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thedrifter
05-25-04, 09:27 AM
Golf Battery undertakes myriad tasks as provisional rifle company
Submitted by: 22nd MEU
Story Identification #: 200452404513
Story by Gunnery Sgt. Keith A. Milks



FORWARD OPERATING BASE RIPLEY, Afghanistan (May 24, 2004) -- While the Marines and Sailors of the 22d Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) are scouring south-central Afghanistan for Taliban and anti-coalition militia, it would be unable to complete its mission without a safe place for its Marines to call their home away from home.

To ensure that Forward Operating Base Ripley remains a safe area for Marines to operate from, Golf Battery, the artillery unit assigned to Battalion Landing Team, 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, and its attached components are making sure that Marines inside the FOB can work without worry.

"First and foremost, the personnel are most important," said Staff Sgt. Rogelio Salas, Golf Battery security chief.

While the prospect of protecting a FOB of hundreds of Marines may be daunting for a single company-sized unit, Golf Battery isn't alone. Currently they are being reinforced by the Marines of BLT 1/6's Tank and Assault Amphibious Vehicle platoons whose vehicles are still aboard Navy ships.

"It's a good experience for my NCO's [noncommissioned officers] to do something other than Amtracs [amphibious tractors]," said Gunnery Sgt. Donald Vick, AAV platoon sergeant and Frankenmoth,Michigan native, "especially in this day and age when more units are being turned into provisional rifle companies.

With the help of its own Marines and attachments, Golf Battery has eyes on the entire area around the FOB.

"There's no open areas at all," aid Lance Cpl. Victor Bernal, of Dallas, Texas, a Golf Battery field wireman. "It doesn't matter where they come from. Someone will see them."

So far, the perimeter has been quiet.

"It's pretty dead, which is a good thing," said Sgt. Angel Delgado, a Golf Battery squad leader from Lamesa, Texas. "Every once in a while we'll see a star cluster go off that's not ours."

Golf Battery may be doing they're job almost too well. Keeping the Marines focused on looking out for an enemy who may be smart enough not to attack the FOB directly is a challenge.

"It's kind of hard keeping the guys motivated," said Delgado. Delgado helps keep his Marines sharp by walking the line of fighting holes and talking about the plans his Marines have when they return home.

"When you explain to them what they're doing, it makes them feel better," he said. "It gives them an understanding of the big picture."

Keeping the Marines of the FOB safe doesn't stop outside the wire. Because of the many vehicles necessary to haul and protect its artillery guns, Golf Battery has at its disposal a large mobile arsenal to protect convoys coming to and from the FOB. Working in conjunction with military policemen from MEU Service Support Group 22, convoys are protected by a variety of mobile and foot-mounted assets.

Each mission outside the gates is unique. The length of the convoys can last from a couple of hours to several days.

"It depends on the mission, how many Marines and what weapons we take," said Sgt. Johnny Huff, a Golf Battery squad leader from Richmond, Virginia. "The most important thing is just watching dead spaces to see where we could get hit from."

The convoys roll over roads that are barely roads at all. Very few roads are paved in Afghanistan, and the convoys Golf Battery protects rarely have the chance to use them.

"The worst part is the time it takes and all the stopping," said Lance Cpl. Brad Pacanowski, of Louisville, Kentucky, a Golf Battery motor transport operator. "The terrain is pretty rough. Most of the time, we would drive through what looked like dried up creek beds."

The security teams also do local patrols, inspecting the outlying area around the FOB and rolling through surrounding towns and villages. In addition to keeping tabs on the local area, the presence of Golf Battery acts a deterrent to potential troublemakers who would wish to disrupt voter registration, which is currently being conducted throughout the Oruzgan province.

Whether driving through creek beds at the butterfly trigger of a M2 .50 caliber machine gun, patrolling through local villages, or watching the wire behind a pile of sandbags, Golf Battery is ready to protect the Marines of FOB Ripley in case of an attack.

"The best part is when you see your Marines doing what they were trained for," said Salas, "and that all the hard work paid off."

In addition to BLT 1/6 and MSSG-22, the 22d MEU (SOC) consists of its Command Element and Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 266 (Reinforced). The MEU is working with Combined Joint Task Force 76 and is designated Task Force Linebacker.

For more information on the 22d MEU (SOC)'s role in Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, visit the unit's web site at www.22meu.usmc.mil.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200452404729/$file/Golf_Clay-Butler_Low.jpg

Cpl. Anthony Clay, of Baltimore, Md., left, and Sgt. Jhimaron Butler, of Pensacola, Fla., secure an intersection as part of reaction force sent to assist with securing voter registration in Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan. The two Marines are assigned to Golf Battery, Battalion Landing Team, 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, the ground combat element of the 22d Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable). Photo by: Sgt. Matt C. Preston

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200452404932/$file/Golf_GAC_Low.jpg

A Marine with Golf Battery, Battalion Landing Team, 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, stands security for a ground assault convoy in rural Afghanistan. BLT 1/6 is the ground combat element of the 22d Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), and is in Afghanistan conducting combat and civil military operations as Task Force Linebacker. Photo by: Sgt. Matt C. Preston

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/B5265B45AEA4C0D685256E9E001A1CD4?opendocument


Ellie