thedrifter
05-15-09, 07:56 AM
Courage appreciated
By CPL. RYAN TURNAGE
Special to the Union Leader
CAMP RAMADI, Iraq – On a September evening in 2007, as the sun began to fade behind the mountainous terrain of southern Afghanistan, Marines of Company G, 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion, Marine Special Operations Command, prepared to attack an enemy compound.
Lance Cpl. Andrew M. Crisp, then a private first class, manned a M240G medium machine gun on the turret of the lead humvee in his patrol. As the Marines began their assault on the enemy position, rounds went off all around Crisp, who was protected by reinforced steel plates on each side of his weapon.
"I was in the lead vehicle. As we came over the hill into the compound, we immediately received heavy machine gun fire from the enemy," Crisp recalled.
Armor-penetrating rounds sliced through Crisp's steel protection, and fragments sliced into his left arm and his chest. Despite the injury, Crisp continued to provide suppressive fire for his fellow Marines.
►Shea-Porter: Afghanistan needs more help than U.S. can give (2)
Company G overcame the enemy without losing a single Marine. Crisp was later awarded the Purple Heart for his injuries and the Combat Action Ribbon for his ability to provide cover fire for his Marines during the engagement.
"It shocked me at first, so I only told my dad," he said. "My dad ended up spilling the beans of my injuries to the rest of the family, which resulted in worried family members sending me hundreds of e-mails."
Now Crisp serves in the eastern Al Anbar province with Headquarters Company, Regimental Combat Team 6 at Camp Ramadi, Iraq. He says this deployment is much different from his previous deployment to Afghanistan.
"Everything has calmed down here in Iraq. (Iraqi security forces) are taking control of operations, so the stress level is much lower," he said.
Crisp's job has gone from sitting in a turret behind a machine gun to sitting at a desk behind a computer. He monitors the operations being conducted in eastern Al Anbar province, rather than conducting them himself.
"My wife is much happier knowing I'm safer this deployment," he said.
Crisp enlisted in the Marine Corps just before graduating from Manchester Central High School in June 2006. The Marine Corps was everything to him. He knew he wanted to fight America's enemies and do his part to protect the United States.
"I enlisted as an infantryman because I knew that would get me on the front lines," said Crisp.
His family was uneasy about his decision to enlist because of the conflicts in the Middle East, but he felt he had to be a Marine and carry on his family's tradition of service to their country. His father served in the Air Force, one grandfather in the Navy and the other grandfather in the Army. Family reunions were filled with military stories, and Crisp was ready to tell his own.
Crisp and his wife are expecting their first child, a son. They discovered she was pregnant just before he deployed in January. However, Crisp said, even though he has a family of his own now, he has no desire to leave his Marine Corps family yet.
"I plan on re-enlisting for another four years and completing the basic reconnaissance course so I can return to my first unit, 2nd MSOB, as a (Force Reconnaissance) Marine," he said.
After the Marine Corps, Crisp and his new family plan on staying in North Carolina near Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, where he is currently stationed. He says one day he will share his stories with his son and encourage him to serve his country, following in the proud footsteps of his father and grandfathers.
For more information on the ongoing mission in Iraq's Al Anbar province, go to http://www.iimefpublic.usmc.mil/iimeffwd.
Ellie
By CPL. RYAN TURNAGE
Special to the Union Leader
CAMP RAMADI, Iraq – On a September evening in 2007, as the sun began to fade behind the mountainous terrain of southern Afghanistan, Marines of Company G, 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion, Marine Special Operations Command, prepared to attack an enemy compound.
Lance Cpl. Andrew M. Crisp, then a private first class, manned a M240G medium machine gun on the turret of the lead humvee in his patrol. As the Marines began their assault on the enemy position, rounds went off all around Crisp, who was protected by reinforced steel plates on each side of his weapon.
"I was in the lead vehicle. As we came over the hill into the compound, we immediately received heavy machine gun fire from the enemy," Crisp recalled.
Armor-penetrating rounds sliced through Crisp's steel protection, and fragments sliced into his left arm and his chest. Despite the injury, Crisp continued to provide suppressive fire for his fellow Marines.
►Shea-Porter: Afghanistan needs more help than U.S. can give (2)
Company G overcame the enemy without losing a single Marine. Crisp was later awarded the Purple Heart for his injuries and the Combat Action Ribbon for his ability to provide cover fire for his Marines during the engagement.
"It shocked me at first, so I only told my dad," he said. "My dad ended up spilling the beans of my injuries to the rest of the family, which resulted in worried family members sending me hundreds of e-mails."
Now Crisp serves in the eastern Al Anbar province with Headquarters Company, Regimental Combat Team 6 at Camp Ramadi, Iraq. He says this deployment is much different from his previous deployment to Afghanistan.
"Everything has calmed down here in Iraq. (Iraqi security forces) are taking control of operations, so the stress level is much lower," he said.
Crisp's job has gone from sitting in a turret behind a machine gun to sitting at a desk behind a computer. He monitors the operations being conducted in eastern Al Anbar province, rather than conducting them himself.
"My wife is much happier knowing I'm safer this deployment," he said.
Crisp enlisted in the Marine Corps just before graduating from Manchester Central High School in June 2006. The Marine Corps was everything to him. He knew he wanted to fight America's enemies and do his part to protect the United States.
"I enlisted as an infantryman because I knew that would get me on the front lines," said Crisp.
His family was uneasy about his decision to enlist because of the conflicts in the Middle East, but he felt he had to be a Marine and carry on his family's tradition of service to their country. His father served in the Air Force, one grandfather in the Navy and the other grandfather in the Army. Family reunions were filled with military stories, and Crisp was ready to tell his own.
Crisp and his wife are expecting their first child, a son. They discovered she was pregnant just before he deployed in January. However, Crisp said, even though he has a family of his own now, he has no desire to leave his Marine Corps family yet.
"I plan on re-enlisting for another four years and completing the basic reconnaissance course so I can return to my first unit, 2nd MSOB, as a (Force Reconnaissance) Marine," he said.
After the Marine Corps, Crisp and his new family plan on staying in North Carolina near Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, where he is currently stationed. He says one day he will share his stories with his son and encourage him to serve his country, following in the proud footsteps of his father and grandfathers.
For more information on the ongoing mission in Iraq's Al Anbar province, go to http://www.iimefpublic.usmc.mil/iimeffwd.
Ellie