There is a small group of Marines that live on our FOB. Their job is to train the ANA that also live on the FOB to conduct operations in preparation for them to fully take back responsibility for the security of their country. The Marines have been working with the ANA for the last six months teaching them not only how to fight, but how to plan and prepare for operations; the latter being the harder to teach. Soon the Marines will be rotating out for another group that will take their place.
Our platoon conducted a short mission today which put us back in our staging are just as the sun was beginning to go down on the dusty country side. I was closing up the vehicle with my driver when we looked up and saw a convoy of ANA trucks coming back onto the FOB and pulling into the staging area. The dust that the wheels kicked up covered the vehicles in a thick haze leaving only their dark outline, and back lit with the sun with head lights on cutting through the chalky dust the first vehicles drove by waving an Afghani flag on its hood. The scene was quite dramatic in presentation and immediately I wished that I had my camera on hand. To add to the drama of the scene, we realized that there were no Marine vehicles in the convoy. The ANA had gone out on their own to conduct an operation and we were there to witness their triumphal return.
This group of Marines should be very proud of their hard work that has paid off in making the ANA prepared to take back their country and defend it themselves.
No comments:
Post a Comment