Sergeant Peter J. Chartier
“Some people wonder all their lives if they've made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem.” - Ronald Reagan
Message #2
MSSG-15 KVN UPDATE - # 2
The Journey Continues
(050127 - 050215)
Dear Family and Friends of MSSG-15,
It is a pleasure to send you the next edition of our newsletter and bring you up to date since our last note. These past few weeks have gone by so quickly that some of us feel that next week we’ll be in Hawaii for the start of our “Tiger Cruise.” Even though we miss our families and friends, this deployment has been a very rewarding experience for us, given our participation in OPERATION UNIFIED ASSISTANCE, and we look forward to the next challenge.
The Marines of Central Command are sleeping well at night since they
now have the best Marine Air Ground Task Force assembled since the MEU
(SOC) program started in 1985 patrolling their Area of Operations (AOR)!
Although we are currently tasked as the “theater reserve,” our
colleagues in the Navy are busy guarding oil platforms and conducting
Maritime Interdiction Operations. Meanwhile, we Marines are preparing
for our next mission – a month-long training exercise in Kuwait – which
begins shortly. This is an opportunity for the Marines and sailors of
the MEU to get on the ground and “knock off some of the cobwebs” with
realistic live fire training and sustainment training for other
perishable skills that are essential to maintaining our warfighting
prowess. Our key leaders ashore will be Captain Jamey Stover, the Direct
Support Element Commander, and his DSE Chief Gunnery Sergeant Sean
Foley. These gentlemen will be ably supported by Lieutenant Tim Smith,
Lieutenant Joe Cirka, Lieutenant Manuel Carpio, SSgt Blaine Jones, SSgt
Daniel Fowler and a host of others. SSgt David Hostuttler and his ammo
team will be running the MEU’s ammunition supply point with their usual
professionalism.
While many of the Marines and sailors of MSSG-15 will participate in the
Kuwait training, most of us will remain on the ships poised to execute
our Theater Reserve responsibilities at a moment’s notice. For example,
we have 24 personnel, led by Gunnery Sergeant Martinez, on stand-by as a
Mass Casualty Response Team (MCRT). We also have another 24 of our
finest on alert to respond if our Marines ashore need immediate
reinforcement; this team, called in MEU (SOC) parlance a “SPARROWHAWK”
platoon, is led by Gunnery Sergeant Quijada. Finally, we have the rest
of the MSSG organized and prepared to execute our HAO or NEO missions on
short notice, should the need arise.
Our stay in Bahrain – one day for those on the USS DULUTH – was short
but very much needed (it had been 45 days since our last port call in
Hawaii). The other MSSG folks embarked on the BONHOMME-RICHARD and
RUSHMORE were able to enjoy many days of liberty in Bahrain, but the
DULUTH had to sail early IOT support the ongoing Navy missions in the
Northern Arabian Gulf (NAG). In the end, we all had an opportunity to
enjoy the unique culture Bahrain has to offer and some well-deserved
time off.
Your Marines and sailors continue to perform magnificently and each of
you should be very proud of your loved ones. The value of our grueling
pre-deployment training is obvious now and is reflected in the unit’s
sustained performance. Your spouses, sons, daughters, brothers and
sisters are in the vanguard of the Corps and epitomize our vow to be
“the most ready when the Nation is least ready.” They are ready, not
only to deploy, fight and win, but also to accomplish their mission and
then come back home to you. You should recognize how unique our mandate
is: the Corps is required by law that, in addition to its primary
statutory amphibious mission, we be prepared to carry out “such other
duties as the President may direct.” Not idle words, they charge your
Marines and sailors with a unique responsibility not specifically borne
by any other military service – to fight Boxers in China, to guard the
U.S. Mail, to stay the hand of brutal dictators in Korea, Vietnam or
Iraq, and to go on short notice to assist disaster victims in Sri Lanka
& Indonesia. A tall order to be sure, but your Marines and sailors are
up to the task. We will accomplish whatever missions our Nation
requires, but each of us looks forward to a safe return to California
and a happy reunion with loved ones.
For those of you keeping score at home, the SgtMaj and CO have a
commanding 9-game lead over the XO and S-3A (11 – 2) in darts. There are
many theories on the lopsided nature of this competition, but most agree
that it boils down to the ability to perform under pressure (or lack
thereof). The MSSG volleyball team (composed of our folks on the BHR)
defeated the ACE and the BLT in Bahrain to secure the championship for
that sport, which is part of the MEU’s Commander’s Cup. Kudos to Staff
Sergeant David Graveley (EOD) for leading that effort. Meanwhile,
Sergeants Justin Berkey and Jonathan Chestnutt continue to hone their
skills in preparation for the golf tournament. In other sports news,
Gunnery Sergeant Shawn Huggins suffered multiple lacerations in a nasty
flight-deck spill recently, and he swore he would never PT again.
However, he has recently changed his mind and has decided to start a
two-a-day weight lifting program in the gym. Earlier today, Gunnery
Sergeant Quijada showed him where the gym is located so he’s ready to
get started. Good luck, Gunny! Finally, the officers of the MSSG
recently participated in a Yoga session under the tutelage of Lieutenant
Jillian Martin, USN. It was an outstanding learning experience for the
rugged, battle-hardened Marines of the unit, but all agreed that it
should never be spoken of again for as long as anyone lives.
We are interested in your ideas on how to improve this newsletter and we
look forward to your feedback through the Key Volunteer Coordinator,
Toni Hostuttler. On that subject, thanks again to Toni and all the other
Key Volunteers for the outstanding job that you are doing on our behalf.
We couldn’t do it without your support and assistance! We will start
posting photos of your Marines and sailors on a designated KVN or other
website which will allow for easy viewing and access. We are limited in
the size of the attachments that we can send via email so we want to
keep the newsletter as a text-only document for the time being.
We will attempt to send out an update every week after this newsletter,
but operational requirements may dictate that we send them less often.
Please let us know if you have any specific information that you would
like to hear or questions we might be able to answer.
Until next time, thank you again for your constant support, thoughts and
prayers.
Semper Fidelis and God Bless,
First Sergeant G.A. “Butch” Vasquez
PS: Congratulations to SSgt Fountain and his wife Megumi on the birth of
their daughter Iris, Sgt Havens and his wife Kim on the birth of their
daughter Katelyn.