Sangin Heats Up for Marines

Temperatures in Sangin are in excess of 120 degrees now that summer has arrived. Comfort is key is in the field, when Marines can get a good night sleep, and are well rested, it can make all the difference.

I am making a suggestion to anyone that would like to contribute “care packages” to the Marines of 1/5 to send box-type floor fans, concrete drill bits, anchors and screws that will work well in masonry.

Please contact me via e-mail at: MariantheMarine@gmail.com for the FPO-AP addresses.

Some additional suggestions are: foot powder, batteries (AA, AAA, C, and D), bleached flour, pillows, drills, drill bits, screws, tape, books, magazines, saws, hammers, pliers, and all sorts of handy tools.

One of the biggest challenges during  my stay was keeping cool and finding something to read. War is 95% fighting the boredom.

Thank You for the many contributions, More posts with video to come soon.

Lance Corporal Robert S. Grenier Killed in Action – Helmand Province Afghanistan

Lance Cpl. Robert S. Greniger was 21 years old, and working as a combat engineer in Afghanistan. Greniger was killed July 12th while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Helmand province; one of the most violent areas for the Marines today.

Grenier lived in Greenfield, Minnesota before joining the Marine Corps.

Combat engineers take on more patrols than the average Marine. Their job is to sweep a clear path while on point, leading a patrol through a virtual mine field, focusing intensely on the rugged terrain ahead.
Lance Corporal Herman, an assultman with Charlie Co.1/5 deployed to Sangin Afghanistan in the Helmand Province said, “They are some of the bravest men in the Marine Corps.”

Grenier was assigned to 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Holiday In Afghanistan – Former U.S. Marine Returns to 1st MarDiv

A return to the 1st Marine Division by Marian Anthony. Traveling to the Sangin district of Helmand Province Afghanistan, Marian Anthony tracks down Marines he once trained as a team leader. Take and inside look at the Marine Corps. with raw footage of interviews, patrols, and challenges Marines face while deployed.

Lcpl Norberto Mendez Hernandez Killed in Sangin

Serving with the 1st Battalion 5th Marines in Helmand Province of Afghanistan, in the Sangin District, Lance Corporal Hernandez was killed yesterday while on patrol. Limited information is available at this time, but sources tell me that Hernandez was the victim of an IED while on foot patrol in the Sangin district. Two other Marines were injured in the IED strike. No information is yet available as to their condition.
Hernandez was a husband and father of two, he was 22 years old.

Heavy activity has been reported in Sangin’s northern area, and also for Echo 2/8 operating in the southern green-zone of Sangin district. My last formal report indicated that Echo 2/8 had 24 IED finds, 3 IED strikes and had 6 IED interdictions when I was last there in June, 2011.

During the poppy harvest, activity was low, Taliban insurgents and nomads returning to the area transport the collected opium out of the region to raise funds.

Many of the IEDs found here in Sangin are a mixture of fertilizer, aluminum oxide and nitrogen. The combination is known as HME (Home Made Explosive). These are often mixed with a fuel source and detonated with a pressure plate, kite string or a remote control (RC). The challenge here is that much of the detonators do not give off a metallic signature on the Vallon- metal detector, used by combat engineers sweeping the path on foot patrols. Much of the detonation device is made from cooper – a soft metal and the battery packs have also been stripped of their metal exterior, leaving only the carbon rods buried beneath the dry rocky terrain. This makes U.S. Marines jobs here very difficult, we rely mostly on visual indicators.

Kinetic activity has increased greatly in the past few weeks in Sangin. The Taliban are commonly referred to as “fair weather fighters” by U.S. Marines. They have managed to limit what Marines have been known to do best, combined small arms assaults. The risk of a possible IED outweighs the risk of gunfire and maneuvering toward the enemy’s position.

More: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/jul/11/camp-pendleton-based-marine-killed-afghanistan/

Return To 1st Marine Division

The original members of CAAT 1/7

It’s been nearly a decade since I left 1st Marine Division as a corporal.

Today, I prepare for a media embed assignment into one of the deadliest places on earth, the  Sangin River Valley, the backbone of poppy-country.

Poppy is the cash-crop in Afghanistan that has continued to fund the Taliban to date. A bi-product of poppy is heroin, the most addictive substance on earth. This subject has hit home for me and my family, as I’m sure it has for many other Americans.

This Blog will cover the work-up and events leading to the end of 1st Marine division’s occupation and collaboration with ISAF.

As a Marine, I’d like to think that my media embed will be unlike any other. Capturing unscripted Marine-to-Marine conversations and perspectives that are unavailable to an outsider.

My intent is to cover the poppy culture, conduct interviews with over hundreds of Marines and shed light on the Afghan people’s struggles. Where we are now, and what remains on the to-do-list.

I am asking followers to help provide a cross-section of questions for U.S. Marines in the theater of operation.

Please check back with my blog frequently, as I will be blogging daily.

(Pictured right to left: A.C. Mack, B. Matias, Driotez, J. Wodkowski, S. Levings, M.Anthony, S. Stablewski)