Yesterday, I wrote in this space about the “120 Days of Wind,” that lovely time of year in southern Afghanistan when sandstorms come more frequently than showers for many Marines. Without belaboring the point, it’s worth noting that Marines with 1st Tank Battalion, out of Twentynine Palms, Calif., recently posted some pretty epic photos of recent sandstorms on their Facebook page. It appears they were taken by someone with Delta Company, which is based in the upper Gereshk Valley, primarily at Combat Outpost Ouellette. Check these out: I feel the crunching in my teeth already.
Browsing: sandstorms
It’s that time of the year again. It’s time to eat dirt. At least it is in Afghanistan, where the summer sandstorm season is underway. The photograph above was posted recently on the Facebook page of 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, depicting a sandstorm in Sangin district. As noted on Battle Rattle last year when I was downrange, the season is known as the “120 Days of Wind.” It runs from late-spring through Afghanistan’s hot summers, whipping up storms on a regular basis that suffocate light, halt air traffic and prevent some Marines from going on patrol. After all, if a squad…