Guns, Beards And Diesel Trucks

        “We have multiple targets on the East side of the wadi approximately 300 meters.” Called someone in the lead element. This was the first radio transmission that would begin a long firefight on the way back from our operation. After being in Sangin, Afghanistan for a dull 4 months, a small team of us were finally assigned to do something useful. Even as a highly trained Marine, I thought I would be scared the first time I got shot at, this is the first time I felt in control.

           I left for my second deployment in late September 2013. We traveled for hours and hours on buses, multiple planes and finally a helicopter insert into Sangin. Sangin is located in the southern Helmond province of Afghanistan. I was a Corporal at the time and had been assigned as a section leader for my platoon. I had 18 Marines and one Navy Corpsman under my command. Most of us had been to the same area on our previous deployment. We constantly dealt with improvised explosive devices as we patrolled through the sandy villages. This tour started out a little slower. We didn’t patrol at all and barley left the wire.

           Our company was assigned to hold the small forward operating base we were at. FOB Jackson was the last place in the region with American forces, only around a hundred of us were there. Our daily tasks were a lot lighter this go-around. We would stand post and occasionally drive out in the desert to a nearby base to get resupplied. Those of us who had been before, and our junior Marines, were a little disappointed in the lack of action to say the least. About 5 months into the deployment I was called up to a small-rundown cement structure by one of our officers.

        “Yeakel I need you to put together a team to go on an operation with India Company.” Said my platoon commander as I walked into the command and control center. “Roger Sir, what kind of team?” My specialty was a 0352 TOW gunner and I needed grab three other Marines with similar expertise. After deciding whom I knew would be best fit for the team, I headed back down to our sleeping area. “Taylor, Spears, Pease,” I announced as I walked in the tent, “Lets go chat.” I had chosen two of my junior Marines that were both TOW gunners and one of my friends, Joey Pease. Joey was a 0351 Assaultman, an asset that would assist us on our mission. After briefing my team, we were told we would leave in two days and be flown to Camp Leatherneck where India Company was located.

      Our excitement grew quick as we prepared to head out on an unknown mission. We were lucky we had been hand picked to do a special task; an opportunity no one else got that deployment. We packed up all of our dusty gear planning on being gone for five days. The helicopter was an hour out and we made our final preparations and checks, while we waited outside. The landing zone was a large 400 square meter gravel pit, filled with sand and dust. As the helicopter came screaming in, we took cover behind some barriers to avoid being caught up in the rotor wash. “Throw your gear in the center and strap up!” yelled the crew chief over the earsplitting helo. We buckled up and the helo leapt into the sky. Flying low and fast we shut our eyes while we waited to get to our destination.

       Even though we weren’t even 100 nautical miles from our post in sangin, Camp Leatherneck seemed to have its own climate. The wind whipped harder and the chills stayed longer. As we walked off the helicopter, this became very apparent. We drove a big 4X4 truck from the tarmac to our living quarters. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” I said as we walked into an almost barracks-like structure. The guys in India Co. were living like kings compared to our ratty tents. Equipped with a heater, we made ourselves comfortable in the room really fast. Within 20 minutes we were called down to the company office.

       “Good to see you Marines!” Captain Holland exclaimed as he stuck out his hand. Captain Holland was the India Company Executive officer. He was heavily involved in the planning of the raid, and keyed me in to some of the main details I needed to know. “Alright guys, be here tomorrow morning at 0800.” With our new orders, we headed back to our quarters to begin planning. I gathered my team and we started going over our plan to support the company with our saber system. A saber system is what shoots our TOW missiles, our specialty. We a good plan to present to the company commander in the morning and with that we headed to bed on comfy mattresses we hadn’t seen in months.

       The next morning we got up early and headed to the chow hall for a bite to eat. Going to Leatherneck seemed like being on vacation. The chow hall had all sorts of food, and it was tasty. After eating what seemed like a gourmet meal we all piled into a truck and made our way to the company office for the mission briefing. We walked in and sat down in the chairs that surrounded the terrain model map. On the floor of the building was a mini-model of what the ground consisted of and how the raid was going to go down. There were around 100 people involved in this operation, but only the key leaders were present at the meeting. After about an hour of going over the mission, it was my turn to standup and give my brief. “Good morning gentlemen. My name is Corporal Yeakel. My truck crew and I will be supporting the operation via our saber vehicle.” I began. I listed off every asset I would be bringing, how we would support the mission, and answered any questions from the other leaders. After days of run-throughs, weather delays, and final preparation, it was go time.

      Everyone involved piled into their vehicles as we prepared to depart friendly lines and conduct the mission. We exited the back gate of the base into the dark-cold night at 3 am, and the mission was on. Slowly, we moved our 25-vehicle convoy to our objective, about 2 hours away. The lead elements hit the compounds hard and fast on foot, moving building to building. As they cleared each building, they would search and question individuals that occupied them. Occasionally they would come across known or suspected Taliban attempting to blend in and hide. They detained the men and threw them in the back of our trucks securing their hands with industrial zip ties, and blindfolding them.

      My truck was tasked with providing over-watch on a certain sector, we weren’t in the thick of it yet. Throughout the main portion of the raid there were multiple firefights that we could hear from our position, but couldn’t see. Captain Holland called my truck on the radio. “Whiskey Saber, this is India 5 go ahead and maneuver your vehicle to the north 500 meters. Break, possible spotters located near outlying compounds, over.” “Roger over.” I came back with. We positioned our truck to where we could try to track down the men spotting our raid and calling in mortars on us. We never found anyone hiding in the tree lines, as they must have seen us coming.

      The pace of the raid was full bore and almost finished. All of the sudden there was a loud blast that sounded like dynamite. A sound all too familiar to us, we knew that someone triggered an IED. “India main, this is India 2-3 we just had an Afghan counter-part step on an IED, requesting immediate medi-vac over.” Luckily it wasn’t one of our guys that stepped on it. No more than 10 minutes later, a helo was on the ground picking up the casualty, and we continued the mission.

      After the ground units finished clearing every compound we came for, they began to load back up into the truck so we could start to head back to base. The mission was complete but it was far from over. The sun was starting to go down, and that cold winter air set in as we began to make our way back up the dry riverbed exiting the village. Crack! “Contact right!” Taylor yelled from the gun as bullets flew into our truck and over his head.

      The Taliban had targeted us while the convoy was stopped. One of the vehicles up front had gotten stuck. All 25 guns oriented towards the mud huts that lined the riverbank and opened fire on the enemy positions. Up towards the front of the convoy our mortar team got out and started dropping rounds attempting to soften the target. Meanwhile near the rear where we were, shots were traded between the talis and us. Bryce Taylor was manning the M240 medium machine gun and laying rounds down range. “Keep your head low!” I yelled as rounds cracked over his head. It was pitch black now and we had a significant advantage over the enemy. We had night vision optics, they didn’t. I told Taylor to orient the saber system and scan for targets. We couldn’t find anyone firing.

      The tracer rounds from the machine guns lit up the night sky like the Forth of July. The sound was deafening even from inside the cab of the truck. After about an hour of back and fourth shooting the Captain Holland came over the radio, “All units cease fire.” We didn’t have time to do a post battle analysis, but it either way, the gunfire stopped because the enemy was killed, or simply ran away. Once the front vehicle was freed from the deep mud, we continued our journey back to Camp leatherneck.

      After a long 19-hour day, we finally pulled up to the gates and entered friendly lines. The streetlights of Leatherneck were bright and blinding after driving with night vision goggles in the dark. Everyone was a little groggy coming off the high from the firefight. We parked our trucks in a big dirt lot and began all of our post-op duties. Cleaning weapons, gear, and conducting a quick debrief, were a few main tasks that needed to be completed before we could have a good nights rest.