thedrifter
03-26-09, 06:39 AM
MOUT training preps Marines for Afghanistan
Comments 0 | Recommend 6
March 25, 2009 - 5:29 PM
JENNIFER HLAD
Early spring in North Carolina is not quite as hot and dusty as summer in Afghanistan, but weather excluded, the Marines of Delta Company, 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion say the exercises they're doing now at an urban training facility at Camp Lejeune are about as close to the real thing as possible.
Delta Company will deploy to southern Afghanistan later this spring as part of Regimental Combat Team 3, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade. Only one member of the company has been to Afghanistan before, and commanders say it is crucial they get a feel for what things will be like in-country.
"You can only do so much with Power Points and reading," said Maj. Charles O'Neill, operations officer for 2nd AA Bn.
This week, the Marines are doing a certification exercise at a Military Operations in Urban Terrain facility at Camp Lejeune, practicing foot and vehicle patrols, checkpoints and other operations while interacting with Afghan role players.
Capt. Anthony Angelone, Delta Company commander, said the training directly relates to what the Marines will be doing in Afghanistan: searching vehicles, searching houses, interacting with the local population and providing security.
The role players are a key part of the training, Angelone said.
"In Afghanistan, it's a different fight," he said. The enemy is "more hardened ... more aggressive," the terrain is more difficult and the conditions are more austere.
Wednesday, Marines manned an entry control point as a role player dressed as an Afghan police officer drove up, revved his engine and yelled to Marines that his brother was killed the day before. The Marines worked with an interpreter to determine what the man was saying, search the man and keep an eye out for other threats.
Later, a small group of Marines patrolled a simulated city street on foot, using a military dog to look for bombs. As a few men crouched near a rusted out car, a simulated improvised explosive device exploded, "wounding" some of the Marines.
Cpl. John Samuel said the training throws situations at the Marines and lets them react.
"It's a lot of stuff that keeps you on your toes ... trying to make sure that you don't get relaxed, get complacent," he said. "You've always got to be thinking ahead, like what could be a place of danger."
The deployment will be Samuel's first, but he said he has learned from others who have deployed to Iraq and feels confident.
"The populace isn't the enemy," he said. "The enemy is hiding in with the populace."
The battalion may be taking a new type of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle, called the MaxxPro, with them when they deploy. MRAPs are armored vehicles designed to survive IEDs.
Cpl. Aaron Gostlingrant, an MRAP driver, said he has not driven the MaxxPro yet, but has been told it has some better features than the previous vehicle. He did not elaborate on which features have been improved.
"One of the most important things is (just) that we all get familiar with them, know how to use them" he said.
Contact interactive content editor and military reporter Jennifer Hlad at jhlad@freedomenc.com or 910-219-8467.
Ellie
Comments 0 | Recommend 6
March 25, 2009 - 5:29 PM
JENNIFER HLAD
Early spring in North Carolina is not quite as hot and dusty as summer in Afghanistan, but weather excluded, the Marines of Delta Company, 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion say the exercises they're doing now at an urban training facility at Camp Lejeune are about as close to the real thing as possible.
Delta Company will deploy to southern Afghanistan later this spring as part of Regimental Combat Team 3, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade. Only one member of the company has been to Afghanistan before, and commanders say it is crucial they get a feel for what things will be like in-country.
"You can only do so much with Power Points and reading," said Maj. Charles O'Neill, operations officer for 2nd AA Bn.
This week, the Marines are doing a certification exercise at a Military Operations in Urban Terrain facility at Camp Lejeune, practicing foot and vehicle patrols, checkpoints and other operations while interacting with Afghan role players.
Capt. Anthony Angelone, Delta Company commander, said the training directly relates to what the Marines will be doing in Afghanistan: searching vehicles, searching houses, interacting with the local population and providing security.
The role players are a key part of the training, Angelone said.
"In Afghanistan, it's a different fight," he said. The enemy is "more hardened ... more aggressive," the terrain is more difficult and the conditions are more austere.
Wednesday, Marines manned an entry control point as a role player dressed as an Afghan police officer drove up, revved his engine and yelled to Marines that his brother was killed the day before. The Marines worked with an interpreter to determine what the man was saying, search the man and keep an eye out for other threats.
Later, a small group of Marines patrolled a simulated city street on foot, using a military dog to look for bombs. As a few men crouched near a rusted out car, a simulated improvised explosive device exploded, "wounding" some of the Marines.
Cpl. John Samuel said the training throws situations at the Marines and lets them react.
"It's a lot of stuff that keeps you on your toes ... trying to make sure that you don't get relaxed, get complacent," he said. "You've always got to be thinking ahead, like what could be a place of danger."
The deployment will be Samuel's first, but he said he has learned from others who have deployed to Iraq and feels confident.
"The populace isn't the enemy," he said. "The enemy is hiding in with the populace."
The battalion may be taking a new type of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle, called the MaxxPro, with them when they deploy. MRAPs are armored vehicles designed to survive IEDs.
Cpl. Aaron Gostlingrant, an MRAP driver, said he has not driven the MaxxPro yet, but has been told it has some better features than the previous vehicle. He did not elaborate on which features have been improved.
"One of the most important things is (just) that we all get familiar with them, know how to use them" he said.
Contact interactive content editor and military reporter Jennifer Hlad at jhlad@freedomenc.com or 910-219-8467.
Ellie