Dan Lamothe

Marine Corps Times back on the ground in Afghanistan

By Dan Lamothe on October 1, 2012 Afghanistan, Embedded journalism

KABUL, Afghanistan — Once again, it’s time to get to work. Photographer Colin Kelly and I arrived here in Afghanistan this morning on overnight flight from Istanbul, eventually making our way over to the military side of Kabul International Airport. It’s one of the main camps here for the International Security Assistance Force overseeing the war, but it also serves as a transit trip for folks like us, who are heading farther out into the war zone. This marks the third trip for both Colin and I. We had a laugh this morning discussing how nervous we both were on our…

Marine Corps Times to embed in Afghanistan in October

By Dan Lamothe on September 27, 2012 Afghanistan, Camp Leatherneck, Embedded journalism, Infantry

It’s that time again: Marine Corps Times is heading back to the Sandbox. In coming days, I’ll be embedding with Marine forces in Afghanistan with Colin Kelly, a senior videographer and photographer on staff. It’ll mark the third trip for each of us to Afghanistan, and my second in Helmand province this year. It’s a key time to visit the war zone for several reasons, as pointed out in this new story I put together after interviewing several deployed general officers. In recent days, the U.S. has completed its drawdown to about 68,000 troops across Afghanistan, ending a two-plus year…

Video: Marine Corps Times on the Taliban’s shift in Afghanistan

By Dan Lamothe on June 7, 2012 Afghanistan, Embedded journalism, Infantry, Kajaki, Sangin

I appeared on TV last night to discuss the war in Afghanistan and my recent embed with Marines there in Helmand province. “Capital Insider” is based in Washington, D.C., on News Channel 8, and covers a variety of subjects affecting the government, including defense. The segment aired here, where I fielded questions from anchor Morris Jones. Among the subjects that came up: The use of surveillance blimps in Sangin and Kajaki districts, the ongoing drawdown of Marine forces in Helmand and the challenges still faced by the Afghan military that U.S. troops are training. [HTML1] Blog entries penned during our embed are grouped…

Video: Observations from Marine Corps Times’ recent Afghanistan embed

By Dan Lamothe on May 21, 2012 Afghanistan, Embedded journalism, Infantry, Kajaki, Sangin

For those interested, I appeared on This Week in Defense News with Vago Muradian yesterday morning to discuss the war in Afghanistan, in light of my recent trip to Helmand province. The TV segment can be watched here: [brightcove video=”1646277551001″ /]

Wrapping up after a good Marine embed in Afghanistan

By Dan Lamothe on May 15, 2012 Afghanistan, Embedded journalism, Infantry, Kajaki, Sangin

SPRINGFIELD, Va. — You just never know when all hell is going to break loose. That’s the most amazingly unsettling thing about being in a war zone like Afghanistan. You can prepare for trouble — even expect it — but it will still eventually find you in the most unexpected ways, at times that simply don’t make sense. A first-person account published Saturday by Wall Street Journal scribe Michael Phillips makes that perfectly clear. Phillips watched in horror April 28 as a Taliban suicide bomber blew up a pickup truck carrying several U.S. troops in Zaranj, Afghanistan. The blast killed…

A day on patrol in Sangin’s notorious “Fish Tank”

By Dan Lamothe on May 1, 2012 Afghanistan, Embedded journalism, Infantry, Marines

SANGIN, Afghanistan – Sgt. Johnathan Cook’s instructions to his Marines were clear before they pushed Tuesday morning into the notorious “Fish Tank” section of Sangin. “Everyone knows the atmospherics yesterday got a little weird,” he said. “Keep your head on a swivel. We all know the summer offensive is supposed to start in the next 10 days, so expect we could take contact any time.” The ominous directive came before photographer James Lee and I left Patrol Base Fulod with his unit, an element of Baker Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, out of Twentynine Palms, Calif. Second Squad, 3rd Platoon,…

Gunfire and children: A day on the ground in Sangin

By Dan Lamothe on April 27, 2012 Afghanistan, Battle Rattle, Embedded journalism, Infantry, Sangin

FORWARD OPERATING BASE TABAC, Afghanistan – In just a few short hours, I saw both sides of Sangin. On one hand, photographer James Lee and I visited a shura, or meeting, that brought together 67 boys and 25 girls at the gates of this base, the headquarters of Dog Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, out of Twentynine Palms, Calif. Most of the children sat obediently in straight rows on the ground as two interpreters and two Marines with a Female Engagement Team taught lessons about geography, civics and poetry. A few hours later, we heard our first gunshots fired in…

Marine Corps Times embeds in Afghanistan’s Sangin district

By Dan Lamothe on April 26, 2012 Afghanistan, Embedded journalism, Infantry, Sangin

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SABIT QADAM, Afghanistan — Ladies and gentlemen, Marine Corps Times has moved on to cover infantry operations at the heart of the war in Helmand province. Photographer James Lee and I arrived at this FOB last night, embedding in Sangin district with 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, out of Twentynine Palms, Calif. The base was known until recently as FOB Jackson, but coalition forces have elected to give it and several other Sangin bases names with Afghan roots, said Lt. Col. David Bradney, 1/7’s commander. Sabit Qadam translates loosely from Pashto to “constant” or “stronghold,” interpreters here said.…

Marine Corps Times embeds in Afghanistan’s Sangin district

By Dan Lamothe on April 26, 2012 Afghanistan, Embedded journalism, Infantry, Sangin

Checking in midway through our Afghanistan assignment

By Dan Lamothe on April 22, 2012 Battle Rattle, Camp Leatherneck, Embedded journalism, Infantry, Kajaki, Marines

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan — Three weeks after flying out of Washington, D.C., photographer James Lee and I have reached a milestone midway on our assignment in Helmand province. We arrived today on this forward operating base from Kajaki district, marking the conclusion of our media embed with 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C. I’d personally like to thank all the Marines in the unit who shared their world with us, from battalion commander Lt. Col. Kevin Trimble right on down to the many lance corporals we trailed outside the wire on patrols. If you’ve been following this…

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