European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 16, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 stars Asp stripes Mideast july new marines learn Battlefield ethics 101 corps now leads All services in training hours received by recruits what there learning recruits at Marine corps re Cruit depot in san Diego Are getting increased training in values and Battlefield with More hours on the issues than in any other Why marines have been accused of killing Chil Dren and unarmed captives in Iraq and com Manders believe the training can improve marines actions and the corps Public their Survey says a Penta gon Survey of 447 marines in Iraq last year found fewer than half would report a member of their unit for killing or wound ing an innocent Only 38 percent said noncombatants should be treated with whats involved during 12 weeks of Boot Marine trainees get 38 hours of values ranging from not sleeping on guard duty to what it Means to kill the associated press by Thomas Watkins the associated press san Diego perched atop a stack of foot lockers in a spotless Drill instructor gun Nery Celestino Casias asks 45 shave headed recruits what it takes to be a commit ment the aspiring fighters shout in the words come easy i this new class about but allegations that marines killed children and unarmed captives in Iraq and Afghanistan suggest they May sometimes prove hard to live when you Are out you Are going to be challenged and its not just in Iraq or Afghani said Robert commander of a recruit battalion at Marine corps recruit depot in san when you Are on the horns of a moral you need to refer Back and think what would my senior drip instructor do to give recruits answers to that the Marine corps is boosting training in values and Battlefield requiring More hours of lessons on the issues than any other Branch of the Mili tary the Marine corps Comman James or dered the initiative in and a More rigorous diet of ethics training was introduced in May at the san Diego recruiting depot one of the services two training centers for graduating about marines a no one is prematurely judging guilt or Conway said in a speech tuesday in san fran but the very convergence of All these events concern me and so were examining As a corps How we prepare our Young squad Conway routinely Tours Marine bases and shares with the troops his concerns about the pending criminal said a he wants to make sure we Are making marines the Way we used Johnson if you look at the respect the american Public has for each one of these incidents is a withdrawal from the Bank of the most notorious Active Case is the 2005 killings of 24 iraqi civilians at a Marine squad used grenades and gunfire on the iraqis after a Roadside bomb killed a women and children were among the three enlisted marines Are charged with murder and four officers Are accused of failing to investigate the the defendants say they killed the iraqis be cause they believed they were under during 12 weeks of Boot Marine trainees get 38 hours of values up from the army provides about 24 hours of instruction on Core values and eth the air Force hours and the Navy about five its about having the moral courage to do the right thing All the said one of the Drill in Michael Marine spokeswoman Kristen Lasica said there Are no Gray even in you cant separate them from any thing Lasica if you get you Are going to make the right decision no matter How hard it troops push on despite heat and loads to carry Lack of water is All that can slow platoon in Afghanistan by Mark stars and stripes Nuristani Afghanistan its and the platoon has been up for a few Days a Black Hawk Heli copter on a resupply Mission reported it May have been shot at by rocket propelled grenade fire from a location near the town of the helicopter was the Headquarters and Headquarters 1st 91st cavalry regi ments 20man reconnaissance platoon has been sent out to investigate where the Gre Nade fire might be coming while the platoons sniper heavy squad patrols the town in the recon heavy led by staff Jonathan humps the Ridge line near looking for signs of enemy such As fighting positions or Reg nose were looking for threats for signs that the enemy has been using the Wall it Doest take the squad Long to find on different Levels along the Ridgel fighting positions have been some strewn with food wrappings from ready to others with fantastic views of the Road below and the sniper squad passing by in the its a Light Day compared to what the men Are used to less than five Kilometres to and a climb of Only feet in ele an hour into the every Man has sweat through the seat of his and some All the Way Down to their rated to Stop a the body Armor the men have been issued provides very Little Protection from the sniper bullets and rugs favored by the nearby and while it cant Stop a my sniper the Armor and Stop heat from leaving the soldiers bodies while putting More weight on their if Wall had his he and his men would Wear Only bib like plate carriers and photos by Mark and stripes after climbing a Alexander of 1st 91st cavalry regiments Headquarters and Headquarters troop reconnaissance scans a nearby Valley in Nuristani shortly after Sunrise Scott from Salt Lake and a member of 1st 91st cavalry regiments Headquarters and Headquarters troop reconnaissance looks up the Mountainside on saturday in Nuristani the platoon was looking for insurgent activity in the area near the squadrons Home at fire base helmets for Protection while walking the it should be the on ground command ers Wall said of the policy requiring All soldiers to Wear body Armor while on with a recon unit like you should be Able to drop some of the dead after his second from had one of his combat uni form blouses cutting off the sleeves and having them sewn onto the Torso of a moisture wicking soon the rest of the platoon did the any efforts the platoon makes to drop weight or modify equipment All have one goal conserve Andrew the platoons radio and Telephone said when he goes its usually with at least five and carrying any More than that becomes too on one recent one Soldier lost so much he passed out and needed three pints of fluid to get him going with All his radio from has one of the heaviest loads to carry Walls Normal gear weighs 87 he said that though its the Only thing that stops him and the rest of the platoon men from going fur ther and giving both the soldiers and civil ians in the Region better Protection is Lack of weve been without water before we had to drink Creek when youre that when youre willing to Deal with he Wiswell walked away with a Hal full Camelback after the after three hours on the Wall and his men came Down to meet humvee waiting As the trucks began to one broke a constant threat due to makeshift roads full of switch boulders and Sand up to nine inches since the vehicles Are Upa Mored just like the ones in Iraq where the Road sys tem is much More though the threat of Roadside bombs higher the afghan mountains Are wreaking havoc on tires and the More the More expletive we put on them there going to break Wall no matter How their gear hinders How Many pounds they How Many kicks they or How much weight they lose after six one Man lost 20 pounds the men wont then believe that patrolling mountains is enemies seeing sniper rifles in the hands of Young soldiers trained and ready to use them causes them to its one fact Wall said of the Impact the platoons missions Are since weve gone up the the number of rocket attacks has gone where fire base where the men Call used to be rocketed at least once a week when they first now its More like once a the unit that the 191 replaced never went up into the Wiswell the fact that the american with All their gear in Are walking High in the Hills astonishes the Friendly afghan sol Diers and Wiswell it also lets the bad Guys know that were that were willing to go up there were eliminating Safe its really All we email Mark