Troops reach Afghan post
By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer
About 1,000 Kane'ohe Bay Marines have arrived in Afghanistan for what's expected to be a seven-month tour in central and southeastern portions of the country on the border with Pakistan, a mountainous and tribal region where Taliban influence still is strong.
"We've trained hard for this deployment," said Lt. Col. Norm Cooling, commander of the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. "I'm very proud of my Marines and sailors here on the far reaches of the world, and I'm confident in their abilities to help the local population and destroy the anti-coalition forces that seek to enslave the (Afghan) people."
The 3/3 Marines, known as "America's Battalion," are replacing the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment out of Camp Lejeune, N.C.
The Camp Lejeune battalion, expected to return home shortly after Thanksgiving, lost two Marines to hostile fire on June 24 near Bari Khout in Kunar province, which borders Pakistan.
Fourteen Marines were wounded in action during the 6 1/2-month deployment, one Marine died in a shooting accident, and 11 were injured in a helicopter crash.
The arrival of 3/3 in Afghani-stan comes as Hawai'i Marines with the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment battled to secure Fallujah in Iraq.
Eleven Hawai'i Marines and a sailor have died in Iraq since the battalion arrived in the country last month — seven of them in a suicide car bomb attack near Fallujah on Oct. 30.
The 3/3 Marines, who will continue security, stabilization and counterterrorism efforts in Afghanistan, will be part of Combined Task Force Thunder.
Col. Gary H. Cheek, a Schofield Barracks artillery commander, took command this past summer of the 3,100 U.S. soldiers and Marines in the task force. The task force was increased from two infantry battalions to four, and five Provincial Reconstruction Teams to seven, reflecting an increased emphasis on the volatile border region.
Troops in the task force included the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry out of Schofield, the 3/6 Marines, the 3rd Battalion, 116th Infantry of the Virginia Army National Guard, and the 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry of the 82nd Airborne Division, which was brought in to add extra security for Afghanistan's Oct. 9 presidential election.
More than 5,800 soldiers with the 25th Infantry Division (Light) are deployed to Afghanistan.
The 3/6 Marines out of Camp Lejeune operated out of eight base camps in nine provinces. The battalion arrived in Afghanistan in early May and recently moved to Forward Operating Base Salerno in Khowst Province.
The 3/3 Marines trained in San Diego in September with special effects help from Stu Segall Productions, a movie studio which built a mock Afghan town.
The Marines also hiked into the Sierra Nevada mountains for three days, climbing and rappelling at altitude while carrying weapons and assault loads in preparation for the mission ahead, which will include travel by Humvee, truck and helicopter to remote mountain towns.
More than 13,500 soldiers, sailors and Marines are deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan from Hawai'i. Approximately 2,000 Hawai'i Army National Guard soldiers with the 29th Separate Infantry Brigade are training at Fort Bliss in Texas for a deployment to Iraq in February and March.
Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-5459.
