Deployments

[marinepooly1361]

To any Marines who have been deployed recently, not only in Iraq, but anywhere, what is it like? I know your out in the field, but how does it compare to being in the fleet?

PT, Libo (if you even get any), etc etc

[imout]

Well for me in Iraq we went out to the field for 7to21 days depending on missions etc. then we would go to the rear for 3 to 6 days. PT in the rear is allowed but your usually to tired to do it and you cant wear earphones. Your main source of PT are your 4 to 6 hour long foot patrols.You dont get libo just days off to do whatever but the day before isnt a day off due to order reports, weapons maintaince, and all other planning. Also on your days off you will do ranges and working parties so your 3 to 6 days off turn into 1 to 3 days off. If your at a flak and kevlar camp you wont be doing any PT enless your nuts. I was an 03 and this is how it was both times to Iraq.

[marinepooly1361]

What do you mean by in the rear?
Im guessin like, not the front lines?

[Echo_Four_Bravo]

The rear would be the base. Iraq is a 360 degree war- no area is really away from the front lines like it was in World War II or something.

[SpartanMullet]

plan on being bored a lot and playing a lot of cards!

[WalkingMan]

To any Marines who have been deployed recently, not only in Iraq, but anywhere, what is it like? I know your out in the field, but how does it compare to being in the fleet?

PT, Libo (if you even get any), etc etc

I wasn't deployed recently, but I can describe my deployment in Viet Nam.

I was deployed to Bravo 1/3 within a week of arriving in-country, and I spent the next year in the bush, with Bravo 1/3, walking patrols, running ambushes, and participating in various operations. I did not see 'The Rear' ...Dong Ha... again until I went on R&R, which was so near the end of my tour that I never returned to the bush.

While in the bush, with Bravo 1/3 we did do, if I remember correctly, three stints standing hole watch (perimeter duty) at Con Tien, Khe Gio Bridge, and LZ Rockpile, which was sort of nice because we got to stay in one place for a few days each, but in my estimation, these three OP's were still bush country, but without the relative safety-in-invisibility we enjoyed while snooping and pooping, because we were defending fixed positions, which are known rocket-attractors.

The hot meals at the LZ's were nice, and it was nice being able to do things like talk, and smoke, but personally, I preferred the invisibility and forced silence of the jungle. In that element, it was just us, and the NVA, hunting each other, with no civilians around to muddy things up, and the NVA were, for the most part, considerably more afraid of us, than we were of them.

Captain Sampson, our Skipper, may he rest in peace, trained us well... a True Warrior if I ever met one.

[WalkingMan]

You can run..... But you'll die tired.

The complete quote is:

"You might as well stand and fight because if you run, you will only die tired." -- Vern Jocque

Actually, I still run five miles every morning (except Sunday), and running does not make a person tired, once they are trained well, to run. Instead, it makes the person or persons pursuing them tired, unless those people have trained themselves equally well, in the art of running.

This is something worth incorporating into one's bag-of-tricks... getting them to chase you until they are near-dead on their feet, and you, still bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and ready to attack your exhausted enemy.