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CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – While many Americans in the
United States were celebrating during the Fourth of July
weekend, Marines with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 7th
Marine Regiment, were engaging Taliban insurgents in Helmand
province, Afghanistan.
The infantrymen along with
Afghan National Army soldiers operated within close
proximity of Camp Leatherneck to continue disruption
operations and prevent future attacks on the Camps Bastion
and Leatherneck, July 4 - 6, 2014.
Corporal Deshaun Jackson, rifleman, Bravo Company, 1st
Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, takes cover behind a berm with
fellow Marines during a
firefight in Helmand province, Afghanistan, July 6, 2014. Jackson, a
native of Chicago, and the company operated in Gereshk for three
days and were involved in numerous kinetic engagements with Taliban
insurgents. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Joseph Scanlan)
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“Our job was to investigate some compounds of interest in
order to deny the insurgents the ability to consolidate in
certain areas where they could potentially plan attacks,”
said 1st Lt. Robert Kay, a platoon commander with Bravo Co.
and a native of Palmdale, California.
The Bravo Co.
Marines inserted into Gereshk via CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters while the
sky was black and the sun had not yet risen, July 4. They
began to patrol across freshly tilled fields while
monitoring the surrounding area with night vision goggles
mounted on their Kevlar helmets.
By sunrise the
Marines arrived at compounds and began to interact with
local Afghans. Suspicious areas were being investigated and
locals were being questioned when the infantrymen came under
enemy fire.
Insurgents engaged the Marines from three
different positions with machine guns, AK-47s and a
precision-grade rifle. The Marines immediately took cover
and began to maneuver on the enemy fighters while returning
fire. Machine gunners with M240B medium machine guns
provided suppressing fire as several Marines sprinted across
an open field to reach a better firing position.
Audible cracks, pops and explosions of gunfire and
high-explosive munitions quaked across the surrounding
village as the Marines gained fire superiority. Riflemen
with M16A4 service rifles, M4A1 Carbines and M27 Infantry
Automatic Rifles gathered in the prone position behind berms
and returned fire at the insurgents. Bullets zoomed within
inches of several Marines, but after several minutes of
exchanging fire, the firefight concluded and no Marines were
injured.
It was mid-morning after the firefight when
the Marines moved to set up a security posture for a landing
zone in a nearby field to prepare to extract from the area.
Two CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters arrived shortly after.
The infantrymen darted through a cyclone of dirt and hay
caused by the helicopters' rotors and arrived back on Camp
Bastion within several minutes. The company's first day of
operations had concluded; two more were to follow.
The following morning the company inserted into a different
area of Gereshk. Insurgents were awaiting the Marines'
arrival and fired rounds from several compounds at the
helicopters. The crew chiefs aboard the helicopters
responded to the enemy fire with mounted .50-caliber machine
guns and silenced the enemy fighters.
The company
landed in the area shortly after and began patrolling on
foot. A combat engineer led the infantrymen through several
freshly harvested fields with a mine sweeper. Often times
disturbed earth or protruding wires can be visual indicators
of an improvised explosive device. The patrol had to rely on
mine sweepers to protect their lives as they maneuvered
across fields with entirely disturbed earth in darkness.
The sun began to rise over the horizon at 4:30 a.m. and
squads of infantrymen were already at their designated
compounds. Locals emerged from their homes and began their
morning prayers. The infantrymen respected their customs and
waited for their prayers to conclude before enrolling the
Afghans into a biometrics system. The Marines patrolled
smoothly about the area without harassment, but the mounted
element did not. Four vehicles struck IEDs; miraculously, no
one was injured. After hours of patrolling and interacting
with locals, the Marines set up security at a landing zone
and extracted from the area to prepare for their final day
of the operation.
Once again the company gathered
aboard the Camp Bastion flightline and departed friendly
lines in the bellies of helicopters. As the infantrymen
neared the area, small-arms fire spewed from compounds
below.
“We came under pretty heavy fire from about
five different points of origin.” Kay said. “When I looked
out of the helicopter I could see tracer rounds flying into
the sky.”
The crew chiefs returned fire and the
helicopter pilots continued with their mission and landed to
offload the Marines. Once on the ground, squads split up to
move to different compounds. Daylight broke as Marines
finished speaking with locals at a compound and then
patrolled to their next objective. Only the deep breaths and
crunch of boots crushing dried hay could be heard as the
infantrymen maneuvered across a tilled field with full
combat loads.
Suddenly machine gun and small-arms
fire exploded from the corner of a compound nearly 150
meters away from the Marines.
Machine gunners with
M240B medium machine guns instantly returned fire. Deafening
gunfire and explosions filled the area within a matter of
seconds. The only objects protecting the Marines were a
flimsy mud wall and a small berm, the Marines needed to move
from their positions. Staff Sgt. Matthew Ingwerson, a
platoon sergeant with Bravo Co., immediately took charge.
“Everybody looks in one direction, at either the platoon
commander or platoon sergeant, and someone has to remain
level headed because if the leadership starts losing their
mind, the Marines start breaking down and they start losing
their confidence in their abilities,” said Ingwerson, a
native of Nampa, Idaho. “I try to mitigate as much stress as
I can in order to allow my squads to maneuver effectively
and to ensure the junior Marines have confidence to do
things they thought they could never do before.”
Machine gunners provided suppressive fire as riflemen
sprinted for their lives across an open field to reach the
insurgents. Bullets kicked up dust as they impacted between
the Marines' feet, and many of the Marines ran faster than
they ever had before. ANA soldiers led them into compounds
to search for insurgents and question locals. The fire
slowly died out and the insurgents retreated.
After
conducting a thorough search of the surrounding area and
enrolling several Afghans into a biometrics system, the
company linked up with the mounted element and departed the
area via Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles. Every
Marine returned to base unharmed after the three days of
kinetic activity with their mission accomplished.
“A
lot of coalition forces haven't been present in that area
recently,” Kay said. “The Taliban start getting comfortable
in places and think they can do whatever they want. We told
them that they are not safe there. I don't care if they go
north, south, east, or west; the Marines are going to find
them. We denied their ability to consolidate and their
ability to plan and we also showed the local population that
we are there to help them.”
More photos available in frame below
By U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Joseph Scanlan
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2014
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