Musings From Momma Marine - Supporting Our Heroes with Care Packages
Thanks from 2/23 Golf Company, IRAQ
Well, we have officially reached the half way point of our deployment and the Marines here are glad to know it is all downhill from here. Our 4th of July was somewhat uneventful. Those Marines that did not have official duties had a "day off" and we got together to play a game of softball. We all had fun even though we were in the middle of a sand storm. We have been getting sand storms about every other day. Not sure which is better, a sand storm day that is a bit cooler but sand everywhere or a clear day with temperatures blazing.
Many packages continue to arrive and we are so grateful for the support. A few folks that I would like to acknowledge:
- Momma Jodi, Dennis O'Bryant and the folks at "Supporting Our Heroes- Thank you for all the goodies, games and the Beanie Babies. The Farkle game was the first thing to be grabbed by the Marines. As usual the freezer pops did not last long and was very noticeable that the Marines can never get enough of them. Thanks you.
- Peggy Kane- I do remember you seeing us off at our training center a few days before we left. Thank you for your generosity and support. The Marines enjoyed all the snacks, treats and hygiene supplies.
- Laura Kirk, Health to Soldiers and Betty Lou's Inc- once again the treats are very appreciated. The granola bars and the peanut butter balls were devoured by our health nuts, and we have plenty of them here. Thank you!
- James Spliedt and the folks at Agruim U.S. Inc.- Thank you all for your never ending support. It was apparent that the snacks and the jerky were very much appreciated by the Marines by the way they disappeared as soon as the box was opened.
Enclosed are a few pictures of our Marines in action and some of us not in action. We have also updated our website and more pictures can be seen on 2/23 G Co
Thank you all once again,
From the Marines and Sailors of Golf Company 2nd BN 23rd Mar.
Updates from USMC AR 2/23 G Co. Iraq
Been sitting on your letters for a while now and I am finally able to make some time to thank you and all the folks at Supporting Our Heroes for your time and support. Please pass on to Dennis O. for the beanie babies. We appreciate all that you have done for us. It is very surprising how a Marine's attitude can change when they receive a package in the mail. You my dear have brought quite a few smiles to our Marines here. Thank you. The support that we have been receiving from all back home is unbelievable and heartwarming. There is just not enough thank yous to express how much we appreciate your generosity. We did received the freezer pops in one piece, they did not explode thank goodness. These are the treats that disappear once they get cool. The Marines cannot even wait for them to freeze.
So far we have been here over 3 months and our jobs are slowly coming to an end. With the implementation of the US/Iraqi agreement, our involvement in the cities is winding down. That is what we have named the "responsible draw down." All we would like to know is if this responsible draw down will advance our timeline of going home?
Our duty here has not been too rough for us. As a company we occupied three different Combat Out-Post "COPs" with the living conditions not too bad. With our draw down, we have closed our COPs and returned to our larger camp. We have dubbed this camp "Camp Cup Cake" since it has all the amenities that we lacked at our COPs and we are seeing the Marines getting a bit spoiled even though they deserve every bit of it.
Now that we have a bit more time on our hands, we are getting ready to start a company softball tournament. We have been talking about getting t-shirts made. Enclosed is a logo that was presented. If we are able to find a good local printer to get them done we will be sure to send you one.
Once again Thank you for your support.
From the Marines and Sailors of Golf Company 2nd Battalion 23rd Marines.
1st Sgt Erazmo Ornelas
THANKS! From Task Force 1/3
I wanted to pass on the sincere appreciation from all the Marines and Sailors of 1st Battalion 3rd Marines for all the thoughtful care packages. Many of my men are on their first deployment, let alone first combat deployment, so it can be a difficult adjustment, but with all your support it makes it easier. It is good to know that there are so many caring Americans that continue to support the men and women fighting this war on terrorism.
We only have a little time left now and I ask that is you had plans on sending more care packages, please do so in the next couple of days so it makes it to us prior to getting forwarded back to
Thanks again for all the great support, take care
Semper Fidelis!
R/S
Sergeant Major Richard Lewallen
Task Force 1/3
3445-325
HERO SUPPORTERS,
THANK YOU for all your help in sending Support Boxes to this Task Force Unit. Since mail cut off is early February and it takes 1 to 2 weeks for mail to arrive, we'll be sending out this week and all next week to this Unit. If you have anything you'd like to send, please call or email. 806.898.0356 or Jodi@SupportingOurHeroes.com. From what I've heard, the last month of deployment is one of the hardest, so we'll be sending a lot to our guys to try to help them through that mail-less last month.
Semper Fi
From our 2ndLt Lenny Tran
Sorry for not writing sooner; I just returned back from a mission that kept me out for a little while. As it turns out, after weeks of planning and coordination for the move to our current position, we've just received orders to move right back to where we were originally. Needless to say, not many people in my unit are happy about this. So now we have to pack up everything again and do this all over. My address won't be affected, though.
Oh, I forgot to tell you; it was my birthday last week. It's been so
hectic that I haven't really told anyone--I nearly forgot myself, haha. Believe it or not, it was on Christmas. And Christmas itself was good; we hardly noticed anything different, though. It was pretty much business as usual. New Year's came and went the same way. My fellow Lieutenant friends and I spent a couple of hours commiserating together about what we'd be doing if we weren't over here. We pitied ourselves for a little bit, but realized that we're here because we're needed here. And I realized that I'd probably never get to know you or about your family if I wasn't over here, so I'm actually glad for the deployment.
I have been trying to play Mattie's guitar every chance I get. My buddy snapped a couple photos of me playing it, so I'll send them to you and Mattie when I retrieve them from his camera. I haven't been able to use the vacuum much because of all my missions and because my living space is just a transient one right now. But the next move should be (hopefully) permanent for the rest of the deployment. It's worked out so far though; thanks so much for it!
Once again, thanks so much for everything. You've been so wonderful to me. Let me know what your New Year's resolutions are. Talk to you soon!
Always,
Lenny
Retired Marine LtGen Victor H. Krulak, dies at 95
Retired Marine Lt. Gen. Victor H. "Brute" Krulak, celebrated for his leadership in World War II, Korea and Vietnam and for his authoritative book on the Marines, "First to Fight," died Monday at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla. He was 95 and had been in declining health for several years.
In a career that spanned three decades Krulak displayed bravery during combat and brilliance as a tactician and organizer of troops. "Brute was very forgiving of young Marines who made mistakes," said retired Col. G.I. Wilson, a combat veteran. "But he was hell on senior officers who preferred careerism and bureaucracy over decisive action. He detested those who lost sight of looking after their enlisted Marines and young officers."Born in Denver on Jan. 7, 1913, Krulak was a 1934 graduate of the Naval Academy -- where he picked up his nick name, a jest on the fact he was 5 foot 4. As a junior officer he served in Marine actions in Central America, where his views on counterinsurgency were formed.
In World War II, as a lieutenant colonel, he led a battalion in a weeklong battle as a diversionary raid to cover the invasion of Bougainville. Although wounded, he refused to be evacuated. For his bravery he was awarded the Navy Cross. Under heavy fire from the Japanese, the Navy sent patrol boats to evacuate wounded Marines. Krulak befriended one of the young commanders, John F. Kennedy. Decades later the two shared a drink of whiskey in the Oval Office after Kennedy was elected president.
After World War II, Krulak held several key jobs, including commander of the 5th Marine Regiment and later chief of staff for the 1st Marine Division during the war in Korea. Later he served as commander of the Marine boot camp in San Diego and, from 1962 to 1964, as special assistant for counterinsurgency to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
As commanding general of Fleet Marine Force Pacific he made 54 trips to Vietnam. His ideas about mining Haiphong Harbor and relying on small unit actions in South Vietnam to win the support of the populace clashed with the strategy of Army Gen. William C. Westmoreland, commander of all U.S. troops from 1964 to 1968. He opposed Westmoreland's decision to establish an outpost at Khe Sanh, which resulted in one of the bloodiest sieges of the war.
Krulak had hoped to become Marine Corps commandant, but President Johnson in 1968 nominated Gen. Leonard Chapman Jr. Krulak retired and began a second career as an executive for Copley newspapers and as a columnist. He retired as an executive in 1977 but continued to write. In 1984, his book "First to Fight: An Inside View of the U.S. Marine Corps" was published, examining the history and culture of the Marine Corps. It remains on the official reading list for Marines and has been said to carry the DNA of the organization that prides itself on being the worst enemy that a foe of the United States can imagine.
"The Marines are an assemblage of warriors, nothing more," Krulak wrote. He called on Marines to maintain a "religious dedication" to being ready to "go and win -- and then come back alive." He disdained Pentagon bureaucracy and, even as he celebrated the Corps' history, he called for Marines to "remain on the cutting edge of the technology that will keep its specialty effective."
Bing West, former assistant secretary of defense in the Reagan administration and author of books on Marines in Vietnam and Iraq, said Krulak "was legendary for the depth of his intelligence."
In a 2007 speech to the Marine Corps Assn., Defense Secretary Robert Gates praised Krulak for "overcoming conventional wisdom and bureaucratic obstacles thrown in one's path." Among other things, Krulak advocated that the Marines form a special forces unit when other Marine leaders opposed the idea.
All three of Krulak's sons served in Vietnam: Charles and William as Marine infantry officers, Victor Jr. as a Navy chaplain. After retiring from the Marines, William followed his brother into the Episcopal clergy. Charles, as a general, served as Marine commandant from 1995 to 1999, and followed in his father's footsteps as an innovator and champion of the enlisted man. Along with his sons, Krulak is survived by four grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Krulak's wife, Amy, died in 2001. Funeral services are set for 2 p.m. Jan. 8 at the chapel at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.
