To Ramadi and back

TREK NAWA, AFGHANISTAN

04.06.2012

Story by Cpl. Johnny Merkley 

I Marine Expeditionary Force

TREK NAWA, Afghanistan — The men and women who have earned the title of Marine share a unique history and tradition only found in the Corps. In some cases, this history and tradition is shared by generations of Marines from the same family.

Sergeant Justin K. Smith, a squad leader with Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, and native of Greensboro, N.C., has a rich Marine Corps tradition within his own family that has provided him with extra motivation through some his toughest times as a Marine.

“Having so many family members as former Marines, it was something I had to do,” said Smith. “There has never been a generation in my family without at least one Marine.”

Smith enlisted in the Corps as an infantryman in 2005, following in the footsteps of both his grandfather Edward Gallagher, a Korean War veteran, and his uncle Donny Gallagher, a Vietnam War veteran.

“Because the other members of my family were in the infantry, it was the most appealing occupation,” said Smith. “I knew the risk I was taking, but I still wanted to be infantry even though I knew I would go to war.”

Soon after he graduated from boot camp and the School of Infantry, Smith found himself with 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines, and was among the first U.S. servicemembers to enter the city of Ramadi – in what turned out to be one of the fiercest battles of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

In 2006, U.S. Forces began the siege of Ramadi, the capital of Al Anbar, to gain control of the largest province in Iraq. Though they suffered high casualties, U.S. Forces eventually defeated a deeply entrenched insurgency after five months of intense combat.
“Ramadi was an experience, we flew in during the night and I didn’t really know what to expect,” said Smith. “When we woke up the next morning before we went into the city we got word there had been a suicide bomb the night before, I think that’s when it hit me that I was actually at war.”

Since Ramadi, Smith has deployed across Europe and the Middle East. He is currently deployed to Nawa District, Afghanistan as a squad leader with 2/6, leading his Marines in counterinsurgency operations throughout the district. Smith and his squad conduct daily security patrols throughout Trek Nawa, and because of his prior experiences in the Corps he says he’s able to lead his Marines with more confidence and composure.

“I think because of his experiences he’s able to teach us and lead us better than other squad leaders,” said Sgt. Correy L. Whidden, a squad leader with Weapons Company, 2/6, and native of Stanford, Ky. “I’ve seen him countless times go out of his way to take care of his Marines and keep the moral up within his squad.”

Although Smith shares a rich family history with the Corps, he plans on pursuing a different occupation when he returns home from southern Helmand. He hopes to attend the University of Massachusetts Lowell and finally marry his fiancée Rachel after returning from his final deployment.

“I’ve learned a lot in the Marine Corps, these are skills that I’ll use for the rest of my life,” said Smith. “I don’t regret my decision to join one bit because the relationships I’ve made while being a Marine will last for the rest of my life.”

Editor’s note: Second Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, is currently assigned to Regimental Combat Team 5, 1st Marine Division (Forward), which works in partnership with the Afghan National Security Forces 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 the ANSF assumption of security responsibilities within its operations in order to support the expansion of stability, development and legitimate governance.

• Date Taken: 04.06.2012
• Date Posted: 04.06.2012 06:19
• Story ID: 86366
• Location: TREK NAWA, AF