Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
USA Today
May 2, 2008
Pg. 12
By Paul Wiseman, USA Today
GARMSER, Afghanistan — U.S. Marines contended with 110-degree heat, rugged terrain and an increasingly savvy and war-hardened enemy as they pressed deeper into a Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan on Thursday.
Operation Azada Wosa — "Stay Free" in the local Pashto language — kicked off Monday and represents a push by the U.S. military to retake territory that NATO troops have so far been unable to conquer and hold. The 2,400-strong 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit is on its first mission since it started arriving here more than a month ago.
After nearly seven years of war, the challenges facing the U.S. troops here are eerily similar to those they faced when they first arrived to topple the Taliban regime following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Among the familiar problems are dehydration, long supply lines, residents whose loyalties are often unclear and enemy forces that stage quick-hit attacks then slip into the shadows.
Capt. John Moder, the commander of the Marine unit's Charlie Company, says residents have told them they are eager to see the Taliban removed from the area. Their local bazaar has been closed for months because of the fighting.
"They just want to live their lives," Moder says.
The Taliban isn't giving up without a fight. In groups of three and four, Taliban fighters fire at the Marines with assault rifles or rockets, then flee. Sometimes they attempt infantry maneuvers, trying to draw the Marines in one direction with a feint, then attacking from another direction. "They were tactically sound," Moder says. "It shows that they've done it before, that they might have been trained."
Moder estimates his men have killed 30 Taliban fighters. Maj. Tom Clinton, executive officer of the Marines' infantry battalion, could not confirm Taliban casualties, but he says the Marines are getting reports that wounded Afghan men are seeking medical treatment in Helmand's capital, Lashkar Gah.
So far, U.S. casualties have been relatively light. Through Thursday afternoon, no Marines had been killed in the operation, although two died last month when a roadside bomb hit their supply convoy.
Several Marines had been injured, none critically: One was shot in the foot, perhaps accidentally; one suffered a concussion from a Taliban rocket or mortar attack; one was bitten by a dog; one fell from a roof and broke an ankle; two broke their legs; and two more sprained their ankles.
The nagging injuries and intense heat are sometimes a more immediate threat than the enemy itself, troops say. "Imagine carrying 75 to 120 pounds of gear and playing a football game where each quarter lasts three hours," says 1st Lt. Mark Matzke, 21, of Arlington, Va.
Keeping them supplied with water, ready-to-eat meals and ammunition is a full-time operation. From Camp Dwyer, a handpicked team of two dozen Marines runs convoys to infantrymen in the field.
"We wanted to be called 'The Nomads' but they gave us 'Wagon Wheel' " instead, says Gunnery Sgt. Javier Duarte, 34, of Miami. Before every convoy, Duarte usually gives the Wagon Wheel team a profanity-laden pep talk, then introduces the chaplain for a prayer.
The convoy heads outside Camp Dwyer's concertina wire and into the desert on the way to the Marines fighting on the outskirts of Garmser. Along the way, they pass Afghans working in the fields, harvesting the poppy that could be turned into heroin and sold in Europe and the United States.
Back at Camp Dwyer, a special team of combat surgeons, doctors, nurses and medics plays cards and lounges in scarce shade. The specialists are relieved that light casualties mean their skills haven't been needed. Some of the doctors have trained in emergency rooms in Los Angeles and Baltimore, treating victims of gangland shootings.
Earlier this week, a Marine helicopter touched down carrying an 11-year-old boy with serious shrapnel wounds in his abdomen. Two Afghan men brought the boy to the Marines for treatment after an explosion. Maj. Clinton suspects that the men — perhaps even the boy — may have been Taliban and had misfired a rocket or a bomb. Clinton says the insurgents sometimes bring their wounded for treatment, claiming to be civilians.
This time, medical authorities decided the boy would get better treatment at another NATO base, because there is no pediatric equipment — such as child-size respiratory tubes — at Dwyer.
"I have five kids," says Navy Lt. Cmdr. Luis Marquez, 39, an emergency room doctor from San Juan, Puerto Rico. "I want to save every child I can."
May 2, 2008
Pg. 12
By Paul Wiseman, USA Today
GARMSER, Afghanistan — U.S. Marines contended with 110-degree heat, rugged terrain and an increasingly savvy and war-hardened enemy as they pressed deeper into a Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan on Thursday.
Operation Azada Wosa — "Stay Free" in the local Pashto language — kicked off Monday and represents a push by the U.S. military to retake territory that NATO troops have so far been unable to conquer and hold. The 2,400-strong 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit is on its first mission since it started arriving here more than a month ago.
After nearly seven years of war, the challenges facing the U.S. troops here are eerily similar to those they faced when they first arrived to topple the Taliban regime following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Among the familiar problems are dehydration, long supply lines, residents whose loyalties are often unclear and enemy forces that stage quick-hit attacks then slip into the shadows.
Capt. John Moder, the commander of the Marine unit's Charlie Company, says residents have told them they are eager to see the Taliban removed from the area. Their local bazaar has been closed for months because of the fighting.
"They just want to live their lives," Moder says.
The Taliban isn't giving up without a fight. In groups of three and four, Taliban fighters fire at the Marines with assault rifles or rockets, then flee. Sometimes they attempt infantry maneuvers, trying to draw the Marines in one direction with a feint, then attacking from another direction. "They were tactically sound," Moder says. "It shows that they've done it before, that they might have been trained."
Moder estimates his men have killed 30 Taliban fighters. Maj. Tom Clinton, executive officer of the Marines' infantry battalion, could not confirm Taliban casualties, but he says the Marines are getting reports that wounded Afghan men are seeking medical treatment in Helmand's capital, Lashkar Gah.
So far, U.S. casualties have been relatively light. Through Thursday afternoon, no Marines had been killed in the operation, although two died last month when a roadside bomb hit their supply convoy.
Several Marines had been injured, none critically: One was shot in the foot, perhaps accidentally; one suffered a concussion from a Taliban rocket or mortar attack; one was bitten by a dog; one fell from a roof and broke an ankle; two broke their legs; and two more sprained their ankles.
The nagging injuries and intense heat are sometimes a more immediate threat than the enemy itself, troops say. "Imagine carrying 75 to 120 pounds of gear and playing a football game where each quarter lasts three hours," says 1st Lt. Mark Matzke, 21, of Arlington, Va.
Keeping them supplied with water, ready-to-eat meals and ammunition is a full-time operation. From Camp Dwyer, a handpicked team of two dozen Marines runs convoys to infantrymen in the field.
"We wanted to be called 'The Nomads' but they gave us 'Wagon Wheel' " instead, says Gunnery Sgt. Javier Duarte, 34, of Miami. Before every convoy, Duarte usually gives the Wagon Wheel team a profanity-laden pep talk, then introduces the chaplain for a prayer.
The convoy heads outside Camp Dwyer's concertina wire and into the desert on the way to the Marines fighting on the outskirts of Garmser. Along the way, they pass Afghans working in the fields, harvesting the poppy that could be turned into heroin and sold in Europe and the United States.
Back at Camp Dwyer, a special team of combat surgeons, doctors, nurses and medics plays cards and lounges in scarce shade. The specialists are relieved that light casualties mean their skills haven't been needed. Some of the doctors have trained in emergency rooms in Los Angeles and Baltimore, treating victims of gangland shootings.
Earlier this week, a Marine helicopter touched down carrying an 11-year-old boy with serious shrapnel wounds in his abdomen. Two Afghan men brought the boy to the Marines for treatment after an explosion. Maj. Clinton suspects that the men — perhaps even the boy — may have been Taliban and had misfired a rocket or a bomb. Clinton says the insurgents sometimes bring their wounded for treatment, claiming to be civilians.
This time, medical authorities decided the boy would get better treatment at another NATO base, because there is no pediatric equipment — such as child-size respiratory tubes — at Dwyer.
"I have five kids," says Navy Lt. Cmdr. Luis Marquez, 39, an emergency room doctor from San Juan, Puerto Rico. "I want to save every child I can."