PAX Terminal

Sgt 2nd Battalion 1st Marines

“When we arrived, my platoon worked at the PAX terminal for the first few days. We turned an very underdeveloped system into a very well constructed serpentine working along with the MEU’s engineers. I thought to myself I finally found the interoperability that the Marines are known for. I was very quickly reminded that someone will let you down. One night, they stopped flights. My platoon put the refugees to sleep, by widening the serpentine and gathering whatever cardboard and blankets we could to help them get some rest. No flights were scheduled until the morning. However, People were still being pulled from shit creek and being sent through the pipeline. A company from 1/8 was our outer cordon to make sure people wouldn’t start roaming HKIA. Bus after bus after bus would come and drop off people. There were maybe 100 Marines at the terminal and maybe 1000 refugees. Eventually I met the MEUs CLB Commander and he told me “Sergeant, if more busses come tonight, come find me in The COC. I they’ve been told to stop sending people your way.” I felt like maybe we had gained another inch. We’re working together. Wrong. After about 30 minutes, more busses showed up and a box truck loaded with people. We were spread so thin and chaos was about to ensue. I found my LT and our concerns were the same. He stayed with the Marines, while I went to find the CLB CO. As I walk into the jock, out of breath, filthy and frustrated I gathered my thoughts and calmed down. A captain helps me find the CO but he wasn’t there. He took me to his OpsO instead. He was taking to some other field grades. They all looked well rested and clean. The captain introduced me, he made a face like he looked displeased that I was there. I said “Sir, LtCol ‘Blank’ instructed me to find him if more busses arrived tonight as we are already well over a manageable capacity. I’m hoping you can help us get these busses to stop because we cannot find him. And if you cannot sir, could you please inform him when he returns?” He looked back at his peers, made a face, and said to me “Thats not a CCIR.” And returned to his conversation. I stormed out of that building as I knew how the rest of this mission would go.”