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24th MEU, Nassau ARG Prepare to Return Home

Navy Newstand

Story Number: NNS030423-20
Release Date: 4/23/2003 4:23:00 PM

From 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit Public Affairs

CENTRAL COMMAND (NNS) -- The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), currently operating in Central Iraq, has received redeployment orders and will soon begin the process of repositioning itself to reboard ships of the USS Nassau (LHA 4) Amphibious Ready Group in preparation for a return to the United States.

The unit will be the first Marine force to depart Iraq after the commencement of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The 24th MEU has been on a routine overseas deployment since August 2002 and has participated in exercises and operations in Kosovo, Djibouti, Kenya the Arabian Gulf, and Iraq in the previous eight months. The unit was completing preparations to return to its home base of Camp Lejeune, N.C., when it received orders to support Operation Iraqi Freedom in March.

"We've been successful in Iraq," said Col. Richard Mills, of Huntington, N.Y. "We have secured our sector, kept the lines of communication clear, and have made preparations for civil affairs and humanitarian assistance missions to begin."

The 24th MEU is a special operations capable rapid response force that typically forward deploys in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. During Operation Enduring Freedom, the unit was positioned in the U.S. Central Command Area of Responsibility after spending a month conducting peace support operations in the Balkans.

"What we've done here and throughout our deployment validates our pre-deployment training program and the inherent strengths of our forward-deployed Marine Corps-Navy team," said Mills. "We operated across the full spectrum of operations, from humanitarian assistance to peace support, and anti-terrorism operations to combat. And we did it in diverse settings, from the mountainous snow of Kosovo to the deserts of East Africa, and the Arabian Gulf to the jungles of Kenya."

"I'm proud of what my Marines have accomplished here," he said. "We engaged the enemy on several occasions, and thankfully, we've had no casualties. Our aviation combat element flew numerous combat missions in support of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force and did a superb job."

The 24th MEU will return to Camp Lejeune and stand down for a period prior to reactivating.

"This has been a great experience," said Cpl. Jason Nemeth, of Pocono Summit, Pa., who works in the unit's communications section.

"We've done a lot and seen a lot. I'm glad we had the chance to defend our country. It's good to be getting ready to head home now," he said.