3/1 leads I MEF re-enlistment surge

CAMP DWYER, AFGHANISTAN

11.09.2010

Story by Sgt. Jesse Stence 

I Marine Expeditionary Force

CAMP DWYER, Afghanistan -- He has conducted re-enlistment interviews in just about every imaginable setting in the Garmsir district of Helmand province, Afghanistan. Staff Sgt. Joseph Janez, the career planner with 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, has hopped on convoys and hunkered down behind the protection of hesco walls to talk to Marines about their career options. Once, at Combat Operation Post Rankel in Southern Garmsir, an improvised explosive device blew up about 150 yards away from where he was conducting an interview.

“We never confirmed if it was controlled blast or if it just went off on its own,” said Janez, from Cleveland.

In either case, this is what they asked for. With 56 Marines who have re-upped this year, 3/1 is the leading deployed unit in a 1st Marine Expeditionary Force retention surge.

Re-enlistment fever is a real phenomenon here in Afghanistan. With 986 first term re-enlistments as of Oct. 31, only one month into fiscal year 2011, I MEF has almost achieved its goal of 1,000 first term re-enlistments for the FY, which ends Sept. 31, 2011.

Lt. Col. Benjamin Watson, the 3/1 commanding officer, said obvious improvements to security and development in his battalion’s area of operation have motivated many of his Marines to renew their commitment to the Corps.

“They feel a sense of accomplishment in what they’ve done,” said Watson, from Syracuse, N.Y. “They believe that it’s a fight worth taking on. They believe they are making a difference for people who can’t fight for themselves.”

Since arriving in Garmsir this spring, 3/1 has nearly doubled its area of operation without experiencing a significant increase in insurgent activity, said Sgt. Jesse R. Belt, an intel analyst with Regimental Combat Team 1. Key progress came in July, when the battalion conducted Operation Roadhouse 2, clearing clear Safar Bazaar and expanding 3/1’s area approximately 100 square miles south.

The battalion has improved the infrastructure of Garmsir as well. Since arrriving, 3/1 has built a school, constructed three roads, repaired a canal, and erected a bridge. Approximately 25 other projects are pending.

Cpl. Martin Lucero, an assistant team leader in Scout Sniper Platoon, Weapons Company, 3/1, is convinced that he’s making the area safer for his fellow Marines in 3/1.

Lucero was one of 15 students to graduate from his scout sniper class of 32. Snipers are in short supply, and he wants to continue contributing his rare talent to the fight in Afghanistan.

“They need snipers for 3/1 next month, and I’m not going to abandon them,” said Lucero.

The concept of brotherhood and the feeling of making a difference are just a few of the intangible reasons why young men and women choose careers in the Marine Corps. Some Marines see the benefits of joining early on, and the decision for them to re-enlist is simple. Lucero, for example, said he wanted to be a Marine since he was five. Other Marines have trouble sorting through their priorities.

Watson said part of 3/1’s success in retention can be attributed to small unit leaders influencing this latter group. The career planner plays an especially large role in persuading them, he said.

Janez credited his success to long hours, planning and persistence. On a daily basis, he reviews 3/1’s schedule and identifies when Marines will be free. He conducts the interviews, which sometimes last almost a day – however long it takes to address their concerns. He keeps tabs on their paperwork and double-checks with Headquarters Marine Corps to ensure all re-enlistment packages are received and processed in time. He travels to remote patrol bases to conduct special interviews.

“My days go by fast,” said Janez. “From morning till evening, it’s a blur ... an endless cycle.”

But at the end of a day, Janez said that the crux of his job is helping remind Marines how far they come and why they joined.

And here in Garsmir, that’s a matter of looking at the progress around them.

• Date Taken: 11.09.2010
• Date Posted: 11.09.2010 06:58
• Story ID: 59715
• Location: CAMP DWYER, AF