Combat Outpost Payne

Afghanistan airfield named after fallen Marine pilot

By Dan Lamothe on October 9, 2012 Afghanistan, Aviation, Embedded journalism

COMBAT OUTPOST PAYNE, Afghanistan — When you step off a helicopter at this dusty outpost, you’re immediately asked to recall a hero. The airfield is named after Capt. Ryan Iannelli, 27, an AH-1W Super Cobra pilot who died here Sept. 28, 2011, following an aviation mishap. As colleague James K. Sanborn outlined in a story early this year, an investigation found that a faulty landing pad led to Iannelli’s Cobra crashing within seconds of takeoff. I snapped the photograph above after stepping off an MV-22 Osprey at Iannelli Airfield last week, when I arrived at Payne. I’ve never met him,…

On to life on Afghanistan’s frontier at COP Taghaz

By Dan Lamothe on October 6, 2012 Afghanistan, Embedded journalism, Infantry

COMBAT OUTPOST TAGHAZ, Afghanistan – If you’re going to spend a month in Afghanistan, you may as well visit the frontier while you’re there. Photographer Colin Kelly and I moved across Helmand province’s Khanashin district today, hopping a long convoy ride here from Combat Outpost Payne. We rolled through the desert with Marine Border Adviser Team 1. The unit is attached to 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., but primarily comprises Marines from Camp Pendleton, Calif., and other West Coast installations. BAT-1 – and yes, they use a bat signal as a logo some of the time…

On to life on Afghanistan’s frontier at COP Taghaz

By Dan Lamothe on October 6, 2012 Afghanistan, Embedded journalism, Infantry

Sunrise at Afghanistan’s COP Payne

By Dan Lamothe on October 5, 2012 Afghanistan, Embedded journalism, Infantry

COMBAT OUTPOST PAYNE, Afghanistan — It’s well after dusk here in the desert, but I wanted to take a minute to share how my day began. As you can see above, there’s one hell of a sunrise on the right day downrange. I’m still struggling to adjust to the time zone difference, so I awoke today about 4 a.m. — more than early enough to wait for the day to begin. The sun peeked over the horizon, exploding in a series of pink, orange and rose hues. I took it in, grabbing this image from behind the safe confines of…

A day with the Afghan Border Police

By Dan Lamothe on October 5, 2012 Afghanistan, Embedded journalism, Infantry

KHANASHIN, Afghanistan – The Marines pushed out here early this morning, making their way to two Afghan Border Police outposts at the edge of a desolate wasteland desert. The convoys from Combat Outpost Payne have become routine, said Capt. Alexis Miguel, assistant team leader for Border Adviser Team 2, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines. The advisers are primarily from Camp Pendleton, Calif., and attached to 3/8 in the field this summer. The shift to having Afghan National Security Forces in the lead providing their nation’s security has changed the way the advisers do business. They used to live alongside the border…

Lights unrestricted at Afghanistan base

By Colin Kelly on October 4, 2012 Afghanistan, Embedded journalism, Infantry

Living in suburbia, you forget that there are places on the planet where you can see more stars than you ever thought possible. With no street lamps or strip malls around, stars light up the night sky above Forward Operating Base Payne on Oct. 4, 2012, in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

Reporting in from COP Payne in Afghanistan

By Dan Lamothe on October 4, 2012 Afghanistan, Embedded journalism, Infantry

COMBAT OUTPOST PAYNE, Afghanistan – And just like that, we’ve reached the Marine Corps’ southern frontier in Helmand province. Photographer Colin Kelly and I traveled by MV-22 Osprey today to this desert outpost in Khanashin district, where most people live in a collection of rural villages along a bend in the Helmand River. It was first flooded with Marine forces in July 2009 during Operation Khanjar, or Strike the Sword, becoming part of the biggest aerial assault since the Vietnam War. COP Payne was established afterward and served as the battalion headquarters for the last few years for light armored…

2nd LAR Marines replacing 3rd LAR in Afghanistan

By Dan Lamothe on May 11, 2011 Afghanistan, Weapons

Picture this: You’re a smuggler heading to and from Pakistan from Afghanistan, intent on making a quick buck without any regard for where your goods go. There’s a mix of assault rifles, ammunition and poppy in your shipments, but you’re letting the details take care of themselves. Then one day, your world gets shaken up: Marines in full battle rattle stop your vehicle with a Light Armored Vehicle, armed with a 25mm chain gun and two 7.62mm machine guns. They’re all business, and they don’t seem thrilled to learn your carrying contraband. Since November 2010, that has been the job…

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