War Dogs roam Combat Center, share stories of valor
The War Dogs of 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, returned from their seven month deployment to Iraq in January. Since then, they've spent time back home and received roughly 190 Marines, fresh out of School of Infantry, to their battalion.
http://www.op29online.com/articles/2006/04/01/news/news04.txt
Lance Cpl. Michael S. Cifuentes
Combat Correspondent
The War Dogs set out on an exercise Monday morning - a five-mile conditioning hike, dubbed a “hump,” hauling their loaded packs and individual weapons.
Throughout the five miles of the winding rocky and soft sand trails of the Combat Center's desert terrain, members of the battalion reflected on their last deployment, yet each step marked the beginning of another pre-deployment evolution.
Led by Lt. Col. Joseph A. L'Etoile, 2/7's commanding officer, the battalion operated in the city of Fallujah while deployed.
“When we first arrived to Iraq, our battle space was roughly 50 square kilometers,” said L'Etoile, a Georgetown, Calif., native. “In the span of seven months, we drew that battle space about 15 times its original size. There were two Iraqi army units operating in the city too, and they manned their own regions of the city. Together we detained a whole lot of bad guys, killed quite a few and made the city a better place. We all worked very, very hard everyday - about 18 to 20 hours a day - for seven months. There was never a break.”
Through their hard work came tragic days for the War Dogs. Thirteen Marines of the battalion were killed during the deployment, and many were wounded. But in the midst of all chaos were the stories of individual experiences.
“I remember a few close calls while patrolling in the city streets,” said Lance Cpl. Usiel Montano, a 20-year-old mortarman from Tucson, Ariz., with Mobil Assault Platoon 1, Weapons Company, as he treaded with the formation as a road guard, reflecting on the deployment. “During a mounted patrol, we turned a corner where the street was full of pedestrians. One civilian came up to the back of our high back [seven-ton] and threw a grenade into it. It fell into the corner of the bed behind some water containers. We thought it was a rock, but when we noticed it was a grenade it blew up. It stunned us but luckily no one got hurt because the fragments were smothered by the water.
“Even though the city improved, there were still a lot of bad people living there,” continued Montano. “Another time a man drove his vehicle, carrying a vehicle-born improvised explosive device, into our truck. Usually when our convoys patrol the city, the civilian cars move out of our way. This man accelerated toward us, laughing and waving at us, as he drove into our truck. He struck the driver side of the truck and exploded with his vehicle. Luckily no one was seriously hurt.”
Members of the battalion also reflected on their fellow Marines or Sailors who stood out among the many who exemplified valiance and leadership.
“Cpl. [Jesse T.] Markel is a Marine who is a big asset to our mission and showed it during the deployment,” said Staff Sgt. Matthew A. Maxwell, Weapons Platoon sergeant with Echo Company, and Rochester, N.Y., native. “He runs the biggest section in our platoon, and I've never had a problem with accountability. He showed tactical and technical proficiency. He knows his job, he knows his Marines and he knows who to employ. He gives 100 percent in looking out for each guy and accomplishing the mission. It is hard to fill that man's shoes.”
“The people who stuck out the most in my mind were our corpsmen,” said Lance Cpl. Jeremy S. Starr, a 19-year-old mortarman with Mobile Assault Platoon 3, Weapons Company, and a Milwaukee, Wisc., native. “I never once saw a corpsmen stop his rush when there were wounded Marines. Throughout the whole deployment, the corpsmen were behind us every step of the way, patching our wounds. We owe a lot to them. They also gave the Iraqi civilian and soldiers the same care as us. They saved many lives out there.”
After hauling roughly 50 pounds of gear and kicking up dust for five miles, the battalion reached the endpoint of the hump. As the War Dogs continue to move forward, foreseeing another deployment, their stories of their last deployment will not go untold or unheard.
“I have a fear of forgetting any of the Marines who fought with the battalion,” said L'Etoile. “Frankly, all of the Marines and Sailors who were with us are heroes. Our mission was accomplished, and we can do it again. We will continue to train hard as we normally do. Next time we deploy, we are going to be smarter, faster and meaner. We will go do an even better job.”