Letters from Military Heroes

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For Army and Marine grunts who rode to battle in 'Nam and are riding to battle in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places in harm's way, I think you will find this (above link) powerful and moving. For me, it brings back memories that are always just below the surface of my conscious mind.

Cheers,
A Marine Corps Aviator, now a member of the Old Soldiers Club
January 2008

Parasite Warning for Vietnam Veterans
(Received February 2, 2008)

I am writing to inform all Vietnam Veterans about a potential health risk that they may have been exposed to while serving in Vietnam: the little-known danger from parasites. My husband, who was otherwise healthy, passed away on January 20, 2006, from cholangio carcinoma, cancer of the bile duct of the liver. It is very rare in the United States, but it is very prevalent in Vietnam and surrounding countries. There are two (2) known causes of this type of cancer: from contracting hepatitis C and from ingesting a parasite from the water supply in Vietnam. My husband did not have hepatitis C; therefore, it was determined that his cancer derived from a parasite. I have received official notification from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that his death was service related, which is not something the VA determines without an overwhelming amount of evidence.

This cancer does not manifest itself until later in life, when you are between 60 and 70 years old. Once the symptoms occur, which usually include jaundice, it is very difficult to treat or beat. My husband was 58 years old when he passed away. If he had been informed that there was a possibility that he could have ingested a parasite while serving in Vietnam, he would have taken precautions to have his bile ducts examined, possibly extending his life. The parasite is long gone, but it left behind damaged cells, which developed into cancerous tumors in the bile ducts.

If you spent time in Southeast Asia and are having gastrointestinal issues for no apparent reason, please have your physician check for damage within the bile ducts. It may save your life.

Mrs. Edward S. (Pete)Harrison Horseheads, New York

Have We Forgotten?

September 2007

Is it that Americans have become disconcerted, unafraid, and just trusting or have many of us just simply forgotten? Please do not believe this cannot and will not happen again until you read these Letters from Our Soldiers on the Battlefield. Many lives have been lost, but many more could be lost. Having stated this, I wish to again pay tribute to thousands of lives lost on that fateful day and ask that all of you recall that horrible day and the millions of lives affected across our nation. The tribute, "What is Life About?", is included as an update on the web page for Remembering Our Heroes and located below the revised article about Robert Thomas Jordan.

For many Americans, their lives will never be the same following the attack on our soil six-years ago, and the hurt will never go away, but our future and that of our family and millions of other Americans can be affected again with another attack if we continue to ignore the imminent dangers of it happening.

All of this brings forth memories of another era; the Second World War. Though knowing it has been written in the past, perhaps this is a good time to remind everyone again there are downloadable files on the Franklin D. Roosevelt web page of this site. These files are selected live recordings made during his terms of office and share the tragedy he helped our nation overcome. They are a part of our American history every American should listen to while keeping in mind this happened over 60-years ago. If we were to be attacked again, in an extreme manner of which is being apparently implemented, those who would possibly survive would potentially not have the ability to listen to anything.

For more insight about our Heroes, please visit our page about our member who is now a Distinguished Honorary Member of the Ranger Hall of Fame see a few photos of the happening, and read his remarks about the Forty-one (plus) years he served with the United States Army.

A Different Viewpoint from Someone with Boots on the Ground

I wanted to share an article my son Eddie sent me from Iraq and I just felt after reading it again this morning, that I wanted people to begin reading it and begin or continue to pray for our brave men and women in uniform. I'm not sure how many letters or articles your readership has ever read from "News from the Front," but this is one of the best I've ever read, including all of America's wars. As I was reading this, I forgot that it was my son who had written it. My emotions range from great pride to great sorrow, knowing that my little boy (22 years old) has become this man. He is my hero. Thank all of you for your prayers for him; he needs them now more than ever. God bless.

David Jeffers
February 2007

Hope Rides Alone
by Eddie Jeffers

(Unedited)

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.

I sweat, and I am tired. My back aches from the loads I carry. Young American boys look to me to direct them in a manner that will someday allow them to see their families again...and yet, I too, am just a boy....my age not but a few years more than that of the ones I lead. I am stressed, I am scared, and I am paranoid...because death is everywhere. It waits for me, it calls to me from around street corners and windows, and it is always there.

There are the demons that follow me, and tempt me into thoughts and actions that are not my own...but that are necessary for survival. I've made compromises with my humanity. And I am not alone in this. Miles from me are my brethren in this world, who walk in the same streets...who feel the same things, whether they admit to it or not.

And to think, I volunteered for this... And I am ignorant to the rest of the world...or so I thought.

But even thousands of miles away, in Ramadi, Iraq, the cries and screams and complaints of the ungrateful reach me. In a year, I will be thrust back into society from a life and mentality that doesn't fit your average man. And then, I will be alone. And then, I will walk down the streets of America, and see the yellow ribbon stickers on the cars of the same people who compare our President to Hitler.

I will watch the television and watch the Cindy Sheehans, and the Al Frankens, and the rest of the ignorant sheep of America spout off their mouths about a subject they know nothing about. It is their right, however, and it is a right that is defended by hundreds of thousands of boys and girls scattered across the world, far from home. I use the word boys and girls, because that's what they are. In the Army, the average age of the infantryman is nineteen years old. The average rank of soldiers killed in action is Private First Class.

People like Cindy Sheehan are ignorant. Not just to this war, but to the results of their idiotic ramblings, or at least I hope they are. They don't realize its effects on this war. In this war, there are no Geneva Conventions, no cease fires. Medics and Chaplains are not spared from the enemy's brutality because it's against the rules. I can only imagine the horrors a military Chaplain would experience at the hands of the enemy. The enemy slinks in the shadows and fights a coward's war against us. It is effective though, as many men and women have died since the start of this war. And the memory of their service to America is tainted by the inconsiderate remarks on our nation's news outlets. And every day, the enemy changes...only now, the enemy is becoming something new. The enemy is transitioning from the Muslim extremists to Americans. The enemy is becoming the very people whom we defend with our lives. And they do not realize it. But in denouncing our actions, denouncing our leaders, denouncing the war we live and fight, they are isolating the military from society...and they are becoming our enemy.

Democrats and peace activists like to toss the word "quagmire" around and compare this war to Vietnam. In a way they are right, this war is becoming like Vietnam. Not the actual war, but in the isolation of country and military. America is not a nation at war; they are a nation with its military at war. Like it or not, we are here, some of us for our second, or third times; some even for their fourth and so on. Americans are so concerned now with politics, that it is interfering with our war.

Terrorists cut the heads off of American citizens on the internet...and there is no outrage, but an American soldier kills an Iraqi in the midst of battle, and there are investigations, and sometimes soldiers are even jailed...for doing their job.

It is absolutely sickening to me to think our country has come to this. Why are we so obsessed with the bad news? Why will people stop at nothing to be against this war, no matter how much evidence of the good we've done is thrown in their face? When is the last time CNN or MSNBC or CBS reported the opening of schools and hospitals in Iraq? Or the leaders of terror cells being detained or killed? It's all happening, but people will not let up their hatred of Bush. They will ignore the good news, because it just might show people that Bush was right.

America has lost its will to fight. It has lost its will to defend what is right and just in the world. The crazy thing of it all is that the American people have not even been asked to sacrifice a single thing. It's not like World War Two, where people rationed food, and turned in cars to be made into metal for tanks. The American people have not been asked to sacrifice anything. Unless you are in the military or the family member of a servicemember, its life as usual...the war doesn't affect you.

But it affects us. And when it is over, and the troops come home, and they try to piece together what's left of them after their service...where will the detractors be then? Where will the Cindy Sheehans be to comfort and talk to soldiers and help them sort out the last couple years of their lives, most of which have been spent dodging death and wading through the deaths of their friends? They will be where they always are, somewhere far away, where the horrors of the world can't touch them. Somewhere where they can complain about things they will never experience in their lifetime; things that the young men and women of America have willingly taken upon their shoulders.

We are the hope of the Iraqi people. They want what everyone else wants in life: safety, security, somewhere to call home. They want a country that is safe to raise their children in. Not a place where their children will be abducted, raped, and murdered if they do not comply with the terrorists demands. They want to live on, rebuild and prosper. And America has given them the opportunity, but only if we stay true to the cause, and see it to its end. But the country must unite in this endeavor...we cannot place the burden on our military alone. We must all stand up and fight, whether in uniform or not. And supporting us is more than sticking yellow ribbon stickers on your cars. It's supporting our President, our troops and our cause.

Right now, the burden is all on the American soldiers. Right now, hope rides alone. But it can change, it must change. Because there is only failure and darkness ahead for us as a country, as a people, if it doesn't.

Let's stop all the political nonsense, let's stop all the bickering, let's stop all the bad news, and let's stand and fight!

2 April 2006
From Members in Texas Remembering...
To USA Troops

A good friend here in The Meadows just called; she had just returned from attending the Sarasota Ballet at our Van Wetzel Performing Arts Hall; we were all talking at a party last night about "Hanoi Jane" and Fonda's cancellation of her appearance at the Hall--which seats 1,800 people--for a program called "An Evening With Jane Fonda" set for tomorrow night. The cancellation notice in our local left wing newspaper said it was for "family reasons." Our friend spoke to the hall's Manager after the ballet and asked him why. He replied with a twinkle in his eye, "Because we only sold 40 tickets!" That call made my day; hope it makes yours… What goes around comes around!

Letters From Our Military Heroes
Provided by
M/Sgt. Gilbert M. Berg, United States Army, (Retired)

Update from the 2-35th Infantry Battalion in Operation Enduring Freedom.

If you read below about the Book Bags that will be given to the Afghan kids, I want to add that 50 of them are from Kforce Clinical Research Staffing. My boss Kris Ellis gave them to me to ship over as they were left over from an Industry trade show and had a 2004 date on them. Many of my friends, coworkers and 2/35th (Cacti) alumni and families helped fill them with school supplies. I am hoping to get some pictures of the event.

Hello Everyone,

Its been awhile since the last update, but don't worry, much has not changed. Winter has hit pretty hard in the Zabol Province of Afghanistan. Snow level range from no accumulation in the low ground to up to 4 feet w/larger snow drifts in the highlands.

Qalat (central Zabol Province) is frozen solid in the early morning and evening with a slight warming in the mid day. Wind chill reaches -25 below and its almost unbearable just to walk over to the dining facility. If the pipes aren't frozen, you might get a warm shower or be able to use the latrine. If not, you go without the shower for...I won't tell you how long :) and then have to endure the wooden Porta Potties. Let me just say, winter here is not like back home in Pennsylvania :)

The men of Charlie Company stationed at Fire Base Sweeney are just as cold and not any better off then the boys at Fire Base Lagman. Heating is limited and not too long ago, their dining facility caved in from the snow they received. No one was hurt, but just the same, they were set back a few weeks till repairs could be done.

Alpha Company and elements of Headquarters and Headquarters Company are probably the best off. Their main body remains at Kandahar Air base and enjoys all the comforts of home (Pizza hut, Subway, Burger King, Gymnasium, PX). Alpha still finds itself deployed to the harshest terrain due North of Qalat. Daychopan district sits at about 7500-9000 feet elevation. The boys call the place Chateau Daychopan. They say if they had some snow boards and a lift, they would be in heaven. Snow here exceeds 30 feet in some of the mountain passes. They only way in is by air.

The biggest challenge with the weather is getting resupplies into the men. Air drops by fixed wing (C130 aircraft) went in last week to Charlie due to the fact the helicopters couldn't get off the ground. The Air Force missed the Point on the ground when they dropped the supplies and Charlie had to requisition local support to help retrieve the supplies that dropped up in he mountains some 3 KMs away. No one has fallen ill from not eating, but I have to say, they have come back much skinnier than they went out :)

With Spring somewhere in the future, the Cacti are gearing up for two more projects. One is centered on the education of the children of Zabol and surrounding districts. Its called "Smart Start" and will take place on March 20th, the start of the new year (lunar) and school semester. The battalion through tremendous support from stateside organizations and private donations will make this a great beginning for the children in the area. Schools are being outfitted with desks, chairs, chalk boards/white boards and all the baseline essentials for learning to take place. School supplies and book bags filled w/paper pens, pencils, erasers, toys will all be given out during this day to the children of Qalat District with the intent of reaching out to all of the districts as well.

Flying High is off to a great start as well. This day of flying kites (once banned by the Taliban) is scheduled for the 18th, two days prior to the start of the school semester. The Governor is excited and believes this will be a glorious day for Zabol Province. He plans on flying a kite on this day as well. You should have seen his face when I handed him a sample kite...he was like a little kid, smiling ear to ear. We have already put together some flyers to advertise the event and the government of Zabol is pushing for mass participation. So far, I have received close to 500 kites with more on the way. The intent will be to get as many kites in the air as possible. This will be a great day for all involved.

The morale remains high and with the redeployment of our forces just around the corner, our vigilance remains even higher. The Cacti-battalion is looking forward to reuniting with loved ones back home. This kind of talk is common place now. Soldiers are talking about the Cacti-Ball in May, trips with family and friends to the Big Island, Island Cruises, Stateside trips, and just time spent lounging on the beach of Waikiki or the North Shore.

I hope this letter finds you all doing well. Please keep in touch and best wishes to you and your families.

Major Joseph P. Walsh
Executive Officer "Cacti-5"
2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry

If you read only one item today, read the following letter from the commander of a USMC Reserve company deployed in Iraq to the families of his Marines at the company's home in Madison, Wisconsin. It offers an authentic firsthand-from-the-front-lines insight into issues such as personal armor and armored Humvees that are too often hyped in a superficial and misleading way by the mass media.

Warm regards, Bob D

Subject: Madison Marine Update
Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2004 12:58:14 +0000

E-Mail update from Major Holton, Commanding Officer, Company G/2/24, Madison, Wisconsin

Dear Golf Company Families,

I am sending this week's update a few days early, as I do not believe I will have the opportunity/time over the next few days to write. That is a good thing; it only means that we continue to press forward aggressively and we are creating a lot of "business" for ourselves. I don't share that term flippantly, and I assure you the situation we find ourselves in now is exactly what we want. Imagine if you would, owning a small business and getting to the point where you feel like your demonstrated customer base almost outstrips your ability to serve that base. This is a good problem to have. We are at the point where we have that good problem here. The average Iraqi is much more comfortable speaking with us about information he may have on insurgents in the area, and all indications point to him being happy that we have a SUSTAINED presence in his area. It is our "customers" (i.e. the insurgents) who are displeased at our presence. But even though they don't want to shop at our store, they nonetheless keep coming - even if involuntarily.

I would like to give you a couple of things to ponder about the successes your Marines are having, and why they are having them. Even though I tend to think comparison to others is something that limits us, let me give you a couple of points of contrast to the unit that we replaced here in Iraq. Before I do that, understand this is not to denigrate at all the accomplishments of that unit, but rather to highlight just how well your Marines are performing.

The first statistic is how many insurgents in our area we have locked away for life. After 3 months, we have put away over 15 times more insurgents for good than the unit prior to us. And these are not people who are conducting petty crimes. These are people who are laying IEDs on the sides of the roads, mortaring our positions from afar, conducting attacks against our bases, and terrorizing the innocent Iraqi people. In our minds, every IED maker we have put away equates to lives saved.

The second statistic I give you is the amount of time we spend in Lutayfiyah. The unit prior to us spent an average of 1-2 days a week here. We are here 24x7. When the people of Lutayfiyah wake up, one of the first things they see are Golf Company Marines. When they go to sleep, we are one of the last things they see. The end result of this is simple: When we say we are here to provide for their security by capturing or killing the insurgents, they believe us. Yesterday, we rounded up over 350 MAMs (Military Aged Males) in one of the larger sections of Lutayfiyah. At the end of the day, when we released everyone we had no reason to detain longer, we gave them a very earnest speech on their responsibilities in helping to identify the insurgents. As I spoke, I saw a lot of head nodding and understanding of what their share of this effort is (I would like to think this was not all because I was carrying an M16 Rifle, M9 pistol, and was also backed up by about 100 of our Marines).

Just our very presence is making this place safer and we are near the point where the average Iraqi will see us not as occupiers but as their best chance to rid their country of the terrorist who oppresses them when given a chance.

There are other statistics that I would like to share with you that further demonstrate the success your Marines are having in creating the environment for the return of a viable Iraqi civil administration. However, some of these statistics border on being inappropriate to discuss freely. Suffice to say, your Marines are succeeding in all of the critical metrics for success, given what phase of defeating the insurgency we are in.

The next topic I am going to bring up may be a very emotional issue for you, as it is for all of us. However, I believe in speaking plainly and I also believe it is very important to have information. The issue I raise is in regards to "Up Armored Humvees." (UAHs). I will preface my comments by saying I have nothing to gain from anything but telling exactly what I see and believe. My first responsibility as a Marine is accomplishment of the mission, and then to the welfare of the Marines. As you know from previous correspondences, I believe these two responsibilities to be inextricably linked. I hope I will never let loyalty to commanders or to the institution cloud my remarks about something as important as this issue. If anything, what I feel about the remarkable young (and some old, like me) men of Golf Company is such that my judgment is often clouded by how passionately I feel about the incredible job they are doing here.

I understand a number of family members have called the drill center in Madison, asking about how many UAHs we have in the company, why don't we have more, and what is being done about this. Additionally, there have been intimations that UAHs are unfairly distributed within our larger battalion. Let me give you my assessment on the ground, for whatever it is worth. The UAH is a great defense against the most common enemy threat we face, the Improvised Explosive Device or IED (laid on the sides of roads and detonated either manually or by some form of cell phone or radio signal), the Vehicle Concealed Improvised Explosive Device or VCIED (an IED that is placed in a stationary vehicle and detonated when Marines pass), and the Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device or VBIED (an IED that is inside a moving vehicle, with the intent of traveling and exploding in the vicinity of a planned target area). It is a specific HMMWV variant (M1114) that is protected by armored plating around the sides and over the undercarriage, along with ballistic windshields and windows in the doors. It really is a great piece of equipment. However, there are a limited number of these assets in our overall unit, and in the Marine Corps and military in general.

I understand the parental/spousal/families need to press as hard as possible to ensure they are as well protected/equipped as is possible. I applaud all efforts to hold our leaders accountable for the decisions they make in regards to giving the military what it needs to fight. And it is doing so. We now have the Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight (ACOG) for about .$B"..(J of our unit. Five years ago, we had none. We have most of our company equipped with 3rd generation night vision technology. Seven years ago, we had 1 in 4 equipped with it, and it wasn't very good quality. We have about 5 times more next-generation radios that allow us to talk securely to each other. Every Marine has ballistic SAPI plates that will withstand gunshots and fragmentary blasts, as well as helmets and ballistic goggles that protect the head and eyes. We are without a doubt the best-equipped military the world has ever seen. This does not mean we should stop striving to be better equipped - - we should always do that. However, we also realize that the thing that keeps us from all being enveloped by an impenetrable force field (which I know would be the ideal) is the reality of a defense budget that is prepared years in advance and a military industrial complex that takes time to react to emerging threats.

Resource allocation is always a challenging evolution. During the process that decides what unit is going to get which resources and how many of them, it often gets emotional as commanders advocate for what they feel they need for their units. Ultimately, commanders make decisions on what is going where, based off of weighing all of the courses of action and their associated benefits/risks. In our overall unit (2/24), it is true that the percentage of UAHs to overall HMMWVs possessed by some companies/sections is much higher than in our company. There is a reason for this. The overriding criteria for where UAHs are allocated within our Battalion is based off of how! much time a unit spends traveling around the Area of Operations (AO) and where in the AO they are going. The units on the road 4-5 times a day who go to the far reaches of the AO are the ones that have the UAHs. I promise you that it is not rank that determined the level of protection. Again, it is factually correct that the Battalion Commander's section has a high percentage of UAHs. It is also factually correct that his section spends more time on the road than almost any other. Often, his group is on the road with the sole purpose of bringing us (Golf Company) the things we need to sustain operations and ourselves. Even within the company, we agonize over resource allocation. And once again, it is not done by rank. The least protected vehicle in the company is my vehicle. Why is that? Two reasons: (1) The Marines spend far more time on the road than I do, and (2) My life is not more important than theirs - if anything it is less.

What makes this issue more painful is IEDs have been the cause of the 4 deaths and 4 of 5 wounded Marines in the company. Believe me when I say we had some very poignant and candid conversations after our Marines' death and injuries. The whole concept of an IED absolutely scares the heck out of me. I have walked the ground with our guys when we have done "IED sweeps." It is no fun to kick at the dirt on the sides of the road and in the median, just hoping to strike something hard, like a 155mm round that has been primed to explode. But these sweeps are critical in our overall strategy to reduce the chances our motorized movements (the insurgents' target) will be hit. And the courage and determination with which the Marines conduct this task every day stretches the limits of believability.

Trust me - if I could, I would have every Marine in the company that is on the road always in an UAH. Unfortunately, this is just not feasible. We know that the number of overall UAHs our unit (2/24) started with will be roughly equivalent to what we end up with. However, let me tell you exactly what I see being done to make up this shortfall. Before we got here, every HMMWV we have in the company was outfitted with armor plating "add on kits" that cover the soft metal of the vehicle with titanium plates and replaced the cloth doors with armored ones. While we have been here, we have added on undercarriage armor kits and all of the HMMWVs in the company now have ballistic windshields. We know that even if production of UAHs were to jump through the roof, we will probably not see more before it is time to come home. So we will continue to do things to adapt to and defeat the threat. We have already adjusted our Tactics/Techniques/and Procedures (TTPs) to mitigate the IED threat. The most important thing we are doing is finding the cowards who are IEDing us. Rather than waiting for something to happen and then reacting to it, we are acting now to prevent future tragedy. Just since the last update, our guys have found 3 IEDs that were in the final stages of being employed. We have also found several weapons caches where the bomb making materials used against us are stored. That is why it has been so important that your Marines have been as willing as they have to press forward at all times. We are in the midst of a day-by-day battle fought by an insurgency that feels IT can pick the time and place of choosing. I am telling you that WE are picking the time and place of the battle. Every day they grow weaker.

Let me tell you about a conversation I had with the Motor Transport Officer from our battalion a couple of days ago. We were discussing what is special about the Marine Corps and what allows us to experience success, where others may not. Capt Kaspar made a point that I thought was as on the mark as any I have heard in a long time. He said that what separates the Marine Corps from other services is the Marines. This is a simple yet profound statement. It is not the equipment, as other services have equal or better (at least newer) equipment. It is not the training - we all train to very similar standards. So what is the difference? It is the person who shows up at the military recruiter's office and says, "I want to be a Marine." They are exactly the type of people who will overcome any barrier, live for challenge and difficulty, and thrive during times of adversity. Your Marines truly are different and a cut above. They, and the ones who have come before us, are the ones who are upholding the legacy of the world's finest fighting force.

Your Marines continue to amaze. Thank your for your role in developing such magnificent men, and thank you for doing everything you are to support them and us from afar. As always, it is my honor to have this opportunity to serve with them.

Best regards,

Adam Y. Holton
Major, United States Marine Corps Reserve

Hello everyone,
On scene report from a combat commander. Fallujah was fought by solid professionals of whom we should be very proud.
All the best, Rich

P.S. With thanks to RADM Dick Van Orden for passing this along.

Subject: Fallujah--An Army Officer's Perspective
(Received - 12/16/04 - Minor Editing)

Another view of the battle from a different perspective. Betting many of you are receiving lots of "letters from Iraq"...this one from an Army officer to his father .... pretty good read. His comments about huge amounts of drugs are interesting:

Well, Task Force 2-7 Cav made it back from Fallujah earlier than expected, mission accomplished. It feels so good to be back from a second successful mission that was as difficult as it was dangerous. We left Camp Cooke on Nov 1 and staged at Camp Fallujah for about a week. While there, we got the good news that George Bush was re-elected and we had busy days and nights of planning and rehearsals for the big attack. Two days before "D Day," a 122 mm rocket impacted 50 meters away from our tents that sent everyone to the floor. We staged there at a remote part of the post and it was obvious that a local national tipped off the "mujahadin" (Arabic name for the enemy) where we staged. From that attack, we lost one soldier and 4 more were wounded. That attack gave the rest of the Task Force enough anger to last the whole fight. After all the drills and rehearsals, the day for the attack finally came on Nov 8th. Prime Minister Allawi gave the green light and Coalition and Iraqi forces went all the way.

On Nov 7, a battalion of Marines seized the peninsula to the west of the city to prevent insurgents from fleeing. A brigade (4,000 soldiers) from the First Cav set up another cordon around the city to catch anyone fleeing. The plan was to make sure the insurgents would either surrender or fight and be killed. Intelligence estimates put the enemy between 3,000 - 5,000 strong, so we knew we had a tough fight ahead of us.

One of the interesting factors to this fight was the weather. Although Iraq is unbelievable hot in the summer (up to 130 in Najaf), it was colder out in Fallujah than it was back in New York. Temperatures were typically in the upper 30's and low 40's between 5 pm and 8 am. The average temperature here has dropped about 30 degrees in the past month or so. We moved all of our vehicles and soldiers from Camp Fallujah to a position about 1 mile north of the city. That's also where we set up our TF support area (refuel, re-arm) and where we set up the Tactical Operations Center. All day long while were setting up at that location, Air Force and Marine Corps aviators shaped the battlefield with laser-guided bombs and hellfire missiles. Although American forces had not been into the city since April, we had been collecting intelligence on the city for months through unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV's), human intelligence, and Special Forces.

So, we knew exactly where they stored their weapons and where they held meetings, and so on. All of these attacks from the air were precise and very effective in reducing the enemy's ability to fight us before the battle even started. With each attack, secondary explosions of weapons/ammo blowing up were heard. The Coalition also threw the enemy a curveball by destroying all the vehicles that had been parked in the same location for more than 3 days---the enemy planned to use these as car bombs when we attacked. Again, almost every single vehicle the air assets attacked had huge secondary explosions.

After 12 hours of massive air strikes, Task Force 2-7 got the green light and was the first unit to enter the city. There is a big train station on the city's northern limit, so the engineers cleared a path with some serious explosives and our tanks led the way. While this was happening, my intelligence shop was flying our own UAV to determine where the enemy was. It is a very small plane that is launched by being thrown into the air. We flew it for 6 hours and reported grids to the tanks and Bradleys of where we saw insurgents on the roof and moving in the street---so our soldiers knew where the enemy was, before they even got to the location. We crossed the train station just before midnight and led the way for the Marines by killing everything we could in our way. It took our tanks and brads until 10 am the next day to get 2 miles into the city. They killed about 200 insurgents in the process and softened the enemy for the Marines. Five of our soldiers were wounded in this first 10 hours, but we accomplished our part of the plan.

The Marines' mission was to follow TF 2-7 and fight the enemy by clearing from building to building. A lot of the insurgents saw the armored vehicles and hid. They waited for the Marines to come and took their chances by fighting them since the Marines were not protected by armor like we were. In that first day of fighting, the Marines took 5 x KIA and many more wounded, but they also did their job very well. Along the way, they found HUGE caches of weapons, suicide vests, and many foreign fighters. They also found unbelievable amounts of drugs, mostly heroin, speed, and cocaine. It turns out, the enemy drugged themselves up to give them the "courage" and stupidity to stay and fight. The enemy tried to fight us in "the city of mosques" as dirty as they could. They fired from the steeples of the mosques and the mosques themselves. They faked being hurt and them threw grenades at soldiers when they approached to give medical treatment. They waived surrender flags, only to shoot at our forces 20 seconds later when they approached to accept their surrender.

The next few days, TF 2-7 maintained our battle positions inside the city, coming out only for fuel and more ammo. We fought 24 hours a day and continued to support the Marines as they cleared from house to house. If they were taking heavy fire or RPG fire from a house, they would call on our tanks. Our guys would open up on the house with 120 mm main gun or .50 cal. After 5 minutes of suppressive fire, then the Marines would go into the building and clear it. There was rarely anyone left alive by that point. The problem is that we could'nt be there to do that for all the Marines, and when we could'nt and they had to clear the building without our help, they took heavy casualties because the insurgents did'nt stop firing until the Marines got into the building and killed them.

After 3 days, half of the city had been cleared and Iraqi Forces followed the Marines to re-clear the buildings and clean up the caches. Sometimes the insurgents who had managed to hide from the Marines would stand and fight the Iraqis, so they took some casualties as well. But they did a good job of securing the area and collecting the thousands of AK-47s, RPGs, mortars, and IEDs that were in these houses. All that ammo proved just how intensely the enemy planned to defend the city. After all, Fallujah was the symbol of the resistance against the new Iraqi government. They wanted to keep their safe haven for terrorists like Zarqawi to behead innocent people. Since no Coalition Forces were allowed into the city, they were able to get away with those atrocious acts without much trouble.

On day 3 of the fight, we had the most exciting moment for me personally when our Task Force Support Area and TOC came under attack. Insurgents fired mortars and rockets at us everyday, some landing as close as 30 meters from us. But on this day at 6 pm, just as it was getting dark, we took 3 rounds very close and then to the north 8-10 insurgents opened up with small arms fire on the TOC. Luckily, a tank platoon was back refueling and along with the scout platoon, laid down some serious firepower and killed them all in a matter of 5 minutes. But all of us in the TOC got to go out and be part of the fight, firing rounds and seeing the tanks unload on these insurgents. None of us were hurt, but it was an exciting 10 minutes.

THEN came the second push through the rest of the city. Although by day 4, the Coalition had already killed over a thousand, many of them fled to the southern portion of the city and took up positions there. Again, Task Force 2-7 led the push a little before midnight. Same mission, same purpose: To soften up enemy strong points and kill as many insurgents as possible to enable the Marines to follow us when the sun rose. The Marines from Regimental Combat Team 1 did just that for the next 5 days---fighting house to house, finding more weapons, more torture chambers, more ammunition, and more insurgents ready to fight to the death. One fighter came running out of a building that our tanks set on fire. He was on fire and still shooting at us. As our Sergeant Major said, "going up against tanks and brads with an AK-47, you have to admire their effort!" Over the next 5 days, the Marines and our Task Force killed over 1,000 more insurgents. In that time frame, over 900 more fighters made the decision to spend 30 years in prison rather than die. The Marines are still occupying the city and helping with the rebuilding process---they still meet some sporadic resistance, usually a group of 3-5, shooting from a mosque or faking surrender and then shooting at them.

We were very disturbed to find one house with 5 foreigners with bullets in their head, killed execution style. Marines also came upon a house where an Iraqi soldier in the Iraqi National Guard had been shackled to the wall for 11 days and was left there to die. These insurgents are some sick people and Fallujah proved that more than ever. Two mosques were not being used for prayer, but rather for roadside bomb making. They were literally IED assembly line factories, with hundreds of IEDs complete or being built. They also had several houses with high-tech equipment where they conducted their meetings. In Fallujah, the enemy had a military-type planning system going on. Some of the fighters were wearing body armor and kevlars, just like we do. Soldiers took fire from heavy machine guns (.50 cal) and came across the dead bodies of fighters from Chechnya, Syria, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Afghanistan, and so on. No, this was not just a city of pissed off Iraqis, mad at the Coalition for forcing Saddam out of power. It was a city full of people from all over the Middle East whose sole mission in life was to kill Americans. Problem for them is that they were in the wrong city in November 2004.

Now that it's over, there is a lot of things that people back home should know. First of all, every citizen of Fallujah (non-insurgent) is getting $2,500 USD (that's a lot over here) to fix up their house or buy new things that may have been destroyed in the fighting. Insurgents took up positions in resident's houses so we were forced to destroy a lot of buildings. There is over $100 million dollars ready to be spent to re-build the city. This may seem like a lot of money, but I can assure you that it is a small price to pay for the amount of evil people no longer alive, contemplating how to kill more Americans. The intelligence value alone is already paying huge dividends. Some of the 900 detainees are telling everything they know about other insurgents. And the enemy never expected such a large or powerful attack and they were so overwhelmed that they left behind all kinds of things, including books with names of other foreign fighters, where their money and weapons come from, etc.

I went into the city 3 times, but after a lot of the fighting had been done. It was amazing to see how the American military had brought the world's most evil city to its knees. I have an awful lot of pictures that I am going to upload to my webshots site. It will blow your mind to see what the insurgents forced us to do to win this fight. And seeing the pictures of what I saw firsthand will make you very happy to be an American and know that our country has this might if evildoers force us to use it. Our mission in Iraq is to help the Iraqi Security Forces become stable enough to keep this country safe, and once in a while fight with our full might to give these security forces a fair chance. When we need to go after the enemy with all we've got, the results have been amazing. In the fight for Fallujah, our military lost over 50 soldiers and Marines including a sergeant major, company commander, and 8 platoon leaders, along with 40 kids, typically between 19 and 23 years old. I can't even tell you how proud I was to be part of this fight and know these soldiers who were going from building to building to take the fight to the enemy.

My Task Force lost 2 more soldiers after the rocket attack at Camp Fallujah, 1 of them that I knew pretty well. It was hard on the unit to deal with these losses, to go along with the 16 soldiers from 2-7 who were wounded. But this was a fight we knew would be dangerous, but worth the risk based on the good that would come out of it. Anyone back home who thinks the world is a safe place needs to come here for a day and learn real fast that there are an awful lot of people out there who hate Americans so much that they risk their lives to try to kill us. We cannot live peacefully back at home right now unless we continue to stay on the offensive against our enemies and fight them in their backyards. Remember, radical Arabs started this war and they continue to fight it, proving to America over and over that they need to be fought.

I am hopeful that most Americans understand that you have to accept death to defeat evil; all of us soldiers accepted that the day we signed up. There are some things worth fighting and dying for, and making the world and especially America, a safer place, is one of them. For every Mom out there that you read about who turns into a peace protester when her son is killed in action, there are 99 Moms you don't hear about who are proud and believe in this mission even more.

It sure is good to be back to Taji after our second "field trip." We have an officers vs. enlisted football game tomorrow where I am the quarterback, so I am excited about that. We also have a Task Force Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. Despite the fact we have upcoming Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years away from family, friends, and fun, all of our soldiers are thankful to be back after this big fight and to have played such an important role in the successful mission.

I received some nice letters out there that were very supportive, so thank you to all of you who did that for me. Thanks for all your prayers and support, and I wish everyone back home a Happy Thanksgiving and some quality time spent with family and friends.

Mike

Marine Gunnery Sergeant in Iraq - 12/14/04 - Unedited

Just wanted to write to you and tell you another story about an experience we had over here.

As you know, I asked for toys for the Iraqi children over here and several people (Americans that support us) sent them over by the box. On each patrol we take through the city, we take as many toys as will fit in our pockets and hand them out as we can. The kids take the toys and run to show them off as if they were worth a million bucks. We are as friendly as we can be to everyone we see, but especially so with the kids. Most of them don't have any idea what is going on and are completely innocent in all of this.

On one such patrol, our lead security vehicle stopped in the middle of the street. This is not normal and is very unsafe, so the following vehicles began to inquire over the radio. The lead vehicle reported a little girl sitting in the road and said she just would not budge. The command vehicle told the lead to simply go around her and to be kind as they did. The street was wide enough to allow this maneuver and so they waved to her as they drove around.

As the vehicles went around her, I soon saw her sitting there and in her arms she was clutching a little bear that we had handed her a few patrols back. Feeling an immediate connection to the girl, I radioed that we were going to stop. The rest of the convoy paused and I got out the make sure she was OK. The little girl looked scared and concerned, but there was a warmth in her eyes toward me. As I knelt down to talk to her, she moved over and pointed to a mine in the road.

Immediately a cordon was set as the Marine convoy assumed a defensive posture around the site. The mine was destroyed in place.

It was the heart of an American that sent that toy. It was the heart of an American that gave that toy to that little girl. It was the heart of an American that protected that convoy from that mine. Sure, she was a little Iraqi girl and she had no knowledge of purple mountain's majesty or fruited plains. It was a heart of acceptance, of tolerance, of peace and grace, even through the inconveniences of conflict that saved that convoy from hitting that mine. Those attributes are what keep Americans hearts beating. She may have no affiliation at all with the United States, but she knows what it is to be brave and if we can continue to support her and her new government, she will know what it is to be free. Isn't that what Americans are, the free and the brave?

If you sent over a toy or a Marine (US Service member) you took part in this. You are a reason that Iraq has to believe in a better future. Thank you so much for supporting us and for supporting our cause over here.

Semper Fi,
Mark, GySgt / USMC

The Lifeline: Part One

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