Sacrifice for a Friend

Al Qaim is a very nice base, word is that we have the best chow hall in Iraq which I don't doubt at all.  The food here is great.  The base isn't nearly the size of Bagram but we're hooked up.  There's A/C in the wooden hooches that we live in.  We also have bunk beds with mattresses, we're spoiled here.  There's also cold water and hot showers, yeah, spoiled brats.  But... they keep sending us out to FOB's for ten to fifteen days at a time.  We built our FOB "Belleau Wood" from the ground up with a little help from the engineers who suck at their job by the way.  Belleau Wood is just south of Ubaydi, a nasty city just crawling with insurgents, which we found out when they welcomed us with a couple of 120mm's our first hour there.  They weren't hitting inside the FOB, which is only 100m x 100m, but they were getting close until we discovered their FO on a water tower.  They kept this up for seven days until we spotted them. Anyway, Belleau Wood is just the opposite of Al Qaim.  It's basically a dust bowl with some bunkers in it.

The weather here isn't too bad, it can actually be nice, it has cooled down and it gets chilly at night.  Enough for a fleece and beanie. So we're back in Al Qaim for a couple of days until we go back to Belleau Wood.

We've done a couple of missions, one was sought of Al Qaim near the Jordanian border.  We cleared the city of Ar Ruthabah.  Not as eventful as it was built up to be, they always make it sound like the next invasion.

We have a mission coming up soon.  I know I can't say anything about it beforehand but I'll fill you in afterwards, cool? We use tracks or Amphibious Assault Vehicles for whatever we do.  So they're pretty much our second home since we're in them so often.  They come in handy for taking walls or any other structure down. 
Alright, I'm closing.  Tell everyone I said hello and that I'm holding the front lines down.  I love you both very much and I am so grateful to have you two as parents, I'm returning the favor by trying, I'll make you proud.
Love,
Wally

Anderson, 21, of Parkton, Md., was killed Oct. 19, 2005, by a suicide car bomber in Sadah. Before he was hit, Anderson killed the driver who was heading toward their forward operating base, and in turn saved many lives. He received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star with Valor.

Marine Lance Cpl. Justin Daniel McLeese
Oct. 10, 2004. (E-mail written to best friend and given to his mother)

Whats up dog? Ive been really busy lately I haven't gotten an email  from you in a while, just wanted to make sure every thing is ok. I  lost one of my really good friends out here in Fallujah, it was f---ed  up but I'm ok, that's part of war. There has been some other guys  called up to the good Lord I also knew.
Anyway,  how are you,  how is school? What's up with this affair ---- is having?  I'm  still waiting to hear who it is and what's up with it. Tell Jerry I  said hello, how is your Mom? Tell Trent and Scott I said what's up and  hope all is well. What's up with the Judices, how are they? I hear Frankie is playing football.

Are you still thinking about the Navy? I really would like to talk  to you about it before you join but you do what you want,  I just wish I had  more info before. I still would be doing what I am now because I  love it.  I know I'm  over here so my friends and family don't have to be. Y'all made it in to school off of hard work and you deserve to go and not  have to worry about  me at  war.  If I would have done better in  school I could be at LSU with y'all but this is what the good Lord has planned for me and I'm really good at it, like y'all are in school. I can't  wait to see you when I get home.  I'm glad I have friends back  home as good as y'all, it makes me feel good.  Y'all better be ready to  party it up when I get back. Remember all those poems you  used to  write? Will you write another one and send it? I really love to read  those things about all of us,  it is really cool. Well I've got to go, until next time.
Love always,
Your brother  JM