Lejeune unit’s gear readied for shipping
As military convoys from Camp Lejeune rolled to the state port in Wilmington on Wednesday, Marines and sailors prepared to leave for the Persian Gulf.
The first wave of troops with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit boarded a Navy ship off Camp Lejeune’s Onslow Beach. About 250 Marines, most with the unit’s aviation squadron, were flown or ferried in landing craft to the Norfolk, Va.-based USS Kearsarge. The ship will leave within a couple days, said Capt. David Nevers, a public affairs officer with the MEU.
The unit’s roughly 200 tactical vehicles will be loaded onto the 950-foot pre-positioning ship USNS Charlton, which will arrive at the state port later this week. Pre-positioning ships are strategically located in the world’s oceans on standby for the military and carry supplies and equipment.
During the next few weeks, most of the unit’s 2,200 Marines and sailors will head to Iraq, about a month ahead of schedule. The 24th MEU and Camp Pendelton’s 11th MEU – along with about 5,000 other Marines, including reservists – will relieve the Army’s 1st Armored Division and 2nd Light Cavalry Regiment in Iraq.
This deployment is unique because the troops will be flown to the Persian Gulf region rather than sail on ships, the way MEUs typically deploy.
The main body, about 850 troops, will leave around the end of June or early July.
The unit’s Battalion Landing Team will train at March Air Force Base in California in security and stability operations.
"That is the imperative right now in that country," Capt. Nevers said.
Where the unit will be in Iraq hasn’t been determined, he said.
The unit will likely be in Iraq about seven months.
"We’re ready to go," Capt. Nevers said. "The Marines are focused. They’re making final preparations now and taking some well-earned time with their families."
Thanks, Lady Maggie. How proud you must be to be a Marine. I admire everyone who has earned to right to say they are a United States Marine!