Photo By Sgt. Justin M. Martinez | Lance Cpl. Brian "Red" Forristar, a rifleman with Lima Company, Battalion Landing...... read more read more
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CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait — A sun-bleached spinal column with bent, broken limbs and patches of light-colored red hair lies in a wasteland of rippled sand and rock. Next to the unfortunate camel's skeletal heap, fresh footprints from Bates, Bellville and Danner boots fade into an open stretch of Kuwaiti desert taking with them the chance of their wearers becoming the harsh environment's next victims.
Marines with Lima Company, Battalion Landing Team, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, conducted mounted and dismounted patrols at a training facility near Camp Buehring, Kuwait, August 10-12, as part of the MEU's sustainment training.
More than 30 Marines at a time left the forward operating base in a staggered column scanning emptiness through their rifle combat optics, searching for any improvised explosive devices as they walked through the stifling desert heat to the first makeshift town, Al Wahada.
"Kuwait is like an alien world," said Lance Cpl. Brian "Red" Forristal, a rifleman with Lima and native of Greenbelt, Md.
"You can see for miles and acclimating to this type of heat is good training while we're doing these dismounted patrols."
Forristal added that he is the first of his family to travel the world and see environments such as Kuwait's vast desert. He said it's why he joined the Marine Corps.
Watering the dry, baked earth with continuous beads of sweat, Marines took caution as they approached the realistic town containing small, single-story houses, a traffic circle and a market.
"The facility here available to us is just outstanding," said 1st Lt. Gregory Meyer, 3rd Platoon commander for Lima and Ellicottville, N.Y., native. "The base has been very accommodating to us since we've arrived for training."
Meyer added that actual Iraqi role players came out to help Marines train for potential true-life experiences and situations.
The wind-blown sand quickly filled in the tread tracks left on the ground as Lima's Weapons Platoon hit the road in high gear heading out in Hummvees for the next day's morning patrol through the desolate landscape.
Swiveling turret gunners searched for man-made scars on the terrain as eager Marines patrolled in their tan Hummvees like a pride of hungry lions silently stalking wildebeest in the crisp, crunchy grass of an African plain.
"We are working on mobile mounted and dismounted operations, where you have to get out of the vehicles to do security missions, humanitarian missions, anything to go along with that," said Gunnery Sgt. Timothy A. Lehrke, Lima's company gunnery sergeant and a native of Norwood Young America, Minn. "It hones our skills inside the company to be able to operate in a motorized unit."
Lima's Marines trained for three days during the hottest month of the year in Kuwait, successfully scouring several training towns and putting miles on their armored vehicles to complete this training evolution.
"I think they did really well," said Meyer. "They really enjoyed an opportunity to be off the ship and conduct operations out where they can move around."
During pre-deployment training, Lima became the heli-borne raid force, using aircraft such as the MV-22B Osprey to get to an objective site to conduct a raid, so patrolling on four-wheels was a unique training opportunity for the unit.
According to Lehrke, Lima's vehicle training gives the MEU another tool in its bag by having a second company able to move independently as a motorized infantry company.
The 22nd MEU, led by Col. Gareth F. Brandl, is a scalable, multi-purpose force of more than 2,200 Marines and Sailors. The unit is composed of its Ground Combat Element, BLT 3/2 (commanded by Lt. Col. Robert C. Fulford); Aviation Combat Element, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 (Reinforced) (commanded by Lt. Col. Paul P. Ryan); Logistics Combat Element, Combat Logistics Battalion 22 (commanded by Lt. Col. Gary F. Keim); and its Command Element.
| Date Taken: | 08.12.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 08.13.2009 15:39 |
| Story ID: | 37467 |
| Location: | CAMP BUEHRING, KW |
| Web Views: | 1,066 |
| Downloads: | 895 |
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