Stories

Maj. Gen. Richard P. Mills, commanding general, ground combat element, Multi National Force - West, and Col. Robert O. Sinclair, asst. chief of staff, Jump coomand post, Multi National Force - West, speak to Lt. Col. Leif W. Gunhus, commanding officer, 11th Brigade Military Transition Team, during a visit to the 11th Brigade headquarters, the Iraqi Army unit closest to the MNF-W Jump. Mills made a visit to the Marine Air Ground Task Force in Nineweh and visited coalition forces, Iraqi forces, and tribal leaders in the area. - Maj. Gen. Richard P. Mills, commanding general, ground combat element, Multi National Force - West, and Col. Robert O. Sinclair, asst. chief of staff, Jump coomand post, Multi National Force - West, speak to Lt. Col. Leif W. Gunhus, commanding officer, 11th Brigade Military Transition Team, during a visit to the 11th Brigade headquarters, the Iraqi Army unit closest to the MNF-W Jump. Mills made a visit to the Marine Air Ground Task Force in Nineweh and visited coalition forces, Iraqi forces, and tribal leaders in the area.

– Marines from Company D, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, roll past a small village Nov. 12. It wasn’t long after breakfast that Lance Cpl. Russell L. Pope, 21, Livingston, Texas, was sitting in the cold in the back of a Light Armored Vehicle thumbing the safety of his loaded rifle. He wasn’t nervous, he said, just on edge. Like the Iraqi people seemed to be in the market of the seemingly anti-coalition town of T’all Uhwaynat, a main trade hub leading from Syria to Mosul. “Your spider senses, they kick in, and you’re a lot more alert, you’re paying a lot more attention to everything around you,” said Pope, scout, Company D, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division. “We rolled in and the whole market stopped, everybody stopped, and they all started staring at us.” Luckily Pope’s thumb never switched the weapon off “safe.” That punch never came. Any enemy, if present, stayed low and skipped out on Bibeau’s beat down. Though the “Diablos” may not have fired a round, they still considered their mounted patrol through T’all Uhwaynat a successful strike against the enemy. Until the Marines arrived, there was little Coalition force presence in the town. It’s likely that an insurgent cleric may be preaching anti-Coalition rhetoric, or that insurgents have threatened the town’s people.Whatever the reason villagers gave Marines the cold shoulder, the Marines intend to free them from any oppression. If the town is a resupply route for the insurgents, it won’t be long before the Diablos take it away. The Marines of Company D, 1st LAR, make up one element of the first Marine Air Ground Task Force outside Anbar in Iraq since 2004. They traveled to the Nineweh province to kick off Operation Defeat Al Qaeda in the North II, an operation aimed at stamping out the insurgency just west of the restive city of Mosul. - – Marines from Company D, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, roll past a small village Nov. 12. It wasn’t long after breakfast that Lance Cpl. Russell L. Pope, 21, Livingston, Texas, was sitting in the cold in the back of a Light Armored Vehicle thumbing the safety of his loaded rifle. He wasn’t nervous, he said, just on edge. Like the Iraqi people seemed to be in the market of the seemingly anti-coalition town of T’all Uhwaynat, a main trade hub leading from Syria to Mosul. “Your spider senses, they kick in, and you’re a lot more alert, you’re paying a lot more attention to everything around you,” said Pope, scout, Company D, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division. “We rolled in and the whole market stopped, everybody stopped, and they all started staring at us.” Luckily Pope’s thumb never switched the weapon off “safe.” That punch never came. Any enemy, if present, stayed low and skipped out on Bibeau’s beat down. Though the “Diablos” may not have fired a round, they still considered their mounted patrol through T’all Uhwaynat a successful strike against the enemy. Until the Marines arrived, there was little Coalition force presence in the town. It’s likely that an insurgent cleric may be preaching anti-Coalition rhetoric, or that insurgents have threatened the town’s people.Whatever the reason villagers gave Marines the cold shoulder, the Marines intend to free them from any oppression. If the town is a resupply route for the insurgents, it won’t be long before the Diablos take it away. The Marines of Company D, 1st LAR, make up one element of the first Marine Air Ground Task Force outside Anbar in Iraq since 2004. They traveled to the Nineweh province to kick off Operation Defeat Al Qaeda in the North II, an operation aimed at stamping out the insurgency just west of the restive city of Mosul.

A Light Armored Vehicle cruises past a small town during route and area reconnaissance operations Nov. 12. Rivers, cities, roads and obstructions were just a few of the things Marines of Company D, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance, 1st Marine Division, scouted and reported back to headquarters in the first week of operations in the Nineweh province. Although the Marines replaced an Army unit and could very well have gathered recon secondhand, they opted to see for themselves. Small groups of LAR Marines live and operate out in the country, off of and far away from the supply base. Being such an island, it’s important to identify routes of resupply, not to mention possible insurgent resupply routes. Information isn’t always perfect or all inclusive. Some intelligence may only clue leaders in to an enemy movement, but not the size of the force or the particular type of unit. Knowing the terrain enables commanders to put themselves in an advantageous position prior to making contact with an enemy of unknown size or capability. The Marines of Company D, 1st LAR, make up one element of the first Marine Air Ground Task Force outside Anbar in Iraq since 2004. They traveled to the Nineweh province to kick off Operation Defeat Al Qaeda in the North II, an operation aimed at stamping out the insurgency just west of the restive city of Mosul. - A Light Armored Vehicle cruises past a small town during route and area reconnaissance operations Nov. 12. Rivers, cities, roads and obstructions were just a few of the things Marines of Company D, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance, 1st Marine Division, scouted and reported back to headquarters in the first week of operations in the Nineweh province. Although the Marines replaced an Army unit and could very well have gathered recon secondhand, they opted to see for themselves. Small groups of LAR Marines live and operate out in the country, off of and far away from the supply base. Being such an island, it’s important to identify routes of resupply, not to mention possible insurgent resupply routes. Information isn’t always perfect or all inclusive. Some intelligence may only clue leaders in to an enemy movement, but not the size of the force or the particular type of unit. Knowing the terrain enables commanders to put themselves in an advantageous position prior to making contact with an enemy of unknown size or capability. The Marines of Company D, 1st LAR, make up one element of the first Marine Air Ground Task Force outside Anbar in Iraq since 2004. They traveled to the Nineweh province to kick off Operation Defeat Al Qaeda in the North II, an operation aimed at stamping out the insurgency just west of the restive city of Mosul.

Sergeant 1st Class James L. Price, platoon sergeant, scout platoon, Eagle Troop, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, points out places of interest to Capt. Keith P. Tighe, commanding officer, Company D, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, during a battle space changeover meeting at Combat Outpost Heider Nov. 10. Price, 42, Houston, Texas, and Tighe, 39, Sacramento, Calif., talked at length about possible insurgency hot spots and trade routes in Tighe’s new area of operations. The “Diablos” of Company D accepted responsibility for battle space in the Nineweh province Nov. 10. The Marines relieved soldiers from the Army’s 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. Mission accomplishment for the Diablos is to enable stabilization of Mosul by maintaining presence in towns, villages and along trade routes used by FFF and insurgents. The Marines make up one element of the first Marine Air Ground Task Force outside Anbar in Iraq since 2004. They traveled to the Nineweh province to kick off Operation Defeat Al Qaeda in the North II, an operation aimed at stamping out the insurgency just west of the restive city of Mosul. - Sergeant 1st Class James L. Price, platoon sergeant, scout platoon, Eagle Troop, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, points out places of interest to Capt. Keith P. Tighe, commanding officer, Company D, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, during a battle space changeover meeting at Combat Outpost Heider Nov. 10. Price, 42, Houston, Texas, and Tighe, 39, Sacramento, Calif., talked at length about possible insurgency hot spots and trade routes in Tighe’s new area of operations. The “Diablos” of Company D accepted responsibility for battle space in the Nineweh province Nov. 10. The Marines relieved soldiers from the Army’s 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. Mission accomplishment for the Diablos is to enable stabilization of Mosul by maintaining presence in towns, villages and along trade routes used by FFF and insurgents. The Marines make up one element of the first Marine Air Ground Task Force outside Anbar in Iraq since 2004. They traveled to the Nineweh province to kick off Operation Defeat Al Qaeda in the North II, an operation aimed at stamping out the insurgency just west of the restive city of Mosul.

The military police of MP detachment, Combat Logistics Company 19, 1st Marine Logistics Group discovered a small weapons cache in an abandoned town just one kilometer west of Camp Sinjar Nov. 11. The cache consisted of an AK-47, a flare gun, ammunition for the AK and ammunition for a Dragonov sniper rifle. There was no Draganov sniper rifle onsite. The Marines also found numerous papers with Arabic writing, a bag full of syringes, and vials containing an unknown liquid. Marines suspect that the papers may be possible intelligence on the enemy and that the liquid could be some kind of amphetamine, but investigators have yet to make any conclusions. Marines in MP detachment make up one part of the first Marine Air Ground Task Force outside Anbar in Iraq since 2004. They traveled to the Nineweh province to kick off Operation Defeat Al Qaeda in the North II, an operation aimed at stamping out the insurgency just west of the restive city of Mosul. - The military police of MP detachment, Combat Logistics Company 19, 1st Marine Logistics Group discovered a small weapons cache in an abandoned town just one kilometer west of Camp Sinjar Nov. 11. The cache consisted of an AK-47, a flare gun, ammunition for the AK and ammunition for a Dragonov sniper rifle. There was no Draganov sniper rifle onsite. The Marines also found numerous papers with Arabic writing, a bag full of syringes, and vials containing an unknown liquid. Marines suspect that the papers may be possible intelligence on the enemy and that the liquid could be some kind of amphetamine, but investigators have yet to make any conclusions. Marines in MP detachment make up one part of the first Marine Air Ground Task Force outside Anbar in Iraq since 2004. They traveled to the Nineweh province to kick off Operation Defeat Al Qaeda in the North II, an operation aimed at stamping out the insurgency just west of the restive city of Mosul.

2nd Lt. Richard K. Sala, commander of 3rd Platoon, Company C, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion reviews reconnaissance information near Sinjar Airfield here. After reconnaissance of the open area west of Mosul, the company patrolled through nearby wadis to assess routes and hiding places for foreign fighter facilitators moving weapons and insurgents in from Syria - 2nd Lt. Richard K. Sala, commander of 3rd Platoon, Company C, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion reviews reconnaissance information near Sinjar Airfield here. After reconnaissance of the open area west of Mosul, the company patrolled through nearby wadis to assess routes and hiding places for foreign fighter facilitators moving weapons and insurgents in from Syria

Sgt. Timothy J. Exley, a light armored vehicle mechanic with Headquarters and Service Company, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion sorts through bolts and other parts late at night to repair a light armored vehicle. - Sgt. Timothy J. Exley, a light armored vehicle mechanic with Headquarters and Service Company, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion sorts through bolts and other parts late at night to repair a light armored vehicle.

Seaman Stephen L. Johnson, corpsman, Shock Trauma Platoon, Combat Logistics Co. 19, hoists a patient into an ambulance during a drill at Camp Sinjar, Nov. 10. The drill was conducted to test the readiness of the corpsmen of the STP and the Forward Resuscitative Surgical Support on Camp Sinjar. - Seaman Stephen L. Johnson, corpsman, Shock Trauma Platoon, Combat Logistics Co. 19, hoists a patient into an ambulance during a drill at Camp Sinjar, Nov. 10. The drill was conducted to test the readiness of the corpsmen of the STP and the Forward Resuscitative Surgical Support on Camp Sinjar.

With one awkward step over the berm, the Marines of the Military Police detachment here began their first security and reconnaissance patrol in Iraq’s northern Nineweh Province Nov. 9. The MPs with Combat Logistics Company 19, 1st Marine Logistics Group, shoulder the task of base security here, which includes presence patrols through adjacent towns and abandoned structures. Their mission Nov. 9 was to clear out and secure an old, abandoned town located just a kilometer west of Camp Sinjar. As insurgent activity continues in Mosul, a city located East of Sinjar, Marine presence in smuggler jump off points and safe havens serves to choke off possible enemy supply routes. The MPs are just one part of the first Marine Air Ground Task Force outside Anbar in Iraq since 2004. They traveled to the Nineweh province to kick off Operation Defeat Al Qaeda in the North II, an operation aimed at stamping out the insurgency just west of the restive city of Mosul. - With one awkward step over the berm, the Marines of the Military Police detachment here began their first security and reconnaissance patrol in Iraq’s northern Nineweh Province Nov. 9. The MPs with Combat Logistics Company 19, 1st Marine Logistics Group, shoulder the task of base security here, which includes presence patrols through adjacent towns and abandoned structures. Their mission Nov. 9 was to clear out and secure an old, abandoned town located just a kilometer west of Camp Sinjar. As insurgent activity continues in Mosul, a city located East of Sinjar, Marine presence in smuggler jump off points and safe havens serves to choke off possible enemy supply routes. The MPs are just one part of the first Marine Air Ground Task Force outside Anbar in Iraq since 2004. They traveled to the Nineweh province to kick off Operation Defeat Al Qaeda in the North II, an operation aimed at stamping out the insurgency just west of the restive city of Mosul.

Cpl. Justin S. Sher, a 21 year old combat engineer, Marine Wing Support Squadron 273, pours concrete into a crater caused by erosion on the Camp Sinjar airstrip. These Marines are repairing the airstrip to make it capable of supporting F/A-18's. This is also the only Marine run airstrip in the Nineweh province, in support of the Marine Air Ground Task Force participating in Operation Defeat Al-Qaida in the North II. - Cpl. Justin S. Sher, a 21 year old combat engineer, Marine Wing Support Squadron 273, pours concrete into a crater caused by erosion on the Camp Sinjar airstrip. These Marines are repairing the airstrip to make it capable of supporting F/A-18's. This is also the only Marine run airstrip in the Nineweh province, in support of the Marine Air Ground Task Force participating in Operation Defeat Al-Qaida in the North II.