Iraq is a country that has been subjected to an ongoing battle for dominance for over 4500 years. Nestled between the Tigiris and Euphrates Rivers, Mesoptamia or modern day Iraq lies in the heart of the fabled “Fertile Crescent.” From the earliest times, the struggles for the region have often been dictated by the need for natural resources.
Currently the United States and its “coalition of the willing” occupies the country, however the Greeks, Romans, Ottomans, and British - not to mention the indigenous peoples - have all buried their dead in this land.

Here are 10 key battles from the violent history of Iraq

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SLEEP LAST NIGHT?

Bed a little lumpy…

Toss and turn any…

Wish the heat was higher…

Maybe the a/c wasn’t on…

Had to go to the john…

Need a drink of water…

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Yes.. It is like that!

Count your blessings, pray for them,

Talk to your Creator

And the next time when …

The other car cuts you off and you must hit the brakes, or you have to park a little further from Walmart than you want to be, or you’re served slightly warm food at the restaurant, or you’re sitting and cursing the traffic in front of you, or the shower runs out of hot water,

Think of them…
Protecting your freedom!

The proud warriors of Baker Company wanted to do something to pay tribute to our fallen comrades. So since we are part of the only Marine Infantry Battalion left in Iraq the one way that we could think of doing that is by taking a picture of Baker Company saying the way we feel. It would be awesome if you could find a way to share this with our fellow countrymen.

I was wondering if there was any way to get this into your papers to let the world know that “WE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN” and are proud to serve our country.”

Semper Fi

1stSgt Dave Jobe

The attached photo was forwarded from one of the last U.S. Marine companies in Iraq They would like to have it passed to as many people as possible, to let the folks back home know that they remember why they’re there and that they remember those who’ve been lost.

The AC-130 gunship is a heavily-armed ground attack airplane. The basic airframe is manufactured by Lockheed, and Boeing is responsible for the conversion into a gunship and for aircraft support. It is a variant of the C-130 Hercules transport plane. The AC-130 Gunship II superseded the AC-47 Gunship I in Vietnam.

Well, the Spectre crew members have never been this HOT!

Mufasta Ali and Bin Ladin Better Watch Their Tails!

Vanessa Dobos is a gunner on a USAF AC-130 Gunship. She has seen action in Iraq and Afghanistan. She likes long walks on the beach, men who are not afraid to cry and puppies.

Her dislikes include feed tray stoppages, tracer flareout of her NVGs and premature fixed-wing strikes scattering her high-value targets.

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During a family member’s, who is a former Marine, recent vacation in the Richmond area, he met a family who had pulled into the same motel. They had a Marine Corps sticker on their vehicles so obviously he was interested to learn when he had served. He said that he hadn’t but that his son had and was killed in Iraq recently. He then told him about what the program below, and then told me about it. Maybe you can send some small items maybe you can’t. But this is non-political and a small way to show support. Think about it anyway. It’s nice to live in relative safety and FREEDOM! Think about those that provide that for you!

At The Least, Please Help Get This Message Out To As Many People as Possible! It is A Wonderful Way to Support Our Troops and Provide Them With A Little Comfort From Home.

Remember there are two battle fields. The one overseas and the one here at home. It seems like we have to battle the media and the cowards in congress. The American’s of the World War II era helped shaped the great lives we share today by greatly helping the outcome of the War by sacrificing a little bit of their time and little bit of their luxuries.

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Mission Statement:

We are a non profit organization. We do not support nor oppose the war. Our only interest is in supporting the brave men and women who put their lives on the line everyday to protect our great country. Their mission in Iraq is a difficult one, both physically and mentally. Our goal is to show them how grateful we our for their service and sacrifice.

Our mission is to send some of the comforts of home to those who so diligently watch over and protect us.

We appreciate all the supply donations you have to offer. Please click here to learn more about where to send them. http://www.adamconboymemorialfund.org/

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Inspirational soldier rap video from a Marine expressing his patriotism for love for fellow troops deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan

UPDATE FROM BLACKFIVE:

Just in- Another co-worker of SSGT Dean’s forwards his have MySpace page In deference to accuracy and at the request of many of Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children, I have added a T to the SSG in SSGT Dean’s rank. Ooh rah, Eat the Apple……never mind. Semper Fi.

Most of you saw this video when we posted it earlier this week, and most of you wrote to say how wonderful it was. It contained many heartfelt sentiments about what being an American and an American fighting man means. The artist was unknown, until now. Ladies and Gentlemen I introduce you to SSGT Lawrence E. Dean II. A reader who may claim her kudos in the comments if she wants to, alerted us that SSgt Dean was the artist and he worked with her husband. She sent along B5 contact info and then let me know we needed to coordinate with the Cherry Point PAO and Mr. Mike Barton was very helpful and facilitated a phone interview w/ SSGT Dean. Here is the coolest thing, the piece is titled She Called, well She is his Grandma and the piece is his explanation to her of why he would go to war. WOW! It was great to talk with him and I wish him the best in what could be a second career. Semper Fi!

Visit http://www.blackfive.net/main/2007/08/exclusive-inter.html For The Exclusive Interview

Iraq war veteran Sgt. Juan Arredondo can now grasp tennis balls and door knobs with his left hand again, now that he’s been outfitted with a bionic hand that has flexible fingers. This brings new meaning and current implementation to once futuristic themes such as Terminator, Robo Cop and Star Wars.

The 27-year-old former Army soldier, who lost his left hand in 2005 during a patrol in Iraq when a IED exploded through the left side of his vehicle, is one of the first recipients of the i-LIMB. Arredondo was on patrol in Iraq on Feb. 28, 2005, when an explosive device blasted through the left side of his vehicle. As he jumped from the driver’s seat, he noticed that his left hand was still clutching the steering wheel. At San Antonio’s Brooke Army Medical Center, he was stabilized enough to have his amputated arm closed up and readied for a prosthesis. He went through two artificial arms until finally receiving the i-Limb.

“To have this movement, it’s — it’s amazing! My son tells me I’m half robot, half man,”

Arredondo said Monday as he showed off the limb made by Scotland-based Touch Bionics.

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A three letter abbreviation that’s becoming synonymous with the Iraq War is IDE. Improvised explosive device (IED) is a bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action.The Navy recently pressed for new out-of-the-box technologies that could predict where IED bombs will explode, now the Marines have just ordered 1000 mine resistant, ambush-protected vehicle (MRAP’s) to further save lives on the streets of Iraq.

The Cougar (known in the United Kingdom as “Tempest”, and previously it seems in the US as “Lion” and “Typhoon”), is designed to withstand a 30-pound blast of TNT to either the front or rear axles as well as a 15-pound blast to the center portion of the vehicle. The Cougar Hardened Engineer Vehicle, until 2002 marketed as the Lion, can be configured to complete a wide variety of mission requirements. The new HEV can serve as a mine-proof troop transport vehicle, a law enforcement special response vehicle, a weapons platform, or an escort protection vehicle.

The $490 million contract, which will be the biggest order for MRAP’s so far, calls for 300 Cougar 4 x 4s and 700 of the larger, six-wheeled Cougar 6 x 6s. Whilst no vehicle is completely safe from an IDE the Cougar is better armored than the Humvee and features a V-shaped undercarriage that partially redirects explosive blasts around the vehicle. The Marines field-tested various mine-resistant vehicles before settling on the Cougar. In 2006 this Cougar RG-31 suffered a direct IED hit, but none of the crew were killed.

The Cougar 4 x 4 and 6 x 6 models both have 330-hp diesels, top speeds of 65 mph, a 600-mile range, and seating for 10. The 6 x 6 can haul 14,000 pounds, nearly triple the 4 x 4 max load. Cougar, developed and produced by Force Protection Inc. is a multi-purpose, 12 ton mine protected armored patrol vehicle. The design uses a monocoque, bulletproof and blast-proof capsule fitted with transparent armored glass, which protects the driver and crew from small arms fire, mine blasts and IED.

Typical roles for the vehicle are armored, mine protected troop transport for security, stability and peacekeeping missions, protected weapons platform, law enforcement special response vehicle, counter IED an EOD / Range Clearance vehicle. The vehicle can accommodate 10 passengers in a 4×4 configuration and 16 passengers in a 6×6 configuration. Cougar was selected to serve with the US Marine Corps as a Hardened Engineer Vehicle (HEV), to support engineer mine clearing and explosive ordnance disposal teams deployed in Iraq.

As of June 2006, there are more than 130 Cougars and Buffalos in Afghanistan and Iraq. Since their deployment to Iraq in 2003 the Cougar and Buffalo vehicles employed with explosive ordnance disposal teams and engineers units have taken about 1,000 IED hits without a loss of life, said Wayne Phillips, a company vice president in charge of Marine Corps programs. The vehicle has proven to be superior to less protected vehicles, such as the up-armored Humvee or armored trucks.

Bigger plans to order more MRAP’s are still caught up in political controversy however the Pentagon hopes to eventually deploy a total of 7774 MRAPs at the total cost of 8.4 billion dollars. A small price to pay for the lives of our Troops on the streets of Iraq.

Defense Technology on the H Series Cougar Armord Truck

Going through my Emails to help organize files and eliminate unnecessary files, I found a Flash presentation that I enjoyed very much. I did not post it on this Blog yet, but I am sure many have seen it already. However, for those who have not yet seen it I wanted to make sure I post it. It is a poetic presentation of pictures and sayings of a memorial service honoring Marines that made the ultimate sacrifice during the Iraq War. Click the image below to launch the Flash presentation in a new window:

US Army has started implementing Microsoft’s newest gaming system, the XBox 360, to help train soldiers with simulated combat and war games. The United States military has always been aware of the synergy between gaming and its new weapons systems. On a side note I read that when the Department of Defense was designing the new Air Force jet F22 Raptor, it brought in the expertise of young gamers to give suggestions on the layout and configuration of the interface to make it more intuitive for the Airmen of the future.

Recently, the US Army conducted its first live-fire exercise, Experiment 1.1, using Future Combat Systems (FCS) technologies and equipment. The military exercise was apart of the most comprehensive Army modernization effort and was held at Oro Grande Range at Fort Bliss, Texas. This included a robot designed to take out snipers and code named the RedOwl. The inventory of military robots and unmanned vehicles doesn’t stop there though. The XBox controller is used to control and maneuver robots. The controllers are not completely wireless however. It looks like the controller goes to a pack on the soldier which communicates wirelessly to the robot. Not only does having a wired controller save on batteries, it simplifies the system, by only having one wireless system versus two, which cuts down on points of failure.

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It’s been said that one picture is worth a thousand words. How many words is this one worth? Priceless! This photo of Christian Golcznski shows so much courage in such a young man. Unfortunately, photos like this one are absent in most daily news and media programs today. As a military brat of two Marines, this story especially hit home.

Marine Staff Sgt. Marcus “Marc” Golczynski, was killed in Iraq on March 27. At his funeral in April, Daily News Journal photographer Aaron Thompson captured Marc Golczynski’s teary-eyed son, 8-year-old Christian, accepting a U.S. flag from his father’s casket.

Click Photo to Enlarge

This amazing picture has drawn a lot of comments from readers of the Nashville paper, The Tennessean. Below is two:

Dear Tennessean:

The Tennessean’s April 5 photograph of young Christian Golczynski accepting the American flag from Marine Lt. Col. Ric Thompson is one of the most moving and emotion provoking images I have ever seen.

My wife and I attended funeral services for Christian’s father, Staff Sergeant Marcus Golczynski, on April 4, along with our six year-old son, dozens of Marines, and several hundred others who came to pay tribute to this fallen hero.

As one would expect, many of your readers were touched by this incredible picture. Staff Sergeant Golczynski had previously served one full tour in Iraq. Shortly before his death on March 27 he wrote to his family that he had volunteered to do this a second time due to our deep desire to finish the job we started. In his letter he said, “We fight and sometimes die so that our families don’t have to.” Tragically, Staff Sergeant Golczynski had only two weeks remaining on his second tour. We look at the photograph of Christian every day. It is displayed prominently in our home. Our hearts ache for Christian and for all those who have lost loved ones in this controversial conflict.

Our nation is at a historical crossroads. Do we call an end to the struggle in Iraq or press on? Staff Sergeant Golczynski eloquently told his son how he felt about not giving up. Perhaps there is a lesson for all of us in this man’s life and the choices he made. He was undeniably a man of tremendous courage and conviction. America must now choose whether to complete the job.

When looking at the face of Christian Golczynski I am reminded that doing what is right is not always easy and doing what is easy is not always right. Christian’s dad knew that too.

James Drescher

Franklin, TN

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Staff Sergeant Golczynski had previously served one full tour in Iraq . Shortly before his death on March 27 he wrote to his family that he had volunteered to do this a second time due to our deep desire to finish the job we started. In his letter he said, “We fight and sometimes die so that our families don’t have to.” Tragically, Staff Sergeant Golczynski had only two weeks remaining on his second tour. Our hearts ache for Christian and for all those who have lost loved ones in this controversial conflict.

Our nation is at a historical crossroads. Do we call an end to the struggle in Iraq or press on? Staff Sergeant Golczynski eloquently told his son how he felt about not giving up. Perhaps there is a lesson for all of us in this man’s life and the choices he made. He was undeniably a man of tremendous courage and conviction. America must now choose whether to complete the job.

When looking at the face of Christian Golczynski we are reminded that doing what is right is not always easy and doing what is easy is not always right. Christian’s dad knew that too.

Our country is free right now due to the heroes who gave the ultimate sacrifices when their country called them to action. Many great wars ago or even the most recent ones, it never mattered to the men and women in uniform when the call was made. What mattered was the honor and devotion to our great country. We should never let our guard down to anyone who wishes to take from us our most prized possession; freedom. Many have fought and died for that one goal, to defend our country, one nation, under God and never allowing our freedom to cease to exists.

Say a prayer this memorial day, for all those who have served or are serving our great country. Say a prayer for those who will never come home and to their families who also have gave the ultimate sacrifice for us all.

God Bless America!!!

Below is a great picture of a sign in a Marine’s Barracks over in Iraq. We just added the missing text at the bottom. Just thought it would fit well on our new blog and help show our support for what our Military is doing!