Work still to be done
 

Work still to be done




By Phyllis Edwards and Melissa McDermott , STAFF WRITERS 12/24/2003




U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Timothy Anderlonis and soldier Joseph Ball of Morton are elated by Saddam Hussein's capture.

"I felt very happy for all the military men and women who had dedicated their time and effort towards finding Saddam. They never gave up and they stayed motivated on their mission and finally got Saddam," Anderlonis said.
"However, there is still much work to be done here," said Ball. "His capture takes a lot of the guess work out of the equation, however, there is still the chore of gathering up un-exploded ammo, rockets, mines, bombs that litter the streets, bunkers and homes throughout this country. There are still the transitions of training the Iraqi people to be dependable policemen, and building up the Iraqi army is another chore we have undertaken."
"I don't know if it will change the situation in Iraq, but everything helps," Anderlonis agreed. "If it only~helps a little that will make it just a little bit better for the men and women over there. I think every bit helps. I hope all the troops get home soon, but there still are terrorists over in Iraq and people who just truly hate Americans.~ I think there is still work to be done over there and those of us in the military will do whatever we have to, to ensure that we are all safe over here in the states. If that means we have to keep going back then we will continue to do that."
Anderlonis attended Blessed Virgin Mary School in Darby and graduated Msgr. Bonner High School before enlisting in the Marines. He was deployed to Iraq where he served as a military policeman. He returned to his home base in San Diego, Calif., to accompany a prisoner back from Iraq.
"The missions still continue, and we all WANT TO COME HOME," Ball wrote in an e-mail three days after Saddam Hussein's capture. "But we also know there is lots of work that still needs to be done. At the moment I am about 10-15 miles outside of Baghdad, (Taji). By the beginning of next week I will be many miles north very near Mosul. Up to now we have been collecting explosives of all types, getting them off the streets and storing some and detonating some. When we move we will be on a totally different mission of assisting other units to re-deploy home by collecting and re-boxing all the ammo they had and did not use, it promises to be a big job."

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Sempers,

Roger