Marines protect Afghans during firefight in Marjah

Photo By Cpl. Andrew Johnston | Lance Cpl. Jack Hamilton, a rifleman with Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, scans the horizon for insurgents behind a canal bank while taking enemy contact in Marjah, Afghanistan, Aug. 16. The squad came under attack halfway through the census patrol and engaged enemy Taliban in the process.  

MARJAH, AFGHANISTAN

08.16.2010

Story by Pfc. Andrew Johnston 

I Marine Expeditionary Force

MARJAH, Afghanistan – Marines and sailors with Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, engaged enemy insurgents in a firefight while conducting a census patrol in Marjah, Aug. 16.

A group of Afghan children weaved up and down the road riding their bicycles through a small heard of livestock cheering, “Americans good, Taliban no good!” to a squad of patrolling Marines and sailors. The squad smiled and waved to the children as they veered down a path steering the evenings patrol towards a group of farming compounds.

The squad announced their presence, house by house, and asked the head of each household to come outside and reveal their names and number of occupants.

Out of nowhere, loud cracks of gunfire ripped through the air. The squad’s objective quickly changed from collecting census data to fighting the Taliban and protecting civilians.

Over the past year, ISAF forces have collected census data from local Afghans in order to distinguish friends from foes.

The data Cpl. Daniel B. Wyss, a squad leader with Golf Company, 2/9, and his squad collects plays a vital role to their area of operation, keeping the area out of Taliban control.

“What we're doing is conducting census operations in order to map out the people in the area,” said Wyss.

Wyss further explained that the Taliban’s constant use of fear and intimidation to push their agenda on the population leaves locals terrified and leery on who to turn to for help.

“The bigger picture is they don’t want us talking to the local people, and they don’t want the people being marked individually by the census information,” said Wyss, from Pontiac, Mich. “They know it will work to our advantage in the long run, so they threaten the locals.”

Wyss’s words proved to be true, as the squad came under attack. The team quickly moved civilians into their homes and spent no time rushing outside to help their fellow Marines return fire and close in on the enemy.

Lance Cpl. Travis D. Taylor, a rifleman with Golf Company, 2/9, was investigating a suspicious tree line outside the compound with his team when they came under fire. He said they crept right up on the enemy and his Marine instincts took over once his eyes locked with the insurgents.

“The training kicked right in,” said Taylor. “I jumped backward into a dried canal Matrix-style, probably not as graceful, but we got down as fast as we could. I had my rifle pointed directly at the targets and laid down some fire at the same time I was jumping back.”

The firefight went on for almost two hours, as the Marines pushed the Taliban out of the area. Clearing homes one at a time, the squad closed in on an enemy compound and destroyed the enemy, reporting no civilian or friendly casualties.

Once the fighting ceased, the squad regrouped and headed back to base. As they cautiously walked their route back, a larger group of children gathered on the road smiling at them repeating their words spoken earlier, “Americans good, Taliban no good!” Morale was high and the squad started talking about the next time they would go out.

“If that’s what it takes, sending out a squad to go house by house to get that info, then that’s wha we will do,” said Wyss. “That’s our job. One second you’re questioning a local, eating watermelon with them, and the next second you’re running down the Taliban. That’s our job and we did it great!”

• Date Taken: 08.16.2010
• Date Posted: 08.18.2010 10:58
• Story ID: 54777
• Location: MARJAH, AF