A Houston native recently participated in a mass reenlistment ceremony at Al-Faw Palace in Baghdad, July 4.

Marine Sgt. Patsy M. Lee, an imagery analyst with Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 3, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, was one of more than 1,200 service members who reaffirmed their allegiance to their nation by raising their right hands and once again stating the Oath of Enlistment.

Led by Army Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of Multi-National Force – Iraq, the largest reenlistment ceremony in history took place in one of Saddam Hussein’s old palaces.

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Ramadi, a mostly Sunni city with about 500,000 residents, was considered to be one of the most violent cities in the world during the early part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Today, locals are out shopping at the city’s bustling marketplace, known as the souk. Children are playing soccer in fields, and students are walking mostly worry-free to and from the province’s local college, al Anbar University.

The signs of war have steadily declined as the city has embraced peace and the region is returning to normalcy, which is an unexpected but welcome change for Marines with 1st Battalion,9th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, returning to the region for consecutive tours.

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A native of America’s North Shore was killed by a suicide bomber while attending a meeting on June 26. Marine Captain Philip. J. Dykeman of Brockport and two other officers were killed when a suicide bomber attacked the tribal council meeting that they were attending. Nearly 20 others were also killed. Al Qaeda in Iraq has taken responsibility.

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A Marine who trained the females mentioned that one “sister” compared herself to a James Bond girl and how she was training like a Bond girl; learning about weapons and providing security for a city, while making money. It’s not a situation as glamorous as in the movies but the reference gave both women common ground to joke about.

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Chasing a lifelong dream for a career in professional baseball … It’s a story as distinctly American as apple pie.

Now add a dramatic twist: the pitching prospect is a U.S. Marine deployed to Iraq. He has his ball, glove and an intense desire to overcome a past elbow injury. Peers are cheering him on, pushing him to new levels in the gym and putting themselves on the receiving end of increasingly faster pitches.

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Step after step, combat boots hit the pavement. It’s been a few hours for the Marine squad walking the Ramadi streets. Fatigued yet steady, the young men push forward on their routine foot patrol despite the mid-day desert heat; each squad member maintaining a constant alertness with eyes scanning the environment in every direction.

The squad leader passes by a familiar face; a local vender who he sees almost every day. Instantly, the look of exhaustion washes away, and a smile is brought to his face. Lifting his hand, he warmly greets the vender with, “Al salaam a’alaykum.”

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Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Vanessa Feliscian, embarked aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4), paints the interior walls of San Fransisco De Assisi’s Church in Guatemala

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Behind the towering concrete barriers and aluminum façade of the trauma hospital, members of a dedicated team make it their job to save lives.

Surgeons, medical providers and enlisted corpsmen deployed to Iraq in February with TQ Surgical, Medical Company, 1st Supply Battalion (reinforced), 1st Marine Logistics Group. They’ve treated American, Iraqi and enemy forces since their arrival.

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Two years ago, Ramadi’s police force was essentially wiped out by a strong insurgency that devastated almost every police station, leaving only a small number of officers on the job and a city considered by officials to be uncontrollable and nicknamed the “wild west.”

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The insurgents are finding that every time they engage with the Marines, they lose.

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It was a typical quiet morning on April 22, with the temperature intensifying as a bright orange sun emerged high from the horizon.

However, this morning would be different. Quickly it would turn chaotic, then tragic. Two Marines would gallantly sacrifice their lives so others could live.

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Sgt. Merlin German was badly injured in Iraq, in 2005. After two years of struggles, and inspiration to all who knew him or his story, he has passed away. The streets of Heaven have a new guard, Sgt. Merlin German USMC.

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