POLITICS1
Goes to War with the
1st Battalion/23rd Marine Regiment
Editor's
Note: Politics1 "adopted" the 1st Battalion/23rd Marines
-- an infantry regiment of reservists from Texas (and neighboring
states) deployed to Iraq in August 2004. Lt James Crabtree,
a regular Politics1 reader, belongs to the battalion and he
submits regular dispatches to us. Anything you can do to show
support for these brave yound men and women is greatly appreciated
(regardless of whether or not you support the war). If you'd
like to send them any care packages -- and they'd certainly
be appreciated -- please send them to: Lt
Crabtree, 1/23 H&S Co, Unit 41900, FPO, AP 96426-1900
-- and James will distribute whatever you send to many of the
Marines in the 1/23d.
Editor's
Second Note to the USMC Families: I've received notes from several
of you unhappy with the heavy Democratic slant of the banner
ads that run in the left-side column. It takes money to run
Politics1, and those are PAID ads. If a campaign -- or a political
group -- wants to buy an ad here, I'll only reject it in the
rarest of circumstances. We've run ads in the past from candidates
associated with the Democratic, Republican, Green, Libertarian
and Constitution parties (plus MSNBC, the Wall Street Journal,
New Yorker magazine, Fox, and others). If your favorite candidate
buys an ad: I'll likely run it.
NOVEMBER
18, 2004 - REPORT FROM IRAQ: FIGHTING (INSIDE THE RING)
AND THREE TRUCKS WORTH OF MAIL. Our special correspondent
Lt. James Crabtree of the 1/23 Marines found time amid the fierce
fighting in the Annar province to send us another report.
Dear
Politics1.com Friends,
Howdy
once more from the Lonestar battalion in sunny Al-Asad, Iraq.
We had an outstanding day today because of the sheer volume
of mail we received in the way of letters and care packages.
It was unreal. It took three 7-ton trucks to move all the
mail into our camp and a working party of Marines spending
several hours just to get everything sorted. We really appreciate
all the support from home. Some of the more notable items
include a box of signed CDs from a young country singer out
of Texas named Allie Danielle, a box full of sports yearbooks
from Street and Smith's, and a very patriotic letter from
Congressman Pete Sessions (R-TX). The young ladies from his
office made a sign saying they love the Marines and posed
with it in pictures while blowing kisses and so forth. Needless
to say, our guys really loved that and now they want to know
if any of these ladies are single. It was a nice diversion
from their everyday routine.
This
week we turn our attention back to the "Marine of the
Week" feature. Our very deserving subject this week is
20-year-old Lance Corporal Edward Toppen
from Houston, Texas.
LCpl
Toppen on the radio.
LCpl
Toppen has the highly trusted and valuable task of being the
operations chief of the battalion's Command Operations Center
(COC.) The COC is the nerve center that tracks and controls
all operations for our battalion with an area of operations
(AO) that is roughly the size of all of Connecticut, Rhode
Island, and the Cape Cod area of Massachusetts combined! It
is a task that requires constant attention to detail, the
ability to quickly discern actions amid chaos, and be able
to effectively convey information. LCpl Toppen relishes the
responsibility and enjoys his service in the Marines to such
an extent that he plans to transfer onto active duty upon
1/23's return to Texas.
LCpl
Toppen has been in the Marines for less than 2 years. His
being in such a position at such a young age and with so little
time in service is highly unusual and testifies to the faith
his superiors have in him. "LCpl Toppen, despite his youth
and short time in the Marines, is filling a billet of responsibility
that would normally go to a much more senior Marine. He does
an outstanding job," said Major David High, his watch officer.
Every day for at least eight hours per day LCpl Toppen has
served with Major High and his fellow Marines on their shift.
"It's been everyday since August 27th and we really get to
know one another," adds Major High. "LCpl Toppen's skills
are greatly appreciated in the COC," echoes Cpl Tony Ruiz,
a fellow COC member on the shift. For him though, LCpl Toppen
smiles and laughs about all the attention and says simply,
"I just try to keep everything up to date in here and ensure
that everything is running smoothly."
LCpl Toppen conducts a update for the members in the COC.
From left to right: LCpl Toppen,
Major David High, Sgt Julio Grimaldo, Cpl Wes Lord, Cpl Tony
Ruiz, and Sgt John Toel
The
COC is a room in the main headquarters with no windows, a
plethora of radios, maps, charts, pins denoting troop movements,
computers, and everything else one would imagine when it comes
to the control of a battalion. LCpl Toppen might have honed
some of his COC-like skills while working as a banker for
Wood Forrest National Bank in Houston before his activation.
Or perhaps he draws on the inner discipline that he uses while
boxing, or in his quest to become a Marine Corps Drill Instructor.
In fact, this coming Friday LCpl Toppen will be stepping into
the ring for his first bout in part of the Al-Asad's "Friday
Night Fights." These matches take place on the main side
of the base and were made famous when Geraldo Rivera did a
segment on them for Fox News. I'll be sure to let you know
how he does.
Another
interesting fact about LCpl Toppen is that his twin brother
also serves in 1/23, which is ironic because one of LCpl Toppen's
goals in the boxing match will be to knock his opponent so
silly that they have double vision and see two of him. Let's
hope it turns out that well. All of 1/23 will be rooting him
on -- if not in person, then certainly in spirit.
Well,
that's all the time and space I have for this update. As always,
thanks for reading and for your support. I don't have the
words to express how much it means to be able to share a small
glimpse into our world this way.
Semper
Fi,
James
P.S.
- There is a chance that USA Today may send an embedded reporter
to 1/23. I'm doing all I can to make that happen. I know our
Marines would love to be able to tell their story to the world
--.a story that everyday makes me proud to serve with them
P.P.S.
- We just received a great letter from Congressman Solomon
Ortiz (D-TX), who said he follows our exploits here on Politics1.
If
you'd like to send the 1/23d any care packages, please address
the packages to Lt Crabtree, 1/23 H&S Co, Unit 41900,
FPO, AP 96426-1900 ... and James will ensure that whatever
you ship gets distributed to the Marines in the 1/23.
NOVEMBER
11, 2004 - REPORT FROM IRAQ: VETERAN'S DAY UPDATE.
The fighting continues in the Anbar province around Fallujah,
but our special correspondent Lt. James Crabtree of the 1/23
Marines found time to send us another report.
Dear
Politics1.com Friends,
Greetings
once more from the cynosure (a fancy word for "center
of attention") of all the world’s eyes. The actions
in our province continue to be all over the news and in
some respects you may know things more quickly than we do
thanks to embedded reporters and the global communications
networks. Our Marines and sailors are as busy as ever, but
morale is high and our missions continue to be accomplished
with a great deal of skill and daring. Yesterday I was able
to take part in a mission in which we actually captured
a couple of suspected anti-coalition members. I’ll now attempt
to tell that story with all the details that I can (while
not giving away any restricted information).
Whenever
the Battalion Commander moves about the area he takes his
own personnel security detachment (PSD) with him. These
Marines are the best the battalion has to offer and together
they form a “God Squad” that is more than capable of dealing
with any issues that might arise. Yesterday this element
was sent to visit some of our Marines at one of our outlying
posts in the area.
Members of the lead vehicle team - Cpl Woodruff, HM2 Cox,
me, LCpl Roberts, and LCpl Dill.
The
lead vehicle of the patrol consisted of Lance Corporal Dill
as the driver, Corporal Woodruff as the vehicle commander,
HM2 Cox as the element’s corpsman, Lance Corporal Roberts
as the gunner in the ring mount, and yours truly. Before
our departure Cpl Woodruff made sure that everyone was aware
that the road we would be traveling had been averaging two
land mines and one IED (Improvised Explosive Device) per
day. The entire patrol then gathered and were led in a prayer
by LCpl Bills. With that completed the Marines mounted up
and rolled out. Leaving the base is like rolling out into
the unknown. Every passing vehicle is a potential threat
and everyone must be constantly ready to react. Upon
reaching the first bridge Cpl Woodruff, HM2 Cox, and myself
got out of the HMMWV and walked underneath and across the
bridge in order to make sure it was not rigged with explosives.
Once it was secure the rest of the patrol rumbled across.
Here is where we first saw the two ski-masked suspects on
a motorcycle.
We chased them across this area for seven miles.
It
was not too much later that Cpl Woodruff and LCpl Roberts
simultaneously spotted a couple of suspicious men on a motorcycle
that had taken off at a high rate of speed when they saw
us. The fact that these men were on a route that is restricted
to only military vehicles drew our immediate interest. They
were also in the middle of nowhere and one of them was dressed
in black (including a black ski mask), and they ran like
crazy. These facts led us to immediately decide to chase
them down and capture them. The motorcyclist had a good
jump on us and was easily 600 meters ahead when we saw them.
The skillful and aggressive driving by our Marines allowed
us to chase them at high speeds across some very unforgiving
desert land, up a highway, and then through some rural roads
before they were finally nabbed. In fact, it was the battalion
commander and SgtMaj’s vehicle that actually was the first
to catch them. The pursuit went for over seven miles and
those sitting in the rear of the HMMWV had to be ready to
pull the gunner down in the event that the vehicle began
to roll over. Catching the suspects was a rewarding feeling.
Our interpreter was able to speak with them and it was quickly
decided that their stories did not seem to add up. The suspects
were then detained and brought back to our base for further
questioning. Hopefully they will provide information that
will prove valuable to us.
With
the new prisoners in our possession we now had to abandon
our plan to visit the outlying area and began our return
back to the base. Along the way we conducted several “snap
vcps." A VCP is a vehicle checkpoint and basically
if we saw a vehicle that looked suspicious the lead and
rear vehicles would stop all on-coming traffic while the
Marines closely and quickly inspected the suspects and their
car. This is dangerous work, but never once did the Marines
display anything but bravery and skill. It was most impressive.
Here we are halted in order to check out a section of road
that appeared to be mined.
Once
we had finally concluded the patrol I had a chance to speak
with the Marines in more detail about their experiences
with the PSD and what exactly is going through their minds
during a mission like the one that had just been completed.
For LCpl Eddy Roberts, a 20 year old native of Tulsa, Oklahoma,
he couldn’t think of a more rewarding experience than to
be the gunner on the lead vehicle for the PSD. "I like it
a lot. I like knowing that I’m providing security for my
Bbattalion Commander and fellow Marines. I wouldn’t trade
my job with anyone," says Eddy. LCpl John Dill, 26, is originally
from Harlingen, Texas. When it comes to his exemplary driving
skills, John said: "You can never slack off for a minute,
and its always pretty exciting." Cpl Kevin Woodruff, 22
and from Austin, Texas, explained that the PSD duty has
some benefits: "We get to see more of the area than any
other element in the battalion, and we have a very tight
knit group. Every Marine here does his job well -- we keep
each other alive and accomplish the mission." Perhaps the
one member of the patrol that hopes he doesn’t have to perform
his main task is the corpsman, HM2 Larry Cox, 36, from Houston,
Texas. "If I don’t have to do anything medically, that means
everything is going well. A slow day for the medical personnel
is a good day for everyone," says Larry.
Well,
that’s all the time I have for this edition. Thank you once
more for all of the wonderful emails, letters, and packages
that you continue to send us. They are truly appreciated.
In fact, today we even received a big box of items for the
Iraqi children. Our Marines will hand out those items during
future patrols and I know they will be well received. Finally,
yesterday was the 229th birthday of the United States Marine
Corps. We were founded by an act of the Continental Congress
and every year, even way out here in the desert, Marines
make sure to stop and recognize the occasion, if only for
a few moments. Next year’s birthday will be even better
for us though since the Marines will be able to get all
decked out in their dress blues and medals and bring their
wives, girlfriends, or dates to a very enjoyable and festive
party. I can’t wait! To all the Marines out there -- both
past and present -- Happy Birthday Devil Dog!
Semper
Fi,
James
If
you'd like to send the 1/23d any care packages, please address
the packages to Lt Crabtree, 1/23 H&S Co, Unit 41900,
FPO, AP 96426-1900 ... and James will ensure that
whatever you ship gets distributed to the Marines in the 1/23.
NOVEMBER
8, 2004 - REPORT FROM IRAQ: WHEN YOU CAN'T WRITE ABOUT
THE COMBAT, WRITE ABOUT THE FOOD. With the fighting increasing
in Al-Anbar province around Fallujah, our special correspondent
Lt. James Crabtree of the 1/23 Marines has a lot he is not
allowed to write about these days for security reasons. That
doesn't mean, however, that James couldn't come up with something
this week for the families and friends back home...
Dear
Politics1.com Friends,
Hello
once more from Al-Asad, Iraq. Like I mentioned last time,
our AO (Area of Operations) is very active and is receiving
a good deal of the world's media attention. I wish I could
share the details with you, but I can't. We might even have
an embedded reporter or two with us soon, which could be
interesting. I'll let you know if that happens. Our Marines
and sailors continue to excel in their tasks in every manner.
It is truly inspiring to see the way they conduct themselves
each and every day.
I
haven't had a chance to really do a profile this week, but
I figured now would be as good of a time as any to share
with you some info about one of the most popular places
in our camp: the 1/23 Chow Hall. Led by Gunnery Sergeant
P.C. Smith, a jailer for the Harris County Jail in his civilian
life, the Marines and foreign national contractors run a
great operation. They serve thousands of meals three times
daily in a timely and efficient manner -- and even managed
to get a couple of big screen televisions hooked up to a
satellite dish so that we can watch sports or the news while
we eat. The most common item served is chicken and nothing
is that fancy, but for a non-picky eater like me, the food
is great. They also often have a good supply of ice cream
from the Kuwaiti Danish Dairy Company. It is unknown how
many Danes actually live in Kuwait, but their ice cream
is fairly popular with our guys. Of course, you can't get
Ben and Jerry's here -- so it may only be popular by default.
"The
Corral" ... our chow hall here at Camp Lone Star.
I've
included some photos from inside of the chow hall. As you
can see, it is fairly large and Spartan. The chow hall is
actually a series of portable structures linked together
to form a building. There are two serving lines and a small
section in the center that sometimes contains salad, fruit,
and desserts.
There
are also some convenience store-type coolers that contain
bottled water and Middle Eastern versions of Coke that actually
have the old removable pull tabs like those that used to
exist in the US until the mid-1980s. I personally eat here
twice a day (I'm not a breakfast person) and I'll move around
where I sit from meal-to-meal simply to add some variety
to my dining experience. Our neighbors from the Air Wing,
as well as the occasional civilian contractor, also use
the chow hall. It may never make it into the Zagat's Guide
-- trust me, it doesn't deserve a place there -- but it
is still a great place to get a quick meal and share some
stories with fellow Marines. So, if you ever happen to just
be driving through the desert of the Anbar Province and
come past Al-Asad, stop into the 1/23 chow hall for some
good Marine Corps home cooking and tell them Lt Crabtree
sent 'ya. Oh, and the food is free ... so you can't complain.
Thanks
as always for all of your support. The care packages are
arriving more and more every day. It means the world to
our guys!
Semper
Fi,
James
If
you'd like to send the 1/23d any care packages, please address
the packages to Lt Crabtree, 1/23 H&S Co, Unit 41900,
FPO, AP 96426-1900 ... and James will ensure that
whatever you ship gets distributed to the Marines in the 1/23.
NOVEMBER
2, 2004 - REPORT
FROM IRAQ: AN ELECTION DAY MESSAGE. With all the fighting
going on in the Al-Anbar province around Fallujah, our "adopted"
1/23 Marines are rather busy these days. Fortunately, our
friend and special correspondent Lt. James Crabtree of 1/23
took a few minutes to send a brief Election Day message to
those of us back here in the United States.
Dear
Readers of Politics1.com,
Greetings again from 1/23 in the Anbar Province of Iraq.
Things are busy here, as I'm sure everyone is aware of from
all the news reports. Our battalion is certainly doing it's
share around here, like we have done since the day we got
here. I'll be able to hopefully write a more detailed report
for you in a few more days. For now, I simply wanted to
share some pictures with you that I really like.
Sgt
Gamez on the satellite phone with KISS-FM in San Antonio.
The
first two are of Cpl Cruz and Sgt Gamez using one of our
satellite phones to speak live with "Lisle and Hahn"
on KISS 99.5 FM in San Antonio last Friday morning.
Corporal
Cruz talking with the San Antonio radio station.
The
call went well and I think these photos show you just how
remote our area can be at times, as well as how amazing
it is that we were able to call in live like we did. On
Thursday we did another call in to the "Sammy and Bob
Show" on KVET radio in Austin. It was wonderful to
be able to talk with them again and we've really seen an
increase in letters and care packages because of their efforts.
You can go to www.kvet.com
to hear some of the audio clips from the program.
I've
also enclosed a photo that one of our Marines has out here
that he wanted everyone to see:
This is a picture of (left to right) Lance Corporal Jimmy
Bills, Sergeant Patrick Foreman, Future Baseball Hall of
Famer Roger Clemens, Corporal Javier Quezadavazon, and Staff
Sergeant Benjamin Clede at a Houston Texans football game
last fall. These Marines were at the game to collect toys
in the Marine Corps Reserve's Toys For Tots campaign and
Clemens stopped by to say "thank you" for their
service and have his photo taken with them.
Finally,
I wanted to add a personal note since I know today is Election
Day in America. Last night at our weekly chapel service
we said a prayer to ask that our nation be brought together
again after what has been a very acrimonious and divisive
election. Whether our own candidate wins or loses, we are
all still Americans -- and we asked that whoever is elected
be given the strength and courage to lead our country during
a very trying time in our history. I hope that people can
realize that because someone disagrees with them politically,
that it does not make them evil or stupid or so forth. Rather,
they simply have a different view of life. Perhaps being
able to disagree without being disagreeable is something
more Americans can learn. I use as an example myself and
our Chaplain. Navy LT David Dinkins is a great man and a
good spiritual leader and while we don't agree necessarily
on a lot of issues politically, we are united by things
far greater than who wins or loses an election. Well, that's
my two cents.
Thank
you as always for your thoughts, well wishes, and prayers
for our battalion and all of our men and women here in Iraq
-- and for their families back home that worry each day
about their loved ones.
Semper
Fi,
James
If
you'd like to send the 1/23d any care packages, please address
the packages to Lt Crabtree, 1/23 H&S Co, Unit 41900,
FPO, AP 96426-1900 ... and James will ensure that
whatever you ship gets distributed to the Marines in the 1/23.
