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| Iraq |
| Royal Marines leaving Iraq |
| 2003-04-21 |
| Edited for brevity. After winning some of the Iraq war's hardest fighting, Britain's Royal Marine Commandos began packing up hovercraft and landing vessels Monday to begin a long journey home. The departure over the next few weeks of the 2,000 troops of the 3rd Commando Brigade - among the British army's best-trained forces - is quiet proof that the war is over. What?! It's not over! It's quagmire, I tell you! Quagmire! The 3rd Commando Brigade was in the thick of the war at the outset, and eight members died in an American helicopter crash in the first hours. Other units roared over mud flats in the Faw peninsula with squat, black hovercraft and employed grappling hooks to tear down obstacles of barbed wire and steel girders. The noisy, low-slung craft moved so fast over the marshland that when they triggered mines, they had usually passed over them before the devices exploded. Never heard of this before--I can't imagine it's the funnest experience, but it's nice to know you can traverse a minefield when absolutely necessary. The squadron's four hovercraft have been scarred by bullets and shrapnel and generally beaten up by weeks of hard use - and by a 16-hour slog in choppy seas Sunday from Iraq to a naval base south of Kuwait City. Marines were preparing to load them Monday - along with four drop-ramp landing vessels capable of carrying a Land Rover and four bigger ones that can haul a tank - onto a ship making a six-week trip to Britain. The soldiers will fly home and the entire brigade should be back home by mid-May to overhaul their gear and get ready to redeploy, wherever, by Aug. 1. Thanks again for your help! Enjoy your time at home--you've earned it! |
| Posted by:Dar |
| #7 They're NOT British Army forces. They are the Royal Marines. That is a part of the Royal Navy. |
| Posted by: David Newton 2003-04-21 18:09:14 |
| #6 Hail Brittania! |
| Posted by: Ptah 2003-04-21 16:48:33 |
| #5 Sure hope they left their MOUT skills with the 3ID and USMC - after years of Ireland exprience the Brits are the best at street-fighting strategy in the world at present, and we may very well need that knowledge 'lest we learn the hard way. |
| Posted by: Larry 2003-04-21 15:16:04 |
| #4 Love them Brits! You know what I like best? Their units have really cool names like Royal Dragoons, Beefeaters, etc. Does anyone have a link to those UK units that served? Long live Tony Blair! How soon before they give him a Title? |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2003-04-21 15:05:45 |
| #3 "Like being in prison, with the added possibility of drowning..."? |
| Posted by: mojo 2003-04-22 00:12:12 |
| #2 So much for the it's all about the oil and "ocuppying Iraq. The Marines are also pulling out of Bahgdad and the north of Iraq which puts them farther from Syria. If we had any ambition of going after Syria would we do that. I think that all of the heavy units will be out of Iraq in six months tops and all that will be left is MPs and engineering battalions. And the Arab street will still be pissed off. If the Arab nations were so worried about civil stability in Iraq they should of been willing to supply the cadre for the training of a new Iraqi National Police Force. And one thing. The "cops" currently on the street in Bahgdad, get them the hell out of military style uniforms and take the AKs away and leave them in the station house. If they need a side arm fine. The AKs just send the wrong message in my opinion |
| Posted by: Someone who did NOT vote for William Proxmire 2003-04-21 12:36:54 |
| #1 We Yanks know who are real friends are: they are the ones who come when things are tough and come despite criticism and danger. And they bring some of the best and bravest troops in the world. Bravo Brits - and thanks again! |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2003-04-21 12:11:12 |