na Cpl. Shawn C. Rhodes
FALLUJAH, Iraki -ʻO ka pahu hana koʻikoʻi no Marines i Iraq he meaʻokoʻa wale nō. Pono, aia nā mea "must-have" - mea pepehi, mea kōkua mua, ka mahiole a me ka lole loli flak - akā i ka hikiʻana mai i ka "maikaʻi-to-haves"ʻo ia nā Marine a pau nona iho.
"Ke hele nei mākou i kahi mākaʻikaʻi i loko oʻelima mau minuke! E kiʻi pū aku i kāu kāʻei!" wahi a Staff Sgt. Christian B. Amason, he mea lawelawe hoʻomalu no Kamupene G,ʻelua o ka Battalion, 2 Marine Regiment, i hāʻawiʻia i ka Division Marine Division.
ʻO ka mea i hoʻohanaʻia i ke kaʻina a me ka maloʻo, akā me nā meaʻoi aku o kēia lā, ua kūpono ke kī i nā kī. Hiki i nā pūkāka me nā poho hikiʻole ke hoʻopiliʻia, me ka hoʻonui a me ka laweʻana i kahi no ke kaʻa. He hana kaulike. Nui ka nui, ke kaumaha ke kai. Heʻuʻuku, a ua pilikia lākou.
E lilo i Amason, no ka laʻana. ʻO ia ka pūʻali koa koa mua o ka pūʻali koa kaulana a me ka sniper. Loaʻa iā ia he mau helu pono ma lalo o kona kāʻei. Uaʻikeʻo ia i kāna mea e pono ai a me kāna mea e noho ai keʻoleʻo ia e hele i ke kahua.
"Ke lawe mau nei au i ka mea aʻu e kapa nei i kaʻu mau iʻa," wahi a Amason, he 32-makahiki mai Elora, Tenn. "ʻO ia nā kumu waiwai e like me kāu mea kaua, nā lako kaua, nā mea akamai, nā mea hoʻokele waʻa a me ka pāpale kila a me ka mahiole. Me kahi wai waiwai, hana ia no ka liʻiliʻi he 30 paona ma luna o kou kino kiʻekiʻe.
Uaʻikeʻo Amason i ka mea e ola ai i ke kula, akā hoʻokahi mau mea i kaʻawaleʻole.
"Ma nā wahi a pau aʻu e hele ai i ke kula, lawe mau au i kaʻu 'woobie,'" wahi āna. "ʻO ia ka mea a kaʻu wahine i kapa ai i kuʻu kapa pale ponopona."
Wahi a Amason,ʻo ka poner liner ka meaʻoi loa, a mālama iā ia i ka mahana i ke anuanu aʻoluʻolu i ka wela. ʻO nā mea'ē aʻe he mau mea likeʻole lākou e koi ai i ka laweʻana.
"ʻO wau ke kanaka hele ma kahi mākaʻikaʻi,ʻo ia ka hele mauʻana o 'Saigon Sam,'" wahi a Lance Cpl. ʻO Ryan P. Taylor, no ka hale kūʻai pūʻali koa ma waho o Camp Lejeune, NC
Uaʻikeʻia ka Dumfries, Va. Rifleman, i nā manawa a pau o nā kukui makaleʻele, nā'anakena, ka lele lele, nā kāmaʻa lole e hoʻohana ai i nā kāmaʻa a me ke kūlikeʻole, a me nā mea'ē aʻe i kona kāhiko.
"ʻAʻoleʻoe iʻike i ka manawa e nele aiʻoe i kekahi mea, no laila e ho'āʻo wau e lawe mai me aʻu," wahi āna.
ʻO ka mea nui o nā mea'ai'ē ma ke kula, he mea kānalua loa. Ināʻaʻole e lawe ana i ka meaʻai, hoʻomākaukauʻia kaʻaiʻana, ua nui ka poʻe Marines e lako i ka meaʻai maʻamau.
Heʻoiaʻiʻo loa kēia no Sgt. ʻO James M. Back, he alakaʻi alakaʻi mai Logan, Utah. Uaʻikeʻiaʻo ia he 'Snacks' i kāna mau keiki pāpale,ʻo ka Marine ke lako mau i kaʻai.
"Ua hewa wau i kaʻu wahine," i'ōlelo aiʻo ia, "Ke mālama neiʻo ia iaʻu me nā mālama mālama, no laila keʻike nei nā mea a pau e hele mai i oʻu nei no kaʻaiʻaina."
Eʻike ana hoʻi i keʻano e kiʻi ai no ka mea huli. Ke laweʻana i nā kānana hou, nā kaula o ka zip, nā kapi kaʻi no nā papalina lōʻihi, nā pīhoihoi likeʻole, nā kīpiliʻoluʻolu, ke kīpili, ka pale umauma a me ke kukui, Hoʻomakaukauʻia ka Back no nā mea e hiki mai ana.
"E aʻoʻo Marines mai kaʻike o nā alakaʻi o lākou a laila eʻike ai no lākou iho i ka mea e hana ai no lākou," wahi a Back.
"ʻO ka mea maoli nō ia i ka mea āu i makemake ai e hoʻokō i ka mea e hiki ai iāʻoe ke komo i loko."