thedrifter
12-22-06, 07:49 AM
OKINAWA, Japan (Dec. 22, 2006) -- The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit flips the calendar to the new year as its Marines and Sailors recall the past two deployment cycles that have forged timeless memories for III Marine Expeditionary Force’s Maritime Contingency Force.
The MEU began its 25th deployment cycle in January as its Marines and Sailors embarked aboard the Essex Amphibious Ready Group, comprised of three ships: USS Essex (LHD 2), USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49), and USS Juneau (LPD 10), and conducted its MEU Exercise and Training in an Urban Environment Exercise in Guam. After two weeks of training, the MEU and the ARG steamed to the Republic of the Philippines to participate in Exercise Balikatan, where the MEU was re-tasked to conduct a Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief mission in Southern Leyte, following a devastating mudslide that buried the local village there.
Following their successful mission, they pushed forward to maintain their “Strike-from-the-Sea” capability by participating in two major combined/joint exercises.
The MEU’s elements; MEU Service Support Group 31, Battalion Landing Team 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 262 (Reinforced), and the command element trained diligently to maintain their operational skills by participating in Exercise Foal Eagle 2006 in the Republic of Korea and Exercise Cobra Gold 2006 in the Kingdom of Thailand.
In July, the MEU transitioned to the 26th deployment cycle and began pre-deployment training for new members of its command element, GCE, ACE, and CSSE prior to embarking aboard the ARG for its Fall Patrol. During this period, MSSG-31 was re-designated as Combat Logistics Battalion 31 and the MEU commanding officer, Col. John Miller, relinquished command to Col. John Mayer. The reinforced helicopter squadron, HMM-265, replaced HMM-262 (Reinforced) and BLT 2/5 became the new GCE. The MEU maintained its course throughout the cycle by integrating its elements through a series of conditioning work-ups in Okinawa and Camp Fuji. In August, the MEU’s command element and Maritime Strike Force returned to Guam and conducted Situational Training Exercises in an Urban Environment.
In September, the MEU conducted its MEU Exercise here before embarking aboard the ARG to perform pre-deployment training that included ARG Exercise and Evaluation Exercise before steaming to the Republic of the Philippines where the Navy-Marine Corps team trained shoulder-to-shoulder with the Armed Forces of the Philippines counterparts during bilateral exercises, Talon Vision and Amphibious Landing Exercise FY 2007.
The Marines and Sailors conducted civil-military operations consisting of medical and engineering civic action projects for local Philippine communities. Bilateral training with the AFP included boat, helicopter-borne and amphibious mechanized raids. MEU elements also participated in the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab’s Advance Warfighting Experiment, Sea Viking 2006.
Shortly after completing the exercises and a period of liberty in Subic Bay, the MEU re-embarked the ARG and sailed back to Okinawa, where Juneau and a special purpose-Marine Air Ground Task Force comprised from the MEU steamed to the city of Zhanjiang in the People’s Republic of China for a port visit and participated in a bilateral Search-and-Rescue Exercise.
After enjoying their two-month-long deployment in the Asia-Pacific region, the Marines and Sailors of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit returned home Nov. 28, to wrap up another successful deployment cycle and move onto the next.
As Mayer’s first cycle leading the MEU, he said that the MEU performed marvelously and exceeded his expectations throughout the cycle.
“We won victory after victory,” he said. “The training and missions were completed successfully and the remarkable good deeds were well received. This can be attributed to the way our Marines and Sailors conducted themselves. Their exceptional behavior extended goodwill throughout the communities they visited, whether it was during medical/engineering projects and community relations activities or ground-air integration training. Their performance this cycle has been spectacular.”
Ellie
The MEU began its 25th deployment cycle in January as its Marines and Sailors embarked aboard the Essex Amphibious Ready Group, comprised of three ships: USS Essex (LHD 2), USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49), and USS Juneau (LPD 10), and conducted its MEU Exercise and Training in an Urban Environment Exercise in Guam. After two weeks of training, the MEU and the ARG steamed to the Republic of the Philippines to participate in Exercise Balikatan, where the MEU was re-tasked to conduct a Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief mission in Southern Leyte, following a devastating mudslide that buried the local village there.
Following their successful mission, they pushed forward to maintain their “Strike-from-the-Sea” capability by participating in two major combined/joint exercises.
The MEU’s elements; MEU Service Support Group 31, Battalion Landing Team 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 262 (Reinforced), and the command element trained diligently to maintain their operational skills by participating in Exercise Foal Eagle 2006 in the Republic of Korea and Exercise Cobra Gold 2006 in the Kingdom of Thailand.
In July, the MEU transitioned to the 26th deployment cycle and began pre-deployment training for new members of its command element, GCE, ACE, and CSSE prior to embarking aboard the ARG for its Fall Patrol. During this period, MSSG-31 was re-designated as Combat Logistics Battalion 31 and the MEU commanding officer, Col. John Miller, relinquished command to Col. John Mayer. The reinforced helicopter squadron, HMM-265, replaced HMM-262 (Reinforced) and BLT 2/5 became the new GCE. The MEU maintained its course throughout the cycle by integrating its elements through a series of conditioning work-ups in Okinawa and Camp Fuji. In August, the MEU’s command element and Maritime Strike Force returned to Guam and conducted Situational Training Exercises in an Urban Environment.
In September, the MEU conducted its MEU Exercise here before embarking aboard the ARG to perform pre-deployment training that included ARG Exercise and Evaluation Exercise before steaming to the Republic of the Philippines where the Navy-Marine Corps team trained shoulder-to-shoulder with the Armed Forces of the Philippines counterparts during bilateral exercises, Talon Vision and Amphibious Landing Exercise FY 2007.
The Marines and Sailors conducted civil-military operations consisting of medical and engineering civic action projects for local Philippine communities. Bilateral training with the AFP included boat, helicopter-borne and amphibious mechanized raids. MEU elements also participated in the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab’s Advance Warfighting Experiment, Sea Viking 2006.
Shortly after completing the exercises and a period of liberty in Subic Bay, the MEU re-embarked the ARG and sailed back to Okinawa, where Juneau and a special purpose-Marine Air Ground Task Force comprised from the MEU steamed to the city of Zhanjiang in the People’s Republic of China for a port visit and participated in a bilateral Search-and-Rescue Exercise.
After enjoying their two-month-long deployment in the Asia-Pacific region, the Marines and Sailors of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit returned home Nov. 28, to wrap up another successful deployment cycle and move onto the next.
As Mayer’s first cycle leading the MEU, he said that the MEU performed marvelously and exceeded his expectations throughout the cycle.
“We won victory after victory,” he said. “The training and missions were completed successfully and the remarkable good deeds were well received. This can be attributed to the way our Marines and Sailors conducted themselves. Their exceptional behavior extended goodwill throughout the communities they visited, whether it was during medical/engineering projects and community relations activities or ground-air integration training. Their performance this cycle has been spectacular.”
Ellie