Team Black Rhino - All Marines Are Infantrymen

From the article "Black Rhino Charges Through Desert" submitted to Salem-News.com by Lance Corporal Michael Stevens with the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing in Iraq's AL-Jazirah Desert.

A Marine with Team Black Rhino, an Incident Response Team with Marine Wing Support Sqdrn 374, Marine Wing Support Group 37, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Fwd), exits a room after searching through an abandoned Iraqi compound in the Jazirah Desert. Photo by Lance Cpl. Michael Stevens

(SALEM, Ore.) - Unlike other military services, all Marines are trained as basic infantrymen, regardless of their military occupational specialty. This means that a general in charge of logistics, a military police Corporal trained in law enforcement, and others like communications specialists, pilots and Marines pushing papers in administrative services, are trained and qualified to grab an M-16 and instantly become a member of an infantry platoon.

When I was in the Marine Corps, serving with Marine Wing Support Group-37 in the 3rd Marine Air Wing during the early 1980's, stories about Vietnam were told and retold and one of the specific aspects was that guys from our squadron often served as helicopter door gunners.

We were a "support squadron" and this meant that we backed up the Marines who flew. We refueled their planes, we taxied them on and off the flight line along with the squadron ground crews, and we even set up "Expeditionary Airfields" made of aluminum sections and "trapped" the fighter jets with big rubber bands exactly like they do aboard aircraft carriers where the landing space is critically short.

So it is no surprise to learn today that members of the Incident Response Team of Marine Wing Support Squadron 374, Marine Wing Support Group 37, is currently patrolling the northern Iraqi desert as a security measure for all Marines operating in the area.

Lance Corporal Michael Stevens with the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, published a story relating the story of 'Team Black Rhino,' 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Fwd) Marines who have become the first wing support squadron to fill the role of a mounted combat team in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Stevens says Marine Wing Support squadron frequently travel around the Anbar province, "providing aviation ground support for the flying squadrons operating in country. The team operates on a different level, providing a ground combat component like that usually found in infantry units."

He says that while patrolling, team members speak with locals to gather info that helps the Coalition gain a better understanding of the area.

"When we’re on patrol we’re investigating our area of responsibility for any enemy activity by speaking with the local Iraqis and driving designated routes based on info gathered," said Corporal Joshua A. Bugg, a turret gunner for Team Black Rhino.

"Some of the most beneficial info can be received by speaking with the locals."

For the first several weeks in country, Team Black Rhino’s duties entailed providing convoy security and EOD escort services to the Marines aboard Camp Taqaddum. Now Stevens says, "their job consists of sending several search teams to assess the local area and provide site security for their location in the Jazirah Desert."

He says that most of the team members consist of Military Police officers trained in security operations, but the rest are comprised of Marines from various military occupational specialties.

"We’ve got a very unique opportunity out here," said Corporal Julio C. Navar, a motor transportation operator with Team Black Rhino.

"We’re out here with a number of assault vehicles and infantry units and we’re equally patrolling the area. It’s great for a wing support unit to be filling this role."

It does not surprise me to learn that this group I was attached to for over two years back in the 1980's, is pulling this duty in Iraq today. The Marines have a certain way of doing things that is very effective, and I suspect that a better group could not be asked to perform this duty. Historically in the Marine Corps, you have two basic types of Marines; grunts and airwingers The war in Iraq is allowing this group of Marines to show that in their hearts, they are all grunts.

Regarding Marine Wing Support Group-37; it came to our attention in recent months that Marines who served at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station may have been affected by TCE contamination in the base water system. Health problems including cancer and birth defects, often fatal that are linked to Trichloroethylene, have been proven at Camp Lejeune. The former base at El Toro is an EPA "Super Site" and very few Marines who served at either base are aware of the TCE-related issues because the U.S. government has resisted efforts to promote knowledge of the subject. You can email the author of this story below if you want to be added to a growing list of Marines, family members and former civilian employees who want to be keep up to date on developments through us. Certain individuals who have lost family members to TCE-related poisonings, suggest that entering your name on the official Marine Corps Website is not necessarily in the person's best interest, as the Navy and Marines have fought efforts to uncover all of the details and have investigated all of it on a limited basis.

For more information on MWSG-37, visit mwsg37.com.

Here is a link to the official site: MARINE WING SUPPORT GROUP 37

Here is the Salem-News.com article on El Toro's TCE problems: El Toro Marines Should be Aware of Possible Contaminant Based Health Hazards.

This is the article on Camp Lejeune by Salem-News.com's Dr. Phil Leveque, who was the first Toxicologist in history to testify in court about TCE contamination: Marine Death Camp: Camp Lejeune Trichlorethylene - the Culprit

Finally, this is a link to our special section on Marine Corps related stories: Salem-News.com Marine Corps articles

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Tim King is a former U.S. Marine with twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. Today, in addition to his role as a war correspondent in Afghanistan where he spent the winter of 2006/07, this Los Angeles native serves as Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor. Salem-News.com is the nation's only truly independent high traffic news Website, affiliated with Google News and several other major search engines and news aggregators. Tim's coverage from Iraq that was set to begin in April has been delayed and may not take place until August, 2008. You can send Tim an email at this address: newsroom@salem-news.com