Marines Make the Most With the Least During Christmas in Now Zad
Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs
Story by Staff Sgt. Luis Agostini
Date: 12.26.2009
Posted: 12.26.2009 03:37

EDITOR’S NOTE: all photos have been uploaded in high definition. In some cases name are not included, so if you click twice to maximize photo size you should be able to recognize your Marine. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Your friends at LibNot.com

NOW ZAD, Afghanistan – Just three weeks removed from leading the assault into Now Zad during Operation Cobra’s Anger, the Marines of Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, switched gears and embraced the holiday spirit.

Marines with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, prepare Christmas dinner at an observation post in Now Zad, Afghanistan, Dec. 25. The Marines made the most of this holiday season, generating their own holiday cheer away from loved ones.

Christmas music blared from a mini-DVD player. A 12-inch faux fern tree sat atop of a wooden table, where Marines prepared their Christmas dinner, peeling potatoes, stirring eggs, and prepping the grill for the main dish – a seasoned turkey.

For some, this was a different Christmas than the Marines were used to, in a desolate area of Now Zad, on a patrol base in the middle of an Afghan valley. For others, this was the routine they’ve developed over the past few years.

A Marine with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, carries care packages back to his living area at an observation post in Now Zad, Afghanistan, Dec. 25. Marines received care packages from throughout the United States just in time for Christmas.

“This is my fourth holiday season away from home,” said Cpl. Alex Pirila, a squad leader with Lima Co., 3/4. “It’s kind of a normal thing now. These guys become your family.”

The Marines have learned how to adapt to a Spartan setting. The delivery of food and water brings smiles to their faces.

“Dinner is going to be a nice little break from the usual (Meals Ready to Eat),” said Seaman Derrick R. Ward, a corpsman with Lima Co., 3/4. “Other than that, it’s just another day in Afghanistan.”

For Marines like Lance Cpl. Andrew N. Klassen, a rifleman with Lima Co., 3/4, the holiday season holds minimal significance in their lives.

Lance Cpl. Benjamin M. Knight, a rifleman with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, carries water back to his living area at a patrol base in Now Zad, Afghanistan, Dec. 25.

“I’m not really the holiday type. It’s just another day for me. I have a job to do,” said Klassen, 25, who was responsible for transporting the commanding officer of his company to the different battle positions during Operation Cobra’s Anger.

“Now that it’s over, I’m just trying to settle back into a routine, making sure people have what they need on a combat outpost,” Klassen said.

Lance Cpl. Cody A. Collis, a rifleman with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, does his laundry at a patrol base in Now Zad, Afghanistan, Dec. 25. Collis added detergent and water to an oil drum to wash his clothing, and innovated a spin-cycle by rolling the drum repeatedly.

The usually festive day did not go without incident. While Marines conducting security patrols in the outlying areas, an Afghan man walked to the patrol base and asked for medical assistance for his young son, who had a blister on his backside, and risked infection if not treated. Petty Officer 3rd Class Jimmy Diaz, a corpsman with Lima Co., 3/4, experienced the gift of giving and lanced the child’s blister and treated it, sending the family off one child healthier.

At two of Lima Company’s patrol bases, 7-ton trucks delivered care packages sent by people throughout the United States, along with letters from elementary school children who pledged their support to the Marines currently conducting counterinsurgency operations in partnership with the Afghan national security forces.

An Afghan child is treated for a blister on his backside by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jimmy Diaz, a corpsman with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, at a patrol base in Now Zad, Afghanistan, Dec. 25.

“It’s awesome to know that there are people actually supporting us and caring about us. It feels good,” said Cpl. John N. Koko, a rifleman with Lima Co., 3/4.

Marines with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, prepare Christmas dinner at a patrol base in Now Zad, Afghanistan, Dec. 25. The Marines made the most of this holiday season, generating their own holiday cheer away from loved ones.

Capt. Andrew Terrell, commanding officer of Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, talks to his Marines on Christmas at a patrol base in Now Zad, Afghanistan, Dec. 25. The Marines made the most of this holiday season, generating their own holiday cheer away from loved ones. Terrell is from Tampa, Fla.

It wouldn’t be a Marine Christmas in Afghanistan without a show of bravado, as a Marine with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, accepts a dare to drink hot sauce as his squad members look on in awe at a patrol base in Now Zad, Afghanistan, Dec. 25.

Christmas was just another day on the job for Lance Cpl. Andrew N. Klaasen, a rifleman with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment. Klassen spent his Christmas alongside his commanding officer, Capt. Andrew Terrell, visiting several observation posts throughout Now Zad, Afghanistan, Dec. 25. Klassen, 25, is from Hudsonville, Mich.