Operation Allies Welcome

Suheil Sitto (center), a civilian interpreter and Iraq-native, enables Capt. Joseph Graves, a platoon commander with Company G, 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment to communicate with an Iraqi Police officer (role player) to work together to quell civil unrest in a notional Iraqi town constructed at Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, Calif. Role players and interpreters are used to add a sense of realism to the pre-deployment training for the Marines. The July 21, 2008 training event marked the end of a week-long, battalion-level training evolution for the battalion, which is headed to Iraq this fall.