Photo By Sgt. Jeff Drew | FORT PICKETT, Va. - Sgt. Anthony V. Palmer, a squad leader with 2nd Battalion, 6th...... read more read more
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FORT PICKETT, VA. – He is responsible for the lives and welfare of 12 Marines. He is responsible for them maintaining their equipment and making sure that they eat and hydrate properly. He is charged with educating his Marines and giving them the weapons and training they need to survive. He is on the front lines making a difference. He is ethical. He is disciplined. He is a Marine Corps squad leader.
Six squad leaders with 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, who recently returned from a deployment to Marjah, Afghanistan, took several days to visit the squad leaders of Company B, 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, while they were participating in counterinsurgency training, aboard Fort Pickett, Va., Feb. 24. The 2/6 squad leaders took the time to shadow, mentor
“The most important thing is to tell these Marines all of the hard lessons we learned,” said Sgt. Anthony V. Palmer, a squad leader with Company G, 2/6. “Marines are getting hurt out there and I don’t want to see that happen to any other unit. We want to give them the best possible plan and set them up for success. We were learning from everything we did over there. We progressed and eventually we got to the point where we weren’t being hit as much. What we really want to show is the progression so they understand why we did what we did.”
It is this progression that new units must handle carefully and work diligently to continue. Individual squads have the most personal interaction with the local nationals so it is up to them to nurture relationships in order to usurp the power that insurgents hold over the local populace. This complex situation falls on the shoulders of the squad leader to educate his Marines on how to relate to the population.
“Squad leaders need to teach their men how to flip that switch,” said Palmer. There are going to be those times where you will be shaking hands, smiling and playing with kids in one town and then in the next field over you will get into a firefight. The people out there hate the Taliban, it’s just that they don’t have any weapons or a way to fight them, so you can’t take it out on them, it’s the Taliban that are doing it.”
The threat that the Taliban brings to the table is vast. On top of being responsible for troop welfare and building relationships among the locals, squad leaders must also train their Marines to out maneuver and tactically outdo the opposition.
“You need to have fire discipline,” said Sgt. Charles McNeil, a squad leader with Company E, 2/6. “Your machine-gunner can’t dump 200 rounds right off the bat. If you fire two rockets and lob 15 high explosive dual purpose grenades and they are still there, you’re going to be there for a while. They stay and they fight, and they know what they are doing. Its not like Iraq where they stick around for a few minutes, these guys stay.”
The squad leaders of 1/9 must bare this responsibility as they prepare their Marines for war. In order to help with the process, they spent time with the 2/6 Marines one-on-one.
“Sergeant Palmer has been very helpful,” said Cpl. Adam J. Butherus, a squad leader with Company B. “He kept reminding me of the things that I need to know while interacting with the local afghan people. He gave me the knowledge I needed to know where to go and what to do and who the important people are to speak with. It’s been very beneficial.”
As their time together ended, Sgt. Palmer left the Squad leaders of 1/9 with one last remark, a foreshadow of what is to come.
“Everything you will be doing in country will be part of a small unit, a squad,” said Palmer. “Everything in a patrol base is done through the squad leaders. Resupplys, ammo, water, food, everyone comes directly to you, because you are running every detail. It’s a squad leader’s fight and you are going to be forced into situations where you won’t have anyone but yourself to rely on. There will be many times where it’s just a squad leader and a squad out there and you have a lot of ground to cover.”
| Date Taken: | 02.24.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 04.26.2011 08:25 |
| Story ID: | 69353 |
| Location: | FORT PICKETT, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 346 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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