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The Uncrackable code Talkers pg.12
bronze sTar recipienT: do i deserve iT? pg.20
T h e C o r p s ’ O f f i c i a l M a g a z i n e w w w . m a r i n e s . m i l • October • December 2 0 0 7
Dogs of WarDown UnDer with theDown UnDer with the
On PointCAMP PENDLETON, CALif. – During a townhall-style meeting, Gen. James T. Conway, 34th commandant of the Marine Corps, asks for a show of hands of Marines who have deployed. Conway spoke to the Marines about his guidance and the direction the Corps is taking. Photo by Sgt. Christopher M. Tirado
Features
12 | Code TalkerThe salty faces of Navajo Marines who, with courage and an uncrackable code, mastered their foes.
20 | Do I Deserve It?A Bronze Star recipient asks a question and turns the tables on a reporter.
30 | From the TrenchesThe 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit stretches its sea legs Down Under.
V o l u m e 3 6 | N u m b e r 2 | w w w . m a r i n e s . m i l
1
GougeOctober •November •December 2OO7
v
GougeT h e C o r p s ’ O f f i c i a l M a g a z i n e
October • December 2 0 0 7w w w . m a r i n e s . m i l / m a r i n e s m a g a z i n e
Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. James T. Conway
Sergeant Major of the Marine CorpsSgt. Maj. Carlton W. Kent
M a r i n e C o r p s n e w s
Managing Editor Staff Sgt. Scott Dunn
Editor
Staff Sgt. Leo Salinas
Combat CorrespondentStaff Sgt. Helen M. Searcy
WebmasterTim Delobe
p U B L i C a T i o n D e s i G n
Bates Creative Group, LLC
Creative Director Debra Bates-Schrott
Art Director Christopher Ross
Graphic Designer
Christopher Ross
Marines is published seven times annually (quar-terly, plus three special editions) by the Division of Public Affairs, Marine Corps News Branch, HQMC, U.S. Marine Corps (PA) 3000 Marine Corps Pentagon, Washington D.C. 20350-3000. Standard postage paid at Washington, D.C., and additional mailing stations.
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Divisions 42 | On LibertyWhat better place than Iwo Jima for tranquil warrior reflection? The present-day island, of course.
“He went out there ... Not only did he lead from the front, he pushed right to the very edge.”
– Cpl. Thomas M. Latimer on Bronze Star recipient Staff Sgt. Logan Cortes,
who rushed into an insurgent-held house to rescue a wounded Marine.
50 | Over ThereMongol Men-At-Arms, Ugly Angels,
On the Warpig Path, Road Bomb and more.
54 | Corps Shots
3
Sound Off
8
Scuttlebutt• Functional
Fitness
10Portrait & Profile • The Rifle
Blows Smoke• Faces in
the Ranks
28Q&A • Sergeant Major
of the Marine Corps on personal decorations
29Test Your Knowledge
58Unit Profile • 3rd Battalion,
12th Marine Regiment
60Boondoggle • Top 10 List• Tailend Charlie
2
Battle Cats & Amphibians
From the Editor
F E AT U R E D C O N T R I B U T O R
Cpl. Eric D. Arndt, CAMP BUTLeR, OkInAWA, JAPAn
Cpl. Eric D. Arndt became a Marine with one idea in mind: to become
something else.“The worst part about growing up
in the suburbs is that nothing unique has happened to you. What people call the American dream is the pursuit of constructing our children with no distinct differences.
“I hated knowing that I was no dif ferent, that my consciousness was formed by the same memories everyone else has – the same visits to super discount warehouse stores, the same jokes on television, the consumerism.”
So Arndt, an Arizona native, joined the Marine Corps, with a few items on his checklist: traveling and hardship.
“Of course the Marine Corps can’t make me completely different. I’m still a carbon copy, but now I’m only a copy in an organization of less than 200,000, as opposed to the 300 million people who live in the United States.
“The goal from there is to just keep whittling my existence down as much as possible, until I’ve achieved something.”
As a combat correspondent, Arndt still pursues the desire to see everything – it all comes back to the ever-expanding checklist.
“Ideally you’re trying to experience as much as possible, and in that way this job has been most beneficial. I’d prob-ably have seen the world as a Marine regardless, that’s true, but because correspondents are sent to cover a variety of stories, I’ve definitely got to see a lot more than I ever would have otherwise.”
On the CoverU.S. Marines and sailors and Australian soldiers disembark
a naval landing craft to the Shoalwater Bay training area,
Queensland, Australia, after having stayed more than a
week aboard the Australian Royal navy vessel HMAS
kanimbla. (Page 30)
Photo by Cpl. Eric D. Arndt
Recipient of the following Awards of Magazine Excellence for 2003-2004:
W E HAvE AN OLD, POST-WORLD WAR I recruiting poster that needs hanging. Maybe you’ve seen it:
A smiley-faced Marine carrying a Garand with fixed bayonet, under the shade of exotic fronds, rides backward
bronco-style on a rather nasty jungle cat. The bottom reads, “travel? adventure? answer – join the marines!”
Indeed. Some consider this nothing more than a
classic piece of card-stacking propaganda to illustrate an illogical statement that gives the best possible case for enlisting. And some of us have imaginations.
Logically speaking, it matters not that perhaps riding a carnivorous beast in such a provocative manner would result in a bloody mauling — man or cat — and the Marine’s commanding officer would not have his men engaged in such shenanigans. What matters is the sentiment. It is real, even today in these uncertain times as young Americans still come to serve. Each of us, in our own way, is taming the lions of this nation’s freedom, peace and security. And nothing menaces our
enemies more than our unblinking willingness to face all odds.
And because we Marines have resoluteness for victory, we stay sharp. The Marine Corps’ unique
military principle to be expeditionary – agile and ferocious – is our fundamental heritage. Sure, our commitment in this Long War has been playing out as a centrally landlocked engagement. But what’s that coming from over the horizon (Page 30)? It’s ... It’s ...
Amphibians! Soldiers from the sea! We never forget the briny, seafaring doctrine that defines us – and keeps our enemies’ throats within a sword’s swinging distance. Cpl. Eric Arndt’s story shows just how we deploy, train bilaterally, and stay adaptable and ready to fight.
Now, who wants to ride the jaguar?
Semper Fi,Marines
P.S. Five of the legendary Code Talkers graced us with their presence (Page 12), and dammit if we didn’t get the feeling that these Marines still had the fight in them and would fall back into formation with a single command.
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SoundOff
Whirl-a-TiltWashington, – Master gunnery sgt. Marc “Fish” Fischer mans the aft of aircraft 01, an MV-22 osprey from Marine Medium tiltrotor squadron 162, as it hovers above a helipad at the Pentagon. the Marine Corps launched the ospreys in battle for the first time when Marine Medium tiltrotor squadron 263 deployed this fall to al asad air Base in iraq. Photo by Staff Sgt. Scott Dunn
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For the Marine On Your Left and To Your Right haQLaniYah, iraQ – Marines provide security during a patrol. the Marines are with 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine regiment, a Kaneohe Bay, hawaii-based unit. Photo by Sgt. Brian M. Henner
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Functional FitnessMarine Corps News staff report by Staff Sgt. Helen M. Searcy
Jobs Marines do in the Marine Corps are as varied
as the muscles that are used. Not every Marine is carrying ammunition, which employs different muscles than sitting behind a desk.
The Marine Corps realized this difference and developed a new way of conducting physical training to better train Marines for their jobs, whether they’re humping with a pack or embarking gear. It’s called functional fitness.
Functional fitness can be described as the ability to perform a broad array of natural or realistic physical work, according to “A Concept for Functional Fitness,” a document approved by Lt. Gen. James F. Amos, deputy commandant for
combat development and integration in December 2006.
Basically, train the body for real life. For Marines, this means combat.
Several programs are available for Marines to add or change their physical fitness program to incorporate this new way of fitness.
The Marine Corps Martial Arts Program and Marine Corps Community Service’s Semper Fit have programs in place for Marines to learn and apply these concepts.
MCMAP has been doing combat conditioning for nearly four years. It also runs a week-long Combat Conditioning Specialist Course. The course is open to all Marines, regardless of belt level, though corporals
and above are preferred.This course teaches Marines
to run a successful combat conditioning physical training session at their units, said Joseph C. Shusko, director of MCMAP, Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va.
“It’s a program designed by Marines for Marines,” said Shusko, a retired Marine lieutenant colonel.
“Functional fitness is multi-joint movements based around core strength and hip flexibility, not isolated, not done lying down, not done on a machine,” said Staff Sgt. Brandon T. Millsaps, MCMAP instructor trainer.
Combat Conditioning uses buddy exercises. For example, a Marine might carry a fellow Marine in a fireman’s carry and then follow up with a set of squats. This sort of training conditions the muscles and the mind for vital combat tasks.
Buddy exercises increase muscular strength and endur-ance to simulate carrying a heavy load in a combat situation, said Millsaps.
Semper Fit also tailors functional fitness to specific job specialties, rather than the rigors of combat.
“We want to look at what a Marine does in his (job) and then look at the exercises that
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Scuttlebutt
are going to make that Marine stronger,” said Linda Desens, director of Health Promotions at Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
For example, an artillery Marine loading ammunition into a firing piece is having to lift, twist, and push. An administra-tive Marine sitting at a desk needs to strengthen his lower back and chest to reduce the shortening of muscles.
Semper Fit has certified personal trainers that can lead Marines in group or individual functional PT as well as courses at some of the bigger bases where they can teach Marines how to conduct functional PT.
The Semper Fit program at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., has been running the PT Coordinators Course since 2002. This course is designed to inform unit leaders about anatomy, nutrition, injury prevention, swimming pro-
grams, as well as running programs, said Mary Troja, fitness facilities director for Semper Fit Division.
Included in the course at Camp Lejeune is an introduction to the Total-Body Resistance Exercise System. Developed by
a former Navy SEAL, it uses a Marine’s own body weight to perform functional exercises.
This type of suspension training can be used by any fitness level, said Troja. People can work at their own pace and at any angle.
In the examples shown, a Marine can use the system to mimic loading ammo by using a wood-chopping motion by hanging it over a pull-up bar. In the office where there’s not a pull-up bar, a Marine can use the door anchor and perform lower back and chest exercises during breaks.
“It’s a good price of gear,” said Master Sgt. Donald H. Hart, 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion operations chief. He puts the TRX system around his kids’ swing set in his backyard.
Both programs use exercises that are more realistic and functional. They help Marines train for their jobs rather than for the physical fitness test.
“No longer chasing the PFT,” said Shusko.
Every Marine is a rifleman and must be physically fit for combat. What’s more, Marines also must be fit for their specific jobs. The Semper Fit program and the Martial Arts Center for Excel-lence are two places Marines can go to train for both areas. Photos courtesy of Fitness Anywhere Inc
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M16-A2 No. 2401036 Age: TwentysomethingHometown: Hartford, Conn.MOS: Name Taker
M arines need no introduction to the rifle, for they are
not Marines until they are proven riflemen.
But say one was to sit down and give us a quick interview, a rifle not a Marine. Ah, the stories it could tell. For those unfamiliar, may we give you, with wild imagination, the M16-A2 service rifle:
Your family has a long history of service.
This is true. My dad, the original M16, was adopted by Army and Air Force parents. With Vietnam going on, he wanted to go straight into action. It didn’t take long for the Marines to bring him into their fold.
You certainly have your father’s caliber.
Thank you. I’m not quite the fully automatic slinger that he was, but I’ve been known to fire off — but nothing more
The Rifle Blows Smoke
Phot
o by
Sta
ff Sg
t. Sc
ott D
unn
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Portrait & Profile
Faces
in the Ranks
than the occasional three-round burst. I’m more of a one-shot-one-kill type.
Would you prefer to be fully automatic?
It’s not the rounds I fire, the noise of my burst, nor the smoke I make. It’s the hits that count. I will hit.
That sounds familiar.I’m paraphrasing the
Rifleman’s Creed.
And a fine creed it is. Will you be passing it down to other generations like the M4 carbine?
Already have. My descen-dants are still part of the family that traces its lineage back to the original M16. Some are fully automatic like their forefathers. The creed applies to all.
Who are your influences? Gen. P.X. Kelley, Gunny
Highway — that era. I’m an ’80s child, so musically I’d have to go with Poison’s “Every Rose Has Its Thorn.”
Forgive us for asking, but are you male or female?
Female. The word “rifle” is masculine in most languages, but to my master, I’m Marilyn. I may just be
parts and accessories, and there are many like me, but he treats me like a human. My Marine without me is useless, and without my Marine, I am useless.
Hmm. Look, I’m no different
than the guys. Just treat me as if I were loaded, never point me at anything you do not intend to shoot, and nobody gets hurt.
Agreed. What is your best accessory?
Thirty-round maga-zine. Can I say the worst accessory?
By all means. Three words: Blank.
Firing. Adaptor. Nothing screams nonaction quite like a BFA muzzling my muzzle. (See one on Page 38.)
The M16-A4 and the M4 carbine are increasingly taking over the Marine Corps’ primary infantry arsenal. Are you becoming a relic?
If they’re to be the next generation, so be it, until victory is America’s and there is no enemy, but peace!
The creed again?I can’t help myself.
The Rifle Blows Smoke
Pfc. Enyinnaya C. McJobujah Homeland: NigeriaAge: 28 Occupation: Aviation maintenance technicianUnit: Aviation Maintenance Squadron 1
McJobujah had a comfortable lifestyle, two successful busi-
nesses and bachelor’s degrees in applied mathematics and
aerospace engineering, but he felt he was doing an injustice
to America by not serving in time of need. He sold his appliance
business and enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve. One week after
McJobujah shipped to boot camp, his son was born.
Cpl. Melinda Lewallen Hometown: PhoenixAge: 27 Occupation: Supply administrative clerkUnit: Marine Corps Communication-Electronics School
L ewallen was accepted into the Marine Corps Enlisted Commis-
sioning Education Program and plans to major in nutrition while
in college. She served four years in the Air Force before switching
over to the Marine Corps.
Sgt. Melissa Lewallen Hometown: Phoenix Age: 27 Occupation: Marine Corps exchange enlisted managerUnit: Marine Corps Community Services
L ewallen was accepted into the Marine Corps Enlisted Commission-
ing Education Program and plans to major in deaf studies while in
college. She enlisted in the Marine Corps right after high school
graduation, which might explain how she outranks Cpl. Lewallen.
Editors note: Apologies to the Lewallen twins if we got your pictures mixed up. Who can even tell?
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Story and photos by Sgt. Clinton Firstbrook,HEADQUARTERS MARINE CORPS, Washington
Wol•la•chee Be•la•sana Tse•nill na•hash•chid shush Toish•jeh Moasi Tla•gin Ba•goshi Be chindi lha•cha•eh ah•jah dzeh ah•nah chuo Tsa•e•donin•ee Ma•e ah•Tad Klizzie jeha Tse•gah cha lin TKin Yeh•hes a•chi TKele•cho•g ah•Ya•Tsinne Yil•doi jad•ho•loni Ba•ah•ne•di•Tinin Klizzie•Yazzie diBeh•Yazzie ah•jad nash•doie•Tso Tsin•TliTi Be•Tas•Tni na•as•Tso•si Tsah a•chin a•Kha Tlo•chin ne•ahs•jah cla•gi•aih Bi•so•dih ne•zhoni ca•YeilTh gah diBe Klesh d•ah a•Woh Than•zie shi•da
Interviewed by Staff Sgt. Leo Salinas
Photographs by Staff Sgt. Scott Dunn
HEADQUARTERS MARINE CORPS, Washington
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Code talker
82 years old, Winslow, Ariz. pictured with wife Jeanette.“I was glad I served my country, even if it meant getting killed for it.”
Twenty-nine original Code Talkers were recruited to communicate battlefield messages using their native language. Soon, more than 400 would join the originals and serve in all six Marine divisions during World War II.
Code talker
82 years old, Daggett, Calif.At 17, Morris enlisted to go to war.
The innovative, cryptic method was such a success that for 25 years after the war was over, the Code Talkers could not speak of their roles because the code was still deemed classified. It was not until 1968 that the code became declas-sified by the U.S. government.
A fter bombing Pearl harbor, the japanese could have anticipated a mighty american response, but when the sleeping giant
spoke navajo during the Pacific War, the enemy was lost in translation. even if the japanese could intercept the right radio frequency, crucial allied information lashed right through their headsets as an undecipherable code, mastered only with a navajo tongue, and a navajo ear.O
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Code talker
81 years old, Leupp, Ariz.Willie served with 2nd Marine Division from 1942 to 1945 at Guadalcanal and Okinawa.
Of all languages, the Marine Corps adopted Navajo because it was reported that Navajos were the only natives not compromised by
Germans during the 1920s. Under the guise of art students and anthro-pologists, the Germans had been studying tribal dialects. The son of a missionary, and a rare non-Navajo linguist, Philip Johnston conceptual-ized the Navajo code as means for military message transmission.
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Code talker
95 years old, Ganado, Ariz.A code instructor, Hubbard later became the first Native American voted into the Arizona Senate.
The Code Talkers’ nine-month training included memorizing 263 codes relating to military terms. A major advantage of the code was its speed. Morse code often took hours whereas the Navajos could encode, transmit, and decode a three-line English message in 20 seconds. Machines at the time required 30 minutes to perform the same job.
Code talker
82 years old, Gallup, N.M. pictured with son MichaelOn confusing the enemy at the Battle of Iwo Jima: “They probably went crazy.”
In the first 48 hours of the campaign to take Iwo Jima, the Code Talkers received and transmitted an estimated 800 messages without error or interception. Fifth Marine Division signal officer Maj. Howard Connor said, “Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima.”
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By Cpl. Eric D. ArndtCAMP HANSEN, OkiNAwA, Japan
�Do�I��Deserve�It?
A�reporter�entertains�the�question�asked�by�a��Bronze�star�recipient.�the�answer,�unlike�the�story,�is�plain.�>>>�
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At this point, the interview is almost over and the story has been laid bare; I have most of the general facts of what happened in New Ubaydi on that day during Operation Steel Curtain.
I’m going over the story again in my mind when Cortes repeats his question.
“Do I deserve it?”He’s talking about the
medal. His Bronze Star.This is a fairly heavy
question to pose to a lance corporal who’s never seen actual combat.
I think about it, and the evi-dence, and my reply takes less than two seconds to surface.
Yes. You do, staff sergeant.And after a short pause,
I explain why.
The First ImpressionI first meet Staff Sgt. Cor-
tes on the day of his award ceremony at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan. The inside of the House of Pain South gym’s basketball court area has been cleared out to allow
the 31st MEU’s Battalion Landing Team 2/1 to attend. Amid the sea of Marines and sailors pouring in to witness the presentation, I see his nametape and approach him.
While introducing myself, I’m caught off guard by his presence, which fills the air with benevolence, with an aura I have sometimes detected from experienced Marines, as well as other people of a particular high quality.
As far as a physical description, he stands about 5 feet 7 inches — slightly shorter than me — but completely solid; I have no reservations he could topple me at will. He has jet-black hair and you can see the bot-tom half of a tattoo on his right bicep. In spite of an intimidating visage, he is par-ticularly quiet; he possesses a gentle demeanor not expected of a Marine about to receive an award for valorous actions under fire.
After Cortes receives his award from Lt. Col. Francis
Donovan, the BLT’s com-manding officer, my initial impressions of his character are validated: Cortes opts not to give a dramatic speech to the battalion, instead taking a more humble approach. Donovan speaks on Cortes’ behalf, noting his leadership abilities and qualities. Cortes stands there, proudly, but looking as if he would rather be somewhere else.
After the event, Cortes receives attention from just about everyone. Marines and sailors from the battalion shake his hand and congratu-late him. The attention seems to make him slightly uncom-fortable, but he handles it the way he would any circum-stance: as a professional.
Once everything has calmed down, we make plans to meet during lunch for an interview, and then I leave.
Another AngleCortes gives me the name
of someone I can use as a second source — the name
of a corporal he describes simply as “wise” — and tells me he often exchanges ideas with this individual to benefit himself and his Marines, even though he himself is older and of higher rank.
So I seek out Cpl. Thomas M. Latimer, a squad leader with 1st Platoon, Company F, to get an inside word.
Latimer gives me a puzzling look when he answers the door, but invites me into his barracks room the second I mention Staff Sgt. Cortes. As I enter, he has a smile that seems to indicate I’m part of a long-run-ning inside joke only the two of them will ever understand.
Latimer stands out to me immediately as a Marine who isn’t afraid to speak his mind, and he doesn’t hold back much when I ask him about Cortes.
“My initial impression of him was: he’s a hard case. Big guy, stares a lot, watches his people. He’s got that hawk eye on him. He always keeps close tabs on his people,” Latimer says. “The real first impression of him that I got before I even really got to talk to him was from talking to his machine gunners. He looked out for them.”
Latimer got to know Cortes when exchanging their squad and sec-tion Marines for cross-training.
“�Now� you� tell� me;� do� I� deserve� it?”� � this� is� a� serious� question� following� a� sincere��
conversation,�but�to�understand�its�weight,�you�have�to�understand�the�context.� �It’s�May�
15,�2007,�and�I’m�sitting�on�a�metal�picnic�bench�across�from�staff�sgt.�Logan�Cortes.�Let’s�
just�say�his�doubt�has�begun�to�set�in.� �two�hours�prior,�he�was�presented�with�the�Bronze�
star�with�combat�distinguishing�device�for�actions�Nov.�16,�2005,�during�operation� Iraqi�
Freedom�in�Anbar�province�with�2nd�Battalion,�1st�Marine�regiment,�then�making�up�the�bat-
talion�landing�team�for�the�13th�Marine�expeditionary�Unit�(special�operations�Capable).�
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CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, Japan – Staff Sgt. Logan Cortes, the Interim Fast Attack Vehicle section leader for Company G, Battalion Landing Team 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, receives the Bronze Star with combat distinguishing device from Lt. Col. Francis Donovan, BLT 2/1 commanding officer, during an award ceremony here, May 15. On Nov. 16, 2005, during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Cortes rushed into an insurgent-held house to rescue a wounded Marine who could not get out on his own. BLT 2/1 is the ground combat element of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit.
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CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, Japan – Lt. Col. Francis Donovan, Battalion Landing Team 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, commanding officer, speaks to his Marines and sailors after Staff Sgt. Logan Cortes received the Bronze Star with combat distinguishing device. Photos by Cpl. Eric D. Arndtç
24
Having not known Cortes on a personal level until after the three-month deployment to Iraq didn’t stop Latimer from commenting on his award.
“If there’s one thing he believes in, he believes he is there for his Marines and his Marines alone,” Latimer says. “He’s a real selfless individual. You’re not going to tell him to not take care of his people.”
“Absolutely he deserves (the Bronze Star),” Latimer continued. “Did he have to leave a covered position and go help out people when other people would have come?
“There are people, brave men who would have made that decision – to stay right there. But it does take some-thing to say, (forget) this, I’m
charging across … we’re talking at least a hundred meters of open ground.
“When we first got there, we were three (hundred) to four hun-dred meters back and rounds were skipping off the deck in front of us before we even started our push. He went out there. He led from the front. Not only did he lead from the front, he pushed right to the very edge. How far can you go?”
What’s the most important thing he learned from Staff Sgt. Cortes?
“Do what you think is right,” Latimer responds instantly.
A moment passes.“Understand the conse-
quences, sure, but do what you think is right.”
Nowhere Else to GoCortes joined the Marine
Corps in what he believes was more luck than willful act.
“I got in a fight with my elder sister and she threw me out of the house,” the Stock-ton, Calif., native says. He recalls this memory with a grin that seems to say he remem-bers the event with some form of fondness, even if it was a dif-ficult time as it occurred.
“So I went to the recruiter and said, ‘You have three days to get me in.’”
“So here I am.”Cortes held the military
occupational specialty of rifle-man upon his entrance into the Corps, and has been employed
in several infantry billets since then. Currently, he serves as the Interim Fast Attack Vehicle section leader for Company G.
He has decided so far to not leave the Marine Corps
behind, choosing to remain because the organization seems to fit well.
“The brotherhood is awe-some,” he said. “I felt it was a very good decision I made — joining the Marines. I saw other branches through the years, and I think it’s lucky that (the Marine Corps recruiter) was the first office I went to.”
“I guess I’m just lucky.”
The Battle“The house looked like a
regular house,” Cortes says.To illustrate the layout of
the attack, of the ambush, of the enemies and the Marines he watched fall, Cortes reaches
over and draws something on my copy of his award citation.
This is a skill taught to all Marines, but it is especially essential to infantry: the abil-ity to communicate terrain
layouts through simple draw-ings. Throughout the day, I’ll interview Marines who were present during the fight, and they will do the same. Every time it will become necessary to express distance or shape or troop movements, the pens will come out and I’ll get some form of diagram.
“It was a regular house on the outside,” he says. “But on the inside, it was well protected. There had to be around seven (insurgents) in the house.”
He tells me the final count of confirmed kills in the area was more than 30, but this included the surrounding neighborhood as well, which
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at the time contained New Ubaydi’s remaining insur-gents, who were forced into a pocket at the town’s edge by Operation Steel Curtain’s push into and through the terrorist haven.
When Marines from another platoon stacked up to enter the house, they were ambushed, and the house opened up like a bee hive.
“There was enemy all over the place,” he says.
As the Marines of 2/1 started the assault toward the enemy, Cortes and his machine gunners, Lance Cpls. Roger Deeds and Richard Leary, began to set up a position behind a stone wall adjacent to the house. Instants later, they would hear of the Marine who went down inside – the front man on the stack attempting to clear the house – suffering wounds to both of his legs from an insurgent’s grenade.
“The first one to run over there was my lance corporal, Deeds,” Cortes recalls. “I was going to go there by myself, but Deeds went. He didn’t ask for permission or anything; he took off.”
Meanwhile, Leary set up a firing position to provide cover fire for the primary target house and to fire on several other houses to his right from where more insurgents began sending small-arms fire.
Cortes pulled the injured Marine out of the house, only
to realize he couldn’t locate his machine gunner.
Leary had dropped behind the wall to protect himself from insurgent fire. He called out to Cortes that he was running low on ammunition. Cortes ran back to where the men had dropped their packs when the battle began and rummaged for the rounds his machine gunner would need to stay in the fight.
As Cortes scrambled back with the ammunition to sup-ply Leary, an insurgent made the last mistake of his life by choosing to fire at Cortes.
“I came back over here to give Leary the ammo, and then (the insurgent) started firing over here,” Cortes says, making a couple of points on the map with his pen. “I guess I was a better shooter than he was.”
The award citation states the man was “at close range,” so I ask Cortes how close, and he points to a Marine walking toward us.
The Marine is close enough for me to accurately see his rank.
Cortes says it felt like nothing. He says it felt like he feels right now, just talking to me at this table.
“Afterwards, the only things you think about are the (Marines) going to the hospital,” Cortes says. “You don’t really think about what happened or who was shoot-ing at you or anything.”
The FamilyLeary, who covered Cortes
that day, is now a corporal and a squad leader in Weap-ons Platoon, Company F.
For the most part, he just takes me through his account of how things hap-pened, which isn’t far off from how I’ve already heard it. He tells me how he set up his firing position. How he saw all of the violence erupt-ing around the house in the form of the usual accom-paniments: grenades and explosions, gunfire, scream-ing, bleeding.
He speaks about Cortes and Deeds running into the building, and Cortes bring-ing him ammunition when he was running out, and how he thinks the Bronze Star is great because Cortes is some-one who really deserves what he received.
“He sacrifices so much,” Leary says. “When he was with (our section), we had our group of machine gunners. I hate to be cliché, but it was a big, old, happy family.”
“A big, old, dysfunctional, happy family of brothers,” he corrects himself.
“Anybody in that section would do anything for anyone else,” Leary continued. “It’s rare to see a staff (noncom-missioned officer) sacrifice as much as he does for the lower-level Marines.”
When I mention Deeds, Leary points out his picture
to me. It sits, framed, on top of his wall locker.
Deeds was killed in action along with four other 2/1 Marines the day Cortes rushed into hell to save a fallen brother.
Afterwards, right as I walk out the door, Leary says to make sure it’s a good story. That Cortes deserves it.
The JustificationCortes doesn’t think so,
and he explains his views: “Just like I told everyone
else, my feelings are that I don’t deserve it because I didn’t do anything (more) than anyone over there did.”
But he’s wrong. Beyond bureaucracies,
beyond the frustration with who receives awards and who does not and why, beyond the reasons we fight and some die, there is this: One man falls in a building, others fall around it, and amidst chaos are those who are still able decide they will rescue their brethren or die trying.
The Bronze Star is made of metal and fabric.
Only when men such as Staff Sgt. Cortes wear it, does it achieve value.
Staff Sgt. Cortes deserves this because of those who have worn it before, those who have yet to wear it, and because when it is upon his chest, he wears it for his big, old, dysfunctional, happy family of brothers.
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ANBAR PROVINCE, Iraq – Lance Cpl. Roger Deeds (left) and Staff Sgt. Logan Cortes served in Iraq during 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regi-ment’s three-month deployment in 2005. Cortes received the Bronze Star with combat distinguishing device for entering an insurgent-held house during a firefight on Nov. 16, 2005, to retrieve a wounded Marine. Deeds rushed toward the house along with Cortes, but did not survive the fight-ing that day. Courtesy of The Professionals
27
Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps On Personal Decorations
Sgt. Maj. of the Marine Corps Carlton W. Kent
What weight does rank play when determining a Marine’s award?I’ve been involved in the awards process on many levels, especially when I was the sergeant major of I Marine Expeditionary Force. I sat in on the board for all awards submissions –enlisted and officer – and rank didn’t and still doesn’t make a difference when it comes to awarding a Marine for his service or actions.
The award confusion comes when you start talking about the Bronze Star and Bronze Star with V. What a lot of people don’t realize is that the Bronze Star is equivalent to a Meritorious Service Medal. The Marines that are hooking and jabbing on the battlefield are getting the Bronze Stars w/ V – which is for Valor.
We should never cheapen the awards process by doubting why someone did or didn’t get a specific award. The Marine Corps is not liberal when awarding awards – we have a strict standard – and when a Marine has on his awards, we should know without a doubt that he earned them.
More than just decoration, what do these ribbons on our chest mean? Should Marines wear all the ribbons and medals they earn?The Marine Corps order states that Marines have the option to wear only their personal awards if they want to.
I personally believe Marines should want to wear all of the medals and ribbons they’ve earned. The commandant even took it a step further when he first came into office by requiring Marines to also wear the shooting badges when in the service uniform.
Can one fairly and accurately size up a Marine by decoding his awards? I don’t think it is fair for anyone to be looked at either more positively or negatively for what awards they have. We need to look at the whole
Marine. We need to judge Marines on how they perform in both garrison and combat. We also have to remember that some Marines haven’t had the opportunity to get to combat, but want to go. We shouldn’t separate those Marines who have gone to combat from those who have not. Those that want to go to combat will get their chance.
Ribbons and medals do not make the Marine. The whole Marine concept requires Marines to be able to perform in garrison and in combat.
Is there a Dan Daly, a Chesty Puller-caliber Marine in our ranks?Marines are living up to their legacy today in garrison and in combat. Marines today are making the future legacy for the Marine Corps. There is no such thing as old Corps, new Corps. It’s the same Corps.
What is your proudest decoration?My proudest moment in the Marine Corps came the day I became a Marine. Earning the title of “Marine” has always been my proudest decoration.
Medals. Brass or anodized? Both. I have them both and don’t really have a preference.
Age: 50
Duty Station: The Pentagon
MOS: Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, the senior enlisted member of the Marine Corps
Hometown: Memphis, Tenn.
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Q&A
ANSWERS:
Noteworthy Marines
Sgt. Chuck Mawhinney was a sniper in Vietnam with 103 con-firmed kills. An additional 216
kills were unconfirmed because it was too risky to search for the results. The
rifle he used is now on display in the Vietnam Gallery at the National Museum of
the Marine Corps.
Back in the Day
Jan. 22, 1969: Operation Dewey Canyon was perhaps
the most successful high-mobility regimental-size action of the Viet-nam War. It began in the A Shau/Da Krong Valleys when the 9th Marine Regiment and supporting artil-
lery were lifted from Quang Tri. By mid-March, more than 500 tons of weapons
and ammunition were unearthed and the enemy had suffered 1,617 casualties.
Previous Ten Commandants�33. Michael W. Hagee
Jan. 14, 2003 – Nov. 12, 2006
32. James L. Jones July 1, 1999 – Jan. 13, 2003
31. Charles C. Krulak July 1, 1995 - June 30, 1999
30. Carl E. Mundy Jr. July 1, 1991 – June 30, 1995
29. Alfred M. Gray Jr. July 1, 1987 - June 30, 1991
28. Paul X. “PX” Kelley July 1, 1983 - June 30, 1987
27. Robert H. Barrow July 1, 1979 - June 30, 1983
26. Louis H. Wilson Jr. July 1, 1975 - June 30, 1979
25. Robert E. Cushman Jr. Jan. 1, 1972 - June 30, 1975
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10
Bronze Star
Humanitarian Service Medal
Air Medal
Antarctica Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Department of Defense Distinguished Service Medal
Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal
Distinguished Flying Cross
Iraq Campaign Medal
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)
Match the MedalYou don’t have to name these decorations. We took care of that. Just match the number.
05 Bronze Star04 Humanitarian Service Medal06 Air Medal02 Antarctica Service Medal 07 Legion of Merit03 Department of Defense
Distinguished Service Medal
09 Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal
01 Distinguished Flying Cross10 Iraq Campaign Medal08 Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)
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Test Knowledgeyour
DAY ONE – Gunner Kristofer Williams waits aboard a U.S. naval landing craft preparing to go ashore with fellow Australian soldiers and U.S. Marines during Exercise Talisman Saber 2007. The Australian soldiers, including Williams who serves in the Royal Australian Army’s 108th Battery, 4th Field Regiment, comprised and were attached to 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment. Photo by Cpl. Eric D. Arndt
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From the Trenches
pl. Eric D. Arndt of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit reports. exercise talisman Saber 2007: A major, joint field exercise and combined-arms
live-fire event at the Shoalwater Bay training area in Central Queensland, Australia. ¶ For several months, the marines and sailors of the 31st marine expeditionary Unit prepared to take part in this exercise, a bilateral joint exercise between Australian and U.S. armed forces.
DoWn UnDER W/ ThE DoGS oF WAR
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Australian shipThe first of two waves of Company E Marines and sailors filed off into an Australian landing craft – reminiscent of a gigantic, oceangoing flatbed truck – and packed it in close for what everyone already knew would be a tight squeeze.
After a few moments into the hour-long transit, the ser-vice members’ whispers faded into silence. Almost at once, the light and safety of USS Juneau evaporated into a sea of darkness and uncertainty, and voices, quiet in the night, spoke to each other of where they were headed and what was to come.
As the hour approached midnight, the Marines and sailors embarked upon HMAS Kanimbla, a former Ameri-can vessel, decommissioned and sold to Australia prior to receiving a dramatic refitting. June 12 marked the start of at least another week before they would set foot on land again.
In Good companyEven before any had unpacked, the Marines and sailors poured into the living area for embarked troops and began to realize they would be living very close to not only their gear – which was stored wherever it could be – but with the Australian soldiers who had moved in only hours prior.
“It was pretty much what I really expected,” said Sgt. Levi G. Erickson, a squad leader with 3rd Platoon, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, the ground combat element of the MEU. “I was hoping it
wouldn’t be all that bad, and it wasn’t. The racks hanging off the chains hammock style – I was kind of mentally prepared for that, but it ended up being a little bit better.”
Within the next few days, and for the duration of the voyage, the dining area and berthing became a mix of various camouflage styles and gray. The digital Marines chatted with their Australian counterparts, and the sailors kept their new home func-tioning and operational.
“The thing you expect from a lot of Americans is they’re a fairly loud, good-natured sort of people,” said Australian Army Lance Cpl. Daniel L. Hewitt, a mortar-man with Support Company, 2nd Battalion, Royal Austra-lian Regiment. “I’ve been to Malaysia and Singapore and a couple other places over the years, and you get the impres-sion that soldiers all over are pretty much the same person.”
Not only did the Marines and sailors swap stories and compare their services with the Australians, but they shared what was unanimously declared among Company E as one of the best parts of the Kanimbla: exquisite meals, morning, noon and night.
“It’s a lot better than what we’re used to getting, and that’s for a lot of reasons,” Erickson said. “Our ships go farther, longer, so (the meals) have to be simpler, have a longer expiration date. Here, (the Australians are) closer to home, they’re not going out very long, so they really get the good stuff.”
When they were not eating or training, the Aus-tralians and Marines did what all people do when faced with
long periods of time – attempt to relieve the boredom.
“The Australians helped keep a good vibe in the air,” said Lance Cpl. Kevin R. Ivey, a squad automatic weapon gunner with 2/1. “They’re good to talk to, and they like to play cards and always have a good time. It makes ship life a bit better.”
By the end of the second day, the cultural gaps seemed less like abysses and more like cracks on a common sidewalk.
“The sports Americans watch are obviously different, but it’s mostly the same thing with them – talking about football and girls, all that sort of stuff,” said Hewitt. “The change is for us it’s rugby, and for you guys, it’s gridiron and baseball.”
remaining ready TogetherWith the impending mis-sion at hand, the members of the 31st MEU knew that life aboard ship could not always be about entertainment. Foreign uniforms, ranks and accents, and intense train-ing would come into play. Flak jackets – complete with the modular neck, throat and groin protectors – lined the sides of the hangar bay pas-sageway as the Marines and sailors prepared to train for what they do best: engage enemy forces.
This was an ongoing rehearsal for a show where there would be no time for anything but instant action. The Marines, having donned all their gear, occupied the area and ran through drills repeatedly. Each movement, command, and procedure was designed to make them assess threats so hastily they would not need to worry about remembering what they have to do. Their bones would remember for them.
Within environments where bystanders may not be combatants at all, the
“�The�thing�you�expect�from�a�lot�of�Americans�is�they’re�a�fairly�loud,��good-natured�sort�of�people.”�– Lance Cpl. Daniel L. hewitt, royal Australian regiment.
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DAY TWO – Company E Marines attempt to dry their soaked feet and saturated boots
around a fire while awaiting transport further inland. Photo by Cpl. Eric D. Arndt
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Marines train not just to recognize enemies as fast as possible, but to take them down with the least neces-sary amount of force.
“You can’t just go around sending rounds at people and not know who they are and what they’re about,” said Ivey, the squad automatic weapon gunner. “You use your esca-lation of force to help you determine and maybe better the situation, rather than turn it into warfare.”
The Marine squad leaders paid a great deal of atten-tion to the methods of enemy prisoner of war and detainee handling and positive enemy identification, consistently going over how to differenti-ate between a friend or foe and making certain their Marines would make the right call before the hammer falls.
“It’s about making sure we are abiding by the laws of land warfare, making sure we’re complying with the Geneva
conventions, even though our enemy may not,” said squad leader Erickson. “I always tell the Marines, the answer isn’t to just kill them all because we’re the good guys, and we need to maintain that.”
standing ByAfter a while, the embarked forces of the HMAS Kanimbla – Australian and American – eased into their routine: reveille, meals, physical training, classes, showers within the manda-tory 90 seconds, and retiring for the evening to wake up and start it all over again. The Marines and sailors took comfort in the small things: the food, an occasional ciga-rette, or even watching the evening rugby game with their new brothers.
Still, the distinct outline of the mountainous Austra-lian coast beckoned from the horizon, and the Marines and sailors of Company E
knew their steel refuge was only temporary.
shoalwater Bay Training Area, Queensland, Australia
… And let slip the dogs of warJust as quickly as their stay aboard had begun, it ended.
Hundreds of pounds of gear and equipment have been checked, rechecked, inspected, accounted for and packed away. Infrared vision devices have been tested, weapons have been cleaned, and food and water for the next few days have been issued. Rucksacks line the halls of the ship.
Making up the 31st MEU’s ground-combat element, the Marines and sailors of California-based Company E, Battalion Land-ing Team, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, are as
DAY THREE – Marines and sailors move to an airstrip prior to their mission. Photo by Cpl. Eric D. Arndt
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From the Trenches
prepared and ready for their mission as humanly possible.
shakespearian referencesThe teufelhunden accompany their new comrades – the Australian soldiers of 2nd Bat-talion, RAR – down a stairwell and into a U.S. naval landing craft, disembarking the HMAS Kanimbla, a ship which has served as their home for the past ten days but is now releas-ing them to shores where their enemies await.
A ship that holds the motto: Cry Havoc!
How fitting.But of course, there are no
real enemies, and there will be no real chaos. And really, none of this is real, insofar as there will be no actual firefights. It’s just Antony, Brutus and Cae-sar, but involving thousands of players and spanning hun-dreds of square kilometers.
It’s Exercise Talisman Saber 2007, a monumental two-week play formulated to show leaders how their units would work together in a legitimate combat scenario, or in this case specifi-cally, how units from different countries mesh together.
Center stage for this play – the Shoalwater Bay training area – is fairly impressive. For one, it’s bigger than Rhode Island. Comprised of swamps, forests, mountains, grassy plains, roads and even an elaborate urban combat train-ing area, it’s got everything a force could possibly need to act out a war without all of the mess that accompanies actual fighting.
All things can be con-sidered except for an actual body count and how much blood would be lost. Lead-ers can plan, organize, and move units through terrain to try and defeat the enemy, and white-cell personnel – neutral referees, in a sense – accompany all units to coor-dinate casualties and damages between opposing sides.
But to fight a war, you need something much more important than a good set of expensive props. You need a conflict between actively engaged, dynamic characters.
The conflict lies between two fictional countries. Dicta-tor-led Kamaria has taken aggressive actions toward coali-tion ally Legais and has staged itself to attack said allied nation.
Coalition forces have led a land, sea and air war against the Kamarian military forces and severely crippled their abilities.
The bad news is Kamar-ian ground units still continue to occupy the area, and their ability to threaten the Legaian populace must be neutralized.
The characters are many, but this particular story involves those of Company E, and the Australian soldiers of 2nd Battalion, Royal Austra-lian Regiment. They have been tasked with moving toward the Kamarian stronghold, a city in Raspberry Creek here, code-named Objective Cowboy.
Their movement to the target will not go unopposed.
The villains are reserve Marines from the 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, role-playing the Kamarian military. They will actively attempt to accomplish their mission to hold off the impending assault by coalition forces or inflict as many casualties as possible.
And so, the curtain rises on the coalition forces as they make their way to shore to defeat their Kamarian foes.
Objective cowboy or BustHour one, minute one. Already everyone’s getting their feet wet.
“It wasn’t my first time getting off a (landing craft),” says Cpl. David A. Stocker, a weapons platoon team leader with Company E. “So I kind of knew what to expect, but I knew it was going to be bad.”
The landing craft sails from the Kanimbla, delivering its payload of personnel almost to land – almost because the craft doesn’t quite make it to the shore, requiring the service members to wade through waist-high waters before reaching the beach proper.
“I think at that time the Marines were still very excited about the upcoming operation and getting on the ground,” said Company E executive officer 1st Lt. Brian S. Williams. “Knowing that (the Marines had wet feet already), we knew that it was going to be a mental chal-lenge for the Marines.”
“We all, I think, joined the Marine Corps to challenge ourselves in some way, and during these field operations, we’re constantly trying to push our own limits to find out exactly where they are,” Williams added.
The unit patrols down the road briefly before setting up a 360-degree defense and setting in for the night. For now, because of logistical constraints, movement to the enemy will have to wait.
Day two. The rain, which has fallen steadily throughout the night and preceding day, endures. For the most part, despite waterproof jackets and sleep-ing-bag sacks, the company remains wet.
And�really,�none�of�this�is�real,�insofar�as�there�will�be�no�actual�firefights.��It’s�just�Antony,�Brutus�and�Caesar,�but�involving�thousands�of�players�and�spanning�hundreds�of�square�kilometers.
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“Inclement weather’s always bad to be in, but it’s one of those things about being a Marine that you’ve got to deal with,” team leader Stocker said. “Nobody likes to be in (rainy conditions), but it adds to it. This is weather that we can’t experience in Cali-fornia all the time, so being out here kind of prepped (us) for other operations in this weather or worse.”
The company and its attachments pack up and move to a staging area ran by Combat Logistics Battalion 31 to await transportation by 7-ton trucks further inland to an airfield. At that time, heli-copters from Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 265 (Reinforced) will take them to the mission’s insertion point.
Throughout the day, as vehicles arrive and trans-port the men inland, those remaining behind construct shelters and fires to attempt to dry their feet, boots and other wet gear. The rain lets up for a few hours at least, but in the best possible case the Marines remain damp.
“Anytime you’re cold, and you’re wet, hungry, it challenges you mentally and physically, and Marines con-tinue to push through and execute as Marines should,” Williams says.
The last of the Marines, sailors, and Australian sol-diers arrive at the airstrip after dark and trek through the now swelled swamp to a bivouac site. Once again, a defense is arranged, and the night passes, this time, mostly without precipitation.
Day three.The weather is decent today, the sun actually making an
appearance from mid-morn-ing till dusk.
The Marines pack their gear and take to the road where they move close enough to the airstrip to see various helicopters – mainly CH-46E Sea Knights and CH-53 Sea Stallions – arrive to take them to their mission insertion point.
“Anytime you see (heli-copters) coming in, or trucks moving or (tracked vehicles), whatever your operation is going to be, once you see them, you start getting into the mode a little more than if you’re just standing by,” Stoker says. “Once everything starts rolling, you start get-ting into the mindset where you’re ready to do this.”
The Australians remain eager to see what the Marines can do as well.
“I was just looking forward to watching the way you guys work, getting that interoper-ability happening between the Australians and Americans,” said Australian Army Cpl. Christopher N. Barry, a signals detachment commander with 2nd Battalion, RAR and one of Company E’s radio opera-tors. “We all do things slightly different, and (I just wanted to iron) that out so we’re all on the same sheet of paper.”
Of course, there are still precautions that must be taken, so all of the force members receive informative briefs prior to loading up to leave. Once everyone is cleared for flight and the reinforced squadron’s birds take a test flight, the Marines load up and ship out.
The helicopters land in a meadow illuminated only by the moon and stars, and the Marines exit their aerial transports and rally up, using
night vision to navigate through the darkness.
No more waiting. No more standing by. This is when the plot thickens, and Company E knows it.
“The only thought should be on mission accomplish-ment and the Marines to your left and your right,” Williams says. “You cannot go internal … you can’t start focusing on your own needs, your own wants.”
Day four.Before the sun rises, the gear is equipped, packs are on and the company is on the move.
They won’t have to wait long for their progress to halt.
A few hours after stepping off from the previous night’s defensive area, Company E falls under attack from the Kamarian-role-playing 1st Battalion, 25th Marines.
“Any time you fight a like-minded unit, it’s always a difficult task,” Williams explains. “You always want to know the enemy and expect what they’re going to do. When we have the same (tactics, techniques and proce-dures) we can very well predict each other’s next move, so it’s difficult to be unpredictable.”
The Marines respond as Marines do, forming up to face the enemy and assault-ing through the forest, engaging the force until the encounter is called off by white-cell personnel.
According to the rules of the engagement, the company must wait several hours for their sim-ulated casualties to be revived; they may then continue on with the rest of the men.
The movement to contact continues, with all efforts focused on positioning the Marines strategically to commence the attack upon Objective Cowboy the next day.
The rain makes a reap-pearance in the evening as
The�company�makes�its�way�out�of�the�forest,�sending�marsupials�bounding�for�cover�through�the�high�grasses.
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well, only furthering the challenge of navigating the difficult terrain.
“The terrain and the inclement weather was the worst,” Stocker says. “A lot of Marines, including myself, have never really been in these conditions for this period of time. A lot of the creeks swelled up, mud puddles everywhere, (and it was) rocky through a lot of it, instead of just going through the woods.”
The company moves throughout the day and spends a significant por-tion of the evening crossing danger areas with unsure footing. Long after night has fallen, they finally set down approximately two kilome-ters from the target.
Of course, keeping increasingly discomforted people focused on the mission is no easy task.
“I was always taught the three Ms: It’s my mission, my men, myself, in that order,”
Williams said. “I focus on my mission and my Marines. As the company (executive offi-cer), I’ve got to devote a lot of time to the company, and by doing that, it takes the entire focus off of me. Any time you have responsibility of others, it makes it easier. It truly does make it easier. If I’m wor-ried about 160 other guys out here, I’m not worrying about myself. That’s what gets me through it every time.”
The day began well before the sun rose and lasted approximately 17 hours, the Marines moving packs and gear sometimes weighing in at more than 100 pounds per person.
Tomorrow the attack commences, and right now, it’s raining. Everyone’s feet are wet again.
Day five.The rain has continued throughout the night, and right now, at the time for
movement, there is absolutely zero illumination.
The company moves, slowly at first, in a ranger column, keeping careful dis-tance to men they can more easily feel than see.
“(We were) anxious to go, to prove to the Australians what the Marines are capable of,” Williams says. “Any time you’re out working with a joint unit, whether it be our U.S. Army or a foreign force, you always want to one-up the other guy, set the bar higher than the other.”
“We wanted to get out there and show what we were truly capable of as a fighting force, bring all of our assets to bear upon the enemy,” Williams added.
Eventually, twilight and then morning come, mak-ing the terrain at least a little easier to see and the com-pany moves forward coming to a halt in a tree-line area where they await the order to
DAY THREE – Company E and Australian soldiers load up on helicop-ters from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit’s Marine Medium helicopter Squadron 265 (Reinforced) to insert into a mission area. Photo by Cpl.
Eric D. Arndt
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join in the attack, which has already commenced.
“It’s one of those days where you’re just like, damn, let’s get it over with, but every operation you do takes its time,” Stoker says. “There’s a plan, there’s an H-hour, and once you get final word that you’re doing something, you’ve got to still get in the mindset.
“Once you’re in that mindset you’re straight.”
After about an hour and a half, the company receives the go-ahead. The company makes its way out of the forest, sending marsupials bounding for cover through the high grasses. The forces traverse up a hill to the Rasp-berry Creek training facility.
The company takes up a position in an already cleared sector of build-ings and begins working its way through the rest. The Kamarian forces are holed up, for the most part, in a
three-story building on the opposite side of town.
Of course, Company E brings what it needs to deal with the situation.
“I like to see the fire-power you have within the company,” said Barry, the Australian signals detachment commander. “They have the 60 mm mortars, (the M240-G machine guns) … that’s excellent, to already have that embedded in your company.
“That’s awesome firepower for us that’s not something that we have in the normal rifle company. We need to get that asset (to) come down from our support company.”
The fight ensues, and Company E finally gets to sink its teeth into what they have waited over half a week to devour. Through a combination of assaults by the Marine company, the Australian battalion, and other elements of Battalion Landing Team 2/1, the coali-
tion forces accomplish the mission, which is not only the defeat of their simulated enemies but enduring the conditions they had to brave to get to the fight.
“By getting pushed to our limits, and discovering our weaknesses, we now know what we need to improve upon,” Williams explains. “I think the conditions were set for realistic operations, completely. I think the exer-cise was a success, in that we accomplished the mission, identified our own weak-nesses so we now know what we need to work upon.”
Williams also con-veyed his thoughts of 2nd Battalion, RAR, and the Australian forces the com-pany served beside during the exercise.
“I’m very, very impressed with the Australians,” Wil-liams says. “By being a force of only approximately 51,000 in their country, they have
DAY FIVE – Company E Marines fight through the Raspberry Creek urbanized terrain facility. Photo by Cpl. Eric D. Arndt
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From the Trenches
many similar traits to the United States Marine Corps, namely the esprit de corps, their tactics out in the field, (and being) extremely profes-sional and proficient. I was highly impressed and eager to work with them, and it’s been an outstanding, outstanding working relationship.”
endeXAt approximately 1:00 p.m. on day 5, the attack is concluded by the white-cell personnel.
The dogs of war – U.S. and Australian alike – are allowed to settle in and lick their wounds.
“Later on, the weather cleared up,” Stocker says. “It was a little bit better. We knew there was a possibility of sleeping in the houses, so we wouldn’t be sleeping in the rain. Once we got into the houses and the op was over, it wasn’t even five minutes later that we got word that we could take our boots off and dry out. We were dry and everybody was happy.”
In the end, the exercise remains harmless only in name; no actual violence has occurred. Real casualties, however, have resulted on all sides from conditions such as hypothermia, dehydra-tion, trench foot, and various physical injuries.
But even these were attended to throughout the exercise, the company stay-ing in character and calling in nine-line casualty evacua-tion reports.
“Any time you come through an exercise you want to have it as positive as possible,” Williams says. “You don’t want the Marines walking away feeling defeated or anything along those lines. By ending on a high note, having a climax to the exercise, gives the Marines and soldiers ... a sense of accomplishment. By bringing in the heaters,
the (hot beverages), that’s our higher taking care of the Marines.”
“My mission, my men, myself,” Williams explains. “Taking care of the men boosts morale, everyone having an opportunity to share a coffee, a tea with each other and just kind of laugh over the hardships of the past few days.
“What makes us so close as a cohesive unit is our shared misery.”
Bringing stories BackThe mission that has con-sumed the time, energy and spirit of the Marines, sailors and Australian soldiers over the past five days has concluded.
The weary faces of partici-pants can be seen everywhere, standing in line to drink a hot brew – as the Australians call it – or sitting down inside one of the many buildings of the Raspberry Creek facility, taking their boots off with grimacing curiosity.
Everyone’s feet look like hell – shriveled, creviced and pale beyond any meager reference to prunes. Black, brown or green residues – corresponding to the color of sock worn – hide between every swelling centimeter of flesh. And as far as the smell goes ... it simply cannot be described.
Brand new propane torches now stand in some of the shipping container-like rooms and men, U.S. and Australian, officers and enlisted, have hung up gear, clothing, weapons and other various articles to dry out during the night.
In one room in particular, huddled around the orange-blue glow, the senior enlisted Marines and officers of the company talk for several hours, mostly about what you’d expect: their Marines’ performance, previous opera-tions, plans for the next few days and their time spent with the Australians.
As the company gunnery sergeant, Gunnery Sgt. Shawn Stringham, rubs his feet, look-ing as torn up as everyone else, he recalls a saying that fits as well as anything can for the past five days: “A good story beats a good time any day of the week.”
Wise, indeed.Wise, because next week,
when the feet have healed, when the gear has been wiped down, scrubbed, inspected, accounted for and turned back into the armory, when the Marines are dressed in civilian clothes and enjoy-ing their Sydney liberty, all of this – the exercise, the Kanimbla, the conflict and misery, the heaters, the rain, the feet, even Raspberry Creek and Shoalwater Bay – all that will remain will be stacks of compiled data to use in future strategic planning.
All that will remain will be a script for a play, gran-diose in nature, just as was intended.
But all of the stories told by the men of Company E, amongst themselves or to spouses, or to friends over dinner, or to younger Marines transferring into their new unit, or perhaps even grand-children by the fire, where feet need never be wet, all of the stories will be real.
“�We�all,�I�think,�joined�the�Marine�Corps�to�challenge�ourselves�in�some��way�…�We’re�constantly�trying�to�push�our�own�limits�to�find�out�exactly�where�they�are.” – 1st Lt. Brian S. Williams, Company e executive officer
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It’s Thursday afternoon, June 6, 1918, near Belleau Wood in France and the gun-
nery sergeant knows it’s time. The officers are dead. Most of the noncommissioned officers are gone, and what’s left of the platoon is hunkered down at the edge of a wheat field awaiting the word.
He gets to his feet and steps into the waist-high wheat, heedless of the bullets buzzing in the air. Looking over his shoulder he shouts, ‘‘Come on, you sons of bitches! Do you want to live forever?”
Marines rise off the ground like ghosts in the mist. Some groan, double over and kneel as if to pray. Others spin in a ghastly ballet as bullets turn the air around them red.
Few will live to see nightfall, but their sacrifice will snatch victory from the enemy’s hands and guarantee that the Marine Corps will be around to fight its country’s battles for generations to come.
In ‘‘Miracle at Belleau Wood: The Birth of the Modern U.S. Marine Corps,” Alan Axelrod has demonstrated his mastery at portraying battle at its most bru-tal and bloodiest. The fight for Belleau Wood is like a bayonet in the belly every step of the way.
The distant mirror that Alan Axelrod shows us reflects the fearful face of life and death in World War I. Called ‘‘The Great War,” it was meant to be the ‘‘war to end all wars.” It was nei-ther, and into that hell went the 4th Marine Brigade, and against all odds, it turned the tide of an enemy onslaught that might have changed the course of history.
Technology outstripped tac-tics at the turn of the century, and the result was slaughter on a scale never seen before in battle. New machine guns gave one soldier the power to mow down hundreds in a mat-ter of seconds. Modern artillery vaporized them before they ever heard it coming, and gas, the weapon of terror, blinded them, burned their flesh and seared their lungs. More than eight mil-lion in that war would never see home, and for 65 million, life would never be the same again.
At the outset of U.S. involvement, the Marine Corps was a mere 17,400 strong. Throughout its history, the Corps has been threatened and not always by enemies. President Theodore Roosevelt, along with Congress, and other military services questioned the need for the small group of elite warriors. The Marines
would prove them all wrong.What made this battle differ-
ent was that it was a soldier’s fight, not the generals’. Allied commanders were so ham-pered by a lack of communi-cations and intelligence that victory depended on the tenac-ity and initiative of the officers and Marines in the field.
Those traits were the Marines’ strong suit and were needed as the Germans pressed to within 40 miles of Paris, threatening to end the war on their terms. Defeat-ism ran rampant through the Allied forces. French soldiers, exhausted from four years of war, fled through Marine lines.
As they passed, French officers ordered the Marines to retreat. ‘‘Retreat, Hell! We just got here!” and ‘‘By whose command?” echoed up and down the line. If the order wasn’t from one of its own, the line didn’t move.
As in any battle, little things can tip the scale, and General John J. Pershing’s restrictive censorship policy prohibiting war correspondents from iden-tifying Army units by name or number — even between Army service branches, such as cav-alry, infantry or artillery — was one that would make a big dif-
ference in the Marine Corps for generations to come.
The nation was starved for news about how our troops were faring at the front, and the correspondents were quick to point out that the Marines — separate from the Army — could be identified as Marines. Gen Pershing agreed and that was all the press needed to hear.
On June 6, the Chicago Daily Tribune, whose reporter, Floyd Gibbons, was severely wounded at Belleau Wood, broke the story with titles like, ‘‘U.S. Marines Smash Huns” and ‘‘Marines Win Hot Battle ... Sweep Enemy From Heights Near Thierry.” Shortly after, newspapers around the world were praising the Marines for their heroism at Belleau Wood and victories in the war. The acclaim resonated well with Congress, and by the end of July the legislators authorized expan-sion of the Marine Corps to 3,107 officers and 75,500 men.
‘‘Miracle at Belleau Wood” is a testament to the courage of Marines and to their devotion to their country and the Corps. It is a must-read for Marines and Ameri-cans who care that their nation has a strong Marine Corps.
Weishaupt is a retired Navy officer and freelance
writer currently residing in Sierra Vista, Ariz.
Miracle at Belleau Wood:
The Birth of the Modern U.S. Marine Corps
By Alan AxelrodThe Lyons Press 2007
Reviewed by Paul WeishauptMilitary Officers Association of America
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Bookstores won’t put Marco Martinez’s memoir in their how-to
sections, but they should. “Hard Corps, One Marine’s Journey from Gangbanger to Leather-neck Hero,” gives how-tos on several topics:
How to transcend from a tough upbringing to a tough service.
How to be a leader. How to be a warrior.“Hard Corps” isn’t ghost-
written. It’s tough, edgy, chaotic and beautiful. It is war, devoid of etiquette and style, told by a hard-nosed, gung ho sergeant.
Martinez said he wrote the book as if he was sitting there talking to the reader. His con-versational tone keeps a relaxed reader, even when navigating the darkest points of a young man’s life.
A Marine himself, he leaves nothing out in correlating the enlisted majority and the war-rior minority. Martinez wrote this book to express the bond between men during warfare as real, not just something seen in movies. He also wanted to show how young enlisted Marines
interact with each other when higher-ups weren’t present.
With abrasive candor, Mar-tinez showcases his enlisted experiences. His unpleasant times in boot camp and enlight-ening times in Iraq graphically detail the nuances Marines can, and sometimes cannot, identify. Many facets are comical, even if they might be disparaging. Marines have been called devil dogs and leathernecks, but Martinez is the first to call the ones in recruit training “Martha Stewarts with shaved heads.”
The ending feels as if it comes up short, but then the reader remembers that Martinez is only 24 years old. His story swirls with details, from grow-ing up around gang violence to receiving the Navy Cross. The most prevailing details paint the exemplary battlefield courage of the fighting men in Martinez’s regiment, the 5th Marines.
Martinez attributes earning the Navy Cross to living by the high standards set in the same regiment of Marines – the most decorated in the Corps – that fought at Belleau Wood and the Chosin Reservoir.
“You don’t want to meet that standard they set; you want to exceed it,” he said.
This book exceeds the stan-dards of a warrior’s biography. It’s important to remember that this is Martinez’s story, and not every Marine’s is the same. Non-infantry Marines might shake their heads in disbelief, while grunts all over will nod in agreement.
Hard Corps, One Marine’s Journey from Gangbanger to Leatherneck Hero
By Marco MartinezCrown Publishing 2007
Review by Staff Sgt. Leo Salinas, Headquarters Marine Corps
DISCLAIMER: The reviews on these pages are the opinions of the writers and in no way reflect the official opinions or stance of the United States Marine Corps or Department of Defense.
Marines have been called devil dogs and leathernecks, but Martinez is the first to call the ones in recruit training ‘Martha Stewarts with shaved heads.’
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By Lance Cpl. Richard Blumenstein, MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP BUTLER, Okinawa, Japan
From Black Sands to Suribachi’s Summit, Marines Reflect on Historic Battle
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IWO JIMA, Japan – Marines walk toward Mount Suribachi, kicking up dust on the black volcanic ash of the beach.Photography by Sgt. Ethan E. Rocke
Sweating, huffing and puffing their way up the paved road that spirals up Iwo Jima’s Mount Suribachi, more than 60 Marines
with the 3rd Marine Division made the trek to one of the most storied battle positions in American military history.
Leaders within the division’s command staff sent their Marines to the Japanese island to give them “a greater appreciation for what those Marines went through back in 1945,” according to Maj. Christopher J. Galfano, division air officer, Headquarters Battalion.
“Warrior reflection is something we need to do as Marines,” said Galfano, adding that Marines identify themselves with Iwo Jima.
The Marines walked from the airfield in the central part of the island along famous battle-grounds to the southeast, including the infamous invasion beach where Marines from 3rd, 4th and 5th Marine Divisions stormed ashore and where many tinged the black sands red with their blood.
Walking the battlegrounds, Marines saw machine-gun nests and cave entrances to a maze of tunnels dug by Japanese defenders years ago in preparation for the battle.
“It was reported by Marines after the battle that they could hear voices as they hugged the ground for cover,” said Capt. Michael C. Nesbitt, the division’s assistant air officer. “Those were
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the voices of Japanese soldiers moving under the ground through the tunnels.”
After walking along invasion beach and col-lecting some of its black volcanic ash – a tradition among Marine visitors – the Marines headed to Mount Suribachi on the southeastern tip of the island, where Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal made his famous picture, “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima.”
At its highest point, the mountain, an active volcano that last erupted in 1727, is 354 feet above sea level, and its vertical slope is 80-85 degrees in some places. The walk up the moun-tain was a sobering experience for many of the Marines as they imagined those who fought, yard by yard, to the top of the steep, heavily defended mountain.
“You get a sense of pride coming up the hill,” Nesbitt said. “Walking up Mount Suribachi, you
IWO JIMA, Japan – A small, wooden board staked into the ground next to the flag-raising site on Mount Suribachi’s sum-mit carries rank insignia and military devices visitors have left to pay homage to those who fought the battle. Photography by Sgt. Ethan E. Rocke
IWO JIMA, Japan – A Marine stands on Iwo Jima’s volcanic sand not far from Mount Suribachi. Marines with 3rd Marine Division’s command staff visited the island for a day of warrior reflection. Photography by Sgt. Ethan E. Rocke
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get an understanding of how hard the Marines fought to take Iwo Jima. When these Marines see movies or pictures of Iwo Jima, they’re going to say, ‘It was every bit as difficult as that.’”
On the summit, Marines saw a number of memorials paying tribute to both fallen Marines and Japanese defenders, and the view from atop the mountain allowed them to see the entire island.
“I didn’t realize the challenge the terrain presented,” Galfano said. “Pictures and movies don’t properly display how hard it was for those Marines to move through the island.”
For most of the Marines, the trip was their first time setting foot on the island’s hallowed ground where nearly 26,000 Marines were injured or killed fighting 23,000 Japanese defenders during the 45-day battle.
IWO JIMA, Japan – Cpl. Sambo Phoeuk reads identification tags left by service members who have visited the Marine Corps monument atop Mount Suribachi. Photography by Sgt. Ethan E. Rocke
IWO JIMA, Japan – A memorial stone for flag raiser John H. Bradley lies behind the Marine Corps monument on Mount Suribachi. His son, James Bradley, wrote the best-selling book “Flags of Our Fathers.” Photography by Sgt. Ethan
E. Rocke
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“There are so many Marines that don’t get a chance to do this,” said Lance Cpl. Taylor B. Scribner, a data network specialist with the divi-sion. “This is something I’ve wanted to see since I joined the Marine Corps.”
Nesbitt said the trip was important because it allowed the Marines to reflect on the Corps’ war-rior ethos.
“While most Marines have heard stories, seen movies or read books about the battle, they won’t fully understand the hardships those Marines went through until they walk up Mount Suriba-chi,” he said.
IWO JIMA, Japan – Marines with 3rd Marine Division’s command staff collect some of the black volcanic ash of invasion beach on Iwo Jima, where thousands of Marines from 3rd, 4th and 5th Marine Divisions stormed ashore during the battle for the island in 1945. Taking some of the black sand from the island has become a tradition among Marines. Photography by Sgt. Ethan E. Rocke
IWO JIMA, Japan – A Japanese soldier pours water on a Japanese monument atop Mount Suribachi, a symbolic gesture for fallen Japanese soldiers from the battle. Photography by Sgt. Ethan E. Rocke
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Five Hills Training Center Mongolia
Mongol Men-At-Arms
H orse-mounted members of the Mongolian Armed Forces honor their warrior heritage during the opening ceremony
of exercise Khaan Quest ’07. Approximately 1,000 multinational service members converge on the training center here to increase their peacekeeping abilities. Photo by Sgt. G.S. Thomas
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Al Asad, Iraq Ugly Angels
A fter a refuel landing, two CH-53D heavy-lift transport helicopters prepare for another takeoff. Marines of
Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 362 were testing the helicopters’ .50-caliber machine guns at a local firing range. Photo by Sgt. Anthony Guas
Combat Outpost Rawah, Iraq
Road Bomb
F irst Lt. Joseph M. Kistler and an interpreter inspect the wreckage after a civilian vehicle ran over a detonated improvised explosive device. The two
had just started a patrol when they heard the blast a few blocks from their position. Kistler is the executive officer for Company D, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 2. Photo by Cpl. Ryan C. Heiser
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Aboard USS Kearsarge From Above
A Marine deployed with the ground-combat element of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary
Unit slides down a rope during training aboard USS Kearsarge. Photo by Cpl. Peter R. Miller
Dulab, Iraq Watch the Road
L ance Cpl. Kile G. Miller washes his windshield before embarking on a mission with Regimental Combat Team
2. A native of Lisbon, Ohio, he is part of a route-clearance platoon, which hunts down improvised explosive devices along vehicle routes. Miller is a combat engineer with Company B, 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 2. Photo by Cpl. Adam Johnston
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Al Qaim, Iraq Ready to Respond
Combat Outpost Rawah, Iraq
On the Warpig Path
C pl. John P. Wallis (center) and his team of scouts from Company C search a house during Operation Mawtini. The company, aka
the “Warpigs,” covered most of the battalion’s area of operation across the northeastern side of the Euphrates River. Wallis is a mortarman and scout team leader with 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 2. Photo by Cpl. Ryan C. Heiser
S ailors at the Health Service Support Ele-ment treat a patient during a mass-casualty
exercise. The exercises occur twice a week, but this was the first conducted with the Forward Resuscitative Surgical Suite from Al Taqaddum. The eight sailors from the forward suite are pro-viding surgical capabilities for the duration of the increased operational tempo of 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment. Photo by Cpl. Andrew Kalwitz
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OKINAWA, Japan – Lance Cpl. Brian Sullizan, a Dothan, Ala. native and a Morse code intercept operator with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, tests his ascending skills on a rock-climbing wall at the Okinawa Yamaacha Climbing Gym. Photo by Cpl. Kamran Sadaghiani
PAUMA VALLEY, Calif. – A rider takes to the skies during a Teufelhunden Off-Road group meet. The off-road vehicle club is based at Camp Pendleton. Photo by Pfc. Austin Goacher
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Corps Shots
YUMA, Ariz – Preparing for an upcoming deployment, Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, prepare to fire .50-caliber machine guns at the U.S. Army Proving Ground. Photo by Cpl. Scott M. Biscuiti
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – Pvt. Darren E. Driggers practices aiming before firing at Edson Range during his platoon’s second phase of boot camp. “Grass week” was time for Platoon 3241 recruits to practice rifle handling and getting into firing positions, practice known as “snapping in.”
Photo by Lance Cpl. Charlie Chavez
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan – Cpl. Ryan J. Giberson and Sgts. Christopher L. Myers and Godfrey C. Guevarra struggle in a three-man ground match during the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program green-belt instructor course. Giberson, a Decatur, Ill., native, is an aviation supply clerk with Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 12. Myers, a Galveston, Texas native, is an aviation operations specialist with Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron. Guevarra, a Vallejo, Calif., native, is a personnel clerk with Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron. Photo by Lance Cpl. Noah S. Leffler
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Frown, Hell!HAQLANIYAH, Iraq– A blazing sun, improvised explosive devices, and enemy sniper ambushes couldn’t get Lance Cpl. Zachare O. Woodburn down. Woodburn is an infantryman with 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. Photo by Sgt. Brian M. Henner
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57
3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment
Mission:
Provide direct support for the 3rd Marine Division. That support may come in the traditional fashion of artillery support to maneuver forces or by providing batteries to serve as provisional rifle companies.
Commanding officer:
Lt. Col. C. L. Williamson III
Sergeant major:
Sgt. Maj. David Zapp
History:
Activated Oct. 4, 1927, at Tien-tsin, China, and assigned to the 3rd Marine Brigade.
Battles fought:
Battle of GuamBattle of Iwo JimaVietnamOperation Desert StormOperation Iraqi Freedom
T his artillery battalion, headquartered at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, is comprised of three firing batteries and a
headquarters battery. The firing batteries are all on six-month rotations on Okinawa from the 10th and 11th Marine Regiments. The battalion’s primary weapon is the M-198 Howitzer with a maximum effective range of 30 kilometers. The battalion is transitioning to the M-777 lightweight howitzer.
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Unit Prof ile
MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER, Twentynine Palms, Calif. – Battery L artillerymen load a round into a Howitzer during a shoot at the combat center’s Lead Mountain range. Photo by Cpl. Evan M. Eagan
MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER, Twentynine Palms, Calif. – An M198 Howitzer, with a maximum charge, fires a 155 mm rocket-assisted projectile round during a maintenance evaluation at the combat center’s Quackenbush training area. Photo by Cpl. Michael S. Cifuentes
NEAR BAGHDADDI, Iraq – Marines with Battery L, 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, after firing an M198 Medium Howitzer. Photo by Gunnery Sgt. Michael Q. Retana
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Memorable Moments from…
W ho can forget boot camp? That place where your world turned upside down – where drill instructors broke habits and denied common privileges. Marines wanted to know the most memorable ones, and a survey on www.marines.mil resulted in thousands of responses. Early on, it looked like the “teddy bears and
security blankets” option was going to be number one. And we thought we were the only ones who missed our blankies. Slowly but surely, however, the ban on “me’s” and “you’s” in recruitspeak topped the list. Wouldn’t the reader agree?
10 no-nos, 12,124 hurt feelings:
No pronouns (like “I”) – 2,566
No teddy bears or security blankets – 1,794
No contact with the opposite sex – 1,739
No scratching yourself – 1,607
No leisurely bathroom time – 1,088
No moving at an unhurried pace – 774
No junk food – 756
No sleeping in – 690
No eating with both hands – 565
No tobacco – 545
Marines needs your ideas: Send interesting survey ideas to [email protected]. Look for future surveys on www.marines.mil.
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SemperFidelis
Tailend CharlieHABBANIYAH, Iraq – I Marine Expeditionary
Force (Forward) Marines attached to Dam Security Unit III wait in Lake Habbaniyah for a recon
patrol to return. Photo by Army Sgt. Edward A. Reagan
Glory is Theirs.
Their legacy is ours. www.marines.com
