Marine battalion shines in battle, sets stage for rebuilding Iraq
USMC News
Story Identification Number: 200342273430
Story by Cpl. Shawn C. Rhodes
AN NUMINIYAH, Iraq (Apr. 20, 2003) -- "In Third battalion, Second Marine regiment, we like to think of ourselves as the underdogs," said 1st Lt. Patrick P. Metke, executive officer of Lima Company, 3/2. The Fort Meyers, Fl. native, continued "as a result, we carry ourselves differently here and work hard to earn the respect we have."
Third Battalion, Second Marine Regiment is known for its fighting and humanitarian work during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Preparing for battle in Camp Shoup, Kuwait, 3/2, part of Regimental Combat Team-2, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, recapped infantry training.
"We took on 140 new Marines a few days before we left. They didn't have anything but their time in boot camp and the School of Infantry to rely on for training," said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Nick Vitale, the Gunner for 3/2 and native of Lake Hurst, N.J. "Our other Marines had had time to train together, so we had to make sure these new Marines had the necessary training to operate with us."
When the order came to cross over into Iraq, 3/2, along with its brother infantry battalions 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment and 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, moved in long convoys toward the largest town in southern Iraq: An Nasiriyah.
"We pushed north and west in Nasiriyah, taking down military compounds and raiding ammo caches," said Vitale. "There were a few sporadic small arms engagements those first few days...our snipers brought in six confirmed kills."
After the fighting was done in Nasiriyah, 3/2 moved to Awaniyah, where a war crime was discovered and dealt with.
Charlie Company, Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion found themselves under heavy fire from a mosque. Iraqis had occupied the mosque and were firing on the Marines below.
"After being engaged for two hours, I saw the most motivating thing in the war. A Cobra helicopter was called in, and it started unloading onto the mosque," said Vitale. He continued "after firing on the mosque, the Cobra shot a Maverick missile at the building. We heard secondary explosions for hour afterwards. They had a lot of arms in that mosque."
Vitale added 3/2 has been fired at from Iraqis hidden in mosques, hospitals, and ambulances, clearly violating the laws of war.
In Awaniyah and throughout Iraq, the Marines of 3/2 dealt with vastly different terrain. Everything from rolling deserts to rice paddies to urban environments had to be negotiated. After Awaniyah, 3/2 moved to Ad Diwaniyah and then to Al Numiniyah, it's present location. In Numiniyah, 3/2 has created an example for the other rebuilding cities in Iraq to follow.
"Because of our active community relations program the people in the town like us, trust us, and are generally happy we're here," said Vitale.
The community relations include frequent meetings with town and clerical leaders leading to humanitarian operations including re-establishing water and electricity to the town and re-opening the local school. Having established peace and order in a formerly lawless town has not been easy, and the Marines of 3/2 are ready to return home.
"We did what we needed to do...but we are infantrymen, and we're ready to turn the humanitarian operations over to people who do this kind of thing for a living," said Vitale.
During their interaction with the townspeople, Marines found that Iraqis are not the stereotype the media has made them out to be, and they go out of their way to prove they are decent people.
"These people are very generous, extremely intelligent and do everything they can to show they are good people and not the stereotype the media made Saddam's regime and country seem like."
With Baghdad under control of American and British forces and humanitarian effort underway, Marines know the war is ending. Many are proud of what they have done, and look forward to a joyous homecoming.
"I keep in mind: We're doing all this (in Iraq) so that my four-year old son won't be called back here 14 years from now to face these forces."
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