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| Why the end of Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan matters | Why the end of Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan matters |
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| Shortly before I embedded with U.S. combat troops in southern Afghanistan for a third time in October 2012, my girlfriend at the time said something reassuring. | Shortly before I embedded with U.S. combat troops in southern Afghanistan for a third time in October 2012, my girlfriend at the time said something reassuring. |
| “Don’t worry,” she said. “I love you from here to Camp Leatherneck.” | “Don’t worry,” she said. “I love you from here to Camp Leatherneck.” |
| It’s a sentiment many Americans can relate to. The installation, built adjacent to the British base Camp Bastion in 2008, grew into a sprawling, dusty, military metropolis, and the main hub of the war effort in violent Helmand province. Tens of thousands of U.S. troops served on Leatherneck and flowed through it to smaller bases, as President Obama’s surged forces into the region to both root out the insurgency and train the Afghan military and police. | It’s a sentiment many Americans can relate to. The installation, built adjacent to the British base Camp Bastion in 2008, grew into a sprawling, dusty, military metropolis, and the main hub of the war effort in violent Helmand province. Tens of thousands of U.S. troops served on Leatherneck and flowed through it to smaller bases, as President Obama’s surged forces into the region to both root out the insurgency and train the Afghan military and police. |
| On Sunday, the United States and Britain turned over control of Leatherneck and Bastion to the Afghan military they have been training for years. A few other major coalition installations in the country will remain, but the transition is one of the most dramatic milestones to date in the winding down of the Afghanistan War. | On Sunday, the United States and Britain turned over control of Leatherneck and Bastion to the Afghan military they have been training for years. A few other major coalition installations in the country will remain, but the transition is one of the most dramatic milestones to date in the winding down of the Afghanistan War. |
| In many ways, the war in Helmand was a perfect microcosm of the larger conflict. Combat operations there killed hundreds of coalitions troops and maimed many more, as they tangled with the Taliban in brightly colored poppy fields, muddy canals and desert compounds. The danger posed by improvised explosive devices was everywhere — on roads, in canals, even in walls. Those who stepped out on foot patrols still reflect on it. | In many ways, the war in Helmand was a perfect microcosm of the larger conflict. Combat operations there killed hundreds of coalitions troops and maimed many more, as they tangled with the Taliban in brightly colored poppy fields, muddy canals and desert compounds. The danger posed by improvised explosive devices was everywhere — on roads, in canals, even in walls. Those who stepped out on foot patrols still reflect on it. |
| Helmand also served as an excellent example of how Obama’s strategy forced expensive decisions on the battlefield. At Leatherneck, it meant numerous new housing complexes, gyms, office buildings, chow halls and the construction of a mile-long runway, even with the planned withdrawal of troops. Some facilities turned out to be unnecessary, including a two-story, 64,000-square foot operations center that cost $34 million and collected cobwebs. | Helmand also served as an excellent example of how Obama’s strategy forced expensive decisions on the battlefield. At Leatherneck, it meant numerous new housing complexes, gyms, office buildings, chow halls and the construction of a mile-long runway, even with the planned withdrawal of troops. Some facilities turned out to be unnecessary, including a two-story, 64,000-square foot operations center that cost $34 million and collected cobwebs. |
| The Leatherneck-Bastion complex also was the site of one of the most spectacular and infamous attacks of the war. Fifteen armed fighters sneaked onto Bastion on Sept. 14, 2012, launching an attack with grenades, machine guns and other weapons that killed two Marines — Lt. Col. Christopher Raible, 40, and Sgt. Bradley Atwell, 27 — wounded 17 other coalition members and destroyed or severely damaged nine aircraft. That, too, could be a seen as a symbol. The Taliban increasingly launched high-profile attacks as the war progressed, capitalizing on vulnerabilities the coalition showed. | The Leatherneck-Bastion complex also was the site of one of the most spectacular and infamous attacks of the war. Fifteen armed fighters sneaked onto Bastion on Sept. 14, 2012, launching an attack with grenades, machine guns and other weapons that killed two Marines — Lt. Col. Christopher Raible, 40, and Sgt. Bradley Atwell, 27 — wounded 17 other coalition members and destroyed or severely damaged nine aircraft. That, too, could be a seen as a symbol. The Taliban increasingly launched high-profile attacks as the war progressed, capitalizing on vulnerabilities the coalition showed. |
| The turnover of Camp Leatherneck leaves many troops who have been there with mixed feelings. Uneven results recently from the Afghan military still facing the Taliban in Helmand raise questions about what the region will look like without coalition involvement. The region is far from Kabul politically and geographically, And many wonder what their sacrifices ultimately will yield. But there’s also recognition that the U.S. had to turn Leatherneck over at some point. | The turnover of Camp Leatherneck leaves many troops who have been there with mixed feelings. Uneven results recently from the Afghan military still facing the Taliban in Helmand raise questions about what the region will look like without coalition involvement. The region is far from Kabul politically and geographically, And many wonder what their sacrifices ultimately will yield. But there’s also recognition that the U.S. had to turn Leatherneck over at some point. |
| @USMC It’s just going to fall within a week — Natsu (@EcchiTaskForce) October 26, 2014 | @USMC It’s just going to fall within a week — Natsu (@EcchiTaskForce) October 26, 2014 |
| @USMC It’s just going to fall within a week | @USMC It’s just going to fall within a week |
| — Natsu (@EcchiTaskForce) October 26, 2014 | — Natsu (@EcchiTaskForce) October 26, 2014 |
| “@USMC: TODAY: Marines turned over control of Camp Leatherneck to Afghan Security Forces.” FOR REAL????? There goes the neighborhood. — Camacho, D. I. (@diegocamacho) October 26, 2014 | “@USMC: TODAY: Marines turned over control of Camp Leatherneck to Afghan Security Forces.” FOR REAL????? There goes the neighborhood. — Camacho, D. I. (@diegocamacho) October 26, 2014 |
| “@USMC: TODAY: Marines turned over control of Camp Leatherneck to Afghan Security Forces.” FOR REAL????? There goes the neighborhood. | “@USMC: TODAY: Marines turned over control of Camp Leatherneck to Afghan Security Forces.” FOR REAL????? There goes the neighborhood. |
| — Camacho, D. I. (@diegocamacho) October 26, 2014 | — Camacho, D. I. (@diegocamacho) October 26, 2014 |
| @USMC what’s the over and under on how long it takes the Taliban to sack Camp Leatherneck? — David Kahane (@dkahanerules) October 26, 2014 | @USMC what’s the over and under on how long it takes the Taliban to sack Camp Leatherneck? — David Kahane (@dkahanerules) October 26, 2014 |
| @USMC what’s the over and under on how long it takes the Taliban to sack Camp Leatherneck? — David Kahane (@dkahanerules) October 26, 2014 | @USMC what’s the over and under on how long it takes the Taliban to sack Camp Leatherneck? — David Kahane (@dkahanerules) October 26, 2014 |
| Mixed feelings @USMC:Marines turned over control of Camp Leatherneck to Afghan Security Forces.http://t.co/5eR4ldf2Xg pic.twitter.com/Vml3owP52q — Bill Downey (@DowneyBill) October 26, 2014 | Mixed feelings @USMC:Marines turned over control of Camp Leatherneck to Afghan Security Forces.http://t.co/5eR4ldf2Xg pic.twitter.com/Vml3owP52q — Bill Downey (@DowneyBill) October 26, 2014 |
| Mixed feelings @USMC:Marines turned over control of Camp Leatherneck to Afghan Security Forces.http://t.co/5eR4ldf2Xg pic.twitter.com/Vml3owP52q | Mixed feelings @USMC:Marines turned over control of Camp Leatherneck to Afghan Security Forces.http://t.co/5eR4ldf2Xg pic.twitter.com/Vml3owP52q |
| — Bill Downey (@DowneyBill) October 26, 2014 | — Bill Downey (@DowneyBill) October 26, 2014 |
| The turnover Sunday came on the same day of the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, and perhaps there is some poetry in that. A celebration of patriotism and perseverance, it began with the only American to earn the Medal of Honor in Helmand, Cpl. William Kyle Carpenter, sky-diving to the start of the race with other parachutists while carrying a 7,800 square-foot American flag, the largest ever used in a performance jump. He did so nearly four years after nearly being killed while shielding a fellow Marine from a hand grenade blast. | The turnover Sunday came on the same day of the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, and perhaps there is some poetry in that. A celebration of patriotism and perseverance, it began with the only American to earn the Medal of Honor in Helmand, Cpl. William Kyle Carpenter, sky-diving to the start of the race with other parachutists while carrying a 7,800 square-foot American flag, the largest ever used in a performance jump. He did so nearly four years after nearly being killed while shielding a fellow Marine from a hand grenade blast. |
| I returned home from that October 2012 trip to Afghanistan with a variety of stories, including one wild night witnessing a U.S. sniper mission. I recently proposed to that girlfriend, and haven’t been back to Helmand. | I returned home from that October 2012 trip to Afghanistan with a variety of stories, including one wild night witnessing a U.S. sniper mission. I recently proposed to that girlfriend, and haven’t been back to Helmand. |
| Like a lot of Americans who have visited, though, the memories remain. There’s a little Camp Leatherneck in all of us. | Like a lot of Americans who have visited, though, the memories remain. There’s a little Camp Leatherneck in all of us. |