THE DECISION TO BECOME A MARINE

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Joshua Taylor stands outside his tent at Combat Outpost Jaker, Afghanistan, July 27, 2012. Taylor deployed to Afghanistan a year after joining the Marine Corps. "I always hoped to be a part of history," he said. "It's something I can be proud of." U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Brian Buckwalter
Face of Defense: Marine Declines Scholarship to Serve
By Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Brian Buckwalter
Regimental Combat Team 6
COMBAT OUTPOST JAKER, Afghanistan, Aug. 8, 2012 - For some people, history is just another subject in school. For Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Joshua Taylor, being a part of history was a calling.
To follow that calling, Taylor, 21, from Troy, Ala., left behind a full-ride scholarship to college to join the Marine Corps. The only reason he even went to college for a year was because it was free, he said, noting he's always had an interest in the military.

"Action movies had a role in it," he said, but so did his interest in warfare, tactics and World War II history.

Taylor, a 2009 graduate of Pike Liberal Arts School, went to recruit training and then to the Marine Corps' School of Infantry. Following his initial training, he was assigned to 2nd Platoon, Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment.

At first, Taylor said, he wasn't sure if the Camp Lejeune-based unit was going to deploy, a disappointing possibility for an infantry Marine.

"I wanted to be here [in Afghanistan] before the war was over," he said.

His best friend, who also joined the Marine Corps, is stationed in Hawaii. "He said I'm the lucky one," Taylor said, because his friend also wanted the opportunity to deploy to Afghanistan.

Taylor deployed to Afghanistan exactly a year into his enlistment, and just before his 21st birthday. He serves near the Nawa district of Helmand province, and so far he has had a quiet deployment.

The Marines work with Afghan National Army and other Afghan forces in the area, and the Marines assist Afghan forces if they request it.

This approach is part of the transition from coalition-led to Afghan-lead security operations. Marines had been fighting in the lead in Helmand province, then shoulder to shoulder with Afghan forces, before beginning to make the transition to an advisor-only force earlier this year.

Taylor, who was 10 years old when the 9/11 attacks happened, said this transition is a sign of progress in the country.

With less to do "outside the wire," Taylor said, he and other 2nd Platoon Marines pass time at their small combat outpost any way they can. Taylor said everyone brought laptop computers to watch movies on, and the outpost has a gym with weights and cardio equipment. Once or twice a week, Taylor said, he goes to the morale, welfare and recreation tent to check his Facebook account, but he usually tries to keep his mind off of what he is missing back home.

Taylor said he went through recruit training and the School of Infantry with some of the Marines in his squad. They've all developed a strong bond with each other, he said.

"I know everyone would have my back, just like I would have their back," Taylor said.

Taylor said it's too early to decide whether he will re-enlist or depart the Marines when his four-year contract expires. If he does decide to get out, he said, he will go back to college to become a stockbroker or learn computer security.

Whatever he decides to do, Taylor said, he will be always able to look back at his service and know that he was a part of something bigger than himself.

"I always hoped to be a part of history," Taylor said. "It's something I can be proud of."

AFGHANISTAN: MARINES PUSHING INSURGENTS OUT

Major General David H. Berger
Commanding General, 1st Marine Division (Forward)FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Marines Continue Pushing Enemy, Teaching Afghan ForcesBy Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8, 2012 - As Marines keep pushing insurgents out of Afghanistan's Helmand and Nimruz provinces, Afghan soldiers and police are taking the reins and protecting the population, the commander of 1st Marine Division (Forward) said today via teleconference from Camp Leatherneck.

The biggest change on the ground in the area is the drawdown of coalition surge forces and the simultaneous buildup of Afghan forces, Marine Corps Maj. Gen. David H. Berger said.

"We're pushing the insurgents out of the populated areas into the periphery and assisting the Afghan police and Afghan army -- helping them get closer to the Afghan people," the general said.

Afghan forces have made tremendous progress in the region, Berger said. When Marines first went into Helmand, he noted, the province had a lot of Marines and a few Afghan forces. "Then, it was an equal partnership," he said, noting Afghan forces will soon be leading operations in the area.

This means the Afghans will decide where to go, they will develop the plans and they will work jointly with coalition forces to "determine what they need in terms of extra equipment, extra forces," Berger explained. The Marine role, he added, is one of support.

Afghan security forces will grow to roughly 352,000. They have the numbers and are developing the expertise to plan, conduct and lead operations, the general said. U.S. and Afghan leaders always compare notes on the insurgent threat in the region.

"We openly share the intelligence we have, and then we decide where we think we can have the most effect on the insurgency, and then decide where we want to use their forces against the threat," he said.

American and coalition forces will continue to work with Afghan forces to develop their capabilities, and the Afghan forces will continue to keep pressure on the insurgents, Berger said. The Afghans, he added, need help in combating improvised explosive devices, the means to evacuate their casualties, and calling in air and fire support.

"All these [tasks] they rely on us, right now," the general said, "but in the future, they will develop their own capabilities, and we will only provide it in extremis when they can't do it themselves.

"We're on the right track," he added. "We have a great working relationship with the Afghan security forces. Everyone here is absolutely confident we are headed in the right direction."