24th MEU rehearses HA missions

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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (April 10, 2006) -- It can be the most effective weapon that Marines can wield during a conflict in a hostile land. It has more range than a howitzer, gets more attention than ‘Ma Deuce’ and is more memorable than any 5,000- lbs. laser-guided bomb. It’s light-weight, self-operated and if properly used, saves more lives than a battlefield corpsman. It’s a Marines heart - its employment during a Humanitarian Assistance mission creates positive effects that can linger long after Marines have left town.

In order to maximize its effectiveness, the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit used training time during their Expeditionary Strike Group Exercise to practice HA operations in preparation for their deployment this spring to the European and Central Command theaters of operation.

HA missions include contributions from each of the MEU’s four elements and is one of the most complex operations required of the MEU while underway, said 1st Lt. Edwin B. Dillard, MEU Service Support Group 24 supply officer and assistant initial reaction team leader for HA missions.

Dillard said that an HA mission is based upon the scenario of persons becoming displaced within the boundaries of a nation due to political strife, violence, or natural disaster and their need of immediate relief in the form of bottled water, food, or protection. The complexity of the mission is compounded by international agencies, governmental organizations and internal conflict – such as that between Shiite and Sunni Muslims in Iraq – that make helping people in need a tall order.

“It’s about winning the hearts and minds, but it goes beyond that in a crisis,” added Dillard. “It requires a lot of planning and involves everybody from medical to administration.”

In a broader sense, the humanitarian assistance effort is vital in maintaining street-level security, helping to solidify the Marine Corps’ intent in the minds’ eye of indigenous people who may believe a Marine’s only skill is fighting, said Dillard.

“The HA mission is there to provide aid. It’s a benefit to us to have the people see what we’re doing,” said Dillard. “They see that there’s no better friend and no worse enemy.”

Providing humanitarian assistance has become a common theme throughout the Marine Corps, with Marines offering a helping hand abroad during mudslides and tsunami disasters and closer to home with relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina – an endeavor led by the 24th MEU in New Orleans and throughout the gulf coast this past summer.
Aboard Camp Lejeune during ESGEX, the training scenario gave Marines a chance to practice setting-up an HA processing point, complete with displaced person processing, food, water and security, all while operating in a hostile environment. Approximately 50-70 role players mobbed a vehicle control point, forcing Marines providing security to interact with individual concerns they may face while overseas, said Sgt. James K. Gray, Sierra Battery artillery section chief.

“You need to establish good rapport while searching for weapons,” said Gray. “It could absolutely make or break the entire scenario and change the whole tone of the exchange. It makes that big of a difference – if you do good things they feed you information you wouldn’t normally get.”

For Marines, maintaining a state of suspicious alertness while trying to comfort the needy is a delicate balancing act that requires good intentions and a bigger heart. Practicing tirelessly for that situation and training to interact with a local populace during ESGEX brings the MEU a step closer to flawlessly extending the hand of friendship during its upcoming deployment.

The ESGEX comes during the MEU’s six-month pre-deployment workups that kicked off Nov. 30. The exercise involves each of the MEU components: Command Element; Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 8th Marines; HMM-365(Reinforced); and MSSG-24.