Operation Recap 1 of 12: ULYSSES II was 22nd MEU's first major foray into Afghanistan

[thedrifter]

22nd MEU Afghanistan Recap: Operation NIGHTINGALE I-IV
Submitted by: 22nd MEU
Story Identification #: 200482031336
Story by Gunnery Sgt. Keith A. Milks



CENTRAL COMMAND AREA OF OPERATIONS (Aug. 20, 2004) -- As the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) pushed deep into Afghanistan's Oruzgan and Zabol provinces in pursuit of Taliban and anti-coalition militia factions, it did more than leave behind a series of foiled ambushes, vanquished enemies, and scorched weapons caches.

A comprehensive civil affairs campaign undertaken by the MEU, orchestrated in concert with the unit's combat operations, sought not only to engender good will between Coalition forces and the Afghan people, but also make a tangible and long-lasting difference in their impoverished lives.

The cornerstone of its civil affairs campaign were NIGHTINGALE operations that involved medical and dental specialists from the MEU Command Element, Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 6th Marines, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 266 (Reinforced), and MEU Service Support Group 22.

Under a security umbrella provided by elements of BLT 1/6, the MEU's doctors, corpsmen, dentists, and dental technicians visited isolated villages where many of the local residents had never before seen a medical professional.

There were four NIGHTINGALE missions conducted in May and June, and these Medical/Dental Civil Affairs Projects (MedDenCAPs) brought much-needed care to 2,027 medical and 107 dental patients. While long-term care was impossible under the circumstances, the missions did much to alleviate pain and suffering and provide preventive health advice and referrals.

While not necessarily part of the NIGHTINGALE missions, other humanitarian projects undertaken by the MEU included dozens of well-building projects, the delivery of school supplies, mine/unexploded ordnance awareness programs, and the emergency treatment of sick or injured Afghans, some of whom had been attacked by Taliban insurgents.

Operation NIGHTINGALE was named after Florence Nightingale, a 19th-Century British nurse whose name has become synonymous with health care. Nightingale is widely recognized for advancing the profession of nursing and revolutionizing hospital care and sanitation.

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

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn20...E?opendocument


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Arrival in Afghanistan

by COL Brian D. Perry, Sr., USA

The author recounts an unforgettable plane ride to Afghanistan during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM.

My unceremonious arrival in Afghanistan was in the belly of an MC–130 special operations transport plane. There were only two passengers. Both of us were lieutenant colonels—one Army, me, more specifically from the Army Reserve, and a Marine, recently retired but called back to active military duty. We were flying from one of the republics of the former Soviet Union to our forward headquarters in northern Afghanistan.


We sat in silence. The steady whine of the giant props tried to lull us to sleep, but the piercing noise, uncomfortable web seats, and the anticipation of landing in a war zone kept our minds racing. Fumes from JP8 aviation fuel filled the cavernous space. The noise level kept us from conversation. We could only yell to each other to be heard. Our eyes watered and burned.


It gave me some time to think back over the last 24 hours. First, the whispered words from the Marine that we would depart immediately for Bagram, Afghanistan. But that did not surprise me. It was expected. It was the immediacy of our movement that shook me. No time to say goodbye to our families.


Travel from Tampa, FL, U.S. Central Command (USCentCom) headquarters, was long and tiring, but the adrenaline kept us on keen notice of our mission—a mission that was classified.


We traveled to Europe in civilian clothes on commercial aircraft, but our short haircuts were a telltale sign that we were military. That would change. We would soon have beards, and over time, our hair would grow and become unkempt.


We purposefully flew on military orders so that we did not go through customs or immigrations in any of the countries we passed through. Special arrangements had been made. There would be no record of our travel.


In Germany we took the regular military shuttle bus from the civilian terminal to the military base. We checked into the officers quarters only long enough to change into our desert camouflage uniforms. Better, we were told, to blend into the others heading toward Turkey and on to Karsi-Kanabad, Uzbekistan. We would enter Afghanistan at night. Wearing a uniform would keep us from being confronted by an inquisitive American counterintelligence agent who was not cleared to know of our mission.


There was one thing that made us stand out from the other uniformed passengers awaiting a military flight. We had special travel orders that were needed to guarantee that we would not be “bumped� from the flight by a more senior officer. The downside was that it brought attention to us. For the military, having travel orders with the code words boldly typed across the top of the official document gave us special status.


My thoughts returned to the present. The plane’s dim interior lighting gave off an eerie glow. By this time my eyes were accustomed to the darkness, but I chose to keep them closed because of the burning sensation of the fumes filling the cargo area. I wondered how the aircrew coped with the noxious smell. I caught a glimpse of the loadmaster stretched out across a pallet of military baggage and could just see the backs of the crewmembers monitoring the special electronic countermeasure board added to protect the plane from ground-to-air missile fire.

I think I may have dozed off for a moment, or was it longer? Time was difficult to track. I had set my Rolex watch to Zulu time when we arrived in Turkey. Greenwich Mean Time, or Zulu time, would be my way of keeping track of operations no matter what the time zone of the country we were in. Afghanistan is one of the few countries in the world to have its time one-half hour different from others in the longitude.


“A half an hour,� I had once volunteered to the brigadier general over the secure red telephone before leaving Tampa. I was trying to break the ice between us. We had not yet met, the general apparently knew little about me, and I only knew of the general from the Marine’s inspiring portrayal of him. “Once we take care of the terrorists we can also fix the clocks.� The general did not answer. Guess he did not have time for my humor. He was already in Afghanistan. It was well-known that the general withheld any personal feelings until he felt he could fully trust a person. Soon, I reasoned, I would be part of the general’s team.


The general had not chosen me. I was not handpicked like everyone else. I just had the expertise that the general requested from USCentCom. Everyone else on the team he had requested. He knew them all. They had fought with him in many battles—some public knowledge, some battles still classified. He knew soldiers and war. I would have to prove my loyalty and courage. He expected the best. He wanted everyone to come back alive.


I woke to movement in front of me. The loadmaster was no longer asleep. He was aggressively searching through one of the military duffel bags on the pallet. He reached deep into the bag and pulled out a helmet, flak vest, and what in the darkness appeared to be a pistol. He opened his hand and dropped the weapon onto the pallet beside him.


I nudged the Marine in the ribs. His eyes opened fast but turned from me toward the direction that I was looking. “What’s he doing?� the Marine demanded over the drone of the big engines. Before I could answer we watched the crewmember retrieve and strap on the pistol, which we could now see was a military issue 9mm. He had already worked his way into the flak jacket. Only the camouflaged covered helmet remained at his feet. He made his way in our direction. He bent down between us so we could hear his instruction. “We are going in hot,� he yelled. “We need you guys out of here as soon as we touch the ground. If you see the side door open, get out that way.� He moved a gloved hand toward the only crew door in the plane. Then he motioned toward the rear of the plane where the large ramp was secured in the up position.


“If we have to open the ramp, run out that way.� I could barely hear him over the pulsating engine noise. I pointed to my ear to let him know that I did not understand him. He ignored the motion. “Don’t worry about your bags,� he continued. “We are going in hot. We will take care of getting your bags out.� As he continued, he started making movements with his hands as if we represented an airplane in distress.


We understood what he was telling us. To avoid surface-to-air missile attack the pilots would zigzag in. My first thought was how unprepared we were to land in the middle of a firefight. We were in our desert camouflage uniforms but without weapons! Since we flew commercial on the first two legs of the journey, it was determined that our weapons would be shipped separately. We would marry up with our combat gear when we reached Afghanistan.


The plane shifted and swayed in the air jerking us back and forth and pressing us hard into the uncomfortable seats. The evasive maneuvers shook the big plane. We could feel the MC–130 dropping. We braced ourselves for the hard landing. We would be on the ground any minute.


http://www.mca-marines.org/Gazette/2...s/04perry1.jpg

By reflex, I held my breath. But we did not touch down. The plane rose in altitude. Again we were pushed down hard into the seats. We watched the crewmembers, now in full battle gear, pull their seatbelts tighter. We did the same. They could communicate with the pilot through a headset, so we followed their actions to prepare ourselves for what was happening.


Finally, I heard the familiar rumbling of the plane’s flaps extending, followed by the clamor of the wheels extending beneath us. The ride became a roller coaster. The engine sounds slowed then increased in no discernable pattern—slowing down, then speeding up; losing then gaining altitude. “When are we going to land?� I asked myself just as the jolt of the wheels contacting the pavement reverberated upward.

The loadmaster was out of his chair in a flash. The other crewmembers were intently monitoring the electronic board watching for a threat to their aircraft. I saw the loadmaster manhandling the side door to force it open. The prop wash blew into the plane with a deafening roar. The rush of air startled me. I expected the propellers to be slowing to a stop, instead we seemed to be still at full power.


In a moment the Marine was out of his seat while I fumbled for a second with the double latch of the seatbelt. The crew were throwing our gear out of the door. Once the last bag was tossed, the crewmember made frantic hand signals for us to depart. “Hurry up,� he yelled. I could see his mouth move but could not hear what he was saying. The Marine made it to the door first but stopped abruptly before descending the ladder. Over his shoulder I could just make out one of the plane’s crew waving us down.


In the darkness I could make out a small pile that was our bags. I felt a hand on my shoulder and by instinct turned toward the man motioning, now pushing, me out of the plane. The Marine had not started moving yet, so there was no place for me to go. “Go,� he yelled into my ear while at the same time prodding the Marine forward with his hand. The Marine glared back at him. Would he hit him? The look on the Marine’s face told me a lot. He was mad, boiling mad. Even though we had only just started working together, I knew that the Marine was smart and tough.

continued..........

[thedrifter]

http://www.mca-marines.org/Gazette/2...s/04perry2.jpg

A Marine through and through, he recognized something that I had missed. I was sure of it. The glare in the Marine’s eyes, his jaw firmly set, told me that he wanted to kill this guy for pushing him out of the door. The guy must be pushing us either into danger or at least out of a perfectly good airplane. There was no emergency, I now knew. They just wanted out of there.


The Marine seemed to have resolved to himself that we were indeed getting off this plane. We had arrived in Bagram. It was the last stop. He was ready to deplane now. One last glare at the crewmember and he was down the stepladder into the darkness. I was right behind him. The light from the plane’s interior illuminated the location where our bags had landed. The crewmember on the ground moved the military issue baggage from the base of the stairs to a point along the edge of the runway.


“Mines,� I thought, “beware of the mines.� We had been forewarned; this place was full of them—antipersonnel and antitank mines. Stay on the hardstand, we had been advised. The airplane took up most of the width of the runway. There was no place for us to go. Darkness surrounded us. I pulled a small flashlight from my pocket and lit the area around us for a split second. Light discipline. I knew I should not let the light linger too long. We did not know who could be watching us. We were right on the edge of the cement. The minefield lay just beyond where we stood, out there, in the blackness.


The Marine was standing next to me, but I could barely see him. I needed the glare from the plane to subside so I would have better night vision. Impatiently, I turned away from the plane and looked up. A million stars shone—celestial dominance of the night sky, broken only by the silhouette of the cliffs ascending toward them on the horizon, encircling us. The sight was overwhelming. In that moment, briefly but dramatically, I felt totally alone but surprisingly at peace, for I knew I was where I was supposed to be. I thought of my wife and family left behind with my closed law practice in New Orleans. I had just been appointed a judge ad hoc when orders came sending me on active duty for a year. It gave me comfort that they, too, knew where I was supposed to be—here, in the fight.


A chill wind blew down on us from the snowcapped mountains. I searched in vain for someone to get us off the runway before the big plane went to full power for takeoff. But it was not to be. The ladder disappeared, and the door closed. I heard the four heavy propellers grab more air as the plane inched forward. The noise was thunderous. There was no place for us to go. We huddled deeper into our field jackets. The windblast forced our hands over our ears. Our eyes tightly closed, dirt and small rocks peppered us.


Just after a few minutes the wind abruptly subsided. It was unexpected. No lights were visible on the plane. I could just see its outline turning sharply into the night. The noise was still loud but subsiding fast as the plane’s direction changed. I looked toward the roar of the engines. The pilots were going to full power for takeoff. Instantly, the plane was in the air. It corkscrewed higher and higher, pushing to gain altitude over the airfield and not the mountains—a procedure to thwart surface-to-air fire against the unarmed plane. The runway was secure, but not the surrounding countryside. We waited, not moving until the plane was out of earshot. There was no ground fire. The plane and its crew were safe. But were we?


It was 0200 by the time we were finally picked up and driven off the airfield. We ended up at the special forces area support base. It was not really a base at all, just an old bullet-riddled roofless building. An entranceway was added to the front of the building to keep light from seeping out of the cracks of the front doorway. A makeshift sliding hatch opened into a vestibule of hefty tarps. No security guards were posted; there was no barbed wire protecting the perimeter. Their defense was being low key to blend into the area. Humanitarian assistance was their cover, hence the beards and civilian clothes. Armed, uniformed guards would show that they were American military. They relied on the Northern Alliance and their own intelligence assets to give them notice of an attack. Anyone suspicious, any Taliban in the area, would be dealt with quickly, long before they could get close to the special operations forces. Special forces teams slept in two large rooms off from either side of the main hall. This is where they rested and regrouped from the missions calling in fire with the Afghans. Camouflaged poncho liners acted as interior doorways. Plywood and two-by-fours were used to fashion a separate operations area at one end of the main room. Maps with overlays hung professionally on the bare wood walls. Radios and field telephones of different types were silent this night. The light was bright here. The muffled sound of a generator could just be heard outside to the rear of the building.

“I’ll take you to the general,� a bearded man who identified himself as the special forces unit’s sergeant major said. He was obviously not happy that he was awakened to greet the two lieutenant colonels unexpectedly dropping in. “You were brought to the wrong place.�


We grabbed our heavy bags and dragged them along the dusty road to our headquarters. Our task force was separate from the warfighters here. We had a special mission.


While the sergeant major carried two bags and used a small flashlight strapped onto a headband to find his way, we struggled with the remaining baggage, following him, moving clumsily through the darkness. Out of breath and disoriented in the blackness, we made it to our destination and into a dusty old building. The lights here were dim. A lone figure sat in a chair guarding a plywood door. He was a bearded, tired looking young man in jeans and a heavy sweater. Even with his longish hair and Afghan style hat, I could tell he was an American soldier. He stood slowly as we entered, adjusting his M16 as he stood.


“These officers belong here,� the sergeant major said as he moved quickly to the door. The youngster just nodded.


The sergeant major must have had a second thought because he stopped his movement and turned toward us. With the sound of respect in his voice he said clearly, “Gentlemen, welcome to Afghanistan.� I could see he was about to give us a quick salute since he hesitated for a moment. Then he thought better of it and turned on his heals and departed. The Marine and I looked at each other. We had finally made it. I could tell by the half smile on his face that he, too, knew that this was history in the making, and we were now part of it.


COL Perry was called to active duty during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM I. He is currently serving as the senior military historian, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany.

http://www.mca-marines.org/Gazette/2004/04perry.html


Ellie

[thedrifter]

22nd MEU Afghanistan Recap: Humanitarian Operations
Submitted by: 22nd MEU
Story Identification #: 2004820204424
Story by Gunnery Sgt. Keith A. Milks



CENTRAL COMMAND AREA OF OPERATIONS (Aug. 21, 2004) -- As the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) pushed deep into Afghanistan's Oruzgan and Zabol provinces in pursuit of Taliban and anti-coalition militia factions, it did more than leave behind a series of foiled ambushes, vanquished enemies, and scorched weapons caches.

A comprehensive civil affairs campaign undertaken by the MEU, orchestrated in concert with the unit's combat operations, sought not only to engender good will between Coalition forces and the Afghan people, but also make a tangible and long-lasting difference in their impoverished lives.

The cornerstone of its civil affairs campaign were NIGHTINGALE operations that involved medical and dental specialists from the MEU Command Element, Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 6th Marines, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 266 (Reinforced), and MEU Service Support Group 22.

Under a security umbrella provided by elements of BLT 1/6, the MEU's doctors, corpsmen, dentists, and dental technicians visited isolated villages where many of the local residents had never before seen a medical professional.

There were four NIGHTINGALE missions conducted in May and June, and these Medical/Dental Civil Affairs Projects (MedDenCAPs) brought much-needed care to 2,027 medical and 107 dental patients. While long-term care was impossible under the circumstances, the missions did much to alleviate pain and suffering and provide preventive health advice and referrals.

While not necessarily part of the NIGHTINGALE missions, other humanitarian projects undertaken by the MEU included dozens of well-building projects, the delivery of school supplies, mine/unexploded ordnance awareness programs, and the emergency treatment of sick or injured Afghans, some of whom had been attacked by Taliban insurgents.

Operation NIGHTINGALE was named after Florence Nightingale, a 19th-Century British nurse whose name has become synonymous with health care. Nightingale is widely recognized for advancing the profession of nursing and revolutionizing hospital care and sanitation.

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

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image...le_Ear_Low.jpg

Petty Officer 3rd Class Andrew See, a corpsman with MEU Service Support Group 22, examines the ear of a young Afghan boy during Operation NIGHTINGALE. MSSG-22 is the combat service support element of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable). Photo by: Lance Cpl. Charles G. Poag

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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 Preston

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn20...F?opendocument

Ellie

[thedrifter]

22nd MEU Afghanistan Recap: Operation BLADE RUNNER
Submitted by: 22nd MEU
Story Identification #: 200482451630
Story by Gunnery Sgt. Keith A. Milks



ABOARD THE USS WASP IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA (Aug. 24, 2004) -- On May 25, 2004, elements of Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 6th Marines conducted a pinscher-style cordon and sweep operation not far from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable)'s forward operating base near Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan.

Early that morning, Charlie Co., BLT 1/6 boarded helicopters from Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 266 (Reinforced) and were dropped off south of a string of villages and compounds in an agriculturally-rich valley. The Marines immediately began pushing through the dwellings looking for weapons and Taliban and anti-coalition militia fighters.

Further north, the BLT headquarters element, accompanied by Afghan Militia Force troops led by the governor of Oruzgan province, Jan Mohammed, pushed overland with elements of the battalion's Combined Anti-Armor Team (CAAT). Later in the morning, seven-ton trucks from MEU Service Support Group 22 carried a rifle platoon from Bravo Co. into to the fray.

The two-day operation, which eventually saw the two task forces meet in the middle of the valley, netted an impressive yield of small arms, ammunition, ordnance, and anti-tank mines, all of which were destroyed by Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians from the MEU Command Element. Two suspected Taliban fighters were taken into custody.

While no resistance was met, there were injuries nonetheless. Early in the evening of May 25, a Toyota Hi-Lux pick-up overloaded with AMF troops careened off a narrow roadway and plummeted down a steep embankment, severely injuring several of the vehicle's occupants.

Navy corpsmen and doctors sprang into action, establishing triage and treating injuries that ranged from minor lacerations to broken limbs and concussions. A call for emergency evacuation went out, and CH-46E Sea Knight helicopters from HMM-266 (Rein) swooped in and carried out the injured AMF fighters for further medical treatment.

Operation BLADE RUNNER was named after the 1982 movie of the same name starring Harrison Ford. The basis of the movie was a science fiction novel by Philip K. Dick called "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" which tells the story of futuristic police tracking down renegade androids hiding among peaceful civilians.

This is the seventh installment in a 11-part series chronicling the 22nd MEU (SOC)'s operations and missions in Afghanistan.

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

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Marines from 3d Plt., Bravo Co., Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 6th Marines kick in a locked door during their hunt for Taliban insurgents and arms caches in Afghanistan's Oruzgan province during Operation BLADE RUNNER. BLT 1/6 is the ground combat element of the 22d Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable). Photo by: Gunnery Sgt. Keith A. Milks

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A Marine from Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 6th Marines, the ground combat element of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), escorts a suspected Taliban insurgent toward intelligence officers during Operation BLADE RUNNER, May 25-26, 2004. Photo by: Gunnery Sgt. Keith A. Milks

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Cpl. Thomas Sellers, left, and Cpl. Jonathan Malmind keep a wary eye open for Taliban insurgents and anti-coalition militia during Operation BLADE RUNNER in Afghanistan's Oruzgan province. Sellers and Malmind are riflemen assigned to 3d Plt., Alpha Co., Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 6th Marines, the ground combat element of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable). Photo by: Gunnery Sgt. Keith A. Milks

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn20...8?opendocument


Ellie

[thedrifter]

22nd MEU Afghanistan Recap: Operations THUNDERBALL & CADILLAC RANCH
Submitted by: 22nd MEU
Story Identification #: 200482853334
Story by Gunnery Sgt. Keith A. Milks



ABOARD THE USS WASP IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA (Aug. 28, 2004) -- Beginning in late May 2004 and extending into June, the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) launched a series of one to three-day cordon and search operations in Afghanistan's Oruzgan province.

The goal of these missions, dubbed Operations THUNDERBALL or CADILLAC RANCH, was to locate caches of arms, ammunition, and explosives hidden by Taliban and anti-coalition factions operating in the region, and to deny them what had been historic sanctuaries from which they had long attacked the Afghan government and coalition forces.

Elements of Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 6th Marines conducting the missions would usually insert into the target area aboard Humvees and seven-ton trucks from Forward Operating Base Ripley, the MEU's base of operations near the town of Tarin Kowt.

Typically, the missions unfolded with a cordon being established around the target area to prevent enemy fighters or supporters from fleeing. With the area surrounded, search elements would be move through the objective.

During the course of the operations, Marine infantrymen, aided by combat engineers and at times accompanied by Afghan Militia Force fighters or Afghan National Army troops, discovered substantial amounts of weaponry and detained several individuals suspected of anti-coalition activity or providing support to such elements.

More than five THUNDERBALL and CADILLAC RANCH missions were conducted through late June.

In addition to BLT 1/6, the MEU consists of its Command Element, MEU Service Support Group 22, and Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 266 (Reinforced).

This is the eighth installment in an 11-part series chronicling the 22nd MEU (SOC)'s operations and missions in Afghanistan.

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

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Marines from Bravo Co., Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 6th Marines, the ground combat element of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) sprint toward their objective during Operation CADILLAC RANCH, a cordon and knock operation in south-central Afghanistan. Photo by: Cpl. Jemssy Alvarez

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A Marine from Bravo Co., Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 6th Marines, the ground combat element of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) clears away a blocked window Operation THUNDERBALL, a cordon and knock operation in south-central Afghanistan. Photo by: Cpl. Jemssy Alvarez

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A combat engineer from Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 6th Marines, the ground combat element of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) puts his equipment back on after searching a house during Operation THUNDERBALL, a cordon and knock operation in south-central Afghanistan. Photo by: Cpl. Jemssy Alvarez

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn20...3?opendocument


Ellie

[thedrifter]

22nd MEU Afghanistan Recap: Operation ASBURY PARK
Submitted by: 22nd MEU
Story Identification #: 200482964516
Story by Gunnery Sgt. Keith A. Milks



ABOARD THE USS WASP IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA (Aug. 29, 2004) -- Ever since the fall of Afghanistan's Taliban regime in late 2001, Taliban and anti-coalition militia factions have been waging a guerilla-style war against U.S., Afghan, and Coalition forces. Using ambushes and other 'hit-and-run' tactics, these terrorist factions have always attempted to avoid getting into pitched battles.

However, in early June, when elements of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) entered the Dey Chopan district of Afghanistan's Oruzgan province for Operation ASBURY PARK, they ran into a fight they never expected.

Instead of laying improvised explosive devices (IEDs) or taking potshots at passing convoys, the Taliban and ACM elements decided to stand their ground and fight. In doing so, they suffered one of their soundest defeats in months.

While the bulk of the Marine force during ASBURY PARK was drawn from Charlie and Weapons Companies of Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 6th Marines, Marines and Sailors from the MEU Command Element, MEU Service Support Group 22, and Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 266 (Reinforced) also took part in the mission. A sizable force of Afghan Militia Force fighters also accompanied the Marine task force, and mid-way through the operation a second force was inserted and set up blocking positions to deny the enemy a path of escape.

Beginning on June 2, the Marines and Sailors participating in the mission engaged in pitched battles each day that culminated on June 8 when scores of enemy terrorists, including foreign fighters, ambushed the MEU task force from entrenched and mutually-supporting fighting positions.

During these battles, close air support played a key role. Marine attack helicopters and Harrier jets joined the fray alongside Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopters and Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft and B-1B Lancer strategic bombers.

The June 8 battle broke the back of enemy resistance in the region, and no further contact was made as the MEU task force conducted operations until June 17. More than 85 enemy fighters were confirmed killed and as many as 40 others estimated killed. A handful of Marines were wounded by enemy fire, all of whom have since returned to duty.

In early July, Task Force Linebacker sent the Army's 2nd Bn., 5th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, which was attached to the MEU, back into the Dey Chopan region to follow up on the success of ASBURY PARK. During Operation ASBURY PARK II, the Army infantrymen, Afghan National Army troops, and attached Marines again sparred with ACM forces in the region, once again inflicting significant losses against the enemy.

This is the ninth installment in an 11-part series chronicling the 22nd MEU (SOC)'s operations and missions in Afghanistan.

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

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An automatic rifleman from Charlie Co., Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 6th Marines, the ground combat element of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), engages Taliban insurgents entrenched on a mountain with his M-249 squad automatic weapon during Operation ASBURY PARK in central Afghanistan. The Marine to the left is using pre-determined hand signals in the form of pats on the back to guide the SAW gunner's fire. Photo by: Gunnery Sgt. Keith A. Milks

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Petty Officer 2nd Class Jason Shevokas, a corpsman with Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 6th Marines, the ground combat element of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), treats a Taliban fighter wounded in a firefight with Marine infantryman during Operation ASBURY PARK in central Afghanistan. Photo by: Gunnery Sgt. Keith A. Milks

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Marines from the Force Reconnaissance platoon of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), mounted in vehicle, join Marines from the Battalion Reconnaissance platoon of Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 6th Marines and Afghan National Army troops in a patrol near Dey Chopan, Afghanistan during Operation ASBURY PARK. Photo by: Capt. Jon P. Connolly

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn20...1?opendocument


Ellie

[thedrifter]

22nd MEU Afghanistan Recap: Operation ASBURY PARK
Submitted by: 22nd MEU
Story Identification #: 20049142938
Story by Gunnery Sgt. Keith A. Milks



ABOARD THE USS WASP (Sept. 1, 2004) -- Ever since the fall of Afghanistan's Taliban regime in late 2001, Taliban and anti-coalition militia factions have been waging a guerilla-style war against U.S., Afghan, and Coalition forces. Using ambushes and other 'hit-and-run' tactics, these terrorist factions have always attempted to avoid getting into pitched battles.

However, in early June, when elements of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) entered the Dey Chopan district of Afghanistan's Oruzgan province for Operation ASBURY PARK, they ran into a fight they never expected.

Instead of laying improvised explosive devices (IEDs) or taking potshots at passing convoys, the Taliban and ACM elements decided to stand their ground and fight. In doing so, they suffered one of their soundest defeats in months.

While the bulk of the Marine force during ASBURY PARK was drawn from Charlie and Weapons Companies of Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 6th Marines, Marines and Sailors from the MEU Command Element, MEU Service Support Group 22, and Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 266 (Reinforced) also took part in the mission. A sizable force of Afghan Militia Force fighters also accompanied the Marine task force, and mid-way through the operation a second force was inserted and set up blocking positions to deny the enemy a path of escape.

Beginning on June 2, the Marines and Sailors participating in the mission engaged in pitched battles each day that culminated on June 8 when scores of enemy terrorists, including foreign fighters, ambushed the MEU task force from entrenched and mutually-supporting fighting positions.

During these battles, close air support played a key role. Marine attack helicopters and Harrier jets joined the fray alongside Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopters and Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft and B-1B Lancer strategic bombers.

The June 8 battle broke the back of enemy resistance in the region, and no further contact was made as the MEU task force conducted operations until June 17. More than 85 enemy fighters were confirmed killed and as many as 40 others estimated killed. A handful of Marines were wounded by enemy fire, all of whom have since returned to duty.

In early July, Task Force Linebacker sent the Army's 2nd Bn., 5th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, which was attached to the MEU, back into the Dey Chopan region to follow up on the success of ASBURY PARK. During Operation ASBURY PARK II, the Army infantrymen, Afghan National Army troops, and attached Marines again sparred with ACM forces in the region, once again inflicting significant losses against the enemy.

This is the ninth installment in an 11-part series chronicling the 22nd MEU (SOC)'s operations and missions in Afghanistan.

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

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image...ecting_Low.jpg

An automatic rifleman from Charlie Co., Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 6th Marines, the ground combat element of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), engages Taliban insurgents entrenched on a mountain with his M-249 squad automatic weapon during Operation ASBURY PARK in central Afghanistan. The Marine to the left is using pre-determined hand signals in the form of pats on the back to guide the SAW gunner's fire. Photo by: Gunnery Sgt. Keith A. Milks

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image...-Panel_Low.jpg

A Marine with Charlie Co., Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 6th Marines braves enemy sniper fire to lay out an air panel to identify his position to impound attack aircraft during a firefight with anti-coalition militia in central Afghanistan during Operation ASBURY PARK. BLT 1/6 is the ground combat element of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable). Photo by: Gunnery Sgt. Keith A. Milks

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn20...B?opendocument

Ellie

[thedrifter]

22nd MEU Afghanistan Recap: Operation THUNDER ROAD
Submitted by: 22nd MEU
Story Identification #: 20049220118
Story by Gunnery Sgt. Keith A. Milks



NAVAL STATION ROTA, Spain (Sept. 2, 2004) -- The final major combat operation undertaken by the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) in Afghanistan kicked off on June 27 and ran through July 10.

Dubbed Operation THUNDER ROAD, the mission was a battalion-sized operation in the Cahar Cinah district of Afghanistan's Oruzgan province. While Alpha Co., Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 6th Marines established blocking positions to the north and scoured the area for anti-coalition fighters and weapons; Bravo, Charlie, and Weapons Companies pushed up from the south.

The 14-day operation netted an impressive quantity of arms, ammunition, and ordnance which was all destroyed by Marine and Navy explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technicians. Additionally, those enemy fighters who rose up to resist the Marines were quickly dealt with.

On the first day of the operation, a brief yet intense firefight between anti-coalition fighters and Marines from the Combined Anti-Armor Team (CAAT) of BLT 1/6 resulted in the deaths of three enemy fighters. Found in their possession were numerous communications devices and bomb-making materials.

Later in the operation, Marines from Bravo Co. came under fire during the search of a village and one AK-47-armed fighter was killed. An attempted attack against the BLT 1/6 forward operating base several days later was beat back by Afghan National Army troops assigned to the task force who killed at least one enemy fighter and forced the others to flee. No Marines or Afghan allies were wounded in any of these engagements.

This is the tenth installment in a 11-part series chronicling the 22nd MEU (SOC)'s operations and missions in Afghanistan.

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


http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image...-Fight_Low.jpg


First Lt. Chris Niedziocha leads two of his Marines, Cpl. Curtis Spivey (with pistol) and Lance Cpl. Ray Colvin (in black protective vest), toward a trench where three Taliban fighters have taken refuge outside a village in central Afghanistan during Operation THUNDER ROAD. The three Marines are assigned to the Combined Anti-Armor Team of Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 6th Marines, the ground combat element of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable). Photo by: Gunnery Sgt. Keith A. Milks

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn20...D?opendocument


Ellie

[thedrifter]

22nd MEU Afghanistan Recap: MEU drives stake into Taliban heartland
Submitted by: 22nd MEU
Story Identification #: 20049351424
Story by Gunnery Sgt. Keith A. Milks



NAVAL STATION ROTA, Spain (Sept. 3, 2004) -- During its failed decade-long involvement in Afghanistan, the Soviet Union and its Communist Afghan allies rarely, and never successfully, penetrated the country's remote and inaccessible Oruzgan province.

During this time, and in the years of bloody civil war that followed, the Oruzgan province served as a breeding ground for anti-government sentiment. In fact, Mullah Omar, leader of the fundamentalist Islamic Taliban movement, hails from the region.

It was into the Oruzgan province that the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) initiated the first conventional U.S. military expedition the region had seen and subsequently executed what Army Maj. Gen. Eric Olson, commanding general of Combined Joint Task Force 76, called "the most successful military operation since Operation ENDURING FREEDOM began."

Designated Task Force Linebacker, the MEU consisted of its Command Element, Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 6th Marines, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 266 (Reinforced), and MEU Service Support Group 22. The MEU's commanding officer, Col. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., also had under his operational control several companies of the Afghan National Army and eventually the Army's 2nd Bn., 5th Infantry Regiment of the 25th Infantry Division.

Starting with overt vehicular reconnaissance patrols toward the town of Tarin Kowt in mid-April, near which the MEU established Forward Operating Base Ripley, the MEU conducted more than a dozen major combat offensives and civil military operations through late July. During the course of these missions, the MEU's achievements included:

- 101 enemy fighters killed in action
- 9 enemy fighters wounded in action
- 96 battlefield detainees
- 361 combat patrols
- 175 village/compound cordon and searches
- 2,502 weapons confiscated and destroyed
- 75,00 pieces of ordnance/explosives confiscated and destroyed
- 58,000 Afghan citizens registered to vote in the country's upcoming elections
- 2,027 medical or dental patients treated
- 108 civil affairs projects begun or completed

These successes were not without cost. Cpl. Ronald R. Payne Jr., a light armored vehicle scout with BLT 1/6, was killed during a firefight with Taliban fighters on May 7, and 14 other Marines and a Sailor were wounded in action during the course of the MEU's time in-country.

The MEU's campaign marked the longest incursion by a Marine Expeditionary Unit into Afghanistan, and one of the furthest in-land pushes in Marine Corps history.

"Never again can they use this place [Oruzgan Province] as a sanctuary," Olson said in an address to the MEU at Kandahar Air Field as the unit prepared to leave Afghanistan. "You went places that has never seen an American. You proved to the world the United States is going to take this fight to the most dangerous parts of Afghanistan unafraid and absolutely determined."

While accolades from senior military officers offer a glimpse into the MEU's accomplishments, the most telling description of the individual Marines and Sailors' service comes from a Taliban fighter.

"These Americans are not like the ones before," he told interrogators after his capture during Operation ASBURY PARK in early June. "They stay and fight. Wherever they go they create death; they are death walkers."

This is the final installment in a 11-part series chronicling the 22nd MEU (SOC)'s operations and missions in Afghanistan. After its retrograde from Afghanistan, the MEU served briefly as the Central Command theater reserve before beginning its voyage home.

The unit is scheduled to return to the United States in mid-September.

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

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image...stFire_Low.jpg

Two Marines from Bravo Co., Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 6th Marines test fire their rifles prior to kicking off Operation THUNDERBALL, a cordon and search operation in Afghanistan's Oruzgan province on May 30, 2004. BLT 1/6 is the ground combat element of the 22nd Marine Expeditonary Unit (Special Operations Capable). Photo by: Cpl. Jemssy Alvarez

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn20...3?opendocument


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marine chose to serve in lieu of college sports

By Maria Kantzavelos and Shia Kapos, Special to the Tribune. Freelance reporter Sean D. Hamill contributed to this report
Published September 6, 2004

Ronald R. Payne Jr.'s father is planning to gather with his family Sept. 15 at Camp Lejeune, N.C., where some 2,400 troops are due to return from their tour in Afghanistan.

Payne won't be among the Marines returning that day, but his father wants to be there to welcome home those who served alongside him.

"I'm just going to tell them about the young man who loved America, the Marine Corps and, most of all, his brothers who were Marines," said Ronald Sr., also a Marine veteran. The senior Payne also plans to accept his son's Bronze Star for valor.

"I just don't want them to ever forget his memory," he said.

Many of Payne's comrades haven't forgotten. One of them intends to give his child the middle name of Payne; another has tattooed that name on his leg.

Cpl. Payne, 23, of Lakeland, Fla., died May 7 in a fierce firefight near Tawara, Afghanistan, his father said. His family was told he was the tour's only fallen Marine from the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Lejeune.

As a talented high school football player, Payne received recruitment letters from more than a dozen universities. But he enlisted after high school, determined to follow a dream he established at an early age.

Part of the initial forces that invaded Iraq in March 2003, Payne later volunteered to serve in Afghanistan.

"He said, `Dad, I just want to bring my boys home safe,'" Payne's father said.

Marine awaited fatherhood: Marine Lance Cpl. Robert P. Zurheide Jr. scoured newspapers as much as he could about goings-on back home. A lot of what the Tucson, Ariz., native read, especially about the war, made him angry. But what really riled him was an item about Hollywood actors whose voices are featured on "The Simpsons" TV show.

"They were talking about striking, and he was really upset," said his father, Robert Sr.

The younger Zurheide, whose son was born three weeks after his death, was killed April 12 while patrolling the streets of Al Anbar province, west of Baghdad.

He was part of the famed Echo Company of the 2nd Battalion, 1st Regiment of the 1st Marine Division, based at Camp Pendleton, Calif. The company gained fame for assisting in the rescue effort of Jessica Lynch.

Zurheide, a graduate of Desert View High School, dreamed of following his father, a Marine veteran, and maternal grandfather, a Navy man, into the military.

Zurheide was known for his ability to lend comic relief during tough situations. But he took his work in the military seriously, his father said. The son went into the Marines a month after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and planned on re-enlisting, his father said.

But the Marine's greatest joy was awaiting fatherhood.

"It's a little solace," said his father, who can now see his son's face in his grandson.

Soldier relied on humor : After Spec. Kyle A. Brinlee, 21, died May 11 when his vehicle hit a roadside bomb in Iraq, about 1,400 people showed up at his funeral in Pryor, Okla., a town with a population of 8,600.

So many people wanted to pay their respects to the young man who always managed to turn any situation into a good time that the funeral had to be moved to the high school gymnasium.

Many came not just because "everyone knew him, everyone liked him," said Derek Melton, a detective sergeant with the Pryor Police Department and a local pastor, but because they knew the story behind his engaging smile.

According to family members and Melton, Brinlee was born to teenage parents. His biological father had little to do with his life until a year ago, and his mother was a drug addict, as was her husband, who later adopted Brinlee. When his mother died last year as a result of her addictions, no one was surprised.

Despite the chaotic upbringing, Brinlee "was a charmer," said his maternal grandfather, Johnny Davidson, who adopted Brinlee's sister, Kaylee, 13, when their mother died. "He could always make fun out of the worst situation. He just turned everything into fun."

He recently enrolled at Oklahoma State University thanks to money he earned as a member of the Army National Guard's Detachment 1, Company B, 120th Combat Engineer Battalion, based in Pryor.

But with all the darkness that enveloped his family, how did Brinlee shine so brightly?

"Sometimes good things come out of bad situations," Melton said.


Copyright © 2004, Chicago Tribune

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/n...,5853349.story


Ellie

[thedrifter]

September 13, 2004

22nd MEU comes home this week

Times staff


The leathernecks of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit come home this week, offloading from their amphibious ships Sept. 15 and 16.
The bulk of the MEU is scheduled to return to Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Stations Cherry Point and New River — all in North Carolina — on those two days.

Following the offload, the last three ships of the Wasp Expeditionary Strike Group will return to their homeports Sept. 18, according to a Navy press release. The amphibious assault ship Wasp and amphibious transport dock Shreveport will return to Naval Station Norfolk, Va., while the dock landing ship Whidbey Island will arrive at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Va.

;;The Wasp ESG left home Feb. 17, and, among other things, brought the Marines of the 22nd MEU to Afghanistan, where they conducted combat operations.

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/stor...925-352633.php


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Shipboard ceremonies remember 9/11 and award BLT 1/6's role in war on terror
Submitted by: 22nd MEU
Story Identification #: 200491461935
Story by Gunnery Sgt. Keith A. Milks



ABOARD THE USS WASP IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN (Sept. 14, 2004) -- On the flight decks and in the hangar bays of the amphibious assault ships WASP, WHIDBEY ISLAND, and SHREVEPORT, the Marines and Sailors of Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 6th Marines stood in rigid company formations as each man was individually decorated with the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.

The formations took place as the three ships, carrying BLT 1/6 and other elements of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), transited the Atlantic Ocean on the last leg of its seven-month deployment in support of the global war against terrorism.

The ceremonies coincided with the third anniversary of the terrorist attacks against New York City and Washington, D.C. which provided the spark for the ongoing anti-terror campaigns in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Philippines, Horn of Africa, and elsewhere.

"We chose today to present the medal to the Marines and Sailors of BLT 1/6 in order to remember those who were lost in the tragedy and recognize the battalion's contributions to the war on terrorism," said Sgt. Maj. Thomas Hall, sergeant major of BLT 1/6.

During the 22nd MEU (SOC)'s deployment, it spent nearly five months in south-central Afghanistan prosecuting what Army Maj. Gen. Eric Olson, commander of Combined Joint Task Force 76, called one of the most successful offensive operations undertaken since Operation ENDURING FREEDOM began in late 2001.

During the ceremony, President George W. Bush's address to the Nation on September 11, 2001 and an award citation was read before platoon leaders threaded through the formations presenting the medal to each of their Marines and Sailors. In many units, formations are normally reserved for the personal decorations or unit awards, but Sgt. Maj. Hall said the formal presentation of a campaign award is important to the individual service member.

"The battalion goes to great lengths to educate the Marines and Sailors on the importance of our history, customs, and courtesies," he said. "By listening to the words of the President and praise from General Olson about the battalion's successes in Afghanistan, and closing with the citation for which the medal was awarded allows them to understand they have become a part of this great country's history."

"By understanding the correlation between the tragedies of 9-11 and the battles fought in Afghanistan, they will be able to better explain to their friends and families the significance of the Global War on Terrorism Medal they so proudly wear."

In coming weeks, the MEU Command Element and its other major subordinate elements, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 266 (Reinforced) and MEU Service Support Group 22, will also present their Marines and Sailors the GWOTEM and personal decorations for valor and meritorious service earned during the units' deployment.

For more information on the 22nd MEU (SOC), visit the unit's web site at http://www.22meu.usmc.mil.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image...T-Wood_Low.jpg

First Lt. Thomas Crossen, of Coldwater, Mich., a platoon leader in Charlie Co., Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 6th Marines, the ground combat element of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), presents the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal to one of his Marines Cpl. Randy Wood, a native of Spartanburg, S.C. Wood was wounded in a firefight with Taliban insurgents on June 2, and was among the more than 1,200 Marines and Sailors in BLT 1/6 who received the GWOTEM during a series of company formations. Photo by: Cpl. Robert A. Sturkie

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn20...7?opendocument


Ellie

[thedrifter]

September 16, 2004

N.C. Marines return from Afghanistan deployment

By Estes Thompson
Associated Press


CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — North Carolina-based Marines returned home Wednesday after combat patrols in the rugged terrain of Afghanistan to the hugs and kisses of families and loved ones and a carnival atmosphere.
The 2,200 troops in the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit departed Camp Lejeune in February for their seven-month deployment. While in the field, they spent four months looking for insurgents more than 500 miles inland from their support ships.

Some 1,400 infantry from the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, were among the first to return from the MEU’s three ships via CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters. On-base buses brought the Marines to a field house near the main parade grounds, where smoke from grilling hot dogs and hamburgers drifted across the crowd. A disc jockey from a local radio station played music on loudspeakers and a clown painted children’s faces.

Inside, families and Marines rested and ate at tables while children jumped on an inflatable trampoline. On a wall by the front door, a bulletin board offered updates on when particular units were arriving.

First Sgt. Ernest Hoopii, 42, a native of Maui, Hawaii, hugged his wife, Jeanmarie, and their two sons — Sean, 16, and Andrew, 12 — and talked passionately about the living conditions of Afghan citizens.

“The women and children are literally starving,” he said, remembering one woman who had only goat milk to feed herself and a child. “The living conditions there are horrible.”

Hoopii had a feast waiting at home: ribs and Hawaiian dishes that his mother had prepared and shipped frozen to North Carolina from her home in Nevada.

Hoopii said he would go back to Afghanistan — but only in a military uniform. “(As) a civilian, it’s jeopardy,” he said. “There are bad guys there.”

He predicted that U.S. troops will remain in the country for years, but also said he believes Afghanistan is ultimately “untameable.”

With military deployments a contentious issue in this year’s presidential campaign, at least one father awaiting his son’s return was pleased to have a homecoming free of politics.

“This is completely apolitical,” said Jemssy Alvarez, 45, a retired Army lieutenant colonel from Dexter, Mich. “It’s about young kids going to war and coming home.”

Alvarez and his wife, Maritza, scanned the Marines getting off of buses at the welcome party until they saw their son, Cpl. Jemssy Alvarez Jr., a combat cameraman.

Maritza Alvarez rushed to him, hugged him tightly and held his face in her hands as she gazed at him for a few seconds. Dad got a bear hug.

“This was a different experience everyday,” young Alvarez said as he hefted his green field pack. “It was a real humbling experience. People there are definitely suffering.”

Alvarez’s job was to accompany infantry patrols and document their work with pictures. He said he was fired at a couple of times.

“I’ve never been shot at before,” he said. “You really don’t have time to think. You do what they train you to do — take cover, prepare to return fire and make sure your Marines are safe.”

His father was a military intelligence officer in the Army and said he has his political views but “that’s for me to know.”

“These guys don’t have a choice,” he said of his son and his fellow Marines. “I’m sure, looking at the faces of these Marines compared to when they left in February, they’re more serious. They have a war face that’s hard to miss. They’re seasoned professionals.”

Lt. Col. Asad Khan, 44, the commander of the infantry battalion, said his Marines spent much of their time in remote areas where they had to use horses and mules instead of Humvees. For three months, he said, his troops lived in small tents without cots or showers.

His unit had one casualty, but “killed quite a few” insurgents who attacked them, Khan said.

“There are service members getting killed and wounded daily in Afghanistan,” he said. “There’s a war. There’s an insurgency.”

Wayne and Leslie Sacchetti of Walpole, Mass., waited for their son, 1st Lt. Adam Sacchetti, and said they want their fellow citizens to support the troops who have been dispatched to trouble spots. Leslie Sacchetti described her son as “a caring kid. ...He wants to change the world.”

“We’re there,” she said. “Whether it was a good idea or not, we have to finish what we’re doing.”

Even as the 22nd returned, the cycle of training and deployment continued on this sprawling base that is home to 43,000 Marines. Convoys of MEU vehicles slowly drove to their motor pools, Marines ran as part of their daily physical training and outside the main gate, a squad of six orange-suited Marines who were prisoners at the base brig picked up trash under the eye of a military police guard.

The 26th MEU is training for future deployment and the 24th MEU is already in Iraq. On Tuesday, 160 tank crewmen from the 2nd Tank Battalion left for Iraq, where they expect to be deployed at least through the spring.



http://www.navytimes.com/story.php?f...ews-357953.php


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Enlisted Griffins receive combat aircrew insignia
Submitted by: 22nd MEU
Story Identification #: 200410184532
Story by Sgt. Matt Preston



CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (Oct. 1, 2004) -- As the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) headed toward the United States aboard the amphibious assault ships of the WASP Expeditionary Strike Group, most of the unit's Marines and Sailors were looking ahead to their long-awaited reunions with family and friends.

However, the MEU's aviation combat element, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 266 (Reinforced), took the time also to look back on their combat service in Afghanistan.

In a ceremony in the WASP's hanger bay, 52 Marines and Sailors were awarded the Combat Aircrew Insignia (CAI).

Anti-coalition militia learned first hand how sharp the claws of the Fighting Griffins were during the 3,600 hours of combat flight time HMM-266 (Rein) amassed during their tour in Afghanistan.

Stars on the combat air crewman wings designate how many flight hours or sorties the Marine has flown. For the Griffins to earn their stars, each crewman had to fly 15 hours of combat flight hours or conduct 11 combat sorties per star. Marines can wear up to three stars on their wings, though if the Marine earns more, the stars are kept in his record.

Their time in the air has only made them more prepared for whatever mission the Griffins have ahead of them.

"It's really good experience for me because being in the Navy and being a corpsman, I really wasn't into the flying thing," said PO3 Christopher White, of Indianapolis, Ind., one of several corpsmen who earned their CAI. "It's an experience a lot of corpsmen don't get to have."

Whether flying to drop Marines off in search of anti-coalition militia or picking up supplies in support of activities in Task Force Linebacker's area of operations, HMM-266 (Rein) aircraft were continually in danger of small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs).

The crew chiefs, aerial observers and corpsmen of the squadron had to remain on their toes whenever they went "wheels up."

"Every day we flew, there was something new," said Sgt. Kenneth Matthews, a CH-53E Super Stallion aerial observer form Parksley, Va., who personally accrued 120 hours of combat flight time. "We were always on high alert."

The Griffins flew a over 2,800 combat sorties in Afghanistan, performing troop and cargo transportation as well as providing escort and air cover for Marines on the ground.

Among the CAI recipients were two search-and-rescue corpsmen attached to the MEU Command Element. For a complete list of those awarded the CAI, visit http://www.usmc.mil/22ndmeu/Profiles-of-Courage.htm.

In addition to HMM-266 (Rein) and the MEU Command Element, the 22nd MEU (SOC) Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 6th Marines and MEU Service Support Group 22.

For more information on the 22nd MEU (SOC), visit the unit's web site at http://www.22meu.usmc.mil.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image...le/CAI_Low.jpg

An enlisted fight crewman from Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 266 (Reinforced) receives a badge denoting the awarding of the Combat Aircrew Insignia for his service with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) during combat operations in Afghanistan, April to July 2004. Photo by: Sgt. Matt Preston

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn20...A?opendocument


Ellie