2008 Events
Ambassador Cain's trip to Afghanistan with HRH Crown Prince Frederik and Minister Defense Søren Gade
From December 1 to December 3, Ambassador Cain visited Afghanistan with HRH Crown Prince Frederik and Defense Minister Søren Gade. Below you can read about his experiences on the trip.
Photo Gallery.
I just left the dusty fields of Helmand Province, Afghanistan after spending two-and-a-half days embedded with the 3rd Battalion, 8th Regiment of the U.S. Marine Corps from Camp LeJeune, North Carolina. The 1100 Marines there deploy out of Camp Bastion, a 5,000 soldier installation that is home to British, Danish and Estonian soldiers, in addition to the US Marines and Special Forces (you can recognize the latter by their Afghan-looking beards and very serious countenance.) From here the Marines head out daily to engage the local population and confront the enemy.
The enemy is in the hills surrounding us, and seeks to control and intimidate the population that lives in small villages along the fertile Valley nearby, from whence the bulk of the poppy production originates. Within a few moments of our arrival a Taliban suicide bomber sought martyrdom in the midst of a British squad that was delivering educational materials to local villagers. I did not hear the explosion, but I was glad I was wearing body armor, and I was there when they brought the victims into the Camp; six Afghans, and two Brits. One of them did not survive.
My Defense Attaché Captain Roger Coldiron and I were anxious to join the Marines on their patrols. I was particularly eager to visit with local villagers. But the recent increase in attacks concerned the Commanding Officer, Lt Col Dave Odom, and we decided that sending a 'high value target" outside the Camp walls at this time was unwise. Instead, I got to man the controls of a "Skan Eagle" Unmanned Aerial Vehicle as it kept watch on a couple of suspicious looking vehicles in the nearby hills, from a distance of 4,000 feet just like in the movies.
At "Tombstone", as the Marines call their base at Bastion, I received a briefing from Lt Col Odom and his senior staff about the Marine capabilities, operations and tactics. They have a daunting task, seeking to bring security and stability to an area of the country the size of Vermont. The "3/8's" as their battalion is called, have just arrived in the past two months in relief of another battalion and they are here in the most rugged, most dangerous part of Afghanistan.
I also had the opportunity to meet with the Commanding Officer of Camp Bastion, Colonel Reginald Maynard of the Royal British Commandos. (The Camp facility is managed by the Brits, so Colonel Maynard manages the facility as is the Commanding Officer for the British forces, but he has no operational control over the Marines. ) The US is likely to increase our presence at Camp Bastion by as many as 10,000 troops if the incoming Obama Administration follows-through on plans to "surge" into Afghanistan as we did, with great success, into Iraq.
My short visit to the Camp was filled with new experiences. In addition to witnessing the operation and "recovery" (i.e. Landing) of the UAV, we joined the British- manned Grimmel" rocket launching vehicle that stands at the Camp perimeter to retaliate against rocket attacks (he launched at a target several miles away while we were in Camp); we
visited with Afghan interpreters who monitor Taliban communications; and we toured the Camp hospital where a remarkable team of international Doctors and nurses tend to an average of a dozen casualties per week. A British soldier, victim of an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) was being operated on while we were in the trauma center. Ninety percent of the injuries are as a result of IEDs. As our detection techniques get better, the enemy designs more sophisticated devices. The British soldier being operated on survived, but with serious neck wounds.
The highlight of my trip was presiding at a Promotion Ceremony where, under the bright morning sun, I promoted two U.S. Marines, Tanner Tonjes to Sergeant and Kevin Bonner to Staff Sergeant. At the conclusion of the ceremony I was invited to address the 100+ men in formation, and shared with them the personal impression US Marines had
made over my lifetime; the stories from Tom on the factory floor at Myrtle Desk about Iwo Jima and his bombing run from Tineian to Hiroshima; my first "boss" during the Reagan days who was a former Marine; the Marine Color Guard from Camp LeJeune who presided at my Swearing-In Ceremony in North Carolina's State Capitol, and who four years earlier had triggered the strongest wave of emotion I have ever witnessed as
they brought the Stars and Stripes slowly onto the ice beside me at the RBC Center in front of a silenced crowd of 20,000 fellow Americans, five days after September 11, 2001. I told them of my marching orders from the President, to lead the Danes to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with America wherever the causes of freedom and humanity demanded, and how proud I was to see the Danish Flag flying high in Camp Bastion next to our own. I told them what a great job they are doing: representing America, and bringing the twin blessings of freedom and hope to the Afghan people.
And they are doing a great job; these young men and women, most only a few years older than Cameron and Laura, who exhibit an enthusiasm and eagerness, a courage and bravery that would make every American proud. More often than not, in the wars of America's past the US Marines have been the "tip of the spear". In today's age of asymmetrical warfare and hostage populations, these Marines are often called on to employ weapons beyond spears, including hoes and shovels, tape measures and training
manuals, smiles and handshakes. These tools don't always come naturally to a warrior, but these soldiers understand the immense help that an allied local population can be in this War, and they are reaching out in the right ways.
Lieutenant Colonel Odom, who is a 17 year veteran of the Corps and one of the most inspiring leaders I have ever met, is robustly engaging the enemy on a daily basis. But he is also working hard, along with his senior staff, to obtain wheat seeds and farming implements for the local population to wean them away from opium-producing poppy
production, delivering school and first-aid supplies to villagers eager to have their children educated and healthy, and working to train Afghans to be soldiers and policemen so that they can secure their own future and, one day, all our Marines can come home. The two nights I was there the Colonel and his senior staff worked until well after midnight, and were up before dawn.
Lieutenant Colonel Odom incidentally, lives in Jacksonville with his wife and children, and has a place at Emerald Isle right next to the "other" Dave Odom (I thought all the Demon Deacon fans would enjoy that.) One of Colonel Odom's aides, Major Reginald McCamm, is from Raleigh.
As the darkness gathered on our first night, I joined "Ruth" on her nightly rounds. Ruth is a remarkable Danish woman who, working through the YMCA, runs the Coffee Shop inside Fort Viking, as the Danish section of Camp Bastion is called. With its Danish tradition of "hygginess" (which roughly translates as "coziness") Ruth's place has become the favorite gathering spot for soldiers of all nations. I had insightful conversations at Ruth's with Danes, Brits, Estonians, Americans and local Afghans, including an Afghan who spent 17 years in America and could have stayed there, but wanted to return to help his country to a brighter future. Ruth and I departed the shop close to midnight to deliver fresh-baked cake and coffee to the soldiers manning the towers providing watch over her section of the Camp. On this particular night the soldiers in the towers were all US Marines, and I will always remember the feeling of expectancy as I was handed the night-vision goggles and joined them in scanning the horizon for enemy movements.
I traveled to Camp Bastion with Søren Gade, the Minister of Defense for Denmark, and with Frederick, Denmark's Crown Prince. It was highly –kept secret that Crown Prince Frederick was traveling with us because of the tempting target he would be for the Taliban and Al Qaeda. It was his first trip to Afghanistan, and the first by any member of the Royal family. After we landed the Danish delegation headed to a smaller Danish Camp, Camp Armadillo, about 30 miles north of Bastion where the Danes have come under recent heavy fire We rendezvoused with them again Wednesday morning when we had a joint visit with the 75-or-so Danish troops at Bastion. It was quite a thrill for them to visit with their future King, and for me to witness it.
A Camp housing the Afghan National Army is located immediately next to Camp Bastion, and it was an honor on our final morning to join Minister Gade and Crown Prince Frederik as they met with the Commanding Officer of the ANA, General Muhammad Nagibullah. He is an impressive man, and is very pleased with the progress being made by his 6,000 man brigade. But the General stressed the need for additional training assistance and civilian engineering projects. (He says the citizens of this part of Afghanistan have had warm feelings toward America since the 1960's when Americans built the Dam that allows the irrigation of their fields.)
When a soldier from Bastion is killed, representatives of all nations present at Bastion gather at the "Rose Garden" near the center of the Camp for a memorial ceremony. Fortunately, there was no such ceremony while we were at Camp. As the Chaplain solemnly reminded me, however, there will likely be such a ceremony in the near future. The US Marines here have had 17 casualties over the past years.
As I was departing Tombstone for the last time, Colonel Odom asked me for a favor. "Of course", I said, expecting that he might ask me for help obtaining more supplies, more resources, or more equipment. "Would you mind", he asked, "visiting the families down in Jacksonville of our men when you return to North Carolina?" I remember thinking what a small favor to ask from men who are giving so much. The expectation of visiting with those families, which I eagerly await, makes my pending departure from Denmark so much less melancholy.
Tonight, please say a prayer for these Marines and their fellow soldiers at Camp Bastion.
This concludes the Ambassador's remarks.