Pendleton Units Going to Mideast
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Although the highest-ranking U.S. Marine said Wednesday that there are no immediate plans to dispatch elements of the Camp Pendleton-based 1st Marine Division to the Middle East in response to the Iraq-Kuwait crisis, a well-placed source who requested anonymity said Marines would be leaving for the area and may already have left.
Gen. Alfred M. Gray, commandant of the Marine Corps, speaking at a press conference at Camp Pendleton, said “any military option is going to require an integrated team effort of all of the armed forces” and added that the 1st Marine Division has not been placed on alert.
But a source confirmed on Wednesday that Camp Pendleton troops would indeed be used in the Middle East operation. Military officials have emphasized the need for secrecy concerning troop deployments.
Gray was at Camp Pendleton to attend a change-of-command ceremony. He will return to Washington Friday.
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