Marines find Ramadi more welcoming than Berkeley

Editor's note: Reporter Matt Sanchez, who has been embedding with military units throughout both Iraq and Afghanistan, is providing WND readers with a glimpse into the war on terror most Americans have never seen. Posted: March 07, 2008 9:30 pm Eastern © 2008 WorldNetDaily Matt Sanchez Editor's note: Reporter Matt Sanchez, who has been embedding with military units throughout both Iraq and Afghanistan, is providing WND readers with a glimpse into the war on terror most Americans have never seen. By Matt Sanchez BERKELEY – "The Marines are unwelcome here." These weren't the comments of a banana republic dictator or the rantings of a religious radical. These were the words of Tom Bates, the elected mayor of Berkeley. It's difficult to match up the animosity of the residents of Berkeley, Calif., USA, with the residents of Ramadi, Anbar, Iraq. I met Ramadis who were so happy to have the Marines among them that they literally hugged and kissed them on the streets. Children made high-five signs when they saw Marines of the 3rd battalion 7th Marines on patrol and residents insisted they come in to drink chai and eat goats the hosts were willing to kill in their honor. One resident grumbled the Marines of the 2nd battalion 5th Marines never stayed long enough after dinner. Iraqis are very hospitable and dinner can last several hours and long into the night. Marine "inside the wire." The year before no one could remove their Kevlar (helmet) outside the building. Of course, Ramadi was no cakewalk. In 2005, the Marines told of having to run during the entire patrol. A moving, erratic target made it harder for an eager sniper to pick off a Marine. That was a tough time for the 3rd battalion 7th Marines Kilo Company, as told by Cpl. Tar Po. Po was born in Burma. His family fled that Southeast Asian nation because of the political situation. Thanks to an aunt, the corporal's parents moved the family to California when he was just five years old. Po sailed through ...