HIT, Iraq - -- Thirteen Marines and one Navy corpsman stand shoulder-to-shoulder. Upon receiving the command, they spread out on-line and push forward into the palm grove. A police call, one of the Marine Corps’ oldest traditions, is underway.
Leaving no stone unturned, the group is vigilant – looking behind every bush and blade of grass for anything unusual. Along the way, they find numerous candy wrappers and other pieces of litter. But rather than police-up the garbage, they simply disregard and keep on walking.
Why? Because on this particular day, picking up trash is the least of their worries. Needless to say, this counterinsurgency battle won’t win itself.
Team Tank, which included Regimental Combat Team 2 Marines from various units, recently returned from a 36-hour operation approximately 10 km north of Hit, Iraq.
“Our objective was to disrupt any insurgent activity in the area,” said 1st Lt. Danny James, the executive officer of Alpha Company, 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division. “We achieved this by keeping the enemy on their heels through a series of offensive operations.”
Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the commanding general of Multi-National Force- Iraq, recently discussed ongoing security operations in Iraq during a press briefing March 8.
“I should point out that although the focus, the priority, clearly is Baghdad, anyone who knows about securing the capital knows that you must also secure its surrounding areas,” Petraeus said. According to James, the same theme rings true for the city of Hit.
Team Tank was comprised of Marines from: Mobile Assault Platoon, 4th Reconnaissance Battalion, Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel platoon and 4th Combat Engineer Battalion.
“Tanks are limited to what they can do by themselves,” James explained. “We can’t just blow every house apart and expect to win this fight. That’s where the dismount teams come in.”
Sgt. Nate W.R. Jones, a combat engineer with Bravo Company, 4th CEB, 4th Marine Division, was one of the dismounts for Team Tank. Using metal detectors, his squad swept along the riverbanks and through the palm groves; searching for weapons caches and other illegal paraphernalia.
“Insurgents like to hide weapons by the river because it’s easier to move them from one side to the other,” said Jones, a native of West Chester, Pa. “Palm groves are also good hiding spots because, unlike the open desert, palm trees can mark the spot for any hidden caches.”
As a direct result of the operation, more than 50 pieces of various-sized ordnance was uncovered. Though the majority of artillery and mortar rounds found contained no explosives, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit was still notified of the situation and brought on-scene to do what they do best.
“The enemy could easily re-pack the ordnance with (high explosives) and use it against us,” Jones said. “Or they could dump it on the side of the road somewhere, using it to lure coalition forces into an (improvised explosive device) attack.”
In addition to going after the enemy, this operation also gave one corpsman the opportunity for some hands-on experience in a real-life situation.
“After searching this house, one of the guys called me over to look at this kid with a nasty cut over his eye,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Michael J. Fuchs, a corpsman with Alpha Company, 1st Tank Battalion. “It was pretty bad. There was all sorts of puss and nastiness coming from the wound.”
Since arriving in-country October 2006, Fuchs hasn’t been on many foot patrols. Much to his dismay, most of the tank operations to date have been sans dismounts.
“I cleaned the area, applied some antibiotics and re-dressed the wound,” Fuchs said. “I also gave the parents some spare gauze to change the dressing with. If left unattended much longer, an injury like that could cost someone their eye.”
Though he wished he could’ve gotten there sooner, Fuchs was just glad to do what he could to help.
“It’s not like they’ve got medicare or a health system over here,” Fuchs said. “It’s nice to be able to do my part – winning the hearts and minds. This is probably the best thing I’ve done the entire deployment.”
According to James, the Team Tank concept is an old one. But it hasn’t been used this tour as much as he would’ve liked. Considering its effectiveness, James hopes to see more units jump on the Team Tank bandwagon in the near future.
“Teaming up with dismounts is equally beneficial for both sides involved,” James said. “Through the sheer intimidation factor, tanks provide the dismounts with an unparalleled level of security. And on the flip side, the dismounts can do what tanks can’t – interact with the locals and do detailed searches. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.”