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Anyone who has ever spent time in a schoolyard can see that boys and girls deal with conflict in diametrically different ways. When boys have a problem with each other, the cause of the feud is usually well-known to both parties, and they tend to confront one another directly, often physically. The worst insult a boy can endure is to be told that he "fights like a girl." While such battles can be violent, they're also short-lived. The victor often offers his hand and helps the defeated boy from the ground. More
This was payback time for the World Trade Center. We were coming after the guys who did it. If not the actual guys, then their blood brothers, the lunatics who still wished us dead and might try it again.
Good-byes tend to be curt among Navy SEALs. A quick backslap, a friendly bear hug, no one uttering what we're all thinking: Here we go again, guys, going to war, to another trouble spot, another half-assed enemy willing to try their luck against us...they must be out of their minds.
It's a SEAL thing, our unspoken invincibility, the silent code of the elite warriors of the U.S. Armed Forces. Big, fast, highly trained guys, armed to the teeth, expert in unarmed combat, so stealthy no one ever hears us coming. More
In mid-November of 2005, I was manning a combat outpost with my platoon in Al Anbar province, Iraq. The "COP," as most refer to it, was set up to deny insurgents the ability to use the heavily trafficable roads to transport weapons, ammunition or hostile threats from one city to another. On this rotation and specific morning at the COP, a resupply convoy had just departed my position to return to our company firm base.
While en route the convoy was hit with a coordinated ambush. The situation sparked multiple support assets, including rotary wing aircraft. Not long after the aircraft had been on station, they spotted several armed combatants running into a house several hundred meters to the south of the ambush site. The aircraft kept observation on the house for sufficient reporting and received permission to send TOW missiles into the house that sheltered positively identified hostiles. More
During bad times I tell my platoon that "laughter is the best medicine." The problem is, I'm lying. As Rolling Stone columnist P.J. O'Rourke corrects me, "Laughter is in fact not the best medicine. Penicillin is the best medicine, followed by tetracycline and the sulfa drugs…."
Even though laughter may not be the best medicine, I do know that the most important thing in life is to have a sense of humor. A sense of humor is definitely more essential than food, O'Rourke reminds us, because if you have a sense of humor, you can laugh even when you're starving, while if you laugh too hard on a full stomach, you'll throw up. More
Sgt Jeremiah Workman was awarded the Navy Cross on May 12, 2006 for extraordinary heroism while serving as squad leader for the Mortar Platoon, Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. On December 23, 2004 he repeatedly ignored enemy fire to rescue isolated Marines trapped in a building held by insurgents in Fallujah. He rescued three Marines and killed 24 insurgents.
This is not about me; I made it back home. This is about the brave Marines who didn't come back. They are real heroes. This is the story of their courage and sacrifice during the second battle of Fallujah in December 2004.
I was deployed to Iraq on September 11, 2004. Pretty ironic. More
This two-part series lays out a clear strategy for how to win in Iraq from a combat-tested Marine – not a desk-based strategist – as told to Gina DiNicolo.
Depending on the day of the week, political party and the media pundit, US forces in Iraq should:
- Get out;
- Stay put;
- Both a) and b); or
- None of the above.
Public hype and rhetoric aside, there's a core of battlefield tested JOs who have an insider's understanding of the situation in Iraq. Amid raging debates about obsolete Cold War tactics, the current realities of asymmetric warfare and the 360-degree battlefield, some on the sidelines wonder when forces will truly move beyond old habits. In a recent conversation one Marine Captain gave a frank and compelling perspective of how to win in Iraq. More
This two-part series lays out a clear strategy for how to win in Iraq from a combat-tested Marine – not a desk-based strategist – as told to Gina DiNicolo.
The Short Term: How to Defeat the Insurgency
Here are some tactical solutions for short-term gains:
- Census the citizenry. Every population center should have an interface-capable and compatible census database that includes every male – or better yet – every citizen. This would include job information and provide data with regard to familial ties, among other things.
- Remove heavy armor units except for limited quick-reaction force roles. Use light, mobile infantry, parachute and Marines, especially in urban areas. The heavy armor has become a hindrance.
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 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, and Civilians of Multi-National Force-Iraq:
We are now over two-and-a-half months into the surge of offensive operations made possible by the surge of forces, and I want to share with you my view of how I think we’re doing. This letter is a bit longer than previous ones, since I feel you deserve a detailed description of what I believe we have—and have not—accomplished, as Ambassador Crocker and I finalize the assessment we will provide shortly to Congress.
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Never go to work "outside the wire" in Iraq without these essentials:
1. A wrist-mounted GPS (the Foretrex series from Garmin is the cheapest and works fine) that displays Military Grid Reference System (MGRS) coordinates and uses WGS-84 Datum. It's always nice to look down and see your grid without having to pull anything out of a pouch/pocket – especially if you're on foot patrol. Most vehicles have their own GPS.
2. A watch with a compass on it, either electronic or one that's added on.
3. A battle book with all report formats laminated that you may need, including an IED 9-line card, CASEVAC and other standard reporting materials. More
On my first trip to Iraq, I met my unit about halfway through the deployment. Before heading over there, I had to check in with the remain-behind element. The senior man gave me and the other lieutenant checking in two-and-a-half days to get everything in order and be on a plane. In addition to all check-in procedures, he gave us his personal advice on what to carry over, as follows: our main pack, an extra personal bag and a five-foot sea bag. If you can imagine a brand-new then-2ndLt carrying all that gear over to Iraq, I hope you have a good laugh. More
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