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VOLUME 75, EDITION 24
The
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Marines
Fire into G-10 impact area | 5A THURSDAY JUNE 13, 2013
22nd MEU Marines complete training
‘Helo Dunker’
SGT. AUSTIN HAZARD
22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit
Photo by Lance Cpl. Ryan Joyner
Marines and sailors from Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Africa 13.3 receive a brief from Glenn LaMarque, an Under Water Training Instructor, before being fully submerged at the Water Survival Training Facility aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, June 4.
Marines, sailors gain confidence during life-saving course LANCE CPL. RYAN JOYNER Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Africa
Ditching, ditching, ditching. The moment those wings hit the water, brace yourself, you’re going under. Water rushes up your nose and oxygen seeps away every second until you are submerged into total darkness. The fear may be too much for some, but for the Marines and sailors of Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Africa 13.3, preparation is key. SP-MAGTF Africa 13.3 recently completed a water egress trainer course at the Water Survival Training Facility June 3 through 4 to ensure personal safety for their upcoming deployment to Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy, this summer. The “Helo Dunker” is a life-saving course providing individuals with the confidence and knowledge to successfully and safely egress out of a helicopter that suffered a controlled landing. “It was great training on something that is not really brought up when flying, but could save our lives if there ever was a situation that a helicopter
Photo by Lance Cpl. Ryan Joyner
Marines and sailors from Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Africa 13.3 familiarize themselves with the emergency breathing device at the Water Survival Training Facility aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, June 4. went down over water,” said Sgt. Eric Edwards, a SP-MAGTF Africa 13.3 combat engineer. The training is coordinated by a team of expert divers. The experience they imparted created
a well-rounded course that will better prepare the trainees for real life situations. “It’s not a matter of ‘if,’ it’s a matter of SEE DUNKER 3A
NAVAL AIR STATION SIGNELLA, ITALY
Colombia native Marine becomes US citizen in Tripoli CPL. TIMOTHY NORRIS Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Africa
Sgt. Jeison Mendoza, a mortarman with Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Africa, had a once in a lifetime opportunity to become a citizen of the United States while deployed to Tripoli, Libya, June 4. In the crowded cockpit of a KC-130J Super Hercules, the Palmira, Colombia, native who came to the U.S. while still in grade school raised his right hand and repeated the oath of allegiance. It was the first time the ceremony had been performed in Libya since at least World War II. “It feels like I reached one of the biggest goals of my life,” said Mendoza, now a Port Jefferson, N.Y., resident. “I wanted to feel and become a proud American.” A reserve Marine with Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 25th Marines out of Garden City, N.Y., Mendoza had both his citizenship and enlistment in the Marine Corps planned out years ago. “Since I was 12, I always admired the Marine Corps,” Mendoza said. “I was going to enlist when I turned 18 because I wanted to feel like a hero and make my mother proud.” “She was the one who brought me here when I was little and she wanted something better for me; becoming a U.S. citizen has opened more paths in my life.” The oath of allegiance is a once in a lifetime event for those who choose to become a U.S. citizen. In this case, the same can be said
for the one administering the oath. John Lafferty, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services district director for Africa, flew down with members of the Special-Purpose MAGTF Africa command to conduct the final interview, proctor a test on U.S. government and history and administer the oath of allegiance to Mendoza. “USCIS takes great pride in serving the members of the United States military,” Lafferty said. “We are prepared to go virtually anywhere in the world to provide this service.” Lafferty added that Mendoza’s interview and ceremony was the fastest he ever conducted, totaling 30 minutes. “As the son of a Marine, I considered it the ultimate honor to travel to Libya, surrounded by Sgt. Mendoza’s fellow Marines, and swear him in as a new U.S. citizen in Tripoli, a location that has such great significance in the history of the Corps.” Lafferty worked for USCIS for more than 18 years and this was his final oath of allegiance. “This ceremony on Libyan soil was an event I will always remember and cherish. To be able to provide some service to this young man, who came to Libya to protect his fellow Americans, even though he could not yet call himself a U.S. citizen, was truly humbling,” he said. Special-Purpose MAGTF Africa strengthens U.S. Marine Corps Forces Africa and U.S. Africa Command’s ability to assist partner nations. The approximately 150 U.S. Marines and sailors conduct security force assistance,
Marines from 2nd Intelligence Battalion, II Marine Expeditionary Force, completed a new course designed to prepare them for a deployment with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit early next year, at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, recently. The detachment of 10 Marines was the first to participate in the two-week MEU Structures, Models, Approaches and Techniques class, which was created for basic MEU operations by 2nd Intelligence Battalion’s methods group. According to Chief Warrant Officer Kevin L. Navratil, 2nd Intelligence Battalion methods group officer-in-charge, intelligence Marines normally have no additional formal training prior to attaching to a MEU. “For intel battalions, MEUs have not been the priority,” said Navratil, who also taught and designed the MEU SMAT. “Our training models have been based on Iraq and Afghanistan, but now that we’re going back to the sea, we have to restructure our training for MEUs.” The course covers MEU operations, terminology, structuring and several practical application exercises. When developing the course, Navratil and another methods group Marine visited each of the Corps’ MEUs to determine what needed to be in the course. “There’s a very steep learning curve for our intel battalion Marines when they get to a MEU because they’ve never been taught about the MEU’s operations cycle,” said Navratil, who has experienced multiple MEU deployments. “That is the central theme of this entire course.” While the normal intelligence operations cycle covers a 24-hour period, the MEU’s cycle is only six hours. According to Navratil, an intelligence Marine’s biggest obstacle when attaching to a MEU from a battalion is adjusting to the change in time tables. SEE MEU 5A
Inside
Families participate in archery 1B
Photo by 2nd Lt. Andrew Bolla
Sgt. Jeison Mendoza (right), SpecialPurpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Africa mortarman from Palmira, Colombia, poses with John Lafferty, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services district director, inside a KC-130J Super Hercules in Tripoli, Libya, June 4. military-to-military engagements and are trained to provide support to crisis response.
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