Living The Dream

Marines with HQ. Co. (RCT) 3 are living the dream as they take part in the Marine Corps martial arts program at Camp Dwyer in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Sept. 18, 2009.
photo Sgt. Pete Thibodeau

Chows On at Outpost Cherokee

Cpls. Christopher Melton, left, and Jonathan Taylor, with Weapons Platoon, Charlie Company, One Five cook a meal at Command Outpost Cherokee in Nawa, photo Sgt. Freddy G. Cantu

USS Gonzalez -an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer named after Marine Sgt. Alfredo "Freddy" Gonzalez, VN Medal of Honor

The USS Gonzalez is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer named after Marine Sgt. Alfredo "Freddy" Gonzalez, a Medal of Honor recipient from the Vietnam War. The woman is Dolia Gonzalez, mother of the ship's namesake. It has been said that she makes the trek from her home in Edinburg, Texas, every time the ship leaves and returns from deployment, and for many of the major ceremonies.

Dolia Gonzalez may not know any of these Sailors personally; but she considers each of them as her own. Since the ship's commissioning, the crew has made it their mission to treat Dolia as the ship's mother - writing letters and calling her during deployments and inviting her to special events like today's change of command ceremony.

"It means life in my blood; it's for my boy. This is my life. My son is here with me," said Dolia.

During Cmdr. Brian Fort's last duty as the ship's commanding officer he made it a point to thank Dolia for all that she's done for his crew, by presenting her with a painting by retired Marine Col. Charles Waterhouse.

"She makes our life on board here extremely enjoyable. Knowing she means all this to my Sailors," said Fort.

As the ship's new captain steps in, Cmdr. Lynn Acheson said she's excited about fostering the relationship with Dolia, and getting to know the mother who has been such an integral part of the ship's history. Acheson said, "Dolia is a model of the honor and sacrifice heroes like Sgt. Freddie Gonzalez have made."

"She's got a special relationship with the crew. I hope to continue with my own personal relationship with her, I have a lot of respect for that lady," Acheson said.

Gonzalez was born in Edinburg, in 1946 and raised primarily by his mother. He was an All-District football player at Edinburg High School in spite of his weight of 135 pounds.

Following high school graduation, Gonzalez enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve in San Antonio June 3, 1965, and then enlisted in the regular Marine Corps July 6, 1965. He went on to serve in Vietnam at his own request in response to an ambush that took the lives of some of his friends.

He first was assigned to the Headquarters and Service Company, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, as a rifleman. On Jan. 1, 1966, Gonzalez was promoted to private first class and transferred to Company L, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, 3rd Marine Division in Vietnam as a squad leader.

In October that year he was promoted to lance corporal, and the following December was promoted to corporal. Gonzalez completed his tour of duty in Vietnam and returned to the United States in February 1967. He was stationed with the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines, 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He became a Marine instructor at Camp Lejeune to prepare Marines for the guerilla warfare.

Though he had not intended to return to war, after learning of an ambush which wiped out an entire platoon, including men who had served under him during his tour of duty, he requested a transfer and another tour in Vietnam.

He spent May and July of 1967 in a staging battalion at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, during which he was promoted to Sergeant. Gonzalez was then assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division (Rein) in Vietnam.

In January 1968, Gonzalez' unit was involved in the initial phase of Operation Hue City and deployed by truck convoy to reinforce other units fighting in the city. The convoy was attacked near the village of Lang Van Lrong and drew heavy enemy fire.

Gonzalez immediately positioned his men and directed their fire until the area was free of enemy snipers. The convoy moved on and was attacked again after crossing a river south of Hue. A Marine standing on a tank was wounded and fell to the ground in a position exposed to enemy fire.

Gonzalez ran to him, picked him up and carried him to a protected area. During the rescue, Gonzalez was wounded by fragments of exploding grenades. As the convoy was pinned down by an enemy machine gun bunker up the road, Gonzalez led his platoon to the bunker and destroyed it with hand grenades.

The convoy eventually reached Hue, where Gonzalez and his unit fought against heavy enemy resistance. He was seriously wounded on Feb. 3, but refused medical treatment in order to stay with his men. The following day, his unit was pinned down by a large enemy force and suffered heavy casualties.

Gonzalez used several antitank weapons against heavily fortified enemy positions while exposed to enemy fire. He held back the enemy advance and destroyed an enemy rocket position before he was mortally wounded. Gonzalez was hit by the last rocket fired by the enemy, and died in the Saint Joan of Arc Catholic Church, where he had taken cover.

For his actions, while being wounded several times between January 31 and February 4, 1968, Gonzalez was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
His Medal of Honor was presented to his mother on Oct. 31, 1969, by then Vice President Spiro T. Agnew at the White House.

In 1996, the USS Alfredo Gonzalez, a guided missile destroyer, was commissioned in Corpus Christi.

There is a permanent display of his uniform and medals at the Hidalgo County Historical Museum.

Alfredo Gonzalez Hall, Instructor Training Battalion Headquarters Building, The Basic School, Quantico, Va. was dedicated July 13, 2007. Gonzalez was chosen to have the building named after him by the Marines of Instructor Battalion.

Mother Teresa once said, "In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love."

Dolia's son gave his life. Though she lost him, his memory and her love is kept alive through her connection with the USS Gonzalez. They'll undoubtedly be saving her seat at the next ceremony, and she'll make the trip because a mother's job never ends, and the de facto matriarch of the USS Gonzalez wouldn't disappoint her children.

Third LAR First in- Last Out

Light armored vehicles with Task Force 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 8 traverse the rocky terrain of the Sinjar Mountains on a constant basis while deployed to the Ninewa province. The battalion was one of the first LAR battalions to enter Iraq and will be the very last LAR battalion to leave.DVIDS


DVIDS-The Marines of Task Force 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion were one of the first LAR battalions to get their treads dirty with Iraqi soil and will be the last LAR battalion to do so during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The battalion has deployed five times throughout Operation Iraqi Freedom's eight-year transformation, conducting varied operations from the initial invasion to fighting an insurgency, to rebuilding and training the Iraqi security forces.

"I see victory all over Iraq today," said Lt. Col. Kenneth R. Kassner, the battalion commanding officer.

However, Kassner has also witnessed a great deal of struggle during his previous deployments with TF 3rd LAR that show how it has taken many years for the people of Iraq to be victorious.

"There was a time when you wouldn't see a kid in the street," Kassner said. "The fact that kids are playing outside and you can see adults playing a soccer match is a victory."

These small victories are from several years of sacrifice, given to sustain a strong Iraqi government and Iraqi security forces.

Kassner stepped on deck of the battalion in May 2004 and deployed soon thereafter as the battalion executive officer, constructing battleplans to retake Fallujah in Operation Phantom Fury. He also deployed with TF 3rd LAR to conduct counter-insurgency operations along the western Iraqi border the following year. Now he is back as the battalion commander.

"The ISF have a greater capability and willingness than ever before," Kassner said.

Through his past deployments, he has been witness to the progress that has occurred Anbar andin the professionalization of the ISF

"The enemy was much more aggressive then," Kassner said.

Using fear tactics and attacks against their own people, the insurgents tried stopping civilians from helping Coalition forces.

"There were people who wanted us here, but they couldn't express their gratitude because of what would happen to them," said Cpl. Aaron Garner, an LAV crewman with Headquarters and Service Company, TF 3rd LAR, originally attached to Delta Company, TF 3rd LAR, during Operation Phantom Fury.

"During their first [national] election, it was really creepy," said Master Sgt. Bill Denman, the operations chief for Bravo Company, 3rd LAR. "Sometimes it would be really quiet and sometimes we would get shot at."

With weakened security, Iraqi political officials had a hard time enforcing laws and governing their populace.

"Often times the local government was unwilling or unable to effectively govern," Kassner said.

The Iraqis weren't alone in the attacks. During the first half of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Marines were repeatedly targeted by the same insurgents attacking the ISF and the government of Iraq.

"Even though the enemy was quite elusive, he would constantly attack coalition forces with [improvised explosive devices] and indirect fire," Kassner said.

During his first deployment to Iraq, Garner's vehicle was struck by multiple IEDs, indirect fire and a rocket-propelled grenade.

"An RPG landed about 25 feet in front of my vehicle," Garner said. "It knocked me off the vehicle and I sustained a class three concussion and a perforated eardrum."

With help from 3rd LAR and many other coalition force units, the ISF began to build a stronger force, protecting key leadership from terrorist attacks and allowing the rule of law to govern.

"Everything we do now is by, with and through the Iraqi government," Denman said.

"Iraq has been made safer by the battalion doing its part fighting the insurgency and showing a strong presence during its deployments," Garner said.

Kassner, Denman and Garner see a big difference in Iraq today.

"The differences I see now are enhanced ISF security, more effective local governments, increased willingness to work with coalition forces and a significant decrease on coalition-force dependence," Kassner said.

"I go through a lot more water than ammunition now," Denman said.

With time, the ISF have built a strong military and police force to combat insurgent activity. "We combine our efforts (with the ISF) to interdict and disrupt foreign fighters and smugglers," Kassner said.

In the past few years, coalition forces have given the roads back to the GOI and ISF. Now, Iraqis can be seen driving past Marine convoys with Iraqi children waving to the drivers in the tan, behemoth, Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles.

Kassner said that for the past six years, all Iraqis knew about the rules of the road was to get out of the way of Marines driving along the roads. This was to prevent any attempts to attack coalition forces with vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices.

"I remember driving on the other side of the road to not allow any VBIEDs to hide with the other [passing] vehicles," Kassner said. "Our LAVs were attacked by them in the past."

Kassner has seen the good and bad of Iraq. He's seen the Iraqi people make the brave choice to help coalition forces, knowing their lives and their family's lives were in danger, and he's seen the ISF put the citizens' fears to rest.

Being able to see the beginning and the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom has allowed Kassner and other Iraq veterans to contemplate the sacrifices their fellow brother and sister warriors have made to make Iraq what it is today.

To Kassner and the Wolfpack, those sacrifices were not made in vain and will be remembered as the legacy of LAR in Iraq comes to a close

Secret To Marine Corps Success:Petraeus

John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

The secret to the U.S. Marine Corps’ success is a blending of bedrock principles with innovation, the commander of U.S. Central Command said here last night.

Using two examples from recent history -- the heroism of the last Marine Medal of Honor recipient and the turnaround in Iraq’s Anbar province, -- Army Gen. David H. Petraeus shared his view at an event hosted by the Marine Association Foundation.

“On the one hand, Marines display a stalwart resistance to change in those bedrock values that form the very foundation of what it means to be Marine,” he said. “On the other hand, Marines demonstrate a ready embrace of innovation that allows them to adapt to the environments in which they operate and to the enemies they face.”

Some of those timeless, unchanging truths that describe the Marine Corps include an unflinching devotion to one’s fellow Marines, a ready embrace of hardship and a universal emphasis on the skills and the spirit of the rifleman, he said.

Petraeus said these underlying principles are illustrated in the story of Marine Corps Cpl. Jason Dunham. In 2004, the 22-year-old Marine was killed in action in Karabilah, Iraq, when he used his body to cover a grenade and shield his fellow Marines from the ensuing blast.

Dunham became the 295th Marine to receive the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military decoration, which is bestowed for gallantry in action. The Navy will christen a ship named in the fallen Marine’s honor -- the USS Jason Dunham -- next week during a ceremony at Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine.

Petraeus said the Marines’ actions in Anbar province illustrate their ability to adapt their strategy to meet unique challenges.

In 2006, Anbar province was one of Iraq’s most contentious regions. It was a society that had collapsed under the weight of an endemic insurgency with an infrastructure dilapidated by years of infighting and neglect. But amid the surge of U.S. forces in 2007, al-Qaida operatives overplayed their hands in Anbar, alienating local residents. Meanwhile, the influx of U.S. Marines helped to tamp down violence and create political breathing room, which in turn allowed the forging of key alliances between local tribal sheiks and coalition operators.

“As a result, sheiks started coming forward to coalition forces to discuss an alliance to throw off al-Qaida,” Petraeus said. “And this was the opening we needed.”

The “Anbar Awakening,” a societal purging of extremism by Anbaris, and formation of a civilian security group known as “Sons of Iraq” ushered in a level of stability unprecedented since U.S. operations in Iraq began.

“It is not an exaggeration to say that the Anbar Awakening helped alter the course of events in Iraq,” Petraeus said. “And I believe that generations from now, historians will continue to view it as a great example of the principled application of long-standing counterinsurgency principles.”

US Marine LAV's Down Under, Mate

Marines with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) debark a light armored vehicle from a landing craft, air cushion at Freshwater Beach at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area in Queensland, Australia, July 15, 2009. The 31st MEU came to the beach for field training in support of Talisman Sabre 2009. Talisman Sabre is a biennial combined training activity that trains U.S. and Australian forces in planning and conducting combined task force operations.
photo Sgt. Jose E. Castellon Lopez/

On Your Six, America.

Marines from the One-Five on patrol in the Helmand River valley doing the meet and greet with villagers while shaking the brushes for possible orcs. Photo Cpl. Artur Shvartsberg

America, Who's Got Your Six?

USMC Captain Jason Condon 1/5 battalion air officer leading a Civil Affairs Group patrol with some Afghan soldiers wherein everyone does the basic meet and greet, shake some hands, drink some tea, getting to know you in preparation for paving the long road to victory with strands of legitimacy for the Afghan government. Thank you Capt. Condon. photo by SSGT William Greeson

In Remembrance: Lance Corporal Gregory Edward MacDonald 6/25/2003 Bravo Co. 4thLAR

From a 2003 News Release by Belmont University:

"Lance Cpl. Gregory E. MacDonald, a 1995 graduate of Belmont University, was killed in Iraq. The Lowell Sun newspaper in Lowell, Mass., has complete - and moving - coverage.

MacDonald earned a degree in philosophy and social policy in 1995 from Belmont and a graduate degree from American University in Washington, D.C., in 2001.

From the Lowell Sun:

BURLINGTON - "That I have died means that I have failed to achieve the one thing in life I truly longed to give the world, PEACE," reads the last statement of Lance Cpl. Gregory E. MacDonald.

More than 200 friends and family mourned MacDonald at a military burial yesterday in Pine Haven Cemetery in Burlington, after services at St. Margaret's Church.

A 21-gun salute was fired in honor of the U.S. Marine whose life's work was to help achieve peace in the Middle East. MacDonald died June 25 in Hilla, Iraq, when his light armored vehicle turned over on his way to rescue ambushed American soldiers. He was 29.

The Washington Post reports MacDonald, who lived in the Washington D.C. area, joined the Marines after earning his master's degree at American University because he saw military service as a way to gain credibility and experience in his intended career in Middle Eastern affairs:

"He wanted to do foreign policy work," [friend Jeni] Spevak said, "and he wanted to do it for the Middle East, and he wanted to create peace in the Middle East."

The Post says MacDonald was "a cerebral man with red hair and blue eyes who loved books and classical guitar and studied philosophy as an undergraduate (and) did not fit the classic profile of an enlisted Marine."
************************************************************************************
Robert Seo grew up in Potomac, Maryland and attended the University of Maryland.
In 2000, after his freshman year of college, he enlisted in the Marine Corps. After
completing basic training in Parris Island, South Carolina, he served with Bravo Company,4th Light Armored Reconnaissance (LAR) Battalion as a reservist:

Gregory MacDonald and I served together in Bravo Company, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance (LAR) Battalion prior to and during Operation Iraqi Freedom. I considered Greg as part of my family because he was a fellow Marine
and especially because he was a member of Bravo Company. I talked to him on numerous occasions, mostly in passing, with the longest occurring just a couple days before his death. It was my shift to watch the vehicles outside on the ramp and I remember that the desert sun was especially hot that afternoon. I was surprised to see
Greg in his vehicle cleaning his 240E machine gun not only because the weapon itself was hot enough to burn his hand, but also because weapons maintenance was hardly on any other Marine's list of priorities at that time of day. I struck up a conversation with him and learned that he was actually older than he looked, had a Master's Degree
and had the desire to leverage his experience from the war to make a difference in the Middle East when he came back home. I don't remember how long the conversation lasted, but I came away from it thinking that in addition to being a stellar Marine, he was an intelligent, well-spoken and compassionate person. Like many others, I will never forget the day I heard the news of the accident. It was a Wednesday evening and the sun was on its way down. I had just gotten to the chow hall for dinner and a Marine rushed in and announced that Bravo Company was to report for formation immediately. We all forgot about trivial matters such as how hungry we were because at that
moment, we all knew without a doubt that bad news awaited us. We ran into formation, mostly quiet and somber and bracing for the news that was about to hit us. While 1st platoon was on its way to respond to an ambush, the dirt canal road
gave way and a Light Armored Vehicle (LAV) had Fipped over. Several Marines were injured, and Greg MacDonald was killed. In the meantime, the sun had gone down and in the dark, we digested the worst news possible. Bravo Company was not
going home together as we had come. There are certain things that will always stand out in my mind from his ceremony in Iraq. Not a day goes by that I
don't recall the sinking feeling I got when Greg's rifle, bayonet fixed, was abruptly stabbed into the ground. My first instinct as a Marine was to cringe because a rifle should always be treated with respect and thus should never touch the ground, especially with its muzzle down. Then I felt even more uneasy. The full extent of the loss of Greg started to sink in at that moment because of the fact that he was not near his rifle. The entire time we were deployed, we kept our rifles within at least a few feet of our bodies and a weapon that was unaccompanied by its Marine was somewhat incomprehensible. When his weapon was surrounded by his empty boots, dog tags and
helmet, the reality had fully sunken in. I would never care to see so many grown men cry again.
Greg had so much potential and so many dreams that would never come to fruition. I had frequently heard throughout my life that I had so much potential, but that it was disappointing how I never put in the effort to fulfill it. I concluded that if I were to continue in the trajectory I was headed in and waste my talents away, I would be
letting Mac down, something I could not ever let happen.
Since his death, Greg has inspired me to live my life to my fullest potential
by relentlessly pursuing my goals. I was inspired to change my
major from something I had no interest in to one that I was passionate
about and in one that I excelled in. I was inspired to obtain a challenging
position in finance upon graduation from college. And most recently,
along with the training I received in the Marine Corps, I was
inspired to be prepared to persevere through mental and physical hardships
while training for and running the Ironman Triathlon in a foreign
country. I am honored to have served with Greg and all the others who
have dutifully served our country. Helping other veterans by raising
funds for Jericho in Greg's name is my way of saying thank you.

More Problems with the Flying Gold POS Osprey

Crikey! WTH Now? Not much. Except the flying gold POS is also a flying fire starter. The Osprey, the black hole of Marine Corps Budgets is a pyromaniac at starting fires where ever it lands. Even Ships? Yes. Even ships:

"It was discovered that on smaller deck amphibious ships, heat from the downward-pointing nacelles could potentially warp the stringers underneath the deck plates. “We’re concerned with heat on the LPD and LSD decks because the steel is so thin,”
"It was discovered" it was discovered...excusemeeeeee! 72 million dollars of taxpayer money and it was discovered that you can not land the the gold brick anywhere for fear of either melting the deck or starting a forest fire.

An MV-22 Osprey made a precautionary landing Wednesday night in a national game land after one of its engines ran low on fuel, officials said. The pilot landed about 7 p.m. in a field in Holly Shelter Game Land in Pender County, which is south of the air station. After the Osprey was fueled, it was ready to take off until the grass underneath it caught fire from the heat exhaust.

“The grass fire was quickly extinguished by the crew chief, but caused an undetermined amount of heat damage to the aircraft exterior,” the Marine statement said.

Money well spent.

Happy Birthday MARINES!!!

Bravo 4 LAR Marines minus their War Pigs AKA as Riverines in Iraq.
Birthday Greetings from the CMC.

R 082000z OCT 08
ALMAR 042/08
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC CMC//
SUBJ/UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS BIRTHDAY MESSAGE - 10 NOVEMBER 2008//
POC/SSGT M. BELL/ADMIN CHIEF/UNIT:CMC STAFF GROUP/-
/TEL:(703) 614-2326//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1. DURING THE SUMMER OF 1982, IN THE WAKE OF A
PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE, MARINES WENT ASHORE AT BEIRUT, LEBANON.
FIFTEEN MONTHS LATER, ON 23 OCTOBER 1983, EXTREMISTS STRUCK THE
FIRST MAJOR BLOW AGAINST AMERICAN FORCES - STARTING THIS LONG WAR ON
TERRORISM. ON THAT SUNDAY MORNING, A SUICIDE BOMBER DROVE AN
EXPLOSIVE-LADEN TRUCK INTO THE HEADQUARTERS OF BATTALION LANDING
TEAM 1/8, DESTROYING THE BUILDING AND KILLING 241 MARINES AND
CORPSMEN.
2. EXTREMISTS HAVE ATTACKED OUR NATION, AT HOME AND ABROAD,
NUMEROUS TIMES SINCE THAT FATEFUL DAY IN BEIRUT. THEIR AIM HAS
ALWAYS BEEN THE SAME - TO KILL AS MANY INNOCENT AMERICANS AS
POSSIBLE. THE ATTACKS OF 11 SEPTEMBER 2001 CHANGED OUR NATION
FOREVER, AND OUR PRESIDENT HAS RESOLVED THAT THIS NATION WILL NOT
STAND IDLE WHILE MURDEROUS TERRORISTS PLOT THEIR NEXT STRIKE.
MARINES WILL CONTINUE TO TAKE THE FIGHT TO THE ENEMY - HITTING THEM
ON THEIR OWN TURF, CRUSHING THEM WHEN THEY SHOW THEMSELVES, AND
FINDING THEM WHERE THEY HIDE.
3. ONLY A FEW AMERICANS CHOOSE THE DANGEROUS, BUT NECESSARY, WORK
OF FIGHTING OUR NATION'S ENEMIES. WHEN OUR CHAPTER OF HISTORY IS
WRITTEN, IT WILL BE A SAGA OF A SELFLESS GENERATION OF MARINES WHO
WERE WILLING TO STAND UP AND FIGHT FOR OUR NATION; TO DEFEND THOSE
WHO COULD NOT DEFEND THEMSELVES; TO THRIVE ON THE HARDSHIP AND
SACRIFICE EXPECTED OF AN ELITE WARRIOR CLASS; TO MARCH TO THE SOUND
OF THE GUNS; AND TO ABLY SHOULDER THE LEGACY OF THOSE MARINES WHO
HAVE GONE BEFORE.
4. ON OUR 233RD BIRTHDAY, FIRST REMEMBER THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED AND
THOSE "ANGELS" WHO HAVE FALLEN - OUR REPUTATION WAS BUILT ON THEIR
SACRIFICES. REMEMBER OUR FAMILIES; THEY ARE THE UNSUNG HEROES WHOSE
SUPPORT AND DEDICATION ALLOW US TO ANSWER OUR NATION'S CALL.
FINALLY, TO ALL MARINES AND SAILORS, KNOW THAT I AM PROUD OF YOU AND
WHAT YOU DO. YOUR SUCCESSES ON THE BATTLEFIELD HAVE ONLY ADDED TO
OUR ILLUSTRIOUS HISTORY. GENERAL VICTOR H. "BRUTE" KRULAK SAID IT
BEST WHEN HE WROTE, "... THE UNITED STATES DOES NOT NEED A MARINE
CORPS ... THE UNITED STATES WANTS A MARINE CORPS." YOUR ACTIONS, IN
IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN, AND ACROSS THE GLOBE, ARE AT THE CORE OF WHY
AMERICA LOVES HER MARINES.
5. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARINES AND SEMPER FIDELIS! JAMES T. CONWAY,
GENERAL, U.S. MARINE CORPS, COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS//

Colonel John Ripley RIP

Green Machine AKA USMC handiwork is Front and Center in Georgia

Georgian military forces are butting heads with Ruski armor and infantry supported by big wing aircraft this week. A U.S. military advisory mission, mostly USMC has been in Georgia for years. Training Georgians in the fine art of combat. Guess we are going to find out this just how much of this training and advisory operation was bullshit. Pedal to the Metal!

Marines Take 96 Hours to Clear Out Taliban Orcs--Sounds About Right

New York Times:"But it took the Marines, specifically the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, about 96 hours to clear out the Taliban in a fierce battle in the past month and push them back about 6 miles."

AMERICAN FOREIGN LEGION AFL ---An idea from Fabius Maximus

Fabius Maximus has some ideas about starting an American Foreign Legion aka a Corps that will fight and only fight and kill and get rid of the be all you can be and Army of One bullshit. I like it. In 1965, fresh out of high school, it was the Corps I thought I was enlisting into instead of being surrounded by career lifers with chest sizes identical to their gut size with annual PT scores that beat mine---a three year cross country runner.

Another advantage: we’ll have a force enrolled expressly to fight. That would be an improvement, for recruiting is a form of deceit in our present scheme. Very much so for the Army. Extremely so for the Guard and Reserve. Not at all for the Marines. For many young men and women it is Russian Roulette, albeit with good odds that they will earn the money for an education without facing actual combat. Not all win. Jessica Lynch hoped to become a teacher. Her compatriot, Shoshana Johnson, joined the Army to be a cook. Prisoner of war for 22 days, she still suffers from her injuries (beaten and shot in both ankles).

Lance Cpl. Moses Cardenas, First LAR, Silver Star

Lance Cpl. Moses Cardenas, and Sgt. Randy M. Roedema II, First LAR, during an awards ceremony at the parade deck at Las Flores March 28. Cardenas was presented a Silver Star Medal for actions that saved Roedema's life.

Cardenas and Sgt. Randy M. Roedema were on a routine early morning zone reconnaissance patrol with the quick reaction force last year in Western Anbar province in Iraq. They happened upon a vehicle which crossed their sector, so they moved in to check it out, according to Cardenas.

After repeated attempts to get the driver and passengers of the truck to submit to a search, three men burst from the top of the vehicle and opened fire. The Marines quickly attempted to bound back to their vehicles for cover, and to allow their turret gunners an open line-of-fire.

Three Marines were hit. Lance Cpl. Christian Vasquez was killed, and Cardenas was hit in the neck. After he hit the deck, he looked up and saw that Roedema was on the ground.

“I saw my sergeant laying down and I said, ‘Not today,’” Cardenas recounted after the ceremony.

Already injured, Cardenas began dragging Roedema to safety, but they had more than 50 meters to cover, so Cardenas alternated dragging Roedema with applying suppressive fire with his squad automatic weapon.

“’You’re going to see you’re daughter,’ that’s what he said when he was pulling me,” said Roedema, 25, from Denver, Colo. “He saved my life.”

Cardenas was again hit with a round from the insurgent’s weapons, but he continued pulling Roedema until they we both safely behind cover, and only later, after a corpsman arrived, did Cardenas receive attention for his wounds. USMC

Berkeley Backs Down--Mayor Tom Bates Apologizes to Marines

The effect of the possible loss of 2.3 million in federal funding for Berkeley city projects after the city council issued a letter stating the U.S. Marine recruiting office on Shattuck Avenue was not welcome and the Marines were "unwelcome intruders" hit the city officials hard in nut lockers and today those bastions of democracy are singing a different tune and it's not Tom Petty's: "I Won't Back Down"

Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates, a retired U.S. Army Captain:

"We apologize for any offense to any families of anyone who may serve in Iraq. We want them to come home and be safe at home."

"That letter will probably be pulled back and maybe more moderate language will be put in place which is appropriate I think,"

Berkeley City Councilman Laurie Capitelli:

"Subtly stated in the resolution is perhaps an impugning of the soldiers fighting for us in Iraq and other places," Berkeley City Councilman Laurie Capitelli. "And that was never the intention but that really needs to be cleared up. As I walked to my car that night I realized I regretted it and I had made a mistake."

Facing the loss of 2.3 million has the effect of focusing the mind wonderfully. Don't you think?

Hollywood-these are your brains stuck on stupid:"Outside the Wire Beats Redacted"

Once upon a time, JD Johannes, USMC 1999, went to Iraq, solo, self financed, made a film that to date is beating the crap out of Hollywood war movie, Redacted, in sales. Hollywood can stay stuck on stupid and go the way of the dead tree media and the dinosaurs and the dodo and morph into compost.

J.D. Johannes:

"Brian DePalma's award winning anti-war movie earned $25,628.

It was made for $5,000,000.

That is .5% return of the initial investment.

My first documentary cost $35,000 to make, and thanks to the supporters of the Outside the Wire project, has made $23,464 or 67% return of the initial investment.

When one guy with a camera is beating Hollywood in rate of return and almost beating Hollywood in gross receipts--Hollywood has a problem."

Outside the Wire Buy the Movie here.

USMC Sgt. Aubrey McDade Jr.-NAVY CROSS

From Marine Corps Times:
Sgt. Aubrey McDade Jr. was a guest of First Lady Laura Bush during the Jan. 23 State of the Union speech in Washington.

Sgt. Aubrey McDade Jr. action's Nov. 11, 2004, Fallujah, Iraq, earned him the Navy Cross, the Navy’s second highest award for valor. The medal was presented to him during a ceremony at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., during a recruit graduation ceremony Jan. 19.

McDade, a drill instructor with Charlie Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, was a machine-gun squad leader with 1st Platoon, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, in Iraq in 2004.

On the night of Nov. 11, as the Marines in the platoon moved south into the city, they entered an alley where they immediately met a barrage of small-arms and machine-gun fire, according to McDade’s citation.

“In the opening seconds of the engagement, three Marines were seriously wounded as the well-positioned and expecting enemy pinned others down,” the citation states.

McDade “rushed from the rear of the platoon column toward the kill zone,” leading a machine-gun team into the alley to spray suppressive fire at insurgents.

The wounded Marines were pinned down under a blanket of gunfire that spewed furiously every time the other Marines tried to reach their injured comrades.

McDade told the platoon sergeant that he would get them.

“He just informed me that if I got hit he wasn’t going to be able to help me right then,” McDade said in an interview. “I wasn’t just going to let them sit out there like sitting ducks. They needed me, and I went.”

McDade, a fast-talking Houston native, described the alleyway as “real hot” as he dashed toward the first of the three injured Marines.

Using his body to cover the wounded leatherneck, McDade told him to pull his gear loose and then pulled the Marine over his shoulder.

“At first, he was on my shoulder, but there were a lot of rounds coming down the alleyway, so I kind of tossed him over,” he said.

McDade went back a second time, instructing the next wounded Marine to remove his gear before hauling him to safety.

The third Marine, a corporal killed in the alley, was also pulled from the kill zone.

‘Quick thinking’

McDade assisted in treating the Marines and aided in their medical evacuations.

“His quick thinking and aggressive actions were crucial in saving the lives of two of the three casualties,” the citation reads.

McDade said he’s tried to block out the horrors of that day.

Still, he said, “I can’t put it out of my mind.”

He said he shares what happened that day with his recruits. While other drill instructors may tell his story to their recruits early on, McDade makes a point of waiting to tell his recruits until they start going through the Crucible.

“I don’t want them to listen to me because I have a medal,” he said. “I want them to listen to me because I’m a Marine.”

When he was told he was going to be awarded the Navy Cross, he first said he didn’t want to accept the medal. He knew he’d be congratulated for receiving a medal, not for the pain and suffering he and his platoon went through in Iraq.

“This award, I’m accepting it for me, but at the same time I’m accepting it for all the Marines who go before and after me,” he said.

Sgt. Jason A. Gagliano,BRONZE STAR

Byline: Lcpl. R. Little

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C., Oct. 12, 2006 — Sgt. Jason A. Gagliano, a squad leader with 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment received the Bronze Star medal for heroic achievement in connection with combat operations in Fallujah, Iraq, while in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Gagliano’s unit was conducting a reconnaissance patrol on Jan. 7, when they were attacked with small arms fire from an unknown location.

“We went out on a lot of patrols, and you can’t help but think each time you go out patrolling that you’re going to get attacked,” Gagliano said.

During the attack, two of Gagliano’s Marines were mortally wounded. “We were shot at out of nowhere and one of my Marines was shot, another Marine tried to retrieve him but he was shot as well,” he said.

Gagliano ordered his squad to suppress the enemy with heavy fire as he threw a smoke grenade to help conceal his squad.

“I had to think quickly, even though we had Marines down, I had to make sure no one else got hit while we tried to rescue the Marines,” Gagliano explained.

A corpsman with his squad, who ran out to get one of the Marines, was also shot. Despite the heavy rifle fire, Gagliano directed one team to return fire in the enemies’ direction while he led Marines into the street to recover the wounded Marines on three separate occasions.

“The only thing I could think about was getting my Marines to safety and getting my fallen Marines out of the hot zone,” he explained. “A lot goes through your head when you get engaged in a firefight, but we went through so many exercises that my body just took over and knew exactly what to do.”

Gagliano established a casualty collection point for the medical evacuation and directed follow-on forces toward the suspected enemy position once the entire squad had moved to safety.

“Our main worry was getting everyone to safety, but once we accomplished that, I knew we needed to send Marines back out to fight,” Gagliano said.

The two Marines from his squad died from gunshot wounds but Gagliano’s quick thinking saved the life of the corpsman.