Marines show presence in Iraqi village

by Lance Cpl. Ray Lewis

Insurgents can't scare Marines out of the village here.

Lance Cpl. Brandon R. Puhlman, a 22-year-old rifleman, walks side-by-side an Iraqi man near Husayba, Iraq Oct. 19. Puhlman other Marines with K Company, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment conducted a patrol through a village to get to know locals and show insurgents they are here to protect Iraqis. Puhlman is from Franklin, Ohio and serves under Regiment Combat Team 5 and will be conducting operations for the next several months. (photo by Lance Cpl. Ray Lewis)

Marines of K Company, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment still conduct daily combat patrols to protect local Iraqi villagers from terror here, despite insurgents' best efforts to derail them.

Marines travel between tall trees and pathless terrain to track down terrorists.

"We want to see who's out and when and if insurgents are setting patterns for themselves," said Lance Cpl. Robert A. Montgomery, a squad leader with K Company.

The 23 year old from Sumter, S.C., said his Marines don't wait for insurgents to hunt them down. His Marines hunt them.

"Seeing us, they'll probably do nothing," Montgomery said. "They don't want to get in a firefight with us. They will lose."

That's because Marines stay vigilant and will fight for the future of Iraq, he said.

"We want to help Iraqis gain freedom and get improvised explosive devices off the streets," said Lance Cpl. Sebastian C. Ploszaj, a rifleman with K Company.

So the 20 year old from Brooklyn, N.Y., and his team make sacrifices regardless what circumstances are set before them.

"It's letting them know that we're not sitting around," said Lance Cpl. Bryan A. Casey, a rifleman with K Company. "We're looking whether it's cold, hot or any time of day."

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