One Weekend A Month

By Semperpapa

On March 24, 2010, a convoy of Light Armored vehicles was making its way through the desert of Southern Afghanistan Helmand Province, just as it had done so many times prior to that day.
Suddenly, a huge explosion and the one of the LAVs disappeared temporarily in an enormous cloud of fine dirt and smoke.

Vehicles in front and behind stopped immediately and Marines scrambled to secure the area and attempt to bring aid where possible.
The LAV affected was carrying three men. Two of them were killed instantly, the driver and the vehicle commander, while the Navy Corpsman in the rear of the vehicle survived with just scratches.

On March 24, Lance Cpl. Rick J. Centanni, 19, and Battalion Sgt. Maj. Robert J. Cottle died serving their country and giving their highest level of commitment for the cause of freedom.

The action was one of those situations one can define as a “silver bullet” as several other LAVs had passed by near the spot and it was that one that hit the mine. As one Marine from the same unit described it, in typical Marine fashion, “the fuckers got lucky!”

The convoy was part of the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Force Reserve, out of Camp Pendleton, California.
That’s correct, a Marine Reserve Unit that has been in Afghanistan since end of last year. A Marine Reserve Unit that has seen, besides Centanni and Cottle, four other Marines and one Corpsman pay with their lives since the deployment started.

Rick Centanni and Robert Cottle were from H&S Co. based at Pendleton, which not only qualified them as Reservists, but, in the fun poking manner so common to the Military, they also qualify for the label of “Hollywood Marines”.

Which brings me to my point.
As much as fun is poked at the Reserve and National Guard units, the truth is that in the War on Terror they have been utilized extensively both in Iraq and in Afghanistan.
These men and women are serving in a capacity that is very often misunderstood by both civilians and full active Military. They practically get it from both sides.

The civilian world that surrounds them on a daily basis, does not understand them, does not see the commitment of their service and, let’s face it, does not care about it. Moreover they may encounter loathing from those nutcases that call themselves pacifists.

The Military world looks at them as only partially capable to perform the job they have signed up for. That’s where the expression “One weekend a month my ass” comes from, especially from those who spend seven to twelve, and at times fifteen months away from the cushy “civilian” lives.
And they have to deal with substandard equipment on those one-weekend-a-month, which allows them to hone their craft only so much.

Yet, the numerous Reservists and Guardsmen have bled and died in combat the same way full active Military has.
The IED that killed Rick Centanni and Robert Cottle, just like the IEDs that killed the other members of the 4th LAR, did not ask if they were full active or reservist Military.

War was not a part-time endeavor for the friends of Centanni and Cottle as they watched their vehicle burn for hours before they could retrieve the bodies of their brothers, including Centanni’s best friend LCpl. Martin who had been in a vehicle just ahead.

And it wasn’t a part-time endeavor for my son, also a very good friend of Rick and an admirer of Sgt. Maj. Cottle, who was tasked to go recover the destroyed LAV.

And definitely war was not a part-time endeavor for those families who got the knock on the door from the Marine officer and the Chaplain, nor for all the other families of the Reservists for whom the war is an extremely terrifying, full time reality.

Just my thoughts.