Alpha Company , Anti - Terrorism Battalion , 4th Marine Division Alpha Company is a United States Marine Corps unit based in Rochester , New York and a component of the Anti - Terrorism Battalion , 4th Marine Division . Before being attached to the Anti - Terrorism Battalion , the Rochester Marine unit was assigned to the 8th Tank Battalion . Alpha Company has been deployed multiple times , supporting operations related to the War on Terror . Marine Corps Reserves . Marines in the 4th Marine Division are only required to conduct military training one weekend a month and two weeks during the summer . This allows the Marines to pursue full - time careers as civilians or go to college . Like all Marines , those in the reserves must attend boot camp at either Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island or Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego . They undergo exactly the same training as those who have chosen active duty service , and must also attend the United States Marine Corps School of Infantry to learn basic infantry tactics , and must attend other schools if their job specialty requires it . All of their training is done alongside active duty Marines , and reserve Marines are held to the same standards that active duty Marines are held to . Reserve officers who have not been previously active duty are also required to complete the same training as active duty officers . Reserve officer candidates must complete Officer Candidate School in Quantico , Virginia , The Basic School , and their MOS school , they will be sent to their respective reserve units . Some of the Marines at Alpha Company are prior active duty Marines who have chosen to pursue other opportunities while still serving in the Marines . Korea and Desert Storm , 8th Tank Battalion . The 8th Tank Battalion was created in the fall of 1949 , with the unit meeting in Syracuse , New York . When attached to the 8th Tank Battalion , Rochester was the location of the Headquarters and Service company . At the birth of the company , they trained with the M4A3E8 , a tank designed under the M4 Sherman umbrella . The 8th Tank Battalion was deployed during the Korean War , comprising 520 Marines . Once arriving to their duty station in California , the Marines were divided into different units that were deploying to the Korean Theater . Four decades later , the Rochester Marines deployed in December 1990 to Southwest Asia , and saw combat in the Gulf War . Assigned to the 2nd Marine Division based in Camp Lejeune , the company provided support to the 6th and 8th Marine Regiments . While conducting combat missions in support of Desert Storm , the Rochester Marines captured an Iraqi Republican Guard T - 72 tank . Following their return home , the 8th Tank Battalion was demobilized in March 1991 , resulting in a five - year transition period for the Rochester Marines to upgrade their equipment , while also operating with a much smaller training allowance . The captured Iraqi tank now resides outside of the headquarters of Alpha Company . Although the 8th Tank Battalion is no longer in active service , the Iraqi T - 72 serves as a reminder of the 8th Tank Battalion ' s history and accomplishments Anti - terrorism Battalion . The Anti - Terrorism Battalion was put into active service on October 29 , 2004 . The idea behind the newly formed battalion was to have Marines and sailors capable of rapidly deploying in response to terror threats . The Marines were to received additional training essential in counter terror missions , such as counter - intelligence , advanced training in urban combat , and the ability to respond to nuclear , biological , and chemical weapons of mass destruction threats . The mission of the battalion is to detect , deter , and defend against terrorism . The active duty component of ATBN was deactivated in 2007 , shifting the Marines in the battalion to 2nd Battalion 9th Marines , which was deactivated in 1994 . The Marine Corps was able to create new battalions because of additional military spending due to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan , allowing the Marines to expand its numbers to slightly above 200 , 000 Djibouti A platoon of Marines from Alpha Company deployed to Djibouti , and returned from the deployment in the spring of 2007 . The United States military has a base , Camp Lemonnier , in Djibouti to support humanitarian and counter - terrorism operations around the Horn of Africa . Deployments to the area began in early 2002 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and other American military missions in the region . The US State Department also provides humanitarian assistance to Djibouti , which has become an important trading partner in the region . Despite help from the American government in multiple forms of economic and military aid , the country struggles with a large amount of unusable desert land , refugees from Ethiopia due to civil wars , and a 50 % unemployment rate . Iraq . Alpha Company deployed to Iraq in 2009 , attached to 3rd Battalion 3rd Marines . They made up Task Force Military Police , responsible for convoy security in the Al Anbar province . During the deployment , 3 / 3 was involved in recovering the remains of Navy pilot Scott Speicher , who was shot down but body was never located during Operation Desert Storm . President Barack Obama said of the discovery , " I am grateful to the Marines who pursued the information that led to Captain Speicher ' s recovery so that he can now come home . " Alpha Company was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation for its role in the recovering of the pilot ' s body . After seven months in Iraq , Alpha Company returned to Rochester , suffering no casualties After seven years in Iraq , the Marine Corps officially ended all operations in the country in January 2010 , handing the responsibilities over to the Army . Doing so allowed the Marines to focus its resources solely on the war in Afghanistan . The United States formally ended all combat operations and withdrew its forces from Iraq December 18 , 2011 . Following the end of the war , President Obama said to the final troops leaving Iraq " Iraq ' s future will be in the hands of its people . America ’ s war in Iraq is over . . . On behalf of a grateful nation , I ' m proud to finally say these two words : Welcome home . " Iraq awards . For the Iraq deployment , the company was awarded the Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon , Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal , and the Armed Forces Reserve Medal . Future . Alpha Company , like other companies in the Anti - Terrorism Battalion , is currently operating under the loom of a deactivation of the company , or a lateral move , where the entire company would hold a new MOS . See List of United States Marine Corps MOS . Alpha ' s sister company , Company D , is currently being shifted into a Law Enforcement Battalion as a part of the Force Structure Review . The review is set to effect 147 of the 183 Marine companies in the reserves to restructure and modernize the units . The 4th Marine Division has deemed it necessary to increase Marine Reserve capabilities in civilian affairs , intelligence , and military police . The nature of war is expected to change after missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom come to a close . Companies such as Delta and Alpha are better suited for law enforcement because of their previous infantry training and combat skills . During the transition to the Law Enforcement Battalion , Marines in units such as Delta company will have the following options available to them to make the move easier on the individual Marine : Until the future of Alpha Company is determined by the command structure , the Rochester Marines will continue to conduct monthly training , improving their infantry skills and making sure they are ready to deploy if need be .