As you go about your 4th of July festivites this week, remember our troops in harms way and take a few moments to consider these words from one of America's finest, in the USMC, GySgt. Eric Jazak:
Eric writes:
"Well, it’s 4th of July here in Iraq and soon you will all be celebrating 231 years since our great Independence Day. Our celebrations are quite small over here, but the meaning is still very much the same. It is now going on six years since the attack on our great nation. Hundreds of years have passed and the fight to preserve freedom inside our borders still goes on. Of course it is not at the grand scale of fighting off the British government, or years later during our Revolutionary War we moved outside our borders to preserve liberties of other countries during WWI and in the Pacific and Atlantic campaigns of the WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq. It goes on and on and on. The real point to remember is, once our nation lived in the same tyranny of some of these countries. While the Armed Forces protect our freedoms outside our borders and those of other nations, it is the responsibility of our government, police and emergency services back home to keep our nation safe. Most importantly, it is up to every American citizen to cherish the right to be free and continue to be the best citizen for the better of our nation. As you celebrate 4th of July, it is important to remember that our nation at one time began just like every other nation, similar to what the Iraqi people are experiencing now. We were not handed our rights and liberties without sacrifice and our nation did not become the great nation it is now without the sacrifice of those who love it and cherished it most. During your celebrations, thank your family members, your neighbors, police officers, firefighters and everyone around you for preserving our great nation for the sacrifice you make on a day to day basis to preserve the freedoms and rights the American people are so privileged to have today.
As far as the mission here in Iraq……..we are busy, busy, busy! This is the 4th year for Operation Iraqi Freedom and the Iraqis are in a fight once familiar to our forefathers.
I think the last time I wrote, I mentioned something about engagements and rocket and mortar attacks being few and far between. As with everything over here, the mission and situation changes about one hundred times a week. Some days are calm and others filled with non-stop action. In the recent weeks as major operations continue to expand in our area of operations, the squadron has been involved in many successful engagements with the enemy. The security operations inside Baghdad and the outlying cities, towns and rural areas have turned into somewhat of a success story for us. I feel the increase in troop strength has been a huge advantage for the nation and especially for the units that have been stretched thin in certain areas. Although you will not read it in the stateside papers or see it on the 6 pm news, the big push we have asked for is now proving successful. I can’t speak for the boys over there in Baghdad but things seem to be going their way. However, the progress is working in our favor over here to the west. The relentless efforts of the Baghdad operations have forces the Al Qaeda and anti-Iraqi forces in our direction. We are capitalizing on the increase in troop strength with major operations north and west of Baghdad. Some of these areas have shown intense fighting with AQ forces that have been dug in for sometime now. I commend the Marines, Army and Iraqi forces on the ground for a job well done in the early stages of fighting……….please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
The Anti-Iraqi forces are now forced to move out to our neck of the woods. A true advantage to us I must say. For our “boots on the ground” (Infantry Marines and Soldiers) it has been a tough couple of weeks. They have taken a good beating in the last weeks but they are holding strong. They have struck significant blows to the anti-iraqi forces and have restored civilization to most of the key areas in our area. This is definitely unconventional warfare……a “by the book” insurgency and we respect the tactics of our enemy, but adapt and overcome them daily.
Years ago, there seemed to be no hope to save Al Anbar Province. Ramadi, Fallujah, Haditha and Hit were major strongholds of the Iraqi insurgency. Through the porous western borders, Al Qaim was the gateway into the country for insurgents to funnel in and out of Iraq from Syria. Al Qaeda forces roamed freely in major cities of Iraq joined with thousands of insurgents from post invasion Republican Guard and Baath Party cells. Iraqis were either with the insurgency or against it…there would be no gray area.
Most of these major cities have been secured and have government and police forces operating independently under coalition supervision. Through great sacrifice by coalition and Iraqi forces, confidence is being restored to the civilian populous in these regions. Al Anbar, now seems to be the model for Baghdad and outlying cities to follow because of the enormous amount of progress being made. The Iraqi Police and Army forces are in a fight to save what is left of their nation, torn by brutal murderers who’s only goal is fanatical Muslim state ruled by terror. The majority of Iraqis want exactly what we came here for……free nation, with peaceful lives ruled by a government who is looking out for their best interests.
Today is a much different story. Ramadi is now known as the safest city in Al Anbar. Although there are many dangers still lying in the shadows of Ramadi and the larger cities of Al Anbar Province, the city people now have a relatively booming economy and flourishing government. Police and Iraqi military groups are now securing there own city streets with routine patrols by coalition forces. This is a true success story for those who have served there when the times were not so good. Fallujah is now primarily secured in the same way. Because of the overwhelming growth of the security and police forces inside the city, the decision has been made to push many of these police and security forces to outlying cities to secure areas that coalition forces have cleared of Al Qaeda and anti-Iraqi forces. Hundreds of Iraqi men from all over Anbar are lined at the police stations for screening with hopes of new jobs to secure their nation. Some men are just looking for work, but others see it as an opportunity to make a real difference in their future. There are so many enlisted in certain areas that these men will be given academy dates weeks and months down the road or they will be sent to other cities to apply and train. In the mean time, militia groups and neighborhood watches are popping up all over the place. Tribe and town elders have directed their men to fight along side of us, or provide us intel to the movements of anti-coalition personnel. This trust barrier is divided by a fine line, fragile to say the least, but it is working in areas we once had no control over. With this push brings more fighting and a more dangerous environment for our Marines and soldiers. More fighting for us and more fighting for the Iraqi people. Some of these areas have not had a friendly face in them for years. Al Qaeda moved in, took everything from these innocent people and killed or forced them out of their homes. They became strongholds and safe-havens for the insurgency to plan their attacks in other areas. It is our goal to push them out and leave a local police force behind made up of locals from the area that can be trusted to protect their homes and neighbors. In return, we leave a small supervisory element behind to ensure police and Iraqi military are supported as needed.
We continue to move forward in our mission but we have a long way to go. There is much more success then failure to be proud of in Iraq. Of course there is a new government in Iraq that has made many mistakes and we have been right there with them. They are far from perfect and nor are the military and police forces but they are taking a stand against all odds and seem far more dedicated to the cause than we have ever given them credit for. I continue to hear that “Iraqis need to fight for themselves, the Iraqi Police and military forces are not ready to secure their own nation and it is time for us to move on”. I would like to think that is our decision to make…those of us fighting this war. But even in my world, I know that is not true. Never mind the fact that I believe in this mission 100% as most of us here do. The sheer nature of war is brutal and there is no glory in war. But let’s not forget about the sacrifices the Iraqis have made……those who have taken a stand to fight physically and politically for their fellow countrymen. My numbers could be well off by now, but I believe the losses in Iraqi Police and Army from this insurgency is roughly 20,000 killed and well over 50,000 wounded. I can’t even speak to the numbers of civilians killed for not supporting the fanatical Islamic State that the insurgency claims is best for its people. The majority of the anti-Iraqi insurgency comes from foreign fighters and the same ranks that once served under Saddam Hussein. The big difference now is that the Iraqi people who chose to stand up to this nonsense, now have support from coalition forces and there fellow countrymen with the same dedication and determination to see this mission through.
Finally, for those of you who have not heard, my deployment will be coming to a close here in the next two weeks or so. The plan is for me to fly out of here in mid to late July and begin the journey back to southern California for follow on work. Today I took the oath to sign on for another 4 years in our beloved Corps. I could not think of a better day to sign up for another chapter in my Marine Corps career.
I look forward to seeing you all when I get home…Thank you again for all of your support.."
GySgt Eric "Jimmy" Jazak
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