Article ran : 06/29/2003
2nd MEB commander describes the differences with deployment in Iraq
By ERIC STEINKOPFF
DAILY NEWS STAFF
Most of the 7,000-member 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade is home from Operation Iraqi Freedom, but not without some losses.

They lost 20 Marines during the battle at An Nasiriyah and as many as 10 more in accidents during their five month deployment.

"It was harder than a normal (Marine expeditionary unit) deployment," said 2nd MEB commander Brig. Gen. Rich Natonski. "With a MEU, you're going for about six months and you don't know if you're going to war. We knew that we were going into combat, which made it that much harder for the families back home."

"The biggest regret was that not everyone came back," Natonski said. "I would ask for your prayers for the Marines and their families."

The 2nd MEB officially formed as a unit on January 9, and six days later they were gone. Fortunately, the 2nd Marine Regiment and Marine Aircraft Group 29 had recently trained on desert ranges at Twentynine Palms, Calif., and they continued to practice their trade during the monthlong float to the Middle East and for another month in Kuwait before the war started.

The uncertainty they call the fog of war is a way of life.

They did not know if they would face biological or chemical weapons, so they wore their protective suits through much of the drive north. And there were cases of "friendly fire" in which U.S. or allied forces fired upon each other.

"We didn't know how long we'd be there or what we would face," Natonski said. "There were instances of what we call blue on blue (fratricide), some of which are still under investigation such as an A-10 in An Nasiriyah. We could always use better ways to tell good guys from the bad."

Simple things like cleanliness was a major challenge in such Spartan conditions.

"In order to stay healthy, you have to stay clean," Natonski said. "It was dusty and windy. The helicopters went through engines more often because they sucked up sand, and the laptop computers had a tendency to burn up when they are covered by dust."

It was a never-ending challenge, something that took time out of nearly every day.

"The vehicle filters and weapons had to be cleaned daily," Natonski said. "The weapons were probably cleaner than we were."

The embedded reporter program was successful because the stories were published as they happened, Natonski said.

Although the major combat has been declared over, Iraq is still a dangerous place to be an American.

"Now they are facing isolated packets of Ba'ath Party Fedayeen loyal to Sadam Hussein," Natonski said. "We can be the Iraqis' best friends, but if they cross us, their worst enemies."


Contact Eric Steinkopff at esteinkopff@jdnews.com or at 353-1171, Ext. 236.



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Sempers,

Roger