Da Goddess

Death in the Family

Late last year, my Godfather, Joe Robustellini died of brain cancer. He was 88. He'd been a father to me and my sister after my own father left. My mother had been a single mother, and Joe and his wife, Nina, had become our Godparents at a young age. It was because of him that we were able to go to Catholic schools, and to some very good colleges and graduate schools. Joe was a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, who had served in the 8th Air Force in World War II. It was because of him that I went into the military. My Godmother had died a few years earlier, when I started law school in 1997, and my mother the previous year, in 1996. My sister, who had grown up in San Francisco also, decided to live in Denver because she felt that all she ever came back home for was funerals. I gave 3 eulogies in 8 years. I too decided to move to San Diego after last year.

In my 4 years and 3 months in the US Marines, I spent most of it with one unit -- Lima Company, 3d Battalion, 7th Marines. From April 1992 to January 1994, I served in that company as a platoon commander, a weapons platoon commander, and a rifle company executive officer. It was like a family. In San Diego in 2004, I met a Col Carl Shaver, USMC (Ret.), who had commanded Lima Company in Vietnam. Out there in a exhibition hall, with thousands of high tech gadgets and radios, Col Shaver represented the Marine Corps Programs Department at Fallbrook, California. Everyone was doing quite well with their business in this post 9-11 war on terror -- even the start up non profits that were sending stuff to the troops in Iraq. But, at the core, there are the guys who serve in the infantry units, who represent less than 1% of 1% of the population in America.

A week ago, Carl Shaver called me to refer me to an article in the Navy professional journal about the rise of counterinsurgency warfare. He knew that I I am working on a book about the subject. I drove up to Fallbrook, and we traded notes. He showed me a letter from the previous Commanding Officer of Lima 3/7, who had moved up to the Battalion Staff. He named his replacement, a Captain Rich Gannon.

"You know, there have been 5 KIA in Lima, including the Company Commander, and I think it was Captain Gannon," I told Carl. According to a story on the usmc.mil website, the Executive Officer, Dominique Neal was frocked to Captain by Major General Mattis, USMC, and took over the company. The Company Commander was killed, next to two lance corporals, trying to pull a wounded Marine to safety.

I continued on up the road to March Air Force Base where another infantry battalion, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines (1/7), was training for Stabilization and Support Operations (SASO). 1/7 was a neighbor battalion to us when we were with 3/7 up at 29 Palms -- 29 Stumps. The major in charge of the training staff had been a Weapons Company Commander during the Invasion of Iraq in 2003. Apparently, he'd gone to Capt Gannon's funeral the previous week -- or so I heard from another officer. I didn't talk to him about it.

I observed the training at March Air Force Base for two days -- tank - infantry operations; coordinated information operations (IO); very realistic role playing with simulated local Iraqis. I put the word out about some humanitarian groups willing to support the Marines. I have to say, I kind of liked sleeping out there in the dirt again -- out with the grunts in a Battalion CP, it felt like being back home. The flow of information and events, all of it came back very quickly, even after 9 years.

On the way out, a Marine stopped me. "What are you doing? Who you with?" said the Staff Sergeant. "I used to be with Lima 3/7, an infantry officer, and I'm doing some liaison work, and working on a book about Small Wars," I replied.

Everyone gets challenged in the grunts. It's just part of the culture. I actually liked it.

I went on and described what I was working on, gave the Staff Sergeant some handouts.

"You know, I used to walk by the Lima 3/7 CP, and I'd see Captain Gannon's name. I guess he got killed over there. It hits kind of close to home. It must for you too -- kind of like family."

"Yeah, it's like family," I said, telling the Staff Sergeant about Col Shaver.

"Open the concertina," said the Staff Sergeant -- I guess I'd passed the test.

In the long sweep of history, there will be Iraqi kids who grow up to bring their kids to America. They'll be successful and take advantage of everything that this country has to offer. A democratic Iraq probably looks as likely as a democratic Germany or Japan did in 1946 -- but someday, that will happen. And it will be the result of men like Rich Gannon, who paid the ultimate price out there on the Syrian border in some town out of a Clint Eastwood Spaghetti Western. Too, Lima 3/7 will be out there somewhere, on the edge of the empire.

Posted by at May 11, 2004 07:40 PM