A Battlefield Tour of Bakwa, Farah Province
Mar 15 at 7:07am by David Tate
A Battlefield Tour of Bakwa district, Farah Province, Afghanistan
Operation Pathfinder
Here are all the pictures from my time in Bakwa, Farah Province. The unit is 3/8 Marines from Camp Lejeune. While I have been putting out a lot of content, it has been tough going, so in the following weeks, please be patient and check back often. These pictures are from the second week of February 2009, and unknown to me at the time, part of Operation Pathfinder.
You can contact me at: dtate38@cox.net. You can also donate to this site using PayPal with this address. Finally, feel free to add me on FaceBook so I can keep you updated on new posts.
A Battlefield Tourist: At the Front in Musa Qala
Mar 14 at 12:12pm by David Tate
This is the first of maybe 10 videos that I’ll be releasing in regards to my recent trip to Farah and Helmand Provinces. This particular story is a video version of this post: Four Hours With Brits and Afghans.
This 5:00 story is a natural sound package and has no voice track in it. Hope you like it.
DT
Time to Go
Mar 12 at 4:04pm by David Tate
A British chopper takes of from Musa Qala District Center, Helmand Province
February 22, 2009 – Musa Qala, Helmand Province
The Marines like to move early and my embed extraction would be no different. In pre-dawn darkness, you could hear the huge CH-53 “Super Stallions”, but couldn’t see them. They were supposed to be bringing in some vehicles that would be dropped onto the landing zone (LZ).
Once the vehicles were dropped, the huge heavy lift choppers would be offloaded, and then loaded, for a trip to Bastion. This would be the first of several support trips for these chopper crews in what sounded like a busy day.
The choppers made several passes before finally dropping their loads; each time we would hunker behind a HESCO or vehicle as ill fated protection against the wind and sand blasting us as a result of the heavy blades coming in.
Once the choppers were unloaded, and reloaded, we filed into the end of the chopper with no room to spare. It was the exact opposite of the trip in.
Also different this time around was the temperature was no where near as cold. Of course this time I’m ready for it.
Back at Bastion
The trip to Bastion from Musa Qala isn’t very long at all. The plan was for my PAO to meet me at the helo pad and then get me into position to catch a flight to Kandahar.
Once at Bastion, I watched as everyone but myself and an interpreter got picked up… and we waited.
Not being one to wait too long, after I inquired, the PFC at the pad offered up a ride to the flight line; an offer I took after just a few seconds of thinking. I knew there were three flights on this day, the first coming in just an hour or two, so I decided to make my way over in hopes of manifesting myself on the flight.
Once there, it was just a matter of handing over my passport for identification and manifesting on the flight. After a short wait punctuated by hockey puck coffee, I was in a line of about 15 troops and contractors making our way across the tarmac to the rumbling C-130 that would take me to KAF (Kandahar Air Field).
KAF
I landed at KAF around 1100 and was making incredible time. I had built an extra week onto the schedule to get out of country and I was well ahead of schedule. It is at this juncture that I start worrying about time. While there may be a lot of flights scheduled for Bagram and Kabul, many are cancelled due to the weather. In this particular week, weather in Kabul was wintry, so I anticipated a few days in Kandahar.
I was expecting someone to meet me at Whiskey Ramp, where the plane taxis to, but again, there is no one waiting. It really didn’t bother me because I had already gotten this far on my own and the communications are being crossed, so there was a good chance the Marines didn’t even know I was at KAF yet.
I quickly found a couple of SPMAGTF Marines at Whiskey Ramp and got them to give me a lift to the other side of the airfield. The trip takes a slow, windy path all the way to the tip of the runway , where vehicles cross, before backtracking down the main street toward the headquarters section. By speed limit the trip is 20 minutes; impossible to have humped.
Once at HQ, my public affairs Marine brought me to my quarters. This time around, the smaller 30 man tents were all taken so I was taken to a large berthing warehouse, for lack of better word, that could hold at least 300 troops. While there weren’t that many troops here at this time, I’d never been in a barracks like it.
Inside I found contractors and various soldiers on various missions. One particular officer was extremely frustrated with his situation. Part of Task Force Phoenix, he was a National Guard soldier called up for just a few months. He claims he had a heck of a time getting to his unit because of various issues, both natural and bureaucratic and was finally on his way to his unit with less than a month to go in his orders. ”Biggest waste of tax payer money I’ve ever seen,” he said. Quickly followed by, “I won’t volunteer for this again.”
Another interesting conversation I had was with an active duty Army officer working as an embedded trainer with the Afghan National Army. He tells of how life in Zabol Province is getting worse.
He claims that last year, an IED killed two Americans in Zabol, which included a senior officer. After that attack, US Special Forces supposedly caused quite the stir by killing some innocent folks in a nighttime raid, which has since left public relations in southern Zabol in a state of FUBAR (I have no idea if the incident is the same where Afghan Police were accidentally killed in the same region).
This, he says, has made his job much more difficult. ”We never know when they (SF) come or where they’re going. We’re just given a date and a box of roughly XX square kilometers… (as to where they’ll be).”
The officer also talks about a place in northern Zabol, near Ghazni Province, where anti government forces supposedly have an Rn’R location centered around an abandoned Afghan Army base that couldn’t hold the ground.
“SF doesn’t even go up there, and when they do, they take fire from the time they go in until the time they come out.”
Sounds like at least one province is about to step it up a notch on the violence scale. Actually… I think this is going to be a long year of fighting in Afghanistan, period.
Within the next month or two, be sure the news coming from this country is going to be quite sobering.
Embed in Pictures
Mar 8 at 1:01pm by David Tate
Ok, I’m going to try something new, because frankly, it is more time efficient and I have little time. So I’ll be posting my embed pictures on Facebook. I’m still going to put them in SoundSlides… just when I get more time.
Here’s the first group of pictures I put together. Most are from Musa Qala, some from Kabul and the rest Farah.
Hope you like them.
DT
Looking For A Few Good Vets
Mar 7 at 11:11am by David Tate
As I finish up the final few posts from my most recent embed, I thought I would take a quick second to get the word out regarding an offer I have for combat vets and their families.
While I cannot accommodate everyone, I can invite at least two families, this summer, to enjoy my family’s prime camping area, located in the beautiful New River Valley in southwestern Virginia.
I have tried to figure out some way to give back something to a community that has helped me so much and this is what I’ve come up with.
What I am looking for is a combat vet and his/her family to come spend as much as a week at our property. The site is well maintained with a very nice covered deck/gazeebo overlooking an awesome mountain creek that we stock with rainbow trout.
Just four hours from Fayetteville, N.C., this could be the perfect getaway for decompression and enjoying your family.
If you’re interested, just drop me a note telling me why and the dates you would like. I’ll pick two families for this summer within the next week or two.
I encourage ANY combat vet from the coalition to apply.
Op Ed: A Surge or Not a Surge?
Mar 1 at 3:03pm by David Tate
Members of USMC 3/8's Police Mentoring Team on patrol in Musa Qala, Helmand Province. Feb. 2009. All photos by David Tate.
Ok… I can’t take it anymore. Surge this, surge that. Whatever. Ever since the surge of 2007, as the Battle of Baghdad was raging, the media has had a penchant for this word and it is making me dizzy.
Let us get this straight because history needs to know what is, and what isn’t, a military surge. The media is back with this darling of a word and I’m going to get them to make this right.
surge |sərj|noun - a sudden powerful forward or upward movement, esp. by a crowd or by a natural force such as the waves or tide : flooding caused by tidal surges.• a sudden large increase, typically a brief one that happens during an otherwise stable or quiescent period.
Simple as that: ”A sudden large increase, typically a brief one that happens during an otherwise stable or quiescent period.”
Groundhog’s Day
The fact is, in regards to military surges, there have been three large scale surges, in either Afghanistan or Iraq, since either war began. What we face today in Afghanistan 2009, is actually an escalation and it needs to be recognized as such.
escalate |ˈeskəˌlāt|verb [ intrans. ]increase rapidly : the price of tickets escalated | [as adj. ] ( escalating) the escalating cost of health care.• become or cause to become more intense or serious : [ intrans. ] the disturbance escalated into a full-scale riot | [ trans. ] we do not want to escalate the war.
Marines from Bravo Co., 22 MEU search a village in Oruzgan Province. May, 2004.
Surge of 2004
The first true surge during the war in Iraq and Afghanistan came in spring 2004 in Afghanistan. At that time, the coalition was struggling to get security into place for the upcoming election, which would be Afghanistan’s first, free presidential election in its history.
One province that had seen no real coalition presence was the south central Taliban hub or Oruzgan Province; a major opium producing region that is the birth place of AQ #2 Mullah Omar himself.
US Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) landed there in early March, continuing military operations (and northern Kandahar Province) through the month of July. When the Marines left, they were replaced by an Army unit that was already in country, which started the process of turning it into the Provincial Reconstruction Team, as well as the center of operations for the Dutch-led task force, TF Oruzgan.
22nd MEU was in Afghanistan for roughly six months before being pulled out and not replaced by an additional unit, qualifying this event as a surge.
A member of TF Marne dashes across a bridge in Arab Jabour, Iraq during the surge of 2007.
Surge of 2007
In early 2007, President Bush announced his intention to launch a surge into the war in Iraq that would prove to be the death blow for Al Qaeda in Iraq during the pivotal Battle for Baghdad that had been underway for some time. The surge he ordered would see the troop numbers swell 30,000 to more than 160,000 troops, a wartime high.
At least 10,000 of those troops had extended tours of 15 months and were not replaced once those tours were up. I would qualify this as a sustained surge, because the fact is, post-surge levels are at 150,000, down just 12,000. Subtract that from the 30,000 surge and you see what was replaced. That number is now shrinking daily as the US finally shifts focus to Afghanistan.
Surge of 2008
In late spring of 2008, the 24th MEU landed in Kandahar and launched a massive assault on the Taliban’s logistic base, Garmsir, in the southern Helmand River Valley. After almost five straight weeks of fighting, the battle slowed, as frontlines set in and many of the regions residents returned to their homes and bringing life back to the pivotal District Center.
When the Marines were pulled out of southern Helmand, they were relieved in place (RIP) by British and Afghan forces as USMC 2/7 continued to set the foundation for the Special Purpose Marine Air/Ground Task Force (SPMAGTF) which is currently in place.
Why This is Now an Escalation Phase
Once additional Marines (2/7) augmented the 24th MEU (surge force), this conflict escalated in troop numbers which set the American level at a wartime high of 33,000. This force eventually became the SPMAGTF.
3/2 Marines are currently preparing a prolonged RIP with the current combat element of the the task force, 3/8 Marines, which will sustain the Marine presence in Helmand and Farah Provinces.
With President Obama’s authorization of 17,000 additional troops, plans are now underway to send the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB), which will permanently add approximately 8,ooo additional Marines to the mix currently fighting in southern Afghanistan.
Surge of 2009?
The surge of 2009 is the addition of troops that are coming in relation to the August election. For instance: Germany is sending an additional 600 troops in time for the election. If those troops are pulled after the election, those troops would be “surge” troops.
Currently, the 22nd MEU is once again out and about, cruising around the world to a destination(s) unknown. The current good odds bet on my chart would see the 22nd MEU landing in Helmand Province for a renewed push, south of Garmsir, to continue where the last combat MEU left off. If they are not replaced after 4-5 months of combat ops, they too would be a surge force.
However, there is a school of thought that suggests the MEU cycle is about to go into a steady Afghanistan replacement format, which would make that another escalation of boots on the ground (unless it is something already built into current plans but has not been released).
So in a nutshell, the current “surge” actually started with 24th MEU in spring 2008, was augmented by USMC 2/7, becoming an escalation in force when they were replaced by the current SPMAGTF in November of last year.
There’s my pitch. The surge is out, an escalation is in as a new catch word. Whataya think?
An Afghan Experience Part 2
Feb 26 at 7:07pm by David Tate
Afghan Army soldiers on top of their post overlooking the Helmand River Valley in Musa Qala, Helmand Province.
February 21, 2009 – Musa Qala, Helmand Province
While there hasn’t been a lot going on here lately, I’m not at a loss for things to do. In the mornings I usually write and log video clips in between meals which makes the days go by pretty good. And, as I mentioned previously, I break all of that up with trips to the Afghan Army post on the other side of the helo pad.
Near the end of the day, I made my way over after declining an invitation to play volleyball, so I could get some food and tea and say goodbye to my new friends.
Like usual, we sit around their poorly lit room doing our best to communicate. This time I brought along my computer so I could show the guys my family and the other pictures I had taken on this trip. They all thought my badcha, Davin, was just adorable. However even more fascinating to them was my wife. Particularly because the only pictures I have of her in the computer show her smoking. They really thought that was something.
During the conversation it came out that they wanted me to learn all of their names… all seven of them. Over and over they rattled their full names off, which was impossible for me to remember. So I asked for their short names and slowly but surely, I got them all: Mustafa, Ashule, Rasoul, Zeffer, Hamid, Amin and Shakur.
Shakur is the inquisitive one. Always asking me questions. Always learning new words. He is the charismatic one of the group and the one who would always invite me to smoke with him. They all got a kick out of the fact I got all of their names. To me, it reinforced a new bond which truly allowed me to connect with them (even though they couldn’t remember my full name, which was fine). To them, I was Mr. Daud.
Daud is the Farsi name I picked up last time I was in Afghanistan. All the street kids called me that and now, so did the Afghan soldiers.
Eventually one of them suggested we get an interpreter in the room, and once we did, the conversation became more serious. I asked all sorts of questions regarding the Afghan Army from issues on prejudice to their thoughts on the upcoming elections. It was at this time I realized the interpreters do not interpret as good as I had thought. I also noticed they omit certain things from the conversation, something I picked up on as my ear came into tune with the Farsi speaking around me.
Some things that came out of the conversation included the fact that they do look at themselves as Afghans and not a group divided by ethnic backgrounds. Most were Pashtun, but one was Tajik and another Uzbek. ”We are all brothers,”said Shakur.
The other main thing I picked up out of the conversation is the realization of just how important Helmand Province is to them. The general gist was that the people of Helmand are pretty much Taliban and/or sympathizers but that the province is too important to the country to let it go. They talk about how Helmand is the breadbasket of Afghanistan, a place necessary for feeding all of the people of Afghanistan. Because of that one simple point, they all agreed that Helmand was worth fighting, and dying for.
As I drank my share of green tea, I realized it was getting late and forgot that I was supposed to meet with their kandak (battalion) commander. Him and I had met earlier in the day, briefly, but he also invited me back for a more formal meeting; something I had totally forgotten about.
So just as the conversation turned to religion, I cried uncle and begged to be excused for fear of disrespecting their boss. I could tell that Shakur really wanted to talk religion with me and it was clear he was disappointed that I was leaving. ”I’ll be back and we’ll finish. I promise.”
He nodded and said “ok” in Pashtun, but I could tell he was upset. Rasoul, who asked the original question, feared he had offended me. I tried to assure him that wasn’t the case.
Col. Mohammed Rassoul
I quickly made my way over to the British side of the base to try to set an appointment with Col Rassoul. To be honest, it is a little tough because he is a very religious man and prays as such five times a day.
Regardless, I set the time with the Brits to meet after dinner, which was about an hour off. There really was no dinner this night, in the sense of a cooked meal, so I went to my room and “cooked” an MRE to bide the time.
After, I made my way over to the Colonel’s quarters and we waited for him to come in. While we did, various subordinates also made their way in and took a seat. After just a few minutes, the colonel himself should up and we began our meeting.
Right off the top the colonel said that he had expected me earlier and that he had planned to get a picture with both of us and the rest of his staff. I immediately apologized, blaming issues that I couldn’t escape from. He seemed to be ok with that, so we started with our conversation.
More than anything, I wanted to thank him for the short notice I gave him in requesting time with his troops. I told him about my experience with the ANA, but he really didn’t seem too impressed. I asked him similar questions that I had asked the other soldiers, but really didn’t get any straight answers. Once again I feel the interpretation wasn’t clear. All I really wanted to know was how the army had progressed over the past five years.
One thing that was clear is the fact that there are issues with the ANA regarding money and billeting. The colonel is quite upset with the fact that Afghan National Police start out making the same as the ANA (about $180 p/month, double the pay of 2004). The problem this poses, he says, is that when it comes time to re-enlist, his soldiers simply quit and join the ANP. It bothers his men that they are deployed so far from home, for long periods of time, and make the same as the ANP who get to stay at home.
The colonel also has issues with the billeting process. Years ago, the ANA was supposed to install a plan that would allow soldiers to bring their families to their duty station, similar to how the Americans work. He wants to see schools and facilities for his men, that he believes, will greatly decrease the will of soldiers from going AWOL in order to get money back to their family. This was the plan in 2004. Obviously it is far from reality because it is still a dream in 2009.
I also asked the colonel about ethnic issues within his ranks, which he denied existed as he quickly pointed around the room toward staff officers that came from different tribes.
Finally I asked about him and his history. Knowing he is a career fighter, which includes a mujahadeen against the Russians, I was fishing for a story that he would elaborate on. Instead, I got a simple rundown of his career that lasted for about 15 seconds.
With that I thanked the colonel and we parted company. I knew that I needed to make this meeting, because if I didn’t, he would feel disrespected. Unfortunately, I think he felt that way anyhow: No tea, no real substance and no real connection. While he did invite me back anytime, I feel I offended him severely with my tardiness
I hurried back to the US side of the base so I could keep my promise. In doing so, I grabbed one of the interpreters and we made our way, through the dark,toward the ANA outpost. The door leading into the compound was closed and locked, so I knocked several times. There was no answer.
Two more times that night I went back and both times there was no answer. I was unable to fulfill my promise, and worse yet, I was unable to say good bye to my new friends. As I stood there looking at that door for any sign of life, I just hoped to myself that “Mr. Daud” will be the American they will always remember.
A Most Real Apology
Feb 26 at 1:01pm by David Tate
In the six years I’ve been doing this, I have received but four negative emails regarding what I do, and all four have come this week. Obviously I have hit a nerve, where I certainly didn’t expect to. With that said, I have pulled the offending posts in hopes of curbing whatever harm I have seemingly caused; whether real or not. I have not heard from SPMGTF Public Affairs, so as far as I know, I have done nothing wrong and certainly meant no harm if I did.
I worked extremely hard getting posts out in a timely manner thinking that they were positive and something that could help families feel closer to their Marines. In fact, since I have been posting on this trip, I have received 10x the number of support comments as I have negative, which has been quite gratifying.
I think what bums me out the most is that the guys in Musa Qala seem to be the most offended; guys that I found to be very easy to get along with and accepting. It bums me out that I have written something that makes them feel betrayed. I have never had this happen to me before and I hope it will never happen again.
I was open with everyone about what I do and how I do it and heard no objections to this. Of course I have to believe the “Random Memories” post is the problem (even though I was trying to interject some fun), so I pulled it.
I have also pulled my “Vacation Pictures” post, because the meaning of the post was completely missed. As explained, I posted the pictures, not out of a need to stroke my ego, but to prove I was actually in Afghanistan, as one naysayer has alluded I wasn’t. I made fun captions to the pictures, keeping with the “battlefield tourist” theme, just trying to have some fun as I left the country. Don’t worry, my wife doesn’t think I’m funny, either.
At this point, all I can do is apologize and hope that it is accepted. It seems the more the situation is discussed, the more it is misunderstood, and that is getting frustrating in its own.
Know this: Regardless of this written issue, the video clips I took are going to an eternal historic archive, which is what I do. Also know that I am the only person that is adding these clips, from both Iraq and Afghanistan, to this archive. I do not know why more don’t do it, but I am proud as hell being the one that does. This isn’t about me or Marine families or my family. For me it’s about preserving history for generations to come, something I am very proud to say I get to do, even if it is part time. After all, part time is better than no time.
As for the OpSec concern: As far as I can tell, there is no OpSec concern, regarding me talking about either Golestan or Now Zad. Information regarding these two places was freely given to me when I started my embed, during and after. It was never given to me in confidence whatsoever. Both places are full districts and cover many square miles; which is how we agree to describe an area per embedment rules.
So, if there are OpSec issues, I would appreciate hearing it from the PAO instead of a Marine Parent/Wife who might think they are right, but may not be so.
I have done my best to right this situation (in the eyes of the offended) and all I can say beyond that is that I am truly sorry to have offended anyone. That is not my intent; never was, never will be.
DT
Under Fire Off the Battlefield
Feb 26 at 12:12am by David Tate
Wow… I’m starting to take a beating from a few folks, and to be honest, it’s a bummer. Below is an opinion by one MC Mom, with my answers following.
For future attacks, please at least be informed before you launch. Much of this complaint is answered in many places and many ways throughout this blog; which is a blog about how an embedded journalist sees the war he is covering, the problems he has with his life in doing so and how covering said war affects his family. Sacrifices do not come just from those fighting the war.
I would urge all military families to chime in for a full perspective of this particular discussion.
DT
——————-
Did I misread? You need a firefight because those pictures sell well and you need the cash flow? Have you given any thought to the fact that, if engaged in a firefight while on patrol with our military, instead of concentrating on the firefight and keeping themesleves and their brothers alive, these Heros are going to be focused on keeping you alive? (Where was that in the job description for these military men?) Are you sharing the cash flow with the Marines who are providing the material for your “cash flow”? Do you have any idea what their monthly cash flow is? How much money do you estimate you have made off of your photos and how much of that has been sent to the Wounded Warriors or Semper Fi Fund – two organizations to help our wounded and the families of our deceased heros. Thank heavens our men are there for more than the paycheck they receive or none of them would be in the military.
Your blog fails to report the conditions and sacrifices that these men are enduring to protect our country. Do they have blow up mattresses like yours? I read your comment about Cable and Barnett’s “escapade”…while you may have found this amusing, I am sure they were mortified if they saw it in print. Your blog makes this sound like a Boy Scout camping trip (not to offend any Boy Scouts). I would rather you concentrate on reporting the conditions and sacrifices these men are making instead of it being a “poor me, I’m making sacrifices and so is my family in order to make more money off of pictures so send me money to make it worth my while.” Where is the information on the number of these Marines that have been injured or killed in combat? To read your report, I wouldn’t know that there were any casualties.
Your tidbit on the conversation with the Captain…was that an “official” radio? What was the point? That these men don’thave anything better to do than gossip about celebrities? I hope to know better.
The true story is that these Marines and Brits are making sacrifices to protect our freedom – even the freedom to write bad blogs. On average, these men are 19 years of old, away from home for the first time, have yet to meet the children that have been born since they deployed, have yet to live with their wives (because they were getting ready to deploy) and this is either their first combat deployment or first deployment period. Some of these guys haven’t spent any holiday home in five years (the old timers) and the “young Marines” any since they enlisted.
Why do you only focus on who avoids the wag bag facilities and how they achieve it? I would think that a real journalist could find something more substantive to report on.
One last question, since when was the location of these Marines made public? I was shocked when I first read your blog and saw it in print. You have put the security and safety of these men at risk!
If your intent was to focus on nothing of importance to the Marines or the Brits, congratulations. You succeeded.
———————-
Mrs Blott:
I will take the time to reply to your long comment:
“Did I misread? You need a firefight because those pictures sell well and you need the cash flow?” – Yes, you misread. I never wrote that I need a firefight. In fact, just yesterday I wrote that I do not wish for firefights and have encouraged young Marines to do the same. What I did write is the fact that those images do sell better. If I do not make sales, the chances of me coming back shrink. Simple business equation.
Journalists on the battlefield: This is nothing new. Photojournalists have been on the battlefield since the 1850’s. If a Marine is surprised to see a journalist in their midst, then it is simply out of ignorance to the fact that we are, and always will be, in the mix.
Marines protecting me: Before most patrols, I work out a pseudo-plan for “what if” and it never involves Marines catering to me. I am confident that a Marine would save his buddy’s ass long before he batted an eye in my direction. In fact, I have been told by at least two service people over the years that they would do the exact opposite.
Do I share my proceeds? No. In fact, I have yet to make enough at this job to make it a full time situation. Simple business equation. Keep in mind that I am here out of a love for history and the military and not for the paycheck. I’m pretty sure my posts make that clear. I solicit donations from readers because, for most, I am providing a great service to them that costs me a ton of money. Please read previous comments.
“I would rather you concentrate on reporting the conditions and sacrifices these men are making instead of it being a “poor me, I’m making sacrifices and so is my family in order to make more money off of pictures so send me money to make it worth my while.” – I have written more than 25,000 words, in the past three weeks, bringing you stories that do just what you ask. I urge you to take a look at them and not focus on the one tongue-in-cheek story that you constantly refer to. Also understand that I am a videojournalist and this blog is just extra work that I do for free. I do not see anything wrong with getting $15 a year from people who benefit, enjoy or are regular readers of my work. I suppose I could password it and open it to subscribers only. This blog was designed to give interested readers an idea of the ups and downs of getting embedded and staying there. The military view is simply gravy that most others enjoy. This blog is MEANT to be self centered for this reason. MANY other miliblogs provide the reports you are seeking. This blog is unique in this regard.
“Your blog fails to report the conditions and sacrifices that these men are enduring to protect our country. Do they have blow up mattresses like yours?” – Again, I suggest you read the previous posts before sticking your neck out. As for the air mattress: Most do not, but I suggest they get one and have written so in the past. I bought mine based on my experience of wishing I had one on earlier embeds.
“I am sure they were mortified if they saw it in print.” – Actually, Sgt. Cable invited the story into the blog which became the groundwork for this one off color post of hundreds that I have written. I was trying to bring some amusement onto the stage. I accept your disagreement, however (my Dad hates these stories too). As for the 20 second radio conversation: It is the only conversation of that type I heard. I wrote about it because, at the time, it was truly very funny and I wanted to remember it. This is my blog afterall. Post duty can be very long and boring and it was fun to hear the guys break up the boredom with a little humor.
“I would rather you concentrate on reporting the conditions and sacrifices these men are making instead of it being a “poor me, I’m making sacrifices and so is my family…” – Again, I have written extensively about these “conditions and sacrifices”. However, this blog is about being an embedded journalist with the military, not the other way around (although I do write quite a bit about the men I embed with).
“Where is the information on the number of these Marines that have been injured or killed in combat? To read your report, I wouldn’t know that there were any casualties.” – In my extensive number of embedded days, I have only been involved in two incidents in which someone was killed or injured within my embed. Both times, I wrote extensively about it. I do not write about casualties just to write about casualties. You can get that info anywhere else. To add: There were no casualties during my embed this year, however, one Marine was killed in Bakwa shortly after I left and due to embed restrictions, I was not allowed to report on it.
“Why do you only focus on who avoids the wag bag facilities and how they achieve it? I would think that a real journalist could find something more substantive to report on.” – Once again you are focusing on 1% of the words I have written. I would hope you could be more thorough next time you decide to attack me.
“One last question: Since when was the location of these Marines made public? I was shocked when I first read your blog and saw it in print. You have put the security and safety of these men at risk!” – Not only do I not know which Marines you refer to, this statement is completely incorrect. Everything I have reported has been legitimate and in no way have I broken any embedment rules in doing so. Never have I been told not to report general locations, which is what I did. For instance, I do not report specific villages but I do report, in a general picture, of being “in Bakwa District, Farah Province,” as dictated by my embedment rules. If I thought I was putting Marines at risk with certain OpSec disclosures, I would not report it, even if I was given the green light to do so.
Understand that this blog does not generate much income for me. In fact, it simply started as a way for my family to stay closer to me while gone. The fact that it has become popular for military families is residual, albeit welcomed. However, this is my blog, about my travels, and my observations.
While I disagree with a majority of your opinionated, but uninformed letter, I hope I have been able to properly answer your questions and assertions so that have learned a little more today.
Kind Regards and Semper Fi,
DT
ps – I advise that you buy a small, durable air mattress for any Marine you have going on deployment. They weigh less than two pounds and are worth their weight in gold.
Four Hours With Brits and Afghans
Feb 24 at 3:03am by David Tate
A British Officer Mentoring Liason Team (OMLT) mentors Afghan counterparts in Musa Qala district, Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
February 20, 2009 – Southern FLET, Musa Qala, Helmand Province
With as much as I could do with 3/8 LMT, I found myself with a number of idle days waiting for extraction. That left me checking into the possibility of getting out with the British Officer Mentoring Liason Team (OMLT), which mentors 3rd Kandak, 3rd Brigade, 205 Corps of the Afghan National Army headquartered out of the base I was currently on . The OMLeT is made up of soldiers from 1st Battalion, Rifles.
Now Zad
Part of my mission on this trip is to set up the unfolding story of coalition forces escalating their presence in Afghanistan to numbers of foreign troops to some 70,000 personnel. To fully capture this story, I desperately needed to get to one FLET or another. FLET stands for Forward Line of Enemy Troops. In other words, I needed to get to the front line.
In USMC 3/8′s area of operations, the only defined FLET is in an area of western Helmand called, Now Zad. While not promised to me, I did make it known that was one of the areas I wanted to go. Unfortunately once here, I was told (and other journalists as well), “That’s not the story we want to push.” While I did put up a bit of an argument because of the ethical issues involved with such a statement, I was repeatedly denied an embed in this area and I finally dropped the subject until my debrief, when I once again stressed my issue with their decision.
Since journalists aren’t allowed in Now Zad, I can only paint a picture from the stories I have heard. Basically the town has been abandoned for three years now, with the villagers living displaced around a nearby village. The town’s infrastructure is crumbling and it is a virtual “free fire” zone in the sense that the only people left in it are Taliban.
The FLET in this area is a wadi (most likely due to the fact that wadi’s are large flat areas with no cover) that is not crossed, due to the understanding that you will be fired on. With a company of Marines operating there, it isn’t enough to take control of the area, but is enough to hold until more coalition soldiers/Marines can come. I expect that to be the case sometime in the near future.
In the meantime, Marines do some presence patrols, have encountered IEDs and the occasional direct contact, but for the most part life in Now Zad is austere and boring. This entire assessment is made based on dozens of first hand accounts from the Marines who have served there at one time or another or who have access to the reports Marines file from there.
Adapt and Overcome
With no chance of visiting a FLET within the Marines’ AO, I started to try to achieve this goal through the British Army once I made it to Musa Qala. I went to Musa Qala to see Marines training and mentoring Afghan Police, but ended up only getting the mentoring part because the police were dispersed throughout the area for pre-election security. Because of this, as mentioned before, I was left with a number of idle days that needed to be as productive as possible.
When I mentioned my desire to hook up for a bit with the Brits, the Marines told me that would end my embed with them and the Brits would have to be in charge of feeding and housing me. Since I was already living on a British base, eating British food, that didn’t seem to be that big of an issue. Unfortunately, as my luck would have it, the British PAO at Musa Qala was on leave, and to make matters worse, TF Helmand (Brit HQ) would not return my emails that would give me direction. Frustration was again starting to set in.
Finally, one day, news came that the British PAO was back from leave, so we set up a meeting. Very little good news came out of the meeting except for the possibility of getting, at the most, an overnight patrol/experience with the OMLeT team. Had I had more time, had the PAO been at Musa Qala and had the British returned my months worth of emails, I would have gotten time with the Ghurkas as well as the OMLeT. The cards just did not fall right for anything prolonged, so I accepted an invitation for a joint Afghan/Brit patrol that would at least allow me the ability to get some imagery.
Field Trip, of Sorts
I met up with the British at 0800 for the 7km trip down to USPB (United States Patrol Base). It is called that because at one time it was a US base; it is now the southern most Afghan base in Musa Qala.
I climbed into a Vector, dubbed “The Death Trap” by the guys I was riding with. The vehicle is a medium-sized troop carrier, which on this trip, held seven of us. The ride was slow, bumpy and crammed with me having the ass of a British soldier in my face the entire trip (he was the top gunner). The trip lasted less than 30 minutes in all before we rolled into the PB.
The plan called for the team that brought me to wait for me and the OMLeT/Afghans to conduct a patrol, we would then load back up and head to the District Center. In and out, quick and simple.
The mission itself involved the joint patrol moving up to the frontline and pushing through that line so the troops could recon a potential site for a frontline Afghan patrol base.
We left in two columns, maybe 30 men in all, with me near the front with the Afghans and the British in back mentoring from the rear. The British officer was very accommodating to me and my request to be up front, with no hassles whatsoever.
We moved quickly across the fields and past farmers managing their poppy crop who would just sit there and stare at us. Greetings in Pashtun were answered with silence. The area we were moving toward had turned into a no man’s land where villagers did not dare to go anymore, putting these farmers literally on the frontline.
There was a little confusion on this point, however, because local leaders had brokered some sort of agreement that would allow villagers to come and get their belongings. However, in this war, the enemy looks just like civilians, making such a deal quite the grey area for troops operating here.
Once we made it to the large red container that marks the frontline, the soldiers began disbursing and taking cover. At this point you realize how serious things are and the adrenaline really starts to flow.
Several figures could be seen across the field looking back at us, which prompted the Afghans to reposition themselves for better vantage points. I ran with my squad around a building and down an alley as we started flanking left for better position.
We made our way to the last building before it opens up into a field to our left and front. Across the field to the left, we could see the southern most British base where elements of the 2nd Royal Ghurka Regiment is located, which protected that flank and offered us superior cover fire in the event we pushed forward, as expected.
From our position, a British sniper and machine gunner set up to recon and cover any advance, which at this point, was strictly up to the Afghans. The Afghan commander of the patrol, a sergeant major, told the British that his commander authorized them to only go as far as they had.
“I see a man picking up a sack and running…,” called out the sniper. The man was one of three the sniper was tracking as the debate continued.
Over the next few minutes, the Afghans and British mentors would discuss the situation. The Brits wanted to push for the objective and the Afghans didn’t. Eventually the Afghan commander offered the Brits one squad of men if the Brits wanted to lead the assault, which they did, but couldn’t.
“That would defeat the purpose of us being here,” said the British captain. ”We’re here to mentor, not to lead.”
While the discussion continued from the cover of the house, I found a relatively concealed spot between the sniper and machine gunner so I could actually get video of the “front line”. I set my camera, hit record and laid as flat as I could, waiting for the impact of a round or the crack of a rifle or something. Nothing came. I got two good images of the line, including a man about 200m away watching us watch him, before dashing back to the safety of the house everyone else was hiding behind.
Shortly after that, the decision became final and we started to withdraw in a different direction from which we came.
The direction we took was toward the enormous wadi that ran along the western portion of the AO. This too was a FLET, with coalition forces often receiving harassment fire from the other side. Nonetheless, we made our way along “our side” of the wadi; again just waiting for plumes of dust and the report of rifles, indicating we were under fire. None came.
As we continued, I stopped a few times to get some clips, one of which included a former Taliban trench line. Each time I stopped, an Afghan soldier would stop with me until I finished and then we would run to catch up to our squad (we were not last, the British were trailing behind us to the right).
Once back at USPB, I watched the ANA test fire their heavy “Dishka” machine gun, which they did into the mud wall of their base. The Afghans were amused at my form of ear plugs which were two cigarettes sticking out of my head.
After a quick interview with the British captain, I was offered a chance to stay the night. I knew that my chopper wasn’t coming for another two days, but I was concerned about the Marines having a tizzy since I was technically out of their care at the moment. I decided to head back, content with the days’ clips, and convinced that by not staying the night, the Marines wouldn’t be too pissed. I can’t imagine a four hour jaunt could be construed as “embedding” and I never heard otherwise.
Where I am, the Action is Not
As I write this, I have spent roughly 275 days in various war zones in Turkey, Iraq and Afghanistan. Not once have I seen a firefight, and God knows, I have tried (I have actually seen a firefight, from afar, just never been in one). I have been under sniper fire, almost hit with indirect rocket fire and almost electrocuted by a falling wire after an IED detonation, but never in a firefight.
Figures that as soon as the sun went down, I watched from the roof of the White House as artillery and illumination flares lit up the southern sky. Turns out the place I had been just hours before, was taking fire from multiple firing points and answered with said artillery fire, small arms and a Javelin missile. The worst part about it was there were two British journalists in the middle of it on their very first day in the field.
I’ve always worn my Red Wings hat for good luck when I go out. I’m seriously considering retiring it.
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