thedrifter
04-24-09, 06:59 AM
Marines train for Afghan culture
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April 23, 2009 - 7:14 PM
JENNIFER HLAD
As Cpl. Adam King and his squad patrolled a mock Afghan village, a man approached and told him he wanted him to meet the village elders.
Minutes later, King was seated on a cushion on the floor, surrounded by Afghan men. One told him the village mullah was working with the Taliban, and though the area needed schools, water and a hospital, the biggest concern was for security.
King went and talked the mullah, who also told him the village's biggest problem was security. The information the Marines gathered during the day led to a cordon and search operation that night.
King and the rest of 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, are wrapping up training as they prepare to deploy to southern Afghanistan in the coming weeks, to join 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade. The exercise this week emphasized cultural training, as the Marines took classes and ran through scenarios at a Military Operations in Urban Terrain facility at Camp Lejeune.
The battalion's commander, Lt. Col. Christian Cabaniss, said the Marines are focused on being culturally effective. To do so, the Marines practiced working with interpreters and talking to the locals to gauge what people perceived as the biggest problems, and how to fix them.
"I don't want to do things that make me feel good. I want to do things that bring stability," Cabaniss said. "You can't get what's in someone's head by flying over them and taking a picture. You have to sit down and talk to them."
Staff Sgt. Alex Brown, a Marine with 2/8, has deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq in the past. He said the cultural training is vital for the men in the unit.
"The culture is different, the terrain is different, the people are different, the language is different," he said.
The Marines need to be able to interact with the local populace, ask the right questions, and work with them, Brown said.
Maj. Sean Dynan, now company commander of Headquarters Company, Headquarters Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, deployed to southern Afghanistan last year as a company commander with Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
Going in, he said the Marines had been told that the culture and the terrain of Afghanistan differed from Iraq. But he said some of the differences worked in the Marines' favor.
And the insurgents in Afghanistan were a different type of fighter than they were used to.
"It wasn't so much the ‘shoot and scoot' or suicide bombings that we saw in Iraq. They wanted to fight, and they would go toe-to-toe with you, but at the same time, they didn't want to die for the cause," Dynan said.
While the unit went into southern Afghanistan prepared to help, they ended up engaged in an extended period of fighting. Still, he said, the locals appreciated the idea that the Marines were there to help, not conquer.
"A lot of the lessons we learned in Iraq helped us be a better force in Afghanistan," Dynan said.
Brown and Sgt. Eric Beaverson agreed.
Beaverson has deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq and will go back to Afghanistan with 2/8.
"I'd rather go to Afghanistan than Iraq by far," he said, acknowledging that the expectations for the 2nd MEB are very high.
"The whole world is watching us right now," Beaverson said.
The unit doesn't expect to be able to stabilize the entire area during their seven-month tour, but they hope to be able to lay the groundwork for future Marines, Cabaniss said.
"Everything that we do is focused on stabilizing the community we're in," he said.
Contact interactive content editor and military reporter Jennifer Hlad at jhlad@freedomenc.com or 910-219-8467
Ellie
Comments 0 | Recommend 2
April 23, 2009 - 7:14 PM
JENNIFER HLAD
As Cpl. Adam King and his squad patrolled a mock Afghan village, a man approached and told him he wanted him to meet the village elders.
Minutes later, King was seated on a cushion on the floor, surrounded by Afghan men. One told him the village mullah was working with the Taliban, and though the area needed schools, water and a hospital, the biggest concern was for security.
King went and talked the mullah, who also told him the village's biggest problem was security. The information the Marines gathered during the day led to a cordon and search operation that night.
King and the rest of 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, are wrapping up training as they prepare to deploy to southern Afghanistan in the coming weeks, to join 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade. The exercise this week emphasized cultural training, as the Marines took classes and ran through scenarios at a Military Operations in Urban Terrain facility at Camp Lejeune.
The battalion's commander, Lt. Col. Christian Cabaniss, said the Marines are focused on being culturally effective. To do so, the Marines practiced working with interpreters and talking to the locals to gauge what people perceived as the biggest problems, and how to fix them.
"I don't want to do things that make me feel good. I want to do things that bring stability," Cabaniss said. "You can't get what's in someone's head by flying over them and taking a picture. You have to sit down and talk to them."
Staff Sgt. Alex Brown, a Marine with 2/8, has deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq in the past. He said the cultural training is vital for the men in the unit.
"The culture is different, the terrain is different, the people are different, the language is different," he said.
The Marines need to be able to interact with the local populace, ask the right questions, and work with them, Brown said.
Maj. Sean Dynan, now company commander of Headquarters Company, Headquarters Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, deployed to southern Afghanistan last year as a company commander with Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
Going in, he said the Marines had been told that the culture and the terrain of Afghanistan differed from Iraq. But he said some of the differences worked in the Marines' favor.
And the insurgents in Afghanistan were a different type of fighter than they were used to.
"It wasn't so much the ‘shoot and scoot' or suicide bombings that we saw in Iraq. They wanted to fight, and they would go toe-to-toe with you, but at the same time, they didn't want to die for the cause," Dynan said.
While the unit went into southern Afghanistan prepared to help, they ended up engaged in an extended period of fighting. Still, he said, the locals appreciated the idea that the Marines were there to help, not conquer.
"A lot of the lessons we learned in Iraq helped us be a better force in Afghanistan," Dynan said.
Brown and Sgt. Eric Beaverson agreed.
Beaverson has deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq and will go back to Afghanistan with 2/8.
"I'd rather go to Afghanistan than Iraq by far," he said, acknowledging that the expectations for the 2nd MEB are very high.
"The whole world is watching us right now," Beaverson said.
The unit doesn't expect to be able to stabilize the entire area during their seven-month tour, but they hope to be able to lay the groundwork for future Marines, Cabaniss said.
"Everything that we do is focused on stabilizing the community we're in," he said.
Contact interactive content editor and military reporter Jennifer Hlad at jhlad@freedomenc.com or 910-219-8467
Ellie