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July 15, 2004


Rolling Thunder

An M-1A1 Abrams tank crew settles in for the evening during a patrol. Company B, 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division is attached to 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment to provide security on a supply route.

When our Marines provide security through night patrols, it's a risky business. The presence of rolling steel has made it safer for 2/2 Marines in Mahmudiyah. A detachment from 1st Tank Battalion's Company B has joined the infantry Marines.

?If we can save a Marine's life by leveling a building so he doesn't have to go into it, we?ve done our job,? said 1st Lt. Matthew A. Stiger, a 25-year-old tank platoon commander from Colorado Springs, Colo. ?The Army had a lot of success with tanks here, so we're using them hoping to experience the same results.?

?It?s great having them out here,? said Lance Cpl. Jaime A Hurtado, a 21-year-old Company G rifleman from Queens, N.Y. ?Instead of waiting to go through all the channels to call for a fire mission, we?ve got the tanks right there with us,? he said. ?The bad guys know they're about to get [messed] up when they see the tanks rolling in. We?re really glad they?re here to help us.?

Posted by Deb at July 15, 2004 09:36 AM