Semper Gratus!

I just love stories of our Troops and their interactions with kids. Marines in Iraq encounter wee ones all the time in their daily patrols and see in them the future of this embattled country. The “Betio Bastards” of 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment is on duty in Iraq with Regimental Combat Team 5.

Marines here will say that if there is no other reason why they’re in Iraq – it’s for the kids.

“I think kids are the future of this country,” said Sgt. Michael D. Grant, a 30-year-old combat engineer squad leader from Norman, Okla., attached to K Company. [pictured above] “If the kids get a good upbringing they are going to run this country when they grow up.”

…At one house Marines went into, they were changed forever. The group met an Iraqi English teacher who was the mother of two children. She invited the men in for something cool to drink but it was her two-year-old son that refreshed them the most.

“I thought he was the cutest kid,” Grant said.

He said saw a promising future in the kid’s bright-brown eyes.

“His mom is teaching him English so he’ll grow up doing something good for his country or the people that are around him,” Grant said.

He added that his mother hoped he would help change the future for his neighbors and even his country. She hoped he would be the next generation of Iraqis who stand alongside Americans for a future free of terrorism.

The young boy was well mannered, greeting Marines as they entered his home.

“He even shook hands like you should,” Grant said.

Grant said he displayed his courtesy when Grant offered him a stick of chewing gum. When the boy still had the gum, Grant reached out to shake his hand.

“He took the gum out of his right hand and put it in his left hand to shake with his right,” Grant said.

A sailor with the company was also touched by the kid. It was a reminder of his own children and his extended family.

“When we went into that house it brought me closer to home,” said Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Adam R. Brandon, a hospital corpsman who is assigned to K Company.

The 24-year-old father of two from Nacogdoches, Texas, said it made me realize that they’re normal people just like him.

“I think back to my son, nieces and nephews at home,” said Staff Sgt. Timothy P. Hanson, a 30-year-old from Piedmont, Ala., who is a platoon sergeant with K Company. “You feel you can provide for these kids the same way you can for yours, because they’re no different.”

I also love seeing Man’s “best friend” in action defending the nation. The “Betio Bastards” are taking a bite out of insurgents with the help of some four-legged friends.

Cpl. Vincent Acevedo named his dog CAR, the shortened version of Combat Action Ribbon Marines earn in combat under fire. CAR earned his name, several times over. He’s been right there when Marines dug up buried weapons caches, and he’s even braved enemy rocket-propelled grenade attacks.

When Acevedo, CAR and other Marines were headed to a firm base, they started receiving RPG and machine-gun fire from a chicken coop.

Marines, CAR included, took it all in stride.

“They took care of the situation,” Acevedo said. “They sent a squad out and moved into the next house. That night we stayed in that house.”

When all seemed well, the unit was attacked again.

CAR alerted Acevedo and other Marines when they started receiving a barrage of enemy mortar fire.

“A round landed about 10 meters away from me and my dog,” Acevedo said.

The blast was deafening. Acevedo said with all the commotion, explosions and Marines scrambling for cover and mount security, he couldn’t hear a thing. Still, CAR was there by his side.

“I just saw the dog barking, but there was no audible sound,” he said.

It was CAR who led the squad to safety. Acevedo and the other Marines moved out of the area before the enemy could pinpoint the unit’s position.

It’s not just Acevedo who’s convinced of CAR’s abilities and his performance in combat. Marines walking the beat alongside him rest easier knowing he’s there.

“It’s good to have the dogs around,” said Pfc. Malik J. Staggers, a 19-year-old rifleman from Bronx, N.Y., assigned to K Company. “They save a lot of lives.”

Lance Cpl. Charles E. Byerly, a 20-year-old dog handler, shows his dog Danny, 10, some love at Camp Habbaniyah, Iraq, Sept. 1. He wanted to care for his four-legged companion before they head back for Danny’s retirement in Camp Lejeune, N.C. Danny has deloyed three times in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and one to Djibouti, Africa as a military working dog fighting insurgents with Marines. After the dog’s retirement Byerly will adopt his battle buddy. Byerly is from Mars, Pa., and is currently serving a seven-month deployment with 3rd Battallion, 2nd Marine Regiment in the Habbaniyah area under Regimental Combat Team 5. Photo by: Lance Cpl. Ray Lewis

Aaawwwww! They’re gonna get to stay together. That’s how it should be.

Side note: Welcome Home Lcpl Matt!!!