Photo By Staff Sgt. Ryan Smith | COMBAT OUTPOST OUELLETTE, Helmand province, Afghanistan - Lance Cpl. Henry Justiniano,...... read more read more
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COMBAT OUTPOST OUELLETTE, Helmand province, Afghanistan - “I’m cruising at 78 tons and 50-plus miles per hour. You really can’t do anything to my tank.”
Those words, spoken by Lance Cpl. Henry Justiniano, 24, a tank crewman and driver from Long Beach, Miss., for 1st Tank Battalion, are just an example of the confidence he and his fellow Marines share with an M1A1 tank and its main gun by their side while patrolling the areas surrounding Combat Outpost Ouellette.
“It makes me feel invincible,” said Justiniano, who was born and raised in . “Our confidence level and how our crew works, it’s real tight. We all have confidence in each other. We’ve made it this far; we’re doing something right.”
Justiniano and his family moved to Mississippi following the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2006. His family operated a plumbing business and went to help those affected by the hurricane.
In 2008, Justiniano joined the Marine Corps and found his new home with 1st Tank Battalion in Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif.
“When we first formed the platoon, another Marine was unable to deploy. Justiniano took his place,” said Staff Sgt. Jose Ducasse, the platoon sergeant and a tank commander. “He’s a fast learner and always eager to learn something new.”
Now in their sixth month of deployment, Justianiano, and his fellow Marines from 1st Tank Battalion, will soon be replaced by another unit.
When the unit first arrived, Justiniano and his fellow crewmen lived in their tanks. For the 6-foot-1-inch tall Marine, the driver’s seat of a tank can be quite unaccommodating.
“I slept in the tank for first three months of this deployment,” said Justiniano. “I stayed in my driver’s hole for nine days straight without getting out of the tank on one mission. The seat is made for someone who is like 5 foot 8 inches. It gets very cramped.”
“I literally didn’t see him for almost two weeks even though we were in the same tank,” said Ducasse, a Bronx, N.Y. native.
The imposing robustness of the tanks in the area makes movement for the enemy much more difficult.
“The enemy doesn’t try to come out and fight us anymore,” said Justiniano. “They tried but they didn’t do too well. We are a big force out here and I believe we are helping all the Marines out here. The enemy doesn’t fight when tanks are on the roads.”
“I know when I’m out there I am helping other Marines stay alive,” added Justiniano. “We haven’t shot as much as we would like to but it’s an intimidation factor. It works just as good.”
A lot goes into being an intimidating force on the battlefield, according to Justiniano.
“There are many things you have to be conscious of as a tanker. You have radios in your ear, targets to look for, and you have to watch where you are going,” said Justiniano.
“You have to pay attention. The ground out here is poison,” he said in reference to the improvised explosive device threats in the area.
“He has a big responsibility,” added Ducasse. “He has to recognize things on the road and be able to negotiate the terrain…giving us the smoothest ride possible and provide a stable platform for us to fire.”
“He listens to the radio and deciphers what needs to be done,” said Ducasse. “He can initiate what needs to be done without being told.”
According to Justiniano, the work of a tanker doesn’t end when the mission comes to a close.
“It’s a lot of work being a tanker; not an easy task. Maintenance on the tank is the hardest thing to do because all of the parts are so heavy,” said Justiniano. “For every hour we operate, it’s about eight hours of maintenance.”
After a full day of providing support for the Marines on the ground, Justiniano and the tank Marines prepare for the next day.
“When it’s time to roll, it’s time to roll,” said Justiniano.
| Date Taken: | 07.14.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 07.14.2011 04:10 |
| Story ID: | 73696 |
| Location: | COMBAT OUTPOST OUELLETTE, HELMAND PROVINCE,, AF |
| Web Views: | 322 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Long Beach, Miss., native brings confidence, tank to combat, by SSgt Ryan Smith, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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