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3/8 Marines pack their seabags in preparation for return to Lejeune

Marine Corps News

Release Date: 9/11/2003

Story by Cpl. Ryan D. Libbert

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP SCHWAB, Okinawa, Japan(September 9, 2003) -- Marines and Sailors from 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, will be returning home in early Sept. as they depart Camp Schwab and head back to Camp Lejeune, N.C.

The 860 servicemembers that make up the battalion are eager to return to the United States after serving Okinawa's Unit Deployment Program for nine months.

The battalion served longer on Okinawa than the standard six-month rotation due to the Marine Corps' Stop Move policy, allowing them extra time to take full advantage of their time in the Pacific theater.

"The biggest highlight of this deployment was working in coordination with our counterparts in the Philippines and Korea," said Lt. Col. David H. Berger, commanding officer. "They had a lot of experience and shared with our Marines, lessons they learned from actual combat operations."

Other notable points of 3/8's deployment were training at the Jungle Warfare Training Center at Camp Gonsalves, training at Camp Fuji, exercise Landing Force Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (LF CARAT), and a security detachment sent to Bahrain during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Along with sustaining their war fighting capability, 3/8 also took part in learning from the surrounding culture as well.

"People join the Marine Corps for a chance to deploy, to see parts of the world they would not otherwise get a chance to see," continued Berger. "My Marines were very fortunate to get the opportunity to see several different countries during our time here."

Experiencing different cultures may have been a bonus for the battalion, but not all their lessons came from the local communities alone.

"I think the biggest lesson we learned during our time here was that no matter where you are in the Marine Corps, you will always play a vital role in our nation's defense," Berger explained. "We may not have gotten the chance to go to war in Iraq, but by being here we serve as a deterrent from other wars breaking out in the Asia-Pacific region. Serving as a force-in-readiness for the division commander is very important."

The extended stay on Okinawa was initially challenging for the Marines of 3/8, but the morale quickly improved with the help of Noncommissioned Officers like Cpl. Jody J. Slyman, rifleman for Company K.

"The Stop Loss policy was pretty rough to take at first," said the Miami, Okla. native. "Eventually we got the mindset that we are here for a purpose, and that made it easier. Now that we can see the end in sight, morale is really high in the company."

The battalion will be replaced by 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment from Camp Lejeune.