IRAQ: A few good ...

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Marines from the 3rd battalion, 2nd regiment are finishing an aggressive sweep of Bedouin camps near the Iraq-Syria border to keep the camps from becoming hiding spots for insurgents.

The name of the 10-day effort is Operation Arrogant Bastard. It follows a similar push late last year: Operation Insolent Bastard.

An explanation: Marines from the 3-2 are known as the Betio Bastards, a reference to the bloody World War II battle on the island of Betio in the Pacific’s Tarawa atoll. The battalion’s motto is Betio Bastards Unus Supra (one above).

The 3-2 is not to be confused with the Magnificent Bastards, the nickname for Marines from the 2nd battalion, 4th regiment.

In the Marine Corps, being a bastard is a mark of honor.

— Tony Perry in Qaim, Iraq, on the Syrian border