Received this email from a VCS member in response to our weekly update for October 21, 2004 "Darfur Crisis, Mutiny in Iraq."I'm going to post it in its entirety:

From: Clyde Beaty [mailto:]
Sent: Thursday, October 21, 2004 9:25 PM
To: contact
Subject: Re: VCS Weekly Update: Darfur Crisis, Mutiny in Iraq

RE: So called "Mutiny in Iraq" In September 1951 my regiment(1st Marines) taken out of ready reserve to go up on lines and relieve the 7th Marines who were encountering heavily fortified,fully armed and defending Ridge lines above the Punchbowl. We had while in reserve, known we'd be going up anytime after the end of August and the Communists had called off the traty talks, so we'd be used to put the heat on them and to straighten out our Main line of resistance...it would seem we had had time to get fully supplied as we'd been off lines for some time then! But we weren't! I was a Platoon Guide and/or squad leader sergeant at the time and as we hiked in to the lines to relieve the 7th and with assigned objectives to take a couple of hills which had been very costly to the 7th and had really worn them down in the 2 weeks they had been on the offense, I had only TWO clips of M-1 Ammo (8 rds per clip)per man, and 5 hand grenades, which were requisitioned from us to give to Machine gun s for their defense. We jumped off and assaulted the hill with very little or no softening up by artillery or planes(I believe it was because the Company of Marines we were to relieve had reported on the day before they had reached and taken the summit of the hill we were assaulting and their location was not certain). A short way up the ridgeline we were assaulting at a hump in the trail and hill a machine gun bunker had us dead center and we had to try to skirt it to no avail. By this time I believe I had become the Platoon Sgt and top man of our platoon, and wanting to send one squad in frrom our left as one squad laid down a base of fire in to the bunker from our right! I was really rather shy and queasy about ordering the 2nd squad to pour bullets in to the bunker as I knew we were very low on bullets! I have often woindered at what point in command a decision could have been made: Those men don't go in on an assault-attack until they have the ammunition they may need! It's almost suicide and the objective will not be attained anyway!!! I do not remember even an opportunity to report to our platoon leader(an officer) or Company commander that Hey we haven't enough ammo nor grenades for this assault!!! I do know though that somebody up in command someplace knew because about 2 to 3 hours of our commitment to the assault, a firts in military ops took place< the HMR 161 (15 helicopters) brought our battalion in 18,000 lbs of ammo and took out 64 or some severe casualties and I was one of those!