Military Officer - March 2008 - (Page 21) rapidfire NEWS YOU CAN USE Good-bye, Snail Mail! Thanks to MotoMail, family members and friends of deployed Marines in Iraq can send hard-copy letters to their loved ones. Servicemembers of other branches who are colocated with deployed Marines also have access to MotoMail. To use MotoMail, register at www.motomail .us. Select a unit from the drop-down menu, Basra Province Gains Control M ultinational Division Southeast relinquished control of Iraq’s Basra province to the Iraqi government Dec. 16, 2007. Basra is the ninth Iraqi province to fall under provincial Iraqi control. Basra Gov. Mohammed Musabeh Al Waelee signed the official transfer papers with British Maj. Gen. Graham Binns, the division’s commander. Iraqi National Security Advisor Mowaffak al-Rubaie, who spoke at the ceremony, thanked the crowd of more than 100 dignitaries, including the British and Australian ambassadors, the British foreign minister, and members of the U.S. State Department and military for their support and assistance during the transition. “We are ready to protect our people in Basra and will give a helping hand and will be grateful to any Iraqi person who wants to contribute and help rebuild our province,” Waelee said. “We will wield a very sharp sword in order to punish those who might try to circumvent the rules, negatively affecting the security of our province.” Basra province has decent chances of success because of the size of its main city — Basra is the second largest city in Iraq — the desire of its people, and the significance of resources in the region, such as oil. and enter your loved one’s full name and rank. Your letter will be routed to a secure server. Marine Corps postal workers in-theater access the server and use a special machine that privately downloads, prints, folds, and seals the letters. The letters are delivered to each unit, and Marines usually receive their MotoMail letter at the next mail call. — Kris Ann Hegle 21 IMAGES: ABOVE, B.J. WEINER; RIGHT, USMC MARCH 2008 MILITARY OFFICER
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