News From the Cause
Marines in deadly Afghan valley face combat stress (WASHINGTON POST)
March 07, 2011
SANGIN, Afghanistan -- When U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Derek Goins deployed to the most dangerous place in Afghanistan five months ago, he mentally prepared for the risk of getting shot by the Taliban or stepping on bombs buried throughout this southern river valley.
But he wasn't ready for what happened to his two best friends, who were shot to death inside a patrol base by an Afghan army soldier who escaped into the arms of the Taliban.
"I grew up with those guys in the Marine Corps and shared a lot of laughs and tears with them," said Goins, 23, from Trumbull, Texas. "We expected to come here and fight and not just get murdered, and that's what it was."
The Marines who arrived in Sangin district of Helmand province in October have seen the kind of tragedy and combat stress that few can imagine - more than 30 deaths and 175 wounded, with scores losing arms and legs when they stepped on bombs.
The 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment and smaller Marine units attached to it are fighting to regain this key insurgent stronghold in one of the country's bloodiest regions.
At least 288 NATO service members were killed in Helmand province in 2010. Last year was the deadliest of the nine-year Afghan war for the international forces, with 701 killed.
Many of the Marines in Sangin say they are coping by blocking out the horrors they have seen. Psychiatrists say that behavior is normal during combat, but it could trigger post-traumatic stress disorder when the Marines go home next month.
"It's a day-by-day thing and you don't know if you're going to be the guy to get hit the next day, so you just keep on pushing," said Goins, who like most of the Marines in Sangin is on his first combat deployment. Click to view more
