From Hemet to Helmand, Marine Finds Focus

Photo By Sgt. Christine Samples | Corporal Douglas Smith with 2nd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment walks between a row of trucks on the way to his own before a mission March 26 on Camp Boldak, Afghanistan. Marines at Boldak said Smith "always has a smile on his face."  

CAMP LEATHERNECK, AFGHANISTAN

05.03.2012

Story by Sgt. Christine Samples 

Regional Command Southwest

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – Four years ago he was walking around Hemet, Calif. sporting tattoos and gauges in his ears and wondering what to do with his life. Today, he’s in Helmand province, Afghanistan providing security for Leatherneck through foot patrols and convoys.

Corporal Douglas Smith, 24, with 2nd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, explained that everyone in Hemet had tattoos and piercings; it was the thing to do. However, he decided he wanted to look and be something different once he turned 20.

That’s when Smith decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and join the military. His father, who wouldn’t speak to him for a week after he pierced his ears, served in the Army. Smith said he went with the Marines just to be a little different.

The tattoos remain, but Smith got rid of the earrings. The Marines wouldn’t let him join until he lost the ear adornment and had the holes they left behind sewn shut.

Although he looks different than he did four years ago, Smith is still searching for ways to stand out from the crowd. He volunteered for this deployment where he’s based out of Camp Boldak, an austere site not far from Leatherneck.

Boldak isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Living quarters consist of tents with several Marines sleeping on cots. No running water makes hygiene upkeep difficult. The Marines take showers by standing under rubber bladders filled with bottled water. There are no hot showers unless they feel like heating the water up first. Clothes are cleaned with an old-fashioned crank washing machine.

All this austerity is exactly why Smith volunteered. It’s a little grim, but he likes it. Smith said he enjoys serving where only necessities matter and he’s learned so few things in life are actually necessities. However, he did admit to missing some aspects of American life.

“It gets old really quick,” Smith said of seeing the same faces every day. “Especially when you live with the same guys you work with.”

Smith complained about the lack of social interaction but in the same breath he said, “They’re my best friends. I’ve been on patrol with them. I’ve been in firefights with them. We’ve done a lot of things together. We’ve grown really close to each other over the past four and a half months.”

There’s only a couple of months left of Smith’s deployment, but he’s already thinking about his next job. His goal is to be a Navy SEAL, which he’s already started looking into. In the meantime, Smith will continue with his missions, working out in the camp gym and playing horseshoes and beanbag toss with the other Marines until they get back to the places they call home.

• Date Taken: 05.03.2012
• Date Posted: 05.03.2012 03:39
• Story ID: 87775
• Location: CAMP LEATHERNECK, AF