September 9, 2004

Just wanted to let you see a letter from the Chaplain at Adam's base. Here is his letter. It helped me to understand more of where the guys are at and gave me Chaplain Benson's name. Please pray for Chaplain Benson and his guidance and direction with our troops at Al Asad.

Thanks for your faithfulness.
In Christ's love,
Jill

Letter from Chaplain Benson

Whenever I move into a new area, I like to learn a bit about the local history. Here’s some information about our new “neighborhood”.

There is an oasis (natural spring) located on the base. In the desert, where there is water, there is life. And so a small village of Al Asad sprang up around the oasis. Local folklore has it that Abraham (the patriarch of both the Jewish and Arabic peoples) traveled through the area and stayed for a time at the oasis.

When Saddam Hussein came into power, he ordered the village to be vacated and the airbase built on the site in the 1980’s. Al Asad Airfield, the second largest airbase in Iraq, is located in northern Iraq approximately 180 kilometers west of Baghdad and 12 kilometers Southwest of the Euphrates River. Al Asad is protected by a 21 kilometers security perimeter.

During the invasion of Iraq, Australian Special Air Service Regiment troops captured the Al Asad Airfield on 16 April 2003. The enemy utilized sports utility vehicles (SUVs) mounted with heavy caliber machine-guns with mortar support to try and out maneuver and overwhelm the SF groups. They failed abysmally as the Special Forces, sometimes with close-air support, used superior tactics to devastate and defeat this determined enemy element. The key, it was found, lay in destroying the SUVs. With that done, surrender inevitably followed.

<>The coalition found scores of fighter aircraft, apparently undamaged and many still in flyable condition, hidden under camouflage. The discovery of over 50 aircraft at AL Asad Air Base and nearly 8 million kilograms (8,000 tons) of explosive ordnance was a major achievement. The MiGs escaped detection during the coalition bombing campaign. Some were buried, others were parked in date palm tree groves or tucked in dried out riverbeds and covered with camouflage sheets.

The air base has strategic importance because of its proximity to the borders of Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

The Marines of CSSB-7 are doing well. The new arrivals are adapting well, and performing superbly. Morale is high and we are ready to make the most of our time here. Thanks for your continued care and support of our nation and your Marine!

God bless you!

Chaplain Benson