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Six months later, Charlie Company still going strong
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First Sergeant Ben Grainger dons a patriotic clergy-type collar as he practices his religion, "Americantology," on the rooftop of Charlie Company's home base. Reminder Publications photo courtesy of First Sergeant Grainger
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Editor's Note: Since April, several local Marines have been serving in Fallujah, Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Many of them are young men who recently graduated from local high schools, who work for local companies or attend local colleges. They are reservists who were activated last fall and were deployed in the spring.
The Reminder staff were embedded for two days with the men of Charlie Company during their Mojave Viper training in March.
Based in Plainfield, Conn., Charlie Company is led by 1st Sgt. Ben Grainger of Enfield, Conn., and he recently e-mailed The Reminder with some updates on his Marines' morale.
By Sarah M. Corigliano
Assistant Managing Editor
If you are a regular reader of 1st Sgt. Ben Grainger's war-time blog you know that, while the web page is loading, you're never quite sure what to expect. He probably feels the same way about his daily job in Fallujah, Iraq.
The Charlie Company first sergeant frequently waxes sentimental about the camaraderie among Marines and Corpsmen, the dedication of the men in his company to their mission and to their country, and fits in a few jokes to gently tease his wife, Trish Grainger, while thousands of miles from his Enfield home.
Last week, the blog delivered sad news about Charlie Company. Corporal Jordan Pierson of Connecticut had been killed in action. His was not the first memorial service Charlie Company Marines attended in Iraq. Not long before Pierson's memorial service, Charlie Company Marines attended the service for Lance Corporal Kurt E. Dechen, from Springfield, Vermont.
Recent reports on the batallion's web site tell stories of loss and triumph, including news written by Marines correspondents and by local media. Go to www.thereminder.com and click on "News from the Front" to be transferred to the 1/25 web site for many stories about Charlie Company.
Since arriving in Fallujah in April, several Charlie Company Marines have been injured and have since returned to duty. Several have been honored with Purple Heart medals, others have received promotions.
While they are past the half-way point in their deployment, Grainger continues to post updates on the Marines' well-being and any needs that arise for the Company.
Whether or not readers agree with his "Americantology," they can see his sincere efforts to support his Marines and keep them in a good physical and mental state until they return home.
One way he has highlighted keeping morale up is with mail from home. Grainger often mentions the impact family, friends, neighbors and businesses can have on the Marines' moods simply by sending some snacks, a package of socks or some bug spray, all of which are very real needs for the men of Charlie Company.
"This has been a tremendous help in keeping the morale of the troops up," Grainger told The Reminder in an e-mail interview. "Marines tend to miss a lot from home while they are deployed and finding something in a pile of snacks you like from home gives you a sense of escape and normalizes things mentally a little."
Grainger alluded to his own strains, noting that, if Marines aren't around at chow time, they miss it.
"Most times I have been deployed, after a long patrol, if it is not meal time there is nothing to eat," Grainger said. "You feel drained and run down. Because of the organizations [who sent items from home], we are able to have not only the comfort of a snack but something to pick up energy levels when you are all depleted and feeling run down."
He added that the health care items that have been sent are very helpful in preventing and treating injuries so Marines can stay on duty and support each other.
Mail comes twice a week to Charlie Company, and while it's an improvement on Grainger's last deployment, it's no easy task getting it there.
"We get mail twice a week at least, every once in a while three times a week," he explained. "It's a lot better than last time I was here where, at first, it was every few weeks to a month. It is flown to Kuwait to a near base who sorts it and flies it on to another base. It goes through several bases then we go by convoy to pick it up when we can.
"From there it comes and we hand it out."
When the mail is distributed, Grainger said he can see the difference between the Marines who have received letters or packages, and those who have not.
"Letters are very effective, you can see the change in a Marine's facial expression or level of motivation at mail call, both if he receives a letter or doesn't," he said. "Through some hard work and 'Little Debbie' bribery, we have been able to set up our own little e-mail. We did not have it before like the bases over here do, but we set it up with a lot of help from home. I write home e-mail but not as often as my wife would like, I am sure, as I try to keep all the families abreast of things here. I am usually too tired most nights to do more than one or two e-mails."
For anyone who is planning to send letters or packages to Charlie Company, Grainger advised to observe a Sept. 15 deadline, as the Marines will be preparing for a homecoming in the fall and mail sent after that date might be too late to deliver to them.
Gifts from home
Packages and gifts from home have been sent by many Reminder Publications readers, including Pioneer Valley Pickers n' Grinners, Wilbraham Youth Baseball, the Visiting Nurses Association of Enfield, and many more.
Bethanie Calvanese, an East Longmeadow resident who is a quilter, discovered that her colleague at the Visiting Nurses Association, Trish Grainger, is the wife of First Sergeant Ben Grainger.
Calvanese sent a symbol of her support for Charlie Company by crafting a patriotic quilt and sending it to Grainger in Fallujah, where it is displayed at Charlie Company's home base.
The Pickers n' Grinners and Wilbraham Youth Baseball held collections of snack foods and other needed supplies in order to bring some comfort to and show their support for the Marines, as well.
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