When I open my eyes, I wonder if I’m dreaming. This entire operation has seemed unreal from the start.
It is pitch black and silent. I loosen the top of my sleeping bag, and my fingers reach out to feel the icy metallic floor. I move my body and bump into full ammo boxes. I remember now, I fell asleep in a Humvee. Continue reading “When Shadows Danced Under A Fading Red Star”
Marines taking the fight to ISIS in Iraq. Continue reading “Marine Fire Base In Iraq”
Article by Salvador Rivera
FOX 5 News
A video showing retired Marine Jose Barron crawling up a steep hill on his hands and one leg has gone viral and has turned him into an online sensation.
Barron attended a reunion over the weekend at Camp Pendleton for Marines who were deployed to Afghanistan in 2010, members of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment.
Pease greeters, 900 flights to date with more to come.
John cannon
Most of your readers are like me, a Viet Nam vet. I'd like to share some memories of Iraq. My goal is to let my fellow Viet Nam vets know that Iraq was like a Viet Nam in the desert. Those who served there, and in Afghanistan, don't always get the respect they deserve (in my opinion). I think the same happened to the Viet Nam vet from Korea vets and they in turn from WWII vets.
I wanted to submit two pictures for you from my time in Iraq. The first is a banner that we found between two houses in Al Baghdadi in early April 2004. At this time we were guarding a former Iraqi ASP between Al Asad and the train station. There was a protest in Baghdadi over the cordon being set up around Fallujah for the first operation to clear the city. This was just a few days after the contractors were burned and hung from the bridge. On the day of this picture some civilian contractors were in the wrong place at the wrong time and drove into the protest. One of the vehicles got stuck in the crowd and we left ASP Flea to try and rescue the contractors. When we arrived one of the contractors had been executed and was lying in the road. We cleared the immediate area, loaded the body, and began to clear some nearby houses we believed the insurgents had gone into. During the house clearing we found the banner. It roughly says they are protesting the surrounding of Fallujah, the city of "heroes and martyrs". From left to right is LCpl Bishop, Cpl Turner, LCpl Street, and me.
"A Marine is a Marine… There's no such thing as a former Marine."
–General James F. Amos, 35th Commandant of the Marine Corps
Iraq, 2004
Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Hagee, visited his Marines in Iraq for some photo ops at the Al Faw Palace in Baghdad. Marines stood in line to have their picture taken with the Commandant. At the end of the line stood an Army CW04 (me). I informed the Commandant that I served in the Marine Corps in Viet Nam with 2/5 at An Hoa in 1967. I then asked if a former Marine could have his picture taken with the Marine Commandant.
This year just like last year you were gracious enough to forward us a large box of merchandise for our raffle at our annual Veterans Appreciation Picnic! Everything went well and the items you sent us were snatched up almost immediately.
I wanted to share these photos. Our baseball team wore digi desert jerseys with a name of a fallen Marine across the back of each jersey to commemorate these heroes. The top photo is of former Marines CPLs Klent Luschen (02-10) and Josh Wells (03-11) with their sons. The second photo is during a moment of silence that the team dedicated to these Marines for their sacrifice.
Thought you would like to see our military wrap vehicle. It was designed to honor the Marines from 3/25 that were killed in Iraq in 2005. I am a Proud Parent of a Marine Corporal from the 3/25 unit from Brookpark, Ohio.
Jeff Hlavaty
