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Marines serving in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom paused in remembrance of 9/11 by attending a remembrance service aboard Camp Al Taqaddum, Iraq, Sept. 11, 2009. The ceremony reminded those in attendance of the sympathy and compassion that was shared across the world because of the tragedies of that day. (U.S. Marine Corps illustration by M. M. Bravo) - Marines serving in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom paused in remembrance of 9/11 by attending a remembrance service aboard Camp Al Taqaddum, Iraq, Sept. 11, 2009. The ceremony reminded those in attendance of the sympathy and compassion that was shared across the world because of the tragedies of that day. (U.S. Marine Corps illustration by M. M. Bravo)

Marines pause in remembrance of 9/11

“It was a day that shocked many of us,” said Lt. Cmdr. Shaun S. Brown, a chaplain with Combat Logistics Regiment 27 (Forward), at a remembrance service aboard Camp Al Taqaddum, Iraq, Sept. 11. Service members came from across the base to join in solemn prayer and remembrance of the tragic events that took place on Sept. 11, 2001. According to the

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Maj. Christian Rankin, commanding officer (right), 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, shakes hands with Lt. Col. Xavier T. Brunson, commanding officer of 1st Bn., 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, (second from left) during the transfer of authority ceremony at Camp Al Taqaddum, Iraq, Sept. 10, 2009. The Marines of 1st Bn., 8th Marines are leaving Iraq after accomplishing their mission in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since March 2009. (Photograph courtesy of Gunnery Sgt. Katesha Washington) - Maj. Christian Rankin, commanding officer (right), 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, shakes hands with Lt. Col. Xavier T. Brunson, commanding officer of 1st Bn., 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, (second from left) during the transfer of authority ceremony at Camp Al Taqaddum, Iraq, Sept. 10, 2009. The Marines of 1st Bn., 8th Marines are leaving Iraq after accomplishing their mission in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since March 2009. (Photograph courtesy of Gunnery Sgt. Katesha Washington)

Security for western Iraq base shifts to Army

Since the beginning of April 2009, a detachment of Marines from 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, have kept U.S. forces and civilian contractors aboard Camp Al Taqaddum, Iraq, safe and secure. Recently, the Marines handed that responsibility over to the paratroopers of 1st Bn., 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne

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Lt. Col. Sekou S. Karega, the commanding officer for Combat Logistics Battalion 7, and 1st Sgt. Victor P. Singleton, the battalion sergeant major, case the CLB-7 colors during a transfer of authority ceremony, Sept. 7, 2009, aboard Al Asad Air Base, Iraq. During the ceremony, CLB-7 transferred authority of logistics operations in Iraq’s Combined Area of Operations West to CLB-46. (U.S. Marine Corps photograph by Cpl. M. M. Bravo) - Lt. Col. Sekou S. Karega, the commanding officer for Combat Logistics Battalion 7, and 1st Sgt. Victor P. Singleton, the battalion sergeant major, case the CLB-7 colors during a transfer of authority ceremony, Sept. 7, 2009, aboard Al Asad Air Base, Iraq. During the ceremony, CLB-7 transferred authority of logistics operations in Iraq’s Combined Area of Operations West to CLB-46. (U.S. Marine Corps photograph by Cpl. M. M. Bravo)

End grows near for Marine logistics battalions serving in Iraq

Lt. Col. Sekou S. Karega, the commanding officer of Combat Logistics Battalion 7, transferred authority of logistical operations in Iraq’s Combined Area of Operations West, to Lt. Col. Eric Davis, the commanding officer of CLB-46, during a ceremony aboard Al Asad Air Base, Sept. 7.The transfer of authority was the last of its kind, as CLB-46 will

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Petty Officer 3rd Class Jennifer Ybarra, a hospital corpsman with Combat Logistics Battalion 7, 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward)’s battalion aid station, observes as a member of the 7th Iraqi Army Division’s medical staff practices wrapping an ankle sprain aboard Camp Mejid, Iraq, Aug. 24, 2009. Corpsmen from CLB-7’s BAS have been conducting training with the IA medical staff since the battalion’s arrival in February. (U.S. Marine Corps photograph by Lance Cpl. Melissa A. Latty) - Petty Officer 3rd Class Jennifer Ybarra, a hospital corpsman with Combat Logistics Battalion 7, 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward)’s battalion aid station, observes as a member of the 7th Iraqi Army Division’s medical staff practices wrapping an ankle sprain aboard Camp Mejid, Iraq, Aug. 24, 2009. Corpsmen from CLB-7’s BAS have been conducting training with the IA medical staff since the battalion’s arrival in February. (U.S. Marine Corps photograph by Lance Cpl. Melissa A. Latty)

Corpsmen conduct training to further Iraqi army medical capabilities

Corpsmen from Combat Logistics Battalion 7, 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward)’s battalion aid station, have been conducting medical training with the 7th Iraqi Army Division at Camp Mejid, Iraq, the IA base that is located aboard Al Asad Air Base, since the battalion arrived in February 2009. Once a week, Petty Officer 3rd Class

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Sgt. Justin D. Toren, a driver and operator for the 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward) commanding general’s personal security detail, poses in full personal protective equipment aboard Camp Al Taqaddum, Iraq, Aug. 14, 2009. Toren, who was deployed to Iraq during the invasion, joined the Marine Corps following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. (U.S. Marine Corps photograph by Lance Cpl. Melissa A. Latty) - Sgt. Justin D. Toren, a driver and operator for the 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward) commanding general’s personal security detail, poses in full personal protective equipment aboard Camp Al Taqaddum, Iraq, Aug. 14, 2009. Toren, who was deployed to Iraq during the invasion, joined the Marine Corps following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. (U.S. Marine Corps photograph by Lance Cpl. Melissa A. Latty)

Marine’s award-winning past leads to his significant presence

Prior to enlisting in the Marine Corps, every potential Marine sits down with a recruiter and picks out the reasons they want to join from a stack of colorful cards with the words travel, education and discipline, among others that describe most of the reasons someone would make the decision to commit. For Sgt. Justin D. Toren, a driver

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Ralph Mitchell, a material-handling equipment forklift operator, KBR contracting, moves a tri-wall box out of a container to assist 2nd Medical Logistics Company, 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward), stage more than $300,000 worth of gear in preparation for shipment to Afghanistan, Aug. 30, 2009, while aboard Camp Al Taqaddum, Iraq. 2nd MEDLOG is in the final stages of their seven-month deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. (Official Marine Corps photograph by Gunnery Sgt. Katesha Washington) - Ralph Mitchell, a material-handling equipment forklift operator, KBR contracting, moves a tri-wall box out of a container to assist 2nd Medical Logistics Company, 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward), stage more than $300,000 worth of gear in preparation for shipment to Afghanistan, Aug. 30, 2009, while aboard Camp Al Taqaddum, Iraq. 2nd MEDLOG is in the final stages of their seven-month deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. (Official Marine Corps photograph by Gunnery Sgt. Katesha Washington)

Corpsmen ship nearly $3 million worth of supplies to Afghanistan

As more U.S. troops are being sent to the fight in Afghanistan, the possibility of more troops being injured rises. To ensure those responsible for saving limbs and lives are equipped to handle such an enormous task, sailors with the 2nd Medical Logistics Company at Camp Al Taqaddum, Iraq, have sent about $3 million worth of medical supplies and

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Brig. Gen. Juan G. Ayala, commanding general for the 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward), returns a salute to the 2nd MLG (Fwd) staff during a transfer of authority ceremony held aboard Camp Al Taqaddum, Iraq, Sept. 1, 2009. Ayala transferred authority to Col. Vincent A. Coglianese, commanding officer for the newly designated Combat Logistics Regiment 27 (Forward), which marks the first time in a five-year period that a regiment will take over the logistics combat element of the Marine Air Ground Task Force serving in Iraq. (Official U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Patrick P. Evenson) - Brig. Gen. Juan G. Ayala, commanding general for the 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward), returns a salute to the 2nd MLG (Fwd) staff during a transfer of authority ceremony held aboard Camp Al Taqaddum, Iraq, Sept. 1, 2009. Ayala transferred authority to Col. Vincent A. Coglianese, commanding officer for the newly designated Combat Logistics Regiment 27 (Forward), which marks the first time in a five-year period that a regiment will take over the logistics combat element of the Marine Air Ground Task Force serving in Iraq. (Official U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Patrick P. Evenson)

Iraq-based Marine unit undergoes significant reduction in size

Since 2004, the 2nd Marine Logistics Group has served as the logistics combat element of the Marine Air Ground Task Force operating in Al Anbar province, Iraq. But as of Sept. 1, a regiment-sized element, which is about half the size of the group, uncased their military colors for the first time to assume the responsibilities of providing logistics

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Sgt. Jeremy R. Nobels, a landing support specialist from Transportation Support Company, 2nd Supply Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward), and a student in the noncommissioned officer suicide prevention train-the-trainer course, conducts a teach-back during the course aboard Camp Al Taqaddum, Iraq, Aug. 20, 2009. The course, targeted towards NCOs, was developed in response to the recent increase in suicides in the Marine Corps. (U.S. Marine Corps photograph by Lance Cpl. Melissa A. Latty) - Sgt. Jeremy R. Nobels, a landing support specialist from Transportation Support Company, 2nd Supply Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward), and a student in the noncommissioned officer suicide prevention train-the-trainer course, conducts a teach-back during the course aboard Camp Al Taqaddum, Iraq, Aug. 20, 2009. The course, targeted towards NCOs, was developed in response to the recent increase in suicides in the Marine Corps. (U.S. Marine Corps photograph by Lance Cpl. Melissa A. Latty)

NCOs in western Iraq hoping to reduce deaths with suicide prevention course

Suicide rates in the military are at a 10-year high. In 2008, the Marine Corps had 41 confirmed suicides and approximately 150 suicide attempts, according to the Manpower and Reserve Affairs website.Because of these skyrocketing statistics, every noncommissioned officer in the Marine Corps is receiving additional training in suicide prevention, in

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A member of the Camp Al Taqaddum Fire Department demonstrates the proper way to employ a fire extinguisher during the 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward) safety fair held aboard Camp Al Taqaddum, Iraq, Aug. 19, 2009. The purpose of the safety fair was to further Marines’ and sailors’ knowledge of general safety concerns and foster force preservation awareness. (U.S. Marine Corps photograph by Lance Cpl. Melissa A. Latty)::r::::n::::r::::n:: - A member of the Camp Al Taqaddum Fire Department demonstrates the proper way to employ a fire extinguisher during the 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward) safety fair held aboard Camp Al Taqaddum, Iraq, Aug. 19, 2009. The purpose of the safety fair was to further Marines’ and sailors’ knowledge of general safety concerns and foster force preservation awareness. (U.S. Marine Corps photograph by Lance Cpl. Melissa A. Latty)::r::::n::::r::::n::

Deployed service members bring safety to Al Anbar

The 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward) held a safety fair aboard Camp Al Taqaddum, Iraq, Aug. 19, 2009, to help fight complacent attitudes that sometimes plague units serving in deployed environments. Although security concerns have lessened for the Marines serving in Al Anbar, preventable accidents and injuries continue to be a

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Airfield rescue firefighters rescue a Marine with Marine Wing Support Squadron 271, who is trapped under debris at a simulated plane crash site during an aviation mishap drill aboard Camp Al Taqaddum, Iraq, July 14, 2009. The purpose of the drill was to ensure that everyone involved with responding to a plane crash on base worked together efficiently. (U.S. Marine Corps photograph by Cpl. M. M. Bravo) - Airfield rescue firefighters rescue a Marine with Marine Wing Support Squadron 271, who is trapped under debris at a simulated plane crash site during an aviation mishap drill aboard Camp Al Taqaddum, Iraq, July 14, 2009. The purpose of the drill was to ensure that everyone involved with responding to a plane crash on base worked together efficiently. (U.S. Marine Corps photograph by Cpl. M. M. Bravo)

Marines, civilians train for plane crashes in western Iraq

When a plane crashes on a military installation, it takes teamwork between military and civilian agencies to respond to the crash, secure the scene, put out fires and rescue everyone on board. To ensure that all the different agencies involved in responding to plane crashes would be effective if faced with a real-life scenario, Marine Wing

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