SAN DIEGO -- Hollywood often enlists the military to consult on productions about the armed forces. Now the Marines are using a Hollywood element, in a sense, to help prepare them for real dramas in Iraq. Nearly 200 soon-to-deploy Marines from 3rd Civil Affairs Group — aided by local actors hired by a Marine Corps-contracted production company to portray Iraqi citizens — participated in Military Operations in Urban Terrain training Feb. 9-12. The training unfolded on the set of Stu Segall Productions.
The Marine reservists found themselves in a simulated Iraqi town that featured gas stations, taxis, houses and professional role-players eating, drinking and talking to each other in full Iraqi costumes on the streets and in cafes.
"This is the most real-life training we can possibly give them (the Marines) in preparation for their deployment," said Capt. Steve S. Coast, 3rd CAG training officer.
The Marines honed their skills as civil affairs specialists — creating and fortifying strong relationships with "the people of Iraq" depicted by the actors.
The Marines also polished their abilities as riflemen.
"There's a very fine line between civil affairs and being a Marine — we have to mesh the two together to complete our mission," Coast said.
"We don't have a choice. We could be completing civil affairs operations and all of a sudden we are taking in fire — we have to switch modes to control that threat."
The group encompasses Marines from numerous military occupational specialties — including infantrymen, mechanics and radio operators — giving the group a wealth of background to complete humanitarian operations, according to Coast.
"We're a melting pot from all around the Marine Corps," he said.
While touring the mock village, the six-man civil affairs team approached an "Iraqi woman" sweeping in front of a shop.
"We have to treat everyone as a threat — you just never know," said Sgt. Mark Corrado, a civil affairs specialist. "This training gives us the techniques and tactics to defend ourselves if something were to go wrong."
The woman began with polite gestures, saying "hello" and asking the Marines to come inside the shop. With smiles on their faces, two members of the team approached the lady; the other Marines provided security.
"We're the ones going out in the community to meet with people to build a strong relationship," said Corrado, who works in the K-9 Division of the Passaic County Sheriff's Department in New Jersey. "There could be a bridge that needs to be built for a village. We're going to be the ones to make that happen through the relationships we make."
When the Marines entered the shop, not all of the Iraqis welcomed them with open arms. Some shouted, "What are you doing here? Get out." The Marines calmly stated they were here as friends. The situation seemed resolved; however, a man in the back reached into his jacket pocket.
The Marines immediately switched modes. They defused the threat by throwing the man to the floor and searching him, uncovering a pistol.
This was just one of many scenarios the Marines dealt with during the exercise. The facility, operated by Strategic Operations Inc., boasts not only its realistic urban scenarios, but a recording system that captures the training scenarios for the CAG to analyze.
"There's video cameras located all over the training site to monitor the Marines so they can evaluate their performance," said Kit Lavell, Strategic Operations, Inc. executive vice president and a Vietnam War veteran. "We even have the ability to zoom as far ... as the trigger of a Marine's weapon to tell if they got a round off in time to kill the enemy."
The bulk of the company's business is helping train military and law enforcement teams to handle tense situations, he said.
The training provided a confidence boost, Marines said.
"I feel real prepared going over there," said Lance Cpl. Billy Howard a civil affairs specialist who hails from Florence, Ala. "Our training has eliminated anything that could be a surprise."