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thedrifter
08-28-07, 11:24 AM
Marines undergo training at JRTC
By KELLY MOORE/Staff Writer
Published: Tuesday, August 28, 2007 8:23 AM CDT

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Reserve Marine Corps soldiers from Mississippi have been spending their time training at Fort Polk in preparation for their deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Pictured are soldiers as they search for IED’s as they make their way through a convoy operation lane. (Leader photo by KELLY MOORE.)

FORT POLK - With the Global War on Terror continuing and with no apparent end in sight, soldiers from throughout the nation continue to train in preparation for deployment at the Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk. The latest group contains members of the Marine Corps from Mississippi.

The JRTC is one of only two joint training centers in the nation and has been credited with training thousands of soldiers as they prepare to head into the fight for freedom.

Corp. Reese May, 23 of Hattiesburg, Miss., said that the training that they receive at Fort Polk is invaluable.


The genuineness of the training is one of the key elements to the JRTC's success and is a credit to the ongoing and relevant digestion and adaptation of information garnered by soldiers who are currently deployed and of leaders for their vision to ensure that the best possible training is provided to all soldiers.

While the Marine Reservists were training at JRTC they focused their attention on recognizing Improvised Explosive Devices, locating and securing IED caches and convoy operations.

May has been deployed before and confirmed that the training they are seeing at JRTC is as realistic as possible and that all of the simulations thrown their way are incredibly realistic.



“This is real good training here. They make it their job to make sure that what we are facing is what we will see once we get to Iraq,” May said.

May said that he had been deployed before and that during his first deployment he and his fellow soldiers encountered several IEDs but that they remained safe.

“It was never anything too serious, but they would definitely ring your ears,” he said.



Lt. Col. Eric Conrad explained that explosive devices are the biggest cause of casualties in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Conrad also said that IEDs can be made out of anything.

“They will use whatever is handy, what we are training soldiers is to look out for things that seem out of the ordinary. If you see a MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) laying on the ground, don't pick it up,” Conrad said.

Though IEDs are being used more and more often the technology still remains the same.

The nature of the War in Iraq is ever changing and leaders of today's Army and the leaders at JRTC and Fort Polk actively pursue to bring the best training and instruction for the soldiers as they prepare to deploy.

Ellie