Pfc. Colby Williams, Bravo 2LAR

Pfc. Colby Williams fires an AT-4 rocket at a simulated dummy tank target. Marines and sailors from Bravo Company, 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, shot shoulder-launched multipurpose assault weapon and AT-4 rocket launchers a part of training April 17, 2013. photo Cpl. P.Clark

Read more: http://www.dvidshub.net/image/912359/light-armored-reconnaissance-battalion-makes-big-bang-training#.UXgJ6b_hCow#ixzz2ROq6Z0AK

Lance Cpl. Christopher Ott, Bravo 2LAR

Lance Cpl. Christopher Ott,  Bravo Company, fires an AT-4 rocket launcher at a dummy tank target. Marines and sailors from Bravo Company, 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion,  shot shoulder-launched multipurpose assault weapon and AT-4 rocket launchers a part of  training April 17, 2013. photo Cpl.P.Clark

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Sgt. Joshua Kelly,Charlie Company, 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion,

Story by Cpl. Phillip Clark

Cpl. Phillip Clark

Marines and sailors with Charlie Company, 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, conducted a live-fire company exercise as a part of deployment preparation, aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., April 9-11, 2013. Marines with the scout squad move down the tree line to prepare to assault the enemy position.

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Marines and sailors with Charlie Company, 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, conducted a live-fire company exercise aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, April 9-11, 2013.

As a part of their deployment readiness program, the training consisted of day and night fires requiring the Marines to assault in groups across the range and eliminate enemy targets.

As one squad assaulted from close proximity, machine gunners suppressed upcoming enemy targets from a distance.

“We are assessing the squad leader’s ability to maneuver in a fighting squad with supporting arms from (machine guns),” said Staff Sgt. Joshua Kelly, the platoon sergeant with 2nd platoon. “The scout squad moves down range through the tree line and once they have eyes on the target, they call in for support. Then the squad will maneuver out of the tree line with accurate suppression from the machine guns to assault through the objective.”

Training like this is very important. Marines will practice and run multiple repetitions before they deploy.

“Training like this is absolutely essential for all the Marines from senior to junior because it’s all about getting back to the basics,” said Kelly. “It helps build that muscle memory so when we deploy if we are ever in this scenario the Marines can react quickly and proficiently to complete the task.”

For a lot of the Marines this was a new exercise they had never done before since coming to the unit.

“We have a really young squad, and it’s nice to get them out here to train on something other than just bounding. Usually there is more stuff going on in your surroundings, so it also helps getting them used to that,” said Lance Cpl. Mitchell Dowd, a team leader with alpha section, 1st platoon. “It gives them a bigger view on how support-by-fire works and how using all the elements together like assaulting and accurate suppression help us complete the mission.”

After the Marines finished the scenario they regrouped to have a discussion to identify their strengths and deficiencies in their attack.

“We have been working the past few weeks trying to get the kinks out since this is our first live-fire range as a squad,” said Dowd. “So far there haven’t been many mistakes that we can’t fix on the next run through. Everyone – including myself – can understand when we see something happen; how we can improve on it to make it more efficient.”

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Pvt. First Class Brent Vasa Two LAR

Pvt. First Class Brent Vasa graduated the School of Infantry at MCB Camp Pendleton, CA.  sand is now stationed at Camp Legune, N.C. with 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance, Bravo Company, Weapons Platoon.

Gunnery Sgt. Charles Dozier, maintenance chief, Company A, 3rd LAR,

by Cpl. Ali Azimi

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. - The Light Armored Vehicle is an eight-wheeled armored transport used by light armored reconnaissance units. They are versatile assets in combat and keeping them in the fight requires experience and ingenuity from their mechanics. LAV mechanics’ time in the field and experience teaches them how to keep them operating. They can spot problems in LAVs from dozens of yards away, just by the color of the smoke coming from the exhaust or the sound and repetition of the weapon systems firing.

The mechanics of 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance are responsible for maintenance and upkeep of all their LAVs, from the engineering aspects to the optics and weapons systems. These complex machines are used to their fullest capabilities and keeping them running requires constant up-keep.

“Routine maintenance in the LAV world is a hard thing to say,” said Sgt. Brandon McKinley, assistant maintenance chief, 3rd LAR. “It’s always something different. Just this week we’ve had a turbo go down, we’ve had two guns go down for multiple problems, a feeder go down, a receiver go down and a flat tire or two. It all kind of rotates. Everyone will all of a sudden focus on one thing and another problem comes up, so it’s a rolling cycle.”

Gunnery Sgt. Charles Dozier, maintenance chief, Company A, 3rd LAR, has also served as the senior instructor for the LAV mechanics school in Maryland. He has seen the progress Marines make from the time of their arrival to the school house to making repairs in the field.

“Some of the students would come in with little or no mechanical knowledge,” Dozier said. “They wouldn’t know the difference between a Philips screwdriver and a flat-head screwdriver. It is basically the crawl, walk then run method.”

The more time they spend in the field with the LAVs the better they get to know them. Each noise and movement has its purpose and when something is out of place it’s apparent.

“After a while, you listen to the gun and you can hear if something is going mechanically wrong,” Dozier said. “Just by doing it for a long time you get a feel of what the LAV is saying to you without actually looking at it. We’ve got keen senses. We know what sounds right and we know what sounds wrong.”

During the units’ Table 6 qualifications at Range 500 April 12, Dozier and McKinley knew there was something wrong with an LAV they saw firing on the line before it was even brought to them.

The crank to the ballistic cover that protects LAV’s optic glass had broken and the cover had fallen closed on the sights. The problem, although small in comparison to other potential mechanical malfunctions, prevented the crewmen from being able to see.

McKinley hopped into the LAV to examine the problem. After a few minutes and with the use of 550-Cord, the LAV was cleared to return to training.

Although this was only a temporary solution, it allowed the LAV to finish its qualification while the mechanics ordered the correct parts to permanently resolve the issue when they return to mainside.

“We don’t have our big work benches or the parts readily available but we manage pretty well,” McKinley said.

Light Armored Vehicle mechanics are limited in their resources in the field and on deployments. They make do with what they have in their Light Armored Vehicle Recovery and Light Armored Vehicle Logistics platforms. These vehicles carry the only parts and tools available to the mechanics, such as drills and power packs, and are able to tow any LAV deemed beyond repair outside the wire.

The Marines with 3rd LAR make do with what they have and do so constantly to keep up with mission requirements.

“The other night we were up until one and reveille was at seven,” McKinley said. “It makes it a long 18-hour-day when you’re up working constantly.”

The constant wear-and-tear of the vehicles is increased as they push through the unforgiving desert environment. The sands, winds, and terrain create more problems, keeping the mechanics busy and versatile in the field. This is an important trait to have when dealing with such a similar environment during combat operations in Afghanistan.

“Out in the field, we have more conditions to deal with. We have to be prepared to support all 26 vehicles with minimal amounts of support,” Dozier said. “We do a lot of improvisational fixes to make sure the vehicles can safely conduct their mission. There are a lot less resources out here. We don’t have the parts supply that we do when we’re in garrison. Out in the field environment my mechanics have to think on their feet.”

3rd LAR’s mechanics stay flexible in the way they think and work as problems arise and keep a strong work ethic in order to meet the mission demands of the battalion.

“We work 24 hours a day, seven days a week if need be,” Dozier said. “It doesn’t matter what time of the day or night it is, we always have to be ready to support the mission.”

Read more: http://www.dvidshub.net/news/105477/marines-keep-lavs-fit-fight#.UXKBz7_hCow#ixzz2R0IcfLed

Will Cole, 1stLAR, remembers 10 years ago

A Marine remembers his time in Iraq Washington Post I remember picking up our light-armored vehicles from Port Doha in Kuwait ... catch up to our command unit, the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion.

Washington Post

Sgt. Michael Timmons 3rd LAR-Rick Leventhal film/Interview

 10 Anniversary Of American Led Iraq Invasion
Fox 2 KFXV

"When marines with the 3rd light armored reconnaissance battalion fired the very first shots on the ground in march 2003, destroying an Iraqi guard post. It was Sgt. Michael Timmons who climbed the pole and snagged the colors."

Matthew Fisher. Canadian Embed 3rd LAR, " My ride into Iraq with Bravo company’s Black 6 "

With  Lt.-Col. Stacy Clardy,   Capt. Cesar Rodriguez, Gunnery Sgt. Joe Simpson, and Lance Cpl. Mark Cattabay:

A baptism of fire National Post

 "As the only Canadian journalist embedded with a combat unit for Operation Iraqi Freedom, very early that morning I was with the U.S. Marine Corps 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, a few hundred metres south of the Iraqi border in Kuwait. Once combat engineers breached Iraqi border defences, the battalion, known as the Wolfpack, was to be “the tip of the tip of the spear,” launching with great speed across the Line of Departure and pushing north as quickly as possible."

Rick Leventhal, Fox News, On the Run to Baghdad Inside a War Pig

Rick Leventhal recalls nine weeks with Marines in the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion 10 years ago this month.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/03/19/embedded-in-iraq-as-war-began-most-challenging-assignment-my-career/#ixzz2O0ic0lE4

Cameron Wink, Corpsman, 1st LAR, Ten Years later

Cameron Wink corpsman accompanied the Marines’ 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, the first unit across the border on March 20, 2003, in its push north. Baghdad fell on April 9, ending Saddam Hussein’s reign.

Read more: http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2013/mar/16/no-headline---iraq_anniv_031613/#ixzz2NnlY11Iz

Sgt. Ryan Accornero, Bravo 2LAR, Top Gun Qual's

Sgt. Ryan Accornero, Bravo 2LAR Gun qualification aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., March 14, 2013. 
Accornero’s crew shot the best of four teams competing. 
Read more: http://www.dvidshub.net/news/103531/top-shooters-aim-top-gun-honors#.UUW8DqXhCow#ixzz2NnjEPdIy

Lance Cpl. Benjamin Nalls,Navy and Marine Corps Medal W/Combat V

Lance Cpl. Benjamin Nalls, fire team leader with 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion awarded the Navy and Marine Corps medal by Major General Ronald Bailey, commanding general  1st Marine Division.
 Nalls received the medal for saving the life of Sgt. Erick Gutierrez, a squad leader with 1st LAR, during a patrol in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Nalls fell into a nine-foot-deep, 15-foot-wide canal, and was being treated for hypothermia when he heard that Gutierrez had also fallen in the canal. He immediately jumped back into the frigid water and dragged Gutierrez to the riverbank, saving his life.

Read more: http://www.dvidshub.net/image/882431/marine-awarded-navy-and-marine-corps-medal-lifesaving-efforts-afghanistan#.UUDVWqXhCow#ixzz2NS08124G

Staff Sgt. Jay Baldino, Delta Co., 4th LAR,Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal w/Combat V

Maj. Charles O'Neill, inspector instructor, Delta Co., 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance, congratulates Staff Sgt. Jay Baldino, training chief, Delta Co., 4th LAR, during Baldino's promotion ceremony at Camp Upshur on March 8, 2013. SSgt. Baldino  received the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat V for heroic achievement as  section leader with the 2D Marine Division,  April to Oct. 2011/Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Antwaun L. Jefferson

Corporal John Carreno, Alpha First LAR

Corporal John Carreno,  rifleman, Alpha Company, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, fires at  targets during the second portion of the biathlon at a combat training town,Feb. 26, 2013. The Marine,  ran  three miles, with full combat gear, and fired  at static targets with little time to recuperate. Carreno,   Murrieta, Calif., said the biathlon was a great way to build camaraderie within the unit. (Official Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Corey Dabney.)

Read more: http://www.dvidshub.net/image/874658/marines-compete-build-camaraderie-during-battalion-biathlon#.US9hkqXhCow#ixzz2MCaZYmXt

Lance Cpl. Brandon Fawkes, H&S First LAR

LCpl Fawkes on the final mile of a biathlon during a battalion-wide competition,  Camp Las Flores, Camp Pendelton CA., Feb. 26, 2013. Fawkes, a 23 year-old native of Woodstock, Ill., said this biathlon is similar to the Spartan races he competed in, but the weight of his gear made this biathlon harder. (Official Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Corey Dabney)

Read more: http://www.dvidshub.net/news/102659/marines-compete-build-camaraderie-during-battalion-biathlon#.US9fa6XhCow#ixzz2MCYmt1HY

Corpsman Mark Connolly,First LAR, Bronze Star

Petty Officer 3rd Class Mark Connolly, a corpsman serving with 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, was awarded the Bronze Star with combat distinguishing device here, Jan 22, 2013. Connolly, a native of Corvalis, Mont., deployed with the battalion in 2011 and was awarded for his heroism during a firefight in Afghanistan.

Read more: http://www.dvidshub.net/image/818381/two-members-1st-light-armored-reconnaissance-battalion-awarded-bronze-star#.UQaoS6XhDOU#ixzz2JHxfXrJj

Sergeant Thaddeus Herber, First LAR, Bronze Star

Sergeant Thaddeus Herber,  1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion,  with his wife, Lindsey Herber (left), and his mother, Kimberly Herber, after he was awarded the Bronze Star with combat V  and the Purple Heart. Herber, a native of New Braunfels, Texas, deployed with the battalion in 2011 and was awarded for  heroism under fire  in Afghanistan.

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LAR Wolf Pack Memorial

Marines and sailors with 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion opened Fallen Hero Memorial Park Dec. 7, and dedicated it to the Marines and sailors who fell during Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The park commemorated the 25 fallen heroes of  the ‘Wolf Pack’ from Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. 
On Dec. 7, their brothers in 3rd LAR paid tribute to these fallen heroes with the official opening of Fallen Hero Memorial Park in front of Bldg. 1620.Lance Cpl. Ali Azimi 

First Lieutenant James Brobyn, Iraq Sept.2006

James Brobyn, Iraq War Veteran, Recalls Pursuing Insurgent Who ...
Huffington Post
James Brodyn with the 3rd Platoon, Apache Company, 3rd Light Armored ReconnaissanceBattalion, 1st Marine Division. James Brodyn with the 3rd Platoon, ...

Battalion Gunner Travis L. McKinney, First LAR Bn.

Battalion Gunner Travis L. McKinney, First Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, will be the guest of honor at the Salute To Veterans Day ceremony by the Poway Veterans Park Committee and VFW Post 7907  this  Sunday, Nov. 11 at 11 pm.   Poway, CA.