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PhotoID: 200581015252
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Operation/Exercise/Event:
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Insurgents in the Haditha region of the Al Anbar province were met by a group of unfamiliar faces Aug. 5 when the Marines of 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment arrived in support of Operation Quick Strike.
The Marines traveled about 100 miles southeast of their area of operation in Al Qa'im overnight to help 3rd Bn., 25th Marines, clear the towns of Haqliniyah, Bani Dahri and Barwanah just south of the city of Haditha.
The task force conducting Quick Strike included many different units task organized for the mission. Each unit, including those from Iraqi Security Forces, brings unique skills to the fight that help ensure mission success.
Two buildings used as insurgent bases were destroyed by a coordinated air strike during the mission. The task force located large numbers of improvised explosive devices, including car bombs, and unearthed mines within the city limits.
While Marines with L Company, 3rd Bn., 2nd Marines cleared Haqliniyah, Sgt. Jeffrey J. Swartzentruber, the leader of 1st Squad, 3rd Platoon and his fellow Marines with K Company cleared the town of Bani Dahri.
"Our mission here was to gain a foothold in our sector of the city, establish a base and send out patrols to continue clearing other sectors," explained the 24-year-old Coral Springs, Fla., native.
For Swartzentruber and his Marines this mission was about more than clearing a city, it was about helping out their fellow Marines.
"It feels good to know that we're helping fellow Marines who are having a hard time right now," said the 2000 Tarravella High School graduate.
Swartzentruber and the Marines of 1st Squad did not have trouble clearing the sections of the city.
"We confiscated a few pistols here and there, but overall this area is pretty friendly," he said.
His Marines had no problem transitioning to this area of operations away from their own, said the squad leader.
"This is the most flexible group of Marines I've ever worked with, and we also had time to study the area and prepare to come down here," Swartzentruber said. "Their ability to easily transition from being in a firefight to talking to little kids is phenomenal."
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