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“I have no qualms about leaving my life in the hands of my Marines,” said Torres, who said good-bye to his wife, Marcy and their two daughters just days ago.

Prior to arriving in Iraq, the Hawaii-based Marines spent a month and a half of pre-deployment training in southern California’s Mojave Desert – a combined arms exercise appropriately dubbed “Mojave Viper.” The six-week long exercise was a culmination of a multitude of infantry, urban warfare and cultural training for the Marines in preparation for Operation Iraqi Freedom.

From countering improvised explosive devices to patrolling and interacting with Iraqi role players in a mock-Iraqi village, the Marines were put in scenarios similar to those they’ll face in Iraq.

“The Marines are ready for this,” added Cooling. “It takes a very special man to sacrifice his comfort and the comfort of those who he loves most in order to make a difference to his country. That’s the kind of men that serve in this unit – in ‘America’s Battalion.’”

In addition to preparing Iraqi soldiers to eventually take control of security operations in the battalion’s “battle space,” Cooling’s second mission is to ensure he gets his troops home safely. Minimizing casualties is a priority for Cooling, who added that doing so stems from realistic training, having the best equipment available, superb leadership, and keen situational knowledge of the operating environment.

While the infantry unit — called “three-three” for short — has received the best training, equipment and leadership possible, it’s up to individual leaders to ensure they and their subordinates keep up to date on current and future operations, said Cooling.

In a combat environment, staying in the “know” could mean the difference between success and failure, and even life and death.

“That is why a good relief-in-place is so critically important,” said Cooling, who added that his unit’s experience from Afghanistan will play a critical role in the Marines’ ability to effectively help the development of the Iraqi Army.

“We have eight months of practical experience in training a foreign military,” said Cooling. “The 55 percent of the Battalion that remains from Afghanistan knows how to work around language and cultural differences and create a cohesive team with foreign soldiers.”

The battalion has shown they can successfully work side-by-side with other militaries and is capable of training newly-formed forces, said Cooling. The Marines conducted several combined operations with the Afghan Army during their deployment last year and “performed superbly,” he said.

“They (Afghan soldiers) were a  significant combat multiplier because the local population recognized them as fellow Muslims with the same language, culture, and to a certain extent, national identity,” said Cooling, a native of Baytown, Texas. “I suspect that the same will be true with regard to the Iraqi soldiers here.”

For some of the unit’s Marines, the next seven months will be their first deployment to Iraq, and for many, the longest time they’ve been away from family and friends.

For others, the deployment offers a new experience – the chance to conduct combined operations with foreign militaries.

“It takes spouses who are willing to raise children alone for extended periods and children to go without one of their most important life mentors,” said Cooling. “It’s (deployment) a real sacrifice that few are willing to make. “

The battalion’s deployment is part of a regularly scheduled rotation of forces in Al Anbar Province. More than 23,000 Marines and sailors of the Camp Pendleton, Calif.-based I Marine Expeditionary Force are replacing the Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based II MEF.

Copyright 2006 Marine Corps News.

3/3 RVN Newsletter  Vol 1, Issue 7

Pages 4,7-8 Printed Version

“The Marines have trained exceptionally hard for this deployment,” said Cooling. “They have tremendous faith in their leadership and they know that they have had the best training possible.”

LtCol Norm Cooling,

at send-off Dec 2005