Hundreds Of Armed Marines Invade Jones County

[thedrifter]

Hundreds Of Armed Marines Invade Jones County
Posted: 5:15 PM Jan 30, 2007
Last Updated: 8:58 PM Jan 30, 2007
WITN 7 North Carolina

Hundreds of armed Marines, patrolled their streets, staked out backyards, even Invaded a medical center Tuesday. It's all part of civil affairs training for 250 Marines from the 5th Battalion 10th Regiment out of Camp Lejeune. Marines that descended upon Jones County simulated what it may be like in Iraq, working with the Iraqi people, transitioning them into their new government. They spent the day talking to government officials, visiting restaurants just getting a feel for how a typical city is run. The 250 Marines will be visiting Maysville, Trenton and Pollocksville all week as they continue their training. They will deploy to Iraq in the coming months, for one year.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marines invading Jones County
January 29,2007
CHRISSY VICK
Daily News Staff

The ongoing training for one Camp Lejeune civil affairs unit is about to get more realistic.

Around 210 Marines and sailors from 5th Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division will be hitting the streets of Maysville, Pollocksville and Trenton to conduct a training exercise - the first of its scope in the area, according to Maj. Andrew L. Dietz, commander of Civil Affairs Detachment 3 of 5/10.

The training will be conducted Monday through Thursday with convoys of four to five humvees manned by around 20 Marines. The vehicles will be traveling with turret-mounted weapon systems to "simulate the environment in which they will work while deployed" to Iraq, according to a press release.

The battalion is schedule to deploy to Iraq sometime in March.

"We have conducted extensive civil affairs training evolutions aboard Camp Lejeune, but this training will give us an element that is simply too difficult to simulate, namely interaction with a genuine civilian population," Dietz said.

Going into an actual community will allow Marines to engage local leadership and government officials while interacting with the daily life in a civilian community, he said. Marines will then put that into action when they deploy.

Once in Iraq, the battalion will be involved in the transition of security, governance and economic functions from coalition-led operations to the Iraqi government, Dietz said. A key part of that transition will be the battalion's link between the general population and the government.

The training is the final leg of 5/10's transition from its normal artillery mission to that of a civil-military operational force.

"There are many similarities between this training and what we will be doing in Iraq," Dietz said. "We will be doing the same engagement with the local population, assessing various aspects of the local infrastructure and identifying how a civilian community operates."

Residents of Maysville, Pollocksville and Trenton are encouraged to "live life as normal" while the Marines are around.

"They shouldn't adjust their habits or do anything different just because we are there," Dietz said.

If approached by a Marine, locals shouldn't feel "threatened or alarmed" as Marines are just trying to interact with the community. In turn, residents are encouraged to approach Marines and ask them questions.

"The convoy vehicles will be adhering to all local traffic signs and laws like any other on the road," Dietz said. "People acting as they would on any given day are exactly the conditions that will help make this training exercise a success."

Contact staff writer Chrissy Vick at cvick@freedomenc.com or by calling 353-1171, ext. 239.