Francis Piccoli is a U.S. Marine Corps Major and Public Affairs Officer attached to the I Marine Expeditionary Force serving in Iraq, and serves as a spokesman for the unit, most notably during battles throughout Fallujah in 2004. Born in 1963, Piccoli lives in Woodbridge, Virginia where his children attend a Catholic school. In March 2005, he reported to the Chicago Tribune that he no longer takes the Eucharist when he attends Mass, as he feels there is no room in his heart for forgiveness, a necessary trait to receive Communion in the Catholic tradition. "There's so much hatred in my heart," Piccoli was quoted as stating, though he added "I'll work at it, it's easier once you get out of a certain environment". In October of 2004, he went on record stating that "The I Marine Expeditionary Force is prepared to do anything that the Iraqi interim government asks us to do", following an announcement by interim leader Iyad Allawi that they were looking at attempts to pacify Fallujah and Ramadi which had proved troublesome for US forces in the past. In November of 2004, the Washington Post quoted Piccoli as stating that a house-to-house sweep of the city had turned up 3 Iraqi hostages, [ - ]

Francis Piccoli is a U.S. Marine Corps Major and Public Affairs Officer attached to the I Marine... [ + ]