thedrifter
02-01-07, 06:28 AM
Marines return home to Camp Pendleton
HOME AGAIN: About 300 Marines return to friends and families Wednesday at Camp Pendleton.
10:00 PM PST on Wednesday, January 31, 2007
By JOE VARGO
The Press-Enterprise
CAMP PENDLETON - Marines from the 5th Regimental Combat Team returned home early Wednesday after a year helping train Iraqi police and military forces.
It was a costly deployment. About 90 of the 15,000 Marines who served as part of the regimental team were killed and another 1,000 wounded.
And there's no guarantee troops trained by the storied Marine unit are assured victory in the long-term battle to bring stability to the U.S.-backed Iraqi government.
Nonetheless, the unit's commander said the blood and sacrifice have not been in vain.
"It has been a long and challenging year for the regiment, but if you asked the Marines if they made a difference, they would say yes," Col. Larry Nicholson said. "I think the Marines have given their fullest measure."
About 300 Marines arrived at Camp Pendleton in the pre-dawn darkness while family members and sweethearts huddled under a makeshift canopy to stay dry during the chilly, rainy night.
As the band played the "Marines' Hymn," the returning troops marched in ranks and took their place in platoons until they were dismissed. Then individual Marines and their families sought each other out among the milling masses, exchanging hugs, kisses and tears.
Temecula Gunnery Sgt. Ramon Lopez, 37, greeted his wife, Romelia, and nephew, Steve. Lopez. He is a 16-year veteran of the Corps and has completed his second tour in Iraq.
As a logistics specialist, Lopez worked with Iraqis to ensure they kept the necessary supplies -- such as fuel, food and ammunition -- rolling to where they were needed.
"We tried to get the infrastructure in place and assist the Iraqi police and Army (to) stand on their own two feet," Lopez said. "It was a challenge, but we saw things improve. But it's always good to come home."
Like most other returnees, Lopez didn't stick around long after arriving at Camp Pendleton. Minutes after he was dismissed, he was on the road home to Temecula.
The regimental combat team spent most of its time around Fallujah -- scene of a bloody battle between Marines and insurgents in 2004 -- as well as western Baghdad and Ramadi.
They encountered problems between Iraqi Sunni Muslims, who make up the local police force, and Shiite Muslims, who comprised the Army, said 1st Lt. Lawton King. For months, the two factions refused to work together and viewed each other with suspicion, King said.
He said Marine mentors worked with both groups, eventually taking them along on searches, raids and intelligence-gathering forays into Fallujah, a city of about 300,000.
Gradually, the two groups developed into a cohesive force. Today, they and Marines guard the six checkpoints leading to Fallujah, King said.
"Persistence," King said, describing the quality Marines used to bridge the Sunni-Shiite gap.
While other Iraqi cities remain wracked by violence, Fallujah in recent months has quieted down.
Marines employed retinal scanners and thumbprints to identify Fallujah residents and gave them badges that allowed them to move about the city. The effort kept outsiders out of Fallujah and helped quell violence, King said. Local residents rebuilt roads, hauled away trash and conducted a school-population census.
The unit helped capture suspects in the 2006 kidnapping of American journalist Jill Carroll. A recruitment drive for local police put 700 Fallujah residents in uniform, King added..
Marines turned over areas they had patrolled to members of the 1st Iraqi Army Division and now are deployed on the outskirts of the city.
"I can honestly say the Iraqi Army and Iraqi police have the lead in the city," Nicholson said. "We are in a supporting role. We are the backstop."
The 5th Regiment traces its history to World War I and is the most decorated regiment in the Corps. The unit took part in the Meuse-Argonne offensive in World War I; fought at Guadalcanal, New Britain, Peleliu and Okinawa in World War II; battled at Inchon and the Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War; and served at Hue, Khe San and Da Nang during Vietnam. The 5th fought during the first Gulf War and has completed three tours in the current war in Iraq.
Reach Joe Vargo at 951-567-2407 or jvargo@PE.com
Ellie
HOME AGAIN: About 300 Marines return to friends and families Wednesday at Camp Pendleton.
10:00 PM PST on Wednesday, January 31, 2007
By JOE VARGO
The Press-Enterprise
CAMP PENDLETON - Marines from the 5th Regimental Combat Team returned home early Wednesday after a year helping train Iraqi police and military forces.
It was a costly deployment. About 90 of the 15,000 Marines who served as part of the regimental team were killed and another 1,000 wounded.
And there's no guarantee troops trained by the storied Marine unit are assured victory in the long-term battle to bring stability to the U.S.-backed Iraqi government.
Nonetheless, the unit's commander said the blood and sacrifice have not been in vain.
"It has been a long and challenging year for the regiment, but if you asked the Marines if they made a difference, they would say yes," Col. Larry Nicholson said. "I think the Marines have given their fullest measure."
About 300 Marines arrived at Camp Pendleton in the pre-dawn darkness while family members and sweethearts huddled under a makeshift canopy to stay dry during the chilly, rainy night.
As the band played the "Marines' Hymn," the returning troops marched in ranks and took their place in platoons until they were dismissed. Then individual Marines and their families sought each other out among the milling masses, exchanging hugs, kisses and tears.
Temecula Gunnery Sgt. Ramon Lopez, 37, greeted his wife, Romelia, and nephew, Steve. Lopez. He is a 16-year veteran of the Corps and has completed his second tour in Iraq.
As a logistics specialist, Lopez worked with Iraqis to ensure they kept the necessary supplies -- such as fuel, food and ammunition -- rolling to where they were needed.
"We tried to get the infrastructure in place and assist the Iraqi police and Army (to) stand on their own two feet," Lopez said. "It was a challenge, but we saw things improve. But it's always good to come home."
Like most other returnees, Lopez didn't stick around long after arriving at Camp Pendleton. Minutes after he was dismissed, he was on the road home to Temecula.
The regimental combat team spent most of its time around Fallujah -- scene of a bloody battle between Marines and insurgents in 2004 -- as well as western Baghdad and Ramadi.
They encountered problems between Iraqi Sunni Muslims, who make up the local police force, and Shiite Muslims, who comprised the Army, said 1st Lt. Lawton King. For months, the two factions refused to work together and viewed each other with suspicion, King said.
He said Marine mentors worked with both groups, eventually taking them along on searches, raids and intelligence-gathering forays into Fallujah, a city of about 300,000.
Gradually, the two groups developed into a cohesive force. Today, they and Marines guard the six checkpoints leading to Fallujah, King said.
"Persistence," King said, describing the quality Marines used to bridge the Sunni-Shiite gap.
While other Iraqi cities remain wracked by violence, Fallujah in recent months has quieted down.
Marines employed retinal scanners and thumbprints to identify Fallujah residents and gave them badges that allowed them to move about the city. The effort kept outsiders out of Fallujah and helped quell violence, King said. Local residents rebuilt roads, hauled away trash and conducted a school-population census.
The unit helped capture suspects in the 2006 kidnapping of American journalist Jill Carroll. A recruitment drive for local police put 700 Fallujah residents in uniform, King added..
Marines turned over areas they had patrolled to members of the 1st Iraqi Army Division and now are deployed on the outskirts of the city.
"I can honestly say the Iraqi Army and Iraqi police have the lead in the city," Nicholson said. "We are in a supporting role. We are the backstop."
The 5th Regiment traces its history to World War I and is the most decorated regiment in the Corps. The unit took part in the Meuse-Argonne offensive in World War I; fought at Guadalcanal, New Britain, Peleliu and Okinawa in World War II; battled at Inchon and the Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War; and served at Hue, Khe San and Da Nang during Vietnam. The 5th fought during the first Gulf War and has completed three tours in the current war in Iraq.
Reach Joe Vargo at 951-567-2407 or jvargo@PE.com
Ellie