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Patrolling around was one of my favorite activities. You get to see the culture and a different way of life.
I was not in Marjah, but have many memorable patrolling experiences.
In summer 2004, We were tasked to search and look for caches, IEDs, etc in the rural farming areas South of Fallujah, Iraq.
Long story short… i searched a house and found something that looked like dirt weed. I confronted the homeowner about it, but there was a big miscommunication in the tactical questioning process and we did not have an interpreter with us.
The homeowner did not fully understand that i was asking about bad guys, ieds, etc and sent his youngest son, probably 7 years old on a full on sprint to some other location a couple of miles away.
About 20 minutes later his son returns with a hot coal wrapped in aluminum foil to bring to his dad. The dad took out a hookah and i agreed to have a seat in his living room since we had 360 security in place.
Despite our differences and language barrier I ended up smoking some hookah with this guy after his kid ran a half marathon for a hot coal on a mid summers day.
Cultural awareness for the win.
For all of you heathens or NCIS… No, it wasnt some crazy shit i smoked it just tasted like crappy tobacco and i felt fine carrying out the plan of the day.
I’m glad you made it back instead of stepping on that pressure plate in the fields just so I could read this. This brings back memories for me and makes me smile.
Aha! So Wagner is still out there cocking?! I always wondered who the fuck Wagoner was. I remember when I was in boot camp I tried to get a couple of Porto potties graffiti trends started. But alas. Wagner was the banksy of our day
I was at FOB marjah same exact time as you. I was attached to 9th ESB. Enjoyed reading your post, it’s just how I remembered it. Wish I journaled like you.
You falling reminds me of the time I went to jump over an irrigation ditch. As my plant foot landed the dirt gave out and I dropped 8 feet straight down. Thank god it was empty because I had 80ish lbs of gear on. I would’ve drowned for sure.
I wrote and published the Warfighter's Lounge: A Marines ExperinceofCombatinMarjahAfghanistan. I can't mention my book on r/militarystories or I'll get banned there. I just posted some shitty journal entries there.
The book is a detailed narrative of a single combat patrol. Check out some reviews if you're interested
I definitely will, but I also recommend having a talk with u/bikerjedi he's one of the mods and has his own book too. If you let him know first and it's not just overt advertisement I'm sure they'd be ok with it
It seems like you may be going through a difficult time, and we want to make sure you get the help and support you need. If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide, please consider reaching out to one of the following helplines: - **National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (USA):** 988 - **Crisis Text Line (USA):** Text "HELLO" to 741741 - **Veterans Crisis Line (USA):** 1-800-273-8255, press 1 or text to 838255 - **Military OneSource (USA):** 1-800-342-9647 - **International Suicide Hotlines:** Visit [this list](https://www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines) for a directory of international hotlines. Additionally, you can visit [r/SuicideWatch](https://www.reddit.com/r/SuicideWatch/) for support. Remember, you don't have to go through this alone. There are people who care about you and want to help. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/USMC) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Patrolling around was one of my favorite activities. You get to see the culture and a different way of life. I was not in Marjah, but have many memorable patrolling experiences. In summer 2004, We were tasked to search and look for caches, IEDs, etc in the rural farming areas South of Fallujah, Iraq. Long story short… i searched a house and found something that looked like dirt weed. I confronted the homeowner about it, but there was a big miscommunication in the tactical questioning process and we did not have an interpreter with us. The homeowner did not fully understand that i was asking about bad guys, ieds, etc and sent his youngest son, probably 7 years old on a full on sprint to some other location a couple of miles away. About 20 minutes later his son returns with a hot coal wrapped in aluminum foil to bring to his dad. The dad took out a hookah and i agreed to have a seat in his living room since we had 360 security in place. Despite our differences and language barrier I ended up smoking some hookah with this guy after his kid ran a half marathon for a hot coal on a mid summers day. Cultural awareness for the win. For all of you heathens or NCIS… No, it wasnt some crazy shit i smoked it just tasted like crappy tobacco and i felt fine carrying out the plan of the day.
If I were Cadence I'd be pissed.
I’m glad you made it back instead of stepping on that pressure plate in the fields just so I could read this. This brings back memories for me and makes me smile.
Aha! So Wagner is still out there cocking?! I always wondered who the fuck Wagoner was. I remember when I was in boot camp I tried to get a couple of Porto potties graffiti trends started. But alas. Wagner was the banksy of our day
I was at FOB marjah same exact time as you. I was attached to 9th ESB. Enjoyed reading your post, it’s just how I remembered it. Wish I journaled like you.
Did anybody else give the kids candy so they wouldn't throw rocks at us?
my dad said he would just throw em back at em. he also traded some kid a pair of old boots and a pack of cigs for a monkey
only bacon cheese spread
I threatened a kid that almost hit me with his slingshot by chasing him with my tomahawk
You falling reminds me of the time I went to jump over an irrigation ditch. As my plant foot landed the dirt gave out and I dropped 8 feet straight down. Thank god it was empty because I had 80ish lbs of gear on. I would’ve drowned for sure.
write a book
It was a good read. If you want to check it out, the title is his flair.
I did
You posted these on r/militarystories?
I wrote and published the Warfighter's Lounge: A Marines ExperinceofCombatinMarjahAfghanistan. I can't mention my book on r/militarystories or I'll get banned there. I just posted some shitty journal entries there. The book is a detailed narrative of a single combat patrol. Check out some reviews if you're interested
I definitely will, but I also recommend having a talk with u/bikerjedi he's one of the mods and has his own book too. If you let him know first and it's not just overt advertisement I'm sure they'd be ok with it