General: Marines targeting Afghan drug smugglers ahead of spring poppy harvest
April 16th, 2012 | Afghanistan Camp Leatherneck Embedded journalism Infantry Kajaki Marjah | Posted by Andrew deGrandpre
Members of with 2nd Battalion, 11th Marines, patrol a poppy field in Habib Abad, Helmand province, Afghanistan, on April 4. Marines are working to stem the flow of drugs out of the region by hitting stashes that already have been harvested. (Sgt. Andrea M. Olguin / Marine Corps)
We trust you’ve been reading — and enjoying — senior staff writer Dan Lamothe’s numerous dispatches from Afghanistan, where he and photographer James Lee are embedded presently with members of 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C. Thanks so much for your continued interest in their work.
Today, over on Marine Corps Times’ home page, we’ve rolled out Lamothe’s first hard-news report from this trip to the war zone. It details aggressive efforts to curtail the flow of stored poppy out of Afghanistan ahead of the spring harvest, now just weeks away.
Before shipping out last week to 1/8′s area of operations in Kajaki, Lamothe spent several days at Camp Leatherneck, the Corps’ nerve center in southwestern Afghanistan. There, he met with Maj. Gen. David Berger, the head of 1st Marine Division (Forward), who provided a sitrep on Marines’ activities throughout Helmand province. A principal focus at the moment, Berger explained, is preventing old stocks of poppy from leaving the country. Poppy, of course, is used to make heroin and other narcotics, and its trade has long lined Taliban pockets.
As Lamothe reports:
Marine battalions in central Helmand have actively fought to stifle mobile smuggling, Berger said. In Marjah district, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., has had a standing request for helicopters and a heliborne raid force for more than a month.
“They have a very good system, intelligencewise, and they’ll have a very good idea of where one could happen,” Berger said. “So, you’ll have people geared up and ready to go. When the mobile bazaar happens, they’ll either hit the bazaar, or not hit the bazaar and be watching.”
Earlier this month, Marines used drones to track vehicles after they left a mobile bazaar, Berger said. The smugglers eventually parked, hid their vehicles and walked nearly a mile away from them to get some sleep. A raid force with Lejeune’s 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines, reached the vehicles at first light and found about 3,000 pounds of cocaine, opium and heroin.
Marines are not involved in any poppy eradication, for fear that doing so would alienate the local population, Berger said. The crops are fair game only after they’ve left the farmers’ hands.
Video: Wounded warrior Kyle Carpenter knocks out pullups
March 7th, 2012 | Afghanistan Marines Marjah Wounded warriors | Posted by Sara Davidson
Lance Cpl. Kyle Carpenter knocks out pull-ups -- using an arm that was broken in more than 30 places in 2010. (YouTube screen grab)
In January, Marine Corps Times profiled Lance Cpl. Kyle Carpenter. The wounded warrior has undergone more than 30 surgeries since sustaining catastrophic injuries in a November 2010 grenade blast near Marjah, Afghanistan, but maintains a strikingly cheerful outlook on life.
Most of the quotes in that story from Carpenter came from an interview I did with him at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. He was refreshingly candid about his struggles — and that he had a number of goals left to meet.
One of those goals was doing pull-ups again, even after his right arm was broken in more than 30 places by the grenade explosion. He’s written about it before on his Facebook page, Operation Kyle, and no doubt put hundreds of hours of work to strengthen his arm enough to do them.
For that reason, it’s great to see this new video:
As Kyle himself would quickly point out, he’s just one of many wounded warriors putting in this kind of work to recover from devastating injuries. Just a little daily motivation for all of us.
Largest explosion ever at Army post … courtesy of Marines
February 15th, 2012 | Afghanistan Battle Rattle Marines Marjah Training Weapons | Posted by Gina Cavallaro
Soldiers at Fort Benning, Ga., an Army post about 90 miles south of Atlanta, were treated to a gargantuan BOOM recently by the Leathernecks who train there.
An Army TV news correspondent starts her report by saying the U.S. Marine armor school detachment there, “made history… by detonating some of the largest explosions Fort Benning has ever seen.”
A group of combat engineers was having some fun… er, conducting a training exercise with their mine clearing line charge, known as the MCLC and pronounced mik-lik, from their assault breacher vehicle and set off the kind of awesome explosion that makes boys and girls want to be in the military.
The 10-week assault breacher vehicle crewman’s course is new at Benning for Marine and Army combat engineers, who learn to use the machine that’s already shown its value in operations in Afghanistan, where it was used for the first time in combat in 2009. The Maine Corps had it first… now the Army’s getting it.
In the video, lead instructor Staff Sgt. Bobby Stone describes how he saw the MCLC in action in Marjah when he was there with 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines. Said it saved lives.
“We’ve definitely made our mark today,” Stone says of the giant explosion at Benning.
Remembering the Battle of Marjah, two years later
February 13th, 2012 | Afghanistan Infantry Marjah | Posted by Dan Lamothe
In the war in Afghanistan, few campaigns have captured the public’s imagination like the Battle of Marjah.
The early stages of the fight were launched two years ago today when Marines were airlifted deep into insurgent-held territory in Helmand province. Operation Moshtarak involved more than 15,000 U.S., British, Canadian, French and Afghan troops, many of whom were pressed into a fight for their lives in a maze of dusty compounds and patchwork fields and canals.
Facebook updates from Marines I’ve stayed in touch with from my 2010 embed there show today’s date is in the forefront of many of their minds. Like the Nov. 8, 2004, launch of Operation Phantom Fury in Fallujah, Iraq, it was a life-changing day that many of them circle on their metaphorical calendars.
Those Marines remember the gunfights, improvised explosive devices and other booby traps that were prevalent there for months. They also recall the lesser known details, like huddling for warmth in the February weather and sleeping in fighting holes in the early days of the fight.
There are many more things we could say about Marjah today, but I’d rather that readers contribute. Please share your memories of the battle, whether you were at home worried about your loved one, in the thick of it or somewhere in between.
Marines with HMH-464 return to North Carolina from Afghanistan deployment
February 9th, 2012 | Aviation Battle Rattle Marjah Sangin | Posted by James Sanborn
Members of Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 464 are slated to return to Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., on Monday after a seven month deployment to Afghsnitan.
While downrange, “The Condors” provided assault support for 16 Marine and 5 coalition units moving a total of 35,000 passengers and 6.5 million pounds of cargo, according to Lt. Col. Alison J. Thompson, the unit’s commanding officer.
Check out this video produced by combat cameramen to hear Thompson speak about the unit’s experience downrange.
Behind the Cover: ‘Kyle covered that grenade’ — Marines weigh in on grenade blast survivor’s heroism
January 23rd, 2012 | Afghanistan Awards Infantry Marjah Medal of Honor | Posted by Dan Lamothe
It’s rare indeed that Marine Corps Times will publish back-to-back cover stories on the same subject.
Lance Cpl. William Kyle Carpenter’s story is exceptional, though. As I reported last week, the Marine Corps is investigating what happened in the moments before he and Lance Cpl. Nick Eufrazio were hit with grenade explosion in a guard post near Marjah, Afghanistan, on Nov. 21, 2010. Carpenter took the brunt of the blast, and the service is researching whether he deliberately attempted to protect Eufrazio.
The story prompted a strong response from our readers — and for several of Carpenter’s fellow Marines present that day to step forward to tell their side of the story. They’re adamant in their response: based on what they saw, Carpenter deserves the Medal of Honor, they say.
This week’s cover story reflects that. It outlines what they remember and what the Corps has asked them to do as the investigation moves forward. Combined, the two cover stories share Carpenter and Eufrazio’s ordeal in a way that no other publication has, more than a year later.
As we’ve mentioned before, the case is complicated by chance. All of the Marines interviewed for this story were close when the grenade exploded, but could only hear it and respond. Carpenter said he doesn’t remember what happened, and Eufrazio has been unable to speak about the incident due brain damage he suffered as a complication.
The issue is on newsstands now beginning today. You can also read it by subscribing here online.
1/8 Marines to replace 1/6 in Afghanistan
January 20th, 2012 | Afghanistan Infantry Kajaki Marjah Sangin | Posted by Dan Lamothe
First Battalion, 6th Marines, was split among three districts in Helmand province, Afghanistan, during its recent deployment. (Photo by Cpl. James Clark)
After another long deployment, “1/6 HARD” is coming home.
First Battalion, 6th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., will return to the U.S. soon, according to a Marine Corps news release published today. The Corps has been flying forces from Lejeune’s 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, to replace them in combat, the service acknowledged earlier this week.
It has been a whirlwind few years for 1/6′s Marines, some of whom pushed through major offensive on three consecutive deployments.
In 2008, 1/6 served as ground combat element of the Lejeune’s 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit as it kicked in the door in Afghanistan, putting a conventional Marine battalion on the ground there for the first time in three years. Marines 1/6 assaulted Garmser district at a time when most of Helmand province was overrun by the Taliban.
In 2010, 1/6 served as one of the main battalions involved in the taming of Marjah district, another Taliban stronghold in central Helmand. It sustained heavy casualties and combat that was captured in the excellent documentary “Battle for Marjah.”
That brings us to this deployment. We’ve covered some of 1/6′s operations on this blog, particularly Operation Eastern Storm, an assault in October aimed at taming portions of Kajaki district in northern Helmand. That effort was led by the unit’s Bravo and Weapons companies. Its Marines stayed in the region after the assault, facing combat like this firefight captured on video.
The unit wasn’t just in Kajaki, however. Charlie Company 1/6 deployed to Marjah again, reinforcing sections of the district that still had Taliban resistance. Alpha Company deployed to volatile Sangin district, where it supported 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion and, later, 1st Recon.
Video: Marine Lance Cpl. Kyle Carpenter, injured by a grenade, discusses his recovery
January 17th, 2012 | Afghanistan Awards Marjah Wounded warriors | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Lance Cpl. Kyle Carpenter speaks with Marine Corps Times about injuries he sustained in a grenade blast in Afghanistan. (Photo by Colin Kelly/Staff)
As mentioned on this blog yesterday, this week’s Marine Corps Times cover story focuses on Lance Cpl. Kyle Carpenter, the Marine infantryman who has achieved a miraculous recovery after sustaining a grenade blast near Marjah, Afghanistan, in November 2010.
Marine Corps Times has taken some heat for reporting that there are questions over whether Carpenter covered the grenade to protect his buddy, Lance Cpl. Nick Eufrazio. Actions along those lines have yielded prestigious valor awards in the past, obviously.
Those questions exist, though, at least in the minds of some in the Corps. Additional Marine sources have reaffirmed that since the story was published yesterday. Both lance corporals are heroes nevertheless, but Marine officials acknowledge they are uncertain what happened and still investigating.
That doesn’t take away from Carpenter’s sacrifice, though — or the inspiring way he carries himself now. I sat down with him at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for the story, and was blown away by his optimism and grace. When you see this video, I think you will be, too.
We’ll have another story about this incident in next week’s paper featuring comments from other Marines who were in the compound when the grenade exploded. This story isn’t going away anytime soon.
Behind the Cover: Did Lance Cpl. Kyle Carpenter cover a grenade to shield his buddy?
January 16th, 2012 | Afghanistan Awards Behind the Cover Marjah | Posted by Andrew deGrandpre
UPDATE: An updated version of this story has now been posted online here.
You may recognize this face. That’s Lance Cpl. Kyle Carpenter, who was severely wounded in Afghanistan in 2010 when insurgents chucked a hand grenade onto the roof where he and another Marine, Lance Cpl. Nick Eufrazio, were posting security.
In the months since the attack, as Carpenter has undergone numerous surgeries to address his injuries, he has become an ambassador, of sorts, for the Marine Corps and its wounded warriors, inspiring family, friends and fellow Marines with his undying optimism in the face of a difficult recovery. He has dined with Vice President Joe Biden, attended events hosted by the commandant — and even mugged for photos alongside college cheerleaders and UFC star Brian Stann.
Eufrazio, by contrast, weighs 100 pounds and is unable to speak. He resides in a Florida veterans hospital that specializes in caring for patients who’ve sustained traumatic brain injuries. These men’s stories, writes Marine Corps Times senior writer Dan Lamothe, is “a classic example of the cruelty of war.”
Carpenter came to our attention last year, when we received word that the state legislature in his native South Carolina honored him with a resolution claiming he “took the full blast from an enemy hand grenade in seeking to save a fellow Marine.” He and Eufrazio are the only two eyewitnesses to what happened that day on the outskirts of Marjah. Carpenter says he can’t remember what happened in the moments right before the attack. Eufrazio can’t communicate. The Corps continues to investigate the incident, officials say, and it’s unclear whether all of their questions ever will be answered.
But if Carpenter did try to protect his buddy from the blast …
… that would put him in some exclusive company.
This story is not to be missed. It hit newsstands Monday. You also can subscribe online to read it right now.
Marines pursue Taliban into Helmand’s outer reaches
January 10th, 2012 | Afghanistan Infantry Marjah | Posted by James Sanborn
Lance Cpl. David Rodriguez, 21, a fire team leader with 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines, walks along a ridgeline Jan. 4 after clearing compounds during Operation Tageer Shamal in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Photo by Cpl. Reece Lodder/Marine Corps
Third Battalion, 3rd Marines, is shifting the fight in Helmand province to the countryside in pursuit of fighters who have been driven to the region’s remote outer reaches over the past two years.
Operation Tageer Shamal, launched Jan. 4, is a joint effort by Marines and Afghan National Army soldiers to root out fighters who have been forced out of population centers since the assault on Marjah in early 2010 set in motion a strategy to break the Taliban’s hold on civilian centers in the region.
Successful operations in towns across Helmand have allowed the establishment of “green zones” that are now primarily patrolled by Afghan police, according to a recent Central Command news release.
“With Afghan police securing most of the green zones, the ANA has the opportunity to conduct larger and more complex operations…” Col. Roger Turner, commanding officer of Regimental Combat Team 5, said in the release.
That is taking Marines and Afghan soldiers to largely untouched areas, according to Lt. Col. Matthew Palma, 3/3′s commanding officer.