Posted on 10/29/2004 12:54:53 PM PDT by Marine_Uncle
Lejeune troops get orders for Iraq October 28,2004 STAFF REPORTS DAILY NEWS STAFF
About 14,000 Marines and sailors with II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune will head to western Iraq in early 2005, military officials announced Wednesday.
The deployment will be conducted in phases beginning in January and ending by March, according to the release from II MEF command at Camp Lejeune. The troops, which include forces from New River and Cherry Point air stations, should assume control of their assigned area by March, the release stated.
The troops are expected to provide security and help stabilize the region. They are replacing the California-based I Marine Expeditionary Force.
"We will contribute to the stability and security of Iraq in order to assist the Iraqi people as they move toward representative government and self-sufficiency," said Maj. Gen. Stephen T. Johnson, commander of the 2nd Marine Division who will head the group known as II MEF (Forward).
The deployment, beginning just after the Christmas holidays, was rumored for months.
The troops will be structured as a Marine air-ground task force (MAGTF), including units and individuals from II MEF Augmentation Command Element, the 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing and 2nd Force Service Support Group. II MEF will be aided by other units from around the Navy and Marine Corps, both active duty and reserves.
"This Marine air-ground task force will truly be a team effort, drawing equally on units across the spectrum of Marine Corps capabilities, augmented by units and service members from the Army, Navy and Air Force," Johnson said. "We have watched with excitement and anticipation the great work being done in western Iraq by I MEF and its subordinate units, and II MEF is ready and fully capable of continuing that fine effort."
Johnson will be commanding general of the MAGTF. He is scheduled to relinquish command of 2nd Marine Division on Nov. 10. His deputy commander will be Brig. Gen. Charles S. Patton, commander of Marine Corps Air Bases East and commanding general for Cherry Point.
The ground combat element will be led by Maj. Gen. Richard A. Huck, most recently assistant deputy commandant for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. He will command 2nd Marine Division, with regimental combat teams from 2nd Marine Regiment and 8th Marine Regiment. The major ground units are 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, and 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines, all reinforced. The regiments also will include units from 1st Marine Division and Marine Forces Reserve.
The MAGTF's aviation combat element, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, will be commanded by Col. Robert E. Milstead. Major elements of 2nd MAW are Marine Aircraft Group 26, Marine Air Control Group 28, and Marine Wing Support Group 27.
The combat service support element, 2nd Force Service Support Group, will be commanded by Col. John E. Wissler. It is composed of elements of Headquarters and Service Battalion, 2nd Maintenance Battalion, 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Supply Battalion, 2nd Transportation Support Battalion, and 2nd Medical Battalion.
Reserves Lejeune-bound
Marine reserve companies from Yakima, Wash., and Boise, Idaho, are being mobilized and will be soon head to Camp Lejeune.
Mobilization orders were received Monday for 120 reservists in Companies B and C, 4th Tank Battalion of the 4th Marine Division. Company B is based in Washington and Company C is based in Idaho. Members also are from Oregon, Montana, Utah and Nevada.
The units, bound for Iraq, will be called up in January and serve about a year.
Some of the Marines will work as military policemen and will receive training at Lejeune, Tank training will be conducted at Lejeune and at Twenty-Nine Palms, Calif.
The units will become part of II MEF.
Training will take 30 to 60 days and be tailored to activity in Iraq, said Maj. Ben Brown. Deployment is set for March or April and was expected to run through 2005. Brown said tank tactics will focus on close support of infantry troops rather than more traditional confrontations with opposing armored forces.
God bless each and every one of our troops.
My son is with 2/8, I don't see his unit on that list, but he is scheduled to head over in early 2005. He returned from Afghanistan in Sept, the training tempo is very fast. Good luck to your nephew and may he kill many of them insurgent bastrages. Semper Fi
"My son is with 2/8, I don't see his unit on that list, but he is scheduled to head over in early 2005. He returned from Afghanistan in Sept, the training tempo is very fast. Good luck to your nephew and may he kill many of them insurgent bastrages. Semper Fi"
And may the good Lord keep His almighty hand over your son and each one of his buddies as they debark to perform their honorable duty in the days to come.
Semper Fi Sir.
"I am a Marine Uncle too. My nephew, Justin, ....... His service committment was to be completed in April of this year. He agreed to extend so that he would have another deployment in Iraq. They need him and he wants to go. God Bless all of our troops"
Hey Uncle! Thanks for sharing. May the good Lord keep his Almighty hands over Justin and his buddies when they go back to that land and continue to provide the needed SASO and humantairan activities where required.
I am certain the majority of Iraqis outside the immediate control of the Bathest and foreign insurgents want us to succeed in removing the rest of the scum balls.
These Marines............their special. Like your nephew exntending his service, my nephew voluneteered for the first deploy.
He could have waited until this time around. Obviously we all must continue to keep our men and women up in prayer.
It is the best thing we can do for them.
Semper Fi
bttt
My son is with the 2FSSG out of Camp Lejeune. He mentioned going over again possibly in Jan.2005 a few mos ago. This is his second trip. First was to Kuwait at the beginning.
Semper Fi and Prayers to all Military families.
PS I just became a granma (son's first) in August.
If Kerry is elected and he passes the global test, as expected, these guys may not have to go. They will be replaced by the Russo-Franco-Germanic-Klingon Joint Task Force.
congrats grandma! Best wishes and prayers for the little new one in your family. And may the good lord with his Almighty hand keep watch over your Marine as he deploys to a land that truly needs our help to establish a fully functional democracy for it's people. I continue to be so proud and somewhat in awe of all our military folks as they perform in such professional ways in service to their country.
Semper Fi to you mame.
"If Kerry is elected and he passes the global test, as expected, these guys may not have to go. They will be replaced by the Russo-Franco-Germanic-Klingon Joint Task Force."
If Kerry is elected, they may all be called back to the states. Then Kerry and his lawyers will spend years at the UN and abroad to Europe spending huge sums on junkets to wine and dine with the French and Germans and high end UN goons, to discuse alternate ways to bring peace to the region, while Iraq goes into chaos. Meanwhile he will figure out how he can cleverly dismantle or "re-arrange" how our CIA, NSA, etc., operate so that they once again become in-effectual intel orgs. Jobs in this country will materialize out of no where, the un-employment rate will dip to 3.0%, he will move in liberal judges into the Supreme Court and other key Federal judge positions. He will as Slicko claim all is improving by leaps and bounds,
and have the admiration of the liberal community.
Out of their love, respect and admiration for JFK, Al Qauda will assemble three or four fully functional nuclear devices in large key cities on east/west coast USA and have them detonated as a thank you to American stupes for once again, missing the point. Those officers left in the military at this point, will rebel and say F__K IT. We quit,
place us in prison. We no longer care. Enlisted men will follow suit. The New York Times will report that Big John
Kerry was found in some sleezy Paris apartment apparently have choked on to much French wine, while his TEEEEEREEZZAA
sun bath nude on the Riveria.
Ted hickup Kennedy will declare the demise of big John Kerry as a national treasure lost. He and the remaining Kennedy family will of course fly to Paris to watch their beloved friend Big John Kerry lowered into the ground and meet with key French officials and other world leaders.
The 1 million plus officers and enlisted men and women of our armed services will a be tried and court marshalled and given sentences of death for deserting their commander in chief.
The ultra liberals and far left democrats, MSM, universities, and other liberal organs will all speak out with lashing tongues and hissing at how the military folk never could be trusted, and they deserved what they got.
Meanwhile, little Johnny Edwards, will pace the Whitehouse in endless circles wondering just how he can figure out how he should act now that he is the president. He decides it is to much for him to comprehend, he and his wife and children are found in the Whitehouse Bunker, dead, after have swallowed Cyonide pills. There dogs are also found to have been poisioned, when they accidentally drank a puddle of unrine Big John Kerry had left behind in the west wing prior to his last leaving for Paris.
Bin Laden, Zaqari and other Islamic terrorist issue a special fatwa for all Muslims to give special thanks to Allah as the USA goes into total chaos, and termoil, as the far left congress try to figure out just how to get out of the situation at hand. The people go nuts and elect by a special presidential elections, fat boy Micheal Moore.
At this point the good Lord has had enough of it, HE issues a large comet to hit the earth ........ground zero.........
Washington.
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