Embedded journalism

Rainstorms present comedy, challenges for Marines in Afghanistan

By Dan Lamothe on April 20, 2012 Afghanistan, Embedded journalism, Infantry, Kajaki

FORWARD OPERATING BASE WHITEHOUSE, Afghanistan — If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to walk through peanut butter, visit southern Afghanistan during a rainstorm. I learned that lesson the hard way in the last two days in Kajaki district. The storms started Wednesday while we were visiting elements of Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, at Patrol Base Sheheban, a small outpost to the west of the Helmand River. The rain kicked in again today before dawn, and continued with few interruptions until nearly 2 p.m. local time. Rainy season here is in February, they tell me. Except when it…

Marines make best seat in MRAP

By James J. Lee on April 20, 2012 Afghanistan, Embedded journalism, Equipment, Infantry

On a convoy between locations in Kajaki, I was once again awestruck by Marine ingenuity. The guys from the 1st Battalion, 8th Marines Motor Transport Platoon had built a wag bag toilet into the back of their MRAP. The gunner, Corporal Brandon Szopinski explained that life on the roads of Afghanistan often meant long hours between umm… facilities, so doing as Marines do, they improvised. This particular toilet looked plush and comfy, complete with a foam padded seat for those bumpy rides. So, if the going gets tough, I now know where to find the best seat around. All that’s…

Marines patrol through poppy blossoms in Afghanistan’s Kajaki district

By Dan Lamothe on April 19, 2012 Afghanistan, Battle Rattle, Embedded journalism, Infantry, Kajaki, Marines

PATROL BASE SHEHEBAN, Afghanistan –- I can say it from experience now: patrolling through the poppy fields of Helmand province is every bit as distracting as I had been warned. The beautiful poppy blossoms leap out at anyone passing. The flowers — ranging in color from white and pink to a deep, rich rose — stand nearly waist high, and will likely remain in bloom for at least another week. As the blossoms shrivel, farmers will score the remaining bulbs and collect the fluid oozing out. The product is developed into heroin and other opium-based drugs — something that isn’t…

Marines patrol through poppy blossoms in Afghanistan’s Kajaki district

By Dan Lamothe on April 19, 2012 Afghanistan, Battle Rattle, Embedded journalism, Infantry, Kajaki, Marines

Marine lieutenant in Kajaki played football at Navy

By Dan Lamothe on April 18, 2012 Afghanistan, Embedded journalism, Infantry, Kajaki, Marines

KAJAKI, Afghanistan – Second Lt. Jeff Lenar is a long way from the bright lights of college football at the U.S. Naval Academy, and it took serious discipline to get there. The infantry officer with 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, leads 2nd Platoon, Alpha Company, overseeing Marines in combat who patrol near the landmark Kajaki Dam in Helmand province. Since deploying early this year, he has led his platoon in raids into Taliban-held area and overseen surveillance missions used to collect information about insurgents. His trip there was complicated: to join his fellow Marines, Lenar shed dozens of pounds from his…

Marines in Afghanistan light up the sky — and the Taliban

By Dan Lamothe on April 17, 2012 Afghanistan, Embedded journalism, Infantry, Kajaki, Marines, Weapons

FORWARD OPERATING BASE ZEEBRUGGE, Afghanistan – The job was called in like many others: “We’ve got a mortar mission now!” yelled Staff Sgt. Gregory Sanders, the platoon sergeant for the fires team here. With that, a handful of Marines with Golf Battery, 2nd Battalion, 11th Marines, out of Camp Pendleton, Calif., scrambled through the darkness Sunday night to an 81mm mortar tube on this mountainside base in Kajaki district, Afghanistan. A small group overseen by Cpl. Wesley Neville, a squad leader, launched a series of illumination rounds over a rocky ridgeline and lit up the sky. The rounds exploded in…

General: Marines targeting Afghan drug smugglers ahead of spring poppy harvest

By Andrew deGrandpre on April 16, 2012 Afghanistan, Camp Leatherneck, Embedded journalism, Infantry, Kajaki, Marjah

We trust you’ve been reading — and enjoying — senior staff writer Dan Lamothe’s numerous dispatches from Afghanistan, where he and photographer James Lee are embedded presently with members of 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C. Thanks so much for your continued interest in their work. Today, over on Marine Corps Times’ home page, we’ve rolled out Lamothe’s first hard-news report from this trip to the war zone. It details aggressive efforts to curtail the flow of stored poppy out of Afghanistan ahead of the spring harvest, now just weeks away. Before shipping out last week to…

Afghanistan’s Kajaki Dam offers landmines, breathtaking scenery

By Dan Lamothe on April 15, 2012 Afghanistan, Embedded journalism, Infantry, Kajaki, Marines

FORWARD OPERATING BASE ZEEBRUGGE, Afghanistan — After three nights visiting Marines at Observation Post Shrine, photographer James Lee and I have returned to this base overlooking the scenic Kajaki Dam. How scenic, you ask? Four nights ago, we took Polaris Ranger all-terrain vehicles with two Marines to the summit of Zeebrugge. Observation Post Athens is on top, providing Marines with a breathtaking view of the surrounding area — and a good chance of seeing any insurgent activity from on high. I hopped in an ATV with Staff Sgt. Gregory Sanders, a platoon sergeant with Golf Battery, 2nd Battalion, 11th Marines, which has…

Canine kisses in Kajaki

By James J. Lee on April 13, 2012 Afghanistan, Animals, Battle Rattle, Embedded journalism, Infantry, Kajaki

Lance Cpl. Richard Bissett gets some love from Camo, an improvised explosive detection dog at Observation Post Shrine in Kajaki, Afghanistan, on Friday. (James J. Lee / Staff) OBSERVATION POST SHRINE, Afghanistan – I miss my dog, but I didn’t realize how much until I met Camo, an improvised explosive detection dog. This little position on a hill overlooking the Taliban-held area of Zamindawar is referred to as a “static ambush position,” so Camo doesn’t get much of a chance to do her thing up here. After sitting for hours at the feet of handler Lance Cpl. Richard Bissett as…

Afghan police drive Ford ‘Danger Ranger’ in combat with Marines

By Dan Lamothe on April 13, 2012 Afghanistan, Embedded journalism, Infantry, Kajaki

OBSERVATION POST SHRINE, Afghanistan – With a few minutes of downtime here in Kajaki, I wanted to touch base on something for the truck lovers out there. What you see above is a photograph of the vehicles the Afghan police drive while on duty. It’s a green Ford Ranger pickup truck, and they can be found across Helmand province. It’s no normal Ranger, however. The truck has four doors and operates on diesel fuel. If there are any similar trucks in the U.S., they are few and far between. Marines jokingly call the trucks “Danger Rangers.” Considering the Afghan police…

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