Musings From Momma Marine - Supporting Our Heroes with Care Packages
Wed, Jun 25 2008 01:11
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I love getting these messages. I know why I am doing what I am doing and I know it is costing a lot to do it, BUT when I read these letters it reinforces the HEART REASON I am doing what I do. And to all of you who are helping with your donations of money and supplies, THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! from the bottom of my heart and THANK YOU EVEN MORE THAN THAT from the MARINES receiving the benefit of your efforts and gifts . . . .
Semper Fi and God Bless,
Jodi
(via any Marine) Major Bourland, 2/24 Weaps
24 June
Gang, first and most important, thank you all for your support. Mail has been hit or miss with air delivery but, hey, some is better than than none.. Don't be discouraged, though, it will get here eventually (like 2 days before we go home.. just kidding)
We have been making a nice meal out of the care packages we do get. Our Diets of Doritos, tail mix and easy open cans of Chef Boy R D are pretty good when you are hungry. Heat not required, you have the almighty sun 2 inches from your blaring face (it was only 117 today) I have lost 30 pounds and none of my close fit any more... Great.. not. Trying to pack on the calories, I have resorted to a full attack diet of MRE's. You are supposed to get around 2000 calories from each of these things but it's all in the delivery of the meal. Hey, don't knock it until you try it or are so freaking hungry you can eat a dead cat in the road.. here kitty, kitty.
It was a tough decision today as I looked into the dirt filled leftovers in the cardboard MRE box, chicken and vegetables and noodles in some really kind of funky smelling sauce with mushrooms, or, the ever not so favorite Cajun meat(do they WANT me to explode?) or Jambalaya.. yes the stuff with the seafood.. in a bag... for a year or so. Okay, It looks like it's chicken and veggies. As the chicken heated up in the almighty chemical heater pouch that took a layer off the skin of my hand it was so hot, I inhaled a small bag of pretzels. Tasty I thought.. Should have washed my hands, though, as the post thought goes through my head after I have shaken about 30 Iraqis hands recently. Grab the cracker packet that came in the pouch and pummeled them into crumbs "BAM" , this is the key to be mixed with the chicken and then, finally mash the cheese spread packet in it. BAM.. because everyone knows you can choke down anything with cheese on it ... and maybe ketchup, salt and pepper.
SO now everything is in place as you cut the envelope holding the hotter than the sun chicken and smell the omniscient fresh chicken smell fill the room. That's not chicken I smell though as the Marine in the next room just did a "crop dusting" ... gassing. For the love of GOD, Man, take that outside and burn your clothes and bleach your body all over until that dead animal smell goes away. This is the part where the women really love us fellas ! Booooya !
Crackers smashed and poured into chicken "BAM" , eyes still burning from the recent gas attack but no need for a gas mask jus yet as I tell myself "I'm tuff, I can take it" in a high pitched voice. Wait, now I can't find my dang spoon. Never leave your spoon around while eating, often your best buddy will accidentally pick it up (because he lost his) or, y ou may set in mice poo or something that is never good. This is bad, no spoon means that I have to eat this like a dot eating food out of a bowl . Yes, I have done it, no I am not proud of it but will do it again. Wait, found it, it was in my pocket .. swhoo. Chemicals now continue to rise out of the MRE heater pouch combined with the recent gas attack, we might have a little problem. The first bite is a little off, perhaps dumping the small bag of highly melted M&M's into it will do the trick.. nope, that didn't work well and now the heat has caused a very bad looking chicken to turn worse.. with cheese, crackers and M&M syrup sprinkled on it. Too bad, it's "what's for dinner" as the commercial says. Second bite is delayed due to the two flies that thought they rated chow more than me as they did a drive by spoon pooping on the bite. Death to all flies, I say to myself. YUM.. and take the bite
The meal has now hit my stomach and began it's 3X expansion in the size completely attracting all water out of the other parts of my body. Why does my head hurt. Wipe hand off with sanitize napkin next to the quarter size "toilet paper" pkg which is only enough TP to really see a grown man make a complete mess. Begin to pick up the several empty envelopes of chow that will most likely stick to your butt if you don't pick them up. Not a real symbol of authority (insert visual here) Stuff everything back into the jumbo bullet stopping plastic bag this heart attack meal came in and encourage with a manly size 12 foot to flatten.. again, "BAM" . Tell your kids to eat their dinner tonight or they get "what's for dinner" from Maj Pain.
Thanks again for all of the support and chow
TAKE A LOOK AT THE LIVING QUARTERS OUR MARINES HAVE.
AND KEEP IN MIND THE 117* HEAT THE MAJOR MENTIONS.
COULD YOU WEAR ALL OF THIS STUFF IN 117* HEAT?
I'M NOT SURE I COULD DO IT.
Comments
Wed, Jun 18 2008 07:53
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12 June - 2008 (Al Anbar, Iraq)
I'd like to share a piece of an e mail that I recently responded to. One of my good friends asked me why I felt such pride to be a Marine. Below is my response. I think this accurately captures why Marines do what we do here
"You asked me why I enjoy being a Marine so much. Being a Marine is all about taking pride in your job. Marines are an intensely proud and motivated lot. You won't hear too many Marines complain about being in Iraq too long like a few of our sister services do. To give an example, the other day I found out that we had to send a few Marines back early to get everything ready for our return to the states. I asked my clerk Cpl Soto if he'd like to go back early. He thought for a moment and said "nah, 1st Sgt, I like it here just fine". These young men are absolutely phenomenal. Let me give you some idea about how Marine are viewed by others :
1.. In 1950 President Truman sent a special envoy to observe the Marines fighting in Korea. This envoy was General Frank Lowe, an Army General. Truman disliked the Marine Corps and thought we were a waste of money. He sent Lowe to spy on us and report back. Upon his return, Gen Lowe reported the following to the president "The safest place in all Korea was behind a platoon of Marines - lord how they could fight"
2.. After the Marines' spectacular landing at Inchon, General Macarthur (another opponent of the Marine Corps) stated, "I have just returned from visiting the Marines at the front and there is no finer fighting organization in the world"
3.. I was recruited out of SE Kentucky. There was this Japanese guy that was recruited with me. He got a visa to come to the States and join the Marines. When I asked him why, he said "every one in Japan knows that the United States Marine Corps is the toughest fighting unit in the world"
4.. I went to boot camp with a Russian who said the same thing. He said that every Russian knew how tough U.S. Marines were. This was during the cold war by the way. When American's current and former enemies have that much regard for Marines that really says something.
5.. During WW 1 at the Battle of Belleau Wood, the Germans nicknamed us "Teuffel Heunden (translated devil dog) because of the tough fight with the Marines there.
You asked me what makes a Marine. Pride, tradition, sense of belonging, brotherhood and camaraderie all make a Marine special. No other service has those things.
Please don't misunderstand me, all of our service men and women offer a huge personal sacrifice in the service to their country but the Marines are different.
Throughout history, Marines have continuously answered the nation's call with spectacular results. Everyone knows and fears Marines. That's pretty special. I have a tremendous sense of pride to serve with each and every one of these outstanding young men. They are truly awesome !!
P.S. - The picture I've attached was taken yesterday. This is what a dust storm (not to be confused with sand storm - that's different) looks like. We call them 'snow days' for good reason. The look white when one of these sets in.
r/s 1stSgt Charles Wells
Weapons Company First Sergeant
3rd Bn, 4th Marines, RCT-5
Al Anbar, Iraq
"A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week." - Patton
I'd like to share a piece of an e mail that I recently responded to. One of my good friends asked me why I felt such pride to be a Marine. Below is my response. I think this accurately captures why Marines do what we do here
"You asked me why I enjoy being a Marine so much. Being a Marine is all about taking pride in your job. Marines are an intensely proud and motivated lot. You won't hear too many Marines complain about being in Iraq too long like a few of our sister services do. To give an example, the other day I found out that we had to send a few Marines back early to get everything ready for our return to the states. I asked my clerk Cpl Soto if he'd like to go back early. He thought for a moment and said "nah, 1st Sgt, I like it here just fine". These young men are absolutely phenomenal. Let me give you some idea about how Marine are viewed by others :
1.. In 1950 President Truman sent a special envoy to observe the Marines fighting in Korea. This envoy was General Frank Lowe, an Army General. Truman disliked the Marine Corps and thought we were a waste of money. He sent Lowe to spy on us and report back. Upon his return, Gen Lowe reported the following to the president "The safest place in all Korea was behind a platoon of Marines - lord how they could fight"
2.. After the Marines' spectacular landing at Inchon, General Macarthur (another opponent of the Marine Corps) stated, "I have just returned from visiting the Marines at the front and there is no finer fighting organization in the world"
3.. I was recruited out of SE Kentucky. There was this Japanese guy that was recruited with me. He got a visa to come to the States and join the Marines. When I asked him why, he said "every one in Japan knows that the United States Marine Corps is the toughest fighting unit in the world"
4.. I went to boot camp with a Russian who said the same thing. He said that every Russian knew how tough U.S. Marines were. This was during the cold war by the way. When American's current and former enemies have that much regard for Marines that really says something.
5.. During WW 1 at the Battle of Belleau Wood, the Germans nicknamed us "Teuffel Heunden (translated devil dog) because of the tough fight with the Marines there.
You asked me what makes a Marine. Pride, tradition, sense of belonging, brotherhood and camaraderie all make a Marine special. No other service has those things.
Please don't misunderstand me, all of our service men and women offer a huge personal sacrifice in the service to their country but the Marines are different.
Throughout history, Marines have continuously answered the nation's call with spectacular results. Everyone knows and fears Marines. That's pretty special. I have a tremendous sense of pride to serve with each and every one of these outstanding young men. They are truly awesome !!
P.S. - The picture I've attached was taken yesterday. This is what a dust storm (not to be confused with sand storm - that's different) looks like. We call them 'snow days' for good reason. The look white when one of these sets in.
r/s 1stSgt Charles Wells
Weapons Company First Sergeant
3rd Bn, 4th Marines, RCT-5
Al Anbar, Iraq
"A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week." - Patton
Mon, Jun 9 2008 06:59
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This is why I do what I do! God is certainly "Supporting Our Heroes" how on earth could I do any less. This came from Dianne, in Tampa FL.
Date:
June 9, 2008 4:52:28 PM CDT
Subject:
Hello from Capt Matory, Golf 2/3
Dearest Dianne,
I know this message is pretty late considering the wonderful support you and your people have shown Golf 2/3 but we just recently took over an area that had email. While I always try to impress upon Your Marines that email is a "lazy" form of communication and that writing a letter and mailing it is always preferred when connecting with family and friends back home, I have found that I myself have just got to use email to ensure that folks back home know what is going on.
Also, I am not sure if you are aware, but due to our lack of email and internet, I failed to keep up with the Any Marine program so you are actually our sole supporter at this time. I am not sure how your organization works but if you can no longer support us I understand. We getting to the end of our deployment and they will actually be sending our mail to Hawaii beginning in Mid-July.
I wanted to take an opportunity to let you know how important your contribution has been to the Golf Company. I am sure you are following developments in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but Iwanted to let you know how important the donations have been to our little part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the best way to do it is to tell you about something that happened very recently.
At about 6 AM one day I got a call in my office that something very bad had happened. Of course, I cannot say exactly what happened but what I can say is that the incident had a negative effect on the many good things Golf Company is doing where we are.
By 9 AM I was standing in a home that had been nearly destroyed the night before and was listening to more than a few angry villagers. All I could do was apologize. I had nothing to give these people except for my time. I don't carry money with me and whatever money I would be able to give them would really not be enough. There are only so many ways to say "I am sorry" in Arabic but, there are plenty of ways to express how upset the Iraqis were at us at the time.
After a few more hours a number of children entered the home and the situation became more uncomfortable. I don't like getting yelled at in front of children. I really don't like any yelling or confrontation in front of these kids...they have seen enough.
After standing there a little while longer, I had an idea. These people need water. I had bottled water in my Humvee. I ordered my men to give them our water. That helped a little.
I asked my Marines if there was anything else we could give the families. All we had left was our mail.
I went to my vehicles to look at the mail, instinctively looking/hoping to see if there was a package from our friend Dianne Villano. Behold, there were three packages! Two were for kids and another had writing pads and pens!
Seeing this, I took the notepads outside and asked the kids to follow me. The yelling continued inside, but I ignored it. Waiting for all the kids to follow me I sat down on the patio and began writing the ABCs on the pads. All Iraqi kids begin to take English Lessons at a relatively early age so all of them either need practice on their ABCs but if you can imagine even pens and paper are very hard to come by in the rural areas in which we work.
To make a long story, short, a simple thing like pens and paper helped me to diffuse a very tense situation. By the end of the day, all was fine in this little village because of three packages we received from Tampa Bay.
Your packages really helped the Marines look good on a very bad day in Iraq.
I will send photos in the next email when I have a better email connection.
Thank you very much!
Semper Fidelis,
Capt Bill Matory
Sat, Jun 7 2008 12:19
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Date:
June 6, 2008 7:48:50 PM CDT
Subject:
Major Bourland Is On A Roll.. 2/24 checking in
We have been conducting several operations in the area. Badguys, unm you should find a new profession because your days are numbered, no really you should head for the mountains. Maybe Afghanistan?? They have mountains there. I'll put in a good word for you with a couple hundred of my close Marine buddies there.
Last week there we were on a patrol, following some warm foot prints on the trail, sweat salt in the eyes, body armor pulling at your muscles in your back, thin layer of dirt covering all of your exposed skin and we got a nice calling card from Mr Scumbag. A nice IED that scratched our truck. OK maybe a bit more than scratched but every one was good to go but pissed. Not the kind of pissed when you step in a pile dog shit that your neighbors dog left but the "I'm gonna enjoy gutting you boy"
(From the Movie - The Rock)
kind of pissed, with an evil smile. I'm sure Mr Scum bag got a cheap ass chuckle from watching a black cloud engulf the armored truck but I bet he wasn't laughing when the attack helos showed up. What? Ahhhh you didn't like that so much my little scumbag buddy? Meet Mr Hellfire rocket. That's right you got a couple thousand dollars of hate and discontent filled with military grade explosive pointed at you. Oh look at that we have 8 rockets in the air today. Yes, those are the really big ones that are laser guided and very distinctive when hauling through the sky at you. Now you have met the "dirt people", some call us Marines. Choose whatever word you like, just remember we look good in our uniform and we'll kick you ass too!
A couple of my Marines shoot the shit with me as the normal duties of the day pass as we bare the 112 temps. You know the kind of guys that would wreck their dads car and try to fix it themselves or the ones that think everyone has gun racks in their truck at home. (What, you don't?)Yes, and of course the ones who you glance at real quick and they hit you with this shit eating grin that says , "I didn't do it". You know they are up to something but its probably better if you don't know. These are the early 20 year olds I would take a bullet for, no doubt.
Here in Iraq they are the glue that holds the villages together, the kindness that brings medical attention and the ones that breathe fire when you try to blow them up. Back in the states they are the kid that you know that lived next door but lost track of, "little billy?" that use to bag your groceries and the brother or dad you know like the back of your hand. Yes, where do we get these guys I ask myself as we clear/search 15 football size blocks of potential bad guys in overflowing sewer areas, mount up and conduct vehicle check points with a smile.
Don't worry for a second about them getting attacked. Are they protected? yes. Are they trained? hell yes! do they take the fight to the enemy? well I wish you could ask the enemy on that one. We often do the job of several with only seven, but they are a magnificent seven! Semper Fidelis.
THANK ALL OF YOU THAT HAVE CONTINUED TO SEND US CARE PKGS AND FOR THOSE WHO HAVE JUST BEEN ADDED TO THIS EMAIL LIST. EVERY TIME OUR SEMI-WEEKLY MAIL RUN ARIVES THE MARINES GROUP AROUND LIKE ITS CHRISTMAS-THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THEM ALOT OF COMFORT-SEMPER FI
Wed, Jun 4 2008 12:45
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Via Any Marine Website:
03 June - Friends and family members of Weapons Company,
It's been a long week but I find myself once again writing my weekly post. Our Marines have done so much this week that it's hard to decide what to tell you about. I spent the week with one of my platoons that I don't normally see a lot because they are quite a distance from me. These warriors are counted among the most proficient and dedicated in the battalion. When I arrived at their position, I began talking to them about re enlistments. Right now, the moral in our company is very high and we have a lot of young men who want to "stay Marine".
I hadn't been talking to the Marines long when another young Marine came in and said, "1st Sgt, we jut got an EOD call. Would you like to come with us?" I couldn't refuse. This was a chance to see these young Spartans in action. We donned our heavy gear and headed out into the scorching heat. Less than 5 minutes passed from the moment that we received the call until we were rolling toward the cache site.
Today's treasure trove of explosives was a few rockets that had been discovered on a small farm on the outskirts of a city. Farms are ea favorite place to bury caches for the bad guys. The ground is normally softer there and the freshly turned earth sometimes goes unnoticed. For today's work, the EOD team brought out several blocks of c 4 explosive. Marine and Navy EOD teams are very good at what they do so it's always great fun to watch them destroy a weapons cache. They take great pride in their work and you can see the sparkle in their eyes when they've finished a job.
As our security convoy arrived at the cache site, we took up positions to ensure that no Iraqi civilians wondered into the danger zone before the blast. I rode in vehicle number 4 which was commanded by Sgt Kirk Hermannskullberg - we call him "Kullberg" for short. This bear of a man makes our humvee appear smaller when he climbs in. Sitting behind him, I can barely see out the windshield. As we take up our position, Sgt K steps out and surveys our sector with his binoculars. He then starts to point out landmarks and places nearby where they had recently found other weapons caches. Sgt K is good at his job and enjoys doing it. He is a Marine that you can't help feel safe around. He's intense, demanding and competent. Couple these with his enormous size and you can't help but respect him. He's just on a long list of superb Marines that are part of his platoon.
We stood in the searing sun waiting for EOD to destroy the cache. Once the deed was done, we proceeded back to base. It's always nice to ride along with these boys and see what exceptional Marines they truly are. The Marine Corps has built some of the finest Americans that I know. These Marines know that they're making a huge difference here and they take great pride in that fact.
Thank you so much for pride and support of our Marines as well. You play a big role in what we do here - Thank you
1st Sgt Charles Wells
Tue, Jun 3 2008 08:08
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From:
Dianne Villano
Date:
June 3, 2008 3:06:36 PM CDT
Subject:
3/4 Weaps Co Checking in.. HQ Plt this time ...
None of this, of course would be possible without each and every one of you :) Thanks for your continued support!
Classification:
UNCLASSIFIED
Dear Dianne,
First of all, let me start off by telling you how grateful we are for your support. My name is Corporal Soto, and this is my second deployment to Iraq. I served with First Sergeant Bass last deployment with CAAT 2 (Last deployment, we were known as Mobile Assault Platoon 2). For this deployment, I am with the Headquarters Platoon in Weapons Company serving under First Sergeant Wells.
This year Weapons Company is spread thin throughout the Al Anbar Province. All five platoons within the company (Headquarters Platoon, CAAT 1 Platoon, CAAT 2 Platoon, 81’s Platoon and Sniper Platoon) are all thankful for your support. We greatly appreciate the time and effort you have put toward the support of the war.
You may or may not know this, but when you send a package for a Marine, it really brightens their day. The items in the packages such as toys and snacks are usually given to the local Iraqi kids. By sending these items, you help strengthen our relations with the Iraqi people allowing them to feel more comfortable with coalition forces working with them. Without your support we couldn’t possibly reach out to the people of Iraq and help them as much.
Packages that we receive from you maintain troop morale, keep our spirits high, and remind us that we are supported by the people ofAmerica. That reason alone allows us to continue our fight with Honor, Courage, and Commitment.
As I close this letter, let me once again thank you for the support and thought that you had put into each of these packages. We hope to hear from you again soon.
Sincerely,
Corporal Alfredo Soto
3rd Bn, 4th Mar
Weapons Company Clerk
Headquarters Platoon
Tue, Jun 3 2008 08:07
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From:
Dianne Villano
Date:
June 3, 2008 3:39:33 PM CDT
Subject:
Comments and Thoughts From Maj Bourland ... 2/24
- "Eighteen American soldiers died in May, the lowest total of the war and an 86 percent drop from the 126 who died in May 2007."
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It will be an interesting campaign if the Dems continue to pull the get out of Iraq because we are losing schpeel - - just wonder if any journalist will have the guts to say, "Um, excuse me, last we checked, we're winning."
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The surge didn't work in Iraq…………….no really, they said that, or should I say continue to say that.
Local Sheiks in our area have continued to tell of stories about how life was with Al-Qaida present. The evil that existed and now, its not a new way of life, it's a new era. Economy growing, shops opening, insurgents are now the outcast, not the shop owner, not the Iraqi Policeman, the insurgents. I remember how it was on my previous deployments; it was not a good way of life for any of the above, except for the enemy. Now things are back in the peoples hands. Why can't some Americans see this? Why can't they see the growth of the Iraq's, their leadership taking steps, their cohesion? May be those that deny it see it but ignore it. The insurgents see this, and they hate it. Maybe a letter from one insurgent to another would read like this.
Dear fellow scumbag, how is your mother?
Oh yes that's right you killed her. Any ways I was looking to find that prime spot to plant that IED in the city yesterday you know that hole your cousin dug last week just before he pre-detonated?? Any way I couldn't help but notice those dang Marines are everywhere, what is an insurgent to do? I can't even go get my insurgent unemployment card because they are in all of the streets. Arrrghh!!
I was trying to intimidate the local sheik but he told me to come by this afternoon to see him and when I got near his village. AArrrgghhh more Marines. You don't think he was trying to trick me do you? No of course not I am too intimidating for that…right? I remember the old times when we could scare the silly Americans with threats, but those days are gone my fellow scumbag. AArrgghh! Now I have this silly IED vest on that your brother made, you know I have to tell you he isn't all that smart, there is, no kidding explosives in this thing. I mean I could be getting out of my car smoking a cigarette looking at the new line of sheep in the area and boom dang detonator gets hung on the seat belt.
Did I mention its cumbersome, how do I tend your funeral wearing this? It doesn't go with my latest attire. AAArrgghh. Well I must go my fiend, those pesky Marines are approaching and I have to run before they come here and I snag my fashionable detonator on the door handle on the way out. It will ruin the carpet…..AArrrgghh..
