DAILY LIFE IN IRAQ FOR US TROOPS

Personal mementos and religious charms are just some of the items that Marines traveling Iraq’s dangerous roadways take with them for every trip outside the wire. Cpl. Michael T. Wier, from 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, or “First Team,” carries a picture of his girlfriend wherever he goes. “It reminds me of better times and gets my mind off of all the things I see out here that don’t make sense,” said Wier. The 22-year-old from Scottsdale, Ariz., is with the battalion’s Personal Security Team. The team’s job is cut and dry – provide maximum security for the battalion’s top brass. The team consists of a handful of armored humvees with a variety of infantry weapons, to include heavy machine guns and anti-armor weapons. While most U.S. Marine Personal Security Teams are composed of infantrymen, Marano’s Personal Security Team is comprised mostly of “support” Marines – administrative clerks, communications technicians, and other “non-infantry”-type occupations. (UPI Photo/Cpl. Antonio Rosas/US MARINE CORPS)