• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Marines train for expeditionary mission in Afghanistan

US Marine Corps News

4/23/2009 By Cpl. Thomas J. Hermesman, 2nd MEB

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — Marines with 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, visited the Military Operations on Urban Terrain training facility here April 21 to assess their skills one last time before leaving for southern Afghanistan.

The battalion, originally slated to deploy to Iraq’s Al Anbar province, is now preparing for the mission of conducting counterinsurgency operations as well as training and mentoring Afghan National Security Forces.

Lt. Col. Christian Cabaniss, the battalion commanding officer, said his Marines are adjusted and ready for what awaits them in the South Asian country.

“We were good and ready before the changes were made, but now we’re great,” he said. “I recently returned from my pre-deployment survey, and the training we have been doing is exactly what we needed to be doing.”

The unit is deploying to Afghanistan’s Regional Command (South), which has experienced a steady increase in insurgent activity throughout the past year.

Although the battalion has been training since July 2008, some of its Marines are deploying for the first time, like Pfc. Isaac Vickers, an infantryman with Company G, who said he’s ready to deploy.

“I came to this unit in December, so I’ve been able to get comfortable with the Marines around me,” he said. “We have spent a lot of time in the field training and practicing, so I have no worries about us heading to Afghanistan.”

The battalion participated in multiple training evolutions which helped them prepare for the different scenarios they could face while deployed. Training included cultural lessons, patrolling and countering/reacting to roadside bomb attacks.