Fast Rope
May 8th, 2012 | From the Ranks Photography | Posted by Alan Lessig
A Marine assigned to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit fast ropes from the back of a helicopter onto the aircraft elevator of the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8). Makin Island with embarked Marines assigned to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit are deployed in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Daniel J. Walls)
Hover Spray
May 7th, 2012 | From the Ranks Photography | Posted by Alan Lessig
Navy hovercraft with Assault Craft Unit 5 depart USS Makin Island carrying 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit vehicles and personnel here May 1. The units are deployed as part of the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group, currently a U.S. Central Command theater reserve force. The group is providing support for maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet area of responsibility. (Lance Cpl. Claudia Palacios/USMC)
Creek Leap
May 3rd, 2012 | Afghanistan From the Ranks Photography | Posted by Alan Lessig
U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Ronald Valdez (left), a corpsman with 1st Platoon, India Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, and 30-year-old native of Waipahu, Hawaii, extends a helping hand to Marine Lance Cpl. Patrick Mireles, a team leader and 23-year-old native of Austin, Texas, as Mireles jumps a stream during a security patrol here, April 30, 2012. On the final patrol of their seven-month deployment, the Marines toured the Durzay region of Helmand province’s Garmsir district to disrupt possible insurgent activity. After arriving in Garmsir in October 2011, the Marines aided Afghan National Security Forces in assuming lead security responsibility of the district, developing and expanding legitimate Afghan governance by defeating insurgent forces and securing the people of Garmsir. (Cpl. Reece Lodder/USMC)
Marines Lead “Parade” through Sangin’s Green Zone
April 30th, 2012 | Afghanistan Infantry Photography | 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)
Water Hazzard
April 22nd, 2012 | From the Ranks | Posted by Alan Lessig
Marines unwind with a bucket of balls at the “driving range” while deployed aboard the amphibious assault ship as part of the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group, which is a U.S. Central Command theater reserve force. The group is providing support for maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Elyssa Quesada)
Marines in Afghanistan pass the rainy day playing Monopoly
April 20th, 2012 | Afghanistan | Posted by James J. Lee
Marines from Combined Anti-Armor Team 2, Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Marines play Monopoly during an evening rain storm inside Patrol Base Sheheban.
As the rain poured on the mud brick compound that Marine Corps Times writer Dan Lamothe and I shared with Marines from Combined Anti-Armor Team 2, Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, and the Afghan National Civil Order Police, I began to worry about the walls and ceiling falling in.
Hey, it happens, as evidenced by a fallen wall that had been sandbagged after another rain storm just a few months earlier. After all, we are talking about buildings made of dirt.
Looking for a little reassurance, I trudged through the muddy courtyard, tracking down the sounds of laughter coming from the other side of the compound. I found Cpl. Alexander Prasil, Cpl. Joshua Leary, Staff Sgt. Albert Hayes, and Staff Sgt. Adam Moseley bravely weathering the storm while playing a round of Monopoly. Hayes was holding court and fanning his faux money as if he were Donald Trump. Thus, we passed a stormy evening at Patrol Base Sheheban.
Best Seat in MRAP
April 17th, 2012 | Afghanistan Photography | Posted by James J. Lee
On a convoy between locations in Kajaki, I was once again awestruck by Marine ingenuity. The guys from the 1st Battalion, 8th Marines Motor Transport Platoon had built a wag bag toilet into the back of their MRAP. The gunner, Corporal Brandon Szopinski explained that life on the roads of Afghanistan often meant long hours between umm… facilities, so doing as Marines do, they improvised.
This particular toilet looked plush and comfy, complete with a foam padded seat for those bumpy rides. So, if the going gets tough, I now know where to find the best seat around.
Where’s Waldo?
March 31st, 2012 | The Wires | Posted by Alan Lessig
Group photos can be one of the toughest shots for a photographer to make. Sometimes, you just don’t see that “one” guy in the crowd that’s messing with you. Marines sit inside of a plane before their departure to Afghanistan from the US transit center Manas, 30 km outside the Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek, on March 27, 2012. (VYACHESLAV OSELEDKO/AFP/Getty Images)
Drinking Cobra Blood
February 18th, 2012 | The Wires | Posted by Alan Lessig
A US Marine drinks cobra blood during a jungle survival program as part of the annual Cobra Gold 2012 combined military exercise at a navy base in Sattahip on February 13, 2012. About 13,000 military personnel from seven nations, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, US, Singapore, Japan and Malaysia are involved in the exercise ending on February 17. (PORNCHAI KITTIWONGSAKUL/AFP/Getty Images)
Marine One Arriving
January 27th, 2012 | The Wires | Posted by Alan Lessig
Marine One, center, with President Barack Obama aboard, prepares to land at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)