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- May no soldier go unloved

LTC Turner: Iraq Update May 5, 2007

Please be advised that the only parts of this message that were edited were to insure compliance with OPSEC regulations and insure the safety of our current and future serving men and women in theater. Beyond that, totally the words of LTC Turner.


From LTC Patrick Turner:

Last email sent 45 days ago. Last time we visited I finished up a trip down to Kuwait and was preparing for a trip to Baquoba, Iraq or what we call FOB Warhorse. There, a certain sized unit engages in daily combat with Sunni insurgents and Al Qaeda. My mission, in earlier April, was to ascertain the level of support for the exchange system, inspect equipment, make an assessment and so forth. From Camp Liberty where I am based, I had to helo up to Balad, Iraq and sometimes it is called Camp Anaconda about 30 minutes (depending on how circuitous the route is) in flight. For the first time, I was able to fly in the daytime at low level to Balad and pulled out my video camera and got a pretty close view of the countryside. Also took some pretty interesting still pictures with my Olympus FE-190 digital which is a wonderful camera my wife and I have found out. Flew into Balad and had to "hang out" for several hours as flights going into Warhorse are done at night. Being as there has been recent helo issues, I voted along with the crew for this option.





For the first time in Iraq, I flew in a CH47 which is a large helicopter with two large rotor blades. Had not been on one in awhile and they fly with the back door down and a .30 caliber machine gun braced onto the tail. Of course, the rear crewman wears night vision goggles so he could certainly see a lot better than me. The helo flies, not surprisingly, in total blackout because the pilots wear the night vision goggles as well. We swooped in pretty fast and landed. I exited off one side of the pad and missed my contact and had to walk probably 1.5 kilometers until I could line up my bunk for the night. Normally I need the exercise but I don't like walking long distances in full body armor, weapon, backpack and briefcase of sorts. Certainly was sweaty and finding out I was going to be on a cot did not exactly make me enthusiastic.


Conducted my inspection and so forth with the local management and engaged the Mayoral cell as well. Was able to get inside their command post and see how they track the battle and what vision devices they have as well and it was "interesting". I was invited to a officer's call that night and some 2LT got promoted, smoke cigars and so forth and just plain male bonding because there are so few females. But assuredly, there is no alcohol in Iraq unless you illegally import it. Next morning, had to get up early and the bird landed 45 minutes ahead of time at [redacted] as it is very rare to fly during the day. Unfortunately, the windows to the Blackhawk had no windows. I tried initially to video but flying 130 miles an hour almost blew my camera and ballistic glasses off my head. I knew the pilot would be very aggressive in terms of speed to take off since this is a tough area. Onward we flew back to Camp Liberty in about 30 minutes or so and surprisingly saw some vegetation and trees but bad guys all over the place only you can't see them readily. Flew over one town and saw the Mahdi army black flag waving from a large building so I guess I know who they belong to: the Shias.

Found out later in the day that 21 bodies were found tortured and burned and dumped from Baquoba that morning. The base is only [redacted] but only got two mortar or rocket rounds that night. We have a very aggressive officer in charge at Warhorse I am told at Baquoba and an extensive article was written in the New York Times recently on this place.

Able finally in early April to attend a social gathering of so called Intelligence personnel and must admit met some strange, but interesting, characters to include a couple of Iraqi generals. It was a good night to meet some new people and pick up news around the Theatre. Had some nice spaghetti which I don't normally care for but it was done right and good casual conversation was had. Out near a pool but since the water can be brackish I passed on the opportunity but the mosquitoes or their variation had their piece of me.






By the time 20 Apr 07 rolled around I was ready to visit Al Anbar province in western Iraq and made a 11 day visit there, returning on 1 May. Of course, this is United States Marine territory but there are surprisingly a number of army units sprinkled throughout the four locations I helo'd to: Falluja, Ramadi, Al Asad and Taqqadam or normally called "TQ". Trying to get from Camp Liberty to Falluja is horrendous. I was on "Space A helo" and it meant, for a 13 minute helo ride, I had to sit at the heliport a total of 9 hours over two different days. Fortunately, it was not 130 degrees and ultimately, I flew at night. This time, I finally was able to fly in a Marine CH46 which is about 80% of the size of a CH47 where you can put about 8-9 people on each side instead of more. And, which is unusual, they have a side machine gunner just behind each pilot to provide defense. We had a Cobra gunship for support on our flight and I thought those things went away in the 1990s but the Marines are still using them. They are even using "Huey" helos as supporting gunships. Maybe they are cheaper, I don't know. Well, we corkscrewed somehow onto the helipad and as always, its perfectly dark, loud as hell but fortunately someone was there to pick us up.







We drive extensively around Falluja and it is a larger based than you would imagine. But, you can hear the gunfire not too far away and mortar illumination rounds are being constantly fired to support our Marines in nighttime combat operations. Not too far where we slept, a 156mm mortar shot several times (outbound is always good) and who knows what they were trying to do. The reception of the local Marines was very gratifying even if I was an "army dude". I wore my army desert uniform from 2005 to blend in a little more with the Marines since the army digital uniform is so different so maybe that was appreciated to some degree. Traveling with a civilian and a Marine warrant officer, I always like someone telling me where to go in strange places.

We conducted our business and could not fly out until [redacted] or so to Ramadi. Ramadi has a number of local populace who are of ill repute to be sure. We took off for Ramadi in another double rotor helo and got about halfway to Ramadi at about I would guess [redacted] feet. I was seated in the right rear of the craft and bookended by my two traveling partners. I saw the Crewchief suddenly duck down while he was peeking out the "back door" and my two buds observed a spray of red tracers come up right behind or onto our helo so I guess the Bush pacification program is not working at that zip code presently.

The pilot took immediate aggressive action by banking hard [redacted] and it forced me momentarily to think I was on a ride at Six Flags only the stakes were different this time: it was real and this was no drill. We gained speed and landed quickly/directly into an airport at Taqqadam in an emergency stop. We had to de-ass the helo which the crew checked for bullet holes and so forth. The guy traveling next to me said he heard three hits on the helo but I did not. So by the time we finally got to Ramadi and to bed it was late-as always. Hey-I would jump in a pickup truck to go from place to place but the odds on completing that mission would be tenuous-at best.

The second day I was at Ramadi coming out of the Mess Hall when about 1/2 mile away, just outside the wire was the largest explosion I have heard in Iraq and then about 10 minutes later another, but not as large. Seems like another suicide bomber in a car, called a "VBIED" (vehicle borne improvised explosive device) wanted to service his 45 virgins or whatever and took about 10 policemen with him and the terrorists are smart enough to also bomb what we call the first responders minutes later. Many of the wounded were treated on base I was advised for humanitarian reasons. While I was gone out west, I just remembered that a rocket or mortar hit our Mess Hall at Camp Liberty (Baghdad) after hours but due to having a "e-barrier", which is a double tier of steel protection over this high occupancy facility so I guess there was some action.






Went to Al Asad next which is a huge base out in Western Iraq; flew in a Marine Stallion I think it is called and is a large helo. Took 35 minutes or so to come from Ramadi and did not get to bed until 0400 as we fly 98% of the time at night or very, very early morning to avoid mischief. Toured the base, among other things and took shots (attached) of several destroyed Russian planes and equipment and so forth which is laying around inert. We fly A10 Warthogs out of here as evidenced by getting up pretty close to the flight line in my pics. All in all, certainly a desert base with a lot of people. Met the base commander Colonel and exchanged a number of views. He told me Al Asad had not taken indirect fire for 4 months but can't say that about the previous two stops.







Went onto Taqqadam the next day for two days and an extra day for waiting. Checked all of their equipment, i.e. vehicles and forklifts which needed a lot of attention. Am creating an entire program for maintenance of the vehicles and forklifts and so forth as I have a lot of experience in doing this in a previous life. I love organizing things like this to help the cause in anyway I can. Met lots of Marines obviously and exchanged a lot of viewpoints. They think different to be sure but at the end of the day we are all fighters in the end. Took about a day and a half to finally get out of Taqqadam, which is the headquarters for the Marine Expeditionary Force, back to the Baghdad area. Normally this is a about a 20 minute helo ride going east but priorities and routes were not timed for me so I had to ride a C130 fixed wing for 30 minutes all the way back to Al Asad and then fly from there into Baghdad Intl Airport. See how 20 minutes turns into three hours before you know it?

There is daily action around here wherein you here firing all the time and is not necessarily at a firing range. We have UAVs fly over and we have a large hot dog shaped balloon/eye in the sky to tract difficulties and pinpoint targets for counter battery fire.

Still continue to get tremendous personal and cell support from Soldiers Angels and the friends I have met there. Everything is shared amongst the men in the cell. Snacks, non fiction books and you name it show up and it does not take long to cross level, believe me. A friend from my old unit in the Dallas area, a LTC Pete Wells, a resident of Fort Worth is the XO of a Civil Affairs unit so we are already doing things and exchanging items and so forth for their benefit and ours. Right now, we are trying to get Pete any viable toys for his unit to give to Iraq children and we will be happy to pass along. The only thing I offer that our cell needs presently is USED DVD movies so if you have any that you don't want, don't like and is not children's fare, pls send and we will definitely share. No Alec Baldwin, Susan Sarandon or Bubbra Streisand movies, please as it makes the men sick to their stomach and we just ran though our last pallet of pepto bismol......



It hit 100 degrees yesterday for the first time so we are preparing for the heat the best way we can. I try to walk daily in no matter how hot it is as that helps my stamina. When I will go out to the field when it is 130 degrees, and in the direct sun, in full battle rattle I will lost more weight but the key is to stay dehydrated. There are always pallet fulls of plastic water bottles to help with your thirst as you can get a heat injury pretty quick.

Well it took me over three days to write this. Forgive the spelling and syntax errors as I am always in a rush.

Thanks for your support, Mom.


LTC Patrick Turner
AAFES Military Operations Senior LNO

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- May no soldier go unloved

Talking With Heroes: I Was There and Got an Exclusive

Hey! Missed everyone last night at the "talking with heroes" event down in Olathe, Kansas. It was wonderful to meet all of the great heroes, families and supporters. Bob Calvert was a little under the weather, but he pulled through like the trooper he is and made it a fantastic experience.

I will post more about the event and, of course, I have video which will be available in the next day or two.

One big "exclusive" that I was able to pull off was an interview with David Chavaria who is the "behind the scenes" man at JD Johannes' Outside the Wire. David is the co-producer of Johannes' documentary "Outside the Wire" where he followed the expoits of the Marines of Silver Platoon in OIF-III. JD is over in Iraq right now doing video.

David was scheduled to do an interview on Hannity and Colmes at 8:40pm CST Friday night, but I scooped them by two hours. And, they don't have their video up yet for the internet so, while they may beaten me "on air" by six hours, I am going to get out there ahead of the internet curve.

Even before the interview, David and I spent some time talking about blogging, JD Johansens' committment to the Marines and telling their story, and quite a bit about the disparity of reporting in the media (we both agreed it "sucked"; my words, he was much more diplamatic).

I hope you enjoy this video, check out their site and start understanding why military blogging (milblogging) and independent films like Outside the Wire are an important part of the story, filling in the gaps left by professional journalism.



Watch JD's blog for updates directly from Iraq and hit his home page to see an excerpt of the original documentary, "Outside the Wire". I've seen the full version and I highly recommend it.

Check out these stories about the marines in Bad Karmah.

Troops on Patrol
Iraq town returns to normal after raid

These men are a big part of the reason that the Al Anbar province is beginning to turn. It took persistance. It took patience. It took extreme prejudice when it was called on and plenty of improvising, adapting and overcoming. The Marines are some of the best, when it comes to those necessities.

Karmah, where the marines in outside the wire were serving, is a town between Ramadi and Fallujah, two of the hottest (in terms of war) cities in Iraq for the last three years. It is only recently that Ramadi began to turn. Karmah continued to be a tough town full of insurgents and generally unenthused about the marines presence. JD showed what it took to make al Anbar a success story, long before anyone ever thought it would be.

Outside the Wire was fortunate enough to be there to record part of that history.

- May no soldier go unloved

Welcome Home 24th Marine: 46 In, 46 Out

Update: Welcome Marines and Family Members!!!

We had another great experience welcoming home the 24th Marine Reserves, 12th Regiment from their 7 month deployment to Fallujah, Iraq.

Update: Video



It started at 5pm Friday, April 28th at the KCI Marriott where the Patriot Guard Riders assembled an estimated 200 bikes and 30 cars to escort the marines to their base at Richard Gabauer Air Force Base in Belton, Missouri. (Read the Patriot Guard Mission Report with pictures)

Official report says 185 bikes.







We then drove over to Lot G in the actual air port where we re-assembled and waited for the marines to land.




There were a few moments when the Kansas City Missouri police did not want the 200 bikes to participate in the escort. No full details about why exactly, but the marines insisted that we be allowed to participate. The marines landed a little late, but they came out to an overwhelming round of screams, roaring motorcycles and honking horns.

Our procession was several miles long with flying flags and honking horns. As we left the air port proper, people were lining the road with flags and signs. The highway travel was challenging. With such a long procession, other cars had to stop on the entrance ramps. The city was the toughest. It was well worth it as we pulled into Belton.

The first thing we saw was a giant sign over the overpass welcoming home the marines.






As we arrived into Belton, the road was lined with hundreds of flags [update] and THOUSANDS of family, friends, citizens of Belton and surrounding areas and members of support groups like Patriot Guard Riders.






When we arrived at Richard Gabauer, the first thing we noticed at the entrance was a pick up truck with the Soldiers' Angels banner telling everyone who arrived that Soldiers' Angels was there to support troops.



We also met up with Teri Louthain and Pat Louthain, Spc Louthain's mom and grandmother. The Louthains were instrumental supporting Soldiers' Angels in Kansas City at the Snake Saturday Parade (pictures and text report here). The Louthain's provided the truck to pull our float and t-shirts from their shop.

Hundreds more family members and support groups were on hand at the site to give the final "welcome home".







Deby Frerichs was on hand to hand out Soldiers' Angels Marine Coins and Rhonda Gray drove down with her husband and the Patriot Guard. Frank McGough from the Gen. Larry Oppenheimer Det. Marine Corp Leaque told us that the League "passed the hat" at their last meeting and provided $400 to bring in food, refreshments and some entertainment for the families and marines. The Kansas City area and Belton, MO Young Marines held flags, helped set up the welcome and gave a rousing salute to the returning vets.

Tamra Birchfield from the USO drove the USO RV supplying cookies, drinks and many "welcome home" pins and supplies. Tamara told KC Soldiers' Angels that Kansas City does not have its own USO, but is supported out of the St. Louis, Missouri area. She said that she was excited to meet other support groups in the area that could be on hand to welcome our men and women home. The USO is always looking to partner with these organizations where the USO is limited. That's why organizations like Soldiers' Angels is so important.

As we walked around the grounds, we met and shook hands with many marines, welcoming them home. Two marines were kind enough to give us interviews (video to follow). Sgt Foster said that he wasn't surprised by the welcome home, but it was exciting. Cpl Morris then took time away from his family to talk with us. When asked if the marines were excited to see all the support, he said, "Absolutely! Absolutely! It would be silly not to be excited. It's appreciated." Each of the marines returning from deployment were given a commemorative knife hand made by a metal working shop that one of the marines' brothers.

We ran into Maj. Mike Corrodo, commanding officer of the 24th Marine, 12th Regiment.



Maj. Corrodo was assigned to 24th Marine after they were deployed and did not go with them, but he spent a lot of time on the home front learning the names of his men, their families and where they all lived. He felt it was important to do everything he could on the home front. Maj. Corrodo said that the best thing about this deployment was that all of his men came home, "46 in, 46 out".

We later learned that Maj. Corrodo is a recording artist. He was recalled as an Individual Ready Reserve. Maj. Corrodo toured around the United States with many bands. His song, On My Watch, was featured at Soldiers' Angels.

Finally, it was the end of the day. All of the families and marines went home. The Young Marines took up the watch and cleaned up the parade grounds.



Soldiers' Angels thanks all of the support groups and citizens of the Kansas City and Belton, Missouri area for coming out to make this welcome home so fantastic for our marines. Most of all, we thank the marines and their great families for serving our country.

Semper Fi!

UPDATE: A special thanks from a family member of a Marine that arrived is up at the PGR:

THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!

To All Patriot Guard Riders and to all who made the Reunion of 1 / 24th Marines a success:

I can't say enough about all of you. You made this one heck of a day for the Marines and their families to remember - mine included. It was one impressive sight to see all those bikers escorting the bus back to the base and even more impressive from where I was at the front of the pack.

My Marine said that all of the guys were overwhelmed by the show of support that the Patriot Guard provided them.

This was definitely the heroes welcome that they deserved and that all veterans - past, present, and future - should receive - or should have received.
My heartfelt thanks to all.

Tom XXXXX
Proud Pop of Corporal Will Hardy
1/24 Marines
and Patriot Guard Rider

.

Other Links:
Check out Techograpy: Welcome Home, Brother for more of the story and great pictures.
WDAF TV 4 Kansas City (video)
NBC Action News Top Video

KC Soldiers' Angels video to follow (update: it is up above)

Cross referenced at the Castle

- May no soldier go unloved

Soldiers' Angels: In the News

Soldiers' Angels have been very busy all over the United States providing care for our serving AND veteran men and women in uniform.

Soldiers' Angels in North Dakota welcomed home the North Dakota Army National Guard on Friday which I covered here with pictures. KFYR News was on the scene and filed this video report.

The best part? When the young soldier they were interviewing said what she really wanted "right now" was a chocolate shake. I hope somebody got it for her.

Soldiers' Angels Texas recently provided money and care items to veterans at the Sam Rayburn Memorial Veterans Center in Bonham, Texas:

Everyone’s talking about who does or does not support U.S. troops at home and abroad. One relatively new organization leaves no room for doubt.

“We’ve really got a mixed up world today,” said Otto A. Schroeder, a World War II veteran of the U.S. Army 32nd Division, who was stationed in the South Pacific. Nowadays he lives at the Sam Rayburn Memorial Veterans Center in Bonham, where Martha Newman and Twyla Choate of Soldiers’ Angels recently donated $1,000 in comfort items and phone cards for elderly veterans.[snip]

Schroeder, at 90, said the items he’s received included writing tablets, envelopes, phone cards and more.

“Being remembered for our service to our country means so much to each of us here,” he said. “We deeply appreciate the respect they have shown to us who have served in past wars. We wish our soldiers didn’t have to go to war now. But if I were younger, I’d be over there, too.”

- May no soldier go unloved

Local Soldiers in the News: Sgt. James from Chilicothe

Reading the AP news on what's going on with the surge to secure Baghdad, I came across an article quoting a local soldier on the status of clearing operations:

Staff Sgt. Michael James, 32, of Chillicothe, Mo., said the area in northeastern Baghdad had been targeted before but not in such force.

"This is the final clearing. We're trying to hit all the major hotspots. I don't think it has ever been cleared as fully as it will be today," said James, of the 3rd Stryker Brigade, Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.

James said he wasn't surprised that the troops did find more as they hunkered down in a so-called Joint Security Station in the area for the night.

"It's never clear. These guys are going to have safe-houses all over the place. Whenever we come into one area, I'm sure they just move on," he said. "Just our presence alone is enough to push the bad guys out. They're not stupid enough to fight an entire battalion, because they will lose."

My question to the angels, is anyone supporting this Stryker Brigade?

Some Iraqis are praying that our soldiers will stop the violence:

"My friends and I who are the old women of the neighborhood went to the soldiers and welcomed them and prayed that God would help them to defeat the terrorists," said Um Sabah of the Mashtaal area in eastern Baghdad. "Although, the presence of army and vehicles is not very comfortable, we welcome it because it is for the sake of Iraq."

There was little if any resistance. Soldiers even teased one young girl about her taste in music after they found her doing homework on a couch, wearing white and pink socks with a poster of Shakira on the wall.

Some people left their doors open as the troops arrived, and little evidence of hostilities turned up other than some pictures of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, an illegal bolt action rifle and a heavyset man watching an insurgent propaganda video that he said had appeared while he was channel surfing.

Shakira? We need to send better music over there! The most important part to recognize in this story is that our soldiers, regardless of claims to the contrary, are more often than not viewed in Iraq as the deliverers of justice and defense. I've never seen a poll regarding it, but I would bet that our forces are more trusted than internal Iraq forces (ie, police, army, etc). That's both good and bad since we need these internal forces of Iraq to be trusted and capable of providing justice and defense for all Iraqis in order for our men and women to come home.

Here's the tell on the operations...

At least 38 Iraqis also were killed or found dead nationwide, including four civilians who died when a parked car bomb struck a predominantly Shiite district in central Baghdad. Only five bullet-riddled bodies were found on the streets of the capital, an unusually low number of apparent victims of so-called sectarian death squads mainly run by Shiite militias that have killed thousands in the past year.

But, it's only quiet now. It is not unusual for the terrorists and militias to lay low as troops move in and continue "kinetic" operations (ie, aggressive patrolling) since there is a higher chance that these opposition forces will be noted, engaged and killed or captured. Once our forces have settled into any sort of routine, the opposition consolidates its intelligence and begins to re-organize around those routines.

Let's hope for the continued quiet and safety of our troops.


- May no soldier go unloved