You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
Afghanistan
Meanwhile, in the War in Afghanistan...
2011-04-10
Bing West embeds with his old friends of the Third Platoon of Kilo Company, Fifth Marine Regiment. Lots of detail, but a good overview as well. A free article at the Wall Street Journal, but you'll have to register.
March 17, Afghanistan - The fighting season in Afghanistan had begun, too, but in the U.S., the decade-old war is now largely ignored.

It can't be ignored here in the farm fields of Sangin district, where the Taliban have buried thousands of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). One wire is attached to a flashlight battery and another to a plastic jug of explosives, and each is glued to a thin board. When one board is pressed against the other, the wires make contact, sparking an explosion.

Since September, the Third Platoon has shot somewhere between 125 and 208 Taliban—as many as one enemy killed per patrol. That rate may not seem high, but the cumulative effect has been crushing. Marine tactics, like Ohio State football, have the subtle inevitability of a steamroller.

"We got a radio intercept yesterday," Lt. Garcia said. "Some Talib leaders in Pakistan were chewing out the local fighters for quitting. The locals yelled back, 'Marines run toward our bullets.'"

The members of the platoon do not care about bringing freedom and development to Afghanistan. They are here because they believe they're defending America.
Thank you, Marines. And thanks to the rest who've gone over there to keep the war away from home.
Posted by:trailing wife

#1  I think it could be stated even simpler.

They are there because they are US Marines.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2011-04-10 15:37  

00:00