Dan Lamothe

Commandant, Marine Corps Times reach coverage agreement on Infantry Officer Course

By Dan Lamothe on April 16, 2013 Afghanistan, Embedded journalism, Infantry, Marines, The CMC, women

Commandant Gen. Jim Amos made headlines last week when he challenged me in a letter to the editor published in Marine Corps Times to attend the service’s difficult Infantry Officer Course as a participant. The invitation was issued after he took umbrage with a recent story I wrote that had a headline saying two female volunteers for the course “flunked” IOC last month as part of ongoing research into which roles service members can fill in combat. I met with the commandant Monday morning at the Pentagon to discuss the issue. By mutual agreement, we decided that it would be…

‘Terminal Lance’ Tuesdays: At the intersection of IEDs and grooming standards

By Andrew deGrandpre on November 6, 2012 Terminal Lance

If there’s one thing I think we’ve all learned from “Terminal Lance,” it’s that the strip’s creator, Max Uriarte, doesn’t pull any punches. Case in point: “Numbers,” another exclusive from the Marine Corps Times archive. This strip first appeared in the newspaper dated Aug. 29, 2011. “It’s a fairly simple image,” Max told me when he submitted this last summer, “but I think it speaks pretty clearly.” For me, this strip calls to mind the story of Gunnery Sgt. Benjamin “Gus” Lepping, whom Marine Corps Times’ senior staff Dan Lamothe encountered three summers ago while embedded with Marines at an…

Marine scout snipers use ‘murder holes’ in Afghanistan

By Dan Lamothe on October 26, 2012 Afghanistan, Embedded journalism, Infantry, Marjah, Trek Nawa, Weapons

TREK NAWA, Afghanistan – In the chilly dark night, a telltale sound made it clear the scout sniper team was inside the mud compound. CLINK. CLINK. CLINK. The Marines swung axes, hammers and other tools at the mud walls, preparing for a morning attack on Taliban fighters in the surrounding countryside. U.S. snipers use the tools to knock “murder holes” into a compound’s walls, creating “hides” from which they observe and engage targets. It has been widely reported that insurgents use the holes against coalition forces, but they’re not the only ones. It’s a smart tactic: The snipers can observe…

Marine scout snipers use ‘murder holes’ in Afghanistan

By Dan Lamothe on October 26, 2012 Afghanistan, Embedded journalism, Infantry, Marjah, Trek Nawa, Weapons

Next stop: Trek Nawa, Helmand province

By Dan Lamothe on October 21, 2012 Afghanistan, Embedded journalism, Infantry, Marjah, Trek Nawa

COMBAT OUTPOST PASERLAY, Afghanistan — Once again, it’s time to get dirty. Marine Corps Times arrived at this dusty outpost today, moving in on a convoy from nearby Forward Operating Base Geronimo. That capped a 12-hour period that also saw photographer Colin Kelly and I hop a helicopter to Geronimo from Camp Leatherneck, the Corps’ largest base here in Helmand province. We’ve definitely moved to a place where things should be interesting. Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, out of Camp Pendleton, Calif., is based here in Trek Nawa, a volatile rural section of Helmand nestled between Marjah and Nawa…

Dog on patrol: Meet Crank, the bomb-sniffing, cigar-eating wonder

By Dan Lamothe on October 11, 2012 Afghanistan, Animals, Embedded journalism, Infantry

COMBAT OUTPOST TAGHAZ, Afghanistan – I was lifting weights Tuesday night in the dusty, prison-inspired gym here when Cpl. Byron Willis ran up to two of his fellow Marines. “The dog ate all the cigars!” he exclaimed. Willis, 24, was referring to Sgt. Crank, the improvised explosive device detector dog on post. Willis, Crank’s handler, and the black Labrador retriever are assigned to Weapons Company 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C. The back story: A sergeant had teased Crank with a toy football earlier in the day but wouldn’t let him have it, Willis said today. When…

Afghan police commander faces tough job

By Dan Lamothe on October 7, 2012 Afghanistan, Allies and training, Embedded journalism

KHANASHIN, Afghanistan – From behind his wooden desk, Lt. Col. Rasoul held court for hours today, answering Marine questions about everything from his unit’s recent operations to insurgent activity in the region. The short, bearded commander of the Afghan Border Police unit here meets with Marine Border Adviser Team 1 regularly near the village of Taghaz, discussing the way ahead as their partnership evolves. The advisers –- attached to 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines -– are gradually pulling back from assisting with day-to-day operations for the ABP battalion as the U.S. drawdown continues, and Rasoul knows it. Photographer Colin Kelly and…

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

Initial impressions from Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan

By Dan Lamothe on October 2, 2012 Afghanistan, Battle Rattle, Camp Leatherneck, Embedded journalism, Infantry

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – The more things change, the more they stay the same. That holds true on this vast forward operating base, which photographer Colin Kelly and I arrived at this afternoon. It still serves as the main hub of Marine operations in Afghanistan, even after thousands of Marines were withdrawn from Helmand province this summer. We flew here on a British C-130, spending more than an hour in the air from Kabul International Airport. The flight included about 30 British troops and a handful of Estonians, among others. After spending all of April and part of May embedded…

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