Just a quick note along with the pictures here to let you know how we have been. Am also sending a battalion newsletter so you have a general idea of what we are doing.

We got into the country on the 15th of October, and prepared to take over from 3rd Recon Bn. We have done this turnover with them 4 times now, so we are getting pretty good at it. As you can see in the newsletter, we were immediately tasked with going up north and operating in very spartan conditions. We have been doing that since about the 1st of November. Our missions largely consist of long range vehicle patrolling into the mountains and caves of that region up there.

Iraq is doing much better than even the last time I was here. The Marines are almost completely hands-off when it comes to helping Iraqi Army and police do their job. They are completely self-sufficient, and we are getting to the point where the Marines are asking if we are really necessary. That is good news, and a huge change from my previous tours here, where every day was a battle on all fronts.

All that said, we are still scheduled to be here through our full deployment, which will get us back there about the 1st of May.

I have actually lost count of the number of boxes that we have received from you all. We received three initial boxes almost immediately upon our arrival here. Then, as we prepared to move north, I think I received 15 boxes all on the same day. The mail clerk was anxious for me to get them cleared out of his mail room. At that point most of the Marines had moved north, so I arranged for about 20 boxes total to be airlifted north to the base up there. The Marines had set up two-man tents for their platoons, and they related to me that those boxes arrived late at night, were unloaded from the aircraft, and placed outside the tent flaps of all the Marines, so they discovered them first thing in the morning. Everybody got a kick out of that.

Since then, I have received a total of probably 10 boxes, usually 3 or so at a time. The last ones were the 3-musketeers and Snickers "charged" bars...very popular item. And the Stephen King books.\

I will close for now with a Merry Christmas to all, and God bless you all. The pages below are some of the snapshots of activity since we have been here. We truly appreciate your support, your thoughts, and prayers through this season especially.

Jeffrey Dinsmore

Operations Officer, 1st Reconnaissance Bn