thedrifter
05-07-08, 07:40 AM
Quantico proves 'all Marines are riflemen'
Date published: 5/7/2008
By RUSTY DENNEN
About 200 Marines returned to Quantico yesterday after an unusual six-month deployment to Iraq.
Family, friends and fellow Marines greeted them at tents set up outside the Barber Physical Activity Center on base.
The unit--known as the Task Force National Capital Region--formed last year to supplement Marine infantry units, is unusual by Corps standards because of their typical duties here.
"The task force is a company-sized force composed of Marines from a wide variety of occupational specialities, from band members to administrators," said 1st Lt. Brian Donnelly, a spokesman at Quantico Marine Base. They all live in and around the Washington, D.C., area.
Prior to going overseas, they had 14 weeks of training in combat, patrol, protecting against explosive devices, and sniper attacks.
The marines served in Diyala Province, northeast of Baghdad, and Al Anbar Province, Iraq's largest province, which borders Saudi Arabia, Syria and Jordan.
Coalition forces in Diyala and Al Anbar have been targets of frequent insurgent attacks and bombings. Ten Iraqi soldiers were killed and 13 wounded in an attack on a checkpoint yesterday in Diyala.
Task force members provided security in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and all returned home safely.
Donnelly said the task force "was an ad-hoc unit formed specifically for this deployment and to my knowledge is the first unit headquartered at Quantico that has deployed to any conflict--certainly the first to deploy in support of the global war on terrorism."
That's because Quantico typically has no operational units to deploy.
Its mission is focused more on headquarters-level tasks such as developing future operating concepts, developing and procuring gear and weapons, and overseeing Marine Corps training programs.
"Their successful deployment and safe return reinforces our saying that all Marines are riflemen, regardless of their duties,"
Donnelly said.
Rusty Dennen: 540/374-5431
Email: rdennen@freelancestar.com
Date published: 5/7/2008
Ellie
Date published: 5/7/2008
By RUSTY DENNEN
About 200 Marines returned to Quantico yesterday after an unusual six-month deployment to Iraq.
Family, friends and fellow Marines greeted them at tents set up outside the Barber Physical Activity Center on base.
The unit--known as the Task Force National Capital Region--formed last year to supplement Marine infantry units, is unusual by Corps standards because of their typical duties here.
"The task force is a company-sized force composed of Marines from a wide variety of occupational specialities, from band members to administrators," said 1st Lt. Brian Donnelly, a spokesman at Quantico Marine Base. They all live in and around the Washington, D.C., area.
Prior to going overseas, they had 14 weeks of training in combat, patrol, protecting against explosive devices, and sniper attacks.
The marines served in Diyala Province, northeast of Baghdad, and Al Anbar Province, Iraq's largest province, which borders Saudi Arabia, Syria and Jordan.
Coalition forces in Diyala and Al Anbar have been targets of frequent insurgent attacks and bombings. Ten Iraqi soldiers were killed and 13 wounded in an attack on a checkpoint yesterday in Diyala.
Task force members provided security in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and all returned home safely.
Donnelly said the task force "was an ad-hoc unit formed specifically for this deployment and to my knowledge is the first unit headquartered at Quantico that has deployed to any conflict--certainly the first to deploy in support of the global war on terrorism."
That's because Quantico typically has no operational units to deploy.
Its mission is focused more on headquarters-level tasks such as developing future operating concepts, developing and procuring gear and weapons, and overseeing Marine Corps training programs.
"Their successful deployment and safe return reinforces our saying that all Marines are riflemen, regardless of their duties,"
Donnelly said.
Rusty Dennen: 540/374-5431
Email: rdennen@freelancestar.com
Date published: 5/7/2008
Ellie