thedrifter
09-26-06, 08:14 AM
Marines practice for combat in Iraq
September 26,2006
CHRIS MAZZOLINI
daily news staffAn Iraqi gestures and shouts out the window of his black pickup, the truck creeping up the road toward a squad of Marines hunkered behind a ruined car. An Iraqi soldier working with the Marines attempts to translate.
The truck keeps moving forward. The Marines, their rifles trained on the vehicle, are having none of it.
“We already gave him a warning shot,” a Marine yells to his comrades behind him. “If he keeps coming, give him a mobility kill.”
These Marines, taking part in a training scenario Monday at Camp Lejeune’s military operations in urban terrain (MOUT) town are facing a situation they will most likely encounter when they deploy to Iraq. It’s a scenario they have repeated countless times in previous exercises and in their heads.
It’s different this time. Now, the man in the truck is actually an Iraqi speaking a language the Marines don’t understand. Building signs are written Arabic. Calls to prayer echo through the streets. Blasts from improvised explosive devices and pops of sniper fire fill the air.
It’s part of the Marine Corps’ goal to make training as lifelike as possible before sending units into harm’s way.
“It puts a bit of realism with it,” said Capt. Brad Carr, commander of Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines. “It’s very difficult to replicate (war). The ability to actually incorporate interaction with Iraqis and Iraqi culture into training is a huge aspect. It’s about as real as you can get around here.”
That realism starts with having more than 50 Iraqis — many former soldiers — role play as insurgents, Iraqi soldiers, police or common civilians. They were spread out about MOUT town, sitting at tables and eating, playing dominoes, listening to music.
Waiting for the Marines to come through on patrol.
“It helps the guys going on their first deployment,” said Cpl. Chris Martin, a 22-year-old with Kilo Company from Maryville, Tenn., who is training for his second deployment to Iraq. “It would have helped me a lot. When I first went over there I didn’t know what to expect. Every Marine needs to be able to communicate with other Marines and our Iraqi counterparts.”
During his first deployment, Martin’s unit operated with Iraqi soldiers. Despite the language classes and other cultural training, it took Martin a long time to be able to communicate and operate effectively with those soldiers.
“It wasn’t enough at that time,” he said.
But this training is giving Marines like Kilo’s Cpl. David Arrendt, 21, of Port Washington, Wis., who is preparing for his first deployment to Iraq, an opportunity to not only see actual Iraqis, but to learn about them before they encounter them on a hostile street in an alien country. To that end, the Marines were able to converse with the Iraqis over a meal of kabobs, rice and lentils, chickpea soup and pita bread. Some Marines gathered around a hookah pipe, smoking with the Iraqis.
“IEDs and direct fire, we can do that anytime,” said Staff Sgt. Mark Frost, 29, of Kilo Company and Talais, Maine. “But being able to converse and view their culture is a help. This is going to give them a taste of the Iraqi culture. They can look at them not so much as the enemy.”
Kilo Company is spending 48 hours at the MOUT, where the company’s squads will set out on regular training patrols, Carr said. The training is part of a 14-day evolution as the unit prepares for an upcoming tour in Iraq.
Many Camp Lejeune-based units are preparing for the same deployment as II Marine Expeditionary Force prepares to take control of operations in Iraq’s Anbar province sometime early next year.
As these Marines — many of them one- or two-time veterans of Iraq — prepare for another plunge into the breach, cohesion at the small-unit level is particularly important, Carr said. Placing squads into realisticl and chaotic situations in training will only help them and their units survive.
“This is a squad fight,” Carr said. “This is where the small unit leader is at his optimum. This is a thinking man’s game. That young corporal or sergeant has to be on his toes.”
The squad leader dealing with the black truck is definitely alert. The truck is backing in front of a nearby building. Another Iraqi sits on a small porch, watching the Marines as they watch him. The driver exits the vehicle and walks into the house.
The squad leader calls another team up, ordering them to position themselves to the left of the building. As they approach, an insurgent pops up on a nearby roof and shoots down into the advancing team, his AK-47 firing bursts of pyrotechnic lights. The Marines shoot him “dead.”
Eventually, the Marines advance toward the house, moving over a series of small walls toward it. Suddenly, a simulated explosion rips up through the center of the squad, spewing grey smoke into the air. An exercise facilitator hands out “casualty cards” indicating what injury they received to various Marines.
That grim reminder is reason enough for the Marines to appreciate the detailed training.
“When we came out to MOUT town, it was almost like being back over there,” said Martin. “I think it gave some of us a little wake up call and gave the new guys something to expect when they head to country.”
Contact staff writer Chris Mazzolini at cmazzolini@freedomenc.com or 353-1171, ext. 229.
September 26,2006
CHRIS MAZZOLINI
daily news staffAn Iraqi gestures and shouts out the window of his black pickup, the truck creeping up the road toward a squad of Marines hunkered behind a ruined car. An Iraqi soldier working with the Marines attempts to translate.
The truck keeps moving forward. The Marines, their rifles trained on the vehicle, are having none of it.
“We already gave him a warning shot,” a Marine yells to his comrades behind him. “If he keeps coming, give him a mobility kill.”
These Marines, taking part in a training scenario Monday at Camp Lejeune’s military operations in urban terrain (MOUT) town are facing a situation they will most likely encounter when they deploy to Iraq. It’s a scenario they have repeated countless times in previous exercises and in their heads.
It’s different this time. Now, the man in the truck is actually an Iraqi speaking a language the Marines don’t understand. Building signs are written Arabic. Calls to prayer echo through the streets. Blasts from improvised explosive devices and pops of sniper fire fill the air.
It’s part of the Marine Corps’ goal to make training as lifelike as possible before sending units into harm’s way.
“It puts a bit of realism with it,” said Capt. Brad Carr, commander of Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines. “It’s very difficult to replicate (war). The ability to actually incorporate interaction with Iraqis and Iraqi culture into training is a huge aspect. It’s about as real as you can get around here.”
That realism starts with having more than 50 Iraqis — many former soldiers — role play as insurgents, Iraqi soldiers, police or common civilians. They were spread out about MOUT town, sitting at tables and eating, playing dominoes, listening to music.
Waiting for the Marines to come through on patrol.
“It helps the guys going on their first deployment,” said Cpl. Chris Martin, a 22-year-old with Kilo Company from Maryville, Tenn., who is training for his second deployment to Iraq. “It would have helped me a lot. When I first went over there I didn’t know what to expect. Every Marine needs to be able to communicate with other Marines and our Iraqi counterparts.”
During his first deployment, Martin’s unit operated with Iraqi soldiers. Despite the language classes and other cultural training, it took Martin a long time to be able to communicate and operate effectively with those soldiers.
“It wasn’t enough at that time,” he said.
But this training is giving Marines like Kilo’s Cpl. David Arrendt, 21, of Port Washington, Wis., who is preparing for his first deployment to Iraq, an opportunity to not only see actual Iraqis, but to learn about them before they encounter them on a hostile street in an alien country. To that end, the Marines were able to converse with the Iraqis over a meal of kabobs, rice and lentils, chickpea soup and pita bread. Some Marines gathered around a hookah pipe, smoking with the Iraqis.
“IEDs and direct fire, we can do that anytime,” said Staff Sgt. Mark Frost, 29, of Kilo Company and Talais, Maine. “But being able to converse and view their culture is a help. This is going to give them a taste of the Iraqi culture. They can look at them not so much as the enemy.”
Kilo Company is spending 48 hours at the MOUT, where the company’s squads will set out on regular training patrols, Carr said. The training is part of a 14-day evolution as the unit prepares for an upcoming tour in Iraq.
Many Camp Lejeune-based units are preparing for the same deployment as II Marine Expeditionary Force prepares to take control of operations in Iraq’s Anbar province sometime early next year.
As these Marines — many of them one- or two-time veterans of Iraq — prepare for another plunge into the breach, cohesion at the small-unit level is particularly important, Carr said. Placing squads into realisticl and chaotic situations in training will only help them and their units survive.
“This is a squad fight,” Carr said. “This is where the small unit leader is at his optimum. This is a thinking man’s game. That young corporal or sergeant has to be on his toes.”
The squad leader dealing with the black truck is definitely alert. The truck is backing in front of a nearby building. Another Iraqi sits on a small porch, watching the Marines as they watch him. The driver exits the vehicle and walks into the house.
The squad leader calls another team up, ordering them to position themselves to the left of the building. As they approach, an insurgent pops up on a nearby roof and shoots down into the advancing team, his AK-47 firing bursts of pyrotechnic lights. The Marines shoot him “dead.”
Eventually, the Marines advance toward the house, moving over a series of small walls toward it. Suddenly, a simulated explosion rips up through the center of the squad, spewing grey smoke into the air. An exercise facilitator hands out “casualty cards” indicating what injury they received to various Marines.
That grim reminder is reason enough for the Marines to appreciate the detailed training.
“When we came out to MOUT town, it was almost like being back over there,” said Martin. “I think it gave some of us a little wake up call and gave the new guys something to expect when they head to country.”
Contact staff writer Chris Mazzolini at cmazzolini@freedomenc.com or 353-1171, ext. 229.