Update on Nick

Well, don't ask me how this came to me, cause I don't have the slightest
idea our this ended up forwarded to but I am just thankful I got it.

Dear family members of MTT 0130,

The days and weeks have gone very quickly for our team. Since we boarded the buses at Camp Lejeune to begin our journey to Iraq, we have been very busy. Our flight from Cherry Point MCAS to Iraq aboard a leased Continental Airlines airplane was smooth and uneventful. It took about a full day to make the trip but the aircraft crew treated us very well and made everyone as comfortable as possible; our thanks to them. We arrived in Kuwait on the 31st of Oct. We spent one day at a temporary camp there before moving on by C130 to Iraq. We had a little drama with the C130. First, it needed some repairs on the runway. Then we were diverted from our destination at Al Asad airbase to Balad Air Force base in Northern Iraq. Another delay, but we eventually made it out and got down to Habbaniyah to meet our outgoing team. We still had another week of in-country training to do at the military’s Phoenix Academy at Taji near Baghdad. We spent the Marine Corps 232nd birthday there and PFC Curicabrera was honored as the youngest Marine present and got the first piece of birthday cake.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised to finally see our camp at Habbaniyah. The team shares a common building with separate rooms that all face inward to a square courtyard. We have power, TV, computers, phones, internet and we have a US dining facility for our meals as well as a free laundry service. Our camp is on the banks of the Euphrates River and was once a British Air Base. There are plenty of old growth trees that line the streets and provide shade. It is not bad at all. Our compound is on the Iraqi side of Camp Habbaniyah so we live surrounded by our Iraqi army partners. Many of the Marines have already made friends. Our day is spent in constant touch with our Iraqi counterparts as we all try to help each other to fight the insurgents in our area. Fortunately the Iraqi army here as been very successful in its fight. Our area is very quiet. The number of enemy activity in our area has dropped so low that many people believe the war has been won here. There are still dangers from explosives and some small arms fire, but it is not at all what you see in the world media.

Thanksgiving came and went with little notice from us. We did get turkey for dinner but we missed all the football games. We are now all getting settled into our new home and getting into a rhythm of daily activity. The weather has been very nice during the day and pleasantly cool at night. Everyone has had the opportunity to go out on patrols in our area of responsibility and we have participated in several good neighbor projects like school openings and medical assistance events for the local population. Some of us traveled to Falluja last week to meet with our nearest Marine command (RCT-6). All in all we feel pretty good about our new assignment and are excited about the job ahead of us.

I hope I have given you some idea of what your Marine is doing and also how he is doing. All of us miss home, but everyone is coping well and no one is alone here. I hope all of you are also well. Please keep up your letters to your Marine as it means so much to him to hear from you.

Sincerely,

J. M. Morrisroe
Lieutenant Colonel, USMC