A little shooting !! FUN !!

David Sotelo: Rest in peace my brother.

Today, I recieved terrible news. I was informed that a good friend of mine had been killed in a training accident. David Sotelo was a US Navy Hospital Corpsman assigned to 3rd LAR in 29 Palms. I met Dave when he was just an HA (Hospitalman Apprentice E-2) back in 2002. I was truly inspired by his enthusiasm for the Navy. He was always going out of his way to make himself a better Corpsman. He attended advanced classes, rifle and pistol rages, and served as a safety Corpsman for other units on his days off. Because he showed so much motivation, I took every opportunity to help mold him into the "Green Side Doc" he eventually became. Dave's ultimate ambition was to be a SEAL. I knew without a doubt that he was going to do it. He had every single attribute I imagine a SEAL would need. He made me want to be a better Doc. A few days before I left for Iraq, he and his girlfriend stopped by my home and we were able to catch up. He showed me photos of his deployment to Iraq and one of he and my self at his graduation from Field Medical Service School.

I am proud to have known David, I am also proud that we were brothers as Corpsmen, but I am most proud to call him a friend.

We will miss you brother. Take care of our Marines up there!

By the rivers of Babylon.......

We all know the song, but I actually got to walk among the ruins of Babylon. It was truly AMAZING. I stood next to the Ishtar gate where Alexander the Great once stood. AND...I got to reenlist in the Navy for another six years next to statue of the Lion of Babylon. You could just feel the history as you walked around. It is one of those experiences you take with you and remember for the rest of your life.

Happy B-Day MENG!!!

This is a shot of us coming back from a raid. It was nearly 3am and we were covered in mud. Check out the looks on our face!

An Najaf Imam Ali Mosque

This is a close up of the Mosque. Look at all the gold.

An Najaf Imam Ali Mosque

Over the last several months I have been fortunate enough to see a large amount of the country of Iraq. I have traveled by convoy in trucks and Humvees, Black Hawk helicopters, CH-46 Helicopters and by foot in the communities. To date, the coolest part has been flying in the Black Hawks. On the day of the national referendum, we flew around central Iraq. I flew over many cities and much open desert. I love helicopters so this was very exciting for me. However, I also love to see new places so this doubly exciting.

During our journey we were able to look out the doors and see miles and mile of the countryside. We also flew over cities where we saw score of children waving at us madly. It was interesting to see them doing everything they could to get out attention. Later, I saw the two air crew (non-pilots who work in the back of the helicopters) pulling little bags of candy and dropping them out the doors. Ah Haa. That was it. The kids were happy to see us, but they also wanted the candy. I was happy to see that the air crew guys primarily dropped the candy to kids who were on the out skirts of the cities, the ones who were poor and did not get visited by the Army guys who give away food packages to needy families.

While we were fly around, I saw a giant gold building off in the distance. I was amazed how brightly the gold roof shined. It was the Mosque of Imam Ali in Najaf. Later, I was told that it is the Shi’a equivalent to the Catholic Vatican. It was beautiful. I was lucky to get a few photos. I also did a little research after I had been back for a few days.

The Imam Ali bn Abi Talib (cousin of the Prophet) Mosque was built by Azoud ad Dowleh in 977. It has been damaged, rebuilt and damaged again many times. Ali is considered the leader of the Shi’a. He was the cousin and the son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammed. And after the Prophet Mohammed died, Shiites thought that he should be the successor after the Prophet's death because he was married to the Prophet's daughter, and he was assigned by the prophet to be the carrier of the message after Mohammed's death. He was later murdered in the doorway of his recently completed mosque by one of the local tribal leaders.

Fast forward to 2004. In August 2004 there was a large battle in the city of Najaf, the Wadi-al-Salam cemetery and all around the Mosque. A large portion of the fighting was done right in the cemetery. Reports say that the gorillas even fired mortars from within the walls of the Mosque.

Any way, here are some cool photos. One is mine, the others are from a website.

Happy Birthday USMC !

As a "Greenside" US Navy Corpsman it is very difficult to truly say where your allegiance lies. We are all members of the US Navy, but we are Corpsmen. We may be Corpsmen, but we fight along side the US Marines. Well....I stand here as a witness to say that we are honored to be a part of all of the above. This time of year (October and November) is very historical for those who serve in the Navy or Marines. The birthday for the Navy is October 13, 1775, the birthday of the Marines is November 10, 1775 and the birthday of the Navy Hospital Corps is 17 June, 1898. As a Corpsman we celebrate all of these dates with equal pride.

During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress passes a resolution stating that "two Battalions of Marines be raised" for service as landing forces for the recently formed Continental Navy. The resolution, drafted by future U.S. president John Adams and adopted in Philadelphia, created the Continental Marines and is now observed as the birth date of the United States Marine Corps.

On Friday, October 13, 1775, meeting in Philadelphia, the Continental Congress voted to fit out two sailing vessels, armed with ten carriage guns, as well as swivel guns, and manned by crews of eighty, and to send them out on a cruise of three months to intercept transports carrying munitions and stores to the British army in America. This was the original legislation out of which the Continental Navy grew and as such constitutes the birth certificate of the navy.

Formed by an act of congress on June 17, 1898, the sailors of the Hospital Corps serve on ships, submarines, foreign soil and the battlefield. Placing their fellow Marines and sailor’s lives above their own; they are woven into the fabric of our Corps. Serving beside Marines in every single conflict and battle for more than a century, the courageous men and women of the Hospital Corps have earned the deepest respect and admiration of their Marines.


Thus endith my history lesson for today!

AWOL Letter in GQ Magazine

My wonderful cousin Katherine recently sent me a package. In that package were some goodies as well as a GQ magazine. There was a very interesting article in that issue. Link To ArticleIt was about a man who had run to Canada to get away from the Army. He was AWOL (Absent With Out Leave). The official definition is: Absent from one's assigned military post or duties without official permission. These are very serious charges. After reading the article thoroughly, I came to a very clear conclusion; the people in this article are simply COWARDS. They ran to Canada because they can’t look their friends and family in the eye anymore. In the article it describes in detail how Joshua Key, his wife and four children made their journey over the border to Canada. It is sad, the detail Josh goes into to ensure his so called escape. He even contemplates jumping into the water near Niagara Falls. As you read further into the story the writer and Joshua introduce you to Jeremy Hinzman and other deserters. They all seem to have the same “poor me” attitude and they all suffer from the most despicable characteristic of all, cowardice. At one time or another everyone needs to face reality and decide what they stand for and what they don’t. Many people decide to do what ever is trendy or what people in the media are doing. I call this convenient morality. To do what is right and take a stand usually requires sacrifice. What I honestly believe is that the people in this article are simply scared. They are scared to not do their job well, they are scared to see the atrocities of war and they are simply scared to die. I can honestly say, I am scared every time I go out side the security of our base, but I am here. We drive down these roads where you can see giant holes where IEDs (improvised explosive devices) have gone off, some of them with marks from burnt Humvee tires and burnt gas or oil. It is my opinion that these deserters have no honor and no commitment to the contract they made when they voluntarily (not drafted) enlisted in the Armed Forces. People try and compare this war to Viet Nam. There is absolutely no comparison.
Many years ago I heard a quote that read, “In war, when the bullets are flying, you don’t fight for a cause or even your country. You fight for the men next to you”. Ultimately, that is why I am here. I am here to take care of MY Marines. Out of all the things I am most proud of, being a “Green Side Corpsman” tops the list. I truly feel sorry for Joshua. I can’t even begin to imagine what he will say to his four children when they learn that Daddy is a deserter. There can be no greater shame. In the article he speaks of the horrible things the Soldiers in his unit were doing. He says that is part of the reason why he went AWOL. What he should have done is man up, show some maturity and talk to a senior enlisted or officer. They would have corrected the wrong doers. He also says that he was duped into "doing the Army’s evil work". Josh, keep lying to yourself. People who lie and are cowards are constantly having to lie to other people and themselves to cope with their life and the decisions they have made.

Over the last several months and even recently we have seen an increase in worldwide terrorism. The Middle East is not the only place we are seeing attacks. We have seen attacks in France, Indonesia, Chechnya, and even England. Do we really want to fight a war on terrorism in the continental US? Personally, I don’t. I would rather take the fight to them.

I am writing all this because I feel ashamed that people like Joshua Key, Jeremy Hinzman, Brandon Hughey, Ivan Brobeck, Darrell Anderson, Clifford Cornell and David Sanders ever were allowed to serve in the United States Military. Our country is in a time of need and these deserters abandoned her when she needed them most. It is my opinion that the people that have gone AWOL / UA during this conflict and ran to other countries, namely Canada, should have their citizenship revoked. That may sound harsh, but that was the choice they made when they voluntarily enlisted in the military, they were given a wealth of benefits that include, pay, housing, VA access, medical and dental. They took advantage of those benefits but were not willing to work for them. That to me is utterly ridiculous.

I am a proud American. I am here to take care of my Marines complete our mission and get back home to my lovely wife.

God Bless America and Semper Fidelis

New profile photo

My new profile photo came about because I was bored and decided to try and figure out some of the odd features on my camera. This shot of me was while I was learning about the timer function. I thought it was funny so I put it up on the BLOG.