conducted my first safing procedure. The other guys have
>similar stories. Everyone has performed superbly and I am immensely
>proud of them all. It takes a lot of guts just to show up to the
>fight and everyone has kept a level head, stayed safe, and taken
>care of business.
>
> We split up our team so that we could work as
>apprentices to the Marine EOD techs that have been here for the past
>2 months. They showed us the ropes and supervised our work to make
>sure we were comfortable with the procedures. It was a huge relief
>to have someone to look over your shoulder and let you know you were
>doing the right thing. The relationship has worked out so well that
>we are now fully integrated in to the Maine teams here at Fallujah
>and Ramadi. We are split up so that of the eight teams, we have one
>Navy tech on each of them. Everyone has done an outstanding job of
>adjusting to the environment and establishing our good reputation.
>I was surprised when last week the Marines left me in charge of the
>5 Marine teams here in Fallujah. A Navy officer in charge of
>Marines?! I have been busy meeting all of the Chain of command and
>preparing for future operations. I am starting to establish a good
>rapport with my Marine counter parts. There hasn’t been an officer
>here in my capacity so it helps to have a few more bars on the
>shoulders to look out for our needs. I have been extremely well
>received by the chain of command. EOD is central to the planning of
>all the operations. We are the all-stars out here and despite my
>non-standard uniform which continues to draw evil looks from
>Sergeant Majors in the Chow hall the Marines have entrusted me with
>a great deal of influence.
>
> I spent a day in the city removing unexploded ordnance
>from a half demolished building in the center of town. The city of
>Fallujah is not that big around. It’s no larger than Coronado.
>When I first saw the wreckage it tore away at my heart. There are
>remnants of beautiful buildings half turned to rubble. All the
>structures are built of concrete and rebar. There are young 4 or 5
>year olds playing in the courtyards just outside their half standing
>homes. They all run to the edge of the street and wave at the
>convoys as they pass by. You think they would just be asking for
>hand outs like candy and toys that have been passed out before but
>often we are traveling fast down a highway-like avenue and they are
>on the frontage road just waving to the convoy as it passes. We set
>up a perimeter in the city and began excavating this building with
>bulldozers, stopping to remove just piles of ordnance. Meanwhile
>crowds of kids and a few adults gathered just outside the perimeter
>to watch. The kids would yell phrases in English and try to engage
>you in conversation. They all wanted to trade something. You try
>not to be mean but also not friendly because you don’t know which
>one is the next suicide bomber. Sometimes the kids would get to
>comfortable with a Marine who couldn’t help but be a little too
>friendly. We would have to rotate him out before the kids would
>overwhelm us wanting to play. It was a bizarre scenario that
>repeats itself every day in the city. The Marines providing our
>security are not that much older than the kids themselves.
>
> Since then we have been in all kinds of operations.
>Chris just got back last night from finding over 24,000 lbs of
>ordnance and explosives in some guys farm to the south. Bryan has
>been out with Recon for 10 days, investigating leads to insurgents
>and living out of farm houses. When I was with Recon, the standard
>procedure is to kick a family out of their house and move in. I was
>a little aghast at first but there isn’t much other option. You
>can’t dig a fox hole in the middle of their farm and we make sure to
>leave them food, water and some money for their sacrifice. Tod and
>Mark did a ton of work while out at the Mayor’s complex. They have
>seen all kinds of IED and roadside IED’s. The first day Jehu,
>Ferrin, and Mac were in Ramadi, an Army Paladin was hit by mortars
>and its own ordnance exploded inside. All three in the vehicle were
>killed and the explosion set off all the rounds inside the vehicle.
>They responded to the scene, recovered the bodies and coordinated
>the fire relief efforts since no one could approach the Paladin due
>to all the unexploded ordnance that was kicked out for 100 yds
>around the destroyed armored vehicle. It was a grisly scene and a
>rough way to be introduced to Ramadi.
>
> I have been involved in the high level planning of a
>major operation beginning tonight. In fact as I write, all the
>teams have been sent off to pre-stage with various elements of the
>assault. I can’t get into details because they are classified but I
>was struck by how well organized the planning was for this
>operation. We sat around a large kiosk with miniatures set up and
>each Battalion Commander and Company Commander briefed his element
>to the Regimental Commander, a full colonel. The colonel was very
>interested in how my forces would play into the operation. The
>focus was on using as much force as necessary but never more than
>necessary. There was a huge emphasis placed on the civil affairs
>side. We don’t want to come down heavy handed and alienate the
>population. We want to systematically weed out the bad guys but
>also plan around when school is in session. They have all the
>engineers prepped to immediately begin public affairs projects like
>repairing schools and paving roads. Rest assured that every stone
>was unturned and every angle that I could imagine addressed. I
>thought it was extremely professional and I think our military
>leadership here has adapted quickly to the threat environment. It
>was hard for me to believe that I was sitting at this table
>discussing these issues.
>
> I wish I could get into greater detail about specific
>operations but all of it is of course classified. Despite that I am
>trying to paint a picture of what life is like here. I don’t think
>I can give such an extensive play by play for every day here in
>Iraq, but I thought that the experience of our first couple of days
>were particularly noteworthy. Snacks and care packages are always
>appreciated. We could use some fly stripes and tikki torch
>citronella to get rid of these damn flies and mosquitoes. Our
>mailing list is down below. Just use the persons name and all the
>information under my email address.
>
>I want to announce the birth of Tyler Edward Neal. Tod Neal is now
>a first-time father. Tyler was born on the 17th of April at 9:44pm,
>weighing 6lbs 12 oz. At 19 ½”, he is almost as tall as his dad!
>Tod was so motivated to deploy together with us that he was willing
>to miss the birth of his son. I really don’t know what to say about
>that but Tod wouldn’t have it any other way. Every day these men
>make me proud. They are doing great work performing safe procedures
>in a dangerous environment. I have received a lot of emails of
>support and I am sorry that I don’t have the time to answer them all
>individually, I hope this will suffice. Keep us in your prayers and
>we will continue to operate safely.