Photo By Cpl. Clayton Vonderahe | Lance Cpl. Juan Villalobos, a Bristow, Va., native, shakes hands with an afghan...... read more read more
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FORWARD OPERATING BASE MUSA QAL’EH, Helmand province, Afghanistan - An elder Afghan citizen approaches the gate seperating the citizens of Musa Qal’eh from the Marines on Forward Operating Base Musa Qal’eh. He walks slowly, but with purpose. His intent is to settle a matter of rotor wash effect from the Marine’s helicopters on his property. When he gets to the gate a guard calls for Lance Cpl. Juan Villalobos.
The old man was compensated for the damage caused by the helicopters and walked back through the gate, into the bustling Afghan society that Musa Qal’eh harbors.
The compensation was distributed by Lance Cpl. Juan Villalobos, civil affairs Marine with 4th Civil Affairs Group in support of 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines. One of the many responsibilities Villalobos shoulders is to make sure that the local population is not being adversely affected by the Marines occupying the area. Compensating local residents for damage cause by coalition forces is a part of the counterinsurgency strategy being used by ISAF forces.
Villalobos, a Bristow, Va. native, arrived in Musa Qal’eh on February 15th and was exposed to afghan culture for the first time. The Musa Qal’eh District Center, where the battalion resides, is a large lively city. Locals herd livestock through the streets while venders peddle their various wears out of poorly constructed buildings that are shaded by shanty canopies made with sticks and cloth.
The crowded streets are filled with large trucks making deliveries of goods or motorcycles dodging in and out of traffic. The butcher shops have goat heads in the gutter in front of their building, while the freshly butchered meat swings in the breeze, getting swarmed with wasps.
“You see these people and the way they live; they are way behind,” Villalobos, 33, said. “I’ve been in a lot of places but this place is special. Where ever you go you will not see a place like this. The way I see it every time I go out it reminds me of the old biblical movies, and I think to myself that these people are way behind.”
Villalobos is in the unique position to affect the people’s needs through his mission as civil affairs Marine. His duties entail working with local citizens who come to the Marines with problems, youth shuras (gatherings), and all the locals who arrive at the gate with some kind of offer of contract labor for the Marines. He shoulders much more responsibility than many other Marines of his rank.
“He started with typical lance cpl. duties,” said Capt. Elizabeth Jackson, the civil affairs team leader and a Johns Hopkins University graduate, class of 2005. “He proved himself as we went along and everything we give him he has excelled at.”
His most notable accomplishment was arranging a soccer game between Marines aboard the base and Musa Qal’eh’s soccer team. It was a intricate process that required much planning and preparation. Many things had to be taken into consideration in order to accomplish the task.
“We were supposed to take the Musa Qal’eh soccer team to Lashkar Gah, but we couldn’t arrange a flight for all of them” said Villalobos. Lashkar Gah is the provincial capitol for Helmand province and is too far away to drive, and perceived by locals as too dangerous. “So I said ‘ok, we’re not going to fail these guys so what we’re going to do is arrange a soccer tournament against the Marines.’”
He arranged Marines to play the team at the Musa Qal’eh High School. The Marines lost 2-1, but it helped unify the local population, and with more than 150 attendants, created a sense of community.
“It was a community soccer tournament so it just really kind of brought everyone together,” said Jackson, a Hamden, Conn. native. “The governor was there along with a lot of government officials so (the attendees) saw it as a government-sponsored event, which was another benefit. One of our jobs is to strengthen the government and show the people they can trust the government. It went really well, I was really impressed by that.”
Villalobos has proven to be a valuable asset to the civil affairs team. His maturity and work ethic have raised him to elevated levels of respect and responsibility.
“He is really impressive, he is probably the oldest lance cpl. I have ever met, but that makes him really mature,” said Jackson. “He adapts to every situation. Everything I ask him to do, he’s the kind of guy I can go to with some kind of crazy situation and he can definitely handle it. He knows how to talk to people, arrange things, make things happen. He’s just very reliable.”
Villalobos is preparing to finish his deployment and return to Bristow. He is anxious to see his wife and daughters again, having sacrificed much time and memories with them to deploy.
“Unfortunately I missed both of my daughter’s birthdays being out here,” said Villalobos. “But that’s ok because I know it’s for a good cause.”
His hard work and dedication have set him apart from many other Marines and provided a vital contribution to the team. Though he carries the lowest rank in the unit, Villalobos left a lasting impression with those who have worked with him.
“He is a serious person, but he’s also really caring and funny,” Jackson said. “He’s really every good characteristic you could look for in a person. He’s only a lance cpl., he’s the lowest guy on our team, but he takes care of everybody on our team.”
Editor’s note: 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: | 08.28.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 08.28.2011 13:45 |
| Story ID: | 76081 |
| Location: | FORWARD OPERATING BASE MUSA QAL’EH, HELMAND PROVINCE,, AF |
| Web Views: | 249 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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