A personal story on @USMC and how they fight: in 2008, I was embedded with US Marines in Helmand province. On our way in, our convoy was hit by an IED. I remember seeing - but not hearing - the wheel of the lead humvee flying into the air. 1/
2/ Immediately after, the gunfire started. It’s the normal flow of a complex attack: explosion then gunfire. Four Marines in the lead humvee were injured & the convoy was under fire. But the Marines sprang into action. They delivered first aid to their fellow service-members.
3/ They returned fire. A medevac helicopter evacuated the wounded. And they protected us. All at the same time and all at great danger to themselves. And then - once the attack was over - the convoy rolled on and the Marines continued their mission.
4/ What followed were many more days and weeks of mortar attacks and firefights and, sadly, Marine casualties. But they never wavered. I was in awe of their courage and commitment in just hellish circumstances. The Garmsir district of Helmand means - literally - “hot place”
5/ Today, I’m thinking of those Marines, the@ones who sadly didn’t come home, and how they and their families see this US withdrawal. #SemperFi
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