Was Fallujah worth the loss?

U.S. veterans lament fall of Fallujah
Associated press

SAN DIEGO  •  Shirley Parrello knows that her youngest son believed in his mission in Iraq. But as she watches Iraqi government forces try to retake the hard-won city of Fallujah from al-Qaida-linked fighters, she can’t help wondering if it was worth Marine Lance Cpl. Brian Parrello’s sacrifice.

“I’m starting to feel that his death was in vain,” his mother, of West Milford, N.J., said of her 19-year-old son, who died in an explosion there on Jan. 1, 2005. “I’m hoping that I’m wrong. But things aren’t looking good over there right now.”

The 2004 image of two charred American bodies hanging from a bridge as a jubilant crowd pelted them with shoes seared the city’s name into the American psyche. The brutal house-to-house battle to tame the Iraqi insurgent stronghold west of Baghdad cemented its place in U.S. military history.

But while many are disheartened at Fallujah’s recent fall to Islamist forces, others try to place it in the context of Iraq’s history of internal struggle since the ouster of dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003. And they don’t see the reversal as permanent.

“I’m very disappointed right now, very frustrated,” says retired Marine Col. Mike Shupp, who commanded the regimental combat team that secured the city in late 2004. “But this is part of this long war, and this is just another fight, another battle in this long struggle against terrorism and oppression.”

Former Marine Lance Cpl. Garrett Anderson’s unit lost 51 members in the city. When he considers whether the fighting was in vain, it turns his stomach.

“As a war fighter and Marine veteran of that battle, I feel that our job was to destroy our enemy. That was accomplished at the time and is why our dead will never be in vain. We won the day and the battle,” said the 28-year-old, who now studies filmmaking in Portland, Ore. “If Marines were in that city today there would be dead Qaida all over the streets again, but the reality is this is only the beginning of something most people who have been paying attention since the war began knew was going to end this way.”

On Tuesday, the site duffelblog.com posted a satirical column about two former Marines raising $1,300 on Kickstarter to go back and retake the city in time for the battle’s tenth anniversary.

“We paid for that city and we’re keeping it!” one fictional commenter tells the site.

The piece had more than 30,000 Facebook likes by Wednesday. read more here

The Battle Over the Battle of Fallujah

Mr. Tamte, who are you fooling? $20 million was not about honoring them but about making money. Excuse me but if you wanted to honor them and make people understand what it was like, then you'd be closer to it doing it the way Ken Burns does it, not by turning it into a video game. I have no doubt you care about them but it seems you spent a lot of time and money for your own sake and not their's or the family members of the fallen. What do you think $20 million could have done for any of the organizations trying to care for them because they didn't play a game, they lived thru it? What do you think that kind of money could have done for the families of the fallen or for the wounded? I'm sure you and your employees could have found a lot better way of honoring them than to do this.

The Battle Over the Battle of Fallujah
A videogame so real it hurts.

By Dan Ephron NEWSWEEK
Published Jun 6, 2009
From the magazine issue dated Jun 15, 2009


Peter Tamte was months away from completing his dream project—turning the largest urban battle of the Iraq War into a videogame—when it all seemed to fall apart. The 75 employees of one of his companies, Atomic Games, had worked on the endeavor for nearly four years. They'd toiled to make Six Days in Fallujah as realistic as possible, weaving in real war footage and interviews with Marines who had fought there. But now relatives of dead Marines were angry, and the game's distributor and partial underwriter had pulled out of Tamte's project. On May 26, he got on the phone to Tracy Miller, whose son was killed by a sniper in Fallujah, and tried to win her over by arguing that the game honors the Marines. Miller listened politely, but remained skeptical. "By making it something people play for fun, they are trivializing the battle," she told NEWSWEEK.

Tamte is not above triviality. A second company he runs, Destineer, makes games with titles like Indy 500 and Fantasy Aquarium. But the 41-year-old executive says he's now attempting something more serious: a documentary-style reconstruction that will be so true to the original battle, gamers will almost feel what it was like to fight in Fallujah in November 2004. At his studio in Raleigh, N.C., Tamte has been helped by dozens of Fallujah vets who have advised him on the smallest details, from the look of the town to the operation of the weapons. And he's staked the fate of his company on the success of the $20 million project. "If for some reason it doesn't work, we'll have to think about making some very significant changes to the studio," he says.
go here for more
http://www.newsweek.com/id/200861?GT1=43002

Tim Nelson's battle after war has ended

I belong to a lot of groups. NAMI Veteran's Council,is one of the most active. This came in an email.

Veterans of Modern Warfare, Inc.
August 4, 2008

It is with a very heavy heart that I share with you our loss of Tim Nelson, VMW Chapter 3 President in Bellingham, Washington.

Tim was a proud Marine who served in Iraq and participated in the Battle of Fallujah. He was married to Elisha last summer, attended Western Washington University and worked at the Bellingham Vet Center.

Tim Nelson took his life with his own hands on July 26.

Suicide Prevention

Veterans at risk for suicide may be suffering from a combination of emotional, physical and environmental factors and view suicide as the easiest way to end their pain.

If you think someone may be suicidal, no not leave him or her alone. Try to seek immediate help from the VA National Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-TALK (8255), from his or her physician, nearest hospital emergency room, or call 911.

If possible, eliminate access to firearms or other potential tools for suicide, including unsupervised access to alcohol and medications. A person who appears suicidal needs immediate mental health assistance and treatment.
Membership Personal Mission Request

I am asking each of you who receives this note to call a fellow veteran. Call the names on your roster that haven't yet made it to a meeting, someone you served with, someone at church or work. Check in with them -- see if they are struggling. This is work that the VA simply cannot do.

Help your chapter leadership create a strong support system in your community.
Chapter 3

Tim Nelson's thoughtful questions and meaningful insight helped to mold this organization's development. His dynamic personality brought his community's Modern Veteran's together and he will be forever missed.

In closing, I ask that you please take a moment to send your regards and encouragement to our VMW Chapter 3. vmwbellingham@yahoo.com

Warmest regards,

Julie Mock, PresidentVeterans of Modern Warfare, Inc.