Face of Defense: Marine Develops His Own Legacy

By Marine Corps Cpl. Timothy Lenzo

American Forces Press Service

PATROL BASE DETROIT, Afghanistan, Sept. 13, 2012 – Lance Cpl. Ethan Payne, a machine gunner here with Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, Regimental Combat Team 6, realized the Marine Corps offered an opportunity to build his own story.

When the Louisa, Va., native finished high school, he began to feel the urge to do something more with his life. He had recently quit sports for work and like other young adults, he wanted to make his own name.

“I felt like I hadn’t done [anything] special,” Payne said. “I just wanted to do something different than what my friends and family had done.”

The Marines meant more than a paycheck, Payne said. It meant building his own legacy apart from his family and twin brother, Elijah.

“Growing up, [my brother and I] played every sport imaginable together,” Payne said. “[Joining] was my way of doing my own thing while making my family and friends proud of me.” Payne played a variety of sports, including football and basketball, and found his brother a constant rival.

“I’d say my whole family is competitive,” he said. “My brother and I are the most competitive, though.”

Payne uses that same competitive nature while serving in the Marine Corps. “Any time we play sports or anything, Payne really wants to win,” said Marine Corps Sgt. Jason Lomeli, Payne’s squad leader. “You can tell he’s never going to give up.”

Payne said his competitiveness also drives him to be a better Marine. “There are a lot of guys that are better than me, and I want to be better than them. That’s why I push myself.”

Lomeli said he has seen the benefits of Payne pushing himself firsthand. “I never have to tell him to clean his weapon or to work out,” Lomeli said. “He’s a hard worker. He never gives up, and he’s never given me any problems. He’s just a good Marine.”

Payne got his chance to do something his friends and family had not done when his unit deployed to Afghanistan in June. His platoon is working in Trek Nawa, a known insurgent stronghold between the Nawa and Marjah districts in Helmand province.

Although his family worries about him, he said, he does what he can to alleviate their stress. “I make sure to call my family and brother every chance I get,” Payne said. “It’s for their sake, to let them know I’m good and everyone here is doing fine.”

Payne said he will return home with a new chapter in his legacy. “I’m really proud to be with the guys I work with,” he said. “What we’ve done out here has been pretty great, and I’ll never forget my time in Afghanistan.”

Face of Defense: Marine Breaks Down Language, Cultural Barriers

By Marine Corps Cpl. Timothy Lenzo

Regional Command Southwest

PATROL BASE DETROIT, Afghanistan – The Marines are down but not out. The late afternoon sun beats on them, and one Marine wipes sweat from his eyes. Across from them, their opponents smile, seemingly sensing the outcome. With the Olympics fresh in their minds, this is not simply a volleyball game. This is a matter of national pride. Then it happens: a questionable call. Is it a point for the Afghan soldiers on one side of the net, or is it the Marines’ serve? Hand gestures and facial expressions are not enough to explain the concerns of both teams.

Then a Marine steps in, turns to the Afghan soldier and begins pleading the Marines’ case. The only catch is that unlike the others, he is not speaking English and using over dramatic hand gestures. He is speaking Pashtu, the Afghan soldiers’ native language.

For Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Nathan Pontious, a rifleman with Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, Regimental Combat Team 6, the ability to speak Pashtu helps to build relationships with Afghan soldiers and local residents.

“It really helps when we are patrolling and we run into a family,” Pontious said. “When they see I can speak their language, it usually puts them at ease. We have that common ground, and we can build off it.”

Pontious’ platoon has two interpreters, but has three squads. This means when the entire platoon patrols, one squad usually is left without an interpreter.

“It’s huge having someone like Pontious, who’s a Marine but can also speak Pashtu,” said Marine Corps Sgt. Jason Lomeli, Pontious’ squad leader. “The other day we had to roll out, and the [platoon commander] asked if I was good without an [interpreter]. I responded, ‘Of course I’m good -- I have Pontious.’”

Pontious’ skills often help to mitigate potentially damaging relations with local Afghans. He explains to the head of the household what the Marines are doing and why they are there, and he reassures the family.

But Pontious said what he really enjoys is the part of speaking Pashtu that isn’t work-related.

“I love talking to the children,” the Effingham, Ill., native said. “They are really funny, and I love giving them water or candy and watching their smiles.”

Even when his squad returns from patrols, Pontious’ ability to bridge the language barrier is put to good use. His platoon works closely with Afghan soldiers with 1st Kandak, 1st Brigade, 215th Corps.

Pontious often talks to the Afghan soldiers, trading with them and planning volleyball games.

“We work together like brothers,” said Capt. Aziz Mohammad, commander of the Afghan army’s 3rd Tolai, 1st Kandak, 1st Brigade, 215th Corps.

Pontious attended a three-month language school to learn Pashtu before deploying to Afghanistan, attending grammar classes in the morning and cultural classes in the afternoon. He graduated third in a class of more than 200 students and the highest of any Marine in his battalion.

Before going to the school, Pontious said, he had developed a reputation as a troublemaker and couldn’t seem to shake the misconceptions about him.

“When I first arrived, some of the other leaders warned me about Pontious, saying he might cause issues,” explained Lomeli, from Riverdale, Ill. “I think Pontious was misunderstood. He does everything I ask of him and more, and he’s a great asset to the squad.”

Pontious used his poor reputation as motivation during language school. He volunteered to attend the class, he said, because he learned French easily in high school.

“Honestly, I had some doubters when I left for the course,” Pontious said. “I wanted to prove them wrong, and I ended up getting an A in the course.”

He also keeps his language skills sharp, practicing with a textbook he brought to Afghanistan and asking the interpreters questions. He also uses a Pashtu-to-English dictionary he received from an Afghan soldier. “That helped a lot,” Pontious said. “I take it with me every time we go out.”

Back on the volleyball court, Pontious finishes pleading his case. His explanation seems to satisfy his Afghan counterparts, at least for this point, and within moments the Marines and Afghans are playing again.

“I really think I’m helping to change the perception of Marines [for] the people of Afghanistan,” Pontious said. “I think they see the effort I’ve put in to learn their language and their culture, and I think they appreciate it.”

Face of Defense: Marine Stays Focused in First Firefight

By Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Brian Buckwalter

Regimental Combat Team 6

PATROL BASE DETROIT, Afghanistan – It’s a moment of truth for many Marines: the first time they are in combat and their training is put to the test.

When his squad took enemy contact during a recent patrol through Trek Nawa, Marine Corps Pfc. Timothy Workman found his moment.

“I could hear rounds cracking over my head,” said Workman, a mortarman with Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, Regimental Combat Team 6. “The adrenaline started pumping right away.”

This was Workman’s first firefight. A year ago, he was standing on the yellow footprints at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., to start basic training, a tradition every Marine recruit goes through. Now, with the mid-morning sun beating down, he was crouched in a ditch, his M16 assault rifle ready.

Workman and his fellow Marines were engaged in fighting six to eight enemies. The insurgents fired from several different positions, shooting through small holes in walls several hundred meters away. Marines took cover in mud compounds and behind mounds of debris.

Workman’s squad split into two units during the firefight. Workman, from Peebles, Ohio, went with Marine Corps Staff Sgt. David Simons, his platoon sergeant, as they moved forward to return fire.

“At one point, I witnessed Workman moving up into position to engage the enemy,” recalled Simons, from Sidney, Mont. “He fired on the enemy, and when the enemy returned fire, it allowed us to open up with our machine gun.”

The morning sounds of birds and farmers were replaced with the sudden burst of rifles and the “rat-ta-tat-tat” of machinegun fire. An hour later the fight was over, and the Marines returned to their patrol base.

“Since we’ve been out here, it’s pretty common for [the other Marines] to engage in firefights,” Workman explained. “These [insurgents] will stick around and [fight] for awhile.”

Workman’s company patrols the volatile Trek Nawa area of Afghanistan, located between the Marjah and Nawa districts in Helmand province.

The Marines engaged enemies in firefights ranging from isolated pot shots to three–day battles. For Workman, the fighting hit home six months before he left for boot camp. In December, his friend’s older brother, Luke, was killed while serving near this same area of Afghanistan.

“I had gone to school with Luke’s brother since the 6th grade,” Workman said. “At the time [of Luke’s death], I had already decided to join, but this motivated me to continue the work that Luke gave his life for.”

In addition to Luke, Workman said, he’s lost a couple other friends to the war. But despite those losses, Workman said, he remembered his training and focused on his job during the fight.

“I was trying to get positive identification on the enemy, trying to find where they were firing from, looking for spotters and just covering my brothers,” said Workman.

Now that his first firefight is over, Workman’s platoon will monitor his behavior.

“The main thing we look for is a Marine’s mindset after their first time in combat,” Simons said. “We are a family, so we can tell when one of our brother’s is acting differently. We watch for it and take care of each other.”

Simons said Workman seemed mentally strong before and after the firefight. He is proud of Workman and the discipline he showed on the battlefield.

The Marines have more operations planned through Trek Nawa and expect more firefights before they return to the United States.

“I can say there’s nothing else like the Marine Corps,” Workman said. “I’ll continue picking my sergeants’ and seniors’ brains, trying to be better prepared for the next fight.”