Class is done.....

Well, as you can see in the pictures, my class of combat medics for the PSF is now complete. All the guys did a lot better than I had originally expected. Like any class you always have the few that do really well and those who just sit back and wait for class to be over. I have to say though the majority did really well. By the end of the week all were asking questions, interested in knowing more and really started taking on how to care for their own. We taught IV's on one of the last days and it was pretty interesting how they all were ready to stick each other and learn just one more skill that they could take with them. The last day most of the guys were taking pictures with me and the other Doc, telling us about their families and asking about ours. They all seem to be a part of the good fight here, a couple you wonder about but as long as we hit the masses hopefully the tipping point will one day be reached. All in all our mission here continues, train and relinquish control so that we can all go home.

Doc

The Reality of What We Have Chosen to Do......

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Families and Friends of TF Mayhem,

It is with a heavy heart that I write this message to you. Yesterday, we had 2 Marines from Fox Company Killed as the result of enemy action. The vehicle they were operating struck an IED resulting in the deaths of Corporal Richard J. Nelson and Lance Corporal Dean D. Opicka. Lance Corporal David Doyle was injured in the attack and is recovering at a local Coalition Forces Hospital . Their families have been officially notified. I am not at liberty to discuss the details of this incident at this moment or in this forum.

My thoughts and prayers are with Corporal Nelson¢s wife Kristen, and his parents Leonard and Susan. My thoughts and prayers are also with Lance Corporal Opicka¢s parents David and Donna. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers at this difficult time. The loss of these fine, fine Marines will certainly be felt by all. The Marines will continue to do the great work that they have been doing for the past several months and I ask as we work through these difficult days to keep supporting the Marines as you have been doing all along. A memorial service for Corporal Nelson and Lance Corporal Opicka has been scheduled.

The Marines will continue their mission. We will pay our respects to our fallen brothers and like Marines have done in the past, we will complete our mission. We would dishonor the memory of these two warriors if we did not.

The Sergeant Major and I, visited the Marines from Fox Company last night, they are doing as well as can be expected. Additionally, we visited with Lance Corporal Doyle this morning and he is doing well, his injuries will take some time to heal but, we expect him to return to full duty soon.

God Bless and Semper Fidelis

Lt. Col. F.W. Charlonis
Commanding Officer, TF 2/24
Habbaniyah, Iraq

Some recent work our Battalion has done.....

Significant caches found North of Habbaniyah
Friday, 11 April 2008
Multi-National Corps – Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
APO AE 09342
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20080411-15
April 11, 2008
Significant caches found North of Habbaniyah
Multi National Force – West PAO
Habbaniyah, Iraq – Marines of 2nd Battalion 24th Marines, Regimental Combat team 1 discovered nine caches north of Habbaniyah, Iraq April 8, 2008.
The nine caches included more than 29,000 small arms rounds, 170 mortar rounds and assorted fuses, 104 artillery rounds, 47 grenades, 86 rocket propelled launchers, 15 anti-personnel and tank mines and two SA-7 surface-to-air missiles.
Also found at the sites were several compressed gas cylinders, 10 pounds of high explosives and an assortment of detonation cords, triggering devices, electrical blasting caps, fuses, primers and several cell phones.
The sites also included more than 35 rockets, rocket launchers, igniters, propellants and several AK-47s with magazines and 50cal machine gun.
"2nd Battalion 24th Marines brings a unique skill set to the fight, being reservists they apply knowledge from their civilian jobs to today's battlefield.
Numerous Marines in the battalion are law enforcement officials, they know how to work the streets.
They know how to work with the local citizens, finding this cache is an example of a well trained battalion working with the locals to accomplish the mission,” said Maj. Matthew Reid, current operations officer, Regimental Combat Team 1.
An EOD team collected the weapons cache for disposal.
-30-
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR FOR HIGH-RES PHOTOS, CONTACT THE MULTINATIONAL
FORCE – WEST PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER BY E-MAIL AT:
CE_PAO_WATCH_OFFICER@MNF-WIRAQ.USMC.MIL This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

New picture of me just before the mission.....and

Two new pictures for you all to know I am live, well and healthy. We are well over the halfway point now.
The first picture is of me in the HUMV yesterday. We went out following some good leads on possible weapons caches and scored. We spent about six hours combing the desert with metal detectors and E-tools used to dig holes. As we were out there on line combing the desert I was quickly reminded of that scene from Spaceballs where Mel Brooks told his troops to "comb the desert", and they pan down to his crews and you see a scene with a bunch of guys with a comb, combing the desert. Yeah, that was us.
The second picture is of me today doing my job as a corpsman. Had to take care of three Iraqis that were brought in emergent today. They unfortunately found an IED the hard way. Felt good to make a difference for them and get them packaged for transport to the hospital.
Oh, and then in the afternoon me and the other corpsman had to build a temporary stall for our donkey, Trisha. Yep, I said donkey.

All is well

Doc

A little flag history for you on Iraq....

I'm not sure if you have noticed, but the Iraqi flag has recently changed. The original flag, which is above on the left, had three green stars in the white section and arabic wording. During the Saddam era, the Baath party recreated this flag. The three stars represented the Baath party's three tenents. Unity, Socialism and Freedom. The script was believed to be in Saddam's writing saying Allaahu Akbar. That is arabic for "God is Great." In Feburary of this year, the Iraqi parliment voted to change the flag temporarily due to the Kurds from the north refusing to fly the Baath party era flag. Of course from history we know that Saadam gassed over thousands of Kurds, so their showing of hate towards him and the Baath party was represented by them refusing to fly this flag, even though Saadam was executed. So, in a movement to try and bring the three groups together, Sunni, Shia and Kurds, the parliment voted on the new flag, which is on the right. This new flag has no stars and the script has been changed to a generic script. The new flag is contriversial though and many still refuse to accept even this flag. This kind of shows the underlying continuing separation of the three tribes.

Doc