Lance Cpls. Brett Neibel and Jesus Oliver, mortarmen
Summary
Lance Cpls. Brett Neibel and Jesus Oliver, mortarmen with Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, watch 81 mm mortar rounds impact the training area during a fire support coordination exercise on Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif., Aug. 6, 2011. The evolution was part of the battalion's 35-day Enhanced Mojave Viper training exercise. During EMV, the Marines of 'America's Battalion' are training to kill enemy fighters by practicing counterinsurgency operations with supporting arms, aviation and logistics units. They are preparing for a fall deployment to Afghanistan's Helmand province in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Neibel, 25, is from Tucson, Ariz. Oliver, 20, is from Sacramento.