The Journey Has BEGUN!

I might repeat a few things in this post, if I have, I apologize. Hope you enjoy!


First let me send a special message to everyone I know who is in the National Guard and Reserves forces of our Armed Forces –never again will you hear me complain about your not having time to have that “last drink” before you leave on deployment! Yikes you have less than a month to gear up, while I had 5 months to prepare. I don’t know how you do it. You are all very special individuals for sure. My heart goes out to each and every one of you for the sacrifices you endure in preparation of personal and business affairs.

Arrival in California:

If my trip into California is any indication as to how this trip is going to proceed, then I am in for a bumpy ride for sure. Luggage was lost by the airlines upon arrival. Once it was recovered I learned that gear was missing which was needed for the trip. As a result of gear missing, our departure date was postponed for a few days. Although disappointed, I was not upset about this hiccup because it gave me the opportunity to see first hand two staging deployments of the first phases of troop movement. It also gave me a personal sense of what it feels like to send a family member off to a war zone. I found myself getting emotional along with the family members.

Departure day for phase one and phase two: They were young and old... a good mix of newly trained and seasoned professionals pumped and gung-ho as they gathered for the flight which will take them to Iraq, some for the first time, others their second and third time. One can feel the excitement and adrenaline in the crisp desert air. Yet on a few of the young faces it was clear they were nervous. While on others the battle hardened faces of the seasoned ones, you know in your heart these young men have nothing to worry about, they are being lead by leaders who know what they’re doing.

Families said their good-byes tears falling, hugs, kisses and last minute whispers of encouragement. Watching these Marines with their children was the hardest part for me... watching them as they held tight those little precious individuals they gave life to. Right along with them I became emotional watching their eyes fill with tears wondering what the future holds for them at that moment. Having been around the military my entire life, for the first time I saw these Warriors differently. I saw them as my brothers, my nephews and my friends.

A wife stands near me, her name Vickie. She is married to the PAO LT for 5 years, baby in her arms as she says good bye to her husband for the first time. Strong yet nervous she stands in the cold clutching their son Ezra in her arms as her brother lovingly records the events for her to view later on.

Parents and brother say good bye to another Marine. Emotions are running high.

Sweethearts hug tight storing up those last minute kisses and tender touches to carry them through until their return.

To the ladies of the Official Huggers Group, thank you for sharing your special gift with me and for inviting me to join you in hugging these special Warriors as they loaded the buses. It was surely a treat for me.

Tomorrow is our turn to leave and many thoughts are flooding my mind in the closing hours before I depart on this amazing journey. A journey which I know will change my life forever. Friends have asked if I am nervous, but instead of being nervous, I have a strange feeling of peace and serenity which has begun to take hold of me.

Trip Across the country:

Today is the day: It is finally our turn to leave. We arrived at the staging area at 0245, stood around in the brisk desert air for almost three hours watching three units of Marines saying good-bye to loved ones. The trip seemed typical Military style transport with a lot of hurry up and wait. So as you can imagine, it was uneventful until we got to Bangor Maine.

At the Bangor Maine Airport there is a very special group of individuals who on a daily basis greet each flight which are filled with military personnel of all branches. Today it was our turn to be greeted by these amazing supporters who welcomed us with open arms.

It was strange to live this experience. When this adventure started to unfold a few months back, this stop was high on my priority list, but I thought it would be an experience on my way back from Iraq. I have to say it was nice to feel their electricity as one goes into Iraq. That kind of positive energy is just what these Warriors need, a feeling of positive support from their fellow Americans. Let me tell you a little more about these amazing Americans. They were warm, caring and generous individuals. As one walked out of the plane they shake your hand and thank you for your service to our country. Then you are directed into a room where they handed you a cell phone so you make that last minute call home to loved ones. Since our flight was filled with Marines, the Marines showed their appreciation by standing at attention and sang the Marine Corps Hymn to the citizens of Bangor, Maine. It was the least they could do for these patriots who took time out of their day to come support them in route to Iraq. I encourage you to check them out when you get the chance. www.freeportflagladies.com. There might even be a picture of us on their site if you look hard enough. Thank you to the men and women of Bangor Maine, Betty, John, Mildred, Beth and others, I so look forward to seeing you again on our return trip home. A welcome home I am looking forward to. We bid our good-byes and re-boarded the plane.

After a stop over in Hungary, we finally arrived in Kuwait late Wednesday night.
Upon arrival at Kuwait Airport we immediately boarded buses for the long convoy ride to Camp Victory. The drive along the Kuwait highway was interesting. It was a very strange ride for me. Even though I was dressed as they were, I had no idea what to expect. The feelings I thought I would surely have as we traveled across the world weren’t there. I’m not sure why but I thought I would feel something, maybe a sense of excitement, fear, anticipation or even a slight rush, but for some reason I felt nothing. The only feeling I felt was an over whelming sense of calm, peace and serenity. While the convoy drove down the road, I wondered if it was because I mentally prepared myself for this trip. Then I looked into the driver’s rear view mirror which was in plan sight, and I looked at the faces of the Marines sleeping behind me and I realized why I felt so at peace. It was the self-confidence radiating from these Brave Warriors which surrounded me. I don’t know any of them, yet I trust them with my life, after all they are my family. I have complete faith and trust in these Warriors. They are well trained and to know them, you would understand how they trust each other and have faith in their brother sitting beside them. With them surrounding me and Tony by my side, I felt safe and secure.

As the convoy continued down the road and the Marines took their short nap, the only feelings which were capturing my heart was that of protecting those seated behind me. Many of them could not see outside the bus. Knowing this, my senses heightened and I found myself looking at everything in front of us and along the road. I noticed people standing along the side of the road, even at this late hour, watching traffic. I wondered if they were keeping track of troop movement, or were these men just gathering along the road? My eyes didn’t miss a thing. As vehicles scurried around us, I found myself scanning them for any movement which might cause us harm. I was becoming more and more protective over my sleeping Marines seated behind me. I knew in my heart I should not be so worried because we were in Kuwait, a country we helped defend against Saddam Hussien sixteen years ago, yet I still did not trust anyone along the road.

Once we arrived at our destination we unloaded the trucks, gathered our gear and found our barracks. I must comment on one thing before I go any further. I have heard horror stories about female journalists traveling with the military. Receiving no respect, having to carry heavy gear and luggage, or being told to hurry up by those in uniform. First of all I find that truly hard to believe, but there is always a first in any situation. I have always had a love for the Marine Corps and considered them my family. This trip has not changed my thinking at all, it has only reinforced it in my heart. Each and every one of them has made me feel like I am a part of their unit. Each treating me like family and taking care of me like I was their sister. These Marines have not only helped me, but actually would not allow me to touch my bags or gear. Although I am carrying my own body armor which is starting to feel light to me now. I have not wanted for anything or have had to struggle with my gear. The female Marines I stayed with on this trip were just as great as the male Marines. Wow and the way they sling their gear around looks as if they are just picking up a cup of coffee. Not a grunt or a groan from any of them. To those ladies of INTEL, my hat goes off to you! You are an awesome group of Marines and I am proud to have spent time with you!


Anyway once the gear was secured we headed to the Chow hall for midnight rations. Even though we were all very well fed on the plane, here stood 250 Marines in line. One more meal before we headed for the racks for much needed sleep. The Chow hall here was quite impressive with a wide variety of main courses, salad bar and drinks. These Warriors appreciated a hot meal after their long trip and so did I. The only thing that bothered me was the fact that locals were running the show.

This location is extremely transient and as a result one can expect to be awakened about every 3-4 hours as new personnel came into the barracks. For the next two days I adapted to their schedule right along with them in this quasi holding pattern... eat, sleep, watch a movie and grabbed a few minutes on the internet to check emails. Although most would consider this an inconvenience, I on the other hand took advantage of the opportunity and got to know these amazing Warriors I am traveling with. Just so that you know, the word “Amazing” is the only word I can think of at this late hour as I write these words, but it truly doesn’t even come close to describing these brave individuals. Awe Inspiring comes close.

As I look back on the last few days, I remember observing many of these guys at the staging area back in California, saying their good-bye to loved ones. The easiest ice breaker to open any conversation was to inquire who they were with. They spoke of parents, girlfriends and wives lovingly, shared stories of their previous trips to Iraq and their goals in life. Hearing their words, I began to see inside their souls, a stronger sense of pride took over my heart and my emotions with every conversation. I laughed along with them as they told a joke or two and then picked on their buddies as they told their story. As I listened to their words, I began to remember those with tears in their eyes as they said good-bye in California. Now their eyes were hardened and the tears no longer apparent, instead replaced with a hardened sense of determination. Even with the hurry up and wait pattern we were in, these warriors never faltered on what truly was their mission at hand. Many of whom have been here a few times already and were eager to return. To them their mission wasn’t completed last time. Because of these conversations, there will be one consistent statement I will probably repeat over and over again in my posts, “this is an experience I will never forget”.

As one looks upon these Warriors, at a quick glance you will only see a man in his late teens, early twenties, with the standard youth operating equipment in hand, IPOD or game boy, temporarily holding their attention. This, one would say, represents our youth of today. Yet if you truly look deeper than the electronic equipment and look past the uniform in which they wear, you will begin to see these Warriors for who they really are. They are the best America has to offer. They stand tall and proud. They come in different shapes and sizes, of all races, creeds and nationalities. They’re mostly young, but others are older in their mid thirties and some seasoned old salts, as my Dad would call them, in their forties. These Warriors are well trained, both physically and mentally, for what they are about to enter, a war zone in Iraq. These are the fighting forces of the United States Marine Corps and I for one am proud to be with them on this trip.

The trip thus far has been very educational and rewarding to me personally, maybe it’s because of the special individuals who are surrounding me. I always thought I knew our military pretty well, but these Warriors have opened my eyes to many things. I have come to realize that I have overlooked a lot of issues because of my dealings with the military. Things in my heart I knew were either right or wrong, but couldn’t truly comment on because I had not had the opportunity to experience it first hand. Now that my eyes have been opened, I plan to do something about these issues once I get home.

Hiccup time!

With any deployment there are bound to be hiccups. Although on a troop level I didn’t see any major ones with this troop movement. Those leading these men are well trained and very impressive. There were little hiccups, little things that would drive any normal person crazy, not with these guys. They just handle it and moved on. No time for drama they say, let’s just work together.

With regards to us, there has only been one hiccup which got my Irish up so far during this trip and that was being told at 0300 on Friday morning that we were not going to be allowed to get on the bird moving forward unless we had new orders in hand. My immediate response was “How the hell did we get to Kuwait if we were not on orders to begin with?” According to the papers in hand, we were on the Units Orders as Embeds when we should have been on invitational orders as individual embeds and issues appropriate ID cards. I understood this, but still it made no sense to me to find this out after being in Kuwait two days. After jumping through a few hoops and contacting a few friends in the right places back in Washington, DC, via phone and email we then waited.

While awaiting their response, I received one email from a point of contact in the Public Affairs Shop which totally threw me off guard. They failed to give me one critical piece of the puzzle, the proper point of contacts and procedure requirements. I was appalled at the lack of communication which was clearly apparent at this point. Never the less those calls to Washington, DC came through and our orders were received just in time for us to travel with the unit on the bird moving forward into Iraq. I must stress that this hiccup was not a direct result of the military itself, or the unit in which we were traveling with.

Looking at the bigger picture here, I can surely see now why some journalists take it out on the entire military instead of the individual who is not properly trained in their job.
Outside of this hiccup I cannot complain, because we have been treated with such care and hospitality by the group we are with. They were not going to move forward without us and for that we were very grateful.


Well we arrived at our first location safely.

Upon arrival at our new location we sat in a holding area at the airfield. One Marine, a tall striking individual with red hair sat a few spaces from me. I leaned forward and looked at him and inquired about a new member of our family being born. He smiled, beaming from ear to ear and said “yes Ma’am, a Boy, Logan is his name, 8 pounds, big head, born at 1800. Wife and baby are just fine Ma’am”. I congratulated him and asked if she was the one wearing gray sweats and a white t-shirt when we were leaving, and he nodded yes. I smiled remembering them at the staging area before we left California. At that moment looking at a young Marine and his pregnant wife, I was heart sick that the Marine Corps didn’t offer him to stay behind another week so he could see his child being born. I asked this Marine why he hadn’t requested to stay behind a few more days, his response “Ma’am my CO offered that to me, but I declined the offer. I couldn’t allow my brothers to come over here without me. They needed me and I needed to be here for them. My wife knows what my job is and she is totally supportive of it.” I didn’t know what to say. Here I was upset with the military for taking him away from the birth of his first child only to find out it was his decision to leave. Here sat before me a dedicated and self sacrificing individual. His unselfishness to serve in the face of receiving his first born son was an unwavering sacrifice!

We were then transported to another base close by which was run by Marines. The guys were directed to the barracks while I was housed in the VIP quarters. Not bad for a civilian I must say. These Marines know how to treat a person! Tony stayed with the guys in the Barracks.

The operations here are nothing like we see on television. Locations are secure and fully operational in this area. We are far west of Baghdad and the weather here is better than it was in Kuwait. Cool in the evenings and warm in the day. Chow has been awesome and the company we are keeping even better. The more I get to know these warriors the prouder I am. They have the best sense of humor and the best attitudes too. They are pumped and ready to rock and roll if necessary. Their mission is foremost in their mind, especially to those who are on their second or third tour here. They are ready to finish the job they set out to do, to help free the civilians of Iraq. Their stories of being a part of the rebuilding of a country are motivating and inspiring. Through the harden lines on their faces, a warm smile comes through as they tell the tales of rebuilding a city with medical facilities, schools, police enforcement. Training the new Iraqi Army and ensuring they have the training to succeed brings a smile to the faces of these brave Warriors. When asked why he was so excited to come back here, one Marine responded with, “Ma’am, I am an American History nut. Just think if you could be in America during the 1700’s being a part of the birth of a new nation, creating a new country from oppression and tyranny. This, Iraq’s Freedom is kind of like what America went through during the 1700’s. I am excited to be a part of that new country being created. To help those who live here have water for the first time; to have electricity for the first time and most importantly to vote for the first time. This is an exciting time for them and I am proud to be a part of it”. I just sat there not knowing what to say. Here before me was a boy all of 20 years old comparing our Independence to that of the Iraqi People. Wow, I was shocked that someone of his age would even think of such a thing. I was speechless for a moment as my heart filled with pride and admiration for his way of looking at the situation at hand. His fellow Marines shook their heads in agreement as I looked around the group. Seeing the smile on their faces as they nodded made me want to cry at their dedication to their effort over here.


We have been in a holding pattern now for five days here in the desert. Our hosts have been great in ensuring we are comfortable, well fed and enjoying our stay on their base. Our Public Affairs hosts have also been wonderful. They surely know their jobs and are extremely professional in dealing with us to ensure that we are able to maximize our efforts while on their base. They lined up opportunities for me to interview certain groups and helped me capture the essence of the Warriors life here in Iraq.

There was a bit of excitement here last night. At about midnight there was a knock at my door, it was the Captain checking to see if I was ok. He also advised me to the fact we were under a small arms fire attack. He asked but I knew it was an order not to leave my can. As I laid back in bed I wondered if I should put on my body armor, but I ignored it and rolled over and went back to sleep. The next morning I awoke to find out three, 122 millimeter round, mortars had hit the other side of the base. There were no casualties or injuries, thank God, as the insurgents apparently do not know how to launch properly. This was the first attack since October on this base. To those on the base, it was just an annoyance of broken sleep. Me, I slept right through it. Guess I feel safe and secure where I am at.

During our holding pattern awaiting our flight to Baghdad, I have had the opportunity to talk with three groups of Warriors who I have been blessed to get to know. The Navy’s Seabee’s, the 3rd and 6th Civil Affairs Groups and a very special group of Marines who capture for history the life in a combat zone and most importantly the transformation of a country for historical purposes, the Combat Photographers of the United States Marine Corps. Talk about dedicated Warriors.

SEABEES:

When one thinks of the Navy Seabees one remembers the old John Wayne Movie called “The Fighting Seabee’s”. A movie all about a team of construction workers moving equipment and building huts on the islands in the pacific. Yet in real life these dedicated, highly skilled craftsman really do exist. They are skilled tradesmen in real life because these Warriors are reservists. They’re plumbers, electricians, welders, drivers, construction workers and engineers and so much more. These special individuals are the true builders of Iraq. While the Warriors are defending, these men and women are creating a city, rebuilding a dam or electrical facility all the while working along side those in all branches. They have built Forward Operating Bases for our military, fixed or rebuilt electrical systems for both our military and the Iraqi people. Together with their counter parts on each base they have built hospitals, bridges and schools in record time so as to ensure the quality of life for those living in the area.


CAG: Civil Affairs Group

This is a specialized group of our Marine Corps, who goes deep into the community to learn about their way of life while conducting specialized investigations. Let’s just say this group can be closely considered as the community outreach group. They do more than what anyone thinks they do. I will go into more detail later on this group. Right now just know they are doing an awesome job over here.

COMBAT PHOTOGRPHERS:

As in my World War II book, I described these individuals as special people and I believe it still is today. These dedicated individuals capture the essence of our military during war time. They capture the feelings of those in uniform while capturing the heart and soul of those in a war torn country. They are the militaries historian behind a lens and give us the opportunity to see the soul of our Warriors and a war through their eyes.

TODAY 19 March 2006

We are now in the heart of the desert, with a group of Warriors who are considered the forgotten because of where they are. I will write more about these Warriors later. Just know that we are surrounded by the BEST and are safe.