IRAQ: Marines learn to give camels the right-of-way

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Camels have been part of the desert warfare environment since long before Lawrence deployed to Arabia.

As the Marines patrol the vast open spaces of Anbar province, they’ve had to learn how not to encroach on the camel’s sense of entitlement to walk/run/jog wherever it wants.

To help the Marines, camel scenarios are part of a computerized convoy trainer called the Deployable Virtual Training Environment in which drivers have to react to various threats. Some Marines get the training while they’re stateside, others on ships bound for the Persian Gulf.

Learning to navigate among camels has taken its place among other hazards of Anbar such as insurgents and roadside bombs.

— Tony Perry, in San Diego

Photo: A Marine Patrol last week near Lake Habbaniyah giving a wide berth to two camels during Operastion Bonneville Flats. Credit: Marine Corps