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M/SUNNY Temp: 53 °F Wind: NW at 12 mph Saturday, April 26, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend April 2, 2003 Parents reassured by son’s comments By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune April Fool’s Day was no joke to Grants Pass residents Dave and Barbara Irish. That’s the day they learned their son, Cpl. Patrick Irish, 23, was doing well in Iraq with other members of the Marine Corps’ 3rd Battalion, 4th Regiment. The Marine rifleman was quoted in an Associated Press story filed Monday afternoon (Pacific time) following a battle outside Diwaniyah, a city near the Euphrates River about 75 miles south of Baghdad. In the eight-hour battle, Marine 155 mm howitzers miles away opened up on Iraqi mortar positions, tanks and bunkers before the Marine ground pounders advanced. The Marines killed at least 80 Iraqi soldiers and took more than 40 prisoners in the battle in which Iraqis fired from every hiding spot they could find. Patrick Irish described the Iraqi fighters as "shooting from buildings, from dugout positions, from holes, from everything. They would jump out to shoot. They were behind buses — you name it, they were there," according to the AP story. No Marine losses were reported. Back in Grants Pass, his parents learned of his comments to the media after his mom’s brother-in-law spotted it on Fox news. Although citing her religious faith and the fact her son is well trained, Barbara Irish said she was relieved by news of Patrick, a 1999 graduate of Hidden Valley High School in Murphy. "The last time we saw him was Christmas Day," she said. "He has been writing regularly. The last letter we got from him, he said, ‘Mom, it looks like I won’t be able to write for awhile because we’re going in.’ " The letter, which arrived March 27, was written just before the war started. Although the Irishes will be relieved when he is out of harm’s way, military service is nothing new to the family: Dave Irish retired from the Marine Corps, and Patrick’s grandfather was in the Navy in World War II, serving more than three years as a prisoner of war. Patrick Irish, who has two siblings, is engaged to be married and plans to become a chef when he gets out of the Corps. But if he has to stay in Iraq when the weather turns hot, he will be prepared, his mother said. "He spent two years in Bahrain before he went to Iraq," she said. "One time he called us it was 140 degrees and 78 percent humidity." Patrick Irish wasn’t the only local connection in the article, which also quoted an observation from Associated Press writer Doug Mellgren. Mellgren’s brother is Medford Police Chief Eric Mellgren, former police chief in Grants Pass. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S