Always Beside You | 1st Recon Bn, Bravo Company, 1st Platoon

This is the extraordinary story of the men of the United States Marine Corps’ 1st Recon Bn, Bravo Company, 1st Platoon. In 2010, they were sent to Afghanistan to stir up a nest of Taliban that had been inflicting significant damage on Marine infantry units in the Sangin River Valley. The Taliban soon came to fear these warriors because of their bold and decisive action, eventually dubbing them “The Black Diamonds,“ and warning other Taliban forces to steer clear of them. On October 25, 2010, while the platoon was on an early morning patrol, two of the Marines were hit by an IED. The unit was then ambushed and came under heavy machine gun and RPG fire as they worked to evacuate their wounded. The Marines held their ground and struck back in an hour-long firefight as a much larger enemy force massed on the area. MSgt Dave Jarvis (Ret) recalls: “We’re all going home. You know, whatever it takes, we’re going home.“ The platoon and attachments received 25 awards for valor and 14 were awarded purple hearts. An