Christmas Update:

Merry Christmas from the other side of the world. We encountered Christmas earlier than the rest of you. One of the many benefits of being in Iraq, truly. We ushered in Christmas with a Company Christmas Party at 0200. It was good to be surrounded by our friends here. The phone center is abuzz with calls home. As you can see, we got a "few" packages from home. Believe it or not, this was a regular occurrence.

I wanted to update you all with what is going on here. We are almost half way through the deployment here to Fallujah. Our casualties have been hard to bear but we fight on. Charlie Co now stands with 5 KIA and many more wounded. A group of combat replacements showed up this week so that helps to keep our numbers up. Obviously we are not facing the same number of casualties as have been endured in many other wars, but the loss of good men is still very real. I encourage you to remember the families of the killed. Pray for them during this rough time; also pray for our wounded. I know of two blogs for the two Marines from our Company who had amputations due to IEDs. These guys are warriors and their blogs are very encouraging. We use them to keep up to date on how their healing is going.
http://joshbleill.blogspot.com/
http://www.chadmwatson.blogspot.com/
Below is the link to an “interesting” article.
Politically Correct War by Ralph Peters
New York PostOctober 18, 2006
(http://www.nypost.com/seven/10182006/postopinion/opedcolumnists/politically_correct_war_opedcolumnists_ralph_peters.htm)

In The Fight

Ok. First blog from Iraq. I am in Fallujah, the city of Mosques. What a place! There is never a dull moment here. And we are in a fight here. I have been here a month now and already we have been wrapped up in the struggle to bring freedom and peace to this city. Time has flown by and yet at the same time it seems there is always something new to learn.
The response of the local folks has been measured and mixed. Some obviously hate us while at the same time others seem to enthusiastically support us. Most fear being on the losing side. Despite our obvious advantages over insurgent forces, many do not accept that as proof that their lives or families will not be snuffed out in the middle of the night. Terror is the tactic here and those opposing us use it well. Therefore it is our mission to convince the people here that we will win in the long run.
Morale in our unit remains high despite casualties and long hours. That is the benefit of working with other Marines. The enthusiasm is contagious. Our men are fighting hard and doing an admirable job of it. I am intensely proud of them. I know our families are as well. We have a long way to go, but we are starting strong.
A lot has changed since I was in Iraq last. Part of it is the new mission and area than last time. But, a good share of the difference stems from the pernicious insurgency that is attempting to strangle the freedom of the majority. As my CO says, the difference between Iraq and America is that while we both have 10% of the population that are jerks, ours are tolerated; in Iraq, that 10% dictates daily life to the relatively defenseless 90%. These people accept a level of tyranny and anarchy that would not be tolerated in America. I am learning much daily about how this must be overcome. But we walk a long and tough road.

Going Forward (At The Speed Of Light)

Well, we are moving ever closer to the beginning of this immense undertaking. To quote Churchill, we are at the “end of the beginning.” Now it is time to for us to prepare in earnest. We have already completed a three-week annual training period that went right through finals week for all of us school types. That sucked. But we were so busy that few noticed until we got back to our homes and families and had to finish up with work and school and get ready to leave for good.

Our training begins even more in earnest now that we have been mobilized and are all assembling in CA to train at a breakneck pace for every possible contingency that we might face. At least that is our hope. We know that there will always be those things you just cannot anticipate. And that’s not a cop-out; it is combat, the Marine Corps and life in general. Here is where Marines must “adapt, improvise and overcome.”

My family is doing alright, I guess. They have had a lot more time to adjust to this deployment than last time. We have spent much time making family come first whenever possible. Thanks to all those who made that possible with your understanding and helpful spirits. Laura and I both feel that the decisions that we have made have been good ones. The boys are adjusting to Dad being gone. Andrew started crawling this last week. I was glad that I was there to see that milestone.

Noah is a little bitter that I am leaving though some of that seems to be that he is left behind. He was crushed when he found out that he was not going to Iraq with me to “fight the bad guys.” Because my younger brother, Nathan, is in Iraq now I have been able to talk with Noah about what we are doing there and why I must go. We pray daily for his safety and so that has helped Noah to grow accustomed to “Iraq” and all it holds for him.

That’s all I have time for right now. My bus leaves for St. Louis on the first leg to Iraq.

Going Back

I have decided to volunteer for service in Iraq again. This decision has been met with considerable concern from those I discuss it with. The “why” seems to be lost on most people. So I am going to write it out and then anyone who wonders why a young guy like me would even think about returning to the madness that can be Iraq can read about it to their hearts content.

It is difficult to explain my rationale because it requires somewhat of an understanding of what is happening over there (most people have no clue) and it also requires an understanding of my own mindset and motivation. So let me set forth the reasons one at a time. There are three primary reasons why I volunteered.

First, I have seen firsthand the good that we are doing there and I want to be able to help them finish the job. The media coverage is slanted. I do not think that they are printing lies; it’s just that they report the bad things and setbacks out of perspective. There are more good things going on than bad things, but you don’t hear about it that way. That is not lying but it is giving the world a warped perspective on what is happening there. The Iraqi people are on the verge of having their own democratic government capable of being defended by their own patriots. The Iraqi people are beginning to realize that they have something to worth defending. It took them thirty years to get where they were when we liberated them from Saddam and it is going to take some time. Right now they have a built-in fear of government. It is going to take a new generation of kids growing up free for them to understand what we have given them. We are on the verge of some real good being accomplished there. I want to be a part of this final push to stabilize.

Second, the Marines who have joined my unit since we got back in ’04 are being ordered to go to Iraq for the first time. Those of us who had already gone had a choice. All the new guys were going to be going over without any leaders being required to go with them. I could not tell them to go to Iraq and do a good job. That is not the Marine way. “Follow me” works much better. Simply put, the men that I lead may depend on my experience and knowledge to stay alive.

Lastly, my wife and I have become convinced that God wants me to return to Iraq. Going back does not make sense from a human viewpoint. My dad has a terminal disease and may not live until my return. I have two sons, one of whom is an infant. So the timing is not “good.” But we have been praying about this and we have both been led to the place where we see that God has plans for us in this that are bigger than we are. So He wants me to return and I am going back; that is enough. I am at peace about this.

Success Sickness

(What is success any way?)

As the recent Christmas holiday approached, I was reminded of the movie It’s a Wonderful Life. This classic story rings true with so many. I think a lot of us identify with George Bailey who really feels like he is a failure. Everything that he has set out to do has fallen through (at least in terms of going away and leaving Bedford Falls behind). The movie concludes without our hero making it out of town or becoming a famous person in the world. But he has changed the way that he perceives his own success. It is really this change in his attitude that makes him realize that he has succeeded where it really counted. At home. And among the people that he came into contact with every day. He made a difference for them.

I am fond of saying that our definition of success does more to shape our perception of our personal success than any specific accomplishments we make. My friend Roger calls it “Success Sickness.” There is a lot of pressure on each one of us to succeed. Some of that pressure comes from within, a deep motivating force to be better than others or to be seen as success by those whose opinion matters to us. Other pressure is from those around us to keep up with the Jones’. I just want to succeed where it matters most: in my family, for my Marines and for eternity. Are you chasing some warped view of what success is?

The Thread 2

Back to my thoughts on this thread that seems to unify all that I see around. I said that it is not “all about me.” And that is true. At a certain level, life is not about us. We are so small and insignificant in the grand scheme of things. But does it not seem that there must be more to life than that? What evidence do I need to convince me of my own significance?

One of the most influential books that I have read is the bestseller, The Purpose-Driven Life, by Rick Warren. I read this great book while I was in Iraq going through a real shake up personally. God was challenging my own concepts of who I was and I had joined a study of this book to find out how I could have purpose in spite of the chaos that surrounded me. Sometimes I get the distinct impression that God is slapping my face saying, “Yoo, hoo. When are you going to realize that I have a plan for your life?

I find that God operates at two distinct levels in my life. On the higher level He is engineering all things to accomplish His Purposes in this world. Pretty mind-boggling. But, that does not amaze me as much as the manner in which He engineers the occurrences in my life to accomplish His purposes in my life! That is intensely personal (and can be quite unnerving and disconcerting). But what an awesome testimony of His love for all of us! The God who made everything cares about the seemingly mundane details of my life. This thread ties my life together and gives meaning to my existence.

    

Why we fight

Many people who find out that I served in Iraq ask me for my thoughts on “the War.” They all have their own opinions. I tend to think that my opinion is not really that important. Valid, yes; but not important. But then the more that I hear the rubbish espoused by so many who have no clue what they are talking about and I get more vocal about what I believe. And it is not just talk and words. If I really believe in this fight, then I must be willing to go back (I do and I am). I have many friends there now and my brother will be leaving this next year for his own turn. So I have set forth to summarize my thoughts about “the War.”

First, I am tired of the bodies of our heroes, my bothers and sisters in arms becoming political leverage as if to say that war cannot be the answer. Just because someone dies in a cause does not make that death tragic. We all knew what we were getting into. (At least the Marines know what they are getting into, and I think that the rest of our servicemen and women do as well.) How would these critics have responded to World War II. The casualties we have suffered so far are nothing compared to a bad day back then. Many hundreds of thousands of good people died and it had a point and a purpose. So do our deaths now. We have meaning and purpose by sticking to it and making these deaths result in something meaningful. I really dislike it when people try to focus on the human side so strongly (and the pain is real!) that they lose sight of the objective. If I die, I do not want to become an argument for withdrawal. Honor me, remember me, but finish what I started. Don’t leave the job undone.

Secondly, it should be clear by now that our enemies in Iraq and elsewhere are determined and will not stop this fight on their own accord. It is much better to be fighting these terrorists in Iraq where it is their country that is destroyed and their schools bombed and statesmen and women who are assassinated. It is better that this fight goes on there than fighting the same people here on our streets where stray rounds strike our own kids and our homes become targets for some demented fool. Understand this clearly. If we stop fighting before this is finished in Iraq in a ‘bring the boys home” response to the mounting casualties, we will find ourselves facing the same foes back here in America. It is just a matter of time.