3rd Bn., 6th Marines return to familiar territory in Iraq

Story by Cpl. Chris Lyttle

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CAMP BAHARIA, Iraq (April 12, 2008) – The seasoned infantry unit, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, recently joined Regimental Combat Team 1 in al-Anbar Province for their third deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The battalion takes over the area from 3rd Bn., 5th Marines, and a newly evolved mission that has changed with the times in Iraq.  For the next seven months, the Teufel Hunden battalion will aid the rebuilding country and help establish its governance, security, economy and infrastructure.

Almost like a homecoming for these Marines and sailors, the battalion is familiar with the area of operations around Fallujah. They have returned to some of the same streets and surroundings, local populace, mosques and tribal leaders.

“During our last deployment, there was significant progress during the (Anbar) Awakening,” said Maj. Mark Clingan, executive officer of the battalion, about the alliance that Iraqi tribes built with coalition forces to rid local neighborhoods of al-Qaeda (AQI) members last year. “Now that we’re back after seven months, we’ve seen huge progress and we’re anxious to continue the progress under our watch.”

Clingan said the idea of having the battalion return to the same area of operations was brought on by former I Marine Expeditionary Force commander Gen. James Mattis to build Marines’ experience and familiarization. Knowing the area and Iraqis who live here will benefit the battalion during counter-insurgency operations.

The battalion left this area in Aug. 2007, while 1st Bn., 1st Marines and 3rd Bn., 5th Marines sequentially deployed in the area to perform their missions in support of OIF.

Staff Sgt. Thomas A. Pieratti, head of 3rd Bn., 6th Marines’ JUMP Platoon, said it is evident how the area has progressed here during their dwell time in the States.

“Last year coming through Fallujah, everything was torn down,” Pieratti said. “Coming through the city at less than forty-miles-per-hour, you were being shot at. Now we’re actually going through the city and talking to people on the streets and communicating with them more because they’re more receptive to us. All the lights along the main highways are lit up. All of the curbs are painted yellow and white. It’s starting to look more like a town vice what we saw last year.”

Another indication of Iraq’s development, Pieratti said, is shown on Fallujah’s peninsula where many businesses are beginning to reopen on the main road.

“The markets are booming again,” Pieratti said. “Last year there weren’t a lot of markets on the main road of the peninsula. It was pretty much desolate and there wasn’t a lot of construction. Now there’s a ton of construction.”

As the transition to stabilization nears, Pieratti said the key to Fallujah’s forward progress involves healthy interaction with Iraqi locals that the battalion met on their previous deployment.

“We’re meeting up with lot of the same sheiks we worked with last year, and it’s funny because the guys that we’re seeing now remember who we are,” Pieratti said. “So they say hi and we talk and laugh about the things we went through last year. You don’t have to come in and build that trust and respect amongst the local populace because you did that on the last deployment. Now all of a sudden you’re back here again and you already have that trust and respect. Now all you have to do is build upon that.”

Pieratti said daily interaction with local Iraqis allows coalition forces to better understand what Iraq needs and how they will find the best methods for building upon those needs.

“The Iraqi people are standing up,” Pieratti said. “They want to do better. They want to make their country safer. They want to get back to the days when the money was flowing, the oil and fuel was here and the electricity was good. By dealing with that local interaction, they’re willing to point out who the bad guys are. They’re willing to help us beat the insurgency so that they can establish a formal government.”

Clingan said the sustainment of Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and Iraqi Police in the area gives way for the local economy to prosper. The security has grown to a point where businesses can start to develop, he said.

“Our goal is to make sure that the security is maintained, but not just us doing the security, but also assisting the Iraqi Police and the Iraqi Security Forces so that we can slowly distance ourselves from them in an overwatch role,” Clingan said.  “So at some point they can do things with little assistance, and then eventually, with no assistance whatsoever. While that is going on, we’re currently working with the embedded provisional reconstructive teams and civil affairs projects to build the infrastructure and invest certain projects into the local community and the local economy.”

“The future of Fallujah looks bright … It’s all about partnership,” Clingan added. “We just need to be here now to secure that in the future.”

With 3rd Bn., 6th Marines working alongside Iraqi locals, Pieratti described how the future of Iraq and coalition forces thrives from a reciprocating relationship.

“We’re trying to show (Iraqis) how to do certain things to benefit them, while at the same time, we’re seeing the way they do things and it makes us all better people,” Pieratti said. “It’s definitely a give-and-take relationship. And that’s probably the hardest part; making each other understand how certain things will benefit one another.”

Pieratti added while 3rd Bn., 6th Marines are ‘on deck’, they are ready and willing to take charge and lend a helping hand to the Iraqi people.