Dan Zimpfer

@misc{zimpfernd,
  title = {Dan Zimpfer},
  keywords = {2nd Battalion 6 Marines, 29 Palms, 2069 Second Battalion, Alcohol, Balad Military Hospital, Boot Camp, Camp Baharia, Camp Geiger, Camp LeJeune, Cigarettes, Civilian Life, Convoy Course, Delayed Entry Program, Deployment, DTC, EOD, Fallujah, Guerillas, Hellertown, Pennsylvania, IED, Injuries, Interpreters, Iraq, Kabul, Afghanistan, M4, M16, M240, Mark 19, MOS, Mourning, MOUT, MP40, MSR, Parris Island, South Carolina, Psy Ops, PTSD, Purple Heart, Rifelman, Rules of Engagement, Samarra, School of Infantry, Sector 15, September 11th, STEPS, TAPS, The Crucible, TOW Gun, TOW Gunner, TTP, United States Marine Corps, Video games, Weapons Company, 0311, 0331, 0341, 0352},
  abstract = {Dan Zimpfer (1984-) enlisted in the United States Marine Corps via The Delayed Entry Program in 2003. After completing boot camp, Zimpfer then went to the School of Infantry at Camp Geiger. he was deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan and then to Fallujah, Iraq. A recipient of the Purple Heart, Zimpfer says that if he has children he would like them to go into the military because it makes you more mature and provides structure to your life.Interviewee Unit/Title2nd Battalion 6 MarinesYears Active2003-2007EnlistmentDan Zimpfer was born on July 31, 1984 in Hellertown, Pennsylvania. He attended Wilson Area High School and graduated in 2002. Zimpfer worked for his father in the construction business for 1.5 years and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Delayed Entry Program in 2003. [This program allows individuals to commit to becoming Marines up to one full year before beginning recruit training.] He attended boot camp in 2004. Although his father was a Marine, Zimpfer decided to join the Marine Corps on a whim. He was at loose ends and was looking for some structure. The day he informed his parents of his decision was the day that he left for boot camp. His parents were happy with his decision and wished him well. Although September 11th played a role in his decision, it was not based solely on that event. Zimpfer is still pleased with his decision to enlist.TrainingTo get to boot camp, Zimpfer departed on an airplane out of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and landed in either Georgia or South Carolina. He then was taken by car to Parris Island [South Carolina] where the receiving barracks were located. He remembers standing in yellow footprints when he first arrived. [These yellow footprints are located outside of the Receiving Building and are considered a rite of passage to stand in as they signal the beginning of the transition from civilian to Marine.] Zimpfer was assigned to the 2069 Second Battalion. He describes boot camp as the time when the Marines break a person down in order to build him back up. According to Zimpfer, there are three stages to becoming a Marine. In the first stage, there is a complete lack of privileges and recruits engage in close order drills and marches. In this stage, their supervising officer breaks them down both physically and mentally. In the second stage, recruits undergo training in a variety of fields. In Phase three, the transition from civilian is almost complete. This is the stage in which The Crucible is administered. [The Crucible is the final test for a Marine and is designed to be a culmination of all of the skills learned in boot camp.] He describes the process of boot camp as being demanding physically with 3.5-mile daily runs, pull-ups and crunches required daily. Although Zimpfer played sports in high school and was used to physical work form his construction job, he still found the training difficult. Yet, the physical part was just the surface. It was more a mental game with the goal being to break down all new recruits to zero mentally so that each recruit could grown into his own Marine. For Zimpfer, boot camp lasted for three weeks (May 5, 2004-July 30, 2004). He then went to the School of Infantry at Camp Geiger [Camp Geiger is a part of the Marine Corps Base Camp LeJeune complex located in North Carolina] where he learned infantry tactics such as fire team and squad rushes. While training, Zimpfer used 0311s (the MOS code for a Rifleman and is the primary MOS for the Marine Corps), 0341s (the MOS code for Mortar man), 0331s (the MOS code for crew served machine guns), and 0352s (the MOS code for TOW Gunner). The TOW gun has been around since Vietnam and is used on tanks and infantry vehicles. It is too large to carry and has to be mounted. The TOW gun is referred to as “death on a wire” since its wires will tell it where to go once you’ve pointed it. A TOW gun is a slow traveler and can go 30700 meters, which equals 2.2 miles. With this type of weapon, the Marine must stay in his location until it hits. This differs from a “fire and forget weapon” in which a Marine does not have to stay present. Zimpfer didn’t carry one in Fallujah or Afghanistan as there was less of a need after the November 2004 push. Other weapons Zimpfer mentions include the MP40 [a submachine gun] with a 50 caliber. It has a maximum effectiveness of 1830 meters and was situated on infantry vehicles. The Mark 19 [a grenade launcher] used 40-millimeter grenades and was capable of 2,212 meters and 30/60 rounds per minute. The M240 [machine gun] is described as the day-to-day weapon and has a lunch of 1800 meters. Upon graduating from the School of Infantry, Zimpfer joined the 2nd Battalion 6 Marines, also called the 2-6, where he worked in the Weapons Company. This took place at Camp Lejeune and was where he met his platoon. He knew he was heading into war and that, in fact, was why most of them had joined. Zimpfer says that if you’re infantry and a war is going on, you know you’re going.DeploymentZimpfer says that when you join Infantry in a time of war you know you're going it is just a question of when and where. In January 2005, Zimpfer was sent to Kabul, Afghanistan where he was on embassy duty. He describes it as being largely uneventful with only one explosion during his three months. While there, Zimpfer had limited interaction with the people of Afghanistan but did note that Afghanis would run in front of machine firings in order to collect the brass casings. Although some went to language class before Afghanistan, language instruction happened more before Iraq because there was more association with the civilians there. In Iraq, Zimpfer had an interpreter named Khalid who hailed from Baghdad. Before deploying, Zimpfer took part in desert training that was designed to help prepare the Marines for what they would encounter in Iraq. The MOUT (Military Operations in Urban Terrain) program took place at 29 Palms [the Marine Corps largest base that is located in San Bernardino County, California] and was part of a build up package in which the goal was to make Iraq and its conditions as real as possible. Similar to a movie set, the Marines went over Tactical Techniques and Procedures (TTP) and went through a series of real life scenarios they might encounter. For example, in one drill insurgents were mixed in with civilian crowd members. Marines wouldn’t use live ammunition during these scenarios but would use paint balls instead. While this training was useful, especially for getting a feel for how others in your platoon will behave, Zimpfer notes that nothing prepares you once the real bullets start flying. While at 29 Palms, there was also training on IEDs (improvised explosive devices) via simulations as well as a Convoy Course that was a video game to assess driving capabilities. Zimpfer’s second deployment was to Fallujah, Iraq from August 2005 until April 2006. His first stop was in Kuwait where there was little action and he largely just stayed in his tent. His regiment was then sent to Camp Baharia in Fallujah. Upon arriving, the process of “unit ripping” took place. This refers to the procedure in which the outgoing platoon hands off duties to the incoming platoon. The overlap between the two is approximately two weeks and the Right Seat/Left Seat process [the name given to the turnover process in which the more experienced soldier sits in the left seat and the less experienced soldier sits in the right seat for last minute mentoring] begins almost immediately. According to the briefing, their assignment was to guard the Main Supply Route (MSR), which was the way supplies reached the Marines. At this time, there was a high volume of insurgents and snipers. The two groups most frequently encountered were martyrs (who would not give up and wanted to die) and Guerillas (who were more apt to hit and run). There were a high number of mortars as well as IEDs. As a result, they started patrolling through the city in trucks. They encountered small fire and one time ran over a land mine. Zimpfer sustained injury when an ECP (an Entry Control Pump) blew up. Both of his eardrums were blown out and he took shrapnel to his leg and his feet. As a result of this incident, he received his first Purple Heart. To receive treatment, he was first taken to the Fallujah hospital center before being transferred to Balad Military Hospital in Balad, Iraq. This occurred in March 2006 and after a short convalescence, he was sent back to Fallujah for his remaining tour of duty. The Rules of Engagement are spelled out on a card Marines are given. It differentiates between hostile intent (example: walking toward a marine with a weapon) and a hostile act (example: aiming that weapon at a Marine). It also lists mosques as a no go area. Zimpfer notes that urban warfare is the most dangerous form of warfare because it is not just a 360-degree battlefield. While it vehicle patrols, the vehicle would consist of the driver, a vehicle commander, two dismounts and a Turk gunner on top. Often positions would be rotated out with the exception of the vehicle commander. For close quarters combat, Marines would carry M4s [carbines] that were shorter versions of the M16s [assault rifles]. The M4s were semi-automatic and had three round bursts. He does not hunt. One notable incident in Fallujah occurred when Zimpfer was performing a Sector 15 patrol and saw a man coming out with a video camera. Suspicious, they cornered off the alley when there was a sudden explosion. As the smoke cleared, most of the Marines were alive, although one Marine lost a foot, but two children who had been playing in the alley had been killed. A third child who had been in the alley picked up an arm of one of the other children and ran with it. The man with the video camera was still alive and was taken to the Jail Bird, which was the name of the detention center, where he was questioned. It was ascertained that the man with the video camera was connected to the explosion. A second notable incident occurred when Zimpfer was stationed in Samarra, located north of Fallujah. While doing patrols on a road and waiting for an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) Sergeant Adams asked Marine Cox to trade places with him and let him get in the gun, which Cox agreed to. While driving, they then encountered a Triple Stack of IEDs. After a giant explosion and a great deal of confusion, it was discovered that Sergeant Adams had been killed. The hardest part for Zimpfer was meeting with Sergeant Adam’s family and telling them how Sergeant Adam had died. Zimpfer explains that to deal with the events while in combat, a Marine has to put a great deal on the backburner because there isn’t time to deal with it in the field. There isn’t a grieving period. When a Marine returns home is when you have time to think about everything that happened in the field.Coming HomeWhile the Marine Corps attempts to help Marines transfer back to civilian life, many find the transition to be difficult, especially the lack of structure. For Zimpfer, this difficult translated itself into a problem with alcohol. He also spent a week in a mental institution because of flashbacks. He attributes his well being to meeting his wife whom he met three months prior to leaving the Marine Corps. He believes staying in contact with other Marines and having them to talk to is better therapy than seeing a traditional therapist. Zimpfer is very positive about his experience with the VA Hospital saying that services exist but you have to seek them out. He also notes that there are more returning veterans than counselors available to assist them. Zimpfer will watch movies about Iraq but how it affects him is dependent upon the day. Watching these films does make him remember and sometimes that can lead to a reaction. He does not play video games. Zimpfer’s second deployment to Fallujah occurred in the summer of 2007. It was a complete 180 from his first experience in Fallujah. On this tour, nothing very eventful occurred. Zimpfer’s second deployment to Fallujah occurred in the summer of 2007. It was a complete 180 from his first experience in Fallujah. On this tour, nothing very eventful occurred. His responsibility was to patrol a road. At this point, more responsibility was being turned over to the Iraqi Army. The city had been sectored off and there was no driving allowed except by coalition forces. As there was only one way in and one way out, there was complete control over the city. This created more of a “neighborhood watch” feel amongst the Marines. While there was more contact between the Marines and the Iraqi civilians, Zimpfer really only got to know his interpreter, Khalid. The Psy Ops [Psychological Warfare Operations] had more contact with the civilians than he did. During this second deployment to Fallujah, Zimpfer occasionally went to Camp Baharia on his rare day off. The first time he spent his time cleaning weapons and reloading ammunition. The second time he called home, went to the gym and socialized with other Marines. While alcohol is forbidden, cigarettes were in high demand. And while Zimpfer never smoked before the Marine Corps, he soon started and found that most other soldiers smoked, even while in battle. With only three months left, Zimpfer started the STEPS and TAPS process of preparing for reentry into civilian life. This included job training and career assistance. During this time, Zimpfer, who was promoted to Sergeant in December 2007, served as an instructor IEDs at the DTC (Division Training Center). Zimpfer says that if he has children he would like them to go into the military because it makes you more mature and provides structure to your life. He thinks everyone should go through boot camp for the experience and that it is especially good for kids who don’t know where they’re going in life. Since returning home, he has found people to be very respectful about his service.},
  language = {English},
}