Marines from Twentynine Palms got more than they bargained for in Afghanistan
The 2nd Battalion, 7th Regiment of the 1st Marine Division -- the Two-Seven -- never expected to deploy to Afghanistan, much less see heavy combat.
Reporting from Operating Base Delaram, Afghanistan — The Marines of the Two-Seven were not even supposed to deploy to Afghanistan. Their original destination was Iraq, and when they were sent here in April as a stopgap measure to help an overwhelmed NATO force, the plan had been to spend the time mentoring Afghan national police.
It didn't turn out that way.
Instead of training policemen, the lightly equipped 2nd Battalion, 7th Regiment of the 1st Marine Division found itself engaged in firefights with insurgent units of 100 or more fighters. They faced Taliban snipers and roadside bombs.
Twenty members of the 1,000-member battalion died in combat.
"It definitely was a lot worse than we expected," said Cpl. James Flores, 22, of Thousand Oaks. "A lot more active." The Two-Seven has begun returning to its desert base in Twentynine Palms; the bulk will be home by early December. The members take credit for leaving behind 800 trained Afghan police, hundreds of dead Taliban fighters and nascent diplomacy with village leaders.
They also served notice that the Marines were back in Afghanistan to stay.
Based in part on the experiences of the Two-Seven and the grit of its individual members, Marine Corps officials are planning to greatly expand their numbers here -- an unexpected result of a deployment that wasn't even supposed to be.
A replacement task force will consist of about 2,300 troops, more than double the size of the Two-Seven's initial deployment. It will include infantry from Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, an air wing from Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego and a headquarters unit from Hawaii -- a "special air-ground" task force with all the gear, air power and other assets the Two-Seven lacked when it arrived.
An unspecified number of Marine special operators are also in Afghanistan.
Lt. Gen. Samuel Helland, commander of the Marine Force Central Command, said he would like 15,000 Marines sent here soon "to crush the enemies of Afghanistan."
That was never part of the plan. When Commandant Gen. James T. Conway first suggested that Marines be shifted from Iraq to Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates rejected the idea.
Months later, under pressure to bolster North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies in Afghanistan's troubled south, Gates relented. He agreed to send the Two-Seven to Helmand province and deploy the much larger 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit from Camp Lejeune several hundred miles to the east.
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