A Letter from the Lion of Fallujah to the children of a Fallen Friend

Posted By Blackfive

This letter after the Jump qualifies as a must read.  First, below are links to background about Marine Major Doug Zembiec:

RE: Captain Doug Zembiec - Someone You Should Know (August 24, 2004)
RE: The Fallen Lion of Fallujah (May 11, 2007)
RE: Remembering Major Doug Zembiec (May 16, 2007)

GDCritter sends the link to the Albuquerque Journal Newspaper guest column (without author attribution) that features a letter (after the Jump) that Major Doug Zembiec sent to the family of a friend who had been killed in Iraq five months before he was killed leading a raid in Baghdad:

5 Months Before He Was Killed in Combat, Marine Maj. Doug Zembiec Wrote a Letter to Keep Alive the Memory of a Fellow Officer Who Gave His Life in Iraq

    Widow Karen Mendoza asked her husband's fellow Marine officers and his men to write something about Maj. Ray J. Mendoza that his children, Kiana and Alek, could read when they were older. One of the officers who responded was Maj. Doug Zembiec, a 1991 La Cueva High School graduate legendary among Marines in Iraq as the Lion of Fallujah.
    Mendoza and Zembiec attended Expeditionary Warfare School together, received their first commands together at Camp Pendleton and were both deployed to Iraq in 2004.
    Marine Maj. Ray J. Mendoza was killed in action along the Syrian border Nov. 14, 2005.
    Karen Mendoza writes that "Doug's letter took some time to get to me, which I understood. ... The last time I spoke with Doug before he deployed to Iraq this time, ... he told me that he wanted to write the letter in a good state of mind. He wanted the letter to be perfectly clear, so Kiana and Alek would understand and feel their father. ...
    "I did not allow my kids to read any of the letters until recently. My daughter was in a speech contest at school. The topic was American leader or hero. She chose her father. It was emotionally difficult for her, and during the process I realized that she did not understand how Ray was a leader. So I let her read some of the letters that his Marines had written.
    "The one letter I knew would explain her daddy the best was the letter from Doug Zembiec. He nailed it. His words still send shivers down my spine, because those are the exact words that I could now tell his daughter, Fallyn, about Doug."
    Marine Maj. Doug Zembiec was killed May 11 leading a raid on Baghdad insurgents. His letter to the children of a fallen comrade-in-arms:

Dear Kiana and Alek,

Ray and I had a conversation late May in 2004 while we were deployed to Iraq. He spoke of why he fought. He fought to give the people of Iraq a chance. He fought to crush those who would terrorize and enslave others. He fought to protect his fellow Marines.

The last thing he told me that day was, "I don't want any of these people (terrorists) telling my kids how to act, or how to dress. I don't want to worry about the safety of my children." Kiana and Alek, your father fought for many things, but always remember, he fought for you.

As you fight this battle we call life, you will find your challenges greater, your adversity larger, your enemies more numerous. The beautiful thing is, you will grow stronger, smarter, faster, and you will overcome the obstacles in your way.

No one could've better prepared you than your father. In the month and a half your family stayed with me in Laguna Niguel, Calif., while waiting for base housing to open up, I saw how, with the help of your incredible mother, he instilled in you the essentials to life:

• Live with integrity, for without integrity we deceive ourselves, we live in a house of cards.
• Fight for what you believe, for without valor, we lose our freedom.
• Be willing to sacrifice, for anything worthy in life requires sacrifice.
• Be disciplined, for it is discipline that builds the foundation of your success.

You will encounter misguided people in your life who may question America's attempt to help the people of Iraq and the Middle East. These pathetic windbags, who have nothing so sacred in their lives that they would be willing to fight for it, will argue and debate endlessly on what we should've done.

While they criticize, they forget the truth, or conveniently overlook the fact that it takes men and women of action, willing to make a sacrifice, to free the enslaved, to advance the cause of freedom.

Our great nation was built on the shoulders of men like your father. While the nay-sayers and cowards hid in the shadows sniveling that nothing was worth dying for, men like your dad carved our liberty away from the English, freed the slaves and kept the Union together, saved Europe from the Germans twice; rescued the Pacific away from the Japanese, defeated communism, and right now, fight terrorism and plant the seeds of democracy in the Middle East.

Your father was a warrior, but being a warrior is not always about fighting. He was patient with those he led, and he understood people make mistakes. He cared about the men he led as if they were his own family. To him, they were. His work ethic was tremendous. But he made time for his family, to enjoy life. He was balanced, at equilibrium. He was an inspiration. He was my friend.

In your future, when you are pushed against a wall, in a tight spot, outnumbered and seemingly overwhelmed, it may be tempting to give up, or even use the absence of your father as a crutch, as an excuse for failure.

Don't. Your father's passing, while tragic, serves as an endless source of your empowerment. Your father would not want you to wallow in self-pity. I know you will honor him by living your life in the positive example he set. Respect and remember him. Drive on with your lives. Serve something greater than yourself. Enjoy all the good things that life has to offer. That is what he would want.

Kiana! I have never met a more capable young lady in my life. You are the most well-read, articulate, disciplined young person I know. Often I tell people of the arm-bar you demonstrated on me in your parents' garage. When you become a worldwide Judo champion, I will say with great pride, "that woman nearly torqued my shoulder out when she was 11 years old!"

If my daughter grows up with a quarter of the strength of your principles, determination and intelligence, she will be an incredible human being. Like your mother, you are a beautiful woman, a fact of which you should be proud.

Alek! You are blessed with your father's strength of character and his unbreakable will and his broad shoulders. Your mother gave you her determination and unwavering mental toughness.

Your mother told me the story of you hanging up the sign, "Be a leader, not a follower." My eyes well up every time that I think of you doing that. My eyes fill not with tears of sadness, but of pride, to know you grasped the mindset your father passed on to you. This mindset will allow you to be a leader and protector like your father, and one day, to raise an upright, solid-as-a-rock family of your own.

When I look in your eyes, I see your father. Courageous, determined and resolute, your father embodied all that is virtuous in a warrior. Even now, you strive to embody his same character. Remember, there will never be any pressure for you to be exactly like your father. Be your own man, but build your character in his image.

Many people may be concerned about your future because of the early passing of your father. I don't worry at all. Your dad gave you all you ever need to become a great woman and a great man. I know your father would have told you to be your own hero/heroine. Don't wait for someone to rise up and lead you to victory, to your goals. If you do, you might wait for a very long time.

Ray died as a warrior, sword in hand, in service of his country, his comrades and you, his loved ones. His spirit and example give us all hope, reaffirms our faith. Your father reminds us there are men willing to fight for people that they don't even know so that all may live in peace.

I joined the Corps to serve beside men like your father. There is no other Marine I'd rather have protecting my flank in combat than your dad. Even now, as I write this letter in Iraq, I will honor him on the field of battle by slaying as many of our enemies as possible, and fight until our mission is accomplished.

You will always be in our lives. Please stay in touch. We will always be in your corner for assistance, advice or just conversation. Pam and I plan to retire in Idaho and would love for you to visit us so we can take you white-water rafting and mountain climbing.

Very Respectfully,

Doug

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Comments

[Beth* A.]

*...*

What a fine, fine MAN. The epitome of a friend. I treasure having the privilege to read that letter. How much greater must the children he wrote it to value it's message to themselves.

Two of our best, our absolute brightest lights, are together again. Standing watch over their families at the gates of Heaven. Semper Fi, gentlemen.
Have to stop typing here, as I can't see the screen anymore.

[rgrmom82]

gulp...wow

[veronica]

This is what a Marine looks like; this is the face of our military, our country; of the good in this world. May the Lord bless their families & comrades left behind.
Semper Fidelis, Brave Ones.

[Smitty-ROK]

GOD SPEED my brothers... This letter should be read to all our youth in classrooms throughout the nation... To inpsire future leaders and give them guidance and courage against their own battles...

[mindy abraham]

What can you say about people like them? I just wish we had more like them, and less like paris hilton. These are the ones who deserve recognition, and should be more well known.

[jordan]

"...I will honor him by slaying as many of our enemies as possible, and fight until our mission is accomplished."

Zembiec teaches us how to get down to brass tacks, so we can teach our children.

[Bill Smith]

You'll often hear "Where do we find such people?"

Folks, we don't find them, they just show up.

[Subsunk]

How much we have lost in their passing! How much they gave up for us in their lives and their deaths! Such fine Men.

I'll ask again. What have you done to deserve such Valor and Courage in your own defense today?

Subsunk

[MAJHAM]

Here's to them and all who are like them. God watch over them all.

[JG]

Major Doug Zembiec, the Lion of Fallujah, said of his fallen friend, Major Ray Mendoza, "His spirit and example give us all hope, reaffirms our faith".

There are so many lessons on life that one can take from the lives of men such as these but the one stated so succinctly above is the precious central truth.

They do reaffirm our faith and while we mourn their loss, the overriding emotion is one of such profound pride in what they were and what they stood for. They have underscored the fact that they are not alone in representing all the very best our country has to offer. It has been confirmed to me by their lives, that unknown to me, a band of warrior heroes has been walking tall through life and holding dear all the virtues these men symbolize.

I have "met" many men such as these two heroes on this Blog. This has reassured me that there are others like them, unknown to me just as these men were unknown to me, before they faced the ultimate moment and passed from this life. The fact is, however, their deaths was not their defining moment. Their lives where an endless series of moments all of which defined them as men of outstanding character and purpose.

That there are perhaps countless men of such merit and worth, does not diminish these two or others that have been chronicled here on Blackfive. I am reminded immediately of the heroic members of Seal Team 10, but there have been others. It simply assures me that when they are needed, as in times such as these, men of infinite caliber have stepped forward and are being counted. It is only when tragedy occurs and they leave us, do we come to know the contribution they have made. Yet all the while they have been quietly defending our constitution in terrible places and doing it with a courage that defies description.

They will be sorely missed not only by their families, but by their nation. I am left in the aftermath, however, certain that our country and what she stands for remains secure. My faith has indeed, been reaffirmed and I am filled not just with hope but certitude.

Thank-you Major Zembiec and Major Mendoza. I await the time when I will have the distinct pleasure of meeting you personally. Meanwhile, I know that you have passed the torch to unknown, yet strong, able and dedicated hands. I will be supporting them and doing it proudly.

[gdcritter]

This is the kind of man every state wishes it could produce more of. I'm just glad New Mexico could produce this one (Major Doug Zembiec of Albuquerque).

[Benjamin]

Major Zembiec,

You define honor. You truly lived life as a lion and you died a lion. God bless you. I look forward to serving in your Corps in a few months.

Semper Fi

[Kathianne]

Thank you for sharing that. I 'got out of school' Thursday, (teacher). I spent the weekend reading as I had no papers to grade. One of the books I re-read, "The Blog of War". So many inspiring stories, from overseas to home. Every night I thank God for all those that serve and protect us.

[Old Tanker]

Damn monitor....kept getting all blurry....seems to be better now.

[Padraig]

Speechless except to say that my monitor had the same problem as Old Tanker.

[El Coqui]

Reading this letter today had been a high privilege and honor.

May it become as widely read and appreciated as the letter from another Major.

Sullivan Ballou, 2d Rhode Island Volunteers
14 July 1861

Jose

[Barb]

I'm incredibly thankful that these fine men lived and loved America so much, they chose to become Marines. I can only echo Subsunk -- what have we as individuals done to deserve their sacrifices? I know that I feel incredibly humbled.

[afsister]

Damn.
Just.... DAMN.

[The Interface]

There seems to be an epidemic of fuzzy monitor images; mine, too!

May we here at home somehow live up to the example and sacrifice of such men, God bless them, and thank God for them! Amen.

[MjC]

FYI- The letter that Major Doug Zombiec wrote to Mrs. Mendoza and her childern was posted on one of the threads at Huffingtonpost.com. It appears as if his letter is circulating through non-military blogs.

[Richard]

I will send out to be posted one of these days soon, a DVD I made in honor mostly to my son but also as a tribute to all Marines who "Saddled-Up" in 2003 and went out to do a job that needed to be started at least a decade prior but lacked the leader to do so until President G. W. Bush said that the time had come to face this enemy. I myself have had doubts in recent times as to the end-game of this endeavor, but I have never questioned the the moral compass of our C.I.C, his desire to send a clear statement that, "This will not stand!"

His sending of men such as this most honorable of men, Capt. Zembiec, proves his resolve true. I am honored to be an American among men such as these.

Respectfully,

[Jim C]

How lucky we are to live in a nation protected by men such as these.

[Jim S.]

Magnificent !
Heartbreaking to lose them , honored to be a fellow American.
Semper Fi !