Photo By Cpl. Nathan McCord | PATROL BASE WISHTAN, Helmand province, Afghanistan - U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Eben...... read more read more
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PATROL BASE WISHTAN, Helmand province, Afghanistan - Marines and sailors from 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion and Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, paid tribute to the life and service of Lance Cpl. Robert S. Greniger at Patrol Base Wishtan, July 18.
Greniger was killed in action July 12 on a foot patrol while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in the district of Sangin, Helmand province, Afghanistan. The 21-year-old combat engineer was assigned to Company A, 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, and deployed in support of 1st Platoon, Company A, 1/5, as a sweeper for improvised explosive devices, clearing the way for the Marines and sailors in Sangin.
Greniger, a Greenfield, Minn., native, graduated from Rockford High School in 2009. On top of playing baseball in high school, he enjoyed snowboarding and karate. Greniger enlisted in the Marine Corps in November of that year and shipped out to recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.
Fellow Marines remembered the engineer’s dual personality. Greniger was the confident, outspoken sweeper who had no problem educating superiors as a subject matter expert, but was also that goofy guy could brighten up anyone’s day.
Greniger led more patrols than any other engineer in PB Wishtan in the middle of arguably the most heavily improvised explosive device infested area being patrolled daily by coalition forces in Afghanistan. He knew his job well and gained a lot of experience very quickly as one of the best.
“He would never shy away from bringing his thoughts to me, which was great,” said 1st Lt. Luis E. Murillo, the platoon commander for 1st Platoon, Alpha Company, from Meriden, Conn. It’s always great when Marines are brave enough to talk to their command about tactics, especially based off of their experiences…and Lance Cpl. Greniger was very experienced in this AO.”
Greniger displayed humility towards those who admired his comprehension of the IED threat and used down time to train other Marines so that they could take over if need be.
“He was very opinionated, had a lot of ideas, yet he was always very polite and tactful. He spent countless hours setting up our IED lane and training my men and I couldn’t thank him enough for that,” said Murillo. “We all looked up to Lance Cpl. Greniger and admired his confidence to conduct his job without any mental reservation.”
Greniger’s performance was recognized by his fellow engineers who also came to him for pointers when operating out of Wishtan.
“He was the go to guy when it came to patrolling the Wishtan AO,” said Sgt. Gregory A. Jeko, a squad leader for Alpha Company, 2nd CEB attached to Alpha Company, 1/5, from Toledo, Ohio. “I often found myself asking him for advice before I left out on patrol here at PB Wishtan.”
Greniger also provided the Marines of 1st Platoon with non-stop entertainment. He was known for going off on random tangents that left Marines rolling with laughter.
“He was an instant hit with anyone that he met. From the nicknames we shared with each other to the times of Robert dancing around in nothing but his boxers,” said Jeko.
His sense of humor and unique personality also came in handy whenever someone was having a bad day.
“Other than Gren being a big kid, he was the biggest goofball engineer that I knew. He always knew when somebody was having a bad day, and did the funniest thing he thought of to make you laugh; even if it was for a few minutes,” said Cpl. Daniel T. Isham Jr., a combat engineer with Company C, 2nd CEB. “I remember one day when I was having a bad time, Gren came up to me and told me ‘The darker the storm, the brighter the sun will be when it’s all over.’ Even I didn’t expect Gren to say something like that, most people that knew him wouldn’t.”
The two aspects of this courageous young man, whose life could not be covered in an entire novel, make sense when put into perspective.
“These two sides of him, the responsible adult, and the fun-loving kid, are not polar opposites or competing aspects of his character,” said Lt. David D. Kim, the 1/5 battalion chaplain, from Mineola, N.Y. “I think his youth fed his courage and his confidence, and it is his courage and confidence that brought so much comfort and peace to you as you stepped outside the wire.”
Regimental Combat Team 8 is currently assigned to 2nd Marine Division (Forward), which heads Task Force Leatherneck. The task force serves as the ground combat element of Regional Command (Southwest) and works in partnership with the Afghan National Security Force and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to conduct counterinsurgency operations. The unit is dedicated to securing the Afghan people, defeating insurgent forces, and enabling ANSF assumption of security responsibilities within its area of operations in order to support the expansion of stability, development and legitimate governance.
| Date Taken: | 07.18.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 07.24.2011 12:48 |
| Story ID: | 74231 |
| Location: | PATROL BASE WISHTAN, HELMAND PROVINCE,, AF |
| Web Views: | 1,433 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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