Dan Lamothe

Rainstorms present comedy, challenges for Marines in Afghanistan

By Dan Lamothe on April 20, 2012 Afghanistan, Embedded journalism, Infantry, Kajaki

FORWARD OPERATING BASE WHITEHOUSE, Afghanistan — If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to walk through peanut butter, visit southern Afghanistan during a rainstorm. I learned that lesson the hard way in the last two days in Kajaki district. The storms started Wednesday while we were visiting elements of Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, at Patrol Base Sheheban, a small outpost to the west of the Helmand River. The rain kicked in again today before dawn, and continued with few interruptions until nearly 2 p.m. local time. Rainy season here is in February, they tell me. Except when it…

Marines patrol through poppy blossoms in Afghanistan’s Kajaki district

By Dan Lamothe on April 19, 2012 Afghanistan, Battle Rattle, Embedded journalism, Infantry, Kajaki, Marines

PATROL BASE SHEHEBAN, Afghanistan –- I can say it from experience now: patrolling through the poppy fields of Helmand province is every bit as distracting as I had been warned. The beautiful poppy blossoms leap out at anyone passing. The flowers — ranging in color from white and pink to a deep, rich rose — stand nearly waist high, and will likely remain in bloom for at least another week. As the blossoms shrivel, farmers will score the remaining bulbs and collect the fluid oozing out. The product is developed into heroin and other opium-based drugs — something that isn’t…

Marines patrol through poppy blossoms in Afghanistan’s Kajaki district

By Dan Lamothe on April 19, 2012 Afghanistan, Battle Rattle, Embedded journalism, Infantry, Kajaki, Marines

Marines in Afghanistan light up the sky — and the Taliban

By Dan Lamothe on April 17, 2012 Afghanistan, Embedded journalism, Infantry, Kajaki, Marines, Weapons

FORWARD OPERATING BASE ZEEBRUGGE, Afghanistan – The job was called in like many others: “We’ve got a mortar mission now!” yelled Staff Sgt. Gregory Sanders, the platoon sergeant for the fires team here. With that, a handful of Marines with Golf Battery, 2nd Battalion, 11th Marines, out of Camp Pendleton, Calif., scrambled through the darkness Sunday night to an 81mm mortar tube on this mountainside base in Kajaki district, Afghanistan. A small group overseen by Cpl. Wesley Neville, a squad leader, launched a series of illumination rounds over a rocky ridgeline and lit up the sky. The rounds exploded in…

General: Marines targeting Afghan drug smugglers ahead of spring poppy harvest

By Andrew deGrandpre on April 16, 2012 Afghanistan, Camp Leatherneck, Embedded journalism, Infantry, Kajaki, Marjah

We trust you’ve been reading — and enjoying — senior staff writer Dan Lamothe’s numerous dispatches from Afghanistan, where he and photographer James Lee are embedded presently with members of 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C. Thanks so much for your continued interest in their work. Today, over on Marine Corps Times’ home page, we’ve rolled out Lamothe’s first hard-news report from this trip to the war zone. It details aggressive efforts to curtail the flow of stored poppy out of Afghanistan ahead of the spring harvest, now just weeks away. Before shipping out last week to…

Marines defend Kajaki at “The Shrine”

By Dan Lamothe on April 12, 2012 Afghanistan, Battle Rattle, Embedded journalism, Infantry, Kajaki

OBSERVATION POST SHRINE, Afghanistan – Somewhere on the edge of Taliban country, we’ll be spending the night amidst the sound of coyotes, crickets and Afghan music. Photographer James Lee and I reached this small outpost in Kajaki district today, and will be staying with members of 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C. An element from 1/8’s 2nd Platoon, Alpha Company, calls “The Shrine” home. They are tasked with partnering with soldiers from the Afghan National Army to keep insurgent fighters in the countryside from coming closer to the landmark Kajaki Dam and civilians in the nearby area.…

Journalist wear-tests “combat diaper” with Marines

By Dan Lamothe on April 11, 2012 Afghanistan, Embedded journalism, Gear, Infantry, Kajaki, Marines

KAJAKI, Afghanistan – It’s time to make a confession: I’ve been wearing a diaper in combat. Not because I can’t handle being in Afghanistan, mind you. Bad things can happen here, but you have to make peace with that before you step on the plane. No, I’m wearing an armored “diaper” because it has become a requirement for many Marines in theater. When I asked Lt. Col. Kevin Trimble, commander of 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., about the new gear fielded to protect Marines’ groins from blast injuries, he issued the armor to photographer James Lee…

Journalist wear-tests “combat diaper” with Marines

By Dan Lamothe on April 11, 2012 Afghanistan, Embedded journalism, Gear, Infantry, Kajaki, Marines

Greetings from our home with the Marines of FOB Zeebrugge

By Dan Lamothe on April 10, 2012 Afghanistan, Battle Rattle, Embedded journalism, Infantry, Kajaki

FORWARD OPERATING BASE ZEEBRUGGE, Afghanistan — Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve reached the edge of the empire. Photographer James Lee and I arrived Tuesday on a convoy on this fire base. It’s situated on the northern reaches of the Marine area of operations in Helmand province. Only a small Marine observation post known as The Shrine is farther north, and it’s just a short drive away. Zamindawar, a violent section of Kajaki district, is about a mile to the north. We hit the ground running and quickly joined a patrol run by Police Advisory Team 1, 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, out…

‘I’m Too Sexy’ at Camp Leatherneck

By Dan Lamothe on April 4, 2012 Afghanistan, Camp Leatherneck, Embedded journalism, Marines

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – I wasn’t looking for a soundtrack when arriving at this sprawling forward operating base, but it appears I’ve found one. Traveling to get security badges here this morning in a van, we were treated to the confident crooning of Right Said Fred and his 1990s classic, “I’m Too Sexy.” The song was playing on a British-run radio station aboard Camp Bastion, which is part of this base. “Forces Radio,” as the DJ called it, is broadcasted to improve morale and keep people informed. It appears to do both of those things – as long as you…

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