Marines at Risk in Djibouti

Soldiers for the Truth ^ | January 15, 2003 | Concerned Officer

[Henk]

By a Concerned Officer

I am writing to DefenseWatch because the U.S. Marines serving in Djibouti need help.

Here's the situation: I am currently serving with the Combined Joint Task Force/Horn of Africa. The majority of the task force is currently embarked on the command ship USS Mount Whitney but the rest of us are based at Camp Lemonier, Djibouti, located on the Horn of Africa at the southern end of the Red Sea.

Camp Lemonier is horribly defended. The front gate has nothing higher than a 5.56mm covering it, and is only yards away from the base operations center. The only sandbags around are to hold the flaps of tents down. The Army MP Company that does security is lazy and doesn't coordinate with its other-service counterparts on the base. The perimeter is reinforced with concertina (barriers filled with rock and sand) in some places, but in others it is just a fence.

The Djiboutians who work at the camp drive so horribly that the snake obstacles at the front gate were removed, thus allowing anybody plenty of room to drive a truckload of explosives into the camp. There are no bunkers.

Finally, upon entering Camp Lemonier - unless you are part of the guard force - you are required to lock your weapon in the armory and surrender all your ammunition.

I find this situation to be unsatisfactory. The current commanders are more afraid of personnel having accidental weapons discharges than they are of the enemy. If an enemy force penetrated the camp tomorrow and killed 20 personnel, I doubt that anyone would be relieved of command.

No matter what the threat is perceived as by higher commands, all U.S. military personnel have the right to self-defense. I define the right to self-defense as being allowed to carry my sidearm fully loaded at all times.

The folks who run the camp don't work for CJTF-HOA, they work for Marine Corps Central Command (MARCENT). The commanding general of CJTF-HOA is Maj. Gen. John F. Sattler USMC, while MARCENT is commanded by Lt. Gen. Earl B. Hailston USMC.

The folks here worry more about offending the perceived thin-skinned Djiboutians by fortifying the base than they do about ensuring that all our personnel make it back home in one piece.

One more thing: Abdirahaman Boreh, the primary contractor supplying our host-nation workforce for Camp Lemonier, is a known associate of Osama bin Laden. He is a friend of the president of Djibouti and one of the most powerful people in the region.

The entire local work force building Camp Lemonier has been hired by Brown and Root (yes, the company that Dick Cheney used to head), but they are hiring folks supplied by Boreh. The bottom line is that a known high-level associate of Osama bin Laden is supplying the work force for Camp Lemonier.

When we found out about this, we notified Central Command headquarters. Apparently in order to not offend the Djiboutians and Boreh, and cause a rift in relations between the United States and Djibouti, CENTCOM told us to forget about it.

We are in danger and powerless to stop it. Worse than that, nobody seems to want to stop it.

Do you think Boreh's workforce is pacing out the locations of everything in the camp for mortar attacks? Probably so.

The author is a U.S. Marine Corps officer serving in Djbouti.

[Slings and Arrows]

You know what we have do, don't you?

Shake shake shake...
Shake shake shake...
Shake Djibouti...

FReegards,
Slings and Arrows

[Henk]

wow is this guy in trouble. If this is true it is very loose lips.

Loose lips? His point is that the bad guys are already in the camp!

[Karsus]

Easy. Blame the messenger. It's how we handle anyone that says anything, ever if true, that makes the current admin. look less than perfect.

Welcome to the new FR.

[Bill Davis FR]

bump for this guy telling the truth...

[gaspar]

Perhaps the officer is unaware that Brown and Root was the funding agent behind Lyndon Johnson and was responsible for his election to the Senate.

B&R has been building bases long before Viet Nam and will be building them long after Dick Cheney leaves the scene. The report does, however, surface many problems that should be addressed pronto.

[Britton J Wingfield]

I think a better title would be Marines take one in Djibouti

[Britton J Wingfield]

Seriously, though, they need a few bulldozers and a collapsible sand grid.

[e_engineer]

According to the CIA factbook the population of Djibouti is 472,810, with only 135,409 males between 15 and 64 years old.

The author does not say how many US Marines are in this camp, but if they break out the rifles, the Djiboutians are going to need reinforcements.

On a serious note, I pray this letter produces prompt corrective action.

[BenR2]

God in Heaven! What kind of morons are in higher command?

This "boot-on-the-ground" officer's concerns need urgent attention, but, apparently, NONE OF THE PERFUMED PRINCES IS LISTENING!

[steplock]

My first reaction? Another attempt at demoralizing Americans and the military.

This "letter" comes on the back of several "news" articles AP-Reuters-etc concerning the American Marines in Beirut just "want to go home"!

It is getting so bad that they are publishing this CRAP in our local rag in Hot Springs Arkansas - Hot Springs Sentinel Record.

A socialist rag to be sure - they refuse to print any article against the democrats OR the anti-BSA crowd. That includes anything against their favorite charity ... United Way.

[Pukka Puck]

I don't know how accurate the rest of this story is, but Dick Cheney worked for Haliburton, not Brown and Root.

[IonInsights]

Brown and Root is a subsidiary of Halliburton

[Pukka Puck]

Oh. I did not know this.

[chadwimc]

This is bullsh*t. This "Marine officer" uses the wrong terms several times to desribe security measures.

[joesnuffy]

This maybe BS however SFTT has lots of combat vets and active duty spec ops
go fast type including occifers...

Generally they check out their sources

4th Inf Div is mobilizing without bothering to secure desert camo for their guys...we should pay these kids a clothing allowance so they can shop at Cabelas...before they leave and the brass should authorize tan unifiorms if that is all that can be found...imo not woodland camo

The number of Gulf War vets on disability due to service connected illness MUST be throughly looked into and medical help for our vets must be a PRIORITY...

Hell if we can go spend money on fricken AIDS research in Botswannaland..we can afford to help our VETS...

SFTT looks out for the grunts who are in the sh#t...there are still so many Clinton ticket puncher types running the show...the kids have to be looked out for from outside the machine
checks and balanced to keep the purfumed princes in line..and when they are "outed" Rummie has to sh#t can them asap

[Britton J Wingfield]

The perimeter is reinforced with concertina (barriers filled with rock and sand) in some places,

Hmmm, shouldn't a Marine officer know what concertina is?

[BenR2]

I don't know how accurate the rest of this story is, but Dick Cheney worked for Haliburton, not Brown and Root.

Whoops. I believe you are correct.

Looks like I took the bait (hook, line, and sinker)!