Globe February 14, 2013

Page 1

WWW.CAMPLEJEUNEGLOBE.COM

VOLUME 75, EDITION 7

The

GL BE SERVING CAMP LEJEUNE AND SURROUNDING AREAS SINCE 1944

Platoon Attacks

Sgt. Maj. Mackey rides again | 3A

Training keeps Marines at top of game| 5A THURSDAY FEBRUARY 14, 2013

WWW.LEJEUNE.MARINES.MIL Photo by Lance Cpl. Devin Nichols

A Marine with Combat Logistics Battalion 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group pinches the cheek of his child after returning from a nearly six-month deployment in Afghanistan to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune Jan. 20.

Homecoming first step toward reintegration CPL. PAUL PETERSON

2nd Marine Logistics Group

T

hey lined the dimly-lit street and fought off the bitter winter cold. After months apart, the families and friends of Combat Logistics Battalion 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group clung to “Welcome Home” signs and a single thought: reunion. “I love him,” said Patricia Scruggs as she waited for her grandson, Sgt. Douglas Leonard. “I just worried about him,” she said, her voice strained by nerves and the biting chill that blew through the area. “I am so excited. I couldn’t sit down for

h llast h ” the hour.” Word spread the service members were close. The buses turned the corner, horns blared and a surge went through the crowd. Two hundred and ninety of the battalion’s nearly 600 deployed Marines and sailors stepped out of the vehicles and into a sea of waving arms Feb. 1. Their nearly sixmonth mission to support logistical operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, was finally over. “I tried not to think about it,” said Susan Lech as she waited for her husband, Sgt. John Lech. “I didn’t read any of the news stories just to keep my mind off of what was going on.” Three waves of Marines and sailors returned to Camp Lejeune

h course off several weeks. over the Each group rolled onto the base in the quiet, predawn hours. The minutes ticked agonizingly by as the distance from their families slowly shrank. “Forget the knight in shining armor,” read one sign as it waved over the mass of people. “Give me my Marine in dirty cammies.” Dirty didn’t matter. The peculiar odor left from their work in the field still clung to the service members’ uniforms as they hugged their parents, spouses, children and friends. Afghanistan was behind them, but the unit now had a new mission to accomplish: reintegrate with their families and community. “The (Marines and sailors) per-

formed magnificently in Afghanistan,” said Maj. Jospeh C. Novario, the battalion’s executive officer. “I was impressed, and I think the leadership as a whole was impressed by the individual Marine’s effort, ability to focus and perform the mission.” The new challenge is to reintegrate the service members, added Novario, as he went through the unit’s post-deployment training the week after their return. Only a few days after their happy reunion with families and friends, the service members set to work preparing their training schedules, completing medical appointments, and attending classes on alcohol, safety and family issues. “It’s about making the right

Marines train to build, defend bridges

choices now,” said Novario. “The focus, effort and mission accomplishment they had in combat has to carry into the garrison environment. The same things that made them successful (in Afghanistan) will make them successful here.” The troops spent half a year undertaking engineering and resupply operations, completing NATO missions to train Afghan National Security Forces, and demilitarizing old installations in the country. It is now time to reset and decompress, said Novario. The battalion’s post-deployment activities will help the Marines and sailors readjust to their lives in the states and reconnect with their families.

News Briefs

PFC. SULLIVAN LARAMIE

2nd Marine Logistics Group

Photos by Pfc. Sullivan Laramie

(Top) A Marine with 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group fires an M-240 machine gun mounted on a boat as part of a training operation aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune Jan. 30. (Bottom) Marines with 8th ESB, 2nd MLG align two parts of an improved ribbon bridge before locking them together during a bridging operation aboard MCB Camp Lejeune Jan. 29.

Short bursts of gunfire drowned out the rattle of bullet casings as they piled up on the deck of the boat. When the firing ceased, a Marine climbed down from the elevated boat and another stepped up to man the gun. Marines with 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group conducted a training exercise to not only tested their marksmanship but all aspects of their jobs from Jan. 29 to Feb. 1. They practiced firing the boat-mounted guns, assembling bridges, and rafting gear and personnel during the exercise. This was the first time – in nearly a decade – the company’s Marines stood behind machine guns mounted on their boats. “(While rafting) our boats really aren’t set up for an assault, but more for a defensive position,” said Cpl. Erikon C. Rosamond, a combat engineer with the company. “Learning how to fire from a boat is a big difference from firing from the ground because you’re actually moving. You have to deal with the wind, the waves and the constant motion of the boat.” The Marines adjusted to other differences while firing apart from what they learned. Marines are trained to lie behind the M-240 machine gun while firing on land; however, on the boat, the Marines had to stand instead. Normally, the M-240 machine gun rests on a tripod, and the shooter must adjust SEE BRIDGES 4A

High expectations 1B

Dads, daughters dance night away 1C


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