USMC, Disabled American Vet

Be Advised America is ....

2010-03-10T09:57:00.002-05:00

Excuse Me Marines, Which Way is the War

2010-02-22T04:55:00.000-05:00

We adapt, we adjust, we overcome

2010-02-15T21:51:00.001-05:00

Iraq Cartoon

2010-01-29T11:35:00.001-05:00

Added to this Blog and Just Updated

2009-12-20T10:54:00.003-05:00

My Twitter Page Posts. Please join me on Twitter at:

http://twitter.com/usmcdav

Update -

_ _ I removed the Blog Page Rating Widget - it sucks!
Do not install any widget by : blogorator

My USMC Pictures in Iraq, Post Invasion, Part 4

2009-09-23T14:33:00.010-04:00

Some more photos I took after the initial topple of Saddam.
The military installation is quite large, that photo is over a mile away. The Iraqi's fleeing like cowards abandoned it when their forward observer post reported the U.S. Marines were advancing.

Some of the damaged Marine Corps vehicles I retrieved being loaded for shipment back to the USA.

Look how isolated everything is. The people have all left fearing the war is not over.

An Iraqi Oil Well on fire. That fire is miles away and you can smell the burning oil, it fills your lungs as the wind shifts.

One of the Iraqi Oil Storage Tanks in the desert, it's near a pipeline.

My USMC Pictures in Iraq, Post Invasion, Part 3

2009-09-15T12:43:00.007-04:00

More pictures are right after the topple of Saddam's Government.
I was part of the first group that invaded Iraq and part of the very first group to remain behind. All of my unit went home but three of us, and one guy left a few days after I snap these photos.
You can see one of the Forward Iraqi Observation Post plus smoke from a fire on a damaged oil pipeline..

My USMC Pictures in Iraq, Post Invasion, Part 2

2009-09-01T13:07:00.008-04:00

Real IED Detonated in Afghanistan

2009-08-18T17:49:00.001-04:00

My USMC Pictures in Iraq, Post Invasion, Part 1

2009-08-17T13:02:00.008-04:00

These pictures are right after the topple of Saddam's Government.
I was part of the first group that invaded Iraq and part of the very first group to remain behind. All of my unit went home but three of us.
My job was to retrieve wrecked, broken, and destroyed U.S. and Allied vehicles, those that could be repaired were, the rest went to a scrap heap in Kuwait.
This job was harder than combat.
They would send two of us out to fix or toe back Marine units that were broken or destroyed. We often found parts of fellow Marines still inside, lots of blood everywhere, it still haunts me today.
Also we marked for destruction any vehicles and armor left by the retreating Iraqi forces.
I lost a lot of weight while in Iraq, some caused by my injuries, some by stress, some by the heat.
But the Marines, First In, Last Out, got the bloody job done.
Semper Fi

My USMC Pictures in Iraq, Desert Sandstorm

2009-06-23T11:03:00.010-04:00

Here I am in a typical desert sandstorm in Iraq, this country is a shit-hole, and sucks....
It looks like it's moving slow in the pictures but in reality these can get up to 40 Mph in a matter of minutes.

My USMC Pictures in Iraq, The Invasion has begun, Part 4

2009-06-04T11:41:00.007-04:00

1st Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF)
Invasion very little resistance, very few Iraqi's can even be seen.
More surprised civilians.
My unit is spearheading the column, my Hummer is toward the front of the attacking convoy.

My USMC Pictures in Iraq, The Invasion has begun, Part 3

2009-05-26T11:12:00.008-04:00

1st Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF)
Invasion is underway, little to no resistance, Iraqi's continue to drop weapons and run.
More surprised civilians.
My unit is spearheading the column, my Hummer is toward the front of the attacking convoy.
Some Marines have been assigned to check out the military and communication complex and underground bunkers.
They will be tagged, and called in for a U.S. Army demolition team.

Please don't for get us, our government all ready has....

2009-05-25T08:44:00.002-04:00

My USMC Pictures in Iraq, The Invasion has begun, Part 2

2009-05-20T11:07:00.008-04:00

1st Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF)
Invasion has started, little resistance, Iraqi's dropping weapons and running.
Glimpses of surprised civilians. Little resistance so far.
My unit is spearheading the column, my Hummer is toward the front of the attacking convoy.

My USMC Pictures in Iraq, The Invasion has begun, Part 1

2009-05-10T09:57:00.008-04:00

1st Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF)
Left Camp Coyote, Kuwait, massed along the Iraq Border awaiting invasion orders.
Our unit will be one of the first into Iraq.
Invasion starts, little resistance, Iraqi's dropping weapons and running.
My unit is spearheading the column, my Hummer is toward the front.

The United States Marines - First In, Last out!

My USMC Pictures in Kuwait along the Iraq Border, Part 2

2009-05-04T11:08:00.010-04:00

Operation Iraqi Freedom: Pre-invasion Preparation, including training for Chemical and Biological attacks. We would have to dress out and take bunker cover every time the Iraqis fired a Scud Missile:

My USMC Pictures in Kuwait along the Iraq Border, Part 1

2009-05-02T12:37:00.009-04:00

Operation Iraqi Freedom: Pre-invasion Preparation:

My USMC Pictures at Camp Pendleton California

2009-04-01T15:37:00.011-04:00

Operation Iraqi Freedom: Pre-invasion Prep.
Here is where they assembled various parts of our Unit, gave us medical preparation, and Iraq orientation:

I also took some time out to get my Marine Corps Tattoo:

Video: In God We Trust

2009-03-11T13:02:00.002-04:00

But, GOD Trusts The U.S. Marines to get his job done.....
In March, 2005, this song was performed at a Diamond Rio concert.
They received an immediate standing ovation, and continue to do so every time they perform it!
Sadly, major radio stations wouldn't play it because it was considered politically incorrect.
Consequently, the song was never released to the public.
If this song speaks to your heart let us cease being the silent majority and join together not as a particular political party, but as Americans!

you-tube video: US MARINES in Iraq Real Footage Warning Graphic

2009-02-24T14:39:00.000-05:00

Advanced Russian MIG Jets were found buried in the desert sand....

2009-02-23T06:59:00.008-05:00

The Iraqi jet, an advanced Russian MiG-25 Foxbat, was found buried in the sand after an informant tipped off U.S. troops.
The MiG was dug out of a massive sand dune near the Al Taqqadum airfield by U.S. Air Force recovery teams. The MiG was reportedly one of over two dozen Iraqi jets buried in the sand, like hidden treasure, waiting to be recovered at a later date.
Contrary to what some in the major media have reported, not all the jets found were from the Gulf War era.
The Russian-made MiG-25 Foxbat being recovered by U.S. Air Force troops in the photos is an advanced reconnaissance version never before seen in the West and is equipped with sophisticated electronic warfare devices.
See photos below....

And, now the rest of the story ....
U.S. Air Force recovery teams had to use large earth-moving equipment to uncover the MiG, which is over 70 feet long and weighs nearly 25 tons.
The Foxbat is known to be one of Iraq's top jet fighters. The advanced electronic reconnaissance version found by the U.S. Air Force is currently in service with the Russian air force. The MiG is capable of flying at speeds of over 2,000 miles an hour, or three times the speed of sound, and at altitudes of over 75,000 feet.
The recovery of the advanced MiG fighter is considered to be an intelligence coup by the U.S. Air Force.. The Foxbat may also be equipped with advanced Russian- and French-made electronics that were sold to Iraq during the 1990s in violation of a U..N. ban on arms sales to Baghdad.
The buried aircraft at Al Taqqadum were covered in camouflage netting, sealed and, in many cases, had their wings removed before being buried more than 10 feet beneath the Iraqi desert. The discovery of the buried Iraqi jet fighters illustrates the problem faced by U.S. inspection teams searching Iraq for weapons of mass destruction. Iraq is larger in size than California, and the massive deserts south and west of Baghdad were used by Saddam Hussein to hide weapons during the first Gulf war.
While there are rumors of Iraqi chemical and biological weapons being shipped to nearby Syria, the weapons may very well still remain inside Iraq buried under the vast desert wastelands.
Some critics of the Bush administration have claimed that the inability of U.S.. forces to uncover weapons of mass destruction is proof that the president misled the nation into the war with Iraq. However, in recent days the critics have fallen silent as word quietly leaked from Iraq that major discoveries have already been made and are now being documented completely.

Things About Me and The United States Marine Corps

2009-02-22T13:20:00.001-05:00

I am a Disabled Marine Corps Veteran from Operation Iraqi Freedom.

This Blog will present various picture images, videos, and things about me, the Marine Corps, and the Iraq War along with some general military stuff.