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thedrifter
02-10-06, 06:26 PM
Deploying infantry Marines raid MOUT town
MCB Camp Pendleton
Story by Cpl. Joseph Digirolamo

MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER, TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. (Feb. 10, 2006) -- Cpl. Glen R. Clacher knows the best way to prepare for Iraq is to get a little taste of it before he deploys.

“Sometimes our training doesn’t feel too realistic,” said the 21-year-old fire team leader. “But when real life elements are provided in the mix, you start to believe in the situations you get into.”

Clacher is part of 3rd platoon, Company I, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, which currently is participating with about 1,000 other Marines and Sailors from the battalion, in the Urban Warfare Training Center portion of their revised combined-arms exercise and stability and support operations training, branded ‘Mojave Viper.’

The 10-day urban warfare package focuses on tank and assault amphibious vehicle infantry integration, vehicular and foot patrols, vehicle checkpoints and coordinated searches in a mock Iraqi city housing more than 300 role players including some 50 Iraqi linguists.

“The exercise duplicates life in Iraq for an infantry battalions in an urban environment,” said Capt. Edward T. Nevgloski, operations officer for 3rd Bn., 8th Marines.

Throughout the second phase of the battalion’s Mojave Viper training, the unit jumped into an exercise known as urban centralized training – a training evolution where the targets, for all intents and purposes, shoot back.

Each Marine and role player is fully engaged in a paintball war armed with 9 mm marking cartridges called simunition (SIM) rounds, which are from the Special Effects Small-Armed Munitions System.

“[Using blanks] you really don’t know how accurate you are,” said Lance Cpl. Hector L. Borrero, ammunitions chief for 3rd Bn., 8th Marines. “These SIM rounds allow you to tell who gets hit and who doesn’t… they build up a Marine’s proficiency when it comes to moving and shooting.”

This exercise allows platoons to lead an assault on a portion of the mock city against an army of insurgents in the town.

The Marines are armed with blue munitions as insurgents yield the color red.

“The urban centralized training focuses on room clearing, movement to assault an objective… and geometry of fire,” said 2nd Lt. Steven M. Keisling, infantry platoon commander, 3rd Plt., Company I, 3rd Bn., 8th Marines.

Keisling knows that the training here is exactly what his men need before they deploy.

“What we’re trying to get from this is a mastery of the basics,” said the 25-year-old from Napa, Calif. “It’s those basics that save lives.”

When Marines entered the town for the first time, they began carefully looking in every window and doorway they passed. Soon after, they quickly start to take sniper fire from a second floor window. As reddish paint splatters against the city walls close to the Marines’ positions, they found themselves pinned tight in an alleyway.

“We all came up with our own game plan [before going into the city] then we all came together to mold our plans into one,” said Clacher, from Manorville, N.Y. “But as soon as we started taking rounds we had to adjust.”

The benefit of this training is being able to adjust a plan during all that chaos, he added.

In another scenario, a fire team came across a possible simulated enemy casualty. They took positions in the building next to the lifeless Insurgent. As soon the Marines turned their back to the fallen player, he preceded to get up and attack the positions of the Marines.

“We did not properly check an opponent but in actuality he was playing dead. After we passed him, he quickly took four of us out.” said Lance Cpl. Nathan R. Beauchemin, squad automatic weapon gunner, 3rd Plt., Company I, 3rd Bn., 8th Marines.

The training allowed the Marines to work out any glitches they have before stepping foot on a real battlefield.

“I learned that I need to be more aware of my surroundings and use better communication techniques,” said Lance Cpl. Daniel J. Domin, a basic rifleman for 3rd Plt., Company I, 3rd Bn., 8th Marines.

“This training helped us learn our weak points and what we need to work on; it also helped us work as a team and be prepared for every possible thing that could come at us,” said Domin, a 21-year-old form Dunbarton, N.H.

Eighty percent of the 3rd Platoon, India Company has seen Iraq already and believe this type of training definitely is hitting the spot, said Keisling.

Lance Cpl. Tony L. Mallett, believes the realism of the urban city is nothing short of scary.

“The challenge is never knowing where anything can come from, windows and doorways are everywhere, the enemy can hit you high on the second floor or hide low using a subterrain environment, said Mallet, machine gun attachment, 3rd Plt., Company I, 3rd Bn., 8th Marines. “It’s a complete 360-degree battlefield.”

“This is the best urban combat town I’ve been to, and the role players do a really good job and are very realistic,” said Keisling. “The instructor staff also does everything they can to make us better.”

Keisling is very pleased with the training and is ready to do his part during his next deployment in March for Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“This was great training and it was really in-depth. The Marines are definitely better off for being here,” he added.

Email Cpl. Joseph DiGirolamo at joseph.digirolamo@usmc.mil

Ellie