Long Legs, Fast Blades

摘要

While CH-53 helicopters were unloading Marines from Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment in the Now Zad valley in Afghanistan's Helmand Province during the early morning of Dec. 4, history was being made a short distance away. Marines from the reconnaissance unit Task Force Raider were exiting two MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft in three landing zones at the opposite end of the valley, kicking off an assault on the Now Zad area to eliminate Taliban influence by first driving Taliban insurgents out, then establishing a permanent Marine/Afghan security force there.