Iraqi elections
security could present
more dangers

27 Kaneohe Marines die
Isle families seized by uncertainty
Crashes had killed 7 with isle ties
Bush asks for patience

Fallen isle soldier honored

Kaneohe Marines have been on the front lines of the war since arriving in Iraq four months ago, losing several servicemen in November's street-to-street assault on Fallujah and pegged to provide security for Sunday's Iraqi elections.

Isle Marine units serving abroad Of the nearly 7,000 Marines and sailors assigned to Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay, nearly 2,000 are serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. These include: » 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (900 Marines) in Iraq. » Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463, assigned to the Medium Helicopter Squadron 265 (70 Marines and six CH-53D Sea Stallions) in Iraq. » 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment (America's Battalion) (900 Marines), in Afghanistan. » 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment (900 Marines), preparing to leave in June for Afghanistan.

Yesterday's helicopter crash in Iraq marks the deadliest day for Kaneohe Marines since the Iraq war began. But even before the tragedy, 16 Kaneohe Marines and one Navy corpsman had died in Iraq.

In one attack on Oct. 30 -- one of the deadliest of the war -- seven Kaneohe Marines were killed and 10 injured when a suicide bomber rammed their convoy southwest of Fallujah.

"This is the first time it has hit home how serious this war is," Col. Jeff Patterson, who commands 3,000 Marines with the 3rd Marine Regiment, told the Star-Bulletin after the attack.

Some 900 Marines with the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, left Kaneohe in July for what was supposed to be a routine seven-month deployment with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit of Okinawa.

But the 31st MEU was ordered to Iraq, and the unit arrived there in mid-October. They are expected to stay until March.

Shortly after their arrival, the Kaneohe Marines were thrust into a bloody conflict in Fallujah. Among those killed in the warfare was Lance Cpl. Blake A. Magaoay. The 20-year-old Pearl City resident died Nov. 29 during a gunbattle.

It was the Pearl City High School graduate's second tour of duty in Iraq, and he was expected to return next month. He was assigned to the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, in Camp Pendleton, Calif., but was attached to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines.

He was buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl.

Military officials have said that Kaneohe Marines are expected to play a large part in providing security for the upcoming national elections in Iraq, which could prove to be a dangerous job.

The Hawaii-based unit suffered its first casualty in Iraq on Oct. 24 when Lance Cpl. Richard P. Slocum, 19, of Saugus, Calif., was killed in a Humvee accident near Abu Ghraib.

Another Marine, Pfc. Dennis Mitchell, died of heat exhaustion while training on Okinawa.

Two Marines who had joined the unit on Okinawa were also killed in Iraq.

Bush asks for patience
as Iraq toll climbs

WASHINGTON » President Bush pleaded for Americans' patience yesterday on what he conceded was "a very discouraging day" of death and violence for U.S. troops in Iraq. He urged Iraqis to defy terrorist threats and vote in Sunday's elections.

"The story today is going to be very discouraging to the American people. I understand that. ... But it is the long-term objective that is vital, and that is to spread freedom." President Bush At yesterday's press conference

Bush held a White House news conference hours after more than 31 American troops perished in a helicopter crash in western Iraq and insurgents killed five others in the deadliest day yet for U.S. forces. The deaths pushed the American toll above 1,400.

Unwavering in the course he has set, Bush pledged: "We'll have the troop levels necessary to complete the mission. And that mission is to enable Iraq to defend herself from terrorists -- homegrown or terrorists that come in from outside of the country." He made clear that Iraq is nowhere near ready to handle its own security, and he talked about U.S. involvement during the next year.

Four days before Iraq's elections and a week before his own State of the Union address, the president grappled with pointed questions about the war's heavy price and growing doubts that a stable, democratic Iraq will ever emerge. In money alone, Iraq is costing taxpayers more than $1 billion a week.

Democrats registered their unhappiness with Bush's handling of Iraq in the Senate's 85-13 vote to confirm Condoleezza Rice as secretary of state. It was the strongest negative vote against a secretary of state since 1825.

Bush said Americans are not alone in their qualms. Iraqis are "losing a lot of people" in bombings and assassinations, he said, and "some are feeling intimidated" about threats against voters. Moreover, Bush said: "The Iraqi people are wondering whether or not this nation has the will necessary to stand with them as a democracy evolves.

"The enemy would like nothing more than the United States to precipitously pull out and withdraw before the Iraqis are prepared to defend themselves."

It was the 18th full-blown news conference of Bush's presidency and the first of his second term, covering issues ranging from Social Security to questions raised by his inaugural address.

In an interview with the Dubai-based satellite channel al-Arabiya, Bush said U.S. forces will remain in Iraq as long as necessary to ensure Iraq's security. "But that mission must be completed. ... I've heard talk that we are occupiers," he said. "No, the United States and our troops and our coalition are there to help the Iraqi citizens." He said U.S. forces will do the job as quickly as possible and then come home.

The bloodshed in Iraq and Sunday's elections framed much of the questions of Bush's news conference.

He said he lacked details about the helicopter crash in Iraq's western desert. "The story today is going to be very discouraging to the American people," Bush said. "I understand that. ... But it is the long-term objective that is vital, and that is to spread freedom."

Sunday's elections in Iraq represent a major test for Bush, who has staked his reputation on spreading democracy across the Middle East. "I anticipate a grand moment in Iraqi history," he said.

"We anticipate a lot of Iraqis will vote," the president said. "Clearly, there are some who are intimidated."

Asked what would be a credible turnout, Bush pronounced the elections a success even before they happen.

"The fact that they're voting, in itself, is successful," he said. "Again, this is a long process."

Bush said he is leading the United States toward an honorable goal -- in Iraq and across the world. "I firmly planted the flag of liberty," he said.

In the evening, Bush spoke by phone with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said Annan gave his condolences for the loss of U.S. troops earlier in the day, commended Bush on U.S. aid to tsunami victims and congratulated him on the inauguration. They also talked about the upcoming elections in Iraq and agreed that it is important for the United Nations to continue playing a role in Iraq after the elections, McClellan said.