Free Republic

Our view: Italian criticism of tactics misplaced, as is foolish Pentagon dissembling International critics are wrong to brand U.S. Marines as war criminals because troops have used incendiary weapons in combat. Almost as wrong are the Pentagon spokespeople who undermine our Marines by denying or otherwise trying to hide this fact of warfare. As reported Sunday by North County Times reporter Darrin Mortenson, there is an Internet campaign that accuses U.S. forces of using chemical weapons in Iraq in violation of international law. The accusations are bunk, but their profile was raised two weeks ago by a documentary aired on...

CAMP PENDLETON --- One of the nation's most battle-tested battalions began returning to North County on Wednesday

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AR RAMADI, Iraq (April 14, 2005) -- Marines with 2nd Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, were engaged by insurgents while conducting a combat patrol in the southern part of the city here.

U.S. to give Iraqi soldiers another try By: DARRIN MORTENSON - Staff Writer FALLUJAH, Iraq ---- When a loud crack sounded from the adjacent building in Fallujah on Thursday, the frontline Marines chalked the blast up to their noisy new neighbors and waited for the report of another "kill." The new Iraqi Counter Terrorism Force soldiers hidden in the house next door had just fired on a man carrying an AK-47 assault rifle in a neighborhood where U.S. forces have declared there are "no friendlies." As the violent stalemate in Fallujah bags a third week, the appearance of specially trained...

<p>FALLUJAH, Iraq — Eleventh-hour negotiations late Wednesday cancelled planned joint U.S.-Iraqi security patrols here put combat-ready Marines on standby.</p>

Politics rears head in Fallujah By: DARRIN MORTENSON - Staff Writer FALLUJAH, Iraq ---- Not long after dawn's crowing roosters were silenced by Fallujah's smothering heat Wednesday, the sounds of jihad once again filled the air. Monotonous, militaristic chants rang out in Arabic from mosques throughout the northern rebel-held neighborhoods, all praising Allah and urging residents to slay the American infidels in Fallujah's dusty streets. The calls for holy war did not go unheard by Marines around the city; nor were they unheeded by insurgents.

Echo Company mourns loss By: DARRIN MORTENSON - Staff Writer FALLUJAH, Iraq ---- On Tuesday, as the smoke cleared, the gunfire quieted and the adrenaline ebbed, the Marines began coming to terms with the empty spot in their ranks. Another one of their comrades did not survive a mission into Fallujah.

Echo Co. recounts tragic battle By: DARRIN MORTENSON - Staff Writer FALLUJAH, Iraq ---- Two Marines were killed and at least 13 more wounded in Fallujah on Monday in a bloody street battle fought close enough that the combatants tossed grenades and fired pistols at each other, officials said.

FALLUJAH, Iraq — Up to 40 Iraqi insurgents attacked U.S. Marines (search) in northern Fallujah (search) on Wednesday, setting off a heavy gunbattle as an agreement bringing peace to the besieged city hit snags a day after implementation began.

Young US marines forge bonds, cope with death in war 50 minutes ago Add U.S. National - AFP to My Yahoo! FALLUJAH, Iraq (AFP) - Marine Corporal Robert Long watched a white-tailed deer cross the no-man's land in the Sunni rebel bastion of Fallujah before sunrise. AFP/File Photo The deer moved beyond the treacherous industrial wasteland where insurgents and US marines have hammmered each other for the past week. "It was a real deer," Long, 26, said in disbelief, holed up in a dilapidated cinderblock attic, with peeling wall paper of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and a gallery of Walt...

U.S. takes casualties as major operation begins in Fallujah By: DARRIN MORTENSON - Staff Writer FALLUJAH, Iraq ----- Arabic calls to prayer blared from nearby mosques Monday and U.S. helicopters chopped the cold air overhead as Marines dug in and prepared for their second night of fighting at the edge of Fallujah. One Marine was killed and at least one was wounded early Monday morning, officials said, as about 2,000 U.S. troops fought to seal off the lawless town of Fallujah, where Marines promised to clean out "terrorists" and "criminals" and where Iraqi insurgents have vowed to create a "graveyard...

CAMP HURRICANE POINT, Iraq(March 27,2004) -- It was supposed to be a routine mission for the quick reaction force from Company E, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. The 21-man team from 2nd Squad, 3rd Platoon was tasked with tracking down a group of enemy assailants thought to be preparing to launch a mortar attack against the Marine camp here March 25. "It's like clockwork," Sgt. Charles R. Sheldon Jr., squad leader. "Every Thursday and Friday we get hit with mortars, so the QRF was sent out to find the guys doing it."

1 Marine, 5 civilians die in Falljuah firefight By: DARRIN MORTENSON - Staff Writer FALLUJAH, Iraq ---- A U.S. Marine and five civilians were killed and dozens injured in intense fighting Friday in this turbulent town west of Baghdad, where more than 600 Marines launched a massive raid meant to put an end to attacks on U.S. forces. Among the dead was a freelance ABC cameraman, Burhan Mohammed Mazhour. It was unclear who killed him. The Fallujah raid and a firefight in Tikrit killed a total of 13 people. Marines in Fallujah killed several suspected insurgents and took at least...

Marines settling into new home in Fallujah By: DARRIN MORTENSON - Staff Writer FALLUJAH, Iraq ---- Eating a pancake breakfast and watching television reports about mounting U.S. casualties in Iraq, the Marines gathered at the mess tent Wednesday morning seemed to be witnessing events happening worlds away. Actually, that world was just outside their gates.

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Marine Corps fighter pilots and commanders say they dropped firebombs similar to napalm on Iraqi troops earlier this year, according to a report published Tuesday. The Marines say that in March, U.S. warplanes dropped dozens of incendiary bombs near bridges over the Saddam Canal and the Tigris River in central Iraq to clear the way for troops headed to Baghdad.

Bently Elliott As war looms, I am thankful for many things. I am thankful for the privilege of being an American at a moment when the world is challenged by tyrants and terror, and my country has stepped forward to bear the burdens and pay the price of defending freedom