‘Magnificent Bastards’ fill in between scenes: Troops decompress during Operation Double Check

2/1/2012 By Sgt. Earnest J. Barnes , 2nd Marine Division

MUSA QAL’EH DISTRICT, Helmand province, Afghanistan

When the “Magnificent Bastards” with Echo Company are not actively engaged in seeking out and destroying the enemy, they do a number of things to take their minds off of the war and help their Afghan counterparts. Marines and sailors with 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, are partnered with Afghan National Security Forces to bring the fight to the enemy, but they also take time to decompress during ongoing operations.

For the modern warrior, who has the most advanced war-fighting technology at his fingertips, it’s hard for some to imagine a life without the World Wide Web, running water or, in some instances, even electricity. The Marines with Echo Company have grown accustomed to a simpler way of life while conducting operations through mud-hut villages in northern Helmand province.

The Marines with Echo Company find a variety of ways to adapt to their surroundings, overcome boredom, and entertain themselves to fill down time. Playing cards, miniature board games, and trading off items from their Meals-Ready-to-Eat to create combat recipes are a few things the troops do to fill their time when they are not patrolling through the Musa Qal’eh district.

Combat is a stressful working environment for any service member, but the Bastards take a very simplistic approach to taking their minds off of the realities of war, providing the physical and mental recuperation needed to maintain a combat mindset and operations.

“You have a full day everyday, but you try to maintain your levelheadedness by sitting down and reading a book,” explained Staff Sgt. Peter S. Ramos, a Patterson, N.J., native and a platoon sergeant with Echo Company.

Editor’s note: Second Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, is currently assigned to Regimental Combat Team 6 in 2nd Marine Division (Forward), which heads Task Force Leatherneck. The task force serves as the ground combat element of Regional Command (Southwest) and works in partnership with the Afghan National Security Forces and the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to conduct counterinsurgency operations. The unit is dedicated to securing the Afghan people, defeating insurgent forces, and enabling ANSF assumption of security responsibilities within its area of operations in order to support the expansion of stability, development and legitimate governance.

MUSA QAL'EH DISTRICT, Helmand province, AF-Seaman James L. Louck, a Riverside, Calif., native and a corpsman with Echo Company, tries to keep warm while on midnight radio watch. The Marines and sailors with Echo Company maintain multiple security responsibilities when bedded down and not actively seeking the enemy. There is always someone awake and on duty to maintain radio communications or security for the platoons of the company, regardless of the time of day or location.

, Sgt. Earnest J. Barnes, 1/11/2012 9:00 PM
MUSA QAL'EH DISTRICT, Helmand province, AF-Marines with Echo Company, Afghan Uniformed Police patrolmen, and interpreters gathered around a fire became a common sight and a daily occurrence during Operation Double Check. The Marines and their Afghan counterparts are participating in the operation to promote legitimate governance and security within the Musa Qal’eh district by removing insurgent support and established new AUP security posts. When not completing objectives, patrolling, or holding security posts, the coalition teammates are often found around the fire within the security post. It offers them a chance to pass their spare time with good conversation and an opportunity to fight temperatures as cold as 12 degrees Fahrenheit during the hours of darkness.

, Sgt. Earnest J. Barnes, 1/4/2011 9:00 PM
MUSA QAL'EH DISTRICT, Helmand province, AF-Marines in the foreground use articles of clothing to cover their faces to get some much-needed rest after a night of patrolling. Marines and sailors in the background prepare for an upcoming patrol, while others sit in a social circle passing the time by sharing funny stories and what they plan to do when they return home. The Marines with 3rd Platoon, Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, are participating in Operation Double Check, an ongoing operation to promote legitimate governance and security within the Musa Qal’eh district by removing insurgent support and establishing new Afghan Uniformed Police security posts within the area.

, Sgt. Earnest J. Barnes, 1/8/2012 10:15 AM
MUSA QAL'EH DISTRICT, Helmand province, AF-Corporal Michael S. Ussery, a Rochelle, Ga., native and a rifleman with Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, conducts a security patrol during Operation Double Check, an ongoing operation to promote legitimate governance and security within the Musa Qal’eh district., Sgt. Earnest J. Barnes, 1/10/2012 11:13 AM
MUSA QAL’EH district, Helmand province, Afghanistan -Corporal Nicholas W. Abey, a Houston native and a scout sniper with the Scout Sniper Platoon, Echo Company, grabbed the first spot he could find to sleep after a long night of patrolling. The snipers with 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, moved roughly 12 miles with more than 100 pounds of equipment without being detected to support missions during Operational Double Check, an ongoing operation to promote legitimate governance and security within the Musa Qal’eh district by removing insurgent support and establishing new Afghan Uniformed Police security posts within the area. Abey and his fellow snipers operate under extremely stressful situations and often stay in concealed locations for a number of days without moving. Sleep is as valued as hot showers after three weeks without running water when these Marines are afforded the opportunity to do so.

, Sgt. Earnest J. Barnes, 1/12/2012 10:30 AM
MUSA QAL;EH DISTRICT, Helmand province, AF-After moving about the area around the southern Musa Qal’eh’s dry riverbed undetected for nearly two weeks, scout snipers with Echo Company sit down to play a time-honored game of spades. Troops have used playing cards as a form of entertainment to pass the time for generations. “Spades; everybody plays spades! Anything to take your mind out of where you’re at,” said Cpl. Michael S. Ussery, a Rochelle, Ga., native and an infantryman with Echo Company.

, Sgt. Earnest J. Barnes, 1/12/2012 9:02 AM
MUSA QAL'H DISTRICT, Helmand province, AF-(Left) Corporal Christopher J. Longo, a West Minster, Colo., native and a spotter with Scout Sniper Platoon, Echo Company, cuts up market-fresh potatoes from a local bazaar with Sgt. Nathan K. Euing, a Houston native and a radio operator with the platoon. The Marines sometimes go several weeks without a hot meal, but take advantage of any opportunity to share some hot, home-cooked food with their Afghan counterparts. During Operation Double Check, an ongoing operation combining Afghan forces with members of 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, to promote legitimate governance and security within the Musa Qal’eh district, the two forces set up new Afghan Uniformed Police security posts within the area. The patrolmen with the AUP sometimes visit the local market after patrolling, purchase fresh food, and share several meals with the Marines during the evening.

, Sgt. Earnest J. Barnes, 1/12/2012 12:09 AM
MUSA QAL’EH DISTRICT, Helmand province, Afghanistan -Lance Cpl. Chase Pinkerman, a Columbus, Ohio, native and an infantryman with Echo Company, takes times to read his bible. Marines deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom experience a life much different than they are used to back in the America. Something as simple as reading a book helps take their mind off the stresses of combat. Pinkerman flipped through the pages of scripture for his daily devotional moments after Marines at Afghan Uniformed Police security post-5 in the village of Regay returned from a quick reaction force mission. The Marines and sailors with Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, maintained quick reaction force elements at all of the newly emplaced Afghan Uniformed Police security posts in the southern Musa Qal’eh dry riverbed. The service members partnered with the Afghan National Security Forces during Operation Double Check to promote legitimate governance and security within the Musa Qal’eh district by setting up new AUP security posts in the area.
, Sgt. Earnest J. Barnes, 1/13/2012 11:53 AM
MUSA QAL'EH DISTRICT, Helmand province, AF-Marines from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit attached to Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, get off their feet before the next patrol. The Marines supported Operation Double Check, patrolling for no less than four hours at a time and disposing of more than 11 improvised explosive devices in less than two weeks. With the added weight of their equipment the EOD technicians carry, plus their required personal protective gear and ammunition, which weighs more than 20 pounds, the Marines try to get off their feet whenever they can. It is not unusual for the Marines to wear their boots for more than 18 hours a day during operations. Their feet are just as important as the weapons they carry, and they take any opportunity to take care of them, given the environment., Sgt. Earnest J. Barnes, 1/7/2012 8:11 PM
MUSA QAL'EH DISTRICT, Helmand province, AF-Molly, an improvised explosive device-detection dog, keeps Seaman James L. Louck company at a new Afghan Uniformed Police security post in the village of Regay. The Riverside, Calif., native and corpsman with 2nd Platoon, Echo Company, participated in Operation Double Check, an ongoing operation to promote legitimate governance and security within the Musa Qal’eh district by setting up new AUP security posts in the area. Louck’s platoon is playing a large role during the operation by maintaining the interior security for the new posts while the Afghan patrolmen establish themselves with the local community members in the area.

, Sgt. Earnest J. Barnes, 1/12/2012 11:01 AM
MUSA QAL'EH DISTRICT, Helmand province, AF-Lance Cpl. Tyler Knight, a Burlington, Iowa, native and an infantryman with 2nd Platoon, Echo Company, sits in a window while watching a suspected insurgent nearby arrested by the Afghan Uniformed Police. The Marines belonging to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, lend a helping hand to their Afghan counterparts by standing extra posts during their spare time to allow the Afghans to independently patrol the area to establish themselves at the recently emplaced AUP security posts.

, Sgt. Earnest J. Barnes, 1/12/2012 10:55 PM
MUSA QAL'EH DISTRICT, Helmand province, AF-Lance Cpl. Kevin Adkins, a Surprise, Ariz., native and infantryman with 2nd Platoon, Echo Company, takes a sip of hot chai tea with a patrolman from the Afghan Uniformed Police. The Marines and Afghans spend a considerable amount of time together partnering on combat operations. Sitting down over a cup of chai tea is a way for Marines to build bonds with their Afghan partners, ultimately strengthening their working relationships and giving each an opportunity to learn about one another’s culture.

, Sgt. Earnest J. Barnes, 1/12/2012 11:02 PM