thedrifter
03-04-07, 06:31 PM
Mission: Come back alive
Erica Solvig
The Desert Sun
March 4, 2007
The loud buzz, like a firecracker shooting off, lasts only seconds before the simulated device explodes in the sand.
The squad from the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines stops patrol and races down the desert street to the single-story building where comrades have been seriously wounded.
The scene is staged but still graphic: Five injured, including at least two who have lost limbs, lying in pools of blood and screaming in pain.
A couple of 2/5 Marines pause for just a second before their leader jolts them back to reality with loud shouts to get on the ground to help.
"Talk to him. Get him talking," the squad leader yells.
The squad leader offers instruction as they try to bandage one Marine's leg long enough to stop the gushing.
Artificial blood squirts everywhere, covering the walls in red as the Marine wails in pain.
"How many brothers? Sisters? Keep him talking."
The exercise is part of Mojave Viper, a month-long training required for every Marine deployed to Iraq that involves live-fire exercises and weeks of interaction in two mock Iraqi tow mock Iraqi towns.
The training center is at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms. But with hundreds of role players, Arabic road signs and no contact with the rest of the base, the towns re-enact those in the al Anbar providence of Iraq.
Mojave Viper began in September 2005, evolving from Marine war training at places such as March Air Reserve Base.
But as the war in Iraq continues, the base is retooling the training schedule and building a third city - larger than both towns combined - to accommodate the troops being deployed.
"It's very realistic in comparison" to Iraq, said Cpl. Richard Wagemaker, a Mojave Viper instructor who served two tours in Iraq.
"What we're able to give here, everything ties in. It's not a one-dimensional training."
The caravan of armored vehicles rolls in from base camp, kicking up dust as the tanks and amphibious assault vehicles travel down the dirt road.
On this day, the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines are in Wadi al Sahara.
Today's mission: Secure the town.
Marines pour out of the vehicles and follow on foot as the tanks and assault vehicles fan out, each taking a street to travel down.
At every intersection and every gap between buildings lies potential danger, and it takes more than 1½ hours for the vehicles and foot patrols to snake through town, frequently stopping to check for snipers or insurgents.
The townspeople are gathered in the soukh, or street market, where everything from children's bikes to washing machines are sold.
As one of the assault vehicles passes the busy market, two sly merchants take advantage. With no Marines walking behind the vehicle, the Iraqis open up the rear door and crawl in the back.
The assault vehicle stops suddenly. The driver yells at the foot patrol. They've got to get these guys out of the vehicle and they've got to keep moving, he screams.
The Marines on foot race back toward the vehicle yelling - "Hey! Hey!" - and the merchants jump out. Speaking in Arabic, they motion for a cigarette and then a drink.
One Marine hands off a cigarette and makes a shooing motion with his hands to brush the merchants away.
"Get back!" they yell. "Get back!"
They start to pull away, but the merchants haven't budged.
One of the Marines uses profanity.
A senior comrade scolds him.
"Don't call them that," he warns. "They know English."
Mojave Viper consists of two segments.
The first two weeks are spent at two live-fire ranges; training includes working with tanks and helicopters.
The last 12 days are spent in the towns of Khalidiyah, of more than 100 shipping-container-constructed buildings, and Wadi al Sahara, which has about 400 buildings of various sizes.
After rotating through four separate divisions of training, including vehicle checkpoints and urban assault, the troops spend 72 hours with nearly 500 role players in the town.
For these three days, they essentially live there. Role players serve as merchants in the street market and leaders in the town.
They spread out to the distinct parts of the community, such as a section of Wadi al Sahara known as the slums, where the buildings are closer together and old tires and debris cover the roads.
It's here that Marines put their training into practice: Crowd control. Detecting insurgents. Humanitarian work. Capturing the enemy. Setting up a police force.
To prepare for that challenge and for life in Iraq, no part of training is overlooked. Even the seemingly mundane - walking up the stairs, entering and exiting rooms - is rehearsed over and over.
"We have to cover all danger areas at all times," one trainer shouted during a recent exercise with the 2/5 Marines from Camp Pendleton.
"What does hesitation get you?"
Their response is loud and in unison:
"Killed."
The blast comes just as the tank rolls across the bridge.
An IED, hidden from view, exploded just as the 1/3 Marines were crossing the dry riverbed that's covered in razor wire and debris.
Marines scramble, ducking for cover behind the tank and the rocks along the bridge, frantically calling out to each other.
Anyone down? Are there injuries?
Behind them - in the structures away from the bridge - the rest of the company takes cover in and behind the buildings, their weapons pointed to where insurgents might be.
The troops are still trying to get their bearings as a simulated rocket-propelled grenade comes flying from a second-story window of a building at the end of the bridge.
It hits a power line. The explosion injures, maybe kills, a couple of Marines.
Commands are called out as fast and frantic as possible. They can barely be heard over the constant shots of gunfire.
The comrades in the buildings want to move forward, be part of the action. They scream at their commanders: Let's get in there.
They're told to stay behind, to see if those on the bridge can control the situation.
Gunfire is exchanged nonstop for several minutes. It's loud and constant, and the sounds resonate through the buildings.
Then it slows.
Finally one of the Marines throws a smoke bomb.
It's yellow. Sniper down. All clear.
The buildings themselves combine to resemble Iraqi towns. But the role players bring these cities to life.
A mix of Marines and hired community members, some are Iraqi natives who now live in the area. About 100 of the nearly 500 role players won't speak English during the 72-hour exercise.
Most of the role players don't "move in" until the final training. But others work with the Marines throughout their time in the town.
Some of the training hinges on the nuts and bolts of daily life, including the street market.
Base officials ask reporters not to print role players' names or show their faces in photographs for fear insurgents could find them on the Internet and connect them to remaining family members in Iraq.
But one woman, a native of Basra, Iraq, who has lived in the United States for 20 years, told Desert Sun journalists she doesn't take sides on the war. She participates at Twentynine Palms because she feels that if troops are going over, she wants them to be as well trained as possible.
"They're 18, 19, they don't know nothing," the woman said before interacting with Marines on patrol. "I feel this is my country now. I figure like I'm doing something great."
On a recent patrol of Wadi al Sahara, a squad from the 2/5 approached the rear of a burnt-out vehicle.
A few trek ahead, walking behind the large two-story building to inspect the car.
From behind, a blast from a pile of rocks and debris catches a few of the Marines. One is down, marked as injured because he stood too close and didn't spot the hidden bomb before it exploded.
The rest of the Marines duck into the buildings for cover, screaming commands and profanities at each other as they try to assess the danger.
Suddenly a role player appears from the shadows of one of the taller buildings. They don't know if she's friendly.
"We have a woman," a frantic yell comes from one of the Marines inside as the woman starts climbing the stairs.
"Where's my security?" another screams back.
It's chaotic and confusing as commands are yelled from inside and Marines in other buildings try to judge the situation: Don't stand in the windows. What's the status? Protect yourself from snipers. What's going on?
It takes only minutes, though it feels much longer. Finally, the building is deemed all clear.
Awareness of the surroundings. Communicating with each other. Securing a building.
Over and over, in various forms, the basics of this urban warfare training of Mojave Viper are engrained into the troops, developed from war training the troops have used over the years.
Other Marine bases have towns or Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) facilities. But the towns at Twentynine Palms are designed with the war in Iraq in mind.
And even the towns here change. Officials have added more buildings to Khalidiyah and, recently, extended power lines to most of Wadi al Sahara. (Until then, the Marines and role players were acting in a post-earthquake, no-power scenario.)
They also adjust their techniques. Within 48 hours of any incident in Iraq, Marine officials examine what happened and try to develop new strategies to react to or prevent it from happening again.
As instructor Cpl. Joseph Savage Gomez put it: "The enemy is as creative as ever."
The Marines now at Mojave Viper will find out soon enough. They deploy in less than a month, some for their second, third, even fourth tour in Iraq.
Erica Solvig
The Desert Sun
March 4, 2007
The loud buzz, like a firecracker shooting off, lasts only seconds before the simulated device explodes in the sand.
The squad from the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines stops patrol and races down the desert street to the single-story building where comrades have been seriously wounded.
The scene is staged but still graphic: Five injured, including at least two who have lost limbs, lying in pools of blood and screaming in pain.
A couple of 2/5 Marines pause for just a second before their leader jolts them back to reality with loud shouts to get on the ground to help.
"Talk to him. Get him talking," the squad leader yells.
The squad leader offers instruction as they try to bandage one Marine's leg long enough to stop the gushing.
Artificial blood squirts everywhere, covering the walls in red as the Marine wails in pain.
"How many brothers? Sisters? Keep him talking."
The exercise is part of Mojave Viper, a month-long training required for every Marine deployed to Iraq that involves live-fire exercises and weeks of interaction in two mock Iraqi tow mock Iraqi towns.
The training center is at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms. But with hundreds of role players, Arabic road signs and no contact with the rest of the base, the towns re-enact those in the al Anbar providence of Iraq.
Mojave Viper began in September 2005, evolving from Marine war training at places such as March Air Reserve Base.
But as the war in Iraq continues, the base is retooling the training schedule and building a third city - larger than both towns combined - to accommodate the troops being deployed.
"It's very realistic in comparison" to Iraq, said Cpl. Richard Wagemaker, a Mojave Viper instructor who served two tours in Iraq.
"What we're able to give here, everything ties in. It's not a one-dimensional training."
The caravan of armored vehicles rolls in from base camp, kicking up dust as the tanks and amphibious assault vehicles travel down the dirt road.
On this day, the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines are in Wadi al Sahara.
Today's mission: Secure the town.
Marines pour out of the vehicles and follow on foot as the tanks and assault vehicles fan out, each taking a street to travel down.
At every intersection and every gap between buildings lies potential danger, and it takes more than 1½ hours for the vehicles and foot patrols to snake through town, frequently stopping to check for snipers or insurgents.
The townspeople are gathered in the soukh, or street market, where everything from children's bikes to washing machines are sold.
As one of the assault vehicles passes the busy market, two sly merchants take advantage. With no Marines walking behind the vehicle, the Iraqis open up the rear door and crawl in the back.
The assault vehicle stops suddenly. The driver yells at the foot patrol. They've got to get these guys out of the vehicle and they've got to keep moving, he screams.
The Marines on foot race back toward the vehicle yelling - "Hey! Hey!" - and the merchants jump out. Speaking in Arabic, they motion for a cigarette and then a drink.
One Marine hands off a cigarette and makes a shooing motion with his hands to brush the merchants away.
"Get back!" they yell. "Get back!"
They start to pull away, but the merchants haven't budged.
One of the Marines uses profanity.
A senior comrade scolds him.
"Don't call them that," he warns. "They know English."
Mojave Viper consists of two segments.
The first two weeks are spent at two live-fire ranges; training includes working with tanks and helicopters.
The last 12 days are spent in the towns of Khalidiyah, of more than 100 shipping-container-constructed buildings, and Wadi al Sahara, which has about 400 buildings of various sizes.
After rotating through four separate divisions of training, including vehicle checkpoints and urban assault, the troops spend 72 hours with nearly 500 role players in the town.
For these three days, they essentially live there. Role players serve as merchants in the street market and leaders in the town.
They spread out to the distinct parts of the community, such as a section of Wadi al Sahara known as the slums, where the buildings are closer together and old tires and debris cover the roads.
It's here that Marines put their training into practice: Crowd control. Detecting insurgents. Humanitarian work. Capturing the enemy. Setting up a police force.
To prepare for that challenge and for life in Iraq, no part of training is overlooked. Even the seemingly mundane - walking up the stairs, entering and exiting rooms - is rehearsed over and over.
"We have to cover all danger areas at all times," one trainer shouted during a recent exercise with the 2/5 Marines from Camp Pendleton.
"What does hesitation get you?"
Their response is loud and in unison:
"Killed."
The blast comes just as the tank rolls across the bridge.
An IED, hidden from view, exploded just as the 1/3 Marines were crossing the dry riverbed that's covered in razor wire and debris.
Marines scramble, ducking for cover behind the tank and the rocks along the bridge, frantically calling out to each other.
Anyone down? Are there injuries?
Behind them - in the structures away from the bridge - the rest of the company takes cover in and behind the buildings, their weapons pointed to where insurgents might be.
The troops are still trying to get their bearings as a simulated rocket-propelled grenade comes flying from a second-story window of a building at the end of the bridge.
It hits a power line. The explosion injures, maybe kills, a couple of Marines.
Commands are called out as fast and frantic as possible. They can barely be heard over the constant shots of gunfire.
The comrades in the buildings want to move forward, be part of the action. They scream at their commanders: Let's get in there.
They're told to stay behind, to see if those on the bridge can control the situation.
Gunfire is exchanged nonstop for several minutes. It's loud and constant, and the sounds resonate through the buildings.
Then it slows.
Finally one of the Marines throws a smoke bomb.
It's yellow. Sniper down. All clear.
The buildings themselves combine to resemble Iraqi towns. But the role players bring these cities to life.
A mix of Marines and hired community members, some are Iraqi natives who now live in the area. About 100 of the nearly 500 role players won't speak English during the 72-hour exercise.
Most of the role players don't "move in" until the final training. But others work with the Marines throughout their time in the town.
Some of the training hinges on the nuts and bolts of daily life, including the street market.
Base officials ask reporters not to print role players' names or show their faces in photographs for fear insurgents could find them on the Internet and connect them to remaining family members in Iraq.
But one woman, a native of Basra, Iraq, who has lived in the United States for 20 years, told Desert Sun journalists she doesn't take sides on the war. She participates at Twentynine Palms because she feels that if troops are going over, she wants them to be as well trained as possible.
"They're 18, 19, they don't know nothing," the woman said before interacting with Marines on patrol. "I feel this is my country now. I figure like I'm doing something great."
On a recent patrol of Wadi al Sahara, a squad from the 2/5 approached the rear of a burnt-out vehicle.
A few trek ahead, walking behind the large two-story building to inspect the car.
From behind, a blast from a pile of rocks and debris catches a few of the Marines. One is down, marked as injured because he stood too close and didn't spot the hidden bomb before it exploded.
The rest of the Marines duck into the buildings for cover, screaming commands and profanities at each other as they try to assess the danger.
Suddenly a role player appears from the shadows of one of the taller buildings. They don't know if she's friendly.
"We have a woman," a frantic yell comes from one of the Marines inside as the woman starts climbing the stairs.
"Where's my security?" another screams back.
It's chaotic and confusing as commands are yelled from inside and Marines in other buildings try to judge the situation: Don't stand in the windows. What's the status? Protect yourself from snipers. What's going on?
It takes only minutes, though it feels much longer. Finally, the building is deemed all clear.
Awareness of the surroundings. Communicating with each other. Securing a building.
Over and over, in various forms, the basics of this urban warfare training of Mojave Viper are engrained into the troops, developed from war training the troops have used over the years.
Other Marine bases have towns or Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) facilities. But the towns at Twentynine Palms are designed with the war in Iraq in mind.
And even the towns here change. Officials have added more buildings to Khalidiyah and, recently, extended power lines to most of Wadi al Sahara. (Until then, the Marines and role players were acting in a post-earthquake, no-power scenario.)
They also adjust their techniques. Within 48 hours of any incident in Iraq, Marine officials examine what happened and try to develop new strategies to react to or prevent it from happening again.
As instructor Cpl. Joseph Savage Gomez put it: "The enemy is as creative as ever."
The Marines now at Mojave Viper will find out soon enough. They deploy in less than a month, some for their second, third, even fourth tour in Iraq.