I PCSd from 2/3 just prior to the tour from which they returned recently. My old XO made CO on the battlefield on my last deployment with him when our CO was killed. He sent the following out just prior to their return; going to the memorial tomorrow. Semper Fidelis, Chaps
-----Original Message-----
From: Victor Krulak
Sent: Saturday, November 07, 2009 3:54 AM
To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;
Subject: Fw: CO 2/3
An interesting report.
S/F
VHK
2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines
Messages from the CO
28 October 2009
Sometime tonight our first main body flight should be departing Manas
Air Force Base in Kyrgyzstan enroute to Hawaii. They will be followed,
hopefully
in short order, but the remainder of our main body flights as we
return home. We are making every effort to communicate with our
personnel in Kaneohe to provide as up to the minute information as
possible regarding flight manifests and times. Occasionally higher
priority missions result
in
reassignments or flight changes, please be assured that we will make
every effort to get that information to Kaneohe for distribution as
quickly as possible.
This is a bit of an odd update I'm afraid. It isn't my intention to
talk about Afghanistan or our mission here, but instead to address
just what incredible men your Marines and Sailors are. I doubt that I
will ever be able to express the extent of the respect and admiration
I have for your loved ones in this Battalion. I can use words like
dedication, courage, honor but in the end words don't quite cut it. So
let me tell you what I have seen:
I saw a LCpl bring in his buddy's gear following a horrible IED strike
and practically beg to go back out so he could get back in the fight.
I saw a Marine leaning out over the edge of a roof in the middle of a
firefight, leaving himself in the open purposefully in order to tempt
a enemy RPG shooter to break cover in order to end him.
I've seen numerous Marines standing a lonely post in the pre-dawn
hours, keeping watch carefully and correctly even though no one would
know if
they
cut a corner, but doing it right because they were responsible for
their buddies' lives.
I watched a Sailor calmly grab his gear and run out in the open to a
casualty who needed him, he never asked "How bad is he hurt?" or "How
much enemy fire is there?", the only thing he asked was "Where's the
casualty?"
then he went. Because Corpsmen always come when they are needed, always.
I watched 19 and 20 year old men, who a mere few years before were
undoubtedly typical self centered teenagers, earnestly try to make a
young child who has only known poverty and war smile. I even saw a
very imposing Marine in this Battalion who, frankly, scares the heck
out of me, see a little girl off to the side of a group of kids with
nothing in her hands
so
he very seriously went around saying "Somebody give me a teddy-bear,
who
has
a F-ing teddy bear?" until he found one and presented it to her. The
only person there with a bigger smile than the little girl was the
Marine. He then went right back to chewing on his squad to keep their
dispersion and move faster.
I watched FST medical personnel try every desperate measure to keep a
good Marine with us, to the point of opening his chest and massaging
his heart for what seemed like an interminable time. At the same time
I saw a line
of
Marines and Sailors and Soldiers forming outside to donate blood, we
had enough donors to transfuse all of Hannibal's elephants but they
all wanted to do something and at that time the only thing they could
do was give
some
of their blood.
I watched an NCO very patiently sum up all the complex nuances of
counter-insurgency warfare to a young Marine while both were being
pummeled
with stones and physically knocking intruders off our wall from a mob
threatening to breach the walls of our police station; "They want us
to shoot them, so then they can make us all look like bad guys." So we
didn't shoot, even though we had more than sufficient justification,
and in the
end
what could have been a horrible incident broadcast around the world
actually
became a positive as the locals started talking about the restraint of
"their Marines" and became angry with the rioters for their "un-Islamic"
behavior.
I watched a Marine, with excruciating slowness and superhuman
patience,
lead
an Afghan Policeman through a patrol brief. And I saw the pride in the
ANP officer's face when he lead his patrol out the entry control
point, in his town and in front of his people, with the Marines
trailing along behind in case he needed some help. I also saw an
Afghan Policeman's face when I
told
him that the Marines thought highly of him and had told me that "Spider"
(his nickname) was a good guy to have alongside you in a fight. He
sputtered
a little bit then said something short and stared at me very
intensely,
the
linguist told me "He says he is just so very proud that the US Marines
think
that". Once Spider was sure that I understood that he meant it, he
strutted
away like he had just won the world's highest honor. And perhaps he had.
I know that for the rest of my life I will cherish this period in
which I had the honor to spend my days among such incredible men. And
I know that
it
has been your sacrifices that have made it possible. I thank you for
allowing me this time with your loved ones.
We are coming home.
