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Strategies & Market Trends : VOLTAIRE'S PORCH-MODERATED -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: stockman_scott who wrote (45558)	12/22/2001 1:36:16 AM
From: Dealer	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 65232

Marines at Camp Rhino dig in, wait, dream of hot meals and showers By Tim Flack, Stars and Stripes European edition, Saturday, December 22, 2001 Tim Flack / S&S Marines at Camp Rhino in Afghanistan hold a morning briefing behind their Christmas tree. Tim Flack / S&S Christmas tree ornaments at Camp Rhino include spent shotgun shells and tiny Tabasco bottles. Tim Flack / S&S Marines from Alpha Company, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, who will be at Camp Rhino in Afghanistan for Christmas, are excited to see care packages from the States. CAMP RHINO, Afghanistan — The Marines guarding the perimeter at Camp Rhino don’t know the future of this small outpost. They also don’t know when they will get a hot meal or a shower. The 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit has been on the ground since Nov. 25. And while they can’t help but watch the 15th and 26th MEU assets fly from Rhino’s dirt runway on transport planes to Kandahar, they have no choice but to dig in a little deeper, pull their watch caps over their ears and turn their eyes back to the perimeter. "It ain’t over yet," said Capt. Eric Putnam, Company A commander. "We’re still defending Rhino." In one of the fighting holes, Marines had decorated a small Christmas tree with spent shotgun shells and small Tabasco bottles from a Meals, Ready to Eat package. Putnam also told them that Marine commandant Gen. James L. Jones would be visiting Rhino on Wednesday. "Make sure the guys are wearing rank insignia and are shaved tomorrow," said Putnam. He wanted to make sure his Marines looked like Marines — even though "we may knock him down with our stench." Life this holiday season will be different for those serving in the sand. "One wish," mused Lance Cpl. Keith Kesterson. "That’s easy. I want Taco Bell and a cold Miller Lite." Lance Cpl. Matt Graves, who shares his fighting hole with Kesterson, wants a hot bath. He also wants to meet Katie Couric. As his fellow Marines laugh, Graves seriously displays a cardboard sign he made. It reads: "Tell Katie C. from NBC, happy holidays from Marines in Afghanistan." "I’ve always wanted to meet her," said Graves. "She’s hot." Graves said he’s going to travel to New York when he gets back from this deployment. "I’m going to wear my dress blue uniform," he said. "First, I’ll pay my respects at Ground Zero. Then, I’ll carry my ragged cardboard sign over to NBC so I can meet Katie." There also was some good news: More mail is on the way. The Marines received their first mail call four days ago, and it was a big morale booster, Putnam said. A couple days after hitting the ground, the troops fell into a normal routine. Now they’ve lost track of time, many said. One day seems to blend into the next, except for a few rare occasions. Moser, Kesterson and Graves were all asleep on Dec. 6 when they were awakened by the distinctive sound of mortar rounds being fired. Marines from Company C were firing 81mm, high illumination and 60mm mortar rounds into the darkness. "We had no idea what was happening," said Moser. They rushed to their fighting positions and prepped for the fight. "I wanted to get some action," said Kesterson. "It was exciting — I wanted to play my part." Company C said they had spotted movement outside the perimeter and a surveillance aircraft confirmed the presence of personnel. As the Marines fired, a Marine Huey helicopter crashed behind them on the runway and burst into flames. "It was chaos," said one Marine, who wished to remain anonymous. "We were waiting for the enemy to rush our lines." The perimeter probe and the crash were unrelated. The helicopter crash was an accident, officials announced, and was not caused by enemy fire. Marine commanders and spokesmen won’t say what’s in store for Rhino due to security concerns. But they say that there are fewer troops here now because many are moving to Kandahar. For the Marines left at Rhino, it’s just another night. As the sun slips into the horizon, the temperature begins to drop. The Marines on the perimeter pull on their gloves, wrap their scarves a little tighter, and settle in for another night. estripes.com