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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — The 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade officially stood-up today during a reactivation ceremony held, Oct 2. The ceremony signified the beginning of the 1st MEB's preparations for its scheduled 12-month deployment in the spring of 2010 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
Brig. Gen. Joseph L. Osterman, 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade commanding general, addressed his fellow Marines at the reactivation ceremony and spoke enthusiastically about the upcoming deployment.
"I had a chance to go to Afghanistan over the last week. It's incredible to watch just in a very short time what kind of progress the Marines have made in the Helmand province," said Osterman. "They're applying the same kind of lessons and same kind of attitudes they had in Iraq. Working with local forces, local government, and all of those counterinsurgency principles, we've learned the hard way over a number of years and made some significant differences."
Lt. Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, Jr., 1st Marine Expeditionary Force commanding general, also spoke at the ceremony, offering the support of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force during the 1st MEB's pre-deployment training and deployment.
"Brig. Gen. Osterman, to and your team, my message to you today is simply that our priority between now and the time we deploy is to prepare you for deployment and support your deployment," said Dunford. "And once you deploy, you don't need to look over your shoulder and wonder what's going on back here. Our job at that point will be to continue to support you and your Marines, and as importantly, to support your families."
During their upcoming deployment, the Marines and sailors of the 1st MEB will be conducting counterinsurgency operations and training Afghan national security forces. The unit will join NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan's Regional Command-South.
A Marine Expeditionary Brigade comprises a Marine Air-Ground Task Force constructed around a command element, a ground combat element, an aviation combat element and a logistics combat element. The 1st MEB will include a reinforced infantry regiment, a composite Marine aircraft group, and a brigade logistics support group.
| Date Taken: | 10.02.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 10.02.2009 21:00 |
| Story ID: | 39622 |
| Location: | CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 669 |
| Downloads: | 556 |
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