Marines

News

1st Marine Division

I Marine Expeditionary Force

Archive: August, 2004

Marine sniper team foils roadside bomb attack

On one of the deadliest roads here in Iraq, Camp Lejeune snipers made sure one group of insurgents wouldn't be planting any more bombs. Improvised explosive devices - roadside bombs - are placed every night along Alternate Supply Route Jackson to hit coalition forces when they pass through, earning it the name 'IED Alley.' The sharpshooters of 2nd

Marines and Iraqi Special Forces team up for a showdown

Marines with 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, teamed up with Iraqi Special Forces for the first time ever in Operation Showdown Aug. 18, to search for weapons caches and terrorists in Ar Ramadi. A platoon of Iraqi Special forces from the Iraqi National Guard, commonly referred to as "Showanis," were divided up between each Marine squad in

Marines in Iraq use gym as outlet for stress

Little free time and long days in the sun are just a few things that contribute to stress in a combat zone. The constant threat of rocket and mortar attacks is another. There is much here that these Camp Lejeune Marines can't control - but there is a tool they use to beat their stress and anger - physical exercise. "The main reason I see people

1st Marine Division battle colors pass on to new hands

"Sergeant major, deliver the colors to the commanding general," boomed the narrator. In a small ceremony in an Al Asad airplane hangar Aug. 20, Brig. Gen. Richard F. Natonski received the battle colors of the 1st Marine Division and his new command from Maj. Gen. James N. Mattis. "Marines, sailors, soldiers of the 1st Marine Division, you have done

Base theater provides respite from combat toils

It doesn't have surround sound or popcorn to buy in the lobby, but the movie theater here is a luxury after a long day for Lance Cpl. Kyle R. Arsenault. Temperatures peaking above 120 degrees drain the energy of many Camp Lejeune troops here, particularly the ones outside all day. For Arsenault, and artilleryman, brief respite from the weather in

'King of Battle' rules over enemy in Fallujah

A deep, rolling boom echoed across the desert, quickly followed by another. This was no mortar or rocket attack, though. It was the calling card of the King of Battle: the 16,000-pound combat workhorse called artillery. The artillerymen of the 1st Marine Division continued to shoot and communicate here recently, shielding their brothers-in-arms on

Marines outfit Rasheed police station

Five blue and white vehicles paraded down the highway here recently, interspersed with US military humvees. It wasn't a raid or a joint patrol, though. It was a special delivery. The vehicles were given to the Rasheed police department by 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment Aug. 18 to aid in their duties. "It was a smooth mission overall but there

Marines in Iraq keep NBC skills sharp in case of attack

Although no weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq, Marines here continue to hone their skills should such a destructive attack ever come. Regimental Combat Team 7 selected more than a dozen Marines to train in becoming part of the Regiment's Monitor Survey Decontamination Team in case of a nuclear, biological or chemical attack during

Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps visits Marines in Western Iraq

Sergeant Maj. John E. Estrada, sergeant major of the Marine Corps, paid a visit to more than 50 Marines from various units throughout Regimental Combat Team 7 Aug. 18, giving thanks for a job well done. Estrada, 48, of Washington, D.C., was unable to visit with the commandant of the Marine Corps nearly a month ago. However, he took this

Marines survive attack on seven-story building

Lance Cpl. Ronald C. Conyers thanks God and a single pillar for saving his squad's life here Wednesday. Conyers and his squad were manning an observation post on the roof of a seven-story building when two large improvised explosive devices were detonated, destroying the floor directly beneath them. The Marines with Company F, 2nd Battalion, 4th

1st Marine Division