CAMP AL QAIM, IRAQ (March 9, 2005)- Lt. Col. Timothy S. Mundy (left), commanding officer of 3rd Battalion, 2d Marine Regiment and Lt. Col. Christopher Woodridge (right), commanding officer of 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment shake hands to signify the passing of command during a Ceremony here March 9. The ceremony officially marked Marines of 3rd Battalion, 2d Marines assuming control of the region around Al Qaim from 1st Battalion, 7th Marines after their successful seven-month tour. Official U. S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Christopher G. Graham (RELEASED) - CAMP AL QAIM, IRAQ (March 9, 2005)- Lt. Col. Timothy S. Mundy (left), commanding officer of 3rd Battalion, 2d Marine Regiment and Lt. Col. Christopher Woodridge (right), commanding officer of 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment shake hands to signify the passing of command during a Ceremony here March 9. The ceremony officially marked Marines of 3rd Battalion, 2d Marines assuming control of the region around Al Qaim from 1st Battalion, 7th Marines after their successful seven-month tour. Official U. S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Christopher G. Graham (RELEASED)

CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, AR RAMADI, Iraq -- Lieutenant Gen. Wallace C. Gregson, commanding general, Marine Forces Pacific, visits with personnel at the 2nd Marine Division command operations center, March, 22. Gregson visited Marines on several bases in the Al Anbar Province. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Stephen D'Alessio (RELEASED) - CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, AR RAMADI, Iraq -- Lieutenant Gen. Wallace C. Gregson, commanding general, Marine Forces Pacific, visits with personnel at the 2nd Marine Division command operations center, March, 22. Gregson visited Marines on several bases in the Al Anbar Province. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Stephen D'Alessio (RELEASED)

CAMP FALLUJAH, IRAQ – Lance Cpl. Vicente Figueroa, the battalion commander’s machine gunner, sits atop the vehicle in the turret with his M240G medium machine gun. - CAMP FALLUJAH, IRAQ – Lance Cpl. Vicente Figueroa, the battalion commander’s machine gunner, sits atop the vehicle in the turret with his M240G medium machine gun.

Corporal Steven Bruce Ames II, a 22-year-old Willard Ohio native and personnel administration non-commissioned officer, delivers laundry to the staff billeting here, March 8. Ames recently arrived here to serve his country in the Global War on Terrorism. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Stephen D'Alessio (RELEASED) - Corporal Steven Bruce Ames II, a 22-year-old Willard Ohio native and personnel administration non-commissioned officer, delivers laundry to the staff billeting here, March 8. Ames recently arrived here to serve his country in the Global War on Terrorism. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Stephen D'Alessio (RELEASED)

AR RAMADI, IRAQ (March 7,2005) - Two Iraqi school children embrace new schools supplies that the 28-year-old noncommissioned officer for 4th Civil Affairs Group, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment and New Jersey native, Sgt. John J. Ramirez, and the 24-year-old 4th CAG's translator, Ricky Wissam, gave them during a visit to the Kahled Bin Waleed intermediate school. The purpose of the visit was to conduct a visual verification of repairs rendered. The team leader for 1st Battalion 5th Marine Regiment's 5th CAG, Maj. Benjamin B. Busch, accompanied 4th CAG in an effort to gain knowledge on how to conduct future missions of their own when 2nd Battalion leaves. (Official United States Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Tom Sloan) - AR RAMADI, IRAQ (March 7,2005) - Two Iraqi school children embrace new schools supplies that the 28-year-old noncommissioned officer for 4th Civil Affairs Group, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment and New Jersey native, Sgt. John J. Ramirez, and the 24-year-old 4th CAG's translator, Ricky Wissam, gave them during a visit to the Kahled Bin Waleed intermediate school. The purpose of the visit was to conduct a visual verification of repairs rendered. The team leader for 1st Battalion 5th Marine Regiment's 5th CAG, Maj. Benjamin B. Busch, accompanied 4th CAG in an effort to gain knowledge on how to conduct future missions of their own when 2nd Battalion leaves. (Official United States Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Tom Sloan)

Corporal Troy Brown, a 19-year-old Myrtle Beach, S.C. native guards the perimeter of the camp, March 5, at Camp Blue Diamond, Ramadi, Iraq. Brown is part of the guard force here, protecting many of the facilities on the camp. U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Sgt. Stephen D'Alessio (RELEASED) - Corporal Troy Brown, a 19-year-old Myrtle Beach, S.C. native guards the perimeter of the camp, March 5, at Camp Blue Diamond, Ramadi, Iraq. Brown is part of the guard force here, protecting many of the facilities on the camp. U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Sgt. Stephen D'Alessio (RELEASED)

Major Gen. Richard A. Huck, 2d Marine Division commanding general, folds and encases the Marine Corps Colors during the Transfer of Authority ceremony with Maj. Gen. Richard F. Natonski, 1st Marine Division commanding general, March 17. Natonski relinquished authority of operations in the Al Anbar Province to Huck during the ceremony. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Stephen D'Alessio (RELEASED) - Major Gen. Richard A. Huck, 2d Marine Division commanding general, folds and encases the Marine Corps Colors during the Transfer of Authority ceremony with Maj. Gen. Richard F. Natonski, 1st Marine Division commanding general, March 17. Natonski relinquished authority of operations in the Al Anbar Province to Huck during the ceremony. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Stephen D'Alessio (RELEASED)

Halabisah, IRAQ - Combat engineers attached to 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, Regimental Combat Team-1, unearth a weapons cache from the front yard of an Iraqi household in Halabisah, Iraq during Operation Peninsula Plague March 1. The experience and equipment of the engineers led to the uncovering of multiple weapons caches during the operation. - Halabisah, IRAQ - Combat engineers attached to 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, Regimental Combat Team-1, unearth a weapons cache from the front yard of an Iraqi household in Halabisah, Iraq during Operation Peninsula Plague March 1. The experience and equipment of the engineers led to the uncovering of multiple weapons caches during the operation.

HURRICANE POINT, Ramadi, Iraq -- Staff Sgt. Robert D. Oehler (right), intelligence chief for Headquarters and Service Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, smiles as he shakes hands with his commanding officer, Lt. Col. Eric M. Smith of Plano, Texas, during his reenlistment ceremony here March 6, 2005. The 28-year-old Jacksonville, Fla. Native, a Marine with almost a decade of dedicated service to the Corps, swore to devote another four years while in Iraq a second time in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Oehler collected a bonus of more than $10,000 that's tax-free because he reenlisted in Iraq, which the Department of Defense designated to be a tax-exclusion zone. (Official United States Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Tom Sloan) - HURRICANE POINT, Ramadi, Iraq -- Staff Sgt. Robert D. Oehler (right), intelligence chief for Headquarters and Service Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, smiles as he shakes hands with his commanding officer, Lt. Col. Eric M. Smith of Plano, Texas, during his reenlistment ceremony here March 6, 2005. The 28-year-old Jacksonville, Fla. Native, a Marine with almost a decade of dedicated service to the Corps, swore to devote another four years while in Iraq a second time in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Oehler collected a bonus of more than $10,000 that's tax-free because he reenlisted in Iraq, which the Department of Defense designated to be a tax-exclusion zone. (Official United States Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Tom Sloan)