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GLOBE Serving Camp Lejeune and surrounding areas since 1944
THURSDAY MAY 3, 20 2012
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VOLUME 74 EDITION 18
FORWARD OPERATING BASE WHITEHOUSE, AFGHANISTAN
LANCE CPL. TYLER REIRIZ 1st Marine Division
S
ince arrival, Marines of We a p o n s C o m p a n y, 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, have assisted Afghan forces in taking control of security operations here and maintaining positive relations with the local civilians. The Marines began a patrol, April 14, travelling in a convoy of armored vehicles from forward operating base Whitehouse to Patrol Base Virginia, a nearby post once established as a Marine position, but now transitioned to the Afghan National Civil Order Police who are currently responsible for security operations in the area. “Most of the patrol bases were initially established by Marines as partnered positions,” said 1st Lt. Kevin J. Fitzsimmons, a platoon commander with Weapons Company. “Now Marines are consolidating combat power into
certain areas and transitioning other areas to ANCOP control.” During this outing, to facilitate interaction with the local populace, the Marines held a shura in PB Virgina then journeyed on a patrol through, and surrounding, the village outside PB Virgina. A shura is an openforum gathering open to all villagers where those who attend can voice their concerns and talk to the Marines and ANCOP officers. “It lets the people know the Marines are still here to protect citizens and help them out,” said Sgt. Hiram B. Ruiz, with Weapons Company who led the patrol. “We let them know that we care and they aren’t alone out here.” The Marine and ANCOP leaders garnered positive results from the shura with local citizens. “Today’s shura was absolutely productive,” said Fitzsimmons. “We got information we didn’t have previously, and the local (citizens) and ANCOP were able to work out some of their concerns.” After the shura, the Ma-
rines left the patrol base on foot, patrolling some of the areas the locals had voiced concerns about. Along the patrol, the Marines came to a vehicle that was traveling a strange route on back roads. The Marines approached the vehicle to question the driver on his route. He told the Marines he was headed to a cemetery to bury his father who was killed by an insurgent suicide bomber. Fitzsimmons gave his condolences and the Marines allowed the vehicle to pass. The Marines searched several more vehicles along the way, looking for signs of insurgent activity. Ruiz said the Marines were checking to make sure no bomb-making materials, weapons, or explosives were being smuggled into or out of the area. After walking through several miles of hills and streams, the Marines finally arrived at their home base, FOB Whitehouse. “The patrol went well,” Fitzsimmons said. “The Marines are mission oriented and focused. Everybody did great today.”
Photos by Lance Cpl. Tyler Reiriz
Lance Cpl. Daniel Grant, a rifleman with Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, walks down a small road during a foot patrol in Kajaki, April 14.
NAWA DISTRICT, AFGHANISTAN
2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment starts new tradition of ‘E-18 leadership’ CPL. JOHNNY MERKLEY
Regimental Combat Team 5
Throughout the Marine Corps, the bulk of combat operations are conducted at a noncommissioned officer level and below. Within 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, an unexpected involvement has become a tradition between the two senior enlisted leaders in the battalion. The battalion sergeant major and master gunnery sergeant have made it a practice to develop a presence on the front lines with junior enlisted Marines across the 2nd Bn., 6th Marines battlespace. “The best way to understand what Photo by Cpl. Johnny Merkley Master Gunnery Sgt. John E. Trotta, the 2nd the Marines are going through, is get out Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment operations there and do it with them,” said Master chief, looks for enemy movement during Gunnery Sgt. John E. Trotta, the 2nd Bn., 6th Marines operations chief. “The a patrol in Trek Nawa, recently.
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“When master guns (Trotta) arrived at the battalion, we got together and discussed the importance of our relationship,” said Frye. “We feel that going outside the wire and patrolling is important because the Marines see that we’re out there… that we see what they’re experiencing everyday.” With the two E-9’s working together in both the office and field environment, they felt the nickname of “Team E-18” best symbolizes the working relationship of the battalion’s two senior enlisted leaders. “We’re the senior leadership in the battalion, when we go out the combined effort is E-18,” said Trotta. “You don’t see senior enlisted leadership going out together like this too often, it’s something we enjoy doing and combined we get a good perspective on the battalion.”
New automatic weapon being fielded at 2nd LAR LANCE CPL. JAMES FRAZER
LOGISTICS MARINES ASSIST INFANTRY WITH RESUPPLY BY AIR PAGE 3A
Marines have to know the guys who make decisions know what they’re going through.” Together, Trotta and Sgt. Maj. William R. Frye, the 2nd Bn., 6th Marines sergeant major, patrol monthly and sometimes weekly with their Marines throughout Helmand province’s Nawa District. These visits allow them to gain hands on experience at the battalion’s smaller positions, boosting the morale of the young Marines they visit in the process. The role of a battalion sergeant major is to maintain morale and good order and discipline, while an operations chief is focused on organizing and running the operational and tactical side of the battalion. Frye and Trotta believe the two of them combined make the perfect team to drive the battalion’s success.
The Marine Corps got its first chance in December 2010 to test the M-27 Infantry Automatic Rifle developed by the Heckler & Koch firearm company. Marines with the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, recently got their first chance to try out the newest weapon chosen to join the arsenal of the Marine infantry units. The M-27 IAR is being phased in to replace the M-249 Squad Automatic Weapon, to the initial disappointment of several gunners whose choice weapon has long been their trusted SAW they had deployed with and fought with in combat. “When some of the guys first heard that the IAR would be replacing the SAW they were pretty upset about it,” said Cpl. Bryan Brock, an armorer with Company E, 2nd LAR Bn. “We spent a few days learning about the weapon and its features and they were unhappy with the new weapon the whole way. Then we got to come out to the range and now I have SAW gunners who say they’ll never go back.”
Anyone who’s had the opportunity to fire both weapons would immediately understand why Marines who had served on several deployments while carrying the SAW into combat would instantly favor an IAR they had just picked up for the first time. Despite being only magazine fed with a 30-round limit, as opposed to the M-249’s belt fed mechanics allowing for hundreds of seamlessly fired rounds, the benefits of the M-27 far outweigh the comparable disadvantages. “The IAR is basically all of the best parts of the SAW and a ton of other things put into a compact rifle body,” said Brock. “Like the name implies, it’s an automatic weapon but it isn’t limited to being fired only when in the prone position or when mounted on a vehicle. That on its own is a huge achievement, since not all of the patrols we do are in vehicles. This gives the squads on the ground the firepower they need without sacrificing mobility or adaptability.” Many of the IAR’s key features are centered around providing infantry units a powerful and reliable weapon without hindering their effectiveness. In addition to having a lighter body than the SAW, every part of the
IAR has holes for draining water in case in the confusion of combat the rifle gets submerged, it will remain functional. The inside of the barrel also has a chrome lining to prevent the weapon from getting dangerously hot. If a SAW’s barrel got too hot, the gunner ran the risk of having a cook off, a term used to describe when rounds ignite without the trigger being pulled. The IAR was tested to fire more than 200 rounds in a single minute without the overheating effect. This means that the extra barrels once carried by an assistant gunner for the SAW don’t apply to the IAR’s one-barrel only design. The assistant gunner, now, is no longer weighed down and can provide more utility to the squad. “With this weapon, at the fire-team level, all my guys can move in the same way,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Nathan Aucoin, the battalion gunner. “With this weapon, squads can easily transition terrain from a desert road, to woods, to the middle of an urban community, all without having to slow down or sacrifice firepower, such as inside SEE WEAPON 7A