News

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RCT-2: A year in review

After more than 12 months of hard work and tireless dedication, the Marines and sailors of Regimental Combat Team 2 have finally reached the proverbial end of the tunnel. Needless to say, the light is blissfully blinding. Their deployment, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 06-08, began on the eve of Dec. 30, 2006. RCT-2 officially “took the

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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. ? Retired Master Gunnery Sgt. Jack Pursel (left), previously the II Marine Expeditionary Force maintenance chief, proudly stands next to Lt. Gen. Keith J. Stalder, commanding general of II MEF, with Pursel?s Legion of Merit Medal citation for years of outstanding service. Pursel recently retired with 30 years of dedicated service to the Corps. - MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. ? Retired Master Gunnery Sgt. Jack Pursel (left), previously the II Marine Expeditionary Force maintenance chief, proudly stands next to Lt. Gen. Keith J. Stalder, commanding general of II MEF, with Pursel?s Legion of Merit Medal citation for years of outstanding service. Pursel recently retired with 30 years of dedicated service to the Corps.

30 years of selfless service: Marine awarded Legion of Merit

Salt and peppered hair and a lifetime of priceless experience is given to those who’ve served 30 years of duty in the Marines, but for those few of the few and proud who excelled beyond the rest are awarded for their effort. Retired Master Gunnery Sgt. Jack Pursel, previously the II Marine Expeditionary Force maintenance chief, stood proud as Lt.

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Warlords can be predators or prey

Marine team leaders and squad leaders from 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, participated in the Combat Hunter Course here Jan. 7-11. They were the first Marines to participate in the training at Camp Lejeune. “We are teaching Marines to detect improvised explosive devices and sniper threats,”

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Iraqi Police take the fight in Baghdadi

How many Marines does it take to secure Baghdadi? Last year, it took an entire company. Then, as the situation improved, that number dropped to a platoon. And now, with the onset of 2008, the grand total is zero. The Marines of 2nd Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 2, have completely pulled out of

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Training and gaining: Iraqi Army pushes ahead

Much can be said of Marine Corps training. Rigorous, intense and comprehensive are a few descriptions that help construct the profile. Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 7th Iraqi Army Division, are not only engaged in a constant training cycle with Marines at Combat Outpost North, Al Qa’im, Iraq, they are also excelling at it. Amid the

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Father, son unite for Fallujah Christmas

On Christmas Eve, a military aircraft flew in from Baghdad landing at Camp Fallujah transporting special cargo for one fortunate Marine; his father. The chance to spend Christmas together was one they didn’t take for granted and were fully aware of what a privilege it was for them. “I’d bicycle from Baghdad to be here,” said Paul Charbonneau,

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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. ? Lance Cpl. William H. Conn, LAV-25 light armored vehicle crewman, Company A, 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, drags Lance Cpl. Sean T. Northrop, a gunner, to safety during a simulated ambush here Dec. 12. The Marines conducted predeployment training at the Military Operations in Urban Terrain facility. They focused on the individual actions vital to MOUT operations. - MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. ? Lance Cpl. William H. Conn, LAV-25 light armored vehicle crewman, Company A, 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, drags Lance Cpl. Sean T. Northrop, a gunner, to safety during a simulated ambush here Dec. 12. The Marines conducted predeployment training at the Military Operations in Urban Terrain facility. They focused on the individual actions vital to MOUT operations.

Individual actions key to MOUT success

A Marine patrol moved cautiously down the street, eyes scanning, with their hands on their weapons, ready for anything. Their mission was to contact the local sheik and establish a friendly relationship. As they moved down the crowded street a silhouette appeared on a nearby rooftop. A primal scream rang out followed by the bang of a

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FORT A.P. HILL, VA ? The American flag holds a special meaning to Cpl. Brandon Hawke, embarkation chief, Headquarters and Service Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, shown here Dec. 3. Hawke is pursuing a goal of taking his colors all the way around the world with only seven times zones to go. - FORT A.P. HILL, VA ? The American flag holds a special meaning to Cpl. Brandon Hawke, embarkation chief, Headquarters and Service Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, shown here Dec. 3. Hawke is pursuing a goal of taking his colors all the way around the world with only seven times zones to go.

Marine travels with Old Glory

The American flag holds a special meaning to Cpl. Brandon Hawke, embarkation chief, Headquarters and Service Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force. The flag means so much that he is continuing his goal of escorting his stars and stripes around the world. “I acquired my flag as a snowboarding

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Marines with 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, watch from afar as an MV-22 Osprey completes an insertion and extraction for Companies K and L during a raid exercise here Dec. 10. The battalion recently completed a two-week combat training evolution away from their home, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C. - Marines with 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, watch from afar as an MV-22 Osprey completes an insertion and extraction for Companies K and L during a raid exercise here Dec. 10. The battalion recently completed a two-week combat training evolution away from their home, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C.