Sending Mixed Messages: Media Giving False Picture of Iraq War

Sending Mixed Messages:
Media Giving False Picture of Iraq War
By Paul Strand
Washington Sr. Correspondent
June 29, 2004

The troops are not taking all this quietly. Some are fighting back with impassioned e-mails they are writing and sending out to the world, hoping to put a dent into the media's negative impact on the public.[Thank you to all the troops who e-mail the truth and thank you to all the "Bloggers" who post them]

(CBN News) - If you follow the mainstream media, you would get the feeling Iraq has been a huge disaster for the U.S. military. You would get the impression our troops are stuck in a bloody quagmire, torturers of hapless prisoners, unpopular occupiers who have become sitting ducks for a huge Iraqi rebellion.

Yet Army vet Stephen Jimenez did Special Ops and airborne missions in Grenada, Panama and Bosnia. And concerning the media coverage of Iraq, Jimenez said, "I'm outraged." [I wonder who the troops will be voting for this November]

He returned this spring from Iraq where he worked as a civilian side-by-side with our troops. Jimenez said, "Every day that I was there, I saw it get a little bit better, but you wouldn't see that from the media."

Check out how the media portray our troops, appearing frightened and under a "state of siege."

Check out the negative wording in news headlines: 'Promises Unkept,' 'The U.S. Occupation of Iraq,' 'Mistakes Loom Large as Handover Nears,' 'Security is Just Impossible.'

And they focus constantly on terrorist attacks and the casualties the coalition takes, as if that is a measure of the Iraqi mission's success or failure.

The loss of life is heartbreaking, but Jimenez says most of those enemy attacks fail or accomplish very little strategically.

He said, "They're a lot of small cuts, so to speak, designed to wear down the coalition for political reasons, and the media's falling prey to that tactic."

Army National Guard Capt. Mario Mancuso commanded Special Operations during the war and after. He said, "Casualties tell only part of the story. And I don't think they impact on the likelihood of military success or failure."

Mancuso and Jimenez say there is nowhere near the chaos and desperation the media make appear commonplace in Iraq. One example is in Najaf, where Mancuso once headed up troops, and where rogue cleric Moqtada al Sadr led a Shiite uprising.

"The situation was neither as desperate or as out of control," Mancuso said, "as it may have appeared from conventional TV reporting of what was going on there."

Jimenez added, "We've had attacks whereby rockets came in, no one was wounded, no one was killed, no equipment was destroyed. And you'd turn on real-time and see CNN reporting like Chicken Little, like it was the end of the world."

Mancuso said, "What it does do is for our enemies inside Iraq and in that part of the world, it plays up images, false images, of American weakness."[The media support and embolden our enemies]

The troops are not taking all this quietly. Some are fighting back with impassioned e-mails they are writing and sending out to the world, hoping to put a dent into the media's negative impact on the public.[I hope there is a way to get their message out all over the country]

These are the the words of a Marine in Ramadi: "Here in Iraq, the enemy is trying very hard to portray our efforts as failing and fruitless. They kill innocents and desecrate their bodies in hopes that the people back home will lose the will to fight for liberty. Unfortunately, our media only serves to further their cause. In an industry that feeds on ratings and bad news, a failure in Iraq would be a gold mine. If the American people believe we are failing, even if we are not, then we will ultimately fail."[I don't know how better to express this exact point. Who left, but us to get out the truth?]

Mancuso said, "For a long time al Qaeda was able to recruit new recruits for al Qaeda and terrorist operations, because they were able to say America would cut and run when confronted with casualties. If we give them the impression that we're even thinking about it, that will be a bonus for their recruitment drive."[Do you hear that Dan, Tom and Peter and the rest?]

A Tennessee National Guardsman says in an e-mail, "Our enemies in the war on terror have no tanks, no Air Force and no Navy. Their greatest and most powerful weapon is an American media more interested in today's controversy than tomorrow's victory."[These guys tell it like a jsck hammer busting through concrete]

Jimenez points out that World War II dragged on for four years and saw hundreds of thousands of casualties, but the media backed the war effort.

"If they were reporting then as they're reporting today," he said, "we would have lost the war."[He is so right on this fact]

A medic in the Iowa Army National Guard writes, "As I head off to Baghdad for the final weeks of my stay in Iraq, I wanted to say thanks to all of you who did not believe the media. They have done a very poor job of covering everything that has happened."

Mancuso stated, "But what you don't hear the media reporting is that on any given day, coalition forces are leading hundreds of patrols, hundreds of raids across Iraq, arresting detainees. Some of those missions may have nothing to do with traditional combat operations. Some of those missions are opening up hospitals, delivering aid, opening up schools."

"If you look at their reporting over a long period of time," Jimenez said, "not only what they report and how they report it and their frequency, look at what they don't report on. And you'll begin to see from doing careful analysis of the news, that they're probably the second greatest threat we face other than Al Qaeda."

What is probably most underreported are all the heroics. Jimenez remembers when a major he worked with got blasted by a bomb going off about 30 yards from him.

"He took a piece of fragmentation one inch below his eye," said Jimenez. "And what does the Marine major do? He calls in on the cell phone, said, 'Vehicle bomb went off, I'm wounded, I'm okay.' Goes and gets treated on an outpatient basis after almost losing his eye, and a week later he was out in the same area doing the same thing."

Mancuso recalls getting ready to go out on a dangerous raid when a young Marine, just wounded and with a huge cast on his arm, refused to stay back at the base.

"He could have said, 'I'm not going out on that mission,' because he was injured," Mancuso remarked. "But his unit members were out on that mission. He knew it was an important mission. An 18-year-old kid sitting in the lead vehicle as we're pulling up, ready to fire a 50-caliber weapon. I think that's unbelievable. And to think, six months ago, he could have been playing Game Boy or some video game and now he's in the field doing right by his country."

And a chaplain in Iraq wrote this e-mail about unheralded heroes and their sacrifices: "A few weeks ago an Illinois National Guardsman, mother of three, was hit six times, saved by her body armor, but lost part of her nose. She stayed on her 50 caliber, firing on the bad guys, protecting the convoy. She said she was thinking of her kids and the guys she was with. Commitment is love acted out."

"The kids I see and eat with every day," the chaplain continued, "still want to help this country, in spite of getting shot at while doing it. That is love acted out. I went to Camp Cooke at Taji, north Baghdad. The 39th Brigade, Arkansas National Guard, is stationed there. One of the old troopers who came was a 52-year-old sergeant who had done his 20-plus years and had retired. But his son was in the 39th, and when the father found out they were coming over here, he re-enlisted. On their first week in-country, Camp Cooke was attacked by rockets and the first rocket that landed killed the father. During my time in Iraq, I won't be able to see any of the biblical sites that are here. But a few weeks ago in Taji, I got to stand on some holy ground, where a father died when he went to war just to be with his son."["No greater love..."]

sns5151 asked me to post this for her

Hi everyone,
Here is the copy of the Golf Company June Newsletter that Rob writes. You can see his humor and personality in most parts!

If anyone has an updated email for Johnny Water, could you please pass it to Rob or myself, we don't seem to have the correct one and Rob has been trying to get a hold of him.

Hope everything is going good. Rob's window to come home is September 17-28 so keep your fingers crossed. I am planning on moving back with the baby and dogs September 1st. I'll finish school, with my BA FINALLY, in the middle of August.

That's really it on this end, I'll be sending out a new ofoto link with some new pics of the baby so stand by.

Melissa

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GOLF DIGEST”

THE GOLF COMPANY NEWSLETTER

TO THE

“LPGA” (LADIES PRO ‘GOLF’ ASSOCIATION)

ISSUE 2 “JUNE”

LETTER’S PURPOSE: THIS IS THE SECOND OF HOPEFULLY MANY NEWSLETTERS TO THE BEAUTIFUL WIVES OF THIS COMPANY.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS NEWSLETTER IS; TO ESTABLISH CONSTANT COMMUNICATION WITH THE MEN OF GOLF COMPANY AND THEIR LOVED ONES, TO LET YOU KNOW THE ANSWER TO AS MANY OF THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE,(THE ONES WE CAN ANSWER), AND TO LET YOU KNOW A LITTLE ABOUT OUR DAILY ROUTINE.

(WE HOPE THIS HELPS AND IS APPRECIATED!)

TOPICS OF THIS ISSUE:

The Return

THE TEMPERATURE,

THE PEOPLE, (CIVIL AFFAIRS)

THE FIRMBASE,

DAILYAND WEEKLY ROUTINE

MARINE OF THE MONTH, NCO OF THE MONTH, SNCO OF THE

MONTH, OFFICER and “ANIMAL” OF THE MONTH…

MOTHER’S DAY MESSAGE TO THE WIVES

AND COOL PICTURES

THE RETURN:

We totally understand, recognize, appreciate and agree with your concerns pertaining to our return. It warms our hearts to know how much you ask about our return. Well what we know to this point is that we are still very much on pace for a 7 month deployment. We have had different high ranking Marines tell us exactly what we are telling you, “that we are on pace for a 7 month deployment, ‘they’ are already going through the logistical requirements to establish our redeployment home, the time period of when we are scheduled to return has stayed the same since we first were scheduled to deploy here, and there is a unit slated to replace us.” We would really like for them to get some of their leaders out here a little early so we could tell them all the lessons we have learned and ensure a smooth exchange between the two units.

What to expect when we all return; you should expect the Marines to be able to take leave (length to be determined), return from leave, some Marines will leave the unit, some will stay, some leaders will stay, some will move on to new assignments, and we will also probably receive some new Marines from SOI. We will make due with whatever weapons and gear we have to train with during this fall, while still making for the Ball and other significant events. At this point we are planning on the Ball being in Primm, Nevada. For those of you that were there with us last year, it was really a good time. We do recognize that we will have a really large crowd, so we are looking for an even larger banquet room. For those of you that were not with us at last year’s ball, Primm is a good time, it’s about a 30 minute drive from Vegas, there are like three medium size casino’s there, and they tailor to not so big spenders, which is perfect for all of us blue collar Marines. The prices will be around $70 for one or around $140 for a couple; this includes dinner, a few drinks, toasting wine/champagne at the table, DJ, dancing, a room, buffet style breakfast the next day, and a lot of fun. Another note is that last year the Men of Golf Company threw weekly car washes in order to raise money for the Ball, the result was all LCPL’s and below paid nothing and the price for CPL’s was dropped as well, we plan to raise even more this year! (But you ladies are more than welcome to throw a couple car washes prior to our return in order to get the ball rolling.)

After the Marine Corps Ball (Nov 13th) we continue to train the Marines as always, probably take a little leave for the Christmas Holidays, and then celebrate New Year’s. What the future holds for Golf Company and 2nd Battalion 4th Marines after that is to be determined as it always is in the Marine Corps. Most likely the Battalion will go back to Bridgeport Mountain Warfare Training Facility in the spring, and then see what the rotation of the regiment holds for them. We hope that this gives you an idea of how it looks at this point. Please take to heart that we know we accept risk by spelling this out, because we all know that this could change at any point. But “at this point” this is what our future looks like it holds for us, and we want you to know. On a final note, the Marines do an extremely professional job of wishing they could be home with all of you, while still staying focused on the task at hand. The time will continue to pass as fast as possible and the return of your loved ones is nearing constantly, stay positive.

THE TEMPERATURE:

Still to all of your surprise, here in Iraq it tends to get hot EVEN HOTTER THAN BEFORE!!! Now we are sure that this really surprises all of you loved ones back home, but yes the rumors are true Iraq CONTINUES TO GET EVEN HOTTER! The Marines are doing a superior job despite the heat though. They constantly remind one another to hydrate, take water to one another, and keep each other in the shade whenever possible. On the average day it “probably” gets as hot as 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Then at night it probably gets as cool as a whopping 95 degrees. We continually find more and more ways to build more shade, acquire more coolers, and manage our time in the heat. The good news is that it’s just as hot on the enemy as it is on us. So all our men have to do is stay more disciplined then our adversary and we will continue to conquer them, despite the heat.

Hopefully as the heat continues to rise we find a way to allow the Marines to spend more time just in their PT gear, but until we can calm down the women of our AO from “hitting on the Devil Dogs,” that just won’t be an option.

THE PEOPLE (CIVIL AFFAIRS):

The people of Ramadi have continued to grow closer and closer to our Marines as we have been neighbors with them for a while now. The Marines don’t go out in order to “make friends” with them like when we first got here. Now it is more along the lines of policing your neighborhood and saying “hi” to the local people. The men of Golf Company are out with the public here everyday and night. We have gotten rid of many bad men that really didn’t belong in our neighborhood like any good police officer would do. We continue to be much like a local police officer walking the streets day and night. To this point we can honestly say that the hard work of the Marines of Golf has made a serious impact in keeping our streets a safer place. It is still very common for our Marines to be walking down the street and have the locals come out of their house in order to greet us. They still say things like; “Mr. Mr. Good, good…” but they don’t say “Mr. Mr. Football, football, football…” as much as we used to, this is probably because we have given out thousands of soccer balls, and every young child in this neighborhood is now a future “PELE.” The children’s fondness for us continues to grow, they hardly ever throw rocks at us. But this maybe because the Marines always stay professional and win them over with smiles, soccer balls and candy. (or because we caught a couple of them and spanked the “sacrificial lambs”… j/k)

“Civil affairs” was a large effort of the Marines, out in town in order to build up the city. Throughout this summer, the efforts of the Marines of Golf Company have amounted to multiple visits with every single school in their area of responsibility. We have also provided relief to these schools, handed out over 1,300 soccer balls, handed out over 4000 information pamphlets, handed out over 600 pounds of small candy, handed out over 1500 pens and pencils, handed out over 200 friendship packages, handed out over 30 packages of copy paper packages, sought out over 5 different private companies to rehabilitate 3 different schools and build 2 public soccer stadiums…

To be specific, the efforts of the Marines have given 3 different schools; painted walls, computer rooms, dry erase boards, plumbing, ceiling fans, air conditioning, and electricity.

It is very evident that the schools are very appreciative.

Our efforts have driven home the message, “we are your neighbors and we care… ‘no better friend, no worse enemy’”

To some extent our efforts have changed slightly, our relationships with these schools is on cruise control because the work is done on them and they are all on summer break.

The transfer of authority has put a change in those activities as well. The focus of this country is now all about them becoming self-reliant. So in that aspect the people of Iraq are now the ones responsible for establishing their own civil affairs projects. They will probably still get money from us as they did before, but now they make and supervise these projects. Only the future knows what this new method will entail for this country. We also are making large strides with the IP’s (the Iraqi Police) and the ICDC (Iraqi Civil Defense Corps), their National Guard. We have put on extensive training packages for them that we believe has helped them greatly, we have bought them an entire office’s worth of equipment and we are empowering them more often in the constant scenarios that arise in the city. In the grand scheme of things, they are supposed to be taking the ball from us at this point, and we believe we are making noticeable achievements in this area.

So for now, we will continue to play the busy local cop while all the teenage kids are out of school.

THE FIRMBASE:

The firm base, (FIRMBASE FENWAY), has put itself for the most part on cruise control. We really are not in the mode of building or purchasing too much here anymore. We have begun to reach the time period when you know that at some point you will leave your home, so the amount of creativity and time you continue to apply into house hold improvement dwindles accordingly.

We still try our best to stay up with the latest fads in home improvement and entertaining, and in that department we have made some large leaps and bounds. Our newest household improvement is our “strobe lights.” Due to the fact that we can not tame the wild beast named the “Generator” our lights flicker in and out like its going out of style. For a few weeks we experienced the “dying light syndrome.” Which was when the generator would be fine for 2 hours, and then like clock work, the generator would slowly fade in and out, until finally dying. It was very amusing to watch all the Marines cheer on the generator and encourage it not to do its 2 hour dying session. Then after 5 to 10 minutes, the generator comes back on and the entire base erupts in cheers and hoops and hollers!

That was our life for a few weeks, and then it took a different turn, the “no generator” turn. We didn’t like that one too much, and neither did our appliances. The generator would spurt on and off, blowing up a good amount of our appliances and fuzes, and causing serious hate and discontent. Our base was full of no lights, blown up lights, or the strobe light (our favorite). When we would have our lights on, they would make a frightening buzzing noise because there was way too much power surging through them, and when they were turned off, they were just humming.

Finally the Marines have discovered a way to tame the wild generator monster here for a while and she is calm. For the most part she stays on, doesn’t destroy any of our appliances and only the chow hall is without air conditioners at this point. So the good news is we are cool everywhere else in our base, the rave party has ceased with the departure of the strobe lights, and we are operational. But the bad news is, we sweat like a 500lb man while eating our meals. It’s a funny yet angry scene. On one hand we look like some new kind of ad for the atkins diet, or south beach or something. But on the other hand, you get a little frustrated eating just dripping in sweat. But on a serious note, we are constantly working on those air conditioners, and they should be operational or replaced soon.

In closing, we are unsure of how long we will occupy our beloved firm base. We will continue to improve our position like all of the Marines before us have always done.

DAILY ROUTINE:

So what do your men of Golf Company do everyday, at this point in the deployment? Well they still have the time to sleep for at least 6 if not as many as 8 hours, complimented with some naps as well.

Our chow had some rough times for a while here in Iraq. For a while, we thought we were going to not have hot chow anymore. But to this point we continue to always get two hot chows, the company continues to switch things up as much as they can, and we continue to appreciate every meal that is hot and not an MRE. Breakfast continues to always be very runny scrambled eggs (yellow water), bacon, sausage, gravy, or pancakes and there are always little boxes of cereal. We are still waiting for our French Toast to come back, but its seems as though the French have let us down again.

Our units can be going in the direction of policing the streets in the daytime, in the nighttime, providing security here at the firm base, being prepared to reinforce each other like a 911 force, or they are celebrating their favorite day, “Off Day.” The rotation still seems to be working well. Our Marines still continue to strive on from job to job, and we continue to fight complacency with all ways possible.

The routine has the ability to vary from dynamic as imaginable on one day to very routine on the next. The leaders of the Marines of Golf Company fight everyday to keep their Marines alive, fight complacency, and continue to improve their Marines readiness.

MARINE OF THE MONTH: LCPL Thompson

LCPL Thompson was unanimously selected as Golf Company’s representative for the Battalion’s Meritorious Lance Corporal. Newly promoted LCPL Thompson demonstrates a constant amount of positive mental attitude, a tremendous amount of initiative, an awesome work ethic and level of professionalism far beyond the expectations of a Marine of his rank and experience. He is a real “go getter,” constantly seen working his tail off, and a real inspiration to those around him. LCPL Thompson is an exemplary role model for all Marines to follow. LCPL Thompson also is very recognizable by his young looks, and his sexy BC’s (military issued glasses). His motivation and valiant efforts both on and off the battlefield epitomize the warrior spirit and esprit that define our Marine Corps.

NCO OF THE MONTH: a first time tie between SGT FORD and SGT ABBOTT

Sgt Ford and Sgt Abbott were selected as Golf Company’s NCO’s of the Month amongst all the other Strategic NCO’s from our Company. Over the last month, Sgt Ford has been seen doing an incredible job pushing his Marines despite the heat and the complacency that sets in at this point in a deployment. Sgt Ford is also a professional biker, and we don’t mean from “American Choppers”. Sgt Ford is a bicycle maniac, there isn’t a week that doesn’t go by where he isn’t sent some new racing glasses by Oakley or some one else just for being the man. He takes serious pride in his responsibilities and it shows in everything he and his Marines do. One of Sgt Ford’s greatest attributes is his positive mental attitude, he always is quick to take on any difficult task with a simple, “Roger that Sir!” Sgt Ford’s positive mental attitude and relentless leadership make him an excellent role model for all his Marines to emulate.

Sgt Abbott is a real animal. He has lead his Marines in his fair share of “hairy encounters” and those that have witnessed him say that he’s as solid as a rock! Sgt Abbott was most recently acknowledged for his actions of leading a squad in contact while still tending to one of his wounded Marines. Sgt Abbott is a fearless leader who takes it to the bad guys and leads from the front. He is constantly teaching his Marines classes and ensuring their well-being. Sergeant Abbott and Sergeant Ford are constantly described by all of the staff as “great leaders of Marines, that you definitely want next to you in a fight!”

SNCO OF THE MONTH: SSGT RODRIGUEZ (self named “SLAYER” we translate as “SLIDER”)

SSGT Rodriguez is this month’s SNCO of the month. He came to Golf Company from the drill field, MCRD CALIFORNIA. He is often seen dancing in the COC (office) listening to Duran Duran, Poison, or other 80’s and 90’s hot music. He is honestly an awesome leader of Marines. He has a level of compassion for his Marines which is constantly evident in the close ties that he shares with all of them. He is a walking source of knowledge and never hesitates to stop and put on a lesson for anyone in need of a session. He can be seen teaching his Marines call for fire, close order drill, orders, fire and movement or any other lessons learned in life. SSGT Rodriguez is a true asset for Golf Company, we go to him often and he comes through every time with out any complaints. SSGT Rodriguez also is described by all of the staff as a really fun guy to be around, he has an extremely dry sense of humor and his “tough guy attitude” make his jokes even more funny. He is an extremely helpful SNCO for all of his peers and a great role model for his Marines.

OFFICER OF THE MONTH: 1st LT CAMPBELL (AKA SNACKS)

1ST Lt Donovan Campbell is this month’s officer of the month. He had a serious run for his money by all of the other Platoon Commanders, but he was the elected one. 1st Lt Campbell and his wife Christy reside in beautiful Camp Pendelton, California. Christy is earning her second tour as a “deployed wife” and doing an awesome job. Campbell has earned himself the call sign “snacks” because late at night when the others are asleep, then awakened by noises in the room. “Well”, the Lt’s think there is a raccoon in their room rummaging through their stuff looking to find snacks. “Snacks” is a 6’1” Lt wearing speedo like tight undies or briefs, and a coal miner like head lamp. He is almost as elusive as the sasquatch or the lochness monster, but a little more friendly. The other Lt’s say they have spotted the “Snacks” standing in his speedos, headlight on rummaging through their snacks at all hours of the night. But to this point no one has been able to get pictures or decisive materials to prove his night-time activities. His tiring efforts as the 1st Platoon Commander are evident in the closeness of his men and their tactical proficiency. When all other Marines and Marine units feel the need to come up with overly masculine call signs and nick names, 1st Platoon breaks the trend. They nick named themselves “the smurfs” which only one of Campbells guys would think of something like that. And all of their self-given call signs are similar. Donovan’s men cling to him because of his blatantly obvious care for their well-being and his huge heart. He is always ensuring they have everything they need, are well trained, well informed, and he has done all he can to set them up for success. His bond with his Marines is as strong as many have ever seen and it results in a great group of men, which has made him this month’s Officer of the Month.

ANIMAL OF THE MONTH: “DINO”

The animal of the month was an easy choice this month, Dino. Dino is a beautiful German Shepard that came to us about one month ago. The competition has changed greatly, the 12 stray dogs have left, there’s about 2 stray cats that run around the firm base when no one is watching at night and the Owl seems to have moved his house from here, but Dino is the man. Cpl Ross is the Marine Dog Handler, who comes with the Dino, who is a bomb dog and an attack dog. The Marines are very happy to have Dino here, he reminds all of them about dogs they miss at home. When he first showed up, he was a little freaked out and didn’t really show the Marines that he wanted to be pet But now that he has calmed down and used to everything here, he allows us to pet him, he searches vehicles at the gate for explosives, goes on missions to sniff for explosives, and is just cool to have around.

FATHER’S DAY MESSAGE:

The men of Golf Company would like to send a message to all of our father’s via, the LPGA, “We love you and we will see you soon, ‘Happy Father’s Day’.”

PURPLE HEART RECIPIENTS:

38.PFC Niles, Joseph F. WIA

39.LCpl Bolding, Todd J.KIA

40.LCpl Aldrich, Nickalous N. WIA

41LCpl Krejci, Bradley P. WIA

42.LCpl Rosman, Jason A. WIA

43.Cpl Erwin, Nicholas B. WIA

44.LCpl Gentil, Edgar E. WIA

45.PFC Boren, Ryan E. WIA

A message from the staff:

(Company Commander Captain C.J. Bronzi,

Executive Officer 1st Lt R.A. Scott, 1st Sgt P.I. DeHerrera, and Company Gunnery Sergeant W.C. Jaugan)

Your men are led by the finest men in the world, and they remain our primary concern at all times. They are the most well trained fighting unit ever. They are out fighting the war on terrorism everyday in many strategic ways. The Men of Golf Company are at the tip of the spear and are giving this country a new chance at democracy and a new way of life. They are complete professionals at all times and we hope this News Letter brings comfort to you. We recognize and appreciate your personal sacrifices, “We thank you for everything.” Semper Fidelis and thank you for all of your support.”

STAFFQUOTES:

COMPANY COMMANDER: “The Marines of Golf Company continue to demonstrate their proficiency, tenacity, and fighting spirit. I continue to be impressed by their actions and proud of every single one of them. I try to spend as much time as I can with each one of them and across the board they are doing fantastic. Golf Company continues to be the best Company in the Battalion as a result of their hard work. I am an extremely lucky Company Commander to have such strong young Marines, competent NCO’s, professional SNCO’s, and great Lieutenants. We are truly leading the way. Congratulations are late but in order to the Nez, Leza, Longoria (from STA Platoon, H&S Company), and Sherman families as well as Lcpl Marenger. They have all recently had beautiful children born and we wish them and the new mothers the very best. If anyone was missed, I apologize. As the summer grows hotter, we continue to remain confident, strong, and focused on our mission. We appreciate the love, support, thoughts, and prayers that you continually offer. Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention our fallen comrade who made the ultimate sacrifice: Lcpl Todd J. Bolding. Todd was a true team player, magnificent young man, and a bright spot in all of our lives. He will remain forever with us in spirit and we ask that you keep his wife Sabine, and family in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you once again and we look forward to our return home to you once our mission is complete.”

FIRST SERGEANT: “BE PROUND OF YOUR MARINES, THEY ARE

DOING A GREAT JOB UP HERE, AND WILL BE BACK HOME SOON

BEFORE YOU KNOW IT THEY WILL BE BACK IN YOU ARMS, AND

THE FRIDGE, KEEP THE BEER COLD!!!

XO: “I would like you to know how honored I am to have served in Golf Co as a rifle plt cmdr, wpns plt cmdr, and now the xo. This Company is all I know in the Marine Corps and I privileged to work with these Marines. Continue to stay positive, know that your Marines are well informed and well trained. They are doing incredibly well at a very difficult job. With the time period of D-Day, Memorial Day and in the manner of all of those that have gone before us; know that your Marines are doing what Marines have always done for years. And they are upholding the traditions to the best of their ability. I’m sorry there isn’t more we could tell you in this letter, but we are limited by obvious reasons. But know that your men are our most precious commodity and they mean as much to us as they do you, we love them, take care of them, and they are in great spirits. Thank you for all of your support, we WILL SEE YOU SOON!!!

GUNNY: “I AM HONORED AND LUCKY TO SERVE THE MARINES OF GOLF CO. AS THEIR COMPANY GYSGT, BE PROUD OF THEM FOR THEY ARE THE BEST OF WHAT THE CORPS HAS TO OFFER. WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT.“

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