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.
ARCHIVED
ENTRIES:
JULY - AUGUST 2004
SEPTEMBER 2004
OCTOBER 2004
NOVEMBER 2004
DECEMBER 2004
DECEMBER
31, 2004 - REPORT FROM IRAQ: A NEW YEAR'S MESSAGE FROM
THE 1/23 MARINES. Our special correspondent Lt. James Crabtree
of the 1/23 Marines gives us his final thoughts for 2004.
Dear
Politics1.com Friends,
Hello
for the last time this year from the Haditha Dam in Iraq.
The New Year is almost here and we’ve had a very busy week
so I’ll do what I can to try to fit all the happenings into
this update. To start with, I mentioned in my last report
that I would be profiling the Motor-T Marines. I haven’t been
able to complete that yet, so I’ll have to push that to next
time hopefully. Sorry about that. Well, while those of you
in the continental US will be celebrating New Year’s Eve those
of us here in Iraq will already be 8, 9, 10, or even 11 hours
ahead of you. No champagne or parties for us, though. We’ll
have a simple talent show on New Year’s Eve and perhaps sing
Auld Lang Syne, but that’ll be about it. For those of us that
are Longhorn fans, we’ll certainly try to watch the Rose Bowl
on New Year’s Day.
We
had a nice candlelight Christmas Eve service with Sgt. Dance’s
Marines serving as the choir. Everyone enjoyed the Bible readings
and the hymns. The feeling of Christmas was certainly present.
The next day everyone was treated to some turkey and ham and
the usual other Christmas Day foods. The officers served the
enlisted Marines and everyone got one bottle of Budweiser
and a small bottle of Bacardi Rum (like the ones you get on
an airplane). For the Marines that drink this was the best
gift anyone could have given them, though it was probably
just enough to whet their appetite.
Our
first embedded reporter, Mr. Joe Sacco, has now been with
us for over a week and has been all over the area with our
Marines. He’s a very professional and friendly journalist
and we certainly enjoy having him here with us. Our Marines
have taken him out with them on many of their missions and
he lives with them in their quarters. He is a very accomplished
artist as well and actually writes his stories in a comic
book fashion. The story he is doing on 1/23 will be around
eight pages in a Sunday magazine of The Guardian, a large
London newspaper. The piece should come out sometime in February
and the Marines are already looking forward to seeing it.
I’ve had a chance to look through a
book Mr. Sacco gave us that he wrote on Bosnia and it’s
very captivating. His style of illustration in his stories
is unique and catches your attention. It’s a real thrill for
us to have him here, especially in light of all the praise
his past books have received from folks like Christopher Hitchens
and The Economist magazine.
In
other big news, the Marines of the Small Craft Company recently
discovered a sizable weapons cache during one of their raids.
They found many mortar rounds, ammo, machine guns, explosives,
and other accoutrements of the insurgents. Their hard work
has brought them a lot of well deserved praise. Finding a
cache like they did is not easy and it further serves to weaken
our enemy around here.
We’ve
also had some individuals that deserve mention here, too.
RP2 Rumsey was just named the "Religious Program Specialist
of the Year" for all of the Naval Reserves. This is a
high honor and everyone in the battalion is proud of his success.
I’m also happy to announce that my right-hand man, GySgt Sepeda,
just became a father again yesterday when his wife gave birth
in Austin to their son Carlos Sepeda Jr. Congratulations!
The
last bit of news to pass this week is the return home for
many of our Azerbaijani soldiers that have guarded the dam.
I was able to watch them leave yesterday as the Marine Corps
CH-53 helicopters landed on top of the dam to take them on
the first leg of their journey home.
Most
of these soldiers had been on this dam for 18 months and they
were thrilled to finally be heading home! There is a great
deal of mutual admiration between the Marines and the Azerbaijanis.
The "AZs" were constantly professional, friendly,
and extremely hard working. I got to know Lt Javid Abasov
(below) quite well and it was exciting to see how ebullient
he was about his homecoming.
Javid
(he had us call him David) is returning home to be married
to his fiancée. She is a doctor and he jokes that she is always
telling him that she will take care of him when he gets home.
They have been together for two years -- even though he has
not left the dam for the last 18 months! Javid is very smart
and extremely driven, and his goal is to one day be a general.
I feel pretty certain he will succeed in that dream of his.
He is a big fan of the United States and we enjoyed talking
about American history and the US Constitution. In turn he
would tell me about his home country and its history. Azerbaijan
might not be a place that the media covers very much, but
their soldiers have made some life long friends in the US
Marine Corps. Our battalion commander presented Certificates
of Commendation to the AZ company commander, and to their
company as a whole, the morning that they left. Upon receiving
the awards their commander spoke through Lt Abasov as the
translator and said, “It has been an honor to serve with you.
Years ago I saw the US Marines on television, but never thought
I would serve with them. You have taught us much and we will
take these lessons home to teach to our soldiers.” Our battalion
commander was effusive in his praise for the AZs and made
sure to tell them how grateful we are for their service. I
truly feel that the Azerbaijanis are great allies and that
they are the types of allies that many Americans probably
don’t even know that we have. I told Javid that when he gets
promoted to general I want to be there for the ceremony. He
smiled and said that would be great. We’ve exchanged email
and postal addresses and he says he will send me some wedding
photos when he gets them. Once I receive them I’ll be sure
to put them in an update.
A group of AZ's eagerly watching their helicopter as it lands.
There was lots of waving and many smiling faces as the AZs
finally boarded for the trip home.
Thank
you, as always, for reading this update and for all of your
support. 2004 has been a wild and adventurous year for us,
and for most of us we will never have another one like it
again. I hope and pray that the New Year finds you and your
loved ones well. Until next year, take care.
Semper
Fi,
James
P.S.
Hook’em Horns! Beat Michigan!
P.P.S.
Our own LCpl Hudgens is in the year-end issue of Time Magazine
(the one with the President Bush-Man of the Year cover). There
is an article on the President meeting with wounded servicemen
and giving them their Purple Hearts. The half-page black/white
pic is of President Bush hugging LCpl Hudgens' mom while he
looks on. LCpl Hudgens came very close to being killed a while
back when his vehicle struck by an IED. He’s getting better
now, and seeing his photo in Time was surreal. My mom just
recently mailed it to me and I was flipping through it this
morning when I noticed the photo.
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. The 1/23
Marines are scheduled to remain in Iraq until March 2005.
DECEMBER
24, 2004 - SHOWERS, FIELD KITCHENS, THE DUNGEON, AND
HOLIDAY GREETINGS FROM THE HADITHA DAM. Our special correspondent
Lt. James Crabtree of the 1/23 Marines sends a few more pix
and Christmas thoughts from our adopted Marines.
Dear
Politics1.com Friends,
This
is my last posting before Christmas and I felt compelled to
give you one last look at our battalion before the big Christmas
turkey is eaten. We’ve got a few exciting things happening
here that are worth sharing. First off, the phone call to
"The Sam Malone Morning Show" went very well Tuesday.
We weren’t able to round up as many Marines as before, but
most of the ones who got on the air this time had never done
so before. In the case of LCpl Westmoreland, he’d desperately
wanted to be on the air the two previous times but was unable
to make it. Every day that he’d see me for th past two weeks
he’d mention that upcoming show -- so I made sure to have
him at the front of the line this time. The folks at KRBE
were great, as always.
Another
thing we are looking forward to is finally getting our first
embedded media reporter. Newspaper reporter Joe Sacco writes
for The Guardian in London. He will be with us for a week
or so. Hopefully he’ll get a chance to ride along with the
Marines on their patrols and get a great feel for what this
area is like and how well the Marines handle themselves. As
soon as I find a link to the stories he writes on the battalion
.I’ll be sure to pass it along.
To
give you a glimpse into our daily life here at Haditha Dam,
here are a few more pictures. They're just of run-of-the-mill
things -- nothing special -- but then you'll better understand
what our home away from home looks like out here. Below is
our field kitchen where are all meals are prepared -- including
the “special” meal we’ll eat on Christmas
day.
This
next one is of the only shower we have on the 5th deck of
the dam. It has no hot water and some pretty crazy looking
plumbing. We need Bob Villa over here!
Finally,
here is our battalion conference room in "The Dungeon”
area of the dam (named for the feeling one gets in the darkened
area). During General Natonski's recent visit, he joked with
us that our table had clearly seen better days.
Now,
on to other matters. My next update will center on the Marines
of the Motor Transport section. I’ve not written about them
yet and they deserve to be mentioned. They do a fine job keeping
the battalion’s vehicles on the road and have seen more than
their share of road time driving in convoys. Look for those
profiles in the next update on Monday.
One
final note before I close this brief column – last spring
before the Marines were activated there was a family orientation
at the headquarters in Houston. One of the guest speakers
joked that USMC stood for "U Suckers Miss Christmas."
Those of us there laughed, but then realized that the joke
perhaps hit a little too close to home. Well, we may not be
home for Christmas this year, but I assure you that every
member of this battalion longs to be there. When we are home
next year, we will have a far greater appreciation of our
time spent with family and loved ones than we have probably
ever felt before. I know that’s the way I feel about it.
Until
next time, thank you for reading and for all of your continued
prayers and support. Have a great holiday season!
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. The 1/23
Marines are scheduled to remain in Iraq until March 2005.
DECEMBER
20, 2004 - REPORT FROM IRAQ: MORE HOLIDAY THOUGHTS (AND
PIX) FROM THE HADITHA DAM. Our special correspondent Lt.
James Crabtree of the 1/23 Marines sends a few pix and words
from the Marines as the holiday season approaches.
Dear
Politics1.com Friends,
Season’s
greetings from the 1st Battalion, 23d Marines in Iraq. We
hope that you and your loved ones are well. Our Marines and
Sailors are as fine as can be expected. The Battalion’s chaplain
(LT David Dinkins) and his aide (RP2 Rumsey) have gone out
of their way to make everyone feel the Christmas spirit this
holiday season. They have even scheduled a midnight mass for
Christmas Eve. We're also continued to receive a heavy volume
of care packages and the Christmas items are ubiquitous. It
makes home feel a little bit closer. We are supposed to have
some sort of special meal for Christmas and I know the Battalion
Commander and Sergeant Major will be visiting all of our Marines
in the outlying areas. When the Commanding General of the
1st Marine Division flew in to see our staff members last
week, he said: "Obviously everyone would rather be home
for the holidays with loved ones, but if you have to spend
them in a faraway place you could do a lot worse then to spend
them with your brother Marines." I believe everyone here
would agree with that sentiment.
Many
of the Marines here comment on how the days are starting to
fly by. Each day blends with the next, and each has a "same-ness"
to them, so I would guess that half of the Marines here are
in the dark when it comes to what day of the week it is. For
many this is probably a good thing. This being in the dark
can be quite a literal thing at times, too. For some reason
this dam -- a source of electrical power -- is plague by power
outages. You can hear the turbines stop and the lights start
to flicker as if they were in some cheesy WWII movie, and
then they go out and everything becomes very dark and very
quiet. Flashlights and chem lights are used to get around
and eventually, somehow, the power gets restored. This dam
provides power for about a third of Iraq, so when we lose
power here we can look down the river and see that the city
of Haditha has no lights as well. The irony of living in a
hydro-electric dam and losing power is one that grows stronger
and stronger every time an outage occurs. As I type this email
right now there are huge turbines spinning and generating
power that are about twelve stories beneath me and yet the
walls and floors still vibrate and the sound of a low rumble
is everywhere. You don’t even notice it unless it stops.
I’m
sorry I haven’t been able write another profile on any of
our Marines this week. I guess I’ve just been staying busy.
Instead, I'll just share two pictures with you.
This
first one is of Lt Kleinman (left) being recently promoted
from 2nd Lieutenant to 1st Lieutenant. Lt Colonel Stevens,
above, administered the oath of office. This was taken in
the conference room area known as "the dungeon."
This
second photo is my way of acknowledging the support I get
from these two Marines. SSgt Tom Watson (left) of Warner Robbins,
Georgia, and Sgt Reginald Pinkney, of Chicago, Illinois, both
work for me and do a stellar job. They are both reservists
from the 3d Force Recon Company based out of Mobile, Alabama.
(Also: Note the UT Longhorns banner hanging -- along with
Christmas lights -- in the hallway.)
I
know many of you want to see updates on the Marines in some
of the other areas, but thus far I haven’t been able to get
out there. We know they are doing well from everything they
tell us -- and we make sure to push care packages out to them,
too.
One
thing to look forward to is another live phone call-in for
the Houston area Marines to The Sam
Malone Morning Show on KRBE 104 FM in Houston at around
6:10 am on Tuesday, December 21st. This show has also been
very generous to us and we hope to get as many Houston area
Marines and Sailors on the air as possible. It truly boosts
everyone's morale to take part in something like that.
Well,
that is all the time I have for this update. One final note:
we received word that Cpl Jake
Schick has actually taken his first steps on his new foot
-- and also that several of our 1/23 Marines recovering at
the Bethesda Naval Hospital were personally awarded their
Purple Hearts there by the President. Our thoughts and prayers
are with them.
Thank
you as always for reading this update and for all of your
continued prayers and support.
Semper
Fi,
James
PS
- Here is a photo of the dam with it’s spillways open. The
gate is only raised about 6 inches, but it produces a ton
of water! This is the first time they opened it since the
whole battalion moved up here.
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. The 1/23
Marines are scheduled to remain in Iraq until March 2005.
DECEMBER
16, 2004 - REPORT FROM IRAQ: HOLIDAY SEASON AT THE HADITHA
DAM. Our special correspondent Lt. James Crabtree of the
1/23 Marines sends a few pix and words from the Marines as the
holiday season approaches.
Dear
Politics1.com Friends,
I
didn't have the time to write up another full update, but
I had some pictures I wanted to share with you about our life
here in the Haditha Dam. This first shot is of our newly reorganized
battalion library.
We
have had many books sent to us by folks back in the states
and the battalion that preceded us also left some books, so
we have taken a small closet room area on our main deck and
put in some shelves and made it into a min-library. One of
my favorite films is The Shawshank Redemption and the main
character -- named Andy Dufresne (played by Tim Robbins) --
starts a library in the prison out of donated books. Well,
since our source of books is through donations as well --
and the Dam sometimes resembles a prison -- I have named our
library the "1/23 Andy Dufresne Library." Hopefully,
when we leave (and not via a tunnel), we will have added to
the book collection.
The
second photo today is of the battalion’s improvised Christmas
tree in our chow hall.
The
tree is made of a camouflage net and a long pole. We’ve taken
various ornaments and decorations that we have been sent and
decked the tree out as best we could. In the photo you see
some of the Azerbaijani soldiers eating dinner next to the
tree. It always amazes me how the Marines here can continuously
make improvements to our surroundings.
One
final note: we have still not received any embedded reporters
out here. Our higher headquarters keep telling me that some
may come out here. I’ve seen everything from the NY Times
and USA Today to the foreign TV networks and newspapers, but
they never pan out. I think they must believe the action is
in the Fallujah area and/or they prefer to stay in the nice
relative comfort of the International Zone in Baghdad. I’ll
keep plugging away at this, as it would create more opportunities
for the 1/23 families to read about what we do each day. So,
if you know any reporters, please send them our way. We’ve
got some great stories to tell. Until next time, thank you
for all of your prayers and support!
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. The 1/23
Marines are scheduled to remain in Iraq until March 2005.
DECEMBER
13, 2004 - REPORT FROM IRAQ: MEET THE FUTURE SWIFT BOAT
VETS. Our special correspondent Lt. James Crabtree of the
1/23 Marines spent some time this week with the Marines who
patrol the waters around the Haditha Dam.
Dear
Politics1.com Friends,
Hello
once again from the Haditha Dam in Iraq -- where Soviet bloc
architecture, Iraqi engineering, and US firepower fuse together
for a surreal environment.
I
want to start off this update by strongly thanking everyone
that extended their prayers and condolences to the Kolda family.
We are forever grateful for that. Cpl Zak Kolda was laid to
rest yesterday in Corpus Christi and every member of this
battalion wishes they could have been there. I also want to
thank everyone for the large volume of mail and care packages
that we continue to receive. We only get mail every third
day here on the dam and every time our convoy returns with
mail the amount increases. I believe this trend will continue
until Christmas. We also were very lucky to have The Weekly
Standard run a thank you note I sent them in their December
6th issue. I had mentioned to them that they could see these
updates here on Politics1 and it also contained our mailing
address. I have already received about a dozen letters from
people that say they saw the reproduced postcard in the magazine.
Each was well written and from the heart and they made my
day.
In
other news, the battalion continues to do a stellar job and
our light at the end of the tunnel is growing nearer. In fact,
the battalion commander of the unit that will replace us here
in March visited for several days last week and he said he
was highly impressed by our Marines. He also stated that he
is now confident that our turn-over with his battalion will
go well. In addition, we had the Commanding General of the
2nd Marine Division fly in to visit since his division will
be taking over in the Al-Anbar Province sometime in the Spring.
It's a great thing to know that the wheels are already in
motion for our return home.
A Marine out running on the dam at sunset.
Speaking
of being in motion, the other day while running on the dam
with Capt Kuniholm (the Engineer's platoon commander), we
were discussing the fact that the Euphrates is the southern
border of the ancient land of Mesopotamia. With the Tigris
River on the north, Mesopotamia meant "the land between two
rivers." As the Captain and I were doing our normal run back
and forth across the long length of the dam it occurred to
me that we were running in and out of Mesopotamia every time
we crossed the river. We've decided that as a humorous note
we should create a sign and place it atop the dam that would
say in English and Arabic "Now entering Mesopotamia" on one
side and "Now leaving Mesopotamia" on the other side. For
some reason this seemed really funny to me. Perhaps I've been
in Iraq too long, but I think it might just be from my warped
sense of humor.
Larger boats of the Small Craft Company on patrol at sunset.
The
focus of this week's report is on the active duty Marines
from the Small Craft Company out of Camp Lejeune that patrol
our river and lake areas -- and thus keep the dam safe. I
had the chance to speak with several of these Marines today
and all of them were eager to share their stories. The Small
Craft Company is the only one like it in the whole Marine
Corps (and quite possibly the entire US Military). They run
boats on the lake that closely resemble the Swift Boats that
John Kerry piloted in Vietnam, and much smaller boats on the
Euphrates River that look like the type you could buy at a
Bass Master dealership. These Marines speak about patrolling
through the reeds and muck of the river in the cold of the
night, about navigating choppy waves on the lake, dealing
with fishermen that get too close to the restricted areas
around the dam, and of receiving small arms fire from people
taking shots at them from the banks of the river. All of these
Marines seem young, and for some reason most of them are from
Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Each of them is an infantryman
and most had no experience with boats before they joined the
Marines. They even joke that some of their members don't even
know how to swim well. When they were first assigned to the
company, none of them knew where they were going. Corporal
Jimmy Taulbee, 25, of Hershey, Pennsylvania, said, "I heard
'Small Craft Company' and I though 'What am I going to do?
Make pottery?" Lance Corporal Mike Malionek, 21 (next week)
and hailing from Beverly, Massachusetts, added: "My instructors
at the School of Infantry didn't know what it was and they
told me I must have gotten into trouble or something at boot
camp."
Some of the Small Craft Company Marines.
Front row (L to R): LCpl Malionek, LCpl Keeney, LCpl Ryan,
PFC Walker,
LCpl DeBord, LCpl Pass, LCpl Kittleson, and LCpl Milczewski.
Second row (L to R): PFC Yates, Cpl Taulbee, and 1stLt Kruse.
All
joking aside, these Marines are very skilled at what they
do and they take pride in their service. The river is surprisingly
shallow at points and hitting the bottom is a routine occurrence.
Lance Corporal Kevin Kittleson -- a 21-year-old from Three
Oaks, Michigan (near Benton Harbor) -- claims that the river
and its weeds eat up the boats engines and bang up their hulls.
He should know because, as one of the platoon's mechanics,
he has to keep the boats up and running. Like all Marines
here in Iraq, they like to talk about what they will do when
they return home. Kittleson is scheduled to leave the Marine
Corps on New Year's Eve next year and looks forward to the
celebration of his return home.
The
platoon is led by First Lieutenant Eric Kruse, 25, a native
of Thorndale, PA. Like the 1/23, Kruse and his Marines have
been in Iraq since August and will rotate home in the Spring.
It's obvious he is proud of his Marines and the fact that
they truly are a unique unit in the Marine Corps. "These guys
are asked to do a lot and they always come through it well.
Motoring down a river at night armed and looking for terrorists
is not easy, but in a weird way my Marines live for that sort
of thing." A good example of that type of Marine is Lance
Corporal Tim Milczewski of Northfield, Ohio. The 19-year-old
boat coxswain is called "Ski" by his fellow Marines and he
jokes about coming back to Iraq one day as a Sergeant Major
for "OIF 13" (note: right now we are on OIF 2).
FYI: a coxswain drives the boat. He also serves as a gunner
and as part of the ground combat element for his platoon.
Almost to a man, none of them ever expected to be running
a boat up and down the Euphrates River in Iraq. It is certainly
not like fishing back home, but that doesn't keep them from
thinking about that. In fact, Kruse even says he wants to
buy a boat like the one the Marines have because he's come
to know well the intricacies of the little riverboats and
because "these things don't sink."
Well,
that's all the time and space I have for this time. Thanks
as always for reading, and for your support.
Semper
Fi,
James
PS
- Oh, and we got another huge box of stuff from Congressman
Gene Green (D-TX) again. He sent a really nice personal Christmas
card, DC ornaments, food, candy, hygiene items, magazines,
books, etc. It was great!
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.
DECEMBER
6, 2004 - REPORT FROM IRAQ: THE 1/23 RELOCATES TO A DAM
... AND THE BATTALION'S FIRST COMBAT DEATH. Our special
correspondent Lt. James Crabtree of the 1/23 Marines lost email
access for a week when they were moved from their former airfield
location to a dam on the Euphrates River. James is now back
online, so here is his latest report.
Dear
Politics1.com Friends,
Hello
once again from 1/23 in Iraq. It has been a long time since
I was able to write an update. Over the Thanksgiving weekend
a large part of the battalion relocated to the Haditha Dam.
The dam is the largest hydroelectric dam in Iraq and spans
the Euphrates River. Everyone is settled in now and things
are up and running well. It was a difficult move not only
because of the distance and new surroundings, but also because
we had to continue our regular operations while making the
many convoys involved with the move. The Marines did great
as always. It was a classic case of "Semper Gumby" ... Always
Flexible.
A view of the dam from James' room.
We
now literally live inside the dam, but our battalion still
carries out its same missions as before. In many ways I personally
prefer the dam to Al-Asad. While the Al-Asad base had better
communications and the mail was quicker, the dam is in a much
prettier location. The dam itself has a great many levels
with some above ground and many below. A good form of exercise
here is to run the stairs or to run along the roads on top
of the dam. The dam is also very wide -- perhaps several miles
long -- and it provides electricity to roughly a third of
Iraq. Needless to say, none of us ever thought we'd be living
in a dam on the Euphrates!
Cpl. Zak Kolda
Well,
in much more somber and important news, our battalion lost
a true hero on December 1st. Corporal Zak Kolda was a 23-year-old
student at the University of Texas and was also recently married.
He is the first member our battalion has lost over here. Just
typing these words are very difficult for me. I have no way
of expressing what a good man he was and how much he meant
to his fellow Marines. We all feel a tremendous amount of
grief over the pain his family is going through and we pray
that they may one day find peace. Zak was actually one of
my Marines in the Heavy Guns Platoon in Austin before I was
made the battalion adjutant. I remember talking with him that
first weekend that I was with the unit and he struck me as
a man with a lot going for him. He was smart, squared away,
and cared about the Marines under his charge. I want everyone
to know that Zak was a hero and that this battalion will always
honor his memory. The other night several of his closest friends
were able to speak with a reporter from the Austin American-Statesman
via satellite phone. They spoke deeply and movingly about
who Zak was and what he meant to them. I wish all of you could
have heard what they said. It was dark, cold, and windy on
the top of the dam as the Marines had just returned from one
of their many patrols, and yet they thought nothing of standing
outside for over an hour so that the phone could get a signal
and they could tell the reporter about their brother Marine.
The reporter, Laura Heinauer, did a fine job capturing many
of their comments and putting them into her article. I encourage
you to read it at www.statesman.com.
It first ran on December 3rd, so you may have to look in the
archives. Below is the picture that newspaper originally ran
with the article.
Cpl.
Kolda's Memorial Service at the Haditha Dam.
Our
battalion held a memorial service for Cpl Kolda on Friday
morning just as the sun was rising over the river. Everyone
that was not on duty or on a patrol was there. His best friends
spoke about their feelings for him and the Chaplain led the
battalion in a very emotional service.
I
really like this photo (above). It was taken from the top
deck (level 10) of the dam and is looking down on the memorial
service on Level 7 as the Marines are bowing their heads in
prayer. The sun rise was beautiful and the Euphrates flowed
in the background.
Finally,
I want to close with an email that Zak's mom, Paula Kolda,
sent to me today. It moved me very deeply. It says far more
than I or anyone else could ever say about her son. She wanted
me to share this email with his fellow Marines and all the
other the friends of 1/23:
On
Thanksgiving Day, your Cpl. Kolda, my Zak, told his family
that he was thankful to, among other things, serve with
the finest Marines ever. I just want you all to know that
Zak saw you as brothers and as such, we will continue to
pray for your safety and your success. We thank each of
you for the personal sacrifice that you are making for your
country.
If
anyone who knew Zak would care to contact us, please give
them my address.
Sadly
but sincerely,
Zak's mom
Paula Kolda
If
anyone wishes to write to the Kolda family to express their
condolences they may do so by contacting our rear party at
Camp Mabry in Austin. The address is:
The
Kolda Family
c/o Capt Schumacher
Weapons Company 1/23
4601 Fairview Drive
Austin, TX 78731
Thank
you as always for reading this update and for all of your
support -- not just for the members of this battalion, but
more importantly, for their families and loved ones back home.
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. The 1/23
Marines are scheduled to remain in Iraq until March 2005.
READ
OLDER ARTICLES ON THE 1/23 MARINES IN OUR ARCHIVES:
JULY - AUGUST 2004 ARTICLES
SEPTEMBER 2004 ARTICLES
OCTOBER 2004 ARTICLES
NOVEMBER 2004 ARTICLES
DECEMBER 2004 ARTICLES
