Cpl. James M. Mercure , 2nd Battalion (2/7) Has the low down on a recent in your face attack by Afghanie Orcs using their latest tactic-- shock and surprise, using overwhelming Orc numbers and massive firepower. The current cutting edge tactic is designed to minimize American Military force while max'ing out Orc strenght--tactical surprise. The Orcs have been getting a savv- mucho coach from somewhere else-I don't know-where--may be Russians who specialize in the-use-a-sledge-hammer-to-kill-a-maggot school of tactics. Whoever this new tactics coach is he is going to have back up regroup and come with something new as his latest ca-ca isn't squat. Even after pulling a tactical surprise of a 30 Marine force with 250 Orcs with a barrage of RPG's the Orcs were still unable to close in for the coup de grace as they ran into the Corps secret weapon--the Marine Designated Marksman aka the designated hitter.
During the battle, the designated marksman single handedly thwarted a company-sized enemy RPG and machinegun ambush by reportedly killing 20 enemy fighters with his devastatingly accurate precision fire. He selflessly exposed himself time and again to intense enemy fire during a critical point in the eight-hour battle for Shewan in order to kill any enemy combatants who attempted to engage or maneuver on the Marines in the kill zone. What made his actions even more impressive was the fact that he didn’t miss any shots, despite the enemies’ rounds impacting within a foot of his fighting position.
“I was in my own little world,” the young corporal said. “I wasn’t even aware of a lot of the rounds impacting near my position, because I was concentrating so hard on making sure my rounds were on target.”
The vicious attack that left the humvee destroyed and several of the Marines pinned down in the kill zone sparked an intense eight-hour battle as the platoon desperately fought to recover their comrades. After recovering the Marines trapped in the kill zone, another platoon sergeant personally led numerous attacks on enemy fortified positions while the platoon fought house to house and trench to trench in order to clear through the enemy ambush site.
“The biggest thing to take from that day is what Marines can accomplish when they’re given the opportunity to fight,” the sniper said. “A small group of Marines met a numerically superior force and embarrassed them in their own backyard. The insurgents told the townspeople that they were stronger than the Americans, and that day we showed them they were wrong.”
After calling for close-air support, the small group of Marines pushed forward and broke the enemies’ spirit as many of them dropped their weapons and fled the battlefield. At the end of the battle, the Marines had reduced an enemy stronghold, killed more than 50 insurgents and wounded several more.
“I didn’t realize how many bad guys there were until we had broken through the enemies’ lines and forced them to retreat. It was roughly 250 insurgents against 30 of us,” the corporal said. “It was a good day for the Marine Corps. We killed a lot of bad guys, and none of our guys were seriously injured.”
