I was on my first trip outside the wire. My nerves were a little jumpy as I scanned the surrounding area for threats and decent picture subjects. I figured I could take some shots, review them later for anything that might be worth handing over to intel, and then keep the rest to show the family once I got home. The hard drive that contained the pictures later crashed and with it went the pictures.

My driver, Cpl C, and another Marine, Sgt J, were pretty quiet for the first part of the ride one we left the safety of base. We were taking heavy equipment and other supplies out so my unit could build COPs for surge units that would soon take up some battle space outside of TQ. Our truck was hauling thousands of gallons of fuel for the heavy equipment and generators. We had joked prior to leaving that we were so lucky to be riding in front of a giant bomb waiting to go off. None of us actually thought we would have any worries, though. We were a little wrong.

We had been driving for what felt like forever. Time seemed to drag as I looked out the front of the truck wondering how much further we had to go and if we could drive any slower. We passed a few Army humvees and soldiers were standing outside of them. As we passed, they looked up from what they were doing and quickly looked back down. Suddenly, the convoy came to a halt.

"What is going on," I asked.

Cpl C replied, "Not sure yet. Lot of chatter on the radio." Cpl C had a radio with a headset so she could drive and not have to occupy one hand.

I noticed the trucks in front of us had moved up about 50 meters and then once again halted. Cpl C mumbled something under her breath as she shifted into reverse and started backing up. We couldn't back up much due to the trailer we were hauling. It attempted to jack-knife and we couldn't see around the fuel on the back of the truck to keep the jack knife from happening so we had to sit there. I'll never forget the words I heard next.

"That is an IED in front of us. Great."

"Whoa, IED?! You've got to be kidding me," I said.

"I really wish I was," Cpl C said. "Those Army guys back there are EOD. They've been here for a few and have gotten it safe to move past, but they want us to wait just in case."

I couldn't have been sitting more than 200 feet from the thing. We couldn't tell how big it was, but we all thought of the fuel behind us. If it blew, it could have been bad news. After what seemed like hours but couldn't have been more than 10 minutes or so, we started moving again. The Army EOD guys decided it was safe to pass so the rest of the convoy caught up to the front and on we went.

We got to the location for the new COP not too long after moving again and I was relieved my trip was mostly uneventful. About 10 minutes after we stopped, there was a loud explosion back in the direction we came from. EOD had blown the IED in place sending some black smoke in the air. I was very happy the IED didn't go off with me anywhere close.

Okay, so this post is LONG overdue. I didn't blog about while in Iraq but promised myself I would once back in the states. I've been back for some time and it is time this story is told.

Most of you know I fly a desk and am proud to admit it. However, I was pulled from behind my desk for about a week during the deployment to lend my assistance as an "A" driver. My job was to make sure the driver of my vechile didn't fall asleep at the wheel and help maintain a watch on our surroundings.

Our convoy was stopped for some reason that escapes me now. I was doing my job and scanning the horizon for approaching vehicles and people. The road we were traveling had been closed off to civilian traffic for this specific op, but I noticed two trucks coming towards us. I mentioned them to my driver and our concern quickly faded when we got a better look and saw two Iraqi police trucks. Each was crammed full of people and had automatic weapons on mounts in the rear.

We noticed the occupants were dressed in civilian clothing and had bandanas covering their faces. We didn't think much of it since the road was secured to civilian traffic. However, my feeling of concern never went away. I had good reason to be concerned.

The trucks passed and we completed our mission. After returning to base, we held our mission debriefing. It was then learned the trucks had been stolen by AQI forces and were suspected of being turned into vehicle borne IEDs (VBIEDs). Everyone in the briefing was rather dumbfounded how terrorists got their hands on the equipment, and we were very surprised we weren't attacked. The general agreement was they knew we were Marines and stood no chance against our rather large convoy.

We never really learned what happen to those trucks, but we were certain they were recovered some time later and the thieves taken care of. I think of that day rather regularly and thank God that the terrorists didn't attack. It wouldn't have ended in a good day for the bad guys.

Before I ask the real question, I wanted to let everyone know I've changed my display name to read as just Marcus. I've become less and less worried about people knowing my name over the last year or so and finally remembered to make the change.

Now, the reason this is filed under my War Journal is because the two stories I want to tell happened while I was in Iraq. Which one would all of you like to read first? The story about the IED I was almost involved with or the stolen Iraqi Police vehicles? Leave a comment with your vote and I'll write the story up in the next couple of days.

I wanted to let everyone know that I have made it safely home! I got into base last night to the cheers of a huge crowd of families. My wife, daughter, mom, dad, and mom-in-law were all waiting once I got off the bus. I am really surprised at how big my little girl has gotten. Man, it is amazing.

I'll be spending time with family over the next few days and I also hope to get some stories up from the deployment that I wanted to wait to share. Thank you to everyone for your support over the last seven months! It feels great to be home!

I have a TV with AFN (Armed Forces Network for those not in the know) here in my office and I just saw the funniest commercial EVER. Let me set the scene.

An older Army 3-star general (I didn't catch his name) is standing in front of what looks like a bar. He had been talking for a few minutes and like all other AFN commercials, I had zoned it out. All of a sudden, I zone back in when he says. . .

Being a good wingman means getting your buddy home safe.

I kid you not. He used the term wingman in a commercial without completely losing it. Thanks for the laugh, AFN and military PSAs!

I woke up this morning remembering exactly why I am where I am. I took a couple of extra minutes to put on the uniform and thought about all those who perished on this day six years ago. I looked down at the U.S. Marines name tape on my cammies and remembered that I wouldn’t have that title if not for 9/11.

We held a prayer service this morning at 1000 in remembrance of those who perished long before they should have. The service consisted of a two bell reading where flight and location was read aloud with the number of souls lost. One of the docs used a large triangle for the bell since we don’t have one here. Chills ran up and down my entire body each time Doc sounded the bell.

Following the two bell sounds, a prayer was said for the families and friends of those lost. A second prayer was said for our government leaders. I then prayed for our comrades in arms, and the last prayer was for all Americans.

I was asked to pray last night and spent a good amount of time thinking about what I was going to say. I couldn’t think of anything that came close to the touching prayer I wanted when I was trying to fall asleep. I instead prayed that the Lord guide me in what I was going to say. I don’t recall everything I said during the prayer, but I felt the Lord there with me as I asked that He keep my comrades safe no matter where they are.

Another doc played Amazing Grace on the bass guitar. This young man is truly gifted. I have never heard anyone play the bass like he does. His rendition had a strong blues feel to it, and it sparked a lot of memories of that day six years ago when my high school choir sang the same song at a memorial.

Battalion CO was very pleased with the service and made it a point to express his feelings with all of those who participated in the service. I could tell that it meant a great deal to him to take time out and remember why we are fighting against terror across the globe.

“We will never forget.”

What do you think of when you hear The Few, The Proud, The Marines? Do you think of a sharp young NCO presenting arms with a sword? Do you think of the mighty dragon slain by a Marine in a past commercial? How about Dress Blues, the best looking uniform in the military? The Marine Corps prides itself on being the few and proud.

The slogan has been nominated in an internet contest to determine which two slogans will grace the Madison Avenue Advertising Walk of Fame. Links to the voting page can be found in the text below which came to me via email.

The United States Marine Corps and JWT are honored to announce that “The Few. The Proud. The Marines.” has been nominated BEST SLOGAN for the Madison Avenue Advertising Walk of Fame. More than just a slogan, these three sentences represent what Marines are all about, epitomizing the challenge of becoming (The Few), and the reward of being (The Proud), one of the elite (The Marines). Suffice it to say, Few slogans convey such a Proud tradition.

With your help, we now have the opportunity to immortalize these words as an American cultural icon. The Marine Corps will compete with 26 others for entry into the hall of fame based upon total number of votes received online at http://advertisingweek.yahoo.com The winning slogan will be etched on a plaque, and set alongside other time-honored brands on Madison Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets.

We ask that you vote for “The Few. The Proud. The Marines.” by CLICKING HERE. If you have Internet access in more than one location, you can vote more than once, so remember to vote from home, work, the library, and anywhere else you can find a computer. Be sure to pass this email along to your co workers, family members and friends so that they may also vote. We are confident a concentrated effort will deliver “The Few. The Proud. The Marines.” into the hall of fame, in its rightful place among elite American slogans. We thank you for your support.

You all know what to do.

Head over to Eighty Deuce's place and read the story of Charlie, a dog in which Eighty has grown very close to. He could use a bit of help contacting Military Mascots to help get Charlie to the States. Their website isn't exactly working at this moment in time, though. You investigative types mind lending your skills to Eighty? I know he would appreciate it and you'll get a thank you from me, too.

Oh, and read the entire article about the demon dog while there. I laughed very loud multiple times while reading. Eighty, you're getting put on the List of the Permanently Cool, even if you jumped on the sandbag wall like a woman would jump on a table when seeing a mouse.

Time is short, and I'm very excited about completing my first combat tour. For those that are still worried; I didn't see any actual combat. We all have roles and mine was taking care of my Marines from behind my desk. . .and sometimes riding shotgun on a logistics push.

I took a break from my work earlier this evening and found myself looking around my office. I paused a couple of times to take in the little things in here that made the office where I spent 15 plus hours a day on normal days (as many as 20 hours during the rough times) more like home. The cards, letters, and a few emails from home to my right on a cork board is perhaps the biggest boost to my morale in the entire office. Then there is the cammo Marine Corps flag I have hung in the back of my office from one of you reader types. I suspect it will have a prominent place in my home for years to come.

Then there are all the very little things like the random toys my wife sent. Yes, she sent me little cheap presents that I never really expected, but got a decent distraction from. It was really needed at times when the stress of my job got to a peak level.

Ah, the cigars. I haven't written much about Holy Smokes as of late, but rest assured it is turned into an almost nightly gathering. We got cigars from all over the states, from Arizona, to Wisconsin, to Oklahoma, to Florida. There were a few others that I'm not exactly sure where they came from since Chaps got the box, but I send a big thank you to the Colonel, USA (Ret) for the two huge bags of great smokes.

I also send huge thanks to those of you that sent boxes of cigars, Crystal Light (even though I told LL I didn't want that stuff during the beginning of the deployment, I should be thumped because the stuff is great), snacks, cards, letters, emails, and a general hard time (that would be you, CJ!). There is still a bit more time to go and mail cutoff has come and past, but you can still send prayers for the homestretch. My unit has been very lucky not to loose one single Marine or Sailor directly attached to us to the next life, and we would like to keep it that way.

A note to all criminals out there, don't do this. You'll only get caught and have angry people that have lots of guns and ammo after you (police and military).

ATLANTA — Two Atlanta teenagers have been charged with making fraudulent purchases using credit cards under the names of 15 U.S. soldiers from Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin.

Lt. Darrien Bush of the Fugitive Task Force said Thursday that 19-year-old Lakeith Johnson and 18-year-old Justin Walker were arrested when they showed up in a taxi cab at their apartment.

Bush said when they recognized police at the scene, they dropped two bags of expensive goods and ran. He said Johnson was caught in a nearby apartment and Walker in a storage shed where his wallet had come out of his pocket, containing $1,800 in cash.

Investigator Jeff Owens of the Major Fraud Unit said all 15 victims were temporarily based at Fort Benning, where they were training soldiers for service in Iraq.

Police displayed expensive items the two had gotten from such upscale stores as Louis Vutton, Gucci and Bloomingdales.

Included in the display was a dog collar from Gucci that sold for $450 and a pair of high-top shoes from Louis Vutton that sold for $495.

Authorities estimated the pair had charged about $30,000 on the various cards.

Owens said there was no evidence the pair had attempted to sell the merchandise.

H/T to my good friend LL.

Update: Submitted to today's Dawn Patrol.