JENNIFER HLAD
Four Marines in helmets and flak jackets are stacked outside a rusty metal building covered in faux brick and wood. The first enters the doorway with his rifle at the ready, followed by the other three, while 2nd Lt. Alex Willbanks observes inside.
Other than the color of the camouflage, the scene is virtually indistinguishable from Marine pre-deployment training at the height of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. But instead of a traditional infantry unit preparing for a counterinsurgency fight in the desert, these Marines are part of the Corps’ first-ever littoral regiment, getting ready for a potential future war in the Pacific.
Back in 2008, Willbanks was one of the young enlisted Marines just learning how to clear a room before he deployed to Afghanistan with 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. Now he’s back as an officer in the two-year-old 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment, passing on his hard-earned knowledge to new Marines.
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