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SABZIKAR, Afghanistan -- After the sun came up, all hell broke loose.
Marines from Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, along with Afghan National Security Forces, descended on the small town of Sabzikar to root out and eliminate insurgents operating in the area during Operation Reservoir Dogs, May 1.
In the early morning darkness, MV-22 Ospreys dropped the Marines and ANSF into an open field. From there, they silently moved to their first objective to establish a base of operations before conducting the sweep of the town.
At first light, insurgents unleashed an onslaught of heavy machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and sniper fire on the Marines’ positions. This continued throughout the day.
“After we set up an over-watch position, the first two patrol bases came under fire, so we maneuvered to the compounds the insurgents were firing from and engaged them,” said 1st Lt. Devin Claridy, 3rd Platoon commander, Alpha Company, 1st Bn., 8th Marines and an Akron, Ohio native. “It was very close up, very kinetic fighting. Rounds were snapping off less than a foot over our heads. They came at us with everything in their arsenal.”
Under heavy fire, the Marines and ANSF relentlessly pushed forward, forcing the insurgents to break contact and run.
“We moved up to the next compound, and it felt like everyone in the world was shooting at us,” said Cpl. Justin Christ, a squad leader with Alpha Company, 1st Bn., 8th Marines. “I had a team set up in the building and open up on the insurgents. We kept moving, kept up momentum and continued to push.”
Despite taking fire from multiple positions at once, the Marines and ANSF continued to advance, repelling every attack with an assault of their own.
“We went from compound to compound, shooting almost non-stop at the insurgents,” Christ, from Bel Air, Md., said. “The enemy knew what they were doing, but they couldn’t handle the sheer volume of fire raining down on them.
“My guys knew their job and did their job despite bullets constantly whizzing over their heads. At the end of the day, everyone came home safe, and we killed some bad guys in the process. It was a good day,” he added.
The Marines and sailors of 1st Bn., 8th Marines will continue to partner with ANSF to help stabilize and set the conditions for the transfer of security to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
Editor’s Note: First Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment is part of Regimental Combat Team 6. RCT-6 falls under 1st Marine Division (Forward), which heads Task Force Leatherneck. The task force serves as the ground combat element of Regional Command (Southwest) and works in partnership with the Afghan National Security Force and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to conduct counterinsurgency operations. The unit is dedicated to securing the Afghan people, defeating insurgent forces, and enabling ANSF assumption of security responsibilities within its area of operations in order to support the expansion of stability, development and legitimate governance.
| Date Taken: | 05.03.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 05.03.2012 13:04 |
| Story ID: | 87807 |
| Location: | AF |
| Hometown: | AKRON, OH, US |
| Hometown: | BEL AIR, MD, US |
| Hometown: | CLEVELAND, OH, US |
| Hometown: | MUNSTER, IN, US |
| Web Views: | 3,500 |
| Downloads: | 5 |
This work, Lejeune Marines and Afghan forces unleash Operation Reservoir Dogs, by CPT James Mercure, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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