Abingdon Marine's team, ISF write new chapter of Fallujah history
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story by: Computed Name: Cpl. Mike Escobar

Story Identification #: 20059472442




FALLUJAH, Iraq(Sept. 4, 2005) -- Modern military commanders have often stated that today's urban warfare is not won by brute force and general grade officers, but by small, mobile units and junior leaders' spur-of-the-moment tactical decisions.

Corporal Adam Decrane and the three Marines he leads are trained to make these quick decisions.

"I enjoy heading my team and having people count on me," stated Decrane, a 25-year-old Abingdon, Ill. native. "You always want to set the right example and do what's best for your guys."

He wasn't always an adventuresome leader, however. As a former student of ancient history at Monmouth College approximately four years ago, Decrane said he felt ready for a change.

"I left college for the Marine Corps, even though I was doing fine in school," continued Decrane, who attended Marine Corps recruit training in Jan. 2002. "I just didn't feel like sitting behind a desk the whole time anymore, because I'd spent my whole life up until then doing that. I figured I'd try something different."

Three years later, Decrane is writing his own chapter in history overseas by helping mold Iraq's future.

He serves as an infantry team leader within Company C, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment. This unit is conducting counter-insurgency operations alongside Iraqi Security Forces in and around the once-embattled "City of the Mosques" since mid-March.

Their latest effort to deter terrorism was Operation Hard Knock, one of several missions bearing the same name Marines and ISF have conducted since early June.
During the Aug. 13 evolution of Hard Knock, personnel from the battalion's Weapons Company and ISF soldiers blocked off a sector of Northwestern Fallujah, while mobile infantrymen like Decrane's team patrolled this neighborhood's streets and performed house-to-house searches. At every stop, the troops would gather census data on the populace.

"Operations like these provide us with a good chance to find out what the people need," Decrane explained. "We make sure they have essential services, like electricity. It puts a humanitarian focus on the operations we do."

During this Hard Knock, Decrane's squad confiscated several magazines of AK-47 ammunition and apprehended two suspected insurgent supporters.
Decrane said that Iraqi personnel were instrumental in this and other counter-insurgency missions' success.

"The ISF forces are getting better than when we first got here. Their tactics are improving, and they help us out simply with sheer numbers."

When his battalion arrived here, Iraqi soldiers merely observed and mimicked what their Marine counterparts did. Five months later, the U.S. troops shadow the local soldiers as they spearhead every operation.

Marines continue patrolling the city streets, but since mid-July, ISF personnel have borne the burden of larger-scale operations, such as Hard Knock. Decrane said the Iraqi troops searched the majority of the houses inside their own separate sectors on Aug. 13, while his Marines functioned as a supporting element elsewhere.

He added that this progress, along with the increased security he sees on the city's streets, allow him to continue operating in the hellish climate of Iraq.
"You're always sweating out here, but when you see improvement taking place, it gives you a motivation to go back out and do it again," Decrane stated. "I feel great about being with Charlie Company and getting out interacting with the people. We're doing good things for Iraq."
http://www.marines.mil/marinelink/mcn2000....e4?OpenDocument

Actually,I don't have the time or inclination to discuss the issue when it is couched in the terms as your question put it.

Republic of Georgia puts her best into Iraq fight
Submitted by: Marine Forces Europe
Story by: Computed Name: Staff Sgt. Jonathan C. Moor
Story Identification #: 200583142037




KRTSANISI, Republic of Georgia (Aug. 27, 2005) -- Like men of stone, the well disciplined soldiers of Georgia’s 22nd Light Infantry Battalion stood motionless in the cloudy Caucus afternoon, as men of importance heralded the commencement of a journey that will eventually lead to support Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The opening ceremony of the Georgia Sustainment and Stability Operations Program’s Phase II Bravo at the Krtsanisi Training Area, Republic of Georgia, Aug. 27, marked the beginning of the 22nd Battalion’s training by U.S. Marines.

“The great country of Georgia has stood beside the United States throughout the Global War on Terrorism and the GSSOP mission represents our continuing partnership and collaborative effort towards a brighter future,” said Maj. Melvin Chattman, 38, the GSSOP Task Force commander and native of Memphis, Tenn.

Georgia’s GSSOP troops form part of the dedicated force called for in UN Security Council Resolution 1546 to protect the UN forces in Iraq.

The GSSOP Task Force mission is to assist and enhance Georgia’s capability to sustain its contribution to the effort in Iraq. Georgia needs the assistance, due to the Georgian military’s limited resources.

“Over the next few months, the 22nd Infantry Battalion will go through a comprehensive training program that will enrich and enhance its current capabilities,” Chattman explained.

“With the spirit and traditions of our founding principles, we intend to move forward boldly and without hesitation in training the 22nd Infantry Battalion,” Chattman declared.

Following and improving upon the pattern set in training the 21st and 23rd Light Infantry Battalions, the 22nd Battalion’s 17-week training will consist primarily of ground combat skills and tactics, such as marksmanship, first aid, urban operations and search techniques related to service in Iraq.

“What you will do in the weeks ahead is prepare your self for the ultimate challenge,” said Maj. Gen. John J. McCarthy, the deputy commander of Marine Forces Europe.

“The soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines that make up the SSOP Task Force are a reflection of the will, the character and the courage of the American people. They are here to help you prepare for what may be one of the greatest challenges in your life,” McCarthy said.

The U.S. task force not only consists of Marines, but also includes soldiers, sailors and airmen who fill support rolls.

“I would like to note the professionalism of the United States military, who has successfully trained the 21st and 23rd Battalions. I am sure that the training of the 22nd Light Infantry Battalion will be conducted with the same level of professionalism,” said Capt. Lasha Karmazanashvili, 31, the battalion commander of the 22nd Light Infantry Battalion and a native of Tsichisdziri village in the Dusheti region.

“We would like to express our gratitude to the Government of the United States for their assistance to improve our military and to enhance the capability of the Georgian Armed Forces,” expressed Karmazanashvili.

As partners in the Global War on Terrorism, dedicated to promoting peace and stability, the very fabric of the U.S. and Georgian relationship can be found in the international bonds of friendship that have been galvanized in the previous GSSOP training phases.

“You will build friendships that you will carry with you throughout your life. Those friendships will include not just your fellow soldiers, but those who stand for freedom of all armed forces around the world.” McCarthy told the U.S. trainers and Georgian soldiers.

The GSSOP is a five-phase initiative that on average has consisted of approximately 70 U.S. service members training battalions of about 600 Georgian soldiers.

In January, Phase I kicked off GSSOP with a U.S. European Command pre-deployment site survey team visit to Georgia to ensure Georgian forces and facilities were ready for the program.

Phase II, The training of the Georgian 2nd Infantry Brigade, which is two thirds complete, will end with the graduation of the 22nd Battalion.

Phase III will train the reconnaissance, engineer and signal companies of the 1st Brigade.

Phase IV has been designed to train and equip the military staffs and the logistics battalions of the 1st and 2nd Brigades.

Phase V, the final phase, will train the general staff command and control elements, Operational Headquarters Staff and the 1st and 2nd Brigade staffs.

The various training phases will take place in classroom and field environments at different locations in Georgia. The GSSOP is scheduled to last 15 months.

The Georgian people exhibit a staunch patriotism for their homeland. They take pride in their unique Georgian language and alphabet. Their devotion to the Georgian Orthodox Church is closely entwined with their national pride.

“In the Georgian people we find a character like our own, who values freedom and who values courage, not just in your own nation, but around the world,” McCarthy told the well disciplined Georgian troops.

The Georgian military is founded on highly motivated, patriotic individuals who serve the Georgia homeland with honor, courage and commitment. Their love of the freedom they have struggled to achieve fuels a desire to help others achieve the same freedom. This is a significant factor in Georgia’s partnership with the United States.

“Nothing symbolizes U.S. and Georgian cooperation quite as much as the work we’re doing together fighting in the war on terrorism, working together in Afghanistan and in Iraq,” said John Tefft, in his first public appearance as the United States Ambassador in Georgia.

“Before I left Washington I had the privilege of seeing one of my State Department colleagues who had just returned from Baghdad. He wanted to make sure that I knew before I came here, that the Georgian soldiers in Iraq were doing an outstanding job, serving in dangerous conditions arm-in-arm with their American and other Coalition colleagues.” Tefft explained

“I’m confident that the 22nd Battalion, after completing this training, will assume its position and do an equally distinguished job serving arm-in-arm with the Coalition in Iraq,” Tefft said.

The GSSOP is close to the hearts of those at the highest levels of the Georgian Ministry of Defense. “At present Georgian Armed Forces face quite important objectives,” said Levan Nikoleishvili, Head of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Georgia. “Drastic reforms are being held in the Armed Forces. But, no success will be achieved unless each of you will do his work profoundly.”

“Only after that, the effort of Georgian and American military servicemen will be realized. After the training is over, you will be required to participate in those operations and be dislocated to those places which will be asked by our country and the international community,” Nikoleishvili added.

Chattman’s closing remark seemed to reflect the inner most thoughts of many families, soldiers, and U.S. personnel at the opening ceremony, “May God bless our nations. Semper Fidelis”


http://www.marines.mil/marinelink/mcn2000....94?OpenDocument

Forget it marine. You showed yourself for what I knew you were: an uneducated, semiliterate yahoo a la G. W. Bush, whose only reason for living is to eat, drink and sleep your military days. I hope you have fun posting your fairytales.

No buddy, when you try to start a conversation with an opener like this:

just expect to get much of a response from me. I don't have to waste with a real thinker like you.

That's true you could never compete with me on an intellectual level. Maybe others on this site could but not you!

Semper Fidelis

The Impact of the Emerging Role of East Europe in Iraq on NATO
Joshua B. Spero is Assistant Professor of Political Science in the Department of Social Sciences at Fitchburg State College. Meeting Report 285.


The antagonistic division between ‘old’ and ‘new’ Europe, as coined by Donald Rumsfeld, underscores the uncertainty of the transatlantic relationship as well as the ambiguous roles of NATO, its new members and Partnership for Peace (PFP) partners. This antagonism became exacerbated by the war in Iraq and, even as the ‘major hostilities’ ended in Iraq and the guerrilla counter-insurgency against US-led coalition forces accelerated, significant security rifts persist between ‘old’ Europe and the US, with ‘new’ Europe caught in the middle and forced to take sides. Transatlantic divisiveness largely detracts from the strategy America wants its allies to perform in the world. If transatlantic discord increases, we can expect greater security challenges in the fragile Balkans, consistently unstable Afghanistan and extremely uncertain Iraq, not to mention the perennially battling Israelis and Palestinians. It is likely that, as these geostrategetic fault lines grow, the core political, economic and military institutions built after World War II will be in peril. As debate begins over further extending NATO’s boundaries beyond the current PFP or Mediterranean Dialogue countries to Iraq, bridging the geostrategic fault lines becomes even more pressing. Here, I will present a strategy for repairing and reviving the European-American relationship, involving the new NATO members and PFP nations.

One of the key strategies to bridge the gap between the US and Europe focuses on whether NATO devolves into a toolbox for America or regains its role as the ‘go-to’ institution of choice for the US and other NATO members. If the ‘toolbox’ approach continues, it is likely to lead to the disintegration of NATO’s new integrated political-military command structure and concomitant planning procedures, which were reformed in the 1990s. The US and NATO members need to utilize NATO’s evolved and integrated political-military command structure so that NATO’s common transatlantic planning principles, procedures and processes provide the US, new members and even—as appropriate—non-NATO partners, the benefits of security and stability. NATO must focus on how to project an image of legitimacy on the world stage—particularly if it deploys a force to Iraq. First, I will explore the initial effects on NATO of deploying new Eastern European NATO members to Iraq. Second, I will address what NATO could actually do in Iraq if deployment occurs. Finally, I will discuss what needs to be done to strengthen the transatlantic relationship and ensure that US strategic goals are realized.


Lessons for new NATO member deployments

The Polish command of the Multinational Division (MND) in Iraq exemplifies the ‘new’ European impact on NATO, even without the deployment of a NATO force. The remarkable evolution of Poland and the other new and future NATO members and long-term PFP nations working in the MND demonstrates the rapid progress in Poland’s leadership role in NATO and globally. For NATO, it illustrates how the Alliance’s planning, training and implementation abilities are still relevant, despite the transatlantic rift.

In early June 2003, NATO’s North Atlantic Council approved giving military support to Poland and its sector by “providing intelligence, logistics expertise, movement co-ordination, force generation and secure communications support.” (“Poland Assumes Command in Iraq with NATO Support,” http://www.paginedidifesa.it/2003/nato_030904.html.) More specifically, this support includes: Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) coordinating the forces from individual nations that will work independently of NATO in Iraq, but will use NATO planning procedures; specialized training for the MND staff in Szczecin, Poland via the NATO School in Oberammergau, Germany; sending Allied Forces Southern Command Headquarters staff experts to Warsaw to advise the Poles on logistical planning; establishing a secure satellite communications link from the Polish-led MND to a ground station in Europe in order to share intelligence and manage information. This support—in addition to troop contingents provided by Bulgaria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Kazakhstan, Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine—shows that new NATO members and PFP partners are making sizable contributions to post-war Iraq. These multinational deployments have an impact on shaping NATO’s future, particularly in terms of Poland’s abilities to take command and the lessons learned about transferring knowledge from ‘old’ to ‘new’ Europe.

It remains to be seen whether NATO will ever deploy troops to Iraq, as it did in Afghanistan and the Balkans. It may serve in a reinforcement role after the American, British and Polish MNDs complete their indeterminate missions—although given the violence and challenge of maintaining order and security there, those tours appear protracted. Shortening these tours is not helped by the continuing controversy between the US and the international community over political control of Iraq and refusal by some allies to provide additional personnel and resources to the US mission there.


Geostrategy to bridge transatlantic differences

During the 1990s, most of the historical antecedents that led to World War II had been removed by the strategic partnership between the US and Europe, particularly in Central-East Europe. Although it seemed unlikely when the current Bush Administration initially took office, its grand strategy now risks returning Europe to something akin to the Inter-war period, since European security institutions seem to be becoming irrelevant, allowing worrisome geopolitical trends to emerge unconstrained. At the same time, critical European political and economic power shifts already presage a growing tectonic shift away from the US’s geostrategic goals to counter global terrorism and expand democracy. Evidence of this schism is mounting: Polish-German rancor over Germany’s refusal to send troops from its German-Polish-Danish Corps to the Polish-led MND in Iraq; Polish-French tensions over Poland’s special US relationship; perceptions of US splintering the EU; discord over rapid reaction force structures in NATO and the EU; residual US-German hostility as US troops re-deploy from Germany to Poland, Bulgaria and Romania, while virtually ignoring Germany’s command role in Afghanistan; and America’s hollowing-out of NATO institutionally, using it to serve US interests. These trends jeopardize already worsening inter-European regional relationships. One repercussion concerns Germany struggling once again to find its most comfortable zone of strategic engagement with its neighbors, putting undue pressure on the disunited European side of the transatlantic relationship.

America could reinforce long-term European stability by promoting the EU as a partner or even as ‘healthy competition,’ instead of trying to divide Europe by unduly elevating individual countries (such as Poland) while holding Germany and France at arms-length. More equitable responsibility sharing between America and Europe would strengthen ties between NATO and the EU, while reinvigorating the transatlantic relationship. The further weakening of this relationship will only enable exploitation by antagonistic states and hostile global non-state actors to de-couple America from its long-standing European allies. America and Europe must instead revive allied bonds by making the dominant European security institutions relevant in the fight against global terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

‘Old’ and ‘new’ Europe must join Washington in investing in key security institutions so that they remain relevant by demonstrating how they can evolve productively and cooperatively. Specifically, one strategy for grappling with the global war on terrorism is to create a joint NATO-EU counter-terrorism planning initiative for civilian police and military operations. In this way, transatlantic allies would better anticipate, coordinate and synchronize how to re-establish basic government functions before the tremendous tasks of post-war infrastructure construction. Rebuilding police capability in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq requires international cooperation to oversee public security, complement military forces and organize and train a new indigenous police force. In Iraq, public security must provide the groundwork for successful military operations and transition to a more orderly society. Unfortunately, public security remains one of the most neglected aspects of crisis management and regional security, especially if peace support or peacekeeping operations cannot effectively transition to national and regional stability. EU countries have exemplary national police forces trained in a wide spectrum of law-enforcement activities, particularly cross-border coordination. Therefore, cooperating with the EU offers a key option for solving the security vacuum in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Another asset of the EU is its goal of creating a civilian-military crisis response force, one that requires synchronization with NATO’s emerging rapid reaction forces. The new NATO and PFP nations also provide crucial support for this potential NATO-EU relationship, and America must reinforce—not destroy—the geo-strategic bridges in East Central Europe that have seemingly overcome centuries of animosity.

By harmonizing American and European responses to terrorist threats and nation building, NATO can be revived as the premier European security institution and American military forces can decrease their woefully-overextended global deployment. Further, by cooperating in Afghanistan and Iraq, NATO forces would benefit from the lessons learned while in the field. Non-NATO countries that have allied with the US in Iraq could ultimately widen NATO’s sphere of influence, including Russia and beyond. The US and its NATO allies should seriously consider devising better NATO-Russia contingency planning to implement more effective rapid response operations. Based in several locations, including Russia and inclusive of NATO, EU, PFP and NATO Mediterranean Dialogue nations, a larger NATO-Russia contingency planning cell could compliment NATO-EU planning.

To avoid increasing transatlantic tensions, ‘new’ Europe needs to reach a balanced and productive set of transatlantic and European preferences. America’s vital interests need to uphold a stable and integrated Europe in which ‘new’ European allies feel welcome and NATO enlargement contributes to European security. Promoting a division between Poland and Germany (whether unwittingly or purposefully) goes against everyone’s long-term security interests, only serving America’s desire to cherry-pick coalitions for America’s global policies. To a key nation like Poland, success as a bridge-builder must also be measured in terms of how it helps Washington to better understand the need for multilateralism, spurring Europe and America to invest in multilateral security cooperation. Ironically, post-9/11 US deployments in Central Asia and the Caucasus forced Russia to reassess its force projection strategy, while many European NATO or EU nations did not. If Europeans want to play a significant role in international coalitions, they must seriously restructure their forces for global missions, undergird US-led operations or lead them. Lessons from Africa, Afghanistan and NATO-led Balkan operations demonstrate the necessity for both ‘old’ and ‘new’ European militaries to modernize, reform rapid collective defense commitments and determine how to build less expensive NATO Rapid Reaction/Response Forces. Given NATO-EU tensions over competitive rapid reaction frameworks and doubt over their deployment to Iraq, America, NATO allies, PFP partners and EU nations must prioritize NATO-EU relations together. Otherwise, ‘new’ Europe will continue to buckle under the pressure to prioritize national missile defense over rapid response capabilities and divest from more critical NATO peace support operations and EU civil-military police stabilizing missions. As a result, NATO will not be able to evolve, let alone survive.

The restructuring strategies described above will not be initiated if American rhetoric about uniting Europe continues while it pursues a divisive grand strategy. Washington can find reassurance in an effective, supportive relationship with its greatest allies and still lead in tackling global turbulence. In turn, the EU can emerge behind the assurance of genuine American support and NATO reinforcement in its role as a new regional power, assuming increased responsibilities for rapid crisis-response missions, or even very selective crisis prevention operations. Failure to revitalize the transatlantic relationship will leave Europe with less direction and more divisiveness. The serious consequences of failing to resolve immediate course corrections for the core institutions which new NATO members and PFP members have fought so hard to join entail consigning those institutions to irrelevance in the absence of true American leadership.

Marine

Aren't you capable of writing some of your own posts or are you limited to merely pasting something someone else wrote?

Well yeah, and yeah I too can be a rude SOB if I want to.

Well it's your business if you want to let others do your thinking for you.

Mr Kmarx,
If I may shed some light on your latest subject that has been avoiding you, is that in fact, it suffers from a large degree of ignorance for which comes from it's long republican upbringing and GOP loyalty of which now, causes it to be in serious denial with any and all subject matter of fact and truth. If it's not DoD propaganda related, it does not recognize anything that you, or others with any common sense, may provide to open it's eyes in the correct direction.

The title of this article below says it all in it's latest moment of denial. Always remember, Mr Kmarx, about your subject. If it's anything outside the Bush box... it does not compute. Brainwashing is a miraculous sad event in this case.


http://counterpunch.org/jensen06022004.html

The US Has Lost the Iraq War

If you saw it in counterpunch you can bet I won't agree with it. Alexander Cockburn just sits around lamenting the Soviet Union failed.

You know something ghost? The experiment failed, everytime the socialist/utopian experiment has been attempted it has failed. Not only does it fail, it ends up as a really screwed up socio-economic system where mankind suffers. It doesn't work, move on, and get over it.

You betcha, if it comes from Alexander Cockburn it's a crock. He's a truly pathetic figure grasping to a fail philosophy.

ghost

I have been saying (on other sites) that the US lost the war the day Bush declared 'Mission Accomplished'. Bush never understood that each time he said something, the insurgency returned fired by showing him up. Do you remember the famous line - 'Bring'em on'? Well they came on. Each time he challenged them with lines with the theme 'the insurgency is getting desperate', they raised hell. America has lost it's second guerrilla in as many attempts. LBJ was a pompous ass and subsequent presidents learned from him. The present ass is too stupid to learn!

Yes sir, you are absolutely correct. This nation's CIC Goober has always been too stupid to learn, but it's influence that counts as the entire BushCo outfit has proven. To go one step further Kmax, the US lost the war at the time this Goober sole his way into the office in 2000. That war at that time was America's dignity and integrity which lost to the theiving BushCons. Now what worries more than the BushCons themselves are the many sheeple who follow this baboon. If Kerry had rightly won this past election by a narrow margin, I was still concerned by the 'true' amount of sheeple who actually voted for this piece of Goober cow paddy.

For those who has 1/2 a brain, it was a no brainer that taking on Iraq was going to be another 'Nam fiasco and a very costly one. Now we see the results to this point in our nation as it faces economic turmoil and eventully collapse. As natural catastrophes push us deeper into embarrassing calamity such as Katrina has shown, the entire Middle East and Central Asia has yet to rare it's very ugly head against the imperialist BushCon nation for which we now will witness great sufferage and destruction in our lifetime. Tis ignorance and greed that has powered our govt into it's last throes of defeat and shame for all Americans.

Avatar marine, I understand your propagandized ignorance with how you choose the lies of the DoD over 100s of other articles and publishers, who seem to be on the same page as all others with good common sense, but just how long can you push your brainwashed loyalty for BushCo without looking like a total idiot to even all your rah rah fans in here? It doesn't take all the 100s of various articles to prove you wrong over and over, when good simply logic spells it all out with how wrong this govt is and has been. Sure you probably collect your govt check from them for your loyal patronage to them, but here you don't have to spout that same loyalty for they do not know your true idenity here avatar marine. Did you know that? Unless you are typing all of this from a VA cubical, your are a complete unknown in here and you don't have to prove to them that you are still their lap dog while pushing their propaganda in which you only convience about 10 sheeple in here with it all. All you will get from this Iraq hazing of a war is, sometime in a few yrs, Rummy, Bush nd Cheney will call it a victory and the mess will have grown larger while we get sucked into further esculation with other conflicts.... that is until operations overseas becomes rescue operations wuth medivac and medical treatment for nuclear contamination.

You bring up the word 'failed'. Man, it's a proven fact that failure started with Daddy Bush. Now there's failure. The only success story out of that Bush clan is how they played a major roll collecting all of you sheeple for decades, and amazingly after all their deception, lies and own failures, such sheeple still go about bahhh bahhh sniffin' their sorry rumps. Now that is amazing failure!

Well ghost, I've tried to explain to you many times. I ain't like it was when you was a soldier almost 40 years ago. The world has changed, you are stuck in the past using a philosophy which has gone the way of the dinosaurs. Wake up and smell the coffee.

United States Marine Corps

Press Release
Division of Public Affairs
Headquarters, U. S. Marine Corps
Washington, D. C. 20380-1775
Telephone: 703-614-4309 DSN 224-4309 Fax 703-695-7460
Contact: American Forces Press Service

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Release # 0701-03-0628
June 27, 2003

All-Volunteer Force Has 'Come of Age,' Chu Says

WASHINGTON--By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

After 30 years of existence, America's all-volunteer force has proven to be a success, DoD's top personnel official said here June 27.

Yet, when the all-volunteer concept was launched on July 1, 1973, "there were many naysayers who said this wouldn't work," David S.C. Chu, the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, noted.

The British had a volunteer military, Chu observed, but it was much smaller force than America's. Consequently, the U.S. effort "was unknown territory," he said.

"It's extraordinary ... how successful" America's all-volunteer force has become, Chu pointed out, noting the volunteer military is "a much better force" than the old conscripted force.

"People (in uniform) really want to be there," he emphasized, adding, "They want to do their job."

As evidence, Chu pointed to U.S. military successes in Afghanistan and Iraq as part of the war against global terrorism.

And similar exemplary American military performance was witnessed in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, he noted.

Chu maintained "that conflict made believers of the few remaining doubters that we had," regarding the viability of an all-volunteer military.

The success of the all-volunteer force owes much to the patriotism and "best instincts" of American youth who serve, Chu explained.

Such young men and women want "to do something meaningful, to serve, to contribute, to feel proud about what they're doing - and I feel that's what we offer," he added.

And service members are better treated today, Chu observed, noting that people were handled "as if they were a commodity" during the draft era.

Another factor contributing to the success of today's volunteer military is better pay, he noted.

"We have to be a bit above average (in military pay) if we're going to ask young people to accept the hardships and the risks associated with this calling," Chu emphasized.

DoD is also working on reducing the out-of-pocket expenses for service members' housing, he added, as well as where troops are assigned and how often.

It's also important, Chu noted, that service members perform the jobs that they've been trained for.

"You can't stick (a service member into) some other 'slot,' hoping a 'square peg' will fit into a 'round hole,'" he explained, noting, "That's a serious mistake."

Also, DoD must "be thoughtful" of the concerns of service members with families, Chu observed. A related issue is jobs and careers for spouses, he noted. One remedy, he continued, is concentrating military populations at fewer locations, such as how the Navy concentrates its military housing around San Diego.

This way, sailors change jobs "but they still live in the San Diego area," he noted.

Another DoD concern in today's all-volunteer force, Chu remarked, is whether military families are obtaining a good education for their children, noting, "regrettably that's not true everyplace" where service members are stationed.

However, he noted DoD is now working with state governors and local officials to find ways to improve the educational experience for children of service members.

Yet, overall, Chu cites the all-volunteer military as a success, noting the system has "come of age."

Poll after poll, Chu pointed out, shows that Americans greatly respect and appreciate the accomplishments of their all-volunteer military.

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: This is a plain text version of a web page. If your e-mail program
did not properly format this information, you may view the story at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jun2003/n0..._200306278.html
Any photos, graphics or other imagery included in the article may also
be viewed at this web page.

Actually I woke up and smelled the smelly Bush coffee in 2000.... and for that last 6-7 mths, I have smelled seaweed breath from the popeye squad that you head. Like I said, I never noticed how many air headed sheeple there were until you board bangers started attacking those of us exposing this corrupt Bush regime. I have already thanked you all for opening my eyes to what truly exists here.

It's the ignorance stupid. Love that phrase.



http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial...olice_training/

Iraq's doomed police training

By Paula Broadwell | August 30, 2005

IN SEPTEMBER 2003, the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs constructed the Jordan International Police Training Center outside of Amman to train Iraq law enforcement personnel. Sixteen nations provide a total of 352 police trainers for the center. The camp has a capacity to train 3,000 Iraqi police recruits in an eight-week basic police skills course and graduate 1,500 new police every month. New Iraqi police come away with a coveted paycheck ($150) and sufficiently trained and equipped to counter foreign intelligence operations, pandemic lawlessness in an anarchic society, and insurgents who target US troops or collaborators.

In April 2005 I had the chance to visit the center, the world's largest international police training camp. I am a military officer and have been deployed throughout Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, but this was one of the nicest training posts I have ever seen. However, the comprehensive training I witnessed was disheartening. The Iraq coalition constituency deserves to know why this mission is likely to fail.

There are three main reasons why these forces will never be ready to defend their country: The wary, uncommitted recruits are immature and lackadaisical about the mission; the parsimonious training is inadequate; and accountability once recruits return to Iraq is inconsistent at best and lacks the return on investment that one would expect.

The recruit pool. According to international instructors at the camp, the troops are often recruited from among intimidated teenagers or disillusioned, desperate unemployed men left with few job prospects in their chaotic country. We aren't always getting the highest quality ''volunteers" because many of those have already joined the insurgency. Others are understandably concerned about their life expectancy if they join the police. In spite of most of the high-quality, experienced instructors, I learned that a clan relative of the Jordanian terrorist mastermind Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi was also an employee at the camp, adding an interesting element to operational security.

Return on Investment. Purportedly, about 40 to 60 percent of these graduates never actually join the Iraqi police force when they return from Jordan. They defect, taking their coveted pay and their new skills to the insidious insurgency, according to liaison officers in Iraq. Some are forced to give up the weapons they were issued at this camp to corrupt local police chiefs; these often end up on the black market. Others lose their firearms in insurgent raids on police stations. Sadly, too many are targeted immediately upon return to Iraq. Forty-six newly returned graduates on a bus were executed point-blank by insurgents this spring; more than 1,500 of those who have made it into the police force have died just this year.

The lack of long-term planning and reliance on quick-fix solutions seem to have metastasized in so many of our military operations. It is no wonder that more than 40 percent of my classmates have left active duty and that the Army struggles to meet recruiting goals. We need to do a better job with our accountability of how honorable plans are poorly implemented. While the Jordan training center has tremendous potential, the deficient manner in which the coalition struggles toward its goal of turning over Iraqi security illustrates another endeavor destined for failure.

Bad news for your side, eh ghost?

Iraqi: U.S. Troops Not Needed in 2 Years


Iraqi President Jalal Talabani speaks during a news conference at Voice of America headquarters, Friday, Sept. 9, 2005, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)


WASHINGTON (AP)
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said Friday he believes that within two years, there'll be no further need for U.S. forces there. Praising U.S. forces for contributing to Iraq's emergence from hardline rule by Saddam Hussein, Talabani said, "We need American troops to intimidate our neighbors."

Gee, I wonder who the neighbors are who needed intimidating?

Simply more of your dissolutioned BushConic pipedreams avatar marine? If we are out of Iraq in two years, does military advisors and mercs count in this Iraq withdrawl?

Now here's my kind of conservative

Summer is over for America

by Patrick J. Buchanan
September 7, 2005

Friday night, the Bush presidency was in grave trouble. TV reporters at the New Orleans convention center and Superdome were fairly weeping for food and water for the visibly suffering thousands, on the fifth day after Katrina hit. Saturday, the cavalry had arrived. All day, the truckloads of troops, helicopters and relief columns moved in. By nightfall, the convention center and Superdome had been evacuated, and reporters who had been howling only hours before were cheering.

By Sunday, responsibility for the disaster was being shifted by Bush aides and media allies to the mayor of New Orleans and Louisiana Gov. Blanco. Monday, the Washington Post reported Americans did not blame President Bush for the breakdown and failure of government in New Orleans.

The sudden turnaround left the race hustlers hanging out there. They had been bellowing that Bush did not care about black people, since most of the refugees from Katrina were African-American. But, so, too, were the looters. And a visible majority of those coming to the rescue were white folks. Those who played the race card have been taking a deserved beating on national radio and cable TV. Even their Democratic allies seem to have abandoned them.

Yet, make no mistake. Summer is over for America – and George Bush. That unifying image of Bush atop the pile of debris in lower Manhattan days after 9-11 has been displaced by ugly accusations and recriminations over who lost New Orleans. Katrina has exposed the limits of federal power and the absence of a serious set of national priorities.

In New Orleans, those who relied on government – the New Orleans police, the mayor, Gov. Blanco, FEMA – suffered most. Those who relied on themselves for food, water and safety from marauding mobs of rapists and looters, with guns in their homes, fared best. Ultimately, U.S. and Guard troops had to provide the security before government agencies and volunteers could do their rescue work.

But hour-by-hour coverage of the damage done by Katrina to an area of the South as large as Britain must bring home the truth: We are a self-indulgent nation and an overextended empire.

Before Bush went off on his five-week vacation, he signed a $286 billion highway bill containing $24 billion in pork – 6,300 earmarked projects, among which was a quarter-billion-dollar bridge from Ketchikan, Alaska, population 8,000, to Gravina Island, population 50. Had half that sum been spent fortifying the levees of Lake Pontchartrain, New Orleans would not be underwater today.

With a federal deficit, because of Katrina, rising toward $400 billion, a trade deficit of $700 billion to $800 billion and Americans saving only 1 percent of their income, we can no longer afford such nonsense. And it is not just tax-and-spend liberals who are culpable, but conservatives who believe they have patented a formula for the permanent retention of power: guns, butter and tax cuts, too!

With Medicare and Social Security costs about to soar as the first wave of baby boomers reaches early retirement in 2009, with wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, with troops in 100 countries, from the Balkans to Central Asia, from the Persian Gulf to Guam, with hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens breaking in yearly, we are stumbling toward national crisis.

If any major act of terrorism, or urban riot, is ever traced to criminal elements who came across the Mexican Border, the Bush presidency will be as busted as Lyndon Johnson's in 1968. The tax cuts, or the welfare-warfare state, or the New American Empire has to go. We cannot afford them all.

With Marines and Army troops headed for third tours in Iraq, and the Guard and Reserve reaching the breaking point, how would we fight another war in any of the 50 countries we are committed to defend? And what are 37,000 U.S. troops still doing on a DMZ defending South Korea from a country with one-half its population and 3 percent of its economic wealth?

We wail about the cost of fuel and electricity and our dependence on Middle East oil – yet, we have oil and gas waiting to be tapped in Alaska and off the coasts of California and Florida , but refuse to go after it. We have not built a nuclear power plant or a refinery in 25 years, because we were frightened by Three Mile Island and no one wants a refinery in his back yard. Yet, since the death of the Soviet Empire, we have indulged in years of self-congratulatory braggadocio about being the "last superpower" and "indispensable nation."

With 9-11, we got a wake-up call. With Katrina, the smoke alarm went off. America needs today an authentic conservatism that will end our Asian wars, shed this empire, bring the budgets back into balance – no matter the political cost – and make demands on us all for sacrifices.

Yes, the lazy, lovely days of summer are over.

Another great article on Iraq

Does Anyone Know What We Are Doing in Iraq?

by Paul Craig Roberts

President Bush is out of touch with the American people, the U.S. military, and international political reality.

With every poll showing smaller and smaller minorities approving of Bush and his war in Iraq, with top U.S. generals sending signals that they want to reduce U.S. troops in Iraq, and with the world at large viewing Bush as a fanatic who cannot acknowledge his blunders and mistakes, Bush announced in his weekly radio address that "our efforts in Iraq and the broader Middle East will require more time, more sacrifice, and continued resolve."

Does Bush think he is a dictator?

The polls show that it is the American people's resolve that Bush bring his Iraq venture to an end, an orderly end if possible, but to an end. Every explanation Bush has given for his invasion of Iraq has proved to be false. Yet Bush still speaks of "our noble cause," while taking great care to avoid Cindy Sheehan and her question, "What is the noble cause?"

Perhaps Bush supplied the answer in his reference in his weekly radio address to "our efforts in … the broader Middle East."

What are our efforts "in the broader Middle East"?

The only American efforts "in the broader Middle East" that have been defined are in the policy writings of Bush's neoconservative advisers who cooked up the invasion of Iraq. For the neocons, our efforts are in behalf of Israel's security.

The neocons' belief that Israel is made more secure by U.S. military aggression in the Middle East is delusional. How is Israel made secure by an invasion that turns the Muslim world against America as all polls show and Iraq into a training ground for al-Qaeda, as the CIA says has happened?

The U.S. has been defeated in Iraq, both militarily by a limited insurgency drawn from only 20 percent of the population and politically by Iraqi divisions as the "constitutional process" demonstrates.

As Knight Ridder reported on Aug. 25: "Insurgents in Anbar province, the center of guerrilla resistance in Iraq, have fought the U.S. military to a stalemate. After repeated major combat offensives in Fallujah and Ramadi, and after losing hundreds of soldiers and Marines in Anbar during the past two years – including 75 since June 1 – many American officers and enlisted men assigned to Anbar have stopped talking about winning a military victory in Iraq's Sunni heartland."

"'I don't think of this in terms of winning,' said Col. Stephen Davis, who commands a task force of about 5,000 Marines. … 'The frustrating part for the [home] audience, if you will, is they want finality. They want a fight for the town and in the end the guy with the white hat wins.'"

That's unlikely in Anbar, Col. Davis said.

Frustrated by a determined insurgency, Bush administration officials predict that improvements will follow the Iraq constitution. However, the constitution may be leading to civil war.

Sunnis say they will reject the constitution because it leaves them out of the oil wealth, which goes to the Kurds in the north and the Shi'ites in the south, and because it is punitive toward the old ruling party, that is, toward Sunnis.

Perhaps it is the neocon plan for Shi'ites and Kurds to join the U.S. military in a war to the death against Sunnis.

But what comes next? How would Turkey regard a largely autonomous oil rich Kurdistan on the border of its own Kurdish province?

And how would a war in Iraq between Shi'ites and Sunnis play out in the Middle East divided along those lines? Does the U.S. want to wed itself to Iranian Shi'ites against Saudi Sunnis?

It sounds like a lot of long term instability. Perhaps the old Islamic divisions are what the U.S. government is relying on to enable it to continue to rule the Middle East. Muslims might consume themselves in their internal hatreds while the U.S. builds its bases to control the oil.

That's been the tried and true practice of Western colonialists since the fall of the Turkish empire after World War I.

Can it work this time? U.S. ambitions are too much of a threat to other countries that are well positioned to cause us grief. Will the world be able to resist the opportunities to undermine an overextended and self-righteous United States?

Sooner or later, too, Shi'ite and Sunni leaders will realize that they are pawns in American hands bleeding themselves in behalf of American power. Sooner or later, Muslim humiliation at the hands of the U.S. and Israel will permit an Osama bin Laden to reunify the Muslim world.

These are, of course, speculations. But history has few events without unintended and unrecognized consequences.

Yes Bush's war is over and the jackass lost!

The War Is Over, and We...
by Paul Craig Roberts

June 30, 2005, was the peak of neocon delusion. On that day American Enterprise Institute neocon Karl Zinsmeister posted his article on the AEI online site titled: "The War Is Over, and We Won."

No sooner than Zinsmeister put delusion to paper than U.S. military commanders reported escalating and more sophisticated insurgency attacks. Casualties exploded with more deadly bombings, giving meaning to Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld's projection of a 12-year war. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the conflict's cost may exceed $700 billion.

A University of Chicago professor published a study that concluded suicide bombings are a response to military occupation and will increase with the length of occupation.

Various Iraqi politicians expressed their opinions that the insurgency was a response to the U.S. occupation and would not end until the Americans withdrew.

British polls found that overwhelming majorities blamed the London bombings on Britain's participation in the Iraq war.

By July 27, the Christian Science Monitor had the headline:

"Iraq PM Urges Quick Pullout of U.S. Forces."

The Washington Post reported that the tone of statements by Secretary Rumsfeld, Prime Minister Jaafari, and Gen. George Casey, U.S. commanding general in Iraq, "suggested a heightened urgency to planning for the U.S. troop reduction, despite the continuation of lethal daily attacks by insurgents in Iraq."

We have run out of troops and money, the rest of the world has run out of patience with our stupidity, and the upper regions of the Bush administration may be crumbling under the pressure of a prosecutor's investigations and eroding public support.

Bush administration neocons such as Wolfowitz, Perle, Feith, Libby, along with their cheerleaders at Fox "News", the Weekly Standard, the Wall Street Journal editorial page, National Review, and the New York Times' Judith Miller will go down in history as the architects and enablers of the greatest strategic blunder in American history. The neocon dream of conquering the Middle East for Israel and destroying Islam as a force is now in history's trash heap of failed adventures along with such miscalculations as Hitler's march into Russia and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

In seeking to get to the bottom of the Valerie Plame affair, federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald is bringing us back to the Big Question: Who cooked the books in order to justify the invasion of Iraq? Was the ringleader Vice President Cheney? Was it Defense Secretary Rumsfeld and his neocon cadres? Or was it President Bush himself? What role did Condi "Mushroom Cloud" Rice play in the orchestrated deceit of Congress and the American public?

In the American system, high government officials, no matter how powerful their positions, are not the law. They are subject to the law, which they are sworn to uphold, and when they violate the law they are held accountable.

The U.S. invasion of Iraq was illegal and unwarranted. Those who conspired to bring this war about must be identified and punished. Otherwise the United States will sink from the rule of law into the rule of men.

A true patriot does not confuse government with country. A patriot's loyalty is to his country, and loyalty to country requires holding government accountable.

Sure and in two years I'll be the next pope too!

Those are great articles Kmarx..... thanks.

There is one thing that I have noticed more about this past week tho. Before Katrina, Iraq was almosy removed from the news. Now I think it's 99.5% removed since Katrina and in some small ways at this time, I almost feel that the Rovian mindset has taken advantage of Katrina by completely covering up the IraqNam news and shifting focus from Iraq to Katrina and New Orleans. Before the news were doing relentless repeats of run-a-way wife types of stories to prempt Iraq coverage. Now we have an American crises for which we will be dealing with for years. Even tho this has shown further incompetence of this Bush regime and their many unqualified puppets, I'm afraid that the BushCons are able to take a more horrible crisis and create a smokescreen 'feelgood' moment in focusing on this and grabbing ahold of American's short attention span, while diverting that same attention completely away from Iraq. We must not let the Iraq mess die down... for it should be what brings criminal charges against these bandits who stole the wht house from us.

Now with summer over, further big corp BushConic gouging of prices are headed our way for the winter.

ghost

Bush received a lot of cash from oil when he ran the first time. Cheney received $40 million when he left Halliburton. The money he earned at Halliburton during his tenure is best seen as a 'down payment for future favors'. Both are now paying off their debts on our backs!

Yes bubba, that is bad news for my side, the non BushConic Americans. The article below explains why this is bad news for it's not going to end in Iraq or the rest of the Middle East or Asia until we bring all the BushCons to justice for their war crimes! Then it may still be too late to stop future wars.

We are looking at the begnning of the New World Order crusade and this will bring us only total devastation... and the Bushite sheeple are simply too stupid to see it.


http://www.torontosun.com/News/Columnists/...pf-1201356.html
September 4, 2005

U.S. the new Saddam
By ERIC MARGOLIS

The most important news from Iraq last week was not the much ballyhooed constitutional pact by Shias and Kurds, nor the tragic stampede deaths of nearly 1,000 pilgrims in Baghdad.

The U.S. Air Force's senior officer, Gen. John Jumper, stated U.S. warplanes would remain in Iraq to fight resistance forces and protect the American-installed regime "more or less indefinitely." Jumper's bombshell went largely unnoticed due to Hurricane Katrina.

Gen. Jumper let the cat out of the bag. While President George Bush hints at eventual troop withdrawals, the Pentagon is busy building four major, permanent air bases in Iraq that will require heavy infantry protection.


t seems this is what Jumper has in mind. Mobile U.S. ground intervention forces will remain at the four major "Fort Apache" bases guarding Iraq's major oil fields. These bases will be "ceded" to the U.S. by a compliant Iraqi regime. The U.S. Air Force will police the Pax Americana with its precision-guided munitions and armed drones.

The USAF has developed an extremely effective new technique of wide area control. Small numbers of strike aircraft are kept in the air around the clock. When U.S. ground forces come under attack or foes are sighted, these aircraft deliver precision-guided bombs. This tactic has led Iraqi resistance fighters to favour roadside bombs over ambushes against U.S. convoys.

The USAF uses the same combat air patrol tactic in Afghanistan, with even more success. The U.S. is also developing three major air bases in Pakistan, and others across Central Asia, to support its plans to dominate the region's oil and gas reserves.

While the USAF is settling into West Asia, the mess in Iraq continues to worsen. Last week's so-called "constitutional deal" was the long-predicted, U.S.-crafted pact between Shias and Kurds, essentially giving them Iraq's oil and virtual independence. The proposed constitution assures American big business access to Iraq's oil riches and markets.

The furious but powerless Sunnis were left in the lurch. Sunnis will at least have the chance to vote on it in a Oct. 15 referendum, but many fear it will be rigged.

The U.S. reportedly offered the 15 Sunni delegates $5 million each to vote for the constitution -- but was turned down. No mention was made that a U.S.-guided constitution for Iraq would violate the Geneva Conventions.

Iraqi Car Insurance Rates Continue to Explode
Car Bombings Blow Up Buildings, Citizens, Premiums

By Abdul Mubdee, WackyIraqi.com Insurance Correspondent


IRBIL, IRAQ (WI) — Iraqis may be paying a lot more for car insurance to offset the cost of replacing or repairing cars used in bombings. Officials at the III (Iraqi Insurance Institute or Triple-I) say they expect premiums and deductibles to skyrocket compared to those of the pre-war days.

"This is just another domino falling from the war," says Triple-I spokesperson Geiko al-Rutbah. "Someone has to pay and we might as well pass on our costs to consumers."

Since Coalition forces declared the end of the war, car bombings have increased by 350 percent, which in turn has lead III to take action across the board. Insuring a Toyota Camry used to cost 680 billion Iraqi Dinars ($14) per year under the old regime. Because of the likelihood of drivers using their cars as weapons, Iraqis can now expect to pay upwards of $5,000 a year, or four bazillion dinars.

Triple-I expects to introduce a 'weapon of minor destruction' waiver to cover terrorist incidents, however they are still trying to identify what a WmD might be and who might be responsible.

The rate hike has many drivers foregoing insurance, like 25 year-old budding terrorist Muhammed Muhammed Muhammed: "What do I care if I'm just going to load up with C4 and ram my car into a tank? I'm going to die anyway, Allah will underwrite my policy."

Says Triple-I's al-Rutbah, "That kind of attitude hurts everyone. There are serious ramifications to car bombing such as property damage, maiming, death and property damage. People expect insurance companies to pay—we're really just saying to people: 'fat chance.'"

Bounty Placed on Heads of Iraqi Leaders

Updated 4:11 PM ET September 12, 2005

http://dailynews.att.net/cgi-bin/news?e=pr...8ciu1tg0&src=ap

By STEVEN R. HURST

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Iraqi insurgents, run out of their northern stronghold in Tal Afar for the second time in a year, counterattacked with an Internet propaganda offensive Monday that put a bounty of about $200,000 on the heads of top Iraqi leaders.

Violence flared again in the ancient city late Monday when Iraqi soldiers trapped insurgents in basement hideouts, killing 40 militants in fierce combat, the military said. Most insurgents had fled Tal Afar as the U.S.-backed offensive began Saturday, many escaping through tunnels.

The new fighting raised the insurgent death toll in Tal Afar to near 200, the government said. Officials said seven Iraqi soldiers and six civilians died in the three-day offensive, while the U.S. military said no American soldiers were hurt.

Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari flew to Tal Afar on Monday to congratulate his army, and Al-Iraqiya state television said he went despite insurgent threats "to attack the city with chemical and biological weapons."

There was no known public threat from the insurgents to use unconventional weapons in Tel Afar, but militants made two Internet postings in recent days vowing to stage chemical attacks on Baghdad's Green Zone _ home to the U.S. Embassy, Iraq's parliament and government offices.

The Islamic Army in Iraq, which has previously claimed responsibility for kidnappings and killings of foreigners, made the bounty offer for the assassination of key Iraqi officials.

The militant group called in a Web posting for its "holy fighters to strike the infidels with an iron fist." It offered $100,000 to the killer of al-Jaafari, $50,000 for the interior minister and $30,000 for the defense minister.

Iraq's U.S.-trained forces and U.S.-backed government are waging their own media offensive, using the Tal Afar operation to position themselves as a confident and strong team now leading the fight to wipe out insurgent forces.

"I met today with the commander of the 3rd Division in Tal Afar and his officers and soldiers and found them in high spirits," al-Jaafari said. Hundreds of Iraqis danced, sang and waved flags as the prime minister toured the region.

The U.S. 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, which sent 3,500 soldiers in support of the 5,000-member Iraqi force, appeared to minimize its role in Tal Afar in favor of a high profile for the increasingly muscular Iraq military.

Interior Minister Bayan Jabr said the insurgents were turning to Internet threats because the Tal Afar offensive had badly shaken the militants.

"It was a great shock to al-Qaida. They were thrown off balance and issued this threat," he said at a news conference.

The insurgents' threat to use chemical weapons was not being taken lightly. Last month, U.S. troops raided an insurgent hideout in the north that the U.S. military said may have produced chemicals for use against coalition forces. About 1,500 gallons of various chemicals were found in the hideout in Mosul, which is 35 miles east of Tal Afar.

"There were 11 precursor chemicals, which are dangerous by themselves, and mixed together they would become even more dangerous," Lt. Col. Steve Boylan, a military spokesman, said at the time.

Defense Minister Sadoun al-Dulaimi kept up his recent verbal assaults on Syria, whose eastern border is about 50 miles from Tal Afar. "Syria is not only the loophole, but it is the evil's gateway on this country," he said.

U.S. and Iraqi officials complain Syria has failed to stop the influx of foreign fighters through its territory into Iraq, and al-Jaafari ordered the border crossing with Syria nearest to Tal Afar closed Saturday night.

"It looks like Syria has assumed the historic role of creating chaos in Iraq," al-Dulaimi said, claiming the Syrian government opposed the regime of Saddam Hussein and now seeks to undermine Iraq's U.S.-backed successor government.

Syria rejected the scolding, with a Foreign Ministry official calling the charges "absolutely untrue."

"Iraqi officials are fully aware that Syria is exerting all-out efforts to control the borders," Syria's official news agency quoted the unidentified official as saying.

In other developments Monday:

_A car bomb exploded outside a restaurant in Baghdad, killing at least two people and wounding 17.

_Police in the capital reported finding the bodies of 10 unidentified men who had been tied and shot to death.

_Two Kurdish security guards died and three were wounded when gunmen shot up their vehicle in Mosul. On the city's outskirts, police found two burned bodies.

_In the northern city of Kirkuk, gunmen killed two police officers.

Gatekeepers of TQ manage the Convoy Marshaling Yard
Submitted by: 2nd Force Service Support Group
Story Identification #: 200591212424
Story by Cpl. C. J. Yard



CAMP TAQADDUM, Iraq (Sept. 12, 2005) -- Tracking all the convoys leaving and coming into the base here is no small feat. Just since the beginning of the month two Marines, Sgt. Andy J. Jeffords and Cpl. Travis W. Hoopingarner have had 632 vehicles and 1,600 personnel pass through the Convoy Marshaling Yard.

“The [2nd Infantry Battalion, 112th Armor] won’t let a convoy leave unless it has passed through the CMY,” said Hoopingarner, noncommissioned officer in charge, CMY, Headquarters and Service Battalion, 2nd Force Service Support Group (Forward). “We keep a log of all military and nonmilitary movements on and off TQ.”

The CMY is a staging area for all the convoys leaving and also for Third-Country Nationals who are escorted by the Marines and Soldiers.

When TCNs come aboard the base they must be inspected. The first step of the inspection is stage the TCN vehicles at the CMY and then they are taken to the inspection area and brought back to the CMY. Once back at the CMY, Marines from the TCN lot come and escort the TCNs back to the TCN lot.

“This job is very time consuming because convoys are coming and going at all hours of the day and night,” said Jeffords, staff noncommissioned officer in charge, CMY. “Sleep out here is very hard to come by. Most of the time we sleep on a cot or in a hammock we have strung up out back. We have to sleep in shifts because we’re always waiting for a convoy.”

The Marines are supposed to work 12-hour shifts; however, because they are short-staffed at the CMY they are working longer hours.

“It just doesn’t work to have one person here at a time,” said Jeffords. “There needs to be two people here, so we are both usually working and catching sleep whenever we can. This isn’t really a two-person job, there should be more Marines out here because this is a huge yard and it is tough to see everything that goes on.”

Staff Sgt. Darryl Rosencrants said he knows how hard Jeffords and Hoopingarner work at the CMY.

“They’re out there running 18-hour shifts working endless, tireless hours,” said Rosencrants, unit movement control chief, 2nd FSSG (Fwd.).

Not only do the Marines keep track of the times of Marine Convoys, but coordination must be made with the Army’s 949th Movement Control Team.

“We need to make sure we don’t have convoys leaving the same time as the Army does,” said Hoopingarner.

Some units get “special treatment” when they arrive at the CMY and are trying to leave.

“Usually when EOD is called out, we let them roll through pretty quickly,” said Hoopingarner. “When they are called out, every second for them counts and we don’t want to hold them up too much here.”

Along with the disadvantages of having only two Marines, Jeffords and Hoopingarner feel it is better to have a small work section because it is easier to assume responsibility.

“Its good there’s only two of us, because we can’t blame somebody else if something goes wrong,” said Jeffords, an Albany, N.Y., native.

Jeffords and Hoopingarner are also responsible all of the 2nd FSSG (Fwd.) retrograde.

“[2nd Force Service Support Group (Fwd.)] is shipping out all the gear their units don’t need anymore,” said Jeffords. “A lot of the stuff being retrograded has been blown up or wrecked. It is just stuff that isn’t good anymore. All the gear gets staged here and then after that it is sent to Kuwait and then back to the states.”

According to Rosencrants the Marines are handling the stresses of working long hours and constant changes very well.

“They’re doing a very good job out there,” said the Flint, Mich., native. “Its tough job, and I’m sure that most of the stresses come from me calling down there, but they’re doing a great job managing the Convoy Marshaling Yard.”

For more information about the Marines or news reported in this story, contact by e-mail cssemnfpao@cssemnf-wiraq.usmc.mil.

http://www.marines.mil/marinelink/mcn2000....33?opendocument