Camp Victory is No More

As I watched the news on Friday about the hand over of Camp Victory to the Iraqis, I mentally walked through the facility again with the camera crews and anchor, reliving my visit there in 2007. Despite the appearance of the elegant building, marble rotunda and columns, gold plated faucets, expansive balconies, and moat (with its' shell-pocked guard tower), the facility is all a facade.

I learned during my visit there in 2007 that the marble covers wall voids filled with trash, the water is non-potable, the swimming pool is empty, much of the wiring is faulty, and that the moat contains giant carp covered with diamond-shaped green scales. The rumor was that Saddam used the carp to dispose of "unwanted refuse." I shot a photo of 2 soldiers and a Marine with their fishing poles that I have included with this post. I was told that fishing in the moat was a common activity during their down time. I just hope they practiced catch-and-release.

The troops I interviewed in 2007 and 2008 told me that they just wanted to finish their mission in Iraq, so that their sons and daughters did not have to return there to fight in another 10 or 20 years. These brave men and women have worked tirelessly to accomplish that goal, and have lost 4483 of their comrades in the process, with another 33,183 wounded. Let's not forget these volunteer warriors and their families. Veterans and their families need our help and support, including employment opportunities. These men and women volunteered to serve our country. We should thank them in every possible way.

USMC 2-4 Echo Company Ambush Remembrance 6 Apr 2004

Seven years ago today, 12 young men of 2-4 Marines "Echo" Company lost their lives in a cowardly ambush in a marketplace on the east side of Ramadi, Iraq. They died bravely in the performance of their duties as U.S. Marines and the U.S. Navy. One of these men, 2Lt J.T. Wroblewski, is the son of my friend John Wroblewski. On 6 Mar 2008, John and I stood in the narrow Ramadi alleyway where his son fell in combat.

We were there along with US Marine Major General John Kelly, and USMC 2-8 PSD Company to perform a memorial service to honor the service and sacrifice of these 12 men who had given their lives in combat. John Wroblewski solemnly read the names of the fallen, "LCpl Benjamin Carman, LCpl Marcus Cherry, PFC Christopher Cobb, LCpl Kyle Crowley, PFC Deryk Hallal, PFC Ryan Jerabek, PFC Moises Langhorst, LCpl Travis Layfield, HM3 Fernandez Mendez, LCpl Anthony Roberts, SSgt Allan Walker, and my hero, 2Lt John Thomas Wroblewski."

John then asked the Marines if they would honor their fallen brothers with an "Oo-Rah." Their resounding "Oo-rah!" echoed back from the surrounding houses and walls of the alley, and then faded away into the palm trees around us.

I cannot imagine the pain of losing a son, and it was gut-wrenching to see the anguish on John's face as he remembered his son while he stood where he died. As Americans, we must not forget these men, their families, and the other fallen men and women who died serving our great Republic.

Tragically, Major General Kelly's own son, 2Lt Robert Michael Kelly USMC, was killed in combat in Sangin, Afghanistan on 9 November 2010, and was laid to rest in Arlington Memorial Cemetery on 22 Nov 2010. Lt Kelly was posthumously promoted to 1st Lt US Marine Corps.

Take a minute: slowly, thoughtfully read aloud each name and think about them and the thousands of loved ones they left behind. Think about their Marine brothers and sisters they left behind. Try to put yourself in their place, if just for an instant. I would ask that you honor their memory today and silently thank them.

Honoring the Fallen of 2-4 USMC 6 April 2004 - Ramadi, Iraq

It was six years ago today, 6 April 2004, that 12 men of 2-4 Marines were killed in action in an ambush in east Ramadi, Iraq. On 6 Mar 2008, Gold Star father John Wroblewski visited the ambush site in Ramadi to perform a memorial service for his son, 2Lt. J.T. Wroblewski, and the other 11 heroes that fell with him in combat.

This is unedited video of the memorial service shot by USMC Cpl Angel. This is the first time this video has been published in its entirety.

These are the names of the fallen heroes: LCpl Benjamin Carman, LCpl Marcus Cherry, PFC Christopher Cobb, LCpl Kyle Crowley, PFC Deryk Hallal, PFC Ryan Jerabek, PFC Moises Langhorst, LCpl Travis Layfield, HM3 Fernandez Mendez, LCpl Anthony Roberts, SSgt Allan Walker, and 2Lt John Thomas Wroblewski.

Let's take a moment today to honor these 11 Marines and a Navy Corpsman and their families. We must always remember that freedom is not free! These men died fighting for what they believed in as the ultimate sacrifice for us.

No MSM support for Indie photojournalists in Afghanistan

U.S. mainstream media outlets seem to be hesitant to use seasoned/experienced photojournalists with U.S. military embed experience lately. Why?

1) Cheaper: It is cheaper for MSM to pay UPI a small fee for "wire reports" from "local sources" (foreign media personnel whose sources may or may not be verifiable.)
2) Less liability: Using foreign media (local sources) also absolves the media outlet from defending the information if it is questioned later.
3) U.S. military is still very supportive of indie photojournalists, but is anyone listening back home?

Yes, military families and supporters stay involved. Many citizens have forgotten about our troops overseas. These brave troops have completed multiple deployments since 2003. Both they and their families are suffering the effects of multiple 12 - 15 month long deployments.

I am planning for a military embed in Afghanistan soon. When it happens depends upon finding a media outlet that will help defray expenses and publish the images and story, and military logistics.

In the meantime, I will become more involved in the milblogging community via milblogging.com this year to let you know what is happening as often as I can. Here is a link to my profile on milblogging.com:

View My Milblogging.com Profile

"A Father's Journey to Iraq" by Greg Janney

What were you doing on April 6, 2004? While most of us went about our daily lives, members of 2/4 Marines Echo Company were fighting and dying in Ar-Ramadi, Iraq, and twelve families’ lives were forever changed. On a day that few of us remember, 11 Marines and a Navy Corpsman were killed during a daylight ambush in a narrow, concrete block-lined alley 8000 miles from home. I know the father of one of these men, and this is the tale of two long journeys that we made to Iraq in an attempt to visit the site where his son fell in battle that terrible day in 2004. If successful, this trip would be the first time that any Gold Star parent had visited the actual site where their son or daughter was killed while in Iraq.

John Wroblewski, father of Marine 2nd Lt. J.T. Wroblewski, and I first met on January 12, 2007, as we set off with journalist Martha Zoller on our first trip to Iraq. Martha’s plan was to get John to the site in Ramadi where J.T. was mortally wounded. We arrived in Baghdad on January 14, but despite numerous attempts to get to Ramadi, we were unsuccessful due to sniper activity there. Having spent seven days by John’s side during which we heard more about J.T. and the Wroblewski family, I felt John’s anguish as we risked so much in our unfulfilled attempt to honor his son’s sacrifice. On the solemn flight home, I promised John that I would bring him back to Iraq to fulfill his dream.

After a year of planning and fundraising, John and I boarded a plane on February 27, 2008 on the first leg of our second journey to Iraq. We arrived in Kuwait on February 28th and received my first email from Marine Public Affairs Officer MSgt. Ellerbrock, which advised that we had clearance to get to Fallujah, but that Ramadi was not an option. I feverishly hammered out my response that we had to get to Ramadi, as that was the main purpose of my embed request. Ellerbrock then requested the reason for the urgency. With nothing left to lose, I explained that my assistant John Wroblewski is actually the Gold Star father of a U.S. Marine who was killed in action in Ramadi, and our mission was to perform a memorial service for J.T. and the ten other Marines and Navy Corpsman who fell alongside J.T. on 6 Apr 2004. Msgt. Ellerbrock's next message advised that he would see what he could do and would advise me via email soon. Since John and I were scheduled to depart via helicopter to Fallujah soon, I lost access to the internet for many hours.

With dreadful uncertainty, John and I continued our slow journey to Baghdad. We boarded an Air Force C-130 at 7:00 a.m. on March 1st, and landed in Baghdad at 10:00 a.m. Within 30 minutes of arrival we had boarded a Blackhawk helicopter, and landed inside Baghdad’s International Zone after a 15 minute flight (a special thank you to my friend at the helo desk.)

We arrived at CPIC and soon obtained our new press credentials, and I waited for a reply to my email. At 3:00 p.m., I received a call from US Army Maj. Lee Peters about my request. I told him about the ambush and my plan to take John to the site to perform a memorial service. The silence on the other end of the phone was deafening. After what seemed like a lifetime, Maj. Peters said, “I’m not sure how, but I’ll make it happen.”


We boarded a CH-47 Marine helicopter late on March 2nd, and were greeted in Fallujah by Msgt. Ellerbrock at midnight. Incredibly, we had all met during our January 2007 trip, but I didn’t realize it until then (a very interesting story in itself for later.) On March 3rd, after a few hours sleep, John and I met with the Marine Public Affairs staff to plan our strategy. Later, I interviewed Marine Major Matt Reid, Regimental Command Operation Commander, to outline challenges, goals, and accomplishments of the combined Army/Marine Units. We later retired to our quarters where I checked email and updated my blog. March 4th was spent with units of 1-4 and 3-1 Marines on a patrol southwest of Fallujah where we met with the mayor of Faris and toured an irrigation reconstruction project near the Tigris River. On March 5th, we met Marine Major General John Kelly (Commander of Multi-National Forces Iraq – West) who would accompany us to the site in Ramadi on March 6th, along with 2/8 Marines PSD Company. John and I slept little that night as we knew that tomorrow was the big day. Would we reach our ultimate goal on this 2nd and final attempt?

At 8:20 a.m. on March 6th, John and I met Maj. General Kelly for a pre-mission briefing and a quick lesson on tourniquet application in the event someone was injured. John looked as nervous as I felt as he climbed into Gen. Kelly's Humvee. I said a silent prayer for our safe passage and we began the last leg of our quest to visit the ambush site. Our Humvee convoy departed Fallujah on Route Michigan for the tense ride to Ramadi.

After our convoy stopped at the Ramadi compound for a short meeting with Maamoon Sami Rahseed al-Awani, the Iraqi governor of Al-Anbar province, we headed toward Route Gypsum. The narrow market-lined street seemed almost too narrow for the Humvees along with Iraqi foot and vehicle traffic. We soon stopped and dismounted. I shouldered my camera gear, taking photos along our walk toward the T intersection leading to the alleyway where the ambush took place. I tried to focus on my images, but was very aware that a shot could ring out at any moment.

We kept to the cinder-block walls of the alley, and a Marine used a GPS device to confirm the exact spot where J.T. fell. John Wroblewski and Major General Kelly stood side by side as John solemnly explained that we were there to honor the 12 men of 2/4 Marines, Echo Company that died on April 6, 2004. His voice gravelly with emotion, John read the names of the fallen, “LCPL Benjamin Carman, LCPL Marcus Cherry, PFC Christopher Cobb, LCPL Kyle Crowley, PFC Deryk Hallal, PFC Ryan Jerabek, PFC Moises Langhorst, LCPL Travis Layfield, HM3 Fernandez Mendez, LCPL Anthony Roberts, SSGT Allan Walker, and my hero, 2nd Lt John Thomas Wroblewski.” John then asked for a moment of silence and we all bowed our heads. Finally, John asked the Marines if they would give a Marine cheer to honor their fallen brothers. The Marines’ loud “Ooh-Rah!” echoed off the houses and alley walls surrounding us and slowly faded away into the palm trees in the distance.

Iran: Killing US troops since 2003+/- Ahmadenijad will use nukes to hasten Apocalypse

President Ahmadinejad and Iranian officials have recently promised to construct many more nuclear facilities in response to possible sanctions by the U.N. Some media consultants proclaim this an idle threat due to Iran's lack of resources. Regardless of their ability to follow-through, Iran long ago declared war against the U.S. by providing Iranian elite special forces troops (Quods) the means to train and supply insurgents to kill or kidnap American troops.

I think that there are several reasons to be concerned about a nuclear Iran: 1) I think that Ahmadinejad believes that Iran can initiate the return of the Muslim messiah through the extermination of Israel. I think he believes that he can fulfill (cause or instigate) Muslim/Jewish/Christian apocalypse by starting a world war between Israel and Muslim countries. This scenario was also aired on the History Channel recently. 2) Ahmadinejad and Iran export arms and technology to known terrorist groups. 3) Nuclear weapons will bring Iran the respect Ahmadinejad craves and put Iran above the reach of world sanctions.

Many of my 2007 interviews and 2008 blog posts explain Iranian involvement in Iraq (see post labels beginning with Iran.) I am re-posting a link to a news video about a Lebanese Hezbollah officer captured with Iraqi insurgents in 2007. His group kidnapped and murdered 5 American soldiers in an attack on a U.S. post. He confessed to being paid by Iran to infiltrate Iraq and train foreign fighters/Iraqi insurgents how to use special IED's (improvised explosive devices) that can destroy our armored vehicles. The Iraqis captured with the Quods officer confirmed the details of his confession. Now, ask yourself honestly - If Iran is/has been sending Iranian troops to Iraq to kill our troops for at least 3 years, isn't that a declaration of war? http://www.indcjournal.com/archives/003033.php

I have several recordings of interviews with native Iraqis who easily identified Iranians posing as Iraqis in their neighborhoods in Iraq. Apparently, "local/regional accents" are identifiable in both the U.S. and Iraq - imagine that? This evidence tells me that that Iran is already prosecuting a war against the U.S. One wonders if any nations (Iran?) are supporting Taliban or Al Qaeda in Afghanistan to harm our troops there.

Since Iran is already at war with the U.S. (if you agree that nation-sponsored military action against the U.S. constitutes a declaration of war), what will Iran do when it acquires/develops a nuclear weapon? Based on Iran's rhetoric and actions, the U.S. should plan on either Israel or the United States being attacked. The threat of Iran using nukes against the U.S., or our allies in the region (Israel and southern European countries)must be resolved before it is too late. Is it better to take action to prevent a holocaust, or punish those responsible after the attack? I am in favor of any action that will prevent Iran from creating a nuclear weapon, be it stick or carrot, as long as no one pays them blackmail or ransom.

Honestly, I believe the Israelis will "remove" the threat well before the majority of Americans wake up to realize that this is a life-and-death situation. I know this attitude may seem cynical to others, but it seems that many people either don't care or won't think for themselves these days. I guess it's hard to worry about geopolitics, conflict and Muslim holy war against all non-believers if you are unemployed and have no way to pay your bills or buy food.

Simon Klingert's Postcard from Afghanistan

I would like to introduce you to a fellow photojournalist, a very talented (and brave!) photographer named Simon Klingert. I first met Simon at CPIC (Central Press Information Center) in Baghdad's Green Zone on 2 Mar 2008. My first impression of Simon Klingert was one of astonishment. This 20+ year old German student had completed (and financed) many self-assignments in areas that are extremely hazardous to Westerners, and has done a splendid job in the process. Simon is continuing his award winning photography in Afghanistan, and his "photo postcards" tell many stories. Here is a link to his blog: http://www.simonklingert.de/
I highly recommend that you follow his posts. Simon is embedded in areas in Afghanistan in which few U.S. journalists dare to tread.