Battalion stands up, but where will it go?

[unhappycamper]

Battalion stands up, but where will it go?
By Trista Talton - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday May 25, 2008 17:22:07 EDT

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — Only time will tell where the men of the final battalion of 9th Marines to reactivate will deploy next year.

As a reminder to his Marines, Col. Dan Greenwood — commander of the soon-to-be relaunched 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines — plans to display three clocks in the battalion headquarters building here. One will keep Eastern Standard Time, one will track the time in Iraq and one will display the time in Afghanistan.

“Right now, 3/9 is geared to go to Iraq,” Greenwood said. “Should we get called on in 2009 to go to Afghanistan, we’ll be ready.”

That’s basically what he’s been telling the more than 700 Marines pulled from across the Corps to form the battalion, which was activated at a ceremony aboard Camp Lejeune on May 20.

Commandant Gen. James Conway publicly discussed a proposal last year to shift Marines out of Iraq and into Afghanistan. His plan may be gaining momentum: More than 3,000 Marines, including those with the Camp Lejeune-based 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, have been sent to Afghanistan.


Rest of article at: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/05/marine_threenine_052408w/