Engineer and logistics battalions work together to fortify infantry battalion positions in Marjah 

The heat of Marjah, Afghanistan has turned Cpl. Alton S. Floyd’s truck into a sauna. Already sweating, Floyd a wrecker operator for 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion flips the air conditioning on only to have hot, dusty, brown air blown into his vehicle. Nevertheless, Floyd appears driven as he pulls his vehicle into his unit’s convoy.

“My fellow Marines were counting on me to do my part. I didn’t want to let them down by letting something like that bother me,” said Floyd from Atlanta, Ga.

Floyd is just one Marine of approximately 50 from 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion and Combat Logistics Battalion 1, who for nearly a month convoyed fortification supplies such as concertina wire, guard towers, and dirt to 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment’s forward operating base Marjah.

Among the supplies, dirt was what was needed most for the fortification of FOB Marjah. Dirt was used to build a perimeter of berms around FOB Marjah and other 1/6 positions.

By combining their resources, 2nd CEB and CLB-1, were able to run convoys of dirt 24 hours a day to 1/6 positions.

“We had to ensure 1/6 had the fuel they needed for force protection,” said Sgt. Joshua Buckner, the operations platoon sergeant for 2nd CEB. “So we had 24-hour operations to make sure we did it quickly and safely. The Marines did a good job and didn’t sleep until the job was done.”

All hours of the day the two battalions continued their efforts. Although fatigued, Marines persevered knowing what they were doing was helping there fellow Marines.

“This is what I came here to do,” said Lance Cpl. Oscar Osorio, a combat engineer for Combat Logistics Battalion 1. “I like supporting the grunts by building guard towers and helping them become more reinforced. At first the FOB didn’t look like much, but at the end it’s a place where grunts can come back to after a firefight and relax.”

As the two battalion’s mission came to a close, it appeared the residents of Marjah had become increasingly familiarized with the Marines’ presence in their city.

Marines selflessly shared what little personal provisions they had, such as Gatorade, energy drinks, and Pop Tarts. When convoying through route Victoria, Marjah, it became commonplace to see children on both sides of the route waving thumbs up like a parade event.
 
“I just felt like being nice,” said Lance Cpl. Brandon D. Meeks, a motor transport operator for 2nd CEB. “It changed from when I first got here; I noticed more people were out and about towards the end. It became safer for the people to come out.”