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[ghostgovt]

A Letter From Iraq

This is a note my friend Scott sent to his wife the day after the four contractors were killed in Fallujah. Scott was in the Armed Forces for years and is now working in Iraq as a contractor helping to rebuild Iraq while his wife and kids are in Flordia. He has a ground-level view, and his words are chilling and scary and powerful.
I know about the news. We need Collin Powell back in charge. Discipline is slipping in the forces and it reminds one of the Viet-Nam pictures of old. Instead of a professional military outfit here we have a bunch of cowboys and vigilantes running wild in the streets. The ugly American has never been so evident. Someone in charge needs to drop the hammer on this lack of discipline, especially that which is being hown by the Special Forces, security contractors, and "other government agencies". We won the war but that doesn't mean we can treat the people of this couotry with contempt and disregard with no thought to the consequences. Those contractors, just like the last ones who were killed, were out running free with no military escort. Armed or not, that is a breach of protocol and a severe security risk. While I grieve for the families of those persons I would like to see the person who decided that it was alright for them to convoy out there without the military brought up on charges, unless of course that person was in the convoy, in which case at least he won't be getting anyone else killed. I'm angry about how we're treating peope here. I know it's not the entire military, in fact it is a very small, select group that believes they are somehow above the law of not ony this land but also the law of the military and those laws we hold dear in ouor own country. If someone were to try to treat our fellow Americans the way some of these people are treating the Iraquis the courts would certainly lock them away. I would phrase that last line harsher, but in light of recent events that would be cruel. Discipline is needed here, and I'm not certain that our current administration is prepared to take the steps necessary to crack down on all of this. In order for discipline to be restored I do believe Donald Rumsfield would have to admit that perhaps Powell's rules of war were in fact valid.

Please feel free to send my comments to any Senator, Member of the House,
Governor, President, or Secretary of Defense that you would like.

I don't know how to contexualize these words. I'm embarrassed to be an American because of the acts of the few that he speaks of, but I remain of my country because I am proud to know Americans like Scott who have served our nation in ways I can't imagine doing. I am angry that he is there, away from his wife and kids, seeing what he is seeing. I am angry that this job was the best thing he could find after giving the Army many years of service. I am angry that this administration has created this situation, that now seems more dire by the day.

[Marine]

New clothes, toys for Afghanistan ‘tots’
Submitted by: MCB Hawaii
Story Identification #: 2005101291744
Story by Sgt. Robert M. Storm



NANGALAM, Afghanistan (Oct. 4, 2005) -- Marines and sailors of 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment handed out over 600 school outfits Oct. 3 to local village children. The battalion recently began a campaign to bring clothing, toys and school supplies to the children in the neighboring village of Nangalam.

“I got the idea because I used to run the toys-for-tots in Moscow; I did a tour over there as a Marine Security Guard,” said Sgt. Eric J. Rinda, infantryman, from Centennial, Colo. “I thought about doing it as soon as we arrived when I saw how poor the kids were.”

The Marines and sailors wrote home to parents and friends asking for help with donations. The objectives of the Marines and sailors were the same overall as those of the Toys for Tots program - to help the children throughout Nangalam feel the enjoyment of new clothes and toys. Packages arrived from all over the United States almost immediately coming from California to New Jersey.

“I even contacted the National Football League, and they sent us boxes of tote bags,” said 1st Lt. Matt D. Bartels, officer-in-charge Camp Blessing, from Minneapolis, Minn. “We have so much stuff that we’re running out of room to put it all. We’ve filled up a quadcon, and we still have more stuff coming.”

The school house that teaches over 600 students is nothing more than an empty building with 10 separate rooms. The school lacks even the most basic amenities. The children do not have heat in the winter or fans in the summer. The school does not contain any restrooms, and the rooms lack windows.

The Marines attacked the project with a passion after seeing the condition of the school.

“I have a brother that’s a school teacher in Pennsylvania, and once he talked to the principal about it, they managed to get boxes for donations put up in every school in the district,” said Rinda. “I expect to be receiving packages until the day that we leave Afghanistan.”

One of the biggest accomplishments of the drive is the new school outfits for the children. Using donations from families and a collection from the Marines and sailors of Camp Blessing, new clothes were purchased for each student.

“It was kind of a big deal when we handed out the new outfits. Many of the children haven’t had new clothes in over a year,” said Bartels.

“We thank the Marines and everyone back in United States who have given. They’ve done a great thing; it is a great help to our village children,” said Muhammad Abas, school principal.

E-mail Sgt. Robert M. Storm at robert.storm@usmc.mil

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf...F8?opendocument

[ghostgovt]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,95145,00.html


Rowdy Bride Spends Wedding Night in Jail
Tuesday, August 19, 2003
By Kate Sheehy


SOUTH WINDSOR, Conn. — A Connecticut bride from hell wound up in a cell after flying into a rage at her reception, lobbing wedding cake at her new hubby, smashing flower vases and then trying to bite the cop who tried to cart her off, witnesses and police said.

"Everything seemed to go fine until 4 in the afternoon, when the bar was closed," recalled Helmar Wolf, co-owner of The Mill on the River (search) restaurant in South Windsor, where the posh Saturday reception was held for guests including Marines just back from Iraq.

Wolf said the sordid saga started when restaurant workers first noticed some members of the tipsy bridal party sneaking behind the closed bar to try and nab one more nip for the road.

They were warned to stop, and they did — briefly, he said.

"But after about three minutes, there was somebody else behind there grabbing a bottle of Grey Goose [a pricey vodka]," he told The Post last night.

The pickled pack was chased away again. That's when an irate bridesmaid confronted the staff and griped that they should be allowed to continue drinking, Wolf said.

She then tried to get behind the bar again — even gloatingly making an obscene gesture to the security camera above it, he said.
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But what happened next "could have been on 'Jerry Springer,'" Wolf said.

Wolf said he heard screaming outside his window and looked out to see enraged bride Adrienne T. Samen, 18, of North Haven, spewing obscenities at her "very nice" new husband, a Marine cadet.

"She started taking out the wedding cake [from the car] and smashing it on the ground. She took all the vases out and threw them against the building. There was glass all over the parking lot," he said.

"Then she dove on top of the car, landing on the hood. She fell to the ground."

That was when things "got a little bit out of hand," Wolf said.

An enraged Samen furiously began walking away down the road — with her wedding dress over her head, he said.

Wolf said that's when he called the cops.

But Samen wasn't ready to go without a fight, police said.

Swearing as they cuffed her and got her into a cruiser, the feisty teen then tried to bite the arm of one officer and kicked the car's door and window, they said.

Samen was eventually charged with disorderly conduct and breach of peace.

"[The police] provided her with a bridal suite for the evening — at the town jail," Wolf quipped.

The belligerent bride was released later that night after posting $1,000 bond, cops said.

Samen was reportedly already on her honeymoon with her new hubby Monday. She is due in Manchester Superior Court (search) on Aug. 28.

[Marine]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,95145,00.html
Rowdy Bride Spends Wedding Night in Jail
Tuesday, August 19, 2003
By Kate Sheehy
SOUTH WINDSOR, Conn.  — A Connecticut bride from hell wound up in a cell after flying into a rage at her reception, lobbing wedding cake at her new hubby, smashing flower vases and then trying to bite the cop who tried to cart her off, witnesses and police said.

"Everything seemed to go fine until 4 in the afternoon, when the bar was closed," recalled Helmar Wolf, co-owner of The Mill on the River (search) restaurant in South Windsor, where the posh Saturday reception was held for guests including Marines just back from Iraq.

Wolf said the sordid saga started when restaurant workers first noticed some members of the tipsy bridal party sneaking behind the closed bar to try and nab one more nip for the road.

They were warned to stop, and they did — briefly, he said.

"But after about three minutes, there was somebody else behind there grabbing a bottle of Grey Goose [a pricey vodka]," he told The Post last night.

The pickled pack was chased away again. That's when an irate bridesmaid confronted the staff and griped that they should be allowed to continue drinking, Wolf said.

She then tried to get behind the bar again — even gloatingly making an obscene gesture to the security camera above it, he said.
ADVERTISEMENTS

But what happened next "could have been on 'Jerry Springer,'" Wolf said.

Wolf said he heard screaming outside his window and looked out to see enraged bride Adrienne T. Samen, 18, of North Haven, spewing obscenities at her "very nice" new husband, a Marine cadet.

"She started taking out the wedding cake [from the car] and smashing it on the ground. She took all the vases out and threw them against the building. There was glass all over the parking lot," he said.

"Then she dove on top of the car, landing on the hood. She fell to the ground."

That was when things "got a little bit out of hand," Wolf said.

An enraged Samen furiously began walking away down the road — with her wedding dress over her head, he said.

Wolf said that's when he called the cops.

But Samen wasn't ready to go without a fight, police said.

Swearing as they cuffed her and got her into a cruiser, the feisty teen then tried to bite the arm of one officer and kicked the car's door and window, they said.

Samen was eventually charged with disorderly conduct and breach of peace.

"[The police] provided her with a bridal suite for the evening — at the town jail," Wolf quipped.

The belligerent bride was released later that night after posting $1,000 bond, cops said.

Samen was reportedly already on her honeymoon with her new hubby Monday. She is due in Manchester Superior Court (search) on Aug. 28.

Sounds like this is the kind of woman the military ought to be enlisting, eh ghost? Probably solve all the concerns you got about sexual assault too.

[Marine]

Marine uses Corps techniques to train hockey players
Submitted by: New York City Public Affairs
Story Identification #: 2005101213536
Story by Cpl. Lameen Witter



LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (Oct. 12, 2005) -- Marine Corps cadence broke the pristine peace and quiet of Lake Placid as the New York Apple Core’s Future Stars Junior “C” minor team recently hustled down the town’s main road for Boot Camp Hockey.

Maj. Dave Andersen, an active-duty Marine, part time junior hockey league coach, and founder of the week-long hockey intensive known as Boot Camp Hockey, said he drew his inspiration for the program from his years as a Basic School instructor at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va.

Having played hockey all his life, Andersen began to see similarities between the demands of hockey and that of the Marine Corps.

“I just took the leadership techniques and principles I have been studying for the past 19-plus years and put it into a school format that all pointed back to hockey,” said Andersen. “I then developed an ‘operations and logistics’ plan to support the concept and it was born. With my experience, it actually came natural.”

As Andersen cultivated his idea, he borrowed a concept from Officer’s Candidate School and The Basic School where the students actually run the school on their own as they are supervised by the staff and then critiqued by their peers. Andersen then further intensified his program by making the training as physically demanding as possible while still focusing on the fundamentals of honor, courage, and commitment.

“I force responsibility on the student athletes by having them run everything,” said Andersen. “They are supervised and through many different techniques, they come out better leaders. They learn a lot about themselves and then receive counseling on how they can improve certain aspects of their leadership – most have never had this much responsibility!”

Andersen, having established a relationship with Lake Placid’s Olympic venues, unleashed his hockey intensive at the Olympic Training Center and the 1980 Herb Brooks Arena. Trying to invoke the spirit of America’s gold medal winning Hockey team of 1980, Andersen felt his decision would be inspirational to his athletes and hopefully create their own “miracle on ice.”

“The relationship is unique, but it goes hand-in-hand with my message,” said Andersen. “I let them know that where we literally stand is where the greatest sport’s miracle of our century was accomplished by athletes not much different from them – and that they have it in them as well.”

Andersen’s Boot Camp Hockey continues to take shape. Mike Gestone, one of Andersen’s student athletes, can already see how Boot Camp Hockey has enhanced his ability as a hockey athlete.

Gestone recently felt the pressure during a tournament in Montreal. The team was faced with a 2-2 tie, but the training they recieved from Andersen help them overcome their challenges.

"It’s sort of like Coach Andersen says, 'hockey is like a battle in war,'" said Gestone.

Now, nearing retirement in the Marine Corps, Andersen turns his attention further to the future of his hockey program.

“I recently reached an agreement with the State University of New York at Morrisville, just south of Syracuse, to run the camp full time next summer. The plan is for about 5-8 weeks, and I will have the camp for ages 12 and up,” said Andersen.

Andersen is also currently looking for Marines who will be free next summer to “drill” his hockey recruits. Candidates need to have a quality hockey background, such as college or junior “A” experience and be free for the entire summer. Andersen will be accepting applicants until May 2006.

Those interested can email Andersen at Andersendc@hqmc.usmc.mil. For more information on Boot Camp Hockey visit www.bootcamphockey.com.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf...86?opendocument

[ghostgovt]

Sounds like this is the kind of woman the military ought to be enlisting, eh ghost?  Probably solve all the concerns you got about sexual assault too.

you got it #780, only the best makes it here.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4058795.stm

Police murderer jailed for life
David Bieber
David Bieber had denied murdering the traffic Pc
A former US marine has been jailed for life for the murder of Pc Ian Broadhurst, who was shot in Leeds on Boxing Day 2003.

David Bieber, 38, was also convicted of the attempted murders of Pcs Neil Roper and James Banks.

Newcastle Crown Court heard how Bieber shot Pc Broadhurst in the head at point blank range despite the 34-year-old pleading for his life.

Bieber, of Springwood Road, Leeds, was ordered to spend his life in jail.

The bodybuilder was given concurrent life sentences with a minimum of eight years for the attempted murders of Pcs Roper and Banks.

'Cool and detached'

Bieber had fled to the UK after he was wanted in the US for conspiracy to commit murder. He started a new life using the alias Nathan Coleman.

Jailing him, trial Judge Mr Justice Moses told Bieber he had shown "no remorse or understanding of the brutality" of his crime.
PC IAN BROADHURST
Pc Ian Broadhurst

Valued officer paid with his life
Police car camera

The judge said Bieber had continued to maintain a cool and detached approach when attempting to explain the evidence against him.

The judge said Pc Broadhurst and Pc Roper had treated Bieber with "conspicuous fairness and consideration".

He added: "You repaid their courtesy by killing Pc Broadhurst and attempting to murder Pc Roper."

He told the court the aggravating feature in the case was that Bieber did not need to shoot Pc Broadhurst through the head.

He added: "You had already disabled him and he was defenceless.

"You could have escaped then but you chose to wait and fire a second shot at point-blank range.

To shoot and kill an officer in such circumstances, doing no more than trying to serve us all, is an attack on all of us
Mr Justice Moses

Popular athlete turned murderer

"It must be acknowledged that he might have died as a result of your first shot, but you made certain of his death."

The judge said that action meant Bieber could not be released early from jail and must spend his life in prison.

He has become one of only 25 people to be given "whole" life sentences in England and Wales. Others have included Harold Shipman, Myra Hindley and Jeremy Bamber.

Justice Moses said: "To shoot and kill an officer in such circumstances, doing no more than trying to serve us all, is an attack on all of us, and whilst it is a tragedy for family, friends and colleagues which we cannot share, it is a loss to us all."

Unanimous verdicts

The jury of six men and six women delivered unanimous verdicts on all of the charges.

They did not know Bieber was a drug dealer who had fled to the UK from Florida where he was wanted by police over a plot to hire a gunman to kill a love rival.

Bieber was also suspected of hiring the same gunman to murder his former girlfriend, but the attempt on her life failed.

Security had been tight throughout the trial with a police helicopter circling the court each day and roads closed when he was brought to the court.

Armed officers were also on duty around the court.

Recording equipment

An audio recording of the shooting incident was played to the jury during the 11-day trial.

Pc Ian Broadhurst was heard to plead for his life before being "calmly" shot in the head.

Pc Banks' radio
A bullet fired at Pc Banks hit his police radio
He and his colleagues had been checking a car, a black BMW, which they suspected had been stolen.

Voice recording equipment in their patrol car was switched on and the court heard conversations between the officers and Bieber.

Pc Roper was heard to get out of the patrol car and open the rear door to handcuff the man in the back.

At that stage the officer shouted "He's got a gun" and that was followed by four shots and screams.

Then the words, "No don't, don't. Please, please no", followed by a fifth and final shot.

Pc Broadhurst was initially shot in the chest.

The second and third shots were fired at Pc Roper hitting him in the shoulder.

A fourth shot was aimed at Pc James Banks, who was saved when it hit his radio.

The fifth and final shot was fired inches away from Pc Broadhurst's head as he lay pleading on the ground.

Bieber had claimed a friend of his, a fellow US national from Florida, was the gunman.

But the former marine, who had trained with handguns and assault rifles for a year before being discharged, refused to name the man in court.

[Acebass]

TROOP NEWS


From Iraq, Soldier Says "Bush Ought To Be Impeached"

Nicholas Pulliam ... "save our soldiers' futures"

(Thanks to Debbie Clark, Georgia Veterans For Peace, for posting.)

10/12/2005 By EVAN LEHMANN, The Lowell Sun Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON -- The flatbed gun truck failed in the desert night, leaving Sgt. Nicholas Pulliam and his freight of cut vehicle armor easing to the Iraq roadside.

The Chelmsford resident was near the end of a 25-truck convoy, following a "slacker" full of fuel, whose tail lights didn't work. The green chemical glow sticks taped to the rig as replacements slowly faded before the whole convoy rumbled to a stop.

"I was not in a safe place and I knew it," Pulliam wrote in an e-mail received by his parents on Saturday.

The convoy, now towing Pulliam's truck, finally reached the restive city of Ramadi, a 35-mile trip that lasted more than three hours. It was received by insurgent gunshots; all seemed to miss, trailing bright tracers.

But Pulliam, a 43-year-old engineer with a law degree, had a bigger breakdown on his mind than an engine mishap: the United States' policy in Iraq.

Yesterday, he called for a complete withdrawal of U.S. troops before September 2006, titling his proposal "Rational Disengagement." He posted it on an Internet blog, an online journal operated by Bedford activist Brian Hart, whose 20-year-old son, Army Pvt. First Class John Hart, was killed nearly two years ago in Iraq during an ambush near Kirkuk.

"I am just an American citizen-soldier who wants to see an end to this hemorrhaging and get back to my life away from Iraq," writes Pulliam, who resides on Main Street with his wife, Awilda, and their two children, ages 8 and 10.

"Iraq will have some very hard times to follow our disengagement, but I see this as inevitable anyway so why should we (Americans) continue to bleed only to prolong the pain that is coming," Pulliam writes. "I don't view this as defeatism, I view it as rationalism."

Next month, Pulliam will complete his second eight-year commitment in the military, first in the National Guard, then the Army Reserve. He joined in the early 1980s as a way to pay for college, said his parents, Brown and Lois Pulliam of Bedford. He has been serving in Iraq for about a year and his parents expect him to be discharged by early December.

A machinist at Al Taqaddum Air Base near Falluja, Pulliam harbors deep distrust of President Bush and vehemently opposes the war, his father said.

"He thinks it's a crime," Brown Pulliam said of the war, "and that Bush ought to be impeached."

His parents are unconcerned about possible disciplinary action, saying such possibilities are friendly compared to the threats of war.

"I don't see how that would be more dangerous," Lois Pulliam said of military discipline.

She and her husband twice traveled to Washington during the 1960s to protest the Vietnam War.

"We thought we were helping to make sure nothing like that happened again," Lois Pulliam said of that conflict. "Here it is happening again."

Brian Hart created the blog -- www.minstrelboy.-blogspot.com -- as an alternative to the deluge of e-mails he received following the death of his son. He's become a vocal critic of the war and an advocate for increased supply of body and vehicle armor.

Pulliam, too, hopes his words cause a stir, saying too many soldiers have died.

"We need to start somewhere," he writes in the blog posting. "We need to save our soldier's futures."

What do you think? Comments from service men and women, and veterans, are especially welcome. Send to contact@militaryproject.org. Name, I.D., withheld on request. Replies confidential.

[Marine]

Next month, Pulliam will complete his second eight-year commitment in the military, first in the National Guard, then the Army Reserve. He joined in the early 1980s as a way to pay for college, said his parents, Brown and Lois Pulliam of Bedford. He has been serving in Iraq for about a year and his parents expect him to be discharged by early December.

Gosh, every time you guys post this stuff I wonder if the people who write it proof it before putting out on their blog.

The story says he joined in the early 1980s which would be anytime between 20 and 25 years ago. If this fellow is completing his second 8 year committment then I think that adds up to 16 years.

I guess this guy might have been in Iraq in the first Gulf War but getting out sometime between 4 and 9 years ago sort of precludes him being there in the current conflict, now doesn't it?

I know Marines ain't the smartest things walking around but is this some new kind of math or are we caught in a time warp where things aren't suppose to add up?

[no retreat, no s...]

Gosh, every time you guys post this stuff I wonder if the people who write it proof it before putting out on their blog.

The story says he joined in the early 1980s which would be anytime between 20 and 25 years ago.  If this fellow is completing his second 8 year committment then I think that adds up to 16 years.

I guess this guy might have been in Iraq in the first Gulf War but getting out sometime between 4 and 9 years ago sort of precludes him being there in the current conflict, now doesn't it?

I know Marines ain't the smartest things walking around but is this some new kind of math or are we caught in a time warp where things aren't suppose to add up?

I'm not sure if I understand your comment? Are you assuming that his two 8 year committments were back to back? I'm not a military person but couldn't he have been in the service for 8 years, been a civilian for awhile and then decided to sign up again for a 2nd 8 year committment? Do the committments have to be back to back?

[flydangler]

I'm not sure if I understand your comment? Are you assuming that his two 8 year committments were back to back? I'm not a military person but couldn't he have been in the service for 8 years, been a civilian for awhile and then decided to sign up again for a 2nd 8 year committment? Do the committments have to be back to back?

Methinks where the math doesn't add up is that, unless things've changed since I retired from the military in 1996, there ain't any such thing as an eight year commitment. The initial obligation is now for eight years, but in the 80's was only for six. Regular enlistments normally incurred active obligations of two, three, four or six years, and reserve reenlistments (to include both active and inactive service) were for the same. There could well be broken service, but when the article specifically mentions eight year commitments it should raise flags for any who know the system.

One other thing that don't make sense is that the subject of the article is referred to as "a 43-year-old engineer with a law degree" in one place, but "A machinist at Al Taqaddum Air Base near Falluja" in another. Although possible, methinks 'tis improbable an attorney would pass up getting a commission in the Judge Advocate General Corps. This raises more flags, at least to them what have any real understandin' of military service, eh?

[winston smith]

Gosh, every time you guys post this stuff I wonder if the people who write it proof it before putting out on their blog.

The story says he joined in the early 1980s which would be anytime between 20 and 25 years ago.  If this fellow is completing his second 8 year committment then I think that adds up to 16 years.

I guess this guy might have been in Iraq in the first Gulf War but getting out sometime between 4 and 9 years ago sort of precludes him being there in the current conflict, now doesn't it?

I know Marines ain't the smartest things walking around but is this some new kind of math or are we caught in a time warp where things aren't suppose to add up?

You know, Marine, you and I don't agree on much, but I guess there's always a first time. Since when is a guy with and engineering degree going to be a machinist? Since when is an Army machinist stationed at an air force base? While it doesn't say that he passed the bar- a requisite to be part of JAG- he could still be a WO investigator for JAG. Too much here don't add up, even to a flunky airman like me.

[Marine]

I'm not sure if I understand your comment? Are you assuming that his two 8 year committments were back to back? I'm not a military person but couldn't he have been in the service for 8 years, been a civilian for awhile and then decided to sign up again for a 2nd 8 year committment? Do the committments have to be back to back?

Well, I was just pointing out the obvious that the math didn't add up. Sure the individual could have served 8 years took some time off then returned for 8 years but I would think if they did they would be pretty damned stupid. As Doc pointed out there ain't no such thing as an 8 year committment but I was giving the the benefit of the doubt that they had two 4 year committments back to back. To me it was obvious who ever wrote the article just did not have a good grasp of the details.

Anyone with any smarts what so ever after serving 8 years would either be an E-6 or be on the verge of making E-6. Leaving the military for 4 or more years would mean if they wanted to come back would have to accept a reduction in rank. Most likely to E-3 or less. Let me tell you, there is a vast difference in serving as an E-6 and as an E-3, especially in the Army, Marines, or Air Force.

Doc Flydangler sited several other inconsistant items and probably didn't pick up on that because E-6 is the last rank in the Navy before making Chief. In the Army, Marines, & Air Force there is a vast difference existing between E-6 Staff NCO and the lower ranks. The Navy makes this break at E-7.

I can't imagine someone investing 8 years of their life in the military, screwing it off for at least 4 years then investing another 8 years then screwing it off again.

[Indianhead]

A Letter From Iraq

This is a note my friend Scott sent to his wife the day after the four contractors were killed in Fallujah. Scott was in the Armed Forces for years and is now working in Iraq as a contractor helping to rebuild Iraq while his wife and kids are in Flordia. He has a ground-level view, and his words are chilling and scary and powerful.
I know about the news. We need Collin Powell back in charge. Discipline is slipping in the forces and it reminds one of the Viet-Nam pictures of old. Instead of a professional military outfit here we have a bunch of cowboys and vigilantes running wild in the streets. The ugly American has never been so evident. Someone in charge needs to drop the hammer on this lack of discipline, especially that which is being hown by the Special Forces, security contractors, and "other government agencies". We won the war but that doesn't mean we can treat the people of this couotry with contempt and disregard with no thought to the consequences. Those contractors, just like the last ones who were killed, were out running free with no military escort. Armed or not, that is a breach of protocol and a severe security risk. While I grieve for the families of those persons I would like to see the person who decided that it was alright for them to convoy out there without the military brought up on charges, unless of course that person was in the convoy, in which case at least he won't be getting anyone else killed. I'm angry about how we're treating peope here. I know it's not the entire military, in fact it is a very small, select group that believes they are somehow above the law of not ony this land but also the law of the military and those laws we hold dear in ouor own country. If someone were to try to treat our fellow Americans the way some of these people are treating the Iraquis the courts would certainly lock them away. I would phrase that last line harsher, but in light of recent events that would be cruel. Discipline is needed here, and I'm not certain that our current administration is prepared to take the steps necessary to crack down on all of this. In order for discipline to be restored I do believe Donald Rumsfield would have to admit that perhaps Powell's rules of war were in fact valid.

Please feel free to send my comments to any Senator, Member of the House,
Governor, President, or Secretary of Defense that you would like.

I don't know how to contexualize these words. I'm embarrassed to be an American because of the acts of the few that he speaks of, but I remain of my country because I am proud to know Americans like Scott who have served our nation in ways I can't imagine doing. I am angry that he is there, away from his wife and kids, seeing what he is seeing. I am angry that this job was the best thing he could find after giving the Army many years of service. I am angry that this administration has created this situation, that now seems more dire by the day.

Ghost-

Sadly the actions of undiciplined men in unjustified wars gets crazy.
I saw it too. When the reason is questionable, it's not surprising the
actions of participants are too. There's a very fine line between
zapping an enemy or someone who just pisses you off after
enough days without sleep, in the heat, taking B.S. orders
which don't do a damned thing to complete a mission.
The redemption is standing up in your squad, your platoon,
and not letting it go on without stepping in.

Rather than telling my rinky-dink war stories...I'm reminded
of the Lafayette, La. WO that dropped his Huey into Mai Lay and
stopped the unbriddled onslaught. Tell your friend to make
his service count - and he'll sleep better later. Thanks for the post.

[SFC_White]

TROOP NEWS
From Iraq, Soldier Says "Bush Ought To Be Impeached"

Nicholas Pulliam ... "save our soldiers' futures"

(Thanks to Debbie Clark, Georgia Veterans For Peace, for posting.)

10/12/2005 By EVAN LEHMANN, The Lowell Sun Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON -- The flatbed gun truck failed in the desert night, leaving Sgt. Nicholas Pulliam and his freight of cut vehicle armor easing to the Iraq roadside.

The Chelmsford resident was near the end of a 25-truck convoy, following a "slacker" full of fuel, whose tail lights didn't work. The green chemical glow sticks taped to the rig as replacements slowly faded before the whole convoy rumbled to a stop.

Ya know PMCS (Preventive Maintenance Checks & Service) falls on the DRIVER of the vehicle. It pisses me off that every sad sack story break down is blamed on the Army, Equipment and the CINC. The bottom line that the vehicles care resides with the driver.... Some thing I stress EVERY day. If somethings broken take it to the Motor Pool and get it fixed.

You want to go out in the desert with checking your sh_t?#@$ This story reaks of "woah is me, pitty party".

[david sobien]

Since their lives really depend on the equipment working, I wonder why they did not get the stuff fixed? No one is that lazy to risk their lives. There must be more to the story.

[Marine]

Since their lives really depend on the equipment working, I wonder why they did not get the stuff fixed? No one is that lazy to risk their lives. There must be more to the story.

Well if you read the whole thread David it might clue you in to a bunch of inconsistancies in the original post.

I think SFC White might have picked up on yet another implausible tale woven into the story. I saw same stuff which I'd say is probably a load of baloney, Doc Flydangler saw some other things which just don't make sense, even Winston saw things which don't add up.

You know David, this story is a lot of the reason I get bothered about the antiwar movement. I see them write stories which make no sense and try to pass them off as the truth. If Bush tried lying to support his position all hell would bust loose. If the antiwar people do it you guys accept it at face value, don't worry that it is an attempt at deception, and as long as it supports the agenda then anything goes. You want to talk about kool aid drinking? If you got to rely on stories which make things up what does that tell you about your agenda?

This post has been edited by Marine: Oct 16 2005, 07:39 PM

[cardinal]

Ghost, always best to source things so people don't get confused.
A View From the Classroom

[Marine]

Kuwaiti-born Marine on third deployment in Iraq
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 20051027234413
Story by Cpl. Ken Melton



BARWANA, Iraq (Oct. 28, 2005) -- While many service members view a deployment to Iraq as a long separation from their family, Cpl. Yousef A. Badou sees it as a chance to visit his family who live in Kuwait near a U.S. military base.

Badou was born in Qurain, Kuwait, which he describes as the “Beverly Hills of the Middle East.” He lived there happily until the Iraqi invasion in 1991 when he and his family left for America, and it was there that he would find his calling in life.

“There were a lot of military members during that time, but the Marines seemed to stand out among the others,” the 22-year-old said. “When I was in the Boy Scouts, a lot of my troop leaders were Marine infantrymen and I knew that’s what I wanted to be too.”

Badou attended an American school in Kuwait and visited his mother’s family in America during summers, so when he moved there permanently in 1998, he adjusted to Western Civilization easily.

He attended the Michigan Military Academy and graduated from Portage Central High School in 2002 before joining the Marine Corps and becoming a scout, a job that he describes as a cross between a regular infantryman and a reconnaissance Marine.

His native language of Gulf Arabic played a huge part in enabling him to deploy and it has helped him accomplish many things that others without his language proficiency would not be able to do.

“During an early OIF (Operation Iraqi Freedom) deployment, I was guarding a bridge in Tikrit and it was only one lane. Sometimes people with emergency needs would have to pass and the language barrier would often add stress to an already tense situation,” the Portage, Michigan native said. “Once I had to direct traffic so that a pregnant woman could get to a nearby hospital. That was a great feeling knowing that I made the situation better.”

His language skills have enabled him to work with many aspects of the military, such as civil affairs, border patrols, Iraqi soldiers, reconnaissance squads and detainees. His ability to speak the Arabic language has even helped him in combat situations.

“In another deployment in support of OIF, Sgt. Bryan Seibert and I were on patrol near the Syrian border near Al Qa’im when we noticed some suspicious men and I was able to trick them into thinking we were locals by speaking with them,” Badou said smiling coyly. “We got closer to them and we were able to capture them even though it was two against eight.”

Eventually he learned the area and the border patrol members, which played to his advantage when he was engaged in a firefight.

“Sgt. Seibert and I were attacking Syrian smugglers when the border patrol approached,” Badou remembered. “I yelled and told who we were and they remembered me. Then I told them which direction the insurgents were. They could’ve fired on us thinking it was a smuggler posing as a service member.”

Badou, now deployed a third time, is working with 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance as a member of their commanding officer’s personal security jump team.

He knows his job as a scout and his Arabic language skills make him a force multiplier.

He plans to take his rest and relaxation period in the same place he usually takes it… at home in Kuwait.

“This is a big plus for me, essentially defending both of my homes and getting a free trip to visit my parents and siblings in Qurain,” Badou said smiling. “Then at the end of this deployment I will see them before I go back to my other safely defended home in America.”

http://www.marines.mil/marinelink/mcn2000....18?opendocument

[Marine]

Major Samuel Nicholas, first Commandant of the Marine Corps by tradition as the senior ranking officer in the Continental Marines, was born in Philadelphia in 1744. He received as a captain, the first commission issued in the Continental Naval Service, 18 days after the Continental Congress resolved on 10 November 1775, "That two battalions of Marines be raised consisting of one Colonel, two Lieutenant-Colonels, two Majors, and other officers, as usual in other regiments; that they consist of an equal number of Privates with other battalions; that particular care be taken that no persons be appointed to offices, or enlisted into said battalions, but such as are good seamen, or so acquainted with maritime affairs as to be able to serve by sea when required; that they be enlisted and commissioned to serve for and during the present war with Great Britain and the Colonies, unless dismissed by order of Congress; that they be distinguished by the names of the First and Second Battalion of Marines."

Captain Nicholas no sooner received official confirmation of his appointment to office than he established recruiting headquarters at Tun's Tavern, Philadelphia. By January 1776, having recruited a sufficient number of Marines to man the vessels that comprised the Continental Navy in the waters of Philadelphia, Capt Nicholas assumed command of Marine Detachment on board the Alfred. With Commodore Hopkins in command, the Alfred set sail from Philadelphia on the morning of 4 January 1776. The following month witnessed the baptismal fire of the Marines.

Lord Dunmore, with the British force under his command, had collected a store of arms and provisions at New Providence, in the Bahamas, and had done a great deal of injury along the Colonial coast, particularly the shore of Virginia. Commodore Hopkins had been ordered to processed to Avaco in the Bahamas, and from there to operate against the force of Lord Dunmore. Here the Commodore decided to make an attack on New Providence, capture the enemy's stores and cripple his supplies. Capt Nicholas was placed in command of the landing party, which consisted of about 250 Marines and sailors. This, the first landing party every engaged in by Continential Marines, was a complete success.

On 6 April 1776, the Marines participated in the first naval battle between an American squadron and the British, when His Majesty's Ship Glasgow blundered across the path of the squadron.

On 25 June 1776, Congress placed Capt Nicholas "at the head of the Marines with the rank of Major." Accordingly, Commodore Hopkins was advised to send Maj Nicholas to Philadelphia, with dispatches for the Continential Congress. With notification of his promotion he was ordered to report to the Marine Committee. The Committee detached him from the Alfred and ordered him to remain in the city, "to discipline four companies of Marines and prepare them for service as Marine guards for the frigates on the stocks." Having recruited and thoroughly organized four companies, he requested arms and equipment for them.

In December 1776, he wrote Congress, "The enemy having overrun the Jerseys, and our army being greatly reduced, I was ordered to march with three of the companies to be under the command of His Excellency, the Commander-in-Chief." This was the first example of a battalion of Marines about to serve as an actual fighting unit under the direct command of Army authority. The Marines did not, however, engage in the attack on Trenton, which followed General George Washington's crossing of the Delaware. They accomplished the most arduous task of ferrying the Continentals across the river.

After the first Battle of Trenton, the battalion of Marines under the command of Maj Nicholas participated in battle with a detachment of Cornwallis' main army at Princeton. During the ensuing months Maj Nicholas battalion served both as infantry and artillery, participating in several skirmishes.

Following the evacuation of Philadelphia by the British in June 1778, Marine Barracks were reestablished and recruiting renewed. From then until the close of the war, Maj Nicholas' duties at Philadelphia were somewhat similar to those of later Commandants. Moreover, he was actively in charge of recruiting, and at times acted as Muster Master of the Navy.

On 20 November 1779, he wrote Congress requesting that he be put in charge of the Marine Detachment on board the America, then in process of construction, but Congress was adamant in its intention that Maj Nicholas remain in Philadelphia.

After the disbandment of the Continental Marines and Navy following the end of the Revolutionary War in 1783, Maj Nicholas returned to civilian life. He died in Philadelphia on 27 August 1790, and was buried there in the Society of Friends Cemetery.

[Marine]

I had been real worried about this pilot because I heard he had been seen to eject but no one saw his chute. That usually means really bad news. Thank God he is ok.


Pilot Rescued After Marine Jet Crashes Off Fla. Coast

POSTED: 12:23 pm EST December 6, 2005
UPDATED: 4:41 pm EST December 6, 2005

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- The pilot of a Marine Harrier jet that crashed Tuesday off the coast of St. Augustine was rescued by a Coast Guard boat about four hours later.

The Marine AV-8B Harrier crashed about 9:20 a.m. and the pilot was rescued about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, said Bobby Nash, a Coast Guard spokesman.

The pilot, whose name was not immediately released, was being brought back to Mayport for medical tests.

Shortly after the Coast Guard was notified about the crash, an oil slick was spotted off the north Florida coast and a search was launched.

The pilot had been seen by another pilot parachuting to the sea after ejecting.

The AV-8B Harrier is a light attack aircraft that can take off and land vertically like a helicopter. It was assigned to Marine Attack Training Squadron 203 at Cherry Point, N.C.