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thedrifter
09-05-07, 04:42 PM
150 Marine reservists in D.M. ordered to Iraq
By WILLIAM PETROSKI
REGISTER STAFF WRITER

September 5, 2007

About 150 Marine reservists based in Des Moines have been ordered to report for duty in Iraq, a Marine spokesman said today.

The Marines are members of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, of Fort Des Moines, which was previously sent to Iraq in 2004, said Maj. Phil Farr.

The reservists will report on Sept. 10 for mobilization processing at Camp Dodge in Johnston and will leave a week later for three months of intensive training in California, he said.

The Marine reservists include college students, professionals and men from other walks of life who reside in Iowa and surrounding states, Farr said. They are expected to be deployed to Iraq early next year for seven to eight months of duty, he said. Their exact mission there hasn’t been announced, he said. Five Navy sailors trained as medical corpsmen will be deployed with the Marines.

Company E is a rifle company that was deployed in 1990-1991 in support of Operation Desert/Operation Desert Storm. Farr estimated that about 40 percent of the company’s current Marines served with the unit during its first tour in Iraq in 2004. None of those Iowa Marines died during the first tour, although some were wounded, he said.

Ellie