April 26, 2004

You want the truth?

Updated: It is his desire in leading young marines like Chance, that Major Dave Bellon returned to Iraq when asked.
Thanks to BlackFive.

This letter is one that Major Dave Bellon, USMC, wrote to his dad recently. Strange how his perspective is vastly different than that of the "objective" media, isn't it? Please read and please pray for this Marine and the people of Iraq whose liberties aren't even emaciated, but rather, non-existent.

Dad -

As you have probably seen, the going is a bit tough here right now. I know
that there are times when it must seem like things are going to hell in a
hand basket - truthfully it seems like that to me from time to time - but
you should see the young Marines scratch and claw to keep the genie in the
bottle.

The Falluja fighting is intense, up close and personal. Without bluster, I
can tell you that the Marines were on the verge of breaking the enemy's back
right before the cessation of offensive operations was ordered. Without
sounding morbid, the Marines really took it to the enemy. The amazing thing
is that we have not pummeled the city. The Marines have been very
disciplined in using precise firepower. Even in that savagery, they are
making every effort to spare the non-combatants. Of course with the kind of
violence and enemy that the Marines are facing, it is impossible.

The real story here that the media is ignoring how brutal the enemy has been
on the Fallujans and other locals who have chosen not to fight. I cannot
tell you how many reports I have gotten about insurgents threatening
civilians at gunpoint telling them that they will be killed if they try to
leave the city or do not let the enemy use their land/homes for attacking
us. The enemy takes over houses at gunpoint and tries to draw fire hoping
that we will kill innocents so they can exploit it.

I sincerely doubt that the Marines have passed by a mosque/minaret where
they have not taken fire. We return fire and it is the lead story. The
hypocrisy and lies are exasperating. Almost as exasperating as some of our
own media's seeming eagerness to believe it or at least report it as fact.
I can hardly bare to read CNN as it just disappoints me to no when the
heroism and suffering of the Marines in that town has been twisted for
political agendas.

I could go on and on about the treachery of our enemy here, smuggling
weapons in humanitarian rations under Red Crescent banners, moving arms and
ammunition via ambulances, bombing civilian vehicles in order to alienate
the people from the coalition.... However, the worst are reports that these
foreign fighters have snipers in the city that engage the women and children
as they try to escape the fighting. It sounds too horrific to be true but
nothing is off the table to this enemy. Daily, they fire unguided rockets
into the city and then get on the mosque loud speakers to blame the US. On,
and on and on....

There is little doubt that the average Iraqi seems to be less amiable than
when I left in September. It can really get you down but then you see the
young Marine who endures it all and just wants nothing more than to not let
his buddies down and to live up to the standards that he believes he
represents. The heroism that is taking place here daily by guys just out of
high school is beyond my abilities to adequately describe.

If they let us, the Marines will cut right through that city. I believe
that because of the spirit of the Marines who are seething because they have
been ordered to stop and still are eager to "finish the job."

As for me, I am safe and there is no reason to worry. I sincerely feel
blessed that I have been given the chance to contribute and be a part of the
1st Marine Regiment. I am humbled by the company that I get to keep
everyday. We have these guys right where we want them. What's even better
is that they believe that they can stand and fight against us. The end is
inevitable.

Talk to you soon,

Dave

~Courtesy of The Green Side.

Posted by Rae at April 26, 2004 12:26 AM | TrackBack
Comments

Thanks, Rae.

And thank you Major Bellon, and all the Marines.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at April 26, 2004 03:14 AM

Hi.

"Without bluster, I can tell you that the Marines were on the verge of breaking the enemy's back right before the cessation of offensive operations was ordered."

This is either the same old story and a disaster, or a completely new thing.

Old thinking: The Americans said that they would make a decisive response to the treatment of their dead (the contractors), and then they didn't follow through to the finish on their assurance, which is a defeat; and they stopped their attack with the enemy standing in possession of their piece of the field, which is defeat; and they negotiated after they said they would not negotiate any more with terrorists or their surrogates, which seems like a big and humiliating defeat; and worst of all they were stopped not by weapons and ammunition the enemy might run out of but by words, of which our gabby and endlessly dishonest enemies have an endless supply. The bad guys retain their own piece of the field, so they count the bodies and of course lie, accusing the Americans of atrocities. Which only idiots will believe, but the world is full of idiots. And besides, the longer there's an unresolved situation the longer the bad guys can distort it. Giving the enemy the whip hand in the propaganda war was a defeat. And there are no more formidable warriors than U.S. Marines, so we cannot solve this by sending in the A Team. The A Team is already there, stalled, talked to a standstill.

New thinking: We hold ourselves to higher standards now. The diplomacy is necessary. When time has passed and our adrenaline has gone away, we see our moral obligations more clearly. We have to save lives and encourage the Iraqis to take responsibility and ownership of their own destiny. [Though they seem to like us less and less.] "We cannot tell them on one hand that they need to take charge and prevent violence among their people and on the other stiff arm them whenever we want to [raze] a city."

Oh jeez. This is a step beyond sainthood, beyond the mercy of angels. Not only don't I know who has prospered before through doctrine like this, I don't know who has really, seriously attempted it.

Even Saint Joan insisted on promptly taking the targets she thought were critical, "by love or by courage or by force" (by propaganda and negotiation, by manoeuvre and bravado, or by attrition). Not even a saint would hold back from striking the fatal blow at the critical moment.

Either this is a new military turning point, at which pulling our punches even against terrorists proves to be the highest form of modern warfare, or old-fashioned attitudes are still valid, and we are following a long tradition of guys (like the French navy) who came up with all kinds of sophisticated concepts (as opposed to just sinking the enemy, like the English were doing) and paid bitterly for it.

I can't help thinking: I can see a military revolution based on new technology, like the network-centric armed force. But this isn't like that, it's based on how people are going to react to restraint, to the non-consummation of victory, when it was promised and there to be had. So it's about human nature.

Are we really looking at a transformation of human nature, or an appreciation of an unchanging human nature that nobody ever mapped correctly before?

Even if these things are possible, are Muslim nations in the Middle East now the right places to find this new and gentler human nature, or the right places to demonstrate what was always true but nobody before knew about the credit you can get for breaking off what would have been a winning battle? I can't think of a less promising culture in which to sell the idea that if infidels fail to KO Muslim warriors, it proves that those who failed to finish their job are the side that you want to be on.

But ... speculating from Sydney Australia is worthless. To know the answers to these questions, you'd have to be there and look in people's eyes, and form an opinion. Is this rallying people to the cause of democracy, or not? Because if it does, if pro-democracy Iraqis do fight boldly because of this, in sufficient numbers ... problem solved.

I can't tell you how sincerely and un-sarcastically I am hoping you guys turn out to be right and your restraint is repaid. Whether it works or not, you guys are heroes.

Wishing you every possible success and safety, and thanks again for your mighty efforts for us all,

David Blue

Posted by: David Blue at April 29, 2004 04:38 AM

Hi, David, and thanks for reading and commenting. Readers are always welcome; commentors even more adored.

I think you have answered yourself well with this: "To know the answers to these questions, you'd have to be there and look in people's eyes, and form an opinion." The one who wrote the letter is one who is "there"; looking into people's eyes (if they don't kill him first). Dave may have his own opinions, but his obligation is to obey his superiors and honorably, successfully, and swiftly carry out their orders. He has tremendous respect for those in leadership and has an even greater burden for the men whose lives he feels accountable. It must be a very challenging thing to balance.

I personally hoped that they would kill every enemy in site (spelled the way I intended); however, I make my opinons sitting here at my computer where my biggest dilema of the day is whether or not to attend a Shakepeare play cast party that has been rescheduled more times than John Kerry has changed his voting record. I do not carry the weight of thousands of U.S. Marines and Army Soldiers lives (and the many more they represent) on my shoulders. I don't think we can understand as we are not privy to all or the same information as those making the decisions.

Thank you, also, for your thoughts and well-wishes for our country and servicemen. I especially appreciate your sincerity and agree with yuo in that the outcome of this war affects not just the those involved directly in it, but the world community.

Please come again.

Posted by: Rae at April 29, 2004 10:56 AM
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