OCTOBER 27, 2011
THE GLOBE, CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.
9A
FIRE BASE FIDDLERS GREEN, AFGHANISTAN
Photos by Cpl. Jeff Drew
(Left) Sgt. Albert Camacho, a section chief with Battery C, 1st Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, mentors Afghan National Army soldiers with 4th Kandak, 1st Brigade, 215th Corps. (Right) Sgt. Albert Camacho, a section chief with Battery C, 1st Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, takes a break next to his M-777 howitzer. Camacho said it was his goal as a young artilleryman to become a chief, and now his favorite part is being able to train his junior Marines.
Artillery section chiefs always on call CPL. JEFF DREW
2nd Marine Division
When the sound of gunfire pierces the early morning mist, he knows intuitively he will be needed. When Marines are pinned down under fire, they know they can call on him. He acts as the artillery muscle supporting the Marines and sailors throughout his battle space. He is an artillery section chief, and he is always on call. Infantry Marines count on the supporting fires of an artillery battery when they are suppressed by the enemy, and every second counts when lives are on the line. The team of Marines manning the gun must remain composed and work without hesitation in order to send rounds downrange with deadly precision. When it comes to being in charge of an M-777 howitzer, there is no room for error. A section chief must be aware of all actions the mem-
bers of his gun crew make; he must know how they will react in any situation. He knows this because he has perfected each job on the gun himself. “Basic artillery school in Fort Sill, Okla., is where you learn the basics of becoming an artilleryman,” said Sgt. Albert Camacho, a artillery section chief with Battery C, 1st Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment. “After that, most of the experience comes in time. You have to become a gunner, and you have to understand the (weapon) sights. Knowing each job and billet is important because when something isn’t going right, you have to know how to fix it.” An artillery section chief is like a quarterback, said Staff Sgt. Dawud Hakim, a platoon sergeant with the company and former section chief. He explained a section chief must be able to stand back and observe everything that is happening and what everyone is doing;
he makes sure everything runs smoothly; he is the base for all the moving parts on the gun. It takes an average of two years for an artilleryman to attain the job of section chief, but it all depends on the individual, Hakim explained. It depends on how fast he can learn and how much he is willing to put into his work. “Not everyone can be a section chief. Not everyone has the desire to be a section chief,” said Hakim. “The chief knows everything that is involved with his responsibilities, and it is the passion of, ‘I’m getting ready to send this round downrange,’ that drives him. It can be training for live fire, but he knows every round that’s going into the tube, and he takes pride in it.” When a noncommissioned officer becomes a section chief, he is always on call. It is one of the most important aspects of the job. At any time the call for support may come from in-
fantry Marines who are in the fight, and a section chief needs to be able to guide his artillery Marines to accurately send rounds downrange to help them out. Whether he is eating food, taking a shower, or at the gym, the section chief must drop everything in order to facilitate the call for fire support. Junior artillerymen work diligently to earn the coveted position when an opening becomes available, despite the dedication required and the great responsibility placed on a section chief. “It’s a goal to be a section chief because it’s a leadership billet, and I see it as a big step in your career as an artilleryman,” said Camacho. “It helps you to build a lot of experience, which you need to be able to train your Marines. That’s what made me want to be a section chief, because I can teach, and being able to teach my young Marines how to become a section chief is what I’ve always wanted to do.”
A chief is directly responsible for more than $2 million worth of equipment and must ensure it is maintained properly. He must verify all incoming fire mission data used to confirm target information and guarantee the correct ammunition is being loaded into the weapon. Camacho has proven himself as a section chief, and his leadership can see his passion for the job with every round his crew sends downrange. “He’s awesome. He’s very precise, detailed, and he is always big on teaching his Marines the right way to do things,” said Hakim. “He’s a good chief in my book.” “The feeling you get when shooting rounds downrange, (whether) in combat or not, doing everything you can to make sure the rounds land safely, or providing indirect fire support for infantry units is a great feeling, and you know you accomplished that mission,” said Camacho.
HELMAND PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN
Marines continue Operation Eastern Storm 1ST LT. TIMOTHY IRISH
Regimental Combat Team 8
Operation Eastern Storm continues to secure Route 611 from Sangin’s District Center to the Kajaki Dam. Marines from Regimental Combat Team 8 and Afghan National Security Forces with the 2nd Brigade, 215th Corps, Afghan National Army are participating in this operation. Securing this route opens a vital corridor for local citizens, Afghan government officials and merchants to transit rapidly between several districts, giving residents a freedom of movement they haven’t experienced in more than a decade. “The people of the Upper Sangin Valley and Kajaki District have asked us to help them rid their homes of the insurgency,” said Col. Eric M. Smith, commanding officer of RCT-8. “The area immediately surrounding the dam will no longer be just a bubble of security. Opening Route 611 allows the people to visit the markets in Sangin and Gereshk and travel to the provincial capitol of Lashkar Gah. They are as much our allies in this operation as is the Afghan soldier fighting alongside the Marine riflemen.” Increased security gains in the district of Sangin and Helmand province in the past two years have allowed coalition and Afghan National Security Forces to shift their attention north. “What you have is two security bubbles being connected and consolidated. The bubble around the Kajaki Dam is being connected to the bubble around Sangin’s District Center,” said Smith. “The insurgent has nowhere to go but out.” Many local citizens have left the area, and those remaining suffered from Taliban murder and intimidation campaigns. The lack of ANSF or coalition forces in the past has allowed parts of the area to become an insurgent safe-haven. The introduction of Marines and Afghan soldiers has been a welcome sign. “Overall, the mood appears to be one of gratitude and relief – gratitude that someone is there to help them get back to their lives because insurgents have been there for so long,” commented Maj. William Sablan, the operations officer for RCT-8. “Some locals have approached the Marines and asked them if they
can get back to farming, praying at the local mosque and shopping in the bazaar. “Really it is just relief that they can get back to normal everyday life.” The operation is still ongoing, yet it signifies an end to the Taliban’s ability to operate freely in Helmand province. Coalition and ANSF forces have met with little enemy resistance, as engagements with insurgents have been limited to the discovery of improvised explosive devices and small-arms firefights. “The overwhelming force of Afghan soldiers, police and Marines continues to push the insurgency out of the region,” said Brig. Gen. Lewis Craparotta, commander, Task Force Leatherneck. Editor’s Note: Regimental Combat Team 8 is currently assigned to 2nd Marine Division (Forward), Task Force Leatherneck. Task Force Leatherneck serves as the ground combat element of Regional Command (Southwest) and works in partnership with the Afghan National Security Forces and Afghanistan to conduct counterinsurgency operations. The unit is dedicated to securing the Afghan people, defeating insurgent forces, and enabling ANSF assumption of security responsibilities within its area of operations in order to support the expansion of stability, development and legitimate governance.
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