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1st Marine Division

I Marine Expeditionary Force

Camp closing marks progression in Marines’ mission

Marines of D Company, 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion finished what they started; they closed the camp here at the end of May, after opening it nearly a year ago. They named the camp in honor of Lance Cpl. Jonathan L. Smith, when they opened it in July 2005, and nearly a year later, they took down the sign that honored their Marine. Camp Smitty

Marines turn over security, little by little

A small town south of Fallujah provides another benchmark in the Coalition Forces’ mission to train Iraqi Security Forces and turn over increasing responsibility for security. Marines from 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment turned over responsibility for security in the rural town of Amiriyah and the surrounding area south of Fallujah to Iraqi

'Moto' mail keeps Marines connected with family

On his second deployment to Iraq, Lance Cpl. Jacob A. Lamb admits that communicating with friends and family back home is easier thanks to a relatively new program: Moto Mail. ‘Moto’ is short for ‘motivation,’ and it’s what U.S. service members like Lamb use as a means to keep contact with his friends and family back home. This roughly

Salem, Ore., Marine injured in Iraq tells of IED aftermath

When some Marines return from Iraq, they bring back memorabilia, such as tattered Iraqi flags or old photos of Saddam Hussein they found in cluttered streets. Some, like 20-year-old Lance Cpl. Jeremy Russell of Salem, Ore., will bring back memories of actions on the battlefield and scars from being wounded in action. Russell, an Assault Amphibious

Tankers pause to honor four fallen Marines

Marines of A Company, 2nd Tank Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 5, honored four fallen Marines in a memorial service at Camp Fallujah’s Chapel of Hope, May 23. The four – 2nd Lt. Michael L. LiCalzi, Cpl. Steve Vahaviolos, Lance Cpl. David J. GramesSanchez and Lance Cpl. Jason K. Burnett – were killed in a non-battle accident while operating north

Iraq-deployed Marines remember Kansas, Oklahoma natives killed in action

More than 100 Marines gathered into a makeshift chapel at the forward operating base in the Haditha Dam May 20 to honor two Marines who were killed in action May 14. The Marines, Lance Cpl. Jose S. MarinDominguez Jr., 22, from Liberal, Kan., and Lance Cpl. Hatak Yuka Keyu M. Yearby, 21, from Lawton, Okla., were both assigned to the Hawaii-based 3rd

All hands pitching in for security duties

The phrase ‘every Marine is a rifleman’ has never rang so true for Marines assigned to Headquarters and Service Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. More than 40 Marines, with non-infantry based military occupational specialties, are standing guard in the battalion’s area of operation. “We are doing what we are here to do,” said Lance Cpl.

Patrols and vigilance keeping insurgents at bay in Gharmah

Some days in Iraq feel like nothing happens at all. Those are the days Sgt. Levi R. Aherns looks forward to. Marines with B Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment are constantly in the mix here in this small city north of Fallujah. Insurgents still battle against Marines and the growing Iraqi Police and Iraqi Army. It’s a slow, steady

Iraqis see police force restored after three-year hiatus

After three years without a police presence in this western Iraqi town of approximately 10,000, the community is beginning to see a fully-restored police force with the introduction of two new police stations. With a new force of fully-trained police officers, many of whom are seasoned veterans from the previous police force, Iraqis here hope the

Marines keep roads clear on outskirts of Fallujah

They keep their eyes peeled- for their safety and the future of Iraq. The Marines of D Company, 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, are charged with maintaining the security and stability of Gharmah, a farming town on the outskirts of Fallujah. One of their most important jobs is keeping the routes clear of improvised explosive devices.

1st Marine Division