Life on a mission

After completing a weeklong route clearance mission with U.S. and ANA soldiers, I’ve a newfound respect for life with the Army. Life back at Camp Spann now seems like a stay at the Hilton.

I’d looked forward to the trip previously but an accident with a civilian vehicle forced us back to base a week prior. Our second attempt was much more successful and I soon found myself enjoying the amenities of life in the field. My Army family and friends will find this post amusing but it was somewhat of an awakening for me.

Starting my journey with a gunner, whose last name was Peacemaker, set the pace for what was definitely going to be a good trip. Peacemaker is a young guy from West Virginia who grew up in a town that isn’t even on the map. Listening to him talk over the headset during our trip with his distinctive accent made me constantly snicker at stories from his life in the hills.

Also keeping me amused was the banter between Williams, the truck commander, and the rest of the crew. It was obvious by their exchange that they were a close-knit group. Our truck commander is the seasoned vet of the group with several tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Many years of service, surviving a pair of IED attacks, and multiple enemy engagements have left a hardened soldier who commands the respect of our group. Don’t let the tough exterior fool you though; he does have a soft spot for his guys and Afghan children.

Butler, our driver, has spent time with Williams in Iraq. Together, the pair embellishes the stories from their experiences together. Butler is the even-keeled, poker-faced professional whose quick-wittedness kept the banter going through multiple days in field. A piece of dirt in the eye sidelined Butler on our first day after performing a quick inspection of the MRAP. Thankfully, our medic was able to flush his eye but needless to say, Butler will now were eye protection when crawling under his vehicle.

Price is the platoon medic, so the nickname Doc is an expected call sign to the tall soldier that frequently dons his BCGs (military friends will understand that one). He is a great fit to our truck despite being an outsider like myself. Anyone that can use a body bag for their sleeping bag is a perfect fit to the mix-matched personalities in our truck. I think Doc took the most grief from everyone during our trip but his high-spirited attitude kept his head in the game.

Guardiola, or Sgt G as he is known, is a prior-service Marine who made the switch to Army. G is definitely the true comedian of the group. His humor was quickly tamed and his time in the Marines showed immediately when the situation called for it. I relied a lot on G to guide me during dismount and any other time I just wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do. I was very thankful for his guidance.

Our journey was made tediously long because of the maximum driving speeds on our large vehicles. After a pit stop to refuel and catch some rest, we finally made it to our new home – an Afghan National Army outpost. I expected some pretty rough conditions but seeing the war-torn building that would be our new home was still a bit of a surprise. I did what everyone else was doing and found a space on the dirt-covered floor and quickly fell asleep.

Our first day was pretty uneventful, getting the lay of the land and linking up with the 209th Corps Route Clearance Company occupied our time. Later that day we had intelligence that put everyone on edge and forced us to increase our security posture into the evening. As night drew to a close, a rainstorm came barreling over the mountain and gave us a good soaking all night long. It rained so hard that the second floor, which was now the roof due to the previous roof being destroyed, began to leak and create puddles in all of the rooms. I found a room with least amount of water and it became my home for the remainder of the trip.

The next day was uneventful until we were told the ANA wanted to destroy the ammunition to make the last IED they found prior to our arrival. We were taken to the area where the IED was discovered and their EOD team destroyed the artillery shell and mortars used in the device. We were near a river and it was nice to see such lush green vegetation. On the way back we stopped in a local village for the ANA soldiers to buy food for their breakfast the next morning. We were surprised to find a teacher and his students who had just left school. He encouraged the boys to practice their English with U.S. soldiers.

A day later we were awoken to a very early morning mission. Thankfully, we had an hour to prepare so I managed to make coffee, well – it is kind of like coffee, and get a quick bite before heading out. We were all surprised to see so many ANA and ANP when we arrived at our final destination. I was told there were approximately 300 people involved in a mission to clear a Taliban strong hold. The mission of the 209th Corps RCC team was to be on standby incase any explosive devices were found. After waiting in one place for eight hours, the foot patrol cleared the area without incident and we headed home to finally get out of our gear. Side note about the Improved Outer Tactical Vest (body armor), it rests squarely on my hip bones, which were rubbed raw that day – compromise to wearing something that might save my life, I guess.

While we were out we learned two of the ANA officers were being promoted, so we decided to help the celebration by buying a sheep from the local village the next day. That night we all dined on a “home cooked” meal and the ANA even bought some cold soda for us to drink. Our dinner was almost ruined by a passing storm but we were able to enjoy the food without getting soaked. Williams had also purchased some eggs, onions, and tomatoes and our breakfast the following morning was another meal that didn’t come out of a pouch. At that point, I was really starting to enjoy my time in the field.

As I’ve learned already, I am never surprised at many different people I meet. While at our ANA out post, I met two U.S. soldiers living in a makeshift shack – literally. The pair had a unique mission to ensure the completion of two construction projects for use by ANA and coalition soldiers. They were dropped off with nothing more than their rucksacks and a handful of equipment and had to thumb rides from units operating in the area to get their tasks done. It was neat to see how they operated autonomously with just their initiative and help from passers by.

I learned many lessons about living in the field, living with the Army, and working with the ANA. Some experiences I could have done without, such as having to find a different place to sleep because the area I was in was now a puddle. Another lesson I didn’t look forward to learning was the number of days I could wear the same pair of clothes and how to take a baby-wipe shower (for the record they really don’t make you clean, but it does feel nice to be “cleaner” than when you started). I also learned that Afghans love to joke and have fun and that despite some cultural differences and the language barrier; we are a lot a like when it comes to living our lives.

Overall I had a great experience and was thankful to have met a great group of guys from 10th Mountain 1st Brigade Special Troop Battalion 2nd Platoon Alpha Company - thanks for the fun guys!



Stay tuned for more adventures in just another day in my life.