Wow, it was like Christmas in July as the Chester County Young Republicans and the Republican Committee of Chester County shipped us 9 boxes of goodies as well as health and comfort items.

Unfortunately, my fellow Republicans back in Chester County, PA included what they thought was just a football.  My naivety saw it more as a weapon of opportunity and quickly engaged on a target of opportunity (Lance-Coconut Price) to see if I was correct.

Pictures don’t lie!

Stage 1 – Target Identified

Stage 2 – Target Acquired

Stage 3 – Target Hit

Ok it wasn’t the Republicans per se that brought the Lance Coconut down but, I am going to take the Democrat approach for my rebuttal:

1. “Well they shouldn’t have given me something that if used completely inappropriate would hurt someone.”

2. “I am sure this is George Bush’s fault, just like when he Rumsfeld conspired to create Hurricane Katrina with the help of Halliburton”

3. “I did not have relations with that pigskin”

4.  “I was for using a football appropriately before using it inappropriately” – Thanks John Kerry

5.  “Then we will hit him in the shoulder, then in the legs, then in the back, and then in the groin.   Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa” – Thanks Howard Dean

Wow again.  Look at all the stuff below.  Not only do I and the junior Marines in the office appreciate the generosity but so do some Marines in Fallujah we may never meet.  There have been a few hut fires in Iraq and almost a companies worth of Marines lost their gear and personal items.  Because of your generosity we were able to send a few boxes to them today.

Pictured: Tough Guy (Me), Sgt Slaughter, Cupcake, and the Lance Coconut

Semper Fi Fellow Republicans,

GySgt Jonathan Jenkins

Popularity: 100% [?]

Tonight I find myself writing and re-writing this blog entry as I just don’t know where to start.

We lost 4 Marines due to an IED just outside of Camp Fallujah (FP) on 2 May.  The 4 warriors were with Combat Logistics Battalion 1 (CLB-1) which is under the 1st Marine Logistical Group (1st MLG) like me. 

I just left CF a little over a week ago and met a number of Marines while there.  I am not sure if I meet any of four as the Marine Corps has yet to publicly release the names. 

The Marine Corps recognizes the great individual tragedies that occur from time to time and work diligently to meet with all the families before the press gets word of the tragedy.  To ensure families find out in the most respectful way possible the Marine Corps shuts down all but the most essential communication (no phone calls home, no general Internet access, etc…).

It’s a sobering experience waiting for Internet access again.  You have work to do and need the Internet up but once its up you can picture in your mind the spouse, parents and siblings crying.  I don’t know how to explain it but for me it’s a bit of an eerie feeling.

Shortly, I will be heading back to CF to speak with a number of Marines in CLB-1 for business matters.  Hopefully, I will also have time to seek out friends of these 4 to see if you all can do anything for their families.

Semper Fi,
GySgt Jonathon Jenkins

Popularity: 76% [?]

Morning chow was just as good as last night.  Maybe I was just hungry again but iHop has nothing over this chow hall.  To those who may not know me well lets just say my very last meal in the states was at the International House of Pancakes.

After finishing with what I had to do in CF……. I walked around checking out the base, talking to Marines, and just getting a sense of what life is like on CF.

It’s crazy hot again (over 100 degrees).  By the way, you don’t need a thermometer out here to know it’s over 100 degrees.  Just look for the Ugandan guys working internal security and see if they are melting.  When guys from Africa are sweating profusely at 6AM just imagine what a guy from Pennsylvania is feeling like.

While I wanted to talk with more Marines today I just didn’t have the time.  Most of the Marines I met today were officers or senior enlisted.  The lieutenants of course are still finding their way in life and in the Marine Corps but the Majors and above were fully engaged and great to talk with. 

A number of the questions I get from people are if there is a difference between sexes in the Marine Corps.  First please know that whether in your personal life, business or in the military you have 10% dead weight, 10 % hard chargers, and the rest a blend in between the two.  My experience out here in TQ and at CF leads me to once again conclude that all the Marine Corps officers are professional and fully committed to the mission and the men and women in their charge. 

In regards to the men vs. women issue in the Marine Corps officer ranks I still don’t see it.  In fact one of the most inspiring officers I met and had lunch with was a female Major.  She is a reservist who has been in Iraq over two years now and still positive, committed, and ready to stay until the job is finished.

As for the junior Marines it appears there is just as much to do here as in TQ.  A coffee shop, barber, exchange, great gym, great chow hall, Internet Café, call centers, etc…  The attitude of the Marines here seems to be the same as those in TQ.

Well playtime is over here at CF and I need to find my way back to TQ.  We are hoping to catch a flight out of here but are seeing about hopping on a convoy just in case.

Semper Fi,

GySgt Jonathan Jenkins

Popularity: 37% [?]

I like TQ but even more I look forward to seeing as much of Iraq as possible.  Camp Fallujah (CF) was certainly one of those places I wanted to get to.

We lucked out as our convoy rolled in just before evening chow was to end.  We hurried up to drop our gear in a transient tent and get something to eat.

They say first impressions are very important and if your first experience of life at CF is in the chow hall you will certainly like this place.  Steak, shrimp, vegetables, salad, Gatorade, and coffee were a perfect way to end the day.

To further illustrate about the importance of first impressions you just need to know about the transient tent we were in.  Dirty floor, dirty mattress, no linens, pillows, anything yet I didn’t care.  Swept off the sand and dirt, used a towel as a pillow, and slept like a baby until 0500.

Semper Fi,

GySgt Jonathan Jenkins

Popularity: 38% [?]