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    Counting the close calls

    FORWARD OPERATING BASE MARJAH, AFGHANISTAN

    05.24.2010

    Story by Cpl. James Clark 

    I Marine Expeditionary Force

    FORWARD OPERATING BASE MARJAH, Afghanistan – I'm not an infantryman, far from it. I'm as much of a 'pog' (meaning person other than grunt) as one can be, but with the Marine Corps being what it is, even Pog's are afforded the opportunity to see combat. While in Helmand province, Afghanistan with 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, I've nearly been shot several times. I've wound up pinned down in a muddy canal by sniper fire and have watched stunned as a rocket-propelled grenade spiraled through the air, bounce of a doorframe and skid to a halt, ten feet away.

    After the first time you take contact, the elation and excitement starts to fade. The next time you don't smile as wide or laugh as hard, and soon after that you've stopped grinning entirely.

    Without ever meaning to, I find myself making a mental checklist.

    AK 47, RPK fire?
    Sniper fire?
    RPG's?
    IED?

    You stop looking at what has happened and begin to wonder about what will happen. Based on what you've gone through, what do you have left? How many more close calls do you have in you? Will there be enough?

    With this realization, you begin to look at things differently. You take stock of yourself, of what you have accomplished and what you still need to do. In an effort to better explain this, I spoke with other Marines in the battalion about their closest calls and the lasting impressions they left.

    An inch to the left – Cpl. Kyle Sutherland

    Recently, while conducting a routine census patrol in their area of operations near the district center in Marjah, Afghanistan, the Marines with 81 mm Mortar Platoon, Weapons Company, 1/6, took fire.

    Cpl. Kyle Sutherland, on his second deployment, and present during the helo-insertion into the city with Bravo Company, 1/6, was hit by an AK-47 round during the firefight. The bullet impacted his side, slipping between the folds of his flak jacket and grazing the bullet-proof plates Marines wear inside of their body armor. The round came within an inch of his vital organs, but slipped out the other side of his body armor without ever breaking the skin.

    "At the time, I thought we were taking sniper fire, but as it turns out, an insurgent put his rifle through a hole in a wall and squeezed off three rounds," said Sutherland. "I heard the first crack and got into cover, taking a knee. I waited a few seconds, to hear if someone was hit, then I heard the screaming. I had to decide if I was going to shoot back or get to the wounded Marine. The corpsman was too far away, so I made my way to [the injured Marine]."

    At this point, Sutherland says he felt something, like a heavy pressure on his side and looked down to see a hole in his grenade pouch. One of the Afghan soldiers ran up and made the "?" gesture with his hands, asking if he was hit.

    "I had him check me for wounds, putting his hands inside my flak and looking for blood," said Sutherland.

    Once he was sure he wasn't hit, he ran to provide security for the incoming medevac, falling at least four times along the way, recounted Sutherland.

    Looking back on the incident, Sutherland spoke on the change in perception both during the firefight and afterward.

    "Time slowed and the rounds all sounded far apart to me," said Sutherland. "During my first firefight, everyone was just shooting and you could only think to shoot back. Now you can process a few more thoughts, like what should I be doing?"

    Do they just not like me? – Cpl. Killian Zahringer

    Prior to the invasion of Marjah, Marines with the Personal Security Detachment, Headquarters and Services Company, 1/6 and Marines with Charlie Company, 1/6 went to set up the forward command center. While providing security, Cpl. Killian Zahringer found himself in his first firefight.

    "I leaned down for just a moment to talk to my vehicle commander, and a round went through the plates covering the turret, right as I ducked down," said Zahringer, who is on his second deployment. "It makes a big difference, knowing that he's aiming at you and that you're not just at the wrong place at the wrong time, like with an IED."

    Zahringer touched upon a thought that is often expressed among Marines. The majority of the time, Marines who are providing security or are on patrol are fired upon, and are forced to react to the situation, rarely being able to take the offensive.

    Constantly being the victims of attacks makes you wonder at times, whether or not they simply don't like you, on an individual level. Do the men we're fighting have something personal against me? What did I ever do?

    Additionally, it is sobering to realize that all it takes is a few rounds from an assault rifle.

    "On the news and television, you always see helicopters, tanks and bombs, but all it really takes is just some guy with an AK-47," said Zahringer.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 05.24.2010
    Date Posted: 05.24.2010 05:16
    Story ID: 50148
    Location: FORWARD OPERATING BASE MARJAH, AF

    Web Views: 1,087
    Downloads: 732

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