Below is the accurate address for the CAG Marines embarked aboard the USS
Ashland. Please let all the families know this. Also reassure them that
anything sent to the DET A address will arrive here. We apologize for the
inconvenience we have caused.

CPL Cheung, Raymond K.
2nd MEB, 4thCAG, DET B
Unit #76002
FPO AE 09511-6002

Thanks for sending this information out.

LtCol Grabowsky
posted by Ray at 10:51 AM

Hey all,

I am on the USS Ashland and I have some limited access to Internet. Unfortunately, it is extremely slow and it takes about 10 minutes to load a single webpage and sometimes it doesn't load at all. Email does work though, but I am sharing an account with an officer. Anyway, life is alright here. The daily routine basically consists of breakfast, lunch, and dinner and classes and working out in between. Relatively simple days. They have a really small store here that sells junk food, other basic things like soap and towels, and even CDs and PS2 games. On that note, I am trying to get my parents to send me one of those MP3 players that plays MP3s off of CDRs so if ya'll want to send me some I'd be much obliged. :)

The ship does rock about 10-30 degrees to each side depending on the sea swells. The first couple of days was pretty bad. Most of the Marines were stumbling around everywhere and puking. Luckily, I took some seasickness pills early on and avoided any extreme discomfort. Just about everyone has their "sea legs" now though. It is still pretty funny to watch people lean against the tilt as they walk. It reminds of that cereal commerical (Special K? Total?) with those people walking slanted because they didn't eat whatever was supposed to make them walk straight.

Anyway, there isn't much else going on. I can't say where we are or where we are going, but I'm sure CNN will let you know if we are anywhere important. Everyone should have my address by now. Big thanks to Valerie for helping me out with that too. :) There was a lot of confusion early on about our address here, but the last address should be good to go. Mail comes every week or two by helicopter so don't send any perishables... unless you can figure out some way to preserve some In-N-Out. ;-)

Ok, I have to go. Hope everything is going well with everybody. I look forward to hearing from ya'll.

Ray

posted by Ray at 8:11 PM

Ok so one more address update � nothing wrong with the other one, but this one is just more updated:



Cpl. Cheung, Raymond K.

4th CAG / DET A, 2nd MEB

Unit #76002

FPO AE 09511-6002



Let me know if you guys want to say anything to Ray.

Also, he is requesting CDR�s of MP3�s if you guys would like to make compilations for him. He is hoping to get an MP3 player sometime soon.

He says �hi� to everyone and the weather is beautiful and just like California except that he is in the middle of the ocean. He has mess hall duty which sort of sucks but otherwise things are ok but boring.



Will update more as I receive information.

posted by Ray at 5:56 PM

ADDRESS CORRECTION!
The correct address is as follows:


Cpl. Cheung, Raymond K.
4th CAG DET A
76001
FPO AE 09511-6001

Sorry about the confusion but I made a mistake on the address
If you have already sent him something, do not fret because as long as the zip code is correct, your mail will find its way to Ray.

posted by Ray at 12:04 PM

Hi Everyone - Ray promised to keep everyone updated and hopefully I will be of some assistance in that manner.
He is currently on the U.S.S. Ashland ( http://navysite.de/ships/lsd48.htm ) in somewhat close quarters. The food is "not that bad" and there is a T.V. that plays random movies (as of 3:30pm PT it was playing "The Tuxedo"). Unfortunately the phones on the ship do not work and the computers are very slow so he is not sure if he will be able to get internet access.
I will post more when I hear more from Ray. In the mean time - thanks for the notes of concern and for the support. :)

P.S. It's Val in case anyone was wondering who "I" is.
posted by Ray at 3:46 PM

Hello everyone,

I apologize for not being able to email everyone personally. I have been pretty busy the last couple of days. This will be the last email before I head out tomorrow morning. My orders say I am being activated for one year due to a Presidential recall in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Although I cannot discuss specifics, the following information may allow you to track where I may be in the news:

4th Civil Affairs Group, Detachment Bravo
http://www.mfr.usmc.mil/MFRUnits/CAG/4thcag.htm
4th Force Service Support Group
Marine Forces Reserve

Deployed with:
2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade
http://www.lejeune.usmc.mil/meb/

Aboard:
USS Ashland
http://www.ashland.navy.mil/ - May not be working
http://navysite.de/ships/lsd48.htm

You may have noticed a few articles on the news already about the 2nd MEB at Camp LeJeune, NC. Reports will probably increase next week as we deploy.

I will try to get a snail mail address as soon as possible. Valerie is helping me update the blogger as I send her updates. So keep an eye on www.rkcheung.com/blogger.php for further developments.

Well, that's it folks. I hope everyone's 2003 goes well. I will miss you all.

Ray
posted by Ray at 9:15 PM

Another article from Marine Corps Times, notice selections in bold italic:

January 10, 2003

II MEF, roughly 8,000 strong, deploys

By C. Mark Brinkley
Times staff writer

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. � About 8,000 active-duty and Reserve Marines attached to II Marine Expeditionary Force here were expected to deploy as early as Jan. 15, part of a massive buildup of Marine forces headed for a possible war with Iraq.
About 400 Marines from II MEF left Jan. 10, headed overseas as an Offload Preparation Party to ready gear and vehicles aboard Maritime Prepositioning Force ships in the Mediterranean Sea for offload and use.

Members of the unit would not say where they were headed, only that were told to prepare for a tour of six months to a year overseas.

�We only had five months left, and I thought we were going to say goodbye to the Marine Corps,� said Jamie Shoff, wife of Cpl. Jason Shoff, 22, a motor transport mechanic from 2nd Maintenance Battalion who expected to complete his enlistment this summer. �Now, who knows?�

Most of the Marines on the OPP had a week or less to get ready for the deployment, a process that for many included packing up barracks rooms, putting possessions into long-term storage, shipping automobiles to family for safekeeping and other logistical chores. Many Marines had to scramble to complete wills and file taxes, while others rushed to buy engagement rings or even get married.

�My mom, she�s probably crying right now,� said Lance Cpl. Ken Berven, 20, a motor-transport operator from Bravo Company, 2nd Transport Support Battalion, who was called back from leave for the deployment and only had four days to get ready. �She took it pretty bad.�

For more than a week, the Marines of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade prepared in anticipation of deployment orders, scrambling to buy gear and get name-tapes sewn on newly purchased desert-pattern cammies. Perishable necessities such as batteries were in great demand, and clerks at one local store said a Marine unit purchased $2,000 worth of batteries in all sizes before the shops ran out.

On Jan. 10, Marine officials finally acknowledged the brigade�s movements, saying that the group had been given an order to embark allowing it to load up on Navy ships.

Marine officials said the troops would load ships in Norfolk, Va., at the port in nearby Morehead City, N.C., and over the horizon from Onslow Beach on Camp Lejeune. The ships are expected to include the amphibious-assault ship Saipan, amphibious transport dock Ponce and dock landing ship Gunston Hall, which were not scheduled to deploy until the summer but received orders Jan. 10.

Atlantic Fleet spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Dave Werner would say only that the ships �are in receipt of deployment orders and they are getting under way in support of the global war on terrorism and to support any contingencies that may develop.�

The Saipan�s commanding officer, Navy Capt. Lee Hackney, told reporters just before leaving, �Our focus now is going south and picking up our Marines.�

But with 7,000 2nd MEB Marines set to deploy, more ships likely will be needed. The Saipan can take on more than 1,790 Marines, while the Ponce can carry 900. The Little Creek, Va.-based Gunston Hall, also a member of the Saipan Amphibious Ready Group, can carry 560 Marines. But Werner said no other Atlantic Fleet ships have yet been given deployment orders.

The ships of the Saipan ARG were expected to begin loading Marines the weekend of Jan. 10, Marine officials said.

Marine officials also anticipated that other Navy ships would receive orders the week of Jan. 12 to support the brigade.

The infantry arm of the 2nd MEB will come from the 2nd Marine Regiment, Marine officials said. Aviation elements will come from Marine Aircraft Group 29, headquartered at nearby Marine Corps Air Station New River.

Other units could include various supporting elements and command staff. For instance, II Marine Expeditionary Force also is deploying its cadre of fire-support specialists. The entire Lejeune-based II Marine Liaison Element will ship out with the brigade.

The 38-man unit specializes in calling for close-air support, artillery and naval gunfire while attached to U.S. Army or coalition forces.

Nearly 300 reservists also are slated to accompany the brigade, reserve officials said. The units were to travel from their home bases across the United States to Camp Lejeune.

The Lejeune-bound units include: nearly 100 Marines from Charlie Company, 4th Reconnaissance Battalion, based in San Antonio, Texas; about 130 Marines from the Fort Knox, Ky.-based Alpha Company, 8th Tank Battalion; 10 Marines from the Camp Pendleton, Ca-lif.-based Headquarters and Service Company, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion; and 35 Marines from the Washington, D.C.-based Detachment Bravo, 4th Civil Affairs Group.

The units were mobilized the week of Jan. 6 and were scheduled to head to Camp Lejeune early the following week, said Capt. Jeff Pool, spokesman for Marine Forces Reserve.

posted by Ray at 3:43 PM

A story from CNN.com:

Navy ships picking up Marines
7,000 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade troops to embark
From Mike Mount
CNN
Friday, January 10, 2003 Posted: 11:50 AM EST (1650 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Three United States Navy ships began to deploy Friday from their home base in Norfolk, Virginia, to pick up several thousand Marines in North Carolina, Navy officials said.

The ships received deployment orders Friday morning to pick up 7,000 Marines, according to Pentagon officials.

The Marines have been given orders to embark, which puts them on board the ships, but officials note it may be a day or two before they also receive their actual orders to deploy.

The three ships are:

� The USS Saipan, which is an Amphibious Assault Ship.

� The USS Ponce, an Amphibious Transport Dock ship.

� The USS Gunston Hall, a Dock Landing Ship.

Together, the group comprises what the military calls an Amphibious Ready Group., or ARG.

Such groups deploy with a large weapons supply, helicopters and Marines for overseas assignments.

The deployment for the ARG was originally to occur during the late summer, but now has been moved earlier to support U.S. military forces already in the Persian Gulf region, according to a U.S. Navy official.

The Marines -- the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade are expected to receive their orders to deploy to the Gulf region within a day, according to a Marine official.


posted by Ray at 2:49 PM

This is a story from yesterday's Marine Corps Times that may relate to what may happen:

January 08, 2003

2nd MEB may deploy next week

By C. Mark Brinkley
Times staff writer

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Between 8,000 and 10,000 Marines and sailors attached to the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade here could deploy as early as next week, Marine officials confirmed Wednesday, headed for staging for a possible war with Iraq.
�They�re packing up in anticipation of deployment orders,� said one Marine official familiar with the buildup, adding that those orders could come by the end of the week.

Officially, the Marine Corps does not confirm such preparations until deployment orders have been issued. But brigades are mammoth organizations, requiring plenty of advance notice in order to get things moving.

On Jan. 3, Marine officials here announced that more than 400 Marines were ordered to form Offload Preparation Parties, which ready military equipment embarked aboard Maritime Prepositioning Force ships for offload and assist in that offload.

Such parties were used earlier this year, when the 2nd MEB landed in Spain, conducting an MPF offload for Exercise Dynamic Mix. The biannual NATO exercise was held from late May to early June and involved more than 15,000 military people from 13 NATO nations.

One Marine official said some of the Marines could leave Camp Lejeune aboard the amphibious assault ship Kearsarge as early as next week.

For more than a week, Camp Lejeune and the surrounding communities have been bustling, as Marines scrambled to buy gear at military surplus stores and get name tapes sewn on to their utility uniforms. Clerks at one local store said a Marine unit purchased $2,000 worth of batteries of all sizes, in preparation for a deployment.

Even traffic to and from the base has been re-routed. The main gate has been closed to commercial trucks, a change base officials attributed to �an increase in deliveries.� Officials would not comment on the types of deliveries the base is receiving.

While 2nd MEB would deploy with less than 10,000 Marines, a typically configured MEB totals about 17,000 troops, with about 6,500 in the ground combat element, 6,300 in the air combat element and about 3,000 in the brigade service support element. The remainder typically is part of the brigade�s command element.

The infantry arm of the 2nd MEB would likely come from the 2nd Marine Regiment, Marine officials said. Aviation elements would likely come from Marine Aircraft Group 29, headquartered at nearby Marine Corps Air Station New River.

The Kearsarge last deployed with Marines in late April 2001, shipping out for six months with the Marines of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit from Camp Lejeune. The ships of the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group were in the Mediterranean Sea during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center towers, returning from deployment in mid-October 2001.
posted by Ray at 4:54 PM

Dear friends,

Some of you may have already heard this from me or somebody else, but I thought I may as well send an email to everybody anyway. Here is the news - I received notification tonight that my unit is being activated. I am to report in by Friday morning. This means I will probably be leaving the Los Angeles area in the next couple days to go back to Virginia and get things ready. I will be headed to Camp LeJeune, North Carolina intially and from there I don't know. I also don't know how long the activation will be. Looking at activations in the past year it could range from six months to two years. I will try to keep updates on my webpage - www.rkcheung.com - to tell everybody what is going on and on how to contact me, etc. I am sorry for those I have not kept in touch with as much as I would have liked and not for contacting everyone personally. Also, I do not have everyone's email so please forward this to people I may not have listed.

Thanks for your support,

Ray
posted by Ray at 8:33 PM

I must apologize again for not updating my website. I have just been lazy since I've gotten home. Not to worry, nothing terribly exciting has happened. I have been mostly just playing video games. Heheh. Anyway, hope everyone had a Merry Christmas/Hanakah/Kwanzaa/Alakazam and Happy New Year! I may do more updates before I go back to Virginia, but don't count on it. ;-)
posted by Ray at 7:37 PM