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1st Marine Division

I Marine Expeditionary Force

Archive: March, 2004

Band marches to different drumbeat in Iraq

One year ago Lance Cpl. Juan R. Galvez was deployed here as an electronics maintenance technician. This year he's back as a trombone player turned security guard with the 1st Marine Division Band. The Houston, Texan and 35 of his fellow musical Marines left Camp Pendleton, Calif., almost two months ago for this Iraq to assist in the division's

Regimental reserve force fills gap in western Iraq

Regimental Combat Team 7's reserve force added yet another task to its already growing resume in western Iraq. A platoon-sized force from 7th Marine Regiment's reserve conducted a 50-mile reconnaissance patrol in efforts to find information on those who participated in recent rocket attacks on U.S. forces at Al Asad. The patrol took Marines to

Regimental reserve force trains for on-call missions

Even America's 9-1-1 force needs someone to call in an emergency. Bring on Regimental Combat Team 7's reserve. It's a platoon dedicated to answering the "what-if" questions. They are the answer against incoming mortars, rockets and small-arms fire directed at the RCT-7 headquarters. "The reserve is primarily here to handle the small attacks,"

Marine Forces Central brass visits the Blue Diamond

Lt. Gen. Wallace C. Gregson, commander of Marine Forces Central, paid a visit to the Marines and sailors of 1st Marine Division here March 28. During his brief trip to the camp, Gregson spoke to nearly 200 members of the "Blue Diamond" about their role in the Global War on Terror. He explained that the war in Iraq was one slice of the fight to

Marines take the reins of Camp Al-Mahmudiyah

Marines from 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, based out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., took the reins of the operational area from the 3rd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment March 26. "Our goal is to stabilize the area by developing it economically, which will provide the jobs to give people skills," said Maj. Christopher G. Dixon, executive

Squad repels ambush; kills attackers, seizes weapons

It was supposed to be a routine mission for the quick reaction force from Company E, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. The 21-man team from 2nd Squad, 3rd Platoon was tasked with tracking down a group of enemy assailants thought to be preparing to launch a mortar attack against the Marine camp here March 25. "It's like

Convoys in Iraq give new meaning to fast food

It's not a drive-through lane, but Marines convoying chow to outposts in Iraq are giving fast food a new meaning. Convoys from 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, based in Ar Ramadi, Iraqi, are much like the rest of the 1st Marine Division's effort to get everything from hot chow to combat resupply to the Marines beyond the main camps' perimeters. Marines

Iraqi police chief takes a bite out of IED attacks for Marines

Marines here received a welcome addition to their unexploded ordnance pit recently from the chief of Iraqi police in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. The chief discovered a spent American-made 155 mm howitzer casing near his home and called his fellow police officers to help disarm the IED. After rendering the bomb safe, the chief turned the IED into Marines from

Battalion pauses to honor fallen Marine

Lance Cpl. Angel M. Samano said his friend Lance Cpl. Stephen J. Perez was a huge source of encouragement and the type of Marine you would want as a friend. “When he wasn’t making me laugh, he was usually sitting there listening to the problems I had at home or at work,” said Samano, a 21-year-old machine gunner from Los Angeles. Samano was among

Two dreams, 10 years, one Marine back in the desert

Waking up to the sounds of machine-gun fire and Muslim prayer songs is nothing new for Lance Cpl. Brett T. Newman, an infantryman with 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. The 35-year-old from Albuquerque, N.M., first joined the Marine Corps in March 1988 at the age of 18. After taking a 10-year hiatus from the military to

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