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1st Marine Division

I Marine Expeditionary Force

Archive: February, 2006

Charlotte, N.C., Marine aids local populace in remote, western Iraqi town

In the battle to win the confidence and trust of the Iraqi people, Marines from 6th Civil Affairs Group guide the way. Once a city has been swept free of insurgents by coalition forces, these Marines are charged with providing aid to Iraqis to improve their quality of life and help them rebuild. Cpl. Michael C. Kissiah, Jr., of Charlotte, N.C., has

Marines leave no place for insurgents to hide in western Al Anbar

Marines in the Haditha Dam region continued to keep insurgents on their heels during another counterinsurgency operation here Feb. 26. The latest operation, dubbed “Minotaur,” was aimed at clearing more than nine kilometers of riverbank and several small villages south of Haqlaniyah – a town along the Euphrates River in Al Anbar Province,

Darkhorse Marines find, destroy stacks of buried munitions

Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Brian Edward looked at the stacks of unearthed munitions and shook his head in disbelief. “We’re going to need more C-4,” Edward said. The 29-year-old explosive ordnance disposal technician with Mobile Unit 3, Detachment 9, 8th Engineer Support Battalion was witness to the largest weapons cache discovery made by Marines

1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment flies Newport Beach flag

Marines from 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment have a new dash of color in the skies here. The flag of the City of Newport Beach, Calif., flies below the national ensign, snapping in the breeze here. It’s a tribute to the partnership between the battalion’s Marines and the coastal southern California city. Newport Beach officially adopted 1st

Marines in Iraq now have all sides covered

Marines walking the beat in Fallujah are now covered on all sides, thanks new armor ballistic plates added to their vests. Still, the new gear is getting mixed reviews. Marines with Regimental Combat Team 5 recently received their side body armor plates, called small-arms protective inserts, or SAPI. The added armor, made of the same materials as

Milwaukee, Wis., Marine survives blast, gunshot wounds to defeat insurgent attack

For some Marines, strenuous hours of training is simply mind over matter. In combat, one Marine proved its Matter over mind. Sgt. John T. Matter, a 26-year-old squad leader from Milwaukee, Wis., survived a blast from an improvised explosive device and two separate gunshot wounds to run a wounded Marine to safety and lead his Marines out of the

Grunts receive new tools to defeat IEDs

Technology continues to make its way to the front lines, giving Marines new tools to counter improvised explosive devices, the biggest threat to Marine patrols in the area. Marines with Company L, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, recently received the MARCbot IV, a remote-operated robot equipped with a video camera and control console with a

U.N. representatives make initial foray into Al Anbar Province

A delegation from the United Nations visited officials from two cities in the Al Anbar Province recently, marking the first time the international body ventured to this region since Coalition forces invaded in 2003. Ahraf Jahnagir Qazi, the Special Representative to the Secretary General Kofi Annan led a small team on a “listening” tour to Ramadi

‘Darkhorse’ pauses to honor their fallen

Marines of Company I, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5 gathered here to remember two fallen men Monday, Feb. 20. Cpl. Ross A. Smith, a fire team leader, and Pfc. Javier Chavez Jr., a rifleman, both with 1st Squad, 2nd Platoon, Company I., were killed by hostile action Feb. 9 in the Al Anbar Province. So far, the company

TOW Platoon honors one of their fallen

Lance Cpl. Michael S. Probst was a Marine who loved being in the action. He led his team of Marines through the discovery of several improvised explosive devices, securing driving routes for convoys. He even once walked away from a blast without a scratch. The explosion was just feet away. On Feb. 14, though, the IEDs he strived so hard to

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