------March 18, 2013 ------

NEWS

Eagle Eye Story and Photos by Sgt. Bobby Yarbrough

PATROL BASE BOLDAK, - The Marines of 2nd , 7th Marine , had been taking sporadic enemy fire for most of the morning March 2 while conducting their daily patrol through Boldak, a small town interlaced with green fields and large mud compounds about eight kilometers southeast of . Due to their position and the unforgiving terrain of the city, the Marines couldn’t locate the shooter.

The Marines radioed their combat operations center at Patrol Base Boldak, a small base just two kilometers away, and asked for aerial surveillance to help locate where the shots were coming from.

Within minutes, Marines with Weapons Company, 2nd Bn., 7th Marines, had launched an RQ-LOA Puma AE, a small, unarmed aerial vehicle, to search for potential suspects. (Read the STORY)

CLR-2 faces challenges during demilitarization Story and photos by Cpl. Lia Adkins

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan - There is no doubting the dangers just outside the wire in Afghanistan.

With demilitarization in full swing in Helmand province, Marines with 2nd Platoon, Transport Support Company, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, face these dangers head on as part of a large effort to provide tactical and logistical support to the dwindling number of forward operating bases and combat outposts within the Regional Command Southwest area of responsibility.

The unit convoyed to Patrol Base Shir Ghazay and FOB Shukvani to resupply units there and to pick up equipment designated for retrograde, March 6. The Marines used more than 30 vehicles to carry ISO containers, supplies, mail and food. (Read the STORY)

CLR 2 closes FOB Shamsher Story and photos by Cpl. Lia Adkins

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHAMSHER, Afghanistan - As the Marine Corps transitions security to Afghan National Security Forces, forward operating bases are rapidly closing and equipment is being retrograded out of Afghanistan. Of 193 coalition posts throughout Helmand at the beginning of 2012, only 45 remain.

Transportation Support Company, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, has been a vital part of the process since they arrived here in January.

The Marines of 3rd Platoon convoyed to Forward Operating Base Shamsher in the district of Sangin, March 10, to support its closing. (Read the STORY)

First contact Story and photos by Sgt. Bobby Yarbrough

PATROL BASE BOLDAK, Afghanistan - The air was still and the fading sounds of morning prayers echoed throughout the valley as our convoy lumbered to a halt. The lead vehicle had become stuck in a field and couldn’t move. The patrol leader, Sgt. Brandon Bond, radioed to Marines in the stopped vehicle and asked if they could move. It was almost 5 a.m. and Bond knew people would soon begin to leave their homes and move.

The vehicle was immobile, so we dismounted our vehicles and began to patrol on foot to two compounds which lay just 400 meters to our north. The Marines with Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, , had watched the compounds over the last few weeks and believed insurgents were using them for refuge.

The glimmer of the moon outlined the bodies of the Marines around me as we crossed the rutted fields. The fields had been irrigated the day prior and with each step mud clung to the bottom of my boots. We trudged through the mud for five minutes, approached the compounds and cordoned the area. (Read the STORY)

CLC Marines get creative, use ingenuity in Afghanistan: Part 1 Story and photos by Cpl. Lia Adkins

Editor’s Note: This is the first of a six-part series about projects initiated by Marines of General Support, Combat Logistics Company, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, while deployed in Afghanistan.

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan - Since arriving in Afghanistan two months ago, Marines with General Support, Combat Logistics Company, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, continue to use their creativity, maintenance expertise, and some spare parts to yield innovations that make their jobs easier and safer while also saving the Corps money.

Lance Cpl. Jacob A. Taylor, and electronic maintenance repair technician with CLR-2, noticed the generators used by the engineer section were not producing enough voltage. Marines in the section were forced to maneuver a forklift around their bay to jumpstart their generators, but Taylor thought of an easier way. (Read the STORY)

VIGNETTES

New York native hopes for career in Corps Story and photo by Capt. Matthew Beers

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan - Regularly putting in 12-14 hour days is no surprise on deployment. It is often what you do during the long work hours that separate good Marines from great ones.

Lance Cpl. Diego Cordova, with II Marine Air Wing (Forward), has not only been working these hours on deployment, but has been since assignment as the unit’s operations clerk in the fall.

“Lance Cpl. Cordova has been a driving force within our department,” beamed Capt. Alejandro Perez, the officer-in-charge of the Operations Administration with II MAW (FWD). “His dedication and work ethic are unmatched. What’s more, he will be fulfilling this billet for a full year, rather than a typical six-month deployment.”.(Read the STORY)

History major, Neb. Marine inspires others Story and photo by Sgt. Ned Johnson

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan— Roman soldiers often greeted one another by hitting their breastplate and shouting.

In today’s culture of the Marine Corps, passing Devildogs often grunt “” as a greeting, but one Marine still draws from Roman traditions to inspire his fellow warriors.

Corporal Michael Kelly, a fires watch chief with Regimental Combat Team 7, has a bachelor’s degree in history and loves to inspire fellow Marines with stories of warriors- past.(Read the STORY)

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Lance Cpl. Jose Avila, from Staten Island, New York, talks to a KCDZ 107.7 FM Online reporter, in Joshua Tree, Calif., about his duties as a refrigeration technician in the Marine Corps and becoming a U.S. citizen.

Lance Cpl. Diego A. Cordova talks with a Queens Chronicles reporter about his time serving in Afghanistan

Marine Cpl. Michael J. Kelly, from Omaha, Neb., talks to a KCDZ 107.7 FM Online reporter, in Joshua Tree, Calif., about why he joined the Marine Corps and his duties as a fire support coordinator.