Dancin' Marines

I was gonna say Dancin' Fools but thought better of it. Heh.

h/t Mrs G at the Mudville Gazette

Cuppa Joe

Hello,

I wanted to send a thank you to “Solders’ Angels” for the steel coffee cup.

I guess I should start over and explain this note (sorry been deployed too long). In 05 I was in Bagdad and then to Afghanistan in 06 and I am still going here in Afghanistan till the spring of next year.

A couple weeks ago our truck got a blast from a bomb, by GOD'S GRACE NO ONE WAS KILLED. But me and one of my other Sergeants had to go to the Med Station to be checked out. Nothing significant wrong with either of us, so back to work.

But while I was at the Med Station someone gave me a cup from your outfit with some coffee – I swear that “Angel” on the side of the cup was the greatest thing after a “bad day at the office”.

I am back at my FOB and I can’t find the cup but the thought someone cared enough to send those cups sure made this old Sergeant's day.

Thank You from one Infantry Sergeant here in Afghanistan.

SSG C.

A Study in Contrasts

Someone concerned about national security and familiar with military operations:

It is clear from recent major offensive operations in Diyala and the other provinces surrounding Baghdad that Gen. David A. Petraeus now has the wherewithal not only to clear areas in Baghdad but to seal off those parts of the provinces where al Qaeda and the insurgents have fled to corner and kill them.

In Baqubah, Coalition forces killed at least 58 al Qaeda terrorists and detained scores of others, discovered 16 weapons caches, destroyed 28 improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and blew up 12 booby-trapped structures in the first five days of Operation Arrowhead Ripper. Local residents, who had just received 20,000 pounds of rice and flower and 300 cases of water, pointed troops to al Qaeda safe houses and torture chambers.

Someone concerned about their political career:

After four years of combat and more than 3,560 U.S. deaths, two Republican senators previously reluctant to challenge President Bush on the war announced they could no longer support the deployment of 157,000 troops and asked the president to begin bringing them home.

Voinovich, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released his letter Tuesday — one day after Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, the panel's top Republican, said in a floor speech that Bush's strategy was not working.

Someone concerned about national security and familiar with military operations:

The success the Marines have achieved in Anbar Province also took an innovative approach. This involved not only gaining the confidence of the various clans' leading sheiks but also flattening the Marine command structure and making Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his representatives irrelevant.

The strategy of Maj. Gen. W.E. Gaskin, commander of the Multinational Force/West and his Ground Combat Element commander, Brig. Gen. Charles M. Gurganus, was to go proactive, exactly the strategy of Gen. Petraeus in the other surrounding provinces. If Marine convoys are challenged or ambushed, their orders are to immediately pursue their attackers and kill them all.

Someone concerned about their political career:

Lugar told reporters Tuesday that he does not expect the fall assessment [of the "surge"] to be conclusive and would only fuel sentiment among lawmakers that Congress should intervene with legislation to end the war....

The White House on Tuesday appealed to members for more patience on the war in Iraq.

"We hope that members of the House and Senate will give the Baghdad security plan a chance to unfold," said White House spokesman Tony Snow.

Earlier this year, Voinovich and Lugar said they doubted the troop buildup in Iraq would work.

Someone concerned about national security and familiar with military operations:

You will not find reports on the success our forces are now achieving on the major TV news networks. The only thing they tell us is how many U.S. forces were killed in the last 24 hours.

In fact, NBC, CBS and CNN are probably the sole source of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's daily intelligence briefs. It is ironic that al Qaeda and the Sunni and Shia terrorists need no propaganda czar like the Nazis' Joseph Goebbels as a spokesman because our TV networks and even certain members of Congress provide that service for them.

Someone concerned about their political career:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., called Lugar's speech "brilliant" and "courageous" and said it would later be noted in the history books as a turning point in the war.

See how this works?

Republican support for the war has declined steadily since last year's elections, mirroring public poll numbers. In an AP-Ipsos poll earlier this month, 28 percent said they were satisfied with President Bush's handling of the war in Iraq, down 5 percentage points in a month.

Meanwhile, at the Gallup "Confidence in Institutions" survey:

Congress leads the way with the lowest level ever in the history of this poll, and at 14% now has the lowest confidence ratings for any institution tested over the last three decades.

The military has been near or at the top of the list of institutions tested in each Gallup survey since 1987.

Thanks for the link to the Washington Times article, Carrie.

The Passing of the Sword

CSM Mellinger, right, passes the sword symobolizing the change of responsibility for Multi-National Force-Iraq to CSM Hill, opposite, at Al Faw Palace on May 5. For the past month the two CSMs have been working side by side on the handover.

Gen. David Petraeus was the presiding officer of the ceremony and recognized Mellinger's dedicated efforts as the senior enlisted advisor on the ground in Iraq. Mellinger's responsibilities included four Corps headquarters, over 13 division and Marine Expeditionary Force headquarters, over 68 brigade and regimental combat teams, and countless brigades and battalions of combat support and service support elements as well as the important contributions of coalition forces.
U.S. Army photo by Spc. Beatrice Florescu-Vila Verde, MNC-I PAO.

This past Saturday we were in one of the dayrooms at the Landstuhl outpatient facility unpacking the groceries we had just purchased at the Commissary. Soldiers' Angels provides fruit, cereal, microwave meals and other late-night snacks for the patients arriving after regular meal hours.

I'd been told there were some VIPs scheduled to come through but didn't think much of it because that happens all the time. So when First Sergeant Lowe came in the room and said, "MaryAnn, I'd like you to meet CSM Mellinger", I was speechless.

Well, not exactly. In fact, I blurted out, "I know all about you from Michael Yon!" (Ok, I might have said, "OMFG, I know all about you from Michael Yon!", but I'm not sure.) He replied that I "shouldn't believe everything Yon writes" but that's just because of the type of guy he is.

Anyway, we spoke for a few minutes and since he's pretty chatty I don't think I did all the talking. We talked about the MSM's war coverage, how some politicians are too impatient with Iraq, noting that Germany didn't have a post-WWII government until 1955 or an Army until 1956. I mentioned the latest Gallup poll showing that the American people have 5 times more confidence in the military than they do in Congress, but how at the same time it was a damn shame that more people know Anna Nicole Smith than Paul Ray Smith. From there the conversation devolved into why some women would want their chests to look like somebody's butt, which in retrospect was probably not an appropriate topic of conversation but which was pretty funny at the time.

When I asked what he's going to do now, he replied "go home and practice being Kim's husband."

After 34 months in Iraq, I think that's a wonderful idea.

If you didn't click on the link above to Michael Yon's post above, do it now. CSM Mellinger also contributed an article to Michael's Frontline Forum, and here's the transcript of a great interview with TroopTalk Radio.

"We the soldiers love and appreciate you too... "

Hello,

Greetings from Baghdad, Iraq.

I just want to thank those Angels assigned to me who have wrote me a letter or sent me a card. I appreciate your love and support. It's an honor and privilage to serve this great nation we live in and to fight for our freedoms. I also appreciate your prayers.

I know I have seen your mail going out to many of our troops. Thank you so much, we love all of that love and support we're getting from you Angels. It really boosts our morale when we receive some love from people back home and it makes our jobs easier knowing we are being supported by our people back home in America - people like you.

I've said it before and I say it again: Thank You Soldiers Angels, we the soldiers love and appreciate you too.

I just finished writing and addressing Iraqi post cards, and I wanted to let you know that I'm well and staying safe.

Sincerely,

SSG M.

DJ Emery Update

Jamie's daughter Allysan with her "best bud" DJ at the Malogne House. Photo courtesy Jamie Jones.

Family friend Jamie sent me the link to a great article about DJ in yesterday's CentreDaily.com.

Some quotes from DJ, the first about the "encounters that really matter" - those with other veterans:

"When a doctor tells you that you'll walk one day, and he has two real legs, you're like, 'whatever,' " Emery said. "But when a guy comes in on two prosthetic legs, and they're standing there, it makes everything possible."

Hard, painful work: DJ grimaces during physical therapy. He's doing "really incredible", according to therapists. Photo Chuck Kennedy/MCT.

...and my personal favorite, on the visit from President Bush:

"I dunno; he's just another person, you know?" Emery recalled from his bed. "He invited me to the White House. Hopefully I can get some running legs and go running with him and smoke his ass."

DJ holding little Carlee in his room at Walter Reed. He's vowed to walk before she does. The flag on the wall is from the Marines of his unit, recently returned home from Iraq. Photo Chuck Kennedy/MCT.

Make sure to read the whole thing... about waking up over 2 months after the bomb blast ("What the f*ck happened to my legs?") and how from that moment on, the fight was his...

Rock on, Devil Dog. Can't wait to see you smoke the CINC's ass.


Click to read more stories about DJ here at SAG.

Who we trust

Results of the latest Gallup poll show that Americans' confidence in most institutions has dropped somewhat since the post-9/11 all-time highs.

Congress leads the way (sorry, Rangers) with the lowest level ever in the history of this poll, and at 14% now has the lowest confidence ratings for any institution tested over the last three decades.

The military has been near or at the top of the list of institutions tested in each Gallup survey since 1987.

Something you may want to pass along in your next letter or email to a deployed service member.

h/t Best of the Web Today

War

Michael Yon:

They are ready for us. Giant bombs are buried in the roads. Snipers—real snipers—have chiseled holes in walls so that they can shoot not from roofs or windows, but from deep inside buildings, where we cannot see the flash or hear the shots. They will shoot for our faces and necks. Car bombs are already assembled. Suicide vests are prepared.

The enemy will try to herd us into their traps, and likely many of us will be killed before it ends. Already, they have been blowing up bridges, apparently to restrict our movements. Entire buildings are rigged with explosives. They have rockets, mortars, and bombs hidden in places they know we are likely to cross, or places we might seek cover. They will use human shields and force people to drive bombs at us. They will use cameras and make it look like we are ravaging the city and that they are defeating us. By the time you read this, we will be inside Baquba, and we will be killing them. No secrets are spilling here.

Our jets will drop bombs and we will use rockets. Helicopters will cover us, and medevac our wounded and killed. By the time you read this, our artillery will be firing, and our tanks moving in. And Humvees. And Strykers. And other vehicles. Our people will capture key terrain and cutoff escape routes. The idea this time is not to chase al Qaeda out, but to trap and kill them head-on, or in ambushes, or while they sleep. When they are wounded, they will be unable to go to hospitals without being captured, and so their wounds will fester and they will die painfully sometimes. It will be horrible for al Qaeda. Horror and terrorism is what they sow, and tonight they will reap their harvest. They will get no rest. They can only fight and die, or run and try to get away. Nobody is asking for surrender, but if they surrender, they will be taken.

We will go in on foot and fight from house to house if needed. We will shoot rockets into their hiding spaces, and our snipers will shoot them in their heads and chests. This is where all that talk of cancer and big ideas of what should be or could be done will smash head on against the searing reality of combat.

May God be with our warriors.

Someone You Should Know at Pundit Review Radio - SFC Jared C. Monti

This week Bruce McQuain from QandO talks with Kevin about Sergeant First Class Jared C. Monti. SFC Monti was killed in action while serving with the 10th Mountain Division in Afghanistan.

Bruce compiled this Someone You Snould Know segment using moving tributes contributed by SFC Monti's fellow soldiers.

Kevin, Gregg, and Bruce were then joined by Paul Monti, Jared’s father. Paul spoke with his son for the last time on Father's Day 2006. Jared was killed three days later.

SFC Jared Monti and his father Paul Monti are both Someone You Should Know.

Help our Soldiers help Iraqi children - Shoes Needed

From SA contact LtCol Eric in Mosul:

I am writing to you today because of the sad and destitute situation that the children of Mosul, Iraq find themselves in on a daily basis. After seeing these unfortunate children in the urban battlefield everyday for six months, I can assure you that their difficulties are very real and beyond the power of their parents to fix. These children, in many cases, lack some of the most basic necessities that you and I take for granted and that we would never let our own children go without.

A great deal of media coverage has been devoted to the efforts of our Army today and humanitarian groups to bring comfort items like new backpacks and soccer balls to Iraqi children. This battalion has even aided those initiatives on several occasions and, although I know they enjoyed their toys, I had to watch these same five and six year old children run outside to play with their new soccer balls in the sewage and filth of the city without any shoes. I know that there is no parent among us who would ever let their children play in such an environment at all, much less without attending to their most basic clothing and sanitary needs.

As I am sure you know, this war is not a war of battles won, regiments destroyed, and cities captured. Rather, this is a war fought on the "human terrain" of the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people; a war for the very soul of a nation where single gestures and one time events can be as profound and far reaching as a hundred Gettysburgs or D-Days. If we can just provide shoes for these children we stand poised to win a major victory indeed.

Therefore, I am asking your help in turning this goal into a reality, and play a vital role in bringing comfort to the local Iraqi children and in striking a victory against a cold and murderous insurgency. Given the unique nature the conflict we are embroiled in, sending something as simple as shoes to local children will aid your Soldiers in this fight just as surely as a shipment of bullets or bombs.

I feel I must warn you that these people will probably never know who you are, or recognize the role you played, but I can assure you that little boys and girls like the one pictured in this letter will be profoundly grateful for even the smallest bit of help from you. Please take a moment to clean out a closet or visit a shoe store and do your part for our cause. Any and all donations are welcome. Please send them to:

CIVIL AFFAIRS
Operation Good Shoes
HHC, 2-7 Cav
4BCT, 1CD
FOB Marez
APO, AE 09334

On behalf of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment and the citizens of Mosul, I thank you for any help you can provide. A single pair of shoes may not win a war, but the difference it will make to the one child who receives them just might help push us in that direction.

Feel free to forward this email to any family, friend, church, classroom, or civic group who might have asked you how they can help a Soldier in Iraq. Rest assured, helping these people helps us Soldiers a great deal.

LtCol Eric