thedrifter
06-21-07, 12:44 PM
Counterinsurgency operations continue in the city of Hadithah with Bravo Company conducting missions 24 hours a day.
“Showing a presence in the area does a lot more than people would think,” said Sgt. Joseph A. Cervantes, squad leader, 1st Squad, 3rd Platoon, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 2. “We mainly do two types of patrols, one being security patrols, which are designed to have a deterrent effect on anything that happens in the area.”
“We also do ‘Meet and Greet’ patrols. We go out and meet the families, and we start a relationship with them,” the 34-year-old explained. “We speak to them and get their feelings on current situations and take their suggestions on what could be done differently in the city.”
Marines assigned to 1st Squad, 3rd Platoon, conduct up to three patrols a day. Patrols allow Marines to find the enemy and learn about the populace.
The locals are warming up to the Marines. People in Hadithah now talk to them regularly, and they wave and smile while the Marines are out on a patrol.
Lance Cpl. Edward G. Martin, automatic rifleman, 1st Squad, 3rd Platoon, Bravo Company, 1/3, said the people didn’t act this way when they first arrived late March 2007.
"They seemed a little distant and cold at first,” said Martin. “They’ve always been friendly, but you can tell we’re now winning them over. They’re beginning to trust us and (they’re) glad we’re here.”
Martin recalled a recent 16-hour operation when the Marines were welcomed with open arms by the locals.
“The people were running out and giving us cold water and allowing us to come into their houses and rest,” he added. “This is what lets me know they’re thankful.”
Due to the large amount of patrols, Lance Cpl. Nathan A. Fanning, automatic rifleman, 1st Squad, 3rd Platoon, Bravo Company, 1/3, said they recognize and know a lot of the people.
“We went firm in a house one day and the locals working there recognized us because we stopped at their house earlier in the week,” said Fanning, an Idaho Springs, Colo., native. “He said one of the main reasons he remembered us is because of how respectful we were with him and his property.”
The friendliness and openness are a growing trend in this region. Numerous battalions have deployed to the Haditha Triad region and experienced daily fire fights, sniper attacks, improvised explosive device explosions, and other friction. Martin, a Fort Worth, Texas, native thought, at least initially, his deployment to Iraq would involve more of the same.
“I thought at first it was going to be nonstop fighting, but I’m glad it’s not. After being here, it’s a lot more fulfilling to be helping out in the way that we are,” Martin said.
Cervantes, a Pensacola, Fla., native, also believes the area has done a complete turnaround.
“The locals used to be very standoffish, but now they’re a lot more vocal,” said Cervantes. “I think they’re starting to realize we sacrifice a lot to come out here and help them. They are grateful, but they would still like to see their own army move in. It would help with their national pride a lot to see the Iraqi Army out here.”
While an Iraqi Battalion is deployed in the region, they are not permanently positioned in Cervantes’ neighborhood.
Cervantes expects it to keep getting better throughout the remainder of the deployment.
“I hope things continue to go smoothly for the rest of the time we’re out here, but I’ll just take it patrol-by-patrol and day-by-day,” said Martin. “I’ll continue to keep my guard up. So if something were to happen, I’ll be ready and able to return home to my wife in one piece.”
“Showing a presence in the area does a lot more than people would think,” said Sgt. Joseph A. Cervantes, squad leader, 1st Squad, 3rd Platoon, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 2. “We mainly do two types of patrols, one being security patrols, which are designed to have a deterrent effect on anything that happens in the area.”
“We also do ‘Meet and Greet’ patrols. We go out and meet the families, and we start a relationship with them,” the 34-year-old explained. “We speak to them and get their feelings on current situations and take their suggestions on what could be done differently in the city.”
Marines assigned to 1st Squad, 3rd Platoon, conduct up to three patrols a day. Patrols allow Marines to find the enemy and learn about the populace.
The locals are warming up to the Marines. People in Hadithah now talk to them regularly, and they wave and smile while the Marines are out on a patrol.
Lance Cpl. Edward G. Martin, automatic rifleman, 1st Squad, 3rd Platoon, Bravo Company, 1/3, said the people didn’t act this way when they first arrived late March 2007.
"They seemed a little distant and cold at first,” said Martin. “They’ve always been friendly, but you can tell we’re now winning them over. They’re beginning to trust us and (they’re) glad we’re here.”
Martin recalled a recent 16-hour operation when the Marines were welcomed with open arms by the locals.
“The people were running out and giving us cold water and allowing us to come into their houses and rest,” he added. “This is what lets me know they’re thankful.”
Due to the large amount of patrols, Lance Cpl. Nathan A. Fanning, automatic rifleman, 1st Squad, 3rd Platoon, Bravo Company, 1/3, said they recognize and know a lot of the people.
“We went firm in a house one day and the locals working there recognized us because we stopped at their house earlier in the week,” said Fanning, an Idaho Springs, Colo., native. “He said one of the main reasons he remembered us is because of how respectful we were with him and his property.”
The friendliness and openness are a growing trend in this region. Numerous battalions have deployed to the Haditha Triad region and experienced daily fire fights, sniper attacks, improvised explosive device explosions, and other friction. Martin, a Fort Worth, Texas, native thought, at least initially, his deployment to Iraq would involve more of the same.
“I thought at first it was going to be nonstop fighting, but I’m glad it’s not. After being here, it’s a lot more fulfilling to be helping out in the way that we are,” Martin said.
Cervantes, a Pensacola, Fla., native, also believes the area has done a complete turnaround.
“The locals used to be very standoffish, but now they’re a lot more vocal,” said Cervantes. “I think they’re starting to realize we sacrifice a lot to come out here and help them. They are grateful, but they would still like to see their own army move in. It would help with their national pride a lot to see the Iraqi Army out here.”
While an Iraqi Battalion is deployed in the region, they are not permanently positioned in Cervantes’ neighborhood.
Cervantes expects it to keep getting better throughout the remainder of the deployment.
“I hope things continue to go smoothly for the rest of the time we’re out here, but I’ll just take it patrol-by-patrol and day-by-day,” said Martin. “I’ll continue to keep my guard up. So if something were to happen, I’ll be ready and able to return home to my wife in one piece.”