Corps joins special ops ranks

USMC Website | June 20, 2003 | Cpl. Jeremy M. Vought

[LavaDog]

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif.(June 20, 2003) -- Marines have always been known as the few and the proud. But on Friday, the Marine Corps took its first steps toward assembling a group of warriors even fewer and prouder as part of the U.S. Special Operations Command.

Operating under the name Detachment One, this elite 86-man unit "if it passes muster" will be in a league of its own alongside the Navy Seals, Army Green Berets and Rangers, and the Air Force's Special Operation Command.

The commando unit, housed at the Camp Del Mar Boat Basin, will consist of a headquarters, reconnaissance, intelligence and fire-support elements organized, trained and equipped to carry out special reconnaissance, direct-action, limited foreign internal defense and coalition support missions, much like their sister special operations forces. Although the missions are similar throughout the armed forces, Detachment One will take advantage of Marine-specific strengths in task organization, small-unit leadership and the application of combined arms, officials said.

Last fall, top Pentagon officials began pouring through more than 500 record books, ultimately hand-picking 81 Marines and five Navy corpsmen to form the detachment. The unit consists of seasoned sergeants, staff noncommissioned officers and officers. Lt. Col. Robert J. Coates, a highly regarded infantry officer with a reconnaissance background, will command Detachment One.

"This is a phenomenal group of Marines," said Lt. Col. Giles Kyser, head of the Marine Air Ground Task Force special operations section of Plans, Policy and Operations at Headquarters Marine Corps. "This is the pinnacle of their military professions."

When the Pentagon formed the U.S. Special Operations Command in 1987, the Marine Corps chose to march to the beat of its own drum, developing a training program to make their amphibious Marine Expeditionary Units "special operations capable." After six months of rigorous training, those units are tested on each MEU-specific mission to earn their "SOC" qualification months before their six-month deployment, certifying them for roughly two dozen specialized missions, including embassy evacuations, airfield seizures and downed pilot rescues within six hours of notice.

But ultimately, the need for a smaller, more permanent special force in the spirit of the World War II Raiders gave birth to Detachment One.

The Raiders were banded together to seize key hills and beaches in guerrilla-style strikes against Japanese forces. Disbanded two years after they were created, the Raiders wrote an important page in the history of what are now known as Special Operations forces.

Members of the Raiders were on hand for Friday's activation ceremony.

"I'm ecstatic that we are living and watching the rebirth of the Marine Raiders," said Chuck Meacham, president of the Marine Raiders Association, proudly sporting the Raiders skull insignia.

Detachment One has begun its rigorous training regime and will be "closely watched and evaluated along the way," said Kyser.

"In this profession, second place is last place, so we are going to make sure we do it right," he said.

After the evaluation period, Detachment One will fall under Naval Special Warfare Squadron One. The detachment is expected to begin training with a Navy SEAL team in October and subsequently deploy in April.

After the ceremony, family members and visitors got hands-on with the specialized gear Detachment One will use.

Members say they can't wait to get cracking on their new assignment.

"When I got the call and found I was chosen to be a part of Detachment One, I was so excited to get on the ground and start running," said Sgt. Branden W. Barnett, a topographic intelligence analyst. "I'm striving to give the detachment the real time intel they will need."

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

Corps joins special ops ranks

Merritt Edson and Evans Carlson have got to be shaking their heads.

[grapeape]

What a joke. The Navy should have never had the seals and the UTD should have benn a Marine job also. Both of these units were assigned to the Navy because of politics.

[D. Brian Carter]

I have a buddy who was in 1st Recon and if ever there was a "special ops" group, this is it. Maybe they weren't given the official moniker as a special force, but these are the baddest of the bad. His training included stints with Seals and Rangers, and he couldn't tell me the majority of the things he knew or was involved in.

That's on top of the already rigorous (almost insane) boot camp and regimen made famous by the Corps. I must admit, I don't have the balls to be a Marine, one reason I opted for US Army instead.

[coloradan]

a topographic intelligence analyst

"We think it's a ridge, sir. But it might be a valley. We're working on it as we speak, sir."

[Prodigal Son]

Oh my lord- LOL!

[Knightsofswing]

I can not figure out what was put into the "scuttle butt" back at HQMC. By our very nature we were special operations. That is we do the jobs that no body else wanted. This thing about special ops. is that just political football. I am just shaking my head in confusion!!!

[LibKill]

It won't hurt the Corps to have such an asset, completely under Corps control.

[Knightsofswing]

Both you & I know that this unit will fall under some-bound Air Farce & Army weinnie. They will no longer be Marines, but a part of some other branch. I feel that this may be the start of the death of MY BELOVED CORPS!!!

[SamAdams76]

My barracks was walking distance from Del Mar boat basin when I was stationed at Pendleton. Lot of fond memories from that time. I've got to get back there one of these years.

[LibKill]

Well, shoot. I sure hope it ain't hijacked. I was just thinking that the Corps could use such an instrument in a few situations.

[ExSoldier]

"I don't have the balls to be a Marine, one reason I opted for US Army instead."

Might I ask what your army MOS was? PLEASE DON'T TELL ME IT WAS COMBAT ARMS lest I be forced to hang my head in shame. I was seriously considering the marines, but was talked out of it by my late uncle, a retired Marine Colonel, who showed me that promotion and assignment opportunities were far better in the army. I have always found infantry training in the army to be equal that of Uncle Sam's Misguided Children--except in one area: I'll give it to the marines...they create superior marksmen.

[Thunder 6]

"I forget, what does it mean when all those brown lines are really, really close together?" ;)

regards,

[D. Brian Carter]

91x, sir. Is, not was... I report for BCT 21Oct03.

[ExSoldier]

91 x-ray...let's see...I'm a little fuzzy on anything that's not 11 bravo or 12 alpha (Infantry & Armor) might that be say Military Police? Or a medic? Where are you going to basic? If I know the fort, I might be able to give you some useful help.

[ExSoldier]

"I feel that this may be the start of the death of MY BELOVED CORPS!!!"

Naaaaaah NOBODY can or will ever replace the Marine Corps. They serve a unique mission and do that job in a superb manner. Moreover, nobody in other services would presume to be able to control them....and of course, nobody understands what language they're speaking when they call cadence, so they won't integrate well into any mainstream force structure.

[D. Brian Carter]

It's a medical job...mental health. I've got to take some of the combat medic training, as far as I understand, and if I like it I might just go that route, but I'm shooting for psych ops though I'm a little shaky on the NSA clearance right now, so am going into a field I studied in college for the time being.

BCT is at Ft. Benning, AIT at Sam Houston, and for a variety of reasons, even though I know little about the base, I'm hoping to be stationed at Belvoir or another nearby fort. Know anything about the forts in the general vicinity of DC/VA/NC?

[Chu Gary]

"I am an avid reader of history mainly military, political, and diplomatic. I am currently writing a book on military strategy with an emphasis on learning the basics and showing them through accurate and vivid maps."

Hi Grapeape,

The quote is from your site. You say "The Navy should have never had the seals and the UTD should have benn a Marine job also. Both of these units were assigned to the Navy because of politics. "Well, How do you think the SEALs originated? ... Dropped from space, came from some Boy Scout group? The SEALs were developed by and within the Navy at the direction of JFK.

You need to return to your "history mainly military" and pay closer attention to what you're reading!

[grapeape]

If you understand why the marine corps were founded then you would know the answer to the question. I do not, however, think that you are interested in truth.

You can answer the question by yourself. Ask yourself what is the mission of the Navy and then the Marine Corps then you will have your answer.

Your intentional flame is baseless and silly. You cited that “The SEALs were developed by and within the Navy at the direction of JFK.” Which is true. He was in the Navy he therefore had a predisposition to it. It is therefore really political to give a mission done already by the Marine Corps to the Navy and call it special forces. It is obvious that you have no in-depth knowledge of military affairs or you would know this. Most other countries with sophisticate Navy’s assign these tasks to their Marine arms also. People with real experience in how the military and government works here know exactly what I am talking about. You don’t “You need to return to your "history mainly military" and pay closer attention to what you're reading!” I have shown you to be a complete flamer. What is cool is that I have shot you down without resorting to your sophomoric tactics. Go back to the jungle where you belong.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

The Marine Corps already has such assets under Corps control. This unit is unnecessary and it won't be under Corps control. It's a PR move and a result of Jones' jointness doctrine.