A Postcard from Iraq: The Night Lieutenant Dan Met Major Mike

The guy on the left is my brother, Major Mike Wilonsky, USMC. The dude on the right, who doesn't have the camera aiming his direction, also looks familiar. I know where CSI: NY star Gary Sinise was over the weekend: drinking my baby brother's last Perrier, not an easy item...

By Robert Wilonsky

July 14, 2008

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The guy on the left is my brother, Major Mike Wilonsky, USMC. The dude on the right, who doesn't have the camera aiming his direction, also looks familiar.

I know where CSI: NY star Gary Sinise was over the weekend: drinking my baby brother's last Perrier, not an easy item to come by in Ramadi, Iraq, where Major Mike's deployed as the executive officer of the 1st Battalion, 9th Marines -- or, dig, "The Walking Dead." Lieutenant Dan, who's also the co-founder of Operation Iraqi Children, is known for embarking on the occasional goodwill tour during the summer hiatus, and with a USO camera crew in tow he opted to chillax with the toughest Panther ever to stalk the halls of Hillcrest High School. (Take that, Billy Crudup!) Mike says they've also been visited in recent weeks by the likes of Steve Zahn and the Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders. Speaking of, if you'd like to shoot the fellas a care package, well, they could use some Copenhagen and coffee and a few other essentials -- and bubbly bottled water. --Robert Wilonsky

Gary Sinise, spending a Saturday night amongst The Walking Dead

"I gave Gary the last Perrier," writes my brother. "He was stoked."

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