Hard-hit Ohio Marine unit deploys again

COLUMBUS (AP) — An Ohio Marine Reserve unit devastated by losses in Iraq in 2005 has left for its first large-scale deployment since returning from that ill-fated mission.

Members of Columbus-based Lima Co. departed from the city’s Rickenbacker International Airport today on a yearlong assignment that officials say could include time in Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa. The more than 100 Marines head first for California for training.

The branch of the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines, lost 16 Marines and seven service members while in Iraq. Nine Marines were killed in one roadside bombing.

Members of the unit say they still think daily about the bad times of 2005 but note that the current deployment involves a new mission and a new group of Marines.