NationStates Jolt Archive

Hey everyone, i've only been able to post a few times since i've been in country so i thought i'd take this little down time to just report on how life is out here.

The first thing that strikes you when you step off the plane is obviously the heat(especially in full battle rattle). For the first 2 and a half months in country we were attached to 3rd battalion 10th mountain but we were just recently got reattached to 1/25 in fallujah with fellow marines.

While we were attached to 10th mountain, our main responsiblity was indig training. We were scheduled to be there for another month and a half but the iraqis caught on so fast to our training regimen(thanks Eut;) ) that we got them out in the field ahead of schedule and were able to get to where we wanted to be.

I don't really get to see much news anymore but there really isn't much gunfire in the city on a regular basis, mabye one firefight every three days or so. My 108 men have been here for about three months and have fourtunately suffered no casualties but have had some close calls. In the one serious firefight that my company was involved in we only had two squads engaged. It ended up with one bad guy dead and 6 captured.

Our current primary mission is to provide security for infrastructure building. On a regular day i have two platoons out on 16 hour shifts providing support for construction crews and one platoon on an 8 hour shift. Insurgents and terrorists haven't decided to attack a site yet but we have gotten hit by several ied's. They weren't really much to worry about because they were all poorly constructed.

All the iraqis i have spoken to (through translator) have expressed gratitude to us but also seem distressed that we have not finished yet. For the most part, when asked what they want us to do right now they say that we should finish up as soon as possible and leave once that is done. The ones that don't respond like that say that they want security but they don't want to see foreign troops on their street corner. I ask them how they think that we should do that and they usually say something about being able to provide their own security.

While some would like to see more iraqi forces on the street providing for security, others fear them and only trust us. It's kind of comical, they want us gone, they want security but they trust no one but us. Puts us in a tough position.

Ah, they haven't made up their minds yet. Cool. Means things aren't as bad as they will be. ;)

best of luck to you and your fellow compadres.

interesting mess we are in over there,but we cant just up and leave em to their own devces.
and i say this as a father that has a son going in shortly.

keep your head down,and thank you for your service sir!

Thanks for the update. Keep up the good work and thank the other troops for me.

Leathernecks:

According to your post on April 21st (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=10812782&postcount=184), you were leaving in the morning to be deployed in Iraq... on April the 22nd. It's now May 14th.

Care to explain how it is that you've spent "the first 2 and a half months in country *snips*" while you've only in fact been there for 3 weeks?

Assuming you are there, and not in your parent's rec room?

Hey, Leathernecks, whats your MOS and rank?

Leathernecks:

According to your post on April 21st (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=10812782&postcount=184), you were leaving in the morning to be deployed in Iraq... on April the 22nd. It's now May 14th.

Care to explain how it is that you've spent "the first 2 and a half months in country *snips*" while you've only in fact been there for 3 weeks?

Assuming you are there, and not in your parent's rec room?
Yea sorry bout that. It's not strictly legal for me to tell you when i am deploying seeing as me deploying constitutes a large force deploying. I had already been in country for a couple months. The exact date that i deployed was feb 27 if i remember correctly. Again, sorry for any confusion.

Hey, Leathernecks, whats your MOS and rank?
0302, 0-3

Leathernecks: Are you a leutenant or something? You talk like an officer:cool:

Thanks for your service, and take care of yourself.

yes he is an Officer, O-3, I believe that is Leuitenant.

Pointless trivia:In England and Ireland we pronounce it 'Leftenant', though we spell it lieutenant.

Other than that stay safe Leathernecks. Remember-bullets=bad *nods wisely*

Woops, O3 is Captain, silly me.

BTW, what made you pick Marines over Army, I am thinking of joining, and cant decide over ARmy or Marines. My stepdad is an O-7 in the ARmy Special Forces, and I am thinking of doing that, or being in Ranger Battalion.

best of luck to you and your fellow compadres.

interesting mess we are in over there,but we cant just up and leave em to their own devces.
and i say this as a father that has a son going in shortly.

keep your head down,and thank you for your service sir!


im agreein w/ this guy...good luck over there...

Hey everyone, i've only been able to post a few times since i've been in country so i thought i'd take this little down time to just report on how life is out here.

The first thing that strikes you when you step off the plane is obviously the heat(especially in full battle rattle). For the first 2 and a half months in country we were attached to 3rd battalion 10th mountain but we were just recently got reattached to 1/25 in fallujah with fellow marines.

While we were attached to 10th mountain, our main responsiblity was indig training. We were scheduled to be there for another month and a half but the iraqis caught on so fast to our training regimen(thanks Eut;) ) that we got them out in the field ahead of schedule and were able to get to where we wanted to be.

I don't really get to see much news anymore but there really isn't much gunfire in the city on a regular basis, mabye one firefight every three days or so. My 108 men have been here for about three months and have fourtunately suffered no casualties but have had some close calls. In the one serious firefight that my company was involved in we only had two squads engaged. It ended up with one bad guy dead and 6 captured.

Our current primary mission is to provide security for infrastructure building. On a regular day i have two platoons out on 16 hour shifts providing support for construction crews and one platoon on an 8 hour shift. Insurgents and terrorists haven't decided to attack a site yet but we have gotten hit by several ied's. They weren't really much to worry about because they were all poorly constructed.

All the iraqis i have spoken to (through translator) have expressed gratitude to us but also seem distressed that we have not finished yet. For the most part, when asked what they want us to do right now they say that we should finish up as soon as possible and leave once that is done. The ones that don't respond like that say that they want security but they don't want to see foreign troops on their street corner. I ask them how they think that we should do that and they usually say something about being able to provide their own security.

While some would like to see more iraqi forces on the street providing for security, others fear them and only trust us. It's kind of comical, they want us gone, they want security but they trust no one but us. Puts us in a tough position.

You won't ever hear that in the media, or from a certain region on both sides of the CONUS.

Lost too many buddies in iraq. However, we shouldn't leave until the job is done. To do so would trivialize their sacrifice and make things 10x worse.

BTW, what made you pick Marines over Army, I am thinking of joining, and cant decide over ARmy or Marines. My stepdad is an O-7 in the ARmy Special Forces, and I am thinking of doing that, or being in Ranger Battalion.

Marines. Because Semper fi is better than anything the Army can come up with for a motto :mp5:

:D

Best friend and old man are/were army, I'm going to be marine after college.


Do army if you want to learn extra trade skills. Do Marines if you just want to blow stuff up and kill people. (Of course, Army SOF do that too)

I think I will go Army, because I want to be in Special Operations, and we all know the Army Special Forces are the best of the best. Even though USMC did just come out with a Special Operations Command of its own, however I think I will stick with Army.

Other than that stay safe Leathernecks. Remember-bullets=bad *nods wisely*

and i'll agree with this.

Hey everyone, i've only been able to post a few times since i've been in country so i thought i'd take this little down time to just report on how life is out here.

The first thing that strikes you when you step off the plane is obviously the heat(especially in full battle rattle). For the first 2 and a half months in country we were attached to 3rd battalion 10th mountain but we were just recently got reattached to 1/25 in fallujah with fellow marines.

While we were attached to 10th mountain, our main responsiblity was indig training. We were scheduled to be there for another month and a half but the iraqis caught on so fast to our training regimen(thanks Eut;) ) that we got them out in the field ahead of schedule and were able to get to where we wanted to be.

I don't really get to see much news anymore but there really isn't much gunfire in the city on a regular basis, mabye one firefight every three days or so. My 108 men have been here for about three months and have fourtunately suffered no casualties but have had some close calls. In the one serious firefight that my company was involved in we only had two squads engaged. It ended up with one bad guy dead and 6 captured.

Our current primary mission is to provide security for infrastructure building. On a regular day i have two platoons out on 16 hour shifts providing support for construction crews and one platoon on an 8 hour shift. Insurgents and terrorists haven't decided to attack a site yet but we have gotten hit by several ied's. They weren't really much to worry about because they were all poorly constructed.

All the iraqis i have spoken to (through translator) have expressed gratitude to us but also seem distressed that we have not finished yet. For the most part, when asked what they want us to do right now they say that we should finish up as soon as possible and leave once that is done. The ones that don't respond like that say that they want security but they don't want to see foreign troops on their street corner. I ask them how they think that we should do that and they usually say something about being able to provide their own security.

While some would like to see more iraqi forces on the street providing for security, others fear them and only trust us. It's kind of comical, they want us gone, they want security but they trust no one but us. Puts us in a tough position.

Desert heats not nice is it? Warm and dry, kind of like being in an oven. Stay safe out there, so you can come back and let me tell you why you shouldn't be there anyway.;)

In all seriousness, come back on a plane seat rather than the alternative.