Shaffer
07-12-02, 08:47 AM
About 200 Marine Corps and Navy reservists now at Camp Lejeune will get a
chance later this month to test themselves in the Balkans on Operation Rapid
Guardian.
A reinforced version of Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment is
scheduled to deploy to war-torn Kosovo later this month for peacekeeping
duty lasting approximately 30 days.
The group is being taken form the nearly 1,000 Marines and sailors of 2/25 ,
who were called to active duty in December to support the war on terrorism.
They arrived at Camp Lejeune in Jasnuary. Their job is to help out where
needed.
And Bosnia fits that bill. Under normal circumstances, marine expeditionary
units from Camp Lejeune patrol the area during deployments to the
Mediterranean Sea. In fact, on Sept. 11 when the terrorists attacks on New
York and Washington occurred, an element of the 24th MEU from Lejeune was in
Kosovo.
But since the attacks, very few things operate as normal. The 22nd MEU is
now on patrol east of the Suez Canal in an area somewhere between east
Africa and Indonesia.
Golf Company is taking up the slack. Its members hope to keep warring
factions apart in Kosovo.
"I have been there a couple of times for planning," said Maj. Anthony Lanza,
33, commander of Golf Company, a former law enforcement officer from
Ringwood, N.J. "It helps knowing and being ready deploy with a reinforced
rifle company with heavy guns.
He has nine years of active-duty experience from 1987 to 1996 that includes
deployments to the Persian Gulf and Somalia, and they plan to bring some
powerful weapons that include 50-caliber machine guns, MK-19 automatic
grenade launchers and a crew of snipers.
Twice over the last few months Lanza has traveled to Kosovo for a week at a
time. Although the detachment's departure date is still classified, he can
say that they will be away for about 30 days.
"We took photos and put up maps to see the terrain and the local culture,"
Lanza said. "We will be doing peacekeeping operations and enforcement of
border control movement and will be replacing an Army compnay from the 1st
Battalion, 50th Regiment."
chance later this month to test themselves in the Balkans on Operation Rapid
Guardian.
A reinforced version of Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment is
scheduled to deploy to war-torn Kosovo later this month for peacekeeping
duty lasting approximately 30 days.
The group is being taken form the nearly 1,000 Marines and sailors of 2/25 ,
who were called to active duty in December to support the war on terrorism.
They arrived at Camp Lejeune in Jasnuary. Their job is to help out where
needed.
And Bosnia fits that bill. Under normal circumstances, marine expeditionary
units from Camp Lejeune patrol the area during deployments to the
Mediterranean Sea. In fact, on Sept. 11 when the terrorists attacks on New
York and Washington occurred, an element of the 24th MEU from Lejeune was in
Kosovo.
But since the attacks, very few things operate as normal. The 22nd MEU is
now on patrol east of the Suez Canal in an area somewhere between east
Africa and Indonesia.
Golf Company is taking up the slack. Its members hope to keep warring
factions apart in Kosovo.
"I have been there a couple of times for planning," said Maj. Anthony Lanza,
33, commander of Golf Company, a former law enforcement officer from
Ringwood, N.J. "It helps knowing and being ready deploy with a reinforced
rifle company with heavy guns.
He has nine years of active-duty experience from 1987 to 1996 that includes
deployments to the Persian Gulf and Somalia, and they plan to bring some
powerful weapons that include 50-caliber machine guns, MK-19 automatic
grenade launchers and a crew of snipers.
Twice over the last few months Lanza has traveled to Kosovo for a week at a
time. Although the detachment's departure date is still classified, he can
say that they will be away for about 30 days.
"We took photos and put up maps to see the terrain and the local culture,"
Lanza said. "We will be doing peacekeeping operations and enforcement of
border control movement and will be replacing an Army compnay from the 1st
Battalion, 50th Regiment."