Mortarmen bring 81s to the fight 

The Marines and soldiers were going about their daily business, setting up their new company operating base in Marjah, Helmand province, Afghanistan, March 21. There wasn’t much going on at the time.

Without warning, the dull afternoon was interrupted by gunshots. Insurgents in the area were attacking the troops with small-arms fire.

While Marines from India Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, and soldiers from the Afghan National Army shot back, mortarmen from 1st Section, 81mm Mortars Platoon, attached to India Co., dashed to their pits to prepare their mortars for fire.

“We got on the (mortar) guns and direct-laid on the enemy’s muzzle flashes,” said Sgt. Dennis Leanes, the first section leader for the platoon.  

Direct-laying, meaning to point the mortar tube directly at the target, is acceptable when the mark is in sight, Leanes added.

The firefight was brief, only lasting several minutes before the insurgents stopped shooting. The Marines didn’t get to launch any mortars, but they were ready to if necessary.

“(The mortarmen) were ready to drop some rounds and cause havoc on those guys,” said Leanes, from Ishpeming, Mich. “As soon as (the insurgents) saw the guns pointed at ‘em, they retreated because they knew what was gonna come down on ‘em!”

The potential destructibility and altitude of a mortar round when launched from an 81 mm tube has in part caused it to be used sparingly during Operation Moshtarak. Before being allowed to shoot one, the mortarmen must obtain clearance through the battalion.

These Marines shoot larger mortars from 81 mm tubes as opposed to the 60 mm tubes many of their fellow mortarmen shoot from. The two groups of mortarmen are used in different ways.

Mortarmen that fire 81s are usually tasked out to weapons companies while 60s get attached to platoons within the line companies. Eighty-ones aren’t as mobile and remain stationary for longer periods of time.

To date, the 81s mortarmens’ most significant role during the Marjah offensive occurred days before the coalition’s Feb. 13 push into the city.

“The biggest mission that we’ve had out here was a smoke-screening,” said Cpl. Barry J. Herb, a squad leader. “That was right before d-day.”

During the ruse, the mortarmen fired 24 rounds of red phosphorous over the course of several hours, while the light-armored reconnaissance unit with them fired off mine-clearing line charges.

Since that time, the mortarmen have been moving around from place to place, ready for their next big mission.

“I had one week where I went on patrols with India (Company), other than that, we’ve been digging in,” said Lance Cpl. Peter Martin, from Tucson, Ariz.

Unlike the coalition, the Taliban has used indirect fire often during Operation Moshtarak, especially during its first weeks. The insurgents have not been able to provide accurate or effective fire, something the Marines attribute to hasty tactics.

“The insurgents aren’t very accurate at all. They use a kind of hit-and-move guerilla warfare concept,” said Herb, from Coral Springs, Fl. “They move in-and-out and don’t have enough time to adjust their fire and be accurate.”

So far, the mortarmen feel that their deployment has been bearable, something they credit to their training back in the United States.