Sangin

In Sangin: An iron chef with time to kill between saving wounded Marines

By Gina Cavallaro on July 9, 2011 Afghanistan, Sangin

Forward Operating Base Jackson, Sangin, Afghanistan – During the month of June, when the Taliban kicked off the brunt of its fighting against Marines with 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, members of the Shock Trauma Platoon saw casualties every day, it was a busy time when lives were saved and bodies patched up. Things have slowed a bit, which means fewer Marines are being hurt. But for the trauma platoon it means wide valleys of time… they’re on call 24/7 and not permitted to leave the base or perform any duties that would take them away from the aid station. Time…

3/5 Marine loses memento, gets it back from 1/5 corpsman

By Gina Cavallaro on July 6, 2011 Afghanistan, History and heritage, Infantry, Sangin

Sangin, Afghanistan – Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Richard Erfurth, a corpsman assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, was cleaning out a storage trailer used by the battalion aid station when he came upon something he knew was special. At the bottom of an ammo can that was stuffed with random care package items like toothbrushes, lip balm and snacks, he spotted what looked like a very personal item – a steel plate about the size of a silver dollar on a brass ball chain. “I knew we hadn’t had these dog tags since the 1940s,” said Erfurth, who took the…

The United States Marine Corps Memorial on 4th of July

By Dan Lamothe on July 5, 2011 Iwo Jima Memorial, Sangin

For all of you who were away from the computer during the holiday weekend, welcome back. I thought it’d be a good idea to share here the Associated Press photograph posted above, as highlighted on our Line of Sight blog. If you’re playing catch-up, it’s worth reading back a few entries to see what senior writer Gina Cavallaro and photographer Tom Brown are up to Sangin, Afghanistan. They’re embedded with 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, out of Camp Pendleton, Calif., and received a sobering assessment of the security situation Marines there face. They also were at Forward Operating Base Jackson this…

Independence Day, just another day in Sangin… with meat

By Gina Cavallaro on July 4, 2011 Afghanistan, Infantry, Sangin

Sangin, Afghanistan — Marines working at and passing through Forward Operating Base Jackson around dinner time today will get a 4th of July menu that includes grilled pork ribs, beef patties and Italian sausage. Rumor has it that someone has got a cake, too. Otherwise, it’s a work day for 1st Battalion, 5th Marines’ 1,000 plus Marines, who will be hauling supplies, going on patrol and monitoring the enemy as they do each day. At the Battalion Aid Station, where the American flag does not normally fly because of the frequency of rotor wash from helicopter traffic on the landing…

In Sangin, 1/5 Marines tread volatile ground

By Gina Cavallaro on July 3, 2011 Afghanistan, Infantry, Sangin

Sangin, Afghanistan – Four weeks ago everything changed here. Where Marines with 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, of Camp Pendleton, Calif., had once tread cautiously and without serious incident, suddenly became a minefield. Dormant hidden bombs began exploding underfoot and gunfights erupted following the poppy and wheat harvests. The battalion arrived in Sangin in late April just before the so-called spring offensive, where the Taliban begin fighting the Americans. It was quiet, but now it’s anything but and it is expected to continue throughout the summer. The security situation is better than it was a year ago, but there is a…

Photo gallery: Medevaced Marines stay tough in Afghanistan

By Dan Lamothe on June 13, 2011 Afghanistan, Infantry, Sangin

Security is improving in many parts of Afghanistan, but Marines still face danger every day. I’m not exactly breaking any ground with that statement for the Marines, friends and families who read this blog, but it’s still worth observing in poignant ways when possible. The Associated Press released a series of photographs over the weekend of Marines being medically evacuated from in and around Sangin, Afghanistan. Their photographer was embedded with the Army’s Task Force Lift “Dust Off,” Charlie Company, and braved enemy fire that hit the helicopter during one of the evacuations. What follows are images of Lance Cpl.…

1/5 Marines launch Operation Zapoonki Guzaroona

By Dan Lamothe on June 3, 2011 Afghanistan, Infantry, Reconnaissance, Sangin

It goes without saying that Marine operations in Afghanistan get some pretty interesting names. There’s Operation Khanjar, the 2009 offensive in Helmand province that seized several districts south of Camp Leatherneck, including Khanashin, Nawa and Garmser. It meant “dagger” in Pashto, an imposing message. The operation was commonly called Strike the Sword in English. There’s Operation Khareh Cobra, the 2009 offensive to seize control of Helmand’s Now Zad Valley from insurgents. The operation was known as “Cobra’s Anger,” in English, which still sounds like the title to a “G.I. Joe” episode. And there’s Operation Moshtarak, the 2010 offensive in Helmand…

New video: 1/5 Marines on patrol in Afghanistan

By Dan Lamothe on May 19, 2011 Afghanistan, Infantry, Sangin

The Marine Corps just posted a new video online of forces with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, out of Camp Pendleton, Calif., conducting a reconnaissance patrol in Sangin, Afghanistan, late last month. If you’re looking to see what conditions on the ground look like, this could help: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saT-LHhrIyI[/youtube] The video gives us a good look at the canals, poppy fields and rocky terrain Marines are working with in Sangin. Nothing dramatic happened, but sometimes, that’s for the best.

Afghanistan's '120 Days of Wind' is back

By Dan Lamothe on May 16, 2011 Afghanistan, Camp Leatherneck, Sangin

It’s that time of the year again. It’s time to eat dirt. At least it is in Afghanistan, where the summer sandstorm season is underway. The photograph above was posted recently on the Facebook page of 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, depicting a sandstorm in Sangin district. As noted on Battle Rattle last year when I was downrange, the season is known as the “120 Days of Wind.” It runs from late-spring through Afghanistan’s hot summers, whipping up storms on a regular basis that suffocate light, halt air traffic and prevent some Marines from going on patrol. After all, if a squad…

Native American call signs used in Afghanistan by 1/5 Marines

By Dan Lamothe on May 16, 2011 Afghanistan, Sangin

Ever since a team of Navy SEALs busted into terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden’s secret Pakistan compound and put a bullet through his eye, a debate has raged: Was it disrespectful to use “Geronimo” as a code name in the operation? Geronimo, of course, is a famous Chiricahua Apache warrior. Native American leaders have decried that the military assigned his name to an infamous terrorist, particularly in light of the U.S. military service of several of Geronimo’s descendants. Update: The military later clarified that Geronimo was the name of the operation, and said bin Laden’s code name was “Jackpot.” This…

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