Dramatic photos show a Marine's narrow escape from death Sunday while facing insurgent gunfire in Afghanistan.
The Marine, part of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), was exchanging gunfire with Taliban fighters near Garmser in Afghanistan's Helmand Province when a Reuters photographer captured the soldier's very close call.
A series of six photos show the Marine, wearing a T-shirt and fatigues but no combat helmet, ducking as insurgent gunfire tears through the top of a mud wall he's using for cover. Remarkably, the Marine escaped the gunfight without injury.
“The insurgents are finding that every time they engage with the Marines, they lose,” Col. Peter Petronzio, commander of the 24th MEU, said in a statement issued May 10. “The Marines are gaining ground every day and securing more of the routes through the district. The support we have received from our allied partners has contributed to our many successes thus far.”
Troops have targeted this region on the Pakistan border that has served as a route for supplies and reinforcements for insurgents since April 28.
"Definitely they are putting resistance in the area because Garmser is very important for them," Gen. Carlos Branco, a spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force, told the AFP.
"Garmser is a planning, staging and logistics hub. Once lost it will mean a severe defeat for them," he told the agency. "That is why they are reinforcing with insurgents coming from other places, both north and south."
Branco told the AFP that the insurgents had suffered "heavy" losses.
What narrow escape from death? What cheating? The shot at him missed - plain and simple. By the time he started to flinch, the threat of the round was long gone and he was left to deal with the rocks.
No doubt they are very cool and dramatic photographs, but they don't shot him escaping or cheating death, just flinching and falling with a bunch of debris.
Looks like the ACOG took the brunt of the fall for the rifle. I bet it still works fine.
he was prolly on his down time and they got hit. its happened before. reminds me of NTC actualy. i got stuck on the QRF detail for a few days shortly after someone in my troop built a shower. as im showering opfor tries to get in and next thing ya kow im running out of the tent in a towel and shower shoes with my M4 and a bandoleer of mags. hillarious but not too bright on my part.
Bobcat, I'm aware it happens, and see you point, it just seems odd to me, no PPE, no extra mags, and that doesn't really look like a FOB wall. Guess I'm gonna have to look around on this a little more.
For those that want to joke about how close to death he was -- Or joke about what he wasn't wearing --
I suspect he was a lot closer to death than any of us were today.
Any day our guys get through with only a pile of dirt on them is a great day. This guy is doing his job. He doesn't take the pics or write the captions.
I wasn't jokin about his lack of PPE, its actually a serious issue. The Marines are pretty serious about making sure we wear it at all times while engaged in combat operations.
His job is my job, I'm just not over in the sandbox yet, but that time is rapidly approaching for me.
Seems that there's been a lot of strife here at DC.com lately. This thread has only a little, but it is certainly there. Guys, we're all on the same side here. Take it easy!
Strife? I don't see much strife. What I see is people with differing opinions having an open, honest, and friendly discussion. If we all agreed 100% on everything 100% of the time, well this would be a pretty dull forum. Personally, I like a little back and forth discussion now and then.
Anyway, I am surprised to see this marine without his gear as well. When we were there, we slept, ate, showered(well a bucket of water and a rag), used the bathroom, did everything either with our gear on, or at arms length at all times. I know guys take their kevlars off to peek around a corner and over a wall at times, but to be in a firefight withour your gear is kinda odd. I was army though, not marines, maybe we do things differently when it comes to wearing your gear. Thankfully that marine is alright, probably has a few pepper marks on his face though.
On pictures like this don't read into it more then what it shows. The man is taking fire and in is still with us. The last time I took fire was 1968, YES, I remember very well and he well too. God Bless Him.
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