13th MEU sets sail for 2011 WESTPAC deployment

Photo By Jesse Leger | Marines and sailors from Battalion Landing Team 1/1, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit and USS Green Bay man the rails of the USS Green Bay as it departs Naval Base San Diego for the 2011 Western Pacific deployment of 13th MEU/Boxer Amphibious Ready Group, Feb. 22. The Marines and sailors with the 13th MEU will deploy for several months in support of theater requirements of geographic combatant commanders.  

USPACOM, AT SEA

02.22.2011

Story by Sgt. Christopher O'Quin 

13th Marine Expeditionary Unit   

AT SEA – Under a bright and sunny morning sky, Marines and sailors with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, I Marine Expeditionary Force, kissed and hugged their loved ones goodbye and boarded three ships ready to set sail, Feb. 22.

More than 2,500 Marines and sailors with the 13th MEU left Naval Base San Diego aboard the USS Boxer, USS Green Bay and USS Comstock for their 2011 western Pacific deployment.

“This is my first deployment and I’m excited to see the world,” said Lance Cpl. William J. Miller, an administrative clerk with Command Element, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit. “I’m going to miss my wife but it’s good to know she’s waiting for me and I’ll see her in several months.”

The road to deployment began summer 2010, when the ground combat, logistical and aviation elements attached to the 13th MEU and began pre-deployment work-ups. Four pre-deployment training events and numerous training field operations tested the 13th MEU’s Marines and sailors and brought them closer to deployment readiness.

“I feel like I have accomplished a lot in the past few months,” said Lance Cpl. Jeremiah J. Zabel, heavy machine gunner, Weapons Platoon, Alpha Company, Battalion Landing Team 1/1, 13th MEU. “We’ve done many field [operations] and different training events. It’s prepared me and my Marines but there’s only so much you can do. Experience that comes with deployment is where you truly learn what you and your fellow Marines are capable of.”

From humanitarian assistance operations to visit board search and seizure, the 13th MEU stands ready to serve as warrior ambassadors. As the 13th MEU heads west, they will visit countries and places most Americans have never been to, ready to operate and conduct missions as vast as the ocean they sail on.

• Date Taken: 02.22.2011
• Date Posted: 02.26.2011 05:14
• Story ID: 66126
• Location: USPACOM, AT SEA