Wrapping up after a good Marine embed in Afghanistan
May 15th, 2012 | Afghanistan Embedded journalism Infantry Kajaki Sangin | Posted by Dan Lamothe
SPRINGFIELD, Va. — You just never know when all hell is going to break loose.
That’s the most amazingly unsettling thing about being in a war zone like Afghanistan. You can prepare for trouble — even expect it — but it will still eventually find you in the most unexpected ways, at times that simply don’t make sense.
A first-person account published Saturday by Wall Street Journal scribe Michael Phillips makes that perfectly clear.
Phillips watched in horror April 28 as a Taliban suicide bomber blew up a pickup truck carrying several U.S. troops in Zaranj, Afghanistan. The blast killed Master Sgt. Scott Pruitt, an accountant, and injured at least two other men in the vehicle.
Just a few days before, photographer James Lee and I crossed paths with Phillips at Camp Leatherneck, the Marine Corps’ main hub of operations in Afghanistan. Lee and I were headed to Sangin, the notorious district in northern Helmand province where more than 50 Marines have been killed since 2010. Phillips, a veteran war correspondent, was waiting for a ride to Zaranj, a relatively peaceful town in Nimroz province that was newsworthy because of its close proximity to Iran.
After wandering around Sangin for a week, that’s the kind of irony that sits heavy with me like a cast-iron stove. Lee and I returned from Afghanistan late last week, and were fortunate to spend several weeks on the ground in Sangin and Kajaki districts without anything truly jarring occurring. That’s just fine with us, especially after previous war-zone forays that were much violent. We’re grateful to the Marines who opened up and shared their worlds with us.
Today marks my first day in the office since March. I’ve got a couple more stories to complete coming out of the trip, but it’s also good to be home.
To everyone who followed along on this blog while we were overseas, thank you. We’ll be sharing more photos and anecdotes from our trip here in coming days, so please stay tuned.
Marines make sense of Taliban flags in Afghanistan
May 4th, 2012 | Afghanistan Embedded journalism Infantry Kajaki Marines Sangin | Posted by Dan Lamothe
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan — Good morning, friends. Photographer James Lee and I are currently holding it down at this massive forward operating base and waiting on a few interviews.
Over the next week or so, we’ll continue to offer up images and thoughts here on Battle Rattle from our time in Kajaki and Sangin districts with Marine infantry units.
A Marine with 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, stops on patrol beneath a flag marking a compound in Sangin's volatile "Fish Tank" area. The Taliban marks buildings with several different kinds of flags, each with a different meaning. (Dan Lamothe / Staff)
Up for discussion today: Taliban flags.
Several times outside the wire, we observed that Marines pay attention to flags flown over compound buildings. They come in several colors, but the ones that draw the most attention are black or white.
In Kajaki, Marines at Observation Post Shrine paid close attention to a compound that had a white flag flying overhead. It marked the building as Taliban friendly, said Sgt. Levi Steele, a squad leader with 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C.
In the Upper Sangin Valley, flags came up again. Marines at Patrol Base Watson handed 2nd Lt. William McCabe a black flag last weekend that they had seen a child playing with in a nearby field. They traded the boy a few of pieces of candy for the flag, Marines said.
White flags in Taliban country typically mark insurgent safe havens, said McCabe, a platoon commander with 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, out of Twentynine Palms, Calif. Black flags are frequently a call to arms — an order to come out and fight, essentially.
We also came across the green and white flag depicted in the photograph here in Sangin’s volatile “Fish Tank” area this week. The 1/7 Marines on patrol with us that day were uncertain what it meant, but their interpreter told them green flags can be used to mark buildings occupied by new inhabitants. It was unclear if it was Taliban-related or not.
Marines Lead “Parade” through Sangin’s Green Zone
May 1st, 2012 | Afghanistan Embedded journalism Infantry Marines Sangin | Posted by James J. Lee
Lance Cpl. Tanner Morgan, Headquarters and Service Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, patrols alongside children and animals in Sangin's "green zone," the agricultural area near the Helmand River. The security patrol was to collect local atmospherics and get to know the terrain prior to the fighting season that traditionally starts following the poppy harvest. (James J. Lee/Marine Corps Times)
SANGIN, Afghanistan — Senior Writer Dan Lamothe and I made it down to Forward Operating Base Shamsher this weekend, joining Baker Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines.
Today, we joined a patrol with 1st Squad, 2nd Platoon, through through Sangin’s “Green Zone,” an agricultural area that runs adjacent to the Helmand River. The patrol rolled out with several extra Marines, including Lt. Col. David Bradney, battalion commander, and Sgt. Maj. Keith Coombs, the senior enlisted adviser for the unit.
The patrol began to take on the air of a parade when we were joined in the fields by local children and barnyard animals. Soldiers with the Afghan National Army, their weapons brightly decorated, interacted with them regularly, joking with the kids while music played on transistor radios. The whole entourage snaked its way carefully through the poppy and wheat fields.
The Marines of 1st Squad were encouraged by all the activity, guessing that if an enemy threat were imminent, the local youth would have been absent from the festivities.
Still, 1st Squad maintained tight discipline through it all, highly aware of the blood that has been shed here by previous units. They understand that despite today’s festive atmosphere, the mood can change in an instant. The harvest is wrapping up, and Afghanistan’s traditional fighting season is expected to start any day.
Second Platoon, 1st Squad goes on patrol in Sangin's "green zone," the agricultural area near the Helmand River on April 30, 2012. The security patrol was to collect local atmospherics and get to know the terrain prior to the fighting season that traditional starts following the poppy harvest. (James J. Lee/Marine Corps Times)
‘Holy Helo’ delivers priests to Marines in Afghanistan
April 29th, 2012 | Afghanistan Camp Leatherneck Embedded journalism Infantry Marines Sangin | Posted by Dan Lamothe
An MV-22 Osprey leaves Forward Operating Base Shamsher after delivering The Rev. Kevin Sweeney, a Catholic chaplain and Navy commander. (Dan Lamothe/Staff)
FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHAMSHER, Afghanistan – Helicopters are used for many reasons in Afghanistan, but only a few are called the “Holy Helo.”
That’s the nickname U.S. service members give to the aircraft used to deliver chaplains to military bases in a war zone. They’re frequently on bases just a few hours, long enough to conduct a religious service and say hello before moving on to the next location.
That was the case Sunday morning when The Rev. Kevin Sweeney arrived here at the home of Baker Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, out of Twentynine Palms, Calif. Sweeney, a Roman Catholic priest and Navy commander, celebrated a mass in the base’s chow hall after landing in an MV-22 Osprey. He was on the second leg of a three-part stop in northern Helmand province, he said.
“Typically, we’re flying,” Sweeney said. “We’ll take a convoy if there’s something close by, but we joke that we have frequent flier miles on the ‘Holy Helo.’”
There are about a dozen chaplains assigned across Regional Command Southwest, home to thousands of Marines and sailors in Helmand province. Many of them are assigned to infantry battalions, providing spiritual guidance and a friendly ear to troops who seek them.
Protestant ministers cannot say a Catholic mass, however. That’s primarily where the “Holy Helo” comes in.
There are currently three Catholic priests deployed to RC-Southwest as chaplains. Sweeney is one of two based at Camp Leatherneck, the Corps’ largest base in Afghanistan. All three make flights to say masses across the Corps’ area of operations, Sweeney said.
Sweeney said he felt called to become a Catholic chaplain in the military. He was commissioned as an officer aboard the battleship Missouri in 1991, and became a priest in 1994 after graduating from seminary school. He is on loan to the military from the Diocese of Orange in California.
“It’s very rewarding work,” he said of being a chaplain. “You definitely feel appreciated. Not everyone gets to do something meaningful in life, and we get to every day.”
A day on patrol with the Marines of Dog Company 1/7
April 28th, 2012 | Afghanistan Embedded journalism Infantry Sangin | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Lance Cpl. Christopher Sanders patrols past farmers scoring poppy buds April 28 in Sangin, Afghanistan. Sanders serves with 3rd Platoon, Dog Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines. (James J. Lee/Staff)
SANGIN, Afghanistan – For a minute, it seemed like a manhunt in the hills of the Upper Sangin Valley was possible.
Pushing out from Forward Operating Base Tabac early Saturday, Marines with Dog Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, noticed a man on a nearby hill holding a metallic black object that was glinting in the sunlight. The assumption: The stranger was carrying a radio, making it entirely possible a Taliban spotter was spying on the patrol.
“I saw it glistening in his hand,” said Lance Cpl. Christopher Sanders, making his way through a green field of thigh-high wheat. “There isn’t much out here these guys have that glistens like that.”
Over the next 20 minutes, the reinforced squad with Dog Company’s 3rd Platoon made its way up a steep rocky hill in northern Helmand province. The Marines weaved there way around a rocky cliff and through an eerie cemetery. Its graves were marked with carefully placed rocks and brightly colored flags.
Quickly, the Marines found their man. The shepherd was at least 70 years old, and sported a long, flowing white beard. He laughed nervously, explaining in Pashto that he was merely taking his flock of sheep out for the morning from his nearby home. The radio in his hand played music, and couldn’t transmit anywhere else.
The incident highlights the restraint Marines must show, even as they patrol a notoriously hostile land. Sangin district remains one of the most dangerous regions in which Marine forces are deployed, but the average lance corporal still must think before acting to avoid hurting civilians such as the shepherd.
On Saturday, the patrol pushed out early, led by Sgt. Anthony Garbo. The Marines swept through muddy fields, rocky trails and murky canals for more than eight hours to gain a better understanding for the villagers living in the immediate area. Our boots were soaked several times as we made our way through several villages.
Timing was key. The cash crop in Helmand is opium-producing poppy, and harvest season has arrived. Migrant workers travel long distances to work the fields but are mixed in with insurgent fighters from other regions, Marines said. In some cases, the workers will pick up a paycheck and return home. In others, they’ll pick up an assault rifle and open fire on coalition forces.
To combat that uncertainty, Marines in Sangin are now actively collecting biometric information in the field. They use a hand-held device known as HIIDES, or Handheld Interagency Identity Detection Equipment System, to compile and compare fingerprints, DNA, photographs and iris scans, each of which can be used to see if an individual has a sinister past.
The Marines on patrol with photographer James J. Lee and I today stopped dozens of workers, and registered at least 40 men in their system. None of them popped immediately in the system as insurgents, but if those same individuals are implicated in something down the road, coalition forces will have a number of ways to track them down. There’s no better time to do it, considering the traditional Afghan fighting season will begin with days, after the harvest is complete.
“We’ve heard chatter that the Taliban told them to put down their weapons and go harvest,” said 2nd Lt. William McCabe, 3rd Platoon’s commander. “We definitely have seen an influx of new people in the area.”
As a footnote, we have since moved on from Dog Company, arriving Saturday night at Forward Operating Base Shamsher. It’s headquarters to Baker Company 1/7. We’ll be spending several days with Baker getting the lay of the land and visiting with Marines.
Lance Cpl. Trevor Wiren gains biometrics from an Afghan civilian using the HIIDES (Handheld Interagency Identity Dectection Equipment System) during an April 28 security patrol in the Upper Sangin Valley. Wiren serves with 3rd Platoon, Dog Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines. (James J. Lee/Staff)
Gunfire and children: A day on the ground in Sangin
April 27th, 2012 | Afghanistan Battle Rattle Embedded journalism Infantry Sangin | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Female Engagement Team members Staff Sgt. Kimberly Taylor and Cpl. Austin Walswick, along with interpreters Susan and Salim Mandokhil, conduct a "children's shura" once a week in Sangin, Afghanistan, to educate the children and engage with the local populace. (James J. Lee / Staff)
FORWARD OPERATING BASE TABAC, Afghanistan – In just a few short hours, I saw both sides of Sangin.
On one hand, photographer James Lee and I visited a shura, or meeting, that brought together 67 boys and 25 girls at the gates of this base, the headquarters of Dog Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, out of Twentynine Palms, Calif. Most of the children sat obediently in straight rows on the ground as two interpreters and two Marines with a Female Engagement Team taught lessons about geography, civics and poetry.
A few hours later, we heard our first gunshots fired in anger during this trip to Afghanistan. Sitting in on a resupply convoy mission from FOB Tabac to nearby Patrol Base Georgia, we heard harassing fire nearby aimed at Dog Company’s 1st Squad, 2nd Platoon, which was maneuvering on foot to meet the convoy at Georgia. We watched and followed Marines with Dog Company’s mobile section as they scanned an open field for enemy fighters and hopped on a compound roof to provide security for the squad that had been under fire.
The contrast captures a large part of the dynamics here in Sangin district. Events like the shura are used to not only build a working relationship with families, but to gather valuable information about the “atmospherics” in a region and how coalition forces are perceived. The harassing fire this afternoon underscores that Sangin is still a very dangerous place and likely to see an uptick in violence after the ongoing poppy harvest ends in coming days.
To backpedal, we arrived here on Tabac on Friday morning. The base is best known as FOB Alcatraz, but it was given a new name within the last year as part of the effort to put an Afghan face on the war. It sits in the Upper Sangin Valley along Route 611, a place that was notorious for violence as recently as last summer. Marines with 1/7 now man the entire Sangin area of operations and work with the growing Afghan National Security Forces.
Not long after arriving at Tabac, we were introduced to Staff Sgt. Kimberly Taylor, 27, and Cpl. Austin Walswick, 21. They’re part of 1/7’s FET team, and they work with Dog Company to build an understanding of the region and its inhabitants.
Today’s shura stands as an excellent example of that. As someone who took teaching classes in college, I was impressed to see that most of the kids listened closely and participated in the lessons taught by the FET Marines and a husband-wife interpreter team, Salim and Susan Mandokhil of Loudon County, Va. That’s no easy feat anywhere.
The children, ranging in age from about 2 to 12, stood at attention during Afghanistan’s national anthem then recited the provinces surrounding Helmand in Afghanistan.
In between, the Marines urged the children to be honest with coalition forces and to watch out for Taliban fighters. The warning wasn’t unlike something you’d give a child in the U.S. about talking to strangers.
“They’re going to have candy, and they’re to offer you candy because they’re cowards,” Taylor told them. “They want to use you as human shields.”
Taylor also raised an issue from a previous shura: A male Marine providing security was wounded in the face by a boy shooting rocks with a slingshot two weeks ago. He won’t be welcome back at another event for kids until he writes a letter of apology to the Marine, Taylor told the other children.
Later in the day, we hopped out on the resupply mission. It gave us a chance to see more of Route 611 and to meet more of the Dog Company grunts, who are spread out in several outposts in Upper Sangin.
Cpl. Kevin Meehan scans for enemy fighters in Sangin, Afghanistan, on Friday. Dog Company's Mobile Section, 1st Battallion, 7th Marines responded to small arms fire directed at 2nd Platoon, 1st Squad by setting up an overwatch position in support of their comrades. (James J. Lee / Staff)
That got complicated when the shooting began. Safely inside the wire at Georgia, we heard a handful of gunshots in the distance. Dog Company’s mobile section, led by Cpl. Jason Skow, pushed a patrol out from Georgia to assist the other nearby squad.
Once they arrived at Georgia, the Marines who had been under fire said none of the potshots were particularly close. They questioned whether the three fighters they saw botched a more complex ambush by opening fire too quickly.
“We saw two of them running through the treeline, but they were a good 500 meters away,” said the squad leader, Cpl. John Drake.
The Marines involved said they haven’t seen many ambushes in recent days, but they expect the violence to pick up by next month after the poppy harvest.
Marine Corps Times embeds in Afghanistan’s Sangin district
April 26th, 2012 | Afghanistan Embedded journalism Infantry Sangin | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Marine military intelligence advisers working with the Afghan Army's 215th Corps meet for lunch on a floating dock on the Narah Sarj canal on FOB Sabit Qadam (formerly FOB Jackson) in Sangin, Helmand province, Afghanistan on Thursday. (James J. Lee / Staff)
FORWARD OPERATING BASE SABIT QADAM, Afghanistan — Ladies and gentlemen, Marine Corps Times has moved on to cover infantry operations at the heart of the war in Helmand province.
Photographer James Lee and I arrived at this FOB last night, embedding in Sangin district with 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, out of Twentynine Palms, Calif. The base was known until recently as FOB Jackson, but coalition forces have elected to give it and several other Sangin bases names with Afghan roots, said Lt. Col. David Bradney, 1/7’s commander. Sabit Qadam translates loosely from Pashto to “constant” or “stronghold,” interpreters here said.
Sangin, of course, is one of the most notorious areas of operations in Afghanistan. British forces arrived here in 2006 and lost more than 100 service members over the next four years. The district was turned over to 1/7’s sister battalion – 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, out of Twentynine Palms – in summer 2010. The Marines bulldozed a number of British patrol bases and overhauled a strategy devoted less toward patrolling and more toward holding down the fort.
That fall, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, out of Camp Pendleton, Calif., arrived in Sangin. They faced the single most costly battalion deployment of the Afghan war over the next seven months. More than 30 Marines with 3/5 were killed in action, and an additional 200 were severely wounded.
Violence has subsided over the last few months, but the overall U.S. toll in Sangin is staggering. More than 50 Marines have been killed here in fewer than two years. At least 500 more have been severely wounded. In practical terms, a half of a battalion in amputees has been created here.
The question now: Has Sangin turned a corner or not? Top military officers suggested the district was heading toward pacification last spring, but violence exploded here in June after the poppy season ended. Pendleton’s 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, fought a stubborn insurgency throughout the summer before turning the district over to 3/7 again.
Bradney said in an interview that 3/7 did a “masterful” job of denying IED emplacement through surveillance and quick strikes on insurgents caught in the process. Marines with 1/7 have continued many of 3/7’s counter-IED efforts, leading insurgents in the region to step up attacks with small arms and hand grenades recently, the battalion commander said.
“They’re trying to put them in the ground, but it’s not working for them,” Bradney said of the IEDs. “They’re trying to figure out what else works.”
Marine Corps Times will visit grunts with 1/7 in coming days, seeing the war through their eyes as best we can. The poppy harvest is currently underway, making it an interesting time to get out on patrol.
Bradney said his advice to Marines here has been clear.
“One of the things I keep telling the Marines is ‘Don’t be complacent,’” he said. “Even now, there’s still a level of activity here that will keep you on your toes.”
Behind the cover: Marine lieutenant’s firing causes uproar over rules of engagement
April 16th, 2012 | Afghanistan Behind the Cover Capitol Hill Infantry Sangin | Posted by Andrew deGrandpre
This week's cover story, written by Marine Corps Times' Pentagon bureau chief, Andrew Tilghman, examines the case of 1st Lt. Josh Waddell, who was fired after his commander accused him of violating the rules of engagement in Afghanistan.
First Lt. Josh Waddell ordered his men to take out an insurgent last fall in Afghanistan, and that decision has come back to bite him pretty badly. Now, the 25-year-old finds himself at the center of a contentious debate over the rules of engagement and the potentially disastrous career implications for those deemed to have violated them.
When the incident occurred, Waddell was the executive officer for his company with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, which oversaw security in the Sangin district of Helmand province. He was subsequently fired from that job, given a lousy fitness report and told he would not be recommended for promotion. His father, a retired Navy SEAL commander, has gotten involved — and made enough noise to capture the attention of some in Congress, who are pushing for creation of ROE “review boards” that would afford troops an independent review of any administrative action stemming from alleged violations. But some worry that would serve to undermine the chain of command.
Also this week, staff writer James K. Sanborn has an exclusive first look at the Corps’ plan to develop new functional fitness tests, part of the service’s evaluation of opening additional ground combat jobs to women. The goal is to establish gender-neutral standards for physically rigorous tasks required of Marines whose primary mission is to close with and destroy. As we reported in February, the Corps is opening to women about 400 jobs in six types of battalions. Officials said then that this was a precursor to implementing broader changes. These new strength tests are a key piece to doing so.
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Easter Sunday with Marines in Kajaki, Afghanistan
April 8th, 2012 | Afghanistan Infantry Kajaki Marines Sangin | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Forward Operating Base White House in Helmand province, Afghanistan, serves as headquarters to 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, which oversees combat operations in Kajaki district. // James J. Lee/Staff
FORWARD OPERATING BASE WHITE HOUSE, Afghanistan – We’ve reached the final frontier in Helmand province.
This base serves as headquarters to 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, which oversees combat operations in Kajaki district. Top Marine officers in Afghanistan acknowledge they’ve pushed as far north here as possible ahead of the planned drawdown, and will seek this summer to solidify gains already made, rather than pushing farther into the countryside. There were about 20,000 Marines in theater last summer, but that number could drop to as low as 7,000 this fall.
In coming weeks, we’ll have several long-form pieces assessing the future of Kajaki and what it means for the Marines of 1/8. It’s a fascinating area that is best known for a hydroelectric dam built in the 1950s. It also has been part of multiple struggles in the last few decades. For example, at least one Marine position in the district has artwork suggesting it was used by the Russians in the 1980s during their fight against the mujahedeen.
Our arrival here also was interesting. We responded to a wakeup call before 3 a.m. to catch a packed pre-dawn CH-53 helicopter flight north out of Camp Bastion, part of the massive Camp Leatherneck complex in Helmand.
Each of us had just enough room to sit upright in our seats, with a pile of palletized supplies, packs and bags taking up the rest of the space.
White House itself offers a mix of austere living and creature comforts.
There is no plumbing and nearly everyone sleeps in tents, but air conditioning is in abundance and the chow hall tent has a flat-screen TV.
The base is surrounded by majestic mountain tops and ridges, but has had only one significant firefight, on March 19, with them to date. No Marines were injured, and at least four enemy fighters were later detained nearby.
One of the photographs here show the initial sight upon our arrival today.
Easter Sunday services at FOB White House. // Dan Lamothe/Staff
At least a dozen Marines here participated in a sunrise Easter Sunday ceremony on a hill overlooking the helo pads. Additional services were held in the tent chapel later in the day, including a 7 p.m. celebration from which photographer James Lee and I just returned.
Stayed tuned in coming days for more images and slices of life from the battlefield. We’ll be visiting a couple of different patrol bases and observation points, and post here on Battle Rattle as we go.
Marine Corps Times journalists to embed in Afghanistan
March 29th, 2012 | Afghanistan Embedded journalism Infantry Kajaki Sangin | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Two years ago, this blog was launched as I headed downrange to cover Marine operations in Afghanistan’s Helmand province. It’s about time I got back to it.
Beginning next week, Marine Corps Times photographer James Lee and I will be embedding with several battalions in northern Helmand. We’ll transit through the Corps’ main hub of operations in the country, Camp Leatherneck, with plans to spend time in Sangin and Kajaki districts.
I’m not bringing this up beforehand for bragging rights. No, I thought the best way to do this was to start a conversation early, as any good blog should. We’ll be living, eating and patrolling with Marines, and — to the extent possible – sharing here what life is like for them.
A few details still need to be worked out, but we expect to visit the following units:
– 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, out of Twentynine Palms, Calif.
– 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C.
– 2nd Battalion, 11th Marines, out of Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Longtime Battle Rattle readers may remember that my initial foray into combat zone coverage involved 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines, which was then based in Helmand’s Marjah district. Life there has improved considerably, but it was an extremely violent place at the time, and we saw that firsthand. I’m hoping to duplicate the blogging from that assignment.
My colleague Lee hasn’t been to Afghanistan before, but he’s a war-zone veteran. He made three trips to Iraq to cover Army operations between 2005 and 2007, and also covered tsunami relief efforts in the Pacific in 2004.
For those who use Twitter, I’ll also be filing updates there. My handle is @DanLamothe.