Photo By Master Sgt. Keith Milks | Gen. James F. Amos, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, pins the Purple Heart...... read more read more
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By Master Sgt. Keith A. Milks
Multi National Force-West
AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq – The assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. James F. Amos, recently spent several days in Iraq visiting with key Marine and coalition leaders, as well as troops operating throughout western and northern Iraq.
"We've sacrificed a lot of Marines and sailors and soldiers in the Anbar province [to defeat insurgent forces] and I've been telling them all week it's worth it," Amos said. "We've still got work to do, and we're going to do it the right way."
Amos' visit coincided with the transfer of authority of Multi National Force-West from the Camp Pendleton, Calif.- based I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) to the II MEF (Fwd) out of Camp Lejeune, N.C. Now commanded by Maj. Gen. R.T. Tryon, MNF-W is responsible for operations in the once volatile Al Anbar province and a section of the Ninewa province to the north.
After attending the TOA ceremony aboard Al Asad Air Base, Feb. 9, Amos journeyed north to visit the Marines of the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion conducting operations in the Ninewa province. The Marines in this remote patch of Iraq are busy denying al-Qaida and insurgent forces a safe haven north of Al Anbar province, which is now firmly in the hands of Iraqi security forces.
"It was pretty exciting," said Cpl. Daniel Venegas Jr., a native of San Antonio, Texas, and an infantryman with 1st LAR. "It's not every day you get to see a four-star general."
Staff Sgt. Tyson McAlindin, of Twin Falls, Idaho, a light armored vehicle commander and platoon sergeant in 1st LAR, echoed Venegas' sentiment. "We had the Commandant [Gen. James T. Conway] and Sgt. Maj. of the Marine Corps [Sgt. Maj. Carlton W. Kent] come out around Christmas, and so to be able to meet the assistant commandant as well is definitely a 'bennie' [benefit]."
Amos also visited Camp Baharia where he took time to address the Marines and Sailors of the 1st Battalions of the 3rd and 4th Marine Regiments, Regimental Combat Team 6, and award the Purple Heart medal to two infantrymen wounded in a recent firefight with insurgents on the outskirts of Fallujah. Sgt. Eli J. Villtalo Chavez, of Los Angeles, and Houston native Lance Cpl. Javier A. Alvarez stood in front of their assembled battalion to receive the medal, which is presented for injuries sustained in action against enemy forces.
"These men probably think they haven't earned anything, but they, along with many others before them, have sacrificed their safety for the protection of others," said Amos shortly after pinning the medal on the two Marines.
Addressing the recent calm which has descended over Al Anbar province, Amos gave credit to the Marines on the ground for turning a critical corner in this important struggle.
"It started with the lance corporals, corporals and staff sergeants going out, taking off their sunglasses and saying 'we are not the enemy' to the Iraqi people," Amos said. "You walk through the streets of towns like Ramadi and Fallujah and it's like walking through a town back in the United States."
Amos also took the time to sit down and eat several meals with the Marines of MNF-W, and Cpl. Brandon Charpentier of Broussard, La., an administrative Marine with RCT-8, chatted with Gen. Amos throughout their meal aboard Al Asad Air Base.
"He told me 'don't snatch defeat from the jaws of victory'," said Charpentier, recalling Amos' reminder that the Marines must remain vigilant despite progress in Al Anbar province, which was considered 'lost' to the insurgency less than two years ago. "We're here to finish what our brothers started years ago."
"There will be Marines at mess nights and birthdays for years to come," Amos said, "who will raise their glass and toast those Marines and Sailors who came before them and wrote the history of the Al Anbar province."
For more information on the ongoing mission in Iraq's Al Anbar province, visit www.iimefpublic.usmc.mil/iimeffwd.
| Date Taken: | 02.15.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 02.15.2009 06:56 |
| Story ID: | 30044 |
| Location: | AL ASAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 302 |
| Downloads: | 202 |
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