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CAAT Black, ROKs final blow in CALFEX

March 11, 2008; Submitted on: 03/10/2008 10:37:55 PM ; Story ID#: 2008310223755

By Cpl. GP Ingersoll, 1st Marine Division
.RODRIGUEZ LIVE FIRE COMPLEX, Republic of Korea (March 11, 2008) -- They said they usually ride in humvees, equipped with heavy weapons.

Instead, the Marines of Combined Anti-Armor Team Black Platoon found themselves dismounting Amphibious Assault Vehicles and running hundreds of yards through Korea's tall grass, closing with the "enemy" during the Combined Arms Live Fire Exercise here March 9.

"When we go to Iraq, it's street to street, house to house," said Cpl. Dominic M. McClellan, 26, Alanson, Mich. "Over here, it's open, going up mountains or through the woods, it's a lot different from being in an urban environment."

The Marines, all a part of Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, served as the final strategic stroke in the CALFEX, the culminating event of Operation Foal Eagle.

"Being the ground troops in this exercise, we were the main effort. All the mortars, machine guns and air were in support of us," said Lance Cpl. Benjamin J. Williams, 21, Mukilteo, Wash. "We're more of direct action, we're up on the front lines, up close and personal."

The CALFEX started off with air and mortars, moving quickly over to the M1A1 Abrams battle tanks. Communication was paramount, and the Marines waiting inside the AAVs knew every detail of the battle.

"I've been through a lot of these types of (Final Exercises) before," said Williams, a rifleman with CAAT Black. "I train to do a specific task while there are other units doing the same thing, but I was never aware of them. In this exercise, I was well informed of the adjacent units and what they were doing."

Every few seconds the radio would crackle, and the team leader would shout out updates from the battlefield. When the vehicle door finally dropped, the Marines were not running into the unknown.

Sprinting through the fields on the Marines' left flank was a platoon of Republic Of Korea Marines. They matched the U.S. step for step during the push toward the final objective. The ROKs efforts did not go unnoticed.

"We combined forces to take out several objectives at the same time," said McClellan, a team leader with CAAT BLACK. "Had the ROKs not been there, it would have been much more difficult to accomplish those objectives as a platoon.

"They work just as hard as we do, if not even harder, everyday they were doing the same type of training, mimicking us in what we do," McClellan said.

"They definitely earned the title of being called a grunt in the ROK Marine Corps."

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"Sweat dries, blood clots, bones heal. Suck it up. Be a Marine"

injunboy

rok marines aint no joke man.

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thanks dad for showing me the way, teaching me the language, and not leaving my mother...*L*

*original XXL *

jus like McSteamie

50cal

Heck no, out of all Marine Corps' in the world....I respect these guys the most next to the US Marines..........they are BADAZZ!!!!

__________________


"Sweat dries, blood clots, bones heal. Suck it up. Be a Marine"

injunboy

i traded a cover and for some reason i think they snuck around and took their cover back. o yeah and do not do any PT with them..

__________________
thanks dad for showing me the way, teaching me the language, and not leaving my mother...*L*

*original XXL *

jus like McSteamie

50cal

LOL!!!....i still got the chevrons I traded them with......and yeah DO NOT EVER PT with them.....take you a week to recover....LOL!!!

__________________


"Sweat dries, blood clots, bones heal. Suck it up. Be a Marine"