Intense test for war

JAMIE C. RUFF TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Published: January 16, 2009

BLACKSTONE Marines flank both sides of the amphibious assault vehicle as it rolls through town in the fictitious Middle Eastern nation of Mica.

Two apparently friendly women step from a building and speak. A little farther down, a man waves with one hand, momentarily keeping the other in his pocket before slowly pulling it out.

He has the full attention of the armed U.S. Marines.

Suddenly, a deafening explosion shatters the calm. A civilian -- the civilians in this exercise at Fort Pickett are portrayed by native Iraqis -- is lying on the ground wounded, and a Navy corpsman is tending to him.

Marines take away a man they suspect was involved in the explosion.

Just then, a local sheik steps forward, asking questions and demanding answers.

And around the corner -- to the surprise of most of the Marines -- they are about to be ambushed. The sound of an AK-47 assault rifle will send them scurrying for cover against the walls of the surrounding buildings.

"We're putting the stress level up on them now," said Capt. Clark D. Carpenter, a spokesman for the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, deployed here from Camp Lejeune, N.C., for a two-week intensive urban-training exercise.

This transition from interacting with the residents of a war-torn nation to reacting against attackers is called "turning the dial."

"It's very difficult to go from one block where you're being shot at to the other block where you're dealing with a sheik and helping him with what he has to do," Carpenter said.

About 1,900 of the unit's 2,300 Marines and sailors are participating in the exercise, which includes the metropolitan Richmond area and a wide swath of rural Southside Virginia.

The exercise started last Friday and is scheduled to conclude Jan. 24. The training is done in anticipation of the troops' spring deployment. Their destination has not been announced.

Second Lt. Phillip Skillman said being at Fort Pickett forces the Marines out of their comfort zone and away from the familiar facilities of Camp Lejeune.

"They have to get a little more focus, instead of being at home," he said.

Lance Cpl. Timothy Glaze, from Manassas, agreed, noting that "coming to Fort Pickett gives us an opportunity to do a lot of good training."

Lt. Col. Paul Ryan, who is in charge of the unit's air squadron, said landing near schools and high-tension power lines is a rare opportunity.

"It's been eye-opening to be able to get out and work around that kind of stuff," he said.

Ryan said he knows some residents have been bothered by the noise, but he said the Marines have made every effort to minimize the impact of the exercise on the community.

"We've blown a few [trash cans] over," said Capt. Justin McKenney, pilot of a tilt-rotor V-22 Osprey, an aircraft that can take off and land in confined spaces. "We picked them up."


Contact Jamie C. Ruff at (434) 223-3678 or jruff@timesdispatch.com

Ellie