thedrifter
05-02-06, 11:43 AM
May 08, 2006 <br />
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Marine News Briefs <br />
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Stuffed coyote a lifesaver? <br />
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A coyote that had become a fixture in Jefferson City, Mo., was turned over to the Army to be killed, stuffed and used to give...
thedrifter
05-02-06, 11:44 AM
May 08, 2006 <br />
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News Breaks <br />
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Former Marine sentenced in robbery case <br />
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A former Marine was sentenced in an Okinawa court April 26 to two years and 10 months of hard labor in a Japanese prison for...
thedrifter
05-02-06, 11:46 AM
May 08, 2006
Around the Corps
Compiled from military and other public sources.
Iraq
Maturing Iraqi unit captures insurgents
Iraqi Army soldiers recently nabbed four enemy fighters in Anbar province, Iraq, during Operation Bani Da Har, an April 26 Marine Corps news release said.
The operation, which took place in the town of 3,000 nestled along the Euphrates River, was the fourth fully independent operation Iraqi soldiers have conducted since February.
According to Lt. Col. Owen Lovejoy, 42, the senior adviser with the Military Transition Team, the soldiers’ recent accomplishments lead him to believe they will be capable of independent operations in western Anbar province on schedule.
The soldiers, with 2nd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 7th Iraqi Army Division, have matured in both their skills and confidence.
“We are sending a message to the insurgents,” said Ahmed, an Iraqi soldier involved in the capture of the four insurgents. “There is a new sheriff in town.”
Marines catch two high-value fighters
Leathernecks with 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, captured two enemy fighters April 20 during a night raid in Garmah, Iraq, a Marine Corps news release said.
According to the release, the Marines launched the raid to capture a known supplier of roadside bomb materials. They picked up another target, as well.
“We detained five military-age males — two of which were high-value targets,” said Capt. Wilson Hopkins III, a company commander with the battalion.
A group of Iraqi soldiers accompanied the Marines on the raid, the release said.
Japan
Troops tackle jungle training
Leathernecks with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit’s Battalion Landing Team 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, wrapped up a week of jungle training on Okinawa, Japan, on April 24, a Marine Corps news release said.
According to Staff Sgt. Jason Drobish, the operations officer for the island’s Jungle Warfare Training Center, the training focused on jungle survival skills, with a demanding endurance course at the end of the week.
The endurance course is designed to test and build teamwork in harsh jungle terrain, Drobish said.
South Carolina
Afghan soldiers visit recruit depot
Members of the Afghan National Army visited Marine boot camp to observe the training responsible for the transformation of civilian to Marine.
The high-ranking Afghan soldiers, three officers and three enlisted, observed recruits going through the Crucible at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., with the hope of taking some of the techniques they observed home.
This is the second visit to the U.S. by Afghan soldiers, who have worked with the Corps’ Embedded Training Teams in Afghanistan.
The trip’s itinerary includes visits to the Corps’ training facilities on the East Coast, including Camp Lejeune, N.C., and Quantico, Va.
According to Afghan Col. Shamsurahman Shams, his recruits receive no additional military training upon completion of their 11-week boot camp. He told the Associated Press he hoped to change that.
Squadrons deploy with Enterprise
Two Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C.-based F/A-18 Hornet squadrons were scheduled to leave April 30 for a six-month deployment aboard the aircraft carrier Enterprise.
According to an April 27 Marine Corps press release, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 251 and Navy Strike Fighter Squadron 86 will conduct missions in the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf.
Ellie