Crossing Danger Areas

Photo By Cpl. Thomas Hermesman | Cpl. Ben Crain, a native of Lilburn, Ga., and mechanic with Company D, 2nd Amphibious Assault Battalion, Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan, sites in with his turret mounted M-240 medium machine gun, June 18, in preparation for the long, dangerous convoy ahead of him. Starting on the night of June 18, Company D, drove the 160 kilometers from Kandahar Air Fields to Camp Leatherneck, passing through two major cities in Southern Afghanistan. The convoy caonsisting of approximately 70 vehicles was successful in their mission, which provided MEB-Afghanistan with more than 25 percent of its MRAP's.  

HELMAND PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN

07.10.2009

Story by Cpl. Thomas Hermesman 

2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade

HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan — Marines and Sailors from Company D, 2nd Amphibious Assault Battalion, Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan, made their way by C-130 cargo plane to Kandahar Air Field recently, where they retrieved their newly-acquired Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles and made the long drive back to Camp Leatherneck.

The Marines with Company D, who are trained as Amphibious Assault Vehicle operators and crewmen, were originally set to deploy to Iraq in early 2009 until they were redirected to Afghanistan's Helmand province with MEB-Afghanistan.

The role of the company was changed to an MRAP company before they were to deploy. Now the company operates out of Camp Leatherneck as the brigade's main MRAP operators.

"It's good to actually start doing operations and get started with our mission out here," said Lance Cpl. Seth Crawford, MRAP operator, Company D, and native of Phoenix. "I was bummed out in the beginning that we wouldn't be doing operations with 'tracks,' but it's good to be getting work done."

The company, which consists of only 75 Marines and two corpsmen, has thoroughly crossed trained so the Marines can perform not only their specific jobs, but those of most infantrymen.

"We are all crossed trained so that any of us can do each other's jobs," said 1st Sgt. Mike Sparkman, company D, and native of Mt. Dara, Fla. "We have to be able to because we are so small in numbers."

After flying to Kandahar Air Field, the Marines went straight to work, preparing MEB-Afghanistan's new vehicles for the dangerous drive back to Camp Leatherneck, which would take them along the improvised-explosive-device-laden Route 1.

Originally set to leave under the cover of darkness on the night of June 17, the movement was delayed due to lack of "jingle trucks." Jingle trucks are tractor trailer-style rigs owned and operated by Afghans. These drivers and their trucks were hired by MEB-Afghanistan to assist Company D in trucking extra MRAPs to Camp Leatherneck.

The Marines saw the arrival of the jingle trucks and drivers June 18. They set out on their dangerous trip home later that evening.

The convoy traveled an average of 3 miles-per-hour due to technical difficulties and IED threat investigations. At about 1 a.m., the Marines' training was put to the test when a jingle truck broke down in the center of a highly populated urban area in downtown Kandahar. The Marines knew this area as one that presented a high probability of attack on convoys.

"I felt like I had a target painted on my helmet the entire time," said Cpl. Ben Crain, mechanic, Company D, and native of Lilburn, Ga. "I am still amazed we didn't get fired on."
Luckily, no enemy contact was made during the nerve-racking two hour period, in which the convoy sat and watched as recovery Marines towed the jingle truck and its 50,000-pound MRAP cargo.

More than 20 hours and 78 miles later, the convoy arrived at its half-way point in Forward Operating Base Ramrod, a Canadian-owned base between Camp Leatherneck and KAF. Because of the hold ups on the way to FOB Ramrod, the convoy arrived later than planned and decided to stay the night to give the Marines some rest.

Then, on June 20, the Marines once again rolled out on their mission to Camp Leatherneck. The ever-watchful Marines had reason to be extra alert for their ride through the dangerous city of Gereshk when a 700-pound IED was found on their route.

After another ten hours, the group arrived at the gates of Camp Leatherneck with MEB-Afghanistan's shiny new vehicles, which are currently being used throughout the Helmand River valley in counterinsurgency operations.

"We had some issues along the way and encountered some dangerous situations, but we got the job done and completed the mission, like Marines do," said Sparkman. "We are ready to go back out into the action and do it again."

• Date Taken: 07.10.2009
• Date Posted: 07.10.2009 14:46
• Story ID: 36222
• Location: HELMAND PROVINCE, AF