22nd MEU hits dry land for sustainment training

Photo By Sgt. Justin M. Martinez | A Marine with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit washes a humvee aboard Kuwait Naval Base, Kuwait, Aug. 3. The Marines and Sailors of the 22nd MEU came ashore from multi-purpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan to conduct sustainment training aboard Camp Buehring, Kuwait. The MEU is currently serving as the theatre reserve force for U.S. Central Command.  

CAMP BUEHRING, KUWAIT

08.13.2009

Story by Cpl. Justin M. Martinez 

22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit

CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait — A mist-blurred mass of metal and rubber glides over the warm waters of the Persian Gulf heading straight for a sandy shoreline in the heat of the Kuwaiti sun. The cloud of saltwater instantly transforms to a cloud of dust as a Landing Craft, Air-Cushioned from Assault Craft Unit 4 blasts ashore at Kuwait Naval Base, Kuwait.

Marines and Sailors with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit came ashore from the multi-purpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan, Aug. 2 — 6, to conduct sustainment training aboard Camp Buehring, Kuwait.

As soon as the loading ramps drop on the LCACs, Marines from Combat Logistics Battalion 22's landing-force support-party begin counting their fellow leathernecks and directing the safe offload of tactical vehicles and equipment.

"When people get off LCACs, they want to get their gear and get off," said Cpl. Lee J. Carter, a native of Elizabeth City, N.C., with CLB-22, the 22nd MEU's Logistics Combat Element. "But we have to get accountability for every last Marine first."

During the four-day offload, CLB-22 Marines accounted for over two dozen LCAC loads of equipment and MEU personnel. And that was just the first leg of the personnel movement.

From the naval base, Marines and Sailors boarded buses to Camp Buehring, a U.S. Army training base near Kuwait's Udairi Range training area where the Marines will hone their combat skills with multiple training scenarios and live-fire events.

"Something like this takes a lot of coordination because we're dealing with host-nation support as far as escorts and the Kuwaiti Military Police to get from point A to point B," said Capt. Amy L. Upton, the Operations Officer for CLB-22 and a native of Spotsylvania, Va. "It was a lengthy planning process, but it looks as if it's paying off right now."

Upton added that the Kuwaitis have been very accommodating and efficient with bus drivers working diligently to get the MEU Marines and Sailors where they need to go.

With temperatures peaking above 110 degrees throughout the movement and a breeze that felt like walking in a convection oven, Marines were forcibly reminded that August is the hottest month in Kuwait.

The dry heat of this Middle Eastern country can be a slow killer even for the strong and resilient, so Marines took extra precautions to make sure everyone made it to the fight.

"My team and I are making sure that we stay in the shade, ensuring that we drink a lot of water and we're just trying to stay out of the sun as much as possible," said Carter.

Marines began training in Kuwait Aug. 8. According to Col. Gareth F. Brandl, commanding officer of the 22nd MEU, the training is designed to enhance combat skills and refine desert operations. It will help keep the unit's skills sharp to ensure rapid and professional support of contingency operations in U.S. Central Command's area of operations.

"This training will be important in maintaining our combat edge," said Brandl. "We have conducted a variety of training ashore since departing Camp Lejeune, but Camp Buehring offers the ability to conduct more complex training such as combined arms exercises and aerial gunnery. The training in Kuwait will allow us to stay focused and ready to execute any mission as the theater reserve."

Other Marines and Sailors from the MEU currently embarked aboard amphibious transport landing dock USS Ponce and amphibious dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry are scheduled to join the training at a later date.

The 22nd MEU deployed May 15, aboard the ships of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group. The unit has since made the transatlantic voyage into the Mediterranean Sea where it conducted training in Greece and Bulgaria. The MEU then transited the Suez Canal and trained with two regional military forces in the Middle East.

The 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit is a scalable, multi-purpose force of more than 2,200 Marines and Sailors. The 22nd MEU is composed of its Ground Combat Element, Battalion Landing Team, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment (commanded by Lt. Col. Robert C. Fulford); Aviation Combat Element, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 (Reinforced) (commanded by Lt. Col. Paul P. Ryan); Logistics Combat Element, Combat Logistics Battalion 22 (commanded by Lt. Col. Gary F. Keim); and its Command Element.

For more information on the 22nd MEU, visit the unit's Website at www.lejeune.usmc.mil/22ndmeu.

• Date Taken: 08.13.2009
• Date Posted: 08.13.2009 14:47
• Story ID: 37465
• Location: CAMP BUEHRING, KW