Posted on 02/06/2010 3:26:37 PM PST by Jet Jaguar
COMBAT OUTPOST FIDDLER’S GREEN, Afghanistan
Sgt. Jefferson Haney is a rarity, and his fellow Marines look at him with just a little bit of envy.
The artilleryman with the 3rd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment is one of few who have done what they spent countless hours training for: firing his howitzer at the enemy.
“Two rounds on an enemy bunker,” recalled Haney as he stood near the firing line at Fiddler’s Green, a combat outpost in Helmand province.
“The bunker was destroyed.”
With new and more stringent rules of engagement imposed by Gen. Stanley McChrystal in an effort to reduce civilian casualties in Afghanistan and to win over the population, the men who fire the cannons are finding it harder and harder to get their shot at the enemy. As a result, artillerymen now find themselves in the awkward position of having insurgents within range, but being forced to stand down when calls for help come in from Marines under fire in the field.
“It’s frustrating when you get Marines out there calling for fire and that request gets denied,” said Gunnery Sgt. Jason Reynolds of 3-10’s India Battery.
Cpl. Ernest Brown, an artillery section chief, added, “It plays with your emotions when you know there are Marines out there taking fire and there’s nothing you can do.”
For Marine artillerymen, it’s tough to balance the desire to defend their comrades in the field with counterinsurgency objectives and rules of engagement that sometimes require letting the enemy escape.
Now, as more Marines arrive in Helmand province as part of an effort to reverse the gains insurgents have made in recent years, the artilleryman could soon get a chance to fire. But more than likely, Marines say they will continue to lend support in different ways: firing illumination rounds in the night and walking in the boots of their infantrymen counterparts.
“As a young Marine it was harder, but now I understand it,” Sgt. Brian Northcutt said as he led a group of Marines on a recent patrol in central Helmand province. Though he’s never fired a cannon in combat, Northcutt has conducted countless patrols during his deployments, during which he’s talked with locals and tried to build good will.
“I understand now that firing artillery isn’t the way you win this kind of war,” Northcutt said.
But taking on the roles of infantrymen also means taking on greater risk. Since 3-10 deployed late last year, the battalion lost one Marine to a roadside bomb. In December, the unit’s sergeant major lost both of his legs during a foot patrol when he stepped on a pressure-plate bomb. And there have been numerous cases in which Marines have suffered concussions during vehicle patrols, according to the unit’s commanding officer.
“We’ve paid a pretty stiff price in that (infantry) mission,” said Lt. Col. Todd Finley.
The unit recently saw its role reduced with the arrival of the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, which took over several of the 3-10’s patrol bases near the insurgent-heavy city of Marjeh. Some Marines are holding out hope that they’ll get some of that territory back once their infantry counterparts make their push into Marjeh, one of the last major Taliban strongholds in Helmand.
“There was probably some frustration or disappointment for some of the Marines, but in the bigger scheme I think the Marines understand the real reason why we came here was to provide supporting fires,” Finley said.
First Lt. Courtney Boston, executive officer for 3-10’s India Battery, said his Marines have accepted their new roles, but still crave the chance to fire.
“Marines love to do what they’re trained to do. If the stars align, we’ll shoot and we’ll be good at it,” said Boston. “At the same time, there is a greater objective. Sometimes shooting may be detrimental. It’s actually a victory if we’re not shooting.”
We didn’t try to ‘win over’ the Germans, and we didn’t try to ‘win over’ the Japanese. That would have been a recipe for more Allied and American deaths and potential defeat, along with the probable resignation of the greatest American Army General.
Muslims, even those who do not see reason to pick up arms against us, respect strength and force. You want to win them over? Beat the crap out of your enemies on the battlefield. That will impress them.
Let me say that again so anyone at the Pentagon reading this can understand it.
Beat your enemies on the battlefied = win the respect of the Afghanis.
Learn their culture and use that knowledge.
Good Lord, did we not learn anything in SEAsia?!
As an actual active duty senior NCO in the Army, I can attest to the fact that everywhere the Marines seem to go, the progress made by the Army evaporates. They go in there recklessly and the will of the people turn on them. That is why most Marines had to leave Iraq. The Army took the mission back over (even though we were exhausted from deployments of 15 months verses Marine 6 months) and now Iraq is safer than ever.
I wish the Marine Corps would be absorbed under the Army. There is no need for a separate Air Force or Marine Corps. It should be the Army and Navy.
Well as long as McChrystal is following the direction of the JAG/CIC, there is nothing that can be done about Marines having to follow the ROE.
They can die, they can be wounded, they can go to the brig for trying to kill the enemy/desertion or they can just refuse to re-enlist.
My advice to my son is to go stay in school and leave your options open. I wouldn't have him join up now unless we were in a declared war with a CIC that knows what the military is supposed to be all about.
Anti-Guerilla warfare or COIN is nothing I would want my son involved with unless he was a special operator or SEAL. To many chances to be cannon fodder for flag officers wanting to punch their ticket, kiss the PC Buddha's ass and sacrifice their men in order to get their star.
The entire Army and most of the Navy JAG corps is corrupted by officers that think war is like a f'ing television show and that somehow we can "surgically" remove people. I just wish that the military was in charge of the tactical part of the mission and that the lawyers were all stationed in DC and if they did come to the ATO that their first 8 weeks would be outside of the wire as XO or platoon member so that they know how if feels to lose somebody you love as a brother in combat. So that when men fight a battle they know the smell of oil, gas, blood, sh#t and burnt flesh. Then maybe they'd be a little less likely to charge our soldiers with violations of the ROE.
This is all a concerted effort by the traitors to demoralize our troops. .... then of course we'll get McChrystal's take on "don't ask, don't tell". ... we know exactly how he'll go..... does he want another star or does he have honor?
My GOD, this is nucking futs!!!
This is PRECISELY why I have counseled my 17 year-old grandson to NOT join the military service until we have sane adults in charge. I have no desire for any of my loved ones to become just more canon fodder.
As Limbaugh is so fond of pointing out, the primary mission of ANY military force is to kill the enemy and bust enough of his stuff to remove his will to fight.
If the idiots now running the DOD and, hell, the entire U.S. government want NATION BUILDERS, send the BOY SCOUTS. But they’d better send a few million of them, each with his own personal BODY BAG as the attrition rate will be horrendous.
Then we can declare “victory” and withdraw and wait for the fighting to start HERE once this relentless muslim enemy has enough indiginous combatants trained. With any luck, by then we will have replaced all those now dead Boy Scouts to get a few million more slaughtered.
This country has apparently lost its mind and that’s going to lead to the loss of America as a sovereign nation.
But, hey, hasn’t that been the left’s plan all along?
Gomers don’t respect a kinder, gentler fighting force.
They do respect you when they know you can and will pound them into atoms at every opportunity.
As they say:
“When you have them by the doo-dads their hearts and minds will follow.”
Gen. Stanley McChrystal is a pu$$y.
The new ROE means nothing less than more dead US soldiers as the cowardly Taliban hide among children.
you're a troll or just an idiot. Most operations were joint services that I was aware of and my buddies really appreciate the Army tanks and arty.
as for your comment about the Marines rolling into the Army...... we're not into that don't ask, don't tell as much as you fellas..... we'll be the warriors and you can be the warrior police/pc brigade/disaster relief/really smart guys. The country is always going to need a group of warriors. ........ I'm still laughing really.... the Marine Corps rolled into the Army.... oh my gawd... really?
next thing you know, you will want the army to actually do 13 weeks of basic training.... oh that's right you guys are so good you only need 9... Now that I think about it.... maybe that would be good... 9 weeks of basic instead of 13...hmmmm, nah... then I'd still have to say I was in the army and wouldn't have those neat dress blues. AND... I wouldn't have to say I "joined" the army as opposed to EARNING the right to be Marine.
you're funny..
they left Iraq because they won the damn war there for you doggies to set in defense. you sound like a damn fobbit
isn’t that special.
a POG with diarea of the mouth, his post disgust me
look at his photo on his blog site... he’s a chubby little f#$k. The PT would kill him..... but he’s kinda handsome in a Ned Beatty sort of way.
your right, I don’t generally get into pissing matches with conservatives, but then again, I’m not ususally insulted by them either.
and you will never see a 23 year old Marine discribe himself as “Senior Enlisted”
nckerr- you need to take your asshole comments and go home. My son was in the Marines. He is now a crewchief on the Blackhawk in Iraq.You should be ashamed of yourself degrading any of our wonderful TROOPS! Go away!!!
Don’t go there, bub.
As a retired senior NCO from the USAF, I can tell that in my experience, everything I have ever seen the US Army manage has been a clusterf***. You are really good at killing people and breaking things, and I applaud you on that
I would go to war with the USMC any day.
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