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Operation Double Check in Afghanistan
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| Wednesday,
February 1, 2012, 02:00 PM |
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| United
States Marines Corps soldiers during Operation Double Check in Afghanistan. |
Infantry
Marines deployed to Afghanistan endure trials that Americans unfamiliar
with military life cannot begin to fathom. Inclement weather, insatiable
hunger, perpetual fatigue and direct combat with enemy forces are challenges
frequently confronting the infantryman because he regularly operates in
austere, hostile conditions. The infantry Marine in Afghanistan, commonly
18 years old and fresh out of high school, is often significantly more
mature than others his age because of his unique experiences.
(Story by Cpl. Tommy Bellegarde, 2nd Marine Division)
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Marines with Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, rest during
a movement from Patrol Base 7171 to another position to begin their participation
in the second phase of Operation Double Check, a battalion-level offensive
to rid areas of southern Musa Qal’eh district of insurgents
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The
Marines of Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, face the challenges
of combat as they participate in Operation Double Check, an ongoing battalion-level
offensive to rid areas in southern Musa Qal’eh district, Helmand
province, of insurgents and establish a government presence in places
that have been insurgent safe havens in recent years.
Double Check started in the early hours of Jan. 3 when the infantrymen,
commonly called grunts, helicopter inserted into the area under the blanket
of darkness and began clearing compounds believed to be improvised explosive
device manufacturing factories. An early discovery of contraband suggested
the enemy might be near.
“We moved into a compound; it ended up being abandoned, but after
we searched it, we found one room that had homemade explosive [materials]
all over the floor and walls,” said Staff Sgt. Justin Smith, a squad
leader with Fox Company from Clinton Township, Mich. “We searched
the rest of the compound, keeping our eyes open for anything else, and
then we came across a locked door – it wasn’t really a full
weapons cache, but we did find some machinegun parts in there as well.”
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Marines with Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, move from
Patrol Base 7171 to another position to begin their participation in the
second phase of Operation Double Check, a battalion-level offensive to
rid areas of southern Musa Qal’eh district of insurgents. |
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The
initial resistance directed at Smith’s squad began as the Marines
continued to clear compounds while the sun crept above the horizon. They
received machinegun fire from a concealed enemy position, forcing many
of the Marines to duck for cover. The Marines responded by launching grenades,
maneuvering to a dominant position, and returning direct fire at the insurgents,
which caused them to flee, according to the 27-year-old Smith.
“No one freaked out under fire even though a lot of us almost got
shot,” said Smith, a 2002 graduate of L’Anse Creuse High School
in Harrison Township, Mich. “[The Marines] would get shot at, and
they’d just get right back up and look at the enemy like, ‘Try
again!’”
Mother Nature was also unkind to the Marines during the operation’s
first weeks. Freezing temperatures made life miserable for the Marines
at night, who only had sleeping bags, cold weather jackets and warming
layers to try and keep warm. The gear helped, but the cold proved inescapable.
“We settled in, tried to fit as many guys as we could in small rooms,
as small as these rooms are, to keep warm at night,” said Dayton,
Ohio, native Cpl. Russell Swabb, a fireteam leader with Fox Company. “We
would find some nasty, nasty blankets and pillows that were left in compounds
and just kind of snuggle up next to each other to stay warm when we weren’t
on post. While on post, me and whoever I was on post with, we’d
throw a tarp over each other and just stay close.” |
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Carrollton, Ohio, native Cpl. Joseph Kakascik, an infantryman with Fox
Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, patrols through a field during
the opening phase of Operation Double Check, a battalion-level offensive
to rid Khwajadad and other areas in southern Musa Qal’eh district
of insurgents. Kakascik, 22, and other Fox Marines spent almost a week
away from their company position at nearby Patrol Base 7171 during the
operation’s initial phase. |
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The
Marines traveled everywhere by foot and tried to keep their packs as light
as possible. Most packed only the bare essentials needed for survival
in a combat zone, such as food, cold-weather gear and batteries. Even
still, the bags were awkward and heavy to carry for the Marines, who were
also wearing full combat gear.
“It’s
definitely exhausting, regardless of if you’re somebody who has
to carry around a lot of stuff or if you’re just carrying the bare
minimum,” said Edmond, Okla., native Lance Cpl. Nathan Aschenbrenner,
an automatic rifleman with Fox Company. “The only way to really
do it and keep positive about it is to think of it like a joke like, ‘I
can’t believe I’m doing this.’
“I
just take it from checkpoint to checkpoint,” added the 24-year-old.
“If I’m thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve got to move
so many kilometers tonight or so far today,’ it’s just going
to beat you down, but if you take it from checkpoint to checkpoint or
objective to objective, it goes by pretty quick.” |
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Marines with Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, return to
Patrol Base 7171 after being away for almost a week to participate in
the first phase of Operation Double Check, a battalion-level offensive
to rid areas of southern Musa Qal’eh district of insurgents. The
Marines had to combat cold weather, inadequate shelter, fatigue and hunger,
in addition to insurgents, during the first week of the operation. |
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The
Marines have stayed busy during the operation, spending most of their
time moving positions, sending out security patrols, or standing posts.
When the infantrymen do get some spare time, they spend it hanging out
with other Marines from their squads, sitting around a fire, playing cards
or joking around.
“Most of the time if we’ve got some downtime we really try
to sleep, but that’s really when all the jokes and horseplay really
comes out,” said Aschenbrenner, a 2005 graduate of Edmond North
High School. “If we’ve got a chance to horse around and have
some fun, kind of boost morale, that’s definitely what we do.”
Experiences like Double Check may seem like a nightmare to people who
have never experienced a combat operation – volunteering to be cold
and miserable, to go without bathing or using a toilet, to have incessant
hunger, and to regularly put one’s own life in danger for an extended
period of time may seem crazy.
There
is an upside, however.
The
infantrymen of Fox Company share special bonds with members of their squads
because on deployment, grunts spend every day together, sharing every
triumph, every hardship – shared experiences in Afghanistan have
made them friends for life.
“We’re all around each other 24/7 living in small tents or
sleeping in small buildings, getting together close for warmth so we don’t
freeze to death, and these are the best friends you’re ever going
to have,” said Swabb, who graduated from Belmont High School in
2008. “I’ve got good friends back home, but honestly I’m
closer to these guys than I’ll ever be with anybody else.” |
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