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3/10 leaves for Afghanistan
While many went to the polls Tuesday, some prepared to ship overseas, protecting the freedoms that make the privilege of casting a vote possible.
Nearly 150 troops from the India Company of 3rd Battalion, 10th Marines shipped out from Camp Lejeune early Tuesday morning on a seven-month deployment to Afghanistan’s Helmand province. The artillery battalion will replace troops from 3rd Battalion, 11th Marines, and will be working to support the Second Marine Expeditionary Brigade as a part of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Although all eyes are on Afghanistan in anticipation of a policy announcement from President Barack Obama that may come as early as Saturday and will likely call for more troops in the region according to media outlets, officials said this deployment is part of the normal scheduled rotation.
But a deployment is never business as usual to the families and loved ones of the troops shipping out.
Bonnie Basinger, of Rock Hill, S.C., was on base to send off her son, Lance Cpl. Trevor Rorie. Not long ago, she said, she had been at Lejeune to welcome back her oldest son, Cpl. Tristan Rorie, who returned from Iraq with 1st Battalion, 10th Marines.
Basinger said it never gets easier to send her sons off to war.
“It’s hard,” she said, “but you just have to take the position that you know God’s got them in his hands and he’s taking care of them wherever they are.”
Lance Cpl. Rorie said he was looking forward to this deployment, his first to Afghanistan.
“When I went to Iraq, it opened up my mind that we take a lot for granted in this country,” he said. “They say Afghanistan is even worse, so I want to see it for myself … meet new people, give them a chance for a better life.”
Navy Corpsman Petty Officer 3rd Class Maurice Ray got a send-off from his mother, Ginger Ray-Tadlock of Anderson, S.C.
“I thought I was going to be full of tears today, but I’m not because you know it’s a new experience for him,” Ray-Tadlock said.
Ray said he hoped the firsthand experience he would receive in Iraq would assist him in one day attending medical school.
Before the troops boarded the buses that would begin their journey overseas, they received some final encouraging words from the commander of the 10th Marine Regiment, Col. Phillip Boggs.
“You’re well equipped, you’re well led,” Boggs said. “There are people on the other end of your guns who are counting on you.
“Bring everybody home,” he said. “That’s the mission. Accomplish the mission.”
In a tender moment, the Chaplain of the 10th Marines, Lt. Cmdr. Danny B. Purvis, asked the families to join their troops in a huddle for a final prayer of blessing.
Contact Hope Hodge at 910-219-8453 or hhodge@freedomenc.com.
While many went to the polls, some prepared to ship overseas, protecting the freedoms that make the privilege of casting a vote possible.
Nearly 150 Marines and sailors with the India Company of 3rd Battalion, 10th Marines shipped out from Camp Lejeune early Tuesday morning on a seven-month deployment to Afghanistan’s Helmand province.
The artillery battalion will replace troops from 3rd Battalion, 11th Marines, and will be working to support the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade as a part of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Although all eyes are on Afghanistan in anticipation of a policy announcement from President Barack Obama that may come as early as Saturday and will likely call for more troops in the region according to ABC News, officials said this deployment is part of the normal scheduled rotation.
But a deployment is never business as usual to the families and loved ones of the troops shipping out.
Bonnie Basinger, of Rock Hill, S.C., was on base to send off her son, Lance Cpl. Trevor Rorie. Not long ago, she said, she was at Lejeune to welcome back her oldest son, Cpl. Tristan Rorie, who returned from Iraq with 1st Battalion, 10th Marines. Although this is Lance Cpl. Rorie’s second deployment, Basinger said it never gets easier to send her sons off to war.
“It’s hard but you just have to take the position that you know God’s got them in his hands and he’s taking care of them wherever they are,” she said.
Lance Cpl. Rorie said he was looking forward to this deployment, his first to Afghanistan.
“When I went to Iraq, it opened up my mind that we take a lot for granted in this country,” he said. “They say Afghanistan is even worse, so I want to see it for myself … meet new people, give them a chance for a better life.”
