... his practice was to visit and his walk his squadron’s flight line every night after flight ops secured at around 2200. He was out there closest to the enemy when the walk attack came. He pulled out his 9MM and took them on. He held his ground ...That is it. In one moment.
The Department of Defense on Monday confirmed Lt. Col. Raible's death and that of another Marine, Sgt. Bradley W. Atwell, 27, of Kokomo, Ind. ... Late Friday, 15 heavily armed insurgents dressed in U.S. Army uniforms split into three teams and stormed British-operated Camp Bastion, which is connected to an American-run base known as Camp Leatherneck. The Taliban fighters penetrated the perimeter and attacked the shared airbase, destroying six Marine AV-8B Harrier jump-jets and damaging two others. It was the worst loss of U.S. military aircraft since the Vietnam War. The Taliban also damaged some hangars and destroyed three refueling stations. Nine coalition personnel were wounded in the attack. Coalition forces killed 14 of the insurgents and took one captive after wounding him. ... After qualifying in the Harrier AV-8B in September 1999, Lt. Col. Raible was assigned to Marine Attack Squadron 223 in Cherry Point, N.C., and later participated in Operation Enduring Freedom aboard the USS Bataan. In 2005, he deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom at Al Asad Air Base in Iraq. From July 2006 to August 2009, Lt. Col. Raible served as an instructor pilot at Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1 in Yuma, Ariz., and deployed several times to Japan and Iraq. He was later promoted to commander of Marine Attack Squadron 211 based in Yuma, where he left behind his wife, Donella, and their three children, ages 11, 9 and 2.Fullbore.
UPDATE: I've expanded on my thoughts over at USNIBlog. Visit and read what a good Command Guidance looks like.
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