COMBAT OUTPOST FIDDLERS GREEN, Afghanistan – Growing up, Cpl. Micah Howard knew he wanted to do something to serve his country.

Howard, a squad leader with 1st Platoon, Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, enlisted in the Marine Corps at the age of 20. Five and half years later, he is serving on his second combat deployment with 3rd Bn., 8th Marines. Howard decided to join the Marine Corps in an effort to better his life while also serving his country.

“I just wanted a piece of the action. I wanted to do something more for myself, rather than just stay in the United States. Basically I wanted to give back to the country what it had given to me in terms of the freedoms I have,” said Howard, from Columbia, S.C.

Howard also credited his drive to join the Marine Corps and to become an infantryman to his godfather who is a retired Marine.

“My godfather was a Marine, and he told me stories about what he did. I always had this image in my head that Marines were the biggest and the best,” Howard said. “They were gun fighters. If the U.S. needed something done, they’d send the Marines in first. I didn’t want to sit behind a desk or anything like that, I wanted to be in the action with whatever the Marine Corps got involved in, so that’s why I became a grunt.”

Howard noted the differences between his last and current deployments.

“Every day last deployment it was constant attacks. You couldn’t go 50 meters outside the compound we were staying in without getting ambushed,” Howard said. “This deployment is more of a pull out effort. It’s different from the last one cause last deployment it was more offensive with the U.S. leading the fight. This deployment though we’re handing it over to the Afghan National Security Forces, so basically this deployment is just training ANSF to make sure they’re ready to assume control of their country.”

Howard has already re-enlisted and plans on making a full career out of the Marine Corps as long as there’s a fight to be in.

“There’s always going to be bad guys who want to take away the freedoms we have. So there’s always going to be that fight out there, but if it dies down enough that there’s no real purpose for my job, then I’ll get out and pursue advertising or something in the creative field,” Howard said. “So if I stay in for twenty years, I just hope to keep on gun fighting.”

Howard noted the stress involved with this deployment, but said the Afghan National Army has started to operate more independently.

“We have our work cut out for us,” Howard said. “We’re constantly going out with the ANA. We basically just shadow them to make sure their ready to take over. We just wait for the ANA to find something or to request our help, and we’ll go out there and get the job done.”

Howard is thankful for the opportunities he has received during his time as a Marine.

“I’m definitely glad that I got to get the experience in Afghanistan before it’s all said and done,” Howard said. “I basically got the full package. I did everything a Marine does. I went on ship got to see all the different parts of the world, and I went into a combat zone living like a Marine in austere conditions.”

As a squad leader, Howard looks after the well being of his Marines. He also mentors them ensuring they receive the knowledge needed to accomplish their mission.

“I would consider Cpl. Howard as a mentor when I first joined the Marine Corps,” said Lance Cpl. Gavin Peguero, machine gunner, 1st Platoon, Lima Co., 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines. “Cpl. Howard was in the same (Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team Company) as me, so it was mere coincidence when I checked into 3/8 and Cpl. Howard was my team leader. Not only did he help me transition into the fleet, but he also made me a better person as well as Marine.”

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