News, Notes & Nonsense

HOME  (Updated 06 DEC 07)

News:

 

04 DEC 07

Letter from Roger (Iraq)

We got everyone out of Iraq and in Kuwait.  Our lead company arrived back in 29 Palms last night.  These next few days will mark the end of a remarkably successful deployment to Iraq.  Unfortunately, the story is not being told in the mainstream press but we are winning the fight in Iraq decisively.  The changes in Iraq are revolutionary--not incremental as some in the press are describing it!  The population finally saw the terrorists for what they are and joined with the Marines to get rid of them. 

We we arrived in April, the fighting was just wrapping up so many of the people were still very skeptical and very scared of the Marines.  The city was destroyed by bombs, IED craters, and 4 years of anarchy.  All of the city's services were inoperable; there was no city government, no department of municipalities, and all of the city's equipment had been destroyed or stolen.  The police were a group of local men that decided they had had enough of the terrorists coming into there neighborhoods and killing people.  They stood with a small group of police that were extremely brave and the Marines to rid their area of the terrorists.  They had no formal training, no uniforms, weapons...  They did know that the commitment they made was for good and that if the terrorists returned, they would all be killed along with their families. 

 The Marines of 3/7 attacked these problems with enthusiasm, finesse, skill, and an unbelievable work ethic.  The police were our first priority.  We partnered with them in every station.  In all cases, the Marines lived with them and became brothers with them.  They did this will full knowledge that some of the police this year were fighting us last year.  With maturity and professionalism they understood that if you are going to win a counter insurgency you will have to work with the enemy at some point to be successful.  They patrolled the streets with the police, built their checkpoints to our standards, protected their stations to our standards, reacted when they were in trouble...  They ate most every meal with them, drank chai, smoked cigarettes until they were part of the family.  The police were from the neighborh oods and once we won them over, winning the community was easy.  We trained the police how to patrol like Marines, act like Marines, stand post like Marines, collect evidence, treat detainees, and take care of their equipment like Marines.  Also, we were able to get the rule of law reestablished in the city.  The new Iraqi judges emerged and their system of district attorneys and courts emerged and became the standard.  We mentored them through this process which was difficult most of the time.  By the time we left, the police were doing most of the work themselves.  Their intelligence network is  amazing, yielding terrorists nearly everyday that were trying to get back into the city. 

The city's services were our other big area of focus.  We saw the lack of services as a gap that if left unresolved, would lead to a reemergence of the terrorists.  During our deployment, we saw terrorists groups try to emerge as "aid" organizations to try a beat us and the Iraqi government at providing for the people.  Fortunately the people saw these attempts for what they were and did away with them.

 

The mess was beyond comprehension.  All the fire trucks were gone and the stations looted.  All the trash trucks were gone and the trash was piled all over the streets from 4 years of neglect.  The sewage flowed in the streets; many streets were literally knee high in sewage water.  The hospital had no doctors, no power, and patients were uncared for.  The water system did not work and were it did it was not-potable.  The power lines were down all over the city, transformers were shot up, power stations looted...  Again the Marines of 3/7 rose to the occasion and attacked these problems like it was their own homes and neighborhoods.  Fortunately, we were empowered with a great deal of money and we completed 350 projects to fix these issues.  We spent millions of dollars and made remarkable progress to "stop the bleeding in the above areas."  Once we had the bleeding stopped, we turned our attention to developing the city's capacity.  We worked in each area of the city's services to not only fix the problem, but also to lave a lasting capacity to maintain the progress we made.  Although there is still much work to be done in these areas, all of the above services improved significantly as did the attitude of the population.  We also did a number of large employment programs, small business grants, and vocational training programs that gave the people real opportunity and jump-started the economy.

 

The combined effects of what the Marines did were remarkable and truly awe inspiring.  They became one with the communities they lived in.  They were referred to as Sheiks by the people.  By the end of our deployment, the Marines had become the most respected institution in Ramadi.  As we left, there were parties, feasts, and many tears.  This movement in Iraq is grass roots, genuine, and runs through every aspect of society.  We know that this movement is solid across Anbar and has spread to Baghdad and other areas.  Even with nearly 1000 Marines deeply deployed into a large Iraqi city, we were blessed on this deployment not to suffer a single casualty. 

 

The Marines of the Battalion clearly demonstrated their will to get the mission accomplished regardless of what is required.  In addition to what I discussed, it is still a very dynamic and remarkably complex situation.  The Marines distinguished themselves each day during many high stress missions: capturing terrorists, finding enemy cache', patrolling endlessly, and manning thousand of logistics support missions.

 

I feel very blessed to command such a group of men who are loved, missed, and supported by remarkable families at home.

 

Semper Fi

 

Roger


 
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30 AUG 07

Lincoln Highway – MVPA "Motor Train" – 2009

In May of 1913 the Lincoln Highway Association was incorporated in Detroit, Michigan. The founding officers were Henry Joy, Carl Fisher (Fisher Bodies), Roy Chapin, John Willys (Willys Motors), Frank Seiberling (Goodyear Tire), Albert Gowen (Cement). Based on the lessons of WWI in Europe, the War Department realized that America needed the ability to move military forces from coast to coast for the defense of the continent, this then required not only the development of modern motor vehicles, but a road to drive them on. Senator Charles Townsend of Michigan introduced a bill in Congress to build a national system of highways to defend against "Mexican bandits on the border and the Japanese menace on the Pacific coast. There were immediate moves to draw in local governments along the route and commercial enterprises related to the new automobile business to provide funding.

On July 7, 1919 a convoy of 81 military vehicles set off from the White House grounds to cross the continent. 3,250 Miles ahead (of which only 650 was paved) was California and the Pacific coast. There was no road at all West of Omaha, Nebraska. The story behind this achievement is typical of the America of that day, optimism, innovation and the can-do spirit of the pioneers.

One of the Army officers selected to go along was Captain Dwight David Eisenhower of the Tank Corps. Thirty-seven years later as President he would sign the Interstate Highways Act to build the national highway system.

The convoy was to include almost all the auto industry names, some of which are still familiar today. There were Dodge, White, Garford, Packard, Bikers and Four Wheel Drive trucks, General Motors ambulances, White, Cadillac and Dodge passenger cars, Indian and Harley Davidson motorbikers and a monstrous support truck called the Militor. The route proceeded due West from Washington through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and California. They crossed the Continental Divide at 9,247 feet of elevation and entered California in 57 days. On September 6 the convoy closed at San Francisco with all but 6 of the original 81 vehicles, having covered 3,251 miles at an average of 6 miles per hour, including 230 accidents.

2009 will be the 90th anniversary of that Army achievement, which might not have been done without military equipment and discipline. What better event could the MVPA find to dramatize the history of military vehicles and draw attention to the mission of our organization? The Board of Directors of MVPA is currently involved in the early planning stages of recreating that "motor train" in 2009 using our vehicles. This would be our answer to "Normandy" and "Winter of 44" events in Europe. The route will follow the original as well as possible, vehicles and support will have to come from local Chapters, and Headquarters will have to coordinate the entire effort through committees yet to be appointed. Sponsors and Donors must be recruited and encouraged to provide finances. In the end this could be the greatest membership recruiting program we could possibly arrange, and a once in a life time experience for those of us who drive it.

                                                    Tony Chandler #4696

                  Lone Star Chapter MVPA

                  Austin, TX

                  salvarinc@mindspring.com

 

 

 

Notes:

AMERICAN ANSWERS

(Copied from an e-mail forward)  28 OCT 07
------------------------------------------------


When in England at a fairly large conference,  Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of 'empire building' by George Bush.

He answered by saying, "Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in
return  is enough to bury those that did not return."

It became very quiet in the room.

        **************

Then there was a conference in France where a number of  international engineers were taking part, including French and American. During a break one of the French engineers came back into the room saying "Have you  heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he intended to do,  bomb them?"

A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: "Our carriers have three hospitals on  board that can treat several hundred people; they are  nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to shore facilities;  they have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three  meals a day, they can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea  water each day, and they carry half a dozen
helicopters for use in  transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck.. We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?"

Once again, dead silence.

        *****************

A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the U.S., English, Canadian, Australian and French Navies.  At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of Officers that included personnel from most of those countries. Everyone was  chatting away in English as they  sipped their drinks but a French admiral  suddenly complained that, 'whereas Europeans learn many
languages, Americans  learn only English.' He then asked, 'Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking French?'

Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied 'Maybe its because the Brits, Canadians, Aussies and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak German.'

You could have heard a pin drop!
 

 

Nonsense:

MV Men are Happier People   (28 Oct 07)

(adapted from an e-mail forward) by Ev Harless, Jane Hunt and Lacy Smith


MV Men are those men that restore, collect or simply have a passion for military vehicles. MV men are often, but not always, military veterans. MV Men are just happier people. What do you expect from such simple creatures???
* The question MV Men ask of their prospective bride is *Do you like military vehicles?* If he doesn't ask, one of his MV buddies will. If the answer is negative, he will soon be searching for another lady friend. A positive reply will make for a compatible couple. Wedding plans have to be scheduled around this Rally or that Convention. Often instead of a tux he wears a military dress uniform and they drive away from the wedding in an MV. (A wedding dress is $5,000 * the dress uniform he already owns, or a tux rents for $100.00) His last name stays put.
* When an MV Man begins thinking of raising a family he hopes for sons that will learn to help restore his vehicles. If daughters come along instead, he will teach them the mechanics of his favorite MV. He never has to worry about being pregnant.
* MV Men own the garage and any extra building their property may hold. The garage is filled with their military vehicles and parts, while the family car sets out in the weather. All other outbuildings are filled with military vehicles in various stages of restoration, along with enough parts to supply a motor pool. Parts that need special protection are stored in the house, under the beds and in the closets. Any spare nook or cranny becomes home to a rare part. The living room is cluttered with parts that will soon be needed for the current restoration. These must be available on-the-spot. Parts stored in an outbuilding may disappear into some hidden place or even become home to a mud dauber*s nest. Heaven forbid!
* Scattered around his easy chair, amidst all the parts, are his favorite MV magazines (several back issues of the Supply Line, Army Motors and Military Vehicles); his military technical manuals; parts catalogs and a variety of MV books. When his wife decides this area must be straightened up she neatly stacks the magazines and places them on a nearby shelf and carefully arranges all the MV parts. He now has to search through all the magazines again to find the article he was reading and he is sure she has misplaced some of his parts.
* When a MV Man comes in the house, his first question is, "Have you seen my cell phone? I had it an hour ago and must of lost it outside. Come and help me find it." Of all places, somehow he had left it under the MV he was working on. All the pictures on his cell phone are of his favorite MV instead of his kids or grandkids. In fact most of the pictures hanging in his house are of his military vehicles. If no cell phone is available he asks his wife to cut her conversation short because he needs the phone for an important call. A supposedly 30 second phone conversation turns into an hour when the subject of how to adjust the carburetor on an M 38 comes up.
* An MV Man arranges ALL vacations around the annual International MVPA Convention. It takes place in a different US state each year, adding a nice variety of activities and events for the family. He says to pack all of his things in a small suitcase and bring along just one pair of boots. That*ll be enough. Suitcases must be kept to a minimum so there will be enough room to bring home the paint and parts purchased at the Convention. His wife will need at least 6 pairs of shoes to handle the different occasions and a purse to match each pair. He needs only one wallet and one color for all seasons. She really want to talk to him about the vacation she was promised, but he just shrugs his shoulders and tells her, "Some day it will fit in".
* A MV Man never has a white tee shirt to wear. Somehow, they always end up a dingy gray, or streaked with hydraulic fluid. Wonder where all that grease came from? Forget about how his clothes look, because the new ones will only get grease on them too. About the time you dress up to go somewhere, he says, "Honey, will you give me a hand. It will only take a minute." Thirty minutes later she has to go in and change as her clothes because they now look a little like his. He could care less if his clothes are wrinkled. People never stare at his chest when talking to him, even if he*s not wearing a shirt at all. He never has a strap problem in public. Everything on hisr face stays the original color. Wrinkles add character. The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades. If someone forgets to invite him to an event, he or she can still be his friend. MV Men have it easy!! They only have to shave their face and neck. They have freedom of choice concerning growing a beard or mustache. They can wear shorts no matter how bad their legs look. They can "do" their nails with a pocketknife. Their belly usually hides their big hips. They gets extra credit for the slightest act of kindness.
* MV men don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt. They occasionally rely on their wife for a third or fourth hand, to hold the screwdriver on the bolt while they tighten down the nut on the underside of the vehicle. They expect her to know the different names of all the tools when they ask for them. They can change their own tires when they have a flat. Car mechanics tell them the truth.
* Forget looking for a decent restroom. Just any old place will do, even the side of the road, because the MV Man is on his way to a military auction. Besides his plumbing is made for quick stops. Men have it made! His occasional well rendered belch is practically expected.
* A MV Man promises his wife, after purchasing the 3rd or 4th military vehicle, that this is the final vehicle he will buy. He now has all the green he needs. Invariably, a very rare vehicle comes along, a real bargain, or a vehicle of higher quality which could replace his current project. He once again makes the *final vehicle* promise. They can't read the maps doing 70 MPH, but they can sure spot an old jeep sitting in the wood or around the corner behind the barn.
Is it any small wonder MV Men are happier?? But, I'll always say behind (or beside) every good MV Man is a wonderful, loving, kind, gentle caring MV woman who helps "Keep 'em Rolling".

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The Human Mole & Thomas photographs from the WWI era took from 12,500  officers and service men (to form the Eagle) to 30,000 (to form the U.S. Shield)