Marine Makes Insurgents Pay the Price
November 18, 2008
Marine Corps News|by Cpl. James M. Mercure

FARAH PROVINCE, Afghanistan — In the city of Shewan, approximately 250 insurgents ambushed 30 Marines and paid a heavy price for it.

Shewan has historically been a safe haven for insurgents, who used to plan and stage attacks against Coalition Forces in the Bala Baluk district.

The city is home to several major insurgent leaders. Reports indicate that more than 250 full time fighters reside in the city and in the surrounding villages.

Shewan had been a thorn in the side of Task Force 2d Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force Afghanistan throughout the Marines’ deployment here in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, because it controls an important supply route into the Bala Baluk district. Opening the route was key to continuing combat operations in the area.

“The day started out with a 10-kilometer patrol with elements mounted and dismounted, so by the time we got to Shewan, we were pretty beat,” said a designated marksman who requested to remain unidentified. “Our vehicles came under a barrage of enemy RPGs (rocket propelled grenades) and machine gun fire. One of our ‘humvees’ was disabled from RPG fire, and the Marines inside dismounted and laid down suppression fire so they could evacuate a Marine who was knocked unconscious from the blast.”

The vicious attack that left the humvee destroyed and several of the Marines pinned down in the kill zone sparked an intense eight-hour battle as the platoon desperately fought to recover their comrades. After recovering the Marines trapped in the kill zone, another platoon sergeant personally led numerous attacks on enemy fortified positions while the platoon fought house to house and trench to trench in order to clear through the enemy ambush site.

“The biggest thing to take from that day is what Marines can accomplish when they’re given the opportunity to fight,” the sniper said. “A small group of Marines met a numerically superior force and embarrassed them in their own backyard. The insurgents told the townspeople that they were stronger than the Americans, and that day we showed them they were wrong.”

During the battle, the designated marksman single handedly thwarted a company-sized enemy RPG and machinegun ambush by reportedly killing 20 enemy fighters with his devastatingly accurate precision fire. He selflessly exposed himself time and again to intense enemy fire during a critical point in the eight-hour battle for Shewan in order to kill any enemy combatants who attempted to engage or maneuver on the Marines in the kill zone. What made his actions even more impressive was the fact that he didn’t miss any shots, despite the enemies’ rounds impacting within a foot of his fighting position.

“I was in my own little world,” the young corporal said. “I wasn’t even aware of a lot of the rounds impacting near my position, because I was concentrating so hard on making sure my rounds were on target.”

After calling for close-air support, the small group of Marines pushed forward and broke the enemies’ spirit as many of them dropped their weapons and fled the battlefield. At the end of the battle, the Marines had reduced an enemy stronghold, killed more than 50 insurgents and wounded several more.

“I didn’t realize how many bad guys there were until we had broken through the enemies’ lines and forced them to retreat. It was roughly 250 insurgents against 30 of us,” the corporal said. “It was a good day for the Marine Corps. We killed a lot of bad guys, and none of our guys were seriously injured.”

http://www.military.com/news/article/marin...-the-price.html

It's shame you will never see stories like this on CNN or Fox news. This thing would have been over along time ago if they would have let our men fight like this in every battle. God Bless them!

Blood makes the grass grow!

God Bless our jarheads!

Damn right Juggs!

And no KIA's on our side to boot.

thats awsome:-) Thanks for posting this.

Indeed thanks for the post It's always good to be reminded of the people we have representing this Country. Is a crime in and of itself that these stories are not covered by our so called news media. All of these guys overseas are heroes and don't even merit a mention on the news.

Fuck Yeah!

That's because they're not screwing Angelina or getting pulled over for their seventh DWI.

Hey! What's wrong with screwing Angelina!!??

Nothing, as long as bullets are not impacting close to you.

Thanks for the post. I love reading about true American heros.

If this is the only way we can get the news we want to hear. I'm all ears!

Thanks for a ray of hope in my dark world.

"Now is not the time for doubt".

Frosty

What a group of MEN. Bless these Marines for doing their part to keep America free!

OoooRaaaah Devil Dogs!!!!!!!

RIP LT Mike Murphy USN
Awarded the CMOH

Awesome post!

Glad everything turned out OK for our guys.

An 8-hour shootout seems like a LONG time, no? I wonder how many rounds they went through.

Hells yes!!

Bless those jar head son of a bitches, they are the raghead jihad assholes worst nightmare.

Damn Skippy.

Holy Christ. The amount of training and dedication to reach this level of motionless cool while under those pressures is unimaginable.

My fellow Marines, Brothers In Arms, Devil Dogs, this is what we train for....this is why we let God sort out the haji's in stead of Marines!!