As Marines depart Afghanistan, legacy lingers

This handout photo provided Defense Department shows Marines and sailors with Marine Expeditionary Brigade – Afghanistan load onto a KC-130 aircraft on the Camp Bastion, Afghanistan flightline, Monday, Oct. 27, 2014. The handover of the U.S. Marines' main base to Afghan control in the hardscrabble Helmand province is more than a signal that America’s longest war is ending. It is a reminder of the enormous loss and sacrifice by Marines who swept in as part of President Barack Obama’s surge of forces against a resurgent Taliban in 2009. (AP Photo/Staff Sgt. John Jackson, Defense Department, US Marines) This handout photo provided Defense Department shows Marines and sailors with Marine Expeditionary Brigade – Afghanistan load onto a KC-130 aircraft on the Camp Bastion, Afghanistan flightline, Monday, Oct. 27, 2014. The handover of the U.S. Marines' main base to Afghan control in the hardscrabble Helmand province is more than a signal that America’s longest war is ending. It is a reminder of the enormous loss and sacrifice by Marines who swept in as part of President Barack Obama’s surge of forces against a resurgent Taliban in 2009. (AP Photo/Staff Sgt. John Jackson, Defense Department, US Marines)

By Associated Press October 27, 2014 1 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Marines’ handover of Camp Leatherneck to the Afghans is more than a signal that America’s longest war is ending.

It is a reminder that the Marines’ battlefield gains were tempered by losses – 378 killed, nearly 5,000 wounded.

Camp Leatherneck is the sprawling base in Afghanistan’s Helmand province from which the Marines surged against the Taliban in 2009.

The keys to Leatherneck were turned over to Afghan authorities Sunday.

Helmand province was the epicenter of President Barack Obama’s surge against the Taliban. The Marines focused on it so completely that some dubbed the patch of desert “Marine-istan.” They managed to turn back the Taliban and stabilize much of Helmand, although there is some doubt about whether it will hold once the Marines go home.