|
I MEF senior leaders visit Marines in Ramadi
It was early in the afternoon in Ar Ramadi,
Iraq, but a few stars were out for the Marines
of 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment.
The senior leaders of I
Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) stopped
by Camp Hurricane Point on Feb. 2, to visit
with the Marines and talk about pertinent
issues to their deployment.
Major Gen. Richard C. Zilmer,
commanding general of I MEF (Forward); Sgt.
Major Thomas H. Howard, sergeant major of
I MEF (Forward); and Master Chief Petty
Officer James E. Walker, command master
chief of I MEF (Forward), each took time
to speak to the Marines available to attend.
Each senior leader began
their speeches by expressing their appreciation
for the efforts of the Marines in the battalion.
The battalion’s performance
thus far has been seen as impressive by
the leaders of I MEF.
“Across the board
this battalion has performed well above
expectations,” said Sgt. Major Howard,
who also carried a message of “job
well done” from Sgt. Major John L.
Estrada, sergeant major of the Marine Corps,
and Sgt. Major Carlton Kent, who is selected
to be the 16th sergeant major of the Marine
Corps.
While the sergeant major
and command master chief focused mainly
on their appreciation and admiration for
the Marines and sailors, Maj. Gen. Zilmer
delved into operations in the province and
the battalion’s effect on them...Read
More
|
Catching bad guys no joke for “Joker”
Golf Company Marines from the California-based
Battalion Landing Team 2/4, were
responsible for the capture of a
highly sought after individual in
the Barwanah area.
Golf
Company, call sign Joker, received
word to be on the lookout for a
known high valued individual (HVI).
It was only minutes after receiving
a picture of him that he was caught.
The capture was not made during
house-to-house fighting or after
a long exhausting city-wide search
but while he was attempting to enter
through the pedestrian entry control
point in Northern Barwanah.
According
to Capt Clinton L. Robins, company
commander for Golf Company, the
HVI was responsible for recent mortar
attacks against the entry control
point, attacks against Fox Company,
BLT 2/3, an adjacent unit also operating
in the area, and was loosely involved
in improvised explosive device attacks
against Golf Company in the opening
days of operations in Barwanah in
early December.
“We
believe [he] is the leader of the
indirect fire cell here in Barwanah.
We haven’t had a mortar attack
since he’s been detained in
our area of operations at lease
in Barwanah,” said Robins,
a Mill Creek, Okla., native.
It
is unknown how many times he had
moved in and out of the ECP, Robins
said. Having a very passable fake
identification card enabled him
to pass through the city at will.
Once there was a face to put with
the name, his time was up, he said.
“He
was carrying a fake ID, a very good
fake ID and if we didn’t have
his picture we never would have
caught him,” said Robins.
Needless
to say, Robins was quite surprised
his Marines caught the suspect as
quickly as they did.
“I
thought it was going to be a dry
hole—a false alarm, but it
was the guy,” exclaimed Robins.
“There was no doubt in our
mind that he was the guy in the
picture.”...Read
More
|
|
|
Back
to top |
Battalion commander discusses future of Haditha
The commanding
officer of the Hawaii-based 2nd Battalion,
3rd Marine Regiment headquartered in Haditha
met with top Iraqi Police officials and
community leaders in a town hall meeting
to discuss the future of this Euphrates
River city, Jan. 25, 2007.
The meeting was open
for any topic of discussion and gave the
Haditha community leaders a chance to air
concerns and ask questions concerning Iraq’s
national government and Haditha’s
local security.
Much of the meeting
was focused on the local ramifications of
President George W. Bush’s new plan
for the future of coalition forces throughout
Iraq. In the President’s plan, 4000
more Marines will be sent to Al Anbar Province.
“Our troops
will have a well defined mission; to help
Iraqis clear and secure neighborhoods, to
help them protect the local population,
and to help ensure that the Iraqi Forces
left behind are capable of providing security,”
said the President in a speech from the
White House, Jan. 10, 2007.
More than 20 Sheikhs
and community leaders attended the meeting
and commented on many issues ranging from
the President’s new strategy, current
vehicular bans inside the city, current
and future city construction projects and
what their role will be in Iraq’s
national government.
“One gentleman
stood up and pretty articulately identified
the plight of the Sunni Arabs (who make
up the vast majority of the population in
this region),” said Lt. Col. James
Donnellan, 2nd Battalion Commanding Officer.
The gentleman
(who asked not to be identified) expressed
that the Sunni Arabs are the minority and
believe the central government is heavily
influenced by Iranian and Shiite specific
interests...Read
More
|
