Posted: 6/9/2008 12:18:36 PM EDT
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-----Original Message----- Subject: CMC Remarks at MCA C4 Awards Dinner (UNCLASSIFIED) REMARKS BY GENERAL JAMES T. CONWAY, COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS MARINE CORPS ASSOCIATION C4 AWARDS DINNER> WEDNESDAY, 14 MAY 08 DOUBLE TREE HOTEL, ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA Folks, I can't come to any event and not talk about our great Marines and sailors that support them in Iraq and Afghanistan. Let me at least talk to that and just to say - it won't surprise you - they continue to do magnificent work. I spoke with Major General John Kelly [Commanding General, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward)] recently. He could not be prouder of the things that are taking place in the Anbar Province. He continues to be the example for what's taking place in the rest of Iraq. We don't credit any one rotation that's been in there. It's been every rotation with the same theme, the same elements of patience and perseverance and compassion - getting kinetic, getting on with what they had to, but, by and large, trying to bring that country back up on its feet. It is, however, still a very dangerous place. Major General Kelly relayed a story to me that I'm going to tell you tonight. It was about two Marines who lost their lives on the 22nd of April. That's only about 20 days ago now. These young men were infantry Marines. They were on an entry control point on the northeast side of Ramadi: Corporal Jonathan Yale from Brentville, Virginia, and Lance Corporal Jordan Haerter from Sag Island, New York. They didn't know each other well because they were in this turnover between battalions. Inside that JSS [joint security station] was about 35 Marines from both battalions taking part in about a five-day turnover. At 0930 on the morning of the 22nd, a blue painted truck - John Kelly said, "Think Beirut here, about the same size as that truck" - came speeding through the entry control point. At about 100 yards, the lance corporal started to put aimed rifle fire into the cab because they saw what was happening. At about 50 yards, a machine gun opened up. The truck got within about 10 feet of this old metal gate. We think they killed the driver and there was a dead man's switch because the vehicle exploded. They estimate 2,000 pounds of explosive inside the vehicle because the crater was five feet deep and 20 feet wide. The young Marines, of course, didn't have a chance. They were about 10 yards from the vehicle when it was finally stopped. When John got there, the Iraqi chief of the police station, who was also behind the wall, said, "Why didn't they run? Every sane man who saw it knew what was happening. Why didn't they run? My people ran!" And Kelly looked at him and said, "Colonel, you know why they didn't run." And the Iraqi shook his head, walked away saying, "Marines are crazy; all Marines are crazy." Well, we know Marines are not crazy. We know Marines love their fellow Marines, and that's why they stayed. That's why they were there. God bless and love them. Classification: UNCLASSIFIED Caveats: NONE |
