thedrifter
11-16-05, 06:07 AM
Marines in Twentynine Palms simulate conditions in Iraq
04:11 PM PST on Tuesday, November 15, 2005
By JOE VARGO / The Press-Enterprise
TWENTYNINE PALMS - Marines bound for war hone the skills needed to keep them alive -- how to spot a roadside bomb, evacuate a wounded buddy under fire and enter a suspected terrorist's house at night -- on a new training range in this dusty outpost.
The military has turned a stretch of the vast Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center into an Iraqi village complete with mosques, peddlers, abandoned cars, restaurants, schools, marketplace and underground tunnels several levels deep.
The previous training ground at Arnold Heights near March Air Reserve Base is being redeveloped. Marines say the new site is much more extensive than Arnold Heights and closely resembles the arid landscape of Iraq, allowing more realistic training.
At the new facility, Iraqi nationals, some with relatives still living in Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq, play the parts of shopkeepers, clerics, rabble-rousers and insurgents, giving the village an added flavor of reality.
Every Marine headed for Iraq goes through 28 days of intensive training at the new training center, which opened in October. The new center scored high marks from Camp Pendleton's 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, who are training this week.
"This is exactly what we do when we're in Iraq," said Lance Cpl. Marshall Magincalda, 22, of Manteca, whose completed two tours of duty there. "We get to meet and interact with Iraqi people and the desert environment is very similar to what we see in Iraq. This is the best training I've ever received for urban warfare."
About 800 soldiers from Camp Pendleton-based went through their paces this week. Two-thirds of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment are Iraq war veterans undergoing refresher training. The others, new Marines, are getting a feel for what life on the front lines is like.
Much of the training involves small-unit drills.
Those units, whether 4-man fire teams, 13-member squads or 40-man platoons, perform yeoman duties in Iraq -- from conducting vehicle and foot patrols, house searches for weapons and insurgents and spotting and neutralizing roadside bombs. They might be called upon to break down a door or enter a building through the second-story to arrest suspected terrorists or flush out bomb makers.
But they also serve as the American face for Operation Iraqi Freedom. They patrols through countless cities and villages put them in touch with the vendors who hawk apples and cigarettes and local kids with a hand out for candy.
For that reason, training also includes courses in cultural awareness, said Lt. Col. Patrick Kline, director of the training center.
Marines are taught not be offended if an Iraqi comes very close to talk. Personal space boundaries are much different in Iraq. Lines don't exist either. Crowds rush in from all sides when American forces had out foodstuffs, emergency rations or Teddy bears. And Marines should expect aggressive Iraqi merchants to shove bottled water, magazines and newspapers at them while walking on patrol.
Troops went through a hodgepodge of scenarios this week. Marines in two assault vehicles drove down a sandy road as they approached the village only to get hit by an roadside bomb. Ten Marines ran from the vehicle, taking up positions on both sides of the road, M-16 rifles at the ready. The second armored vehicle pulled back. Insurgents sometimes plant secondary explosions, targeting soldier rushing to the aid of those wounded by the first blast. A helicopter swooped in to pick up the simulated casualty.
Another team traded paintball bullets with insurgents hiding in a maze of buildings, practicing a deadly game of hide-and-seek. Paintball rounds sting but don't cause any real damage but that pain is a good teacher, Marines said. Such scenarios often take hours to play out, just like the real thing in Iraq. Training is flexible, changing as enemy tactics evolve.
Roadside bombs are becoming more sophisticated. Marines recently discovered a bomber almost 1,000-feet away from the explosion site, which was linked by wires running that entire length. Events that happen as little as a day before in Iraq can be incorporated into training at Twentynine Palms.
Lance Cpl. Montana Martin, 21, who played an insurgent in one scenario this week, said he does his best to be a worthy bad guy.
"We don't take it easy on the Marines," said Martin, who is from West Virginia. "This is serious business. It's as real as it can get and still be safe."
Reach Joe Vargo at (951) 567-2407 or jvargo@pe.com
Ellie
04:11 PM PST on Tuesday, November 15, 2005
By JOE VARGO / The Press-Enterprise
TWENTYNINE PALMS - Marines bound for war hone the skills needed to keep them alive -- how to spot a roadside bomb, evacuate a wounded buddy under fire and enter a suspected terrorist's house at night -- on a new training range in this dusty outpost.
The military has turned a stretch of the vast Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center into an Iraqi village complete with mosques, peddlers, abandoned cars, restaurants, schools, marketplace and underground tunnels several levels deep.
The previous training ground at Arnold Heights near March Air Reserve Base is being redeveloped. Marines say the new site is much more extensive than Arnold Heights and closely resembles the arid landscape of Iraq, allowing more realistic training.
At the new facility, Iraqi nationals, some with relatives still living in Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq, play the parts of shopkeepers, clerics, rabble-rousers and insurgents, giving the village an added flavor of reality.
Every Marine headed for Iraq goes through 28 days of intensive training at the new training center, which opened in October. The new center scored high marks from Camp Pendleton's 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, who are training this week.
"This is exactly what we do when we're in Iraq," said Lance Cpl. Marshall Magincalda, 22, of Manteca, whose completed two tours of duty there. "We get to meet and interact with Iraqi people and the desert environment is very similar to what we see in Iraq. This is the best training I've ever received for urban warfare."
About 800 soldiers from Camp Pendleton-based went through their paces this week. Two-thirds of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment are Iraq war veterans undergoing refresher training. The others, new Marines, are getting a feel for what life on the front lines is like.
Much of the training involves small-unit drills.
Those units, whether 4-man fire teams, 13-member squads or 40-man platoons, perform yeoman duties in Iraq -- from conducting vehicle and foot patrols, house searches for weapons and insurgents and spotting and neutralizing roadside bombs. They might be called upon to break down a door or enter a building through the second-story to arrest suspected terrorists or flush out bomb makers.
But they also serve as the American face for Operation Iraqi Freedom. They patrols through countless cities and villages put them in touch with the vendors who hawk apples and cigarettes and local kids with a hand out for candy.
For that reason, training also includes courses in cultural awareness, said Lt. Col. Patrick Kline, director of the training center.
Marines are taught not be offended if an Iraqi comes very close to talk. Personal space boundaries are much different in Iraq. Lines don't exist either. Crowds rush in from all sides when American forces had out foodstuffs, emergency rations or Teddy bears. And Marines should expect aggressive Iraqi merchants to shove bottled water, magazines and newspapers at them while walking on patrol.
Troops went through a hodgepodge of scenarios this week. Marines in two assault vehicles drove down a sandy road as they approached the village only to get hit by an roadside bomb. Ten Marines ran from the vehicle, taking up positions on both sides of the road, M-16 rifles at the ready. The second armored vehicle pulled back. Insurgents sometimes plant secondary explosions, targeting soldier rushing to the aid of those wounded by the first blast. A helicopter swooped in to pick up the simulated casualty.
Another team traded paintball bullets with insurgents hiding in a maze of buildings, practicing a deadly game of hide-and-seek. Paintball rounds sting but don't cause any real damage but that pain is a good teacher, Marines said. Such scenarios often take hours to play out, just like the real thing in Iraq. Training is flexible, changing as enemy tactics evolve.
Roadside bombs are becoming more sophisticated. Marines recently discovered a bomber almost 1,000-feet away from the explosion site, which was linked by wires running that entire length. Events that happen as little as a day before in Iraq can be incorporated into training at Twentynine Palms.
Lance Cpl. Montana Martin, 21, who played an insurgent in one scenario this week, said he does his best to be a worthy bad guy.
"We don't take it easy on the Marines," said Martin, who is from West Virginia. "This is serious business. It's as real as it can get and still be safe."
Reach Joe Vargo at (951) 567-2407 or jvargo@pe.com
Ellie