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Visitors to our forum- It has been a time honored tradition that during the deployment cycle the troops of the 15th MEU Realism Unit write letters to loved ones detailing missions, activities and thoughts as if they were away from home for the 6-7 months of a typical MEU deployment. This helps with the immersion of the deployment cycle and has, at times been very humorous for members and at times very realistic as they sometimes reflect actual content of letters written from real service members when they were deployed into harms way. These letters have, over the last few deployments been posted in the more public area of our forum to allow the casual visitor the chance to get a glimpse of what goes on in a realism unit of our size during the deployment cycle. This thread will be the "Post Office" for our deployment which began earlier this week. If you wish to become part of the unit after reading some of these posts or watching some of our videos, don't hesitate to hit the join button, We are always recruiting.

Family I know I haven't written or contacted anyone since I left but I'm contacting everyone in general to let them know I'm still alive, Mom. When you get this letter let those who care if anyone does know I'm fine, I'm living my dream as I used to say. I only wish I could wake up from this one. It's hot, we're in the middle of no where. I can't tell you where we are, who we're up against or how many, but... just know theirs a lot more than them then their is of us and they're all hellbent on killing us. This is going to get dark I'm sorry... I've seen bodies on top of bodies some were friends, a lot more were bad guys so I guess we're winning on the imaginary scoreboard, I hope I don't become one of those bodies... pray for me that I don't, we're all scared, I'm scared but I know I have a job to do and I know what I signed up for... If I could do it again I would for the Marine next to me... that was lame and so cliche but anyways so I want you to know that I'm safe, I'll start writing more, I love you. Lastly whatever you do, don't let what you hear/see/read on the news effect you, have hope. I'll be home soon. Love Mike

An odd sight from Mech/Amphib.

Llegue Papa, Me imagino que estas leyendo esto mientras estas viendo Noticentro o un canal Americano de noticias cubriendo todo lo que esta ocurriendo aca. Bueno para empezar estoy bien, no puedo decir lo mismo de muchos otros que estan aqui conmigo o en el area. Tenemos muchos heridos y bastantes muertos . Tampoco puedo decir que tenemos suficientes cartuchos , pero tu me eseñaste conservar mis cartuchos cuando hibamos al poligono de tiro en Toa Baja o el de la Kennedy. De lo que he escuchado nos van a mandar refuerzos ya mismo pero require que ellos rompan por las lineas del enemigo. El enemigo… puedo decir que pelean bastante bien pero tienen mas odio hacia al pais que estamos defendieno que a nosotros, claro no nos quieren en el camino de su conquista. Tienen mucho equipaje Ruso y Sovietico especificamente su rifle de combate es la AK-74 y tu sabes que yo quiero una pero pues eso tendra que esperar, estoy mas enfocado en todo el mundo alrededor mio. Siendo honesto yo los miro y lo unico que veo es una de dos cosas: miedo o preocupacion. es la primera vez que estoy en combate y no puedo decir que es el mejor lugar pero con esto hay que trabajar. El pais es como un Cabo Rojo pero menos vegetacion y no hay mucho viento. No he visto a nadie menos los soldados del pais, el Staff Sergeant dice que la mayoria se han ido lejos a centros de refujiados pero que pueden ver algunos granjeros en el area aun. Hace Calor Bueno, es comparable cuando Huracan Maria literalmente nos dejo en aquel infierno pero por lo menos habia lluvia a cada rato. Bueno aqui corto la carta , prometo escribir cuando pueda para contarte de la situacion. mandale bendiciones a Abuela Teresa y Abuela Rosa, cuentale a Ma y dile que estoy bien. Escribo cuado pueda, los quiero a todos. -Jose J Orsini PS: Gracias por el regalo de Cumpleaños, ahora si que me puedo concentrar con mi musica a mi lado. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Well, I made it Dad I imagine that you're reading this while watching Noticentro o an American news channel covering everything that's happening over here. Well to begin I`m alright, I can`t say the same for those around me that are here with me or in the area. We have a lot of Wounded and many dead, we don`t have much ammo left, but you taught me how to conserve my ammo when we would go to the shooting range in Toa Baja or the one next to the Kennedy. From what I've heard they`re going to send us reinforcements very soon but they first need to break through enemy lines. The enemy... I can say that they fight pretty well but they have more hatred to the country we`re defending , of course they don`t want us here because we`re in the way of their conquest of this country. They've got a lot of Russian and Soviet gear, specifically their primary service rifle is the AK-74 and you know how much I've wanted one but well that can wait, I'm more worried about everyone around me. being honest I look at them and I only see one of two things: Fear or worry, its the first time I'm in combat and I can't say that its the place to be in right now but I guess we'll just have to deal with it. This country is like Cabo Rojo but less vegetation and there's not much wind. I haven't seen anyone else besides the local soldiers, The Staff Sergeant says the majority of the civilian population have gone far to refugee camps but that we may see some farmers in the area still. Its really hot, well its comparable to when hurricane Maria literally left us in that small hell but at least there was some rain from time to time. Here have to end the letter, I promise to write when I can to tell you about the situation, send blessings and my love to grandma Teresa and Grandma Rosa, Tell Mom about this and tell her that I'm alright. I'll write when I can, love you all -Jose J Orsini PS: Thanks for the birthday gift, Now I`m really going to be able concentrate with my music at my side.

Hey Dad, Finally found some time to get a letter out to you. I'm quite blessed to not be in a bivouac or some mud hut right now, though I suppose this heat hits us all even if you're in some concrete slab building like I am. Y'know, it was all so sudden. One minute I'm taking off from the Matthew Barton and heading in towards Djibouti for a lazy little flyaround, and it seems like a few minutes after, it's night, and here I am dropping Paveways on oil tanks and Shilkas. Apparently our detachment did a damn good job cleaning up the Sahilian's air defense network. After about thirty minutes of hunting we didn't get bothered that much anymore. It's been a rather exciting past few weeks- finally getting my flight qualification was a blast. I got drunk, and then got an earful from some squid after I nearly toppled over the railing because of it. I feel bad because I should have been setting the example as an officer, but.. I guess it's all right to let loose on days like that, you know. We were only in Djibouti for a short bit, we flew once in a while- the most exciting it got there was when myself and other Black Sheep bird got scrambled and intercepted some Cessna. Dude was shook, we just turned him out of restricted airspace and let him loose. Then the deployment order came. It was close, there was buildup in the region. I didn't expect Sahil to do something that bold with us in the region, but life's full of surprises, isn't it? They must have been sure as hell to see the Stallions swing in and dump off India Company. I've got mad respect for those ground pounders of ours, especially with the threat of chemical weapons in the region. When you're never flying below a few thousand feet like we are, it's a little easy to feel the disconnect, but all Marines are brothers and sisters. That's what you said, right? I hope I can find one of their SCUDs somewhere and blow it up, that'd be a good feeling. I'm sure you're curious about the mysterious land your son has found himself in. What's it like, how it feels.. I'll tell you you're not missing much. It's sandy but not really a desert, consistently hot and iffy, and filled with fucking horseflies. I thought wearing a flightsuit would help but the fuckers go for the nose and the cheeks. One of those bastards bit me when I had just popped the canopy open and I smacked the thing so damn hard as it was flying off you can still see a bit of the stain on the glass in the cockpit. Got quite a laugh about that, and I exhausted the tiny ass bottle of smartphone screen cleaner that I had. Anyways I'm running out of paper. Gotta love my big handwriting. Tell mom I love her and I miss her. Hopefully this is over soon and I can come back home. -Charles

Maj D. A. Thomas Headquarters, 15th MEU(SOC) FPO San Francisco, California 96519 Patti and kids- I got the package of cookies you sent the other day at mail call, most of them were intact but some of them were a little worse for wear due to the hazards of shipping them a few thousand miles. It was a great taste of home and Lt Bruce and the Ops planners loved them. We had an issue with one of the Lance Corporals last week. He was assigned mess duty and didn't like working with the Navy mess men. He was told to clean the bulkhead and overhead in Officer's country and decided it would be a good idea to fill a bucket of water and throw it into to air to "clean off" the pipes in the overhead. He didn't think it through very well as the water got into an electrical junction box some electricians had left open while they went to Mid-rats. Needless to say the Marine in question had an appointment to speak with Maj Murphy this morning and the electricians are still trying to get the lights working in that area. India Company has been tasked with a mission, you have probably already heard, and have taken some casualties. I will be flying into the AO this afternoon to get HQ a report on the situation. What started as a show of force with a single company may turn into a full Battalion deployment. We had hoped the aggressor forces would see Americans and decide it wasn't worth the effort but it looks like they have a bug up their ass and we will need to remove it. I'm tired baby. I'm tired of watching young men full of promise go off to a foreign land and leave a huge part of themselves there, if they even make it home. I've been lucky. I have seen the elephant and seen it again and again, but every time I leave a little bit more of my soul behind. It takes longer to snap back to the man you fell in love with every time I come home. It was easier when I was leading men into the fray, sharing their danger and their pain. Laughing at the gallows humor with everyone else when all I wanted to do was curl up in a corner and lose myself in the horror I see in my mind. I had to be strong then. These guys were looking to me when they were scared. I had to have the answers even when I didn't I had to look like I did. Now I sit in an office or fly in for a day or two and then fly back out. I don't share the hazards of their every day life and it's all I can do to keep this up. The looks I get from these tired filthy kids who a few days ago had never heard a shot fired in anger when they see me fly into the area they just fought for with my clean, crisply pressed uniform and my security detail make me ashamed to have it so easy. I try to be the best I can be but it is getting harder and harder. I will write soon, until then know I carry your pictures in my plate carrier and think of you often. Dave

Papa, Sorry dat ik nog niets heb laten weten, maar ik heb het de afgelopen dagen enorm druk gehad. De Luchtcomponent is uiteindelijk aangekomen en de Vipers zijn nog allemaal in één stuk . (Kheb hier wel geen potteke Zap als er iets mocht gebeuren...) Kunde zo snel mogelijk aan Oma laten weten dat alles inorde is met mij? Ik wil niet da ze zich zorgen maakt hé... Het is hier fucking warm btw, de laatste keer dak zo veel heb gedronken was toen we de laatste keer Advocaat hebben gemaakt voor Kerstmis. Ik pak volgende keer mijnen DLG mee want er zijn hier vrij veel bergen in de omgeving voor thermiek te pakken, de SSO's spelen hier toch met hun drones dus zo gek zou het niet zijn als ik hier wa begin te smijten he . De Amerikanen hier hebben mij al een paar keer uitgelegd hoe voetbal werkt maar ik snap er geen kloten van. Sjotten doet ge met uw voeten he... Over uitleggen gesproken, ze kunnen mijne naam nog altijd ni uitspreken he... De Munich of Munich heb ik al 100 keer te veel moetten horen... Vorige week hebben we onze éérste missie gevlogen, sommige van de Jongens hebben het niet gehaald. Er was veel miscommunicatie met de Mariniers wat er voor gezorgd heeft dat ik pas laat ben gestart met mijn werk. Kijk niet te veel naar het nieuws van bij ons want da's toch nooit ni juist. Ik mis ulle allemaal enorm en ik kan ni wachten tot ik terug stateside vlieg. (Ik pak direct den eerste vlieger terug naar België). Zeg tegen Dylan da ik nog ergens Gletschereis snoep heb liggen in mijn kamer. (Schuif onder mijnen bureau, bovenste lade, blauw potteke .) (Ik verwacht wel dat er nog 1tje overblijft voor mij als ik terug kom he.) Allez, meer dan dees ga ik ni schrijven want anders gaat ons ma beginnen te blijten peis ik (Als ze al ni aant blijten is...) Veel liefs, Björn -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dad, Sorry that I haven't written yet but I have been extremely busy during these last couple of days. The Air Component has finally arrived and all of our Vipers are still in one piece . (I don't have any super glue with me incase something breaks so we're kinda fucked.) Can you let Grandma know ASAP that I'm ok? I don't want her to worry about my safety. It's really fucking warm here btw, the last time that I drank this much was when we made that Eggnog together for Christmas. Next time I deploy over here remind me to pack my DLG please, there are a lot of mountains in the area which would be perfect for gliding. The Marine SSO's are playing around with their drones so it wouldn't be that weird when I suddenly start to launch my hand glider. The Americans have tried to explain me how Football works but I don't understand it. You told me to kick the ball with my feet when I was a kid... Speaking about explaining stuff, I've heard people misspell my name about 100 times already... We flew our first combat mission last week, but some of the boys on the ground didn't make it back unfortunately. There was a lot of misscommunication between the Marines and our Aircraft which led to me having to wait with engaging targets until it was already too late... Don't look at the news from over here please. We'll probably be displayed as the bad guys anyway eventhough we're not the ones gassing entire villages. I miss you guys a lot and I can't wait until I return Stateside (I'm taking the first plane back to Belgium if I'm allowed to leave the country.) Tell Dylan that I still have some Gletschereis Candy stored away in my room. (Check the first drawer under my desk, inside of the blue box ) . (He can eat them if he wants, but I do expect to have atleast one remaining for myself when I return home.) Alright, I'm gonna finish up here otherwise Mom will start crying when you read this to her. (If she's not crying already...) Lots of love, Björn

Ralph, Want to know what I'm doing? I'm sitting in the shade of the crew compartment, sipping iced tea from a carton, and listening to the same bluegrass music we play every cookout and birthday party. It's just a short break, but it's almost like I'm on vacation, huh? You should see the mountains in this country. They're nothing like the ones back home. Being all brown and devoid of trees, they feel massive and ancient. I get a chill every time I look at them. I wonder what it would be like to go fly close to them, but that's where the bad guys are right now. And these are truly bad people we're fighting, Ralph. I can't say that I'm not nervous, but I know we're doing the right thing here, which deeply reassures me. Do me a favor and don't worry too much about what you see in the news. Right now they're probably saying some of our boys in the field are in an awful place, which is true. But what they don't tell you is that everyone here is tough, and your big brother is getting ready to go give 'em a hand. I'll show these people how rednecks like us do things. I'm sorry I missed your graduation, but I heard you did so with honors. I'm certain our family couldn't be more proud of you. I know you were thinking about college after school, but don't think it's your only option. Just do me a favor if you decide on aviation and don't be like your idiot brother and fly for Devil Dog Air. Go fly for an airliner, someplace that's less hazardous and pays more. Visit our grandparents for me. Offer to help around the house or the farm if you can. Neither will be around forever, and you should be spending enough time with them for both of us. I miss you all. Every time I look up at the clouds, I imagine I'm home. When I get back, I'll take you and everyone else who asks out for a ride over the farm and the mountains. No worrying, ya hear? "Country boys can survive." Evan P.S. Seriously, there's almost no trees here. It's just plain wrong!

Dear Rachel, It has been rough, one of the toughest days by far. Last deployment casualties and combat was light compared to now. On the first day alone we had a 100% casualty rate. Of which about 60% were KIA, many were dead before I could get to them. Now i'm sitting in a compound in a mud hut that we chose as our casualty care center. The fighting has died down for now, but many people only have 4 magazines if that between them, myself with 3 for my rifle and 2 for my pistol. We're surrounded on 3 sides by the enemy with a large force of tanks to our north and infantry west and south, to the east friendly indigenous forces. I don't hold out much hope for them they seem to be under trained and under armed. Sometimes I wonder why I'm here, then I realized it's to protect you and save as many marines as I can. Don't worry about me you'll see me again. Sincerely, Tyler

Ma très chère Ève, Je n'ai pas pu t'écrire avant, mais nous avons été déployé au front en soutien à notre allié. Nous avons enfoncé les lignes ennemies et commencé à sécurisé une ville avec l'espoir de pouvoir en protéger la population et le lieu saint qui y était. Les forces ennemies ont malheureusement réussit à détruire cette mosqué avant que nous puissions sécurisé l'endroit. Ils ont également provoqué de lourdes pertes dans la compagnie. Je t'écris cette lettre dans un moment de répit car j'ignore si moi ou aucun de mes hommes pourront s'en sortir vivant. Nous n'avons plus beaucoup de munitions et l'eau commence à manquer. Celà va faire trois heures que nous combattons et bientôt deux heures que nous sommes sous un feu nourrit. Nous ne sommes plus très nombreux, mais nos anges gardiens veille suir nous du mieux qu'ils peuvent. Les bombes pleuvent sur les forces enemies pour préservant un moment de plus de la mort. J'ai entendu à la radio à l'instant que le bataillon nous envoyait des renforts, mais ils devront percer les lignes ennemies qui nous encerclent et j'ignore combien de temps ils mettront à nous rejoindre. Je dois encore faire mon possible pour sortir mes hommes vivant de cet enfer. J'ai aussi tous ces marines morts au combat que je dois rapatrier. J'ignore combien de temps nous pourrons encore tenir, mais j'espère m'en sortir pour pouvoir te revoir. Je dois retourner à mes hommes maintenant. Je t'aime et t'embrasse. Henry _____________________ My dear Eve, I could not write to you before, but we were deployed to the front in support of our ally. We broke down the enemy lines and started securing a city with the hope of being able to protect the people and the holy place that was there. The enemy forces have unfortunately managed to destroy this mosque before we can secure the place. They also caused heavy losses in the company. I write you this letter in a moment of respite because I do not know if I or any of my men will be able to escape alive. We do not have a lot of ammunition and the water is running out. It will be three hours that we fight and soon two hours that we are under constant fire. We are not many, but our guardian angels watch us as best they can. Bombs rain on enemy forces to preserve one more moment of death. I heard on the radio right now that the battalion was sending us reinforcements, but they will have to break through the enemy lines that encircle us and I do not know how long they will take to join us. I still have to do my best to get my men alive from this hell. I also have all those marines killed in action that I have to repatriate. I do not know how much more time we can hold, but I hope to get out of it so I can see you again. I have to go back to my men now. I love you and kiss you. Henry