Marines, Why Do You Do This to Your Families? by Laurence M. Vance

From September 27, 2010, to April 11, 2011, the approximately 1,000 Marines of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Regiment, based at Camp Pendleton, and known as the “Darkhorse” Battalion, suffered the loss of 25 men in the Sangin district of Helmand province in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. An estimated 470 enemy fighters were killed. A favorable ratio to be sure, but still 495 deaths too many.

Beginning this past October 30 and ending on November 5, NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman did a seven-part series for All Things Considered on the Darkhorse Battalion called “‘Darkhorse’ Battalion and the Afghan War.” Here is how the series was introduced:

A year ago, nearly 1,000 U.S. Marine officers and enlisted men of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Regiment deployed to restive Helmand province in southern Afghanistan. By the time their tour ended in April 2011, the Marines of the 3/5 – known as “Darkhorse” – suffered the highest casualty rate of any Marine unit during the past 10 years of war. This week, NPR tells the story of this unit’s seven long months at war – both in Afghanistan and back home.

Disgust, anger, sorrow, pity – this is how I felt after listening to some of the shows in the series. I recently listened to the whole series as well as a 50-minute version. A timeline of the deadly Afghan mission is online here. The seven shows with their descriptions as provided by NPR are as follows:

“Afghan Success Carries A Price For Commander,” October 30

In Afghanistan, Lt. Col. Jason Morris led the 3rd Battalion, 5th Regiment, which suffered the highest casualty rate of any Marine unit during the past 10 years of war. The “Darkhorse Battalion” commander says the unit’s mission was a success – but he will live with the burden of those deaths.

via Marines, Why Do You Do This to Your Families? by Laurence M. Vance.

 

Related articles

• The ‘Darkhorse’ Battalion And Wartime Sacrifice (npr.org)
• Marines of the 3/5 “Darkhorse” Seven Months in Afghanistan (offthebase.wordpress.com)
• Darkhorse Marine Battalion Lived an “Afghan Hell on Earth” (offthebase.wordpress.com)
• How Can You Do This to Your Families? (lewrockwell.com)
• ‘Darkhorse’ Battalion And The Afghan War (npr.org)

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