Shaffer
04-16-07, 07:57 AM
During a deployment, where weekends don’t exist, sleep is vital to the overall mission. A Marine can’t be expected to go 12-plus hours a day, seven days a week, without some nightly rest and relaxation. But for the men on guard duty here, sleep is the least of their worries – day or night, terrorism is always on the clock.
Regimental Combat Team 2’s interior guard force is responsible for maintaining order and protecting both the people and property aboard Camp Ripper.
“We’re the first line of defense,” said Sgt. Eric M. Simmons, the RCT-2 interior guard chief. “No one gets on ‘Ripper’ without being screened by our guards.”
The guard force, which is made up of 15 Marines and Soldiers, is divided into three groups of five. Each group works 48 hours on, and gets 24 hours off before the next shift.
“In an average week, more than 500 non-coalition forces come through these gates,” said 1st Lt. Daniel K. Boyle, the RCT-2 interior guard officer. “We might not be kicking down doors, but the guard force is still very much a part of this fight. There are still bad intentions toward us.”
Just ask Lance Cpl. Felipe A. Marin, a tactical data network specialist with Headquarters Company, RCT-2. The following is an excerpt from a certificate of commendation he received for “superior performance of duty while serving as a member of the Camp Ripper guard force.”
While manning the entry control point, Marin and two fellow Marines on post observed a group of five third-country nationals acting suspiciously. Realizing they were being observed, they attempted to flee; but were quickly apprehended by Marin and the other two guards.
“We’d been watching these guys for about a month,” said Marin, a native of Santiago, Chile. “It was just a matter of time before catching them in the act.”
Following a search of the five suspects, detailed drawings of the Camp Ripper entry control point and dining facility were discovered, along with in-depth notes of search and guard procedures. The suspects were ultimately turned over to the provost marshal’s office for processing.
“These guys are paid to come here and work,” Marin said. “If they’re legit, the last thing they’d want to do is get sent home. The guys acting shady are most likely working for the insurgents, getting paid on the side.”
Like many Marines, Marin was skeptical of the guard force’s importance. But not more than a week into his deployment, he quickly realized the truth of the matter.
“To be successful at this job, you’ve got to have a high level of paranoia,” explained Marin. “Some of the TCN’s would get too friendly, asking questions they shouldn’t be asking. They’re very subtle; it can catch you off guard if you’re not careful.”
Echoing the guard force’s importance, Boyle cited a recent attack on a coalition compound in Karbala, Iraq, as a prime example.
According to a DoD press release, about 12 gunmen drove up to the Karbala Provincial Joint Coordination Center wearing uniforms similar to those worn by the U.S. military. Flashing fake ID-badges and speaking some English, they managed to clear multiple checkpoints and gain access to the compound.
When all was said and done, five U.S. service members lay dead; having paid the ultimate price for their country.
“This is exactly why we take this job so seriously,” said Boyle, a native of Levittown, Pa. “As long as I’m in charge, an incident like this will never happen here – not on my watch.”
To date, more than 15 TCN’s have been detained by PMO. Some of the items confiscated include: alcohol, weapons, munitions and flash-memory drives.
“Camp Ripper is a base within a base,” said Simmons, a native of Marlboro, N.Y. “Theoretically, we shouldn’t find anything. But as the saying goes, ‘Complacency kills.’ Meticulous attention to detail is what’s going to keep everyone safe. We’ve got to stay on our toes.”
Long days can be tough, but for the Camp Ripper interior guard force, it’s just business as usual.
“We’ve had some complaints, but we’re not trying to make friends out here,” Boyle said. “Rules are rules because of incidents in the past – we’re just enforcing the regulations. No one outranks the guard.”
The Camp Ripper interior guard force is part of Regimental Combat Team 2, a Marine Corps command responsible for more than 30,000 square miles and 5,500 Marines, Soldiers and Sailors in Iraq’s Al Anbar Province.
Regimental Combat Team 2’s interior guard force is responsible for maintaining order and protecting both the people and property aboard Camp Ripper.
“We’re the first line of defense,” said Sgt. Eric M. Simmons, the RCT-2 interior guard chief. “No one gets on ‘Ripper’ without being screened by our guards.”
The guard force, which is made up of 15 Marines and Soldiers, is divided into three groups of five. Each group works 48 hours on, and gets 24 hours off before the next shift.
“In an average week, more than 500 non-coalition forces come through these gates,” said 1st Lt. Daniel K. Boyle, the RCT-2 interior guard officer. “We might not be kicking down doors, but the guard force is still very much a part of this fight. There are still bad intentions toward us.”
Just ask Lance Cpl. Felipe A. Marin, a tactical data network specialist with Headquarters Company, RCT-2. The following is an excerpt from a certificate of commendation he received for “superior performance of duty while serving as a member of the Camp Ripper guard force.”
While manning the entry control point, Marin and two fellow Marines on post observed a group of five third-country nationals acting suspiciously. Realizing they were being observed, they attempted to flee; but were quickly apprehended by Marin and the other two guards.
“We’d been watching these guys for about a month,” said Marin, a native of Santiago, Chile. “It was just a matter of time before catching them in the act.”
Following a search of the five suspects, detailed drawings of the Camp Ripper entry control point and dining facility were discovered, along with in-depth notes of search and guard procedures. The suspects were ultimately turned over to the provost marshal’s office for processing.
“These guys are paid to come here and work,” Marin said. “If they’re legit, the last thing they’d want to do is get sent home. The guys acting shady are most likely working for the insurgents, getting paid on the side.”
Like many Marines, Marin was skeptical of the guard force’s importance. But not more than a week into his deployment, he quickly realized the truth of the matter.
“To be successful at this job, you’ve got to have a high level of paranoia,” explained Marin. “Some of the TCN’s would get too friendly, asking questions they shouldn’t be asking. They’re very subtle; it can catch you off guard if you’re not careful.”
Echoing the guard force’s importance, Boyle cited a recent attack on a coalition compound in Karbala, Iraq, as a prime example.
According to a DoD press release, about 12 gunmen drove up to the Karbala Provincial Joint Coordination Center wearing uniforms similar to those worn by the U.S. military. Flashing fake ID-badges and speaking some English, they managed to clear multiple checkpoints and gain access to the compound.
When all was said and done, five U.S. service members lay dead; having paid the ultimate price for their country.
“This is exactly why we take this job so seriously,” said Boyle, a native of Levittown, Pa. “As long as I’m in charge, an incident like this will never happen here – not on my watch.”
To date, more than 15 TCN’s have been detained by PMO. Some of the items confiscated include: alcohol, weapons, munitions and flash-memory drives.
“Camp Ripper is a base within a base,” said Simmons, a native of Marlboro, N.Y. “Theoretically, we shouldn’t find anything. But as the saying goes, ‘Complacency kills.’ Meticulous attention to detail is what’s going to keep everyone safe. We’ve got to stay on our toes.”
Long days can be tough, but for the Camp Ripper interior guard force, it’s just business as usual.
“We’ve had some complaints, but we’re not trying to make friends out here,” Boyle said. “Rules are rules because of incidents in the past – we’re just enforcing the regulations. No one outranks the guard.”
The Camp Ripper interior guard force is part of Regimental Combat Team 2, a Marine Corps command responsible for more than 30,000 square miles and 5,500 Marines, Soldiers and Sailors in Iraq’s Al Anbar Province.