MRE's and Three LARB War Pig

Lance Corporal (LCPL) Altheir; LCPL Franks; Private First Class (PFC) Williams; and PFC Moore-3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion (LARB), lean against their War Pig AKA Light Armored Vehicle (LAV-25) to enjoy Meals Ready to Eat (MRE) during downtime at Su Song Ri, Republic of Korea (ROK), while participating in the Amphibious Ready Group Exercise 2004 (ARGEX 04). The Exercise is jointly conducted between the US Marine Corps (USMC) and the US Navy (USN) to familiarize each other with the techniques, tactics, and procedures associated with a Special Operations Capable Unit. photo:
CPL GREGORY A. RUSSELL, USMC

Battalion Sergeant Major

Sgt. Maj. John J. Elliot, battalion sergeant major
3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion.
USMC photo Cpl. Monica Erickson

Squeeky Clean War Pig Waits

3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance War Pig aka Light Armored Vehicle (LAV-25) waits for inspection after a through cleaning at a wash down station in preparation for transit to Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan 03/21/2004 at the end of Amphibious Ready Group Exercises 2004 (ARGEX 04), a joint USMC and US Navy (USN) training exercise held in the Republic of Korea USMC photo CPL GREGORY A. RUSSELL

War Pigs on Tinian

Marines from 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance (LAR) Battalion, Twentynine Stumps, on the Island of Tinian in a WAR PIG AKA Light Armored Vehicle-25 (LAV-25), 3/29/1999.
USMC photo LCPL PENNY SURDUKAN

3rd LAR Bravo and Headquarters and Service Company Homecoming

Lance Cpl. Michael Dominguez, grenadier B Company 3rd LAR with his wife, Kimberly and their
six month old baby girl, Averie, at the homecoming for B Co. and H&S Company 3rd LAR, Sept. 24, Victory Field, 29 Stumps.

Shadow Work For 3 LAR DMTs Designated Marksman Teams In Sahl Sinjar, Iraq

MNF-WPA---As their unit, the Third Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, recons the sun baked desert combining forces with local military and public support, the LAR Designated Marksman Teams operate in the shadows far from public eyes.

“The sniper’s job is different,” said Lance Cpl. Russell Injerd, an assistant team leader with 3rd LAR Bn. “While the team leader plans the missions, the assistant team leader is the supervisor. Having a job like this means that not only do you operate in the shadows, but you also work to ensure that when others are busy, you’re filling in the gaps.”

“Working with previously gathered information, we gather additional intelligence and conduct operations watching over possible insurgent hot spots, caches or [improvised explosive device] cells,” said Sgt. Neftaly Estremera, a chief scout with the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Headquarters and Service Company. “We provide surveillance and [reconnaissance] capabilities for areas of interest.”

“I love operating; I mean really, what is there to not like,” said Estremera. “Yes, the sand fleas tear you up, but at least you know you’re actually making a difference. We’ve been able to stop [people trying] to come [across the border] illegally. It’s getting to the point now where it’s mainly just illegal cigarette smuggling. We’ve come a long way.”

One of the more interesting facets of the marksman life is the ability to take creative approaches to mission accomplishment. This is something members of the team feel is not only essential, but also one of the more unique elements of the job.

“The guidance is pretty general,” said Injerd. “It’s a good line of work because you get to be creative with your mission planning; that’s something not many units ever truly get to do.”

A large part of mission planning is location. Snipers have the luxury of choosing where to establish themselves and how best to insert. While other, larger formations are limited by their loud engines and shouted squad commands, the DMTs can slip in and out once they’ve decided on where to conduct their work.

“We usually insert anywhere from one to two kilometers from the operating zone,” added Injerd. “We’ll go over the plan, mount up and then move to wherever it is that we feel we can accomplish the mission most effectively.”

While many movies and books tend to emphasize the marksmanship skills of the Marine sniper and designated marksman, the men of the 3rd LAR Bn. DMTs find that their true skills are in not having to fire a shot at all. Much like policemen around the world, the snipers are there to gather evidence and gain a visual, while keeping themselves unseen.

After the ‘insert’, described as the trickiest part by Injerd, the team goes back to one of the fundamentals of infantry operations: communications.

“Once we have communications established, we check out the area and move in to our selected [position],” explained Injerd. “From there we set up and watch out. If we catch the bad guys committing crimes like smuggling, we call in for ground units, and we’re their eyes until they get to the area.”

3rd "Greywolf" Meets with 3rd "Wolfpack"

Lt. Col. Kenneth Kassner, commander of Task Force 3rd 'Wolfpack' Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, meets with Col. Gary Volesky, commander of 3rd 'Greywolf' Heavy Brigade Combat Team, during a visit Monday to the LAR area of operations. Kassner and his Marines are coordinating hand over operations in the western part of Ninewah province to Volesky and his Soldiers. The "Greywolf" brigade will assume control of western Ninewah from another "Wolfpack" in October. The "Wolfpack", 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, which took control of western Ninewah in early 2009, will redeploy to Twentynine Palms, Calif., in mid-October, leaving their area of operations to the 3rd Bde. DVIDS Christopher Kozloski

D Company, 3rd LAR Mechs

DVIDS D Company, 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion. "We keep our company rolling," said Lance Cpl. Matthew P. Cornett, a 22-year-old mechanic from Hunington, Utah. "Without us, there would be no LAR. It would just be a standard grunt battalion."

Each light armored vehicle platoon has two mechanics who go everywhere the vehicles go. It's not because the vehicles are notoriously unreliable, but because small problems arise and the vehicles are crucial to the mission.

"If a vehicle is rolling on a mission, but stops running or refuses to start, it could be a simple problem that is easily fixed, like a circuit breaker," said Gunnery Sgt. Richard F. Thurston, the company's maintenance chief. "We have the mechanics on site to take care of it so platoon can go on with their mission."

Sometimes, when the mechanics are thrown into a tight spot, they have to use ingenuity and whatever materials they can get their hands on to fix a problem.

"If something breaks, but we can fix it in the field, we do a quick fix using anything we can get our hands on," Cornett explained. "I once used a tire that we found on the side of the road to make a gasket. It worked for the time being. But once we got back to base, we corrected it the right way."

Mechanics in the company perform collateral duties when they are outside the wire, in addition to fixing the vehicles when they don't work up to specifications.

It's not just fixing the eight-wheeled monstrosities. The mechanics get into the mix with the infantry Marines. They're trained to serve as crewmembers on the vehicle " as gunners, vehicle commanders and drivers " according to Cpl. Michael G. Michaud, 24, a mechanic from Presque Isle, Maine.

Still, it's their determination and knuckle-busting know-how that keeps them in business.

"There is nothing the mechanics can't do on the vehicles," said Thurston, a 35-year-old from Durham, Conn.

The mechanics know their job of fixing the vehicles may not be the most glamorous job in the Marine Corps, but it is crucial to the mission at hand.

"Without working vehicles, a mechanized battalion is useless," said Cornett.5/31/06

Third LAR First in- Last Out

Light armored vehicles with Task Force 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 8 traverse the rocky terrain of the Sinjar Mountains on a constant basis while deployed to the Ninewa province. The battalion was one of the first LAR battalions to enter Iraq and will be the very last LAR battalion to leave.DVIDS


DVIDS-The Marines of Task Force 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion were one of the first LAR battalions to get their treads dirty with Iraqi soil and will be the last LAR battalion to do so during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The battalion has deployed five times throughout Operation Iraqi Freedom's eight-year transformation, conducting varied operations from the initial invasion to fighting an insurgency, to rebuilding and training the Iraqi security forces.

"I see victory all over Iraq today," said Lt. Col. Kenneth R. Kassner, the battalion commanding officer.

However, Kassner has also witnessed a great deal of struggle during his previous deployments with TF 3rd LAR that show how it has taken many years for the people of Iraq to be victorious.

"There was a time when you wouldn't see a kid in the street," Kassner said. "The fact that kids are playing outside and you can see adults playing a soccer match is a victory."

These small victories are from several years of sacrifice, given to sustain a strong Iraqi government and Iraqi security forces.

Kassner stepped on deck of the battalion in May 2004 and deployed soon thereafter as the battalion executive officer, constructing battleplans to retake Fallujah in Operation Phantom Fury. He also deployed with TF 3rd LAR to conduct counter-insurgency operations along the western Iraqi border the following year. Now he is back as the battalion commander.

"The ISF have a greater capability and willingness than ever before," Kassner said.

Through his past deployments, he has been witness to the progress that has occurred Anbar andin the professionalization of the ISF

"The enemy was much more aggressive then," Kassner said.

Using fear tactics and attacks against their own people, the insurgents tried stopping civilians from helping Coalition forces.

"There were people who wanted us here, but they couldn't express their gratitude because of what would happen to them," said Cpl. Aaron Garner, an LAV crewman with Headquarters and Service Company, TF 3rd LAR, originally attached to Delta Company, TF 3rd LAR, during Operation Phantom Fury.

"During their first [national] election, it was really creepy," said Master Sgt. Bill Denman, the operations chief for Bravo Company, 3rd LAR. "Sometimes it would be really quiet and sometimes we would get shot at."

With weakened security, Iraqi political officials had a hard time enforcing laws and governing their populace.

"Often times the local government was unwilling or unable to effectively govern," Kassner said.

The Iraqis weren't alone in the attacks. During the first half of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Marines were repeatedly targeted by the same insurgents attacking the ISF and the government of Iraq.

"Even though the enemy was quite elusive, he would constantly attack coalition forces with [improvised explosive devices] and indirect fire," Kassner said.

During his first deployment to Iraq, Garner's vehicle was struck by multiple IEDs, indirect fire and a rocket-propelled grenade.

"An RPG landed about 25 feet in front of my vehicle," Garner said. "It knocked me off the vehicle and I sustained a class three concussion and a perforated eardrum."

With help from 3rd LAR and many other coalition force units, the ISF began to build a stronger force, protecting key leadership from terrorist attacks and allowing the rule of law to govern.

"Everything we do now is by, with and through the Iraqi government," Denman said.

"Iraq has been made safer by the battalion doing its part fighting the insurgency and showing a strong presence during its deployments," Garner said.

Kassner, Denman and Garner see a big difference in Iraq today.

"The differences I see now are enhanced ISF security, more effective local governments, increased willingness to work with coalition forces and a significant decrease on coalition-force dependence," Kassner said.

"I go through a lot more water than ammunition now," Denman said.

With time, the ISF have built a strong military and police force to combat insurgent activity. "We combine our efforts (with the ISF) to interdict and disrupt foreign fighters and smugglers," Kassner said.

In the past few years, coalition forces have given the roads back to the GOI and ISF. Now, Iraqis can be seen driving past Marine convoys with Iraqi children waving to the drivers in the tan, behemoth, Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles.

Kassner said that for the past six years, all Iraqis knew about the rules of the road was to get out of the way of Marines driving along the roads. This was to prevent any attempts to attack coalition forces with vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices.

"I remember driving on the other side of the road to not allow any VBIEDs to hide with the other [passing] vehicles," Kassner said. "Our LAVs were attacked by them in the past."

Kassner has seen the good and bad of Iraq. He's seen the Iraqi people make the brave choice to help coalition forces, knowing their lives and their family's lives were in danger, and he's seen the ISF put the citizens' fears to rest.

Being able to see the beginning and the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom has allowed Kassner and other Iraq veterans to contemplate the sacrifices their fellow brother and sister warriors have made to make Iraq what it is today.

To Kassner and the Wolfpack, those sacrifices were not made in vain and will be remembered as the legacy of LAR in Iraq comes to a close

Company D, 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, busy sweeping and clearing Iraq's western desert ISO orcs

Two LAR War Pigs from Company D, 3rd LAR speed across the Iraqi desert toward Al Qaim. The Marines of Company D operating in support of the 7th Iraqi Army Division conduct a route clearance operation in the desert of western Al Anbar province.



by Lance Cpl. Jason Hernandez

AL ANBAR PROVINCE, Iraq – Sand blows in small funnels across a narrow, deserted Iraqi highway. Minus the roadway itself and distant high-tension wires, there is not a single identifiable feature, only silence and the blowing sand. That is until the silence of the barren, unforgiving desert landscape gives way to the distant hum of vehicle engines.

The roar of 250-horsepower Detroit 6V53T engines powering two Marine light armored vehicles may have made the sound, but the first vehicles to emerge from the swirling dust and sand were two Iraqi army tactical vehicles. Within minutes, these Iraqi vehicles are joined by LAVs and a small convoy of other tactical vehicles.

This was no ordinary Sunday drive. Instead, operating under the bright Iraqi sun and a cloudless blue sky, soldiers from the 7th Iraqi Army Division and members of Company D, 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 8, were busy sweeping and clearing Iraq's vast western desert.

The mission was the latest undertaken by the 7th IA Division, who are now in the lead of securing their sector of the Al Anbar province. In doing so, and as forces from Multi-National Force - West step further back from frontline combat and counterinsurgency duties, the Iraqis are increasingly demonstrating they can secure and safeguard their own country.

Though the Marines of Company D, nicknamed the 'Dragoons,' made their presence known during the two-day mission, the entire operation was planned, organized and set in motion by the Iraqis.

"Our role on this [mission] is simply support, nothing more," yelled 1st Sgt. Larry Buenafe from the turret of his command variant LAV. The senior enlisted Marine from Company D was covered from head to toe in the dust constantly boiling up from the road and ground. "The Iraqis are the ones who got the ball rolling on this one."

When they weren't busy clearing roadways, the Iraqi troops searched the open desert and swept through a long-abandoned compound that had once been used by the Saddam Hussein regime. While the searches were underway, other Iraqi soldiers and the Marines stood nearby providing security or chatting and trading military rations for loafs of fresh bread.

The Iraqi army, a fighting force of seasoned, yet still learning, professionals is seeking to restore order and the rule of law to every corner of Iraq. This operation and its results are but another chapter in a new Iraqi history.

After securing and clearing the former regime compound, the units moved out across the open Iraqi desert. As they moved in an orderly manner across the soft desert sands, Capt. Andrew J. Kressin, the Company D commanding officer, used the featureless landscape to teach an Iraqi army colonel the fundamentals of map reading.

By the end of the operation, the Iraqi colonel understood how to effectively navigate the near-featureless terrain using a global positioning system and more importantly the age-old map and compass method.

"At the Basic School they teach us everything we need to know to be an infantry officer; then they teach us how to teach someone else," said Kressin, "so I took the time to teach their commanding officer how to read a map and navigate accordingly."

For the junior Marines participating in the operation, the experience was a little more personal.

"I think operations like this really give us the opportunity to understand who the guys we're supporting out here really are," said Lance Cpl. Dustin A. Wilson, a rifleman with Company D. "It's funny how no matter how different the parts of the world we come from are, people are still pretty much the same."

Wrapping up their first day with a road cleared and a compound secured, the Marines and soldiers of the combined force stopped and set up camp in the center of the desert, posted a guard force, and grabbed a few hours of sleep.

Afterward, the Dragoons and IA soldiers pushed on to the next objective of their mission – an abandoned oil-pumping station. Once the building was cleared and determined to be free of insurgent presence, the units packed up and rolled out, heading back to Al Asad Air Base with another successful and incident-free mission under their belts.

Once they reached Al Asad, the Marines stopped to take stock of what they'd accomplished, or for that matter, what they'd witnessed the Iraqis accomplish – three major highway routes cleared, a former regime compound secured and an oil-pumping facility identified for possible future use by the Iraqi people.

Standing beside their LAV-25s, the Dragoons looked at one another and didn't talk about how they felt about having supported such a mission, what interesting stories they'd have to tell their children some day or even how they felt about being partly responsible for rebuilding a nation. No, looking back at one another, then up at the yellow, dust-filled sky, Lance Cpl. William Sewell said all that needed to be said, "Let's go grab some chow and get ready for tomorrow."

Operation Rat Hunt, 3RD LAR Checking for Vampire Orcs

Photo/story:Cpl. Adam Johnston

“Intel points to a number of [ORCS] who call this area home,” Capt. Max Stapp, CO for Bravo Co., 3rd LAR said. “They’re constantly on the move, using family connections to hide out and operate in the surrounding villages. Our AO is so large, it can be difficult to cover at times.”

At 565 sq. miles, Bravo Company’s battlespace is more than twice the size of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif.

“We try to stay out there as long as humanly possible,” said Staff Sgt. Mark F. Erhardt, the platoon sergeant for 1st Platoon, Baker Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment. “It’s all about keeping the enemy on their toes; making it harder for them to do business.”

“This is the first time I’ve ever spent more than 24 hours outside the wire without returning to base,” Erhardt said. “Once we’re done for the day, we try and find an easily defendable spot to go firm for the night. It definitely adds a bit of realism to this deployment; there’s nowhere safe out there to lay our heads.”

“Working with the LAV’s has been nothing but positive,” Erhardt said. “As a mobile assault force, we can move two squads of Marines anywhere in our AO within a short amount of time.”
















Lance Cpl. Shelton H. Foerster






Photo/story:Cpl. Adam Johnston