My dad was in the 6th Marine Division from Guadalcanal to Iwo Jima. He's 78 now and almost blind. To this day, he cannot bring himself to talk about the fierce campaigns he took part in against the Japanese in the Pacific.
Posted on 09/30/2001 9:35:38 AM PDT by Walkin Man
Marine Message to Osama: Bring It On
Leathernecks gird for action
By RICHARD SISK Daily News Washington Bureau
A reinforced battalion of Marines aboard Navy warships steaming east and possibly into harm's way has a defiant motto aimed directly at the nation's enemies: "Bring it on.""Everyone is just a little more stoked," Gunnery Sgt. Bert Boatright said in a Marine news report from the helicopter assault carrier Bataan.
Boatright said his leathernecks had trained "like a football team running our routes." "Now it's the night of the game," he said. "And the varsity is taking the field. We're ready."
The Bataan is part of a three-ship Amphibious Ready Group sailing with the carrier Theodore Roosevelt and its battle group, which left Norfolk, Va., Sept. 19 with the sounds of "New York, New York" blaring from the ships' loudspeakers.
They originally were scheduled for routine deployment in the Mediterranean, but their mission and destination are now secret.
Part of Growing Force
The ships are major elements in the massive buildup of U.S. air, sea and land forces in the region ordered by President Bush since the Sept. 11 suicide attacks, which he has blamed on Osama Bin Laden's terror network.
The Roosevelt and its 70 combat aircraft could be ordered to join two carriers already on patrol in the Persian Gulf area and Arabian Sea.
Land-based fighter and attack jets, including B-52 bombers with wing racks laden with cruise missiles, also have been flying to the area on an "air bridge" of tanker refueling aircraft.
They will join more than 200 fixed-wing warplanes stationed at bases in the Gulf states and Turkey.
To carry the fight directly to Bin Laden, special operations units from all the services have been deployed and are on high alert at bases worldwide.
In a message to his sailors' families, Navy Capt. Martin Allard, skipper of the Bataan, warned them not to count on going to Europe to meet the ships at port calls, because "this is not a normal peacetime deployment." "Our movements are classified," Allard said. "It is now time to do our jobs."
The 2,200 troops of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is billed as "special operations-capable," are supported by an array of CH-53 Super Stallion and CH-46E Sea Knight helicopters for rapid movement ashore. They also have with them several fixed-wing AV-8B Harrier jump jets.
As part of what the Marines call the nation's "911 Force," Lt. Col. Jerome Lynes, commander of the 3rd Battalion, 6th Regiment, said his troops were ready for any mission.
"Our motto as a battalion landing team is, 'Bring it on,'" said Lynes, of Bridgewater, N.J. "They will show the world our American resolve."
He said that the Marines' focus "hasn't changed since Sept. 11, but we will carry in our hearts our national loss and stand ready to do something about it."
Below decks, Pvt. Dwayne Howard, a cook, said, "I'm a little nervous. After all, I'm human," but "we'll do whatever must be done, regardless of the mission."
Given the possibility that they might see action, the Marines were grateful for their final training on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques, where they coordinated their movements with naval gunfire and air support.
Vieques Training Praised
On Vieques, the site of frequent protests against the Navy's presence, "we were truly able to master our craft," said 1st Lt. Troy Hadsall, air support element officer-in-charge.
"My Marines gained immeasurable experience and now exude the quiet confidence that I expect," Hadsall said. "I tell my guys not to be concerned about the unknown," said Sgt. Robert Guzman, a bulk fuel specialist. "Most of them are 18 and 19 years old, and I'm on my second enlistment," Guzman said.
"It's a bit scary sometimes, not knowing what you'll do tomorrow or the next day," he added. "But there comes a time when you remember why you're here and that is to do a job."
Although the Marines and sailors were primed for any mission, "we may do nothing more than scheduled exercises," Boatright said.
"We're ready for anything and just happy to serve our country," he said.
Original Publication Date: 9/30/01 New York Daily News
You know, by God, I actually pity those poor bastards we're going up against. By God, I do. We're not going to just shoot the bastards, we're going to cut out their living guts and use them to grease the treads of our tanks. We're going to murder those lousy wog bastards by the bushel.....
For the rest click here (recommended speed DSL or cable).
I think another Task Force Ripper would be spot on for these pukes.
USAF 83-87
Osama's been Rodham
[To show 'em how we REALLY feel! Can't think of ANYTHING more dispicable, hated, and disqusting.]
My dad was in the 6th Marine Division from Guadalcanal to Iwo Jima. He's 78 now and almost blind. To this day, he cannot bring himself to talk about the fierce campaigns he took part in against the Japanese in the Pacific.
Bring it on...and Let's Roll.
Gunnery Sgt. Bert Boatright ....Incredible name for a Marine!
I think that it is time to stick this in the ugly faces of the SOB socialists (e.g. Sharpton, Jackson, and every other Vieques protester)who attempts to obstruct the necessary traiing of our forces on that island.
There are many others who have remained silent about their sacrificial service to their country and are gone now.
Write it down, it will mean so much those who experienced generally the same things but more than that for the generations that are coming after we who may at any time be numbered among the 1100 WW2 vets who are dying each day, whose experiences if unrecorded will be lost forever.
We are proud to claim the title of United States Marines
Our Flags unfurled to every breeze
From dawn to setting sun
We have fought in every clime and place where we could take a gun
In the snow of far off Northern lands
And in sunny tropic scenes
You will find us always on the job
The United Sates Marines
Here's health to you and to our Corps
Which we are proud to serve
In many a strife we fought for life
And never lost our nerve
It the Army and the Navy ever look on Heaven's scene
They will find the streets are guarded by UNITED STATES MARINES!
OOOOOOORRAAAAAAAAHHHH
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Submitted by: 13th MEU Operation/Exercise/Event: 13th MEU Deployment Caption: Aboard the USS Tarawa (LHA-1), a 21-gun salute is fired in honor of the Marines and Sailors who paid the ultimate sacrifice during the assault on Tarawa in November 1943. The ceremony was one of two conducted Aug. 29, by 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) and ships of Tarawa Amphibious Ready Group, and the force steamed past the Tarawa Atoll. The 13th MEU(SOC) is currently on a six-month deployment to the Western Pacific and Arabian Gulf. |
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Colonel Christopher J. Gunther, commanding officer, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), speaks Aug. 29 during a wreath-laying ceremony aboard USS Tarawa. Marines and Sailors of 13th MEU(SOC) and Tarawa Amphibious Ready Group conducted the ceremony to commemorate the battle of Tarawa in November 1943. The 13th MEU(SOC) is currently on a six-month deployment to the Western Pacific and Arabian Gulf. 