Far East Deployment and the end of Active Duty

Riding in an Amphibious Assault Vehicle in Okinawa

Dear Friends,

My active duty commission expired on the 31st of July.  In all I served 4 years, 9 months and 30 days.  Thank you for your help, advice and encouragement over the last few, and best, years of my life.  I am now living in San Francisco and beginning my MBA at UC Berkeley.  I also checked into a local reserve infantry unit in the Bay Area. I will be the XO for Echo Company 2d Battalion, 23d Marines (continuing in the reserves by choice). 

Since I last wrote I completed a tour of duty in the Far East and experienced a great homecoming. I would like to share a few of these stories with you.

Opportunity

The final chapter of my Marine Corps story began in the office of my Battalion Executive Officer in September of 2014. I was a transplant to 2d Battalion, 4th Marines (2/4) on temporary orders, handling some administrative and logistical work. At the time I was preparing for an imminent departure from active duty. The unit was scheduled to deploy to the Far East for six months and I was not on the go-roster.  At the last moment a senior Lt received transfer orders, leaving an important gap in the organization. The open position was Platoon Commander in the coveted Maritime Raid Force.  It was the most desirable assignment for an infantry Lieutenant. 

Late one evening I walked into Major Shea's office, the Battalion Executive Officer. I told him I wanted to sign a contract extension to deploy with 2/4 and that I would be willing to fill any position. It was a gamble. The battalion had two open positions: Maritime Raid Force (great) and a staff job in the operations section (terrible).  I was not, however, in a position to make a contingent offer.  Junior officers do not negotiate their contracts in the Marines.  After volunteering  I went on to explain why I was best qualified to be in the Maritime Raid Force. The battalion was in a tough spot losing this key leader so close to deployment. As a senior Lt with previous experience in maritime ops I actually was a good fit. The Major laughed me out of his office while cheerily accusing me of simply pursuing an awesome job (to which I gladly plead guilty).The next day he called me into his office and said to get him the signed paperwork.  I was going overseas. 

I am reminded of one of my father's stories.  His graduation speaker at Stanford in 1954 was Herbert Hoover who told the new graduates: "If you make yourself useful, you'll always have a job."

Guam - Realistic Urban Training

The opportunity to lead a platoon in the Maritime Raid Force (MRF) was incredible. The MRF does what the name implies - launches 50 to 125 man raids on targets from naval shipping. It is designed to give the higher headquarters commander (who has air and conventional forces as well) a special operations option for sensitive targets (disclaimer: this does not make me special forces). The unit consists of Reconnaissance Marines and Infantry Marines. For reference our mission and organization is similar to that of the Rangers in the movie Blackhawk Down. My men performed the role of the Rangers and the Force Reconnaissance Marines performed the role of Delta Force as seen in the movie. The basic concept was that my Marines would surround a target building and the Reconnaissance Marines would make entry and destroy the target.

The list of amazing training events we completed as the MRF is long, but I would like to pick out one that deserves special attention. Our culminating event was something called Realistic Urban Training Exercise (RUTEX) in Guam. The exercise tested our core capability, an expeditionary raid on an urban target in a coastal region. We chose Guam as our site because we could conduct the exercise in a real urban area. No military installation can ever mimic an urban area to a sufficient degree, so we try to go out in the real world. For this exercise the Guam PD established a loose cordon around a plaza in downtown Guam and allowed us to conduct a training exercise on the Federal Building there.   Our basic form of maneuver was to surround the target with vehicular forces and to drop the assault element on the roof via helicopter.

We conducted the exercise with as much realism as possible. We flew from Okinawa to Guam in a C-130. We took unmarked vans, with our weapons (unloaded) in hand to a warehouse is a fairly grimy part of town. We established a safe house and started planning our raid. For the better part of a week we labored over maps, terrain models and intelligence reports in the stifling heat of a tin warehouse in the tropics. There was no air conditioning for the 125 men in the unpartitioned structure. They didn't promise me a rose garden and it sure didn't smell like one. 

At the warehouse my Company Commander informed me that we were clandestine - no uniforms.  Prior to our departure he told me "bring some civvies, we'll get a day of liberty." I packed exactly 1 set of my most awesome liberty attire - short men's shorts and a Hawaiian shirt.  While most guys were wearing synthetic golf polos with utility 5.11 tactical pants, I was putting on my best Tom Sellick.  It was a good thing too, because there were more colonels at that exercise than I had ever seen in one place before.  The assembly of senior officers got a real kick out of my duds, as did the FBI and Guam PD.  I noted that my floral patterns were far better Guamanian camouflage than the guys who look like they dressed out of a mail order gun catalogue.

Before

The Hawaiian shirt brought everybody a dose of humor, but the real story was the success of my men. Before deployment I inherited a group of highly experienced and skilled Marines. They were exceptional marksmen, physically fit, cohesive and dedicated. They (we) were a really good platoon before I showed up. However, there is no group that cannot improve in some way, and History is littered with the bones of good units.  However unlikely, the prospect of being caught unprepared is what "kept me up at night" and on more than one occasion it actually did.  That may seem a little overboard, but that is the attitude I took to work.  As I saw it that was my job to be most worried when everybody was least worried.

I knew we were good enough to reasonably accomplish any mission, but were we good enough that we could not fail?  Obviously the answer to this question should be no, because if you answer yes it means you will fail.... but you get the rhetorical point. I wanted them to be ready for a bad day - a really bad day.  I emphasized small unit tactics, physical fitness and, above all else, preparation.  I constantly challenged them with the question: "if you were in Mogadishu would your unit make it out?" I brought up the famous examples of faulty preparation seen in Blackhawk Down more than once. 

My men were beyond resourceful and they loved building things. This is our terrain model
for the exercise. Given some duct tape, imagination and aerial imagery they constructed a
 lifelike replica to discuss our operation. This is an indicator of a good unit if I ever saw one. 

Over the two months prior to the exercise we worked tirelessly (and not without some grudging annoyance) on inspections, combat orders, back-briefs, rehearsals etc.  This exercise tested everything we had worked on to this point.  The Marines performed well during execution.  In fact, they made it look easy.  The key to the story, and the really impressive part, was their excellent prep-for-combat. From warning order, to pre-combat checks, inspections and rehearsal, this was the best routine I ever saw in the Marine Corps. 

After

This process started with an order that I wrote and delivered (pictured above). What made this preparation amazing, however, was what my men did with it when I was done.  They talked about it. They studied the plan.  They developed their parts of the plan. They asked questions. I refined some things, but I put many questions back on them, as the executors, to decide.  The men studied and rehearsed with a real sense of purpose.  They knew everything  - primary routes, alternate routes, passwords, signals, key actions, casualty plans, resupply plans, link up plans etc.  When it came time for inspections they were thorough, detailed and methodical.  

I took this second picture during our final confirmation brief. What made me so happy with this exercise is that I played no part in the final review of the plan. My squad leaders conducted the brief flawlessly. That was awesome.

It was a complex operation.  We were to infiltrate the area in four separate vehicles, via different routes, at night during Guamanian rush hour to arrive secretively in an abandoned office building. From that office building we would simultaneously surround the target building so that the Recon Marines could helicopter in and clear the structure. We did encounter some challenges. We lost radio communications. One of the trucks had to take an alternate route. We improvised a few things. The impressive part was that the men knew the plan so well and were so confident in their abilities that they adapted quite well. As I reflect on the exercise I can safely say it was the best prep-for-combat routine I ever saw in the Marine Corps. 

The picture below is my platoon right before we departed for the raid. Since we were covert we had to wear our Guamanian Camoflauge en route to the objective if we were driving or riding shotgun. We rode in unmarked vans with our greens on bottom and our civvies on top. Our flak jackets, camo tops and weapons were staged next to us.

Security Platoon, RUTEX 15.1

There wasn't an article about my group, but you can read about a similar exercise here: http://www.31stmeu.marines.mil/News/NewsArticleView/tabid/7377/Article/533140/31st-meu-mrf-executes-long-range-raid-during-second-guam-rutex.aspx

Piracy Ops (and one hell of a 29th Birthday party)

Look Mom, I'm 29!

At the end of our Guam operation we conducted a two week package on "Visit, Board, Search and Seizure" operations, what some people might call Anti-Piracy Ops, and what I like to call simply Piracy Operations. We trained to take back ocean tankers from pirates. We practiced on US supply ships with both helicopter and small boat boarding techniques. We did everything from an 80 ft nighttime fast rope from a helicopter to a 40 foot ladder climb up the side of tanker from a small patrol boat.

This picture was taken on my 29th birthday. I am climbing up the side of a tanker, practicing boat-to-boat boarding techniques.  The basic idea for a surface boarding is to pull a small patrol (~20 ft long) boat up to a tanker, hook a small wire ladder to the lowest opening and climb aboard like its pirates of the Caribbean.  It is not a particularly advanced technological operation... but it was a lot of fun.

The Mighty Warship
After Guam we settled in for two months aboard The Mighty Warship, USS Bonhomie Richard. The BHR, as it is called, is a troop carrying ship with the ability to support fixed wing and rotary aircraft.

The months leading up to our time on ship were pretty busy. We prioritized "Recovery Operations". As you can see from this picture in my state room I took this mission seriously.

My time on ship was exciting for another reason though. I was applying to business school. While aboard ship I was invited to interview at UC Berkeley. Luckily I was ashore in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia at the time. I was able to Skype at 3AM in the morning.

   

While in Korea I was promoted to Captain

My last field operation ever - the MRF Recon Challenge. This was a race, conducted in buddy pairs, and consisted of 6 mile ruck run, swim, tire flip, an 400m bear crawl (evil), a 400m tire flip, with an 800m fireman's carry to finish. My buddy was Zach. It wasn't anything too extreme, but it was fun. This photo was snapped moments after finishing. I told Zach he has to work on his poker face.

Coming Home - What would you do if you won the lottery?

Coming home after 5 years away is a special experience. My family and friends have been super welcoming. I am enjoying the opportunity to spend quality time with the people that matter most.  You can see my dad and me at the ball game to the left. 

I am writing today from the same place where my mother served me a D-Day Breakfast (steak, eggs, bacon and ham) the day I joined the Marines. As I consider "the whole thing" I realize something I had not been expecting. All this time away - whether in a foreign country or in the cloistered world of the military - has given me a fresh perspective. As I come to grips with what it means to be a civilian again I am astounded by all the blessings that surround us. We live in safety, in a beautiful place, with unlimited opportunity. I am fortunate enough to attend a public university that offers excellent education. I have a beautiful family.  In the not so distant future I have to decide whether to work for a large corporation, or start my own.  There is no other coutnry where this could all be possible. Where am I? Is this real?

I saw a lot of the 3rd world over the last several years. While I respect and appreciate other cultures, I was strongly moved by the poverty and oppression I witnessed.  I saw, as well, how other "1st world" societies are stifled and stalled. There is no mobility or opportunity in Western Europe like there is in America.  Coming back to America - civilian America - is a grateful culture shock.  We really do have it better than anybody else.  There is a meme floating around the internet. I think a lot of people laugh at it, but it is a sobering truth:

What would I do if I won the lottery? I live in the best place, in the best age, in the best society in human history.  I already did. I'll count those blessings and thank God.

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In closing I want to say thank you to everybody who helped, encouraged and/or tolerated me over the last 5 years.  It was the experience of a lifetime and I am glad I joined. I could not have done it without you.

­

Semper Fi
Dom

The greatest honor was to pin a medal on the chest of a well-deserving Marine. The Marine receiving an award here was my outstanding armory custodian.

Last day at my Alma Mater

The Lieutenant Protection Association plays softball in Okinawa. We never worked out a perfect system for wearing a glove, drinking a beer and fielding a ground ball. I felt that was an irreconcilable problem between the numbers two and three.

Brothers-in-arms. Major Jones visited California and all the old Geronimo Lts got together. 

Korean Marine Exchange Program Photos

https://www.dvidshub.net/image/1860957/us-marines-and-rok-marines-conduct-close-quarters-battle-training#.VSRF21bRsch.facebook

Happy New Year From Camp Hansen

Happy Belated New Year from Camp Hansen, Okinawa!

The last time I wrote I was headed for release from active duty, and to business school in the Fall of 2015. A last minute opportunity came up to deploy, so I volunteered and extended my active duty contract (out to 31 July 2015). I am still headed to business school in the fall, but I am making one more trip out the Western Pacific.

I have been posted to 3d Platoon, Fox Company, 2d Battalion, 4th Marines. We are part of an air-ground task force called the 31^st Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is forward-deployed in Asia. Our primary mission is to provide rapid sea-based response forces for an emergency. Our alternate  mission (i.e. what we do all the time) is train with foreign militaries all over the theater (military diplomacy of sorts). You can read more about MEUs here. I did this same 6-month rotation in 2012-2013 as a Weapons Platoon Commander for the mechanized infantry component of the task force. This time around I will be a Rifle Platoon Commander for the boat company.

I was fortunate to get this assignment. Rifle Platoon Command is the single best assignment in the Marine Corps. It is about leading young men who shoot things, blow things up, kick down doors etc. It is fun, exciting and positive - the heart and soul of the Marine Corps. As an Officer there is no other billet that puts you as close to the men, and in such a position of responsibility and influence. Usually this job is filled by a 2d Lt. As a senior 1st Lt about to pick up Captain I am "old" for this position. However, because of some intricate manning issues and some specific missions for this particular platoon, I got the call. Lucky me.  
I am particularly grateful because I never held Rifle Platoon Command. I skipped right past to a Weapons Platoon, then to Executive Officer and Commanding Officer. While the billets I served in were more “senior”, they lacked the magic and fun of being a ground maneuver commander for a bunch of 20 yr-old gunslingers. The chance to come back and deploy at the head of 45 stellar Marines is really a nice way to close out my Active Duty time. 

I assumed command of 3d Platoon in November. I have 46 Marines, including riflemen, machine gunners and assault-men (demolitions/ rockets experts). We went to the field for one ten day op, and I will say they are some quality troops. I would like to describe training a little more, but I do not want to blast our training/ops/ movements over the Internet.  I'll shoot out some pictures and stories when the info is stale/ made public; however, the Chinese and NK are watching us (really, they are).

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THE MAGNIFICENT BASTARDS

2d Battalion, 4th Marines, aka "The Magnificent Bastards", like my last battalion, is a famous unit. We were activated in Shanghai China in 1932 and had Chesty Puller as a battalion commander. In 1942 the battalion assisted in the defense of the Philippines against the Japanese. On 6 May 1942 the 4^th Marine Regiment was ordered to surrender under the orders of Maj General J.M. Wainwright, Commander of US Forces Philippines. The 4^th Marine Regiment burned their colors on Corregidor to avoid capture, and became the only Marine Regiment to ever surrender.  The entire Regiment was subsequently subjected to the "Bataan Death March". The Regiment was later reconstituted and fought in the Battle of Okinawa. However, 4th Marines was never allowed to return home after the war. Their HQ is still here in Okinawa, just down the road at Camp Schwab. This is the root of our nickname, the "Magnificent Bastards". The subordinate battalions returned to the United States after the war and were "attached" to other regiments. Without the parent regiment, these units became known as the "bastard" battalions. We adopted the nickname the "Magnificent Bastards" and we are now officially part of the 5^th Marine Regiment. 

This history caused me a bit of a complication when I joined the battalion. My Great-Grandfather, Captain Malcom Champlin (US Navy) was a Naval Liason Officer on General Wainwright's staff. Grandpa Champ saved Wainrwight's life at one point during the defense of the Philippines. Champ was driving Wainwright's jeep when a Japanese Zero began to strafe their column. Champ identified the plane as hostile in the nick of time, and managed to maneuver the vehicle to cover. Champ then jumped out, and began firing (perhaps futilely) at the plane with an M1. The deft driving saved the General's life. The reckless pursuit of an aircraft with a service rifle was just some good old-fashioned American defiance. Upon discovering my family history the Battalion Commander had some fun and made me to understand that I was partially responsible for the surrender of the battalion. 

The personal history around Infantry Battalions is something special. When you dig you will find incredible stories of WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan. These Marines have some truly amazing connections. One of my squad leaders has deployed 7 times in 10 years - talk about stories. Everyone has a friend, dad, grandfather, uncle, cousin etc. Whenever I talk with Marines I always try and pull that information out. 

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Otherwise I am well. The billeting here is basic, but comfortable. The chow is poor. I can go into Kin Town and get beef and rice. Things have slowed down substantially for the Holidays. The gym is great, and working out is our primary pastime. Things are going to pick up substantially now that we are into the New Year. I will have limited access to email for the rest of my deployment. 

My address is as follows:
1st Lt Dominic Bea
BLT 2/4, Fox Company, 3d Platoon
Unit #16179
FPO-AP 96427-6179

The best way to get a hold of me is over gmail (really). Pls pardon me if it take some days/ weeks to respond. I hope you are all enjoyed the Holidays with your family. It is a bummer to be away from home. More pictures next time, promise. 

Semper Fi!

Dom

Update from Camp Pendleton 2014

Hello Friends! It has been over a year since I last wrote to you from the wardroom aboard the mighty USS Germantown. This last year has kept me incredibly busy as I have moved on from being a Platoon Commander, to Company Executive Officer (XO) and ultimately a Company Commander (CO). I will continue to be a Company Commander in Camp Pendleton until I finish my time in 5^th Marine Regiment this Fall.  As many of you already know I will be leaving the Marine Corps 9 December of this year. I will stay in the Reserves and apply to business school for the Fall of 2015. 

I uploaded all of my previous letters if you care to read them. I laughed a good bit looking back on them. Anyway, life is pretty busy these days so I am going to change up the format of these updates. I'll post pictures and write a bit. Hope all is well. 

-Dominic

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May 2013: this is my medium machine-gun section after a great shoot in Okinawa. As you can tell they are some pretty lovable goofballs (check out the old man pipe).

May 2013: This is Weapons Platoon, Apache Company 1/5 prior to going on escape and evade land navigation training. 

May 2013: this crew all got a perfect score on the annual physical fitness test. 

Summer Mountain Exercise, October 2013: my battalion went to the Mountain Warfare Training Center in Bridgeport, California. The event was called "Summer Mountain Exercise 4-13". It was an odd naming convention given the markedly winter style conditions. 

Summer Mountain Exercise, October 2013: any decent infantry unit will "stand-to" at sunrise and sunset for about an hour. This means that all men will go to their battle positions. The change in light presents certain advantages to the attacker and necessitates a heightened security status. This photo was taken in the early morning on top of hill 9494 (elevation in feet).

Summer Mountain Exercise, October 2013: I snapped a photo of this camp Fumanchu moments before this Marine got snatched up by the Company First Sergeant. The inappropriate use of cammie-paint provided some much needed relief. 

Summer Mountain Exercise, October 2013: This might be my favorite photo of the year. For most of 2013 I served at the Executive Officer (XO) of Apache Company. The four other Marines in this photo were part of what was called "Bravo Command". We were the alternate command node for the company. I spent most of October rolling through mountains with this small team. As the XO one of my most important tasks was to maintain communication with the battalion (two of our radios are visible, we had others and usually carried a field antenna as well). This often caused me to break off from the Company to seek higher ground (radio waves). It was quite an experience traveling through the beautiful countryside all by our lonesome. The views we took in and the places we hiked were simply breathtaking. 

Summer Mountain Exercise, October 2013: awaiting extraction in Grouse Meadows with two fellow Lts, Alex and Dennis. 

Marine Corps Marathon 29 Oct 2013: completed this race in 3:57, the week after returning from Bridgeport.

10 Dec 2013: on my 3rd Marine Corps birthday I ran a live-fire attack with Apache Co 1/5. This a picture with all the Company Officers. You can see a frozen ball of ice on my compass. Don't let the desert utilities fool you. It was cold!

Westpac Cruise 2013

Greeting from the Western Pacific!

I am aboard the mighty (sorta) warship USS Germantown cruising around the Western Pacific as part of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. In plain speak we are an air-ground-logistics group of about 2k Marines ready to react to any emergency in the Pacific region.  My company in particular is an amphibious mechanized company, meaining we have troop carrying vehicles that can swim to shore and drive on land (Assault Amphibious Vehicles or AAVs if you want to look it up). We’ve been underway for several weeks now cruising around theWestPac with a stop in Thailand. Okinawa was fairly dull, but ship life and our training exercise in Thailand have some things worth relating.

Navy Life

The Company loaded up on our “small deck”amphibious landing ship in Okinawa. The CO and I stayed behind in order to conduct some staff exercises (I was serving in my capacity as a fire support advisor). After giving a brief to the Colonel on our work, we readied to fly out to the Germantown. That is when the adventures began.

Due to some complex air scheduling we were unable to fly directly to our ship, but rather fly to another ship and proceed by small boat to our final destination. A CH-46 helicopter picked us up from the baseball field aboard Camp Hansen. We lifted into the sky and sped our way out to sea. Just off the coast a low hanging marine layer pushed our flight path down to just a few hundred feet above the water. Skimming across the water in an old CH-46 air frame is not the pleasure cruise you may think of if you have taken a commercial tour chopper. The rotors sound like a chainsaw being turned on a cement block. The back is open, and it gets pushed around in foul weather. I am glad we are not in Helo Company.

We reached our first ship without incident. As they shut down the flight deck and readied our launch, I laid down for some much needed rest in a concealed nook. I quickly fell into a deep sleep, slumped as I was in my life jacket. After an undeterminable amount of time I was awoke to a loud “Let’s go!”. I shot up with all the trained fury of an Officer Candidate. In my half-asleep dazed state I smashed my head full force into a beam. Within half a minute I had a small swamp of blood on top of my head. I gingerly fastened my helmet as they lowered our boat into the crashing waves below (sea state 3 for you insiders out there). A rope ladder led 30 feet down to the small boat, bouncing beside the hulking frame of the ship. I checked my life-vest and clambered down the side of the ship.

Our launch began cutting our way through the waves towards our ship, just barely visible on the horizon. No sooner had we turned away from the hull of the USS Tortuga than a wave crashed over our bow soaking me head to toe. I looked at my buddy, a prior enlisted lieutenant with 18 years, and we just began laughing. Before our 45 min boat ride was over every passenger was soaked to the bone. It was January 23^rd - my birthday .

Ship life is pretty good. I live 2 men in a 4 man stateroom. My roommate is another 1^st Lt, Andrew Long. He had 8 years enlisted in the reserves before he became an active duty officer. He’s a cool dude, and as a former personal trainer – so a good roommate. The food aboard ship is excellent by military standards. It’s usually tasty, and always healthy and filling (not always the case at Marine Corps bases). Due to the tight confines training is mostly done on a small unit level. Aside from my supervisory duties that leaves my fellow lieutenants and I plenty of time.

We fill our days with a lot of reading and a ton of working out. Our normal routine is to work out twice a day. We do a lot of Olympic lifting outdoors - not a half bad way to pass the time. Otherwise I go running a lot in the well deck. The well deck is the true belly of the ship. It is where all our AAVs park. It can be flooded from the back where AAVs can launch out to swim ashore. It is also where we store (sectioned off from the water) our Artillery pieces and several trucks. It’s got a pretty cool industrial feel to it. A long thin path can accommodate several joggers if constant turn arounds don’t bother you. I’m training for the San Francisco Marathon in June so I’m pretty happy to at least have somewhere to keep training.

For reading I just finished the The Mission The Men and Me. It is a phenomenal book about leadership applicable to any human endeavor. I also knocked out a philosophy book, Man’s Search for Meaning, by Viktor E. Frankl. Not of the military genre, but a good read from a good friend. I’m currently slugging through General Slim’s 550+ page account of the WWII Burma Campaign. This is truly an undertaking only to be attempted when in confinement, either penal or naval.

The Navy does have some fun too. When we set out from Okinawa we caught up to our sister ship, USS Tortuga. The Ship’s Captain, Cmdr. McKenzie, played classic rock over the PA, flew the Battle Ensign (really big flag) and started turning donuts around the Tortuga at high speed. About every week we do an all-hands ship cleaning – blue and green. They make it a little fun by playing music over the ship’s PA. The selections are generally some solid gold oldies. It’s a pretty classic scene scrubbing down a ship from the Johnson Administration and listening to the same music. They also play a lot of Motown love songs for all the lonely souls (of which there are many among the Japan based Navy crew). We had a lot of fun on the Superbowl, which was a ship holiday. There were Officer and Enlisted viewing parties. All the infantry officers had the opportunity to serve ice cream for the Marines. That was a lot of fun. All in all shipboard life aint bad. We’ve seen some beautiful ocean and coastline, and gotten a much needed break from the hectic drive of dry land training.

!!!Ying Meang Ler-y!!!

Our trip ashore was a joint US-Thai training exercise called Cobra Gold in and around Ban Dan Lan Hoi. The main effort was a joint live-fire attack involving US-Thai infantry, mortars and artillery. My job was to make sure that all 7 of the Thai and US fire support agencies fired (live ammo) according to plan during the attack. Everything was planned to the last detail to ensure the best show for the assembly of Generals, diplomats, officials and international press. The several days prior to execution were a trying experience. Hazy weather and wild fires clouded our vision so that we could only register and rehearse firing on one day of the five planned. The toughest part though was that we did not have a translator. Attempting to cooperate firing full size artillery with a language barrier is tough, to say the least. We were blessed to have one Thai lieutenant who spoke some broken English. Lt. Egg, Thai Marine Artillery, was the critical man in our operation. I was his main US liason as we tried to bridge large differences in doctrine, protocol and language. We had particular differences over approval (safety checks) of firing. The Thais don't do things the way we do. The result was a lot of frustration and hesitation to shoot.

However, Lt. Egg was a hell of guy with a great attitude. Under pressure of both of our chains-of-command to do it our way we figured things out. The term “ying pai lew” is the official firing command in Thai. Part of my job was to tell Lt Egg when the Thai agencies were approved to fire. The term I used, which was to become our unofficial motto, encapsulated the spirit of Cobra Gold for me. Just before H-Hour I turned to Lt Egg, and whispered: “Ying Meang Ler-y”. Loosely translated that means “Fire that Shit!”

I am now back aboard the USS Germantown eating good chow and relaxing. We’re going to cruise around for a little bit, then head back to Okinawa. Once we get back we only have one more weeklong field op. We’ll start packing up at the end of April. Our flight window to return home is 15-25 May. I have leave 1 June to 16 June. I’ll be in SF for part of that, and for the SF Marathon on 15 June.

Let me know what you all are up to.

See you soon, Semper Fidelis,

Dominic

PS. The third photo is my Fire Support Team (minus our artillery officer and radio operator who was elsewhere). They are from left to right: Sgt Gallegos (mortars) Lance Corporal Szmergalski (radio operator) and Corporal Finch (artillery scout) and I'm far right. When I'm not looking after weapons platoon I spend a lot of time with these guys on a hill somewhere. I call Szmergalski, my radio operator, the hardest working man in showbiz.

Camp Pendleton I

All stations this is Apache 4

Greetings from Camp Pendleton, CA. I’m sorry I haven’t written in so long, but I’ve been pretty busy since we last talked. I graduated the Infantry Officer Course in September 2011 and checked into 1^st Battalion, 5^th Marine Regiment in October 2011. After a short stint as a Rifle Platoon Commander, I took command of a Weapons Platoon (same Company, call sign now APACHE 4). We are scheduled to go on a Pacific cruise in December for several months. We will train with some allied militaries as well as hit a few ports of call. If anything should happen in that part of the world, we will respond. 

As the Weapons Platoon Commander I am responsible for training the ~50 weapons specialists organic to the Rifle Company. My Platoon is organized into 3 sections: Machine Guns (M240G Medium Machinegun), Mortars (M224 60MM Mortar), and Assault (responsible for rockets and demolitions). The Platoon itself will never run its own missions, rather I will attach my Marines to rifle platoons that need weapons support. Once I give my guys up, I assume the duties of the Fire Support Team Leader (aka FiST). I will be responsible for planning, coordinating and executing all fire support for the Company. I have at my disposal a team of observes and radio operators. I will work with Mortars, Artillery, air support, Weapons Company (really heavy weapons), snipers and naval guns. I also help the Executive Officer run the Combat Operations Center. If it sounds like a job with a bunch of varying responsibilities, it is. The billet is supposed to be filled by a 1^st Lt, but we do not have enough. It was a real challenge at first because the job requires a quantum leap in technical knowledge, but I’ve got a handle on it now and am doing just fine. Some links if you’re interested:

- Machineguns: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M240_machine_gun 

-Mortars: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M224_mortar 

- Assault http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoulder- launched_Multipurpose_Assault_Weapon

Being a Platoon Commander has been one of the most demanding yet rewarding experiences of my life, and I would not trade it for anything. I have had the opportunity to lead between 50 and 55 young men while in this position. It’s taken a lot of work, much of it tedious, but I am really glad with how the guys have come along. Our Company has been pretty successful during evaluations, and it is in no small part due to the skill and hard work of my guys. 

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Every Friday Platoon Commanders are required by Marine Corps Order to give what is called a “Liberty Safety Brief”. The idea is that a senior member of the unit talks about staying out of trouble. Many units treat these as a perfunctory “check in the box” activities before securing to the weekend. Liberty safety briefs happen to be my favorite time of the week, because I use it to talk tactics with the guys. I execute what are called “tactical decision games” or “sand table exercises.” I brief my men a situation over a large terrain model. These terrain models are measured in yards and the height of the buildings reaches knee high. For the next 30 minutes or so Marines talk about what they would do. The emphasis is on junior Marines to offer their ideas. It is a great way to teach tactics, build the public speaking skills of junior Marines, and demonstrate that your Marines opinions matter to you. At first the situations I briefed to the men fell flat and participation was minimal. Now every Friday they fight to give their opinion during the limited time we have. It is pretty cool to see the Marines take an interest and speak their minds. 

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Our Battalion Commander places a significant priority on being able to move on our feet – he believes in old school infantry. About every month we go on a Battalion Hike, working our way up to 26. Our last hike was 20 miles. It took 8 hours and 44 minutes. Since we are a Weapons Platoon, we carried our all of our guns. We marched through the nigh because of the heat. It was quite an experience.

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If I had to single out an important event from the last several months it would have to be our live-fire Company attack at Marine Corps Base 29 Palms. Out in the middle of the California desert we executed a full attack on 3 trenches with M16’s, medium and heavy machineguns, rockets, 60mm mortars and 81mm mortars. As the FiST leader I played a significant role directing all the supporting arms. Throughout planning and execution I was in my CO’s hip pocket making sure that our big guns were helping his scheme of maneuver. When he briefed the order to the reinforced company (over 200 Marines) I had the opportunity to brief my fire support plan to the Company. 

This was my first major live-fire operation as a FiST. I, therefore, planned everything by the book. I had every stage of the attack detailed on a scheduling worksheet. I plotted every target and safety rings on a 1:10,000 map. Before the attack the CO and me were called to the Battalion Command Post to brief the scheme of maneuver and get the safety approval. Our audience was the soft-spoken yet imposing Major Brock. He asked numerous specific questions, particularly regarding the safety of dropping 81mm shells in such close proximity to friendly troops. He seemed satisfied with the ground scheme of maneuver, but continued scrutinizing the fire support (bigger booms are more dangerous afterall). He expected sharp 1 sentence answers to his questions. After a long emotionless scan over my work he said, “Good job Bea.” As soon as Major Brock turned away my Captain grinned with relief as if he’d been holding his breathe the whole time. If there was a problem with a plan Major Brock would find it. Getting his approval without corrections was a big morale boost for the both of us. We would have high-fived had we not been standing right outside the CP.

My small team of observers and radio operators started the attack. We climbed to the reverse slope of a dominating hill and took cover in the crags. I crept up to the crest, surveyed the area, and gave the sign to the team to set up. With a clear view of the objective area we absolutely pummeled the objective with 81mm Mortars. Before the fight was over I would expend 270 rounds from Mohawak (81’s platoon).  

As the Company moved forward my radio operator and I went with them. I planned to coordinate the fires of my 60mm Mortars and M240 Machineguns closer to the fight. A funny thing happened though. When both these sections arrived they went straight into action. I watched as the section leaders made all the right decisions and took all the right actions in accordance with the order. Throughout the last 2/3 of the attack I quietly tracked the flawless execution of my mortarmen and machinegunners. I did not issue any orders – I didn’t have to. On the last trench we planned to employ a mortars smoke screen in support of the final push. I turned to my Artillery Forward Observer and mentioned how the wind was perfect to push our smoke screen in the right place. The next thing I heard: “This is Apache mortars, smoke shot!” The smoke landed in the right spot and laid perfect obscuration for the last assault. My section leader nailed it. I saw the evaluators give nods of approval and furiously scribble notes. 

The company attack was a great learning experience for me. I worked very hard on the fire support plan, but it went off without a hitch because of my subordinates. As a pretty junior officer I’m walking away with a valuable lesson and appreciation for my superb section leaders. 

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Camp Pendleton has a lot of Buffalo. We were driving up through the mountains to the Southeast and when the fog cleared – sort of – we found that we had driven into a heard of about 200.

Picture of my platoon at the Mountain Warfare Training Center. I am far right. 

All of our training is done now. We will turn in gear, take leave and head off to Japan on 1 Dec. For those of you in the Bay Area I’ll be around 12 Nov - 15 Nov and 21 Nov – 25 Nov. I’m sorry I have been so bad about keeping in touch. The last year has just been an incredible amount of work. I miss you all very much.

Semper Fidelis,

Dom