Marines

News

1st Marine Division

I Marine Expeditionary Force

Archive: June, 2006

Recon Marines memorialize one of their fallen

Marines from 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion gathered at Camp Fallujah’s Chapel of Hope June 16 to honor on of their fallen in a memorial service. Sgt. Mark T. Smykowski, assigned to B Company, was killed in action June 6. He was 23 years old. “Sgt. Ski sacrificed his life to provide a nation, whose people have lived under tyranny and now the

Darkhorse Marines engage enemy in Habbaniyah

Marines of I Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment engaged insurgents in direct firefights twice in three days at Observation Post Bears along a main route through the city. The battalion recently built new observation posts along the highway connecting Fallujah and Ramadi, an area near the Euphrates River with no distinct city lines or

Leader reluctant to leave

Maj. Bennet W. Walsh is leaving the fight of his life as a Marine to literally fight to save his life. Walsh relinquished command of Weapons Company June 15 after learning he was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma – skin cancer. Walsh, assigned to 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, was three months into his second tour

Marines begin transition of responsibility to Iraqi forces

Marines with C Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment are starting to turn over battle space to soldiers from 1st Battalion, 4th Brigade, 1st Iraqi Army Division. The Iraqi soldiers participated in a combined patrol with Marines in a village north of Fallujah. It’s part of a relief-in-place where Iraqi soldiers will take up the posts and

Marines near Iraqi-Syrian border mourn loss of three of their own

Marines and sailors gathered at a small headquarters outpost near the Euphrates River to pay respects to three fallen brothers. Two Marines and one sailor lost their lives while conducting security operations in a village near the Iraqi-Syrian border. Their vehicle struck a mine on one of the region’s dangerous roadways June 9, 2006. The three

Major scores big win in hometown election from Fallujah

Maj. Michael F. McNamara had better get good at juggling. He’s going to need it as Grand Forks’ newest councilman from Ward 2 – serving while deployed. McNamara, a senior watch officer for Regimental Combat Team 5 here, was elected this week as a city councilman for his hometown. Never mind that he was busy helping win the Global War on Terrorism

Engineers continue weapons searches

Hours in the hot desert sun didn’t turn up a load of weapons, but it did let combat engineers know they are doing their job. The combat engineers attached to 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment continued weapons cache searches in the stretches of desert north of Fallujah, June 14. “Even though we didn’t find a ton of weapons out here we know that

Darkhorse Marines secure road to Ramadi

A stretch of highway once called “IED Alley” might be changing its name to “Darkhorse Drive.” The Darkhorse Marines of 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, are making steps to secure the highway connecting Fallujah and Ramadi by building several new observation posts along Main Supply Route Michigan. “It’s to keep the major lines of communications

Insurgent attacks no match for Marines’ resolve

In the afternoon of June 3, outside the Marines forwarding operating base located in the violent city of Haqlaniyah, three insurgents armed with automatic rifles and wearing face masks opened fire on Marines working in front of the barrier-laden base. The Marines returned fire and two minutes later, another squad of Marines flooded the streets

LAR patrols the streets of Habbaniyah

Marines from 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion wouldn’t consider themselves good neighbors unless they lent a hand combating snipers, small-arms fire and roadside bombs in 120 degree heat. For two weeks, D Company, 3rd LAR, assisted 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment take over a new area of operations in the city, located between Ar

1st Marine Division