BigAl
Expedition Leader
Yes. Love the pictures, keep them coming! Be careful!
Afghanistan: My 7 month "Adventure" in the Sangin valley
- Thread starter Sempertoy
- Start date
Yes. Love the pictures, keep them coming! Be careful!
First, thank you for your service,
and second, please keep the narrative and pictures coming.
My son is a Navy Seabee with orders to Afghanistan in the coming months. He knows not where in the country he's going, and he of course could not say if he did, but his expectations are detachment from his NMCB and assignment to build, maintain, and repair FOBs and COPs with and for the USMC. It will be his first combat deployment and he's nervously anticipating it.
Nice work, Sempertoy, and please keep it coming. Welcome home!
Foy
and second, please keep the narrative and pictures coming.
My son is a Navy Seabee with orders to Afghanistan in the coming months. He knows not where in the country he's going, and he of course could not say if he did, but his expectations are detachment from his NMCB and assignment to build, maintain, and repair FOBs and COPs with and for the USMC. It will be his first combat deployment and he's nervously anticipating it.
Nice work, Sempertoy, and please keep it coming. Welcome home!
Foy
RiverCityDave
красный октябрь
Ive been back for about 20 months now, and I know it sounds crazy, but I miss it all the time. Its an insane country, but there is something about it. I was up in Ghazni/Wardak, and I think Im going to volunteer to go back next spring.
It's not the place people think it is...
Keep your head down bro, we lost three good brothers in our year, and I think about them every day.
It's not the place people think it is...
Keep your head down bro, we lost three good brothers in our year, and I think about them every day.
Sempertoy
Explorer
Ok so I was able to sit down for a few minutes last night and get some pictures uploaded.
This is the PX, once every 8-10 weeks these trucks would come out and bring all the goodies that you can't buy in the field. They were packed with tobacco, work out supplements, and toothpaste. Guess what sold out first? Thats right the smokes, followed closely by work out stuff. Lucky for me I don't smoke and just had all my supplements mailed to me. But the best thing that the PX trucks would bring? WIFI!!!!!! Beautifully slow, unreliable frustrating WIFI
A few weeks after being there we got tired of sharing a head with the grunts. They liked to make a mess of things and then leave it to be cleaned up by us. So thanks to some great carpentry skills by some of the guys, we had our very own bathroom
This is a picture to illustrate just how small the base was. My buddy shep is standing here while a 53 lands about 50 yards away. Fast forward about 10 seconds and the whole area would be dusted out. You do not want to get caught in the open by a landing bird.
As soon as the brits left we took over their mud hut. It was transformed into an office area with a "lounge" where we kept our MRE's and watter bottles.
Wait till the end when you see what we do with the place!
Thats it for today, I have to be on my way to work. Hopefully you guys enjoy!
This is the PX, once every 8-10 weeks these trucks would come out and bring all the goodies that you can't buy in the field. They were packed with tobacco, work out supplements, and toothpaste. Guess what sold out first? Thats right the smokes, followed closely by work out stuff. Lucky for me I don't smoke and just had all my supplements mailed to me. But the best thing that the PX trucks would bring? WIFI!!!!!! Beautifully slow, unreliable frustrating WIFI
A few weeks after being there we got tired of sharing a head with the grunts. They liked to make a mess of things and then leave it to be cleaned up by us. So thanks to some great carpentry skills by some of the guys, we had our very own bathroom
This is a picture to illustrate just how small the base was. My buddy shep is standing here while a 53 lands about 50 yards away. Fast forward about 10 seconds and the whole area would be dusted out. You do not want to get caught in the open by a landing bird.
As soon as the brits left we took over their mud hut. It was transformed into an office area with a "lounge" where we kept our MRE's and watter bottles.
Wait till the end when you see what we do with the place!
Thats it for today, I have to be on my way to work. Hopefully you guys enjoy!
shortbus4x4
Expedition Leader
Cool. What's your MOS? When did plastic foot lockers come in service? Looking forward to seeing more.
Sempertoy
Explorer
I'm an 1142, gen mech.
shortbus4x4
Expedition Leader
I knew you weren't a grunt. I was a 3521/3531 back in the 90's. Looking forward to more. Stay safe.
Sempertoy
Explorer
One of the beauty's of being at a FOB is getting to help build the base up. If you have never had the privilege of filling sand bags, boy are you missing out....
This is me posing for the camera. Also attempting a mustache. It didn't come in very well..
These next pictures are from a birthday!! We weren't sure what to do for a cake so a couple of us went out to where all the MRE's and t-rats were kept and we found this pre-made cake. It even had the frosting with it. It wasn't delicious but it was fun.
The bandana is just a joke fyi...
This is me posing for the camera. Also attempting a mustache. It didn't come in very well..
These next pictures are from a birthday!! We weren't sure what to do for a cake so a couple of us went out to where all the MRE's and t-rats were kept and we found this pre-made cake. It even had the frosting with it. It wasn't delicious but it was fun.
The bandana is just a joke fyi...
Sempertoy
Explorer
haha how so? I can spell? lol... I was direct support for 3/5 this deployment. They lost a lot of good guys in Sangin.. I intend to keep this thread light hearted, but I think it is my duty to post the names of the guys that were lost. For you that have served you know what it is like when an IED goes off and you just wait for a chopper to come in, or when a patrol goes out and comes home short a man or two. For those of you who haven't been in hell before, it is a feeling unlike any other.. To loose a brother. To know that a family just lost their son, husband, brother.. It sucks.. So here is to the family of all the Marines from 3/5 Darkhorse, especially Lima company who I had the pleasure of serving beside.
The Fallen Of The 3/5
Oct. 8, 2010: Lance Cpl. John Sparks
Oct. 13, 2010: Lance Cpl. Joseph Rodewald, Lance Cpl. Phillip Vinnedge, Cpl. Justin Cain and Pfc. Victor Dew
Oct. 14, 2010: Lance Cpl. Alec Catherwood, Lance Cpl. Irvin Ceniceros and Lance Cpl. Joseph Lopez
Oct. 15, 2010: Lance Cpl. James Boelk
Oct. 16, 2010: Sgt. Ian Tawney
Nov. 4, 2010: Lance Cpl. Matthew Broehm and Lance Cpl. Brandon Pearson
Nov. 6, 2010: Lance Cpl. Randy Braggs
Nov. 9, 2010: 1st Lt. Robert Kelly
Nov. 10, 2010: Lance Cpl. James Stack
Nov. 24, 2010: Lance Cpl. Arden Buenagua
Nov. 25, 2010: 1st Lt. William Donnelly
Dec. 2, 2010: Sgt. Matthew Abbate
Dec. 6, 2010: Cpl. Derek Wyatt and Pfc. Colton Rusk
Dec. 7, 2010: Sgt. Jason Peto
Dec. 17, 2010: Lance Cpl. Jose Maldonado
Dec. 24, 2010: Lance Cpl. Kenneth Corzine
Dec. 28, 2010: Cpl. Tevan Nguyen
Jan. 20, 2011: Sgt. Jason Amores
shortbus4x4
Expedition Leader
I could tell you weren't a grunt from the fact you didn't like sharing a head with them. They are kind of hard to housebreak.:elkgrin:
Man thats alot of names of guys who didn't make it back, made me tear up a little. Thoughts and prayers are with their families. Semper Fi.
Man thats alot of names of guys who didn't make it back, made me tear up a little. Thoughts and prayers are with their families. Semper Fi.
Sempertoy
Explorer
Yeah me too... done for the night.
Wondering about the Seabees?
Sempertoy,
I wonder if you can comment as to presence or absence of Seabees in your FOB? My son is preparing to deploy in the coming months, and it's his understanding one of the likely assignments may include being in a small detachment doing construction, maintenance, or repairs on FOBs. He further believes Seabee dets often live at the FOBs for days to weeks as they perform their USMC support duties. Any recollections you may have concerning Seabees in your particular FOB, or at FOBs or COPs in general, would be greatly appreciated.
Foy
Sempertoy,
I wonder if you can comment as to presence or absence of Seabees in your FOB? My son is preparing to deploy in the coming months, and it's his understanding one of the likely assignments may include being in a small detachment doing construction, maintenance, or repairs on FOBs. He further believes Seabee dets often live at the FOBs for days to weeks as they perform their USMC support duties. Any recollections you may have concerning Seabees in your particular FOB, or at FOBs or COPs in general, would be greatly appreciated.
Foy