thedrifter
07-28-07, 05:57 AM
Jul 28, 2007
MARINES: Three may not be redeployed, but they're ready
By Chipp Reid, Ridgefield Press Staff
A trio of local Marines — and their families — can breathe a sigh relief thanks to a recent change in deployment procedures for the U.S. Marine Corps.
Sgt. Anthony Ippoliti, Lance Cpl. Jon Olbrych and Lance Cpl. Frederick “Erik” Lohse returned last October from a tour of duty with C Company, 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment. All three are Marine Corps reservists.
A fourth Ridgefield High grad, Juan Ocampos, also serves in the unit. Lance Cpl. Ocampos recently moved to Danbury.
The Marines, the smallest of the branches serving in Iraq outside the Coast Guard, have the highest deployment rate of any of the combat branches in the U.S. military. Because of this, rumors swirled the corps might scrap the “4-to-1” system it uses to decide which units — or individual Marines — go overseas and which stay.
“We are going to do everything we can to adhere to our ‘4-to-1’ policy,” said a spokeswoman for Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES) in New Orleans. “We realize how important it is to our Marines that we have a uniform system of deployment.”
The 4-to-1 system means for every month a Marine serves on active duty, he or she receives four months of non-deployment status. The three Ridgefield reservists still attend monthly drill and summer annual training, but should not have to worry about redeploying to Iraq until at least 2010.
“That’s what we’re hearing,” Sgt Ippoliti said. “Of course, we’re still deployable if that’s what the corps decides, if something big happens or if someone volunteers to go.”
Dealing with the possibility
The possibility of a new deployment to Iraq is a fact of life for every reservist. Sgt. Ippoliti said he tries not to listen to the rumors that run around his unit.
“We all hear the scuttlebutt,” he said. “Really, it all comes down to what our commander says and what the corps needs. I don’t want to go back, but I would if we deployed again.”
Although he knows he would likely not return to combat for another three to four years, Sgt. Ippoliti said one unfortunate byproduct of the manner in which the Marines uses its reserve force is the fact others in his unit — new recruits especially — are quite literally on the deployment firing line.
“There are guys in my platoon who could go,” he said. “We have six or eight brand new guys — Marines that didn’t deploy — so yes, they could end up deploying if that’s what the corps decides.”
Piecemeal deployments
According to MARFORRES, when Operation Iraqi Freedom began, the Marines called up reservists in a somewhat piecemeal fashion.
“We had squads that deployed from one company while others didn’t,” the spokeswoman said. “We were taking bits and pieces to get our regular units up to full strength. That’s something we want to change and we’re working hard to change it, but it could still happen.”
The MARFORRES spokeswoman also said the corps was working hard “to make sure our reserve formation no longer deploy piecemeal. We want to keep the units together, but again, some realities might prevent that.”
The invasion of Iraq in 2003 was essentially a mechanized campaign, and the Marines used reservists to help fill out supply units and other formations that required drivers. When C Company deployed in 2006, the situation was different. The reservists went to Iraq as a straight infantry unit — 0311 in Marines parlance — even though the unit is supposedly one of the corps’ specialized Arctic warfare formations.
“I never did any Arctic training,” Sgt. Ippoliti said with a laugh. “I know on our Web site it says we’re ‘Arctic warriors,’ but there was no snow in Iraq.”
Lessons learned
A squad leader in the weapons platoon, Sgt. Ippoliti said his greatest task now is to pass on the experience he gained in Fallujah to the new members of his unit.
“About 30% of the company is new, so they have a lot to learn,” he said. “They never deployed, so they need to learn basically everything.”
Sgt. Ippoliti said the biggest lesson he tries to impart to new Marines is the importance of paying attention to detail.
“The war keeps changing week to week,” he said. “What was true when we were there probably isn’t true now. So what we have to do is pay attention to the details, to our training. There wasn’t a need for a machine gun to lay down suppressing fire at 600 meters when I was there. It was a 75- to 100-meter war, so we all have to work together and pay attention to detail.”
Although just 23, Sgt. Ippoliti is one of the older members of his platoon. He said most of the new recruits are 18 to 22 years old and despite his own relative youth, the Ridgefield High graduate is now one of the Marines his squad looks to for wisdom.
“It’s kind of a difficult situation for me and the other squad leaders,” he said. “We try to pass on all the advice we can. That’s really my mission now. In a squad, you really develop a tight-knit bond and knowing some of those guys could go over while we stay home is tough. Still, it’s my job to teach them what I learned and to get them to really use their training. It’s a big responsibility and I feel it.”
While his mind easily slips back into “Marine mode,” Sgt. Ippoliti right now is focused on something other than war. An economics and political science double major, he expects to finish his degree this December. He took a year off from school while serving in Iraq.
Although he said he isn’t quite sure of what he wants to do come January, he is sure of at least one thing.
“I will be glad I’m home.”
Ellie
MARINES: Three may not be redeployed, but they're ready
By Chipp Reid, Ridgefield Press Staff
A trio of local Marines — and their families — can breathe a sigh relief thanks to a recent change in deployment procedures for the U.S. Marine Corps.
Sgt. Anthony Ippoliti, Lance Cpl. Jon Olbrych and Lance Cpl. Frederick “Erik” Lohse returned last October from a tour of duty with C Company, 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment. All three are Marine Corps reservists.
A fourth Ridgefield High grad, Juan Ocampos, also serves in the unit. Lance Cpl. Ocampos recently moved to Danbury.
The Marines, the smallest of the branches serving in Iraq outside the Coast Guard, have the highest deployment rate of any of the combat branches in the U.S. military. Because of this, rumors swirled the corps might scrap the “4-to-1” system it uses to decide which units — or individual Marines — go overseas and which stay.
“We are going to do everything we can to adhere to our ‘4-to-1’ policy,” said a spokeswoman for Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES) in New Orleans. “We realize how important it is to our Marines that we have a uniform system of deployment.”
The 4-to-1 system means for every month a Marine serves on active duty, he or she receives four months of non-deployment status. The three Ridgefield reservists still attend monthly drill and summer annual training, but should not have to worry about redeploying to Iraq until at least 2010.
“That’s what we’re hearing,” Sgt Ippoliti said. “Of course, we’re still deployable if that’s what the corps decides, if something big happens or if someone volunteers to go.”
Dealing with the possibility
The possibility of a new deployment to Iraq is a fact of life for every reservist. Sgt. Ippoliti said he tries not to listen to the rumors that run around his unit.
“We all hear the scuttlebutt,” he said. “Really, it all comes down to what our commander says and what the corps needs. I don’t want to go back, but I would if we deployed again.”
Although he knows he would likely not return to combat for another three to four years, Sgt. Ippoliti said one unfortunate byproduct of the manner in which the Marines uses its reserve force is the fact others in his unit — new recruits especially — are quite literally on the deployment firing line.
“There are guys in my platoon who could go,” he said. “We have six or eight brand new guys — Marines that didn’t deploy — so yes, they could end up deploying if that’s what the corps decides.”
Piecemeal deployments
According to MARFORRES, when Operation Iraqi Freedom began, the Marines called up reservists in a somewhat piecemeal fashion.
“We had squads that deployed from one company while others didn’t,” the spokeswoman said. “We were taking bits and pieces to get our regular units up to full strength. That’s something we want to change and we’re working hard to change it, but it could still happen.”
The MARFORRES spokeswoman also said the corps was working hard “to make sure our reserve formation no longer deploy piecemeal. We want to keep the units together, but again, some realities might prevent that.”
The invasion of Iraq in 2003 was essentially a mechanized campaign, and the Marines used reservists to help fill out supply units and other formations that required drivers. When C Company deployed in 2006, the situation was different. The reservists went to Iraq as a straight infantry unit — 0311 in Marines parlance — even though the unit is supposedly one of the corps’ specialized Arctic warfare formations.
“I never did any Arctic training,” Sgt. Ippoliti said with a laugh. “I know on our Web site it says we’re ‘Arctic warriors,’ but there was no snow in Iraq.”
Lessons learned
A squad leader in the weapons platoon, Sgt. Ippoliti said his greatest task now is to pass on the experience he gained in Fallujah to the new members of his unit.
“About 30% of the company is new, so they have a lot to learn,” he said. “They never deployed, so they need to learn basically everything.”
Sgt. Ippoliti said the biggest lesson he tries to impart to new Marines is the importance of paying attention to detail.
“The war keeps changing week to week,” he said. “What was true when we were there probably isn’t true now. So what we have to do is pay attention to the details, to our training. There wasn’t a need for a machine gun to lay down suppressing fire at 600 meters when I was there. It was a 75- to 100-meter war, so we all have to work together and pay attention to detail.”
Although just 23, Sgt. Ippoliti is one of the older members of his platoon. He said most of the new recruits are 18 to 22 years old and despite his own relative youth, the Ridgefield High graduate is now one of the Marines his squad looks to for wisdom.
“It’s kind of a difficult situation for me and the other squad leaders,” he said. “We try to pass on all the advice we can. That’s really my mission now. In a squad, you really develop a tight-knit bond and knowing some of those guys could go over while we stay home is tough. Still, it’s my job to teach them what I learned and to get them to really use their training. It’s a big responsibility and I feel it.”
While his mind easily slips back into “Marine mode,” Sgt. Ippoliti right now is focused on something other than war. An economics and political science double major, he expects to finish his degree this December. He took a year off from school while serving in Iraq.
Although he said he isn’t quite sure of what he wants to do come January, he is sure of at least one thing.
“I will be glad I’m home.”
Ellie