The last few years has seen a gathering happen. Not the Highlander kinda gathering but…well, maybe kinda…lol
Thanks to facebook, I have come back into contact with Marines that I served with years ago. We had our first ‘reunion’ in the Fall of 2013. I think six of us got together with a few wives n attendance. We will be having another one next month. I think a couple of dozen have RSVP’d.
We have had a good time so far. A couple of the Marines started a facebook private group so we can talk and reminisce away from the general public (if you knew these guys, you would know why it needs to be kept away from the general public…lol)
We have caught up with our old 1stSgt and out battery gunny. We had not been able to connect with our old CO though.
A few years ago saw Fox Company exonerated of the ‘war crimes’ charges that had been leveled against them a year or so prior. I know it looks like I just went off on a tangent but hang with me and you will see where this goes.
In February, 2007, Marine Corps Special Operations Command (MARSOC) deployed Marine Special Operations Company Foxtrot under command of Maj. Fred Galvin to Afghanistan. Maj. Galvin and his platoon of Marines dubbed themselves Task Force Violent.
Less than a month after arriving in country, a platoon of these Marines From Fox Company were riding security in a six vehicle convoy in the Nangarhar province when a car-bourn IED detonated next to one of the vehicles. The rules of engagement prohibited lethal weapons so rocks and such were used besides the crew served weapons.
The bomb was detonated in between vehicles with the goal of causing the convoy to stop and then to be hit from both sides by small arms fire. The Marines responded like Marines do. They returned fire with extreme prejudice considering the rules of engagement they were bound by.
The convoy returned with a miraculous lack of serious injury. They were patting themselves on the back for a job well done even as, unbeknownst to them, journalists were skewering them in news reports. Reports said that they were out of control and did unnecessary damage. Their chain of command hung them out to dry. They were evicted from theater and brought home and charged with war crimes.
The court of public opinion crucified these men. Gen. Mattis ordered a court of inquiry consisting of three officers to cover all the evidence and decide their fates.
One of those officers was Lt. Col. Steve Morgan, USMC, Ret. In this interview, Col. Morgan said that he was fully prepared to put these guys behind bars. The media accounts and the briefing documents he had been given prior to the hearings made it seem pretty cut and dried.
Here are links to the articles and videos at MilitaryTimes.com in regards to the Marines of Task Force Violent:
- READ PART 1: The tragic betrayal of an elite American commando unit
- READ PART 2: The generals resisted MARSOC. Their Marines paid the price
- READ PART 3: Marine commandos survived a nightmare. No one believed their story
- READ PART 4: Embattled Marines came under fire — on the home front
- READ PART 5: Now on the outside, betrayed Marines fight to recapture their stolen honor
In case you haven’t put two and two together, We found our old CO. He was our mustang commanding officer when we deployed to Saudi Arabia for Desert Shield/Desert Storm almost a quarter of a century ago. It mkes me feel old to say that…lol.
But seeing Capt. Morgan again, it was very similar to seeing my other brother Marines. They haven’t changed much. They are still the hard-chargers I knew 25 years ago.
The Col. Morgan you see in this video is in his natural element. What element is that you might ask? His element is being a leader of Marines and having the backs of those appointed under him.
Thanks to this write-up, we have managed to get an email address for him. I have spent the last few weeks trying to draft a letter to him and I keep coming up short. What do you say to this man?
The only thing I can think of is…
Oooh-freakin-rah Colonel.
Stay safe and keep a round in the chamber…
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