Bravo 4th LAR Marines Saddle Up for Iraq

Detrick Marines prepare for Iraq deployment:

"Marines with the Bravo Company, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion were notified in December that they would be deployed to the Middle East on June 5. Since then, the unit has been preparing themselves and their families.

‘‘We have an important task ahead of us that all of our Marines are taking seriously,” said Capt. Michael Stolzenburg, the new commanding officer of Bravo Company. ‘‘The hallmark of the Marine Corps Reserve is to be ready, and we are.”

The reserve unit, which operates from the PFC Raymond Flair U.S. Army Reserve Center at Fort Detrick, has spent weekends training in the usage of weapons, marksmanship, the operation of communication equipment, infantry tactics and learning the culture of Iraq. Health and dental screening, financial and legal issues and preparing their families have all been part of the training to ready the Marines for war.

The unit has 120 members, who come from many areas outside Frederick.

‘‘We make the most of our time on the weekends,” Stolzenburg said. ‘‘These Marines continue to show how incredibly dedicated and professional they are by their motivation and focus in whatever they’re asked to do. They know their preparation here will pay off three-fold over there.”

Once in the Middle East, the unit will patrol the waterways that surround Iraq for roughly seven months, said Christian Devine, public affairs officer with Fort Detrick.

To prepare for sea duty, this month the Marines must complete a combat lifesaving course at Fort Detrick and in May a select few will receive further training at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

On June 5, the entire unit will be deployed to Camp Lejeune for three months of intensive training in riverboat operations, before deployment to Iraq.

Soldiers and their families will gather at Fort Detrick on June 4 to meet each other and be briefed on what they can expect.

This is not the first time the Bravo Company has been called up for active duty.

The battalion was part of Operation Desert Shield in November 1990 and participated with United Nations coalition forces to liberate Kuwait in Desert Storm.

From February 2002 until September 2003, the reserve unit was deployed in the early phases of the Iraq war."