Showing 10 posts tagged 5MR
SOLDIER STORIES: Iron Mike reunion at Belleau Wood
U.S. Marines and French soldiers gather on the parade field of the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery during a Memorial Day service in honor of the 93rd anniversary of the Battle for Belleau Wood. This year’s ceremony marks the first time in 93 years that the Marines of the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments have returned to the battlefield together to honor their fallen comrades. More than 1,800 Marines from the 5th and 6th Regiments lost their lives in the 21-day battle that stopped the last German offensive in 1918.
(Article and photos by Sergeant Rocco Defilippis, 30 MAR 2013.)
BELLEAU, France — In the summer of 1918 two regiments of Marines arrived in the Picardy region of north-central France as part of the American Expeditionary Force. With combat experience limited to ship-born detachments and small land engagements, the Marines of the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments would soon find themselves making history in the wheat fields and forests around a small village called Belleau.
For the first time in the 93 years since one of the Corps’ most iconic battles, the Marines of 5th and 6th returned their battle colors to the hallowed grounds at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial to pay tribute to the men who fought and died in the battle that stopped the last major German offensive of World War I.
In observance of the ceremony, Gen. James T. Conway, commandant of the Marine Corps, Sgt. Maj. Carlton W. Kent, sergeant major of the Marine Corps, the Honorable Charles H. Rivkin, U.S. ambassador to France, French dignitaries and representatives from the Ministry of Defense, and the United States Marine Corps Battle Colors Detachment joined Marines from the 5th and 6th Regiment; the Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team Company out of Rota, Spain; Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa and thousands of French citizens to pay tribute to those who paid the ultimate price in defense of liberty.
During his remarks, Gen. Conway paid tribute to the Marines who earned their famous nickname “Devil Dog”, spoke to the common bonds shared between the French and Americans, and highlighted how the Marines ’ sacrifice at Belleau Wood was, in part, a small repayment to the French for their unwavering support to the Americans during the War for Independence.
In addition to the ceremony, the Marines who attended were also given the chance to tour the battlefield, learn the history, and walk in the footsteps of their predecessors.
“As a member of [2nd Battalion, 5th Marines], this experience has been amazing,” said Sgt. Thomas Stafford, platoon sergeant with Weapons Company, 2/5 and a Estcada, Ore. native. “As we learned during the tour, this is the birthplace of most of our infantry training and tactics, not to mention the legacy that the Marines made here. So, it’s pretty awesome to be here.”
Known for its bloody wheat fields where on the 6th of June, 1918, the Marines sustained more casualties in one day than it had in its previous 143 years of existence, the battlefield tour had a profound impact on the participants.
“It’s an inspiring moment, looking across those fields and walking through the wheat,” said Gunnery Sgt. Jeremy Marks, supply officer for 1st and 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines and a Caldwell, Texas native. “All Marines hear the story and know about Belleau Wood, but for the Marines here today; they will be able to go back and share with their Marines at the regiment and it will give it that extra bit of significance.”
Although the Marines took heavy losses on the 6th, in the remaining 20 days of the battle, the Marines not only proved that they were a determined and ferocious fighting force, but birthed the “Devil Dog” legacy that has inspired generation after generation of Marines .
“The Marines today carry with them that same warrior’s spirit as the Marines who took this wood 93 years ago,” said Sgt. Maj. Kent. “It’s only right to pay tribute to those who have gone before us and gave us the proud legacy to live up to. It’s something we take very seriously as Marines, and it’s something that we are doing now and will continue to do in the future.”
The Memorial Day service concluded with an informal gathering at the famous Bulldog Fountain, an important pilgrimage site located on a small estate in the village of Belleau, where Marines, family members, and French citizens gathered to celebrate and continue the Franco-American friendship that has endured throughout the history of the United States.
“Today, as we do each year, we come to this place to remember where it all happened,” said Lt. Gen. Walter E. Gaskin, deputy chairman for the military committee at NATO headquarters and Savannah, Ga. native. “This event symbolizes not only our respect and appreciation for the warriors who died here, but also gives us a chance to remember the common bonds we share as nations and our devotion to the defense of liberty.”
More than 1,800 Marines from the 5th and 6th Regiment and several U.S. soldiers were killed during the Battle for Belleau Wood. In addition to their heroic feats at Belleau Wood, the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments went on to fight in other battles such as Aisne, Saint-Mihiel, the Meuse-Argonne offensive, Soissons, and Blanc Mont. For their gallantry in combat, the French government awarded the regiments the fourragère, a unit award given to units who distinguishing themselves more than once in combat. The Marines of 5th and 6th proudly wear the award today.
SOLDIER STORIES: The Bullet With a Story to Tell.
Lt. Col. Patrick Looney, battalion commander for 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, holds the last round chambered in a Marine M-40A1 sniper rifle that spent two years in enemy hands.
A true shot through the window killed the insurgent sniper. A Marine sniper from 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment shot him through the window at a distance near Habbaniyah, Iraq. Sergeant Kevin Homestead, a 26-year-old squad leader for K Company, was spotting for the sniper section leader when he noticed the insurgent videotaping a convoy with a scoped rifle by his side. Only after killing the shooter, and the driver who was spotting, did they discover the M-40A1. The rifle was lost when it was taken from four Marines assigned to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment after they were killed nearly two years before in Ramadi.
An assortment of improvised explosive paraphernalia was found in the insurgent sniper’s vehicle as well.
The Darkhorse battalion mounted the chambered round on a plaque which was presented to the snipers of 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment Magnificent Bastards, who lost four Marines and the rifle in Ramadi in June 2004.(Photos by Corporal Mark Sixbey, 20 May 2006.)
[USMC Staff Sergeant Mike Skinta was one of the sniper instructors when Dakota Meyer attended Sniper School. In his book Into The Fire, Meyer recounts Skinta’s cautionary tale of what happens when a sniper team on a mission relaxes vigilance.]
“Skinta told us about a sniper team in over-watch in a half-constructed building in Ramadi in 2004. It was a warm, dull day and after several hours, they dozed off and never awakened.
“Insurgents sneaked up and shot all four Marines in the head. They left with the high-powered M48-A3 and its excellent Schmidt & Bender scope. Over the course of the next year they allegedly killed two more Americans before a Marine sniper took them out and recovered the rifle.
“Skinta hammered home his message: know every aspect of your job, and never never let down your guard. If you slack off or take things for granted, you die.” [Into the Fire, pg. 35]
Scheduled for live feed web broadcast via DVIDS (link above) on 10 August 2012, the family of USMC Sergeant Matthew Abatte will receive his Navy Cross, posthumously awarded for his heroism during events of 14 October 2010 — just weeks before his death.
[Article by Gidget Fuentes - staff writer of Marine Corps Times, 3 August 2012.]
Sgt. Matthew Abbate, with 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, out of Camp Pendleton, Calif., was killed in combat in Afghanistan on Dec. 2, 2010, just six weeks after the battle that earned him the nation’s second-highest award for combat heroism.
Maj. Gen. Ronald Bailey, the commanding general of 1st Marine Division, will present the award to Abbate’s family, who will accept it on his behalf. The ceremony is scheduled at 10 a.m. next Friday at Camp Pendleton.
Abbate was cited for his “bold and decisive leadership” while leading his scout-sniper section through a hellish ambush in Sangin district on Oct. 14, 2010.
Abbate and his scout-snipers were patrolling Sangin’s northern green zone when Taliban fighters and insurgents attacked the Marines. The squad didn’t know it but they were in the midst of a minefield. Two Marines and the Navy corpsman hit improvised explosive devices “in rapid succession,” according to the citation. Abbate quickly reacted.
“With the squad leader incapacitated, and the rest of the patrol either wounded or disoriented, Sergeant Abbate took command,” the citation states. “With total disregard for his own life, he sprinted forward through the minefield to draw enemy fire and rallied the dazed survivors. While fearlessly firing at the enemy from his exposed position, he directed fires of his Marines until they effectively suppressed the enemy, allowing life-saving aid to be rendered to the casualties.”
As the medical evacuation helicopter was inbound, Abbate swept the landing zone for explosives, but the patrol again had to duck enemy fire. Still, the sergeant persevered.
“Realizing that the casualties would die unless rapidly evacuated, Sergeant Abbate once again bravely exposed himself to enemy fire, rallied his Marines and led a counter attack that cleared the enemy from the landing zone, enabling the helicopters to evacuate the wounded,” according to the citation.
Abbate’s infantry battalion carved its own storied place in Marine Corps history when it battled insurgents in the 2004 Battle of Fallujah in Iraq, one of 3/5’s three combat tours in Iraq. Darkhorse saw combat just as intense and deadly in Afghanistan, losing 25 men in battle, including nine over a four-day period in October 2010.
Abbate was 26. His survivors include his young son, Carson, and family in the Fresno, Calif., area.
USMC Corporal Anthony R. Servin. 8 June 2012.
Died while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
This incident is under investigation.
High-res
A French Fourragere is displayed as part of a fallen warrior memorial at the Regimental Combat Team 6 headquarters at Forward Operating Base Delaram II, Afghanistan. The French awarded the decoration to the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments after World War I for their gallantry in battle during the Battle of Belleau Wood in 1918.
(Photo by Corporal Ed Galo, 6 June 2012 via DVIDS. Story by Corporal Ed Galo and Corporal Alfred V. Lopez.)
FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELARAM II, Afghanistan – For the first time since World War I, the Marines and sailors of 5th and 6th Marine Regiments are fighting side by side.
Marines and sailors with Regimental Combat Team 5 are currently operating from Forward Operating Base Dwyer while the Marines and sailors of Regimental Combat Team 6 are currently based out of Forward Operating Base Delaram II.
The last time the 5th and 6th Regiments fought together was 94 years ago, during the Battle of Belleau Wood, one of the bloodiest battles in Marine Corps history.
During the month of fighting, which started June 1, 1918, both French and Americans fought against the Germans. The two Marine regiments joined the battle on June 6. At the end of fighting on June 26, nearly 10,000 U.S. service members had died.
At the end of WWI, for their especially meritorious conduct in action, the French government awarded the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments the French Fourragere. To this day, Marines and sailors with 5th and 6th Marine Regiments, and their subordinate battalions, wear this decoration - a green and red braided rope with a golden spike - on their left shoulder in their Service Alpha and Dress Blue uniforms.
“This braided rope and spike embodies and recalls the courageous conduct and fighting spirit of Marines and Sailors who have gone before us,” cites the 6th Marine Regiment website about the French Fourragere. “It marks us as warriors.”
To this day, the Marines and sailors with both regiments continue to uphold the traditions of bravery, gallantry and honor seen in WWI.
RCT-5 has been living up to the rich history of their predecessors in their current area of operations in southern Helmand province.
“The people in Helmand are genuinely grateful for the opportunity to live their lives in peace, and they recognize it was our forces that created this environment,” said Col. Roger Turner, commanding officer, RCT-5. “This secure environment is allowing the Afghan forces to take an ever increasing leadership role in security operations.”
According to Turner, RCT-5 has helped create a more stable environment with productive farms growing wheat rather than poppy, schools opening their doors to more students, vibrant markets bustling with commerce and improved roads allowing the people of southern Helmand the best mobility they have seen in their lifetimes.
“All of the Marines, soldiers, sailors, and airmen who have taken part in this mission should be very proud of what they have accomplished thus far, as it is truly an essential undertaking,” Turner continued. “We feel honored to represent our nation and service here in Afghanistan and blessed to have such strong support from home.”
Since February 2012, RCT-6 has been conducting Operation Jaws.
“I would describe Operation Jaws as RCT-6’s bid for success in the … northern Helmand province of Afghanistan,” said Maj. Jonathan O’Gorman, who was tasked with executing one phase of the operation.
“The Taliban are still talking about the things we did up there and demanding some of their commanders they now see as incompetent get fired, because they either fled the battle or didn’t give them good enough advice,” O’Gorman continued. “The amount of insurgents that were killed was a huge morale blow to the insurgents that were left behind, so I would say that (the operation) was a huge success.”
Colonel John R. Shafer, commanding officer, RCT-6, has traveled around RCT-6’s area of operation to check up on his Marines and their execution of the operation.
“Operation Jaws is an enduring operation being conducted by battalions and the regimental combat team here in order to keep pressure on the insurgency in order to set the conditions for a successful transition to our (Afghan National Security Force) partners,” said Shafer. “I can tell you that the Marines are doing absolutely phenomenal work.”
USMC Lance Corporal Joshua E. Witsman. 30 May 2012.
Died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. This incident is under investigation.
High-res
Just another day for the corpsmen.
(Photo and story by Corporal Kenneth Jasik, 22 May 2012 via DVIDS.)
MUSA QA’LEH DISTRICT, Afghanistan – When the Marines reached the hilltop, they knew it was going to be a rough day.
They had already taken fire, and they were patrolling in an area that coalition forces had rarely been since the decade-long war began.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Eduardo D. Estrada, corpsman, Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, along with two other corpsmen, helped save the life of 1st Lt. Michael Rhoads, a forward observer, who was shot in the torso on April 15.
The Marine was wounded during Operation Lariat, a mission to cut off insurgent supply routes. The Marines were going to investigate suspicious compounds, but started taking fire when they got near the village.
“Right before they called ‘corpsman up,’ the insurgents started walking shots on us, and they started impacting about three feet from us,” said Estrada, 24, from Tucson, Ariz. “At the time, I was thinking ‘I really want to get out of here’.”
Rhoads, who was hit by a bullet ricochet in the shoulder, was under the treatment of two other corpsmen when Estrada reached him. Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathan K. Bracey and Petty Officer 2nd Class Shan Datugan were the first on the scene.
“When they called for the corpsman, I was right there, and we pulled him off the line,” said Bracey, 24, From Athens, Texas. “He was in shock already. When I saw the entrance wound, I applied an occlusive dressing (an air-tight bandage) and another one to the exit wound on his back.”
The corpsmen applied the bandages with the relentless crack of rounds overhead.
After applying an airtight bandage to Rhoads’ damaged chest cavity, the three corpsmen saw his vital signs drop and knew there was more work to do.
“In the second assessment, we saw his skin was pale, cool and clammy,” said Estrada. “We stuck him with a needle once, and a small amount of blood came out. That was when we knew he had a hemopneumothorax.”
Still under enemy fire, the corpsmen needed to empty Rhoads’ chest cavity. Blood and air leaked out of Rhoads’ lungs and into his chest, taking up the space his lungs needed to fill with air. They stuck him a second time hoping to cure his hemopneumothorax. They got the same result.
“Then I went ahead and did it a third time,” said Estrada. “His vitals went up, including his pulse and breathing rate.”
It was a short wait for the medical evacuation helicopter to take Rhoads to safety and a higher level treatment center.
“At that point I was trying to coach him, keep him calm as possible. We asked him questions such as who the president was, and he got all of them right.”
Rhoads survived and is now recovering in Southern California.
“Once we got him to the bird, I knew he would make it,” said Estrada. “We had done everything we could do, and we rendered the appropriate treatment for his wounds.”
Rhoads is thankful for the corpsmen who helped save his life.
“It’s nice to know I helped save his life,” said Estrada. “He called and thanked all the corpsmen.”
Staff Sergeant Reckless, a Mongolian racehorse purchased by the 5th Marine Regiment during the Korean War.
(via BLACKFIVE: Reckless)
The Bullet With a Story to Tell.
[Left] Lt. Col. Patrick Looney, battalion commander for 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, holds the last round chambered in a Marine M-40A1 sniper rifle that spent two years in enemy hands. The Darkhorse battalion mounted the chambered round on a plaque which was presented to the snipers of 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment Magnificent Bastards, who lost four Marines and the rifle in Ramadi in June 2004.
[Middle] A true shot through the window killed the insurgent sniper. A Marine sniper from 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment shot him through the window at a distance near Habbaniyah, Iraq. Sergeant Kevin Homestead, a 26-year-old squad leader for K Company, was spotting for the sniper section leader when he noticed the insurgent videotaping a convoy with a scoped rifle by his side. Only after killing the shooter, and the driver who was spotting, did they discover the M-40A1. The rifle was lost when it was taken from four Marines assigned to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment after they were killed nearly two years before in Ramadi.
[Right] An assortment of improvised explosive paraphernalia was found in the insurgent sniper’s vehicle as well.
High-res
Sgt. Ricardo Ramirez, a combat replacement for 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, wades through a branch of the Helmand River while conducting combat operations in Sangin, Afghanistan, Aug. 6. In February of 2006, Ramirez was wounded in action while serving in Iraq with 3rd Bn., 5th Marines and two years later became the first hand-amputee to re-enlist in the Marines Corps.
Photo by Cpl. Benjamin Crilly
