thedrifter
11-20-08, 05:32 AM
1/8 Marines train for any environment
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November 19, 2008 - 6:32 PM
JENNIFER HLAD
Leading up to Lance Cpl. Sean McAskill's previous deployment with 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, the training was mainly focused on heavy combat in urban areas, he said. But the unit didn't see any heavy combat during its seven-month tour in Ramadi earlier this year, he said.
This time, the Marines are mixing it up - training for operations in open and rural terrain as well as in urban areas. This way, they said, they will be prepared whether they deploy to Iraq as currently planned, or to Afghanistan.
McAskill and other Marines from 1/8's Alpha Company spent Wednesday morning doing platoon-attack training - practicing attacking an entrenched enemy position using machine guns, rockets and mortars. The idea is to force the enemy to keep their heads down by shooting various weapons at them so the Marines can move in without taking fire, said 2nd Lt. Timothy Kudo, commander of Alpha Company's 3rd Platoon.
Later that afternoon, the Marines moved to Camp Lejeune's military operations in urban terrain (MOUT) facility to train with Iraqi role players in a city environment.
The unit is transitioning between the two types of training as they prepare for deployments, because the Marines need to be ready for combat in any environment, said 1st Lt. Nick Freeman, executive officer of 1/8's Alpha Company.
"Even if we go to Iraq, we need to be prepared to do this," Freeman said, referring to the training in the open field.
It isn't the first time the Marines have done the training as they get ready for an early spring deployment, and it won't be the last. But repeating the exercises is important to keep the skills "up to par," said Lance Cpl. Kyle Temple.
"These skills are perishable," he said.
The 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, recently deployed to Afghanistan as the ground combat element of a special-purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force replacing the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit and 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment. The unit had been training for a deployment to Iraq when they learned they would instead go to Afghanistan.
Top Marine leaders, including Commandant Gen. James Conway, have said they believe the Marine Corps should shift more forces to Afghanistan, but would need to reduce the troop levels in Iraq first.
Temple said he feels like the 1/8 deployment workup cycle has been more focused on the types of operations a unit might do in Afghanistan than in Iraq. Temple, like McAskill, returned from Ramadi in April with 1/8.
"It's always good to mix everything up," McAskill said. "It is good to train for whatever we could possibly go to."
Lance Cpl. Sean Haggard also will be going on his second deployment with 1/8. He said the training this week was "kind of a refresher course ... to keep our skills up."
But, Temple said, Wednesday was good because they didn't go through many dry runs before the live-fire exercise.
"In real life, there's no such thing as a dry run," he said.
Pfc. James Parmer is new to 1/8, and said the training was going well. While other Marines speculated on whether the unit will end up deploying to Iraq or Afghanistan, Parmer said he feels ready for both.
"Where we go," he said, "is where we go."
Contact interactive content editor and military reporter Jennifer Hlad at jhlad@freedomenc.com or 910-219-8467
Ellie
Comments | Recommend
November 19, 2008 - 6:32 PM
JENNIFER HLAD
Leading up to Lance Cpl. Sean McAskill's previous deployment with 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, the training was mainly focused on heavy combat in urban areas, he said. But the unit didn't see any heavy combat during its seven-month tour in Ramadi earlier this year, he said.
This time, the Marines are mixing it up - training for operations in open and rural terrain as well as in urban areas. This way, they said, they will be prepared whether they deploy to Iraq as currently planned, or to Afghanistan.
McAskill and other Marines from 1/8's Alpha Company spent Wednesday morning doing platoon-attack training - practicing attacking an entrenched enemy position using machine guns, rockets and mortars. The idea is to force the enemy to keep their heads down by shooting various weapons at them so the Marines can move in without taking fire, said 2nd Lt. Timothy Kudo, commander of Alpha Company's 3rd Platoon.
Later that afternoon, the Marines moved to Camp Lejeune's military operations in urban terrain (MOUT) facility to train with Iraqi role players in a city environment.
The unit is transitioning between the two types of training as they prepare for deployments, because the Marines need to be ready for combat in any environment, said 1st Lt. Nick Freeman, executive officer of 1/8's Alpha Company.
"Even if we go to Iraq, we need to be prepared to do this," Freeman said, referring to the training in the open field.
It isn't the first time the Marines have done the training as they get ready for an early spring deployment, and it won't be the last. But repeating the exercises is important to keep the skills "up to par," said Lance Cpl. Kyle Temple.
"These skills are perishable," he said.
The 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, recently deployed to Afghanistan as the ground combat element of a special-purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force replacing the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit and 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment. The unit had been training for a deployment to Iraq when they learned they would instead go to Afghanistan.
Top Marine leaders, including Commandant Gen. James Conway, have said they believe the Marine Corps should shift more forces to Afghanistan, but would need to reduce the troop levels in Iraq first.
Temple said he feels like the 1/8 deployment workup cycle has been more focused on the types of operations a unit might do in Afghanistan than in Iraq. Temple, like McAskill, returned from Ramadi in April with 1/8.
"It's always good to mix everything up," McAskill said. "It is good to train for whatever we could possibly go to."
Lance Cpl. Sean Haggard also will be going on his second deployment with 1/8. He said the training this week was "kind of a refresher course ... to keep our skills up."
But, Temple said, Wednesday was good because they didn't go through many dry runs before the live-fire exercise.
"In real life, there's no such thing as a dry run," he said.
Pfc. James Parmer is new to 1/8, and said the training was going well. While other Marines speculated on whether the unit will end up deploying to Iraq or Afghanistan, Parmer said he feels ready for both.
"Where we go," he said, "is where we go."
Contact interactive content editor and military reporter Jennifer Hlad at jhlad@freedomenc.com or 910-219-8467
Ellie