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 A good day for the Corps
> By Peter Bronson
> "Our vehicles came under a barrage of enemy RPGs (rocket propelled
> grenades) and machine gun fire. One of our humvees was disabled from
> RPG fire, and the Marines inside dismounted and laid down suppression
> fire so they could evacuate a Marine who was knocked unconscious from the blast."
> That's not from an episode of The Unit or 24. It's not from an
> anti-war movie. It's not from any newspaper or TV news reports I could find.
>
> The quote comes from a "designated marksman who requested to remain
> unidentified." He was reporting what happened recently in the city of
> Shewan, Afghanistan. The story was told in a Marine Corps News report
> by Cpl. James M. Mercure. It will give you goose bumps and make you
> want to stand up and salute the nearest flag. Here's more, because
> it's a lot better than anything I could write today:
>
> "The day started out with a 10-kilometer patrol with elements mounted
> and dismounted, so by the time we got to Shewan, we were pretty beat,"
> the marksman said. Mercure reported, "Shewan had been a thorn in the
> side of Task Force 2d Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Special Purpose
> Marine Air Ground Task Force Afghanistan throughout the Marines'
> deployment here in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, because it
> controls an important supply route into the Bala Baluk district.
> Opening the route was key to continuing combat operations in the
> area."
>
> "The vicious attack that left the humvee destroyed and several of the
> Marines pinned down in the kill zone sparked an intense eight-hour
> battle as the platoon desperately fought to recover their comrades.
> After recovering the Marines trapped in the kill zone, another platoon
> sergeant personally led numerous attacks on enemy fortified positions
> while the platoon fought house to house and trench to trench in order
> to clear through the enemy ambush site.
>
> "The biggest thing to take from that day is what Marines can
> accomplish when they're given the opportunity to fight," the sniper
> said. "A small group of Marines met a numerically superior force and
> embarrassed them in their own backyard. The insurgents told the
> townspeople that they were stronger than the Americans, and that day
> we showed them they were wrong."
>
> "During the battle, the designated marksman single handedly thwarted a
> company-sized enemy RPG and machinegun ambush by reportedly killing 20
> enemy fighters with his devastatingly accurate precision fire. He
> selflessly exposed himself time and again to intense enemy fire during
> a critical point in the eight-hour battle for Shewan in order to kill
> any enemy combatants who attempted to engage or maneuver on the
> Marines in the kill zone. What made his actions even more impressive
> was the fact that he didn't miss any shots, despite the enemies'
> rounds impacting within a foot of his fighting position. "I was in my
> own little world," the young corporal said. "I wasn't even aware of a
> lot of the rounds impacting near my position, because I was
> concentrating so hard on making sure my rounds were on target."
>
> After calling for close-air support, the small group of Marines pushed
> forward and broke the enemies' spirit as many of them dropped their
> weapons and fled the battlefield. At the end of the battle, the
> Marines had reduced an enemy stronghold, killed more than 50
> insurgents and wounded several more. "I didn't realize how many bad
> guys there were until we had broken through the enemies' lines and
> forced them to retreat. It was roughly 250 insurgents against 30 of
> us," the corporal said. "It was a good day for the Marine Corps. We
> killed a lot of bad guys, and none of our guys were seriously
> injured."
>
> Such an amazing story of heroism and victory would have been on Page
> One in every paper in the country during World War II. Just 30 Marines
> giving eight hours of hell to 250 insurgents is the kind of story that
> would make a good movie -- if that kind of movie still could be made.
> But these days, it did not even make Page 10. I couldn't find a story
> about it anywhere. The only mentions were on conservative blogs and
> military Web sites. The soldiers who are fighting for their lives and
> our country might as well be in another dimension. News from the
> battlefronts in Iraq and Afghanistan is apparently not important. It
> reminds the jaded anti-war crowd that they were wrong. We're winning.
> It reminds a self-centered nation that some Americans are making
> sacrifices much bigger than a loss in their 401(k)s.
>
> So we don't hear about it.
>
> But we need to hear news like that, because a good day for the Marine
> Corps is a good day for freedom. And that's a good day for America.
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Thumper
It's actually "just another day in the Corps". These types of activities are routine and common for Marines in combat. Unspectacular people do spectacular things. The Corporal that was "in his own little world" was just doing what had to be done. He wasn't thinking about it... just reacting to the situation.
People in ALL walks of life do it too when they come across an accident or a person choking or a person drowning or kids in a building on fire... they don't think about it, they jump in an help. It's really quite inspirational.
Marines get a lot more of the fun because they are put in those situations.
It would be nice however, if the Commander-in-Chief could stop voting present and decide to back those marines or to pull them out. Maybe he could "let them fight" and remove those Silly-Axx "Rules of Engagement" that keep them so hindered.
Maybe he will have decided and make an announcement on the Marine Corps birthday coming up soon.
Thanks for a positive story... Semper Fi.
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It looks like only Marines ...
... are reading this! It makes me proud to have served. I too have witnessed much ...
But, Softy, as much as I might agree to many of your priniciples, I must interject yet another thought ... and that is the courage and potential effectiveness of "restraint" ... which seems to be missing in most of your military observations.
Semper Fi.
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Chaz
I'm sure most of the regulars and lurkers are reading this but so far only "The few, the proud" have commented.
As an aside; Our 'Commander in Chief' has dithered (militarily) for a year ...
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Thumper ...
... the ultimate jury is still out ... I'll continue to pause before I make a firm judgment.
Are currect actions breeding another Vietnam'ish outcome? Aren't we paying a very high price for not handling this correctly in the first place? Still ... there are many wiser minds than mine deliberating ...
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One
big difference between Vietnam and any conflict in the middle east is that after we left a lot of the hard feelings died out. Vietnam pretty much welcomes American and western tourist with open arms now. Fundamentally the middle east countries hate us. They hate westerners now, before and when this war is over they will still hate us. Their Jihad won't end if we leave.
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stinky
you sound like you have a lot of experience in middle eastern countries. can you please share your expeiences with us. which countries in the mideast have you traveled to? for how long? your arabic must be pretty good too. how long have you been studying?
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zorro
How long have YOU studied English and the rules of grammar?
Do you have such disrespect for the topics you teach to our kids?
Or, are you just too lazy to capitalize properly? Do you write the same way, being a paragon of good example, to our kids? Or, do you "clean-it-up" for the kids?
What makes you think that somebody MUST travel in a country or SPEAK the primary language there in order to know something about it? Or, to have an opinion?
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hmm off course there are many possible perspectives on this story. I wonder if the
"insurgents' who are probably local people who may well be grumpy about being recruited into
an invading forces "kill zone" welcome the unselfish heroism of these marines? What about the
locals who's houses are being systematically "cleared"?
This silly nonsense about Obama dithering really ought to stop. He's almost certainly inherited
the biggest mess of any US president with two controversial wars initiated by his predecessor
AND a financial meltdown. I for one welcome a leader of a militaristic nation paulsing to think
through the consequences of complex choices.
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softie
i am too lazy to capitalize in a chat room. believe it or not, i am a fine writer.
more to the point, for someone to make a statement like this,
<Fundamentally the middle east countries hate us. They hate westerners now, before and when this war is over they will still hate us. Their Jihad won't end if we leave.>
i do believe they should have personal, first hand experience. otherwise it comes off as bigoted, jingoistic tripe. i am giving stinky the benefit of the doubt in assuming that he does have such experience. without it, making such blanket statements is silly at best and potentially dangerous.
see, i spent two months in egypt, 3 weeks in israel, and 2 weeks in morocco. i do speak some arabic as well as enough french to speak with local people. i was never treated in any way but in the most courteous, helpful, and respectful way. i also have several close friends who are middle eastern. so when i hear someone, "Fundamentally the middle east countries hate us," i do tend to bristle a bit. now, perhaps stinky has lots of personal experience with which to back up his claim. i hope so, because if he does not, than i can only assume he is believing and parroting whatever so-called news he is watching or reading rather than observing and thinking for himself.
furthermore, i think you should examine the slanted glasses you are looking through. in another thread, you attack me for "There you go again... insulting an entire class of people. That just makes you look stupid." but here, you seem to be defending stinky's right to defame an entire region of the globe? huh? are you really that inconsistent?
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"a good day for the corps".....just spotted the irony in this...shouldn't it be "corpses"?
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zorro
You are right there at the last... sorry (ya got me). Yes, I guess I was inconsistent. Stinky... ya can't be doing that... be more specific!
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.....
I suppose I am a 'regular poster' and 'lurker'. What would the 'corp' have us say or respond with?
I would imagine that almost any well trained forces would do 'as well'. It does not make anyone except the military minded proud. Many of the rest are just sick of the killing on both sides.
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This post was deleted by astinkyfart on 06-Nov-09, 15:09.
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Let me rephrase that
I was very vague, Jeff is right. The extremist in these countries hate us and always will. There could be some but I don't know of any extremist in Vietnam that hate Americans or westerners at least not on the level of Middle Eastern countries.
Softy your first reaction to Jeff was correct. There were many ways to point out my mistake or to disagree. Jeff chose his style. Jeff did not assume I had these experiences at all. That's sort of a dishonest fake politeness that comes along with this club. Jeff was trying to chew up and spit out. I have no experience in these countries. I should have said extremist. Countries are inanimate objects that can't go to war. Anyway. I was trying to point out that Vietnam was a totally different war in some ways. Very similar in others too.
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