Lance Cpl. Jacob Carter, a fire team leader with Company A, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, squeezes off a round as his Marines advance on targets during a live-fire ambush and reaction drill at the Camp Billy Machen desert warfare training facility in the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range in California Oct. 18, 2009. The Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based company spent three days at the camp, making use of its rocky, mountainous terrain to prepare for an upcoming deployment to Afghanistan early next year, holding classes and executing live-fire immediate action drills and combat patrols. ::r::::n::The live-fire drills were all carried out without dry runs, creating an environment of uncertainty for the Marines to train in. “When you do a dry run, you can better scheme your maneuvers,” said Carter, 22, of Lakeland, Fla. “But this gets team leaders to think on the fly and prepares us for combat. The harder we train here, the easier things will be in country.”