Recipient Unknown. Please forward to Camp Fallujah.

That's right ... I'm moving to Camp Fallujah.

More to follow.

This is a shot of "JDAM Palace." Supposedly this whole compound belonged to Saddam's brother-in-law. The palace was hit by 2 JDAMs (2000 lb bombs) back in March 2003. Obviously, it's very sturdily constructed, as it's still standing!
 

Awesome Flight Attendants

The New Orleans connection. These two Delta flight attendants are from New Orleans. Believe it or not, they were roommates in New Orleans 35 years ago, and came together once again for this flight. They took care of us from North Carolina to Kuwait. Note the decorations on the plane. Great people!

Reached Destination

Well, we have reached our destination in Iraq. I am currently at Camp Blue Diamond in Ar Ramadi, home away from home of the 1st Marine Division. The compound we're staying on used to belong to one of Saddam's brother-in-laws. It's actually quite scenic, as it is situated on the Euphrates River. There is a former palace and several other large impressive stone structures, as well as smaller buildings which I assume served as quarters for servants, groundskeepers, etc. More to follow...

Riding the Storm Out

This is me waiting out the sandstorm at our intermediate stop, Camp Victory, Kuwait. A rainstorm followed the sandstorm. Go figure!

Final Update from Camp Lejeune

Well, it's time to get underway. We leave soon to join the others from our unit, most whom are already there.

Next update will be from Iraq!

Silver Lake Ledger Article

The following was written by my buddy Chris Phelps (seen in the earlier photo post). It was written for his hometown newspaper, the "Silver Lake Ledger."

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I have been asked to provide a few paragraphs from time to time concerning my experiences during Operation Iraqi Freedom III. I am happy to comply and convey not only my experiences but also my assessment of what it is like here on the ground in Iraq.
I am currently serving as a team commander with the 5th Civil Affairs Group (CAG). The 5th CAG is a part of II Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) that is based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. I and the other 5 Marines that make our team will be attached to the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Infantry Regiment that also is based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The mission of the CAG is to assist in the reconstruction of the country of Iraq. Civil Affairs (CA) teams accomplish this mission by assessing problems in our assigned areas, then working with government and non-government agencies to help alleviate these identified problems. Projects that my team may be asked to accomplish could include, restoration of public works (to include water, power, or sewage), organizing/facilitating town hall meetings, establishing humanitarian assistance sites for the distribution of food, water, and other essential items needed for survival, or collecting and assisting displaced personnel during offensive combat operations. As you can see, we are required to project-manage and problem-solve many different scenarios that may arise on the battlefield. However, as difficult as the tasks at hand may be, I can already tell that my part within the larger Global War On Terror and more specifically within Operation Iraqi Freedom III is going to be extremely gratifying.
I arrived in Camp Fallujah on February 21, 2005. My team will be working not only within Fallujah proper, but more specifically we will concentrate on outlying cities that are northwest of Fallujah in the Al Anbar province. In many ways, the cities outside of Fallujah are very similar to the cities west of Topeka. They are largely rural, and most of the population is employed within the agricultural sector.
Since my arrival, I have participated in several vehicle and foot mobile patrols with the Marines of the infantry battalion. We have patrolled inside the city limits of Fallujah and one outlying town called Saqlawiyah. The citizens of these cities have welcomed us, and they are eager to rebuild their cities and work with the coalition forces. Although there are still remnants of the Iraqi insurgency and our area of operations is by no means safe and free from danger, the Iraqi people in general are willing to work with us. Specifically, they have given us names of insurgents, taken us to stored insurgent weapons caches, and provided valuable information to free their communities of the hated insurgency. They are eager for employment as they work alongside Marines to rebuild their cities. The intent of the coalition forces is for the Iraqi people to take ownership of their cities; not for the coalition or the Americans to rebuild the cities for them. We are here to facilitate and help them organize. The citizens of this country lived under such an oppressive rule during the Saddam Hussein years that something as simple as volunteering for your county fire department is foreign to them. From my assessment, the United States government or the coalition does not want to force our form of democracy or our way of organizing governments upon the citizens of Iraq. In time, they will learn to organize and form their own style of representative government. I am already seeing it take place.
I recently attended a reconstruction meeting concerning projects in Fallujah proper. The meeting was chaired by the appointed major of the city, and attended by various managers of public works and city government, the tribal sheiks, representatives from the national government in Baghdad, and many citizens of the city. We coalition forces were not seated at the “position of power,” but rather sat away from the head table. This is another way we are encouraging the Iraqis to take charge of their own affairs. Through an interpreter the council spoke to us, voiced their concerns, and we stated how we could either help them or how we could not. In my opinion, the most important aspect of this meeting was that everyday citizens within the city were able to stand and voice their concerns to a group of people that included direct representation from Baghdad and the local government of Fallujah. Two years ago, this would not have been possible; even 5 months ago when the city was occupied by the Iraqi insurgency this would not have been possible. It was a form of democracy, albeit rocky and a little unorganized, it was democracy. I sat back and thoroughly enjoyed watching the events unfold.
When we patrol in the cities within my area of operations, we are often confronted by children. They all want us to take pictures of them so that they can see it on the digital display on our cameras, maybe hand them a pencil or a pen, or if they are really lucky they may receive piece of chocolate or a bottle of water. I know that these actions seem small and quite possibly inconsequential. Maybe you are saying that we should focus on larger projects. We do focus on larger projects, but the rebuilding is multi-faceted. The children that we interact with are the next generation of Iraq. They are just now experiencing freedom and a life without oppression. They still live in poverty beyond the comprehension of most Americans, but what they have is hope; something they did not have two years ago. If, in some small way, we can touch these young children’s lives so that they grow up to be contributing members within the sovereign country of Iraq then we have done our job. There are many reasons why I am here and why I chose to serve in Iraq for a second tour, but this is definitely one of the most important.
I remember feeling the same way two years ago when I saw a family along side of the road as we closed in on Baghdad. The family was standing on the road when our HMMWV stopped right next to them. In many ways, they looked like the epitome of the “perfect” American family. There was a young father and mother standing with a little boy and a little girl. The look they had on their face begged for answers. Why are you here? Will you leave? What do you want? At the time, we had not yet faced the battle for Baghdad, as that would come in the next few days. However, seeing that family reaffirmed my belief as to why we were in Iraq. My hope was that someday that little girl would maybe grow up to be a teacher, a lawyer, or a happy mother that could provide opportunity for her children; the little boy a doctor, a city councilman, the owner of a farm, or the manager of production plant. I wanted them to have choices in life and for them to be afforded the opportunity to grow up and not be told that America was an evil country. I saw my children when I looked at those children, and today I often wonder what that family is doing.
As much as I miss my family in Shawnee, my family in Silver Lake, and my comfortable life in Kansas, I derive great satisfaction from being a part of something so monumental. My part is extremely small, but combined with hundreds of thousands of others doing their small part we are all part of something truly historical. A free and democratic Iraq is critical to the stability of the entire Middle East and the security of the United States. All politics aside, this only makes logical sense. I cannot help but think about the will of the American people during this fight. Without the political and spiritual support of the American people, everything we are doing over here will be lost. We are in this fight together, and I ask for your patience and continued support.
That is all for now. My good friend and fellow Marine Major, Tom Nelson, has establish an internet blog that will convey the great things the Marine civil affairs teams will be accomplishing during our deployment. Major Nelson is also part of the 5th CAG. Please feel free visit the site from time to time. Until next time, thank you for your continued support and God Bless America.
--Major Chris Phelps, United States Marine Corps.
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