Second Platoon: Call Sign Hades
A Memoir of the Marines of the Combined Action Company
by
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I ran up on my pinned down Squad and placed myself behind the wall of a mud compound directly north of their position to observe the battlefield and conduct command and control. I gave the order for my Platoon Sergeant to take the majority of the Squad he was with and maneuver from north to south on the enemy located west of First Squads position and suppress the enemy. I dove into the trench with my radio operator, Lance Corporal Ortiz and linked up with my Squad Leader, Sergeant Olds. I then immediately ordered my Marines and Afghan Soldiers to continue to engage the enemy to the south and west while my Platoon Sergeant was maneuvering on the enemy. As if the gates of hell had opened up, my Marines started to pick up their rates of fire sending hundreds of machine gun rounds down range at the enemy compounds. They opened up with a barrage of 40mm grenades from their grenade launchers and rocked even more compounds with their Light Anti-Tank Weapon rockets (LAW’s).
Within about fifteen minutes air came on station and Staff Sergeant Lebron with my Marines were able to force the enemy to egress southwest, successfully cutting off their fires. Once helicopters started flying overhead and fired on the compounds we were being ambushed from, all enemy fires and activity ceased. This was not uncommon because the enemy feared helicopters and their destructive capability. Helicopters stayed on station another twenty minutes then departed to reinforce India Company and their troops in contact.
It was almost as if a light switch went off because precisely at that moment my Marines and I who were taking cover in the trench line, started to become engaged this time from 500 meters to our southwest and 200 meters to our south. I heard a call over the radio at this time from my Platoon Sergeant that he identified an enemy shot spotter behind a compound to our south. He informed me that the spotter was in all black, on a cell phone and was pointing at my Marines and me. He informed me that every time he went to engage the spotter, the spotter would disappear behind a wall before he could squeeze a round off.
At this moment my Marines positioned themselves to the south and waited like a predator stalking their prey for this alleged spotter to surface again. Within seconds, and as plain as day, the spotter emerged from behind the shadows of the compound wall. Staff Sergeant Lebron called it right down to the detail. An enemy spotter emerged on a cellular phone, pointing at my Marines and me, dressed in all black and was walking the enemy shooters and their rounds onto our position.
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About the Book
The war in Afghanistan is considered by most to be America’s longest and least talked about war to date. After terrorists attacked the United States on 9/11, less than one percent of America’s population answered our nation’s call to serve in the Armed Forces. Even fewer Americans made the life choice to become United States Marines.
During this war, two Marine Corps platoon’s were selected by their Battalion to fully integrate with two platoons of Afghanistan National Army Soldier’s in order to create a Combined Action Company (CAC) capable of conducting sustained Counterinsurgency (COIN) operations throughout their Area of Operation’s (AO) and adjacent battlespaces. Inside of this book, you will learn about one of those platoons and how they fought the Taliban during their deployment to the Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
In this memoir, Bodrog recalls how his platoon of Marines, Sailors and Afghan Soldiers lived, operated and fought in the Helmand Province, Afghanistan as part of the Combined Action Company. In doing so and translucently through the men under his command, the author attempts to immortalize every Marine, servicemen and civilian who sacrificed everything they had to ensure the survival of our great nation, while asking for nothing in return. The missions and stories mentioned in this memoir must never be forgotten or become a lost chapter in our nation’s history.
Discover what it’s like to be one of the bold few who still fight for freedom and gain a deeper appreciation of the Marines and Sailors who served this great nation with Second Platoon: Call Sign Hades.
About the Author
First Lieutenant Mark A. Bodrog was born in the historic town of Roebling, New Jersey. He received his B.A. in Criminal Justice from Rutgers the State University. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps in Quantico, Virginia. He has held the billets of Platoon Commander, Weapons Platoon Commander, Assistant Operation’s Officer, Executive Officer and Company Commander. He has served two combat deployments to the Helmand Province, Afghanistan with Third Battalion, Third Marine Regiment in support of both OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM (OEF) 10.1 and 11.2.