Texas and the Military Options

[Marine]

Staford, Texas, Marine back in Iraq serving Corps, country
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 20056931929
Story by Cpl. Tom Sloan



AR RAMADI, Iraq (June 9, 2005) -- Lance Cpl. Tony Leal runs across a street here to a residence he and his Marines need to search. He drops to one knee, places his M-16A4 service rifle to his shoulder and provides security while his comrades quickly file in to dwelling’s entrance.

“We hard-target ourselves,” the rifleman and team leader with 3rd Squad, 4th Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, said from inside the house referring to way his team entered the building. “Snipers can’t get a good aim on us.”

When it comes to operating on Iraq’s urban battlefield, Leal knows the procedures well. This is deployment number two in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom for the 24-year-old from Staford, Texas, in as many years.

He engaged insurgents in firefights countless times when his infantry battalion swept through Fallujah last year. And this go round, he and his comrades have sustained their share of attacks from insurgents using improvised explosive devices.

“Yeah, I’ve been in gun fights, and we’ve been blown up,” he said. “That’s just part of it.”

Leal said firefights are the lesser of the two evils, which he’d prefer to deal with though enduring neither would be best.

“You can see and go after who’s shooting at you most of the time,” he said. “This time here they’re using IEDs and it’s hard to tell who’s doing it.”

Leal explained insurgents bury IEDs along roads military convoys travel then detonate them with cellular phones and other handheld electronic devices from afar.

This OIF veteran’s path to fighting insurgents here didn’t begin right after graduating from Staford High school in 1999, though. The times were somewhat peaceful then, and Leal desired a higher education.

“I’ve always wanted to be a cop,” he said.

Leal attended college at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. While there, he witnessed the terrorists’ attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. After graduating in 2003 with an Associates degree in Criminal Justice, Leal sought the neatest Marine recruiter.

“I saw the war going on, and I didn’t want to miss out on my chance to fight,” said Leal. “I chose the infantry so I could see the front lines.”

In late 2003, Leal attended Marine Corps Recruit Training at the depot in San Diego and earned the title “Marine.” He then learned how to be an infantryman at the School of Infantry West at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif. Upon completion of his infantry training he received orders to 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, and deployed to Iraq in 2004 to battle insurgents in Fallujah.

Though he enjoys being a Marine and serving his country, his back-to-back combat deployments have taken him away from his wife, Summer.

“In the two years I’ve been in the Marines,” he said. “I’ve been away from my wife for 14 months.”

Leal plans on leaving the Corps in two years with an honorable discharge. Becoming a cop will have to wait, he said.

“The fighting has made me want a simpler life,” he said. “I want to start a family and go back to school to get my (Bachelors of Arts) in history. I’d like to teach history in high school.”

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf...ghlight=2,texas

[Marine]

Texas Marine’s personal mission includes becoming careerist
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 200551834414
Story by Cpl. Tom Sloan



AR RAMADI, Iraq (May 18, 2005) -- Each day, Cpl. Eduardo Munoz, a team leader with 1st Squad, 4th Platoon, Company B, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, patrols the city’s streets and alleyways hunting for insurgents with his fellow Marine warriors.

Grime collects in the tiny cracks on his face and under his neck as his sweat mixes with wind-blown sand. Munoz’s 5-foot-5-inch, 150-pound frame is dirty, smelly and tired from being on his feet for three hours carrying approximately 30 extra pounds of protective gear.

Though few visualize this life of a Marine infantryman as being the ideal profession, this 24-year-old Mission, Texas, native, finds satisfaction in his chosen line of work.

“My job is rewarding,” said Munoz, who’s serving his second tour in Iraq fighting in the Global War on Terrorism. “Leading my Marines and helping the future of Iraq by fighting insurgents and ridding the city of explosives and weapons makes my job worthwhile. I like the fact that what we are doing is helping the Iraqi people. They need it.”

Determined to serve his country and make a difference in the lives of others, Munoz headed straight for the closest Marine recruiter, which was in McAllen, Texas, after graduating from La Joya High School in 1998.

“I grew up wanting to be in the military,” he said. “I was in the Army JROTC all through high school.”

Munoz had planed to be all he could be but decided to become one of The Few, The Proud instead.

Munoz stated, “I wanted something more challenging. That’s why I joined the Marines.”

According to Munoz, the Corps has given him the challenge he was looking for.

Aside from his desire to help others, the Marine works hard to put food on the table for his loved ones.

“It’s a way for me to support my family,” he said. “They depend on me.”

Munoz and his wife, Sonia, were blessed with a new addition to their family March 5.

“I have a newborn son,” he said with a smile. “His name is Eduardo Jr.”

Marines in Munoz’s squad consider him to be a little Marine with a big heart.

“He takes care of his Marines,” said Lance Cpl. Kevin B. Freiley, a rifleman with 1st Squad. “We were on a foot patrol not long ago and started taking fire. Right away, he made sure we all sought cover and were safe. He handled the situation well.

Freiley also said, “He performs well under pressure.”

According to the 24-year-old from Houston, Munoz and will have a successful future in the Marines because his love for the Corps shows in his every action and decision.

“I’m definitely in the Marines for the long haul. I like it,” Munoz said. “I made my mind up to be a careerist.

“I would eventually like to end up working in San Antonio as a recruiter so that my son can grow up in Texas.”


http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf...ghlight=2,texas

[Marine]

San Antonio, Texas, Marine adds fourth rocker in Ramadi
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 20055514126
Story by Cpl. Tom Sloan



CAMP HURRICANE POINT AR RAMADI, Iraq (May 2, 2005) -- Roland Salinas reached the final rung on the Marine Corps’ ladder of success for enlisted personnel when he replaced his master sergeant rank insignia with that of master gunnery sergeant during a promotion ceremony here.

Fellow Marines with 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, gathered to honor the operations chief with Headquarters and Service Company on his day of advancement.

“This promotion means a lot to me,” the 42-year-old from San Antonio, Texas, said to those attending. “I’m very happy because I’ve hit the top. I’ve gone as far as I can go. I’m also a little sad knowing this is my last promotion.”

Salinas enlisted in 1981 and has proudly been wearing the Eagle, Globe and Anchor for more than 24 years.

“I always had plans to stay in as long as I could, but I never thought I’d make it to this level,” he said.

The infantry battalion’s commanding officer, Lt. Col. Eric M. Smith, and operations officer, Maj. Phillip J. Treglia, pinned Salinas’ new rank to his collar.

“This is a huge day for the battalion,” said Smith, a 39-year-old Plano, Texas native. “We should feel honored having a master gunnery sergeant serving with us.”

Salinas’ fellow Marines consider him to be a hardworking professional who has a caring demeanor and witty sense of humor.

“He looks out for all his Marines and makes sure we don’t get tasked with more than we can handle, “said Lance Cpl. John R. Cruz, a 20-year-old of Plainview, Texas, and a rifleman with H&S Company. “He often cracks jokes, too. When it comes to business, though, he makes sure the mission gets accomplished.”

Salinas and his fellow Marines with 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, are on a seven-month deployment in support of Operation Iraq Freedom. A month into the deployment, he raised his right hand and took his final oath of enlistment.

"My time in the Corps is almost up,” he said. “Looking back, it seems like it went by in a flash.”

Salinas is making the most of his final three years in the Marines.

“This is a once in a lifetime experience,” said Salinas, who’s on his twilight contract. “Few Marines can say they’ve either reenlisted or been promoted in a combat zone. I’ve been fortunate enough to say I’ve done both.”

After his enlistment, Salinas plans to continue serving his country as a federal employee.

“I want to go to work for the United States Postal Service and carry mail in my hometown of San Antonio.”

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf...ghlight=2,texas

[Marine]

Old cowboy/Marine returns to site of only rodeo win
Submitted by: MCB Camp Pendleton
Story Identification #: 20026523185
Story by Steve Mullins



MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (June 6, 2002) -- Although he's spent nearly all his life surrounded by horses, bulls and dairy cattle, retired Cpl. Jake Dearing's rodeo career was about as short and sweet as any could be.

On one fateful weekend back in 1952, the Fort Worth, Texas, native used a borrowed horse, saddle and rope and won the Camp Pendleton Rodeo. It turned out to be the only rodeo he would ever enter.

Two months after his triumph, Dearing, 22 at the time, was transferred to the 1st Marine Division in Korea and assigned as a machine gunner to F Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines.

Six months to the day after landing in Korea, Dearing was injured by an enemy mortar round that killed four men and wounded 12 more. After being evacuated, Dearing, who says shrapnel left 27 holes in his body, was medically retired and spent the next seven months recovering from his wounds in a Corpus Christi, Texas, hospital. He was never again able to ride horses competitively.

"My rodeo career started and ended right there at Camp Pendleton," Dearing said. "I have no regrets, but I often wonder if I might have been a world champion, like a Ty (Murray)."

At this year's Camp Pendleton Rodeo, held June 1-2 at the Col. A.C. "Ace" Bowen Rodeo Grounds, Dearing was on hand to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his victory. Joining him were three honored guests: retired Capt. J.A. Roper and retired sergeants major Joseph W. Dailey and Archie Robinson. All of the men served together in Korea.

"The thrill of winning that rodeo does not compare with the people I met in the Marine Corps," Dearing said. "I've always considered it a privilege to serve in the Corps."

Dearing, 72, still vividly remembers his rodeo victory. There were four events at the time - bareback, calf roping, bull riding and cow milking.

Dearing won the bareback and took second place in the calf rope. He also lost track of his borrowed lasso and had to reimburse its owner $5.

Upon his release from the Corpus Christi hospital half a century ago, Dearing returned to a life of ranching.

He and his wife Betsy now live on their 1,400-acre ranch in Mingus, Texas, 90 miles east of Abilene.

"Ranching is all I know," Dearing said. "If it ain't got hair or hooves, I don't know nothing about it. Our ranch is not a real big one, but it's a fair size.

"I've got a lake on it that has one of the best bass holes in the country."

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf...ghlight=2,texas

[Marine]

Texas tracker takes the rough road in Iraq
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 20057431728
Story by Cpl. Mike Escobar



THAR THAR REGION, Iraq (June 19, 2005) -- The hulking, metal juggernaut rumbles down the miles of stark wasteland. As the noonday sun blazes high overhead, one figure peers out from atop the armored beast to scan the surrounding desert fields for enemy activity.

Sergeant Steven Phillips and his Assault Amphibian Vehicle crew are on a mission.

From June 18 to 22, the AAV crew chief with Company B, 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion; fellow AAV crew members, Iraqi Security Forces, and hundreds of Marines, sailors and soldiers participated in Operation Khanjar (Dagger). Their mission was to sweep through the desert north of Fallujah searching out hidden weapons and explosives.

The 27-year-old Vidor, Texas native and his two crewmen manned one of several transports that freighted Marine infantrymen as they looked for these weapons caches.

“I hate driving out in the desert. You never know where some (old regime) Iraqi forces buried their stuff before they surrendered,” the 1996 Vidor High School graduate explained. “Land mines are our biggest fear out here.”

During the five-day long mission, Phillips and his crew members encountered no such threats, but supported the operation that netted 22 detainees and hundreds of explosive rounds that could have been used to make improvised explosive devices, currently one of the deadliest weapons insurgents use in Iraq.

However, Khanjar is only one operation the former Marine recruiter’s unit has performed throughout their nearly four months in country.

“We’ve mostly been providing security looking for IEDs,” Phillips stated.

He and his fellow AAV crew members, or ‘trackers,’ emplace their troop transports along the road that military convoys often pass through. In the past, insurgents have strewn IEDs along this path, so Phillips and his crew monitor the roads for suspicious activity from atop their vehicles.

“I spend the entire time in this turret, standing up the whole time. Your feet start hurting after awhile,” Phillips said, explaining how he mans the turret housing the AAV’s weapons systems, an automatic grenade launcher and a .50 caliber machine gun. “Up here in the turret, you’re also worried about IED blasts, because you’re exposed from the armpits up.”

Already, Phillips said his unit has suffered casualties when one of their vehicles struck a buried antitank mine toward the beginning of their deployment. They continue monitoring roadways and fields outside Fallujah to save fellow Marines from similar tragedy.

“We once found an IED and while we were waiting on EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) to come blow it up, two convoys came through that would’ve gotten hit if we hadn’t been there,” Phillips added.

Although they continue saving lives with their constant vigilance, route observation is only one task these trackers perform. An old Marine Corps saying states, “Every Marine is a rifleman first and foremost,” and Phillips’ crew proves the adage day by day.

Company B personnel support missions throughout all of Fallujah and hundreds of square kilometers around the city. For several operations, Phillips’ crewmen have already put their basic infantry knowledge to the test.

“We’re kind of jacks of all trades, bouncing all over the place and doing whatever missions come up,” Phillips said. “We’ve done hundreds of snap VCPs all over the Al Anbar province.”

During these hasty vehicle check points, Phillips’ AAV crew stop traffic and dismount from their vehicle to search randomly selected automobiles for weapons and explosives. This helps counter insurgent attempts to smuggle arms and IED-making materials into Fallujah.

The trackers also patrol on foot when searching areas with no infantry support. During one previous mission, Company B elements unearthed what Marine officials called “possibly the largest series of insurgent weapons caches found this year in the Al Anbar province.” The site was found near Karmah, a small city north of Fallujah, and was a 558- by 902-foot site in an abandoned quarry insurgents used as an underground lair.

“The regimental colonel came down and talked to us, telling us what an awesome job we were doing,” Phillips stated.

Despite this success, the AAV crewmen’s primary mission remains to support the infantrymen in accomplishing their raids and patrols.

“Our AAVs provide cover for the grunts (infantrymen) whenever they go into houses,” Phillips stated, explaining how the transports set up a defensive perimeter around the target. “You’re always looking around and communicating with one another. You have to know what’s going on around you and employ your weapons at a moment’s notice.”

Even when not performing these counter-insurgency operations, Phillips’ trackers keep busy by keeping their AAVs in top working order.

“The dust around here really messes up the track’s breathing system, so they’re always fighting for air,” Phillips explained. “They also take a beating because of all the rocks and rough terrain we take them through. We also do a lot of basic and preventive maintenance ourselves, and help the mechanics with the more advanced maintenance.”

Phillips and his fellow trackers continue deterring terrorist activity here with their gear in good working order. Although these men are in constant danger from buried explosive threats, the crew shoulders these responsibilities to keep tracking forward.

“So far, I think we’ve had tremendous success by deterring the insurgents from putting out IEDs and finding so many weapons caches,” Phillips stated. “I’d say we’ve definitely put a dent in their plans.”


http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf...ghlight=2,texas

This post has been edited by Marine: Jul 28 2005, 06:14 AM

[Marine]

Texas Marine engineer, team help strengthen Iraqi army
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 2005627134744
Story by Cpl. Mike Escobar



CAMP BAHARIA, Iraq (June 13, 2005) -- The distinct clanking of sledge hammers pounding against metal reverberated through the silent, windy afternoon of June 13.

An Iraqi soldier hammered a stake into the ground outside Fallujah’s ruined train station. Alongside him, his companions wore large, yellow gloves as they stretched out spools of barbed wire and threaded it through the interred stakes.

To one side, Lance Cpl. Jason Murray stood with a team of fellow engineers, watching the foreign soldiers erect a protective fence.

“Today, we’re teaching the ISF (Iraqi Security Forces) basic combat engineer skills, similar to the training we get in our MOS school,” stated Murray, a 22-year-old Pursley, Texas native.

The 2000 Dawson High School graduate referred to subject matter the engineers learn while attending their military occupational specialty school, such as how to fortify a position by strategically emplacing protective wire and barricade obstacles around it.

This is exactly the knowledge Murray’s engineer team from 2nd Platoon, Company A, 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion began passing on to several Iraqi soldiers.

“We’re teaching them the basic stuff, that way they can start building up their own bases,” Murray said.

ISF personnel currently man several operational headquarters throughout Fallujah, from which they monitor and patrol the city streets for insurgent activity. Marine engineers continually work with the soldiers to strengthen these bases against bullet impacts and shrapnel blasts. Part of this ongoing effort includes teaching the soldiers how to work independently to fortify their own headquarters.

The engineers kicked off the course by introducing themselves to the class of approximately 25 students. The Marines and soldiers then lugged several metal stakes, known as engineer stakes, and spools of concertina wire to their work site, a barren dirt field outside Fallujah’s train station. Once there, they proceeded to show the soldiers how to pound stakes into the ground and string wire through them.

“Today, we did single, double, and triple strand wire, along with a (barbed wire) cattle fence, just like the ones you’d see on ranches back home,” Murray explained.

Single-strand wire fences consist of one spool of concertina wire threaded through the engineer stakes. For a double-strand fence, an additional strand of concertina with barbed wire through the middle is placed atop the first. A triple-strand fence consists of another row of wire atop two side-by-side threads of concertina.

Coalition and Iraqi forces string these wire fences around their bases’ perimeters to obstruct enemy movement. According to Murray, concertina can even impair tank movement by entangling itself on the vehicle.

Since no interpreter was present during this class, the Marines demonstrated how to string these defenses by communicating with the soldiers using hand signals and body language. Nonetheless, Murray praised the training as being highly effective.

“They’re pretty smart guys who grasp the concepts really quickly. They don’t get the same amount of training we do, but their concept mastery is still really good.”

The engineers concluded training day one by showing the soldiers how to board up windows and stack sandbags. This offers the buildings protection from bullet impacts and shrapnel blasts as well.

The soldiers’ training did not stop there, however. During the next several days, the Marines continued helping them refine their engineering skills.

“We’re also teaching their officers and NCOs (noncommissioned officers, which are enlisted troop leaders) how to plan their perimeter defenses,” stated 1st Lt. Robert Spalla, Murray’s platoon commander.

His engineers showed the soldiers how to set up Hesco barriers around a base. These barricades are square-shaped wire cages that are filled with dirt, creating a large, sandbag-like protective structure.

Additionally, Murray’s engineers showed the soldiers how to handle another threat common throughout Iraq: unexploded ordnance. These rockets and grenades that failed to detonate on impact are leftover from previous conflicts, and currently litter some of Fallujah’s streets and fields.

“Basically, we show them how to carefully handle or report the UXO on the ground,” Murray stated. “We tell them not to pick it up and throw it around like a baseball.”

After four days of setting up defenses and stretching wires, the Iraqi soldiers leave the course armed with knowledge on strengthening their positions throughout the city.

“We teach this general engineer skills program to show the soldiers how to do things for themselves,” Spalla stated. “All of the supplies we teach them to use, they should be able to get through Iraqi companies once we (Coalition forces) leave.”

Over their next several months here, Murray and his fellow engineers will continue working alongside the Iraqi soldiers to reinforce their bases. With every yard of wire they stretch and every sandbag they fill, the soldiers are one step closer to rebuilding their city and providing its residents security for a better tomorrow.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf...ghlight=2,texas

[Marine]

Depot Marines play semi-pro football in off-time
Submitted by: MCRD Parris Island
Story Identification #: 2005728135322
Story by Cpl. Matt Barkalow



MCRD/ERR PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. (July 25, 2005) -- Two of Parris Island's Marines have recently been accomplishing a mission on a field other than their occupational one.

Corporal James Shipman and Pfc. Gerardo Trevino, both from Depot Finance, teamed up with a semi-pro football team, the Savannah Panthers of the United South Carolina Football League, and have helped the team achieve a record of two wins, no losses and a tie.

James Shipman, Wide Receiver/Tight End/Back-up Quarterback

Shipman hails from Corpus Christi, Texas, where he got an early start in football. He said that at the age of seven he began playing football with the YMCA and continued in junior high and high school.

He said he has always loved playing football and wanted to play while in the Marine Corps as well.

"I just love football," he said. "The base didn't have full contact football and I didn't really want to play flag football."

His love for the sport and dedication has also made him a team player, to the point that he plays multiple positions to get his mission accomplished on the field. Though predominantly a tight end, Shipman has also played wide receiver for the Panthers this year.

"If it's a passing play, I do a check block on the defensive end for about two seconds and then I roll out," Shipman said. "Then I do another check block on a linebacker and then execute my pass routes."

Even though he may not be the playmaker on offense, Shipman is happy with his contributions to the team.

"I'm the one that does the [short pass routes] and curls," he said. " I basically just run routes that will pick up about 10 to 15 yards."

Shipman said that in the two games he has played, one of which was ended at halftime, he has caught four passes and gained approximately 100 yards, including a catch and run that gained more than 50 yards.

Gerardo Trevino, Linebacker

Trevino was born and raised in San Juan, Texas, where he was one of seven children in his family. He said his passion for football came from growing up in a poor neighborhood and playing with friends in streets or parks.

"For a family of ten living in a two bedroom house, things were very interesting growing up," Trevino said. "We never really had all the electronic luxuries, so me and all my friends that lived around me just played football in the street and the nearby park in the projects."

The 19-year-old said he has been playing football ever since he can remember. His high school football team was back-to-back district champs and state quarterfinalists in his senior year.

After high school, Trevino had options to play college football in Texas or Indiana, but chose to join the Marine Corps instead.

"Football is intense just like the Marine Corps," he said. "I just love the rush of looking at your opponent right before the play and knocking the spit out of

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf...ghlight=2,texas

[Marine]

What is it about Iraq? Abilene Marine keeps coming back
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing
Story Identification #: 200552232222
Story by Sgt. Juan Vara



AL ASAD, Iraq (May 22, 2005) -- Sgt. Seth Thornton, a CH-53E Super Stallion crewchief assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 465 and Abilene, Texas, native, never imagined he’d be serving his country in Iraq. Since January 2003, he’s deployed here on three different occasions.

Recently, Thornton had the opportunity to soar the Iraqi skies with a fellow Texan who also calls Abilene home. Brig. Gen. Robert E. Milstead Jr., 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) commanding general, was aboard the helicopter Thornton was crewing during one of the missions assigned to the squadron.

The son of a Marine reservist, Thornton grew up looking at his father’s uniforms and photographs and listening to him tell Marine Corps stories. All this sparked the fire that would motivate the young man to enlist in the Corps as soon as he was old enough to join the military.

After graduating from Wylie High School, Thornton experienced The Golden State’s heat when he set foot on the yellow footprints at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego in July 2000.

Showing he had what he takes to be one of the few and the proud, Thornton left the depot after earning the title Marine and reported to Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, Calif., where he attended Marine Combat Training.

After two weeks of instruction and practical application of basic infantry skills, Thornton transferred to Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Fla., to attend the Naval Aircrew Candidates School.

It’s in that school where Marine Corps and Navy aircrew candidates go through some of the most demanding physical and mental challenges. The candidates learn about first aid, survival swimming and endure the helicopter dunker, which helps the students develop survival techniques.

After graduating from the school he was given the option to continue training to become a CH-53E crew chief or a UH-1N Huey crew chief. After giving it some thought, Thornton made his decision.

“I remembered seeing movies about the Vietnam War and seeing Hueys there and that was really cool, then I thought ‘I’ve never heard of a CH-53. Let’s try it out,’” he said.

The next step in Thornton’s training took him to Marine Corps Air Station, New River, N.C., where he joined Marine Helicopter Training Squadron 302 for instruction as a basic CH-53E mechanic.

Once done with mechanic school he moved on to the squadron’s crewchief school, which he attended from April to July 2001.

After more than a year of training, Thornton returned to sunny California. He reported to HMH-361, based in MCAS Miramar, in August 2001.

With HMH-361 Thornton took part in a Combined Arms Exercise at the Marine Corps Air/Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

After the attacks on America on Sept. 11, 2001, the squadron sent a detachment of Marines and aircraft to reinforce the aviation combat element of one of the Marine expeditionary units based at Camp Pendleton, which was scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan.

Thornton didn’t deploy but helped the unit prepare the aircraft for transport inside U.S. Air Force C-5 Galaxy cargo planes. His turn to deploy and see the world would come.

In August 2002, HMH-361 sent a detachment of aircraft and Marines to reinforce the Aviation Combat Element of the Camp Pendleton-based 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), which was preparing to deploy to the Middle East in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom I. Thornton was one of those Marines.

After six months of training aboard the USS Tarawa, from where the Marines in the CH-53E detachment conducted several troops insertions and extractions and flew missions integrated with other types of aircraft, the unit embarked on their journey in support of the Global War on Terrorism.

The unit operated out of Jalibah, an air base in southern Iraq, and remained in country until July 2003. “I’d never been gone that long,” said Thornton. “I learned how to deal with going without water, without showers and not getting any real chow, eating only (meals ready-to-eat).”

After the war, Thornton returned to California and was temporarily attached to HMH-466. With this squadron he had an opportunity to deploy to MCAS Yuma, Ariz., and support the Weapons and Tactics Instructors Course.

He didn’t go through the course, but he supported the squadron by crewing aircraft and serving as a test crewchief. Not going through the course didn’t affect him, since he had already acquired some of the qualifications offered in the course before deploying to Iraq.

His temporary squadron needed volunteers to transfer to HMH-465 and deploy with the Aviation Combat Element of the 11th MEU (SOC) in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II. “I raised my hand,” said Thornton.

After six months of work ups Thornton and the unit flew to this former Iraqi air base and started using aircraft that were brought here by another squadron.

“It was a little bit different this time,” he said. “Flying around we got to see a lot of the forward operating bases as they were first being built.”

During this deployment the unit supported several operations and Thornton was again constantly flying. In less than four years, he has flown more than 1,200 hours and has earned several qualifications and collateral duties that make him more proficient at his job.

While still in Iraq, Thornton volunteered to come back with whichever squadron would be taking part in the ongoing Operation Iraqi Freedom. After getting back to California in January, he had some time off to visit friends and family in Texas and in March he was here again, reinforcing the 2nd MAW (Fwd).

One of the reasons Thornton said encouraged him to come back for a third time was to pass on to the younger crewchiefs the knowledge he’s gained throughout his time in the Corps and his deployments to the region. “A lot of these crewchiefs are my friends and I wanted to be here and take care of them,” he said.

Planning on leaving the Corps after he’s done with this deployment, he wants to attend the University of Texas in Austin pursuing a degree in aeronautical engineering. “I’d like to stay in the aviation field,” he said. “I kind of have a hand on it now and I like it.”

Returning to the Corps as a helicopter pilot is not a decision he’s completely made, but he said it’s definitely something he’ll look into once he graduates from college.

Following his father’s footsteps Thornton has lived experiences he never imagined possible. Though friends and family members suggested for him to join the Navy or the Air Force, he stuck to his guns and joined the same service his father did years ago.

“I wanted to be the best of the best,” he said. “But I never thought in my entire time in the Marine Corps I would see any type of combat. I had no clue.”


- For more information about the Marines reported on in this story, please contact Sgt. Juan Vara by e-mail at varaj@acemnf-wiraq.usmc.mil -

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf...ghlight=2,texas

[Beamer]

What is with you and these military posts? Are you the chief information officer for the Marine Corps? Do you think anyone actually reads these articles that you post?

[Marine]

What is with you and these military posts?  Are you the chief information officer for the Marine Corps?  Do you think anyone actually reads these articles that you post?

Actually, I've received numerous compliments for providing non state specific information in the Military Forum. Thought people would additionally enjoy taking a little pride in what the folks from their State's are doing

[Marine]

Here's another Texan coming home after 30 years in the Marine Corps. You can tell a non-Texan wrote the story because they say he's going to get a little house in Bear County, Texas and sit on the porch in their rocking chairs. San Antonio is about three hundred miles from me but I still know it's in Bexar County.


Ready for the transition
Sergeant major looks forward to retirement and a rocking chair in San Antonio

Submitted by: 12th Marine Corps District
Story Identification #: 2003610172930
Story by



12TH MARINE CORPS RECRUITING DISTRICT SAN DIEGO -- After 30 years serving his country, he is now going to get a chance to enjoy a few more freedoms and a lot more liberty time.

Sergeant Maj. Jose D. Maldonado left his home in San Antonio, Texas looking for a direction and challenge for his life. He found it in the United States Marine Corps.

"I didn't feel like I had a clear direction of what I wanted out of life," said Maldonado. "I knew I didn't want to go to school."

At the time Maldonado joined the ranks of the Marine Corps, he was leaving a part of his life for a new organization he knew nothing about. There were many problems in the military and because of his race Maldonado was thrown right into the mix of things.

"I came in at the end of the Vietnam era, the Marine Corps was going through a lot of turmoil," said Maldonado. "We had a lot of drug problems and a lot of racial problems. It was not unusual for a black Marine to be denied service at a local bar that was controlled by white Marines."

Maldonado had to deal with his own share of bigotry, sometimes even from the Marines in his office. Many of them would call him racially derogatory names out of ignorance according to Maldonado. After talking to his seniors about the slurs, the name-calling stopped, but Maldonado said the other Marines resented him for bringing it up. In the end, even though he went through some hard times, Maldonado came out with an important lesson.

"Being part of that taught me survival in both worlds, being Hispanic and part of the Marine Corps which was supposed to be an all color society," said Maldonado. "Those problems are still around, they just aren't as prominent."

According to Maldonado a big turning point for the Marine Corps was when SgtMaj. Alfred L. McMichael became the sergeant major of the Marine Corps.

"One of my best experiences was when I got to meet SgtMaj. McMichael," said Maldonado. "Believe it or not when I came in my goal was to be the first Hispanic sergeant major of the Marine Corps. Having a minority serving there told me that the Marine Corps has turned from a white only society. Unfortunately, not a lot of minorities feel like that."

As this "salty" Marine talked about his early days in the Corps, a little smile crept into the corners of his mouth. He couldn't help but let out a laugh every once in a while as he talked about the trouble he made for himself when he was just getting his feet wet.

"I got in trouble so many times I thought the floor buffer was my T.O. weapon," said Maldonado.

He would get in trouble for getting drunk before he went on duty, not doing what he was supposed to or doing the job half way.

"I had good sergeants that worked with me and showed me what I was doing was wrong. I saw one of those sergeants, he was a major at the time," said Maldonado, with one of those rare smiles back on his face. "He couldn't believe that I was still in the Marine Corps and he really couldn't believe I was a sergeant major."

Maldonado takes those experiences from his past and uses them when young Marines under his command get in trouble.

"I talk to them," said Maldonado about Marines in trouble. "I try to give them a do-over, but sometimes you just can't let them make the same mistakes over and over and they have to get in trouble. I think there has only been one I couldn?t save."

One thing this seasoned leader feels is important is letting young noncommissioned officers make leadership decisions. That is advice he feels is important to leave in the minds of the Marines he works with.

"Expand yourself. Simply because you are a corporal with no one to lead you are still a corporal with leadership traits. Don't use that as an excuse not to grow and spread your wings as a leader," said Maldonado.

Many officers have on blinders and don't see why this is happening. They look at a Marine and say he is not progressing and write him off, but it is because he has not been taught the basics, according to Maldonado.

"I have seen a lot of Marines who do not have the opportunity to spread their wings and use their leadership skills," said Maldonado. "Somewhere along the lines someone decided that young Marines couldn't handle the responsibility."

"Every one has a different picture of what an ideal Marine is, but somehow he (Maldonado) is always able to unlock a person's potential, have them see it, and have them use it," said Sgt. Dave Sanchez, former legal chief, 12th Marine Corps District.

"I let the staff NCOs and the sergeants correct any mistakes they see in their section, I will give them advice whether they want it or not. But it is up to them if they use it," said Maldonado.

After almost getting in trouble for an offense he didn't commit Maldonado said he saw how important the support of your senior Marines is.

"For two weeks my commanding officer raked me over the coals, but that wasn't the worst of it. I didn't feel like I had any support from my first sergeant," said Maldonado. "I knew that as a leader I would never let my Marines feel like they weren't getting the support they need. They can always come to me for help."

His method of leadership hasn't gone unnoticed by his Marines.

"It is just his whole way of doing things and dealing with people that make them feel comfortable with him," said Sanchez. "He makes us feel like we have a friend that we can go to that will help us."

Maldonado does not let his affection for the Marines get in the way of his duties as a leader.

"My favorite quote is 'Don't let your compassion override your judgment,'" said Maldonado.

"He is a fair and understanding individual, someone you would be willing to follow into battle," said Sanchez. "And if you saw him around the Depot or on the street you would be proud to say he was your sergeant major."

As Maldonado leaves the ranks he said that the hardest part will be starting over.

"I have been a sergeant major for seven years, I have been at the top of the food chain, now no one will be asking for my advice," said Maldonado.

After 30 years of early morning physical training and staff meetings, Maldonado said that he couldn't just go into retirement cold turkey.

"I am going back to school. I can't just stop, I don't think my body will last if I just stop," said Maldonado. "Maybe I will taper off work later on but I can't just quit all of a sudden."

He will take more time to enjoy himself and spend time with his wife. They are going to get a little house in Bear County, Texas and sit on the porch in their rocking chairs according to Maldonado.

He will also fill his time reading the latest supernatural or horror novels to hit the bookstands, especially anything by his favorite author, Ann Rice.

Not all his time will be spent quietly. He also enjoys driving his new Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder.

Giving up some of the responsibility will be a nice change, but it will take some getting used to.

"If I could do another 30 years in the Marine Corps I would, but they are telling me it is time to go. Besides, I think I have trained up my Marine Corps pretty well," said Maldonado.

[Marine]

Houston Texas Marine receives Navy Cross
Submitted by: MCB Camp Pendleton
Story Identification #: 200456172127
Story by -



MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Marine Pfc. Joseph B. Perez received the Navy Cross Medal from the Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, Gen. Michael W. Hagee, during an awards ceremony Thursday at Marine Corps Air-Ground Training Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

Perez, 23, a Houston, Texas, native, received the naval service's second highest award for extraordinary heroism while serving as a rifleman with Company I, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom April 4, 2003. The Medal of Honor is the highest military award.

Three other Marines received medals for valor at the same ceremony.

"They are the reflection of the Marine Corps type who's service to the Marine Corps and country is held above their own safety and lives," said Gen. Hagee, commenting on the four Marines who received medals during the ceremony. "I'm proud to be here awarding the second highest and third highest awards for bravery to these great Marines."

"These four Marines are a reflection of every Marine and sailor in this great battalion," said Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, Sgt. Maj. John L. Estrada.

1st Platoon came under intense enemy fire while clearing near Route 6 during the advance into Baghdad. Perez, the point man for the lead squad, and therefore the most exposed member of the platoon, came under the majority of these fires.

Without hesitation, he continuously fired his M16A4 rifle to destroy the enemy while calmly directing accurate fires for his squad. He led the charge down a trench destroying the enemy and while closing and under tremendous enemy fire, threw a grenade into a trench that the enemy was occupying.
While under a heavy volume of fire, Perez fired an AT-4 rocket into a machine gun bunker, completely destroying it and killing four enemy personnel. His actions enabled the squad to maneuver safely to the enemy position and seize it.

In an effort to link up with 3rd Platoon on his platoon's left flank, Perez continued to destroy enemy combatants with precision rifle fire. As he worked his way to the left, he was hit by enemy fire, sustaining gunshot wounds to his torso and shoulder.
Despite being seriously injured, Perez directed the squad to take cover and gave the squad accurate fire direction to the enemy that enabled the squad to reorganize and destroy the enemy.

"It is unreal, it is not what I expected, it is unbelievable," Perez said. "This is real weird for me, because, I am not big on special events," said Perez.

In effect since April 1917, and established by an Act of Congress on Feb. 4, 1919, the Navy Cross may be awarded to any person who, while serving with the Navy or Marine Corps, distinguishes himself/herself in action by extraordinary heroism not justifying an award of the Medal of Honor.

The action must take place under one of three circumstances: while engaged in action against an enemy of the United States; while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or, while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict in which the United States is not a belligerent party. To earn a Navy Cross the act to be commended must be performed in the presence of great danger or at great personal risk and must be performed in such a manner as to render the individual highly conspicuous among others of equal grade, rate, experience, or position of responsibility.

More than 6,000 Navy Crosses have been awarded since World War I.

[Marine]

Texas native makes a difference in Iraq
Submitted by: II Marine Expeditionary Force (FWD)
Story by: Computed Name: Staff Sgt. Ronna M. Weyland

Story Identification #: 200581614434




CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq(Aug. 16, 2005) -- During a time when many question a female’s role in combat, a south Texas Marine with 2nd Marine Division strives at making a difference during her time in Iraq.

“I want to be in a job where I am making a difference,” said Lance Cpl. Estrella R. Adams, multi-channel radio operator, Wire Shop, S-6, Regimental Combat Team 8. “I felt like I was making a difference when I was working the [entry control point] searching females.”

The McAllen, Texas, native has spent more than three months on the Female Search Team in Fallujah, Iraq, since arriving here in March.

“Some people [Iraqis] don’t want us there, but most are glad we are there to help,” said Adams of her experiences on the search team.

A graduate from Memorial High School, Adams said she was a good student and stayed out of trouble. However, she was looking for a better way of life when she decided to join the Corps.

Since joining at the age of 18 in May 2002, Adams said she has grown up a lot.

“It has given me more confidence and has made me realize I have the potential to do more,” explained the 21-year-old.

Her oldest sister, Maria De La Rosa, 34, and a resident of McKinney, Texas, agrees with the changes her sister has made.

“My sister is a better person,” said De La Rosa. “The Marine Corps has given her the opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of Americans, in the lives of Iraqis, in a way she may not even ever comprehend.

“The Marine Corps has made my sister a better American, has helped her call on her courage, has given her a new respect for life, and has shown her what it takes to serve a greater cause,” she continued, “ ... shown her that the very essence of who you are allows society to create obstacles for you, be it gender or race, but you have the strength within you to overcome those obstacles - being a woman in the United States Marine Corps proves that!”

De La Rosa said Adams is her hero and she has a tremendous respect for her sister.

“What greater burden to bear than serving your country?” said De La Rosa. “At the end of our days the question may be asked to each of us, what have we done to help mankind? So many will be at a loss for words, so many will know they have not done anything, so many will be ashamed…my sister will not be one of those.”

Since joining the Corps, Adams has married and her husband is currently serving in Iraq as well.

Cpl. Henry Adams, 29, communications electronics technician, Tow Platoon, 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, from Raceland, La., said he is proud of his wife serving her country and believes it is easier for both of them to be here at the same time than one being back in the states.

“I think it is easier having her here. We understand more what each other is going through.” said Henry. “However, I am concerned about what she is up against.”

He also thinks their time together has become more valuable.

“After I come back from missions outside the wire, I believe our time together is more valuable,” Henry explained. “We know the time is limited so we make the most of it.”

With less than a year left on her four-year enlistment, Estrella plans to attend college in Texas when her time in the Corps ends. She would eventually like to be a police officer or a social worker.

She plans to use her experiences from the Corps to her advantage.

“I have met a lot of people and learned a lot about people getting along with other people…people from different backgrounds,” she said. “It has given me more confidence and has made me realize I have potential to do more.”

Estrella added she will never forget her time in Iraq.

“Coming to Iraq has made me more grateful to be an American,” she said.

EDITOR’S NOTE
Please feel free to publish this story or any of the accompanying photos. If used, please give credit to the writer/photographer, and contact us at: cepaowo@cemnf-wiraq.usmc.mil so we can update our records.


http://www.marines.mil/marinelink/mcn2000....ff?OpenDocument

[ghostgovt]

http://www.heralddemocrat.com/articles/200.../iq_1905640.txt

Time to listen to educators

By Kathy Williams
Herald Democrat

Texas' top three political leaders must be morose. They have failed miserably to pass school finance and tax reform bills, even after four tries and an obscene amount of arm twisting.

That news is only half bad for the rest of us because the system half worked. It's sad our schools are in limbo with no sure budget and property owners bereft of tax relief. However, we can be joyful that we aren't stuck with either house's version of what they called reform.

The bills were dogs, both of them. And they got uglier with each attempt to fix them. HB2 version 200-something and its companion tax "reform" bill HB3, also in its hundredth or more iteration by the third special session of the Texas Legislature, increasingly became compromises that pleased no one. So they died.

By the end of the second special session, the property tax reduction had gone from dropping the cap to $1 per $100 to lowering it to $1.20-$1.25. With no new money to help fast-growing and poor districts build new schools and repair old ones, the debt service part of local districts' budgets likely would raise property tax rates to their previous levels within a few years.

School districts complained, and rightly so, that there were requirements included in the ever-changing bills that wiped out any so-called "new money" provided. Local superintendents and school board members railed publicly against the bills, saying they would be a disaster to public education. Many questioned privately if the GOP agenda were to kill off public education in favor of school vouchers for private schools and home-schooling on the public tab. And many vowed, come election time, they would remember that Republican legislators turned a deaf ear to their fears and ideas.

The education reform plan was written at the ultra-conservative Hoover Institution at Stanford University. The Institution developed a boiler plate plan that the far right wing of the Republican Party has pushed in several states, not just Texas. However, in Texas, it is that far-right wing that dominates the government.



How can it be that Republican-authored legislation could fail in a state ruled totally by the Republican Party? The answer comes from the way the domination took place. Many of the junior members of the Legislature are owned, totally, by the business interests that put them in power. The leadership, particularly Speaker of the House Tom Craddick, has invested its political coinage in U.S. Rep. Tom Delay's nasty political machine, Texans for a Republican Majority PAC. TRMPAC's leaders are under indictment, accused of using corporate money to run attack ads against Democratic candidates.

The TRMPAC-DeLay-Craddick-Perry machine cares nothing for ordinary Texans' future nor the fate of any state endeavor save "economic development." Economic development is an extraordinarily loose term. It's projects that help communities counter the ill effects of global competition for jobs. It's strong-arm tactics to muscle jobs away from one city and into another. It's giving business and industry a virtually free ride, while balancing the state's budget on its poorest people. In Texas in 2005, it means the last.

Business and corporate giants, lawyers, doctors and other professionals paid enough in 2002 and 2004 to drive home the message to homeowners: Vote for Republicans; and not just any Republicans, but those who supported Craddick to become speaker of the House. Otherwise, homeowners wouldn't get the property tax relief they were desperate to obtain. The party leadership cracked the whip, keeping members in line, to "keep the legislation moving."

The message wasn't lost on new members of the Legislature that voting against Craddick's wishes would not be tolerated. Party discipline was everything.

In 2003, Rep. Bob Griggs, a Republican from North Richland Hills, joined the Legislature. His status as a former public school superintendent, one highly regarded by his peers, earned him a seat on the House Committee on Public Education. In 2003, Craddick appointed Griggs to the Select Committee on School Finance and the subsequent Joint Working Group on School Finance.

But Griggs had the bad political sense to vote against school vouchers. Craddick didn't appoint Griggs to any committees working on education issues this session.

Why is so much party loyalty necessary? Although all homeowners and rental property owners welcome property tax relief, it's industry that scores massively when property taxes go away. The revenue generated is so great (but not unfairly high compared with income generated) that the House and Senate cobbled together a tattered array of taxes, most all regressive, to replace it. They emptied every pot: Sin taxes and sales taxes. They still couldn't find the scratch to give the full one-third property tax rate decrease they had targeted.

They tried to reform the business franchise tax, currently paid by a small fraction of the state's businesses. Every attempt to make the business tax "fair" burned a different component of the big-bucks backers. Legislators went from including all but sole-proprietorships, the smallest businesses, to "including more than 10,000 additional businesses."

In the end, all attempts at both school finance reform and the tax bill to pay for education collapsed, felled by the ugly mother to which it was born.

Immediately Perry, Craddick and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst huddled. This is bad sign indeed for their political futures.

"The superintendents have really beat our members up the last few days," Craddick said Tuesday night. "The school people are against it. It makes it tough to vote."

Is it too much to hope that they will listen to Texas educators about Texas education? Is there anyone with the political voice to offer similar hope to the non-wealthy? Could truly fair taxation become law in Texas?

[Marine]

Tyler, Texas Marine awarded Purple Heart
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 2005628638
Story by Pfc. Adam Johnston



MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- On Feb. 21, 2005, Sergeant Chadd E. Jackson and his six-man crew were in charge of securing all six lanes of a ten-mile stretch of highway along a main supply route in the Al Anbar province of Iraq. The seven Marines from the 2nd Marine Division’s 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion were responsible for keeping the highway free of insurgents and improvised explosive devices. After completing their grueling 24-hour shift, Jackson and his crew were returning to their base camp when an IED exploded next to their light armored vehicle.

Jackson, a 32-year-old native of Tyler, Texas, was awarded the Purple Heart May 23 for wounds received in action in February while stationed at Camp Fallujah, Iraq with 1st Platoon, Company A.

“I remember a fireball and extreme pain, but no blood. As the LAV commander, my main concern was with my crew and whether or not any of them were hit,” said Jackson.

An IED had detonated next to Jackson’s LAV, sending shrapnel into his forearm and disabling his vehicle along with its primary means of defense.

“All four tires on one side were blown out and our main gun was destroyed. A piece of shrapnel also hit the engine causing an oil leak,” said Jackson.

According to Jackson, it was easy to determine who was responsible for the attack.

“The locals, mostly farmers and sheep herders, are very complacent when it comes to IEDs. Explosions happen on such a regular basis that they hardly show any reaction. It was easy to spot the three individuals running from the scene,” said Jackson.

With numerous pedestrians in his line of fire, Jackson was unable to get a clear shot. A four-man scout team was sent into the nearby town to locate the insurgents. Unfortunately, they returned empty handed.

“The IED, which was larger than the most, was probably set off using a makeshift radio device,” said Jackson.

After calling in his own ground medevac, Jackson was taken to Bravo Company’s BAS where he called his mother and did his own casualty notification.

Less than three weeks later, Jackson was back in the United States for surgery to repair his median and radial nerve. It was performed at the Cape Fear Hospital in Wilmington, N.C.

“I’m currently doing rehab two to three times a week to regain some of the feeling back in my hand. As soon as this cast comes off, I will begin rehab from my elbow down,” said Jackson.

Once Jackson is fully recovered, he has orders to the School of Infantry East at Camp Geiger, N.C.

“With this being my second deployment to Iraq, I should have some good stories to share with the students. Hopefully, my real wartime experiences will give them a good idea of what lies ahead in their near future,” said Jackson.

After 11 years of faithful service, Jackson has decided to make a career of the Corps. Upon fulfilling his duties as a combat instructor, Jackson will return to 2nd LAR and prepare for his fifth overseas deployment.

[ghostgovt]

Thanks for dropping this off topic off in the Mercenary Military thread marice.... I see you are still a little dizzy from your week of consumption. That's ok we understand.

Brooklyn renames street for heroes of Operation Iraqi Freedom

Story by Sgt. Beth Zimmerman

NEW YORK (April 29, 2005) -- On a sunny afternoon in Brooklyn almost a year ago, friends and family of Lance Cpl. William White renamed the section of Pilling Street he grew up on as "Marine Lance Corporal William Wayne White Street." Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz said during the ceremony, "Future young people and families will see his sign, and they will know he gave his life so you and I could live here every day."

In February of last year, the Washington Heights community gathered at the intersection of 180th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue to honor another Marine's memory. They renamed the southwest corner of 180th Street "Staff Sergeant Riayan Agusto Tejeda Street." "We want to honor his memory," City Councilman Miguel Martinez said of Tejeda, a Washington Heights native originally from the Dominican Republic. "So we all remember that no matter where you were born," continued Martinez, "there's an opportunity to serve this country."

Next week, Brooklyn service members and families will name another street after service members who fought in the war on terrorism. But unlike the streets named after White and Tejeda, who both died while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, this street will serve as a memorial for service members who have fought and who will fight in OIF. The official renaming ceremony for "Heroes of Operation Iraqi Freedom" Street is scheduled for May 5 in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn.

According to the Be Proud Foundation, a Brooklyn group that supports and recognizes Russian service members, the street renaming "will mark the first time in U. S. history that a street will be dedicated to American Armed Forces...during wartime."

"I want to honor these people now, not six (or more) years later," said Raisa Chernina, founder of Be Proud. Her organization worked with Russian American Service Members of Armed Forces (RAS) to get the street's new name approved. Marine Sgt. Alex Presman, who was medically retired from the Corps last year, started RAS with Chernina's help. Presman was a reservist with 6th Communication Battalion in Brooklyn before losing his foot in Iraq in 2003. The 27-year-old Brooklyn native is originally from Minsk, Belarus. Be Proud and RAS have stressed the importance of honoring the service members currently fighting.

"It is crucial that we do not hesitate to declare our gratitude for men and women in uniform," stated Chernina is a press release, "as they did not hesitate to risk their lives for us."

The corner of Corbin Place and Oriental Boulevard will be renamed, "Heroes of Operation Iraqi Freedom." The renaming ceremony starts at 11:00 a.m., and it will include Marines from 6th Comm, veterans from previous wars, and Curtis Sliwa, founder and President of the Guardian Angels, as the Master of Ceremonies.

"It doesn't matter how much money we have, or how good business is," said Chernina. "These kids, the ones serving...they're more important than anything."

http://www.centcom.mil/CENTCOMNews/Heroes%...ion/05_05/3.htm

[ghostgovt]

http://gojackarmy.blogspot.com/2005/08/tex...-principle.html

Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Texas Board Puts Money Above Principle
Updates at bottom of post

Texas Marine Told He's No Resident, Must Pay Higher Tuition
A decorated Marine enrolling in college was shocked to learn his Texas driver's license, car registration and bank records weren't enough to get the lower resident tuition rates.

Carl Basham said officials at Austin Community College recently told him that he lost his Texas resident's status because of the years he spent out of state on two tours of duty in Iraq.

Not having the in-state designation would mean paying around $2600 a semester in tuition, instead of about $500.

The school's response surprised the 27-year-old Beeville native, who is registered to vote in Travis County, has a Texas driver's license and does his banking in Austin.

Officials at the college said that Basham didn't meet state requirements as determined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. A school spokeswoman says privacy laws prevent prevented her from commenting on his case.
My first thought is, "you have got to be kidding." Texas doesn't really want to piss off veterans and their supporters like this. Texas generally treats veterans pretty well. Then I started thinking more about this. There sure isn't a lot to this story. Is it because there isn't a lot to this story, what you see is what you get? Or could it be because the AP/Fox News didn't think anyone would be much interested in this story? Or maybe, there's more but it just hasn't been researched yet. Maybe the folks involved haven't had a chance to respond to inquiries.

So, in the absence of answers to the above questions, lets ask a few more, huh? Nothing like question overload.

1. Did the Marine show an LES (Leave and Earning Statement - does the USMC have one of those?)? The Army's LES shows your state residence. Mine is Texas. I enlisted in Texas and intend to return there when I retire. That would prove to Austin Community College that I'm a Texas resident, wouldn't it?

2. Does ACC have a VA Rep helping to sort this stuff out? If not, that could be a problem.

3. You would think that a college would be a little more receptive to a war vet, wouldn't you? Unless maybe there's an agenda we don't see. I mean, just suppose you are the registrar and you hate war/veterans/ the military/etc. and you could care less if they went to your school or not. In fact, you'd rather they didn't and take their stupid GI Bill money somewhere else.

4. Am I reading too much into it with number 3? Am I paranoid that everyone that doesn't (or hasn't) worn a uniform is against me and my military brothers and sisters? Could it just be a money thing? Someone saw an opportunity to make some money for ol' ACC. $1100 per semester is nothing to sneeze at, right? But then, ACC shouldn't really be hurting for money. ACC is a feeder school for the University of Texas. I've heard kids as far away as Beaumont say they are going to ACC because their high school grades weren't good enough for UT. After a few semesters at ACC, they intend to transfer to UT anyway. Did this "decorated Marine" let those intentions slip around someone pissed that ACC never has any graduates because they all drop out or transfer to UT?

How quickly do you think the former governor of Texas (some guy named President Bush) could get Marine Basham into ACC? I bet he might could get Basham into a real college, like Texas A&M. That's a school that appreciates veterans and takes care of them. Oh, and his daddy has a real nice library there, too.

Gig 'em!

UPDATE: Thanks to Beth for doing the leg work and not calling me lazy:
By selectively omitting some facts, Fox News is stirring up a hornet's nest. A better description of what has occurred is available from the Fort Worth Star Telegram: http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/...ws/ 12403480.htm.

Here's the relevant facts:

Carl Basham was born and raised in Texas. In his junior year of high school, he and his family moved to Louisiana. He enlisted in the Marines following high school graduation, served eight years, and was discharged Jan 31. He and his family returned to Texas in May.

Representatives from Austin Community College and the state government have all been trying to assist him. But Texas law holds his military service record as the gold standard for determining residency. Mr. Basham enlisted from Louisiana, so he was a Louisiana resident during his eight years of service. For tuition purposes, he must live in Texas for a year to re-establish residency.
Whew! No conspiracy to screw this Marine, just a technicality that has been in place for years (decades?) and seems quite fair to me.

But just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean someone isn't out to get me.

UPDATE 2: Mrs. Basham gives us the real deal in the comments:
I would like to correct the mis-information about my husband. His family moved back to Texas in 1998. He filed the appropriate paperwork to change his residency as it is reflected as Texas on his LES. He has also for the last eight years maintained the following IN TEXAS: Car registration, drivers license, living will, permanent address, income tax code, banking, voters registration. All of these are being recognized by the state and not the college. After he was released from the military, we remained in the state of his last duty station long enough to have our daughter whom after complications was born early and weighing only a few ounces over 5 lbs. After we were able to make the move, he returned to his home state Texas, and I followed. Overall: Conspiracy, probably not. Crack in the system? Most definitely. Several misinformed bloggers eager to speak before they research and listen carefully, you betcha'!
Thanks, Mrs. Basham, for giving us your side of the story. I guess I only hinted at my skeptism at the media's story giving us the straight scoop instead of just sensationalist spin. Perhaps that is why I am a "misinformed blogger". I also guess that my "conspiracy theory" did not come off as sarcastic as I intended. I guess the written word loses some of the emotional character that my growling at the monitor contained when I read the original story.

Fortunately, Beth and Mrs. Basham stepped up and set me straight. Now you know the real deal about this Marine and his struggles with ACC. The good news is that he's home safe, with his family, and trying to use the educational benefits that he more than earned. Here's hoping that he continues to be successful and safe.

Sorry to hear about the complications, hope everything is well and baby is enjoying mommy's and daddy's love and attention.

posted by Jack Army at 6:55 PM
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US elections 2004


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Special report: US elections 2004

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In this section
Full text: Bush's inauguration speech

Bush sworn in for second term

Interview: Julian Borger meets Ralph Nader

Voters to challenge US election

Democrats seek solace at sorryeverybody.com

Apology for Bush is a hit on the web

How do you feel about the win for President Bush?

US elections in brief

Kerry refuses to go quietly

Press review: 'Turning democracy into theocracy'

Dean considers chairman's post

He'll be back for Hillary v Arnie

US elections: European leaders call for a fresh start

Voters fail to back Bush priorities

G2: Katie Roiphe on threats to right to legal abortion in America


George's war

In the photographs he looks every bit the dashing fighter pilot but President Bush is struggling to convince America that he did his bit in the Vietnam war. Did daddy pull strings to get him a cozy billet? Did he actually show up for duty? And do the latest documents released by the White House prove anything at all? Suzanne Goldenberg and Oliver Burkeman investigate

Thursday February 12, 2004
The Guardian

On May 2 1973, Richard Nixon was still reeling from the Watergate scandal. American troops were on their way home from Vietnam. And outside Houston, in Texas, a 26-year-old named George Bush, a lieutenant in the National Guard, reported for drill duty as usual at Ellington air force base.

That, at any rate, is the impression given by military payroll records released by the Bush administration on Tuesday. Apparently, however, Lt Bush's superiors at Ellington didn't see it that way. In an annual evaluation of his performance - dated, coincidentally, the very same day, May 2 - they conceded that they couldn't actually evaluate his performance, because they hadn't seen him for months.

Article continues
Which version is the truth? For days now, the president and his operatives have been fighting off accusations that he shirked his wartime duties, first finagling his way to a safe berth in Texas thanks to being the son of a congressman - and then barely bothering to turn up for drills at all. Thirty years after the end of America's most painful and divisive 20th-century war, the White House is engaged in a desperate struggle to slay the ghosts of the Vietnam era before they cost Bush the presidency. But the administration's release this week of those new records from Bush's stint in the national guard - the US equivalent of the territorial army - seems only to have given the controversy new life.

The events of three decades ago would normally not feature in an election year. In 2000, when the facts of Bush's lost year began to emerge, Democrats had no interest in revisiting Vietnam: they were well aware of their own vulnerabilities in Bill Clinton, the draft dodger. But America is at war again, and Bush is fond of reminding Americans that he is a wartime president. He has ordered troops into battle in Afghanistan and Iraq; he has posed for the cameras in a flightsuit atop an aircraft carrier.

At first, such stirring visuals served Bush well. But the White House never reckoned on John Kerry, the Democratic frontrunner, who was, previously, a Navy speedboat captain on the Mekong Delta. His candidacy came back from the dead after a tearful reunion with a former comrade who claimed he had saved his life, turning the flinty New Englander with the chestful of medals into a lovable hero. The Democratic party chairman, Terry McAuliffe, could barely contain his glee. Party operatives began a slow drip-feed of leaks, and so far, the White House seems unable to stop them.

Ii is hard to escape the suspicion that Bush got an easy ride through the guard. At the time he did his years in uniform, his father was a prominent Texas congressman, a fact not lost on his commanding officers, who seemed, in the latter years of his service, disinclined to demand regular attendance. "I'd have to have been an idiot not to know about [Bush's parentage]," says Lieutenant-Colonel Albert Lloyd Jr, a retired personnel officer whose signature is on documents released by the White House this week apparently confirming Bush's service. "Bush is sworn into the National Guard and there is his father, Congressman Bush, standing beside him. It was a good chance for unit publicity."

Reports during the 2000 elections claimed that Bush and his father pulled strings to get him to the top of the queue. That was vehemently denied by the officer who was instrumental in ushering Bush into the ranks of the guard. But Bush's senior officers must have been acutely conscious that they had a scion of America's political elite in their command.

"He did not use political influence. He did all the things required," insists Walter Staudt, a retired National Guard colonel who was Bush's commanding officer. The two men first met during the Christmas holiday of 1967, during Bush's senior year at Yale. A few months later, the young graduate applied for pilot training. "I interviewed all the kids, and if I thought they had promise, sent them through the chain," Staudt says. He retired soon after Bush's induction, and says that he can remember little of that episode now. But contemporaries from the National Guard remember being extremely conscious of the benefits that could accrue to the service from having the son of a congressman in its ranks - especially at a time when there was talk of closing the Ellington base.

However rosy the future president's situation, though, the second half of 1972 marked the beginning of a black hole in his life. It was a period marinated in alcohol, and apparently as hazy to Bush at the time as it would prove to reporters who later tried to reconstruct it. In December that year, according to many reports, he took his 16-year-old brother Marvin drinking, prompting an aggressive confrontation in which George Jr famously offered to fight his father "mano a mano". (In 1976, he was convicted of drunk driving.) There have long been rumours of drugs: the president has never admitted taking them, but his carefully worded denials have never encompassed the years before 1976. "When I was young and irresponsible," the candidate often recited during the 2000 campaign, "I was young and irresponsible." And when it came to his military service, according to National Guard records that are not clearly refuted by this week's White House releases, Bush simply fell off the radar.

During his first period in the guard at Ellington, from 1968 he put in more than three years of apparently exemplary service. "George Walker Bush is one member of the younger generation who doesn't get his kicks from pot or hashish or speed," chirped a retrospectively ironic national guard press release in 1970. "As far as kicks are concerned, Lt Bush gets his from the roaring afterburner of the F102" - the fighter planes Bush learned to fly at Ellington. He was by many accounts a good pilot, although F102s were already so obsolete that there was little chance of pilots trained to fly them being sent to Vietnam.

But in the spring of 1972 he requested permission to switch units to one in Alabama, so he could work, on his off days, on the senatorial campaign of a Bush family friend. The request was denied: the sleepy Alabama unit could hardly provide the young fighter pilot with "equivalent training", as required. The Boston Globe's groundbreaking investigation on the topic, published during the 2000 campaign, quoted the unit's commander as saying: "We met just one week night a month ... We had no airplanes. We had no pilots. We had no nothing."

Despite being denied permission to switch, however, Bush seems to have gone to Alabama anyway: from May 1972, the records show, his attendance at the Texas base started to become sketchy, then non-existent. He missed a routine medical examination, and was banned from flying.

He surfaced again in the autumn, making another request to join a different Alabama unit. This time, he was given permission to serve in Alabama - and that's certainly what, back in Texas, they thought he was doing. His superiors, charged with writing an annual appraisal of Lt Bush in May 1973, explained that he "has not been observed at this unit during the period of report" because he was doing equivalent service in Alabama.

Retired colonel Earl W Lively, the operations officer for the Texas air National Guard at the time, says Bush would have had an easy ride there. "Alabama didn't care. He wasn't contributing anything to that unit. He just had to show up there, so that's that. He performed what his commander required of him, and his commander gave him, in effect, a leave from his duty to go do his civilian occupation elsewhere."

But did he serve in Alabama at all? The state goes unmentioned on Bush's discharge papers, which chimes with the memory of William Turnipseed, the Alabama unit's commander. "Had he reported in, I would have had some recall, and I do not," Turnipseed told the Globe. "I had been in Texas, done my flight training there. If we had had a first lieutenant from Texas, I would have remembered."

Bush aides scrambled to rebut the charges, and in 2000 they came up - to the excitement of conspiracy theorists - with the now infamous "torn document". It appeared to bolster the administration's case that Bush had served, but had been ripped where it ought to have read "Bush, George W", leaving only a mysterious "W" floating untethered in white space. Records subsequently unearthed seem to suggest that the torn document is genuine - but it is a record of payroll points, not actual attendance. The same is true of the documents released this week. Nevertheless, Scott McClellan, the president's spokesman, waved the 13 pages aloft at a White House briefing on Tuesday and declared: "I think these documents show that he fulfilled his duties."

But Col Lively, the retired Texas operations officer, queries key parts of the White House presentation, suggesting that it may be largely meaningless. Some sections of the documents, for example, show Bush earning 15 points towards retirement payments. Lively, however, says 15 points were often awarded as "gratuitous points" - essentially, credits simply for having a pulse. The other point often repeated by the Bush administration - that the president had been given an honourable discharge, and therefore could not have stinted on his attendance - has been questioned by several experts in military law.

Even if the White House wins the argument about exactly what happened in Texas and Alabama in 1972 and 1973, it is not clear that the furore will evaporate. Some interpretations of the documents suggest that Bush realised the gravity of his situation and hurried to make up his minimum service requirements, ending his time in the military with his duties fulfilled. But that might not be sufficient, says Joshua Marshall, a Washington journalist who edits the influential weblog www.talkingpointsmemo.com and writes for the Washington Monthly. "The backdrop is that even the White House's story is not a good one," he says. It is widely agreed, he points out, "that the president was a son of a congressman who used his connections to get a cushy deal ... So the Democrats wouldn't take much of a hit even if the whole White House story was true. It's still a story of using your connections to get out of Vietnam."


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http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections2004/...1146191,00.html

[Marine]

Pecos Marine and team cross borders to fight terror
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story by: Computed Name: Cpl. Mike Escobar

Story Identification #: 200582954016




CAMP BAHARIA, Iraq(Aug. 29, 2005) -- Keeping more than 1,000 men fed and supplied to fight in Iraq's austere desert environment may be no easy task, but it's one vehicle operators like Cpl. Jesus Valles gladly tackle.

From freighting tons of food and evacuating critically injured troops, to helping sort hundreds of pounds of mail and supplying camps with thousands of gallons of water, this 25-year old Pecos, Texas native and his team of mechanics and vehicle operators service every logistical need their infantry brethren have.

Valles is one Marine with 2nd Platoon, Truck Company, Headquarters Battalion, 3rd Marine Division who works nonstop to keep 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment fit to battle the insurgency in Fallujah and the nearby rural province of Saqlawiyah.

"We pretty much do all the supply runs around here, and we're always prepared for anything," said Valles, a 1998 Pecos High School graduate.

Together, he and his 42 platoon mates traveled from their home station of Okinawa, Japan to help the North Carolina-based battalion fight terrorism.

Their journey from Far East to Middle East began aboard their island duty station last year, when these Marines first came together. Marines, many of whom had volunteered to deploy to Iraq, from four different commands within 3rd Marine Division formed into 2nd Platoon and commenced training for their seven-month security and stability mission.

"I was excited when I found out I was coming to Iraq, because I'd enlisted to come over here and take part in the war," Valles said. "We started to do a lot of the same training the grunts did, like taking apart different weapons systems and taking IED (improvised explosive devices) classes. They placed a really strong emphasis on convoy training for us, too, because of our jobs."

In January, Valles' unit traveled stateside for their first training evolution with 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, their future comrades-in-arms. They participated in a combined arms exercise and urban security and stability operations training in California to prepare them for their upcoming mission in Iraq's turbulent Al Anbar province.

It was time well spent for these Marines, Valles stated. Soon after arriving here in mid-March, Valles and several other Truck Company Marines started operating side-by-side and living with the battalion's infantrymen.

"Everything I did on the line was something I had done during training," Valles stated, referring to how he conducted hundreds of convoys, vehicle check points and raids alongside his infantrymen. "We made a good team. We (vehicle operators) helped the grunts by bringing them chow and saving them a lot of time and energy by not having to walk with all of their gear on some missions. They helped us by constantly patrolling our convoy routes and keeping them free of IEDs."

While working as part of the battalion's Company B, Valles helped evacuate a Marine who had been shot in the finger to a nearby military hospital.
Currently, he works out of Camp Baharia, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment's headquarters.

While the battalion's mechanics and their Truck Company counterparts service the vehicles, Valles and his fellow operators perform daily supply runs for camp personnel and the grunts living within Northern Fallujah.

These supplies include transporting approximately 18,000 gallons of bulk fuel and 36,000 gallons of water per week.

"We supply all of the water and fuel to the bases, and we even have some of our Marines working as part of the camp's guard force and helping man the ECPs (entry control points, stations outside Fallujah where Iraqi police and Marines search vehicles and personnel entering the city)," stated Gunnery Sgt. Anthony Shamy, 2nd Platoon's staff noncommissioned officer-in-charge. "The Marines work from sunup to well past sundown to keep the trucks running and the supplies flowing, and they do it without complaints. I couldn't be any prouder than I am of my guys.”

The Truck Company Marines' hard-working ethic is embodied in individuals like Valles. Shamy said Valles was recently meritoriously promoted to his present rank for his devotion to duty.

"Corporal Valles is a hard-charger," Shamy continued. "He takes charge of his fellow Marines to get them working, not by yelling and cussing, but by leading by example. He's self-driven, and the Marines listen to him."

Shamy added that this sort of team spirit is not unique to Valles, but seen in 2nd Platoon as a whole. They will continue working together to help secure Iraq.

"When I first came here, I thought I'd be nervous, but with all the training we did before, I think we prepared for this mission pretty well," Valles stated. "We're all just doing our jobs out here, working hard, and things are running smoothly."


http://www.marines.mil/marinelink/mcn2000....55?OpenDocument

[Marine]

Oh, I see you found out about the anti-military crowd in BLUE Travis County. They're folks who take great pleasure in sticking it to anyone in the Military, sound like anyone we know, eh?

http://gojackarmy.blogspot.com/2005/08/tex...-principle.html

Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Texas Board Puts Money Above Principle
Updates at bottom of post

Texas Marine Told He's No Resident, Must Pay Higher Tuition
A decorated Marine enrolling in college was shocked to learn his Texas driver's license, car registration and bank records weren't enough to get the lower resident tuition rates.

Carl Basham said officials at Austin Community College recently told him that he lost his Texas resident's status because of the years he spent out of state on two tours of duty in Iraq.

Not having the in-state designation would mean paying around $2600 a semester in tuition, instead of about $500.

The school's response surprised the 27-year-old Beeville native, who is registered to vote in Travis County, has a Texas driver's license and does his banking in Austin.

Officials at the college said that Basham didn't meet state requirements as determined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. A school spokeswoman says privacy laws prevent prevented her from commenting on his case.
My first thought is, "you have got to be kidding." Texas doesn't really want to piss off veterans and their supporters like this. Texas generally treats veterans pretty well. Then I started thinking more about this. There sure isn't a lot to this story. Is it because there isn't a lot to this story, what you see is what you get? Or could it be because the AP/Fox News didn't think anyone would be much interested in this story? Or maybe, there's more but it just hasn't been researched yet. Maybe the folks involved haven't had a chance to respond to inquiries.

So, in the absence of answers to the above questions, lets ask a few more, huh? Nothing like question overload.

1. Did the Marine show an LES (Leave and Earning Statement - does the USMC have one of those?)? The Army's LES shows your state residence. Mine is Texas. I enlisted in Texas and intend to return there when I retire. That would prove to Austin Community College that I'm a Texas resident, wouldn't it?

2. Does ACC have a VA Rep helping to sort this stuff out? If not, that could be a problem.

3. You would think that a college would be a little more receptive to a war vet, wouldn't you? Unless maybe there's an agenda we don't see. I mean, just suppose you are the registrar and you hate war/veterans/ the military/etc. and you could care less if they went to your school or not. In fact, you'd rather they didn't and take their stupid GI Bill money somewhere else.

4. Am I reading too much into it with number 3? Am I paranoid that everyone that doesn't (or hasn't) worn a uniform is against me and my military brothers and sisters? Could it just be a money thing? Someone saw an opportunity to make some money for ol' ACC. $1100 per semester is nothing to sneeze at, right? But then, ACC shouldn't really be hurting for money. ACC is a feeder school for the University of Texas. I've heard kids as far away as Beaumont say they are going to ACC because their high school grades weren't good enough for UT. After a few semesters at ACC, they intend to transfer to UT anyway. Did this "decorated Marine" let those intentions slip around someone pissed that ACC never has any graduates because they all drop out or transfer to UT?

How quickly do you think the former governor of Texas (some guy named President Bush) could get Marine Basham into ACC? I bet he might could get Basham into a real college, like Texas A&M. That's a school that appreciates veterans and takes care of them. Oh, and his daddy has a real nice library there, too.

Gig 'em!

UPDATE: Thanks to Beth for doing the leg work and not calling me lazy:
By selectively omitting some facts, Fox News is stirring up a hornet's nest. A better description of what has occurred is available from the Fort Worth Star Telegram: http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/...ws/ 12403480.htm.

Here's the relevant facts:

Carl Basham was born and raised in Texas. In his junior year of high school, he and his family moved to Louisiana. He enlisted in the Marines following high school graduation, served eight years, and was discharged Jan 31. He and his family returned to Texas in May.

Representatives from Austin Community College and the state government have all been trying to assist him. But Texas law holds his military service record as the gold standard for determining residency. Mr. Basham enlisted from Louisiana, so he was a Louisiana resident during his eight years of service. For tuition purposes, he must live in Texas for a year to re-establish residency.
Whew! No conspiracy to screw this Marine, just a technicality that has been in place for years (decades?) and seems quite fair to me.

But just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean someone isn't out to get me.

UPDATE 2: Mrs. Basham gives us the real deal in the comments:
I would like to correct the mis-information about my husband. His family moved back to Texas in 1998. He filed the appropriate paperwork to change his residency as it is reflected as Texas on his LES. He has also for the last eight years maintained the following IN TEXAS: Car registration, drivers license, living will, permanent address, income tax code, banking, voters registration. All of these are being recognized by the state and not the college. After he was released from the military, we remained in the state of his last duty station long enough to have our daughter whom after complications was born early and weighing only a few ounces over 5 lbs. After we were able to make the move, he returned to his home state Texas, and I followed. Overall: Conspiracy, probably not. Crack in the system? Most definitely. Several misinformed bloggers eager to speak before they research and listen carefully, you betcha'!
Thanks, Mrs. Basham, for giving us your side of the story. I guess I only hinted at my skeptism at the media's story giving us the straight scoop instead of just sensationalist spin. Perhaps that is why I am a "misinformed blogger". I also guess that my "conspiracy theory" did not come off as sarcastic as I intended. I guess the written word loses some of the emotional character that my growling at the monitor contained when I read the original story.

Fortunately, Beth and Mrs. Basham stepped up and set me straight. Now you know the real deal about this Marine and his struggles with ACC. The good news is that he's home safe, with his family, and trying to use the educational benefits that he more than earned. Here's hoping that he continues to be successful and safe.

Sorry to hear about the complications, hope everything is well and baby is enjoying mommy's and daddy's love and attention.

posted by Jack Army at 6:55 PM 
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