thedrifter
09-13-08, 05:32 AM
Troops running as one
22nd MEU now working together
September 13, 2008 - 12:42AM
JENNIFER HLAD
Four separate units came together Friday to form a Marine Air Ground Task Force. Then they all went for a run.
The Marines and sailors of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit - more than 1,200 of them - ran down Julian C. Smith Boulevard together at 7 Friday morning, signifying the first time Battalion Landing Team 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment; Combat Logistics Battalion 22; Marine Medium Tilt rotor Squadron-263 and the 22nd MEU command element worked as one unit.
"As of this morning, we are a unit. We are 22nd MEU," said MEU commander Col. Gary Brandl.
The run combined the elements of a mission - planning, discipline, coordination, sacrifice - and also served as a team-building exercise, giving the Marines a look at their new combined unit, Brandl said.
"What we just accomplished is the first of several successful evolutions as a MEU," he told the Marines after the run. "We are going to make the next chapter in 22nd MEU history."
Each part of the MEU is crucial in forming a Marine Air Ground Task Force, "stronger as a whole than its individual parts," Brandl said. The subordinate elements each detached from their parent units to attach to the MEU.
"This is truly a seminal moment for the battalion," said Battalion Landing Team 3/2 commander Lt. Col. Rob Fulford.
Many of the infantry Marines have returned from Iraq deployments within the past four or five months. The battalion has been getting new people and new equipment in preparation for joining the MEU, he said.
"I think it resonates with the young Marines" to see the entire MEU running together, Fulford said.
Many of the Marines and sailors of Combat Logistics Battalion 22 returned in February or late January from Iraq deployments, and they are excited to attach to the MEU, said CLB commander Lt. Col. Gary Keim.
"They've worked all summer for this," he said.
The Marines and sailors of VMM-263, the MEU's air combat element, returned from Iraq in April and also are looking forward to being a part of the MEU, said ACE commander Lt. Col. Paul Ryan. The squadron was the first Osprey unit to deploy to Iraq and will be the first to deploy with a MEU.
Ryan called the run "a training endeavor," the first of many.
"This is a real big day - one of many to come," he said.
The MEU will now begin a six-month training cycle in preparation for a six-month deployment, likely at sea. Sgt. Maj. Thomas Hall, sergeant major of the 22nd MEU, told the Marines they will train to be "amphibious warriors."
"We have to be prepared to do a lot of things other than just killing the enemy," he said.
Sgt. Steven Ruddle, platoon sergeant for 1st Platoon, Kilo Company, BLT 3/2, has deployed to Iraq twice.
"It is nice to be a part of something different," he said.
The run was a chance for the Marines to see "we're bringing it together for one cause," he said. "It allows you to see the bigger picture."
Sgt. Amanda Dunn, who works in aviation electronics for VMM-263, called the run "very motivating."
The music piped over loud speakers at the start and finish added a nice touch, she said.
"It felt good to be with such a large group of Marines, working for one thing, one run," Dunn said.
After being the first Osprey squadron to deploy to Iraq, Dunn said they also wanted to be the first to deploy with a MEU.
"We really proved ourselves in Iraq," she said. "We're so excited."
Contact interactive content editor and military reporter Jennifer Hlad at 910-219-8467. Visit www.jdnews.com to comment on this report.
Ellie
22nd MEU now working together
September 13, 2008 - 12:42AM
JENNIFER HLAD
Four separate units came together Friday to form a Marine Air Ground Task Force. Then they all went for a run.
The Marines and sailors of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit - more than 1,200 of them - ran down Julian C. Smith Boulevard together at 7 Friday morning, signifying the first time Battalion Landing Team 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment; Combat Logistics Battalion 22; Marine Medium Tilt rotor Squadron-263 and the 22nd MEU command element worked as one unit.
"As of this morning, we are a unit. We are 22nd MEU," said MEU commander Col. Gary Brandl.
The run combined the elements of a mission - planning, discipline, coordination, sacrifice - and also served as a team-building exercise, giving the Marines a look at their new combined unit, Brandl said.
"What we just accomplished is the first of several successful evolutions as a MEU," he told the Marines after the run. "We are going to make the next chapter in 22nd MEU history."
Each part of the MEU is crucial in forming a Marine Air Ground Task Force, "stronger as a whole than its individual parts," Brandl said. The subordinate elements each detached from their parent units to attach to the MEU.
"This is truly a seminal moment for the battalion," said Battalion Landing Team 3/2 commander Lt. Col. Rob Fulford.
Many of the infantry Marines have returned from Iraq deployments within the past four or five months. The battalion has been getting new people and new equipment in preparation for joining the MEU, he said.
"I think it resonates with the young Marines" to see the entire MEU running together, Fulford said.
Many of the Marines and sailors of Combat Logistics Battalion 22 returned in February or late January from Iraq deployments, and they are excited to attach to the MEU, said CLB commander Lt. Col. Gary Keim.
"They've worked all summer for this," he said.
The Marines and sailors of VMM-263, the MEU's air combat element, returned from Iraq in April and also are looking forward to being a part of the MEU, said ACE commander Lt. Col. Paul Ryan. The squadron was the first Osprey unit to deploy to Iraq and will be the first to deploy with a MEU.
Ryan called the run "a training endeavor," the first of many.
"This is a real big day - one of many to come," he said.
The MEU will now begin a six-month training cycle in preparation for a six-month deployment, likely at sea. Sgt. Maj. Thomas Hall, sergeant major of the 22nd MEU, told the Marines they will train to be "amphibious warriors."
"We have to be prepared to do a lot of things other than just killing the enemy," he said.
Sgt. Steven Ruddle, platoon sergeant for 1st Platoon, Kilo Company, BLT 3/2, has deployed to Iraq twice.
"It is nice to be a part of something different," he said.
The run was a chance for the Marines to see "we're bringing it together for one cause," he said. "It allows you to see the bigger picture."
Sgt. Amanda Dunn, who works in aviation electronics for VMM-263, called the run "very motivating."
The music piped over loud speakers at the start and finish added a nice touch, she said.
"It felt good to be with such a large group of Marines, working for one thing, one run," Dunn said.
After being the first Osprey squadron to deploy to Iraq, Dunn said they also wanted to be the first to deploy with a MEU.
"We really proved ourselves in Iraq," she said. "We're so excited."
Contact interactive content editor and military reporter Jennifer Hlad at 910-219-8467. Visit www.jdnews.com to comment on this report.
Ellie