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FORWARD OPERATING BASE SABIT QADAM, Afghanistan – Earned by few, envied by many, the title Marine appeals to individuals in several different ways. The prestige of the Marine Corps especially appealed to one individual when he enlisted at the age of 17.
“There are a lot of people who have given their lives for this country,” said Lance Cpl. Kyler Nielson, a rifleman and mine sweeper with Charley Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment. “I feel like it is my duty to serve my country as an able and physically fit individual.”
Nielson, a native of Las Vegas, made a bold decision to fight the War on Terrorism as a Marine infantryman immediately after graduating high school.
“I initially thought about becoming a Marine during my sophomore year in high school,” Nielson said. “My best friend’s brother was a Marine. He told me about how he provided security for President George W. Bush, and after hearing about the other cool things he had done, it had a big influence on me wanting to become a Marine.”
Nielson grew up with a very competitive attitude in several sports to include baseball, football, basketball, wrestling and mixed martial arts fighting. A daunting competition awaited him at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Calif.
Nielson departed for recruit training a month after graduating high school, then he underwent training at the School of Infantry – West. Midway through his training, he was given the option whether to become a rifleman, machine gunner, mortarman, assaultman or an anti-tank missileman. He chose to become a rifleman, the jack of all trades.
During his time at SOI, Nielson was told combat deployments were ending and he would not get the opportunity to deploy to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. It was disappointing news because one of his main reasons for enlisting was to fight the War on Terrorism. After graduating from SOI, he received orders to Charley Co., 1st Bn., 7th Marines, where he learned the information he had been given was not entirely true.
He began a rigorous predeployment training schedule shortly after arriving to the battalion. Nielson trained at Yuma Proving Grounds, Ariz., in support of Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course, and completed a Mission Rehearsal Exercise and Integrated Training Exercise at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif.
He set himself above his peers during the training evolutions, and became the bearer of the “Suicide” Charley guidon, a relic that has been passed down in the company since the Guadalcanal campaign during World War II. Charley Co. is the sole company in the Marine Corps that is allowed to display and carry a second guidon.
“Nielson is a Marine who doesn’t take any shortcuts,” said Cpl. Jared Swiggard, Nielson’s fire team leader and a native of Manchester, N.H. “His performance exceeds what is expected of him, and it’s been that way since he arrived at Charley Co. Even during his own time, he goes out of his way to learn infantry tactics. If something were to happen to me, he would be the one to take control of the fire team.”
Since arriving in Sangin, Afghanistan, Nielson has been manning security posts and assigned to a quick reaction force as the company prepares to turn over full security responsibilities of Forward Operating Base Sabit Qadam to the Afghan National Army.
Aboard the FOB, Nielson does not get to experience many of the luxuries Marines have at larger bases throughout Afghanistan. Sleeping on a mattress, indoor plumbing, hot showers and three hot meals a day are nonexistent, but that does not hinder his motivation.
“I love being here in Sangin,” Nielson said. “I don’t need all of the nice things Marines have on Camp Leatherneck. It’s more of a brotherhood out here.”
Following his current deployment to Afghanistan, Nielson aspires to become a fire team leader and ultimately a squad leader. He is unsure whether or not he is going to make a career out of the Marine Corps, but his eventual goal is to earn a college degree in political science.
| Date Taken: | 04.13.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 04.13.2014 12:32 |
| Story ID: | 125710 |
| Location: | SANGIN, AF |
| Hometown: | LAS VEGAS, NV, US |
| Hometown: | MANCHESTER, NH, US |
| Web Views: | 550 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Las Vegas native gets his chance to fight war on terrorism, by Sgt Joseph Scanlan, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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