Marines' Memorial Association

I've been in the Bay Area the past few days, and was very fortunate to have been invited to two separate presentations at the Marines' Memorial Association in downtown San Francisco. What a place! If you ever get the chance to visit, don't pass it up. They're at 609 Sutter Street.

The first presentation was given by 1ST Lieutenant Peter Dixon, USMC. He spoke about his deployment to Afghanistan with the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines in 2008. Originally assigned to train Afghan security forces in Helmand Province, Lieutenant Dixon and his men found themselves under Taliban attack almost daily. His insights into the fighting prowess and sheer number of the Taliban were pretty shocking, but completely overshadowed by the tales of bravery and heroism on the part of the Marines. Bottom line - Afghanistan remains a very dangerous place and we have a lot of work to do there, but for the most part the Afghan people are appreciative of the work we're doing and wholly supportive.

The second presentation was just last evening, given by Colonel James Howcroft, USMC, Chief of Intelligence Plans and Policies Division, and former Intelligence Operations Officer for the 2nd Marine Division in Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm. The title of his presentation was "The Russia-Georgian Conflict: Implications for Caspian Energy and US-Russian Relations." While not directly linked to the Spirit of America mission, Colonel Howcroft was nonetheless quite interested in our activities. His presentation covered the history of the Caususes region, and then a detailed overview of the recent conflict between Russia and Georgia. Very interesting, especially understanding how geography plays a role in everything in that part of the world.

Thanks to Major General Mike Myatt of the Marines' Memorial Association for inviting me to these two fascinating talks. Semper Fi Marines - you're doing an outstanding job on all fronts.

Dennis