GEN. PERSHING, US.ARMY
CHESTY PULLER, USMC
-Attributed to Major General Oliver P. Smith, USMC, Korea, December 1950
Marine Makes Insurgents Pay the Price
November 18, 2008
Marine Corps News|by Cpl. James M. MercureFARAH PROVINCE, Afghanistan — In the city of Shewan, approximately 250 insurgents ambushed 30 Marines and paid a heavy price for it.
Shewan has historically been a safe haven for insurgents, who used to plan and stage attacks against Coalition Forces in the Bala Baluk district.
The city is home to several major insurgent leaders. Reports indicate that more than 250 full time fighters reside in the city and in the surrounding villages.
Shewan had been a thorn in the side of Task Force 2d Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force Afghanistan throughout the Marines’ deployment here in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, because it controls an important supply route into the Bala Baluk district. Opening the route was key to continuing combat operations in the area.
“The day started out with a 10-kilometer patrol with elements mounted and dismounted, so by the time we got to Shewan, we were pretty beat,” said a designated marksman who requested to remain unidentified. “Our vehicles came under a barrage of enemy RPGs (rocket propelled grenades) and machine gun fire. One of our ‘humvees’ was disabled from RPG fire, and the Marines inside dismounted and laid down suppression fire so they could evacuate a Marine who was knocked unconscious from the blast.”
The vicious attack that left the humvee destroyed and several of the Marines pinned down in the kill zone sparked an intense eight-hour battle as the platoon desperately fought to recover their comrades. After recovering the Marines trapped in the kill zone, another platoon sergeant personally led numerous attacks on enemy fortified positions while the platoon fought house to house and trench to trench in order to clear through the enemy ambush site.
“The biggest thing to take from that day is what Marines can accomplish when they’re given the opportunity to fight,” the sniper said. “A small group of Marines met a numerically superior force and embarrassed them in their own backyard. The insurgents told the townspeople that they were stronger than the Americans, and that day we showed them they were wrong.”
During the battle, the designated marksman single handedly thwarted a company-sized enemy RPG and machinegun ambush by reportedly killing 20 enemy fighters with his devastatingly accurate precision fire. He selflessly exposed himself time and again to intense enemy fire during a critical point in the eight-hour battle for Shewan in order to kill any enemy combatants who attempted to engage or maneuver on the Marines in the kill zone. What made his actions even more impressive was the fact that he didn’t miss any shots, despite the enemies’ rounds impacting within a foot of his fighting position.
“I was in my own little world,” the young corporal said. “I wasn’t even aware of a lot of the rounds impacting near my position, because I was concentrating so hard on making sure my rounds were on target.”
After calling for close-air support, the small group of Marines pushed forward and broke the enemies’ spirit as many of them dropped their weapons and fled the battlefield. At the end of the battle, the Marines had reduced an enemy stronghold, killed more than 50 insurgents and wounded several more.
“I didn’t realize how many bad guys there were until we had broken through the enemies’ lines and forced them to retreat. It was roughly 250 insurgents against 30 of us,” the corporal said. “It was a good day for the Marine Corps. We killed a lot of bad guys, and none of our guys were seriously injured.”
“Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference. The Marines don’t have that problem.”
PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN, 1985
Hat tip: Michael Medved Show
Credit quote for the title to this post: CAPT. LLOYD WILLIAMS, USMC
A former fetus, the “wordsmith from nantucket” was born in Phoenix, Arizona in 1968. Adopted at birth, wordsmith grew up a military brat. He achieved his B.A. in English from the University of California, Los Angeles (graduating in the top 97% of his class), where he also competed rings for the UCLA mens gymnastics team. The events of 9/11 woke him from his political slumber and malaise. Currently a personal trainer and gymnastics coach.
The wordsmith has never been to Nantucket.
God Bless the USMC. I will raise a glass in their honor at the Thanksgiving celebration I’m attending tomorrow.
That Chesty Puller quote is a classic. And we are going to need more heroics like the corporal’s in that firefight in Afghanistan for years to come against these assholes.
I pray a President Obama will realize that.
I can’t remember if it was the Afghanis or the Iraqis, but a long time ago there was an article about what locals thought of our troops. It was really funny, they earnestly believed some pretty far fetched rumors about the mighty forces and what all the hardware was for.
Interesting to find out what stories these Marines caused in that battle. I bet that sniper is 12 feet tall and bullet proof.
Nothing surprises me when it comes to our troops, I KNOW they are outstanding, THE BEST!
Remember them today and everyday.
Thank you for sharing this.
M
Greetings:
Back in my Army days, my favorite platoon sergeant told me the following:
There’s a statue of an infantryman with his back pack and bayoneted weapon in the infantry training center at Fort Dix, NJ. The name of the statue is “The Ultimate Weapon.” In this business, you don’t have nothin’ till some 20 year old with a long rifle tells you you have it.
Happy Thanksgiving.
While I am retired military myself, I wish everyone really knew the big picture. I wish my fellow Americans would get the big agenda. HOOWA! To those brave Marines, Army, Navy, and Airforce personnel for their selfless service…….HOOWA!!
Now wake up America …. GET the bigagenda
http://thebigagenda.com
This is not about republic, democrat, greenpeace, independent, or anything other political affiliation, its about Money, Power, and an Elitest group that want it all.
HOOWA to all my fellow military personnel everywhere your doing a fine job!!!