The Marines of Company B, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion made history when they deployed to Afghanistan’s Helmand province in November 2009, as part of the first Marine Corps reserve battalion deployed in support of Operation enduring Freedom.
Helmand province, which borders Pakistan, has become a focus of the surge of U.S. troops as it is one of the most unstable regions in Afghanistan.
Company B is one of are one of six reserve Operational LAR Companies composing the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance, and was assigned to Fort Detrick in October 1987, drilling out of the Pfc. Flair U.S. Army Reserve Center in Frederick, one of Fort Detrick’s mission partners.
During the tour in Afghanistan the Marines of Co. B have known success and tragedy; highlights include capturing more than 8 tons of illegal narcotics during missions to interdict drug smuggling.
The unit has also suffered the loss of three of its members when Sgt. David J. Smith, a native of Frederick, Lance Cpl. Jeremy Kane, 22, of Cherry Hill, N.J., and Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Xin Qi, 25, of Cordova, Tenn., were killed by a suicide bomber, Jan. 23.
Today's Marine Corps Reserve is an “operational reserve,“ and Reserve Marines stand ready to deploy alongside active duty Marine Corps units in support of any overseas contingency operation or theater security cooperation exercises. The 4th LAR Battalion is a perfect representative of the quality of our Reserve Marine Forces.
Reservists can be mobilized for up to a year in support of overseas contingency operations. All MFR units have been activated at least once since September 2001. Ninety-eight percent of those units activated have deployed overseas to the Central Command area of operations.
Company B’s current deployment is the fourth time it has been activated in defense of our nation and the third time since Sept. 11, 2001, for the War on Terror.
The photos on these pages were sent by Maj. David M. Carey, commanding officer of Co. B, and taken by members of Co. B as they travel across southern Helmand, performing their reconnaissance mission. It is a ground-level view of our local Marines doing what Marines do best, deploy far from home to protect our national interests.
Enjoy the photos, and a special thanks to all the Devil Dogs of Co. B for their hard work, sacrifice and their willingness to share these photos with the Fort Detrick community.
Semper Fi!
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