from the CO of my old company to the wives

dantheman · 04-20-2004

THE FOLLOWING is a message from the Battalion Commander and Command Sergeant Major of the "Magnificent Bastards" of the Second Battalion, Fourth Marines to the wives waiting back in the States.

Sent: Thursday, April 08, 2004 2:03 AM
Subject: Update from LtCol Kennedy

Dear Ladies, the last two days have been the hardest two days this battalion has faced in over 30 years. Within the blink of an eye the situation went form relatively calm to a raging storm. You've known that since arriving there has been violence; attacks have been sporadic and mostly limited to roadside bombs. Your husbands have become experts at recognizing those threats and neutralizing them before we are injured. Up to this point the war has been the purview of corporals and sergeants, and the squad they lead.

Yesterday the enemy upped the ante.

Early in the morning we exchanged gunfire with a group of insurgents without significant loss. As morning progressed, the enemy fed more men into the fight and we responded with stronger force. Unfortunately, this led to injuries as our Marines and sailors started clearing the city block by block. The enemy did not run; they fought us like soldiers. And we destroyed the enemy like only Marines can. By the end of the evening the local hospital was so full of their dead and wounded that they ran out of space to put them. Your husbands were awesome all night they stayed at the job of securing the streets and nobody challenged them as the hours wore on. They did not surrender an inch nor did flinch from the next potential threat. Previous to yesterday the terrorist thought that we were soft enough to challenge. As of tonight the message is loud and clear that the Marines will not be beaten.

Today the enemy started all over again, although with far fewer numbers, only now the rest of the battalion joined the fight. Without elaborating too much, weapons company and Golf crushed their attackers with the vengeance of the righteous. They filled up the hospitals again and we suffered only a few injuries. Echo company dominated the previous day's battlefield. Fox company patrolled with confidence and authority; nobody challenged them. Even Headquarters Company manned their stations and counted far fewer people openly watching us with disdain. If the enemy is foolish enough to try to take your men again they will not survive contact. We are here to win.

The news looks grim from back in the States. We did take losses that, in our hearts, we will always live with. The men we lost were taken within the very opening minutes of the violence. They could not have foreseen the treachery of the enemy and they did not suffer. We can never replace these Marines and Sailors but they will fight on with us in spirit. We are not feeling sorry for ourselves nor do we fear what tomorrow will bring. The battalion has lived up to its reputation as Magnificent Bastards.

Yesterday made everyone here stronger and wiser; it will be a cold day in Hell before we are taken for granted again.

Paul Kennedy and Jim Booker

Semper Fi.

Bishop · 04-20-2004

Where did you get this Dan?

dantheman · 04-20-2004

Quote:

Originally posted by Bishop@Apr 20 2004, 02:54 PM
Where did you get this Dan?

That's my unit, I try really hard to stay current on what my brothers are doing and what's going on in country.
here's a blog from one of them that was sent to me
marine blog in country

Semper Fi

Bishop · 04-20-2004

Quote:

« Previous Thread | Next Thread »

Originally posted by dantheman+Apr 20 2004, 03:02 PM-->
QUOTE (dantheman @ Apr 20 2004, 03:02 PM)

__________________
AEBN - Video On Demand
ICQ - 33840775

xPeeps Profile
http://xpeeps.com/member.php?u=84

Bishop

View Public Profile

Visit Bishop's homepage!

Find More Posts by Bishop

04-20-2004 #5

Mike AI

Administrator

Want to see your own Advertising Here!

Join Date: Oct 2002

Posts: 11,618

Very good reading!

Dan you have been on fire lately!

I know body counts are not something the gov't likes to talk about, but it seems to me the Marines, to paraprase Patton are "killing 'em by the bushel"

It seems so unnatural for untrained people to throw themselves up against a professional army. It basicly amounts to suicide.

__________________

Make big money on your Domains! Why wait 40 days to get paid with the other guys? Parked.com pays the most for your traffic, and cuts checks twice a month!

Mike AI

View Public Profile

Find More Posts by Mike AI

04-20-2004 #6

dantheman

Members

Join Date: Oct 2002

Posts: 1,878

thanks mike, I really try to get my news and feelings from those who know what's going on, not those who specalate(sp) on CNN.
here's a little piece from the blog I posted above,
----------
On the one hand, the ney-sayers will be crowing "I told you so! It's a quagmire! It's Vietnam, Tet, Hue... the sky is frickin' falling!!!!" But let's be serious, those same people would be saying that if one bomb went off on an unguarded and unoccupied stretch of road. Yes, Coalition forces are dying in their tens, and Iraqis are dying in their hundreds. That is why we never declared "peace" here... we are at war. For those that have lost their perspective on what "war" means, tune in the History Channel every now and then and watch shows about the bomber missions during WWII in which we lost more than 100 planes (at ten airmen captured or killed per plane... do the math) in a single day. Learn about Dresden, or Tokyo, or Treblinka, or Iwo Jima, or Guadalcanal, or Nagasaki, or... you get the picture. Is it sown up with a bow? No. Is it the worst thing to ever come down the pike? Uh, no. Would everybody rather it was better? Yep... well, WE would, but obviously there are some "non-compliant" forces that feel otherwise. These people are not the friends, or even the countrymen, of Iraq. Those that WERE born here are willing to kill, instigate the death of innocents, are not fighting for Iraq but for a return to Saddam's world, a Jim Jones-like dysfunctional nirvana, or a sham state with THEIR thug at the top. Oh, and is it Tet III? In that we are breaking the spine of military resistance, yes... but it will only be another Tet if the folks at home let it break their will to see a good thing through. Don't say "we have to get out of Iraq" because of concerns for us, here. We came to do a job. Don't say "we have to get out of Iraq" because of concerns for the people of Iraq. The solutions desired by those fighting us certainly don't have the best interests of the people of Iraq in mind. Don't say "we have to get out of Iraq" becuase we haven't found any WMD and the President is evil and it's all about oil and depleted uranium is killing billions of people worldwide and there was NO justification for invading in the first place and it's not our place to decide that Saddam was a bad guy, or anything like that... because you'll just sound stupid, venal, petty, and wrong.

------------------------

__________________
"Never argue with an idiot....he will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience."

dantheman

View Public Profile

Find More Posts by dantheman

04-20-2004 #7

Mike AI

Administrator

Want to see your own Advertising Here!

Join Date: Oct 2002

Posts: 11,618

Very nice Dan, this is exactly how I feel.

We lost more soliders in 24 hours on D-Day then we will have lost in Iraq for over a year.

Dan can you e-mail the CO back and see if we can send them anything they need? I am sure there are some others on Orpano who would like to help out our guys on the front lines.

__________________

Make big money on your Domains! Why wait 40 days to get paid with the other guys? Parked.com pays the most for your traffic, and cuts checks twice a month!

Mike AI

View Public Profile

Find More Posts by Mike AI

04-20-2004 #8

dantheman

Members

Join Date: Oct 2002

Posts: 1,878

thanks mike, here's a blog/site that is done for my unit
2/4 1st marine div There's a place there to post your thoughts and they have a way to email and send those thoughts and goods to the brothers in the sand that can use them.

I'll get the address for the marines over there and let everyone know

__________________
"Never argue with an idiot....he will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience."

dantheman

View Public Profile

Find More Posts by dantheman

04-20-2004 #9

Mike AI

Administrator

Want to see your own Advertising Here!

Join Date: Oct 2002

Posts: 11,618

Thanks Dan, find out what they need and where to send it.

I think it will be good for Oprano to adopt some Marines!

__________________

Make big money on your Domains! Why wait 40 days to get paid with the other guys? Parked.com pays the most for your traffic, and cuts checks twice a month!

Mike AI

View Public Profile

Find More Posts by Mike AI

04-20-2004 #10

dantheman

Members

Join Date: Oct 2002

Posts: 1,878

Quote:

Originally posted by Mike AI@Apr 20 2004, 05:56 PM
Thanks Dan, find out what they need and where to send it.

I think it will be good for Oprano to adopt some Marines!

I agree with and thank you : ) I'm in!

__________________
"Never argue with an idiot....he will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience."

dantheman

View Public Profile

Find More Posts by dantheman

04-20-2004 #11

dantheman

Members

Join Date: Oct 2002

Posts: 1,878

iraq news from the battle field

__________________
"Never argue with an idiot....he will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience."

dantheman

View Public Profile

Find More Posts by dantheman

04-21-2004 #12

dantheman

Members

Join Date: Oct 2002

Posts: 1,878

ONE MARINE'S THOUGHTS FROM THE FRONT LINES

semperFI

__________________
"Never argue with an idiot....he will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience."

dantheman

View Public Profile

Find More Posts by dantheman

Bookmarks

Google

Thread Tools

Show Printable Version

Email this Page

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts BB code is On Smilies are On [IMG] code is On HTML code is On

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 04:19 AM..

04-20-2004	#2
Bishop Members Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Charlotte NC Posts: 1,558	Where did you get this Dan? __________________ AEBN - Video On Demand ICQ - 33840775 xPeeps Profile http://xpeeps.com/member.php?u=84

04-20-2004	#1
dantheman Members Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 1,878	THE FOLLOWING is a message from the Battalion Commander and Command Sergeant Major of the "Magnificent Bastards" of the Second Battalion, Fourth Marines to the wives waiting back in the States. Sent: Thursday, April 08, 2004 2:03 AM Subject: Update from LtCol Kennedy Dear Ladies, the last two days have been the hardest two days this battalion has faced in over 30 years. Within the blink of an eye the situation went form relatively calm to a raging storm. You've known that since arriving there has been violence; attacks have been sporadic and mostly limited to roadside bombs. Your husbands have become experts at recognizing those threats and neutralizing them before we are injured. Up to this point the war has been the purview of corporals and sergeants, and the squad they lead. Yesterday the enemy upped the ante. Early in the morning we exchanged gunfire with a group of insurgents without significant loss. As morning progressed, the enemy fed more men into the fight and we responded with stronger force. Unfortunately, this led to injuries as our Marines and sailors started clearing the city block by block. The enemy did not run; they fought us like soldiers. And we destroyed the enemy like only Marines can. By the end of the evening the local hospital was so full of their dead and wounded that they ran out of space to put them. Your husbands were awesome all night they stayed at the job of securing the streets and nobody challenged them as the hours wore on. They did not surrender an inch nor did flinch from the next potential threat. Previous to yesterday the terrorist thought that we were soft enough to challenge. As of tonight the message is loud and clear that the Marines will not be beaten. Today the enemy started all over again, although with far fewer numbers, only now the rest of the battalion joined the fight. Without elaborating too much, weapons company and Golf crushed their attackers with the vengeance of the righteous. They filled up the hospitals again and we suffered only a few injuries. Echo company dominated the previous day's battlefield. Fox company patrolled with confidence and authority; nobody challenged them. Even Headquarters Company manned their stations and counted far fewer people openly watching us with disdain. If the enemy is foolish enough to try to take your men again they will not survive contact. We are here to win. The news looks grim from back in the States. We did take losses that, in our hearts, we will always live with. The men we lost were taken within the very opening minutes of the violence. They could not have foreseen the treachery of the enemy and they did not suffer. We can never replace these Marines and Sailors but they will fight on with us in spirit. We are not feeling sorry for ourselves nor do we fear what tomorrow will bring. The battalion has lived up to its reputation as Magnificent Bastards. Yesterday made everyone here stronger and wiser; it will be a cold day in Hell before we are taken for granted again. Paul Kennedy and Jim Booker Semper Fi. __________________ "Never argue with an idiot....he will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience."