Prepared and Professional

Second Battalion, Twenty-Third Marines September 2008

In this Isssue

2 From the Company Commander3 Coordinator’s Corner4 Walk to Iraq

Dates to Remember

September 20081-Labor Day13-Family DayOctober 20086-Marines begin daily trainingNovember 200812-25-Marines gone for trainingDecember 20081-Marines activate

ABriefOverviewofIraq

Iraq,officiallytheRepublicofIraq,isacountryinWestern AsiaspanningmostofthenorthwesternendoftheZagrosmountainrange,theeasternpartoftheSyrianDesertandthenorthernpartoftheArabianDesert.ItsharesborderswithKuwaitandSaudiArabiatothesouth,Jordantothewest,Syriatothenorthwest,Turkeytothenorth,andIrantotheeast.Ithasaverynarrowsectionofcoast-lineatUmmQasronthePersianGulf.Therearetwomajorflowingrivers:theTigrisandtheEuphrates.TheseprovideIraqwithagricul-turallycapablelandandcontrastwiththedesertlandscapethatcov-ersmostofWesternAsia.Thecapitalcity,Baghdad,isinthecenter-east.Iraq'srichhistorydatesbacktoancientMesopotamia.TheregionbetweentheTigrisandEuphratesriversisidentifiedasthecradleofcivilizationandthebirthplaceofwriting.Thelocalclimateismostlydesert,withmildtocoolwintersanddry,hot,cloudlesssummers.Thenorthernmountainousregionshavecoldwinterswithoccasionalheavysnows,sometimescausingextensiveflooding.Iraqisknownforitsoil,havingthesecondlargestreservesintheworld.Revenuesfromoilsalesinthe1970sand1980senabledthecountrytomakegreatstridesineducation,healthcareandbasicinfrastructure.Until1990,IraqwasknownasoneofthemosthighlydevelopedcountriesintheMiddleEast.Some22millionpeoplecallIraqhome.Seventy-fivepercentormoreareArabs,15-20percentareKurdishandtheremainderareTurkoman,Assyrian,oranotherethnicgroup.Thevastmajority-97percent-isMuslim,andtheremainingthreepercentisChristian.

From the Desk of the Company Commander

Family and Friends of Fox Company,It is an honor to be the Company Commander of this fine unit. TheMarines are extremely proficient and as we lean into our upcoming training,Fox Company will become only stronger and more capable.Being a family member of a Marine is not easy, they are often gonefor training and at times can be away on deployments. This is difficult forboth the Marine and his loved ones as information can be scarce, and com-munication difficult. Being part of the Key Volunteer Network makes thesechallenging times easier as families come together to share and support eachother.The Key Volunteer Network is a direct link to the command while de-ployed. I will be communicating with the Key Volunteer Coordinator(Rachel Abelson) who will relay that information to the network. By joiningthe Key Volunteer Network, you will get timely and unfiltered news aboutwhat your Marine is doing. Rumors are plenty but facts are hard to find andwhen your Marine is deployed overseas, you want the truth.Not only is the Key Volunteer Network a great way to stay informed,it also enables you to be part of Fox Company. Across this country, militaryfamilies are getting involved and supporting their loved-one’s units by join-ing similar organizations. By joining the Key Volunteer Network, you be-come a key member of our team and are a direct contributor to our Nation’ssecurity.In closing, I want to assure you that your Marines are being trainedand equipped with the finest the Marine Corps can offer. Your Marine willbe ready to accomplish the mission and come home safely, returning with aproud heart knowing he was part of a historical and generational effort tokeep our Nation safe.Best Regards,Captain Philip H. Steuber

Coordinator’s Corner

Dear Friends and Family,Welcome to the first newsletter of the KeyVolunteer network for Fox 2/23-SLC! I hopeyou will find this and all the newsletters infor-mative and interesting.I am Rachel Abelson, Key Volunteer Coordi-nator for our group of Marines. The Key Vol-unteer Network is the communication link between the families and the Marines. It is aninformation and referral network to help fami-lies live their best. The Network is composedof volunteers, from the unit, who passinformation and assists with family readiness.If you would like more information about theKey Volunteer Network please email me.I hope all of you enjoyed family day andlearned a little bit to help you prepare and dealwith the upcoming deployment. If you did notfill out an information sheet, please do so onour websitewww.fox223families.blogspot.com. This willhelp us keep you informed and updated aboutall that is going on with the Marines and thefamilies. If I was unable to meet you today, Ilook forward to doing so in the near future.Please do not hesitate to email me if you haveany questions! keyvolunteer223@gmail.comRemember, a smile goes a long way; try it to-day!G-d Bless America,Rachel Abelson

1st Sgt Dennis Downing ~ FamilyReadiness Officer

Hello families and friends of Fox Company. Iam First Sergeant Dennis Downing, your Fam-ily Readiness Officer; "the FRO". My job is tokeep you and your Key Volunteer network upto date with all the good gouge from wherever your Marine or Sailor may be. I have been partof this unit for just over two years and look for-ward to working right along side many of youthough this mobilization and deployment. Ihave been an active duty Marine for just over 18 years and have completed 7 deploymentsmyself, two of them to Iraq so I can fairly re-late to what your family member will beexperiencing. I am a family man myself with awife and four kids residing in Clearfield.Through this deployment I hope we can allmeet on many occasions to establish a tight nitfamily and keep each other busy enough tomake time fly by! If there are ever any ques-tions or concerns I can easily be reachedthrough the KVC or at the reserve center.

Berry Amazing Cooler Berry Amazing Cooler Berry Amazing Cooler Berry Amazing Cooler

1 (4-serving size) package strawberry gelatin (recommended: Jell-o) 1 cup boiling water 1 cup strawberry juice (recommended: Kearn's) 1 cup peach juice (recommended: Kearn's) 1/2 cup pear juice (recommended: Kearn's) Ice cubes, optional Peach and pear slices, for garnishing In a large heatproof pourable container, dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Add juices and stir to combine. Pour over ice cubes into tall glasses and garnish with peach or pear slices.