For the OFFICIAL BATTALION WEBSITE with letters and updates from the Battalion Commanders, please visit:
http://www.mnfwest.usmc.mil/mnf/mnfw_public.nsf/unitSites/2bn24mar
For Fox Company Updates from our Commanding Officer, see below.
Dear Fox Families and friends,
Time is winding down for us here in Iraq . Some of you have already received packages from your Marines, filled with excess gear and materials that they don’t want to carry back to California . Others can probably sense the excitement in your Marines’ voices as they talk about things they want to do as soon as they get home. And I bet everyone is planning for the homecomings…
Despite all this planning, however, I believe that there is still one permeating desire we all have, and that is, to come home safe. I can assure you, this is, and has been, my unrelenting focus. As such, it is the focus of my staff, my platoon commanders and all the way down to the individual Marine and sailor. The company is well aware that our safety relies on our ability to execute our missions daily, in a professional and courageous manner. We do not lose sight of the fact that we will continue protecting the Iraqi populace until the day we leave.
I wish you could see your Marines and Sailors in action. The late nights on post, the planning sessions in 110 degree heat, the miles upon miles of ground they traverse, the look of surprise on the enemy’s face when we show up on his doorstep. There is no need to look for heroes on TV, or movies, or in the latest book, or song. I walk amongst heroes everyday. They are quiet and unassuming, but confident and professional in their abilities. They have names like Olson, Hernandez, Servi, Roe and Martinez . They put on 45-60 lbs of protective gear, leave the relative security of their small bases and execute their mission in the face of a determined enemy. The enemy doesn’t rest, and neither does Fox Company. I am truly blessed to know men like these. I’m sure you feel the same way.
As for information about our return…I know all of you are anxious for arrival dates and times. Some of you may already have a rough idea of when we’ll be arriving in California and, ultimately, back to Milwaukee and Chicago (as well as other locations such as Michigan , California , North Carolina , etc). I would ask, however, two things: 1) If you have heard dates and times, please keep a close hold on this information and try not to release it in general forums. This mainly applies to our arrival dates in California . 2) I know that some of you want to meet your Marine in California . I can’t stop you from doing so, but please understand that this time is needed for the benefit of your Marine and sailor. We all need time to decompress and get used to life outside a combat zone. We will use this time to get medical screenings and a plethora of re-deployment briefs and classes. We will also use this time to remember Cpl Nelson and LCpl Opicka, as only brothers can.
Please allow your Marine and Sailor this time. It will certainly benefit him in the years to come.
On a different note, I want to take a moment to recognize Marines and Sailors who have been promoted this month. They are:
1st Platoon:
2nd Platoon:
3rd Platoon:
4th Platoon:
Headquarters Platoon:
Police Transition Team:
This month also saw several Marines receive recognitions.
(THEN) CORPORAL LEWANDOWSKI WAS THE VEHICLE COMMANDER IN A MOTORIZED COMBAT PATROL. DURING THE PATROL, ONE OF THE VEHICLES WAS STRUCK BY AN IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVE DEVICE WHILE RETURNING TO CAMP HABBANIYAH . CORPORAL LEWANDOWSKI, COMMANDER OF THE LEAD VEHICLE IN THE CONVOY, IMMEDIATELY ORDERED HIS MARINES TO POST SECURITY BEFORE RUNNING TO THE DAMAGED HIGH MOBILITY MULTI-PURPOSE VEHICLE TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE. ONCE HE REACHED THE VEHICLE, HE BEGAN TO PULL AWAY PIECES OF TWISTED METAL IN AN ATTEMPT TO EXTRACT THE UNCONSCIOUS MARINES FROM THE WRECKAGE. HE CONTINUED HIS RESCUE EFFORTS UNTIL THE FLAMES, SMOKE, AND COOK-OFF AMMUNITION FORCED HIM AND FELLOW RESCUERS FROM THE SITE.
LANCE CORPORAL SHULA WAS THE DRIVER OF A MINE RESISTANT AMBUSH PROTECTED VEHICLE IN A MOTORIZED COMBAT PATROL. DURING THE PATROL, ONE OF THE VEHICLES WAS STRUCK BY AN IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVE DEVICE WHILE RETURNING TO CAMP HABBANIYAH . HE IMMEDIATELY MANEUVERED HIS VEHICLE IN THE VICINITY OF THE BLAST SITE TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE AND SECURITY. HE RAN TO THE VEHICLE AND BEGAN TO PULL AWAY PIECES OF TWISTED METAL IN AN EFFORT TO EXTRACT THE UNCONSCIOUS MARINES FROM THE WRECKAGE. HE REMAINED AT THE SCENE UNTIL THE FLAMES, SMOKE, AND COOKED-OFF AMMUNITION PREVENTED HIM FROM CONTINUING THE RESCUE ATTEMPT.
Sincerely,
Guillermo
Dear Fox Families and Friends,
Another month has passed by since our last correspondence. In that time, the weather has gotten warmer, Marines have been recognized, and some of our corpsmen have achieved milestones in their careers.
I know most of you are counting down the days until you are reunited with your Marines and sailors. Believe me, so are they. However, I would be remiss if I didn’t ask that you be patient. We still have a good bit of time here in Iraq , and everyday, your Marines and sailors are out on patrol. As such, I constantly remind them to stay as focused, sharp and vigilant as the day when we first arrived. I won’t allow anyone to drop their guard until we are safely back in the arms of our loved ones.
To that end, please be mindful of any information passed from sources other than myself or my commander, LtCol Charlonis. In one of my first emails, I said that the most hurtful rumors are the ones that pertain to return dates – especially those that have us coming home early. I can guarantee that we are not coming home early. We will complete our time here and go home, unfortunately, not one day earlier than we’re supposed to.
With that said, we’ve continued operations unabated. Some of you might be hearing from your Marines a bit less nowadays. That’s due to the fact that we’ve established patrol bases in the population centers of our area. What this means is that the Marines are closer the people who look to us for security and stability. We continue to partner with our Iraqi Police counterparts and conduct operations with them on a daily basis. We see the police get stronger every day. We see them taking back their neighborhoods, and applying pressure on insurgent groups on a regular basis. We patrol less, they patrol more…it’s working out well.
Another thing that’s working out well are the recognitions and milestones that the Marines have achieved over the last month or so.
The following Sailors have attained their Fleet Marine Force Warfare Certifications. This is a big accomplishment for each of these sailors. The pin recognizes their efforts in completing many of the same tasks executed by Marines. It required many months of study, mastery of many of the same skills that Marines are taught, a written examination, physical fitness tests and an oral board. Wearing the pin on their uniform demonstrates to the rest of the Navy that they served with the toughest military organization in the world, the United States Marines. These sailors are:
· HM1 Felipe Rios
· HM3 Ricardo Martinez
· HN Thomas Rogers
· HM2 Jess Rehn
· HM3 Michael Cieslak
· HM3 Ibarra Diangkinay
· HM2 Mark O’Donnell
The following Fox Marines and Sailors were promoted this since I last wrote:
Of special note is Corporal David Lewandowski (Headquarters Plt). He was selected, over all corporals in the Battalion to be meritoriously promoted to the rank of Sergeant on June 2nd. To be promoted meritoriously means that you have consistently exceeded expectations of your rank and billet and are being promoted faster than anyone else of your rank. It is quite an accomplishment.
Also of special note is Lance Corporal Paul Wolfgramm (2nd Plt). He competed against all other Marines of his rank and was selected as the Battalion Marine of the Quarter based on his superior performance these last couple of months. He then competed against Marines selected from other, active duty battalions and won the Regimental Marine of the Quarter. This was especially significant, as this was the first time a Reserve Marine was chosen for this honor at the regiment level. Next, he will compete against selected Marines from all the units in Iraq . We congratulate him on his recognition and wish him luck in the upcoming selection board.
The following Marines received awards and similar recognitions:
· Cpl Jason Blevins received a Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal in June
· HM1 Felipe Rios received a Certificate of Commendation in May
· Sgt Jacob Kraschnewski won Non Commissioned Officer of the Quarter for 2nd Quarter CY08
· HM1 Felipe Rios won Senior Sailor of the Quarter for the Battalion, 2nd Quarter CY08
· HM3 Michael Cieslak won Blue Jacket Sailor of the Quarter for the Battalion, 2nd Quarter CY08
And finally, we welcome the newest baby Marines and Sailors to the Fox Family:
Someone please tell them that their Daddy’s are doing well, and will be home soon.
Guillermo
1st Platoon:
Cpl Ronald Poppie promoted to Sergeant
LCpl Eric Saunders promoted to Corporal
LCpl Jayson Wissmueller promoted to Corporal
PFC Kyle Pearson promoted to Lance Corporal
PFC Christopher Yanny promoted to Lance Corporal (Promoted in February while at Patrol Base Green)
Dear Fox Families and Friends,
By now, many of you have probably heard from your Marine and their new location. The majority of Fox company is at Camp Habbaniyah. It's a bigger camp, with lots of hot water, contracted eating facilities (serving three hot meals a day), a large gym, and other entertainment facilities. It's not bad living and the Marines are enjoying themselves...somewhat.
In speaking with the Marines, most complain that they are not as active as they use to be. The Marines enjoyed living out amongst the populace.
They enjoyed patrolling and life on the patrol bases - it was what they had trained for. Here, they don't have the same level of interaction and some feel like they're not making a difference.
This is understandable, since Marines aren't happy unless they're active (whether it's running up a hill or on a combat patrol). However, while we're here, they will have access to training that will get them prepared for the next phase of operations.
You may wonder why we're moving around so much. That's a good question.
As part of the larger military strategy, we are now turning over more and more of Iraq to the Iraqi security forces. In doing so, it requires us to also re-align our posture and force locations. Our move was just part of this strategy. The reality is that things are changing here rapidly - for the better. The Iraqis are taking more and more responsibility for their country and we are supporting them.
Our work, however, is not done. We will continue to conduct combat operations from our new location and continue making Iraq a safer place for everyone.
At the beginning of this email, I said that most of Fox Company is at Camp Habbaniyah. 2nd platoon has their own platoon patrol base in the Western Sector of our area. They have had quite the trip so far. They initially moved into a patrol base in the Peninsula area only to be moved out less than a week later, back to Camp Habbaniyah, then out to the West Side of our zone. They were adaptive and flexible and quickly made the patrol base their own, beginning combat operations almost immediately. They've been there for almost three weeks are are doing very well. They are meeting the key leaders, drinking tea with the locals and working with the Iraqi Police in the area. They have had some good successes as well, finding enemy weaponry and explosives, and arresting several bomb em placers. They are doing a good job.
Thank you and I'll continue to keep everyone posted.
Semper Fidelis
Guillermo