Tuesday, May 29, 2001

At Cobra Gold exercise, corporal
savors final live fire as discharge nears

By Fred Knapp, Stars and Stripes

Fred Knapp / Stars and Stripes Cpl. Jesse Lanter feeds ammunition to Lance Cpl. John Tiedje as 3rd Battalion 7th Marines Company I takes part in recent Cobra Gold exercises in Thailand.

BAN CHAN KHREM, Thailand — For Cpl. Jack Atkins, it was the last hurrah.

"It’s the last live fire I’ll ever do in the Marine Corps," Atkins said, as the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines Company I prepared to swing into action in Cobra Gold exercises here last week.

The company’s objective was just over the next rise — two hills occupied and reinforced by enemy forces.

And while the enemy was imaginary, the firepower and intensity were real.

Waiting on bended knee to begin the assault, camouflage-painted Marines in the company’s 1st Platoon talked of upcoming liberty and who would buy the beer.

Atkins talked about home, where he plans to join the Baltimore city police department.

Did he have regrets about leaving the military? "I always knew I was going to do four [years]," said Atkins.

After graduating high school, "college money wasn’t there," he explained. At 23, he plans to use his GI benefits for school while working at the police department.

In the meantime, there was the last live-fire exercise, for him and several buddies also leaving the service.

"We’re trying to have fun with it — be loud, whatever," he said.

They got their chance.

Soon the members of 1st Platoon were running down a dirt road, then spreading out to fire on the two hills.

Words rang out and scattered like shell casings — "Down five! Down two!" — as adjustments were made to machine gun settings. Off to the right, the 2nd and 3rd platoons ran toward the hills. One stopped to use a Bangalore torpedo to blow a hole through a wire barrier.

With a flash and a roar followed by smoke, the torpedo exploded.

A few seconds later, chunks of dirt came crashing down on 1st Platoon members who were 100 yards away.

More running, more firing, more yelling — "Pick up the rate of fire! Pick it up!"

"I’m out! I’m out [of ammunition]! You got more?"

"Throw me 10!"

Then, the other platoons reached the hills. Someone detonated a satchel charge to blow up an enemy installation. The field grew quiet.

For Atkins and some others, their last battle was over.