thedrifter
10-25-07, 05:35 AM
Marines march in to train
By KYLE TAYLOR
Register & Bee staff writer
Thursday, October 25, 2007
If you see a group of U.S. Marines raiding a house full of terrorists in the next couple of weeks, fear not - it’s merely a part of their training.
The Marine Corps’ realistic urban training is aimed at preparing the Marines for real-life situations that they will encounter in combat.
From Sunday through Nov. 11, nearly 2,000 Marines will be conducting training exercises in Martinsville, Danville, Chatham, South Boston, Crewe and Fork Union. They will be based at Fort Pickett until Nov. 12.
“Our aim in south central Virginia is to expose our Marines to realistic scenarios in an actual urban community, thereby reducing what we call environmental stress,” U.S. Marine Col. Peter Petronzio said in a written statement. “We simply cannot replicate those conditions aboard our home base.”
Capt. Kelly Frushour, public affairs officer for the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, echoed the colonel’s statement, saying that many things that ordinary citizens take for granted play a great role in the training.
“It’s really hard to replicate the unknown in a place that they’re so familiar with,” Frushour said. “There are so many things about training off base that is valuable. Power lines, traffic lights - these are things that we don’t have on base that the Marines have to get used to.”
The realistic urban training falls under the six-month pre-deployment training program that the Marines are undergoing. Through the program, they will be trained to conduct a variety of missions that they may be called upon to perform, including non-combatant evacuation operations and raids.
While in the Southside area, the Marines will perform surveillance and reconnaissance on houses that will be occupied by mock terrorists, and then raid the home.
Marines will be responsible for locating the fake Al-Qaeda terrorists, and intercepting any of their phone calls and letters.
Because they want to keep the Marines in the dark, Frushour would not disclose when and where specific raids will be taking place.
Frushour said that residents can expect to see military vehicles on the road and in the air, and that any residents who live in proximity to any of the selected training sites will be notified in advance of the mock raids. The captain said the Marine Corps also has coordinated its plans with local authorities.
The buildings that will be used are abandoned, Frushour added, and the Marines and Al-Qaeda role players will be using paint guns instead of bullets.
Frushour said that the raids will not disrupt normal activities in the participating areas.
Contact Kyle Taylor at ktaylor@registerbee.com or at (434) 791-7987.
Ellie
By KYLE TAYLOR
Register & Bee staff writer
Thursday, October 25, 2007
If you see a group of U.S. Marines raiding a house full of terrorists in the next couple of weeks, fear not - it’s merely a part of their training.
The Marine Corps’ realistic urban training is aimed at preparing the Marines for real-life situations that they will encounter in combat.
From Sunday through Nov. 11, nearly 2,000 Marines will be conducting training exercises in Martinsville, Danville, Chatham, South Boston, Crewe and Fork Union. They will be based at Fort Pickett until Nov. 12.
“Our aim in south central Virginia is to expose our Marines to realistic scenarios in an actual urban community, thereby reducing what we call environmental stress,” U.S. Marine Col. Peter Petronzio said in a written statement. “We simply cannot replicate those conditions aboard our home base.”
Capt. Kelly Frushour, public affairs officer for the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, echoed the colonel’s statement, saying that many things that ordinary citizens take for granted play a great role in the training.
“It’s really hard to replicate the unknown in a place that they’re so familiar with,” Frushour said. “There are so many things about training off base that is valuable. Power lines, traffic lights - these are things that we don’t have on base that the Marines have to get used to.”
The realistic urban training falls under the six-month pre-deployment training program that the Marines are undergoing. Through the program, they will be trained to conduct a variety of missions that they may be called upon to perform, including non-combatant evacuation operations and raids.
While in the Southside area, the Marines will perform surveillance and reconnaissance on houses that will be occupied by mock terrorists, and then raid the home.
Marines will be responsible for locating the fake Al-Qaeda terrorists, and intercepting any of their phone calls and letters.
Because they want to keep the Marines in the dark, Frushour would not disclose when and where specific raids will be taking place.
Frushour said that residents can expect to see military vehicles on the road and in the air, and that any residents who live in proximity to any of the selected training sites will be notified in advance of the mock raids. The captain said the Marine Corps also has coordinated its plans with local authorities.
The buildings that will be used are abandoned, Frushour added, and the Marines and Al-Qaeda role players will be using paint guns instead of bullets.
Frushour said that the raids will not disrupt normal activities in the participating areas.
Contact Kyle Taylor at ktaylor@registerbee.com or at (434) 791-7987.
Ellie