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Kandahar where I stayed a night and then took an- other C-130 to a British base known as Bastion, which was adjacent to Leatherneck, and which had an established air fa- cility. A Marine lance cor- poral met me and drove me the short remaining distance to Camp Leath- erneck, a teeming des- ert encampment of over 12,000 people, largely Marines, but with a smat- tering from the other ser- vices as well as a security contingent from Baharain. There were also civilian specialists, contractors, and liaison personnel.
THE WEIRS TIMES, Thursday, April 22, 2010
I got some space in a cor- ner of a tent, got oriented to the main area, and got an access badge to the central compound. I wanted to attend the se- cret briefings to develop my SA (situational aware- ness) so I could better con- nect with and interview all manner of participants in the operations.
Corporal Green waved
and smiled at the men, who seemed to recognize him, and they responded warmly, which was com- forting. While every Ma- rine is a rifleman, Green was also Civil Affairs spe- cialist. I’d met his boss,
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Former Taliban Minister Saifullurah Stakekzai, Michael Moffett, and Now Zad District Governor Sayed Murad.
Captain Jason Brezler, the previous day after I’d flown into Now Zad from Delaram. Brezler briefed me on the outreach the Marines had been doing locally, and I’d accompa- nied him into the adjacent District Governor’s Com- pound for a meeting and a meal with local officials, including, I found out later, a former Taliban minister.
A Marine Expeditionary Brigade had been in place in Helmand Province since the previous May, com- manded by Brigadier Gen- eral Lawrence Nicholson. The General presided over twice-daily Operations/ Intelligence briefing meet- ings. BGen Nicholson projected the aura and presence that one would expect from a Marine flag officer commanding in the field. His staff was also impressive. They’d been at things for a long time, and were efficient, articu- late, assertive, and knowl- edgeable, with panache, élan and senses of humor. Most of them would be rotating out within the month, as the larger Ma- rine Force moved in un- der Major General Mills, whom I’d interviewed when I was out at Camp Pendleton, California. BGen Nicholson’s rug- ged exterior did notice- ably soften during a staff
meeting in March when he recognized a new face in the back of the confer- ence room – Navy Captain Saleem Khan, a surgeon. The General stood up and went and warmly embraced the Captain, which told me they knew each other. It turns out that Khan had saved the General’s life in Iraq with prompt medical atten- tion after then-Colonel Nicholson had been bad- ly wounded in a deadly rocket attack on his head- quarters near Fallujah. The staff meetings covered a lot of material, as Ma- rine forces were arrayed in numerous locations throughout the USMC area of operations in Re- gional Command South. While much of each brief dealt with combat op- erations, there was also significant attention paid to non-combat/Civil Af- fairs initiatives, as keys to long-term success in Af- ghanistan involve engag- ing the local population and allowing them to gen- erate their own security as this poorest of countries pursues crucial economic development.
The Now Zad bazaar
featured very modest stalls with a variety of wares, including clothing, fruits, vegetables, and live chickens. The energy
COURTESY PHOTO
seemed positive, and Cor- poral Green was greeted by numerous waves and smiles. We turned a corner and a gaggle of Afghan youngsters ran to us, or more precisely to Corporal Arana. Christina Arana was a female Marine who had been working in the aviation ordinance field when she took advan- tage of an opportunity to support the USMC’s Fe- male Engagement Team initiative. FET Marines connect with youngsters and women in ways that male Marines cannot, par- ticularly in a socially con- servative Islamic culture, where women are mostly relegated to domestic life. We saw very few women on our patrol. But the boys and girls recognized Cor- poral Arana and seemed pleased to see her.
Helmand Heroics
Much of the Marine Ex-
peditionary Brigade had been in-country for al- most a year, and the focus was to have a successful Relief in Place of the Bri- gade by the larger Ma- rine Force without losing battle rythym or continu- ity. Liaison officers had been coordinating things for weeks. The change of command was slated for the second week in April. The Brigade had received
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