Posted on 11/25/2003 5:05:39 PM PST by SJackson
CAMP LEMONIER, Djibouti(November 20, 2003) -- Paint brushes took the place of rifles in the hands of more than 40 Battalion Landing Team 1/1 Marines and Sailors who participated in civic assistance projects in two Djiboutian towns recently.
The 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) ground combat element Marines ashore in Djibouti worked with Djiboutian locals and Army personnel from Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa's Charlie Company, 478th Civil Affairs (Special Operations) in the towns of Tadjoura, a coastal town about 150 kilometers from here, and Obock, more than 200 kilometers away, to paint a regional hospital and primary school. The two sites are part of ongoing civil assistance operations being conducted by the Miami-based Army reserve unit in the CJTF-HOA region.
"We focus on comprehensive repair and renovation of clinics and schools in the region," said Maj. Ralph Engeler, C Co., 478th commander. "Painting is important for both appearance and longevity of the buildings we work on."
The civil affairs unit sets up the projects, which usually take about four to six weeks to complete. Local contractors are generally hired to do the majority of the work, but the painting is usually a joint effort between the locals and military personnel who work on the site, according to Engeler.
The scope of these two paint projects was larger than the available manpower at the sites and was not a part of the work contracted to the locals so additional people were needed, Engeler said. The Marine volunteers provided the additional manpower required.
The 12 Marines who painted the school in Obock worked with 10 locals to complete the project in two days, according to Engeler. The Tadjoura hospital, the regional medical facility for that area of Djibouti, had locals working to complete the construction being done at the site as the Marines were painting.
The projects provided more than work for the Marines who participated.
The Marines stayed in a small beach hotel in Tadjoura and on cots at the beach in Obock, which gave them the chance to interact with the townspeople even after the work was done each day. They also had an opportunity to swim at the beach near each site and eat at a local restaurant for several meals.
"I got to help other people, and I got to get out and see a little bit more than Camp Lemonier in Djibouti," said Sgt. Zebulan W. Moore, 3rd squad leader, 2nd Platoon, Alpha Company, BLT 1/1. "I saw a village in the middle of nowhere and their day-to-day life."
"I wanted to see the country, get to know some local people. This was a great opportunity to see parts of the world I'll probably never see again," said LCpl. Sean A. Cannon, one of the Marines in Moore's squad who worked on the hospital in Tadjoura.
"I thought it would be a good thing for the squad to do together," said Moore, who signed his entire squad up to participate in the Tadjoura project that lasted from November 11 to 14.
"It was a really good experience. My main goal was to help the locals out and we got to do that," said Moore. "We don't get to do that often, help out in a community, when we go ashore for training."
"I think we gave the people a good impression of United States Marines," said Moore. "We've assisted in opening up a hospital that will help the people."
13th MEU Marines ashore in Djibouti will conduct training through November and return to their ships to continue their scheduled deployment, currently expected to return to Camp Pendleton in late spring 2004.
For additional information about the 13th MEU (SOC), view the official website at www.13meu.usmc.mil.
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Paint-covered Marines of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) take a break from their work at the Tadjoura regional hospital in Tadjoura, Djibouti. Marines of Combat Engineers Platoon and Alpha Co., Battalion Landing Team 1/1, the MEU's ground combat element, assisted the Army's 478th Civil Affairs Unit in refurbishing the buildings of the hospital during a volunteer project Nov. 11-14. The Marines are ashore from the USS Ogden to conduct live-fire training in the region. Photo by: Cpl. Eric C. Ely
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A local Djiboutian contract worker prepares cement-like material being used to refurbish the Tadjoura regional hospital in Tadjoura, Djibouti. Marines of Combat Engineers Platoon and Alpha Co., Battalion Landing Team 1/1, the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable)'s ground combat element, assisted the Army's 478th Civil Affairs Unit in painting the refurbished buildings of the hospital during a volunteer project Nov. 11-14. The Marines are ashore from the USS Ogden to conduct live-fire training in the region. Photo by: Cpl. Eric C. Ely
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A Marine of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) paints an exterior wall of the Tadjoura regional hospital in Tadjoura, Djibouti, while locals continue the refurbishment work around him. Marines of Combat Engineers Platoon and Alpha Co., Battalion Landing Team 1/1, the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable)'s ground combat element, assisted the Army's 478th Civil Affairs Unit in painting the refurbished buildings of the hospital during a volunteer project Nov. 11-14. The Marines are ashore from the USS Ogden to conduct live-fire training in the region.
Photo by: Cpl. Eric C. Ely
1. Bring a gun. Preferably, bring at least two guns. Bring all of your friends who have guns.
2. Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Ammo is cheap. Life is expensive.
3. Only hits count. The only thing worse than a miss is a slow miss.
4. If your shooting stance is good, you're probably not moving fast enough nor using cover correctly.
5. Move away from your attacker. Distance is your friend. (Lateral and diagonal movement are preferred.)
6. If you can choose what to bring to a gunfight, bring a long gun and a friend with a long gun.
7. In ten years nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance, or tactics. They will only remember who lived.
8. If you are not shooting, you should be communicating, reloading, and running.
9. Accuracy is relative: most combat shooting standards will be more dependent on "pucker factor" than the inherent accuracy of the gun.
10. Use a gun that works EVERY TIME. "All skill is in vain when Murphy (Murphy's Law) pisses in the flintlock of your musket."
11. Someday someone may kill you with your own gun, but they should have to beat you to death with it because it is empty.
12. Always cheat; always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose.
13. Have a plan.
14. Have a back-up plan, because the first one won't work.
15. Use cover or concealment as much as possible.
16. Flank your adversary when possible. Protect yours.
17. Don't drop your guard.
18. Always tactically load and threat scan 360 degrees.
19. Watch their hands. Hands kill. (In God we trust. Everyone else, keep your hands where I can see them).
20. Decide to be aggressive ENOUGH, quickly ENOUGH.
21. The faster you finish the fight, the less shot you will get.
22. Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet.
23. Be courteous to everyone, friendly to no one.
24. Your number one Option for Personal Security is a lifelong commitment to avoidance, deterrence, and de-escalation.
25. Do not attend a gunfight with a handgun, the caliber of which does not start with a "4."
A peaceful mission, on what isn't a peaceful mission. It's a theatre of the war on terror that doesn't get much coverage.
US forces flex muscles in the Horn of Africa
U.S. Anti-Terror Strikes in Horn of Africa Approved
Horn of Africa Group Meets with Regional Leaders [U.S. MARINE CORPS]
French Foreign Legion and Infantry Marines join in training operation
If the Marines have to paint buildings, why don't they do it here in the U.S.?
Maybe this falls under the heading of diplomacy. If so, then I suppose it can be justified.
But, as it was explained to me, they're there to fight terrorism. They're only painting in their spare time. This isn't that big of a deal. I only hope they didn't get food poisoning in that restaurant they ate in. The Djibouti version of Montezuma's Revenge.
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