AR RAMADI, Iraq -- Marines with 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, have been here less than two months conducting security and stabilization operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and already they are performing like veterans. Their situational awareness and familiarity with the urban battlefield here enables them to confidently accomplish the unit’s missions during the early stages of their deployment, according to Staff Sgt. Daniel Santiago, platoon sergeant for 1st Platoon, Company A. “The Marines are performing well,” said Santiago referring to the patrols he and his Marines conduct each day in their area of operations (AO). “They are familiar with their AO, and I think their situational awareness is high. I’m happy with the performance of my platoon.”Corporal Michael J. Kelly, a team leader with 2nd squad, and his fellow Marines exemplified this proficiency and keen alertness during a recent trip to the city streets, Santiago stated. The 22-year-old from Boston and his squad members conducted an aggressive foot patrol in search of anti-coalition forces and propaganda. Less than half an hour into the patrol, Kelly identified a possible threat to their mission.An Iraqi riding a bicycle appeared to be shadowing the squad from a distance as they zigzagged through neighborhoods. His actions greatly concerned Kelly.“He’d been following us the whole time,” the 2000 Milton High School graduate said as he approached the individual to question him. “He even changed cloths less than twenty minutes ago, which made him even more suspicious. Plus, he was following us yesterday, too.”Kelly searched him for any devices that could be used to detonate an improvised explosive devises. He wasn’t carrying one so he was sent away with a warning not to follow Marines.Second squad’s awareness of the situations around them is aided by their familiarity with their AO.“I’ve got to where I know exactly what street we’re on by recognizing buildings,” Cpl. David B. Northridge, a 25-year-old squad automatic gunner with 2nd Squad, said as he pointed to a building he and his fellow Marines passed by while riding in an up-armored high-back Humvee. “See that one, I recognize its brick patterns. There’s one building out here with a checkerboard pattern. When I see it, I know where I am. We come out here so many times day and night that you remember things.”Northridge, who’s a native of Billings, Mont., explained the more familiar they are with their AO, the less they have to rely on maps, which saves time and confusion.“We know our AO and how to do our job well,” he said. The Marines with 1st Battalion 5th Marines are based out of Al Anbar’s provincial capital, Ar Ramadi, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The unit is scheduled to rotate back to California in late summer.