in_najaf_house_for_the_d__e___a____d_____ 22 August 2004 In Najaf House for the Dead (Vast Cemetery), a First Taste of War By ALEX BERENSON NAJAF, Iraq, Aug. 21 - After years of training, years of waiting, the marines of C Company 1-4 finally got to fight this month, when they entered into a battle as fierce as any that American troops have seen since Vietnam. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/22/international/middleeast/22troops.html 040822 ... An "amazing" newslink the fight with Mr. Sadr ("Moqtada_al_Sadr")'s guerrillas has left the men of C Company with a different perspective. The marines remain confident in their abilities, proud of the fight, and many are eager to finish off Mr. Sadr. But others say they would be satisfied with a peaceful solution, acknowledging that the risk of damage to the shrine of Imam Ali means that American forces cannot bring the full power of their heaviest weapons to bear on Mr. Sadr's guerrillas. On Wednesday, the Army battalion at this dusty base on the northern edge of Najaf held a funeral for two soldiers killed in fighting in the cemetery. But the marines have not yet held funerals for five marines who died, including four in the first two days of fighting. 040822 ... a "point" The_sensitivity_of_Vast_Cemetery_and_Holy_City 040822 ... the delinquent formerly known as R.A.I.N. now that is blather. 061107 what's it to you? who go blather from