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 3
MSSG-15 KVN UPDATE - #3
The Journey Turns a Corner
(050216 - 050226)
Family and Friends of MSSG-15,
It is with great pleasure that we send you our third newsletter on what
is almost the halfway point of our Western Pacific Deployment (actual
date of 1/2 point is 5 March). We all can now legitimately break out the
“countdown calendars” and start counting down the days we have remaining
on deployment. We know that many of the fine young Marines and sailors
in our the mighty MSSG have already been counting down their days and
look forward to their return from what is rapidly shaping up to be an
epic deployment.
This said, it’s far too early for us to begin resting on our laurels. In
fact, our journey together is about to turn an important corner. As you
recall, the MEU has been conducting a major exercise at the Udairi Range
Complex in Kuwait. We currently have 122 of our 277 Marines and sailors
ashore supporting that training; this “Direct Support Element (DSE)” is
led by Captain Jamey Stover and they have been doing an absolutely
superb job supporting the exercise. Special recognition goes to Chief
Warrant Officer Darryl Sawn and his maintenance team for the miracles
they have been working in Kuwait on a daily basis. Now it’s our turn.
Tomorrow, the remaining Marines and sailors of the MSSG across all three
ships of the amphibious ready group will be debark into Kuwait Naval
Base (KNB), then move forward and join our comrades at Udairi. We will
leave a small contingent back on the ships to support seabased logistics
requirements. From Udairi, we will conduct intensive fire-and-maneuver,
convoy, and other training to continue to hone our warfighting skills.
Our mission as the Theater Reserve for U.S. Central Command has not
changed, but this forward movement positions us within easy striking
distance of the Iraqi border where we will be poised to move on order,
perform on arrival should the need arise.
As noted, this deployment to Kuwait provides us an incredible
opportunity to sharpen our warfighting skills and perform essential
maintenance on our equipment. It is a fine opportunity for us to
continue to refine those Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs) that
we have developed and perfected over the past 18 months so that we are
ready if and when our Nation calls again. Some of us are a bit rusty at
the fundamentals and having our boots in the desert sand will make us
comfortable and happy. Speaking of happy, LtCol. Hatton will also get
the chance to see the entire team reformed, with our full compliment of
personnel and “kit” centrally located in one location; this will
definitely make him happy! We consider it as close to a family reunion
as we can get out here on the fringes of the empire.
A word of warning – don’t let your spouses fool you into thinking the
deployment to Udairi is a hardship tour. For many it will be a welcome
change, with the exception of a short acclimatization period to get used
to the hot desert days and cool desert nights. Remember, this is an Army
base and those beloved “doggies” can’t go long without their soft beds
and good chow. While we will certainly miss that good U.S. Navy
hospitality, we can look forward to enjoying many new services and
recreational facilities. The list below gives you some idea of the kinds
of goodies that your loved ones will enjoy when they are not
operating/training/working/fixing/repairing/securing/exercising/resting/sleeping/writing/reading/
thinking/arguing/complaining/shooting/moving/communicating/planning:
1 Two Post Exchanges with consumables, electronics, food drinks,
toiletries, uniform and other comfort items.
2 A Barbershop that has six chairs.
3 A modern AT&T phone center (75 phones) that is open 24/7.
4 A Global phone center that never closes its doors that has 40 phones;
for many this will be the first opportunity to make international calls
to countries other than USA or Canada. (I’m personally excited about
this one service as I have not called Mama or Papa Vasquez in Belize
since our port visit in Hawaii).
5 A spacious, modern gym which is always open.
6 A modern military dining facility (which we call a chowhall) which is
run by contractors and serves 3-squares a day:
§ Breakfast 0530 – 0800
§ Lunch 1130 – 1400
§ Dinner 1700 – 2000
7 An Internet Café also open 24/7 that has 60 computers that cost
$5.00/hour to use.
8 Best of all for some of your stinky spouses, there is a laundry
service. Naturally, this being the Army, you don’t do your own laundry.
You turn it in and get it back in 3 days.
9 Finally, there are several fast Foods restaurants, to include Burger
King, Pizza Hut, Subway and Green Bean Coffee Shop.
There’s no alcohol or pornography allowed, so Gunny Huggins will have no
excuses for not sticking with his two-a-day workout program. Good luck,
Gunny!
Best of all, most of your Marines and sailors will see an increase in
their pay checks due to this move. While we do lose our Sea Pay, we gain
Hardship Duty Pay (guess hardship is a relative term) and we are
credited full COMRATS/BAH. We also receive an additional $3.50/day for
deployed per diem.
In keeping with a longstanding naval tradition, our naval brethren on
all three ships will/have prepared special “going away meals” for us
prior to our debarking from naval shipping. During World War II, the
Marine Corps adopted the Australian dish “steak and eggs” as the
standard pre-battle meal. Last night on the USS DULUTH we enjoyed
lobster tails and prime rib steak. Cheers to the most powerful navy in
the world!
Those Marines and sailors who remain embarked on DULUTH recently enjoyed
five days of liberty in the port city of Bahrain. Although technically a
“working port,” a fine time as had by all...nothing better for morale
than a thick steak and a cold beer. While there, a significant event in
the world of sports was held – a four-man best ball golf competition
between the Marines of the Engineer Detachment (represented by Sergeants
Chesnutt and Berkey, Cpl Bright and LCpl Foreman) against an officer
team composed of the CO, XO and Lieutenant’s Jordan and Gasparro. The
drama of this unfolding sports spectacle defines description – a seesaw
battle under grueling conditions where each man found himself tested and
came out worthy (with an assist from the “fifth man” – Mr. Jack
Daniels). The battle raged unabated until the final hole, where the
officer team fell one stroke short (accusations regarding Lieutenant
Gasparro’s poor putting being the cause of what is now being called “the
defeat of the officers” are quite unfounded). Final score: Engineers -3,
Officers -2. Appropriate spoils of victory were distribution and
consumed. Great fun was had by all and the rematch, at some exotic
foreign port yet to be determined, should be quite a spectacle.
In other sporting news, the dart competition entered its second season
recently, with the final tally for the first half of the deployment
coming out 14 to 3 in favor of the SgtMaj/CO team, aptly named the
“Quiet Professionals” since they are known for their sportsmanship and
for not heckling the other team while they throwing their darts. As one
sports writer recently quipped, “Those fine gentlemen let their darts do
the talking.” In a surprising turn of events, the XO/S-3A team,
currently calling themselves “Above Reproach” in answer to widespread
accusations of unsportsmanlike conduct, came out strong in the second
stanza and have taken a 6 to 4 lead in the early going.
In business news – HMC Minor recently passed the Enlisted Surface
Warfare qualification and will be “pinned” by the CO later this
afternoon. This is quite an accomplishment by any measure, but when one
considers that our sailor finished the course faster than anyone in the
history of the U.S. Navy (according to an inside Navy source – Chief
Minor), all we can do is step back and say, “Wow!”
In closing, I would like to say that we have been blessed by tons of
mail since departing the Continental United States. Needless to say, we
appreciate the time and effort you put into these packages and letters;
we can feel your support at our backs as we face the challenges that lie
ahead.
Until the next newsletter (which may be delayed due to our impending
deployment to Kuwait), thanks you all for your constant support,
thoughts and prayers.
Semper Fidelis and God Bless,
First Sergeant G.A. “Butch” Vasquez