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VOLUME 75, EDITION 43
The
GL BE SERVING CAMP LEJEUNE AND SURROUNDING AREAS SINCE 1944
MCT
Marines complete land navigation training | 5A
Stone memorial for Purple Heart recipients unveiled| 3A
THURSDAY OCTOBER 17, 2013
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BEAUFORT, S.C.
U.S. 5TH FLEET AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (NNS)
The few, the proud, the embassy guards LANCE CPL. BRENDAN ROETHEL Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort
26th MEU service members on way home PETTY OFFICER 3RD CLASS CHELSEA MANDELLO Amphibious Squadron 4
T
he Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group and 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit departed the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility, Saturday, completing a regularly scheduled six-months in the region. The Kearsarge ARG and 26th MEU left Norfolk, Va., in March and entered the U.S. Central Command AOR in April. During their time in the 5th Fleet AOR, the Kearsarge ARG conducted maritime security operations and security cooperation activities with partner nations in the region. The ARG also participated in four multinational exercises designed to strengthen coalition partner-
ships and reinforce regional security and stability, including the recent Eager Lion 2013 exercise in Jordan. “This deployment has been a true test of our sailors’ and Marines’ capabilities to which we not only met the standards, but far exceeded expectations,” said, Navy Capt. Jim Cody, commodore, Kearsarge ARG. The ARG includes the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), the amphibious transport dock ship USS San Antonio (LPD 17), which left the 5th Fleet AOR during the summer, the amphibious dock landing ship USS Carter Hall (LSD 50), Assault Craft Unit 4 and Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC 28). The 26th MEU is deployed with the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group and served as a theater reserve and crisis response force while the ARG/MEU
was assigned to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. “I am extremely proud of the 26th MEU/Kearsarge ARG Navy and Marine Corps team. The men and women who worked tirelessly throughout the 5th Fleet AOR met every contingency and successfully executed each mission, and were always poised to respond to the next task,” said Col. Matthew G. St. Clair, 26th MEU commanding officer. “They epitomized the professionalism and commitment required of an expeditionary crisis response force and provided the combatant commander a certain force in an uncertain world.” The Kearsarge ARG and 26th MEU were relieved by the Boxer ARG and 13th MEU and will continue their deployment.
The 2013 Defense Authorization Act signed by President Barack Obama in January, approves the addition of 1,000 Marines to become Marine Security Guards. Plans to increase the size of MSGs were under way at the time of the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, resulting in the deaths of four Americans. Marine Security Guards were not assigned to the post in Benghazi when it was attacked, but is believed Marine guards could have helped protect against or prevented the attack. The Corps works directly with the State Department to determine locations Marines will guard. State Department officials recently announced 50 more embassies Marine guards will protect. Marine Security Guards are currently posted at embassies and consulates in 137 countries, with a total of 152 compounds being protected. Those interested in MSG duty will have to meet with their career planner to begin the screening process. After screening, if the Marine is eligible for the assignment and can receive a top-secret security clearance, they can receive orders to attend the Security Guard School at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va. MSG school conducts five class sessions per year training more than 450 Marines. This process takes approximately six to nine months to complete. “At the school, Marines learn to provide security for their post and how to react to terrorist acts as well as a variety of emergencies such as fires, riots, demonstrations and evacuations,” said Staff Sgt. Bryna Crawford, career planner for Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 31. Upon graduation from MSG school, Marines in the rank of E-5 or below are standard security guards and receive 100 points toward their cutting score. These Marines then serve two separate 18-month tours at different embassies, one of which will likely be a post in a third world country. “At their station, Marines on MSG duty are responsible for an embassies’ interior security, normally the lobby or main entrance,” Crawford said. “They will primarily protect classified information and equipment vital to the national security of the U.S.” “Our guards are the cream of the crop,” said Col. Michael Robinson, the commanding officer of the Marine Corps Embassy Security Group. “They are among some of our nation’s finest Marines and are the example set forth by our nation to represent the maturity, moral character and judgment our Marines possess.” For more information, contact your unit career planner.
1/2 holds battalion-level field exercise
Inside
LANCE CPL. SCOTT WHITING 2nd Marine Division
Nothing prepares Marines for deployment like being in the field. Sleeping under the stars, eating Meals Ready to Eat and always carrying a rifle gives Marines a realistic expectation of life overseas. Going to the field may not be the most enjoyable experience, but it teaches Marines how to survive in difficult conditions. First Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, conducted a battalion level field exercise, Sept. 28 through Oct. 9. This was the first battalion-level exercise for 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, since deploying with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit in December 2012. “The focus of the exercise was to train and evaluate our small unit leaders on the core mission essential tasks of offense, defense and military operations in urban terrain,” said 1st Lt. Matthew Anater, the adjutant for 1st Bn., 2nd Marines. “We also looked to execute command and control at the battalion level, and in doing so, develop a battle rhythm that will replicate what we believe the battalion will utilize during deployment.” The MOUT scenario provides a plethora of buildings and small villages for training. Marines must stay on their toes and work together while patrolling
Praetorian Challenge
1B
Dancing for a good cause
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Photo by Lance Cpl. Scott Whiting
Lance Cpl. William Long, an infantryman with 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, provides security for his squad during military operations in urban terrain training aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, recently. around the unfamiliar towns. “We did a lot of security patrols around the different MOUT (towns),” said Lance Cpl. William Long, an infantryman with 1st Bn., 2nd Marines. “It helps us prepare for real situations when we deploy.” By the end of the field exercise, the bat-
talion was more confident in their small unit leadership’s ability to make the correct calls under pressure. “The cold weather and rain allowed us to evaluate the physical and mental toughness of our Marines,” Anater said. “If it ain’t raining, we ain’t training.”