thedrifter
05-26-06, 07:25 AM
Riverines, ready for return, to be trained in N.C.
The sailors will replace some Marines in Iraq, perhaps as early as 2007.
BY JIM HODGES
247-4633
May 26 2006
VIRGINIA BEACH -- With a hearty "always ready" answer to Cmdr. Bill Guarini's shouted question "Are you ready?" the First Squadron of the First Riverine Group went into business in a ceremony Thursday at the Navy's Little Creek amphibious base.
That was the easy part.
The 220 sailors will find out how ready they really are beginning June 7 when they head for Camp Lejeune, N.C., for seven weeks of training in small arms and infantry tactics under the tutelage of the Marine Corps.
In that there's symmetry because they will be replacing the Marines when they deploy to Iraq, probably in January 2007.
"It's the opportunity of a lifetime," said Brad Duncan, a bosun's mate from California who was getting out of the Navy until he heard about the Riverines. "It's a chance to be a plank owner on something new."
Or, in this case, something old.
The Riverines are a throwback force, last used by the Navy in Vietnam, then discarded for more than three decades. Organized in 12-boat squadrons, three squadrons to the group, their job is to patrol rivers and lakes in small, shallow-draft boats. In Vietnam, they came to be known as Swift boats.
"The Riverines didn't completely go away after Vietnam," said Capt. Michael Jordan, commodore of the 1st Riverine Group. "A certain portion of it went into Navy Special Warfare.
"Many of the folks bringing up this idea were from that community. They said, 'You need a conventional capability in the brown water to do maritime operations.'"
There is a school of thought that says future wars will be similar to that in the Middle East, with small, mobile forces needed on land and on inland waterways. In that kind of war, missions for deep-draft ships - a bluewater Navy - besides aircraft carriers can be limited.
"Certainly, there's a lot going on in blue water (still), and certainly the Navy has a mission there," said Jordan. "But (brown water) is an area in which the Navy can flex its muscles and make a difference."
It's what drives some sailors to the Riverines, a volunteer force. Several of the group said their primary desire was to get off a ship, with its long watches and frequent tedium. Others said they wanted a small-unit role in which individuality can be rewarded.
But for Zachariah Williams, a bosun's mate from Boulder, Colo., it was a return to business as usual. He enlisted in the Navy in February to get into the Riverines and was the only sailor there Thursday wearing the expert infantryman's badge and airborne wings.
That's because he had spent time in the Army first.
"I was airborne infantry," Williams explained. "My now-ex-wife wanted me out."
Now that the wife is an "ex," he's back in uniform and looking forward to the coming Marine training.
"I kind of know what to expect about running around the woods," Williams said. "I did it for four and a half years. ... It's going to be interesting because it's the Marine Corps. ... The comparison is going to be interesting for me."
After combat training with the Marines, the Riverines will work with the Coast Guard to learn to drive patrol boats. Overall, the training is expected to last until December, when two more squadrons of Riverines are expected to begin.
Ellie
The sailors will replace some Marines in Iraq, perhaps as early as 2007.
BY JIM HODGES
247-4633
May 26 2006
VIRGINIA BEACH -- With a hearty "always ready" answer to Cmdr. Bill Guarini's shouted question "Are you ready?" the First Squadron of the First Riverine Group went into business in a ceremony Thursday at the Navy's Little Creek amphibious base.
That was the easy part.
The 220 sailors will find out how ready they really are beginning June 7 when they head for Camp Lejeune, N.C., for seven weeks of training in small arms and infantry tactics under the tutelage of the Marine Corps.
In that there's symmetry because they will be replacing the Marines when they deploy to Iraq, probably in January 2007.
"It's the opportunity of a lifetime," said Brad Duncan, a bosun's mate from California who was getting out of the Navy until he heard about the Riverines. "It's a chance to be a plank owner on something new."
Or, in this case, something old.
The Riverines are a throwback force, last used by the Navy in Vietnam, then discarded for more than three decades. Organized in 12-boat squadrons, three squadrons to the group, their job is to patrol rivers and lakes in small, shallow-draft boats. In Vietnam, they came to be known as Swift boats.
"The Riverines didn't completely go away after Vietnam," said Capt. Michael Jordan, commodore of the 1st Riverine Group. "A certain portion of it went into Navy Special Warfare.
"Many of the folks bringing up this idea were from that community. They said, 'You need a conventional capability in the brown water to do maritime operations.'"
There is a school of thought that says future wars will be similar to that in the Middle East, with small, mobile forces needed on land and on inland waterways. In that kind of war, missions for deep-draft ships - a bluewater Navy - besides aircraft carriers can be limited.
"Certainly, there's a lot going on in blue water (still), and certainly the Navy has a mission there," said Jordan. "But (brown water) is an area in which the Navy can flex its muscles and make a difference."
It's what drives some sailors to the Riverines, a volunteer force. Several of the group said their primary desire was to get off a ship, with its long watches and frequent tedium. Others said they wanted a small-unit role in which individuality can be rewarded.
But for Zachariah Williams, a bosun's mate from Boulder, Colo., it was a return to business as usual. He enlisted in the Navy in February to get into the Riverines and was the only sailor there Thursday wearing the expert infantryman's badge and airborne wings.
That's because he had spent time in the Army first.
"I was airborne infantry," Williams explained. "My now-ex-wife wanted me out."
Now that the wife is an "ex," he's back in uniform and looking forward to the coming Marine training.
"I kind of know what to expect about running around the woods," Williams said. "I did it for four and a half years. ... It's going to be interesting because it's the Marine Corps. ... The comparison is going to be interesting for me."
After combat training with the Marines, the Riverines will work with the Coast Guard to learn to drive patrol boats. Overall, the training is expected to last until December, when two more squadrons of Riverines are expected to begin.
Ellie