thedrifter
08-18-08, 07:46 AM
Posted on Mon, Aug. 18, 2008
S.C. Marines helping secure ‘desert of death’
Bleak region of Afghanistan is Taliban stronghold
By CHUCK CRUMBO
ccrumbo@thestate.com
The troops call it a “beach without water,” a blistering hot, dusty patch of southern Afghanistan that natives know as the “desert of death.”
“It’s like having a blow dryer in your face and (someone) throwing sand in front of the blow dryer,” said Cpl. Chris Mallett of Level Land in Abbeville County.
Mallett is among about four dozen South Carolinians who are members of a Camp LeJeune, N.C.-based 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit deployed to the Garmsir District of Helmand Province in Afghanistan.
The area, the crossroads of ancient trading routes, leads the world in opium production.
It’s also a stronghold of the Taliban, who are battling to regain control of Afghanistan seven years after being ousted from power by U.S. and allied forces.
The 2,400-strong Marine unit began arriving in Afghanistan in late March, just as the S.C. National Guard’s 218th Brigade Combat Team was wrapping up its yearlong tour of duty.
Several S.C. Guard soldiers were stationed in Helmand. Some operated in Garmsir, mentoring Afghan police.
The Marines, supporting NATO-led forces, are in the area to drive out the Taliban and help Afghan forces establish security.
In e-mails to The State, the South Carolinians said they think they are making headway in making the area more secure for Afghans.
“They are happy to see us here,” said Lance Cpl. Corey Bryant of Rock Hill. “We got rid of the Taliban.”
The Marines spent most of April and May battling the Taliban in 120-degree heat. They drove the insurgents out and managed to secure a key road from Garmsir to the Pakistani border.
Most of June and July was quiet with the Marines conducting patrols and getting to know local leaders, including police chiefs and mullahs.
“We are doing the third block in a three-block war,” Bryant said. “Shaking hands and kissing babies.”
The unit’s commanders say the area is more stable now, but not secure.
But Afghanistan remains a battlefield where a U.S. unit can be surrounded by insurgent forces, as evidenced by this summer’s attack on a base that resulted in nine U.S. fatalities.
“The toughest thing for me is keeping my composure when we are getting attacked,” said Lance Cpl. Shanika Felder of Manning, “(and) staying calm, so other Marines don’t freak out.”
The Marines have suffered casualties, losses that are personal in the tight-knit unit.
Sgt. James Ramsey of Chesnee recalled the death of his battalion’s senior enlisted leader, 1st Sgt. Luke Mercardante, 35, killed just days after the unit reached Afghanistan.
Mercardante, of Athens, Ga., and another Marine died April 15 when their vehicle was hit by a bomb hidden in a culvert beneath the road.
Mercardante was the “glue” that held the unit together. “The biggest challenge was dealing with the loss of our battalion’s first sergeant,” Ramsey said.
Because they operate among the local population, the Marines have lots of contact with Afghans.
In the rural, southern parts of the country, there’s little difference in how most Afghans live today compared with biblical times.
Roads are dusty trails. Water is hauled in buckets from a nearby stream. Electrical power is nonexistent.
“It’s hard to believe people still live this way,” said Lance Cpl. Matthew Brock of Spartanburg. “It’s weird being in a place where the main mode of transportation is a triple-hump camel.”
In his job as assistant operations officer, Capt. Joshua Brindel of Irmo works with Afghan contractors who work on U.S. bases.
“They do not have many resources to work with, but (they) have a lot of ingenuity and make the most of what they have,” Brindel said of the Afghans.
The Marines said, while they are hanging tough, they also are looking forward to returning home.
However, their return date has been pushed back 30 days. Now, the unit, which usually is deployed for seven months, won’t be home until November.
“Time actually moves by rather quickly out here,” Brock said. “Even with the news of us being extended for a month, it’s really going by fast.”
“I’m taking it day by day,” said Cpl. James Smith of Darlington. “I miss my wife and daughter, but every day done is another day closer to getting out of here.”
Reach Crumbo at (803) 771-8503.
Ellie
S.C. Marines helping secure ‘desert of death’
Bleak region of Afghanistan is Taliban stronghold
By CHUCK CRUMBO
ccrumbo@thestate.com
The troops call it a “beach without water,” a blistering hot, dusty patch of southern Afghanistan that natives know as the “desert of death.”
“It’s like having a blow dryer in your face and (someone) throwing sand in front of the blow dryer,” said Cpl. Chris Mallett of Level Land in Abbeville County.
Mallett is among about four dozen South Carolinians who are members of a Camp LeJeune, N.C.-based 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit deployed to the Garmsir District of Helmand Province in Afghanistan.
The area, the crossroads of ancient trading routes, leads the world in opium production.
It’s also a stronghold of the Taliban, who are battling to regain control of Afghanistan seven years after being ousted from power by U.S. and allied forces.
The 2,400-strong Marine unit began arriving in Afghanistan in late March, just as the S.C. National Guard’s 218th Brigade Combat Team was wrapping up its yearlong tour of duty.
Several S.C. Guard soldiers were stationed in Helmand. Some operated in Garmsir, mentoring Afghan police.
The Marines, supporting NATO-led forces, are in the area to drive out the Taliban and help Afghan forces establish security.
In e-mails to The State, the South Carolinians said they think they are making headway in making the area more secure for Afghans.
“They are happy to see us here,” said Lance Cpl. Corey Bryant of Rock Hill. “We got rid of the Taliban.”
The Marines spent most of April and May battling the Taliban in 120-degree heat. They drove the insurgents out and managed to secure a key road from Garmsir to the Pakistani border.
Most of June and July was quiet with the Marines conducting patrols and getting to know local leaders, including police chiefs and mullahs.
“We are doing the third block in a three-block war,” Bryant said. “Shaking hands and kissing babies.”
The unit’s commanders say the area is more stable now, but not secure.
But Afghanistan remains a battlefield where a U.S. unit can be surrounded by insurgent forces, as evidenced by this summer’s attack on a base that resulted in nine U.S. fatalities.
“The toughest thing for me is keeping my composure when we are getting attacked,” said Lance Cpl. Shanika Felder of Manning, “(and) staying calm, so other Marines don’t freak out.”
The Marines have suffered casualties, losses that are personal in the tight-knit unit.
Sgt. James Ramsey of Chesnee recalled the death of his battalion’s senior enlisted leader, 1st Sgt. Luke Mercardante, 35, killed just days after the unit reached Afghanistan.
Mercardante, of Athens, Ga., and another Marine died April 15 when their vehicle was hit by a bomb hidden in a culvert beneath the road.
Mercardante was the “glue” that held the unit together. “The biggest challenge was dealing with the loss of our battalion’s first sergeant,” Ramsey said.
Because they operate among the local population, the Marines have lots of contact with Afghans.
In the rural, southern parts of the country, there’s little difference in how most Afghans live today compared with biblical times.
Roads are dusty trails. Water is hauled in buckets from a nearby stream. Electrical power is nonexistent.
“It’s hard to believe people still live this way,” said Lance Cpl. Matthew Brock of Spartanburg. “It’s weird being in a place where the main mode of transportation is a triple-hump camel.”
In his job as assistant operations officer, Capt. Joshua Brindel of Irmo works with Afghan contractors who work on U.S. bases.
“They do not have many resources to work with, but (they) have a lot of ingenuity and make the most of what they have,” Brindel said of the Afghans.
The Marines said, while they are hanging tough, they also are looking forward to returning home.
However, their return date has been pushed back 30 days. Now, the unit, which usually is deployed for seven months, won’t be home until November.
“Time actually moves by rather quickly out here,” Brock said. “Even with the news of us being extended for a month, it’s really going by fast.”
“I’m taking it day by day,” said Cpl. James Smith of Darlington. “I miss my wife and daughter, but every day done is another day closer to getting out of here.”
Reach Crumbo at (803) 771-8503.
Ellie