Document text
P/SUNNY Temp: 50 °F Wind: WSW at 8 mph Tuesday, April 1, 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 March 28, 2003 Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kelly M. McCoy poses for the camera in Kuwait. Marine’s letter suggests discomfort motivates By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune Somewhere in Iraq, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kelly M. McCoy is on the tip of the spear. But McCoy, 27, the son of Mike and Patti McCoy of Central Point and a 1994 graduate of South Medford High School, reported in an 11th-hour letter home before the war lance was thrown that times already were tough. "As I sit here on the side of my tent with two weeks of crusty, dried sweat all over my body and sand in every orifice, I wonder if it was perhaps . . . SATAN . . . that blessed this land," he wrote from a point 10 miles from Iraq. A senior majoring in film at the University of California-Irvine until his Marine reserve unit was activated for the war, McCoy is part of an expeditionary force attached to the 1st Marine Division that stormed through southern Iraq early in the war. He is what is known in today’s military parlance as a SMAW — shoulder mounted artillery weapon — gunner. In the 11-page handwritten letter, he writes with humor, insight and typical salty Marine language about the raw conditions the unit faced at a place called Camp Coyote. Take the toilet facilities that are only emptied every two weeks. Please. "You can imagine how disgusting it is to use a (censored) that has filled to the top with, well, you know," he wrote. "I think the miserable living conditions are planned as an extra incentive for us to head north and take a nice shower and (censored) in Saddam’s palaces." The letter also refers to a United Nations Security Council vote canceled March 17 after France indicated it would veto a resolution approving the war. As for the general leatherneck sentiment, many figure France and the United Nations ought to do something to themselves that is a physical impossibility, he observed, albeit expressing it in graphic foxhole terms. He also wrote about the scuttlebutt over what awaits them on the road to Baghdad. "After Nasiriyah, we head farther north, make a bridge and cross the Euphrates River and enter what used to be the Garden of Eden," he wrote, referring to the junction of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in the region once known as Mesopotamia. As for the battle for Baghdad, it could be difficult, he acknowledged. "City warfare is never easy," he wrote. "Hopefully, it won’t get to this point. "I believe and hope that Saddam’s own generals will turn against him as soon as they know the Marines are coming." McCoy also wrote of the "angels on their shoulders" in the form of F-18 jets and Cobra attack helicopters protecting the ground pounders. He indicated he firmly believes in the effort to oust the Iraqi leader. "These poor people have been living under this malevolent despot for far too long," he wrote. "Our mission here is to liberate the Iraqi people." The Marines will treat well any Iraqi military prisoners they capture, he indicated. " . . . We will feed them, clothe them and give them the dignity and respect that they deserve," he wrote. "We will show them that America is a nation of compassionate, caring people whose only wish is that the less fortunate could participate in this great human experiment called freedom," he concluded. Meanwhile, his parents back in Central Point just want the youngest of their five children to return home safely from Iraq and complete his last term in college. "He’s a real fine writer," said his father, an Air Force veteran. "When he makes it back, he will be able to make a fine film." Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] 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 Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S