26th MEU (SOC) warriors return to sea
Submitted by: 26th MEU
Story Identification Number: 20022124564
Story by 1stLt. James D. Jarvis
ABOARD USS BATAAN (Feb. 8, 2002) -- Nearly two months of combat operations during Operation Enduring Freedom came to an end today as the Marines and Sailors of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) completed their back load onto the USS Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) after having completed one of the most historic missions in recent Marine Corps' history in southern Afghanistan.
Self-described as "America's 911 Force," the Marines and Sailors of the 26th MEU (SOC) far extended the perceived operational reach of a deployed amphibious force by conducting combat operations deep into northern Afghanistan. Traditionally considered a 'littoral force' that specializes in those regions within 200 miles of the world's coastlines, the 26th MEU (SOC) engaged suspected Taliban and Al Qaida outposts, vehicle convoys, command and control sites and cave complexes at distances of more than 750 miles from U.S. Navy shipping in the North Arabian Sea. The 26th MEU (SOC) also established and maintained forward operating bases and intermediate staging bases throughout Afghanistan and Pakistan to keep their supply lines open from amphibious shipping and logistics sites from around the world.
"Our successes in Afghanistan were a Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) victory - this was a total team effort," said Col. Andrew P. Frick, the commanding officer of the 26th MEU (SOC). "I am a firm believer in the 'MAGTF' concept. From the Marine KC-130s that provided us the lifeline to push so far ashore, to the CH-53E helicopters - whose long legs, heavy lift capability, and in-flight refuel capability allowed us to carry combat troops to far-off targets as well as sustain the force...to the Light Armored Vehicles (LAV's) - whose versatility and combat mobility kept the enemy off guard through our constant vehicular patrols and forward presence, and finally to the MEU Service Support Group (MSSG-26) that sustained more than 3,600 coalition forces for nearly two months...this was a total team effort."
When the sun pierced through the clouds Sept. 11, the Marines and Sailors of the 26th MEU (SOC) were at the end of their challenging pre-deployment training program and were enjoying some much deserved time-off with their family and friends prior to the start of a routine six-month deployment to the Mediterranean Sea. As Tower One and then Tower Two of New York City's World Trade Center fell on that fateful day, the Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based Marines and Sailors, like all Americans, watched in horror and hoped privately that they would be called upon to take up the hunt for Taliban and Al Qaida terrorists in Afghanistan.
The 26th MEU (SOC) departed the North Carolina shoreline on Sept. 20 with its focus on the Mediterranean Sea, yet the MEU remained ready for the potential "call" to prosecute the War on Terrorism in Afghanistan. "The call" came Nov. 11 at the beginning of a scheduled training exercise in Albania and the USS Bataan Amphibious Ready Group quickly re-embarked its Marines and sailed the three-ship ARG through the Suez Canal en route to the North Arabian Sea, arriving Nov. 22 - 24.
The East Coast ARG/MEU team joined the 15th MEU (SOC) under Task Force-58, commanded by Brig. Gen. James N. Mattis, the deputy commander for Camp Pendleton, Calif.'s First Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF). TF-58 quickly formulated a plan to topple the oppressive Taliban regime in Afghanistan and bring to justice those terrorists responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks.
With the 26th MEU (SOC) in direct support, 15th MEU (SOC) pushed inland into Afghanistan and seized 'Camp Rhino,' the isolated desert airstrip located in the heart of southern Afghanistan, on Nov. 26, thereby establishing a foothold for the flow of additional combat power into the theater. Once 15th MEU (SOC) had seized Rhino, 26th MEU (SOC) pushed forces ashore in support. Task Force Sledgehammer, a 26th MEU (SOC) mixture of LAVs and heavy machine gun HMMWVs, with aerial firepower support from 26th MEU (SOC) AH-1W Super Cobra helicopters, augmented the 15th MEU (SOC) efforts to immediately extend and secure the perimeter at the desert airstrip through vehicle checkpoints, road interdictions and explorations of suspicious sites.
With the support of airpower, special operating forces and Marines, the Anti-Taliban Forces began to topple Taliban-controlled cities and provinces in rapid succession, thereby driving hard-core Taliban extremists and Al Qaida terrorists to the Taliban's spiritual center, Kandahar, Afghanistan. Given the challenging task of seizing and establishing a robust forward operating base in Kandahar, the 26th MEU (SOC), with the assistance of Anti-Taliban Forces and LAVs from Co B, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, seized Kandahar International Airport Dec. 13, thereby bringing the fight directly to the enemy more than 500 miles from sea.
"More than anything, I think that this operation proved to the nay-sayers who thought that we couldn't do this mission, that while the Marines are 'littoral' creatures by nature, they have the capability, the aggressiveness, and the skills necessary to drive deep inland to go after the threat and meet it head on," Frick said. "What we've shown here is that the Marine Corps of the 21st Century is the '9-1-1 Force' that can go anywhere and do anything."
While at Kandahar, the Marines worked closely with special operating forces to conduct precision raids, built a detainment facility to hold suspected Taliban and Al Qaida terrorists, provided sustainment for more than 3,600 coalition forces and provided security for the airport thereby allowing more than 1,200 fixed-wing C-17 and KC-130 flights to flow in personnel, supplies and equipment for follow-on forces. Additionally, Battalion Landing Team 3/6's Kilo Battery reopened the U.S. Embassy in the Kabul after 12 dormant years.
In a late December visit to Kandahar, Army Gen. Tommy Franks, Commander in Chief of U.S. Central Command, summed up the Marines' performance in Afghanistan. "Your flexibility, tenacity, and the outstanding leadership of your crews contributed directly and substantially to the deepest amphibious operation in history. Your nation is proud of you."
The Commandant of the Marine Corps had this to say: "When terrorists attacked our homeland, you were...poised to deliver our nation's response to those who would challenge our borders and our way of life, demonstrating the capabilities of sea based power projection in the process," Gen. James L. Jones Jr. told the Marines deployed there. "...You demonstrated to the world that the Marine Corps is far more than a 'hit the beach' organization and proved, once again, that naval forces can rapidly deploy to and operate out of an austere location for a sustained period of time."
The 26th MEU (SOC) is comprised of Battalion Landing Team 3/6, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron-365 (reinforced), and MEU Service Support Group-26. They are embarked aboard the USS Bataan (LHD-5), USS Shreveport (LPD-12), and the USS Whidbey Island (LSD-41). For more information, articles and photographs about the 26th MEU (SOC), visit the MEU's Operation Enduring Freedom photo gallery and other links on their official website at www.26meu.usmc.mil.
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