In honor of Independence Day, show us something patriotic.
Taken last year.
HABBANIYAH, Iraq (July 1, 2008) – Working from sunrise to sunset, repairing damaged vehicles and delivering essential supplies to the infantry companies is the name of the game for Motor Transportation (Motor-T) Marines in Iraq.
Marines with Combat Trains 1 and 2 of 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, have driven more than 9,000 miles during their five months in Iraq, helping to keep the battalion in the fight.
“We travel to about 20 different locations to re-supply the (infantrymen) with supplies that they need,” said 1st Lt. Nathan J. Loomis, the Motor-T officer-in-charge. “We deliver anything from fuel, water, food, supplies, repair parts… whatever the unit needs, we take it to them”
With infantry units relying more heavily on mobile patrols, Motor-T’s job has become even more important in accomplishing the battalion’s mission.
“The (infantrymen) aren’t going on as many foot patrols as they have before, so if we weren’t there to fix-up the trucks, they wouldn’t be able to complete their mission as proficiently,” said Cpl. Anthony J. Kim, a 26-year-old maintenance shop chief from Chicago. “If they have a (vehicle) problem, we fix it. We are basically their mobility.”
Although the combat train’s have been in and out of Camp Habbaniyah several times per week during their first five months in Iraq, only one incident has occurred in the near 100 trips on the road, but the Marines stay alert and are confident they have the proper training if something were to happen again.
“Because of the training we’ve (completed), if something were to happen, we would know exactly what to do,” said Lance Cpl. Brent C. Glays, a MK-19 gunner with Combat Train 2.
With their Iraq tour nearing the end, the Marines are excited about returning home, but are determined to finish out their deployment strong and go home knowing their mission in Iraq was accomplished and they brought everyone they came to Iraq with back home safely.
My son knows everything. And I mean, EVERYTHING.
Consequently I cracked myself up before 9am this morning, by hearing myself actually say these words:
I KNOW! I’m a grown-up, ok? I’m VERY clever, I have TWO degrees, one of which I ACED with DISTINCTION, so TRUST ME, I can actually handle the demands of getting you a cup of juice without your supervision and attention to the minute details. I KNOW the blue cup is yours, I know not to fill it too full and I KNOW you have an obsessive-compulsive need for the lid to go on with the spout on the same side as the writing on the cup. I know. You. Don’t. Need. To. Advise. Me. On. Every. Little. Thing. I know stuff. Ok?
I wish you could have seen his face. His expression was a priceless mixture of pity and acquiescence. “Okaaay, Mum,” he said, with a heavy sigh and a roll of the eyes, as he sauntered off to the playroom muttering under his breath.
This kid. I heart this kid.
This edition features stories on Police Transition Team 8 performing security patrols, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment Golf Company performing personal security, and 937th Engineer Company 5th Platoon performing a route clearance.
Shameless of me I know, but I was really happy with how these turned out so I decided to share them with you all. I designed these from photographs I've taken of the letters of the alphabet. And from these I've uploaded the images and had a line of t-shirts, etc made on cafepress.com
Check this out: http://www.cafepress.com/carmenrose
That's where you can view the clothing options with the above designs on them. Here are two examples I liked:
Since this was to be the last day of decent weather before a heat wave moves in, Lily & I decided we better go out fishing again. Cody started off catching some good ones and then I caught a couple. Next, Lily & her Barbie pole kicked into gear and she caught the biggest so far of the week at 24 inches! Jace and Grandpa caught a few and then tragedy struck. Nobody was watching Lily's pole when it got snagged. Ray got to it just as it snapped in half. We had to take a few moments of silence in remembrance of our best fishing pole. You'd think we would've learned yesterday but we ran out of bait again. Once the worms were gone, things really slowed down but we did catch a few on leeches. In the end, we came in with 16 walleye but much bigger than the ones from yesterday. I think it was a record fishing day for us.
How long do you take in the shower?
Submitted by Strive2Be.
Me - 7-10 minutes - I take them as hot as they'll go, even in the summer but after a while the water makes me itch because it just dries me out and I'd rather not stand in there.
My son - 15-30 minutes - he likes them hot too but the length of time depends on if he's in the mood to play around or not. Or if there is something on tv he must see.
My husband - 30-45 minutes - not hot, luke warm most of the time but they're always long, sometimes longer if his back hurts.
My daughter - 45-60 minutes - Another not hot person. Honestly I have no idea what she does in there for so long. She says it's her hair and her hair is well below her butt, but still.
That is way more than you ever wanted to know huh?
While we were in Tampa last month, we had a bad experience at PF Changs. It seemed they had reduced portion size while keeping prices the same. Like I've said before, I'm fine with paying more at this point. I expect it. However I'm not happy when I order what I think is enough food to feed my family, only to come up short. So Steve e-mailed them, pretty much saying the same thing in a nice manner. Today, a gift card for $40 came in the mail from PF Changs. Woohoo!
In other news, after last week's horrendous accidental chicken jerky, I've decided to make my version of Alice Springs Chicken for "TV Thursday" dinner. I've yet to mess this one up. I'm also making olive oil, parmesan and roasted garlic potatoes and some mukimame. I can't wait.
I've started to read Wicked. It wasn't exactly what I expected. Definetely not for the kiddies, but good. I also picked up the new David Sedaris book. I'm reading a bit here and there when I need a good laugh, savoring it like a fine wine. Oh, and I bought Wuthering Heights out of curiousity thanks to Twilight. I finished The Host. Very, very good. I highly recommend it. Meanwhile, War and Peace is peacefully sitting on my bookshelf gathering dust. The "peace" parts were good, but I was having a hard time getting into the "war".
Last night, Steve and I went into Georgetown. I ended up with new shoes and got to eat at La Madeleine. We've also had Thai food and cheesesteaks this week. And I wonder why I've gained 3 pounds since coming back from Tampa.
I am bummed however that Children of Men came in the mail from Netflix instead of Redneck Zombies. Seriously. I was really looking forward to watching it this weekend. It was filmed in Delmar, MD on a video camera. All the reviews said it was wonderfully bad. Oh well.
Better hop off here. I've got about 2 hours before Rob, Kirsten (formerly known at "the new girl"), and Gary arrive.
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July 3, 2008
It is the Soldier
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By Cpl. Chris Lyttle
FALLUJAH, Iraq (July 1, 2008) – Marines with Company L, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat team 1 and Iraqi firemen with the Fallujah Fire Department teamed up to battle a fire that destroyed structures at Entry Control Point-5 (ECP-5) June 25.
The ECP controls traffic and safeguards entryways into the city of Fallujah.
No one was injured and the cause of the fire is under investigation, but it is suspected to have started from a faulty light fixture, said 1st Lt. Travis Bowden, the company’s executive officer, who was on duty as the watch officer when a Marine alerted him that one of the wooden structures at the ECP was engulfed in flames.
“I contacted the battalion and they called the Fallujah Fire Department,” Bowden said. “They got on deck and started using their water trucks and everything they had.”
Marines said although the Iraqi firemen responded incredibly fast, nearly seven huts were already burning when they arrived. The first firemen to arrive fought the blaze with water cannons until they ran empty and Marines used every extinguisher available on post.
“The (Iraqi firemen) had maybe three or four trucks doing runs for about two hours trying to get all the water they had on the fire,” Bowden said. “Both Marines and the firefighters were on the hoses trying to get the flames down. Once that first hut went up (in flames), it was too much for any number of fire extinguishers to handle,” Bowden said.
Gunnery Sgt. Jason Armistead, Company L gunnery sergeant, described how quickly the fire took over every structure while he and others attempted to fight it.
“We got about twenty fire extinguishers and (the fire) just kept spreading too fast,” Armistead said. “So then we grabbed some axes. About seven or eight of us were trying to chop down the side of a hooch (wooden hut) trying to keep it away from the other ones. The fire kept jumping from hooch to hooch and it was starting to go around us.”
At that point, Armistead told the Marines to get all of their personal gear from each hut that they could salvage, but because of the fire’s rapid growth, few items were saved.
Lance Cpl. Kyle Van Beekom, a heavy equipment operator with Combat Engineers Battalion, attached to 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines, without regard for his own safety, drove a forklift to the fire, and removed gasoline-fueled generators, a 200-gallon gas tank and moved the wooden buildings away from the flames to prevent it from spreading.
“The hooch we were trying to take an axe to; he (Beekom) rammed it about four or five times,” Armistead said. “He drove the (forklift) completely into the fire, trying to keep it pushed back and he kept the fire from jumping. Of course all of the hooches burned down, but that enabled us to get more gear out.”
More than 90 Marines lost everything they owned, including personal possessions and issued equipment. The company immediately adjusted to logistical setbacks, living arrangements and daily operations continued seamlessly, Bowden said.
Although the fire created a setback for the Marines, there was a silver lining- the generosity from Iraqis and stateside supporters.
Bowden said in this case, the assistance role was reversed. After the fire, Iraqis helped clear the debris with dump trucks and others came to offer building materials. A nearby ice factory owner delivered ice and food to the Marines.
“It’s definitely different,” Bowden said. “It just shows a lot of progress we’ve made in helping them out so much that they’re willing to reciprocate that now. They’re lending us a hand when we’re down and out so that we can recover.”
Bowden added that stateside supporters have been in constant contact with the battalion, inquiring how to help the Marines.
“Stateside (support) has been extraordinary,” Bowden said. “I don’t know how many emails and letters we’ve received. It’s just an outpouring of everyone trying to give a little bit. It has been overwhelming.”
Armistead described how the company is adjusting in the aftermath.
“Collectively, we all know it’s a bad situation, but no one’s complaining,” Armistead said. “We’re just doing what we need to do to continue on with the mission. We’re just accepting the fact that we’ve got to live on. The battalion is doing a good job of getting the military gear back that we lost. The response from the other units around us and the people back home has just been unreal. They gave us necessities so we could get by.”
Bowden added that the Marines are enduring the loss and looking ahead.
