Postive News from Iraq

[Odie 0]

In another post some complain that there are no postive news from Iraq. I have found many news stories that are postive from the media.

 

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Cavalry aims for pupils' 'hearts and minds'

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

By Hart Seely

Staff writer

Baghdad - Nobody trained them for this. The U.S. Army taught them to raid insurgent dens, run checkpoints and patrol dangerous streets. It trained them to fight wars — not for this.

 

"Hearts and minds," Sgt. 1st Class Robert F. Lieske reminded his men, as Bravo Troop prepared for Tuesday’s mission.

 

It called for a different sort of offensive. The soldiers of the 1-71 Cavalry would take toys, candy and supplies to an elementary school near Forward Operating Base Independence, their outpost in central Baghdad. The gifts came from the soldiers’ families, who sent them to Iraq in the belief that their sons and husbands will be safer if the streets they patrol are better off.

 

As the soldiers prepared for their third giveaway, Bravo Troop was running low on toys to distribute and 2nd Lt. Robert L. Miller - the man assigned to sweat the details - feared they would run short.

 

"Hopefully, this goes OK," said Miller, 23, of Preston, Md., carrying the small box of supplies that would have to make due. "But I’m nervous."

 

On the last giveaway, some kindergarten students broke into tears at the sight of U.S. troops. It took a while to calm them down. Fortunately, everybody got something that day.

 

The soldiers huddle around Lieske’s Humvee. Today’s mission should be relatively safe: They will be near kids. Soldiers generally believe the presence of children lowers the chance of enemy attack.

 

With the Iraqis leading - this is business as usual, the U.S. Army wants the Iraqis to lead joint missions - the troops convoy to the Al Manahil Primary School, just east of the base. The school sits on a narrow street, hidden by a 6-foot-tall concrete wall.

 

Outwardly, the building doesn't look like a school. But it sounds like one. A joyful noise of children laughing fills the street.

 

Miller unloads the box of giveaways, looking increasingly worried as about 150 girls assemble in the courtyard. They stand in rows, excitedly watching the soldiers in their helmets and body armor.

 

Enough to go around?

 

Nearby, Bravo Capt. Rob Duchaine, 30, of Brooklyn, wonders how to divvy up the goods. They want to save some stuff for the children of Iraqi troops killed in combat. It looks like they won't have enough toys to go around.

 

"This is what we didn't want," Duchaine says.

 

But then, within minutes, reinforcements arrive. Iraqi soldiers tear open two boxes of activity books called "Baghdad Kids." There are plenty, and the girls take them eagerly.

 

Miller hands out stuffed animals and squishy baseballs. A few lucky girls get musical recorders or small hand games; the others roll up the books and whack each other, giggling.

 

Sgt. John G. Parrell - who was reluctantly drafted by Lieske to go into the school - now gets drafted by Duchaine to hand out goodies.

 

Pass the lollipops

 

"Hey," Miller shouts, from a crowd of kids. "Can you get me the can of Milk Duds?"

 

"That's the one with the cows?" asks Staff Sgt. Sophal Saing.

 

Miller nods. The can holds lollipops. Lots and lots of lollipops.

 

The Iraqis keep handing out books; the girls are having a great time.

 

"Some of them are a little scared," a teacher says of her pupils.

 

She says her school must be rebuilt, because the sewer system no longer works. She expresses thanks for the visit and for the goodies. But on the matter of her children, she has one primary concern.

 

"The most important thing is the sewers," she says, through an interpreter. "They must be working."

 

Children in war

 

The woman, clad in a traditional shawl, says the war wears heavily on her students.

 

"We hear every day the sound of bullets, explosions, in the air," she says.

 

She is asked: Do her children have a childhood?

 

She mulls the question, long after it has been translated, then says: "The child who loses his mother or father, he is a hundred years old."

 

The Iraqi and U.S. troops take pictures of the girls, who grin with delight at the adults' attention. With a little coaxing, the girls shout "Long live Iraq!" three times.

 

"Adorable, they are just adorable," says Saing, a father of two. "It makes you want to be home."

 

Miller moves through the crowd, dispensing lollipops.

 

"Perfect," Saing says. "We come, hype them all up with candy, then leave."

 

Outside the school wall, the girls' laughter fills the street.

 

Bravo Troop heads for the Humvees, ready to roll.

 

"You know, I didn't want to do this at first," says Parrell, of his role as a makeshift Santa. "But it was really nice."

 

"The Iraqi army had the books, and the candy went a long way," Miller says, looking jubilant. "You know, it was almost like the Bible story, where Jesus is breaking the fish and the bread; it just kept spreading out. Also, this time, nobody cried!"

 

"Back to the FOB," Lieske says into the radio. "Mission complete."

[Odie 0]

Engineer proud of Iraq rebuilding

BY RUTH SOLOMON

STAFF WRITER

Deerfield Review

 

It was not the fear of being blown up, but the fear of loneliness that most concerned Army Corps engineer Roger Vanoer during his 16-month stay in Iraq.

 

But meeting natives from 28 countries and at least 34 states allowed Vanoer to avoid being homesick.

 

"A big part of not getting homesick was having the great fortune of meeting and working with high quality people who came not only from all over the United States, but from all over the world as well," Vanoer wrote in the "final edition" on Oct. 28 of his regular e-mail from Iraq to family and friends back home.

 

Safely back in Deerfield as of Nov. 1 with his wife and three teen-age children, Vanoer feels complete satisfaction about the work he did while volunteering in Iraq with the Army Corps of Engineers

 

And in turn, Vanoer believes the Iraqi engineers with whom he worked had ended up taking enormous pride in their work. He also believed that working one-on-one with his Iraqi counterparts made it possible to rid them of negative stereotypes of Americans.

 

The Army Corps projects where Vanoer served as resident engineer in "Gulf Region South" included rehabilitating 309 schools, 60 medical clinics, and three hospitals, according to an article on one of his projects that appeared earlier this year in Centcom, the U.S. Command Center newspaper.

 

The corps engineers also worked on oil-related projects, border forts, courthouses, prisons, fire stations, police stations, airports, bridges, port and irrigation projects, a wastewater treatment facility, water distribution projects, water treatment plants, and 3,767 miles of roads.

 

Despite all the work repairing Iraq's infrastructure, Vanoer does not think the U.S. is ready to leave Iraq on its own any time soon.

 

He said his gut feeling is that the U.S. may have to stay in Iraq about five more years to be certain law and order would be maintained.

 

And it would take longer for Iraq to truly transform itself.

 

"I think for Iraq to really turn the corner will take a generation," Vanoer said.

 

Not that different

 

Vanoer said he met all sorts of Iraqis.

 

"For the most part they are not very dissimilar from us. They have bills to pay and families to provide for. They have the same ups and downs with family life. They love their families. They want life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; and they want security," Vanoer wrote.

 

Working with the Iraqi engineers made Vanoer the most proud.

 

"At the beginning, the guys were not going to their projects. I was constantly preaching to them to do even the small stuff. Then they saw for themselves the results," Vanoer said.

 

Before returning to his work for the Army Corps in Chicago, Vanoer is trying to reintegrate himself back into family life with his wife, Deb, and his children, Eva, Carly, and Sam. He has taken over making lunches and bringing out the recycling. His wife is happy to have her husband home, he said.

 

"She is happy to have someone to hang with on Saturday nights," he said.

[Krissy Phaserman 0]

I'm guessing the Deerfield to which is refered would be Deerfield, Illinois? If so, I'm sorry to say, but Mr. Vanoer won't be getting much of a warm reception from the locals back home. Most of the folks in the Deerfield/Highland Park area are stuck in the Vietnam Mentality, where the war and those who participate in it are evil, unless you're dead, then you are important.

[Odie 0]

For those who dead someone lost a child, brother, sister, mother, and/or a father. You can't just ignore the died and call it negative news. They are a loss to the community as a whole and they should know who dies. My hometown paper tries to report the positive news and events in Iraq, but they will not stop reporting when someone dies from the community.

 

So far I have just posted two articles that where positive news yet someone had to find a negative.

 

Cop sees Buffalo's mean streets as relatively tame next to Iraq's

By DAN HERBECK

News Staff Reporter

11/2/2005

 

Derek Gee/Buffalo News

Ralph Skinner of South Buffalo, a member of the Military Police assigned to the Navy Reserve, spent six months in Iraq, and is one of at least 10 city police officers who have served there or in Afghanistan in the last four years.

 

"My worst nights as a Buffalo cop are nothing like what we saw in Iraq." Police Officer Ralph Skinner

 

In 16 years as a police officer, Ralph Skinner has been shot at twice. He has arrested killers, robbers and rapists. He once ran into a burning apartment building to rescue a man.

But he said his experiences as a Buffalo street cop now seem relatively tame compared with the six months he spent on military duty in Iraq.

 

He rarely goes through a full shift of patrol duty in Buffalo without thinking - at least once or twice - about the mayhem he witnessed in Iraq.

 

"It's not easy being a police officer. It's a difficult job. But my worst nights as a Buffalo cop are nothing like what we saw in Iraq," said Skinner, 41, who rides in a one-man car in the Ferry-Fillmore District.

 

"In Buffalo, if we come upon a man with a gun, it's usually because we're responding to a 911 call. In Iraq, with no warning, you could be facing a sniper, roadside bombs or a mortar attack. The most harmless looking kid could be a suicide bomber. Your mind-set has to be totally vigilant, at every minute of the day."

 

Skinner, a member of the Military Police assigned to the U.S. Navy Reserve Center in Rochester, has been back at work in Buffalo since June. He is one of at least 10 Buffalo police officers who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan over the last four years.

 

Although he is in the Navy, Skinner was far from the ocean during his service in Iraq. He spent three months supervising a road checkpoint near Camp Carolina Crossroads, at the border of Iraq and Kuwait. He spent three months after that on similar duties in the town of Balad, 30 miles north of Baghdad.

 

Skinner's unit recovered hundreds of weapons - mainly guns and grenade launchers - from people and vehicles they searched. Skinner also spent much of his time flying in Black Hawk helicopters to locations in Baghdad, Tikrit and other cities, where he trained American soldiers how to search prisoners and vehicles.

 

Skinner has a reputation for courage among comrades in the Buffalo Police Department. He has won numerous commendations for his military service and police work. He and Officer Gerald Sullivan received the Edward A. Butler Gold Medal for Heroism in 2001, after their arrest of a man who stepped out of his car and began shooting at them with a semiautomatic rifle.

 

But Skinner is not ashamed to admit that he was often scared in Iraq.

 

In Balad, he said, he was dangerously close to mortar fire or improvised roadside bombs almost every day. He worked with several soldiers who were killed, and many others who lost arms or legs in explosions.

 

There were so many mortar attacks in Balad that soldiers sometimes referred to the region as "Mortaritaville." Skinner believes that the closest he came to dying was the day he was in a tent and a mortar round landed about 100 yards away. He felt "like somebody hit me in the chest with a sledgehammer."

 

While flying over Baghdad in a Black Hawk, he would look down and see burning cars and buildings. Sometimes insurgents on the ground would fire rockets, narrowly missing the choppers. "I'd wonder," he said, " "What the hell am I doing here?' "

 

He kept in touch with his family - especially his mother, Anita Skinner, and his two teenage sons, Ryan and Anthony - but never told them how bad things really were.

 

"I would call my mom in Buffalo and say, "Everything's OK; we're going out to play some basketball,' " Skinner said. "But really, you never felt safe. You felt like you, and everybody you work with, could be killed any day."

 

Skinner said that another difficulty of his Iraq experience was being unable to support his brother Paul, a former city narcotics detective, in May, when he was sentenced to seven years and nine months in federal prison. Paul Skinner, who denied the allegations, was convicted of violating the civil rights of drug suspects. In 2004, another brother, Gerald, was sentenced to a shorter prison term in the same case.

 

"It was very painful for me not to be there for Paul," said Ralph Skinner, who did not work in the narcotics unit and was never implicated. "Paul and I are very close, and I would have wanted to be there for him in court."

 

Skinner, who also saw Military Police duty in Kuwait during the Persian Gulf War in 1991, said the Iraq War is "much more dangerous" for American military personnel. He closely follows daily news reports from Iraq, and he is concerned that he will be sent back there for one more tour of duty before the conflict is over.

 

Asked for his opinion on President Bush's war policies in Iraq, Skinner said he voted for Bush but now has some strong misgivings about the conflict.

 

"I think we should have concentrated all our energies and efforts on finding Osama bin Laden and bringing him to justice," he said, referring to the head of the al-Qaida terrorist network. "I think we can win in Iraq, but I can't see us getting out of there for another two years at least. And I can see us having permanent bases in Iraq after that."

 

Skinner compared the people of Iraq with those he encounters every day while patrolling some of Buffalo's most crime-infested neighborhoods.

 

"In the worst neighborhoods in Buffalo, you have a few criminals terrorizing a lot of good people," he said. "Ninety-five percent of the people are good people. They just want some peace.

 

"It's the same way in Iraq. From what I saw, most of the people were glad to have us there."

Edited November 10, 2005 by Odie

[Jim Phaserman 0]

thank you for posting the positive articles, Odie. we need more good news.

[Odie 0]

Thanks for the vote, JP! Even though main stream media may or may not have lots of positive news of what is going in Iraq it really doesn't matter to me. Its not very hard to find if the person is willing to look for it. I use Google when I want and need to find what is going on with the news around the world.

 

When the cavalry really counts

 

 

by Sgt. Ken Hall

Army News Service

 

 

Too often Americans focus on combat losses in Iraq and overlook the long-term benefits of reconstruction projects in scores of Iraqi cities and towns.

 

The leaders of the 1st Cavalry Division gave testimony at the House Armed Services Committee Nov. 3 about mission successes, especially the rebuilding of infrastructure, during Operation Iraqi Freedom II.

 

While Soldiers engage and destroy the enemies of the United States in far away lands, destroying the infrastructures of foreign nations is in fact not what American Soldiers do best, nor is it what they aspire to do. One example can be found in Sadr City during 2004, where the 1st Calvary Division took on the mantle of infrastructure rebuilding oversight that was being carried by their predecessors in theater, the First Armored Division and 2nd Cavalry Regiment.

 

"I can't describe the scene in Sadr City in December, 2004, when fresh water began flowing from the brand new water network, servicing 100,000 people for the first time ever," said Col. Robert Abrams, 1st Cavalry Division chief of staff during Operation Iraqi Freedom II. "This was only one part of the more than $300 million dollars in large scale infrastructure projects the 1st Calvary Division oversaw in partnership with USAID and the Iraqi people last year.

 

"Part of our area of operations included 20 square kilometers of fertile farmland along the Diyala River," said Abrams. "One of my Battalions created an Iraqi farmer's co-op, and oversaw the planting of over 240 tons of seed and influenced thousands of Iraqi's perceptions of the United States by donating tons of humanitarian items such as chickens, beef, sheep, shoes, and heaters directly to the people."

 

Iraq's first post-Saddam Hussein election voter turnout was measured by news services in terms of millions of voters who braved the barrage of insurgents and terrorist car bomb attacks on the voting stations. But there was something overlooked on the front pages of the world's media coverage; the many faces of a new Iraqi nation.

 

"During the elections in January 2005, we worked side by side with Iraqi Election Commission officials throughout every step of the process," said Abrams. "And we always ensured there was an Iraqi face in the front, and our Soldiers and junior leaders were right behind them in the background with a large safety net in the event something would be dropped -- and things were dropped, but our Soldiers were magnificent, and it was seamless to both the Iraqi people and to the world."

 

For those who have "bothered to come over there" and have seen what we're doing, they really understand what we're engaged in, said Command Sgt. Maj. Neil Ciotola, command sergeant major of the 1st Cavalry Division during 2004. "The Soldiers know that what we're doing over there is honorable and just. American Soldiers are "challenged every day, whether they are in training or on deployments, and they always live up to the challenges," said Ciotola.

Edited November 11, 2005 by Odie

[LordOfTheBorg 1]

Interesting.. from all the news i seen, i was starting to think that the media wasn't allowed to say positive news about iraq...

[Jim Phaserman 0]

There was a thread a few months ago about America being the new Rome, well, our soldiers have something in common with their Roman predicessors. Yes, we do seek out and destroy the enemy, but we are also quite accomplished builders. How many other "Conquering Nations" Make it a priority to rebuild the nations they defeat? And in the case of Iraq and Afghanistan, the countries will be more modern after we leave then before we arrived.

[LordOfTheBorg 1]

Thats true jim. If you look at what iraq was before, and what it is after.. there is a fairly big change. I see that america can do some good! :lol: :lol:

[Odie 0]

Untied States is far from being Roman. How many countries rebuild their enemies cities and return their lands to them? Roman would never have done that in a million years. They would have taken lands and/or destroy the cities and the people would have been slaves if they fought against them.

 

 

U.S. soldiers battle for hearts and minds in Iraq

By HART SEELY

 

Newhouse News Service

The Sealtle Time

 

First Sgt. Ryan Laugna of Bethlehem, Pa., shows pupils at the Al Manahil Primary School in Baghdad pictures he took of them while other soldiers hand out candy and toys at the school, part of an effort to win over civilians in Iraq.

 

 

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Nobody trained them for this. The Army taught them to raid insurgent dens, run checkpoints and patrol dangerous streets. It trained them to fight wars — not do this.

 

"Hearts and minds," Sgt. First Class Robert F. Lieske reminded his men, as Bravo Troop prepared for their recent mission.

 

It called for a different sort of offensive. The soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division based at Fort Drum, N.Y., would take toys, candy and supplies to an elementary school near Forward Operating Base (FOB) Independence, their outpost in central Baghdad.

 

The gifts came from the soldiers' families, who sent them to Iraq in the belief that their sons and husbands will be safer if the streets they patrol are better off.

 

As the soldiers prepared for their third giveaway, Bravo Troop was running low on toys to distribute and 2nd Lt. Robert L. Miller — the man assigned to sweat the details — feared they would run short.

 

"Hopefully, this goes OK," said Miller, carrying the small box of supplies that would have to suffice. "But I'm nervous."

 

On the last giveaway, some kindergarten students broke into tears at the sight of uniformed U.S. troops. It took a while to calm them down. Fortunately, everybody got something that day.

 

The soldiers huddle around Lieske's Humvee. Today's mission should be relatively safe: They will be near kids. Soldiers generally believe the presence of children lowers the chance of enemy attack.

 

Joint mission

 

With the Iraqis leading — the U.S. Army wants the Iraqis to lead joint missions — the troops ride in a convoy to the Al Manahil Primary School, just east of the base. The school sits on a narrow street, hidden by a 6-foot-tall concrete wall.

 

The building doesn't look like a school. But it sounds like one. The sound of children's laughter fills the street.

 

Miller unloads the box of giveaways, looking increasingly worried they won't have enough gifts as about 150 girls assemble in the courtyard. They stand in rows, excitedly watching the soldiers in their helmets and body armor.

 

Nearby, Bravo Capt. Rob Duchaine wants to save some stuff for the children of Iraqi troops killed in combat. It looks like they won't have enough toys to go around.

 

"This is what we didn't want," Duchaine says.

 

But then, within minutes, reinforcements arrive. Iraqi soldiers tear open boxes of activity books called "Baghdad Kids." There are plenty, and the girls take them eagerly.

 

Miller hands out stuffed animals and squishy baseballs. A few lucky girls get musical recorders or small games; the others roll up the books and whack each other, giggling.

 

Sgt. John G. Parrell — who was drafted by Lieske to go into the school — now gets drafted by Duchaine to hand out goodies.

 

"Hey," Miller shouts, from a crowd of kids. "Can you get me the can of Milk Duds?"

 

"That's the one with the cows?" asks Staff Sgt. Sophal Saing.

 

Miller nods. The can holds lollipops. Lots and lots of lollipops. The Iraqis keep handing out books; the girls are having a great time.

 

"Some of them are a little scared," a teacher says of her pupils.

 

She says her school must be rebuilt, because the sewer system no longer works. She expresses thanks for the visit and the goodies. But on the matter of her children, she has one primary concern.

 

"The most important thing is the sewers," she says, through an interpreter. "They must be working."

 

Childhood lost

 

The woman, clad in a traditional shawl, says the war wears heavily on her students.

 

"We hear every day the sound of bullets, explosions, in the air," she says.

 

She is asked: Do her children have a childhood?

 

She mulls the question long after it has been translated, then says, "The child who loses his mother or father, he is a hundred years old."

 

The Iraqi and U.S. troops take pictures of the girls, who grin with delight at the adults' attention. With a little coaxing, the girls shout "Long live Iraq!" three times.

 

"Adorable, they are just adorable," says Saing, a father of two. "It makes you want to be home."

 

Miller moves through the crowd, dispensing lollipops.

 

"Perfect," Saing says. "We come, hype them all up with candy, then leave."

 

Bravo Troop heads for the Humvees, ready to roll.

 

"You know, I didn't want to do this at first," says Parrell."But it was really nice."

 

"The Iraqi Army had the books, and the candy went a long way," Miller says, looking jubilant. "You know, it was almost like the Bible story, where Jesus is breaking the fish and the bread; it just kept spreading out. Also, this time, nobody cried!"

 

"Back to the FOB," Lieske says into the radio. "Mission complete."

Edited November 12, 2005 by Odie

[LordOfTheBorg 1]

Untied States is far from being Roman. How many countries rebuild their enemies cities and return their lands to them? Roman would never have done that in a million years. They would have taken lands and/or destroy the cities and the people would have been slaves if they fought against them.

 

 

Yes, they would have made them slaves, but they also would bring economy and build roads for the new countries they conquered... As far as i know, they also let them have a certain amount of rule over there land, but i could be incorrect..

[Odie 0]

The Romans would place a governor that was completely loyal to Roman itself.

Edited November 13, 2005 by Odie

[Jim Phaserman 0]

I meant that like Roman Soldiers, American Soldiers are Builders. We do do things the romans would never have done, such as leave when we're done.

 

And Odie, I think the Milwaukee talk radio station actually covered that last story you posted on Friday. WTMJ is usually pretty good about the fair reporting. Then again, the afternoon show, "The Greenhouse" is hosted by an Air Force veteran, which may have something to do with it.

[Odie 0]

Friends learn Marine saved hundreds

The staff sergeant disarmed explosives before being killed by one in Iraq

By Diana Leone

dleone@starbulletin.com

 

 

DURING his short time in Iraq, Marine Staff Sgt. Daniel A. Tsue's work saved the lives of hundreds of people, friends and family heard at his funeral yesterday.

 

As a member of the elite Marine Corps Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, Tsue's job was to disarm explosives or get them away from their intended targets.

 

Tsue handled 63 ordnance disposals in Iraq, and "probably saved over 200 Marines and soldiers' lives over there, just by his actions alone," said Tsue's company commander, Capt. Lawrence Goshen.

 

"He did his duty and he did it extremely well," Goshen said of the 27-year-old Moanalua Valley native and 1996 Kahuku High School graduate. "He was great at what he did. He will ever be in his Marines' hearts and minds until the day we die."

 

Tsue, who was serving with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force from Camp Pendleton, Calif., was killed by a homemade bomb on Nov. 1 near Ar Ramadi, about 70 miles west of Baghdad.

 

His death brought the total to 72 people with island ties who have died in Iraq since the war began in 2003.

UNTIL RECENTLY, childhood friends Marc Togashi and Branden Nishikawa thought that Tsue was working in the U.S. Embassy in Japan, they said yesterday after the service at Borthwick Mortuary.

 

"About a month ago, he called me out of the blue and said he was stationed in a dangerous area of Iraq," Nishikawa said. "I said, 'Keep yourself safe. Don't take any chances. Don't be a hero.'"

 

Togashi and Nishikawa said they wouldn't have guessed back in elementary and intermediate school that Tsue would grow up to be a Marine. But they agreed that he had always been smart.

 

"Very smart," said Nishikawa.

 

"He was always trying to learn something," Togashi said.

 

Joan Murata, Tsue's aunt, recalled in her eulogy that, "At an early age, he delighted his grandfather by solving math equations in his head quicker than it could be written out."

 

After Tsue "aced" his college entrance exam, Murata said, the Marine Corps recruited him, and after just one semester at the University of Hawaii-Hilo, he accepted.

 

She read from a recent e-mail from her nephew in which he wrote: "I'm planning on doing a consecutive tour out here. So, I'll be here for another year or so. I figure since I'm single, I may as well stay out here and save some married guy from having to leave his family for six months."

 

That's the kind of person Tsue was, agreed Gunnery Sgt. Jose Soto, Tsue's team leader in Iraq. "He was genuinely a good person, one of those people who did the right thing."

 

While Tsue "had a relaxed, hair-down attitude about things," he was superb at his job. One of Tsue's habits after a mission was to "take off his boots and put on his flip-flops (slippers)," Soto said in an interview. "He always brought a piece of Hawaii with him."

 

SOTO GOT chuckles from funeral attendees when he told them that in his off hours, Tsue was on a mission to improve his fellow Marines' poker game.

 

"He never took our money," Soto said later. "That would be like taking candy from a baby."

 

Tsue's half-sister, Joy Takemoto, was choked with emotion as she described how grateful she was to have visited with him in June after not having seen him for 6 1/2 years.

 

"What little time we had was perfect. He was just such an awesome brother," she said.

 

As a Marine, Tsue served his fellow man, and in so doing served God as well, Marine Chaplain Daniel Whitaker said.

 

Tsue was awarded a Purple Heart and promoted posthumously from sergeant to staff sergeant.

 

Other survivors include his father, Richard; mother Deborah Takemoto; half-brother Alexander Takemoto; and grandmother Marian Tsue.

 

His ashes will be inurned at 1 p.m. tomorrow at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl.

Edited November 13, 2005 by Odie

[Odie 0]

Guardsmen recognized for service in Iraq

 

Spc. Errol Holcomb and his wife, LaRee, look over items presented to him at Saturday’s ceremony while their son, Noah, 5, takes a peek.

 

 

By Sean Janssen

Central Kitsap Reporter

Nov 14 2005

After arriving in Iraq more than a year ago, 67 Bremerton-based National Guard soldiers are now home and being recognized for their service.

Washington Army National Guard members from Bravo Company of the 1st Battalion, 303rd Armor of the 81st Brigade Combat Team were recognized Saturday morning in a ceremony at the Bremerton Readiness Center, the company’s home armory.

Dignitaries present for the ceremony included U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Seattle), Maj. Gen. Timothy Lowenberg, Adjutant General of the State of Washington and Kitsap County Sheriff Steve Boyer.

Murray was first to address the troops, thanking them and their families.

“Your sacrifices will never be forgotten and never be taken for granted,” Murray said. “I think we often forget the sacrifices the families make while our soldiers are gone ... (but) they are appreciated.”

Murray also expressed concern about ensuring there is adequate support for soldiers re-entering civilian life.

“I believe how we treat our Guard and Reserve soldiers when they come home is an indicator of the character of our nation,” she said.

While on duty, the 303rd was responsible for providing security for Camp Victory South in Baghdad, just outside the city’s international airport, including the Al Faw Palace, once used by deposed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.

Their task was particularly important as military brass from the multinational force in the country held meetings and came and went from the facility each day.

A slideshow midway through the ceremony showed photographs of the men and women of the 303rd, riding Humvees through the desert and interacting with each other and Iraqi citizens.

The smiling faces of Iraqis happy to have them there were images many of the soldiers felt were not shown enough in the media back home.

“They only show the bad stuff,” said Staff Sgt. Craig Ginn. “They don’t see ... how the people want us there.”

“All the things the battalion did for the local community ... 300 projects for the city, we built playgrounds, schools, soccer fields, the list goes on and on,” said Staff Sgt. Rob Tutor. “You won’t see those things on TV.”

For Tutor, being on home soil was a welcome feeling.

“I missed days off, family, freedom, not being shot at, a good night’s sleep, big things not falling on me, let’s see what else,” he said. “Just having a normal day.”

[Odie 0]

SOLDIER SERVES WITHOUT CITIZENSHIP

NBC NEWSCHANNEL 6

KPVI

Nov 14, 2005

 

 

Nearly 100 East Idaho citizen soldiers arrived home today from Iraq. This is the largest return to the area in one day. Suzanne Hobbs was at the Idaho Falls Airport as the soldiers reunited with their families. She has the story of one soldier who served our country even though he's not even an American citizen.

 

Watching out the windows, looking for the plane, two boys, Porter and Finn - ages five and two - waited patiently 19 months, and now, for just a few more minutes before going onto the tarmac and the cold wind to greet their dad.

 

"My kids are so excited that they don't have to have another Christmas without their dad."

 

Their mother, Amy McPherson, says she's glad her husband is coming home.

 

"We're excited, we can't wait. We told the kids last night this is their last night without their dad."

 

Their father, Specialist Mark McPherson, is a member of the 116th, but is not a citizen of the United States. But he loves America, and told his young boys he's doing this for them and their future.

 

"My husband was raised in Ireland and so he was raised with terrorism. So he was like, 'It's not too much to give up to make sure my kids don't have to be raised like that.'"

 

An hour and a half earlier than expected, the plane landed to a cheering crowd as the 93 soldiers walked off the plane. Each was handed a rose that they could give to their wife, girlfriend or mother. Then, the long-awaited hugs. Amy looked through the crowd and patiently waited to see that familiar face of her husband. Then, there he was. Mark McPherson says his boys have changed a lot. His youngest, only a few months old when he left, is now speaking, and called him "Daddy". This soldier says he's not the hero - those they left behind, are the real unsung heroes.

 

"I think the parents at home, the wives and spouses are the real heroes. It's been hard on them. We're just happy to be home."

 

He's proud that he served with so many other fine soldiers of the 116th - and all that was accomplished.

 

"A lot of good went on over there. A lot of good. New homes, new hospitals new schools. Kids are getting medical treatments, people are getting medical care, a lot of good work, awesome."

 

More patriotic than ever, McPherson tried to get his American citizenship in Iraq. It didn't happen, but now that he's home, he says it will happen in the next six months. For now, he will simply enjoy being home.