SANGIN, Afghanistan — Senior Writer Dan Lamothe and I made it down to Forward Operating Base Shamsher this weekend, joining Baker Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines. Today, we joined a patrol with 1st Squad, 2nd Platoon, through through Sangin’s “Green Zone,” an agricultural area that runs adjacent to the Helmand River. The patrol rolled out with several extra Marines, including Lt. Col. David Bradney, battalion commander, and Sgt. Maj. Keith Coombs, the senior enlisted adviser for the unit. The patrol began to take on the air of a parade when we were joined in the fields by local children and…
Author James J. Lee
SANGIN, Afghanistan — Senior Writer Dan Lamothe and I made it down to Forward Operating Base Shamsher this weekend, joining Baker Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines. Today, we joined a patrol with 1st Squad, 2nd Platoon, through through Sangin’s “Green Zone,” an agricultural area that runs adjacent to the Helmand River. The patrol rolled out with several extra Marines, including Lt. Col. David Bradney, battalion commander, and Sgt. Maj. Keith Coombs, the senior enlisted adviser for the unit. The patrol began to take on the air of a parade when we were joined in the fields by local children and…
On a convoy between locations in Kajaki, I was once again awestruck by Marine ingenuity. The guys from the 1st Battalion, 8th Marines Motor Transport Platoon had built a wag bag toilet into the back of their MRAP. The gunner, Corporal Brandon Szopinski explained that life on the roads of Afghanistan often meant long hours between umm… facilities, so doing as Marines do, they improvised. This particular toilet looked plush and comfy, complete with a foam padded seat for those bumpy rides. So, if the going gets tough, I now know where to find the best seat around. All that’s…
Lance Cpl. Richard Bissett gets some love from Camo, an improvised explosive detection dog at Observation Post Shrine in Kajaki, Afghanistan, on Friday. (James J. Lee / Staff) OBSERVATION POST SHRINE, Afghanistan – I miss my dog, but I didn’t realize how much until I met Camo, an improvised explosive detection dog. This little position on a hill overlooking the Taliban-held area of Zamindawar is referred to as a “static ambush position,” so Camo doesn’t get much of a chance to do her thing up here. After sitting for hours at the feet of handler Lance Cpl. Richard Bissett as…
