Marines here use age-old method to track modern threat

[thedrifter]

Marines here use age-old method to track modern threat
Submitted by: 1st Marine Division
Story Identification #: 200410755830
Story by Cpl. Randy Bernard



AL ASAD, Iraq (Oct. 3, 2004) -- For service members operating in Iraq, incoming mortars and rockets are a regular occurrence. Marines here use an age-old method to help track this modern threat.

They use simple techniques and geometry to trace the incoming rounds back to their origin. In fact, Staff Sgt. Jesse S. Esterly, the fire support chief for Regimental Combat Team 7, uses a golf club, broom handle and a compass.

"When there is an impact, it is like detective work to try and find it," said Esterly, 29, from Reading, Pa, "We will start driving toward the area where it was heard or seen, asking people along the way if they saw where it hit."

Once the crater analysis team finds the general area where a rocket or mortar hit, which sometimes leads them to the middle of nowhere, they look for differences in the color of the sand, broken glass from nearby buildings and shreds of metal or pieces of the rocket.

Once the crater is found, the team then determines the direction of origin by observing the shape of the impact. Then they will dig down around where the round entered the ground, and use a straight stick, or in this case, a golf club, to mark the round. Another stick will be placed in the middle of the blast-area, marking the center.

The Marines use a compass to line up the two stakes, and the direction from where the round came from is recorded. Lastly, the Marines will use a global positioning system to mark the location of the impact on a map, and the direction from which it came.

The Marines performing a crater analysis are typically familiar with artillery. The Marines will apply their knowledge of how far particular rounds can travel, and plug that into their equation. They now have a maximum and minimum effective range of the particular weapon, and a direction from which the round came.

With this information plotted on a map, they now have a pretty good idea of where the enemy fire is coming from.

"When we went out to one of the sites, we found rockets that hadn't been fired," said Esterly. "Either the guy firing them got scared off, they were duds or they were set with timers and hadn't gone off yet."

Even though they hadn't caught the enemy, their efforts very well may have saved lives.

"The crater analysis process gives you an idea of what the enemy's capabilities are," said Pfc. Robert W. Goodman, 26, a native of Skiatook, Okla., a crater analysis team member and the communications chief for Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. "It's pretty basic, but it is fairly accurate. As long as you know what kind of round it is, you can determine a point of origin."

Although there is radar to help identify incoming threats here, Esterly says that their skills are still essential to the mission.

"We do crater analysis to stay familiar with it," said Esterly. "There may not always be radar available to us, so we keep doing it to keep ourselves ahead of the game."

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200410761351/$file/crater3lr.jpg

Staff Sgt. Jesse S. Esterly, a crater analysis team member and a regimental fire support chief for Regimental Combat Team 7, uses a compass to determine where incoming rocket rounds originated. Photo by: Cpl. Randy Bernard

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/20041076318/$file/crater1lr.jpg

Staff Sgt. Jesse S Esterly, the regimental fire support chief for Regimental Combat Team 7, aligns his compass with an exploded rocket's direction of impact. Using two posts as a point of reference, and his knowledge of various types of rockets, mortars, and artillary, Esterly is able to determine the direction and distance from which incoming rounds came. Photo by: Cpl. Randy Bernard

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/BBD2AF71498352A685256F260036CB8E?opendocument

Ellie

[thedrifter]

11th MEU screens Iraqis for IP Academy
Submitted by: 11th MEU
Story Identification #: 20041071430
Story by Gunnery Sgt. Chago Zapata



FORWARD OPERATING BASE GOLF, Iraq (Oct. 7, 2004) -- More than 30 Marines, soldiers and sailors with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) screened approximately 150 law enforcement officials at the Iraqi National Guard compound here in Najaf, Iraq, Oct. 2, for admission into the Iraqi Police and Border Police academies.

Upon completion of the screening, the names of the 63 Iraqi police and 50 border police were forwarded for enrollment into their respective academies located in Baghdad, Ramadi and the country of Jordan.

Eleventh MEU personnel, to include military policemen from MEU Service Support Group 11, Navy medical personnel from Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment and the U.S. Army's 66th MP Company, spent more than 12 hours screening the applicants.

"It's a big goal for the IPs to go to the academy because it's the culminating objective for them to move from probationary status to fully-trained and qualified IPs," said Capt. Jeremy T. Thompson, Iraqi police liaison officer for the 11th MEU. "At the academy graduation, they are issued their service pistols for the first time, which demonstrates their status as full-fledged officers and serves as a badge of honor for them."

Screening consisted of a physical fitness test, literacy test, medical exam, background check, security screening, hiring interview and a letter of acceptance from the Najaf IP general. The physical fitness comprised of timed push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, a 1500 meter run and a 100 meter sprint.

Applicants must also meet additional requirements set forth by the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior, which is responsible for the Iraqi Police program. Each candidate must be between the ages of 20 to 35, have completed secondary school, and be able to read, write and communicate in Arabic. Candidates must denounce the Ba'ath Party and disavow any affiliation to it. Lastly, candidates must have no history or have demonstrated no propensity to engage in violence, criminal acts, or the violation of public trust.

Iraqi police and border police who fail the initial screening for the academies still have a chance to come back at a later date and retake the screening.

"The importance of this screening process cannot be overstated," said Thompson. "The successful selection and training of IPs and border police will directly impact the forward progress of Iraq becoming a stable and fruitful country."

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200410714728/$file/041002-M-7719F-171lowres.jpg

Applicants going through Police Academy screening at Forward Operating Base Golf, Iraq, Oct. 2, attempt to do a minimum of 10 sit ups. Screening consisted of a literacy test, medical exam, physical fitness test, background check, security screening, hiring interview and a letter of acceptance from the IP general.
Photo by: Cpl. Daniel J. Fosco

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/90967B811A5C316885256F26001BE0D3?opendocument

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Meteorology Marines weather storm in Iraq
Submitted by: 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing
Story Identification #: 200410753024
Story by Cpl. Paul Leicht



AL ASAD, Iraq (Sept. 3, 2004) -- A few Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron 472, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, here have the responsibility of forecasting the weather with combat flight operations in mind.

"The primary weather elements that affect any kind of operations in this region are heat and wind," said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Christopher Kaiser, staff meteorological and oceanography officer, MWSS-472. "Being in a desert environment, the higher summer temperatures impact personnel and equipment maintenance, while the primary impact of the wind is periodically creating dust storms, which can reduce visibility to near-zero and restrict operations."

Starting in the fall, Iraq will start to see fronts go through, similar to fronts in (the United States), but generally less severe and with little rain, added Kaiser, a native of Beaufort, S.C.

"There are times when these fronts will pick up a considerable amount of dust and suspend it in the atmosphere," mentioned Kaiser. "The dust may take days to settle out, resulting in extended periods of reduced visibility. In the late spring and early summer, strong northwesterly winds create dust storms as well, lasting for days or weeks at a time. These winds are called shamals."

Shamals are regional dust storms that typically occur in the winter and spring and can pose a threat to operations, said Gunnery Sgt. Scott M. Stubbs, METOC chief, Marine Wing Support Squadron 472, Marine Wing Support Group 37, 3rd MAW.

Stubbs said weather conditions, such as fog, dust, wind, haze and specifically temperature, affect the military's ability to do their job in Iraq.

"Weather is everyone's concern," said Stubbs, a native of Coshocton, Ohio. "We don't often think about it because it is a part of our daily lives, but out here there can be serious implications."

METOC Marines compile weather information, develop forecasts, brief the commanding general several times a day and maintain a webpage to allow units ready access to weather information, warnings and advisories.

"We record and disseminate hourly weather observations and the data is primarily relayed to the air control tower and the flying squadrons' sometimes on the spot, but the data also goes into a climatologic database maintained at Asheville, N.C," said Stubbs. "Our Marines at meteorological mobile facilities throughout the area of operations collect atmospheric data that is utilized by world-wide numerical weather prediction models, as well as give us a valuable vertical profile of the local atmosphere."

Kaiser said in addition to assisting in the development of METOC support responsibilities and coordination of 3rd MAW METOC personnel rotations, he also assists with the shipping and receiving of replacement or repaired equipment for METOC throughout the area of operations.

For Kaiser, METOC has been his military profession for 14 years.

"I have been in the weather METOC field my whole career and became a METOC officer in 2003," said Kaiser. "All METOC officers become weather observers first, with the primary focus of reporting what the weather is 24 hours a day."

NCOs become weather forecasters, where the focus expands to predicting the state of the atmosphere in the future, and the effects of the weather on the units they are supporting, said Stubbs.

Kaiser further added that METOC officers must retain all of the skills of the forecaster, with the additional responsibilities of supervising the personnel, equipment and planning for weather offices on Marine Corps bases, as well as smaller weather units deployed around the world.

"Marine Corps METOC personnel represent almost 45 percent of the weather support in the Operation Iraqi Freedom II area of operations, located at most bases in the region," said Kaiser. "One of the challenges in operating in another country is that there is limited weather information already available. We collect our own information and distribute our personnel in a way that is advantageous to achieving an effective overall weather picture."

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200410753624/$file/041004-m-0484L-001weatherLR.jpg

Lance Cpl. Brian Detweiler, meteorological technician, Marine Wing Support Squadron 472, Marine Wing Support Group 37, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, configures a remote weather sensor at a meteorological mobile facility near Al Qaim, Iraq, Sept. 26. The 30-year-old Bedminster, Pa., native is one of several Marines that collect atmospheric data in the area of operations for the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. Photo by: GySgt. Scott M. Stubbs

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/8FFA7C23E0C5F4D285256F2600343914?opendocument

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Blast reveals weapons cache
Submitted by: 1st Marine Division
Story Identification #: 200410754059
Story by Lance Cpl. Miguel A. Carrasco Jr.



AL KHARMA, Iraq (Sept. 27, 2004) -- A convoy of Marines from I Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, was struck by the blast from an improvised explosive device Sept. 27 on their way to conduct a presence patrol in the Al Kharma area.

Several Marines quickly set up security as dust and debris began to settle. The Marines would end up lucky this day, first for sustaining no casualties from the explosion and second for what they soon would find.

"It is a good thing that we came out of it with no one getting hurt, usually it is hard to come out of an IED attack without taking several injuries," said Cpl. Cesar L. Gomez, a team leader with Company I, 3/1.

Trying to find anyone who may have been involved with the IED, the Marines scoured the area and surrounding houses.

"Our enemy is determined but we are more determined," said Sgt. Justin W. Green, a squad leader with Company I, 3/1. The enemy will not stop us from completing our mission."

The Marines were not able to find any wires to trace back to an enemy observation post. However, as the Marines scanned the premises with medal detectors for clues or other possible IEDs, they discovered something else.

About 300 yards from the explosion, the Marines worked to dig up twenty-two 82 mm mortar shells, twenty-one rocket propelled grenade rounds, two RPG launchers and just under thirty .50-caliber anti-aircraft rounds.

"Finding a weapons cache of this size is like scoring a touchdown in a football game," said Staff Sgt. John T. Norred, a platoon sergeant with Company I, 3/1. "There is a sense of pride amongst the platoon when they find a huge supply of weapons and ammunition."

Norred realized the importance of taking these weapons out of the hands of the Anti-Iraqi Forces.

"You know for a fact that this weapon is not going to hurt a fellow Marine," said Norred, 32, a native of Decatur, Ga. "This isn't going to hurt one of my friends. I'm taking this stuff off the street."

We usually don't find this much in a normal cache, said Gomez, 22, a native of New York.

Although spirits were high as the Marines piled the seized munitions in the humvee, they realized the day's findings were merely a drop in the bucket.

"It is only a portion of what is out there, but every little bit counts," said Green, a Whately, Mass., native.

The Marines plan to continue in their efforts to remove illegal weapons caches from the area.

"You try not to dwell on the bad things that can happen out here. We just have to focus on completing our mission," said Green, 23. "Our platoon takes a sense of pride in going above and beyond what we are called to do."

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200410754450/$file/CACHE1lr.jpg

Sgt. Raymond L. Navarro III, 26, a native of Fresno, Calif. and an antitank assault man with Company I, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, holds up two hand grenades dug up from a cache found in Al Kharma Sept. 27. The grenades were found in a tin can along with documentation written in Arabic believed to be terrorist propaganda. Photo by: Lance Cpl. Miguel A. Carrasco Jr.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/B50526A58EE388AE85256F26003530EC?opendocument

Ellie

[thedrifter]

THE CONFLICT IN IRAQ <br />
Najaf Accepts Price of Stability <br />
Residents are relieved by militants' departure but bemoan damage and lost business after the deadly battle. The U.S. is aiding rebuilding...

[thedrifter]

Issue Date: October 11, 2004

Soldier fights for his citizenship

By Matthew Cox
Times staff writer


BAGHDAD, Iraq — Spc. Juan Moreno is serving his second combat tour here, but he still is fighting to become a citizen of the nation he serves.
Moreno drives a Bradley fighting vehicle for the 1st Armored Division’s 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, a unit that routinely operates in Sadr City. The heavily populated slum area of Baghdad is home to Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi army and one of the most dangerous places in the country.

But that’s not the only thing the 24-year-old Mexican immigrant has to worry about these days. He’s in the middle of his second application for citizenship to the United States.

Moreno’s worst fear is that his wife, Aidee, who is also from Mexico, will be forced out of the United States, along with his infant son.

“I’m scared that, when I do get back home, she will have been deported,” he said.Moreno’s family left his childhood home of Gustavo Diaz Ordaz, Mexico, and came to America in 1988. Since then, home has been Prescott, Ark.

In June 1999, Moreno submitted his application and $500 processing fee to become a U.S. citizen. He joined the Army and went to basic and advanced individual training at Fort Benning, Ga., in November 2000.

He was told the following January that he needed to send his fingerprints to Texas, where his application was being processed. A few months later he got word that he needed to do it again — only to be told that officials never got the prints and that his application was denied. He lost the $500 application fee.

Moreno submitted a new application, then received a letter last summer that his paperwork was being processed, only to find out this May that he had an appointment set for September, three months after his unit was slated to go to Iraq for a second combat tour.

He applied and received an earlier date — July 16.

Then, he received a letter on Aug. 25 regarding his wife’s green card application. He had 12 weeks to send their marriage certificate. The only problem was the letter was postmarked April 24, which made it already four weeks past the 12-week deadline. It had been sent to his old address when he lived in the barracks.

Citing privacy laws, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service would not comment on Moreno’s case. CIS spokesman Chris Bentley said the agency is aware that many deployed soldiers, airmen and Marines who are foreign-born are anxious to become citizens, and the government is days from kicking off a new program that will help expedite the process.

Despite his frustration, Moreno still wants to become a citizen.

“I love the United States,” he said. “You have rights — you can do a lot of things you can’t do in other countries.”

Still, he said he can’t help but feel a little bitter that too much emphasis is placed on the citizenship test, which consists mostly of questions on American history.

“I’ve been to combat twice; I think that should be enough,” he said. “What is more important — to serve your country and risk your life or to prove you know the history?”

Staff writer Jane McHugh contributed to this report. McHugh and Cox cover the Army.


http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story.php?f=0-MARINEPAPER-381369.php

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Negotiations seek peace in Fallujah
By Thanassis Cambanis, Globe Staff | October 6, 2004

BAGHDAD -- Iraqi government officials said yesterday they were quietly negotiating with leaders from the rebel-held city of Fallujah to end a months-long standoff there and avoid a full-scale invasion to take it back from insurgents.

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The talks in Fallujah appeared to be part of a nationwide push to restore order, involving a combination of negotiations and force.

In north Babil Province, south of the capital, 3,000 US troops mounted a major operation along with Iraqi security forces to beat back factions that had turned the area into a hotbed of criminal and rebel activity. Officials said the security forces, led by the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, arrested 160 suspected insurgents in the second offensive in a week to reclaim territory and restore government control.

"Our position is clear: People must abide by the law and put down their weapons," Prime Minister Iyad Allawi told Iraq's interim National Assembly yesterday. "Otherwise the government will have to resort to force to provide peace to people. We will not allow a few terrorists to hurt the Iraqi people."

The talks in Fallujah and the north Babil offensive came amid increasing concern that deteriorating security and a growing insurgency could derail national elections scheduled for January by preventing voting in provinces, including north Babil and Anbar, which is home to the rebel-held cities of Fallujah and Ramadi.

The incursion into north Babil, and a similar invasion last week to rout rebels in the city of Samarra, showed American and Iraqi willingness to use force to regain control. The negotiations for a peaceful solution in Fallujah would likely be a final effort to avoid a military solution there as well.

Fallujah has been a messy challenge for the Americans virtually since the end of the 2003 invasion. US Marines haven't entered the city since a political settlement ended deadly fighting in April. Control soon reverted to a local force, the Fallujah Brigade, which was infiltrated by insurgents and eventually collapsed as the city once again openly fell under the control of rebel factions.

The settlement under discussion would allow Iraqi security forces to assume control of the city from rebel fighters, according to Iraqis present at the negotiations. Fighters in the city would be required to turn over heavy weapons, while the Iraqi government or the US military would have to pay reparations for damage caused by six months of heavy fighting and bombing in the city, according to one participant.

A man who identified himself as Khalid Homoud al-Humaidi told Al-Arabiya television that he was a resistance leader who was also leading the Fallujah delegation in the talks.

"The government has made promises," Humaidi said. "We are now negotiating how Iraqi forces might enter the city."

Humaidi also said there was serious disagreement between the Fallujah delegation and the Iraqi government on whether American forces could enter the city to search houses or make arrests.

The Fallujah delegation is insisting that under no circumstances should US troops be allowed into the city, even in the company of Iraqi forces.

An American official said the United States was not involved in the negotiations, which he called "discussions." The official said that Allawi had been issuing "nonnegotiable demands" to insurgent groups in the Sunni Triangle in meetings over the last six weeks.

The official also confirmed that US Marine commanders in Anbar Province, which includes Fallujah, regularly meet with local leaders.

Iraq's president, Sheikh Ghazi al-Yawer, told Iraqi television that negotiations were going well. "We should expect something good in coming days," he said.

In April, while head of the Iraqi Governing Council, Yawer was a vociferous critic of the US military's use of force in Fallujah, which he said was indiscriminate and killed many civilians.

Since becoming president, Yawer has condemned the tactics of insurgents, guerrillas, and terrorist groups. But he has also warned he would not countenance unnecessary violence by his own government or the US military.

"Each drop of Iraqi blood is dear to us," he said yesterday.

Anbar Province is the deadliest part of Iraq for US forces, and insurgents, including the reputed Al Qaeda affiliate Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, are believed to use Fallujah as a base. Security officials believe hostages, including two American contractors beheaded last month, have been held in Fallujah.

Almost nightly, US forces have bombed the city in strikes against suspected Zarqawi affiliates. Recently, US forces mounted an operation to stop insurgents from building earthwork defenses around the city.

Iraqi and American officials, as well as leaders from Fallujah, say there are several different armed fronts in the city, including nationalist Iraqi resistance group, religious extremists, and fighters from neighboring countries, including Syria and Saudi Arabia.

If Marines are called on to re-take the city, most Iraqis expect a bruising and unpopular battle.

"Our hope is not to always use the military solution," Allawi said in his first speech before the assembly.

In the face of pointed questions about collapsing security and spiraling violence across the country from members of the assembly, however, Allawi admitted that safety was a "source of worry."

"I don't want to deny the impact of the security situation nor minimize the size of the challenges we face," the prime minister said. "It's true that it is a source of worry to many who are concerned about Iraq's future. But it's better than surrendering to the evil forces or giving in to their demands."

American officials have disagreed about whether elections should go forward if conditions aren't secure enough to have a vote in every province of Iraq. But Foreign Minister Jack Straw of Britain, in a surprise visit to Iraq yesterday, maintained that elections could take place throughout the country in January.

Elsewhere, violence flared in a number of cities. Two car bombs exploded in Ramadi earlier in the day, killing four Iraqis. A car bomb killed three Iraqi civilians and wounded four American soldiers in Mosul, the military said. In Baghdad, one American soldier was killed and two wounded by a roadside bomb, the military said.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/articles/2004/10/06/negotiations_seek_peace_in_fallujah?pg=2

Ellie

[thedrifter]

HMM-265 (Rein) blasts sand during training
Submitted by: 31st MEU
Story Identification #: 200410591751
Story by Lance Cpl. Willard J. Lathrop



CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait (Sept. 27, 2004) -- Helicopters from Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron (Reinforced) – 265 and the Deep Reconnaissance Platoon from 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, practiced close-air support in the night skies over Udairi Range Sep. 27.


Two AH-1W Super Cobra fast-attack helicopters and a UH-1N Huey attacked targets in the desert with inert training rockets and missiles, then followed the barrage with an assault from the nose-mounted 20mm Gattling Guns with an intense volley of fire; their tracer rounds drew a glowing line to the sand.


“The rehearsals were meant to increase the proficiency and communication between the ground teams calling in close-air support and the birds providing it,” 1st Lt. Chris Rozsypal, a 31-year-old UH-1N Huey co-pilot.


This type of “eyes on” practice familiarizes the reconnaissance Marines with the helos aerial performance and how to guide them on to their targets. The more they practice the better, and faster, they get, according to Rozsypal.


The targets were marked by reconnaissance Marines using infrared lasers to “paint” the targets for the pilots above. Their mission was to walk the strike of the rounds in by judging the impacts and communicating the adjustment of their fire.


“It’s imperative that DRP maintains their ability to call and use close-air support,” Sgt. Colby E. Howard, DRP team leader, said.


Typically, the DRP operates forward of the MEU’s main body, and uses air support as their most powerful asset against an enemy, the 22-year-old from Charleston, S.C. said.


The Huey, manned by two crew chiefs, a pilot and a co-pilot, also guided the Cobras in for attack using IR beams while simultaneously engaging targets with their crew-served M240G machine gun and GAU-17 Gattling Gun.


“The sweet thing about a Huey is that we don’t necessarily have to be pointed at the target, because our door gunners have an almost 180-degree view from which they can fire,” Rozsypal added, an Austin, Texas native.


The night shoot was executed three times, with refueling and reloading breaks in between, simultaneously giving the aircraft time to cool off.


Marines and Sailors of HMM-265 (REIN) and DRP are currently deployed with the 31st MEU to Kuwait for acclimatization and sustainment training. The MEU is operating the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in support of the Global War

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2004105124338/$file/040919-M-4688C-016lowres.jpg

AH-1W Super Cobras from Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 265 (Reinforced) prepare for take-off during live-fire exercises on Udairi Range. The Marines and Sailors of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit are currently deployed in Kuwait for acclimatization and sustainment training to maintain readiness in support of the Global War on Terrorism throughout the Northern Arabian Gulf region.

Photo by: Staff Sgt. J.D. Cress

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/74FC1E571155412485256F2400490BD6?opendocument

Ellie