CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq -- Coming to Iraq, the Marines of Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment knew they would be fighting as ‘street cops’ on the roads.
The job includes locating hidden bombs before the enemy could use them against the Marines, Iraqi Security Forces and civilians. Their most recent find on a combat patrol brought their total number of bombs found to nearly 200. Over the past six months, they have maintained a ratio of three found to one detonated.
“We are successful at this because we are outsmarting them and they’re very predictable,” explained 1st Lt. Richard H. Lee, Weapons Company Executive Officer and Fullerton, Calif., native. “We are always one step ahead of them.”
The Marines travel the streets day and night looking for anything suspicious to keep the streets safe.
“If there is something new the enemy is trying to do on the streets, we will usually know within a couple of days and be able to adjust our procedures to stop them,” Capt. Ed. Nevgloski, Weapons Company Commander explained.
Training themselves to look for certain signals and signs while conducting vehicle mounted patrols is part of their everyday routine. Nevgloski’s company has seen different types of bombs and have learned from each experience.
“The success is due to our thoroughness and continually adjusting our procedures which has given us a chance to think ahead and identify their procedures,” explained Gunnery Sgt. Robert L. Bailey, 3rd Platoon Commander, and Gratton, W. Va., native.
Weapons Company operates in several configurations within their own company as well as working hand-in-hand with other units in the battalion. The combat engineers, Marines with a vast knowledge of explosives, help train the Marines on what to look for when on the streets.
Having recently returned from a deployment to Haiti during Operation Secure Tomorrow prior to deploying here, this is the first time many of the Marines have faced hidden bombs but they are successfully using their training and experience to combat them.
“We are like the dream team…we have a diversified group of Marines who bring a lot of knowledge to the table,” Lee explained.
Knowing the lay of the land is one of the many things the Marines learned when first getting into country.
“Coming here in the winter, we were able to learn the roads while the enemies’ operational tempo was slow,” Lee explained.
Saving lives is part of the Marines’ everyday job, but for Weapons Company, they provide the preventative maintenance on the streets to keep their fellow Marines and sailors on the move. They push forward daily in their efforts to keep Iraq safe during the Global War on Terrorism.