LCPL Zach Dehil completed predeployment training at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twenty Nine Palms, Calif. He is scheduled to deploy the first part of 2009 and will be assigned to the 2nd Supply Btn, Security Co., MP Platoon, 1st Squad, 2nd Fire Team.

His training included simulated situations the Marines will be encountering when they are deployed to Iraq. Squads of Marines venture into the narrow streets of Wadi al Sahara, roadside bombs explode, women begin screaming in Arabic and Snipers fire from windows.

Amid language problems and gunshots, the Marines must make instant decisions on returning fire and whether to storm a house, and if so, with how much firepower.

The role playing is actually taking place with the Marines in the Mojave Desert in southern California, participating in "Mojave Viper," an intense 30-day training session in fighting an insurgency in which it can be difficult to distinguish militant from civilian.

The Marines have constructed Wadi al Sahara or Valley in the Desert, consisting of 475 structures, including a mosque and a "souk" or marketplace spread over 360 acres, the faux village cost more than $23 million.

Role players act the part of Iraqis, some friendly to the US, some hostile, some armed, some are not. The woman sitting peacefully could be acting as a spotter for an insurgent sniper.

The scenarios are adjusted to conform to events in Iraq, including new ways insurgents are using roadside bombs or planning ambushes. Each Marine battalion going through the Mojave Viper training ends with a 72-hour field exercise meant as a final exam to prepare Marines for split second decisions.