USN Riverene Squadron One trains for deployment to Iraq
Sailors take to river for training they need to battle Iraqi insurgents
By LOUIS HANSEN, The Virginian-Pilot
© September 9, 2006
ELIZABETHTOWN, N.C. - There wasn't a drop of blue water for miles, as the Cape Fear River ran coffee-colored and swift.
And on Friday afternoon, it was owned by the Navy.
Using borrowed boats, tactics and trainers, Riverine Squadron One went through a final stretch of river patrol exercises deep in the North Carolina swamps.
The squadron, based at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base, was one step closer to combat and months from giving the Navy a shallow water presence in Iraq.
Lt. Cmdr. Mike Egan, the squadron's executive officer, said the two months of training with Marines has taught the sailors basic infantry skills and readied them for close battle.
"They ought to get a Marine Corps uniform out of this," Egan said.
The sailors expect to deploy to Iraq in March. The Navy's first large-scale, active-duty brown water mission since the Vietnam War more than 30 years ago will assume a mission patrolling the Euphrates River in a 60-mile stretch north and south of Baghdad.
Combat veteran Marines are training the sailors for ambushes, mortar fire and the various ruses insurgents test on the Marines' river patrol boats.
The Marines started training 100 sailors in June at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. The sailors have been through infantry, leadership and boat skills training.
Marine Maj. Roberto Martinez said they have been teaching the sailors real-life lessons from their multiple deployments to Iraq. The Marines have been patrolling the Euphrates since the early days of the Iraq war.
Marine Staff Sgt. Erick Hodge led a small boat platoon in Iraq in 2004. He's instructing the sailors on tactics and close combat along the Cape Fear River.
Hodge said the Marines swept islands and the river banks for weapons caches and disrupted insurgents from using the water to retreat. Eventually, the insurgents grew accustomed to the river patrols and began to set up ambushes.
Hodge said he wants to teach the sailors about the latest insurgent techniques and the importance of knowing the environment.
"They get tired of hearing me talk," he said.
The Navy force stood up in May at Little Creek, attracting sailors from across the fleet and special warfare commands.
About 220 will eventually deploy for a seven- to nine-month tour, allowing enough time for a second unit to gear up for the mission. Subsequent deployments are expected to be six months, Egan said.
The squadron is using Marine Corps patrol boats based on a Vietnam-era design. Eventually, the boats are expected to be turned over to the Navy.
Egan said one of the challenges was to bring a new mentality to the fleet sailors - alert, independent and ready for close-quarter fighting.
They also had to get ready for the heat and humping 60-pound back packs. Heat exhaustion temporarily knocked down a few sailors early in the infantry training, Egan said.
"We're not on this big ship at sea," he said. "We're in these small boats.... It's a serious environment."
Seaman Michael Huggins, 19, came to the river squadron from boot camp. So far, so good, he said.
His older brother drives a tank in the Army. They expect to be in Iraq at the same time next year. His mother's worried advice: "Keep your head up and stay safe."
Petty Officer 2nd Class Jeremiah Ketels left his ship, the Ponce, to become a river rat. Ketels has been in the Navy four years and wanted a new challenge.
Ketels, who lives in Portsmouth, serves as a coxswain for the five-man patrol boat. The training has forced him to learn other jobs - such as driving the boat and manning the three gun positions.
After more than two months of training, the boat crews have drawn close, he said.
"It's almost a brotherhood," Ketels said.
Reach Louis Hansen at (757)446-2322 or [email protected].
Sailors take to river for training they need to battle Iraqi insurgents
By LOUIS HANSEN, The Virginian-Pilot
© September 9, 2006
ELIZABETHTOWN, N.C. - There wasn't a drop of blue water for miles, as the Cape Fear River ran coffee-colored and swift.
And on Friday afternoon, it was owned by the Navy.
Using borrowed boats, tactics and trainers, Riverine Squadron One went through a final stretch of river patrol exercises deep in the North Carolina swamps.
The squadron, based at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base, was one step closer to combat and months from giving the Navy a shallow water presence in Iraq.
Lt. Cmdr. Mike Egan, the squadron's executive officer, said the two months of training with Marines has taught the sailors basic infantry skills and readied them for close battle.
"They ought to get a Marine Corps uniform out of this," Egan said.
The sailors expect to deploy to Iraq in March. The Navy's first large-scale, active-duty brown water mission since the Vietnam War more than 30 years ago will assume a mission patrolling the Euphrates River in a 60-mile stretch north and south of Baghdad.
Combat veteran Marines are training the sailors for ambushes, mortar fire and the various ruses insurgents test on the Marines' river patrol boats.
The Marines started training 100 sailors in June at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. The sailors have been through infantry, leadership and boat skills training.
Marine Maj. Roberto Martinez said they have been teaching the sailors real-life lessons from their multiple deployments to Iraq. The Marines have been patrolling the Euphrates since the early days of the Iraq war.
Marine Staff Sgt. Erick Hodge led a small boat platoon in Iraq in 2004. He's instructing the sailors on tactics and close combat along the Cape Fear River.
Hodge said the Marines swept islands and the river banks for weapons caches and disrupted insurgents from using the water to retreat. Eventually, the insurgents grew accustomed to the river patrols and began to set up ambushes.
Hodge said he wants to teach the sailors about the latest insurgent techniques and the importance of knowing the environment.
"They get tired of hearing me talk," he said.
The Navy force stood up in May at Little Creek, attracting sailors from across the fleet and special warfare commands.
About 220 will eventually deploy for a seven- to nine-month tour, allowing enough time for a second unit to gear up for the mission. Subsequent deployments are expected to be six months, Egan said.
The squadron is using Marine Corps patrol boats based on a Vietnam-era design. Eventually, the boats are expected to be turned over to the Navy.
Egan said one of the challenges was to bring a new mentality to the fleet sailors - alert, independent and ready for close-quarter fighting.
They also had to get ready for the heat and humping 60-pound back packs. Heat exhaustion temporarily knocked down a few sailors early in the infantry training, Egan said.
"We're not on this big ship at sea," he said. "We're in these small boats.... It's a serious environment."
Seaman Michael Huggins, 19, came to the river squadron from boot camp. So far, so good, he said.
His older brother drives a tank in the Army. They expect to be in Iraq at the same time next year. His mother's worried advice: "Keep your head up and stay safe."
Petty Officer 2nd Class Jeremiah Ketels left his ship, the Ponce, to become a river rat. Ketels has been in the Navy four years and wanted a new challenge.
Ketels, who lives in Portsmouth, serves as a coxswain for the five-man patrol boat. The training has forced him to learn other jobs - such as driving the boat and manning the three gun positions.
After more than two months of training, the boat crews have drawn close, he said.
"It's almost a brotherhood," Ketels said.
Reach Louis Hansen at (757)446-2322 or [email protected].
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