Photo By Master Sgt. Scott McAdam | Marines with Alpha Company, Marine Wing Support Squadron 372, 3rd Marine Aircraft...... read more read more
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By Cpl. Scott McAdam
3rd Marine Aircraft Wing Public Affairs
IRAQ - The purpose of the mission was to sweep through the date groves of Hawran to check for hidden weapons caches and contraband, making sure no one is hiding anything illegal and to let the locals know the Marines are still searching the area, explained Sgt. David W. Dixon, patrol leader, 3rd platoon, Alpha Company, Marine Wing Support Squadron-372.
The Marines were assisted in the search with help from interpreters, a military working dog and two Army counter improvised explosive device instructors attached to Joint Task Force Troy, Multi-National Corps - Iraq.
During the sweeps, Marines used the ANPSS-19 mine detector to search out any buried metallic object. The working dog was used to smell anything covered in explosive residue while the soldiers looked for anything out of the ordinary that could be used as a marker for caches.
"We basically look for anything out of the ordinary that insurgents use as markers," explained Army Staff Sgt. Craig Emery, counter improvised explosive device instructor, JTFT.
The soldiers train on weapons caches and contraband, assisting Alpha Co. by giving tips on what to look for, explained Dixon, a Plant City, Fla., native.
During the search, Marines were careful not to go into any farm fields in use unless absolutely necessary.
"The fields are their livelihood. For us to go in there and trample all of their fields is not showing them any respect," explained 1st Lt. Brian G. Lipski, platoon commander, Alpha Co. "This is their town and their country and we're just guests, so we want to go out there and keep it safe; at the same time we don't want to disrupt their lives or hurt them in any way."
The Marines often go to Hawran for various reasons. Other than sweeps, Marines visit Hawran to distribute clothes, food, school supplies, toys and help with any special requests.
"The people of Hawran are very friendly, they like to talk to us, get supplies from us, and if something were to happen or if someone suspicious were to go through that town, I'm confident they would let us know about it," said Lipski. "I think that they know we're here to help them and make a difference in their lives."
According to Lipski, though MWSS-372 has been running patrol missions and is in charge of base security while in country, most of the Marines in the squadron are not in combat oriented military occupational specialties.
The Marines adapted to their security role for this deployment showing that Marines really are riflemen first.
"Most of my squad are crash-fire-rescue Marines and bulk fuelers who have never done this job before," said Dixon. "They know their escalation of force and rules of engagement and are all doing a great job out here."
Although no caches or contraband were found recently, the mission was a success showing that the village of Hawran remains a friendly area to coalition forces.
| Date Taken: | 02.12.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 02.12.2008 08:44 |
| Story ID: | 16271 |
| Location: | IQ |
| Web Views: | 223 |
| Downloads: | 147 |
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