CAMP BASTION, Afghanistan (Sept. 24, 2012) — Sergeant Rasheem Thomas never thought his first night working on Camp Bastion would turn into a gun battle with 15 insurgents.
When Thomas was told he was transferring from 1st Platoon to 2nd Platoon, the landing support specialist with Combat Logistics Battalion 2, Combat Logistics Regiment 15, thought nothing of it. Instead of working on Camp Leatherneck, Thomas would be working at the rotary wing Arrival Departure Airfield Control Group on Camp Bastion, an adjoining base ran by British Armed Forces. He would be responsible for getting coalition forces and cargo on helicopters departing Camp Bastion’s airfield heading for remote forward operating bases throughout Regional Command Southwest’s area of operations.
Thomas’ first night on Camp Bastion was Friday, Sept. 14. He and a fellow sergeant were driving through a checkpoint close to the airfield when they heard an explosion.
“At first we didn’t know if the explosion was on base or off,” said Thomas, from Manhattan, N.Y. “We decided to go check on our Marines at the cargo lot and we saw an explosion by the (cryogenics) area. That’s when we knew the base was under attack.”
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When Thomas was told he was transferring from 1st Platoon to 2nd Platoon, the landing support specialist with Combat Logistics Battalion 2, Combat Logistics Regiment 15, thought nothing of it. Instead of working on Camp Leatherneck, Thomas would be working at the rotary wing Arrival Departure Airfield Control Group on Camp Bastion, an adjoining base ran by British Armed Forces. He would be responsible for getting coalition forces and cargo on helicopters departing Camp Bastion’s airfield heading for remote forward operating bases throughout Regional Command Southwest’s area of operations.
Thomas’ first night on Camp Bastion was Friday, Sept. 14. He and a fellow sergeant were driving through a checkpoint close to the airfield when they heard an explosion.
“At first we didn’t know if the explosion was on base or off,” said Thomas, from Manhattan, N.Y. “We decided to go check on our Marines at the cargo lot and we saw an explosion by the (cryogenics) area. That’s when we knew the base was under attack.”
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