DAY 3 TRAVELOGUE TO IRAQ – NEW AND IMPROVED

Friends, Family, and loved ones…

Thanks again for all your emails and comments.  It means so much to hear from you and is an added incentive to keep writing after long days with the Marines or bouncing around Iraq.

And feel free to check out our website www.editorialproject.wordpress.com and leave a comment there or pass it on to your friends and family….I will be posting photos from the trip on the website today or tomorrow.

The last time I wrote, we had just arrived at Eagle Base, north of Ramadi with G 2/9.  We’ve had a very full couple of days since then.

Yesterday, Brad and I joined Gunnery Sergeant Nick Fox and his platoon on a patrol. In my last email, I wrote that Gunny Fox and I served together in Iraq and then volunteered to come back together.  He was seriously wounded in 2004 and went on recruiting duty in Minnesota for three years before returning to the fleet.  He’s now back in front of Marines, leading from the front, and inspiring all who meet him. It has been great catching up with him and hearing stories about recruiting Marines.  40,000 young men and women sign up every year to join the Marine Corps.  Unlike other branches they don’t do it for the money- the Navy, the Air Force, and the Army all offer signing bonuses worth thousands of dollars to join their ranks.  Not the Marines. Congress mandates that 90% of enlisted members of each service must have a high school diploma, the rest GEDs.  The Marine Corps sits at over 97%.  He said he was incredibly proud to watch the Marine Corps increase its standards eventhough it was increasing its size from 174,000 Marines to 202,000 Marines, while the rest of the services cut standards.  Another perspective than the one you get from the op-ed pages of the NYTs.

Our first stop on the patrol was at an Iraqi police station.  Gunny sat in the back of the room, while Brad and I filmed Sgt Maddox, a young, but very intelligent Marine, talk to an Iraqi major Jameel about security in the area and their plan to prevent and respond to incidents during the upcoming Iraqi election on the 31st. It was pretty amazing to see.  For one, when I was here as a Marine, an Iraqi police force existed in name only.  Those that did exist tagged along on missions so that we could say it was an Iraqi/coalition operation.  When I came back last April, police and Marines were living and working in earnest with each other throughout Al Anbar province.  Now the police are everywhere and are pretty independent.  Every mile there is another police checkpoint, you see their vehicles everywhere, and the Marines are on the periphery.  Watching Sgt Maddox I could see the accumulation of 5 years of hard fought battles. He made sure the Iraqis were thinking about the potential for various incidents, that polling stations would have proper security, and that they knew how to call for Marine support if it was needed.

Sgt Maddox then passed the conversation over to me and I spoke to Major Jameel about the history of the last 5+ years. I came out here because I wanted to understand something miraculous that has occurred in Al Anbar province in the last few years.  When I was here as a Marine it was known as Iraq’s wild west and the most dangerous province.  Today it is one of the safest and it is a story you rarely here about.   Starting with Sgt Maddox’s police station chief, I’ve spoken with numerous Sheiks, precinct and station chiefs, Marines, and Iraqis about how peace suddenly broke out.  To be honest, I’ve been sort of pissed about it.  In 2004, we worked desperately to try and work with Iraqis to fight AQI (Al Qaeda in Iraq) and the insurgency, but combat always ensued.  I still don’t have an answer for how it came about.  The story line seems to be that the tribes got sick of foreign fighters and Al Qaeda.  In one tribe alone, over 300 men were killed by these foreigners.  It was brutal and as one Iraqi said to me, from 2003 to 2005 we had nowhere to turn.  We were scared of the insurgents and we were just as scared of the coalition forces.  Finally, Sheik Abu Risha approached three other powerful sheiks.  The story holds that they met under a tree at night, made a fire, and sat under the stars discussing their plans to start an “Awakening Council” of other tribal leaders and reach out to the Marines.  From that point on the tribes waged a bloody and protracted campaign, supported by Marines, against Al Qaeda.  I suspect there is more to this story, but everyone seems to stick to this party line.  One thing is for sure, Brad and I will continue to dig for answers in the coming days.

Another remarkable change that has occured out here is the Marine Corps newest weapon systems.  They have fully armored HUMVEES and new behemoth MRAPs (Mine resistant armored personell carriers).  They have the newest versions of the M16 rifle and its shorter variant the M4.  The body armor they wear is completely different from the ones we wore. But these are not the new weapons I’m talking about.  The Marines talk about development work they do as if they were referring to artillery.  Clearing canals for better agricultural irrigation, building playgrounds and soccer fields, handing out winter clothes or food bags, dairy cows to widows as a source of income, and whatever else are all referred to as supporting fires in the campaign to win hearts and minds.  We tried similar operation to little avail in 2004.  A school built by my Battalion was blown up by insurgents.  We tried clearing a canal and the workers were ambushed, but today it is a different environment.  Marine officers talk about providing good governance, economic development, essential services, rule of law, and security and how to turn these operations over to Iraqis.  It is already happening as Marines operate less and less outside the lines.

Tomorrow we are headed out with 2/9′s Battalion Commander to meet Sheik Abu Risha’s, the catalyst for peace, brother.  Aheik Abu Risha’s picture is everywhere here.  At checkpoints, Iraqi police officers kiss the poster when asked if he was a good man.  Every Sheik claims to have known him.  For pulling the tribes together and working with Marines, he was killed, but his legacy remains strong in Al Anbar.

Last night we watched Obama’s inauguration with some of the platoon commanders and platoon sergeants.  Needless to say, even the Bush enthusiasts in the room (and they remain a strong contingent in the Marine Corps) were overwhelmed by his speech.  I hope that Americans heed his call to service, to spend less and save more, and dedicate ourselves to always strive to a more perfect union.

So much more to report but will save it for another email.

All the best and keep writing back!

Love,

Zach

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