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…
Browsing: James Lee
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,…
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.…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
