Courtesy Photo | Marines and sailors with Regimental Combat Team 1 load their baggage into trailers...... read more read more
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By Pfc. Alfred V. Lopez
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - A cold chill was felt in the air while friends and families helped their Marines carry their gear to their assigned staging areas. It was not the kind of cold a sister can cover with a blanket or a mother can help with a warm cup of coffee. This was the type of bitter cold only the homecoming of a friend, brother, father, or son can embrace away.
After staging their gear during the early morning hours of Sept. 6 at the 1st Marine regiment parade deck in Camp Horno here, Marines and sailors of 1st Marine regiment gathered their rifles from the armory and spent their final hours stateside with their friends and family. These Marines and sailors are deploying to Afghanistan, where some will spend either seven months or up to a year as a part of Regimental Combat Team 1.
Many of the Marines and sailors were eager to go on their first deployment, said Lance Cpl. Brenton Rice, a 19 year old native of Portland, Ore.
“It feels good finally be able to use all the training I’ve been through,” said Rice, a radio operator with RCT-1.
Lengthy preparation for deployments and secondary duties can sometimes deprive Marines of the chance to deploy, but the commitment to country and Corps motivates them to power through any trying times.
“Being a drill instructor and certain duty stations have prevented me from going out on deployment,” said Staff Sgt. Sebastiano J. Siino, a 29 year-old from Parsippany, NJ who will be on his first deployment. “I’m excited about this great opportunity.”
The pride that Marines and sailors felt was emanated by the smiles and laughter of their loved ones as they shared stories from past challenges and training they have carried out.
“I’m ready to put my training to the test,” said Cpl. Cody Pollock, a 20 year-old radio operator from Bashaw, Wis. “I’m glad to be a part our mission in Afghanistan, to be able to contribute to winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people.”
This deployment is also a first for some friends and family members; the first time that their loved one will be away from them.
Diana Molumby, the wife of Staff Sgt. Loren Molumby, and her 3 year-old son Landon kept close to her husband throughout the night, meeting his fellow Marines and helping him with his gear. Staff Sgt. Molumby, a combat videographer with RCT-1, is on his first deployment to Afghanistan, and his second deployment with the Marine Corps.
“When I married [Loren], I knew what I was marrying into,” said Molumby, a 27 year-old native of Phoenix. “It’s new for me. A year away from him is hard but I know it’s a part of his job.”
The deployment will present the challenges of distance and time to the nearest and dearest of these warriors, yet demanding as it may be, their loved ones understand what they will both have to endure.
“It’s going to be difficult,” said Heatherly Danihlik, Pollock’s fiancé. “But I just have to look forward to the future.”
The First Marines are one of the most legendary Regiments in the history of the Marine Corps. The regiment spent its early years as a combat force in the Banana Wars in the Caribbean, Haitian and Dominican Republic campaign.
1st Marines claimed victory over the Japanese in Guadalcanal and fought them again in the bloody battle for Peleliu. After a temporary deactivation, 1st Marines fought in the battles of Inchon, Seoul and the Chosin Reservoir Campaign in the Korean War.
In the Vietnam War, they ferociously fought in many battles; their most notable involvement included the battle of Hue City.
During Operation Iraqi Freedom, 1st Marine Division broke the insurgent presence in Al Fallujah, and RCT-1 was tasked with restoring the devastated city. They successfully strengthened the Iraqi Security Forces and reactivated the Fallujah Police Department and Iraq Highway Patrol.
RCT-1’s current deployment will continue to paint 1st Marine’s illustrious legacy and will mark their first deployment as a regimental command element in Afghanistan.
After Marines and sailors heard the last call for their assigned busses, they said their final goodbyes to families and friends. The bus ride will take them to March Reserved Air Base, where they will depart stateside and head to Germany.
“Cody’s strong,” said Danihlik. “I know he’ll be back because he’s a great Marine.”
| Date Taken: | 09.16.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 09.16.2010 16:32 |
| Story ID: | 56419 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 286 |
| Downloads: | 7 |
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