Marine reservists take over crisis response mission in Central America
Marine reservists take over crisis response mission in Central America
Matthew L. Schehl, Marine Corps Times 9:34 a.m. EDT June 11, 2016
About 300 Marine reservists are headed for Central America this week where they’ll train local troops struggling against gang violence and drug cartels and stand ready to help in the event of a natural disaster.
Members of Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force—Southern Command will set up headquarters for the six-month deployment at the Soto Cano air base in Honduras. From there, they’ll dispatch small advisory teams of grunts and engineers throughout the region.
The Marines come from 42 units across 20 states, marking the first time Marine Corps Forces Reserves will take the lead of the annual rotation.
The Marines kicked off its first rotation of this size in Central America last year, and it included almost all active-duty personnel. But reservists bring a host of civilian skills in addition to their military occupational specialties, said Col. Thomas Prentice, the task force's commanding officer.
More:
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story/military/2016/06/11/marine-reservists-take-over-crisis-response-mission-central-america/85708502/
