In Afghanistan, a recent change of command ceremony saw Major General Charles M. Gurganus assume command of NATO’s Regional Command Southwest (RC-SW) from Major General John A. Toolan, Jr. RC-SW consists of the Afghan provinces of Helmand and Nimruz.

The U.S. Marine Corps has held the responsibility for RC-SW for some time. Helmand Province has been the scene of fierce fighting against the Taliban while Nimruz has been far calmer. MG Toolan spoke with reporters yesterday about the situation in his AOR at the end of his tour.

Toolan commanded about 20,000 Marines and just under 13,000 troops from Coalition partners. The United Kingdom made up the largest of these units, supplying 9,500 men and women. They have the responsibility for three districts in Helmand Province and also lead the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRC) for the province.

Gunner Peter Maina from Light Regiment Royal Artillery, 29 Commando, 3rd Commando Brigade, attached to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion the Rifles, and a native of Plymouth, England, checks a .50 caliber machine gun prior to taking over Sanger duty at Patrolling Base Seca in Nahr-e Saraj district, Helmand province, Sept. 12. Marine Corps photo.

He had high praise for the other Coalition partners.

• The Danes are operating with the British in securing what he described as “one of the most kinetic districts in Afghanistan.”
• The Georgians have been assigned their own battlespace, evidence of their abilities, and will add a second battalion to their forces in September.
• Jordan and Bahrain have troops providing base security.
• The UAE is providing rotary wing assets in support of special operations mission. They are supplying both attack helicopters and transport helicopters.

In Toolan’s words “Things are good. Not great, but good” At this time the local population sees the Afghan security forces and the Coalition troops as the “home team”. Two years ago, it was the Taliban that was seen in that role.

MG Toolan sees corruption as the greatest threat to continued progress in Afghanistan. He talked about both “parasitic” corruption and “predatory” corruption. Parasitic corruption derives from the powerbrokers in Kabul, and consists of crimes such as skimming, nepotism, “pay to play”, bribery and the like. Predatory corruption is at the local level, when police or military use their power to steal.

Another problem that Toolan discussed was the integration of the Afghan Local Police (ALP). The ALP has been effective in adding an additional layer of security, he told us, especially in the troubled Marjah area. But there are not enough slots in the various national police organizations to accept all the ALP. He hopes that a retraining program can be created to give these men usable skills in construction, etc.

Asked to reflect on successes during his command, the general pointed to two infrastructure needs that the Marines have filled.

A Marine with Support Company, 9th Engineer Support Battalion, uses a grader to improve road surfaces on Route Tiffany, April 6, 2012. Support Company cleared and constructed the improved-surface road to facilitate travel in northern Helmand province. Malrine Corps photo.

Road building opens up impoverished areas to trade and communication. The Marines have built over 1,000 miles kilometers of roads in RC-SW. MG Toolan pointed out that this alone undercut Taliban influence.

Afghan children give their approval of the new bridge constructed near Combat Outpost Rankel in the district of Garmsir, Helmand province, Jan. 29. The Marines of Bridge Platoon, Alpha Company, 9th Engineer Support Battalion endured a 5-day convoy in order to replace a temporary bridge with a more permanent structure that would increase mobility for Marines operating in the area. Marine Corps photo.

The Marine move into the region around the Kajaki Dam was the other accomplishment that Toolan cited. The hydroelectric dam was built by the U.S. in the 1960′s and for several years provided both electricity and irrigation to the Helmand River valley. These resources made the area very productive. After the Russian occupation, the civil war and the Taliban takeover, the dam fell into disrepair and was poorly used, if at all.

The Taliban controlled the dam until last October. A Marine offensive took the dam and the area surrounding it. This allowed the Government of Afghanistan to begin receiving the benefit of the dam.

MG Toolan pointed out the the Afghan security force still need support in some critical area. Electronic intelligence gathering, logistics and battlefield health care are still lagging. He would also like to see a point in time when the police can transition from anti-terrorism duties to a more traditional role of law enforcement.

Regional Command – South West resources:

• NATO / ISAF site for RC-SW
• RC-SW WordPress site for news
• RC-SW on Facebook
• RC-SW photos on Flickr
• Digital content from RC-SW on DVIDS

Cpl. Tristan I. Hobson checks the trunk of a patrol car for supplies on Camp Foster March 28. Hobson saved a local community member's life on Camp Kinser Feb. 18 with the aid of an automated external defibrillator. Hobson is a military policeman with Headquarters and Service Battalion, Marine Corps Base Camp Butler. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Kasey Peacock

The life of a military policeman encompasses many different tasks. One might assume a typical day would include patrolling, issuing citations, interacting with service members, and making arrests.

What one may not assume is that MPs can be called for anything, at any time, sometimes even placing them first on scene at a medical emergency.

The morning of Feb. 18, Cpl. Tristan I. Hobson, a military policeman with Headquarters and Service Battalion, Marine Corps Base Camp Butler, Marine Corps Installations Pacific, received one of those calls.

When Hobson received the call that an employee at the Camp Kinser Mess Hall, had collapsed and was not breathing, he immediately shouted to his partner, Lance Cpl. Leonard J. Kim, that it was time to go. The two geared up for the unknown and later found out that the key to the victim’s survival lay unused in the trunk of Hobson’s patrol car.

“When I arrived on scene, I could tell immediately the victim was not breathing,” said Hobson. “I began conducting (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), but it wasn’t working.”

That is when Hobson grabbed an automated external defibrillator.

An AED is a portable electronic device that diagnoses potentially life-threatening cardiopulmonary conditions in a patient and guides the first responder through the life-saving process.

Hobson and his partner connected the AED to the victim and began following the instructions.

“I can remember the machine telling me to continue chest compressions and then telling me to administer the shock,” said Hobson. “At that time, I advised everyone to back away and did what I was supposed to do. I used the shock.”

After repeating this process for several minutes, emergency technicians arrived. Hobson had given the fifth shock, which restored the victim’s heart rhythm and proved to be the shock that saved her life.

“MPs are fully capable of responding to a crisis, and we are thankful for their training,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Jason M. Turgeon, a preventive medicine technician with Combat Logistics Regiment 37, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force. “It’s important for properly trained personnel to make sure the scene is safe and secure for the emergency medical providers.”

Military policemen conduct a variety of annual training scenarios refreshing their CPR and basic first-aid capabilities.

“Our MPs train for anything that could possibly be thrown at us,” said Staff Sgt. Thomas D. Sanford, a military policeman with the battalion. “Hobson and Kim showed great leadership skills by taking action and responding accordingly to the crisis.”

Hobson later found out from the victim’s brother, who was on the scene, that without his quick actions with the AED, she may not be here.

“When I heard the news that she was alive I was very relieved,” said Hobson. “I remember giving all that I had while performing CPR because I realized her life was at stake.”

Hobson responded to a similar situation a few months prior. These two incidents have proven this piece of equipment is vital for responding to life-threatening situations, according to Hobson.

Brig. Gen. Daniel D. Yoo, commanding general, Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego and the Western Recruiting Region, pins a Silver Star on Sgt. Phillip A. McCulloch Jr., drill instructor, Company M, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, during the morning colors ceremony aboard MCRD Feb 10.

While performing a route reconnaissance in the Sangin District, Afghanistan, Sgt. Phillip A. McCulloch Jr. and his squad heard an explosion off to the northeast as they were crossing the Helmand River.

Moments later, his team was ambushed by three machine gun positions and they took cover in the riverbank. The coming engagement resulted in McCulloch squad leader for 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 8, 2nd Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) Afghanistan, having to make many critical decisions to ensure the safe return of his 21-man team Jan. 8, 2011.

“I’ve always had aggressive leaders in charge of me who accepted nothing less than perfection,” said McCulloch, 23. “I never second-guessed myself.”

McCulloch personally led his squad on the counter-attack, even taking time to destroy an enemy fighting position with an AT-4 anti-armor weapon. His squad then forced them to fall back by maintaining constant pressure and by making use of their air support and indirect fire capabilities.

“I was just doing my job. I wanted to make sure my Marines were safe,” said McCulloch, who was born in Arizona but raised in Texas. “It was just another day on the job.”

Only after six hours of fighting and with his squad low on ammunition did he return to friendly lines.

During the engagement he was wounded in the leg while trying to draw fire to reunite his squad. For these actions, McCulloch was presented a Silver Star by Brig. Gen. Daniel D. Yoo, commanding general, MCRD San Diego and the Western Recruiting Region, during a morning colors ceremony aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego Feb. 10.

“He absolutely deserves that medal. He’ll probably see more medals like that in the future. His courage under fire is unwavering,” said First Sgt. Christopher M. Carlisle, company first sergeant, Company M, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion. “He’s the future of the Corps.”

The Silver Star is the third highest military decoration and can be awarded to service members who show extraordinary heroism in action against an enemy of the United States.

“He was one of my (private first classes) as a staff sergeant. He stood amongst his peers since day one, always striving for more information, always wanting to learn as much as he possibly could,” said Carlisle. “I saw he had natural leadership skills.”

Now, McCulloch is using his combat experience to train the next generation of Marines as a drill instructor for Company M, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion.

“I came down here to give back to the Marine Corps, as a drill instructor,” said McCulloch. “I think my combat leadership as a whole, not just that one day, has definitely impacted my leadership and the way I look at things and down here at MCRD as well.”

McCulloch has been a drill instructor at the depot since December 2011 and is in his first recruit training cycle.

“With this combat experience, maturity and understanding of the way the Marine Corps works, he is definitely a person I want in front of recruits,” said Carlisle.

Throughout his time in the Marine Corps McCulloch has proven he has what it takes to get the job done.

“His nickname was ‘Prodigy,’ he stood above his peers,” said Carlisle. “He really was made to be an infantry squad leader.”

Although McCulloch is the Marine being awarded, it’s his squad he would like to recognize for their actions.

“I don’t think I earned it. My Marines earned it,” said McCulloch. “I wish they could all have one. I recognize them. They definitely earned it in my eyes.”

By Lance Cpl. Eric Quintanilla
Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego
U.S. Marine Corps

Lance Cpl. Cody Goebel, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, marches in front of the colors during his Silver Star award ceremony, Dec. 14, 2011. Goebel was awarded the Silver Star for actions while he was in Afghanistan with 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. Goebel was shot in the neck while on post in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Ignoring his wound, he returned fire and refused medical attention until he was properly relieved. Goebel will return to Afghanistan next year with 2nd Battalion.

One moment he’s on guard duty, the next he’s on the ground bleeding. The Marine takes a moment to collect his thoughts, picks himself up despite the pain and knows he has a job to do.

Lance Cpl. Cody Goebel had taken a bullet to the neck while guarding a position vital to his squad’s defense while serving with 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

With an arterial wound to his neck, Goebel stood tall and refused medical aid until he was properly relieved and another Marine could man his position.

“I remembered to stay calm. I had been hit and now I needed to return fire,” said Goebel. “I wasn’t thinking about myself, I knew I had to defend my post and knew the other Marines were counting on me.”

Finally after seven minutes of fighting, a fellow squad member was able to relieve Goebel. Goebel went to find Petty Officer 3rd Class Alexander Federov, a Navy Corpsman assigned to the battalion.

“I immediately applied pressure to his wound,” said Federov, a close friend of Goebel’s. “It was all I really could do.”

“He was very coherent considering he had been bleeding for 10 minutes,” recalls Federov. “From a medical stand point he should have lost consciousness, but he was calm, joking and even singing.”

Goebel was successful because he stayed calm and remembered his training. His dedication was vital during his effort to repel the enemy attack.

Federov describes his friend as “the type of person who will make you smile in the worse of situations.”

“When you felt life couldn’t get any worse, he was always saying something goofy to lighten the mood,” said Federov.

His peers describe him as a humble, calm, brave and “great guy”. Now Goebel stands anxiously behind 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment’s formation to receive the Silver Star award for his actions in Afghanistan.

“I’m just nervous I won’t remember all the commands for the ceremony,” admits Goebel. His voice sounds calm, but he jokes that he’s more nervous about receiving the award then when he got shot.

Goebel is standing on 5th Marine’s parade deck, looking for his friend Federov 45 minutes later. In a couple months he’ll be back in Afghanistan, this time with 2nd Battalion, but right now relaxing is the only thing on his mind.

Goebel opens his award for a picture with a fellow Marine while standing on the parade deck. “Thank God he didn’t ask me to put it in my right hand,” jokes Goebel with a grin. “I’m just tired of shaking hands, it hurts after awhile.”

Goebel locates Federov across the parade deck and heads toward him, he’s clearly happy to be out of the limelight. His humility and calmness gets him through another day.

By Lance Cpl. Timothy J. Lenzo
1st Marine Division
U.S. Marine Corps

A Marine from 2nd Platoon, Alpha Company, 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, uses a metal detector to sweep a culvert during a route reconnaissance mission of Route Red, which extends from Highway 1 to Shir Ghazay, Jan. 2. The purpose of the mission was to document inclines and declines in the route, sharpness of curves, the shortest width during the route, and where culverts were located or needed to be placed on the route to prevent wash out. Photo by Cpl. Meredith Brown

Marine engineers with 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward) have nearly completed two major route construction and improvement projects in Helmand province.

As of Jan. 3, elements of the Okinawa, Japan-based 9th Engineer Support Battalion completed the road surfacing phases of Routes Red and 611, which each provide north and south passage on their respective sides of the Helmand River. Additional measures are now being put into place over the course of the next month to ensure their permanence, while also marking total project completion.

“We’ll continue minor improvements along both routes, including culvert emplacements,” said Capt. Christopher Kaprielian, a native of San Mateo, Calif., and operations officer for 9th ESB.

The installation of culverts, Kaprielian explained, will allow for proper drainage of rain water, thus preventing the roadways from simply washing away.

Two Marines from 2nd Platoon, Alpha Company, 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, use a metal detector to sweep a culvert during a route reconnaissance mission of Route Red, which extends from Highway 1 to Shir Ghazay, Jan. 3. The purpose of the mission was to document inclines and declines in the route, sharpness of curves, the shortest width during the route, and where culverts were located or needed to be placed on the route to prevent wash out. Photo by Cpl. Meredith Brown

Work on the routes began last year with 9th ESB’s predecessors, the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif.-based 7th ESB, which completed nearly half of the work before going home in late November.

“A lot of cross coordination was involved,” said Kaprielian. “The combined effort was truly unique.”

In terms of Route Red alone, he noted expert integration across the Marine Air-Ground Task Force to secure the volatile region through which Route Red intersects. Support from Regimental Combat Teams 6 and 8 was especially critical in allowing the engineers to continue construction efforts.

The enhanced roads are essential to International Security Assistance Force operations, and perhaps most importantly, the livelihoods of Afghan locals in the region due to the proximity of the routes to several major population centers. Safe roadways will present a viable means of transportation and facilitate economic expansion well into the future.

Route Red connects Gereshk and Shir Ghazay, while Route 611 serves as the main thoroughfare through the Sangin and Kajaki Districts.

Not unlike Route Red, the region through which 611 traces was also a hotbed for insurgent activity. Operation Eastern Storm, a major offensive spearheaded by the Marines of 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, launched last October to secure the Upper Sangin Valley from the Taliban-led insurgency. The secured and improved route will now allow ground convoys to deliver equipment and parts required to install a third turbine at the Kajaki Dam, located northeast of the village of Kajaki.

The dam was built in 1953, and according to the United States Agency for International Development, the additional turbine is part of an ongoing project to bring more reliable power and irrigation to the region. Once operational, this enhancement will improve energy distribution through Helmand and Kandahar provinces.

Story by Sgt. Justin Shemanski
DVIDS

New York native Staff Sgt. Vanessa Parrish, assistant supply chief for 2nd Marine Division (Forward), holds a photo of her with her husband and son. Parrish’s husband, Staff Sgt. Timothy Parrish, is also a deployed Marine, and their son stays with her sister. Parrish said communication with her son is the key to keeping their relationship strong. Photo by Cpl. Jeff Drew

Her family arrived in the United States from San Cristobal in the Dominican Republic more than 28 years ago. She grew up as the second youngest in a family of eight children. Her mother, with four children, married her step-father, also with four children, and they lived as a modern-day Brady Bunch. They loved having large Dominican meals and dancing. It was never a dull moment in their three-bedroom New York City apartment.

“It was loud; it was fun; there were always a lot of people around – you could never be bored,” said Staff Sgt. Vanessa Parrish, the assistant supply chief for 2nd Marine Division (Forward). “Every holiday is always a lot of fun; any excuse to have a party — birthdays, Christmas, Thanksgiving, whatever – we’re always trying to have fun.”

The resilient bond Parrish built with her family at a young age endures, providing strength to her as a Marine currently deployed to Afghanistan. Parrish, the mother of a four-year-old, knows well the sacrifice of giving up priceless time with loved ones to serve her country.

“The hardest part of deployment is being away from your family,” said Parrish. “Not being able to be with my son is very hard. As a mother you want to spend every second with your child, but I had to leave him with one of my sisters.”

Being a deployed mother and having to leave her son is difficult, but another challenge she faces daily is the fact her husband, Staff Sgt. Timothy Parrish, is also deployed to Afghanistan as a supply chief with 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment. Parrish explained that in the case of a dual-military household such as hers, communication is the key when keeping in touch with family back in the United States.

“You have to send constant e-mails – because of the time difference you can’t just always pick up the phone, and sometimes the lines don’t work,” said Parrish, a 2000 A. Philip Randolph High School graduate. “My husband is with (an infantry unit) and out in the battle space, so whenever he gets a chance to communicate, he sends an e-mail to let the family know everything is alright. It can be just a one-liner, just to let them know. It doesn’t seem like much, but it means a lot.”

Parrish said she knows being absent for those big moments in a child’s life, like the first day of school, is important, but may be difficult for deployed service members to be a part of. For the moments she can’t be there, Parrish has her sister e-mail pictures.

Parrish said, “It doesn’t matter (what it is); it can be pictures of him playing in the park or going to the carnival. I’d like to see him every day, but I can’t so I ask for a picture every week, and it doesn’t seem like I’m missing as much.”

She displays the photos near her desk and in her room as a way of keeping her family near.

Parrish’ situation as a dual-military household is not unique among military members, but it is also not overly common in the Marine Corps. The Marines she works with said they appreciate the challenges Parrish faces and are very supportive.

“I’ve never had a Marine work under me (who was part of) a dual-military family,” said Baltimore native Gunnery Sgt. Bryan J. Alberts, the supply chief for 2nd Marine Division (Forward). “Being a parent myself, it’s hard (being away) from my civilian wife, but being dual military must be really hard, especially with both of them deployed. I think she deals with it very well. She’s very patient; I see pictures and they communicate all the time.”

Parrish is nearly two-thirds of the way through a year-long deployment, and although she must be away from her son, she is thankful for all the opportunities and benefits the Marine Corps has provided her family.

“I’d like to stay in the Marine Corps,” said Parrish. “I’ve met a lot of wonderful people, and I’m hoping to make a career out of it and retire at 20 or 30 years.”

Story by Cpl. Jeff Drew
DVIDS

The Devil Dog Derby Dames roller derby league played its quarterly bout at the gymnasium here Sept. 24 to keep their competitive edge.

The league, which was created a year ago, is made up of status of forces agreement personnel and service members, and boasts two teams, the Machine Gun Mollies and the Blitzkrieg Betties.

The league has a month-long training evolution, called the “dog pound,” where participants learn proper sportsmanship and the safety rules of roller derby.

“The dog pound lasts about a month and trains the girls in roller derby,” said Alisa Helin, a skater for the Blitzkrieg Betties. “It starts with the basics of how to roller skate and teaches players the rules of the sport.”

Roller derby is a contact sport, so the rules must be followed or players can easily be hurt.

“We wear protective gear from head to toe,” said Erica Kelcinski, the assistant captain of the Blitzkrieg Betties. “We wear a helmet, mouth piece, elbow pads, gloves and knee pads to help prevent injuries.”

In addition to the protective gear, there are strict rules regarding good sportsmanship that keep the competitors playing fair.

“It’s a very aggressive sport,” said Nikki Hacker, the main pivot for the Machine Gun Mollies. “You can’t push opponents with your hands; you can only use your hips and shoulders, and it must come from the front.”

There are three different types of skaters, and all are identified by their helmets.

There is a jammer, who is identified by a star on her helmet. This player scores points by completing laps around the track. There are three blockers who form a wall, so the opposing team is unable to pass through. The pivot, identified by a stripe down the center of her helmet, clears the path for the jammer to get through the pack of blockers.

Even though the sport is naturally aggressive, the members of the league still operate as a family-oriented team.

“What happens on the rink stays on the rink,” said Hacker. “We are all very aggressive and competitive, but after the jams, we all hang out. It’s almost like a sisterhood.”

A “jam” is the term roller derby uses instead of game.

The newly established league plays every three months, using the off months in between to recover.

“(The derby) is a new concept on island,” said Kelcinski. “We are always looking for more girls to come out and join the team.”

For more information on the Devil Dog Derby Dames, visit devildogderbydames.com or look for the team on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Devil-Dog-Derby-Dames/158946617476048

Story by Lance Cpl. Alyssa Hoffacker
DVIDS

“She’s aggressive and compassionate, she doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer, and if she runs into a roadblock she finds a way around it,” said Herndon, Va., native Petty Officer 1st Class Richard Martinez, the leading petty officer with 2nd Marine Division (Forward) surgeon’s office. “She takes very good care of her subordinates [and] tries to keep us laughing.”

Lima, Ohio, native Petty Officer 2nd Class Jesse Waterfield, a corpsman with 2nd Marine Division (Forward), knows the seriousness and importance of her job. She is responsible not only for the welfare of the junior sailors within her care, but also for tracking all Marines and sailors in Southwest Afghanistan who are involved in blasts and those who have sustained concussions throughout her year-long deployment.

“If you suffer a concussion, then your brain needs to take a time-out in order to heal itself,” said 33-year-old Martinez. “If we catch a Marine who’s had a concussion early enough and we prevent him from getting further concussions, then we can help him get back to the fight. If we don’t, then that minor traumatic brain injury could turn into a full TBI, and that’s when you see the memory loss, amnesia and anger issues.”

During the summer months, an increase in insurgent activity and improvised explosive device placement leads to a higher rate of concussions. Waterfield tracked several hundred service members involved in blasts in June alone, of which a relatively small percentage had concussions. She is the lone corpsman in charge of tracking concussions within her section and has only 72 hours from the time of the blast to coordinate with the Marine’s or sailor’s unit and report the information to Marine Corps Forces Central Command. Waterfield said it isn’t the short timelines or the busy workdays, however, that are most challenging, rather it can often be difficult to watch the events unfold through reports on a computer.

“It’s tough to let go of things,” said Waterfield. “I can watch the events happen [through the reports] and there’s not really anything I can do while the Marines are out there. We do our work here so they can go back, but watching and not being able to physically do much is the hardest part.”

The 28-year-old woman has a personal connection to the Marines in the fight as well, as her husband is also a Navy corpsman who returned from a deployment with 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, October 2010.

“Seeing the events take place day-in and day-out and seeing the things my husband went through when he was here with [an infantry battalion] makes me realize just how precious life is,” she explained.

Waterfield’s desire to ensure service members get the care they need begins with the units providing information for her to track the members’ status. The injured count on her to make sure she gets the information she needs to track their cases and she doesn’t disappoint, overcoming all challenges in her way.

This tenacity has followed her outside the office and into the martial arts tent as well. There she spends some afternoons increasing her knowledge in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program and taking a break from the stressors of the day. She’s taken the initiative to attain four out of the five belts and continues to work hard to achieve the coveted black belt.

“She has the dedication, motivation and willingness to learn,” said Chicago native Sgt. Quinton King, a MCMAP instructor with 2nd Marine Division (Forward). “It’s [great] to have a corpsman go from very little martial arts training and stick with it the way she has.”

Waterfield’s dedication in and out of the office makes her a tremendous asset to her section.

“She’s an outstanding sailor and professional,” said Martinez. “She jumps on every task, stays late if she needs to, and is all about mission accomplishment and taking care of the Marines.”

Photos and story by Cpl. Jeff Drew
DVIDS

Lt. Col. Alison Thompson stands beside a CH-53E Super Stallion just before a mission in the early morning hours of Sept. 10, 2011. Thompson, the commanding officer of Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 464, served as a CH-53E pilot with Task Force 58 during the initial invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. Now Thompson is back in the region as the first woman to command a Marine squadron in Afghanistan. Photo by Cpl. Brian Adam Jones

It’s Sept. 12, 2001. The wreckage from the attacks the day before still smolders. An aircraft carrier with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit lies off the eastern shore of the United States.

Several CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters with engines running rest on the deck. The flight lead is a young Marine captain, Alison Thompson. Her freckles and biting blue eyes are veiled by her visor and flight helmet.

She wants to take off.

“We had six 53s turning on the line. I kept calling to get clearance,” Thompson said. “The plan was we’d load supplies, embark the MEU, go up to New York City, provide any support they needed with our helicopters and go straight over [to the Middle East] from there. I kept calling for clearance to take off and at that point all aviation was grounded, civilian and military.”

The mission was ultimately called off. According to Thompson, Rudy Giuliani, then mayor of New York, thought a visible military presence might instill panic among the people.

The day before, Thompson was at home in Jacksonville, N.C., asleep when the phone rang. It was her dad. She sprinted downstairs and turned on the T.V. just in time to see the second tower get hit.

A few short months later, 9,000 miles away, the 53s are once again on the deck of the ship, turning on the line and Thompson is once again in the pilot’s seat.

This time they’re cleared for take-off. This time they will push into Afghanistan.

The Marines entered Afghanistan, some riding in Thompson’s helicopter. They took Camp Rhino and Kandahar Airfield, then pushed north into the Tora Bora mountains, continuing to seek out the enemy.

Ten years later it’s September 2011 and Alison Thompson is back in Afghanistan. Now she’s a lieutenant colonel at the helm of a new mission – commanding Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 464. As the first woman to command a squadron in combat, she leads the only CH-53E squadron in the region.

Thompson’s experiences over the course of her career have prepared her for command. She spent time as a military legislative assistant for former North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole, served as an aide for the Deputy Marine Corps Commandant for Aviation and returned to HMH-464 as the operations officer.

But she said her most cherished experiences came in 2001.

“I felt very fortunate to be where I was when I was,” Thompson said. “It was very expeditionary, a lot of tough terrain, a lot of unconventional things we were doing.”

“It was a strange period, kind of eerie. It was exciting too,” said Lt. Col. Pete Gadd, commanding officer of HMH-463, a CH-53D Sea Stallion squadron adjacent to HMH-464 on the Camp Bastion flightline. As a major, Gadd was part of the CH-53E detachment with Thompson in 2001 and accompanied her on many of the missions. “It was the Wild, Wild West back then. We operated out of a lot of mud huts and thatched rooms.”

“She was a great pilot back then, she’s a great pilot now.” said Maj. Dennis W. Sampson.

Sampson, a CH-53D pilot with HMH-463, and the squadron’s operations officer, also participated in the initial invasion, flying some of the first missions in Afghanistan a decade ago.

“We did a lot of raids and take-downs. She was our tactics officer and it was vital for us to be able to follow her lead back then,” Sampson said.

Now Thompson leads several hundred Marines and sailors – pilots, crew chiefs and aircraft maintainers, among others.

“She’s going to do great things in Afghanistan,” Gadd said. “HMH-464 is in great hands.”

“I just want the opportunity to make a difference,” Thompson said, “whether it be tactically or with the individual Marines. From a unit standpoint I take care of them so they’re not fighting internal friction so they can focus on their job.”

Thompson grew up in Michigan, Nebraska and Kansas wanting to be a pilot but never imagining being a Marine. When she attended the Naval Academy women were not allowed to serve in combat in aviation.

“It just so happened that three weeks before I had to service select at the Naval Academy and I had to decide what I was going to do, congress lifted the combat exclusion,” Thompson said.

As one of the first women to pilot a Marine aircraft, and now as the first woman to command a squadron in combat, she said the feeling is the same – don’t mess it up.

“She’s a great leader,” Sampson said. “She’s got great strategic and tactical experience but more importantly, she cares passionately about her Marines and providing support for the Marines on the battlefield.”

Story by Cpl. Brian Adam Jones
DVIDS

Female Engagement Team 13 member Lance Cpl. Jacqueline Veres smiles as she gives a backpack full of school supplies to an Afghan girl at the closing of the Sangin Youth Outreach Shura at Forward Operating Base Jackson, Aug 17. With a literacy rate of seven percent in Sangin, District Governor Mohammad Sherrif has recognized the need for education here. Through his outreach shuras to the community he impresses on the people the need for the children of Sangin to become educated so one day they will be able to assume leadership roles within the up and coming Sangin government. Sherrif realizes and tells the people “children are the future of Sangin.” Veres is from Canton, Ga.

More than 85 children from around Sangin attended the Sangin Youth Outreach Shura held by Female Engagement Teams assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, at Forward Operating Base Jackson, Aug. 17.

“It is important to work with the youth of Sangin because just like the kids in the U.S., they want to grow up to be something,” said Sgt. Juanita Towns, the FET 13 team leader. “So it is just best that we try to start them off on the right path at a young age vice letting them join the (insurgency) now.”

When on patrol with the battalion’s infantry squads the team members spread the word about the youth shuras and have recently had Afghan Uniformed Police officers help them in their endeavor to reach out to the children of Sangin.

The children, ages 1-14, were split into three groups in which they participated in age-appropriate informative stations and activities. This enabled the FETs to reach out to each age group more effectively, and is modeled after the cultural breakdown the children often gravitate towards on their own.

“It’s the first activity in Sangin for the kids, focused on the kids,” said FET member Lance Cpl. Jacqueline Veres. “So we are just trying to get them to see that we are here to help them, they can come to us and they can trust us.”

“The first one we had was a hygiene shura. The shura that we just had was a healthcare, education and activities shura,” said Towns, a Richmond, Va., native. “They played soccer, they did their time tables and the smaller kids just played with educational toys.”

With a literacy rate of seven percent in Sangin, District Governor Mohammad Sherrif has recognized the need for education here. Through his outreach shuras to the community he impresses on the people the need for the children of Sangin to become educated so one day they will be able to assume leadership roles within the up and coming Sangin government. Sherrif realizes and tells the people “children are the future of Sangin.”

“Children are the innocent ones in most cases,” said Towns, a parent herself. “If they are not educated there is just a repetitive cycle of insurgency and drugs. If you educate them when they are small there is an opportunity for them to be better than that and do positive things.”

Until last year, these children had not been afforded opportunities to break the trend and reach new levels. However teaching children how to do this is a challenging task since they lack the focus levels of adults. So the team had to mix things up to captivate their young audience and keep them interested in the shura.

“We know that they have a short attention span and if we talk to them for an hour like we do with the women then we are not going to get anything accomplished,” explained Towns. “If we have different activities and different things for them to do, they are going to participate, we are going to hold their attention longer and they are going to come back.”

Sometimes when the children do come back to the gates of the base they are looking for free hand outs and naturally are not interested in discussion of long term solutions. Other times the children show up wanting just to spend time with the teams. This requires the engagement teams to improvise and make the best of each situation.

“Even in between shuras we go to the gate and have 20 to 30 kids wanting to just come and talk to us,” said Veres a Canton, Ga., native. “We don’t really have anything planned sometimes, but we will just sit down and hold a mini-shura.”

The youth shuras in Sangin will continue to further expand their horizons to a new way of life that breaks the trend that plagues the region. In short, the activities give the youth something better, which is important to developing and educating the next generation of citizens and leaders in Sangin.

Youth shuras take place in several locations across Helmand province including the districts of Musa Qal’eh, Now Zad, Garmsir and Marjah.

“I think as soon as we stop having youth shuras we will see more insurgent activity, because we have actually given them something to look forward to every two weeks,” said Towns. “If they didn’t have that outreach on life then they would just do something bad that we are not ready to take the fall for.”

First Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, is currently assigned to Regimental Combat Team 8, 2nd Marine Division (Forward), which heads Task Force Leatherneck. The task force serves as the ground combat element of Regional Command (Southwest) and works in partnership with the Afghan National Security Forces and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to conduct counterinsurgency operations. The unit is dedicated to securing the Afghan people, defeating insurgent forces, and enabling ANSF assumption of security responsibilities within its area of operations in order to support the expansion of stability, development and legitimate governance.

Story by Cpl. Benjamin Crilly
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San Francisco Earthquake of 1906: Stockton Street from Union Square, looking toward Market Street. ARC Identifier: 524403 NARA National Archives and Records Administration. Photographer: Chadwick, H. D. US Gov War Department. Office of the Chief Signal Officer.

In 1906, Marines were more than the first to fight. They were first to fight fires, rescue earthquake victims and restore order.

The Bay area’s military ran toward the fray, working to secure the fractured city, quench fires and save lives. Reports filed by Navy and Army officials after the earthquake testified to the military’s response when the earth shifted and one of the greatest natural disasters struck.

The San Andreas fault groaned to life about 5:15 a.m. on Apr. 18, 1906. Among the immediate damages were toppled buildings, ripped open cobblestone streets and wounded and dead citizens across the hilly city. Worse yet, gas lines burst open and raging fires. Water mains also burst, hampering the city’s firefighters in their task to fight the blaze. The city’s fire chief sent the urgent request for military assistance to U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Frederick Funston, the ranking military authority in the area. He promptly sent word back to the city’s mayor troops would assist. Although martial law was never declared, Marines were among the soldiers and sailors who mobilized across the city.

Lt. Col. Lincoln Karmany was the commanding officer of the Marine Detachment on Mare Island and Capt. Arthur T. Matrix commanded the Marine Barracks Naval Training Station San Francisco. Together they organized their Marines to restore order and being firefighting operations.

According to a 2006 article in “Prologue” by Rebecca Livingston, Marines from USS Independence and recruits from the Marine Barracks at Mare Island arrived landed ashore within three hours after the earthquake struck. From letters collected at the time, their performance was admirable.

Arthur H. Dutton was the editor of the San Francisco News Letter and a member of the Press Club of San Francisco. In a letter to Navy Rear Adm. Bowman H., McCalla, now part of the collection of the Museum of the City of San Francisco, he praised the Marines’ actions, noting their discipline.

“I was at Fort Mason when the Marines arrived, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Lincoln Karmany,” Dutton wrote in his letter. “I have been much in contact with troops, both American and foreign, but I never saw a finer looking, better disciplined body of men. From the moment of their arrival, the Marines performed their duties like clock-work. Stoves were up, coffee being made and served out, latrines built, prisoners guarded, refugees succored, and everything else done to meet the situation,–and all quietly, methodically and thoroughly.”

Accounts of Dutton’s letter were reported May 8, 1906 in the New York Times.

The accounts of Marines in action after the 1906 earthquake were reported by Navy Lt. Frederick N. Freeman, stationed aboard the torpedo boat destroyer, USS Perry. The ship was moored at Mare Island when the quake struck. Freeman organized firefighting parties and patrols for security in the city, which was rapidly deteriorating.

“My force was unarmed with the exception of the officers, who carried revolvers; and the police, of whom I only saw two, were absolutely helpless,” Freeman stated in his report. “The crowds rushed saloon after saloon and looted the stocks becoming intoxicated early in the day.”

Freeman was infuriated with locals who took advantage of the situation. The scene was grim, he stated. Women and children needed rescuing in the Rincon Hill neighborhood after the fire swept through in less than a half hour. Even more infuriating, he said, were men who refused to aid “old and crippled men and women,” and refused to work for nothing less than 40 cents an hour.

But with a few Marines, Freeman started to clean up the waterfront.

He wrote, “I instructed First Lieutenant Smith, U.S.M.C, who had been in charge of a small squad of five men from the Active, to organize a patrol for the waterfront. This he did with excellent results, stopping all looting along the water front, closing all saloons, and assisting the relief work along the waterfront.

It wasn’t all security patrols. Marines were battling blazes, too.

“The fire would have been communicated by a number of coal sheds and cooper-shops,” Freeman reported. “A detachment of Marines at this time made its appearance, on their way back to Fort Mason, under command of Lieut. [sic] Brewster, U.S.M.C., and gave valuable aid in impressing men to assist the firefighters. About three hundred men were impressed into the service, and soon reduced the buildings under the lee of the burning houses on Telegraph Hill to ruins pulling down fences, removing fuel, etc., and when the fire did get through it was easily extinguished with one stream of water.”

Freeman singled one Marine out, Pvt. William P. Burton for his actions. It was likely that Burton particularly enjoyed his work. Burton was noted for his ability to demolish things with dynamite in order to reduce the inferno.

“He was cool and collected and possessed of great bravery, and I recommend that he be commended for his zeal and skill,” Freeman stated.

It wasn’t just Burton who stood out among the Marine contingent. Livingston’s Prologue article singled out 1st Lt. Fred. A. Udell, who was a patient at the Mare Island Naval Hospital suffering from a kidney disease. When the earthquake struck, he climbed out of his sick bed and fought fires for two days, rescued people and even guarded a bank from looters. Only when the control was restored did he climb back into his bed. His suffering was bad enough that he was medically retired later that year.

The earthquake even came a chance for one Marine to redeem himself. Livingston also wrote about 2nd Lt. John H. White, who was a courts-martial prisoner at Mare Island Marine Barracks. He was in pre-trial confinement for public drunkenness and profane language. When the quake hit, he was pressed into service. He performed so admirably, in fact, his charges were dropped on April 21, just days after the crisis hit. He didn’t get off completely unscathed though.

Livingston wrote, “He received a stern letter that warned him not to take advantage of the situation and that further drunkenness would not be tolerated.”

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2nd Lt. Joel Steele, rifle platoon commander for 3rd Battalion 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, gives a welcome aboard orientation to the Marines of 3/5 upon arrival to Tonga. Photo by Cpl. Salvador R. Moreno

Approximately 60 Marines and sailors from 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, arrived in the Kingdom of Tonga for Exercise Tafakula 2011, Aug. 9.

The multilateral exercise between the U.S. Marines, Tongan Defense Service and French Armed Forces, New Caledonia will increase joint operations and improve U.S. military-to-military relations with foreign services.

The three services are expected to share tactics and procedures while conducting operations in unfamiliar terrain.

“The majority of it will take place in and around Camp Taliai,” said 2nd Lt. Joel Steele, rifle platoon commander for 3/5. “It really benefits us with interoperability piece and the ability to get out here in a new location with new people and conduct our training.”

Tonga, coined as the “friendly islands” since Capt. James Cook first visited in 1773, is located in the South Pacific Ocean and consists of more than 150 islands, 30 of which are inhabited.

The TDS greeted the Marines and sailors with a warm welcome followed by a quick orientation of the base and customs and courtesies.

“They are an amazing people,” Steele said. “They have been absolutely great so far and are very gracious hosts.”

The Marines, sailors and soldiers of all three militaries will use multiple training areas to conduct fire team, squad and platoon level operations in the upcoming weeks.

The joint exercise is slated to begin with an opening ceremony, Aug. 10, and conclude Aug. 29.

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Story by Cpl. Salvador R. Moreno

Families cheer on baby competitors during the Marine Corps Community Services' Diaper Derby at Camp Pendleton's Mainside shopping center, Aug. 13. During the Diaper Derby, infants between the ages of 6 months and 1 year competed in a 10-foot race to the finish for the chance to win a free box of diapers and a Marine Corps Exchange gift card. Photo by Cpl. Damien Gutierrez

More than 20 babies traded in their bibs and bottles for running shoes during the Marine Corps Community Services Diaper Derby at Camp Pendleton’s Mainside shopping center, Aug. 13.

During the Diaper Derby, infants between the ages of 6 months and 1 year competed in a 10-foot race to the finish for the chance to win a free box of diapers and a Marine Corps Exchange gift card.

Before the first whistle blew, parents of each competitor held their babies at the starting line. The other parent waited at the end and urged the crawler to come holding favorite stuffed animals or bottles and binkies—anything to persuade the baby athletes to cross the finish line.

“This was absolutely a blast,” said Leslie McNeil, mother of a baby competitor. “[Marine Corps Community Services] puts on so many events for the families here on base. It’s just really great to be a part of an event intended for our families’ littlest members.”

The winners of this year’s Diaper Derby were, 7-month-old Gunnar Kaneta; 8-month-old Bently Koenneker; 10-month-old Jesse Jones and 9-month-old Logan Jones.

“All the babies did outstanding,” said Staff Sgt. Tom Parsons, an ordnance maintainer with 1st Combat Logistics Regiment 15, 1st Marine Logistics Group. “It’s safe to say that our competitive nature as Marines has been passed down to our kids.”

Just as everyone thought the competition was over, the parents were called to the stage to participate in an apple juice drinking contest out of a bottle. The winners took home MCX gift cards.

“It was so fun seeing the parents get involved in the contest,” said McNeil. “This event was something the whole family could enjoy.”

Although very many tears were shed, each competitor left with a free T-shirt and toy to show that even though they did not finish first, they were all still winners.

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Story by Cpl. Damien Gutierrez

Sgt. -then Cpl.- Dakota Meyer while deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Ganjgal Village, Kunar province, Afghanistan. Meyer will be receiving the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for valor, from President Barack Obama in Washington, Sept. 15, making him the first living Marine recipient since the Vietnam War. Meyer was assigned to Embedded Training Team 2-8 advising the Afghan National Army in the eastern provinces bordering Pakistan. He will be awarded for heroic actions in Ganjgal, Afghanistan, Sept. 8, 2009.

Removed from an ambushed platoon of Marines and soldiers in a remote Afghan village on Sept. 8, 2009, his reality viciously shaken by an onslaught of enemy fighters, Cpl. Dakota Meyer simply reacted as he knew best — tackling what he called “extraordinary circumstances” by “doing the right thing … whatever it takes.”

Nearly two years later, the White House announced Aug. 12, 2011, the 23-year-old Marine scout sniper from Columbia, Ky., who has since left the Marine Corps, will become the first living Marine to be awarded the Medal of Honor in 38 years. Retired Sgt. Maj. Allan Kellogg, Jr. received the medal in 1973 for gallantry in Vietnam three years earlier.

Meyer is the second Marine to receive the medal for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan. Cpl. Jason Dunham was awarded the medal posthumously for covering a grenade with his body to save two Marines in Iraq in 2004. President Barack Obama will present the award to Meyer at the White House, Sept. 15.

“The award honors the men who gave their lives that day, and the men who were in that fight,” Meyer said. “I didn’t do anything more than any other Marine would. I was put in an extraordinary circumstance, and I just did my job.”

Though bleeding from shrapnel wounds in his right arm, Meyer, aided by fellow Marines and Army advisors from Embedded Training Team 2-8, braved a vicious hail of enemy machine-gun and rocket-propelled grenade fire in the village of Ganjgal to help rescue and evacuate more than 15 wounded Afghan soldiers, and recover the bodies of four fallen fighters — 1st Lt. Michael Johnson, Gunnery Sgts. Aaron Kenefick and Edwin Johnson Jr., and Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class James Layton.

ETT advisor Army Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Westbrook died at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C., Oct. 7, 2009, from wounds sustained in the firefight.

Meyer charged through the battle zone five times to recover the dead Marines and injured Afghan soldiers, risking his life even when a medical evacuation helicopter wouldn’t land because of the blazing gunfire.

“There’s not a day — not a second that goes by where I don’t think about what happened that day,” Meyer said. “I didn’t just lose four Marines that day; I lost four brothers.”

Sgt. Dakota Meyer with a DShK machine gun.

Author Bing West, a retired Marine infantry officer and combat veteran of Vietnam, detailed Meyer’s actions in the battle in “The Wrong War,” and praised Meyer for taking command of the battle as a corporal — the most junior advisor in this firefight.

West said Meyer should have been killed, but he dominated the battlefield by fearlessly exposing himself to danger and pumping rifle and machine gun rounds into the enemy fighters.

“When you leave the perimeter, you don’t know what’s going to happen, regardless of what war you’re fighting in,” Kellogg, who lives in Kailua, Hawaii, said. “Once you get to a point where you make the decision — ‘I’m probably going to die, so let the party begin’ — once you say in your mind you aren’t getting out of there, you fight harder and harder.”

Beginning his career with the same regiment from which Kellogg retired in 1990, Meyer deployed with 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, to Fallujah, Iraq, in 2007, and earned a meritorious promotion to corporal in late 2008 after returning from the deployment.

Before leaving for Iraq, Meyer completed the Marine Corps’ 10-week Scout Sniper Basic Course, and committed himself to preparing himself and his snipers for combat. They attended lifesaving classes taught by Navy corpsmen and honed their skills with myriad weapons systems, such as light machine guns. Meyer also spent time in his battalion’s communications section learning how to call for mortar and artillery fire.

“I devoted my whole life to making the best snipers in the Marine Corps,” Meyer said. “They’re a direct reflection of your leadership. If you fail them in training, it could get them killed on the battlefield.”

In February 2009, Meyer volunteered to deploy to Afghanistan’s dangerous Kunar province and mentor Afghan soldiers as part of an embedded training team, the type of role usually filled by U.S. Special Forces.

“A Marine who seeks the challenge of joining his unit’s scout sniper platoon has to have a lot of drive and determination,” said Col. Nathan Nastase, commanding officer of 3rd Marine Regiment and formerly Meyer’s battalion commander at 3/3. “Being assigned to the ETT was a huge vote of confidence in his abilities.”

Meyer deployed to Afghanistan on the ETT in July 2009.

“Our mission was to help prepare the Afghans to take over their own country and provide security for themselves,” Meyer said. “ETTs make a huge impact on the outcome of the war.”

In Kunar province, Meyer and another ETT advisor would lead squads of 15 Afghan soldiers on patrols. Since he could speak Pashto, the local language, so well, Meyer often separated from the element with his Afghan trainees.

When his patrol fought to rescue another from an ambush Sept. 8, 2009, Meyer’s focus on advising gave way to surviving, and on what he had to do to keep himself and his men alive.

“I lost a lot of Afghans that day,” Meyer said. “And I’ll tell you right now — they were just as close to me as those Marines were. At the end of the day, I don’t care if they’re Afghans, Iraqis, Marines or Army; it didn’t matter. They’re in the same shit you are, and they want to go home and see their family just as bad as you do.”

Thrown into unimaginable circumstances, Meyer said the Afghan soldiers and his sniper training “saved my life” during the battle.

Jacody Downey is a close friend of Meyer’s from Kentucky. He’s seen his friend grow from a fun-loving “jokester” in high school to a driven Marine who deeply respected both elders and subordinates.

“Dakota has always cared more about others than he does himself,” Downey said. “Even if he’s not with his Marines now, he’s still constantly thinking about them, worrying about them and calling to check on them. He still considers them brothers.”

Cpl. David Hawkins grew as a Marine under Meyer’s leadership in 3/3’s Scout Sniper Platoon.

“Meyer was an ideal leader,” Hawkins, from Parker, Colo., said. “He knew everything about the Marines underneath him — how they’d respond to every situation, not only on a Marine Corps level but also on a personal level.”

Hawkins said he was deeply humbled by Meyer’s concern as a friend, especially after being injured in Afghanistan last year. Hawkins was severely wounded by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan Sept. 24, 2010. Four days later, he lay static in a stark hospital room, riddled with shrapnel. After groggily emerging from anesthesia into a blurry reality, Hawkins’ phone rang — the first call from a friend. Without fail, Meyer’s jovial drawl broke through the speaker.

“In the Marine Corps, you always hear that if something’s broke, you’ve got to work to fix it, but you never really see the Marine who does it,” Hawkins said. “Meyer is that Marine. If he had something to say, he’d say it, and he wasn’t really afraid of repercussions for what he said. If it needed to be changed, he changed it.”

Hearing his friend would receive the Medal of Honor didn’t surprise Hawkins. In light of the “character” and “country boy” Hawkins knows, Meyer’s actions were simply the manifestation of how he lived and led.

“Meyer was destined for the Medal of Honor,” Hawkins said. “If you got to work with him, you’d see it.”

At the conclusion of his speech to 350 faculty and staff in Green County High School, Greensburg, Ky., Dakota Meyer, 23, watches them as they leave, Aug. 3. Photo by Sgt. James SheaSmall RSS Icon

Meyer completed his tour on active duty last June. He went home to Kentucky, where he’s found purpose working with his hands in a family business.

“Pouring concrete is kind of like the Marine Corps,” Meyer said. “When you wake up in the morning, you’ve got a job … like a mission. There’s no set standard on how to do things, but you just have to go out there, make decisions and get it done — and that’s like the challenge of the Marine Corps. Once you’re satisfied with what you’ve done, you stop getting better.”

Meyer is the 86th living Medal of Honor recipient, and he joins a small, elite group of heroes, a reality that will often require him to conjure up haunting reminders of the battles he has fought, the friends he has lost and the painful regret he bears.

“I’m not a hero, by any means — I’m a Marine, that’s what I am,” he said. “The heroes are the men and women still serving, and the guys who gave their lives for their country. At the end of the day, I went in there to do the right thing … and it all boils down to doing the right thing … whatever it takes. All those things we learn stick in your head, and when you live by it, that’s the Marine way.”

Though Meyer will receive the Medal of Honor for what he did in Ganjgal, he insists he will wear the five-pointed medallion and blue silk ribbon to honor his fallen brothers, their families and his fellow Marines.

“Being a Marine is a way of life,” Meyer said. “It isn’t just a word, and it’s not just about the uniform — it’s about brotherhood. Brotherhood means that when you turn around, they’re there, through thick and thin. If you can’t take care of your brothers, what can you do in life?”

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Story by Cpl. Reece Lodder

Sgt. Nicholas Maugeri, squad leader with Company A, Anti-Terrorism Battalion, teams up with Georgian soldiers to conduct Military Operations in an Urban Terrain training July 19 during Exercise Agile Spirit 2011. Photo by Cpl. Nana Dannsaappiah

Georgian soldiers can be found fighting alongside U.S. Marines on the frontlines of the Afghanistan. But to ensure both parties work well together on the battlefield requires practice conducted on the training grounds.

Marines from Anti-Terrorism Battalion based in Rochester, N.Y., and Black Sea Rotational Force 11, alongside soldiers from the Georgian 4th Infantry Brigade practiced Military Operations in an Urban Terrain (MOUT) during Exercise Agile Spirit 2011. Agile Spirit is designed to increase interoperability between the forces by exchanging and enhancing each country’s capacity in counterinsurgency (COIN) and peacekeeping (PKO) operations, including: small unit tactics, convoy operations and counter-improvised explosive device training.

“Because of our partnership in Afghanistan, and in order to work with us and support our mission, the [Georgian soldiers] have to be able to move and do what we do or at least understand it,” said Staff Sgt. Daniel Bauer, an infantryman with Black Sea Rotational Force 11 and an Elk Grove, Calif., native.

In Overseas Contingency Operations, Marines conduct COIN operations in which they encounter enemies holed-up in small towns and villages. The urban environment presents challenges to troop safety and mission accomplishment because the enemy has cover and concealment in the buildings in towns and villages.

The interoperability training between the Georgians and the Marines focused on overcoming MOUT challenges by sharing proven tactics and techniques among each other and practicing them numerous times.

The Marines and Georgians began their training with lessons from instructors on principles of MOUT and different techniques for room clearing. The instructors drew diagrams and gave demonstrations while translators echoed their messages to the students.

The students showed their interest in the subject with frequent questions.

With almost 1,000 troops contributing in Operation Enduring Freedom in Helmand province, room-clearing techniques, MOUT and COIN training can really help while fighting on the frontlines alongside U.S. Marines.

Following the classes, the Marines and Georgians teamed up to apply the lessons they were taught.

Instructors observed as mixed teams of Marines and Georgians entered buildings and cleared rooms. They looked for application of basic techniques and principles. The instructors occasionally stopped the teams to point out any missed steps or mistakes and explained the reasons for applying specific techniques.

“We utilize techniques to make sure we are as safe as possible inside a house,” said Gunnery Sgt. Charles Evers, an infantryman with Black Sea Rotational Force 11 and a Lewiston, Idaho, native.

Sgt. Spencer McAvoy, a squad leader with Company A, Anti-Terrorism Battalion, clears a room with Georgian soldiers July 19 during Exercise Agile Spirit 2011. Photo by Cpl. Nana Dannsaappiah

With each round, the teams were clearing rooms with fewer mistakes, and the instructors didn’t have to interrupt and explain as many times.

After several times maneuvering through the buildings, the teams were moving through faster and smoothly by communicating and synching their movements.

The smiles on their faces overshadowed the sweat running down their foreheads as they gave each other thumbs ups and traded “kudos” after practicing clearing rooms several times, gaining more comfort.

“They are doing good and understanding proper room clearing tactics and techniques,” said Cpl. Nicholas Ediss, a fire team leader with the BSRF-11, and a Reno, Nev., native.

“It’s a great first time because even with the language barrier, we are able to work together.

The Marines and the Georgian Armed Forces will be training alongside each other for the next two weeks of Agile Spirit. This type of training and interoperability is a stepping stone to the success of the joint missions that are currently being conducted in Afghanistan.

Black Sea Rotational Force 11 is a rotational deployment of Marines to the Black Sea, Balkan and Caucasus regions to work with partner and allied nations to help build their military capacity, promote stability throughout the region, and build enduring partnerships with 13 nations throughout Eastern Europe.

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Story by Cpl. Nana Dannsaappiah