When one Marine dies, it is one too many. But when 10 Marines die in 10 days, all from Camp Pendleton's 3rd Battalion, 5th Regiment, and all in the same area - Afghanistan's Helmand province - it really brings the brutality, sadness and madness of war into focus.
It also shows the heightened level of combat we're now seeing in the southern areas of Afghanistan, and painfully illustrates the fact that this war, already the longest in American history, has no clear end in its sights.
"Helmand province is a focal point now for the United States Marine Corps," says Cpl. Zachary Nola, a public affairs officer at Camp Pendleton for 1st Marine Division. "It's a focal point in terms of stabilizing the area so we can allow the people of Afghanistan and their security forces to reclaim their country and help them form an independent, democratic nation."
These are the ten Camp Pendleton Marines who made the ultimate sacrifice:
