Update from Steven's CO

Battalion Commander Deployment Message




Family and Friends of 4th LAR,
After a long trip from Camp Pendleton, California, the Marines and Sailors finally arrived at their “final” location in Afghanistan and taken responsibility for operations in the southern Helmand province. Second Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion turned over the battlespace to 4th LAR after successfully establishing themselves as the southernmost Marine Corps unit in Afghanistan. They did a superb job over the 4+ months they were here and set the stage for 4th LAR to follow.
As I stated in my first letter a few weeks ago, the conditions down here are austere. Some locations are better than others, but they all bring their own unique challenges. I suspect the “bragging rights” will be interesting as to what unit had it the toughest during this deployment. The more austere, the better, at least for most of us – it builds character. The bottom line is we will all have a better appreciation for the finer things in life upon our return to the United States.
The US postal service seems to be working well; packages are taking about 2 weeks to be received. Mail is always a morale booster, so keep those packages coming especially with the holiday season right around the corner.
On 10 November, we celebrated the Marine Corps 234th Birthday with a quick formation and cake cutting ceremony where the oldest Marine got the first piece of cake and then served the youngest Marine his piece. On the following day, we were fortunate enough to have sirloin steaks flown down to us which we prepared on the grill. It was delicious!
Your Marine/Sailor is working hard and familiarizing himself with the area, the people, the weather and everything else associated with our mission. As always, I appreciate your support and sacrifice and look forward to sharing our accomplishments with you as we begin operations down south.

Semper Fidelis,

LtCol Mike Martin
CO, 4TH LAR BN